#But they weren't in the actual product listings for the products.

[homoqueerjewhobbit]

Wow, this "gender free" fashion brand sure doesn't have any AMAB models.

#If you can't put someone with a beard in one of your skirts you have failed as a queer brand #My punishment for dkbefafely clicking on an ad #OK I did find exactly one in the infographic about their big and tall coveralls #But they weren't in the actual product listings for the products. #Fashion #Queer fashion #Nonbinary #Women and femmes #Genderqueer #And I do mean AMAB. I didn't see any trans women either #post o' mine

[avaantares]

Fanfiction Authors: HEADS UP

(Non-authors, please RB to signal boost to your author friends!)

An astute reader informed me this morning that one of my fics (Children of the Future Age) had been pirated and was being sold as a novel on Amazon:

(And they weren't even creative with their cover design. If you're going to pirate something that I spent a full year of my life writing, at least give me a pretty screenshot to brag about later. Seriously.)

I promptly filed a DMCA complaint to have it removed, but I checked out the company that put it up -- Plush Books -- and it looks like A LOT of their books are pirated fic. They are by no means the only ones doing this, either -- the fact that """publishers""" can download stories from AO3 in ebook format and then reupload them to Amazon in just a few clicks makes fic piracy a common problem. There are a whole host of reasons why letting this continue is bad -- including actual legal risk to fanfiction archives -- but basically:

IF YOU ARE A FANFIC AUTHOR WITH LONG AND/OR POPULAR WORKS, PLEASE CHECK AMAZON TO SEE IF YOUR STORIES HAVE BEEN PIRATED.

You can search for your fics by title, or by text from the description (which is often just copied wholesale from AO3 as well). If you find that someone has stolen your work and is selling it as their own, you can lodge a DMCA complaint (Amazon.com/USA site; other countries have different systems). If you haven't done this before, it's easy! Here's a tutorial:

HOW TO FILE A COPYRIGHT COMPLAINT FOR STOLEN WORK ON AMAZON.COM:

First, go to this form. You'll need to be signed into your Amazon account.

Select the radio buttons/dropdown options (shown below) to indicate that you are the legal Rights Owner, you have a copyright concern, and it is about a pirated product.

Enter the name of your story in the Name of Brand field.

In the Link to the Copyrighted Work box, enter a link to the story on AO3 or whatever site your work is posted on.

In the Additional Information box, explain that you are the author of the work and it is being sold without your permission. That's all you really need. If you want, you can include additional information that might be helpful in establishing the validity of your claim, but you don't have to go into great detail. You can simply write something like this:

I am the author of this work, which is being sold by [publisher] without my permission. I originally published this story in [date/year] on [name of site], and have provided a link to the original above. On request, I can provide documentation proving that I am the owner of the account that originally posted this story.

In the ASIN/ISBN-10 field, copy and paste the ID number from the pirated copy's URL. You'll find this ten-digit number in the Amazon URL after the word "product," as in the screenshot below. (If the URL extends beyond this number, you can ignore everything from the question mark on.) Once this number has been added, Amazon will pull the product information automatically and add it to the complaint form, so you can check the listing title and make sure it's correct.

Finally, add your contact information to the relevant fields, check the "I have read and accept the statements" box, and then click Submit. You should receive an email confirmation that Amazon has received the form.

Please share this information with your writer friends, keep an eye out for/report pirated works, and help us keep fanfiction free and legally protected!

NOTE: All of the above also applies to Amazon products featuring stolen artwork, etc., so fan artists should check too!

#fanfiction #ao3 #piracy #dmca #pirated fanfic #please signal boost #i'm mad but also laughing that my dmc fanfic is now a 'number one best selling novel' lol #i'm also a traditionally-published author #so this is both hilarious and deeply insulting to me

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Amazon's bestselling "bitter lemon" energy drink was bottled delivery driver piss

Today (Oct 20), I'm in Charleston, WV at Charleston's Taylor Books from 12h-14h.

For a brief time this year, the bestselling "bitter lemon drink" on Amazon was "Release Energy," which consisted of the harvested urine of Amazon delivery drivers, rebottled for sale by Catfish UK prankster Oobah Butler in a stunt for a new Channel 4 doc, "The Great Amazon Heist":

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-great-amazon-heist

Collecting driver piss is surprisingly easy. Amazon, you see, puts its drivers on a quota that makes it impossible for them to drive safely, park conscientiously, or, indeed, fulfill their basic human biological needs. Amazon has long waged war on its employees' kidneys, marking down warehouse workers for "time off task" when they visit the toilets.

As tales of drivers pissing – and shitting! – in their vans multiplied, Amazon took decisive action. The company enacted a strict zero tolerance policy for drivers returning to the depot with bottles of piss in their vans.

That's where Butler comes in: the roads leading to Amazon delivery depots are lined with bottles of piss thrown out of delivery vans by drivers who don't want to lose their jobs, which made harvesting the raw material for "Release Energy" a straightforward matter.

Butler was worried that he wouldn't be able to list his product on Amazon because he didn't have the requisite "food and drinks licensing" certificates, so he listed his drink in Amazon's refillable pump dispenser category. But Amazon's systems detected the mismatch and automatically shifted the product into the drinks section.

Butler enlisted some confederates to place orders for his drink, and it quickly rocketed to the top of Amazon's listings for the category, which led to Amazon's recommendation engine pushing the item on people who weren't in on the gag. When these orders came in, Butler pulled the plug, but not before an Amazon rep telephoned him to pitch him turning packaging, shipping and fulfillment over to Amazon:

https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-let-its-drivers-urine-be-sold-as-an-energy-drink/

The Release Energy prank was just one stunt Butler pulled for his doc; he also went undercover at an Amazon warehouse, during a period when Amazon hired an extra 1,000 workers for its warehouses in Coventry, UK, in a successful bid to dilute pro-union sentiment in his workforce in advance of a key union vote:

https://jacobin.com/2023/10/the-great-amazon-heist-oobah-butler-review

Butler's stint as an Amazon warehouse worker only lasted a couple of days, ending when Amazon recognized him and fired him.

The contrast between Amazon's ability to detect an undercover reporter and its inability to spot bottles of piss being marketed as bitter lemon energy drink says it all, really. Corporations like Amazon hire vast armies of "threat intelligence" creeps who LARP at being CIA superspies, subjecting employees and activists to intense and often illegal surveillance.

But while Amazon's defensive might is laser-focused on the threat of labor organizers and documentarians, the company can't figure out that one of its bestselling products is bottles of its tormented drivers' own urine.

In the USA, the FTC is suing Amazon for its monopolistic tactics, arguing that the company has found ways to raise prices and reduce quality by trapping manufacturers and sellers with its logistics operation, taking $0.45-$0.51 out of every dollar they earn and forcing them to raise prices at all retailers:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/25/greedflation/#commissar-bezos

The Release Energy stunt shows where Amazon's priorities are. Not only did Release Energy get listed on Amazon without any quality checks, the company actually nudged it into a category where it was more likely to be consumed by a person. The only notice the company took of Release Energy was in its logistics and manufacturing department – the part of the business that extracts the monopoly rents at issue in the FTC case – which tracked Butler down in order to sell him these services.

The drivers whose piss Butler collected don't work directly for Amazon, they work for a Delivery Service Partner. These DSPs are victims of a pyramid scheme that Amazon set up. DSP operators lease vans and pay to have them skinned in Amazon livery and studded with Amazon sensors. They take out long-term leases on depots, and hire drivers who dress in Amazon uniforms. Their drivers are minutely monitored by Amazon, down to the movements of their eyeballs.

But none of this is "Amazon" – it's all run by an "entrepreneur," whom Amazon can cut loose without notice, leaving them with unfairly terminated employees, outstanding workers' comp claims, a fleet of Amazon-skinned vehicles and unbreakable facilities leases:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/04/17/revenge-of-the-chickenized-reverse-centaurs/

Speaking to Wired, Amazon denied that it forces its drivers to piss in bottles, but Butler clearly catches a DSP dispatcher telling drivers "If you pee in a bottle and leave it [in the vehicle], you will get a point for that" – that is, the part you get punished for isn't the peeing, it's the leaving.

Amazon's defense against the FTC is that it spares no effort to keep its marketplace safe. As Amazon spokesperson James Drummond says, they use "industry-leading tools to prevent genuinely unsafe products being listed." But the only industry-leading tools in evidence are tools to bust unions and screw suppliers.

In her landmark Yale Law Review paper, "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox," FTC Chair Lina Khan makes a brilliant argument that Amazon's alleged benefits to "consumers" are temporary at best, illusory at worst:

https://www.yalelawjournal.org/note/amazons-antitrust-paradox

In Butler's documentary, Khan's hypothesis is thoroughly validated: here's a company extracting hundreds of billions from merchants who raise prices to compensate, and those monopoly rents are "invested" in union-busting and countermeasures against investigative journalists, while the tools to keep you from accidentally getting a bottle of piss in the mail are laughably primitive.

Truly, Amazon is the apex predator of the platform era:

https://pluralistic.net/ApexPredator

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/20/release-energy/#the-bitterest-lemon

My next novel is The Lost Cause, a hopeful novel of the climate emergency. Amazon won't sell the audiobook, so I made my own and I'm pre-selling it on Kickstarter!

#pluralistic #release energy #channel 4 #amazon #corporate intelligence #labor #unions #amazon labor union #the great Amazon heist #catfish uk #oobah butler #delivery service partner

[jenroses]

Hey! Please feel free to ignore but you did say to ask you about masks :P the ones I've found that are multiple layers for max protection are really stiff, which squishes my face and leads to gaps. Do you have recommendations? Thanks!

I know that there's a lot of noise about elastomeric masks but for me they're a nonstarter because of the stiffness you talk about. I think it's important to understand that most of the 94-95 standard masks that actually meet that standard are going to be plenty good enough where most people are concerned. Is it possible to catch Covid with a mask on? Yes. I've done it.

Is it likely? No. I'm immune compromised. This isn't data, but our experience has been that a combination of masks, reasonable common sense and good filtration are enough that despite having a school-aged child, a husband who travels for conventions, and me, immune suppressed, with a college student living in our house, I have only had covid twice, the first time was an unfortunate collision of me going to a store at the wrong time where a clerk had both covid and the flu and gave them to me, and the other one involved a family member not using a mask at a public event while eating. Even then, when I caught covid and the flu at the same time and isolated immediately with filtration and everyone coming into my space being masked... not one other person in our house caught it, and when someone else caught it a year later, the only people who caught it were sharing sleeping spaces. Our roommates did not catch it, and everyone was masking from the moment of the first positive test. When my kid got half-assed about masking at school, he immediately got flu and strep at the same time. I pointed out that his lack of care about it could mean a lot of missed school for him and serious health impacts for both of us, and he started wearing a mask again, and did not get sick for the rest of the school year. He HATES the masks that go behind the head and wears Armbrust kn95 masks exclusively (dark blue, lol) And it's pretty clear that without the masks he was getting sick a lot and with he just...doesn't. He is wearing them all day except for lunch through full school days, so that says something. Armbrust will send little behind the head doohickies to keep them off the ears but he never uses them. At $2ish per mask they're not the cheapest but he uses one mask for multiple days so it's not too bad overall cost wise. They have kid sizing, but he's in the regular adult size now at 11. Now, I'll talk about Armbrust for a minute because I really like the company. On pretty much every mask they sell you'll see a video of one of their people reviewing the mask and going over testing data... but they ALSO have reviews of almost every other mask on the market, bad, good and in between, and if you find a mask on Amazon or something and want to know more about it, search the mask name and "armbrust" and the youtube video and product data page will pop up. I've found several special masks for very particular needs by looking through their database for combinations of breathability and shape that weren't even masks they sold. So if you are struggling, take a look at the database, eliminate "failed" masks, look for the ones that meet your needs and then watch the video to see what he says about them first. There are some VERY inexpensive masks out there that work very well, and some masks that are incredibly breathable or incredibly high filtration and a few unicorns that are both.

Now Hubby is okay with the same KN95 masks that our son likes but he exercises and his lungs get a little touchy sometimes so he needs maximum ease in breathing, so using that database I found Dr. Puri masks. Here's the Armbrust review. Here's the listing I found them on. Hubby LOVES them. He also prefers behind the ear. About $1.50 each.

I *hate* behind the ear with a hot hate, they bug me. But I can't just use one type of mask all the time because I have EDS and neck issues so pressure there can be awkward, plus I get short of breath sometimes anyway (history of pulmonary embolism that long predates covid) and I have sensory skin issues.

Bar none the most breathable mask I've ever tried, which also does not fog my glasses, is the Drager mask. These are soft, extraordinarily easy to breathe through, and have a unique strap that makes on/off very easy, and lets you pull the top strap and let it hang around your neck if needed. Unfortunately it has a VERY snug fit across the nose and leaves marks on my cheeks, or it would be perfect, but it's a good option, and possibly someone with a smaller face would have an easier time. These are possibly the best filtering and most breathable masks on the market, so for high risk situations this is the mask I would use. They filter 99.7% in testing. They're a little more expensive at about $1.25 per when I checked today. For a good intersection of fit and comfort, but a little less breathable, are the ACI N95 surgical respirator duckbills. These do not leave marks, don't fog much, good seal around the face, and the single most comfortable head strap I've ever seen. The fabric is very smooth, it is sensory good, but the breathability is not as high. It's not hard to breathe through, it's just not as easy as Drager or Dr. Puri. But... They could probably pass an N99 standard by Armbrust's testing, as they filter >99.4% of particulate, where the standard is 95%. These are also incredibly cheap. If you get their subscribe and save discount (you can do every 6 months) you can get 50 for $25, so 50 cents apiece.

All of these masks are pretty soft, easy to wear, and very good at what they do.

The TL:DR though.... The important thing is to find a mask that you will wear consistently and correctly every time you need it. A mask that hangs on your face and slips is not a good mask for you. A mask you hate so much you make excuses not to wear it is not a good mask for you. A mask that breaks easily or makes it hard to breathe so you end up taking it off is not a good mask. If what you have isn't working, there are LOTS of things that might.

Last Armbrust plug: THEY HAVE A SAMPLER PACK. You can buy a pack of a zillion different types and styles of mask and try a bunch! And order the one you like best! If you aren't sick, one sampler pack can be tried by the people in your household so everyone can figure out what works for them!

Also, I used to get sick very very often and now I just...don't. Not from contagious viruses, anyway. I don't understand why people are so cavalier about it. I've been sick less since 2020 than in any given six month period in my entire life. Despite being on immune suppressants.

#masks #face masks #n95 masks #covid isn't over

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

routine vibe check: what’s the best starter pokemon and why are you right (pictures and long paragraphs of evidence welcomed and appreciated)

Gonna get a good grade in vibe check, normal to want and inevitable to achieve because I have objectively correct Pokemon opinions and will block naysayers

OKAY LET'S GO

I decided to do, like, a top 5 list or something, because I'm bad at picking a single favourite of stuff. And then even that overwhelmed me, so I found one of those tier ranking list sites and produced this:

It was done in less than a minute, so if I wanted to get really picky, I don't know if I would be fully wedded to it (not sure if maybe Sceptile should be one higher) BUT it did help to highlight the important ones.

So!

5. Bulbasaur

It's. Just. So. Nice.

Like you can find cooler, more beautiful, cuter, fancier... there's a whole bunch of ways for a Pokemon to be great. But you will never ever find a nicer Pokemon than Bulbasaur. It's so lovely. Look at it. Look at its face.

I can't put it higher, because the rest of the line is fairly bland in terms of development. It's good and logical and fun, don't get me wrong, but Ivysaur and Venusaur just look like bigger versions with More Flower and Less Cute rather than creatures in their own right. To be honest, if it weren't a starter requiring a three-stage evolution, you could do away with Ivysaur. Something I don't like about a lot of lazy three-step lines is that the middle step just looks like a transitional mid phase rather than a Proper Creacher, like they were artificially inflating the Pokemon number count. Meanwhile it took us until Paldea to get a Girafarig evo that would actually make the giraffe tall. Madness.

However my first ever Pokemon was a Bulbasaur I called Daffodil, and I have traded him forward onto every single successive generation since. He is, quite literally, my First Ever Pokemon. I love him desperately. I still have him. Not many people still have their First Ever Pokemon. But I do and I love him. So, Bulbasaur gets the fifth spot.

4. Snivy

Again, a victim of the Banal Transitional Middle Evo, but both Snivy and Serperior are incredible, and as Meatloaf took such pains to tell us, two out of three ain't bad.

But Snivy! It's so snooty! I was super lucky with mine, too, because I beat the 12.8% odds and got a female, and I loved her. Normally the initial baby starters are designed to be cute but Snivy has SO MUCH PERSONALITY, she's great. And the design of Serperior is utterly gorgeous. She keeps the expression, but rather than the Animal Crossing-style snooty-cute vibe of Snivy you get this thousand yard withering stare of an empress whose servant (you) has just turned up dripping mud in her throne room and asked her for money. Her green and gold colour scheme is exquisite. Her filigree design, including her high collar, give off the air of wealth and sophistication befitting her immaculate pedigree. And all this! In a simple snake. Incredible design work, 10 out of 10, no notes.

Begone, you miserable peasant. Have him boiled.

3. Torchic

Now I'll be real with you, lads, but Pokemon design hit its stride with Hoenn and then got better.

It's partly a fashion thing, of course - you look at some of the Kanto designs and they are remarkably 90s, because that's when the franchise launched. Others are clearly a product of what the 1990's were capable of producing in pixels on an already over-stretched cartridge medium. Like we like to clown on Red and Green/Blue now, but my god, those game designers performed a miracle with Pokemon. Every single square inch of space was used to make that game, and complex designs weren't going to cut it.

(With that said, there is still no excuse for Dragonite.)

And then Johto came about and its Pokedex sucks ass. It's mostly new evolutions for existing Kanto stars, useless babies to inflate the dex number, or poorly thought out single-evos like the inexplicably short Girafarig and the unacceptably dreary Dunsparce (our greatest thanks to Paldea for fixing both of those).

BUT THEN CAME HOENN (trumpets intensify)

And we get habitats! Biomes! A different regional climate, gifting us a brand new area of Pokecology! And therefore a brand new flush of creativity in Pokemon design across the board; less dated, and more inclined to be unique rather than a rehash of Kantonian stuff.

Which brings me nicely to this lad:

Now, I mean. Just look at him. Fucking hell. Cute starter stage, check. LOOK AT HIM FACE

AND THEN he became, at the time, a brand-new unique typing: Fire/Fighting. I realise that is now the norm for like, half of the Fire starters, but that's because of Torchic, actually. He was super popular. In fact if you ever play Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald and you do what my husband and I like to call a Mynci Dave run (use one Pokemon almost exclusively, meaning it gets all the experience points and therefore over-levels to a terrifying degree, allowing you to sweep the game; so named after the noble Primeape we first did this with, Mynci Dave), Torchic is the PERFECT Pokemon to choose, because almost everything is weak to either Fire or Fighting in that region.

Anyway, Combusken is, again, kind of mid (although props for the inverted colour scheme and the fact that it actually does look like a teenager.) But Blaziken, on the other hand... Blaziken is a six foot ninja chicken with wings for hair whose Pokedex entry describes it as able to leap tall peaks in a single bound, a feat it achieves after strengthening its legs by hoofing Geodudes down mountains like they're fucking footballs

Also an impressive bulge.

My first was called Gilgamesh, and he was fucking great. For a long time, this mad lad was my actual favourite Pokemon, not just starter. Brilliant. Love him. Five stars out of three. King.

2. Fuecoco

It would probably surprise you to know I've not actually used one. I chose Sprigatito, and I do really like Meowscarada, actually. But pretty anthro cat boys have been done in Pokemon quite a bit at this point; cats, dogs and rabbits are over-represented in terms of Poke-taxa. Possibly this is another reason for a toad, a snake and a chicken being 5, 4 and 3 so far (ooh, basilisk ingredients, I've just realised.) They're new and unusual! I like an Eeveelution as much as the next person, but they're a whole family of cat-dog-rabbits, like.

However.

Nintendo has tried its hand at Pokecrocodilians three times (Feraligatr, Krookodile, Skeledirge), and they have gotten so much better at design each time that the three of them are basically a scale proxy for ongoing design improvement. Look, I've made a diagram:

EXCEPT

(Strap in)

This one is that rare thing: a three step line that deserves to be a three step line. Let's talk Fuecoco first:

SO CUTE. It's charming, it's charismatic, it's adorable.

It also has hints of its evolutionary end goal, but not like an undeveloped middle evo. It likes singing. The white face hints at the eventual calavera, and it looks a bit like a lil chilli pepper - a ghost pepper, probably in reference to the eventual Fire/Ghost typing. But the colours and shape right now also look a bit reminiscent of a babygro, because this thing is a cute starter. Lookit them teefs. That tuft. Its lovely smile. Beautiful.

And then, at the point you expect it to turn into just the awkward teenage version of the adult, instead we get Crocator:

Oh boy. Oh there's so much to say. Okay okay:

The region it's from is based on Spain, but this thing is incorporating Hispanic elements from across the board. It's a mariachi in a sombrero, except the sombrero also looks kind of like a ring of Mexican marigolds and kind of like a Catalonian Easter cake called Mona de Pascua that has an egg (or egg-shaped confectionary) in the middle. Body shape and markings look kind of like a piñata. The white face is now on its way to a calavera, with the cheek and nostril markings more defined. And it sings, with its open mouth (also how crocodiles release heat, appropriate for a Fire type) and signified by the mariachi theme.

THAT IS A LOT.

And then it becomes Skeledirge. A Fire/Ghost crocodile.

Now the obvious design here is the calavera and the  Día de Muertos theming, which is part of it. But there are also many examples of crocodile figures in Spanish folkloric ghost stories: the Catalonian Cocollona, the Lizard of Magdalena from Jaén, or the Drac de Na Coca, or even the Cuca - that one is Portuguese, but turns up in both Brasil and the Iberian Peninsula including in parts of Spain. It's got a Gaudi vibe (like Barcelona). It's got an alebrije vibe (like Mexico).

And the bird! Nile crocs have a cleaning symbiosis with Egyptian plovers; it also sits at the tip of the snout where male gharials have a sort of bulbous bit to help them make sounds (the singing thing).

But this is what the bird does when Skeledirge uses Torch Song:

It becomes a microphone, then grows in size and attacks the opponent in Phoenix form. Phoenix: Fire/Ghost. Resurrected from the ashes.

Quite simply, your fave could never.

5. Rowlet

My god. (My god)

gasp

Look at this lovely creacher. He is so round and so soft and so lovely. He looks like that baby Yoda meme. He looks like that cat that someone's landlord said they would make an exception for because he looks very polite. Look!!! At his lil bow tie!!! He is a smartly dressed young man and he is kind and he is... well, a bit vacant behind the eyes. A himbo, if you will. But he is all the better for that. What a lovely owl.

He looks a little like a barn owl, perhaps, and those were imported to Hawai'i, where Rowlet is from. But I think he looks a little like a Pueo owl, and given that he will eventually be a Ghost type, that seems right - pueos are one of the physical forms assumed by ʻaumākua in Hawai'ian culture, as I understand it.

And then, hang onto your tits, lads, because this is another banger - THE MIDDLE EVOLUTION IS ITS OWN DESIGN!!! (confetti cannons)

I said earlier that boring middle evos are like just awkward teenagers of the adults. Here, I present to you, a very deliberate Awkward Teenager, in Dartrix:

IT'S A DANDY

I love him I love him I love him

He plays with his fringe and if you touch it without permission he has a tantrum. God, he's so charismatic. Also, that fringe further suggests the pueo - they have pronounced outer rims around their facial disks like that. Look at his bow tie and tail coat. So smart and handsome

This one is so good that it could be the final evo. This is actually my issue with the Delphox line - Braixen is amazing, and then it becomes the bland boredom of Delphox. Braixen should have been the final stop. Here, Dartrix is much the same - good enough to be a high-quality end goal.

Where they differ is that Decidueye is better again.

IT SHOOTS ARROWS MADE OF ITS OWN QUILLS

Also, fun fact - This line is the only starter to change secondary typing. Dartrix is part Flying; but on evolving a second time into Decidueye, it switches to Grass/Ghost. In this evolution, it's definitely mostly a pueo, so the ʻaumākua reference is IN, but actually barn owls also have their associations with the dead in various cultures.

The crown of feathers around its head are also reminiscent of an ayaigasa - a hat worn by Japanese samurai archers. And yet! AND YET!

It still has its lil bow tie look. Bigger now, more of a cravat; but there it is.

A perfect Pokemon, and a perfect evolutionary line. No notes.

Anyway, thank you for this chance to waste three and a half hours writing this essay

#asks #pokemon #long post #gif

[adventuringblind]

Friendly Understandings

Oscar Piastri x autistic!reader

Genre: hurt/comfort

Summary: socializing at a young age wasn't east and caused you to form some self depreciating habits. Oscar is determined to change that

Warnings: toxic friends, eye contact

Notes: headcannon format. This goes out to all my nerospicy loves who didn't know they were autistic until later in life and now look back at their peer interactions with a new understanding.

Masterlist

Oscar learned pretty early on that your social group growing up wasn't healthy

Despite what you said, he knew it affected you

You grew up in a small area and the kids your age were all very... similar to eachother

The girls you spent time with had the same music tastes and dressed in the same styles

It wasn't bad by any means, you thought they were all nice enough and had their own talents

It's just that you were different

Not in a cringey way

You are a picky eater and are never afraid to tell someone the cold, hard truth

Make-up was not on the list of things you enjoyed

You manage small amounts now and mostly reserve it for good days

Growing up though, you couldn't stand it

Too many things on your face that made you want to peel your skin off

You were labeled a pick-me for that one

Flirting and boys were also a touchy subject

You were friends with boys

Actually your best friends with boys

Mostly because they had the same interests as you at the time that was more acceptable for them then with your female counterparts

They were not good with girls and you weren't good with boys

It was the best if both worlds

Until you went out with the female peer group

Flirting and dumb pick-up lines went way over your head

You'd been accused of being a kill joy and not able to take a hint

Eventually, when you learned not to ask why they were giggling like weirdos at a boy saying they like how they looked

Your interests were not theirs so that meant you were talked over or told it wasn't intresting

They got upset when you didn't talk at all

Then told you to be quiet because your vocal inflections were lacking control

You couldn't win

You death with this til you were an adult and found Oscar

He first noticed how you apologized every time you started info-dumping

One minute, you'd be smiling about your favorite thing, and the next, you'd be shutting yourself down

He tried to make sure you know he's listening, engaged, and genuinely interested

You ask about his inteestd so why wouldn't he ask about yours?

It's that what relationships entail?

The next time he noticed was when you were going out with a few if the wags

You didn't want them to be embarrassed about not wearing make-up

So you'd done your best to put some on in a way that didn't make you want to scrub your face for hours

Oscar saw you pacing and stimming in front of the bathroom mirror with your products scattered around the sink

You were on the verge of a breakdown

He was quick with a rag and a reasurring word

When you were picked up for your movie night, he complimented you all the way out to the car

thankful that the friends you'd made now are also quick to tell you how good you look.

It was routine now that he reasurred you

He didn't care how small it was. He told you everything was okay and that he thinks you are amazing exactly as you are

Now comes the best part

You'd gone home with Oscar for part of the break because you wanted to visit your family

Low and behold you ran into some familiar faces

You'd seen on Instagram that they were all still close

You'd just been walking down the street and prayed they didn't recognize you

They did

Unfortunately

They ran up to hug you and make small talk

Though it was really just then talking and you trying to figure out when an appropriate time to interject was.

Oscar immediately notices the discomfort

Their overbearing attitude making you shift around

He noticed how your fingers were tapping against your leg in a familiar pattern you love

You were trying to stim discreetly, something you'd never done when he was around until now

Oscar stops them both but shooting out his hand "I'm Oscar by the way."

They blushed when they heard him talk.

Panic

This had happened before

The one time you did like a boy and got along well with him, he decided to look elsewhere

Elsewhere being your better at flirting friends

"Are you a friend? Family?"

"Boyfriend actually," he smiles

They stare in shock

Why do they have to stare?

Eyes are to emotionally connected to everything

"Well you must be intresting as well"

Then they talked some more

Oscar was able to make polite conversation

You tried

And failed

Then clung to his arm.

He could sense you were overwhelmed

The way you were gripping on to him as if he'd disappear alerted him to it

"We're actually on our way to go see a movie."

Lie

But it had gotten you out of that mess

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"My lack of social skills."

"They were boring anyways. It seemed like they are... normal?"

"What?"

"Like bland, I guess. I see what you mean now when you describe them as annoying."

"I don't know what I did to deserve you and your social heroics."

"Well, we deserve each other."

"And why's that?"

"Because you love me for me, and I love you for you."

#x reader #fanficion #f1 fic #formula one #formula 1 #racing #angst #max verstappen #f1 fanfic #charles leclerc x reader #lando norris #max verstappen x reader #charles leclerc x you #charles leclerc #redbull racing #formula racing #lando norris x reader #max verstappen x y/n #max verstappen x you #mclaren formula 1 #charles leclerc fic #mclaren racing #f1 #fluff #oscar piastri x y/n #oscar piastri fanfic #op81 #oscar piastri #mclaren f1 #mclaren

[damn-it-a-hogwarts-legacy-blog]

Late Victorian British Fun (and not-so-fun) Facts

I thought others might be interested in my list of little things I've learned while researching the 1890s for my fics. This is by no means a list of things you should do when writing! Even I don't follow absolutely every single thing—I like to think wizarding society deviated quite a bit from muggle society, after all. If you wanna use this list as a reference, go ahead, but you should write whatever makes you happy. This is just for fun, and I'll probably end up writing down more stuff as I remember it—this is all just the stuff I could think of from the top of my head. :)

Basics

The Victorian Era was from 1837 to 1901. The era before was called the Regency Era (think Jane Austen) and the era after was the Edwardian Era (think Downton Abbey).

Love and Marriage

Even though the marriage age was lowered significantly in 1823, most girls still got married between ages 18 and 23.

The social season refers to the summer months from May to August in which the middle and upper classes left their country homes and stayed in London to attend social events, following the royal family. The main purpose was finding someone to marry.

Courtship, the part of a relationship that was most like dating today, only lasted a few months before progressing to being engaged. But it was common for engagement to last much longer. Dating as we know it today wasn't really a thing until after 1900.

Courtship "dates" that weren't in public often consisted of dinner at the woman's house with her parents (private time between the couple was sometimes afforded after dinners).

There was a paradigm shift in attitudes towards marriage; marrying for love became much more common in this era. But marriages were still pragmatic, too! Marriages based purely on love while ignoring the economic and practical aspects were scandalous.

Queen Victoria popularized white wedding dresses as we know them today.

It wasn't until the late Victorian Era that evening weddings became acceptable.

Snakes were a popular motif for engagement rings in the Victorian Era.

Pregnancy and Children

Victorian women were expected to hide all signs of their pregnancy, as it would imply participation in the act required for pregnancy (yeah, lol).

Husbands weren't allowed to be around for the actual act of childbirth, and it was advised he only stay around for 5 minutes afterward.

Anesthesia was first administered in the mid-1800s.

Fathers were often very involved in their children's lives, contrary to popular opinion.

Teenagers haven't changed much since the Victorian Era—our MCs weren't the only troublemakers. :)

Clothing, Personal Care and Fashion

Eyebrows came in all shapes and sizes; no one style appears to have been particularly coveted. The only exception was an aversion to unibrows.

Natural beauty was the name of the Victorian game. As such, makeup was very un-virtuous and was reserved for prostitutes and actors.

That doesn't mean people didn't use any products, however! Salves for the lips, as well as powders and rouges, started becoming popular towards the end of the era.

Perfumes and colognes were kept subtle, but floral scents were very popular amongst both men and women. Again, emphasizing the natural state of the body was seen as very virtuous.

Shapewear was just as popular back then as it is today. Adding or taking away layers of women's undergarments depended on the effect one wanted to have.

Men's undergarments were much simpler, usually consisting of cotton drawers and a long-sleeved undershirt.

Shorter skirts were appropriate for young girls, but as a girl got older, her skirts generally got longer.

School was still relatively uncommon for girls through the end of the era, but school uniforms for girls generally included aprons to protect their clothes.

Very long hair was desirable for Victorian women and was considered very feminine, but wearing that hair loose was not respectable. Bangs (fringes) weren't very popular.

The 1890s introduced the Gibson Girl look that would carry through the Edwardian Era.

Women wearing trousers was not as uncommon as one might think!

Bathing at least once a day was considered essential, but showering was not yet a thing.

Games, Leisure and Sports

Parlour games were very popular with adults at parties. Charades was an especially prevalent game.

Board games were also very popular for both children and adults.

Football (not American football!) became very popular in the Victorian Era amongst men. Croquet was the game of choice for women.

Cemeteries were popular picnicking spots and were more like sculpture gardens than grim reminders of death.

Food and Cooking

Honestly just go watch English Heritage's Victorian videos for an idea of the recipes and foods that were common back then lol. Mrs. Crocombe is a gem.

Breakfast was often a major event for wealthy Victorian Britons.

Ok that's all I can think of for now. I'm sure there's way more I'm missing. If I can come up with enough, I'll do another post at some point lol. Enjoy!

#victorian era #bonus points if you can recognize the bits I've used in my fics lol #ummmm idk what other tags to use oops #hogwarts legacy #references

[fabricated-misslieness]

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: heartsteel yone x male reader

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: Yone goes through great lengths to hide his soft spot for you.

ʀᴇ𝐐: no ~ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 1.29k

ᴍᴀʏʙ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: reader is implied trans, if you squint, and allergic to dust

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Sett's eyes scanned the new list pinned on the fridge, his ears twitching in anticipation for his weekly chore.

CHORE CHART:

Yone - laundry

Sett - take out trash – gently, please

Okay, he could do that. He could do that just fine. Controlling his strength was easy, after all.

Sett's chore was second on the list, meaning he hadn't seen the rest, and it got him curious, so he continued to read.

K’Sante - grocery shopping

Ezreal - dusting

Aphelios - vacuum

Kayn - dishes – ALL of them

Y/N - n/a

What? No, that wasn't possible. You weren't doing anything? That wasn't fair! That was less than fair, it was an actual insult to his pride!

Sett had to do something.

☾⋆☆⋆☽

Yone sat on his bed, folding the boys' collective laundry with ease and stacking them up on organized piles. Clothing that was meant to be hanged, instead, had already been placed on their high quality, wooden, color-coded hangers, off to the side.

Yone was meticulous in this, he paid attention to the details. After all, the last time he gave the task to one of the other boys, he had found his clothes had wrinkled, and he didn't want a repeat.

Besides, he also found folding laundry to be quite peaceful. It allowed him to take his mind off the production and upkeep of HEARTSTEEL, and instead keep it busy with the repetitive, simple movements of folding clothing.

Had Yone not been an attentive man, he wouldn't have noticed the purposefully quiet sound of the door as it clicked open and shut, nor the padding of socked feet that covered the distance to the bed with quick strides.

Had you not been Yone's favorite man, he wouldn't have let you in without so much as a word.

"Hi Yone." It was a simple greeting, but Yone thought it was the sweetest thing in the world.

"Hello, sweetheart." Yone didn't even protest when you sat down beside him, let alone on his bed. He only remained curious, "What are you doing here?"

"I thought folding the laundry for six big boys would be much too boring and tedious to do all on your lonesome."

"Seven big boys." Yone corrected.

"Seven big boys." You repeated in affirmation.

Yone placed his hand over yours when you pulled one of Sett's big muscle shirts over your lap, opening his mouth to say he didn't want you "straining yourself", when you gave him a pointed look he couldn't say no to. A sigh slipped from his lips instead, and he let go of your hand after giving it a squeeze.

"Thank you." You said, turning your gaze back to the black shirt.

Yone wanted to say it was nothing to be thankful for, but he knew that you wouldn't care for that, so instead he went back to his manners. "You're welcome."

There was a peaceful silence afterwards. Yone liked his silences as much as he liked his music, but he wanted to fill it up with something. You were here, after all, but what could he say?

He didn't need to find a topic of conversation, however, not with Sett bursting through the door. "Yone!"

"Sett." The producer grumbled in reply, setting his hands over his lap, which just so happened to behold Ezreal's rubber ducky patterned pajama shirt. "Kayn, Ezreal..."

Aphelios and K'Sante piled in behind them, though they looked less like the angry pitchfork villagers that entered before them.

"Why does (Y/N) get to skip out on chores?!" Kayn shouted, pushing past the big hunk of rock that Sett was.

Maybe his red eye couldn't see, for he didn't notice you sitting right next to Yone with the matching duck pajama bottoms on your lap.

"Yeah, man, that's like, totally unfair!" Sett exclaimed, pushing Kayn out of the way so they could share the limelight.

Ezreal pushed under the taller boys' arms, standing in front of them with his arms crossed. "Not to mention, incredibly biased!"

"There was nothing else to do around the house." Yone came up with the excuse quickly, going back to folding the clothes nonchalantly. There were actually plenty of other shores around the house, but he wasn't about to mention them.

The other boys, however, were perfectly capable of doing so. "Like cleaning the bathrooms!"

"Watering the plants."

"Helping me dry the dishes!"

Yone deadpanned, staring at all of them with his signature disappointment, until his eyes settled on K'Sante. "They have a point." He says, and Yone couldn't deny it.

Except, he could.

"He broke his leg this morning." Yone straight lies, looking back down at the clothing and remaining stoic.

"What?" Everyone–capable of saying–says, even you!

Sett peered over the stacks of clothing covering the view over your legs, just to check. "No he didn't!" The big man says, an insufferable whine to his voice.

You clear your throat, ceasing your hands' movement. Yone shuffles a bit closer to you, as if to shield you from the boys. "Sure he did. He's good at hiding pain."

"Yone." Ezreal placed his hands on his hips.

The producer didn't grace him with a reply, simply focusing on the clothing.

Kayn grumbled, "Now you're lying for him?"

"I did no such thing." He places the duck pajama shirt roughly over Ezreal's pile, accidentally causing a wrinkle, but he hardly cares.

"Listen here–" Kayn's voice is deep and annoyed. He lunges, but K'Sante holds his back, and hovers him just over the floor. Air jail.

"(Y/N) is our wonderful assistant, not your mom." Yone says, to which you laugh, turning Sett's face sour. "He's not here to do everything for you."

"Why do we even have to dust the place every week?" Ezreal says exasperatedly. Running a hand through his hair, he still manages to look well-kept. "I'm pretty sure dust doesn't build up that fast."

"(Y/N)'s allergic."

You didn't put that in your resume. So he found out on his own? That's...endearing. You scoot forward, back to Yone's side. "You guys aren't seriously hoping to subject me to suffering just because you have to suffer too, right?"

Now that you'd put it that way, yeah, that sounded pretty mean. K'Sante puts Kayn down, and the rapper stays in place obediently. Sett huffs and crosses his arms, but he seems convinced, and Ezreal's lips press into a line.

"I mean, when you say it like that..." The pretty boy says, looking down shamefully.

The more sensible K'Sante knows it remains unfair, and that he'll have to talk to Yone about it later, but he's just happy the conflict is resolved; whilst the indifferent Aphelios's smile fades, his entertainment was over.

"Besides, I'm helping now, aren't I?" You finish folding Ezreal's duck pajama pants and place them on the pile just to show off.

"Yeah, you're right." Sett sighs, slumping forward dejectedly.

For a moment, the boys stand awkwardly until Aphelios realizes they all are intruding upon Yone's private space and your alone time. He turns and leaves, prodding Yone to speak up. "Run along now."

The boys all leave, Kayn more angrily as Yone's words are definitely triumphant, and K'Sante closes the door behind them.

Silence. Comfortable, peaceful, and belated silence.

The two of you turn back to folding the clothing.

"For the record, I know why you didn't put me on the list." Yone thinks you're about to tease him for it, but you don't, and for that he is grateful.

The second place producer, first place lover, leans his head against yours, then turns it to give you a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

From the next week onwards, the first chore is always sitting next to two names:

Y/N & Yone -

#yone x male reader #yone x reader #yone x you #league of legends x reader #league of legends x male reader #heartsteel yone x reader #heartsteel yone x male reader #heartsteel fanfic #🎟️ // league of legends #🎟️ // heartsteel #🌸 // success! #🎫 // yone

[ernmark]

I wish that when products said "no sugar added", they actually meant "unsweetened" instead of "we added so much monkfruit or stevia or aspertame or whatever that you're going to be tasting only that for hours because we don't think you can cope with how things actually taste".

Or at least have that be an option.

And people who do want things that have other sweeteners added shouldn't have to hunt through the ingredients list to figure out if this one has just the sweetener they can stand, or if one of the gross ones got snuck in there while they weren't paying attention.

#sincerely- somebody who just offloaded some absolutely vile yogurt onto the office fridge #after in turn getting it offloaded onto me #because this company wasn't satisfied with one sweetener-- they decided to use all of them

[george-weasleys-girl]

Hellooo so I saw that your requests are open :D and I was wondering if you could do a Fred and fem reader with an angry love confession in the rain with prompt 4 and 15 of your fluff/angst prompts list please? No pressure at all only if you want to :)

This turned into quite the saga! Thank you for requesting it 💗

What Took You So Long?

Fred Weasley x fem!reader

~•~

The café buzzed all around them, but Fred sat motionless, staring across Diagon Alley at Y/N standing outside her little shop, chatting with a customer.

"Hey, mate," George said.

No response.

"Hey Fred," he tried again.

Again nothing.

"Freddieeee."

Still nothing.

"Earth to Fred. Come in, Fred. This is ground control to Major Fred."

"Huh, what?" Fred snapped out of his daze.

George rolled his eyes. "Are you gonna eat, or are you just gonna sit there and drool over Y/N all afternoon?"

"I'm not drooling!" Fred touched the corner of his mouth. "Am I?"

His twin shook his head and chuckled. "You know, if you're so in love with her, you should ask her out."

"I never said I was in love with her!" Fred looked horrified.

"Maybe not out loud." George said.

The older twin sighed and shook his head. Very little got past his twin. "I don't know..." Fred said. "We're friends. I don't want to make things weird between us."

"Suit yourself," George shrugged and dug into his lunch.

Fred heaved another sigh, returning his attention back to Y/N, who, when she noticed him, broke out into a brilliant smile and waved.

He gave her a quick wave in return and immediately turned his attention to his sandwich, worried that his face might spontaneously burst into flames at any moment.

~•~

Y/N and Fred had known each other since their Hogwarts days. They weren't really friends then, so much as friendly acquaintances. Fred had been too enamored with Angelina to actually notice her. Not that it would've mattered much anyway. Y/N had been involved with a Ravenclaw bloke for most of their school years.

All that changed after the war. Y/N opened a small perfumery on Diagon Alley and soon became a regular at the joke shop. Her oldest sister coincidentally had twin boys, and Y/N spoiled them to bits.

"My sister's gonna kill me," she'd told Fred, laughing, when he showed her their newest product, Whizzies, a less dramatic version of Whizbangs for the younger crowd.

"You know, we do sell Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder in case you need to make a quick getaway," Fred suggested with a mischievous grin.

"Hmm... that might be a good idea," she said, returning his grin and added the powder to her purchase.

Y/N returned a few days later to regale him with the results of her most recent purchases, which involved a few small explosions that set the sofa on fire, followed by her quick getaway. After she helped put out the fire, of course.

It didn't take long for Fred to fall head over heels for her.

~•~

That was a year ago. And he still hadn't worked up the courage to ask her out.

"Tell me the truth, Freddie," George asked him the night after seeing his twin's face turn beet red at lunch. "What's up with this woman? What happened to Mr. I Can Get Any Girl I Want?"

Fred shrugged. "He ran away the moment he realized how much he liked her. It scares me, George, how much I like her. What if we get together and I fuck it up like I did with Angie? I... I don’t think I can go through... that again."

Ah. George nodded and patted his brother's shoulder. It all makes sense now. Fred was devastated when things didn't work out with Angelina. Of course, in public, he played off like it didn't bother him. It was only when he and Fred were alone that his twin let the mask slip. George couldn't ask him to put his heart on the line like that again. Nor did he know if he could watch Fred go through that kind of heartbreak again. So, he let the matter drop.

~•~

Y/N had never really given Fred Weasley much thought when they were in school. She remembered him being cute and funny, and maybe a bit crazy. But her interests lay elsewhere at the time.

Things were different now, though. For one, she was single, and for two, Fred had grown up. He was still cute and funny and a bit crazy, but it was tempered now with a sense of responsibility. Whether that came from the war or being a business owner or a combination of both, she didn't know. But she would really, really like to. In truth, she would like to know everything about him.

She'd thought that maybe he liked her back. He'd certainly given off those vibes many times. But it'd been almost a year and nothing more than the occasional invites to lunch with him and George had happened. And whenever she suggested that just the two of them do something, he always had other plans.

Perhaps she was wrong, she thought. Maybe it was time to give it up before she broke her own heart.

~•~

"Y/N hasn't stopped by the in three weeks," Fred peered down at her shop from their usual table at the café.

"Maybe she's been busy," George shrugged.

"Yeah, maybe..." Fred mumbled, shifting in his chair to get a better view of the perfumery's entrance. If she stepped out, he'd decided he'd wave her over.

But she never did.

Fred hated feeling so vulnerable and confused. He was the man with the plan, but he had no plan for this. Y/N had never been far from his mind to begin with, but now, she was all he could think about. Every time the shop door opened, his hopes rose only to sink through the floor seconds later when he realized it wasn't her.

Is she ok? Is she just busy? Did I say or do something wrong? Is she angry at me? Should I try to go talk to her?

Fred had admitted to himself that he cared for her, but he didn't realize how much until she stopped coming around.

"She's all I can think about, George," Fred confessed one night while they were working on paperwork. "Everywhere I turn in the store, I see where she's been. I hear her laughter. Every new invention, I think of her and how much I want to show it to her. Does she not buy stuff for her nephews anymore?"

George sighed and watched his twin for a moment. "I've been debating whether or not to show you this," he pulled a document from his pile of paperwork. "Here's the list for all the mail orders for this past month. She's made two big mail orders."

Fred snatched it from his brother's hands. "Why are you just telling me this?!"

"I didn't know until a couple of hours ago when Michael gave me his compiled list."

"But... why?" Fred stared at the paper. "Did I do something?"

"I don't know, Freddie. I wish I did."

~•~

Another week passed.

Nothing. Not even a glimpse of her.

And then, it happened. Fred spied Y/N sprinting past the joke shop, no doubt trying to get inside before the oncoming storm burst. Without a thought, he raced out the door after her.

"Y/N!" He called out. "Wait up!"

She stopped and stared at him, the wind whipping her hair in every direction.

"Hey," Fred greeted her. "How are you?"

"I'm uh, I'm good..." She looked up at the dark clouds roiling above them.

"Yeah, yeah. That's good," Fred replied. "I just, um... I was worried about you. You haven't been by the shop in a month."

Thunder rolled in the distance, and the first droplets fell, pattering on the cobblestones.

"You stopped me because I haven't been to the joke shop??" She wiped away a raindrop that pelted her just above her left eye and shook her head. "I'm going, Fred."

"No, wait," he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Please, Y/N."

She whirled around. "In case you haven't noticed, the bottom is getting ready to drop out!" She gestured toward the sky.

"I know, I just," he stammered. "Are you mad at me?"

"What?" She actually looked shocked. "Why would I be mad at you?"

Fred threw his hands in the air. "I don't know!You tell me! You're the one making mail orders instead of coming into the store."

Another clap of thunder, this time closer, then lightening rent the sky above them.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Fred," Y/N wiped her wet hair away from her face. "I'm not mad at you, ok?"

She started to turn away, but Fred stopped her again. "Then why don't you come into the shop anymore?"

The rain was now beginning to soak into their clothes. "Why do you care?!" She snapped, the lightening in her eyes far more intimidating than any the storm could produce.

"I - I uh," Fred chewed his lip, rain dripping off his nose. "I miss you."

"You miss me??" A year's worth of frustration and disappointment boiled over and exploded out. "I'm just another fucking customer to you! It shouldn't make a difference whether I shop in the store or not. You're still getting my money!"

"Wh - I don't care about your money!" Fred stepped closer to her. "You're not just another customer to me! You're... you're..."

"I'M WHAT, FRED WEASLEY??" She raged. "WHAT THE HELL AM I TO YOU?"

"YOU'RE MY FAVORITE PERSON!" He yelled back.

Y/N blinked, her hands dropping to her sides, as all her anger melted away with the rain. "What..."

"You're my favorite person, Y/N," he repeated, softer. "And I miss you. I miss you so much. Everything reminds me of you. It's driving me insane."

She stood frozen in place, eyes riveted on the man before her for a few long moments. Then suddenly, she rushed toward him and caught her in his arms, their lips melding together, passionate and electric, matching the intensity of the storm.

"What took you so long?" She teased once they parted.

Fred chuckled. "I'm an idiot."

Y/N smiled and nodded, squinting against the sun now peeking through the dissipating storm clouds. "I don't know about you, but I'm soaked to the bone. And I'm starting to shiver a little."

"Well, we certainly can't have that," Fred pressed her tighter to him. "Your place or mine?"

"I'm thinking yours," Y/N said, peeking around him. "George is standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips, glaring at us."

"Oh right," Fred turned and waved. "I ran out and left him alone during the afternoon rush. I'm in big trouble now."

"Best we hurry, then," Y/N giggled and gave him one more quick kiss.

~•~

@milivanili99 @fancy-pantaloons @turvi @zvummyummy @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @georgie-weasley @nighttimemoonlover @jsjcue @wzrd-wheezes @fredweasleyyyyy @hufflepuffie @alexistonks @anvaaryn @samshifts @asuperconfusedgirl @superduckmilkshake @mysticsheepsoul @gemofthenight @1lellykins @junerprsh @sierraluvz @wolfkill16 @smallsweetvanillabean @costheticbabe @charmedfandomgal @hanne-montana @rhunew @greenapplegrass @lizzytrees @spididerman @Havenater1920 @jelloangela @whotfskai @netflix-addict @lunacurlclaw

#fred weasley #fred weasley x y/n #fred weasley x you #fred weasley x fem!reader #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley angst #fred weasley fluff #hp fandom #hp universe

[itsbansheebitch]

More thoughts

I get both sides, but I feel a little confused they couldn't find four people in their +25 employees

Data analyst (Are you seriously telling me you couldn't personally email or even just HIRE matpat's team who do data analytics as part of Theorist Media to help??? The man would be overjoyed to help???)

Editor (Put the first $6 towards a can of coffee grounds, dude)

PR Team (Even, like, a single person, please, for the love of god)

Business Major (Or literally anyone that has taken a home ec/budgeting/personal finance class)

First, the Dish Granted series was started when gold leaf burgers were novel, now it's seen as tone deaf (for obvious reasons) it should have shifted to something like interviews with people who make that kind of food or local businesses (like parmesan cheese shops in Parma, Italy) or the history of food (like talking about the history of modern Native American slavery on Californian wine vinyards). Not to mention the untapped potential of Food Fraud topics. Either shift it, or scrap it. Any data analyst or chronically online person could tell you that.

Second, why did you keep "anyone can afford $6 a month" in? Are the editors asleep at the wheel? Are they overworked? What is going on? You know damn well to not make generalizations about what people can afford. That's NEVER a good idea, especially when you KNOW (because YT gives you analytics) that most of your viewers are young (16/18-30/35 range, I'd guess) who probably, either 1, are still in school and either arent paid well/dont have jobs OR 2, arent paid well and tired of people's shit, like people who own businesses talking about "tough financial decisions." To them, Watcher isn't going to look different from the other people talking like that, because this was so sudden, with no input from fans, and in the video you hear shit like "anyone can afford [X]." To be frank, it wouldn't really matter what the amount is, because that generalization goes against the message they have stood by for years. THAT is a slap in the face.

Third, what are yall doing with the budgeting? Every artist has a right to make art that they are proud of. Every artist deserves to have their work seen if they so choose. Every artist deserves to make a living. HOWEVER, there are MANY options online when it comes to making money, especially on YT. You could get into marketing, data analysis, expanding your demographic, looking at what people are interested in right now VS what will stand the test of time (not gold leaf burgers), etc.

You have to either have these skills, develop these skills, or hire someone to do it for you. It's understandable that you would want a team behind the production, but I find +25 employees to be WAY too many people, especially in LA. Bailey Sarian has a Dark History section on her YT (and Spotify podcast) where she has hired historians to help make sure her episodes are as accurate as possible. You've caught heat before from Puppet History's missing & incorrect info, you should do the same. She has about three (3) "intermissions" per episode for ad breaks. I never see anyone complain. People WOULD listen to yall talk for that long (+1 hour videos), tbh, though that's not necessary.

Why are yall out here with Teslas, expensive food, new gear, scripts (where there weren't scripts before, PH is different, that makes sense), and "better than TV" level sets??? I need to put your accountant in this week's church prayer list what the actual hell??? Ya'll, this video is literally the meme:

Guys help me budget:

LA Rent: 2K per month

Videos: 100K per vid

+25 Employees: God only knows

New stuff for videos: Don't get me started

Like, are you serious?

You have a right to do whatever you want with your art. You have a right to charge whatever you'd like for that art. You have a right to make a living from your art and you have a right to ask your fans for money.

Your fans have a right to be angry when they've been supporting yall for, what, almost 10 years? They have a right to choose when and where to spend their money even when you've made an impact. They have a right to feel betrayed, especially when there are better options (like Nebula or consulting with Theorist Media).

Fans DO NOT have a right to be racist to any members of Watcher, now that they have made a decision they do not agree with.

I personally, think this is a really silly decision and could have been solved (haha solved) with a simple YT poll, but apparently we had to get... this. I respect their decision, I just don't think it was a smart one. I wish them the best, and I hope they find a better solution. Any further comment from me will depend on what steps they take next.

#watcher #shane madej #ryan bergara

[dribs-and-drabbles]

Most memorable items of clothing in bl series in 2023

In order of their airing/me watching them:

I'm thankful I've gotten into the habit of noting which shows I watch and when otherwise I wouldn’t be able to remember. As it is, first on my list is Bed Friend, which kind of sets the tone for this post since it features the best and the worst outfit choices for Uea. The waffle robes and cat ears vs the fake sleeves shirt.

Next is a quick shout out to Por in My School President, since the show started in 2022 but did finish in 2023, and basically all of his outfits. The man is a style icon. But this stripy polo shirt takes the biscuit for me. I need to have it.

On to Moonlight Chicken and this one is a combined effort between Heart and Li Ming. @telomeke prompted me to write a little about it, but essentially the two shirts together are saying 'you're my other half'. Urthe / Tomato sauce.

The Gloves! Need I say more? (Alright, for those of you who don't know - how could you not?! - they're from Chains of Heart).

And now not strictly an item of clothing but an accessory, the most straight ankle bracelet you'll ever see in a thai series. Totally platonic, not gay AT ALL. In Midnight Museum.

In July the different Thai production companies took stock of three versions of the same stripy linin shirt – the cream long-sleeved, the brown short-sleeved, and the charcoal short-sleeved - and proceeded to clad every actor they could in one of them within a three and a half month period (six shows*, eight different characters). We had couple-shirts with both Kawi and Pisaeng and Mew and Top wearing them, and Namneua in Wedding Plan wore all three. (*Step by Step, Be My Favourite, Hidden Agenda, Wedding Plan, Love in Translation, and Only Friends).

Staying in July for a while, and speaking of weddings, Kawi rocked on up to Pearmai and Not's wedding in Be My Favourite in this brown houndstooth shirt and black pants outfit - an almost exact replica of Ray's outfit in the original pilot trailer for Only Friends. I waited with baited breath to see if Ray would still wear the outfit in the actual series...and he did! Not only that, I then realised Uea had already worn it in Bed Friend earlier in the year.

In a surprising turn of events, Be My Favourite – and Krist – turned out to actually be Quite Good. Perhaps distracted by Krist's puppy eyes, we weren't entirely ready for the first appearance of the Dudes shirt – itself a wonderful comment on the narrative since Kawi was figuring out his feelings for Pisaeng – but it was a delight to see it again on Nick in Only Friends, and offering a different narrative comment.

This next one may only be notable for me, but when I was doing my dedicated scan through of oh so many shows to collect items for the communal wardrobe, I noticed this sand and grey sweater amongst the many other items of shared clothing which appeared in The Warp Effect and then very briefly on Pisaeng in Be My Favourite. Not long after, the trailer for Last Twilight dropped and I spotted it again immediately. I've also since noticed it in a speed scan of The Shipper. Not only do I think it's a pretty neat sweater, but I loved the effect it gave in Last Twilight, which I wrote about at the end of this post.

This is getting long but I'm going to keep going (this might be the only 2023 wrap up I do so I'ma make it count).

If you've been following me for a while (or since the BBS days), you’ll know how rabid I go when I see a pair of the yellow-soled Mustard brand shoes in a show. The most recent being in Hidden Agenda worn by Zo…but they're not the ones on this list. Oh no, it's Joke's blue-soled shoes which made me sit up and scream this time...meaning even their shoes were colour-coded in this show. Oh how I wish I could buy a pair of each.

There were many fabulous outfits in Laws of Attraction (especially Charn's) but Tanthai's green rope shirt wins out for me. Green seemed to be used in the show to represent the lies and secrets Tanthai was forced to keep because of his father, and he was metaphorically bound and trapped in these lies and his life. Ah perfection!

I've mentioned a lot of brilliant items but there have also been many awful ones, and the one I can't seem to stop thinking about (or horrifying over) is the Droopy Tits shirt (or Nipple Protector, whichever way you want to call it) which first appeared in Dangerous Romance and then The Jungle just three days later. I'm surprised we haven't seen it again to be honest, but I imagine if we get more spoiled rich kids we probably will.

These next two aren't specific items but more of a shout out to the whole wardrobe design of the shows.

First, Only Friends, with Mew and Ray's transformation to Ray and Sand's (respective) wardrobe choices, as well as the inversion of colours to highlight differences in relationships, and the use of colour-groupings to separate characters (<- a post i have yet to write). I wish I could write more about it…but life is just too busy to give it the time it needs.

The second is, of course, Ai Di and Chen Yi in Kiseki: Dear to Me with how they always share a colour in their different outfits. @respectthepetty details this perfectly here, so I don't need to. I am however still feral about these two and can't wait to do a full re-watch of the show.

And lastly, much like Baseball Mom in Bad Buddy two years ago (and to be honest many of Pat's other shirts), Aof recently gifted us another absolutely ridiculous but brilliantly poignant t-shirt slogan in Mhok's Fart Proudly shirt in Last Twilight, which I went into detail about here. Just A+

Thanks for sticking with me through all that! Any others that stood out for you or that I missed?

#best of bl 2023 #bl superlatives #bl wrapped 2023 #most memorable items of clothing of 2023 #bl fashion #the thai communal wardrobe #sorry. gonna tag dump now... #bed friend #bed friend the series #my school president #moonlight chicken #chains of heart #midnight museum #step by step #be my favorite #be my favorite the series #be my favourite #hidden agenda #wedding plan the series #love in translation #only friends the series #ofts #the warp effect #last twilight #the shipper #laws of attraction #dangerous romance #dangerous romance the series #the jungle the series #kiseki: dear to me

[geekedoutbunny]

omg that last piccolo request you did was so good. could we get more house husband piccolo??? Perhaps the reader works and Piccolo stays home and learns how to cook for them.

Househusband! Piccolo x Reader Headcanon - To Be a House Husband.

Ooooo, another Piccolo fan are we? But of course, I'll be more than happy to write this request for you dear.

Thank you, for sending in this lovely little request, I'll be sure to serve it justice, and I hope it's to your liking.

MASTER LIST | NSFW CONTENT

You and Piccolo have been married for a good three years now, and you recently have gotten a job, times are rough and the prices for everything are rising, it was time for a job. So it was up to Piccolo to learn how to cook for you, he wanted to anyways, he wanted to aid in any way he could.

He didn't like seeing you worry and stress about getting ready for work, just to forget to make yourself lunch in your franticness. So, he offered to learn how to cook, just for you. His sweetness knew no boundary, you were happy to have met such a man in your life.

You'd teach him the basics, first, how to cook toast. Then eggs and bacon. Then you'll move on to rice, beans, and pasta. Lastly, you'll do meat and baked goods. He was a fast learner, so it didn't take him long to learn. He quickly became quite the master at cooking, and you began salivating for his delicious foods.

He took a liking to cooking shows, one because they were entertaining, and two because he could learn new dishes. He began seeing cooking as a form of art, and he was a beautiful artist. His foods began going from basic to gourmet meals fit for a queen. You'd feel so cocky seeing your fancy meal compared to everyone else's.

He's been buying fresh products and spices, he's kept the kitchen clean and he'd never let it get dirty. He'd scrub away any grim that even dares to appear. Only the finest cleaning products and groceries littered your home. It never smelled so fresh before.

When you get home, he'll already be in the kitchen, making dinner for you, while the TV would be on in the background, Gordan Ramsey's voice would make a smile appear on your face, as you kick off your shoes and head into the kitchen. The food would smell divine, and you'd feel so giddy. Piccolo would tell you to clean your hands and to set the table, and you wouldn't complain.

Piccolo was a mature individual, he thrived on peace and quiet, but he didn't mind some noise. You, on the other hand, were more energetic and hyper, being married to him was a perfect balance. You loved his caring nature and how he was rather fatherly in his own ways, and he actually adored your cute hyper activeness, even when you weren't as hyper, he still loved you.

In the morning he'd wake you up with the smell of eggs and bacon with a hint of coffee. Sometimes oranges that's been freshly squeezed. You enjoyed his cooking, and he enjoyed doing it for you.

He was happy that you taught him how to cook, he never knew that he had such a talent, he wonders what else he could do, but being a house husband, was sure to show him.

MASTER LIST | NSFW CONTENT

#dbz #dbz fluff #dbz fanfiction #dbs #dbs fluff #dbs fanfiction #dbs piccolo #dbz piccolo #piccolo x reader #piccolo #piccolo fluff #piccolo x y/n #dbz x reader #dbz x y/n #dbs x reader #dbs x y/n

[preservationofnormalcy]

Are you guys aware of Deep Sea Dishes? Located in Portland, OR. It's a seafood restaurant, but the dishes are extranormal. They have genuine kraken salt. That's not been on any known market since the 80's at least. They also seem to have minimal actual, well, "masking." The food looks normal, but as someone who's had their fair share of extranormal food, it's not. Tastes that aren't quite right. The employees almost seem artificial too. Eyes black as ink, hands don't move right. Normal people walked in and got creeped out. Really poor veil upholding here. I'm retired, but this seems worth a report at least.

Sincerely,

A Former Abnaval Officer

So, the Kraken salt is not suspicious in itself - recent negotiations with Atlantis have okayed Kraken and Kraken products for import in select markets.

I'll take your suspicion about the place itself, though. I see they're on our list, no previous strikes. New management, maybe. The lack of masking is enough that we'd get Abnormal Business Bureau over there.

The eyes and hands...I can't figure out the angle. This seems like something I've seen before...

God, what was it. 2006? We had a fast food place come up on the radar that registered with us. It was owned by a wizard, or so we thought, nothing super weird about it. When I ate there, I sort of....hm. How to phrase this...

The place was built on a leyline and was using that to create magical dynamo that harvested quantum potentiality. Quantum potentiality is when a choice could split into an alternate universe, and for a zeptosecond that energy and potentiality is there. The restaurant owner was using the possibility energy to "steal" items and ideas from alternate universes that did not exist. Being a little in tune with this stuff I felt odd in a way I had the guys in Applied Thaumaturgy examine, and it turns out the wizard stole some very personal things from me. Well, not theft, they weren't real before he apparated them, of course. It's complicated, we still got him for theft ex nihilo.

Not that I think that's what's happening here, of course, but we did find out that the workers were all constructs, like we might be seeing here. We'll send someone out.

#office for the preservation of normalcy #ask #advice #atlantis #wizards

[n7punk]

She-ra (2018) Official Merch

I've made a loooong post about She-ra merch and its weirdness, but I wanted to summarize it in the most comprehensive list of official merch for the 2018 Netflix reboot that I could assemble. I'm sure I've missed some stuff, though, so I'll update this if I find anything. Thanks to everyone who contributed, especially Clare and Tippen.

I did deep dives (with pictures and details) on con exclusive and promotion exclusive merch. Basic info on those is included below the read more of this post.

Everything with [L] at the end of its bulletpoint - or an * inside one - has a photo in the long post. I provided links to official photos/listings when possible, but most of them are defunct.

Pins/Accessories/Clothing (active):

A bunch of jewelry (necklaces, rings, earrings) and enamel pins from Han Cholo (+ one iron-on patch). I've seen resellers claim the chibi pins were exclusive to a convention, but they're up on the website. The long post* has pictures of these if they ever go down, and the actual convention-exclusive ones can be found in the con post.

Amazon print-on-demand clothing (+ tote bags and pop sockets) with a lot of different designs that are hidden on the site but still purchasable, see this post for details, and here's the direct link. Once you find a design you like, you can search its name in the regular search bar (for instance, there's a shirt design called "Power Stripes Catra," for that one you have to search just "Stripes Catra") to see all the kinds of items it comes on, usually a variety of tops/outerwear, maybe a tote, and sometimes pop sockets.

Bioworld also had licensed merch, but some designs are hidden on their store page, so the link shows everything available but includes both the reboot and the 80s original. As of writing, they have one lunchbox, two adult t-shirts, one adult crop top, and two youth shirts for the reboot.

Media (active):

A DVD of just the first three seasons (there's a box sleeve version that includes stickers and it's never clear in listings if this is the only version and they just don't show the sleeve or if they're two separate things). This is still for sale at multiple retailers, but there's no way we're ever getting a full boxset.

There were a couple of books: the Rebel Princess Guide, the Legend of the Fire Princess graphic novel, and then some small "novels." These are still available at multiple retailers, but the novels weren't made by the crew and at least some of these contradict basic facts from season one, so they're less canon than many fanfics despite being licensed.

Everything from this point on is out of production and only available via resale.

Toys/Figures (defunct):

Eight fashion dolls. The line had Adora, Glimmer, Bow, Catra, and She-ra (season one version), Battle Armor She-ra (2-pack with a model of Swift Wind featuring their Battle of Bright Moon looks), and a deluxe She-ra & Shadow Weaver 2-pack (SDCC 2019 exclusive). These dolls were supposed to be Target exclusive, but the rollout was botched and now they're collectors' items. There were also four cancelled dolls that were supposed to be part of the line.

Two Super7 action figures in a Catra & Adora 2-pack with limited articulation. They're rare collector's items too, though this time it's just because they were a limited run. [L]

A plastic toy Sword of Protection and shield sized for children. The sword lit up and said "For the honor of Grayskull!" when you lifted it. The gem was semi-transparent and had a picture of She-ra under it. This was a Target and Amazon exclusive (Mattel & Target are always holding hands 🤝). [L]

Clothes/Dress-up/Accessories (defunct):

Four licensed She-ra costumes (season one version) of varying quality: a Target-exclusive one in limited sizes, one from Disguise in a wider range of sizes, one from Party City (as well as a wig and Sword of Protection prop licensed under Classic Media) for children, and one from Rubie's Costume Company (with a season one Catra costume to match, as well as separate accessory packs and wigs for both characters) that was also available at Party City. [L]

Her Universe used their Netflix license to make three shirts, two jackets, an earring set, and a wallet. Photos in the long post* if these links go down (they are discontinued, after all). Bioworld (remember them?) are actually the producers of the earrings with their name rather than Her Universe's branding being found on the backing card.

Hot Topic made a few shirts (like, three. I don't have the primary link for the third design). [L]

Misc (defunct):

Zaks Design-A-Tumbler, a plastic see-through drink tumbler with a sticker sheet provided so you can place the character graphics inside as desired. Features the key character art seen on most other merch for the Best Friend Squad as well as the sword, the moonstone, Swift Wind for the horse girls, and some random sparkles and hearts to fill space. It was available via Amazon and Walmart.

Comcanroll made a Sword of Protection keychain, also defunct. [L]

Beneath the cut are con exclusives and promotional items that were not for sale (at all, or at least by themselves) but that you can still probably hunt down online. Also... still available apps.

I can't believe this is real but there are two apps. She-Ra Stickers is available on iOS and Android and is exactly what you expect: "stickers" (pngs) to send in texting conversations. She-ra Gems of Etheria (also still available on iOS and Android) is a match 3+ game. It doesn't have micro transactions or ads (since, you know, the whole thing is an ad) so it's actually better than most things on the app store.

@tippenfunkaport also made a post about "digital merch" (backgrounds, printed papercrafts, etc) that Dreamworks posted online.

Promotion Exclusives:

I made a separate post for promo-exclusive merch. Things marked with an [L] still have photos in the long post, but photos are better gathered for all of these things in the promo-exclusive post, so please look at that one if any of these interest you.

Lootcrate/Lootwear made a pair of socks, a notebook, and a tumbler all featuring the season one She-ra silhouette. These were only available as part of their subscription service and not for individual sale. [L]

A Sonic kids meal tie-in that featured: magnets of the characters, funko-esque She-ra and Hordak figures, Swift Wind & Imp "straw buddies," and a small inflatable toy Sword of Protection. [L]

The following is promotional material that was never available to the general public:

A statuette of She-ra sent out to family bloggers to promote season four. Very limited due to the tiny production and being fragile. [L]

An equally rare metal lunchbox was sent out exclusively to influencers to promote season one.

Media press kits included a number of items that made it to the public as con-exclusives (see below for more details): collectors cards, buttons, and a foam tiara.

Stickers plugging the Dreamworks Careers' socials were also produced, likely for recruitment. [L]

Gray zip-up hoodies with a small sword on the front (pocket area placement) and a larger logo on the back were made for the crew and never available outside of Dreamworks.

A shirt featuring a graphic of She-ra riding Swift Wind with the She-ra logo in the corner - distribution & source currently unknown. Looks similar but is distinct from an existing Amazon POD design. Best guess is it was given out at an event (con, reviewer promo, employee event, etc), but I'm putting it here since I have no clue where it was from.

Con exclusives (defunct):

I made a separate post for con-exclusive promo items. Some of these still have photos in the long post, but photos and details about which cons they were available at and such are gathered in the con-exclusive post.

Button pin sets (4 sets, 4 buttons each) were at comic cons. These were possibly also available on Amazon for a time but I can't find confirmation on that beyond a backing card logo that could just mean the backing card itself was produced by Amazon. They aren't for sale now either way.

A foam She-ra crown and flat plastic/foam Sword of Protection, handed out at multiple cons.

She-ra socks designed after her uniform (including a cape on the back) seem to have been given out at cons. Photos are only in the long post* because they aren't good and I ran out of room.

There's a number of official poster designs that were handed out (mostly as mini posters) at cons, but most listings online are reprints.

Collector's cards were handed out at cons, probably SDCC.

Temporary tattoos, stickers, bookmarks, and coloring sheets were handed out at Power-Con (years unknown) and possibly other locations, likely those that sold the Scholastic books. [L]

A plastic shopping bag, made to be a disposable advertisement, exclusive to Anime Expo 2019. This one also don't have a photo in the con exclusive post because it's just one of the poster designs already in there, but there is a (wrinkly) photo in the long post*.

#words and things #she ra #merch #spop meta #the fact that the concise post is itself long... listen there's a REASON i didnt add the photos here #it would have been nice and i considered sticking them under the read more but you cant format photos side-by-side on the dashboard view #so it would have ended up a mess that only looked clean on my blog itself #and i would have run out of room pretty much immediately anyway considering hitting the photo limit is why there's so many other posts #so yeah if this becomes a static page than photos can be added but the rebloggable version just has links #okay i think that's everything and all the links are right #welcome to my hell!

[sttermsofservice]

About the next edition...

We'll need MODS!

As some of you know, there were only three lovely editors for the 2023 edition, Talon, Victor, and Pepin, and we did it all on our own. Some of us were graduating, all of us got full-time jobs, and we can all agree that three of us WEREN'T ENOUGH!

So we won't make the same mistake this time! There's no way we'll be capable of running the zine again without far more support. Note that just because you're a mod, doesn't mean you can't have your work in the zine! All three of us had our work in the 2023 edition (but it isn't required, although it has to fit the theme).

So we need more mods!

The primary editor will remain Talon, for this next (potential) edition at least. Victor and Pepin will continue to have contributions as well. However we have several other positions that will need to be filled. Below we'll list them and give a short description.

If you are interested, please fill out this form! (Please keep in mind the time you will have to dedicate to this project if you are a mod. If you cannot reasonably dedicate that time, please reconsider.) If you're not interested, please reblog!! Descriptions under the cut.

The Tumblr Mod: You'll be in charge of running the tumblr, creating posts, using Canva, putting out announcements, tagging posts properly, and potentially sending emails. This is great for a creative, schedule-oriented individual. This is so that the tumblr doesn't go for large swaths of time without a single post, as it did for the 2023 edition. You will be in charge of the email primarily and any messages will go through you.

The Twitter Mod: You will work closely with the Tumblr mod. You'll be solely in charge of expanding our online presence to include twitter, so the fans over there have a chance to explore the wonders of our zine. Ideal for someone who knows twitter, is a great collaborator, and will be able to post regularly.

The Timeline Master: You'll be in charge of keeping track of the zine timeline and updating it as needed. You'll work closely with the Tumblr Mod to schedule posts. Your most important job will be ensuring ALL of our contributors provide each of their progress checks and recording those progress checks. This will be good for a person who wants to participate but has limited time. It will be most busy at the very beginning (setting up the timeline) and during the progress checks (anticipate 3, the 4th being the final delivery).

The Economics Professor: You'll be in charge of all monetary calculations. We have some calculations already from the 2023 edition, but we want to improve them. You'll also look in to other potential printing services for cheaper OR better quality options. You'll work with the Tumblr Mod to put out interest check polls to refine the calculations as much as possible. You'll also be in charge of the money when we begin preorders (Talon will walk you through this process) and all orders (for proofs or actual products) will go through you. This is great for someone with a numbers-oriented mind with a bit more free time on their hands.

The Copy Editor: You'll work closely with the primary editor(s), including Talon, for creation of the final product. You will look for grammatical errors, ensure all stylistic choices are the same throughout the document (no font errors, no extra spaces, etc.), and ensure all contributor pieces are actually included in the document. This is for a detail-oriented English mind. You will contribute to the contributor selection process (as will all of the editors) and work with contributors to refine their ideas and ensure they meet the theme.

The Mail Room(s): Ideally, this is two or more people who live close to/with each other who will be able to process the orders we receive and mail them out using our mail platform (Talon will walk you through this). This will be BUSY only once we have received the zines. It is the MOST IMPORTANT job. It is best for people who are careful and detail oriented, and have a great deal of free time (and a fair amount of space for boxes). You'll work closely with the Economics Professor.

The Go-To Guy: A jack-of-all-trades, mini-Talon. This person will help ensure all aspects of the zine are running smoothly, communication between editors, fans, and contributors is accurate and swift, and troubleshoot any problems which may arise. There may be two of this position. It is busiest in spurts (especially around events or progress checks). Ideal for someone who is personable and good at problem solving.

#star trek #tos #aos #star trek zine #star trek terms of service #terms of service zine #star trek aos #star trek tos #mcspirk #spirk #spones #mckirk