#even if it's a technical issue and resolves in like an hour

[maerossi]

Everyone: Please please please don't write your books in Google Docs. Frankly don't use Google Drive for personal stuff.

Their terms of service say they take down stuff like content related to terrorism and trafficking, but this Google Sheet was literally a list of movies I'd watched this year and books I'd read.

[straycatj]

Not Rocky, only sucky — A record of the unauthorized use of my photo in Oliver Clegg’s work

This article documents the events surrounding the unauthorized use of one of my photographs in a work named Rocky by Oliver Clegg, from the initial discovery through to the current situation.

Please consider this a formal report for those who have supported me.

September 7, 2021

I posted a photo of my cat Kofuku and Mr.J.

At the time, someone even made a pixel art version of it, and many people enjoyed it together.

January 2023

A kind follower sent me a mention to a post introducing a “work” by Oliver Clegg.

Clegg later claimed he had tagged my Instagram, but in fact he had created a brand-new tag called “straycatmrj.” This has also been documented.

By that point, someone had already annotated his work via Hypothesis, raising questions about his use of materials.

February 2025

The traced work resurfaced. I began an investigation.

That same month, I consulted a lawyer through an initiative supported by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs:

Bansou.Support – a legal support service for copyright infringement and similar issues on the internet.

I was informed that:

Because the image is viewable online from Japan, this constitutes copyright infringement under Japanese law.

In my case, this use clearly does not fall under fair use.

My rights are protected internationally under the Berne Convention, regardless of the creator residing in the United States.

April 2025

Once again, I saw another traced work posted.

The uploader promptly removed the post and even issued a follow-up to explain the situation. I deeply appreciate their response.

However, the traced image continued to be reblogged.

I decided to follow through on my prior consultation and contact the gallery representing Mr. Clegg.

April 30, 2025 (JST)

I contacted the gallery directly.

A lawyer had advised that “this kind of issue is often treated seriously as a matter of credibility by galleries, so it’s worth contacting them.”

However, I received no response—perhaps because I am merely a Japanese individual blogger.

May 3, 2025 (JST)

I sent a follow-up message, stating that unless I received a response by the close of business on May 6 (EDT), I would make the findings public.

May 7, 2025

With no reply, I published the facts and timeline on Tumblr.

Many people offered support. However, I also witnessed comments that ignored all legal context, and some individuals spread false assumptions and slander.

Such baseless speculation only reveals more about the mindset and behavior of those making it.

I would like to take this opportunity to again express my sincere gratitude to those who responded respectfully and supported me.

May 8, 2025

24 hours later, with more response than expected, I published a follow-up thank-you note in the form of a reblog.

May 9, 2025 (Night)

60 hours later, I discovered that the relevant Tumblr tags were no longer functioning.

I suspected a technical issue—or possibly a report by someone connected to the other party.

I contacted Tumblr Community Support, and they responded promptly, stating that the issue had been resolved and would be reflected within 24 hours.

Shortly thereafter, the tag search functionality returned to normal.

May 10, 2025

72 hours later: search results had shifted.

Tumblr Search When searching for the artist’s name, I noticed that the specific work featuring my cat no longer appears in search results.

Google Image Search The image now appears to be filtered under SafeSearch.

Once again, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported and stood with me.

Thanks again to everyone who helped clarify the origin of the image.

(This post may be useful to those researching digital appropriation or copyright boundaries in art.)

[violetrainbow412-blog]

Day 11: suddenly severed communication

Masterlist flufftober 🎃

Reblog if you liked it!

You knew that sometimes Spencer could have cases that kept him busy all day and, understandably, he barely had time to check his phone. But that didn’t stop you from anxiously waiting for his response every day.

You never thought you’d be able to handle a long-distance relationship, as you’d always believed it was silly to love someone from so far away. However, when Spencer came into your life, things were different. He had such a brilliant mind, a charming charisma, a beauty that seemed perfect to you… how could you not fall in love?

So, you decided to give it a try, hoping that a couple of months would be enough to determine if he was worth it. After almost two years together, you hoped that was the case.

“Do you have service on your phone?” you asked your coworker, trying to find some excuse for your boyfriend’s silence. When she said yes, you felt a little disheartened.

Why isn’t he answering? you wondered suddenly, starting to worry that something might have happened to him. The night before, you had talked late into the evening, and everything had been perfect, right? And you wanted to believe he wouldn’t deliberately ignore you.

You figured he was in one of those areas where the reception was terrible and tried to calm yourself, telling yourself that the lack of response wasn’t a big deal. After distracting yourself with work for a few hours, you checked your phone again, hoping to find something, but once again, there was nothing. Not even an indication that he had received your messages.

You spent the entire day trying to ignore it and not overthink the situation, since there was no misunderstanding between the two of you that would make him decide not to talk to you. It was likely a technical issue, in any case. But if that was the case, you started asking yourself when night fell, then why hadn’t your boyfriend used a public phone? Maybe he could have even called you from someone else’s phone to let you know he’d be unreachable and spare you the worry.

It probably wasn’t his fault, of course, and you tried to sleep, finding comfort in that thought while your phone rested on the nightstand closest to your bed.

Just in case, of course. Just in case he called.

And when you woke up, there was still nothing.

You didn’t have any of his coworkers’ phone numbers, and you thought calling the FBI office would be too alarmist, so you just tried to wait. You mentally replayed whether you two had had any disagreements, but there hadn’t been any at all, and your boyfriend wasn’t the type to handle things that way anyway. On the contrary, he always tried to resolve issues.

Needless to say, your concentration was completely affected at work due to the lack of communication with your boyfriend, and you sent a couple more messages just to see if he was still not receiving them, and that was indeed the case.

By the afternoon, you came home feeling disheartened, trying to search for any news of an accident, hoping he wasn’t involved. Thankfully, there was nothing, but you still had that slight discomfort in your chest as you went about your evening chores.

During dinner, you heard your phone vibrate on the kitchen counter, and you nearly tripped over yourself running to it, eager to see who it was. However, the screen displayed an unknown number, and when you pressed the button, you did so cautiously. Spencer had always told you that in such cases, it was best to let the other person speak first, but it wasn’t necessary because you recognized the voice immediately.

“Angel? Are you there?”

“Spencer!” you cried out happily, feeling like your soul had returned to your body. “Oh my God, what happened to you? I haven’t heard from you since yesterday.”

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart, really. We were working on a case on the coast, and my phone fell into the sea, so I was completely cut off. Also, the reception is awful in that area, and none of the others had signal either, and there were no public phones, can you believe it? I had to buy this phone as soon as we got back just to call you. I’m really, really sorry.”

“But you’re okay?”

“Yeah, in one piece. Just a little mishap.”

“Oh, I’m so glad. I thought something had happened to you, and I was really worried,” you murmured, your voice nearly breaking.

You hadn’t realized just how much the thought had affected you until that moment.

“No, no, I’m really sorry for making you worry,” he insisted, with that guilty tone you couldn’t stand. “But I’m completely fine, I promise.”

“I hope so.”

“Are you okay?”

“Now that I’ve heard from you, yes,” you whispered, pouting, even though he couldn’t see it. You heard him laugh on the other end of the line.

“Is there any way I can make it up to you?”

“Maybe you could teleport here so I could hug you,” you exclaimed, in a better mood than at the beginning. “And then I could shower you with kisses and you could fuck me as many times as you wanted.”

Your name came out of his mouth like a scolding, but with a playful tone. You were sure he was blushing.

“Do you really want that?” he asked.

You hummed a yes in response, smiling to yourself, and suddenly you heard a few beeps in your ear, as if he had hung up.

You were about to call him back when a knock at the door startled you. Through the glass, you could make out the silhouette of a man, and completely puzzled, you walked over.

“Who is it?”

When the stranger spoke, you recognized the voice instantly. Although you didn’t know how he was there, a second later you were already opening the door to throw yourself into your boyfriend’s arms. You nearly knocked him backward, but he managed to hold you firmly.

“Surprise,” he laughed, clearly satisfied with the reaction his presence had caused.

You pulled away only to look at him and touch his face, trying to figure out if he was real or just a hallucination. His hair had grown since the last time you had seen each other, and though he looked tired, he also radiated happiness.

“How are you here?”

“After this case, we got a few days off, and I thought I’d drop by to say hi.”

“First you keep me on edge with anxiety for two days, and then you just show up! What kind of boyfriend are you?”

“One who loves you very much,” he resolved sweetly. Then he leaned down to give you a soft kiss on the forehead, as had become his custom for some time now, and whispered, “I missed you so much.”

You were still standing on the porch, so you didn’t hesitate to take his hand and pull him inside enthusiastically, only to rise on your tiptoes and kiss him fervently. Spencer didn’t complain—on the contrary, he maneuvered to drop his luggage on the floor and then leaned you against the wall to keep kissing you.

At first, his hands rested on your waist, but they soon slid beneath your shirt, caressing your skin with clear passion and even a touch of desperation.

“When you asked me what you could do to make it up to me, I didn’t think you meant it seriously,” you whispered at some point, when you both paused to catch your breath. You felt a wide smile against your lips.

“And I’m pretty sure you mentioned something about making love to you…”

“In more vulgar words but yes, that's the idea” you said in a flirtatious tone, reaching out to bite his upper lip and he let out a sigh.

Without wasting any more time, your boyfriend lifted you off the floor, and you wrapped your legs around his waist, surprised by the initiative he was taking. Laughing, he managed to walk to your bedroom, and once there, he made sure you forgot all the worries you had been carrying.

[psychics4unet]

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[makethemhoesmad]

sex concept-2

paige x oc

paige’s pov!

wc: 754

part one

—

this is the first time in quite a few years i’ve woken up with a woman on top of me, in my bed, in my clothes, and haven’t fucked her. not that i don’t want to. in fact, i really want to. she just won’t let me.

“p…” i hear scarlett whimper on top of me, shifting in a way that gives me a blissful whiff of her shampoo.

“mhm?” i answer, wrapping my arms around her. she turns her face into my neck, muttering something about how my room’s “so goddamn fucking cold,” and i think i fall in love right there, trying to pull her closer into me to keep her warm. i guess she wakes up fully a few moments later, because she rolls off of me, sits up, and says,

“i really should go home, i’ve got a date with one of my friends in two hours.” 

No way she’s about to go on a date with anyone other than me, even though she’s technically not mine. I grab her and hold her to my chest, letting her squeal and demand to be released.

“let me go, bro, come on, paige.”

“nun uh, gotta have you close to me for just a little bit longer. i’ont got practice for another hour and a half, baby, we could stay here till then.”

i see her resolve falter, her pupils blow wide as she listens to me trying to sweet-talk her down. when her eyes flit down to my lips, i try to swoop in, press them to hers, but she places a hand right over my face. 

“i really, need to go. thank you so much!” she crows, scrambling out of my bed and out the door, leaving her dress and taking my pants. it’s okay, really, i think as i watch her leave. i let the moment of her scurrying out in my clothes replay in my mind until my phone rings, with kk yelling to remind me we have practice in 30 minutes.

~

“normally after paige gets pussy she plays like a mad woman,” kk remarks, nudging azzi, who had just commented on my two missed layups.

“fuck all the way off, kamorea,” i mutter, storming towards the locker room.

“damn, she leave you hanging?” azzi asks, smirking at me.

“yes, bro, she told me she doesn’t fuck athletes,” i whine, burying my face in my hands. azzi pats me on the head, saying,

“what a shame, she’s really cute. scarlett, right? of course, you got her number so maybe you could change her mind or something.”

my face goes red, then pale. “No, azzi, i didn’t get her number, because i couldn’t think to ask her any of that shit. she shakes her head, walking out and calling that i should have tried harder, and to do something about my layup situation.

~

later that night, after a long, hot shower to contemplate my recent issues, i open instagram, set on scrolling a bit then going to bed. i lay down, and my plans are destroyed by the still lingering scent of scarlett on my pillows, my blankets, my sheets, my skin. i find myself opening her instagram, moving my hand between my legs. it’s sinful, how quickly i come onto my own fingers, with her name on my lips, just from a picture of her. i lean back, languidly scrolling through her photos, appreciating her. i’ve scrolled just a bit too far when i accidentally click the heart near the bottom of my screen. i panic briefly, then decide to leave it. let her see me stalking her. i plug my phone in, laying it facedown and turning over to scream into my pillow. my phone buzzing has me jolting up and grabbing it, nearly shrieking in delight at an instagram notification from @scar_let

why u stalking me, creepy 

i giggle, unable to control myself

just can’t seem to get you outta my mind, ma

i reply back. i hope she thought it was slick, and not overly creepy and cringe.

bet you were rubbing one out to my old high school volleyball pictures

this girl, goddamn. she’s not right, but she’s not necessarily far from the truth.

you’d have lost that bet because i wasn’t rubbing one out to your high school volleyball pictures

i smirk, watching as the message goes to seen, and she starts typing.

wanna show me what you were doing then?

and then next message is an address, with a little winking face.

[fatgumsurpremacy-remastered]

It Takes Time to Sew a Doll Yan. Vox x CIS. FEM Reader.

It Takes Time to Sew a Doll. Yandere Vox x Cis. Female reader. PT 1

Warnings: Creepy dreams, stalking, hits, kidnapping, intimidation, panic attacks, insomnia referenced not explicit, non con touching (not sexual), hypno, dirty thoughts, mansplaining, misogyny, the use of the pet name DOLL, use of the pronouns she/her.

Please leave a comment if you like it or not-

@bloodypeachblog @omniuravity Dedicated to my besties.

Vox knew he was spiralling.

With each static passage of electricity through the maze of wires in his body he felt his resolve crumble further… every second consumed by images flashing carelessly across his face. 

Why couldnt he get rid of these pervasive thoughts? 

When he dreamed he was happy, the bright colours would fade to black and from the black, came the black and white visions he knew deep down he couldn't ascertain. That certain kind of sweetness rid from the newer movies spewed from his own companies, that loss of perfect innocent love that he strove for. In life he couldn't get romance right, and in his resting hours his subconscious begged him to pursue that sickening farce of a “family”. .

He always awoke to his screens playing that same damn scene, under a cork tree on the top of a grassy hill he sat, wife in his arms, head across his lap as he waxed on while the sun set. A beautiful- unattainable picture that zoomed out to the suburbs he rotted away in during the final years of his life. No matter what remedy he tried, nothing could soothe the hallucinations that plagued his sleep-addled mainframes. 

It was beginning to interfere with his day to day. 

The office- a drab, but often chaotic environment buzzed just a little differently when Vox walked in that day, people gasping and awwing at their screens before hiding the monitors from him. Something was up. But there was little energy on Vox’s behalf to really care about what lower staff were doing, so long as they were getting what they needed to get done, done. 

He should have suspected, however, that it was buzzing about him.

Throughout the day the chattering that he could hear all the way in his own office died down the second he stepped in the room, so- to save himself the headache- he decided to trudge up to his lookout and find the cause of the issue. 

There right there.

Across all the screens in hell- save his own companies monitors was the scene, but across the bottom- like the reels in the TV broadcasts, was the phrase- “Have you seen this person, if found return to the VVV tower, Vox’s office, compensation of up to 1 mill will be received. No harm will come to the person. Thank you for your cooperation.” It was a start for him. 

Like the electricity that ran through his own body he ran through the building- towards the recording studio- and into his chair, forcing all staff to their positions immediately. The red lights on the cameras blinked mockingly, as if compelling him to stop before he’d do something he would regret. Snapping his fingers, Vox quickly forced all screens in the studio on him, each crystal clear monitor, displaying his own nervous face. “Good evening ladies and gentlemen, citizens of hell-'' he began, covering the edge with the quelling smoothness of his voice, “ignore the video you are seeing on the screens. It was a technical error- and nothing else. As for the young lady in this video…” He trailed off as a feed of video faded into an ages-old monitor. A beautiful display of passion… of love, and life. 

“She's not of any importance to anyone here at Voxtech, so rest assured, she does not need to be brought in for any consolation, and any attempts to give this woman here will result in you being politely escorted from the premises. Thank you for your time, this has been a Public Service Announcement.” His hands raked down his face as the screens went dark, the cords keeping them close making themselves scarce as Vox gestured away wildly, his body slumping from the overexertion of nerves. WHY THE FUCK- WAS THIS HAPPENING?

Small glitches wrought hiccups through Vox’s spine, his head hung-desperate for sleep- or at least for a decent cup of coffee, when three sharp knocks sounded. “Oh jesus- Francis! Francis can you tell them I'm a little bus- WOAH HOLY SHIT-” Vox ducked right as Francis came flying above his head. Quickly, to spare himself the equipment bill, Vox gestured for the tvs to move as his accountant was flung through. When he turned to chew out whoever was responsible for potential property damage a weight was shoved into his chest, when it writhed he dropped it.

Disgusted by what it might be. 

“Now who exactly-” “Where's the million?” “Excuse me?” Vox asked incredulously, blinking rapidly as he stared into the red eyes of the sharks before him. The poor thing on the ground only then became noticeable to him, and his heart dropped to his feet as he heard quiet crying. 

“The million.” “OH! Gentlemen Im so sorry- you see, that wasn't a real advertisement. I can understand your confusion though!” He proposed with a wide swing of his hands. “Well- I can tell you even I was stumped when I saw that. But rest assured it wasn't real…meaning…” he said with a small pout, chastising the men. “You won’t be getting anything. Now I'll see to it she gets home safe, bye bye now!” One of the two was about to make a fuss before the room burst blue for a split second, disorienting him.

“The exit is to the left off the balcony and onto the ground gentlemen, I trust you’ll stick the landing.” Francis, who had been recovering during the duration of this conversation, limped raggedly forward to excuse the two who had intruded. There wasn't much contest as the men shucked their heels into the ground and were essentially wheeled out. Nosy faces of employees peeked from every corner to determine the cause of the commotion but were broken by one of Vox’s well placed whistles. 

In an instant he slammed the doors and rushed back over to the bag laying still on the ground, nothing but a shaky tremble as he drew nearer. Something about this warmth was familiar- if not at all strange. It felt warm from the inside out- especially as he placed his hand between her shoulders to see if her breathing evened out. 

She wasn't asleep.

“Mamm?” he uttered, tapping her shoulder with a soft tone as his claw barely edged her arm. “I know you're awake, I am going to gently take off your restraints. You're safe and completely in control here.. Now, lay still for just a moment as I take these off of you ok?” Before waiting on a response his clawed hands tore through the knot that raised sad welts on the inside of her wrists. She flexed them before sitting up and going for her burlap sack. The clothes she wore were not fitting for her at all… perhaps he could fix that. A nice blue and red number with a lace collar maybe? He wanted to ponder the idea before the bag was thrown in his face and her white stockings started their scramble off the floor, and upwards. 

Now- Vox for who he was took this in stride, choosing to watch as she grabbed the nearest thing to her, (a stapler) and pointed it at him. He raised his hands, and backed away, keeping a cool face, topped with his award winning smile. 

“Hey doll, you can go ahead and put that down. I am not here to hurt you. I'm sorry my tv’s acted up the way they did.” Cords wrapped around a wheely chair and sent it under her, causing her to sit harshly and spin as the cords brought her closer to vox. “Hi.” He said with a cheesy smile as he plucked the green stapler from her hands and tossed it to the ground. 

“We got off on the wrong foot.” The woman only glared, eyes red from overexertion, features twitching with rage. “I'll start with my name. I am Vox- and you areeee?” Urging her to speak annoyed the two of them equally, Vox because he didn't get to put a voice to the woman he had been dreaming of spending the rest of his eternal life with; and her, because she obviously would rather die. 

“Y/N.” she seethed, bitterly spitting the word out at him as he swooned from her voice. “Gorgeous, you go by that?” No answer. “Bah, who needs names anyway right? I mean- names, what is a name? Is it a word, noun, adjective? You know-” he said, spinning on the back of the chair as it soared around the room, making the woman dizzy. “I'm just gonna keep calling you Doll, m��kay?” He pinched her cheek between his fingers, relishing the shocked and disgusted look he drew from her as he pulled it back.

“I think it fits! Now- you probably don't want to go home in thooose-'' he said, gesturing to her entire body. Clearly annoyed she feinted him, causing him to stumble over his words before t’sking her. “Aht. Aht. You could have met a worse fate if I didn't protect you back there… don't get smart with me…”

They both stayed like that for a minute before Vox knew he had her where he wanted her, his smile growing roguishly. “A-Atta girl!” he laughed. “I knew you could be good if you really wanted to, now, let's get you up and measur-” She cut him off. “I just need a t-shirt, and some pants..” her gruff tone astounded Vox, who pursed his lips into a smile and nodded, hands still ready to place where he needed. Placing them down he nodded, mindlessly tapping around the desk for his coffee before grabbing the cup and confidently choking down left out grape juice. “That can be done.” and in a flash it was, electricity buzzed where the old clothes were most fucked and in their place an oversized VoxTech Stars shirt hung over her. She grasped at the shirt- confused at its size before a pair of comfy sweats satiated her mind. “Now now, dont worry about how fancy you look. You're a guest here after all, everyone will know that. I have- err ...uhhh…” he said, stalling, “just about eight-ish hours left before I can clock out… can you please-” he asked with big eyes and some half assed prayer hands, “stay put until I get off?”

Her jaw dropped and eyebrows furrowed, only easing after she stared into his face. Eyes twinkling, and reflecting the colours that blinked rapidly in his eyes. To spare her from growing weary Vox sauntered forward. “How susceptible-” he whispered, holding her back with one hand and her face with another as he looked deep into her eyes, not expecting to see himself back in them. God he looked a mess, hat askew, colourful lines of stress breaking across his face, ruining his CRT scanning. The distance felt unreal, the hypnosis felt necessary, though it hadnt ever before. If there was any doubt before Vox condemned it, smiling softly as his finger trekked from her ear and down the column of her neck, doubling back around and going back over her shoulder as he released his gaze and hugged her. 

Hope crossed Vox’s mind as he held her tight, mind screaming at him to just kiss her there and have her dream the same as him… but slowly he let her go, holding her by the shoulders a fleeting second, as the nigh’ comatose state of the woman bothered him. 

With eyes rolled all the way around his head he let up, his control waning until she was just left tired, and headached by the experience. Soft groans escaped her mouth and Vox kept his shut because he knew if he opened it, it would divulge all those juicy nights of soft summer suburbia to a woman who couldnt give a flying fuck. 

“I know it feels like a needle through the brain but hey! It's not an actual needle.” That phrasing would only be slightly uncomfortable, as the rest of the day made hell, HELL.

[blackboxtheater]

My Kink is Karma twoCartMIS

Pearl really hates chest monsters. But not as much as she really likes redstone sorting systems.

Pearl x Mumbo, established relationship, based on Mumbo's sorting system from episode 33 and 34

This is NSFW. You've been warned.

"Is that all the items?" Mumbo's voice echoed up from the caves below his base.

"That the last of them. I'm coming in!" Pearl called back, ducking into the massive network of redstone and minecarts that made up Mumbo's new item sorting system.

"Head to your right and watch the water streams," he called as Pearl turned into the caves.

She could barely make out his voice over the clatter or dispensers and minecarts, but it sounded optimistic.

She was optimistic about this test. Each round of adding items to the system went smoother than the last, and the chaotic, barely contained excitement in Mumbo's voice as he left her for the last round of testing made her believe they really may have fixed all the issues this time.

"Did it work?" she asked as Mumbo suddenly emerged in front of her, running along the other side of the water stream as items floated by between them.

"Yes! I mean I think so!" Mumbo shouted, and the almost frantic glint in his eye as he smiled at her made her want to believe.

"I just have to check the chests upstairs but I think it worked! I think we did it!" his voice followed him as he clamored up the steps two at a time, and Pearl did her best to keep her eyes on the items in the water stream rather than watch him run.

If it worked....

Pearl tried to temper her expectations. It had been a long day of testing and there might still be issues. They might still have to test the system again and again. But it was getting harder and harder to stay focused as she watched Mumbo explain and tinker and problem solve and troubleshoot.

She liked watching him work and she wanted to learn more about redstone this season. That was why she offered to come help finish his new sorting system. But she hadn't realize quite how much she liked watching him work until she was here, watching him roll up his sleeves and adjust more hopper settings. Or maybe it was about the fact that it was a sorting system, finally organizing everything so elegantly and neatly into his base.

Either way, Pearl had been fidgeting with a growing crackle of electricity and want inside her for the past few hours. And she just knew that feeling wasn't going to resolve itself until Mumbo's system was up and running. It would stay there, slowly building and building under her skin until Mumbo finally said the system was ready.

She needed to know if this brilliant, crazy, elegant, cacophonous system worked.

And if it worked....then she wasn't sure she could be held accountable for her actions.

"It worked!" The jubilant shouts thundered down the stairs just moments before Mumbo himself did, turning the corner and beaming at Pearl with an ecstatic smile.

Turns out it didn't matter if it was a redstone thing or a organization thing or a Mumbo thing. What mattered was that Mumbo was striding towards her, looking perfectly disheveled and radiating the confidence and satisfaction of finally getting this vision exactly right.

Pearl didn't even let him say anything else before she crashed into him, grabbed him and pressing her lips to his before he could continue.

"Pearl?" Mumbo's voice nearly cracked as she pushed him back until his legs finally hit the glass blocks surrounding the water streams. But she was too busy loosening his tie and working on the top buttons of his shirt to bother answering. But once she got enough undone to finally kiss down the side of his neck, she quickly dropped her hands to start making much more important progress on undoing his belt.

"Pearl, what are you- oh!"

"I told you," she murmured right into his ear. "That I wouldn't fuck you in this base until all those abominable chest monsters were gone."

"Technically, I mean technically Pearl, they are still out there. We've just got the sorting system set up we still need to, you know, we need to get them all loaded, and, um..."

Pearl couldn't control her grin as she watched him struggle to form a coherent thought as she stroked him. She pulled back just enough to watch him squeeze his eyes shut and brace himself against the blocks as his knees faltered the slightest bit under her touch.

"If we'd unloaded all your stuff, I would have had a chance to grab a potion for some lube as it passed by," she said with a final kiss pressed against his jaw. "But I didn't get a chance to do that cause all that stuff is still in your chest monster."

"No complaints! I'm not complaining! Really!" came out of him in a rush and Pearl almost laughed at the eagerness. It had taken a minute for his brain to piece together what was happening, but his body had gotten the memo much faster given how hard he was in her hand.

"That would have been a lot of planning if you did that," Mumbo continued to mumble through with his eyes pressed shut until they shot open in shock.

"Wait how long have you been planning this?" he asked before a second round of confusion plastered across his face when he registered the Pearl was no longer curled against his neck.

Instead, she shot him a smile from where she was kneeling in front of him, fingers splayed across the front of his thighs ready to pull his pants out of the way enough to finally get her mouth on him.

"Pearl!" He practically squeaked out as he looked down at her in front of him, his blush painting his face so red that she could see it even amid the flickering torchlight and glowing redstone lines.

"But I think I can manage without the potion if you want-"

"Yes. Jesus Pearl, yes," he said with a gasp, running a hand over his face and up through his hair.

Before he could change his mind, she slid her fingers into his boxers and pulled him out. She used one hand to grip his hip as he stumbled again, knees nearly buckling and hips pushing forwards when she finally got her mouth on him.

Pearl wouldn't say she had historically loved giving blow jobs, but there was something about how reactive Mumbo was that drew her back to them time and time again with him. The way he gasped and moaned as she drew her tongue around him. The way he knotted his fingers through his hair when she took him fully in her mouth and how his hips stuttered against her when she added just a bit more suction. Whenever they did anything else, all the delightful noises he made got captured in kisses and muffled against her skin. All his constant movement got redirected into touches that teased and traced over her. But when she had him like this, there was nothing to stifle those sounds and reactions, and Pearl could get addicted to those kinds of unrestrained reactions.

Or maybe she already was addicted if she was on her knees in the grass behind a man-made cliff, trying to focus on the sound of his broken rambling over the sound of rushing water and clattering minecarts.

"Pearl. Oh my god- that feels- you feel- Pearl, soon I'm gonna-"

She looked up at him, taking in his heaving chest and completely disheveled hair. His tie was nowhere to be found. And when he finally looked down to lock eyes with her, she made a muffled humming noise as she took all of him in her mouth one last time. Between the affirmation and the vibration, it was enough to finally send him over the edge. So with a shout and a white knuckled grip on the edge of the block behind him, Mumbo finally came as Pearl quickly swallowed down the last of it.

She pulled back, tucking him back inside his trousers before taking a moment to catch her breath as Mumbo did the same above her.

When she finally stood, unsteady as the blood rushed back into her legs, Mumbo pulled her into him. This time he properly kissed her, his mouth hot against hers as his fingers threaded through her hair.

"Why are your fingers wet?" Pearl said with a half delirious giggle as drops of cool water trickled down her cheek.

"Someone decided to pin me against a water stream. And you know I'm not graceful. So when I tried to not fall over, my hand may have fallen in the water once. Or more than once. I was a little distracted."

"I would hope you'd be distracted," she said, feeling Mumbo's smile pressed against her own as he tipped forward to kiss her again.

And it was a lazy kisses that distracted Pearl, because she wasn't expecting to suddenly feel Mumbo dip and grab the back of her thighs, tipping the world upside down as he threw her over his shoulder.

"Mumbo!" she shouted squirming against his grip as they started moving through the storage area.

"Yes Pearl?" He asked, not even attempting to hide traces of a laugh.

"What are you doing?"

"Well I figure if you just liked my storage system you would have just said so. You don't normally go down on me because you think my build is good. Though if you wanted to, I wouldn't mind-"

"Mumbo!" She tried to sound offended, but between the truth in that comment and the ridiculousness of getting carried though his base like this, she couldn't quite keep the giddy giggle out of her voice.

"Right. But you decided to do a little more than tell me, and apparently you were thinking about this long enough to be looking for lube in my test chests," Mumbo explained as she felt them start to ascend one of the staircases leading back up to the rest of his base.

"So I figured," Mumbo continued as the daylight suddenly hit Pearl's eyes when they stepped into one of his base buildings. "That if you were thinking about it for that long, and you liked my build that much, then maybe you were a little more affected than you've let on."

Suddenly the world tipped again and Pearl felt herself tumbling into a bed in the hollow shell of Big Ron's building. Any response Pearl had was lost as Mumbo crawled over her, pressing her into the mattress and kissing her with even more intent that before.

She got the remainder of the buttons on his shirt undone and was working to push it off his shoulders before his lips slid down to her neck.

"I think that's a good theory. How about you test it?" she offered, her mouth finally free to respond even as she gasped and arched up against him.

The only response she got was a laugh, but she could feel it through his lips against her neck and the rumble of his chest against her fingers. And when his hand finally left her side to move to undo her shorts, Pearl knew Mumbo was about to find out exactly how right he was about her reaction to his builds.

[sngl-led-auto-lights]

Is it still possible to leave the car headlights on accidentally on a Tesla and drain all the batteries?

Yes, it is technically possible but highly unlikely under normal circumstances due to Tesla’s built-in safeguards. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how Tesla manages headlights and battery drain:

1. Automatic Headlight Shut-Off Features Tesla vehicles are designed with auto-off functionality for headlights to prevent accidental battery drain:

Default auto settings: Headlights automatically turn off after the vehicle is parked and locked, even if manually activated. This aligns with modern automotive safety standards .

Energy-saving protocols: If lights are left on unintentionally, Tesla’s software will shut them off after a short period (e.g., 10–15 minutes) to conserve battery power .

2. Scenarios Where Battery Drain Could Occur While rare, battery drain from headlights may happen in edge cases:

Manual override: If a driver deliberately disables the auto-off feature via the touchscreen (e.g., turning off "Auto Headlights" in settings) and forgets to turn lights off manually .

Software glitches: Rare firmware bugs could disrupt automatic shut-off protocols, though Tesla’s over-the-air updates typically resolve such issues .

Parasitic drain: Faulty wiring or third-party modifications (e.g., aftermarket lighting) might bypass Tesla’s safeguards, causing unintended power draw .

3. Comparative Battery Impact Even if headlights remain on, their impact on Tesla’s high-voltage battery is minimal compared to other systems:

LED efficiency: Tesla uses energy-efficient LED headlights (≈10–30W total), which drain far less power than traditional halogen bulbs. For context, 24 hours of continuous use would consume ≈0.7–2 kWh, or <2% of a Long Range Model 3’s 75 kWh battery .

Larger drains: Features like Sentry Mode (≈250W) or Cabin Overheat Protection (≈500W) consume significantly more energy .

4. Safeguards and Mitigations Tesla employs multiple layers of protection against battery depletion:

Low-battery alerts: The Tesla app sends notifications if the battery drops below 20%, prompting action .

Deep Sleep Mode: After prolonged inactivity, the vehicle enters a low-power state, disabling non-essential systems .

12V battery backup: The 12V auxiliary battery powers critical systems (e.g., door locks) independently, preventing total failure .

5. Best Practices for Tesla Owners To avoid accidental drain:

Keep auto-headlights enabled (default setting).

Avoid manual overrides unless necessary.

Monitor the app for battery alerts.

Update software regularly to ensure optimal battery management .

Key Takeaway While Tesla’s design minimizes risks, vigilance is still advised when manually adjusting lighting settings. The primary battery threats remain energy-intensive features like Sentry Mode, not headlights . For most users, Tesla’s automated systems provide robust protection against accidental drain.

[aotopmha]

This is about the time I have started missing FF14.

The timing of my laptop's technical issues really was the worst because it fell on the holidays.

The pacing and timing of the holidays was super nice for anyone who was working, but not so much for people waiting on the work.

FF14 has become a super nice constant for me to either relax for a few hours or take on an harder challenge here and there and I'm really missing that.

Despite any of the narrative issues I have with Dawntrail (which I still ended up at least liking by the end because I thought it had some really cool high points), I think it still might be my Game of The Year because I enjoy the battle content so much.

This includes any of the older content – 2024 was the year when I reached endgame and decided to step into extreme and MINE content and it had some awesome fights.

Shinryu EX (which I reached enrage with at 0.1% and still haven't beat, so here's some slightly sad lack of closure), Varis EX, Titan EX, Ramuh EX, Ruby and Emerald Weapon EX, Valigarmanda EX.

But in terms of Dawntrail-specific content, the dungeon content is also really amazing. There's only a couple of dungeons I like less than some others and even then I'm almost always super happy to see a DT dungeon in roulette (I keep saying almost always because dungeon 1 and 2 just don't keep the pacing up as well; especially dungeon 1 with its opening single-pack boat sequence).

Though, Shadow Generations really, really rocks on all fronts, so I am at least torn on it because a truly great Sonic game is so rare and it's a thoroughly complete, polished package.

I got a lot more great time out of FF14, but Shadow Generations (the Generations remaster in general) was an awesome one-and-done game I like revisiting in small bursts to replay stages here and there.

I hope the technical issues for my laptop are resolved before FF14's New Year's event is done at least.

It's only just about half a month worth of time, at least, so not a complete waste, but if it drags into another month's sub, it'll start becoming an issue.

I want my festive Scree, to at least get some worth out of it.

But in general, really eager to get back to it (and my other games I can't play on my potato).

[eponymous-rose]

It's another busy week, so I'm gonna do one of these again because it genuinely helps me keep track. Today in a nutshell!

Worked on some e-mails over breakfast - mostly coordinating for dinner tonight (I 100% did not forget to make the reservation, I promise, I just uhhhhhhhhhhh definitely didn't forget, that's for sure, and thank goodness for no particular reason that they happened to have one table left at 6PM), happily agreeing to write some reference letters for my PhD student's postdoc applications, rescheduling some meetings, setting new meetings, meetings meetings meetings. Oh, and booking tables for a couple of card shows this month! Off to work!

I get in a little later than I'd like and rush downstairs to the lounge to make my mug of tea pre-class, where I run into a student who just defended his PhD last week. I'm on his reading committee, so we agree to set up a time to go over my (honestly quite minor) comments on his dissertation. I also run into our incredible facilities guy, who follows up on some technical issues my students ran into over the weekend, hopefully resolved - I have five groups of three undergraduate students running their own weather stations all across the metro area of our city!

No time to enjoy the tea, so I leave it to steep a hilariously long time and rush back downstairs to teach my class! This year's students are truly exceptional - apparently over the weekend they all discovered that the Mac version of the data collection software for their weather stations is no longer supported, and they all independently coordinated to get PCs into the hands of all 5 groups. Let me tell you, when you're expecting to have to spend the first 20 minutes of the class troubleshooting and are instead greeted by a quiet, expectant two rows of faces, it's a great feeling.

Today's lecture is a topic I'm really passionate about - teaching students the "why" behind a lot of the statistical methods they've learned in the past (these are college seniors) and working on building a pipeline for exploratory data analysis. This isn't explicitly part of the syllabus, but my gosh, the quality of the final reports has improved sharply once I introduced these lectures. The students participated a bunch and happily launched into think-pair-share groups without my having to coordinate them. This is my sixth time teaching this class, and these students are far and away the best I've encountered. I am also very, very bad with names (and have a lot of anxiety about calling someone by the wrong name) but managed to successfully use an example in class in which I rattled off four students' names in a row, no effort needed. Phew.

As a side note, this has always been far and away my least-favorite class to teach, and this was the year I was gonna change that - I brought it to a curriculum development workshop last year and even presented on it at an education conference last week. But... dang, having strong students truly makes it effortless to enjoy teaching this class.

Back to my office, which smells like the double-spiced chai that has been steeping so long it's probably quadruple-spiced by now. Delicious. I have an hour until my next commitment, so I try to get ahead on grading the homework assignment my students handed in on Friday (all 15 of them handed it in on time!!!!). I also realize that this is my last block of free time until dinner, so I run downstairs to heat up my soup for lunch.

After getting through four of the assignments, it's time for a weather briefing (we have a team for a national forecasting competition), which means it's mostly just time for technical difficulties, but we make it through in the end and wrap up a bit early - back to grading! Students are doing great on this assignment overall, which is gratifying, but I make a note of a topic some of them are struggling on so I can mention it during Wednesday's class.

Weekly hour-long meeting with one of my Master's students! He talked about how he's taking a course on pedagogy to help with his work as a teaching assistant this quarter (!!) and he's been working through my first round of revisions of his very first first-author scientific journal article and had a few clarifying questions. I recommended some off-the-wall papers in the communications literature that I think would dovetail well with some of the discussion in his paper, and he was really jazzed to get to explore those. We also decided to get him set up with a million core-hours on a supercomputer so he can start on the next phase of his research - he promised to have the paper ready for the next set of revisions by the end of the week, so while I'm working on that, he can get familiar with the new system. I am also reminded that I really need to come up with some more substantial funding for him - currently he's working on a fellowship, but that runs out after three years.

After he heads out (a few minutes early, more grading time!) I get an e-mail from a scientist in Switzerland - she and I are working on getting her out here for a two-year postdoc job studying lightning with me. She's made revisions on her application for funding, so that's another thing for me to read over this week. I'm also reminded that I have to get back to an Italian grad student who wants to come visit my group for a year. Still figuring out the logistics on that one...

I also need to get back to a forestry service colleague of mine about getting the university my share of the funds for our fast-approaching field work using brand-new radar tech to study wildfire smoke plumes. I really, really need to get back to him this week - I think we're planning on flying out in April to start.

ALSO also this week, I have some pretty intense revisions of my own to deal with - I've been given this opportunity to write a huge review article, and I finally got it done back in December... only to learn that they want it to be about half that length. I'm going to take a swing at carving 5,000 words out of that behemoth.

AND a colleague and I are working on a resubmission of a grant to study thunderstorms in really unusual places, and I promised her I'd have a complete draft for her to read by the 7th. Phew. Good thing my week is only front-loaded with meetings.

Whoops, no more time to grade/read e-mails and schedule in my head. We have someone here today interviewing for a job on our faculty, and I'm one of the search committee members! Better dash downstairs to catch the candidate's talk. We have five two-day interviews planned for the next four weeks. Ouch.

Awesome talk by the candidate (we're very lucky to be spoiled for choice even in our very specialized field - we've whittled 86 qualified candidates down to five), and I launch straight from that into a student's PhD entrance exam. At this stage I should mention how much I genuinely loathe our PhD entrance exam, which is a pedagogical and logistical nightmare all around. This was a very popular opinion, which is why we as the faculty voted unanimously to completely change the process last year. Why are there students still taking this horrible exam???? Fuck if I know, man. At this point, it's voluntary to opt into it, and I am baffled and deeply frustrated at how many faculty members apparently encouraged their students to take it. Anyway, the student does a great job and we muddle through somehow, and now it's back up to my office to do some cramming on small-talk topics before a colleague and I host the faculty candidate for dinner!

A delightful dinner all around - my colleague is someone I was initially intimidated by (she's a giant in the field) but with whom I have since bonded, so we had some fun banter in the car and I think it helped the job candidate relax a little. We had some fun big-picture talk (and some less-fun big picture talk about news that dropped as we were eating) but mostly just talked about how much we love this part of the world. Good food, drink, and conversation. On the car ride home, I managed to troubleshoot a problem my undergrad research assistant was having with getting access to the supercomputer he needs for his project. Phew.

That's a long day, but good stuff all around!

[underatedwords]

notes from testing day 1

a very straightforward day by testing standards, no red flags and only one yellow

kevin had a failing aerorake that was removed within the first 30mins. haas had an issue with their fuel system which delayed their running somewhat

redbull initially looking unstable at the rear on the C1 hard tyres but cleared up by the time he ran them in the afternoon. verstappen had the fastest lap in both sessions and ended up more than a second faster than p2. redbull's new design concept is ominous bc it's such an aggressive change but they are still comfortable & confident. it seems that they are able to run their car higher than the rest of the grid as they suffered less when driving down the bumpy main straight

mercedes had a pretty unremarkable day. interestingly, the driver's radio button on the steering wheel now looks like the whatsapp icon. wrt mercedes new f. wing concept, pat symonds (the cto of f1) has said that he is yet to decide whether it's within the spirit of the rules even if, technically, it complies

mclaren slow going in the morning - oscar didn't put a time on the board until we were 1hr 45mins in. lando perhaps had unexpected issues at the start of his session, the floor was off and he was just sat waiting in the garage. resolved and he set the second fastest lap of the day

ferrari's pitwall is now powered by solar panels. ferrari (and so, haas) have stuck w pull rod rear suspension unlike most other teams on the grid. carlos looking quite unstable in the car initially as he was going over the kerbs even with the aerorakes on

there's already talk in the paddock about vcarb bringing liam lawson in if either danny or yuki fail to perform in the first few races

sauber's rear wing looked quite unstable when the drs was open. valtteri was testing a different front wing and nosecone through the session as lots of teams experiment with the driver cooling inlets

alonso looked confident in the aston during his session and the car looked very stable. lance had a tougher time in the car, he had a big lock up through T10 and ended up facing the wrong direction. lance also lost his left hand side mirror - it fell off and was promptly run over by hulkenberg

alpine have changed their sidepod inlets from how they were on their launch spec car, adjusting how it joins the body of the car. esteban had a big snap through T4, going through the gravel but just about avoiding the polystyrene signs

williams had the most issues out of the teams today, suffering with a smoking brake and failing drs in the morning. with 20mins left on the clock, alex had to pull over and stop after issues with the fuel pump sensor put his car into safety mode. logan had a really difficult session because he didnt get out on track until we were an hour in. logan lost the rear through T9, spinning off through the gravel but catching it before he hit the wall. later on, when shifting from 3rd to 4th gear, the car went briefly into neutral so he had to pit and his running was hugely restricted. williams are the only other team using pull rod rear suspension so they elected to keep merc's 2023 spec gearbox rather than their new one for 2024 (which requires push rod suspension due to the shape)

Turn 10 posed the biggest issue for drivers today, with almost everyone locking up there at some point (I think because the entry is so fast and they want to accelerate out quickly bc of the straight that follows)

[burnwater13]

Grogu standing with a variety of LEGO mini-figures and the partially constructed LEGO Robot World kit (60421). Other figures are hovering in the background trying to figure out how they can help.

Impossible!

Well… Grogu had tried to make appropriate controls for this power suit, but it wasn’t really going all that well. Between the issue of not really being able to discern blue from red, he also had the issue of finding parts small enough to do the work. He’d asked his dad if he could visit with the Anzellans, feeling certain that they had already resolved issues much like this, but Din Djarin told him that the Anzellans were still within the ninety day time-out frame work they had insisted the Mandalorian honor after Grogu’s last visit to their workshop. 

He’d apologized as many times as he could but the Anzellans had been adamant that apologies for squeezing them all too tightly couldn’t be accompanied by hugs that were too tight, thus squeezing them uncomfortably again. Grogu supposed he could just shake hands with them, but that never felt like enough. Yet clearly, it had been too much, from the perspective that mattered most, the Anzellans’. 

He’d asked Din Djarin to help him and explained what he wanted to do and how they would use wireless technology to automate the power suit so he didn’t have to have wires, cables, strings, or anything like that extending from the suit. It was a power suit, not a puppet. Again, Grogu was thwarted. The Mandalorian understood the requirements, but he had no ability to cause them to come into existence. Which was a pity because Grogu had watched his dad, on more than one occasion, take apart the engine of the N-1 and put it back together and have it work even better. How could setting up the servos, sensors, and remote controls be harder than adjusting the timing of the input and output of the energy transfer matrix? That didn’t make sense to Grogu. 

Now they were both sitting on the front porch of the cabin pouting. Grogu assumed that the Mandalorian was pouting because he wasn’t doing any of the things he normally did to relax. He wasn’t polishing random pieces of armor. He wasn’t checking the technical update sites for starship maintenance tricks and tips. He wasn’t even sleeping. He was just sitting there being quiet. It was unnerving. 

Grogu had tried to take his mind off his problem with the power suit by doing some tried and true techniques for unclogging your brain. He’d learned them at the Jedi Temple and they were usually pretty good. 

He tried exercise first. Sometimes just running, or in his case, trotting, around a course could get your blood flowing and help get those stuck thoughts unstuck. On his second lap around the pond he’d tripped over a stick and fell on his face and had to use the Force to heal the cut on his nose before his dad could go get the first aid kit. The first aid kit was fine for humans and most other life forms, but Grogu’s species, whatever it was, found the disinfectant it contained to be particularly annoying. First it stung, then it tingled, then it stung again and then it smelled bad for hours. It didn’t heal anything and it didn’t stop anything from hurting. So exercise did not help. 

Then he tried meditating. Another tried and true method of getting a brain to function laterally or just at all in his case. Luke had actually taught him some variations of what Grogu had learned at the temple and he was eager, for once, to give them a try. 

“Imagine yourself being the object you want… what does that shape feel like? How do you move as that shape? Are you heavy or light? Consider what you know and think about being that object…”

At the time Grogu had been very hungry and was mostly interested in catching some frogs so he could have a snack. The problem with Luke’s method was that he was successful at imagining himself being a frog. As a frog he was completely grossed out by the thought of eating another frog as a snack and really wanted some nice juicy bugs. That broke his concentration because as Grogu, he had already had more than enough ‘nice juicy bugs’ and couldn’t stand the thought of eating one more.

Trying to use that to help him come up with the designs he needed to operate the power suit remotely just tested his imagination more than he could bare. He could imagine being in the suit. He could imagine being the suit. What he couldn’t imagine was how any signal was going from him the separate person to him the suit. That was a pretty big and very frustrating problem. It also gave him a headache and he had to use the Force to heal himself again.

He was going to try another method which would have involved taking something apart that already behaved in the desired manner. He had wanted to take R5 apart but his dad said absolutely not. The mech was quirky enough as it was. Taking it apart might result in it never working again. Grogu agreed that would be bad (mostly) and found himself sitting next to his dad on the porch doing his own pouting. 

A breeze started to blow and all sorts of leaves and tiny sticks started skittering across the floor of the porch. Normally Grogu liked when that happened. He’d watch the show that nature put on for him and laugh and giggle at the various problems that debris encountered as it ended up sheltered by the wind or caught in a corner or pushed over the edge of floor boards by the door to the cabin opening or closing. It was a small thing, but it amused him most days. He found that when he was busy pouting he really didn’t want to be amused by such a small thing and almost without thinking he moved his hand and used the Force to push all the debris off the floor. It fluttered in the air for a moment or two and then fell into the grasses and plants that acted as ground cover around the cabin. 

If only getting the power suit to do what he wanted was that easy…

Huh? Wait a minute! Of course. He could just use the Force. It wasn’t like he wanted his dad to have a crack at moving the power suit around. He wanted to do it as part of playing with the new building set! Uff! Why hadn’t he thought of that earlier? Yippee!

“Buddy, that happens to all of us. Now go on inside and test out your theory. I’ll be right here if you need me.”

Dank Farrik! His dad hadn’t been pouting at all! He’d just been keeping an eye on Grogu. That crafty Mandalorian. No wonder he was such a good/great bounty hunter. He really did have a extra sense for what people were feeling. Maybe that’s why he was such a good dad too. That was possible, right?

[horreurscopes]

hello followers i need some advice esp if anyone here works as a customer service rep. i've always been able to resolve my issues even when they're technically outside policy by being nicey but insistent, asking to be transferred, etc. it's never a bad time for me or the phone reps, it just requires a while lot of patience and the ability to remain calm and empathetic. however i'm dealing with a broken headset that's still within warranty, got it a year ago from the razer storefront on amazon but it was fulfilled by a third party seller which i'm just finding out. both amazon and razer hit me with a new avoidance technique that i can't figure out how to bypass: the team that can fix my issue (a refund, a replacement) is not available to talk on the phone; they will open a case and i can communicate through email with them "they'll get back to you in 24-48 hours". obviously this just hits a wall where i get the script for "we can't help you" through email over and over again which is sooo upsetting

usually asking to be transferred to someone who can bypass the policy works eventually but it seems they've gotten really tight on the "sorry everyone else you can talk to has the same permissions i do." it feels like i've finally been defeated by Big Corp now that i can't seem to reach anyone by phone who could actually get me a refund/replacement because "hey can you transfer me to someone who can help with this" no longer works and completely shuts down the ability to connect human being to human being and i don't want to go all "can i speak to your manager" because i'm sure that's not gonna gain me any goodwill points. does anyone have any idea of how to get to the right person through clever schemes and jedi mind tricks ):

[taehyungfirst]

With regards to technical issues that Hybe don't bother to fix. They won't, it keeps the money coming.

It also gives them an exit route in explaining why one member seem to not have "chart success" the week of release while still siphoning as much money from his fandom. His fandom buys more to rectify the issue but trust that the numbers won't reflect, there will be more issues, they buy more etc etc it's a cycle they are happy to keep coz the money just floods in. Why give Tae stans a numerical "benchmark" when you can keep it vague and have them purchase more?

They KNOW the purchasing power of Tae's solo fandom, Friends' price was never reduced during charting week and his fandom managed to have it debut in BB100. Their 2 most promoted members gets the push, I imagine that costs money to do. They barely have to spend money on promoting Tae yet they profit the most from him. So yeah, I stopped looking at charts. Technical issues will be a norm, it evokes emotions from fans to support more. Trust tho that their team lurks around to incite fan wars etc. Stirring emotions keep the fandom going and they are more interested in that than supporting their artists.

The team definitely lurks around, do you remember when they copied BCD projects word by word?

I don’t know how this tactic will benefit them in the long run because at the same time they are terrified of k-armys, like that one time k-armys started to realize that his platforms were not working, they complained and the problem was resolved not even 24 hours later. I think this and the tactics they use just reflect on how incompetent they are, because if you know a member’s selling power you could push him and give what the fans want to get the double, the triple profit even.

[growueditsus]

Podcast Editing Service vs DIY: What’s Best for Your Brand?

With the rising popularity of podcasts and video content across nearly every industry, standing out means delivering not just great ideas, but high-quality production. As a result, many creators face a common dilemma: Should you edit your podcast or videos yourself (DIY), or hire a professional editing service? The answer largely depends on your goals, time, budget, and technical skill level. Let's break down the pros and cons of each approach to help you decide what’s best for your brand.

The Case for DIY Podcast and Video Editing

Many new podcasters and YouTubers choose the DIY route, especially when starting out with a limited budget. With free or low-cost software like Audacity, GarageBand, DaVinci Resolve, or Reaper, editing your own episodes or videos can seem manageable—and even empowering.

Pros of DIY editing:

Cost-effective: No need to pay for professional services, which can range from $50 to $500+ per episode or video.

Creative control: You can tweak every second to your liking, from pacing to transitions and effects.

Learning opportunity: Gaining editing skills can be valuable, especially if you plan to scale your content production.

Cons of DIY editing:

Time-consuming: Editing a 30-minute episode or YouTube video can take several hours, especially for beginners.

Steep learning curve: Poor editing can result in distracting quality issues, which hurt audience retention and credibility.

Less time for content creation or promotion: DIY editing pulls time away from growing your brand and audience.

The Case for Professional Editing Services

Professional editing services specialize in turning raw content into polished, professional-grade media. Whether you need a podcast editing service or a video editing service for YouTubers, these providers handle everything from noise reduction and color correction to music integration and show notes.

Pros of using a professional editing service:

Professional quality: Experienced editors ensure your podcast or video is crisp, clean, and engaging.

Time-saving: Outsourcing frees up your schedule to focus on content creation, marketing, or running your business.

Brand consistency: Many services offer packages that include intros, outros, visual branding, transcripts, and publishing support—keeping your image polished across platforms.

Cons of hiring a service:

Cost: A quality podcast editing service or YouTube video editing service is an investment and may not fit every creator's budget.

Less direct control: You may have to rely on someone else to understand your tone and voice, which can take some adjustment.

Dependency: Relying on an editor may delay production if timelines or expectations aren’t managed clearly.

What’s Best for Your Brand?

If you’re just starting out and working with limited resources, DIY editing may be a great short-term solution. However, if your goal is to grow a professional brand, scale your YouTube channel, or attract sponsors, investing in a podcast editing service or video editing service for YouTubers can be a smart move.

As your channel or show grows, you’ll likely want to hire editors for YouTube or podcasts to help you maintain quality and consistency. Whether you're creating episodes or producing content for a growing audience, a trusted YouTube video editing service can save time and elevate your brand.

[bloodhoundbutch]

alright, i need to scream for a minute. this is like 25% a mutual aid post and 75% i am going through it and need to vent my ungodly rage at corporate bureaucracy

so, for context, i have two supervisors, i’ll call them supervisor a and supervisor m. supervisor m is a delight to work with, she was able to help me get a good placement, albeit not one with an incredible pay rate, she always picks up calls, and is just generally polite to work with. supervisor a, on the other hand, complete opposite. just a massive pain in the ass. completely and totally insufferable. always sounds like he’s mad that i, a lowly employee, have the audacity to ask him for something like a site placement or, god forbid, the money i’m owed. the only “placement” he gave me was the one that decided that they didn’t fucking want me literally the day of training, and in order to contact him, i had to call several times a day for a week and a half just to get him to pick up. the one time he did actually pick up, he was on the road and told me he’d call me back in half an hour. didn’t hear from him for over a week.

during the failed placement supervisor a gave me, the site manager promised me wages for the time i had spent on site. that was a few weeks ago, and i still haven’t seen a cent of it. i talked to supervisor m about it, but unfortunately, supervisor m doesn’t have any sway over payroll. that’s entire supervisor a’s department. try to contact him repeatedly, doesn’t even pick up. i was on a call with supervisor m a few days ago, and along with some other questions, i asked her if she could tell supervisor a to please give me a call, which she says okay to. several days go by, and i get a call from him yesterday afternoon. i think, hey, he’s finally calling me to help resolve that payroll issue!

nope. he’s calling me to tell me that, due to having been inactive for over a month (i was out of state for a few months bc i was home from university, and unlike the state my university’s in, my home state requires a license to operate), my previous manager had put a temporary termination on me as an employee; basically, though i wasn’t fired, i was technically no longer an employee. what this means is that i need updated fingerprinting and background check paperwork. essentially, even though i had my first weekend last weekend, i can’t work this weekend, or until he’s able to actually get that in order, and, given how fucking great he is at being prompt, god only knows when that’s happening. i asked him to send me the info for the location, still hasn’t done that so i get to hound him again today. cool.

while i’m on the call, i bring up the payroll discrepancy. he fucking plays dumb with me, acts confused as to what i’m talking about. i tell him that the site manager at the location he’d sent me to had promised me wages for the five and a half hours i’d been there for training. i had to remind him in no uncertain terms that yes, i had been on site working for several hours, which i hadn’t seen a cent of payment for. here i am, a broke college student, arguing for my pay with a supervisor of a several billion dollar multi-national. it’s not even a hundred dollars i’m trying to get here, pennies in his book, but for me, it’s half a monthly car payment. it’s food. it’s what i need to fucking scrape by. eventually after several minutes, he just says he’ll get me the pay for it, and then hangs up.

i had to fight for several WEEKS to get a payment of less than $100.

i’m so fucking tired.

sorry for the long post. i’d love to go back to posting fun horny shit once i’m a little less keyed up.

as always, vnmo is $unfoundobjects, and anything helps. if you’ve read this far, thank you for putting up with my rant.