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nickssidewitch · 1 month ago

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😈 Exposing the NDA Accounts ~ Part Two 2️⃣🧨

I told y'all I know what I'm doing. Whoever unfollowed because of my little shenanigans, come back! 😭

Obviously, y’all saw the straight-up lies made. and you also saw the (horrible, immature, stupid) rebuttals made by those who are a part of the whole NDA scheme.

So, I have a part two to add some updates.

After they were freaking out to me about posting Part One, they came flooding to my DMs with anger and feelings of betrayal, and how I lied to the, and how they were crying, and yadda yadda yadda...

The accounts are @dollysturniolo @coolasice01 @munchingmini

The “Chris” account was so mad 😭 So I was like “Okay, let me see proof.” I asked for concrete proof, which I specifically requested a photo of them all together with Dolly or the girl claiming to be Matt’s girlfriend. I framed it like "As long as you have a third-party (who would be me) to verify that you're telling the truth, then people are more inclined to believe you. The logic behind that is that when you want people to believe a secret you’re spilling, whether it’s the full truth or a full lie, you need an outside source to verify everything, kind of like an intervention.

There were some hiccups before I got what I wanted. It was the obvious liar tricks pulled right out of their hats, like "She's insecure about the way she looks so she won't give you anything", or "My hair looked bad in that photo so I put my hoodie on and it won't be obvious", or yadda yadda yadda.

But I didn't give a fuck. I pressured until they gave me the photos.

So, I got my photos. And dear God or whoever's up there in the universe, they were the worst pieces of evidence I have ever seen.

The first photo I got was of the boys, excluding Nick, and some friends when they were obviously still young and in high school. I recognized Matt's ex Nicole next to them, not that that's relevant, but it provides extra context to the photos. Keep in mind, the characters like Dolly and Chris and Matt have all claimed to have known each other for almost a decade, so this checks out time-wise.

"Chris" blocked out Doll's face because she's insecure... or whatever.

However, that image was easily traceable and I reverse-image-searched it and voila: It popped up on Pinterest as an old throwback photo from their Snapchat. And I saw what she looked like.

And that is not Doll, that is one of their high school friends that even popped up in one of their earlier, now-deleted, vlogs. Dolly is British, and the girl doesn't have a British accent in the videos I remember seeing her in. It was straight-up American, and especially Bostonian.

Also, all of the characters claim that Doll is much older than the boys'. My thing is, if she's much older than them, it would be weird of her to hang out with them when they're 14-15 year old teenagers. But let's gloss over that since the "characters" gloss over how weird that is too.

There's another photo too. This one took a lot more convincing to get, but I finally got it! It is a picture of her and Chris. "Chris" posted and deleted that picture fast, so I had to be fast AS FUCK to get a screenshot. I'm impressed with myself.

Now, here's the the thing: Maybe if you're looking at it on first glance, or if you aren't wearing your glasses, or if you're just not a Chris girl, then that photo seems convincing.

But please use your eyes. That photo is a real photo with real people. It can't be reverse-searched. But why do I say it's not Chris? Because it is doctored. Like obviously.

Now I'm impressed by Doll- or whoever's- tech skills because by gosh it looks pretty good. But as someone who knows a thing or two about editing photos and figuring out what's real and what isn't, it was pretty obviously fake.

The photo was a pic of Chris masked over an actual man's, maybe AI was used to mask Chris's face over the actual guy's, or maybe it was FaceApp, or just some really good photoshop.

God he's fine as hell. You know what Doja Cat said about noses.

Here’s some pics of Chris. Now let’s compare them, shall we? 🥰

The eyes are the main giveaway. One eye looks normal with a reflection, while the other has no pupil, and the reflection is not where it should be based on the positioning of the photo and where the main lighting is coming from in the photo.

The tip of this man's nose is longer than that of Chris's.

The real Chris's cupid's bow and arch is wider than that of the man in the photo's.

The real Chris's mustache stops more centimeters away from his lips compared to this man's. The hairs of Chris's mustache and facial hair in general are darker than those of this man's.

Chris has a square jaw while this man's jaw is triangle shaped, and no, the hoodie isn't obscuring anything. Even if the hoodie is removed and you see that bit of shadowed jaw, the angle of the jawline is different than that of the real Chris Sturniolo's.

There's other miniscule details, such as the way the hair fibers of her hair over his face are fuzzy rather than obvious strands which should be obvious since its a dark substance over something light, the hairs create a shadow on the man's face rather than creating actual lines as hair usually does, his hand literally not Chris's hand as it is fuller than Chris's, and the shadows are not where they should be in this photo based on the lighting and angles.

There's a lot more things we discussed in details such as Chris's kinks which, based on tarot, were all lies.

I mentioned how Chris is a submissive, chain-using, piss kink foot lover... which are all very untrue.

So, yeah they're faking it. 😭😭 I'm super curious of how they're gonna try to explain all of this. Let's stay tuned. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Again, sorry for causing y'all anxiety with those fake kiss-ass posts. I won't scare y'all like this again LMAO.

#nickssidewitch #nickssidewitch tarot #sturniolo triplets #matt sturniolo #chris sturniolo #nick sturniolo #nickssidewitch thoughts 💬

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romanceclub-confessionss · 7 months ago

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Confession:

"the fact ysi has recieved more backlash for delaying the november update (all the while they have been transparent about the situation) meanwhile when they began using ai art CRICKETS like as a fandom can we focus on the REAL issue."

Confession:

"I just hope the new features are worth the wait because the way i’ve been starving for this update…oh it better be good (hopefully we finally get a feature that lets us replay specific episodes instead of having to replay a season from scratch all over again 🙏🏽 manifesting)"

Confession:

"while i'm grateful that rc has finally given us an update on what exactly the new features are, as a player who's completely disinterested in the new social features (adding friends, messaging), i feel disappointed by the update. at least rc is right in saying that this is indeed something many players want, props to them for that."

Confession:

"Lmaoooooooo the moment I saw that the update included adding friends and messaging each other, I immediately went and switched my account's social mode off 🤣 This girl wants to romance fictional men in peace 🤭 Ngl I'm very interested about the resource gathering feature though!"

Confession:

" I’m sick of people saying it’s “whiny and ungrateful” to be disappointed that the update is late. RC isn’t our friend who agreed to do us a favor, they’re a company who didn’t meet a deadline. It’s not “ungrateful” to expect people to do their job on time. I’m not saying it’s okay to be nasty on RC social media and I definitely think some people need to calm down and knock off the hysteria, but other people need to quit it with the sanctimonious “you’re a bad person if you criticize RC!” crap."

As you can see we decided to post all confessions about the upcoming update together 😅 please use this post to discuss about it, any other confession about this topic will be deleted -mod lyn

#romance club #rc #long post

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tonix3 · 3 months ago

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What's happening with TO? Please update us properly I saw some stuff but I'm not on X!

Hey 👋🏻

So first things first. Because people on Twitter/X are getting angry with others saying TO could be more than a scam. I saw people say it before... but it went a bit overboard yesterday because TO posted 'Faith in the future' like Louis would and deleted it after 1min. Multiple people asked on the TL & everyone spoke about it. So the sceptical people we're confronted with it all over their TL (I assume). This prompted a few discussions & many posts that account could be done by 'anyone easily' & that 'doesn't mean it's Louis' & 'why would anyone believe it' yadda yadda... :

Soooo: nobody believes it could be Louis because of THAT tweet. I saw many people in the comments having fun with the riddles, joking about it and so on over the last days. Many that indulged into this mystery account's doings have these (wavering) thoughts because of everything that happened and got posted and the connections over the wholeee time this account is in action.

So I would personally wish for everyone to calm down and let people have fun with it - if they want to. It's okay to not indulge but you know - TPWK - and not call someone naive (or whatever else) for stating an opinion you might not share. We don't need more hostility and division. It's okay to disagree.

I was so overwhelmed yesterday because of the Two Ghost leak when we ( @delicateperspective ) still tried to make sense of Day 17's FIG tweet ..

The leak is sus. Also featuring typos or maybe intentional grammatic errors? @ ing people and nobody noticed for 6 days? (Which is interesting because it was Day 12 were TO also made the fishbowl reference/Pink Floyd/Two Ghosts) The whole story with the studio closing because of people smoking weed is just dumb and not believable at all and of course people discuss if some of it is AI because these days you can't work out whats fookin AI? ( @hoovesandfloorpaws made a wonderful analysis showing which bits were already out & used on H's Tour)

I even @ Louis for the first time in my life I think hahaha (for shits and giggles) but of course the Observer moved anyway tweeting 'Faith in the future' - I managed the ss & when I went out of the tweet to look at the pfp and ss it, the tweet was gone already.

And now.. I have had thoughts it could be Louis related for dayyys. Actually yesterday is a big mystery to me because Louis posted nothing. Nothing on 'Faith in the future day' .. he acknowledged that day every year. And the last years with FITF.

It could mean he started a new era but it does baffle me that nothing happened. The day before he posted a pic from the studio to his Insta story. So probably that means a new era begins but in combination with TO posting the mantra everyone expected from him .. it does bring up questions. You can all draw your own conclusions.

[Just know to tweet Faith in the future on the day everyone expected it, is of course no indicator that TO is Louis (related) - it is the easiest tweet of all, everything else was much more cryptic and with many possible meanings]

TO also posted a 'normal' daily tweet and pfp. It sounds like a description of the studio pic Louis had in his story.

And the fresh words from now: sound like original words, maybe even lyrics. (Just imagine this being actual lyrics on Louis' record 🤡)

So I'll end with - be nice, be kind and maybe sometimes just scroll (or block) if you don't agree. And stay safe and alert. Ask yourself, is this bringing you joy..? Would you be disappointed if this turns out to be a scam?

#the Observer #to clown or not to clown #theories #Fandom wars #tonix3

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kingsmoot · 1 month ago

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Okay saw you’re new post and actually DEAD they must have notifications on or check every seconds because they made a new update (on the bot app) and said they’re taking a break from the app for a while and deleted or something to their account? It’s hidden from the public at least

I will check it again to see if they come back but they said something like ‘my canary has been in accident which is why I’m leaving’ which makes me think the whole thing is a joke but it’s really not funny.

thank you for letting me know tbh this is extremely disturbing to me and bothers me a lot and i have no idea why someone would spend time doing this

i am not a public figure i have less than a thousand followers i have been very clear everywhere that i do not want my fic or my meta or my posts fed into machine learning algorithms to help them produce word salad i am no one special or important that it would benefit anyone to impersonate

this is really disturbing to me on a personal level even without the ai chatbot thing i do not want to be misrepresented and impersonated on platforms i do not understand/use

if you do have a chance to grab screenshots i'd like to see them just bc i feel so weird being totally in the dark about this, especially because you said ACCOUNTS so to know they are doing this for multiple sideblogs of mine is p horrifying tbqh!!!

thank you again for letting me know!!!

#ask tag #anon tag

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v-bits-fits · 2 months ago

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Hello out there, future me or otherwise

Kinda feeling a little discouraged. I came home from work last night and saw I had two new comments on my work. I was super excited, but then I went to go read them. Both accused my work of being AI generated, one extremely rudely. I deleted the rude comment and gave a fair reply to the other one. But it really stung. I don't get a lot of traffic on my work. Baseline, I'm fine with it. I keep saying it, but I'm doing this just to be creative. But at the same time, who doesn't want to get recognized for their work? So for the only recognition I've gotten in months to be AI accusations just kinda bums me out. It goes a little deeper, because it scares me that this may be the state of writing right now. Is every piece of writing AI generated until proven otherwise? The idea of me having to analyze every word, sentence and paragraph, not to ensure that it's well written, but to ensure that it doesn't sound too polished. Too artificial. If I use too many descriptors, does that sound like AI? Would it be better if I use a simpler word here, cuz the word I used sounds too AI? Should I start running my work though an AI detector, then fiercely gut and edit it until I get it below 10%? Well, I'm not doing that. At the end of the day, I don't have anything to prove to anyone. But it's still gonna be in the back of my mind, you know? And I hate that. Anyways, I'M quite pleased with how my story is turning out. I can really feel my writing improving (I haven't really done a lot of creative writing since highschool), and I can see the story turning into something better than I could have imagined. I'm gonna keep writing and posting. And maybe I'll turn off anonymous comments on AO3 lmao. Anyways, I'm going to get started on Chapter 11 this weekend. It might be a minute. I want to try something new, and I think it's going to be really exciting. I think the end of Chapter 10 is a very neat and tidy end of the first act, so I want to introduce the second part of the story in an interesting way. I hope it pays off! Anyways, I'll drop my usual blurb promoting my story below.

If you have no clue what I am talking about, I am writing a multi-chapter long Fallout 4 fanfiction. It's titled Fallout: Genesis, and I have 10 chapters out already! If that sounds interesting to you, check out the link below!

Click here to read Fallout: Genesis on AO3

I have also posted Fallout: Genesis on Wattpad and Quotev! You can find the links to those pinned to the top of my tumblr! There you can also find excerpts and summaries, which you can read and determine if you want to commit to reading the whole thing. I have an excerpt from chapter 10 posted already!

Once again, thank y'all to anyone reading! I'll update soon!

#fallout #fallout 4 #fallout fanfic #ao3 #ao3 fanfic #fallout 76 #fanfiction #bethesda #fallout fanart #nuka cola #nuka world #writing advice #creative writing #writing #AI

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hkkingofshades · 1 year ago

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Tumblr's new policy, and updates going forward

Yeah, I bet we all saw this coming, huh.

So, given tungl dot hell(tm)'s new deal with midjourney, I think pretty much all artists on tumblr are, well, not having a great time. Like deviantart, tumblr has provided a way to opt out from having your blog content scraped, but like deviantart, it's a little unclear what has already been shared before the opt-out went into place, and how much they'll actually work to stop machine trawlers from trawling opted-out blogs.

I'll put the tl;dr up front:

King of Shades will not be leaving Tumblr, but due to the new policy, I won't be posting full pages here anymore.

There's no point in taking down all the pages I've already posted. Deleting them from my page won't delete subsequent reblogs, and there's a pretty high chance that tumblr has already scraped them. (haveibeentrained.com seems to think I haven't been yet, at least. I don't think I really have a big enough following for that to happen, although I don't want to jinx it...) But I certainly won't be posting the full-size pages here anymore.

Instead, I think I'll go the Trying Human route and post a little preview of the update (possibly heavily watermarked; my computer can't run glaze/nightshade, unfortunately), so you guys will still get notifications, but you'll have to visit the ComicFury main website in order to read it. I'm very sorry for the inconvenience (although I will say that I think it's a much better reading experience over there)!

Speaking of which:

I have never and will never ask for any kind of compensation (other than your wonderful feedback, which I've just been absolutely blown away by) for doing this. Even putting legality aside, that's not why I'm here! However, if you've enjoyed this comic, ever thought that you might be willing to tip me on ko-fi if I had one, or even just want to continue having an internet that isn't entirely a corporate wasteland, I ask that you consider donating to ComicFury instead.

ComicFury is a relic of the old, good internet: it's been around for at least 15 years, and it's all hosted and managed by one guy (Kyo). Aside from his team of volunteer moderators, everything on this website is done by one person with a passion for supporting artists. I've chatted with him a little, and he's a great dude! Most of his operating costs are paid for out of pocket, and the site is currently hurting a little bit because it doesn't run ads, it doesn't have subscriptions or paywalled content, it doesn't have any corporate interference or monetization of any kind outside of his Patreon. And—perhaps most relevantly for this post:

I will cut right to the chase, we have decided not to allow AI-art based webcomics on the site. [...] As for our reasoning, there are obviously ethical concerns regarding the source images of most commonly used AI image generators (namely them just being scraped off the internet without anyones permission). But even beyond that, another concern is that due to the extremely low effort involved, webcomics of this nature could just over time completely drown out in numbers art by passionate people who put a lot of time into it , which would be a real shame. So we asked ourselves what would be better for the community, and we agreed that banning it would probably be the better thing overall.

—Kyo has been quite firm that he will not allow AI art to be posted to or scraped from any ComicFury domain. While this isn't a protection against huge web trawls or people putting someone's art in individually—there's not a lot anyone can do about that yet, even with tools like glaze and nightshade—it's a little peace of mind that the art posted there won't abruptly be sold en masse to the highest bidder.

The Patreon starts at $2/month, and Kyo has said that he doesn't mind people pledging for a short time and then dipping if they can't afford an ongoing subscription. If and only if this is something you can afford, and you want to continue seeing independent webcomics including King of Shades, please consider donating!

The Patreon is here. There's not much in the way of reward tiers, especially if you're not a member, but I posit that the real reward is being able to read free webcomics done by real humans as labors of love, without being advertised to or sold as the product. And also maybe the friends we made along the way. Or something.

Once again, there is no pressure, and no shame if you're not willing or able to give money. But if you've ever thought you might be willing to tip me for what I do, consider passing it along to the guy who makes it possible instead.

Thank you for your time!

P.S. Page 64 is coming, I promise! Recent developments kind of kneecapped my motivation for making online art 🙃

#info #long post

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jodstablet · 5 months ago

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question! I'm scared of censorship mass deleting content on the internet these days and just saw a post about saving fanfiction from AO3, and your ballerina au is one of my favorite fanfics maybe of all time. I was wondering if it was okay with you if I download it? I know it's not finished or anything -and you might not even feel comfortable with it- but i really love this work you've created and I'd like to not lose it if its alright with you?

Hi! Thank you for asking! Of course you can download for personal use ❤️

I will continue updating on Ao3 as long as I (or, we really) am able. If alternate platforms pop-up if/when the Ao3 US servers are impacted by (fucking fascist) censorship, I’ll move my all of works there. I have multiple copies saved of FF&BB in various locations so no worries about losing access. Hell, I’ll e-mail new chapters to people if I have to (barely joking). I am committed to creating art for all my beloved followers & subscribers & anyone else that wants to see it!

The only thing I ask is that you never put any of my work into any AI, even if it is left (unwillingly) unfinished (:

#asks #ask me anything #fanfiction #ask box #tlt ballet au #ff&bb

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sorchatte · 3 months ago

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okay so i def need to get my sotr thoughts out as i go, but i deleted twitter and i don’t want to spoil anything for my friends in dms. i’ll update on this post with my thoughts as i go under a read more!!

- page 1: “lenore dove” is a name I’m already obsessed with. i’m imagining some dualities there, with a dove being a pure/hopeful bird and lenore being associated with dark/scary ravens due to poe’s influence?

- page 5: oh, and she’s one of the covey!!! ahhhhhhhh i’m already going insane

- page 6: DIRECT POE ALLUSION RAHHHHH

- page 8: after i’m done reading this i’ll need to put together a covey family tree omg. the bairds AND everdeens mentioned already???

- page 13: “I once told Lenore Dove I thought he just hated love. That’s when she revealed that he’d been together some thirty years with the fellow in town who replaces busted windows. They have to keep it quiet because loving differently can get you harassed by the Peacekeepers, fired from jobs, arrested even.” pain. thank u haymitch for being an ALLY!!!!

- page 23: MELLARK MENTION

- page 25: PLUTARCH MENTION!!! also good god, what an AWFUL way to be chosen to go into the games??

- page 50: okay so i love maysilee

- page 61: just now remembering. wasn’t haymitch’s nickname for katniss “sweetheart”? ouuuu she reminded him of louella i’m ending it all

- page 75: OH BABY LOU……

- okay so my tumblr bugged out for a while and i couldn’t edit this post, so some random assorted thoughts: loving the consistent poe mentions (i’ll analyze those in more depth once i’ve finished the book), i actually shouted out loud when effie showed up, i’m super interested in the allusions to things that came before panem like books, stories, religion, etc. but i was especially intrigued by plutarch mentioning what i assume is generative ai?

this book is SO amazing so far and it’s been SUCH a long time since i was this excited to read something. i’m about 200 pages in right now and i have to put it down for the night so i have enough sleep for my 10 hour shift tomorrow, but odds are good that i finish it up at work!

- just hit chapter 18 this morning, and all of the haymitch and katniss parallels are hitting me HARD rn, especially their respective attachments to lou lou and rue 😭

- page 301: “She used to say, if I was afraid, ‘It’s okay, Maysilee, nothing they can take from you was ever worth keeping.’” “I know that song. Lenore Dove sings it.”” i am deceased. on the floor. gagged

- page 304: iirc we saw this scene with haymitch and maysilee at the cliff in the og trilogy, right? would the cameras have caught the whole generator thing? i mean, i’m sure the cut of it wouldn’t show it regardless, but i wonder if this ties into the references to generative ai and doctoring footage in that way

- page 308: “Proserpina wasn’t born evil; she just had a lot of unlearning to do.”

- page 334: LUCY GRAY CAMEO!!!!!

-page 344: fascinated by the restructuring of footage to tell a different story

- page 365: rage.

- page 380: starting and ending on that same line was SINISTER WORK. EVIL. obsessed

- page 381: “Tough and smart, her hair in two braids then, reminding me for all the world of Louella McCoy, my sweetheart of old. And after she volunteered for the Games, that nickname couldn’t help but slip out.” SOBBING.

okay, officially FINISHED with sunrise on the reaping!! WOW. WHAT A BOOK. i’m truly speechless rn lol. i think the thread of poe’s raven throughout was really fitting, bc in a sense there were gothic elements to the story. particularly the gothic sense of dread, with us knowing how this story would end from the beginning. i think maybe it’s not as great a prequel as tbosas was, but it still lit that fire under me that every book in the series has that doesn’t let me stop reading. i really hope we’ll see more of this series again in a few years!!

from collins’ acknowledgements: “To all my wonderful readers, thanks once again for returning to Panem and investing in these characters and their struggles, even when you know the eventual outcome. The snow may fall, but the sun also rises.”

#the hunger games #thg #sunrise on the reaping #sunrise on the reaping spoilers #thg spoilers #sotr spoilers

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yume-fanfare · 1 year ago

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Sorry I just got into this game like 2 months ago and don’t read many switch stories . What did they do in the climax that got people upset? (Switch and other climaxes?) sorry again.

asdhkjksks don't worry, it's really mostly fandom drama! not really something you need or even want to know about

but, with varying levels of detail, this is some of the discourse i saw during the events (most of this refers to arguments that spawned in the waiting time between story updates but not all of them, ex: double face):

crazy:b : story itself wasn't bad i hear but there was quite the uproar because it wasn't written by akira, even though they said he'd write these events

ra*bits: not rly much drama here because not that many people read it but the reveal of who bishoujo-senpai is exactly made impossible many key aspects of other major ra*bits events (sweet halloween, romantic comedy) (and there aren't that many ra*bits major events that can be retconned to begin with lol)

double face: unit was disbanded

atlantis: it seemed like eichi got proposed to by yet another girl even though he was in some arranged marriage deal with tori's sister. And that he hadn't told wataru about either of those things (in the end none of this was true but those 4 days of wait between story updates were agonizing)

valkyrie: this was pretty fine fandom drama-wise ? even though it's valkyrie. EDIT: i deleted the krnz b-plot from my mind. the krnz b-plot was bad. around this time also, the kanata-centric lookback scout abyss was released and they retconned and changed some chiaki and kanata bits in meteor impact it was sad

2wink: yuuta was too mean to shinobu (they hate to see a bpd baddie so he got cancelled on twitter). but it was also a plot built on a veeeery old story so there were also odd characterizations here and there at first that also threw off the actual 2winkP

alkaloid: written by kinosei again, it was just a filler holiday event, not quite a climax so. very disappointing.

undead: complaints about The Whole Thing this was bad. im not too well versed on them so i can't go into detail but from the ai thing to the lack of focus on some members there were many problems. plus it was the first time they posted those story summaries and having an apparently mid story explained again was the final nail on the coffin

akatsuki: i didn't hear much drama about this one either ? but akatsuki have had a streak of bad characterization so maybe it was resignation

trickstar: no complaints trickstar solos

ryuseitai: jury's still out but it seems it was a kind of weird story at first so there was also some discomfort here and there. sounds like it ended nicely though

switch: natsume was ooc (tried to strangle sora and did not even apologize even though normal natsume would've been devastated + was overall way too mean)

and i think that was all??? if anyone knows abt anything else do tell me let's study fandom behavior

#but im nott maintagging #anonymous #preguntas

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little-shadows-story · 1 year ago

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About Tumblr and AI companies and having to opt out of it + Tale 2 of "Little Shadows"

In case you haven't heard, this is what's happening. I've already opted out in all of my blogs here, but man. This sucks a lot.

I guess the biggest problem for me is: how long have they been doing this? Not knowing frustrates me to no end. I decided tumblr would be one of the main places to put my experimental writing precisely because there was no AI third parties involved, but if this is how they're gonna play now I have to reconsider uploading my stuff here.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not gonna leave Tumblr. This is one of the only social media I actively use unlike FB or IG that I have but are basically dead, and I left twitter waaay before the beginning of the fall, way before Musk even bought it iirc. But I'm not comfortable anymore uploading and sharing my writing here, and it sucks. I wanted tumblr to be sort of an archive for my writing (besides my own archiving in my computer) but I'm having second thoughts now.

Tale 2 of Little Shadows was supposed to come out today, but now I'm secong guessing wether I really wanna post it here or not. I have Royal Road, and I have my own blog via Blogger too -and now that we're talking about this, idk if Blogger also has a deal with AI companies or not, fuck- so maybe I'll just. Upload there? I saw a while ago an iniciative for a new tumblr like site, I gotta look thru my likes and reblogs to find it, so maybe I'll go there? Ugh. Like, I'll still use tumblr for doing updates on my progress or shitpost, but when it comes to sharing my writing, even the experimental one.... yeah i don't know about that man.

So I guess. I guess this is it for this blog, huh? Wow, that sucks. I won't delete it, and I while I thought I can use it for promoting the links to the Royal Road chapters, I now think my main blog is better for that, since I have more followers there. I'm sorry. I just can't keep posting here in good faith for the time being.

So again, FYI: I won't delete this side blog, but I probably won't post more in here unless something happens that makes me come back.

If you liked Little Shadows so far, thank you so much!!! Here's the link to Tale 2 in Royal Road. From now on, if you'd like to continue getting news and notifications about when a new chapter comes out, please consider following my main @mary-is-writing, or give a follow to the wip in RR itself.

Thanks for the support so far, and I hope I see you again someday soon. This blog will go to sleep now.

#writeblr #little shadows #writing #writers #wip #lss #little shadows story #royal road

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cindylouwho-2 · 2 years ago

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Recent SEO & Marketing News for Ecommerce, November 2023

As promised, here is the separate report on marketing and SEO news for ecommerce businesses, up to the end of November. This is now separate from the ecommerce report (which will be out in the next week or so).

I probably won't be posting SEO and marketing news again until the new year, so this is my chance to remind you that I plan on leaving Twitter soon. You can still keep caught up here on Tumblr, plus daily on Bluesky and on LinkedIn. My plan is to have a new way to follow my news posts in a more timely fashion early in 2024, so stay tuned!

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES

Google launched another core ranking update on August 22, which ended on Sept. 7. eBay, Amazon and Etsy lost a fair amount of page visibility in the UK, according to this analysis. The US version of the same study saw large drops for the same 3 sites, while sites with “user-generated content” did well. Then Google released a Helpful Content update, which finished on September 28. Sites with poor UX (user experience, for example too many pop-up ads) and too much focus on on-page SEO seem to be experiencing the worst effects. Google also gave out tips on what might be considered “unhelpful.” Then, Google rolled out the October Core update, which ended October 19. But wait, there’s more! They also did a November core update, which finished at the end of the month.

Google has long denied using click data to determine search ranking, but the current antitrust hearings have revealed a different story. We also learned that it cost $26.3 billion in 2021 alone to buy spots as the default search engine in many browsers and devices. Here are more revelations about search ranking from the trial.

Deleting old content will not necessarily help your Google rankings or traffic. However, if Google is penalizing your pages because it deems them “unhelpful”, removing those less-helpful pages will probably help the site overall.

Internal links on each important page of your website will generally result in better Google traffic. The study covers 23 million links, but the author notes it only demonstrates correlation, not causation. Different anchor text for the same link is an even better predictor of Google search traffic. Note that Google staff recently stated links aren’t a top-3 ranking factor any more, though.

Optimizing category/collection/section pages can provide a big SEO boost on an ecommerce website. Here are some tips.

Google recently started showing follower counts for social media links in search results, but says they are not a ranking factor.

Large media sites overwhelmingly rank at the top of Google search for common queries in many areas. It’s an interesting read.

My periodic reminder that “LSI keywords” don’t help your SEO. LSI is an outdated method of data analysis that tries to find connections between words, but it was invented before the internet as we know it existed, and simply isn’t relevant for Google. Yes, related words are good, but LSI is not the way to find them.

Semi-advanced content: how to figure out your potential buyers’ path to your product through Google data. This is a little more detailed than figuring out which problems people have and how you can solve them, but the basic idea is there.

In case you missed everything on Google in August, here is a roundup, then you can catch up on September, and finally, October’s changes.

Not Google

Bing Chat (basically, regular Bing search with Chat GPT involved) is now known as “Copilot”. The name change alone is unlikely to increase traffic, though, which is showing very little gain on Google despite the AI-driven search experience.

Yahoo’s search redesign is expected to start appearing in early 2024.

Yandex, the top Russian search engine, is for sale.

SOCIAL MEDIA - All Aspects, By Site

General

Branding is an important part of social media for businesses; here are some good tips on representing your business well and getting seen. As I always remind folks, you don’t need to be on every platform; that can actually be harmful. “It’s unlikely your audience will be active on every single social media platform, especially considering how many are out there in this day and age. Be thoughtful about which platforms you want to leverage for your social media presence. Once you know where your audience is most active, ask yourself whether the platform itself aligns with your brand values, story, identity, and tone of voice.”

Facebook (includes relevant general news from Meta)

European users can soon pay a subscription to opt out of advertising on Facebook and Instagram.

Facebook uses member information to train its artificial intelligence models, but you can opt some of your data out of that process. Unfortunately, “[t]here’s no guarantee from the company that it’ll delete it, or that it’ll provide you with the information you’re asking for, even if it’s yours.” Also, this only includes the outside data and not your actual posts.

Meta has new AI-tools for its ads, but not all accounts have access yet, as they continue to test. Ad revenue was up 23% in the third quarter.

Instagram

Just like many other platforms, Instagram has issues with people advertising illegal things for sale. They are also blocking people posting research on the problem, instead of blocking the illegal ads.

The basics of Instagram SEO: “The platform says there isn’t one Instagram algorithm. Instead, there’s a personalized set of classifiers and processes for each user.”

Like most sites, LinkedIn is looking to upgrade some features with AI, but unlike most sites, it is planning on summarizing the feeds of its Premium subscribers so they don’t have to read everything.

Yes, SEO can help you get found on LinkedIn.

Pinterest is now a bigger shopping destination for Gen Z, who are now the site’s “fastest-growing audience”.

Reddit removed its awards earlier this year, and will be replacing them with gold awards only, and will also pay top creators who earn at least 10 gold a month.

Reddit may end up blocking Google and Bing from crawling the site, as a way to stop AI training.

Snapchat

Snapchat ad revenue led to an improved 3rd quarter for Snap, but the company is still losing money.

Threads

Threads - Meta’s Twitter competitor - continues to get upgrades, with polls and GIFs added recently. Apparently the site has almost 100 million users every month. They are now planning to launch in the EU by the end of the year.

TikTok

TikTok may be considering a ban on links to products for sale on other sites, although the company denied it. This may be to protect their own shopping platform: “Consumers in the U.S. are currently spending around $3 million to $4 million a day on TikTok Shop, up from around half a million to $1 million a day in June, the report says. TikTok staffers expect this number to exceed $10 million by the end of the year.”

That beta test is now live: TikTok Shop is officially in the United States. “As part of the rollout, the company is bringing features such as a dedicated shop tab on the home screen, live video shopping, shoppable ads and affiliate programs for creators…TikTok execs told The New York Times that more than 90% of sellers on TikTok Shop were based out of the U.S.”

Longer videos may be a TikTok goal, as they are easier to place ads with.

Twitter

Twitter continues to die, losing users since it was sold. Advertisers are leaving completely, and others are not posting content. (Etsy has not posted any promotions on Twitter since November 14.)

Musk keeps stating Twitter may start charging users, and the company is forcing new members in New Zealand and the Philippines to pay $1 a year if they join via the web and want to tweet or retweet, i.e., they can still read without paying. A phone number is also needed for verification of new accounts in these countries.

Twitter removed headlines from news link cards, but will be bringing them back soon.

Tumblr

Tumblr will be rolling back some changes and focussing on “the core functionality” of the site, after many new features failed to gain traction.

YouTube

Look for new AI video tools on YouTube in the near future; the new “Create” app is currently in beta for Android.

If you produce Shorts for YouTube, you will want to know how that algorithm works.

(CONTENT) MARKETING (includes blogging, emails, and strategies)

Gmail, Yahoo and AOL are all implementing new email rules in 2024 that may impact some types of email newsletters, although most major companies have already complied with the new requirements.

While Gmail hides your promotional emails, Yahoo is now offering new AI tools that will find those missing “gift cards, discount codes and store credits that people may have forgotten about.”

Newsletter option TinyLetter is being shut down by Malichimp.

Substack users: be aware that your subscribers may see your address and phone number unless you change the default setting.

The first step in writing content isn’t necessarily doing SEO keyword research [I’d argue that products are different than content, though, and that even forum or social driven content could benefit from a bit of SEO.]

Looking for content marketing topics for December? Here are 5 ideas to get working on, and if you have some free time, get a head start on January.

ONLINE ADVERTISING (EXCEPT INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL MEDIA AND ECOMMERCE SITES)

Did you know there are tools to track ads from different companies on many ad sites? Some are even free. [includes TikTok, Meta, Google and LinkedIn]

Ecommerce advertisers may find Amazon a better place to spend their budget compared to Google Ads. “Amazon’s search volume comprises 54% of all product-related searches in the United States.”

Google’s third quarter was decent, but Cloud revenue was below projections while ad money was up. Microsoft’s ad revenue also improved.

Chrome plans on ending all third-party cookies by the end of the third quarter 2024, and will start with 1% of users in early 2024. This will affect some types of ads, if you are wondering why platforms start changing.

Anyone using Google’s Performance Max campaigns may be interested in this overview of how to get the most out of them, with screenshots.

STATS, DATA, TRACKING

Since a lot of people still can’t figure out Google Analytics 4, here is yet another good overview.

This new YouTube video from Google shows you how to figure out traffic sources in Google Analytics 4.

Still working on moving to GA4? Here’s a bit more info, including how to save your old UA data.

For video learners, here is “5 reasons for using Google Search Console”. [YouTube, 3 mins.]

BUSINESS & CONSUMER TRENDS, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE

A report out of the UK on small business use of online platforms calls for the UK government to better protect small businesses from the power differential often evident in these relationships.

Amazon’s Prime Day sales barely beat last year, while their competitors actually dropped. [Washington Post gift link] Some analysts think this bodes poorly for the holiday season, and that consumers are looking for discounts.

Around 50% of Generation Zers in the US plan to shop in malls this holiday season, and people in general plan on spending less this year. But another study said nearly half of Gen Z shoppers will make at least some purchases on social media, while the US average is just ⅓. Most online holiday shopping will take place on mobile instead of computers, and ecommerce shopping will be up less than 5% per some reports, and over 10% according to others. Black Friday stats also indicate that mobile outpaced desktop - smart phones delivered 54% of online sales. “Global data from Shopify also showed strong mobile performance for merchants on that platform. Mobile versus desktop 76% to 24%, respectively.”

Large companies report that various types of consumer fraud are on the increase, and cost $100 billion annually.

IMAGES, VIDEO, GRAPHIC DESIGN, & FREE ONLINE TOOLS

Thinking of using AI to create some products and images to sell? Be aware that AI art is not copyright-protected, at least in the US at the moment. A recent case led the court to rule that “human authorship is a bedrock requirement of copyright.” [article includes a copy of the entire case]

Need some free web design tools? Practical Ecommerce has a recent list of 19, and an even more recent list of 17.

MISCELLANEOUS (including humour)

A snarky article in the Verge had SEOs all worked up, and some were very defensive about it. I thought the whole thing was hilarious.

Reminder that there are usually consequences for (and laws against) improper use of a customer’s private information, which includes asking them on a date. “Almost one in three people aged 18-34 have received unwanted romantic contact after giving their personal information to a business, a UK poll has shown.”

Do you know what happens to your website and social media accounts when you die? Sometimes, even the platforms get confused about this, and there are few laws.

Jewellery finding company TierraCast is closing by the end of 2023.

UPDATED: December 4, 2023

#seo #social media #microbusiness #cindylouwho2 #search engine optimization #marketing #content marketing

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adultswim2021 · 2 years ago

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Tasty Twosday (Tuesday)

Assy McGee #16: “Showdown in Magic City” | June 9, 2008 - 12:30AM | S02E10

Hey gang, long time no queef. I was back yesterday, and I actually sat down to watch+review this episode, but I wound up rage-quitting because the Adult Swim app wouldn’t let me rewind the episode to check on some very important detail. Oh well.

Also, I need to really apologize again. I am being targeted by harassers who think it’s funny to take my Tuesday posts (which, I’ve established, are rare because of my work schedule) and titling them stuff about “Tasty Tuesday”. There is nothing tasty about this day, this post, or this episode. In fact, it’s repugnant.

In this one, Assy and Sanchez investigate a Miami crime syndicate who are targeting jai alai players in Exeter. They wind up getting a little more than they bargained for when they sniff around their Miami turf. Sanchez is kidnapped, and they leave behind his mustache with his whole upper-lip attached. Gross! The ending involves a daring rescue and Sanchez’s disgusting disfigured face.

This one has a couple of moments that are at least somewhat funny; the theme song suddenly having lyrics is great. Actually, that’s it. That’s the only thing that’s great. Damn. Sad, but true.

EPHEMERA CORNER:

The Boondocks: The Complete Second Season (June 10, 2008)

Okay I’ll do the AI thing for this, because I really struggle with talking about DVD sets I never owned. Just go look up a review, sheesh:

The Complete Second Season of The Boondocks on DVD is a must-have for fans of the show. The season features all 13 episodes, as well as bonus features such as deleted scenes and commentaries. The episodes are just as funny and thought-provoking as the first season, and the bonus features are a great addition. Overall, this is a great DVD set for anyone who enjoys The Boondocks.

This did not mention the two originally-unaired-on-Adult-Swim episodes. Those are on there.

MAIL BAG

So, I saw the Venture Bros. finale over the weekend. I binged the last couple seasons as a refresher, as well as watching the seasons 1-4 and season 5 recap videos. Season 5 would’ve been good to watch again, but you know. I really liked it! I watched an ILLEGAL COPY because I knew I was going to buy the blu-ray eventually. But guess what? It’s sold out at all the places that still carry new blu-rays! So I ordered it on amazon like I should have, and it says it won’t come for AN ENTIRE MONTH. What the hell? I guess it’s heartening that the blu-ray is selling so well. But damn!

do you like assy mcgee better than axe cop

I haven’t seen a TON of Axe Cop. But, yes.

are you gonna do more Tasty Tuesdays in the future? That was fucking weird.

I need to reiterate that Tasty Tuesday is being forced onto me by some malicious trolls who hate me and they hate you and they hate our freedom. I’ve recieved many threatening letters from them telling me that if I make posts on Tuesday that “it’s over for you” referring to me. This is a twisted game they are playing. I would call it “twisted Tuesdays” but I don’t wanna give these FUCKERS ideas.

I think my ideal tasty tuesday is spaghetti, steak, and a handburger. I eat all of that before 2PM and I also have a full-fat coca-cola while on my work shift. Then I just snack all night. Nilla Wafers, pretzels, you name it. Happy Tasty Tuesday, Adult Swim 2021!

Wow, what a spread, sounds good to me. But, I refuse! I will not participate in this custom because it simply isn’t real and it’s being perpetrated by enemies.

Are you going to do tasty tuesday again? I've seen some weird stuff on this website but this particularly is pretty bizarre imho

Okay, I’m convinced that the person whose hacking my blog and making it say “Tasty Tuesdays” on my Tuesday posts is the one writing these Mail Bags. Fuck you, pal. If you are just a fan/best friend, I’m sorry.

what is tasty tuesday? say it! say IT!

NO!

Will we get an update for Tasty Tuesday I wonder>

>_<

#adult swim #adultswim2021 #assy mcgee

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xpressluna · 1 month ago

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It Happened on Medium: April 2025

April 2025 was a vibrant month on Medium, showcasing a dynamic mix of thought-provoking essays, personal reflections, AI experiments, and cultural critiques. As the digital world continues to evolve, so too do the voices that shape Medium’s ever-growing ecosystem. Here's a roundup of what made waves on the platform this past month.

🚀 Top Trends

AI and Human Creativity: The Great Debate Continues

AI was once again a dominant theme, with writers exploring its impact on art, literature, and human identity. The most-read story of the month, "Can AI Write a Soul?" by Leah Renshaw, drew over 120,000 views and thousands of responses. The piece questioned whether generative models are enhancing creativity or eroding the uniqueness of human expression.

Another viral essay, "I Asked ChatGPT to Rewrite My Memoir — Here's What Happened," blurred the line between assistance and authorship, sparking lively debate in the comments.

Digital Minimalism Sees a Resurgence

As screen time surged globally, readers flocked to minimalist living and tech detox stories. Articles like "I Deleted Every App Except One" and "Living Offline for 30 Days Changed My Brain" climbed Medium's trending charts. The minimalist subculture isn’t new, but April saw it reframed through a post-AI, post-constant-notification lens.

Personal Finance Meets Realism

In the wake of economic volatility and Gen Z's unique financial struggles, writers took a no-BS approach to personal finance. Pieces like "I'm 27 and I Have $9 in My Account — Here's My Plan" resonated deeply with younger readers facing student loans, gig work, and housing insecurity.

Another breakout post, "Why Budgeting Isn't the Answer," challenged conventional money advice, advocating for systemic change and mental health-first approaches to financial literacy.

✍️ Writers to Watch

Anjali Deshmukh’s "Letters from the Edge of Burnout" captured the raw emotional toll of hustle culture in the nonprofit sector. Tyler Kwong launched a serialized fiction project, The Last Archivist, blending cyberpunk aesthetics with poetic prose. It’s gaining traction among sci-fi enthusiasts. Rosa Velez's investigative piece "Inside the Wellness Scam Economy" exposed shady influencer marketing and MLM-style fitness programs — sparking over 2,000 shares.

📚 Medium Publications on Fire

Better Humans continued its reign with standout guides like "How to Break a Habit with 5 Minutes a Day." OneZero published a chilling exposé: "The Dark UX Tricks of AI Dating Apps." The Startup featured candid founder stories — a favorite was "I Built a SaaS Company With $100 and Pure Spite."

💡 Hidden Gems You Might Have Missed

"A Love Letter to My AI Therapist" — A heartfelt piece on the emotional benefits and limits of LLM-powered mental health apps. "Medium Is My Therapist" — A reflection on how writing has replaced journaling and therapy for many Gen Z and Millennial users. "Why I Teach Philosophy to My Cat" — A humorous yet oddly deep essay that caught fire in the Medium Humor and Mindfulness spaces.

📈 Platform Updates

Medium rolled out a new personalized homepage this April, tailoring content feeds more tightly to user reading patterns. Reactions were mixed: some applauded the improved relevance, while others lamented the further erosion of chronological browsing.

They also beta-tested a collaborative story feature, allowing multiple writers to co-author in real time — potentially transforming how essays and ideas develop on the platform.

🎤 Quote of the Month

“Medium is where I come not to be right, but to think out loud with strangers who care.”

Final Thoughts

April 2025 reminded us that Medium is still a space where ideas collide, identities are explored, and new voices rise. Whether you're a reader, a writer, or just a wanderer looking for thought-provoking rabbit holes, Medium this month had something to say — loudly, bravely, and sometimes hilariously.

See you next month for another round of highlights from the digital frontlines.

#trending #viral trends #art trend #tredning #united states #canada

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