#How to Create a Logo for Your Business

[inkskinned]

it's easier to apply for jobs than ever! so what if you lost your insurance, anyone can get a job these days, even without meds. everyone is hiring! there's a "good employee" shortage!

well you just need to revamp your resume, here's a paid app subscription that can read it for you. rewrite the cover letter they won't read. google jobs in my area and then scrawl through Monster/Indeed/worbly. did you want to save the search? this was posted 98 days ago. over 1 billion applicants! this position is trending.

jobs i actively like doing and get paid for. your search returned no results. easy-apply with HireSpin! easy apply with SparkFire! easy apply with PenisFlash! with a few short clicks, get your information stolen.

watch out! the first 98 links on google are actually scams! they're false postings. oopsie. that business isn't even hiring. that other one is closed permanently. find one that looks halfway legit, google the company and the word "careers". go to their page. scroll past brightly-lit diversity stock photo JOIN US white sans serif. we are a unique, fresh, client-focused stock value capitalism. we are committed to excellence and selling your soul on ebay. we are DRIVEN with POWER to INNOVATE our greed. yippee! our company has big values of divisive decision making, sucking our dicks, and hating work-life balances. our values are to piss in your mouth. sign here and tell us if you have gender issues so we can get ahead of the sexual harassment claim. are you hispanic although let's be real we threw out the resume when we saw your last name.

sign up to LinkHub to access updates from this company. make a HirePlus account to apply. download the PoundLink app. your account has been created, click the link we sent you in 15 minutes. upload that resume. we didn't read the resume, manually fill in the lines now. what is your expected pay grade. oh actually we want hungry people, not people driven by a salary. cut a zero off that number, buddy, this is about opportunity, and we need to be thrifty. highest level of education. autofill is glitching. here is an AI generated set of questions. what is your favorite part of our sexy, sexy company. how do you resolve conflict. will you get our company logo tattooed on your person. warning: while our CEO is guilty of wage theft, we will absolutely refuse to hire a nonviolent felon.

thank you for your interest at WEEBLIX. we actually already filled this position internally. we actually never had that posting. we actually needed you to have 9 years of experience and since you have 10 years we think it might be too many? we'll be texting you. we'll email you. we'll keep your resume. definitely absolutely we won't just completely ignore you. look at your phone, there's already a spam text from Bethany@stealyouridentity. they're hiring!

wait, did you get an interview? well that's special, aren't you lucky. out of 910 jobs you applied to, one answered, finally. and funny story! actually the position isn't exactly as advertised, we are looking for someone curious and dedicated. it's sort of more managerial. no, the pay doesn't change - you won't have any leadership title. now take this 90 minute assessment. in order to be a dog groomer, we need you to explain cell biology. in order to be a copyeditor, write a tiny dissertation about the dwindling supply of helium on the planet. answer our riddles three. great job! we just need to push this up to Tracy in HR who will send it to Rodney who is actually in charge. and then of course it's jay's decision and then greg will need to see you naked and if you survive you'll be given a drug test and a full anal examination.

and of course you'll be hungry this whole time, aren't you, months and months of the same shit. months of no insurance, no meds, no funding, barely able to afford the internet and the phone and the rent - all things you need in order to even apply for our thing. but do it again! do it again and again and again, until you flip inside out and turn into a being of pure dread!

you're not hired yet because you're lazy. there's over one million AI-generated hallucinated jobs in your area. don't worry. with zipruiter, hiring and firing is easier than ever. sign up. stay on-call.

in the meantime, little peon - why don't you just fucking suffer.

[badbtssmut]

Kinktober Masterlist!

Day 1 to 10

🎃 Naughty but mine; when you misbehave at a house party, your boyfriend Taehyung gives you exactly what you’ve been asking for.

🎃 Highly inappropriate; you, Taehyung and your best friend and Tae gf’s Aerum are high af one night.

🎃 Babymaker; you want a baby, but you just broke up with your boyfriend... but luckily your friend Jungkook is here to save the day.

🎃 Special preparations; you go to a piercing shop to get a clit piercing but your piercer Jungkook has an interesting way of prepping his clients.

🎃 Silent watch; your bodyguard Jimin is standing right outside your bedroom door when you moan his name as you play with yourself.

🎃 Good at sharing; your boyfriend Jimin invites you over for movie night, however it becomes painfully clear that his roommate Jungkook has a crush on you.

🎃 Their pleasure; your only job is to serve Taehyung and his wife.

🎃 Teach me; you want to learn how to give blowjobs so you ask your best friend’s brother Taehyung to teach you.

🎃 Like old times; in the past, you and your best friend enjoy spending time together by having threesomes, now years later you reconnect and this time she offers her husband Jungkook.

🎃 Strictly business; your boyfriend Taehyung might be a tough and important guy at the office but at home he's just a subby boy who only wants cuddles and finds comfort in your nipples.

Day 10 to 20

🎃 Make me see stars; your friends bring you to a special show starring stripper Jimin, but you get more than a lapdance from him on stage.

🎃 All onboard; when pirate Jungkook wants you, he wants you right now, even if it’s in front of the sailor men on his ship.

🎃 A special class; you bring your best friend Taehyung to a special class. (On pause)

🎃 Told you so; your friends don’t believe you when you brag to them about how Jungkook’s dick makes you see stars, so you show them.

🎃 Waves of pleasure; you meet a blonde hunk named Taehyung at the beach who invites you over to his van for some special alone time.

🎃 Give it to me now; angry about your doctoral thesis, you decide to decompress on your gamer boyfriend Jungkook’ cock.

🎃 Code blue; your friend with benefits Jungkook had a horrible first date so you milk him dry until he forgets all about her.

🎃 Wet deck; on a yacht with the maknae line, you start fucking them— not caring who sees.

🎃 VIP treatment; every concert, Hybe staff search for the sexiest big tits and ass fan, to bring to the green room for a fun time with Taehyung and his friends.

🎃 Seven minutes; Taehyung and Jungkook send you to heaven in a spooky encounter at your neighbour’s Halloween party.

Day 20 to 31

🎃 Knock out; after winning his last fight and being sexless for a week, Jungkook gives his girlfriend the most hardcore fuck ever.

🎃 Please please please; your needy and whiny boyfriend Jungkook begs you to ride him while he cannot stop praising you.

🎃 Sweet revenge; after your husband cheats on you, you decide to take revenge by sleeping with father-in-law jungkook.

🎃 Admit it; your friends get tired of seeing you and Jungkook beat around the bush, so they give you a little push.

🎃 A special party; when your friends organize a surprise bachelorette party you did not expect to get railed by stripper Jungkook.

🎃 She a fan; idol Jungkook takes a girl home and to his surprise, she has the logo of his group tattooed on her arm.

🎃 Mr perfect; you test out the hyper realistic humanoid robot named Jungkook you and your research team have created, it’s all for science, right?

🎃 Lucky girl; you caught the eye of your favorite idol Jungkook and he takes you to a hotel room.

🎃 Halloween party; after being invited by your friend to the 18+ Halloween party in town, you get fucked by three hot guys.

🎃 This is not a drill; your boyfriends are back from military service and you’re eager to catch up what they missed.

🎃 Succubus hotline; one lonely halloween, you try out your luck by calling the succubus hotline, thinking it’s just a silly prank.

[kkochigomi]

the ultimate guide to f***ing nomin

teaser (full fic here)

PAIRING: reader x jeno + jaemin

GENRE: producer!mc, smut, humor

ESTIMATED WC: 30k

TEASER WC: 1.8k

SYNOPSIS: DJ Juliette is over just being a DJ. She misses being a producer and working with artists but no one is biting anymore. She's living from paycheck to paycheck, so when MC receives a pink business card from that company, she should take it. But her fellow SHAWOLs are screaming at her and she knows better. So they send in the heavy arsenal wrapped in head-to-toe Chanel. This woman, named Lindsay Liu, knows she can talk her into it.

WARNINGS: threesomes, slight language barriers, hella campy/maybe even bad, mc is described as American and having a midsized body, explicit language and descriptions of sex, working at SM Entertainment, mc has a "stage name", Juliette isn't her actual name.

+ dialogue and text messages italicized in their entirety means MC is translating them from Korean!

NingNing are you not seeing the gc? Lindsay just sent something CRAZY

You choose to ignore Yizhuo’s text for one simple reason. It’s five a.m., which is much too early to translate. You’re already grouchy from being up this early, you’d rather just hurry and get ready for your first scheduled session. 

And throughout all three hours of said session, your phone is buzzing into oblivion. You have to wonder if a cartoony vein is popping out of your forehead when one of the members stops singing in the booth. You look up to see not only him, but everyone else in the studio staring at you. 

“Juliette, if you need to excuse yourself for a moment to answer your phone, please do so.” Says the group’s manager, looking unimpressed with your attitude. Embarrassed, you immediately stand up, bowing at everyone in the room and softly apologizing in Korean. 

You rush out in the hall, half of you just eager to be relieved of the tension you caused and the other half is eager to mute that group chat. You search for the app, forgetting what it’s called since you rarely use it.

An unfamiliar logo is grouped with the other messaging apps. SCR… right, you think, and what does that mean again?

You’re tempted to delete it since it’s collecting dust, but deep down you know exactly why you won’t. There’s a rabid fangirl constantly reminding you that your favorite idols only trust this app to send… private messages. Not always something inappropriate, just anything they can’t risk being exposed. You sigh and open the app to at least do what you originally set out to.

The group chat, cheesily named ‘Gossip Girls’, has over 999+ unread messages. You’re not sure just how much that plus is hinting at since you rarely open it, but you remember there being significantly less the last time you glanced at the home page. And that wasn’t that long ago. That’s when you see the previews of the messages flying by. 

their shoulders are so broad, it gets me… this is so strange Lindsay, do you know their type? I wa… kinda horny now lololol I bet they only like really skinny girls… So what’s their size? Don’t leave us… i’d pay just to see it lol god they would KILL on onlyfans

… What in the world is going on? You open the group chat at the speed of light. Frustratingly you’re positioned where you left off two months ago. You have to scroll through dating rumors and confirmed relationships, leaked songs, or whatever other hot gossip one of the girls’ heard. This app was created by celebrities for celebrities (and a select few normies). If you take a screenshot while the app is open, the picture is blurred just like snapchat and the other chatters are notified. There’s also an eyesore of a pattern in the background that supposedly distorts most phone cameras, so you can’t take a physical picture either.

Plus, it’s not really in anyone using this app’s best interest to blow its cover. Almost everybody has dirt on them from that very app. Everyone chooses to keep the peace for another reason as well, intel. You finally you find it. Lindsay even translated it, and you have a strange feeling that’s targeted at you. 

Lindsay Liu꒰੭ Hello dolls, As some of you may know, I am moving back to Shanghai for the time being :*(. I know, I’m so sad! I’ll miss seeing your gorgeous, gorgeous faces in real life. Anyway, I’ve decided to leave you guys with a parting gift. Me being the only person to experience this feels like a waste. One of you has got to have sex with Nomin.

You gasp, hugging your phone against your chest. The door creaks open and you feel your soul threatening to leave your body. 

“Are you okay?” The manager peeks his head out, looking just as annoyed as he always is.

“I-I’m sorry, there’s an... emergency!” You give him a panicked smile after you find the word. Your face is sizzling hot as you lock your phone. His face gradually softens. 

“You don’t look too good, we can end early today–”

“Okay, thanks!” You rush toward a bathroom, any bathroom. Only when you’re locked in a stall do you feel yourself calm down. Your face is still hot to the touch as you unlock your phone. You have to admit, Lindsay really caught you off guard. God… if someone had glanced over your shoulder, you would’ve had your ass handed to you. Despite what their artists sing about and how they dance, SM is a very sexless place. Any innuendos or allusions to sex are strictly prohibited. A part of you felt like them explaining those rules was only targeted at you because you were American (not that you would blame them). But after being here for two months, you’ve gotten very used to the sterile environment. 

Opening up that message in the middle of work felt like watching hardcore porn at your work computer. Is she joking? If she is, it is a little funny. You make a note to message her that before you continue. 

Lindsay Liu꒰੭ Don’t worry, I won’t be jealous or anything. If you know me, then you know I refuse to be attached to any man lol. But you should know that they don’t just fuck anybody. From what they’ve told me, they don’t look at most girls. They’re very particular about the girls they seek out. If you ask me, that’s exactly why they barely have threesomes heheh ;3.

The first of many thoughts to surface is that Lindsay is clearly not joking. The next is a glaring question.

Who is Nomin?

You know better than to assume the k-pop industry debuted a nonbinary idol, so you’re not surprised when your google search returns two men. You’re also not surprised that you don’t recognize them since you don’t know any groups who debuted after 2014. They’re handsome, though. Very much so. They’re both charming in their own way, and you can see why they’re paired up. The vibes are reminiscent of the classic cat/dog dynamic you’ve seen. You tap your index finger against your lips as you sift through the images. They have nice physiques...

They’re okay I guess, I’ll always be a Taemin girl, though. You spin your ring mindlessly, unable to tear your eyes away from Jeno’s bare torso.

Right, the message.

Lindsay Liu꒰੭ Here, I’ve compiled for you the steps to attempt to get Nomin’s attention. Just to get it out of the way because it's obvious, you have to be up for a threesome. Even I couldn’t get one of them alone. Also, no idols. Upsetting one fandom is already horrifying, upsetting two is just reckless. Anyway, - Tip One: Don’t try so hard. If you look as good as they do, you get suitors constantly. And having to constantly deal with loud and unsubtle people is annoying. Besides, no one likes desperation. - Tip Two: If you’re going to change up your style and approach, don’t lay it on thick in either direction. Don’t become a BDSM dungeon master with your breasts practically falling out of your shirt. I bet you would look great, but you’d be ignoring tip one. But don’t put on that weird demure act either. If you’re covered head to toe and pretend to be sex averse, how are they supposed to know you want to fuck them? - (extra hint: dress casually, but give them something to… you know. A shirt just tight enough or a skirt just short enough they think their dirty thoughts were their own fault. Just off the top of my head, something like a graphic tee that’s slightly cropped with high waisted jeans that cover your midriff. Make sure the shirt hugs you just right 😉)

You laugh to yourself. Graphic tee she says. She could’ve just said t-shirt, but she’s making it very obvious. Perhaps on purpose? You pinch your jacket closed as if someone can see you right now. You’re wearing the same shirt you had on when you met her, now that you think about it. 

Tip Three: A quick Do & Don’t for you: DON’T pretend to be their biggest fan. Name a single idol who has dated a fan. Exactly. DO become the best fan fiction character you can be. And I mean best. Don’t go to their concert and read a book, that’s ignoring tip one again. Don’t say you hate their music or hate boy groups. Subtler. Say you love boy groups. Hell, say you love SM boy groups… but you’re not very familiar with new ones. Throw an older group out there like I don’t know… SHINee. I think that’s why they reached out to me, being a 2PM fan and all. I wouldn’t have even looked their way on my own and I think that excited them.

That tip is the final straw for you. That one message was correct, this is strange. If she wanted to recommend you… have sex with those two, why wouldn’t she just message you? And are they even aware of all this? It all rubs you the wrong way and you start to text her exactly that. Lindsay beats you to it, though.

Lindsay Liu꒰੭ Have you read the group chat at all?

Yes. What the hell.

Lindsay Liu꒰੭ What did you think of the tips ;)

Lindsay. Don’t you think this is a little inappropriate?

Lindsay Liu꒰੭ Hey, I said they don’t like the innocent act.

I’m not participating in this! It feels icky. Am I crazy?

You exit out of her chat to message Yizhou the same thing. You can’t be going crazy. This is weird. You fan yourself and exhale.

Lindsay Liu꒰੭ A little!! :D 

Lindsay Liu꒰੭ They’re already texting me that they’re going to be so lonely and horny when I leave… they may even have to play with each other to cope…

My GOD Lindsay.

You swipe the messenger away entirely, only noticing then how hard your heart is beating. You close your eyes and your mind immediately betrays you by painting the images you saw of Jeno and Jaemin together behind your eyelids. You ease onto the toilet, hands pressing against the stall one either side of you. The images refuse to cease and you let your thighs squeeze just a little. 

Your phone buzzes and you send a ball of saliva back to roll down your parched throat before opening the app again. 

Lindsay Liu꒰੭ Last time I checked on you, you told me you haven’t been getting any play recently. They’re going to be in the same boat soon.

Lindsay Liu꒰੭ Remember what I told you? Idols have to be picky about who they sleep with and how often they do it. I know you’re thinking about quitting because this job isn’t what you saw yourself doing, but you aren’t utilizing the perks, doll </3 !

LIKES AND REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED! `⎚⩊⎚´ -✧

◉ proofread cycle 1 ⃝ proofread cycle 2

[hoe4hotchner]

Drawer | [A.H]

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Gn!reader CW: Fluff. Haley is still alive in this one… but they're divorced and she's not mentioned, so don't worry about her. WC: 0.8k

This is part of #Teddy-ber hosted by @angellsell

           The kitchen was quiet, save for the soft clinking of plates as you set the table. The sun streamed through the window, casting a warm glow over the room, making everything feel cozy and safe. You glanced over at the small drawer beside the fridge, the one neither of you opened often, yet always ended up filling with random things. You smiled, shaking your head. The infamous junk drawer - every home had one, but yours and Aaron's had its own kind of charm.

           It all started off simple, as these things often do. A place for the odd rubber band, a spare battery, maybe a pen or two. But over time, it grew, much like your relationship with him, becoming a repository for memories, a snapshot of your life together in the most ordinary and yet extraordinary way.

           You wandered over to the drawer, giving in to the curiosity, and pulled it open. The first thing that caught your eye was a tiny, half-used notepad. You chuckled, remembering how Aaron had tried to create a system and used it to make a grocery list - once. His tidy handwriting took up the first half of the page: Apples, cereal, milk, eggs. The essentials. Then came your scribbles, messier but full of character: Chocolate, wine, ice cream. It was a small, unspoken dance between the two of you, his practicality meeting your indulgence. He’d teased you about your sweet tooth but always made sure to grab a bar of your favorite chocolate when he went to the store.

           Underneath the notepad was an old, crinkled paperclip. Nothing special at first glance, but you knew better. This particular clip had been straightened and twisted into some sort of abstract shape during one of Aaron’s late-night phone calls with the director. He had a habit of fiddling with things when he was deep in thought or conversation, his mind constantly running through strategies, cases, and plans. The paperclip had against all odds survived that night and ended up in the drawer, tossed in with the rest of the forgotten oddities.

           There was a small collection of mismatched pens, each one with a different origin story. One from the BAU, with the FBI logo fading from years of use. Another, much nicer, one with Rossi’s name engraved on the side - a Christmas gift that had mysteriously disappeared from Aaron’s desk only to reappear here. You smiled, remembering how Rossi had teased Aaron about it, accusing him of misplacing gifts as though they were case files.

           Digging a little deeper, you found a crumpled-up ticket stub. It was from a movie you and Aaron had seen early on in your relationship, on one of your rare date nights - some action thriller that neither of you had really been paying attention to. You had been too busy watching him try to relax and stop worrying about work. His arm curled around your shoulders as the tension slowly left his body. It was one of those evenings where he let himself enjoy life, and in that dark theater, you’d felt closer to him than ever. The ticket had ended up in his pocket, and then, eventually, in the drawer.

           You picked up an old keychain, shaped like a miniature Swiss Army knife. It was a gag gift from Morgan after a particularly tough case where Aaron somehow had managed to improvise his way out of a tricky situation (or so you'd been told) with nothing but a pen and a piece of string. Morgan had joked about Aaron being the new MacGyver, and the keychain had become a running joke between the two - until it, too, found its way into the drawer, no longer needed but still a significant memory.

           Near the back, half-buried under a mess of receipts and old to-do lists, you found something that made your heart swell - a small, child-sized sock. You chuckled softly, knowing exactly whose it was. Jack had spent the night a few weeks ago, and somehow, one of his socks had gone missing. You’d found it in the laundry and tossed it in the drawer, intending to return it but never getting around to it. The little sock was a reminder of the nights when Jack slept over, filling the house with his laughter and questions. Aaron was always softer when Jack was around, his face lighting up in ways that were rare for the composed man you knew.

           As you looked over the contents of the drawer, you realized that it was more than just a place for random objects. It was a reflection of your life with Aaron - the little moments that made up your days together, the way your personalities meshed in the most unexpected ways. His neatness contrasted with your occasional chaos, his seriousness balanced by your lightheartedness. And in the middle of it all, this drawer - a quiet testament to the life you were building together, one forgotten pen and grocery list at a time.

           You smiled, closing the drawer with a soft click, knowing that someday it would fill up even more. But for now, it was a comforting, endearing mess - much like love itself.

[cailinsblog]

Café Moments | Quinn hughes

Quinn hughes x reader

Super cute and long just for you guys!

Masterlist

Quinn Hughes had heard all about Vancouver’s charm, but it wasn’t until he found himself on the ice against his brother, Jack, that he truly got to experience the city. Jack had been raving about a little café he’d discovered one morning before a game—a small, family-run spot tucked away on a quiet street.

“You’ve got to check it out, Q,” Jack had said over the phone the night before. “It’s cozy, good coffee, and the best part? There’s this really cute barista. You’ll love it.”

Quinn chuckled, knowing his brother’s love for a good cup of coffee—and the cute barista wasn’t a bad bonus either. But Quinn had been focused on the upcoming game. He didn’t have much time for distractions. Still, after his team’s practice the next day, he decided to take a walk around the city, just to clear his head before the big match. And Jack’s café recommendation was still lingering in his mind.

The little café was nestled in a quiet corner of the city, away from the usual tourist spots. When Quinn walked in, he noticed the warm, inviting atmosphere—old wooden tables, soft lighting, and the smell of fresh-brewed coffee filling the air. There was an elderly couple sitting at a table by the window, chatting quietly as they sipped their drinks, creating an aura of comfort that was rare to find in a city full of hustle.

And then, there was *her*.

Behind the counter, a beautiful girl stood, her hair pulled up in a messy bun, wearing glasses that framed her face perfectly. She had on a work apron with the café’s logo, a simple design of a steaming cup of coffee and a swirl of cream, that added to her effortless charm. She was focused, stirring something in a cup, but when Quinn approached the counter, she looked up. Her eyes met his, and for a second, the bustling café seemed to fade into the background.

“Hi, are you ready to order?” she asked, her voice soft and warm as she gazed at him through her lashes. There was a slight hint of curiosity in her smile, as if she was used to customers but maybe not one who looked like a hockey player.

Quinn blinked for a moment, still processing how pretty she was. He quickly shook himself out of it and cleared his throat.

“Uh, yeah. I’ll take an iced coffee with caramel,” he said, his voice coming out a bit more casually than he meant. He couldn’t help but glance at her, a little flustered by the instant connection he felt.

She gave him a smile, nodding. “Okay, great. Would that be all?”

Quinn hesitated for a moment, wanting to keep talking. There was something about her—something that made him want to know more. He leaned in slightly, his curiosity getting the best of him.

“What’s your name?” he asked, before realizing how forward that might have sounded.

She raised an eyebrow, a playful smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “I’m Y/N,” she said, then added, “What about you?”

“Quinn,” he replied, his nerves fading slightly as he relaxed into the conversation. He was so used to being recognized for his hockey career, but in this moment, Y/N didn’t seem fazed by who he was. She was just... *Y/N*, and he liked that. A lot.

“Well, Quinn, your iced coffee will be ready in just a minute,” Y/N said, her tone light and friendly. She busied herself with his order, and for a moment, Quinn just stood there, watching her with a smile.

He had so many questions—about the café, about her, about how someone as charming as her ended up working here—but before he could think of what to say next, another customer walked in. Y/N greeted them, her attention shifting away from him, and Quinn realized that he had been caught up in the moment more than he had realized. He should’ve asked for her number, but before he could work up the courage, his iced coffee was ready, and he found himself reaching for it, a little disappointed.

“Thanks,” Quinn said, giving her a smile. “I’ll, uh, see you around.”

Y/N smiled back, her eyes twinkling. “Enjoy your coffee, Quinn.”

He turned and left, walking back down the street, but the encounter lingered in his mind. He couldn’t stop thinking about how easy it had felt to talk to her, how natural everything had been, even though they were complete strangers. But he’d forgotten to ask for her number, and now it seemed like too much time had passed.

The next few days were a blur of games, practices, and the excitement of being back in Vancouver. But no matter how much he tried to focus on hockey, he couldn’t shake the thought of that café—or Y/N. He found himself wondering if he’d ever see her again. A week passed, and Quinn didn’t get a chance to go back. He kept telling himself that he was too busy, that he had other things to focus on. But the nagging feeling that he’d let something slip through his fingers refused to go away.

Finally, after a game against his brother and a long night of reflecting on the loss, Quinn decided to make the trip back to the café. It was his last day in Vancouver before heading back to his own team’s city, and he couldn’t leave without trying to see her again. The moment he walked through the door, the bell above it jingled, and Y/N looked up from behind the counter, a welcoming smile appearing on her face when she saw him.

“Back for more coffee?” she asked, her voice light and teasing.

Quinn stepped up to the counter, his heart racing. He didn’t want to be awkward about it, but he’d regretted not asking for her number the first time. This time, he wasn’t going to let that chance slip away.

“I was actually hoping you could help me with something,” he said, trying to sound casual but failing. His fingers drummed on the counter nervously.

“Oh?” Y/N raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

Quinn took a deep breath. “I, uh, wanted to ask you if... you’d like to grab coffee sometime? I know we just met, but I’d really like to get to know you better.”

Y/N smiled, the kind of smile that made Quinn’s heart do a little flip. “I’d like that,” she said, her eyes softening. “You can, uh, give me your number and I’ll text you.”

Quinn laughed, relieved. “I should’ve done this last time,” he admitted, pulling out his phone. “I’m kind of bad at this.”

Y/N just grinned, taking his phone to put in her number. “It’s okay, Quinn. I’m glad you came back.”

As she handed his phone back to him, Quinn smiled. He’d finally done it—he’d finally asked the question that had been on his mind all week. And maybe, just maybe, this was the start of something new. Something he was excited about.

With a small wave and a promise to text her soon, Quinn left the café, a smile on his face as he walked down the Vancouver streets. Maybe hockey wasn’t the only thing he’d been destined to find in this city after all.

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[drarrymicrofic]

Welcome to Drarry Microfic, an 18+ writing community dedicated to shortform fanfiction. Every Monday, we unveil a new prompt for all you writers out there to use as inspiration to create a story in 50 words. Use the prompt in any way you like: base your fic around it, or take it as a loose form of inspiration  — you have total creative freedom! Post your work to Tumblr, and don’t forget to tag @drarrymicrofic so that we can reblog it.

And now for a few guidelines that we hope will answer any questions you may have about how we operate:

This project is part of the Drarry (Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy) fandom. We ask that all creations are written with the ship in mind, from Pre-Slash or Gen to the filthiest E-rated work!

We have a Discord server, and we welcome anyone who enjoys Drarry microfics. We'd love to have you! Please send us a message for the invite link to join — over 18s only.

Our guideline wordcount is 50 words, but we don’t want to stifle anyone with a strict word limit, so feel free to go as far over or under 50 words as the muse dictates!

The Drarry Microfic community is an 18+ space, so you can expect to see Mature or Explicit writing on our dash. We encourage you to add basic tags or ratings to your posts, so that readers know what to expect. We also recommend that you use Tumblr’s Mature content warning on your post if you feel the material warrants it.

Tag us! We want to celebrate your work, and to share the creations that our prompts inspire. We reblog all posts in which we are tagged (@drarrymicrofic) — if we don’t reblog your post within two weeks, then we might have missed the notification, so please send us a quick message with a link. 

Send prompts! Our ask box is open for prompt submissions, and we credit all prompters, so this is your opportunity to engage with the community and help us get our writerly juices flowing. We welcome prompts of 1 – 2 words.

If you have a question for us, please get in touch through our ask box or by DMing this account. We are all fairly busy offline, and in different timezones, but we will always try to answer as soon as we can.

Our community is mostly centred on Tumblr and Discord, but feel free to post your creations elsewhere — we’re happy to reblog links to other platforms. Please tag us so we can share! We have an AO3 collection too.

And finally — you are all very welcome here. We aim to provide you with a supportive and engaging creative space, whether you’re a brand-new writer or reader, or an old hand in fandom. Thank you for joining us.

Your microfic mods: @citrusses, @maesterchill, @sweet-s0rr0w, and @tackytigerfic.

Huge thanks to @getawayfox for the help with the logo design!

[tossawary]

When I was a tweenager, I really liked the Percy Jackson series and I would have lost my mind over getting a Camp Half-blood t-shirt, but they weren't... available? That wasn't a thing you could buy, at least not locally and/or officially, and it was whatever. Book series getting merch was - okay, this may just be recency bias - but it was, as far as I personally remember, understandably mainly the realm of the mega-popular and linked to their film adaptations. Your average author did not - and still does not - have the audience, the money, and the time to get cool and easily available merch going. It's work. It's a risk.

Okay, so, THEN about 10+ years after that (several years ago now), I had a younger family member who is, perhaps, even MORE obsessed with Percy Jackson than I ever was. "Oh, I could get them a Camp Half-blood t-shirt for their birthday, they'd love that," I said, thinking that it has become easier than ever to buy stuff off the internet, both officially licensed and not. And if nothing else, I could probably draw the damn logo myself and get a local place to make something, right? But we were, at this point, SEVERAL best-selling mythology series in (SERIES of best-selling books for children), so I kind of thought to myself, "There MUST be a way to buy this officially by now. Easily. This is, due to the shitty way that the world works, one of the easiest items to have a company make for you: a t-shirt with a logo on it. You can partner with one of the many, MANY t-shirt companies to have them handle all of the printing and shipping for you." I still couldn't find official shirts.

And I'm still confused about what exactly happened there. Like, you can buy official shirts NOW due to the new television show (hilariously not in my country, last I checked, but hopefully that's changed), but were the rights to print these shirts previously locked up with the studio that made those terrible movies? (I could believe that. That seems like the extremely likely sort of asshole move any studio would pull in a contract.) Was there not one t-shirt company willing to take up the mantle and say, "I will do it. I will put black ink on hideously orange shirts for geeky 10-year-olds," because a best-selling book series was too risky a property and the movies flopped? Did both the author and publisher just not... think of that as a potential revenue stream? Like, you could have made themed Camp Half-blood shirts for each individual cabin (plus the other gods initially without cabins) and put them in bookstores or on the author's website and 10-year-old me would have wanted ALL OF THEM.

I'm not trying to undermine the amount of work that goes into creating anything here, I know how slim the margins can be in any business especially if you are trying to be ethical about it, but Percy Jackson was not and still isn't your "average" book series in terms of popularity and success. Why did it take like 20 years for me to see officially licensed Camp Half-blood t-shirts? Just... what's up with that? What happened there?

[astroismypassion]

✨PART OF FORTUNE IN SIGNS AND HOUSES SERIES: 4TH HOUSE✨

Credit goes to astrology blog @astroismypassion

ARIES PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Aries and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via starting your own small business from home or take a leadership role, especially in the kitchen, family matters, children, education, history and geography. You may be an excellent tour guide of your local town. You may also find wealth through becoming a coach, personal trainer or someone who suggest meal plan for a specific sport, for example meal plan for runners.

TAURUS PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Taurus and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via real estate, gardening, landscaping, art and craftsmanship. You can sell handmade items, such as pottery, jewelry or home decor. You may also offer gardening services, sell plants or draw plants and sell your drawings online. You could start a home-based catering service, bakery or sell homemade goods at a local market. You might be able to create financial plans for families since you have a knack for helping others to manage their finances.

GEMINI PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Gemini and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via writing articles, blogs, even e-books from home. Especially on platforms like Medium, Substack or starting your own blog from the comfort of your home. You may also offer tutoring services o reven create online courses in subjects you are passionate about (Udemy, Coursera, VIPKid).

CANCER PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via a home-based business, such as home bakery, daycare or arts and crafts. You could find abundance in life by becoming a life coach, counselor or therapist. You may earn money from a home-cooked meal delivery. You can also each yourself interior design.

LEO PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Leo and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via music, singing, performing from home, tutoring someone in music and teaching them how to play an instrument. You may also post tutorials (for example guitar tutorials) online from the comfort of your home.

VIRGO PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Virgo and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via selling your homemade jams, pies or granola mix. You may also offer healthy student snacks or offer tips on how to make those at home with cheap and easy ingredients. Again, you could feel abundant when starting a podcast or your own local book club or even themed book club.

LIBRA PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Libra and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via designing and selling your own T-shirts, designing logos for other people. You could be good at doing make up for weddings or birthday parties. You have a knack to be an excellent host at your own home. You feel the most abundant when you have balanced family relations and friendships, partnership.

SCORPIO PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Scorpio and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via teaching people how to overcome tough situations in life and helping them find their purpose, hosting a leadership course online or from home. You may also enjoy talking about mental health and psychology.

SAGITTARIUS PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Sagittarius and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via showing tourists your hometown, hosting a culinary course in a foreign language on the local cuisine. You could also find abundance by becoming a local tour guide, even offering virtual tours of your local town.

CAPRICORN PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Capricorn and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via working with your parents, helping other families finding structure and order in the home, organising someone's closet.

AQUARIUS PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Aquarius and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via video gaming from home and streaming. You could also start a home-based business. You feel the wealthiest when you are being progressive, unique and standing out from the community. You may attract wealth by starting a podcast with your close friends, building websites from home or launching your own social media channel, platform.

PISCES PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Pisces and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via taking photos of families or pregnant women. You may also do videos for someone's wedding, anniversary or birthday. You may host themed parties at home for your friends or poetry nights.

Credit goes to astrology blog @astroismypassion

[aismoker]

The Birth of Smokerman

It is a dark night. Rain is gushing down from the heavens. Defeated, Superman, the paragon of good, lies on the streets, gasping for air. As his vision blurs and darkens, he wonders whether this would be the end.

Only half an hour before, he had heard a cry for help. Trusting on his super powers and believing thay this would be a routine job, he had immediately gone to where he thought he was needed. The cry had come from inside a warehouse. He bursted in, but he didn't know it was a trap. As soon as he had gone through the door, it had slammed shut and within a few seconds the whole warehouse had filled up with smoke. Normally, he wouldn't be bothered by it, but this smoke was different. It dulled his senses and made him feel sluggish. It was hard to breathe. It was as if the smoke that entered his lungs, didn't leave and was building up in his lungs, leaving less and less space for air. He tried to open the door. Eventually he succeeded, but it seemed to late. He stumbled out of the warehouse and fell on the ground, slowly suffocating. The last thing he saw before he passed out were two figures, clad in red and white, coming out of the warehouse.

They knelt besides the unconsciousness superhero. "The plan worked. Let's get him to headquarters."

When Superman came by, he noticed he was strapped in some kind of device. He struggled to get free, but to no avail. He still felt so weak. He heard a cold, raspy, laugh. He looked up. He hadn't noticed, that he wasn't alone. In front of him stood a man in a dark suit, flanked by two similar looking men. They were all smoking cigarettes. He noticed then the sign behind the men: Marlboro. He had fought the company for many years, but they always had gotten away. And now he was in the belly of the beast, strapped and powerless...

The sinister looking figure laughed again and said then in a deep raspy voice: "I am glad to see that you are with us again, Mr. .... Man. My men found you lying in the streets, unconscious. They brought you in and we have taken care of you." The man wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was lying. He took a drag of his cigarette and stepped closer to the superhero. "Since you are here, I want to discuss a... business proposal with you, Mr. Man. We are looking for a man with your... qualities." The smoke punctuated every word he said. Superman coughs. "Working for you? Never!" The man takes a deep drag again and blows out the smoke, right into the superhero's face. He chuckles. "We will see that Mr. Man. We have a century of experience in swaying men to our ways and our scientists just finished creating an extra potent version of our secret formula... especially designed for the likes of you. I have no doubt that we can... convince you to work for us." He turns around and snaps his fingers. One of the henchman pushes a button. Superman looks up and sees how a helmet is lowered on his head. He struggles, but he cannot get out of straps. If he only had his powers...

Once the helmet completely covers his head, he feels it tighten around his neck. He hears a hissing sound and he feels the air being sucked out. With all his might, Superman tries to break free, but to no avail. He sees one of the men coming towards him. He attaches some tubes to the mask. Air returns. Superman gratefully takes deep breathes. But then another button got pushed. The visor darkens. Superman feels trapped inside the helmet. He feels like he is burried alive. He loses all sense of time. He doesn't know how long he is standing there, but then suddenly the visor of the helmet starts to glow brightly red. Superman is blinded for a second. Aftwr some time he is used to the light and he sees that it is the Marlboro logo. Atbthe same time, he notices that the air he breathes in is getting increasingly smokier. He hates it. The smoke makes him even weaker. But he can't do anything against it. The only thing he can do, is to stare at the logo. He feels so much resentment against it.

Suddenly, his ears are filled with white noise. Wothin it, he hears a voice that sounds similar to his, but deeper and raspier.

"I AM SMOKERMAN... I SURRENDER TO MARLBORO... I AM PART OF MARLBORO... I NEED TO SMOKE... THERE IS NO GOOD... THERE IS NO EVIL... THERE IS JUST MARLBORO... ALL MEN MUST SMOKE... I AM SMOKERMAN... MARLBORO IS MY CAUSE... I DON'T THINK... SMOKING IS PLEASURE... I OBEY MARLBORO... MARLBORO IS MY MASTER... I AM SMOKERMAN... I NEED TO SMOKE... I AM ONE WITH MARLBORO... MARLBORO MAKES ME A MAN... I AM NOTHING WITHOUT MARLBORO... SMOKING IS GOOD... SMOKING MAKES ME POWERFUL... I AM SMOKERMAN..."

The voice kept repeating the same phrases over and over. Then, all of a sudden, the audio was cut off and the visor turned black again. The smoke was replaced with normal air again. Superman was thrown into complete darkness again. If the situation he was in hadn't been so serious, Superman would have laughed about it. Did they really think they could break him with this? Was this all they got?

But Superman didn't know that this was just the beginning... Hours turned into days. Days turned into weeks. He stood there. Strapped in. Sometimes asleep, sometimes awake, but always in darkness... in nothingness. The only moments that were different were when the visor lit up, the smoke filled the helmet and the voice was speaking to him. Slowly but surely he started to enjoy those moments. It were the only moments he could sense anything.

He didn't notice it, but as time went on, he started to change. The moments in nothingness started to weigh heavier and heavier upon him. It felt like he was dead. The only moments he felt alive wqs when the visor lit up. The resentment he fwlt prior towards Marlboro started to dissipate. The smoke didn't bother him anymore, in fact he started to like it. And the voice in his ears started to work their way deeper and deeper into his mind. After a few of those sessions, it was all he could think of after the session had ended. It felt like it was an anchor that kept him sane. He didn't agree with the message, but he couldn't not think about the words that were said to him.

Weeks turned into months and Superman succumbed more and more to the program. He started to crave the sessions. He needed them. He realized that this was partially because he needed to smoke. He had gotten addicted to it. But he didn't care anymore. The smoke made him feel alive. Marlboro made him feel alive.

And as time progressed, that was not the only thing he felt. It was like his body started to adapt. No longer he felt weak when he was forced to breathe in the smoke. He started to feel stronger with every lungful of smoke, more virile. The smoke was giving him pleasure he hadn't felt ever before. He felt his cock rise whenever he smelled the smoke. He had heard men talking about it, but he had never experienced it before... and it felt even better than he could have imagined. The voice had been right all along. Marlboro was making him into a man. It was all he could think of in the period of darkness. But he hadn't shot his load yet though. Each time he felt his load building up in his balls, the session was at its end. It frustrated him, he wanted a release. He needed it! It was all he could think of during the periods of nothingness. If the sessions would take just a bit longer, then he would be able to fel the ultimate pleasure... Or the problem with him? The voice said, that Marlboro is pleasure, so maybe he should give into it completely?

As his mind got twisted up more and more, Superman was getting closer and closer towards a climax. Each session got more and more intense, but ended always in failure and more frustration. He started to feel a burning hate against himself, Superman. A real man would be able to cum, but he didn't. Driven crazy by lust, he was getting closer to the point that he was willing to give himself up...

Until one day, months after he got captured...

"I AM SMOKERMAN... I SURRENDER TO MARLBORO... I AM PART OF MARLBORO... I NEED TO SMOKE... THERE IS NO GOOD... THERE IS NO EVIL... THERE IS JUST MARLBORO... ALL MEN MUST SMOKE... I AM SMOKERMAN... MARLBORO IS MY CAUSE... I DON'T THINK... SMOKING IS PLEASURE... I OBEY MARLBORO... MARLBORO IS MY MASTER... I AM SMOKERMAN... I NEED TO SMOKE... I AM ONE WITH MARLBORO... MARLBORO MAKES ME A MAN... I AM NOTHING WITHOUT MARLBORO... SMOKING IS GOOD... SMOKING MAKES ME POWERFUL... I AM SMOKERMAN..."

This time, it didn't come from the helmet, it came from the superhero's lips. As he completely surrendered to the program, he was finally able to shoot his load. Superman started to spasm. His cock teared his suit apart. Gulf after gulf of steaming hot cum was being released. White at first, but as he gave in more and more to the pleasure, itbecame darker and darker until it was pitch black. The seed kept coming and coming and covered the superhero completely. It was like he was being covered by molten lava, but it didn't hurt him. In fact, it fwlt like it was burning away his former life. The steel contraption the suoerheronjad been in for months was affected differently. Wherever the cum touched the metal, it was like it the metal butned away, like it had come in contact with acid. Soon the suoerhero, still releasing volley after volley of tar-like seed, was free. He fell on the ground. After a while he stopped cumming.

It was silent. The superhero lay there, unconscious, in a pool of his own balck cum. He didn't move. It was as if he was dead...

After an hour, hwkever, life seemed to return in him. He rose up out of the black puddle. He looked around and he saw a table with a carton of Marlboro Reds on it. Within a blink of an eye, he stood besides the table and had a vigarette in his mouth. He used his laser eyes to light the cigarette. He took such a deep drag, that the whole cigarette was gone in one drag. He took the next cigarette. He needed more. After he smoked half the carton in that way, he started to feel better. He turned around and saw that there was a mirror hanging next to the table. He walked towards it. He looked at himself and he grinned. Superman was gone. In his place stood Smokerman. He liked what he saw. So much more muscular, so much more masculine. And all thanks to Marlboro... As he lit the next cigarette, he noticed that his eues didn't turn back to blue. He looked closer in the mirror. His eyes had turned red, like there was a fire in it. In the center of them, burned into his pupils was the Marlboro logo. He smirked. Yes, from now on he was part of Marlboro.

He was Smokerman.

--------------------

EPILOGUE

It is a dark night. Rain is gushing from the heavens. On top of a building stands a dark figure. He smokes a cigarette. The city below is in turmoil. The sudden disappearance of the beloved sulerhero had caused chaos everywhere. Street gangs roamed the streets and the police, who had trusted for years on the help of the superhero was incapable to do anything in the sudden rise in crime.

The man on the rooftop heard the cries for help from everywhere in the city. They cried for Superman. But he didn't care. Suoerman was dead, reborn as Smokerman. And Smokerman didn't care about good or evil. He had bigger concerns. Everywhere in the city were men who didn't know the pleasure Marlboro brings. But that was about to change. Soon everyone would know it.

[salemssimblr]

Do you have a master post for Edgewave with rules and such? I'm a little fuzzy on what we have to do to participate. Thank you in advance!

Hi! Thanks for your interest in Edgewave!

There's a common misconception that Edgewave is my baby (I admit last year I Edgewave'd too close to the sun) but

Edgewave is actually @aniraklova's baby! Her original post is here!

But I can answer some of these so lemme try:

There are no strict "rules" on how to participate!

You can share your participating band/artist in any way you want (screenshots, posters, etc)

You can post a performance (using @aniraklova's lot (linked above) or my blender scene (coming soon)

As for what I was asking for in this post:

I'm creating a lineup poster for Edgewave that will include as many band names as I receive, as well as an Edgewave Blender scene that will contain a merch table, where I can add your bands' merch!

What I'm asking for:

Your band's logo or other graphics you'd like included on merch for the blender scene - I need this by tomorrow

(alternatively, if you have CC, you can send that my way)

Your band name before (easy-easy, just your band/artists' name) - I need this by June 11

That's it! I'd gladly include every Edgewave band I see but unfortunately I'm too busy recreating the stage in blender and I WILL miss bands so please submit your names to me at least!

@simdertalia was asking about this too so I'm tagging you for the info! <3

[mariacallous]

What, exactly, does a social network do? Is it a website that connects people with one another online, a digital gathering place where we can consume content posted by our friends? That’s certainly what it was in its heyday, in the two-thousands. Facebook was where you might find out that your friend was dating someone new, or that someone had thrown a party without inviting you. In the course of the past decade, though, social media has come to resemble something more like regular media. It’s where we find promotional videos created by celebrities, pundits shouting responses to the news, aggregated clips from pop culture, a rising tide of A.I.-generated slop, and other content designed to be broadcast to the largest number of viewers possible. The people we follow and the messages they post increasingly feel like needles in a digital haystack. Social media has become less social.

Facebook’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, admitted as much during more than ten hours of testimony, over three days last week, in the opening phase of the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust trial against Facebook’s parent company, Meta. The company, Zuckerberg said, has lately been involved in “the general idea of entertainment and learning about the world and discovering what’s going on.” This under-recognized shift away from interpersonal communication has been measured by the company itself. During the defense’s opening statement, Meta displayed a chart showing that the “percent of time spent viewing content posted by ‘friends’ ” has declined in the past two years, from twenty-two per cent to seventeen per cent on Facebook, and from eleven per cent to seven per cent on Instagram.

The F.T.C. is arguing that Meta maintained an illegal monopoly in the “personal social networking services” industry, in part by buying up Facebook’s competitors, such as Instagram, which the company acquired in 2012, and the messaging platform WhatsApp, which it acquired in 2014. But the F.T.C.’s definition of the social-media industry is hazy, and the antitrust case was already dismissed once, in 2021, partly because the “personal social networking services” market was too loosely defined. Meta’s counter-argument is, in a sense, that social media per se doesn’t exist now in the way that it did in the twenty-tens, and that what the company’s platforms are now known for—the digital consumption of all kinds of content—has become so widespread that no single company or platform can be said to monopolize it. In one of its slides at trial, Meta exhibited a graphic of a boxing ring showing the logos of Instagram, Facebook, and the various companies that Meta argues are competitors, including TikTok, YouTube, and Apple’s iMessage, though the F.T.C. doesn’t define any of those three as such. The company also used smartphone screenshots from the various apps to demonstrate how they’ve gravitated toward common formats: short video clips look similar on both Instagram and TikTok; messages look essentially the same in Instagram DMs as on Apple’s iMessage. Even as such similarities serve as helpful evidence for Meta’s defense, they also demonstrate how stultifying the entire online ecosystem has become. While in 2012 Facebook may have seemed singular and inescapable, now it looks like part of a crowded marketplace of apps competing to serve the same purpose.

The F.T.C.’s case, which originated during Donald Trump’s first term, entails reëvaluating business deals that it approved more than a decade ago, when the industry looked dramatically different. This makes the commission’s case less than airtight. Benedict Evans, an influential technology analyst, called the F.T.C.’s market definition of social networks “gerrymandering.” He told me, “By the F.T.C.’s definition, TikTok doesn’t compete with Facebook at all. Does that mean it would be O.K. for Facebook to buy TikTok?” Antitrust lawyers must prove that allegedly monopolistic practices cause consumer harm. In another antitrust case currently unfolding against Google, a court found that the company maintained a monopoly over parts of the online-advertising market by integrating its various automated advertising technologies, illegally privileging itself and harming its publishing customers by “reducing their revenue.” In the case of Meta, though, there is no price differential to point to—Meta’s platforms all allow users to access them for free—so the question of harm is less clear-cut.

The F.T.C. is arguing, instead, that Meta’s purported monopoly has led to a lack of innovation and to reduced consumer choice. But that, too, is difficult to prove in the case of Meta’s WhatsApp and Instagram acquisitions, because both sales occurred early in those companies’ life spans. In 2014, when WhatsApp was acquired, it had around half a billion users; now it has more than two billion. As Evans put it, the F.T.C. is arguing that “if Meta hadn’t bought WhatsApp, it would have become this voracious competitor.” He continued, “What we all actually know from following the history is that the founders of WhatsApp didn’t want to do any of the things that Meta did to fuel its runaway expansion. One of WhatsApp’s founders once compared the service’s goals to those of Craigslist, Zuckerberg recalled during his testimony. Meta, by contrast, aggressively pursued growth, loading WhatsApp with features such as social groups and video calls. The F.T.C. notes that market competition can result in “improved features, functionalities, integrity measures, and user experiences”; it’s hard to mount a persuasive argument that an independent WhatsApp would necessarily have provided more of those things than a Zuckerberg-owned one. (Many social networks fail; Path and Google+ were two other threats that Zuckerberg perceived, but neither grew into a viable competitor. He did at one point attempt to buy Snapchat, and though that company survived, it failed to become a major rival.)

One of the most surprising moments in Zuckerberg’s testimony came when the F.T.C. presented him with a memo that he sent to company executives, in 2018, suggesting that it might be better to spin Instagram into its own entity by choice. Zuckerberg wrote that Instagram was potentially undermining Facebook’s success, and that businesses that are independent often perform better than they would within a parent conglomerate. “Over time we may face antitrust regulation requiring us to spin off our other apps anyway,” he noted, with some prescience. Seven years ago, before the advent of TikTok and the diversification of content across digital platforms, that kind of split might have resulted in more varied products for users, more quickly—or it might not have. Either way, the social-media landscape today is arguably in the midst of a dramatic overhaul. TikTok may ultimately be banned; generative A.I. may supplant the existing model of an open, user-generated internet. On April 15th, the Verge broke the news that OpenAI is developing a social network of its own, to compete with the likes of Instagram and X. The F.T.C. may be chasing an old problem just as newer, bigger ones appear on the horizon.

This week, the European Union fined Apple and Meta for anticompetitive practices, but the penalties—five hundred million euros and two hundred million euros, respectively—are relatively modest. If the U.S. case prevails, the F.T.C. will have to decide whether to force a wholesale breakup of Meta or seek less dramatic “remedies.” One factor in this calculus might be the wishes of President Trump. In recent months, Zuckerberg has visited the White House repeatedly, and he’s ingratiated himself to the Administration with moves, at Meta, against D.E.I. and fact-checking. So far, despite a growing closeness with Silicon Valley, Trump has nevertheless continued to back the suit against Meta. As in the Administration’s ongoing trade war, Trump appreciates a pronounced threat as a tool to force a deal. Bytedance, the owner of TikTok, has all but capitulated to a mandated sale of a majority of the company. With regard to Trump, at least, Zuckerberg might be expected to capitulate one way or another.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Copyright, Trademark, What They Do (and Don't Do)

Anonymous asked: I'm writing a comic script but I'm a slow writer/artist, so it won't be ready to post for quite a few years. Is there any way I can submit a list of character and place names and have them copyrighted/trademarked so no one else can use them besides me? I'm not talking generic names like "Thomas Bird" or "Blue Mountains." I mean very specific, unique names that I've personally created. There are a lot of names/places in my story that I’m extremely happy with, and I’m really worried someone else is will write a story before me with these names and then I won’t be able to use them, even though I’m the one that came up with them first.

[Ask edited for length]

Quick disclaimer: I'm not a copyright attorney, trademarking attorney, or any other kind of legal professional or representative. This advice comes from knowledge and experience gained in my many years as a writer and author.

Copyright, in the simplest of terms, means no one but you can copy, distribute, or profit from your work without your permission. It protects your work from plagiarism--someone else using your ideas in the exact same way you did and passing it off as their own-- but it does not protect the use of individual names, titles, fictional places, or ideas, none of which can be copyrighted.

Trademark, in the simplest of terms, protects symbols, words, or phrases that identify and distinguish your brand or business and the products or services associated with them. In order to trademark a symbol, word, or phrase, you would need to prove that consumers do (or would) strongly associate the symbol, word, character, or phrase with your brand/product/services, and that there would be confusion among consumers if this symbol, word, character, or phrase appeared in association with some other brand/product/service. So, we are talking symbols like the Nike logo, words like Kleenex, character names like Bugs Bunny or Spider-Man, and phrases like "Finger Lickin' Good," not your unusually named characters or fictional places.

The best way you can protect your unique character names and places prior to publishing is to make sure you don't share them widely, and share them only with people you trust.

Just because you have an idea now doesn't mean you're the one that came up with an idea first. For example, if someone publishes a comic next year with a same character name, they may have come up with that character name twenty years ago for all you know.

Either way, it's very unlikely someone would beat you to publication and have more than one unique character name or place in common with your comic, and even if they do have one character that has the same unique name, that doesn't mean you can't use it. Again, character names can't be copyrighted. As long as your character doesn't appear to be the same character with minor changes, you're fine. I really, really wouldn't worry about it, though.

One final note of advice... one of the hardest things about being a writer, which you must adjust to if you want to succeed, is understanding that your ideas aren't as special and unique as you think they are. I don't mean that to be mean, but it's a hard truth. You will see "your ideas" everywhere you look, because people will come up with the same ideas you do, and sometimes that means coming up with a similar unique name or location. But what matters is how you use those ideas, and how that differs from how they used them. That's what makes your stories unique. Not your ideas, names, places, etc. themselves, but how you use them. ♥

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

[kalkiethinks]

SCAM ALERT

TLDR: If a commisioner ignores your instructions, sends you a ton of money upfront via a check asking you to deposit and send back a portion of money- DO NOT. So back in Nov 10 I got an email commission which started okay: "I hope this message finds you well. I am reaching out to you because I am impressed by your portfolio and believe your artistic style would be a fantastic fit for an upcoming project I am coordinating.

I am currently in the process of assembling a team and I need a talented illustrator to collaborate on the title, Pandemic: Precaution and Prevention. Your work stood out to me due to its vibrant colors, character choices and attention to detail.

If you are interested, I would love to discuss the project further and provide more details about the scope, timeline, and compensation. Please let me know if this opportunity aligns with your current availability and if you would be open to discussing it further.

He wanted to create 6 group illustrations that would be printed and handed out for students 18-25 that would equate to $6000 at a 9 week turnaround. This raised an eyebrow but thought they were just a generous client. I gave him my procedure pipeline, starting with a min deposit upfront as a show of good faith. Also told him holidays are busy so will we start next year? He says that's fine. So far okay. "Considering the amount to be paid for the job, cashiers check or bank certified checks is our best bet. My sponsor doesn't use online payment platforms. He's an old-fashioned businessperson. The check will be issued and mailed to you and you should receive it within 5 days. Please get back to with your details in the format below:" Another raised eyebrow in this digital day and age but I've done previous freelance work that used mailed checks so I was alright with this. Only released my contact info and bank name.

Now the red flags pop up: On Nov 19 he sends this: "How are you doing today ? I'm so sorry for this, sincerely I do not find it easy to write this to you this moment , I have been so busy lately, the check is been made out for $6,000.00 which is cover for both phases. The sponsor asked for immediate refund for the 2nd phase as soon as the check clears your bank then you could proceed with the first 1-3. The 2nd phase is been postponed until further notice due to the sponsors personal issue, I will provide you the tracking information via USPS as soon as I have it so you could have it tracked yourself to know when exactly it will be delivered. My sincere apology for the inconvenience and do have a great day." So my requests were completely ignored, tells me a check is on the way with the full lump sum and I have to return half that amount. This is one method I've heard scammers get access of one's bank account with the poison check and you end up paying that half with your own actual money. Checked with friends and my own bank, sounds like a scam. Check arrives, and doing 30 minutes of Googling reveals so much warning stuff:

-So the names on the client email (Nicholas Jarry), and this name on the USPS (Christopher Williams) revealed on the first results are both famous sports players. One is a funny coincidence, two is suspicious. -quick Google of what a Keybank check is like, get an old warning about what to look for in legit checks, also tried calling Keybank on how to verify a check and explaining the scenario. -the address on the USPS belongs to a residential house that had another business also registered to it before that has gone inactive. -The Ace Cafe is real, but everything is inconsistent. The Hillcourt Dr address leads to a residential house, there is no LLC, and the logo belongs to a legit Orlando location that had closed last year and is opening in a new location, the address not matching whats on the check and names do not match either Jarry or Williams.

I've already reported this issue to the FTC and while they can't help me do anything with this particular scammer I'm now passing this around to new artists to know what to look out for when too many little suspicious things add up.

[honeyjars-sims]

Side Story: Businesses and Hobbies Ep 10

How to Build Your Empire

Hire a graphic designer to create a logo

Put some fashion students to work...and flirt with the cute one

Meet with a fashion designer to show her your designs

Cut a deal with her that will change your life

Don't forget to make time for yourself by spending time with friends...a lot of time

Previous | Beginning of story | Beginning of chapter | Next

[madamemiz]

MILD SPOILERS! impressions from the votv 0.8.1 update (day 2)

KEL WALK CYCLE REAL even if it's a bit janky. feels almost strange to see moving feet when i look down. got peakaboo'd by this character model while climbing the tower too, i didn't realize the little rectangle on his beanie is the aso logo, that's a nice touch! (if i saw that correctly that is)

i love the glasses as an equipable item, velma mode is unnecessary but funny 10/10 just like me fr

tf you mean burgers cost 95???? and pizza so expensive?? hello???

flour?? cooking?! ok now that's a fun prospect, i'm getting the cookbook as soon as i can

on that note i've heard berry bushes are a thing now, but i've yet to come across any and i've been actively looking while out and about

aww kel's tummy growls when he's hungry now, that's cute. mfer got a hell of an appetite for someone so picky. also just like me fr

they changed the eating sound and i'm sad, i liked the original ;w; it was oddly satisfying

has the vending machine always had a nice glass texture?

that's it for now, so far so good. i've seen the stuff about kerfur, as well as more farming integration. the farming bit sounds fun, as for the kerfur crafting changes:

hoo boy. i like the idea of needing to get a few more things, it makes sense in-universe. they do most of your job for you, it's fine to make the requirements a bit more difficult, but... i'm gonna level with you, the recipe i've seen and what you need to do for it seems overboard for a casual player. keyword casual. it almost feels like the difficulty spike was created with youtubers and streamers in mind--yknow, people who are professional gamers, or at the very least people who look up hacks to speedrun their kerfurs, because several of them made it seem very easy. i don't think the vast majority of people playing the game play it that way though; i didn't have omega kerfur until a couple of weeks in-game time, and i've seen a lot of people say the same or later. these changes could potentially push kerfur to closer to endgame for a good chunk of players, which seems like a bad move to me for a few reasons--

firstly, i'd imagine this change is in part to encourage players to get out of the base more instead of relying on kerfur for the hashcodes, but having an omega greatly opens up how much free time you have, which allows you more time to explore and make your base cozy. i never had time before i had them, i was too busy running around getting hashcodes and scrounging up money

secondly, late game has quite a few enemies that can instakill kerfur, which makes sending them out for codes and repairs kind of pointless. at that point you may as well keep your base kerfur as-is instead of spending the time and resources to upgrade. not to mention that one of the items requires mining in the cave which... personal note, i never found the pickaxe or stepped foot in the cave in 0.8.0, and frankly never planned to. guess i have to now!

thirdly, like... people get attached to their kerfurs. a lot of returning players i've seen discussing the update are upset they won't have their wife/husband/partner/child/roomate etc back until later in their run unless they mail them over. why would you wanna separate the players from one of their favorite aspects of the game? hell, i've contemplated mailing my 0.8.0 kerfur over not bc of the difficulty spike, but bc i feel bad leaving them behind in my old save

maybe i'm just overthinking and it won't be as bad once i do it, but i've just been puzzling over the changes. what do y'all think?? are the changes justified, or nah?