#I'm playing mind games with the algorithm

[indiiglow]

I have successfully manipulated tumblr to show me house posts without looking it up once

[bacchuschucklefuck]

i love your bard! riz au so much. he is so tragic as a character for all the reasons of what living in constant danger fear does to your mind. can i ask about his relationship with the other bad kids and the major differences vs canon?

hey I'm glad ur enjoying what's goin on here! I don't have a Lot of it clear in my mind yet bc it is a full class swap of the entire party so some stuff will just. not play out until they do yknow? it is how it is. but I think from the beginning riz's motivation is decently different so he'll just get into it on an entirely different path - he did Not start out a very kind kid. he would be extremely conflict avoidant, he's got the Actor feat, he's stocked up on Disguise Self, he's ready to disappear mid-conversation, anyone who looks like troubles he's steering Clear of. he goes to aguefort not because he wants to be an adventurer but because sklonda was like "this works for you?" and he was like "yeah 's all good :]" (he is about to throw up bc that's where penny went missing)

I'd say he runs into fabian (rogue) first very briefly and they'd mutually be like oh. a guy. and immediately forget each other once they get out of the same like locked classroom they accidentally both hid in. and then during the corn cutie fight fabian would see the way riz react and Not Like It (haha whoa. like looking in a mirror amirite) and go actually I'd rather be a hero (derogatory) than whatever that is that guy's got going on. great surprise for him when they got out and registration's closed and the mirror is now one of his partners in the career-long group project :]

kristen (sorcerer) would be an Insane encounter at first for riz like this is someone who is extremely powerful, not very controlled, and so fucking starved for people to be nice at. riz is cordial to her on the way and she is like Fuck Yeah Friend! please go do paperwork with me I don't know shit from fuck I haven't had proper paperwork since I was like twelve and gay. do you like candies? she then throws ragh through a window for trying to bully gorgug and netting her and gorgug the detention (riz is of course immediately someone else while this is happening) (he shows up again right after like haha sorry that was scary! resolutely not looking at how kristen's face falls at the idea of someone being scared of her again)

riz and gorgug (cleric) get on like house on fire at first in the sense that they're at that point both fake bitches and they know this about each other and acknowledge this with each other implicitly and they're like I'm not poking at what's going on with you if you don't poke at what's going on with me. and then gorgug dies and sees that the god he's been feeding his anger to isn't real (yet) and has his realization that he's been indoctrinated into a cult through the support group he's been to and starts on deprogramming and in that process he starts poking at riz's deal just by proxy of dealing with his own. riz gets vicious about this a bit into it but after the arcade he kinda comes around again. it helps that at the end of sophomore year gorgug becomes the saint of the Inbetween and riz is very much in need of that stop on his way right then

fig (barbarian) on the other hand does Not like riz off the bat (her whole thing is leaning into rage to live her truth without fear) but then being as perceptive as she is soon she's like ohhhh you're just scared. like Really scared and it's ruining your life. and after that she's like I'll just protect you then :] (this is her solution to most things her friends go through) this does not help at first bc riz has picked up the pattern that is if you're protective of him bad things will happen to you. he will have a breakdown about this in sophomore year but it'll get better from there

adaine (artificer) on the Other other hand just straight up doesn't like riz until after the arcade lol. he's on the prep side, he's not socially awkward and he doesn't use that power for anything but being a coward, he lets biz talk at him in the AV club and that means biz never stops fucking talking, and every time adaine raises a complaint all he does is being like "sorry :[" and changing nothing. it's fucked up between them riz tries to appease her by doing nice things but he doesn't address the things she actually complains about so she doesn't take it. she's the person who outright calls him out for not having the backbone to stand up for himself or his party. despite this she never thinks of throwing him out of the party and he does pick up on this. they get better after the arcade and riz apologizing and by junior year adaine's the one handling the tech end of riz's freelance publication

all of this is subjected to change of course I'm mostly keeping things mobile that's where all the fun is hehe. the world is constantly in motion etc but this is kinda how I'm coming into my art atm we'll simply see!

[sevgilimsatoru]

Error: 410 (Self Aware!AU Caleb Edition) Part 3

Part:1 Part: 2 Part:4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 A/N

Summary: A self aware!AU with Caleb and NonMC! reader. Tags: Caleb x reader, Caleb x NonMC! reader, Caleb x fem!reader, fluff, angest (slightly) Stressedout!reader. Hypersexual!reader Word Count: 600 words Inspired by: @ittybittyfanblog "If I kept you here with me like this.. Would you think I'm being too selfish?' "-Caleb, Love and Deepspace" Days had started blurring together for you now. Getting up, getting ready, making and eating breakfast, going to classes, coming back home, making and eating dinner, do homework, play love and deep space till 2 in the morning, sleep and repeat. You had grown accustomed to this routine now. It didn't even bother you that much except a few things that had started changing in your internet algorithm. Healthy diet, small exercise videos, self care videos and posts like these kept popping up in your recommended pages which was surprising considering the fact that you clearly remembered not searching up about all this. You groaned, finally slipping off your jacket and shoes as you walked inside your apartment, closing and locking the door behind you. Finally home sweet home. You walked out of the bathroom after showering, cracking your knuckles, you finally sat down on the bed. Just giving your tired muscles a rest. The silence being interrupted by a **ping** You picked up your phone to see a message from the game Love and Deepspace. It was a message from Caleb, "I missed you". As sweet as it seemed, that message made your blood run cold. You had never turned on notifications of this game. This and the other weird things that had been going on in your phone.., What the hell was going on? You quickly opened your phone, opening different apps and your saved documents. Had you downloaded some sort of virus? It didn't seem like it. You even ran an anti virus scan on your phone but nothing. Maybe it was hacked. Oh god, what was happening? How could you have been so dumb to get your phone hacked? There was so much important information saved in your phone. What could you do now? You couldn’t just run to your parents for help, you weren’t a kid anymore.. A slow melody broke you out of your thoughts, glancing down at the loading of the Love and Deepspace game. And there stood Caleb, so close to the screen, his arms crossed over his chest. "Calm down, [y/n]. It's alright." Caleb said, his voice ringing through your ears. What.. WHAT!? Were you actually loosing it or was Caleb actually talking to you? Okay.. maybe you were just hallucinating all this time. That’s.. worrying. Hallucinating and then hearing a game character talking to you, that’s not normal. Besides what sort of sane person gets attached to a fictional character like the way you were. Yep, you had definitely gone insane. Maybe you should get yourself admitted in a psych ward.. Who knows what your mind will make up next? Caleb was still staring at you, looking at your worried expression. "Hey hey- it's okay, just breathe. Like how I do it, breathe in.. breathe out.., in.. out.., in.. out.. and there we go- doesn't that feel better?" Caleb said, watching you follow his instructions. A small smile forming on his face. You sniffled, looking at him. Just looking at him for a moment, you shrugged, opening and closing your mouth like a gold fish. You couldn't think of what to say. "So.. I don't know what is going on but I can hear you, you are talking to me. How can I be sure that this isn't some sort.. I don't know hallucination." The smile that formed on Caleb's face was enough to calm your mind down. That easy, teasing smile. "Just trust me, alright? Keep breathing though. We don't want to be stressed out. You know I'll indulge you, ask me whatever you want. I'll answer honestly. Promise.." He said, holding out his pinkie finger towards you on the screen.

Tag list: @beewilko @browneyedgirl22 @aneertawrites @etsuniiru @demon-master-zero @angstylittleb1tch @mcdepressed290 @ittybittyfanblog @winwinwrites @alifyairl @huhleighna @calebsbeanpeeler @bookworrm1999 @mentaltrouble2201

[kumkaniudaku]

Superhero

Summary: Surprise shawtyyyy! It's Terry's birthday!

Pairing: Terry Richmond x Black!OC (Patrice Ellis)

Word Count: 3.4K

Warnings: None

"A little to the left, Phee. A little more. Okay, back to the right. Perfect!" 

Napheese breathed a sigh of relief as she released her hold on a Terry-sized cutout of his favorite super arachnid something-or-another around Diedra's living room. Patrice couldn't remember if it was Peter, Miles, or one of the others – all she knew was Terry loved the blue and red masked crusader. Whatever Terry loved, she vowed to bring to him in abundance. 

As party guests doubled as set-up crew members and buzzed about the Richmond family home, Patrice played project manager, wrangling pockets of confusion until they came together to produce the vision she'd had in her mind since Valentine's Day. In the backyard, Ken managed the tedious task of stringing up a paper-mache Spider-Man while Terry's old teammates carried folding tables to and fro under Zorah and Zanah's watchful eyes. 

Marvin and Leon stood at the grill, unloading freshly cooked meats and roasted veggies into aluminum pans, dancing along to Corey and June's partnered DJ set as they tested their speakers.

Napheesa's husband, Aaron, and Victoria's fiancee, Jonathan, manned a makeshift bar area, trying to find the right liquor-to-mixer algorithm for cocktail recipes Patrice had found online. From her spot at the kitchen table, Patrice could see them grimace and toss yet another drink over their shoulders to start fresh. 

Indoors, Patrice and her trusted set of ladies turned Terry's childhood living room into a blue and red wonderland, complete with decor rivaling any party planner's best day on the job. Comic books with a cartoon version of his adult form sat next to masks, noisemakers, and shot glasses to mix the childlike with a little adult fun. Streamers hung from the ceiling. Confetti decorated themed table cloths. Games sat waiting for the perfect time to pop them open and unleash all of the arguing that came with friendly competition. 

Huffing, puffing, and aching, Patrice had done her job. She'd deal with the soreness creeping up her legs and resting at the base of her spine once clean-up was wrapped, and Terry was grinning from ear to ear. 

Diedra looked up from stuffing colored cellophane treat bags meant to appeal to the inner child of 30-somethings. She smiled at her daughter-in-law and the swell of her growing belly showing beneath her sweatshirt. "You've done a good job, Patrice. Take your rest, sister girl." 

Rest was a foreign concept to an expectant mother hellbent on scaling a four-year-old's birthday party to something fit for a grown man. He couldn't quite put his finger on what had Patrice protecting her phone screen when he was around and hadn't gathered any details outside of the Publix order she tasked him to deliver for the month's supposed Sister Circle meeting. She'd sent him over 30 minutes away for a fruit platter and wings she swore up and down the closest supermarket could fulfill. He was off the trail for now. Just long enough to usher his closest family and friends into his parent's living room to sit in excited silence, anticipating the opportunity to wish him well in his next year of life. 

"Your brother's at the store, wondering which beer Terry likes most," Rosalyn relayed with the phone unnecessarily close to her face as she marched into the room from the backyard. "And those boys are tearing up all that liquor out there. I don't know if y'all are gonna have any left."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Ros. They always tearing something up. Can't take 'em nowhere," Victoria mumbled as she finished tying ribbons on her stash of treat bags, earning a hum in agreeance from Napheesa.

Patrice nonchalantly waved them off as she used one hand to stuff a piece of chocolate into her mouth and the other to rub her stomach. "Tell Junior it's alright. He won't drink anyway. He says he's sober until further notice. Just make sure he brings enough ice." 

"Terry won't have a beer on his birthday? He's been doing that since he was 18. You really are a magician, Little Richmond." Dee's compliment came in a sweet voice that sharply contrasted her expert precision in plucking Patrice's third bite-sized Snickers from between her fingers before tossing it in a nearby wastebasket. She ignored the small whimper and continued. "You know you're the only one that can surprise him, right? We've been trying since he was a boy, and he always sniffs out the plan. With you, he follows directions blindly. I wouldn't have ever been able to get him 'cross town for this long." 

"Did you ever try threatening him? That's usually what I do," Patrice added. 

Napheesa chuckled. "Girl, he listens because you also got something his mama ain't got." 

"Ain't that the truth. The vagina does amazing things, ladies. There's power between those thighs. Come to the real Sister Circle meeting next week, and we'll talk all about it!" Diedra agreed. 

"I know that's right, Auntie," Victoria exclaimed.

Patrice sat with a satisfied grin on her face, wanting to take exception to her mother's not-so-subtle assertion but knowing that the truth was simply the truth. She chose a joke as her rebuttal: "Y'all don't know what we're doing when we're alone." 

"Baby, we know. We can see you. Ain't no shame." 

All in the room laughed at Rosalyn's joke, compelling Patrice to join in, even at her expense. She ran her hand across her belly, dreaming of what her baby might think of all this fanfare unfolding mere inches from their safe space. 

She sighed and looked around, tears pricking her eyes. "Everything looks so good y'all. Thank you for helping me. Even if you did take all my snacks. I owe y'all first dibs on newborn photos." 

"As if I won't be in that house helping you the second you get home," Vick scoffed. She reached over to grab Patrice's hand for a quick squeeze. "We got you girl. Anything for you and that man of yours." 

"One day, you're gonna have to get over the breakup, Victoria," Napheesa laughed. 

Vick rolled her eyes. "Patrice forgives. The Lord is still working on me. Sometimes, I have flashbacks and just wanna…" Her voice trailed as she made a strangling motion and shook her hands. When she stopped, she looked over at Diedra, laughing at her animated movements. "No offense, Mrs. DeeDee." 

"Sometimes little traces of his daddy jump out, child. Blame it on that fiery, light-eyed Richmond blood. Lord knows I love it and hate it all the same damn time."

Wisdom and frustrations shared between generations of women connected through one man filled the room, pushing Patrice into a fit of giggles as she listened along and tried to quell the unfamiliar fluttering in her abdomen. Buzzing in the front pocket of her working overalls paused her participation in the conversation. It brought her attention to Terry's teenage face filling the screen. 

She lifted her hand to get the group's attention. "Sshh sshh, y'all. This is Terry. Let me put him on speaker." Talking ceased, and breathing stilled as they rushed to sit perfectly quiet and eavesdrop. Patrice put on her sweetest voice to answer. "Hey, Birthday Man. Everything okay?" 

On the interstate, Terry slowly switched lanes, growing frustrated by the unfathomable traffic on Saturday afternoon. He grimaced at the nickname. "Baby, I'm in my 30s. Birthday Man makes it sound like I never moved out of my mama's basement." 

"Excuse me for wanting to celebrate you. Guess I'll cancel the reservation too, then," Patrice sassed, earning stifled laughter around her. 

"I'm sorry, Piggy. Call me whatever you want. Don't cancel our time together. I'm excited." The genuine smile in his voice brought heat to Patrice's cheeks and a quiet swooning to the group. 

She smiled, though he couldn't see her. "I'm excited, too," she gushed. "You on the way back to me for a little while?" 

"Yeah, I should be there in fifteen minutes. You stayin' off your feet over there? I won't hear about you on no ladders, will I?" Terry knew the answer. He always knew the answer to whether his busy body of a wife had finally committed to following her doctor's orders.

"Duh, TJ. I know how to sit down," Patrice answered. 

Terry chuckled. "You know how to lie, too. At least sit down until I get back. Corey says he's running late anyway."

"Alright. I love you. We love you." Patrice's voice carried an innocent lilt mushy enough to make Zorah quietly roll her eyes in the background. She padded into the room. 

"I love y'all, too. See you in a bit, baby."

Air kisses shared from a distance, growing shorter by the second, capped off a nauseatingly sweet conversation so covered in newlywed confections that it was nearly responsible for new cavities in everyone's mouths. 

Patrice gave Terry's photo a final smile before looking up at the face carrying varying mixes of disbelief and shock. She rolled her eyes. "God forbid a girl is nice to her husband. Stop looking at me, and let's get this show on the road. My baby will be here soon!" 

Prison warden sensibilities helped corral a group of adults into Marvin and Dierdra's living room with enough time to spare for Patrice to toddle down the front porch steps like a damsel in distress and look for her "missing" cell phone charger. 

T.I.'s 'U Don't Know Me' rattled car windows lining the street as he barrelled down the quiet residential street. Terry's arm hung comfortably out of the window, allowing the rays of a blazing sun sitting high in the sky to ping off of his wedding ring once he raised his hand to wave at his first love. Patrice put on an unassuming smile and closed her back passenger side door to wait for him to follow his usual routine. 

The truck's engine shut off with an easy twist of Terry's wrist once he found a spot in front of the house, taking Urban Legend's bass-heavy third track with it. Bags rustled, and soft grunts of effort left newly moisturized lips. A heavy door slammed as a mountain of a man stepped out of his chariot and took long strides toward a woman dancing from foot to foot to welcome him in. 

"What you doin' out here," Terry asked as he approached. He gently placed the lightest bag in Patrice's outstretched hand before leaning down to peck her puckered lips. "Who let you come out here by yourself?" 

She shrugged, unwilling to place blame on anyone in particular. "The meeting hadn't started yet, and I thought I had left my charger in the car, so I came to grab it. But I guess it's in my bag? I don't know. This momnesia stuff is real." 

"Mhmm. How's your back?" A large hand came up to place light pressure in the spot she'd recently complained about, hoping to ease the pain. 

"It's better." For his sake, a lie slid off Patrice's tongue with minimal effort. "Dee's grabbing me a heating pad, and I get the good chair. Wish she'd let me have another chocolate instead, but whatever. Perks of getting disgusting in that hotel room, I guess." 

"I really hope you don't say that in front of these old ladies. Is that who all these cars belong to? You think they gon' eat all this food?" Terry questioned, taking stock of the unfamiliar vehicles. 

Patrice sighed in exasperation. "Oh hell, Terry, are you helping me or interrogating me? Come on and get this stuff in the house so I can talk about you behind your back in peace." 

Terry's chuckle and the audible pop of palm on her denim-covered backside rang out behind Patrice as he followed her into the house. Blissful ignorance carried him in the house. He blissfully smelt her perfume wafting in the wind, blissfully watched her spreading hips switch in front of him, blissfully listened to the sweet alto of her voice call out his presence as they rounded the corner—blissfully unaware.

"Surprise!" 

Bliss abruptly took a back seat to the reflex to shield Patrice from danger. The hair on Terry's arms stood attention, looking for the threat, and wild eyes surveyed the room. His father's smile disarmed him first. Then his mother, Corey, with his phone up to capture the moment, his sisters giving him identical middle fingers, and the hulking Spider-Man cutout masquerading like a member of his extended family, calmed him further. Confusion came for him next – a fleeting emotion but one that rocked him with so much force that he considered walking out of the house altogether. If not for Patrice grasping his arm to keep him in place, Terry would've hightailed it back to his truck and disappeared into the wind. 

But, as his fight or flight response dissipated and realization knocked the wind from his lungs, tears pricked the corner of his eyes. 

Spider-Man. The birthday party he never received. The superhero he spent hours dreaming of becoming in his boyhood. The character that kept him excited for something in his darkest times. His favorite interest to share with his father and the one he hoped to pass on to his child one day soon. A sea of red and blue engulfed him, sparking up more gratitude than his body knew how to filter into productive words or sounds. 

"Say hello to your people, baby. They came to see you!" 

Patrice's voice pulled Terry back into reality and broke him down, all in the same breath. He slowly set the fruit tray on the floor before pulling her into a hug packed with a heady amalgamation of wish fulfillment and unspeakable gratitude. A chorus of 'awws' rolled across the room in a murmur from people not used to a vulnerable Terry willing to cry in front of a crowd. 

Patrice ran her nails across his shoulder blades as she rocked them side to side. "Happy Birthday, Pookie Bear! We're all so proud of you and the man you are." 

"Thank you," Terry whispered against Patrice's neck. "I love you so much." 

"I know. I love you 3000." A short laugh sent warm hair fanning across Patrice's skin before Terry pulled back to look at her face with amused confusion. She smiled. "See, I pay attention sometimes!"

Whispered declarations of love and short kisses kept at bay with the strength of Christ himself produced more big feelings and bigger tears until the soft clearing of a throat nearby reminded Terry that not only was he at a birthday party, he was at his birthday party.

"Shit," he whispered to himself before quickly swiping moisture from his cheeks. Terry scanned the room for faces once more, taking in the full scope of all his wife had achieved. "My baby sisters are here. They never come home," he laughed through more tears. "Ken is here! Mike, Tim…what is goin' on here? Oh my God!" 

Corey hollered back behind his phone. "We here to party, man! We had to cut the guest list. Everybody and they mama was trynna get in here for you, boy!" 

"And the catfish. Mostly you, but definitely the catfish," Zanah added to scattered laughter. 

Terry's smile stretched from ear to ear as he reached out to snag two plastic Spider-Man masks from a nearby table. With careful precision, he slid one onto Patrice's face, adjusted it, and then did the same for himself. Childish whimsy compelled him to try shooting imaginary webs from his wrists. 

Patrice gave him a quizzical look. "Does that mean we're good to go, Spidey?" 

They were more than good. Like fresh champagne uncorked and sprayed to celebrate a championship win, Terry's imaginary webslinging cracked the seal on the afternoon. Adults ran around, stuffing their faces and dancing like children dropped off at a classmate's birthday party. Terry got the first crack at his pinata and hit it so hard dead center that Peter Parker nearly disintegrated into a heap of cheap paper and cardboard. Relay races stretched muscles, many of which hadn't been used in ions. Pictionary on the back deck quickly turned into a game of watching Ken flex how many things he could turn into awful stick figures. They presented the man of the evening with sentimental and gag gifts in equal measure and showered him in praise. 

"Okay, babe," Patrice exclaimed as she presented Terry with a slender box wrapped in red paper. "While you open that, I have to give a speech because you always have one for me. Terrence is nothing short of amazing. I've never met anyone so dedicated to serving his family and his community. You're a mentor, a dutiful son, an amazing big brother, and the only husband I want. I'm so happy to get a front-row seat to your next evolution as Daddy. I love you, Pookie Bear. Hopefully, this shows how much I look at you as a superhero. Our Friendly Neighborhood Terry, if you will!" 

A little online digging and a sketchy, at best, Etsy shop brought Terry's wildest dreams to life. He held a detailed figurine of his face and body contorted into a signature hero's pose. Thanks came in deep kisses, and a grown man showcased his new toy to all his friends as if he was transported directly back to age six.

By sunset, more libations and a deck of cards procured from thin air, turning innocent fun into a heated competition between teammates seeing each other for the first time in years and couples looking to put a hurting on each other's pockets. 

Terry existed in a permanent state of laughter. His shoulders shook with each chuckle, his abs flexed and relaxed underneath his shirt from every joke and story taking him on a trip down memory lane, and his cheeks burned from smiling with the full force of his facial muscles. 

As much as Patrice wanted to remain with the group and listen to a spirited retelling of Terry's infamous in-game trash talk and a nasty reaction to his taunting, she needed to listen to her little one's demand for an empty bladder. 

Terry watched her disappear into the house and half-listened to Tim's story, which was littered with exaggerations, for a few minutes before pushing back from the table and excusing himself. He slipped into the quiet, empty house and flipped on the kitchen lights in search of his mother's good cake knives. Methodical cuts produced a small sliver of contraband for someone special. 

Loud whooshing from the hallway powder room and the sink shutting on and off produced goosebumps pebbling across Terry's skin. Anticipation coursed through his veins. His smile grew as she came around the corner, rubbing her fluttering stomach. 

"Oh, hey," she greeted, exhaustion evident in her tired smile. Once they were within arms' length of each other, she reached out to caress his cheek with her thumb. He leaned into her touch, kissing her palm. "Having fun, baby?" 

He nodded. "Mhmm. I got something for you?" 

"Baby, this is your day. You don't need to get me anything," Patrice whined. 

"Shhhh," Terry answered, shaking his head. "Just let it happen. Close your eyes."

She did so reluctantly, expecting a silly kiss or something inappropriate until the soft embrace of fluffy buttercream and soft vanilla cake pushed past her lips into her mouth. Patrice hummed and chewed, savoring every morsel before opening her eyes. "God, I love you." 

"Not nearly as much as I love you," he answered while feeding her another, bigger bite she readily accepted. "I owe you the moon next month, okay? Name it, and you got it."

"A BMW. All white. Peanut butter insides." 

Terry scoffed and wiped the corner of Patrice's mouth free of debris. "Easy. I'm literally Spider-Man. Give me a challenge, Treecey." 

"Ooooh, I see you. Shut my mouth," she exclaimed, her laughter inviting Terry to join in. "Let's see, superhero. How about…"

Mention of fantastical things like trips to the moon and a purse made from rare stars fell from Patrice's lips in jest as Terry carefully balanced feeding and active listening. What she considered a silly little game was anything but for a man wholly invested in her happiness. If he had to fight crime by night to bring Patrice the desires of her heart, he'd do it with a smile under his mask. 

Superhero. He'd waited a long time to finally earn the moniker and party to boot. And he'd wait for 100 more, fight a never-ending list of villains, and jump across the multiverse just to love like this again.

------

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[thebreakfastgenie]

I'm not anti-vote or anything, but I think some of the liberals on here greatly overrate how much damage a bunch of bored kids (most of whom probably can't even legally vote) talking shit on social media can actually do to the Democrats. So what if they turn out braindead "Genocide Joe" memes by the thousands per week? No meaningful voter would pay attention to those, and anyone who does never had a vote worth chasing in the first place.

The problem is that it's not just a bunch of bored kids. It feeds a larger social media ecosystem. Remember "cancel culture?" Remember how that became a right wing talking point that conservatives whined about in mainstream settings? That has its roots on tumblr. If you ever doubted that fringe social media movements affect mainstream politics, 2024 should have been the final nail in the coffin. JD Vance has very signifcant (and, frankly, underreported) ties to online far right communities (known as "groypers" to the terminally online) and it absolutely influenced his campaign and now he's bringing those interests to the vice-presidency. Elon Musk (the owner of twitter) and Vivek Ramaswamy want to run a government office named DOGE after a meme. We're sharing the internet with the people in power; we're all playing with live ammo. It's often a ripple effect or butterfly effect, so it's very difficult to predict what memes and posts from "bored kids" will make it to real life politics and how they'll be transformed along the way. Because it's so hard to predict, we need to be aware of the possibility and act with care. "Genocide Joe" memes contributed to a general feeling of dissatisfaction with Biden that, intentionally or not, played into the Trump campaign's "everyone hates Biden" narrative. A similar thing happened with Hillary in 2016.

Elections are also won and lost on the margins. Campaigns spend billons on ground games that persuade a very small percentage of voters, but it's better to persuade that percentage than not to. If you don't know if something is going to make a difference, you act as if it is when the stakes are high. Is the drag from a constant negative social media narrative going to hurt a campaign? Maybe, and either way it's definitely not going to help, so it's better not to have it. 2016 and 2024 were both very close elections.

Liberals also tend to interpret bored kids' posts as statements of action. If someone says they don't want a Democrat to win, will try to stop it, and will tell other people not to vote for that candidate, liberals are going to object to that.

It's usually not "meaningful voters" who decide elections. It's low-information swing voters who make up their minds on the way to the voting booth. These voters are, consciously or unconsciously, often influenced by perceived popular opinion. A lot of people don't have deeply held values that they've spent time examining, but have moral compasses more akin to "if everyone I know thinks this, it must be right." The danger of social media is that is also distorts the meaning of "everyone I know." Your meme about how you hate Joe Biden finds its way into an algorithmically-generated bubble and someone says "gee, it seems like everyone I know hates Joe Biden, I generally trust my social circle, he must be really bad." And it's self-reinforcing. They start sharing it or making similar posts of their own and it spreads to their contacts in their own bubbles.

I don't think the exact mechanisms or limits or this phenomenon are fully understood yet because social media is still too new, but it's very real.

[romanoffsbish]

Could you do prompts 4, 14, & 20 with Wanda? Thank you!! <3

An Alluring Touch

Wanda Maximoff x F!R

Smut Prompts | WC: 1,665 Words

Meddling friends, and drunken games…

Smut: Mommy(W) | Thigh Riding (R) | Choking | Strap(R) | Jealousy | Soft

18+ — Minors DNI — Labeled

"Shall we play a game Romanoff?" Natasha rolled her eyes but turned to face the arrogant man anyways. The party had long since lost the appeal that the early hours carry, so she was just bored enough to humor him. "Depends. What do you propose we arrange Stark?"

The redhead saw his gaze float over to you, who was sat alone on a couch nursing a glass of wine, bored and completely unaware of the eyes around the room observing you. His focus then moved on to the witch a few paces behind with her heart eyes set on your beautiful face.

Natasha smirked at the notion. "Oh, I'm in."

——

Tony beamed, slammed the rest of his scotch, then clapped to get the entire room's attention. Everyone grumbled knowingly. "Now, now, don't get too excited," he taunted, "Everyone meet in the middle, it's time to play a game."

"What game?" Maria asked as she plopped onto a couch, a smile graced her face as Nat settled atop of her lap as it was her rightful spot. Her question was answered in a hush against her lips, she hummed in amusement, and leaned back into the couch with her lover.

"Well Hill, I decided the sexual tension in the room wasn't settling on its own," he teased, catching Wanda's glare with a returned smirk. "So, I've had Friday create an algorithm for a few random rounds of seven minutes in heaven. All of us with partners were spared."

Friday immediately followed him up with a textbook definition of the party game, many of the men in the room shifted at the raunchy end of her description. Then she called out: "The first participant will be, Y/N Y/L/N."

Wanda saw Bucky's eyes light up when your name was called and she clenched her fists. Tony and Natasha shared a humored glance, then as if Friday was in on the joke she stalled before deciding your fate: "Wanda Maximoff."

The witch sent Bucky a triumphant smile, then confidently made her way over to you. With each click of her heels on the ground your heart would skip, and when her hand was palm up before your face it had practically stopped. It took a second, but you softly accepted the gesture, and let her pull you up off the couch.

Wanda guided you away, the sounds of wolf whistles ignored as she took you off to the neighboring room, and guided you into the supply closet full of miscellaneous objects.

For an entire minute you just sat on a shelf and stared at your fiddling fingers. Wanda kept her eyes on you, trailing over your shy form while you were none the wiser. Until you finally had the courage to spare her a glance, catching on to her darkened gaze. You could feel your heart beating in your core at the implications. Wanda bit her lip, and decided to move in for the kill.

"Can I touch you?" Wanda watched you toy with the idea, then in a bold move you got up and straddled her lap. “Do whatever you want.”

Wanda’s eyes lit up, neither of you expected such a response, but being confined in a small space made you acutely aware of the tension. It was unbearable, especially when you could now piece together every other time you’d not seen the clear adoration. Your eyes fell to the way Wanda’s tongue darted out, preparing her lips for what was to come. Lids encased your shiny orbs, and your mind went fuzzy as you melted into the embrace of her plump lips with yours.

Wanda’s hands gripped your waist, holding you up as she moved her left leg between yours, there was nothing to hold her back from claiming and destroying you now, you were hers. You groaned in anticipated shock as your puffy folds dripping with arousal, thinly covered in white lace, brushed against the gruff feel of her favored corduroys.

The witch watched with her mouth agape, labored breaths following the opening as she was privileged enough to see your eyes cross and to feel your body shiver, with your pulse now drumming erratically beneath her fingers as she suddenly wrapped them around your throat, and pulled you in for a rough kiss.

Your bodies buzzed in sync, you were well on your way to climaxing, and the thought of your slick being so abundant that it would seep through the thick material encasing her leg made her pace brutal as she sought to prolong the high she had already become addicted to.

Wanda couldn’t think of anything else besides you as she swirled her tongue around your mouth and blocked the moans from leaving. Nothing else mattered. Not even your friends just around the corner. Or the anger she felt for Natasha and Tony manufacturing this first that she dreamed will be many’s afterwards.

You too dreamed of that as you screamed into the crook of her neck as you felt the unending heat between your legs from the friction of the contradictory fabrics brushing against your greatest sensitivity. Wanda was moaning too, and you just pictured her powers likely being used to stimulate her because she just couldn’t help it but to get off at the same time with you.

Nothing else mattered to you either. No one else. Wanda was all you had the room to know.

That knowledge of their existence had honestly slipped your mind after the kiss. Wanda had initially caught all of your whorish moans with her lips. But then she pulled away to kiss down the expanse of your throat, feeling the vibrations of the glorious sounds you were releasing as she nipped at the veiled muscle. Her core throbbed at the way you reacted to her thigh rubbing against you—she imagined just how much louder you’d be riding her strap, her heart felt purposeful; it’s oddly romantic.

"Tell me how it feels. It doesn't hurt does it?" You shook your head with a sideways grin that she felt against her skin as you’d just burrowed into her neck, your mind too far gone to process much of a coherent response at the moment. “Fuck Y/N, you’re just so beautiful, I am on the verge of falling apart, let mommy see you detka, please.”

You felt your walls shudder, physically and metaphorically as you pulled away with a shy glance up before your once trembling lower lip was caught between your grinding teeth. The pace had slowed significantly, your glossed eyes found her nervous pair. You offered her a confused smile, and she chuckled softly.

Wanda smiled, and began to pepper your collar with firm kisses, sucking and nipping at the skin every once in awhile to keep you on the edge as she’d only briefly tease your breasts.

"You're more than just a fling, my love." Wanda quelled your obvious fears with absolution, her hand briefly brought yours up to her lips, where she gently kissed your knuckles before she dropped it over her heart. “This only beats for you my dear, I adore you.”

Your body took that as permission to finally let go, and you slammed your lips into hers, teeth knocking as you silently screamed her praises. Her lips tore from yours a second later as her eyes desperately sought to see you losing it.

She wasn’t disappointed as she watched your chest rise and fall in stuttered ways. You were cursing softly as she kept rubbing you against her to prolong the ecstasy for you both. She could now feel your sticky warmth, and her heart beamed with unbreakable pride.

“Fuck, that was so hot Y/N,” she couldn’t hide the excitement, and you mirrored it. Wanda wanted to say so much more, but she heard the purposeful sounds of an assassin’s footsteps.

“Let's continue this in my room..." You nodded without hesitation and she pressed a soft kiss to your cheek just before the calvary arrived.

Natasha swung the doors open with a smug smirk at the sight of your disheveled forms. Wanda's hair was no longer pristine, but instead it laid over her shoulders in a messy set of waves, and your shirt was no longer tucked into your skirt, the collar was stained with red

“Once you two get settled, consider giving Maria and I a ring,” the redhead winked, then walked away with a red tint to her skin that caused the both of you to giggle affectionately.

“I’m not a fan of sharing,” you admitted with a pout on your face. Wanda’s gaze softened and she pressed her lips to the crease between your brows. “Me either detka,” she said as her lips pressed against yours in a slow, steady kiss.

“What the hell is taking you girls so long?” Bucky asked just before shrieking, the man with military traumas was mortified into flushing bright red and vacating the room.

Wanda chuckled hot breath against the curve of your ear, her hands gripped your hips possessively as she whispered: “I’m glad he understands his place now; you’re mine.”

You whimpered, and your legs clamped around her thigh. Wanda kissed your cheek, then swirled her hand until you were sat in her bed. Hovering her lap in nothing, your needy hole that dripped the evidence onto her milky thighs just out of reach of the thick strap she wore.

“Ride me like a good girl who’s desperate for…”

“Her mommy,” you cut her off with glee. The woman gasped, her ego inflated and within an instant she had flipped positions. “On second thought, I think mommy will just fuck you into the mattress until your begging me to stop!”

You screamed in pure joy as her strap filled you in one thrust. Then the world faded to static as her hips bumped into yours, likely to bruise with the sheer force she was putting into her thrusts. With her you’d finally found nirvana.

——

[violainebriat]

It's a bit weird typing out a full post here on tumblr. I used to be one of these artists that mostly focused on posting only images, the least amount of opinions/thoughts I could share, the better. Today, the art world online feels weird, not only because of AI, but also the algorithms on every platform and the general way our craft is getting replaced for close to 0 dollars. This website was a huge instrument in kickstarting my career as a professional artist, it was an inspiring place were artists shared their art and where we could make friends with anyone in the world, in any industries. It was pretty much the place that paved the way as a social media website outside of Facebook, where you could search art through tags etc. Anyhow, Tumblr still has a place in my heart even if all artists moved away from it after the infamous nsfw ban (mostly to Instagram and twitter). And now we're all playing a game of whack-a-mole trying to figure out if the social media platform we're using is going to sell their user content to AI / deep learning (looking at you reddit, going into stocks). On the Tumblr side, Matt Mullenweg's interviews and thoughts on the platform shows he's down to use AI, and I guess it could help create posts faster but then again, you have to click through multiple menus to protect your art (and writing) from being scraped. It's really kind of sad to have to be on the defensive with posting art/writing online. It doesn't even reflect my personal philosophy on sharing content. I've always been a bit of a "punk" thinking if people want to bootleg my work, it's like free advertisement and a testament to people liking what I created, so I've never really watermarked anything and posted fairly high-res version of my work. I don't even think my art is big enough to warrant the defensiveness of glazing/nightshading it, but the thought of it going through a program to be grinded into a data mush to be only excreted out as the ghost of its former self is honestly sort of deadening.

Finally, the most defeating trend is the quantity of nonsense and low-quality content that's being fed to the internet, made a million times easier with the use of AI. I truly feel like we're living what Neil Postman saw happening over 40 years ago in "amusing ourselves to death"(the brightness of this man's mind is still unrivaled in my eyes).

I guess this is my big rant to tell y'all now I'm gonna be posting crunchy art because Nightshade and Glaze basically make your crispy art look like a low-res JPEG, and I feel like an idiot for doing it but I'm considering it an act of low effort resistance against data scraping. If I can help "poison" data scrapping by wasting 5 minutes of my life to spit out a crunchy jpeg before posting, listen, it's not such a bad price to pay. Anyhow check out my new sticker coming to my secret shop really soon, and how he looks before and after getting glazed haha....

[solxamber]

Could you perhaps give us a little peak on what are the nect fics you'll post? The holiday event placed it on hold for so long😔

i'm in the kitchen and the kitchen is on fire

I have some i'll be posting soon but also

i have like 20 active drafts rn and the editing is rougher than the writing itself for me so it might a little while till they see the sun but here's a few sneak peeks: (I'll probably change some parts but anyways!)

1. Concept: Stuck in a timeloop with Idia

“This can’t be happening,” Idia was saying, his eye twitching erratically. “It’s just like World Recoil 2.0! The DLC that no one wanted! The algorithm hates me. I must’ve angered RNGesus—why else would I be cursed with infinite suffering?”

You stared at him blankly, your mind about ten steps behind his spiraling panic. “We’re... what now?”

He stopped dead in his tracks, spinning to face you with the kind of manic energy you’d only seen him use when trying to win a rare gacha pull. “A TIMELOOP. We’re in a timeloop. It’s a classic scenario!”

Your brain struggled to process this declaration. After a long moment, you let out a hollow laugh and sank into the nearest chair. “Okay. Sure. We’re in a timeloop. Makes perfect sense. What do we do now? Call Bill Murray?”

2. Concept: Mafia au (Vil x reader)

You answered, leaning back in your chair. “Hello?”

The voice on the other end was distorted, trying—and failing—to sound intimidating. “We have your man.”

You blinked. “Uh… what man?”

“Don’t play dumb! We have Rook Hunt—and if you ever want to see him alive again, you’ll do as we say!”

Rook. They kidnapped Rook. Oh no.

“Oh, no. That’s terrible. He must be so scared.”

The person on the other end hesitated, clearly caught off guard by your mild response. “Uh. Yes. He’s terrified! Screaming! Definitely regretting all his choices!”

Vil frowned, tapping a perfectly manicured finger against his wine glass. “Lying,” he mouthed.

“No kidding,” you muttered, before raising your voice again. “Listen, uh… person-who-definitely-has-Rook. You might want to double-check who’s the hostage here.”

“What?” the kidnapper demanded. “We tied him up! There’s no way he’s—”

A blood-curdling scream cut through the phone, and in the background, you heard someone shout, “Help! He’s unstoppable!”

You pressed your lips into a thin line to keep from laughing. “Yeah. That’s Rook for you. He really likes a good game of cat and mouse.”

The person shrieked again, and you thought you could faintly make out Rook’s laughter—a terrifyingly cheerful sound considering the context.

“I’m going to hang up now,” you said pleasantly. “Good luck, though!”

“WAIT!”

Click.

You set the phone back on the table, and Vil sighed dramatically, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Of all the insipid people… kidnapping Rook?”

“Should we warn them he carries extra knives?” you asked, half-serious.

“No need,” Vil said, taking a graceful sip of wine. “They’ll figure it out soon enough.”

3. Hero / Villain AU except the hero (Rook) cares more about flirting during the fights

“You’re supposed to fight me, not flirt with me!” you snapped, dodging his unnecessarily elegant sword swing.

“Ah, but why can’t it be both, mon magnifique nemesis?” Rook countered, parrying your staff with a flourish. “Tell me, have you ever considered conquering a restaurant menu instead of the world? Perhaps… over dinner with me?”

You blinked. The constructs you summoned waved tiny “YES” flags behind him. Somewhere, thunder awkwardly stalled.

“I… what? NO.”

“Très bien,” Rook replied, grinning. “Then I shall vanquish you with charm instead.”

For the first time in your villainous career, you started considering early retirement.

[athenaluciscaelum]

I hate to tell you, but DMC has always had "red pilled" male fans. In fact they were the first fans. DMC, like all games of the time, were made with male fans and only male fans in mind. They don't need Netflix to tell them DMC exists and it's sad you think that's the case.

You're the noob here, not them. You only think your the majority or the only ones because you live in an echo chamber.

Also I thought gatekeeping was bad? But I guess if you didn't have double standards you wouldn't have any.

Grow up, people you don't like will enjoy the same things you do and there's nothing you can do to stop it

So let's contextualise this:

First, I can have an opinion and say it out loud. Those who feel the same can agree. And those who don't can disagree respectfully. So far I did not come across much red pilled content related to DMC, yeah, I have been intentionally keeping off community on Instagram and twitter (I'm rarely not on both social media because they are unproductive and I have a job) because that's where the toxic community mostly resides. On Tumblr, Pinterest, and YouTube it hasn't been the case for me. Maybe it is my algorithm but so far it's been more than a decade and no problem.

Second, ym in many places globally, gaming and video games have not much penetration. The place where I am is the capital and much hub of gaming in my country. But guess what, even within the gaming community only Tekken, Street Fighter, Resident Evil, or Mortal Kombat is majorly popular. Many people haven't played DMC or do not know of its existence. On the other hand, Netflix is well penetrated, many people haven't played Witcher or Castlevania, but knows of Witcher or Castlevania from Netflix. The same will happen to DMC, it will become mainstream, beyond just gaming. Because Netflix is much more accessible,it is just a subscription and screen. But gaming is not that accessible gaming PCs are expensive to say the least compared to Netflix. And not everybody plays video games, but everybody watches some sort of OTT or visual content.

Third, I am a noob? Well I'm 26 and have known and played DMC since I was 8, so ....and I never said I'm the majority, I just shared what has been my experience so far ...many agreed and you could disagree without sending hate like anonymous who is too scared to give an identity to your voice.

Fourth, DMC is for the public, I cannot possibly gate keep it. But I can express my sadness or fear...my whole take was Dante is a beautiful character who is known for his humanity and if the red pill tries to misinterpret him or other female characters from mysogynist lens, it will be upsetting and ugly to say the least.

Fifth, I am not stopping anyone... I'm not some multimillionaire who can just buy DMC and gatekeep it...but I can respectfully share my opinion online. And if my lil 6-7 lines post mentally hurt you so much to go out of your way, try to insult me and fail. Then, I don't know which of us needs growing us.

[sirfrogsworth]

Frogman's Camera Buying Guide

A few weeks ago someone asked if I could recommend an interchangeable lens camera (ILC) to supplement their smartphone photos and hopefully get better pictures of important things like vacations and pets.

I decided to go very extra with my response and due to that... I'm still not finished with it.

I'm worried I am letting this person down because they did not ask for a giant post explaining every detail about cameras in the history of forever.

So I am going to do a camera recommendation post without as much explanation and hopefully I can finish the giant post at some point in the near future.

If you want to take better pictures you are probably going to need a camera with a decent sized sensor, a fast lens, a tripod, and a flash.

The bigger sensor gives you more dynamic range so you can capture brighter and darker things in the photo.

A fast lens has a giant hole in the front that lets in a ton of light. That hole is called the aperture and the bigger it is, the better your photos in dark environments will be. So you will want something that does f/1.8 or f/1.4 (lower f-stop number = bigger hole = more light). This can also help you get a lot of cool background blur.

A tripod will help get you longer exposures without any blur from camera shake. Especially good for landscape photos.

And a flash is for taking photos of pets and other moving subjects when you are indoors and don't have a lot of light. A flash is an absolute game changer for indoor photos.

HOWEVER, never point it directly at your subject.

Point it at a large white ceiling or wall. The flash happens so fast that it freezes motion. It is how I got all of my indoor photos of Otis.

Here he was playing and being rambunctious and he is not blurry.

I used no special settings. I just stuck on a flash and pointed it at the ceiling and suddenly sheep are sticking to things.

Oh, and one other huge benefit of using a flash... you can take much better photos of pets with dark fur. So if you have a cute little void in your home, a flash can help you capture detail in their fur.

Just lift the shadow slider in your image editor and that beautiful fur will reveal itself.

If you get an ETTL or TTL flash, it will output the correct amount of light automatically. You can literally just put your camera in automatic mode, aim the flash at the ceiling, and press the shutter button.

Before I talk about recommendations I want to make one thing very clear.

GETTING A GIANT CAMERA WILL NOT AUTOMATICALLY GIVE YOU BETTER PHOTOS.

Aside from my flash aimed at the ceiling trick, a big boy camera is not a magic solution for better photos. In some cases, you might actually get *worse* photos than your smartphone. You need to learn the basic fundamentals of photography and you also need to learn some basic photo editing skills.

Smartphones employ powerful algorithms and computational processes to make every photo you take look as good as possible.

ILCs say, "Here is your RAW data, you figure out the rest."

You don't have to become an expert, but if you watch this free 6 hour photography course, that will ensure you have the knowledge needed to improve your photos.

Okay, let's get into the nitty gritty of buying a nice new old ILC.

If you are on a tight budget and cannot afford a fancy mirrorless camera, I would highly suggest a used DSLR. You can get them for very reasonable prices. And unlike just about every other modern technological gadget, cameras and lenses are built to last for decades. So I have no qualms about recommending used photography gear.

However, I do highly recommend using either KEH or MPB, as they have a long trial period and decent customer service. If something goes awry with your used gear, KEH has a 180 day warranty and MPB has a 6 month warranty. So there is much less of a risk than eBay or Facebook Marketplace. You pay a bit of overhead, but the piece of mind is worth it.

Before I start my recommendations I want to quickly explain the difference between APS-C and Full Frame camera bodies. (For brevity's sake I am going to omit Micro Four Thirds bodies as they are not typically geared toward beginner photography.)

APS-C has a "crop" sensor. It is a bit smaller than full frame and does not perform as well in low light (more noise). However these bodies are cheaper and can still produce great photos. You can see above the sensor is still significantly larger than a smartphone. APS-C adds a 1.5x zoom to all lenses. This can be annoying in small spaces but advantageous for outdoor photography like wildlife and sports. You can use full frame lenses on a crop sensor body (within the same brand). APS-C lenses are usually cheaper but of lower quality.

Full frame has a larger sensor that will give you less noise in low light. It is also much easier to get background blur. Full frame also allows you to work in more cramped spaces. You *cannot* use APS-C lenses on a full frame body. However, the lenses meant for full frame cameras tend to be better quality in general.

If you can save up a little more and get a full frame body, I would recommend it. These bodies used to be geared more toward professional use, but since mirrorless cameras became popular, used full frame DSLRs have become much more accessible to those on a budget. Full frame cameras make it easier to get better results in challenging circumstances. And challenging conditions are really the main area where ILCs still kick a smartphone's ass.

For tight budgets I would recommend the following...

Canon or Nikon APS-C DSLR camera body

50mm f/1.8 lens (Nifty Fifty)

18-55mm APS-C lens (good for landscapes and portraits)

Yongnuo ETTL Flash

There are lenses called "superzooms" which can go from (as an example) 18-200mm or 70-300mm and other crazy focal lengths. That sounds fantastic and very versatile... but these are usually utter shite. You may be tempted to get one of these lenses hoping it can do everything you need, but there are no free lunches in lens land. Unless you are spending many thousands of dollars, the wider the focal range, the worse the lens will be.

When you stick to the 18-55mm range, you can be assured the images will be decent. And if you find yourself really needing a telephoto lens, you can save up and add it to your collection later on. The 18-55 will give you wide angle for landscapes all the way to slightly telephoto for portraits and moderately close wildlife. This lens cannot be used indoors or at night without a flash. Which is why I recommend the Nifty Fifty for that purpose. $100 for a moderately sharp low light lens is a no brainer.

Also, stick to Canon, Nikon, Sigma, or Tamron lenses. You can try exotic 3rd party lens brands when you know more what you are doing. And always make sure the lens has autofocus before buying.

It's hard to give you exact recommendations as used items are not reliably in stock. So I'm going to show you an example of the above, but I am not necessarily saying you should buy this *exact* combination. You might be able to get something similar with Nikon as well.

Canon 60D APS-C DSLR

50mm f/1.8 lens

Canon 18-55mm APS-C lens (EF-S mount)

Yongnuo TTL Flash

(I wouldn't recommend getting a used flash, as the Yongnuo is already a great price and you can't know if someone used the flash 100,000 times or 20 times.)

Altogether that is about $500. You can start with the 60D and the 50mm Nifty Fifty for $330 and add on the other two items later on.

My recommended full frame setup...

Full frame Canon or Nikon DSLR body

50mm f/1.8 lens (same as before)

24-70mm full frame zoom lens (full frame equivalent to 18-55mm)

ETTL Yongnuo flash (same as before)

And an example from KEH might be...

Canon 6D Full Frame DSLR

Canon 50mm f/1.8 Lens

Sigma 24-70mm Full Frame Zoom lens (EF mount)

Yonguo ETTL Flash

And that would be about $800 total.

Again, you can start with just the camera and 50mm lens and add the other items later. So invest $500 initially and go from there.

And just to give a Nikon example as well...

Nikon D600 Full Frame DSLR

Nikon 50mm f/1.8 Lens

Tamron 24-70mm

Yonguo ETTL Flash (Nikon version)

I highly recommend researching any camera body and lens before purchase. I can vouch for the items above, but you should definitely check out some YouTube videos before buying.

All of the stuff on KEH and MBP is marked down in price for aesthetic reasons. They do test everything to make sure it is functional. If you care if the camera or lens looks pristine, it will cost a little extra. But if you don't mind if it is beat to hell, you can save some money. Ugly or not, you will get the same photos out of the gear. As I said, photography stuff is built to last for a long time. Almost all repairs are due to user damage and not defects. And usually defects manifest when the product is brand new.

Oh, I forgot about the tripod!

Amazon's $35 tripod is surprisingly decent. It even got a good review on a very picky tripod review site. I recommend starting with this and then upgrading when you know more what you need out of a tripod.

Amazon 60 inch Tripod

I worry I'm leaving out a lot of important information, but hopefully I can expand in the other post I am working on.

That said, if anyone is thinking of buying a camera and you are not sure about the items you selected, please feel free to message me and I will help you assess your choices. Please make sure you include a budget range when asking for buying advice.

I hope that helps. I will try to finish the more in depth post soon. And it will include tips for how to get better photos from your smartphone if you cannot afford an ILC at the moment.

Further resources...

Recipe for Landscape Photos Froggie's Encyclopedia of Lens Terms

[cirrus-grey]

So the ARG introduced us to _6A1F7106A_$ (which some clever people decoded to jmj), the username for a mysterious person who dropped clues for the game, as well as making ominous statements such as "my mind is all corners."

It also gave us FR3-D1, a proprietary algorithm used by the OIAR which may be a sentient AI in disguise...

...And Freddie, an OIAR employee and the possible namesake for the FR3-D1 algorithm - or, potentially, the person whose consciousness was uploaded into a computer to form the basis for its programs.

There's an argument to be made that _6A1F7106A_$/jmj, FR3-D1, and Freddie are the same entity, currently existing as a sentient computer program.

Now, the trailer has shown us what appears to be the Fr3d1 OS v2.0 booting up, including the jmj.mag 2023 Beta and the... hard drives, I think? Called J.01, M.01, and J.02.

Other clever people have noted that cassette tapes can be used to store programming code, and that J.01, M.01, and J.02 could stand for Jon, Martin, and Jonah - which is to say, that the tapes from TMA could have been used to build a program integrated with the Fr3d1 system, and named after the prominent voices on the tapes. This integration could explain the _6A1F7106A_$ thing - the AI's username being code for three of its strangest new drives.

All this to say, I'm thinking about Jonny, Alex, and Tim Fearon being credited as blurry, unreadable names, and wondering... what if they are, in fact, all playing Freddie, who has no voice of their own and can only speak through the voices of the ghosts in the tapes?

[storiesbyjes2g]

Free yourself

I spent the last two days watching live and virtual sessions from Adobe MAX, Adobe's annual creativity conference. One session I watched was about social media algorithms. The speaker urged the audience to not define themselves by the algorithm because it is flawed and gave 5 things you can do to protect your mind/your peace/your sanity/etc. when the algorithm makes you think your content sucks. Tumblr works a little different than most other social media sites, and I'm not sure there's even an algorithm at work here on this broken site. But people experience the same stress/obsession with likes, reblogs, and followers. There were two quotes in her talk that were really powerful, and I thought I'd share them with you. Hope they help.

"When you create content based on the fear of losing followers, you lose yourself."

We shouldn't be doing anything out of fear, but when you hear people say things like "create/post for yourself," this is what it's really about. It has nothing to do with not caring if people follow you or like your posts because, frankly, we ALL want people to follow us and like/reblog our stuff. It's about being your authentic self regardless of what others think. Like, let's say you're writing a story, and you need to kill off the reader's favorite character, but you don't do it and change the story because you're afraid people will unfollow you or whatever. This is the beginning of you losing yourself. That decision will lead to other similar decisions, and sooner or later you have this crazy story you don't even enjoy writing anymore because it's not yours or anywhere close to what you intended. Be true to you.

"Seek respect, not attention. It lasts longer."

I want to put that on a t-shirt! We all want someone to pay attention to us. It's why we're all here, right? But don't run yourself ragged, copying what everyone else is doing and trying everything in the book to amass thousands of followers, especially if you don't enjoy it. Post what you love, and do it unapologetically. Don't try to be anyone else. You'll feel better that way.

Free yourselves from demands and unrealistic expectations you place on yourself. Play your game. Have fun. Post something cute. Rinse and repeat.

Take care!

[vaguely-concerned]

playing a souls game means that I am watching a lot of long form youtube vids on the side once more, and it has allowed me to remember in full force that sinclair lore is one of the best -- perhaps the very best -- channels on youtube. come for the excellent fromsoftware game analysis*, stay for the deep dives into some of THE weirdest corners of pop culture that you didn't even dream existed but will carry in your heart and mind forever now. I am currently working my way through their playlist about niche and frequently bizarre 80s/90s anime, and I was laughing so hard it almost made me fuck up the last two hits in my final triumphant fight with the dancer of the boreal valley.

basically this channel is the epitome of the sentiment of 'it makes no sense. compels me, though' as a celebration of strange and uncategorizable (and perhaps initially off-putting) art everywhere, and I think that generosity and genuine curiosity of gaze is needed in our media landscape now more than ever. whenever sophie goes 'it's just so fucking weird!!' in tones of glee and intense fascination an angel gets its wings. sin's undaunted dedication to the art she likes and disinteres in what she doesn't, regardless of how it's popularly received, inspirational. the youtube algorithm is not kind to them because it sucks ass, but!! if you want some quality Soulsborne lore that can break out the lens of queer theory when it's called for, videos about cryptids to fall asleep to, the only postmortem of Madam Web you'll ever need and didn't know you wanted (you do tho), 3 hour breakdowns of comparative cosmology of the fromsoft games that rock actually, honest engagement with and appreciation for dark souls 2 (my beLOVED), horror game let's plays and recaps, the oddest anime you ever saw discussed in great depth and with passion, the history of bloodborne -- I won't even say fandom, I think this qualifies as scholarship frankly, GORGEOUS pixel art backgrounds to rest your weary gaze upon, elden ring stuff? they gots elden ring stuff for ya, and to laugh like a dumbass every step of the way... look no futher. join the snack covenant 2day. some specific video recs based on what your interest might be under the cut!

*shoutout to them and TBSkyen (whose 'Boss Designs Of [Soulsbornering]' series is also absolutely excellent, second rec on the rec post! Here's the Bloodborne installment of the series, and my personal fave is predictably the Dark Souls 2 one) for being part of the few channels who actually explicitly use the tools of literary and art analysis to look at those games. I love a lot of the lore community but for god's sake will someone actually look into the actual overarching themes and ideas at work instead of trying to forensically break down the order in which events happened like it's a real world crime scene or site of archeology, not a deliberatly constructed story made with human hands or go source: it's a berserk reference and move on. and these champs go 'yeah we got you. let's talk about aldia's whole deal in depth' and I for one am so grateful

If you're into bloodborne, may I suggest: Laurence, the Worst Vicar. your one stop shop for understanding just how badly this guy sucked, as well as a lot of the Themes ticking away in the background of the game.

I have literally never thought about Warhammer 40K a day in my life before and I'm not about to start now, but this conversation about how oops as a franchise you were so mysogynistic back in the 80s it looped all the way around and now space marines may all be kind of trans actually?? is one of the best things I've watched in ages!

I know nothing about the anime they are discussing here but this whole vid had me rolling with laughter. they just don't make dubs like this anymore folks. the fuck counter triumphant

[mydogatemymotivation]

So tiktok is back.

If you're going to delete it, refuse to log on, etc., that's smart, that's understandable.

If you're going to stay on the app, please keep this in mind: we don't know what happened. There's a lot of speculation, but the simple fact of the matter is, we don't know. We do know that this was political theatre, we know that DT started this crap in 2020 and now he's trying to take credit for "saving" TT. He's not the savior and anyone who falls for his bullshit is unfathomably stupid. Sorry, not sorry. We don't know what's going on with Shou. He could've bent the knee, he could be playing the long game. I don't know, you don't know, we don't know. I don't think we're going to know for a long, long time what all happened here. Please don't spread misinformation, please don't give into the fear tactics of either side.

If you're on the app, block all meta profiles. Meta quest, facebook, instagram, snap chat, etc. Block fox news, unfollow any politicians you might have previously followed (why were you following politicians). Remember, any politicians that voted for this ban still voted against American's first amendment rights. That hasn't changed.

Use this window of "nothing has changed that much" (YET) to find people and news sources you trust on other platforms. I think we all realized that, if you were on tt, we all used tt as a bit of a crutch and when it was threatened we all felt way too backed into a corner. Everyone needs to be active on different platforms. YouTube, Substack, Reddit, Discord, BlueSky, Tumblr, and nothing zuckerburg or musk owned. You need to find community off of that app, and try to combat right wing ideology where you are. You're a soldier in a digital age, tbh, and the fight is with information. I think YT is a big one because a lot of kids are on that site and a lot of redpill is on that site so kids are getting that crap directly. Report stuff, block people, etc., be more active in those regards. It might be difficult to control the narrative, but it will be worse if there's no one there to fight right wing crap at all.

Take all information from tt with a grain of salt and double check with news sources you trust: as in, nothing mainstream because they're all owned by the same fuckass billionaires. For example, I could be wrong but I'm reasonably certain cnn and fox news are owned by the same people.

It's at this juncture we need to be on the offensive, instead of passive. I think jumping ship every time isn't actually a good practice, its just surrender after surrender. But at the same time be very, very cautious. Use tiktok, but don't use ONLY tiktok and communicate with people on other platforms in other ways. Stay on the places you went to when you thought you were going to lose tt. Pay attention to what's getting violations and what phrases you need to work around to communicate with a larger audience and still get accurate information across.

It's dystopian, but we live in a dystopia. I don't know what else you expected it to look like.

I also know that there's a lot of fun to be had on tt, frankly. There are people you followed because of their food or their craft, or just because you liked them as a person that you're happy you still get to check in with. I don't think its fair to act like that's silly. The human brain wasn't meant to process so much doom and gloom from so many different places. Being happy in dark times is rebellious. Just don't let it distract you from the real fight. Don't let it take over your entire algorithm until you realize that you haven't seen any news in a long time.

There's a lot of nuance, there's a lot of confusion, and people are going to feel the way they feel. But it's unrealistic to act like every single American is going to log off of tt permanently, so while people are getting back on, know what's going on around you, know that something happened to the app while it was down. Please, and I know people aren't good at this but please, be smart.

Spend less time on that app and more time reading books. Yes, books. Get news from more than one place. Spend more time on other apps as well. Find more community online AND on the ground. Stay smart, stay safe, and remember the block button is rated E for everyone. I've blocked people because I didn't like the way they edited their videos, okay? You can block them if you suspect they might be right wing. You can block if they say something suspicious.

It like those scenes in TV shows where a character we thought was in danger comes back and while the main characters have their back turned we see the the kubrick smile that tells us that the "friend" that has returned is an imposter. We know. The audience knows. Sometimes the imposter is going to help. Sometimes the imposter is going to lie. Know it's an imposter, and act accordingly. Do what you feel you need to. Log on and snipe misinformation/disinformation, or stay off permanently and use other apps more. Both are vaild, but know that something is wrong and different.

[writing-with-olive]

Hi I'm new to Tumblr, completely confused about how to use this app , may I get some help

Hey anon!

Okay so in terms of basic nav, I use the website version exclusively, so hopefully someone who uses it in app form can hop into the reblogs and add onto what I'm saying, but i can still somewhat show you the ropes.

First. Your Dash.

Unlike lots of other social media site, we don't have an algorithm. (Well we kinda do, but unless you enjoy seeing the same three posts for a month ad nauseum, we can agree it doesn't exist.) If you want to see posts on your dash, you have to follow people. Things they reblog will show up in chronological order on your dash. To find people to follow, you can search things you're interested in, and then follow more people if they show up on your dash after getting reblogged by someone you follow.

If you don't like something on your dash, you have a few options. You can unfollow the person who is posting stuff like that (this does not cause drama as most people don't really check who follows/unfollows them, and most keep that information private anyway). You can filter a tag or phrase that you don't like (tag filters are in settings). And lastly you can fully block the person. We are very big about curating our own internet experiences here, with the onus being on the user to decide what they do and don't wanna see - as a result tirades about people are rarely accepted unless it's a particularly extreme situation.

Next. The buttons.

The little "arrow circle" thing is the reblog button. Reblogs are the lifeblood of the site, as without them nothing takes off. If you like a post, you can reblog it, which will make it show up in your blog and put it on the dashboard of the people who follow you. If you have something meaningful to add, you can add it in the main section. If you have inside thoughts that don't really add, you can put it in the tags (tags can be whole sentences, not just individual words).

The "heart" button is likes. These do actually nothing, and function as a half-assed bookmark more than anything.

The little speech bubble thing is the comments section. If you put a comment here it will show up under any version of the post (unlike reblogs which will only show up on your reblog and people who reblog from you. This isn't used very often, but can be useful if you want to comment without spreading the post to others.

Engagement

Asks, if they're polite like yours are, are generally SUPER appreciated. People like talking to each other. People also enjoy playing ask games, where they post a list of numbered (or emoji'd) questions, and you pick one to ask. You can make someone's day by doing those

DMs are a bit more limited. Some people (like myself) don't mind people sliding into their DMs as long as it's appropriate and polite. Other people do mind, so see if they've posted a masterpost somewhere indicating a preference before trying to talk to them this way.

Another thing to remember is that privacy is a big thing here. While some people may share names or ages, it's pretty rare to see pictures or video of people.

Speaking of videos. If you're going to post images or videos, common curtesy is include a text description or transcription so that people can engage with audio off. Most people are here because they like text-based media, and including text-based helps with accessiblity issues.

Last major thing. Make sure to change your profile picture to something other than default. we have a bot problem and you may be insta-blocked by old-timers if you look like a bot. Another thing you can do is in your blog description, write "i'm not a bot" or something to that effect, or a more detailed description if you want to. It doesn't have to be fancy.

Anyway, this is a bit long, hopefully this helps!

[tardigradetv]

(This post is gonna be edited in the future because I haven't finished it yet! I want to add some stuff, but I'm too tired to do it now. Sorry if things are cringe here. Please don't judge!)

Since I got tagged by @thedragonofbadasstemple , I'm gonna share 9 games I got into in 2024! I actually didn't watch many shows/movies last year because that year was a "worker's year", I'd say. I was busy most of the time and when I had free time, I'd rather go outside or do something, like creating or playing games (or studying 🙈) (yes, I think it can be fun studying for a few hours a day 😂). That means I barely had any days I'd just... do nothing. 😭 Yeah, on those few days when I actually just lay in bed, I watched documentaries (and I can't remember titles, so Idk how to share in this case 🤦‍♂️).

Some games are "childhood comebacks". (Games I've known since childhood but lost interest in them and got into them again years later)

I try to be as chronological as possible, but just keep in mind that my memory is such a mess. 😭 So I guess everything worth mentioning was said for now. Let's dive in!

Early beginning of the year:

1 - That's not my neighbor

Last year started with my "Fran Bow comeback". What I mean is that I watch analysis videos and think my part on the whole thing (that doesn't cover how the stuff I do look like, but whatever... I write stuff about it... It's called by that game's name because that game got me into analysis videos about anything regarding gaming or artists' works. So I started looking for other people's thoughts on things, too, instead of only interpreting things on my own) At the same time, I was looking for more games/franchises to think about (and writing analysis). Somehow, I stumbled upon That's Not My Neighbor through YouTube videos on my feed (so yeah... you could say the YouTube algorithm got me into the game lol). The concept/the idea behind the game inspired me to write and do my research on topics relating to the game. What I can say about the gameplay is that it's simple yet effective. It's the ultimate "find the difference" game with an interesting lore behind it. I haven't checked if there came any new updates out regarding gameplay or game modes lately, so it can be that I'm talking crap now. 🤡 Well, let's actually get what I want to tell... To keep it short, the game has a lot of potential, even with its few content gameplay-wise. I imagine that they could add a longer story mode where they provide a better insight into the lore.

Spring 2024:

2 - Needy Streamer Overload

Around the time when it was my old "friend's" birthday, I heard from this game for the first time. It seemed interesting to me, so I looked deeper into it. And no surprise, the game has caught my interest since then. The game's art style inspired me to try new things in my art, and the deeper meaning behind specific features/hints is thought-provoking, exactly what I like. Though I don't relate much to Ame, the protagonist, I really liked how much I could analyze and theorize in her story. So many connections make sense and indirectly told me to do some research about mental health topics I wasn't really educated on. Overall, the iconic character Ame taught me bits of wisdom I carry on my journey of life. Yeah, the game was an experience. My my, I couldn't process my early times of getting into this game back then. 🙈 It was a little bit too much for me at first, but after a few months, I could enjoy the game without any further issues.

3 - My Child: Lebensborn

Summer 2024:

OMG, as a German... 😭 Well, that game hit hard... But I love that there's a game that touches that dark, historical period from an insiders perspective. In times when we fear that history could repeat itself, this game helps reflect the harsh reality some people like to deny.

(Gonna write more about this later)

4 - D4DJ

When I installed the Hypmic ARB in February 2023, I got into rhythm games for the first time. Yes, I've never played any rhythm games before, so Hypmic ARB gets the title "my first rhythm game". Since then, I've started liking rhythm games as a genre. In summer 2024, I spent time with a "friend" (who isn't my friend anymore, sadly), a rhythm game enthusiast, especially when it comes to rhythm games for consoles. When I asked them which mobile rhythm games I could try, they gave me D4DJ as a recommendation. I played it for a few months, but one day... it just didn't work on my phone anymore. I couldn't get through the title, and I couldn't even save my account, which meant I had to say goodbye to the game... Yes, I could've started from the beginning again, but as I've experienced before, most games don't even work on my phone once such issues start to occur (I had this with Project Sekai). But in the end, I don't have anything on my phone anymore that could remind me of my old "friend", so I see it as a plus to some degree... 😭 Now, to my feedback! The game has an innovative system that made my gameplay experience really enjoyable. The different notes while playing a show made me think really quickly how to calculate where I should position my fingers. I also like how the game uses the screen you play on. It's important to have your whole screen in view to know how to hit some notes. (That makes the decorative feature of designing your stage so cool imo). The game also has Touhou songs that I enjoy, so I often played these (along with internet yamero). What I certainly like in the game is that... I could actually feel rewarded for just playing. To be more clear, you can get diamonds (or whatever they're called again, I forgot 😭) by just playing a song for a specific number of times. If my phone just worked... Yeah, but something that really bothered me is that... I easily got overstimulated from playing this game. The game is fun, but it won't once I get overstimulated...

5 - Snake Pass (childhood comeback)

This game is peak childhood! And the soundtrack 😭 I love it so much! I can't think of any other games where you play a snake with a humming bird as a helping companion to explore different areas of an in-game world. Also that you can change the facial expressions of Noodle (the snake) is such a nice detail! I spent hours on this game trying to get the 100%. Yes, the controls are a bit... uh, hard to get used to at first, but once you do, you have lots of fun solving puzzles. Since David Wise is the composer of the soundtrack, you could expect that there are gonna be bangers. (I mean, think of Donkey Kong...) I remember how I used to listen to the soundtrack for HOURS when I first discovered this game years ago! 😭🫶 It's also one of those games where I just enjoy playing without trying so hard to master it immediately. Sometimes, I take a look at all those details I can find... and I love every single one of them. For example, Noodle is a coral snake, an extremely dangerous snake. And as far as I know, coral snake venom contains neurotoxins that can lead to paralysis and death. So I think you can guess why the small crabs you can find in the game flee when they see Noodle... (kinda funny to think about when you compare that to the game's innocent appearance.)

Fall 2024:

6 - Team Fortress 2 (childhood comeback)

It's a classic. I think many people have at least heard of it through memes. I've been into this game since childhood (but other, new interests gained higher priority, so I kinda forgot about this franchise). Back then, I had a proper device to play it, ah... 😭 Well, before my recent computer died, I had the opportunity to play Team Fortress 2 again. What a wonderful experience it was! There's so much about this game that I've forgotten in the time I didn't touch it that it felt like a complete new experience. Oh, and reading all the chapters of the comic again... (including the recently published one) It brought tears into my eyes. Compared to other games of the same genre, TF2 isn't as competitive as some others. I used that as an opportunity to have fun and just enjoy the game! Especially the casual experience can be so chaotically fun, which gives the game its unique charm. I don't think there's any other game that has the same charm as TF2, so if you like ego shooters where you can be goofy and laugh your ass of in voice chats, this one is for you! Besides, the characters are *chef's kiss*, and the game can be counted as a cultural phenomenon. I mean, when voicelines become memes that reach countless people (probably outside the fandom), then this game is an internet milestone.

7 - Sally Face (childhood comeback)

With my old Fran Bow fixation, of course, I'm gonna find this game sooner or later. I can say that I don't regret finding out about this game at all! The art style, animation style, and lore captivated me. And not to forget, the soundtrack... I still listen to sometimes. I first discovered it a few years ago when I wanted to play something different. As you probably know from my introduction, I'm a Nintendo fan who plays mostly their games, but I touch other games from time to time, too. One of the first games I started getting into besides the Nintendo ones was Fran Bow, to be honest. And I mean by "getting into" that I CONSUMED the game's content like crazy.😭 (That's why this game has a connection to some others I've mentioned here). Well, back to Sally Face. Sal Fisher, the protagonist himself, is such an icon. I really grew fond of him from the early beginning. His personality and his background touched my heart, so it was no surprise that I'd feel devastated after finishing the story. What I really appreciate about this game is the atmosphere. Besides the lore (which I was deeply invested in when I first found out about the game), the atmosphere of the game makes you lean back and think about what is happening while you play. You slow down for a moment to investigate a certain spot to find more information. You might put your device beside to take a moment to process what just happened. Truly breathtaking. The further you get in the game, the more you feel like you're losing yourself in the scenario. It's an unforgettable experience with moments that can you almost make you cry. The strange art style highlights this uncomfortable atmosphere even more. After Sally Face has become a significant part of my childhood, I can say that this game touches many topics that are worth discussing. I could endlessly ramble on any character's specific traits, their background, and context to the story (if I actually could share my thoughts properly 🙈). Exploring the depth of this game back then was an important part of "getting used to thinking". And now, having found my way to this game again feels like I time traveled back to the time I was younger, a time when my life looked so different. To look back and say goodbye to those times, I'd imagine visiting my younger self and just telling that boy how grateful I am he kept going. Thanks to my determined younger self, I could grow into the person I am today. May Sally Face stay a wonderful memory...

Winter 2024:

8 - Yume Nikki

The strange game that made me reconsider all my thought patterns and my life in general. I have to admit, strange things always captivate me, so it's no surprise I got into it so quickly. The soundtrack captures the feeling of endless isolation so well... ah, I know that feeling. Listening to it gives me comfort. The reason why I feel like this is... sad. Well, how should I say it? I... grew up in social isolation, you could say... My childhood wasn't the worst... but it is the foundation of a person's personality, so... Oh- that's not the topic I should talk about right now...

9 - Everything (the game)

Somehow, I've never heard of this game before someone mentioned it not so long ago. It's exactly my taste! I'm sad I didn't discover it sooner! Games with great wisdom behind it always have a sweet spot in my heart. It's really interesting how the game is made. Such a simple style with an intense/immersing atmosphere. The soundtrack really makes me forget everything around me (though the animations in this game make me laugh as hell. The first time I saw how the animals "walk" here got me almost falling from my chair.) I personally think that this game challenges your experimental abilities/creativity. The more you use those abilities, the more fun you're going to have playing this game. Everything seems so aimless (pun intended), but this makes the player think about what the game tries to tell you.

(Gonna continue later)