#These tags are an example of point 5

[nuttersincorporated]

Tumblr: A Beginners Guide

Hello and welcome to Tumblr!

If you're new here, this post is a little guide meant to help you understand how things work on Tumblr. I’m going to give you some guidelines and explain a little bit about Tumblr culture. Hopefully, this will help you settle in, avoid unnecessary pitfalls and enjoy your time here. I hope you’ll like it here on our hellsite (affectionate).

1. First and most importantly, please change your userpic and put something on your blog.

If you don’t, other users will think you're a bot and you'll be reported/blocked. It’s nothing personal but we are at war with the bot accounts. Most older users will automatically assume that a blank blog= bot.

You don’t need to do much. If you aren’t comfortable rebloging things or making your own posts yet, just change your userpic and add a short description to your blog.

Here’s an example of a description you can use.

‘Hi! I’m new here. I’m still working out how this place works but I promise I’m not a bot so please don’t block me.’

2. Go to your settings, then to your dashboard settings and change things to how you like them. I suggest-

Make Tumber show you posts in chronologically order, rather than pushing ‘best stuff first’

Pick a colour palate that doesn’t give you a headache

Make Tumblr show timestamps on posts and reblogs. While a post is never too old to reblog, you don’t want to accidentally signal boost something as ‘news’ when it's acutely years out of date and no longer relevant.

Choose not to shorten long posts

3. Go to the top of your dashboard, press on the toggle and arrange things how you like them.

I suggest pinning your ‘Following’ first. It means that when you go to your dashboard, the first thing you’ll see are the blogs that you’ve actively chosen to follow.

Some older users will tell you that the ‘For You’ page is useless and should be ignore. This is because for a long time it was either non-existent or terrible so most older users – myself included – just don’t bother with it.

However, nowadays it’s fine so use it if you want. ‘Following’ should still probably be pinned first though because you know what you like better than the algorithm.

4. Please don’t censor your words here. Tumblr doesn’t shadow ban you for saying random words.

Shadow banning does happen but it’s mostly at random or because you were targeted by trolls. If it happens to you, you’ll need to fight to get unshadow banned.

The point is that you won’t get shadow banned for saying ‘death,’ ‘murder’ or ‘rape.’ Don’t do things like saying ‘graped’ instead of ‘raped.’ If you do, you’re just going to piss people off and make it harder for people to avoid triggers.

5. Don’t spam the tags!

You can ramble in the tags all you want and nobody will mind. However, if you tag an unrelated post with a popular tag, you will be reported for spamming. It’s against the Tumblr terms and conditions, it’s annoying and it’s something the porn bots do.

When you are making your own post, the tags you use should be to help other people find your post. When you are rebloging other people’s posts, the tags you use should be so you can find that post again if you want.

The other thing that tags are for – both in your own posts and reblogs – is for adding things that don’t really fit in the post itself but you still wanted to say. You can add paragraphs in your tags and no one will bat an eye but if you tag a post with a trending but unrelated tag, that’s spamming.

6. Please, reblog things. It helps posts spread a lot more than liking them does. Think of your blog as a scrap book where you put stuff you like.

If you aren’t comfortable adding to a post, that’s fine. Just reblog it and share it with others.

7. That said, Tumblr posts are collaborative and we like it when you add to them. It doesn’t have to be much. You don’t have to add something every time you reblog a post but it is a part of the fun to do it sometimes.

If it’s an art or fanfic post comments like; ‘good post op,’ ‘I LOVE THIS!’ or even ‘OUCH my heart!!!’ will make an OP’s day.

If it’s another sort of post; you can add your thoughts or join in on committing to the bit. Try matching the energy the post is already giving.

If you aren’t comfortable commenting directly, you can always put it in the tags.

8. The follow and block buttons are your friend. You decide what you see here. If your dashboard doesn’t spark joy, you can always follow someone new and/or follow an interesting tag. If someone is making your time here unpleasant unfollow and/or block them.

9. Tumblr likes to commit to the bit. Sharks are smooth (they are not) and the 1973 Martin Scorsese movie ‘Goncharov’ is the greatest film ever made (it doesn’t exist).

10. A post is never too old to reblog. We like old posts here.

Every now and again, you will see a post that is over ten years old. The reblogs will probably be full of people expressing delight about seeing the original post again or seeing it for the first time.

11. You don’t want to be Tumblr famous.

There are niche blogs that are dedicated to one thing and are well liked e.g. @the-haiku-bot (the one bot we love), @writing-prompt-s and @cantheykillmacbeth. However, they are either side blogs or blogs run by multiple people.

Your main blog should just be somewhere you like to spend your time. There are no benefits to being Tumblr famous on your main blog.

12. Tumblr spreads news with this meme

13. Tumblr loves dates. Whether it’s the Ides of March (it sure would be a shame if certain world leaders got stabbed), Halloween (which we start celebrating in about July) or just a random day of the week e.g. ‘Out of Touch Thursday’ there is always something happening that you can celebrate.

14. The staff always pulls a silly and harmless prank on Apil Fools Day. Last year we got to boop each other.

15. We like a silly poll

Okay, I think that’s the basics covered. You’ll get the hang of everything else as you go along.

I hope you have fun here and that you manage to avoid Apollo’s dodgeball of prophecy (try not to joke about a specific way things could get worse or you might be hit).

Yours faithfully,

A Tumblr Cockroach

PS If you are a Tumblr oldie, please feel free to reblog this to help out newer users.

[luci-z-wont-shut-up]

Hiiiiiiiiiii

Soooooooooo just finished listening to episode 1 of Deviser and uhhhhhhhhh

What the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

[dorothywonderland]

what are your fandoms? I’m curious. Do you have any you haven’t posted about?

uhhh IDK actually lol I don't partake as much in fandom culture as I used to in the past. so, unless it's a hyperfixation, i usually won't talk/post much about it. -but things that I have fell in love as of recently(besides epic the musical): Dungeon meshi, the elusive samurai, baldurs gate 3, who made me a princess, I’m Stanning the Prince and DBD - fandoms that ive been part to but have not interacted with it for some time: Homestuck(i mean,... 90% of my old cosplays were just homestuck), PJO (I may go back to it cuz i want to reread the books and maybe watch the new tv show), Overwatch (still play sometimes, just not as much into it as used to), harry potter (the whole transphobic thing from jk rowling left a bitter taste on my mouth), doctor who and glee - things that will be forever in my heart and love talking about: Lord Byron, mythology in general, fun historical facts, musicals, THE SECRET HISTORY (my favorite book in all time, I have 3 versions of the book)

[wonder-worker]

“…The Anglo-Saxon era is often thought of as having been a golden age for women. Since the late eighteenth century, it has been a commonplace that women in England had better rights before the Norman Conquest than they did afterwards, and were held in higher esteem by society. Before 1066, said one eminent historian in the mid-twentieth century, men and women enjoyed ‘a rough and ready partnership’. As so often with golden ages, however, this picture rests on a selective reading of very limited and debatable evidence. One of its principal props is an account of German women written by the Roman historian Tacitus towards the end of the first century AD. These women, claimed Tacitus, were virtuous, frugal and chaste, and supported their sons and husbands by encouraging them to acts of valour. But this was simply a Roman praising ‘barbarian’ society in order to criticize his own. German women were portrayed as laudable because, unlike their Roman counterparts, they did not conduct adulterous affairs or waste their time at baths and theatres. The reality, unfortunately, seems to be that the status of women in first-century Germany and Anglo-Saxon England was no better than it was in later centuries.”

— Marc Morris, "Anglo-Saxons: The History of the Beginnings of England, 400-1066” / Pauline Stafford, "Women and the Norman Conquest"

"Anglo-Saxon England has thus been a Golden Age variously of women's domestication, women's legal emancipation, women's education and women's sexual liberation. The length of a tradition which has changed so fundamentally over time is no guarantee of its veracity. A cursory view of a range of evidence from either side of the 1066 divide casts immediate doubt on the idea of a brutal Norman ending of the Golden Age. The raw statistics of Domesday, for example, suggest a different picture of England on the eve of the Norman arrival. No more than five per cent of the total hidage of land recorded was in the hands of women in 1066. Of that five per cent, 80-85% was in the hands of only eight women, almost all of them members of the families of the great earls, particularly of earl Godwine, or of the royal family. By the tenth and eleventh centuries women other than the queen are virtually absent from the witness lists of the royal charters, and thus apparently from the political significance such witness lists record.”

[windor-truffle]

I remembered Major Victoria not really playing much of a role in the story but I thought I had just forgotten some of her dialogue... nope, she only has 5 lines of very generic dialogue during the coup at Barona Castle 😭 canon did you so dirty girl imma try to give you some relevancy okay???

[connormoving]

having a midlife crisis atm i think i might start reading [redacted] this is rly scary for me keep me in your thoughts

[adoseofdidreality]

also my blog name wasnt to pretend to be you but to make fun of your username because i think "a dose of did reality" (or even a "a DIDose of reality") is funnier than didadoseofreality

genuinely just replace the word DID with "the shot" or something wild and "a dose of reality" can become a really clever pun for antovaxxers. i think if the op is actually an antivaxxer they can steal that idea and try to come up with a better primary title to be followed by the subtitle "a dose of reality" :P

it would all be really silly shouty lies by an old man/woman/erson who's scared of The Furries Oh my Gosh!!! and it's hillarious

[prettycottagequeer]

ok maybe I'm a little late to this BUT I'm gonna do a to-do list motivation thingy because I've had the worst two weeks since I started college :)

SO these I should start on asap:

50 I make the snack I really want but I haven't had the motivation to make

100 I clean my dorm. another thing I've been meaning to do for a week

150 I do the presentation about mid-victorian fashion I've been putting off (due Monday)

200 I start memorizing the monologue that was due a week ago (now due Tuesday)

these can wait longer:

300 I spend time outside. It's so nice but I'm getting stuck scrolling because I feel like shit. vicious cycle ect

500 I start setting a better weekend routine (aka getting up before noon)

1k I start working out again. I was doing a routine to get more masc and build muscle and I liked it but life hit me like Crowley driving the Bentley and I've missed like 3 weeks

2k I buy my first binder. I've been coping with sports bras for almost a year now and I haven't been able to justify spending $50+ on a binder even though I know I'd love it and use it everyday.

Do I tag people? I don't know but I'm going to. @the-globe-theatre-maggot @weirdly-specific-but-ok @howmanyholesinswisscheese

here's just some context if you want to read, feel free to skip. some of this I've talked about in the maggot server, some I haven't, but I really just need a place for this to go that's out of my head. tw homophobia, transphobia, car crash(??)

How I Have Been Run Over By The Bentley Going 90 In Central London What Feels Like 50 Times In The Last Two Weeks

I'm going to college about 4 hours away from my parents, and it's been really nice. They.. suck, to say the least. transphobic/homophobic ect, super traditional conservative catholic, racist, all of it. so i tried to move somewhere where I wouldn't have to think about them and I could be myself and do what I can to be happy. March 1st was the start of my spring break, which meant going home because the dorms close. I was already not excited, but I was prepared. the problem with being away from home is I forget just how bad they are. My optimism gets the better of me and I think maybe this time they'll be better. so I decided to not hide my septum piercing.

that was a mistake. it starts a whole fight where they say we know you're trans, you're actually a girl and you always will be, we have the bones argument, they think I'm being influenced by demons or something (if only they knew about crowley) because I want to change my name, and they tell me that going on t will completely ruin my body and give me cancer and other things. They're also mad about my dyed hair, septum, and general style, and say I'm setting a terrible example for my (5) younger siblings and make it a point to tell me just how much of a disappointment I am. I think I'm pretty cute and fun but y'know, whatever. very fun time. I lie so much, don't give them any more details about my identity, and say I'm not planning to go on t to save my ass. which is all on instinct which makes me feel worse because if I'm really trans I should be able to stand up for that, right? maybe I'm faking the dysphoria.

the next morning I wake up really sick, and spend the rest of the week sick and feeling like shit because I'm home and back in the same place and situation I was a year ago that I thought I escaped. at one point I pretty much lose my voice but also kind of get gender euphoria from it. it's weird.

On Friday it's time for me to drive back 4 hours to school, and I make it about 3/4 of the way when google maps takes me on a random gravel road and I crash my car, really crash my car, like sideways-in-a-ditch-windows-broken-crawling-up-out-the-door crash it in the middle of nowhere. (I was fully paying attention to the road, it was raining and super slick) I call my parents because I have no one else to call and I sit in a Subway for 3 hours while they drive to get my car. when they get there they're (understandably) really mad, and they tell me that I'm not mature enough to be going to school so far away and I need to get my shit together and stop depending on them. which. is probably true. but made me feel even more stupid about the fact that I crashed my car. I get back to school and I'm still Very Sick with no energy or motivation to do anything. So I've spent the last week trying to get better and honestly to do anything. it hasn't really worked. I'm a lot better health-wise (Not emotionally), still sick but I have a lot of work due, so I really need a push to get started

[geopsych]

Treasure hunt, finding things around you

Here's an assignment, only for anyone who feels like doing it. In the month ahead, by the start of February, find as many of these things as you can or choose to. Photos or not photos as you prefer. These aren't to be submitted to me but are just a kind of treasure hunt for you to write down or keep in a notes app. 1. Moss, as many kinds as you can find. 2. Lichen, 3 colors. This is fun because it can be on buildings and things like curbs, grave stones or monuments. 3. 3 or more kinds of birds, extra points for different types like songbirds vs. ducks and geese vs herons or other stalking birds. Yes, pigeons count. 4. 3 kinds of trees you can tell apart, evergreens or ones that are leafless now.

5. One beautiful sunrise or sunset. 6. If you're in a place that gets cold, 2 kinds of ice, like icicles and puddle ice would be 2 kinds for example. If you're not in a cold place then interesting water things like a puddle with oil colors in it or drops of dew on grass or a flower. 7. 3 kinds of weather. This one's easy. Maybe pictures of a sunny or partly cloudy sky and a dark cloudy sky and maybe a picture of trees or flags being blown by wind.

8. Any animals. They're things like Pokemon but in the real world. lol Yes squirrels count. Rats do too. 9. Stand in 3 kinds of places, for example by a stream or river, high on a hill—that can be in a city or in the country. Pittsburgh for example has some great hills. San Francisco too. If you're at Oberlin maybe you can find a pile of dirt haha—and third, maybe a public space like a plaza or a town circle or if you're in the country then just an especially nice spot along a road or trail. 10. Finally, look for any especially nice or beautiful scene around you, whether it's frost on a plant in the sunlight, a beautiful window you pass in the evening (taking pictures of people without permission especially through a window is rude so try to avoid that), ice on a car window or any scene or tiny thing that just catches your eye in a pleasing way. A beautiful tree, a beautiful sky, a cute cat, whatever.

And of course if you find cool or interesting stuff not mentioned here, that's extra credit. :-) If you see something really good you can tell me about it and if you feel like letting me know how it went at the end I would be interested to hear from you. I know some of you already look for this stuff. Take this as a little extra encouragement. Maybe when you post things from this list, use the tag #noticing stuff. Or does someone have a better tag for it?

[sugarish]

　 an    event    by    @sugarish 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 extra lore (cont. of below)

'what is this place?' you blurt out in a mumbled voice, afraid to interrupt the quiet conversations between the customers. your eyes constantly fixate on the decorative cups they use to drink teas of various colours, and most likely various flavours.

'this is a teahouse. and those cups,' he points at the cups that you stare at, and it makes you blush from the sudden idea of being caught, 'they're called chawan. you might have noticed they come in different colours and sizes.'

you subconsciously beam at the idea of there being several different kinds of cups; chawan, that a small smile bubbles up from within you. the genuine kind that you haven't felt in a while. you turn to face the worker, who is eyeing you curiously as you take your time with examining the room. 'you've got a knack for creativity, i think. i reckon you'd do well here.'

chado  (also known  as  chanoyu, or simply a 'tea ceremony')  is  a  cultural  practice  centred  around  preparing  and  serving  matcha,  and  it  is  known  for  promoting  qualities  such  as  well-being  and  mindfulness.  it  is  based  around  the  four  core  principles:  harmony,  respect,  purity,  and  tranquillity.  in  chado,  it  is  important  to  emphasise  these  principles  in  order  to  successfully  practise  the  way  of  tea.

❀ 𓈒 how to participate.

sign  your  name  on  this  post  to  indicate  you're  joining,  and  send  this  post  off  to  2-3  people  who  may  be  interested.

enter  @wreverie  teahouse  (dms)  and  give  the  manager  a  lil  heads  up  that  you  will  be  starting  your  shifts.  the  manager  will  respond  with  a  warm  welcome  and  a  randomised  principle  you  must  work  with  along  with  its  meaning.

create  a  moodboard  that  suits  the  vibes  of  the  principle,  and  you  MUST  add  a  picture  of  a  chawan  into  it.  examples  of  chawan  can  be  seen  below.

the  chawan  can  be  used  as  a  png  in  a  collage  or  can  be  used  as  a  regular  picture. the pictures do NOT have to be the ones above.

when  posting,  ensure  to  tag  @sugarish  in  the  comments  or  post  and  use  the  tag  #eerie; reverie  so  she  can  pass  your  creation  off  to  the  manager.  not  following  this  step  will  have  your  moodboard  not  counted!

if any questions or queries arise, please feel free to dm @wreverie.

❀ 𓈒 guidelines.

make  sure  your  moodboard  is  unique.  the  manager  wouldn't  want  a  duplicate  recipe  in  their  storage!

you  gain  more  points  for  being  creative  i.e.  adding  gifs,  custom  pics  &  locs,  collages,  etc.

your  creations  must  be  given  to  @sugarish  by  1st  of  june.  if  you  are  in  need  of  more  time,  please  dm  @wreverie!

❀ 𓈒 prizes.

1st ;  shoutout,  3  custom  moodboards,  50  reblogs  for  3  moodboards,  rentry-style (or the other style i do)  blog  theme, 1  set  of  dividers  (3-5  divs)

2nd ;  shoutout,  2  custom  moodboards,  50  reblogs  for  2  moodboards,  rentry-style  banner (or the other style i do), 1  set  of  dividers  (3-5  divs)

3rd ;  shoutout,  1  custom  moodboard,  50  reblogs  for  1  moodboard,  1  set  of  dividers  (3-5  divs)

honourable mentions ; 1 custom moodboard, 25 reblogs for 1 moodboard.

reblogs  are  posted  on  @2sugarie.

moodboards,  shoutouts  and  divs  are  posted  on  @sugarish.

blog  theme  /  banner  will  be  dmed  to  you  via  @sugarish.

examples  of  rentry-style  banners:  press  here.

if you have won a placement and don't want the prizes due to any sort of circumstance, that is okay! simply dm @sugarish during claiming time and notify that you do not want prizes. other than that, prizes will not be negotiated; you will get what you get depending on where you place.

woahhhhhhh heyy guys long time no see!!!! !! this is my 3rd sugarish event , and the 2nd sugarish event to be connected to the sugarish lore.

ive been pondering abt the concept for a good while and i think its safe to say that it is COMPLETE !!!! that little 'choose your own adventure' post i made a wee while back was bc i had another idea in mind that replaced this event concept. ive figured that the best thing to do is to make that my next event :333

also surprisingly this took a much shorter amount of time to make than re; collections in terms of the actual event post so i am very very happy. w/ re; collections i had to remake it 3 times bc it KEPT AUTOMATICALLY POSTING

either way , thats all i have to say for noww. if you had made it this far in reading , i hope to see you participating in the event -- it would mean a lot to me !

❀ 𓈒 tag  list. (if you are not in the tag list you can still join!)

@swhore  @cwrcent  @lucidve  @lvioung  @fairytopea @i-mmaculatus  @y-vna  @ioveday  @yeritos  @yonkiibums @linoboba  @lilaquette  @soulari  @baekry  @n-americano @haobae  @youuthh  @y-urios  @florescita  @hourlyhoon @flutterdashes  @aegsll  @p-oisn  @awwriri  @jaexiyu @hyunjinsvoir  @heavenurl  @aceorei  @yeossemble  @koosuvi @wonjuii  @tzulipss  @aestradairio  @binzuzu  @kissunoo @florescita @suupersonic

[zepskies]

Smoke Eater || Series Masterlist

Pairing: Firefighter!Dean Winchester x F. Reader 

Summary: Dean Winchester is the cocky, but well-respected Lieutenant at Firehouse 25. He leads by example, but he’s also known to break a few hearts. He’s starting to crave something he’s never had, though. Something stable. Something real. 

That’s when he meets you, on a truly terrible day, trapped in a rickety old elevator.   

AN: "Smoke eater": a self-appointed slang term for a firefighter.

Get ready for an AU! Several SPN characters will make their appearances: Sam and John Winchester, Castiel as "Cas Novak," Ellen and Jo Harvelle, Jack Kline, Benny Lafitte, Gordon Walker, Meg Masters, Chuck Shurley, Nick (yes, even him), and more!

Series Tags/Warnings: (**18+ only!) There will be a lot of heart, a lot of fun, drama, heartbreak, protective Dean, and even a murder mystery. Rating for eventual smut, perilous situations, and other chapter-specific tags.

🎵 Listen While You Read:

The Smoke Eater Playlist: YouTube || Spotify

Chapters:

Part 1 - Class and Style - Podcast Version!

Part 2 - Lieutenant Winchester

Part 3 - Got a Hold on Me

Part 4 - Rocky Road

Part 5 - Twitterpated

Part 6 - Just Casual

Part 7 - Cherry Pie & Lemon Drizzle

Part 8 - Likewise, Baby

Part 9 - Do Not Disturb

Part 10 - Toil and Trouble

Part 11 - Heart of the Home

Part 12 - All in the Family

Part 13 - Boiling Point

Part 14 - Message in a Bottle

Part 15 - The Good Part

Part 16 - Break Down the Gates

Part 17 - The Real Deal

Part 18 - V for Vendetta

Part 19 - Sacrifice

Epilogue - Easy as Pie

Series Complete!

Bonus One-Shots:

Something Real** Now that you and Dean are officially engaged, you take some much needed time off together for a family vacation. But even with the wedding set for next year, the two of you are still at odds when it comes to one key part of your future together…

(Want to listen to the podcast version? Keep scrolling below!)

Serendipity Now that you and Dean are married, you begin to live out the next phase of your dream. However, reality has to check in some time.

🎙�� Podcast Fics:

Listen to Part 1 in podfic form!

(A "podfic" is where you can listen to the story narrated.)

(Cover image and narration by @talltalesandbedtimestories)

Or listen to the official Idling in the Impala episode of Smoke Eater Part 1 on YouTube:

Or listen on Spotify.

Listen to the Idling in the Impala podfic episode of the sequel story, Something Real below:

Ko-Fi Me ☕

Join My Patreon 🌟

Dean Winchester Series List

Dean Winchester Masterlist

Main Masterlist

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

By Sarah Schwartz

Test after test of U.S. students’ reading and math abilities have shown scores declining since the pandemic.

Now, new results show that it’s not just children whose skills have fallen over the past few years—American adults are getting worse at reading and math, too.

The connection, if any, between the two patterns isn’t clear—the tests aren’t set up to provide that kind of information. But it does point to a populace that is becoming more stratified by ability at a time when economic inequality continues to widen and debates over opportunity for social mobility are on the rise.

The findings from the 2023 administration of the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, or PIAAC, show that 16- to 65-year-olds’ literacy scores declined by 12 points from 2017 to 2023, while their numeracy scores fell by 7 points during the same period.

These trends aren’t unique in the global context: Of the 31 countries and economies in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that participated in PIAAC, some saw scores drop over the past six years, while others improved or held constant.

Still, as in previous years, the United States doesn’t compare favorably to other countries: The country ranks in the middle of the pack in literacy and below the international average in math. (Literacy and numeracy on the test are scored on a 500-point scale.)

But Americans do stand out in one way: The gap between the highest- and lowest-performing adults is growing wider, as the top scorers hold steady and other test takers see their scores fall.

“There’s a dwindling middle in the United States in terms of skills,” said Peggy Carr, the commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which oversees PIAAC in the country. (The test was developed by the OECD and is administered every three years.)

It’s a phenomenon that distinguishes the United States, she said.

“Some of that is because we’re very diverse and it’s large, in comparison to some of the OECD countries,” Carr said in a call with reporters on Monday. “But that clearly is not the only reason.”

American children, too, are experiencing this widening chasm between high and low performers. National and international tests show the country’s top students holding steady, while students at the bottom of the distribution are falling further behind.

It’s hard to know why U.S. adults’ scores have taken this precipitous dive, Carr said.

About a third of Americans score at lowest levels PIAAC is different from large-scale assessments for students, which measure kids’ academic abilities.

Instead, this test for adults evaluates their abilities to use math and reading in real-world contexts—to navigate public services in their neighborhood, for example, or complete a task at work. The United States sample is nationally representative random sample, drawn from census data.

American respondents averaged a level 2 of 5 in both subjects.

In practice, that means that they can, for example, use a website to find information about how to order a recycling cart, or read and understand a list of rules for sending their child to preschool. But they would have trouble using a library search engine to find the author of a book.

In math, they could compare a table and a graph of the same information to check for errors. But they wouldn’t be able to calculate average monthly expenses with several months of data.

While the U.S. average is a level 2, more adults now fall at a level 1 or below—28 percent scored at that level in literacy, up from 19 percent in 2017, and 34 percent in numeracy, up from 29 percent in 2017.

Respondents scoring below level 1 couldn’t compare calendar dates printed on grocery tags to determine which food item was packed first. They would also struggle to read several job descriptions and identify which company was looking to hire a night-shift worker.

The findings also show sharp divides by race and national origin, with respondents born in the United States outscoring those born outside of the country, and white respondents outscoring Black and Hispanic test takers. Those trends have persisted over the past decade.

[qqueenofhades]

I'm planning on participating in the April 5 Hands Off protest at my state Capitol. I wasn't looking forward to standing out in the cold rain for 3 hours (if the local weather forecast is right), but if Cory Booker can stand and talk intelligently for 25 hours, all while not eating or using the bathroom, then I guess I can handle a little rain. What an inspiration!

Honestly, it was just what everyone needed, especially from the Senate Democrats and double especially after Schumer let us down so badly with the budget bill. I had it on in the background/mute for most of the afternoon at work to show support, but I turned it on with sound to watch the moment Booker broke the record and gave Strom Thurmond's dead racist ass one good kick down in hell. Suck on that, fucknuts. You got beat by a black man. Hahahahahahaaha.

Anyway, as I said in my tags on the last reblog, today felt almost... hopeful, which is weird but welcome. I didn't really expect to win the FL House seats, nice as it would have been, since it was such a massive lift in Trump +30 districts, but Team Blue overperformed across the board by 12-15 points (and something closer to 20 in FL-01, Gaetz's old district). The one I wanted and/or would have been worried if we didn't win was the Wisconsin SCOTUS seat, especially since Musk had been up there prancing his odious ass around and openly bribing voters (who, look shocked, all turned out to be Wisconsin Republican operatives). But we did get that one, by apparently a pretty wide margin in the purplest and most maddening of purple states, and I am pleased.

I'm not going to read a ton into three special elections in April, even if it's always better to see Democrats do well than otherwise, since they dominated in most elections between 2020-23 and then 2024 was uh, 2024. And as I keep saying, it's maddening when voters only remember that oh yeah, Republicans suck massive amounts of donkey dick only AFTER they have reliably yet again voted the fuckwaffles back into power. Still, having your margin of victory cut full in half in blood-red parts of FL, and a blowout loss in swingiest-of-swing-states WI, three months after the inauguration, is not exactly great for the Treason Caucus. Womp womp. Sad clown noises. Thoughts and prayers.

Now we need the Senate Dems to follow Booker's example, quit fucking voting for Republican bills (looking at you, Schumer, and somehow massive disappointment Fetterman), and generally gunk up the procedural works as much as they can, even if they're in the minority. Republicans will make Noises of Concern (especially Susan Collins), but when push comes to shove, they'll still fall in line behind Trump. Democrats have to be loud and united, display a consistent backbone, and raise the social and electoral cost of Republicans continuing to kiss the ass of Mad King Trump and Evil Vizier Elon, and today was a positive step in that direction, if they can keep it up. And if Booker wants to, y'know, think about running for president in 2028 or anything, I'm absolutely willing to support him in exploring that idea. He has earned that consideration at least.

As for the April 5th protests: I was planning to be downtown that day anyway, and I might have to head over too. I suggest everyone use Mobilize.us to find events planned for the National Day of Action:

Courage, etc.

[allastoredeer]

My Hellaverse Writing & Drawing Resources (Masterpost) & Blog Tags

(A lot of this is for me, but feel free to use if you want.)

(Is updated as I stumble across more or make my own resources)

Blog Tags

#Undercover Angel AU (for my Angel Alastor au)

#allastoredoodles (my art tag)

My World-Building, Character Analysis, and Lore

The Hierarchal Power Structure in Pentagram City + Royal Family Character Analysis

Lucifer's Religious Trauma - Character Analysis

Why I Don't Include Dante's 9 Circles of Hell in my Hellaverse World-Building Lore

More About Dante's 9 Circles + Imp City and the Goetia

Hellborn and Sinner Similarities and Differences + Classism

Hellaverse Canon Lore Tidbits

Note: Some posts may have repeated canon lore

Post 1

Post 2

Post 3

Hazbin Hotel Facts Part 1

New Information Revealed By The Hazbin Playbill

Art Resources

Alastor

Alastor Drawing Guide

Alastor Cane Drawing Guide & Hand Reference Sheet

Alastor 3/4 (right) Expression Sheet

Alastor Side Profile Breakdown

Full Body Breakdown/Poses

Lucifer

Lucifer Drawing Guide

Demon Form Lucifer Drawing Guide

Vox

Vox Drawing Guide

Husk

Husk Drawing Guide

Rosie

Rosie Drawing Guide

Angel Dust

Angel Dust Drawing Guide

Character Designs

Sinners From the Show (Collection 1)

Backgrounds

Heaven Embassy (Exterior)

Post-Extermination City-Scape

Writing Resources

The 5 Senses

75 Words That Describe Smell

Descriptive Words for Scents: List of Smell Adjectives

200+ Words to Describe a Voice

How to Describe a Smile in Different Ways

600+ Words to Describe Smiles

What a Decomposing Body Smells Like

300 Creative Words to Describe Hair

General Writing Help

How to Write Immersive Stories Using Description

World Building Tips: Writing Engaging Settings

Writing Action Scenes

Adjectives for Description

Dialogue Tags to Use Instead of Said

6 Seconds, 6 Months - Writing Advice/Challenge

100+ Architecture Terms to Help Describe Buildings

Body Language Cheat Sheets

23 Essential Body Language Examples and Their Meanings

Writing Sex Scenes: How to Heat Up Romance

Miscellaneous

How to Write Realistic Injuries

Explosives and Blasting Agents

BOM: The Next Generation of High Performance Explosives

Burning Points of Various Fabrics

English to Shakespearean (Perfect for Zestial! Thank you @witch-of-the-writing-desk)

English to Old English (Perfect for Zestial! Thank you @witch-of-the-writing-desk)

Fantastic Post About Louisiana and New Orleans (Great for writing Alastor!)

The Complete Butchers Guide to Different Cuts of Meat

What Are the Different Sections or Areas on a Casino Floor?

Casino Design - The Sneaky Tricks That Make You Spend More

A Walk Through the Casino

Radio Scripts from the Golden Age of Radio

Golden Age of Black Radio (Part 1)

Glossary of Early 20th Century Slang in the United States

Historical Slang For Having Sex, From 1351 To Today

Collection of Clothing References for Writing

Portraying Mixed People

Sexual Intimacy During Cancer Treatment

Helpful Websites and Writing Programs

Random Character Generators

Websites For Writers (Collection)

Pacemaker Planner

Hiveword: The Search Engine For Writers

StimuWrite Desktop

OneStopForWriters

LibreOffice (Free Microsoft Word Alternative)

Scrivener

Fighters-Block (Designed specifically to combat writers blocks)

MyNoise (Immersive and customizable soundscapes to help with focus or creating a specific writing atmosphere).

WorldBuilding.StackExchange (A website for answering specific world-building questions)

WordsNStuff (FANTASTIC blog for your all your writing needs)

My Ko-Fi

You know. If you wanna (◕‿◕✿)

[bdbdbdbdmn]

people will say shit like "transmasc music is so shitty and boring it's all just [song that was very popular for everyone on tiktok for years], [band that was very popular before tiktok that made a comeback on the app], [artist that has always been enjoyed by lgbt people], and Cavetown! it's like, listen to some Real music and develop a unique personality, am I right?!" and get thousands of likes. what part of that seemed ok to say to you? why are you posting it into lgbt tags and why are you not being obliterated by the comments. I'm all cool with inside jokes, self-deprecation, and even lighthearted bullying, but some, a lot actually, are not jokes, they're not said kindly, and they're not meant to be seen as a happy thing by the audience.

also, more importantly, it seems to me that these people think trans people were invented on tiktok in 2020? back in my day, transgenderism was invented in the early to mid 2010s on tumblr, so this is gonna take a while for me to get used to. (that was an example of a good trans joke. the point was that cis people keep thinking trans people are "being invented" for the first time like every 5-10 years)

[joffyworld]

Happy Joffy Day!

Today marks a day of tremendous change here at JoffyWorld! To start, it's my birthday! I am officially 21, which is apparently a milestone to most people? Weird!

As a celebration, I've got a few things lined up for you all! First and foremost, I will be launching 4, that's right 4, new blogs each with a distinct theme or purpose! I also have what I have coined a "Wall of Mutual Appreciation" which you'll see later in the day, as well as a competition to announce with (albeit sort of small) cash prizes!

So, read on if you're interested!

The New Blogs:

@joffykingdom

This blog exists specifically to house my personal writing! This is where my poems and anthologies (other than my COTL au, more on that later) will be kept from now on! I've realised my poetry has always kind of gotten buried under stuff. Hopefully, this will remedy that! So, if you like my more personal poems, head on over!

@joffycourt

This is the blog I'm most excited about! This is a group project I've been working on for a while with some friends I hold dear! This blog will be a group-run blog designed to spread joy through reblogs, comments and posts just as I do here on JoffyWorld, but on a grander scale! I've seen, and been told personally by many, just how uplifting and helpful my time here has been, and I want to continue that going forward! So, I've gathered some of my most joyful friends, and we've decided to try and spread it even more together! Joining me there so far as the newest Joffy's of the court will be @loullipopx, @bash-js, @yotomazu and @littleperson404! Hopefully, this will only keep growing in time to help me spread the joy I feel from everyone even further! Only time will tell :D

@joffydungeon

This will become the new home for my NSFW reblogs, the more risqué or deranged posts. Basically, in the most simple way, this will be the 18+ blog from now on. Minors DNI, adults more than welcome!

@cult-of-the-anthology

Finally, this blog will be the home of my COTL au and it's respective series! I have plans to do side-by-side series all based within the same au, all told through alternative storytelling such as poetry, songs and whatnot, the type of stuff you've already possibly seen from my au's Ballad of the Bishops Series so far! If you want to keep up with the au, here's the place to do it!

The Wall of Mutual Appreciation:

My aim with this is to help spread one long list of appreciation for all the friends I've made here so far and help spread them with what audience I've collected so far. Each person I'm mutuals with will have a tagged entry into the wall, with a brief explanation of what I find so riveting about their specific artworks and skills! I thought it'd be a fun way to give back a little, and also possibly promote people a tiny bit! Of course, if you're uncomfortable with being on it and see yourself get tagged, let me know and I'll take your name down immediately, no questions asked! It's supposed to be a nice, fun thing, no negativity involved!

And now, the contest!

The Contest:

I will be hosting a writing contest! Cash prizes will be awarded (preferably through Ko-Fi, although PayPal can also be done) to the top three places at the end of the contest! The prizes are: £15 for 1st place, £10 for 2nd and £5 for 3rd, or their local equivalent in your own currencies!

The prompt will be announced by the 15th, and all formats of writing are welcome! I would, however, encourage everyone to try their hand at poetry! I know it's not a popular medium and other forms are welcome of course, but I'd like personally to see people try their hand at something new (and of course, since I'm the poetry guy in my friend groups lmao). I won't however be awarding "bonus points" for poems versus long-form writing for example, all pieces will be judged fairly!

... And that's all!

Thank you so much for everything you've all given me over my time here. It's not even been a year and we're already approaching 300 friends gathered! It's a wonder every day I wake up and talk to you all or even just see what you've been up to. You're all wonderful and I'm honoured to have gotten to know you.

Thank you, you have my endless loyalty, love and support.

Good luck and take care of yourselves,

The Original Joffy™