#and also could they credit everyone for everything on their websites too

[https-sally]

i hope twt explodes so that companies are forced to put their lore and information on their websites actually, instead of burying it on that broken website

[millie-multifics]

……Mamma Mia?

Evan Buckley x GN!Reader

When your friend cancels plans last minute, your sweet boyfriend steps up.

Featuring: Soft Boyfriend Buck and Mammia Mia

Masterlist

x x x

Your phone tightened in your grip and you withheld your sigh of disappointment. You had this night planned for weeks, but your friend was calling to cancel merely an hour before you were set to pick them up.

“No worries, take care.” You hid your disappointment behind a smile as you finished up the call. Your boyfriend, Buck immediately sensed something was wrong.

“Everything okay?” Even from the kitchen, he could hear the slight variations in your tone that was hiding your crushed excitement.

You sighed, kicking off your shoes. “Tonight just got cancelled.”

“But you’ve been looking forward to this for weeks? And you spent so much time getting those tickets and choosing an outfit.”

You pulled the throw pillow onto your lap as you sat on the couch, picking at a loose thread, remembering all of the nights looking through ticket websites and multiple weekends spent combing through thrift stores in L.A.

“I’ll go with you.” Buck offered, the sadness you were emitting was simply too much for your sweet boyfriend to bare. It didn’t matter to him that musicals were not his thing and he would have to sit through two, or that he had just gotten off shift and was simply exhausted. The only thing that mattered to him right now was your happiness.

“Really?”

“It’ll be fun.” It sounded like he was trying to convince himself just as much as you.

“So it’s a musical about paternity?”

“It follows Sophie, she is getting married and trying to decipher which of the three men her mom had written about in her diary is her real father.”

“How does Abba fit into all this?”

“If you’re looking for the logic or correlation between Abba and the story, you won’t find any except that some of the group were the creators of the musical.”

“Does she find out who her real father is?”

“You’ll have to wait and see, babe.”

Buck continued to scroll through the Wikipedia page. “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again?”

“The second film. It takes place a few years later, dynamics have changed and Cher is in it.”

The popcorn bucket rested on your lap, your fingers idly reaching in for the next popped kernal thoughout the film. Buck had also been indulging in the buttery goodness but it had been a moment since his fingers brushed yours in the bucket. You pull your eyes off the screen expecting to find him asleep but found the opposite, his eyes were glued to the screen as Meryl Streep sang Slipping Through My Fingers. You swore you could see his tears glistening in his eyes at the beautiful song.

The second film began and Buck quickly questioned the absence of Meryl Streep just as everyone did the first time it had been watched. He would whisper in your ear as quiet as possible for explanations on small continuity errors but you assured him none would effect the storyline much. You could feel Buck squeeze your hand just a little bit tighter as Sky returned to Kalokairi, and he was sniffling along with the rest of the Theatre during the christening scene.

“So what did you think?” You asked as the lights turned on while the credits rolled.

“I can definitely see why these are your comfort movies.”

“Thank you for coming with me, Evan.” You leaned your head on his shoulder, cuddling into him as much as possible with the chairs cupholders between you.

“Anytime.”

Buck didn’t regret volunteering at all despite how his tiredness from shift weighed on him. The theatre was packed with fans who were just as enthusiastic as you and he adored watching you glow each time you received a compliment on your well planned outfit. Maybe, just maybe he enjoyed the movies too.

You think you can definitely hear him humming S.O.S in the kitchen the next morning.

[ecogirl2759]

THE MOMENT WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!!!!

Here it is, guys!

The Kiyotaka Ishimaru Mastermind comic from 4コマ KINGS Vol. 4!

SPECIFICALLY CITING THIS SO THAT OTHERS KNOW WHERE TO FIND THIS COMIC!!!

Huge, HUUUUGE thanks to @panicuriprince!!! They helped me with clearing the text, rewording panels and putting everything together! Pages 4, 5, and 6 are her doing! PLEEEASE go send her some love, they REALLY helped me get this done and I literally couldn't have done this without her :D

There's a document below the break with more literal translations for the comic, as well as translation notes, a link to a Google Drive folder with ALL of the pages, and other interesting tidbits! Please give it a read!

The Japanese pages will also be below the break! (As well as a little spiel of mine. It's quite long, so be careful!)

(also please forgive how many tags there are here-)

Remember to read right to left <3

.

.

As promised, here are the Japanese panels:

.

.

AND HERE'S THE DOCUMENT!

.

.

✨ WOW ✨

I can't begin to describe to you all how AMAZING this feels!

I've spent the past 2 years on what felt like a wild goose chase, desperately searching for this one comic that I wasn't even sure existed.

This all started with me finding a photo on Tumblr of this comic and spiraling into this deep dive. First I didn't know if this was even real, then I found out that this comic series had ceased printing, then I couldn't be sure which book it was actually in.

There is literally almost no information out there about the fourth volume of this anthology series. I've said this before and I'll say it again, volumes 1 and 2 both have full translations that you can download off of other websites, and while 3 doesn't seem to have that, there are a lot of separately translated comics floating around out there, namely on Pinterest.

The 4th volume had NOTHING! No matter how hard I searched or how many links I clicked, no one has really said ANYTHING about this book, which was why this specific comic was so hard for me to find.

But I have all of the books now, so I definitely want to do this again for all of them so that people have easy access to these translations. I'll start with book 4 though haha.

Also, I'm not sure who it was, but HUUUUGE thanks to the kind stranger on Ebay who was willing to sent me the whole series!! I literally don't know where I would be right now if these books weren't with me, so thank you <3

Also, thank you to all of my Japanese teachers that I've had throughout the years. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have been able to understand the comic, haha! One even helped me out in the early stages of this process, so extra thanks to him <3

I feel really passionate about accessible media. I think that everyone should be able to read and find whatever they want. That's part of the reason that I've endeavored on this project. I want everyone to be able to seek out and find these comics if they really want to. And, of course, I want everyone to be able to understand them, too.

So please enjoy this comic! If you'd like to repost it, I'd appreciate being credited just so that others know where they can go to find the full comic.

This one-man project isn't so one-man anymore, and I seriously can't thank everyone who's helped me enough!!! I'm honestly so glad I didn't have to go through this alone <33

ALSO

If you see anything, LITERALLY ANYTHING, that you think I could change/improve (like formatting or different interpretations of the Japanese text), PLEASE shoot me a message!! I want to make sure this comic is as good as it can be, and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Even if you don't have a suggestion and would just like to reach out to ask a question or something, PLEASE don't be afraid to do that! I know I get really cold feet when sending people asks, so I'm going to reassure everyone who needs to hear it now: You're never going to be a bother to me! I love getting asks! Whenever anyone sends me something, I get really excited <3

So ask questions! Tell me I did a horrible job and got none of the text right! Ask why Ishimaru literally cannot be evil! I don't know the answer, either!

.

.

.

Thank you all so much for the support and the kind words you've been giving me ever since I first announced I was translating this comic! Your support has been extremely motivating to me! Also, you guys are hilarious with your tags!

Seriously, thank you so much! Words literally can't express how I feel right now, but I guess the best way I could describe it is cathartic. I'm REALLY happy that I finally get to share 2 years worth of work with you guys! You've all been a massive help to me in more ways than one <333

KEEP BEING AWESOME <3

[newtonsheffield]

Could we maybe… possibly get a snippet of Kate using the card for the first time and everyone calling her Mrs Bridgerton when she in fact is very much not Mrs Bridgerton… yet anyway

The thing is, growing up the Sharma’s were fairly wealthy. Mary’s a huge musician and even that pales in comparison to the way the Bridgertons are living their life.

But I think the first time Kate uses the card she feels kind of nervous, awkward about spending someone else’s money, and she probably only does it because she’s out to lunch with Daphne, Edwina and Sophie and she batted away everyone’s hands when they went to pay and in the hustle of it all she gave them the wrong card. It’s probably only when the server returns the card, the balance already paid that she realises she’s used the wrong card.

“Shit.” Kate sighed, putting the card back with her others.

“Everything alright?” Daphne’s brow furrowed, “I’m happy to split the-”

“It’s fine I just… gave them Anthony’s card. Well, my card, that’s part of Anthony’s… account.” Kate shrugged, “It’s fine, I’ll pay him back.”

“Anthony gave you a credit card?”

Sophie rolled her eyes at Edwina, “Are we surprised? He goes big, you know what he’s got her for her birthday.” She glanced at Daphne, “No offence, obviously.”

Kate’s heart stuttered, remembering the way he’d minimised what looked suspiciously like the Aston Martin website the other day when she’d walked into the living room and his tone on the phone had changed, “What’s he got me for my birthday?”

Daphne ignored Kate shrugging, “No offence taken.” She turned to Kate, “Anthony won’t even notice the charge and you basically live together. It’s not that surprising. Plus, he loves collecting the rewards points for some reason. I think it feels like a game for him from what I can tell.”

Kate shrugged, “It just… feels weird. I’ll pay him back.”

“Good luck with that.” Daphne shrugged, collecting her bag, “Now, we need to brainstorm what the hell I’m going to get Simon for his birthday. I can’t get him another watch because I can’t fucking stand the clicking from all of his stupid… automatic watch winders. Thirty is too many. No one needs to be that aware of the time.”

Kate felt guilty when she got back to Anthony’s as well, Edwina behind her, hiding the bag behind her a little awkwardly. She’d meant to use the card that time, with every intention of paying him back for the frivolous pair of boots in the bag behind her. She found Anthony already home, his slippers on as he geared up to watch the Formula One practice, Newton on the sofa beside him, belly up.

He smiled at her when she bent to kiss the top of his head, “Did you have fun?”

“Yeah, Daphne found Simon’s birthday present so a successful trip.”

He peered round her at the bag, “What did you get?”

Kate swallowed, “Okay, so I bought boots but I’ll pay you back and I’m not even sure I’ll keep them.”

Anthony blinked, “You don’t like them?”

“I love them.”

“Why would you take them back then?”

“Because they were a little expensive and… I don’t really need them? And I also bought lunch but that was an accident and like I said I’ll pay you back.”

Anthony shrugged, “Don’t worry about it.” He kissed her gently, “I’m glad you had fun. I was thinking about ordering takeaway do you want something?”

“Um… yeah?”

Anthony stood from the sofa, kissing her again, “I’ll get the menu.”

Kate stared after him as he disappeared into the kitchen, bewildered, “Don’t you even care how much money I spent?”

“Not really.”

Kate kept gaping after him and Edwina muttered, “You have a sugar daddy.”

Kate rolled her eyes, “He’s not my sugar daddy.”

“You spent… a lot of money today and he didn’t notice! He didn’t even care! And I know what he’s ordered for your birthday.”

Kate groaned, “Is it bad?”

“It’s… a wild gift for a birthday together.”

“Worse than Benedict taking Sophie to Switzerland?”

“Oh way worse.”

“Fuck.”

[artzychic27]

Inspired by your Canon!Marinette post with her worst moments with the Science Kids, I wonder something. Could you make a sequel post with the worst thing/moment Marinette had with the Akuma Class, with Luka and Kagami included?

Kim (Yeah. That’s right. Why don’t y’all sit the fuck down?):

Marinette was pissed at him for that prank, (which he was unsure of doing and asked Chloé a second time if he should still go along with it) that she decided to take revenge and hide some spiders in his locker

… Unfortunately, she just grabbed a random breed and Kim had to go to the hospital to get treated for a shit-ton of poisonous spider bites

Max:

Spread rumors online that he was sexist just because he got upset that he lost to her, subjecting him to a bit of online bullying

Ladybug criticized his video game because it made light of past Akuma victims’ experiences despite the fact he got permission from everyone who’s in the game to add them in, but she was adamant and got a ton of her followers to back her up

Myléne:

During one of Nino’s film projects, when Myléne as the female lead had to kiss Adrien, Marinette tripped Myléne and made her break her ankle so that she, the understudy, would get to kiss Adrien

Marinette was praised for her acting during the kiss scene, and Myléne got an honorable mention in the credits

Ivan:

Insinuated that Myléne could do much better than a “terrifying grunge rock wannabe.”

Claims she doesn’t have enough fabric to make him an outfit, but there’s a whole-ass role in her closet

Alya:

Marinette accused her of being a bad friend for suggesting that she should tone down her crush on Adrien, especially the schedule, and then the argument got heated when Alya yelled and called her a creep, then she got Akumatized

When she was cured, Ladybug basically gaslighted Alya into forgiving Marinette… Also, Laadybug makes sure the Ladyblog is scrubbed clean of Chat Noir because according to her, “He doesn’t do anything but flirt and joke.”

Nino:

Manipulates him into changing up his scripts for class film projects so that she can kiss Adrien despite it having no relevance to the film whatsoever

Marinette keeps trying to get him to tell her everything Adrien says so she can have more information about his life, but some things are private and Nino doesn’t feel comfortable sharing them

Nathaniel:

Continuously forgets to add him to group chats, hand him an invitation to a party, include him on the class roster, etc. And then claims that, “If you actually talked instead of drawing, maybe people would actually notice you.”

Ladybug criticized his and Marc’s comic just because it pointed out a few of her flaws, prompting her psychophants to boycott them and even vandalize their homes. She didn’t apologize until like two months later when they published a comic more to her liking where she’s perfect

Alix:

Continuously drags her into her stupid Adrinette plans despite Alix’s discomfort and protests on how her plans are creepy

When Alix said no once again, Marinette blamed it on her being Aromantic, Alix punched her, and that was the end of their friendship for good

Rose:

Marinette stole the hamster plushie her deceased grandmother gave to her so that she could give it to Adrien when she heard that he liked hamsters, too. Rose didn’t have the heart to say anything when she saw how happy Adrien looked

When Rose confronted Marinette, she guiltrips her and has the audacity to bring up her grandmother

Juleka:

Keeps fixing Juleka’s appearance when she offers to model for her, making her look like a completely different person and not like herself at all- Wig, eye contacts, intense contour, stuffing her bra, etc.

When the comments roll in on her website, Marinette doesn’t bother telling them who the model is and just compliments Juleka on how gorgeous she looks despite that girl in the picture not being her

Sabrina:

Let Sabrina do all the work for a group project while she had to do something as Ladybug… And it lasted well until the morning. By that time, Sabrina finished the whole thing, and all Marinette did was sign her name

When Sabrina confronted her about this, Marinette shrugged and asked what the big deal was. She does Chloé’s work all the time

Chloé:

Decided to rub it in Chloé’s face how Audrey has been offering her dozens of internships and even uses her actual name, just to “knock her down a few pegs” even when Chloé didn’t do anything today

Somehow managed to get a picture of Chloé hugging her teddy bear, and sent it to everyone in school. Chloé was so humiliated that she didn’t come to school for almost a month

Adrien:

The statue scene

Theft

Breaking and entering

Stalking

The schedule

… Anyway, Ladybug broke into his bedroom in the dead of night, sniffed his hair, and then kissed him while he was still asleep

Luka:

… Do I need to say it?

Vents all of her problems to him, makes it seem as though she was unhappy when they were dating, and rants about how “Adrien will never notice me! Help me, now!”

Kagami:

Spread rumors that she and her mother moved because she attacked her ex boyfriend back in Japan because she caught him talking to another girl

Sabotaged yet another contest Kagami was a part of where Adrien was the prize

[purpleyin]

A post about Freddy Carter in the 2016 play CIRCA, with some info about the play in here too.

If you repost pics from this elsewhere please remember to:

a) credit the photographer/photo source

and

b) mention me as having found them (I'm purpleyindom on insta if anyone reposts there) since it took a fair bit of time/effort to research this play.

Photo sources: tratcliffe15, 2 -__circa & 3 - the VAULTS performance crowdfunder page and others sources mentioned later

The play was written by Tom Ratcliffe who is friends with Freddy - he was at Oxford Drama School with Freddy, as well as starring in "The Wars of the Roses" (Rose Theatre) with him in 2015.

CIRCA was first performed as a sell-out research & development showing at the Old Red Lion Theatre, Islington in November 2015. After that a crowdfunding campaign was started to raise money for putting on the world premiere of the play in Amsterdam.

10 minutes of CIRCA were also performed as part of Wildcard Theatre's Christmas fundraiser December 1st 2015, with Freddy playing The First Love and Tom Ratcliffe playing The Young Man, and Jamie Jackson directing. Photographer: Ali Wright

Rehearsals for Amsterdam, with director Eleanor Clare Taylor in the 1st pic. Freddy plays The First Love.

Photo source: __circa

The Amsterdam performance happened 8th January 2016 as part of Festival Contact at the Theater de Meervaart. Some behind the scene shots + some more from the performance itself (EDIT: the lefthand side sofa pic I'd included is actually from the 2015 London performance instead - the righthand side one is the Amsterdam set).

Photo sources: - tratcliffe15, - JennieWestbrook, Rikki Beadle-Blair

Following Amsterdam, another crowdfunding campaign was started to raise money for the plays UK première as part of 2016 Pride in London. Here's pics for the readthrough, rehearsals & preview show. Freddy plays The First Love and The Younger Man.

Photo source: __circa

The play ran June 21st-25th, directed by Joe Allan, performed at The VAULTS, Waterloo. As mentioned by a londontheatre1, the actors changed into dark clothes to double up as stagehands like in pic 5. As far as I can tell there's no public recordings of the play, just a very brief insta reel of applause for one of the shows.

Photo sources: - tratcliffe15 , eskijoe + poster design & some pics by Eitan Bernat

CIRCA had another run in March 2019 - for 4 weeks this time - again at The Old Red Lion Theatre, with a smaller cast of 5: Antony Gabriel, Daniel Abelson, Jenna Fincken, Joseph Rowe, and Thomas Flynn. Maybe CIRCA will return sometime potentially but it seems unlikely it would be with Freddy again. I very much wish I could see it tbh but I'll probably have to satisfy myself buying the script sometime.

Photographer Lidia Crisafulli

For anyone curious about the play more generally, Tom Ratcliffe has interviews about the 2019 run linked on his website under 'Press' further down on his writer's CV page. There are reviews for the 2016 Vaults performance here. CIRCA is also published, and there were some quotes from the play released as part of promo tweets - they're behind the read more.

"That’s what everyone says isn't it? Gay men shag everything. Disease and all that. My mum, when I came out, the first thing she said to me was ‘don’t get AIDS'...But things are different now. They’ll be different for us." 

"Have you ever played the Game of Life?"

"Most people get to be happy with just one person. I don't see why I should have it any different."

"You have this thing where you don't let it define you... I'm not going to apologise"

"Everybody loves a drag queen but nobody will ever love a drag queen"

"No one sleeps with one person forever. You can't be so naive."

"This must be a dream."

[mousiecat]

♥ ♡ Intro Post! ♡ ♥

post update (10/17/23)

uhh okay so eventually this will be more about coding again but I've been too busy

but I'm just gonna reblog and talk about whatever

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

Hi, I’m mousiecat 🐭🐱

I'm so excited to participate in the Codeblr community!

I'd love it if you checked out my Neocities!

If you're on Neocities, you can follow me here :)

♥　♡　♥　♡　♥　♡　♥ 　♡　♥　♡　♥　♡　♥

First, my main tags:

meow squeak - me! my own posts! includes asks

Reference - coding info to refer back to

Resources - useful tools and libraries

Learning Resources - tutorials, games, projects, or webinars for learning

Web Accessibility - learn to make things more accessible!

Goodies - yummy pixels and art that creators have shared for public use on your webbies ~ (always follow creators' crediting guidelines!)

♥　♡　♥　♡　♥　♡　♥ 　♡　♥　♡　♥　♡　♥

Read more for more about me!

Coding Origins

The golden age of Neopets! It was an HTML/CSS wonderland! You could catch my kid self building Sailor Moon guilds, spicing up my shop, and customizing my pet pages.

♥　♡　♥　♡　♥　♡　♥ 　♡　♥　♡　♥　♡　♥

Coding Rebirth

A bit ago, in a fit of nostalgia, I surfed Geocities archives and longed for the days the creative web still existed. Then I realized...HTML/CSS are still around, and people are still making cute, fun, independent sites with it. You don’t have to resort to uploading content to some billionaire’s website--you can still make your own!

So, I got on the Neocities train, and I've been really excited about the endless possibilities with coding! I especially love that, if you are able to access a consistent computer and internet connection, you can do everything else for FREE! Learning, creating, publishing, all of it. Kinda kickass.

♥　♡　♥　♡　♥　♡　♥ 　♡　♥　♡　♥　♡　♥

Currently Learning:

HTML/CSS, and soon JavaScript with FreeCodeCamp

Learning a bit of Python with Udemy (mostly to connect with a local lesbian coding group)

Attending random Meetup coding events until I find my groove~

♥　♡　♥　♡　♥　♡　♥ 　♡　♥　♡　♥　♡　♥

Goals:

My primary goals are fun and creativity! I especially wanna make cute lil games and activities for silly webpages :)

More and more, I also want to find ways to use coding for liberatory organizing, especially abolition, sex worker advocacy, and reproductive justice work. So far I've made a cute page for an event, and I've got some ideas for simple educational games :) I'd love to strategize beyond this ~~~~~

Down the line it could be really cool to get a paying gig, but it's not my central motive

I just want to keep learning more so I have a better sense of all the possibilities!!! Let's get this party STARTED!

♥　♡　♥　♡　♥　♡　♥ 　♡　♥　♡　♥　♡　♥

Codeblr Goals:

You know…I’ll post when I post and I won’t when I won’t! I have ADHD, so out of love for myself I don’t give myself assignments when I don’t have to. So, I’m not trying to post every day or anything. I just want a lil outlet for it when I’m feeling it! I love learning from everyone here, and it would be amazing to make connections!

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Hi BPP. I don't know much about the mechanism behind music industry. I thought that pictures of producers with Jimin would mean they’re collaborating on Jimin’s music. Is that not the case? Not seeing their names on Jimin’s Track List made me puzzled. Also, I can't believe I'm getting so hyped over this Track List. This is my Minimoni revival era. XD I’ve been starving of their interaction, but this also shows how little we really know what’s going on. +

*

Ask 2: I’m listening to D2 right now, and it’s beautiful. It’s so,,, nice. ‘Set me free’ is SO calming. I can’t stop listening to this on repeat. This Track List,,, I'm imagining what those titles might mean and building my own narrative behind them. I’m incomparably hyped!! There’s a lot of first that BTS has brought in my life. Actually getting/posting on SNS, for one, and listening to music and trying to understand lyrics, for two. But yeah, I’m SO excited. Like I’m giddy and giggly. +

*

Ask 3: It makes me so happy and pumped that my days feel brighter and better. Lol So I had to reach out to you! Lol Do you know how I can send you longer asks with proper line breaks, and Markdown formatting? I’ve tried to get an account but that wouldn’t even let me post an ask. Whereas when I’m not signed in, I can post a very short ask. Sorry, I don’t really know how Tumblr works. I’ve never really wanted to have a blog, but I’d love to chat with you more! haha

***

Hi Anon!

For your first question, I recently replied to another Anon asking the same thing, but my short answer is that yes it's possible they still worked on the album in a bunch of ways - arrangement, sound engineering, vocals processing, etc, but it's also just as likely that Jimin met them to collaborate on his music post-FACE. We won't see the full credits until the album is out.

Everything else you said made me smile and your energy is so positively infectious. But maybe that's just the Jimin Effect - he's got us all charmed, giddy, and hungry for more. Thanks for expressing your thoughts in my inbox.

About the Anon asks format... I honestly don't know. I haven't sent an ask in forever but I think some Tumblr features sometimes don't work if the app version you're using isn't the very latest one. I've also heard that Tumblr features on desktop (through the Tumblr website, not on my blog page) allows people to post long asks and in general is better than mobile, so maybe using that format could benefit you. It's odd having an account hinders your posting though, when it should be the opposite... My settings allow asks from everyone too, I even allow submissions, asks with media, etc, so I'm honestly not sure what the problem is. If any of my followers can help Anon out with advice, please do. Alternatively Anon, my DMs are always open so feel free to stop by.

Anyway, Jimin's FACE is coming. And I'm with you that it can't come soon enough.

[solitaryandwandering]

Hi....If you don't mind, can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

Hiya! Of course I don't mind, thank you so much for asking!! This question is... EVERYTHING. I've subsisted almost solely on different forms of narrative art my entire life, this list could seriously span MILLENNIA (and would not account for quality lol). I'll do 7, just because I tend to spend FOREVER making these lists, haha. I'm not generally into manga or anime so those will be excluded, sorry! I also try to pick something different for every list I do, so here's hoping I don't repeat anything I've talked about before!

A Series of Unfortunate Events (my favorite is book #4, The Miserable Mill) by Lemony Snicket (pub. 1999-2006; United States) - 4/5

Other than just being a fantastically written children's book series, the answer to why I love this so much is pretty personal and would take up an entire essay's worth of unpacking. So I'll try to keep it short (ha!). When I said above that I basically subsisted on media as a kid, I was not joking. Books were my first love precisely because they allowed me an escape. I was ostracized by many of my peers in school and had nowhere else to turn except books - mostly fiction, mostly fantasy, but I read a LOT of classics, Greek mythology, Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, Shakespeare, etc. One of the genres I gravitated to most was gothic fiction/poetry - something I consider foundational to my current taste and sense of humor - and no book nor series was more accessible than ASOUE. I still vividly remember discovering the series in my elementary school library; while everyone else was doing something or other with the group I snuck off into the shelves and boredly perused until I came across what was probably The Grim Grotto. The texture of the hardcover, its design, the ART immediately captivated me. It stood so widely apart from the other children's books on those shelves. Then I hunched over on the floor and began reading. And... I don't even know what about it grabbed me. It might have been that these intelligent kids were also lonely, also struggling to survive, surrounded by ignorant and neglectful adults. It might have been Snicket's style, absurdist and full of big words my slightly pretentious kid brain gobbled up. Maybe it was its mystery, the thrill of an anonymous author who very well may have actually published these books! from a secret bunker or shack on an island!, commiserating, asking me for help. Maybe it was how dark it was, paired with delightful humor which PERMEATED every page, probably my first real introduction to dark humor. I wandered away with that book (and The Carnivorous Carnival) before I was ushered back by the librarian or a teacher once we realized I had not read the first books in the series yet. My eyes must have been as big as dinner plates. The rest is history; The End may very well have been one of my first "anticipated events" in the world of narrative media. I own the entire series now, including that hardcover copy of the last book I picked up at Borders in the first couple of weeks after its release.

2. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890; United Kingdom) - 3/5

This is a book I read on my iPod Touch in high school. Only book I ever did that with haha. I think at the time I had just signed up for Goodreads and they had a free version of the book on their website? Anyway, that didn't stop me from absolutely loving it. I had never stopped reading things in the vein of gothic fiction, but it wasn't until high school that I started to read (some) more explicitly horror-oriented stuff. Horror books have never really been my cup of tea, simply because I tend to either get TOO immersed or bored very quickly. I'm pretty confident in crediting this book for giving me one of my first satisfying tastes of horror in a literary form. That ending still STICKS with me, man!! The psychological horror of it all! I don't think I really picked up on the queer (sub?)text all that much besides in the character of Basil Hallward which is more an indication of how much I was struggling with compulsory heterosexuality than of the CLEAR intent of Wilde in... everything he put in TPODG. I'm pretty sure I had only relatively recently come out to myself (and was still closeted). But regardless, this book also launched an utter fascination with Wilde himself; when I visited Paris with my mom and aunt in my senior year I insisted on visiting Wilde's tomb in Père Lachaise Cemetery (the entire place is AWESOME btw). Standing in front of the tomb, reading the epitaph, reflecting on his life and art and how it influenced the lives of queer people in the UK, meditating on my own future as a queer person and my context in queer history, was a pretty significant moment in my queer journey.

3. Avatar: The Last Airbender created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko (ran 2005-2008; United States) - 10/10

I mean, what more is there to say about this amazing show? How gorgeously animated, written and acted it is? How compassionately each character was written? How it made concepts like genocide and warmongering not only accessible but legible for children? How it's literally a children's cartoon but is one of the most moving portraits of micro- and macro-level geopolitical grief? How abuse and efforts to reclaim a life mottled by it is a PRESENT and CLEAR theme? How much the theme song SLAPS?? Fuck, I need to rewatch this. On a more personal note, Toph was the first example I saw in media of a legitimately blind character - not just one "playing at" blindness. Her being a MAIN character and so completely in charge of her shit was fucking incredible to me. Then! The impossible! She was COMPLEX, allowed to be realistically limited by her blindness and youth. Though I wasn't able to completely relate to her as someone who was only a "low vision" blind person her character existing at all gave me a lot of strength. And yes, I would be an Earth bender.

4. Teen Titans created by Sam Register and Glen Murakami (ran 2003-2006; United States) - 9/10

I don't really know what to say about this, it's honestly here based off a lot of nostalgia as I haven't re-watched more than the first couple of episodes after I graduated kid-dom. But this is yet another example of great characters navigating abusive or toxic relationships, all the while kicking butt as super-cool superheroes. I've always been a huge sucker for superheroes (I haven't bought into the current superhero craze for quite some time though); these teens took the cake and so did that THEME SONG!! Still occasionally plays on a loop in my head! Looking back I absolutely had a crush on Starfire though I REPRESSED THAT SHIT and instead focused on how absolutely cool and badass Raven was (also probably had a crush on her tbh). Of course, her story of overcoming her overwhelming emotions and mental illness (such as they were, in a kid's superhero cartoon) resonated with me quite a bit. Outwardly, though, I was absolutely obsessed with Cyborg. I had this running joke as a kid where I would tell people I was a cyborg because I had a cochlear implant. Cyborg gave me a cultural reference to relate to and I LOVED HIM for it. Even if Beast Boy was my favorite.

5. My School President dir. Au Kornprom Niyomsil (ran 2022-2023; Thailand) - 9/10

I blame my sappy, sentimental heart and preteen obsession with High School Musical for this one. But let's be real, this show is SO CUTE. It came along at the perfect time, too, as I was struggling pretty badly with depression and PTSD flashbacks in the beginning of 2023. MSP was the first time in a while I really felt like I had "something to look forward to" in terms of appointment television. I enjoy watching TV as it airs but it's very rare for me to latch on to a show so much that I get EXCITED when it airs, let alone for it to genuinely keep me buoyant and, for lack of a better word, going. The last time that happened was in high school for the brief period of time we had BBC America and I could watch Doctor Who. MSP is just so... joyful. It made me happy. Sweet, consistent, well-acted, with love seeping out of every pore... so easy to love. It has just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek cheesiness while still taking itself and it's characters' troubles seriously. Though the music wasn't always my thing (those boys are not stellar singers... yet), all the songs fit with the story and were very fun and touching - I'd be lying if I said I didn't still JAM OUT whenever a MSP song plays on Spotify. Despite some small misses here and there, it still managed to be incredibly smartly-written. I was not expecting this show to be so good or to make me so emotionally invested. Right up my alley.

6. Hereditary dir. Ari Aster (2018; USA) - 5/5

Though it may be a surprise to those of who I've come to know in my exploration of (mostly televised) BL, I consider movies to be what I'm most passionate about, if we had to pick a medium of narrative storytelling. I've loved films since I was very little but my love for film was revitalized with a PASSION in college. 2018 was a big year for movies, Hereditary being one of its many shining lights. Seeing this still remains one of my best theater experiences. My best friend and I spontaneously decided to see this when we were bored and in desperate need to put off the realities of school. I had been laboriously begging them to see Hereditary with me and was THRILLED to go, armed with trivia and opinions of film critics to unload as soon as we walked out (I am so thankful they put up with me). We were one of around maybe 20 other theatergoers, so we could hear every single gasp and comment made under the breath of anyone around us. It was GREAT. Not only the movie, of course, which is a phenomenally directed and acted (#OscarForToni) horror/family drama; the audience reacted perfectly. It felt like a truly communal experience, laughing and exhilarating together at our collective fear and awe. When the lights went up we all grinned at each other and trembled our way out to the parking lot. Especially great considering I've heard horror stories (lol) of people laughing during some screenings??? And yes, of course, the movie itself is very very good. I can't watch much horror because of the aforementioned issues with TOO MUCH immersion but regardless, on a purely academic front horror is one of my favorite genres to study. All that to say, I've grafted a tougher skin when it comes to watching certain kinds of horror films and know what to avoid. Films like this one, with so much artistic integrity (get back to me on the disability rep, I have thoughts), keep me coming back for more. Nothing prepared me for Annie sawing her fucking head off with a piano wire though, no thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

7. Eighth Grade dir. Bo Burnham (2018; USA) - 5/5

Guess the theme of this answer became "let me tell you about incredibly personal pieces of media and force you to listen" but hey. Favorites are favorites. Holy fuck, this movie hit me. I'm sure it's not a surprise to anyone who's followed me for any length of time that coming of age narratives are some of my favorites; this doubly holds true for film. Though the girl in this movie is very much of Gen Z there are so many elements of her middle school experience that resonate with my teen years, including the absolutely horrific decision to put unbearable YouTube videos up of yourself for EVERYONE TO SEE. God, for most of this I was cringing in absolute embarrassment. How did Bo crawl into my past?? Why did he put it on screen, AGAIN? Genuinely, though, I was completely blown away. Most people recognize Bo's talent as a filmmaker at this point but this was his first try at making a feature film. I came into this knowing of his previous work, having watched (and loved) his comedy specials and purchased his poetry book. I also knew of many of his Vines, of course. But nothing prepared me for how GOOD this is. To choose this subject is wonderful in the first place but to then, in his FIRST FEATURE FILM, completely compassionately excavate and examine the anxieties and small (but so insurmountable!) problems of an entirely normal eighth grade girl is POWERFUL. Nearly impossible to do, let alone with this much skill and insight. Every choice he makes as a director with his camera and actor directions entirely SUPPORT the story instead of being flashy additions. An excruciating watch for any AFAB person who struggles with social anxiety (mine reared its ugly head in ninth grade), especially if you're sitting in a very small independent movie theater in the middle of nowhere, Maine (not my home state). Still, absolutely beautiful and emotive, one of the most true-to-life films I've ever seen. This, I should absolutely rewatch. Maybe when I feel like being tortured.

[ironclawallosaur]

I'm not even sure my word on this is worth two cents but:

I feel the big issue with "AI art" isn't the stolen artwork per se—yes, it's annoying, but there's functionally no difference between this

and this

This, too, is stolen art, used by the internet for humor. (the original appears to be by artist Joaes Kleine) It took the original artist 15 hours of work, and the memester probably about 15 second.

And, y'know. If we banned Object Labeling memes, the internet would be a poorer place. Deepfaking US presidents riding a giant rollercoaster, using AI to generate sexy victorian catgirls, and making relatable memes (who hasn't gotten up in the middle of the night Big Thirsty?) is all fun and games.

(what I wish is that we had a way to credit the artist easily without wrecking the joke that people could also notice, I'd use it all the time)

(maybe put the link in the alt-text?)

The problem is that I'm seeing more and more signs of "AI art" being the next autotranslate.

where it gets out into the professional world and turns everything to shit.

This is a social ill, yes—instead of a skilled translator getting paid to translate what I presume to be a hair salon, no one has gotten paid except maybe a few cents spread around in click revenue. But... I feel that's not the heart of the matter. Sometimes jobs—like lamplighters or buggy drivers—dry up, but translation is nowhere near replacement

There's something fundamentally wrong about using a blind, stupid machine to crunch all the work for you and then not even bother to go double-check it. Anyone who's explored a foreign language website with these services knows how stupid and frustrating autotranslations can be. It's fine for a private citizen (who will notice most of the blatant errors), or for people showing the translation of foreign-language memes, but companies use them because they're cheap or free, and don't even bother to slide them to a friend who speaks a little English to say "hey, does this say something about hair".

It's something that degrades everyone's experience, it makes the world stupider. And it's just... lazy, and cheap. You can blame capitalism but the same sorts of cheap shortcuts turn up in socialism (see: Chernobyl) so I don't think the attitude is strictly linked to economic system. I don't know what to do to solve it—and I know people have disapproved of me trying to do things the good and thorough way instead of the quick, cheap, and lazy way.

So, use AI art for funneh memes, as a jumping-off point for art, or to make something pretty. Try to source the material ethically if you can. Professionally, maybe early-stages concept art? Concept artists do important work, but it beats a crude cocktail-napkin doodle for commissions and whatnot. But the idea of people using AI art for making video backgrounds in paid products makes me sick, and it will have consequences.

Anyway, I'll leave off with a meme that's basically both:

[meeeemilfyway]

ULTIMATE GET YOUR LIFE TOGETHER THREAD

So this is a tribute // fanfic?? Of an old thread “life hacks to adult effectively” by i believe deadly little Kate

Anyways i could only find screenshots of this thread so lets make a updated list and start f*cking life for once!!

Key:

() who its by

[🛸] my update , purple writing

I think numbered makes it easier to keep track of list

Resources:

1- 32 is deadly little Kate

1. Even if you get along with family you’ll be even better after moving out

2. Generic is almost = to name brand

Exception :

- peanut butter [🛸] you can make

-ketchup [🛸] you can make

-Liquid NyQuil

-chips a hoy chewy

-spaghetti sauce [🛸] you can also make this

3. At least once your card will decline for something as little as 20$. No one will judge its okay to have 3$ in your bank we’ve all been there

4.thrift stores

[🛸]esp for books

5. Everyone also is anxious, too anxious to worry about you boo

6. You will screw up a lot. Live & learn . What’s done is done move on

7.do dishes before an ecosystem grows

[🛸]even if you soak in hot soapy water walk away, you did something

8.dawn cant go in dishwasher

9.cart surfing is cool anywhere anytime

10.15% tip

11.easy way you might be able to get food is by parents or grandparents

12. endure the sucky days of life

[🛸]i write a vent diary , then write either

-> positive from it

->transmute (transform) that energy

13.in lightbulbs 60w is not interchangeable w/ 40w

14. $ store batteries = any brand

15. Reward yourself

Pay a bill? -> go to coffee bean [🛸]its way better than Starbucks, trust

16.buy bulk food:

- rice

-flour

[🛸] get wheat berries, and buy a cheap mill so the flour wont rot

-sugar

[🛸]brown sugar is white sugar + molasses , store with a piece of bread to keep from hardening

-cheese

-eggs

[🛸]get quail!! Eggs are more nutritious and they are small enough to keep in a laundry bin also apartment friendly super quiet

-frozen fruit & veggies

17. Rice can be cooked on stove 2:1 water to rice

18. Keep a PHYSICAL calendar of bill due dates

19.take time to eat even when you feel like not eating

[🛸]also chew food till smashed to prevent bloating & indigestion

20. Scrub & rinse dishes before dishwasher

21.the works is an excellent toilet cleaner

22.magic eraser work

[🛸]pls buy the 100 pk on amazon off brand instead of the 2 sponges for 3$

23.keep bleach around bu if you clean dilute it

[🛸]never clean dog pee , its mustard gas

24.DO NOT MIX CLEANERS

List of no no

-

25.if you drink don’t take meds

[🛸]also don’t sun bathe

26.check dosages on bottles

[🛸]when disposing prescription, peel off tag it has numbers that trace to ur medical ID

27.uterus humans, heating pad is a life saver and ginger tea for nausea

[🛸]

- diy heating pad: rice in a sock microwave 30 sec

- cinnamon tea helps w/ cramps

28.buy a first aid kit

29.turbo tax is a good tax online

[🛸]idk about anyone else but my highschool accounting class offered free services to the public so students can get extra credit

30.yeast infection info:

[🛸]

-cranberry pills for when you feel even the slightest of discomfort

-Cranberry juice at least weekly to prevent

-chamomile tea cooled to rinse, and ease any pain

-BORIC ACID

31.petroleum jelly replaces chapstick

32.antibiotic ointment should be kept in first aid

Hilarious side note i took a break and lost the thingy but wrote 9 as a note to not waste any further time and stress ill continue with others

33.mewing - a technique for a better jawline

Tongue posture

34.warm water and cold exit in shower

35.read 5 pages a day

36.75 day hard challenge

Or soft ?

37. Journaling everything

~dreams

~venting

~manifestation

~shopping list

38.set sort term and long term goals

39 gym

YMCA is super cheap

I saw on a website that the YMCA is offered free on EBT

Or try the family plan

40.for low confidence keep promises to ur self even small ones

41.don’t write off short workouts

20 min consistently is better than 60 min and burning out

42. Buy a liter water bottle

Goal:once a day then

2x a day

43.try to clean your bedding weekly as a habit

~invest in bedding you that sparks joy

44.organize room in a junebugging way to avoid burnout

45.invest in self care especially shower time

46.rosemary oil in roots & hair nightly massage

~so many benefits

47.push yourself to walk daily then 2x morning & night

48.YOLO srsly be cringey if its you <3

49.message old friends personal jokes and try to catch up

50.become your dream person

Compliment people

Share

Talk sweetly

51.sunshine exposure in the am regulates ur sleep schedule

52.vitamin c in the morning and make sure you wear sunscreen after also, avoid ur eye area

~for acne scars

~dark pigmentation

53.Korean sunscreen > us sunscreen your eyes wont burn

54.sunscreen your chest!!!

55.witch hazel > tea tree oil , coming from sensitive skin gorly

56.those back braces for posture don’t work , strengthen back muscles

57.some people say coconut oil is clogging but for me my skin was glowing plump and hydrated

If acne prone ~castor oil or almond oil

58.shea butter raw is really thick and putting on ur skin kinda pulls it

-use a mixer

-hand mix with a lotion till softened

59.castor oil your lashes nightly

60.don’t be afraid to thrift

-but maybe wear some gloves cause I saw that you can get hand foot mouth disease from searching bins

61.don’t be afraid to dumpster dive

ESP Best Buy , Ulta , Sephora ,tech places

62.DONT DRINK ALCOHOL , that ages you and dries you up if you do wine is good for your heart everything else kinda makes ur body shutdown

-alcohol addiction is deadlier than meth esp getting trying to quit kills you

there’s psychedelic fizzy drinks

63.if you get a traffic ticket , go to court dispute it

-> ask when last calibrated, with evidence

Most of the time cops neglect to re calibrate as often as supposed to so it’ll get dropped

64.HR is only good for a paper trail sending 2-3 complaints with no resolution & unanswered is enough to send to OSHA / EEOC

speaking of email every conflict to urself as a paper trail

65.got a mole you don’t like ? Tell ur doctor it itches (sign of cancer ) could possibly get paid off , max 3 times

66.ever recorded without consent ? Play Disney music its copyrighted

67.open a high yield savings acct ASAP , that interest builds up

-> as of 2023 , discover has the highest

68.follow at least 1 finance YouTuber and watch their uploads every update

69.quit p0rn.. srsly life is too short & makes you tired on top of the other downsides such as body image (any and all genders )

70.bad people can try to sue you, even if they hit your car

-> make sure you call the cops & find a witness

Record exactly front back their vehicle & yours ,, best if you have a camera both sides of vehicle

Record the conversation & ask if they are ok ,,,make recording of them admitting !!!! , even if they are “nice”

71.so when renting a car & you need 3rd party insurance ; for progressive it covers rental

Check if your big insurance also covers & don’t only go with first pressure

don’t be pressured & advocate by doing research ~TikTok ,, divolvere (I tried to simplify her story to like what the advise part was )

72. Casino vist

A. Pick loudest machine in most populated area

B. Find a machine with smallest max bet & bet the max

C. Don’t hit feature within 5 spins move

~averybrynn1

I don’t recommend gambling but to each their own

73. If theres gonna be a draft get “fuck you “ or etc on ur right pinky outside hand ,, itll disrespect ur officer

i want “faggy” in cursive super y2k thick bold (im bi & fae )

74. (By a financial advisor on reddit )

- save 10% of every paycheck into reitrement account

~dont touch this account until retirement , or able to live off 4% the rest of your life

~invest majority into lowrisk and some into higher risk stocks or upcoming businesses

- FDIC insured savings account

~after taxes emergency fund with 3 months of savings

include : car , car emergency , home , home emergency

75. Never consent a police officer searching your vechile or house vecause a search warrant provides a lot less area where they are allowed to look

- your consent is to only hurt you, politely ask for a search warrant

76. Never do more than one illegal thing at a time

77. Always surround yourself with people who believe in you

78.

[friedengineerheart]

What is Digital Transformation in Finance and Accounting?

Information technology has grown recently and is now part of almost every area of modern life. It's essential for businesses too. Digital transformation in finance and accounting is a significant change in which a company or organization uses technology in all parts of its work. This helps it do things better and differently.

Most businesses already use some technology. Digital transformation takes this further by deeply embedding technology into their operations, completely changing how they work with the help of technology.

How Does Digital Transformation Affect a Business?

Digital transformation in finance and accounting can impact many areas of a business.

Process Transformation

This means using digital technology to change how a business works. The changes depend on what the business does. For example, a car manufacturing company's work differs from that of a retail store.

In both cases, digital transformation helps these businesses change how they make or offer products and services and interact with their vendors, suppliers, and customers.

This change can improve these interactions and help the business reach its goals more quickly and efficiently.

Business Model Transformation

This means using digital technology to change the main parts of a business's operation. In today's world, market trends and customer preferences can change very quickly.

Digital transformation in finance and accounting helps a business adapt its model to keep up with these fast changes.

For example, a newspaper that used to publish news on paper might become a digital news company. This company could start delivering news online like websites, blogs, podcasts, and videos.

Domain Transformation

This means making changes across a business area rather than just tweaking a task or way of doing things. For example, a credit card company might change everything about how customers apply for a new card—from how they submit applications to how those applications are checked and approved. This would improve the whole process for new customers, from applying to getting approved.

Cultural or Organizational Transformation

This involves profound changes in the business's values and attitudes. These changes affect everyone, from the top recruiters to the everyday workers. Everyone needs to learn new skills and commit to the changes.

Digital transformation in finance and accounting often brings about these cultural shifts because it requires everyone to use new digital tools and methods to achieve their goals. It can also change other parts of the work culture, like how employees talk to customers or decide how to run parts of the business.

What Are Some Simple Ways Digital Changes Happen in Accounting?

Accounting Automation

This means using computer programs to perform essential accounting tasks. These programs can record financial information, fix mistakes, update records, and create reports and financial statements.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in accounting means using innovative computer programs to perform tasks like matching receipts and invoices with purchases and ensuring expense rules are followed.

Cloud computing in accounting stores data online so everyone can access it from anywhere. It keeps data safe and makes it easy to share.

Digital solutions change how data is entered into accounting systems. Instead of writing things down, computers can automatically enter data from different sources.

Robotic process automation (RPA) involves having robots do repetitive tasks in accounting, such as sorting data and filling in forms. It saves time and lets people focus on other work.

The future of accounting is designed by introducing technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain, streamlining traditional methods, and making accountants concentrate on strategic analysis and decision-making.

To know more about finance and accounting, check out the courses offered by Finprov Learning. We offer many finance and accounting courses for graduates and professionals, covering topics like CBAT, PGBAT, Income Tax, Practical Accounting Training, PGDIFA, DIA, GST, SAP FICO, Tally Prime, MS Excel, and more. Whether you have just finished college or have been working for a while, our accounting professional courses are designed to give you a great learning experience.

At Finprov, they focus on both theory and hands-on training so you can learn practical skills. Plus, they help you find a job after you finish your course. If you're interested in accounting courses and want to improve your career options, contact Finprov today.

[jcmarchi]

Here's Why You Should Always Log Out of WordPress

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/heres-why-you-should-always-log-out-of-wordpress/

Here's Why You Should Always Log Out of WordPress

We may think we know WordPress security. But we can’t underestimate the task at hand. It seems that surprises lurk around every corner.

Consider a recent report from the security firm We Watch Your Website, for example. The report claims that 60% of hacked WordPress sites stem from stolen session cookies. I sure didn’t see that one coming.

We know about using strong passwords and setting file permissions. We understand the importance of updating our WordPress installs. We may even use a security plugin or two.

However, even the most security-conscious among us can miss things. That one oversight can lead to a hacked website. And that’s despite taking a bevy of security measures.

Stolen session cookies weren’t on the radar. So, what can we do to prevent this from happening? The author of this report has some advice.

How to Prevent Stolen Session Cookies

Thomas J. Raef is the author of “The Real Attack Vector Responsible for 60% of Hacked WordPress Sites in 2023.” His report demonstrates the threat of stolen session cookies in great detail. And a recent appearance on the WP Tavern Jukebox podcast shed more light on the subject.

But what about remedies? How do we stop these attacks from impacting our websites? I asked Raef for some preventative tips. The answer is as simple as logging out.

Our interview was lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

How do session cookies get stolen?

Thomas J. Raef: If it’s not WordPress, they’re frequently stolen via cross-site scripting. However, WordPress uses the HttpOnly option in the headers. So, that prevents cookie theft in WordPress via XSS.

The main way is by info stealers. If you Google the term, you’ll see it’s almost as popular as ransomware. Some ransomware hackers are starting to use info stealers more for their infections. Info stealers are designed to evade detection from most anti-malware programs. Some are dedicated to evading detection on Windows, others on Macs.

They typically steal everything possible in about 10 seconds. Some ask, why would they bother stealing WordPress session cookies if they’re also stealing bank logins, etc. But look at the cybercriminal industry. What do they need for the majority of their attacks? Oh, a legitimate website to infect unsuspecting visitors.

They steal the session cookies because it totally bypasses 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication), MFA, etc. because the user is still authenticated. As long as the cookie hasn’t expired.

Raef’s report shows that nearly 60% of hacked WordPress websites were the result of stolen session cookies. Image credit: We Watch Your Website

How can we secure our devices against this type of threat?

TJR: The easiest way is to remember to log out. That’s it! When you log out you expire the cookie. If you just close your browser window, it leaves the cookie active. So, if it’s stolen, it can be used by anyone.

One simple prevention is using SolidWP (Solid Security). Their Trusted Devices feature uses the IP address to generate the session cookie. If it’s stolen, it can’t be used anywhere other than where it was originally created. Those two things are the best way to prevent session cookies from being used against your sites.

Are there any changes the WordPress project could take to increase the security of session cookies?

TJR: Possibly. If there was a procedure that checked for inactivity after 30 minutes, and then automatically logged out the user, that might help. But I believe that would involve JavaScript and that’s getting too complicated. They already include the HttpOnly option, so they’re doing a lot to prevent this from being even bigger.

Do you have any other advice for web designers managing WordPress sites?

TJR: Make sure that everyone with admin access to your site is also focused on sanitary procedures for all local devices. We’re seeing more and more sites being infected due to malware on the local device of an admin. It can steal usernames, passwords, and session cookies.

2FA can stop the usage of username and password, but not session cookies. Tell all devs to log out! It’s quite simple and 100% effective.

One thing we’re starting to see more of is hackers attacking from the local device. Not stealing session cookies or anything else, just piggybacking on a legitimate admin session.

We see the legit IP address of an admin, and they’re doing their work and then suddenly from the same IP address at the same time, the legit admin is working – BAM! – a bogus plugin is installed from the same IP address!

The hackers have control over the local device and they’re attacking from that device. This supports the fact that you MUST be concerned about the health and well-being of your local devices.

Your Device Is Also a Factor in Website Security

A compromised computer or mobile device can impact your website’s security. On the surface, this theory makes sense. However, we typically don’t hear much about it.

Website security usually means a focus on the site itself. We attempt to filter out malicious traffic. And we employ various methods to prevent direct attacks.

It’s past time to look at our devices as well. You know, the systems we use to log into our websites. Good security should start there.

An info stealer can do untold damage in mere seconds. We won’t know the consequences until it’s too late. Let’s do something about it.

Follow best practices to secure your device – and encourage your clients and colleagues to do the same. A few simple steps could prevent a catastrophe.

And to follow Raef’s advice: Be sure to log out of your website! An expired session cookie is useless. Thus, it can’t do any harm.

Many thanks to Thomas J. Raef for chatting with us! Check out more of his security advice at We Watch Your Website.

Related Topics

Top

[icharchivist]

I'm also really bad at asking for help, I totally get it. Just thinking about it makes me wanna squirm. The mortifying ordeal of having to communicate your wishes and intentions and all

But I'm working on it and I have to say, it's really infinitely easier to ask someone to help you or to clarify or to give you an extension instead of trying to power through it by yourself. It used to be "I either manage this by myself or I suffer" when like 99% of the time people are just gonna say "yeah sure no problem" and help you if you ask

It sucks so bad, but it's really worth doing, it's like going from hard mode to easy

Siete is just unfortunately really good at a lot of things and usually can just handle himself just fine so he never went through the suffering part of the equation and he never had to learn to ask for help

It would be satisfying to see him go through it in the Anni event so he can learn that there are things that even he can't do

He's a funky guy, but also he deserves to be waterboarded just a bit

to be really clear: i don't think it's morally bad to be bad at communicating and ask for help. I'm also like that, i'm hyper-independant to a fault and it cause me more trouble than not. In a way i also kinda nudge Siete because i know exactly how it is ahah

But yeah, it IS easier to ask for help, and like, people are willing to help. Like i know some people will make you believe it's not the case, but i swear people LIKE to help.

(also anon i'm really proud of you that you're trying to work through it, take it easy and don't beat yourself up when you don't manage, and i'm very glad you can work on it a bit <33)

And when you take everything on your shoulders all the time, it's tough to open up, to let the vulnerability steps in and everything.

it's also extremely difficult to do if you come from a background where self reliance was a matter of survival, because it will become necessary to untangle those aspects in order to finally be able to open up to someone.

And It's, actually, the thing Siete needs to learn, and actually what the twins have been nudging him about. Like, they tell him indeed that he tends to take everything upon himself and everything, but they also just sometimes just beg for Siete to be truthful for once and open up. The twins try to guide him through steps he could take so then LATER he could evenutally work on relying on them.

Recovering from toxic coping mechanisms, or mechanism which were useful once upon a time but now are a problem, is not an easy task, and it's not a matter of "just do it, just throw yourself into it". (i think some self-help peep talks you can find on this website for instance jumps too easily on "bro just ask for help" for example without considering that this is completely pointless of an advice if you don't actually entangle what is the reason you're being held back this much. Which is why therapy is a personal and tailored experience that you won't get out of vague posts that address the masses on some websites.).

And, to their credits, i think the twins are aware of that and are trying to get Siete in the mindset to be able, eventually, down the line, to heal from this mechanism. But Siete is stubborningly refusing to take the hints. He wants the comfort of friendship but he doesn't want the vulnerability that comes with it.

and it comes from having been too self reliant, of course. Sieten't mention his life has been nothing but misery and it's fair to think Siete's life was such as well before and he only had himself to rely on. Without addressing and untangling why he feels this way, it will be difficult for him to think he can rely on others, because he came to a point where he's so powerful he knows he can handle most things thrown his way.

And the problem with Siete's behavior is that he's hurting others people in the process. Seeds of Redemption was pretty much all about that pushed to the extreme. Because he felt he could handle it on his own, that everyone else would feel too bad for willingly using Seox as bait, and that only him could handle the guilt and the backlash and hurting Seox while keeping him safe. Once again, the twins aren't mad at him for the plan itself -- but for not having been told of it beforehand, where they could have actually properly helped instead of eventually causing more trouble by trying to fix it on their hand.

and now with Sieten't, Siete is in a position where this coping is going to hurt himself, and he's going to keep it from everyone else, and everyone else will have to watch someone they care about burn themselves over because they were too stubborn to take their offer for help. No one likes to see a loved one destroy oneself out of stubbornness.

and i think the anger the twins feel toward Siete also comes from that. aside from feeling used, i think that, esp the twins who are big siblings and hyper aware of this type of things, can see that one day Siete is going to screw himself over, and he would have pushed away everyone so hard that no one will be able to help him.

They are so angry at Siete because they actually care about him, i would say. And they're so mad at Siete's attempt at connection because it's shallow and self serving, while they genuinely want to connect with him deeply to help him properly. They're mad because eventually Siete is setting them to just have to watch him hurt himself.

And i do think the twins especially want to work in shaking this inside of Siete's head, but Siete doesn't want to listen and he keeps stubborningly refusing the help.

On the flipside, i think that, other than just the slapstick that comes from it, the fact Siete is therefore constantly searching for the twins approval is simultaniously because he craves for the kind of love they do want to offer him, while also trying to stay "close" enough so that he can actually counter it properly and not let them in. Close enough to keep them at a safe distance.

I think Siete is kinda self sabotaging and aware of that, but he also really wants to connect, but he doesn't want to do the work it would take for the connection to be genuine. Because it's a survival mechanism that is now getting in the way of just living. And i think the twins are aware of that and it's why they're so mad at him, because they keep offering him a hand to make it easier for him and he keeps chickening out of it.

and that's so fascinating but Siete does need to learn to accept it man.

[thevoidscreamer]

Hailing 2024... with a farewell to the years before.

2009 was the year when everything changed.

2010 was the year I met my best friend.

2011 was the year I lost to NJROTC.

2012 was the year of my first, true summer love. Intermittent homelessness.

2013 was the year I graduated high school. Intermittent homelessness.

2014 was the year I left my church. Intermittent homelessness.

2015 was the year I almost died of malnourishment. Intermittent homelessness.

2016 was the year I left my parents.

2017 was the year I came out. Also the year I met one of my very best friends.

2018 was the year I made the most money. Also the year I met another one of my very best friends.

2019 was the year I left my pimp. Also the year I met my cat, who I adore. Also the year my cousin died, and the year my parents drove a rift between themselves and the rest of my family.

2020 was the year I went no contact with my parents, joined an open triad relationship, and greeted my child. It was also the year I had my NDE in the hospital. It was also the year my business died (though I did try to revive it throughout 2021 and 2022). So I gained perspective and a shit ton of trauma. It was also the year I met someone everyone told me I would hate but we've been best friends ever since and still talk all the time on fb messenger.

2021 was the year when, binderless at last, I could breathe -- and everything I did that year was focused on achieving that goal. It was also the year I traveled twice all on my own for the first time since leaving my pimp -- once to do photography for a really skeevy aspiring model in Maryland, and once to stay at my friend's queer commune in Colorado. It was also the year I published She's Not Here, 400-Year Frost, and Despite the Cold (the Anthology). This was also the year that a few of my friends died, and many others just dropped off and never resurfaced.

2022 was the year I went through the non-legal equivalent of two divorces -- one with a nesting partner with whom I now co-parent, and one with a queer-platonic life partner of ten years. It was also the year I heard from and saw my brother for the first time in three years. It was also the year I started on the right medication for my severe chronic migraines. It was also the year I lost my taste and smell due to covid (and things still aren't entirely back to normal). It was also the year I published Arachnapocalypse! The Anthology! and It Feeds!

2023.

2023 was the year I...

read 55 books (14,341 pages)

reconnected with my parents after almost three years of no contact

reconnected with my best friend (see 2010 bullet point) after some drama and maturing that needed done on both our parts

published The Wheel

did a 24-credit semester

got married with my partner of (now) almost four years, with whom it turns out I am incurably, deeply in love with

got attacked in a parking lot with my partner for being visibly queer

returned to therapy

finally moved out of the city that gave me so much anxiety

drove cross-country four times

fell in love with New Mexico

got to spend two months during summer living in and renovating a formerly-abandoned house with my partner

single-parented for one month

figured out the correct mix of melatonin and tylenol that lets me sleep through the night and feel rested

was forced to come to terms with my two most severe phobias, which I will not list here

got into the best shape of my life doing something I was surprised to enjoy -- cardio

sprained my ankle at a themed waterpark

moved cross-country, twice

got to visit one of my best friends for the first time in two years

drove through the most beautiful state I've ever encountered -- Idaho. I know, it surprised me, too.

started a job in a brand new career field -- and excelled

made my works available for free on my website

learned to write without my ex being a part of the creative process

established a consistent writing routine

learned that there is absolutely no good mexican food in Eastern Washington and that's a problem

published Desert Castle, a concept that first came to me in 2016

saw Moose (plural) for the first time in person (that's a bucket list item! I love me some meese!)

made a local writing-friend

shoveled snow

officially quit drinking starbuck's

think I finally grasped the concept of healthy forgiveness

organized and ran/am running the third and final anthology in the "VeryGood Collab Books" series I started working on in 2020

used points to buy a plane flight back home to help out my chosen family

started writing fanfiction

got halfway through the rewrite of a 90,000 word novel

reviewed the thousands-years-long storyline and universe build for a much bigger series I conceptualized in 2007 and fleshed out intermittently from 2011-2020

may have lost the person who has been like a mother to me since 2011. We don't know how things will go yet. She's in a coma.

Despite its more difficult moments, 2023 was the most fun and the most engaging challenge I've had in a long time. Aside from that last bullet-point and spraining my ankle, everything about this year -- even the hardships -- has been actively good. It's been a tremendously refreshing and healing year, and I attribute much of that to all of the novel experiences I had.

After 2020-2022 being so unbearably rough, I needed something new. This year was exactly that, and it gave me the space and energy I needed to allow myself to soften, to gain a real understanding of forgiveness, and to feel genuine hope and healing (possibly for the first time since COVID hit). I know my mostly-positive experience of 2023 seems to be relatively unique. I really hope 2024 can be for the rest of the world what 2023 was for me personally.

[nickgerlich]

Scan And Shop

Marketers are always looking for new ways to get their messages in front of our eyes and ears. It all began with print, broadcast, and outdoor in the analog world, and then, starting in the 1990s, evolved to include very modest forms of digital advertising. Banner ads caused all the buzz, because users could interact by simply clicking, and then were whisked away to a website.

This too evolved in a number of directions, from social media ads to in-store and gas pump ads. Recently, shoppable ads on sites like TikTok and Instagram have become all the rage.

And now Vizio and Home Depot have partnered to provide shoppable content on Vizio’s CTVs (Connected TVs) with a series called Merry & Bright. It’s another clever way to sneak in some ads when we might not otherwise be expecting it.

Of the US households with a television set, 87% have a CTV, which we have also called Smart TVs. They are connected via wifi to the internet, and are really just big computer screens with a browser. Unless you have an old-school cable or satellite box tethered to it, the only wires attached to the set are for power. We’ve gone wireless.

When I first turn on my Vizio in the Man Cave, I arrive at a home screen. On that screen I find clickable icons for all the streaming services I have, some I don’t have, PPV movies…and now, the ability to watch 10-minute videos produced by Home Depot. See something you like? Scan the QR code, and you’ll be forwarded on your phone to the appropriate product page at Home Depot.

Even though our smartphone is a necessary component in both shoppable social media and Merry & Bright videos, the latter start with the TV set. Since we more than likely have our phone nearby, it is not a big ask for people to scan the QR code, which then sends them off shopping.

As I said, when the advert is coming to you in an unexpected format, it can catch you off-guard. That’s not to say I don’t have some concerns about it, though.

For example, success of these long-form ads depends in large part on the viewer even noticing it on the home screen, a place that is already cluttered with content. Vizio provides a number of free viewing options, but I have only looked at them once. I am not interested in “free” because to me that is code for old, tired, and just plain bad.

And then there is the matter of keeping people’s attention for 10 minutes. I instantly did a mental comparison to infomercials. Remember those from last century? They usually aired in the middle of the night, and if you weren’t careful, you could get sucked into a 30-minute program-length advertisement. Worse yet, you may have grabbed your credit card and phone to call in your order. (Remember, I said this was last century!)

Buuuuut…since I am a marketing prof, and I do like to give everything a fair shot, I turned off The Weather Channel, went to my Vizio home screen, and clicked the Merry & Bright icon. It is slick, subtle, and very well done.

This is slice-of-life in the purest sense, because the content series features three families and how they use Home Depot products to deck their halls for the holiday season. The shows are hosted by Jordin Sparks, a former American Idol winner.

And it is much better than those infomercials of old, which featured an announcer or two in front of a studio audience all being told when and how loudly to fawn over something. The tone is very conversational, and I saw how easy it is to visualize how these products could work in my own home.Like I said…this is clever.

I suspect we will see far more of this in the future. Thanks to COVID, we have (finally) embraced QR codes in our daily lives. That CoinBase ad during the 2022 Super Bowl caught everyone’s attention (and temporarily broke their website), unleashing a slew of ads using the same method. Taking the ball and running with it like Home Depot just did—and they have to pay Vizio for the privilege—is the wave of the future.

Imagine now, if you will, TV shows and movies with QR codes down in the corner. Paid product placement could suddenly soar to heights never before imagined. Actually, this was imagined nearly 20 years ago. They just didn’t have the means to do it. But now, if a company wants to pay to sponsor it on Hulu’s Only Murders In The Building, they could do so. The handy QR code could pop up at the precise moment their product is center stage.

I can see this becoming as pervasive as banner ads were 25 years ago. Get ready for it, and if you have a Vizio CTV, get on it to check it out. This old prof is impressed.

Dr “Ready…Set…Shop” Gerlich

Audio Blog