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ryliesundertalerphubblog · 2 years

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Breaking the Vow of Silence.

Hi. It’s been a long time.

I’m reposting this story here from my personal blog as it’s more relevant to the Undertale fandom, and I feel that it really should be said here.

So last night I discovered a very old chat with someone I had an extremely bad falling out with in the Undertale fandom. After reading the final messages sent to me by that person, followed by what they did to me after the friendship had ended, I feel the need to no longer keep the vow of public silence I was.... idk if saying manipulated or forced is the right word (though it sure feels like I was manipulated, back-reading with retrospect), but I was asked to keep the falling out of our friendship private and not make it public, for this person feared that if I made it public, I would end up cutting them off from their little friend group and chase them out of the fandom.

Though I will not be outing this person's nickname at the time, because this isn’t a call out. This isn't a warning to "stay away from this user" or whatever. This is just... me finally breaking that "public silence" Vow, solely for myself, to give myself as much closure as I can get.

So yeah. Here goes a random rant about probably the second worst experience I've had in my fandom experience. I will be reblogging this version to all relevant blogs. Sorry if that causes spam for anyone who might still be following these blogs for... whatever reason, but. This is a story I’ve kept inside and out of the public eye for so long that I just... sort of feel the need to.

So for the sake of this post, I will be calling the ex friend in question “Maple.

Maple and I first met in what I call the "first phase" of the Undertale fandom, and I thought we hit it off pretty well. We rped a lot, talked a lot, ectect. And we eventually had more intimate/personal discussions about our respective traumas and abuses. I loved them as my friend, and I wanted to support them in any way I could.

An incident occurred where another Sans RPer was venting to me in DMs about how a thread with a certain Chara made them uncomfortable, or that just rping with them in general was uncomfortable, I don't exactly remember. So I told them point blank to tell the Chara mun the truth and to not string them along. They did. And I think that what happened next was the Chara mun was venting to me about this, and I told them that I encouraged the mun to be honest with them. They took it to mean "I told this mun not to RP with you" and gathered a bunch of their friends to block me for it. At the time, my brain didn't math well, so I don't think I put the two incidents together. To me, it felt like I was blocked by a bunch of my rp buddies out of nowhere. So I reacted pretty poorly.

This incident, apparently, was the inciting factor in Maple's discomfort with me. A discomfort they never addressed or spoke about with me.

Oblivious to their discomfort, I continued to interact with them as normal. But their behavior started changing towards me, and I started getting weird criticisms on my blog from an anon I'm going to refer to as DOAnon, and I'll explain why in a bit. Because of my actual worst experience in fandom happening prior to Undertale, I track my rp blogs (to this day I do) so if/when I get anon hate, it can give me the information I need to go to the police if it got as bad as it did in the fandom before Undertale. So I was tracking the movements of DOAnon and my friend whom I cared for dearly was acting strange. Eventually Maple started to vent in wingdings in a server we both occupied, venting in a way that made me think they were scared of someone, that they were afraid they were going to be hurt by this person. Note, this was YEARS ago, and I had to hand translate the wingdings text to normal text just to read it. But because Maple was my friend, I pushed through to try to help them. When their vent started making me think they were being harassed, I confronted them privately about it out of concern.

Needless to say, when they finally told me the vents were about me, I was upset.

However, because they were my friend, because I cared so much about them, I wanted to talk things out. Get to the bottom of the issue and resolve it. But Maple made it very, very clear that they didn't want to talk about it. They just wanted me out of their life, "for their own comfort," because they refused to have a discussion with me about the problem, let alone a solution.

So, deeply hurt, I reacted... well, better than I remembered reacting, actually. I was definitely upset, but my final words to them on discord weren't as vicious or biting as I remembered them to be. I basically told them "You really don't want to talk about this??? Fine. Goodbye." And blocked them on everything I could think of. If they wanted me gone, I was going to stay gone.

But that wasn't the end of it.

Note I want to stress that from my perspective, Maple's discomfort and upset with me came out of nowhere. They never talked to me about it. For about a month or even more, they pretended like nothing was wrong. Hell, they vented about me to my face and it still didn't fully click they were upset at me until they said it right to my face. I had on rose colored glasses and was very, very dense.

So yeah. After your trust in someone you cared for so much was very suddenly broken like that, I did not react very well. I was emotional and impulsive and paranoid. I made a post on my RP blog saying I no longer felt safe or comfortable and that I was going on an indefinite hiatus. Apparently, Maple didn't like that, even if I wasn't talking about the details of our now-ended friendship publicly like they had asked me not to.

So Maple found the only blog I forgot to block them on and messaged me on tumblr. Now, I couldn't tell you what was said in those DMs. I was so emotionally distraught and hurt that I probably reacted a lot harsher and with a lot of venom. After all, I did what they wanted--I got out of their life, blocked them and didn't even imply that my feelings in my post were from a falling out with a friend. And they were block-evading me despite this, so I do think it was much more of an argument than the discussion on Discord. I blocked them on their account, ready to just ride the waves of my hurt until I numbed over and moved on. I told a few close friends about what happened (still then trying not to say Maple's name but some figured it out anyway, not sure if I said anything or if Maple's vague vents about me on THEIR blog tipped them off, but I'll get to those in a bit regardless) and that was as far as it should have gone.

I made a new rule about how I wasn't comfortable following people who interacted with "people I've had issues with in the past" (yes, still keeping it vague for their sake) and that I'm more than fine with rping with people regardless if they interact with them or not, I just won't follow for my own comfort, and I asked that if anyone figured out who I was talking about, to not contact me about them/not to discuss them with me. I do believe I made a general hurt vent post after that as well, on a blog barely anyone followed, but again, I still kept my friendship break-up a secret from the general public. Like I promised.

Again, apparently this was too much for them, and one of their friends messaged me on tumblr on their behalf.

I don't remember this conversation much either. Just that, I was angry, and they were being stupidly vague to me about Maple being the person they were talking about. After a fight with the friend, I blocked the friend. I then added a rule to my RP blogs to not to be a fucking asshole and use vague language to talk to me about a person you know I have a problem with.

I don't really remember much after that, but remember how I mentioned I was getting weird anons? Well, that's where this story takes a turn for the worse.

DOAnon started to get more aggressive with their asks they sent to me. I don't remember most of them, because there was just, so many passive aggressive/hate anons that I just tuned it out after a while. However, I was keeping track of them. The reason they were nicknamed DOAnon was because the tracker stated that their provider was DigitalOcean, which among other things, is a service that provides a VPN. After realizing this, and when the anon started saying things like "You chased someone out of the fandom" or used my more personal Insecurities in their attack on me, I was about 70% sure it was Maple, or a friend sent on Maple's behalf. They were hurtful and annoying, but there was a part of me that just, didn't want to believe it was Maple sending them. I wanted to have faith in that friendship, despite how it ended. I kept giving them excuses. I really tried to believe in them. There’s an inkling of me that still wants to.

I figured DOAnon would get bored and move on eventually, but they never did. They stalked me onto new rp blogs, personal blogs, and sent in annoying and hurtful stuff. They even claimed I stole an idea for a character design from Maple (not directly referencing them, of course, just calling me a thief), which bumped my suspicion from 70% to 80% that it was Maple or a friend of theirs. (To clarify I have, absolutely no idea what aspect Maple thought I was stealing, most of the design elements for the character I’m pretty sure they were accusing me of building with “stolen” assets were ideas given to me by Celest, but I digress) They were persistent, and they were annoying.

Eventually, they screwed up. They went onto a device that wasn't using the DigitalOcean VPN, and the tracker showed me that the anon was coming from Maple's state of residence. That's when I knew it was them. Even when I wanted to deny it, I knew deep down, Maple had to have been the one harassing me for... god, it was probably months after I tried to move on from this. And, god, even if I try to sound so firm here, I still want to believe it wasn’t them.

Around this time, I was made aware of the fact that Maple had been vagueposting/venting about me on their blog, a hell of a lot more than I was about them. Funny, rules for the and not for me, but I digress--I don't think they stated my name or anything, but my friends could tell immediately that Maple was talking about me. They had a goodbye post that made me out to gave chased them out of the fandom, and their description was as equally hateful towards me. (They then apparently deleted the blog and someone else took it, so if you’ve figured out who Maple is, don’t bother looking for it.)

It hurt, but the pain wasn't as bad due to how long it had been. I knew I didn't "chase them out" like they claimed--their own god damn paranoia did.

Finally, DOAnon--or, let's just call out who it was, Maple--finally took things way too far. Harassing me for months, Maple eventually sent me a link on anon to a gif image of a woman burning to death in her car.

This was the last straw. I made a public post, STILL keeping their identity a secret for, some godforsaken reason, (Oh hey look the post is still up, linky link for you guys) under the advice of law enforcement--to essentially tell them to stop stalking and harassing me, or I WILL call the police again and get them arrested. They finally stopped actively harassing me after that.

They stalked my blog after that, sure, and I made posts noting that so they would be scared off even further, but I didn't get any more anons. Finally, after being scared enough, they stopped stalking me all together.

To this day, I'm still confused about everything. Bitter too. And I want to reiterate, to stress, that this is not a call out post. This isn't aimed at them to get cancelled. This was years ago and if you know who this is about and/or figure it out... please, don’t bother. This isn’t an “Us VS Them” thing. I just needed to get this off of my chest.

I know I reacted poorly to the situation at the time and I was no innocent party. I may not have sent them anons or stalked them, but I also don't think I was entirely the victim either. Then again, maybe that's the part of me that I need to kill off--the part that keeps trying to excuse the shit Maple did to me all those years ago. There’s still a part of me that wants to apologize, and I don’t know what even for. I just want to say “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” without anything coming to my mind to even apologize for.

Again, I'm just... recounting the experience here publicly as a form of closure. As a form of letting go. I want to heal from this experience, as I never properly did. I want to trust in people, my loved ones, again. And I think by making this post, by breaking that promise of silence, I'm acknowledging that Maple was not and shouldn't have ever been considered one of those people. They might have been fine during our friendship, but the end and aftermath of it proved to me that my love in them was misplaced. Maybe I am a pure innocent victim who just reacted piss poorly to it all, or maybe I wasn't. I cannot tell you because I cannot trust my own judgement anymore. I don’t want to take credit for shit I didn’t do, but I also do want to own up to any mistakes I genuinely did make.

Sorry for the sour story all of a sudden, and seemingly unprompted. But after being reminded of my promise, how I did my best to uphold it, and how I was treated regardless--I just. Needed to break the promise.

I needed to stop respecting the wishes of someone who ended up wanting nothing more than to hurt me. That's all this is.

I... don’t even know why I want to add this, but if for god forsaken reason you find this, “Maple...” Despite what you did to me, I hope you’re well. Where ever you are. If you find yourself coming to these old blogs seeking to reignite your anger towards me, I beg of you to stop. It’s gone. It’s done. There’s nothing left for you here. I’m gone. You’re gone. We’re gone. I’ve stated several times that this is not a call out for you and I really, genuinely mean that. The promise you made me keep for all this time, though? It wasn’t fair to me, after what happened to me because of what happened with us. Remaining silent was only hurting me. I’m sure this will only make you defensive or angry, and I’m sorry. Maybe this is what I wanted to apologize for--for breaking the promise I made to you all those years ago with this post. At the idea that you might one day find this post and it spikes your paranoia or anxiety. For upsetting a metaphorical you that may have completely forgotten about me altogether and will never read these words.

Again, this isn’t an attack on you. I don’t want any more drama to come from this. I just needed to break the one thing that was keeping me from healing and learning to trust others again. I don’t want to give you trouble--I’ve kept you anonymous still for this reason, because despite how much I hate to admit it, I haven’t fully killed the part of me that loved you. I don’t want people to find you or attack you or anything. I’m sure you’re a different person now--and hopefully, a better one, with a happy life and lots of friends to make you happy. I don’t hold what happened against you. I’m hurt, and the scars you gave me haven’t healed, but I don’t hold your past self against your current self.

So if you’re still here...

Please, move on.

#negative tw #vent tw #harassment mention tw #long post #I don't really know how to tag this #sorry #I doubt anyone is even like #still following these blogs for whatever reason #but yeah. Just. Gotta get it out.#Sorry for the trouble.

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hashtagmark-com · 11 months

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How to add hashtags to TikTok video already posted?

TikTok has quickly become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, captivating people with its engaging short videos and endless entertainment. One crucial aspect of gaining visibility on TikTok is the strategic use of hashtags. But what if you forgot to add hashtags to your TikTok video before posting it? Fear not! In this blog post, we will explore a clever trick to add hashtags to your TikTok video even after it's been posted, ensuring that your masterpiece doesn't go unnoticed.

1. The 'Edit Video' Option:

Many TikTok users are unaware that there is an option to edit their posted videos. To find this feature, go to your profile and locate the video you want to add hashtags to. Next to the comment and share buttons, you'll see three dots - tap on them. A menu will appear, and from there, select 'Edit Video.'

2. The Power of Captions:

Now that you're in the editing mode, you might be wondering where to add the hashtags. The most effective way to include them is by utilizing the video's caption. Tap on the box where your current caption is located and start editing it. Add any relevant hashtags you want by simply including the '#' symbol followed by the keyword.

video : https://youtu.be/KzEnUQwLCi8?si=Gn6-npC58IQdExyf

3. Effective Hashtag Selection:

While it might be tempting to add a bunch of random hashtags, the key to success lies in the selection of relevant and trending ones. Spend some time researching industry-specific hashtags and check what's currently popular on TikTok. Choose hashtags that accurately reflect your video's content and will appeal to your target audience. Remember, quality over quantity!

4. Timing is Key:

Keep in mind that the algorithm on TikTok favors more recent posts, so timing is crucial. If you're planning to add hashtags to an old video, it's advisable to do so during peak hours when the platform experiences high user engagement. This will increase the chances of your video reappearing on the 'For You' page and gaining more exposure.

5. Repost or Not?

After you've added the desired hashtags, you might be considering whether to repost the video or leave it as is. The good news is, there's no need to delete the original video and re-upload it. TikTok automatically updates the 'For You' page recommendations based on the changes made, so your video has the potential to reach a wider audience even if it's not reposted.

Having forgotten to add hashtags to your TikTok video shouldn't be a cause for despair. With the 'Edit Video' option and a clever hashtag strategy, your content can still gain the recognition it deserves. Remember to select hashtags wisely, considering relevance and popularity. Lastly, keep track of optimal posting times and let TikTok's algorithm work its magic. So go ahead and add those hashtags to your already posted videos, because who knows, they might just go

#hashtag #tiktok

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devandahlcourte-work-in-progress · 2 years

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Section 6. three chapters, ending with chapter 29

I am reposting these first eighty-two chapters (in 22 sections) plus the prologue and the preface.

These posts will be the updated versions from my DeviantArt account, and since Tumblr may not display all the text correctly (it destroys anything I had in italics or underlined) I would still recommend reading everything there, on DeviantArt. They will also include internal links that navigate between the chapters on DeviantArt and will take the reader off Tumblr if clicked.

This came about because I noticed search engines were finding random sections of my book and displaying them along with some other people’s blog posts.

Okay, so that’s why I installed those internal links in each one… so that if anyone gets to a random section by way of a search engine and would like to read the story from the beginning, they can.

Only then did I realize that it wasn’t getting it’s search results from DeviantArt, but from old Tumblr.

There’s another problem at work here besides unrefined searches…

There is a new species of virus on the internet that likes to eat ancient Tumblr posts and barf them back up infested with adware - spyware - malware etc. The virus goes by names like TumGIR, TumBIG, TumPIK, or Tum(anything else but ‘blr’). The caps were added by me for emphasis so that maybe you can double check in case you’re not looking at an actual Tumblr post right now but one of these so-called “mirror” sites.

If you’re looking at this text through one of the counterfeit Tumblrs that I mentioned, then no link you click (assuming it even copies it with my links intact) will take you out; it will redirect you and show you all of the spam ads it wants to. So read carefully what url is showing on your browser right now.

If it is one of the untrustworthy ones I would suggest closing your browser window and doing whatever else you normally would in order to reset settings.

As far as my science fiction novel entitled “If And Only If,” the safest way to find it is by going to my Instagram:

@michelle.de.vandahlcourte

From there you can click on the link in my bio. It will take you to the beginning of the story on DeviantArt… the safe one! No malware.

P.S. None of this is Tumblr’s fault! It’s the malware/adware/spyware developers who are stealing people’s tumblr posts.

The actual content of this page appears below here👇

Section 6. three chapters, ending with chapter 29

↩️return to previous section, section 5

↩️↩️…and if you arrived here because of a search engine and you would like to read this story from the beginning, click here.

Padmanabhan

It had to be fake! Right?

Citizen Padmanabhan had spent every spare moment of his time as a biochemistry major – which was not too much trouble since biochem and most other subjects were incredibly easy for the boy genius – tracking down the information he needed. Not just the original video files, but everything relevant to the technology. That included everything he could learn about cryptomancer.

“So you could believe one of two things,”

he explained to Eric: “either Alex flew into the parking lot at Wokkon The Wild Side on a flying saucer ‪at 4:30‬ in the morning in moonshine county Kentucky, commanded a giant taco to come to life, rip the roof off the restaurant, cause many food items to levitate out of the restaurant and into the saucer… then Alex reboarded the flying saucer, with the recently animated taco and flew away. Then moments later Prajina came riding in on a bicycle that she borrowed from a DJ called Yonderboy, was met by a larger flying saucer, and was beamed aboard – original Star Trek style…”

OR:

“Someone has hacked the invincible Cryptomancer™️ protocol. An equally fantastic notion, but far more down to earth.”

That meant that the hackers had decided to simulate Alex and Prajina. He was once again automatically ruling out the possibility that they were the hackers. But there was additional weirdness. Alex had lost some weight recently and had found it necessary to start wearing a belt with all of his favorite jeans. He had forgotten the belt on this trip when they left Missouri ‪Thursday morning‬, so he was slightly tugging on his pants to pull them up; a new mannerism for him. The video showed him doing this.

Prajina had gotten a new hairstyle just five days earlier – a “bob with bangs” she called it – and decided to wear huge hoop earrings with the look. She was habitually checking them to see if the backings had fallen off. They were bigger, she said, than any earrings she had ever worn before. They knew to include this new mannerism in her video simulation as well.

That was odd. The programming of these kinds of simulations took time. Either someone observed the two before they left on the road trip… Or they observed them on the afternoon when they arrived for the rave, the day before they had disappeared both on video and for real, and then programmed their simulations with incredible speed!

Then Eric interjected something, not too surprising for an old Sierra Clubber like him, that halfway made sense: Venus. The environmentalists had been all up in arms when Eric was in preschool. His biological parents were supposedly among the leading protesters. He remembered it reasonably clearly since it was one of his more vivid memories from before they were arrested and imprisoned (over completely different and unrelated incidents). And before the court placed him in the care of “the hicks,” as he derisively referred to his mom’s cousins.

“Don’t nuke Venus,” the activists warned!

Experts ridiculed their protests.

You are not going to make space more radioactive. It would be like worrying that someone adding a single grain of salt to the Pacific Ocean was going to make the water too salty. And in their defense, after 21+ years, it appeared the experts were mostly right. No solar system-wide environmental catastrophe had befallen us. But Eric analyzed it on a new level: what if extraterrestrial intelligences were watching us? Humans had been putting small amounts of matter into space for about a century and a half, and that included things with radioactive isotopes in the payloads. But it was always either for power generation or for research. That is, until the Cytherean terraforming operation.

What would alien observers think of us then? Sure, Venus was uninhabited. But what if humans one day were to use this technique on a planet where there was already sentient life? “It might look to them like we were the evil empire from Star Wars, using our Death Star,” Eric ventured. “It might cause them to go poking around in our business much more deeply than before.”

Okay, maybe. But his chain of logic was about to snap! How exactly would that increased attention, paid to us as a species, cause them to bring a taco to life for Alex? Rajan brought his eyes back into focus as he disconnected from the head-wire virtual sensorium rig and attempted to look around at “reality” again. He had exceeded the recommended maximum time like always. No problem, though.

Alright, maybe a bit of a problem. It really had a weird effect on him this time: the wallpaper in their not-so-cheap-as-the-last-one apartment seemed to be taking on an almost three dimensional character for just a moment. It was like those visual stunts where they bodypainted people to match some kind of background and if they stood still and you weren’t looking carefully, they might be camouflaged. Except these things didn’t look like people; they were more like rectangular sections of the wall. And they didn’t maintain perfect stillness. It was as though he caught them moving slightly – and shimmering a bit the way the Predator had done in the jungle in the classic movie.

About two blinks took care of it and the after-effect was gone. Rajan did make a mental note chastising himself for not heeding the manufacturer’s warnings... and for pushing himself to go without sleep for way too many hours now. It was definitely time to turn in. Or at least go for a nap.

A nap it was. His ideas woke him. One in particular. Of course it was an absurd idea. But only absurd ideas were going to have a chance of being right in this matter; every “hacker” he had consulted with, especially ones who dealt in this kind of video technology, had been of the opinion that the current Cryptomancer™️ protocol was unhackable. Unless…

Unless it was an “inside job.” If a team of software engineers at the company – and it would have to be several – could construct a back door that was undetectable, it might happen.

Why? He hypothesized: Industrial espionage perhaps? If a “vulnerability” was revealed, then another company, say XYZ Incorporated, could pop up and introduce their version of anti video-fraud software that would be truly invincible. It was very flimsy logic; too easy to poke holes in a plot like that. But if he was right and something like that was going on? Then why hadn’t they made their move yet? The taco animation and Alex & Prajina’s disappearances had occurred a few years ago. If it was good enough to fool law enforcement already, then why not put the rest of their plan into action and start raking in the centibillions?

So Padmanabhan reluctantly went looking for any correlations between the Cytherean terraforming nuke incident and UFO sightings on Earth. What he found gave him new respect for Eric‘s wacky theories. Eric was an artist and fashion designer, and not normally helpful in technical matters. Was there a correlation? Try fifteen minutes apart!

The actual time of detonation had been secret, and the subject of misinformation. They detonated the warheads- - - um, “shaped nuclear charges,” that is - - - days before they were even supposed to be in orbit around Venus. There was concern that a group of hackers working with environmentalists might try to sabotage the orbital mechanics computers, as they had attempted to sabotage ground-based computers before the launches of certain payloads.

When it happened, no one amongst the general public knew that anything special had gone on. They didn’t know to have false UFO sightings because their imaginations were running wild with them. But the only sightings in that fifteen minute lapse, were over the counties of Kentucky that basically formed a ring around where the rave was in 2137!!!

So, 18 years earlier… One of the most colossal endeavors ever undertaken by humans in space kicked off with nearly 32 Giga tonnes of thermonuclear devices going off.

The exact amount was evidently classified. From hacking Alex‘s Diaryworld he saw that mathboy had done a calculation indicating that it had to be higher and explained why, but never had any reason to share that with Padmanabhan whom he barely knew at that time.

Alright, yeah, a big blast either way. Fifteen minutes later a rash of UFO sightings- over 170 of them – centered around that thing Alex and his friends had called hell-hole as kids. Incidentally, the US government placed a geostationary satellite over the area for reasons that, frankly, made no sense at the time. Then Prajina, Padmanabhan, and Alex were all born within the next month, in that order; probably not related to the UFO business and except for Alex, in far away parts of the country. And after 18 years, we have a rave there. That same night, there’s UFO-type activity again.

Or so it would appear. It was too suspicious not to be true. But if it was true it meant that Rajan had spent the last three years of his life becoming an expert on a sub-discipline of cyber security now regarded as mundane amongst professionals in that field, for no particular reason. It would also, if true, mean that his chances of finding A&P just dropped to zero. The only hope of finding them might be for he himself to be abducted by aliens. A frightening thought. Or was it? Alex seemed very at ease in the “video,” if we are now regarding it as an actual video and not a simulation. It wasn’t possible to tell what Prajina’s reaction was; the beaming process, it seemed, was just a bit faster than on Star Trek TOS.

Going over the details of the sinkhole’s formation was about tied for 20th on his list of things to do. But for some reason it beckoned to Rajan.

Alex

Computer hacking skills. Girls only want boyfriends with skills. Was that the exact quote from Napoleon Dynamite? Something close. That was one he hadn’t been able to go see again in theaters when it “first” came out. Alex was not a skilled computer hacker in his time. He felt silly doing this. But in 2018 cybersecurity was bucolic to say the least. Laughable protection measures that he could easily defeat with some apps from his “phone.”

His phone that he had brought back with him from 2137, that is. During his mid-20s, when many of the locals were worried about the nonexistent threat of Y2K, he’d spent a year making electronics his number one hobby and built an interface that would allow him to access the files and apps on his phone that didn’t require nonexistent – here in the past – networks or accessories.

So now, hacking into hotel security video, registration lists, street cameras, and even Uber was a simple as tapping apps on an iPhone XR that he was using as an interface to access the brain of his real phone.

There would be nothing on a phone to physically “tap” or “swipe” of course, in his time. But since medical doctors of the day might notice the implants, he early-on asked the taco to temporarily remove them. Now he tapped and swiped away on ancient touch screen devices just like his great-great-grandparents did.

There would be no trail for even the NSA of this time to follow. He had, as usual, a modulated beam of neutrinos at two points and two underground detectors at two other points. His routed signal originating in Tucson, transformed into an encoded pulsed beam, would pass through the Earth’s core and mantle then come out in Thessaly. The return signal beam would enter the Earth in Surrey and emerge in Buenos Aires. If the devil himself had a neutrino detector, he might be able to eavesdrop on Alex’s signals and then spend the next few millennia trying to decrypt them.

What he found was more shocking than a real meeting with the mythological creature: the Prajina look-alike / potential ancestor, had registered under the name Prajina Opulus. As far as anyone could tell, no one‘s last name was actually “Opulus.” It was an inside joke.

An inside joke from the future! Count Mippipopolous. A relatively minor character from “The Sun Also Rises.” In high school Prajina had both read the book and seen the 1984 movie version that book fans mostly hated – the one with Jane Seymour – before Alex had done either. She commented that his role has been greatly expanded in the movie.

Alex, who hadn’t gotten far in the book at all, didn’t understand when she said his name and thought she said “count Mrs. Opulus.”

To be fair to young Alex, there was marching band practice going on, on the other side of the parking lot outside of their school where they were standing. It was hilarious to her at the time because she used to kid him about slacking off in the non-technical subjects, i.e. not math or math intensive, and he had just assured her again that he wouldn’t fall behind in his reading. The conclusion, as a favorite author of his childhood once phrased it, hit him “like a hammer blow over the solar plexus!” Prajina had come back in time also! It wasn’t an ancestor, it was actually her! But young. She looked just like he remembered from their pre-frosh summer program at university.

Then his heart gave a grinding thud like someone trying to shift gears too quickly. Changing history? That damned silly taco! The one that he had been trying – with limited success – to hide in Berkeley? She was likely sent back to contact him. But why now? Why not be waiting for him at the Cow Palace concert back in ‘91 to stop him from doing whatever it was he wasn’t supposed to do?

His Cerebral Phosphorescence

(Author’s note to readers: this historical account contains details about the way the late 20th century-to-early 21st century NSA operates. Or at least it did. If representatives of that agency found this information and decided to filter it for security purposes, the versions you are about to read may or may not have been edited to omit certain technical details. Since by the time anyone reads this I will have already returned to my own time, universe, and timeline… I can neither confirm nor deny that this is the way the actual NSA in your timeline conducts its business. Nor will they!)

“Job description? You know that’s classified,” he tried to grin, sadistically perhaps, but just didn’t have it in him. He was too much of an all around nice guy. “Officially, neither of our jobs exists. So is it within the scope of my job? It is, if I say it is, Ghost-in-the-Machine,” he winked.

The ghost handed a Zip disk with one-time pad keys to the cryptographer known as “His Cerebral Phosphorescence.” A routine part of the way they communicated in these situations. What was going on in his mind was beyond traffic analysis. This was more esoteric; having to do with correlations. Correlations between unrelated patterns of traffic. Or at least patterns that should have been unrelated.

It would be as if every time a traffic light turned red at a particular intersection in Los Angeles, a group of students were seen coming out of a building at a university in Louisiana on foot. There would be absolutely NO logical reason to think the two phenomena were related. If there seemed to be a correlation, for example let’s say every time the light in LA turned red, at least seven students exited a building 1900 miles away, but no students exited when it was green? You would look for some other mechanism. Something else must be responsible for the foot traffic variations, right? Something with the same timing as the traffic light cycle, like maybe an elevator in the building?

But what if you couldn’t find the mechanism? Then what if you sent a crew to turn off the traffic signal and the foot traffic mysteriously stops also? It’s just suspicious. So maybe you dig deeper? That’s what the ghost was doing.

But this was much more subtle.

Things were connected that were not supposed to be connected.

Patterns of communication – on the surface, completely mundane matters being discussed amongst civilians between New England and Kentucky – were coinciding with power grid drains in Arizona, and being followed by signals in Lárisa, Greece. They were then sent to Lisbon, then immediately followed by power grid fluctuations at Surrey in the UK, followed by communications between Buenos Aires and an island in the Caribbean, followed by digitally encrypted _____________ (agent’s thoughts redacted) _____________ ____________ ______________ be received in the southern United States.

It reminded him of that scene from Sneakers where their silly map was depicting how the supposedly untraceable signal was bouncing all over the world. (And btw, haha, he thought! We eventually traced it anyway, even in that fictionalized film account!) Except this featured an added layer of complexity, probably involving parts of the signal being transmitted in non-electronic form.

If Swifty was right... what would you even call these signals? Neutronic? No. That would mean neutrons were involved and they’d be virtually all stopped within the first few feet of lithosphere. Neutrinoionic? Maybe neutrino-esque? A syntactic detail which he could ponder later. Back to the point:

It was complete uncorrelated nonsense to anyone but the ghost. But it was always the same order. So he knew it must mean something. Still, the ghost was technically the student and His Cerebral Phosphorescence, the master. So like the young padawan learner, he politely brought Obi-Wan his findings first – before declaring what his conclusion was.

Obi Wan smiled more warmly this time and told the padawan to write down his conclusion in one or two sentences on a paper towel but not show it yet. The ghost obliged him using his own pale skinny forearm as an improvised writing surface. Obi Wan’s pronouncement finally came, with head slightly shaking: “someone – likely within our borders – is doing some hacking, and has found a way to make himself truly untraceable, even to us.”

Ominously, he looked at the ghost’s paper towel and saw that his student’s conclusion was essentially the same. The paper towel was torn carefully into tiny pieces and placed into a mason jar marked “Chia head seeds,” which appeared to contain tea or coffee. It reminded him of an old revolutionary war trick.

“If we’re right, these people are using masers or some kind of unidirectional beam to communicate with satellites,” his boss pronounced, looking somehow regal at his makeshift Rubbermaid table-desk inside the secure area. “Analyze what’s in orbit that would be accessible from these places, see when it was launched and by whom, and if the dates work with your intercepted ‘communiques’.”

“What if we’re looking in the wrong direction with satellites, sir? What if it’s going through the earth?” The ghost in the machine was entertaining flights of fancy, but felt he had to try again.

“We would’ve detected seismic waves that powerful, and you checked, right?” Obi Wan paused with a furrowed brow. Ghost nodded and hesitantly said yes.

“You’re not going down the neutrino trail again, are you Swifty?” He had recently re-read The Particle Hunters by Yuval Ne’emen and Yoram Kirsh. The ghost read everything. He of course had memorized all of the Stainless Steel Rat novels as a kid. “Yes sir, I am” was his immediate reply.

The power grid drains could be due to particle accelerators of some type, they agreed. But it would have to be a type of equipment currently unknown to them. Neutrino detectors though huge, could be concealed underground. But it was tilting at windmills, Obi-Wan cautioned. “We’re not working on the X-Files here. Pursue the more conventional options now,” he eruditely intoned.

The entire office was a modified SCIF at Camp Pickett, Virginia. So during secure meetings like this, an old-fashioned knock from outside was about all one might dare attempt. The knock which would naturally need to be for a damned good reason, was discovered to have four good reasons. Technically, five. The first four were naked people; three men and one woman. The fifth item was some emergency radio chatter from secure digital channels of a metropolitan police department in the US.

Four naked people had been apprehended in four different international cities on two continents, all within 30 minutes of each other. All of them, it seemed, claimed to be police officers from San Francisco in the United States and could not explain either their nudity or how they came to be found in the cities. One was babbling something about a giant burrito ripping his police cruiser apart. Just for kicks, the listening post techs had patched into SFPD‘s communications and sure enough, they were all buzzing about four missing officers who were not reporting in and had all gone radio-silent at the same moment. Three male, one female.

While it was not at all strange or impossible for a person to be abducted and transported to another city far away, the fact that it was only 15 minutes from their moment of disappearance to the first report of discovery in a city that involved intercontinental travel, was what experienced intelligence analysts called “weird.” Did they have their own private space shuttles? Or had another tetrad of SFPD officers disappeared earlier? That’s why it was brought to Obi Wan’s attention, just to get his take on it.

It was in fact, weirder than the analysts were ever aware of. The four cities or regions to which the nude cops had been sent were Lárisa, Lisbon, Surrey, and Buenos Aires. The term “traffic analysis” just took on an added new dimension.

Continue on to next section…

If And Only If

by Michelle Viviénne de Vandahlcourte

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

First Edition. © December 16, 2015.

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confusedhost-archive · 4 years

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She-Ra tumblr au

I made this with @maycombhoney at some point and was thinking about it earlier today.

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Adora: Has a popular sideblog named She-Ra about her boxing and fighting abilities but very few people follow her main account. Her sideblog is simple, with a lot of self defense tips and stuff, and sometimes people see reblogs of stuff that are supposed to go to her main account show up. They’re pretty boring, so they usually don’t check out the main account

Glimmer: Lots of sparkly moodboards and stuff with a really pretty aesthetic, and that’s all you see when you follow, but once you’re following, your dash starts having a bunch of vent posts about her mom and there’s a lot of discourse. Glimmer gets mad at posts easily. There’s also a lot of anon hate to her. It’s kinda depressing. If she ever posts art, she often has to take it down because no matter how often she says not to, people repost it, and she can’t let her mom connect the dots.

Bow: He talks a lot about bows. Shows off a lot of his arrow creations and how-to's on making them at home. They’re too complicated to actually work though. Most of his followers find him through Adora’s side blog She-Ra, where he’s often tagged. It’s usually because she posts selfies of their adventures and he’s in them. Glimmer is too, but she’s well known on her own.

Double Trouble: Their username is from some small fandom no one has ever heard of, their profile pic is from some abandoned cartoon from a year ago, their header is a gif scene from at least three different shows that were shot in the same place, and their line underneath is a quote from an old musical from the 90′s. The blog is about none of those and has a bunch of posts from a show no one can find. They often get asks about what show it is, to which they give a name, and when they’re asked for a link, it never seems to work. People have given up. At some point, someone noticed that you can actually figure out what’s going on in the show if you look at the gif sets and put them together in order of episode (which is labeled at the bottom). See the thing is, Double Trouble is using the mystery and confusion of this blog to advertise the show they wrote, directed and acted out. No one knows how it’s possible, but the people who know what happened are both under oath to not tell anyone and also extremely confused as to how Double Trouble managed it. Including me. I don’t know how it was managed, but I do have a theory that I’m about to send to @sheblah. This does mean that she’s required to post my thing the moment she sees it. Edit: She didn’t so I have to take matters into my own hands. Here’s the post I made with it

Catra: Catra’s posts have been a lot of discourse posts, with her being wrong. You can see in the tags that she knows exactly what she’s doing and that she’s making the wrong posts to be a jerk. She and Adora used to be mutuals (no one knows how, there’s no way their blogs should have ever crossed) but Adora saw one of her discourse posts and blocked her for around a month. After that, Catra stopped trying to reconnect. Now! Catra is less of a jerk on her tumblr and posts a bunch of cute photos of her therapy animal, Melog (no one knows what species Melog is but whatever-) and reblogs a lot of stuff about therapy and anger management. One day she put up a post about how she was getting therapy, and people spammed her with congratulations. She told them that she was crying and thanked them all deeply. Sometimes people still bring up how horrible she was and she has to put out a post saying how she recognizes this and she apologizes for everything she did. She nearly never answers the hate asks. She’s getting better.

Perfuma: She has a cottagecore aesthetic account, it’s really pretty. She once made a cactus hating post and it blew up. She gets anons making fun of her for it to this day. Very annoying. Most people follow her for the discourse she participates in. It can be quiet for weeks, months even, and then she’ll find some idiot saying something dumb and will fight for, days sometimes, to set them right. It used to be Catra that she would fight with a lot. They ended up becoming enemy mutuals, following each other in order to mess up the other’s discourse post. This also meant that Perfuma was the first to see and cause change in Catra’s way of thinking and actions. Perfuma always reminds herself of the fact that she helped someone change for the better once. She’s proud.

Frosta: Is not legally allowed to be on tumblr. It’s a problem. But at the same time she just? Doesn’t seem to follow anyone at all? Sometimes people will send asks about a post that went viral, and she never seems to know anything about it. She hasn’t been affected by tumblr at all, and seems to post something, answer questions, and then log off to make her next thing. It’s... kind of strange, actually. Everyone knows she’s underage, but has no proof, so they can’t tell her to get off tumblr or anything. And if anyone asks how old she is, she gives a random number (A few favorites are “69,” “420,” “I stopped counting after the first hundred years,” “It’s a bit of a pardox actually, because in total I’m around 80, but I’ll be born in three years so... I’m -3 apparently,” “Old enough to beat you in a drinking contest,” “I’m a god, and have no beginning nor end,” and the best of them all, a video of someone being thrown into the air by a pillar of ice with the caption, “Begone thot.”) Frosta picks and chooses her battles when it comes to answering asks. No hate is ever seen on her blog and no one is sure whether it’s because she never gets it, or because she never answers it. She doesn’t get it.

Entrapta: A lot of cool videos and vlogs and experiments. After about three months of being on tumblr, someone said they had an experiment she might like, and asked if they could send an ask about it and have her try it out. After that, she made it her pinned post to say, “Taking experiment requests! Have something you want me to try out?” She’s always tinkering now, and she loves it! Someone once asked her to explain one of her videos more simply, and she did! But it was too simple, and the person who asked thought she was making fun of them. A helpful follower of Entrapta’s made a better explanation in a reblog and was seen as better, so Entrapta now lets her followers explain how they see is best! She’ll reblog it onto the main account so everyone can see. If they need help, she can always take back the reigns!

Mermista: No one is quite sure what her blog is about. There’s a lot of posts about this really obscure murder mystery book series. The ones made by the blog itself are videos of arson and mild theft. The videos are horrible quality, and no one knows what’s going on until at the very end of this three minute long vid, the camera stills, zooms in, and shows a boat on fire. It’s not on the news. Sometimes you’ll see a reblogged post that seems eerily relevant to the posts before and after. The mood the entire way through is basically just this meme

She once made a uquiz that told you what crime you committed. It is... scarily accurate. The questions had nothing to do with the answer at all. You are horrified. There was once an audio that was basically just running for three minutes with sirens in the background (the post has gone viral and people are beginning to wonder if the sirens are actually mermaid type sirens. It’s becoming more and more likely every time it’s addressed). The audio was a voice reveal. It was one word, and it just made everyone who heard it pause for a moment and sit in complete confusion and mild fear before scrolling further, because they live in the lie that perhaps if they go further, they’ll understand what’s going on. It was just, “Fire,” in the most astonished voice, and then the crackling of a flame. The blog never seems to end. After hours of scrolling, you finally reach the end, and there is and never has been context for a single thing the blog has done. You are slowly filled with dread and anticipation for the next post as you hit the follow button.

#fire tw #siren tw #She ra #shera #she ra reboot #mermista #perfuma #frosta #adora #entrapta #glimmer #bow #catra #double trouble

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anotherhargrovebitch · 5 years

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holding you close : b.h

okay so i originally wrote this on one of my other blogs, but it kinda got lost and is not relevant to that account at all so i’m reposting it here :)

billys worried as he hasn’t heard from you in a few days and decides to pay you a visit

s t r a n g e r t h i n g s w r i t i n g

Parking his Camaro, he climbs out ensuring to slam the door to notify the street he was around. In the months you’ve known Billy, he was never one to shy away from being heard.

Throwing the butt of his cigarette to the ground, he let out a long sigh as he walked up the creaking steps to your front door. He didn’t want to seem concerned about the fact you weren’t answering the phone or turned up on his lunch break to see him- but he was.

Billy knocks on the front door, sporting his signature smile as it opens. “Ah, Billy.” Your Father answers with a straight face as he suppresses an annoyed sigh.

Despite the fact that Billy was different from the boy you constantly complained about in high school, those memories stuck with your Father. He could see Billy was a kinder man, had more respect for women, but he still saw a slither of a cocky kid who never quite matured in him.

“Good evening, Mr Y/ln.” Billy politely greets your Father. He knew manners were still highly rated by him, and if he stood a chance of getting answers this was his best bet. “Is Y/n around?”

Your Father shifts his weight from foot to foot as he opens the door further. “Brenda?!” Your Father yells through the house as Billy stands still, hiding his smile.

“What?!” Your Mother yells back from the living room as she rises from her chair, putting her cigarette out as she mutters under her breath. “Oh, Billy.” She chuckles as she hugs Billy. “How lovely to see you.”

“Looking beautiful as ever, Mrs Y/l/n.” Billy compliments her, watching your Fathers jaw clench. “I just came by to see if Y/n is here? She hasn’t been in touch over the weekend or today.” Billy asks, noticing the looks shared by your parents.

“She’s just upstairs dear.” Your Mother tells him, taking his arm in hers as she pats his forearm lightly. “I think she might still be asleep. Y/n caught some bug before she came home for winter break.” She explains and Billy simply nods. “Feel free to go see her, I think she could use the company.”

Billy smiles to your Mother as he walks up the stairs. “Thanks, Mrs Y/l/n.”

“It’s Brenda, Billy.” She hushes him with a smile as he nods to her, walking up the stairs out of sight.

“I still don’t get what she sees in him.” Your Father grumbles as he closes the front door, not noticing your Mother rolling her eyes as she walks back into the living room without exchanging another word.

Standing at the top of your stairs, Billy took the left turn toward your bedroom. It had only been a recent development that he was able to take this entrance into your room as opposed to climbing through the window. Part of him misses those days, the excitement that laced those late nights as he held his hand over your mouth to stop you being too loud. But he knows it now means he has your parents respect, well, your Mothers at least.

Knocking quietly on your door Billy patiently waits for a response. “Angel, you in there?” He asks gently, still not hearing anything back from you.

He slowly turns the door handle, pushing it open to see the room in complete darkness. His eyes wander around to see tissues scattered across your floor surrounding your bin, only a few having made the intended goal. There are several mugs with different volumes of liquid, all a different colour from age.

But his eyes wander toward your bed in the corner of the room. He can see you’re wrapped up in three blankets, a bucket by your bedside table and a fan just in case. He quietly sighs as he walks over and perches beside you, brushing your hair from your forehead. “Hey, princess.” He whispers to you, seeing you stir lightly.

Opening your eyes, you adjust to the sight before you. “Billy?” You mumble as you groan lightly in an attempt to move, but Billy shushes you.

“Hey, stay still alright? Your Mom let me in.” He says with a small smile, causing you to scoff lightly.

“I swear if my Dad wasn’t around she’d pounce on you.” You tell him and he laughs quietly. He opens his mouth to comment, but you shoot him a look. “Don’t even think about it, Hargrove.” You scold as you shuffle further under the covers, suppressing your cough.

“Alright, alright.” He smirks as he moves to lie down beside you.

“No, no you’ll get sick.” You tell him, but he protests as he tugs the covers and slides in beside you.

Leaning close to you, Billy pulls you into his arms. “It’s a worthy cause.” He states, looking down and noticing you’re in one of his old t-shirts. “Nice shirt.” He comments.

You shrug lightly, closing your eyes as you snuggle into his chest. “Friend of mine had a good fashion sense.” You mutter into his chest, lifting your hand up to play with his hair, hearing a light moan in response.

“Wait,” Billy looks down at you, raising an eyebrow. “sorry princess, what do you mean had?” He jokes as you chuckle to yourself, hiding your face under the covers.

“Nothin’ Billy,” You say sweetly as you smile, causing his heart to melt into your hands. “thank you for coming over.” You whisper as you close your eyes, feeling secure in his arms.

“Anything for you, angel.” He thinks aloud, smiling as he hears your breathing slow down and the sound of you drifting off in his arms.

#hope you liked it #sorry ive been absent for a few days or like a week #billy hargrove #billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove imagines #billy hargrove oneshot #billy hargrove fluff #billy hargrove angst #dacre montgomery #dacre montgomery imagine #dacre montgomery imagines #dacre montgomery x reader #dacre montgomery oneshot #stranger things #stranger things imagines #stranger things imagine #stranger things x reader #stranger things headcanon

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symphonicdemise · 4 years

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THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE: MUN & MUSE

fill out & repost ♥ this meme definitely favors canons more, but i hope oc’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. multimuses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm.

tagged by: stolen from the Dash

tagging: I stole it, so you can steal it too.

MY MUSE IS. canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless

is your character popular in the fandom? YES / NO/ Uhhhhhhhh

is your character considered hot™ in the fandom? WELL… / NO / IDK.

is your character considered strong in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK.

are they underrated? YES (imo) / NO.

were they relevant to the main story? YES / NO.

were they relevant to the main character? YES / NO / THEY’RE THE ‘PROTAG’

are they widely known in their world? YES / NO.

how’s their reputation? GOOD / BAD (VERY BAD) / NEUTRAL.

HOW STRICTLY DO YOU FOLLOW CANON?

I make it a point to try and follow his canon attitude and reactions as closely as possible. That being said, most of the interactions that take place happen after MTMTE 55# and are therefor divergent from canon. I still try to stay true to his characterization (organiphobe, still a loyal decepticon, yadda yadda) but for the sake of roleplay and interactions, I do tone him down quite a bit.

SELL YOUR MUSE! (aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutual.)

Tarn is... god How the hell do I sell this man. He’s not exactly a kind mech, but civility is one of the things he misses about his old life... Getting to sit back at a bar, relaxing and chatting up strangers that you probably will never see again.

Being backstage at the opera house, getting ready to go on stage... I’m getting off on a tangent so I’ll just cut to the chase: If he doesn’t know you, and any interactions take place after MTMTE 55# he probably won’t try to cause bodily harm at first sight (with a few exceptions of course (Lookin at you Megs and OL)).

NOW THE OPPOSITE! (list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?)

HAHAHAHAH Where do I even begin with Tarn?

He’s probably clinically mad, absolutely loony... but it’s no fault of his own (partly). He’s flawlessly loyal to The Cause... and that’s one of his many flaws.

He cares more about enforcing some twisted sense of justice than he does about literally anything else.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO RP YOUR MUSE?

Hoo boy... that’s a hard one. There are probably a few things, one being that I’ve always been drawn to the antagonists since I was like... 5 years old. I think it’s mostly that I really like how he was written in, his personality, his overall design... I mean... just look at him!

That shouldn’t be allowed...

WHAT KEEPS YOUR INSPIRATION GOING?

I have a single playlist on youtube that’s filled with music I think Tarn might listen to.

SOME MORE PERSONAL QUESTIONS FOR THE MUN.

do you think you give your character justice? YES / NO.

do you frequently write headcanons? YES (mostly in my head) / NO.

do you sometimes write drabbles? YES / NO.

do you think a lot about your muse during the day? YES / NO.

are you confident in your portrayal? YES / NO.

are you confident in your writing? YES / NO.

are you a sensitive person? YES / NO.

DO YOU ACCEPT CRITICISM WELL ABOUT YOUR PORTRAYAL?

As long as it’s constructive, and not just someone who’s like “ur bad k y s” cause that shit doesn’t fly with me.

If you think of something that I could do to make the portrayal more accurate, my god please tell me so I don’t fucking embarrass myself anymore!

DO YOU LIKE QUESTIONS, WHICH HELP YOU EXPLORE YOUR CHARACTER?

ABSOLUTELY!!! It’s always fun to write up little drabbles from time to time (especially when I get to write about Pre-war Tarn/Damus

IF SOMEONE DISAGREES TO A HEADCANON OF YOURS, DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY?

Yes, It’s always nice to see things from another perspective and hey! Maybe I’ll adopt a new headcanon!

IF SOMEONE DISAGREES WITH YOUR PORTRAYAL, HOW WOULD YOU TAKE IT?

I’d be upset for maybe a day, probably think about deleting my blog at least 50 times then go have a smoke and a beer and be good. *~*~*Poor Coping Kids*~*~*

IF SOMEONE REALLY HATES YOUR CHARACTER, HOW DO YOU TAKE IT?

You know, I wouldn’t blame them, at all. He really is an awful asshole.

That being said, if they continued to harass me about it, I’d probably just be like “lol ok bye fam. If you don’t like him, fucking bounce kiddo”

ARE YOU OKAY WITH PEOPLE POINTING OUT YOUR GRAMMATICAL ERRORS?

AAAA Please! I like to pride myself on catching my mistakes as I write them but I’m only human, I’m also blind in one eye so I’m seeing at half capacity compared to other people lol.

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE EASY GOING AS A MUN?

Heck yeah! I’m just super nervous about talking to people. I’ll usually be lurking on my dash.

Don’t ever be afraid to hit me up, I’m like a freakin puff ball who’s riddled with anxiety about initiating conversation.

I don’t say it often but I do have other muses who are much easier to interact with. If you’re ever curious about them, just slide into my DM’s.

anyway this is a long ass post so I’ll just leave it here, Steal this if you want to!

#;; ooc post #;; about #;; The Mun Speaks

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umbralich · 5 years

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Never ending survey

RULES: Repost, do not reblog. Tag 10 blogs!

Tagged by: @lareine-kira and @paleshadeofrose

Tagging: @hangedemperor , @istolin , @maximiloix , @trahja-tia , @eorzeasfrozenknight , @charm-in-spades , @thorcatte , @haila-wetyios , @a-sharlayan-abroad

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BASICS.

FULL NAME: Varg Blacksoul, formerly Timur Oronir NICKNAME: Varg-Varg (given by Lareine), Stiffy and Grumpy (given by Silke) AGE: 54 BIRTHDAY: 9th sun of the 1st astral moon ETHNIC GROUP: Xaela Au Ra NATIONALITY: Othard, Ishgard LANGUAGE/S: Common, xaelic, ishgardian SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Demisexual ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Biromantic RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single and not looking for company. HOME TOWN / AREA: Dawn Throne, Azim Steppe CURRENT HOME: Pillars, Ishgard PROFESSION: Paladin, medic/healer at Ishgard’s service.

PHYSICAL.

HAIR: Long and silvery grey. EYES: Black with white limbal rings, small irises. FACE: Angular features, long nose, high cheekbones. LIPS: Narrow, often cracked, slightly darker than his usual skin color. COMPLEXION: Grayish purple BLEMISHES: Dark circles SCARS: Lots of scars which he keeps hidden at all times. Two thick, long ones are visible and almost go across his right eye. TATTOOS: No tattoos. HEIGHT: 210cm WEIGHT: Slightly underweight BUILD: Slender but masculine, somewhat toned. FEATURES: Black markings around eyes, and naturally thick, black claws. ALLERGIES: None USUAL HAIR STYLE: At work or formal meetings it’s combed back either completely or with some locks on his temples left loose. In more casual situations he mostly just lets it be. USUAL FACE LOOK: Calm, focused, narrowed eyes. USUAL CLOTHING: Full, dignified heavy armor or parts of it combined with a long coat, formal robes, jodhpurs, vests, blouses and high-heeled boots.

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR/S: Imprisonment, being held or tied down, physical pain, betrayal. ASPIRATION/S: To be successful, self-sufficient and powerful until the end, to bring as many as possible wrongdoers to justice, to find an heir, and catch people still on the loose who managed to escape his revenge long ago.

POSITIVE TRAITS: He keeps his word, doesn’t leave things unfinished, is a good motivator for slackers, aims for high-quality results in everything, is reasonable and logical.

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Insensible towards most of people, logic always comes before his own or other people’s feelings, very straightforward, capable of cruelty if necessary.

TEMPERAMENT: Calm SOUL TYPE/S: Thinker ANIMALS: Gray wolf

VICE HABIT/S: Smoking. He hates it, but it’s the least harmful thing that calms his nerves down, and he’s addicted. He tries to limit it though, and use it only in worst occasions, since he doesn’t want the side effects affecting his health or work. If things get especially grim, he also has full stashes of potent liquor and intravenous sedatives.

FAITH: Science usually comes first, but he’s also spiritual in some way. It’s one of those topics he doesn’t discuss with anyone. Some of his duties include working as a cleric, so it may have something to do with Halone. Or then it doesn’t, and it’s just another job.

GHOSTS?: Has seen them with his own eyes so can’t deny their existence. AFTERLIFE?: He hopes it exists, for reasons. REINCARNATION?: It’s a possibility.

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT: Generally neutral, but on demand would choose the side of underdogs: ignoble, the poor and the sick, minors etc. Wouldn’t show his alignment publicly if it was a threat to himself. Would also pretend to be supporting the oppressor, only trying to sabotage their work at every opportunity. Even I’m not sure would he actually die for anyone else or some common cause. He has fled once to save his own hide and he could do it again. Knows main points of what’s going on and where around the world for the sake of common knowledge, but is only interested in topics that concern himself. Has been a target for racists since arriving to Ishgard as a teenager, so he despises them from the bottom of his heart.

EDUCATION LEVEL: Learned

FAMILY.

FATHER : Not relevant MOTHER : Not relevant SIBLINGS : None that he knows of EXTENDED FAMILY: Iris Ymir (patient and protege) and Arsene Dreadeois (butler)

NAME MEANING/S:

Timur is a Turkic and Mongolic name which literally means iron. In Indonesian, timur translates to east and symbolizes hope by the rising sun.

All members of the Oronir tribe believe themselves to be direct descendants of Azim, the tribe's god of the sun.

Varg is wolf in swedish. Varg was also originally a nickname given by his friends at the Steppe. It was the only thing he kept after starting his new life in Ishgard and severing his ties with his homeland.

Blacksoul was given by his comrades in the army for being so ruthless towards enemies - both the ones on the battlefield and the ones captured.

HISTORICAL CONNECTION?: None

FAVORITES.

BOOK: Science, mythology, swordplay, alchemy, etc. Everything that has something to do with his work or hobbies. DEITY: Halone seems to share most of his values. HOLIDAY: Doesn’t celebrate any. MONTH: September and October. There isn’t many little things in life he gets pleasure from, but fall colors is one of them. SEASON: Fall and winter. PLACE: His estate, cathedrals, libraries and forges. WEATHER: Thick fog, rain and sunshine at the same time. SOUND/S: Fire, rain and musical instruments when someone who actually knows what they’re doing plays them. SCENT/S: Herbs, iron, parchment. TASTE/S: Whisky, tea, whatever Arsene makes. FEEL/S: Clean clothes, heat radiating from a fireplace. ANIMAL/S: Doesn’t like animals except for his chocobo, Mori. NUMBER: Doesn’t care about numbers. COLORS: White, black, blood red, gold, silver.

EXTRA.

TALENTS: Accuracy of a chirurgeon, skillful with swords, managing to define a goal fast in any kind of surprising situation and being very patient and stubborn at achieving it. BAD AT: Admitting he has weaknesses, comforting people, having fun, small talk, relaxing. HOBBIES: Reading, studying, weapon maintenance, alchemy. TROPES: Antihero, tragic hero and mad scientist. Definitely could also be a villain. Depends on whom you ask.

QUOTES:

“Since you seem to be so worried of my… customers, perhaps I should take you along the next time I interrogate them. You would see with your own eyes what kind of delicate, exquisite and misunderstood individuals they are, when they spit on you, mock their victims and brag about the amount of people they have raped or murdered.”

“Today it happens. Make sure she is out of here before I return tonight. I am no longer even sure which one of them is the worse one.”

“It was a mere procedure. If procedures were considered intimate, I would be close friends with half of Ishgard by now.”

“Do tell me... If you work as much as you claim, how come you are always broke when we meet?”

“Very well. Play something for me. Let us see are you a man of your word.”

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1 : If you could write your character your way in their own movie, what would it be called, what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about?

A1 : He’s been busy sticking his spoon into so many soups during his life that you could probably make a trilogy of his fooleries feats. The first part would tell about his early life in Azim Steppe and how he was forced to leave from there, the second part about how he found his soulmate and adapted to his new life in Ishgard, and how it all eventually ended up into a shitstorm, and the third one would be the current storyline. No clue about the name, though. The Soulforge would be perfect but too bad it’s taken.

Q2 : What would their soundtrack/score sound like?

A2 : Bloodborne, Dark Souls and Amnesia the Dark Descent OSTs are absolutely the closest ones you could get to Varg. Orchestral, choir, bowed string instruments, both epic and monstrous. Even if there were more peaceful pieces here and there, while listening to them you’d still have that same feeling of dread you used to have while playing the original Resident Evil and Silent Hill games and finding a safe room: you just barely escaped death but can’t stay in the safe haven forever.

Q3 : Why did you start writing this character?

A3 : He’s quite different compared to my Forsaken shadow priestess in WoW, whom I used to RP for... two or three years? Long story short: I wanted something else for a change. I also used to have an old Forsaken death knight, who was a lot more similar to Varg, but he was more evil. He existed pretty much only for occasions when someone needed a true villain for some plot. He was funny however and I always thought it was a pity I didn’t get chances to RP him more often.

Q4 : What first attracted you to this character?

A4 : He’s a mixture of four different OCs of mine, with a bit of his original spice ofc. One of them came into being in, uh, somewhat obscure conditions. Kept seeing him in my dreams when I was a kid, and he became one of my imaginary friends I used to have back then. And not just one of the many, but the closest one. Also generally in entertainment I couldn’t care less about Lukes and Frodos. Villains, tragic heroes and the like are my thing. They’re usually the most multilayered and interesting characters.

Q5 : Describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse.

A5 : Perfectionism. I’m similar and it sometimes drives me nuts to watch him neglecting himself while trying to achieve perfection. If I could physically talk to him I would go and slap him and be like “EAT. SLEEP. YES THE THING IS GOOD ENOUGH ALREADY. LEAVE IT.”

Q6 : What do you have in common with your muse?

A6 : Well, already kind of answered this one, but wait, there’s more: insomnia, nightmares, PTSD, misanthropy and cynicism come to mind first. And booze. How could I almost forget booze? I believe I know what misery is so I’m good at RPing miserable characters and make them look as authentic as possible. *lols like Alcyone from Magic Knight Rayearth* We both also have a strong sense of justice and nonexistent sympathy for those who use others as stepping stones. Aye I know, sounds a lot like a self-insert character, but it’s not like that. It’s more like... before meeting him/the OCs he’s based on, I used to be quite a scentless and tasteless kid. Similarities and peer support attract. And I’ve also learned from him.

It’s also a lot like me and Lareine. We became friends because we had 95% of the same interests and problems but perhaps that’s why we get along so well and understand each other.

Q7 : How does your muse feel about you?

A7 : He would probably hate and like me at the same time. Or couldn’t decide. We both like peace and quiet, doing our job well is fundamental and our basic values are pretty much the same. We would get along well if we worked in the same place. However, unlike him, I have some horrid procrastination seasons, crippling self-esteem issues, tend to put other people’s needs and opinions above my own and keep stressing about things for 7 billion souls instead of just myself. I’m suspicious of pretty much everything else except Lareine and our plushie crow Agatha, except that Agatha creeps me out sometimes as well when she takes out a knife and sits next to my bed at night, staring at me, can’t watch Hachiko without bawling my eyes out during the entire movie, love puppies and kittens and danger noodles and I’m addicted to video games. Very likely he’d kick me out as well.

Q8 : What characters does your muse have interesting interactions with?

A8 : Varg would never admit it to himself, but I think he gets best along with people who are a bit silly in some way, and who get on his nerves by being too carefree and doing stupid things. Lareine and Iris, when they’re behaving. Arsene, who’s kind at everyone. Currently Shaura is my favorite. Varg himself is so uptight people like them help breaking his gray routines. Also a bonus: he doesn’t see them as a threat, so that’s probably the closest he’s able to get to relaxing among other people.

Q9 : What gives you inspiration to write your muse?

A9 : I’m a fan of my own characters. It doesn’t feel like I would’ve created them. I saw them with my third eye or something and I’ve just written for others to read what I’ve seen. I don’t plan RPs beforehand. I just let the hound loose and let him do whatever he wants. So far I haven’t got tired of my characters’ antics and could just write more. The only obstacles are limited hours per day, necessary evils like eating and sleeping, procrastination, trying to sort out my life, and the damn FFXIV. SOMEONE PLEASE TAKE IT OUT OF MY HANDS.

Q10 : How long did this take you to complete?

A10 : Ehh, maybe 4-5 hours.

#final fantasy xiv #ffxiv #character info #au ra #never ending survey

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twitchesandstitches · 6 years

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Disney Growth AU

One of my holdovers from my old blog was what I called the Disney Growth AU, and I’m bringing it back! Mostly for the odd snippet or story post here or that, and partly as a component in some of my other AUs, since those mentions might not make a whole lot of sense without this AU’s particulars.

And also since it would fill a bit silly reposting older stories or edits of them without giving everyone the background of this AU, and anything i happen to think of. No sense posting stories and just throwing you into it blind, even if you’re familiar with it. It would just feel strange!

The Disney Growth AU is a combination of all the various disney properties (or at least the ones that fit into the Disney animated canon, with the various cartoons as having a more nebulous connection but are present), centering largely around the Disney heroines and major lady characters of their respective franchises and sub-series, with a focus on magically induced transformations and a particular emphasis on hyper curves (gigantic boobs, hips and butt, with variance for individual body types and personality-appropriate looks, and with more monster-y/human divergent form styles) and giantess.

In that later case, the princesses and other heroines are absolutely massive, with none of the usual limits i typically have in my usual AUs or giantess scenarios for the sake of tiny/giant interaction; they are a mile high at minimum when not deliberately suppressing their powers, and when they’re fully powered up, the giant Disney girls can be as big as entire planets, if not solar systems… and even larger than that, with their proportions scaling up to match.

Of note, this AU is broadly split into two continuities of a kind; one where this AU is its own thing and its relation to other fic ideas isn’t important, and one where it is a sub-set of Crossthicc as an important aspect of the multiverse, and the distinction has to do with which aspect I’m playing up.

Both versions heavily emphasize magic, and the basic premise is the same: the heroines, or princesses (whether they are actually royalty or not, such as in the case of Mulan or Moana; the title is a catch-all for ‘important heroine’ as a consequence of their actions) are living embodiments of raw magic, both conduits for the stuff of the soul and transformation, and generating it in the same way that stars create elements and light. This causes them to transform over time, growing bigger and curvier, and eventually take on more individual, inhuman alterations to reflect their raw power and coolness.

Their villains are, of course, around and up to No Good, and in between slice of life shenanigans, pranks, and attempts to simply live their lives while also being benign giant goddesses, they might thwart the plans of their equally gigantic villainesses and foes, who have transformed to become Big and Thicc too, and seek to impose absolute dominance over all existence.

In the former case where its a standalone AU, the setting is more mundane… as much as they CAN be, in the context. They live on a single version of Earth, with a different history to justify how a Powhatan diplomat, ancient Chinese war icon, Germanic fairy tale, and outright mythical figures can all exist at the same time. Effectively, they have been given a Kingdom Hearts style lighter and softer treatment, with ancient countries still existing in the modern day and altering history in subtle ways for this all to make some kind of internal sense. (For instance, modern America may not exist; instead you have the original countries of the First Nations expanded and industrialized and existing as a broad union similar to modern America,) Something similar applies to outright fictional countries or landmasses, with the world altered so that their likely geographic locations makes some kind of sense. Agrabah, for example, is a bit of a tricky case.

In this case, all the princesses are modern women, but have existed in many incarnations throughout history as great peacekeepers, champions of justice, mighty warriors, and paragons of virtue to teach others. In relatively recent times, their actions ensured a massive burst of magic that permanently brought raw, wild and Good magic back to the world, imbuing them all with it and making them living generators of it, awakening new power and making them into new goddesses, with great stature to match. Apart from now being potentially planet-sized and warping local space via their raw power just to fit into the world - packing mountain mass into a very small area - their lives are still mundane, and much of their time is spent adjusting to their new power and finding things to do with it.

Something similar would apply with the villains, most obviously Maleficent and a cadre of other villainesses following her; while not as powerful as the heroines, they are nonetheless massive and powerful goddesses… just not on the same level as the heroines, but they have the benefit of a massive horde of spooky monsters and less imposing foes that are mighty in their collective dangerous-ness.

Periodically, Marvel characters may make appearances (especially the more cosmic ones, such as Thor); assume this is a meeting of the multiverse kind of deal, with the other Earth perhaps being merged into the Disney one and the superheroes making do, with the new supervillains coming into conflict with the villains. Alternatively; emphasizing the Awesome of the heroine and supporting characters to serve roughly the same purpose as having legit superheroes here. For instance, consider Maui as being a Thor analogue by emphasizing his myth-appropriate raw strength and heroic deeds. Guy pulls up oceans during fishing trips!

(That said, the Marvel Growth AU from my old blog is now its entirely own thing, combined with some ideas I have for a DC one as well, as well as BNHA/My Hero Academia, as a cohesive general superhero setting. The tone of Disney Growth AU is more mundane slice of life that just so happens to take place for giant hero ladies dealing with their newfound powers, and just a hint of epic fantasy.)

Generally speaking, i will probably tag fics and thoughts specifically meant for this AU as JUST ‘disney growth AU’, for the sake of simplicity, without additional specifications.

The other version of this AU is explicitly intended to work with Crossthicc, and relies on the multiverse aspect and incorporates more obvious elements from the different versions of the characters in question. In this version, the princesses are explicitly goddesses; not just powerful heroines made mighty, but actual goddesses, and have been for some time.

They are, in-universe, widely worshiped across the multiverse under many different names and culturally relevant touchstones, but when one person pays homage to a raven-haired personification of Good Governance, and another gives their love to a goddess of orphans and adoption, it is still Snow White they worship. Consequently, they are enormously powerful and have a lot of potential domains under their influence, and mostly dwell upon a vast plane of magic that dwells beyond the material realm. This huge coterminous plane is effectively an elemental plane of magic, perhaps the metaphysical engine that keeps the World Tree of the mortal universes going, supporting that delicate soap bubble that is so easy to pop… and constantly on guard from the dreadful things trying to do just that.

It is possible that even this realm is but a reflection of their true divine power, a somewhat accessible an diminished echo of their full nature, but it's so mighty that they cannot properly exist in the mundane plane without wrecking it, instead manifesting as avatars. Depends on the need of the scenario, honestly.

The MILF fleet of crossthicc comes across these goddesses during their travels, earning their favor and interest, and a few of them send mortal avatars to stay with the fleet and experience the mortal universe, far weaker than their true selves but still shockingly powerful, and members of the God Squad that is a club of benign deities that for whatever reason are endorsing the MILF fleet.

Their home planea is much more mythic in tone, with an explicitly magitech vibe; imagine epic D&D style fantasy in an infinite universe of soaring mountains and mighty landscapes, with magically empowered technology serving the role of more mundane technological advances, and magic being absolutely universal. Take your grandest high fantasy ideas, ramp them up a 100 times, and mash them into the tropes of nobility and honor being actual forces of nature, and you have the basic approach! Here, mighty heroes fight grand monsters… and usually it's the goddesses doing this, the mightiest beings in all the cosmos, and fighting manifestations of entropy and cosmic non-existence. Their villains here are embodiments of forces like that, perhaps linked to the mysterious monsters the mortal plane is plagued with.

In this realm, mighty brave warriors ride on fearsome dragons to confront demon kings, mountains get up and walk to wrestle with one another, and the geography of the plane can shift at a moment’s notice when the currents of magic are strong enough. IT is in fact a source of magic, and does not conform to mundane notions of space-time. The plane is infinite, continuing forever, with ever more wild landscapes dissolving into chaotic potential and randomized impossibility as you get from civilization: mountains made of teeth, seas turning into boiling oil and crystalize laughter… and it gets weirder from there.

The goddess-heroines are so powerful that they stabilize this realm with their mere existence, growing more powerful and drinking deeply of the magic they generate and are empowered by, growing stronger still, and in doing so, they also reinforce the mortal realms, which is given life by this plane in some fashion. But the universes of mortals have been badly wounded, and the same applies to the princess’ realms too, and horrors pour out from them, and they must constantly quell those in hope of helping to bring peace, in some fashion, to all realms.

It is also important to note that given the different scale, they are far larger than in my usual giant lady fare; since space is more of a polite suggestion, this causes few problems, and they aren’t just planet sized. They are often universe-sized, if not even bigger, though they can adjust local space to fit them if they please, and even if they don’t, their presence causes no damage if they don’t wish it; their steps could reduce worlds to powder, but not a single living thing will be bothered by them stepping down.

(It is also possible that this realm is a primordial birthplace of souls, or an afterlife; people who perish come here, and after they work through their remaining problems, they pass on to another afterlife and perhaps later reincarnation. IT is the fate of evil beings to be reduced to food for the princesses, becoming monsters to be slain that reflect their evil hearts… or both. Some few mortal villains retain their willpower and become meances the princesses strive to defeat, and these are the villains of Disney canon that otherwise don’t fit the motif for the villainesses. Something similar might apply for the heroes and prince-types, but in terms of heroic spirits or great priests/followers of the goddesses in life. They came to love their goddesses so much, they remain by their sides forevermore. The goddesses themselves, or their bodies, may also constitute an afterlife as well.)

One more note; while this applies to the more mundane AU too, it's more prevalent here: the princesses here aren’t just based on their Disney interpretation but have elements from their other fictional interpretations too. Those who are public domain fairy tail characters, such as Snow White, have attributes from those stories as well as their many different stories incorporated in some fashion. Those who are historical figures will have attributes from real life applied more freely; for instance, in both AUs, Pocahontas is more like her real life analogue (apart from being the same age she is in the movie), down to that not being her actual name. There may also be liberal Fables (the comic series) invoked here, because i just plain like that series.

However, this AU is still intended to be mostly epic fantasy and high adventure, and should have a more or less light tone; thus, exceptionally dark or grim elements (such as those rooted in what may be the Grimm storyteller’s potential issues with women) will be ignored outright, reinterpreted, or applied in-universe as faulty propaganda.

There may also be a lot of mythological elements brought in. For example, the Seven Dwarves of Snow White are her adoptive fathers, in a sense, and are mostly Norse mythology style dwarves (and possibly svartalfar/dark elves, depending on whim), with their disney names, Doc and Sleepy and such, as pet names Snow had for them. For instance, Brok and Sindri are definitely there; Grumpy and Doc, respectively.

Effectively, in whichever AU, all the Disney cartoons are canon, with the ones more akin to Disney’s fairy tale vibes being more closely tied. More gray areas will be subject to weirdness; for instance, the series of Kim Possible might either be as more or less mundane figures in the magical plane of the goddesses, or as characters from a universe of superheroes who happen to have a connection to an appropriate goddess.

#/#//#///#////#/////#Disney Growth AU #AUs #queued #i might also work RWBY in there somehow but idk how yet

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gnclc · 7 years

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Bi King Wonho Masterpost

!IMPORTANT: this is mostly just for fun and for lgbt monbebes. i want this to stay on tumblr, so please don’t repost on other websites. shippers or heteros do not touch this post.

• allegedly dated a cis girl and trans boy in his uzzlang days, (some reports say that they are the same person but i highly doubt it, some say he dated the boy to protect him from the rumours, who knows, look it up if you really want to know)

• him being captivated by other male idols:

• eunwoo (feat. the rest of monsta x - once during fighter era and once during beautiful era) [ fighter era here & beautiful era here ] • jaehyun during a radio show, he even forgot the question he was asked [ here ] • honestly? shownu as he was speaking japanese [ here ]

• just for fun him sporting gay fashion with multiple prints here + him being the king Of Fashion . more: here ; here ; here and there is a whole twitter dedicated to this rich king’s fashion here

• speaking of fashion and said blog, they mentioned wonho wearing safety pin earrings, which apparently is a statement in support of women, immigrants, lgbt people, minorities, etc. tweet here . might be true, might be just wonho wanting to put safety pins on his ears, either way he’s either a good person which is gay culture, or just a disaster gay, which again, is gay culture. notable is also at the golden disk awards in which he’s wearing safety pin rings again in support of good causes. [gda rings tweet here ]

• also him participating in the polished man campaign raising awareness for child sexual violence. you can see that he is a very supportive and inclusive person, and even if there was a chance he was straight himself (which is minimal tbh) he’d still be a supporter.

• his most iconic look up to date no hetero man is this stylish by himself and if you don’t think so you can keep lying to yourself

• in the beautiful era mnet meet and greet they had to act in pairs, wonho was paired with changkyun in a romantic scene and looked like he fell in love when changkyun grabbed his face [ timestamp: starting 40:55/ find here ]

• during mxray season 2 in the drama acting episode it’s a gay gold mine, first of all saying that changkyun is a guy with gorgeous lips, mentioning stuff abt kihyun’s lips too, falling in love with girl hyungwon and saying he wants to be lovers with her - watch it [ here ] and here are some screencaps | gifsets highlighting what happened (worth mentioning: changkyun & minhyuk’s gay moments there too, forming the chaotic trinity of monsta x)

• gave minhyuk a lap dance on jamelia’s stop, we love a suave, smooth legend [ timestamp: 14:47 / find here ]

• i could not find the video anywhere else but there is a cute moment with wonho going to a girl and her caressing his face, i better see none of you complain about this he is the Bi king for a reason [ timestamp: 6:33 / find here ]

• from zero, the song he composed, arranged and wrote the lyrics to has no gendered pronouns, plus the iconic move in the hyungwonho version

• in a pretty old post i’ve made asking lgbt monbebes to tell me their bias, roughly 1/3 of the ones who reblogged either put wonho as their bias or pointed out that he is the highest possibility of a non-straight member, (some cases, along with minhyuk*/and changkyun), with a rough difference of 57 answers from the other members. you can argue that it’s because of his popularity, but second came changkyun, and it is very likely for lgbt fans to pick the one they identify with the most as their bias

• speed round → taking every chance he has to mention male monbebes, or just overall being a gender inclusive king who gives no fuck:

• shows a lot of love to male fans, always blowing them kisses (happened on after school club multiple times) and saying he loves them

• was extremely excited when he read a comment on a vlive calling him “wonho hyung”

• he was asked about a group’s performance but all he kept saying is that they’re really handsome

• says that he enjoys wiping the sweat off his members

• “headband is not only for girls, no difference for gender, so i can wear it” + calling shownu the most beautiful and saying “beautiful isn’t for girls only” ( also, the members kept calling wonho beautiful in the same vlive the headband thing happened, which you can find here )

• when members were asked about their ideal type, he said someone that can cook ramen well, and proceeded to tell that gender doesn’t matter as long as you can cook ramen [ here ]

• i couldn’t find a video but during kcon mexico when speaking about monbebes he said “everybody my girl my boy” ft. changkyun who said “beauties and handsome guys, please be quiet” [ here’s a gifset that shows the points i mentioned before + this one ]

• read a comment about monbebes becoming female characters from internet novels on their "love story" with monsta x and he said "i bet there's also male characters since there's also male fans!” [ here ]

• him getting scared at everything which you may think is not relevant but it is actually gay culture [ here’s a cute compilation ]

• a fansign was held at a wedding hall and him and changkyun walked together as ‘grooms’ while the rest of mx was singing wedding themes (ft. hyunghyuk) [ here ]

• him respecting women: in dukgune during their freeze game wonho’s question was “how many sub vocals are in wjsn?” he answered with: “there is no sub vocal in wjsn, they’re all main vocals, they all sing well” video here, another comedy gold

• the fact that he can’t shut up whenever he feels like mx are being wronged and how open and kind he is, how much he loves monbebes, his sensitivity, him being a water sign, being petty when he gets interrupted, that’s gay culture too now folks, tag yourself i’m him being petty when he gets interrupted n being a water sign

feel free to reblog and add on, i probably missed a lot anyways!

#monsta x #wonho #lgbt kpop #gaypop #gay kpop #shin hoseok #lee hoseok #bisexual #bisexuality #personal #pls reblog this gays

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zandyin · 6 years

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Don’t mind me - I’m reposting some old posts from another blog here cause it’s... relevant. :y This post is from 2016 l m a o

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I got up too early today and have a lot of time to kill, so here’s a rambling of my Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha ship headcanon/mechanics. Yeah. Talking about Louis->Raidou, Raidou/Dahn, and why I’ll probably never draw the obvious slash ship most people have.

This is seriously not going to be interesting if you haven’t played DSRK2 and/or don’t ship any of those.

LOUIS –> RAIDOU

Anyone who follows my art blog probably knows I draw quite a bit of Louis -> Raidou, lmao. It’s been a while since I played DSRK2 (and I have a very shoddy memory in general), but I’ve always seen Louis’ interest in Raidou as very… curiously amused? It’s not a romantic attraction in any sense of the word, and (in my headcanons) Raidou does not reciprocate the feeling at all, haha.

I just like to think grand ol’ Louis Cyphre just wants to have some fun by flirting with a cute boy who may or may not actually be a challenge to take on in a fight. Maybe Louis kinda likes the idea that someone like Raidou can subdue him, if only for a little while. Plus DSRK2 doesn’t hold back on mentioning how beautiful Raidou is – and he is! – so I think even Louis would fall a little for the sideburn detective. :v He sees a lot of potential in Raidou. Iirc, he was interested in seeing Raidou again after the events of the second game for… whatever reason.

Louis doesn’t flirt with the intention to get the goods from Raidou, but at the same time, he probably wouldn’t mind if it went that way. :’^) It’s very one-sided, though. Which is why I’m always writing it as Louis -> Raidou. You could say I like the aesthetic of a one-sided flirting prince of hell towards a beautiful yet unobtainable detective swordsman.

In most of my headcanons, law Raidou just finds it annoying, while chaos Raidou doesn’t reciprocate either but does use it to his advantage. And Louis knows! But Louis always feels like he is in control or he IS in control, so he lets it happen. Anything that happens, Louis has allowed it or knew it would be an outcome. He’s fine with pretty much anything as long as he can watch Raidou do his thing.

Still, I draw too much Louis->Raidou when the main pairing I really love is…

RAIDOU/DAHN

Yes, in that order! This one I’m a bit more serious about. I doubt my words can accurately convey that feeling, but I will try my best!!

Alright, so… where to begin. I was one of those hopeless fools who was easily lead on by a fujoshi seamstress in Mannen-Cho to consider these two as a ship. I used to have the screenshots somewhere, ah!!! I googled it and she asks Raidou if Dahn is “an old lover” and if he came to Mannen-Cho to be with him. Ah… I’m so impressionable.

Anyways, pushing canon aside, I started to really dig the contrast between Raidou and Dahn. Raidou being a very proper looking city boy and Dahn being an unruly looking country boy. Before I burn holes into my own head from rolling my eyes, let’s keep going!

If you play as law Raidou, up to this point he does what he’s told. Usually I think his best interest aligns with those of the Capital. I like to think that… over the course of DSRK2, lmao, Raidou gets to know Dahn. From guy he’s supposed to track down to guy he starts helping to undo the major mistake he made (don’t trust any blond young men!), I think Raidou would start to see the other side of life – going after what you personally want, circumstance and expectations be damned. Dahn has a wild aura about him. I want Raidou to be intrigued by it. I want Dahn to start seeing the other side, too. His rashness led to quite the string of incidents that he clearly did not want to happen, haha. Raidou inspired by Dahn to be a bit more selfish, while Dahn inspired by Raidou to be a bit more selfless…! I know Dahn was doing what he wanted for Akane, but Akane was sort of okay with doing it “for the greater good”, so I do feel Dahn was acting selfishly. That’s what a big brother’s gonna do, tho.

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR END OF DSRK2, which you’ve probably played and finished if you’re even reading this!

“You made me realize you can shape your own future if you take action for what you believe in… Even a stubborn jackass like me was able to change… I’m sure the ones who see you in action will [also change]” – Dahn, right before the Shinado Dahn fight.

Haha, I forgot how much Dahn changes so much towards the end of the game. He hasn’t completely changed, but he starts seeing things the way Raidou does… tragic that he doesn’t get to continue living and show that change. Law Raidou strikes him down, as that’s his duty and promise. From Raidou’s side, I like to imagine he started to think about doing things for himself. Not… unleash a swarm of bugs kinda things for his own means and ends, but just being a bit more-!! Selfish!

Okay, through all of that, you’re probably wondering, “The hell? Where is the ‘ship’ aspect to this?” It’s pretty basic. I love Raidou and Dahn’s dynamic sans shipping as well, however I think Raidou’s new found “selfishness” would manifest itself in – wait for it – slowly being attracted to Dahn.

Big surprise there.

Going even further away from canon, Raidou being intrigued by Dahn!! And the way he does things. Maybe he finds Dahn’s accent cute, as Raidou is no stranger to interesting accents. His demons have all sorts of accents, I’m sure. I wanted Dahn to be that one thing, that one person he could be sort of selfish about – and in Chaos end headcanoning, that’s the Raidou who gives into that selfishness. Law Raidou… well, he still feels that attraction, but he doesn’t let it stop him from doing what he has to do.

Then just completely forget canon after this point, but I’ve thought of too many cute headcanons that make me ship this ship beyond help lmaooooo like you can stop reading here

Dahn’s aware Raidou’s a looker at first, but it doesn’t really start to get to him till they start working together post-Chaos end. Suddenly he finds himself looking at Raidou more often, feeling ‘weird’, and in general wanting to be closer to Raidou as they become friends. I like to imagine this kind of Dahn would even slip heavily into his implied Tohoku-ben(?) accent when Raidou’s really close to him. :’^))))

Raidou always lowkey being into Dahn’s wild look. Doing things on purpose to make Dahn’s accent really apparent like ‘accidentally’ brushing up against him… in whatever situation. Raidou happily staring at Dahn all while being quiet. It makes Dahn uncomfortable to be looked at with such a kind/hungry look, but he likes it. :v Raidou enjoying his new found selfishness with Dahn while still doing his job to protect the people of the Capital….Wow, I’m going to stop.

And honestly, as with most ships, I have a friend who loves Dahn as much as I love Raidou. We’re always bound to pair our favs together. I shipped Raidou/Dahn before we met, but having someone else to share with definitely strengthens the feelings towards it, haha. [Note from present me: Aw, sad, I’m not friends with that person anymore. :d It was a messy split and I got custody over Raidou/Dahn in the end LMAO I’m kidding]

SO THAT’S WHY I DRAW LOUIS -> RAIDOU WITH THAT SORT OF “FLAVOR”, yet I never draw Raidou/Dahn. Maybe because I’m too lazy to draw Dahn’s outfit. That’s definitely it.

NARUMI/RAIDOU

I just don’t feel it. That’s basically it. I see all the fodder for it, but somehow… I was not taken in. Life would be easier if I shipped only this because I can find a toooooon of art and doujinshi for them.

Try looking for Raidou/Dahn doujinshi where Raidou’s the top! GOOD LUCK!! I own two of them and am still hunting down one I saw the cover of last year. If you… find any…………….. lmk. [Note: I FINALLY FOUND THAT DJ AT THE END OF 2017, I HAD BEEN LOOKING SINCE 2015 Y’ALL!!!]

Since this is my personal blog, feel free to ask me questions and I’ll reply publicly (or privately if that’s what you want) if you wanna talk shop. Send me headcanons for Louis -> Raidou or Raidou/Dahn.

#zandyin au

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fox-mother · 4 years

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fill out & repost ♥

This meme definitely favours canons more, but I hope OC’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. Multi-Muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm.

My muse is: canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless /

Is your character popular in the fandom? YES / NO.

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK.

Is your character considered strong in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK.

Are they underrated? YES / NO.

Were they relevant for the main story? YES? / NO.

Were they relevant for the main character? YES / NO / THEY’RE A PROTAG.

Are they widely known in their world? YES / NO.

How’s their reputation? GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL.

How strictly do you follow canon?

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals. — I don't know, maybe her dorky personality and caring nature? She's good at comforting upset muses and she has a habit of developing unhealthy attachments to them. She's pretty easy to ship with and that might be appealing to some people. Kushina is also prone to being protective and self-sacrificing, always ready to jump between your muse and danger. Great cook as well.

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?). — She's prone to angry outbursts, sometimes they can be dangerous for other muses or the environment around them. Kushina hates herself and is quick to deny compliments, even if they're genuine. She's a kunoichi first and foremost which translates to her often being emotionally challenged. She can be clingy and borderline annoying if she gets attached too quickly to someone.

What inspired you to rp your muse? — Coming from an old Kagami blog and just not feeling him anymore, I noticed a bunch of portrayals of her- most of which I was actively following- and that led me to look into her more. I immediately fell in love with her and- out of pure salt- I decided to make her canon-divergent. I made this blog and a random headcanon post then the rest is history.

What keeps your inspiration going? — She does. Her and my IRL antics keep me going. I have an over-active imagination so I tend to have one thought that spirals into 'What would Kushina do in this incredibly specific situation?'. She also makes me very happy and I've only had to take one break from her since I made her blog. I love Kushina and all her dorky moments, it makes her enjoyable to write.

Some more personal questions for the mun. Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

Do you think you give your character justice? YES / NO

Do you frequently write headcanons? YES / NO.

Do you sometimes write drabbles? YES / NO.

Do you think a lot about your Muse during the day? YES / NO.

Are you confident in your portrayal? YES / NO.

Are you confident in your writing? YES / NO.

Are you a sensitive person? YES / 50/50 /NO.

Do you accept criticism well about your portrayal? — Yes. If someone criticises my portrayal, I do my best to be fair and listen to their issues with her. Sometimes I have moments where I want to punch the other person- see a few days ago for proof- but I try to remain respectful even if they continue to cause me problems. I don't want people to be scared of interacting with me.

Do you like questions, which help you explore your character? — Yes! I adore them! It may have something to do with my need to constantly yap about Kushina but I do like getting asks about her. She's always fun to think about and it's interesting to hear what people want to know about her.

If someone disagrees to a headcanon of yours, do you want to know why? — Sometimes, yes. That way, I can figure out what they think and we can- mayhaps- come to an amicable agreement moving forward. You can disagree with a headcanon all you like, I don't mind. It is your opinion after all.

If someone disagrees with your portrayal, how would you take it? — Meh, if you don't like my portrayal then there are plenty of Kushina blogs on Tumblr. Go find one of them or make your own, I have no time for people pestering me because they wanted something else.

If someone really hates your character, how do you take it? — Admittedly, I get salty. She's my baby at this point and I don't take kindly to people saying horrible things regarding her. I would never confront them about it but just know that I get so unbelievably angry when someone openly bashes her. If it's less open hatred and they keep it to themselves then I don't mind as much, if at all, it's just when they make it public knowledge that I get salty. It's their opinion and I do my best to respect that, even if I openly disagree with them.

Are you okay with people pointing out your grammatical errors? — Please... O^O I know I make errors and for all my usage of Grammarly, the stupid thing doesn't pick up on half my errors like it's supposed to. If you see an error, please let me know. Don't make fun of me or it, just point it out so I can change it. I type fast and I don't tend to beta read any work that I post, hence me needing to go back and fix it afterwards.

Do you think you are easy-going as a mun? — I'd hope I come off that way. Generally, I'm a pretty chill person who is just trying to make friends who respect me despite me being an overwhelmingly massive dork. I have my moments of pure salt and moments where I wish I was anywhere but on the internet but I try to remain as friendly as humanly possible towards people. I've said it multiple times that I am probably 100x more scared of you than you are of me. Social anxiety for the win!

Yoinked off: @shippuden-collection and @shikkotsunin Tagging: Continue the theft train binches!

#(Boo Boo Bear: OOC Post)#(Monopoly Or Scrabble?: Dash Games)#[I am like... 80% salt]

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siliconwebx · 5 years

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Should Publishers Still Be Scared of Duplicate Content?

Duplicate content is the boogeyman of the SEO world. Depending on who you ask and what you read, the definition and scope of what constitutes duplicate content varies wildly. That’s why in this article we will break down what duplicate content really is and the misconceptions about what search engines (Google) will and won’t abide by.

What is Duplicate Content?

Well, it’s as simple as it sounds: duplicate content is content that’s in more than one place. Content that matches verbatim (or close to it) the words of another article, or at least, content that is similar in structure and verbiage to another.

What most people think of as duplicate content is a copy/paste of the same article to multiple places around the internet. You can see this kind of thing happen when content is scraped illegally to be posted on less-than-reputable websites, when content is syndicated from one place to another, or when you own multiple websites and post the same content for added reach.

But duplicate content is also the use of the same phrases and sections on a site. If you have a template for guest posts, for instance, that reads exactly the same except for the writer’s name and website, that’s duplicate content.

The thing is, between a quarter to a third of the internet is duplicate content. If there’s a website, then it’s content is somewhere else. No doubt, it’s been scraped, its content stolen and later reposted elsewhere. It has blurbs and snippets that have been reused.

But the question of the hour is whether or not any of that has caused Google to penalize it. Has the scraped and plagiarized site lost rankings because of the duplication?

The answer is probably not.

Despite popular belief, it’s pretty hard for duplicate content to get you into trouble. The topic is full of anecdotes, myths, urban legends, and folklore passed down from marketer to marketer over the years. And like any story or tale, it gets taller and more exaggerated as it’s told. Let’s see if we can find the kernels of truth in these urban legends and misconceptions.

Will Google Blacklist Your Site for Duplicate Content?

There are variations of this floating around everywhere. That having even one instance of duplicate content will put you on Google’s bad side.

Maybe it’s a blacklisting from Google, or maybe it’s a penalty and the site ranks lower in various query results. But what if it’s something out of your control? Scrapers take your content against your wishes. Or what if it’s something you do purposefully? Like re-posting guest articles or fleshing out a secondary site or even syndicating content. Perhaps you have a template you use for interviews with the same questions repeated week after week after week.

Is that duplicate content? 100% absolutely yes. Is Google going to blacklist/penalize your site for it? Probably not.

You see, it takes a lot for Google to blacklist a site. If you’re not hosting malware, phishing scams, or just straight-up spam, the likelihood of your being blacklisted is nil. And as for penalizing your site, Google has said numerous times, they do not penalize for duplicate content (or as he puts it, “duplicate content is not really treated as spam”).

This means that as Matt says in the video linked above, if there are two websites with the same content, their search algorithms will determine which website is the most relevant and provides the most value to the users, and then display that result.

In cases like this, Google knows scraped content. Those websites are easy to find for them and their algorithms. In fact, you’ve probably run across content you know what stolen before and saw how horrible the website was. Full of ads, badly formatted, poorly designed, and just a heinous experience altogether. And worst of all? Nothing else on the site helped you with what you were searching for except this one, tiny excerpt you found.

That’s why Google takes search intent into account so much. Even if you have duplicate content, if it’s valuable content (and the rest of the site is valuable to users, too), you will be displayed in search results over websites with the exact same article.

Google Penalizes Thin Content, Not Duplicate

The reason that your site would be prioritized in search rankings over the duplicates is that their websites are full of what is known as thin content. That means that articles on these sites are short, the site itself is an unfocused mishmash of topics across many niches and industries, and it probably has an incredibly high bounce rate.

Or, in other words, they’re nearly useless articles on nearly useless sites.

However, it’s not just copy/paste scraper sites that create thin content. No, you can create plenty of thin content of your own without much trouble. So you need to be careful.

Keyword stuffing is the first way you fall into the thin-content hole. Your article sounds like it solves a problem or answers a question, but instead, it just awkwardly works in the keyphrase multiple times while tip-toeing around the subject itself in the name of length and word count.

On the other hand, if you write too-short articles, you’re once again proliferating thin content. You want to answer the question of the searcher, and you also want to go into detail about it and provide as much value as possible. You want to have internal links to other articles you’ve written on the topic, as well as external references. These show Google that you’ve done your research and care about providing your readers value, and they also make it so that when you do get scraped, you get a handful of links back to your site that might one day work as referral traffic. (You would get next to no link juice from those sites.)

Take this article for instance. We hope that it ranks higher for the question in the title — “Should Publishers Still Be Scared of Duplicate Content?” — than a site that has couple paragraphs that rephrase”no, 30% of the web is duplicate content. Just don’t spam and you’ll be fine.” That’s thin content. We are trying to provide value and expand on the idea, rather than leaving it as “nah, don’t worry too much about it.”

Canonical Links and Other Ways to Do Duplicate Content Right

The thing is, we know you’re going to worry about it. At least a little. We do, too. Everyone does. That’s why we want to give you a couple of options for handling the duplicate content that you will inevitably have out there in the wild. These do, however, address only full duplication. For snippet and excerpt and incidental duplication, as long as the content itself is sound, and you’re using the boilerplate as a vehicle for quality, you will be fine.

Canonical Links

Using a canonical link tag is probably the best bet you have for keeping your duplicate content in check. While a lot goes on under the hood with a rel=’canonical’ tag, what it boils down to is you’re telling Google that whatever link you provide after it is the real deal and the one they should index.

For instance, if you have an article published at example.com/your-article, but you want to re-post that content on your own site, you’d include a tag on the reposted one that looks like this:

Keep in mind, however, that this is a request for Google to honor, not a demand. They have reserved the right to determine which is the better source to rank based on their internal metrics and algorithms. Though Google not honoring the request is rare.

On WordPress, adding the canonical tag can be tricky, so you can use a plugin to easily do it. The aptly named Canonical SEO Content Syndication plugin works very well for this.

Content Redirection

Another way you can handle duplicate content — at least in terms of whole articles at a time — is to simply redirect the URL from one to another. If you have reposted or updated an article on your site, you don’t want the old one hanging out, vying for Google’s attention. So you throw a 301 redirect to tell Google and other engines where the new content lives, and that one gets most of the link juice passed its way.

The same applies to articles on other sites, too. If you move domains or have the post across multiple sites, you can choose the primary home by simply redirecting the duplicates. You retain link juice, and Google eventually sorts out that it’s been redirected and begins indexing the target site instead.

So…Should You Worry About Duplicate Content?

No. Not really. The chances that you will be penalized for it are minimal, and there are easy-enough ways to protect yourself if you were (canonical links being the primary defense). As long as you create content mindfully and look at why your audience is looking at your site and what answers they need, you won’t have to worry about duplicating content. Unless you’re a content scraper. But you’re not. So you’re safe.

What is your strategy regarding duplicate content on your websites?

Article featured image by Chonnajak / shutterstock.com

The post Should Publishers Still Be Scared of Duplicate Content? appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

😉SiliconWebX | 🌐ElegantThemes

#Silicon Web Design #Ahmedabad #India #Web Development #WPBeginner #Silicon URL #Web Site #Cloud Host

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peoplepersonperson-blog · 6 years

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Introducing Healthify’s New Core Values!

Below is a repost of a piece I wrote on building our core values for our Healthify blog!

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At Healthify, we're building a world where no one's health is hindered by their need. That is our mission, and it's one of the pillars of who we are as an organization. The other pillar that supports our mission is our core values. When our People Operations team at Healthify came into existence in 2017, the company had only 2 core values:

Leave your ego at the door

Own your outcome

These two values were a well-intentioned start but they weren't written down, defined, or formally codified. When we asked Healthifytes "Do you know what our core values are?" more often than not the answer was "no". We realized that we needed to rework our core values into ones that are actionable and truly represents who we are and what we aspire to be.

So in January and February of 2018, we went to work! Now, nearly 6 weeks later and excited about where we landed, we want to share our new core values in hopes of giving you a sense of who Healthify is, what drives us, and where we're going.

Defining Core Values

When we started on our journey into reworking our core values, our first hurdle was designing an approach that would help us identify what our values really are. In order to fully understand what drives us as a company, we needed every Healthifyte to be part of that process. With that in mind, we divided our approach into the following steps:

All Company Workshops

Creating Version 1

Small Groups

The Final Version

Putting Values into Action

I. All Company Workshops

Over the course of a week, our People Operations team conducted 2 core values workshops. The goal of our workshops was to learn about the values that mattered most to our employees and to narrow down which ones are central to who we are as a company. In other words, we all have a world of values that guide us, but our "core values" are the ones that are so relevant to who we are as a company, that they will hold true no matter what.

Each workshop lasted about 90 minutes and required every Healthifyte to identify events in their professional lives that were significant to them - whether they were moments of great success or failure. They wrote the positive events above a line on a page and any negative events below the line. Events closest to the top of the page were the biggest successes, and the ones closest to the bottom were the biggest failures.

Next, we asked each Healthifyte to identify what values were present or absent for each of these instances. For the positive experiences - what values were present that made that event particularly satisfying? For the negative experiences - what values were missing from these negative events?

Lastly, we gave each Healthifyte 3 sticky notes and asked them to choose 3 values out of all the ones they'd written down that either showed up most often, had the most impact, closely represented who Healthify currently is, or identified an area we needed to improve.

II. Creating Version 1

Once both workshops were complete, we consolidated the sticky notes from both sessions and began identifying the largest clusters of notes. From the collections, we learned that the top 5 values that Healthifytes care about are:

Having a culture of learning and growth

Treating each other with empathy

Setting a high bar for our work

Working in a supportive and collaborative environment

Having a culture of feedback and respect

III. Small Groups

Our next step was to take this initial version and run it by a select group of Healthifytes for additional input. We wanted these groups to be diverse - old employees and new, employees from different teams, different positions, remote and HQ - so we could make sure everyone at our company was represented in this step.

The feedback from these groups was mixed. While everyone mostly agreed that the initial 5 core values were written in inclusive, actionable language, there was still some concern they were too general and many felt like the values didn't reflect Healthify's uniqueness. Using that feedback, we created a second version of core values which we shared with our team of managers for additional input. Over the course of the next 2 weeks, we collected feedback and updated our values once more for our final version.

IV. The Final Version

After a month of planning, workshops, and revisions, we finally identified four core values that represent who we are and what we want to aspire to be. Our new core values are:

We Lead with Empathy

We Lean Into Vulnerability

We Rise Above the Status Quo

We Love the Hustle

And this is how we define them:

We Lead with Empathy: At Healthify, we believe that kindness and empathy lead to respectful and effective communication. For that reason, we assume good intentions of one another and seek mutual understanding of our teammates, users, and customers.

We Lean into Vulnerability: Healthifytes are not afraid to ask for help or to give and/or receive feedback. We believe vulnerability improves trust in teams, so we take ownership of our failures, and don't shy away from tough conversations.

We Rise Above the Status Quo: All Healthifytes believe the status quo is not good enough. It causes pain for the people we serve. Healthifytes take a stand, and try and do things no one else is in the community is doing. On an individual level, we strive to always grow and improve ourselves.

We love the Hustle: Healthify is forever a startup. We live in the entrepreneurial mentality, stay scrappy, and maintain our "no job too small" mindset. We support autonomy for our employees and strive to help them. We are a team first and foremost, and we hustle together so that no one is overwhelmed, and everyone can be proud of what we're doing.

We love our new core values because they represent all of the original 5 principles that mattered to us most and they're comprehensive yet specific enough that they still uniquely reflect who we are and who we want to aspire to be. These 4 core values serve as guidelines for how we treat one another, how we treat our external stakeholders and what we want to strive for as we keep maturing as a company.

VI. Putting Values Into Action!

Since the beginning of this process, our main goal for our core values was to turn them into a purposeful tool that our employees can use and one month since their rollout, we've already started weaving our values into our everyday life!

We've added them into our onboarding for all new Healthifytes and we've set up our #Shoutout channel in Slack so whenever we give someone a shoutout, we must identify which value they're living into. We've also used these values as a framework to begin building our first performance review process and incorporated them into our interview process. Lastly, we've painted them on our office wall so we'll always remember what Healthify is all about. Creating our core values together was a meaningful experience for us as a team. Sharing our goals for our company and ourselves allowed us to be vulnerable, learn from each other, and really understand our collective vision for our future as a company.

If you think our core values are also important to you and reflect what you aspire to be, you, check out our open job postings and keep in touch with me and Healthify on Twitter. We love to meet people of all backgrounds and experiences, so don’t hesitate to reach out!

#corevalues #hr #people #techhire

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