#so i canceled it and sent it to the new email address

[cassiaslair]

hey y’all!

i know some of you purchased my carrd templates prior to me moving them to the carrd marketplace.

please make sure you accept the transfer within 48 hours at the most, or i’ll be canceling the transfer and you’re going to have to ask me again!!

i will be a little honest and say it does get irritating waiting on people to accept a carrd site for three months ;w; if you request me to send it again, please make sure you accept it right away!!

please also make sure you’re giving me the correct e-mail address. i know some people have multiple carrd accounts to avoid paying for premium, so please double check all accounts for the transfer.

[kiefbowl]

this is a random thought I had in the shower actually well over a month ago, but I've been gnawing at it in my brain...and perhaps this is going to sound pathetic and a bit esoteric.

So, it suddenly dawned on me very randomly while I was showering that I have been paying for netflix for my own account since I was a freshman in college. Back in the dvd days, I remember having Firefly sent to me disk by disk my fall semester. This is 2009. It was an important part of college because I let my friends use it on their console and we'd all go to their dorm and watch streaming, and I passed out my log in to a ton of friends. I basically provided free Netflix to more or less 10 or so people over the course of four years for not even $7 a month I think.

What hit me though was that means, this year - that will be 15 years. That's what stopped me in my shower to stare off in the abyss for like 10 minutes and what's been on my mind for the past several weeks. I've been paying netflix for 15 years, which is the longest I've ever done anything. There is no other company I've so consistently paid for like this either, not for that many of years not even close. Quite possibly my longest relationship outside of my family and 2-3 other people. Netflix, the ever constant, of all forsaken things.

And what really bothers me about it is that, uhm, not to be an American consumer but like...I don't feel appreciated by netflix. For the past few years, I've barely used it, except for a few titles I've wanted to watch. I haven't passed out my log in since I changed it not long after college to keep an ex using it for free. I've remained loyal, despite the fact that I don't feel like some sort of loyal consumerist. I don't give a fuck about brands, I try to shop as little as possible, thrift what I can. And yet, what can I say? I actually am a loyal consumerist, to netflix that is.

What a shock to realize this, and what a shock to realize netflix does not acknowledge this, no email saying thanks, no surveys, no swag, no pizza party, no invite no perk no discount no nothing. Instead they raise prices, cut services, lose licenses, and cancel barely finished products. I'm 15 years loyal to this company for this?

And I think about the days of yore, but really not long ago. The preferred shopper's catalogues of department stores, the longtime shopper promotions of industry giants, the award systems for the loyal consumerists of chains and malls. The specialty Christmas items that are today vintage and worth money for their rarity. The thank yous, the special events. The mailers that say "Come to our store loyal customer and receive a free $20 coupon for that day!" And I'm not saying this is good, and of course it's all just marketing and advertisement, and I'm not saying this is the life I want to live...

But I am saying this would be easy for netflix to do, for someone like me. Someone who went from $7 to stream and receive DVDs, who got customers onboard when the model was new and the company was pioneering, to $20 to sit unused but for a month or two out of the year. It would be easy to pull the data. It would be easy to say which accounts have been opened the longest, to actually verify who has given 180 months worth of payments to them. It would be easy to give me a year's discount to say thank you. It would be easy for them to send an email to verify my address to send me merch. Do I want the merch? No, not really. But have they tried?

Have they even sent me an email saying "We appreciate your 15 years of support! We value you!" with little confetti animation? They didn't do it at 10 years. They didn't do it at 5 years. I don't recall ever receiving emails from netflix besides "Unfortunately, our payment model is changing."

As of today, I haven't pulled my account yet. I want to finish Bridgerton, even if this season is a snoozefest. But I think I will. I feel had and used, as pathetic as that sounds. Has Hulu done anything different? I can't remember when I signed up for them but it's been many years. No, but I frankly use it more, so I'm less angry. And with netflix...it's been fifteen years. They have really banked on us being passive in our payments, and accustomed to the freedom of endless choice, and it just feels gleeful that they never even once acknowledged I've been here this whole time. Actually, act like Sears and Bloomingdales 60 years ago, or we quit I think we should say. Ask me my address to send me a glass netflix mug or I'll fuck off, because who do you think you are to think so little of me, the only reason you exist for?

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

My current letter to the HBO Folks.

@stardust-sadie's latest letter, @merryfinches, @poison-into-positivity and so many others inspired me to write my own letter to David Zaslav. This is what was sent, feel free to use any of it if you'd like, I stole some of Stardust-Sadie's commentary with their permission (in their letter).

---

Email Addresses:

Only emails that worked:

support@hbomax.com

kundeservice@hbomax.com

The rest of these are not working at the moment:

david.zaslav@discovery.com, david_zaslav@discovery.com, To whom it may concern: attention David Zaslav, help@hbomax.com

---

To whom it may concern: Attention David Zaslav

I realize you all are probably being swamped at the moment by an influx of responses to your decision to not greenlight Season 3 of Our Flag Means Death, so I appreciate you taking the time to read this if you do. 

I am writing today, much like many of my fellow fans, hoping to provide you with evidence and earnest feedback as to why you should reverse the decision not to renew. I have used HBO Max in the past, but once a show I liked was over, and another one on another network came up that we wanted to watch, we decided to cancel. I was on HBOMax before I knew about Our Flag Means Death, and aside from Doom Patrol and Harley Quinn, we didn't have too many other shows we wanted to watch. After cancelling for many months, I heard of Our Flag Means Death from an artist that drew for other fandoms that I liked. Looking into the fanbase, I quickly found pieces that I felt were definitely up my alley and decided to cancel other networks for a few months to jump back into HBOMax.

Why is this important? I don't watch ads in a lot of places. I block pop ups because they are often very spammy, so I don't get recommendations for shows like most people. I'm a [AGE][GENDER][PROFESSION] and I avoid advertising in most cases. You know where I get my recommendations? Fanbases, casts and crews. The absolute adoration of an artist or writer that I like loving a series will get me to look into and watch that show before any other kind of advertising. Your fanbase is free advertising. THAT BEING SAID -- I'd like to explain to you what meant so much to me about this show.

Not only was I absolutely floored by the quality, and story of Our Flag Means Death, but the thing that kept me wanting more was the messages it portrayed. So rarely is there a show that embodies drama, comedy, and an all encompassing belief in forgiveness and change, and accepting others for who they are. This show gave me a new outlook on life. It helped me to heal parts of myself I didn't realize were hurt. I found love and compassion in the cast, the crew, and the fanbase that I haven't experienced in modern television in a very long time. I became engaged in other max shows because of it (Wellington Paranormal, The Last of Us, His Dark Materials, Lovecraft Country, etc). I'm actively watching shows and content I had previously decided not to worry about because of the influence of Our Flag Means Death. 

For me, as a fan, knowing that Max has content that means so much to me and others, shows that as a company, you're willing to have content that not only sparks the imagination, but fosters kindness, acceptance, and forgiveness no matter what race, gender, sexuality, or financial background you're from. That is the content we, the fans, have been looking for in so many places and have found them lacking. Another great example of this is the Barbie movie that you had a sign language interpreter for. While I am a hearing person, I still watched it because it was fascinating and so incredibly inclusive, and that tells me that you, HBOMax as a company DOES care about inclusivity.

When we waited for the renewal announcement this winter, I purchased Our Flag Means Death merchandise from your store (a mug and a blanket) because I knew I needed something to commemorate this great show no matter what happened. I am one of many fans who did this. Fun, reasonably designed merchandise is something we the fanbase can get behind. 

Our Flag Means Death is a powerhouse in television, and I know that it's only meant to be 3 seasons, so it won't be a cash cow forever, but I can tell you it's brought SO MANY PEOPLE to your platform that would normally just not have joined up. I am on HBO Max right now so that I can watch Our Flag Means Death whenever I want to. You're getting monthly subscription fees from me and so many other people JUST for this show. Your decision to cancel it is actually hurting your numbers, as can be seen in the clear drop in shareholder confidence since the announcement on January 9th.  Attached is a screenshot of the WB Discovery Inc Stock for reference.

In addition, a colleague of mine said this best so I will quote them here:

"Furthermore, the decision to cancel the show has led to a very prominent and public backlash from the very passionate and vocal fanbase of Our Flag Means Death. Fans have made their displeasure known across all the major social media platforms: X, Instagram, TikTok, Tumblr, YouTube, Facebook, etc etc. This backlash is unlikely to die down in the near future, and is likely to continue to reflect a poor image of HBO Max to subscribers and investors. 

The egregious decision to cancel Our Flag Means Death has also caught the attention of journalists writing for major publications, such as Vanity Fair, The Hollywood Reporter, The Independent, and even more niche internet publications such as Collider. "

All of this is true. As an active member of this fanbase, I am seeing this across all platforms.

I implore you, as a huge consumer of  fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, historical, and lgbtqia content, to please reconsider renewing Our Flag Means Death for its 3rd and final season. We the fans are willing to put our hearts and souls into these letters because this show made an impact on our community that is so immense and cascading that it can't be quantified. I guarantee that a good faith act to do so will not only restore your reputation but open new revenue streams if you continue with this kind of inclusive and heartfelt content.

Thank you for your time,

[NAME]

[sirfrogsworth]

It's hard to be nostalgic about Tumblr without remembering my friend Tru.

Truett McGowan.

What a fantastic name.

We met each other because we were both tech geeks following Leo Laporte. He was the very first live streamer. Originally he hosted a TechTV cable show called The Screen Savers. But once G4 took over and focused more on video games, Leo's show was cancelled and he was looking for a new way to broadcast content.

So he built a studio near his home and created his own infrastructure in order to live stream video on the internet. He called his new show "This Week in Tech" or TWiT for short.

Along with his new streaming venture he created a TWiT community using an open source microblogging platform called Laconica. It was a form of Twitter that you could create specifically for a single community. Basically a custom niche Twitter feed. I was trying to be a web designer back then, so I created custom themes for Lacnonica.

This was my own personal theme for a website that I ended up never launching.

Leo called his custom Twitter, "The TWiT Army." And I was his graphic designer and webmaster. I made all of the cute little graphics for the website.

I also did fun holiday themes...

For the Thanksgiving theme, if you hovered over the Turkey it would change to being cooked.

I also took it upon myself to photoshop a little army helmet on the avatar of every single user of the site.

This was the zombie avatar I made for myself during Halloween.

The TWiT Army was also where I started posting my first attempts at Photoshop comedy. Many of them related to The TWiT Army.

And The TWiT Army is where I met Tru. He used a space invader avatar. I made him a couple of different versions.

You may have seen his avatar on the sidebar of my main Tumblr.

We became fast friends. We finished each other's jokes. We talked pretty much all day, every day. He loved Apple back then. I was strictly PC at the time. So we debated about that quite a bit. He would probably be astonished I have a MacBook and that I really love it too.

Our friendship lived in a little text box. We never talked outside of instant messages. But it was one of the most profound friendships of my life. I loved Tru just as much as any friend I've ever known in real life.

Tru started blogging on this brand new site called Tumblr. He reviewed apps for the iPod Touch. Not the iPhone, as that wasn't yet a thing.

I made the banner for his Tumblr.

He kept trying to get me to join Tumblr, but I was busy trying to create my own custom comedy website. But my site kept getting more and more complicated and I could never quite finish it. I was trying to arrange guest authors and create 3 months of content and I was always futzing with the theme and never happy with it.

I was getting frustrated that I could never launch my perfect comedy website and Tru suggested just making a Tumblr and posting funny stuff so I could be creative and have an outlet until my big site was ready to launch.

Little did I know Tumblr would end up being my big comedy website. Eventually I abandoned months of work and just stayed on Tumblr. All of my success here is pretty much because that little space invader pestered me to join when I was being stubborn.

Unfortunately, as some may have figured out already, the story gets sad from there. Tru mentioned briefly that he had a heart defect, but he never said it was serious. He acted like it was no big deal so I never thought too much about it.

We always talked through instant message and email, so we never exchanged phone numbers or addresses or anything like that. Tru was a very private person so he never even published an image of his face online. I only knew him as a space invader.

One day I woke up and sent him a message and got no reply. He usually woke up before me and answered as soon as I said hello. This had been our routine for nearly a year.

An hour went by. Two hours. Three hours.

It was odd for him not to respond for that long. I was really worried but all of my TWiT friends told me I was being paranoid. But there was a huge knot in my stomach telling me otherwise.

But then those hours turned into days. Days into weeks. Weeks into months. My worry grew exponentially as more time passed. I didn't know what to do. I tried finding his family. I even looked into hiring a private investigator. I don't know if I have ever felt a combination of depression & anxiety that intense.

In my heart, I knew what had happened. I knew that heart defect took his life. He was only 26 and it just didn't seem fair. But the not knowing for certain ravaged my mental health. Before all of this I had lost nearly 90 pounds and I gained it all back.

I think maybe a year or so later I found a friend of his who knew him in real life. They were finally able to confirm my suspicions. He passed away from his heart condition. That was my first real experience with grief. But I was so thankful for that bit of closure. I was finally able to let go of my anxiety and mourn him properly.

But Tru gave me such a wonderful gift. He pushed me to just start making things. To stop stalling and just create things to make people smile.

And you all probably know the rest from there.

[pettyrevenge-base]

Your appt is now canceled.

You really never realize something is gonna go on as long as it does, until you look back.

2 yrs ago, I was given a new to me phone number, when i purchased a cell phone. Immediately, I was bombarded by friends, family, and collection agents of the previous owner of the number (not the phone). They were all looking for the same woman, by name.

First couple of months, I answered that that person must have changed their number, that i just got this number with a new phone. No harm no foul.

But, it hasnt stopped. And I found out why; She is STILL giving out this number.

One day, she logged into her (name redacted) coffee app, and it sent THIS phone the sign up code. I bounced to it and logged in with the code. The account had her email address.

Finally! I can let her know whats going on and hopefully stop this crap.

I used that info to contact her. I told her, Im sure she didnt mean any harm, but its become ridiculas. Please stop giving out this number.

She replied that im some kind of stalker freak. I replied that if she continues to give out MY number, I will cancel every appointment that comes across, and tell family she died, and tell creditors where to find her. She blocked my email. I figured, all is well if she stops. She didn't.

Ok. BET!

A month ago, her application for a school was cancled.

Today, her dental appointment for thursday was canceled.

Stop sending your crap to my number.

I plan to finally change this number when i get a personal issue resolved. But honestly, im low key enjoying this. And, shes still giving out the number so...

Source: reddit.com/r/pettyrevenge

[brrbrina]

opposite

pairing: joe burrow x ogc

wc: 1,528 words

warnings: angst! fluff, joe being a dick and aria having supportive friends

a/n : TIWYS was partially re-written you can read it here first and then come back to OPPOSITE

I´m so excited to tell you that these blurbs will be turned into a mini-series called “fwd” this will be inspire by the last four tracks of sabrina carpenter’s deluxe album: ” emails i can´t send fwd:“ here´s this chapter song, I hope you enjoy it, let me know if you'd like to be in the taglist!

She couldn't fathom the idea of throwing almost 5 years of a relationship into the trash, she felt nineteen again every time she saw his eyes, and the feelings of butterflies in her stomach never went away. 

“I'm sorry is this seat taken’” a really tall blue-eyed guy asked standing next to her in the auditorium for an upcoming lecture, Aria looked up at him with tears in her eyes “No, no you can take it” she said moving her bag from the seat next to her to put it on her legs.

 She had been crying nonstop over the last couple of days and you didn't need to know her for a really long time to notice she was crying, “These things are so boring I don't know why we need to keep coming to these lectures, this is mainly for assistance so…” Aria heard him but even though she would love to answer him, she knew if she would speak up she would break down crying. “... I really don't want to sound nosy but are you okay? It seems that you're sad and…” he said stopping his words “I know we just met and we don't even know each other's names but if you need to talk I'm here, I´m Joe” he said introducing himself and part of her broken heart felt she could really trust him “I´m Aria” she said looking at him with watery eyes. “I'm sorry it's just…” she sighed “I got broken up by text last week and I feel really sad, I never thought love could hurt this bad, it's probably very dumb, deep down inside I knew we weren't meant to last it's just… I had this reservation for a restaurant tomorrow and I had a dress and everything but he isn't coming for obvious reasons and I can cancel it without losing my money and my roommate was supposed to come with me but she´s got a date and…” those words came very quick out of her mouth and Joe quickly stepped up “I´ll go, text me the address and I´ll be there, here this is my phone” he didn't hesitate to tell her that, he had never met anyone prettier than her, her brown eyes looked beautiful even if they were filled with water. 

“Are you sure? You really don't have to do that. I was just venting, we don't even know each other..” “Even better,” Joe said with excitement “You wear your pretty dress and i´ll wear a tux or something fancy, it's fine I promise, besides, it's a good thing to meet new people and have new friends” he said smiling at her and she knew he was right, there wasn't any harm in meeting people or going out to dinner with a new friend, she wasn't in a relationship and it wasn't a bad thing. So they went to that dinner and became really good friends, they would meet up for dinner anytime Joe was available with his busy football schedule.

While putting her clothes away in her new closet she saw that dress, the dress she wore specifically at that dinner and for their last date before becoming a couple, which was a good thing, Joe always told her how he loved how the dress looked on her, and she loved to hear those things.

Holding the piece of fabric in her hands she heard her phone ring, it was a text and her heart raced, wishing the text was from Joe, that he was going to apologize for the abrupt way he left, but it wasn't him and the text she got was only something that broke her heart more.

maría sent 1 photo

maría: i´m so sorry aria, i saw joe with the same girl you saw in that video,

It was a picture of Joe with his apparently new girl. They were at a restaurant and he was wearing a shirt Aria gifted him on the anniversary of their first dinner together, and that made her blood boil, did she create the perfect boyfriend just for some other girl to have him? 

aria: it´s okay, thank you for telling me. Are you doing anything tomorrow, we could go to the movies if you´re up to it.

maría: YES! i´ll pick you up at 5, see you tomorrow, ok? i love you aria.

That was almost two months ago and even though broken hearts take time to heal, she surrounded herself with her friends, and then autumn came around, the leaves were changing and Cincinnati was feeling like a place she should leave behind, it wasn´t until one time she saw her friends from college, they bought tickets to go to the game that weekend and she didn't know if it was the right thing to do, go to the place she had been going to sitting in a box with the quarterback (her ex) was the only thing she knew to do at Paycor, but she still had another friend on the team. So she did the reasonable thing to do, send him a text.

aria: hi ja´marr i hope ur doing ok!! A few people from college want to go to a game and I don't want things to be weird. lol thought i should give you a heads up.

j chase: HEY

j chase: i thought you forgot about me because of that dipshit lmao 

j chase: i would love for you to come! if any of you need tix let me know 

j chase: i have a jersey of mine if you want one, i'm pretty sure you have the number 9 one

aria: oh

aria: no it´s fine i have a spare orange shirt, but thank you tho :) we´ll see you at the game

She met up with her friends in her new apartment, and eventually, the topic of her broke up with Joe came up, the funny thing about relationships was that you meet people you never thought you would be friends with, their friends blended together and it was something none of them was sorry for, it´s just how relationships worked, they were even invited to a wedding of one of the couples who also met in college, Aria wondered if they would followed their way, and well, they clearly didn´t. 

After arriving at the stadium she felt overwhelmed and she could see directly to the box Joe´s parents were sitting, it was taking everything in her not to go in there to hug them for the last time, and then her heart broke a little more.

She was standing there, in the box she used to sit on, in the seat that used to be smelling like her favorite perfume, and Aria felt weak, it was such a bittersweet feeling, she looked nothing like Aria, she had long blonde hair, and bright blue eyes, Joe used to tell her that style of girl wasn't his type, it made him feel like he was dating himself, she was taller than Aria, maybe not that much but definitely one or two inches enough to make her 5’4 self feel a little sad. It was so weird looking at her there, wearing a number 9 on her jersey, Aria wore the number 9 jersey when she was in college, white, yellow, and purple, and a bracelet of the same colors but adding a number 9 to it in the middle.

 It was hard to admit but she felt sad, Joe swore up and down he would never break her heart, that no matter how their relationship would go, Aria was the one who was supposed to walk away, that he loved her so much he would never do that, that he loved her enough to not walk away the same way her ex-boyfriend did. He saved her heart again just to break it into more pieces than anybody had ever done. And walking away from their home for the family they both wanted was hurting in a way she never felt before.

She left the stadium before the 4th half was over, she wasn´t feeling okay, and looking at Joe wasn´t making her any better, so she did the reasonable thing to do, after making up a lame excuse and said goodbye to her friends,  she called an uber and rode back to her apartment, on the way there she blocked Joe from every social media, she thought that was the reasonable thing to do, but that didn´t last long. 

Three weeks later she asked María to send her a screenshot of Joe´s story, something inside her felt the need to know how he was, she felt like maybe he would apologize soon but he didn´t, he was living a totally different life, he was running for MVP, the Bengals were on a winning strike, and Joe looked happier than ever.

maría: i don´t understand why i need to do this, this is only going to hurt you

aria: just do it mar

maría: ur insane

maría: sent a photo

maría: i´m so sorry baby :( if you need me i´m on my way. 

read 11:34 pm 

Amor, amor, amor, amor. It comes and goes, she felt a sense of loneliness she never felt before, she got a glass of wine and got drun, it was so quick, was he thinking about her when they were sleeping in the same bed, was she the one on his mind everytime they fucked or even worse when they were making love?

[bekkathyst]

Item Sale Rules + Procedure Sainte-Marie Gem Show 2023

Hello friends! Everyone planning to participate in the sales while we are in France at the Sainte-Marie gem show, please read this. This is how everything will work.

I will post my daily finds each evening. Invoices will be sent the next morning. I will likely post today (Wednesday), tomorrow, Friday and *possibly* Sunday.

I will start posting items for sale directly here on Tumblr. To claim an item and place your order, do the following:

Reply to the post (those who are unable to reply for whatever reason can reblog) saying “sold” or “mine". It’s important you do this so we can see who claimed something first.

Keep a list of everything you claim (with the item number for each item). Once I’m done posting, please send me a message on the instant messenger.

Include the following information in your message:

Your email address for the invoice, the country you live in (for shipping purposes - we are shipping from Austria), and the list of what you claimed (with the item numbers). All orders will automatically be marked an “open box” until the last day of posting. In other words, even if your total for the day is less than $60 I will not add shipping to your invoice. On the last day I will ask everyone to let me know if they’re ready for their order to ship or if they’d like to continue to keep an open box. If you’d like to ship but your total for all the days is under $60, I will then invoice you $12 for shipping.

Be sure to send your info at the end of the sale or whenever you’re sure you’re done claiming for the day.

Invoices will be sent each morning after the items are posted. Invoicing will be done through my online shop “Bekkathyst” - the invoice gets sent to your email and you get the option to pay with a PayPal account or with a credit or debit card. You don’t need to have a PayPal account to pay.

Payment is due ASAP, please try to pay promptly so we can continue to look for new crystals at the show 🥰

Unfortunately due to problems we have encountered before - if you claim items and then at the end of the sale don’t respond to your invoice or ask to cancel your entire order, you will be blocked.

If you decide you’re backing out of a claim before the sale is over, message me so that I can delete your comment. Please try to avoid doing this. Thank you!

All US, Canada & EU orders of $60 or more will ship for free!

We will now offer an “open box” option in which you can continue to keep your order open (aka have us not ship it yet) for future sales so everything can be shipped together once you’re ready. When you send your info please don’t forget to let me know if you’d like your order to be *open box* or *ready to ship*. Thank you!! 🙏

We are able to offer everything today at lower prices because doing a sale like this saves us tons of time compared to nicely photographing everything and listing it on our website. For this reason please note that items are selected randomly from the listings and it isn’t possible for us to take special requests unless stated in the listing. That being said, please be courteous and respectful, as this will likely get stressful!

Any questions? Feel free to ask! I hope you’ll join us and have lots of fun! <3

[allwaswell16]

—Fics by allwaswell16—

[ Ficlets ~1k ]

Charity Ficlets (series) [NR, 10k, fic post]

Chapter 1: Shiny Objects: Louis isn't so sure about Professor Styles, but when he must save him from a loose niffler, things change between them. Chapter 2: 500 Miles: Louis hates being ignored, and he knows just how to get his roommates attention. Chapter 3: Smitten: Louis hates winter. Then he begins receiving anonymous gifts to keep him warm, and maybe winter isn't so bad after all. Chapter 4: Grease Lightning: Louis' cat likes to give out his phone number. Chapter 5: The Duke's Diamond: The Duke of Yorkshire must find a mate, and the omega he finds hiding from his country ball intrigues him. Chapter 6: Baby, All I Want For Christmas: When Louis shops for his siblings’ Christmas gifts, he finds a good reason to keep returning to the same shop–a very cute boy.

OT 4/5 Very Silly Chat/Email Chain Ficlets [M, 7k, group chat, fic post]

Part One: Danger in the Produce Aisle [NR, 844 words, fic post] Louis finds a frightening piece of produce at the grocery store. The group chat comes to his rescue. Part Two: Caramel Apple Peeps [NR, 1k, fic post] Louis is out of milk for his early morning cuppa tea. He sets out to the store to pick some up, but he gets distracted by Niall's love for caramel apples in the group chat. Or another 1D whatsapp chat drabble. Part Three: The OT4 Email Chain [NR, 1k, fic post] Three emails in the 1D OT4 email chain: Hack this ya arseholes, The Nialler's 'do, and Liam Chain. A series of emails sent in a group email chain between donnysoldier28@gmail.com, randysdonuts @ savethewhales.org, CraicDirection @ hotmail, and TheRealBatMan @ aol.com Part Four: Email Chain OT4 Part 4 (I think) [NR, 600 words, fic post] Another installment of the OT4 email chain. Louis brings up the fateful night of Liam's diarrhoea leading to their only canceled concert. Part Five: Screaming [M, 1k, fic post] Another installment of the ot4 email chain. Three emails where Niall screams about: being jealous of Steve Aoki's friendship with Louis, the beautiful black and white photo of Louis on his Instagram clearly taken by Harry, and Louis' dog. Also includes: jokes about dog poo (obviously), Harry's red coat, dogs Liam doesn't Instagram, and much more! Part Six: The Brits & Always You [M, 1k, fic post] Two more OT4 email chains: The Brits and Always You Featuring: Harry's floofy hair, Liam as a superhero in a Gucci sweatshirt, nervous Niall, Donald Duck jumpers, Louis tweeting about Harry, and everyone crying about Harry's songwriting (as one does). Part Seven: Is Neil Available? [NR, 1k, fic post] Another OT4 email chain: Is Neil Available? Featuring: Niall's new email address, stealing Harry's hat and Louis' jacket, Liam's growing and multiple chains, Instagram aesthetics, jealousy, and Niall's devotion to OT4

All This Time [T, 1k, a/b/o, fic post]

Louis Tomlinson had been best friends with flower shop owner Gemma Styles for years. It wasn't until she suggested he date her alpha brother that he ever thought of Harry that way. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea...

Netflix Original [T, 1k, neighbors, fic post]

Harry's hot neighbor overhears that he doesn't have Netflix.

Walk of Shame [T, 1k, meet cute, fic post]

On a cold, rainy autumn morning Louis meets someone else doing the walk of shame.

A Deal [T, 898 words, Potter Direction, fic post]

Slytherin Harry Styles spends his free time drawing down by the lake. Unfortunately, he can't show anyone what he's drawing because they're all of Gryffindor Louis Tomlinson.

[Back to masterpost]

[luckyemo]

ATTENTION TO PEOPLE WHO PRE-ORDERED THE CHIHIRO FUJISAKI FIGURE FROM CRUNCHYROLL AND ARE STILL WAITING FOR THE ORDER TO SHIP

CRUNCHYROLL WILL NOT BE FULFILLING EXISTING PRE-ORDERS

I’m not sure how many people are affected by this, if it’s only people who ordered in a specific time frame, or people who pre-ordered and bought other items in the same order, or people from Canada, or another specific thing to my case, but if you or someone you know has been waiting for the Chihiro figure (or another pre-order figure/order made around Nov 2022-Jan 2023) from crunchyroll, do not wait for it to be sent out and instead send them an inquiry about it HERE (Select E-Commerce, Crunchyroll Store, then Where Is my item).

First I sent them an email asking for an update as they still hadn’t shipped my figure, the Chihiro figure wasn’t listed on their currently delayed list, the figure is currently listed as being in stock and ready to buy, and with no update from them I was starting to feel like I got scammed.

Here is their first reply (I sent my initial inquiry August 13, so 10 business days to reply):

Troy (Crunchyroll) Aug 25, 2023, 12:12 PM PDT Hi [name], I appreciate your patience and I do apologize for the long wait. We are currently experiencing a larger amount of requests than usual. Unfortunately, the recent store update created a few discrepancies that we're currently addressing, and your order could not be shipped. I would like to suggest that we cancel the unshipped order and issue a refund this way you may repurchase it. In the meantime please accept the following $10.00 coupon code due to this inconvenience: CX-NWVVH5ZVG429 Again, we apologize for the inconvenience. If there's anything else I can help with, please feel free to let me know! Troy Customer Service Team Crunchyroll

They are claiming that their warehouse move and store update has caused them to lose orders (I'm a computer scientist here to tell you this is something that couldn't happen accidentally, and at this point I could still view the order completed page from an incognito window with all the order info so it clearly was not lost), and instead of reaching out to people who pre-ordered they are waiting for people to cancel and re-order. They also do not include any specific numbers for the proposed refund, and as this order was split with one small item already sent to me I had no idea how they would handle the refund.

I sent them an email back explaining how ridiculous of a process that is, as well as when I ordered the figure I used a coupon that no longer exists, so they were suggesting I spend more money (and this is including using their $10 off coupon) to get something I pre-ordered even later. I explained that I want them to just send me the figure I already paid and waited for, but if that can’t be done I would only be comfortable in cancelling and re-ordering if I am properly refunded and can purchase the figure at the original price I paid for, stating the exact price points.

Their next reply:

Troy (Crunchyroll) Aug 29, 2023, 10:52 AM PDT Dear [name],  When we offered to reorder the item, we intended to honor the old price that you have paid initially for the item/order.  Please note that you won't be pushed back in the order queue, furthermore, you should be put higher in the queue since the order will be registered in the new system that we are currently operating with.  We do apologize for the inconvenience, but after our system migration, some old orders were affected and delayed. That is why we are offering different solutions/workarounds to make the fulfillment process faster for our customers.  Please let me know if you would like to proceed. In case you agree, we will gladly issue a full refund, and after you replace it we will honor the old price in case there will be a difference.  Looking forward to your reply!  Troy Customer Service Team Crunchyroll

Strange how things suddenly went from “could not be shipped” to just “delayed” and only now they are mentioning honouring the original sold price. Also strange how they are still not using any numbers, arguably the most important piece of information when discussing refunds. And I have no clue where the “that’s why we are offering different solutions/workarounds” is coming from because they weren't offering solutions, they waited until I reached out and was content with leaving me in the dark indefinitely while they took more orders for the figure they claim can’t be shipped out.

I expressed as much in my reply and restated how the refund should go down with exact numbers. I also stated that I still feel as if I’m being scammed and that if they can not guarantee a proper refund and a fair re-order price that I would rather seek a refund through my credit card company.

Their final reply gave a surprising good end:

Troy (Crunchyroll) Aug 30, 2023, 9:18 AM PDT Thank you for the update!  I've just refunded the charge for the order, however, I did not cancel it. It can take 1-2 business days for PayPal or 3-5 business days for your credit card to process the refund. If you used the payment method Sezzle, refunds can take up to 5-10 business days to appear on your statement. In the meantime, I have asked the warehouse to send a replacement package. Please note that we usually do not provide such service, it was done as a one-time courtesy.  n case you do not receive a tracking number in the next 7 days, please get back to me so I can further assist you. Thank you for your patience. Looking forward to your reply!  Troy Customer Service Team Crunchyroll

I have been refunded the full amount (including the $7 of the small thing they already sent). I’m raising an eyebrow at the order being refunded but not cancelled and the replacement package they are sending, but I’m hoping it’s just the figure so I can have my girl and move on from this (but also like…………. They’re just going to send it for free after all this? doubt.jpeg, but also wtf else could it be). Either way I got my money back and the figure is available at other stores now so I can walk away happy.

If you need to reach out to Crunchyroll and need help wording any emails, send me an ask/dm and I’ll help you. I have every email I sent saved, except the initial inquiry sent through their form, but I remember what I said more or less, and don’t mind sharing them for others to use the wording (I didn’t include them here in this post bc they have a few typos and this post is long enough already lol)

[mariacallous]

I spent some time on the subway trying to decompress from work and also trying to pinpoint what my specific frustrations are with work.

I actually left earlier then I normally do today because I just couldn’t be there anymore (and both the overall team director and my supervisor weren’t in the office at that point) which helped a bit, especially since we had finally, finally, finally finished getting all the feedback and making the edits and updates to this one project and sent the proposed final draft and got a response with two minor changes (which could and should have been asked for earlier but whatever) which I made and then resent.

Anyway, during those 45ish minutes on the subway, here’s what I realized/concluded:

-There have been so many shifts and changes and adjustments that have had to been made across the board with work that it’s hard to find or maintain and equilibrium. I have no problem being flexible, but I’m also not Elastigirl and it also takes time to adjust and shift mentally and emotionally.

-A lot of the projects I’m supposed to be sort of taking the lead or being point on either keep getting postponed or delayed or pushed back in addition to shifts and changes and whatnot, and other ones get placed on hold so there’s a sort of scrambling to figure out what I can and should focus on and what I need to pause working on. And having to stop what’s being worked on to immediately address some new feedback or requests from higher up add to that.

-Relatedly, a lot of projects are very dependent on other people reacting or responding or contributing and so there’s either constant checking in and asking for things or things getting cancelled and needing to be rescheduled. For example, one of the senior leadership we’ve been trying to meet with for like 3-4 weeks now and every time realizes there’s a conflict with the new proposed time and so it gets pushed off to the next week or so (when they finally respond, that is). This member of leadership is also in the division with some of the biggest capacity and staffing and process issues and the meeting is specifically about us working with them and their team(s) to try to address those exact problems which makes it even more frustrating.

-People keep waiting or delaying things in order to get things as perfect and the people gathered as full as possible, so that even if there’s a meeting where 6-7 of the 10 people total invited are available, with two particular people not being available throws it off to needing to reschedule. And that group of 10 was expanded (not by me but by people forwarding the meeting invite to others not intended or expected) so that the actual core group of people needed are all available.

-Some group projects I’ve been working on have not been prioritized or fully worked by other people compared to the work I’ve put in, and so things we’ve been trying to complete with them haven’t been able to happen (like submission by specific deadlines or having specific milestones met re: work progress) and I’ve also stepped up more and done more with these projects because of that so I’m even more resentful and irritated. Combined with the fact that there was little guidance or structure provided with many of them to begin with and how much they’ve morphed and grown, and it’s made me lose a lot of enthusiasm and engagement.

-Both my supervisor and the overall team director can work remotely but it’s hit or miss if they remember to let people know in advance (the overall director is really bad about that) and so meetings or presentations that were scheduled for in-person have to be either shifted to factor in remote capability or moved to another day and time. And the amount of checking in or updates or work that gets done decreases and responses are difficult to get, regardless of whether they’re emailed or sent via teams chat. Additionally, if I’m the only person on my team in the office, people come to me about shit that at least half the time I can’t answer or address or don’t know anything about.

-People overbook themselves or get pulled into meetings and requests, either intentionally or inadvertently, but it means that things take forever to happen and a huge amount of time is spent having to juggle and balance schedules and people are hesitant to meet or discuss things if such-and-such a person isn’t present, even if the purpose of the meeting is to just discuss and prepare for a future meeting or next steps where such-and-such can be included or is available. Literally every time I have to schedule something it’s a minimum of 10 minutes looking for available times and keeping a particular timeframe or deadline in mind.

Anyway, those are the frustrations and disappointments. My next steps are to figure out how to adapt and not get too irritated and to seek equilibrium.

[putschki1969]

Hikaru Fan Club Service “agiato” DISCONTINUED

Yet another sad announcement regarding Hikaru. Her newly relbranded fan club "agiato (former name: Masani Hikaru)", will stop accepting new member registrations starting from November 30, 2022. On December 31, the service will be terminated indefinitely. This is happening due to the cancellation of the agent contract between Hikaru and Okuruto Noboru (who were in charge of running the fan club after Hikaru had become a freelance artist).

Due to the termination of the service, a refund will be provided for the applicable period for members whose membership doesn’t end until after January 2023. ■ Eligible for a refund: Those who have a membership period that ends after January 2023 (members with an annual plan) ※There is no refund for members who are subscribed to a monthly plan. ■ Refund amount: The annual membership fee of 5,500 yen will be divided into monthly installments and the amount for the remaining unexpired months will be refunded. For example, if you joined in June when the fan club was first launched, you will get a refund of ¥2,292. If you joined in November, you will get a refund of ¥4,583. ■ Refund procedure: An email will be sent regarding the refund of the membership fee to those eligible. You need to fill in a form and reply to that email with your membership number, name and account information in order to get a refund. Email subject: [Important] Information on how to refund the membership fee for Hikaru's official fan club "agiato" 【重要】Hikaru オフィシャルファンクラブ「agiato」会費返金方法のご案内 ※It will be sent to the registered email address when this service ends on December 31, 2022.

****

Oh no, what a mess. I thought it was going uphill for Hikaru but apparently I was wrong. Her agent contract certainly didn’t last very long. I wonder what that will mean for her and her future activities? Hopefully her appearance at the Ambient Border Dawn event won’t be cancelled because I already got ticket for that. Maybe she is now completely freelance without any restrictions so it could be a good thing? But what was even the point of rebranding the fan club and inviting more people to join? Maybe they were hoping for a lot more people to join but that didn’t happen so the fan club was no longer profitable? Anyway, Hikaru and whoever is advising her need to stop making elaborate announcements if they are incapable of committing to anything long-term. Do they not have any sort of foresight? I realise her current situation is incredibly volatile and there are probably a lot of curveballs being thrown at her but for that exact reason they should take extra measures to ensure a plan is sustainable before putting any info out there. Ughhh, sorry for ranting, this is just so frustrating.

[realasslesbian]

Here’s my submission to the Robodebt Royal Commission, might delete later, not bc I’m scared of any hoes doxxin me, but bc I can’t be having anyone think I got emotions:

Let me tell you the sordid tale of how the Robodebt Scheme destroyed a first class legal honours graduate who, once upon a time, had a bright future ahead of her. I remember very well the day on which I received that fateful email 'You have a new message in your MyGov inbox'. It was the day after my graduation ceremony. I'd spent several years studying a science/law dual degree while working casually. I'd achieved exemplary grades and had several offers for graduate programs at a variety of prestigious companies. Not bad for a country gal who was the first in her family to attend university. My parents travelled into the big smoke to see me graduate. When they returned home it was to a pile of threatening letters from Services Australia, all of them addressed to me. 

At this point I still had faith in the Australian legal system. Clearly there had been a mistake. I wasn't some no-good dole bludger trying to cheat the system. I was a recently graduated professional who had simply spent her free time in itinerant employment, so as not to be so much of a burden on the tax-payer while I studied. It was obvious to me at this point, in 2019, that Centrelink was averaging out data from my annual pay summary to come to a figure that would obviously be at odds with the fortnightly income reports I'd made. Nonetheless, I complied with the threatening letters and sent in the payslips and bank statements that I could get a hold of. This was a monumental feat in and of itself, since Centrelink had allowed several years of debt to accrue before saying anything to me about it. Some of my previous employers didn't exist anymore. Some of my previous banks simply didn't keep records that long. At the time Centrelink itself recommended that I keep payslips for only six months. Nonetheless I handed over the information I could find. I also spent several days working through a long and complicated online form checking and confirming the several years worth of fortnightly reports I'd made against my patchwork of payslips. This information was all promptly lost by Centrelink and I was sent a notice that I owed $17500. 

I had to turn down all my fantastic offers for employment at this time, since a government debt will prevent you from being admitted as a lawyer. Meanwhile I had to start paying back this 'debt' despite not one of the dozens of Centrelink workers I spoke with being able to substantiate it in any way. I continued to receive threatening letters, which I began to take more seriously. As a law graduate I was all too aware of Centrelink's near undefeated prosecutions record against so-called 'welfare cheats'. I started doing my own research and found many of these cases were just like my own, where the 'offender' had tried to do the right thing and had ended up punished regardless. The more I dug the more this all seemed like a joke, like a parody of a legal system. Nothing about Centrelink's conduct so far had been, in my humble opinion, reasonable. In fact, if they had been private debt collectors a lot of their behaviour and actions would have been flagrantly against debt collection laws. 

Out of fear of this unreasonable and formidable foe bearing down upon me I cancelled my Centrelink payments, not wanting to give Centrelink any further reason to foist a debt, or worse, on me. I kept my head down, I didn't formally dispute my debt and I just kept up with my repayments. I absolutely did not want to poke the sleeping dragon in the eye, so to speak. Without income from either work or welfare I lasted about two months on my savings before becoming homeless. 

As they say, when it rains, it pours, and I was beset by dental issues and cancer at this time. These medical issues were probably either caused or exacerbated by my homelessness. I had to take out a large loan to pay for surgeries and treatment. I recovered from these surgeries while living in an unreliable old car which leaked onto my pillow every time it rained. I hardly ever showered, I peed in a bucket, ate nothing but rice and continued to pay my Centrelink debt. Out of desperation I reapplied for Centrelink, figuring that at least if I wound up in jail I'd be assured a meal, a shower and a bed. Absolutely defeated at this point, I came to accept my lot in life would probably always be abject poverty. 

And then the Robodebt Scheme was blown open by The Guardian's coverage and the heroic efforts of Gordon Legal. Emboldened to know I was not alone I started asking questions again. I started calling Centrelink every week (when I had the time to wait on hold for a few hours) and I submitted FOI requests every month. As the class action drew on my FOI requests became increasingly redacted but at least one thing hadn't changed; the only answer I could get out of a Centrelink worker was 'I dunno'. I submitted my payslips over and over again. Via email, via the online form, I even took my hardcopy payslips (soggy from my leaking car roof) into the Centrelink office. Again and again they were 'lost' and subsequent calls to Centrelink would reveal they 'had no record of me making such a submission to them'. 

It was bittersweet to see the class action proceedings unfold and be classed as a Category 3. Seemed as though Centrelink were only too happy to suddenly acknowledge their receipt of my documentation when it suited them. I use the word 'documentation' lightly though, since subsequent FOI requests reveal they don't actually have copies of my payslips or bank statements, only the fact that I provided them. So I'm still not sure what they're going off to substantiate my 'debt'. In any case, the only difference between myself and the relinquished Cat 1s & 2s was that I'd complied with Centrelink's requests for documentation and the Cat 1s & 2s had not. I don't really view myself as anymore deserving of this 'debt' than someone who simply ignored Centrelink's correspondence. I received a further kick while I was down when everyone who was being investigated post-2020 was let off too. My debt was raised in 2019. 

And so, here we are, at the present day. I'm still homeless. I still have cancer. I still rely on welfare. What was the point of Centrelink paying me to study several years for a legal career, to just snatch it away from me? Ironically, if I were allowed to use the qualifications I studied so long for I would have no trouble paying this 'debt'. Alas, the five year time limit I'm under to be admitted as a lawyer after graduating is fast approaching. My immediate future is not particularly bright. I already use most of my welfare on repaying medical debts. I am already on several financial hardship arrangements however, upon the resumption of Centrelink's 'debt' collection next month (precisely on my 30th birthday no less), I will no longer be able to afford to pay my bills on time. During the imminent bankruptcy proceedings that will follow I'll likely lose the car that I sleep in (I'll probably get to keep my Centrelink debt though). But hey, it might not even get that far, since I have a few packets of sleeping pills waiting for me when Centrelink decides to put the final nail in my coffin. I'm sure they'll give just as much of a damn about my death as they do about the thousands of other deaths they've caused. Which is no damn at all. Just to be concise. 

In conclusion, I have no expectation that my submission here will mean much at all. I don't expect that my 'debt' will be waived. I don't expect to get my career and my life back. I don't expect to afford healthcare or food or rent anytime soon. I don't expect a mote of human decency. This has mostly just been an outlet for me to tell the story I've spent several years enduring public vitriol and government contempt over. So if you've gotten this far, thanks for reading. In another life I might have one day sat where you do now Catherine. That was the dream; to do what you do. And that's the saddest part, you know? I have so much anger for what the government has done to me, how my hopes have been raised so many times, and then everyone but me gets their just desserts. But the anger is better than the sadness of thinking about what could have been. I was so good at law. Initially, I had only taken it because it had come with my science degree, but I ended up absolutely adoring the subject. Even Constitutional Law and Torts! I don't think anything has really interested me so much since. I don't like to dream too much, because I feel like if the universe gets a whiff of it I'll get knocked down another peg, but wouldn't it be great if my debt was waived, I could get admitted as a lawyer and just have a normal life again? Yeah, that's the dream.

[mxtangent]

Ben Shapiro Writing an Email - an Epic Tale

"Okay, it's one simple email, you can do it Ben, your wife is a doctor." Ben said as he bagan to type in his Thinkpad X270 laptop.

To whom it may offend,

"Ah no!" Exclaimed Ben, "it's reads as way too desperate..." Ben attempted to mash the backspace button to erase his numerous mistakes, but accidentally backed out of the Gmail website all the way back to a YouTube video named "Ben Shapiro DISINTEGRATES snowflake until they're REDUCED TO MERE ATOMS with his PARTICAL EXALERATOR POWERD RAYGUN." He briefly paused to wonder how many pages back he went, trying to decipher when in the last 18 hours he saw the video before him, as he spent all of them seeing clips of himself to gather up the confidence to write an email.

After 4 more hours of procrastinating on YouTube, Ben finally got back to writing the email

Dear liberals,

If I'm wrong about something, then why does my doctor say my brain is so big? Attached is factual proof from a doctor, (not my wife, which is also a doctor) and as you would agree that facts and logic don't care about your feelings, you will no longer be able to deny that I am extremely intelligent.

Sincerely,

Ben Shapiro, MD('s husband)

He began looking through the files of his old laptop, it taking hours to load each folder, the computer seemingly begging for mercy as each it loads more and more folder filled to the brim with clips of the times Ben was victorious in debates with young collage students. Finally, he found what he was looking for in a folder filled with different photos of Andrew Niel with badly scribbled edits mocking him.

"I should really get to organizing my files by the dwey decimal system sometime soon..." He paused for a second "But not now. Now is the time to destroy those peaky snowflakes once and for all."

Ben dragged a scanned PDF of a diagnosis for a cancerous brain tumor he got a few days back from a medical professional into Internet Explorer, and after the browser opened the PDF instead of attaching it, and Ben going back and rewriting the email, (not aware of the draft folder) he finally wrote the recipient: liberals@gmail.com.

Shapiro hit the send button with great enthusiasm, not before CCing his doctor wife who is a doctor so she could be proud of him for finally sending an email. But he immediately got a response. The email bounced. He didn't understand, the liberals must have a shared email address, otherwise how would they plan their agenda on a Google Docs? He was devistated, crying on the floor in a fetal position. He tried to get back up, but couldn't. Ben started to feel weird, like the world was made of jelly. He couldn't move. His vision going black.

The next day, Fox News held a segment about the recent passing of renouned internet celebraty Ben Shapiro, who died after an intercontinental ballistic tweet sent by the liberal snowflakes has inflicted him with cancel culture. (aka terminal brain cancer)

It is said (by Alex Jones) that the whole nation wept that day. But some whisper of a dark street corner where cheers could be heard. In that street corner, a local folk legend claims, lays the remains of a bus.

[pbandjesse]

So I did not go to the market today. And while I'm sure it was the correct decision it gave me so much anxiety this morning that I was absolutely miserable. I am glad I made the decision I did. But it was not an easy decision to make.

I was very upset last night and me and James stayed up talking for a while. And eventually I calmed down enough and went to sleep. And it wasn't Pat's sleep. But I woke up and I still did not have any communication from the market. I still didn't have an address or anything. And I had worked myself up so much that my stomach hurts so bad and I was having waves of heat and I just didn't think I could handle going. It wasn't raining yet but when James got ready to leave I told them that I was not going to be going. I sent an email and just laid there.

I was very upset though. And a little after 9:00 the market ended up calling me. And saying oh did you have any questions is that why you were contacting us. Referencing the Facebook message. But I told her that I'd already sent her an email or whoever had access to the email, that I wasn't going to be coming today and that I was very sorry. I felt very embarrassed and I told her as much. And she said it was fine and that she hoped I felt better. And I hoped that everything would go okay with the ring coming later. That was a lot of it. It was just, it wasn't raining yet And I didn't know where we're supposed to go until a lot of anxiety was just all around it and it was going to be a very long day even if I did go. And I felt like not going reflected poorly on me. And I told her that I almost never cancel on these things and to forgive me and she said it was fine. And I wished her luck.

But it wasn't raining yet. So I felt like I was being stupid. I felt like I was being lazy and I just was filled with guilt. I texted James and Jess and both of them tried to make me feel better. But I knew the only way that I would be able to deal with my feelings was by accomplishing something.

So I had breakfast. I had half of the pumpkin roll that I got at the market yesterday. And then I got to work on the tubes that I had made. I am really glad that I had made that first one. I'm glad that he didn't work out in the ways that he did. Because now I really have a good idea of what does work. I ended up making four bears this morning and then James and me would finish four bears tonight. I didn't get the eyes or anything on until night time but just seeing their little bodies coming together was really awesome. And they don't take that long so I'm excited to have a variety of both them and my sewn ones. I would like to get a bunch of new someone's done this week as well. I have a new way of doing the fur ones that I'm going to try out. We'll see if they work.

I was very hungry though and there was nothing in the house that I wanted. What I really wanted was the comfort of a hoagie. That kind of nostalgic feeling that I have around them. And so I texted James and asked if there was anything that I could pick up so that the whole trip wouldn't be just about getting a sandwich. Because I have to go all the way out to the county to go to a Wawa. And they said that I could go grab a tote from Target so that we could have another one for our decorations. And that was a great idea. So I put on makeup to make myself feel a little bit better and I headed out.

I really loved my outfit. And I had the perfect amount of layers on. I would need to redy my boots later because they've gotten married scuffed but beyond that I felt very cute. And that raised my spirits a lot. I drove out and it wasn't raining too bad yet but it was drizzling. And I got my sandwich and I eat in the car. I listen to a really interesting podcast about a court case. And then drove over to the Target.

It was starting to rain more by then. I decided to go to Marshalls first and I parked in the middle but a kind of far walk from the doors because that parking lot is always crazy.

I had nice a time walking around the Marshalls. I ended up getting a body oil which is something I've been on the lookout for for a while. And I also got an eyeshadow that I might wear for the wedding. Me and eyeshadow have had a very strange relationship for in the last couple years. My eyes are so hooded that you can't really see it but it really does do something for me so especially for pictures I feel like it will look very nice. Just going to have to really work on creating a base and setting it so it doesn't increase so much.

The rain was picking up for sure and after I paid I went over to Target. And I do not like that Target but I did my best to not melt down like I did last time I was there. I was frustrated that there were so much stuff on the floors and everything was a mess. But I found everything that I was there for. And I got sweet pea a new cardboard house. This one is two levels and is a lot nicer than the last one I got. So hopefully he doesn't break it so quickly.

After I found everything I went to get in line and the line was very long. There was actually two lines: one for the self checkout and one for the only register that they had open. Some people were just not understanding that and making a fuss. But the lines were moving very fast at least for self checkout so I wasn't that concerned. I did notice that half of the self checkout registers were filled with people who had absolutely overflowing carts. But I paid for my stuff and I got out of there.

The rain was very happy at that point and I really just wanted to go home. By the time I left there I would get back here by 2:30 and then I had to leave here to go to the museum 3:30. So I headed back as quickly and as safely as I could. Sometimes the rain really was scary and was kicking up a lot it was hard to see. But I made it back here and everything was okay.

I spent most of that hour putting together sweet pea's new house. And as soon as I brought it in he was interested. He was smelling it and sitting next to it and I told him I would set it up in a moment. And then when I started setting it up he was already pulling on the scratch pads and sitting on it and jumping around and he was just so happy. I really had a nice time putting it together. This one had sticky sides and stickers to keep the edges together and I really appreciate that. But the first time I put it together I did put it together incorrectly so I had to take it apart and the sticky parts probably made that a little harder. But that is fine. it was worth it to see sweet pea so excited. I put some catnip on it and he was just losing it jumping around and biting it and sitting in it. And he's basically been sitting it all night. He is sitting with me now but he really does enjoy his little house. We won't get rid of the other one yet but we'll see if he utilizes it at all before we just commit to the one.

I got myself back together and went to the museum. It was raining again but it wasn't too bad. And I was looking forward to seeing some live jazz with James. They did end up moving the concert inside and I think that was really good it was a great decision. But they didn't put a sign or anything outside so I don't know if we would have gotten more people. But it was a good 10. And the concert was really nice. It was a little loud. But I enjoyed listening to the jazz music and I spend a lot of time just scrolling on my phone and was nice having the music to go along with that.

I ended up buying something for James for our wedding. Secret thing. And then James came and joined me. And we sat and listened. We had chatted with our boss for a little while and she had been on a walking tour today and apparently got soaked. So she didn't stay for the whole concert. But everyone who did come seem to a really enjoy it. And it was just a really nice time.

And then when the concert was over me, Phil, and James put all the chairs away. And I ended up walking around with the pianist explaining what some of the machines were in the big gallery. Keep is a very sweet guy. He was very animated while he played which is funny because James pointed out afterwards and he claims that it wasn't true. I love old guys.

I asked James what they wanted to do after we finish closing down the museum. And we decided we would go to the brass staff for dinner. And I'm really glad we did. It was nice to sit and talk and not be distracted by too many things. We were both a little distracted by our phones and a little distracted by the football game on the screen. But we talked a lot about what we're doing tomorrow with getting the rest of their outfit for the wedding and exchanging gifts with each other the day of. I'm voting for the morning before we separate but we'll see. I think that private moment might be nice before everything gets crazy.

And our waiter thought it was very funny that I was getting a sandwich called the brisket but with no brisket. It's just means it's a grilled cheese sandwich with a vegetables. And our meal was very good. And then we headed home.

My head really started to hurt. I think I was just very dehydrated. I honestly probably still am very dehydrated. But got back here and James and we worked on more bears. I taught them how to finish the edges so that I could focus on putting on the eyeballs. Because the backs that I have won't stay in the yarn so I have to use fabric glue around the edges of every single one so it takes another step. So James would stuff them and whip stitch them closed while I put on eyeballs and made kind of an assembly line. And I think they look so cute. Not all of them are perfect. The little black one is my favorite. But I'm glad we have a kind of a system now so I can knock a few more out. Ideally I want to have 10 more sound bears done this week, and maybe five more knitted bears. But we'll see. I am not working much this week. I'm not working at all this week honestly. I'm working next Sunday but I'm not scheduled it all this entire week. But that's okay. I can be focusing on getting the apartment cleaned up and getting ready for the wedding and whatever else I need to do. Just kind of taking care of myself as best I can.

I decided to take a bath and while I was deciding to do that Brandon came over so that him and James could watch their game of thrones spin-off show. I took a very nice bath and watched a scary video. And now I'm laying it back with sweet pea. There should be over soon and then we will go to bed.

Tomorrow me and James are going to go out to a bunch of consignment shops to look for a shirt and jacket and possibly vest for them for the wedding. We looked at a bunch of pictures earlier and I think we both have an idea of what there's going to look good. It's going to be a little hard because they're not going to actually be wearing the kilt at the same time so we're going to bring a swatch or fabric to see if we think they look good together. But I am looking forward to spending the day with James and I hope that it's just fun and go smoothly. And I hope that you all have a very good day. While it is going to be chilly out it still fun and cozy.

Have a nice night. Sleep good.

[novumtimes]

Chloë Sevigny confronts Kim Kardashian critics following interview backlash

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Chloë Sevigny has expertly shut down critics who have bashed Kim Kardashian over her participation in Variety’s recent “Actors on Actors.” The two actors sat down for the latest season of the magazine’s popular web series to discuss their latest TV projects and their trajectories in the industry. Following the episode’s release on Wednesday, many people have left negative comments – aimed at Kardashian – on clips shared to social media. Sevigny, 49, however, has since stepped in to address the online vitriol. On Instagram, she posted a picture of her side-by-side with Kardashian from the photoshoot, writing in the caption: “Our chosen career of actor has many forms. “Some are rewarded early. Some of us are the journeymen, some have a quieter route, and some a much louder one. And I am always excited to celebrate every kind of actor,” she added, thanking both Variety and Kardashian. During one part of their conversation, Sevigny asked Kardashian if she was a “cinephile.” “Yeah, I was always going to the movies,” Kardashian responded before prefacing: “The films that I really love are not going to be sophisticated.” She proceeded to list some of her favorite movies, which included the 1989 family comedy Beverly Hills Troop, 1995 romcom Clueless and the 2004 romantic drama The Notebook. ‘I am always excited to celebrate every kind of actor,’ Chloë Sevigny wrote on Instagram (Getty Images) “A good popcorn movie, I love a good popcorn [movie],” Sevigny replied. “Tootsie was my favorite growing up.” Several detractors have used this moment to mock Kardashian for her preference in films, while others have questioned her legitimacy as an actor. Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free Kardashian, 41, who rose to fame on her family’s reality series, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, transitioned into acting quite recently, making her scripted TV debut last fall in the 12th season of Ryan Murphy’s anthology American Horror Story. She played the role of entertainment publicist Siobhan, who works for an actor named Anna Victoria Alcott (Emma Roberts). Meanwhile, Sevigny is best known as an indie darling, having featured in several independent films, such as Boys Don’t Cry, The Last Days of Disco and Kids. Her most recent TV role was in Murphy’s newest season of Feud: Capote vs The Swans. Asked by Sevigny if Murphy had reached out to her or if she had reached out to Murphy, Kardashian confirmed that Murphy had approached her. She revealed that before the director and writer had approached her about starring in his latest season of American Horror Story, he had actually pitched a different project to her. “He came to me with an idea that was kind of reality-based, and I wasn’t into it,” Kardashian explained. “And I told him that if I was gonna jump from my show – which I’m not – so to just add something on that to me, my heart wasn’t in it, I didn’t want to do it. And then he came back to me and said, ‘I really want to write something for you, and would you consider doing American Horror Story?’” Source link via The Novum Times

[erinravenseeker]

Heads up, new scam call method going around:

I got a call ostensibly from eBay. They used my name and said there was an order that had been made in a completely different country. This sounds legitimate enough so far: a transaction being made in a different country is something that would alert someone and lead to some sort of verification process. I don’t know enough about eBay’s process for these things to know if this was right or not.

I was unable to remember if I actually HAD an eBay account, but I suspected the answer was no, which led me to approach the situation with caution. She very carefully and formally asked me to confirm that I wanted the order cancelled, which again, seemed legit enough.

Then she informed me that this is likely some sort of hack. This is the lead-in: the hack must be related to your IP address and I can help you secure your internet.

They very carefully don’t tell you what all the steps to “fixing the problem” are before actually taking you through it. I told her I wasn’t near a computer at the moment (lie) and she said that wasn’t a problem. She got as far as telling me to open a browser window, and then asked whether my phone was an iPhone or Android. This is information that should not be necessary, and I hung up straight after.

The next obvious indicator that I was right was when she immediately called back but the phone number was different, and came from a different location (still in my country). This means they’re spoofing (faking) numbers and are definitely not calling from an official source.

You can never be 100% sure who you’re speaking to. Here’s a list of things you SHOULD do in this exact situation, to make sure someone isn’t scamming you:

1. Check your account yourself. If they’re calling you about an incomplete transaction then you should be able to get online and see it for yourself. I wasn’t sure I even had an account, so this wouldn’t have worked for me.

2. Ask them for information related to your account. I should have immediately asked them to confirm details they should have access to. SPECIFICALLY ask them to tell you what your account number is, or the last few numbers on your linked credit card. DO NOT read out the numbers yourself; THEY need to prove they have access to this information.

3. Check the phone number or policies on their website. EBay has no listed number but it handily tells me “eBay is unlikely to make unannounced calls to you about your account.” and that if I do get a call I should check that they also sent me some sort of email or message. There is none, so this is a scam.

4. Hang up if they try to ‘help’ you with account security. To be clear, when I say this I specifically mean if they try to guide you through any kind of process. Their job should be customer support, not tech support. The most they should be telling you to do is change your password and enable two-factor authentication. They rely on most people not knowing enough about technology to be worried and confused by anything more complicated. Fortunately, I am a compsci student. If they say the words IP address, congrats: it’s a scam.

5. Hang up and see if they call back. If they’re legit, they probably will. If they’re a scammer who thinks they’ve got you on the hook, they’ll do the same. If the number that calls you back is different, they’re likely spoofing (and forgot to turn the randomiser off) and it’s a scam. If the number is the same, that’s inconclusive: may be legit, but don’t trust fully. Refer to points 1 and 2.

6. Call the company yourself! Ring up whatever customer support number is ACTUALLY listed on their official website, and say hi I think I might’ve gotten a scam call. If it’s legit, they should be able to route you through to get help again. If not, they’ll have no record of a problem on your account and you’ll know it was a scam. It’s better to be sure you called the right person first.

It’s important to always always know who you’re talking to before dealing with any sensitive information, or making ANY modification to how your computer runs. Don’t just trust someone at their word: knowing your name isn’t enough to confirm that they’re legit any more. Double-check everything, and stay safe out there.