Nov 1st — “Declaration poem”

Today is Wednesday,  and it is one of those sunny-cold days in November  that foretells sorrow. Birds are murmuring dangerously low over the highway. The sky says it all: the blinding sun,  the snow-white clouds, the biting air. But today it is Wednesday. And sunny, and I am in love with the world.

PAD Chapbook challenge #1

we've been doing sonnets in my forms of poetry class and the unit is about to come to an end so i though id play a bit with 14 line structure. im not so sure this comes across as a declaration but im happy with the feeling it conveys and the volta, even if contrived

2023 NOVEMBER POEM-A-DAY CHAPBOOK CHALLENGE: DAY 9

Continuing along with the Poetic Asides 2023 November Poem-A-Day Chapbook Challenge, wherein poets are tasked with writing a poem a day in the month of November before assembling a chapbook manuscript in the month of December.

Today, Day 9's prompt is to write a DIRECTION poem.

 Up, down.

Left, Right.

North, south, east, west.

This way, that way.

instructions.

No matter what direction you take today, I hope it's poetic.

Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them.

The Nineteenth Day of Importance in Unimportance

Exploring Galaxies by Maria L. Berg 2023 Today I worked to capture the importance in unimportance and the unimportance in importance. For my images I revisited one of the filters I made yesterday out of junk I found in the bottom of my fabric closet. Here’s a picture of the filters: The one I focused on today is the one on the top left. I love the effect the light hitting that plastic disc…

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Hey. I love your blog. It's amazing. Is it possible for you to write about actress reader x colby brock. Like they are each others favorite and Sam and colby invite her to one of their investigations. Like in one of her interviews found out that their her favorite YouTubers and colby might ask her on a date?

Thank you so much 💗

Tweets (Colby Brock X Actor! Reader)

Fandom: RPF/Sam and Colby & Co.

Requested: Clearly (I had a little too much fun with this one lol)

Warnings: none.

Pronouns: First person (I/me)

W.C. 1087

Summary: An unearthed tweet leads to shocking revelations (with a best friend's intervention).

As always, my requests are OPEN

MASTERLIST // HITLIST

~~(^@/Colby's insta from November 16, 2023)

It all started with a resurfaced tweet from 2015…

I can’t say it was a lie, but it was before my big break, and I didn't have a manager running my social media accounts 24/7. I was just a normal teenager on Vine with time to kill. And now, I thought it was coming back to haunt me, pun intended.

That was until I received a DM from Colby himself asking me to be a part of their yearly tradition, Hell Week. At first, I was starstruck, but I would have been crazy to decline.

So that’s where we are now: preparing for the Conjuring House. A place of extremes. A place I told myself I would never go to because of how insane it is, yet here I am. And, of course, it’s going to be for a week. 

I was invited to Sam and Colby’s place to go over the specifics of the trip. I had just finished filming my latest movie, which was coincidentally being filmed in Las Vegas, so as soon as my scenes were wrapped up, I set off for their house.

By the time I got there, everyone else who was invited was already there. At least, I assumed with the number of cars in the driveway. I was still in stage make-up, but thankfully, I had changed into something more comfortable before I left the set. I grabbed my backpack before jumping out of my car, locking it, and walking up to the door, ringing the doorbell.

Almost immediately, the door is being opened, and I am face to face with Colby. After a beat of us just staring, speechless, at each other, I cleared my throat. I chuckled nervously before saying, “Hi, apologies for being late. Filming ran a little longer than I originally planned. I hope I didn’t hold you all up too long.”

“Nah, don’t even worry about it,” he dismissed quickly as he stepped aside and ushered me inside. “Come in, and I’ll show you where you can put your stuff. You’re staying and going with Sam, Seth, and me to Rhode Island, right?”

“If that’s still alright with you guys,” I replied, walking in step with Colby up the stairs. “I don’t want to impose on your personal spaces. I can go home, just say the word.”

“I would never kick you out,” he laughed, leading me down the hall and stopping just before the end. “Here is your room. There is a bathroom attached. It’s right next to the closet, and if you need anything, my room is right there.” He paused as he pointed to the room at the very end of the hall. “I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night. If you need anything, let me know.”

“I’ll feel bad if it’s the middle of the night, but I will keep that in mind. Thank you,” I replied as I walked in to set my bag down on the vanity. “I’m just going to take my make-up off and meet you guys downstairs if that’s alright.”

“No problem,” he said, “We’ll be in the living room and we’ll either order food later or go out. We’ll see how everyone feels.”

“Ok, cool, thank you!” I said enthusiastically as he left down the hall. I closed the door over as I walked deeper into the room. I grabbed out my micellar water, cotton pads, and hydrater before walking into the ensuite to clean my face. As I set them on the counter, I noticed a piece of paper.

It was a printed screenshot of Twitter. A specific tweet from Colby in 2016 read, “Give me a chance y/n.” The back of the paper had its own handwritten note.

“You have been Colby’s celebrity crush for years. I know you posted a tweet in 2015 asking if he was single, and I don’t know if it was a joke or not. I didn’t show him the tweet, but I can say he’s single now if that tweet is still true. Please just get him to shut up. -Sam”

I chuckled at the note before quickly cleaning my face to head downstairs. Everyone was sitting on the couch or on the floor facing the TV. Everyone except Colby. I glanced around the room, trying to find him, only to see him standing in the kitchen. He was looking through the fridge, so I walked up behind him.

“Can you hand me a water?” I asked, startling him in the process. He jumped up straight, sucking in a quick breath as he snapped around to look at me. “Did I scare you or is that residual energy from the Conjuring House?”

“No, I just…” he trailed off for a second. “Yeah. I wasn’t expecting you down here just yet.”

“Kinda like how you didn’t expect me to see this?” I teased as I pulled the paper out from behind my back. Colby’s eyes grew wide as his jaw dropped. He stammered, trying to come up with a reason behind it, but he could not get a cohesive thought out. “Don’t worry. I’d give you a chance.”

Colby stopped entirely. I could see the gears turning in his mind before he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He opened his eyes, immediately meeting mine as he reached out to take the paper from my hands, setting it on the counter. He held my hands in his as he closed the distance between us. 

“Y/n, will you go out with me?” Colby whispered as he bit his lip in nervousness.

“Of course, I will,” I whispered back as a smile spread across both of our faces. 

“How about after this meeting we get out of here and do mini golf and dinner?” He offered, leaning his head down to rest our foreheads together.

“I will take you down,” I laughed as I leaned more into his body. “Truth be told, I’m great at mini golf.”

“Okay, lovebirds, we get it,” Sam interrupted from the living room. “We get it.”

“Shush, Sam,” I quipped back as I snapped my head to look at the group on the couch, still holding Colby’s hands. “You’re the one that left the note in my bathroom.”

“Wait, there’s a note?!” Colby shouted as he immediately let go of one of my hands to flip the paper over, reading through the note. “Sam, I told you this in confidence!”

~~~~~

© BAD268 2023. DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT PERMISSION.

[12:41 PM] Suna Rintarou

I couldn't go the month of November without a NNN... But happy December, it is crazy how fast the months flew by. I hope everyone has a great and warm last month of 2023. I'll do my best to get a few stories out before the end of the year.

Warning: Rin being Rin, explicit fluffy smut . “Please?”

Suna Rintarou sat on his bed with his long legs spread with you standing in between them. His arms hugging you’re your thighs.

You closed your eyes, trying to break free from his gaze. He knew you couldn’t resist his puppy eyes. “Stop.” You cover his eyes with one hand but that doesn’t stop his fingers finding and undoing the buttons to your dress pants, his fingers pulling down the zipper. “Rin,” your tone meant to come out as a warning, but instead it sounded like a plea.

“What’s so bad about sitting on my face?” he asked, his eyes still covered by your hand. “You just have to relax and enjoy it…”

“Why are you so adamant on me sitting on your face? What if I suffocate you to death?”

Rin tugs your hand away from his eyes, “baby girl, I would happily die by your pussy.” He kissed your palm, looking up at you with soft green eyes, “you won’t kill me, I promise…”

Your dress pants fall and pool by your feet. You feel his fingers graze the thin cotton materials of your panties. His finger pads circulate over your already sensitive clit.

“Just ride my face like how you ride my cock…”

Even after four years of dating and marrying him, you find it impossible to refuse him; Rin has a way of persuading you to do anything he desires.

“Lower,” he murmurs.

You look down at him, your nether lips are already pressed against his lips. “Any more and I’m going to put my weight on your face –“

He gripped your thigh and pulled your weight completely on his face.

“Rin!” you shouted his name before buckling over and moaning his name.

He slurped and suckled.

“I feel like I’m eating a raw oyster.” Rin once told you, “wet, messy, and delicious.” He taps his finger against your clit, “it’s like a pearl.”

His grip on your thighs tightens, refusing to let you lift some of your weight.

You found yourself rocking your hips, earning moans from Rin.

“Mhmm.”

Your body tensed, thighs tightening around his head the moment his tongue thrust itself into your pussy. “Ri – Rin…”

You tried to lift your hips but Rin held you tightly in place. “Rin – stop – no more…”

He released you and pouted, “fine, then sit on my cock then.”

You let out a soft chuckle, seeing his face glistening with your wetness. You crawl and straddle his hip, your hand finding his hard and long cock that was already leaking cum on his abdomen.

Aligning him to your pussy, you sink until he is fully inside of you.

Rin inhales sharply, head thrown back as he struggles to breathe. He looks up at you and presses against your lower abdomen making you hiss. “I feel you here,” he trails his fingers up, “so deep inside of you.” He winced but released a low chuckle, “don’t… don’t tighten around me like that. I might nut inside you…”

You lean down until your lips barely graze his as you whisper, “do it… nut inside me Rintarou.”

His fingers dug into your hip as he gave you his signature wide smile. “I’ll be honored.”

Ever since he revealed his desired kink of wanting to cum inside of you, you couldn’t help but want to fulfill it.

Rin shifted you slightly before he pounded away at your pussy. He wrapped his arms tightly around you, hugging you close.

His bed creaked with his erratic movement.

“Rin,” you moaned repeatedly, your pussy tightens by the second as you near your orgasm. The prickle sensation began to build up and your breath quickened with Rin’s rough and deep penetration. “Rin – Rin I’m going to cum…”

Rin purred something incoherent and his hips fasten, cock impaling you deeper and harder until you feel his hot cum spurt into your womb. The raw sensation has your walls closing tightly in, milking all he had to give.

“Ah.” Rin gasped, loosening his arms around you and falling onto the bed. You shift and tower over him, his eyes are closed, face flushed. “Fuck, that was amazing… keep – keep squeezing me like that…” His cock continued to jerk as his hips trembled with the aftermath. He opens his eyes and stares into yours, “have I told you lately that I love you?”

You chuckled and a smile graced your lips as you averted your gaze; his declaration of love is something you’ll never tire of. “Yes, you told me this morning.”

His lips press against your chin, “you made me cum so much.”

It dawned on you that yesterday was the last day of the month. “Did you achieve your Nut in November challenge?”

Rin erupted into laughter, “it’s No-Nut-November…” he sighed, relaxing against the bed. “Yes, I did. I nearly died but I did… my nuts were so full. Thank goodness you let me empty it in you.”

You shook your head and sat up. He groaned when you slightly rocked on his cock, “you need to watch your dirty mouth, Rin.”

His hands rub your hips, “it’s only dirty around you.”

You reach to grab both his hands and press his palm to your belly. “You need to watch your mouth around the baby now.”

The confusion on his face immediately switched to excitement. “Fuck no! – I mean no way. Are you serious?” You nod your head. He covers his face with both hands. You give him a moment to digest the news before you hear him sniffle and you reach to pull his hands away, a tear slipped from the corner of his eye, “that’s the best news ever.”

.

A plate of raw oyster is set before you and you feel Rin nudge you before leaning to whisper in your ear, “you know what that reminds me of?”

. . .

E/n: I don't think I'll look at raw oysters the same now.

>>>@queenelleee @mfreedomstuff @erintaro @callmeraider @chaotic-fangirl-blog @wolffmaiden @cloud-lyy

A Young Person's Guide to 18th-Century Western Fashion

unabridged version at blogspot

General info Cox, Abby. "I Wore 18th-Century Clothing *Every Day for 5 YEARS & This Is What I Learned (Corsets Aren't Bad!)." YouTube. May 10, 2020. Cullen, Oriole. “Eighteenth-Century European Dress.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004. Glasscock, Jessica. "Eighteenth-Century Silhouette and Support." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004. Accessories Banner, Bernadette. "Women's Pockets Weren't Always a Complete Disgrace | A Brief History: England, 15th c - 21st c." YouTube. April 10, 2021. Colonial Williamsburg. "#TradesTuesday: Men's Accessories." YouTube. June 13, 2021. Murden, Sarah. "The Georgian era fashion for straw hats." All Things Georgian. December 6, 2018. Cosmetics & hygiene Cox, Abby. "I Followed an 18th-Century Moisturizer & Sunscreen Recipe & it kinda worked??." YouTube. February 21, 2021. Cox, Abby. "We tried making *5* different 250 year old rouge (blush) recipes || [real] regencycore makeup." YouTube. August 29, 2021. JYF Museums. "Hygiene in the 18th Century | From the Farm to the Army." YouTube. August 21, 2021. Décor Heckscher, Morrison H. “American Rococo.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2003. Munger, Jeffrey. “French Porcelain in the Eighteenth Century.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2003. Formal wear SnappyDragon. "This dressing gown changed fashion forever : the feminist history of going out in loungewear." YouTube. April 15, 2022. Stowell, Lauren. "The Many Types of 18th Century Gowns." American Duchess. March 15, 2013. Zebrowska, Karolina. "Cottagecore Style Is Much Older Than You Think." YouTube. June 30, 2021. Hair care Cox, Abby. "I made 250-year-old Hair Products Using Original Recipes (and animal fat...)." YouTube. November 7, 2021. Cox, Abby. "I tried a 300-year-old hair care routine for a year & this is what I learned (it's awesome!)." YouTube. January 23, 2022. Cox, Abby. "What's the Deal with 18th Century Wigs? (and why Bridgerton really messed this up)." YouTube. June 1, 2023. Laundry Cox, Abby. "Making 300 Year Old SLIME for Laundry Day." YouTube. June 15, 2023. Townsends. "Historical Laundry Part 2: No Washing Machine, No Dryer, Hit It With A Stick?" YouTube. June 3, 2019. Outer- & working-wear JYF Museum. "Getting Dressed | Clothing for an 18th Century Middling Woman." YouTube. March 18, 2021. Major, Joanne. "The practicalities of wearing riding habits, and riding ‘en cavalier’." All Things Georgian. March 12, 2019. Rudolph, Nicole. "What did Pirates ACTUALLY Wear? Fashion at Sea in the 18th c & Our Flag Means Death Costumes." YouTube. May 8, 2022. Shoes Chin, Cynthia E. "Martha Washington's Shoes." George Washington's Mount Vernon. No date. Murden, Sarah. "18th-century shoes." All Things Georgian. December 15, 2015. Rudolph, Nicole. "Real 18th century Shoes? Historical Shoemaker Examines an Antique." YouTube. December 13, 2020. Textiles Cox, Abby. "18th Century Printed Cotton Do's & Don't's." American Duchess. December 23, 2019. Stowell, Lauren. "Fabrics for the 18th Century and Beyond." American Duchess. June 14, 2021. Townsends. "Oil Cloth - Waterproof Coverings for Your Campsite." YouTube. July 30, 2018. Undergarments Major, Joanne. "Quilted Petticoats: worn by all women and useful in more ways than one." All Things Georgian. November 20, 2018. Rudolph, Nicole. "Making 18th century Stays for the Ideal Body Shape : Historical Undergarments." YouTube. August 12, 2023. SnappyDragon. "RUMP ROAST : Ranking historical fashion's wildest fake butt pads." YouTube. October 27, 2023. Townsends. "Sewing Histories' Most Popular Garment - The Fabric Of History - Townsends." YouTube. September 3, 2022.

oh

November 8, 2023

Clementine groaned hearing the knock on her front door, “One Second!” Clementine called out unwrapping the heating pad off her rips and gingerly standing up, she slowly walked to the door looking in the entrance mirror seeing she is only in a sports bra and sweat shorts and her ribs were wrapped in a ace bandage and her hair was in disastrous messy french braid but she was in pain and too tired to even care.

She opened the door seeing Alex patient waiting on her front mat, “Alex? What are you doing here?” Clementine questioned confused knowing that the team was hanging out tonight at Nico’s but she declined wanting to rest.

“I figured you could use some company.” Alex sheepishly smiled and held up a few grocery bags, “And have some dinner?” Alex knew Clementine can be stubborn and not want to admit when’s she not okay, but he saw the hit last night and was surprised she wasn’t majorly injured and just bruised and sore.

“You don’t have to.” Clementine weakly protested, Alex just shook his head and stepped into her apartment with a smile, he started walking to the kitchen and Clementine slowly followed behind him.

“You should be sitting down.” Alex gave her a stern look as he set the bags on her kitchen counter.

“What are you making?” Clementine ignored his words trying to peek into the bags.

Alex set his hand on top of the bags closing them back up giving her a look, “Clem, your tired and sore go rest.”

Alex gave her another stern look making her let out a long suffering sigh but reluctantly nodded and slowly shuffled back to the couch and she put the heating pad back on.

Clementine closed her eyes resting her head on the pillow and she must of dozed off because she woke up to someone gently shaking her and the smell of food.

“Hm.” Clementine hummed half asleep rubbing her eyes, she blinked up seeing Alex kneeled in front of the couch rubbing her back gently giving her a soft look that made her stomach turn.

“Hey sleepy head, dinners ready.” Alex softly spoke still rubbing her back gently, smiling at the sleepy look on her face.

She slowly nodded and slowly sat up and slowly got off the couch, she took a deep breath smelling the food as she walked to the kitchen seeing Alex already plated her food.

“Mac and Cheese!” Clementine grinned widely seeing her favorite food, “You remembered?” Clementine looked at Alex confused.

“Of course Clem it’s your favorite food.” Alex responded in a matter of fact tone like he was almost offended she thought he didn’t remember.

Clementine felt her heart soften in fondness for her teammate, “Thanks Lex.” Clementine spoke sitting down and immediately digging into the mac and cheese making a happy noise as she started eating.

Alex eyes widen hearing the nickname and the noise Clementine made as she took a bite but he shook his head trying to get rid of those thoughts as she brought his plate and started next to her.

Clementine was quickly eating, what might be her absolute favorite mac and cheese she has ever eaten.

Clementine smiled looking down before she realized what she was feeling and her eyes widen dramatically as she stared down at her plate.

She likes Alex.

Clementine took a deep breath stopping herself from panicking any further.

She knew her last relationship didn’t end on a bad note but it did still hurt terribly and she doesn’t know if she’s ready to even think about dating someone again, let alone a teammate again.

But the whole reason her last relationship ended was because it wasn’t easy, just seeing each other took weeks of work and planning and living in two different time zones and both at two different points in their career it just wasn’t easy and they couldn’t love each other the way they both deserted to be loved.

Clementine titled her head in thought thinking back of all the moments with Alex, and everything was just so easy and relaxing, she didn’t how she didn’t figure out her feelings before for Alex. She took a deep breath and pushed back her thoughts and feelings until she is alone and not next to the guy who is unintentionally causing all of this.

“Thank you.” Clementine spoke up as they two just ate in peaceful silence and she pushed her bowl slightly away from her.

“Always.” Alex just nonchalantly shrugged he would do anything if it made Clementine feel better.

Clementine felt her face soften and smiled at Alex giving him a fond look.


Alex gulped nervously seeing such a beautiful smile directly right at him and how soft she looked, he felt his heart pound faster but tried to distract himself by jumping up and grabbing both of their bowls.

Clementine tried to walk over and help clean up but Alex gave her another stern look and she reluctantly left the kitchen and went back to the couch sitting down.

Alex finished cleaning up and walked over sitting down next to her seeing that she put on a hockey game.

Alex was watching the game that he almost flinched when he felt something hit his arm but he looked down seeing Clementine’s head rested on his shoulder as Clementine looked fast asleep, Alex smiled soflty and shifted both of them slowly making sure not to wake her up but shifted her so she’s laying down more and so is he so he doesn’t need to get up and wake her up.

Clementine moved in her sleep making Alex freeze in worry that he woke her up but she just shifted and cuddled into Alex chest letting out a soft sigh, Alex slowly relaxed and gently put his hand of top of her hair, running his hands through her blonde hair slowly as he felt his eyes starting to shut close.

HEY so I didn't say anything BUT RawPaw is hosting a tshirt design challenge and I joined it! If I get at least 10 orders on the shirt, then it'll go into production! If you order one and I don't get at least 10 orders the money will be refunded.

Here's the tshirt :)

on the closure of MochaJump, and why we're our own worst enemies in this industry.

"MochaJump? What was that?" is probably your first question, and I'm gonna simply respond with, "Exactly."

MochaJump was a small startup platform made by /u/nunojay2 and a second site engineer (whose name I am not informed of) on reddit. It wasn't anything extraordinary, just a startup site that aimed to offer a more viable alternative to Webtoons and Tapas, with a focus on offering equal visibility to creators, focused recommendation algorithms, loosened restrictions on NSFW content, and bigger cuts for creators on their generated revenue.

Of course, such promises are a tall order, but the creator did their best to host regular discussions with creators in art and webtoon communities to get feedback on what creators really wanted out of their platforms, and they researched what they would need to make in order to keep the site afloat (it came out pretty low at $2 per user per month). Hopes were high and the site launched with a small but eager userbase.

It stayed small. The site shut down in November 2022, just 6 months after launching in May 2022.

Now, I'm not gonna sit here on some soapbox and blame anyone for the site closing down. I unfortunately didn't get much chance to use the site myself so there's surely more I could have done on my own part to help it gain traction. But this is a regular occurrence for start-ups like this, especially in an industry that's as notoriously unprofitable as webcomics. We've seen titans such as SmackJeeves and Inkblazers fall, and MochaJump was merely an infant by comparison.

But it makes me think of how we view and treat these startups as a whole. How we as readers and creators alike have become so trained to exclusively use corporate platforms like Webtoons and Tapas on the promise of "bigger gains". Unlike these bigger companies, platforms like MochaJump depend on building a strong userbase as quickly as possible, and need to find ways to generate revenue to keep things running, otherwise it's only a matter of time before they close down. They don't have a massive conglomerate like Naver or Kakao to pad their pockets through their failures. They don't have the money or reach to inject themselves into society through bus terminal ads and convention sponsorships. They don't have the investors to sink money into their platform until it becomes profitable in return.

So we don't use them. Readers don't use them because we don't see the point in using a platform that has no content... and thus creators don't use them because we don't see the point in publishing our content on a platform with no userbase. Creators seek a place that's "tight knit" and "easy to get seen", but will only post to places that come pre-loaded with massive audiences; because it's not enough anymore to have a couple hundred followers, we're in 2023 now, in the year of consumer bloat, where we expect to now pull in thousands if not millions to be considered a "success". And readers seek a place that offers high-quality high-amount content at the tip of their fingertips, but don't want to pay for the access to these works, and in the case of apps like WT, have given up in trying to support these creators through the platforms themselves because they know that those artists they want to support will likely never see a dime.

The fact of this problem is simple, yet many people seem to ignore it - we cannot expect to have a platform that is tight knit, profitable, and sustainable. These places do not exist, not so long as we continue to raise the bar on what makes a "successful" subscriber count, not so long as we continue to patronize platforms that exploit their artists and writers, and not so long as we keep chasing the dragon of "what these websites used to be". These platforms never used to 'be' anything, they merely existed in one point of time that is now long gone, when owning a smartphone was a luxury and not a need, when online video content wasn't being tethered together by ads, and when the Internet wasn't owned and entirely managed by the same three corporations, the likes of which we haven't seen since cable TV.

Platforms like Tapas and Webtoons are - besides unsustainable - unable to exist and profit in the way they do without undercutting someone along the way. Whether it's underpaying their creators, undercutting their communities, or underexposing the works that have been buried, someone will get the shit hand in the deal and that someone is usually ALWAYS someone who will rarely ever stand to gain anything in the long run from using these platforms despite their issues. The 1% got theirs, and the 10% are barely getting by, while the remaining 89% are pushing onwards, because they have faith in the systemic online enshittification that demands conformity to a single formula for "success".

We are our own worst enemies in this industry. Webcomics are one of the few online mediums that still truly belong to the people - anyone can make them, anyone can find joy in them, but we're letting platforms like Webtoons and Tapas and all the other massive corporate apps rob us of that joy and accessibility in the pursuit of "success" and profiting. Webtoons was never the sole way to profit off this medium and yet I still see people every day who underestimate the existence of legitimate publishing houses and self-publishing, who think that publishing on Webtoons and landing an Originals deal is the only way to find success in this industry. This is meant to be the era of creators, of self-starting and self-actualization, and yet we're still handing all of that control over to corporations that only seek to exploit our art, bodies, and labor, while convincing ourselves that this will somehow all be worth it. We stick with Webtoons, despite the numerous controversies it's been involved in and the lack of support it's given even its own hired creators. We stick with Tapas, despite the undercutting of its most core components such as its community and the outlier genres it used to be known for hosting. We find new ways to justify using platforms that are steadily going downhill - Patreon, Twitter/X, Youtube, Instagram, Facebook - because we've been convinced that these are the routes to success, so if we acknowledge their failures, then "success" can no longer exist.

Because we need to pay rent. Because we need to eat. Because we need to survive. Because it's a lot more complicated than just "stepping away". Because the startups just don't have any of the surface level potential for us to immediately identify and get on board with, so we don't give them a chance.

I realize this post got very existential and depressing. I've been creating comics for well over a decade now, largely unnoticed, and I've fallen victim to these same limiting mindsets that we have to stick to one way, one "formula" for success - a formula that changes with the wind and only works for those who get in on the ground floor. It's been slowly killing me from the very beginning, robbing me of my joy to create, of my reason to even do this in the first place - to tell and share stories with others, to express myself creatively, to live my life surrounded by art and stories and creations made by and for others. It's made me tired and miserable, and I can tell it's done the same to those who have shared that boat with me.

But there's one silver lining I can always be sure of, and it's one I was reminded of after realizing I was still in the MochaJump Discord, with one announcement post that I hadn't yet read.

Webcomics are one of the few online mediums that still truly belong to the people. Corporations are trying their hardest to take that power away. Let's not continue to let them.

If you want to help sustain, patronize, and contribute to the growth of sites that are still being operated by small teams (or even one man armies), please, consider checking out the following websites, some of which serve as platforms or publishers, others which operate as link directories for independent sites run by creators.

ComicFury GlobalComix TopWebcomics The Webcomic List The Webcomic Library Hiveworks SpiderForest SmackJeeves Archive Inkblot.art And whoever wants to use the GitHub source code used for MochaJump (RIP)

Let's do our part to decentralize webcomics again. We may not be able to leave the platforms that weakly sustain us, but we can still support those that strengthen and support us.

Weekly Recap | November 27th-December 3rd 2023

Usually I schedule these to post around 4-5 PM EST, buuuuuut I just finished this and I don't want to wait. Here's a little midnight treat! Enjoy!

Complete

🔥 like when the sun came out by spaceprincessem/ @spaceprincessem (Canon Divergent, Ghosts | 39K | Mature): Evan gave up trying to explain what happens to him after his parents forced him to have a talk with one of their friends, supposedly a pediatric therapist, and cruelly hinted that if Evan didn’t stop seeing and talking about his “invisible friends” as if they were real then his parents would send him far away to places where they lock children up in padded rooms. “Look,” Evan says quickly, forcing out the words before he gets too scared to speak,” I—I know this is going to sound crazy, but, um, ever since I was a kid I can see ghosts.”

🔥 baby, you were my picket fence by spaceprincessem/ @spaceprincessem (Post-S6, Proposal | 6K | Teen): or Maddie wants to propose to Chimney. She gets Buck involved. Buck can't tell anyone. He somehow proposes to Eddie instead

🔥 Both Blade and Branch by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Post-S6 | 62K | Mature): The chances of being struck by lightning twice are incredibly minute, but Buck still manages to pull it off. During a double date with Marisol and Natalia, nonetheless. Eddie manages to resuscitate him, but as Buck recovers from yet another trauma, Eddie can’t help but notice there’s something very different about him. He’s not quite sure what version of Buck he got back.

love like woven thread by renecdote/ @renecdote (Post-Eddie Begins | 1,8K | General): Aka the one where Eddie is a clothes thief and Buck kind of loves that about him. (Part 1 of Clothes thief Eddie my beloved<3)

wear your heart on my sleeve (I'll protect it) by renecdote/ @renecdote (Post-Shooting | 1,7K | General): The return of clothes thief Eddie, from Buck's POV this time. (Part 2 of Clothes thief Eddie my beloved<3)

hold you in my arms (wrap your soul around me) by renecdote/ @@renecdote (Established Buddie | 4K | Teen): The one where Buck buys Eddie a hoodie and Eddie has a lot of feelings about how family shaped they are. (Part 3 of Clothes thief Eddie my beloved<3)

a most constant heart by renecdote/ @renecdote (Proposal | 1,5K | Teen): when Buck put the ring in his pocket, he forgot to account for the fact that his boyfriend is a clothes thief. (Part 4 of Clothes thief Eddie my beloved<3)

the quiet of your love (after the day’s loud strife) by renecdote/ @renecdote (Married Buddie, Hurt Buck | 3K | Teen): Buck is hurt, Eddie looks after him. (Part 6 of Clothes thief Eddie my beloved<3)

holding pattern by renecdote/ @renecdote (Married Buddie | 2K | Teen): Buck volunteers to fight wildfires. Eddie stays home and worries. (Part 7 of Clothes thief Eddie my beloved<3)

a hundred little pieces by renecdote/ @renecdote (Post-Tsunami | 3K | General): The tap is bloody, the sink stained red, paper towels wadded up and abandoned in it, soaked with blood, and Eddie can taste his heart in his throat, sour and metallic, because he’s doing the math and—shit. Kitchen + blood + blood thinners = only bad things. (Multiplied by Buck, which equals Eddie’s blood pressure jumping through the roof.) (Part 1 of in your hands (my heart))

into the gravity by renecdote/ @renecdote (Getting Together | 6K | General): In which Buck takes care of Eddie. (Part 2 of in your hands (my heart))

wedding bells by renecdote/ @renecdote (Friends to Fiances | 2K | General): The background noise of the movie and the warm weight of his best friend against his side is lulling Eddie towards a nap when Buck breaks the silence. “Do you want to get married?” “Sure,” Eddie answers sleepily. “Fall wedding?” “What?” Buck frowns, and Eddie realises: oh, he meant do I want to get married generally not to him specifically. Then Buck is asking, “Why fall?”

don't leave me like this [i belong to you] by spaceprincessem/ @spaceprincessem (Getting Together, Post-S5 | 3K | Teen): “Okay, on the count of three we both spill whatever it is we need to say.” And, two things happen at once: Buck manages a I slept with Eddie last night while Chimney blurts out Maddie and I slept together. Followed by; Buck, spluttering Aren’t you and Maddie not together?? and Chim practically howling YOU SLEPT WITH EDDIE?

my fire's waitin' for your spark by spaceprincessem/ @spaceprincessem (Post-S4, Getting together | 4K | Teen): Buck is pretty sure the universe is out to get him. And it isn't even the possible concussion he’s now enduring or the fear of having to take an extra few days off of work (or the threat of vomiting on the pavement in front of the squad). No. It’s Eddie fucking Diaz still in his turn out gear shoving Chim and Hen out of the way so he can inspect Buck personally.

🔥 i gave your name as my emergency phone call by spaceprincessem/ @spaceprincessem (Post-S6 | 9K | Teen): “What about his sister?” She asks, eyes back on Eddie. “Or his almost brother-in-law. He can’t call Bobby,” she takes a step forward, arms still tight across her chest, “or Athena or all the other people in your tight little 118 circle.” Eddie stiffens as something hot and wicked licks up his spine. “Buck called—” Me. He cuts himself off before he can finish the sentence. His voice sounds harsh and possessive and protective and not at all how it should when he’s talking to his girlfriend of all people. - or buck and natalia break up. he drunk calls eddie when he's out alone

i love you best when you're just yourself by oklahoma/ @forthewolves (Established Buddie, Christmas | 2K | Teen): Buck’s having trouble picking out the perfect tree for his first Christmas with Eddie and Christopher as Eddie’s boyfriend. Eddie puts those worries to rest quickly.

can't pretend it's platonic (it's just ended) by lecornergirl/ @clusterbuck (Exes to Lovers | 2K | Teen): “Isn’t easy a good thing?” Frank had asked the last time, one day before Eddie broke up with Buck, when he was trying desperately to sort out the mess in his mind. “A lot of people describe good relationships like that. Like it feels easy.” “But it feels too easy,” Eddie tried to argue. “Like—calm before the storm kind of shit, you know what I mean?” “What do you think the storm will be?” Frank asked. Me, Eddie thought, but couldn’t make himself say. I’m the storm. I’m going to fuck it up somehow.

If This Is What The Season Is Bringing by callmenewbie/ @callmenewbie (Post-S6, Christmas | 2K | General): Buck and Eddie made a promise after Eddie decided to leave the 118 and they finally make good on it this Christmas.

wanna get married by elless (Friends to Fiances | 1,4K | General): Eddie has a fever, which means his defenses are down, and some truths slip out.

coax the cold right out of me by oklahoma / @forthewolves (Established Buddie, Hurt Buck | 2K | Teen): “You know,” Eddie begins, running his fingers through Buck’s damp, frizzy curls, “when I booked this cabin for the weekend, I had plans for us to fuck real nasty by the fire.” Buck laughs—an ugly, congested noise that sounds like it hurts when it gets caught in his chest—and tips his head back to meet Eddie’s gaze in the low light of the blazing fire. His big blue eyes are puffy and his cheeks are red, hot by the fire and chapped by the wind; he looks like a kid, almost, sitting on the floor and wrapped tight in a large, black fleece blanket with nothing beneath except a pair of boxers and fuzzy socks. “Well,” Buck croaks, “we’re still by the fire, at least.”

Re-read

🔥 Sunlight is Fire (Burning is a Matter of Degrees) by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/ @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Incubbi Buck, FWB | 10K | Explicit): In the wake of Buck's leg injury, Eddie learns that his friend needs some unusual methods to help him recover. Eddie's willing to do whatever it takes to help Buck, and it's not like this could make his quiet pining any worse, right?

🔥 Goodwill is Sent in Snapshots (You Only Get the Full Picture on Return) by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels/ @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (The Holiday AU | 14K | Mature): When both Evan Buckley and Chimney Han are dumped at the start of December, they decide to swap houses - with each other. A nice two weeks in a different location will be a great unconventional Christmas. Certainly not anything life changing. Then Buck meets Chim's next-door-neighbor, and Chim meets Buck's apartment-crashing sister.

we're not in love (but the sex is good) by elless (Canon Divergent, Nurse Eddie, FWB | 15K | Explicit): Eddie is new to LA. Feeling lonely, he goes to a bar for a drink and meets a beautiful stranger that kisses like a dream. What starts as a one night stand quickly moves to frequent no strings sex. When circumstances lead to them spending time together out of bed, Eddie realizes he’s attached to Buck in a way he never planned for.

2023 NOVEMBER POEM-A-DAY CHAPBOOK CHALLENGE: DAY 7

And as luck would have it, today is end of the first week and beginning of the Two-for-Tuesday prompts at Poetic Asides.

Write to one prompt, both prompts, and/or combine them:

Write a BIG poem, and/or...

Write a SMALL poem.

Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them.

The Thirteenth Day of Genius in Ignorance

Ignorance in Genius Maria L. Berg 2023 Today I’m trying to capture ignorance in genius and genius in ignorance. For today’s images I looked at those who have been considered geniuses or who have shown genius and thus inspired tried something new, cutting shapes out of clear filters I have drawn on. Being completely ignorant of how that would work, I did not see the genius of my efforts until I…

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Cherry Pops Under The Hood

This piece was my half of an art trade with @ricecreamart back in November 2023, starring her cast of OCs. She also did all the illustrations for this after the fact—if you're as much of a fan of plushie and mechanical stuff as I am (which, if you're one of my followers, there's a good chance), you should have a look at her work!!

The apartment was filled with all its usual signs of activity. The air inside was chilly—this deep into fall, the leaves had long since fallen and winter was beginning to butt in early. Ada hadn’t actually had to run her cooling fans in a long while, since it was cold enough even inside that her processors could be passively cooled, but she set them on low anyway. Her employers, Cherry and Nutmeg, appreciated any little bit of heat they could get, even the paltry amount that her system kicked out when she was just going about her business.

The two of them were seated at the kitchen table, snouts basking in the rising steam above their drinks. Ada relished in the mingling scents of Nutmeg’s tea and Cherry’s hot chocolate, and listened as the two of them bickered and bantered. Also as usual, Cherry was on the back foot in their flirty little playfight. Ada glanced over and saw all the tells that she was gonna be the first to get flustered: her eyes narrowed to help keep her face steady, her stubborn smile as though she was taking all of Nutmeg’s pokes and innuendos in good humor.

She smiled to herself and continued through the room, carrying a fresh load of laundry (and trying her best not to bury her face in the warm, soft fabric, another favorite new sensation of hers). She walked carefully—some component in her leg had failed recently, and the bundle of clothes was obscuring the ground in front of her feet. Though she tried to keep her gait straight, she could hear her own footsteps falling unevenly, heavy under her metal frame in spite of her padded exterior: thump-pmfsshh, thump-pmfsshh, thump-pmfsshh. One of Cherry’s ears flicked toward her and, grateful for the opportunity to retreat from Nutmeg’s teasing, she piped up.

“Hey, are you good, Ada? It sounds like one of your legs is dragging.”

“Yeah, uh…” she mumbled, her brows furrowing. “That’s a bit worse than I thought it was, actually… Here, lemme just set this down.” She dumped the clothes onto a nearby chair and, once again watching her step, ambled over to the table.

“‘ve you been having this problem long?” Cherry asked, resting her arm over the back of her chair to better face the housekeeper.

“You didn’t have to come in if you weren’t feeling well, you know,” Nutmeg added, setting her drink aside.

“Oh, I know, I just,” Ada hemmed, “I already have an appointment with the engineers that built this body for me, and y’know, they’re pretty busy… I figured, as long as I could watch where I was going, it wouldn’t be that much of a problem in the meantime.”

“Do you mind if I ask what’s wrong?” Cherry tilted her head. Ada had seen the expression before, on the number of occasions where she’d watched her fixing things up for other people—there was concern layered over it, but her interest was piqued.

“I think it’s a severed cable, the one that leads from my central nervous system to my knee. Or, maybe disconnected. I hope it’s not severed, uh. It could always be replaced, but it’d be much more of a hassle to have the whole cord unfastened and removed, and, y’know, it’s better to just not get damaged in the first place. Uh—”

“Do you want me to take a look at that for you?”

“Um.” Ada hesitated. Her fans, subtly, spun up. She hadn’t been examined by anybody besides the doctors and mechanics that had put her in her new body. For how many times they checked and double-checked her, from tip to tail and from paw to prow, that she’d be used to having someone poking around in her body, but… The last check-up had been months and months ago, before they were confident they could let her live on her own after the transition.

Plus, they were doctors, and it would feel… it would feel very different to have her friend get so close to her. Other than a doctor, it would actually be the first time anyone had gotten so close. But she had spent a good deal of time with Cherry since moving here, and she’d seen firsthand how good she was with her tools… Her fans spun yet faster; it occurred to her that they were becoming audible. Nutmeg’s eyes flicked between the two of them, which Cherry didn’t notice, but made Ada realize how long she’d been trying to think of what to say.

“Sure?” Okay, maybe she should have spent longer thinking about it. Nutmeg’s eyebrow jumped a full inch. “BUT, uh, c-ould we maybe? Do that in private? It feels a little… I don’t know, embarrassing. To have to strip and everything.”

“Oh, well, yeah. I mean, I wouldn’t ask you to get naked in the middle of the living room! C’mon, we can just do it in the den, you already know where my setup is.” She hopped out of her chair and, casually as anything, sauntered over to the den to wait for Ada to strip down to bare metal for her. Ada glanced back at Nutmeg; the wry smile she wore when she’d been pushing Cherry’s buttons was halfway back on her face—or maybe just half-concealed.

“You’ll be in good paws, sweetie,” she assured Ada, doing absolutely nothing to settle her nerves. Her wires. Whatever. “Do you need me to help you walk over there?”

“N-no, that’ll be—I’ll be fine, I just have to be careful. But thank you! Thank you, um,” she stuttered, eventually opting to just follow Cherry after realizing she wasn’t going to get any less awkward under the tanuki’s gaze. When she walked into the den, Cherry glanced over her shoulder.

“Just go ahead and get comfortable up here,” she said, patting a spot on the table. As she went back to rooting through toolboxes, she continued. “You said it was your knee, right? So you shouldn’t actually have to strip down. I promise I’m not gonna, like, look up your skirt.”

“Well, no, but—It’s not the c-clothes I’m worried about—well, I guess I’m worried about the clothes, too, um. Okay, just, you’ll see.” She turned away from Cherry—not that she was even looking. Gosh, why did this worry her so much?—and bent down to reach under her skirt. She fumbled for a moment before her paw found a zipper; she pulled gently, working it around the circumference of her hip joint, and began to roll down the now-freed fabric casing that sat over her metal frame. When it was about halfway down her calf, leaving her thigh and knee bare, she padded over next to Cherry and sat down on the table.

“Alright, are you—oh,” Cherry interrupted herself, finally looking over from her tools and seeing the exposed mechanisms. “Ohhh, I see, okay. My bad,” she apologized, rubbing the back of her neck. “When you said you had to strip, I thought you meant… your clothes. I forgot the fuzzy bits are separate, haha.”

“Oh, t-thats, totally fine,” Ada managed, unable to look Cherry in the eyes.

“I think I just, consider it… like, it’s your face, right? It’s like if you were trying to think of my skin as a separate entity from the rest of me. When I think of ‘Ada’, that’s just, what you look like.” Ada finally turned her head, just about at eye level with Cherry from her seated position. Their eyes lingered on each other for a moment; Cherry’s expression was still somewhat sheepish after the little misunderstanding, and something flickered behind Ada’s eyes that approached doubtfulness. Disbelief. Then a little smile broke on her face, and there was something very soft in them instead, softer even than her plush exterior. 

“That… means a lot to hear, actually,” she half-whispered, her eyes drifting downward. “Sometimes I still have to remind myself of it, but you’re right. This is me. It’s just, it’s almost a pleasant surprise every time I re-realize it, y’know? Like it’s too good to be true.”

“Oh, god, do I understand that,” Cherry chuckled, shoulders relaxing in the mercifully-broken tension. But hey,” she said, drawing their eyes back together. “you kinda get used to it after a while. Not in a way where it stops being fun, though!. Like, you still wake up some days, and it’s like it’s Christmas, but it doesn’t shock you like you’d lost track of the date, right? You still get to be you—it’s still awesome every time you remember ‘dude, this is your life now’—but you don’t forget that you’re you in the meantime. Y’know?”

“I can imagine. I get closer every day, I think. Physical… snags, like this one, remind me a lot of how things were before, but… I guess I have you for that now, right?”

“Right!” Cherry slapped a fist down into her open palm. “We’re gonna get you good as new in no time. You ready?”

“I-I think I am! Uh—” she stammered, pressing down her skirt between her legs. “Okay, now I’m ready!” Cherry giggled, then looked at her lap and back up at her.

“...Do your clothes even come off?”

“Sure! If. You take the rest of me off, too.” They stared at each other for another half a breath and cracked up again. That’s bedside fuckin’ manner, babey!! Cherry was doing a kickass job at this robot doctor thing already. She kneeled down, still giggling, to get a closer look at the laggy limb.

“Woooahh,” she mused, face-to-face with Ada’s bare knee. Her eyes were wide and sparkling like the robot had shone a little red laser dot on the floor in front of her. “Oh my god, Ada. I know we were just talking about how cool it is to be you, like, with a capital B and Y, but you really are an amazing piece of work!” She gushed for a minute straight about the suspension, a thick spring coiled around Ada’s stand-in for a tibia and fibula, which Cherry could see extending down the remainder of her leg underneath the metal sheath and the remaining fabric cover; that was to say nothing of the hydraulic struts that extended behind and above her knee, powering her locomotion.

“I kind of don’t want to touch anything there… at least, not if we can help it. I’m not gonna say I couldn’t do it—I’m pretty good, y’know,” she added with a flicked ear and a raised eyebrow. “Buuut, it’d definitely be more complicated to fix than a connection issue would, so let’s look around for that first, right?”

“Sure, sure. It should be higher up in my thigh. Thhhhhhat panel,” she recalled after some deliberation, pointing to a plate of metal on the inside of her leg, “should come off.” Cherry produced a screwdriver from her pool of tools and dutifully levered the compartment open, finding… well, it was much cleaner than she’d expected.

“Huh. I guess I gotta give ‘em points for wire management? I can see a couple other big cables running through here, but they’re all on the other side. This one seems to be the only one that runs to the upper leg. Kinda seems like putting all your eggs in one basket, though… If something happens with this wire, poof! There goes your whole thigh.”

“Just like now,” Ada sighed.

“Why would they do it like that?”

“It’s supposed to be like the femoral artery,” she huffed. “If you ask me, the human body is the last thing to be taking design inspiration from, but the engineers liked how tidy it was, and the doctors thought I was complicated enough as it was. They agreed that mirroring the bigger anatomical landmarks would make it so a non-specialist doctor could at least try to treat me.”

“Who the hell studies medicine and engineering?” Cherry muttered, peering further down into Ada’s chassis. “I can see it all the way to the end, though. Like, with a plug and everything still attached. It must’ve just come loose, so all I gotta do is—”

“NyaaAAAA—” Ada squealed. Her paws flew to her mouth; her fans revved full-force. Cherry’s claw had barely grazed the cable, but it felt like she had just rubbed her paw all the way along the inside of her thigh.

“Ah!! Did that hurt? Are you okay?” She looked up at Ada and saw the flustered expression half-hidden behind her paws. She felt a rush of air from the opening to the inside of Ada’s furry casing and realized that she was burning up. “...Oh.”

“I-I’m. Yeah, f-fine,” the mortified android managed, squeezing her eyes shut. “It was just, um. Sensitive. Sorry.”

“Oh, no, it’s no problem!! I should’ve looked a little bit more before leaping, I guess. I’m just,” she finished, bowing her own head again to hide the blush spreading across her own cheeks, “glad you’re alright. Lemme try it with some pliers instead—I’ll be more gentle this time.” She fished out a needle-nosed pair and, gripping the bundle of wire just beneath the plug, slowly finagled it into the socket.

Cherry instructed Ada to flex her knee; she could, just fine. She asked her to extend it, and she did, no problem! She rolled her ankle around next, even though it wasn’t originally the problem, just to make sure Cherry hadn’t accidentally knocked anything else loose while she was down there. She slowly snapped the panel back into place—this time, Ada had braced herself, and though she couldn’t look Cherry in the eye while she was working down there, she barely made a peep this time. They finally emerged from the den, Cherry holding the door open so Ada could make sure she could get around without difficulty again, and were met with Nutmeg eyeing the two of them over her mug.

“Did something go wrong?” She asked, voice full of exaggerated concern—after all, Ada was walking just fine.

“In my workshop?" Cherry gloated. "C'mon. It was just a loose cable. You’ll make sure not to flex your leg too far in the future, right, Ada?”

“Right!”

“Oh, good!” Nutmeg continued. “So, if you didn’t make a mistake in there, I assume you meant to make her squeak like that?” she asked, taking a slow sip of her tea and staring Cherry dead in the eye.

“Y’know,” she forced out, putting her best poker face back on. “I think I’m gonna take Ada to the park, just to put her through her paces. Doesn’t that sound nice, Ada?”

“Huh? I wasn’t done cleani—”

“Awesome! We’ll be back in a bit, Meg,” she growled, nearly shoving the girl out the door in front of her.

It wasn’t long before Cherry realized that she’d escaped from Nutmeg’s coolheaded quips without thinking to take a sweater—she’d jumped out of the fridge and into the freezer, with the way the weather had been recently. Ada offered to turn her fans up, and Cherry stayed nice and close to her (which was very, very easy, with how soft her exterior was). While the two of them walked laps to keep their servos warm and their blood circulating, they talked about all kinds of things. A simple “you mentioned ‘how things were before’” turned into swapping backstories: how Cherry got into tinkering with machines, how Ada got into a machine.

Of course, they had plenty of common ground, from the realization that things could be different, and the freedom that came with it, to the malaise that it had freed them from. Cherry managed to keep things light; like she’d said earlier, things only went uphill from the start of journies like theirs, and she was rarely without a crack that would break the gloom of a bad memory. It got dark faster than they expected, but it had more to do with how much fun they were having together than the shortening days. When it got too cold for Cherry to stand staying out any longer, the two of them walked back to the front door of her apartment building.

“Y’know,” she said when they arrived, “you didn’t have to walk me all the way home. It’s almost like the end of a date, or something.”

“What, with how much you and Nutmeg flirt while I’m around? It couldn’t be!” She froze; and Cherry felt the air around her begin to thaw. “Wait, could it be? Cherry, was this supposed to be a date??”

“I was just kidding, bestie, you don’t have to go critical on me. Usually, you get up under a girl’s skirt at the end of a date, right?”

“C-c’mon!” she cried, screwing her eyes shut again. “It wasn’t like that!!”

“I know, I know!” Cherry laughed. “Hey, c’mon. I promise it’s not like it’s gonna be weird or anything. Doctor-patient confidentiality, or whatever, right? But hey,” she said more softly, reaching for Ada’s paw. She paused before touching her, waiting for her to nod in confirmation before just going and grabbing things, this time. “We could make it a date, next time! If you want, anyway.”

“U-um. Yeah. Yeah!” There was a growing, fully snow-free circle spreading from Ada’s feet, at this point. “T-that would be, it’d be awesome! I would love that!!”

“Great! You know the door’s always open for you, bestie. See you soon?”

“I’m already scheduled to come over again in a few days!!”

“Sooner? I’m on my way to face the music. I was definitely losing to Nutmeg earlier. If you bail me out before she literally pushes me up against the wall, we can call it even for helping you out today.” Ada’s brow furrowed, a little concerned.

“She’s not… literally pushing you around, right?”

“Oh, no! I’m constantly asking for it. Literally, most of the time. I wouldn’t even complain if she did it tonight, but like… it’s the principle. I gotta save face after getting dressed-down in front of a guess like that, y’know?”

“Well, that makes two of us getting exposed in front of our friends, right? At least you aren’t alone.”

“Ha! Sorry again about that. But hey, maybe we can do that on purpose next time too, right?” She could see Ada freezing up again, and blew her a kiss goodbye to save her the trouble of finding her words again, ducking back inside; she could hear the air whooshing around outside all the way until she got back to the elevator.

plus a little bit of an epilogue for you =^w^=

I hope you enjoyed!! The transgender plushie robot catgirl is very near and dear to my heart. I know, I know, total shock. If you're interested in more of my writing you can have a look here and here. And please check Robin out too!! She's crazy talented and is the one who came up with Ada in the first place so

Sorry for the early morning rant but ugh we had a rough night last night. Our dishwasher has been broken for quite some time with no communication from the property on when it’ll be fixed or replaced. We’ve had to make time to hand wash dishes on top of us both working 9 hour shifts everyday and our usual daily chores of (vacuuming, taking out the trash, wiping down surfaces with bleach, steam mopping the floors, and up until last night doing laundry). Last night our laundry washer not only crapped out and stopped going through it’s cleaning cycles it also backed up with what looks and smells like sewage water. The smell is so strong it’s making Dean’s existing nasal infection (brought on by the unaddressed mold and ventilation issues in the apartment) even worse. They’re so hoarse they can barely be heard after being up all night coughing. We are at our wits end right now.

We went through the application process for a new apartment that lasted for about 3 months of back and forth. We managed to raise enough money to pay the insane fees to apply to the apartment which were $300 for the applications, administrative fee, and holding fee and and the $1,810 deposit for the guarantor company we had to apply with because we couldn’t raise enough to pay down our credit debt accounts in time. The apartment approved us based on the proof of income given and then radio silence until we happened to check the apartments website and notice the apartment we had paid to apply to and reserve was back on the market. We called them to get an explanation since nothing was communicated to us after the approval. After basically dragging it out of them over the course of another week of back and forth the property manager explained that corporate decided to revoke our approval because Dean works through a staffing agency so they couldn’t take Deans income as valid. An insane concept all things considered. Money is money.

So there we were fully packed and no longer with anywhere to go.

Our lease end was fast approaching and we had no other option but to extend the lease here from the end date of November 2023 to the end date of February 2024 and try to pay off the $11,210 in collections that was dragging our scores down to the point that no apartment would approve our application despite a near perfect rental history (no evictions, lease violations, or even complaints) and at the times of applying perfectly qualifiable and verifiable income based on the 3X rent rule.

Our plan is to try to pay $1,868/month towards this total of debt collections in order to have them cleared and letters of payment available to apply for an apartment that checks every single box we were looking for in a new place. The minimum score requirement for this apartment is 599. We are both about 50 points from that as of today.

Currently our non negotiable expenses per month are as listed

Rent $1,680 (this will increase to $3,025.99 starting November 18th)

Renters insurance $30.50 (required according to the lease. A lapse in coverage results in fees charged by property)

Phone bill $350 (mine, Dean’s work and personal, and my disabled MIL lines)

Light bill $110 (this is with budget billing in place)

Pet insurance $40 (we have a cat for our anxiety)

Food shopping $400 (this includes both human and cat food as well as travel expenses to get to and from an affordable grocery store to do the big shop once a month because we do not have a car or if that option is not feasible then to pay for grocery delivery through Shipt)

Medical expenses $600 (at minimum, sometimes more) (Sertraline x2, Ritalin, Quetiapine, Duloxetine, Labs and blood work, Testosterone, and immunotherapy.)

Toiletries $75 ish (pads, tissue, soap, toothpaste, laundry detergent, dish soap/pods, cleaning suppplies)

Totaling $3,285.50/month (until November when this will increase to $4,631.49)

Currently we are both working full time jobs, no health insurance, no car, no savings.

After taxes we bring in a combined income of $5,050/month and as shown above $3,285 of that is unavoidably spoken for until November to February when $4,631.49 of that will be spoken for.

All this to say that we do not have room to pay off the necessary debt that would allow us to apply to, get approved for, and move into a new apartment within our budget and needs. We would really appreciate any kind of help that could be given. We just really want to be in a place that doesn’t make our already pretty bad health issues even worse. In addition, we want to be able to know that what we are bringing in will be enough to support ourselves without the overwhelming worry of “will we need to crowdfund and borrow this month?” and “will it be enough?”

If you’ve read this far thank you so much and please consider reblogging and sharing this and/or donating!

First Look: The Ford Mustang GT California Special

Standing out on the road has been a hallmark of the Mustang for 59 years. And now, as Mustang prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary, Ford is putting a modernspin on the California Special.

The California Special package features Rave Blue details. The signature color appears on the nostril intakes, which flank a new horizontal-slat grille complete with low gloss black strakes. The headlights are surrounded by black bezels while Mustang GT California Special-specific graphics in Medium Light Rave Blue and High- and Low-Gloss Black appear on the lower body sides.

The California Special package is available with two 19.0-inch wheel options. The standard Carbonized Gray wheels have a GT/CS pad-printed logo in Rave Blue, while the optional Performance Pack wheel combines a machined face with Rave Blue pockets. The 5.0-liter engine badge on the front fenders and the GT badge at the back add Rave Blue outlines to black centers – like the GT Performance Package, there is a Performance Pack-specific badge. The GT/CS badge in the grille is also finished in Rave Blue.

Blue accents are prominent throughout the California Special package’s interior, where perforated Navy Pier upholstery and Ebony Black leather covers the seats. Further elevating its style is dual-color contrast stitching with Raptor Blue and Metal Gray threads that extend to the dash and doors. The same stitching is also available for the steering wheel and center console. A California Special IP badge and GT/CS floor mats round out the interior changes.

The California Special package adds $1,995 to the price of a Mustang GT Premium and is available in Coupe and Convertible body styles with either the six-speed manual gearbox or the optional 10-speed automatic transmission.

The 2024 Mustang GT California Special makes its public debut on November 16 at the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show.

November 8th, 2023

Cochineal (Dactylopius coccus)

Distribution: Mainly found in tropical and subtropical regions; from South America northward to the Southern USA.

Habitat: Deserts and arid areas; found on prickly pear cacti.

Diet: Herbivorous endoparasite; nymphs and female adults feeds mainly on the moisture and nutrients from its host plant, most commonly the prickly pear cactus. Males do not eat.

Description: The cochineal is most well-known for being the insect from which carmine dye is produced. This insect contains large amounts of carmine acid which, when extracted, can produce beautiful dyes ranging from scarlet to crimson. Due to their sessile lifestyle, cochineals are easily swept up from their host plants, after which they are dried and crushed into powder. It takes around 70,000 cochineals to make one pound of dye.

Cochineals spend the majority of their life on one prickly pear cactus or another. The female will feed on the cactus pad, piercing its thick cuticle with her beak-like mouthparts. Once fertilized, she lays her eggs on the same cactus pad, hatching little purple nymphs. After a certain point, the nymphs will form long wax filaments and move to the edge of the cactus pad, where the wind will take them to a new host. At maturity, only males have wings, but they live only to reproduce then die.

(Images by Frank Vincentz and Vahe Martirosyan)