#Like I'm still getting comments on that post I made

[winndycakes]

Winndy Rambles And Gushes About Chuck Tingle

Wanted to ramble a little about one of my favorite authors, creators and overall just super rad people; Chuck Tingle.

Like many people, when I first heard of Chuck, I took him as some sort of meme. A troll, a joke, someone not to be taken seriously. After all, the majority of his works are "silly short erotica stories around dinosaurs, cryptids and even living concepts and items". How COULD this be serious? It's a question I asked before, years ago, and one that many still do to this day.

One holiday season, a friend had made a post on FaceBook saying "first five people to comment I'll gift you a book". So I did. The book I got was a physical copy of the "Space Raptor Butt Invasion Trilogy" by Chuck Tingle. Since I had a book of Tingle's now, I really had no excuse to not read it for myself.

Erotica normally isn't my thing (I'm pretty ace and grey aro too), but very quickly, I was charmed by the prose. As you read Chuck's stories, there's a fact that becomes very apparent. Chuck Tingle is a great writer, a really great writer. How he writes, how the words flow together, one sentence going into the next. The characters, the plot, the little bits of lore, dialogue and all he puts in... You quickly begin to see; this is NOT a joke.

It is not a meme. He is not trolling you. It is art. Passionate, sincere, genuine art. And it's beautiful. The more you read, the more definitive it gets.

I will admit, I have read aloud many a Tingler for friends and others in Discord servers, both to share my joy of Tingle with others, but also, it is fun to look at how different his works are. It's fine to laugh along with them even.

The moment that really was like... angels singing, light shining down and there's bishi sparkles and a heavenly soft pink background appearing for me though was the summer Chuck Tingle released on of his first full novella's; "Trans Wizard Harriet Porber and the Bad Boy Parasaurolophus". Like many, I was crushed and gutted at JKR's extreme turn to committing to transphobia (and of course the hindsight of realizing... the HP books and universe were not as kind and welcoming as I remembered growing up). So when Chuck Tingle (in one weekend mind you) came out with a 50k novel affirming trans people and their belonging in not just queer spaces, but being on this Earth, as fellow human beings, it was... affirming. It was the welcoming feeling I had gotten with the original HP books all those years ago, but it was real. (Also please read both Trans Wizard Harriet Porber books. They're delightful, fun and the magic system Tingle creates is so, so cool and interesting).

The next thing that got me just mega hype for Tingle was his first foray into horror; "Straight". "Straight" is Tingle's answer to the ever popular trope and genre of zombies and the apocalypse that comes with them, and what a fun turn of tables he takes on them. Zombies in the Tingleverse are not undead beings, they're not humans afflicted by a virus, instead a strange cosmic event happens once a year, when one night, all cishet people on Earth get this animalistic, violent urge to brutally harm and even kill all queer people. I won't get too spoilery about it but it is a very fun romp, and as someone who has been fatigued by zombies, it is a welcome new perspective.

Not long after this, Chuck came out with two full, traditionally published horror novels; "Camp Damascus" and "Bury Your Gays". Both are very different experiences in horror, both a joyful celebration of being queer and your authentic self even in the face of those looking to silence you, permanently if they must. I had the pleasure of meeting Chuck (twice!) while he was on tour for both of these books, getting my copies signed (along with my copies of the Trans Wizard duology and my beloved copy of the Space Raptor trilogy) and was able to tell Tingle myself just how important he is to someone like me; another queer autistic creator. (I was also one of the few people to win the little mini games he gave, twice, but that's a different story).

Ultimately that is what I am trying to get at. Growing up, and even for all of my 20s, there wasn't really someone like Tingle. Someone unabashedly authentic, themselves, queer, open and imo most importantly, joyously so. One is often told "just be yourself" but that can be hard to do when it seems like the world is against you for one reason or another.

Seeing a creator like Chuck shows how important it is to have such a presence in the world, and I was glad I got to tell him myself. I've had a lot of hardships in life, a lot of losses, a lot of grief, but someone like Chuck is there to tell you to keep trotting and remind you; Love Is Real.

And that's truly the ending message:

Love Is Real.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

In Regards To Your 2024 Summary:

Holy shit it’s been another year????? The hell?????

Also! Your art style is gorgeous and that being found in 2023 and then refined throughout late 2023 and the entirety of 2024 really shows, as does your growth in panel layouts, perspective, and — as you said — experimentation. If you ever post your animation or video game art I’m looking forward to it.

As cheesy as it sounds, being able to laugh at funny comics and look at all the details of your art really made my 2024 brighter, even when things were hard. Including looking at your older art— it doesn’t need to be new to be enjoyable! I’m glad your art is well loved and it’s a privilege to have been here since the (near) beginning. I hope you take care of yourself in 2025 and beyond!

You and your art bring a lot of people a lot of joy never forget that <3

Thank you so much for keeping up with my art journey throughout these last two years! Two years!!! I am baffled at how that feels both too long and too short!

Admittedly, my art summary didn't manage to capture the fact that I did a lot of comic layouts that I'm really proud of. I also drew more backgrounds and made some very detailed works (*Dungeon Meshi spoilers for these examples*).

The growth is lot more evident when comparing my 'best' comics of 2023 to 2024:

Sometimes the growth is vertical, sometimes it is horizontal - and damn, sometimes it goes out of sight into the Z-plane. But it is always happening!

[shiny-jr]

PLAGIARISM UPDATE!

So, maybe I should not have said: "Hopefully this will have been the last we see of plagiarizer Kristynaka1." Perhaps from the exterior it may have seemed like it's been over, but it hasn't. Again, I've tried to deal with this silently in the background. However, my hands are tied at this point and I believe it's best to go public with this once again.

Let's rewind it a bit, shall we? In order to give y'all the full picture of what is going on.

DECEMBER 26, 2024

The story containing the plagiarism is deleted. Oh, what a joyous day. I had figured that would be the end of it, as there's nothing left to do but move on. But, as usual, I was proven wrong.

DECEMBER 27, 2024

I was made aware of an announcement post the plagiarizer made which I will share here. Keep in mind, to my knowledge I was still blocked but others alerted me and shared evidence with me.

Not too long after, I receive a message in my inbox. A message that states they were a neutral user on the issue but accused me of bullying.

I was initially suspicious of this message, but I decided to take their words into consideration. I asked others of their honest thoughts and opinions, because I genuinely wanted to know if I did anything wrong. Most agreed that the user truly didn't sound like they were a neutral party, and that it was likely the plagiarizer themself or a friend of theirs.

Later, I received a dm with practically the same message.

So what do I do? I block them. Perhaps that was wrong of me, and they accuse me of doing the same that they did when they blocked me. But I ask you to consider. Why would I want to continue to entertain this notion of accusations and messages when the ordeal is supposed to be over?

It's around this point where I'm notified by others that comments are continuously being made to defend me. These comments were appearing on the plagiarizer's Wattpad profile, often arguing with the plagiarizer only to get their commented deleted or profile blocked. But it was slowly and continuous. Which is one of the main reasons I am making this post, and is something I will address towards the end in more detail.

Later, I am notified by a few people that the user seen in the screenshot above, let's refer them to as IDK, was messaging multiple users asking for help and their opinion on the matter. IDK created a post accusing me of bullying. While these are heavy accusations, I personally see no truth in them. Again, since I had asked the honest opinion of others earlier when first messaged in my inbox.

Not too long after, I receive another very similar message in my inbox from an anon user. I don't even try to entertain it. I block the user, because at this point, it has become a form of spam or harassment.

The first comment and like on the bullying accusation post was made by a user named Kryllia. Basically they seemed to support what was said in the post. I bring them up because the post happened on a profile with no other posts or visible likes or reblogs. And if you see the current comments, which I won't show here because there are too many, their manner of speech is very similar to Kristynaka's own. Which is why I believe it might be an alt account or a friend of theirs. I also believe this because this account is blocked from my view, and I don't recall ever manually blocking this user, so it must've been them who sent one of the messages in my inbox on anon.

Anyways, those that were messaged by IDK and alerted me, informed me that their own opinions did not align with this new user's claim of neutrality. The post gained a bit of attention, but I attempted to do some damage control by messaging users privately to please keep this under wraps as I didn't want this spiraling out of hand. To which they all obliged and were very respectful.

I had assumed that this would fizzle out and nothing would happen. I was wrong. Now I had users alerting me to comments being made on Tumblr and on Wattpad.

DECEMBER 28, 2024

Now is probably a good time to bring up Teenfic.net and Penana. Just to remind you all. Some research was done and we found both the user and the copied stories on these sites. DO NOT go to these sites, as they are both ridden with malware!

Teenfic appears to be a mirror site that copies stories from Wattpad, so it likely saw the story from Wattpad and copied it. While Penana is a smaller and highly suspicious website where the plagiarizer likely created an account and posted the copied story since they were banned off Quotev and the story was taken off Wattpad. I'm not too concerned with Penana, since it's also full of malware and there's hardly any traction.

I will take the time to say that if you see any stories that are highly similar to mine, please make me aware privately before doing anything else! I imagine this plagiarizer will continue to use other people's work and claim it as their own. I will bring this up again later with more screenshots.

JANUARY 2, 2025

I'm notified by others that the user Kryllia has commented on the bullying accusation post again. Now, after reading their recent comments, they sound more and more like the plagiarizer Kristynaka. However, I'll let you be the judge of that.

So from the looks of it, their plan is to get my account deleted and also to feed original work into AI and claim the result as their own work. Which is not how writing works.

JANUARY 3, 2025

Today I made the decision to finally go public with this information. However, not for the reason y'all may suspect. I want to be honest with my readers. Although I truly believe there is no reason for my account to be banned, I just wanted to put this out there in case it does happen.

Most importantly, the main reason I wanted to make this post was because I want to discourage anymore interactions with the plagiarizer or their alts/friends. Please, no more comments or posts about it. While I appreciate any attempts that were made to defend me, I would like them to stop now as this is only prolonging the conflict. However, if anything does come up, please message me privately.

I would like this to stop, and the situation to end. I realize that it may not go according to plan, but I would rather not acknowledge anything else said by the plagiarizer or her proxies anymore unless the need to arises again.

Thank you to my readers and anyone reading this post. As I said above, please do not engage in any interactions with them, and I encourage you to share this post in the possible scenario that Kristynaka really does uses AI to copy from my works or others again in the future.

[clevercatchphrase]

I have another webcomic site that I want to add to the Beware section. The site in question is called fanon.co. My issues with this site are numerous, so I have put it under a read more to spare you the scrolling, but there is a TL;DR at the bottom.

Late last September, a deviantart account called Fancomics-official contacted me through the notes asking me to check out their new website, fanon.co, and prompted me to post my undertale fan comic, ghost switch, to their site.

I gave the site a cursory look but wasn't impressed, so I clicked away and left it at that. Two days later, the deviantart account contacted me again still asking for feedback, so I made a burner account and dug a little deeper on the site, but came back with several concerns.

I shared these concerns on fanon.co's public deviantart page but, sensing that this website may not be trusted, I saved the screen shots to the internet archive, and I'm very glad I did, because less than 4 days later my comments were deleted and the deviantart account was terminated. (I am assuming self-terminated, but I cannot be sure.) Also, I do not know why, but the screenshots don't seem to be loading correctly on the wayback machine. You CAN see that the screen grab is there, and it will load for a quick second, but then the website goes white. Does anyone know why this happens? Either way, knowing that my scathing review was likely to get deleted, I saved my own screenshots to my personal computer and have them below.

DISCLAIMER: These comments were written and posted on September 30th, 2024. The information in these comments, especially around the terms of service and privacy policy, were accurate and true to the information provided on fanon.co at the time of writing. If their terms of service are different now, it means the website has been updated since. The terms of service page and privacy page were also screen grabbed on September 30th, and can be viewed on the wayback machine here and here, respectively.

Text reads;

Hello, fancomics-official. While I appreciate the invitation to post my fan comic, Ghost Switch, to your website, I will have to decline for several reasons. You asked for feedback in the note you sent me, and I would like to share it publicly so other creators thinking about hosting their comics on your site will be able to see my issues and concerns.

But before I get into that, let me list the two positives I have with the site. 1) I like about the site; I do like how you have a "Read the original here" link for comics based off fan fics, or comics originally posted to webtoons. I wish every comic features there had the "read the original here" that would like to the original da/tumblr comic. I also wish this link was bigger and at the top of the page. 2) I also appreciate declaring when a comic was made with AI tools so I know to avoid them.

Some minor additions I would like to see; 1)time stamps of some kind that lets me know when a comic was posted/last updated. I use dates and timestamps to determine the "activeness" of users on other sites, and it lets me know if a comic is still in progress or has been abandoned. 2) the ability to change or turn off the little witch flying towards the golden snitch at the top of the page. It's a little too big and distracting. 3)add a block feature that will hide another creator's comic from me completely and prevent them from seeing any of my works.

Now for my major criticisms.

First off, please add a Light Mode toggle. I know dark more is popular with a majority of people, but reading bright white text on a solid black background was hurting my eyes when I was reading your Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Also, please make the text bigger on your terms of service and privacy policy pages. It is so oddly small, and again, difficult to [read.]

Text reads (continuing at new paragraph);

Second, speaking of your Terms of Service, I would like to see more clarification in how fanon.co would like to use creator's work. When clicking around the site I quickly discovered you promote the use of AI [generated artwork]. You even appear to be in apro-AI group here on DA. Under your "User Content and Intellectual Property Rights" section of your terms, it states "By displaying User content, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide irrevocable, sub licensable license to use, reproduce, adapt, public, translate, and distribute it in any and all media." Does this mean you would feed my art work into an AI generator without my permission? Does this mean you would compile my artwork into a book and publish it without asking me first? Does this mean you would turn my comic into a video dub and monetize it on youtube without my consent? This statement is very vague and is a red flag to me. I know you say in the sentence prior that "You own all rights to the User Content you create and post to this platform", but the truth is, the very nature of transformative fanworks is such a legal grey area, you can't in good faith assert this. You claim I may 100% ow my fanwork, but I really don't. I don't legally own the core characters in my Undertale fancomic. Undertale's creator, Toby Fox, does. And while Toby may be very supportive of fanworks, he could absolutely send a cease and desist to my comic if it was being used to generate revenue without his permission, and he'd be in his full legal right to do so. The Walt Disney Company has been known to send CADs to fan artists who sell prints and unlicensed merch of their characters. Fan fic authors have been sued in the past for sharing stories for free because they used characters from a property they didn't [own].

Text reads (continuing from penultimate line in top paragraph);

The idea that posting my comic to your site would automatically give you a license to use it however you wish does not fill me with confidence.

Third. Add a "Terminate Account" button somewhere on the user settings page. I created a throw away account to see behind the scenes and quickly realized I couldn't delete the account I made.

Fourth. I would like to see more transparency about who owns and runs fanon.co on your site somewhere. Is there a reason you don't want users to know you're based out of India? While researching your privacy policy I noticed all the copyright laws you mentioned were under India's legal guidelines. You also don't mention it here on your deviantART account, twitter, instagram or tiktok. Your reddit seems to be suspended, which is a yellow flag for me. The fact that you are not forthcoming about this does not fill me with confidence, and I feel like an American's understanding of fair use/copyright law may come into conflict with India's fair use, copyright law and usage rights.

Fifth. You are just... "too new" for me to feel confident about using your site. I can't find anything about you before this year, so you don't feel vetted yet. Your terms state that you have stakeholders, which makes me [think the site is monetized in someway that i can't see.]

Text reads (continued from 4th line in top paragraph);

You also require someone to make an account to read the comics hosted there which just doesn't make sense to me. Why would readers create an entire new account on an entirely new website to read comics when a majority of these comics can already be read on other sites for free? I won't be pushing an audience to a new site when they're already comfortable right here, and I don't see the need to post my comic to yet another site that I'd have to maintain and keep track of.

Thanks again for your interest, but I will not be using fanon.co any time soon. I do hope you improve and find the userbase who loves you.

As I stated earlier, a few days after I left this review, fancomics-official deleted my comment and terminated their account. I've been keeping tabs on the site, and a little more than 2 months later, they updated the socials on the bottom of fanon.co's homepage to link to a new (backup) deviantart account, now under the name thisisfanon. this is also the name they go by here on tumblr, though they are not very active.

TL;DR:

Everything about fanon.co just feels... off and sketchy to me. I cannot find any information on them prior to march 2024. In short, my issues summed up in no particular order are;

You cannot read any fan comic on their site without making an account, which seems like it is defeating the point. You can read comics on tumblr, da, webtoons, and other comic sites without making an account or even logging in, and a lot of comics on Fanon.co started on these websites instead

Once you make an account, there is no clear way of deleting your account aside from maybe contacting the web developers directly and asking them to terminate it for you (and I do not even know if they will do this. I'm keeping my burner to keep tabs on them)

There is a lack of transparency on how they wish to use your artwork. While they don't outright say that they will feed your art to an AI model, they do not deny they won't do this anywhere either, and since they happily allow and promote comics made with AI, I do not believe any comic posted there is safe in their hands.

Lack of basic features like a light mode toggle, or a block button.

Lack of transparency on how the site makes money. It claims to have stakeholders, so I assume fanon.co is being monetized in some way, but there are no sign-up fees, subscription models or ads from what I have seen, which leads me to believe they are using user information and artwork to generate revenue somehow without disclaiming it.

Lack of transparency on ownership. Just because the website isn't based in the USA doesn't automatically make it suspicious. DeviantART has it's address in Ireland, and Royal Road (an original fiction/webnovel website) is based in Israel, and I have used both sites with confidence because these two sites are very clear and open about it. Fanon.co's ownership almost feels intentionally obfuscated to me, and since it's an entire website based on fan work featuring characters, settings, and plot lines that we fans do not own, I feel like this could be a copyright nightmare if the wrong IP holder got mad at a fan comic and wanted to pursue legal action against the artist. I do not believe fanon.co has the ability or inclination to protect fan artists who live outside of India since our copyright laws are different.

All in all, comic artist, especially those making fan comics, beware of this new website until it's been around long enough to be trusted. Always read the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service in every site you join!!

Webcomic platforms can help get your comic published when you want something quick and easy to start out! They generally share a few qualities:

They format everything in a basic way so you don't have to do much set up your own space to look nice on web/mobile

They have no fee to publish your comics there, because you are using their web hosting

They may get your comic in front of other readers with mobile apps or online catalogs

If you meet their criteria, you may also be able to find hosting with digital comic stores, publishers, and collectives, and this may get you a bit more in the way of money, promotional opportunities, or editor assistance.

Even if you choose to host your website on its own webhost with a comic CMS, you might also consider finding a platform that aligns with your comic goals and "mirroring" your pages there.

In this post, we look at all the webcomic platforms out there we could find in our research!

This post may be updated as time goes on as new platforms enter the hosting arena, or other important updates come to light.

Questions:

💻 Everyone uses social media, could I just use that as a platform for my comic? - One-shot or strip comics without a continuous story that can be read in any order can do okay on social media, and people have adapted Tumblr to display a series of pages. But for continuous long-form stories, social media platforms are better for keeping your readers updated and general promotion.

📚 Wait, what if I want to build my own website and drive people there? - We have another masterlist of website hosts for that!

🕵️���♀️What kinds of restrictions can I expect? - Many comic platforms have restrictions on NSFW content, links to other sites, or could be invite/application-only. We've tried to note those on the cards, as well as a list of comic platforms that have predatory business practices at the very end that we recommend avoiding. Always do your research!

Webcomic Platforms

Webtoon Canvas

Tapas

Webtoon Originals

SpiderForest Webcomic Collective

Hiveworks

ComicFury

The Duck

Saturday AM

GlobalComix

NamiComi

DillyHub

Shrine Comics

[catsushinyakajima]

KLANCE FIC RECS FOR THE NEW YEARS RECAP PART ONE

2024 has come to an end! Here are all of my fav fav Voltron fics and authors that I've interacted with throughout the year. I'm trying to make this list as diverse as possible so everyone can find some tropes they like but I PROMISE all these fics are worth a read. Listed in no particular order, we have:

fear no more the heat o' the sun by taromi | 28k | Canon-Divergent

This fic is an ASTOUNDING depiction of Keith's perspective on life and how Lance changes things up. Every scene between them added not only to their dynamic, but also to our vision of Keith. We see how he is and how things unfold so beautifully. The prose is beautiful and the scenes carry both fluff/emotion so well.

Silver Bells by heavily_caffeinated/@heavilycaffeinatedsblog | 86.3k | Christmas AU

I'm not one for much holiday cheer/hallmark-esque tropes, but caf's writing still managed to draw me in so much. I applaud Caf sincerely for their incredible diligence to upload a chapter everyday (totaling to 86k words in 25 days!!), and their enthusiasm to include everyone in it's creation. This fic is a pure show of passion, in both it's story and the creation of the story. I encourage you all to check out their other fics too.

late night talking (can’t get you off my mind) by ShatterinSeconds/@shatterinseconds | 5.8k | Werewolf!Keith

This fic is SO GOOD for touch starved Keith. It's short and sweet and you get both perspectives of their pining and feelings together. It's a really cute one shot, and I had trouble picking between this fic and other fics by the author so check those out too! Also @shatterinseconds is the goat for not only commenting on all my fics, but somehow always being in the comment section of every fic I read.

Hearts Don'/t Break Around Here by klancekorner | 135.5k | Roommates/Childhood Best Friends

This fic is a classic in the KL fandom but I still don't hear it talked about enough!! I don't usually like childhood best friends trope that much but this fic made me LOVE it!!! It also portrays Lance's anxiety and Keith's avoidance so so well and shows them growing up beautifully.

Cores of Diamond by speaks/@speakswords | 25.6k | Friends with Benefits

One time I lost this fic in my bookmarks and spent a whole day trying to find it. It's such a good depiction of the way KL don't always see eye to eye due to a lack of proper communication and bridging that gap between them. Has NSFW scenes!

Where the water meets the sky by speaks/@speakswords | 106.3k | Mer!Keith

I NEEDED to rec another speaks fic, this one is unfinished but it ends on a conclusive note. There's themes of growing up, living with changes, reunions, and also lots and lots of feelings.

got got got it bad by kairiolette | 10.3k | Post-War | Pining Keith

This one is also pretty popular. It's so so funny. And so real. Keith goes through the five stages of grief as he realizes he loves Lance and like. Of course he would do that. Really sweet.

so kiss me (kiss me kiss me kiss me) and tuesday's sweetheart (sunday's lover) by hearttpoem | 10k | roommates AU | getting together

This author writes the BEST modern/roommates AU. I love the way KL lives together in their fics and I love the way you can see different love languages in the fics. I was going back and forth between which fic to rec and I chose both these fics cuz I read them all the time!!

Where the apple falls by europa_report/@jupiters-junipers | 130k+ | post-war | comatose

No fic rec list is complete without this fic. This fic is genuinely one of my favorite KL fics, its not finished but I believe the author will finish it. The prose is beautiful and it is an entire emotional rollercoaster. You guys should definitely check this fic out

I've Said Too Much (You Promise I Can't Ever Say Enough) by negativefouriq | 1.8k | Autistic!Lance | Est Relationship

This fic is short, sweet, and such a good depiction of having so many thoughts and wanting to share them all and the anxieties of it. Keith's perspective and his reactions to Lance are very healing to read.

baby, i'll rock your world by AsterikaMay/ @catsushinyakajima | 9.5k | Christmas AU | Gift giving

I am putting one of my fics here lol because I did enjoy writing this one a lot! I keep writing fics about gift giving and pining...this must say something about me ahahah

Part two here

[miedei]

saw your post about wanting to write a one off and was thinking spencer buys reader a cute gift or something ‘just because’ or he saw it and thought of her and she’s like completely taken aback and happy and idk its short but fluffy

you angel i love this!!

set this in a newly established relationship because i said so

.8k, new bf spencer buys you a gift out of nowhere

(reblogs are the only way to promote fics on tumblr! please reblog if you enjoyed it :) )

mlist

Toeing open your front door, you sigh contentedly. It's the first evening this week that you have something to look forward to, and it's giddy, the feeling you get.

The texts you exchanged with Spencer pop up when you unlock your phone, and you smile dopily at it. The first was sent two hours ago:

SPENCER!: Just made it back to the office. We'll be here for a little while. Can I go over to your place afterward?

And then, ten minutes after the first one:

SPENCER!: I hope it's okay I asked that. I haven't seen you in a while.

You had texted him back immediately, giving him the go-ahead to meet you at your apartment when you got home, and now you can't wait, busying yourself with chores to make the time pass faster.

You're puttering around your kitchen when the three distinctive knocks that you've come to recognise as Spencer's ring out through the space. Opening the door, a smile creeps onto your face at the sight of him.

He's clearly frazzled, hair messy and shirt wrinkled, but he looks so soft. You can't help but reach up on your toes and press a kiss to his cheek, if only to see the flush rise up his neck as you do so.

"I missed you." You lead him into the living room, watching him set down his go bag and look down at you.

"I missed you too. I'm glad... Glad I could come see you tonight."

A thrill runs up your spine at the sight of him, standing in your home with no (okay, maybe a little) nerves. Every time you see him here it feels like the space bends around him, inviting him in until it feels like he belongs here.

Grabbing his hand, you pull him down to the couch, sitting next to him at a calculated distance. Not too far where you can't touch him, but still far enough that your brain won't be overwhelmed by his proximity.

You're little apprehensive, the first time you see Spencer after some time apart, wondering if the chemistry between you would fade after the distance. However, you're quickly proven wrong, conversation flowign so freely that it takes a couple hours for Spencer to remember what he wanted to do when he got here.

You've both shifted, your feet tucked up under you and your side pressed against his, when he finally remembers, straightening up against you.

"I have something for you!" You look up at him quizzically, confused at the suddenness of his comment. He holds your shoulders gently (albeit with quite a bit of blushing), angling you so that you're not leaning on him anymore. It allows him to stand up, rifling through his leather satchel until he finds it.

It's a small cuboid package, wrapped in brown paper. You shift on the couch, setting your feet on the floor so you can look at him as he settles next to you again.

"What is this?" At the sound of your words, he presses the package into your hands.

"When we finished the case, Elle showed me a bookstore near the precinct that we were at. I found some books I was looking for, and also..." He trails off, gesturing at the package in your lap. "Open it."

As you carefully unwrap the paper, you can see his hands fidgeting in his lap, sending a rush of affection through you.

"Spencer, you really didn't have to get me anything, I'm just happy you're- oh my god." The paper pulls apart to reveal a clothbound copy of Emma by Jane Austen, your favourite book of all time.

Running your hand over the beautiful book, you look up at him, eyes full of emotion.

"You got this for me?" He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly.

"You showed me your copy a few weeks ago, and I thought you'd maybe like a hardcover as well. I don't know, I just saw it and thought of you. Is this too much? I'm sorry if I'm coming on too strong-" He's cut off by you throwing your arms over his shoulders, tugging him into a hug that attempts to show him how much this means to you.

You've only been dating for a few months, and you'd mentioned the book only once, the first time he came over to your apartment. You can recall the delight in his eyes when he saw the well-worn paperback that sits in prime position in your bookshelf.

It's overwhelming, the thought that he remembered that detail for so long, that he thought of you when he was out for work, that he bought it for you when it wasn't an occasion or anything. You can only bury your face in his neck, murmuring words into his skin.

"It's perfect, Spencer, thank you. You're perfect. God, I missed you."

You can't see it this time, but the heat of his skin against yours tells you that he's blushing again, even as he brings his arms up to wrap around you.

[moralesmilesanhour]

looking the part

description: a college AU one-shot wherein Ekko watches you get ready for an end-of-semester celebration with some of Piltover's finest. wc: 572 tags: canon divergent-ish, ekko x black!reader a/n: wanted to try my hand at writing for Arcane characters :) the original rough draft was twice as long as what you see here lol

A calm quiet settled over your small single room.

Ekko watched idly as you attempted to wind your braids around your head in a large, elaborate bun. Still barefoot, you were half-dressed in a smart-looking white blouse (complete with a golden brooch that had moving mechanical wings), and a long black skirt that revealed your brown legs through two high slits.

“You look like Medarda,” he commented from his spot on your bed, chin resting in his palm. He had no plans tonight that did not include a long nap, and was appropriately dressed for the occasion in a white tank top and gray sweats.

The bun seemed to remain stable as you slowly removed your hands. You grinned into the dirty dorm room mirror at your triumph.

“That's the idea.”

“You want to look like a topside politician?”

The bun quickly collapsed when you whipped around to face him. He had that ‘be serious’ look on his face, a dark brow lifted in skepticism.

You crossed your arms.

“Ekko, don't start. It's just an end-of-semester party, and I'd like to look the part. That's all it is!”

Ekko put his free hand up in surrender.

“I'm just saying, I don't see the point in spending your whole night schmoozing when you’dve already got Viktor vouching for you.”

The space beside him sank a bit once you joined him on the mattress, and he sat up to accommodate. You stuck out your lips in a pout.

“Says the guy who scored an internship with Heimerdinger.”

Ekko retorted without missing a beat, “And do you see me copying his drip?”

The image of Ekko dressed head-to-toe in Piltie jewelry and double-breasted vests made you giggle.

“Never in a million years.”

“Exactly.”

“But that's not the same thing!” You pushed him by the shoulder, “I just think her hair's cute.”

He reached over to push a stray braid out of your face, the tips of his calloused fingers brushing your cheek as he did so. You watched him watch you, intently.

His clear brown eyes sparkled where the low desk light hit them, the same way they did the day you first met at one of Heimerdinger’s guest lectures. Ekko had raised his hand—the only one to do so—and asked some out-of-left-field questions about whether Hextech was especially vulnerable to ‘bad actors’ under council jurisdiction and whatnot.

Expecting him to struggle to be heard in that giant lecture hall, the ring of his voice cutting through the air, uninhibited and impolite, sent a shock through your system. It also sent the professor on a very long tangent on the dangers of the Arcane when left in the wrong hands, and you could've sworn you heard a snicker or two coming from Ekko’s direction when he had to be interrupted because class time had all but run out.

You stopped him before class ended, and awkwardly asked him if he had really bleached his hair to be that stark white color. He laughed, and invited you to lunch not long after.

“I could do you one better,” he suggested, snapping you out of your thoughts. He made a circular gesture around his head. “How ‘bout a crown?”

“Hm,” you pretended to think, though you were already moving to settle yourself in between his knees. “Do I get to borrow your earrings? Y’know, complete the look.”

A long sigh.

“Alright, but you better not lose ‘em.”

-

Hi! Thank you for making it this far. Pls feel free to reblog and leave feedback in replies/tags, and check out my pinned post if you're curious about me or other stuff I've written :) Have a nice day/night

[rubyjones]

Mate, I am not under-informed on this matter, although it sounds like you might be. I kept my arguments brief because this post is not about the ethical issues (which make me furious) and I was trying to reign in my anger so as not to direct it to people who don't know. I didn't give a million sources because I am very sick and writing this was a huge undertaking, with health consequences.

Those health consequences are still in effect, so I'm afraid I am not in a position to dissect the misapprehensions above. Also, my cat is currently sitting on my neck because I am on Tumblr and not playing with her, so I'm just gonna say, my Internet credentials, let me show you them:

I have worked on machine learning; I know how it works.

I have a PhD in the philosophy of mind, and before I got sick, one of my research interests was computational theory of mind; I know how it works, my descriptions are not inaccurate.

Another research interest of mine is the aesthetics (not a surprise for an author and artist who is also a philosopher); I have written extensively on the aesthetics and ethical issues under my other pen name. I'm not linking to those posts because I prefer to keep this account separate from me real name. But suffice it to say that I am very well-informed and whoever told you is was just 'applied statistics' and therefore not copyright theft has a fundamental misunderstanding of the concepts involved.

The court cases were not part of the argument, they were evidence that other people are taking this very seriously. Stable Diffusion is not the only company getting sued, it was just the easiest to link to, because I was talking about art. Whether the court cases win or fail depends on the arguments being made and the ability of judges and lawyers to understand the issues involved, something they have often shown themselves to be massively under-informed on. Courtney Milan has written about this extensively, and I would recommend going to her about the law.

I don't have a great expectation you will take my word for it, given the condescending tone of your post. I am not going to argue with you further - I do not have the spoons. I am adding this so people who see your comment in the notes will know which of us is an authority on the matter.

Too many writers are using generative 'AI' to make their book covers, so I've written a guide on how to make your own cover for free or cheap without turning to a machine.

If you can't afford to pay an artist, you CAN make your own!

I hope this is a helpful overview that covers the basics and points to some free resources.

[yallthemwitches]

This year was my grand return to the jily community after a looooong hiatus and I'm so happy to return because--damn-- there's some incredible work being made for our cute little idiots.

I can't post everything that completely floored me this year, but here are some good standouts---some old some new. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

The Last Enemy: @chdarling

I've already made a whole other post gushing about this one so I will keep it brief. It's a commitment but it is 100% worth it. The slow burn, the dealings with political turmoil, the PINING. Every character is done with such care and kept me invested. I truly check everyday in hopes for updates on the next installement.

A Place for Hidden Things: @stonecoldhedwig

A soft, quiet thing of a fic that hits like a hammer to the head by the end. I love the concept of Harry discovering his parents through their objects and letters.

Notes: @scriibble-fics

It's hard to choose one of sciibble-fics works. No one does sexy, yearning jily like them. I love the passage of time in this one, the semi-friends to "omg, I need you RIGHT NOW" that comes with young love. Highly reccomend checking out the rest of their work.

When the Shadows Divide: @gigglesandfreckles-hp

I have to be honest with you---when I went to Abi's AO3 to choose one of her fics it was an impossible task. It's like a Sophie's choice senario--- and yes I am being dramatic but all of them are such treats.

A more angsty choice of her work but it left me staring at my wall with feelings for a good while afterwards. Please PLEASE also go check out her more fluffy because...my lord.

Love for the Summer: @missgryffin

I have to make a confession. I am a VERY picky fic reader. The worst honestly. I am a canon compliant, (mostly) Hogwarts era purist, and even if those are still present, I get weird if the fic takes place in settings that aren't traditional to the HP universe (I'm insane, I'm aware)

So imagine my surprise when this SUMMERTIME, jily fic keeps me so invested I'm basically biting my nails to nubs. Its so sexy and cute and jily are just so UGH. I love it when M/E rated fics are hot but then remember that they are still idiots, you know?

Up on the Rooftop: @beedaily

A jily classic! Your good old fashioned, bickering in love couple.

Patronus Material: @OgdensOldFirewhiskey

The classic Patronus trope, but so so adorable.

Aaaand if I think of more I will add them! Please go read fan work! Write comments! Give kudos and gush! Readers are what makes this lil' community strong!

[purpleheartskies]

In my post Johnny, Robby, and the "family" (s6 part 2), I talked about Johnny still not being ready to fulfill the needs of his biological kids. I said the following:

Johnny is not codependent in his relationship with Robby, so Robby doesn't get the open "love" and "caring" that Miguel and Carmen get from Johnny.

Johnny is incapable of healthy relationships. He's caught between two extremes: He's codependent with the Diazs, while he neglects and abuses Robby. These relationships also aren't independent of each other. Johnny is still choosing Miguel/Diazs over Robby, as part 2 continues to show.

In s6e10, when Chozen said to Daniel and Johnny that Sam and Robby need their senseis and need their fathers, Johnny's expression was one of worry or self-reflection.

Johnny keeps failing to be there for Robby as he needs.

In fact, Johnny's not ready for this baby plot device either. When Carmen said that she's [the baby's] so lucky to have him as a dad, he had the same reaction.

This was just a few hours after Miguel had called Robby "messed up" because of Johnny's behavior. Carmen and Miguel are aware of Johnny's flaws, yet never encourage him to get better.

It's also important to mention that Devon is already set up as the "daughter" that Johnny will choose over his own.

I came across this post, and it reminded me of Robby’s story with Johnny and these two moments:

"I want... I wanna be a father to you. I really do. I try to protect you. I try to be there for you. I just suck at it. I really suck at it. But I want to so bad... I love you too Robby." --- Johnny in s4e8 Like Robby had said in s5e4, some of his and Johnny's issues are too big to solve.

People say the family is all "bad writing", but the family is actually realistically written. The whole point is that the family itself is "bad". It's dysfunctional and unhealthy. Johnny hasn't grown, and he won't as long as he stays in his codependent relationships with the Diazs and doesn't actually get the help and healing he needs.

Like I said in that other post:

The writers have made this Johnny-Robby-Diaz situation an "either/or" situation this whole time, and this situation is meant to cause Robby more trauma. They literally set up Johnny's decision in s1e4 as a "do over". All of Johnny and Miguel's heartfelt conversations about their own relationship are in the context of Johnny's failures with Robby, Miguel's belief in his entitlement of Johnny over Robby's, and Johnny using Miguel to feel better about his own failures with Robby. In s5, Johnny talked about the baby only in terms of Johnny's failures with Robby. Robby is treated in the writing as not a member of this "family", which given the circumstances in which he was forced into it, is telling.

I wonder what will happen between Johnny and Robby now. Like I said, I'd always believed that Johnny and Robby only would be endgame, but after part 2, I'm wondering if Johnny and Robby are meant to be endgame at all. Regardless, there is no setup that genuinely includes Robby in Johnny's "do-over" "family". Given all the setup, no ending for Johnny and Robby's relationship will be satisfying. I just hope that, by the end of the story, Robby is no longer stuck in this abusive situation.

Overall, I get people being upset about the story. I am too. But, I also see so much nuance in the story that I wonder where all this will lead.

(As always, please don't comment or reblog with dismissive comments about the nuance in the story. The nuance is part of the story, and the story is exploring important topics like trauma, bullying, neglect, and dysfunctional relationships. I'm aware of the part 3 leaks, but I'm also aware that people shut down conversations about other theories for the leaks that can also be possible. I’m just going to stick to analyzing canon here.)

[inkedinshadows]

Answer and then tag three or more creators to keep the game going!

Thank you so much @velarisdusk for the tag! 🫶🏻

1. How many words did you publish on AO3 in 2024?

I don't have anything published on AO3 simply because I still don't know how to use it even though I do have an account. But here on tumblr, it's 92.878

2. How many fics did you complete this year?

49! I've never counted them before and never realized just how many they were omg

3. How many in progress or ongoing fics did you start this year?

Ongoing only Bound By Secrets. In progress apparently 10? I thought I had 3 WIPs. I completely forgot about the other 7 lol

4. What was your favorite thing you wrote?

UGH how do I choose one? A Helping Hand has a special place in my heart because it's the first fic I wrote and posted. Night and Days is one of my favorites because I love the banter between Azriel and reader, and I also have to mention Say My Name because omg I loved writing that one and I know I might be biased but I was giggling and kicking my feet while writing.

5. What piece was your most experimental or different from your usual style?

I'd say the first few things I wrote rather than one in particular for the simple reason that in Italian I tend to write very long sentences because it's normal, but in English sentences are usually shorter so it took a bit to get into that mindset. As for experimental, I'm trying to write a fic from two povs at the same time, sort of like an omniscient narrator. We'll see how it turns out.

6. Did any fics surprise you - either while writing or their reception?

Many fics surprise me while writing because I don't plan them out that much other than a few things I want to happen and then I see where the story leads me. As for reception, Bound by Secrets. I didn't expect so many people asking for a part 2! (I'll write it, I promise)

7. Do you have a fic you wrote and loved that went under the radar? (This is your sign to reblog/repost it!)

The Path To Healing and on a happier (and smutty) note Alcohol and Giggles. I cried writing the first one and laughed writing the second one.

8. Who is an artist that inspired you?

I love every single fanart by madschofield and elizianna.the.one!

9. Who is an author that inspired you?

@writingcroissant was the first author I found on here, the literal reason I created an account was to read her fics, and @illyrianbitch was the second. I love everything they write and it made me want to write again.

10. Who is a new author you discovered?

@shedoessoshedoes and @duskandcobalt! I'm going to read all of your fics so don't be surprised if you see me in your notifications for the next few weeks 🥰

11. Did you do any collaborations? How did it start

Nope, no collaborations.

12. What accomplishments are you proudest of?

Kinktober! I decided to do it two weeks before it started and didn't think I'd be able to write all 31 one fics but I did it!

13. What did you learn about writing or creating this year?

When I started posting, I kept opening tumblr every five minutes to see if there were any new notes/comments/etc. Now I don't do that anymore. I still care about people enjoying my content of course and any kind of feedback is always super appreciated, but I don't need to continuously check to know that my writing is valid and good even if I get only a few likes.

14. What is your advice?

I'm the wrong person to ask this to, but I guess write what you like and what you want to read. I know it's basic, but never before I realized just how true it is. Feedback and appreciation for your work is awesome, but you have to be the first one to like it or it's probably going to turn out bland if you push yourself to write something you don't like or are not interested in.

15. What are your creative goals for 2025?

Finish working on all those WIPs apparently lol. And I have an idea for a series that I want to work on as well.

No pressure of course, but if you'd like to @azrielslittleslut @anarchiii @shedoessoshedoes or anyone else who wants to do it!

[youdontknowhowtodiequietly]

CaitVi after the fight

Hey, guys! I wrote a little thing for Arcane. It's the first time writing for this fandom, so sorry if it's shit, but I'm going to post it here, and also it's up on my AO3 if you want to read it there. The fic is called 'After Everything, There's Still Us' and my AO3 is crazy_stupid_potato (shameless self-promo, sue me).

Caityln could hear Vi amongst all the other clamour of voices, stampeding feet and crumbling buildings. She could hear her stopping people, asking if they’d seen her, Caitlyn, and to point her in the direction of where she was.

Caitlyn thought she’d be able to hear Vi amongst a crashing orchestra, and could see her in the darkest of rooms. She’d know her anywhere, no matter how much they both were changed by events in their life. 

Vi was getting closer, though she’d gone silent, likely having finally found out where Caitlyn was located. She saw a shadow stop outside the tent she was in, saw the shiver of their silhouetted shoulders as they took a deep breath in, and then the tent flaps moved apart and there she stood in stark relief of the sun streaming in.

Vi took two steps into the tent, flaps falling shut, and they just stared at each other for a moment. Caitlyn could see Vi’s eyes flicker over her body, even in the dim light. Her eyes always seemed to glow in the dark, the soft blue turning vibrant and electric. 

In turn, Caitlyn looked over Vi as best as she could. Her destroyed eye shivered as it tried to move the first few times Caitlyn tried to move her eyes beyond small flickers, so she just focused on the little parts. Vi’s arm in a sling. The bandages still covering the wound on her stomach, which seems to have opened up again, likely in the woman’s aggressive romp through the crowd, no doubt having defied a medic’s orders to stay put. The thought made a dazed, tired smile stretch Caitlyn’s lips, and that is what seemed to break the silence and Vi was surging forward, coming to a stop on her knees by Caitlyn’s cot.

“Cait-” it seemed like a sentence was meant to follow her name, but Vi just let the nickname dissipate into the air, staring down at Caitlyn with concern, but also bone-deep relief in her gaze. 

“I’m fine,” Caitlyn answered the unspoken question in Vi’s eyes. Immediate disbelief replaced Vi’s concerned expression, making her look almost angry, but Caitlyn knew she was far from it. Caitlyn grimaced sheepishly.

“I’m alive and plan to remain it for the foreseeable future,” she amends. That dramatic proclamation finally gets a smile out of Vi, and a little huff of amusement. 

“At least it’s both of us that look like shit, this time.” Vi jokes and Caitlyn laughs, though it quickly turns into a wince as it pulls at her stomach wound. Vi immediately notices and sends her an apologetic smile. 

“I doubt I pull off the look as well as you do,” Caitlyn returns, sending Vi a suggestive smile. Vi laughs, looking away but Caitlyn sees the blush on her face. She is always amazed that she’s able to fluster Vi. It used to seem like such an impossible task. 

“Don’t doubt yourself, cupcake,” Vi tries to flirt back, flicking her eyes up and down Caitlyn’s body in a way that was supposed to seem just as suggestive as Caitlyn’s comment, but it falls short as Vi is unable to mask the concern that still lingers. Caitlyn’s smile softens to something kinder, more sympathetic.

“Hey,” she says gently, and Vi looks up, meeting her eyes. “I’m going to be fine, we both are.” There’s a horrible, grief-stricken look on Vi’s eyes for the brief moment it takes her eyes to well-up and then she’s crying and Caitlyn is baffled.

Vi covers her face, curling in on herself, letting out small apologies between sobs and heaving breaths. Caitlyn doesn’t know what to do, she can barely move so she just rests a hand in Vi’s hair, the closest part to Caitlyn. She doesn’t know why Vi is crying, but Caitlyn doubted it was an adrenaline rush finally leaving her body in a cathartic release of emotion. She doesn’t seem the type to be affected so much by those types of rushes anymore. So she lets Vi cry as much as she needs to, for as long as she needs to, gentling fingers through her matted hair. The strands are so dirtied with dust, and clumped with sweat that she looks less like an angry oil-slick and more like a wet, stray dog.

After a long few minutes of sobbing, Vi drops her hand from her face, instead it comes up to curl around Caitlyn’s wrist. She’s still breathing heavily, each exhale shaky and sometimes incomplete. Caitlyn remains quiet until Vi has her breathing mostly under control.

“What happened?” She asks, tentatively. Vi starts crying again, but it’s not heaving and inconsolable like before, just silent tears streaming down her face, following the tracks the previous ones made through the dirt on her cheeks. Her breathing remains shaky, but she’s not hyperventilating like she had been. 

“Jinx-” Vi chokes out. “She- she’s-” Vi bows her head, face scrunching with agony of the emotional kind. Caitlyn doesn’t need her to say anything else, she remembers her own reaction to finding out her mother was killed in the explosion vividly.

Caitlyn still didn’t know how she felt about Jinx. Her emotions were complicated, but she didn’t need them figured out to be able to understand Vi’s grief. 

“Oh, Vi. I’m so sorry.” She struggles to sit up, but manages, Vi scrambling to help her. 

“What-” she clears her throat, panic suddenly sobering her from her sobs, “what’re you doin’?” She kneels in front of Caitlyn, uninjured hand on her thigh as if to stop her from getting up. That hadn’t been Caitlyn’s intention anyway, but she doesn’t bother telling Vi that. Instead, she opens her arms, looking Vi in the eyes encouragingly. She sees Vi take in her request, eyes going wide, bottom lip quivering ever so slightly, then she’s throwing herself into Caitlyn’s arms, careful to avoid aggravating both of their injuries more. Caitlyn spreads her legs to accommodate the broad woman, and Vi shuffles closer, burying her head against her shoulder. 

Caitlyn rubs a hand soothingly up and down Vi’s back as she heaves sobs into her bare shoulder, burying her face in Vi’s grimey hair.

“It’s going to be okay,” she whispers into the strands before resting her cheek against her head. She believed it. Vi was the strongest person she’d met. She’s been through so much. So much violence, pain and sorrow; some of that caused by herself, she thinks guiltily, and they still have so much to do, not just reconciliations between themselves but with the two cities as well. Yet, right now, all Caitlyn can think about is how this beautiful, strong woman in her arms will be okay. It’ll hurt, they both know it will, but in the end, they’ll leave this tragedy, this exhaustion and grief behind, and heal from it. Together.

[videolaa]

A New Years Kiss: Minho

Hello, long time no see. Happy New Year. Please enjoy this unedited, extremely poorly written one-shot. From a tired, hungover writer. As always, all rights go to videolaa. You are not allowed to discredit my work, I don't post anywhere else unless stated by me.

You batted your eyes, trying to adjust to the lighting in the room. What would have been distant sounds from the kitchen sounded like loud bangs from your newfound hangover. As your vision cleared enough, your eyes widened, realizing that wasn't your bedroom door. This wasn't your bedroom, your sheets, none of it.

An arm tossed itself over your side, making you tense at the feeling onto your bare skin.

Slowly turning to find Minho, sound asleep next to you, shirtless. There was a hard gulp in your throat, trying to process everything that happened, as you tried to piece the puzzle of last night together. A part of you wanted to wake Minho up and ask what happened, but he looked so at peace that you couldn't pull yourself to do it.

With a deep breath, you closed your eyes, trying to remember everything.

You and your friends decided to go out for a few drinks and watch the countdown. While everyone discussed who's car was taking who to where, you went to get ready. It was new years after all, might as well dress up a bit.

Hyunjin poked fun at you from the drivers seat about Minho, possibly showing up, which made you want to dress up. He wasn't entirely wrong. You did like Minho. He was built, handsome, and he had a beautiful smile that sometimes resembled a bunny. He knew how to make you laugh, especially on days when you felt like crying. Some people said he seemed cold or distant, only they didn't know how caring, funny, and soft Minho was. So maybe you did dress up to see if he would notice yet enough to still blend in for the evening.

He showed up and stuck to the guys and you like you. Slick shots, chasers, and mixing drinks began to swirl with your thoughts. At one point, Seungmin teased you both about not having anyone to kiss at midnight. Remembering you were ready to fire back a comment until Minho raised an eyebrow with a smirk looking at you. "Your alcohol is talking," you pointed out. Minho shrugged, "Mine doesn't have me turning red. Well, how 'bout it. Be my midnight kiss?".

It's just a kiss. He was consenting to it, "Okay. I'll be your midnight kiss." At the twenty-second mark, take a shot for courage.

"10" his eyes went between your lips and eyes, double checking if you were positive with this.

"9" you nodded your head before both of looked at the screen like everyone else.

"8" an arm rested on your back.

"7" the world was quiet.

"6" both of you were leaning in with your hands snaking around his shoulders.

"5" Both of you closed your eyes, and leaned in.

That was all you could remember, not even the cheering. You rubbed your temple, embarrassed by last nights actions. One kiss shouldn't have led to waking up in his bed.

"He's gonna think I'm easy" you mumbled as quietly as possible. You liked him, maybe someone mentioned it and he used it to his advantage - especially adding alcohol into the mix...

With as much strength as you could muster you swung your legs off his bed, trying to slip away in order to get to your trail of close.

Freezing as you heard a tired groan, with a cat like stretch, "Leaving?"

"Yeah," you felt self-conscious now that you were sober, still bare in front of the guy you liked. You wouldn't be surprised if your makeup was smeared across your face. "Give me a minute, and I'll take you home" his voice raspy as he went to leave his bed. "I can call Hyunjin..."

"I'm sorry about... everything," he mumbled. "Don't be, we're both at fault" The air felt unfinished, as if more was supposed to be said, but neither of you could find the right words. "Tell me, do you remember last night?" you asked, quickly pulling your shirt over your head. "Everything got blurry a little after we kissed."

"Was it bad?" Your fingers quickly scrolling to your best friend's contact.

"No, and I don't think the rest was either," his ears were turning pink, causing you to giggle, seeing that thankfully, neither of you remember coming back. "I do remember a certain someone liked having her hands in my hair," he laughed, causing the heat to rise to your face, hitting the call button, your heart leaping to your throat. "I didn't mean -"

"Don't worry, I liked it"

"What?" You stared in disbelief. That did not just come out of his mouth, which had a mischievous smile forming, "I said, I liked it."

Your face was burning, so visible it had Minho shrugging on a pair of sweats as he came over, cupping your face, "You're so red,"

"So are your ears," you shot back. Then he did it again, eyes flickering from your eyes to your mouth. Only his eyes were softer, sober, a soft hello being heard from your phone, repeatedly. "Shit! Hello, sorry"

"You call and don't say anything? Do you want me to have a heart attack?" Hyunjin screamed, bringing throbbing of your head hit you harder than before. "Don't be dramatic, I don't want you to have a heart attack. I was going to ask what you were doing right now -" an echo of vomit, followed by the sound of flushing, was heard in the background. "Are you sick?" Minho raised an eyebrow at the question.

"It comes and goes, last night really-" Hyunjin's body cut him off again, the mere sound was enough to make you feel queasy. "Hello? Is someone there with you?" your voice switched to concern. Only relief you got was Changbin answering, "I got him. He'll be fine. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I was just trying to check in" you explain.

"And that she has a ride home!" Minho said closer to the phone. "Can you take care of him?" you asked before Hyunjin mumbled something, "Yeah I can do that - she's fine, you two can talk about it later! Minho has her, she's fine! (Y/n) can you call him later?" Changbin huffed. "Yes I promise," you sighed with a slight laughter before hanging up, placing your phone in your back pocket.

"Did that kill the mood?" The feeling of guilt, seeing how close Minho was standing. "Not entirely - could have gone without hearing him sick," he scoffed, but you agreed.

Minho lifted his hand back up to your cheek, "I might though," you stated as his hand froze, letting you continue. "I know last night wasn't planned, and maybe a mistake, but I don't do friends with benefits. So if you want that I can't do that. Plus I really like you I'm not putting myself in a situation like -" you were explaining only to be cut off by a pair of lips.

Shock ran through you at the feeling of his lips on yours. You couldn't help but lean into it yourself. Shutting your eyes, sparks flew across your eyelids. Your hands flew to the back of his neck, Minho pulled away, resting his forehead against your shoulder, "I don't who you believe in but, thank God. I've had liked you for such a long time"

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah, a couple people figured it out. Then last night happened and... I didn't plan on taking you home. I wanted to kiss you, but I planned on asking you out on a date" Minho dumped his confession, leaving you speechless.

This gorgeous man, who could have anyone he wanted, who seemed so far out of your league, wanted you? The new year barely started, but the last 24 hours definitely were not expected.

All you could do was laugh, and kiss him again. "We don't have to do anything but come back to bed? I'll put a movie on and we can just -"

"Lay there?" you finished his sentence.

"Or sleep off two hangovers" he joked.

"I would love that." Minho pulled you back to the mattress at your answer.

"Happy new year Minho"

"Same to you, too (Y/n). Lets make it a good one"

[troublerats]

Tell me more about hotdog

hhHOh boy, okay, I'm just gonna start this off with a brief recap.

TL;DR: "Hotdog" Aka. Damara Lalonde, or "Mara" for short, is the adoptive daughter of Roxy Lalonde.

She is the same Damara raised by Doc Scratch who would later become The Handmaid, but was spared this fate when Roxy plucked her directly off the meteor using her void powers.

But I take it you're explicitly not here for a tldr so-

LONG AS FUCK EXPLANATION BELOW

Due to the bizarreness of her situation, a lot of the surviving cast post-game had some part in her upbringing. But most prominently were her mom's (Roxy and June), and Dirk, who served as an uncle of sorts. The latter being where she gets all the Stridisms in her design.

Personality wise: She's still extremely crude like Beforus Damara, but it's from a more direct ironic place meant to catch one off guard or to be absurdly overdramatic, rather than attempting to scare people away. A lot more snarky and confident, but not jaded or mean unless given reason to be.

Her interests include: Godzilla and similarly campy kaiju franchises. Practical effects in general, but mostly anything big dumb and explosive. Any Shonen slop Dirk showed her. Parkour and any reckless dangerous physical activity that would nearly give her friends a heart attack seeing her attempt. And starting sudden random indie projects in a medium she never returns to once she's finished.

Mara lives life fast and doesn't take time to dwell, especially as she's well aware of her own lifespan in comparison to her peers and her family. After highschool, she didn't want to bother with anything academic or to pursue some grand project to leave behind in her wake. Aside from flings, she doesn't really want to pursue a committed relationship either, as the last thing she wants is someone else fussing over her being careful, or bemoaning her short life in the last years she has of it.

It's her's, and her's alone. And she intends to live it to the fullest.

As for the concepts behind her character and creation-

In the shortest terms, Mara is a direct foil to the faults in Rose and Dave's upbringing. As well as an optimistic look to who Alpha Roxy and Dirk could have become despite who they were in the Beta Universe.

Both getting a chance to take supportive parental role's in Mara's life, Roxy more directly in being her mother, and Dirk more indirectly as someone Roxy could depend on to look out for her daughter, and who saw himself in another "out of place" kid.

Mara never had to wear the scarf of her dead mom, or mourn the fact they never truly got to know eachother due to her addiction. She had a loving mother who she knew for a fact supported her interests, and didn't keep things from her.

And instead of a shadowy violent figure that made her feel like she was never good enough, and without Cal's influence, she had someone to teach her to protect herself and who felt more like a trusted friend than another parent.

The parallels continue when brought back to her original upbringing under Scratch, a fate she narrowly avoided in this timeline due to Roxy pulling her off the meteor.

The idea for the whole AU actually initially came from the fact that Damara and Rose have a lot of direct parallels:

-Both use Needle-kind.

-While Rose would threaten suicide, Damara has a parental figure that actually would push her to suicide.

-John makes a comment about Rose seeming more "witch-like" in comparison to Jade, being a Seer and Witch respectively. However Damara actually is a Witch of Time when looking at her role in Beforus.

It makes it almost seem like Scratch will directly fit anyone he manipulates into a specific mold, but that's beside the point.

There are also parallels in Hal/AR being a piece that makes up Scratch/English, despite his initial role being one of sacrifice. But instead of knowing a sliver of Dirk that got ultimately corrupted and morphed into something cruel and unrecognizable, she got to know Dirk in full who never mutated into some kind of sick beast.

Lastly, though this is more of a side note:

Initially, I actually planned Mara to be raised by Scratch for a brief period, but taken before she could serve English. I.E. Instead of spawning green boxes, Roxy pulling a girl out of a green box.

I'm still mulling it over, but me and my wife most of the time lean towards her never having to suffer under Scratch bc Roxy with her stupid hotdog baby is nice fluff. But the narrative of a kid narrowly avoiding a grizzly fate and having severe repressed trauma she can't remember despite her currently good life, is a story element I still gravitate to as someone with DiD, who also headcanons Dirk as having DiD.

So it's sort of up in the air at times whether or not, Troll named Hotdog. Ever actually was. Hotdog shaped.

At least under Roxy's care.

[sheigarche]

girl shut up

I'm going to assume this is about Life is Strange because that's what I've been talking about the most in the last 2 months and I don't think any of my other fandoms would be bother by my posts.

So here are some hot take ideas for LIS posts I've never made because I thought it might upset some fans, but maybe I shouldn't be so quiet about it after all.

Pricefield vs DE

It seems like everything in Double Exposure was deliberately written to justify Chloe breaking up with Max.

Chloe showed that she was paranoid that Max may be using her powers to manipulate the relationship to make it work and that's exactly what Max did to Amanda and got call out for it in the end.

She also expressed how Max is unable to let go of the past and is haunt by it. So most of the game we see Max (and the player) holding on to it and struggling to move on until the very end. Some fans still can't do it and doesn't want Max to do it, but that's exactly why Chloe left.

Many people didn't realize it, but Max was struggling to establish herself as a real photographer in the years she was with Chloe, but quick became famous and recognized in the years after they broke up.

To me that's the game trying to sell the idea that they are better off without each other.

Chaseprice

Victoria and Chloe's posts in DE don't show anything explicitly romantic, it could just be friendship, but the intention to make it look like something more is pretty clear to me.

The writers chose sentences like "can you handle it, Chase?" and "I'll buy you a beer" on purpose and know exactly what the players will think of it.

Besides Victoria shows a desire in going from wherever she lives to see Chloe, and then Chloe makes plans to do a little detour to go see Victoria. Whatever this relationship is, they're making it work long distance with effort on both sides. Mutual interest.

I wouldn't be surprised if in the sequel we see one post or two subtly hinting that they're actually together. A picture on Crosstalk, maybe a comment from someone else on their posts.

Hell, I can even imagine an art gallery event of some sort where Max is invited and can bring her chosen love interest and Victoria is there with Chloe as her date... And that's how the devs manage to have a natural last conversation between Max and Chloe in person to give closure to their relationship.

And I kind of expect Victoria to come to them at some point, a little jealous or just proud of her girlfriend.

Langfield

Some people keep saying that Max wouldn't be interested in Vinh... But that's wrong.

The reality is that it was the first game's choices and Max's journey is what makes them fit together so well.

Yes, okay, maybe 18-year-old Max wouldn't like this emotionally dry 28-year-old Vinh. Maybe 18-year-old Max would have liked way more to know the enthusiastic drama student 18-year-old Vinh, who dreamed of being an actor.

Now this 28-year-old Max, full of traumas and complexes knows enough about life to see through 28-year-old Vinh's walls and realize that he is not dry, but afloat and barely keeping himself together. That's why she can really connect with him, as a friend or more.

It was the traumas and secrets that made her interesting to Vinh, just like his traumas and regrets are what make Max interested in him.

They fit together because they share some similar emotional experiences and they know how the other might be feeling in certain situations. And when they are together, they can laugh about it, have fun and be themselves, even if just for a moment.

Amberprice

Honestly I left this fandom years ago without shipping Pricefield or Amberprice, because of some reservations about Chloe's character. But now I'm back because of DE and I decided to finish Before the Storm... I can't get Rachel out of my head!

Seriously, what's this magic in their scenes and why can't I stop watching them on loop?

I always thought I had a crush on Max, but I actually have a crush on Rachel Amber of all characters. Maybe I am Chloe Price all along 😂

You know a ship is good when it changes your perception of the characters.

[brokentoys]

The notes on this is absolutely insane and it's really telling why the RPC is "dying" or not as "active" as it once was. Some people say the RPC isn't as active because it's a manner of "being busy" now because we're all ✨adults✨ I think it's more so what this community has become.

Was the RPC perfect? No. It never was. There used to be a stew of anon hate going around (and sometimes, still does) but it is getting to the point where it's full of backstabbers, and people that will run you off the site -- people that will create drama and lies (or take things out of context) while claiming they're doing it for a "good reason" because you uhh wrote something they didn't like or you had a falling out with them or you write with someone they loathe or they're just insecure and jealous of you.

And I'm not even talking SUPER dark themes either (like incest or rape) you can write anything even slightly controversial, and someone (or even MULTIPLE people) will condemn you for it. I'll never forget when I wrote a post of my teenage muse saying it's normal for dads to hit their kids ('cos that's what he experienced) and sb OUT OF CHARACTER made a vague post IMMEDIATELY saying "bad post op" (deleted it after i pointed out that I'm not my damn muse)

Or even on this blog, I've talked about how I've experienced people getting legit angry at ME because my muse is a jerk and it somehow hurt their feelings OOC. How I've had people unfollow me because our threads had (gasp) conflict, and my muse often argued or insulted theirs.

Hellll, I've had times when ppl got mad or "uncomfy" at me when I write smut threads. One time I only had 2 smut threads at a time and someone messaged me saying "err. feels like sexualization." (it was literally just vanilla smut too lmaooo) I've had ppl get mad at me ooc because I've said a very minor thing in dms. (like one time sb followed me and had triggers listed in their rules that conflicted with my blog, and when I pointed that out they were like "so? i'm not asking you to censor your muse" even tho... i' mjust.... i'm just curious as to WHY someone with such triggers would follow my blog)

Even anons are scared now! I've noticed anons are becoming more scarce, and they're quick to apologize if they think they've done anything wrong. Which i don't blame them. I've seen ppl actively get furious with harmless anons. I've seen ppl call them annoying or even assholes because these anons sent msgs commenting on their threads *in character*. When it's like, if you don't like an anon? Just delete it. Like no WONDER why everyone's struggling to write with ANYONE in this community anymore when it's so so aggressive now.

When you feel like you HAVE to be constantly walking on eggshells, and that all your threads are just "no conflict ever! :) our muses are happy and everything goes well all of the time and we all love each other and we never hurt each other or say anything bad!! :)" Then yeah... people will get desperately bored of this hobby. Especially on this website.

I recently found a blog from 2012 that I once wrote with. Twelve years ago when I first started roleplaying on Tumblr. It was an adult fandom with heavy adult themes. We used language that's 'unacceptable' today, we wrote plotlines that are easily 'cancelled' today, we spoke to each other only through Tumblr asks and fanmail (remember that??). Going through the blog, I had a wave of nostalgia and happiness like I've not had in a long time. The comradery and goofy plots, not one person bothered by the mad shit we wrote. For me, that was the best time in roleplay. I know that there were a few rotten apples and I know that discord and IM are great for active plotting and communication. But back then, things were just different. You wrote on the fly and you wrote in character which prompted you to think on your feet more and wing more plots. The only partners you spoke to ooc were the ones who you really grew close to. You didn't just blindly add every partner on social media. You weren't worried about what you posted because people didn't care back then about words - it was much harder to offend people then as it is now. I miss those days so desperately and when it comes to rp, what I wouldn't give to experience that fandom and that feeling once more. It can't ever be recaptured unfortunately, but it was heart warming to see a little reminder of it. Wherever you are now, writing partner from twelve years ago in a small, numbered title of a popularish game series, I hope you're doing well and thank you for the memories.