#also does not account for people who like and put posts on queues

[fiveminuterice]

controversial take i think but i don’t like when artists say “don’t like without reblogging” on their posts or say they’ll block people who like their art without reblogging. i say this as an artist, if you feel upset often enough by people who like without reblogging then that’s not on them that’s on you. and i say this is gently as possible. you are not owed engagement.

[canichangemyblogname]

Great. The rabid shippers are once again trying to turn this (re-hashed) “fetish discourse” around onto queer men. “The faggots are the REAL fetishizers”— because apparently it’s 1963 again, and a man liking a man is an unhealthy and irrational reverence; an obsession. This originally started out with us pointing out our own invisibility in fan spaces and talking about how many people in fandom who ARE NOT queer men speak over us, write off our lived realities, and rely on harmful real-world rhetoric about us to malign our visibility while building their fan community on our sexualized bodies and their fantasies of our lives. They build their relationship with media exclusively through an obsession with m/m relationships, and—perhaps predictably—then trample over us when we ask for respect.

I suppose part of what’s most frustrating is that when we, rightfully, point out that this—and similar rhetoric— is homophobic, an unfortunate not-infrequent response has been “Pfts— but I’m queer,” as if that excludes someone from being a piece of shit. You all do realize that being part of a protected class does not prevent you from contributing to systems and spreading ideas that harm those in other protected classes or the same protected class, right? “I experience an axis of marginalization, therefore I could not possibly contribute to a system that harms me and others like me,” certainly doesn’t hold up to any scrutiny, not just because it’s untrue, but also because its use here functions as a thought-terminating fallacy, designed to end the debate with a cliché rather than address the point put forth: your homophobia. It is also an Irrelevant Conclusion Fallacy, as the argument that members of a marginalized class are more likely to be sympathetic to members of that same class is certainly valid, and could be argued, but this conclusion does not address the issue in question: your homophobia. It may also be characterized as an Argument from Incredulity, where you cannot imagine that a queer person could be queerphobic, so it must be untrue. Which, of course, I have all seen people point out.

However, now, as if on queue, the next most frequent “come back” is, “So you just want women to shut up and take it? You want to silence queer women?” 1.) The people saying and doing this shit aren’t all women, 2.) The people saying and doing this shit aren’t all queer, 3.) What lead people to call out your post wasn’t anyone’s identity; it was the contents of the post, you are now using identity to shield yourself from accountability, and 4.) This is a strawman fallacy being used to distract from the original critique: your homophobia. It is also an Ad Hominen attack being used to move the focus from your homophobia to the implication that your critic is motivated by misogyny to critique you.

Although, this “come back” is more of a “case in point” at this point when the original argument was about how fans who do not live as queer men (or those adjacent) do their damnedest to speak over and discount the lived realities of queer men (and those adjacent) to instead center our visibility and our representation around the preferences, pleasures, and desires of women. Like— y’all do realize that what started a lot of this “discourse” months ago was a post that quite literally said that mlm visibility/representation has always been about and centered women and their desires in relationships with men, as well as a post where a woman said that if she ever saw a man flirt with another man in public, she’d shoot him, right? You know this, yes?

[jinxiguess]

GONE characters in a british highschool

this is like the stupidest post ive ever made also disclaimer i know NOTHING about the american school system so i think half of them are probably in the wrong years also i didn't want to put all of them in the same year so ignore how some of their ages dont even match up😭

SAM

year 11

ALWAYS forgets ingredients for food tech

and then burns everything

and then forgets to take it home and just leaves it in the fridge at the end of the day

never remembers to put money in his school account and quinn has to buy him lunch every single day

sleeps through maths

has the most obvious crush on astrid and the entire school knows

ASTRID

year 11

made it her life goal to get head girl when she was in year 7

and got it ofc🤭

try hard in every single class

and top set in everything

always has so much stationery

goes to homework club EVERY SINGLE DAY

besties w the librarian

somehow oblivious to the fact sam likes her

QUINN

year 11

always late to every lesson no matter WHAT

somehow keeps ending up front row in school fights and gets interrogated abt them

"can i go to the toilet?" and takes like 20 laps round the school before he comes back

takes 0.5 pictures of everyone

sells overpriced sweets at lunch and makes bank

threatens to fight people after school but never does

joined the football team but nobody ever passes to him bcs he cant play to save his life

EDILIO

year 10

accidentally downloaded a virus on one of the computers and nearly got expelled

gets squashed in the lunch queue

buttons up his blazer to look smart

makes sam join clubs with him so he isnt alone (he's scared of the year 8s)

tried to feed the seagulls outside the school

hangs out in the library w roger and denies that they're dating but literally everyone knows

so bad at pe that he doesnt even bother bringing his kit anymore n just gets sent to iso

LANA

year 11

literally never in class

vapes in the toilets w diana

ALWAYS in iso

dated quinn for like a week in year 8

somehow pulls absolutely everyone

so popular but everyone is also scared of her because one time she scrapped w drake and bashed his head in

brings alcohol to EVERY party

CAINE

year 11

head boy even though he does NOT deserve it

leads the year 7s to the wrong side of the school

pe try hard (screams "WHAT ARE YOU DOING GET THE BALL" at his teammates)

year 7s all have a crush on him

acts like he caught a disease after he touches a year 8

has like 60% attendance but the teachers still love him

never goes to form

always shoving in the canteen queue🙄

gets way too competitive over kahoot

literally never been sent to iso except that one time he shoved drake off his chair in the middle of class

DIANA

year 11

rolls her skirt up and always gets in trouble for it (and refuses to roll it back down)

vapes in the toilets w lana

sprays entire bottles of perfume every time shes near the year 7s

and then makes friends w them specifically to slag them off later

stalks the teacher's socials

uses xx or 💋 after EVERY SINGLE TEXT

has a pandora bracelet and wears different charms on it everyday

somehow untouched by school air

DRAKE

year 11

"WHAT DID I EVEN DO???" every time he gets sent out of class (he was literally jumping on the tables)

starts like half the fights in the entire school

scraps outside tesco like every single day

LOBS paninis at the year 7s

steals tesco trolleys

should probably just go live in iso atp

got kicked off the football team bcs he wouldnt stop slide tackling

literally on the verge of being expelled

DEKKA

year 10

1000% done w everyone elses shit

sits in empty classrooms at lunch n pals w the teachers

way too stressed abt gcses

actually really really good at music

so quiet but somehow everyone knows who she is

used to take the bus to school but decided she didnt want to have to deal w all the year 7s and stopped

got hit in the face w a netball in pe

BRIANNA

year 9

absolutely sprints to the lunch line

gets so mad whenever someone doesnt pass the ball to her in pe

and always fighting w caine in pe

shoplifts from tesco

forgets her pe bag at least once a day n leaves it everywhere

always getting sent out for talking back

LOST the form pet hamster

nearly blew up a science classroom

TAYLOR

year 8

always talking shit about everyone

makes those tips for year 7 videos

defo has pe first on a friday😭

snitches on EVERYONE

makes tiktoks in the bathrooms

spends half the lessons making her titles cursive and pretty

makes fun of the year 7s as if she wasnt one like two months ago

JACK

year 7

GIANT backpack

and probably gets trampled in the corridors

probably wears undertale or harry potter keychains (and gets bullied abt it)

always gets hit by paninis travelling at 1000kmph

got given a top locker and cant reach it

cries when he gets in trouble

PENNY

year 8

rolls her skirt up unevenly

side eyes EVERYONE

vaped in the toilets and taylor snitched on her

REFUSES to wear her blazer

falls over in pe and everyone sighs when she gets put on their team

got put in iso for insulting all the teachers

ORC

year 10

stabs his radnor fizz w a compass and sprays it at all the year 7s

also starts like a million fights

NEVER has a pen

grabs peoples bag straps and yanks them backwards

always steals the year 7's footballs and boots them into orbit

wears black airforces instead of school shoes

and is never ever ever wearing his tie

HOWARD

year 9

keeps getting mistaken for a year 7

hangs out with older kids to look cool

and then brags about it

sells vapes behind the school at break

tries to break up orc's fights and gets flung halfway across the pitches

MASSIVE blazer (looks like a roblox character)

SANJIT

year 10

probably a theatre kid

runs to every class so he isnt late

always skips pe

that one kid who highlights EVERYTHING

somehow manages to record EVERY SINGLE FIGHT (and then sends it to everyone)

holds therapy sessions in the toilets

that one asthmatic kid who screams whenever anyone sprays anything

[wumblr]

i've been mentally sketching out a set of rules and strategies for what a "terf-reporting discord" might look like and so far what i have is

anonymized. do not use your primary discord account, this is to protect you in case of infiltration. do not use it to meet other people on the server, it's best if none of us know who the others are. this does introduce its own problems (like infiltration)

using a secondary account to submit reports is also recommended, this is to protect you in case of retaliation from staff. compartmentalization is key, do not make it easy to affiliate your secondary accounts with your primary ones

prioritize mass-reporting terfs who have genuinely said something that is obviously and indefensibly way out of line, and continue submitting reports until they are deleted. if this gives a better understanding of how the reporting process works, sufficient to target what i would call "insignificant outlying terfs," it may be worthwhile, but i think simply getting rid of the loudest and worst would go a long way

evidence that they have remade is a golden ticket. it's easier to get someone banned again if they've been banned before, doubly so if they admit their previous url

hopefully this is obvious, but targeting someone who is 30 is preferable to targeting someone who is 15

do not interact with them. while i can see utility to infiltrating their circles to disrupt them or gain information on how to find and report them again beyond a remake, i don't think it's worth it, particularly because it provides them counteroffensive ammunition and it would be easy to get crypto-terf-jacketed

while i think we are well past the point where this can be attributed solely to incompetence, there are several facts about the incompetence that could be useful. i believe the way the reporting process works involves automating the priority of the queue for manual review based on number of reports. one person reporting a large number of accounts will likely go nowhere, if not being automatically discarded

i wouldn't rule out buying off moderators, since that's what they've done, but i can't imagine how to begin that process and i can't foresee it ending well

we've talked a lot about litigation, since it does have a proven track record. is anyone willing to put their whole legal name in the public record in order to actually do it? (if so, it may be best to administrate that entirely separately, with no overlapping actors)

i say this every day as general best practice advice, but again, don't use the app! use firefox with adblock, privacy badger, and noscript. this is, again, to protect you by minimizing available data collection

unfortunately i don't know anything about administrating a discord server so this is all a bit academic. unless there's enough interest to actually follow through. in which case i'm botching my own rules by posting this on main but i'm not really sure how else to gauge interest

[pruning-the-minds-garden]

State of the Meunion

Heya. Lets have a conversation and catch up, shall we?

Anyway, I have been gone - to varying degrees and extents - for a while. I don't know whether that is going to change, at least not in a stable and long-term way, but I have a moment for this so I might as well use it.

This space started as a place to host my writings on hypnokink safety and community building. I don't know that most of that is as relevant as it once was, given that the community has fractured and gone to ground (mostly, I think, to Discord and other chat-based services) again in the time since I first put things up here. Back in 2016ish when I was first here (under a different, but similarly named, account), that was a big deal. I think it still needs to be a big deal as every day I see new people who seem to be interested in hypnokink but also are on the fringes of safe/healthy/sustainable practices, and so maybe could benefit from learning about them. But, also, I can't know that with certainty. Maybe this is a good point for an aside on that, so lets do that.

I always wonder when I see something #freeuseslut or #1ckyd4ddy or #goodgirl or whatever, if that is something that a person genuinely is going for or if they are kinking on the fantasy of it. Especially when I see a younger person - bear in mind I'm 40, so "younger" is to me like <25 y/o but especially <21 - posting about that it makes me wonder whether they think that is a healthy relationship style, whether they are posting that because that's what they think people want from them and they put their value as a person into being that fantasy... because that is not sustainable, not in most cases, and will cause injury in a good number of them. But, it's not my place to make people's lifestyle choices for them, so if they want to do things like that then they can. I just want them to make those decisions with a full, conscious awareness of the ramifications of those choices as they make them. Or, if they aren't really doing that, if it is just a game or an act... then that's a whole different ballgame. After all, I kink on mind control but that doesn't mean I want to take total control of someone's mind and make them into my unwilling hypnoslave. Sounds hot, sometimes, but is actually just rape and no that's not okay. Writing stories about it or whatever is all well and good, but I know that if I do anything like that it will be with the full, conscious, aware, informed consent of my partner (which does not diminish the hotness, btw). I wonder if something similar is happening there, if they are displaying the things that they think people want to see, showing sides of themselves carefully curated for their intended audience... but are really just doing the laundry or the dishes rather than masturbating furiously to all the dick pics they are undoubtedly receiving.

Yeah so I guess that's that aside. Back to the main point.

Right now I am doing... okay. Good some days, less good on others. Not really sustainably active, unfortunately. I will get active for a bit and then other things get in the way - health, life, etc - and I will drop off. I feel bad for the people that leaves on the hook, but I can't really control when that happens so there you go. That begs the question of what is going to happen with this space, though.

So, what's my plan here? Honestly I don't have one, but I can call out some goals and intentions and see how things go.

Given that I have so much trouble maintaining consistent activity, I'd like to get back to writing. That way, I can write when I can write, schedule (or queue) posts to go out, and that can be the extent of my activity. I'd like to do original art for said posts so you have something to look at beyond a wall of text, but honestly my choices there are limited (like, AI - which, yeah, I know the problems there - or stock photos of spirals and such) so I don't know if that will happen. I also want to write more on safety topics, but I feel like at this point that has been talked to death and so I might as well just write stories that weave those things in. Teaching through storytelling is a tried and true method anyway, so I might as well feature that. I also want to loop in all the other aesthetics and kinks and stuff that interests me, because - shocker I know - mind control isn't all I kink on.

Anyway, this has mostly been a vehicle for me to ramble on and ponder what I'm going to do. Since I'm done doing that, in the words of Overly Sarcastic Productions... "so... yeah."

[1-800-dialing-angels]

I don't understand people who say the like button is completely useless or that they hate likes. I use queue for Everything. I never immediately reblog because I don't get onto tumblr every day, sometimes itll even be weeks or months before I get back on, so my queue keeps my blogs alive. In addition to that it rebrings attention to older posts that may be buried and no longer circulating by the time it pops out of my queue. I also have literally 18 blogs, not counting alt accounts where i have alternate people I follow (like one acc that shows nothing venty or triggering vs one that does, so when it would be upsetting i dont have to see it but when i Wanna see it i can). I also generally don't use my main blog to reblog things, I just don't like to.

So I use likes as a nod to the post. A little "hey i really like this!" Liking is my way of saying I put it in my queue. They wont know it but in a month or three 50 posts by them will start posting every day on several different blogs I own. It also means that they can see the random person who followed them actually looks at and appreciates their stuff, since I rarely reblog to my main. Since it doesnt show sideblog names when you like/follow, it looks like a random ass person reblogged from you 50 times over several days but didn't follow. If i like 50 posts then later some rando blog posts the same 50 posts, then they can make thst connection.

I also use my likes list to go back and find stuff I liked ages ago. Ill scroll randomly for a long time and then requeue things that I liked and forgot about, that are long buried in my blogs. So yeah I actually use my likes list so its not useless in that regard alone.

Im aware that I might be the odd one out. That other people dont do this. Im aware that there are blank blogs that spam like and dont seem to reblog anything. Im aware someone might not make the connection between my spam liking spree and a later spam post spree from my queue. But its not completely useless just because Some people don't reblog. Also they might be using queue all along and your aggression towards them might run them off your blog entirely just because you didnt make the connection between their main and their sideblog. Which is funny as hell since a lot of these posts will say stuff like "if it doesnt fit the aesthetic of your main blog just make a sideblog!!" Yeah they probably already have one they probably did reblog or queue it, but you just didnt notice so you got aggressive for no reason and lost a follower.

[54bpm]

Hi there, say I want to post a bunch of images and some of them are nsfw, how do i tag this, just tag nsfw at the bottom, or is there something to do with the individual images, thank you for your advice.

OH this reminds me of something I meant to mention earlier, it's more of an observation than like Hard Fact but art does better when it's split up on multiple posts unless it like, goes together.

That's just like what I've noticed over time, people like it when you only got one big art! Plus thats more content to throw in the queue so win/win.

Moving onto your actual question, there's layers to it:

Step 1: Is it lewds or porn.

Straight up porn is technically banned and I advise NOT putting it on your main blog since it could get the account put into adult mode (which puts a lot of limits on the account like hidden for some users, not searchable, no proper blog only the logged in dashboard mode) If its tasteful lewds, continue.

Step 2: Is there a lot of liquid happening

From what I've heard the dividing line on if a post is flagged or not lately is how much liquid is happening, if not much then continue

Step 3: Tags & Labels.

Okay now for what you actually asked lol. The tag "NSFW" is shadow banned. It will get your post flagged. There ARE alternatives though, I've seen NSFT (not safe for tumblr) as the main one but I'm sure you can also find more if you get specific in your searches.

THE THING IS: using just tags can get you reported. Because we have a brand new feature too. If you're using the BETA post editor there's a button by the post button that says "Everyone" in there is a menu for labeling the post with mature themes.

It's up in the air if this will effect your post getting into searches, I've seen them in the wild of searches but you'll find that on tumblr it's not always consistent. But what it will do is make sure people under 18 do not see it!! Oh and you can still put tags on it to reach people.

Wait what, gimme a TLDR

Yeah fair, basically if you think you fit within the vague constraints outlined here you can post with the mature label and be fine (probably) you can also try to post without it at risk of being reported. You can use tags either way and you should still come up in searches, just not for kiddies (and not for users that haven't turned off the filter in the settings, thats on them though, people who don't check their settings regularly deserve horny jail to me) ALSO super don't use tags that don't apply, you'll get mega reported. Nobody wants an ass jumpscare.

If your post does get flagged you probably have too much liquid or used tags that tumblr did not like. You can edit the post and contest it or just make a new post. If you're worried about your whole account getting flagged then experiment on a side, (sides can be flagged without hurting your main) but you can also contest this status too.

Phew, okay, hope that helps! Good luck with the titties!

[elytrafemme]

Hey. Ive been following you for a while and yk just friendly neighborhood kid trying to get a following

I try and write, but i was wondering how to start bringing up my account as to how to get my writing up and about, as well as like what formatting i should try out first in the begining (like blurbs, 1 para descriptives, one shots) (i dont do x yn it unnerves me)

... Honestly im a bit confused and lost and ur a huge deal to me so some advice to the fan if you will :>

hey hey! keep in mind that i'm just one person out there who writes, so take everything i say with a grain of salt, but i will do my best to give advice :]

i think the absolute main thing when it comes to writing is that you HAVE to write things that you yourself enjoy writing. a while ago, there was a fic i started for a fandom, and it got the attention of a pretty popular person in the fandom space, who was super super excited for me to continue it. it ended up never getting a second chapter, because while that external support was nice, i was never truly in love with the concept of the fic and honestly found myself more and more stressed at the prospect of working on something i didn't care about.

getting support for the things you create is amazing-- everyone loves validation and getting to have a community of readers is so so nice-- but you have to love what you're creating, not just go after what you think people might want. and it took me personally a while to learn that but once i did, i started enjoying the things i wrote way way more, and i think people who read the works i made could tell that.

in terms of the /kind/ of writing you put out there, i haven't noticed one type of piece getting more attention than another. i recommend that if you post a piece, you give some kind of header with the title of it, if it involves characters list the main characters involved (if it involves OCs you could describe them briefly but i am not experienced in posting original works on tumblr so i can't really speak to that), list off any major content warnings (i.e. death, core, etc.), and give an approximate word count. that way, especially with one shots, people know the length of what they're about to read and can set aside time accordingly for it.

when you do that, also, you can then tag for those things! I'm not the best at tagging my writing in all honesty, so I'm not sure of all the tips and tricks there, but I think you can get a lot out of tagging the main characters involved (if a character only shows up as a brief reference in 1 line, i don't recommend tagging them). past that, you can always look in the tumblr writing tag and see how other people tag their things; that might give you a better idea than i can.

also, if you do start to get people reading and enjoying your writing, you can make a tag list! i'm ... also notoriously bad at using mine, but basically if you get a few works up you can ask if people want to be tagged any time you post a new piece of writing. that's a good way to have people consistently look at things!

last tip i'll give is that you should absolutely reblog the FUCK out of your own writing, because that seriously does help. a lot of people also tag on "reblogs are appreciated" or "reblogs > likes" to encourage other people to share their writing. don't go up to someone directly and ask them to reblog something/why they haven't, since that is a pretty uncomfortable experience, but on the actual post itself i think it's fine to say that you would appreciate people who like the post to also reblog it! just a gentle nudge y'know.

also this is super minor but one of the good things about reblogging your own writing is that you can queue things (albeit i have never used tumblr's queue system so again, grain of salt), and hit different timezones! 4-6 PM EST is the time range i usually shot for with posting anything i wanted people to see, but i have no idea if that's actually the best time, so you can use self reblogs to experiment

i don't know if this is what you wanted me to answer for you; truth be told i was a little confused at your intiial question haha, but i hope that this is somewhat helpful! best of luck with writing :]

[droppingartintotheinfinite]

Hello! My name is Soléna, (pronounced “soul-ANE-uh”) and I do art sometimes!

Feel free to shorten my name to just Sol. I use they/them pronouns.

My main blog is @solena2, where I reblog things and sometimes (rarely) make original posts.

My birthday is February 2nd.

I do Art Fight every year, so if you want to attack me, my account is here!

-

Stuff about this blog:

- It runs on a queue! I draw a lot, so I’ve got the queue set to post twice a day. I’ll often post more than that if I’ve got a big backlog, though.

- It’s primarily an archive for my work! Though I do like attention, the primary purpose of this blog is to store my art in case I ever lose access to the original photos and/or sketchbooks. Because of this, I pretty much post everything I draw, as opposed to just the stuff I really like.

- It’s mostly my visual art, but I sometimes post my writing here as well. Most of it I just stick on ao3, though, so if you’re looking for that my username there is solena2 as well.

Interaction:

- feel free to send asks and stuff! I will respond to them! I love attention.

- I read all of the tags. If you tag my art with something nice, I will see it and I will smile very wide.

- I typically don’t respond to comments on my posts! On tumblr, you can only reply to posts with your main, and this is a sideblog, so I avoid replying to my own posts to prevent confusion. If you’d like me to respond to something you say, please put it in a reblog or an ask!

- Do you have questions about my OCs? My process? Did you see a cool rock this morning and thought I would like it? Send it to me! I cannot overstate the degree to which getting asks fills me with joy!

- Constructive criticism of my work is fine, though I don’t usually respond to it.

- Prompts are also fine, though I make no promises to actually do them!

Commissions:

- I don’t do commissions as a regular thing and don’t really consider myself to be a professional artist, so I don’t have any kind of default pricing scale for them or anything like that, but if you want to pay me to do art for you I’m probably down with that. Just send me a dm with what you want and how much you’re willing to pay for it and we can discuss from there.

- For pricing, please assume you’re paying at least minimum wage and that anything more complicated than a sketch is going to take a couple hours. Minimum wage in my state is about $15/hour.

- I might also be willing to do stuff for free or for cheap if you’re a friend or there’s some other reason I’d be willing to charge less from you, but if I do something for you for free I’m only going to put as much effort in as I feel like. You get what you pay for, you know?

- If you want a commission from me, a person who does not regularly do commissions, please assume I know jackshit about standard practice for them because that is in fact the truth.

- This section only exists because I keep getting questions about it. If I ever start doing commissions regularly, I’ll redo this to be less vague.

Other stuff:

- Feel free to use my stuff for things as long as you credit me! Whether that be using my art as a reference, directly tracing it, sticking it in a slideshow where you repeatedly call it a crime against the medium... I don’t really care! Just make sure to tag me or send it to me so I can check it out!

- Please don’t repost my stuff. If you’re adding something it’s fine, but just reposting my art with nothing extra on it is cringe. If you’re doing it on another site I don’t really care, though. Just make sure to give a link back to this blog!

- Seriously go wild

- The only situation in which I care even slightly about people doing things with my art is if it’s a commission. If it’s a commission, I don’t own it and therefore cannot grant permissions about how the image can be used. If you want to do something with a piece I did on commission, ask the person who commissioned it. All commissioned pieces on this blog are labeled, so there shouldn’t be any confusion there.

Tagging:

- The TWs I try to reliably tag are eyestrain, blood and body horror. For pretty much anything else, send me an ask about it and if it’s just a couple posts, I’ll add the tag, though if it’s like half my blog it might be a better idea to just unfollow.

- My phase tags are so I can easily find my stuff by post date, and also to make it easier for me to gauge my progress. I update the number approximately at the start of each month, though sometimes I’m a couple days off for whatever reason.

- My favorite art is tagged “fav”. Usually I go through my posts every couple months and stick the tag on a bunch of stuff, as opposed to adding it when I make the post.

- My “ballgown” tag isn’t necessarily for actual ballgowns. It’s more just fancy clothes in general. Things just worked out that way.

- Fanart is tagged “fanart” and original art is tagged “original art”. Older original art is tagged “not fanart” which I changed when I realized how tumblr’s search works.

- Posts in color are tagged “color”. If you’re looking for stuff of mine that’s more than sketches, this is probably the place to check.

- The abstract pieces I do are tagged “abstract art”. Stuff in this tag is typically what I use for my blog banners. And also my home screen.

- Every post on my blog is tagged with “art” and “sketch”. It just worked out that way.

- Digital art is tagged “digital art” and traditional art is tagged “traditional art”. Older traditional art doesn’t have its own tag, since when this blog started it was pretty much all I did so I didn’t need to differentiate.

- “old art” is the tag for really old art of mine that wasn’t posted when it was drawn. This tag typically shows up on my redraws of my old stuff.

- “Redraw” is my tag for redraws. I do them occasionally for fun.

- Posts tagged “reference” were drawn using a different image as a reference. Many of the older posts on this blog don’t credit the reference in question at all, which is a practice I’ve decided to move away from. The reason these posts stay up is because of this blog’s status as an archive.

- Comics are tagged “comic”.

- Non-art posts are tagged “not art” and “off topic”. If they’re text posts, they’re tagged “text post”. Reblogs are tagged “reblog” and/or “self reblog”, as appropriate.

- Every character who appears in a post is tagged. I do my best to use the same tag for the same character every time. Characters with ambiguous names (ie: Ghost from Hollow Knight) will usually have their fandom name included in their character tag. (ie: “hk ghost”)

- Shitposts are tagged “shitpost”

Enjoy!

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 141

Last week I posted a day early because vacation was doing vacation things to my sense of time.... This week I forgot to queue the chapter up because Monday was a work holiday, so I forgot today was Tuesday. *insert facepalm here please*

Thanks on this one go largely to @baelpenrose who rightfully pointed out that one part made very little sense to him and therefore was unlikely to make sense to a reader.  The clarification smoothed things out quite a bit, I think.  Just in case, whoever spots the area I’m talking about gets a cookie as soon as travel restrictions lift.

As always, thanks go also to @the-raven-fae, @charlylimph-blog, and @anotherusrname for completing the corners of my support system. And, a super-duper extra-special to @drinksteawithcake! I don’t know if I am allowed to tell everyone why, but you know why you get the extra-special, and I hope you are having fun!

BWAAAAAHP!   BWAAAAAHP!

“Uhhh?” I squinted in complaint as flailing arms clambered over me. One pair snagged me around my waist to drag me from bed before depositing me shakily on my feet. “What are you - ?”

BWAAAAAHP!  BWAAAAAHP!

Any trace of sleep was shoved out of my system, replaced by sizzling alertness when I realized I was hearing ship-wide alarms.  Shoving myself into the first clothing I grabbed, not even bothering with shoes, I was hot on Conor and Maverick’s heels as we raced out of our quarters and into the corridor. We paused only long enough for both men to kiss me and for “I love yous” to be exchanged before they turned and headed toward the areas indicated on their datascreens, while I hauled ass toward the Archives, ducking and twisting to avoid anyone in my path.

“Forty minutes,” Tyche told me crisply as I basically fell through the door, panting. “The Ark could be invaded and the battle over by the time you make it.”

“I ran….huff….the whole….ugh….way….” I managed to gasp out.  Part of me felt like puking, but I was pretty sure the muscles in my abdomen were too busy to figure out the logistics.

Clicking her tongue, she pulled me up from the floor. “Alistair, make a note to suggest to Xio that Sophia’s quarters be relocated once we have a better idea of when we are dropping into real space.”

I nodded numbly. “And probably… amp up… sensors… give… earlier… warning.”

“Nice outfit, by the way,” she laughed quietly as we finally reached the shelter point within the Archives.

Glancing down, I had to suppress a sigh. The first thing I grabbed to dress myself had apparently been a pair of Conor’s boxer shorts and a very filthy t-shirt that I assumed belonged to Maverick, since Conor’s was usually under coveralls. “At least you can’t say I took my time getting dressed.”

Her shaking head was greeted by faces in various states of wakefulness - this had been a drill, and woke nearly the entire Ark during their sleep interval on Delta shift.  But we weren’t out of the woods, yet: the drill didn’t end until all of Xiomara and Evan’s scenarios played out, including the mock combat and various tests of concealment for the other shelters.  As such, Tyche stood guard over the choke-point into this section, while Alistair had stayed behind at the entrance.

Early on, when the drills started, there had been fifty-fifty odds that the mock-invaders would make it this far, but over the past few weeks, that had narrowed to maybe twenty-percent.  It was still too high a chance in my judgement, and Xiomara clearly agreed as she stepped up training schedules and randomized the timing of the drills. 

Taking a swig of water from a stash of bottles, I queued up my datapad and stood next to Tyche, watching the ‘casualties’ from a point where no one could see over my shoulder to avoid panic, which I would have done in a real situation. “They didn’t find mess hall seven this time,” I murmured.

She glanced at my screen. “Acoustics are still too damned high. She must not be simulating for that this go around.”

One of the decoy locations lit up. “Looks like this time it’s heavy on thermal.” The location in question had been equipped with a cooking surface, triggered to activate when the klaxons that had woken me up went off.  Which Xiomara knew, but did not tell the ‘pirates’ for authenticity.

“How did they get past the combatants this time?” She asked, both curious and slightly worried.

Rolling back the sensor data, I watched it carefully. “Looks like these got in during the initial breaches, multiple points. But the line has held since, that’s good.”

Doing another check toward Alistair’s direction, she didn’t seem to see anything concerning. “How many?”

“Four,” I confirmed.  “Sam’s thermal camouflage is working beautifully, though.”  I couldn’t help but grin, and Tyche snorted at the same time. ‘Thermal camouflage’ was a bit of overkill as a name, but it was working well in every round. Potential access points were equipped with fast-acting environmental simulators - originally designed for temporary habitats on inhospitable moons - modified to release atmosphere like a Terran equatorial rainforest within one minute in an enclosed space.  It was a much more simple and elegant solution than any others we had found for giving combatants defending the Ark an advantage - instead of trying to create technology to make them look colder, make the entire area match human heat signatures.  Boom, instantly blinded enemies.

A tense half-hour later, the ‘all clear’ sounded, queueing grumbling from those who had dozed back off as everyone stood to make their ways back to their quarters. I waited with Alistair and Tyche for everyone else to be accounted for on the way out, and the three of us headed back toward our quarters together.  Alistair peeled off first, living closest to the Archives, and no sooner had my sister and I reached my door than the page sounded for the post-drill meeting.  She waved me off as she answered on her databand, and I did the same as I pushed into my quarters and flopped on the couch. “Councillor Sophia Reid, present, audio only,” I answered. “And no jokes, Pranav… I look like I smell awful.”

“Alistair Worthington, present, audio and video. I can confirm that she does, and she does.”

Laughter filled the comms and the rest of the group leaders and Councillors joined the debrief.  Finally, everyone was present and Xiomara called the meeting to order.  First, the leaders of each shelter reported in, as those usually went the fastest. There were a couple malfunctions in the deployment of the shielding to disguise the entrances and hide heat and electrical signatures, but nothing Huynh’s team couldn’t fix.  Tyche and Alistair made the recommendations around earlier detection and the need to move those sheltering in the  Archives closer as we approached time to drop out of relativistic space. 

Once that was out of the way, it was on to the combat and invasion teams. Overall consensus was that Sam’s trick with the portable environments was a rousing success and would be installed at each point determined to be most likely as a breach, with trigger conditions to be determined later. “I hate to say it,” Michael sighed, “but we also need Charly’s team to crank up the scovilles on the arrows and grenades.” His team had played the ‘invaders’ this go around, equipped with sensors and readouts to simulate the effect our defenses would have on the various species who most commonly were found on pirate vessels.  Evan had worked intensely with Pranav and Derek to ensure that the strategies provided by the readouts were modelled after similar strategies based on which ever species each team member was assigned, to ensure we weren’t accidentally drilling against human tactics.

Michael hated it, but he was strict about his team complying nonetheless.

“Seriously?” I squawked, and I wasn’t the only one. “One of those things accidentally went off in my quarters…. Can confirm, they’re pretty potent.”

“They dissipated too fast against my team, and also the contact element left a lot to be desired. Charly, you may want to consider adding a sticking element.”

“Duly noted,” she chimed in with a yawn, her normal pep doused by being woken up and then the drop in adrenaline post-combat.

“What about the sonic weapons?” Xiomara asked, moving the meeting along.

“Still less effective than Nixe is on her own,” a familiar voice I couldn’t put a name to responded with a sheepish tone.  “How hard would it be to train more people to shatter glass with their voice?”

“Incredibly,” Grey stressed. “It takes a very unique combination of training and the right vocal chords.”

“Then we may need to work on adding a projection component.  The sonic devices can match the pitch, but not the actual tone and direction. They’re very effective given time and especially contact, but we need something more immediately disabling.”

Xiomara groaned. “Are we back to Mariah Carey on this one?” Objections exploded until she muted the comms. “It’s that or opera.” Votes started scrolling up the screen, and I could see Xio nod. “Opera it is.  Let’s find a suitable piece and try using more analogue-style speakers.”

“I still say that death metal would work better,” Arthur suggested as soon as the comms were back on.

“Annnnd we already tested it, I will remind you. The volume works, but the pitches aren’t high enough to hit a broad enough population of species sensitive to sound.” After that nearly-obligatory objection, the meeting continued going through reports from each combat team until finally Xiomara announced the end results. “I have to admit, this was one of our best drills yet. Ten percent casualties of the combatants defending the breaches, only two percent among non-combatants, and the invaders were only able to traverse three decks before they were subdued.” She let the cheers go for a couple seconds before getting everyone’s attention again. “Yes, great job on the improvements, but let me remind everyone - those numbers still leave us below threshold for a healthy genetic population. Engineering teams, make the necessary adjustments with whatever resources are necessary. Shelters Three and Seven, you will start training for armed and unarmed combat with Shelter Fourteen and Combat Team Two daily.  Sophia, your team will coordinate schedules. Any questions?”

There were no arguments, not even a groan or mutter as the meeting was dismissed. Before I could even add the new task to my agenda the next day, I received the notification that Alistair had beaten me to the punch.

Glancing at the time, I wanted to hit something.  I had to be back up and at work in four hours, and the realization weighed me down with exhaustion.  The guys had come in and gone to bed while I was in the debrief, and I could already hear synchronized snoring coming from the bedroom.  Rather than risk waking them with my now-frozen feet, I pulled the quilt off the back of my couch and rolled myself into it.  Only minutes later, a heavy weight oozed across my hip and started purring furiously.

“Yeah, buddy. I agree. We need a nap.”

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[mmikmmik2]

If you were to sort the Infinity Train cast(s) into the Major Arcana a la the Persona games, which Arcana would you give everyone?

anon I had SOOOOO much fun thinking about this, thank you so much for sending me this. I sorted all the major characters, plus a few other entries, based on a mix of Arcana symbolism, Persona series character archetypes, and general vibes. I came up with answers I feel pretty good about for all but four of the Arcana. (Was really tempted to say Strength is every human character who doesn't board the train because they can handle their problems on their own lol.) This is going to be a long-winded post, so I thought I’d post just the list as an image (which hopefully won’t be too blurry!) rather than wrestle with Tumblr formatting trying to make a short list, and put a big text wall under the readmore talking more about my picks.

If this list does end up illegible, the same info is under the readmore as text! Plus some characters for Magician, Strength, Justice, and Death that I didn’t want to add to the “official” list because they’re more based on headcanon. (Although my reasoning for some of the “official” picks is pretty weak lol.)

One-One as 0. The Fool

Oh my gosh, what am I?

IT is great at fleshing out character backstories and families, so One-One at the beginning of S1 is one of the few characters who really feels like a blank slate. He's got a lot of his baggage back by the end of the season, and I think One and One-One are more similar than they seem at first glance, but S1 does seem to have been very formative for One-One and how he thinks about what he's supposed to be doing and how he relates to other people. So it does kind of feel like his fool's journey.

Alrick Timmens as I. The Magician

The magician begins the journey... by beefing it on a dirt bike, dying, and sending his wife flying off the deep end. Rip.

Alrick was an engineer like Amelia, so I could see him suiting some of the themes of the Magician, like conscious thought and manifesting ideas. His apparent playfulness and insecurity are similar to the Magician characters in Persona.

Kez as II. The High Priestess

“We can’t make this decision for you, Kez.” “You know what to do.”

I thought really hard about making Kez the Magician because just like every Magician since Persona 3, she's dumb, horny, and insecure dlkjasfdkl

(and also her showing up at the start of the story arc and being helpful but also super needy is very Magician)

But the idea of "intuition" really does suit Kez. Sometimes her intuition is as bad as her conscious reasoning, but I think that's a lot because she's so confused about what happened with Jeremy, and Morgan making Kez feel like she did a bad thing by helping him.

Tuba as III. The Empress

She made me feel like I was warm all the time.

Tuba's a mom. Sorry, this one's not that deep, haha.

Simon Laurent as IV. The Emperor

Highest number! I'm the leader now.

Simon has a lot of issues, but the one that felt the most prominent to me was his unhealthy relationship with power, authority, dominance, and rules. Another quote I considered using here was what he said in Grace's memory of meeting Amelia: "I never thought I'd get to see the Conductor with my own eyes. He's perfect! Everything finally makes sense again." In his emotional crisis, he thought everything could be fixed just by the existence of a huge, scary, powerful, male authority figure, even if they weren't doing anything helpful or informative.

Atticus as V. The Hierophant

I like to think that our stones are sturdy and handsome, like the Corgis that crafted them.

Atticus is a figure of traditional authority who deeply loves the history, society, and culture of his people. He often provides spiritual wisdom and encourages Tulip to get out of her own head and engage with the world around her. Also in Persona, Hiero is the Dad Arcana so it's very funny to me (a) to make the little dog be Hiero and (b) that the little dog really does have the strongest Wholesome Dad Energy of the whole cast.

Jesse Cosay as VI. The Lovers

Don't tell me what to do. I'm not going to be a part of anything like this, on or off the train.

This was my first and easiest pick lol, Jesse is sooooo Lovers. Like, the focus on choice and personal values and relationships? Yep, that's Jesse. It works on an "actual meaning of the Arcana" level and a "vibes with the Persona characters" level lol... popular, upbeat, and having such an identity crisis.

Lake as VII. The Chariot

I'm my own person, who is getting off this train!

I don't know if Chariot captures all the ways Lake grew over the course of S2, but I feel like they had the most externally focused conflict of all the IT characters, which suits Chariot. They've been fighting to stake out their personhood from start to finish, and they took action and used their willpower to achieve that goal. Also they have at least a little jock energy which is a prereq for Chariot tbh.

Frank as VIII. Strength

I dunno, I kinda imagine him as a simple man and easily underestimated, but with a lot of heart. The Cat may say they're keeping things casual but I don't think she'd take him with her on her private vacation unless he had some kind of inner toughness that would let him stand toe-to-toe with her.

Morgan as IX. The Hermit

I need to be alone right now. Kez... maybe... we can talk later.

I like that Morgan embodies toxic self-isolation and stonewalling and rejection, but that she seems to be moving towards the positive aspects of Hermit and taking some time to calm down and process and think. I like it when characters can embody the best and worst of their Arcana.

Tulip Olsen as X. The Wheel of Fortune

We have to adapt to the changes in our lives. It's the only way things can get better.

Tulip has a lot of themes and conflicts, but this one is a clear standout as the most important. I also like it for Tulip because, while she has to handle a lot of difficult and even traumatic situations, some of the change that challenges her isn't as unambiguously bad as e.g. the death of a loved one. It really is just change itself she's struggling with, and that's Fortune babey. Also, from the perspective of the train itself and lots of other characters, by reversing Amelia and One-One's positions again and changing how One-One administrates the train, Tulip is the one giving the wheel a spin. That's fun.

Lucy as XI. Justice

One of my friends once described the Justice characters in Persona as "the ones the player character is ultimately accountable towards", and I like to think of Lucy as kind of being that for Grace (...since Hazel has excused herself). Lucy is the Apex kid we see Grace interact with the most, the first Apex kid Grace admitted to herself that she had harmed (see Grace very briefly showing distress and then regret when Jesse points the harpoons at his face and she stops him), and the first person to confront Grace when she came home in The New Apex.

Min-Gi Park as XII. The Hanged Man

I don't know if we'll sell a single album, but we'll figure that out as we go.

Min-Gi sacrifices his "realistic", "sensible" goals for a more personally (spiritually, even?) enriching life that's beyond his control and outside of the expected norm. Like the Hanged Man, who dangles foolishly upside-down, but as a deliberate choice and in a state of serenity and enlightenment. I also think this arcana suits a reading of Min-Gi's character development as starting off going slower as a way to stall and live in denial, but then going slower with deliberation. Compare his arrogant insistence on refusing to act in The Astro Queue Car to his patience and care in The Castle Car and The Train to Nowhere.

Jeremy as XIII. Death

This isn't about the death of his family - I'm thinking of his reluctance to admit his number was going down. He cared about Morgan and Kez, and it's possible both that he may have really wanted to stay with them despite his exit and that that might even have been a healthy choice - they're real ass people with feelings and everything, not holodeck characters. But I also think Jeremy was using his life with them to avoid moving on out of that fog (because it was hard and it hurt and he didn't want to think about what that would mean for him and Morgan) and Morgan was enabling him.

Ryan Akagi as XIV. Temperance

Maybe the experience is the point. I wasn't just rushing you. I was rushing myself.

I think this one speaks for itself. Also, the other quote I considered putting here, from The Art Gallery Car: "You told me I can't appreciate the song without taking in the rest of the album. I need the whole package."

The Cat as XV. The Devil

I always do the right thing.

Honestly, this is one I really wasn't sure about. The Cat isn't a great pick for a lot of the meanings of Devil. She is definitely consumed by material comforts, and the short-term rewards of ignoring her issues at a long-term cost, though. This is more of a "vibes with Persona characters with this arcana" pick... Devil characters tend to start off being somewhat exploitative or even antagonistic towards the player character, and gradually showing a more conflicted and genuine side.

Amelia Hughes as XVI. The Tower

There's a hole in the universe where Alrick used to be.

Amelia's life is defined by catastrophe and upheaval - both those she's suffered and those she's inflicted on others.

Hazel as XVII. The Star

I'm going to keep loving you like you're still here.

When I think of "The Star" as a small but inextinguishable light in the darkness, Hazel seems like the obvious choice. Although we left her deeply wounded, I think she still has a flicker of her hope, faith, and purpose.

Grace Monroe as XVIII. The Moon

But it's unfair for me to tell you how to understand yourself. I mean, I don't even fully understand me.

Grace is probably the most complex and dynamic character on the show and hence one of the most difficult to place. I considered Empress, Strength, Devil, and Judgement for her... I think ultimately, lies and illusions are the most unifying theme of her character arc. Also, from a Persona angle, her pursuit of status out of a lack of true self-worth reminds me of Ai and Mishima.

Alan Dracula as XIX. The Sun

Brought together by the majesty of a superpowered deer!

I'm sorry dkjasfklads this is largely because I thought it was funny to have this completely inexpressive dead-eyed deer as Sun akfk but also... like... it kind of works okay!!! Think about the genuine joy and comfort and positivity he brings to Lake and Jesse (and me)!

The New Apex as XX. Judgement

"Then what are we gonna be?" "Guess we'll have to figure it out?"

This is kind of a Persona mythology gag again because of Judgement being a group social link near the end of the narratives of P3 and P4, when the protagonists have pierced through the lies and actually figured out who the villain of their game is and are ready to really start making progress.

0 as XI. The World

Ah, train does it again!

It's an ending and the completion of a journey, but also the beginning of a new one. And the world is literally what the passengers receive at the end of their train journey. Welcome home.

[just-come-baek]

get in, loser 1

Pairing: Taeyong x female!reader

Themes: smut | mafiaboss!taeyong | carthief!reader

Word count: 6.2k

Summary: How to get noticed by the most dangerous man in the country? I guess stealing his sport car and dying it hot pink must catch his attention.

Warnings: car theft | speeding | alcohol consumption | jaehyun being taeyong’s henchman | hardcore brainstorming | taeyong being touchy | more in next chapters

A/N This series will be around 5 chapters long. New updates shall be posted once every two weeks I hope. Also, @starlightbebes challenged me into posting chapter 1 on Taeyong’s birthday, so I won. ^^ Pay up.

***

Considering it was Saturday night, the city seemed oddly serene. Any other night, I’d witness some wild shit, yet tonight, it was quite peaceful. No prostitutes were arguing with no-cooperative customers, no inexperienced adolescents throwing up in the public trash cans, no aggressive football spectators fighting with their rivals.

Despite the calm aura, the city was vibrant; colorful neon signs were blinking, inviting people into different liquor establishments, cars honking on drunken pedestrians jaywalking across the streets, a few undiscovered musicians playing on the main square with plenty of tourists recording them.

Each establishment promised an unforgettable night, and for some people, it would be a real dilemma to pick one among such a rich palette of entertainment. I, on the other hand, had a pretty well-defined plan of stealing a fancy car – a precious possession of one, infamous crime lord in the country.

It wouldn’t be my first car theft, yet it surely was going to be the most meaningful one. Everyone in town knew that Lee Taeyong was up to no good. When it came to his personal taste, though, it was impeccable. The most expensive, the most extravagant, the fastest cars belonged to him, so stealing one of his astounding vehicles would be the cherry on top of my villainous career.

Rumor had it, tonight he’s celebrating in his VIP club – the Cherry Bomb; if you ask me, its name is a little bit tacky, but who I am to judge? The crowd of people trying to get inside was enormous, so despite its name, the local must’ve been quite profitable.

Being the most dangerous crime lord in the country must be a pretty time-consuming profession – I wouldn’t expect him to get to the club before midnight. Regardless of what must’ve been on his to-do list tonight, his schedule was bound to be packed.

It was almost 1 o’clock when matte black carbon-fibred McLaren P1 LM with “DRAGON” written on its registration plate pulled over in front of the club; in an instant, people in the queue grew silent, mesmerized by the handsome man who nonchalantly got out of the car, tossing the keys to the valet boy.

Lee Taeyong was just as good-looking as he was deadly – with his styled-up tousled vibrant-red hair, ripped black jeans, and a top-brand leather jacket, he made people turn their heads despite their gender and sexual orientation. In all honesty, I did my research, I had dozens of pictures of him, and I knew what to expect. The pictures didn’t do him justice, though. His natural beauty was enchanting, but when topped with his charisma and cocky confidence, it was a lethal mixture.

When Taeyong strolled inside his establishment, I, just like the other people who were in rapture, could finally get my shit together. It was remarkably difficult to remain in the right state of mind when he was within your eyesight, and tonight, it was going to be my most significant theft, so I couldn’t get distracted.

“You can do this,” I encouraged myself before running across the street, ready to execute the first stage of my plan.

I didn’t dare to doubt my skills for even a second. Tonight I would succeed, and Taeyong would have to call an Uber to get back to his grand mansion.

***

It’s been three days since my ingenious heist, and I was getting impatient. I wanted Taeyong to find me and talk to me, yet I was waiting and waiting, and he didn’t seem interested in getting his car back. It was actually disappointing. I couldn’t contain my curiosity; I just needed to see his reaction after I had his car tuned. I had made sure to be caught on their CCTV, so he would quickly track my traces, but it only proved me he was working with rookies.

Checking the time on my wristwatch, I walked into the run-down car repair shop, wanting to sneak one last peek at my masterpiece before I’d put a cover over it so Taeyong would gasp upon the big reveal. The new car paint looked amazing – Doyoung, my friend and a mechanic, did a great job dying it hot pink. Too bad, he was too scared to wait for Taeyong with me. I couldn’t blame him, though. Taeyong was known for his short temper, and it was understandable that Doyoung didn’t want to stick around to witness Taeyong’s wrath.

“What is taking him so long?” I asked myself as I plopped down in a ripped leather armchair, cracking a cold one. “How long does it take them to find the guys who don’t want to be found?” I wondered, pulling my phone, scrolling through the new content on my social media.

It was taking them forever, but when the sun was slowly setting behind the horizon, I could hear a vehicle park in front of the car repair shop. Judging by the engine’s roars, the car was expensive.

It must’ve been Taeyong himself.

“Finally,” I hollered as I got on my feet, throwing my slowly dying phone on the armchair. If the crime lord showed up, he needed to be welcomed accordingly. Taeyong was a royalty amongst gangers, and he deserved the best treatment.

Midnight blue Bugatti Chiron registered under “FURY” stopped on the parking lot, and I waited for Taeyong to get out. Seconds passed, and he was still sitting comfortably in the vehicle, building the tension. I didn’t feel stressed, though. Although we hadn’t been properly introduced, I knew a whole lot about him – he was famous for his rage. However, right now, he had to be impressed rather than enraged. Or at least, it was the emotion I hoped for him to feel.

Only a complete psycho, and me, would dare to steal one of his automobiles.

The descending sun was blinding me, and when I raised my hand to block the direct sunlight, the car doors opened. Even in daylight, Taeyong looked like a five-course meal. Today, he was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a Gucci T-shirt; the outfit was simple, yet on him, it looked elevated.

“Very impressive,” he shouted loudly before he coolly walked over. “You’ve got balls, I have to give you that,” he added, and I smirked, considering his words as a compliment. Men of high positions often have trouble complimenting people, let alone women, and Taeyong didn’t seem to be an exception.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, too,” I answered politely, offering him a handshake, which he contemptuously denied. “I must say, I expected to meet you sooner,” I jabbed, but Taeyong only looked at me condescendingly before he walked inside, impatient to check up on his stolen property.

“My people located you yesterday morning, but I wanted to see you in person, and you must know, I am a busy person,” he explained, studying the shabby interior. “No one steals from me.”

“Well… I already have, and it was easier than I previously assumed,” I answered confidently before approaching the cover. “I have a surprise for you, are you ready?” Taeyong didn’t even flinch, and I considered his indifference as an agreement. With one quick pull, I uncovered the vehicle, allowing him to see my teeny tiny change. “I hope you like pink.”

Taeyong grew silent.

I had told Doyoung to change the car paint to hot pink, yet Taeyong didn’t even blink. I expected him to get pissed or, at least, annoyed, but when I looked at his features, I couldn’t see any reaction.

“Actually, pink is my favorite color,” Taeyong emotionlessly announced, and I only stared at him in utter confusion.

What the fuck?

“Well… I expected a different reaction,” I spoke, the wires in my brain incapable of coming up with anything intelligent. A guy with such a foul reputation favors the color pink.

Imagine my shock.

Apparently, Taeyong is a man of many layers.

“Who are you?” Taeyong condescendingly asked as he sat comfortably in the armchair, putting my phone on the armrest. Calmly, he leaned backward, crossed his legs, and entwined his fingers over his bent knee, waiting for me to tell him everything he wanted to know.

“I think you already know who I am,” I stated, and he just stared at me intensely. His people must’ve done a background check on me, yet he still wanted to hear it again. Stealing his car was one thing, but disrespecting him about such trivial matter seemed way worse. Doing something so risky and bold was admirable in his eyes, but wasting his time like this was just annoying, so I simply did what was expected of me.

I told Taeyong about my childhood – how I spent my allowance on go-kart races; it was my escape whenever my father got drunk and picked up fights with my mom. Then, I disclosed my secrets on how I began stealing cars – when I was seventeen, because of excessive drinking, my father needed a liver transplant, and it was the only way of getting money remotely quickly. Later, at the age of twenty-one, I participated in my first street race, though this time, it wasn’t because I needed money – I did it because I enjoyed the thrill.

“How did you steal it? How, on Earth, did you go inside the club without any of my workers noticing you?” Taeyong asked, and although he must’ve already concluded my operating plan, he wanted me to explain it myself. This time around, I didn’t even hesitate.

“I blended in,” I shortly answered with a shrug. “It wasn’t that difficult to find out all the information I needed to get inside unnoticed. I checked all your staff’s social media accounts; it took me like… three days of stalking to get their names and work schedules. That night, I sneaked into the club right after your arrival, and when somebody asked me something, I told them I was busy doing the thing the manager wanted me to do. They just assumed I am the new girl. Normally, I don’t do things like that when I steal a car, but this time around, I wanted to do something extra. Are you impressed?” I challenged, and Taeyong cocked his eyebrow, deeply in thought.

“Huh, last question. Why have you done it?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” I inquired rhetorically, and Taeyong didn’t even bother to give me a proper answer. He seemed bored, and it was making me feel a little bit fed-up. “Well… in all honesty, I am sick and tired of freelancing, I want to work for you,” I elaborated, and Taeyong just chuckled as if I just told him a hilarious joke. Why was he laughing? It was a reasonable proposition, and besides, I’ve already proven my amazing skills.

“I’m not recruiting, sorry,” Taeyong spoke when he stood up and glanced at his pink vehicle. Well… it was a harsh rejection. “You have one day to return my car, or I will have my henchman kill you,” he added, walking up to me until he invaded my personal space.

“Asshole,” I whispered loud enough for him to hear me. Taeyong already knew what I was capable of, yet for some reason, he still decided not to give me a chance. It was a dick move, and I couldn’t let him have the last word.

“You’re feisty. I like that,” Taeyong said at last, “Let’s meet on Friday, at the Superhuman. Midnight. Don’t be late.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me, and don’t forget to bring my fucking car.”

***

“She’s here,” Jaehyun told Taeyong as soon as the gatekeeper forwarded the message. “I can’t believe you didn’t kill her back then,” he added matter-of-factly, remembering the infamous car theft. No matter how many times he thought about it, he couldn’t comprehend how someone could be so stupid to mess with his boss. What puzzled him even more, however, was the fact that Taeyong seemed rather impressed by this woman’s actions.

“I was surprised too,” Taeyong answered honestly. “Can you believe she had the audacity to ask me to recruit her?”

Jaehyun was stupefied. “Well… are you going to?”

“Actually, I am not sure,” Taeyong replied hesitantly. It wasn’t how the regular recruitment process worked, but the woman intrigued him. She had seemed quite keen on working for him, and he was curious how much she wanted this job. “I haven’t decided yet,” Taeyong added, and Jaehyun looked at his boss in concern; Taeyong was impulsive in his decisions, and the fact that he hasn’t made up his mind yet was rather peculiar.

“You can’t be serious,” Jaehyun commented, hoping for Taeyong to come back to his senses. This wasn’t the way the things were dealt with here; if someone dared to mess with the leader, death was the kindest thing they could hope for. If other members found out about it, they might’ve thought Taeyong was getting soft. She disrespected the leader, and she ought to have faced the consequences.

“Bring her in, Jaehyun,” Taeyong ordered, dismissing Jaehyun’s concerns.

“Of course.”

“I expected to meet you in one of the VIP lounges, not in your office,” I spoke the second Taeyong’s henchman led me into an expensive-looking office at the back of the club. “You should’ve given me heads-up, I would’ve dressed accordingly,” I carried on, glancing down at my not suitable clothes.

My outfit consisted of a cropped T-shirt, denim shorts, fishnets, and a pair of combat shoes, and it did not look appropriate under these circumstances. I was expecting a flirty conversation in Taeyong’s natural habitat of leather lounges, expensive drinks, and beautiful girls competing amongst each other for his attention, but instead, he surprised me with a job interview in his private office at the back of his club. If only I had known, I would’ve dressed suitably.

“Leave us alone, Jaehyun,” Taeyong spoke in an authoritarian tone, and his associate left the room without any further comment.

The second I heard the doors click, I let out a breath of relief. For some reason, the henchman’s presence gave me chills. It was difficult to remain composed with Taeyong in such close vicinity, however, when accompanied by the other dangerous man, I felt uncomfortably anxious.

Taeyong’s piercing gaze was fixated on me, and it made me blush a little bit. He was hot as hell, and in all honesty, any woman would react this way if alone with him.

With one fluid motion, he commanded me to sit, and with a sheepish smile on my face, I obliged.

“You seem to be in a good mood,” I started, but Taeyong only smirked, sliding an A4 format envelop across the desk. “What is this?” I asked in confusion, but Taeyong just sat back, entwining his fingers together, enjoying my reaction.

Gang members didn’t sign employment contracts – that’d be silly.

“You admittance,” he started, and I cocked my eyebrow, trying to understand what the hell was going on. “Inside the envelope, you’ll find all the necessary information about your new assignment. Bring this car to me within a week, and you’ll be officially the newest addition to the family.”

It was interesting.

Taeyong had already seen me in action, yet he needed another proof of my qualifications. Actions speak louder than words, but my most recent ones screamed and ought to echo in his ears for years!

“Don’t look at me like that, it’s just a regular procedure, don’t take it personally,” Taeyong added, but I wasn’t exactly buying that. There must’ve been something that he didn’t tell me. There was a catch, it must’ve been. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have that playful spark in his eyes the whole time.

 “I’ll text you the meeting location sometime this week,” he added with a genuine smile, and I didn’t even dare to question how he got my number. “Good luck, doll,” smirking, Taeyong whispered, and I started questioning his intentions.

It must’ve been a set-up.

“I look forward to hearing from you,” I answered respectfully, quickly standing up, wanting to run out of the club. Curiosity was killing me; I had to peek inside the envelope, but I couldn’t do it in front of Taeyong. I hoped he acknowledged me as fearless and confident, and I couldn’t allow him to change his opinion about me. One hesitant glance at the papers could ruin my image, and I couldn’t let it happen.

“Are you out of your mind? You can’t be serious! Tell me you didn’t recruit her,” Jaehyun angrily stormed into Taeyong’s office, fed up with the leader’s decision. The girl left the club alive, and it’s not the outcome he anticipated. Jaehyun would break her neck if only Taeyong told him to. Letting her scot-free was a mistake, and it was crazy that Jaehyun was the only one to realize it.

“Calm down, Jaehyun,” Taeyong announced casually, making Jaehyun a bit confused. “I did give her an assignment, but don’t you worry about it. She’s gonna fail. She’s good, but not that good,” Taeyong added, and both of them smirked mischievously.

***

I’ve never been more anxious. My grip on the envelope was tight, my knuckles turning white, and I really had mixed feelings about opening it. Taeyong’s mischievous smirk couldn’t have been a good omen.

On the other hand, I couldn’t let the stress weaken me, so I did what any other person in my shoes would do – I went to the liquor store and bought the biggest bottle of gin they had. Regardless of what Taeyong had assigned me to do, it would be easier to digest when drunk.

Then I hailed the cab and dialed Doyoung’s number. He picked up after the fourth ring. “I’m coming over,” I quickly said, notifying him before my arrival. As my friend, he would help me if the alcohol was to fail.

“You’re alive, so I assume it didn’t go that bad,” Doyoung spoke when he opened the doors and let me in. Not bothering to greet him, I walked passed him and shoved the bottle of gin into his hands. “Are we celebrating?” He asked, kicking the doors shut, “please, tell me we’re celebrating.”

“I don’t know,” I answered, plopping into an old armchair, throwing the envelope on the coffee table. “We’re about to find out. Taeyong gave me another assignment, but pour me a drink first. I’m not sure I can handle it sober,” I explained, and Doyoung knew what to do. Within a minute, he was back with two Scooby-doo mugs and a bottle of tonic.

“It can’t be that bad,” he started as he sat down on the couch on the other side of the coffee table, pouring us drinks, which were basically 80% alcohol. “I mean… you’ve stolen his car; can it get any more challenging than that?” Doyoung asked, and I actually had to admit he was right. Taeyong’s the most dangerous crime lord in the country; as long as he didn’t make me steal Kim Jongun’s tank, I should be fine. However, on the second thought, I didn’t know Taeyong that well, so the guess might’ve not been that farfetched.

“I don’t want to open this envelope,” I confessed as I picked up the mug with Shaggy’s face and took a large gulp.

“Do you want me to do that for you?” Doyoung proposed, and I nodded. Perhaps if Doyoung read it out for me, it would’ve been easier to accept my fate. “Because you’re all stressed out, I’m all fidgety too,” Doyoung added before he grabbed the envelope, looking inside.

“What does it say?” I inquired in curiosity, hoping to hear some good news.

“It looks like you gotta steal a yellow Ferrari LaFerrari,” Doyoung started, as he pulled out a picture of my target. OK, it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been, it was doable. “And it belongs to someone called Yuta,” he spoke, and I jumped to my feet and snatched the papers out of Doyoung’s hands in disbelief.

It must’ve been a sick joke.

“It can’t be,” I whispered, refusing to comprehend what Taeyong wanted of me. He was a complete psycho if he thought I could steal one of Yuta’s cars.

“Do you know this dude?” Doyoung inquired, reaching for his cup with Fred.

“Do I know this dude?” I deadpanned, trying not to burst out in tears. I was royally screwed. “It’s Nakamoto Yuta. He’s the royalty of Yakuza. He’s basically Taeyong’s biggest rival,” I explained, and it got Doyoung speechless.

“Well… it sucks,” he whispered, downing his drink, ignoring the burn. “What are you gonna do?”

“Good question,” I replied, coping Doyoung’s actions, drinking my gin to the very last drop. “Even if I manage to steal his car, how am I supposed to get it across the border? It’s a suicide mission.”

“Is there anything else in the envelope?” Doyoung asked, and I put all the papers on the coffee table. Among documents about Yuta’s bio, there was a check for 20 grand written under my name. “Mr. Bad Boy must’ve felt generous,” he commented, but I didn’t find it amusing. Mr. Bad Boy, as Doyoung eloquently put it, would kill me if I failed this mission.

“Generous or not, I’m gonna be dead if I don’t bring this car to him within a week,” I muttered, feeling helpless. I lacked ideas on how to conduct the theft successfully, and the time was slowly running out.

“You can do this,” Doyoung stated confidently, not even a sliver of hesitation in his tone. He was absolutely sure of my skills, and I wished I had as much faith in myself as he had in me. “We have no time to waste; pack everything you need, we’re going to Japan.”

“Do you have a plan, though?”

“We’ll come up with one on our way.”

***

Doyoung was right; we had no time to waste. God, in times like these, I was really thankful he was my friend. Right now, when I was a nervous wreck, he was the voice of reason. If it wasn’t for him, I’d get wasted and pass out in the poodle of my own vomit. Thanks to him, I was only slightly tipsy, but productive as fuck. We made a stop by my apartment and his car repair to get everything necessary, and then took a train to the harbor.

The first ferry to Japan was leaving the docks at 7 o’clock. The journey was about to last more or less 8 hours, it was plenty of time to finish the entire bottle of gin and come up with a foolproof plan on how to steal that Ferrari.

“How about you seduce Yuta, and he lets you borrow his car?” Doyoung voiced his seventh plan this morning, and in comparison to his previous ideas, it actually seemed doable. “It’s great in its simplicity,” he added, and I shook my head in disappointment. Even if I was his type, how was I supposed to bullshit my way into his pants without any Japanese skills?

“How about you seduce Yuta, and when he’s busy drilling your ass, I’ll sneak into his mansion and snatch the car?” I proposed, and Doyoung fake-gagged at the thought of doing this. Or maybe, he just has had one shot of gin too many. One could never be sure…

“How about you seduce Yuta and talk him into doing it in his car, and when you’re about to do it, I knock him out with a rock?”

“How about we go to Yuta’s club, and you challenge him in a singing duel, and you win the car fair and square?”

“How about we find Yuta’s doppelganger to steal his identity and pay him to steal the car for you?”

“How about we kidnap Yuta and keep him hostage until they give us the car?”

“How about we hypnotize Yuta into making him lend us his car?”

Truthfully, we struggled a lot while trying to figure out the best way to prove my worth to Taeyong. Stealing Yuta’s car wasn’t an easy assignment – some people would say it was impossible. Thankfully, we came up with one solution throughout our drunken brainstorm that wasn’t that bad…

We were so drunk that I couldn’t actually remember who came up with this idea. One second, Doyoung and I were brainstorming, then, a moment later, someone woke us up because we reached the shore.

“Come on, we have no time,” Doyoung said as he picked up his bag, urging me to pick up mine and get off the ferry. I rubbed my eyes and looked at him, wondering how, on Earth, he wasn’t hungover. “You’ve got only six days left…”

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” I answered, groaning.

I had an unpleasant feeling in my gut, telling me this week was going to be awful, but at least we had figured out a plan. It was far from perfection, but with proper execution, I could pull this through.

***

By sheer luck, I managed to accomplish my seemingly impossible mission. Though I didn’t fully believe in the plan, we didn’t make a single mistake, and after three days of data analyzing and one night of the actual heist, we were on our way back.

Hopefully, it was the only recruitment assignment that Taeyong wanted me to fulfill.

On Friday, one hour before the meet-up, Taeyong sent me the location.

In an hour, I’d become one of his people, and I wanted to look worthy of the new position. Wisely, I chose my best outfit, deciding to wear a pair of black leather trousers, a modest white button-down shirt, and fancy boots on a 10 centimeters heel. I looked formal, but with a fierce twist, and I gave off that cutthroat businesswoman vibe. I lived for this outfit. And to top it all, I carefully applied make-up, making sure to highlight all of my features.

I expected to meet with Taeyong in his extravagant mansion, yet he surprised and scared me at the same time with his decision. This gig cost me a lot of stress, and the last thing I wanted was to meet with the most dangerous thug in the country in a deserted meeting point in the city outskirts.

Trying to remain calm, I sighed to shake off all types of negative thoughts. Terrifying scenarios were playing in my head in which Taeyong shot me in the head and dumped my body somewhere in the woods. Taeyong was a dangerous gangster, but I believed he had the honor and would not kill me without any concrete reason.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t say the same thing about his henchmen – this Jaehyun guy in particular. It was obvious the guy hated me and was pissed with Taeyong because of me. I didn’t fancy meeting with him, it would be best if Taeyong and I could talk alone.

Punctually, I arrived at the meeting point. Nonchalantly, I got out of the vehicle, shut the doors close, and leaned against the hood, waiting for Taeyong to appear. The night was warm, yet a little bit windy – it was perfect for the employment celebration.

Taeyong was running a bit late, but I didn’t mind. Besides, he was the most wanted thug in the country; he wasn’t running late – anyone he was meeting with was just too early.

So I waited.

Thankfully, I had plenty of time to psych myself up, so when I heard an engine roar in the distance, I didn’t panic. I was confident enough to face Taeyong and genuinely smile in response to his compliments. This theft was epic, and I expected to hear how impressed he was of me. It was the only reaction I hoped to get.

I was right, it had to be Taeyong. Who else could’ve been in the jet black Audi R8 Spyder registered under “WHIPLASH”?

Having parked right beside me, Taeyong got out of the car, carefully inspecting the Ferrari. His focused eyes were studying the vehicle’s features as if trying to tell it indeed belonged to Yuta. In the meantime, I studied Taeyong’s outfit.

Tonight, he was wearing all black: a pair of high combat shoes, black cargo pants, a see-through shirt, and a leather jacket. The outfit was on point, but when topped with his new haircut – tousled and of powder pink color, Taeyong looked like a model. I wouldn’t be surprised if I found out that modeling companies contact him every once in a while to recruit him.

“How did you do it?” Taeyong asked, his tone telling me he didn’t believe in my talent. Well… that hurt a little bit, but proving him wrong gave me a lot of pleasure at the same time.

“It wasn’t easy,” I started, not really wanting to spill the beans; especially, when the story wasn’t as impressive as he might’ve thought. “I really wanted this job, so I had to figure out a plan. You know how it is… you gotta discover your enemies’ weaknesses and use them to your advantage.”

“It doesn’t answer my question, doll,” Taeyong remarked, smirking at the nickname he once again used to refer to me. It must’ve really stuck with him. “I gotta be honest with you, I expected you to fail, but you actually did it. I’m impressed,” he added, and I smiled, swiping my hair to the back in a nonchalant manner.

“What can I say? I’m really good at what I do,” I replied, looking into his eyes, trying to remain in the confident pose. “Now, it would be a mistake not to hire me,” I trailed off, making Taeyong smirk again. He was gorgeous, but when that mischievous smirk decorated his face, he was just breath-taking.

With his hands in the pockets, Taeyong took a few nonchalant steps toward me and placed his hands on the hood of the car, leaning in, trapping me between his arms. His stern glace was trying to penetrate my mind, to read me, but I managed to remain calm.

I wanted to work for him, not to hop on his dick, and though the second option seemed rather tempting, I had my priorities set straight.

“From the moment I saw you, I knew you were special,” Taeyong whispered in a husky voice, and I looked up into his eyes, swallowing hard. He was indisputably intimidating, but I couldn’t let his charm overtake me. “You seem troublesome, but at the same time, awfully skilled.”

“You bet,” I answered, trying to ignore the fact that Taeyong just pushed his leg between my thighs, inching closer and closer with every second. “Is that how you treat all your employees?” I asked, trying not to lose my cool.

“They’re not employees, they’re family,” Taeyong clarified, and I rolled my eyes, actually expecting his kind of answer from him. “And that would be weird if I treated them this way, wouldn’t it?”

“They wouldn’t be your family, but your orgy if you ask me,” I spoke matter-of-factly, waiting for his reaction since I doubted anyone was this frank with him.

“Why do I have a feeling you’re gonna be a huge pain in the ass?” Taeyong asked, hopefully not expecting an answer. “Quite talented one,” he added, dropping his head down to my neck, placing a delicate peck against my sensitive skin.

“But hey, it’s what keeps everything fresh and exciting,” I offered, suggesting looking on the bright side of these circumstances. “So… speaking of my recruitment…” I mentioned, internally wishing for Taeyong to keep his hands to himself. I was trying to be professional, and it was incredibly difficult with the boss, basically making out with my neck.

“One more test and you’re officially a new addition to the family,” Taeyong said sternly, finally pulling out. “You said you race, I want to see you in action,” he added, and I bit my bottom lip due to stress. Seriously? Another test? He got to be kidding me. “Don’t worry; it’s a formality at this point.”

Honestly, his words didn’t cheer me up at all. I had stolen his car, and then I had been to Japan to steal his rival’s car. And now, he wanted me to pass another test. Come on!

“All you gotta do is to give me a lift back to my mansion,” Taeyong announced, somewhat excited to see my driving performance. “The route takes up to 20 minutes, so I’m gonna give you ten. It sounds fair, doesn’t it?”

“What about your car? I wouldn’t leave it here if I were you,” I remarked, trying to make out a logical answer. I wouldn’t leave my bike here, let alone a sports car, knowing how much crime was going on in this particular part of the city.

“Normally, I’d not, but you see… I caught a flat tire,” Taeyong explained, and I cocked my eyebrow, trying to see which tire was pierced. I didn’t notice any damage, but then, Taeyong pulled out his gun, shooting through the left back tire, making his point. “It was an exceptionally unfortunate accident,” he added, and I rolled my eyes at him.

He was a mad man.

“OK, fine, get in, loser,” I said, inviting him inside the car. Having sat comfortably and fastened our seatbelts, Taeyong put the location into the GPS. “Are you gonna time me?”

“Of course,” Taeyong answered, extending his arm, staring at his expensive wristwatch. “You have ten minutes, starting… now.”

Carefully, I chose one of my playlists before driving off.

It was a wild ride. I was driving twice as fast as the road signs were telling me to while singing my heart out to Backstreet Boys’ biggest hits “Everybody” and “I Want It That Way”. At this point, Taeyong was probably questioning whether it was safe to get in the car with me, or not. Though I encouraged him to join me in this carpool karaoke, yet he decided not to.

The navigation system was giving me weird directions, trying to lead me into congestion. Listening to my driver’s instinct, I sped through some self-discovered shortcuts. Judging my Taeyong’s expression, he had no idea what I was doing.

In the middle of “I Want It That Way”, I had to speed up even more. Each song is about four minutes long, so I still had about three minutes left to make it to the mansion, and though I seemed rather calm, I was out of my mind.

I’ve gone too far to lose right now. I couldn’t let this short race end up my flourishing career. I had stolen two cars within two weeks, and both vehicles belonged to the most dangerous men in their countries. I couldn’t lose now.

Breaking probably all traffic laws, I managed to reach Taeyong’s mansion before the boys got to finish the last chorus.

“You’re a triple threat, doll,” Taeyong said, and I wondered what the third admirable thing about me was. Undoubtedly, he was impressed with my theft and racing skills, yet I didn’t have a clue what was the third factor. “You’re officially one of us,” he added, and I smiled widely, ecstatic to finally hear his words of approval.

After so much testing, I finally proved my worth to him, and he took me under his wings.

Having pulled out his phone, Taeyong gave me a few instructions. “From this moment onward, Lucas is your direct superior, you gotta report everything back to him; I texted you the address. Be there first thing in the morning. Better be on time, Lucas doesn’t like it when people are late.”

“Thank you, Taeyong.”

“Don’t thank me, doll,” Taeyong replied, opening the doors, ready to exit the vehicle. “You have no idea what you’ve got yourself into.”

“I’ve got one more question…” I hollered, and Taeyong sat back in the passenger seat, waiting for my final inquiry. “What am I supposed to do with this car?” I asked, and Taeyong shrugged nonchalantly, suggesting it was not his problem.

“Get rid of it, obviously,” Taeyong answered, confirming my suspicions. “It belongs to Yuta, and the last thing I want is him realizing that I have it. Burn it down, dump it in the lake, I don’t care, just make sure it’s not gonna be found.”

“Great,” I whispered, losing enthusiasm with each voiced letter. It was problematic to bring it here, yet disposing of it was going to be even worse.

“Don’t lose your spirit, doll,” Taeyong added, leaning down towards me. With his right hand, he raised my chin and pressed a delicate peck against the skin of my cheek. “Good luck, make your daddy proud,” he whispered before exiting the car, shutting the doors close.

Though Taeyong was long gone, I was sitting in the vehicle, not leaving the driveway. What the hell just happened? Not only was he using this stupid nickname, but then he dropped that daddy bomb. I was not prepared for this.  

[kriatyrr]

The tumblr algorithm is really bad.. I just got a freaking MAKEUP TUTORIAL on my dashboard and it had the audacity to say it was "based on your likes"

Okay, I have liked a few makeup related posts over my years here. Photos of people doing amazing things with makeup. They don't even account for .001% of my likes.

But a tutorial?! A post telling me how to put products I don't own, on my face where I don't want them? How much more wrong can you get?

The name of the user who made the post looked vaguely familiar though, as if maybe at some point in the past couple months I had liked a post they'd made.

I hate how social media sites keep pushing more content on users. I'm here trying to curate my experience. I have people I'm not mutuals with who show up in my notes once in a while, and they always make me smile when they do, I'm all "yes! Mostly-stranger, you're still out there, still alive" and then I go look at their blog, like some posts, queue some for reblogging. Sometimes, years after this sort of relationship started, I eventually follow them back. Sometimes, I decide not to because while they have some really good posts, they also post about things I don't care much about. I don't want to flood my dashboard with stuff that's not relevant to my interests.

So I really hate it when an algorithm does that. Because I don't get any say in those posts appearing on my dash. If the algorithm was a user I'd have unfollowed them years ago.

[askagamedev]

Lightning Mailbag, Triage Edition

A bunch of you had some follow-up questions about bug priorities from yesterday, so I thought I would knock them all out at once.

In that last post about priorities and bug fixing, just for the sake of argument, how much time and resources does it take to fix something mundane like a chair floating slightly above the ground?

The act of moving the object down some distance can take only a few minutes. The troublesome part is the process, which has some built-in overhead. Somebody has to find the floating chair and write up a bug report including exactly where it is. That report has to be prioritized by somebody, and then assigned to the appropriate developer to fix. That developer then needs to perform the actual fix. Then the submitted fix needs to be tested and validated by QA on all platforms. The fix may then be included in the next patch. As you might guess, all of these steps are required for any bug, even the easy ones. Even though the actual fixing part only takes minutes for the developer, the entire process can stretch over days and involves at least three people (QA, producer, developer) to pay attention to it.

Is it safe to assume that the developers who build the content are also the ones to fix the bugs in that content? Where does “making more content” fall between the bugfixing priorities?

The developers who built the content are usually responsible for fixing bugs in that content, but not always. Circumstances may not play out that way - the original developer might no longer be with the company, she might already be busy working on something else that’s higher priority, the leadership might want to level up a more junior developer by giving him training tasks we think aren’t as difficult, and so on.

Content creation tasks typically use the same general priority system as bugs.  There’s content we absolutely must get in by certain deadlines, and then there’s the less important and the wishlist. Leadership generally puts together a roadmap for deliverables like patch and DLC content that have an outline of what content will be in each drop so that we think there’s enough value in it for players. The big important stuff goes in first, then the less important stuff, then the wishlist stuff.

Corollary to the last question, is there an expedited approval process for patches fixing critical bugs? For when a 1.11 follows a 1.10 patch the next day, for example. Or were both patches already 'in the queue,' so to speak?

For PC, there’s no real approval process. We can push a patch live very quickly. I think it’s possible to push a small patch faster on the console if we get lucky, but we’re really at the mercy of the certification queue on the platform side. Console patches require certification and they control what gets certified when. The fastest updates are made server-side, since they don’t require a client patch at all.

Follow-up bug-related question: are bugs ever categorized by how much work it would likely take to fix them (in addition to the bug's impact on the game experience)? Or is that something that can too often be difficult to judge until the process of "fixing" it is well underway?

To the first question - yes, of course. When tasks and bugs come in to be assigned, the developers usually provide an estimate of how much work they think the task or bug will take to resolve. Those estimates are absolutely taken into account when planning out the development schedule. This isn’t to say that a showstopper bug won’t be fixed if it requires a huge amount of work - it’s still a showstopper must-fix highest-priority issue. If the must-fix showstopper bug requires a lot of work to fix, it means lower priority bug fixes and/or content work get bumped off of the schedule in order to make room for the more important stuff. This is how we get low-priority bugs that are never fixed - they are perpetually bumped off the schedule because there’s always something more important that needs doing.

To your second question, sometimes our estimates are off. Predicting the future is not always accurate and sometimes things take longer than we initially thought. Things we thought were going to be easy can end up more difficult than expected. When that happens, we usually raise a red flag with leadership and production, where the task is then reassessed with the new information we’ve learned since. This can mean shelving/deprioritizing a task because the scope is now too large, it can mean bumping other tasks to make room for the increased scope, or it can mean there needs to be a meeting to come up with an alternate solution to the problem. 

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The FANTa Project is being rebooted. [What is the FANTa project?]

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[rainbow-paints-for-after-colony]

Prompts creation...complete!

The prompts and the calendars they sit on are complete.

I see you scratching your head. Calendars? What do you mean calendars? June only has one calendar, it only has 30 days!

Well I like having options. I like switching between Netflix, Hulu, and Discovery Plus depending on what I’m in the mood for, because that way there’s so many movies and TV show options, and I end up watching nothing because there’s too many options. Options give life variety, and so why wouldn’t I want y’all to have options?? This isn’t your run-of-the-mill 30 days of Pride challenge here.

(Or maybe it is, I haven’t done one of these since my days writing fic on Livejournal.)

Instead of having one set of prompts and a calendar to follow, we have three of them! Three sets of prompts to choose from! Hurray variety!

And the spreadsheet cells together make up the rainbow, because who doesn’t love rainbows???

(No one I know.)

How do these prompts work?

So you have Options A, B, and C. Options A and B have your typical word prompts, things like “shoreline” and “moonlight”. You take that word, and you use it as inspo for your fic or art piece, keeping in mind that it has to do with LGBTQ+ themes. Option C has song lyrics for your prompts instead, but otherwise work the same way.

Okay, cool. What if I want to do more than one set of prompts? What if I want to do song lyrics and word prompts?

Well you’re in luck, hypothetical reader! You can do just one set, two sets, or all three! You’re an overachiever if you decide to do all of them (there’s one overachiever in every family, you make me so proud!), but there’s some things to keep in mind if you decide to do that.

Say Day 1′s A prompt is “shoreline”, B’s prompt is “moonlight”, and C’s prompt is “darling don’t be scared/baby let’s go anywhere”. If you decide to do all three, you must either incorporate all of those into one piece, or do each one separate, and they have to be posted for Day 1.

You can do one set of prompts for fic, and another for art, if you wanna do both types of media. Or you can do more than one set for fic, or all of them for art.

Do I have to post them all at the same time?

AO3 allows you to change the date of publication if you’re going to only post once a week (to avoid spamming the tag), or every few days or what have you. We do encourage posting things the day you’re supposed to (so Day 1 would be posted June 1), but you don’t have to. The labeling is more important just for tracking purposes.

Where do I post things?

Post wherever you normally do for fic or art, whether that’s here on Tumblr or over at AO3. Just give us the link so we can share the links :) There will also be a collection on AO3 you can put your things in so people can find them easier.

If I get a head start on the prompts, and I’ve finished, can I post them early?

You cannot. Day 1′s prompts can’t be posted before 1 June. Any time after that is fine.You can of course queue things up on Tumblr for posting, and have things drafted and ready to post on AO3 before then, but they can’t be posted before that prompt’s date!

Is the content we make ours to keep?

You’re posting these things to your own accounts, we’re just reblogging and retweeting the links and summaries here for more easier tracking. The content is yours to keep, we’re happily sharing it around with you.

Do I have to remain canon compliant or can I do an AU?

Your works can be canon compliant, canon divergent, or alternate universes. What’s important is that you keep the prompt in mind, and that your works contain Gundam Wing, and LGBTQ+ themes.

So yes, you can happily yeet Frozen Teardrop into the sun if you so choose.

Does my work need to include an LGBTQ+ pairing as the focus if I go the romance route?

I mean. Pride is about the LGBTQ+ community. You don’t have to have romance, but you do need to feature that LGBTQ+ representation.

Which yes, that includes ships.

You can have het ships in your works, but they shouldn’t be the focus, because that kind of defeats the purpose of LGBTQ+ representation.

What about ships that are considered “het”? Can I write them as being a queer ship instead?

If you want to make 1xR or 2xH or whatever het ships not het (maybe Heero and Relena are both bi, or Relena is pan and Heero is ace, or Heero is questioning; Hilde is genderqueer; Noin is non-binary, Sally is a lesbian, and Une is bi, etc.), that’s fine. But don’t use this as a way to try to sneak in het ships as a focus, this is about LGBTQ+ representation.

Can I write about polyam?

Absolutely. You can have your 1x2xR, your RxDxC, your 9x11xS, your pilot piles, etc.

Bottom line, have fun with these prompts, and don’t be afraid to unfurl all the LGBTQ+ flags and let them fly proudly!

[nakey-cats-take-bathsss]

Tag Game! Tagged by one of my faves, the ever lovely @stealing-jasons-job

1. Why did you choose your url?

My username is so weird lol I get asked this all the time and I wish I had a better answer but I literally just love videos of those hairless cats taking baths. I also think the word nakey is really funny which pretty much tells you everything you need to know about me. I didn't plan on posting fic when I came up with this name and now I'm too attached to it to change it to something practical or more poetic.

2. Any side blogs?

None currently but there are some old ones lingering around...

Somewhere out in the universe is a hipster blog filled with poetry and short stories about boys who didn't like me back in high school but it is long lost and I have no idea what it is called. It is probably a repurposed to scam people into clicking RayBand Sunglasses links by now. There's also a really really old Dramione fic blog running around somewhere that I used when I wrote in the Harry Potter fandom.

No need to talk about my "fitness" blog that was basically thinly veiled orthorexia

3. How long have you been on tumblr?

I think since just before the height of the popularity so like 2010? I fell out of it with everyone else and was really pleasantly surprised to find that people are still hanging around here when I came back two years ago haha

4. Do you have a queue tag?

No. I'm highly impulsive and a terrible planner. If you see posts on here, I am here haha I don't have that kind of foresight.

5. Why did you start your blog in the first place?

Honestly I have no idea, I was having a tough time and wanted to write and the rest of this has just been a really happy accident.

6. Why did you choose your icon/pfp?

It's real cute isn't it?! It's so hard to find aesthetic faceless pics with brown skin so I had to take the opportunity. It's just so vibey, isn't it?

7. Why did you choose your header?

Yellow is such a joyful color!

8. What’s your post with the most notes?

I'm not very tech savvy I have no clue how to figure this out? It's probably a moodboard of some kind! I'm not big on text posts haha

9. How many mutuals do you have?

I have literally no clue. But I have made sooooo many truly incredible friends on here. I'm infinitely grateful for all of them. Y'all have become such a genuine source of joy and support in my life, I truly cannot express how much you mean to me.

10. How many followers do you have?

982 and I suspect a significant percent of those are porn link accounts and spam because at least one of those follows me a day. Idk what the point of follower counts on here is, but I love all of you, even the Pornbots. This account is also super old so some of them might be dead blogs too.

11. How many people do you follow?

589

and none of you are pornbots and I love y'all even more.

12. Have you ever made a shit post?

I've made crackposts?

13. How often do you use tumblr a day?

I notoriously hate my phone and I have this app that lets you grow a tree if you don't use your screen. It's very cute, I grew 5 peach trees today. But long story short, it's not super often, maybe once a day. I try to check notifications every day though because I do absolutely love interacting with y'all.

14. Did you ever have a fight/argument with another blog?

Hahahah I wish I was bold enough to do this because I've been tempted to do it more times than I can count but conflict makes me squirm and also cry. I do get intensely annoyed when I see tone-deaf discourse about mixed race people though so I'll always go to bat for that one.

I did lose my shit one time and tagged something as "nakeycats has fucking snapped" which haunts me in my tags to this day and makes me laugh now.

15. How do you feel about the ‘you need to reblog’ posts?

I get it. I mean, I'm not one to tell people what to do and I don't always love the tone it takes on but the general sentiment of it isn't unfounded. There has been a general shift away from reblogging even though it's the only way content gets traction on this site. From a content creation standpoint it's disheartening to put work out there and know that nobody is seeing it. So much love and work goes into writing and it really does suck sometimes. That said, people are going to do what they're going to do, it's not going to stop me from putting work out there.

16. Do you like tag games?

I adore tag games! I love everything about them! Every time I get tagged in one it's like "me? really?" and then I consider us to be besties haha.

17. Do you like ask games?

I really like them and I used to love doing them when we did BWC! Some of the games get hard to keep track of now but this was such a good way to meet people and I'm grateful for it. That said, I LOVE ASKS. If you ever need to vent or rant or tell a joke or chat or practice your emoji usage HMU I'm always down.

18. Which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

Is Tumblr famous still a thing? I would probably just tag my friends in this since they're all famous to me and I'm convinced a lot of them will be famous one day for writing or creating in some way ( @stealing-jasons-job and @queenemori specific point to you in particular)

I will give a special shout-out to @burninghoneyatdusk because I was a massive fan of her writing and then we became mutuals and I was like "omg!! the author of this fic love! A star is following me back!" haha so that was a fun moment when I was first dipping my toes in the fandom and it did feel like someone famous followed me. Also she is rad and very humble considering how talented she is.

19. Do you have a crush on a mutual?

I can't even bring myself to have a crush on someone in real life.

Plenty of friend crushes though.

20. No-pressure tags:

@elora-lane . @natassakar . @ninappon . @burninghoneyatdusk . @obviesbellarke . @queenemori . @franklyineedcoffee . @carrieeve . @infp-with-all-the-feelings and anyone else who wants to do it