#and making even stuff like reblogging things on Tumblr seem impossible to me.

[kyouka-supremacy]

Can anyone help word this more formally

[vampirepersay]

Deadybear666 has liked your post: Toki Wartooth X plus size gender-neutral reader chapter 1

CW: IMPLIED BODY IMAGE ISSUES

The bright light coming from your laptop was the only light keeping your otherwise dark room illuminated you really should have gone to sleep hours ago but who needed sleep when you had dumb memes and cool art to look at on Tumblr, that was until you got that all too familiar notification very low battery

“oh shit “

you mumbled to yourself. Not wanting to get up from your bed you made a deal with yourself.

, “I'll just wait for it to die, then I'll plug it up and go to sleep”

you said to yourself. I should check my notifications you thought, realizing you had a few that had gone unnoticed.

“ deadybear666 reblogged your post”

“wowie this is so cools!!!!” it said, a small smile made its way onto your face. It was a small doodle you had made a few days ago of a zombie cat. You noticed another notification after that “deadybear666 has followed you” You clicked on this person's blog their bio making you laugh quietly to yourself

“Defintleys, nots toki wartooth”

Their blog was full of pictures they had reblogged, mostly of cute animals and stuffed toys, as well as tons of stuff about music, mostly death metal. They seemed to love the band Dethklok, which wasn't all that surprising. They were the most popular band in the world and everyone loved Dethklok.

It was very obvious who their favorite was judging by the countless photos they had reblogged of skwisgaar skwigelf which again made sense the guy was a chick magnet.

Something that you immediately noticed was the fact they never seemed to show their face; you couldn't blame them. You didn't either. Maybe they were just self-conscious about how they looked. Yeah, that was probably it.

you, unfortunately, knew that feeling all too well. You got enough shit about your body in the real world all the time so it was nice to have something that you weren't connected to. People could just see your art and not the person that made it. Was a nice change of things.

It made sense someone else would want something like that too.

After a few minutes of mindless scrolling, you notice their pinned post

“All my frieirds ams dildos if you ams not a dildo pls talks to tos me

With nothing to lose you decided to send them a message.

“Thanks for the follow and reblog!!! You seem cool if you even want to talk feel free to message me!!

After you clicked send as if your computer was taunting you you were met with the black screen of death.

Not to long after that your eyes began to feel heavy and it started to feel impossible to stay awake after fighting the loosening battle for what felt like eternity you began to drift off to the land of dreams.

AN: this is extremely short and I apologize for that I'm trying to set up the plot before there's any real toki x reader content also if toki sounds off I'm sorry I've never written for him before and I'm not too sure how to write his accent just yet.

[spagheddiesquash]

so today i was in the mw oc server talking abt some stuff i noticed about jawbone (+ some other theory stuff as well!!)

so first of all. two kind of obvious details:

he is green (“yeah no shit sherlock” i hear u thinking. trust me there is a reason why im pointing it out)

his pupils are triangular. nobody else in the show so far has had triangular pupils. (well. i mean commander tezzoree’s eye has a triangular pupil but she hasnt made an appearance in any episodes yet and i doubt the two characters are connected)

just making this point known for now. we will hold this thought for later in the post.

another thing: so in the ref sheet of him posted to the mw tumblr back in september i believe(?), his name is written as “jawbone (a.k.a. scythelord)”

you know where a character by the name of “scythelord” has shown up already?

on a wanted poster, thats where!! he has a bounty on his head!!!

which means that tyneen and her crew are probably after him, which probably explains why they’re at the thicc chicc casino. (how do i know jawbone is there? because ricket is there, which i know because he is shown interacting with both shrike and tyneen, who we know are both there)

now. remember that thought from earlier that i told you to hold until later? now is the time to bring it back.

ok so. we already know that colors and shapes each have their own respective significance in this show, and colors and shapes are chosen deliberately.

with that said:

correlation?? maybe???

ADDITIONALLY:

this further cements my belief that ep 4 will have a LOT in it regarding the cataclysm or some other related thing. why?

(2nd pic comes from the VA application doc. unfortunately i dont have any better quality pics of it)

despite the poor image quality in the second pic, you can still tell that both of these characters have some sort of magenta (or pink i guess?) type of theming going on in their designs.

also if we look at campions, like, the flower

you can see where im trying to go with this idea.

i did a whole bunch of examining colors today in light of this, actually!!! quick fun fact for those unaware: RGB and CMYK invert into each other.

and then after i made that image i started sorting things into what colors they are. (white and black have been omitted from the screenshots simply because there doesnt seem to be any significant things tied to them)

obviously this list is probably incomplete and i will continue to add to it, of course.

(my main inspo for even thinking about CMYK for theories in the first place was @toastedclownery btw!! GO CHECK OUT THEIR BLOG IF U HAVENT ALREADY THERES SO MANY COOL THEORY POSTS THERE!!)

one final not-as-relevant theory that’s really more of a prediction: i really think joel vargskelethor is gonna be in this upcoming episode, whether it’s in whole or in part. i mean, he already voiced the duende in ep 3, so it’s not like its impossible or anything. also “scythelord” happens to be the name of joel’s band as well (which you should DEFINITELY check out if ur into metal!!!!! absolutely amazing stuff) OH OH AAAAAAND

id like to direct your attention to the title of this update, which is “the bone zone,” which i believe to be a skeleton metal reference.

also jawbone/scythelord has the little sweden viking helmet thing on the wanted poster. AND HES GREEN! LIKE FREN!!

for those who dont know, this is fren (also known as vargfren i think)

so yeah. these evidence pieces combined with the fact that zeurel has made dozens of “vargskelethor animated” videos (which is how i got into zeurel’s animations in the first place actually!!) are what led me to make this prediction.

anyway, i hope you guys liked this theory post. it’s not an update on the web, but i figured id try doing something new. though, if youd like to see the web, here’s a view of the full thing currently:

but yea thats all i really had. ill reblog with some additions if i think of anything else. bye for now!!! :^D

[poohsources]

HELLO EVERYBODY! another year has gone by, and i'm still the same old me. well ... not fully, because a lot has been happening over the past year that has changed me ( for the better, i think ). anyway, i guess you're not here to hear about my personal life, so let's get right into it.

i already mentioned it in last year's anniversary post, but i basically made this whole blog on a whim. i liked memes, i liked photoshop, and i'd been a part of this community for a few years by that point, so i figured, why not try to give back to the community? at first, it was honestly just a small place meant for me to create some stuff i use / have used / would like to use, and i never ever thought i'd get any kind of feedback on it. or see other people use my stuff as well, which still, to this day, feels so rewarding whenever i come across it. it really helps me see myself in a better light because — hey, maybe i'm not as terrible at this as i always thought i was. maybe i do actually make stuff others can enjoy.

i never would have anticipated this blog to blow up this much. it's been two years since its creation, two years since i made the first post here, and now a seemingly impossible follower goal i set myself at the start of the year doesn't seem all that impossible anymore. and it's all thanks to you.

all of you people, whether it's followers, those who like or reblog my stuff, or those using my creations — i wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. there were a few times i thought about abandoning this blog ( and tumblr ) altogether, either because my life or my mental health got in the way but i could not do it. sure, there might be more breaks, especially now with my new dual studies program, but i'm still around. i'm still making things, even if they're at a lesser frequency now.

but just know that i appreciate each and every one of you. so, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all so much for your continued support.

much love pooh 🧡

[olderthannetfic]

Tumblr seems to be sliding in a downward spiral, and it feels like the start of the end of a fandoming era for me. I've been through it before; platforms are born then die, and life fandom finds a way. I'm just not looking forward to floundering for a bit, and dreading what the next hub will look like.

AO3 isn't really a place geared or meant for the same thing, and that's fine. My only fandom-related activity took place on AO3 only for a few years between my leaving LJ and joining Tumblr, and I lived ;-) But during that time, I was my own little island in fandom. Reading, leaving a few comments, not being super active. It's only when I found a community again that I was back to being really active in fandom once more.

And it's not that I actually use Tumblr to post about myself, but I do use it to read and reblog cool things - art, gifsets, science stuff, discovering new fandoms, and the like. I'm not sure where else I could find my people, with sameish purposes. The other sites I've tried didn't fill that niche in a way that suited me, in part because of how they look and work, in part because of who and what is(n't) there.

I have DW & PF accounts just to be safe, but I'm not very fond of group chats Discord-style - and without Tumblr, IDK how I'd even hear of new communities where I might pop in once in a while, loins girdled and everything. The micro-blogging platforms are not what I'm looking for either. Sure, I can follow a few DW comms and blogs; I already occasionally do and I will be more consistent about it if I must.

But one of my greatest fear is that the next platform will be phone-based, app-only, or some such BS - and that is something I just won't be able to deal with. Phones are tiny, it's uncomfortable to write anything, I don't like touch screen and much, much prefer a proper keyboard and a mouse (copy-pasting on a screen? (x_x) << it me), art/pics are too small to properly appreciate, a phone isn't comfy to hold for a long time for me, and the app system means you have no control over anything as a user… and that anything there must be Apple Approved, dick-free, blood-free, and tasteless. And I say this as someone who's pretty much uninterested in sex IRL or in my entertainment ;-) I still support and want the tits, the gore, the everything, and as long as I have the tools to curate - oh, wait. Curate things myself? That's not something that's popular these days, is it? It's not going to generate money, if I'm happy ;-)

So… I guess I'll play some more on Neocities, and see if anyone wants to have webrings again? (it would be fun and nostalgic, but not really viable on a large scale; people who haven't known those would just laugh and point and go on the InstaTok of the time).

So here is my little cane-waving rant of the day! I know things evolve and change and that in ten years I'll be rolling my eyes at my moping. It's only that I feel tired of moving from one shitty platform to another, of fearing I won't adapt (or more accurately won't want to adapt given the annoyance/benefit ratio) to whichever new place things will move in a few years. It's saying goodbye to a former home, moving, and hoping you'll make another home elsewhere kind of sniffles today!

--

We already know the next platform. It has been Discord for a few years now.

If you want the one after Discord, I think you're looking at waiting things out for quite a few years (or until Discord makes a major misstep as a company).

True, real time chat is not for everyone, but small discords with well-chosen channels can operate more asynchronously. Just like a lot of people who hated the look of Tumblr early on eventually capitulated, a lot of chat haters have jumped ship to Discord already.

Realistically, 90% of fandom always goes where the action is, no matter how much they claim the features make that space impossible, and 10% disappears.

We might get the 10% back on the next platform or they might leave fandom for good. There were LJ-haters who resurfaced post LJ era.

But as for where you'll find out where people are... probably AO3 author's notes.

[solitarelee]

That post about how new users who only like things are ruining this site really sucks to read as someone who has been a lurker since 2011 (technically 2010, but I didn't make my account until 2011). Like, I understand the intention of emphasizing reblogs, but the way that it's phrased, and the OP in the notes instructing people to just make a sideblog if the stuff you like doesn't fit with your main blog theme, and the attitude of reblogging should be the default for everyone for every post they like, all of that make me feel pretty unwelcome. My extreme social anxiety means that I physically struggle to Post and Reblog, and it doesn't seem like the OP understands that can be a barrier. They were pretty unempathetic to at least one fellow long time lurker, saying you can still be a lurker even if you reblog things, kinda treating it almost like a personal rule they don't want to break rather than a different way of interacting with the site. The post was aimed at people who don't know likes don't function the same as on other sites, but the actual argument didn't make any room for people who use tumblr in a different way deliberately and aren't trying to make an algorithm feed happen either. Anyway, anon asks are my main form of social engament on here due to the anxiety. Sorry for word vomiting in your ask box.

I had a knee-jerk instinct to be very unkind about this, because you chose to send this to a creative worker whose income is dependent on social media. (I wish it wasn't, but we just don't live in a world where even Big Artists can just get away with not being their own advertisement team.) I am trying hard to fight that urge because I do understand social anxiety as someone who struggles with agoraphobia. But please think about why you sent me this.

Why do you need me, who can't put food on the table because of the impossibility of getting people to do even the most low-effort Engagements With Content, to comfort you about being too anxious to reblog people's work? Like, I'm not here to absolve you of your guilt, that's between you and yourself and maybe a therapist (not said to be mean, just like the literal person for it). I'm not gonna sit here like "oh no, it's fine, I never feel bad at ALL when stuff I put months of effort into get 0-5 notes, month after month."

It's not your job to promote my stuff, or anyone, but I think seeing artists and the like complain about their struggles vis-a-vis Getting People To Share Content, which is a NIGHTMARE now compared to ten years ago (so you can at least take comfort in it not really being your problem since your behavior has remained unchanged for like 15 years) is going to probably be the price of admission for wordlessly consuming that stuff. You can choose not to feel bad about it; indeed, I invite you to consider the nuance and decide that it's not about you (you even say you know it's directed at other people). I think it'd be a lot healthier for you, personally, to just be able to say "okay, well, that's your opinion and I disagree" without coming into a struggling artist's inbox for some kind of absolution.

[fangshing]

Hello!

This a member of the TV Station trying to apologize to you. Originally, I was going to send you a direct message but you have all of my blogs blocked and I don't want to pull what Arty used to and make a blog just to message you. That's creepy.

I want to start off by saying I am genuinely very sorry for her harassing you in the past and while the entire situation seems like a joke, a horrible grab for attention or fake I promise you this is very much real it has been very much affecting my personal life and the investigation with Ezra.

Full disclosure; I don't know you. I never wanted your contact information or your Discord, people would usually just kind of relay others to me expect me to know what's going on but I really am trying my best to distance myself from the situation which is impossible when I'm the only person who's out in the open if that makes any sense.

Understandably I get why you wouldn't want to see what I post unless someone else's screenshotting it without my permission and posting it, both sides have done this and I don't appreciate it and I typically don't see it because I'm very rarely on Tumblr and if I do see someone reposting my stuff without asking (which I'm only paranoid about because one of Sunny's friends has edited my face white more than once) I can't do much to undo the action.

I can say I know that the blogs typically will reblog a post without any commentary because it was meant to go into drafts or something to be commented on later or archived on the internet archive or some other thing I really don't know and really don't care because this is dragging my entire reputation through the mud it's been making everything harder for every person in my life right now.

You have no reason to believe this is me and I don't really have any way to show except if I take a screenshot of this and post it which I probably will at some point, but I am deeply sorry for the harassment you've faced. You're welcome to DM me with any questions you have or for any explanations.

Two things we can say is that we don't have a fictive of Taylor's OC and Arty is a real person, her deadname is in Sunny's callout.

Ben

Since you're being polite and trying to clear the air, I'll refrain from being a sarcastic bitch in this post. I do not forgive you, but its nice that you felt the need to apologize.

That being said, I don't appreciate that you block-evaded, even if your intentions were good. I do not want to speak with you, Hau, or anyone else in the TV Station system. I have made that abundantly clear on several different occasions.

The thing with the archiving still puzzles me. Posts from people who are twice removed from the drama (that is, only involved because they are interacting with me) are being cataloged even if the post has absolutely nothing to do with you. Like, a post that was just lyrics from a nonsensical YouTube video was saved by one. Why?

This entire situation doesn't have to continue. You and your friends don't have to do this. There is nothing to gain from trying to defend your character online. Ultimately this hurts nobody but yourself. People have already made up their minds about you and no amount of convincing will get them to change their minds. They are inconsequential anyway; the likelihood of you ever meeting them in person is slim to none. Internet slap fights where someone is trying to protect their honor has never ended well and has always resulted in more trouble for them than if they let it go.

The nature of human beings is that people will always take offense to what you do, no matter what that may be. You don't have to acknowledge them or try to prove them wrong. Like I said above, its doubtful you will meet any of your online detractors, and even less likely that they'll know who you are if they do. The opinions of someone who is this unimportant doesn't have to matter. If you don't look at their accounts, you will never know what they said, and it can never hurt you.

You don't have to take my advice, but I thought I would at least offer my two cents instead of saying "lol fuck off" because that helps no one.

[editmesilver]

So, this is awkward- My main blog @gunsli-01 has been shadow banned. Speaking up on this blog may very well cause the same thing to occur. However, if it does that's confirmation enough for me that this fandom has become an incredibly toxic place. Plus, I've kind of got to say it here so the people whom it concerns can see it. If you're here for Pandora Hearts stuff feel free to ignore.

TL;DR: Since this happened, I will not be continuing to make Milgram content on my side blog. So, anyone following me for Milgram edits may just want to leave.

Now, a lot happened yesterday evening. I recognized that my ability to message people on my main blog had vanished at around seven while looking over an ask I received. Before saying anything, I decided to try to investigate the reasons this might be. Even bringing up the issue within a discord server I've been a part of for years now.

I couldn't find anything. In a state of upset I posted about the situation in the ask sent to me regarding the fandom in question. At first, I believed this was happening because a person in said fandom reported my main blog as a silencing tactic. Then I was informed by my fiancée that it was a glitch which had been affecting people all over the website.

However, through further investigation it seems more likely that this is not a glitch but an abuse of the reporting feature. From what I've gathered through Tumblr many people have had this happen to them some multiple times.

I've been on Tumblr since 2013 through my main blog. I've made friends and flitted in and out fandoms without ever encountering this issue. This is something that seems to have only occurred because of my more active and vocal role within that fandom. Something that if I try hard enough, I can understand. It is not lost on me how what I say on my main blog can come off to others.

I was messaging someone within the fandom about this before I lost the ability to message or even look back on my messages. I can see how my opinion and feelings regarding Milgram could make me dislikeable. Since a lot of what I say is stuff that certain people might not want to hear.

However, falsely reporting someone's blog as spam is not okay.

Since my blog has been shadow banned, I can't reply to comments on my own post, tag people in posts, message, even if I answer asks sent to me there's no guarantee the person who sent it will be notified. It will look like people can message me, but I will receive nothing. Star can't even look up my tags on my blog anymore. On my end it will look like I liked a post and I can still reblog things but my interaction won't appear in the notes of the post itself. I've even had past comments of mine on my own posts vanish.

I can at least still see my activity but for all intents and purposes interacting with anyone on Tumblr is now impossible for me. I'm not gonna say this isn't meant to call out this fandom because it legitimately is. Like if someone actively and maliciously did this to me fuck that person. Also, since this happened, I will not be continuing to make Milgram content on my side blog.

So, anyone following me for Milgram edits may just want to leave.

Because this happened and none of my posts from my main blog will be in tags for the unforeseeable future- The Mikoto essay has been delayed as well. So, if anyone was looking forward to that well sorry that's tough but I was looking forward to being able to message my fiancée posts and having all my Tumblr functions. A lot of times in life we don't get what we want, we get what we get.

Secondarily given the content I was posting concerning Milgram before this occurred, I believe if my blog was reported for spam that it was more than likely a Mu supporter who did it and they know who they are if they did. Now if I were a pettier person, I'd go report someone else's blog as spam right now to check if I'm right.

However, no one deserves to have this happen to them. Plus, I genuinely can't be bothered over something so actively petty and sad. Oh, Futa is bad; well at that point what does that make the person who did this?

Overall, I don't know what will happen with either of my blogs from this point forward. I just know that if this is the reason behind my current circumstances the Milgram fandom should be ashamed and start reflecting on the conduct it's willing to allow.

If this is how it treats people writing theories it dislikes, then maybe not saying anything is what's best for everyone.

This is probably the last time I will be speaking on this topic, and I apologize for any discomfort my volatile or crass response may cause to the fandom.

I truly believe this is what happened, but it is still my speculation, and it is considered a glitch. However, the fact that there are people who have experienced this glitch before and gotten it resolved just for it to occur again. Tumblr's vague statements regarding the matter; them only referring to the issue as a glitch and fixing it without elaborating further on what caused it to happen or what staff is doing to make sure it doesn't happen again.

One of the only concrete reasons I found for this occurrence offered by the user base was people stating that before it happened to them, they updated their app. Yet, in my case this is impossible. Because it not only occurred when I was on desktop but the app on my phone did not update that day. All this has led me to believe that the most logical conclusion at this time is that this glitch is a result of a malicious misuse of the report feature and the only tag I've been consistently active in has been the Milgram one.

Feel free to draw your own conclusions but if this is the case it sets a dangerous precedent for the future of this fandom space and many others. If this is the treatment I am receiving on my main blog, then I do not wish to and will not be creating more easily consumable fan content like edits for this fandom anymore.

[counttwinkula]

i gotta say that one of my least favorite things about the modern internet is the ease with which people just accept that an image exists without any thought of its provenance

like, the most obvious cases of this are when an illustration gets turned into a meme and spread across the internet without the consent of the creator

how many times have you seen the original form of a viral image spreading around tumblr with people reacting in shock and awe, "that's what the original said?"

and here's an example that makes my blood boil: remember the iconic "one fear" comic?

do you remember when someone removed the artist's signature, and then dozens of edits were spread with the words "one big meme" in its place?

it's like someone was out there trying to make my point for me: that once the image goes viral and becomes exploitable (as we called it back in the encyclopedia dramatica days) the artist's identity gets filed off of it

but the other half of this issue, which is the part that really just confounds me altogether, is better represented by the sculptor izumi kato. if you don't recognize the name, you may recognize a very specific photo of his work:

this photo of a work by kato (untitled, 2004) accompanied the original SCP creepypasta. in the years since SCP-173 was first posted this photograph and depictions of the character it inspired—a character whose physical appearance was taken directly from kato's art—has been spread far and wide across the internet's horror communities

(yes i know the SCP website has removed the image from the official website and i applaud that decision)

unlike teen comix, where any viewer immediately, if unconsciously, knows that this is a drawing and that therefore someone drew this, i think that the public does not have that same awareness when it comes to photographs

as many art critics have noted since the advent and spread of photography, the photograph occludes not only the concept of authorship (which is beyond the scope of this post), it also alienates the viewer from the idea of context—the image exists for its own sake, separated from the subject of said image

the internet is built on weird images spread without any sort of context, and i get that. i also know that i'm the kind of person who thinks about this stuff and not everybody is

(chris sharp, fire hydrant jack, ca. 2007)

what just makes me crazy is how people seem so willing to look at a picture and just think "i guess that exists" without taking a moment to think "someone must have made that"

and what irks me is how many blogs here—beloved blogs with tons of followers—repost and reblog this content without any thought put toward attribution when the item in question is obviously an art object. the blogs that come to my mind, and i do not say this with any malice, are ones that reframe the subjects of these photos within a D&D context, placing the focus on their "bit" and entirely eclipsing the artists whose works their blogs rely upon for content

the issue of attribution has become even more urgent because the efficacy of google's reverse image search function has plummeted

i cannot tell you how many times i have scoured the internet for any sort of image source for a work of art, wading through scores of pinterest and tumblr links, before suddenly finding the artist's name—or before declaring the whole matter a lost cause

that was when reverse image search was still useful, and nowadays for whatever reason (i am not knowledgeable enough to say why or how) it has ceased to be useful altogether. i have no idea what alternatives we have, and so i really think it falls on us to try to apply some code of ethics to this matter

i'm not saying i only reblog attributed images, i know that's basically impossible, but i am imploring people to at least think twice about this, and i am asking blogs with big follower counts that rely on other people's images to think about the impact they have on further distancing the art from its creator

[raccoonsmate4life]

I posted 449 times in 2022

That's 220 more posts than 2021!

263 posts created (59%)

186 posts reblogged (41%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@morganupstead

@chrisodonline

@eagerforthesky

@chicgeekgirl89

@raccoonsmate4life

I tagged 413 of my posts in 2022

Only 8% of my posts had no tags

#ncisla - 256 posts

#chicago fire - 117 posts

#stellaride - 60 posts

#kelly severide - 37 posts

#stella kidd - 36 posts

#densi - 34 posts

#stellaride wedding - 32 posts

#13x22 - 29 posts

#chicago pd - 22 posts

#13x21 - 20 posts

Longest Tag: 80 characters

#i published another post-ep the other day (different fandom) and it felt so good

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

This is not a drill.

I have been writing again.  Mostly Stellaride, but I am working on a Densi post-ep from last week and have a multi-chapter idea for Densi that I’m trying to plan out.  It’s amazing what a change in antidepressant protocol can do!

I haven’t been posting my Stellaride stuff on ff.net because the audience seems to mostly be on AO3, but I’ll post my Densi stuff both places.

Stellaride post 10x10

Stellaride post 10x11

Stellaride collection

Stellaride fix-it of Stella coming home

45 notes - Posted March 13, 2022

#4

I love Edit [Janko] Reagan

“Don’t look at me, you guys raised him”

47 notes - Posted April 29, 2022

#3

Please PLEASE tell me Mason wrote “Just Married” on Kelly’s car with post-it notes. PLEASE.

69 notes - Posted May 25, 2022

#2

“Kelly, the simple truth is that you are m a g i c to me. Whenever I’m at my lowest, you lift me up. You never leave my side. You are the goodest of men. And yes, we are taking a huge, crazy leap into the unknown, but we’re doing it together. And when I need to hear it, you’ll tell me, ‘you’ve got this Stella Kidd,’ and I’ll know that everything will be okay because it always is when I’m with you. I love you with everything I’ve got, Kelly Severide, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“Stella, I decided a long time ago that if I was gonna be with you, I needed to be worthy of you, which seemed impossible. How do I become worthy of someone brave enough to show who they are inside and out? What makes me this better person that I keep hearing about is you keep me from locking things up. Instead, you made sure you really knew me. Then by some miracle, you still love me. Stella, I might never be worthy of you, but I promise to spend the rest of my life trying. And I love you.”

91 notes - Posted May 26, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Obv I went back and watched the Stellaride hospital scene like 15 times just now.  Things I loved:

- Stella being so worried she can’t even form a single complete thought

- the way she is afraid to touch him where he’s injured so she just keeps touching his face

- KELLY SEVERIDE WITH TEARS IN HIS EYES

- the way he tucks his head into her chest when she hugs him close

- the way he choked up when he told her he loved her

- the placement of his hands on her upper thighs when Boden walks in

- Kelly wiping his tears away as Boden and the detective come in

- DID I MENTION KELLY SEVERIDE WAS SO EMOTIONAL HE WAS BASICALLY CRYING??

- more face touching

- the way Stella cradles his head against her after they’re left alone again

YOU GUYS.  I just freaking love them so freaking much and they’re getting freaking married NEXT WEEK. 

98 notes - Posted May 18, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[spacedkitty]

Experiment with logged out tumblr.com to achieve the highest conversion rate for sign-ups and log-ins, explore ways for visitors to “get” Tumblr and entice them to sign up.

So, that's a worrying statement. Don't lock people out of seeing things without an account.

Like, seriously, do not put barriers that even make it appear like signing in is necessary to see stuff.

"sign up to follow this blog and others like it" would be fine, along with some simple "sign up here" buttons, but DO NOT RESTRICT what people can see.

The content on this site is what attracts people, but people are gunna want to poke around and see what's here before they decide to settle. That's a good thing!

Also, a lot of views of stuff is done by people who already have accounts but don't sign in. I send my girlfriend links regularly on her phone and she isn't signed in there because she prefers the desktop interface but the occasional post on the mobile website is fine to see for a quick look/laugh.

Ok, copying stuff to fill in here is now impossible it seems. So like, there's something you could fix. Make copying from the stuff you're reblogging, while you're editing possible in the app.

Also, like, stop the bloody app refreshing itself all the fucking time! The number of times I hit the power button on my phone to darken the screen just to roll over and lose my place in the feed is infuriating! Even better if there was a "carry on where you left off" button.

Also, like, be very careful about push notifications and emails. I am not alone in thinking that if y'all start spamming me with bullshit I'm probably out (maybe, we'll see... Despite all this jank, this is still the best social media site I've been on by far). Though it does seem you're a little cautious about it, which is good.

And stop with the bullshit about porn content and shit. The "mature content" flag is great and that should be how stuff gets stopped from general view. Maybe add in a custom content warning as part of it. It bothers me seeing the number of trans people having their bodies on display leading to their accounts being blocked or shut down. That shit isn't ok. We're just people. Let people control what degree of censoring we want ourselves.

Otherwise I'm cautiously and skeptically optimistic at how reasonable this sounds...

Tumblr’s Core Product Strategy

Here at Tumblr, we’ve been working hard on reorganizing how we work in a bid to gain more users. A larger user base means a more sustainable company, and means we get to stick around and do this thing with you all a bit longer. What follows is the strategy we're using to accomplish the goal of user growth. The @labs group has published a bit already, but this is bigger. We’re publishing it publicly for the first time, in an effort to work more transparently with all of you in the Tumblr community. This strategy provides guidance amid limited resources, allowing our teams to focus on specific key areas to ensure Tumblr’s future.

The Diagnosis

In order for Tumblr to grow, we need to fix the core experience that makes Tumblr a useful place for users. The underlying problem is that Tumblr is not easy to use. Historically, we have expected users to curate their feeds and lean into curating their experience. But this expectation introduces friction to the user experience and only serves a small portion of our audience. 

Tumblr’s competitive advantage lies in its unique content and vibrant communities. As the forerunner of internet culture, Tumblr encompasses a wide range of interests, such as entertainment, art, gaming, fandom, fashion, and music. People come to Tumblr to immerse themselves in this culture, making it essential for us to ensure a seamless connection between people and content. 

To guarantee Tumblr’s continued success, we’ve got to prioritize fostering that seamless connection between people and content. This involves attracting and retaining new users and creators, nurturing their growth, and encouraging frequent engagement with the platform.

Our Guiding Principles

To enhance Tumblr’s usability, we must address these core guiding principles.

Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr.

Provide high-quality content with every app launch.

Facilitate easier user participation in conversations.

Retain and grow our creator base.

Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr.

Improve the platform’s performance, stability, and quality.

Below is a deep dive into each of these principles.

Principle 1: Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr.

Tumblr has a “top of the funnel” issue in converting non-users into engaged logged-in users. We also have not invested in industry standard SEO practices to ensure a robust top of the funnel. The referral traffic that we do get from external sources is dispersed across different pages with inconsistent user experiences, which results in a missed opportunity to convert these users into regular Tumblr users. For example, users from search engines often land on pages within the blog network and blog view—where there isn’t much of a reason to sign up. 

We need to experiment with logged-out tumblr.com to ensure we are capturing the highest potential conversion rate for visitors into sign-ups and log-ins. We might want to explore showing the potential future user the full breadth of content that Tumblr has to offer on our logged-out pages. We want people to be able to easily understand the potential behind Tumblr without having to navigate multiple tabs and pages to figure it out. Our current logged-out explore page does very little to help users understand “what is Tumblr.” which is a missed opportunity to get people excited about joining the site.

Actions & Next Steps

Improving Tumblr’s search engine optimization (SEO) practices to be in line with industry standards.

Experiment with logged out tumblr.com to achieve the highest conversion rate for sign-ups and log-ins, explore ways for visitors to “get” Tumblr and entice them to sign up.

Principle 2: Provide high-quality content with every app launch.

We need to ensure the highest quality user experience by presenting fresh and relevant content tailored to the user’s diverse interests during each session. If the user has a bad content experience, the fault lies with the product.

The default position should always be that the user does not know how to navigate the application. Additionally, we need to ensure that when people search for content related to their interests, it is easily accessible without any confusing limitations or unexpected roadblocks in their journey.

Being a 15-year-old brand is tough because the brand carries the baggage of a person’s preconceived impressions of Tumblr. On average, a user only sees 25 posts per session, so the first 25 posts have to convey the value of Tumblr: it is a vibrant community with lots of untapped potential. We never want to leave the user believing that Tumblr is a place that is stale and not relevant. 

Actions & Next Steps

Deliver great content each time the app is opened.

Make it easier for users to understand where the vibrant communities on Tumblr are. 

Improve our algorithmic ranking capabilities across all feeds. 

Principle 3: Facilitate easier user participation in conversations.

Part of Tumblr’s charm lies in its capacity to showcase the evolution of conversations and the clever remarks found within reblog chains and replies. Engaging in these discussions should be enjoyable and effortless.

Unfortunately, the current way that conversations work on Tumblr across replies and reblogs is confusing for new users. The limitations around engaging with individual reblogs, replies only applying to the original post, and the inability to easily follow threaded conversations make it difficult for users to join the conversation.

Actions & Next Steps

Address the confusion within replies and reblogs.

Improve the conversational posting features around replies and reblogs. 

Allow engagements on individual replies and reblogs.

Make it easier for users to follow the various conversation paths within a reblog thread. 

Remove clutter in the conversation by collapsing reblog threads. 

Explore the feasibility of removing duplicate reblogs within a user’s Following feed. 

Principle 4: Retain and grow our creator base.

Creators are essential to the Tumblr community. However, we haven’t always had a consistent and coordinated effort around retaining, nurturing, and growing our creator base.  

Being a new creator on Tumblr can be intimidating, with a high likelihood of leaving or disappointment upon sharing creations without receiving engagement or feedback. We need to ensure that we have the expected creator tools and foster the rewarding feedback loops that keep creators around and enable them to thrive.

The lack of feedback stems from the outdated decision to only show content from followed blogs on the main dashboard feed (“Following”), perpetuating a cycle where popular blogs continue to gain more visibility at the expense of helping new creators. To address this, we need to prioritize supporting and nurturing the growth of new creators on the platform.

It is also imperative that creators, like everyone on Tumblr, feel safe and in control of their experience. Whether it be an ask from the community or engagement on a post, being successful on Tumblr should never feel like a punishing experience.

Actions & Next Steps

Get creators’ new content in front of people who are interested in it. 

Improve the feedback loop for creators, incentivizing them to continue posting.

Build mechanisms to protect creators from being spammed by notifications when they go viral.

Expand ways to co-create content, such as by adding the capability to embed Tumblr links in posts.

Principle 5: Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr.

Push notifications and emails are essential tools to increase user engagement, improve user retention, and facilitate content discovery. Our strategy of reaching out to you, the user, should be well-coordinated across product, commercial, and marketing teams.

Our messaging strategy needs to be personalized and adapt to a user’s shifting interests. Our messages should keep users in the know on the latest activity in their community, as well as keeping Tumblr top of mind as the place to go for witty takes and remixes of the latest shows and real-life events.  

Most importantly, our messages should be thoughtful and should never come across as spammy.  

Actions & Next Steps

Conduct an audit of our messaging strategy.

Address the issue of notifications getting too noisy; throttle, collapse or mute notifications where necessary.  

Identify opportunities for personalization within our email messages. 

Test what the right daily push notification limit is. 

Send emails when a user has push notifications switched off.

Principle 6: Performance, stability and quality.

The stability and performance of our mobile apps have declined. There is a large backlog of production issues, with more bugs created than resolved over the last 300 days. If this continues, roughly one new unresolved production issue will be created every two days. Apps and backend systems that work well and don't crash are the foundation of a great Tumblr experience. Improving performance, stability, and quality will help us achieve sustainable operations for Tumblr.

Improve performance and stability: deliver crash-free, responsive, and fast-loading apps on Android, iOS, and web.

Improve quality: deliver the highest quality Tumblr experience to our users. 

Move faster: provide APIs and services to unblock core product initiatives and launch new features coming out of Labs.

Conclusion

Our mission has always been to empower the world’s creators. We are wholly committed to ensuring Tumblr evolves in a way that supports our current users while improving areas that attract new creators, artists, and users. You deserve a digital home that works for you. You deserve the best tools and features to connect with your communities on a platform that prioritizes the easy discoverability of high-quality content. This is an invigorating time for Tumblr, and we couldn’t be more excited about our current strategy.

[gffa]

I can't follow most of the pro-Jedi blogs since they're pretty much all anti-Anakin and I love him too much to deal with those posts, but I also love the Jedi order so do I check in on your blog and a few others sometimes. I wish the pro-Jedi part of the fandom wasn't so hostile to Anakin and his fans because I really do appreciate the thoughtful pro-Jedi posts. It really baffles me how anyone can hate them. I don't think they're perfect and I don't mind certain critiques, but the people who legit seem them as the real bad guys just make no sense to me.

It sounds like you're in the spot I am with the Jedi--I love Anakin, but I can't follow most Anakin-centric blogs because they're all Jedi "critical" and I love them too much to deal with those posts, even though I love Anakin very much and spend the majority of my time talking about him, and I often wish those blogs weren't so hostile to Jedi fans. That said, this is one of those things where so much of it comes down to personal experience, because for me I don't have trouble finding Anakin-positive spaces within Jedi fandom (within the limited scope of pro-Jedi fandom, which honestly is pretty much just this corner of tumblr in my personal experience, literally everywhere else on the internet seems to be Jedi "critical") I have plenty of space to enjoy all the characters. I get why I'm getting these messages and it's a situation that I think has about a dozen different things going into it (including that I have had my nerves scraped raw by a certain subset of anti-Jedi-fans fandom, it makes it really hard to be sympathetic to Anakin when so many of his fans are polarizing the situation), but that there's not much I can do because, like, I'm a pretty Anakin-positive blog in the way I want to be Anakin-positive. I surround myself with other Anakin-positive blogs in the way that I like being Anakin-positive. I built the corner of fandom that I wanted, because that's the only way it was going to get done, you know? The polarization of fandom isn't just from Jedi fans, it's from all of fandom and I have a lot of sympathy for the feeling of being stuck in the middle of all that polarization. And so this keeps reminding me of how I started out in fandom--can you believe, back in the day, I had less than a dozen total meta posts I could reblog that were positive about the Jedi in a way I could agree with? A. Dozen. Total. I felt so alone, especially as all my Jedi-positive friends that I talked with behind the scenes were leaving fandom because people kept dog-piling their posts to try to make them change or yell at them. I had to work so, so hard to build a Jedi-positive space in fandom (along with others, it was hardly just me! XD), I had to ignore so much shit from people constantly flinging casual little snide remarks my way on my posts or in the tags about me, I had to really focus on what I wanted to create here. And I think that explains a lot about how I run my blog, that I get feeling like nobody likes stuff the way you like stuff, and that the only way to get through that is to roll up my sleeves and start creating the fandom I want. And so I don't think it's that hard to find Jedi content that's pretty positive towards Anakin, my experience is that the opposite is almost impossible, that it's hard to find Anakin-positive content that's also Jedi-positive. But, then, I guess that's where we have to start rolling up our sleeves and making what we want to see in the world!

[astriiformes]

hi! i was hoping to make a hunter cosplay of my own and ive been looking at a lot of different cosplays to see what works for people. I really like your cosplay and how you made it more real than cartoony, and I was wondering if you had any tips on creating a cosplay (and also I just wanted to say again that I LOVE YOUR HUNTER COSPLAY IT LOOKS AMAZING) 👉👈

Oh yes, I would love to offer some tips!! Let me say right out of the gate: I'm mostly going to focus on how I put my costume together, but I really don't want it to come across as intimidating/expensive/complex if you're newer to this stuff, so know that if there are ways you end up deviating or cutting corners or doing something totally different, that's just you figuring out your own path and that's something 100% encouraged! Cosplay is a cool hobby in part because there are a million ways to do it, and everyone makes mistakes along the way that help them learn. That said, here's a look into my process!

(Also my original response to this was apparently TOO LONG and tumblr wasn't going to let me post it, so watch this space for a reblog with some other tips!!)

I really like thinking about the, like, design and materiality of the costumes I make, so honestly my starting point for a cosplay like Hunter is first going "Okay, what do I think these different parts would be made of in the real world?" even before considering what I'm actually going to make them out of. For some things that's an easy question -- obviously the mask and pauldron of the Golden Guard outfit feel like they should look like metal armor -- but for others it's more complicated. Like, what types of fabrics would his clothes be made out of? Why? And for parts like Flapjack, how do you split the difference between "sometimes made of wood, sometimes a real, actual bird" in a way that feels satisfying?

For example, for Hunter, my thoughts were as follows: the Golden Guard outfit is fancier than the normal Scout ones and felt like it should look a little bit showy, but at the end of the day, it's also a military uniform that he wears out on missions, so choosing fabrics that felt both nice and durable seemed like the best way to capture the "feel" of the outfit. I wanted to make something that looked important but practical, and based a lot of my decisions off that vibe.

I also took note of some of the "impossibilities" of his costume as a result of the animated medium -- for example, his cloak shifts from being a simple over-the-shoulder cape (which is what most people seem to make when cosplaying him) to a full-on circle cloak that closes up in the front when he's standing stiff and at attention. That's possible in a cartoon, but not in real life, because those are two different types of garments that require totally different amounts of fabric! So with things like that, you sort of have to pick which vibes you want to preserve, as opposed to trying to mimic the show perfectly. For me, that meant patterning out a more complicated cloak, closer to the circle-cloak style but with seams and shaping in the shoulders that make it possible for me to pin it back and look a little like a cape, even though it isn't one. I liked the bigger, heavier garment because I feel like it really drives home his vulnerability next to Belos. But someone who prefers the cool swooshiness of his cloak when he's out in the field would have wanted to make the cape! If and when you look at patterns, definitely pay as much attention to the energy they have and what they make you feel as you do to whether or not they match Hunter's "canon" look perfectly. You're working with fabric, not animating, and embracing the medium you're actually messing around with is definitely going to help with capturing that realism you're after. Related, but just know you're going to have seams in your outfit where there aren't any in the show. It's impossible to make functional clothing without there being visible seams somewhere, even though cartoons rarely show them. Focus more on making the costume you want and learn to love the realism they add instead of stressing over "inaccuracy"

Another thing: I don't know how familiar you are with different types of fabric (being entirely honest, I am way less so than many of my cosplay friends, so don't worry if the answer is "not very") but doing a bit of reading on them might be helpful, and I really highly recommend going to a fabric store and walking around feeling the different materials, thinking about what kinds of clothes they remind you of and how they move and stuff. One of the things that adds a lot of the "realism" to my Golden Guard outfit is that I used a variety of different fabric types, all with fairly unique textures -- the undertunic is this thick, metallic linen, that looks almost like a fencing lamé, which felt perfect for evoking that "fancy, but also combat" vibe I was going for, the overtunic is a more synthetic material but with a texture to it that definitely makes it look less cartoony, the white cloak fabric is a nice, shimmer-y material that looks the most "luxury" out of all them, but I then lined it with a thick, heavy, gold cotton, which means it doesn't swish around as much but also maintains some of that practical/showy duality. Think about your everyday clothes -- I know right now, I'm wearing a light cotton t-shirt and jeans, both of which are made out of totally different fabrics. To really give Hunter a "real life" feel, I leaned into that same idea. The Golden Guard outfit especially has so many layers, so there's lots of room to play around with mixing and matching materials -- just make sure you like how they all look together, too!

(Here are all my fabrics before I cut them: you can see how they all look and act a bit different from each other, and how the textured ones especially break away from that smooth, animated look some cosplayers prefer)

(......and here were my dozen paint and spray paint tests to try to figure out which colors/sheens I wanted for his armor)

[gender-trash]

actually i wanna jump off this post and talk abt filtering for a hot second because tag and post text filtering is THE killer feature tumblr has over All Other Social Media for me and i want it to be maximally good. (like, on twitter the post filtering literally doesn't work on the chronological feed, and if people want to include CWs they have to be in the POST BODY so 1) you can't add additional warnings to stuff you retweet (unless you QRT, but i feel like it would be considered weird/argumentative to qrt a post just to add warnings) and 2) it counts AGAINST THE CHARACTER LIMIT. and also due to the structure of twitter as a website, the Issue Du Jour is MUCH more inescapable in fandom spaces. also, a pettier concern, but it's impossible to blacklist fandoms you don't care about or want to see; i will probably never watch new trigun at this point because after danmei twitter's relentless obsession with it i've quite simply seen Too Much. not to even MENTION my beloathed gensh*n *mpact.)

ANYWAY, the bird hellsite aside...

i think "semi-standardized" tumblr content warning tags tend to emerge spontaneously sometimes, out of the primordial froth -- like, if you warn for Presence Of Food your tag is probably "food cw" or "tw: food" or the like, and if i have an eating disorder triggered by images of food, i can just stick "food" in the tumblr tag blacklist and i'll be fine. or, actually, if anyone ELSE reblogging the post before you has tagged it "food cw" the filter will also catch it and i'll be fine.

however, the set of Emergent Standardish Tumblr Tags is kind of idiosyncratic; it includes "scopophobia" and "flashing lights" and the very vaguely defined "unreality" but not "ai generated images" or "fake post" or "reblog coercion" (you know, the "reblog or something bad will happen" ones). the latter three are all things i personally tag for (for the record i probably have about 95% reliability with CW tags; i will try to hit 99% if someone who follows me specifically requests a tag but i also can't guarantee tags will be fully propagated into my archives).

in this particular case, if people tag posts about The Submarine with *any* content warning they usually tag them "death" or "violence" from what i've seen (or "current events", which is good actually and i wish more people did that). and enough people tag instances of *fictional* death or violence with those content warnings that those tags are functionally useless for me to blacklist (i'm, uh, in the naruto fandom). the problem is that there's *no* canonical tag for Real Life Mass Death, which means that i have about ten terms related to mass shootings blacklisted and despite my best efforts i STILL find out about every mass shooting from poasts on tumblr dot com, and the mood whiplash from posts about cat pictures or isopods to "FIFTY PEOPLE ARE DEAD" fucks me up really bad.

the other problem is untagged goddamn screenshots from goddamn twitter.

@23rdhunter's tags:

#y'all reblogging untagged screenshots. please.

i know i have no real room to judge here because i screenshot things instead of copy/pasting them all the time (tumblr tags are not selectable in the ios mobile app which is where i mainly post from), but these are terrible for several reasons: first, the words-in-post-body filter won't catch them; second, screen reader users can't read them; third, they take WAY longer to load for people on slow internet. but also, everyone seems to use twitter dark mode and light-text-on-dark-background is eye-straining for me (and makes my eyesight actively worse if i read light-on-dark text for too long, for some fucking reason; i have theories, but this post isn't about my bizarre eye issues). OCR is pretty good now! i don't understand why we don't have a tumblr feature -- or, hell, some third-party tool -- where you can paste in a screenshot and get a copyable text version. or, like, a tumblr feature that OCRs screenshots and automatically adds alt text if none was provided.

(wait, i'm a programmer. i could BUILD the third-party tool. remind me to come back to that one)

but ALSO also i think we need a norm of being a little more careful or thorough with content tags on screenshots. even if people don't content warn their tumblr text posts at *all* i can usually knock out 95% of content i'd like blacklisted with text filters, but the untagged goddamn twitter screenshots make it through every time. and the twitter screenshots are always the WORST takes, because twitter is a cesspit. maybe we should start content warning for twitter.

anyway my final thought -- god DAMN it i think i saw someone post about this last night, maybe @kodicraft?, and now i can't find the post -- is that it is unreasonably difficult to blacklist names of Famous People You Are Tired Of Hearing About. the example in the post i saw was "elon" because elon is also in "melon" and "elongate" and a lot of other common english words; i've been having a similar struggle with "trump" since about 2017. and then there's the thing where everyone gives them a billion nicknames like "elongated muskrat" or "orange man". i don't know what the solution to this is. i hesitate to request everyone tag their elonpoasting "elon musk". thoughts??

(if you reblog this post with comment and i don't seem to ack your reply, DM me or send me an ask? by necessity it includes about fifteen different things i have blacklisted so i will probably miss a lot of reblogs)

can you fuckers please consistently content warn for maritime disasters or something? i've resigned myself to never again seeing a post about any submarine good or bad but my filters are only catching like a third of the posts and it's giving me really incredibly bad brainworms . thanks

[grapesodatozier]

so close to the real thing (closer than you think)

rating: explicit

word count: 6.8k

summary: Eddie's been pining over Richie for as long as he can remember. He loves everything about Richie; especially how much Richie loves touching him. It's a little inconvenient, though. Eddie copes with his pent up sexual tension by constantly checking a porn blog he's obsessed with on tumblr. This guy has the same type of body as Richie, he talks like Richie, his name is even Richie! It makes it all too easy for Eddie to pretend it really is Richie while getting himself off to all of the blog's content.

You'll never guess what he finds out when he starts sexting this stranger named Richie from his anonymous porn blog.

tags: friends to lovers, porn with feelings, love confessions, dom/sub dynamics, bi dom top richie, gay sub bottom eddie, the most oblivious pining idiots in the world lol we love them

notes: this is one of my more ridiculous ideas but I had so much fun with it lol. also as a note you probably should not approach people on the internet the way they do in this fic, but they're just v enthusiastic and everything here is v consensual!! still tho definitely don't take this indulgent fic as a guide on how to approach real people online lmao. okay have fun!!

read on ao3 or below!!

notsfw under the cut

Eddie Kaspbrak’s friends were his entire world; time spent with them meant everything to him. But he also really valued his alone time. He’d always been the sort who needed time to just sit on a grassy hill and watch the trains go by, to catch up on comics in his room, to get lost in Netflix shows or even just his thoughts as he moseyed around his apartment—one he live in by himself, for when these moods hit. He needed time to himself to unwind. And sometimes he unwound by scrolling through some porn blogs on tumblr with his hand in his pants.

There was one blog that he was particularly fond of. There were other blogs more catered to his personal interests, namely blogs that didn’t feature women like this one did. But there was a good balance of genders represented, so Eddie figured he could just scroll past those posts. This guy was worth it. His pictures were ridiculously hot, and his dirty talk was even hotter.

Also, his name was Richie. Which Eddie refused to acknowledge as part of the draw.

It was harder to ignore tonight. He’d been out with the losers, and Richie had just been so touchy. And there was something about the way he'd been talking; his voice was lower than normal, slower in a way that made Eddie’s stomach flip. And his touches had lingered, his hand squeezing Eddie’s hip slow, then lazily brushing against his ass as he dropped it. Eddie could hardly take it. He brushed it off as Richie just being tired from work, but god, Eddie wanted it to mean more. The hardest part was hiding how much he wanted Richie to keep doing it.

There were so many things Eddie wanted Richie to do to him. He wanted Richie to touch him harder, to grab him by his hips with both hands. Richie’s hands were so big; Eddie just knew Richie could manhandle him so easily, so roughly. He wanted to know what it would feel like to have Richie’s hands all over him, grabbing at his ass and his thighs, holding his wrists down, making him feel so small. While Eddie would never admit it, huffing at every short joke Richie made, but he loved being shorter than Richie. He loved how safe he felt when Richie held him. And he was dying to know how small he would feel with Richie looming above him, or sitting in Richie’s lap, bouncing on his cock. He wanted to hear Richie talking to him in that low, slow voice, with that condescension Eddie did his best to pretend not to be affected by. He wanted Richie to whisper in his ear and call him all those pretty names he always dropped so casually, all those sweet ones and also ones that were a lot meaner. He wanted Richie to want him.

But it was easier to think about it than to ask for it. He knew Richie had way more experience than him. Well, okay, maybe not way more necessarily, but they were starting their third year of college, and he hadn’t wasted any time. Eddie, on the other hand, hadn’t done anything more than hand stuff with someone else. The guys he’d hooked up with were nice enough, and hot enough, but they just… weren’t Richie.

He supposed this guy on tumblr wasn’t Richie either, but at least he was everything else Eddie wanted. None of his hookups had been so, well, dominant, and that was this guy’s whole thing. He was dominant and a top and into guys that looked like Eddie. He even kind of talked like Richie, and he was apparently pining over his best friend, just like Eddie was. It had him completely smitten. Plus, internet-Richie’s crush had brown eyes like Eddie, and he ran track, just like Eddie did. Internet-Richie had posted once about his dick getting hard watching his friend at his track meet, and Eddie had come so hard that night, his track shorts around his ankles, imagining his Richie thinking those things about him.

Eddie was in bed now, in nothing but his boxers and one of Richie’s old shirts that had been Eddie’s for a while now. Still reeling from the way Richie had been acting that night, he logged into his porn account on his phone and scrolled through his dash for a grand total of thirty seconds before going immediately to internet-Richie’s blog. A thrill went through Eddie’s body when he saw that he had just posted. He’d written, “god my friends gonna fuckn kill me with that ass, i wanna plow him so bad” then reblogged it and added, “reminder that my asks and dms are always open if any pretty needy little subs need help getting off. please come be sluts in my messages.” Eddie’s breath caught in his throat when he saw that there was a picture, too, one of him gripping his hard cock, his boxers pulled down just enough for Eddie to see the dark hair around the base of his cock. Eddie moaned at the sight. His cock was so nice, so long and thick and pink. And fuck, his fingers. They were so long and slim, almost as nice as his-Richie’s.

Eddie scrolled a little farther down, his heart racing. There were a lot of reblogs, but some original posts here and there, things like, “what i wouldn’t do to have a pretty guy drooling all over my cock rn,” and, “in the mood to get someone dick drunk. wanna fuck a someone so hard they forget their own name.” One that made Eddie nearly choke said, “want someone i can pump my come into whenever i want, over and over again. want a sub i can keep full of my come all the fuckn time.” That post had Eddie getting out his lube.

It also had him thinking about internet-Richie’s most recent post, his post about his DMs being open.

Eddie bit his lip and thought about it. He’d sent internet-Richie some asks before from his porn blog (his blog didn’t have his name on it, just the teddy bear emoji, since he privately thought the teddy/Eddie rhyme was fun and clever, and also it was cute), and he’d seemed plenty happy enough to respond then. Still, it felt like a much bigger step to DM him, to talk to him just one on one. But the more he read his posts, the more he thought about his-Richie and how he’d touched Eddie that night, the easier it was to convince himself to shoot his shot with this stranger.

Eddie just messaged him a simple, “hi,” with a heart emoji. It was innocent enough, but his heart was still racing.

Internet-Richie responded a lot faster than Eddie was expecting. Honestly he hadn’t been expecting a response at all. But he said:

hiya cutie (; ive been hoping youd message me

Eddie flushed. He couldn’t help but hear cutie in his-Richie’s voice—especially given how often Richie used the nickname. really? he typed back.

fuck yes, ur cute little messages make me so hard. i can tell ur a pretty little thing just from the way you type

Eddie was blushing deep. Pretty little thing. That was hotter than it should’ve been. He wanted his Richie to talk to him like that, in that deep, sleepy voice.

there’s no way you can tell that from some messages :P, Eddie sent.

His heart stopped at the next messages internet-Richie sent.

oh, u dont think so?

why dont u send me some pics to prove me wrong (;

Oh my god, Eddie thought, his breath coming short. His head swam at the thought of sending this guy nudes, of showing himself off to someone who clearly wanted to see him, who would know how to take care of him and fuck him the way he liked, a guy with his crush’s fucking name and body type and hands. It had Eddie’s cock hard and leaking, and he slowly slid a finger inside of himself.

But just because the thought turned him on didn’t mean he was gonna send this stranger what he wanted so easily, even if he desperately wanted to.

you’d like that, wouldn’t you?

He fingered himself open as he waited for a response, working his way up to two fingers. It was nearly impossible to ignore his cock, but he didn’t want to come before the conversation even had a chance to start.

fuck ya i would, internet-Richie responded. Then, in a second message, whats wrong baby? you shy? ill show u mine ;)

Eddie's breath caught. God, this guy even made stupid shit sound hot, just like Eddie’s Richie. This was unreal.

i’ve seen yours, Eddie pointed out.

ya and you musta liked it if ur messaging me rn

Eddie bit his lip. ...maybe

aw thats cute sweetheart. u know i can see all the needy little tags you add when u reblog my stuff right?

Eddie blushed. He’d kind of always hoped he’d read them, but he never thought he actually did. i didn’t know you read those

oh ya, read them, jerk off to them. bit of a size queen, aren’t you? ;) it’s cute. makes me so fuckn hard when u talk abt how u want me to fill you up

Eddie whimpered out loud, sliding a third finger into himself. Fuck, he wanted that cock inside of him so bad. But right now one of his toys would have to do, once he was stretched out enough. He sped up his fingers, getting impatient. Gathering up all of his horny courage, he sent, show me.

what, no please? only good boys who use their manners get dick pics babydoll

Eddie pouted and whined to himself, making quick work of sliding his hot pink vibrator inside of himself—well, as quickly as he could without hurting himself. He moaned as it filled him up, making pleasure spread deep through his body. Slowly pumping it in and out, he reached for his phone. please, he typed, please let me see? wanna know what to picture while i fuck myself with my vibrator. He even added the wide eyed pouting emoji to really milk the whole begging thing. He knew he’d been playing a little coy, but now with the way internet-Richie was talking to him he was getting desperate.

well fuck baby since ur begging ;)

Eddie held his breath as he waited for the picture, slowly rocking his toy in and out, savoring the feeling. He wished it was Richie doing it, wished it was his cock. The lines between which Richie blurred; he wanted to get fucked by either of them, both of them.

What Eddie received when his phone lit up was not a picture, but a video. It was short, just a few seconds of Richie’s hand dragging wetly, smoothly over his cock, but it had Eddie drooling. The room was dark, so he’d used a flash, and it made the mix of what Eddie assumed was precome and spit glisten as the swollen head of Richie’s cock disappeared and reappeared from behind his fingers. Eddie must’ve played it at least five times, fucking himself a little faster, before remembering to say something back. And to take a video of his own. fuck, I want you so bad, want you to fucking ruin me, he wrote back. A part of him couldn’t believe how openly desperate he was being, but he found that he liked it; he liked the way it made him blush, he liked the way it felt to beg, to ask for what he wanted.

Richie’s response came fast: show me kitten. show me how you want me to fuck your pretty little ass.

Eddie moaned at the pet name; casual little nicknames were such a weakness for him. He was already so far gone, just picturing Richie’s cock inside of him, picturing him stroking his cock to thoughts of Eddie. The attention had his cock hard and leaking as he thrust his vibrator even deeper inside of himself, pumping it in and out a few more times before rolling over and getting on his hands and knees. It was hard to take a video from this angle, but he wanted to show off his ass and hide his face. Plus, there was something so hot about having his ass in the air and his face shoved in his pillow, looking like the perfect image of someone desperate to be fucked. He loved the way it made him feel, loved the thought of being so open for someone. For Richie.

He ended up shooting a short video as well, about ten seconds of him sliding his vibrator slowly in and out of himself, letting out soft little moans. He was pretty pleased with the way it turned out, his hole pink and smooth and wet as it stretched around his toy. The angle was a little weird, showing a lot of his room once or twice when his hand slipped a little, but overall he thought his ass looked amazing, if he did say so himself. He sent it and said, feels so good. do you want me to go faster?

As he sent it, he got settled on his back, forcing himself to go slow as he fucked himself while he waited for internet-Richie’s response. It was taking longer than before, and Eddie was getting antsy; it was so hard to drag it out, to not get ahead of himself. But whatever Richie was doing, Eddie knew it would be worth the wait. Still, he pouted as his cock ached, begging for attention.

He almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a knock at the door.

He groaned to himself and stayed put, fucking himself even slower as he waited for whoever it was to leave. But then the knocking continued, loud and incessant and obnoxious, and Eddie knew exactly who it was. He also knew he wasn’t going to go away any time soon, which honestly made him smile and blush. Richie had terrible timing, but Eddie would never be upset to see him.

Reluctantly, he slowly slid the toy out and pulled on his shorts, leaving his shirt off. He still had a pretty obvious boner, but his horny brain did not mind the idea of Richie seeing it. So he strode lazily down the hall, shouting a performatively annoyed, “I’m coming!” Finally, he opened the door, cocking his hip to the side and giving Richie an expectant look. “Can I help you?” he asked, a small smile dancing around the corner of his lips. He had to fight off a smirk at the wide eyed look Richie gave him as he ran his eyes over Eddie’s body.

“Fuck,” he muttered lowly, his eyes trained on Eddie’s cock, which was getting even harder the more Richie stared. Eddie bit his lip and grinned a little, making doe eyes at Richie. But Richie didn’t meet his gaze—instead he brushed past Eddie, his mouth still hanging open as he made his way urgently toward Eddie’s bedroom.

“Richie?” Eddie asked, a little let down that Richie’s hands weren’t all over him right now. But hey, if he was heading to Eddie’s bedroom he figured that was at least the right direction. He closed his front door and followed Richie into his room, where he found him staring at the bright pink vibrator on the bed. As confident and horny as Eddie was feeling, that still made him blush. He was only human. Crossing his arms, he said, bashful now, “I was kind of in the middle of something.”

Richie looked over at him, his cheeks bright red under his freckles. Then he got a glimmer of that trademark shit-eating grin on his face. “Eds, you fucking slut,” he said, sounding both delighted and breathless. “You are so fucking hot.”

Eddie flushed and tried not to squirm, but he couldn’t help but press his legs together, his eyes brightening. Fuck, was this actually happening? Shit, he needed to think of something witty to say. “You gonna do anything about it?” Okay, that kinda sounded like a corny porn, but he had to give himself credit for even being able to form words just after his lifelong crush and personal wet dream had just admitted his attraction to him.

“I think I already have been,” Richie said, still grinning.

Eddie cocked an eyebrow at him. He couldn’t help but smile back. “Oh yeah? How do you figure that?”

Eddie was expecting a confession. He was expecting something along the lines of you think I don’t notice how you look at me? or did you really think those were casual touches earlier? What he was not expecting was for Richie to unlock his phone and hold it up, showing Eddie the video he had just taken, the video he’d sent to internet-Richie.

Oh. Oh. Oh fuck.

“Oh my god, that’s you?” Eddie cried in disbelief.

“You’re telling me you didn’t recognize this dick?” Richie asked, swaggering over to Eddie, clearly enjoying himself.

“How did you recognize it was me?”

Richie nodded toward the Thundercats poster on Eddie’s wall, then to the model train that sat on his dresser. “What other guy has decor like that and the ass to match?”

Eddie grinned and shook his head. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“Well pardon me for not being especially eloquent when I’ve just learned that the guy I’ve been masturbating to since I learned how to and been in love with for even longer has been masturbating to me too.”

Eddie’s eyes went wide, all thoughts of getting fucked leaving for a moment. “You’re in love with me?” he asked, his voice as soft as his smile.

Richie was not a bashful person, but the little laugh he let out just then was close to it. “Have been my whole life, but thanks for finally noticing.”

Eddie shook his head and stepped closer, until he had to crane his head up to meet Richie’s gaze. “I love you too.”

Richie’s eyes widened behind his thick frames. Eddie had only seen that look in Richie’s eyes a few times before, but he never wanted to lose sight of it again. He always wanted Richie to look at him like that. But then Richie was closing his eyes and leaning down. It only took Eddie a second to get with the program, drinking in the moment just a little longer before letting his own eyes fall shut as he pressed his lips against Richie’s.

It started gentle enough, if deep and passionate and intentional. But then Richie’s hands were on Eddie’s bare waist, skin against skin, and Eddie was gasping into Richie’s mouth, his hands coming up and resting against Richie’s chest. He curled his fingers into Richie’s shirt as Richie ran his tongue over Eddie’s lips, just before pulling away. He laughed at Eddie’s indignant little whine.

“Oh, you mean you don’t want me to take off my shirt right now?” he smirked as Eddie tried to pull him closer by the offending fabric. Huffing, Eddie conceded and let go long enough to let Richie pull the shirt off over his head.

“Oh,” he said softly, his voice a little, awed moan as he drank in Richie’s chest. It wasn’t like Richie had never been shirtless in front of Eddie before, but Eddie had never felt like he was allowed to really look at Richie all those times. But now he could; now he could touch. And he did, running his fingers over Richie’s smooth, warm skin, over his acne scars and blackheads and freckles. “Fuck, Richie,” he sighed before pressing his lips to Richie’s collarbones, trailing them all over Richie’s beautiful chest.

Richie gave a breathless, almost shy laugh as he stroked Eddie’s hair. “Damn, Eds, never pegged you as a tits guy.”

“Oh, fuck off,” Eddie giggled, bringing his lips back to Richie’s. They both smiled into it, getting lost for a moment as Richie’s hands slid slowly down Eddie’s sides. His hands lingered on Eddie’s hips for a moment before he slid them further down and grabbed at Eddie’s ass, making him gasp.

“Is that any way to talk to the guy who’s about to rail you ‘til you can’t walk?”

“What’re you gonna do about it?” Eddie asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Spank me?”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Richie smirked. He gave Eddie’s ass a playful smack, making Eddie gasp again and fall into him, needing more. Richie’s voice was dripping with adoration as he purred, “Little brat,” and pulled Eddie against him, kissing him again. Eddie went with it easily and happily parted his lips to let Richie lick into his mouth. Richie had one hand gripping Eddie’s jaw and the other on his ass, touching him in a way that exuded a command Eddie was desperate to follow. God, Eddie knew Richie had big hands, but they felt huge on him like this. It was dizzyingly hot. And the way Richie’s tongue was teasing his had Eddie’s knees going weak. His dick was throbbing in his shorts, aching to finish what he’d started, what had been interrupted. When he thought about it all—about playing with himself for Richie, about the video Richie had sent him, about all those things Richie had said about filling Eddie up—he felt himself clench down on nothing, desperate to get fucked. Desperate to feel Richie’s cock so deep inside of him.

“Richie,” he whined into the kiss, pulling on Richie’s belt loops, “please.” He pressed himself urgently against Richie and rutted shamelessly against his thigh.

“Fuck, you’re a needy little thing, aren’t you?” His voice was cocky and teasing, but there was an apparent undercurrent of wonder there as well.

Eddie shoved his face into Richie’s neck and whined, grabbing onto Richie’s wrists without even knowing what his goal was. “Richie,” he whimpered, sounding pitiful and ruined already.

“What do you want, baby?” Richie’s voice made it clear that he was enjoying seeing Eddie this wrecked, and that just made Eddie even harder. “Come on, tell me, use your words.”

Eddie squirmed as Richie held him close, but still not touching him in any relieving way. “I need you inside,” Eddie said, his voice high and soft as he squirmed in Richie’s grip. “God, please, Richie, need you to fuck me. Fuck me so hard I can’t even think. Fuck me like I’m your little toy.”

Eddie could hardly believe the words coming out of his mouth, and judging by the gasp he heard Richie let out, he’d caught Richie off guard too. But if the hard bulge in his jeans that brushed up against Eddie was any indication, he was apparently just as turned on as Eddie was. Besides, Eddie knew from his blog that Richie was really into that sort of thing too—and, apparently, really into the idea of doing those things with Eddie. The realization that Richie had been saying all those filthy things about him had him grinding against him with even more fervor, kissing his neck with a heated confidence. Richie moaned, and Eddie could feel the warmth of it spreading through him. “Yeah, sweetheart? You want to feel me inside you? You think you’re ready for me?”

“Yes,” Eddie sighed, looking up at Richie with wide, desperate eyes. He shivered at the new look in Richie’s eyes, the blue nearly entirely eclipsed by how wide his pupils were. He looked hungry for Eddie; Eddie wanted to feel it. “‘M ready, Richie, please, so open for you.” He looked to the toy on his bed pointedly, but Richie only gave a deep laugh.

“Oh honey, that’s cute that you think that little thing is gonna have you ready for my cock.” Eddie’s breath caught; that toy wasn’t small. Before he could gather his scattered brain enough to react, Richie was scooping him up and tossing him on the bed, the toy falling forgotten to the floor. Richie moved Eddie onto his back, and Eddie went happily, pliantly. Richie’s fingers were cool against Eddie’s burning skin as he hooked his fingers into the waistband of Eddie’s shorts, slowly dragging them over his hips and down his legs, tossing them to the floor. Eddie’s cock was dripping with precome, his chest flushed a bright red as he squirmed under Richie’s gaze. Eddie been dreaming of Richie manhandling him like this for he didn’t even know how long; he couldn’t help the way he reacted. And he especially couldn’t help the pleased little sound he made when Richie murmured, “God, you’re gorgeous, Eds.” Then Richie was grabbing him by the ankles, gently but firmly spreading Eddie’s legs, and Eddie let out the most pathetic, genuine moan he’d ever heard. “Fuck, baby, you sound pretty. You like when I spread you open?” Richie asked. He was smirking down at Eddie, but Eddie could see how flushed he was, could see the thrilled awe in his dark, hungry eyes as Eddie nodded.

“Richie, please,” Eddie whimpered. “I need you so bad.” He sat up, reaching for Richie’s belt, but Richie easily pressed him back against the mattress with a large hand on the center of his chest. The confidence in Richie’s dominance took Eddie’s breath away, and he stayed right where he was, nice and obedient, as he watched Richie get off the bed and slowly undo his belt, then his button and zipper. He took his time dragging his jeans and boxers off, enough time to let Eddie’s eyes linger on the reveal of the dark hair under Richie’s waistband. Then Richie’s cock was bouncing up against his stomach, hard and flushed and fucking long. Eddie moaned at the sight and fisted the sheets underneath him. He wanted so badly to get his mouth on Richie, to breathe him in and be nice and good for Richie on his knees. But he was also desperate to get fucked; his hole clenched down on nothing at the thought, and then it was all he could think about again. “Richie,” he repeated, whining now as he reached for him. “Stop being such a tease.”

Richie laughed as he moved easily out of Eddie’s grip and climbed on top of him. Eddie gasped softly at the sight of Richie above him, his dark curls surrounding his face, his full, pink lips pulled into the most beautiful smile Eddie had ever seen in his life. He ran his hands over Richie’s chest and sides, marveling at the fact that this was really happening. Then, his eyes flickering down, he tentatively brought his hand to Richie’s cock.

“Oh, fuck,” they said, both at the same time, making them giggle together.

“Fuck, Eds, your pretty little hand looks so cute wrapped around my cock,” Richie teased in a low, rough voice. Eddie shivered; he couldn’t tell if Richie was praising him or degrading him, but either way it made his head fuzzy.

“‘M not that little,” Eddie grumbled out of habit. But he was clearly breathless. He’d never been good at pretending not to like Richie’s compliments, however teasing.

“Aw, but you are, baby,” Richie cooed, nuzzling his nose against Eddie’s and pressing a lingering kiss to his lips. “You’re so cute and tiny for me. I don’t even know if we’ll be able to fit my cock inside you.”

“I can,” Eddie whined, both indignant and impatient. He bucked his hips up, but Richie held him down. He gasped when he felt the warm, soft skin of Richie’s cock press against his stomach. Looking down, he saw that Richie had his cock lying on Eddie’s stomach, showing just how deep he would be once he was inside Eddie.

“You sure about that, babydoll?” While the teasing note was still there, Richie’s voice got noticeably softer as he said, “I don’t wanna hurt you.”

Eddie’s chest swelled at that. Cupping Richie’s face in his hands, he insisted, “I can take it.” Then he reached down and took Richie in his hand, glowing with pride when Richie let out a low moan. “Richie, please, I want you so bad.”

“Okay, baby,” Richie agreed, turning his head to kiss Eddie’s palm. “Fuck, I want you, too.” But he stalled. “Have you ever… like, been fucked before?”

Eddie flushed. “Well, not by someone else, but I have some toys. I’m not gonna break, Richie.” He huffed, but the way Richie was looking at him soothed any ruffled feathers.

“I’m your first?” His smile was soft, and while his eyes glittered, there was nothing teasing about his tone.

“I didn’t wanna do it with anyone else,” Eddie mumbled. He tried to look away, but Richie pulled him into a kiss.

“Fuck, I never thought you’d want me,” he chuckled. “Sorry, that was depressing, I just mean I can’t believe we didn’t do this sooner, you know?”

Eddie beamed, a small, giddy giggle dancing on his lips. “Well it’ll happen sooner if you stop talking so much.” But his smile, and all of the little kisses he planted on Richie’s freckled shoulders told Richie that Eddie never wanted him to stop talking.

“Alright, alright, sheesh, I know I’m hot but you don’t gotta rush me.” Eddie was still giggling when Richie kissed him, and he could feel that Richie was smiling too. “Where’s your lube?”

Eddie stretched his hand out and patted the bed for a moment, searching. After what was probably only four seconds but felt like an eternity, he finally found the bottle and handed it eagerly to Richie. “Oh, right,” Richie smirked, “you’re already wet for me, aren’t you?” Eddie moaned as Richie swiped his fingers over Eddie’s slick hole, pressing in just a bit. His fingers went in easily, and he pumped them slowly, drawing little, breathy moans out of Eddie. Richie’s fingers were a lot longer and thicker than his own, and they felt amazing, but they weren’t what he wanted in that moment.

“Richie, fuck me,” he whined.

“Aw, no please? Again?” Richie tsked and shook his head, curling his fingers against Eddie’s prostate, making him cry out. “I told you, sweetheart, only good boys who use their manners get fucked.”

“Please,” Eddie cried. He rocked his hips and grabbed at Richie’s shoulders, at his arms, not even sure what his goal was there other than to get Richie closer, to get his attention, to show him how desperate he was. “Please fuck me, please.” He sounded pathetic begging like this, but that just made him harder. And it made Richie’s pupils even wider as he slid his fingers out of Eddie and pressed a kiss to his lips.

“Good boy,” he purred. Eddie moaned and arched into Richie’s touch, but he only gave Eddie one more kiss on his cheek before pulling back and covering his cock in lube. Eddie watched, entranced, as Richie’s hand moved smoothly over his cock, glistening and slick. Then Richie was gently spreading Eddie’s legs even further and pressing the head of his cock against Eddie’s hole.

“Yes,” Eddie whimpered brokenly, grasping at the sheets beneath him. “Richie, please.” Meeting his gaze, he said softly, “I need you.”

“I’ve got you,” Richie assured him in a voice that made Eddie feel like he was glowing. Richie took Eddie’s hand in his and entwined their fingers, using his other hand to guide his cock inside of Eddie, who gasped at the feeling. God, he couldn’t believe this was happening. He couldn’t believe his first time was going to be with his favorite person. He couldn’t believe he was finally getting exactly what he wanted. Love flooded through him, warm and perfect, somehow both soothing and electrifying as he watched Richie’s face. Eddie’s mouth dropped as Richie pressed into him, deeper and deeper and still fucking deeper, until finally Richie let out a low moan and Eddie felt absolutely breathless. The stretch was intense, and he held onto Richie tightly as he caught his breath. “Are you alright?” Richie asked. His voice was strained, but the care and concern in it was clear. “You don’t have to take all of it if it’s too much.”

Eddie wanted to laugh at the remark or roll his eyes, but with how breathless and dizzied by pleasure he already was, he had to admit Richie had a point. “Just need a minute,” he gasped. Richie ran a soothing hand over Eddie’s skin, helping him even out his breathing and relax. The feeling of Richie’s cock twitching in anticipation inside of him had him letting out little moans as he adjusted, getting more and more used to the feeling until he felt comfortable enough to tell Richie he could move. Richie kissed him before he did, his lips soft against Eddie’s, a reassuring weight. Eddie breathed in sharply as Richie pulled back, grabbing at Richie’s shoulders.

Richie immediately stopped. “You okay, baby?” he asked, caressing Eddie’s face.

Eddie wanted to melt. Richie was always touching him, always jokingly flirting with him, but this unabashed concern and, well, love had previously been reserved for dire situations, like panic attacks or injuries. Eddie couldn’t help the dopey smile that bloomed on his face as he tilted his chin up and kissed Richie. “I’m okay,” he said breathlessly. “It’s just a little different from my vibrator.” They both gave a shaky laugh as Richie nuzzled his nose against Eddie’s.

“Better, I hope?” he grinned.

“Can’t tell yet,” Eddie retorted. Another snarky comment was on the tip of his tongue when Richie pulled his hips further back, effectively sucking all the air—and attitude—from Eddie’s chest. And then Richie was pushing back in, and Eddie let out a moan he couldn’t have faked if he tried, relaxing back into the mattress as his eyes fell shut. It was the best thing he’d ever felt, pleasure and relief flooding through his body. They’d been building up this tension for years; Eddie had figured it would feel good to break it, but it really felt magical, like something had just clicked into place. Feeling Richie inside of him, rocking his hips carefully, feeling Richie twitch as he tried not to lose control had Eddie’s head reeling. Eddie’s eyes fluttered open, focusing on Richie above him, on how flushed his face was. When Richie met his eye, pressing in deep, Eddie let out a small, “Fuck.”

“Yeah? Does that feel good, sweetheart?”

Richie was smirking as he said it, but there was something else sparkling in his eyes. Something giddy and awed. Something that made Eddie sigh dreamily, “I love you.”

Richie’s eyes widened for a moment before he pressed his lips firmly against Eddie’s, his hands roaming over Eddie’s body like he couldn’t choose where to put them, where to touch him. “I love you so much,” he beamed, pressing a few more kisses to Eddie’s cheeks. Eddie giggled at the feeling, but then Richie’s hips moved just a little faster, pressing him in just a little deeper, and he was back to melting under Richie’s touch, clinging to him as he rocked his hips with Richie’s. “Fuck, you’re so amazing, baby, so fucking beautiful. You look so good like this, holy shit.”

Eddie smiled almost drunkenly at Richie’s ability to ramble even when blowing Eddie’s mind. “Feels so good,” he moaned, his voice breathy and just a little bit higher than normal. He wrapped his legs around Richie’s waist. “Please, Richie, please.”

“Fuck, baby, wanna make you feel like this all the fucking time,” Richie groaned as he picked up the pace. Eddie whined in pleasure at the change, and that just spurred Richie to go faster, harder, until he was well and truly fucking Eddie, both of them moaning with every thrust.

“Oh my god,” Eddie cried, “ohmygodohmygodhmygod, oh fuck, Richie, please.” It felt so amazing, Richie fucking into him like this, but he needed that little bit more. His cock was throbbing desperately, achingly hard; he needed to feel Richie’s hand on him. “Richie, please,” he whimpered, “please, please touch me. I need you, I need you so bad, please, Richie.” Eddie was pouting now, grabbing aimlessly at Richie, his legs still wrapped tight around him.

“Fuck, you’re so hard for me,” Richie marveled, his voice sweet and condescending as he wrapped his hand around Eddie’s cock. Eddie nearly screamed at the contact, his back arching off the bed. Richie laughed a little, which just made Eddie even harder. The way Richie spread his precome over his cock, twisting his wrist just so as he stroked him had that familiar tension coiling in his lower stomach. “Aw, does that feel good? You gonna come on my cock, kitten?”

“Fuck, yes!” Eddie screamed. He gripped at the sheets as Richie stroked him, his voice washing over Eddie, mixing with the pleasure of Richie’s touch, of his thrusts. “Yes, yes, yes, please let me come, please, please, please.”

“That’s a good boy,” Richie purred, and Eddie could feel himself tipping over the edge at the words, at how low and affected Richie’s voice was. He groaned out, “Come on my cock like a good boy, princess,” and pure pleasure crashed over Eddie like a wave. He arched his back and cried out as he came, his moans filling the room as he squirmed under Richie, grabbed at him, at the sheets. It was fucking ethereal. He felt somehow so in tune with his body and yet so detached, like he was floating. He was barely cognizant of what Richie was saying, but when he put the sounds together and realized Richie had just said, panting, “Fuck, baby, gonna come,” Eddie felt like a live wire again.

“In me,” he said urgently. His mind was still a little too scattered for full sentences, but he knew what he wanted. God, he felt like he needed it. Like he needed to feel that connected to Richie. “Richie, come inside me, please.”

Richie apparently didn’t need to be told twice; he let out a moaned, “Oh, fuck,” before burying his face in Eddie’s neck, his breathy moans like music in Eddie’s ear. And then, as Eddie was coming down from his own high, he felt the holiest thing in the world: Richie’s cock, twitching inside of him, then his warm come filling Eddie up. It was unreal, being this close to him. Richie clutching at him as he came. It was even better than the little fantasies Eddie occasionally allowed himself. Richie was here, in his arms, pressing kisses to his neck as he caught his breath. Eddie was stroking his hair and rubbing his back as Richie nuzzled into him. Richie’s skin pressed against his skin, his legs wrapped around Richie’s waist, then falling to his sides, but still pressed to him. Still keeping him close. There wasn’t a single thought in his head that wasn’t about Richie.

Richie pulled him from his dreamy haze with light kisses pressed up his jaw, then over his cheeks. Eddie giggled at the onslaught of affection, still reeling from how fucking hot and euphoric what they had just done together had been. But he happily accepted Richie’s kisses, his heart bursting, then racing as Richie pulled back to look in his eyes. “Holy, fuck,” Richie beamed, his face flushed and blue eyes hooded from the weight of his orgasm, even as they sparkled.

“I know,” Eddie said, returning Richie’s grin as he basked in the surreality of having Richie on top of him, his dorky yet charming smile framed by lips that were red and swollen because of Eddie. His glasses were knocked askew, and Eddie instinctively reached up to fix them. With a sense of wonder, he realized that his touch was allowed to linger this time. He ran his fingers down Richie’s cheekbones, over his jaw, cupped his cheeks. “I love you,” he said. The words spilled out over his lips like he couldn’t stand not to say them. And while it made his heart race a little to say it out loud now that the adrenaline and tension was all worked through, it felt even better this time when Richie’s face softened and he nuzzled his nose against Eddie’s.

“I love you so fucking much.” Richie’s voice rarely got that soft, that sincere; it felt like a blanket wrapping around Eddie. It felt safe, secure. It felt like a promise. And if there was anyone in the world Eddie knew he could trust, it was Richie. That feeling of everything coming together came back to Eddie as he lay there under Richie, their lips moving together, feeling light as a feather now that everything was finally out in the open.

[perpetual-stories]

How To Fight Writers Block

hello, hello. hope everyone is doing well. as you can all tell, this post will be about how to fight writers block.

it’s really annoying to me when I hear people say “oh you don’t have writers block, you’re just lazy.”

first of all, yes, I am naturally lazy. second of all, how dare you. writing isn’t as easy as many think. granted, all you have to do is write down words on paper, but it’s not always easy to find the right words to express what you are feeling, or what you wish to say.

I have had terrible writer’s block for the last few days and it’s horrible! as a business owner or a small writing store, I have to be ready to write and fulfill my clients’ ideas and orders.

it’s not easy. It takes a heavy toll on my imagination, and digs me a deep pit of blockage, drowning in the lack of originality because of the constant writing and repetition or certain phrases and sentences in different projects.

i am making this post in the hopes to remind myself about over coming the dreaded and sometimes skeptically believed writer’s block.

What is writer’s block?

Yeah, I know. We all know what that is, but let me define it.

is the state of being unable to proceed with writing, and/or the inability to start writing something new

some people believe it to be a real problem, others believe it's “all in your head”

What Causes Writer’s Block?

in the 1970s, clinical psychologists Jerome Singer and Michael Barrios decided to find out

they concluded that there are four broad causes of writer's block:

Excessively harsh self-criticism

Fear of comparison to other writers

Lack of external motivation, like attention and praise

Lack of internal motivation, like the desire to tell one's story

How to overcome writer's block: 20 tips

1. Develop a writing routine:

Author and artist Twyla Tharp once wrote: “Creativity is a habit, and the best creativity is a result of good work habits.”

it might seem counterintuitive

if you only write when you “feel creative,” you're bound to get stuck in a tar pit of writer's block

The only way to push through is by disciplining yourself to write on a regular schedule. It might be every day, every other day, or just on weekends — but whatever it is, stick to it!

2. Use "imperfect" words:

A writer can spend hours looking for the perfect word or phrase to illustrate a concept

You can avoid this fruitless endeavor by putting, “In other words…” and simply writing what you’re thinking, whether it’s eloquent or not

You can then come back and refine it later by doing a CTRL+F search for “in other words.”

3. Do non-writing activities:

one of the best ways to climb out of a writing funk is to take yourself out of your own work and into someone else’s

Go to an exhibition, to the cinema, to a play, a gig, eat a delicious meal

immerse yourself in great STUFF and get your synapses crackling in a different way

Snippets of conversations, sounds, colors, sensations will creep into the space that once felt empty

4. Freewrite through it:

free-writing involves writing for a pre-set amount of time without pause — and without regard for grammar, spelling, or topic. You just write.

The goal of freewriting is to write without second-guessing yourself — free from doubt, apathy, or self-consciousness, all of which contribute to writer's block. Here’s how:

Find the right surroundings. Go somewhere you won't be disturbed.

Pick your writing utensils. Will you type at your computer, or write with pen and paper? (Tip: if you're prone to hitting the backspace button, you should freewrite the old-fashioned way!)

Settle on a time-limit. Your first time around, set your timer for just 10 minutes to get the feel for it. You can gradually increase this interval as you grow more comfortable with freewriting.

5. Relax on your first draft:

Many writers suffer form perfectionism, which is especially debilitating during a first draft

“Blocks often occur because writers put a lot of pressure on themselves to sound ‘right’ the first time. A good way to loosen up and have fun again in a draft is to give yourself permission to write imperfectly.” — editor Lauren Hughes

perfect is the enemy of good,” so don't agonize about getting it exactly right! You can always go back and edit, maybe even get a second pair of eyes on the manuscript

6. Don’t start at the beginning:

the most intimidating part of writing is the start, when you have a whole empty book to fill with coherent words

instead of starting with the chronological beginning of whatever it is you’re trying to write, dive into middle, or wherever you feel confident

7. Take a shower:

Have you ever noticed that the best ideas tend to arrive while in the shower, or while doing other “mindless” tasks?

research shows that when you’re doing something monotonous (such as showering, walking, or cleaning), your brain goes on autopilot, leaving your unconscious free to wander without logic-driven restrictions

showering is my favourite thing to do if I may add

8. Balance your inner critic:

successful writers have in common is the ability to hear their inner critic, respectfully acknowledge its points, and move forward

You don't need to completely ignore that critical voice, nor should you cower before it

you must establish a respectful, balanced relationship, so you can address what's necessary and skip over what's insecure and irrelevant

9. Switch up your tool:

a change of scenery can really help with writer's block. However, that scenery doesn't have to be your physical location — changing up your writing tool can be just as big a help!

if you’ve been typing on your word processor of choice, try switching to pen and paper. Or if you're just sick of Google Docs, consider using specialized novel writing software.

10. Change your POV:

great advice from editor Lauren Hughes: “When blocked, try to see your story from another perspective ‘in the room’ to help yourself move beyond the block. How might a minor character narrate the scene if they were witnessing it? A ‘fly on the wall’ or another inanimate object?

11. Exercise your creative muscles:

Any skill requires practice if you want to improve, and writing is no different! So if you’re feeling stuck, perhaps it’s time for a strengthening scribble-session to bolster your abilities

12. Map out your story:

If your story has stopped chugging along, help it pick up steam by taking a more structured approach — specifically, by writing an outline

13. Write something else:

Though it's important to try and push through writer's block with what you're actually working on, sometimes it's simply impossible

feel free to push your current piece to the side for now and write something new

14. Work on your characters:

It follows that if your characters are not clearly defined, you’re more likely to run into writer’s block

15. Stop writing for readers:

write for yourself, not your potential readers

this will help you reclaim the joy of being creative and get you back in touch with what matters: the story.

this is something I really need to do. because of my etsy business i don't write for fun anymore, but instead as a business and a deadline. i'm going to have to pull out my old crappy wattled fanfics or write some new ones.

16. Try a more visual process:

when words fail you, forget them and get visual. Create mind maps, drawings, Lego structures — ideally related to your story, but whatever unblocks your mind!

17. Look for the root of it:

writer’s block often comes from a problem deeper than simple “lack of inspiration.” So let's dig deep: why are you really blocked? Ask yourself the following questions:

Do I feel pressure to succeed and/or competition with other writers?

Have I lost sight of what my story is about, or interest in where it's going?

Do I lack confidence in my own abilities, even if I've written plenty before?

Have I not written for so long that I feel intimidated by the mere act?

Am I simply feeling tired and run-down?

once you identify what's wrong, it'll be so much easier to fix.

18. Quit the Internet:

If willpower isn’t your strong suit and your biggest challenge is staying focused, try a site blocker like Freedom or an app like Cold Turkey

19. Let the words find you:

meditate, go for a walk, take that shower

Word Palette is a great app that features a keyboard of random words, allowing you to simply click your way to your next masterpiece.

You can also try AI auto-completers like Talk to Transformer, where you can enter a phrase and let the app “guess what comes next.”

even though they often produce nonsense, it's a great way to help that writer's block.

20. Write like Hemingway:

And if your biggest block is your own self-doubt about your prose, Hemingway offers suggestions to improve your writing as you go

it's a pretty cool app if you ask me.

it highlights your sentences (if need be) and makes suggestions on how to improve them!

well, there you have it! a lengthy post on how to fight writer's block. now i just hope i can combat my own soon.

like, comment and reblog if you find this useful! feel free to reblog in instagram and tag me perpetualstories

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