#but it's probably applicable to any fandom

[tanuki1029]

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

It’s actually very cool to give your fanfic ocs non-canonical abilities. It’s also really cool to try and stick as close to canon as you want. It’s your story and you should write it however you want and make the characters interesting to you because, if you aren’t interested in writing it, no one will be interested in reading it.

[nyaskitten]

man how is it that sometimes youll be talking to the nicest person in a fandom and the next you're literally dealing with the biggest asshole in any fandom ever???

[tkbrokkoli]

.

[lovetei]

first off, thank you so much for all the work you do for the fandom! your writing is amazing!

someone has probably requested this already but i just wanna request for a soulmate-reincarnation au, if its okay? like, they were MC's lover in the past and MC died, so they've been waiting and looking for them to reincarnate since then (it's been thousands of years or so) and then RAD happened and then they realized that MC is who they've been waiting for. that's all, haha

you can pick if it has angst or fluff or smut, or which character/s it will have

thank you again for your contribution to the fandom, i hope you have a lovely day!

After all that deranged smut, I've come back from the dead with some fluff

Update: I'm on Lucifer's part and the Fluff I'm planning took a dark turn, fortunately

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Soulmate-reincarnation universe in where they've lost you and won't let it happen again

Warnings: Grammatical errors, spelling errors, no proofreading, Mentions of death, Mentions of trauma, gruesome death, slight gore, Angst, possessive behavior

Versions: Demon brothers, Side Characters

Links: Masterlist

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LUCIFER

He can still remember the day you escaped his grasps

The day you stepped in front of Father and begged him "No, not him please! Don't kick him our, I'm begging you!" You pleaded.

Yet, he can't do anything about it as he watch the angels pull you inside their father's room.

He waited outside, pacing around in circles hoping, praying to any being out there to keel you safe.

And when the guard let him in, it's almost as if he can breath freely

Not until he saw you, face planted on the white marble floor as you lay on top of your own pool of blood.

Wings ripped out and in his father's hands

His knees weakened as Father handed him your wings

"Remember them Lucifer, you destroyed them."

Is the last thing Father said before the floor beneath you cracked

"Lucifer..." You mumbled out with a smile as you each out for him with your bloody hands

That is before you fell and died

He can still remember every detail like he's watching a movie

He still can't forget you, he never will

That is until he was viewing the possible candidates for the exchange program and he came across your application

And all so suddenly, nothing is important anymore

That's what he was thinking as he burnt all the other application forms

He'll get you back

No matter what it takes.

MAMMON

The time where Father caught them rebelling against the heavens, he'll never forget it

Not because it was the day where he fell

But because it was the day he found out how cruel the kind can be

How the kind made him choose, "Save yourself or sacrifice for your love?" Father looked at him then looked at you

With a spear in his hand, he didn't expect what you did next.

Running to Father without a single drop of hesitation and plunging the spear to your heart

Plunging his spear to your heart

His eyes filled with hatred and regret, his body numb with pain can only drop to the ground

Before his screams echoed and shook the she realm

Screams of pain that will never subside, or so he thought

He found out about this exchange student plan

And he saw you, with a different face, with a different hair color

It doesn't matter

It's you

And maybe, he did pull some strings and a few tricks for you to be picked

But when he saw how your eyes softened when you look at him in a room full of other men

He didn't have any regrets

LEVIATHAN

You fought alongside them, beside him

Not because you support their ideology or anything

Just because he's there

He got hurt

And you swear you'll hunt down anyone who hurt him

And he'll do the same for you

So when he saw an arrow pierced your body and you fell

His wings lost its power and he fell with you

It was late when he realized what was happening and he flew as fast as he can to catch you

And he managed to before you landed straight to a flat rock near the shore

And so when he had you in his arms

He gently flew you down to the same rock and embraced your almost-lifeless body

Rocking you back and forth gently as if he was putting a child to sleep

And when you finally closed your eyes

He felt the last string of sanity snap and he looked up at the sky where the angels are fighting

And without a thought the warm and calm water was turned violent and drowned everything in its path

But sometimes, after the war, he would come back to the same shore

Where Mammon found him and informed him "They're back." He smirked at Leviathan

Of course, they are

He made sure to tell Lucifer he'll drown to death every other applicants they accepted until they admitted you.

And when he saw you standing there, frightened

He knew you can't remember him

But he's willing to take small steps with you until you remembered him again

SATAN

Like an idiot, he fell in love with you

After all the hard work his brothers put in his head, trying to tell him not to love a mortal

He didn't listen

He would sneak out of Devildom and would meet you in the forest where you built your own small home

Where he saw you age until you can't even get out of bed

The home in where he sat beside your bed as he read you your last book an dpromsied you that he'll be beside you for all eternity, waiting for you.

The home in where he buried you in the backyard and placed lovely flowers on top

He tried so hard to get over you

He tried so hard to ease the pain in his heart for thousands of years

Until one day, he can't hold it in anymore and came back to your home

The rain mixing with soil, staining his hands as he dugged your grave with his bare hands and was surprised when he didn't see your remains

And then when he came back to the house of lamentation

When Lucifer informed him about the program something came up in his head

With his hands still stained with soil and his clothes wet from the rain, he digged through the file of applicants and saw...

Saw no one that resembles you

Until Lucifer told him that they've already picked an applicant

And held out a paper with a picture that looks just like you

The smile that crept up his face was desperate yet filled with love

He snatched the paper away from his hands and went to his room

Dropping on his knees on the ground as soon as he entered the room

He hugged the piece of paper and said "It won't be long till you're back to me..."

ASMODEUS

People often thought of you as nothing, honestly

People thought that Asmo didn't even love you

Or that he managed to move on soon after you died

But that's not how he views it

He views your death as his death

He promised himself that you both will love each other like swans

And the moment you died, he was ready to die too

The way he remembers how your fresh blood dripped off his arms

The way he remembers himself pointing the dagger that killed you on his throat

The way he remembered you saying "Don't... I'll come back." as you gently held his face and placed your lips on his

That was the only reason he kept his life

And when he remembered this strange, suffocating hope when Lucifer mentioned the program

It took every strand of his patient to not dig through the files and look for you

Because he remembered how much you believed in destiny, he believed that's what made you beautiful

The way that you believe that if it's what the universe wants, it's what will happen

So he bit his cheek and clawed his palms

The moment he was walking in circles waiting for this student, his heart filled with hope that it was filling his lungs

The moment he saw you standing there, seemingly looking for something, someone

He instinctively said "I'm here... Love..." as he raised his hands, the blood from his fingers from biting his nails dripping down

And then he went numb

When he saw your eyes soften and be filled with love

Because he knew, even the universe wants you to be with him

In every life.

BEELZEBUB

You did your best, he knows it

Liliths death, he must admit, made him turn against Father and think about rebellion

But your death made him act on it

You begged Father to just give him and his brothers one more chance after disrespecting him

Father who said to accept it came up with one condition

And that's for your life

As soon as he over heard about ghat condition

He came out of his hiding and tried to attack father but you were held hostage

You were sitting on the marble floor with all the spears not pointed at the intruder, him, but to you, his most prized possession.

He can never forget how heavgy his heart is during that time

The way he can't even breath freely

"I was a fool..." Was what you said after you realized that even if you offered your life, Father will still kick them out.

And so you smiled at him "I will hold the virtues and give you some time to prepare..." then you opened your wings despite the spears piercing it.

"ESCAPE!" Was the last thing you said before you swung your wings and had the spears piercing their necks.

Then all he can remember is how him and his brothers managed to kill almost all the angels and archangels

But when they're about to enter the virtues domain, they stopped

And saw your head on the ground

The virtues praised you, saying how much love they felt as they fought with you

Now, it's still fresh on his mind

As soon as he saw you appear from the portal, unconscious

He was embracing your body as if wishing for you to remember him

BELPHEGOR

He was gone, he turned bat shit insane

People might think he's okay

But the brothers knew better

For the past thousand of years, there's not a single day where he didn't spoke your name

He's comparing you to every girl they tried to introduce to him, "MC was prettier", "MC was better" and more

It's time to establish his position even more, and he can do it the fast way by marrying a noble

But even after introducing all women, married or not, not him

His answer was only, "MC is the only one that can be my bride."

The council argued over this, MC is dead, they said

But Belphegor is not one to give up easily

During the meeting about this exact matter, he proposed a deal

"If you can fulfill my only condition, I promise to secure my position as the avatar of sloth and the guaranteed success of the exchange program."

Everyone's ears perked at his suggestion, naturally, they asked, what is this condition?

Then he simply held up a form containing your profile

"Bring my wife to Devildom."

[david-talks-sw]

How the narrative framed Mace Windu, back in 2002

So there's this 2002 book written by Marcus Hearn, edited by J.W. Rinzler, titled Attack of the Clones - The Illustrated Companion. It was released a month before Episode II was released.

AKA, before EU material and anti-Jedi fanon could publicly reframe the meanings of the film... and before more recent narratives could reinterpret the character of Mace as a robotic, protocol-worshipping stickler who never bends the rules (when evidence shows he's anything but).

So how does Marcus Hearn - "untainted" by all the above factors, armed only with the Prequel films and their screenplays - frame the character of Mace Windu?

MACE & ANAKIN

Fandom: "Mace hated Anakin from Day #1 and never trusted him. Mace was probably jealous as he always thought he was the Chosen One, not Anakin!"

Attack of the Clones' - The Illustrated Companion:

"Jedi Masters Yoda and Mace Windu lead the High Council in rejecting Qui-Gon's application to train Anakin, 'He is too old,' concludes Mace Windu. 'There is already too much anger in him.'

Hearn explains that the problem with Anakin wasn't that he was just too old, it's that because of that age he had become too filled with fear and anger to a point where taking on the Jedi training would be twice as hard for him as it already was for everyone else.

Hearn doesn't chastise Mace for this initial decision. On the contrary, he adds more context to it by using a line from the screenplay to explain where Mace is coming from.

He also goes further into Mace's view of Anakin throughout the book:

"[Mace] over-estimates Anakin Skywalker, paying little credence to Obi-Wan's protestations that the boy is too confused and disturbed to be dispatched on a solo mission."

"The Jedi Council is aware of Anakin's exceptional skills, and Mace Windu believes Anakin may fulfill the prophecy that says a being will one day bring balance to the Force. But Anakin still has a lot to learn…"

He's basically stating that Mace believes in Anakin, but that doing so is a mistake. Which, to be fair, considering how things turn out for Mace and the Jedi... is kinda true!

Mace's problem with Anakin is almost the opposite of what most of the fandom projects onto him.

It's not that he dislikes Anakin, on the contrary, he holds Anakin in too high of an esteem and is overlooking Anakin's glaring flaws because "hey, Anakin's the Chosen One. He's got this!"

That's not the only flaw Mace has, according to Hearn.

MACE'S (and the Jedi's) ONLY REAL FLAW

Fandom: "Mace and the Jedi had become too emotionally detached, they had lost touch with the common folk by spending too much time in their ivory tower. They focused so much on being selfless that they forgot how to care, they've become a bunch of elitist, righteous sticklers for protocol who care more about upholding laws than actually helping the people those laws are meant to protect!"

Attack of the Clones' - The Illustrated Companion:

"Although he is a senior member of the Jedi Council, little in Mace Windu's experience has prepared him for the looming threats of the dark side of the Force and Count Dooku's Separatists."

"Mace Windu's faith in the Jedi to protect the Republic is admirable, but it also blinds him to the true scale of the growing menace. He is aware that the dark side is growing, but still allows himself to be too easily reassured about the Separatists' ambitions. [...] Mace fatally misjudges Count Dooku, refusing to believe he could be behind any attempt on Senator Amidala's life. 'Dooku was once a ledi, he tells Padmé. 'He couldn't assassinate anyone. It's not in his character.'"

"Mace Windu's strengths are, in many ways, qualities shared by the Jedi Order as a whole - he is an accomplished diplomat and a fine swordsman. Such skills have served the Jedi well in their role as the galaxy's peacekeepers for a thousand generations. But such skills are not enough to save the Jedi from their own complacency, and the tumultuous changes that threaten to wipe them out forever."

Hearn perfectly grasps what the Jedi's only real flaw is, in George Lucas' intended narrative: they were unprepared, complacent, they were blind... and now they're stuck playing catch-up.

But when he's saying that, he's not blaming them for it. Because this flaw doesn't derive from some sense of elitism or superiority... it is an inevitable consequence of their qualities.

They've managed to stay out of politics as neutral diplomats... ... but that makes them vulnerable to the Sith's plot, which primarily takes place within the political arena, where they have no control or experience.

They are painfully aware of the corruption in the Senate... ... but as a result, they're too quick to trust the Separatist's talking points as well-meaning and genuine, instead of seeing the movement for what it really is: greedy big business trying to become the government.

They trust and agree with Dooku, believe in what he publicly stands for (after all this man used to be one of the wisest and kindest members of the Jedi Order, Mace's friend, Yoda's Padawan, etc)... ... but as such, they are blind to his true nature, that of a treacherous Sith who'd stoop to orchestrating assassinations.

The Jedi have their guard up, knowing that there's another Sith Lord still out there, orchestrating in the shadows... ... but they can't really find him, because the Dark Side has clouded everything, so only darksiders are able to sense the possibilities of the future! Them serving the good side is screwing them over, in this situation.

Flaws such as being too trusting or being unprepared, letting your guard down because you've established a 1000-year-peace, are flaws that kind, noble characters such as the Jedi are bound to have.

They may be flaws, but they aren't faults. And considering the way he describes Mace and the Jedi, it's clear Hearn grasps the nuance.

MACE'S RELUCTANCE TO JOIN THE WAR

Fandom: The Jedi joined the war out of arrogance, they thought they could swashbuckle their way through the problem and win, instead they didn't realize that they lost the very moment they joined.

Attack of the Clones' - The Illustrated Companion:

"Mace Windu believes in the Jedi as keepers of the peace - not as soldiers - but there comes a point when he reluctantly realizes that it is time to take affairs out of the realm of diplomacy."

Mace and the Jedi didn't want to start a war. If you read the script for Attack of the Clones, Mace and Bail keep grasping at straws to not engage with the Separatists up til the very end.

But when you consider that...

the Geonosians are about to execute Obi-Wan without a trial,

and the Separatists leaders have been unmasked as a coalition of unscrupulous corporate assholes who are willing to plunge the galaxy in chaos just to make more money.

... at some point, the Jedi have to come to terms with the fact that Separatist leadership (and Sidious) won't accept diplomacy because they want a conflict. A conflict will make them all richer. And the Republic, well, they're just dying to go to war too.

So the Jedi go save Obi-Wan and capture Dooku, hoping that in doing so, the conflict ends before it begins. They succeed in the former goal... but fail the latter one.

The Clone War has begun.

From there on, the Jedi are drafted to lead the war. Which is why - as Hearn points out - Mace was so reluctant to take action in the first place. The Jedi are ambassadors, they are not built for war... and now they've been forced into one.

Mace is by no means a perfect character... but he's someone doing his best. Just like Obi-Wan, just like Yoda, and all the other Jedi.

Overtime, Windu's character has been dumbed down to either "that one angry black man" or "the dogmatic emotionless dick who hated Anakin"... and I really think that that's not what we were meant to see him as.

The way Marcus Hearn (who also wrote The Cinema of George Lucas) refers to him is a much more charitable interpretation of how others (ahem Filoni ahem) do, nowadays.

[nekropsii]

asking you this since you’re the only person who understands mituna in the entire fandom in my perception of the hs fandom

is it okay to headcanon mituna as autistic? sorry if you get this type of ask a lot/have already answered this type of ask

Instead of answering this question, I will give some food for thought: Mituna has a TBI. He has Brain Damage. This is a core element of his character. Probably the biggest one. In fact, it's so important to him that it's an injury that has remained with him in death. His TBI is a huge, huge part of what makes him... Well, him. It's why he's interesting.

So... Why is a need felt to also declare him as Autistic? Assuming this is a projection thing, since it tends to be most of the time - if you relate to him for his already canonical Neurodivergency, which is Brain Damage, why does one need to give him Autism as well?

Oftentimes when people headcanon him as Autistic, they tend to minimize or even outright erase his TBI. Oftentimes, people say he's Autistic as the reason he's canon Neurodivergent representation... Even though he's shown no real signs of it, but instead is fully written as a character with a Frontal Lobe Injury, and is constantly stated to have Brain Damage.

TBIs and other Neurodivergencies are often seen as less palatable than Autism. On Tumblr especially, it's far more "acceptable" to be Autistic or ADHD or headcanon a character as such than it is to have Brain Damage or literally any other Neurodivergency or acknowledge that a character is written with those. Autism and ADHD are seen as cute and relatable - even though they're very complex and at times devastating disabilities that do have the potential to seriously fuck up your livelihood, much like Depression and Anxiety, and I'm saying this as someone who has and struggles with all 4 - and are often used to erase the presence of other Neurodivergencies. Hell, it's to the point where people use "Neurodivergency" as a synonym for ADHD and Autism.

Again, I'm not going to answer this question for you. I think there's a way someone could potentially make the narrative of Mituna having Autism prior to the TBI compelling - the TBI has essentially stripped him of his ability to mask, after all, so one could make it be a situation where some of these symptoms are ones he already had, but is only just now really getting shit for because he's no longer able to hide it, and part of that tragedy is knowing that had he never been good at masking, his "friends" would have never accepted him. You could get some interesting questions about that. Was the repression worth it? Would it have been better if he'd just been himself the whole time? I think it's extremely valuable to ask yourself why you see any character as any specific minority - necessary, even - and how that affects not only the character's writing in its original text, but also your relationship with said character. Consider optics. Consider the way in which this character is meant to function in the source material. What purpose do they serve, and what is the driving force behind this character? Is Occam's Razor applicable? Are there other explanations as to why they are the way they are? Perhaps ones that are more succinct, and cover more ground?

Yesterday, I watched a film that has provoked a response in Tumblr that I think is applicable. I Saw The TV Glow. It's a film about a Trans Girl who never finds the strength to accept herself or come out. It's an incredibly gut-wrenching watch. It made me cry several times, and there are parts that made me feel a deep pain in my chest. I sat through 95% of the film with a pit in my stomach. I had to lay on the floor in the dark for a while after I finished. There's a scene where the main character is asked whether she likes girls or boys. She says she thinks she likes TV shows, and elaborates by saying that every time she tries to think about that kind of thing, it feels like someone's cutting her open and shoveling out her insides until there's nothing left. Not that there was anything in there to start with, of course - she says she knows there isn't, but she's too scared to look for herself and see.

That scene was about how Gender Dysphoria can completely disrupt your sexuality and repulse you from the thought of that level of connection with others, because it is, in essence, a deep disturbance with the nature of who you are as a person. Many people who are Asexual, or Aromantic, or both, related to that scene because it, on the surface, depicts discomfort with romance and sexuality. What they failed to understand by chalking it up to its own sexuality, is the fact that that scene wasn't depicting a Sex-Repulsed Asexual, or a Romance-Repulsed Aromantic, it was depicting a Trans Girl who is at such deep odds with herself and her identity that she cannot grapple with the concept of loving or being loved.

What, functionally, is the purpose of slapping an extraneous label onto a character that is meant to depict a certain thing? What is the purpose of assigning the label of "Autistic" to a character meant to depict the tragedy of a loss of support after gaining a disability, or "Aromantic" or "Asexual" to a character meant to depict a deep internal struggle with unresolved Gender Dysphoria?

Ask yourself these questions, and carry on from there. See where your mind takes you.

[apatura-ires]

Listen. I am not a Souvieshu fan, but I am a Souvieshu truther, in the sense that I hate how people misinterpret his character. People in this fandom seem to genuinely think Souvieshu is a guy who will chase any pretty woman, or that he’s a creep who specifically wants women who are childish, and easy to control, but like. Neither of these are true? (Souvieshu is still absolutely a creepy weirdo but like. In a different way. I’m sick of fans using the word pedophilic to describe Souvieshu, because it’s not even fucking correct in application to him, even when used as a short hand for when someone likes childish, sheltered and innocent people. Like this is a side note but you people have got to stop throwing that fucking word around.)

Souvieshu doesn’t want just any pretty woman. He specifically has only ever, truthfully and genuinely loved Navier, even if that love has become warped, and that’s a fact. Rashta is his side piece, yes, but it’s clear that Rashta is just some girl that he’s infatuated with, to fulfill his emotional needs, and eventually, for his political ones as well. He was never in love with her. It’s always been obvious that Souvieshu craved Navier’s affection, and that he has been wanting to try and not only make her happy, but rekindle their bond.

Please take note that:

1. Souvieshu knows Navier puts on a mask for people. These two used to be super close, and that likely carried on a bit into their marriage. But eventually, Navier starts putting up walls, and eventually, she starts doing it to him. There could be plenty of reasons for this, but it doesn’t matter, because they both seemed to have mutually drifted apart. Souvieshu is shown actively trying to get past her facade, although, he does so poorly, because he comes at her with a sense of entitlement most of the time.

2. Souvieshu likes Rashta, because Rashta gives him what he craves from Navier; which is to say, Rashta gives him affection, is expressive, has easygoing and light hearted conversations with him, and is able to speak honestly with him. Things that he and Navier used to be able to do with one another. His literal first observation of Rashta, is that she’s easily pleased and excited over small things, which is directly paralleled to a later chapter, where Souvieshu and Navier dine together on her birthday. Souvieshu asks Navier to smile, to which, she complies and gives him a fake one, and Souvieshu then asks her to be sincere about it. Navier makes a comment about needing to be actually happy to do that, so Souvieshu tries to make her happy by giving her a gift. This doesn’t go well with Navier, and like most of their arguments, Souvieshu ends up wishing that Navier could just be more expressive in a sincere, non-petty manner. He is always asking Navier to drop her mask with him. With Rashta, Souvieshu didn’t initially have to dig past a mask to know how she felt. Souvieshu liked her honesty and openness, and while he considered her innocence and childish nature part of her charm, it’s also implied that those traits are traits he could only handle when he was in the mood for it. It’s not actually something he likes, and we see further along the story that her childishness begins to grate on him. Furthermore, there’s a point in the story where he becomes sick, and he mentions that Rashta is not a calming presence, but Navier is.

3. This is the big one (and also me just making observations and assumptions), but both Souvieshu and Navier didn’t know that they loved each other. This is a big one for Souvieshu specifically, because he never assumed that Navier loved him, the way he loved her. I’m sure that’s probably one of the big reasons why he took Rashta in as his consort— and it’s because he sincerely thought Navier wouldn’t care beyond it being a possible image issue, and he genuinely thought that it wouldn’t hurt her. It’s actually Navier who is frequently bringing up that their marriage is one of convenience in her inner monologues— although I don’t doubt that she’s actually brought it up before as well, which probably wouldn’t help his assumptions that Navier wouldn’t be hurt if he brought a consort in.

Do you know why, it’s so upsetting to see Souvieshu mischaracterized? It’s because (outside of how people just slap on whatever term they think is fitting of him) Souvieshu’s side of the story is just as important as Navier’s when it comes to the intensity of the tragedy, that is their lost friendship and love. The gut wrenching heartbreak here, isn’t just from Navier being effectively cheated on, but it’s the fact that they both loved each other, and that all of this heartbreak could have been avoided if they both sincerely talked to each other without any hidden motives. Souvieshu didn’t seem like a bad guy before he took Rashta as his consort. As a matter of fact, I’m fairly certain that if Navier and Souvieshu had patched their relationship, and even confessed to one another, that Souvieshu would have brought Rashta in as a servant—possibly even asking Navier to make her a lady in waiting. Souvieshu wouldn’t have been so emotionally deprived to want Rashta, Navier wouldn’t have had reasons (that she couldn’t get past) to hate Rashta, and Rashta wouldn’t have had a reason to hate Navier.

And to be clear and reiterate, I do not like Souvieshu as a person. He’s a possessive, hypocritical freak, who didn’t take the time to actually get to know Navier again, and was almost always the instigator in their arguments. His love for Navier has warped and changed, and even if it’s ‘genuine’ in the sense that he sincerely loves her, it’s still not healthy. I am not an apologist, I just think he’s an interesting character. His character being misinterpreted, dilutes the tragedy of his relationship with Navier, full stop, and that is what frustrates me.

[sourceblogcentral]

It's always a shame when you put hours of effort into a gifset, only for it to get 60 notes. And now, as people are reblogging less and less, the success of your gifset relies even more on using tags effectively to expose it to the maximum number of people possible.

Of course, at the end of the day, you should create for you, not notes, but that doesn't stop it from hurting. So, without further ado:

Guide to Tagging Gifsets

There are three main categories of tag, which I'll explain one at a time: fandom tags, sourceblog tags, and user tags. But it's key to remember only the first 20 tags are searched for; tags after that are irrelevant. So make sure every tag counts. It's also a good idea to visit a tag before you use it; if there's hardly any posts in that tag, it's probably not worth including.

Fandom (edit) Tags

Tags relevant to each fandom. I'll use Marvel as an example:

#tvedit, #filmedit, #[genre]edit, eg. #scifiedit

#[fandom]edit, eg. #marveledit, #mcuedit. Sometimes uses an abbrievation, particularly if the name of the fandom is quite long

#[show/tv]edit, eg. #infinitywaredit, #wandavisionedit. Only relevant if the fandom had multiple pieces of media.

#[character]edit, eg. #natasharomanoffedit. Mainly applicable to larger fandoms.

#[ship]edit, eg. #sambuckyedit. Mainly applicable to larger fandoms.

#[actor]edit. Note that this is sometimes the full name, sometimes first-initial-followed-by-surname. Check the tags to find the relevant one.

There are, of course, other types, but these are the main ones. It's a good idea to use these ones before tracked tags, as it makes it easier for people to find the content they're looking for.

Sourceblog Tags

A sourceblog is a blog dedicated to one fandom/character/genre etc, usually run by multiple people. Their main purpose is collecting every relevant post for whatever it's dedicated to, in one place for easy access.

They usually have names including 'source', 'daily', 'gifs', or 'edits'

Most sourceblogs have a tracked tag, often the name of the blog, and may also track the main edit tag. In that case, you may not need to bother tagging the sourceblog as well.

However, many sourceblogs go inactive, and so it's a good idea when tagging one for the first time to have a quick look in the archive and see if they're active. Just note that most sourceblogs don't use a tag such as 'thanks for tagging' to indicate they're reblogging from the tracked tag.

Sourceblogs usually have a lot of followers, all interested in whatever the blog's dedicated to, and therefore it's an excellent idea to tag any relevant ones.

You can search our blog to find relevant source blogs and their tracked tags.

User Tags

These are not always exclusive to edits, so pay attention to what people say they'd like to be tagged in. You can usually find people's tracked tag in their blog description, pinned post or about page.

I'd like to highlight - don't be afraid to tag people in your gifs! Most people love to be tagged. Although be aware it is common courtesy to only tag people that you follow/are mutuals with.

Most user tags are either #user[x] or the blog's url. Most people state what they do/don't like being tagged in, but if they don't, just go by what they reblog.

Just be aware of gifmakers that you follow, so that the next time you make a post, you can check their blog and see if it is appropriate to tag them

Usertags are best to use after fandom and sourceblog tags, to fill it all the way up to 20 tags, personal blogs are not dedicated to one thing only (usually), and therefore a lower proportion of followers will be in that fandom.

Finally, it's also good to use non-edit tags: for the fandom, character and ship. This means it's easy for people looking in the tags to find content.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! And if you run a sourceblog we haven't yet added to our directly, please send us the url of the blog and we'll add it right away.

Good luck & have fun with your giffing!

[ailesswhumptober]

Hi. I definitely felt refreshed reading your hard stance and information on ai in your pinned, but irrelevant to that, I only found your blog today and I feel like I missed something with AI and whumptober. Can I learn about that? I hope my language makes sense.

In the late summer of 2023, an anonymous user asked the Whumptober blog if AI-generated content would be allowed for the event. This anon did not come from any of us, nor do we know who originally send this ask, but one of us did see Whumptober's response which kickstarted this entire thing.

Whumptober responded that they would not be disallowing AI because they "do not want to police how other people create things" and "didn't want to exclude anybody" but that they would "discourage" AI-generated content "because it feels like cheating" (all direct quotes).

Myself, the other mods, and several more people, were very disappointed in this stance. several of us started replying to the post and got into a back-and-forth with the Whumptober mods about why AI-generated content is harmful and bad. These posts and replies have since been mostly deleted by the Whumptober blog, nor do we want to rehash the entire thing, but some of the stances that Whumptober took that really rubbed us wrong were (again with direct quotes):

"AI-generated content is not art theft". When pointed out that these sorts of applications very much scrape content without consent, Whumptober claimed that it's the AI that steals then, not the person who uses the AI. They also claimed that since the AI already scraped the content, you "might as well use it", that defending against AI scraping is "going down on an already burning hill" and that "if you don't want your content scraped/stolen, just don't post it online". We found these very concerning statements from an event made by and for creators.

"AI-generated content is a fandom issue and nobody in the real world is harmed by it". This is, obviously, factually incorrect. When we pointed out real creators in many creative industries are being hit hard because of AI-generation, they said "that's capitalism's fault, not AI-generation" (???) and they also told us to "touch grass".

"These sort of AIs are an accessibility tool for the disabled, so disliking them is ableism". Again, this is incorrect. They tried to liken it to predictive text or spell check. We pointed out that there's a vast difference between those machine learning tools and actually generative AI that subsides on scraped content. We said disabled people (many of whom were involved in the back-and-forth) are sick of being used as a strawman by tech bros. They then said "real disabled people probably feel differently" which was a slap in the face, and honestly the thing that still is the most horrible to me about this whole thing.

This is the point where Whumptober started to block a bunch of us and delete asks/replies. They made a post that falsely made it seem like we were harassing and bullying them for saying that they "couldn't check every single entry for AI-generated content". We pointed out multiple times that we absolutely did not expect them to, since we're very aware that with the size of the Whumptober event, it would be impossible. We'd just like them to say 'AI-generated content is not allowed and it's art theft' but apparently they didn't want to.

After this one of the mods DMed me and asked me to send them some resources on why AI-generated content and scraping AI is bad, so they could educate themselves. We spent several minutes collecting sources (some linked in our pinned). They said the Whumptober mods would read them, and then come to a standpoint. But then within less than a minute of us sending the links, they deleted the remaining posts involved in the debate, and just told us they were sticking to their standpoint that "We will not police how people create things, we'll just discourage people by not reblogging it". They also added to their pinned that they won't ever respond to any asks about AI-generated content again. So that was that.

Somewhere during the argument, the Whumptober mods told us that if we disliked their stance so much, we should just make our own event. So we did.

(Edit to add: regardless on if whumptober does change their policy, we never received any sort of acknowledgement or apology of the above and we will keep running this event for whoever wants to.)

[sgiandubh]

OMG! I can practically see her pulling at her pearls in indignation and fury! I wonder how many wet dreams he rejected her to result in this anger 🙃🙄😜 https://www.tumblr.com/maximumwobblerbanditdonut/747779411400671232/public-intoxication-sh-was-invited-to-the-landcon?source=share

Dear Pearl Clutching Anon,

This woman is the worst mythomaniac and the most pathetic know-it-all of the entire fandom. Mark me: probably a sock account of one of the Mordor sopranos, who'd like to play it cool otherwise. She is an impostor, pretending to be a Scot. But her grammar and spelling recurrent mistakes point to anything else but an English native speaker.

Prized and praised as she is by the dim-witted, she is living proof of the fact that you cannot reasonably and endlessly pretend to be an expert in hair implants, cocktails/bartending, audiovisual production, copyright, alcohol sales and pretty much everything in between. To me, she is at her most pathetic when she pretends to analyze the legal intricacies of the French regulations applicable to public alcohol tasting events.

What happened, in fact, at the Landcon 6 whisky tasting?

Ok. So, this was announced by the French organizers on March 5th and presented as a limited audience event, priced at 350 euros.

This idiot's comment is absolutely priceless:

She would be surprised to find out that, unlike the US, there has never been any Prohibition decreed in France (Hell would have frozen). Even more interestingly, the only venues where French law specifically prohibits alcohol tastings and sales are enumerated very clearly in regulations far above her intellectual abilities:

The main idea is that you cannot sell/organize alcohol tastings in public health venues (hospitals, clinics, etc), rehabilitation clinics (d'oh!) - both for alcohol and drug addictions -, schools, youth summer camps, sports arenas, swimming pools or any other public or private sports venues.

(Source: French Public Health Code, https://www.dalloz.fr/documentation/Document?id=CODE_CSPU_ARTI_D3335-1&scrll=CSPU022225&FromId=CODES_SECS_CSPU_TALPHA)

To these limitations, the French national professional organizations add, as best practice, the following: churches, cemeteries, prisons, military barracks, railway/public transport facilities (including depots).

(Source: Vin & Société's Guide juridique de la dégustation/Tasting Legal Guide - https://www.syndicat-cotesdurhone.com/upload/article/file/202103guidejuridiquedeladegustation-60658bb9468b4.pdf)

To my knowledge, Landcon's venue was neither a cemetery, nor a church (the latter could be, however discussed: wee & lame joke, btw). And for that poor woman's information, you would not need an exemption, but a permit, or licence. In current French law, there are four such sale permits, ranked from I (soft drinks, such as Orangina) to IV (all drinks, including spirits). The fabled Licence IV (also the name of a beloved 90s French kitschy music group, LOL) is now impossible to obtain and if you want to have one, you have to buy the venue (cafe, nightclub, bar, bistro, restaurant or buvette) that had it issued first, many moons ago.

That problem solved, we would have to further analyze the type of event hosted by the Landcon. Was it a tasting or a sale, according to French regulations?

If it was a tasting, no licence is needed. If it was a sale, you might need a temporary licence, granted by the Mayor, provided you have notified them at least 3 months before the event. These are also famously hard to get and very sparingly granted, too.

Because tastings are an exception, they are strictly defined by French regulations as 'free alcohol consumption' and their regulations are excruciatingly detailed. Procedures and limitations vary according to the type of event: sports, tourism promotion, markets and fairs, public gatherings or cultural events (which is the one that seemed the closest to our situation). But a cultural event-cum-tasting would have to be completely free of charge (no paying access tickets), in order to be exempt from any legal obligation. This was not the case, as we know there was a rather steep, 350 euros fee, to be able to attend it:

(Source: Vin & Société's Guide juridique de la dégustation/Tasting Legal Guide - https://www.syndicat-cotesdurhone.com/upload/article/file/202103guidejuridiquedeladegustation-60658bb9468b4.pdf)

That new activity was certainly not a tasting, as defined by French law. An amateur could then conclude, that S's event was, in fact, a disguised sale and that he is either a sinister fool or a filthy conman.

The trouble is, French legislation tolerates one single, overruling exception to everything I wrote above: sale by the producer of said alcohol. It is to be found (or rather interpreted - and it has been so by myself AND the French professional organizations), in the Code Général des Impôts/ French Tax Code:

To avoid a tedious legal translation, the idea is that if you do not sell your own produced booze, you are automatically considered as a stockist/trader and as such, subject to alcohol sales' regulations. If the Landcon organizers would have sold/promoted Laphroaig, for example, they would have needed the permit. But hosting a paying tasting event organized by SRH, promoting SRH's whisky and which profits entirely belonged to SRH is a sale by the producer, as defined by French law, not needing a permit:

(Source: Vin & Société's Guide juridique de la vente/Sales Legal Guide - https://fgvb.fr/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Vin-et-Societe-Guide-juridique-de-la-vente-19042021.pdf)

So: even if the tasting event was, in fact, a sale, French law allows a producer to sell his own alcohol, for promotion purposes as a side event, with no further need to obtain a permit. And this is exactly what their legal team rightfully advised them to do and completely what I would advised them to do, too.

That woman is so often and in so many ways completely wrong, that she is absolutely ridiculous. She (and also her other Big Friend) should perhaps stop pretending to be whatever they are not. Infantilizing, bullying and snarling at people does not help with their credibility.

Such women are genuine Frauds and absolutely despicable. People spend years fucking their eyesight in law school and we do not joke about interpreting and reading legalese. Ever. But to see idiots pretending to know just because they fucking used Google for ten minutes is just infuriating: it took me two hours to find the exception and another two to write this comment.

I hope this long, tedious answer was helpful, Anon.

[bg3-stole-my-soul]

❤️Tall Fem! Tav x Astarion Headcanons❤️

So— Tall Fem!Tavs— we need more love and I am going to attempt to play with the idea because in fandom spaces I only ever see fem Tavs that are shorter than Astarion and it makes my tall self’s heart ache.

I also know in game it doesn’t matter if your Tav is taller than Astarion…. But like what if it did— 👀

I am going to keep this as racially, background, and class ambiguous as possible however it is very clear the short races like halflings, dwarves, and gnomes this is most certainly not applicable to. I love them, don’t get me wrong, but this is for us 🤌😌

So on that note physically this Tav is tall, muscular, and probably a lil physically intimidating— and like almost every character I write is of Chaotic Good alignment. Tav is a big, sweet, mischievous muscle mommy with big hands—

This is my first time doing a post like this so please be gracious. I did my best to keep this in character for Astarion, while also sweet and mostly focused on his POV.

Being taller than most of your companions wasn’t a bad thing exactly, just a thing. You had outgrown many of your peers ages ago and while it had embarrassed you for a long time, you eventually embraced it. The stares of others became empowering instead of making you try to shrink yourself in any way you could. However this did not save you from being nabbed by mind flayers and infected— damn. It also surprised you when an elf shorter than you managed to catch you by surprise and hold a knife to your throat.

I don’t think Astarion is the type to be insecure regarding his height, man’s petty enough to climb the counters to the top shelf if he damn well feels like it. However upon meeting a female Tav who’s taller than him, stronger than him, he is ever so slightly worried. It makes him want to spur his plan of manipulation for protection into action quickly. Only because he doesn’t want to run the risk of getting snapped like a toothpick—

On that note, watching you fight absolutely does something to this man. Being able to see your muscles all the way from his perch on the other side of the battlefield is certainly something he can appreciate. He can absolutely admit that you are fine af, especially covered in blood.

At first he would be annoyed if you did things like pat him on the head with your huge hands- after all he puts a lot of work into his hair that he can’t see— but comes to realize it’s your way of gentle support. And he supposes it’s better than other things… Eventually he grows to love you resting your big hands on his head or shoulders. And even further down the line holding your hand, his slender fingers tangled in yours.

When this man chooses to try and bite you in your sleep it is absolutely out of sheer desperation because he is terrified of those arms staking him. But when you accept what he is without any real complaint.. he is pleasantly surprised. He likes you’ve got a good heart in that big chest of yours.

When he gets downed in a fight and wakes up to find himself in your arms being carried back to camp OH BOY that might be the first moment he realizes he’s in trouble.

The next time is absolutely the morning after the tiefling party. He wakes up at the crack of dawn snuggled into your tiddies— and as the old meme states “World hard and cold, tiddy soft and warm”. If he weren’t so excited to bask in the sun he would have stayed there all morning. Post confession it is his favorite way to cuddle.

He believes your arms are the safest place to be, and he is probably right. Being held by you makes him feel like he is surrounded in warmth, and if he sleeps there he usually has less nightmares. Drinking your blood with your arms wrapped around him is genuinely sweet and euphoric for this man.

❤️⚜️❤️⚜️❤️⚜️❤️⚜️❤️⚜️❤️

~ ❤️18+ HEADCANONS BELOW❤️~

He also enjoys the two of you just snuggling and admiring one another’s appearances, it’s intimate, and it feels right. He loves being able to take his time tracing his hands everywhere on your larger body, finding the places that make you laugh and squirm for him.

He also doesn’t mind a little manhandling if it’s from you, because he knows despite your size you will happily let him move you where he wants or stop if he’s no longer comfortable.

Back at the tiefling party he let you top, and while he does enjoy that, he enjoys it just as much if not more when he does. He enjoys getting to look down at you, and see you come undone at his touch. Call it vanilla, but this man loves being able to watch your face during sex, being able to look into your eyes is a BIG thing for this man.

[captainsophiestark]

The Curse of the Sun and the Moon

Klaus Mikaelson x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2023!

Fandom: The Vampire Diaries/The Originals

Day 7 Prompt: "Do you recognize this?"

Summary: Klaus' SO is writing their doctoral dissertation on cross-culture myths. Much to their irritation, Klaus knows a thing or two about those.

Word Count: 1,877

Category: Humor, Fluff, maybe a tiny bit of angst?

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"Love? Hello, can you hear me?"

Slowly, I turned my head away from the paper in front of me, still not taking my eyes off the drawings. A hand waved in front of my face too, but I ignored it.

"What do you want, Nik?" I muttered, only half paying attention to him.

"I want to know you haven't gone into a coma," he whined, flopping down into the chair next to me. I cracked the tiniest smile, but didn't let my train of thought wander from the work in front of me.

"I haven't gone into a coma," I repeated. I didn't say anything else after that and neither did Nik for a moment, until he sighed.

"You must understand why I'm concerned when you respond to my questions like you're in a trance."

I sighed, making a last note before finally looking up at Nik with a tired smile.

"I'm sorry, babe. I know I've been pretty wrapped up in all this lately, but I'm writing a doctoral dissertation in folklore and mythology. I've kinda got my hands full, and if I don't put in the hours to get this done right, it's all going to be for nothing."

Nik rolled his eyes dramatically before fixing me with a look.

"You know, if you just became a vampire with me, you wouldn't have to worry about things like school and work anymore."

I narrowed my eyes. "If I ever make the decision to become a vampire with you, all I'm going to do is go back to college for more degrees and studying. I love doing this, even if it makes me want to walk into the ocean sometimes. All eternity is going to do is enable me to throw any kind of practical job application for my studies out the window."

Nik sighed heavily, but he had a smile on his face all the same.

"I probably could've guessed that answer, couldn't I?"

"Probably."

We shared a smile, and then my attention drifted back to the paper in front of me. I stared at it for a few moments, still half-aware of Nik watching me fondly, when an idea struck like lightning.

"Wait, Nik... I just thought of something." I rushed to turn the paper around on my desk so it faced Nik instead of me. "Do you recognize this? I mean, you've been around for a thousand years. Chances are probably decent that you know something about this, right?"

Nik stared at the paper for a minute, then slowly looked up at me, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"What did you say you're doing your dissertation on again?"

"I'm focusing on myths that appear to transcend cultures throughout history. There's a couple examples of stories and legends that exist in basically the same form in cultures that had no contact. This one, usually referred to as something along the lines of 'the curse of and the sun and the moon', is the main one I've decided to focus on. So... any chance you can tell me anything about it?"

Nik's tiny smile turned into a full on grin, a twinkle in his eyes as he looked at me. My heart leapt.

"Oh my gosh, you totally know something! Tell me, I can't wait. I'm gonna have to find some sources other than you if I want to put it in my paper, but-"

"This is mine, love," he said. I stared at him, trying to process what his words meant, but I came up empty-handed.

"What do you mean? Is this copy of the myth yours?"

"In a way."

Nik looked back down at the illustration depicting the curse, this one of Aztec origin. It was my favorite of the versions I'd found, although the same curse had also appeared in Roman scrolls and a half-dozen other cultures from around the world. He ran his finger over the lines of the drawing fondly.

"I drew this."

My mouth dropped open, and I looked quickly between Nik, the drawing, and back again.

"What... what do you mean you drew this? This is an Aztec myth from the 13th century-" I stopped short as my mind finally caught up. "...which I guess you were alive for..."

Nik smiled and kicked back in his chair, ankles crossed and a proud expression on his face. I just stared at him in shock.

"There is no such thing as the Curse of the Sun and the Moon, love," he said. "The real thing is the Hybrid curse, placed on me. A long time ago, Elijah and I planted this myth in cultures all over the world to get every single werewolf and vampire in the world looking for the components I needed to break my own curse. And it worked."

Nik finished his explanation with a smirk, but I didn't react. I just kept staring at him, my brain going through the equivalent of a computer's blue screen of death. This could not be possible.

"Hold on a second," I said, holding up a hand to stop my own swirling thoughts before looking at Nik again. "Let me get this straight. You drew this ancient Aztec drawing I have on my desk right now?"

"Yes."

"And you created the Roman scrolls I found that kick-started this project?"

"I did."

"And you completely made up the myth of the Curse and the Sun of the Moon, then did the ancient equivalent of editing it into a bunch of wikipedia articles to make everyone believe it was real, all so other werewolves and vampires would do the work of finding things you needed for you?"

"That's right."

"So this curse, this myth that permeates a dozen different, separate cultures, the cornerstone of my dissertation... is just a lie you made up a long time ago, that nobody ever disproved because you're just so fucking old you could create mythology at the same time that these ancient cultures actually existed?"

"Exactly."

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, taking a deep breath in and letting it out slowly. Then, my eyes snapped open, and I snatched up a scroll from the top of my desk and hucked it at my boyfriend.

"Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME NIK?" I cried, shooting out of my seat. Nik looked a little shocked, partly because the scroll had hit him smack in the face and then partly because I never got this kind of mad at him. "You can't just fake historical documents to serve your own purposes!"

"Technically, I didn't fake any historical documents. I made them at the same time in history that they're supposed to be from."

"DOESN'T COUNT! My whole dissertation is about examining the phenomena of cultures that had no interactions somehow telling the same stories. There's all kind of examples of it, but this was going to be my ace in the hole, and now I can't use it!"

"Sure you can," Nik said, at last standing from the chair. He was smart enough not to walk towards me, but I hurled a pillow from my chair at him anyway.

"No, I can't! What am I gonna say? Oh, well you see, all these different cultures had the same mythology without talking to each other because my boyfriend is a motherfucker who lied through his teeth to manipulate people, and he's old enough that he completely got away with it!"

Nik shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

"ARGH! I can't believe you- Oh my God."

"What?"

"The stupid fucking vampire myth was going to be another example supporting my dissertation. But that's gone now too. 'Oh, why do all these cultures have the same mythology about a curse and blood-drinking creatures who stalk the night?' Well that's simple, professors! It's because my boyfriend, one of those blood-drinkers, just kept showing up to plant a bullshit story and got other myths written about him in the process!"

"I'm still not seeing the problem, love, that sounds like an excellent presentation."

"NIKLAUS MIKAELSON! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!"

I rushed to close the distance between us, smacking him in the chest and then continuing to whack him in the shoulders, arms, and chest again.

"You. Can't. Just. Make. Up. Mythology. That. Influences. History. Forever. For KICKS!" I shouted, punctuating each word with a hit. Nik just watched me, not moving even half an inch from the force of my shoves, watching me rage with a small smile on his face.

"I've never seen you like this before, love," he said, his voice silky and low. It only made me want to hit him more. "I quite like it."

"UGH!" I shouted, turning away from Nik all the same. I stared at the desk, my mind finally getting into the later stages of processing. I'd have to completely ditch all this work. "Nik, this is the worst thing you've ever done. And I've dated you long enough to know about the bad things you've done. Holy shit, I'm going to have to ditch so much of this work. I'm going to have to completely change my topic, all because you're fucking ancient and a good artist and a better liar."

After a second, I felt Nik's arms slowly, gently wrap around me from behind. He rested his chin on my shoulder, nuzzling into my hair. Part of me still wanted to hit him, but not enough of me to actually do it.

"I'm sorry, love," he said, voice low and sweet. "Tell me what I can do to make it better."

I huffed a sigh through my nose. "You can tell me where Elijah is. He's a part of this too, I need to kill him next."

Nik chuckled, pulling me tighter to him. I relaxed a little bit into him.

"How about we start with a movie marathon of your choice, all of your favorite junk food, and I dagger any of my siblings who try to disturb you while you're working next week?"

I paused, thinking, dragging out the moment with a little hum. Nik kissed my cheek, slowly moving further along and down towards my neck, and after another minute I sighed.

"Fine. I guess we can start with relaxation and peace. But I am not getting over this any time soon. And I'm still going to attack Elijah the next time I see him."

"It's a deal."

"Of all the things I thought might be a challenge about dating a vampire, I never could've predicted 'destroys my doctoral dissertation by secretly being the subject of my dissertation'."

Nik snorted a little laugh in my ear. "And I never would've thought this would be the closest we came to a deal-braker for you, what with all the murdering I've done."

"I might not be able to claim the high ground on that front much longer."

I twisted around to look pointedly at Nik, but he just smiled right back at me. Wisely, he used his vampire speed to whisk me out of the room before I could look at my ruined dissertation again. This situation was absolutely, completely ridiculous, and I knew I'd probably still be processing for the next few decades. But I loved Nik and the rest of these stupid, lying, ridiculous, ancient vampires, and I'd keep loving them no matter what. Even if I wanted to kill them, sometimes, too.

****************

TVD/TO Taglist: @elenavampire21

[vermilionsun]

Based on this post by @2imi

This fic is build upon pure delusion, determination and desperation.

Headcanon! Vere has a disorder similar to gillespie syndrome, thus why he needs medical check-ups every now and then.

(AO3 version here)

Word count: 4.8k Rating: Explicit Fandom: Touchstarved (Red Spring Studio) Categories: M/M, Multi Relationships: Kuras/Vere, Ais/Vere, Ais/Kuras, Ais/Kuras/Vere Tags: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Dirty Talk, Top Kuras, Bottom Vere, Switch Ais, Top Ais, Making Out, Shameless Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, Oral Sex, Blow Jobs, Medical Examination (it started as), Kuras is So Done, Vere is a little shit, Teasing, Threesome - M/M/M

Kuras pinches the bridge of his nose in a fruitless attempt to ward off the headache he knows is coming. He was already on edge this morning, and this is about to make things so much worse. He lets out a breathless sigh as Vere approaches his desk.

"What do you need?"

A smirk plays on Vere's lips as he saunters over to Kuras's desk, his eyes glittering with the same eagerness as a dog that’s been locked up for months without any walks. His tail flicking behind him, swaying back and forth lazily. He rests his hip against the desk, leaning in a bit closer than is perhaps necessary, and peers up at Kuras.

"You know why I'm here," Vere says with a knowing smirk. "I specifically requested the appointment be moved to today."

Kuras sighs, tapping on the pile of paperwork. This is the last thing he needs today. He rubs his temples, hoping that somehow the headache will go away if he simply pretends hard enough that Vere isn’t here. "And I assume you'll be wanting your usual remedy?"

He already knows what the answer is going to be— he just knows.

Vere bats his eyelashes, looking at Kuras with a faux-innocent expression, as if this same scenario hasn't occurred many times before. "Oh, you know me so well, darling." He leans forward in his chair, resting his chin on one hand.

Kuras's gaze snaps up from the files he was looking through—no doubt more patient applications. His eyes flash in annoyance.

Darling.

Kuras grits his teeth, taking several seconds between sentences to reign in the urge to throttle him. He signs the last form with a sharp flick of his quill, then sets it on top of the stack. When he finally speaks, the words are strained. Every single one is coated in an icy, barely controlled irritation.

"Sit up. Let me see your eyes."

Vere pushes himself up from his seat, inevitably settling down on the examination table with a nonchalant air that only serves to further rile Kuras.

Kuras braces himself for the onslaught of irritation.

He can handle Vere. He has to.

Kuras approaches him with a clinical detachment, his hands expertly checking for any signs of infection or injury. He cups Vere's chin in one hand, gently tilting his face upwards as he peers into the man's eyes. They're slightly unfocused, a sure sign that Vere's "condition" is getting worse again.

"You're long overdue for a refill."

Vere lets out a soft scoff as Kuras scrutinizes his eyes, trying to look anywhere but at Kuras. "And whose fault is that, hm? I told you I was feeling the effects a week ago, and you made me wait."

Kuras's hand tightens on Vere's chin, forcing him to look up. "You've said you were starting to feel the effects of withdrawal at least a dozen times. Only half of those were true. And each time, you just wanted an excuse to try and get your hands on more." As always, Vere seems to derive immense entertainment from seeing Kuras riled up. Their eyes meet, and Kuras’s glare could probably melt stone. "We've discussed this. Multiple times."

Vere reaches up to lightly grip Kuras's wrist, preventing him from moving his hand. "But where's the harm in indulging me a little? After all, I’m suffering." His fingers trace over the pulse point.

Kuras's eyes widen slightly at the touch, and he tries to tug his hand away. But Vere's grip is deceptively strong.

"Don't play that game with me."

He tries to ignore the way his heart spikes at the touch and the way he has to bite back a shudder. This is no time for his traitorous body to react like this.

Vere tilts his head, feigning an expression of confusion and innocence. He squeezes Kuras's wrist gently, giving him an imploring look. "Have some compassion. Can’t you see how much pain I’m in? All my bones ache and my head hurts and…" He feigns a shiver and lets out a dramatic and exaggerated sigh, resting his forehead on Kuras’s shoulder. A cetrain darkness lingers in his eyes. It is a mask he wears well; he always did.

A vein twitches in Kuras's temple as he listens to Vere's over-the-top display. He’s fallen prey to this particular act before. He's not falling for it this time. He's not.

He lets out a huff and pulls his hand back, putting some distance between them. "Stop that. Your acting is atrocious, and even if it wasn't, I know better."

He glares down at Vere, crossing his arms over his chest.

Vere's eyes widen, his lips pulling into a pout that's just a little too theatrical to be sincere. He leans back in the chair, running a hand through his hair and crossing his arms defensively, though his expression soon turns into a smirk again.

"I'm appalled that you could accuse me of such a thing. I'll have you know that I’m a phenomenal actor, thank you very much." He looks up at Kuras with a faux-sweet smile and a hint of irritation in his pink eyes.

Kuras has to bite back another scathing insult. The urge to throw something at Vere's head is getting stronger by the second. But he can't—won't—let him get under his skin. This is exactly why he put off this appointment for as long as possible. But it couldn't be delayed much longer without the Senobium catching on.

"And I am hurting, darling. Can't you tell?"

Kuras grabs Vere's chin again, forcing him to lock eyes once more. His fingers dig into Vere's skin, probably leaving indents. His knuckles are white from how hard he's holding on. If looks could kill, Vere would probably be six feet underground right now.

"You’re going to be hurting a lot more if you call me ‘darling’ one more time," Kuras says through gritted teeth. His patience has worn thin, and Vere can see the anger simmering just beneath the surface.

Vere makes an involuntary, quiet noise, somewhere between a gasp and a squeak. He doesn't try to squirm away—Kuras's grip is too strong—and he finds himself unable to break eye contact. There's a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes, a hint that he might have pushed a little too far this time. The smug expression has faded from his face and has been replaced with apprehensiveness masked by a look of defiance, making him look almost... human.

For a moment, Kuras's gaze softens. The sight of Vere looking this vulnerable—almost like a cornered animal, so unlike his usual smug smug self—is enough to throw him for a loop. But he quickly catches himself and shoves the unwanted feeling away. Vere is not some defenseless creature in need of protection.

"There you go. That's a much better expression on you."

Kuras lets go of Vere's jaw, but not before giving it one final, firm squeeze, as a subtle reminder. He takes a moment to compose himself, clearing his throat and adjusting his coat.

Vere rubs at his jaw, trying to act like that moment—the brief flicker of weakness exposed for all of the world to see—didn't just happen, and gives Kuras a wounded look. He seems to have regained some of his earlier confidence, and he leans back on the table, arching a brow and fixing Kuras with a teasing grin, though it doesn't quite reach his eyes. He opens his mouth to say something, possibly another sarcastic remark, but a knock at the door interrupts him.

Kuras closes his eyes and counts to five beneath his breath, trying to calm his racing heart and reign in the emotions that Vere constantly pulls to the surface. He lets out a sigh, silently thanking whoever is on the other side of that door for the interruption. "Come in," he finally calls out, his eyes not leaving Vere's.

Ais walks in, carrying three seemingly heavy boxes in his arms, his muscles flexing under the strain. The two watch as Ais sets the boxes down with a grunt. He looks over to Vere and quirks an eyebrow. "Oh, didn't expect you to be here."

"Vere’s here for his monthly refill," Kuras says tersely.

Vere shoots Ais a charming smile, seemingly relieved to have a distraction. "Ah, Ais, looking as handsome as ever." He stands, stretching his arms above his head in a rather feline manner, before sauntering over to Ais, peering into the boxes with a curious expression. "Ooo, what do we have here?"

Ais leans against a wall, rolling his eyes at the compliment. "Don't flatter me with your sweet talk." He sighs, looking over to Kuras and then back to Vere. "It's just some stuff needed for the clinic—nothing interesting. Unless you're into chemicals."

“Yes, I’m sure Vere will find it positively enthralling,” Kuras says dryly before standing up. "If you'll excuse me for a moment , I need to check on something in the back." He gives Ais a knowing look before disappearing behind a door, not before murmuring to himself, "I should have known that I wouldn't be spared today."

He trusts Ais enough to not let Vere demolish the room while he's gone.

Ais nods at him as Kuras leaves before he turns back to Vere with a somewhat blank look. "So, monthly refill, huh?"

Vere sighs dramatically, his expression turning weary. "Oh, yes. The joy of having to endure this shit show every month. I’d say it’s like getting put on a leash, but, well…” He tails off, running his fingers over the leather ring encircling his neck. "He's making me wait longer this time, the bastard."

"Aww, poor little foxy has to wait a longer time than usual. Such a tragedy." He lets out a scoff of amusement.

Vere puts a hand on his chest as if deeply offended by Ais's words. "You wouldn’t know suffering even if it bit you on the rear end, you brute. I'm absolutely withering here. Just look at me. I'm wasting away as we speak." He moves closer to Ais, batting his eyelashes with a mock-pout.

Ais huffs a laugh. He puts a gentle hand on his face, cupping it lightly and turning it as he pretends to inspect it closely. "Yes, I can see how you’re practically at death's door. Wasting away indeed."

Vere's expression softens at Ais's touch. He leans into it, letting out a sigh and closing his eyes for a moment. "You're supposed to be on my side here. Where is your sympathy for my plight?"

"Oh yes, how inconsiderate of me. How will you ever pull through?"

Vere playfully swats Ais's hand away.

He quickly pulls his hand away with a smirk. "Rude."

Vere grins, a hint of mockery in his tone, moving a little closer to Ais. "Why, I might perish. Can you imagine the anguish I'm experiencing right now? I don't think my poor heart will survive much longer; it's just too much to bear." With a flick of his wrist, his tail reaches out to wrap around Ais' leg, the chains clinking softly as it does so. His touch is light, but the action is deliberately intimate.

Ais shrugs, a small smirk on his face as he leans closer to him, his hands slowly moving to Vere's waist. "Oh, how terrible. You might just pass away right here, in my arms."

Vere lets out a soft hum and leans closer, draping his arms over Ais's shoulders and pressing himself against him, his breath barely grazing Ais's ear. "Oh, yes, it would be a dreadful fate..."

Ais slowly tightens his hold on Vere's waist and lets out a low chuckle. "You poor thing, forced to spend your last moments here with me. Alone..."

Vere throws himself dramatically onto the side of Kuras’ desk, sprawling across the papers that are still scattered there, and pulls Ais down with him. "I can think of worse ways to go," Vere murmurs, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he gazes up at Ais. "At least I'd have the pleasure of your company until the end."

Meanwhile, in the back room, Kuras takes a moment to collect himself. He leans back against the door and takes a long, steadying breath, closing his eyes, silently cursing himself for almost losing control with Vere. That man has a special kind of talent for pushing him. If one were foolish or unobservant enough, it almost could have been considered charming.

The room itself is narrow, lined with shelves full of vials, herbs, and medical equipment. He makes a beeline for the medicine cabinet tucked away in the corner onto the wall, filled with row upon row of neatly organized pills and tubes of all shapes and colors. His hands tremble slightly as he rummages through the supply shelves, scanning the labels and bottles for the one he needs—the tonic that will hopefully buy him at least a few months of peace.

He finally finds and grabs it, heading back towards the office, only to stop short at the sight that greets him.

When their eyes meet, Vere tries to give Kuras a look like he isn't plotting multiple homicide charges. Ais, for his part, looks like he's questioning all of his life choices.

Kuras is frozen at the doorway for a moment, speechless. He stares at the two men with an almost deadpan expression, as if mentally resigning himself to his fate. He takes a deep breath to steel himself, crossing his arms over his chest. "Dare I ask what you two are currently doing?" His tone is carefully measured, but the vein in his temple starts twitching again, and he has to make a conscious effort not to crush the vial still clutched in his hand.

Ais glances over at Kuras with a smirk, arms on either side of Vere, keeping him in place between him and the desk. "We’re just having a friendly chat."

"And that requires pinning my patient to my desk... how, exactly?"

Kuras raises an eyebrow, his glare fixed on Vere, silently daring him to try something. But Vere just grins back, pretending to be completely and absolutely innocent. Which he is not.

"Don't you think you're being a tad bit paranoid, doctor? You can't blame a poor, suffering soul for seeking some comfort," he teases, expression resembling that of a cat who's just been caught knocking over a priceless vase.

Vere is absolutely insufferable.

Kuras is going to strangle him sooner than he planned.

"Comfort? Is that what we're calling it?" His voice is low, dangerous.

Ais snorts, obviously enjoying this far more than he should be.

Vere grins and places a hand on Ais's chest, the glint in his eyes predatory. "Suffering so greatly... I just need a strong pair of arms to hold me up. Or should I say, pin me down?" His voice is practically dripping with condescension.

Kuras takes a step closer. He knows that smile far too well—knows that the words and expressions are carefully crafted to rile him up, to get under his skin, and to make him react. And it works, all too well.

Kuras looks like he's seconds away from having an aneurysm. He is going to kill Vere. Actually kill him.

Ais remains quiet as he watches the back and forth between Vere and Kuras with obvious amusement. He keeps his grip firm on Vere’s hips, both to keep him pinned to the desk and to prevent him from doing anything stupider.

"Cat got your tongue?" Vere taunts.

A flash of annoyance crosses Kuras's face as he stomps across the room, until he is standing directly in front of Vere. He sets the vial on the desk with a bit more force than necessary, resisting the urge to grab Vere's arms and shove him aside. "Oh, no, my darling," he retorts, practically spitting out the word. "My tongue is preoccupied with thinking up the many ways I will strangle you if you continue to be this annoying." He's had just about enough of this. "So don't. Push it." His voice has dropped to a low growl.

Vere has the audacity to let out a low, sultry laugh, unfazed by Kuras's threat. He leans even further against Ais, who's now firmly planted next to him.

Surely Kuras wouldn't attempt to strangle him in front of witnesses. But Vere's smirk suggests he might just be daring him to try.

Kuras opts for the next best thing and leans in so they're practically nose to nose. "Go ahead," he says lowly, his voice a dangerous, quiet murmur. Every muscle in his body is tense, and his hands clutch the desk so tightly that the wood creaks under his grip. "Push me to the limit, just one more time—see what happens."

There's a brief flicker of uncertainty in Vere's eyes, but it's quickly replaced by a defiant glare. He cocks his head to the side and leans forward slightly, as if inviting a reaction. "Oh, the great doctor is threatening me? How terrifying. I'm absolutely shaking in my boots."

Kuras's eyes narrow to slits. How dare he—there's that damn smile again, looking too pleased with himself. This smug, insufferable, irritating, ridiculous, infuriating—

Kuras's self-control snaps.

He'd move faster than the human eye could follow, grabbing Vere by the lapels of his shirt and pushing him against the wall, pinning him in place with one forearm against his chest—

—Or that was what he planned to do, yet one damn slip caused him to fall forward, crashing into Vere instead.

Kuras freezes, his body pressed against Vere, close enough to feel the man's hot, labored breaths. The sudden change in position has caught him off guard, his heart hammering against his ribcage. Every muscle in his body is burning, and there's a dull ringing in his ears.

He's too close—far too close.

Vere lets out a winded gasp as the air is knocked out of his lungs. He's frozen for a second as well, but of course, the bitch can't hold the silence for more than a few fucking seconds before he grins. "Now that's a very compromising position, isn't it?"

Vere's leans in even closer, his breath grazing Kuras' lips.

Kuras can feel every inch of Vere's body against his own—the heat from his chest, the subtle scent of jasmine, the way his breath brushes against his skin. Every nerve ending is on fire, and for a brief, maddening second, he wants nothing more than to shove that damn smirk off Vere's face.

He acts on instinct, surging forward and capturing Vere's lips in a bruising, hungry kiss. All the pent-up anger, frustration, and tension that has been building up for months finally explodes, channeled into a desperate, messy collision of lips, teeth, and tongue.

Vere is caught completely by surprise, his mind short-circuiting for a brief moment as Kuras’s lips crash into his. But it only takes him a second to regain his composure, his tongue darting out to tease at Kuras’s mouth, a soft, needy noise escaping his lips as he pushes closer, practically clinging to the doctor.

Kuras responds immediately, his body moving on its own as he deepens the kiss. The hand gripping Vere's shirt tightens, practically balling up the fabric as he pushes him further back against the desk, seeking more.

Vere breaks away from the kiss for a moment, panting lightly as Kuras moves his mouth to the side of Vere's jaw, planting scorching kisses along his jawline. His hands come up to grip Kuras's wrists, digging his nails into the other man's skin as he lets out a soft, needy whine.

Kuras barely registers the sting of pain, too caught up in the moment to care. Kuras has always prided himself on his self-control, but this... this was something else entirely. His fingers release their grip on Vere's shirt, moving to grip his hips instead.

Ais leans back, watching the two of them with a smirk, enjoying the show. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t find the whole thing incredibly entertaining.

Kuras spares a glance at Ais, and a sly smirk spreads across his face. "Feeling left out?" He teases, his tone breathless.

Ais chuckles at Kuras's comment, folding his arms in front of his chest in an attempt to hide the fact that he found the whole scene quite enjoyable (read: very enjoyable). "Are you inviting me to join in?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.

The glare that Kuras shoots Ais' way is half-hearted at best, his eyes still glazing over as his fingers dig into Vere's waist.

And then he grins.

"Why not? He's done worse, after all. And who knows, maybe this will finally shut him up for a while."

Ais circles around the desk, stepping closer to the pair with a cocky smirk on his face. Crimson red eyes round on Vere.

"Well, when you put it like that... "

He takes a moment to admire the scene in front of him. Kuras and Vere look like they're about to rip each other's throats out, all tangled up together.

Vere lets out a soft moan, his eyes fluttering open to look back and forth between the two men. "You're both utterly impossible..." He shifts against Kuras, his hips pressing flush against the doctor's.

“You are impossibly irritating," Kuras corrects, punctuating his words with a nip at Vere's neck.

Vere's breath catches in his throat as he involuntarily leans into the touch. "And yet here you are, still here," Vere replies, his voice laced with a hint of amusement.

"Come closer," he instructs Ais, as if he's asking him to do another job for him.

Ais grins, taking one more step forward and now standing directly opposite Kuras. "Always so demanding, aren't you, doc?" He says, tilting his head to the side as he looks over at him with a sly grin.

Kuras huffs out a low chuckle, his breaths coming out in quick, ragged gasps. "You know you like it."

He takes a moment to assess the situation, eyes flitting between Ais and Vere, before a devious smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. "You're wearing too many clothes," he murmurs, raising an eyebrow at Ais.

"You're one to talk," he replies before slowly starting to unbutton his shirt, taking his time with each button.

One of Vere's hands suddenly slips under Kuras's shirt. The latter's expression gives nothing away, but his body betrays him; he flinches, torn between wanting to smack it away and wanting to feel more of it.

"Damn tease," he mutters.

Vere runs his hand up the man's chest in a slow, teasing manner. "You started it," he breathes out, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips.

"And I fully intend on finishing it," he rasps in response, his fingers making quick work of the buttons on Vere's shirt, parting the fabric apart and revealing soft, tanned skin. He runs his palms over the man's chest, feeling the heat and the quick, erratic pulse of his heart beneath his fingertips. His mouth follows the path of his hands, pressing bruising kisses along the column of Vere's throat and the lines of his collarbone, down to the dip of his sternum.

His gaze flicks to Ais, who's still taking his sweet time undressing, his eyes tracing the planes of muscle and pale skin. "Hurry up," he says impatiently. "Or I'll rip it off you."

A delicious shiver runs through Vere's body, and he lets out a soft, needy whine. He arches into the doctor's touch, his fingers tangling in Kuras's hair.

Kuras takes advantage of Vere's momentary vulnerability, his hands gliding down to the waistband of his pants and pulling them down.

Vere yelps in surprise, but the sound quickly morphs into a moan as Kuras's hands move to his dick. He lifts his hips, meeting Kuras's touch eagerly, his breath coming in shallow gasps.

"I wondered how long it would take," he murmurs, his voice low and ragged. "To finally see you like this."

Vere lets out a breathy laugh, his chest rising and falling with each ragged breath, thighs quivering slightly as Kuras's hands move over them, spreading them apart. The latter moves his mouth to the soft skin of his inner thigh, peppering kisses and hickeys along the sensitive flesh.

At the same time, Ais reaches out a finger to run along Vere’s jawline, tracing the sharp edge. He lifts his chin, his lips moving against the foxian's in a gentle, lingering manner, his fingers carefully stroking his cheek.

Vere craned his neck, chasing the touch of Ais' lips, practically purring with contentment.

Without warning, Kuras thrusts inside Vere.

Vere lets out a noise that's somewhere between a gasp and a moan, arching off the desk at the sudden, deep intrusion, his hands scramble for purchase, gripping the edge of the desk as he struggles to adjust to the sudden fullness. "S-shit—"

Kuras braces himself, his own body trembling with the effort to keep still. "Damn... you're tight," he breathes out.

"Fuck you."

"As you wish," he replies, a sly grin on his face.

He starts moving, setting a slow, languid pace that has Vere letting out soft, breathless noises with each thrust. He keeps a steady grip on the man's hips, holding him flush against him.

Ais, being the little opportunist fucker that he is, runs his fingers along the redhead's hair, twisting the strands around his fingers as he frees his cock from its confines and pushes it inside Vere's mouth.

Vere moans around Ais's cock, the vibrations sending a shiver down Ais's spine. Kuras tightens his grip on Vere's hips, increasing the pace of his thrusts as Ais's fingers tangle in the redhead's hair, pulling him closer as Vere eagerly takes him in deeper.

Vere's tail slowly wraps itself around Kuras's leg, snaking its way up his thigh. For a moment, it's almost comforting.

Almost.

Kuras's eyes snap down at the damn thing wrapped tight around him. He is not in the mood to deal with this man's bullshit, especially not when he's so close to reaching his peak. He snatches Vere's tail and wrenches it off his leg, pinning it to the desk with a firm hand.

Vere wanted to protest, snap a scathing retort—how dare the asshole touch his fucking tail—but his traitor of a material body bucks against the other's grip involuntarily, and a muffled—because of Ais'—dick—moan escapes him as a wave of mingled pleasure and pain shoots through his body.

At the same time, Kuras shifts his position slightly, the angle of his thrusts just changing enough to simultaneously drive another moan out of him.

Vere wanted to tear Kuras into pieces, bite the fucker's neck until the bastard bled to death.

"Careful, Doctor," Ais comments. "He might enjoy that a little too much."

Kuras's responding chuckle reverberates through the room. "Believe me, I know him well enough to know that," he says, his eyes never leaving Vere's face. The flush on his cheeks, the parted lips, the hooded eyes… all so damn pretty.

"He'll say he hates every second of it," he continues, moving his hand to wrap around Vere's neck and give it a gentle squeeze. "But he knows he craves it more than anything."

Vere tries to say something, to deny the doctor's words, but all that comes out is a strangled gasp. The feeling of Kuras moving inside him is overwhelming, and his body trembles with every thrust, his thighs quivering around the doctor's waist, while this throat convulses around Ais' dick.

"You’re not proving his point very well.” Ais murmurs, his voice low and taunting. "You look absolutely ruined."

He can feel Kuras's hand wrapped around his neck, his thumb gently pressing into his pulse point, and Ais's fingers tangled in his hair, pulling just the slightest bit too hard.

He knows they're right, and he hates how much he loves it.

Vere's eyes flutter shut, and he surrenders completely to the mind—numbing sensations coursing through his body.

With one final, hard thrust, Kuras comes undone, spilling himself inside Vere with a low groan. Ais lets out a guttural groan as his body shudders with pleasure, finding his own release down Vere's throat.

The room is filled with the sound of heavy breathing and the scent of sweat and sex, leaving Vere feeling utterly spent, boneless, yet strangely satisfied, like all his energy has been sapped out of him in the best possible way. He practically collapses against Kuras, feeling the aftershocks of euphoria wash over him consecutively.

"God damn, that was good." Ais pulls out and slumps back slightly, trying to catch his breath as he comes down from the high.

Kuras lets his head fall back, his gaze meeting Ais's over Vere's shoulder. "Remind me to lock the door next time."

[wombywoo]

Hello ☆ I was wondering if you have any advice for any artists who want to start creating fanart but are afraid to deal with the unfortunate circumstances that artists deal with on the internet? ): (theft, tracing, unauthorized sales, etc.). I know that's something thats inevitably gonna happen and that almost every creator is gonna have to deal with, especially within bigger fandoms, like CoD.

I'm not a very confrontational person to begin with which most likely doesn't help, but I really really really want to share my CoD fanart but seeing how shit the fandom treats artists, on all platforms, it's very discouraging ://

Hi there! I wasn't really sure how to answer this because truthfully--I still haven't found an effective way to combat all of the negative aspects you're referring to. Unfortunately, this is probably the most..ah...immature fandom I've been in, so there is a fair deal of nonsense occurring regularly, lol. Artwork is seen as 'content' which is meant to cater to any random person's wants and needs. As such, the average 19 y.o. tiktok user is just going to see a hot guy and repost it on their page with terrible techno music, regardless of whether you've put a watermark on your work or not. I can't say it isn't extremely frustrating, but personally, the main point is for me to create all of my artwork for *me* first and foremost. Don't get me wrong--I do enjoy getting to share my stuff in this community, and I've gotten some lovely responses more often than not. But I think it's better for you to focus on why you want to create something in the first place, rather than the anticipation of others' responses. It's awfully disheartening for a lot of artists to see their work stolen, and even worse, monetized without their consent. I do think a lot of that only happens when you've reached a certain status (ie. I only started getting reposted and harassed when I gained more popularity in this fandom) so I think if you start out small, you may be left unbothered, at least for a bit. I wish I could be more encouraging, but the reality is that the current online landscape for artists is a bit bleak. It's not even just the art theft and AI elements--more and more creators are under attack for the most inconsequential issues, and it's all a part of this ongoing fandom trend to weaponize morality, but I digress... One positive is that, for the most part, other artists will look out for each other, so if your stuff is being stolen, there's a shared response of retaliation, and I think you'll find most people are on your side. My best advice for this situation is: just post your stuff and see what happens. I'd say that the majority of people will enjoy and interact accordingly, and if you're met with any instance of theft/tracing/harassment, you can report the offenders wherever applicable. Don't let the negativity discourage you from creating what you want <3

[yuurivoice]

Hello Mr. Yuuri :) I hope you’re having a relaxing weekend!

here’s my question for today:

do you think the community you’ve created have become more in love with your characters and universes more than you do yourself?

if not do you think they will in the future? And how do you feel about it?

Thanks for your time and be sure to drink water and be safe ☺️

I think the question itself has a fundamental misunderstanding of how some creatives interact with their work and what it's like when that work achieves any sort of following.

Before I start yapping, I'm answering in the context of multiple recent questions that were asking for granular character details, fun facts, etc. and I'm assuming that the framework of the question is wondering if people who want to know such details "love" the characters in question more than I do.

The joy I get from writing a character that means something to me is much different from the way I enjoy a good character who means a lot to me. It's a very personal and sometimes magical experience, creating meaningful stories with these characters. The way that BitterSweet unfolded and continues to unfold has surprised and delighted me in ways I don't think you can actually fathom.

Learning about yourself and your world through art you create is something so significant that to boil it down to "loving" a character in the way that hyperfixated fans might want to know ever single shred of information about their favorite is not even an applicable comparison or experience. Both are valid, but are vastly different. Apples to oranges and so on.

Also, I have never engaged with any media the way that many fans have exhibited. I have never desperately wanted clarity, trivia, details, etc. for even my most precious characters I've fallen for. I am so confident in my interpretation and understanding of what I have consumed that I don't feel compelled to want to know more. I don't seek it out. I don't need it. It's not about how much I "love" a character, because that's not the unit of measurement I use.

I measure that with time a character lives in my head. How they rattle around in my daydreams, and inspire me to contemplate an explore. Why do they resonate with me? What themes strike a chord with me and why? Have I ever thought of telling a story with a character like this, but with my own twist? What would that be like?

I've rarely participated in fandom or get really obsessed with a singular character. Which is probably why I have a fundamental bit of friction with the obsession for details that don't matter.

Trying to get me to cook up facts or details about a character of mine is like telling someone to spoil the story for themselves. I am learning just as much about these characters as I write them. The details reveal themselves to me on the page. You are essentially telling me to ruin the exact thing I adore about creating when shaking me to see if I'll dispense goodies. They come when they're ready.

That's the secret sauce. That's why I've created characters people give a shit about and have such a deep connection to. It's also why I've gotten better and better at this over time.

I spend hours upon hours with these characters, not rummaging through their drawers to figure out what type of underwear and socks they prefer, but in their worlds. I'm learning about what makes them tick and how I can shake things up and craft with them. I'm building something meaningful.

I'm glad people enjoy the theme park I've made, and all the rides. Unironic "fan behavior" is great, that means it's working! Getting hooked means I did my job! But also, to attempt to compare the love of a creator with the love of fans is an exercise in futility. We're playing two different games.

Hope that offers some clarity on the subject!

[dsmppinup]

DSMP Pin-Up Calendar - Details and FAQ

TIMELINE:

Applications Open: August 11

Applications close: August 25

Invites to artists sent: August 30

Printing: Late October DSMP Pin-Up Calendar is an artistic celebration of the characters of the DSMP, drawing inspiration from the creativity of the fandom community, "hot guy" calendars, action movie posters, classic pin-ups, vintage advertisements, art prints, and more, in the form of a 2024 calendar. FAQ:

Which characters are going to be in the calendar? There are 38 people on the DSMP, so we're not going to be able to fit them all. We're going to attempt to build a portfolio that covers as many characters as possible, but we're not deciding on which characters specifically until we know which artists we have and what ideas for images they have.

Are the characters played by minors involved? There are no current minors involved with the DSMP, but we understand that the creators being underage for much of the server's run puts a bit of a damper on enjoying more salacious images of the characters. In cases where artists decide they want to draw a character who was underage for a significant period of time of the DSMP, we'll ask that their images tend closer to "action movie poster" or "vintage advertisement" than "pin up".

Is NSFW allowed? We want this calendar to be fun and a bit cheeky, and we want to allow the artists creative liberty, but we also want you to be able to display this without your parents going "what the hell"? No actual NSFW will be part of the calendar.

I want to draw [x] character, can I draw them? During the application and planning process, we'll ask artists to indicate which characters they want to draw. We will then draw up a plan for the calendar, and artists will be assigned a character or characters based on the ones they selected.

Do the images have to stay canon-compliant? Can I draw my own design for a character? We encourage you to bring your own designs to the table, and feel free to set the characters within a canon setting OR an au.

How will I get the calendar? We will be printing a bound calendar through a central source, probably Mixbox, and we will also be making a PDF version that you can print yourself locally, if you have a different print source in mind or if the website doesn't ship to your country.

How much money are you making from this? We are not making any money from this project. If you buy the calendar through a source that asks you to pay for it, it will be priced at-cost, so you will only be paying for the cost of the printing and shipping. The mod team will see no profit from it.

How does the process work? We are going to open the calendar up to applications, and then we're going to go through the apps and select artists that can draw a wide variety of characters. Once in the discord, we're going to ask artists to pitch us a variety of ideas, and then the mod team is going to select pitches to make sure we, ideally, get a variety of different images and characters represented. We will then go through sketches, final, layout, and then release it for you all to buy or print!