#chat: arden

[roman-werewolfy]

Boredom was kicking in and Roman needed to get up and stretch from his position on the floor.  The man made his way up to the counter, just to maybe have some conversation, but also to see if there was a possibility of getting something to drink.  “Sorry, didn’t mean to disturb you hon.  I was wonderin’ if there was anyway I could possibly get a cup of water.  Do y’all have anything in the back for cups and food?  You know for everyone here, in case we get stuck here for awhile?”  He wondered if there was anything in the back where the employees would bring their lunch and all.

status: open location: rhythm realm (before the storm causes the tree to fall)

Arden had been watching outside the store window's for a while now, a normal shift had taken a turn until the weather had other ideas. The snowfall was almost peaceful until it wasn't just snow, the shine of the layer of ice glaring back at her before she finally backed away. "Well this shift got longer than I thought it'd be when I got dressed this morning." She said though the blonde could list a few worse places to be stuck during a storm, at least if she got hungry she could dig into some of the snacks she kept handy. Arden walked over to the counter, hopping up on it before taking a look around the store. "Hey — sorry, I didn't think anyone would be approaching the counter. Are you holding up okay?"

[bootyliciousbeta]

What i grace the pack gc with every morning 😌

[lord-of-bad-art]

WHY CAN I NOT CONSUME ANY PIECE OF MEDIA IN A NORMAL, HEALTHY FASHION.

I LITERALLY WENT TO A THE FORCE AWAKENS ORCHESTRAL CONCERT AND NOW I’M HYPERFIXATED ON STAR WARS. I READ A BOOK FOR ENGLISH AND NOW I’M HYPERFIXATED ON LORD OF THE FLIES. I WATCH AN OPENING BAND FOR HALF AN HOUR DURING A CONCERT AND THEN I GOT HYPERFIXATED ON FALLING IN REVERSE.

PLEASE LIFE. JUST LET ME WATCH SOMETHING WITHOUT GETTING OBSESSED WITH IT.

[midmorninggrey]

Welcome, Grey! How about for Arden x Dorian "i’m sorry i had such a devastating effect on you." Happy writing! 👀

Thanks for my first prompt for @dadrunkwriting! 100% took the 👀 as part of it.

WC: ~1000

Crowds packed the great hall to witness him pass the judgment of the Inquisition. Nobles on their first visit to Skyhold pressed to the front, full of gossip and hope for a rare appearance from his blessed daughter, while those who had previously traveled the Frostbacks kept a respectful distance from the high seat, fanning the sweat off their pale faces. Behind them, merchants in loud clothes made nervous bets about the fate of the soul on trial. Nearby, a group of Chantry sisters pondered the same question with clasped hands. The Inquisition soldiers and scouts, all wearing clean boots, compared hints they’d gathered on his mood that morning.

Talk slowed when his ambassador came in from a side door, announced by the golden flash of her dress and the clip of her heels on the stone floor. All went silent and still when he entered the hall.

The lords and ladies who had clamored for a close look would later describe the experience as being face-to-face with a tiger. With his long stride, his red hair, and the strange black markings across his face, the comparison was an easy one that had been made in countless parlor rooms and offices of Ostwick since his youth. Only those in the mountain hall had felt an uneasy, instinctive chill on the back of their neck when he swept his eyes over the crowd. When he pinned his cool gaze on the accused, a fresh pity sprung for the one who had to suffer under it alone.

Usually, his judgment came quickly after his ambassador made formal introductions. Unlike smaller cats, he did not toy with his prey.

Today, when it came time to make his ruling, the hall stayed silent for a long time. The handful of spectators in the front row who dared look saw that his gaze had drifted to the left side of the room. Puckered lips mouthed silent questions and collared necks began to crane in search for the distraction. A polite cough from his ambassador snapped his eyes back to their proper place.

His harsh voice made even his unusually lenient ruling sound cruel. Then it was over.

--

As they passed in the doorway, Josephine spared Dorian an amused look and, with her infinite diplomatic sensibilities, she closed the door behind her. Although Arden didn’t look up from the spread of papers on his desk, Dorian approached him with loud confidence, speaking as if they were still in the great hall and not a private office.

“What distracted you? Was it my wit and charm again?”

“You don’t usually make an appearance.”

“No, it's usually such a stuffy affair. That's unless you chop off some poor blighter’s head.”

Arden cast Dorian a tired look as he cracked open an inkwell. There were shadows under his eyes that couldn’t be seen from a seat in the audience, but Dorian had watched them growing darker for months now. He stuck on a smirk.

“Let’s talk about more pleasant matters, shall we? Preferably me -” Dorian struck a familiar pose by propping one hip up on the desk, arms crossed to flatter his chest “- and how, when you were sitting on top of a room filled to the brim with power, my presence was enough to ensnare you.”

Arden briefly paused his writing then continued before any ink could drop. “Like you said – it's usually a bore.”

“Now you are just being difficult.”

The scratch of the sharp quill tip and the creasing of paper were the only responses Dorian received above a stubborn silence. He saw that Arden’s thin lips were pressed so tight that they near disappeared under his hawkish nose.

“Did I wound you so?”

Arden flicked his hand, already dismissive. “What about the talk? That scheming magister you were worried about.”

“I’ll admit, I didn’t expect you to be so easily smitten.” Dorian shifted his seat. “I thought it would take a scarf or two for you to wear that expression in polite company.”

“Yeah.” Arden’s mouth barely moved. Dorian had hoped for a smile.

“Also a surprise because I have been under the curious impression that you have been avoiding me.”

“Yeah.”

Drawing in a deep breath, Dorian stood on the exhale. “Well, it seems I have wasted enough of my day.”

Trying not to show in his steps any of the heavy disappointment that was building in his chest, he headed for the door. He was halfway across the braided rug when Arden said his name.

Dorian spun. “What?”

“I’m sorry.” Arden’s voice was thinner. Ink was dripping onto the paper now, ruining the words.

Then he was up. The speed at which the man could move still astounded Dorian at times; Arden rose, rounded the desk, and took Dorian in his arms seemingly in all one smooth motion. But the hands that caught him were gentle and familiar.

“I’m a complete ass,” he mumbled against the back of Dorian’s head.

“Yes, a frustrating ass,” Dorian replied shortly then allowed himself to sink against Arden’s chest. “But then I knew that from the start.”

“I was smitten?” Arden mocked himself, pulling Dorian closer and then curling over his shoulders. “I was ensnared?”

“Gloriously so,” Dorian said, voice quieting, turning to face Arden. He reached up to kiss him and was relieved at the welcome warmth that met him. Arden was not burning, not as bright as he could be, but today was not the day he turned cold forever.

Arden kept his eyes closed after Dorian dropped back down on his heels. “I’m not supposed to flinch.”

“Pardon?” Dorian drew back.

Arden’s eyes opened but stayed low. “That’s how they’ll know where to hit you.”

“Are we discussing jousting now?”

The smile Dorian hoped for finally pulled at the corner of Arden’s mouth. “Almost. Trevelyan family wisdom.”

“Ah. I should have guessed.” There was a fine ring that Arden wore on the fifth finger of his right hand. It showed a golden horse wreathed in laurels. Dorian had never seen Arden use it, but he had never seen him take it off.

“It’s not bad advice. Usually I can follow it.”

Dorian plucked at the high collar of Arden’s jacket then leaned into him with a real smirk. “I’m sorry I had such a devastating effect on you.”

Arden held him tighter, arms looped around his waist as they’d never left.

“I’m not.”

[h2llish]

change it to full elliot

I TRIED IT'S SO HARD

[nogreatergood]

@stainedglasstruth replied to your post “Where do you want the road to take you?”:

Travelling around and stopping to explore libraries sounds like a dream.

​Don't it, though? Can't read in every language, but seein' it all in person would be somethin'. Saw pictures of Abbey Library of Saint Gall in Switzerland, would give just about anythin' t' see it in person.

[rhythmicmeow]

@stainedglasstruth replied to your post “How do you handle grief?”:

I don't know, I'm definitely bad at dealing with it, too, but I think it does just come down to surviving it. No tips, no proper way of 'handling it', you just have to survive it, learn to live with it.

​I always thought there had to be some kind of perfect solution, you know? It feels [...] I don't know how to describe it? Overwhelming, maybe? Thinking that there is no finish line when it comes to feelings like this.

[erenkucuk]

closed starter for: arden rhodes | @ardenrhodes

his heartbeat remained steady, but his eyes couldn't help but roll at the sight of arden. stress already gnawed at him, and encountering her was the last thing he needed. despite his inner reluctance, he plastered on his most insincere smile and halted to engage in conversation with her, though both knew it was the last thing either of them desired. "i'm so glad before we get murdered i get to see your friendly face again," he quipped, sarcasm lacing his words, while a falsely sweet smile played upon his lips.

[rxlinquo]

Minjun catches the joke and laughs, but it's stiff and awkward, so it doesn't last long. He coughs to cover it up, embarrassed with himself. "Right, right..." He says, nodding and listening closely to the other's words. He's been to a few indie bookstores, but Barnes and Noble has always been so easy and connivant that over time, Minjun stopped going to the smaller bookstores. However, that's not the case here, so he's learning. "That's... really cool. Honestly. Is the book club popular?" He wonders if the librarian Molly attends said book clubs, it would make sense if she does.

"Ah, I'm Minjun," he says. "Thank you, Arden, and it's nice to meet you."

It's another new face, new to her, at least, but also new to the shop, apparently. The first question gives them the slightest pause, eyes darting over to the rows of bookshelves crammed full of books. “That's what they tell me, anyway,” they joke, flashing the man a sly but friendly smile and hoping they didn't piss off a potential customer because they had to be a smartass.

“But yeah, we're a small, independent bookstore, so it's a bit different from Barnes & Noble,” is their genuine reply. “There's obviously the fact that shopping indie directly helps the town economy as opposed to a big corporation. But we also cater to the community more than a chain store, so you'll notice there's a bigger religious section and a bigger hobby section with more books on, like, cooking or gardening or animal care. We do try to keep a good, varied stock, of course, and you're always welcome to put in a request if we don't have something you're looking for.”

“Oh, and we run some community events on occasion, too; we do work with the library in hosting a book club.”

“Sorry, that's probably more of a response than you were looking for,” Arden chuckles. “But, indie bookstores are great, and I'm not just saying that because they pay me to,” she grins. “But, yeah, lemme stop talking. Feel free to browse all you want. I'm Arden, and I'll be here if you need help with anything.”

[louisisalarrie]

helloooo sweet angels. welcome to the show!

I tend to answer and talk about a lot of bbg/2015 things on here and seem to attract a lot of newer fans & Larries (which is wonderful!!!) but I thought I’d just share some resources that you can refer to so there’s not so much back and forth in my inbox.

Arden (cosmicleeds) makes fantastic, super digestible videos recapping years, bbg, rbb & sbb and the big gay war etc., and I think it’s a really valuable way to kind of get your head around some stuff as socials, especially Twitter, have a lot of misinformation, fighting, wrong timelines, stuff that’s already been debunked etc.

so, here are a couple of faves that I recommend newer larries, or people who want refreshers, to watch as it’s a little less overwhelming than the 15k word essays we have on these topics that are hard to read about when you haven’t kind of been introduced to it initially

The Larry Stylinson Timeline - 2015

Larry denials and why they’re meaningless

RBB, SBB, & the Big Gay War

The difference between larry and the rest of 1D

there is a video on each year of Larry since 2010 too, so you can feel like you were there for it!

as always, I also highly recommend Allie’s (skepticalarrie) tags post if you want more of a read instead of a video, with so many masterposts and specific info on everything larry, and also louis and Harry individually

if you’re looking for fic recs or general larry/1d chats and a heap of receipts, Gina (twopoppies) is also very wonderful

and obviously there are a million other fantastic blogs and videos to watch, but I highly recommend those to start off with at least as they are based off facts and are very clear, as opposed to some wild reaching that goes on these days in certain parts of twitter etc.

we’re all here to be welcoming, have a chat, and be here for you to navigate this wild part of the fandom, and while there can be some nasty folks out there, remember that this is a welcoming place where we love love and we are a community who supports each other. the way it should be.

so, welcome baby larries, you’re in for a wild ride!

(also I’m very excited for this year’s recap - I want something crazy to go down the end of this year because damn rewatching 2015 took me right back to the days!)

[hole-chat]

Hole Chat Episode 27: Big Simpin'

Korea, 1946. Acclaimed American doctor, Maria Arden, is in a miserable position. Robbed of her position in american medicine and forcibly shipped off to post-war Korea, she's left feeling disrespected and despondent. Her dear friend, and Korean national, Jenny, is the only way she can soothe the injustices she's faced. Things seem dire for Maria until a mysterious and beautiful woman (Kyeongju) catches her attention and desire. Just who is this unknown hottie and why are there such nasty rumors about her? And, more importantly, will Kyeongju let Maria take her to pound town? Chuck and Keelz talk Korean history, action movies, and lesbian failures, as they chat about 'Opium' by Aji and Junghyun.

Also on Spoofy c:

[roundnroundseal]

You Are Loved

When Blane wakes up, he feels like he’s been hit with a truck. His eyes are stuffy, and he can’t stop sneezing. His throat is sore and a coughing fit attacks him out of nowhere. At least he doesn’t have work today.

He looks at his phone, and realizes Alice texted him earlier. Just reading her name gives him some temporary relief, and a small smile forms on his lips.

Alice: dropping by today around noon to return your book! i’ll probably be taking the sequel with me <3

Multiple thoughts began to race through his head. The first being how happy he is that he gets to see Alice. Immediately followed with that he cannot let her see him like this. And the last being the realization that he overslept and Blane only had so much time to look less like he just rolled out of bed.

Through the sneezes, he manages to look a bit more presentable than when he first woke. Not a moment too soon, he hears a knock.

“Blane!” Alice gives him a smile. She reaches for his hand and gives it a squeeze, “You were right, I did love this book. Thanks for recommending it.”

“Glad you liked it.” Blane attempts to hide his hoarse voice.

“Huh? Are you alright? You sound… off.” Alice looks at him with concern.

“I’m fine-“ A sneeze interrupts Blane’s sentence.

“You’re sick.”

“No. It’s just a sneeze.”

“You sound terrible.”

“It’s nothing.”

Alice sighs. Of course he won’t make this easy. She crosses her arms, and looks at him dead in the eye.

“Ok then… if you aren’t sick. Then give me a kiss.”

“What?”

“You never regret my request for a kiss.”

Alice closes the distance between them, and Blane immediately takes a step back.

“What? Worried that you could get me sick if I kissed you?”

Blane freezes, and Alice smirks at her victory.

“Alright. Knowing you, you haven’t eaten or drank enough water. Go take a nap. I’m not as good of a cook as Kai, but I got a great sick day soup recipe. And I’ll ask if someone can bring medicine.”

Before Blane could protest, Alice takes his hand and leads him towards his room.

“W-what are you-” Blane bites his lip, “Don’t you have plans with Arden today?” A last ditch effort. Blane knows it’s fruitless, but he can’t bring himself to accept Alice’s care so easily.

“The love of my life is in a losing battle at the moment, Arden wouldn’t mind rescheduling.” Alice pauses, thinking of how she could convince Blane that she genuinely wants to take care of him, “Blane, if it were the other way around and I was sick out of my mind, would you have just left me to take care of myself?”

“…No. I would stay until I knew you were better.”

————————————————————————

Blane would have never thought in a million years that he would be in a position where having five people over while he is feeling terrible would be a memory he would cherish forever. When Alice sent a text to their group chat, asking if anyone had the time to drop off medicine for Blane, it had become a job that had suddenly required four people.

“You knew they would all drop by once they heard I was sick.” Blane looks at Alice with an amused smile.

Alice laughs in response, “Of course I did.” The usual mischievous glint in her eyes disappear, and her eyes soften.

“Blane. We care about you, and want to be here for you if you ever needed anything. You’re important to all of us. Especially to me.”

Blane feels his cheeks heat up. Whether it be her lighthearted jokes, or intimate moments like these, Alice just radiates a natural warmth. Alice notices Blane blushing, and can’t help but smile knowing he took his words to heart. Blane curses his illness, because he wants nothing more than to pull her close and show her how much she means to him.

Their conversation gets interrupted with a knock on the door, signaling their friends’ arrival.

“Ok, Rekner. I have had to cancel my exciting plans of binge watching my favorite show with my best friend. And the only way you can make it up to me is if you hurry up and get better.” Arden places a small box on the counter, “Your favorite tea leaves. If this doesn’t help then nothing will.”

“I disagree, Arden!” Rylan holds up a small jar, “The true cure to all diseases! Vicks VapoRub! I swear Blane, when my parents used this on me I don’t think I even need the supernatural healing to get better quick.”

“You know, I was going to use magic to speed up your recovery, but I think Alice has almost nursed you back to health. I did prepare some food though. And a few books to read if you need to pass the time.” Kai puts the container in the fridge and the books on Blane’s table.

“Everyone got so caught up in what they wanted to bring you, that we almost forgot what Alice originally asked for.” Nikolas says with a laugh, “Here, medicine and some tissues.”

They don’t stay long, knowing Blane needs his rest. But they all give their wishes that he gets better soon. Alice also plans to head out with everyone, content that Blane has everything he needs.

“Alice, thank you.” Blane says as she is about to head out the door.

Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for bringing everyone here. Thank you for being the warmth that I didn’t know I needed. Thank you for reminding me that I am loved.

He can’t find the confidence to say it all directly. But it doesn’t matter, because Alice heard it all.

“Anytime.” She smiles at him once more and his heart skips a beat, “But once you’re all better, remember you owe me a kiss.”

[nogreatergood]

Are they good books on ducks or just like [...] baby books? Another weird town quirk I guess, least this one is a bit funny. Don't tell them I said that though. Would hate t' get upcharged for some bad jokes. Makes me want a duck, don't think I got enough space for that in my apartment though.

That is always my stance, but I am also running out of shelf space again so. She keeps getting books about ducks with her regular shipments? No one seems to know where they're coming from, but apparently they keep coming. Those videos are really cute.

[d-criss-news]

From Hedwig to Helperbot: Darren Criss Looks Back on His Stage Journey

It’s nap time for Darren Criss’s newborn son, Brother, when the Glee star hops on our video chat. The camera’s off, but he quickly turns it on to say hello face-to-face dressed in workout clothes — a green sleeveless top and a ball cap — as he tries to do some chores at the same time.

Criss has a limited window at home as he prepares to star in the new musical Maybe Happy Ending, now playing at Broadway’s Belasco Theatre. The story, with book, music, and lyrics by Will Aronson and Hue Park, takes place 100 years in the future in Seoul, South Korea. Criss plays Oliver, an obsolete Belperbot along the lines of Siri or Google, “except more human-like, who is definitely past his prime and has been just waiting [in a Helperbot retirement facility] for his owner to pick him up,” Criss describes to Broadway Direct of the role. He stars opposite rising star Helen J Shen, who plays Oliver’s retired Helperbot neighbor. “It almost feels like two people in an old-folks’ home trying to connect with a family member.”

The plot sounds dramatic, but “make no mistake: This is a musical. It’s a musical comedy,” says Criss. “It has a lot of heart and a lot of joy and a lot of humor and amazing music, and it’s a hell of a spectacle.”

His friend Michael Arden, who won a Tony Award for his direction of Parade, was a big reason for Criss to sign on to the project — and serve as an executive producer as well. Arden brought the show to Criss’s attention many years ago, and again recently when Criss was starring in Little Shop of Horrors Off-Broadway.

“This had been kind of percolating for a while, and between the pandemic and strikes and just a lot of other things, that really comes down to timing. So the stars just kind of aligned,” Criss says.

Criss, a figure on Broadway for well over a decade, started to gather a following while at University of Michigan as a founding member of Team StarKid, the student-run theater company behind the viral Harry Potter musical parody A Very Potter Musical. His big break came on the hit Fox TV show Glee back in 2010. The show had already aired for a full season before he was cast as Warbler Blaine Anderson and future love interest to Chris Colfer’s Kurt Hummel. If not for Glee, he believes his career would not have had the same trajectory.

“I felt like this was my master’s in performance of music on camera,” Criss says, admitting that, until Glee, he didn’t consider himself a singer — rather, a musician who acted. “I have that show to thank for giving me any headway in the musical-theater space.”

In the middle of filming Glee in 2012, his Broadway debut called. Criss was asked to succeed Daniel Radcliffe in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying for three weeks during a winter break from filming Glee. “I left on, like, a Friday night from my last day of shooting. I started rehearsal on a Saturday. Within 10 days, I was on a Broadway stage. I left my Sunday matinee, got on the plane, and went to work [at Glee] Monday morning as if nothing had happened. So it was a bit of a fever dream. It goes by as quickly as it came, like all other moments in life.”

Three years later, Criss stepped into his next Broadway role. This time, he played Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch for about two and half months, succeeding John Cameron Mitchell. “People always ask me, ‘What’s your dream role?’ I’m like, ‘I kind of did it,’” he says of the opportunity. “Hedwig was a role I always loved so much when I was a teenager, and getting to jump into it was so special to me and my wife. We both love Hedwig so much. It’s a big part of our relationship.”

More recently on Broadway, Criss starred in the play American Buffalo with Laurence Fishburne and Sam Rockwell in 2022 for a three-month limited run. “I completely idolized them,” he says of his scene partners. “I mean, if you see a pattern here, I recommend this to everybody, to just chase their heroes. I’ve just been chasing my heroes my whole life, and I’m not being bashful about it at all.”

Getting Rachel Evan Wood to play Audrey opposite Criss’s Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors at the Westside Theatre earlier this year was something that he says was his idea.

“I pitched her pretty hard,” he said of getting casting directors to choose the Westworld actress as his costar. “When they heard her sing, I think it was very clear that this wasn’t like a favor to anybody. She was doing us a favor. The fact that she said yes just blew my mind.” The role of the nerdy floral shop worker wasn’t something Criss thought he’d get the opportunity to add to his résumé “because it just was never something that I thought anybody would let me do. … I wasn’t sprinting to that in the way that I was the other things in my life.”

Criss welcomed Brother, his second baby, this past June with his wife Mia. The timing couldn’t be more coincidental, since their first, Bluesy, was born during his run of American Buffalo.

As our conversation comes to a close, Criss says he kind of got all of his chores done and haphazardly put things away and folded laundry. The next project he wants to pursue is his writing, something he hasn’t tackled much in five years. Until then, he’s reveling in Maybe Happy Ending.

“I do find myself at a loss for words, trying to truly put into words how special this experience has been,” he adds. “I think it really is a thing of beauty that can really add quite a bit of ornamentation in perhaps a grim world.”

[americanwh0rerstory]

her patient, his savior [kit walker]

SUMMARY: when kit gets thrown into briarcliff for a second time, yet again for a crime he didn’t commit, he meets a nurse: Y/N

CONTENT WARNING: violence, briarcliff, mental asylums, angst, platonic relationship but could be romantic depending on your perspective

A/N: the dates might be wrong, but i couldn’t find any explicitly stated dates so i had to use what i could. this does not match up with the ending of the show but it’s an idea that came to me

NO NSFW. PLS ENJOY

being a nurse at briarcliff wasn’t an easy job. you’d deal with the aftermath of the brutal punishments that the sisters would give to the patients. the welts, the burns, you saw the lot of it.

nobody there was anyone you wanted to associate with, it was clear that 9/10 people seemingly deserved to be there. granted you didn’t know most of them, but you read their files and found their backstories. however one person stuck out to you: kit walker.

a charming man who managed to be discharged from briarcliff. he was framed for the bloodyface murders and thrown into the asylum without a second thought. judging by his files he endured a lot. the electrotherapy, the beatings, the hydrotherapy, it was atrocious. he was discharged in 1965 though, so why was this relevant? why were you reading his files in 1971?

kit was back. back for murder. He knew that Alma murdered Grace, but he couldn’t let Alma take the fall for it; he gave himself up to save her, a chivalrous act for his wife.

This same Mr walker had just entered your infirmary looking beaten up. his eye was blackened, bottom lip bloodied, and god knows what else. But kit was your nicest patient, he wasn’t creepy and was polite. he was like a saint in a house of devils.

“sista’, mind fixin’ me up?” he asks in his boston drawl, standing in the doorway waiting for you to give him permission to be seen. he knew he didn’t need to ask, but he still wanted to be polite and keep that sense of humanity in him. his hair was messy, sticking to his forehead a little with the sweat presumably from the fight he got himself into. kit was such a sweet soul, you never believed anyone when they said he was violent.

“of course kit” you beam softly, not wanting to seem overly eager but also not wanting to seem monotonous like everyone else here. it was either monotony or anger, no in between. to kit you were his ray of sunshine in this place, he appreciated having a nice nurse this time round rather than Dr Arden.

“thanks-” he began to say, cutting himself off with a hiss of pain when the antiseptic made contact with some of his grazes and cuts.

“sorry, ‘s just hurtin’ a little” he mumbled, apologising for his reaction to the cool antiseptic wipe you began to run along his battered body.

the two of you made idle chit chat whilst you fixed him up, your eyes meeting his occasionally. he made you laugh with some sort of witty comment/remark he made, and you giggled like a school girl with a crush.

nothing could happen though, he still had alma on the outside. nothing would ever happen… right?

A/N: i’m gonna be real and say i got a bit lazy towards the end and also couldn’t be bothered to make a banner. i’ve got a lot to work on so fics might be slightly lower quality than usual, but i’ll try my best <3

[dervampireprince]

Stop Using Me And My Work For AI

My stance against generative AI has always been clear and I didn’t think I would need to make such a big post reminding people of it until several people this week informed me of AI chatbots that others have made of myself, my original characters, and my voice being used on characterai/cai.

A lot of people who use characterai seem to think people are upset with them for being lonely or ‘cringe’ and if someone is bullying you like that for using it they shouldn’t, especially as a lot of its users are minors. However, you are doing wrong by using characterai because you are contributing to theft.

Generative AI can generate text, images, voices and more by being trained off other people’s work. In almost all cases the work used is not from consenting artists. AI ‘art’ generators take thousands of artists work that it chews up and spits back out and these artists did not consent. Chatbots and generative writing AI like characterai or ChatGPT does the same thing but with writing. I’ve heard too many people be against AI ‘art’ but use characterai (which has built in AI ‘art’ generation features) because they don’t seem to understand that writing can be and is stolen too. It’s taking from any writing that’s online from fanfics to blogs to articles to tweets. And these writers did not consent to have their work taken and then spat back out by a chatbot. Every time chatbots like these write to you, it is doing so by using stolen work. Even if you got the consent of a creator to put their characters on there, the chats generated are still trained on stolen content. Even if you upload your own characters on there, the chats generated are still trained on stolen content. None of that even touches upon the bad environmental impacts of generating anything with generative AI.

And with this situation on characterai, not only have my original characters been made into chatbots without my consent, not only has some of my art of Arden and Ambrose been reposted on there without credit (I don’t allow reposting with credit either) or consent, but my voice has also been taken and used to train two separate AI voices on there, and someone has made a chatbot of me, a real person. None of this was done with my consent or permission.

I feel violated. I don’t know how else to describe it. I feel sick, I’m shaking, I’ve been having panic attacks over this, I feel so deeply distressed. I thought it was bad enough just seeing people taking Ambrose and Arden and putting them on there, but today I found out there’s a chatbot of me. I’m a real person. Just because you listen to my audios or streams doesn’t mean you know me, because you don’t. I’m sorry to be blunt, but this is so uncomfortable parasocial. And then for two people on there to take my voice to make AI voice replicas of me (again without my consent). I don’t think I can put into words how sick and violated that makes me feel, to have my voice stolen.

As of writing this I have 346 videos up here on my Youtube channel and post videos 3 times a week, you are not starved for my voice or my work. I allow for people to make their own fanworks of my characters including fanfiction. I allow for people to commission others to make art of my characters including fanfiction. You have options that aren’t generating AI content. Reader insert fics exist. Your imagination exists. RP communities exist. You know what I did as a kid when stuff like this didn’t exist? I would copy and paste fanfics into Microsoft Word, find and replace the names with my own/my ocs/other characters and then wow you have a fic about anyone you want (obviously I did not post these online, these were just silly edits I made for myself when I was a minor).

Do not contact, send hate, or harass any of the people on characterai who’ve uploaded my characters or myself onto there (or anyone in general using characterai or generative AI). I don’t want this to be a callout post against characterai users. This post is for any of my followers who do use characterai to please learn about the harm generative AI does to creators, raise awareness, and hopefully get these chabots and voices deleted (especially the chabot of myself and the voices). And if anyone who made any characters or voices of myself or my original characters on characterai sees this: please delete them. Please, please delete them. You are not wrong for being lonely, you’re not pathetic or cringe for using characterai, but you are contributing to the theft of people’s works. Some of you have literally stolen my voice.

If you do go and do research into characterai please be careful as recent lawsuits against them to include trigger topics and these will inevitably appear when you search around. That raises a whole other problem with characterai and it’s popularity with minors as there’s nothing that makes it impossible for the chatbot to be hateful, bigoted, harass you, send sexual messages, etc. I know characterai is implementing safeguards, but even they admit they can’t make it impossible for these messages to be sent.

I am not the only creator this has happened too. When browsing characterai to see how many of my characters were on there I found over 50 of YuuriVoice’s characters, and multiple of other creators like Cardlin and Dark And Twisted Whispers. Including not just the characters, but chatbots of themselves.

It’s 3am here and I’m sorry if there’s any typos in this, I did proof read it I promise, I’m just really tired. I was getting into bed and clearing notifications off my phone when I saw the reply on Tumblr telling me my voice was on characterai. Thank you to those of you who made me aware of this, hopefully at least I can get the AI voices of myself taken down as it is against characterai’s TOS to make voices of real people without their consent. It’s also against their TOS for anything on their site to be impersonating real people. Thank you guys as always for supporting me, I’m sorry for such an agitated post I’m just really upset about all of this. Be safe out there.