#i also read some of the other comments and replies on this thread and absolutely love this discourse

[herrscherofmagic]

I already reblogged the first part of this thread but seeing this other reply and the talk of the crumbling foundations reminded me of some pretty relevant ideas that i would really like to add, if y'all don't mind!

Though mandatory disclaimer: Hoyo can write good stories but at the end of the day it's still a video game, and as a company they do have incentive to avoid over-complicating things too much. So I don't know how likely it is that they'll actually give us a deep dive into a possible collapse of the IPC... but it's still fun to theorize about so I'll go ahead anyways, lol

First, I wanna quote this part:

He wanted to speak to the higher up, but got Jade instead. And when he boasted about only needing 30 tanba ... to out-do the IPC... And Jade jumped onto that so fast. Giving him all that, and more...

This followed by the comment about cracked foundations got me wondering, if perhaps Jade might be aware that Aventurine has an anti-IPC ambition, and if she might actually want to play a role in that as well. Not subservient to him of course, but rather as a cooperating party.

The thing is that organizations are incredibly complicated things. If even a small group project of a handful of people can run into problems due to conflict of interest, what happens when you scale that up to hundreds, thousands, or millions of people? The way that these organizations maintain some semblance of order is usually through managing conflict of interest, and making sure that it is in peoples' best interests to work together.

But this manifests in different ways in different organizations based on culture, politics, legality, history, etc.

For example, the Soviet military had some pretty infamous problems with corruption, which carries on to this day, and Perun had a great video about this- it's a system where everyone is incentivized to lie, from the lowliest grunt to the highest generals of the military. As long as everyone keeps up the lie, then the system goes on working as normal... so long as the system isn't challenged by minor troubles such as the reality of waging war.

But in another organization, that might not be the case. In a nation with a more open and democratic process of accountability, it would be much harder to get away with blatant corruption. Sure you can still have corruption and conflict of interest, but if lies and cover-ups are punished accordingly, and the alternative route of being honest still pays enough to be worthwhile, then people will be more honest. This would've been an organization like Boeing in the past, but if that system of accountability begins to degrade, then you end up with "mistakes" like... the door of an airplane flying off mid-flight.

But in these organizations, these sorts of problems result from the interactions of countless individuals each with their own agenda.

In the Soviet military the lowliest grunt might want to provide for his family; the grunt's officer might want a raise, the officer's commander might want a promotion, the commander's general might want a spot on the cabinet, and the members of the cabinet don't want to get tossed out the window of an apartment building by current Soviet leader. So the grunt lies to the officer lies to the commander lies to the general lies to the Soviet leader, and you end up with countless lies all the way up to the top.

Likewise, if the maintenance workers in Boeing are struggling to make deadlines and KPIs, then they might have a personal incentive to cut corners. Skipping "not so important" steps in maintenance or review, for instance. In a functional system their supervisors would be incentivized to prevent these corners from being cut, but if the supervisors stand to gain from this process of cutting corners, then they might go along with it. And if the this continues up to the highest level of the command, then you end up with board members and shareholders who willingly turn a blind eye to dangerous practices for the sake of keeping the stock price going up, up, up ad infinitum.

To bring this back to the IPC... I have no doubt that the IPC could be in a similar spot. We've already seen how various low-level workers of the IPC are often in a tight squeeze, pressured to perform at any cost, often leading to rash decisions. Some folks like Topaz might be more level-headed and diplomatic, but if that sort of "success at any cost" mentality is pervasive throughout the IPC, then it might be reaching all the way to the very top.

That kind of system works as long as everyone keeps subscribing to that belief, but if that system is shaken by a core event (like a 2-year-long "3-day special military operation", or aviation disasters and safety mishaps), then the whole thing stands to collapse. The lowliest grunts are probably too stressed to care much about the big picture, since they're concerned with their immediate well-being and the well-being of the people they care about.

However, a higher-up like Jade would almost certainly be aware of these sorts of problems. And odds are, Jade wants to work in Jade's interests- not the IPC's interests. Her personal interests likely line up with the IPC's interests for now, but if Jade sees the writing on the wall and if the IPC is vulnerable in any way, she stands to gain from positioning herself in a way such that she minimizes personal damage and maximizes personal gain from any collapse.

Another thing about these big organizations is that they're not entirely monolithic entities. They're made up of many different sub-units, and these sub-units can split apart from one another and recombine in different ways.

For this I actually have a fictional example, from Star Wars lore: Admiral Thrawn. After the second Death Star got destroyed and the Emperor was killed, the Empire pretty much collapsed and the New Republic that took its place seized the initiative and took down Imperial remnants. But Admiral Thrawn was a powerful and respected figure that also had a much bigger brain than the egotistical Sith lord in charge of the Empire, so when the Empire collapsed he was capable of consolidating power amongst Imperial remnants. So when challenged by the New Republic, he had a strong industrial base and loyal followers to support him, and he was able to fight and negotiate with the New Republic on equal terms. The organization as a whole fell, but through careful planning and decisive action, Thrawn carved his own slice of the pie and kept order in his corner of the galaxy.

As for real-life corollaries, Perun yet again has a video on this aspect, this time featuring factionalism in a certain modern military. This is where I'm getting the idea of "incentives" from, if you don't want to watch the whole thing then the segment starting at the 4:30 timestamp is at least worth a watch for the explanation of incentives.

So again, back to the IPC: a collapse of the IPC doesn't mean that every IPC building spontaneously explodes and all the IPC uniforms in the galaxy just burn away into nothingness. Many of the assets of the IPC, both physical hardware like buildings and ships as well as intangible concepts like hierarchies and financial resources: those will remain. In a potential collapse scenario, it'd be a sort of chaotic free-for-all where various individuals at different levels of the power hierarchy move to consolidate their own power wherever they can.

Again, being a Stoneheart, Jade is likely aware of this. So while I seriously doubt Jade is gonna be a good Samaritan and stand in a picket line with a "F*** the IPC" sign, I do believe that she would be willing to act against the "IPC" if the IPC as a whole begins to collapse. She could instead remain dedicated to her "slice" of the IPC: the officers and employees that are loyal to her, partnered with her, or under her command.

This can also explain Jade's willingness to accept Kakavasha's wager: she might see him as an ambitious individual with a lot of potential that could be of use to her. Best-case scenario (for her) would be that he ends up largely subservient to her, and worst-case scenario (again, for Jade) would be that he becomes independent of her but could still work with her as a partner in the future. And so far it seems like the latter is the case.

So if there truly is instability in the IPC, if Aventurine truly has the potential to shake it from the top-down, and if Jade is fully aware of this... then why shouldn't she work with him? It depends on the details: if the math pencils out in Aventurine's favor, then Jade is incentivized to support Aventurine in his cause. But if the incentives remain such that Jade benefits the most from an intact and stable IPC, then she would be incentivized to stop any of Aventurine's schemes.

Knowing Mihoyo and how they write their characters (see: Arlecchino), I suspect it might be the former. I can see Jade being an absolute asshole and terrible person, but still doing just enough "good" by shaking up the IPC that we could end up allied with her to some extent.

I don't think this is a bad thing, just to be clear- I just think that it's not so likely that Jade is gonna be a pure evil antagonist that has no "redeeming quality". She might still be a terrible person, but if we apply a "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" logic here, then we might be able to consider Jade an "ally" in a conflict with the IPC, and if that's the case then that might be good enough for marketing her as a not-entirely-evil person.

And as for Topaz... I'm not so sure whether she'd be the kind of person to exploit a collapse of the IPC like Jade or Aventurine would. But knowing her genuine desire to do good (despite being part of a shitty megacorp), I can see Topaz somehow working alongside them anyways if they present her with the opportunity to follow her beliefs without having to remain firmly part of the existing IPC order.

If this actually does end up happening, it's gonna be really fascinating to see Topaz reacting to all of this, and to see what choices she makes when weighing her own security and prosperity against that of her co-workers, her partners, her underlings, and her own beliefs.

These Aventurine, Topaz and Jade comparisons are getting out of hand…

As much as I adore both of them, I think it’s very disingenuous to compare Aventurine and Topaz’s lore and be like “but they are the same!!!! If people like Aventurine and dislike Topaz that’s just misogyny!!! and like… no?

Topaz’s whole thing is that she doesn’t know the extent of the IPC’s evil, and believes that what she’s doing is genuinely the right thing to do. Even if she never had a choice in joining the IPC, she (incorrectly) believes what they did to her and her planet is justified, logical and moral, and for those reasons she stands with them. Part of this is likely IPC brainwashing, as she was probably very young when she became an indentured servant to them, and someone living on a planet on the brink of destruction would likely view anyone who stepped up to save them as heroes (imo the IPC likely waited for the point of no return to establish contact so her people had no other choice to except).

However Topaz got best end of the proverbial stick, her planet and its people were deemed useful by the IPC, and didn’t fight back, even if in the end they were still exploited.

Unfortunately, we have seen through Boothill, Belabog and Aventurine what happens when that isn’t the case.

Boothill’s planet got bombed and people genocided because they had a resource useful to the IPC, but were unwilling to cooperate with them or hand over their home, so the IPC decided to eradicate them.

Belabog had a debt owed to the IPC that was ridiculously high and very unfair to expect them to pay back, and had Topaz not convinced the higher ups to give them some time (which she got demoted for), the IPC would have taken Belabog by force

That leaves us with Aventurine, whose story is in no way on the same level of bad as Topaz’s. Unlike her, he has witnessed and experienced firsthand the truly awful shit the IPC can do.

They took custody of Sigonia and promised to offer the Avgin aid in their fight against the Katacans, at the very least protect them from harm. (Sidenote, since the IPC held control over Sigonia, they should have stopped the fighting in the first place). However, they simply stood by and did nothing, resulting in the deaths of around 6,000 Avgin, with around 3,000 went missing (or injured, I don’t remember, either way it’s bad).

But wait! It gets worse! Aventurine when he was still known as Kakavasha referred to the IPC as “the men in black/the men in black suits”, and his first master says he bought Aventurine from “the men in black/the men in black suits”, likely mocking the way he referred to them. Therefore THE IPC TOOK PART AND LIKELY EVEN CREATED A FUCKING SLAVE TRADE IN SIGONIA

Look being made into an indentured servant isn’t fun, but idk personally I’d take that any day of the week OVER BEING ENSLAVED

That’s not even to mention how horrible of a reputation Sigonian’s have in the galaxy, one likely spread by/resulting from the IPC themselves, as at least on Aventurines planet they do not have the mobility to make a name for themselves. (Honestly it’s a mini theory of mine that Aventurines scam is what partly contributed to this reputation, and his status as a slave is something the IPC conveniently left out in their broadcast about it-)

But, you might be saying, didn’t Aventurine have a choice to join the masked fools and leave the IPC, isn’t he free now? And to that I say, it’s complicated.

Considering the amount of suicidal shit Aventurine has done while being part of the IPC, he clearly hasn’t been having a fun time as a member of one, so why does he stick around, especially with the Fools invite? Even if he was a slave, does that absolve him of the crimes he’s committing now? What could justify his actions?

Revenge, plan and simple.

This is going to delve into some spoiler territory for the end of the Penacony 2.2 quest, something which I didn’t feel like mentioning earlier because I’m sorry but everyone and their mother already knows Boothill’s lore. Now, let’s get into it.

Aventurine accepts Jades offer to join the IPC, and when he becomes a Stoneheart, the first thing he asks about is the fate of the Avgin, to which he then learns that besides him, they are all dead. You see, from birth Kakavasha was pushed onto a pedestal as the savior of the Avgin, but now that there are no more Avgin to save, his primary motivator in becoming a Stoneheart (beyond not being enslaved anymore) is gone.

So what does he do now?

Simple, try to kill the motherfuckers behind it.

That’s why he takes on such risky gambles still, and why he wagers and wants Diamond to promote him to rank p46. The higher Aventurine gets the closer he gets to his goal of taking down the IPC for good.

Which is why his meeting with Boothill is so meaningful. I think Boothill is going to “kidnap” him and together they are gonna take down the wicked bitch that is Oswaldo Schneider for his literal crimes against humanity.

Mark my words, an IPC downfall is going to happen, and I think Topaz, Aventurine, Boothill and Ratio are going to be at the forefront of it.

However, Topaz and Ratio (and by extension the rest of the galaxy) have to learn/realize the true horrors of the IPC (although I can sense Ratio doesn’t really like them, and he’s learned a lot from Aventurine, I doubt he knows the full extent of the situation or is in any way happy about it). Therefore? Topaz mental breakdown arc? Ratio lore? PLEASE??!? The IP3 compliment one another so well and god I can’t wait for that to come to fruition.

I really want to see a Topaz and Ratio centered story leading up to an IPC smackdown, and I think we are gonna learn a lot more about how shitty they are in the later half of 2.2 and in 2.3 when the interlude and Jades release arrive.

As for the aforementioned Jade, she’s gonna need a Aventurine squared amount of trauma or reasoning behind her actions to seem in any way sympathetic, because right now she just seems like an evil bitch (in a semi good way, I will always respect the commitment to the bit) who loves her job and would make Machiavelli weep over how hard her ends are trying to justify her means.

[ingravinoveritas]

I've been seeing posts about some replies from AL on Twitter tonight, and wanted to share some of my thoughts. For those who might've missed it, Anna replied to the below thread--not once, but twice--despite not being tagged or mentioned anywhere in it:

The fanart above is based on an Ineffable Husbands AU fic that is currently published on AO3 and has nothing to do with Michael other than using his face for the character, which makes AL randomly leaving those inane comments an obvious bid for attention, as she would've had to be stalking fan accounts to find that tweet. To make matters worse, however, someone in the comments on one of the replies sent her a link to the fanfic in question. Particularly egregious is the fact that the person who sent the link was not the author, and the author is now (quite understandably) pissed off and upset about this.

I know there have been multiple discussions about this in the past, but apparently it needs to be repeated: It is absolutely NOT acceptable to send fanfic to creators/creator-barely-adjacent people, especially without the author's knowledge or permission.

Yes, we know Michael enjoys GO fanfic. Yes, we know he has read and likely written GO fanfic and probably RPF. That still does not make it okay to send him fics--at all, for any reason, but most significantly because if anyone knows where/how to find fics if he wants to read them, it's Michael. Also worth noting is that Anna is not Michael. Anna could dislike or be entirely disgusted by GO fanfic or AUs...in which case she could have commented on the photo edit as a way of making fun of it, thereby potentially setting the creator up for ridicule and/or harassment.

It's also distressing to see people in the comments on Twitter encouraging this behavior/cheering AL on while seemingly not caring one jot about the actual creator's feelings (especially when I know that several of the comments are fan artists themselves). I had honestly thought fans knew better than that by now, but it seems not, and to say that all of this is infuriating is an understatement...

EDIT: It's been brought to my attention that it was the person who created the Professor Fell AU/made the photo edits who was upset at Anna's comments, not the fic author (who linked their own fic, rather than someone else's). My apologies for any confusion...

[malsperanza]

Rereading Heaven Official's Blessing - spoilers here

I love rereading books, especially for the first time, when I see so many connections I missed on the first read. The first time you read a book, you're intent on discovering what happens next, worrying about the characters, and skipping past things you don't fully understand.

The first reread is all about looking at the structure, the patterns, the way things unfold, and learning more about character motivations. MXTX is a master at the meta, and she loves to seed innumerable hints and clues in her books, knowing they will not mean anything until the second reading. Plus, she lies like a rug and leaves out key info. This makes a first reread loads of fun.

Seven Seas edition, volume 1, p. 369:

At the end of the Banyue arc Xie Lian and Hua Cheng are finally alone in Puqi Shrine, and Xie Lian has let HC know that he knows who he is. Things are peaceful, and we finally get a sweet moment of flirting - which we have been hoping for through the whole volume. So is it any wonder that we completely miss the massive foreshadowing?

Xie Lian is unburdening some of his most private thoughts, memories of the past, and feelings about his history to this man he has just met. And HC is coming close to declaring why he is XL's devotee.

After a while, San Lang said quietly, "Something like saving the common people, it really doesn't matter how you do it. But, although brave, it's foolish." "Yeah," Xie Lian agreed. Hua Cheng continued, "Although foolish, it's brave." "..." "Xie Lian grinned. "Thanks." "You're welcome," Hua Cheng said. The two stared at the holey ceiling of Puqi Shrine in amiable silence, and Hua Cheng spoke up again after a while. "You know, Your Highness, we've only known each other for a few days. Is it all right for you to say so much to me?" "Well," Xie Lian huffed, "what's the problem? Whatever. Those who have known each other for decades can become strangers in a day. We met by chance, and we may part by chance. If we like each other, then we shall continue to meet; if we don't, then we shall part. At the end of the day, there's no banquet in the world that doesn't come to an end."

And now vol. 8, p. 118:

Xie Lian could no longer hold back the tears in his eyes, and they began to pour. As if he were hanging on to the last thread of his life, he pleaded, "You said ... you would never leave me." But Hua Cheng replied, "There is no banquet in this world that doesn't come to an end."

MXTX, you absolute fucking sadist.

The entirety of Xie Lian's little lighthearted comment, "Those who have known each other for decades can become strangers in a day. We met by chance, and we may part by chance" is the whole backstory of who HC is and is the absolutely most incorrect thing XL has ever said.

The space between vol. 1 and vol. 8 is so vast that there's no way to remember that HC is quoting XL when he is dying, which means that MXTX has built the necessity to reread into the book.

I'm also continuing to notice how often Hua Cheng is described as smiling, laughing, chuckling, snickering. If Xie Lian ever should happen to wonder whether he should laugh or cry, Hua Cheng has the answer.

[thefirstknife]

Some important stuff in regards to the harassment of developers came from Bungie today. They won a lawsuit against a guy who repeatedly harassed a community manager and his family (not fully confirmed in the official document, but people are fairly certain this is about A_dmg and his family). This is a twitter thread from the lawyer who went into some details about the situation. The court document is also available to read (featuring some of the horrific harassment tactics that were motivated by racism and also used racism as part of the harassment so be advised if you want to read).

This isn't just a win for the individual community manager and Bungie, but also has potential to set a bigger precedent in the future. It's basically the first time this has been done to this extent and some ruling in this case made it clear that companies can pursue this sort of legal action in the future if their employees are harassed and threatened. This is HUGE because the protection of employees in the gaming industry has been abysmal otherwise. This case will allow for the company to file a lawsuit on behalf of their employees in cases of harassment.

Before I add some of the more heinous stuff about this situation below, I want to say that the majority of reactions to this are positive. People are happy that this happened as it did and a lot of people are excited about potential big influence this will have in the future to combatting harassment of this type in the gaming industry.

Extra details and thoughts below (racism tw):

This started because the community manager highlighted a black content creator, Uhmayyze, who is himself a victim of harassment more often than not (usually of racist nature). He is most often harassed because he is unapologetically positive for which people have continuously sent him awful shit and comments. Because he enjoys the game and isn't jumping on the hate train. Just recently he commended Bungie for a ban wave and had hundreds of people hound him on twitter for his comment, including Gladd who started it by specifically replying to Uhmayyze and putting him on blast (warning for a lot of gross comments, including photoshopped screenshots of fake discord texts to make Uhmayyze look bigoted, nsfw images, r slur, suicide baiting and so on). This is important because the incident of real life harassment was fuelled over a community manager highlighting a content creator that is himself being harassed and despised online for the crime of... being positive. And you know, for being black. This situation isn't an isolated incident. The community, including other content creators, are absolutely horrible towards this one person that they feel, I guess, does not follow the content creator NPC questline of hating Bungie and Destiny.

So of course, at some point, someone from that crowd will feel confident and justified taking things further. How dare Bungie promote this person they hate. How dare they focus on a positive creator. They're clearly biased and don't want to listen to criticism, only to "toxic positivity" streamer. How dare a community manager highlight this creator. It's a personal slight to them, and "proof" that Bungie is bad and evil and "ignoring criticism." There's someone out there (and probably not the only one) that hates this creator and the game so much they were willing to harass and threaten a community manager and his family in real life.

The community manager was first harassed by phone with text messages and voice mails featuring racist bile, including apparently a voice mail telling him to "convince Bungie to create options in its game in which only persons of color would be killed." This is the worst part for me and super concerning in general, as well as showing the dedication of this person to racism, motivated by his hatred of a black creator (which also, by proxy, technically makes the streamer being harassed as well). Absolutely ghoulish behaviour.

This escalated to also harassing the CM's wife and resulted in doxing them; the harasser somehow found their address. Most of the reports on this will say that the asshole "sent them pizza" which doesn't truly capture how horrific the incident was. First, it's a random guy who has your address which is concerning enough given that he harasses you by phone already. Apparently the pizza was made to be "inedible" and the delivery was instructed to bang loudly on the door upon arrival to maximise discomfort. The order was also deliberately made to be paid on delivery to create as much pain for the victims as possible. The harasser also kept track of the delivery and then called the family again when it was done to tell them to "enjoy the pizza." The family immediately contacted Bungie who contacted the police and provided the family with protection. There's no telling how this would've escalated had they not been in the position to call Bungie and had Bungie not reacted to them asking for help. It's absolutely crucial here that Bungie is the type of a company willing to immediately assist in this situation.

Immediately following that, Bungie organised a long and expensive manhunt to identify the harasser and bring them court. That's where most of the expenses went; finding the culprit and protecting the employee and his family. This is the money Bungie earned back by this court decision because they could prove that the expenses were caused by a person harassing and threatening their employee.

This is a big win overall for the whole industry. It's Bungie setting a precedent on how a company should protect its employees. No matter what people think about Bungie or big corporations or whatever, this is how you can use a lot of money and power to make sure that your workers have rights to decency and safety. That's huge for the rights of workers and worker protections. I hope it becomes a standard and that any future harassment is prevented altogether or at least punished accordingly.

Naturally, the commentary on the news from a big part of the community is super positive. Unfortunately, there's also a part of the community that has a lot of really awful shit to say about this. The comments on twitter are littered with people who are using THIS specific moment to yell about Bungie being a greedy corporation, how the money they won should be used to "fix the servers" and "make more pvp maps" or how Bungie will greedily put this money "into Eververse" or "into Marathon." There's comments about how time was uselessly spent protecting an employee who should expect harassment anyway, instead of working on "fixing the game."

This is what I mean when I talk about how impossible it is in the current situation to have a meaningful discussion about any sort of criticism or feedback. There's thousands of comments from people who think that this specific instance shows how Bungie is greedy. This is what I mean when I say that none of these people actually understand what they're talking about. You can't make proper criticism when you can't separate game development with a company's legal effort to stop an escalating harassment campaign of an employee. The majority of gamers are simply not fit to offer any criticism or feedback. The idea that we all have something useful to say and that employees at Bungie are obliged to give us their time of the day is simply incorrect.

I genuinely 100% stand by the claim that the recent barrage of content creators promoting the idea that Bungie is "the greediest company in the world that's scamming players and increasing costs out of greed" as well as the idea that Bungie is "abandoning Destiny for Marathon, isn't working on the game anymore and is deliberately ruining it" is the reason for these comments existing. If a big streamer said that Bungie is getting too much money but also not doing anything "good" with it, then any money that Bungie receives (including compensation for expenses they took to protect an employee from active harm) is a result of greed. The nuance of any situation is lost; when you only learn the mantra of "company has money therefore company bad" you WILL end up causing harm for people and you will most definitely not be an advocate of workers rights. That's where we're at right now.

The dehumanisation of people who work at Bungie (and the harassment itself) is a consequence of this crap and other similar crap that's been thrown into the ether for the past year, disguised as "we're just offering feedback." People heard that Bungie is a "microtransaction hell" and that Bungie is only investing in Eververse and Marathon and they feel like this story reflects that; they feel like an employee being harassed is not deserving of proper condemnation and that this isn't important enough and that Bungie is a greedy corpo anyway so who cares about that. They do not understand how companies work, how games are made, the state of the industry as a whole (or the world as a whole), the treatment of employees or workers' rights, and you cannot meaningfully critique a company's business practices without understanding that. And they don't because they think that legal expenses used to protect victims, finding a culprit and bringing their ass to court is money that is being used for game development and that Bungie receiving this money should result in... new pvp maps or "fixed servers."

And there's even seemingly good commentary where people recognise how this is good, but they initiate the comment with "As much as I hate Bungie and Destiny and I think they're awful and greedy and destroying gaming as a whole..." : that's not the time and place. You don't have to excuse your support of a big win for potential new employee protection policies just because those policies are done by a company. Of course it is. Companies are the only ones capable of pursuing this sort of legal action. It's one good way a big company can put their power and money into a good place to actually help people and bring forth positive change. And like, you don't have to tell us how much you despise Bungie before you're "allowed" to admit that this is good news. Sometimes companies do good stuff. It's literally not that complicated.

I hope that this situation will help other employees demand the same protection, that other companies will follow suit and that this will also make potential other harassers rethink whether or not they will engage in this or similar type of behaviour. In the meantime, know that the community is largely positive about this, but that there are still absolutely detestable human beings who should feel ashamed of their reaction to this. They shouldn't feel welcome here. And there's still people doing this to the devs and I hope Bungie takes their asses to court too.

[dramarising-replacement]

Free art threads.

Made a couple of these in the past, and I'm actually considering just.. not doing them on this site anymore? I actually think I'd be better off doing free art for people on Toyhou.se instead.

Cue the rant.

-------

So I'm sure some of y'all are familiar with the "Creative Corner" in the forums, yeah? You can share random art you've made, ask people how much they'd pay for your art, that sort of thing. Then, you got the free art threads. They can be titled things like "Drawing ur dragons :33" and "bored, draw humans. bye." and you'll also see the same couple users posting in those threads, but I'm not here to name-drop lol.

The ones who I have a problem with are the ones who don't read anything. Like, at all. You could spend thirty minutes crafting a decent looking thread, filled with information (but not TOO much, just enough to answer most people's questions) and highlight the "rules" part of your thread that has specific steps to follow for free art. Wanna know what the majority of the commentors on your thread are gonna do?

"[Insert dragon image] Pls draw :)" or "[Link to a page with over 60+ dragons] choose whatever one you want.]" and that's about it. There won't be any mention of any steps you wanted them to follow, (The steps are usually very simple, too. As in, let the artist know the bare minimum idea of what you want. I'm talking about expressions here. That's literally all they'd have to do to get some scrumptious free art.) and that feels kinda invalidating, y'know?

I'm not asking the commentors to describe a whole scene for me, I'm just asking them to give me ONE LITTLE IDEA (again, an expression or maybe if they want a bust) and I'll do the rest for them, free of charge. The art that they'd be getting isn't some random disaster of a sketch, nono, it's fully-colored and shaded. It also doesn't look like something that a 5 year old drew. (No shade to people who draw like that, I was stuck like that for years.) Bro, just do a MINIMAL amount of reading and I'll draw your dragon that has an absurd amount of apparel to tje point where it hurts my eyes.

..It doesn't just stop there, either. I've also seen these people never reply to artists who have given them an absolute masterpiece of a drawing, for free. Bro. You serious? I get that some people are inactive, which I'm not bothered by. But the ones who aren't? ...Ehh, I just think you could at least thank the artist before returning to the void with your free art.

The moral of the story is; Do the bare minimum and read what matters in a post, and thank the artists who draw your dragons for free. Especially the ones who could've easily charged you 1kg+ for the work they've done.

If you're socially awkward, then cool. I get that. If you can't afford to pay artists with fictional pixel money, then go ahead and visit the free art threads. I'm not trying to gate-keep them, I literally make these threads. I just don't enjoy having people put zero effort in their requests and then never acknowledge the fact that I drew their dragon for them. Just my thoughts, everyone views things differently and that's okay!

---

Btw, I mentioned Toyhou.se because I've posted on both before, and while there are SOME similarities in the users' behavior, there's also some notable differences, too.

Common flight rising free art thread comment: [doesnt read text and adds dragon image] thanks if you draw.

Common Toyhou.se free art thread comment: [links a character, goes into a VERY in-depth explanation about how said character acts, very passionate too. Usually reads rules, too.] Thanks if you draw. (gotta stay consistent lol)

Obviously there are some differences in the sites which affect how the users act, I get that. One's a literal dragon collecting game and the other one's focused on writing and drawing characters, it's expected that one would read more than the other.

...But again, free art. Not paid, but free. Someone takes time out of their day to draw your dragon. Just give them a simple "thanks" and go on your merry way. That's all you gotta do. Lets them know their effort was appreciated, and shows that you're a nice person. Win-win.

Please man, just read. Did I mention that these threads usually have a maximum of 100 words? I don't usually type this much. But damn, this just irritated me so much.

Well, that's the end of this rant. Like I said, a few people are obviously going to disagree with some/maybe everything I've said, and that's life. This was a disorganized rant, and that's all it's going to be.

[topgunreacts]

Here's a hilariously self-centered comment for everyone to enjoy

I got this at the end of a chapter where I remind people that launching their amateur Kirkus Reviews career in the comments of a fanfiction without being asked is rude as fuck. (Not Top Gun. I made the author's note after a person reacted with utter scandal and dismay to ONE sentence referencing a protag sleeping with someone outside the pairing before they even met)

Highlights

"Hmm"

"Ffn encourages criticism so writers can improve" Girl WHAT. ~*~fanfiction dot com has a culture of criticism~*~ WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT. ITS CULTURE IS YAOI, BAD SEX, AND WORSE FORMATTING

The assumption that everyone is writing fanfiction "to improve" [in a way this person approves of, naturally]. Sorry, some people post things that are full of mistakes because they don't give a shit, and neither should you! Click that back button, babe!

"Maybe the people over at ffn are more the university grad type?" LASKDJFLASK girl PLEASE for the love of god give me some of what you're smoking. This is my favorite line. It is shirt-worthy

Big Cringe[tm] all around

"Your talk of hurt feelings strikes me as kinda immature" is this flirting

"HMM"

"It could be a difference in educational background and/or age" oh my goooood the Cringe. The condescension. The possibility that this wasn't even MEANT to be mean, but EARNEST, which is even more Cringe.

I'M the one being immature. The 20+ year fandom veteran informing people that critiquing fanworks without solicitation is and always has been rude as fuck. Not you, the oblivious, self-important grad student condescending to me because you think I ought to expect and desire [yours, naturally] criticism.

The implication that I am less educated than they are. I'm willing to bet the possibility I could be more educated did not even cross their mind.

The absolutely unsubtle classism dripping from every word

And while we're critiquing without asking, (and treating judgment of people's writing as the Default Reading Experience) I will point out the spelling of "caveat" as "creveate" despite the fact that this comment was edited at least once. Come onnnnnnn.

They didn't even criticize anything! Their single comment on this story before I replied, froze the thread as a monument to their sins, blocked them, and nailed their corpse to the wall, was THIS. They spent time saying THIS instead of literally anything else. An undesired opinion, responding to my post about not wanting undesired opinions.

Pitiful.

Literary critique is a skill. It is not a selection of negative observations written using big words. It is not a list of likes or dislikes. It is not suggestion itself. It is a skill, and a difficult one to develop at that. The fact that your English teachers always made you "peer edit" other students' essays does not make you a real critic. Go to the bars and calm the fuck down. Talk to a single human being who isn't also in your ENG 680 class.

[sangcreole]

HOW TO INTERACT WITH TUMBLR RP BLOGS

Hello friends! I've gotten quite a few non-rp blog followers on this account— thank you, and I'm flattered that you love Louis enough to follow me here! However!!! This is a ROLEPLAY blog, and as such, there is a slightly different etiquette code than regular tumblr fandom blogs.

Normally I just block folks who don't read my rules, but I figured I'd make this comprehensive post for archival reasons anyway. So! What are the do's and don'ts of tumblr RP etiquette?

DO: read our rules! Every rp blog has them! Mine are linked in my pinned post! You can also find them here! Rules are different for every single rp blog, so it's important to read them to understand what kind of interactions they're comfortable with

DON'T: REBLOG OUR WRITING!!!!! DO NOT REBLOG FROM RP BLOGS PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST, THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE.

The first reason this is considered rude is because roleplay writing is NOT for you. is it cool to read an rp blog's threads and cheer from the sidelines? absolutely! I LOVE getting little messages from people following along and commenting on what makes them excited! But rp is a contained writing format between two people, so taking someone else's writing and putting it on your blog is just....not good! it's not like reblogging fanfic! it feels more like stealing!

The second reason this is considered rude is because rp blogs on tumblr use the notes system to track our writing threads and other activity. when people reblog from us, it fucks up the note count (deadass some of y'all almost made me delete this fucking account when one of my amc salt posts got out and i had like 200 notes to wade through overnight. please don't do it).

There may be certain exceptions to this rule— for example, on my rules page, I state that I'm okay with folks reblogging my non-writing related content (aesthetic photos, musings, etc.). But for the most part...reblogs are kinda off-limits

DO: send in questions from headcanon/character building prompts! Basically, any question set that's meant to be answered out of character, referring to Louis rather than me writing as Louis. Here are some examples of what I mean: x, x, x

DON'T: send in in-character sentence starters meant for other rp blogs! Whats a sentence starter? Here are some examples! (x, x, x) Basically, any prompt that is meant to be sent in FROM ANOTHER RP BLOG, to be replied to in-character on my part. If you send me an anonymous message with a line of dialogue from a sentence starter, I can't do anything with that, because I don't know who my writing partner is supposed to be. These are for established character blogs only.

DO: send in random questions or comments! I do love interacting with y'all and I don't want you to be intimidated by all the rules I just laid out! If you have a question for Louis, please feel free to ask him and I'll reply in-character! If you have a question you want me to answer ooc, feel free to ask it! As long as you're respectful, it's all good!

[satashiiwrites]

AO3 Wrapped 2022

Tagged by multiple people for multiple things but I think @radio-chatter  was the one who tagged me for AO3 wrapped (sorry I’ve been…uh distracted, busy and sick which has not been a good combination for getting around to inboxes or replies). Thanks for tagging me everyone—it really does make me smile to see people thinking of me.

Okay. So.  Tagging whoever wants to play along?  @monsterrae1 @tkwritesdumbassassins @missanniewhimsy @outtoshatter @elisela @muffinsandsweets @quietborderline @bwtch or anyone else.  No pressure. 

Works Published: total or things that got a chapter yeeted this calendar year? I have 21 works that have had at least a chapter published in 2022.  My total number of works (as of December 22nd) is 46 on AO3.

Word Count: Sadly I don’t track this from year to year so I’m just going by my total word count on AO3 stats page: 1,277,012. Which wow.  I am wordy. I am vaguely remembering I was right around the million word mark last year but I might be hallucinating that from all the cold medication I’m on. 

Hits: Again I don’t track this (both for my sanity and the hit my vanity would take on the wide margin swings for my favorite pieces vs things that are just in big fandoms). According to the stats page my total hits is 131,627. 

Bookmarks: That I made or others made?  My total bookmarks (of fics I liked enough to add them to my personal collection) is 1,009.  The total number of times my works have been bookmarked by someone is 2,487.

Most Popular by Kudos: Shocking nobody, this is Family, Familia, ‘Ohana at 1,373.  Again I do not keep track of my stats other than posts like this one. 

Most Hits: Also Family, Familia, ‘Ohana at 38,202.  It’s in a popular fandom with  a popular pairing. *shrugs*.  

Longest: Well…. Does this have to have updated this year?  My longest work ever remains An Andromeda Tale at 673,530 words.  If we’re talking this year… it’s FFO at 120,488 words (it beats out the Outlaw and the Cartel Boss by 15k published words—even if I think my unpublished word count would make Outlaw overtake FFO)

Shortest: Ha.  For once this is both this year and ever.  Blackmail Material is 334 words. 

Most Comments: An Andromeda Tale and FFO are tied at 127 comment threads total each.  Again, I don’t really track my stats year by year but I would probably say that if we’re just talking this year it’s probably FFO as I haven’t updated AAT in over a year.  Just assume I am wearing a very ashamed face when I say that. 

Fic that made me cry: er… none of mine.  I have been known to shed a tear or two reading someone else’s angst fic but I try not to emotionally damage myself while writing—ie I take a break if I’m getting too worked up. If we’re talking tears of frustration over how something isn’t working…. Yeah…. Um…. We’re not going to talk about that. *whispers: ALL OF THEM*

Fic that made me smile: All of them and yet none of mine. Cackle—yes, of course when I put in a detail that I think is particularly devious.  Sighs of relief that I’m done?  Yes.  Smiling…. Maybe. 

Gifts: 3.  Death, Rebirth and the Jackal for @tkwritesdumbassassins, Searching for Absolution for @radio-chatter and @missanniewhimsy, and The Marks We Leave on One Another for @radio-chatter and @quietborderline

Collaborations: I’m not sure how to wholly define this… if we’re talking co-written with someone I’d say zero.  However, the usual RC Collective server is often where I go to work out a problem I’m having with plot points on various works.  @tkwritesdumbassassins has been a sounding board for Jackal which is why it’s gifted to them. @radio-chatter and @quietborderline are as always my MReyder peeps and I owe them thanks on most of those works for allowing me to rant/rave about things until I work out my problems. 

Events:  MReyder week and Marrish Appreciation Week. 

Coming in 2023:  finishing one of my longer works?  Adding at least a chapter to all the new WIPS I added because of Mreyder week. I really need to finish some wips in 2023.  I have also been vaguely toying with a complete re-write of AAT and chopping it up into more manageable chunks but that’s going to be a huge project…. So maybe I should just finish some of the smaller wips first.  Promise Me You Won’t Let Me has about 2-3 chapters left which are 1/2 written so it’s looking likely for the first part of the year.  Also want to get a big chunk of To Follow done.  First quarter 2023 should see at least one chapter of FFO and I want to finish Mana’olana by spring break. I’m also trying to get certain things on regular updating schedules: To Catch a Fallen Star (Sterek Stardust fic), Outlaw, Cousin Harvey and Jackal. 

[josiebelladonna]

well, that’s the last time i hand out advice on facebook (then again, why do i bother with that site anymore: spending another month away from there before i decide to fully delete, i guess).

to give some context: if you’ve seen my “private” journals on here, you’ve probably seen me talk about this one friend that is very tmi with pretty much everything, including her sex life. you’ve probably seen screen captures from her in my rage against Facebook post on here the other day: she’s the depressing one. a very “woe is me” type person, which is not at all how i remembered her from when i met her when she was a teenager: she was vivacious and really fun and sweet as teen. always made me laugh, too. so, not only to see her like that is incredibly jarring to me, but the fact that it’s every other post, it was starting to get to me. so, yesterday morning, i saw her being all mopey like “i pushed away another friend because of my silence”.

and i unleashed. from her ranting about her job, about friendships, about her sex life (she’s apparently vanilla and she feels ashamed of that, which was oddly comforting for me, and i said “there’s no shame in that”; i also said “it’s really as easy as talking to them”), about making everything about herself… basically, my whole entire point was “there’s a solution to every single one of your problems but why you aren’t doing them and why no one is saying it is beyond me”. i also basically added, “i’m sorry ahead of time if i sound harsh but it’s obvious to me that you’re making a cry for help.” i also told her to stop making excuses, too: really, someone will give decent advice and she’ll say some convoluted answer that makes no sense when it could actually be useful.

you know what she did? you know what she fucking did?

she got all up on her high horse and said “look, i call them my partner because they aren’t cis” (i said something about that, but she completely took it out of context. i said to stop calling them “partner” because it sounds antiquated and clinical and because it doesn’t sound right in junction with opening the conversation to them. even if they are trans, you can use whatever terminology you want, forget my hangup about that word for a second because what i said has nothing to do about me: i didn’t say all that because i knew for a damn fact she wasn’t going to get it).

she also replied something to my comment but i didn’t see it because i knew what it was, i could see it coming from space.

so, i basically said, “wow, gee, thanks. i try to give you advice because nobody is and you repay me with this?” i also added that i just didn’t know they weren’t cis (i really didn’t know, either, i had absolutely no clue they weren’t cis, like she literally never mentioned it one time. i’m as anti-terf as the next person but how was i supposed to know? i don’t know or even care about that person, anyway, but how in the world was i supposed to know?).

i was this close to saying “how dare you” because that was nerve, and the comments on that thread were even more nerve than that. but i don’t think that would have sufficed. instead, i said “what happened to you? i used to read your posts and find solace in them” because i know how to hit where it hurts. i also told her that she’s catty, condescending, and passive-aggressive, and i also added “sorry for trying to help you” so add “genuinely ungrateful” to that.

i also called her a liar: she quite literally lied to her employers about observing the sabbath on saturdays—i guess she converted to judaism at some point? i really have no clue: she’s one of those people who posts whatever pops into her mind, and facebook’s algorithm being what it is, and my not-really-using-facebook-anymore-other-than-to-check-in, it’s a tall order to keep track—and i said why didn’t you mention that because every major american employer is equal opportunity and they would understand completely. instead, she lied to them about it which, on its own, is against jewish beliefs (even i can tell you that), but i said that’s a ridiculously easy way to get fired, especially since—i don’t know, do they still do this?—employers would look at your online profiles to see how you behave and if you even have a presence. that’s just one lie i saw from her, too: i caught her lying a number of times from this week alone.

it’s so weird and depressing. it’s kind of heartbreaking, actually. and sometimes i wonder if being blunt is even worth it all because “someone’s feelings might get hurt”.

but this former sweet unproblematic 14-year-old kid with a good heart, a love for animals and books and music, a very sophisticated sense of humor, and with a spine, too (i remember she often stood up for herself) became this outright embittered, rude, patronizing, holier-than-thou, hateful, angry, habitually lying person- i don’t fucking know the gender and i’m literally too afraid to ask at this point because i swung a bat at a hornet’s nest just now. what’s worse is i’m seeing this so much lately, too: all everyone wants to do is coddle each other instead of actually being willing to pull up the ol’ bootstraps and pick yourself up to actually get better. even if it means having to be blunt. even if it means having to sound a little mean because that’s how i picked myself up off the floor in my lowest moments. it’s called “tough love” for a reason: it’s supposed to show you reality with the intention of helping you get back to reality. it’s meant to dig you out.

last thing i said was “if you want me to be mean, okay, i’ll be mean from now on” just to kind of stick it to the whole coddling thing. i try to be a good friend, i really do… if you ask me, the whole “babying” trend i’ve been seeing pretty much everywhere makes me wonder if i really am. first, it was the green druidess and her parade of bullshit; then, it was the incessant never-ending void of nonsense that are posts about ~mutuals~ ; and now this… it’s all dehumanizing, actually, this current generation of constant waiting on each other hand and foot to the point of having to walk on eggshells with each other because say one wrong thing and you can get cancelled. i don’t know what you guys are all thinking but it’s not healthy.

[lanshappycorner]

i was rlly hoping that id have coherent things to say over your akuta and akushio threads on twt but i fucken dont have anything except just incoherent screaming and keysmashes /pos running through my head everytime i reread them so im just settling on just to say, one? HANDSHAKING YOU AT MACH SPEEDS I ALSO WANT TO AKUTA BREAKDOWN IN FRONT OF DAY2 BC CMON!!!! (side b tls arent complete but ive been spoiled a bit) but god the amt of breaking points (which i all favorited on eitori as i read along the tls bc why not) i was SO sure wouldve shown akuta outwardly disheartened and then DIDNT happen was just, felt like a damn chekovs breakdown in this instance, just WAITING for the shoe to drop, (which it does seem to, eventually, and im waiting to get absolutely WRECKED once tls for that moment drop) i absolutely love the way you break down akutas incapability of showing vulnerability as a whole bc of this just. notion that if he "breaks character" he'll just. lose the ppl that he has in his life? im bad at verbalizing my thoughts but everything on ur thread just had me pointing like YES, YES EXACTLY!!! i think. like looking back a lot of ppl in the game comment "wow nothing rlly brings akuta down!!! im glad!!" and it just makes me want to hit a wall, i am so so SO sad that hes able to hide this so well??? or at least, just, in a way that ppl around him just go "oh he'll bounce back, this is good ol' akuta, i dont need to worry too much"???? and the specific mention of his um vocal tics? vocal quirks? makes me want to revisit said chapters where his voice does that bc its such an interesting thing that i did notice but cld again never articulate, and how he always leaves- no, rather he tries to get away from people once he gets dejected and loses that rasp in voice and, adopting This into the belief system, him being on the verge of crying (which is such a thought that breaks my damn heart so bad) i remember reading the tl for akutas novel and just feeling my heart absolutely Crumble at the way his thoughts were running once the whole jig was up with sayochan "as long as no one gets hurt, its whatever" and like WHAT ABOUT YOU!!! YOU GOT HURT FROM THIS!!! (and im so so so glad that day2 and the whole of HAMAhouse was angry on his behalf n went to cheer him up and just, good god kid you have ppl who love you they wont leave if you show some vulnerability i promise, fuck) this isnt short anymore i apologize, ,, (1/?)

HELLO ANON THANK U FOR THE ASK THIS MADE ME VERY HAPPY !!!!!!!🫶🫶🫶 I've been stewing over what to say so it took me a while to reply but . Yeah

ANYWAY SO if you have not yet read side B you are in for a ride ....some of the things he says about himself will have u screaming crying throwing up fr (spoilers i guess but one thing he straight up says is that he's (or rather, his existence is) a nuisance . so thats great <3) he made me audibly gasp in horror.......it probably hits different too because throughout the story he has kept his cool and insists that things don't bother him so when the dam breaks...ohhh...💀💀

(Also speaking of his voice I went back and replayed that chapter where he's in the theater dressed as a crab and you can kinda see that in his voice again😭 and also his usual coping mechanism happens when the mc suggests they wait a while longer for more ppl to show up and he just jokes that his butt hurts from sitting, but his laugh was really weak like he was completely trying to play it off😭 He also somewhat drops the usual raspiness in his voice when he starts to ramble right before the movie but it's not because he's sad but because he's genuinely excited to talk which makes me so 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺)

BUT SAME THOUGH . HIS NOVEL MADE ME FROWN SO HARD.....he downplays a lot of his own emotions in favor of other people's feelings and he doesn't express his own anger....I'm so glad the ppl in HAMA House are there to support him😭 I hope one day he learns he can be more vulnerable with them because they all care for him and would never abandon him😭😭)

as for the Akushio thread!! I have to agree that their appearances do betray how you'd expect them to be, as with a lot of day2 tbh !! Like a lot of their 1st impressions don't line up with how they actually are/think (i would talk abt it but if I did we'd be here all day so that's for another time💀)

I can't say for sure but I feel like u might be onto smth abt Akuta twisting a lot of stuff ppl say into compliments. Like as long as it's not straight up an insult, he can appreciate that ppl r taking time to talk to him I think

(I agree I hope he gets to talk to taichi although that might be because I'm biased as a taichi akuta oshi)

OOO OKAY so I think that if Ushio ever confessed I think. I think it would break Akuta's brain for a second😭 probably because it's Ushio of all people like rly??? USHIO?? but also he might find himself doubting it for a moment he might think that it was a joke but also he knows Ushio wouldn't joke about that ....so he might have to take some time to himself to think abt this, and he might need Ushio to like. Talk to him in depth abt how he feels abt him😭 (speaking of which I've kinda had an idea similar to an akushio confession but not rly ?? bouncing around in my head for a while now so mayhaps I will draw that sometime...)

NO YEAH IM OBSESSED....Akuta going to Ushio for affection is so cute (although I'm pretty sure he goes in expecting that Ushio would not agree💀) ....I hope one day Akuta goes to Ushio for affection again and Ushio actually does it and this freaks Akuta out so bad he gets really red and nosebleeds or smth idk

Anyway to answer the last part of ur ask, don't worry this isn't imposing or anything I love talking abt my blorbos<3 there's very few ppl who like this ship and stuff anyway so I rly appreciate it, ty for the nice ask anon!🫶🫶

[moa-broke-me]

#reblog#pjo tv crit#im mostly replying to tags here nobody mind me

#re: prev tags - there's a bunch of stuff from TSATS that's also blatantly from tumblr posts lmao#the subway scene is literally almost word for word a tumblr post iirc#in the comments of that one college humor comic i think

#i distinctly remember a thread on it and reading TSATS and going ''thats word-for-word a tumblr post. i know it. i've read that post.''#which makes a lot of sense when you consider how just. absolutely out of place that scene feels with the rest of the book#like the book is a mess but that scene in particular is just. oh they literally just ripped it straight from tumblr. thats why its weird.

#photokinesis Will has obviously been popular fanon since 2015 and same with plague Will#even some TOA stuff is blatantly old fanon or tumblr posts. *especially* solangelo stuff#im surprised they didnt go full 2015 fanon and give him a lasso/whip made of light instead of the weird laser beam thing

#and Piper's cameo in TSATS is just not even subtly a checklist of Rick directly responding to criticism he's gotten about her character#plus that whole scene of Nico basically being outed a second time/''coming out'' to CHB that has the random list of other queer campers#but it's LITERALLY a list. just throwing names out there. like cool. zero effort. and im pretty sure also specifically common fanon ones

#anyways everybody place your bets when is somebody gonna throw an apple to their significant other/crush#fun fact - yknow the skeleton pegasus merch from the Tower of Nero book tour? yeah thats 100% ripped from fanon#thats been a fanon thing for ages before ToN. in fact i have a nearly identical design on redbubble that was up for years prior#and i know for a fact that shirt design was one of the first results for ''chb shirt'' on redbubble for ages#im not saying they ripped it off from me cause i know im not the first person to think of that but it is suspicious

#the weirdest part of it all to me is Rick is clearly like 5-10 years behind on fanon. so every time a fanon/fandom ref is included#it just feels dated and awkward. like yeah nobody has referenced that in ages. but now it's canon but fanon isn't supposed to be canon#it's often super incongruent. such as Will being retconned into TTC for TSATS because?????? fanon. fanon is why.#like he physically cannot be at chb in TTC without ruining an entire chain of stuff. there is no logical way he can exist there.#which is why he doesn't in canon! he's introduced in TLO! he can exist no earlier than BoTL!

#fanon doesnt have to follow canon logic. but that just makes it REALLY bad when it's blatantly canonized with no regard for consistency#which is why i think TSATS feels so much like a 2015 fanfic. cause it's just blatantly all 2015 fanon that isnt congruent with canon at all#anyways sorry for the tag rant thank you for coming to my tedtalk

These were too good to stay in the tags

Fun fact, I recognize most semi major plot point changes in the Percy Jackson series from Tumblr posts 

The Calling Kronos grandpa thing was a Tumblr post way way way way before the show is even talked about releasing

I don’t know why but it feels weird knowing that everyone is praising Rick for something he didn’t do

[warriorsparked]

Slam dunks my URL in here like it’s basketball hoop

SEND ME YOUR URL AND I’LL TELL YOU

My Opinion on;

Character in general: I love Treppy. He is an evil bastard. I think it's a shame there wasn't more of him in the comics, but what we did see, I very much liked. I like a good, evil villain, altho mod always does like to remind me that he was just doing his job, so... I can't blame him entirely. Or so Treppy thinks. XD

(@seacrestseacon as well since you asked for that URL as well). I love Seacrest, he's hilarious and energetic, and honestly, I just feel like he's ADHD in a nutshell lol. I haven't quite been able to wrap my head around all of the other crew members yet, except Blacktip, but I am slowly learning! And I do love getting to interact with a whole crew, which also makes me appreciate the time you've put into this crew and your OC's, and you've developed a whole world around them. I really like that dedication. They feel like real characters that could easily be placed in the TF universe at any given point.

How they play them: Spectacularly! Absolutely love their portrayal of Trepan. This is one of those situations where it's a very underappreciated character in a series, one of those side characters that we don't really get to know a whole lot about, but with the use of our imaginations and lovely headcanons, you get to flesh these side characters out to your hearts content, and that is exactly what the mod does. And they do a fantastic job at it. I've never had so much joy with the character, let alone seen Trepan so fleshed out. A+

(Your squaddies are OCs, so I can't comment on how you write them because they're your OC's and you write them how you want them to be, and they're great the way they are).

The Mun: Is a riot. I'm convinced they're a gremlin that lurks in the back of my mind some days XD Honestly, though, the mod is lovely and always a joy to chat with. I can't say how much I laugh when I read your replies, just the way you write is so expressive and humerous, and I love it so much. Those little inner monologues? The breaking the third wall thing? Every thread is a delight and amuses me, and it's in turn made me able to expand my own writing techniques with those ways as well. It's something so unique in RP and it's definitely something I'll never forget.

Do I:

RP with them: Yep! Across multiple blogs. Want to RP with them: Absolutely.

What is my;

Overall Opinion: Just a joy to write with. Like I said, it's always amusing getting to read your replies and getting to chat OOC. It's also really nice to have someone else in my own time zone as well lol, because that's a royal pain in the arse knowing everyone else is asleep while we're just getting home from work or something. So I definitely appreciate that. But yes, if you're not following or interacting with this mod, you should be, because they're a riot to have on the dash and the replies always have me smirking behind my screen XD

[xsadcorebenji]

had a good day,

attended some events and people appreciated my energy and presence (always from my perspective, but i like to believe i actually can read people well)

was worried i was going to miss my daily haiku, everything was just running later than i hoped

but feel accomplished i finally organized my comics collection to sell off.

just one less thing to worry about.

when i finally got home from everything today, i realized i missed all my medication today.

found it strange that,

i didn’t even notice and my only thought on realization was

i just need to start again tomorrow,

was grateful at my ability to function regardless,

didn’t feel much different;

decided to skip exercise today because was sick the past few days either way

just was happy that i didn’t break down as i observe others when they miss a day of medication, the anxiety people express.

especially considering my dosage.

thought a lot about how people have been wanting me medicated to fit into the confines of their point of view (all those years)

just focused a lot on the situation around me and I don’t know I think I developed some good thinking patterns like,

today i was at a store I usually frequent and one of the people I consider myself acquainted with, didn’t greet me; and one point I said as they were passing “how’s it going?”

they didn’t reply and a past version of me would’ve interpreted this interaction as “are they mad at me?” “did i do something wrong?”

but my brain just filled in the blanks, things like

“well they were doing stuff, so they were probably preoccupied and didn’t hear me,” or “they’re busy,” and also “it’s been awhile since you two spoke at length so probably feel just as awkward about it as you do”

there were multiple instances of this today,

and also various traps that i would’ve been a lot more reactive too in the past, like my YouTube algorithms pointed me to these stupid “alpha male” videos and i had to click on this one specifically because the person was using Kratos from God of War as like his avatar i suppose, either way i knew it was going to be the dumbest thing ever

absolutely worse than I expected and a bunch of nimrods in the comments section talking about “high value male” yada yada

and just as i was about to extend so much energy arguing with strangers on a YouTube comments thread, decided not to, because there is no one more far gone than the radicalized MRA.

(although if they even had to process the thought of positing them in the same group as i posit “radfems” then possibly they’d develop the self-awareness to not just think in self-indulgent logical traps, but my bar for the concept that they have the cognizant ability to hold any awareness is so painfully minuscule)

(like the video already started off with the dumbest premise, couldn’t even pass this part, it started with ‘men and women simply cannot be friends’ talking about “testosterone” and “sexual tension” and i couldn’t imagine living like that,

like what, you’re saying if you went to get a soda from a store and the person at the register, if they’re a woman and you’re a man, there’s de facto sexual tension there? doesn’t even make any fucking sense. do you not socialize with women coworkers? or is the sexual tension THAT strong in every situation. Fucking Christ alive. What a miserable way to live,

like goddamn i’m happy i live with the thought patterns that say, “cool I can buy a snickers from this fucking store,” “wow o wow, golly gee, i bought me a snickers, can’t wait to eat this Fucking snickers” god i’m very much referencing this moment in time i lived with a PUA, and we were watching DCAU movies, i think that Batman Animatrix shit, and we shared a Domino’s Pizza i ordered, didn’t know what anchovies tasted like so that was the night i tried for the first time, and like we were gonna watch another movie so gluttonous me had a hankering for a half pint of ice cream, shit i did in college days, so we were gonna go to Safeway at like 10:30 at night for fucking ice cream, dude goes on about something about a “little black book,” asked about it, because painfully curious at all times.

dude explains Pick Up artist bullshit, never delved in that so kept asking and learning and i remember saying “you really think you’re going to meet anyone at a Safeway at 10:30? and they’d want to talk to anyone?” dude replies “you never know”

never know what? people who go shopping at night probably want to be left the fuck alone? kinda obvious tbh.

digressing but point is i didn’t post shit in a YouTube comment thread

not worth my energy).

bought some booster packs and was disappointed with pulls but my brain automatically tried to highlight the bright spots in the disappointments.

and not to say everything was peachy keen just saying

for someone who didn’t take their meds today, everything was fine,

and there’s always a lingering sadness, i just lived a pretty hard life. and there’s so many thoughts where i think passively “i wish i weren’t alive to feel this pain”

but just passing thoughts and nothing i anchored to my harbor, just ships passing along the shore in the end

generally happy and proud about how i was able to live and do things on a day i forgot to take my meds.

[weebsinstash]

God so actually to try and get my mind off of things, another idea I had for Rich Yandere Douchebag who maybe for convenience i will call Elliot from now on? I like to go back and forth with setting and tone between him secretly being nobility or him just being a rich but powerful guy, and I think Reader would be so absolutely fucked if he was a tech-based CEO. You think he's in his office trading stocks or whatever the fuck it is he does but he's just watching security cameras of you. There are times when he's not even at home and he's in his corporate office and he can just, pull out his phone and access that security feed, making sure his little bunny is safe and sound

I can only imagine if uh, if Reader had issues similar to mine, where you spend way too much time on your phone, not just playing games or anything, but willingly torturing yourself by, say, exposing yourself to the constant negative news cycle, engaging with politics talk in the comments section, arguing with trolls and stressing yourself out. You're beefing with some conservative in a comments section and suddenly??? The app crashes??? And won't open again??? Which is weird because Elliot gave you this phone so it should work perfectly? And the app refuses to open until later that day and by that time you've calmed down and was able to move on to something else

I can only IMAGINE if Reader began getting harassed or pressured into a conversation or stayed in a conversation that was extremely uncomfortable (you know like uh what I did the other day 💀) and Elliot is just watching from his end FREAKING OUT like WHAT ARE YOU DOING STOP or if this complete stranger began to be sexual with you and you won't stand your ground. He'll shut off your phone remotely if he has to. It's to protect you. He loves you but you're a little silly and let your emotions get too caught up in your head sometimes. He's helping you because he knows what's best for you, obviously :)

I can only imagine it coming to a head when he begins to not only disapprove of your constantly online habits, but also becoming dangerously possessive of you and jealous of anyone you interacted with. Oh, so he's your BOYFRIEND but you're posting things to your "secret" blog that he doesn't even know about? Can you EVEN IMAGINE if he goes to spy on you and your newest blog post is a thread with your followers about how you're wondering if you should break up with him and every single reply is basically going "holy fuck do you really not see all these red flags, throw the whole man away"

You're just minding your business at his home, and you're so upset you're shaking as you furiously type out a reply to someone who said the most ignorant pathetic shit you've ever read, and Elliot suddenly barges in, storms up to you, and snatches your phone right out of your hand as he begins to scold you. Why are you doing this to yourself? These people and their problems don't matter! Why are you watching videos about problems in other countries that don't affect you? Who cares what that politician said about 'women shouldn't have rights'? Who cares if an online personality you like is being bullied for a stupid reason? Why do you care about anything that doesn't directly involve you or him?

And like he vaguely has a point but he says it in such a douchebag "other people are insignificant, you Aren't Like Them, the things you care about are stupid" kind of way that you just. He can see the instant offense in your expression the moment he starts speaking, the anger, and you just blow up on him, just listing things off about him, pointing out that of course he doesn't care, he barely has empathy for other people at all, he thinks he's so much better than everyone because of his success and money, he probably funds some of the politicians who are literally ruining people's lives because they then pass laws that benefit him personally and financially, and as if he isn't infuriated by your rebellion enough, you hit him with: "I don't even want to be with you anymore, you fucking stuck-up asshole!"

Elliot instantly smashes your phone into the marble floor, expression like stone as you begin to try and back away from him, eyes flitting to the door, like you're about to try and run away from him. And he's having none of it, blocking the path out into the hallway, trapping you as you begin to shake and cry because oh my god is he going to kill you???

And he takes your reaction and your tears and your fear as just a sign that you're just too stressed out, that these vermin are ruining you. His poor lovely partner is just having a rough time and it's got you so constantly on edge that you're even acting out on him, and he KNOWS you love him! you're just finding too many bad influences, too many bad actors trying to manipulate you, he's afraid. Well that all stops now. You already live in his house, so it isn't hard at all for him to keep you there, is it? Can't have you running off to get into any more trouble, to buy another phone, to hang out with those awful plebian "friends" of yours who are telling you to leave him.

He's going to get you all better, he promises. You just need some time to unplug and be with him. Only him. Constantly, only with him. After all, he should be spending lots of time with his future spouse, after all 🥰 all you need to do is spend some time with him and you'll forget all about everything else...

[erodasfishtacos]

could u please do like a harry x youtuber/influencer!reader and like lots of fluff🥺

Hi bubbie! Here you go :)))

Word Count: 4k

Warnings: Language

Harry was panicking. His mum and sister were going to be here in less than two hours and he’s burnt the eggplant parmigiana he had worked tediously on. 

He grabbed what he had left in his fridge - ground beef, shredded cheddar cheese, and a little bit of bacon. 

It was the type of foods he usually strayed away from so sometimes when his shopper would bring this stuff home - he’d avoid it and admittedly sometimes it would go bad sitting in the fridge.

The singer pulls up YouTube onto his phone - hoping something would come up when he typed in the ingredients on the search bar.

He clicks on the first video by cookingwithnofucks. A chuckle at the name as an advertisement plays.

A cute, bubbly girl appears on screen in a beautiful modern kitchen. She has a shirt on that says ‘fuck the patriarchy and eat pizza’. A high ponytail and minimal makeup.

“Okay - today we’re making a cheeseburger casserole,” the girl chirps, “It’s a heart attack in a dish but it’s so fucking good.”

Harry finds himself smiling as he crinkles his nose - it sounds absolutely disgusting but he’s intrigued more by the girl on the screen.

“Shit, I forgot to introduce myself. Hiii, if you’re new - I’m Y/N and I do cooking shit. Subscribe to my channel and all that jazz,” she titters while cutting open her beef package.

Harry follows along step-by-step, shaking his head as she doesn’t describe the instructions nearly well enough and is generally all over the place.

It’s a fucking cooking channel and at one point the meat starts burning. She just laughs and says, “s’just a little crispy!” 

The casserole turns out looking even better than Y/N’s to be honest. It’s done in just the right amount of time for him to shower before his family arrives.

He makes sure to subscribe to her channel - eyebrows raising when he sees that she has 16 million subscribers.

Harry wanted to spend longer, looking at her social media but there was a fixed time so he locked his phone and went to get ready.

**

Anne - always the sweetheart just tells Harry that the casserole is delicious even as a bit of grease runs down her fork from the fatty meats.

Gemma wasn’t as kind, grimacing at the casserole and remarking, “You truly are turning into an American, huh?”

**

Laying in bed that night, Harry swipes back onto YouTube. Going back to the page he just subscribed to - under a pseudonym. He clicks on another video.

“Uh, okay. So I’m cooking...fuck, it’s called unicorn bark. It looks like a magical animal puke but it looks delicious so we’re going to try it.”

Harry realizes he’s been watching this girl cook for nearly an hour. Different videos from desserts to dinners.

She curses like a sailor, fucks up almost every recipe, and makes a mess everywhere. But she’s smiling and talkative which makes him quite memorized by her.

**

“I hate editing,” Y/N groans, letting her head fall dramatically against the desktop. Her best friend and dog looked at her oddly.

“I keep saying you need to hire someone, you stubborn bitch,” Laney retorts, clicking through her Instagram feed.

“Fuck off,” she tells her friend with no real heat. The video was almost fully edited - how to make spicy as fuck jalapeño poppers.

There is a calm silence for a while until Laney gasps, “Holy shit.”

“What is it?” Y/N asks, not really caring as she clicks her mouse to trim a segment.

“Harry fucking Styles just followed you on Instagram and Twitter!” Laney shouts, her dog - Rufus popping his head up in confusion.

Y/N looks at her friend to see if she’s really serious and sees no signs of deception. “Oh my god,” Y/N replies. She loved Harry Styles in One Direction and as a solo artist - a fangirl if you will.

Y/N was a well-known influencer and has run in the circles of many celebrities. She’s even met Liam Payne but she’s never been able to bump into Harry.

Her alerts tell her it to be true, she swallows as she looks back up at Laney, “He dm’ed me.”

“Open it! What did he say?” She squeals, squeezing herself on the chair next to her, peering over her shoulder at the phone.

Y/N is a bit nervous, trying not to have a mini aneurysm as she opens the message thread.

HarryStyles: Hello. Just wanted to let you know that your cheeseburger casserole recipe saved my ass last night. Cheers x

“He’s totally coming onto you,” Her friend states instantly, bouncing excitedly - she also had a bit of a crush on the singer.

It takes the two of them a minute to cool their shit before Y/N manages a reply.

Y/N/LN: Well I guess it’s only fair. Your songs have made a few of my nights much better. I’m a bit of a slut for Fine Line.

Harry laughs behind his screen at the cheeky reply he gets back. He’s usually never this forward - especially on social media where he likes to fly under the radar.

HarryStyles: Well if you fancy my music that much, I totally love for you to come to a show. I’m performing in New York City in two weeks.

“This has to be a joke, right?” Y/N sputters to her friend, eyes wide at the invite to a concert she already had tickets to.

Y/N/LN: I’m not going to lie, I already have tickets to the show. However, I don’t have any backstage passes to meet the man of the hour. Do you know someone who can hook me up?

It does wonders for Harry’s narcissism to know that she already had tickets for his concert. Was he really going to do this? He hasn’t met up with some like this since his One Direction days.

He had to remind himself - she may just be friendly and take this as a totally casual interaction. Which would be normal, Harry really shouldn’t be so infatuated with someone he’s watched cook on social media.

HarryStyles: I think I can arrange that. Shoot me your number? I’ll have them sent digitally to you with instructions on how to get backstage.

Y/N is a bit dumbfounded at how fast they agreed to meet up. A harmless backstage tour - he could just be a fan of hers and totally not interested, right?

**

Over the next few weeks, they never really stop texting. Harry sends her pictures of the recipes he copies off her channel - that usually always look better than the original. He sends her clips of him goofing around during tour rehearsal. FaceTimes her when he’s finally home for the night.  

She sends him videos of her watching Harry Styles Best Moment Part Five. A few photos she snaps throughout the city of him on billboards and buildings, in Times Square. YN facetimes him when she’s frustrated with filming or watched a sad movie.

It didn’t make sense to either of them how seamlessly they’d clicked - especially without meeting. They were a perfect balance for each other. Harry - laidback, organized, level-headed. Y/N - eccentric, all over the place, adventurous. 

Jeff had told him that he’s been gaining media attention from his social media interactions with Y/N. They like each other’s photos, begin following each other’s friends, and comment goofy things on their posts.

“Listen, I have a great idea,” Y/N begins - which Harry learned is never good. “You should film a video with me sometime.”

Y/N knew she was going out on a limb and instantly regretted the questions she’d been building the courage to ask for days when it’s quiet on his end. There’s static for a moment and Y/N needs to fill the silence.

“It was - I was just, uh, I know you’re probably too busy. I was -“ She stutters, embarrassment flooding her.

Harry cuts her off, “I’d love to.”

“Yo-you would?” She asks timidly. Was she really going to have Harry Styles in her apartment? If so, should she take down her poster?

He laughs sweetly, “Why do you sound so surprised? I can’t wait to come to New York, love.”

Y/N giggles, “Not the fact that you’re performing in front of a sold out crowd at MSG? I don’t think seeing me will top that.”

“I’ve been looking forward to meetin’ you in person since I came across your channel. You so lovely,” Harry replies, his voice a little softer but more serious.

“I’m nervous,” Y/N admits, picking at a thread in her jeans.

“Me too,” Harry murmurs, despite not wanting to admit it - he wanted her to know this was new territory for both of them. He didn’t want her to think that this was something that he did often. But a little too prideful to admit it’s the first time he’s ever done something quite like this.

“What if you don’t like me?” Y/N whispers, she...well she didn’t compare to the models he’s been seen with before. She’s regretfully fell into the rabbit hole of looking up his past flings and relationships.

Harry barks out a disbelieving laugh, “You can’t be serious, darling. I’ve been gone for you since I saw you burn that ground beef.”

**

Harry was having a bad day - scratch that. An awful one. He tried to go get coffee at eight in the morning and got bombarded by fans, he left the shop without even ordering. They followed him back to his car and it took him fifteen minutes to pull out.

His favorite Mickey Mouse Gucci suitcase he was bringing along on tour had busted. The zipper unraveling and the trim falling off as a result. It was a one-of-a-kind.

Then he’d been stuck on a Skype meeting about tour merchandise with a group of business partners for the last three hours - all he wanted was a fucking nap.

When Y/N’s contact vibrated across his screen, he’s itching to answer but declines as he needs to give these people his attention.

When she calls again, Harry feels a prickle of annoyance. It’s not even at her - to be quite honest. It’s just the shitty day and everything’s piling up.

He always got like this before he kicked off a tour - stress level maxed out and his ability to handle minor incidents nearly shot.

I’m busy

Okay! Sorry, just have a super exciting surprise for you, bub! 

I really do not feeling like talking. I’d rather be left alone.

Oh, alright. Hope everything’s okay! Do you still want to facetime later?

Harry leaves her on read because he doesn’t want to slip up and take out his frustration on her. He’d been known to do that and he didn’t want her to think he was anything but besotted with her.

**

Y/N feels a little hesitant as she begins the uploading process to her channel. The red loading bar told her it’d be twenty-minutes before it’s going to be posted to her 16 million subscribers - one of them being Harry himself. 

Twenty-minutes for her to back out and cancel the upload. She starts having doubts about it when Harry never replies to her text which is unlike him. 

She takes Rufus out to avoid staring at the loading screen with unnecessary anxiety and uneasiness.

**

Harry is just getting home from a business dinner with the touring company’s management team. The tension and anxiety from today piling up on his shoulders and he just wants to call Y/N and crash in bed. 

He tosses his keys in the little bowl in the entry and kicks off his dingy white vans to the side. His phone dings with an alert from Gemma.

You two are the literal cutest ever. It’s quite gross.

Harry slides onto a stool in his kitchen, confused by the text message before she’s sending the link to him.

Fine Line Inspired Cupcakes!

Harry isn’t quite sure why his heart starts pounding furiously in his chest. A sinking feeling in his stomach when he realizes that this was probably the surprise she was excited about.

He clicks on the thumbnail.

“Hiiii, it’s Y/N. Okay, well today we are going to bake some Fine Line inspired cupcakes. And if you haven’t listened to the album - get your ass out from rock you’re living under and stream it on Spotify!”

She has her hair down in long, waves and a loose cropped shirt that says TPWK in rainbow embroidery.

Harrys mouth is dry and he can’t take his fucking eyes away from the screen. 

“Soo, I was thinking the first batch would be cherry flavored? ‘Cause he has a song titled ‘Cherry’. Let’s start there. First - I need to find my measuring cups.”

In true Y/N fashion, she scours her kitchen - cussing and yanking stuff out of her neatly organized cabinets before huffing and storming off to the side.

She comes back into view, a little frazzled but smiling when she holds up the ring of plastic measuring spoons, visible bite marks notched into the material.

“My asshole of a dog had a little snack,” Y/N shows the camera before shrugging, “Let’s get this shit started. Okay, you’re going to need one cup of sugar - no wait, two? I can’t read my fucking handwriting.”

Harry’s absolutely enamored by this scatter-brained, giggly girl who manages to produce cute blue and pink cupcakes that very vaguely resembled his album cover. His heart felt a million times too big for his chest.

He was enraptured for the entirety of the thirty minute video without taking his eyes away once.

To be honest, he hadn’t felt this way since his last relationship which was over a year ago at this point.

It’s not even a thought as he’s requesting a FaceTime with Y/N. 

She answers after a few rings. She has a green face mask painted on her nose, chin, and forehead with gold eye masks under each eye. She is so fucking ridiculous it’s not even funny. 

What is even more ridiculous is how gone Harry is realizing he is for her. She was quirky, unfiltered, carefree. If he was honest - he hadn’t met a girl like that in a very long time - especially a well-known influencer.

“Hi! How was your day, grumpy?” Y/N asks brightly, making a goofy face as the mask begins to tighten and crack on her skin. Not holding the earlier conversation against him and deciding to just move forward. She understood how stressful it can be.

“M’sorry. I was a bit grumpy,” He admits, “I loved your new video, darling. Did you make those just f’me?”

He can tell she’d be blushing if her face wasn’t covered, a bit bashful as she mutters, “You already know I did it for you.”

“You’re too sweet to me, only six days until we meet,” Harry replies, voice taking on a slow, lazy drawl. 

“Six days,” Y/N repeats, eyes crinkling as she smiles with excitement.

**

“Is this outfit too much?” Y/N panics. Even though there’s literally nothing she can do about it - they’re already walking towards the backstage entrance of the massive arena. It’s still about two hours until the show starts but Harry requested her to come earlier.

Laney sighs, “For the millionth time, you look fucking sexy and Harry’s going to want to rail you right when he sees you.”

Y/N shoves her lightly with a faux annoyance as they meet up with a burly man who’s blocking the entrance to the backstage hallway and rooms.

She gives him their names and pulls up the passes on her phone before he’s nodding with any expression and letting them pass.

They’re not quite sure where to go from here so they begin to wander down the long hallway toward what looks to be the main area that people are milling about.

Y/N is nearly on the ground when someone rounds the corner without looking and walks right into her. Both of them let out huffs of air as they collide and attempt to stabilize themselves.

But there are large hands grasping her arms and holding her steady. In typical Y/N fashion she’s already cursing, “fuckin like a brick wall, look out next time.”

Then she’s looking up to Harry staring back down at her with an amused expression. He doesn’t let go of her and instead tugs her against his bare chest. He’s warm and a bit sweaty - like he’d just worked out. He was only in a pair of thin, running shorts, nike tennis shoes, and a little clip holding his hair off of his face.

Y/N can’t help but wrap her arms around his waist, returning the embrace and amazed by how right it feels to be in his arms. Her face tucks right against his collarbone and it’s like they’d known each other for years.

Pictures and videos don’t do this man justice. He’s gorgeous - sharp edges and dark inked skin. Tall and muscular but dimples that are carved in his cheeks. 

“Nice to meet you, m’Harry,” Harry rumbles, removing one hand from Y/N’s shoulder to reach out his hand to her friend.

Laney shakes his hand before asking, “Laney. I’ll leave you two lovebirds be. Where’s the food?”

Harry chuckles against Y/N’s wavy hair, “Down the hall to the left.”

Laney’s trailing off without another glance, she was very food motivated despite her skinny frame. Also not wanting to intrude of the very personal first moments of their meeting.

The popstar pulls back to look down at the girl he’s fallen for in mere weeks. She’s as beautiful as he thought she'd be - if not more. He can’t help himself, “Would it be too forward to kiss you?”

Y/N smiles widely, running a hand along his jawline, “I’ve wanted you to kiss me since you stayed up on FaceTime with me until two in the morning as I cried after watching The Notebook - despite me seeing it a million times.”

Harry ducks forward to press his lips softly to her, large hands come to cup the side of her face as they connect. He’s so gentle as he moves his mouth against hers. In true Y/N fashion, she’s bold and has no hesitation slipping her tongue into his mouth.

He’s so fucking in love with her. It doesn’t make much sense - it’s definitely not logical but he’s realizing that’s okay.

“Oii, get a room!” Someone shouts from down the hallway teasingly.

Harry flips them the middle finger and pulls back, pink lips swollen and puffy, dimples on full display, “Let me take you out to dinner after the show, darling.”

“You going to wine and dine me, Styles?” Y/N giggles, unable to contain the pleasant warmness he’s spreading through her body. 

“Mmm, have t’make sure you’ll want to keep me,” Harry murmurs happily against her lips once again, pressing kiss after kiss to her to make sure she’s real, “Definitely want to keep you.”

Y/N bites teasingly at his bottom lip, hand planted on the soft but firm skin of his stomach, “You’re never getting rid of me, hope you know that.”

“Was hoping you’d say that, now let me introduce you to my band.”

                                  -- ---- ---- -- 1 year later - -- --- --- --

“Hi bitches! Today is a super special day. We have the one, the only Harry Styles filming with us. I know that’s not really that special since he’s on here all the time with me. But we’re celebrating our one year anniversary!” Y/N smiles, bumping hips with Harry who stands dutifully next to her. 

Anyone viewing can see the absolute heart-eyes and adoration he has for the girl standing next to him. He’s still as lovestruck and gone for her as he was the first time they met. Harry’s fans were thrilled - for the first time in years, he’d opened up again.

They weren’t very public on social media beside’s tagging each other in memes and posting the occasional picture. Y/N was constantly uploading cooking videos from wherever in the world she was with Harry on his tour, she’d also begin making vlogs about different foods she’s been experiencing.

---

“Okay, so here in Peru - they’re known to have this really fucking spicy beef with noddles. So obviously, I’m going to make Harry try it first,” Y/N laughs as she props the camera up on the side of the table on a napkin holder.

Harry - who has a concert in a few hours - frowns at the steaming dish in front of him, “Darling, I don’t want to try it first. It’s going to burn my mouth. Not gonna be able to sing.”

“You’re sucha baby sometimes,” Y/N rolls her eyes, slurping up the noodles with her fork while making a silly face at her boyfriend. She pulls back, straight-faced, “It’s not hot at all. Tastes amazing, though.”

Harry takes that as an initiative to shovel a spoonful into his mouth. It only takes half a moment until his taste buds erupt in fiery flames from the spices, “You bloody little brat, y’tricked me! It’s so fuckin’ hot!”

Y/N smiles widely, laughing much too loudly in the restaurant when Harry chugs the glass of water next to the plate while glaring at his love. “I’m sorry, s’just to easy with you, lovie,” She replies, leaning over the table to press a kiss to his lips. 

He’s a sucker for her and kisses her right back despite his mouth being an inferno. His heart was on fire for her and that burned much more intensely.

---

“No, love. The instructions say baking soda, not baking powder. They’re not the same thing,” Harry sighs, attempting to read her scribbled, sloppy handwriting. She’d already spilled milk on half of the paper.

“S’interchangeable, right?” Y/N hums, cracking an egg into the bowl and Harry automatically knows to look to fish out the eggshells that’d she’d let slip in because she sucks at cracking eggs but always wants to do it.

Harry reaches over her, grabbing the vanilla extract and a teaspoon, “It’s not, baby. Lemme do this real quick.”

“Will you make me a grilled cheese after this?” She asks, nuzzling into his side and wrapping her arms around his waist as he finishes adding the wet ingredients to their bowl. Harry stopped questioning her thought process a long time ago.

Harry swipes his finger into the mixture of icing off to the side and rubs it right onto her nose, cackling at her pout and squeaking when she pinches at the fleshy skin of his hips. She in turn dips her finger into the sugary cream and pops it right into her mouth.

Harry eyes darken, watching her lips purse as she sucks off the icing. It was a dirty move on Y/N’s part and she knows it. It has her boyfriend dragging an icing-covered thumb along her collarbone before leaning down to slowly lick up the sugary trail with his tongue.

When Y/N slides her fingers into his hair and lets out a pretty moan, Harry’s standing back up, trailing over to the tripod and saying into the camera, “We’ll be back after a little commercial break,” and is then turning off the record button.

It takes little to no time for Harry to have Y/N’s bum on the countertop, mouth on her neck, and hand in-between her thighs.

And when they finally posted a very edited final cut of the video - well there may be a couple of fans who notice the how flushed Y/N is halfway through and a lovely purple mark on Harry’s neck that wasn’t there in the beginning of the video.

[bomberqueen17]

well well well

So I was away a week and a half, and came back to work yesterday, and nobody’s masking anymore. I kept my mask on, mostly because I’ve been occasionally short of breath and I am absolutely paranoid that I’ve somehow magically had the plague and never known it. Masking just seems smart, to me. a coworker was absent, for unspecified reasons. I thought little of it, and kept my mask on and kept to myself.

7pm, the store manager texts that absent coworker has just tested positive for COVID. 

WEIRD, how the pandemic isn’t over and wearing a mask remains KIND OF A GOOD IDEA! Argh.  Anyway, everyone else is scrambling to get tests but like. I’m not going to fret, unless other people start testing positive. Absent Coworker works with everyone, so they’re all surely exposed. But there’s nothing else to say about that, really. Guess I’ll wear my KF94 masks to work the rest of the week...

below is mostly, a record of my mild annoyance and a reminder about what i was so worked up about, over the weekend, with my weird entitled commenter issue.

the commenter who was Big Mad that i did not instantly see their point and rewrite all of one of my epic stories to conform to their opinion on an extremely specific and yet slightly-mysteriously-unspecified issue finally flounced after i told them to stop “debating” me and to instead take care of themself, and in their final message they commanded me to just say I didn’t care, which seems a strange thing to tell someone who’d just spent hours explaining a point of view (but, i mean, Troll Translation: “you won’t conform to my opinion” = “you don’t care”), and as their parting shot they were like you don’t get to preach self-care to me and i would like to state for the record that when i said “take care of yourself” i meant like, take care of your own shit, like, get some fucking therapy, not like... take a bubble bath. i mean, if a bubble bath would stop you from traumadumping on internet strangers after self-harming by repeatedly attempting to read a scene that was triggering you, then do that, but i feel like it won’t. I want you to take care of yourself because it is inappropriate and distressing for you to ask me to take care of you for you.

Also they went back up the thread and deleted one of their replies to me, meaning that the lengthy explanation I’d written of why I’d chosen to portray a particular thing as I had is now just sort of floating there in isolation, so like.... I’m not doing this to be petty, I’m doing this so my effort wasn’t entirely wasted, I’m going to fucking paste their comment back into the comment thread as a quote because what the shit. what was the fucking point of that. why are you so-- well, it’s about control, I get that, but the problem with attempting to take control of someone else’s social media space is that uh I’m uh the mod, there. I get the notifications emailed to me, I have a record of what was said. So, kinda doomed to failure. Not very productive.

I know, I know, it’s my own fault for assuming good-faith debate, when everyone I asked for advice was like “troll, delete”, but. I am what I am. 

The really annoying thing is that if they were serious that they mostly wanted to know that I was going to take the particular issue seriously (of course they didn’t ask it that way-- I’ve had previous commenters be like “so you mentioned X, and that’s a thing I’m touchy about, can I ask if there’s gonna be a resolution or if it’s gonna stay kinda a joke?” and i’m always happy to discuss that, but that was not what this commenter was like, instead they were like “is x even necessary to mention” which like, this story was completed in fucking October and has like 9500 hits and nobody else has had an issue with this scene, I’m not going to do a major fucking overhaul?? to remove a canon detail???), then in a couple more chapters it just so happens I *am* going to address some of the implications of that very thing-- and I have like, timestamps, i posted excerpts of that scene ten days ago, this has been part of the plan for kind of a while now-- 

anyway, I’m just stating for the record, X is necessary and is a recurring fucking theme here, and if I can get my shit together I’m going to have another Canon Explainer post in a bit about the historic practice of capturing enemy insignia in battle, because who I am as a person is compulsive about History Facts and when I say to you, almost every detail I include in a story is pretty deeply-considered, that may well be a drastic understatement.

I’m not saying I’ve never wedged my foot into my mouth, but like, odds are pretty good I at least thought about the thing even if i’ve said it clumsily, and if I’ve reached a different conclusion than you on something, that doesn’t mean I haven’t thought about it at all. 

I do mean it when I ask people to let me know if I should tag things, I genuinely do, and like-- again, “is X gonna stay a punchline or get a resolution” is a perfectly valid question. “I have a kind of unusual trigger but could you warn for it?”-- probably I will try to find a way to accomodate this, if I at all can! “I find the way this is phrased troublesome, did you consider X ramification”= I may need a minute but I can respond to that and will likely in the end appreciate the feedback. But “You have a different opinion about X than I do and I disagree and you must treat it differently in your work” = nnnnot so much.