#i made my watermark lighter

[rainbow-sparks]

[stitchwraith-stingers]

CUPIDS GUIDE TO STIMBOARD MAKING

i want to state off that theres no wrong way of making it! for excample, i personally dont like using slime and soap cutting gifs but others might really like using them and thats ay-ok! just my own advice for people who might also want to do them, since my own sideblog is just self indulgent boards lol

PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD CREDIT UR GIFS

pinterest is your worst nightmare, alot of stolen and reuploaded gifs, people take time to make these gifs! i just usually link back to where i found these gifs, heres a post explaining it

for mobile its harder so i reccomend just pasting the links to whatever post that have the gifs you like in a draft and after youre done for the time being and are ready to put them you paste them one by one where youd like to put them (tutorial by stimboardboy here)

heres my own little link-back banner thingy i use so you can copy and paste -> 1 2 3 / 4 5 6 / 7 8 9 ; i myself just use different emojis corrilating to the theme but you do you, its your board

since im a laptop user, i usually download about 4-5 gifs on their own and when i have to download more i just override the savefile on those ones (make sure to save the boards before doing this! it could remove the previous gif due to it not being there now lol)

how to find gifs

heres afew tips from another person!

been using this tip ever since i was told this, say i only want to find blue, you type #stim #blue in the search tag!

and just like that, viola! posts that contain blue gifs! works abunch of other stuff

you can add another tag if you want to, and its mainly how i use to find my own gifs! i reccomend trying other tags like #Blue stim since ive also seen people tag certain things like that, go crazy!

cant find it? you can gif it yourself!

i personally find my own stuff via youtube shorts or tiktok, but if its a long video that you cant (i use icecream recorder, which has its own little watermark so i make sure i clip it slightly bigger) a

s for my own clipped videos, which is the middle pic, i just paste them onto a tumblr draft and download them on my computer from there since i dont like using my phone often, kinda a hassle, if you have the space then i reccomend google drive or emails instead lol

and then i use ezgif! which ill segway into talking about how to use it to color

it can be kinda tricky, sometimes it works well and other times it. doesnt lol, note to self that if you want the gif to become black and white (like these two) you check grayscale, not monochrome

if you want the tint to be lighter you have to put it at 100%, but other then that you cant make it lighter so it can look a little bit awkward and sometimes the hue wont be the best, try messing around with the saturation and brightness if you have to but i myself say that its semi hit-or-miss

i heard people using photoshop to edit their gifs but i cant help you with that from then on, lol

but what do i put in there?

i usually pick between 2-4 themes to use for my gifs and its by association, ill use afew of my own as excamples

first one is based off an episode, so my idea is what happens in it ill base it off, the whole idea is that its a board game set in the desert, with alot of biking and a snake antagonist, so i looked up those 4 subsecently

the second one is a character who has 4 different forms, and used to live in a rainforest, and by extention ill use rain gifs with the rain- part of it

if you ever need help then you can also look up said character to see if other stimboards were made of them for inspo, though that might not be very reliable if the character youre looking up for is sorta niche (me being the only person to consistantly post fop boards 😭😭) but you should give it a try anyways

of course you dont have to stay on a association theme, you could just look up brown and blue because the characters color scheme is brown and blue, thats up for you to decide!

find other blogs to help find gifs!

i reccomend finding other blogs to find gifs, afew i personally reccomend are deadboystims, starclanstims / battlecatstims / brightpawstims, stimboardboy, talos-stims and heartnosekid! its going to be a little bit harder since the search system on actual blogs is very finnicky lol but if you dig you could maybe find something you like

also another thing i reccomend is looking at blogs that archive old gifs from deleted accounts, accounts like stimkids, stimgifarchive, vintagestims and deletedstimgifs

stimmyvillain and stimmyvillainarchive also have aton of old gifs you can use, just arent circulated as often

other stuff

like i mentioned i reccomend just putting the links to posts with gifs you want to use untill youre ready to properly update your draft and link them back, and with every gif i upload i like to save the post as often as possible, thats just me being me though

that should be it, i dont think i missed anything but if anyone wants to ask questions lmk 👍 i hope this was cohirent as possible akjhkajhkajha

[underrrtaleee-freakk]

Heres my Superhero Au Fell sans Concept Art!!

He’s not finished but i really wanna show of what i do have of him

Afdshbrung hands are so hard to draw i hate them >:(( it does not look how i want them at all

I added in my watermark just in case. Looking at you ai art.

Yes despite looking very clean in the later parts he is very much still unfinished!! I haven’t decided on colors yet. I just made him all red and the background a lighter red, cause just posting line art without color felt weird. And his eyes are only yellow here to contrast all the red in the photo it is not guaranteed they will be yellow in the final draft.

Theres still a couple areas i need to patch up as well like his mouth

The line art there is a bit of in one place and he’s missing his signature golden tooth.

The photo is spoilers for his powers shhhhhhhh 🤫

@thelunarsystemwrites

[melyzard]

I was wondering if you have resources on how to explain (in good faith) to someone why AI created images are bad. I'm struggling how to explain to someone who uses AI to create fandom images, b/c I feel I can't justify my own use of photoshop to create manips also for fandom purposes, & they've implied to me they're hoping to use AI to take a photoshopped manip I made to create their own "version". I know one of the issues is stealing original artwork to make imitations fast and easy.

Hey anon. There are a lot of reasons that AI as it is used right now can be a huge problem - but the easiest ones to lean on are:

1) that it finds, reinforces, and in some cases even enforces biases and stereotypes that can cause actual harm to real people. (For example: a black character in fandom will consistently be depicted by AI as lighter and lighter skinned until they become white, or a character described as Jewish will...well, in most generators, gain some 'villain' characteristics, and so on. Consider someone putting a canonically transgender character through an AI bias, or a woman who is not perhaps well loved by fandom....)

2) it creates misinformation and passes it off as real (it can make blatant lies seem credible, because people believe what they see, and in fandom terms, this can mean people trying to 'prove' that the creator stole their content from elsewhere, or allow someone to create and sell their own 'version' of content that is functionally unidentifiable from canon

3) it's theft. The algorithm didn't come up with anything that it "makes," it just steals some real person's work and then mangles is a bit before regurgitating it with usually no credit to the original, actual creator. (In fandom terms: you have just done the equivalent of cropping out someone else's watermark and calling yourself the original artist. After all, the AI tool you used got that content from somewhere; it did not draw you a picture, it copy pasted a picture)

4) In some places, selling or distributing AI art is or may soon be illegal - and if it's not illegal, there are plenty of artists launching class action lawsuits against those who write the algorithm, and those who use it. Turns out artists don't like having their art stolen, mangled, and passed off as someone else's. Go figure.

Here are some articles that might help lay out more clear examples and arguments, from people more knowledgeable than me (I tried to imbed the links with anti-paywall and anti-tracker add ons, but if tumblr ate my formatting, just type "12ft.io/" in front of the url, or type the article name into your search engine and run it through your own ad-blocking, anti tracking set up):

These fake images reveal how AI amplifies our worst stereotypes [Source: Washington Post, Nov 2023]

Humans Are Biased; AI is even worse (Here's Why That Matters) [Source: Bloomburg, Dec 2023]

Why Artists Hate AI Art [Source: Tech Republic, Nov 2023]

Why Illustrators Are Furious About AI 'Art' [Source: The Guardian, Jan 2023]

Artists Are Losing The War Against AI [Source: The Atlantic, Oct 2023]

This tool lets you see for yourself how biased an AI can be [Source: MIT Technology Review, March 2023]

Midjourney's Class-Action lawsuit and what it could mean for future AI Image Generators [Source: Fortune Magazine, Jan 2024]

What the latest US Court rulings mean for AI Generated Copyright Status [Source: The Art Newspaper, Sep 2023]

AI-Generated Content and Copyright Law [Source: Built-in Magazine, Aug 2023 - take note that this is already outdated, it was just the most comprehensive recent article I could find quickly]

AI is making mincemeat out of art (not to mention intellectual property) [Source: The LA Times, Jan 2024]

Midjourney Allegedly Scraped Magic: The Gathering art for algorithm [Source: Kotaku, Jan 2024]

Leaked: the names of more than 16,000 non-consenting artists allegedly used to train Midjourney’s AI [Source: The Art Newpaper, Jan 2024]

[yinttepk]

This is how I did it:

(Pretend there is an arrow pointing towards the middle layer)

So I obviously started by creating the base image. Once that was done, I duplicated it and made it bigger. I put it to the side and that is the larger image.

then I made the base background and added the lighter details. Then I erased the part where there was supposed to be while (ex, Zeno’s eyes and undershirt). Then I used the same color as the base background but at a much lower opacity, and kept going over the background image until I got it to my liking.

then I did the ribbon and watermarks :D

OMGKFKGMGMG A TUTORIAL FROM AN IDOL THIS IS GODSEND

TYSSNSMSMS FOR THIS KIMMMIE‼️‼️

have nagituhs and gieyu <3

[mytalemyworld]

“And yet at the precise same time he was more himself in that instant than you could possibly believe. The way he held his rapier; the casual stance he adopted as he stood between the doors; the slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth; the darkly flashing eyes that scanned the room, that took in its horrors and showed no fear. Above all, his twofold lightness—the way he radiated energy and brightness (so much stronger, so much purer than that coiling golden fog emanating from the floating spirit), and the way he seemed physically lighter, more buoyant, than everything around him. He’d always been less tied down by the weight of things than the rest of us, less restricted by life’s drag. These qualities were his signature; they ran through him like a watermark in paper. And they did so now, more than ever, transcending the outward blemishes, those scrapes and rips and scratches, and the weakness of his body.“

-Jonathan Stroud, The Empty Grave

I think this is one of my favorite parts throughout the whole series. It perfectly conveyed the message that how wrong Fittes was and gave a good portrait of him through Lucy's eyes. (I mean, usually she describes him very beautifully anyway and you really can't tell if this is how she sees him due to her feelings or this is how he really is and that's why she loves him. Probably both.) Despite him being bruised, battled, fragile and human at that moment, somehow he was stronger, more powerful than the unworldly things around them. Even though the passage following this one gave a further explanation about what Lucy thought, I think this alone was impactful enough.

Yeah, I've finished reading the whole series. It took one week and was one hell of a journey. I am already invested in the characters thanks to the show but the books made me adore them. Even some characters that I didn’t give much thought to *cough*Kipps*cough* entertained me a lot. I think the series deserves more recognition and we certainly deserve a second, third, fourth season. The story is wonderfully told, sweet and bitter, with ups and downs. The characters are well-rounded and have many flaws and strengths. There is also love between the two characters which is often just slightly hinted, but then also, kind of always present and, therefore, at least for me one of the main elements of the story. 

The books are shelved under middle grade but I think it’s more like YA because there are some delicate topics are issued and I didn’t feel like I was reading a child book. 

And the last note. SKULL. It even deserves its own series. (I am sure he would be very pleased to hear that) But I know it would be luxury to wish that. So I just hope a renewal at this point for every character to shine more and so that we can be a part of this world for a longer time.

[armory-rasa]

Knife day! talking about seax sheaths

So I have actually done a seax-style sheath before:

And it was a learning experience from top to bottom. 

First of all, I could not have picked a more inappropriately-shaped knife if I’d tried:

See that trailing point, aka the upward curve at the tip? Means that if you try to jab the knife into the sheath from the wrong angle....

LOL, OOPS. 

And then I just did a mildly shitty job on the tooling, that was exacerbated by getting stretched out when the sheath is folded over, and a really shitty job on the resist (painting the design with a clear substance so it doesn’t take dye as much, and stays lighter than the surrounding background), and then very half-assedly rememberied that people needed some way to be able to carry it, so I put a dangling belt loop on it.

All in all, not my finest work. I can take what I’ve learned and do better.

So, historical seax sheaths tend to look roughly like this:

(Picture unsourced, because fuck you, Pinterest, and this is why YOU SHOULD ALL should be putting watermarks on your stuff, so people can find you when you get reposted without credit on pinterest.)

They hang from the belt (usually at the small of the wearer’s back) from two attachment points, with the blade edge pointing upward. The sheath is made from one piece of leather folded over and molded to fit tightly to the blade and the handle (so that the knife is held snugly in place with friction), and traditionally has metal fittings along the edge. Since I, alas, do not have the wherewithal to do metalworking at home, I’m just going to be using rivets again. 

You could theoretically stitch that edge instead, but that’s not historically-attested, and moreover, in order to keep the blade from slicing straight through your stitching, you would either need to welt it, or put at least one rivet below the tip of the knife. Even the cheap-ass vinyl sheaths that come free with the knives I buy often have a single rivet to protect the seam:

With that out of the way, I am now going to commence with the sheath-fitting.

[guiltyidealist]

🐺🤎 Concept for my leather mask based on my main WQ wolf, Iberio! 🤎🐺

1️⃣ ID: The first image has a photo of the original mask unedited on the left, and the same photo but heavily edited on the right. A large, pale yellow, semi-transparent watermark reading "@guiltydealist" rests across the top of the right mask's head.

The left shows a cosplay-style leather wolf mask. It covers the whole face except for eyeholes, though it lies on periwinkle bedsheets in the photo. Its white paint job is rough around the edges. The muzzle is semi-3D and has a black snoot with white paint smears on it.

The edited version on the right resembles an Iberian wolf's face-- rich tones of brown with crisp contrast from one another in a symmetrical pattern. A dark red-brown color surrounds the muzzle, fills the inner ears, and frames the eyes. The muzzle is tan with a dark red-brown stripe down the middle, which stops at the nose. The nose has been edited to remove the white smears and is dark gray. Beneath it, the muzzle stripe extends down to the chin but in a darker, nearly black hue. The forehead, ears, and upper 3rd of the cheek fur are also nearly black. Large, tan "eyebrow" markings rest atop the eyeholes.

Black, see-through mesh like that of a screen door occupies the eyeholes as if taped to the inside of the mask, and ambiguously turquoise/aqua circles lie in the center to resemble irises or pupils. End ID for image #1

Like with my Ammy concepts, I included a version edited with real eyes (based on how it looks on me IRL) to sample how the edit would look on me IRL 👁

2️⃣ ID: The second image is identical to the first except that both masks are edited to have real human eyes -- brown with white skin around them -- behind the eyeholes. They are harder to see in the rightside edit due to the mesh. End ID for image #2

Again, the leather base was made by OkamiKitsuneStore on Etsy!

🚫 Do not repost

Here's Iberio-- I headcanon them as an Iberian wolf. While I haven't yet developed my own design for them, they'll have the signature leg marks for sure.

3️⃣ ID: The third image is an in-game screenshot from the game WolfQuest: Anniversary Edition, which takes place in Yellowstone. The graphics are on the lowest settings, but the spring scenery is vibrant with green grass, a blue sky free of clouds, and numerous pine trees. A dark brown wolf sits in the center foreground at a 3/4ths angle, head turned to stare into the camera. Its full body is shown, dark red-brown and nearly black with a tan underbelly and legs. The wolf closely resembles the one in my edit from the first 2 images. It has asymmetrical bent ears and a very short tail. The eyes are pale green-blue, lighter and greener than those of my mask edit and similar to the hue of the grass, but the color is still somewhat ambiguous. The wolf has adult proportions but is small. End ID for image #3

🎨 To bring this to fruition, I'd have to paint the mask, add mesh behind the eyes, color (?) onto the mesh, and maybe coat the paint with a finish!

✅ Okay to tag as kin/me/etc as long as you don't mind others tagging similarly or that this is my 'sona ^^

♿️ See notes for version with less text (no ID's)! ♿️

[t-u-i-t-c]

“It’s not about winning or losing...What’s important is this moment! What will you do right now?!”

[collarful-clover]

Self indulgent lineless art of ya boi

[octo-blobs]

yo what procreate brush do you use for lineart it looks really cool :o

hi there -- i use a variety of brushes depending on the mood, so i'll make a nice lil compilation of my brushes to cover whichever one you're curious about!! thanks for ur interest 🥰

first off, the very recent BIC pen mimic i got from here:

and it looks like this:

it benefits from a lighter colour (can be used with grey/unsaturated colours), it's worth trying out a few for fun. its grain blend mode (brush -> brush studio -> grain) is set to multiply, so i think that's where it gets its light-to-dark gradient from.

then, there's this one:

which is an edited version of the default Tamar brush. i added jitter settings, which are the reason for its wiggles, and pen sensitivity. i love to use this one to give more simple drawings some extra flare.

and its sibling:

this one is basically the same, but with NO jitter and added stabilisation. :-)

the last one on this list:

i call her 'derwent highpressure 2 2 2', aka this is the culmination of me repeatedly editing & refining the default Derwent brush. the pressure sensitivity is super high because i wanted to get a range of pen thickness without affecting my sore hand too much. it's got a small amount of texture & jitter to it, and i'll be honest, i don't remember what the original one looks like.

to absolutely Anyone: i really encourage playing around with procreate brush settings because, although they're a bit difficult to comprehend at first, they're pretty open in terms of how you can mould them. plus, you can employ personally made textures & shapes (or free ones) to add subtle effects. it's fun! i have a whole dock of speech bubbles, decals, a watermark brush, body hair & feathers, etc. :-)

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (July 25/2021) - The Wilburger Ranvan

Wilbur comes up with his new calling: selling burgers in a burger van! At Phil’s suggestion, Wilbur teams up with Ranboo to do so, setting up their new business on the outskirts of Las Nevadas.

A brief summary of the week’s total events can be found at the end of the post.

---

VOD LINKS:

Wilbur Soot

Captain Puffy

BadBoyHalo

---

- Wilbur and Phil hang out in the Arctic. Wilbur has a proposition for Phil

- He says he met up with Quackity and it was a nice time. The one conclusion he came to is that Quackity is very resourceful

Wilbur: “As much as I may disagree with your views on anarchy, I must say, it’s pretty harmless. I -- I can’t hate you for it. I can’t hate you for enjoying literally living in a peaceful little village in the snow, I mean the server’s never been this peaceful since -- since all the countries and nations and cities and everything is gone. So Phil, I came to you with one question, one question...do you think Quackity should be allowed to be left unchecked?”

- Phil says no. The issue is, there’s no government, no police force. What Techno’s done is left a power vacuum and now Quackity’s come in with an unethical establishment, gambling...

- Wilbur wants to make a burger van

- They get interrupted by an Enderman ascending from the basement

- He knows there’s a bit of déjà vu, but the difference is that the burger van isn’t going to sell drugs this time. He wants every steak to have a name

- He’s done with being a source of authority, a president. His calling is just burgers, no ulterior motives

- Phil knows someone who would help out: Ranboo. The richest, most knowledgable man on the server, and he’s run out of things to do on the server

- Wilbur doesn’t want to play with Ranboo, but Phil threatens to kick him out if he doesn’t so he does, annoyed at being treated like a child

- Wilbur gives Ranboo his proposition

Wilbur: “I like to think, you know, let bygones be bygones, let’s bury the hatchet, let’s be -- Ranboo I’m gonna go out on a limb here...do you wanna be friends?”

- His next progression, after being a dead-terrorist-president...is to be a chef. Ranboo is onboard 

- They start walking over. Wilbur asks if Ranboo’s heard of Las Nevadas, and Ranboo mentions their abandoned cookie post that was causing trouble. He wants to create competition for Quackity’s business. Eventually, maybe Quackity will have to make a deal with them, maybe even be their friend

- Ranboo wants to keep it respectful. Wilbur assures him that they already has the land necessary

- Wilbur wants to pick Ranboo’s brain and asks his thoughts on Quackity. Ranboo says he just hasn’t seen him in so long. Their last interaction before everything else happened was just that they were in the same cabinet of New L’manburg

- Wilbur didn’t know that Ranboo was part of L’manburg’s government

- Wilbur asks if he dislikes anyone. Ranboo says not too much, just people that he doesn’t agree with. Everyone is just a product of what they’ve gone through, so if you understand that, you understand the person

- If you align yourself with everyone, isn’t that more complicated? Ranboo says that’s why he’s just been living with Phil and Techno away from everything, trying not to involve himself in much, but he has a terrible radar on what’s involving himself and what isn’t

Wilbur: “What about Dream?”

Ranboo: “Well that’s -- well, with Dream it’s kind of like...all I’ve heard of Dream, all I’ve seen with Dream is just been like the really bad things that he’s done and everything, so I would say that I -- yeah, I don’t really like Dream, but I mean, he’s also not really someone that it matters whether or not I like him ‘cause he’s just away in that prison for a really long time, so I mean...”

Wilbur: “No trial?”

- They reach their competition and go into the fast food restaurant

- He peeks into the casino, but holes it back up. This building doesn’t benefit the consumer

- Wilbur places down some signs insulting Quackity’s burger place, guaranteeing those signs will never leave since they don’t care about the customer

- Wilbur shows Ranboo his area, which he's thinking of naming “Paradise.” Ranboo says it could be a neat play on words...pair-of-dice

- Wilbur and Ranboo decide to make the place red and white, retro-themed. Ranboo gives Wilbur Ranord and Wilbur goes off to gather some red

- Wilbur likes Tubbo since he’s strong-headed and doesn’t let people push him around

- Ranboo says when you can’t change someone’s mind, it’s no use to needlessly argue. Wilbur points out that Ranboo seems to be a bit more dynamic than a purely neutral, peaceful force. He’s somehow appeared in almost every conflict the server’s had since Wilbur died

- Ranboo says it’s because he’s bad at discerning things, but he’s been doing alright with his situation recently. He wants to help people, and sometimes he lets that desire to help people get in the way of what he says about himself

Wilbur: “Ranboo...why did you help to help me?”

- Ranboo needed something to do, and he also thought that Wilbur’s an alright person, so he wants to get off on a better foot because he doesn’t like having people not like him

- Wilbur asks why he doesn’t think Wilbur’s a bad person. Ranboo says he did bad things, but also went through things that made him that way and now he’s changed as a person since he died. He’s optimistic in that

Wilbur: (sniffs) “Good, uh...that’s nice. Thank you. Uh...I think I needed to hear that.”

Wilbur: “Can I be real with you man? ...I think I scare people.”

Ranboo: “I mean...yeah, I do the same thing.”

Wilbur: “No, not in -- no no, I mean I...I don’t think I...I think a lot of people share your idea, but they share your idea in trying to -- trying to keep me from hurting them, you know? Like they’ve seen what I can do and they don’t want me to do it again, so they adopt your emotion in order to do it.”

- He demolished Jack Manifold’s house twice, he completely ignored him in the war, and what it took for Jack to forgive Wilbur was just a sorry. 

Wilbur: “And I know -- I’ve spoken to Tommy about Jack Manifold! And Jack Manifold is not the sort of person to forgive someone like that with a sorry! Imagine if Dream said sorry to Jack Manifold! What’s Dream done to Jack Manifold, huh? Barely anything! I imagine if Dream said sorry to Jack Manifold, Jack Manifold would ignore him. Do you know why? Because DREAM’s in prison, and I’m not!

“Dream is -- he’s had his comeuppance and I’ve not! My comeuppance was apparently not good enough for these people! They’re just waiting! Waiting for the next thing for me to slip up on them -- Ranboo, I’m not gonna fucking slip up, Ranboo, I’m different. I’m not Dream...god, I wish I was! Sometimes I wish, I wish I’d gotten that comeuppance but Ranboo, I’m not Dream. And I’m not gonna be Dream, and that’s...”

“I’m living in eternal Limbo...again. I’ve been through Limbo. I’m out of Limbo. And socially, I’m still in this Limbo, and man, Ranboo, hearing you say those words that you said to me? Do you remember what you said?”

Ranboo: “Y-yeah, I do?”

Wilbur: “You said...(sniffs) I think people can change, that’s number one. And number two, you said you’re scared that people don’t like you.”

- He tells Ranboo that they’re kindred. They have the same neuroticism, their strongest point. But anxiety is not their downfall. Wilbur’s parents are alive because they were anxious and didn’t let anything take them down

- Ranboo says they’re both thinkers. They may think in different ways, but they think at the same level

Wilbur: “I think you might be a bit braver than me in showing your true colors. I feel like with you, Ranboo, I never have to be guessing your next move. I never have to be guessing your hand, you know? I feel like life dealt us the same cards, and the difference is you build your trust by showing people your cards whilst I keep them close to my chest, and I feel like that might be the big difference.”

- He asks Ranboo what he feels about thievery. He’s going to steal Las Nevadas’ cows to make into burgers

- Ranboo makes some concrete and starts building the van. Wilbur rides off on a horse looking for some sheep

- Wilbur asks Ranboo about Tubbo and Ranboo talks a bit about Snowchester. Wilbur thought Techno was successful at getting rid of all the nations, but Ranboo says it’s not a nation. Wilbur doesn’t know about Kinoko Kingdom either

- Wilbur gets to the spider farm, which has Kanye West in it

- He heads back and they discuss names like Paradise or Wilburger

- Wilbur asks Ranboo’s opinion on Tommy and Ranboo thinks he’s great. Tommy’s gone through a lot, but it’s made him a good person. 

Wilbur notes that he seems to think that everyone’s gone through something. Ranboo says yes, the only bad people are those who are evil without a reason why, but there’s not many people like that

- Wilbur names the first burger “Wilburger Vol. 1″ and puts a watermark on it

- Wilbur wants to ask Ranboo one last make-or-break question

- Chat suggests the “Wilburger Ranvan” and they like it

- They go to Quackity’s restaurant and Wilbur wants Ranboo to smash the windows. Ranboo does

- Wilbur goes inside and places TNT. He hands Ranboo the lighter and tells him to detonate it

- Ranboo does so. Wilbur tells Ranboo to go back to the van. He’s passed the test

Wilbur: “Ranboo, I’m proud of you man. You’ve -- you’ve taken a side.”

- Wilbur goes back and places a sign at the crater:

---

***** Wilbur + Ranboo  Did this together

*****

---

“I love that guy.” (laughs) “I love that guy.”

END OF WEEK RECAP:

7/19 - Nothing much happens.

7/20 - Sapnap and George speak with Mexican Dream

7/21 - Foolish creates Philzavilla and breaks into the prison

7/22 - Nothing much happens.

7/23 - Nothing much happens.

7/24 - MCC, no updates

7/25 - Wilbur and Ranboo make a burger van

---

Upcoming Events:

- Captain Puffy’s Lore Stream

- Wilbur’s 11 planned streams

- Egg Finale Stream

- Tales From the SMP: “Space Race”

- Ponk’s prequel stream

- Ponk’s current-day lore with Sam

- Puffy’s Lore Cast

- Sapnap’s lore

- Dream’s lore video

- Quackity’s casino opening

[silhouetteofacedar]

Fox Mulder, Closet Romantic Ch. 11: Postmark

Previous Chapter - AO3 - MSR, rated E

He has to do this right.

Mulder’s written some hefty works in his life; term papers, theses, monographs, case reports. But none have made his heart pound quite like this.

He actually went to a stationary store this Saturday morning and spent forty-five minutes browsing different textures of card, weights of letterhead, holding up watermarked sheets of paper to the ceiling lights for further scrutiny. None of them were quite right.

He can’t possibly give Scully an illuminated manuscript with gilded edges, so he goes home and digs around on his desk until he finds a usable, albeit leaky, ballpoint pen.

He cracks his knuckles absently. It’s been decades since he’s done this, and he’s out of practice, but what he lacks in finesse he’ll make up for with devotion.

He’s going to write Scully a love letter.

Romance isn’t dead, but it’s certainly on life support; he’s hunched over at his desk in his boxers and a wrinkled t-shirt, trying to pour his heart out onto a sheet of copy paper while his neighbors are arguing down the hall.

Dear Dana,

He never calls her Dana, and he doesn’t want this to sound too out of character. And the word ‘dear’ doesn’t really seem right either. He crumples up the page and pulls out a fresh one.

He should probably write the date, first off. That’s what he learned in grade school, writing letters to his assigned penpal in North Carolina or someplace.

May 2nd, he thinks. He checks his watch, squinting at the tiny date dial to make sure he has it correct. He does.

May 2, 1998

Scully,

He nods to himself. The greeting is to-the-point, yet familiar. Not overly formal or sentimental.

I’ll bet you didn’t expect to be accosted by my purple prose in your mailbox, did you? As though my case reports aren’t enough.

He’s been told his writing style is at times florid to the point of excess; Scully often takes to his reports with a machete, unbidden, and crosses out phrases, begs him to reword things so he can pass as a sane person during review. But hell, this is a goddamn love letter. He’s going to be as melodramatic as he wants.

In all seriousness, however, recent events have shown me that I can no longer afford deny the longing of my heart, body, and soul.

I know I have shown my dedication to you over the past five years we’ve spent together, and received your loyalty and trust in kind; but some months ago I discovered a new dimension to the deep regard I have for you, a faceted gem previously cloistered in stone.

I am disastrously, deliriously, desperately in love with you. My feelings are not platonic, and are deeper than our current partnership. I want to be partnered with you in all things. I ache for you in new ways, hunger for things I don’t deserve, dream of things my eyes may never behold. Nevertheless, I yearn. I yearn knowing that I may never be sated, never taste that which I thirst for. I don’t want to die without knowing your touch, without holding you, but I will carry empty hands to my grave if that’s what you want. I lay myself before you now as an offering, to serve whatever purpose you see fit.

I know my timing is never good, and I’ve been overly cautious in my attempts to make my intentions known. Even now, part of me is hesitant to reveal my feelings, since you’ve only recently split from someone else. But you were right; there is power in the truth, and I gift my truth to you now.

I cannot shake the feeling that everything I’ve worked for, every truth I’ve sought, has led me to you; not by way of any conspiracy or government manipulation, but because I am destined to love and honor you. I am an imperfect man, changeable and obsessive, unreliable and stubborn. Many of my quests yield no fruit, my efforts culminating in failure. But I want to be better for you. I am already better because of you. You are the fire that refines me, melts me down and burns away the bullshit. You make me golden.

You can do what you wish with this letter; burn it in your kitchen sink, and we can pretend I never said a thing. Hide it under your mattress, stick it to your refrigerator, whatever you want. It won’t change how I feel about you.

I love you, Dana Katherine Scully. My heart is yours; say the word and the rest of me will belong to you as well.

Always,

Mulder.

He signs the letter and puts down his pen, wiping his thumb on the hem of his shirt in an attempt to remove the ink smudged on his skin. His eyes scan the page, rereading his missive.

He can wad up the letter and try again, but he knows deep down that no rewrite will be sufficient; words can only convey so much. He blows on the ink to make sure it’s dry, then folds the paper into crisp thirds and slips it into a plain legal-size envelope.

That evening he slips the stamped and addressed envelope into the post box outside his neighborhood minimart. He’s decided to mail the letter; that way he won’t know when, or if, she receives it. It’s completely out of his hands; all he can do is wait.

He has a moment of panic when the envelope leaves his grasp, disappearing into the slot and out of reach, but he lets the momentary wave of anxiety roll through him and dissipate.

He thinks of sixteen-year-old Fox, biking to Laura’s house, so overcome with nerves that he has to go home.

This one’s for you, buddy, he thinks, and walks home in the spring twilight feeling one ounce and thirty-two scents lighter.

[boy-above]

hi everybody! i hope you all had a great day today. i went to the mall today and thought i would share some things i saw. there were some wild things there and then some less wild things.

first, in a not wild entry i got these earrings today. they were only available in store which is why i went to the mall in the first place. i love them a lot. i wear a lot of checker accessories (purse, mask) as a way of being lowkey weeb. i also have dice earrings but these are so cute and they're lighter than the dice earrings so i can wear them longer.

next up: these extremely wonky fnaf plushes. i can't tell if they're official or not because obviously the wonkiness makes you assume they'd be bootlegs but official plushes can also look really wonky as well. i just love this guy. every plush there was dopey like this in different ways but this guy spoke to me.

thirdly: i don't have a picture for this because i forgot to take one on the way out, but there were quite a few banners advertising the new small business restaurant in the food court. the name was, and i am not making this up, Carl's JerkStop. it was because he sold jerky.

next up: this cow in the pawn shop, at first it just caught my eye because it has bijou in the title but then i read the rest of it and i appreciate the owner's sense of humor

and finally: this game in the same pawn shop. it was in the glass case rather than with the majority of the other games so the owner obviously thinks its a treasured item. this was the most perplexing thing i've ever seen. there's so many elements that are funny. the fact that that's clearly a stock photo that still has the watermark in it. "a game." the fact that it's rated mature. the red squiggle under the title indicating it's misspelled. you can't see it in the picture but there's also a wikipedia text box surrounding the text. and the price is 69 dollars. at first i thought this was a shitpost made by the owner, but the question of what would happen if you tried to buy this game was so intriguing to me. but later research with my friend revealed that this Is a real game and has a website and everything. that's the real box art. there were ebay listings. i think my friend said it was available on the playstation store. and finally: the website for this game said it was sold out. this was obviously the most wild experience of the day and the reason i wanted to make the post. do with this information what you will.

[kumoriyami-xiuzhen]

Hakuoki Yuugiroku 2 - Harada Sakura Epilogue

This is my first post of the month, so I’ll start by asking you to please support me if you can through my ko-fi, and paypal or patreon which provides access to my hakuoki blog translations and early access to my postings. Also, please let me know if you have any hakuoki drama cds that you’d be willing to share that are on my Lookout List since i either do not have audio for those cds or do not have audio that I can share…. and if you are able to remove watermarks from a video, please contact me….

Well it’s Canada Day. Hope everyone is staying safe during this time (especially if you’re out West with the heat), and while I could probably write an essay about how I can understand why people will take issue of fireworks and parties today, I don’t exactly think that’s the best way to address the issues going on, though I do feel somewhat compelled to say something. I mean, I’m of an ethnic descent where the immigrants of my common ancestry were subjected to a head tax and were actively targeted by the government for discrimination, so I do have some historical justification for not wanting this particular day celebrated. However, at the same time, it’s because I acknowledge that more than one generation of my family (and on both sides of my family tree) immigrated to this country that my family and relatives have been given opportunities none of us would have had otherwise, or have had the same rights, that I truly appreciate living in Canada, and I know that other people will have similar reasons for doing the same... which is also why I refuse to be an ignorant citizen. I guess that’s partially owed to how I acknowledge that I’m realistic in knowing what change I can affect, but beyond that, I do see it is part of my civic duty to be educated about what happens in the country I live in because I just can’t pretend that everything is all sunshine and rainbows... So, today, like most of the other Canada Days I can recall, I reflect on how grateful I am to be a citizen of the country I call home, and how thankful I am in knowing how far it has come, but I also acknowledge that it still has plenty of flaws and that there are things that still need to be changed so the country is better for “all of us” instead of just ‘some of us’.

 Anyway, this month’s translations are all from Yuugiroku 2.... and this is is my only translation of 『恋秘めし日』 content since I was never able to find any more of these as copy-able text.  

Also, on a lighter note, i can’t believe it’s been more than a decade since i actually watched an anime. i mean, i’m normally satisfied with just reading the manga for something, but my cravings for yuumori content actually drove me to the anime (mostly good and while it was full of feels, im upset that IG cut out the adventure of one student from the anime)... which feels somewhat odd when i consider how ive yet to watch the hakuoki anime or movies. still, for hakuoki, my desire for more content did lead to 2 years of translating lol. 

Hakuoki Yuugiroku 2 - Harada Sakura Epilogue

Translation by KumoriYami

At the end of our conversation, I took a light breath and raised my head.

A gust of wind then blew, and the leaves over our heads made rustling sounds.

Chizuru: The sunlight is very strong today.

Harada: Yeah. It's nice that the weather's finally cleared up, but...... the hot weather in Kyoto, and this moisture really feels unbearable.

Chizuru: That's true......

As I spoke, I turned my gaze back towards Harada-san......

Chizuru: Ah......

This numbness in my head felt like an illusion.

Was it because I spent so long talking under such fierce sunlight.

I seemed to be feeling a bit dizzy.

Harada: Hey, are you okay? You don't look very good. Are you feeling unwell/sick / Do you feel sick/unwell? ?

Chizuru: I-I'm fine. I just feel a bit cold......

I didn’t want him to feel worried, so I responded with a smile/smiled as I answered——.

My legs however seemed to have lost their strength, and the view in front of me/everything around me began to blur.

Just as I was about to fall and hit the ground.

Harada: Oi, Chizuru, get a hold of yourself!

My swaying body was caught by a pair of strong hands.

Then in that moment/A moment later——.

Suddenly, Harada-san's face became incredibly closer to mine

Manly eyebrows, slender eyes, and even each individual eyelash could be seen at his distance.

Due to how sudden this was, I couldn't say anything as/while my mouth/lips trembled/ and only my mouth was opening and closing/mouth was in a state of opening and closing.

The heat from where our foreheads were touching, and how Harada-san's hand was touching my back were the only things that I was completely aware of.

Harada:......For now, let's check your temperature...... Nn.

Chizuru: Wh-What, Harada-san...... what are you doing......!

I felt/was so embarrassed and could only/was only able to squeeze out that one sentence.

Harada: Recently, a cold’s been going around headquarters. I'm worried that you might have caught/gotten it/infected by it/with it. 

Chizuru: Is, is that so......

Harada-san did that because he was worried about me......

Chizuru: Um, Harada-san. I feel fine/I'm [feeling] fine, so......

Harada-san's expression however became very serious, and he spoke harshly/rebukingly.

Harada: What a stupid thing to say. What are you going to do if you get sick/If you get sick, what are you going to do? Although there's a saying about how doctors don't pay attention to their own health...... it wouldn't be funny if you got sick, as the daughter of a doctor. Besides, if you get sick, you might also pass it on to the others warriors.

That's true...... I couldn't bear to trouble the other warriors with my problems.

Chizuru:......I'm sorry, Harada-san.

I closed my eyes and desperately tried to supress my embarrassment as I allowed Harada-san to continue. 

His forehead remained against mine for a while as he checked my temperature, and finally/but eventually......

Harada:......I'm done, Chizuru. You don't seem to have a fever, and you can open your eyes now.

Harada-san spoke softly as he gently brushed my forehead with his fingers.

Harada: For now, you don't seem to have a cold, so don't worry. As long as you get sufficient rest, you should get better."

Chizuru: I, I see/Ye-Yes. Thank you......

I felt incredibly embarrassed...... I didn't dare look at Harada-san as I bowed my head in thanks.

Then, he showed a deliberate and teasing smile——.

Harada:......But why do you seem to be hotter now than before I took your temperature?

Chizuru: Th-That's because......!

Despite how he clearly knew the reason, he deliberately asked me such a nasty question......

I didn't know how to answer that, so/and I lowered head as I continued blushing/to blush. 

Harada: Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to tease you on purpose.

As he spoke, he put his large palm on top of my head.

Harada:.......Is it time for us to head back now? I don't know if you've been instructed to do anything/told to do something.

I......

continued chatting

brought this to an end <-

Chizuru: We've been talking for a while, so it should be time to return to to headquarters.

Harada: That's true/right. Though, I wish we could still continue this.

However, is it okay for you to go back to headquarters like this? Your entire face is very red.

Chizuru: It, it should get back to normal by the time we return to headquarters..... Can we take a small detour? My face/complexion should be back to normal after that. 

Harada: Well, that might true. But I don't want to see getting dizzy again. So don't force yourself/overdo it.

Chizuru: So-Sorry......

Harada: Don't worry about it. If you’re having a hard time, you can hold onto me 

As Harada-san spoke, he stroked my hair.

Harada: Then let's go back to headquarters, Chizuru. Everyone will be/is waiting for us.

Chizuru:......Yes.

While listening to my still intensely beating heart, Harada-san and I started walking back to headquarters.

-end-

one of these days, I am going to go watch the new Shaman King anime... though im not sure when that’ll be.  

also... for the record, I learned about the Sixties Scoop and residential schools sometime around 2004, when i was still in elementary school so I can unfortunately say that most of the news these days hasn’t really surprised me... and it’s also why I have a very negative bias towards certain entities. 

[leviackermanscleaningbuddy]

BTS DRABBLE-Taehyung

What happens when you reach a breaking point with your best friend? And what happens if maybe you’re a little bit in love with said best friend? Okay, so maybe you were a little bit stupid. And maybe you were a little bit crazy. But things always work out in the end. Right? 

Tags: BTS, Bangtan Boys, Bangtan Seonyendan, Bulletproof Boy Scouts, Beyond the Scene, BTS Drabble, Angst, Fluff, Kim Taehyung, V, Taehyung, Taehyung x you, Taehyung x reader, Best Friend AU

Genre: Angst, with a fluff ending

Title: Maybe

“I can’t do this anymore. It’s so stupid. And I hate it!” The words tumble from your mouth before you can do anything to stop them, but they’re freeing, and honestly, you hadn’t wanted to stop them in the first place. 

“(Y/N)....” Your best friend, takes a cautious step toward you, as if he’s approaching a dangerous, unpredictable wild animal. “Let’s just go back inside....” 

“No!” You shout, and then you laugh, because damn, does it feel amazing to finally stand up for yourself for once. “No.” You repeat, slightly more subdued this time, as you stare back at him. “I don’t want to.” 

“(Y/N)” He sighs your name, as if you’re a petulant child, and takes another step in your direction. “You’re going to freeze out here.” 

Okay. So maybe you were a little drunk. And maybe you were being a little irrational. And maybe, you were actually starting to shiver, as the rain continued to cascade from the night sky. And maybe you were feeling a little stupid-standing at odds with your best friend-in the dark, wet alley behind the bar. 

But no. You weren’t going back inside. Not this time. 

“I don’t understand you, Taehyung.” You stumble over his full name, not used to the way it feels crossing your lips, as you stand your ground, watching him advance toward you, sneakers drenched, dark, curly hair starting to flatten to his forehead. 

You laugh again, swinging the pair of discarded heels in your hand, as you do a full circle in the alleyway, looking up and letting the rain drip freely onto your face. And then you’re coming to a stop, and you’re facing him again, and and the desperate, clawing anger and hurt and betrayal is forcing its way up your chest and out your throat once more. 

“I don’t understand you.” You repeat, hair now dripping icy streams of water down your bare shoulders and back. You hadn’t thought to bring a coat. “All you do is talk about her.” Your voice is thick, and suddenly, you’re swallowing hot tears, and your words are growing unsteady. “And she’s not even good to you. You’re always venting to me about her, but for what? Why are you staying? I could be so much better for you than her, Tae! I give a damn!” Your fingers are splayed across your chest, and there it is, all out in the open now. 

“I know, (Y/N).” Taehyung says, and his voice is placating, and the look on his face makes you sick to your stomach-sympathetic and pitying and altogether grotesque. He reaches out a hand, and his fingers brush the wet, chilled skin of your arm. “Let me call you a cab....” 

“No.” You wrench away from his touch, and your heart is loud in your ears, and you can’t look at him anymore. “You’re just saying that because you want me to shut up. Look, Taehyung.” There it is, his full name again. You shoot him one last fierce glance as you turn to head in the direction you think the front of the bar is in. “When you actually want to say that to me, and mean it, you know where to find me.” 

“(Y/N)!” He calls out your name, but you don’t look back, bare feet slipping on the slick, rain covered cobblestones. 

Look. Maybe you hadn’t gone about it in a sane way. But maybe, just maybe, you had meant every single damn word you had said. 

*******

At work on Monday, it takes everything inside of you to focus on the stack of paperwork that lies piled, waiting for you, in a large, gleaming, ivory tower on your desk. And by the third cup of coffee of the morning, you’re not sure whether you’re focusing, or whether you’re floundering. 

Maybe you have the worst hangover ever, in the history of hangovers. Or maybe it’s the fact that Taehyung hasn’t texted you, at all, since the night of the incidence. Or maybe, it’s simply because the office coffee is shit. 

Whatever the reason, you’re struggling. 

And the appearance of a certain dreaded someone in the doorway of your office, makes everything seem suddenly, very much, worse. 

“Shit.” You swear under your breath at the sight of her overly glittered shoes appearing in the edge of your vision, a direct contrast to the drab carpet, as you sigh, and putting aside the paperwork you had been staring at for the last hour, manage a small, polite smile. “Eve. What can I do for you?” 

She steps inside your office space, seeming to mull over the degrees framed on the wall, before she finally turns to you, an overly fake and patronizing smile stretched across her red lips. “Oh, (Y/N), I actually came to talk to you about the Lueber Case.” 

You grind your teeth, as she sits down in the chair opposite your desk, and begins to inspect her long, manicured nails. “Okay. What about it?” 

“I’ve decided I’m passing it off to you.” Eve states simply, still not looking up from her nails, although you swear her lips pull back in a malevolent gesture, that’s probably meant to show her rhetorical fangs and intimidate you. She finally looks up at you, as if realizing you’re there, and more important than her present manicure. “I’m bored with it.” 

Something inside of you boils at her words, and you bite your tongue, because the only thing you can think of saying in that moment is something along the lines of, ‘Just like you’re bored with Taehyung?’

Your boss smirks, tossing long, ebony hair over her shoulder, as she leans toward you slightly. “So? Will you take it?” 

You know she’s only asking to be polite. She knows that you have to do exactly as she asks. 

And maybe, it’s the smug look on her face, or maybe it’s the fact that she’s treated your best friend like shit for the last two years, or maybe it was the fact that you were simply done doing what she said, but for whatever reason, the next word out of your mouth caught you both by surprise. 

“No.” You said firmly, pushing aside your pile of paperwork, as you took her full on, her eyes darkening and brow furrowing at your obvious noncompliance as you stood, placing your hands palm down on your desk. “No, I will not take your case, Eve.” 

“Excuse me?” The woman in front of you stands, lips pulling downward with anger as she regards you coldly. “What did you just say to me?” 

“I said.” You take in a deep breath, steeling yourself, before looking her directly in the eye. “No, Eve.” You feel your own rage and anger, tucked inside for two years, start to erupt to the surface, like magma kept beneath the earth’s crust for too long. “I will not take your case. And I will not,” You step out from behind your desk, catching her by surprise, as she takes a sudden haltering step back from you. “sit by anymore, and listen to my best friend tell me how you treat him like shit.” 

Eve’s eyes narrow at your words, but you hold your ground, as she steps toward you once more, bringing you nose to nose, as she hisses out between clenched teeth, “You little bitch. I knew you had something to do with his sudden silence.” 

Maybe you were a little caught off guard to hear that Taehyung hadn’t called Eve either. Or maybe you were just feeling lighter, getting everything off your chest finally.

But for whatever reason, her words made you smile, and you couldn’t help it as you let out a slightly, shocked laugh. 

“He didn’t call you either.” You laugh again, suddenly feeling a million times lighter than you had that morning. 

“Shut up.” Eve snaps, eyes dark with fury, as she backs away from you toward the door, waving her trembling finger in your direction. “You’re fired. You hear me, (Y/N)?” Her voice has risen in volume, and she’s practically screaming at you from the doorway now. “You’re fired, (Y/N)! Get the hell out of my firm!” 

Maybe you were crazy. Maybe you were absolutely insane. 

Because, picking up your purse, you walked past the frantic and enraged Eve with a smile, leaving the office for the last time, feeling amazingly more light than you had an hour earlier. 

******

Taehyung still hasn’t contacted you. 

But maybe, just maybe, everything might turn out to be okay after all. 

Because he still hadn’t contacted Eve either. 

Sitting down at the table in your apartment, you carefully lift a mouthful of noodles to your lips, blowing on the hot food, as you reach for the newspaper you had discarded there earlier. 

Scanning through the job listings, you hum a meaningless tune to yourself, as you dare to the take the first bite of your ramen. 

Maybe that was a mistake. 

“Ouch. Shit!” You swear, the boiling noodles burning your tongue, and subsequently your throat, as you swallow hard, before stumbling out of the chair and to the kitchen, gasping to try and cool your mouth, as you turn on the tap and, not bothering with a cup, lean over to put your lips beneath the cold stream of water. 

Straightening up after a few relieving seconds, you turn off the faucet, and glancing down at your sweater, which is now stained with a large watermark down the entire front, you swear once more. “Dammit. Good one, (Y/N).” 

There is a knock at the door. 

Glancing up, caught off guard, you carefully make your way back to the front room, and cursing your landlord for not including a peephole, you sigh, before reaching down to pull open the door. 

Your mouth drops open at the sight of him. Because maybe, you had thought, deep down, that you’d ruined your friendship, that he’d never speak to you again. And maybe, the sight of him, standing there in your doorway, hands dug deep into the pockets of his favorite plaid pants, has your heart beating just a little faster than normal. 

“Hey.” He offers you a rueful smile after another moment of silence, tilting his head slightly to the side, as his swath of dark, curls tangle cutely over his forehead and brow with the movement. “Can I come in?” 

You swallow, and nodding, step to the side to allow him into your apartment, self consciously tugging at your still wet sweater, as you close the door behind him, and follow him into your living room. 

“Are you always just wet?” Taehyung asks teasingly as you come into the room, and face him, standing awkwardly at arms length from each other, as if not sure what to do next. 

Your mouth goes dry at his words. Dammit. How did he know how much he affected you? Was he really asking.....

Taehyung motions to the stain of water down the front of your sweatshirt, and your cheeks flame, as you pull back from your previous thoughts. “Oh, um.” You wipe a hand down the watermark, and bite your lip, avoiding his gaze, and hoping you aren’t blushing as much as you think you are. “You caught me at a bad moment.” 

There is silence again, you looking at the carpet, his hands still in his pockets, as he moves awkwardly from foot to foot, and you recognize the same sneakers, now dry, that he had been wearing that night. 

“(Y/N)...” Taehyung finally breaks the quiet with your name and a heavy sigh, just as you start to speak as well. 

“Taehyung...” 

You both stop, unsure of who should go first, and finally, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck, Taehyung chuckles softly, before motioning for you to continue. 

Maybe you’re just feeling bold, or maybe you’re tired of keeping things in, but whatever the case, you’re caught off guard by what you choose to say next. 

“You didn’t call Eve.” You blurt out, immediately noting the strange look that crosses your best friend’s face at your words. 

He sighs, reaching up once more to rub at the back of his neck, a habit of nervousness he has done ever since you have known him. “No, I didn’t.” 

“Why?” You ask, before you can stop yourself. You’re in too deep now. Might as well face the music. 

“Well, because...” He hesitates, dark eyes finally looking into yours once more, mouth twisted into a serious line as he considers. “You were right. I put up with shit I shouldn’t have, for a long time.” 

You watch him for a moment, normally handsome, carefree features pulled into something tighter, pinched, worried. 

“You didn’t call me either.” You say next, quietly, softly, almost as an afterthought under your breath. 

“I know.” Taehyung doesn’t look at you now. “I was scared.” 

You’re surprised to hear the words leave his lips. Kim Taehyung, as far as you know, has never been scared of anything, in all the years that you have known him and been by his side. Not through primary school, not through high school, not through college. 

No, Kim Taehyung is fearless. 

But maybe, just maybe, you had never considered that you might be the one thing he was afraid of. 

“Why? Have you seen me?” You joke, trying to lighten the sudden serious mood, not sure how to hand this side of your best friend. You motion to your wet sweatshirt. “I’m a disaster.” 

Taehyung lets out a laugh, though it is not his usual, and a lot less humorless, as he brings his eyes up to yours once more, and your breath catches in your throat at how serious he is, pupils dark and wide surrounded by the warmth of his irises. “I was scared you wouldn’t want to talk to me.” 

“I always want to talk to you.” You shrug, tilting your head curiously, as you wait for him to explain. 

He sighs, and reaches up to rake a hand through thick curls. “I know. And that’s the problem.” He offers you a slightly rueful smile, and takes a small step toward you. “You always want to talk to me. And I’ve taken advantage of that. And I should have been listening instead of talking, (F/N).” He breathes in, and suddenly, you realize how close he has gotten in the past several seconds. 

You swallow, but hold his gaze, fingers twitching at your side, because damn, in that moment, do you just want to reach out and take his hands in yours. “Listening to what?” You breathe out, scared to disrupt the space between the two of you.

“Listening to my best friend.” His lips pull up into half a smile, and you’re distracted for a moment, by the way his dark eyelashes brush his tan cheeks when he blinks, and the way his pink, full lips form his words around bright, white teeth. “You were right, (F/N). I just didn’t want to hear it, so I kept coming up with excuses. But.” He reaches up carefully, and lets his fingertips, feather light, brush down the skin that covers your cheekbone. “I wasn’t in love with Eve.” 

“Oh.” You say stupidly, not quite sure what to say in the moment, and slightly overwhelmed with the smell of his cologne washing over you, and the way his thick knit sweater frames his wide shoulders, and the way his fingers feel against your skin. 

“That’s all you have to say?” Taehyung grins suddenly, and chuckles slightly, before letting his fingers trail down your face to your chin, as he tips your head back so that you’re looking directly up at him. Something in his warm, caramel irises changes as he watches you, darkening and swirling, pupils suddenly blown wide. “Where’s all your brutally honest and snarky wisdom that you’ve always used to put me in my place right now (Y/N)?” 

You shrug halfheartedly, heartbeat loud in your ears. “I don’t know. Now that you’re finally listening, I don’t have anything else to say.” 

“Better take advantage of that.” Taehyung teases in a low tone, although the joking doesn’t quite reach his eyes, which have dropped down the length of your face to your lips. 

Your heart feels like it’s going to pound out of your chest, as he tightens his fingers slightly around your chin, keeping you in place, as he leans toward you, slowly, his lips parted only barely, as his gaze flicks up once, to meet yours, before he leans even closer than before. 

He’s so close, his lips are almost brushing your own, your whole body feels as if it’s quivering with anticipation, and the feel of his balmy breath washing over your face, is almost enough to destroy every last shred of will you have. 

Maybe you’re feeling especially bold. Maybe you’re just ready for the years long wait to be over. Or maybe the need to kiss Kim Taehyung is just too damn much. 

But whatever the reason, before he can close the last centimetre between the two of you, you’re leaning into him and ending the space between the two of you, and your hands are going to the back of his neck, tangling into the ebony curls there, as you pull your body flush against his. 

You have never kissed anyone whose mouth fit yours more perfectly than your best friend’s. 

It’s hard to breathe, the feel of Taehyung’s soft, silken lips on your own, the way his tongue darts out, hot and liquid, to trace the shape of your mouth, it’s all making you feel lightheaded and dizzy and way too sure that this is all a dream. 

He pulls back from you, slightly, just to catch his breath, and there is a brief moment of nothing but heavy breathing between the two of you, foreheads resting against each other, lips swollen and scarlet from the kiss, and then, without warning, he leans into you once more, and murmurs into the corner of your mouth, “I love you.” 

You can’t help the smile that slides across your lips at his words, and turning your face toward him, you curve your mouth around the shape of his jaw, and breathe back in reply, “I love you, Kim Taehyung.” 

He grins, you can feel the motion against your skin. “I know, (Y/N).” 

Maybe it’s the way he says it. Or maybe it’s the way the words echo in your head, as he covers your mouth with his once more. Or maybe it’s simply because he’s your best friend and you can tell he’s serious. 

Because, no maybe about it, you know he means it this time.