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ataleofcrowns · 5 days ago

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Chapter Progress [NOV/06]

Hey all, it's been a while since I've written one of these 🍂

I've been posting regular previews on my Patreon, but a proper update was long overdue! As a refresher, my last update was this one, and I've got lots more to update you on now that I'm further along!

I've struggled a lot with this chapter and have been trying to wrangle it into shape as best I can, and I'm happy (and relieved) to say that I can finally give you an estimated release date: you can expect CH12 to be uploaded in December this year.

I won't be putting a specific date on it yet, since it could be anywhere from early December to late December depending on how much progress I make in November, but I'll let you know! Now, onto specifics.

The Main Plot

I'm currently balancing out LI specific content in the main plot! Regardless of what you chose in regards to Kham and the peri trader, players will be spending some time with D and X to make up for their absence in CH10 at the beginning of this chapter, and I've really missed writing their dynamic with each other as well as the Crown.

I genuinely can't decide which branch is my favorite. Meeting with Kham directly gives so much juicy verbal sparring and tension between not only her and the Crown but her and D and X as well. But meeting directly with the peri trader let me dig more into the worldbuilding, explore the city a bit, and have some more lighthearted shenanigans with D and X too.

I'll add some previews here for both routes that I've also already shared for people on the Patreon. Here's a little excerpt for people meeting with Kham:

“There is one thing I have been wondering, princess,” you say as you stare back into her eyes, watching the way the orange orbs of light flicker like flames. “When you first arrived here, you were accompanied by a retinue of guards. Whatever happened to them?” Kham does not raise her brows at you, exactly, but something similar to the motion as the wood above her eyes arches upwards with a stiff creaking sound. “They are not merely my guards, they are my servants first and foremost. Naturally, they run errands for me.” “What kinds of errands?” “Surely you do not think I would fetch all I require by myself?” She appears amused by the line of questioning rather than offended. “They trade with the peri merchants in your city on my behalf. Although, calling it trade is perhaps not accurate, as I hold the right to lay claim on their supplies whenever I please. They are representatives of my mother, after all.” You consider the explanation, but nothing about it seems notable or inconsistent so far. “So you have never dealt with this peri trader I wish to meet with yourself?” “Of course not.” She smiles, her wooden mouth briefly pressing together. “That would be beneath me.” “A shame,” $xname muses casually from beside you, contrasting the sharp look in their eyes. “We had hoped you might have some insight to share.” “As much insight as you are willing to offer me regarding this flower you seek,” Kham returns, her smile still in place. “The blue siren, yes? A rather strange fixation…” You feel the urge to tense, but withhold yourself from it by taking a slow, relaxed breath. All the rigorous physical training you have underwent over the course of the past month is already showing its benefits: you feel more aware and in control over your body, able to maintain your composure. A necessary skill when dealing with someone like Kham, as conversing with her feels like a dance of sorts. The two of you are watching each other’s steps, waiting for the other to slip.

And here's the excerpt for if you choose to meet with the peri trader:

You manage to make it through the marketplace, finally arriving at a large building with an open front, wrapping around the corner of the street. Tables and shelves are lined with various flowers and plants, perused by a few passing customers. This appears to be the peri trader’s shop, signaled by the sign at the front that reads Eshkar’s Garden. Eshkar being the name of the peri trader in question. Most of the flora on display you recognize, if not by the labeled names then by sight alone, but several look entirely new to you. Pale white flowers whose hanging bulbs pulse with light when a customer brushes against its leaves; bleeding vines wrapped around a miniature roofed trellis atop a tall table, its crimson flowers slowly dripping down pink juice caught by bowls below; a tall flower with only two black petals, large and pointed, that nearly startle you when they snap together several times in sharp, cracking sounds, almost as if the flower were clapping. IF CROWN IS INTELLIGENT Momentarily forgetting about your intended purpose in being here, you approach the clapping flower with curiosity, wondering what set it off. Sure enough, you see dead and decomposing flies of various sorts collected at the center of its bulb as you lean over to peer inside, taking care to avoid leaning in too close lest your nose get caught between the aggressive petals. Does it catch and eat small insects? How fascinating. You glance at the labeling of the flower, its name fittingly given as ‘black ovation’. IF CROWN IS INTUITIVE Eyes drawn by the visual spectacle of the white flowers, you find yourself wandering over to its shelf, glancing at the labeling that reads ‘stardrops’. The bulbs look ordinary at first glance, but sure enough, when you reach out to touch its petals, the flower begins to glow like you saw before. A ring of light travels up its stem, through the petals to the very ends, where it erupts into tiny little golden sparks. Hence the name, you suppose. Unable to stop yourself, you touch the flower again, mesmerized by the light show, until you notice a shop attendee frowning at you from nearby. Feeling scolded, you quickly pull your hand away and offer an apologetic smile.

Lots of fun going on in both routes! I don't envy you for having to make this choice lol.

Aside from this big branch, the main plot will converge for everyone again in the latter half of the chapter, where the Crown gets do to some more typical Crown things: hearing public petitions! They'll contain 2 smaller scenes where your character will hear out some citizen concerns, which will let you rack up reputation points with either the public or the nobility, and 1 major scene that affects a future plot point.

Not gonna spoil these since I've already talked so much about everything else regarding this chapter, so this will have to remain a surprise ✨

The Romances and Friendships

While the start of the chapter is X and D focused, if you have a specific (platonic) LI you want to spend more time with as buddies and perhaps get a little relationship advice, you'll have that opportunity at the start of CH12! I've had to write 12 variations in total for each friendship scene, which was a lot of work, but completely worth it.

Some LI routes also have big additional differences depending on if you have a low or high romance (such as A and R), while it matters a little bit less for the others for the time being (such as D and X). So if you screwed up on D or X's romances and have a low status, you're mostly in the clear from immediate consequences… for now.

Here's a little excerpt, taken from a playthrough of a Crown who has a high romance with A and chooses R's friendship scene:

Something like mischief gleams in $rname’s eyes as $rthey looks at you. “I’ve noticed you and $aname seem especially close nowadays.” You shift a little on the couch, averting your gaze to avoid $rname’s eyes as you strike a casual tone. “Do we?” “Mhm.” When you do glance over at $rname, you find $rthem studying $rtheir nails, and you begin to relax as you think it was just an idle remark. Until $rthey adds, “All the hand-holding underneath the table is endearing, I must admit. Especially since the two of you seem to think you’re being subtle about it.” IF CROWN IS RESERVED Heat flushes up your neck at being seen through so easily, remembering breakfast earlier that morning where $aname’s fingers hooked around yours beneath the table. “We were just… we’re not…” $rname looks up from $rtheir nails to grin at you. “There’s no need to look so embarrassed! I’m happy for you. The two of you seem well-suited for each other.” Trying to move past your flustered state, you clear your throat. “You think so?” “I’ve never seen $aname so at ease as when you’re around,” $rname considers, eyes narrowing with teasing and fondness both. “You look more unburdened with $athem near, as well.” IF CROWN IS FLIRTATIOUS You almost laugh at the remark and give it away completely, only managing to keep it in at the last moment and grinning back at $rname instead. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” $rname looks up from $rtheir nails with a sly smile. “No? What a shame. I was going to say how well-suited the two of you are for each other.” That catches your attention, your playfulness easing into something more sincere. “Really?” “I’ve never seen $aname so at ease as when you’re around,” $rname considers, eyes narrowing with teasing and fondness both. “You look more unburdened with $athem near, as well.”

This scene aside, CH12 will also contain another dedicated romance scene with your LI, dealing with some of the fallout from last chapter whether good or bad. If your romance is high, you'll be coasting- except maybe for D romancers, who are in Pining Hell either way haha.

If your romance is low, though, prepare for some delicious angst 🙏🏼

That's all I've got for now! Thank you all so much for your patience and support as always, especially for how long I've been making you all wait. You're the best 💖

#a tale of crowns #interactive fiction #progress report

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back2bluesidex · 3 months ago

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To Be Popular - JJK (18+) [Prologue Preview]

↪ Patreon Membership Exclusive Series

↪ Pairing: Social Media Influencer! Jungkook X Marketing Manager! Reader ft. Yoongi

↪ Summary: You love everything about social media - apart from the ever-growing number of social media influencers. You don't understand how these people gain followers and admirers just by installing a camera and doing very basic things in front of it. And you despise how some of them can do anything to gain fame, to be popular - even if it includes uploading their bedroom scene in pornsites aka people like Jeon Jungkook.

But when your company launches a new product and your department head tasks you with signing Jeon Jungkook up as an endorsement partner - you have no choice but to chase him like the corporate slave that you are. However, things turn worse when you embroil in a dating rumor with him and have to keep the game going for the sake of everything.

is it really for the worse or things will turn in a way you never expected?

↪ Theme: Strangers to lovers au, fake dating au, kind of enemies to lover au, angst, smut, fluff.

↪ A/N: This series will have 2k words per chapter and will be updated weekly. Hence, you can expect the first chapter sometime next week. Hope that you enjoy this one <3

Read full prologue on Patreon

Your jaw hangs ajar, threatening to touch the floor as Min Yoongi, aka the manager you have a fat crush on, presents the campaign plan of your company’s new product’s marketing. Everything was fine until Yoongi suggested influencer endorsement and if this is not a joke of the universe then you don’t know what it is because you can see Jeon Jungkook’s picture gracing the screen.

“Jeon Jungkook? Why?” you utter these words without so much of a thought.

Yoongi looks at you with his narrowed eyes, “why not? You know, he is really famous. He is trending currently.”

“Yeah but the reason he is trending- well. I don’t think he is suitable for our brand image.” you press on.

Yoongi chuckles at your constipated expression, “Y/N-ah” he calls you softly and a tiny part of your heart melts, “I am sure our brand image can go up with a few charitable works here and there. But the company wants a return of what they are investing in marketing. I bet signing up Jeon Jungkook will help.”

“Y/N, you know we are already at a tight spot right? Our last campaign wasn’t as successful as we expected. The company may take steps if we don’t do this right this time.” calls Mrs. Lee from the other side of the table.

“And before you ask me why him, why not the other influencers…” Yoongi chimes in again, “We are selling gaming laptops and this guy is addicted to games. He has more followers than the actual streamers. He is young, hot, and talented in many areas. In one word, he is perfect.”

“You awfully sound like you want to date him.” You scoff at the man. He only chuckles.

Yoongi tries to say something but a knock rings on the door. One of the staff opens the door only a little and says, “Sir, he is here.”

Yoongi nods and says, “send him inside.”

“Who is coming?” you place the question. Only for Yoongi to smirk as a response.

When you are about to press more, the door swings open revealing the man who-should-not-be-named, Jeon Jungkook.

Your eyes go wide as you take him in - all baggy clothes and a cute bucket hat perched on the top of his head. Bambi eyes scanning the room like a puppy brought to his very new home. As if he is not the guy who is going viral for fucking on camera and selling it to an adult site.

He bows deeply and opens his mouth to greet, “Hello, I am Jeon Jungkook.”

You feel your blood pressure raising at the thought of working with him. You will survive it right?

You will have to.

Read full prologue on Patreon

#bts smut #jungkook smut #bts x reader #jungkook x reader #bts fanfiction #jungkook fanfic #bts x you #jungkook x you #jungkook scenarios #jeon jungkook #bts jungkook #bts #jungkook fluff #bts fluff #yoongi x reader

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simmerianne93 · 3 months ago

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[Simmerianne93]Conversation_poses_36_V1

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Hello everyone. I hope you are all doing well!!

I want to apologize for my absence the last few weeks. I haven't been feeling well emotionally so I took a couple of days off from even sitting down at the computer to play or do some poses, and when I was going to get back to posting what I had already planned, I got sick with a lot of fever, headaches and body aches, so I had to extend my time away. Then, a couple of days ago a close relative passed away so it hasn't been an easy few weeks.

Starting today and in the remaining days of the month I will be posting the corresponding poses for the month and if there are any posepack left to post, they will be the first ones for next month. I will also be posting in a couple of days the usual post of what is coming next month, so don't worry, I will continue posting poses as always.

However, I must warn you that next month there may be less pose packs because I will be working on the poses for October and Simblreen. I'm excited about it but it will be hard work and to have it on time, I need time haha... anyway, I hope you understand and I hope that you like what I'll bring for you all... and again I apologize for my long absence this month.

By the way, the surveys already have a result, thank you so much to everyone who was able to participate! They have been interesting results, but I'll talk about that better in the "coming soon" post.

Now... about the poses:

Lately I'm in my time of watching a lot of k-dramas and, watching one of those, I was inspired to make this package: a conversation between two characters who don't get along very well but who need to talk to solve a common issue. The poses I made are nothing like the scene that inspired me to make it haha but hey, still, I think it can be quite useful for those who tell their stories through poses. I think there are never enough conversation poses and much less argument poses. So here you have one more little sequence.

This posepack comes with two versions. In this post you have Version 1 (V1), which takes place on a park bench. For this I used a 3-seat bench from the base game. And Version 2 (V2) can be downloaded here and are the same poses but adapted to work with the 3-seat Hipster Sofa from the base game.

These poses have the peculiarity that the characters' arms rest on the back of the seat, so my recommendation is to use the object with which they have been made because otherwise, there will be glitches with cuts or floats arms in some of the poses. However, it is up to each one of you how to use them.

I hope you like them and find them useful.

Stay tuned tomorrow for more poses!

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What is on it?

9 duo poses (made with two male rigs) + 2 all in one.

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What do you need?

Andrew's poses player

Teleport any sim by Scumbumbo.

Basegame 3sits basic park bench.

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Instructions in the original post.

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TOU

Do not claim my creations as your own.

Do not re-upload or modify my creations.

Do not make money of my creations.

Do not include my creations in Mods folders to download.

Please follow my Term Of Use.

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Download it now here — [EARLY ACCESS until September 15th, 2024]

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If you want to support me: Patreon | Ko-fi

All my poses overview: Pinterest | Wix | Tumblr

More in-game preview pics of all my poses: Instagram

My socials: Twitter | BlueSky | Instagram | Tumblr

Lives and videos: Youtube

——————

I really hope you like them and I will say in advance: Thank you so much for using them.

@ts4-poses

#poses #ts4 #simmerianne93 #sims4poses #thesims4 #posesforsims #sims4 #thesims #ts4poses #creator content #duoposes #conversationposes #discussionposes

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sage-nebula · 7 months ago

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WatcherTV Debrief

I said I was going to write down all of my thoughts yesterday, but I was simply too tired after work. So I'm going to do so now, in a post that is likely going to be very long, but hopefully will still be worth the read for some of you anyway.

TL;DR: I believe this is a very poor decision on Watcher Entertainment's part and it is at the very least going to cost them a huge swath of their fanbase, if not their entire company in the long run. And at this point in time, I myself will not be subscribing.

With that said though, I don't want this post to merely be a rant about how much I dislike the decision, so I'm going to start off by looking at things from their perspective and explaining why, although some people in the fanbase might feel betrayed, none of the three (yes, three, because Steven, Ryan, and Shane were all equal parts of this decision) personally betrayed anyone in the fandom. If you're still angry, I understand that seeing what might seem like a "defense" might be upsetting, but again, I hope you'll find some value in it regardless.

All of that said, that plus my extensive criticism of this decision is going to be long, so let's go beneath a cut.

First, let us state the obvious: Watcher Entertainment is a media company -- a business -- and Shane Madej, Ryan Bergara, and Steven Lim are not your friends. They are business owners first, and media producers + actors second.

I italicized actors to draw attention to it, because this is something that I think gets . . . not forgotten, per se, but pushed aside in people's minds when they consume video content online, particularly when that video content is on YouTube, which originally began as a point and shoot video upload website that was meant to give anyone and everyone the ability to upload their vlogs or silly little videos. The term "parasocial relationships" is one that has proliferated across the internet, but I think the issue here -- with Shane and Ryan in particular -- is not only that people are thinking of them as "friends," but also that they are thinking, "These are their authentic selves, this is who they really are, I know them." And the fact of the matter is, that isn't true. Shane and Ryan are actors. What we see in their videos isn't their authentic selves. We don't know them.

Now, that isn't to say that it's all a lie. It isn't quite the same as, say, Ryan Gosling or Leo DiCaprio playing a role in a film. But every internet celebrity (and that is what they are at this point) presents themselves in a particular way to their audience. Even in the Pod Watcher podcast, where ostensibly they're having Just Friendly Conversations About Whatever's On Their Minds, they're mindful of the fact that their audience is listening, their audience is judging, their audience is making gifs and fanart of moments they like. They're acting. They're playing up personas to keep fans engaged, to keep fans coming back for more.

So Shane and Ryan (and Steven, when he can be) are actors. You don't know their true authentic selves, and you never have. Anything they say has to be taken with a grain of salt, because they are saying what they want you to hear. Even their live shows are rehearsed. And what this means -- that they only show you what they want to show you -- is that they did not betray you, because they couldn't betray you. They don't know you, just like you don't know them. Betrayal is not possible here.

To that end, Watcher Entertainment is a media company -- in other words, a business. And businesses must generate not only revenue, but profit in order to stay afloat. Now, I don't know what Watcher's financial books look like right now. I have seen people throwing around a lot of numbers about what they have to make from Patreon, from ticket and merchandise sales, et cetera, but without looking at the expense reports, the bank statements, and the budget sheets, it's difficult for any of us to say just what state Watcher is in financially. We can guess, but that's the best we can do.

That said though, we don't have to guess to know the very basic principle of running a business. A business has to, at the bare minimum, break even. Ideally, the business would profit, so that they can not only do things like pay their employees fairly, but also so that they can expand and grow. Any business requires money in order to make product, whether that product is food, an item that you can purchase, or entertainment media that you consume as a viewer. As nice as it would be if Watcher could make their content without needing money to do so, they can't. Even independent YouTubers, including video essayists and Let's Players, require money to make their content. The equipment, in both purchasing and upkeep, requires money. The games (for Let's Players) require money. Internet and electricity bills, food, books needed for research, props, et cetera -- all of that requires money. No matter how simple a video may look, it still requires money to make. There is a reason that most people aren't able to make YouTube a full time job, and it isn't because they aren't talented; it's because it is a deceptively expensive venture to get into.

So with that said, even without knowing Watcher's current financial situation, it does make sense that they need money to run their business, purely from a "businesses need money" standpoint. This is common sense. This is why things like Watcher selling merchandise, having sponsored ads, having a Patreon, et cetera always made sense. And it is possible, too, that even if their present financial situation is okay, that they are thinking about the future, and costs they are likely to be incurring within the next year.

I don't know how many people within the fanbase listen to their podcast, Pod Watcher, but I do. A few episodes ago, Steven revealed that he wants to open a Malaysian restaurant within the next year. This is his dream, to bring Malaysian culture to the United States with food. This is an amazing dream for him, it's wonderful for him, I wish him success in this venture.

However, running a restaurant -- and not only running one, but building one from the ground up and running it -- takes an astronomical amount of time and energy. This is time and energy that Steven is currently expending keeping Watcher Entertainment afloat as the sole person in charge of managing their financials. (He has the official title of CEO, with Shane and Ryan having stepped away from that title In Name Only to focus on production, but the job that Steven is actually doing is CFO -- Chief Financial Officer.) So when Steven announced that he was going to be opening a restaurant within the next year, what I heard was, "Oh, Steven is leaving Watcher within the next year." This is supported, in my opinion, by Steven saying things like how Shane and Ryan will get free drinks whenever they visit, and then hastily tacking on fans can have it, too. He was trying not to show that he was leaving just yet to the fanbase, but the writing is on the wall and they all know it.

What this means is that when Steven leaves, they will need to find someone to replace him. Either Shane and/or Ryan will need to step away from producing and acting in their shows to take over CFO duties (which the reason why they stepped away is because they handled CFO duties poorly while Steven was better equipped for it, so I doubt either of them would like to do this), or they will need to hire someone to do that for them. The lowest CFO salary in LA I can find is $140k/year, and that isn't including benefits. Since Steven helped found the company, it's doubtful he's making that much, but his replacement won't be a founder and will likely want competitive compensation. There is a good chance that, considering this, Shane, Ryan, and Steven feel pressured to bring in a lot more money than they're currently doing right now.

And I understand all of that. I have supported them where I can; yesterday I literally wore my $80+ Mystery Files jacket to work, which felt a bit bitter after the news broke and I realized I wouldn't be able to watch future seasons of said show. I overpaid for a denim jacket because I wanted to support them. It's not as if I don't understand.

However . . . here is where the criticism begins.

To begin with, there is an old saying: you have to spend money to make money. To go back to my previous statements about how even smaller scale YouTubers spend money to keep producing videos to keep their channels afloat, what this saying means is that if you aren't going to put any money into your business or product, you aren't going to have a business or product to generate any revenue. However, some young business owners take this to the extreme, and figure that if they pump tons and tons and tons of cash into their business at the start, it will start to generate revenue more quickly. What ends up happening is that they overspend, sometimes even despite their best efforts not to, and end up not being able to claw their way back out of the red in the end.

Unfortunately, that is what I think that Watcher is doing with their new streamer.

Let's be clear: There have been valid criticisms about how they seemingly over-budget on shows that don't need to have such high production values or budget. Someone mentioned that their Let's Play show (I don't watch that one because horror games are uninteresting to me, so I don't remember the name) credits something akin to 26 people, which is silly when you consider the fact that there are independent Let's Players who are able to produce content themselves. Of course, you have to remember that the LPers on YouTube are editing their own videos, which Ryan and Shane probably aren't able to do -- but even then, that would be one or perhaps two additional editors. The number of people they have working on that particular venture does seem excessive.

With that said though, those 26 people were already employed and being paid, so having them work on the Let's Play show was likely not a new business expense. The streamer, however, is a completely different story.

First, they had to have paid likely multiple people to build the WatcherTV streaming website for them. Granted, I could be wrong since I have never used Squarespace, but I find it difficult to believe this is something Squarespace would be capable of handling. So unless they already had experienced programmers on their staff, they would have had to hire programmers to build the streaming website. They would also need to pay for hosting the streaming website, which includes not only the domain, but server space for all of their videos, and videos take up a lot of space. Previously, YouTube hosted all of their videos. Now? That needs to be on Watcher, and server space and maintenance is not cheap.

So they are paying for programmers, domain name, server space, server maintenance. They are also going to need to pay for security. Not only do they need to be concerned about any potential DDoS attempts, but more importantly they need security to ensure that they can't suffer a data breach and lose the credit card information of their subscribers, something which happens all the time to other companies. Now you may say, if it happens all the time and those companies are fine, Watcher will be too, right? Well, does Watcher have lawyers on retainer? Because litigation can be raised against companies with insufficient website security that puts customers' financial information at risk, which means Watcher could find themselves facing a lawsuit if their streamer is hacked and credit card information is stolen.

So they will need to pay for systems administrators to not only build security for the streamer, but also maintain security for the streamer, because cyber attacks evolve each day and it is a constant battle against them. It is possible that whatever third party they partnered with to build the streamer for them bundled all this together (if that is the route they went), but either way, services like that do not come cheap -- and if they do, you are not getting a service of value.

So what this comes down to is that Watcher Entertainment has likely spent a ton of money they allegedly do not have to build this streamer, taking the "you have to spend money to make money" adage to the extreme. Their hope, near as I can tell, is that they will generate enough revenue from the streamer so that they will be able to recoup the cost of building and maintaining the streamer and generate profit. However, judging by the reaction from the fandom, I think that is unlikely.

As everyone knows, the reaction to this news has been abysmal. While some of the responses toward Steven and Ryan in particular have been racist vomit, I do think there are valid reasons for why this news has been received so poorly. These reasons include:

Watcher built hype for a week, with a countdown timer and everything, teasing an announcement as if it were a new show or similar "gift" to the fandom, when in reality it was the news that the fandom would now have to pay for content that was previously free.

Patreon subscribers are expected to continue paying the same amount, but for far less content than before. Access to the streamer is not included in the basic tier; they'll need to double their cash output.

Many fans are international fans who can't access the streamer at all without a VPN to switch their location to the United States. Even if they want to pay, they are barred from doing so, meaning that Watcher Entertainment is shutting a large portion of its fanbase out for the foreseeable future.

Watcher took a very patronizing tone with their audience in both the announcement video and their Patreon letter. In the announcement video, which was fourteen minutes long when the actual pertinent information took half that time to deliver (if that), they began with a long diatribe about their careers and how much YouTube meant to them, and how sad they were to leave it -- as if they had guns held to their head, and weren't making this decision of their own volition. This is condescending; it implies they believe their audience is stupid enough to believe they were backed into a corner and have no choice. In the Patreon letter, they had a line that read, "And part of that change includes a bit of news that will surely be met with some fits of sobs- we're bringing Watcher Weekly+ to a close. We know. We know." Again, this is patronizing language. They are talking down to their fans, and assuming their fans will be heartbroken by losing a behind scenes the video, or whatever Watcher Weekly+ is. This arrogant, condescending tone does not help soften the blow of being told they are going to pay the same amount of money for less content.

As you can see, the way that Watcher Entertainment executed the announcement that they would be moving future content behind a paywall was abysmal, and the fanbase reacted accordingly. Provided that the anger isn't empty and that the current fanbase sticks true to their word about not subscribing (either out of principle, location, or because they can't afford it), Watcher Entertainment has lost a huge chunk of expected revenue directly out of the gate. And it's possible that they expected this; they had to know they would be shutting out international fans (at least for a time, presumably) and that there would be fans who couldn't afford it. But it's possible that they felt that there would be enough fans to support and subscribe anyway (hence the arrogant tone about people sobbing over losing Watcher Weekly+; that attitude screams of "you're so devoted to us you will do whatever we ask no matter the cost"), and also that they would be able to pick up enough new fans that it would cushion the blow of losing old fans.

Here is where the next problem lies.

Watcher's current subscription model is $5.99/month or $60/year. If you go monthly, you end up paying $72 for the year, so the annual plan is the better deal by $12. When you compare pricing to other streaming services, this may not seem so bad at first; it's on par with DropoutTV, and it's cheaper than Netflix, Disney+, and other big names such as those.

The difference, though, is that all of those other streamers -- DropoutTV included -- have far more content than Watcher does, meaning that the customer (and keep in mind that we are customers, we are not friends, and truly we are not fans when we are paying them money for product from their business) gets more bang for their buck.

I have seen the argument from defenders of the streamer in fandom that say, "So you care about quantity over quality?" And this argument is flawed for several reasons:

There are plenty of quality TV shows on other streaming platforms. DropoutTV has Game Changer. Hulu has Schitt's Creek and Abbot Elementary. Peacock has The Office and Parks & Recreation, so on and so forth. Watcher Entertainment has good shows, but they are not the only good shows in the whole of the media industry. Dare I say, they aren't even the only good shows on YouTube.

While Watcher does produce shows of high quality, their shows have tiny seasons of only six episodes each, and their seasons are spaced out months apart. They also cancel their shows without warning or announcement, meaning fans can wait (and wait, and wait) for a new season of a show they like that will never come, because Watcher dropped the show and didn't bother making official word on it. If you go through Watcher's entire content library (which is easy to do even if you like all their shows, and even easier if you only have a handful of shows you enjoy), then you will be paying for a streamer that you do not use for months on end while you wait for the next batch of six episodes that you maybe want to see if, again, you don't like all of their shows. (I myself only follow five: Puppet History, Mystery Files, Too Many Spirits, Top 5 Beatdown, and Ghost Files.) That is money you have spent on a service you rarely use. In other words: money wasted.

That last point is particularly important when you consider that Watcher Entertainment hopes to draw new customers in to subscribe to their streamer.

Pretend, for a moment, that you have never heard of Ryan, Shane, or Watcher before. You are browsing YouTube, and you come across the season premier of season three of Ghost Files. You enjoy it, so you think, oh, I would like to view the rest of the season. You learn that the rest of the season is on a streaming service called WatcherTV, which only hosts series that Watcher themselves have produced. Their library is very small right now. New episodes for ongoing seasons are weekly, they only have one season airing at a time, new seasons have month long gaps between them. This service costs $60 a year annually, or $6 a month ($72 annually). You've never seen any of their other shows before, and while you could technically afford it, it's not as if money is no object to you. You'd likely have to give up a streamer that has a much, much larger selection of shows and movies you already know you like to give this one a shot. (This one that, mind you, doesn't work outside of your internet browser, so you can't watch it on your television either.)

Would you do it? Really put yourselves in the shoes of someone who has no familiarity at all with Shane, Ryan, Steven, or their shows before that moment. Would you choose to pay $60 for a streamer with low accessibility, and a tiny, infrequently updated library? Especially if it meant losing access to so much more?

It isn't just that numerical value of the price that makes it a bad move. It's the price relative to the product being offered. Watcher's own fans, who love their content, are fiercely divided over whether to subscribe, with many saying they won't. In what universe does someone who has never heard of Watcher sign up to pay them that much for so little offerings? Particularly when they'll only be advertising via YouTube, and infrequently at that given that they'll only be posting season premiers?

(And this is not getting into how they were originally going to pull all of their content before the backlash. Yes, they walked it back -- but not only did they say in the video that the content would only be live until May 31st, but the Variety article says that the company originally told Variety that they would be pulling content, only for Ryan to issue a statement saying they wouldn't do that after. Meaning, they walked that part back because that's the part they could walk back. They have undoubtedly sank far too much money into the streamer to back out of that now. It's way too late.)

Businesses need to make money. Steven, Ryan, and Shane are business owners who are trying to make their business profitable. But I believe that this was one of the worst ways to go about it. I'm not saying that I know exactly what they should have done instead. I don't have all the answers. But I do know that from the terrible execution of getting everyone excited only to tell them (in the most patronizing way possible) that they would now have to pay for a previously free service, to deciding to sink a bunch of money into a streamer that they seem to have done no market research on beforehand and that they don't have the content library to support, this absolutely seems like the wrong way. Moving their content to an existing streamer like Nebula would have been a better move, in my opinion. (And it would have prompted me to actually sign up for Nebula, since there are several video essayists I haven't followed there . . . but I would have followed Watcher, since it would give me access to Watcher content and the content of those video essayists I've been missing.)

But what's done is done. As I said, I think at this point Watcher Entertainment has jumped off the cliff and they didn't do so with a bungee cable. I don't think they can walk this back. I'll be interested in seeing if they succeed, but I have very strong doubts they will.

#watcher #watcher entertainment #shane madej #ryan bergara #steven lim

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allgoodnamesrgoneee · 9 days ago

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Hello, my sunflowers

This one was a little bit hard to write as it's very close to my heart. Every word I pen here comes from a place of understanding, a shared experience that is often difficult to articulate.

To anyone who has experienced this or has gone through something similar. I want you to know that you are not alone.

I see you. I see your pain, your struggle, and your bravery.

Remember that your worth is not defined by what happened to you. You are not a victim; you are a survivor, and that word carries power. Please, allow yourself to feel whatever you need to feel. It’s okay to be angry, to cry, to question everything. Healing is a journey, and there is no right or wrong way to do it.

Lean on those who support you—friends, family, or even a stranger who understands. Surround yourself with those who lift you up and validate your feelings. You deserve that support, the space to express your truth without judgment. It’s okay to ask for help.

And to anyone reading this who might be struggling, I hope you find the courage to seek healing. It’s okay to take your time. Be gentle with yourself. Allow yourself to breathe, to hope, and to dream of brighter days.

You are never alone, and your voice matters. Keep speaking, keep sharing, and know that you are deeply valued, just as you are.

love you guys💛

-Bianca🌻

P.S This is a Patreon special. I try to upload every Friday and occasionally on Wednesdays. You can find the link to my account in my bio.

Mend Your Soul

Masterlist

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 — Trent loves you; mind, body, and soul

𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 — Trent Alexander-Arnold x you

𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 — 12.6k

Warnings! ANGST! TRIGGER WARNING, Mention of SA, rape, Nothing explicit is described but i wanted to warn you guys, Fluff, They're soulmates, Trent is the best boyfriend, soft!Trent NSFW! SMUT (18+), unprotected vaginal sex, oral sex ( f receiving), soft sex, love making.

preview

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

Trent is the perfect boyfriend.

The best thing that's ever happened to you.

Every day with him feels like a dream come true, straight out of the fairy tales you cherished as a little girl. Those enchanting Disney movies you used to watch painted a picture of an ideal partner, and somehow, against all odds, Trent embodies every single one of those fantasies.

His love for you is patient, kind, and selfless. It's the most wonderful thing in your life. He’s your forever partner, the one person you want to be with, the one who makes your heart sing louder than any other thing on this planet.

He’s the kind of lover who cherishes you like you’re precious, like he’s holding a rare, beautiful thing in his hands and can't believe he’s lucky enough to keep it. There’s a reverence in the way he touches you, gentle fingertips grazing your skin as if mapping out every detail he wants to memorize. In those moments, when it’s just the two of you, all the walls around your heart crumble, and you let yourself be vulnerable in a way you’ve never dared with anyone else.

When he kisses you, it’s like the whole world fades away. His lips are warm, soft, like homecoming and wonder wrapped up in one perfect moment. He doesn’t rush, doesn’t expect anything from you, as though the very act of kissing you is enough for him, enough to fulfill all the love he has in his heart.

You’ve caught him staring at you sometimes, that gentle smile on his face, a look that says he’s more than smitten—he’s mesmerized. And when you ask him what he’s thinking, he just laughs, shakes his head, and murmurs, “I’m just so lucky.”

And the way he takes care of you? It's like second nature to him.

He makes sure you eat three meals a day, and he won't let you skip breakfast even when you're running late. He massages your shoulders on workweek nights when your neck and upper back throb from sitting at your desk for hours. He takes you out to your favorite spots in town and buys you bouquets of flowers when you least expect it. He calls you beautiful every day, not only when you've spent hours getting ready for a date, but also when you wake up in the morning, disheveled and sleepy.

When he’s around, your tea is always at just the right temperature, your hands are never cold, and he somehow remembers things you’ve long forgotten you even mentioned. Like the chocolate cake you said you liked once on your third date, which he now bakes for your birthday with that messy kitchen and flour-dusted smile that never fails to make you fall for him all over again. Or the way he bought you that scarf you adored but didn’t have the chance to buy before it sold out, surprising you with it in the soft, early light of a wintry morning.

And he listens.

Listens to your problems, your complaints, your dreams. Listens to your ramblings about work, your latest obsession with a new book, or the way the rain taps against your window. Everything.

He doesn’t just hear your words; he absorbs them, reflecting them back with the kind of empathy that makes you feel understood in a way you never knew was possible.

Even on your hardest days, he finds ways to bring light, like holding you tightly when you feel the weight of the world pressing down on your shoulders. His embrace says everything words can’t; it's a silent promise that you’re not alone, that he’s there, solid and steady, no matter what life throws your way.

With him, there are no masks, no pretenses—just you, loved in every flawed, beautiful, unfiltered piece. And as he brushes a stray hair from your face, fingers lingering a moment too long, he'll murmurs something that steals your breath, something you’ll carry with you in every moment you’re together and even those you’re apart: “I’d choose you a thousand times over.”

And deep down, you know you’d do the same.

For a year now, he’s been your soulmate. And for three months, he has been your lover.

Which is why he doesn't understand why you’re looking at him like that right now. Like he's going to hurt you.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" he whispers, voice softened with concern, his hand is warm and gentle as he cups your face, bringing you back to the present. His thumb traces small, reassuring circles along your cheekbone as his eyes search yours. His knees are pressed into the mattress as he leans forward, settling between your legs, his arms holding up his weight above you.

Your gaze is fixated on the ceiling, refusing to meet his. Because right now, you know he’d see the fear and panic that’s making your heart race. His fingers skim along your collarbone, then the curve of your neck, sending shivers down your spine. Your body tenses against his touch, your thighs instinctively clamping shut, trapping him between them.

You try to swallow, but your throat is dry, and for a moment, you think you’re going to choke on your own fear.

"Sweetheart," Trent whispers, his voice so gentle you almost feel like crying, "What's wrong?" His warm breath dances across your skin as he nuzzles you, his lips brushing the corner of your mouth. "You're shaking, baby." When you still don't respond, he takes a chance, leaning in for a gentle kiss that has all the softness of a summer breeze.

But he doesn’t move forward as he usually does. His weight is still above yours, his hands braced on either side of your head, the heat of his body hovering over you. His gaze is intent, watching your every reaction as he whispers, "You're safe with me."

But you’re too afraid to say anything.

You’re feel stuck. Like you're being pinned down, it will feel like the worst of your nightmares come true. You can't do this. The mere thought makes you nauseous. Your breath hitches as you force out your first words, "I...I'm s—sorry."

“Babe, there’s nothing to be sorry about. Is something bothering you?"

You shake your head, unable to speak.

He leans down a little more and holds you a little tighter. "Hey, I know you, and I know you’re not okay. Is it me?"

You shake your head, and his eyebrows knit in confusion. “So what is it?” he asks, lifting up off you and sitting up. His voice is soft, careful, the way you'd speak to a wounded animal. His hands stroke down the sides of your arms, then up over your shoulders, massaging the tension in your neck.

But this is too much. You can't hold yourself together any longer, and a sob tears from your throat. You’re not sure if he's expecting this reaction, but he doesn’t even flinch.

Instead, he pulls back, and his arms go around you, holding you to his chest as he settles on his side, cradling your body against his own.

"It’s okay," he says, kissing the top of your head. "We can stop." His voice is calm, but you can hear the concern beneath it, the unanswered questions.

A minute of silence passes before you muster enough courage to say, "It's just..." Your voice breaks on the next word, and you clear your throat, trying to find your words. "I'm sorry," you whisper, wiping at your tears. "It’s just...I just-" You hiccup, interrupting yourself.

He looks down at you, and even with the darkness, you can feel his gaze on you. You close your eyes, but he's not deterred. Instead, he strokes your cheek, his finger brushing away a stray tear.

“My love,” he whispers, and the softness of his voice is all you need to break.

You burst into a new round of tears, and he lets out a low exhale before he pulls you closer against him, wrapping you in his arms. "Shhh," he murmurs against your hair. "I've got you."

Your cries turn into sobs, and he kisses your forehead, stroking your hair away from your face. “Just breathe,” he whispers, his breath dancing across your temple.

It takes you a few minutes, but your tears eventually ebb away, and you lay against him, your body wrapped around his.

For a while, he doesn’t ask any questions. He just holds you, letting you breathe, letting your heartbeat slow.

Then his hand starts up again, and this time, he runs his fingertips along the edge of your jaw, tracing the line of your throat. He leans down and kisses you softly on the lips, and you melt into him. "You can tell me anything," he says. "Even if it's hard." His mouth is against your ear, and goosebumps break out over your skin. "Nothing scares me about you."

His voice is low, rough with emotion, and something about it makes you feel so safe.

And before you realize it, you're telling him everything.

********

-Bianca🌻

#footballer x reader #trent alexander x you #trent alexander imagines #trent alexander arnold #trent alexander arnold x reader #trent x reader

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orangeblossoms7 · 2 months ago

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Addressing a Few Things (hopefully for the last time)

Please don't look down on creators who make 'decorative things and texture packs.' Just because my mods are mostly cosmetic doesn't mean they're any less valuable than the 'mechanical value' you're talking about. We may not know each other, but with the disrespect you're showing to aesthetic creators, I sincerely hope we never meet.

The screenshots are from the SDV Discord server.

Maybe leaving Nexus was a really good idea because of people like these. 🥲 Thanks to the one who spoke up for me though! 🥹

For the record, while my Ko-fi shop items and Patreon download links are marked 'members-only,' I've clearly included a link directing followers and free members to my CurseForge profile where the mods are also available. See below:

'|⬇| FREE DOWNLOAD' is there in capital letters. The same is true for all of my 'public release' mods.

You can see that almost all of my mods are in this new site.

'DOWNLOAD MY MODS HERE' is highlighted in bold, capital letters in my pinned post.

On my about page, 'FREE DOWNLOADS HERE' is also highlighted in bold, capital letters.

I initially marked my Ko-fi and Patreon mods as for 'everyone,' but later decided to change them to 'members-only'. To offset this "inconvenience", I made sneak peeks and polls of my 'to-be-public' mods free for all, as communicated in my welcome post below:

The same is also written in my Patreon welcome note.

It's frustrating to be reproached and get derisive comments for wanting compensation for my work when others literally do the same with commissions. I'm not even one of those modders who paywall sneak peeks and then upload the finished mod on ad-heavy, pop-up-heavy sites where they earn revenue.

Regarding the limited-time mod (like my September 2024 Milk Door), it's simply a fun bonus for my members—a way to thank them for supporting me all this time... and still being there for me all throughout the bad times I've experienced at Nexus and the SDV community there. I didn't think it would be an issue since it's a tiny little mod that won't even impact anyone's gameplay except for roleplaying(?) purposes of having a milkman deliver milk to your milk door...

I'm trying to balance 'members-only' and 'free for all' mods without making anyone feel left out. Admittedly, some of my mods are for members only (around 8) but I think the amount of free mods (34 to be exact) I've already shared with everyone offsets this "imbalance."

(I'm not trying to hold this over anyone, but I'm adding this little disclaimer just in case someone tries to twist my words.)

If you disagree with how I do things, feel free to unfollow. I'm gonna be sad to see you go because of this, but if you feel uncomfortable, then I understand. My content and rules may not be for everyone, and that’s okay. If waiting to download my mods for free isn’t for you, I suggest exploring other modders.

As for those who are still here despite everything else, you have my eternal gratitude. Always. ♥︎♡♥︎

love,

🍊🌸

#not the first to do this but i'm getting all the heat #i become more blessed everyday #so thank you ♡

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footballffbarbiex · 6 months ago

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Good morning :) I'm trying to get back into writing so I thought I'd give you a little update where I am. I'm currently finishing my patreon requests so that's one section ticked off and I forgot how good some of these are 😩

In terms of those requests we have:

Antoine Griezmann - her teasing of his comparisons to Charles Leclerc leads to sex like no other and he's determined to make sure he's never compared in her mind again.

Dominik Szoboszlai - learning Scouse is different to learning English but she's there to help him learn - fluff

Dušan Vlahović - he's always been open about his sexuality and what he likes in bed but what he's not expecting is to enjoy no longer being in control.

Jack Grealish - she's the Man City women's GK. being plus sized, she thought friendship is the only thing Jack would want or need from her, but when they're forced into the same facilities, the needs always come out.

Leon Goretzka - her team kicked Leon's out of the champions league. when he refuses to let it slide, he's going to have to take matters into his own hands.

Mats Hummels - they're in the same book club. he's insufferable and he knows it. bookworms to lovers.

Mikel Arteta - lads locker room talk about squirting leads Mikel on a mission to separate the fiction from reality.

Paulo Dybala - they've been away from each other for far too long and the meeting between the sheets is needed - if they can make it that far

Rodrigo De Paul - he buys her new lingerie and though he's fantasised about seeing her in it, he now can't wait to take it off her

Rodrigo Riquelme - she's the teams SM manager and they've been hooking up secretly. a quick one before training wouldn't hurt….would it?

I think we have a good mix of players to read and so these will be posted one a week until they've all been uploaded - please note these will not be coming here.

Then I will work on the series, and a few more normal request one shots. If you've got the teaser link, you'll be able to check how it's going. The first of the series I'll be completing is the next few chapters of So....Teach Me.

A few non requests I'll be working on is the Devil!Domi fic, and a switch around where she's the devil and a player will give anything if it means he gets his career to take off. I'm just trying to think who I want this player to be.

I'm also going to write a self indulgent mini series about the Atletico Madrid boys which will be smutty. I'm thinking Anto, De Paul, Jan, Correa, Gimenez, Hermoso, Llorente and possibly Riquelme. Thoughts?

Anyway, that's enough of a writing update, I hope you're all ok and hopefully I'll be bringing something to your screens soon that you'll enjoy :)

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nanistar · 1 year ago

Note

do you think we could get a sneak peak of saltburn's clan production? like the scripts or the sketches? (of pages already posted of course) i really like seeing how different people approach the comic making process

sure thing!

so i usually post the next 2 sketches on my patreon for the $1+ tiers on tuesday or wednesday, so they get an advanced little view of it before hand. so the ones here are all gonna be older pages.

my entire script and notes i keep in one long google doc. and i send myself feverish notes on discord to be copy/pasta'd into the doc later. i also have a rough estimation of my progress in the story and how much longer i have per chapters, since im trying to keep it to about 30-36 per chapter. i don;t want to spend longer than 2 years on this comic (though im not gonna speedrun it or anything if it ends up going long, im just hoping it stays shorter lol).

i don't script things line-by-line or like a stageplay. i tried doing it early on but i found i made too many deviations depending on how i placed panels and looking back at the script was really annoying.

earliest script i have^

i tend to do dialogue on the fly when actually sketching out the pages, because i know what i'm looking for, so unless i have the specific dialogue that i want to remember to add, i don't write any of that down. although sometimes i get on a roll writing and dialogue flows, so i write it down and change it as needed. i have scenes in my head rather than pages, and i translate those notes later when i need to work on that scene. i very rarely get actual page ideas in my head, but i will say today's update with saltburn flying thru the air and recalling some memories i;ve had in my head for months, along with the one where salt sees the angel i had planned for a while. (i'd LOVE to be able to get a ton of pages sketched at once so i can not worry about it, but the nature of the way that i work is that i just can't think in that much detail far ahead of me. so i can only really do 2 at a time)

^so it tends to look more like this, fast back and forth dialogue to get my point across that i will make fit their voices later on. also i don't use linebreaks or anything just because im lazy so my notes are a fuckin disaster

my god.

as for the actual drawing of the pages, i literally just do it i dont know how to explain it. i sketch things as fast and loose as possible , i try not to have the same size boxes next to each other unless i'm showing the passage of time or a very minor detail change between panels. large panels for establishing shots. ect. sometimes if needed i will do a secondary sketch to figure stuff out, like i needed to do a bunch when working out the first few coyote drawings since ive never drawn dogs in action before. but usually i just whip it out

nightmarish.

this one is still my favorite, and despite looking much better than my normal sketches i did whip it out like normal (i just looked at refs for the other critters so it looks nicer lol)

additionally, i do every single page in the chapter on the same canvas because i love it when procreate crashes. i do all my panel boxes, and any "weird" shaped speech bubbles by hand. i only have one layer for flats, one for BGs, merge them together and do one overlay layer. if i need some extra definition i will add an additional shading layer but i dont like to. once im done with all the art i merge every layer together, send the page to myself on discord, and open it up on my 'puter and do the remaining text and normal speech bubbles in clip studio.

oh yeah people sometimes ask why i do 2 pages instead of one per update, or just do a bunch and upload it less often and the answer is because i don't want to be working on this comic for a very long time, and 2 pages gets me thru faster. if i spend too long working on a scene it starts getting boring for me and im more likely to cheese it which i dont like doing, but if i do two at once i can get stuff done faster. additionally, i cant just do a bunch and upload them all at once because i like the feedback, and it's better for readers to have consistent updates. i have the deadly autism/adhd combo, and my life is literally scheduled week by week and i have to stay consistent or i will die.

but yeah. my process is nightmarish and fast (despite spending like 4-8 hours per page) and loose and crazy but it works for me and keeps me engaged.

#nyask #sbc #thanks for asking i love to talk about my process tbh #when i look back on it im always shocked like what the fuck am i doing here #mine

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aerithsage · 26 days ago

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Moving to Subscriptions: Patreon & Inkitt

Hi everyone!

Yes, I am back. Thank you so much for the warm welcome!

Over the years since I stopped writing, I've never truly stayed away from this world. I still read books, sometimes I wrote the stories in my head and kept them on drafts. Also, I was a ghostwriter for several published books (I cannot say what, sorry!).

Other than those things listed above, I also created a new account on Wattpad and finished an entire book.

The community was chill and nice when I finished that book which made me think maybe the toxic readers from before have truly grown up so I went back to my AerithSage account and started writing again.

And I am 100% back! The love for writing is also back. If there's anything that changed, it's that I monitor the comments section more thoroughly now. I click on every single notification and make sure I don't give the trolls an opportunity.

This time around, I went back with a plan.

For so long, I've kept my completed works free. This time around, I'm trying out subscriptions. I don't really like the coin-based ones as I feel this is more expensive. The subscriptions like Patreon and Inkitt work well because people can subscribe and binge-read.

So here goes:

While I was still debating which platform to choose, and at the same time, setting both up to test out features, 3 people subscribed (2 on Inkitt and 1 on Patreon) and I guess I have to do both this time.

So dear readers, I leave it up to you where you want to subscribe! You can go choose between Inkitt and Patreon.

I understand Inkitt is better for readers in terms of the actual reading interface but Patreon has more features like the polls, ability to upload images, podcasts, and the chapters have graphics!

Here's a sample of how a chapter looks like on Patreon:

Pretty, right? Too bad the reading experience is not as good yet as Inkitt or Wattpad.

THE TIERS:

The Billionaires ($2.99)

This gives you access to all my previously completed works. If you want to just binge-read this is for you!

The Immortals ($4.99)

This gives you access to all my previously COMPLETED and early access to all ONGOING works.

I will still post chapters on Wattpad for Ongoing Books but there will be more advanced chapters on Inkitt / Patreon.

OTHER STUFF:

If you subscribe on Patreon, there's also other features like Polls, Chats, etc. One way I was thinking of using polls is to put on a vote which book gets updated along with my main book.

For example: Right now, my main goal is to finish How to be a Queen so that's my main book. I'll open a poll on which book my subscribers also want to be updated aside from How to be a Queen.

Let's say How to Defy Fate won. I will also then post 1 chapter for How to Defy Fate.

Let me know what you think about this system and if it sounds interesting! I think I can put polls up every 1-2 weeks depending on workload.

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

LINKS:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/aerithsage (Read Online via web or Download the Patreon App)

Inkitt: https://www.inkitt.com/AerithSage (Read Online via web or Download the Inkitt App)

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

Anyway, thank you everyone for reading!

I hope you can support my writing by subscribing. I researched this pretty heavily and I think this is the cheapest option for my subscribers rather than me going by coins which always end up being more expensive.

Also, if you can't subscribe, that is totally fine! As I said previously, ongoing works will still be cross-posted to Wattpad just on a delayed schedule.

Not subscribing is fine but please do not send any hate. Just like you, writers are humans too and we need food to eat and a roof over our heads. Please do not get mad at us for trying to earn something by doing what we love.

Thanks so much for reading this long blog post! If you have any questions, here's where you can reach me:

Facebook Group: AerithSage's Immortals

Facebook Page: AerithSage

Instagram/Threads: @aerithsage

Twitter/X: @aerithsage

Love lots,

AerithSage

#wattpad #blog #writer #writer life #patreon #inkitt #aerithsage #writing

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mr2swap · 2 years ago

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Headswap:Christmas holidays part 1

-13 ... 14 ... and 15 FUCK- I dropped the dumbbells on the floor and a metallic sound produced by the weights hitting the floor was heard throughout the gym causing many people to turn to see me. Some laughed and others started to mock behind my back I could not bear this torture for another minute.

I stood up, wiped my sweat until the little hand towel I carried with me was totally damp, put on an old, faded uncle's plus-size shirt, and headed out of the gym to the nearest McDonalds.

I was completely exhausted, covered by a sticky and stinky sweat that my nose did not recognize, something that must have been a piece of cake for me had become a martyrdom, I should never have trusted my fucking uncle.

Swapping our bodies during the Christmas season so that we could eat all the delicacies and banquets that I had refused to eat for years to keep my body in shape, before ending up in this obese body I was a renowned bodybuilder, model and influencer but now with this All the brands stopped sponsoring me and I lost all the recognition of all my followers, I'm in shit.

The first days in this body were wonderful, finally after so many diets and killing myself for 5 hours in the gym every day I had a break from all the hard work and sacrifice to keep my body huge and slim, pizza, chips, burgers, tacos, beer, donuts, ice cream, fried chicken, candy, and chocolates. I had forgotten the taste of it all until that day that I filled my mouth with that shit like there was no tomorrow.

Having my head embedded in my uncle's fat body was part of the deal, after all I still had to keep up appearances with my followers. I kept making videos and uploading some old gym routines that I had prepared for when I was on "vacation" in my uncle's body to continue earning money, not one of them realized that my body was replaced by that of a 60-year-old man .

I could hardly believe how good it felt in the obese old body of my 60 year old uncle. I ate and drank as much as I wanted until I felt like I was going to burst and despite that at no point did I feel guilty! I have never felt so happy in years despite the pain in my back and my knees, but all that was over the day my uncle disappeared with my body! the damned stole my body and left me attacked in his obese and old body.

I have hired a private investigator to look for him and force him to return my body, I hope he will find it soon because my money is running out, and I had to leave my luxurious apartment and move to the nest of rats that my uncle called home, I think I should stop eating all that expensive junk food but it's the only thing that keeps me happy in this hell that my life has become.

Ver. Esp: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UV8uqmhbvH8m2w1eXteM-VPJ8twzQSQASxlA5jYEuKw/edit?usp=sharing

I wrote this story last christmas, the second part of this story is on my patreon as well as a lot of stories that I haven't posted here on tumblr.

#bodyswap #male body swap #body switch #body swap #head swap

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back2bluesidex · 2 months ago

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To Be Popular - JJK (18+) [Ch. 2 Preview]

↪ Patreon Membership Exclusive Series

↪ Pairing: Social Media Influencer! Jungkook X Marketing Manager! Reader ft. Yoongi

is it really for the worse or things will turn in a way you never expected?

↪ Theme: Strangers to lovers au, fake dating au, kind of enemies to lover au, angst, smut, fluff.

↪ A/N: This series will have 2k words per chapter and will be updated weekly. Hence, you can expect the first chapter sometime next week. Hope that you enjoy this one <3

Read full Chapter on Patreon

Just a week ago you were scoffing at your laptop watching this guy make fame out of a porn video and now he is leading you god knows where to do god knows what.

Before you could take in your surroundings, Jungkook slams you on the nearest wall. He wastes no time in locking you between his arms.

“You really came here only to convince me? You had no other intention, huh?” He asks with the lowest possible voice. A shiver runs down through the path of your spine.

“No. What intention would I even have? I fucked things up at the meeting so my superiors are making me clean the mess.” Your voice comes out firmer than what you thought you could manage.

“Oh? Really? But I think there is something else to it.” Jungkook comes closer to your body. His chest touches yours. You take a sharp inhale but keep the eye-contact intact.

Jungkook’s eyes dip down to your chest again as he continues, “you want what you watched in that video, don’t you?” he wets his lips once those vile words come out of his mouth.

Your jaw hits the floor almost, “what the fuck? What makes you think I want you?”

Jungkook invades whatever was left off of your personal space and whispers right into your ear, “If you accept it nicely, tell me the truth whether you got turned on or not, I will give your company a chance.”

You gulp at his offer.

If you say you were completely unaffected after watching him fucking his partner so well, then it will be a lie for sure.

So… if you swallow your pride and tell him that he indeed had some kind of effect on you - he will be up for another meeting?

“And what if I tell you the truth?” you question, looking deep into his chocolate eyes. All you see there is mirth.

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simmerianne93 · 6 months ago

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[Simmerianne93]Phone_poses_09

HELLO EVERYONE!!! How are today???

How many phone poses are too many phone poses???.... Yeah, another phone posepack is here, and I think the answer is: "never is enough".

This pack of poses is kind of a continuation of the last one i released (Phone_poses_08).... Again some poses with an "angry" mood... tho in this opportunity i guess the sim is more "serious" and kind of "worry" than angry.... at least he is not screaming, you know haha. Some of them are also a mood variation of some poses I made for the pack "Phone_poses_06" (poses #1, #2, #3 and #4 if I'm not wrong), but there are some new ones too.

I really like making phone poses. I think they're really useful, since it's an object that we use a lot on a daily basis, and I'm very happy with the packages I've posted so far because I've covered some joy, worry, sadness and anger, so I hope you like them and that you never get bored of them. I have some other phone poses in mind but with the sim sitting and even lying down in bed or sofas, and even in the floor... I dunno... I think i can make some more of them anywhere haha but we'll see....

Anyway, I hope you like and enjoy this pack. As usual I'm using Moc's Iphone11 accessory (I have to thank the creator 'cause i love that phone. Has the perfect size haha, and I encourage you to look at their phone poses too, 'cause they can be useful as well: here, here and here you have some of them) but you can also use Redhead's Iphone 11 and it may not glitch that much (It's a slightly bigger but works good and it's good to use with character with heterochromia, since the acc from moc glitch the texture with some heterochromia eyes).

Here you have the description of the pack:

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What is on it?

12 solo poses for a sim + 1 all in one.

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What do you need?

Andrew's poses player

Teleport any sim by Scumbumbo or Mccc by deaderpool.

acc_iphone11_R_necklace(byMoc)

Instructions in the original post.

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TOU

Do not claim my creations as your own.

Do not re-upload or modify my creations.

Do not make money of my creations.

Do not include my creations in Mods folders to download.

Please follow my Term Of Use.

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Download it now here — [Early access until June 4th, 2024]

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I really hope you like them and I will say in advance: Thank you so much for using them.

@ts4-poses

#poses #ts4 #simmerianne93 #sims4poses #thesims4 #sims4 #posesforsims #thesims #ts4poses #creator content

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acaplaya-musings · 7 months ago

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Voiceplay-adjacent Visuals: Folsom Prison Blues

Never have I been so much of a fan of a country song (or at least, a country song performed by a male singer) before!

Geoff's cover of Folsom Prison Blues was uploaded on the 6th of August, 2023, and it's another one of my 3 favourite videos on his channel. Emphasis on "video", because although the song is great and it's yet again a cool arrangement of his, the video is what really sells it for me. So without further ado, let's get into it!

If you've watched the video (of course you have) and watched at least the first bit of Geoff's outro at the end (I hope you have), then you'll know that Geoff legit rented out an actual legit prison for this video! No longer used of course, and I think this section was the only part of the prison that actually still looked like one, but still! (Shoutout to the Patrons who helped make it possible for Geoff to do this! I'm still considering joining Geoff's Patreon myself tbh.)

I didn't think it was possible for Geoff to look any more handsome than he already usually does, but Geoff in glasses? Whoo yes please! 👀👌 (Or should I say, "Jeff" in glasses? 😉)

Also check out the book he's reading! It's a Johnny Cash book! (A little nod to the original artist of the song, of course)

So what's up with the numbers on the uniforms, and how do I know that the one in the glasses is "Jeff"? Well they're connected! Each uniform has a different number on it, and each number connects to a letter, phone-keypad style:

So the one in the glasses (and now holding that book in a very questionable way) has the uniform number 05333, which can be translated as _-J-E-F-F. Then next to him we have uniform number 43633, which translates to G-E-O-F-F, aka "Lead Geoff" (also context clues can help you out here - he's the lead vocalist for this one, and therefore, it's Geoff 😁)

Walking up to the foreground we have uniform number 32795, which is Daryl! (Fun story: I've done a few Voiceplay/Geoff marathons with two of my best friends (always via video chat, because I like seeing their reactions but also there's no way I'm letting them listen without headphones), and when we were watching Folsom Prison Blues and we got to this bit, one of my friends exclaimed "holy crap he's jacked?!?!" 😂)

And I'll clarify now that the one leaning(?) on the cell door has the uniform number 53674, and it's Jeoph!

(Apparently Kathy told people in the live chat or something that Goff isn't in this one because he's a good boy who would never end up in jail, or something like that 😆)

I'm guessing you've noticed how very fluffy Geoff's hair is in this one? 😁 (And also the prominence of his white-grey streak, gotta point that out too <3). Apparently it was quite a warm day when this video was being filmed, and quite humid too, and the "set" was open-air with no air-conditioning or proper cooling system to speak of. And look, as someone who lives in Queensland, Australia (which is frequently Humidity Central during summers), I can certainly sympathise, but dang the humidity didn't do him any sort of disservice, that's for sure! 👀

Also, because there is plenty of natural light for the shots in this one, this is another good video for exhibiting Geoff's actual eye colour (hazel), because the tinges of green are decently noticeable in this one! <3

To quote one of the comments: "a Geoff being unimpressed with other Geoffs will never not be funny" 😂

(Also more appreciation for Jeff in glasses, while he's still wearing them, because he (sadly /hj) takes them off as the first verse starts getting repeated, and then doesn't put them back on till right at the end!)

How nice of you to decide to join in, Jeoph! 😆

Also notice that the "Geoffs"/"Quadruplets" here each have a slight difference to their outfits? (Until Jeff takes the glasses off, anyway). It's in the sleeve lengths! Well, if there are any sleeves at all of course. Daryl is wearing a sleeveless shirt (we always stan <3), Geoff has sleeves rolled down to his elbows, and both Jeff and Jeoph have sleeves rolled up higher than their elbows! (Took me freaking ages to notice that, ngl).

(Though note even when Jeff takes off his glasses, he still keeps them hanging off his shirt, so they're still kinda technically a point of difference)

(And is it just the lighting, or is it just me, but is Jeff's shirt slightly different in colour to Jeoph's? Or am I just losing it a little bit? 😅)

I'm not someone who usually cares much about how physically strong/muscled a person is, but boy, he really do be jacked!

(Also necklace pendant in full view!)

"Don't ever play with guns!"

(Sharing this image because I literally only just noticed Daryl's sort of "warning finger" gesture (and accompanying facial expression 😝), though it's literally right at the start of the shot and he pulls his hand back fairly quickly)

(Sidenote: I adore the way that Geoff gives his "Backup Geoffs/Clones" individual personalities/identities in some of his videos, I can't get enough of it, and as much as I love the "truly solo" stuff he's been doing since, I hope I get to see multiple "Geoff clones" in a video again sooner or later (NOTE: yes this was written very much before Unshaken was released))

What's that you're holding there, Jeff? 😉

Also shoutout for not only the acting work by Geoff in this (subtle but certainly valuable), but the editing too! We're getting multiple angles of Jeff, Geoff, Daryl, and Jeoph, who all start in different positions in the foreground/midground/background btw, and it looks clean as anything! Maybe it's not actually too hard to do, relatively speaking at least, but had you shown this to me in like 2018 or something, that alone would have blown my mind, let alone the rest!

Harmonica time! Truly a man of many skills and talents! (Apparently Geoff used to play harmonica for a Blues Brothers show he did at Universal Studios Orlando or something (knowing how to play it was fully required to perform in the show), and he brushed up on his skills/knowledge for this video!)

Also I know it's obviously much more common to know how to play guitar than harmonica, but I found it a little amusing at how literally not a single reactor batted an eyelid at Geoff "playing" guitar in Man Of Constant Sorrow (though he's overall better at playing it via piano plug-in than with the actual instrument), but at least one or two reactors on this video were like "is that really him playing it?"/"who's playing the harmonica on this cover?" It's all Geoff! 😁

Jeoph's face right after Daryl hits a very solid F#1 in chest, literally the epitome of "huh, not bad" 😆

Obligatory comment of "hhhhh he's so pretty"

(Also gotta love the fact that neither Geoff nor any of the Backup Geoffs have any fewer than 2-3 top buttons undone. Full respect 😝👌)

Another point of difference to look out for in this video: all four of them move their hands differently when singing/harmonising! Most noticeable between Geoff and Geoph. Daryl, meanwhile, keeps his hands pretty still in comparison, mostly either standing with his arms folded, or with his hands half in his pockets like in the shot above.

"If they free me from this prison..."

(Nobody points out/seems to notice Daryl in this bit, which imo is a darn shame, so I'm making up for it!)

Bonus Geoff Clones up top in the background! (They're multiplying!!!!)

Now come on, that's just showing off! 😂 (Also if go back and rewatch this and pay attention to the background, you'll see that the background Geoff Clone on the far left starts clapping! 😁)

Massive kudos to both Geoff and Kathy for this video - other than Ed Boyer (who does the audio mixing for both Voiceplay and Geoff's solo stuff), this cover and video was purely a Castellucci production! Kathy was production manager as always (and she is for Voiceplay as well), and she and Geoff collaborated on "creative/visuals" (quoting the credits in the description, and the rest was all Geoff! The arrangement, the producing, the filming, the performing, (the harmonica playing!), and the editing! All him! He does a lot of this stuff himself for his other solo videos too, but this one is very brilliant, even without knowing how much of an independent creation it was!

#geoff castellucci #folsom prison blues #acaplaya analysis #voiceplay-adjacent visuals

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blueberry-lemon · 7 months ago

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the never-ending hustle bums me out

I've posted before about how I worry about how hard it is to be a creative freelancer online these days, especially for artists and musicians.

I wrote about social media starting to splinter last year. And then later I wrote down some truly pessimistic fears over here.

But I had one more thing on my mind about posting work online, so here it goes:

It makes me sad when I see people having to do the online content creator dance to get more Likes, Shares, and Followers.

And to be absolutely crystal-clear, I'm not judging everyone who is doing these things. I completely sympathize and I understand being in a situation (especially financially) where it feels that there is no other choice. It just bums me out. Especially the feeling that platforms make us dance and beg for attention. I'm mad at the tech companies and all the ways that they leave breadcrumbs out, telling people that it's easy to build an audience on their websites when it isn't at all and the engagement doesn't always translate into anything.

Elaboration below.

Everyone's gotta hustle, and I get that.

You have to put effort in to get eyeballs on your stuff, whether you're doing it for your income or just as a hobby. But it bums me out when someone was originally doing something they were passionate about, and now all of a sudden they're uploading like 5 Youtube videos a week with clickbait thumbnails and the whole nine yards, or tweeting with all sorts of hashtags, trying desperately to get "picked up" by the algorithm so that they can get some forward momentum and followers.

I think it's the "picked up by the algorithm" or "hoping to go viral" thing that bothers me especially. Because it's so nebulous, with ever-shifting goalposts that the companies who make these platforms don't care about at all. Even creators who DO have over 100k or 1m followers still struggle to maintain their livelihood because of all the ever-shifting preferences of the (supposed) algo.

This all came back to mind recently because of a mini trend on Twitter where creators are pretending to repost their own art to get more retweets. Basically, the theory is that people who steal art and repost it get more retweets than creators, so it's worth trying to pretend to be a reposter to get more people to share your art. "Woahhh, who drew this??" as a caption on your own drawing.

If I'm being totally honest, I don't really care about this little trend-of-the-day either way. I thought the original (now deleted) tweet was interesting and funny, and I'm sure most artists who have tried this afterward are doing it as a joke. I also think the lesson isn't really to say "yo who did this??" but rather just that people tend to retweet things with shorter, snappier, more relatable captions rather than a long self-promo post. I'm sure, psychologically, that self-promo posts with hashtags tend to turn a lot of people off, so they don't retweet them.

But in the grand scheme of things, I don't think any of these small tricks are going to make the difference in people having success or fun with their creative work. @erica had some nice thoughts about it over here and I'm inclined to agree. When the never-ending hustle to make social media work for your art feels hopeless, I think it's because the particular treadmills that you're running on might actually be hopeless. It's exhausting to constantly push more for more Likes, Shares, and Follows. I know that it's pretentious for me to say this (full-disclosure: i make a living off working for an indie game studio and don't currently hustle for freelance commissions) but I think scraping every last Like, Share, and Follow you can grab is unfortunately not going to change your life.

This is purely anecdotal, but no one who I support on Patreon or Twitch or whatever is someone who I just randomly saw on my timeline with like "cool art" or "a funny joke." It tends to be people whose work really speaks to me, or more likely, someone who speaks to me as a person because of their own thoughts, life, and experiences.

At the end of the day, it's probably more worth it (emotionally yes, financially maybe) to forge connections and bonds with people in smaller crowds. Places outside of Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok. Places in real life, like conventions and meet-ups. Places on the "smaller" web, like forums, Discord servers, personal blogs, etc.

But, again....................what are we all to do? It sucks. And if there's a chance, even a small 1% chance, that you can get more followers, peers, friends, clients, and customers by hustling on these huge platforms.....I totally understand why everyone does it.

It just bums me out to see it. Particularly because I know that it takes time. And it takes effort. And mental and emotional energy. And all of that time, effort, and energy is probably better spent somewhere else, making the actual work that you like making and doing cool shit and exploring your own ideas and talking to people who really do follow you because your work speaks to them.

It also sucks because it pushes everyone into being the same type of "content creator" rather than specifically being a painter, or animator, or composer. Everyone feels compelled to make short-form video content, or microblog, or whatever it is that people say will make you go viral that week.

It all just sucks big-time and maybe it's obnoxious that I'm even writing this. My heart goes out to everyone freelancing. I have my fingers crossed that more stuff emerges that makes a clearer path forward. Patreon has thankfully helped make this life slightly easier for some people, but hopefully other tools will come out to supplement that and give people a safety net in case Patreon shits the bed.

#blog #blogofkylelab #social media #social media meta #art

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