#i wanna do less criticizing and more enjoying

[krillonthegrill]

me waking up every morning knowing that i can appreciate every life is strange game in different ways

[mattybsgroupie]

secret | matt sturniolo

contents: established relationship; handjob (m receiving); PEGGING; praising; mommy kink; sub!matt

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notes: HELLO MY DARLINGS i missed u guys so much! i know i’m gonna get severely criticized for writing this but please remember this is a fan-FICTION, nothing here is true. i do not intend to disrespect matthew in any way. i’m just gonna make a quick disclaimer that many straight men are into pegging because the male g-spot is located on their prostate — and that doesn’t make them any less straight ♡ this is a fictional story between two consenting adults but if you feel uncomfortable, please do NOT read. there’s no need to make a fuss about it. and for those who were expecting it: thank you for being so patient! it’s not proofread but i hope y’all enjoy it, thank you as usual for all the love!

requested by: anon (several, actually)

- ♡ -

“so” matt started, lips parted and furrowed eyebrows. “how… how did that work?” he asked, trying to hide his curiosity.

“well, i just put it on” i moved my hands to my thighs, mimicking the movements of pulling up my underwear. “and you know, use it?”

“that’s insane” he chuckled, scratching his beard and resting his hand on his cheek, trying to digest everything we had talked.

he started it. matt wanted to know how sex was on my previous relationships and if he was any better. of course he was, but instead of acknowledging it, we decided to debate how we used to do things with our ex-partners, both of us boiling in jealousy as we agreed to share intimate moments that happened before we started dating. 

“and there was this other girl” i teased, knowing matt had heard enough of that.

“no, i don’t wanna know” he tilted his head and raised his palms to his ears. “you can keep your strap-on or whatever the fuck that was” he said while holding his laugh, getting up from the couch and walking to the kitchen. matt chugged a cup of water, still processing all the information we had exchanged.

i dragged my feet in slow steps towards him, wrapping my arms around his waist and placing a kiss on his covered collarbone. “hey” i called, grabbing matt’s attention. “just so you know, you’re better than anyone else” i reassured him.

“yeah?” he asked while tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, blue eyes staring at me in a soft, sweet gaze. “no one else fucks you like i do?”

“no one else” i giggled and jokingly punched his chest before snuggling onto his hug. matt’s back rested against the countertop as he kissed on the top of my head. “i love you”

“i love you more” he smiled, sealing our lips together before taking the lead to his bedroom. “and you know what? i wanna see you wearing that thing” i widened my eyes, not expecting he’d be interested on that.

“no, not tonight, silly girl” he chuckled at my reaction. “i’ll let you know”.

- ♡ -

matt’s chest panted heavily, his blue eyes covered in eagerness, watching me as i finished clipping the dildo on the strap wrapped around my waist. i rested my back against the headboard, waiting for matt to join me. he was so, so nervous. i could tell by the way he kept on picking the skin around his nailbuds and biting his lower lip.

“sweetheart” i called, my fingertips caressing the short hair on the back of his neck. “we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, alright?” i reassured him, placing a kiss on his bare shoulder.

i felt matt’s muscles relaxing as soon as i pressed my lips against his skin, his light sigh indicating he needed to be taken care of. “i’m here, baby. nothing bad’s gonna happen, hm?” i ran my fingers through his brown strands, matt soon giving in and tilting his head to look at me. 

“i’m just—” he started and i raised my eyebrows, allowing him to keep going. “embarrassed…” he spoke in a low tone, adjusting the pillow on his lap, trying to cover his growing boner.

“why is that?” i cooed, “is it because i look too good like that?” i playfully teased him, receiving a chuckle in response as he rolled his eyes. 

“yes, actually!” matt lightened up, and my heart finally felt at ease. “you look so fucking sexy with this ridiculous pink dick” he mocked the silicone dildo, tapping it and making it jiggle. i raised my palm to my mouth, failing to cover my laughter as we both watched the scene. “at least mine’s bigger” matt said, leaning in for a kiss.

my hands cupped his cheeks while his own came to my breasts as we interlocked our tongues, fighting for dominance, making the wet sounds soon fill the darkened room. my fingers reach the pillow, tossing it somewhere else and finally exposing matt’s length. my grin grew as i saw his red, leaking tip begging to be touched. i wrapped my knuckles around his cock, matt pulling away from the kiss with a gasp from the sudden contact. he closed his eyes as he hid his face on the crook of my neck, leaving bites on every inch his teeth could reach.

i began to stroke matt’s shaft, twisting my fist in a rapid pace. i moved my thumb upwards, circling his tip before coating his cock with the pre-cum that came out of his slit. i kept on pumping matt, feeling his veins swelling up against my palm and hearing his whimpers closer to my ear. “you’re already doing so well for me” i praised, receiving a groan in response. he needed that.

my free hand moved to his thighs, strongly gripping the flesh before reaching to his crotch, waiting for his approval to keep going. matt nodded vigorously, moans slipping from his mouth when my digits touched his balls “mommy mhm— please”.

“close already baby?” i asked, unloosening my grip around his cock, but still pumping it. matt muffled a “yes”, trying his best to not cum. 

“can you be a good boy and hold for me?” i cooed, finally letting go of his shaft and placing kisses on the top of his head. matt got up from my neck, looking at me with the biggest pout, blue eyes filled with tears in frustration for not being allowed to cum. i gave him a peck before reaching for the nightstand, quickly searching for the lube and applying it generously, spreading the liquid on my fake dick, slightly pumping the lenght as matt watched.

“i can’t” he said, eyes widening. “can’t look at you while we do it” matt confessed.

“you don’t have to” i reassured him. “can you lay on your stomach for me, baby?” i asked and matt quickly adjusted himself as i got up on my knees behind him. i grabbed his thighs, dragging my fingers along his skin as i hovered over him, my nipples brushing against his back. i trailed kisses throughout his shoulders, going upwards to his neck and whispering “you look so good like this, baby. such a good boy for me”.

matt mumbled something i didn't understand as i kept on sucking his bare skin with my lips, leaving tiny purple marks on his flesh while my hands moved to his ass, groping it tightly. “mommy, d-don't tease” he said, “'m ready”.

“are you sure, babyboy?” matt nodded, slightly parting his legs. i couldn't help but smile at his eagerness. “gotta stretch you out first” i told him, once again filling my hands with lube. matt hesitated when my index reached his entrance, but i kept on rubbing my digits in between his asscheeks as i showered him with praises, telling him how good was being for me.

matt finally relaxed, allowing me to slide a finger inside. i could see his mouth hanging open as he gripped on the sheets, trying to get used to the unfamiliar feeling. i went further, barely curling my knuckles when matt let out a loud groan “mommy! fuck!” he complained as i kept on teasing that particular spot. now that i knew where it was, i slowly removed my finger, listening to matt's whines as i grabbed the silicone dildo, spreading the lube down the length before placing the tip next to matt's entrance. he seemed less worried after realizing how good it felt to have his prostate massaged, but still hesitated when i moved my hips forward.

“i'm not gonna hurt you baby, i promise” i spoke, nearing my torso on his back as one of my hands rested on his hips. “we can stop anytime you want, okay?” i reminded him, lowering my palm to meet his aching cock. matt gave me a deep sigh when i finally started to pump him again, unconsciously resting his weight on his knees and elbows, giving me more acess.

i rubbed his tip in circular motions as i gradually buried myself inside of him, the pleasure from matt's cock being jerked off helping him distract from the unsual sensation of something bigger than my fingers entering him. matt wasn't even close to taking the dildo's full lenght, and i didn't notice when the plastic tip touched his sweet spot, receiving a loud moan from matt, who tilted his head to finally look at me, not being able to form a proper sentence, babbling “keep going” along with an infinite amount of whimpers.

i started to move my hips, not really doing any effort as i fastened the pace of my strokes on his dick. i knew having his prostate touched for the first time was an overwhelming feeling, and i wanted him to feel just as good as he always made me feel. my thrusts turned lazier as matt's cries became louder, “mommy, 'm s-so close!” he managed to say.

“you can cum anytime you want, baby. you're taking me so well, you deserve it” i said as i twisted my fist on matt's shaft a few more times before his orgasm crashed over his body, making his legs tremble as he spurted the thick, white liquid over my hand. i immediatly stopped moving, allowing him to recover from his high as i peppered kisses throughout his bare skin.

matt took longer than i expected to come back to his senses. i had pulled out and taken the strap off, letting him collapse on the matress before wrapping my arms around his waist, holding him on a tight hug as he snuggled on my chest, slowly calming his breath down and closing his eyes.

“matt, baby” i called, “are you okay? was it too much?” he denied with his head before looking at me, grin growing on his face.

“so good” he said, sealing our lips in a peck. “but it's not even close to what i do to you” i widened both my eyes and mouth playfully, pretending to be mad at him “i can fuck you better than you can fuck me, admit it”

“i can't believe you're saying that” i rolled my eyes as matt brought me closer to him, both of us giggling. “show me what you got!” i teased.

“i couldn't do it right now even if i wanted to” he complained. “i'm hurt! and this is supposed to be a secret!” matt said, grabbing my thighs in order to tangle our legs. “and just so you know, tomorrow you're gonna have to take both my dick and this other fucking pink thing”.

- ♡ -

taglist (drop a 🌸!): @thepubeburgler @submattenthusiast @pearlzier @mattsfavbitchhh @her-favorite @bugeyedgrl @mattslittlecumsslut @sturncakez @riowritesitall @joemamaaa42069 @mattsturnswife @sturnsmia @sturnthepot @mattscoquette @sturniolofandomthings @conspiracy-ash @ilovemattsturn @lizzymacdonald06 @sofieeeeex @blahbel668 @fratbrochrisgf @bagsbyclair0 @sturnobsessedwh0re @cayleeuhithinknot @sturniolo04 @lov3bug @1c3b4th

[jojissalsa]

Perfect body, Pretty face

Warnings: dom!Leon x fem/sub!reader, power dynamics (boss/assistant), daddy kink, mentions of nudes/sex work, taking pictures during sex, facial, condescension, slight praise, mentions of age gap (reader is in mid 20s), clothes ripping (tights), reader is bratty at some point.

hello again :3 i wanna post what i can while i have the time, so i can kinda build this page up. hope u guys enjoy this one even if i feel like i made a few mistakes and lmk where i can improve! constructive criticism, reposts and requests are always welcome :D (minors don’t interact, touch grass.)

WC: 3.3k (proofread)

When Leon first came to the D.S.O, he expected bigger missions and harder work. Not boring ass reports and paperwork. The missions were definitely longer, which meant piles atop piles of paperwork that would take longer than it should. When the D.S.O realized Leon needed more time on his reports compared to the rookies or standard agents, they gave him a hand. You, his new assistant. And god, were you helpful. You were more than a sight for sore eyes, you were distracting at first, but even more so as he got to know you. You even remembered his favorite coffee order, and what he liked most for lunch. To him, you were just doing a good job. But in reality, you just wanted to get in his pants more than anything.

Your last boss was such a douchebag, the typical mansplaining and ungratefulness. But Leon? He was such a sweetheart, and so understanding. He didn’t get annoyed when you made a tiny mistake, a couple minutes late or working slower at the end of your shift. You knew damn well your attraction to him was bad for you and this job, but Eve still ate that apple didn’t she? You were the same, always attracted to forbidden fruit. But when it was Leon, who cares about forbidden? It just adds to the flavor. Obviously being an assistant didn’t make the most money, but at least you got a pretty face to work with. And there’s no shame in a side hustle, right? That’s what you thought when you made a Twitter account when you first became an assistant, well, intern at first. The job was so damn stressful and your shitty boss didn’t help. It was harmless fun at first, posting a few lewd pictures of your cleavage or in cute two-piece bathing suits you got. And then it got even lewder, posting pictures of your bare tits, dim lighting from your computer, things like that until you said fuck it and showed all the goods. Complaining about your shitty boss became part of your brand, as well as the faceless part of your nudes. You never showed your face, only your hair if it was a full body picture, not because you were ashamed of what you were doing. Not in the slightest, actually. You were just worried about word spreading around the office, especially since you were getting fairly popular. No face, no case, right? Plus, it’s not like anyone had x-ray vision to see if you had the same tits. It’s not like it hurt business either, you had a perfect body. You weren’t the skinniest person in the world, average like most people’s bodies. But to you, it was perfect. It suited you and flaunting it made you happy.

Your brand definitely shifted when you changed bosses, less complaining about how much your job sucked to more complaining about how badly you needed your boss to look at you differently. Pictures of you up-skirt under your desk whenever he wasn't looking or left to grab you both coffee or lunch, captions that always mentioned him.

"is it bad that my boss gets me this wet?"

"wish my boss would crawl under my desk and take care of this ;p"

And they would only get more and more risky. Posts of your increasingly skimpy outfits and a courtesy picture of you out of them captioned "you guys think my boss will like? lol". A video of you cumming in the bathroom at work, another where you cheekily slipped your fingers in your cunt, rubbing your slick over your clit before giggling as you turn the recording off.

Leon really didn’t mean to find something of yours this personal, he was just a guy looking for porn where he knew he could find it. He may be old but the man still needs to get off. And he was a man of taste, he liked the amateur stuff, and he knew Twitter had it. When he stumbled across your account, he thought it was perfect. At first he didn't know it was you, but by your most recent posts, it was obvious. You never name dropped him, or even said what he looked like, only saying he was fine and looked like a dilf, which was definitely an ego boost when he figured out it was you. It was easy, really. He was bored at night, couldn’t sleep like usual, and hoped that jacking off would clear his head a bit. It didn’t clear his head in the slightest when he saw your most recent video. It was of you working overtime, fingering yourself on his desk. Biting your lip to stay quiet but failing miserably as your fingers keep rubbing against that spongy spot in your walls, palm slapping against your clit. The best part? You said his name while you came. Maybe not his full name, but the way you let it out subconsciously, saying "Mr. Kennedy" in the most pornographic way possible, realizing you did and then giggling when you felt no remorse. Only an "oh shit" and a cutesy laugh as you abruptly ended the video. He was gonna say something tomorrow. He had to.

The second you walk in the door with that polite smile you always have, cute pink blouse and short pencil skirt, he waves you over to his desk. "Y/n, come here for a sec." His stern tone makes you blush and immediately walk over after setting down your bag. "Yes, sir? Is there something you need from me?" You expect him to say he needs a file or some kind of paper, but he shocks you when he turns his monitor around to show your twitter page. "You know anything about this?" You don't show it on your face, but the way you clench your jaw makes it obvious. You've got a good poker face, he'll give you that. "No sir, am I supposed to?" You get a bit of an attitude, mainly because he just totally called you out. "I don't know, you tell me." He scrolled very little down to your last post, the video. You gulp, knowing damn well you said his name. "Is that you saying my name?" His tone is still stern, but it feels more teasing now, considering his cocky smirk. He has you in a corner. "Don't you think it's a little sleazy to be prying into my personal hobbies?" Your attitude gets more prominent, crossing your arms and giving him a sharp glare. You were more prideful than anything, his smugness starting to piss you off because of how turned on you were getting. "Don't you think it's a bit slutty to finger fuck yourself on my desk?" When he shot back at you with that you froze, face going completely red. Not only was he right, you had no room to talk about his habits, but the way he said it was so fucking hot it lit a fire in you, shockwaves shooting straight to your clit.

You felt uncomfortable under his gaze, your lips parted as you felt your pulse throbbing between your thighs, knowing your panties were soaked. "You gonna say something or just come over here already? Stop wasting my time, I have work to do." It was instant when he said that, hips swaying as you walked to him, holding your hands in front of you as you looked down at the ground. "What's got you all shy? You certainly weren't shy last night." His teasing was really getting to you, making your lips squeeze as you shift your thighs again, your chest feeling so heavy with every breath you took. "Didn't I tell you not to waste my time? Sit on my desk and spread your legs." Your breath hitches at his demanding words, hopping up on his desk and spreading your legs. You thank god that it was a little chilly today, making you wear sheer black tights. Not that you'd be wearing them long, you just hope the wet spot on your panties wasn’t noticeable. "Jesus, soaked through your fucking tights? You're that excited?" His teasing made you go wide eyed, whimpering at his smug gaze piercing through you. "Yes sir.." You finally manage to speak, even if it sounds breathless and needy. Your eyes stay steady on him, taking in every feature you can. You lick your lips from the sight of his hard cock pressed against his tight slacks, not daring to close your legs in the slightest even if you were desperate for friction. "See something you like?" You watch him palm over his hard on, just watching something that sinful makes you moan softly. "I thought you said not to waste your time? What are you waiting for?" You throw any bit of shyness out the window, brattiness taking its place instead. After all, he meddled into something private, why make it easy for him? That’s no fun~

His brows furrowed as he gives you an annoyed look, groaning in frustration as he shoots up from his office chair and grabs your waist, pulling you from his desk and flipping you to bend over. He certainly doesn't waste any time now, pulling your skirt up and ripping a massive hole in your tights, making you gasp and squirm, turning your head to try and see the damage. "Don't complain, no point in denying you like it. Why else are your panties fucking drenched?" You throw him a frustrated glare before grumbling something about those being expensive under your breath. "Sorry, what was that?" You gasp as his hand slams down harshly on your ass cheek, whining at his gentle kneading on the now stinging red spot. "You're trying so hard to be bratty, when you're usually such a sweet girl. Always coming here early, bringing me coffee, remembering my favorite lunch. You don't do that because you like this job, hell, a slut like you doesn’t care about working hard. You do it because you want my attention." His hand keeps kneading the fat of your ass, making you back up into his palm for more. That doesn't stop your attitude though. "Oh boo hoo, as if you didn't love every second of it. How'd you even find my page? The nursing home gives you internet after 10?" Your bitchy tone doesn't go unnoticed by him, and neither does your smug smirk that is clearly challenging him, if anything it lights the same fire inside him, dick twitching under his slacks. He shoots you a glare that says "you really wanna do this?", as if you care about that silly warning. What's the worst he could do? "Y'know they shouldn't give a pervy old man like you access to stuff like that, it rots your brain~" You get cut off by another slap on your ass, harder than the last one, he doesn't even bother to soothe the sting with his hand. "Pervy old man? Then what are you? Some slut thinking of her boss's cock all day. How high and mighty." Another slap, and you're already unraveling by the second, the tingling sensation from his spanks sending shock after shock to your clit.

"You go on and on about me on that damn site for thousands to see, so why not take what you want? You're getting nowhere by being an ungrateful brat." He's really starting to make sense with how desperate you are to be touched, for that release you so desperately need. And with how hard his spanking is getting, it's making your head dizzy. He presses his hard-on against your ass, making you whine and grind against him. That's not enough for him though, he needs you to say it, the same way you said his name last night. "C'mon pretty girl, get what you want and ask for it, I know you can." He grinds against your ass, finally snapping through the sane part of your brain. "Fuck! Fine, please, please give it to me, I can't wait anymore, please Mr. Kennedy.." You beg in a gravelly voice, nails digging into his desk as the neediness in you builds. "Need what? You can say it." He slaps your ass again, a little gentler now that you're finally getting there, sliding his hand down to press his thumb on the gusset on your panties, hissing at how wet it felt. "Your cock, Leon, please, I need your cock so bad.." You whimper in broken fragments from your voice breaking, sighing in relief as he finally pulls down your panties, feeling your slick connect to them in strings and the cool air contrasting how hot you feel. As you heard the sound of metal clinking and a zipper pulled down you wished he flipped you over, because you really wanted to see his cock, turning your head in a desperate attempt to steal a quick glance. "Don't worry baby, you'll get a good look later." You don't care enough to question him, you care more about his tip pressed against your folds, threatening to stretch you open.

The coil of anticipation that's released when he finally slides inside you is the most euphoric feeling, growling as he fills you completely, balls nestled right against your clit. "Fuck, barely had to do anything and it slipped in so easy. Like you were made to take this cock, huh, sweetheart?" He goes slow at first, letting you adjust to his thick size, agonizing in how slow he drags his cock along your walls. All you can mutter is 'yes' like a mantra to keep you in reality, but every stroke is sending you further into that cloudy part of your brain where all you can think about is how you can feel everything. His hands on your hips to keep you in place, the way his cock kisses right against your cervix then pulls all the way out just to make you drunk off the feeling, his low and heavy grunts dangerously close to your ear, and it's all getting you even more impatient and needy. "Leon, please, go faster, need it faster." You speak through broken sobs and high pitched whines, looking back at him with a pleading pout. You can't say no to this cute face, can you? His nails dig into your hips, finally fucking you faster, and so much harder, you can feel the air in your lungs get choked out with every harsh thrust. "Just can't help yourself, can you? So fucking impatient." He can hear you getting louder, and between you and the sound of skin slapping against wet skin, he can at least silence one. "So loud, the whole fucking office can probably hear you." He puts his hand over your mouth and pulls your head up, body arching backwards as your head meets his shoulder. You can barely make out his smug grin as he looks down at you, glossy eyes with blown out pupils, your cheeks flushed a deep red.

"You look so pretty like this, looking up at me without a thought in that pretty little head. Just needed Daddy to fuck you stupid, huh?" He gets a wicked chuckle at your wide eyes, the way you clench tighter and move your hips to meet his rhythm. You curse yourself mentally for tweeting about that godforsaken daddy kink you have, or any of your kinks because now he knows every little thing that makes you tick. How frustrating. "Ohhh, didn't think I would look that far? You have no idea, spent hours looking at your stuff, even during missions I couldn't help but think about this sweet pussy wrapped around my cock." Your expression goes blank at his words, completely cockdrunk. You know you shouldn't do any of this, you can only imagine how much trouble you’d be in if someone walked in right now. But who could blame you? You couldn't name a single person who would throw away an opportunity like this. Who needs responsibility when you could have the simple yet intense pleasure that Leon Kennedy brings?

"Almost went crazy when I heard my name in that dirty fucking mouth, never been that hard in my life. Gonna make sure that mouth is full of my name every chance I get." You scream and whimper, the sound rumbling against his hand as you get closer and closer, toes curling into your heels. The sight is so damn beautiful to him, and he just has to see what you look like when you cum in person. When you cum on his cock, not some silly toy that could never satisfy you the way he can. His free hand takes its time sliding up your blouse to palm your tits over your bra, his fingers raking over the soft skin of your stomach before stilling at your bunched up skirt around your waist, right above your clit. "You wanna cum, don't you, baby? You're gonna be good and ask nicely, yeah? Go ahead, tell Daddy you wanna cum." He moves his hand away from your mouth but keeps your head up, gripping your face instead, watching as you greedily suck in air between mindless moans. "Please Daddy, please, please, please let me cum, need to cum so fucking bad-" Your pathetic babbling cuts off when his fingers put pressure on your clit, rubbing fast circles that make your brows frown as your walls clench, the knot in your stomach slowly coming undone. "There you go, such a good girl, asking me so nicely. Cum for me, sweet girl, cum on my cock for me." And you do, harder than you have in a while, squeezing your eyes shut so hard you see white spots, those sweet, broken sobs leaving your lips involuntarily, moaning his name as he slows down.

Before you know it, you're on your knees in front of him, finally getting a full, up close and personal view of his fat cock. He's thick, pre-cum pearling at his tip as he uses your slick to finish himself off, fisting his cock feverishly. "Told you you'd get a better look, now open up sweetheart. Gonna cover that pretty face in my cum, maybe even take a picture for those depraved little boys that get off on you." He’s one to talk.. His grunts and soft whimpers between his words make you bite back an eager grin, lolling your tongue out and getting blessed with the salty taste on his tip. You keep your lips pursed on his cock, looking up at him with doe eyes that make his cock kick in his hand, your own hands resting on his thighs. He pulls some hair away from your face with his free hand and keeps it there as he finally coats your cheeks and tongue with pools of cum, chuckling through breathless moans as he slaps his cock on your tongue. He grabs his phone as his free hand leaves your hair to press his thumb on your tongue, keeping your mouth open. He groans with a smug smirk as you look up into the camera, a clear, empty head as drool dribbles down your chin and onto his fingers holding your chin. "You'll get this picture tonight when I drive you home, 'kay?" He helps you back to your feet, cleaning off your face with his handkerchief and pulling your skirt down, fixing your wrinkled blouse. “Now go finish those reports for me, try not to work too slow, don’t wanna work overtime, do you?” He softly strokes your back, coaxing you closer to your desk. "Yes, Mr. Kennedy.." You breathe out, still wobbly on your feet as you walk to your desk, feeling the sting on your ass as you sit down, shivering at the tingle. Worth it.

[r3i-mp3]

Will you be my valentine?

riddle oneshot, 801 words

this is my first time writing so id highly appreciate any constructive criticism to improve but anyways pls enjoy ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

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February 14th, once a common and frankly unintriguing day had now become something so important to Riddle as he looked into the mirror, fixing a stray strand of his scarlet locks before pacing around nervously. Did he forget anything? Everything needed to be flawless today. There was no room for mistakes. His dignity was on the line, after all, and it simply wouldn’t do to present anything less than his best.

What was he to do with himself? Weeks ago, he had scoffed at the idea of romance. Foolish. He had no time for such nonsense, or so he told himself. He’d even convinced himself—more than once—that he didn’t think about them at all. Yet here he was, standing nervously in front of the wooden door to their house, a small rose bouquet clutched tightly in his gloved hand. He let out a small sigh, annoyed by how this all had unfolded. How exactly had he gone from indifference to this?

It was absolutely undeniable now. Each time he thought of them, something warm and bubbly seemed to just stir within him. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before, that sickly sweet sensation. This was something so abhorrently different from his usual routine it seemed to just irritate him more. Something that made his heart thump just a little harder and his palms sweat a tiny bit more than usual. His knuckles barely grazed the door when he hesitated. Should he really go through with this? What would he do if he messed up?

All those endless nights spent with his head buried deep within his palms flusteredly as he questioned exactly which aspect of them was so alluring to him yet never once could he come up with a solid answer. They felt like a fresh breath of air, an enigma amongst a land of solved riddles. They seemed to always know what he wanted to hear, sweet talking him into holding extra tea parties and letting them off the hook for broken rules. They were like a puzzle he couldn’t solve, no matter how hard he tried. And that frustrated him to no end. How was it that they always seemed to know exactly what to say to disarm him? To make him question the very rules he lived by?

As he stood and marinated in his thoughts, the door suddenly creaked open, snapping him out of his spiralling thoughts as his heart nearly leaped out of his chest. Standing face to face in front of him was you, your expression one of surprise yet your smile still shone brighter than the rays of morning sun. Riddle immediately stiffened, feeling a heat rise in his face as he awkwardly cleared his throat, a hand creeping to rub his neck shyly.

There they stood, blinking in mild surprise yet still with that familiar warmth in their eyes. The sight of them—one so ordinary and yet so profoundly impactful—made Riddle’s pulse quicken again as he looked away in an attempt to calm himself. Their gaze flickered towards the neatly wrapped bouquet in his hands, their eyes softening as they realised what he was trying to do. “You wanna come in and take a seat first?” You offered with a soft smile, reaching a hand out to softly hold his hand as you gently pulled him into the dorm room, gently illuminated by the rays of sunlight hitting dust.

Just as you were about to leave him to his thoughts for a while, there was a tight grip on your wrist. The touch desperate in nature as he almost pulls you back, your head turning back to look at him “Wait!” He spoke softly, but it was clear enough to be audible and with a deep breath, he stood up while still holding one of your hands in his, unfurling it before placing the rose bouquet in it gently and looking in every direction but yours. “I… hand picked them from Heartslabyul and trimmed off the thorns myself… and I was wondering if you’d be my… valentine?”

His voice seemed vulnerable, a soft lilt to it as he spoke. His head tilted upwards at the end of his sentence. The confession seemed to have hung in the air between them, raw and vulnerable. For a moment, time seemed to freeze, the expression on your face changing as your lips curled up softly.

“I’d love to.”

The relief that washed over him was indescribable, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. For the first time in weeks, the tension in his body eased ever so slightly. He allowed himself to smile back, just a little. The soft pillowy lips of the person he could now call his valentine meet his, and maybe valentine’s day wasn’t so boring after all.

writers note: im so worried its not very good aaaaa i tried my best TvT

[waterrunner]

SDV Bachelors headcanons

how each bachelor acts around the new farmer/crush

Sebastian+Sam+Alex

Sebastian

He is 100% an introvert and a more “cold” type of guy but I feel he would a a special soft spot for his crush, you.

He first met you when you came to robins house after finding her lost axe. He had been out of his room to get something to drink and was heading back to his room when you walked in.

He had heard of the new farmer in town but had no interest in them, but now… his interest was peaked.

After that day he found himself getting out more and actively trying to find you, especially during festivals and special events. He really enjoys showing off his pool skills when you’re in the saloon at the same time he’s playing pool with Sam. He goes red in the face if you compliment his amazing skills too- Sam and Abigail won’t ever let him live it down either.

If/when you catch him smoking he becomes sorta embarrassed. He doesn’t necessarily want you knowing he does something deemed “bad”. But if you smoke too, he’ll be less embarrassed- but he will then be concerned for you.

Sam

He first met you when you were walking out in the town trying to meet everyone. He was skateboarding and almost ran straight into you. He of course apologized- or well, tried too. Your beauty, and the fact he had never seen you before, caught him off guard and left him sorta speechless.

“Oh shit- am so sorry, I didn’t.. see… wow” is all he sorta got out before just sorta staring at you. It took a moment for him to snap out of it and realize you were talking to him

“Oh, right. I’m Sam” he had quickly said while sticking his hand out for you to shake. “Your must be the new farmer, huh? Well nice to meet you” he said with a sorta dazed look. He even kept staring as you walked off and out of his sign(bro was entranced).

After that he’s normally a flustered mess around you, but he is trying to act cool the entire time. It gives Abigail and Sebastian second hand embarrassment the stuff he says/does in front of you to try and impress you.

He one time tried doing a skateboard move in front of you, he move he had never done before. Long story short he landed right on his face and gained a bloody nose, you did However run over to him and make sure he was ok and helped him back to his house. Abigail and Sebastian NEVER let him live it down…

Alex

He had came home after going to the beach one day and you were in his house giving his grandma some fresh fruits and vegetables.

He immediately noticed your bright and dazzling smile and the way you seemed genuinely happy to help someone.

Before you left he had came up and introduced himself and got your name. He was sorta being a jerk without realizing it tho…. But it’s ok because he’ll get better the more you get to know him.

That night he sorta just laid in bed and kept picturing your smiling face and how happy you were to meet him. He didn’t realized you liked you tho… he just thought he really wanted to be your friend…

After that He constantly ask if you wanna play some sort of sport with him or workout with him, which you often have to decline because of how demanding working on the farm is. The few times you have accepted were quite fun tho.

He is constantly boasting about how strong and athletic he is, how he’s gonna go pro one day, and how he’s a ladies man…. He does like hearing about your work on the farm tho. He believes it would be a good workout for him to come help you some days(totally not because he wanna hangout with you).

I hope this wasn’t toooo bad for my first actual post lol. If there’s any critiques or constructive criticisms am completely ok with it, just please be nice about it.

[danwhobrowses]

I'm not sure how much good this vent will do, I'm not even sure I want to post this vent after my last one, but I'm writing it just so it's out of my head and into words because it seems once again fandom has chosen to send vitriol Ashton Greymoore's way.

What for? They talked to a 'specter' of the primordial titan within them, through their connection to the earth, the natural flow of creation and destruction. They ask what will happen to the world, it responds that it'll endure, they ask what of the people, it responds that the strong will survive and the weak will be remade into something stronger, to which Ashton replies they think they understand. To fandom this means that Ashton is becoming a fascist, that they have a 'Make Exandria Great Again' attitude for wanting the Primordials back, that they need to be beaten up or 'get what's coming to them' in order to change their mind, and I can only sit here and stew and wonder if this hate is really well-founded? Ashton is among my favourite characters in C3, I get frustrated by them at times too but if I think about it a big percentage of my frustrations is more towards people disliking them than me disliking things they do, or Matt setting up scenarios that doesn't do them any favours towards the fandom that hates them. Some of these are knee-jerk reactions of course, but for others it does feel like they have it out for Ashton, and I don't wanna engage with that, which makes it quite lonely when most of the fandom hones in on it.

For the most part I can understand how the whole 'the weak will be remade' bit can be taken badly; it's definitely iffy, but every other plan we have is also very iffy. The Release Predathos option literally involves unleashing an entity that wants to genocide the gods, the Maintain Status Quo option ('option' the status quo imo is impossible, in my mind the Gods can stay but the dynamic will still have to change) maintains a relationship where the gods pick and choose who they feel deserves help, using their power to covet more power, strongarm and demand loyalty, and overall choose fellow gods over mortals when the chips are down and not owning up to it. We should also remember that entities can speak in riddles, 'remade into something stronger' doesn't necessarily mean death; it could mean to adapt and grow, to become strong enough to bear and overcome it as many of the PCs of Critical Role have done with their hardships and trauma. It's worth reminding that the sad truth is that people will die whatever outcome happens - the aim is always to lessen the amount but if the Gods leave it's a power vacuum, if we linger too long it's a Calamity, and if the Gods stay it's a holy war on a more wild and less organized scale - and that Ashton isn't saying they approve of such death, merely that they think they understand. The commune doesn't tell Ashton which way to go; it only tells them that the world will endure, there will be change and it will change people, trees will still grow, the wind will still blow, the waves will still flow along the coasts of the sea, and people will survive. I know the interpretation can differ from people thanks to Matt's patented vague or riddle-mounted choices in phrase, but I also think if it was the Wildmother who told Orym or some other follower that 'nature is a cycle, everything must adapt to change or else it'll die - this world will change, but it will also survive' nobody would be calling Orym a fascist, people would accept it because the Wildmother's domain is nature, and nature is not always kind.

While we're mentioning Orym - and because this is gonna come off as critical I must preface that I like and enjoy All of the Hells, that's not changed - I also gotta call it out here because it does very much feel like the people who hate Ashton hate them for the reasons they love Orym. Both are stubborn, they're diligent in their personal code, they care deeply for their friends and would give their whole being just to keep them safe, they believe in the Hells' power and greatness more than each member does and more than they believe in their own, but Ashton gets the hate mainly because these fans agree more with Orym on the god stuff. What confuses me though is how these same haters can despise Ashton for being consistent but love Braius, the literal Devil Worshipper who secretly is on board with the Chase Away plan only so he can help the Devil rule the world, the compulsive liar. Where's Braius' scrutiny? A world under Asmodeus will be a far worse 'survival of the fittest' scenario, why does Braius get a pass in all this stuff huh? Because he's funny? Seems people ignore the whole morality talk when they're discussing Braius' dedication to Exandrian Satan.

I find it irksome too that even the group seem to criticize Ashton reaching out to Primordials too - as if that wasn't what we wanted them and Fearne to do anyway. They don't dislike the gods simply because they're a 'great entity', it's because they're a great entity that holds power and doesn't use it equally or fairly; they pick and choose who to help, a lot of the time in Ashton's experience for their own self-service, but they won't prioritize mortals over another god no matter who cruel or heinous the god is being, and the following of these gods are so intertwined with politics that most religious motivation also ends up being political. Ashton has no connection to the gods, they reached out and got nothing, an Angel looked at them and made them feel like nothing, but they do have a connection to the Primordials; from the Earth Golem to the Titan Empress they're literally a vessel of, they experienced something significant in their connection to the Earth, so I don't like how that they're almost mocked for having it. In addition, Ashton's behaviour during this commune differs because of that connection, but also because the titans are a natural flow; they don't demand or test or politic or prejudice, and despite being a Great Entity in its own right it never made sure Ashton felt small for their own satisfaction, they asked a question and got an answer, it's the same reason Ashton has disdain for most political leaders but likes and respects Keyleth, Allura, Kima, Pike, and (eventually) Percy despite also being people in power. To call on Orym and the Wildmother as an example again; Orym's an Air Ashari, the Ashari are guardians of the Elemental Planes - made from the Primordials - not tied to a god, but nobody criticizes his connection to the Wildmother despite both not being a follower and his culture being more tethered to Primordials and their descendants. I'm not saying it's all correct for Ashton to want things to go back to how Primordials ruled, but we must remind ourselves also that we only know a story written by victors when it comes to the Schism - a story which could very easily have been altered and edited to make it feel more justified for the Primes and mortals to actively genocide all the Primordials, the native species and creators of this world, and desecrate their remains to make weapons, soul anchors, and cities - the specter didn't say 'fuck em, all mortals should die' after all, if they believe mortals would survive then they must be at the least tolerant of mortal existence. Why is it okay for god followers to say they wanna keep the world with the gods they have a connection to (and I'm not saying they aren't) but Ashton is out of line for wanting to have a world which has something active that they also have a connection to? It seems rather unfair to allow one side to have and the other to have not, picking and choosing because our audience's bias has spent more time with the gods, Ashton wanting something they can connect to doesn't feel all wrong either, the Eidolons still exist with faint worship hiding away so they're not smited by the gods, why can't faith exist so they're not in hiding? I sincerely doubt the Punk Rock that is Ashton is asking for the Primordials to fill the Gods' roles the same way the Gods have been running things either, they want to break the throne remember? There needs to be a balance in ideals and practice of course, and in an ideal world there could even be a more fluid and all-inclusive Exandria where gods and Eidolons live harmoniously with mortals without hierarchy and class systems, I think Ashton could happily live with something like that, they did say the world needs 'a little chaos' to call back to Matt hinting that the current world doesn't have enough.

Which leads us to those wishing violence upon Ashton - and I really don't like that. People who say 'hitting them over the head is the only language they understand' seem to misinterpret Ashton as if everyone around them have been on their hands and knees begging Ashton to reconsider and them ignoring valid points and pulling a Leroy Jenkins. In reality, nobody is actually talking to Ashton about it, a lot of the frustration with Bells Hells right now is that they aren't talking to each other, even about the end goal! Ashton has valid reasons for their thinking, so being violent isn't gonna change their mind; undermining, dehumanizing and trying to effectively bully anyone let alone someone with chronic pain and low self worth will never truly convince them to your way of thinking. All people understand the language of violence, but that language is not used justly, those who truly wish violence upon Ashton don't want it in hopes it'll force Ashton to change their mind, they want it for their own satisfaction of seeing them in pain; so they can further push them away from the rest of the group and go 'that guy's not one of us', make it so the people Ashton calls family after a lifetime of loneliness, confusion and abandonment - the people they promised they won't abandon, and have kept true on that promise even at their lowest - make them feel small and worthless, and force them into box where they can't be themselves, and I hate that people would want to treat them that way. Ashton IS capable of listening; they've stepped back and trusted the other Hells to do their own thing even when it's ridiculous like staging a play where they pretend to be Ludinus to trick Unseelie emissaries into thinking that he attacked them, they listened to the gods even when they didn't have to like they promised they would and despite it being very personal they held themselves back for the benefit of the group, and if the group talked to them calmly where they were all allowed to healthily discuss the pros and cons, the ideals and compromises, and the risk and reward of all plans that have been proposed then they would listen, and they would try - you don't need to slice bread with a broadsword.

Will Ashton 'get what's coming to them'? Maybe, but what is that exactly? We only assume to know the full vision of what Ashton wants to act on. All of Bells Hells are gonna face the consequences of the choice they make on Ruidus - when they finally make one that is - in and out of the world they live in, so won't that apply to everyone? So what for Ashton? do people want Fractures 2.0? Does everything Ashton wants in life have to blow up violently in their face? Family, Closure, their best friend's safety, why does 'what's coming to them' have to be something aggressive and harmful? People change through positive reinforcement and good experiences too! Caduceus Clay would remind you that it's love that makes people. Don't mistake this rant as me wanting Ashton to be exactly as they are now, I too want to see growth from Ashton and we ARE seeing it happen; I see it in small instances where they think twice about rash actions and try not to fly off the handle, when they sit just to listen or understand or to defuse tension, and that when they're going somewhere or doing something they let the group know in advance, those who think Ashton hasn't changed since ep. 1 aren't paying close attention, but that doesn't mean that they don't still have more ground to cover. I believe that Ashton grows the most through kindness; when they're treated like a person and not a blunt instrument or a nuisance, and I hope what's 'coming' for Ashton isn't rejection, bitterness, and isolation, but acceptance, empathy, and for someone - if you know me you'd know who I'd want it to be - to convince them that they are worthy of living, that they're special not because of their powers or blood or because they have died and been put back together again (honestly, it does irk me a little that both Keyleth and Imogen chose that for titles and to brag to the Matron, I know it isn't intended this way but sometimes it feels like saying 'your best defining quality is that you've died a lot') but because while they have every reason to hate everything they still chose to be kind to those who deserve kindness, they have a good heart and they mean well. Are they perfect? No! They're in their 20s very few people irl have their lives together at even twice that age, but I want them to have good things in their life; things that help them feel happy and safe and like they can still feel comfortable in their own skin without having to appear more 'palatable' for people who've already decided that they don't like them. I want them to know that they've always deserved to live and they still deserve it now, I want that not just for Ashton but for all the Hells, and hopefully they'll all live to have it.

And most of all I want the people who hate them to be wrong about Ashton Greymoore, and I want Taliesin to prove them wrong.

[anniflamma]

I'm so sorry for all the sh*t you had to deal, not only yesterday but with your own art.

I hope you're doing okay and taking care you yourself, I know how much energy those trolls could take of one.

For now, I'm really grateful to you for standing with Elianzis, art is suppose to be controversial, art is not to make everyone feel comfortable, is to wonder, to question.

It is so sad to see the media literacy die these days, to have people think less and hate more, this wave of conservatism and conformism in social meadia really worries me, people are so entitled to themselves that can't reflect, discern and separate from a work. Everything is taken personally.

In a way, I'm sad she has to take down the piece, but I'm glad for the sake of her mental health.

I hope at least this discussion helps we, as a fandom, to evade something like this in the future (a person could only dream).

Take care, sorry for the long ask <3

Thank you so much, and sorry if I made you worry! Sometimes I just explode. I'm mostly angry on behalf of the other artist, really.

I really enjoy this type of discussion when everyone is chill about it. But now, when I reread everything I wrote, I noticed I fumbled a lot of my words and didn't fully express what I meant. To summarize, everything has nuance, and it’s okay to criticize both fictional and real-life stuff. I do believe that fiction and media can normalize harmful things, and I truly belive that. but I also think it’s fine for someone if they want to enjoy problematic content, when they can acknowledge its issues. For example, if someone tells me they like Lovecraftian horror, I’m like, "Ok, cool! I like it too!" But if they start to show discomfort or being indenial when I wanna talk about problematic stuff about Lovecraft, then yes, that is a massive red flag. Its a extreme exemple but that is all I can come up with right now 😅

I think all of this will tone down eventually. Epic community is a very chill fandom compare to others :) But all fandoms has its dowsides.

[diminuel]

Wanna hear something crazy re-“are these entitled commentators demanding updates actual readers?” question you just asked:

When I was in another big fandom, some…dedicated haters of the ship/character I liked would seek out BNF's and do basically what’s happening here: demand updates, criticize the characterizations but in the most wank-y way possible, etc, in order to make the creators feel like “real” fans of the ship/character hate the writer's work. More than one of the newer/younger authors&creators would end up quitting because of it! (Add to the death of real comments from real fans and the hater comments stand out waayyyyyy more ☹️, no wonder people just don’t bother after a while)

Yes this is psycho and yes it’s like, do you not have your own ships to have fun with??

(extra psychotic cus it was often by fringe members of the most popular ship (at the time anyway)?? Like, it’s ok! Go enjoy your many fan works with your ship! For bonus points the popular ship was only really a *thing* in the newest live action adaptation and in the older fan works of the original medium (comics) because they changed the canon ages and like merged 2 characters together, so they were extra like, insecure about how there were older, more popular ships in the fandom pre-adaptation or something so they deliberately went after even works that predated the adaptations and would attack it for being out of character!? Idk it’s crazy.

But once the open hatred of the ship/character didn’t work to discourage the creators/fans (and in fact would fuel the creators! or they would just delete on sight), the haters then learned hide their open hate as entitled “fellow fans” demanding updates or leaving “criticisms” of the writing. Like if an author complained in tumblr or discord to their friends of actual entitled fans of demanding updates and mentioning it hurt their drive to keep writing out of spite, these dedicated haters that literally stalked(!) these fan spaces would then start sending those same styled update demands, knowing it would drive this creator away from the hater's hated ship/character! Like, get a job! Touch grass!

So if you are in a fandom with a known amount of dedicated haters towards your ship/character (like say to the point where they have their own nickname for those shippers something like “Heckers” or “H*ll*rs), one sadly needs to be aware that haters those don't just stay in their lane, even if it is the 2nd or even 1st most popular part of the fandom! Punching up or down they justify it either way as “but they are hurting MY fav ship/character by writing this therefore I’m “justified”!” Crazy)

But also, yeah Fandom etiquette has TANKED in recent years and with the new generation because of both the rapid growth and mainstream awareness, maybe for good and bad because. Say the example of SPN, the old “don’t bring up shipping and Destiel at Cons to the actors!!” attitude has changed, for the better really! It’s no longer treated like a dirty little secret! Yay changing attitudes towards the gay community! Destiel fandom existing and creating most definitely lead to Cas continuing to be on the show and Destiel being canon at the end! But also like, you now get fans directly threatening the lives of actors/writers etc on Social Media for “sinking” their ship or playing an evil character or asking TRULY inappropriate questions at Cons, etc. so…

In conclusion, some of these entitled questions and demands for updates are 100% legitimate bad mannered fans being entitled and rude, because bad mannered fans have always existed and now fandom is sooooo big and fractured there's basically no common etiquette. And also, more then 0% of them might be obsessive haters of your ship/character mimicking the style&language of that kind of fan BECAUSE they know it makes the creator annoyed and less likely to continue writing for the ship/character they hate! Crazy I know! Either way, ignore them! If they are real fans and readers of your WIP then they are not the kind of reader you wanna creator for anyway! And they also might be crazy haters trying to smother your creative flame cus they are jealous! Do your thing!

I’m old and have followed works that got updated 10 years (!) later! A few extra days/months/weeks means nothing to me and it should mean nothing to real fans! It’s what the subscriber button is for! And also if you as a fan wanna give the author incentive to write more, leave them real and engaging comments! T'is the true, renewable energy! Not using these nasty , smelly, smog making demanding comments as fuel aka the whale oil of comments! And commenters, when writing these motivational fuelling comments, don’t even mention it’s for motivation! Heck don’t even say something like, can't wait to see more! at a certain point, just be happy it was written at all in any amount and extend that gratitude to the author (with your desire for more being your fuel for your comment!)

(But if you wanna maybe get the bad mannered fans off your back, remove any exact dates from your authors note after a while and like make a progress post on Tumblr to link to where you can just edit and add your time estimates and “announce” delays there so the poor widdle fans don’t *have* to “dig” thru pages of wonderful art and other (🙄) fandoms the poor dears. But it may also help so you feel less pressured if you don’t make yourself beholdened to a schedule, unless you like the deadlines for your own productivity lol then I just salute you. But that way you can just point to any annoying demands for updates to that one page)

Good luck! Do your thing! Enjoy a new fandom and the new creative energy it brings! A starting a new fandom gives you such a different rush/energy than an old, mature fandom for you. Neither is better or worse but it’s fun to have both! Enrich your enclosure !

Interesting and to be honest not entirely surprising? I’ve been in fandom for a long time too, so I’ve seen people be mean for no reason other than they enjoyed being mean and belittling fellow fans for enjoying their fandom differently than they did.

And you see quite a lot of stupid things in the Supernatural fandom when it gets to ship wars and slinging insults at each other. I had the feeling that I've seen everything but eh, fandom can still surprise me.

I do think people should get different hobbies than pretending to be fans and leaving mean comments to discourage others from writing. I don’t know if that’s what’s happening because who honestly cares enough about my niche A/B/O Destiel fanfic to want to sabotage it now, after 50 chapters are already out?

Just the general idea that fic or fanart of one thing is somehow eating up valuable “screen time” that should be dedicated to other fancreations (of different ships, dealing with different themes) is ridiculous in my opinion.

I could somewhat understand people being tense and overdoing it trying to prove to themselves and the creators that they are the true fans of the show and that they need to be catered to. But why put that effort towards fanworks of a show that’s been over for nearly 4 years? Prospective creators and platforms aren't going to look at AO3 and think "this random person wrote this historical arranged marriage AU, the SPN continuation should better follow its lead!"

You are completely right that I feel fandom etiquette has tanked. The barrier between fandom space and creators is just too brittle or at times even nonexistent in today’s media/ digital landscape. And social media aren't curated fandom spaces, it' all kind of things mashed together. And some people don’t seem to understand that the fanart and fanfic they scroll past on twitter isn’t “content” that is being produced to garner their attention. Likewise, my fanfic isn’t content I’m paid for to create that is just there for people to consume. It’s for fun, it’s free, it thrives on community. Nobody pays for it, which means that clicking away and ignoring it doesn’t cost anything. It’s no waste of time or money.

Anyway. I want to have fun in fandom. I try to share that fun. And sometimes I just fall down into a hole. And not just a different fandom hole... This whole year hasn’t been easy and that affects how and what I can create even though it’s not obvious what is going on behind the screen if you just look at my output.

All in all, creativity doesn’t always translate to a regular and consistent update schedule.

[t0ast-ghost]

Star Trek II: Wrath Of Khan thoughts:

For this post if I could simply embed the entire movie and just write the word, ‘queer’ I would. Unfortunately you are all stuck with this, happy pride month!

Spoilers for the entire movie will be featured in this post

Going forth:

- I know what the kobayashi maru is so I know they’re not in danger but that’s some good acting Bones

- “‘Physician heal thyself.’” “Is that all you’ve got to say? What about my performance?” “I’m not a drama critic.” Thinking about this pose thinking about this pose thinking about thi-

- “Galloping around the cosmos is a game for the young, Doctor.” He’s feeling something and projecting

- “Aren’t you dead?” That’s certainly a way to greet your husband

- They’re so cute. And sad. And cute.

- tiny guys hehe. The boots got sluttier somehow

- McCoy got him glasses cause he can’t read the book without it and bring up that post that’s saying how Spock and McCoy’s gifts go together but McCoy got the logical thing and Spock got the emotional one

- Don’t quote me on this but the things I would do to that man… I wouldn’t.. but holy shit that outfit is killing me.

- hi checkov

- Carol Marcus? Doesn’t she have Kirk’s-? okay then I won’t spoil that just yet

- Creature in a jar moving under the sand

- BOTANY BAY????? Oh wait a sec I should’ve seen that coming it’s called wrath of khan

- Did they kill Chekov?

- hello Khan. That’s a very long and dramatic reveal he’s kinda hot tho

- Thinking about genetic engineering and augmentation and how they’re illegal but star trek presents cases where people now exist and it’s not the fault of the person that they are what they are so they have to question if an entire person should be illegal because of the actions of others… anyway I don’t wanna get deep into this right now, back to the movie

- Are they going to kill Chekov? (edit: not sure why I’m so fixated on thinking they’re gonna)

- WOW THAT IS CERTAINLY A SWEAT DROP

- brain worms… this sounds recently familiar

- HES READING HIS BOOK WITH THE GLASSES THEY DIDNT NEED TO SHOW HIM DOING THAT BUT THEY DID AND ITS ADORABLE OMG

- The conversation between Savik and Spock is so precious. And it’s in Vulcan. And she says “He’s more human than I expected” and it’s like that’s her commenting on Spock’s husband

- Kirk does not want to do this inspection

- McCoy does a little bounce

- “For everything there is a first time. Wouldn’t you agree, admiral” “mmhhmm” “Would you like a tranquilizer?” *Kirk shakes his head*

- I think this one has a more solid plot. I’m enjoying so far :)

- Does McCoy serve on this ship or is he just following along?

- (Had to stop watching around here because I left for the weekend so these thoughts are potentially a bit different)

- wowah! Cool ship!

- uh oh. Chekov on the monitor with the brain worm!

- khan is kinda- yeahh

- I LOVE SAAVIK! RAHHH! Also apparently Saavik is canonically half Vulcan half Romulan according to the trivia

- I like how Bones is just there :)

- Putting Spock in black… they knew what they were doing

- They’re husbands your honour. Spock knows Kirk wants to take command and isn’t to proud to get in the way of making his wife happy

- “You are my superior officer. You are also my friend. I have been and always shall be yours.” Kissing would have been less romantic

- George Takei’s voice is majestic

- “He tasks me. He tasks me and I shall have him. I’ll chase him round the moons of Nibia and round the Antares maelstrom and round perdition’s flames before I give him up.” Not obsessive at all.. nope this is something completely and totally normal to say about your nemesis

- “Uhura, have Doctor McCoy join us (Kirk and Spock) in my quarters.” Hmmmmm.. gotta inform the whole polycule about the shady government experiment

- lmao BOTH Spock and McCoy know who Carol Marcus is

- oh so terraforming… NEVERMIND REALLY FAST TERRAFORMING

- “Really, Dr. McCoy, you must learn to govern your passions. They will be your undoing.” Flirting, gentlemen?

- How and why does Starfleet continually put Spock and McCoy together? Like this alert would be sent out 24/7

- Spock and his awesome daughter Saavik

- falling

- Kirk with the breast flap down

- such a good moment… such a great moment (sorry for shitty photos)

- Kirk has to put on his little glasses <3

- Kirk does NOT fuck around

- Poor Scotty. He’s got so much emotion about his dead crew mate and the doctor apologizing to him 🥺🥺🥺

- Saavik making up rules to make sure the admiral is safe. Love her.

- “Jim, be careful.” “We will.” MCCOY IS SO BITTER. Like ‘no wishes of luck for me, Spock? Fuck you!’

- The collar on that uniform is silly

- hehe McCoy got scared by a rat. OH HE ALSO GOT SCARED BY A DEAD BODY

- Kirk’s little disappointed “oh my god” as he finds Chekov in the cupboard

- “Suppose they went nowhere.” “Then this’ll be your big chance to get away from it all.” McCoy’s not leaving Kirk, but he still looks like he wants to strangle him sometimes

- Kirk not afraid to punch a bitch

- WAIT THATS KIRKS SON?!? Isn’t it?? I thought David was Carol’s brother. But nope!

- aww dammnit I knew they were still mind controlled :/

- Saavik saving David. Y’know it would be pretty cool if there was something about Saavik, David, and Johanna meeting and maybe serving on a ship of their own.. idk just thoughts.

- ewwww brain worm.

- OH THE ECHOING “KHANNN”

- mmmm Kirk without the jacket. The white turtleneck with sleeves… also McCoy and Saavik are slaying with their turquoise and orange turtlenecks

- “Food the first order of survival.” I bet the fanfic writers had a field day with this one (cause cause it’s a reference to Tarsus IV)

- Imagine this: you’re stuck underground with your husband, your other husbands adopted daughter, your ex, her son (who’s also your son), and your old Russian navigator who’s unconscious and tried to kill you while being mind controlled by a worm which came out of his ear

- David’s got Kirk’s curls <333

- Kirk has a thing for people who look good in blue. Change my damn mind.

- “I don’t believe in a no win scenario.” He immediately calls Spock afterwards cause he’ll never lose with his husbands around

- “You lied.” “I exaggerated.” Yep, he IS that bitch

- Saavik is learning so much from them

- They still just.. let anyone onto the bridge. Like David is just there now

- oh no Scotty! Well McCoy was miraculously there to catch him

- CHEKOV BACK ON THE BRIDGE!

- Once again. Kirk does not fuck around! He just killed those guys

- “To the last I will grapple with thee.” WOW. Okay. Well.

- Khan’s about to terraform this bitch

- McCoy stopping Spock from going into the chamber..

- “You’re not going in there!” “Perhaps you’re right. What is Mr. Scott’s condition?” SIKE BITCH SPOCK JUST FUCKING NERVE PINCHED HIM. McCoy you should’ve been tipped off by the fact he 1. Said you were right and 2. Gave up trying to self sacrifice so easily

- wait why’d Spock connect to McCoy’s psi points and say remember? Remember what?

- I like there’s just a sign that flashes the word ‘radiation’ in red letters

- McCoy and Scotty BEGGING Spock not to do this. Break my fucking heart why don’t you?

- Kirk’s little run to the engine room <3

- I know he’s dying but those boots are so slutty

- Solely watching Kirk’s face is already like watching 10 puppies get killed

- “Don’t grieve, admiral.” Has me crying already. Your closest and longest friend is watching your slow descent into death and you ask him not to grieve you. You want him to know your death meant something. It meant he’d be safe and that is nothing to grieve. I’m going to be sick

- don’t touch me I’m thinking about this

- SAAVIK IS CRYING OMG GIRL ME TOO

- Kirk’s voice breaking.. god. Shatter my fucking heart why don’t you?

- if they play bagpipes at my funeral I’m rising from the dead (violins would be nice though)

- NOO HIS CUTE LITTLE GLASSES BROKE

- “They’re just words.” “But good words. That’s where ideas begin. Maybe you should listen to them.” POP OFF DAVID ! Good line

- SON REVEAL! NOT CLICKBAIT

- There’s 8 minutes left of this. Did they leave this one with Spock dead?

- “He’s really not dead, as long as we remember him.” Good words McCoy. But perhaps maybe you might have some.. assistance remembering him?

- got distracted and drew Kirk but I love the last little Spock narration. Really brave to end a WHOLE MOVIE with one of the best most well known characters being dead

Well that movie did have its pros and… khans

…

See you next time

Masterpost

[0cta9on]

Hey Writer-nim✌️, How's it going?.

Me? Nothing much happening this week just casually waiting for your next story, the latest one are great, not my favor the threesome act but if you can treat them equally then it is ok😅

Hey do you want to write a fluff short story of sakura after the recent Coachella,

"Despite all of the criticism she still managed to respond from her side of view. Many would say she's able to handle it all like a tough nut but in reality she needs someone to comfort her. Would you be there for her as someone she most hopes aiding her?"

Hello mikeylo! Sorry for taking so long with this one, life got in the way :,) I hope you like it and hope ur doing good :)

You knock on the door of Sakura’s hotel room with two matcha lattes and a bag of donut holes in your hands. An hour ago, she texted you to come over, so you decided to stop by a cafe for some treats, thinking she’s probably exhausted from performing for the past two days at Coachella. You still get chills just thinking about her on the stage, performing her heart out for thousands of people.

The door swings open, revealing Sakura in an oversized black hoodie, her eyes puffy and red as if she had just been crying. 

“Hey, I got you a couple tr- Oh.” Without a word, she wraps her arms around your torso, planting her face on your chest. “Is something wrong, Sakura?” The only answer she gives you is a long, depressed sigh. 

Carefully, you push her into the room, shutting the door behind you, and sitting her on the bed. Her eyes stay glued to the ground, deep in thought. A million questions flow through your mind as you try to figure out what could have happened between Le Sserafim’s performance and now. Did she get into a fight with one of her members? Did a family member die? Did you do something wrong?

“Sakura, you have to tell me what’s wrong here. I’m really worried about you,” you say, lacing your fingers with her. It takes a couple moments of silence and waiting, but eventually, she faces you, tears threatening to pour from her eyes.

“I-I… I read the comments… about our performance yesterday… a-and…” Her voice falters, cracking like shattered porcelain.  You pull her into a tight embrace as she lightly sobs into your shoulder. Some of the comments you saw online about Le Sserafim’s set were less than favorable, but you know that they’re nothing but a vocal minority. You witnessed firsthand just how amazing they were on stage, even your friends that knew nothing about the group enjoyed it.

“Hey, it’s okay,” you whisper soothingly. “I promise you a lot of people loved your performance. You did the best you could and that’s all that matters. Don’t beat yourself up just because some people want to be jerks online.”

Sakura pulls away from you, still sniffling. You wipe away her tears, planting a kiss on her forehead. “Let’s do something fun to cheer you up, okay? You’ve been working for the past two days, I bet you’re exhausted,” you suggest.

“Can we just stay inside for today?” She looks up at you, pleading like a sad puppy. How could you ever say no to that face?

______________________________________________________________

“Yah! Stop spamming that move!”

“Stop getting hit by it, dummy!”

Your character gets launched off the stage, leading to another victory for Sakura Miyawaki. She jumps around the room excitedly, rubbing her win in your face for the umpteenth time.

When Sakura first suggested you play Smash Bros together, you figured you would go easy on her, not wanting to upset her more. However, the more she won, the cockier she became. Eventually, you decided to give it your all, but to your horror, not even your best was enough to defeat her gaming prowess.

“One more round!” She exclaims, the flame of competition burning in her eyes.

You toss your controller away and throw the covers of yourself. “I don’t wanna play with you anymore!” You say jokingly.

“Yah!” Sakura jumps on you and attempts to wrestle the covers away from you. The sound of laughter fills the room, a complete 180 from the depressing atmosphere you walked into a couple hours ago. You would gladly lose to her a million times if it meant getting to see her happy like this everyday.

The tussle ends when both of you collapse on the bed, gasping for breath. You look over at each other, which devolves into another chain of faint laughter. The sunlight peeking through the windows is replaced by the night sky, dotted with beams of light from the California nightlife.

“Oh no, it’s dark out. Guess I have to stay the night,” you tease, pulling Sakura towards you. She rests her head on your chest, filling your nostrils with the clean scent of her shampoo.

“I would like that a lot.” She peers into your eyes with a wide grin. Something about her draws you closer. Maybe it’s the way her eyes gaze so lovingly at you or the way her soft lips curl into a smile that never fails to brighten your day. Maybe it’s the way she works hard at everything she does, even if she’s not immediately good at it, or the way she never fails to bounce back from a struggle. Whatever it is, you find yourself leaning into her, closing your eyes as you anticipate the feeling of her lips.

The initial contact is soft and doughy, notes of sweetness coating your tastebuds. You fall deeper into bliss, opening your mouth to deepen the kiss only for your tongue to be blocked by something that didn’t feel like lips. You open your eyes to Sakura laughing at you while pressing a donut hole against your mouth. A wave of emotions wash over you, most notably embarrassment and shock.

“I-I… Y-you…” You sputter. “I’m leaving.” Jokingly, you jump out of bed and stomp your way towards the door.

“Noooo, wait!” She grabs your wrist and tries to pull you back, but unlike her gaming skills, her physical strength is much weaker than yours, allowing you to pull her into your arms. The two of you giggle as you engage in an impromptu slow dance in the middle of her hotel room, swaying side to side to the beat of an imaginary song that only you can hear. The warmth of her embrace leaves you feeling content and enlightened.

“Thank you for staying with me,” she mutters into your chest.

“Thank you for existing.”

Sakura looks up at you, standing on her tippy toes as she pulls you in for a kiss - a real kiss this time. She sighs happily into your mouth, her steady breath sending shivers on the skin of your cheek. You instinctively grab her waist to keep her balanced, holding her close with no intention of letting her go. The ambience of busy cars and chattering people fade into nothing but an afterthought, leaving you to bask in the intimacy of this perfect night.

[ckret2]

after reading your goldie fic I think it’s alright for me to assume that you’re a Mabel liker. And that’s great because I am too!! But, I’m sure you know about the Mabel haters in the fandom and they use reasons such as “she’s selfish” and “doesn’t feel any remorse for causing Weirdmageddon” to justify their hatred for her even more. I just wanna hear your thoughts about these claims and what you think about Mabel haters in general? (also hi hope you’re doing well :))

I think Mabel haters are ridiculous lmao

I've got nothing to say that hasn't already been said by hundreds of other people who think the Mabel hate is ridiculous, but she's no more selfish than any of the other main characters (and also significantly less), pretty much any time during the show that she IS being selfish (Boyz Crazy, Sock Opera) she realizes she's out of line and corrects herself, and honestly I suspect too many people took Bill's deliberately manipulative analysis of her in Sock Opera as the truth instead of asking sensible questions like "wait, why is Dipper keeping the job that lets him hang out with Wendy slightly more than all the time he already spends hanging out with her more important than helping a lost merboy reconnect with his family? Why is that a 'Mabel is selfish' point rather than a 'Mabel guided Dipper into doing the morally right thing' point?"

The only time we fully focused on Mabel long enough to find out whether she regretted being tricked by someone disguised as a friend into starting Weirdmageddon was Escape From Reality... at which point she hadn't been told Weirdmageddon was happening. Once she found out, she kind of spent the rest of the series stopping it?

We have whole episodes dedicated to her inserting herself into other people's lives to try to solve their (personal or romantic) problems, because she can't stand seeing anyone feel bad. We have a whole episode where she has a breakdown about potentially not being a good (enough) person. We have multiple episodes that end with her saying "I'm sorry" to Dipper (and Pacifica, and Candy, and Grenda...) after she recognizes her mistake—which is more than most characters do after realizing their mistakes. Selfishness is not her predominant character trait.

She's got flaws, sure, and anyone is welcome to dislike a character for any reason. I enjoy the fact that she's sometimes kinda obnoxious in a "loud child" way, that she hasn't learned yet when well-intentioned meddling makes things worse, that she's comfortable enough with teasing her brother that sometimes she doesn't realize when her teasing goes too far, that she's afraid of the future because she sees better things for herself in the present that she's scared of losing. Other people might not enjoy those flaws. That's okay.

But when the two biggest criticisms of her are [trait the villain misrepresented to manipulate her brother] and [action the villain misrepresented to manipulate her into doing], people are missing the point.

[moregraceful]

Saw an old picture of Cooch playing wordle with the sharks equipment manager and I have got to ask. Is he a word games guy. Was he pulled into it or do you think he instigated. Does he have a NYT games account.

There is no reason you should know but I feel like your augury will be closer than anyone else I can think of (or at least more fun)

WELL. He had a book club during the pandemic so canonically he can read and loves to share literacy. And Wordle is a good game not just because it works your brain but also bc you have a limited number of chances before you legally have to go to idiot jail, which for a man as chronically depressed as Cooch, it does feel like he would enjoy the challenge. I bet he has an NYT game account. I bet bro loves the honey comb one.

This is giving me a perfect excuse to talk about one of my favorite articles from Corey Masisak's tenure with the Sharks: the Sharkies' lil nerd ass bookclub. You may have read this already bc you've been in these trenches but here are my favorite excerpts. There's a lot of Reimer in the article and while I don't care for the man or his politics, he does have some fascinating insight into why the Sharks are cringe nerds (so much travel time)

He likes to share books with guys on the team!! He's the team librarian!! Drop your book talk Cooch I wanna see something. It actually tracks because every librarian I've ever worked with was deeply and chronically mentally ill. This is why we need more mundane workplace aus that aren't coffeeshop aus.

in my sexiest imagine, Logan is an extremo depressed burnt out librarian and Thomas Bordeleau is the guy who has to do community service due to getting arrested for idk stealing a doctor's prescription pad and starting a black market estrogen prescription economy. And now he has to just, teach Bordy how to read so Bordy can pull holds. And its not making Logan less depressed.

Logan Couture 🤝 Bryce Harper: reading pulp novels so they can get away from the horrors of being an athlete. Wait let me cook. What if I was an athlete who read copaganda novels and you were an athlete who read hockey romance novels...and we never even met

The thing about John Grisham, Jimmy Pat, and Lee Child is that the people who checked out those books the most ofte at my library were like 80 year old women, who would read approximately 7-10 books a week. From this we can conclude Cooch is an old woman. Do you think he does the kinds of fiber arts crafts you have to learn from a book and not a Tiktok

This excerpt isn't about Cooch but I feel its critical knowledge: Pickles hasn't read a book in at least 3-4 years

The real bomb we're throwing here is if Pickles doesn't read books but does do the NYT crossword puzzle every day and has a streak. I mean maybe he's doing like, my first crossword puzzle for kids, but EYE like thinking about him seriously working on the Sunday crossword for an entire flight. I would say he completes it perfectly but he made fun of Nick Bonino's ereader and made Nick got mad as hell and EXPOSED him

Words are still words you're SO right king. It's not about the format or the length or the type of book you read. It's about reading . Because to read, to use your words, to engage in the action of imagination, education, storytelling and build, is to live. And I include nonfiction in that. And also audiobooks.

Also thank you for your kind words about my augury, that really made me smile 💙💙🦈🦈

[mossbirdreigns]

i've been patrolling arcane tumblr

as i'm sure many of you have as well and i have some thoughts. some critiques if you will.

beware season 2 spoilers and discussion of plot discourse. very long post. but worth it. i think.

alright, if you're reading this, it's because you wanted to. welcome!

i've been brainrotting about arcane season 2 pretty much all day today and i wanted to ramble about my thoughts especially now that i've seen some of the criticism of it going around. so let's get the main points out of the way.

1. Plot Holes

saying season 2 doesn't have plot holes would be a lie and i highly encourage you to look into more about them, but i'll summarize the main ones real quick for anyone unfamiliar.

Silco and Vander

TL;DR: timelines around the day of ash (bridge massacre) don't line up. we've seen vander before the day of ash (clean-shaven/moustache + younger looking) and we've seen him on the day of ash (full beard + older). we know he went back to kill silco before the day of ash, which its implied silco had something to do with, but when we see the scene of it, he has a full beard again, implying it takes place after the day of ash

source: thenationofzaun

Silco and Vander and Felicia + how they connect to Vi and Jinx

TL;DR: in season 1, vi and powder/jinx show 0 sign of recognizing silco or knowing he exists at all before episode 3 but in season 2, we're led to believe that silco, vander, and felicia were all very close with felicia making them both promise to take care of her kids with vander even naming vi. even if we excuse the vi and powder not knowing him before episode 3, why would silco be so willing and actively trying to kill vi when he promised felicia to take care of her kids?

2. The (Implied) Love Triangle

alright here's the main thing i want to rant about. for anyone who didn't pick up on the vibes, i (and some others i've seen) definitely felt love triangle vibes during the silco/vander/felicia flashback scene and i wanna share my thoughts with you on that.

aside from the plothole issue of silco + vi/powder (the only way i would accept it is if the falling out between them all happened way earlier and they had like a friendship/situationship breakup so vi and powder never heard about him but i don't think that's what they're doing), i enjoy the idea and potential of vander and silco being vi and jinx's biological dads but i don't like the way the show is setting it up, mostly because of the glaring plot holes the rest of the scene creates. that single line from felicia saying they both were responsible for her kids in some way causes such an elaborate web of cracks across the story the show has shown us thus far. why is silco so ok with killing vi for like the entirety of season 1 if he was indebted by the death of a friend to care for her now orphaned kids? does that responsibility only apply to jinx for some reason? did he just not care about his promise to felicia anymore? is it because silco sees more of a physical resemblance to felicia in powder/jinx than in vi? these are all very valid theories but my issue lies with the fact that the show itself tells us none. we see the actions these characters are taking but we see very little of why. we get none of the context. all of these additional doubts and holes come in exclusively because of that scene in the last drop and, specifically, because silco is in that scene.

if that scene was just felicia and vander, there would be 0 plot ramifications. don't get me wrong, i love silco and i want him to pleeeaaaase have more screentime but not like this.

so how would i do it instead?

i'm glad you asked! i've compiled a brief list of ideas i've had.

felicia and vander talk at the last drop, silco and felicia talk separately (maybe a chance for us to see a more emotional side of silco)

silco is there for the conversation but draws back when vander takes more of a presence with baby vi (with the idea that silco would feel less connected to vi, though it still feels like a stretch to me)

have the scene at the last drop as normal but silco leaves after learning felicia is pregnant (perhaps upset because he's in love with her), and vander is the only one she talks to about taking care of her kids

make connol more of a character like at all??

(fanfic writers feel free to use any of these ideas, tag me if you do!)

at the end of the day, i think the issue with this season is honestly a lack of time. they need another season or two at least to fully and properly cover every plotline with the tact and skill they showed in season one. trying to cram everything they want to do into 9 ~40 minute episodes just is not going to work for the amount of shit going on in this show. if you're only doing two seasons and you have this many plotlines, your episodes should be at least an hour.

in a perfect world, i would've really liked to see almost a mirroring of format from the first season where the first three episodes were a flashback before the bulk of the story takes place but with vander, silco, felicia, and connol as the characters we follow instead. let us actually see what happened and how they died, lay it all out on the table and then jump us back to the fallout of the season 1 finale for episode 4.

i'm going to be 100% honest with you here. i do not really care for the hextech or the arcane plotlines. hear me out, i promise i don't just hate them.

i want to like both of these plotlines and there are elements of them i do enjoy. my main issue, again, comes back to the lack of time. there is wild shit happening at every second with what feels like zero downtime, leading to the writers having to leave out details that round out the story in order to get all the main plot in before they run out of runtime. i feel bad for the artists who put so much soul and care into the art they've shown us who have been rushed to cram everything in. they pull it off but i cannot ignore that they are limited by the pacing they've been given. i want to see viktor building this sanctuary, i want to see him gathering this influence, i want to see him learning to control these powers, i want intimate scenes where he talks with Sky about how this power is changing him. i want jayce for once in his life to think about someone other than himself. these characters have so much potential for the depths they can achieve but they're snubbed by the show's cut off and that makes me so sad!!!

let me spend a season with the zaunites, let me spend a season in piltover, develop those storylines, let them stew and manifest and brew, and then let season 3 truly be the beginning of the conflict between zaun and piltover and i guarantee you the emotional rollercoaster will be 12x what it is currently and way more satisfying. short stories are good but not when you're trying to pull off 4 stories in one.

if you read this far, thanks! if you have any thoughts on anything in here, my dms are open and i would love to hear other opinions!

i hope you have a good day, stranger ♡ stay strong while we wait for act 3

[sporesgalaxy]

I know this is something u were probably asked before but as the guy that has a good relationship with art....how do you do that??? I mean I get that this question is vague but how do you not care if it looks bad? Do you just?? Keep on going till it looks like you want it to look? Despite the agonies? You seem like you enjoy talking abt this thats why im asking, dont feel the need to answer if u dont wanna

hmmmm. You know, I don't think about the agonies much these days. But it's not that I don't care. I guess I've become a freak who sees beauty in the agonies, sorta? It's kind of complicated! I will do my best to explain!

First of all, I know that I have the unfair advantage of having no ambition. I don't have a goal for my art besides making art when I feel like it. That makes it easy to be less judgemental-- I remember having a rockier relationship to my own art during the time when I thought I would make it my career.

This is why I like talking about my perspective, though!! I think it's important to try not to let yourself be consumed by self-criticism as an artist, even if self-criticism is necessary for you, and hopefully my carefree way of looking at things can help balance things out haha.

Anyways, ambition or not-- and I know how this sounds but bear with me-- art doesn't ever look bad.

(Barring ethically harmful art, ugh, I don't want to get into ethics so just-- surely you know what I mean!!!)

Art gets a lot less stressful if you can tell yourself that no art is bad, and remember the reasoning behind that until you really believe it. It isn't a fast process, but it's very worth the work.

The truth is that art either looks how you want it to look, or it looks different from the way you want it to look, but both are ultimately neutral. You CAN make art that looks different from what you wanted, that you still feel pleased with.

When art looks different from how you wanted, the gut reaction you have is often to call it bad or get frustrated. And of course it's frustrating! Maybe you feel it's not as effective at communicating something as you'd hoped, or you feel it's not as visually impactful as you imagined...but it's important to remember those things are only your perception. Not an objective fact. And art is a two-way street! A communication between creator and observer! And communication is really weird and complicated.

•••

Other people's perception of your work won't ever be exactly the same as yours. Sometimes this is desireable and sometimes it isn't! Maybe your art will communicate the thing better to someone than anything they've ever seen-- even if a more effective version could theoretically exist, the "imperfect" version that actually exists and communicates is all that matters to the observer. Or, maybe a feature that turned out exactly how you wanted it to will fly completely over an observer's head, and not have the effect you wanted at all. A lot of the time, you'll never even know.

An artist can NEVER fully control an observer's perspective, so at a certain point you have to live with what you have. You already do this, to some degree, if you have ever EVER decided to stop working on a piece of art and share it. You can always keep adding to something. You can always keep editing. But sometimes, you stop. And perfection doesn't exist, so when you stop it must be because the art is good enough for now. And nothing about "good enough" is objective!

And is that really so bad? Surely people who grow fruit understand that a fruit which is smaller than they imagined can still feed somebody-- that at the very least it will feed bugs and microorganisms and be useful as fertilizer to grow more apples. Your art still means something, still accomplishes something, is still worth making whether it turns out how you imagined or not.

A lot of art is learning when to quit and move on. As a habitual perfectionist, this was something I had to learn early, to stop myself from erasing holes into every piece of paper I drew on.

There's this rule I was taught in middle school drama class: if you fuck up, act like you didn't fuck up. The audience doesn't have your script memorized, so odds are they won't have any idea you fucked up unless you tell them. Other art works the same way. No one knows what you wanted to make but you. And more importantly, a "perfect" version of your art doesn't exist (no "perfect" version of anyone's art exists, or ever will).

The version you made exists, so you have to find what's worth loving about that version. You have found what's worth loving in the imperfect art of others many times. Many observers will treat your art the same way you treat others' art. Why not treat your own art that way, too?

It sounds really REALLY corny, but I try not to think of this as embracing "mistakes." I think of it as celebrating coincidences.

I really really like coincidences. I like that every circumstance wasn't guaranteed to happen, that everything comes down to chance. I think all the little random things are beautiful because they turned out however they did, and not any of the millions of other ways things might have turned out. It's a coincidence that my genes expressed the way they did. It's a coincidence that my parents met in college. It's a coincidence that my oldest friend and I both got to middle school early every day, and stayed close even when we didn't share any classes.

Art is full of coincidences! I try to draw a straight line. The line does not turn out straight, because of the way my hand is shaped and the way my muscles contracted, because my body is not exactly like anyone else's in the world. No one else would have drawn that slightly not-straight line just exactly how I did. It's mine, and it's crookedness is what makes my art mine. Okay, maybe it's a little too crooked for what I want this time-- I'll erase it and draw a new crooked line at a bit of a different angle. There we go, I like that! Now it's my beautiful, irreplaceable crooked line! And the ghost of its predecessor guides the eye just so, and no one else's two crooked lines would guide your eye the same way, only mine! Isn't that nice on its own? Just to have made something that can't ever be replicated? To have made something no one else has ever made before?

You can also apply this in a bit less dreamy and more practical ways, I promise haha.

For example...I've never been a canvas flipper, as a digital character artist. I don't mirror my canvases to see if they still look preportional to me from either direction. I also don't usually draw visual novel character sprites that need to look good mirrored in either direction to serve their function, so it's never been a practical concern of mine.

I consider many kinds of distortion on a character I've drawn to be a good part of the visual flow of the image. Like a smear frame in animation, distoriton in the right places can make character art look dynamic and energized because it can lead the eye through a certain visual flow over the form of the character. If I were to flip the canvas, that eye-leading effect might hit differently because my American eye is used to reading from left to right-- perhaps it doesn't feel as "smooth" going in the opposite direction. This doesn't mean I need to change the distortion necessarily, it just means I prefer not to flip the canvas.

Often, these distortions aren't intentional. They're a coincidence of how my muscles move as I draw, and the areas my left-to-right American eyeballs instinctively pay more attention to. But the effect is still desireable to me. So, happy coincidence!

I think...that's the best I've got for now? Feel free to ask for clarification. I hope it's not total nonsense!

[vhstown]

tag team

— hobie brown x gn!reader

summary: Authoritarian regimes aren't immune to a bit of graffiti; you can't do it without Spider-Punk, though.

content/warnings: fluff, banter (that has the... unintended effect), mentions of politics + discrimination, brief mentions of police brutality + being shot (nobody is hurt dw), london slang is used (im a londoner but still might be a bit ooc lol).

word count: 1.9k

a/n: camden version of hobie. reader is a hopeless loser (rnt we all). ambiguous relationship sort of? criticisms accepted + appreciated ! (i dont write hobie much 💀)

"Go on, then."

Spider-Punk — or Hobie, as you knew him, stood opposite you in the backstreet, arms crossed and with a grin you could practically see under his mask. The metal spray paint can was cool in your hand, which was already clammy with adrenaline as you brought the it to the wall.

This was your idea. It was supposed to be a joke at first, but Hobie thought it was brilliant. He wouldn't let it go: tagging up places in this part of town — the part where people like you and Hobie weren't welcome. Behind the fences and less-than-subtle signs to "keep out", entire neighbourhood reeked of Wilson Fisk: anti-punk, anti-rebellion, autocrat, about class and "serving the man" — whatever the hell that meant. Now, it was going to reek of paint that probably wasn't safe to inhale — at least, the back of some rich white bloke's house was.

Well, "rich white bloke" and "random politician" were interchangeable. You'd be fine; that's what Hobie told you anyway.

The can rattled in your hand as you shut one eye, holding your breath before red paint spurted out onto the wall. Hobie watched in silence, probably in amusement too. You debated threatening him with the can as a joke while you marked out the start of your drawing, feeling the eyes of his mask on your back. The breath you'd taken in before left you, and you haphazardly drew in another shallow one.

You'd been thinking about this for a while: making trouble under the guise of your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Punk, or protest, as Hobie liked to call it. His vigilante persona didn't exactly have the best reputation around here, or anywhere, in fact. Maybe you could change that — or worsen it. Either way, you had to breathe, so you took in another breath.

"Ah, shi—" The tight feeling in your throat exploded into a fit of violent coughing, and you were barely able to feel Hobie's hand on your back as you reeled away from the wall. "What the...?" you managed, before your eyes squeezed shut again, feeling another cough wring through your lungs.

"A'ight, that's definitely not normal." Hobie leaned over with a hand on your shoulder before he took the can out of your hands. You could make out his frown behind the tears stinging at your eyes as you tried to swallow back another cough.

"Yeah?" You furrowed your brows, trying to straighten out your shoulders again. "Didn't know paint could give me TB."

"I haven't got TB," he shrugged, gloved fingers tapping at the can.

"Cause you've got a mask." Hobie suddenly gave you a ruthless thwack between your shoulder-blades, making you flinch. "I'm not coughing anymore, stupid!"

The eyes of his mask narrowed as you shot a look at him; the bastard was probably enjoying this. Maybe you were too.

"You wanna wear it?" he asked instead, thumb already hooked under the bottom of his mask before he pulled it back; his actual was expression more subtle, but still just as taunting.

"Don't you have a secret identity to keep?"

"Think you've got lungs to keep, big man." His knuckles knocked at the centre of your chest before pulling the mask over your face in one quick motion.

The fabric warmed your skin as you adjusted the neck of it a little, feeling the mask blink with you. It was weird; it was kind of like you had nothing on your head at all. But the warmth was definitely from the mask and not the fleeting feeling of his fingers on your chest — and not the devilish look he was giving you right now.

Creak...!

The two of you looked around at what sounded like a door opening. You looked at Hobie, and he just shrugged at you, lips pushed up in his usual unbothered half-frown. His Spider-sense musn't have gone off, but your heart rate did. If you were going do this, you better do it quick.

Though your reference was on your face right now, you knew Spider-Punk well enough to remember the mask. Hobie let out the start of a chuckle when he recognised the giant white eyes you painted over the red. The mask definitely helped. Your arm, already covered in specks of paint, made a popping sound as you reached up to do the spikes, finishing the giant mural of sorts of your lanky, loud-mouthed, anarchist best friend.

The punk in question gave you a slightly curious look as you stepped away, the eyes of the mask on your face narrowing as you scanned over the dripping wet portrait. Pulling it off of your head, your hair was somehow still completely in place as you handed the mask back; no wonder his wicks fit in there.

"Well," you started, watching him look at the mural. "Aren't you gonna sign it?"

"It's your work." He tilted his head down a bit, though mirth was already tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Yeah, and it's of you." It seemed like you didn't have to tell him twice before he zipped the can out of your hands with a flick of his wrist, already spraying an X onto the wall despite the mask hanging by his side. He didn't so much as clear his throat (lucky — you nearly died) as the letters F, N, S and M followed in each section of the X. That was the same symbol on the back of his vest, but you'd never bothered to ask about it.

"What does that stand for?" you questioned, arms folding as you mirrored his stance from before.

"Guess."

"I asked so I wouldn't have to guess." A silent grin you didn't want to entertain started forming on his face. "Fine, uh..."

You wracked your brain; it was probably more simple than you thought, but all your brain could conjure up was: "Fascists need stopping... uh, Monday?"

That got a ruthless snort out of him, making you press your lips together to try and take back your words. "Just Monday?"

"You told me to guess," you shrugged, rolling your eyes before they landed on the painting again. It was still wet; it was warm out, so the dripping wouldn't stop anytime soon. For some reason, it was always sunny in these neighbourhoods, almost like those autocrats had bought the sun too. Whatever, you didn't need the sun — a rebellious 6ft punk did just fine anyway; at least, that would explain why you were so warm around him all the time. "You gonna tell me or no?"

"Facists need stopping..." he mused, in a gratingly posh accent, hand brought up to his chin in a dramatic mockery of pondering. "Nah, I was thinkin' we should just leave it, you know? Let 'em be, innit?"

Hobie Brown — the only person you knew who would joke about their ideologies just to poke fun at you.

"Yeah, yeah, every other day of the week," you added dryly, getting a cackle out of Hobie.

"Thought you were meant to be smart, darling." The remnants of his mock-posh voice bleeding into the "darling". You could just tell he was being unserious — it was something you hated and loved about him. Why would you want him to be serious...?

"Thought you were supposed to be helpful," you spat back, getting another entertained breath out of him. Hobie shook his head before you suddenly snatched the can out of his hand, pointing it at him. The both of his loosely came up in mock-defense, but the grin on his face only grew.

"You threatenin' me now, yeah?" It sounded less like a question and more like another jab at your pride. Things had been a bit too quiet between you two recently, and you felt yourself getting fired up; it was a shame that your heart always raced like crazy whenever the banter started rising.

"Do it, then," he proposed at your silence, taking a step towards you and making you step back. "What's a bit of paint? You gonna cough again?"

"I actually will." You attempted to scrunch up your face in annoyance.

"Cough? I bet." His head tilted down to look at you, wicks shadowing everything but the amused glint in his eyes.

"You've got a serious problem." And you'd got a seriously warm face.

"Got more than just one problem, darlin'." You hated the way it came out of his mouth this time; you'd rather he pretend to speak like Fisk.

"Stop calling me that or I'll actually spray you."

"Didn't know you were a cop."

"Hobie." You let out a sigh, only serving to get another low chuckle out of him; he was so close you could almost feel the vibrations of his laugh. The fact that he was freakishly tall didn't help in the slightest, his silence along with the swirling feeling in your stomach making you unconsciously take a step back.

You winced immediately as you felt your back stick to the wet paint. "Oh, what the hell..."

Hobie's snickering didn't help. "You didn't have to move, you know."

You decided to ignore that, peeling yourself off of the wall and glancing behind you to see your back imprinted on the neck of your Spider-Punk portrait.

"Interesting artistic choice," he mused.

"Shut up, Hobie."

"On it, boss." You felt his hand on your shoulder before he turned you around, making the air catch at your throat as he peeked at your back, which now had a portrait of its own. "Blood of Monday fascists — very rebel. Got your outfit sorted for tonight."

"Your gig's tonight?" you groaned, trying not to look at his face over your shoulder and instead tossing the can back into the bag of other paint cans, still managing to catch how his lips pushed up in indifference, and probably mild entertainment.

"Nah, we're going out, darlin'," he snickered, and you felt him pinch the fabric wet with red paint to peel it off of your back. The rest of you was probably about to turn cartoonishly red too; this man just wouldn't give it a rest.

"Right, and I'm supposed to 'go out' looking like I got shot in the back."

"Like I'd let you," he muttered, removing his fingers from your back before shrugging off his vest, tossing it to you with the light clink of pins and buttons.

You raised an eyebrow, but he wasn't elaborating, so you put it on, trying not to cringe at the feeling of drying paint on your back. The vest was comfortable, though a bit heavy; it was cool, familiar, nice-smelling — like Hobie.

"Lookin' like a little me," he teased.

"I swear, if one more word comes out of your mouth—"

Your threat was cut short by the deafening blare of alarms, the wall in front of you flashing with a red that wasn't paint. Rich white bloke...

"Do all of them have alarms?" you whisper-shouted to Hobie.

"Looks like Willy does."

"Willy..." your brows knitted together as you watched Hobie pull his mask back on. "Fisk?!"

You'd just drawn a giant mural of Spider-Punk at the back of Wilson Fisk's house. A giant signed mural.

Without a chance for you to think, Hobie slung his arm around your back, and you weren't sure whether to be worried about being caught, annoyed about the paint pressing into your skin or absolutely bewildered as you felt your feel lift off the floor, clinging to him for dear life.

The bag of paint cans were zipped into his arm, with you, still wearing his vest, held against him by the other. Another one of his relentless cackles ripped through the air alongside the "thwip!" of his webs. Despite how absurd this was, a laugh of your own escaped too when you made out the fuming face of Wilson Fisk himself, a powerless, shouting little stain on the ground as you zipped away.

The fascists could wait 'til Monday. Right now, you had a gig to go to with Spider-Punk — or a date; he'd figure it out once the police were off of his tail.

🕸️🔭🎸

thank u for reading! i rly had to wrack my brain lmao ... not the best at writing hobie but it's okay im trying lol... again feedback is cool!

just fyi "big man" isn't really used as a gendered term! in my experience at least its used to casually poke fun at people. also if ur curious the FNSM symbol stands for friendly neighbourhood spider-man (i feel like im the only one that didn't know this um lmao)

if u liked this, reblogs r appreciated! catch the rest of my atsv stuff here <3

[yourblackhearts]

So You Want To Learn More About Palestine

Yes, the news is scary. Yes, there is a lot going on. Yes it can be very overwhelming. But we live in the information age and knowing what the heck is going on always helps when dealing with misinformation. "I don't know enough about what's going on to say anything about Palestine" is a fair response to have - but not a reason to stop there. So! Here's a short list of reading resources to get you started 💜

Edward W. Said was a Palestinian-American academic, literary critic and political activist who has written countless books on the subject. Any of his works would be a good place to start, but I recommend The Question of Palestine (1992) along with his memoir, Out of Place (1999)

2. Rashid Khalidi is another Palestinian-American academic and historian with MANY books on Palestine and its struggles. For him I recommend Palestinian Identity: The Construction of Modern National Consciousness (1998) and The Hundred Years' War on Palestine (2020)

3. On a more personal note - and as a recommendation for someone who may not be super big on dense non-fiction, I recommend Joe Sacco's graphic novel Palestine (2001) where he writes about his experiences in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in December 1991 and January 1992. I read this for my Rhetoric of Human Rights class and really enjoyed it, and it's easy to help you get your foot in the door.

4. Ilan Pappé is an expatriate Israeli historian and political scientist who has also written a few books on the subject. I recommend The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (2006) and A History of Modern Palestine: One Land, Two Peoples (2003)

5. This last one is less Palestine-centric and more about the global struggle against violence and oppression. Angela Davis' Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement (2016)

Do you want to dive deeper? Find more resources? Deconstruct a few myths you may or may not have heard through social media and otherwise? May I kindly direct you to decolonizepalestine - which is where I found a good number of these book recommendations myself!

"But Gaby, I don't wanna buy all these books!" Dude I'm not asking you to. I will, however ask you to:

Get a library card and check your local library

Take a look at academic databases like JSTOR if you're in college

Check archive.org for some of the older books

Try

I don't want there to be any mistake: Palestinians are victims of settler-colonialism. What they're facing right now is a genocide, with a long-standing history behind it enabled by some of the most powerful countries in the world. Learn about it. Speak about it.

It's still Free Palestine.