#if you're not in the server and would like to know more about them send me an ask :P

[creatingblackcharacters]

Hello! Sending it here again:

I play an mmo game which recently had a big character model update, it's still not perfect but we're getting there! They're sharing behind the scenes work on curly hairstyles, for example, which just... weren't there for the longest time. Oh the beauty of scandinavian white-centering... (sarcasm)

anyway, I'm from eastern-central Europe, I play on eastern Europe servers. Seeing someone with a character that's not white is... pretty rare, honestly. So rare that when I do see someone using a character that's clearly meant to be a POC, they're very often roleplaying. Recently I saw a player whom I know for a fact is white, as I know them irl (we're not friends, don't even talk much but I know what they look like) and their character used to be white too before the big update.

So my question is, does that count as digital blackface, and what even is the consensus on digital blackface as a whole? I used to be in a facebook group about unlearning racism (used to because it got deleted after some admin drama, I think? If anyone knows a similar group, let me know please) and there, most Black members agreed that if someone is white, they shouldn't be using Black emojis for example (the topic of mmos never came up, I think). I don't remember the exact reasoning but I think it was the same explanation as actual blackface. But then there were some Black people saying it's going too far and we should be focusing on "actual issues" instead. I know that's to be expected, I'm trans and I know all too well that a community is not a monolith. But seeing the player reminded me that I don't actually know that much about it, and I've seen you educate people before. I hope it's okay that I'm asking you, I'd love to do some further research as well though (I love learning things, I just also don't yet trust myself to find actually good sources).

I hope this ask makes sense, english is not my first language and all. So if I wrote something wrong, please assume I meant well, as I still don't know how to word things properly in english sometimes.

Thank you for doing what you do, btw. I really appreciate having someone compile everything like you do here, it's one of my favorite creative blogs on here.

Okay so I sat on this one for a minute to make sure my answer wouldn't change.

1) there is no one consensus. White people don't agree on everything, neither do we 😅. This would just be my opinion.

2) I definitely don't think you should be using Black emojis if you're a white person, no. That's overt Blackfacing. DEFINITELY don't pretend to be Black if you aren't!!

3) for me, I think designing your characters as Black for online play can be okay in theory, as long as you're coming at it respectfully. Like, I'd have to trust that you actually wanted to learn how to play as someone that didn't look like you, that you actually cared about Black character features and presence in games as a whole. Especially on a game where you get to design the character, versus when you're forced to play as a Black person. It's hard to trust the intentions of white people online, especially when far more often than not the good intent is just... Not there 😅. So for me, if someone asks you why you designed your character, be ready to answer, answer truthfully and answer well! If you're playing as a Black character design because "big tough guy" or "big dommy mommy" yeah you're just digital Blackfacing amongst other racist issues. But if you actually have good intent, and are willing to learn, then you'll be able to stand on that when confronted.

And again- that's just my opinion! I would listen to other voices on it as well.

[styllwaters]

Rejoice, roleplay characters be upon ye

Been very occupied lately with playing toys in my discord server. These are all a part of the collaborative Space Station AU which I mentioned in my last art dump!!

(Bonus Si'Saak under the cut)

[whousestypewriters]

──── ୨ৎ SMUDGED LIPSTICK — GRAYSON HAWTHORNE + READER ‧₊˚

a/n: hi lovelies guess whos backkk (and with a new fic style because she's lazy at finding pics 😭) anyway no warnings with this one just gray being a cutie and jealous WHICH WE NEED MORE OF OML

"he's still staring at you." the words spoken for what seems like the hundredth time tonight leave your boyfriend - more like bodyguard at this point - as he stares down the unfortunate creature over in the corner.

otherwise known as your ex. aka the human equivalent of a dog shit. literally he's wearing the ugliest brown suit you've ever seen. why did he think dark brown on dark brown on black would suit him again?

"you would only know that if you've been staring at him too, gray," you say as you focus on collecting the small little appetiser that a nearby server is offering you. "we're literally at a function with hundreds of people, its concerning how you keep managing to find him in the crowd."

"he keeps staring at you, and its kind of hard to miss the drool coming out of his mouth." grayson's eyes are sharp when they turn to you. "i don't like it."

"you don't like a lot of things."

"this is in the top two. that and wearing leather pants." you snort and cover your hand over your mouth to try and stop the smile spreading across your face like wildfire. in the two years you and grayson have been dating the leather pants story has come up only four times - and never by grayson.

you were still in the dark about the whole situation until you cornered jameson and xander and demanded they tell you the whole story. you do not regret any of the questionable tactics you used to get it out of them one bit.

grayson eyes you suspiciously and you sober quickly deciding to drag him along the room and look for a place to sit. thats a better idea than explaining you know about the story and fight the urge to take a photo every time you see leather pants and send it to gray.

the night proceeds on and just as you think you're in the clear for not hearing another word about your trash bag ex, he shows his face. fun.

"what do you want?" grayson's voice is cold and sharp before your ex can get a word in.

"to say hi."

"you said it now leave."

"nonsense, i want to get to know the stunning lady on your arm."

ok gross. no. ew.

"what do you want grey?" you roll your eyes at the disturbingly brown suit and the horrendously styled hair on top of it.

ironic that your ex's name is grey. and your currently boyfriend who - you're pretty sure is the love of your life - is named grayson. what are the odds? pretty fucking low.

"to talk to you," the sleaze bag smiles at you, clearly avoiding grayson's deadly gaze.

"no. not happening."

grey reaches out and places a hand on your arm. "oh come on baby, you're not really still upset over-"

"she clearly said no. so leave. if not i can break the hand your touching her with. your choice." the low and threatening voice breaks into the conversation. and if you're one hundred percent completely and unapologetically honest: that's hot.

"i was her first grey," the asshole sneers

"and i'll be her last. i'm the one who takes her on dates, and treats her like the queen she is. i'm the one who remembers her favorite foods and makes sure to always have an extra hair tie around. i'm the one smudging her lipstick while she tells me she loves me. i'm her grayson and you are not."

silence ensues between the two and you stand there dumbfounded at gray's words. how could you not love this man?? the other one on the other hand...? yeah you could go a long long time without seeing that ugly asshat.

"whatever you prick," grey sneers and storms off - probably to go sulk to his mother.

when he's fully out of sight you twist back to grayson who has a tight expression on his face. he unexpectedly pulls you along and out of the bright function room and into a more secluded private spot.

"i'm sorry about that," he stresses slightly. "i didn't mean to just spit all of that out. please don't be-"

"grayson," you cut him off. "that was probably the sweetest and hottest thing i've ever seen you do. i am definitely not mad." he visible relaxes at that.

"but, i think you're going to have keep good on your promise of smudged lipstick..."

𐔌 . ⋮ 🏷️ tags .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱

@arqbella, @midiosaamor, @reminiscentreader, @ecliphttlunar, @tornqdowarnings,

@catapparently, @zenikswaffleshop, @off-to-th-r4aces, @emila07

[too-much-tma-stuff]

Finally Getting Help (prt. 10)

Mastterpost

A/N: Thank you all for the well wishes about my dog. Unfortunately he didn't make it and pass away Tuesday morning in the vet's office. I was able to get some writing done but I don't have the energy to edit. Let me know if you find any mistakes.

-----

Jason: hey, thanks for the gun and the tech, it's really cool.

Danny: new phone who dis 😝

Jason: I hope you haven't given too many people guns in the last couple days.

Danny: no I haven't, thanks for texting me Jason. Have you got a chance to try the gun?

Jason: not on anything moving, I've been doing some target practice to get a feel for it though. Looking forward to when I can test it on Vlad.

Danny: aww are you going to avenge my honor 🥺

Jason: if you want me too. I'll bring you his head if you want me too.

Danny: 🥰 you're so sweet. I wouldn't say no to seeing him suffer for what he's done but don't get yourself in any trouble okay? And if you do call me right away. I'll come rescue you 😘

Jason: hey I'm the one offering to protect you! 

Danny: we can protect each other. And fight each other, can you come spar again soon?

Jason: I wouldn't call that sparring, more like brawling.

Danny: eh potato potato, do you want to come fight me again?

Jason: if demon brat won't kill me for it, sure. Can I take you out for dinner afterwards? I have some questions

Danny: It's a date! Just tell me when

Jason: Day after tomorrow? I have some work to take care of first.

Danny: Sounds great! And it is a date right? You don't mind that I'm going to have kids?

Jason: the kids aren't a deal breaker I promise but let's not jump the gun okay? We're going to be family through B so we don't want this to blow up in our faces. Let's hang out, take it slow, see how it goes. You need to be careful about who you let into your life now anyway, you can't just let anyone around you and the babies.

Danny: don't tell me what to do 😠 but you're right. I'm bad about rushing into things. I'm still looking forward to it.

Danny: By the way Jazz uploaded the power point she made about Liminals and Ghosts to the bat’s server thing. You have access to that right? You should read that before we meet and I can fill in the gaps.

Jason: Sounds good, I’ll have a look at it and I’m looking forward to it too. I'll be there at 5 so we can spar before dinner. Don't forget to warn B and your guard dog.

Danny: Damian is a good kid. I'll let them know.

Danny stared at his new phone Tim had given him with apprehension. The chat with Jason had gone very well, and Danny was glad he reached out but there were other people he really needed to reach out to and he was… frankly scared. Sam and Tucker were his best friends and had always been there for him but they both had tempers. Would they be mad that he hadn’t told them he was pregnant? Would they be upset he had left Amity and wasn’t planning on coming back?

He needed to reach out though, the longer he waited the harder it would be to talk to them, and things wouldn’t stay calm as they were now. Vlad would be back to cause trouble again and even though the JLD had control of the portal but he was sure his rogues would find their way through eventually. Vlad had his own portal anyway, and Danny wouldn’t put it past him to open it just to annoy Danny. Maybe try and weaken him a little so Vlad could swoop in and pick him off.

Today was quiet, he needed to take this chance. He sighed and got up off the edge of his bed where he was sitting and ducked out of his room. He didn’t want to do this alone, so he wasn’t surprised when he found himself in the library where Jazz was studying. 

He sat down across from her and reached across, laying his hand, palm up on the table. Without looking up from her book she reached over and placed her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. He smiled at her and took a deep breath before putting on his earbuds and sending a message in the group chat.

Danny: When you guys are ready can we call?

Jazz phone went off too and she checked it, smiled at Danny, and then silenced the chat and went back to her book. She didn’t need to be part of this call but at least she knew what he was doing. 

Sam: Yes, let me just grab Tuck. He’s playing Doomed.

Danny took a deep breath and put down his phone while he waited for them to call and tried not to panic.

When the phone buzzed he jumped and reached for it, joining the call quickly. 

“Hey guys,” He said, awkwardly, waving with the hand that wasn’t holding the phone.

“Hey yourself! What the heck happened Danny?! Basically the whole town joined in in chasing Vlad when we found out what he did but why did we have to find out on tv?! Why didn’t you tell us?!” Sam said, but at least she just seemed stressed, not actually angry.

“I’m sorry guys,” Danny said, wincing a little when he heard Tucker sniffling a little. “I hadn’t told anyone yet. I hadn’t even fully accepted it yet honestly.

“I still wasn’t ready to talk about it, bur Cass is really good at reading people's body language and I guess she clocked that I was carrying them by how I kept unconsciously touching my stomach. When she asked me about it it sorta broke through my denial and I broke down which started the ball rolling on… all this,” He said with a vague gesture.”

“All this is right!The justice league really brought the hammer down on Amity. They’re dismantling the GIW and really pissed at the government and basically all the adults in the town for letting this happen. And they arrested your parents!” Sam said sounding almost excited.

“Sam! That was really insensitive! They’re still his parents, what if he didn’t know!?” Tucker broke in furiously. 

“No it’s alright I knew, Jazz told me. She’s here with me,” He said squeezing her hand though she wasn’t paying attention to the call.

“Okaaay so where is Here?” Tucker asked warily. 

“Ya are you safe? We haven’t seen you since all this went down! Are you really with Bruce Wayne?” Sam asked sounding wary.

“Yes I am. He’s got a foster license and since his kids were the one that found out what was going on it just made sense that I’d stay here.”

“And he’s Not another Fruitloop?” Sam asked warily. “You need to be careful with these rich people you know? They’re basically all crazy!”

“Sam you’re rich,” Danny pointed out, amused. 

“Ya, and? My point stands!”

“Fair enough,” Danny laughed. “But no, I did some snooping the first night I was here and it seems okay. And since he’s got close ties to the Justice League he was able to get the help we really needed, and he says he might be able to help me meet Martian Manhunter!”

“Don’t fanboy out too bad,” Tucker teased him.

“Oh ya? And what if I helped you meet Tim Drake? Would you not be just as bad,” Danny accused Tucker.

“Touche,” Tucker said. “Could you though?”

“I mean maybe? He’s my foster brother now and he seems cool. You two are my best friends, if I’m going to stay I’m sure you could come visit me and meet all of them.” 

“Are you really going to stay there though? I mean once the GIW and everything is cleared out you could stay with either of us. I know my parents aren’t your biggest fans but I know they’d let you stay,” Sam said sounding worried. 

“And I know my family doesn't have a ton of money but they adore you, we’d make it work,” Tucker added looking worried.

“No, guys I really appreciate the offer but… I don’t want to come back to Amity. The Justice League said they shut down the portal and I really need a fresh start I think. I think I’d rather stay here. Jazz too, she’s gonna study at Gotham U and intern at Arkham,” He said. She looked up at the mention of her name and gave him a small smile.

“I’m sorry, you guys are my best friends and I’ll miss you, but there are too many… memories in Amity you know?”

“Ya I get that,” Sam said, looking sad and distant.

“We can still call, and play Doomed together, and visit on breaks!” Tucker said, his chipper tone sounding a little forced. “We’re going to say friends!” He insisted and Danny smiled.

“Of course we will Tuck,” He promised. They might grow apart with the distance between them, but he hoped not, they really were his best friends.

“Ya, my parents will probably be thrilled about this development and want me to come over all the time. They love the Waynes,” Sam chuckled though her optimism also seemed a bit forced. Of course she was more of a pessimist, she probably thought they would drift apart, but knew Danny needed them right now. 

“Soo what’s been going on in Amity since I left?” Danny asked, letting them ramble about the drama, the rumours, and the bullshit that was the bullies and everyone in the school sudden;y pretending they cared about Danny soooo much.

After they finished telling him about it there were a few beats of silence and Danny was just about to suggest they hang up when Sam spoke up again. 

“So, what actually happened with Vlad? If you don’t want to talk about it that’s okay but…”

“No, it’s okay. It’s not what- what you’d think. It’s superhero bullshit really. When I wouldn’t be his son he decided to try and clone me, you met Dani with an I right? She was one of the clones. But he didn’t know I was trans, and my DNA got all fucked up in the portal so none of the clones were stable. I have no idea how many he tried to make that died. But when I found out it was because he had lied to Dani and told her he needed me to stabilize her clone brothers. It was a batch of ten.

“But he lied, he didn’t actually care about stabilizing them, he was going to let them all die. I was only able to save the two that were most stable and only by taking their cores into myself. So I’m not normal pregnant, I’m ghost pregnant. 

What is my life huh?” He finished, chuckling awkwardly. 

“Oh fuck,” Sam said her shoulders slumping a little even as her expression went through a range of emotions. “That’s better in a way but still a whole different type of fucked up! I hope they catch him soon.”

“I hope so too but I don’t think they will,” Danny said with a shrug. “Not before he tries something else. I’m not lucky enough to be able to just move past this,” He said with a bitter little laugh.

“Well, we can still hope. And even if he does cause trouble you have more allies now! You’ve been able to handle everything else he’s thrown at you basically on your own, with the Justice League behind you I know there’s nothing you can’t handle. I mean, Vlad is kind of pathetic anyway,” Tucker encouraged making Danny smile. 

“Ya, you’re right, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Thanks guys,” he said fondly. 

“Of course dude! We’re here for you!” Tucker said.

“It’s really good to hear from you too. Don’t be a stranger okay?” Sam said, a bit worried.

“Of course not, I’ll keep you posted I promise.” Danny assured before they said their goodbyes and he hung up. 

He put down his phone and leaned back with a sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. Next to him Jazz chuckled and there was a soft snap as she closed her book. 

“You did well little brother,” She told him, getting up from her seat she moved behind him and rested her hands on his shoulders.

“How do you know? You weren’t listening.”

“No, but you reached out to your friends and had an honest conversation which isn’t easy. You did well,” She reiterated, squeezing his shoulders.

“Well thanks Jazz. I hope that they’re right that we won’t lose touch, and I’ll be able to handle whatever Vlad does,” He grumbled. 

“I’m sure we will,” Jazz promised. “And either way there’s no point in worrying about it now. Has Jason texted you yet?” She asked, giving Danny the excuse he needed to change the subject and launch into his more petty worries about the upcoming date as she sat back down to listen.

Next

[o-pandora-o]

May I request headcanons for WHB Satan, Beelzebub, Leviathan, Valefor, Beleth, and Mammon with shy gn s/o please?

Satan, Mammon, Leviathan, Beelzebub, Valefor, Beleth with shy g/n s/o

Notes: Thank you so much for requesting! I hope you like this, and I do apologize for making this late. I had a lot of ideas so I kinda made it too long LMAO. I'm not sure if I made this correct, but if I didn't, send me another ask. I apologize in advance because I'm not really used to writing Leviathan's up until now. Thank you so much again and keep playing WHB~

Satan

🩸PDA!!! He LOVES showing public display of affection, much to your dismay. He loves to put his arms around you and sometimes he'd suddenly kiss you and make out (he always makes sure no one sees). Sometimes, when he's feeling a bit spicy he'd becomes a bit touchy (with consent of course), which never fails to make you red as a tomato.

"S-satan! N-not in public!" you close your eyes while blushing so madly "Kek. It's alright babe, no one can see" Satan grins as he wrapped his arm around your waist and and kissed you, Sitri and the others not noticing, or do they?

🩸Satan is so straightforward, it always make you flustered; bonus is he does that on occasions that you're with others! "What do you mean you're on a diet because someone said you're fat? C'mere!" Satan whisks you up and puts you down in the nearest chair, his arms still wrapped around your waist. "You're never fat in my eyes, alright? You look good as you'll ever be. Hot stuff." He began to make out with you "Satan!! Mmphhh!!!" "Yea, that's right sweet cheeks"

🩸He always acknowledged your strengths and weaknesses. He's always proud of you, that's why he picked you as his s/o. He would boast you whenever he's with others if given the chance, which always make you blush. "Satan, what made you like y/n hmm? They're your complete opposite, they're shy" Beelzebub asked "Hah what do you mean? They're the best person anyone can ever have! They do their best, they look good, they're nice, and much more. I think being shy is one of their best trait..." Satan looks at you with a smirk in his face, while you were blushing. "See?" He adds. "Satan!!!" he grins when he saw you covering your face. He grabs your wrist and he kissed you to make you shut up, which made you blush even more.

🩸You know those trope where one person is shy enough to tell the waiter they got their order wrong, and their partner bluntly tells the waiter that they got the order wrong? Yeah that's Satan.

Both of you were in Gehenna's bar ordering food. "Uhm... I'll take the 666 Devil burger please..." "And I'll take the House Steak, and a glass of Devil's water (alcohol)" Satan proudly grins as he hold your waist. "Coming right up!" One of the waiter says, you both went to the available sofa seats. Both of you sit at opposite sides of the table, and talk about your day. "The burger here is top tier I'd say, it was a good choice kek" At Satan's remark, the waiter came with all of the ordered food. The server gave your food last however it was not what you ordered. "O-oh... Thank you..." you replied as you stared at the burger. Satan saw your hesitation and immediately looked at the food. "You ordered a burger right? The 666 Devil Burger?" Satan grins as he saw you hesitate. "Y-yes it's okay I can eat this, I wanted to try a different meal...." "But still, it's not your order right?" Satan grins even more as he knows where this was going "B-but I can-" "Heya, waiter! They ordered the 666 Devil's burger not this one" Satan grinned and told the waiter as you blushed, tried to hide in the table as if you made a crime. "Oh! My apologies your majesty Satan! I'll bring them the burger, I apologize for the mistake" "W-wait its-" you were too late to say 'it's alright' as the waiter already took the plate of food and went to the kitchen. "T-thank you" you meekly said, head down facing the table

🩸Satan is observant whenever you're hesitating or feeling insecure. If you somehow came across demons with good body like muscular or sexy bodies, and if you feel down, Satan knows you won't admit it so he oftens pulls you and put an arm on your shoulder or waist and kiss your forehead. "Hey" Satan said as he noticed you looking at the devils with skimpy clothing. You look up at him, pretending to be clueless. "I know what you're thinking, just so you know you're hot in your own way, which I like more than devils with skimpy fit" "...are you sure you're okay with me?" your head lies low. "Hm..." He grins and makes out with you "Of course I am!" He grins proudly as you were looking disheveled from him making out with you.

🩸Always slaps your ass both in private and in public. You were talking with Sitri in the hallway of Satan's Palace, while Satan was walking. He saw a glimpse of your luscious booty jiggling as you talk and make gestures with Sitri, he made a beeline towards you and slapped your ass, loud slap echoing in the Palace corridor. "SATAN!!!" You said as you blushed heavily, Sitri blinking and pretending nothing happened as if he can hear both of your beating heart; one is nervous while the other is excited. Satan ran for it and somehow you ran to him, trying to catch him.

Mammon

🪙Unlike Satan, he respects your comfort zone a bit more, so he's a bit neutral on PDA. If you feel that you wanna hold his hand or arm, he'd get closer to you. Most of the time he won't initiate into PDA with you.

The back of your hand comes in contact with Mammon's more frequently than it should while walking in the streets of Tartaros. Mammon looked at you and noticed you were nervous, he decides to hold your hand. His harm brings comfort and warmth to you, as you looked up at him. His lips curled up, smiling warmly at you, and whispered "It's okay, treasure. I'm here, don't worry." Which in turn, made you slightly flustered but comforted.

🪙Mammon is very sharp whether you're feeling uncomfortable or a bit out of your comfort zone.

Bimet was a bit loud, mocking you, and kept asking too many questions, much to your discomfort. "I could not understand what his Majesty Mammon sees in you! You're so...meek!" Bimet scoffs as he eyes you. "Uh... I don't kn-" "Bimet! You're getting a bit rude don't you think? What do you think his majesty will say?" Valefor cuts you. Mammon comes in, scanning the area as he answered Bimet's question "They're humble, they're gentle and soft... I want to protect them and make them mine in which I failed because they got me first. Now if you'll excuse us..." Mammon smiles as he escorted you out.

🪙He doesn't really care what others think especially if it has something to do with your shyness. He'd love you all the way.

🪙You sometimes get too flustered whenever Mammon buys everything you have once just talked about.

"Hello delivery for Mx. Y/n. This is from his Majesty Mammon. Please sign here..." A delivery guy came. "Oh thanks" As the delivery guy left, another came... "Delivery for Mx. [First name] [Last name]! Deluxe Delivery of Sushi and Milk tea from Devil Cuisine! His Majesty Mammon didn't know what you want so he got everything from the menu. We'll help you get these inside" "Oh God... Thank you that's a bit too mu-" while the other delivery guy puts the food inside, another delivery came "Good day, you're Y/n right? Delivery sent by his majesty. The latest clothing made from Devil's Diamond Co. has arrived" The delivery guy came with a truck ton of clothing hanged in gold clothes rack with acrylic casing. All you can do was gulp and be shy, all the delivery demons were coming in and out. You can see your neighbors whispering and gossiping about the deliveries. You have your head lowered and muttered a "thank you" As if it wasn't enough, Valefor and Elgios came delivering a message and a gift from Mammon. "Y/n!" Valefor waves. "Delivery from his Majesty! He said he forgot to give it to you this morning...Oh..." They saw the delivery guys going in and out unloading the deliveries to your place. "Busy day huh?" All you can do is be flustered and say "Yea... Thanks"

🪙He thinks you're so cute being shy all the time, he sometimes tease you to make you blush

"Y/n?" "Hm?" "You know you're really cute whenever you're shy, you look soft... Like a bottom... Like a peach...." "Excuse me?! Are you saying I'm a bottom...that I'm similar to an ass cheek?" you protested as you blushed heavily "You're really soft... Like this" he slapped your ass "Mammon!!!"

🪙Speaking of slapping the peach, similar to Satan, Mammon gropes your ass more frequent in private, as it is in public. He likes it more than slapping your ass cheeks, which he only does to tease you.

You were cooking Lunch in Mammon's palace, you thought you were alone as Mammon was away in a meeting. You were chopping some bacon until you felt a large hand in your rear and squeezed it gently, making you squeak. You turned around, pointing the knife (accidentally) to whomever touched you. "Mmmm sweetie, no need to get offensive, you know how I love your peaches" he smiles as if he hasn't done anything wrong. "Y-you!! I thought you were in a meeting with Bimet?" You scrambled as you put down the knife with a hand in your ass. "It was finished early, sorry if I scared you with my touch. I just missed touching your peachy babies." He laughs and smiles while you still blush as his grope still lingers on your ass.

Leviathan

⚰️Doesn't like PDA. Nope. Don't even TRY to touch him. Because he doesn't like PDA and you're shy whenever there is PDA, you two somehow make a great team.

⚰️However if there's a time you really wanted some time together, he'd let you. You would mostly initiate rather than him.

One cold morning in Hades, you woke up at your room and went to Leviathan's office because you were bored (and lovesick). "Levi, are you busy?" you peeked from the door "Don't call me that. Yes, I'm busy. What do you want?" He glared as he still did some paperworks "Well it's been a while since we had a date...I was wondering if we could have a date...but if you're busy I'll go ask others sorry...." you said as you were flustered "How dare you say that?! I envy people who get to say and do what they want all the time...." He broke his pen and glared at you "Sorry... I'll just go it seems I bothered you..." "Leave and I'll hang." He glared at you "Does that mean you'll go on a date with me?" You were happy "I envy people who are too happy with little things. Change clothes and stop bothering me. Ill meet you in 10 mins." when you left a small smile and blush appeared on his face.

⚰️Doesn't really care if you improve (getting out of your comfort zone) or not. What's important is you do his orders, and maybe bask him with attention.

"You...Why did you talk to Beelzebub more than necessary?" Leviathan glares at you "W-what do you mean? I just did what you said, I gave him Pandora's Box!!! He asked some questions and I answered it...I left quickly as I could! He was asking intimate questions a-and I don't wanna answer something you don't consent me telling..." you kept stammering knowing so well he's jealous but you were also a bit flustered "I'm so jealous you were with him for a long time compared to me...let alone let him to ask you private questions! Hang!" He was glaring at you "NOOOO! I won't be able to choke you anymore if I die" he froze and stared at you "Were you trying to threaten me? How dare you Hang!!" he glared "Kngh!" You were hanged but immediately put down "Hmph. How dare you threaten me..." You saw a glimpse of his sad eyes and decide to hug him, despite it crossing your comfort zone. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to do it okay? And sorry for talking to Beel. You know you're the most beautiful and handsome King that I love" you hug his back "That's right. I am the most beautiful King." He didn't admit it but he was scared of losing you, especially if it was because of him. Good thing you didn't see, but the both of you were blushing.

⚰️He tried to fluster you, but it felt horribly wrong to him.

You were with Foras roaming the Palace garden, until Leviathan came and gave you a rare jewel shaped like a rose. "Levi, this is for me?" you blushed. "Haven't I told you already that Ignorance is a sin? And I told you don't call me that!" he was somehow blushing and Foras looked away almost laughing but soon pretended like nothing happened. "Y-you shouldn't be allowed to be happier than me" Leviathan tried to protest, but you didn't say anything but you were fidgeting. Both of you were a blushing mess that time.

Beelzebub

🕶️A bigger PDA than Satan (surprised? Not really). You think Satan is worse making out with you while with the gang? Get ready for Beelzebub. He will literally go full PDA on you whenever he sees you, which makes you flustered a whole lot.

Amon is guarding you when roaming the streets of Abyssos, looking for a place to eat dinner. Suddenly someone hugs you from behind, their arms enveloping your figure and their chin on top of your head, while you look at Amon, who looked bewildered with a longing look. "Y/n!!! I missed youuu~" their voice all too familiar, and when you face them, it was none other than Beelzebub. "I missed your scent....hmm? Smells like you missed me too!" Beelzebub shamelessly smells you in different places, your neck, armpits, and somewhere down there. "Beel! Don't smell me there! There are people!!" You blushed. True enough to what you said, the people were all looking at the both of you, shocked, while one said "IT'S MAJESTY BEELZEBUB, GET HIM!!!" "Woops, forgot the spell...come lets go!" Beel hugs you from behind and began dashing. When the both of you are in an alleyway, he put a spell on both of you so no one will notice you. "I missed this so much~" he began cuddling you and peppers you with kisses as he sniffs you. "B-beel not too much" you protested against his grasp "Mmm okay!" He stopped peppering you but his arm is still in your waist and his body is too close to you. You blush at the contact. "You're really cute y/n~ I wanna eat you already hmm but maybe after dinner or are you the dinner?~" he leads you to the nearby bar, while shamelessly saying stuff out loud, which made you blush further.

🕶️ He isn't like Satan or Mammon who observes to see if your uncomfortable, he SMELLS if you're uncomfy.

While having hot sexy time with beel, he smells that you're not feeling it. "Hmmm" he stops sucking your dick/eating your pussy out. "Uhm..." "I smell what you feel. It's okay if you don't want today~" he goes on top of you, and embraces you instead, your head below his chin, facing his sweaty chest. "Sorry..." You meekly said. "Mmm it's okay sweetie. Did you have a bad day? You smell more ... Different today than usual" Beel traces circles on your back while still embracing you. "Um just some stupid co-workers... Sorry I know you really want it... it's okay..." "Hmm no use if you won't enjoy it~ Do you want me to give a small gift to your co workers hmmm?~" Beel smiles while a black aura surrounds him. You cup his cheek despite your hesitance, "No... It's alright, thank you" you slightly smile, and he embraces you. "But I can try to make you feel bett-" "NO!" The night was full of fluffy cuddling and spooning with a mix of Beel trying to turn you on.

🕶️He supports you whenever you're hesitant in getting out your comfort zone. He might be horny and hungry all the time but, he knows when he needs to be serious.

"...should i...no maybe not ill make a mess..." Beelzebub sneaks up on you "Y/n~ what are you doing?" You jumped at his presence. "I...uh.." you scratch the back of your head. "I wanted to bake a cake with devil ingredients but I think I'll make a mess" Beel soften his smile and his hands were in your shoulder "The first step is always the hardest, babe. You can do it, I believe in you~ I can be your taste tester if you want~ no wait, I'll help you! We can put angel organs in it and-" "NO! This is for someone special! No angel remains!!!" You pushed him out of the kitchen "But thank you for your words..." You actually made a cake for his birthday the next day and you were really shy to tell him.

🕶️ He is so happy and proud of you whenever you make the first move or go out of your comfort zone.

"Y/n? Ready for our dateee~" He bursts in your room, a bit shocked. "Oho Y/n? You're not gonna go with your usual hoodie?" He eyes your clothing "No...I wanna try something new" you blush slightly and look down "You look good in that" he nods in approval "Really? You don't think it's not my style or ugly?" "Mmm it compliments your figure... I like it" you blushed on his comment.

🕶️He always ALWAYS teases you and talks dirty, whether in public or private.

As you both walk across a adult toy store, one mannequin on display with obscene undergarments with strap-ons. "Ooooh~ that's their latest model, wanna try it out? I bet it looks good on you while you take me hmmm? All fours in the bed while you whimper and mo-" Beel coos, as he eyes the outfit and your body, fitting it in his imagination. "Shhh not in public!!!" You cover his mouth as you blushed. He smirks under your hand covering his mouth.

🕶️Since you're in Abyssos, it's common to see people with skimpy or too fitted clothing. You never told beel that you were jealous of the body figure of most demons you see, but he can see (and smell).

Both you and Beel passed by a bar with demon men and women with hot, fitted, skimpy clothing. While they greet his Majesty and you, you somehow had a sad look in your eyes. It wasn't your destination so both of you walked by but Beel noticed your insecurity when he saw you looking down at your body and holding your baby fats. "Hmm~ You don't need to be insecure, babe. You have your own assets! See you have this!" He points your chest "And this!" He points your thighs "Also this!" He playfully slaps your ass "And especially this!" He kneels in front of you and pats your genitals and licks his lips. "BEELZEBUB!!! We're in public!!!" you pulled him to stand up while blushing so madly.

Valefor

🛡️Neutral on PDA. Doesn't like it if you feel uncomfortable because of him. He values your personal space. However, like Mammon, if he notices that you're a bit uncomfortable, he'd come closer to you.

You were travelling with Valefor and the Tartaros Demons. Somehow a shop caught your eye and stopped your tracks, making the group walk further than you. One female demon (a saleslady) came close to you, offering her products. "Ah no sorry, I just saw something in your display, thank you." You responded hurriedly. "But sir/ma'am, wait I haven't gotten to the good part yet~" her touch sent shivers down your spine. You backed off and politely decline, but the demon continues to touch and flirt with you. Somehow, Valefor noticed you were gone and found you and heard the conversation. "It seems you have good wares, but we have to go, my s/o is a bit tired. Thank you" Valefor skillfully butts in, smiling with golden aura, while holding your hand and back and escorting you away from them. You shyly thanked Valefor while blushing, and catched up with the group before they notice where the both of you gone.

🛡️He mostly initiate things, but ask for your consent first. He will mostly initiate dates in places you're comfortable with.

"Good morning sweetest prince/princess. Would you like to go to on a movie date with me today? I got tickets for Demons: the Last Journey." "How'd you know I wanted to have a movie date?" You shyly said "Hmm I may or may not have seen your phone open looking for tickets while you were asleep" he rubs the back of his neck, not wanting to actually say it.

🛡️Likes it when you're flustered whenever he does something/gets you something you'd like.

You arms and hand rubs your torso as the both of you were walking in the streets of Tartaros while on a date. Surprisingly, it was also the day that Valefor's clothes are more casual than what he usually wears (armor). "Hm..." He noticed you were shivering and he put his jacket into your shoulders. "I'm not too sure if you'd enjoy PDA but... I know that would at least make you warm, prince/princess." He smiles as you were flustered and thanked him.

🛡️He comforts you using physical touch when you feel sad, upset, or anything negative, especially if it's about frustration about your shyness.

He notices that you were feeling extra down when you were staring at the window from your bed.

"Mmm sweetest, everything alright? You can tell me if you want..." He held your hand

"It's alright... I'm fine" you looked at him, and formed a smile with all your might "....My dear prince/princess, I know I'm pushing your buttons here but... I know you aren't... It won't hurt to tell me, I'm always here...but if you don't really wanna tell me then it okay" he kissed the back of your hand "It's just....well it was just work... I wanted to volunteer for a project but... Shyness got ahead of me and...when I got a hold of myself the slots were already filled....I waited for that project to have a need for volunteers but... It's all because of this stupid shyness... I know I'm overreacting a bit... But I really hate it when shyness takes over me...and overthinking... I'm sorry this is so stupid..." you look at the sheets, ashamed to look at him. "Look at me, sweetest. It's alright. Your feelings are valid, you should ask them later if they can possibly squeeze you in or wait if someone backs out okay? I know shyness sometimes becomes a pain for you, there are times when the mind is your greatest enemy..." He hugs you and kisses your forehead. "Sometimes you need to just...do it you know... Don't think of what other people think or say... I know it's hard, especially the first step in doing it" he cuddles you, traces circles in your back "I know you can do it" he kisses the back of your hand once more as you slightly blush. He gave you a confidence plushie with a "you can do it" sign, it was a mini Valefor with a confident expression.

🛡️In rare times when he's feeling romantic, he'd bunny kiss you if no one is looking. Or ask if you want to listen to music with him when both of you are making plushies, he'd lend one of his earphones connected to his phone.

Beleth

🚬Neutral on PDA, similar to Mammon and Valefor. He respects your personal space and doesn't like it if you're uncomfortable because of him. Like when you're walking together, he's a bit close but not too much. He won't put his hand in your waist or shoulder unless you want it.

🚬Like a cat, he seems to get along with everybody. He maintains order in Nilfheim, so he is known by everybody. Sometimes whenever you two go out, you get greeted by a lot. Too much greetings, it sometimes makes you overwhelmed.

"Sup, Beleth and Y/n!" A group of demons wave at the both of you "Oh hello" "Hello Beleth oh and hello y/n!!" A duo of Demons come across you "H-hi" "Beleth my man!! Oh hello y/n! Beautiful day isn't it?" A buff demon greets the both of you "Heya" Beleth notices how you were getting tired smiling and greeting demons here and there. "Hahaha. Sorry babe, I didn't expect we'd get greeted by a lot today, you can just cling to me if you're too shy to say hi back, don't worry, they'll understand" He rubs your back. "It's fine, I just got overwhelmed by a lot of greetings here and there, I'm just not used to it, even until now..." You sheepishly said "Hahaha. You'll get used to it, babe. I know it" He kissed your forehead and made you slightly blush.

🚬He teases you and laughs whenever he make you blush. He always likes it whenever you're too shy, he sometimes make you sit on his lap because you're too cute, he like cute things after all.

"Mmmm...new fit for the date?" Beleth eyes you and comments with a proud smirk "Yeah, I tried some new style, I guess you'd be pretty bored of my previous outfits so I tried a new style! I hope it's not too bad..." You explain sheepishly. "You look...soft and cute. Hohohoho just what I like! C'mere, kitten" he grabs your waist and sits you on his lap "Hmm but don't worry okay? Dress for yourself. I won't get tired of your style...because what's important is what's inside...and I'm the only one who gets to see what's underneath..." He whispers huskily on your ear. Which in turn, made you blush so hard you were covering your face. "Hahahaha. Now atta boy/girl" he pats your head.

🚬Similar to Satan or Mammon, he'd sometimes slap or grope your ass. But he'd do it when no one is looking (mostly on public just to tease you, he likes seeing your flustered expression).

You and Beleth discovered some ruins, and began exploring with Bathin and Gusion. Bathin and Gusion were in another room while you and Beleth were in another. Somehow you were looking over some ruin scripture in the walls. Beleth was roaming around, until he saw you looking at some ruin writings, rear exposed. He went over, a bit nonchalant like nothing was up and slapped your ass, enough to make it jiggle. You jumped and yelped, surprised by the sudden peach slap. You were flustered but your reflex was faster and punched Beleth's arm. "Hahahaha It's was worth it!" He said rubbing his arm. "Beleth! What if they see!" you were flustered with your arms crossed, trying to look mad. "Hohoho relax, kitten. I promise no one will see our lil shenanigans." He pats your head as you were still flustered.

🚬He enjoys it if he sees you're with Harumon. Gusion or Bathin sometimes see him with a lovesick expression on his face which irks them.

Beleth sees you scratching Harumon's belly, Harumon purring and you were smiling. He somehow had a longing look, with a lovesick expression on his face. "*Coughs* A bit weird seeing you like this, I'll pretend I didn't see anything" Gusion adjust his glasses. Somehow you notice someone staring at you, which was Beleth. You somehow blushed a bit, but still played with Harumon like nothing happened. Beleth noticed this and smirked.

Masterlist

[deathdetermineslife]

I genuinely cannot stand you and your account. Every time I make a new account, you're always the in selfship tags filling it up with your terrible art and shitty posts. You are a waste of space and no one in this community likes you. Your f/o (who isnt YOUR f/o by the way, stop calling him that) doesn't love you, he definitely thinks you're annoying and wouldn't love you in any universe. I want you to know that I have an entire group of selfshippers I'm friends with that wish you'd do the world a favor and kill yourself, just so you know. It doesn't matter if you block me, by the way, because I can and will make new accounts to try to make you feel like shit. I pray to God every day you get in a terrible accident and die a slow and painful death. You mischaracterize "your" f/o (just a reminder, he doesn't love you and wishes you were dead!), you make the entire selfshipping community look stupid, and you're a sharer, too, which means you don't actually love any of your f/os anyways. You should get off of Tumblr. I'm serious, several of my friends are skilled hackers and will dox you. You don't deserve any of the merchandise you own, you don't deserve to be happy, really. And don't even try to tell me that since I'm a proshipper this goes against my "antiharassment values" or whatever I'm sure you'll try to say, every single proshipper I've spoken to thinks you're a hypocritical, disgusting, terrible individual that doesn't deserve the likes and attention you get. I seriously cannot believe anyone will a brain follows you. They probably do because antis don't have brains. They're retards that like throwing pedophile accusations at anyone that breathes. You all are some of the most idiotic and stupid people I've ever seen in my entire life. I cannot stand you. No one likes you, any mutual you think you have is secretly hoping you die, and trust me, a few people I know who follow you or at the very least have reblogged your things are secret proshippers! Isn't that terrible? I'm sure you think so. Because you think we're so bad, don't you? You think that all of us are rapists and evil people that deserve the death penalty. Every time someone reblogs the art you make and says "otp" and "I ship it", just know they're lying to you, they don't believe that, in fact, everyone's out to get you and no one likes you. And that server you own? Just know no one in there likes you. All of the friends you probably think you have? They don't like being around you. He doesn't love you, no one loves you, and if you have more f/os, they don't like you either. Your familial f/os want to disown you, your platonic f/os wish you weren't friends with them, and every single romantic f/o you THINK YOU HAVE does not LOVE YOU they DON'T LOVE YOU and they NEVER WILL. THEY DON'T LOVE YOU. Every person I have talked to you about agrees they wish you didn't exist they wish you never made an account they wish you never started posting to selfship Tumblr. You are lucky that your main blog isn't linked here because if it was, I would be sending asks there too so you'd have to delete your main blog too, and maybe then you wouldn't come back to Tumblr. The entire selfship community hates you and your lazy posts that a five-year-old could write up. In fact, just so you know, I regularly steal your posts and post them to the proselfship tag and they get more attention than your blog. Antis are the minority in fandom, no one likes antis. Not a single person likes them, you're all braindead children who have no morals or understanding of the world. This website would be better without you on it. I know you'll post this, and I know that there's probably going to be people in the replies telling you that they love you so much and that you're a good person and that "your" f/o loves you but he doesn't love you and he never will love you and you're absolutely fucking delusional if you think so. I fucking hate you. I'll continue to ban evade until I can push you off of this website. You can't get away from me and I will dox you.

uh oh someone let grandpa out of the nursing home again. also you sound like an evil supervillain. you expect me to take this seriously? this CANNOT be serious I'm giggling so fucking hard

anyways, heres all the art i have of me and korekiyo!

also bad news buddy, i dont have any familial or platonic f/os. womp womp. go back to algebra class, lil bro.

[withleeknow]

thirteen percent.

pairing: minho x reader genre/warnings: established relationship, fluff; mentions of drinking, cursing, hella unedited and tbh i kinda gave up toward the end but i wanted to post smth lmao word count: 1.2k note: inspired by the events of friday night in which i had 1.3 bottle of soju and promptly passed out while unmuted all night in my discord server lmfao

as always, i’d appreciate any thoughts or comments you may have, and please drop a like and/or reblog if you enjoy reading ♡

navigation › masterlist › ko-fi

the first thing you do when you wake up is scowl.

at the sun. at the sky. at the cars and at the people going about their day on the street below. at soonie and doongie when you find them just peacefully existing in their respective corners of the room.

at minho who's looking at you from the doorway with an amused expression on his face.

"look who's finally up," he says, approaching the bed with a glass of water in his hands. "it's almost 1pm, heathen."

you groan, covering your face with your hands as you try to sink further into the mattress. "why are you so loud today?"

"this is my normal volume?"

"your normal volume is loud."

"hmm, could this be because last night you knocked back an entire bottle of soju and then some and therefore you have a raging headache right now?"

you blink, still delirious from the night before. it's obvious that the alcohol hasn't completely left your system and minho is right. there's a pounding in your head and you wish it would stop.

you ignore his sassy quip, trying to recall what happened. "how did i get home?"

it was supposed to be a cozy night in with your friends. you'd been looking forward to last night for weeks because all of you had been so busy with your respective lives, and a fun girl's night was desperately needed. to catch up, to gossip about your partners, to escape your tiresome realities for a few hours.

and of course, to unwind and drink. not to the point of being blackout drunk; just to de-stress a little.

"how do you think?" minho asks, holding out the water for you until you muster enough strength to sit up and take it from him. he watches as you greedily gulp down the liquid to satiate your dry throat, giving him back the empty glass when you're done and lying back down again. he sets the glass on your bedside table before he joins you under the covers. "boyfriend of the year went out in the middle of the night to drag your ass home."

"you took me home?"

"i just said boyfriend of the year, didn't i?"

despite his smartass attitude, minho still snakes an arm around your body to pull you close to him, until your head is lying on his chest while he strokes your hair gently.

"it was just soju. plum soju!" you try to justify your actions, throwing a leg over his and snuggling further into the warmth of his body. "only thirteen percent!"

minho scoffs. "that's how they get you. the fun flavors make you think that you're gonna be fine if you do just a couple more shots. next thing you know, you're sending your boyfriend gibberish messages at 2am."

to emphasize his point, minho shows you his phone, goes straight to the text thread you two share.

you mostly sent him nonsense, seemingly a lot of keyboard smashes and blurry drunken selfies of you and your friends. then came the last few messages.

you: oh naue why rom sponnign you: i wsntto go homrr you: mimo tskeeee me homeee

"oh." you purse your lips. "drunk me was a moment."

"no, she was a lot of moments actually. you stayed up for almost two hours after i brought you home."

"doing what?"

your boyfriend looks down at you, an unimpressed look on his face before he rolls his eyes and sighs, recanting the story of how you exhausted him just hours prior.

"stop squirming," minho said, trying to keep your head from lolling to the side as he wiped at your face with a cotton pad doused in micellar water.

but you kept giggling, kept trying to hold his cheeks so you could kiss him. "mimo, you're so pretty. my pretty, pr-" hiccup! "pretty mimo."

it took him thirty whole minutes just to take your makeup off, then another forty five to go through your skincare routine.

-

it was an entire struggle to get you out of your clothes and into your sleepwear because apparently, the feeling of him tugging your blouse over your head and sliding your jeans down your legs tickled that amorous part of your brain - your horndog side, if you will.

you instantly latched onto him, climbing on top of him to sit on his lap, attempting to trail kisses along his neck when all minho was trying to do was put your t-shirt on.

"not now," he scolded you lightly, pushing you away by your shoulders before he held your arms up just long enough to slip the shirt over your body.

"whyyy not?"

"mostly because you're about ten seconds away from passing out."

but that wasn't something that your intoxicated brain could comprehend. all you understood was that your boyfriend didn't want to have sex with you, that he was rejecting you.

you went quiet all of a sudden, your lips pouting, your eyes turning glassy before you practically sob, "you don't want me anymore."

minho could only sigh.

-

"what now?" he had finally managed to get your restless ass into bed, thinking you'd surely knock out within seconds of hitting the sheets. but when he returned to the bedroom five minutes later, having cleared away your clothes to be put in the washer in the morning, minho found you lying on your side, your eyes glued to your phone, your face illuminated by the blue light coming from the device. "why aren't you sleeping?"

you were going through your camera roll, watching your old videos like they were your favorite tv show. videos of you and him, videos of him and the cats, or just random videos of him that you took when you thought he wasn't paying attention.

it was cute how you were so immersed, how you kept giggling and making heart eyes at the version of minho captured on your phone. it made him smile, just standing there and watching you like that.

it was beyond endearing, but it was also fucking 4:18am.

minho snatched the device away from you and put it somewhere you couldn't reach before he settled into bed with you.

"i miss my mimo," you whined. "give me back my mimo."

he knew there was no use in telling you that you didn't need to miss him when he, the object of your affection himself, was lying next to you. instead, he just yanked you closer, tucking your face into the crook of his neck and holding you tightly so you couldn't move, hoping that it would eventually lull you to dreamland.

"your mimo is right here. now go to sleep, you menace."

"and not to mention you kept-"

"nope." you put a hand over minho's mouth so he would shut up. "i've heard enough."

he pushes your hand away. "i deserve compensation for what i had to go through last night."

"the satisfaction of taking care of your wonderful girlfriend wasn't enough for you?"

"no," he says. then, you both just stare at each another for a few minutes.

"fine," you relent. "i'll make it up to you with one hundred kisses."

"i want a cat tower."

permanent taglist: @onlyycb97wife @starsandrqindrops @borahae-reads @abbiestearsricochet @cutiespaghetti @anthropologykpopmultistan @moonlinos @mjnhoz @caitlyn98s @piercidh34rts  @stayceebs97 @linocz @yaorzu-blog @biribarabiribbaem @kayleefriedchicken

all rights reserved © withleeknow. reposting, translating and/or modifying is not permitted by any means. [posted 14.01.2024]

[etoilesbienne]

re: boundaries

I've made many posts previously on this subject already, so people are already aware of my stance regarding disliking the way "boundaries" as a concept are used by the mcyt fandom, however I want to have a brief meditation on why this is the case, and a look at common arguments about them.

however i do want to make clear that i don't mind boundaries as a concept, actual boundaries. as in "if you do x, i will respond with y" kinds of boundaries. I think cc are completely fair and understandable in this kind of perspective. if someone makes a kind of content they dislike, they're free to block that fan or express discomfort over it. That's normal.

my critical eye is turned toward the fandom's perception of "boundaries" as a sort of fandom ruleset, either you follow them with the in-group, or you're thrown in the out-group and labelled all sorts of insults, anywhere from a criminal offender to just having people be plain nasty toward you. this in my opinion, really feeds into the fandom habit of having "cliques" as fandoms are social networks that are voluntarily joined. i find it juvenile at best.

at worst, on the other hand, is the concept of mcyt having mixed in kpop stan culture around 2019 with smplive (great server. horrific fandom at the time it was run. all of the smplive fans still left are veterans worthy of respect for surviving that.), which caused a very explosive mixture.

kpop fandom has this outlook and parasociality toward idols because these idols are borderline unreachable. even in smaller groups, companies generally (not always.) discourage idols from talking one-on-one selectively with fans. there deserves to be a more thorough examination of kpop fandom with stan culture, that i believe i am not fully qualified for. my point is that kpop idols are a hell of a lot harder to reach for english fans, whether through language barrier or through professionality done by companies.

the explosive mixture is bringing this same mentality - the mentality that these people you look toward as the main source of the fandom as being untouchable, perfect people. it's dehumanizing in its own right, but aside from that, it creates a dangerous fandom situation. as best shown using smplive with CallMeCarson from before.

CMC is the origin point of boundaries within the MCYT fandom, having held a live in fall of 2019 talking about how a popular danganronpa themed wattpad smplive fanfiction was upsetting for him to read. CMC had an intense fanbase that could and would look up to him no matter what. of course the fanbase would go after and harass this author off of the internet and deleting their work (which remained lost media until this January of 2024. Almost half a decade.) after this situation, only months later it comes out that CMC had in fact been manipulating women aged 17 to early 20s, into sexual dms and sending him explicit photos of themselves for around a year. i am of the opinion CMC would have done this behavior regardless, however, the fact he had access to so many women who put him on a pedestal without considering he could exploit them was exacerbated by the stan culture mentality of mcyt's fandom at the time. this is not a criticism of the women, it is a criticism of the fandom culture of the time for failing to treat carson as a human being who had every capability to treat people like this.

no cc is exempt from that mentality by the fandom. carson knowingly used his position within the fandom to make the choice to do that to those girls. no cc should be exempt from the real possibility of the consideration that they can fuck up, not always in the way that they necessarily need to be cancelled or deplatformed, carson is an extreme example that is absolutely not representative of cc as a whole, but there needs to be a healthy level of doubt and separation between creators and fans.

to reiterate: cc are not your friends. cc do not need you to speak for them. you do not know these people personally. to present your defense of them and their personal opinions like you spoke to them directly and are close friends is dangerous, both for yourself, and for other fans in the community.

everything i have listed is why i always will be critical toward any fan group or clique that presents themselves as being pillars of the community, and why i am critical of any page or resource that tries to list "boundaries" as hard fast rules to be self policed by the fandom. not only is that punitive mentality, it's careless and poor understanding of how communities at large work.

i don't think a "boundaries" list is necessarily a bad idea in the long run either, if these lists were, like, compilations of streamers' twitch chat rules, that'd be cool! but generally these lists lack any nuance of why and where some boundaries may apply. like a ton of streamers hate ships being spammed in chat, but could give less of a fuck about people making ship fanart. or like wouldn't care as long as the ship art isn't put in their main tag.

as well as the general ignoring of regular boundaries, we all remember the horror show of people dono-ing to cc in 2020-22 asking for their boundaries right? like just so we're explicitly clear, walking up to someone and asking what someone's opinion of making adult content of them is very much sexual harassment. that's objectively something fans should not be asking to cc. if they want to say something, they can speak up on their own. they do not need your prompting. if you wouldn't ask it to your boss in an office, don't ask cc it. tangentially related is the ignoring of boundaries based on disliking fans harassing each other or other cc. those boundaries never get to be prioritized for a reason, as those behaviors feed into the stan culture mentality of pitting sources against each other in fan wars.

parasociality and stan culture turn mcyt fandom into a power vacuum where fans who like to self-police to a dangerous extent try to take charge. this makes the fandom worse.

[existentialterror]

Do NOT send pictures of your ID card to discord bots!!!!

Or, like, any online rando.

I ran into a server that wanted to make sure that members are over 18 years old. They wanted to avoid the other thing I've heard of, which is asking you to verify your age by sending pictures of your ID card to a moderator. Good! Don't do that!

However, ALSO don't do this other thing, which is using a discord bot that would "automatically verify" you from a selfie and a photo of your ID card showing your birthday. The one they used is ageifybot.com. There's a little more information on its top.gg page. Don't like that! Not using that!

Why not? It's automatic! Well, let me count the ways this service skeeves me out:

How does the verification process work? There is no information on this. Well, okay, if you had more info on what kind of algorithms etc were being used here, that might make it easier for people to cheat it. Fair enough. But we need something to count on.

Who's making it? Like, if I can't understand the mechanics, at least I'd like to know who creates it - ideally they'd be a security professional, or at least a security hobbyist, or an AI expert, or at least someone with some kind of reputation they could lose if this turns out to not be very good, or god forbid, a data-stealing operation. However, the website contains nothing about the creators.

The privacy policy says they store information sent to them, such as your selfie and photo of an ID card, for up to 90 days, or a year if they suspect you're misleading them. It sure seems like even if they're truly abiding by their privacy policy, there's nothing to stop human people from looking at your photos.

The terms of service say they can use, store, process, etc, any information you send them. And that they can't be held accountable for mistakes, misuse, etc. And that they can change the bot and the ToS at any times without telling you. The terms of service also cut off midway through a sentence, so like, that's reassuring:

In conclusion, DO NOT SEND PICTURES OF YOUR ID CARD TO RANDOM DISCORD BOTS.

Yes, keeping minors out of (say) NSFW spaces is a difficult problem, but this "solution" sucks shit and is bad.

Your ID card is private, personal information that can be used by malicious actors to harm you. Do not trust random discord bots.

[iwantmochisoup]

mochi soup's sappy happy crying session

i'm so sorry, please bear with me, but i really need to be super sappy rq. (it's gonna be a long one, so imma add the read more here)

i just recently hit 10k likes and lost my shit over it qwq;; i was overthinking a lot, i wanted to run away, and it kinda hit me because honestly, i don't think i deserve all this ;; like i'm just being silly on here and having fun ;;

but that aside, i have been thinking how to properly say thank you, since words are really hard for me (wow big shocker ikr lmao) but i realized it's thanks giving, despite me not being from america i saw all the love today and i thought maybe i can try, this time, to put it to words. (i'm sorry if i don't make sense at all, and honestly don't mind me honestly, i've always been super scared of talking on here but i need to ramble)

so, idk how to start this, i honestly quit art for good like 4 years ago, won't comment on it but this year i tried to pick it back up. i am so scared of people, especially online but i thought why not, so i made a lil acc on here, i wanna say i'm so lucky to have met you all and seeing people like my art, seriously it's what keeps me going. (that sounds so sappy but for what feels like the first time in my life i am genuinely being myself and i am so happy idk what to do) this is way too long of an intro...

i'm gonna start off my twin of course, it feels fitting hehe ;; so, @saltedbiscuiit you know how shit i am at words, and you know how thankful i am for you, and we talked so much about it already so i'll try to keep this short ;; i am genuinely so happy to have met you, kinda feels like it changed my life back then, it honestly hasn't been that long really, since the art trade back in july, i honestly feel like i found my other half (that's so sappy pls don't cry but i'm being honest) thank you so much for everything, you do so much for me, even if you don't know it and i am honestly so so grateful and happy. thank you so much <3 hehe, salty soup salted mochi

the next one is @cryptid-juzou we just recently met, but i fell in love with your writing, almost instantly!! you're such a great friend, and it's sm fun talking and playing games with you!! and i'm so happy and grateful to have met you!! Really, thank you so much for all you did for me and for accepting the collab! To be working with you on our thing (i won't go into detail, yk big surprise and all) honestly, i'm so so happy and i can't wait to finish it!!

next!! @k-aez !! you've been haunting me in dreams, scolding me and i still think about that raw chicken art you did. okay jokes aside, i'm so happy to have met you and i feel the need to thank you like forever for creating the server and everything you've done. you've been supporting me and pushing me to get out of my ass and kept encouraging me sm. i can't put it into words, but i will be forever grateful for everything!

big big thanks to @ohhcinnybuns, @anticidic and @ediblepandas ya'll have been feeding my brain so many good ideas and enabled some brainrot i will thank you forever for. cinny, you know how much i love your fics and your massive brain in general, i'm so happy i was brave enough back then, and did some art of your ideas, idk if i would even tried to join the server if i didn't see your reblog. rosie, you know how much i love your fics, i'm not about to fangirl in public but i'm truly thankful, you've inspired me so so much, i love with your writing, your kitsunezai au and your scream in phasmo still is the best scream ever! pandas, hehe yk i need to thank you here too! your yapping about dresses and in general talking to you is so much fun! i love your brain sm! thank you so so much for enabling me so much, and please send me more dresses, i love them all!

and, ofc i have to give big thanks the chaos trio too @thatghostinyourbog @spccts & @msshinylemon !! yes, i'm calling you that, that name is fitting, shovel fight if you disagree, losers >:3 i have to thank you three a lot, ya'll are so fun to hang around and play games with, i seriously love what you all do, be it drawing, writing or just the way ya'll yap nonstop! it's sm fun hanging out and i love how we bounce off each other so well and ya'll inspire me so much!! also tysm @nolongerforthetainted for babysitting them!! i really love your writing sm and it's always sm fun yapping with you, and also pls make more coleslaw beds!! i need them! but honestly, thank you so much, i am so happy to have met ya'll and i always look forward to talking and hang out with ya'll!!

WAAAAA THAT IS SO LONG OMG BUT!!! I also need to thank each one of you, all my moots and everyone that just takes their time to look at my art, leave a like, reblog, comment what ever really, i appreciate each and every one of you so so much! thank you all so much, from the bottom of my heart, i can't explain how much it means to me! i also want to give a lil thanks to @noakiie @nevertheblood @altruistic-meme @artsyaudience @konbupie @jellyphink & @lethargyinafishbowl i wanted to tag more but i'm so sorry but i'm too scared, really ;;;

idk how to end this, honestly, i feel like i wrote too much and rambled way too much. i guess i'm just gonna-- *runs*

WITH MUCH LOVE AND A BIG HOP STEP JUMP -mochi soup

[slay00ryu]

The Chaotic Duo.

A Ronin x Misaki fic

︻デ═一・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

Misaki was sitting on top of a building. Shotgun by their side, phone in their shaky hands.

<@hitmeupp>: Anyone wants to be my assassination support?

This was yet another time when they send a message like this to the server, they always did that when the target was either too dangerous or they had a very shitty day. This was the former, their clients hired her to kill a CEO of a big filming company who was also entangled with some shady mafia business. The amount of armed men around him was really getting on the poor assassin's nerves, they just wanted an easy kill, is it so much to ask for?

Well while they were cursing their client in their head, they heard a silent DING, someone dmed them!

<@goreboy>: heard you Needed some Support

<@goreboy>: what's up?

Well, that was unexpected.

Ronin usually doesn't text her when she sends a message like that, it's usually Angel who helps them. Maybe she sent Ronin because she's busy? Yeah, that's probably it.

"Dude oh my fucking God, I am dyinggg here. Like seriously, how guarded can a guy be?" They sent him a short voice message, if Angel really sent Ronin to the rescue then he wouldn't be surprised by the voice message, right?

<@goreboy>: heh seems Like the Best assassin in The Whole fucking japan is really Stressing over a small fry

<@goreboy>: who's The target btw?

"Oh shut the fuck up, I can get stressed!- oh shit he almost looked this way... oops" They send the message and then sent another one. "Some guy who worked with the mafia, the money for him is high."

<@goreboy>: damnnn alr Then maybe shoot him Before He sees ya

<@goreboy>: we Don't wanna our Fav assassin dead

They chuckled at his respone.

"Awh stop or you'll make me blush while i'm killing someone." They said jokingly, Ronin could hear them loading their gun in the message.

<@goreboy>: maybe I'd like to See ya All blushy hm?

Misaki didn't see that message until after they left the rooftop, Ronin's message really did make them blush.

<@hitmeupp>: Oh stfu

<@hitmeupp>: He's dead

<@hitmeupp>: Thanks for the help

<@goreboy>: when You need help Call For the devil and He Will help You out

Ronin chuckled after he sent that reply.

Would he really help the assassin the next time they need help? Never say never, he could as well replace Angel and take some of her worries off of her shoulders, right? Also it's important to keep the server's members alive and out of jail.

Misaki in fact did use Ronin's help, texting him directly to help her out and he was there every time. His replies were different from Angel's, well that was to be expected, they are two different people with very different personalities.

Ronin was encouraging them more in the devilish style, he was flirting with them to keep their mind off of the nerves, made jokes about the target and fed Misaki's ego about them being THE assassin.

<@goreboy>: hey Wanna Call?

<@goreboy>: i'm Bored

Misaki was surprised to receive this DM, Ronin wants to talk, and he wants to do this only with them. Weird? Maybe a little. But he could consider Misaki's interest piqued.

<@hitmeupp>: Ofc babes

Immediately after sending that on their screen was a pop up.

@goreboy is calling.

They picked up without a second thought.

Normally Misaki wouldn't show anyone their living arrangements, but only did they know Ronin for two whole years, he also was pretty open about being in possession of their IP address which meant that he knew where and how they live.

"Hey, hey. What does the big devil want from little me?" Misaki asked once the call connected.

"Not much, jus' bored, and you're quite good at amusing me." Ronin replied with a confident smirk glued to his voice.

"Woah, am I your clown now?" They asked with a fake hurt in their voice.

"More like my personal chaos maker." He was obviously flirting with them, and Misaki wasn't going to let him have his fun alone.

"Maybe we could make chaos together then?" They joked, there was no chance for them to do it together in real life, even if Misaki wished that they could meet up... Wait, what?

"About that." Ronin's voice cut through Misaki's thoughts. "I just happened to get my hands on a plane ticket to Tokio, was wondering if you could be my guide." Ronin's words made Misaki's eyes widened.

"What!" They fell from their chair. "Ouch... wait, wait, wait! What do you mean you have a plane ticket? And to Japan?"

"Don't ask so many questions, you don't need to know." Of course Ronin wouldn't answer, he has to be a fucking mystery. A hot mystery who's really helpful...

"Yeah sure whatever, so you want me to be your guide?" They crossed their arms over their chest.

"Who's better to show me around than the best assassin the whole Japan ever saw?"

"Are you seriously feeding my ego just to get me to agree? Wow Ronin... Why does this actually work every time?" They whined. "Of course I will show you around." They smiled.

"Great, I'll be there next week."

"Wait, what-"

Aaand he hang up.

Yeah. very Ronin style.

"He's coming here? Oh fuck! Ronin IS coming here! Oh my god..." Misaki's voice was mix of stress and excitement.

They started to feel something for Ronin a while ago, but they didn't really know if it would work out. But with him showing up so randomly? Maybe it was a sign?

"Oh my god! Why does it make me so fucking excited?" They groaned and fell on their bed, their face buried in a pillow so they could scream their excitement out.

A week had passed without Misaki even noticing it.

They are standing near the airport exit with the most cheesy and cringey welcoming cardboard ever: "Here stands the devil's servant" written in English, with some edgy stickers all around the words.

It didn't take Ronin long to find them and he was barely keeping in his laughter when he approached Misaki.

"Damn, such a warm welcome. Makes me feel like royalty." He said with that cocky smirk of his.

"...Why are you even hotter in person?" Misaki asked bluntly.

"You're not too bad looking yourself, quite on the contrary, you look so much better in person." He said, Misaki didn't know if he was genuine or if it was just the regular teasing, but their poor heart still took the damage.

"Uh um, yeah! We need to get to your hotel!" They changed the subject, which was answered with Ronin's chuckle.

"Sure, lead the way darling."

The assassin couldn't say that their time with The Butcher was boring. It was anything BUT boring.

Not only did they spent some fun time at the local karaoke, ate some amazing food or did other fun activities. Ronin also made sure to do some illegal activities together, going around abandoned buildings, setting trashcans on fire, Misaki watching Ronin kill a guy, or Ronin waiting for Misaki after their assassination.

They had a good time together. And undoubtedly they grew closer. Close enough that Misaki stole Ronin's shirt from his hotel room and he let her do her thing.

"You're drowning in it." Ronin's voice came from behind Misaki who just put the t-shirt on.

"AH!" They yelled and turned around. "Man learn how to walk and make sound please?" They said and glared at him.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway... You can keep it." He came closer to Misaki. "Suits you." He smirked.

Misaki's face turned red.

"Uh.. um... thanks?" They weren't sure how to interpret his words, but oh lord even without a proper interpretation their heart went crazy.

"Told you, you're my chaos maker." He whispered into their ear. "And we can just bring chaos to the world together."

Was that really the Devil's confession just now?

[deepdreamnights]

Hey, you know how I said there was nothing ethical about Adobe's approach to AI? Well whaddya know?

Adobe wants your team lead to contact their customer service to not have your private documents scraped!

This isn't the first of Adobe's always-online subscription-based products (which should not have been allowed in the first place) to have sneaky little scraping permissions auto-set to on and hidden away, but this is the first one (I'm aware of) where you have to contact customer service to turn it off for a whole team.

Now, I'm on record for saying I see scraping as fair use, and it is. But there's an aspect of that that is very essential to it being fair use: The material must be A) public facing and B) fixed published work.

All public facing published work is subject to transformative work and academic study, the use of mechanical apparatus to improve/accelerate that process does not change that principle. Its the difference between looking through someone's public instagram posts and reading through their drafts folder and DMs.

But that's not the kind of work that Adobe's interested in. See, they already have access to that work just like everyone else. But the in-progress work that Creative Cloud gives them access to, and the private work that's never published that's stored there isn't in LIAON. They want that advantage.

And that's valuable data. For an example: having a ton of snapshots of images in the process of being completed would be very handy for making an AI that takes incomplete work/sketches and 'finishes' it. That's on top of just being general dataset grist.

But that work is, definitionally, not published. There's no avenue to a fair use argument for scraping it, so they have to ask. And because they know it will be an unpopular ask, they make it a quiet op-out.

This was sinister enough when it was Photoshop, but PDF is mainly used for official documents and forms. That's tax documents, medical records, college applications, insurance documents, business records, legal documents. And because this is a server-side scrape, even if you opt-out, you have no guarantee that anyone you're sending those documents to has done so.

So, in case you weren't keeping score, corps like Adobe, Disney, Universal, Nintendo, etc all have the resources to make generative AI systems entirely with work they 'own' or can otherwise claim rights to, and no copyright argument can stop them because they own the copyrights.

They just don't want you to have access to it as a small creator to compete with them, and if they can expand copyright to cover styles and destroy fanworks they will. Here's a pic Adobe trying to do just that:

If you want to know more about fair use and why it applies in this circumstance, I recommend the Electronic Frontier Foundation over the Copyright Alliance.

[minisugakoobies]

💚 or ❤️ with Lee Know

Oooh, my choice? Ok!! Let's go with: 💚 [ Seductive ] - A deep, slow, and deliberately intense kiss filled with passion and desire

Also I wrote more Spidey!Minho 🕸️💕

***********

"I always imagined one day I'd end up in one of your webs - but I have to admit, I didn't quite picture it like this."

You stare down at the spiderweb hanging hundreds of feet down from the edge of the platform on which you stand. It’s strung up between two nearby buildings, swaying patiently as it waits to catch you.

Minho rolls his eyes at your quip. Why did he decide to go along with your plan? Defeating the super AI trying to take over the world by blowing up its server farm from the top of the building down? It's insane. You're insane.

"Enough with the flirting already. Don’t make me restrain you," he threatens, shooting a tendril of webbing at you, enough to wrap around your wrists, tying them together.

You look at your bound hands, raising an eyebrow. "Okay, now who’s flirting?" you croon playfully.

"Stop making me regret our little deal," Minho groans, rubbing at his head through the holes in his ripped mask. The two of you had promised not to attack one another in the name of saving the world. Teaming up with you was a terrible idea, but he’s desperate. Why else would he turn to his nemesis for help? "How long do we have?"

"Until the bombs I set send this building and all those crazy robots inside straight to hell where they belong? Maybe five minutes?" You glance at your watch. "Uh, maybe five minutes four minutes ago, that is."

Minho rips off what's left of his mask to gawk at you. "What?!"

"We have sixty seconds left, so, uh - better make them count!"

Minho's eyes widen as you loop your bound arms over his neck and kiss him.

When he thinks back on it later, and he will think about it, a lot, he'll tell himself it's the adrenaline surging through his veins that makes his heart race as your lips touch his. That the exhilaration of the moment compels him to clutch at you, holding you tight.

But the way he kisses you back... well, that he can't explain. Maybe he's insane now, too. It's an intense feeling, whatever it is, and he gives in to it, mouth moving fervently with yours, every press of your lips burning him up inside, on and on and…

Minho slowly realizes there has been a distinct lack of explosions. “Uh, what happened to sixty seconds??”

You check your watch. “Oh, ha! I got the hands mixed up. Damn, I’m always doing that.” Minho can’t do anything but stare as you rip your wrists apart and back away from him, towards the edge of the platform. “But we’re definitely down to like thirty seconds, so… catch me if you can!” 

You jump. The building beneath his feet begins to shake, and he springs into action, diving forward. He reaches you just before you hit the web, and wraps himself around you, helping you tuck and roll safely across the woven landing pad.

He lands on top of you, automatically giving you a once-over to make sure you’re not injured, like he’d do for anyone else he just rescued from a death-defying drop.

“I knew you’d save me,” you sigh, staring up at him with lovestruck eyes. 

He groans, flopping onto his back. Yeah. Definitely insane.

(@minttangerines @kiestrokes @chans-room)

[sheepwavehdg]

[Nonfiction/serious, CW recount of online sexual harassment] So, holy fuck. Last night someone developed an introject/fictive of one of my characters, Sally Fable from Good Sensory. It went poorly.

This person was barely more than a total stranger to me and had been sending me some just plain nonsensical DMs on discord, so I just muted them for 24 hours because I didn't care or feel like dealing with it. I was about to be enjoying some Substances™, and I just told them I wasn't gonna be avaliable.

Fast forward a few hours later and my very pleasant high is interrupted by the notification that someone is calling me on discord. I tab over, and discover hundreds of messages calling me mistress, begging me to punish them, sending me partially nude photos, asking for reassurances that because they're Sally Fable, I wrote Good Sensory for them too (more on that in a moment)

I block them as soon as I understand what's happening, and then I think I started getting notifications of them pinging me on the HDG discord, bypassing the block via pluralkit(???) so I left the discord (I am unsure of this and can't find any supporting evidence of it now that Ive rejoined, I was high and confused, but it's what I thought was happening in the moment anyway which is why I left) and got to have the lovely experience of learning how much worse a panic attack hurts when you're high and every sensation has "reverb" on your body.

This felt so particularly violating because Sally is not some character I made up whole cloth, her personality and appearance is specifically modeled on two of my partners. This is not a secret, it's in the chapter notes. I know this person read those, because some of the hundreds of messages they sent me referenced it and asked if this meant I wrote it for them too.

I made the discord staff aware of what was going on and they did a great job of both handling the situation on the server and lots of them reaching out to me and making me feel like I wasn't alone and they had my back, which meant more in that moment than I can even put into words. 😭

Anyway, I just woke up a few hours ago from a nightmare where this person sent me a suicide note via the comments on Good Sensory, which unfortunately is well within the reasonable possibility space of a thing that happens when someone fixates on you and you block them and they are banned from their community. (I have had stalkers in the past! Yay!)

So yeah I was very much not calm to see this when I woke up

I got a friend to check over the comments before I looked, and fortunately it was just normal comments. I've been absolutely blown away by the reaction to Good Sensory in particular, and I love reading peoples comments. That I was made to feel scared of something that would normally make me flap my hands in joy (sixteen new comments overnight is not unheard of for me, but it's still not typical) feels so shitty.

I also feel horribly guilty even tho I know it's irrational for me to feel anything but violated by this having happened. Like there's a reason I identify with the affini, I can't see someone in distress and not want to help. I feel bad that what I assume was a vulnerable trans woman clearly in some kind of psychosis state is going to have to wake up from it and find out they blew up their own social life yesterday.

But yeah, god, fuck, what a thing that happened. I had to write this just to proscess this experience. It doesn't feel like it was real but like it was. I'm going to be shaken by this for a bit most likely 😓

[listentoace]

This will freak you out

... or at least I hope it does. Yes, I know most of the stuff I post on here is just kinky and horny talk and that's totally fine. By now, thousands of users have found their way to my blog and I'm very grateful for the support. I know I don't share much about myself, but the following will be about a more personal matter. I work in IT, or more specifically, with data. Lots of data. Being into data science, I am hyper-aware of the constant collecting and aggregating of user data. I know it's somewhat common knowledge that you're being tracked, but I want to take this opportunity to point out how bad the situation is and why privacy matters. I'll try to keep it as easy to follow as possible, so please bare with me!

The Trackers

Right now, you're on Tumblr. As you are reading this, your app connects to over a dozen servers that are not from Tumblr itself. They are from companies like Google, Amazon, Yahoo, but also lesser known companies such as Adjust and Moat. Within a single day, the Tumblr App sends about 5.000 tracking requests to the aforementioned and more companies, sharing your personal data. That's once every 15-20 seconds, regardless of whether you have the app opened or not. While I can't say exactly what data is being shared, it is likely that this is personal information that can be utilized to assume your opinions, target ads, or predict future behavior, as these are ways how companies will ultimately make money. Depending on what permissions you have granted the Tumblr app, it might also scan your gallery, your entire file system, access your call history, or your camera and microphone. By granting this permission, you are essentially giving Tumblr the keys to your phone on a complete "just trust me, bro"-basis. To me personally, that sounds scary.

But why do you use Tumblr yourself, then?

Very good and fair question! I actually am conflicted regarding using Tumblr, but I have put several security measures into place to minimize tracking potential as much as possible. While Tumblr can still see when I go online, read all the messages I send to others, know what content I view, like, comment on, and otherwise engage with, that is about it. Tumblr cannot acces my general file system, it cannot remotely access my camera and microphone, and even all the aforementioned trackers are blocked. I'll go more into this later.

"So what, I've got nothing to hide."

It's great that you think that! That's just what the big tech companies want you to believe. But answer me this: have you ever found it uncomfortable when a person next to you was reading all your texts, looking at your gallery, and just generally kept an eye on what you do on your phone at all times? Well, if a single person doing that is bothering you, how much worse must it be to know that several companies with thousands of employees spy on you for a living? Yes, they have seen your nudes, your breakup texts, your hours of Whatsapp calls with your best friend. It's literally a Big Brother Dystopia.

"Why would they be interested in me?"

I bet you have heard about the Cambridge Analytica (CA) scandal from 2018. Just to summarize: a data analytics company CA worked closely together with Facebook to target adds specifically tailored to users to manipulate them into voting for Donald Trump as President. If you are asking how specific this could be, just look at this demonstration by Signal, where their ads are extremely specific to a point where probably only a few thousand if not only hundreds of people would fit the description and just those exact people saw their ad.

"You got this ad because you're a newlywed pilates instructor and you're cartoon crazy. This ad used your location to see you're in La Jolla. You're into parenting blogs and thinking about LGBTQ adoption."

Facebook took it down within hours. But imagine you seeing this ad of a random company knowing this much and lots more about you. Note that Instagram and WhatsApp belong to Facebook/Meta, so even if you're not using Facebook directly, you're still being watched just as closely.

Knowing exactly what you like, dislike, fear, and love, strong emotions can be triggered for political or financial gain. You're into sustainability? Buy this product and we will retrieve one pound of plastic from the ocean! You are conservative and maybe slightly racist? Immigrants are taking over more and more healthcare jobs! You are scared by a possible nuclear war? Vote us for safety and peace!

This is how Cambridge Analytica managed to pull in millions of voters in the US and manipulate the election in a way that Donald Trump wouldn't have won without their manipulation. This is literally a threat to democracy. And as you know, my allegiance is to the Republic, to Democracy!

You might be aware of how right-wing and extremist parties all around the western world use very polarizing and emotional topics in their campaigns and are doing very well on social media. Often much better than more centered, leftist, or conservative parties, who tend to polarize less. This is not a coincidence. Not only is this because of customized, targeted content, but it's also because strong emotions generate more attention

Doom Scrolling & Dopamine

Social Media has had decades to perfect their dopamine lottery. The algorithms know exactly what you are into, no matter how much of a niche it might be. A good, user-oriented algorithm would show you a few posts, the best ones of the day, and then simply say "well, that's been all the good stuff. Wanna see the rest anyways?". But that's not how it works, is it? When opening an app like Instagram, TikTok, Tumblr, etc., you usually immediately land on a recent top-post. This is to give you the instant gratification and that sweet hit of dopamine.

Have you ever noticed how you had to scroll a bit before you got a post again that you really loved? That's by design. The mix of top-posts and mediocre ones is on purpose, to keep you waiting for more. You never know when the next super funny TikTok will come by. All you know is that it might be the next one. In-between top-posts, you're met with mediocre garbage and an add or two and just before it gets too boring, you hit gold again. The constant release of much higher than normal amounts of dopamine make your brain temporarily lose touch with what levels are normal. Why is it that you feel drained and tired after scrolling through social media for a few hours, even though you've done nothing but sitting around? You didn't think hard, you didn't move much, so what is it? It is the dopamine-rollercoaster that is mentally straining you. And there are tens of thousands of highly trained software engineers and corporate executives designing their platforms to keep you scrolling for as long as possible. If that little chiming sound increases your screen time by as little as 2%, it will be added. It is designed to suck your life away, chain your eyeballs to the content they want you to see, just so they can literally sell you to anyone who has the cash. You need that new gadget, visiting this country is an absolute must, this new sports competition is amazing, definitely vote for this cool party. Trust them. They know what you want. You don't know anything about them, but they know everything about you.

"What do I do now?"

Well, it is unlikely that you'll stop using social media at all. I mean, even I am still here. But there are things you can and should do for your mental and financial health, and for your own safety and protection against manipulation. Here is a list of things you should consider

Limiting social media to only a few apps you actually use and are interested in

Spend no more than 2 hours on social media per day

Meet friends irl instead of only texting

Stop sharing personal information. It is not illegal to enter false names, birthdays, etc into random sign-up forms! Protect your children as well!

Use privacy- & user-oriented platforms, such as Signal instead of WhatsApp, or Mastodon instead of Twitter. They finance themselves through volunteers and donations instead of by selling your data and lifetime to any buyer

Use privacy-oriented frontends (the visual interface and application you interact with), such as NewPipe or FreeTube instead of YouTube. You also won't be seeing any ads there

Don't buy anything impulsively. Take a week or two to think about whether you really need and want it.

Check facts, do your own research, use multiple sources, be critical

And in case you're interested in what I use:

I'm have an Android phone running /e/OS and a total of 5 computers/servers which run Linux and a Windows laptop for work. My phone block any trackers, fakes my GPS location (not VPN/IP) to where I am in Barcelona. All devices have a 24/7 encrypted VPN connection. I don't have WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or even a Google account. For personal use I have Signal, Element (Discord alternative), and Proton Mail. That's it. Every website or platform I have an account on has it's own, unique, single-use email, a randomized password and 2FA whenever possible. I use KeePass as my password manager, encrypted with a password, key file, and hardware key. I enter false data into any random form, use hardened Firefox browsers to resist fingerprinting and tracking, and back up all my data at home on a hard drive instead of using a cloud service. (Yes, there is much more)

For my content, I use Tumblr and a semi-active Discord account, Reddit accounts are banned.

For my professional life, I am forced to use Microsoft Teams and Outlook, yet I only use those on my work computer & phone.

Privacy = Freedom

Yes, I know my measures are far beyond average, but I wanted to present an example and hopefully inspire some of you to take back your online freedom and privacy! Because that's what it is! Privacy is Freedom!

I hope this inspired you and please ask any questions in the comments! This truly is a topic that means a lot to me so thank you for reading all the way through it. Please reblog to further share this important topic and encourage others to protect themselves!

- Ace

[willowser]

i have been in the anti-gojo coalition server for one (1) hour and this is what it has done to me. nerd gojo. EDIT TO SAY: OH MY GOD PHYSICS PROF GOJO !!

the physics professor grades papers in the campus library. way too late.

you're only there until nine, but gojo satoru always comes strolling through the doors sometime after seven with his book bag and sleek laptop, looking entirely too excited to care about quantum field theory. you suppose he always looks like that, though, especially in his classroom, in front of a whiteboard while droning on and on about infinities.

almost immediately after he sits down, he covers the entire surface of the table closest to the front (closest to you) with his belongings; blue and red sharpies, coffee from the shop around the corner, stacks upon stacks of paper. he even hums to himself — in a library — like he's just having the darndest time taking up all of yours.

it would be a lie to say it isn't amusing, though, even on nights like tonight. outside it's storming, albeit quietly, and the day has taken all it could from you; watching him with sleepy eyes as he mutters to himself is — cute, no matter how late it's getting.

"i have a question, professor,"

you're the only two left in the library at such an hour, but he still looks up with raised eyebrows, as if you could be talking to someone else. his grin spreads across his face slowly once he realizes, like a balm.

"and i have an answer."

you snort, tired and amused, when he wiggles his eyebrows. "is it possible for hours to sneak into the day? because it really feels like it's been more than eight today."

"hmm," he makes a show of thinking, tapping his pen against his pursed lips as if he really has to. you know he's full of it, though, because he's only twenty-eight and has more accolades than some of the oldest instructors. "each hour of the day corresponds to a specific duration based on earth's rotation and its orbital motion around the sun." he shrugs, smile dropping the more serious he gets, and — you kind of wish you wouldn't have asked, because you're too tired for this. "time dilation is a thing, but that's more...changes in the perception of time because of differences in realtive—"

gojo suddenly stops, and you can see the quick cut of his eyes over his glasses as he looks at you. when you raise a single eyebrow at him, he sticks out his tongue and blows a long raspberry, before turning to hunch back over his laptop.

"uh," he lets out a quick laugh and taps his pen against his forehead, a little aggressively. "short answer, no!"

and — you're sleepy. tired. the mascara you'd put on today is almost all dried out and flaking off underneath your eyes, you can hear the comfort of some sweatpants and your bed calling your name, but — gojo fiddles with the hair at the nape of his neck, angling his head away from you. embarrassed, maybe.

despite the heaviness to your eyes and the 9: 02 PM that shines in the corner of your computer screen, you ask,

"well, what's the long answer?"

his head snaps up to you again, but he doesn't respond, only watches with parted lips; the smartest man you've ever met needing a hint.

you glance towards the windows, the dark storm beyond them, before sending him a smile that spreads to his own face. "i think we might be here a while with the rain, if you wanna tell me."

he shakes his head at you and lightly clicks his tongue against his teeth, almost like he's disappointed, before reaching into his bag to pull out an umbrella. "should have checked the radar! though i'm happy to share, if you'd like." and despite how much of a dork you think he is, the little wink he sends you over his glasses has your tummy flipping.

but he's still — not getting it.

"satoru," you say, quietly, shaking your head when his playful expression drops and his cheeks turn a little rosy under the fluorescence. "sit here with me and tell me all about time, would you?"

you can see the gears turning in his big, fat brain, and another laugh slips out of him, light and yet full of nerves. after a moment, he runs a hand over his face, takes his glasses off to rub at his eyes, like he's tired, too.

but then he's blinking at you, excited, and you wonder if his eyes have always been so bright.

"well, time is a fundamental dimension in the universe..."