#it’s like anything else you can research

[realpontchartrain]

I saw your last anon and was wondering if you could go more into detail on your prison abolition stance. It means different things to different people so what exactly would you like to see happen?

Of course! This is gonna be long, so brace yourself, but hopefully a worthy read.

Well, my personal perspective is that prison is inherently traumatic. It is literal slavery. Nobody, no matter what the crime or circumstances that led up to it, petty or huge, should have to endure prison conditions in America. Imagine 24/7 having to be subjected to the brightest fluorescent lights possible, the loudest noises, crammed in a concrete block of a room with 100 or so other people (in general population jails) or at best 4 or 6 others for the entirety of your sentence — which is almost always blown out of proportion for the nature of the crime, or vice versa depending upon your privilege in life (the average white american getting probation or a slap on the wrist for a drug offense, the average black american spending a huge chunk of their lives behind bars for the exact same offense, and me getting away with two weeks in jail for trying to kill a bunch people just because i go to Harvard and my mom’s a cop).

The vast majority of crimes are petty. You can’t stop drug trafficking and addiction with mass incarceration. Encourage people to seek treatment when busted, provide them with the resources they need, and let them decide if or when they choose to get help. If caught redistributing drugs, make getting help mandatory, prosecute them to find the actual manufacturer of said drugs (if it isn’t them) and adequately punish them, then once they’ve completed a setlist of conditions (monitoring, rehab, yada yada), release them. If a woman is shoplifting baby food, you help that woman feed her baby, not throw the child into the OTHER trauma of foster care and the mother in prison for years.

When I was in jail, I shared a cell with an old black woman (we called her Rosa Parks LMFAO) who was in there LONGER THAN I WAS… for trespassing. A class C misdemeanor. She went to the bank to get change, but they were closed, and a manager called the cops on her when she was standing outside too long waiting for the next bus. Two weeks for me for attempted mass murder > two weeks or more for that old woman. What sense does this shit make?

Let’s talk major crimes like mine. These are always committed by someone with some kind of deep mental illness (untreated/undiagnosed) or trauma. They need help. Children aren’t shooting up their schools in troves for no reason. Look at their backgrounds: abusive/neglectful families, poverty, trauma, etc. When it’s easy to cop an AR-15 and we are THE most gun-loaded country for no fucking REASON other than mass paranoia and the delusion of freedom, then why wouldn’t a kid who’s already about to commit suicide with mommy and daddy’s AR collection out on display in the living room NOT see anything to lose in taking as many other motherfuckers out with them? Especially anyone else who wronged them and ridiculed them for their trauma or otherwise? They need help.

Even if they DO go on to kill people, they still deserve a second chance to make amends and face the consequences of their actions. Something drove them to that point, and there was already an infinite amount of failures in more systems than one that let it happen (easy gun access, poor mental health, no social services, bullying that’s unchecked, etc.). That’s why i’m choosing to research gun violence prevention — so that I can become a therapist who specifically focuses on homicidal people and youth, because so many of these so called psychiatrists never believed me when I said I was thinking about hurting people because I simply “don’t look like it.” And guess what? The vast majority of medicine used to treat physical and mental health problems in prisons have been discontinued for use in the general American population. When I was in jail, they put me on drugs to help with my “withdrawals” that caused me to lose sensation in half of my face and would leak out of my nose. That shit is inhumane, and they FORCE you to take it in front of them. If you don’t? Well, beaten or thrown into a suicide watch pad it is.

Throwing people like me in prison, or even people with less severe crimes but still pretty serious, without proper mental health (or any kind) of treatment will only make things WORSE. If we DO get out eventually, all of that trauma i described and WORSE will only follow them forever. That makes people more inclined to commit crimes again, usually even worse ones. This is what feeds the recidivism rate, which in turn feeds into the prison system and therefore modern day slavery as well. Anything “made in America” was made by prison slave labor. For pennies on the hour, sometimes pennies a DAY, when a fucking granola bar on the commissary menu is $50.

I think that the Scandinavian countries have it right. Even Anders Breivik was only given a 21 year sentence for the Norway shooting. If he wasn’t a spoiled and narcissistic brat who thinks he’s tough shit and “too good” to accept help, even HE would’ve had the chance to get out after killing 70~ people in only 21 years if he just completed his measly little conditions (be a better person lmfao). Look at their prisons. Better than a studio apartment in downtown LA for $9mil a month in rent. They get access to things that HELP normal people: games, technology, music, instruments, arts, TV, company, THE ABILITY TO FUCK IN YOUR CELL EVERY NOW AND THEN, EVEN. Do that shit in America and they’ll slap a sex offender charge on your ass just for jacking off in your cell and OFFICIALLY ruin your life forever. And yes, even sex offenders deserve a second chance in life! And look at their crime and recidivism rates (NONE of you racist mfs chime in about the immigration issue…).

My belief is that you have to HELP people like me, my ex, and my other deranged ass friends. Look at HOW and WHY we got to that point, and FIX IT so that the chances of it happening again are LESS. Not doing so only FUELS HUMAN SUFFERING MORE. Okay, let’s say they let child killer here out of jail after all of that shit, they didn’t help me for shit afterwards and y’all SAW THAT. Now imagine if I had snapped again and actually blew up a fucking orphanage in Kentucky or some shit. Who is to BLAME for that, other than the people who knew it happened, did nothing about it, and let it happen again? If your child gets molested by the known pedophile across the street who is on the SOR already, who do you blame for letting that guy back out of prison without ACTUALLY addressing why he did what he did? Even pedophiles need support groups, because let’s face it: NOBODY is out here “slaughtering pedophiles” in troves as people like to think. It’s all just about feeling morally superior in any small way, and it doesn’t get any worse in society than hurting a child somehow. So, why not make sure that Chester the Molester gets mandatory TREATMENT and COUNSELING and UNDERSTANDING of pedophilia, which is, yes, a mental disorder listed in the DSM-5 and therefore worthy of adequate understanding and treatment as any other mental condition.

Probation is another thing that needs reform. But i already rambled enough and i gotta actually answer that other anon who sent that ask in the first place, because they want my opinion on two other things lmao. Thanks for asking me about this, I enjoyed explaining it!

[kawhh]

You🫵🏻have made my brain worms begin to wriggle. Thinking abt Quinn and a homesick you. OR you who moved to Vancouver to be with him after awhile of just visiting BUT there were troubles with your visa so you can't stay 🙂‍↕️

I'll continue to apologise for any ask I answer today - anyone is free to ask for a not so 'dark'(?) version

He doesn't understand why you're homesick. You have him? Why do you need anything else? Anyone else? Is he slacking? Are you having negative thoughts you aren't sharing? You wouldn't do that to him.. would you?

If you get homesick.. what if you think about leaving him? What if you don't think you can live with him now? What if you go away to visit home and don't come back? Decide that you're too comfortable there when you go?

He can't do long distance. He can't have that distance between you. He already loses his mind when he goes on roadies. What do you mean he wouldn't be able to touch you? Fuck you in the morning?

He's afraid. It's making his mind cloudy. He can't focus on you like he needs to. That's making him spiral even more - he's sabotaging himself and potentially cementing the thoughts in your head.

What is it about home that you miss? The food? Family? Your house?

He can fix this.

He's researching recipes and asking you questions. He'll find a way to bring the food to you. He'll ask chefs. He'll get the same ingredients that you eat at home. He'll stalk the social media of all your family members to get any information he can. He can't ask them - they'd realise that you're homesick and encourage you to come home.

Your family? He can have some of them flown over for a weekend - he can use one of his games as a cover up. Oh, he just wanted to treat you and wanted you to be able to spend time with them together. You'll be watching him so he'll still be involved and then they'll go home. You'll feel more settled.

You miss your old home? What about it? The decorations? Your blankets? Stuffies? He's getting someone to.. 'browse' your house. He'll make sure the important things find their way back to your shared apartment. He'll buy copies of the decorations and act confused if you notice that it's similar.

[weirdthinkingdragon]

Stay Close

Slight yandere Dan Heng x reader

warnings: a bit of awkwardness? Slight fluff

Yandere Dan Heng using his Lunae form to keep a "dragon lover" reader close to him. You being from a world they're nonexistent to now seeing one that shouldn't be possible when you joined the express.

Like a moth drawn to a flame the first time you saw it you were beyond fascinated to the point everyone could tell. Yet you couldn't bring yourself to question him about it feeling it would be disrespectful since he seems so avoidant of talking about it after just a few questions you tried to ask him.

That also lead you to feel unbelievably awkward around him for a while since you've already talked about your love of dragons to the express... If you knew then you would have never said a word. How were you supposed to know there was a draconic type of human??

That lead you to research in the archives a lot to make sure there isn't anything else you should know about before it was too late.

With time things got back to normal and you started to drift away from Dan Heng. He's a guy who likes his space. Why bother him when you have Trailblazer and March to bother? Plus you're pretty sure you learned everything you wanted to know by then and your visits became less and less often.

Little did you know at that point Dan Heng didn't really like that. He grew rather used to your previous frequent presence in the archives.

What he really didn't like is when you got separated on visiting another planet. That alone wouldn't have been so bad if the person you were with trying to help the world didn't try to stab you in the back. Literally. He saw it happen and nearly lost his cool. He threw his spear just in the nick of time and punctured the person's leg, causing them to stop and scream in pain.

Obviously that startled you to turn around and see them running up and what happened.

After that there was a shift in his actions with you. Almost always in the same room especially if no one else was. Another thing you noticed was him more often in his other form. Man you want to touch his tai- no. Bad. That's weird.

It's like a train wreck no matter how hard you try to stop looking, you can't.

He knows you want to touch it. It's not hard to tell. Quite frankly, it's the opposite. It's to the point you don't even have to say it. But that's what he wants. He's willing to show this part to you alone just to keep you near if he has to. He knows you don't think he sees you looking while he's reading.

"You can try touching it, if you want."

You're shocked for a good minute, then apprehensive. You wonder if he only is saying that because your looking is pressuring him so you can stop, or maybe another bad reason you don't want to try to think about. "...Are you sure?"

Aeons, please just do already! This is more of a delicate situation though. If he wasn't as level-headed he'd have already impulsively pulled you to him with his tail and made you stay close as much as possible. "if I wasn't, I wouldn't have offered."

You cave and carefully do. It wasn't what you were expecting. it was more smooth, airy to the touch, and rather cool. Not cold, but definitely not warm either. Maybe airy wasn't the right word? Felt more like water itself but a bit more solid. So like soft ice and not nearly as cold.

You didn't want to stop touching it but didn't want to push your luck. That alone was enough for you to be happy with.

But it didn't stop there. More frequently you'd go to the archives again and he kept offering. Eventually one day he pulled you to his lap and rested his head on you while you held it. He wrapped his arms around you as well and let a mental sigh of relief. He's glad it's this way now.

This is where you belong with him. Whatever happens or comes for him, he cannot leave the express anymore. Not with you. Not with something as great as this.

He's never been more glad to have his other form than now. If it helps make you stay close, well then he might just have to start staying in this form more often. Even if around other people too.

[0-lcb-sinner]

went over the cutscenes one more time. thus, i present to you a collection of things we learned this intervallo (SPOILERS!! under the cut)

if you have anything else to add, pls share

city lore:

w corp has been having Issues for some time, might go under

check-ups in the city are the worst shit ever

p corp's singularity is Expansive Space Warping technology; different from other space warping stuff due to how they're aiming to make the "safest place in the world" where, no matter what happens outside, inside is unaffected (sounds familiar?)

bloodfiends propagate to share the thirst instead of one individual bearing all of it

L corp prioritized hiring people with trauma (predictable)

limbus company org lore:

lc department list so far: lca (?), lcb (bus), lccb (clearance before), lcca (clearance after), lcd (distortion), lce (extraction enkephalin! thanks for the correction)

lce stores and researches abnos, distortions, peccatula, and related stuff

lce lifted a lot of stuff (including abno risk designations, for example) from L corp

lce doesn't have qliphoth deterrence so they have to beat the shit out of abnos manually every time

abno/distortion/peccatula and related stuff lore:

peccatula are entities that failed to distort

there might be more peccatula stages beyond stage 3

the golden bough brings some other entities down a notch (like the whale and, while not mentioned there, manchaland's don quixote)

distortions eventually turn into abnormalities, which removes all individuality and renders un-distorting impossible

time ripper is classified as HE-7-PI-20-01 (HE - risk level, PI - pigritia (sloth) affinity; it's stated that 6 is the expected damage to occur, but it's mentioned nowhere in the classification, so it might be a typo from 7)

distorted hohenheim is classified as HE-5-SU (5 expected damage, SU - superbia (pride))

monoliths are scattered through the city like the boughs, and can force a distortion

hohenheim's (wrong) hypothesis: holding a firm belief in the self is enough to remain a distortion

lcb-specific lore:

reviving sinners still leaves them with stress and fatigue, so it can't be used to solve every heath issue under the sun

everyone grew weaker after making the contract with dante; they were basically brought down to the level of sinclair, with the exception of some individual quirks

sinclair was a teacher's pet

rocinante made the call to reawaken sancho back during murder on the warp express

dante doesn't just resonate with sinners by seeing their memories; they can also be influenced by something strongly influencing one of the sinners

when taking rocinante off, don quixote feels the thirst of every bloodfiend of her family and hears their voices

don quixote states she "was made to ascend to [her] father's seat"

yi sang is the weakest sinner, don quixote is the strongest; greggy didn't even get on the list (has a certain potential and is an exception)

lcb would currently be classed between urban plague and urban nightmare, with the potential to eventually become a sotc

wild speculation fodder:

gregor is not feeling so good; fails to elaborate on that. his arm has been quiet ever since the contract, tho?

outis seems a bit jumpy on the topic of war between wings (possible lead towards the "smoke war veteran" theory?)

sinclair and hong lu are associated with wrath

gregor, faust, meursault are associated with sloth

outis, rodion, heathcliff are associated with gluttony and gloom

ishmael and ryoshu are associated with pride and lust

yi sang and don quixote are associated with envy

"because the realization of meaninglessness extinguishes the reason for the spark to start a fire" WHAT DID YOU MEAN HONG LU

RODION FEELS LIKE SHE'S FLOUNDERING IN SOME DITCH.... BABYGIRL......

"the flow" is that the manager will be preserved?..

[bethebesttoyou]

Times are Hard for Dreamers - Choi Beomgyu

synopsis: Friends Beomgyu and Y/N try to have a good day at the fair.

pairing: College student! Beomgyu x College student! reader

song: Times are Hard for Dreamers - Amelie

warning/tags: cursing, fluff!!, me trying to be funny and failing, friends to lovers, I wanted to make it jess and nick coded but Beomgyu is just too sweet... reader is an overly optimistic person!!!!

Wc: 3.6k (I swear im not doing this on purpose D:)

A/N: Beomgyu fic... we win. I actually really wanted to write a Beomgyu fic for awhile but I didn't really have an idea, UNTIL NOW!!! I have like half of vampire in the corner worked on, but I started school, so idk IDK I'll have to see where I can go with that story. I also get so many ideas for longer fics, but I can't lock in :( In the meantime, I want to continue writing one shots!! :3

Beomgyu leans his head against the headrest, stretching out his arms and grunting before checking his watch again. He closes his eyes in frustration before looking back at your front door, his sunglasses dimming his overall view. When you told him 12 pm, he should've known better, should’ve read in between the lines, the way you excitedly ranted about the day you had in store for the both of you. He should've known when he surprisingly got you tickets to the very popular fall fair, that you would overwhelm yourself with planning. Now, 30 minutes later, he watches your front door intently, praying it opens. And it works, out you come prettily dressed in a tan long sleeve and plaid long skirt, both accentuated the curvature of your body so nicely, he wishes you could go back in so he can compose himself. But as you smiled widely at his presence, sending him a wave before adjusting your bag over your shoulder, he settled for a nervous cough and looked away, only looking back at you when you were finally sitting in the passenger seat. He scowls at you playfully. 

“Oh. Beomgyu we have to leave by 12 or we're gonna miss the opening…Oh Beom, please sleep early and get here on time, Oh Beom-” He mocked, only letting out a laugh when you punch his shoulder. 

“It's still 12…we’ll make it if you just drive, like now!” You roll your eyes playfully and start messing with his radio and he just scoffs, putting the car on drive. 

Beomgyu honestly couldn't care less about this fall fair, if it were up to him, he would've been home, relaxing after the terror from being buried in papers and exams and research during midterms, but he didnt think twice of buying them. When he saw the posters all over campus he knew you would want to go, he already pictured the way your eyes would brighten from the mere mention of the mazes, the games, the snacks, he knew you would just obsess over the last activity of the day, fireworks. And when he mentioned it to you, he was right. 

“I-I would love to!” You exclaim turning to your friends behind you, some of them snickering knowingly. 

“Hey gyu, where are our tickets?” Yeonjun bumps Kai’s shoulder before feigning ignorance. 

“Shut up.”

So maybe his crush on you wasn’t exactly hidden, he was a man after all, and it was only natural that someone as optimistic and bright as you would catch the attention of a pessimist that lacks that brightness in his life. He loved to act like he didn't care much about anything, but he cared a lot about you. He couldn't fight the urge of showing it, catering to your likings with fake annoyance, but in reality he lived for your excitement, it only fueling him to continue, he was surprised you've been the only one to not catch on, or maybe internally grateful you hadn't, he didn't think he was ready for that yet. 

But he thought of it, especially now as he heard your raving about the itinerary for the day, having done your research on the different activities and food stands being offered at the event, and he was glad to be the first one to ask you, he couldn't imagine you doing this with anyone else, he would rather die. 

“Jesus, does it tell you how I'm gonna die on that paper?” He teases anyways, and you grunt. 

“I want to take full advantage of today, we deserve a day of stress free fun!” 

“I guess I can agree.” 

“Trust me Gyu, we're gonna have so much fun, you're gonna want to come back.” You promised. “This paper is gonna be our lifeline today, just as long as we stick to it, we should be able to do everything! Here’s your copy.” 

He laughs at your ridiculous planning but believes in you anyways. He just wanted to spend time with you, grateful to have you all to himself, so he was more than willing to follow a piece of paper if it meant it was guaranteed. 

The car ride was meant to be a long one, the directions sending you out of the city you both occupied, to the closest open field your campus can find to set up. Yet, the drive didn't feel as long as Beomgyu expected, your voice causing him to lose track of time, paying attention to your silly stories and gossip he hated to admit was pretty interesting. 

“So, they were not dating? Just fucking?” 

“Ningning said that she said they weren't…and now they're just not talking anymore…” 

“That's annoying…” 

“That's what I'm saying!They definitely like each other, they’re just dumb.He’s gotta step up.” You roll your eyes and he can't help but feel the pink heat rise to his face. 

He finally parks, turning off the ignition and turns to you, once again taking in the sight. You were everything, he thought, there's not a single sweet word that doesn't describe you. Watching you as you straighten the paper, he watches your delicate fingers scan the page, before speaking. 

“Okay! Well, we missed the opening ceremony but it's fine, I didn't care much for it anyways…First on the list is for you. Let’s start with…coffee! yay!” You say hoping out of the car, him laughing at your excitement. Giving the worker the tickets, you immediately head towards the coffee stand to the right, ignoring that Beomgyu was in awe of the set up. It was the middle of the day, but the entire fair was lit up like those old carnivals you would see in the movies. Laughter and screams could be heard from every corner, the smell of popcorn and sweets mixing together and clogging his nostrils, he could see why you were excited, this place was like a manifestation of your personality: fun, nostalgic and comforting. 

“Beomgyu! I got your drink!” you yell from afar, and he turns around, walking, stepping towards you before, watching in horror as someone cuts him off, bumping into you and spilling both coffees on your chest. 

“Dude, what the fuck?” Beomgyu says turning to the offender, as they apologize profusely. 

“Are you okay?” 

“-you okay?” they both asked frantically, Beomgyu already taking your hand, starting to lead you to the closest stand with napkins. He completely misses the way your face turns pink, before you laugh awkwardly, distracted from his own flustered feeling, he feels like a Victorian man by just the touch of your soft hand, the hotness spreading from your connected hands to all over his body.

“Good thing, it wasn't hot coffee right?” You squeeze his hand before taking a napkin. 

You turn to the apologizing stranger, “it's fine! You're fine! It was an accident!” you say, before turning back again and smiling at Beomgyu, “it was an accident.” Now softer, trying to ease the scowl on his face. 

After politely rejecting the strangers' pleas to help, he finally leads you to another nearby stand, hoping to find a shirt to replace the sticky top you were now stuck with. After looking at the selections, the only one in your size was a muddy green shirt that had a random koala bear with sunglasses on with the words, “Koalified to party” Beomgyu looks at you with sorry eyes, as you gulp at the shirt. 

“So much for cute pictures today…” You say from behind the fitting room curtain.”But it's okay! This is gonna be a fun story to tell the group!,” You laugh lightly, walking out of the makeshift fitting room only to Beomgyu trying to stifle a laugh. You flick his forehead before continuing, 

“No! It looks good! You look good!” He laughs. 

“Well, forget coffee! Back to the paper! Next stop…um…the swings!” 

The high swings were towards the back, and Beomgyu noticed every time you looked down at your watch, you’d start walking faster, the furrow of your eyebrows becoming more evident as the walk continued. Once you got to the front, your smile came back and shined brightly towards the worker before dropping completely when he pointed out the line that stood behind you. 

“A-and um… how long is the wait?” 

“All ride lines right now are going to be about two hours or so.” the worker says, apologetically looking at you both. 

Beomgyu is starting to realize what type of day this was going to be, and he wanted to suggest going home, or finding something else to do, trying to avoid even more disappointment. If he had known it was going to be this packed or this difficult to enjoy the day, he wouldn't have suggested it at all and you would have had to plan an entire day just for it to completely fall apart in front of you. But when you turn to him with determination in your eyes, he remembers you are never one to back down.  

“Okay, new plan! We no longer wait for the rides, let's just play some games! Maybe head to the maze after! That should still give us time to make it back for the fireworks!” you say, your smile was not as big as it was 3 hours ago, but it was still there. Beomgyu wanted to check on you just in case. 

“You okay? We can always just-” 

“No time for that! We have the paper!” You say already walking away. 

—

It had been two hours into playing games, and after you exclaimed how obsessed you were with the giant  light brown teddy bear that hung from the corner of the stand, the bow that laid just below its ear making you squeal, you both took turns playing trying to knock down the obvious glued golden cups. You and Beomgyu both lost about 100 dollars combined. The carny had been a bored looking teenager, would laugh every time he saw you guys walk back to the end of the line, but you both were too frustrated to even care. Beomgyu honestly didnt want the stupid fucking bear, it wasnt worth it, but in his mind, you needed this win (and he wanted this win for you, so bad)and so each time it was his turn, he would throw the ball more aggressively, trying to fight the look of disappointment on your face when the cup would resist the blow. He didn't want to feel bad, but he did, immensely, as he watched you throw the ball and grunt loudly. You start rubbing your temple out of sheer frustration before sighing. 

“One more go…Just one more go, okay?” You say to him, and he watches you line up one last time, the look of determination etched on your face. Only for the small child in front of you to knock the golden cup, the ringing congratulatory bell going off as you watch with a straight face. The cheers were so loud and in Beomgyu’s opinion, obnoxious, that he wanted nothing more than to just comfort you, take you away from the scene and offer you some solace, but the fear of rejection kept him from doing so. 

“Well, it's maze time.” You say as you watch the child and their parents walk off with the giant bear, your eyes reflecting shame, embarrassment and sadness. Beomgyu decided that his heart could bear the negative emotion in your eyes, it wasn't you,he thought.

“Hey what if we just get out of here? Get something to eat, yeah?” 

“N-no we cant! The paper! The maze! fireworks! We can't miss the fireworks! You bought me these tickets, we can let them go to waste!” you panic, but your eyes look defeated. Beomgyu doesn't want to burst your bubble, he really wishes things could have been different, but he can't stand the thought of watching you get disappointed again. With the way things are going, he knew the fireworks were gonna follow the same fate. He knew you to be optimistic, never letting things get you down, but he wasn't so sure as to why you were so determined for this day to go perfectly. You had never been so obsessed with the details before.  

“y/n… it's okay, really! … l-lets just go…” your eyebrows, that were slightly slanted and eyes that were soft, immediately switched to anger, with now furrowed eyebrows and flames in your eyes. 

“Y-you can go then. But I'm going to the maze. Don't follow me. ” You say stomping away, leaving Beomgyu shocked and guilty. He wasn't sure what was going on, what had made you so determined to finish the day, even if it meant you were no longer standing by the end of it. 

He felt horrible. All he wanted was to see your smile again, to see you enjoying the fair like he had hoped you would, yet this mysterious pressure was nearly forcing you into a breakdown. He wanted to fix this, needed to. He was determined now, no longer caring if he looked too doting, even if it made his feelings visible to you, he was going to make it up to you. Starting with that fucking bear. 

He stalks up to the stand, where the same bored looking teenager now stood with an amused look on his face, watching Beomgyu stand mere feet away from him. 

“How much for the bear.” They had replaced it with a new one already. 

“Not for sale, man, you gotta win.” 

Beomgyu stares at him, hoping to read him well. 

“Ill give you 50 bucks for it.” 

“Ha! Make it a hundred and you got a deal.” 

“60.” 

“120, and I'll throw in a ferris wheel ride with my buddy over there.” Beomgyu blushed at the thought. That sparked an idea. 

“During the fireworks?” the boy thought about it for a second. 

“I guess I can make that happen…might cost a bit extra though…” 

“Fuck, whatever. Deal.” 

–

Beomgyu thought about waiting for you outside of the maze entrance, but it had been 30 minutes and you were still not out. He had seen those that enter after you already come out and he began to feel nervous. Worried thoughts of missing the fireworks became worried thoughts of something happening to you in the maze. His worries got worse when your phone was sending him to voicemail. 

So with tired arms and heavy grunts, he walks into the maze, keeping track of his turns, which he learned he didn't have to, you weren't that far from the opening, yet, you were scrunched down, head buried in your hands, crying. 

“Y/N?” He says muffled the giant bear barely fitting through the small isles of corn. 

“Oh thank god!- Wait what the hell?” You said, tear stained cheeks, and now wide confused eyes staring at the bear that covered most of his body.

‘Why are you crying?” He asks, and it almost looks like the bear is talking. 

“I got lost…” You were lost in the presence of the bear, “D-Did you win this?” 

“Um…”

He had questions too, but as he looked up and realized that it was finally dark, he pulled your hand and began to run out of the maze, 

“Questions later! We're gonna be late!” 

“For?” 

“You’ll see!” 

—-

Once you got to the ferris wheel, you watched as Beomgyu walked past the long line into the stand. Beomgyu notices you are about to interrupt, glossy eyes and all, but turns when he hears his name. 

“You Beomgyu?” 

“Yes.” 

“Is the bear your date? If not, it's gonna have to stay down here, it's not gonna fit.” the carny chuckles, Beomgyu glares back. 

“Whatever gets me up there man.” 

“Hey… A-Are we getting on?” 

Beomgyu notices your face that was just laced with pure confusion. He smiles softly before leaving the bear behind, leading you to your cart, sitting next to you and securing your seatbelt. It's only then does he understand the gravity of the situation and he's thinking he might have flown a little too close to the sun. This was, very clearly, a romantic gesture, and Beomgyu had no plan, whatsoever. This was it, he planned getting you up here, watching the fireworks, but then what? What can you do on a ferris wheel in a platonic way? Talking! You could talk! Talk while you wait for the fireworks! 

He tries to think of things to say, but how can he?  when you are so close and he can smell your fruity perfume, mixed with a hint of coffee. Your lips ,that had always attracted his eyes to stare at them while you spoke, now don't have to say anything for him to notice them there, parted and soft before stretching into a shy smile. 

“...How did you do all this?” he shakes his head.

“That doesn't matter, I'm sorry the day has been such a mess and I haven't been much help either…” You scoff. 

“That's definitely not your fault, I'm sorry…the one that wanted to make this all perfect.” 

“Yeah, why is that?” Beomgyu feels self conscious as you stare at him for a minute, before laughing awkwardly. 

“Can I give you something? You promise not to laugh?” He feels the pressure from your words, fear of what may come next. Oh god, he thought, someone told you about his feelings… He nods anyway, accepting fate. You were now at the highest point on the ferris wheel, and Beomgyu begged for the show to start, scared of hearing what you were going to say. 

You reach into your bag, before pulling a thinly worn folded notebook paper before handing it to him. Written on top was his name and a small heart next to it. He shivered at the sight. 

“I-its a note… I wrote it the day of graduation” You laugh, “it's silly and it was never going to see the light of day, but I don't know…I felt ready. Well sorta…” You are looking away now, trying hard not to make it more awkward than you are starting to feel. The fireworks start, popping and lighting up the sky, but Beomgyu can't focus as he's now shakingly opening the note. 

A confession note. 

Beomgyu gasps, reading the contents, before looking at you. You’re looking up in admiration of the colors before you, the shapes that manifest in the night sky, a nervous smile sets on your lips, fingers nervously holding on to the rail of your cart. He knows you feel his gaze on you but refuses to turn to him. 

“Y/N…” 

“It's okay, Beomgyu! Really! I just…I needed to do something about this letter… I was holding on to it for way too long.” You're not really talking about the letter, Beomgyu believes. When he can't find the words yet, you continue. 

“I just.. I hope this doesn't change us, I hope we can still be friends… Please…” Pleading eyes are what finally meet Beomgyu’s shocked ones and he finds you so beautiful in this moment, he can’t bring himself to say everything that he's ever wanted to. That he has waited for some kind of sign for two years, that you had occupied a space in his heart since the first day he's met you, that he did all this just for you, and would never ask for anything in return, that your smile and presence was more than enough. But instead, hoping to convey the mutual feeling or perhaps stronger ones,  Beomgyu grabs your face by each side and brings you closer, and you let out a squeal, the fireworks only getting more aggressive and intense. And it matches the way Beomgyu’s heart is feeling, accelerated, like it's about to explode as he lays his lips on yours, feeling the petal likeness of your lips.

And the butterflies swarm all over his body when you finally kiss back, fluttering your eyes closed, and pressing further in, shivering from your own nerves slowly dissipating. He hopes you can feel everything he’s thinking, everything he wants you to know, but in case you didn't, he pulls back and looks at you, now possessed with the same determination you had all day: 

“I dont want to stay friends. I want to be with you. I want this, all the time. I like you, Y/N. Please, tell me this letter still means something."He pulls a stray hair behind your ear, watching the pinkness in your cheeks get darker. 

“O-Of course it does. It always will.” You whisper with shining eyes. Your hands that had been glued on the railing, now moving to his waist and wrapping them around and hugging him tight. He sighs and smiles widely, hands now holding you close, it was only then had he noticed that the cart was making its way back down. At the entrance, was the giant bear, sitting patiently as you both got off the wheel, trying to pretend neither of your hearts were still pounding from excitement and giddyness. The carny holds a fist bump with a smirk that beomgyu shyly returns before grabbing the bear. 

“W-we missed most of the show, sorry…” He says after a moment of walking in silence. Remembering the taste of you, already growing addicted.  

“No! Don't be… it was perfect, actually the whole day was.” You say, your eyes still beaming with what he can only hope for satisfaction and fondness.

He laughs at that. Before putting an arm around your shoulder, bringing you closer. Walking towards the car, you rambled about the maze, how the kid had to have had some steroid in him, he realized just how much the atmosphere has changed. The presence of something filled the air: the makings of new love. 

"You gotta let me borrow that shirt..."

"Shut. Up."

A/N: YAY!! you made it!!! thanks you for reading!! Like always, let me know what you think! :3

[namelessghost04]

happy wednesday! in honour of Lord Hermes' day, here are a few ways in which I honour Him <3

disclaimer: obviously you don't have to do this! everyone's practice is different. i just wanted to share my experience. feel free to include any in your practice!

make a playlist for Him! just throw in your favourite songs that remind you of Him

drink caffeine. coffee, monster energy, whichever you prefer! now, everyone reacts in a different way, you know your body better than anyone else so be careful with drinking too much! and if you cannot have caffeine...

dedicate a warm drink to Him! in my experience, He seems to enjoy hot chocolate and chamomile tea, so those are good alternatives too

learn a new language! or just review your mother tongue/your second language. i personally like to dedicate my chinese homework to Him :)

go for a walk! furthermore, you can even ask Him to go with you. it's a great way to bond with Him. you could also go for a ride in a car or bike if you'd rather

research His myths and hymns. learn as much as you can about Him

talk to Him! just pray to Him in your mind, tell Him about your day or anything that happened

learn divination in His name. i started learning cartomancy and dice divination for Him!

take a break when needed. trust me, He wants you to take care of yourself more than anything. it's okay to relax from time to time!

play with your pets! self explanatory i think

wear devotional jewellery! you can get a Caduceus necklace, or a turtle charm, or even a strawberry one! He'll appreciate it

share moments with your loved ones! just spend time with your family and friends. check up on them if they're far

try new things! is there something you've been wanting to do for a while but are too scared to try? maybe someone you really want to talk to but don't know how? just do it! trust Him

i think that's all i have for now :') khaire!

[amor-godess-of-love]

@kun1nn requested this so I delivered it, hope you like it ^^

Headcanons for Jonathan Crane as a parent:

•Whether it be his biological child or one he adopted Jonathan will be incredibly worried about raising it. He never had a good parental guidance in his life, all he has are examples of what not to do to a child. He will need his partner reassurance that he can do this.

•You can bet your money that he in week read more then fair share of books about parenting, he learns all stages of child development and any signs he should look out for.

•With his knowledge on nursery rhymes, lullabies and poems he make sure he has a set of new ones each night. Staying with his kid until they fall asleep. He has notebook that keeps track of his child favourite ones, noting if something changes.

•And if the child wakes him up at night? Depending on the cause he will deal with it differently. If it's a nightmare? He invites his child to sleep with him and his partner, while he holds them both close. But if the "monster" that woke them up? He makes display of putting on his mask and taking his glove, barging into child's room, looking under bed and making it seem like the monster run away at sight of him. After that he stay with his child until they fall asleep.

•He ask other rogues for advice more often then not. He ask Harley for all kinds of fun but safe toys and gadgets while he will consult Edward on stimulating kind of riddles and puzzles he would recommend for developing child. He would ask Jervis for advice on tea parties and dolls. He also would refer to Pamela for advice about herbs in case his child has a stomach ache or headache, maybe something soothing before bed.

•Speaking of toys, his child would be given all kinds of plushies and staff toys to play or sleep with it. He would even created a scarecrow plushie he made, refer to him, as "Mr. Hay" and tell his child it will be guard them when he isn't around.

•He can and will train his Crows to watch over his child and imidiatly alarm him if something is wrong. Whenever he sees his "feather children" play with his real child he will get move, but deny if question about it.

•As child he knew what a true fear feels like, so he makes sure his child is never forced to feel it ever. He will help his child overcome or just managed any phobias of fear they have. What kind of "master of fear" would he be if he couldn't help his child with it?

•When the child's get's older he will teach them how to make his most simple fear toxin for self defense purposes. While he would be more then happy to teach his child all he knows about fear and show them how to make all his different fear toxins. He would never forced child to fallow his footsteps, just teach them nessesity and if the child wants to learn more? He will happily teach them, adjusting everything to his child knowledge and age.

•He will make his child a matching little costume so they can be "like they dad!"

•Whenever his child get's into new book series he make sure to read them so he could talk to them about that books, if it's anything else like TV series or games? He will try his best to also research on the topic. He just wants to know what his child likes.

•God have mercy if his child is bullied in school. He will rage a storm that will explain to everyone while he is "God of fear in human form". But if he finds, it's mostly because other parents badmouth his child and they children just reapeat what they heard? Well he just found his new "volunteers" for his newest batch of most potent fear toxin.

•He will support his child whenever they seek higher education or want to look for career imidiatly after highschool and if the child wants to fallow his footsteps into criminal carrier, he will show them the ropes and take them as his sidekick (They will have to be at lest 15, but even then he never brings them if he expects anything dangerous might happen).

•While in private I imagine he let's his southern drawl slip more often, he becomes proud of his child picks up on it and develops one of they own.

•He is kind of father that would teach his child all kinds of skill they would need. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, how to fix the car, a basic electrical work, how to escape heavily guarded asulum, you know the nessesities.

•He will make sure to always let his child know how beautiful they are. He will work with them if they have any esteem issues, he knows better then anyone what it's like. He specially feels responsibility if the child inherited his Marfan syndrome or Stahl's ears, or any appearance altering issue.

•While he knows he isn't perfect dad, he tries. He feels like failure whenever he feels he let his child see him at low point or doing some bad sytuation. He specially will have hard not to break if child just hug him better. In private he will cry about being a failure, but after gentle reassurance he doing good, he will take his child for ice cream and them them how much he lives them.

•He is great listener, always listening to his child stories. He also takes they ploblems serious, since he knows it's important to them. He will always get to source of ploblem and help them fix it.

•I think if possible he would love to raise his child on the farm or at lest take his child often into countryside.

•And if someone tries to hurt his child to get to him. Oh boy they as good as dead, you will not only have a furious Scarecrow and his partner after you, but also all kinds of rogues who serve as aunts and uncles to that child. They might be only few rules amongst the rogues that they all agree on, but "Don't hurt or involve children" is golden one they all respect.

•Jonathan might struggle a lot, but every "I love you dad" makes it worth it for him in the end. He is happy to give his child live full of love without fear he never had.

----------------------------------------------

@kun1nn if I can ask for your attention just a bit more, just something you ask me and I remember it.

Jonathan: Jagna and I are adopting a kid.

Kuninn: that’s gre—

Jagna: slamming adoption papers on the table It’s you, sign here

🎉Congratulations on a suprise adoption🎉

[destielaureversebb]

Coming soon for the @destielaureversebb: “The Spirit of Radio” 

Author: sidewinder @hawkland Artist: @mercurialkitty

Rating: Explicit Archive warnings: None Length: 25,000 words Tags:  Radio Station AU, Disc Jockey Dean, Angels Are Dicks (Even When They're Not Angels), Angst, Classic Rock Relationships: Dean/Castiel, background Sam/Jess, Benny/Andrea

Summary:  

What happens when corporate, satellite radio and a small town disc jockey collide?

Angel Radio needs a new hero. That is, they need a new DJ to anchor their classic rock channel and Dean Winchester of Sioux Falls, South Dakota just might be the man for the job. That's the directive Castiel receives from his boss, Naomi: recruit Dean to leave his small town shift at K.A.R.S. behind and move to the Los Angeles where a more lucrative career in broadcasting could await him.

But Dean's not sure he can leave his friends and found family behind—not even when Castiel shows up looking like someone who could light his fire, and the attraction is entirely mutual.

Excerpt: 

Castiel took a deep breath, counted to ten, and knocked on Naomi’s cracked-open door. “Come in,” she called, followed immediately by, “Castiel, you’re late.”

“I know and I apologize. Traffic this morning was—”

“—It doesn’t matter,” she dismissed with a wave of her hand. “In fact, neither does today’s planned agenda.”

“Oh?” His stomach twisted as he put Hannah’s stack of files down on the meeting desk. He wondered if his tardiness was some kind of last straw, and now his job was on the line. 

But Naomi didn’t look displeased, for once. If anything there was a glimmer of excitement breaking through her typical cold gaze as she handed him a portfolio and said, “I need you to take the ticket in there and get on a flight to Sioux Falls this evening.”

Castiel blinked in confusion. “Sioux Falls? What for?”

“As I’m sure you’re aware, we need some new talent to boost our failing channels, or else it’s time to pull the plug on them completely. Try something new. Our classic rock station, for instance, has been struggling all year since Raphael was poached by Crowley Media.”

“I know, and none of our temporary replacements have panned out.” Crowley Media was their biggest competitor in the satellite radio industry, and their coup offering Raphael a far better deal than they could ever manage had thrown everything—and everyone—in a tizzy. 

“Until now—or at least, that is my hope. Ambriel, over in our research department, tells me she’s been hearing great things about a fresh voice coming out of a small, local station in Sioux Falls South Dakota. A DJ by the name of Dean Winchester. He plays classic rock mixed with—of all things—automobile discussion. Ambriel says it’s like ‘Car Talk’ only with music—and a handsome young face. We could market his face and that midwestern charm into something big.”

Posting date:  March 17, 2025

[emryses]

WIP word train

tagged by @the-ipre tysm!! my word is LIGHT. these are pulled from a few dead boy oneshots i'm polishing up.

L - London life was quiet on the street below them—it was not as if the office was located in a highly populated section of the city—but there were a few people mulling about.

I - “I can deal with Nurse,” Charles muttered, and pulled out a notebook from his backpack—it was wet, dripping from where his thermos of coffee had apparently leaked.

G - Gingerly, Edwin set his feet down. Shaking, and covered in soot, he looked Spider-Man in the face, shocked. Before he could say anything else, an EMT dragged Edwin by the elbow and made him sit, practically shoving an oxygen mask over his face.

H - He had spent months wondering what the act would be like—if it would be something he would enjoy, or not. He had thought it through, he had done research, thank you very much, (Edwin found he preferred printed material, the video aids far too overwhelming of a spectacle). He had considered all the possible people he could have done it with—there was a list, attached to it the pros and cons of every potential encounter.

T - The issue being (and it’s sort of a big one) was that Charles knew Spider-Man wouldn’t be showing up wherever he and Edwin were, and most definitely not where Charles was. Because, well—if Charles’ unsubtle hints in his internal monologue didn’t do the trick—Charles was sort of Spider-Man.

zero pressure tags for @queerofthedagger @insane-ohwhyfandoms @idliketobeatree @dear-lucrow @e-payne your word is: CROWN.

[viktorwithhextech]

“i’m the same way,” he admitted with a laugh. “once you get me started, i’m nearly impossible to stop. but all of that sounds so interesting! it’s nice to have a lot of hobbies. i’ve always wanted to try more things, but i have a tendency to get tunnel vision, i think. my mind gets so swept away in one singular project that, at times, i forget anything else exists.” he laughed a little, his cheeks flushing a light shade of red. “it’s definitely not healthy for my sleep schedule, that’s for sure.”

he softened a little at her next words. “you don’t need to be science-y,” he promised, making sure she knew he meant it. “we all have our own talents. janna knows i’m not good at cooking or music or sketching or… anything really, besides research and inventing. i’m glad you’re interests lie elsewhere. i’d be a bit disappointed if we were exactly the same.”

a fond smile crossed his face at the thought of a younger Efa, just as fierce and brave as he might have imagined. it was clear those traits still resided in her now, though perhaps a bit subdued than they’d been before.

“i think little viktor would have loved little you,” he said between mouthfuls of pancakes, his stomach growling from the lack of being fed. “you probably would have kicked a bully away from him once and he’d latch on to you for life. he was a sharp kid… but i think sometimes he was too worried about being liked to fight back. i’m glad i grew out of that. i’d willingly hit anyone with my cane now- even just for fun.”

the feeling of her tears pooling on his shirt caused Viktor to hold on tighter, his hand rubbing gentle circles into her back, just like he’d been taught by his mother, the memory so old it blurred at the edges.

“i’m never going to judge you, Efa, truly. if anything, i’m glad you feel safe enough to cry around me. you can offer me any of your emotions. i promise to be as careful with them as i can.”

when Efa agreed to go to dinner, viktor felt even more excited than he had before. ever since he was little, he’d dreaded endings, afraid they meant he’d never see the people he said goodbye to again. to know she still wanted to spend time with him made him thrilled.

grabbing his coat from the rack near the door, he led her out of the lab, locking it behind him before they made their way outside. it was cold, and when he noticed she had no scarf, he offered his own, unwilling to let a friend go cold.

“here we are,” he declared when they reached the diner, the bell jingling when they stepped inside. “it’s never too busy here, which i like. order whatever. i’ll pay.”

( @efa-solheim )

[mermaidsirennikita]

I am begging the romance reading community to realize that the way kink is depicted in books is not reflective of real life any more than the 50 billion hot dukes in historicals are reflective of real life

[puppppppppy]

Why are ppl scared to call it what it is and say we’re still going thru covid on top of seasonal illness. Like. That’s pretty important right. I was watching the news and they were like oh yeah we have an unprecedented number of flu cases “as well as other sicknesses” without actually saying Covid. No announcement abt vaccinations or masking or anything. Also if I hear someone joking abt “war flashbacks” for mentioning covid I fucking hate u

[wundrousarts]

I discovered these paintings by James McNeill Whistler recently, Nocturne in Black and Gold: Falling Rocket (top) and Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Firewheel (bottom). I’m sharing them because they make me think of Nevermoor, as so many things do.

With paintings, a nocturne refers to the depiction of night. This is derived from the musical term, where a nocturne refers to a musical piece that is “inspired by, or evocative of, the night.” These both just come from the fact that “nocturne” essentially means “of the night”.

On a basic level, this just reminds me of Nevermoor by the aesthetics. The dreamy nighttime setting strikes me the most, but also the sparks of yellow fire that make me think of Wunder. Think of how many important scenes happen at night- Morrigan on Eventide, the Museum of Stolen Moments, and the Hollowpox in Courage Square. But the concept has me thinking, obviously, about the Wundrous Art of Nocturne. The only songs we know are Morrigan and Squall’s, who both chose nursery rhymes as their Nocture. Their choices make me think of lullabies, sung at night… and there’s lots to think about with that.

[riddlers-left-buttcheek]

Holy damn that's a lot of text, thank you so much for putting that amount of thought into this! 🙈

On communication:

Yeah, I wanna start off with commissions for personal use, and eventually get into commercial ones. Email communication seems pretty good actually, then I can have everything more organized and not overlook requests. I'll definitely get back to you on website and portfolio tips (once I even have enough finished works to showcase) thanks for offering!

On Pricing:

Ooo some price examples would be amazing, and the nonrefundable deposit is also pretty smart.

I've worked at a logo design company in management for a while (never again lol). We handled things much differently there, my boss basically had his apprentice employees teach him how to run his company, it was all over the place. And we gave away 12 free logo examples to each client, which was absolutely absurd. And then he'd complain that we put in all this effort for nothing 🤦‍♂️

That's also why I'm asking for advice, even though I've worked in this branch before, but it was just chaos all the time. And the clients - my god. Felt like all the worst people in my country decided to have their logo made by us. The price was always too high for them (despite us being the cheapest logo design company in the area at the time), complained that the results didn't come in fast enough, some clients were on their 30th revision, and they almost always wanted to converse over the phone to yell at you for not doing your job right, often over speaker in their car while driving. That's pretty much the reason why I'm so unsure about most of the process, and a little bit intimidated, because that's what I had to deal with for 4 years 🫡

Oh artist union sounds cool! Thanks for the tip, I'll check if there's something like that in my country. About the contract: omg that would be so nice if you could send me the base version, thanks for offering! Riiight, licensing fees exist, I think we also charged 50 flat back then.

On payment:

Damn, I didn't know about the friends/family thing on PayPal :o

About taxes, where I live you're allowed to make up to 800€, past that you have to tax it. But yeah, I'll worry about that when I get there, but it's still good to know about this stuff beforehand.

On Slots / Time

Yea, since I work slower in general, I'll probably calculate more time in, additionally to the time I think I need. Damn, I'm also chronically ill, which is also one of my concerns. The biggest issue are my chronic migraine that trigger really easily, so sometimes I'll be bedridden for a week. But I can probably let my clients know beforehand, I'm sure they'll understand, like with personal projects, right? Leaving some buffer reminds me, now that you say it, we used to do that at the logo design company as well, always telling clients it would take 2-3 weeks, when we actually had the first concepts in 1 week. And then the clients would be happy, sometimes, that they receive the designs sooner. Totally forgot about that, thanks for reminding me!

On Changes:

Omg thanks for the link! That's a really interesting way to go about commissions :o

On Scams:

You're riiiiight, hadn't thought of a form! That'll actually help a lot, then I don't have to do research on them and check if they're legit or not.

----

Thank you SO MUCH for all this advice, I'll study it thoroughly 🙈💕✨

It's so cool to also get insight into the business side of things. I will absolutely take this seriously, since I eventually want to be an artist full-time, because I really can't see myself anywhere else with my illnesses and disability.

I'll definitely visit your website and slide into your DMs for all the examples and stuff you offered, maybe also ask some more questions if anything comes up, if that's OK with you.

Again, thank you so much, it's so kind of you to take the time to write such a detailed reply, it helped me a lot! 🤗🩷

Commission Advice? (pls help)

Hey heyy

I wanna start doing commissions, but I've never done it before, and have no idea where to start. So I thought I'd make this post and ask any artist, that would like to share how they go about commissions, for advice.

I've summed up some of the questions that came to mind below the cut. I would want to take requests outside of Tumblr as well, just fyi. I'm well aware that most of what I ask depends on the individual artist and their works, and that there won't be a single formula to follow - I'd just like to gain a bit of perspective and see how different people go about these things, so that I can get an idea for myself.

Any helpful links to other posts or websites on this topic are much appreciated 💚

Replies to this in DMs are fine too ☺️

Questions below ⬇️

Communication?

Do you text with the client entirely through Tumblr (etc.) DMs, or do you use a different platform (like Discord, WhatsApp)?

Pricing?

My biggest issue is how much to charge for an art piece. I know it depends on multiple factors, like what type of drawing it is, is it lineart only, is it in colour, etc. Then there's also taxes. I've looked at a couple artists, but the prices vary so widely, and I have no idea where to put myself on that spectrum. I also have a huge problem knowing my worth, which definitely doesn't help.

Payment?

Which payment method do you use? My first thought was PayPal, I also read that many people use Stripe (that I never heard of before my research). And when do you ask for the transaction to be made? I've seen 50% upfront, the other 50% once it's done a lot. Some say to not give the customer the finished piece until you've received 100% of the money.

Slots?

How do you decide on how many you have available? Do have a fixed number or just take requests until you think you can't take any more?

Time?

How long does it take you to finish a request? Again, I know it depends on many many things. A couple examples would already help a lot.

Updates? Previews?

Do you give the client in-between updates on your progress? Do you send a preview before sending the finished piece? I've read that, before sending the final file, you should always have the images in low quality and with a watermark over it.

Changes?

If the client is dissatisfied with the final piece, do you allow changes? If yes, how many, where do you draw the line? Do you charge extra? Also, what do you do if the client doesn't like the entire thing?

Licensing

I absolutely suck at this, my brain just doesn't want to comprehend legal language. So most I've read on this, I still don't fully understand, but probably because I've never put it to practice. Is there a specific type of licensing you use? What do you tell your client on what they can do, but more importantly, can't do, with the art you create for them?

Final files?

In which file format do you send the finished art piece to the client? I was thinking pdf, maybe jpg and png? Also, how do you send it? In DMs? Per email?

Scams?

Also one of the more important questions for me, since I get paranoid about these things easily (and turn out to be right most of the time). Any advice on scams? I've read Instagram is filled with them, and to best avoid requests over Insta alltogether. Any experiences you've had, anything I should definitely look out for?

Any other advice?

Anything at all. I'm probably definitely overthinking this and it's most likely really not that complicated, but I'm a very anxious, insecure and paranoid person. 🙈 So I'll take any and all advice I can get.

Thank you 🤗💚

[rxttenfish]

i won't lie, a major part of why i feel so... embittered? disillusioned? with the whole "TERFs DNI" or "this post isn't for TERFs" thing is simply that, for the majority of people, it seems like their awareness of what TERF ideologies actually is ends there. they cannot identify TERF talking points if they aren't pointed out as such, they don't know the history of the movement, they don't know when they're being radicalized by INCREDIBLY obvious TERF beliefs, because the extent of their activism or safeguarding against radfem shit is legitimately just pointing to the name or memes about TERFs. like, please do ANY historical research into the formation of the ideology or what came before in the 80s-90s. you are not immune to propaganda.

[aeolianblues]

the real fiction in a lot of band AU fics is the amount of time bands seem to have on the evening of a show!