#that first picture isn't edited guys I promise

[styxxanaxkolasidefender]

You know what?

*Yassifies your Dark-Hunters because I'm Sherrilyn's intrusive thoughts*

[yuna542]

Random one shot idea? Secret boyfriend lix 👀

Reader and Felix are having a steamy make out session on the sofa and they end up getting caught by everyone after they came home from their schedules. This causes Reader and Felix to rush into Felix’s bedroom and they end up fucking due to the fact that they both got turned on by getting caught?

- had this stuck in my head all week 😩🫣

~Steamy~

Pairing: Felix x Reader

Genre: Smut, Fluff, Brothers Best Friend

Warnings: 18+, Smut, under 18 DNI!, pet names, Suggestive Themes, Swearing, Overstimulation, | explicit smut, confessions, fluff, cum play, riding

Word Count: 6.3k

Note: Really liked that idea and wrote it late at night. Hope you like it!

That you were annoyed was an understatement.

On a Saturday night that you were supposed to be spending with friends, completely wasted in a club and making out wildly with some guy in a corner, you were now on your way to your brother's dorm to bring him his stupid headphones, since he didn't seem to be able to survive without them. Then why he had left them at your house was a good question.

Since he and his band were already flying to Japan tomorrow night for a concert, he had begged you to bring the headphones over since he was busy with his schedule all day and being the good sister that you were, you had of course agreed and drove the three hours to see him. Plus, he had promised to buy you the special edition of your favorite video game that just had been released.

So now you were standing outside the front door, headphones in your bag and with a queasy feeling towards the sky that seemed to be getting darker by the second. It was noon, in the middle of the day, and yet with the inky black clouds, a doomsday mood was gathering that made you gulp.

"Hello?" you heard a very familiar and recognizable voice through the speakerphone.

"Hey Felix. It's me. Y/N. I'm dropping something off for Ji."

"Oh. Yea. I'll open right up."

He sounded tired. His voice raspy and you immediately got goosebumps. Felix had always been the one of your brother's friends who made you blush the most. He was so kind, loving and charming. It was easy to get lost in his eyes or imagine how his plush lips would feel on your skin. Everyone thought about that, right? Just as the door opened, the first drop of rain hit you. You ran up the stairs and there the sunshine on two legs was already waiting for you. He was casually leaning on the door frame, smiling his charming smile and you were left breathless for a moment.

Even though it seemed like he had just gotten up, his dark hair a mess, his face still slightly puffy and him dressed only in sweatpants and a hoodie, he looked stunningly beautiful.

"Hey princess. Out so early?" he asked with amusement, spreading his arms to hug you in greeting. He had given you that nickname on the second day you had met. Jisung had taken the audacity of showing him and Hyunjin really old pictures of you dressed up as a princess, running around the playground. It was embarrassing and you had punched Jisung hard in the side, but since then Felix kept calling you that.

"Hey Lix... It's already noon you sleepyhead."

You hugged him briefly, taking in his engaging scent. He smelled of ripe strawberries and fresh mint. It was impossible for a man to be so perfect.

You looked over his shoulder into the apartment, but you couldn't hear the usual noises. Normally it was loud and chaotic in the dorm, but right now it was quiet. That was kind of strange.

"Come in!" he said and let you go ahead. That's when you noticed that there was actually no one here.

"Where is Jisung? He begged me to bring him his things."

Felix led you into the living room and ran his hand through his hair.

"Oh. I didn't know that. Everyone else isn't here either. I'm by myself. Chan, Changbin, and Ji should be at the studio. The rest have gone shopping."

"Oh..." you muttered curtly, glancing around the living room. It was relatively tidy, compared to the last few times you'd been here. Except for the piles of clothes laying everywhere.

When your eyes met Felix again, he quickly averted his gaze and cleared his throat.

Had he been staring?

"Can I offer you something? Do you want some tea or coffee? Something to eat?" he asked, his words coming faster than usual. Puzzled, you looked down at yourself. Was there something on your face? Did he think the white dress was strange? You actually liked it, as it showed off your cleavage a bit and sat tight on your hips.

"Tea would be great," you said, smiling a little in wonder. It struck you then that you'd never been alone with Felix before. He was never so insecure in front of the other guys. He usually flirted with you for fun, was outgoing and laughed a lot. But now he seemed to be restless. He nodded quickly and pointed to the sofa where a controller was lying. There was a video game paused on the TV.

"Sit down. I'll bring it to you."

Then he walked to the kitchen, but paused again and just as you were about to sit down, he said:

"You look stunning, by the way! That dress suits you very well."

Before you could react he had disappeared into the kitchen. Embarrassed, you tried to push back the blush that spread across your cheeks.

Shortly after, he returned with two steaming cups of tea and handed you one before sitting down next to you.

"When will Ji be back?" you asked, setting the tea down so it could cool.

"I don't know... They wanted to take care of something, record demos, before we take the flight tomorrow."

His knee brushed yours as he leaned forward to set his cup down as well.

"You can wait here... I wouldn't let you drive back home in this weather anyway."

His words snapped you out of your thoughts, which were only centered around the touch of your legs. Then you noticed that the rain was beating mercilessly against the windows and a thunderstorm was raging outside. Lightning lit up the sky and shortly after, thunder growled like an angry dragon.

"You're probably right," you replied, pulling your legs up on the sofa. It was comfortable and pleasant to be alone with Felix. In fact it was always amazing being around him. But there was this nerve-wracking pounding in your chest that wouldn't go away and it got worse every time he looked at you.

"Sooo what were you playing?" you finally asked, pointing at the TV.

"Nothing special. Trying to play Genshin Impact again."

Curious, you nodded and spotted the second controller lying on the table.

"Cool. What's your AR?"

Puzzled, his eyes grew wide and he leaned forward a bit.

"Currently at 56... You know about that? Do you play too?"

Amused, you nodded. In fact, you had never talked about it before. You knew that Felix was a passionate gamer, but that you shared his passion had never been a topic.

"I'm still at AR54 at the moment. But I haven't been playing that long either."

He grinned so wide your stomach did flips.

"Wow. I didn't know that! What else do you play?"

You began chatting excitedly about your passion, sharing games, and oddly enough, you shared the exact same habits, favorites, and experiences. It was nice to share with someone the hobby that so many people demonized. After some time, Felix pointed to the second controller.

"Do you want to play something?"

With rosy cheeks you nodded and shortly thereafter you did one race after the next on Mario Kart. Quickly you were in your element, became competitive and tried to outdo the other. In the beginning Felix won all the time, eventually it became more and more even. You cheered, yelled at each other, and laughed out loud when you beat the other one or someone drifted off the track.

You didn't know how much time had passed, but it must have been hours and your stomach was already hurting from laughing. That's when you tried to take away his view of the screen by getting in front of him to finish ahead of him after all.

"Hey that's not fair!" he shouted.

"This is Mario Kart! There's nothing fair about it!" you retorted.

"Really?"

Before you realized it, he grabbed you by the hips and pulled you off your feet. With a squeak, you fell onto his lap before you could stop it. He wrapped his arms around your waist and continued to play with you on his lap as if nothing had happened. Your heart was pounding as your legs were pressed against his and his chest against your back. You smelled his intoxicating scent and felt his skin directly on yours. For a moment you forgot to play and were only sucked back into reality when he laughed triumphantly as he passed you.

Quickly you continued to play, but you could hardly concentrate. He made no effort to let you off his lap, pinching your sides in between to distract you and even pulling you closer to his chest in between. When he was about to win, you grabbed his controller and ripped it out of his hand to hold it above your head.

"You really play unfair!" he laughed, trying to get the controller, but you just held it higher. A dangerous glint entered his eyes and you felt his hand on your thigh, holding you tight to reach the controller. You tried to dodge, but lost your balance. Panicked, you rowed your arms, but Felix had already caught you by the waist and within a blink, you were on your back, Felix above you, trying to reach your hand.

Your breath caught as he landed between your legs, his chest firmly on yours, his face just a finger's width from yours.

By now you didn't care about the controller and Felix also froze in motion when he noticed the position you landed in. He stared into your eyes, his mouth slightly open, his cheeks reddened under the cute freckles.

He supported himself next to your head so that he wouldn't crush you with his weight, and yet you felt his body heat so intensely that your whole body tingled.

It seemed like he wanted to say something, but his throat was tight. His eyes traveled down your face, to your lips, then down your body.

One strap of had slipped off your shoulders, the hem of your dress had also ridden up so that he could see a glimpse of your white panties and felt your soft thighs against his hips.

Immediately he imagined what it would be like to feel your body even closer. All the pent-up tension between you seemed to be stretched to breaking point and as soon as his gaze wandered back up and met yours, you wanted to ask what you were doing. You didn't get the chance to do that, because his lips were already crushing against yours. With a clatter, the controller slipped out of your hand and fell to the floor. But you both didn't hear that anymore.

Your head shut off, the tension exploded, and your hands were buried in his hair before you could close your eyes to return the kiss.

His hands traveled down your sides, resting firmly on your hips, pulling you closer to him until your legs were wrapped tightly around his hips. He tasted like cotton candy and peach tea. It was overwhelming. Again and again your lips met hard. Your fingers played with his soft hair, running over his neck until he growled into your mouth and the heat shot into each of your limbs as he bit your lower lip, his hands finding their way under your dress and pushing it further up until he could grab your ass and feel your soft skin between his fingers. Gasping, you rolled your hips against his, feeling what you had done to him in that short time.

Whimpering loudly as your middle met his hard length directly, he slid his tongue into your mouth. It was hot, sensual and it left you hooked for more. He licked hungrily into your mouth, your tongues met and his hands on your bare skin drove you crazy. When he briefly broke away from you after what seemed like an eternity and pressed his forehead against yours, breathing heavily, you both grinned.

"Fuck... I've wanted to do that for ages," he whispered in such a low voice that the heat between your legs became unbearable. You slid your hands under his hoodie, feeling his warm skin under your fingertips, enjoying the way his hard abs rose and fell with his breath.

"Really?" you asked breathlessly, pushing the hoodie up a little until he pulled it over his head and you finally saw his trained torso. You nearly drooled at the sight as he ran his hands through his hair and leaned over you again to press a kiss to your jawline.

"Oh yeah. Do you know how hard I've been since you started wiggling in that short dress on my lap the last hour?"

You exhaled audibly as you felt his length through the fabric of his pants clearly against the wet stain in your panties.

"Then do something about it," you replied challengingly, smiling slightly as he gasped as your fingers trailed down his belly to the waistband of his pants.

"Jisung is going to kill me," he murmured, kissing the sensitive spot behind your ear. His lips brushed over your heated skin, spreading wet kisses down your neck until you could barely form a sentence.

"I want you, Lixi," you gasped, fingers tangled in his hair as he sucked on your neck, one hand cupping your breast and squeezing it. Briefly he paused, gazing at you piercingly.

"Are you sure, sweetheart?"

Quickly, you nodded.

"Yes. Yes! Please Lixi!"

When you called him that, he could hardly resist. Overwhelmed, he kissed you again stormily, kneading your breast and rubbing his length through his pants on your now soaked cunt until you moaned into each other's mouths.

Slowly he kissed down your neck, spreading kisses all over your chest and moving agonizingly further down until his head hovered between your thighs. The sight alone would have been enough to make you come. His pupils were dilated, his hair fell into his eyes and he hungrily pushed your legs further apart to finally get a glimpse of the wet spot on your panties.

"Oh god... So gorgeous..."

He pushed your dress up until it sat above your hips and kissed your inner thighs. He didn't neglect either side as he did so. His soft lips so close to the spot that was desperately throbbing made you bite your lip so hard you saw stars.

Then he pressed a kiss right on your cunt, eliciting a naughty moan from you. Quickly you grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back up to you, where he looked into your eyes in confusion. Breathing heavily, you tried to calm your pulse.

"Are you all right?" he asked worriedly, gently brushing a strand of hair from your face.

"Yes... Yes really. It's just. You're making me crazy and it's so just a lot right now," you said in a brittle voice. You didn't want him to think that you didn't want this. You have never wanted anything more in your life, only right now everything in you was vibrating. You were afraid that the moment would be over too quickly and you wouldn't be able to enjoy it enough. The corners of his mouth lifted again in relief and he cupped your face with both hands to press his lips to yours again. This time harder, but slower. You instantly felt dizzy.

Against your lips he whispered:

"I know what you mean. We can take our time."

Scarcely nodding, you guided his hands to your breasts as an invitation that you belonged only to him right now. It was a promise. A promise that made you feel safe and comfortable. You wanted his touch everywhere and you couldn't get enough. With a throaty sound, he sucked on your neck and pushed down your dress in parallel to free your tits.

"No bra huh? Were you planning on driving me crazy today?" he growled against your ear, eliciting a whimper as he twirled your nipple between his fingers.

You could only moan his name as he was already taking your nipple into his mouth and sinking his teeth into your soft flesh, his hand kneading a handful of your ass. You groped each other all over, falling over each other like ravenous animals, until a startled cry interrupted your makeout session.

"HOLY SHIT! No way… He didn't... Han… Jisung!"

Before you could react or even realize that Lee Know had come into the room, the snitch had already alerted your brother. Everything happened so fast that Felix was just able to remove his mouth from your skin when Han was already standing in the room, eyes wide open and stunned by the situation he had just burst into. With his mouth open and a deep crease on his forehead, he was obviously trying to find words. While you were adjusting your dress, Felix climbed down from you and both of you were in complete shock. Your cheeks glowed and your stomach turned as your brother's other roommates gradually came into the room as well. Even if you wanted to, you couldn't have lied. It was obvious what the two of you, half naked, had done or almost done on top of each other. Rattling your breath, you ran your hand through your hair and just wanted to disappear into the ground.

Felix stood up carefully, picked up his hoodie from the floor, and then looked at Han. Always on guard, as if he might jump on him at any moment.

"Are you kidding me right now?" it finally burst out of Jisung, his eyes flickering with anger. The rest of the guys remained silent and seemed to observe for now.

"Han, listen, that's not...", Felix tried, as gentle as ever, but Han rumbled directly:

"That's my sister man! Are you serious?"

They stared at each other in silence and no one really knew what to do. Seungmin was the first to smirk, and then Hyunjin snorted.

Warningly, Han looked at the others and then at you. Hyunjin and I.N both had to turn away as they exchanged a look to keep from laughing aloud.

"Relax, Ji! Nothing happened!"

You tried to soothe him and by now you had to stifle your laughter as well. The situation was just too surreal.

"Not yet..." muttered Felix and everyone stared at him, stunned. By now, even he couldn't hide his grin and that gave Han the rest.

"You little rat! I swear to god, if I catch you…!" he threatened and before he could chase him, Felix grabbed your hand and pulled you off the couch and into the hallway. Han jumped over the couch behind you and followed. But you were faster. You giggled like crazy as Felix pulled his bedroom door shut behind you and locked it.

With a rattling breath you stopped by the bed and heard your brother raging behind the door.

"Felix I swear if you don't open that door right now, I‘ll kill you!“

"Sorry bro!" he exclaimed, glaring at you with amusement.

"Y/N!" you heard Han shout, but his resistance subsided.

"Fuck off, Ji!" you shouted, and that's when he just grumbled.

"Come on, Han. Let's leave her alone. She's old enough," you heard Chan calming him.

"Let the two of them have their fun,"Changbin agreed with him, and they seemed to pull him away from the door.

Felix dropped onto his bed and looked up at you with a wide grin. Even though it was weird and the adrenaline was rushing in your ears, the tension between you was only more intense.

"Sorry," he said, pulling you closer by the thighs until you were standing between his legs.

You stroked his soft hair and tilted your head a little thoughtfully.

"We can forget about the whole thing if you want," you murmured.

He stroked the back of your thighs until he took the curve of your butt in his hands.

"What, no way. Now that I've finally made it? I've had a crush on you for ages. Actually since the first day you walked into our trainee room.“

You couldn't believe what you were hearing. Surprised, you looked at him. You had been in love with him forever, but you thought he only saw you as his friend's sister, at best a random friend. But how he looked at you now. Full of desire and affection made thousands of butterflies flutter in your stomach. Dreamily you stroked a few strands of hair out of his eyes and the smile wouldn't disappear from your lips.

"Are you serious?" you asked for good measure. Even if you weren't. You were so addicted to him that he could do anything with you. He nodded and his eyes were honest, his features soft and beautiful.

"Do you want me to prove it to you, sweetheart?" He purred and pulled you closer. Breathlessly you nodded and there he began to take off your dress. You helped him and threw it aside, until you stood only in your panties between his legs. Attentively, almost carefully, he took off your panties and let his gaze wander up and down your naked body, as if he had never seen a more beautiful work of art.

"You're even more beautiful than I imagined," he murmured, more to himself, and his hands touched your thighs, your hips, your belly, as if you might break if he didn't appreciate your body enough. He took in every detail and you felt special and desired under his gaze.

Then he brushed his lips over your belly, your thighs, kissing every patch of skin he could reach. Only the heat between your legs where you needed him so badly, he left out. Overwhelmed, you watched him and when he pushed your legs a little apart, your body tensed with longing. You could hardly stand it any longer. You had to feel his body, otherwise you would go crazy. He closed his hands tightly around your thighs and looked up at you, caught in the trance of passion.

"May I?" he asked gently, and you nodded. But he let his thumbs circle over your skin and smiled.

"I need words, angel."

"Yes! Yes please!" it burst out of you in a trembling voice and there he finally touched the wet heat throbbing between your legs with his lips. First he carefully closed his lips around your clit, finally he sucked on it, which almost swept you off your feet. With a loud moan, you tangled your fingers in his hair and as he licked a wide strip across your pussy, your knees went soft as butter. He licked, sucked and worked your cunt for what felt like an eternity. Growled softly over and over again:

"Beautiful... So good..." and you feared collapsing at any moment as he buried his face deeper inside you, which is why you finally pulled his head back by the hair. He looked up at you with sparkling eyes, his lips and chin shiny from your juices and he seemed addicted to the next dose. But you wouldn't be able to take it anymore. Not with the sight of his perfect body, the angelic face that was full of lust just looking at you.

"Fuck... I can't... Lix I need you. Now!" it escaped you and the throaty laughter of him, gave you the rest.

"Are you that crazy about me, kitten?" he teased and oh he knew what he was doing to you. Shaking your head, you pushed him back onto the bed.

"Take off your pants!" you ordered impatiently and he threw them aside as fast as he could. A liberated sigh escaped him as his cock sprang free. His tip looked painfully red and you had to force yourself not to stare. It was huge and would break you apart, but it was exactly as beautiful as the rest of him. You could hardly wait.

Quickly you climbed over him, supported yourself on his shoulders and as you lined up with him, your eyes met. Slowly you sank down onto him. As his tip entered you, your whole body tingled. A sigh escaped you as he stretched you already, but the burn was pleasant, almost intoxicating.

His hands were firmly on your hips while he continued to look you in the eyes. Wanting to witness every second he urged into you.

"Oh God," you whimpered, digging your fingers into his shoulders as he disappeared halfway inside you.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" he asked, sounding out of breath as well. Quickly you nodded and that's when he grabbed hold of your hips, gently but firmly pushing you further onto his cock when you could barely do it anymore by yourself.

"So good for me... Taking me all in. You feel amazing, babe," he praised you as you drifted further and further away. Finally, he was all the way inside you and you felt dizzy as he bit and sucked on your bottom lip, waiting for you to get used to his size. Slowly, sensually, you returned the kiss, sighing into his mouth until your hips began to move of their own accord. You needed more, more and more, and Felix grumbled deeply as you rolled your hips fluidly against his. The little noises, sighs and growls spurred you on so that you took him deeper and deeper until you were riding him at a steady pace. Overwhelmed, his fingers dug into your hips and he moved his hips against yours until you were both moaning into each other's mouths. You made out wildly, messy and chaotic, while the sound of him thrusting into your wet pussy filled the room.

"Fuck so warm... so good," he moaned over and over like a mantra and you felt the knot in your stomach tighten more with each deep thrust.

"You're so big, Lix.... Fuck," you moaned, unable to get enough of the feeling of him filling you completely.

He began to trail his lips down your neck, biting into the soft skin by your breasts and licking over your nipples until you could barely get a word past your lips. Just before the knot in your stomach threatened to burst, you put a hand around his neck and pushed him back onto the mattress. He watched wide-eyed as you rode him, and a desperate whimper escaped him, which only made you go faster. You leaned against his chest and finally took what you had dreamed of for so long. His cock pulsed deep inside you and you fucked yourself on top of him without mercy. The sight of you bouncing on him, Lips open, face cockdrunken and your naked body just for him to look at made Felix come almost immediately and he forced himself to hold on. Your walls squeezed him just right and he watched hungrily as your breasts bounced with each roll of your hips. Han would kill him, but he didn't care right now.

"Fuck... Lix I'm not gonna last long," you moaned and Felix helped you guide your hips further as your movements began to stutter.

"Come on my cock. You look so sexy riding me.... Been wanting to see that for ages."

Your moans rose higher and you clawed your fingernails into his chest as he additionally snapped his hips into yours. Whimpering, the knot in your belly tore apart and you came all over his cock, making the naughtiest sounds Felix had ever heard. You let out a loud moan of his name, nails dragging down along his shoulders as you messily grind through the pleasure. He is groaning at the sight. Just as fucking beautiful as he imagined.

You collapsed onto his chest and he rolled his hips, savoring your high to the last second. "Good fucking girl, let it all go for me." He growled into your ear, accent husky, and the words zip straight to where you needed it. You grinded your hips lazily against his while you were caught in the flood of pleasure and desire.

When you caught your breath, you looked at him and saw that he was already looking at you, with a soft smile on his lips that made you melt.

He kissed you, his soft lips were like heaven and let his tongue slowly slide into your mouth. Still dizzy from the orgasm you gasped softly as his still rock hard dick continued to thrust into you. Carefully he turned you around until he was between your legs, his body weight comfortably on yours and he continued to thrust deep inside you. Even though your overstimulated pussy was throbbing painfully, your body was betraying you and demanding more. You wrapped your legs around his hips to pull him closer again and he buried his face against your neck as your walls spasmed around him.

"Oh God... Keep doing that, angel. Fuck don't stop squeezing me like that..." he gasped, pressing his open mouth against your neck as he slammed harder into you. By now his bed was squeaking so loud you could still hear it in the next building and his members would pick up on it too, if they hadn't already heard your moans through the walls. But you didn't care. You wanted nothing more than Felix on top of you, pounding into your sore pussy like that forever.

The next orgasm came unexpectedly, suddenly, as Felix thrusted so deep and fast that the loud slapping of your skin against each other almost drowned out the creaking of the bed. By now you were moaning his name between incoherent sounds and whimpers. His hands grabbed your hips and as your eyes rolled back and you came uncontrollably around his cock again, all you saw was glistening light.

Felix couldn't stop. As if caught in a trance he continued to slam into you, your pussy only sucked him deeper and he knew he had never had better sex.

"Mrgh fuck... So tight..." he moaned and it felt like you were floating. When he saw your fucked out expression, he growled loudly.

"Too much... fuck... too... too much," you managed to squeeze out between stifled whimpers and moans. He pressed his lips soothingly to yours, not slowing down in speed.

"Just a little more. You're doing so well. Taking me like a good little slut..." he gasped, on the verge of cumming.

"My good little slut... Letting me use your pussy.... god you're too good to be true, angel."

His words turned your head and as you came a third time, moaning his name in the most beautiful melody he had ever heard and your walls clinging to him, he came looking so beautiful that you stopped and just looked at him. You felt his warm cum inside you until he pulled his cock out of you and emptied his load onto your belly with a few more strokes. His puffy lips were parted, sweat was shining on his forehead and his eyes were rolling back.

The next time he looked down at you and saw his cum running out of your pussy, down your thighs and all over your belly, he wanted to take a picture.

"You are a goddess," he murmured as you gradually regained your sanity. Then he leaned down to you, kissing you, innocent and full of affection. The kiss was sugary sweet and you breathed an overwhelmed sigh of relief as he broke away from you to get a towel. As he helped you clean yourself up, you said with amusement:

"What have you done to me? My legs won't stop shaking..."

Felix handed you your panties, which you slipped back into, and one of his hoodies, which you gratefully put on. Then smiled at the sight of your legs and let his hands slide over your thighs.

"So I did good?" he asked with a grin, massaging your tense muscles. You sighed in relief and watched him. Meanwhile, you snuggled into his hoodie.

"So good that my brother and all your roommates heard us," you said then, your cheeks immediately flushing as you gradually realized how loud you had been. Felix wrapped his arms around your waist and rested his chin on your stomach to look at you.

"Do you regret it?" he asked gently and you brushed a few strands of hair from his face. His eyes shone like a puppy's and you could hardly resist showering his entire face with kisses.

"No way."

"Well... Me neither."

He pulled you closer and wrapped his arms tightly around your body.

Later, when hunger drove you out of the room, you slipped into Felix's shorts and you went into the living room together. Minho and Jeongin were cooking.

Han was sitting on the couch with Chan and Changbin. The three of them were apparently still working on something, but when you walked in, the conversations fell silent and Han looked at you tensed.

"Are you guys finally done?" he asked, annoyed, and Chan stared at his phone to hide his grin.

Felix disappeared into the kitchen to help the others cook and escape the strange mood. You dropped down on the sofa next to Han and looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Are you mad?" you asked, poking him in the side with your index finger. He rolled his eyes and sighed loudly.

"No... Felix is my friend. If it's okay with someone than with him."

It was obvious that it had taken a lot for him to realize that. Relieved, you smiled and playfully pushed him. He pushed you back and finally laughed too.

"Where are my headphones, you pain in the ass?" he then asked and you took them out of your bag that was still next to the sofa. Relieved, he grabbed them and pressed them to his chest.

"Oh thank God! I was afraid I'd have to fly without them."

"Thank not God, thank your lovely sister."

He furrowed his eyebrows and snorted.

"Don’t push it!"

Finally, you all ate together and it was back to the way it was before. Only the intense looks between you and Felix were new. That you blushed every time he smiled at you and your stomach turned circles.

When the storm subsided, you had to make your way home and after saying goodbye to everyone, Felix walked you to the door. He leaned against the door frame with one hand above your head and looked at you intently.

"Drive carefully and text me when you get home."

"Sure."

The brief silence made you swallow and you looked down at yourself.

"I'll get the stuff back to you soon.... Thanks for the clothes."

He smirked, loving how his clothes were way too big on your body.

"That's alright. I thought it was really nice today..."

You smiled with rosy cheeks.

"Yeah me too."

He cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his hair in embarrassment before finally saying it, something he'd been wanting to say for ages:

"How about we go on a date when I get back? Like a real one?"

Surprised, you stared at him, inwardly shrieking with delight.

"Yes. I would like that."

Breathing a sigh of relief, he leaned down to you.

"I'll call you..."

You nodded, wanting to reply, but didn't get to as he was already pulling you close by the hips and placing his lips on yours. Sighing, you snuggled up to him, your hands clasped in his neck, and returned the kiss. You couldn't let go of each other. Your lips met again and again, his hands wandered under the hoodie, caressing your back while your tongues danced together, licking into each others mouths as otherwise you would be starving.

"That's enough!" you heard Jisung yell behind you, and with a smirk on his lips, you pressed your foreheads against each other.

"See you soon, angel," he murmured and you gave him one last peck on the lips before you managed to pull away from him. He waited until you disappeared down the hall before closing the door and walking back to the others with rosy cheeks.

"Since when do you have a crush on Hannie's sister?" asked then Seungmin with a grin.

"Since forever. Haven't you seen how he always adores her and flirts with her?" said Changbin and Han fixed him.

"Ji I really like your sister.... Please don't be mad that I..."

"Shut up!"

"What?"

Astonished, he stared at the elder and nervousness turned to confusion. Han expelled his breath loudly and the corners of his mouth lifted a little.

"If I could wish for anyone for my sister, you'd be damn close to the perfect version of a boyfriend," he commented, and Felix's tense shoulders finally relaxed.

Overjoyed, he grinned and could hardly believe his luck. You were as infatuated with him as he was, even though it had taken you guys years to finally find out about each others feelings.

"Stop grinning so stupidly! You better not screw this up!", Han drove at him and Felix quickly pressed his lips together. Although Han wanted to look serious, he couldn't help smirking either.

After all, he had been watching you crush on each other long enough. It was annoying by now, that everybody knew except for you. So it was actually relieving that you two finally realised it.

And in the end it was his fault. Maybe he shouldn’t have forgotten his headphones…

[tokiko220]

Noone talks about The Drummer and the princess movie enough and ESPECIALLY not about the people behind it. It puzzles me to this day.

Warning, extremely long post but i really wanna archive all this.

For those who don't know, in 2018 Angels Pictures released a teaser trailer( CZ EN) for this movie and it obviously looked shit for a movie made after 2000 ESPECIALLY when people were claiming it cost 80 million CZK to make (3.5 mil USD-ish) which is an insane amount of money for a czech production. Plus in the czech trailer they have an uber popular czech singer Karel Gott appear revealing he's voicing in it, they even have a super low res photo with him from the studio.

(honestly i'm pretty convinced they met him once for the recording of the trailer lines)

So allegedly 80 mil CZK 3D animated movie with a bunch of celebrities voicing in it! Wowza! Why does it look so shit? EDIT: CORRECTION! After going through some more documents this is in fact and estimate of how much they think the movie is going to cost- they seem very upset people get that wrong. But honestly I don't think anyone actually thought they spent that much money on it.

Immediatelly bunch of czech news websites started rolling out articles about it because obviously, it was ridiculous. It looked ass the trailer is pretty cringy and they have all that stupid self congratulatory bs about giving 4% of ticket sales to kids because its made for kids. With love♡ People are ridiculing the hell out of it, obviously, but then a rumour starts that it's a all a publicity stunt. Obviously noone would make something that looks this bad in the year of our lord 2018! Angels Pictures don't hesistate and start nodding their heads aggressivelly. They pat themselves on the back for coming up with this new cool marketing strategy they dubbed "The Spites and Envy Promo."

They post this stupid, self congratulatory post talking about how they actually intentionally made the teaser bad, saying they modified it with "minor technical imperfections" (MINOR??????? IMPERFECTIONS????). According to this interview some guy named Jeremy came up with this genius and "innovative" plot. But if you read the interview (in czech unfortunately) you'll also find out the teaser probably looks so bad because no, there isn't actually really a movie at this point! Which is insane, given they released the teaser in September and promised a winter release! They apparently work by recording the dub first and then animating for it. In the interview he says they have about 20% of that done. But whatever, they keep insisting it's all part of the plan dude! The movie is going to release in like 28 countries and it's gonna be huge. (if you speak czech i totally recommend reading that interview it is enlightening lmao) I don't need to tell you I think the "spite and envy" promo is a bunch of boloney because if you're looking to drum up views and popularity through controversy you don't turn off your youtube comments about it.

Back in 2018 I was having a riot following this and despite being convinced it is not going to come out, I was posed to see it day 1 in the theatre if indeed it did come out (afterall, they're giving 4% of ticket sales to kids ♡) They continued to flaunt their genius marketing strategy and even bragged their teaser became the most watched czech animated movie trailer on youtube! Which while true, it doesn't really mean anything, because they second most watched actually came out and made money, while The Drummer and The Princess entirely missed their initial release date with no explanation why! On their website the release year kept shiftin ever forward and in 2019 they added the "RIP Karel Gott" to the trailer, so I know you're out there GIVE ME MY MOVIE!

Spoiler alert, it's 2024 and we still don't have the damn movie! But ever since then I've been completely fascinated with these guys, so let me bring you towards the about us section of their website, because it's frankly hilarious. Meet Angels Pictures!

Starting with Alex Pieter you'll notice he proudly states he's the author of the "project" The drummer and the princess. The second thing he mentions is that he's a member of MENSA and makes sure to explain it is an association of people with high IQ because you wouldn't know anything about that. Underneath that he lists a bunch of things he did which really just reads like when you put literally ANYTHING you think is relevant and makes you look good on your CV, like that he cooperated with big names like Vin Diesel or Catherine Zeta-Jones or Gerard Depardieu. Generaly a bunch of jargon to try and make him look super cool.

There's also this guy but he's considerably less funny and really jsut looks like your regular marketing guy. He's not even in MENSA.

Back then I was still wondering whether this was all an elaborate joke, and I may even believe it if these two guys didn't sound like the most start up "trust me bro" marketing guys. That really marks the end of The Dummer and The Princess, but I'm not done with Angels Pictures quite yet! You see, I thought they got me all excited for this movie and then dipped but no, they were planning something even cooler.

A video game.

Honestly, you need to see it to believe it.

After seeing this, I genuinely started doubting myself again. Like this has got to be a joke right?? What in the mother of all asset flips...

It was supposed to be a VR experience (but also non VR) about .. uh.. well....... Flying aroung?? And there will be vampires.. and dragons?? Whatever they found on the asset store I assume. But not in the base game! You see, the clever MENSA head over at Angels Pictures came up with this new game monetization model called "Modular System". You buy the base game called "The Radix" and then you can buy additional packs such as "Oh, Look!" which adds interesting sights to this flying simulator (making me wonder what the base game even does have). Then we have "Vampires" which I supposed adds the Italian Vampire Palmira who does not believe in wearing pants. Also a bunch of other "modules" that add things to "duel with for treasures". Yay.

Those with a keen eye might notice this isn't actually entirely their idea, this has basically been The Sims 4 monetization scheme since literally forever, but as much as I hate to admit it, at least the sims actually like.... You know.. Gives you something? And isn't an asset flip. And ... exists. Oh yeah, spoiler alert, the No*1 game with the funniest flying object (whatever that means) never did come out, I know, we're all shocked an crushed about it. The actual website for the game went down (which is why I'm making this actually, everday I fear all of this will dissappear) but there's still stuff about the game on their company website such as;

The release Timeline. Lofty goals, per usual. I don't need to tell you none of that happened because if it did I wouldn't be writing this and I would instead be playing Magic Carpet game swith the Vampire and Space module.

Continuing the scroll we can find that they claim to be a studio of "roughly" (???) 30 artists.

Ah yes, nothing is quite as innovative as a VR asset flip game that gives vague description of what it's actually going to be about. Reminds me Dream World.

I don't know what kind of artists they are but whoever made that purple green logo should be fired promptly. Also as you can see they are still bragging about the huge success their marketing campaign was and using it to seem credible- never mentioning that the damn movie never came out. The kids are still waiting for their 4% (which btw they never quite mentioned what charities they are planning to give that to.)

Now let's check out Alex's updated profile for the game;

He's really come to his own since The Drummer and the princess. He's still a member of MENSA, a global association of people with high IQs, but I think it's adorable he updated his photo to be a picture of him holding a controller like he's a gamer girl on instagram. He's just like you, fellow gamers. He's a 3D artist now and an IT specialist and programmer! Is there something this handsome devil can't do?! though despite his newly acquired 3D art skills, the game somehow manages to look worse than the movie trailer.

I also wanna point to this, purely because I wanna archive it. "A game that simply isn't on the market" yeah but what is it ABOUT Alex???? It's honestly a hilarious read and a look into "the sicks brains on their team."

After all of that, what's the conclusion?? I dunno! I think these guys really missed their calling as MMORPG Fundraiser scammers, I think they really would have popped off with that. My theory currently is they try to set up these projects and websites and try to make themselves look as credible as possible to get investors for their stuff?? But I also cannot imagine it ever actually worked out? And obviously they never delivered on anything they promised so I just don't know! Besides they actually did work with Karel Gott and that's nothign to scoff at! I wish I could find out whether it was because they have an in with him or whether they paid him (if so, with what money? I can't imagine getting someone of his caliber to voice for you is cheap).

That marks the end of this insanely long rambling about this thing I've been obsessed with for years now and really wanted to archive in some limited way. Now I'm just waiting for them to come up with some new project that involves AI.

[celestialcrownsvn]

4/6/24 Demo Update

Hey guys, got that demo update I promised. It's up on itch.io right now and will be updated on Steam tomorrow.

Some major changes to note:

Bellatrix's sprite has been changed to better reflect their voice actor's appearance, per the VA's request.

The stat screen can no longer be viewed while clicking through and reading. I saw a lot of confusion in testing over how to close it during choices, so I've added a 'close' button to head that off.

All skin tones have been added and reflected in the CGs.

Please report any bugs to the Celestial Crowns discord.

Here is the full changelog:

Added additional voice "barks" for Lune, Terra, Sahi, Celeste, and Aalam

added 15 new SFX

added existing SFX in places where it made sense to

added additional art assets to ballroom scene

added camera animations throughout first 3 chapters

created chapter cards for first 3 chapters

implemented new skin tones

added voice lines where needed

fixed bug where camera was not working properly when skipping

updated textbox

updated popup for increased stats

updated save/load screen bg

updated preferences screen bg

added additional text effects in some places

added new theme song

added new sad song

added new romance song

changed music on character select screen 

adjusted button size for title buttons to ensure the hitbox was working properly

adjusted text size of save file names so they fit under the screenshots

adjusted Terra's history screen picture to be generic to accommodate all skin tones

changed some text for clarity (no trade at all if marriage goes through, the only benefit is they must protect each other when wars happen)

changed main menu

changed character customization music

There is also a new trailer. Give it a watch, it has some new CG teasers ^^ Any feedback/constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated, video editing isn't my strong suit.

New BGs

Our BG artist is on fire! We now have a first look at the inside of Andromeda castle.

I still haven't had time to sit down and start writing the third draft in earnest as some life stuff tripped me up, but with any luck by next week I will be ready for that. Hope you enjoy this update in the meantime ^^

[savi-our]

Fic progress and snippet

Writing 20k words in a week between holidays... im going mad... honestly... On the other hand the prolouge of my newest reverse harem fic is 1,5 chapters away from completion and ill soon be able to post it and hear you guy's thoughts!!! Im so excited you have no idea. Heres a snipet for those who are interested. ---

It was an honest to god accident, you had been in the woods, ‘gallivanting’ as Edge said, and as the fog rolled in you had lost your footing, next thing you knew you felt a noose snap around your ankle and intense vertigo as you were lifted about two stories in the air. Edge and the shorter skeleton had found you soon after, hanging upside down, reeling from the force of the trap and they promptly started arguing. You were far too disjointed to actually have paid attention to what they were yelling about, but apparently it was loud enough to raise a stream of skeletons from god knows where. Next thing you knew you were promptly lifted down from the trap and carted off to wherever here was.

“Where are we, by the way?” You asked, trailing your eyes across the large living room space, it seemed lived in, old, like the wooden floors were discolored from years of use and the walls had slight cracks in the paint if you looked closely enough. Paintings and pictures lined the walls, aiming to cover any tears in the paint, a large carpet on the floor that brushed along your naked foot, two facing couches in the middle of the room, a couple of leather chairs accompanying the set, a coffee table between them, a large TV set upon a roaring brick fireplace.

“OH THIS IS OUR HOME! WE WEREN'T SURE WHERE ELSE TO TAKE YOU CONSIDERING THE CIRCUMSTANCES.” The tall skeleton in front of you explained, his tone upbeat and eyes squinted in a kind smile.

“The hospital?” You asked incredulously, blinking up at him with the same blank expression, confused by what he said, shouldn't that have been their first train of thought? 

“you actually hurt kid?” The blue hoodied skeleton seemed to jump in on your remark, you could see his smile strain as his eyes roamed over you.

“Huh? Oh, no! No don't worry, Its just usually what people do, isn't it? Call 911 when there's an emergency?” You responded, and watched his pupils sharpen before a pair of hands on your shoulders made you startle and turn forward.

“HUMAN IF YOU'RE IN PAIN YOU SHOULD SAY SO, ADMITTEDLY I DON'T HAVE AS MUCH EXPERIENCE HEALING HUMANS. WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO TO A HOSPITAL?” the taller skeletons tone had shifted to a slightly more serious one as he seemingly leveled you with a worried gaze.

“No no, I'm fine I promise. I think I'm just out of it still.” --- So anyway i still have some stuff to write up and edit but i'll probably launch it over on AO3 within a week or so. Hope you guys enjoy your New Years!

[mortal-kombat-1]

Because I've done blocked a few since my last 2 Janet Cage edits, I'm gonna make myself PERFECTLY clear:

I don't give a fuck if you like her or not. My blog. I promise, I won't miss you or even notice.

"I hate the name Janet. It sounds so generic!" So fucking what, so is Johnny and I ain't seen you all complaining about that.

"She's so annoying. I hate her hair and she's manly looking!" She's built, what happened to the we support all women no matter what they look like on this hellsite? Only when you find them attractive? Wanna share a picture of your face? Also, guess who else is annoying? That's right, Johnny. Who she's literally based on...

"Ew, gender swapped..." It's an alternative timeline where Johnny was born female, something that's not even remotely new in media. Are you 12? Wait, I take that back, I'm sure a majority of 12 year olds have more common sense than those complaining right now.

You don't have to use her in the game -- like all kameo's she's optional.

"She's a wasted slot!" Again, you don't have to use her AT ALL. I could say the same about a lot of the characters but then again, I play because I enjoy the games. If a character I like isn't included, I go back to one of the games they're in and play that game instead of bitching until one day, they end up back in any future games.

"It should've been so and so!" There are more characters being released; files in the game points towards a few -- to avoid spoilers for those who don't wanna know, I won't mention who.

My only peeve with her is they didn't give her the nose. Other than that, I enjoy seeing new characters being added -- that doesn't include guest characters, my opinion differs there, but I still don't cry about it.

"We were promised Johnny Cage!" He's already in the base game, and you all would still cry there's too much Johnny. My guy, I've had to sit through every MK game before 10 and 11 and see everyone else get all this attention, etc. When he's the original MK character; like the very first one. He's earned his time. Shut up. And guess what, I'm more than ok with him not being a kameo. Hell, if they decide to sit him out in the next game, I'm also cool with that because as I said, I can go back to the games he's already in.

[lookwhatyoudidithasanxiety]

//Sorry for the sudden silence! I just realized that I missed the blog's anniversary! As of July 30th, i's officially been a year since I first made the ask blog. Thank you to everyone that's been around and has interacted with the characters. It's been a lot of fun and I've loved interacting and talking with all of you!

To kick off another year, have a mini blurb (because I can't write a short story currently and I'm still working on answering asks)// //EDIT: There's officially over a hundred of you??? I don't know what to say other than thank you all so so much!! The blurb will be under a read more since it's so long//

Sun: It's been a year already? It's hard to believe.

Lunar: So much has happened!

Eclipse: I have no idea what they even have planned for me. I'm not even in the actual story yet.

Solar: Ya think any of us know what they're planning?

Eclipse: ...Fair.

Moon: Are you guys coming or what? We're taking a picture.

Poppy: Hold your horses! Some of us are a bit slower than others, friend!

Kill Code: Would you like a hand?

Poppy: *blushes* Oh, no thank you, kind sir! Now bumblebee, straighten out your shirt. The daycare logo is all crooked.

Solar: Thanks, Poppy.

Poppy: You're welcome!

Lunar: It's hard to believe it's been a year. And last year there was only five of us!

Sun: Yeah, ten is definitely a lot more than five. And something tells me that isn't all of us, either.

Lunar Who knows! I like things better now, though. I'm glad we have everyone! We'll, everyone but-

Midnight: Yeah, yeah. Just stick me in the back. I ain't stayin' long. Goddamn stupid-

//Mun God hopes that Midnight is not about to make any sort of derogatory statement towards his Eclipse, let alone Mun God. And certainly not towards Quill.//

/Yeah, what they said! ....Wait, me too??/

//Mun God does not want to discuss this further with Quill.//

/But...ok. *blushes*/

Midnight: I ain't sayin' sh-

//Mun God hates to inform Midnight that they can no longer speak- at least, not until after the photo is taken. Midnight understands, correct??//

Midnight: *glares*

Harvest: Brother, your tie is crooked.

Bloody: Ughhhhh bloody pain and bother! Why need?

Harvest: *chuckles* It's just for a picture, then you can get rid of it. I promise.

Bloody: Don't like.

Harvest: Neither do I, but we can chase squirrels later, if you want.

Bloody: ....

Harvest: I'll throw in the new nylabone I bought you.

Bloody: Ok!

Moon: Geez, how do you even work this thing?

Sun: I think you need to set it up to your internal camera? That way you can take the picture without a timer.

Moon: But then I'll be blinking in the picture.

Sun: Hm...Clip? Any ideas?

Solar: Give it here, I'll do it.

Moon: You don't have to-

Solar: Least I can do. Just lemme work with it.

Lunar: Chip! Can I help?!

Solar: *smiles* Nah, but I appreciate it.

Midnight: *flips him off*

Solar: Uh...why ain't he talkin'?

//Mun God is unsure, it certainly is strange...//

/Melpomene! Be nice!/

//Mun God does not know what Quill means./

/Come on! It's bad enough you won't tell them about-/

Poppy: Ooh! Are we going to talk about when Solar gets-

/Oh! But what about when Eclipse finally realizes-/

//Mun God does not want to silence Quill and Poppy, but Mun God will if that is what it takes to avoid future events being spoiled.//

Poppy: Oops! Sorry, Melpomene!

//.....It is alright.//

/Aw, you're soft!/

//Mun God wants Quill to shut up.//

Kill Code: Eclipse. Perhaps it would help if you-

Eclipse: What?

Solar: What?

Kill Code: Apologies, I was talking to Solar.

Eclipse: *scoffs, rolls his eyes* Of course you were.

Kill Code: Son, I do not mean to slight you.

Eclipse: Whatever.

Solar: 'Clipse? You wanna help me with this? I don't know what I'm doin'.

Eclipse: *straightens up with a smile* 'Course you don't. Dumbass.

Solar: *smiles and hands him the camera* Least I can see what I'm doin'.

Eclipse: What's that supposed to-

Solar: *smirks* Kinda hard ta see when yer close ta the ground.

Eclipse: You son of a-

Poppy: I wish I was in my physical form...I was hoping I could hug Sol.

/I'm sorry...maybe when we do an ask event in the future? Maybe we could do one where we go back in time when you and Solar were still sharing a body?/

Poppy: *smiles gently* I would like that, thank you!

/We'll see!/

Midnight: *growls*

Kill Code: *picks him up by the hook* So you are the one who hurt Solar...*snarls*

Midnight: *stares in fear*

Solar: 'S alright, KC. Mun God has 'im on a leash. He can't talk.

Kill Code: Is that so? Well, then it is the perfect opportunity for me to say what needs said-

Eclipse: Gods, Moon. Could you have gotten a more complicated camera?

Moon: Blame Fazbear! It's the only one I could find!

Eclipse: Christ on a stick....Finally! Alright. Everyone gather around, it's time. I'm not doing this more than once.

Sun: Ok, ok, Lunar stand here, then Moon, Solar go between me and the twins, Eclipse by Lunar in the front, KC in the back, Poppy with KC, Midnight...

Midnight: *glares where Kill Code is still holding him*

Sun: ...Stay there. Perfect.

Eclipse: I'm doing one countdown. Blink now or forever hold your peace. Ten-

Sun: Nine!

Moon: Eight.

Lunar: Seven!

Bloody: Six!

Harvest: Five!

Solar: Four.

Poppy: Three!

Kill Code: Two.

Midnight:

Thank you for one year!

[gcantread]

September 2024 reads

[loved liked ok nope dnf bookclub*]

Agnes Grey • The Empire Wars • Vita Nostra • 17776: What Football Will Look Like in the Future • Somewhere Beyond the Sea • A Sorceress Comes to Call • Tress of the Emerald Sea • Long Live Evil • Books Do Furnish a Room • A Sunny Place for Shady People • Mansfield Park* • The Butcher of the Forest

I read 12 books in September, though several were short (and one was a... multimedia experience? What are we calling 17776 anyway?) I've been feeling a little burnt out on ARCs and @bellasbookclub -screening reads, so after the first week I took a break from those. Just as well, because I was once again abruptly drowning in new releases! Luckily only four library holds were ready at once this month. Have I learned my lesson about hold requests? Not at all.

Agnes Grey ★★★☆☆ - I enjoyed the semi-autobiographical "being a governess SUCKS" parts of this book (that bird scene holy shit), but I think I would have liked it better with a less milquetoast love interest.

The Empire Wars ★☆☆☆☆ - Oooooof. I thought there was no way any of the books in my self-imposed Bombed Books Week Challenge could be worse/less enjoyable than Hurricane Wars and TGUWG, but this one took the cake. There's "I wrote this at age 15" (impressive) and then there's "I wrote this at age 15" (and it shows/and I can't believe multiple literate adults in the publishing industry greenlit it.) "Hazen Creed" is the new Xylen Rayder or whatever the 4th w!ng guy's name is

Vita Nostra ★★★★☆ - I was promised weird shit and this book delivered! You don't get it? Good news, nobody gets it, we're literally just vibing

17776: What Football Will Look Like in the Future ★★★★☆ - Some interesting themes and a lot of fun! (I liked when it started zooming in on Denver and I was like wait a fucking second is that Ball Arena??)

Somewhere Beyond the Sea ★☆☆☆☆ - Yeah, I can't lie, this was a hateread. No other series makes me feel more like the child in "The Emperor's New Clothes." Like, people enjoy this?? Adults?? Adults think this is good storytelling??? I'm not even trying to be mean (well, maybe a little), I'm genuinely baffled. Remember when I described Book 1 as "like driving behind a Coexist bumper sticker for several hours"? Book 2 is like driving behind a Coexist bumper sticker while also listening to someone read you the worst parts of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix but in Kindergarten Teacher Voice, and for even more hours. Lesson learned: I have got to stop picking these up imagining I'll somehow see the appeal this time.

A Sorceress Comes to Call ★★★★★ - My first ever T. Kingfisher! I've always been hesitant to believe the hype, but to my pleasant surprise, this one was fantastic. The stakes, the characters, the evil fucking horse had me on the edge of my seat. Pretty crazy when the interior of a book lives up to its gorgeous cover. Had to rush out and buy this one from my local bookstore!

Tress of the Emerald Sea ★★★★☆ - Fun and cute! The main draw is definitely the silly writing style.

Long Live Evil ★★★★☆ - Took its time to get going, but the second half really gained momentum. This book's main flaw is that it isn't In Other Lands, but it's nevertheless nice to see SRB cut loose and write a silly isekai/harem trope pastiche that is somehow also a thoughtful cancer survivor catharsis.

Books Do Furnish a Room ★★★☆☆ - When I picked up this coffee table book at the library on a whim, nothing could have prepared me for its Caricature Of British Aristocracy tone. Like at one point this author calls Africa "a country." Seriously, they do not edit the text of these things. Pretty pictures, though.

A Sunny Place for Shady People ★★★★☆ - I'll read Mariana Enriquez's grocery list. On the whole, Sunny Place wasn't as gripping as Our Share of Night, but some of its individual stories (it's an anthology) stood out—I loved the nuance of My Sad Dead and the nightmare fuel of Black Eyes! Some choice body horror in here.

Mansfield Park ★★★☆☆ - A reread for Bella's Book Club's September discussion! I think I liked it better this time around? I definitely noticed more of the character arcs. I like that this is lowkey the messiest Austen. [Community episode voice] now THIS is a man who KNOWS HOW TO MARRY HIS COUSIN

The Butcher of the Forest ★★★★☆ - I'm slowly working my way through Tordotcom novellas and so far they all slap. This one had such an interesting ending, ngl I'm having to quash the Fanfic Urge about it!

DNFs: None, but boy would I have dropped The Empire Wars like a hot potsticker on about page 2 if it wasn't the last (or second-to-last, if you count control group Crown of Starlight) book in my own challenge.

September superlatives

tbh a lot of these books could swap spots with each other. I'll definitely be rereading Sorceress, and probably LLE when the next book in its series comes out!

Next up:

I still haven't gotten around to Crown of Starlight, so it looks like I'll be finishing up my Bombed Books Week Challenge in October. Nor have I gotten to my ARCs of Ruin Road or Sundown in San Ojuela, so those are both on this month's agenda. My current read is A Dark and Drowning Tide (I seem to be the one reader on the planet who didn't much like A Far Wilder Magic, but I like to give authors a second chance, and that cover + the fact that they're lesbians, Harold got to me.) I'd love to squeeze in a King in Yellow reread if possible, and our Bella's Book Club pick this month is Murder on the Orient Express, so...perfect October rereads? I'm kinda stoked!

previous months:

july august

[dwarvenbash]

Dwarf Longbeards!

Definitely one of my top 3 favorite Dwarf units in Warhammer. I tried my hardest to match the feel of the excellent 6th edition designs by the legendary sculptor Colin Dixon as pictured in the bottom-most picture (the standard bearer in the center-left has been promoted to a Runelord), but I have quite a few quibbles with the newer plastic kit.

Even so, while my take on these old fogeys could maybe do with a couple additions to fill some gaps, I'd like to think I preserved some of that grumpy character to help them fit in with the rest of the unit!

As promised though, more complaining under the cut...

Now before I dive too deep into a screed of negativity, I'll gush a bit about the aforementioned 6th edition sculpts.

Colin Dixon is responsible for some of the best Warhammer Dwarf designs in my opinion, and absolutely nails all the elements that make them stand out from their other more generic fantasy equivalents. They are loaded to the whiskers with small details, from the iconic angular "ancestor" detailing of simplified dwarven faces on their weapons and armor, to accessories from beer steins to smoking pipes to rings on their fingers. Each miniature tells a story, and for these Longbeards especially it's like they're carrying a long lineage of heirlooms and history with them into battle!

One of the greatest parts of Colin's sculpts however in my opinion are how he poses his dwarfs. An essential element that seperated old Warhammer Dwarf designs from others were how short their legs were. Most of the time, a Dwarf's boots were all you could see on a miniature, the rest obscured by long-hanging chainmail or beard hair. While this did a great job of helping them have a distinct look, it also meant it could be hard getting more dynamic and characterful poses out of them; not so for these Longbeards, however! Unlike their more follicle-challenged kin, these old Dwarfs are not shown charging into the fray, hopped up on adrenaline. This is not their first battle, and you're sure to hear them mutter something about how that "back in their day" the orcs were nastier, and the ale tasted better, to boot! So to reflect this, they are posed at ease, resting on their great weapons like walking sticks, unimpressed, just waiting for the enemy to come to them.

Now, much like in the Dwarfen kingdoms of Warhammer, the new-fangled miniature designing ways somewhat pale in comparison to the old masterworks, which brings us to the new Longbeard model...

I'm not going to sugarcoat it; in my opinion, this is a terribly designed kit. The eclectic choice of colors here isn't doing this promotional image any favors, but the problems run a lot deeper than that. Designed to pull double duty as both Hammerers and Longbeards, this 8th edition kit saps all the uniqueness and character from both unit types in order to kill two proverbial Dwarfs with one stone. The kit is basically mono-pose: the head slots into the body in a very specific way, and the ball joint sockets for the arms might as well be for show. Jamming two different unit types into one kit also means there is no room for any interesting accessories or fun bits like (nearly) every other Dwarf kit has; there are only extra heads or weapons from the unit you weren't building in the first place, which in my opinion, have different enough aesthetics to warrant two separate designs.

Beyond the kit itself, though, the design you are left with after you put it together (if you follow the instructions) is egregious. Most glaring is the model's scale: these Dwarfs are for some reason far more bulky than any of their brethren, so much so that it's a challenge trying to rank these guys up on 20mm bases! (These 8th edition models I suspect are one of the reasons TOW moved their bases up 5mm) Their stupidly bulky armor, too, is bedazzled with this bizarre flowing curly-cue ornamentation that looks more like elven handiwork than anything Dwarf-crafted. Their helmets don't even have horns of any kind like the old designs, opting instead for an odd football helmet-esque look with these orbs on each side that I absolutely despise.

The worst offender might be the model's pose. While it might not be as bad when they are built with hand weapons, the great weapon pose has absolutely no character or energy behind it. I assume the idea is that they are supposed to be mid-march, but they look like they have about as much agency and personality as a chess piece. Embarrassingly, most of the Longbeard head option's beards barely even touch the ground! The one requirement to make this unit recognizable as what it is supposed to be, and they could barely manage that.

I will say the Longbeard unit champion in this kit (pictured front and center in the above picture) does maintain some of that original repose and character by virtue of leaning on his shield and great weapon, and in order to salvage this kit I relied heavily on these bits for my own Longbeards, which you may be able to spot in the initial photos.

That and some old reliable bits from the 4th edition Dwarf Warrior kit saved this build for me, but what stings the most about this new kit is that it is what two of the most iconic Dwarf units are stuck with looking like for most people for the foreseeable future. It has been kept in production solidly since 8th edition as an Age of Sigmar unit, and now with The Old World, it'll probably hold that course.

That being said, there's still a chance for some new developments with The Old World, as some units like the Dwarf Lord with Shieldbearers will almost certainly be getting new models. I'll keep my fingers crossed, but like any good Longbeard, I'll probably just keep sticking with the old stuff. :)

Thanks for reading this somewhat rambling editorial, I'll try to keep these constructive rather than full on devolve into GW-bashing all of the time (while that is quite fun...), but I had to devote some time to articulate why exactly I feel so strongly about this particular variety of Dwarf, as one does.

Not to end on a sad note, but Colin Dixon passed away quite recently, so if you have a moment, here is a very nice article memorializing his career as a painter and sculptor of miniatures:

[asoulwithadream]

guys i didn't even REALISE until NOW THAT CODE RAINBOW VANITY FAIR HAS RELEASED AN OFMD S2 FIRST LOOK!!!!!!!!

I'm actually insane, and of course my incoherent thoughts will now be discussed as sub-text to each picture. Because what else is my Tumblr good for if I'm not going to unhinged-ly ramble?????? (*edit, this post has been changed to fit my current thoughts and theories)

GUYS GUYS GUYS HE HAS A BOTTLE MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE GUYS MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE- It's for Ed isn't it, OR IS IT FROM ED? Oh my god is it from LUCIUS? Or JIM? Or FRENCHIE?? This has so many possibilities oh my god MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE AAAA. PLUS WHY IS HE SLAYING SO HARD??? HIS HAIR IS ACTUALLY A LIFE GOAL AT THIS POINT IN TIME

He looks so PICKABLE oh my god why is he looking like that. AND WHERE DID HIS EMO MAKEUP GO????????? Why is it gone. What's going on, is this after or before Stede-Ed reunion. Why is he sad, what is he looking at. IS STEDE PRISONER??? I SAW A FIC ABOUT THAT- and also I just need to very calmly comment on the beautiful wonderful LACK OF STEDE'S CRAVAT AND WTF ARE PEARLS DOING THERE- He wears fine things so WELL UGH

THE GANG. And I think we've all SEEN STEDE'S RED CRAVAT. AND I THINK WE ALL KNOW WHAT IT IS. It must be it must be it must be it must be it must be it must be. Also, can I just comment AGAIN and say his fit is such a vibe??? He's slaying in the pirate wear for REAL. He looks so miserable omg just give him to Ed PLEASEEE

This picture gives me so much JOY. SPANISH JACKIE AND ED JUST GOSSIPING. But BUT BUT if you look closer, ED IS LOOKING AT SOMETHING. HE'S LOOKING AT SOMETHING FONDLY. He's looking at Stede right, he's just finished telling Jackie how much he loves his boyfriend because s1 finale never happened PLEASE WHAT'S GOING ONNNNNN

PLEASE DEAR HE LOOKS SO CONFUSED. What is he doing, what is he doing, he is up to something look at his little "don't be suspicious, don't be suspicious" face. HE IS UP TO SOMETHING, HE IS UP TO SOME SHENANIGAN. Stede stop STOP STOP

This is part of Fuckery vol.2 AND I KNOW IT. Please what are they doing in an eastern country, and please don't tell me Stede went looking for Ed in the very place he promised to follow him TO. OH MY GOD PLEASE DON'T DO THAT WHY DID I DO THAT TO MYSELF HELP ME HELPPPP BUT BUT BUT BUT LUCIUS IS ALIVE? THAT MUST BE IT RIGHT RIGHT RIGHT

AND OF COURSE THE BEST PART: THE WOMEN PIRATES OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG I'm gay panicking for REAL THIS IS ACTUALLY MAKING ME NERVOUS SWEAT. Who is she who is she I must know and please make her a lesbian I need lesbian pirates BADLY. IS SHE MARY READ OR THE MERMAID. PLEASE TELL ME I'm GOING TO FAINT

I'm going feral over her. I'M ACTUALLY GOING INSANE. PLEASE THIS IS THE PERSON OF MY DREAMS WHERE CAN I FIND THIS?????????? ANNE BONNEEEYYEYEYEYYE. ALSO THEY'RE WEARING CONTRASTING COLOURS PLEASE. I NEED THIS TO HAPPEN LESBIAN PIRATES PLEAAASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE AAAAAAAAH

That concludes my frilly little rant. Expect more uncontrollable behaviour from my part in the next few weeks.

Oh, and of course more in October. I will be wrapped in my breakup-robe-blanket, in my pirate shirt, underneath my Queen Anne's Revenge flag, staring at my screen like a hermit.

[thenightling]

In that Over the Garden Wall Facebook group, that Jason Nesbitt person, who was too rude to actually read why I was saying Crooked Moon is based on Over the Garden Wall, doubled down on his claim that I only see the similarity because of Americana. This is very insulting because I went into pretty graphic detail about the similarities, and not merely the use of early American folklore, folk art, and vintage postcards. Yeah... That doesn't account for the actual use of the Over the Garden Wall opening narration with just a few words changed. In fact the first change nearly rhymes. "Clouded" became "Shrouded." Jason Nesbitt also falsely accused me of ableism, saying my first reply to him was ableist and that I deleted it and replaced it. Saying "Don't think I didn't notice you deleted your first ableist reply to me." There was no other reply to him. I did no such thing. I babble when I try to explain something. The reply I posted was the only one. I edited it a few times but I never deleted it. The "edited" marker was right there on the post. I pointed that out to him, that all versions of my reply were still readily available and also I don't "Do" ableism. I'm borderline legally blind. And the guy doesn't even have a Facebook picture. How would I know he has a disability to be ableist about?! Again I pointed out to him that had he actually read my post and my reply to him he would have noticed I was talking about a lot more than the Americana aesthetic, such as The Crooked Moon using the same opening narration with just a few words changed and other things that do not come from just using the same American folklore. Next thing I know I was banned from the group. I think he wanted to create the narrative that I said something ableist and he banned me, rather than face the humiliation that I had given him plentiful examples that it was more than just the use of Americana that made Crooked Moon like Over The Garden Wall. As I write this I realize now, I'm not entirely sure he knew what Americana means. He kept using it over and over again but so vaguely I'm not sure he understood why it's not just the Americana usage that makes it similar to Over the Garden Wall. At first I felt like he wasn't reading what I wrote. Now I realize he may not have understood it at all. He never addressed that I said over and over again that it's more than just the aesthetic. The premise isn't actually from Americana itself. Here's just a few "similarities." 1 . They use the same word-for-word opening narration just with five words changed. "Clouded" for example becomes "Shouded."

2. The promise is the playable characters wake up on a black late nineteenth century style steam engine train and don't know how they got there. Hardcore Over the Garden Wall fans will know this was originally how Over the Garden Wall was going to open before they changed it Wirt and Greg walking through the woods. You still hear the train though a the scene fades into view from a mist (a mist described in Crooked Moon, by the way.) The train is talking souls to the afterlife, which was originally planed for Over the Garden Wall, by the way.

3. The concept art for Crooked Moon depicts a Jack-o-lantern Maypole. This can be scene as a trapping of Americana but it's pretty obscure as it comes from an early twentieth century Hallowe'en postcard adapted by Patrick McHale for Over the Garden wall. 4. A hunch backed dog (or wolf) with glowing, round eyes and a tiny pupils is depicted in the Crooked Moon concept art and in Over the Garden Wall's first episode. This is not from any Americana. No old postcards or folklore. This was an original creature of Patrick McHale. 5. The logo for Crooked Moon is nearly identically the SAME font as Over the Garden Wall! They even use the same chapter wood cut style art like Over the Garden Wall's Death's Head art. 6. They literally got the same people who did the music for Over the Garden Wall. Yes, both use Americana but it's Americana as it had already been filtered through Patrick McHale's style. 7. Actually, it would be easier to list the differences. The realm in Crooked Moon isn't The Unknown. It's Endless Night. That's the biggest difference. The Unknown still had day and night cycles while Endless Night is eternally Night.

_________

It's a shame there are so few Over the Garden Wall Facebook groups out there to discuss things like Crooked Moon. The fandom for Over the Garden Wall feels so tiny, like being into Nightmare before Christmas in 1994, only Over the Garden Wall hasn't earned the cult status it deserves... yet.

[kimyoonmiauthor]

Hi. I'm that annoying person that's been going around and saying that structuralism is all well and good, but it doesn't guarantee success. And both of the books cited are for screenplays. And I'm one to say that screenplays and novels aren't the same thing, and you should carefully consider if you should given the history of how this story structure came to be. Doesn't mean it's "wrong" Means examine and think about it. And I'm one of those annoying people that went around and traced the history of structuralists from the 19th to current day (well, working through it) and even if you ignore the history of dunking on white women, PoCs, etc, which isn't done in the reverse... I do think structuralists still miss some fundamental things you should watch out for.

The first is that there is a magical formula that will get you the magically perfect story every time.

Promises sound a lot like Shawn Cole here: https://store.storygrid.com/product/story-grid-101/

In Story Grid 101, Story Grid founder Shawn Coyne distills 30 years of experience working with writers to build their stories into five principles: Stories are made up of distinct parts, or units. Stories are about change. The change that happens in stories concerns Universal Human Values, the things that most people would say are necessary to survive and thrive in the world—or alternatively, the things that keep us from surviving and thriving. Each unit of story has a Story Event, a one-sentence distillation of what’s happening and what value is changing. Within each story unit we find a pattern of change we call the Five Commandments of Storytelling.

And if you read wide enough, you can kind of see where this accidentally gets racist. It misses out on why people tell and consume stories, and as that as a principle, I think it really means you will fail if you always set out with a particular formula without those things in mind.

The Second is the Infuriating habit of Structuralists to not cite properly their sources...

In that spirit, I've done it for you:

The first link cites Syd Field, but fails to mention a lot of the rest of his book and only goes on about a few pages of his work. This is a problem. You can't get a complete story theory by just looking only at the pictures. And you should be looking for more than the pictures.

The book talked about also is lacking a proper citation. !@#$ I have issues with people not giving proper citations. But here, I can tell you which citation it is.

Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field (1975) His last edition, 2005, cites Lajos Egri, whom he plagiarized for all that time period, but ya know, better late than sorry and getting caught like Kenneth Rowe?

The second link should cite directly Story Engineering by Larry Brooks.

Normally, I'd do the page number for you too... just to stick it to people who do that.

The Third problem is the Selective summary

People go, Gustav Freytag was a great guy. Because look, his pages on Story structure near the middle of his book, and so you have to hand it to him. But then have you read his book? It's filled to the brim with things you'd recognize sound a lot like Nazi Propaganda in a time before even WWI.

And generally, I rather read the whole of a person's story theory and philosophy before I delve really heavily into believing their pretty diagrams. And unfortunately, I did read all of Syd Field. I say unfortunately because he talks about great screenwriters—all male and white, mostly straight and Christian too... while quietly saying they are better than female screenwriters and if only female screenwriters would write like male ones things would be better. He's more subtle about it, granted, because he parades male screenwriters in the front, while talking about how he taught females in the back. And then also talks about white male painters he's dealt with in the front and then missing out on Gertrude Stein in the back. And you might think this is unfair for me to point out, but when you are pointing out Modernists that directly were inspired by Gertrude Stein and interacted with her, and failing to acknowledge her, it gets a bit weird.

If the formula is truly, truly universal, then why can't you (directed at Syd Field) cite the women from the same time period saying the same thing and supporting your points with exact citations? Why would digging up their works be a threat to Syd Field?

And the thing is, the advice women were giving in the same time period and PoCs and queers was completely different from the Structuralists.

So...

Not all stories have plot points. I know. It's not always about the events.

You can have a successful story with transformation, even without specific plot points. Sometimes it's the complete story you need to experience in full to get it.

I think it's fine.

And I think it's fine to have a structure, also while acknowledging the problematic parts of the Structuralists, but I think there are some things they needed from the side they were ignoring and calling "Invalid" and worse things say like Robert Scholes. (Or the child marriage of Lajos Egri)

Stories are remembered on two points: Makes you think something. Makes you feel something. How you get there is up to you.

But I kinda side with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show (The Book): An Oral History as Told by Jon Stewart, the Correspondents, Staff and Guests when he kept drilling into everyone: What are you trying to say with this? What is your point?" "And "How am I supposed to feel about this?" If you can do that and really drill down on why you want to tell this story, it should connect. The more you feel like you're punching a card for no reason, I've found that audiences really resent and can feel that. If you're hitting a time card to hit a time card, audiences will not forgive you. But if you hit the feels and thinks, no matter what weird formula you come up with or whatever structure, audiences will stick to you until the very end.

Everything Everywhere All at Once. Crazy things happen, and you get it. You totally get it. You forgive the crazy structure, because it engages in those two principles along the way and uppercuts you. Does it follow that formula no. But they keep drilling you on what do you think or feel about this?

You aren't going, Oh great, it's 2/3's into the movie. Let me wait for this fake conflict I don't care about. (Looking at You The Marvels and WW 1984). The investment should be into the feels and thinking. Because that's how memory is stored.

Why is a memory sharp for you? You had opinions about it didn't you? But should you examine why you had opinions about it. Was it because the trauma was so deep which is why you have warm and fuzzy feelings over say, your grandmother making you cookies?

If stories are a type of way to store that sort of thing, give entertainment, etc, capitalize on all of it.

And that's what you get by studying the other side and the Modernists and the people who are on the fence without those pretty diagrams the structuralists put up.

Really, story theory should be asking, what is a story for and who will I reach when I tell it? Sometimes the messiest, complicated, unstructured stories reach deep inside of you and you should be asking yourself, why does this work?

Plot vs. Pinch Points

In a typical 3-act story structure, there are stages called plot points and pinch points. These can be easily defined as key scenes or areas where your protagonist takes major steps that serve to drive the plot and story forward, both internally and externally. 

These story beats had taken a while for me to truly grasp, as they both come across as so similar yet so distinct from each other. In this post, I want to dive a little deeper into their differences between these two points within a story structure and how they are linked. 

Let’s take a look:

Plot Points

A helpful thing to remember is that plot points are external factors in the story. They serve as spots of action: the main decisions, incidents, or short-term goals that the protagonist makes or receives that alters the course or direction of the story. 

They are significant scenes: Plot points are pivotal moments or events that drive the story forward and mark significant changes in the narrative. 

They can be structural milestones: Plot points help structure the overall arc of the story and are crucial for maintaining pacing and keeping the reader engaged.

They also advance the plot: In essence, plot points often lead from one major moment to the next, such as the inciting incident, major revelations, climax, and resolution. 

Pinch Points

Pinch points are areas that are built off of the plot points: a-la, the internal reactions. These are places where the antagonistic force, conflict, tension, and stakes need to be felt not just by the characters, but by the reader, as well. They can also be spots of action in of themselves, but the main takeaway here is if the protagonist fails (or perhaps succeeds) as a result and what they’ve learned or acquired from it. 

They assert the antagonistic force: Pinch points re-establish the antagonistic force's presence, motivation, or impact on the protagonist's journey.

They’re used to reinforce tension: Pinch points serve as reminders of the looming conflict or threat — increasing the stakes for the protagonist.

They emphasize conflict or revelations: In a way, they act as sort of a “check-in” to see how the protagonist is faring along their journey — emphasizing their reactions to every threat and highlighting what next course of action they must take to counter them. 

In essence, plot points are major structural beats that drive the story forward externally, whereas pinch points specifically highlight or intensify the conflict and antagonistic pressures. Both are essential for creating a well-paced and engaging narrative, but they serve different functions within the overall plot structure.

Here are some useful sites that have really opened my eyes and helped me to understand plot and pinch points:

[thechekhov]

hi! this is kind of a long shot, but i've seen you give advice about commissions in the past, so maybe you'll be able to help.

i was recently approached with a commission offer that seemed too good to be true: several cartoon-style illustrations for a workshop, the budget for each being several hundred dollars, with a generous deadline. the commissioner was clear about what he wanted and offered to send payment via check. i usually don't take commissions, but... this is a lot of money for me. and it seems legit! so this is. very exciting.

the only problem now is that i am not very experienced working with/negotiating with clients, since this isn't something i do regularly. and this is an Actual Professional Commission.

do you have any advice on how to navigate this situation?

thank you for taking the time to read this ♥

Hmm... This is very cool if true, and I'm excited for you!

The things that would stand out to me first are, unfortunately, things that all artists end up paranoid about - scams. If you don't know this person irl, or haven't interacted with them before, I greatly recommend looking them/their company up online just to verify that everything looks as good as it sounds. Try to look for testimonials of other artists that may have worked with them in the past.

The second thing I would ask is that you never, ever do any work without at least partial upfront payment. Checks are great, but they're not quite common as a form of payment these days. If you're in a part of the country where it's normal, hats off to you! But I would recommend taking that check (or whatever downpayment you decide on) to the bank FIRST before you do any sort of work for them.

This being out of the way, the next best thing would be to be... professional! And the best way to do that is:

respect the customer's time

respect your OWN time

The best way to do this is setting out parameters for what this will be and keeping promises to each other regarding standards/deadlines/showing and sharing work and doing any edits.

What I mean by that is, you should give yourself rules to follow during this commission, and stick to them like glue. Create a contract for art commissions. Search around the internet for a default draft and edit it as you see fit. The most important things to consider within this contract is:

what the hourly or production rate is (how much you're getting paid for what amount of work) and how editing time will be treated and billed (if you design one thing and they tell you they don't like it and to do it again 20 times, you need to be billing for that)

who owns the work and the commercial rights to the work after it's done (companies who plan to use the artwork to later sell more stuff need to pay artists more for commercial rights, because they're essentially buying long-term advertising that will benefit their business, and you're selling them not only a one-time picture but a foundational business piece)

some options for what sort of things would terminate the contract and what would happen in the event of unforeseen circumstances or just you guys disagreeing on the finished product

Here's a place to start:

I don't know if this is exactly the answer you were looking for, but regardless, I wish you the best of luck! It's an exciting proposal and it's always cool to get commissioned! :)

[technowoah]

Dating The Dream Team Headcanon(s)

Dream! (Clay)

Our supposed golden retriever

He loves you with his whole heart and he'll tell you that every second he gets.

He loves showering you with affection on and off camera

Mostly off camera

Pda isn't a problem because no one knows his real face.

He'll kiss you, holding hands, hug you, piggyback rides when your feet hurt, locking arms, arms around eachother when you're walking. All of be above

Just hugging you from behind all of the time. And always wanting to be around you

But if people know who you are and know you're dating Dream you two rarely go outside in public areas.

But home dates are amazing too!

Blanket forts even though its so cliché, he insists.

Watching horror movies on the first date was his choice.

Ya know for somone to cuddle, just in case they get scared. It worked.

You guys dont need "dates" because you always are around eachother.

But Clay likes to have formal dates every now and then

At first you didn't know what to call Clay.

You had called Clay, Dream for the first month you two started officially dating.

One day he asked you why, and you said that you watch videos that he's in and gotton used to people calling him Dream

He melted on spot when you mentioned you watched his videos and videos with him in it.

Except for the minecraft cheating ones

He always asks if you like the video first before anyone else because he values your opinions.

He'll sit you on his lap while recording or editing and sometimes, I emphasize sometimes, your voice will make it into a video.

He was very protective of you, and still is. Especially because of the place he is in popularity.

In the beginning your conversations while speed running would always be either muted from his audience or either cut of from the extended manhunt videos.

Now he takes pride in having his significant other's voice in videos. He dosent cut out your conversations, except if they're too personal.

Or the kisses

Dream bought you roses on the first date, and now roses are such a special thing between you two.

Those little rose pendants for jewelry, fake roses to keep around his place, gifts things that reminded him of your first date with a rose that comes with it.

He gives you merch of course!

Your closet is full of Dream hoodies and a box full of milestone coins.

You always either get the prototype one or the first one made. Idk how he made that happen, but take his word for it.

You've meet "Drista" before, and you had met his family too!

His family adores you.

He has yet to meet yours, but one day he promises he will make a great first impression.

I would do into more detail, but Dream is one of the most caring, sweet, boyfriend's you'll ever have.

Sapnap!

My boyyyy

I love sapnap srs

Gentlemanᵗᵐ

He'll treat you like royalty

He's not the biggest fan of PDA but further into your relationship he got more comfortable with showing you love in public.

He loves hugs, lying together, just hugs and sitting you on his lap and resting his head on your shoulder.

You guys mostly have home dates for him to have an excuse to hold you all day.

The dates are mostly movie marathons with one of you laying ontop of one another

He loves cheek kisses btw.. all the time

Conversation between you two flows so naturally you could talk for hours about anything.

You try to convince him to have a podcast.

When you get too riled up his voice calms you and he knows that so he uses it to his advantage.

You two play fight alot, its never serious you two barely fight.

Also calling him his real name was the strangest thing to him.

Like Dream, it had to take some getting used too because their friends wouldn't call them by their real name (most of the time)

He adores nicknames for the both of you. You both have too many nicknames but the most popular one between you is 'angel'

You never sit in the same room while he plays video games, because he can scream very loud.

There probably has been noise complaints. And you wouldn't be surprised.

You'll always defend him no matter what. Even when the twitter stans get to him, he knows you'll be there without a doubt. Always ready to defend your man.

You're kinda protective of Sapnap, but he's more protective over you.

You two would defend eachother to the ends of the earth.

You trust him with hanging out with other people, but you just dont trust Twitter.

He loves showing you off to his community. He kept you a secret at first then gradually started saying "my significant other" and they caught on.

Sapnap isnt that much of a gift giver. He loves to spend more quality time with a person.

He likes to spend more time with you than buy you material things all the time.

But he gives you his merch, but then the rest of the clothes you get are his actual hoodies.

He's actually starting to miss his clothing so he asks for them back for them to inevitably end up back in your closet.

You and Sapnap are planning to take a trip to meet his parents and then make a weekend out of it.

Then the next stop is to meet yours and out of all the relationships you've had you're not nervous for him to meet your parents.

We love sapnap in this household and he would just be the best boyfriend srs

GeorgeNotFound! (George)

This man is so annoying

But like in an endearing way ya know?

He never fails to brighten up your day

Making you laugh

repeating phrases over and over again

poking you nonstop to get a reaction out of you

giving you long hugs that never seem to end

kissing you all over your face.

He is just so bright.

Hes the neighbors kid

George loves giving you affection whether its kisses or holding your hand he wants you to know he's there.

Even if you dont want him to he'll always want to be around you.

He loves skinship.

George loves walking around London finding stuff to do for dates.

He loves taking small roadtrips too so you get to see stuff around the area you wouldn't normally see.

Just walking around holding hands while making fun of anything you can see.

You two are out in public a lot so when George does his meetups with his friends and brings you along people would stop them and want to take pictures.

He'll introduce you as his significant other in public to fans who ask or notice, but online when his friends ask about his relationship he says "what relationship?" Even though his whole fanbase knows you two are dating.

His fanbase loves you two together, but sometimes they can get too much.

George couldn't care less about what his fanbase thinks if him and his relationship and he wants you do think the same because its not worth it.

Your voice sometimes appear in his videos when you comment on something he does in minecraft.

George doesn't like to put his personal life out on the internet so he still keeps secrets about yall relationship

All his community knows is that you're his significant other and you're "really cool" in George’s words.

You stay in his room when he's recording because he insisted that you stay.

Also he doesn't give you his merch, he refuses to and everytime you ask he just says "because I said so" and "I need the money"

He ends up giving you merch, you knew it was a bluff anways.

Dreams love language is gift giving

Sapnaps is quality time

and George’s is skinship like I said.

Hugs and kisses all the time. Even when your mad at him

You guys have so many inside jokes its ridiculous.

You say them around your friends and laugh just to annoy them.

You guys love to flaunt your relationship around. Showing off that "this is George’s jumper" and "oh this is y/n's necklace"

One time you threatened to cut George’s hair and he didnt speak to you for like an hour.

You already have a good relationship with him and his friends, but you havent met his family yet.

If your family lives out of the country you both plan to travel for him to meet your family.

If your family is in the same country you guys plan a month where you both meet eachothers parents in that same month.

George would be so proud that he got to meet your parents. And the same goes for you.

After all you both love a little road trip from time to time.

Anyways being georges significant other would be a 20/10 experience.

Taglist(s)

Dream Team Imagines: @bozowrites

MCYT Imagines: @annshit @bobaducky @malfoysslutt @egorldevi

[azureaqua]

Giving the Ikesen guys modern outfits (because I can) <Pt. 2>

Yeah, we’re doing this. I've probably put way too much thought and time into this. But at this point I have to share it. Why the Ikesen guys, you ask? Because they have the most traditional clothes, especially seeing that nowadays western-style fashion is present everywhere! Let's get it!

→ PART 1 HERE, if you missed it!

How did this post even came alive? Tbh, I was just browsing Pinterest and one of my secret hobbies is that I like to thirst over fashion runways and designer stuff. Not that I would ever buy them, or have the money to buy them, but I still enjoy it for some reason haha. So one time, I was looking at an outfit and suddenly a warlord popped into my head. That's when I decided that I'll do a full detailed research on this. Inspired mainly by their armors and color palettes. (First I thought about drawing the outfits myself, but my drawing skills are questionable, so I edited them instead. My editing skills are better, I promise.)

Also, as I said; these are from fashion runways, so almost everything is from luxury brands and/or quality designers. So not the 'typical' street fashion, because I figured it would be more interesting this way. Plus since I needed a lot of jackets and blazers for the guys, I'm thanking Balmain, because most of these are from their shows XD.

Takeda Shingen

At first this wasn't quite the outfit I invisioned for him, but after I completed it... You know, it's for the better. He needed something big, something voluminous. I also got mafia boss vibes, like with Nobunaga and this time I really went for it with the coat. The one-piece suit underneath gives a nice contrast and introduces a new accent color! This isn't really in Shingen's palette, but it did good for the whole picture. I was hesitant once again about the boots, but other shoes would have looked wrong so, Shingen will slay the high lace up boots! I added a subtle accessory to his big coat and a hat as well. I feel like he would look good in it!

Uesugi Kenshin

I found a lot of big, fancy fur coats for him, but I ended up using the smallest and the least fluffy out of them haha. Kenshin is elegant and graceful. They mention it all the time when he's fighting or when they talk about his mere presence. But he's ruthless as well. So something 'painfully' beautiful was the idea. It's a mix of styles and textures with the big fur and checkered jacket, but the long satin suit with a trail underneath. Plus black dress pants. And I may or may not have given him discreet high heels. He needs to look taller next to Shingen lol. He got leather gloves as well, it was to make the outfit complete!

Akechi Mitsuhide

I know his official nickname in the game is the kitsune, but c'mon! There so many cool clothing pieces with snake designs! I. Just. Had. To. The simple shirt and long skirt-like pants underneath his green coat are to tone down the outfit, because of the pattern. He got some fancy leather dress shoes, in sleek black color as well! Then the coolest piece in my opinion is that big, bedazzled snake that is hanging around his neck! I also wanted to put something to his waist, to make a contrast, then I found these funky glasses with similar snakey design, also some resemblance to the biblical term 'serpent in paradise'.

Kicho

Well, Kicho is canonically a woman in history. So I dared to give him a more feminine silhouette and garments. His outfit is the most subtle and simplest beside Kanetsugu's. (And mostly my style, I would gladly wear this! XD) The pants' material and its color shifts slightly, so it has an elegant feeling! I also gave him discreet heels, unintentionally this time haha. The top is a shorter winter coat, made from a thicker material and I have to admit that the detail in the front wasn't there at first. I cut it out from a dress and edited it on and it was a really good idea! Plus Kicho got a small Gucci handbag, because he's THE beauty king lol.

Mori Ranmaru

I don't know why I associated him immediately with butterflies, but it's a thing now! At first I found this adorable coat/poncho and I knew I had to use it! But I needed something under it, so this simple white turtleneck seemed a good contrast. Then the slightly loose pants just looked too cute with the boots! So overall I think it's and adorable, lively outfit, just like Ranmaru! It's not as colorful but I can definitely imagine it on him!

Ishida Mitsunari

I admit, maybe I've gone a little overboard with him. Again I'm not sure why I associated these long, dangling pieces of fabric to his outfit, but Mitsunari would look absolutely precious! It's a bit chaotic over there, I made it from a lot of asymmetrical coats, dresses, suits. Also the colors are a bit random, but I think it could work? He would make it look good, any day! There's also a graceful vibe to both the outfit and Mitsunari!

Tokugawa Ieyasu

I had different plans for him at the beginning as well. I wanted a darker color palette and a 'skater-boy' theme, if it makes sense? But in the end that's how it came out. I feel funny about the printed pants, but he rocks it! I had some problems with the white turtleneck under the asymmetric coat, it still looks weird the way it's under it, but I hope it's not that disturbing! The colors are mostly muted, but that dark, wine red does good for the full picture!

Sarutobi Sasuke

I'll be honest, I feel the least accomplished and proud about this piece but I tried! I wanted to mimic his ninja outfit, but spice things up with this so-called 'tech-wear'? Tech fashion, I think that's how they call this kind of style. I had this idea because it matched him as a ninja, as an astrophysicist and a genius in general haha. I tried to put some more color into it, than the muted grays, I hope it helped!

Kennyo

I really wanted to keep the traditional feeling of his robes this time! I think I gathered good materials for it, but the top robes look a bit weird and all-over-the-place. The pants are baggy, and maybe the black is too much, but it doesn't need to be colorful, it's Kennyo we're talking about haha. Don't ask about his shoes, I just went with it, it felt right. The purple cape thing behind him was a last-minute idea, but I think it was a good decision to bring back his another main color, beside this dark yellowish shade!

Well, this was quite the work!

Especially writing the descriptions, but I definitely wanted to do them, to show what were my intentions and ideas! I hope it's understandable and not that repetitive!

Hope you enjoyed!

[jade-len]

UPDATE: my friend absolutely loves sqq.

i'm?? honestly a little surprised that he actually enjoys it so much? he's at the part where sqq bets on luo binghe at the immortal alliance conference. first three things he said to me today? "sha hualing a baddie", "god it's really fucking good", and "it's kinda fruity tho"

and, you know, i thought that he picked up luo binghe's little antics! from his flirting to the waist massage offer, etc

nope. when i ask why, he says it's because it seems like every time a guy is introduced, sqq starts talking about how beautiful they look, and that it's "just the vibes". which, isn't wrong per say

so now i'm like, "is that it?" and he just starts talking about how sqq describes the men in this novel, especially when he meets liu qingge ("look it's not gay to appreciate a man's beauty but, i don't know!"). but he doesn't suspect anything, not even luo binghe's behavior, so,,,

anyways here are my friends thoughts about svsss so far. of course, with quotes that are obviously not super accurate but it's pretty much what he said

- "the main character's kind of a dickhead but it's so funny, my god. i genuinely felt bad for the skinner demon because of him. the fucking easy mode."

- *struggling to pronounce qingqiu* "can i just call him by his original name. please. look, i may be chinese and even speak cantonese, but it's still a struggle, okay!?"

- "shen yuan's and luo binghe's relationship is pretty wholesome. especially the dream part :)"

- "this book is so unhinged. it's absolutely cracked out. but at the same time, the writing is so good too and actually heartfelt?"

- "i feel like luo binghe is secretly a little shit but we just don't know because we're in yuan's perspective. like, he wanted to spite liu mingyan or something!" (did the jealousy completely fly over my friend's head? i have zero clue)

- "the system HAS to be a person. it's an asshole and it's so funny to read every time. deducting points left to right. i swear, it's the severus snape of svsss"

- "i love the artstyle so much, i wanna use it as a reference so bad and incorporate some of the style into mine. lowkey, it kind of reminds me of genshin impact? i don't know why, just the vibes of it!"

- *shows him the sha hualing vs liu mingyan art in the svsss russian edition* "holy shit-"

- "i love how shen yuan isn't a boring main character. like it really makes me happy because usually, transmigration mc's have such bland personalities. he's so fun. he's not the most sane, but he does seem to be the most mature out of all of them."

- "i hate ning yingying. why? because she's so dumb! she keeps getting our binghe (yes he said 'our') in trouble! i could envision the beatdown scene so well, he was just trying to do his own thing but nooo she has to include him she hasn't helped at all it's like-- look i know that she's supposed to have low iq but i-"

- "everyone in this novel is so stupid. but in a good way."

- "what? no no oh my god that's too sad. that's not fair! the original binghe should've stayed in the svsss world. they could've been, like, twins or something! i'm sure shen yuan would've loved them both anyways! wait wait, let's stop talking about this!! i need to experience it for myself first! you're gonna spoil it at this point!" (i told him a little bit about the bingmei vs bingge extra)

- "can i please just search up the second volume and order it? what? why not yet?? i don't really care if i get pictures anymore, the writing makes up for it plenty anyways. i won't look at any spoilers, promise!"

i think it's safe to say that he enjoyed it! ahh what'll happen when i drop volume 2 on him

so today i tricked my very straight male friend into reading svsss.

okay look, i wasn't planning to at first and it's not like it was completely my fault. he wanted to read it!

i was showing him how badly they fucked up mu qingfang in the donghua by comparing it to the english novel design (he said that mu qingfang went from looking like a soft dilf to a predator registered on the epstein island list). and then, i showed him how different some of the other character designs were like gongyi xiao's ("he looks like he'd be a genshin character" -friend, to eng novel design) and luo binghe's ("lowkey, he kinda gives airbender vibes" -friend, to bunhe eng novel design)

so that was all i was gonna show him, nothing else. but after seeing them, he goes, "these designs actually look hella cool. what's the book called?"

now, do i:

A. tell him the name, eventually revealing that it's a danmei when he looks it up?

B. just straight up tell him that it's a danmei?

C: don't tell him the name just yet, spill the summary, get him interested, and tell him to not search anything up about it because there's heavy spoilers and it will reveal them the moment he types it up on the search bar

i go with C, obviously.

me: so, basically, some guy named shen yuan transmigrates into an incel harem male power fantasy novel where the protagonist, luo binghe, has hundreds of wives. thing is though, the guy pretty much took over the body of binghe's teacher he had when he was a teenager, who turns out to be a really scummy dude. and now he has to be nice to him so that the protagonist doesn't rip off his limbs and put him into a pickle pot in the future to suffer for eternity.

friend: that sounds hilarious and horrifying at the same time.

me: yes it is, and you should read it. it's like. my favorite novel at the moment. but don't search up anything about it because people spoil that shit. i'll let you borrow my novel

friend: nah don't worry, i'll just pirate it

friend: wait. does it have pictures?

me, my plan coming together: yeah, it has pictures. buuut, when you pirate it, it doesn't. trust me dude, i tried and was severely disappointed. plus, the physical copy is so much better

friend: fuck yeah ok thanks

me: hold on though. i'll text you later to see if my friend who's borrowing it rn is done reading it

he's hyped. he's excited. he craves a good book and a good transmigration interpretation. he's especially happy about the fact that it takes place in a chinese setting with cool powers and an actual good main character. "this sounds so good, god i wanna read it so bad."

i tell him that binghe is actually adorable, too. that it's pretty much found family! my friend then asks if shen yuan adopts him and becomes a father figure or something.

and i said "yes". you know, like a liar. (the father figure part probably isn't a lie though)

now i'm gonna give him the novel tomorrow! of course, i'm gonna cover the chapter 2 bunhe sexual awakening scene with washi tape and say that my baby cousin (sorry baby cousin, you would never <\3) scribbled all over that paragraph with her markers, and since i'm a neat book freak, i put washi tape and just wrote the scene! i don't know if that's really all too believable, but he didn't seem to care that much. just a simple "if my baby cousin did that to my book i would punt them into the sun"

i think what'll be more hilarious is the fact that you can't really tell that svsss is a BL. especially not volume 1. there's like, only a few lines indicating, but if you remove the baby binghe sexual awakening scene then you probably won't be able to know (...if you don't really read romance or anything. idk he's kinda dense anyways). so let's hope he gets attached and has a slow descent into the homo before i drop svsss vol 2 on him!

ok anyways i'll update you guys later with a reblog. maybe in about two or three days lol

(also don't worry, we already fuck around with each other on a daily basis like this. he's already tricked me into reading some manga i was unprepared for, and i thought that it'd be funny to mess around with him using svsss this time lol)