#the most popular ones and the ones i enjoyed the most

[godineedtoread]

y'all I had THOUGHTS

So- we know Simon has like a really deep voice right ? and also the fact that he never shows his face. so-

can you imagine him being one of those nsfw audio creators ?? do you see what I see ?

His masked face as the profile picture, the sexy deep british accent. That gruff voice of his saying such explicitly suggestive things..

It'll probably take like- a month or something before his fame spreads like wildfire, thanks to his military soldier x nurse audio, driving people insane. comments section filled with varying degrees of horny comments on his deep gruff voice.

He quickly became the internet hot topic, paired with the fact that there's hardly any information about him given out except his alias- Ghost, it was only natural that people became more and more attracted towards him. (because when have we liked men showing their faces 😭)

His popularity only rose higher, and so he takes the financially beneficial step, he makes a patreon. Having these special steamy phone conversation lucky draw for his highest paying members each month. "You're so cute you know ?" "You're my pretty girl" "Fuck, you're mine you hear me ?"

It was work for Simon, nothing exciting most of the time. He gave them a good time and he got his money in return. And it PAID for sure, 100+ members for his highest tier alone.

But this time..it so happens to be you. He didn't much of it as usual, well, at least until he heard your pretty voice greet him through the phone. His heart skipped a little, hearing your sweet earnest voice talking into his ear. How, he could hear you blush. You were just too cute, too good.

So he offers to guide you through your orgasm, a special feature added only for this month (totally not because his own dick was getting hard thanks to you) and you of course eagerly agree, who wouldn't ? "Are you close baby ?"

He whispers in his signature sultry voice, holding the phone with one hand while the other languidly strokes his growing bulge. "y-yes, so close", you whimper into the phone rubbing yourself with increasing pace. "Yeah ? You're gonna be a good girl and cum for me ?" His says, breath hitching as he feels himself getting close. He hears you moan his alias, wishing he could just tell you- call me simon luvie. But he can't risk exposing himself. So he just settles for you sweet whispers "Ghost I'm cumming !"

As you finally get over from your high, you thank him profusely for his 'surprise' service, unaware of the fact that you just gave him a surprise service too. He regains his composure getting back to you with a, "I'm glad you enjoyed it", because he sure did. "So would you be interested in a special video call service lucky draw next time ?"

safe to say, the draw was rigged. ;)

[betbinbag]

Your post started with complaining about people not comprehending the movie "correctly" then you listed exactly what you think the correct interpretation is. And these were your original tags -

You literally said that if people didn't come out of the movie with the same "nuanced" perspective as you they shouldn't even enjoy gothic fiction??

I based my response entirely on the text of your post, which was one of the most popular posts under the Nosferatu tag. If you didn't explain yourself properly in that post it's on you, not me. Your post was a condesending and came across as trying to shame people for not thinking of the movie as being about exactly what you listed, about what you decided it should be about.

I don't even disagree with your interpretation of the film, I actually think exploring the representation of pleasure/eroticism and the horrors of abuse is really interesting. What I disagree with is the genuinely mean and unproductive way you presented it. No room for anyone to disagree with you, no room for discussion, no opening for people to engage with the gothic. Your post is framed as the end all and be all of the emotional meaning of the film. You made it very clear that anyone who doesn't see the film the exact same way you did was incorrect and that was shitty, reading it made me feel gross. Using your lived experiences as a way to re-contextualise a piece of media is great, but using actual abuse and trauma to position your opinion of a fantasy movie as being better than anyone else's is bad media criticism. I was mean, but it wasn't out of no where, I responded with the same energy you brought.

I'm really happy to see in the tags that people have said they're planning on seeing the film with your interpretation in mind, and as long as they don't go in considering it to be the only correct interpretation then that is wonderful. If you've written better criticisms than this and this post doesn't fully represent your approach to media criticism then great, I wish I could have read them and not this. It left a bad taste in my mouth, and your response trying to write off what I said as an unfair misinterpretation of what you wrote made it worse.

People not comprehending Nosferatu correctly might kill me. Yes it's erotic and about pleasure but yes it's devastating and about child sexual abuse. It's a movie about victimhood, about being already dead, about longing for the great beyond, about never feeling safe from your abuser, about always expecting one more rape must be endured. It is about being an ugly victim, a neurotic victim. About your supposed allies tying you down for fear you will rip their world to ribbons. It is about facing the abuser, facing the pleasure the abuser brought. It is about men seeking to silence a plague in the quiet of the night when grooming and abuse can only be destroyed by pulling it into the light of morning.

[kruegerspillow]

the look of love ; jayce talis pt.2

creators note: sigh i lowkey made this half awake so i hope this isnt too bad. still, i hope you all enjoy this !!

word count: 2k

warnings: reader is a Zaunite, Piltovans being a bunch of dicks and not proofread.

part one — part two — part three

Work.

His own work haunted him, always chasing him like a shadow; sticking onto him like a curse. He swore to act according to his reputation— the man of progress. But, despite the distractions: the gala, Mel, and Viktor— he can't ignore the people who won't stop breathing down his neck. It was frustrating, to say the least. Even the most sociable creatures get tired of the constant chattering, and today was no different.

Another gala, it was announced. Another, another and another. It’s the same every damn year.

But Jayce never complained. Will he ever? Probably not. He's now apart of the Council, anyway.

The bright lights nearly blinded Jayce upon entering the edifice. The chattering from others became clearly audible now. Jayce adjusted his tie, greeting one person to another as he made his way to the main hall. His legs moved on its own, easily squeezing in and out of the crowds.

“Yep, ah, yeah, sorry there.” He apologized almost awkwardly, stumbling through the horde of people here and there.

The people of Piltover, of course, looked at him with utter respect, having no idea how exhausted he was. His hands constantly trembled from the lack of sleep and his hair had started to be more disheveled by the day. His popularity was something that he’s used to these days, though he did not fully cherish it. On some days he even despise it. Jayce had always wondered how easy it’ll be to disappoint these people if he didn’t live up to their expectations.

“The Golden Boy of Piltover is here!” People whispered to each other with every step they took, gazes locked onto him as if he was some kind of God. They’d blindly worship the ground he stepped on, if they were asked to.

Jayce brushed off the praises and words, trying his hardest to not start another awkward conversation with these Pilties. That was, until he spotted you, in the corner of the room. You were sipping your wine, swirling it in your glass with a carefree look on your face. For you, the room smelled of polished wood and fine wine, a stark contrast to the metallic tang of the Undercity air. Even the way people moved here—graceful, deliberate—seemed like an art form.

Jayce’s heartbeat quickened, his face heating up like some kind of deer caught in headlights. He didn’t want to be seen like this, well, he didn’t have a reason to, did he?

“—Jayce?” A familiar voice called out to him, so sweetly—so soothingly, that he almost fell onto his knees like an idiot.

His head immediately twisted towards the source of the sound, just to find Mel, who’d been staring at him with an almost… confused look. One of her eyebrows raised as she took in the sight of Jayce.

“Ah, Mel, yes. You— you must be here for some kind of political favour?” Jayce asked abruptly, seemingly lost in his own world. That caught Mel’s attention. Political favour? Where'd he get that from?

“No… no, I’m not. I just wanted to converse, that’s all. Though, you seem to be busy at the moment,” she paused. “Whether it’s busy admiring someone from afar or busy with your own work, it doesn’t matter. So, if I may—I’ll bother you next time.”

He cursed himself in the inside, feeling his thoughts turn into a jumbled mess as Mel gave him a small nod of understanding, walking away to talk with other members of the Council. Jayce could’ve sworn that he saw that smirk on her face, and he mentally facepalmed himself. He made himself look like a fool—in front of the Council that he’s most fond of.

A small, defeated sigh left his lips before his gaze returned to you. You didn’t move a single inch from when he’d spotted you. The gears turned in his head slowly but surely, before he made his choice. It’s his chance to finally talk to you, ever since the day of his speech—and he won't waste it.

And like they said, one may die from curiosity.

He cleared his throat, taking a deep breath before striding towards you. His steps were steady and calculated, a stark contrast to his beating heart. You looked… magnificent, though he won't admit it himself.

“Hey there,” he'd greeted you awkwardly, standing by your side with a small smile on his lips. Very out of character for the Man of Progress.

His sudden appearance nearly caught you off guard, causing you to look at him wide eyed. With that look on your face, he could only wish that he didn't give you the worst first impression of him. His shoulders tensed momentarily, taking in every detail of your expression. Was there confusion? Indifference?

“Oh? Council Jayce, fancy seeing you here.” You quipped, your voice nearly coming out as a purr.

“Yes, yes. Missing the gala would be… a very unprofessional move from one of the Council members themselves, no?” He chuckled, the tension in his shoulders easing.

You laughed softly, “hm, fair enough.”

A few seconds of silence passed with only the sound of chattering from others present in his conversation with you. Sweat slid down his palm as he thought of a way to create a smooth flow for the interaction.

“And you are…?” He started.

You paused briefly, amused by the sudden question. The Man of Progress himself is right in front of you with the intention of... getting to know you? Surprising. Your gaze fixed on Jayce's, meeting his hypnotizing hazel eyes that nearly got you in trance. A soft smile tugged from the corner of your lips before you gave him your name.

“Great, it's nice meeting you.” He replied, his mind already chanting your name. “Sorry, where are you from?”

A sigh escaped your lips as you pondered about your answer, “the unpleasant Undercity.”

He noticed the shift in your tone as your gaze moved from him to the crowd of people around you. He'd heard about how differently the Pilties had treated the people of Zaun—it was something that's quite hard to go unnoticed, especially for someone like him. His eyes softened at the mention of Zaun. On the contrary, his muscles tensed beneath his suit.

Zaun wasn't a place that everyone was fond of. It was full of crime, very much unhinged people and so, so much controversy. Though ever since Viktor, his view on the Undercity had shifted a little. Just a little. He's no longer so… defensive around Zaunites, though his full trust wasn't fulfilled—yet. In understanding, he pushed the topics away, wishing to create a comfortable atmosphere for both you and him.

On the other hand, the abrupt silence was unnerving for you. In fear of making him perturbed, you quickly thought of a way to ease the sudden tight atmosphere.

“Sorry, I know it's not the best place to reside from.” You blurt out.

“Wait, no, it's alright, really. I know what it's like.” Jayce quickly assured you, “no judgement from me.”

You gave him a nod of appreciation, hoping that you could change the topic as quickly as possible. You raised your glass to your lips, the wine sliding down your throat with a burning sensation.

“So, how do you like the Gala so far?” He (thankfully) asked, pushing the previous topic away.

“... Loud, fancy, cheerful, you know? I feel like I don't belong here as a Zaunite,” you attempted a poorly made joke.

“Hey, don't say that." He jested, though his voice held a serious edge to it. “This Gala is not exclusive for Piltovans—well, it might seem like it, but no, it isn't. I know some Zaunites are... capable and worthy.”

“You really think so?”

“I've seen them with my own eyes,” he paused before leaning in. “You.”

Your heart nearly jumped out of your chest as you watched him, a soft look present in his eyes before he straightened his posture once again. Jayce could feel his own heartbeat quicken, not knowing why he'd made that risky move that could possibly shatter the upcoming bond between the both of you.

“Well, I'm flattered.” You admitted, “though, I'm curious. What makes you think that?”

“Seeing you in the Piltover Academy is enough.”

“Ah, so you saw me during your speech?”

He flashed you a nervous, toothy grin at your reply. He didn't think that you would make a remark about that. He gulped, shaking his head in disbelief as his face heated up.

“It's... It's hard to not notice, especially with unfamiliar faces, y'know?” He countered, his demeanor quickly changing.

A small laugh escaped your lips as you nodded in understanding, placing your empty wine glass aside. His shoulders slumped in an almost defeated way.

“I believe you, don't worry—”

A sudden voice erupted, “Councilor Jayce, tell us more about your upcoming inventions!”

The enjoyment from the conversation was quick to fade away as Piltovans, specifically interviewers, began to approach Jayce, overwhelming him with all kinds of questions about his inventions and the Hextech gemstones.

“What's your most complex invention of all time?”

“Why hasn't the Hextech company created a Hexstrap?”

Jayce was quickly crowded with questions, losing sight of your figure as the amount of interviewers gradually increased by the second.

“This wasn’t what progress was supposed to feel like,” Jayce thought bitterly, his forced smile faltering as the questions bombarded him.

He watched as people brushed you away as if you were nothing. Frustration bubbled up inside of him as his gaze shifted from one person to another. At this point, they were invading his privacy.

“I—uh, sorry, can't you see that I'm busy?” Jayce grunted, the tone of his voice was filled with hidden anger.

His brows furrowed as he made his way out of the crowd, leaving some Piltovans stunned at his small outburst. He'd never been seen like this—all worked up and hot-headed.

“Sorry, excuse me.” He murmured underneath his breath, trying to not bump into another interviewer.

His mood immediately dropped as he watched you from afar, your back turned against him as you walked to the exit. His eyes widened, almost pleading before he quickened his pace. He didn't care about the eyes that stared daggers into his figure. He kept his gaze on you before managing to catch up to you. Softly, he called out your name, causing your movements to halt.

“Jayce?” You called back, your voice softer than before. “You didn't need to chase—”

“Why're you leaving?” He unintentionally cut you off, his voice breathless.

You fully faced him, watching as his chest heaved up and down. Your eyes met his gaze, the confusion and desperation evident in his hazel eyes.

“Figured that I should rest, I have work to do soon, anyway.” You replied casually.

Jayce paused, disappointment seeping in. “I see. Right, right. Get some rest, okay?”

“Of course, you too.”

“If you don't mind, we can... meet up in the Hextech lab tomorrow? I'll—probably be there for the whole day, with my partner, Viktor. He's... he's a Zaunite, too. We can talk more tomorrow, come anytime, will you?”

The mention of another Zaunite working together with him piqued your interest. You took in his words, nodding along before making up your mind.

“Sounds nice, I'll see you there tomorrow, then?”

“Tomorrow.”

And with that, you withdrew yourself from the conversation. You shot him an appreciative smile, knowing that not all Piltovans were kind enough to even acknowledge the presence of a Zaunite.

His eyes softened, mouth agape as you turned your back on him once again. He didn't know why he felt so... drawn to you. There was something about the way you carried yourself—aloof, yet grounded. You didn't clamor for his attention or approval. You simply existed.

As you disappeared from his sight, he'd noticed the soft look on your face, hiding away the disappointment and hurt from how the Piltovans had pushed you away. His heart was about to burst, the frustration still present inside of him, because deep inside, he understood why the Piltovans had treated you like that—but he wished he hadn't. He shook his head in disbelief, and with a final murmur of your name, he dragged his body back into the Gala.

mini taglist: @blueorchid-rain, @sseleniaa

kruegerspillow © 2024 ➵ do not feed my work into ai, repost or translate my work to post it around. Reblogs are much appreciated ୨ৎ

[llively-12]

School sucks! Right?

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Minatozaki Sana x female reader

Warnings: very fluffy, sappy date, mentions of the band weezer

Story: The date between Sana and Y/n.

Authors Note: Thanks for all the support and a big smooch to the person who requested a part 2. Sorry for the long wait, I had a lot of stuff to do the last few days. Also, this is a bit short. Anyways, enjoy the read♥︎

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Weezer plays through the headphones of Y/n as she gets ready for the date with Sana. A week has passed since the popular girl asked her out. Since then, Sana has only gotten clingier and more affectionate. She would walk you to class and kiss your cheek goodbye.

You were very shy in the beginning. Sana loved to tease you. She would often whisper stuff into your ear or playfully put her hand on your thigh. It was really only harmless stuff like this, but it filled your heart up. Nobody ever made the decision to act like that with you.

Sana made everything special. Walks around the town, calls late at night, doing homework together, or building Legos. She insisted on doing everything together. Every little task had to be a two person activity.

You look into your closet. Sweaters and band shirts meet your gaze. What does one wear to a date? You always see people overdressed when they are out on a date. Yet, this is a date to the aquarium. So, arriving in something fancy would be off-putting.

Sana always chose something cute. She often went for a skirt with either an oversized hoodie or a super cute top. The outfit mostly finished up with some nice shoes and a matching hair style.

She always made an effort to look cute for you. It was natural for her to dress like this. Your style usually consisted of looking like a five year old boy.

At last, you settle for something comfortable. What makes your outfit stand out is the whale shark shirt. It was a gift from one of your family members. You asked for it after getting a hyper fixation on sea life and underwater animals.

The song changes to 'motion picture soundtrack' by radiohead. The soft tones of the song keep you calm. You spent almost all of your free time listening to music. Organising playlists or creating them is like a job to you. Each music style or mood would get their own playlist.

Your walls even managed to get some pictures with Sana and you on them. Most of the pictures taken in the moment by Momo and Mina. Some others were set up with cute poses, well your poses mostly consisted of thumbs up.

There was one picture situated near your bed, which showed you and Sana sitting closely together. Sana kisses your cheek while your face is heating up. The picture was taken by Mina in the park. She was mostly third wheeling when the three of you hung out.

Things started to change after Sana confessed. You took your time with her and left your room more often. She would try and engage in your hobbies, and so did you. It is a bit cheesy if you think about it.

♡

You put a few songs on a playlist before leaving the house. Sana and you would meet up at the aquarium. The ride there is peaceful. You listen to music and admire the landscape. It is a longer way into the town since you live in the countryside.

On the way there you buy a bouquet of Sana's favourite flowers. She always appreciates the gifts that you give her. You nervously approach the aquarium. It was actually you that suggested the date at the aquarium. You always dreamed of going there with your lover.

Sana waits in front of the entrance. She looks around the crowd of people until her eyes meet yours. A smile forms on her face. She runs up to you and hugs you tightly. You almost fall over. Sana leans in and kisses your cheek.

"Hey honey." She smiles, and let's go of you after a few seconds. You hand her the flowers, and her face brightens up even more. You just love seeing her happy.

You take her hand and give her knuckles a shy kiss. A giggle erupts from both of you. Sana interwines your hands and leads you inside the aquarium.

♡

The two of you stroll through the darkened hallways of the aquarium. You read through all of the text and make mental notes on some fun facts. Sana takes pictures. Yet her camera roll keeps filling with pictures of you rather than the sea animals. She smiles softly while seeing you in your element.

At some point, you hand her one of your earbuds and turn on the playlist that you made this morning. You explain some of the artists to her and invite her to the playlist so that she can put in some songs herself.

You listen to music and admire the different fish. You two hold hands while silently enjoying the date. It's perfect for both of you. Sana can show her affection while you can enjoy the quiet atmosphere. Sana keeps stealing some glances at you. She basically has heart eyes.

After half an hour, the museum comes to an end. Only a few tanks and some dark corners are left. Sana smiles and pulls you into a quiet corner. She grins at you. Her face is tinted blue.

"What are we doing?" You ask curiously. Sana shushes you and lays her hand on your cheek. Her touch is soft and gentle. Her eyes fleet over to your lips. She looks up into your eyes and silently asks for permission. You nod slowly and close your eyes. You feel her lips on yours almost a few seconds later. The feeling is mind blowing.

The kiss has a gentleness that is unreal. Sana does not pressure you into anything. It's rather a shy peck at first, but after a moment of thinking, you lean in and kiss her two. Her mouth fits perfectly with yours. She holds your face while you hold onto her waist. Your bodies lean into each other and connect just in the right ways.

The blue hue adds the right amount of perfection to the moment. You don't stop kissing her until your lungs remind you that you need to breathe. She pulls away first and glances into your eyes. You smile and lean in for a few more pecks.

"That was awesome." You happily exclaim and smile with overjoy. Sana grins and laughs slightly at your sentence. It's just the amount of loser that she loves about you. She grabs your hand, and the two of you make your way towards the exit of the aquarium.

You stop by the souvenir shop. Different posters, shirts, and other merchandise fill up the walls. After careful consideration, Sana chooses two matching key chains. One whale shark for you and one for her. She even buys you a new poster for your room.

♡

The ride back to your hometown is mostly silent, a comfortable silence that neither of you want to disturb. The playlist keeps going with songs that match the situation. Right now, a song by the cocteau twins is playing. The sound lulls you into a state of comfort.

Sana's hand is still interwined with yours. Her thumb occasionally carrying your hand. It's a habit she often does when she is deep in thought.

She walks you back home and gives you a kiss before disappearing off to her own house. The date went by very well.

At home, you print out some pictures, Sana, and you took over the course of the date. You smile at some of the moments and grin at the silly poses she does. The pictures find their way on your wall, alongside the new poster Sana bought.

You send her a photo of the new additions to your wall. She responds quickly with a small text and a few kissing emojis. You smile and keep listening to your playlist while thinking about your day.

Your thoughts go back to the kiss Sana and you shared. A warm feeling spread through your body while you remind yourself of how soft her lips feel.

♡

Sana curls up in her bed with her pillow. She posts a story on her socials, sharing her cute date with you. Mina and Momo tease her for the sappy relationship stuff, which erupts in a playful banter between the trio. Sana feels so happy to have her friends and, of course, you.

Her wall is filled with pictures of friends and some photos of you that she took. She grins at the thought of how excited you looked throughout the date. She would give everything to see that face every day.

Also, her thoughts fall back to the kiss. She smiles and relives the memory in her head until her eyes close, and she falls asleep, dreaming of you and the many more dates you two would have.

♡

[linskywords]

2024 HRPF recs

As has become my wont, I spent the last few weeks trying to catch up on some of the new fics in the hockey RPF tag that I missed over the course of the year. I definitely didn't get to everything, or even all of the most popular ones; there may also be a bias towards shorter fics here, as I was trying to get through a lot. 😅 But I hope you enjoy, and possibly find a gem or two that you missed!

First, some general favorites:

Scoring Effects by @helenish (McDrai, 30K): Ah, Helenish. A goddess among us. I love a good mistaken identity story, and this is a GREAT mistaken identity story.

barons by dilangley (MattDrai, 43K): Future fic in which Houston gets its own expansion team, Matthew coaches it, and Leon and Trevor Zegras play on it. Gorgeously done. The Trevor POV section broke me a bit, but it was worth it.

Living Things by @makeit-takeit (TK/Patty, 115K so far): I am so deeply invested in this series. It's very real and vivid-feeling future fic that does an amazingly thoughtful job exploring the NHL wife-and-kids pipeline and what happens when that doesn't fit you as well as you thought it would. The stories that are written so far feel nicely complete, but if you'd rather hold out for the full HEA, you can check out her Wild Ice for a different highlight from the past year.

put the stars in our eyes by @notthequiettype (McDrai, 17K): the McWedding story that I wish I had written. I thought it was going to destroy me, and instead it left me all warm and fuzzy.

Lost and Found by angry_geno_is_score (MattDrai, 2K): angry_geno_is_score had so much to choose from this year, as always, and I loved this as a microcosm of the hurt/comfort they do so well. If you like it, you know where to find more from them!

Next, we move to the irresistible new Sharks babies. I'm not sure I can oversell how hot these three stories managed to be:

come on (leave me breathless) by countthestars @moondoggiestyle (Will/Mack, 10K): I've already talked about how much I loved this one. There can never be too many stories of one player catching the other getting off in the shower, especially if they're as hot as this.

revising the shoreline by ohyellowbird @teex (Will/Mack, 6K): another super well done exploring-their-sexuality-while-not-talking-about-it story, aka my kryptonite.

teamwork makes the dreamwork by canary @bigdogenergy (Will/Mack and Will/Mack/Ryan Leonard, 19K): I'm sure a lot of you have already read this in the last week or so, but I couldn't not recommend it. Mack goes into heat and Will needs an alpha to help him out. Who to call but the ex?

And then we enter the realm of vaguely devastating but gorgeously written JDTZ trade fics:

home by now by donderwolk @donderwolkenblog (Jamie/Trevor, 6K): The moment they found out about the trade, and a little bit after. Brilliant, impeccable, ruinous.

heat check by jolach @hyggles (Jamie/Trevor and also Carts/Richie, 4K): Outsider perspective on Jamie and especially Trevor as they deal with the aftermath of the trade, through the eyes of Mike Richards, who may have some experience in the area. I don't know how anyone writes this well, honestly.

Finally, one of my favorite things about reading through the past year's fics is finding a prolific new author I love who I had totally missed in my year of mostly reading people I'm already subscribed to. This year it was unsay (@tungpin). They seem to have started writing HRPF this year, and they tend toward the kind of complicated sometimes-ambiguous stories that I never manage to write but love to read. Here are a few of my favorites of theirs from this year:

malt (MattDrai, 4K): Leon meets Sasha Barkov and has feelings about how he wants to be more serious than Matthew does (OR DOES HE).

accessory to the rockstar (McDrai, 5K): once again we have Leon having thoughts about how he feels more than the person he's into, this time about Connor. Bittersweet and lovely.

the care and keeping (Jamie/Trevor, 12K): in which Trevor's friends get on Jamie's case about neglecting him post-trade, and Jamie does something about it.

That's it from me, at least for now! I know there were many excellent stories this year I didn't get to, especially the long ones that I just didn't commit to while reading for this list. Perhaps this is the year I do what I've been telling myself to do for the past two years and keep track of what I read and love throughout the year. We can only dream. 😅

Happy reading!!

[samiholloway]

You know, I was just talking about that with my therapist the other day -- how narrow it is to have only one fav of anything you enjoy, like you've given up looking for other good mosaic, shows, movies, books, etc etc. I'd rather have a cloud of favs, even if it means I don't know what to say when someone asks what my favs are.

But to the point? Usually the most popular stuff is the stuff that I hear too much and even if I like it, I get tired of it faster, and then I'll find some other song I like more bc I hear it less ... But also favs are favs for a reason, so.

Use your best judgement here on what you think your favorite band/artist’s most popular song is!

[shiny-jr]

What a New Year’s treat to read the Ignihyde chapter!!! Love Imp! MC, they’re such a different flavor of scaredy cat compared to King! MC and genuinely seem torn up by their decisions to go along with changing the plot out of self-interest.

And the way Ortho just unnerves them by knowing they’re an imposter, blackmailing and enjoying their company because they actually do their job despite their fear. Idia also revealing he knew midway is so good too! He acts like he doesn’t care but the subtle changes to his actions.

AND WHEN ITS IMP!READER USED TO TRICK HERACLEA!!! They must be blue screening mentally as they calculate just what made the heroine so focused on them when Meg’s right there. Just those tiny glimpses of them escaping time after time as she defeats the threat, slowly focusing less on the cheering crowds unless it’s to scan it for those shy, terrified eyes, and slim horns. Idia’s right, Imp!Reader just accidentally captivates people with their shivering cat energy; his fast talking was probably due to all three and the fact he gets to have them completely at their weakest.

Idia is going to keep them right by his side during the whole conquest, keeping them safe from any harm from a stray arrow to just them tripping over themselves and getting a scraped knee. Casually reminding them he wouldn’t dare let harm befall his most valuable asset, propping them on his leg as he slouches on Zeus’s chest throne atop Olympus, letting them have a front row seat to the devastation unleashed onto the world with Ortho gleefully narrating everything.

This was worth the wait and I adored every scene and interaction~!

Okay, okay, finally getting around to the asks that have spoilers and talk about the Ignihyde part of Damnation. I've been waiting for a few days, there's a few other asks like this one, but I was saving them and waiting to make sure some time passed so hopefully most people read it already if they wanted to and got no spoilers. It's been nearly a week since I first uploaded it, so I think it's safe to address it now in conversations.

So far, I've seen some asks that mostly like the MC? Which is a relief. As I know sometimes anxious MCs can come off as annoying, and I'm glad that it wasn't the case for a majority of the comments and messages I've gotten about them. So I'm really glad that they've been well received!

I know Ignihyde isn't really a popular dorm compared to the others, so I was sort of concerned when uploading that it wouldn't get that much attention. But it did. Maybe not as much as say, Pomefiore, which was to be expected, but I'm glad my expectations were exceeded and the overall feedback seems to be positive!

[sorryimananti-romantic]

sorryimananti-romantic's tumblr wrapped, 2024

tagged by @makeitmingi and @sungbeam <3

2024 review

this year i explored a lot of the darker characters/dynamics which was an absolute pleasure, but i think such heavy plots also drained the energy out of me (or maybe it was the absolute monster of a wip i was writing consistently all year). while i did slip in some fluffy lighthearted fics here and there, i decided to take a break in november from writing in general. after an actual no-writing few weeks, i went back to my wip series and decided to just follow my heart (as if i hadn't already been doing that before) but more importantly, not force myself to write.

as of 2024, i have written more than a million words in a span of 3 years. i think i deserve to be slow with writing now! (plus, life, folks. real life.) thank you to all my lovely mutuals and readers for the incredible support you've shown me here!

total statistics of 2024

no. of fics: 8 total wc: 190,299 (+ a solid 113,000 if we count the leaders) no. of wips: 1 (+ a few ideas that have only been brainstormed but not written)

genres explored in 2024

fantasy, supernatural, historical, royal, thriller, action, crime, psychology-ish, futuristic, tragedy, adventure, romance, mafia (basically... everything?)

first fic of 2024: siren

- posted: jan 2nd - pairing: siren!yeosang x sirenhunter!reader - comments: this was my first time writing anything related to the sea (if memory serves me right) so while this was quite the challenge, it was fun bc i wanted to make sth unique out of the typical siren x siren hunter plot. i'm glad the response was good!

longest fic: light

- posted: sept 10th - pairing: mafia/angel!seonghwa x chemist!reader - comments: i think this is my second fav fic from this year. the idea of 'what happens when an angel becomes evil' plagued my mind so bad that i just had to get this out of my system. plus, i love writing fantasy in general so this was fun.

last fic: the leaders | chapter I

- posted: dec 31st - pairing: ot8!ateez x reader, mafia au - comments: just posted, pls check it out! it's going to be a long series since it's been in planning and a wip for over a year now. the leaders is going to be my whole personality for the foreseeable future (plus, according to my schedule, it's going to end in the 3rd quarter of 2025 so... buckle up!)

top 3 most popular fics of 2024

guerrilla

- posted: jan 31st - pairing: serialkiller/vigilante/doctor!yunho x writer!reader - comments: when i wrote this, i had no idea it would blow up. it's lighthearted but i think the response triggered me to explore more morally grey characters and darker dynamics.

ateez as villains

posted: nov 5th comments: this marked the last fic of this year, and also the villain/dark characters arc I've had going the whole year. i think it was a nice wrap because i'm taking a break from writing other stuff and just focusing on finishing my ongoing series.

new world

posted: june 5th pairing: prince!hongjoong x physician!reader comments: i think this was peak morally black characters and peak toxic manipulative dynamics between the characters, yet there was a sad beauty to it. i enjoyed writing this very much.

yumi's personal picks

star 1117

- posted: july 10th - pairing: wooyoung x alienoid!reader - comments: and this is my fav fic from 2024! it has everything i love: wooyoung, space, time travel, wholesome side characters jongho and yeosang, alienoid reader who learns to connect with the human in herself, and such delicious plot twists and foreshadowing. i'm ngl, i'm the biggest fan of this fic, and it's prob also one my fav oneshots I've written. while this didn't blow up (why do my fav fics never do), i had sooo much fun writing this.

cyberpunk

- posted: march 27th - pairing: droid!jongho x programmer!reader - comments: this was THE toughest fic to plan (not the time travel ones, not even mafia, but THIS). i haven't read many droid stories so lack of reader knowledge, and then wanting to still make a plot out of it other than 'omg my boyfriend turned into a droid' was hard. i rewrote this so many times but i'm very satisfied with how it turned out.

wave (sneaking this here bc it's the only unmentioned fic LOL)

- posted: april 25th - pairing: teacher!mingi x teacher!reader (headcanons) - comments: this one was a fun filler fic (bc i'm guilty that I've not written much mingi, and bc i literally could not write at that time). i love a fluffy mingi, i love fluffy fics in general so this was the product of my simpness, if you will.

2025 goals

finish the leaders and finish posting it, not force myself to write, write better, read more fics on here, and explore more genres (atp will have to invent some), finish the current ideas before planning and obsessing over new ones vs writing whatever i want (a constant struggle), and finally, just survive :')

np tags: @lorensonebraincell @kitten4sannie @sp4ceboo @sweetinsaniiity @bvidzsoo @pirateprincessblog + anyone who wants to (if yall write for different fandoms, you can add a 'top artists/muses' section too.)

[jellybeanium124]

some clarification for these two and anyone else who is confused:

I already knew my experiences are not universal bc of the fandom I'm in, where E-rated fics like this get the most hits and kudos and love. like I knew this is popular but I wanted to know what people had to say about it. the tags of this post have been very interesting!

I am sex-positive as fuck (sex positive: the opinion that consenting adults should be able to make whatever choices they want about sex without judgment or persecution, be that lots of sex, kinky sex, vanilla sex, little sex, or no sex. this is unrelated to "sex favorability" which is an ace term for ace people who like sex anyways. I am adding this definition not because I think anyone is an idiot but because some people do use them interchangeably so I want to be completely clear)

I didn't mean to come across as obnoxious. I am confused. genuinely confused. autism-style yknow like everyone else on this site lol? I wanted to know what people liked about these fics and I got my answer and it's interesting! I woke up this morning and read everyone's tags and it was so cool to read everyone's opinions

I tried to prevent people thinking about me like this by explicitly adding that I do sometimes try to read these fics with the express purpose of praising the authors in the comments for their smut. like I have tried it! especially if it's from authors I love! I pass no judgment! I think it's cool and epic!!! it just bores me personally!!

I know my experience is weird and niche. as an ace weirdo my interest in sexual stuff is sort of like a bubble diagram. there's my main kink as the center bubble, and a bunch of smaller, side-kinks that connect back to the main one in some way. I find it difficult to enjoy my side kinks if they're not related back to the main kink in some way or another. I've seen people who I theoretically share a kink with talk/write about it in such a way that it does nothing for me because it's divorced from the main kink. I am not better or worse than anyone else because my brain is built like this. but it does make vanilla erotica hard to connect to. occasionally the emotions do hit hard enough for me to stick around and read it, but usually that's because the smut is connected to a longer fic with some kind of intense emotional plot

I'm not "getting ratio'd" because that implies I'm losing or something lol. I'm not losing. a bunch of people are replying to my poll! being in the minority opinion is not always a "bad" thing or means you're "losing." I knew I was the minority opinion and that's ok <3

ps I love all the people replying with "yes I love it as long as they are soooooo in love" versus the one guy who said "yes I love it as long as the emotions are there, and those emotions are suffering and whump and at least one person having a bad time" I love you random citizen!!!

sincerely an ace who finds PWPs the dullest and least interesting kind of fanfic to the point where sometimes I try to force myself to read one when it's one of my friends who posted it so I can share some love in the comments but I end up skipping most of it because reading about sex is boringggggggg sorry xoxo

[musette22]

I don't know why, but I keep seeing fans who say they're stucky fans but they seem to like one guy and hate the other. Like some Bucky fans complain about how Steve abandoned Bucky and wasn't nice to him, and some Steve fans complain every time you talk about Bucky and his trauma, going 'What about Steve!?' It feels like you have to pick one or the other. It feels almost weird that I love about care about both of them. Why is that so difficult? Why can't you just enjoy the characters and how much they love each other?

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear you'be been struggling with this! That sounds very tiring and a bit upsetting. First of all, I have to admit that I don't really share your experience, which might have something to do with the people I follow and the fandom bubble I'm in, in which most people share my own mindset and preferences. I almost exclusively know and follow people on here who, like me, love both Steve AND Bucky equally, and who either ship Stucky or at least care a lot about their relationship. So in my experience, everyone is just enjoying the characters and how much they love each other! I'm not saying this to be like "what are you talking about", by the way, but more to show you that it is possible to enjoy both characters and how much they love each other, without people coming at you from all sides <3

Having said that though, I am of course aware of the widespread Steve criticism (if not to say hate) that got a lottt of traction after Endgame (which, fuck Endgame), but I am personally of the opinion that if someone really thinks Steve would abandon Bucky like he did in Endgame, and you blame the character for that decision rather than the writers etc, then you don't know Steve at all, ergo your opinion on him is void, as far as I'm concerned. If I see people saying nonsense like that on here, I will either roll my eyes or just block them outright, to protect my peace. And that works really well, generally speaking.

As for Steve fans going "What about Steve!?" when you want to talk about Bucky - Although I'm sure there are some Steve fans who prefer Steve over Bucky or even don't really care about Bucky (which is wiiiiiiild to me, because how can you say you care about a character but not care about what that character cares about most at all??), generally speaking, I don't know that I see people asking "But what about Steve" as an inherent dismissal of Bucky, or people expecting others to choose sides? It may well be the case sometimes, but I doubt that's always what it means, you know? Perhaps that helps?

I think that in the fandom spaces we're in, Bucky is a lot more popular and loved as a character (especially these days, post EG) than Steve is, which makes sense considering Bucky's kind of the perfect blorbo, and there is still new Bucky content coming out, and, of course, he is just really fucking amazing and loveable. But yeah, there is no shortage of Bucky love or discussion in this fandom, which I am personally delighted about and will always do my best to contribute to as well because he is my forever blorbo too. But I guess I can see why people would sometimes feel like Steve is not quite getting the love he deserves, you know? Still though, if someone goes "But what about Steve!?" on a post that is about Bucky, that is just very annoying and unnecessary, I totally agree. If people feel that way, they should make their own post about it, not hinder others in their Bucky loving!

I do get hate sometimes from people who say I don't appreciate the characters enough on their own because I always discuss them as a package deal, but frankly, I don't really give a damn about that. I am a Stucky shipper first and foremost, and for me, these characters ARE just inextricably connected. A Steve without Bucky by his side, or a Bucky without Steve by his side, just doesn't feel right to me, which is one of the reasons why I choose not to watch any post-Endgame content. And if others have an issue with that, well, then that's their issue, not mine.

So perhaps you could try and apply that kind of mindset to your situation as well, anon? Focus on loving our boys, equally, and together, and don't let anyone get in your way! The block button and tag filters are your best friends, and following the right people - people who are kind and reasonable and who share your mindset - is essential. I don't know if this helps at all, and do let me know if you want to talk about this some more, but I hope this is useful in some way! Sending love and hugs, and ALLLLL of the love for both our beautiful boys ❤️

[letherightonein]

Well I’d explain through comments but you have those disabled, so I’m just going to do it through asks, it’s really quite simple, your idea of what BDSM is is operating off the assumption that only one party is benefitting from the pleasure (the dom) whilst the other suffers, and under the assumption that the sub will always be a woman (you never explicitly said that but with your view, I feel the need to mention that is untrue) and somehow the most important part of BDSM has slipped by you, 2 actually, 1. Consent is paramount if enthusiastic consent isn’t given it’s not valid consent, any couple worth their salt isn’t gonna do anything with a meek little “ok” as consent, and then

2. And I think this part is the most important for you BDSM never was and never will be a purely masochistic act, there is nothing inherently harmful about wanting to lend full control to your SO, nor is there anything inherently harmful about bondage, or degradation kinks, masochism is part of BDSM but it’s not all of, and to clear something up before I continue, masochism is not sadism, a masochist derives pleasure from pain, while a sadist derives pleasure from harming someone (consensually, we aren’t talking about serial killers) while yes it is a form of self harm, the biggest difference is going to be the fact that between a depressed person cutting and a masochist who likes to be slapped during sex, the masochist is the one who knows when to stop.

Honestly I think BDSM is the healthiest form of pleasure seeking, foreplay, safe words, aftercare (more important than you might think) all those things were popularized by or have backgrounds in BDSM. BDSM operates off of the fact that it’s what both sides desire, otherwise we would call that rape, hope this helped a little bit, please refrain from spreading misinformation and hatred in the future :]

"and under the assumption that the sub will always be a woman"

Not to be nitpicking, but here is something that I think that I haven't repeated enough in my blog:

When pointing out a trend, people is not stating that every single individual behaves according said trend. It's not that *always* something happens, it's that in the majority of cases said thing happens.

"1. Consent is paramount if enthusiastic consent isn’t given it’s not valid consent, any couple worth their salt isn’t gonna do anything with a meek little “ok” as consent, and then

2. And I think this part is the most important for you BDSM never was and never will be a purely masochistic act,"

I don't know exactly what it has to do with anything. I mean, in theory I can consent to being chocked and end up killed by my partner or with a stroke. I can consent to bondage my breast and end up with damaged tissue or even death tissue. In that case, it really matters that I consented? It really matters if it's a "purely masochistic act or not"?

The point of the post that bothered you was to highlight the false equivalence between being subjected to harmful practices and enjoy of midly unpleasant things like a sour candy.

How consent changes the potential harm of said practices exactly?

"the biggest difference is going to be the fact that between a depressed person cutting and a masochist who likes to be slapped during sex, the masochist is the one who knows when to stop."

I struggled with self harm for several years of my life, and yes, we do know when to stop. I mostly stopped when the injury was bleeding -just as I intended-, but that didn't stopped me from ending up with scars, and infections, and falling on a spiral of new methods of self harm given that after a while the previous ones didn't give me the effects I wanted. Because the effects are not purely physical, but with a great emotional and sensory load attached. Once you get used to cut yourself because you can't bear the pain or because you "don't feel anything", you then start coping with any uncomfortable situation with a new form of self destruction.

Now, I recognize that I don't know all the details of the BDSM experience, but given that painful and potentially harmful practices are being linked to sex, an act that gives people a potent load of pleasure and it's attached to complex emotions, psychological states, even ethical views or existential ones, that involve also other people and the way you bond with them, I doubt that BDSM is immune to the "spiraling" I mentioned above, after all, people who don't practice it also get bored of certain sexual practices and sensations.

"Honestly I think BDSM is the healthiest form of pleasure seeking, foreplay, safe words, aftercare (more important than you might think) all those things were popularized by or have backgrounds in BDSM."

In self harm that also happens, you mess up yourself, you cut, you bleed, and then you cure the injuries and cover them. You look up for essential oils and moisturizers so the scars don't end up being that big. Or you end up in the hospital and feel completely cared by the nurse and the doctor that listen for half an hour why you did that to youself.

You, even when you didn't want it, end up in a cycle of destruction and damage control, when sometimes you receive attention and care and tears spilt for you, which kinda reinforces that in order to get care, in order to be seen, you should keep destroying yourself.

What would prevent a person to end up in that situation if they practice BDSM? It's really so far fetched to worry over the possibility that women may end up in a dynamic where the only way to get affection or caring touch and attention from their partners is to "consent" to painful practices?

"BDSM operates off of the fact that it’s what both sides desire, otherwise we would call that rape, hope this helped a little bit, please refrain from spreading misinformation and hatred in the future :]"

I desired to destroy myself, I guess that calling that self harm and self destruction is hateful and misinforming. But seriously, I don't think you are making a great case in BDSM favor.

[toadletthefirst]

NIGHTMARE IN 1920s DETECTIVE AU LET'S GOOo

@/deconstructthesoup fortunately proposed to make her a spoiled heiress and BOOM I knew what vibe to give her, buuut somehow the course of action changed slightly to the side of a performer. This provides a great opportunity to directly influence people emotionally (glance at moc) and she would not have been so limited by any social requirements, as is usually the case with the nobility (and even with the bourgeoisie). Since a singer must be extravagant and strange to some extent, she would be forgiven way easier for faults. Especially with the new type of popularity that roaring twenties provide - mass culture with more freedom. If it makes sense. And it's a flashback to an orchestral album obviously, haha.

(So I decided to give a more standard elite role to the Tower - she's quite more concealed from ordinary mortals in a way....likes to think she's above suffering......while nightmare never denies that her suffering is as great as the ones she wants to cause)

She probably was picked up by some recording studio at yough and became famous overnight, therefore she has no understanding of why success isn't available to everyone (so no empathy for lower positions), very performance oriented (so she is very masked and thinks everyone is the same), no meaningful connection with anyone outside of her facade (so loneliness) and unlimited access to everything that shady side of success provides. Quite literally the doll abandoned to the company of her darkest impulses.

She is very adept at abusing her newfound power and resources for harmful entertainment while not being caught. So she's terrifying, If you know the ins and outs

Anyways the opportunist is in his wraith era, because nightmare is relatively easy to approach for social upgrades. I think she hates him, but needs any kind of stable company (and he's so stable in sucking up) plus he is quite an entertainment, so she keeps him around for now

They're besties for life (hopefully not his)

P.S. When @/salty-an-disco wrote that stp has the most dollplay like fandom I was like "haha funny", but now, when I have this whole roaring twenties au going on, I UNDERSTAND IT....I think this is the most dollplaying thing I've done in a while. It's so nice to just do something so irrelevant simply for enjoyment.... and that some of you like it.... and that I can just go around and look at how others do something interesting in a similar way......like.... it's really nice

Actually, I've always been interested in fashion history (although I specialize in the mid-Victorian era (by the way, 1878 is my favorite year for dresses)), but I somehow forgot about it because I had so many other things to do.... And now I remember how much I actually like it. So ehhh thanks for the possibility to enjoy it once again while I have time to do so

Sorry I like being sentimental sooo much hahaha

[demo-whale]

Brosten Pt. 2

I reposted by Brosten hcs recently and I'd remiss if I didn't include Pt. 2 - enjoy!!

Matt and Neil can both speak Spanish 

instead of using it to talk shit, they just say absolute nonsense to each other

Nicky always acts like they’re saying super offensive or petty shit

he’ll gasp dramatically and it just eggs them on

they drink from each other’s cups and water bottles and eat from each other’s plates all the time 

everyone else thinks it’s absolutely disgusting

“you didn’t even ask...”

“i don’t have to ask??” 

they go tailgating to other PSU sporting events in Matt’s truck, bringing along whoever is in the mood for hotdogs and busch lite

Matt teaches Neil how to throw a football, and they like to hang out at the park on the rare occasion that they have some downtime

Matt constantly has food for Neil in his bag, like little packets of fruit snacks or granola bars

Neil invites Matt to come running with him, and even though Matt doesn’t think he’ll like it, he agrees bc Neil thought of him and wants to hang out with him

he actually ends up really enjoying it, and Neil slows his pace way down to stay next to Matt

once Matt builds up his endurance they actually talk while running

Matt likes to say whatever pops into his brain, like he has no filter, and most of the time the completely random things he says just make Neil cry-laugh

Neil has a twitter account called shit-my-dad-says and it’s all the random nonsense that Matt says on a daily basis

it has over 500,000 followers

when Matt graduates, he continues to text Neil the funniest, randomest shit and Neil posts screenshots  

(Dan has a similar account called shit-my-work-husband-says and posts the absolutely horrible one-liners he says to her. it gets almost as popular as Neil’s account)

they know how to make each other laugh so hard they can’t breathe

once Neil becomes more comfortable with affection, they say “love you” to each all the time. 

at the end of phone, during practice, whenever the one of them does something small but sweet for the other

Matt makes Neil watch finding nemo with him, and from then on they constantly do the “gimme some fin. gimme some noggin. duuuude.” 

they watch TLC shows together

90 day fiance, say yes to the dress, Darcey and Stacey 

they like to yell at the TV

which is why they also watch bad horror movies together

when they get older and Neil and Andrew make Court, Dan and Matt take their kids to the summer Olympics every four years to watch them play

Neil makes the first exy game of the season for every single one of Dan and Matt’s kids, and the first basketball game of the season for their youngest who doesn’t play exy

Neil is the best man when Dan and Matt get married

he tells stories about them and about how much they love each other

he doesn’t get too sappy, but at the end he says, “Matt, you were the first person on the team to trust me and help me without wanting anything in return. I know the love you have for me is only a fraction of the love you have for Dan, so I know that you’re marriage is going to be unshakable. Here’s to forever.” 

Matt cries and Dan beams

they name their first child David Abram Boyd (Matt says it’s because those names are significant but Dan says it’s because the initials spell DAB)

they are the brothers they never had

[toskarin]

Is Vgen safe to use? I'd never heard of it before you mentioned it but it looks cool

this answer's going to be a bit roundabout because I don't feel comfortable directly vouching for anyone who handles money besides myself. and I don't even vouch for myself

so, vgen is basically a non-japanese* (*: primarily western, but that's more of a demographic thing than a platform restriction) version of skima mixed with skeb, both of which are existing sites that japanese artists use to take sketchbook style requests

pixiv also does this now, along with a few other japanese sites, but it's generally been kind of limited to being an otaku thing, even outside of japan, and it's very often been limited to japanese artists actually taking these requests (even if anyone can send them) because of legal issues around international payment

for context, skeb's request-based style of commissioning gained a lot of popularity because it's, frankly, antisocial in a comfortable way for both clients and artists

[you can skip this section if you know what skeb is]

you can think of it as paying an artist to draw something with the understanding that you are paying for the literal act of them drawing it, rather than for a refined and specific finished product

in this format, the requester puts money on the table alongside a brief outline of what they want and any applicable references. there is usually an outline of how much you should pay at minimum, some examples of that artist's work, and (traditionally) a hard rule that neither party in this arrangement communicates with each other about it outside of the request-accept-send-tip procedure itself

traditionally, when the artist accepts the request, the platform takes the money and holds it in escrow. then, when the artist sends the finished work, the exchange is concluded with the requester receiving the work (possibly along with a written note by the artist) and the artist receiving their payment from the site. if the artist doesn't finish the work before an agreed-upon deadline, the money is refunded

in the original skeb format, if the requester especially enjoys the art, it's customary to tip the artist, which applies a golden border around the art and allows the requester to include a thank-you note, displayed alongside the artist's commentary and their original request

this is important to lay out because, as you might notice, there are no windows for revisions and no active direct lines of communication allowed. I've seen people get angry about this before, so that's one way in which the skeb style of commission can be considered "unsafe"

there's a lot of misconceptions around the differences in legal rights here, but the bottom line is that, when it comes to commissioned artwork, most people on the english-speaking internet are profoundly misinformed about the laws around things and operate largely on handshake agreements that wouldn't really hold up in any court, if push came to shove

[end skip]

so! let's get to vgen

vgen, being an adaptation of this format, actually mixes in a lot of different features that I would consider to be more traditional for western art commissions. it carries over the skima/skeb style storefronts, but adapts them more towards serving vtubers (a common use case for skeb and skima) with a slight tilt towards the client having additional protection

for example, to open an artist storefront on vgen, you have to either be invited in by someone or pass some variety of notability verification test (either an engagement baiting post including your art or winning a contest of some fashion)

to make requests, you just kind of make an account and send the money

skeb style commissions do exist on vgen, but the site is designed to allow additional stages of artist communication on certain requests. this means that you may get some extra securities as a client, or you may not, depending on the terms of the request

one notable rule of vgen which makes it distinct from similar sites is that you can't draw porn on there. this may come as a shock, because people aren't great about following that rule, but it is actually a pretty firm rule on account of the site being more beholden to major western-centred payment processors

so, as far as the site itself goes, if you keep yourself familiar with the rules and actually read the terms of your deals, you're safe there in the same way that you're safe when making a conscious decision to climb a tree

as far as financial matters and the site's management go, I don't know, and I can't know because I don't know the staff personally

I have made a personal decision to trust that they're acting in good faith. I've made a request through the site before to test it out, it went as expected, so my decision to use it is informed by my own sense of risk management

TL;DR: is vgen safe to use? I don't personally think it's uniquely risky as far as storefronts go, but it's an online storefront where people sell each other things, so treat it as one and walk about as carefully as you always do

[psychemochanight]

What do you think about the labels for Robins? Especially the "happy robin" and the "angry robin"?

Dude, you've opened a Pandora's box there-

I've said before that I'm against these labels, especially the "angry Robin" one, but I think the one that bothers me the most is the "happy Robin" one, and yes, I have reasons-

I haven't been in the fandom for years, but from what I saw, tags started to become popular after Damian came out. Specifically with the "angry Robin" one, which was assigned to him.

Then, people started arguing that it was actually Dick the "angry Robin", usually using as a reference his animated version, both the one from Batman (2004) and the one from Teen Titans (2003), which are the same Dick Grayson btw.

As I once said, the "angry Robin" label bothers me because it encompasses so much of Dick's character, especially since most of it comes from an exaggeration of his character, not an actual trait. Dick was never bloodthirsty as they say, yes, he wanted revenge for his parents, but his moral compass was ALWAYS on the right side. In his time, he was always considered an optimistic and charismatic character, yes, with a strong character when necessary, but never "mainly angry."

Dick was literally the heart of the dynamic duo. The color in the darkness, the light in the shadow of Batman.Where do they get that he was always angry??? His angriest moment was in his early years as Nightwing, not even Robin.

And no, he didn't leave Batman because "he was too soft" either, in the versions where Dick leaves Bruce, this is because Batman is controlling, he doesn't treat Dick as his equal, but as his subordinate, even despite the years working together.

Now, the "happy Robin" tag, Ironically, it is assigned to Jason specifically due to his pre-Crisis appearances, since post-Crisis, although there were moments where he was still optimistic and liked his work as Robin, he was more rebellious.

Why do I say it's ironic that they call Jason the "happy Robin" because of his pre-Crisis moments? Because it was at those times that Jason was considered a carbon copy of Dick Grayson, story included.

Those joyful moments that stand out so much about him were a copy of Dick's personality, moments that so many people hated back then. Remember, especially in the golden and silver ages, Dick was known for being optimistic and a symbol of hope, Robin was that.

Even if we only take into account his post-Crisis stage, yes, Jason still enjoyed being Robin, but he was still rebellious and had his moments being troubled. Just like Dick, he was not "just happy" or "just angry".

In theory, to recap, it's even likely that Dick will have more moments of being a ray of sunshine than Jason, although this is obviously partly due to him being Robin for longer.

I never liked both labels, because, first, it makes them flat characters, and second, because most of them are due to fandom exaggerations, not anything well founded.

Does it affect me in any way? No, not at all; but it becomes annoying when it is used as an argument for an argument.

"Dick was Batman's shining light", No, it's impossible, he was the bloodthirsty and angry robin.

"Jason had his moments of being rebellious and argued with Batman," No. It's impossible, you're confusing him with Dick, Jason was Bruce's happy and adorable baby.

???????

Jason was a teenager, OF COURSE HE'S GOING TO ARGUE SOMETIMES, LET MY BOY HAVE NORMAL TEENAGER MOMENTS.

Dick was a child, LET MY BABY HAVE HAPPY TIMES, NOT PURE ANGST IN HIS SHORT LIFE.

BOTH were happy, BOTH were angry, BOTH were intelligent Robins.

Shut the fuck up /jjjjjj

And seriously. Despite all this, I don't mind that people still prefer to see Jason as a happy Robin, or Dick as a wild Robin, that is up to each person and what adaptation of the character they prefer.

I'm just saying that it gets annoying when they want to IMPOSE on you those same versions that they prefer, especially when you choose to see beyond that.

And many times these labels seem to be just to praise their favorites, without really taking into account the stories of the other Robins-

I love reading when they give all the Robins all the values and character nuances, they're not just "happy" or "angry" or "smart" or "calm." Being able to read the Robins as having all these characteristics, but expressing them in different ways is what makes them so special to me.

Idk-

[echantedtoon]

Turbo/King Candy x Jessica Rabbit Like S/o Headcannons

This was a request a friend really wanted from me so here it is for anyone else to enjoy.

TURBO:

-You're a flag girl for a racing game similar to Outrun or Pole Position (both 80s racing games) although the big difference was that your game wasn't as popular as Turbotime so there wasn't really any reason for the guy to be jealous of the competition. At least not until Road Blasters but that's jumping the gun a little bit.  

-You don't exactly meet each other until you finally decided to leave your game one day to go join others at Tapper's for the anniversary of Litwak's arcade opening or some similar celebration that many other games were celebrating. Of course your taller than the average video game women height and body type would turn some heads and the smaller racer was no exception. 

-Dude literally has to strain his neck for a double take just to be sure he was seeing things from the amount of surgery root beer he's consumed by now. But once he confirms that you actually exist- MAN. IS. SMITTEN. ON. SIGHT!! I'm talking about the guy chokes on his drink as you gorgeously smile his way even if you weren't smiling at him, just his general direction, but it gives him enough confidence to make his move. 

-He starts by buying you a drink, Tapper setting it right in front of you, before this tiny man gracefully struggled to climb onto the stool next to you slicking his helmet back like it was hair, and giving you a sly smile. "Hey, Baby.~ Are you a parking ticket?~ Cuz you got FINE written all over you?~"

-If it doesn't work out the first time be prepared for MANY 80s pick up lines including- "If I had to rate you from one to ten I'd give you a nine because I'm the one you need." "Hey. I'm writing a phone book. Can I have your number to put in it?" "Hey, Doll face. Wanna get physical?~" And other similar ones not considered cringey quite yet.

-He's pretty egotistical in personality so expect him to brag about everything involving him to you. His trophies, his winning streak, how his game's the most popular in the arcade, how he totally beats the Turbotime Twins in everything- Did he mention that he's also the greatest racer ever? He's trying to prove how much you should be smitten too often inviting you to come view him race.

-He secretly daydreams about you being the one that waves the checkered flag upon him crossing the finish line and plastering him in affection with him showing off to the world. Gold trophy in one hand while holding a beautiful woman in the other. Everyone knows his deep crush on you. 

-Remember when Felix and Calhoun kissed and little hearts appeared? Yeah. That happens every time he thinks about you or he happens to see you in Grand Central Station or Tapper's. Other's make fun of him for that a lot and he absolutely hates it and denied it every time but everyone and their programmers know about his crush. It's super obvious by this point.

-If by some reason you do happen to date him expect him to brag about having the most beautiful girlfriend in the entire arcade. "Hey, Pac-Man. How's Mrs. Pac-Man? Guess what?! My girlfriend's hotter than that yellow beachball reject!!" You're going to have to stop him from opening his mouth before Pac-Man tries to eat him again and he was very close to Mario just goomba stomping him after he insulted Princess Peach/Toadstool. Please stop this idiot from insulting everyone's wife before someone punts him back to Turbotime.

-He's not picky about personality and would genuinely love you but he'd be very happy if you were able to knock him down a peg(he thinks it's hot his girl can kick his behind-) or two. If you pick him up he'll also fight against it and complain the entire time you hold him, but ngl he's actually very into it. He has a thing for taller women after all...Even if he hates it when you tease him or hold things out of his reach.

-However one of the downsides of you deciding to pursue the relationship with him is his jealousy. Doesn't matter who's approaching you, if Turbo's around he always gives them a death glare that can put Bowser's fire breath to shame. So some game characters might avoid you because of that temper. And if someone were to flirt with you- Overprotective guard dog with rabies he is. Don't underestimate him because of his height. More than once he's started a bar fight at Tapper's over someone getting too close or attempting to make unwanted advances especially if you had already said no. 

-Don't underestimate him because of his height. More than one person has had a personal experience with Turbo turning into an angry honey badger infested with rabies as he was provoked.  People have learnt quickly to not make fun of his height, and to not try any funny business around you. More than once you'd have to pry him off someone and walk away with him tucked under your arm screaming profanities like a crazy Chihuahua.

KING CANDY:

-IK he's just Turbo in disguise but his personality shift in his KC disguise is notable enough to be different from how OG Turbo would go about it. However like OG Turbo once he sees you he's absolutely smitten by you. Unlike OG Turbo however his approach to you is much more normal if by normal having a guy with Tinkerbell shoes shuffle up to you and tell you how much your eyes remind him of sparkling rock candy.

-Honestly this pairing gives more of the Jessica and Rodger Rabbit vibes. Goofy little man with a gorgeous knockout GF. His goofball charms and shyer attempts at courting you are probably what got you falling for this man in the beginning.

-Instead of eyeing your form like many others, this man instead decides to court you in the most cheesy ways possible. Bringing you chocolates and other candy from his game(it's not like there's a limited amount of  it). Flowers (specifically either chocolate roses or edible flowers arrangements). Love notes, those really cheesy ones that don't even rhythm but they're so sweet you don't mind. 

-Mans loves you endlessly and will spend hours just gazing at you with literal heart eyes with hearts popping around his head. Very sweet alongside being goofy. Surprisingly a romantic too. Offers to drive you around on the back of his car. Plans at least one date that has you both sharing two straws in one milkshake. If he's feeling really romantic then he gets you those Valentine's hard candies shaped like hearts or those red lollipops also shaped like hearts. He even dedicates his wins to you in an attempt to impress you.

-Speaking of- He's very much the Rodger Rabbit of your relationship. Always gazing goofily at you with a love struck grin to the point Sour Bill has caught him daydreaming of you all lovestruck with a dopey grin. He's a king so anything you want in Sugar Rush is at your disposal. Want a glass of chocolate milk? How about a front row seat to watch the races? Would you like Sour Bill as a personal servant? Sour Bill completely disagrees with that last gesture.

-You once agreed to be a flag girl for one of the Random Roster Races, ironically one HE won, and when you gave him a winner's kiss he's been begging you to wave the checkered flag at other races too.

-Very sweet and energetic. If his goofy antics aren't making you giggle or smile, he's always flirting with you with cheesy puns since he's a guy who loves a play on words. "Are you a piece of cake? Custh you're the scheetest.~" "What's sweet and curvy? A candy cane of courseth but you're better.~" "Your voice is more beautiful than golden honey.~" "Did you sit in sugar? C-Cuzth that's -...Gumdrops! Forget what I said." He tried being more bold but ended up becoming too flustered and couldn't finish that last bit.

-You're going to get lots of cute candy nicknames. Honey. Sugar. Honeypie. Gumdrop. Angel cake. Cupcake. Sweetheart. Sweet cheeks. Tootsie pop. When he's feeling more romantic or sentimental he'll call you more special names like My Dear, Darling, My Queen, etc. 

-When you pick him up and kiss him he just melts in your arms. Giving a loud 'HOHO!' as you press kisses to his cheeks and forehead leaving him a bright cherry red and kiss marks all over his face. The first time that happened it left him just staring off into space blue screened but now he just blushes all over and this just might be his new favorite thing ever!

-If he ever proposes to you it's either going to be with one of those ring pops or with a gem made of the shiniest rock candy he can find.