#you also can clearly see i have very poor editing skills

[sstarlostt]

･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ starlost ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

main groups: seventeen, stray kids, day6

biases: wen junhui, kim seungmin, kim wonpil

bias wreckers: jeon wonwoo, hwang hyunjin, all of them

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

i really like rhythm games; sstarlost on Rhythm Hive | Khddrhfkuruk on SSJYP and SSATEEZ

☆♬○♩●♪✧♩✧♩✧♪●♩○♬☆♬○♩●♪✧♩✧♩

really nothing else to say,, i just think these guys are not only neat but also make some banger tunes! im cringe but i am free

/`–｡–マ

[seraphmaws]

hi ^-^! Can you do a tutorial on how to make this icon? I would like to learn :3

https://64.media.tumblr.com/64eb5472b1d49fc941ccefbae558846e/cb2b70c34ebba0a7-b4/s1280x1920/d9e44a125324b309a533a1e56be842355046d740.gifv

Hello! I apologize in advance for my poor explanation skills, and also for how convoluted this process can get 😭 But I saw this as a worthy challenge, so here’s how you too can make a gif icon where the character comes out of the frame like this and this:

This is going to be very long so the full tutorial is under this cut!

Programs I use: IbisPaintX and Procreate*

*full disclosure, procreate is exclusively for iPad and costs 10 USD. however every thing I do in procreate you should also be able to do in Photopea

1. First things first, after finding the gif you’ll want to use, you’ll need to download each individual frame. By importing it into either procreate, photopea, or any program that’ll allow you to view individual frames, you’ll be able to save each frame

A note about gifs: The best gifs to use are ones with less frames due to the fact you’ll be editing the individual frames. Not to say you can’t use gifs with higher frame counts, however it is much more time consuming the more frames there are

2. Next you’ll have to remove the background from each frame. You can remove the background by hand, but I like to use this website to help make things a bit easier. Just pop your frames into it and download each one

It is unfortunately not always accurate and often misses things on images where the background isn’t clearly defined or is lower quality, and you most definitely will have to do touch ups on your frames For example here, for some reason, the first two frames (on the left) were left with a semi transparent gray background and in the image in the middle, you can see sizable areas where the website missed. And also as of recently there as been practically invisible dots it leaves where the background once was that stroke filter picks up some how. You’ll need to hit each frame with the magic wand tool or similar to remove these dots if you plan on adding strokes

3. Now add all your frames into your program and stick them in a folder. Then, reposition the frames on top of the image mask you are using (in ibis, make sure all frames are visible and select the folder before repositioning the frames, in other programs, you should just be able to select multiple layers and move them that way). Once you’ve repositioned them, duplicate the folder then select clipping on the bottom folder like shown in the right image (I know I forgot to duplicate the folder then 💀)

4. Now here’s where the tedious stuff comes in. Make sure you number your frames, because it’ll help you out a lot. In the top folder, erase the bottom part of your gif that you want to be in the frame (I’ll call this the clipping layer) but keep the top where you want to be coming out of the frame intact (this’ll be the overlapping layer). Repeat this process for all of the frames

Note: Try to use a simple shaped frame for these kinds of icons. However, if you choose to use something with a more complex shape, be weary of where you erase! You will need to be more precise with shapes like these depending on where you want things to go

And if you haven’t edited the frame itself, you should do so now

5.5. After that, you can leave things off there and skip this step if that’s what you’re going for! However, if you want to add things like strokes, it’ll get a lil more complicated

Firstly, I duplicate my clipping layer and then select stroke (both). You can also use stoke (outer) or whatever your program has, but this is my personal preference. I then duplicate that layer and keep applying stroke till I get what I want (if you use stroke (outer) duplicating your layer isn’t necessary). I think merge my stroke layers together, but I keep it separate from my main frame

That way I can duplicate my stroke layer and add it to my overlapping layer. Then I erase the unnecessary parts shown on the left. You may need to clean up the stroke on certain frames or reapply it depending on the position of things and what you’ve erased and what not. It takes a lot of trial and error. You can also apply the stroke before you make your overlapping layers, however when I was making this graphic I fucked it up in the process of making this tut and had to remake it so that’s what I did the second time around 💀 if you were wondering why I didn’t just do that in the first place, now you know

6. Now it’s time to export your layers as a psd and import it into procreate/photopea! You’ll now have to merge your clipping layer into your image mask then merge your overlapping layer on top of it to create one layer. Repeat this for all the frames and you’ll be finished!

Tada! Now you can add filters and whatever else if so desired. And that’s my process for making these kinds of graphics! There’s definitely an easier way of doing this but that’s just what I’ve got figured out for now. Don’t hesitate to ask any questions for the things that make zero sense lol

[badsassitude]

Are we being (lovingly) trolled?

I could totally be thinking too much, but I couldn't help but wonder if Shun and Dai were trolling us all a little.

They have to know people are all hoping for evidence proving beyond a reasonable doubt that their happy ending has continued to the present. Yes, internet sleuths (and maybe internet stalkers in some cases) have been compiling evidence. And yes, Friday there will be a live stream where current status updates on all will (surely) be provided. But Friday is so far awaaaaaaay. (Edited to add: Saturday, it’s Saturday. Apparently my calendar skills are on the fritz and nobody should ask me what day it is. My bad, and also DAMNIT THAT IS 24 MORE HOURS THAN I THOUGHT I HAD TO WAIT AND I AM NOT HANDLING THAT WELL. Ahem. As you were.)

Meanwhile the internets sweethearts posted instagram updates that seemed to use the same template.

Exhibit A:

Both posted two lines of text, the first in Japanese and then a second in English. In a game of flip flopped order, Dai's first line in Japanese asks (per google translate, I own my poor language skills, so google translate it is) "How was everyone ep 9, 10?"

Shun's second line, in English, asks a very similar "How was the ep9. 10 ?"

Adding an extra layer of please-over-think-me-sprinkles is the fact that they also both added winky faces to their posts - ";)"

Seeing the two back to back made me laugh out loud as I imagined them laughing at people doing exactly what I'm doing, making comparisons.

Exhibit B:

The posts also include three items for our viewing pleasure, for Shun it's three pictures, and for Dai it's two pictures and a video.

The content of the post is both men at tables at an outdoor cafe looking venue. They are very clearly different locations, but for me that was an extra layer of master-level sassitude. Matching in vibe to tease but not confirm. Well done my dudes, well done.

Look, I will own that I can be delulu, totally may be over-thinking and misinterpreting. Only they will know if they were actually trolling us, but I like my head-canon of the couple who has fun together and enjoys teasing their influx of followers.

[bandomfandombeyond]

just watched Love Lies Bleeding, the newest A24 film, I have so many thoughts,,,,,

the movie's language is very well developed, and the editing is primo. sound design was also spectacular. A+ production overall.

In a more official review, David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter called it, "a lesbian neo-noir drenched in brooding nightscapes, violent crime, and more hardcore KStew cool than has ever been packaged in such a potent concentrate."

genuinely, I'd say it's Thelma & Louise meets The Sopranos, a true film, not just a movie. a film we didn't know we had been waiting for.

spoilers ahead!!

if you decide you might want to watch it based on this review, I'd say avoid or be mindful if you get squicked and/or triggered by excellently wrought gay sex scenes, off screen and after match depictions of domestic violence, on screen domestic violence, mouth gore (no really, MOUTH. GORE.), vomit, guns and gun violence, or a homophobe punching a bisexual after she punched him for putting his hands on her. There are also a few depictions of altered states of consciousness and reality, one displayed as active hallucinations which narratively imply that anabolic steroids (essentially testosterone shots) create violent people who don't think about the consequences of their actions and black-out rage to kill others, while ALSO implying that hallucinations and delusions lead people to violence,,, ,,, ,,, And the other is just... subtle enough for most of the film until. surprise! giantess unbirth fetish bait at the end!

if that still sounds like it might be intriguing to you, keep reading :p

this movie has Kristen Stewart doing her sad twitchy sewer rat queer vibe to great effect, breakout star Katy M. O'Brian playing a bodybuilding nomad whose individual character arc is somehow giving gender and hate crime depending on the lens applied, butch 4 futch (argue w/ ur mama, Jackie is a bisexual futch) and butch 4 femme (although 4 is doing a lot of heavy lifting in this one-way dynamic) and (not so) incidental mob intrigue

and as far as aesthetics: it's set at the tail end of the 80s, so we have a delightful mesh of Kristen Stewart's oily 90s twinkdyke and Katy O'Brian's oiled-up 80s femme bodybuilder. howevrrr,,,

I'm not sure how to feel positively about the bait and switch of there being two clearly defined villains (the murderous mob boss father and the sister's abusive husband) having a diversion into the land of "this pillow princess femme who wants romance and a connection with the only other queer person in town is suddenly also a villain". I can see the potential transphobic underlying themes implied by depicting a masculinely gender non-conforming bisexual woman over-dosing "steroids" (testosterone) and turning her into a violent, delusional person who is even in narrative called a "monster" and told never to contact her family again (a very trans moment), especially when juxtaposed with the soft, effeminate, poor cis femme of dubious, unreliable-narrator-proclaimed straightness being an ongoing/foreshadowed minor antagonist in the storyline who manipulates the situation and main character to her advantage, and gets killed for it, but ultimately doesn't exist to do more than create tension between, and be a threat to, the main characters' relationship and the story's plot.

BUT! I do think it was thematically appropriate to finally make the relationship between Jack & Lou equal as a bow to tie the story together.

I enjoyed the film, I enjoyed the composition, I was more riveted to the screen than my ADHD ass usually managed when vegging out on the couch. it's everything I want from a movie where everyone involved ends up worse as a person after meeting each other

I'm just looking at it now with my AP English critical consumption skills and wondering if, maybe, queer communities in general, and the trans & lesbian communities specifically, are not currently enjoying the solidarity-filled political climate that would allow this movie to avoid potentially coming across as, well, a bit unknowingly biphobic and transphobic, even as a queer film, what with one of our main characters being depicted as loving her girlfriend "despite" her having had sex with men, and especially when the main pair get their "happy ending" at the cost of another queer person's life.

Maybe in 30-40 years.

VERDICT: polyamory (and solidarity over self-interest) could have saved this movie's 2nd half for focusing on the real villain: the cops and cop-lovers who were using their power to get away with disenfranchising people with escalating violence and abuse.

If you've also watched Love Lies Bleeding, or you know more about the context around the film, or you just like talking about meta analysis, please let me know what you think!

[dreamingclockwork]

deep dive character sheet

stolen from: Hi Mik I copied urs and then edited thank you 🙏

tagging: You, reading it right now 🔫

NAME: Misha

BODY

height: 134cm / around 4’5

strength ★☆☆☆☆ — Misha is small and rather delicately built, just carrying luggage in a cart is rather difficult for him.

dexterity ★★★★★ — Very good at things that require fine motor skills, such as sewing or handling small machinery. Normally has a steady hand, great for delicate work.

health ★★☆☆☆ — A little bit frail because of poor habits. Not like a leaf in the wind but. Not great either.

energy ★★☆☆☆ — Doesn’t really eat enough. As a result he’s often tired and lacking in energy. Doesn’t let others know that, though.

beauty ★★★★★ — What can I say. He’s incredibly cute and pretty teehee.

style ★★★★☆ — It’s not something he thinks about super duper actively, but he does care about dressing nicely and representatively.

hygiene ★★★★★ — He strongly dislikes dirt and grime, that goes for himself just as much as his surroundings. Always impeccably clean.

SKILLS

perception ★★★★★ — He’s just sensitive to these kinds of things. A strong sense of intuition that lends well to perception. However…

communication ★☆☆☆☆ — A poor communicator, he struggles with speaking his mind clearly under pressure and is easily reduced to stuttering, mumbling and, in extreme cases, tears at little pushback.

persuasion ★★★★☆ — Very persuasive by virtue of sad puppy dog vibes.

mediation ★★★☆☆ — Dislikes conflict, tries really hard to find a middle ground between both parties, but struggles with getting his point across sometimes.

literacy ★★★★★ — Quick in the uptake when learning from books. Loves to read, too.

creativity ★★★★★ — All of Penacony flowed from the wellspring of his other self’s mind. Not to mention the fantastical dreams and adventures he always creates.

cooking ★★★★☆ — Comfortable in the kitchen! Enjoys baking in particular, and has a good sense for flavors. Doesn’t mind making technical dishes.

tech savvy ★★★★★ — Is right at home with any kind of machinery and technology. Can take apart and rebuild in a quick flash.

combat ★☆☆☆☆ — Misha has no combat skills to speak of. Any kind of destruction he causes is by pure accident. He.. doesn’t really like to fight either.

survival ★★☆☆☆ — Tries his best to not get into trouble, but can be very self sacrificing when push comes to shove. Wants to live, but values the lives of others above his own.

stealth ★★★★☆ — For the longest time nobody could see him 👍 More seriously though, I think he’s pretty subtle and most people don’t notice him.

street smarts ★★☆☆☆ — Is familiar with the street rules at the edge of the Dreamscape, but is pretty naive otherwise. Would get scammed easily in another place.

seduction ★☆☆☆☆ — No.

luck ★★★☆☆ — Tragically unlucky enough to be born as basically a shadow, but lucky enough to escape that fate. A perfect equilibrium of luck.

handling animals ★★★★★ — Animals tend to like him, even carnivores. Lowkey Disney Princess vibes I bet.

pacifying children ★☆☆☆☆ — Is the child.

MIND

intelligence ★★★★☆ — A very sharp kid! Already trusted with a lot of responsibility, despite his age.

happiness ★★★☆☆ — He’s happy where he is now, but is also deeply afraid that it’s fleeting.

spirituality ★★★★★ — Follows the Trailblaze, well.. religiously.

confidence ★★☆☆☆ — Confident in theory, having strong beliefs and convictions, but struggles in showing it.

humor ★☆☆☆☆ — I think he’s pretty funny but ask him to tell a joke in front of an audience and he dies.

anxiety ★☆☆☆☆ — Trembles that rival a chihuahua, he’s very easily intimidated and gets anxious over.. a lot of things.

patience ★★★★★ — Genuinely has never lost his temper before.

passion ★★★★★ — Despite his apparent timidity, he’s extremely passionate about his goals and dreams and doesn’t stop giving his 100% into pursuing them earnestly.

nice ★☆☆☆☆ mean — Too good for this world. Too pure.

brave ☆☆★☆☆ cowardly — Wants to be brave and heroic. But his timidity sometimes holds him back.

pacifist ★☆☆☆☆ violent — Strongly dislikes violence, will not resort to it unless under extreme stress.

thoughtful ☆★☆☆☆ impulsive — Generally is thoughtful, but can get impulsive if it’s for the sake of his passions.

agreeable ★☆☆☆☆ contrary — Pretty go with the flow, he won’t actively go against another person unless they’re being harmful.

idealistic ★☆☆☆☆ pragmatic — Extremely pure hearted, borderline naive, he assumes good of nearly anybody he meets.

frugal ☆★☆☆☆ big spender — He’s generally pretty frugal (as a result of being used to saving up, as he wanted to become a trailblazer) but recently learned to occasionally splurge.

extrovert ☆☆☆☆★ introvert — While kind and polite to everyone he meets, he’s also very shy.

collected ★☆☆☆☆ wild —Maybe not necessarily calm but it would take a lot, and I mean a lot to make him lose it.

ambitious / possessive / stubborn / jealous / decisive / perfectionist

SOCIAL

charisma ★★★★☆ — Tends to be well liked thanks to his agreeable and friendly personality. People are also quick to find his shy go-getter attitude cute.

empathy ★★★★★ — His empathy extends to even inanimate objects. Prefers to repair items over replacing them for that very reason.

generosity ★★★★★ — If he’s able to give, he will.

wealth ★☆☆☆☆ — Didn’t exist again until like a few months ago. All his belongings are with the express.

honest ★☆☆☆☆ deceptive — Can’t lie to save his life.

leader ☆☆★☆☆ follower — Wants to be a leader someday, but until he’s ready he’s content to follow.

polite ★☆☆☆☆ rude — Literally the sweetest little guy you’ll ever meet. Doesn’t speak ill of anyone.

political ☆☆★☆☆ indifferent — Doesn’t really understand politics yet, but he definitely tries to understand.

BELIEFS

higher power ★★★★☆ — Was rather neutral initially, but started to believe when some higher power answered his wish to exist.

fate/destiny ★☆☆☆☆ — He’s a trailblazer, they make their own destinies!

magic ★★★★★ — The beautiful and incomprehensible must be Magic.

soulmates ★★★★★ — Secretly dreams of romance and would love to find a boyfriend someday. Might not completely believe in soulmates, but the concept is so beautiful that he wants to believe.

good and evil ★★★★☆ — Evil may exist, but good will always triumph. People are good.

luck ★★☆☆☆ — It probably exists conceptually, but.. well, again he’s a trailblazer! They forge their own paths!

PRIORITIES

family ★★★★★ — Closest he has to family is Gallagher, who means the world to him.

friends ★★★★★ — Clockie is his best friend! And now the express folks are too! He’s trying his best to make them all happy.

love ★★☆☆☆ — He’d like to be swept off his feet one day, but that’s not really a priority.

home ★★★★☆ — Though he may have left to journey the stars, his love for Penacony is undeniable.

health ★★☆☆☆ — …Can Memoria get ill?

praise ★★★★☆ — Doesn’t care about the praise itself so much as the confirmation that he’s doing it right.

justice ★★★★★ — Doing the right thing matters to him! Even if it’s hard sometimes.

truth ★★☆☆☆ — Knows that the truth is important, but in some cases is also a little afraid of it..

power ★☆☆☆☆ — Not a priority in the slightest.

fame ★★★☆☆ — Wants to be remembered as Misha the nameless, who created his own legacy separate from Mikhail’s.

wealth ★☆☆☆☆ — His heart is already wealthy thanks to his dreams having come true.

others' opinions ★★★★☆ — Where his insecurity manifests the most strongly, he lacks the confidence to accurately assess his own ability and counts on others to do it for him.

[1000sunnygo]

Law: We're still having the conversation, Straw hat ya.

Luffy: I want to go to beat those weird guys' asses too!

Law: Whose talking about beating anyone's ass?

Zoro: The darkness might just disappear if we cut 'em all.

Cora: That's no good, straw hat-ya. The opponents are pro at underworld business. I don't want to get you all involved against those people.

Revolution. (T/N: a play of four or more same cards makes a Revolution.)

Robin: Can a have a minute, Corao-kun?

Cora: What is it, Nico Robin?

Robin: You call it the countermeasure headquarters, but clearly, you're severely lacking manpower.

Cora: *gasps*

Robin: Also, there's not just one meeting to be held tonight. You want to investigate those, as well.

I took a look at your computers, apparently it involves Onigashima middle? The location seems pretty close, after all...

Cora: WHEN DID YOU??? THE SECURITY IS SUPPOSED TO BE PERFECT!

Robin: The computer's password was your birthdate.

Law: Cora san!!

Robin: Also, Brook and I have abilities suitable for infiltration. In regards to military power and intelligence, I don't see any harm in borrowing some from this one group.

Nami: So it's decided ⭐ let's consult the pricing later!

Usopp: Oi oi Nami... You serious?

Nami: I mean, we won't fight, and we can't just leave the peace of the town in the hands of someone else! Plus the reward!

Law: Don't keep talking on your own!

Sanji: Give up, Law. You can't stop him.

Luffy: MINGOOOOOO!!!!!

Law: 💧

Vivi: Then how about we make two teams? Just like how we played a couple rounds of Daifugou in two roundtable teams right now, we play a game and make 'Team Millionaire' and 'Team Poverty" based on that.

(T/N: kind of like this^)

Franky: The team's got quirky names, it sounds like fun!

Sanji: How're we gonna divide the commoners?

Chopper: Let's decide with Rock Paper Scissors!

Usopp: Corao, you have a particular title in mind?

Cora: I'm skilled at becoming the Tycoon. (T/N: It's the winning title)

Usopp: So team Millionaire.

Brook: Robin-san and I have a high winning rate...

Vivi: Let's hope you two make it in Corazon-san's team!

Law: Whatever the result of the game is, I'll be in Cora san's team! I'm not giving up on that!

--

"THE TEAMS ARE DECIDED ‼️"

TEAM MILLIONAIRE

(Onigashima middle investigation team)

Tycoon: Nami, Robin

Rich: Brook, Franky

Commoner: Coby, Vivi

+Chopper ( <- Placement-wise Poor but Law made him swap team)

TEAM POVERTY

(Doflamingo investigation team)

Commoner: Usopp, Sanji, Law (cheater!)

Poor: Zoro

Beggar: Luffy, Corazon

Sanji: THE HELL IS THIS TEAM?? (rip)

Cora:

Usopp: DIDN'T YA SAY YOU'RE GOOD AT BEING THE TYCOON??

Usopp: STO~P!! I DEMAND RESHUFFLING TEAM SELECTION! SOMETHING FEELS VERY WRONG!

Sanji: SECONDED!! THERE'S NO LADY IN THIS TEAM!

Zoro: Shudup, 'Commoner'.

Sanji: Aren't you 'Poor'?! 💢

Luffy: LET'S GO TO THE FEAST!

Usopp: THAT AIN'T A FEAST!

Law:......

ON SECOND THOUGHT... I'LL GO WITH CORA SAN ALL BY MYSELF!!

END, part 2 on January 19th!

[chapter translation index]

Edit: small correction: the last quote from first post (Luffy's speech) is directed at cora (corao) and not at law, mb!

One Piece Academy chapter 41: The Dark Bingo Tournament, part 1 (Quick translation)

The lore deepens..

source | previous chapter

Cover page side note : Sanji-kun's morning starts with black coffee.

Editor's note: what was discussed while playing trump at the Doflamingo countermeasure headquarters?

-

Everyone: An undercover investigation?

Cora: Yeah...

Cora: Doffy is supposed to attend a certain meeting tonight. Law and I will have an investigation trip.

Robin: 'A certain'...?

Luffy: ..Party with Mingo? I'm coming as well!!

Nami: They just said it's an investigation!

Law: Outside, it's a Bingo party with the Grand City enterprises.

But in reality... It's a meet-and-greet ceremony with the Dark World's residents.

Chopper: The Dark world... Meaning the bad adults? Er, Eleven-Back...

Robin: Eight-Stop (T/N: these are Daifugou card game terms)

Cora: It's all my intuitive prediction, though.

Doffy got himself his first new suit in a long time. There's something to this...

If they meet, it's possible that he'd sign a contract to become part of the gangs then and there. We have to stop this somehow.

Zoro: What do you mean 'somehow'? You haven't decided what to do yet?

Sanji: You want to stop them without being busted. It ain't a simple task at all.

Vivi: Definitely a high risque plan for high schoolers.... Triple Queen.

Cora: I'm one of the students who is given authority by the country and the school to 'investigate and use force'.

Coby: Something like Student council, or Public morals corps?

Cora: Right... Coby, you were part of the Public morals corps, aren't you.

Nami: Hey, Cora-chan... Was Doflamingo always like this? You've lived with him, haven't you?

Cora:....

Our family, the Donquixote Family "used to be" one of the great families of the world. We brothers were raised by kind hearted mother and father.

Vivi: The Donquixote Family! I've heart bits about it from Papa.

Cora: 'Cause Vivi-chan's Nefertari family is also one of those great families!

Usopp: That sounds like a nice family!

Brook: What do you mean by "used to be?"

Cora: A fall from a prestigious family to rock bottom... That's what I mean.

Father, unfamiliar with business, tried his hand at several private charity projects. Unfortunately, every single one ended in huge failure. Our family lost all its possessions, and we lost our social standing.

Those were terrible days, filled with hunger. There were people who's mock and laugh at us for getting the boot, kicked out of the town.

All of it was probably unbearable for my brother. He developed a deep seated hate towards the townsfolk and father.

Then, Doffy disappeared from the sight of me and family. As years passed on...

Cora: I discovered him in the streets as one of the thugs.

Sanji: I guess, he was royally messed up.

Vivi: So he has a past like this behind that perpetual jolly demeanor...

Chopper: Vivi...

Luffy: Traffy, I'm bringing leftover food with me.

Cora: Bring with you? You're going somewhere?

Luffy: Why, at Mingo's party!

(Continues in reblogs) ⬇️

[sakunataa]

A Yandere Simulator “PMV” + Yandere Simulator Character Trivia Video Review

Doing another one of these! I'm very excited to start writing them again. I anticipate doing this twice a week and categorizing everything into two groups: two shorter articles reviewed simultaneously, and one longer piece.

The bigger ones have more information, so I can focus on every last detail much more easily. I can also look at a lot more in a shorter amount of time. So that will be the method I use moving forward! What could be more enjoyable than reading so many posts at once?

Before I get into the two main articles (Feb5 and Feb6), I wanted to mention the February 3rd Bug-Fixing Build post! I've always liked reading about developers fixing bugs and making enhancements. And it makes me so happy looking through the list of all the things that have been promised so far and seeing them all in the final product. Cheers to Dev!

Of course, it's time for the actual review.

I begin.

Dev's PMV editing is far superior to the choppy work I did when I was 12 years old to create something similar. Not only is the artwork in this video very beautiful (kudos to all the artists, this is some splendid work!) but Dev's skillful blending of it all together is a work of beauty!

Although PMV editing has been around for a very long time online, I'm constantly amazed at how far we've come in terms of what we can do with these programs to create remarkable things. Well done, Dev!

And it's wonderful that he's acknowledging his Chinese fans. I knew they were a possibility, even if I haven't personally run into them. I'm so glad to see him making an effort to connect with his admirers who live in a country where viewing his work is practically impossible. Really demonstrates the greatest kindness Dev exhibits when speaking to them.

The next post is about character trivia, and it's one of my favorites. There are so many characters in the game that I wish I knew more about, even if it's just a breadcrumb of new information, and Dev just gave us the whole loaf. I'd love to see more of these for the other students because the video truly makes them seem so much more rounded and alive!

Dev clearly enjoys creating these characters, even the minor ones, as evidenced by the amount of effort and attention that goes into each one. (A shame Kokona's father is still in debt! Poor guy. Poor Kokona, too.)

I personally would enjoy seeing more content like this. Perhaps some trivia on the other rivals! The music is great, the ideas are quite original, and the visuals are really charming. I can't really think of anything to add on! I think it's straight to the point while also looking very pleasing to the eye.

Please make more of these if you can! I would love them very much.

It was so nice reading these and watching the videos themselves. It's clear a lot of love and care was put into it and I just love seeing it being put on display here. Two great videos, and it's all for us fans. I'm so grateful for them.

Good job on all your hard work, Dev!

[citrineghost]

Avoiding Scams on Freelancing Sites

Hi there! I almost just got scammed today, and I’m going to take the LITTANY of red flags from this interaction and use it to teach you all about how to avoid scams.

I am not making very much money right now. I just lost one of the accounts I was writing for, so I am not not even making enough to pay my rent. So I am desperately looking for work. And, like many people desperately looking for work, my panicking subconscious is willing to see a red flag and brush it under the rug because

“I’m probably being paranoid.”

So, to all of my lovely artists, writers, editors, and other types of freelancers who are desperately looking for work, I would like to create a comprehensive list of things that you should NOT FUCKING IGNORE while looking for a job. Actually, the list will be formatted as things you should expect from your employer/interviewer and if these things are missing, get the fuck out of there.

1. Reputable Platforms

The first thing you should be expecting is to use reputable platforms. If you’re being asked for a virtual interview, you should expect your interviewer to invite you via Skype, Discord, (Maybe slack if they’re middle-aged), perhaps Whatsapp, or whatever website you’re using to find your job.

DO NOT go for interviews on Telegram. This app has been reported as very commonly being associated with scams. This is where my recent experience took place.

2. Willingness to Verify Legitimacy

The first thing you should do when being in contact with an interviewer or HR is ask them to verify their identity. 

This may not be necessary if doing a video call with someone pictured on an official company website, receiving emails or texts from addresses/numbers that are listed on an official company website, or if the job you’re being interviewed for was applied to directly on the company website. In these cases, you are not likely to be scammed, as you’re working with verifiably information.

If you meet someone on Indeed, Fiverr, Upwork, or any other freelancing/job site, keep your contact within the website’s chat system, email system, or whatever. This is how you remain protected under the hiring site’s TOS/Legal whatever. If you get scammed because you took your hiring process elsewhere, they will not help you.

That being said, if you DO take your interview off the site, it should be somewhere reputable and you should ask for your interviewer to verify their identity before doing literally anything else. The best way to get them to verify their identity is to ask them to email or text you from an address or phone number listed clearly on the official company website, by asking them to show you their state ID and checking it for photoshop influence, or by asking to do a video call for the interview and seeing for yourself that you’re being interviewed by someone who is pictured on the official company website as an employee.

3. Clear and Professional Procedures

Any professional working as an interviewer or human resources personnel will have a skillset related to communication and organization. When being interviewed you should expect a number of questions about your skills and how you’re valuable to the company, etc. However, this is easy to fake, as a scammer. What you need to look out for is that they show a clear amount of structure.

If you’re asked for an interview, no real company will demand you be quick about responding. If they’re interested in an interview, a legitimate company is not likely to ask you to do the interview immediately. They will ask you to schedule an interview time with them. They may ask if you have availabilities that day, but they will not just start interviewing you immediately.

After the interview, any professional company will tell you that they will get back to you when they’ve made a decision about your interview. No professional company will tell you to wait for an indefinite amount of time while they talk to HR peers. If a company Does want you to wait, because they intend to make a quick decision, they will give you an expected wait time, as that is the courteous and professional thing to do. They will not expect you to be on-call for this period of time. A time projection is simply to give you an idea of what to expect. For example, “I’ll be in touch within the next 1-3 hours about the results of your interview. Thank you for your time.”

Furthermore, if you are accepted for a job, any professional company will make a clear outline of exactly how they plan to introduce you into company life. They will respect your time and ask you to schedule things with them. For example, “Is there a period of 2-3 hours within the next few days where you would be available for an orientation?” 

No professional company will demand you do anything at any particular time. That is not how legitimate professionals treat new employees. You will be asked to schedule things with them. Even when you’re assigned work hours, if the exact hours you’re applying for are not listed in the job description you applied for, they will ask you to fill out some kind of time sheet to outline your availabilities, then schedule you for times within that outline.

4. Doesn’t Show Signs of Money Scamming

There are two major red flags when it comes to money scams. Your interviewer should never ask you what bank you use and your interviewer should never ever tell you they’re going to send you a check, unless they send your paycheck as a check.

One of the more common scams at the moment is run by people pretending to be members of legitimate companies, hiring freelancers for things like proofreading and editing. These remote positions may require home office hardware, right? The interviewer will tell you you’re missing some hardware and software that are required for the job. Then they’ll tell you that they will send a check that you can cash and use to buy the required materials.

This is even sketchier if they email you front and back images of the check and tell you to print it and then deposit it through mobile banking. The way this works is that, if you cash the check successfully, you will then buy the list of software, which is usually completely unrelated to the job you’re being hired for, then they will cancel the check, which hasn’t cleared completely. That leaves you with ~$2k dollars less in your bank and their money right back where it started in theirs. Presumably, the scammers are the ones selling the software. So, that $2k dollars you just spent is also going into their bank account.

Professional companies will never offer to send you checks to buy products. If they have official hardware or software that they want you to use, they will buy it themselves and then send it to you. There is never a reason why a new hire should buy hardware or software out of their own bank, whether they have been given money for it or not.

Furthermore, a legitimate company will never ever pay you before you have signed and sent your contract to them. One of the obvious giveaways of the scam I was almost caught in was that I was sent the contract last night and I asked if I could send it in today, since it was getting late. The interviewer agreed. I signed it in the morning and then asked him if I should send it in a reply to the email I got the original contract from or if there’s another email I need to send it to. He completely ignored my question, asked me how I was doing, and then went into the check-related information so I could buy software.

The issue was bothering me ALL DAY. I knew there was something extremely weird about that, so I asked again a few hours later. His response? “You have nothing to worry about.” ?????? I was aghast. I wasn’t worried at all! I just wanted an answer! If he had simply told me to respond to the email I’d gotten the contract from, I might have fallen for his scam! What a terrible scammer smdh

A Non-Exhaustive List of Other Red Flags

Your interviewer shows a poor grasp on the language

If your interviewer is making frequent grammatical errors that are glaringly obvious to any native speaker, that is a huge red flag. HR reps and interviewers are hired because of their communication skills. It is highly unlikely that someone who makes non-native-like errors is legitimate unless they are actually openly non-native, in which case, it’s not so alarming.

Your interviewer is showing impatience or demanding you at certain times

If your interviewer is telling you to “report back by 8am tomorrow” without any kind of prior agreement that this is an acceptable time for you to meet, that is extremely unprofessional and shows a lack of patience. Scammers want to get to the meat of their scam quickly and will use an air of professional superiority and authority to scare you into moving faster than necessary.

Your interviewer shows a lack of opening and closing statements

Along the lines of the clear processes that I mentioned above anybody who is initiating you in the job you’re taking should show clear opening and closing statements. What I mean by this is: professionals in human resources or management positions will not keep you as a social hostage. If you’ve been discussing how you’ll begin training or somesuch, they will not just leave you hanging. You should have a dedicated time slot where you will have your discussion and, at the end of it, your supervisor should make a closing statement. For example, “It looks like our time is running out for today. What would be a good time to pick this up tomorrow?”

If you feel like you are “on-call” and unable to leave the room because the interviewer or supervisor keeps messaging, has not outlined a time slot for you to talk in, won’t seem to let you go, or shows no indication of stopping, that is a really bad sign. Either the company is legitimate and TERRIBLE at professionalism (a great sign you should run anyway), or this is a scammer intent on getting you to follow their instructions as soon as they can.

Your interviewer ignores time zones or gets them wrong

When I was contacted about doing an interview yesterday, it was 4:30pm. I did the interview and was told I got the job. Immediately after, without asking if I was free, he began listing off instructions and things I was to expect. It wasn’t until 7:30pm that he sent me the contract and asked me to review it, sign it, and send it back that I finally asked if I could do that tomorrow. The interviewer was supposedly on the west coast and knew that I was on the east coast. He agreed by saying “Alright” and then told me to report to him “by 8am your time.”

There are 3 things about this that are weird. The first is that he demanded I show up at 8am to continue where we left off. Any professional would have asked when I’m available the next day to continue. the second is that he said “your time” instead of saying EST, as most professionals in the US would be apt to do. And, lastly, I showed up at 7:50am, ready to continue, because I’m that desperate that I’m willing to be pushed around, and he showed up at 9am on the dot. He had gotten the time wrong. Nobody who works professionally on the west coast is incapable of adding 3 hours to their time. It was a rookie mistake, or a mistake made by someone in a completely different time zone than they say they are.

When asked to verify their identity, your interviewer attempts to reassure you or refuses

When I finally was fed up and knew this must be a scam, I politely asked my interviewer to verify his identity by either showing me his US ID or by contacting me from his email or phone number listed on the official company website. He sent me a photoshopped nametag with a completely different person’s name and photo on it and said it was the company ID of the HR director. 

I have never seen a facade fall so pathetically. Why would literally any even remotely legitimate person do such a thing? It was sad, really. He deleted the message in less than a minute - no doubt to keep me from looking at it long enough to see how badly it was photoshopped - and then aggressively reassured me that the company meant me no harm and would pay for everything, etc. Any real professional would have simply sent me an email from the legitimate address, stating that they’re legitimate, and then continued on with the initiation process.

Learn from My Mistakes

I hope some of this was helpful for all of you lovely freelancers trying to find work. I thought I would know a scam when I saw one, and I did have a Bad Feeling about this whole thing, because it did feel too good to be true, but I was desperate enough that my judgement was heavily clouded, and that could happen to anyone.

Don’t ignore red flags - especially these ones. Stick up for yourself. Avoid confirmation bias. I looked things up repeatedly to confirm that the company was legitimate and that it’s normal to do things like mobile deposit a printed check and so on. Every time, I found an explanation that suited me. I even tried to cash the check. The only reason it didn’t work was because there was an error with the name on the check because I recently legally changed my name and PayPal was having some kind of issue updating in some areas of its website. It was after that that I realized this was all crashing down and I needed to reassess it all. Don’t let yourself get that deep into it.

[kpopordie]

The problem with

Fu Ya Ning (푸야닝)

(So far: episode 4)

Many of us were first introduced to Fu Ya Ning as the girl that came in and dissed the beloved Yujin. With a little help from Mnet we had ourselves a good villain right from the start.

She was someone for the antis to root for, the drama seekers to love, and the CLC fans to rally against. But, really, she was someone to suck all of us viewers in. It worked. We all held our breath as we watched.

The Helicopter performance. This is where you really see her personality for the first time. Her strategy and her skill. She is talented and she knows it. She boldly projects confidence whether this is a front or not we do not know. It seems her plan here was find the biggest kid on the playground and punch her out- so to speak.

When it became known that Yaning’s threats were empty and edited with malice she became much less hated among fans. Although she still left a bad taste in many mouths.

Although, this plan did not work. Clearly she did not “Go up” considering Yujin made it into the top nine and Yaning did not. How this will determine her behavior later on is unknown.

When Yaning (let’s be real here) demanded the role of leader in episode 3, she confirmed her need to be in total control. Her reasoning being age.

“I’m 25. I’m the oldest.” Leaving no room for conversation or debate. Age being an important thing in Asian culture that must be respected by the young. This is not something you go against especially on national tv.

I personally feel Yaning showed her first major fault in leadership by abusing this. She TOOK power and made it about age. knowing very well if anyone younger than her spoke up it would be seen as disrespectful soiling their name like it has many other idols before them.

Let’s talk about You Dayeon

Fu Ya Ning handled this situation poorly continuously showing us her poor leadership skills.

Let’s review what was happening:

Dayeon was feeling confused and discouraged over rules set by Yaning that she felt didn’t make sense. Yaning told the girls they could only try out for one part. If you wanted another one that was too bad.

When Dayeon became overwhelmed it came out through tears, many of the teammates hugged her and asked her what was troubling her. This is where I want to praise Dayeon for not shutting down. She regained herself and spoke clearly explaining her confusion and asking Yaning to try out for more parts.

To this Yaning scolded her and twisted her words as if Dayeon was asking for special treatment. Yaning told her it wouldn’t be fair to the others, but it would, be if they could all try out for more parts. This left me wondering if Yaning feared losing her part since Dayeon originally tried out for hers.

Dayeon, again, expressed her wish to have been leader and regret in choosing Fu Ya Ning as a teammate.

Remember Dayeon not speaking up to become leader is not on her. Many idols have had issues being labeled disrespectful for simply speaking informally to a close friend. What were to happen if she decided to challenge Yaning for leadership who was already using age as a weapon?

After their interim evaluation the judges could tell though individually exceeding they failed to work as a team. Plus, some roles weren’t suited correctly- to this Dayeon nervously spoke up. Shyly, she explained what she was so harshly shut down for by her leader. The judges agreed with Dayeon and explained to Yaning why it’s important each member gets the part best suited for them. It’s not about being fair, it’s about finding how you fit together.

Though this was obviously Yaning’s shortcoming as a leader but somehow Dayeon seemed to take the heat for it. Dayeon ended up getting scolded by the judges and her teammates telling her she should have spoken up before the evaluation. - this was confusing considering she did.

Yaning did not take any responsibility for this mistake but instead blamed her team stating “How would I know if they don’t tell me?”

This was disappointing but not surprising. Yaning also seemed to miss the point. This wasn’t about the members wanting different parts it was about the members not fitting into their roles.

As leader Yaning created an unsafe environment. A place where almost all of the members felt the group was taking a turn for the worst but couldn’t say anything out of fear for the same treatment of Dayeon.

The Problem?

So what is the problem with Fu Ya Ning?

I believe Yaning has become focused on winning and cleared her mind of all others. She has lost the ability to connect and wants only to show her skills.

Though she is talented Yaning will be unable to learn/grow if she refuses to listen and work with teammates. She is still a trainee and has a lot to learn. If she could have befriended Yujin, instead, Yaning might have gained friendship and insight to the Kpop world rather than antis.

⚫️Redemption?⚪️

Do I believe Fa Ya Ning can be redeemed? Yes. I fully believe that Yaning can unlearn this all for one and one for me attitude. What Yaning is missing is the ability to work with a team.

If she can take a step back from this tough girl persona and learn how to connect and care for others I believe she will do great in girls planet 999.

If Yaning cannot get over herself then she needs to debut solo.

GP999 winners have a responsibility to bond with one another and work as a team. If she keeps going down this path I don’t believe she could fulfill that.

[canceltheact]

Cancel The Act: The Definitive Theory of Lunky, Lixian, and Actor Mark

Hello there theorists! This is the big one - the (hopefully) final draft of CancelTheAct. 

For those of you that have been following this tale of truth, perserverance, and chromatic aberration,you may find that a few section of this are exactly the same. It basically is the same theory, but with a few things tightened up (see post from two days ago) and some updated information. This is the big one we’re hoping on spreading, so be sure to reblog this one like you’ve done before. We really appreciate all the support you’ve given this assertion.

 And for those who are seeing this for the first time...welcome! This is a theory exploring what's been going on the past few months on Markiplier's channel, and the side story that connects the odd goings-on. If you support this theory, spread the word on Twitter and reblog, not just like, on Tumblr with the hashtags and this very site.

 Thank you for all the support, folks! Now...let's talk about the truth. We'll see you on the other side.

So, if you are a Markiplier fan on the interwebs, you have no doubt seen the newest Cloak ad that was in the Cooking Simulator video from about a month ago and noticed something...off. Something... suspicious. And if you follow Mark lore, you know that this was NOT ordinary Mark. This was Actor. The robe underneath the Cloak merchandise he was wearing, the spotlights and cracking of his body reminiscent of the Darkiplier ending from AHWM, and of course, what he says in a haughty tone of voice, seeming to be the opposite of his opening stair spiel in WKM: "It's not about you...it's about me." Heading over to instagram, we get more interesting stuff, with a description of the ad clearly reflecting the events of WKM from Actor's skewed and self-righteous perspective.

Was this just a ploy for marketing purposes, you ask? How could it be important to something? Well, Cloak's response to said post says it all: "oh". Meaning they had NO CLUE this was coming.

Even in that Cooking Simulator video, there were signs that this wasn't just pertaining to an ad. In the kitchen of the game, he comments "Modern is stupid; I’ve always said this; I want the classics," quite a different opinion from the man we knew that owned FIVE OVENS, but would seem quite on brand for someone who lived in a old-style manor - even the Youtube description seems a bit suspicious saying that "this time, I'm gonna show everyone what I'm all about." No doubt, Actor Mark has made quite a return, for seemingly NO REASON, right? Right? Well....not exactly. We’re here to tell you that Actor's been here for quite a longer time than you might expect.

For those who have been paying attention to Markiplier for the past couple months, you may have noticed some strange, yet fleeting events.

The stick figure monstrosity known as Lunky invading Mark’s channel for one day. The strange revelation that Markiplier isn’t real, yet 6 days later denied by the very man who confirmed it. The erratic behavior of the editor known as Lixian.

Such strange goings on, isn’t it? But I have reason to believe that these incidents are part of a greater step in the lore of Markiplier. That these very events are tied to each other, and something much bigger than the sum of their parts. Many people have had their thoughts on what this all means. It’s time we threw our hat full of overthinking and crazed observation into the ring. Hopefully, this theory will help uncover a bigger story. A story of control, reality… and CHROMATIC ABERRATION.

First of all, let’s answer the question: is Markiplier real? Answer: No, he’s not. Even with the “Markiplier isn’t Real” videos not being canon, it doesn’t mean that Markiplier is “real” after all. Because he is, and always has been in terms of CANON, Actor. (Now this doesn’t mean that every video Mark has done has been in character, just the ones that have correlation with the Lunky arc, Lunxian affair, and the Mark isn’t real stuff, as this relates to bigger story beats that are happening.) Think about it. After the events of WKM, Actor (who already was a Youtuber as seen as one of the points on the Detective’s theory board reads “What is a Let’s Play?” implying to Mark’s original ticket to Youtube) used Damien’s body as a replacement for his own and going on with his life, rising to even more Youtube fame. This makes him not who he seems, and definitely not real as the person his fans and editors in canon thought him to be. But what does this have to do with Lixian? With Lunky? What about those confessions? Well, for that, we have to start at the beginning.

Lixian and the Lunxian Affair

Though the MarkiplierIsntReal videos aren’t meant to be canon, as told to the member mixers by Mark himself, we have seen behavior from Lixian that is still similar to the entire week-long event - that Lixian has found something out about Mark. We can gauge this through not only the behavior of Mark, but of Lixian as well. Most notably, in 3 Scary Games #46, we see the description of the video of what reads like Mark’s pleas to us, calling Lixian “a monster” and that “the old methods aren't working anymore.” Actor is trying to control Lixian, and even sow the seeds of fear into his audience. Lixian, in that same video, pulls a knife on Mark and, in general, acts more antagonistic towards him. From 3 Scary Games #46, we can gather that Actor isn't happy about any information Lixian may have leaked or let loose at this point.

There are 2 big points that support this:

1. Lixian's animation sprite during the episode mainly shows up as a shadow, otherwise known as "Shadow Lixian". Lixian's animation sprite typically assumes this shadow form as a visual way to let the viewers know that he's sneaking around and doing something that Actor wouldn't approve of.

2. Actor develops the idea of a "controlled Lixian" (which is later to become known as "Lunxian") to where Actor can use his arcane powers to have Lixian do/say whatever he wishes.

But of course Actor can only come up with the idea of a perfect editor at the time, and has no real way to actually manipulate Lixian at this point. It's not until Lixian leaves for vacation that Actor puts a plan into motion.

In an attempt to try and get rid of Lixian, Actor created Lunky to try and make a replacement Lixian. This obviously didn't work, as Lunky is barely like Lixian and was seen for a time by Actor as a poor carbon copy. And as we can see in the Minecraft video where Lunky is introduced, Mark dislikes Lunky immensely, pushing him off to the side and not wanting to even edit him in. Mark doesn’t even say that he made Lunky - he just says that he’s here so that he’s not talking to himself.

Despite this separation, though, there are clues right off the bat here that Lunky and Mark are connected. Where, may you ask? Well, in the outro of this very video (Lixian Is gone, Lunky Is Here), there were some awfully interesting shrieking sounds. Almost sounded….backwards. And wouldn’t you know it, after we reversed the audio, we could hear a voice. And with a few more tweaks to the speed and to isolate all of the echoing sounds that were added to the audio (which is actually a tad important), we made out “Thanks for watching - don’t forget to like” before it dribbles off. (Hear audio here: https://canceltheact.tumblr.com/post/645011603474038784/backwards-lunky-audio-for-reference-in-todays Also, if there are any audio expert theorists out there who are more skilled than us that can get a better result, write us and tell us what you find!) However...this echoing that comes off the audio seems familiar. What other type of person has a voice that echoes? Oh right! ACTOR when using arcane powers!

This CONFIRMS, through the echos and that would be what Mark would say, that Lunky was created by Actor through the arcane power stuff and Lunky, at the moment, though trying to be a poor carbon copy of Lixian, is at most being a channel for Actor's things he would typically do on the channel, as that encapsulates the story dimension and his power as a whole. And not only does the presence of this backwards audio reveal more about this seemingly joke character, it also reveals that this is something that Mark has put time into and planned for this to be something bigger than a one-off.

But then Actor realized that he could use Lunky to do the next best thing - be an extension of his own power and subdue Lixian enough so that he would be kept quiet. So Actor bided his time with Lunky and ‘allowed’ Lixian to trap Lunky in a cage. 

This backfires on Actor though, as Lunky manages to harness some of that Actor power and attempts to complete his original intent...to destroy Lixian. Lunky goes on a rampage, overtaking both Lixian’s channel and Markiplier’s channel until Lixian kills him - Or so it seems.

Actor realizes what has happened and decides to do a combination of his two previous plans: have Lunky possess Lixian, making Lunxian (a name we have come up with for this phenomena), in order to keep Lixian completely under control. We see this through two things:

1. Lunky's rainbow glitch, or chromatic aberration, around him is transferred to Lixian AFTER Lunky gets killed - and we see Lixian acting VERY differently towards the editors, saying that he’s watching them, being present in several videos outside of 3 Scary Games and being generally creepier than usual when judging from the scope in general.

2. Lixian screams "I'm the Editor" after ‘defeating’ Lunky. Interesting, isn't it? Lixian has said a few times before that he doesn’t like being called editor. But Lunky, in control of Lixian now, has a different want. Lunky was meant to be the editor for Actor, hence why Lunky would want to be called editor.

#CancelTheAct Reasoning

But now, to let you know exactly WHY we're pushing "CancelTheAct". So, Actor has used the story dimension in order to keep those he has trapped in the manor in playing out his stories, such as Dark as the villain and Abe as the detective archetypes, right? I realized: the story dimension IS the channel. And what does the channel drive on? Fans. So, Actor derives his power from being able to be the hero, the lead of the stories, and his channel in canon gauges his influence and power right? Well... Lixian is trying to EXPOSE ACTOR from what he’s found and we see that as not just exposing... but “cancel” him in the eyes of the people who GIVE HIM POWER... his fans in canon. Thereby making Actor powerless. The fans in canon will see him as a fraud, not support him, and take away his strength of his ego. Jabbing a slight bit at the now-popular cancel culture, we are siding with that fight with a clever little hashtag that can be made alongside #MarkiplierIsntReal. Though MIR was never actually a canon intention by Mark, it’s still a hashtag that people are familiar with - and as it relates to the fact that Actor has been putting on a facade, we can use it in order to rally our cause.

Rainbow Chromatic Aberration Breakdown

Why would this rainbow aberration be cause for identification of something being off? Of Actor?

Well... back in the WMW breakdown video, Mark talks about this one point in the mini movie where there’s this aberration, when Wilford and Abe go from the detective’s office to back at the dance club. Paraphrasing here, he says that this is not Darkiplier and that he just wanted to replicate the effect of a VCR rewinding to establish to take things “from the top” with Wilf and Abe’s meeting. Remember the VCR thing though, that’ll be important later. (Time stamp: 2:07:50 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rsi_L1b1RwE&lc=Ugwo26EalTI5QP15ooF4AaABAg) This thereby establishing Warfstache’s use of gelling and framing this weird reality by manipulating time and space. We see this AGAIN in AHWM, as when the box is used in the Bob/Wade endings and we go through time, we see the SAME COLORS OF ABERRATION. Warfstache does the same VCR type thing in the interview as well. Ok, so we’ve established that the rainbow aberration implies when one (besides Dark) manipulates their time and space.

Now, these colors look familiar... where have I seen them before OH RIGHT. LUNKY. Lunky has appeared with this aberration through that video with his song (you know the one) and in the 3 scary games videos. Since we’ve seen that Lunky is connected as an extension of and creation from Actor’s power, it makes sense that Lunky would have a similar chromatic aberration. We see this fabrication from time and space (Lunky) use this manipulation power, and then, as Lixian is possessed and subdued by Lunky to become Lunxian, this aberration is also adopted. (for image examples, see Lunxian picture in the first part of this theory)

However, we have seen some slight resistance throughout these Lunxian appearances, showing signs of Lixian trying to break free, as we see in the Forest video “Escaping the Sinkhole” where he says “You think you can replace me?” But instead of the typical rainbow aberration, the colors are inverted to a purple and bluish green.

An aberration we’ve seen a couple times before: in the “DEAD” post that Lixian posted on his Twitter when he was thought to be killed, and in the flashback sequences in Lixian’s Confession which, while doesn’t give us any information for the story, still gives us context for what colors show Lixian in control.

However, despite the control of Lunky over Lixian, the past few weeks has shown the emergence of Actor, despite how he tries to keep it under wraps.

Events Post First Lunxian Emergence - Post MarkiplierIsntReal

In the past few weeks, we have seen through the types of video uploads that Mark has put out, along with Lixian’s behavior, that despite Actor’s attempts to keep his identity under wraps, there have been increasing signs in the in-canon Actor channel and Mark’s real life channel stuff that tips us off otherwise.

First off, in the first week after Markiplier Isn’t Real, there were only compilations and old footage from streams, which wasn’t exactly too important, except for a few hints through the editing that Lixian gave us - first, the fact that a lot of the text and effects were surrounded in that Lunky/Actor rainbow aberration - implying that Lixian isn’t really acting of his own free will...not controlled, per say, but not allowed to talk about the secrets of Actor.

In this same compilation, we even get a hint that something is amiss from Lixian - in a moment from the end of 3 Scary Games #38 where Mark is wholesomely preeshing Lixian, suddenly, the moment glitches in a similar fashion to how it was done at the end of Lixian’s Confession - then cuts to the scene where Lixian “kills” Lunky. This type of unusual transition into such an event lets the audience know that this event is important and something to pay attention to.

Secondly, in the 3 scary games compilation, we have an interesting change in edit that Lixian made - instead of the normal jumpscare from 3 scary games #57 with Mark with no eyes, Lunky is plastered over Mark’s face, implying Actor and Lunky’s connection.

The interesting thing that has popped up from these videos isn’t just the type of game that has been done, but, specifically, the behavior of Lixian. And it mainly started with the editor collabs that Lixian has been doing with Marcus (aka Nerd Fiction) and Rachel, the two new editors for Markiplier’s channel- not only a tool to help them learn the ropes to the type of editing Lixian does, but also leaving room for an interesting plot device.

In the first simulator collab episode, “Cooking Simulator”, Lixian seemed to be able to be in control by Actor, doing his VCR chromatically aberrated bidding, but being a bit more acting of his own free will, being a bit more resentful of the job instead of compliant.

However, in the second simulator collab video, “Car Accident Simulator”, Lixian seems a LOT LESS compliant and even rebellious. Yet Mark seems to be ok with joshing Lixian’s chain around, even mockingly calling him editor. Even more interesting…the fact that Lixian says “I’ve got all your dirt!”, implying his knowledge and slight ability to share the truth.

So, why is this? Well we think that Mark still thinks Lixian can’t escape, but Lixian is simply biding his time to get free from Lunky and Actor’s grasp... still playing along with Actor’s game, but planning to get stronger and plan an attack.

Unfortunately, this state of the upper hand does not last long. In the Forest 3 Peens stream before this, we get another Lunky appearance, with Mark seeing. Combined with the rebellious behavior he sees Lixian have and Lunky now being separate from Lixian, Actor sees that Lixian is not under control again, and realizes he has to take further action.

Breaking the Facade

This leads us to the latest 3 Scary Games: #64 and #65. In these two, some of the last regular appearances of Lixian, we see jumpscares like usual, but these monsters are...different. The spider monster in #64 is much more detailed than any monster we’ve seen before, and in #65, the fake Mark stand-in speaks in a newer type of audio voice effect. And in both of these video outros, Lixian is shown defeating them both with an axe, fighting them off. (not showing images due to arachnophobia that spider is dang scary) This tips us off that these monsters are different than just the typical jumpscares we see in 3 Scary Games - Lixian is deliberately against these monsters. And in BOTH VIDEOS, Lixian is in the same position, asking where Mark is.

This is why we haven’t seen Lixian in videos since this - because he is trapped in an area either by Lunky or Actor, fighting off these monsters and unable to escape while Actor keeps up his facade.

However, despite this, through real life and in canon, Actor’s facade has been breaking to us little by little.

The Reddit banner changing from a Heist promo to a picture of Date Mark a week after MIR.

In the “Teardown” video, Mark is shown with some interesting edits when he goes to shoot a tree - seems normal, but with that font being Lunky’s font and his background being red, this definitely seems like Actor - even the things he says,” You wronged me and it’s only right for me to come to pay back what is due” - seems like he’s projecting anger from the people in his past onto this tree.

Then, even the day after the infamous Cloak promo, we see even MORE allusion through referencing Actor scenarios THREE TIMES in the “Stormwatch” video: once referring to WKM, once referring to the END music and filter from WKM, and a reference to the Warfstache Markiplier interview, which points to Actor from THIS CONVERSATION: “You heard it here first ladies and gentlemen Markiplier has admitted to NEVER KILLING ANYBODY.” “Well I never said that”.

Looking back at the cloak promo for the self love story line, Mark himself has said that the promo featuring him wearing Actor’s robe was a last-minute choice by him, as he was largely involved with the release of this line. Even so, there are certain details that simply can't be ignored. Enter: At Dead of Night Part 1. During the video, Mark just decides that he has to leave the room, glitches out of the room, and after an uncomfortable amount of silence, he jumpscares us after some spooky red light engulfs the room. In this period of time, there are TWO things that separate it from the normal type of jumpscare that would be found when Mark plays a scary game (despite it NOT being 3 scary games video)

1. We see a quick flash of what appears to be Shadow Lix...until we look at the eyes.

This aberration definitely shows signs of Lunky - looking like Lunxian has returned.

2. Mark returns...with the same Cloak shirt that Actor was wearing in the promo over his robe. Probably just promoting the brand, right? Well this video was five days after the promo was released, quite an arbitrary number for just doing an empty reference to the promo, especially since the day of its premiere, February 16, was around the day the Self Love Story line was dying down and not needed to be promoted. And all the while Mark plays, the Actor robe is on the dresser in the background - the first time we've seen it since the promo in the first place.

Even considering the fact that the promo was a last minute choice, WHY would Mark bring it back up again? WHY would he nudge us with the hints to connect the promo to something bigger - unless he WAS planning something a bit bigger.

Other strange occurrences have been happening in bits and pieces throughout other videos. A Lunxian appearance in the Barn Finders episode.

And curiously enough, a jumpscare in a Forest video from a previously used 3 Scary Games video - #62, to be exact, and the only one who has eyes that are similar to Lunky’s.

Combine that with the fact that despite Lixian editing a lot of this video, he doesn’t show up at ALL to being called editor - this is showing that Lixian isn’t in charge of editing the videos - Lunky is in control. And the monsters coming out of the closet is a clear sign of another one of Lunky’s monsters that might have bled through the area between where Lixian is trapped and where Mark is - the 3 Scary Games dimension, if you will.

The Next Plot Step

The next 3 Scary Games videos since this time have clearly been very, very telling of this banishment and kidnapping of Lixian. Let’s go over some of the most important details, namely from #66, #67, and #69.

In #66, we see the latest monster in the line of the three we’ve seen before, such as the spider and the fake Mark; the squid monster fake Mark. This monster says the same things as the last monster: “Your end is near. Your end is here”, with the same font we’ve come to know of Lunky and Lunxian. (first pic #65, second #66)

But this time…Lixian’s axe doesn’t work. Why? Well, as we can see, there’s some kind of…force field.

Of…dark red. HMM…. looks awfully familiar. Even though we’ve never seen it before. Like RED, ARCANE ENERGY. There’s no doubt about it. Lunky, and by proxy Actor, are making the monsters stronger. So Lixian can’t escape.

And as we see in #67...this has seemed to work. As towards the end of that episode…

Lixian is…not doing good. At all. As we see him in an area, a rock or something, coated in red. Lixian is in trouble. It seems the monsters have finally banished him to a place where he cannot fight back, where he cannot tell the truth he knows. The red lighting looks similar to the prison in where Lunky was kept, possibly entrapping him in a prison of his own making.

Interestingly enough, before this, we see Mark’s “monster” thing: his eyes, moving aLLLL around. And the aberration on him is a tad rainbow-y. Could this be an allusion to Lunky, whose power is all about his eyes?

But...the most INTERESTING video was of course, #69...where quite a few things were confirmed. Let’s tackle them in this breakdown linked here, shall we? https://canceltheact.tumblr.com/post/649094311147978752/3-scary-games-69-the-eldritch-resurgence 

We should have you caught up with all of our important findings for now. As you can see, Actor has been playing his games for quite some time. But he’s gotten bold - far too bold, to reveal himself to us like this. And this is where you, dear reader, come into play. It’s not too late to end this game Actor has us in. We, the viewers, give these alternative egos power, and if we refuse to play Actor’s games any further and cancel his acts, we can begin to weaken  and perhaps even eliminate Actor’s grip on the channel. We believe that the time is now. Spread this post if you support it - reblog it, hashtag it on Twitter or Tumblr, use the hashtags #CancelTheAct and #MarkiplierIsntReal. This may be our only avenue to have our voices heard, and to truly unearth what the Actor has been threading together all along.

Chromatic Aberration Appendix (Yay!)

Hey there folks! I’ve decided to do a companion writing on my theory, that explains exactly WHAT chromatic aberration is and why it’s important to the current Mark lore.

Chromatic aberration is the glitchy effect of various colors surrounding words, objects, or people. There are quite a few different types of this aberration, and as they are an important part of this theory, this section is to denote the different types of aberration and what they mean.

“Rainbow” Aberration - This aberration has been used multiple times as a representation for the manipulation of time and reality in order to control someone - we see this used in AHWM as we surge through time using the artifact, and as Warfstache brings us to our proper interview location in time/space. This effect has also been associated with the effects or rewinding of a VCR, as Mark says in his WMW breakdown video when discussing said effect when Warfstache takes Abe back to the disco club to “have a little fun”. And as we have seen in this part of the lore, Actor has used this type of power as well in order to control people’s reality. This aberration, therefore, denotes for those OUTSIDE Actor’s planned story - which is why Warfstache has it (since he has no role), why Lunky has it (because he was created as something to exist outside the story dimension and to fill a role that wasn’t a set role in Actor’s story in the first place) and was used initially, yet unsuccessfully by Actor to control Lixian (because he was working outside his story onto someone who didn’t necessarily have a role)

Heavy Presence of Red Aberration - this aberration, though more of an aura than anything else, indicates the control and presence of Actor, as seen in “Damien” - though this isn’t used too often, it is often used with Lunky’s rise of power, such as in “He escaped...” and at the end of various 3SGs.

Lixian’s Aberration - this combination of dark purple, teal, and greenish blue aberration is present in Lixian’s confession and is a marker of when Lixian is in control - as seen in Lixian’s confession and the “DEAD” picture post on his Twitter.

[tickly-trashcan]

Drunken Yaksha {XiaoVen}

A/N: This fic contains mild spoilers I think? Like for the main quest and Xiao’s story quest. I guess most people in the fandom already know anyway but if you aren’t aware and don’t wanna get spoiled then probably skip this one for now. I’ve had this idea for a while now and was pretty much dying to get it written out, thanks to my friend for proofreading for me! I also have no idea how alcohol works so please bear with this fic being very inaccurate in that regard. also don’t mind my poor editing skills, i tried my best lol.

Summary: Xiao has decided to peacefully finish his day with a bowl of almond tofu. That is, until a certain someone shows up.

Word Count: 2.5k (under the cut)

Xiao hiccuped, head on the table as someone next to him laughed. How had he gotten into this situation?

Xiao had been making his rounds near the Wangshu Inn, deciding to stop inside for some almond tofu. He had been peacefully enjoying his meal as he always did, sitting alone when suddenly an arm latched around his shoulder and a cheery voice yelled in his ear:

“Well, well! The Vigilant Yaksha! The one who guards the night and day, sending hilichurls and slimes away!”

Xiao groaned. He already knew who it was from the rhyming before turning his head, realizing that the Archon’s face was right next to his, their noses almost touching when Xiao turned. He jumped back, the Archon giggling as he floated away from Xiao, moving softly along the wind.

Xiao sighed. “What is it you wish to talk about, Barbatos?”

He shrugged. “I go by Venti now, no need for formality either. What’s that you’re eating? Can I try?”

Xiao narrowed his eyes at Venti and pulled the plate closer to him, making Venti giggle.

“Say, why don’t we spend the night together in Mondstadt? We have some catching up to do, I haven’t seen you in so long!” 

Xiao grumbled. It wasn’t like he could say no to Venti, he was the Anemo Archon, someone that Xiao had lots of respect for. He was also the person who had practically saved his life all those years ago… 

He could still hear it clearly, the sound of the dihua flute echoing through the harbor, finally bringing peace to the Yaksha’s unbearable suffering, even if just for a moment.

He had longed to hear that sound again, for it was one of the only things that made him feel free from his karmic binds, but pride was what kept him from ever seeking out the Archon to ask for him to play it once more.

“Are you spacing out now? Come on, if we head out now we’ll be able to reach Mondstadt before sundown!”

Venti hooked his arm around Xiao’s, the sudden contact making the Yaksha flush slightly. He pulled Xiao away from his table and out of the Wangshu Inn, dragging him along until they had made it roughly halfway back to Mondstadt.

“They have the best wine at the tavern! It’s Dandelion Wine, I even know where the cellar is that they keep it in!”

Xiao nodded as they walked along, listening to Venti as he gabbed on and on about this and that, frantically switching topics like that of a young child. It had been a while since Xiao had heard so much information at once, but he surprisingly didn’t mind the god’s company. 

His voice, much like his skill in instruments, was soothing, and it made him temporarily forget about his karmic binds.

“Oh look! We’re here! Now, is this your first time in Mondstadt?”

Xiao nodded quietly, and Venti quickly grabbed Xiao’s hand.

“I’ll show you around after we’ve had our drinks then!”

He pulled him along again, and warmth started to flutter in Xiao’s chest. What was this? He had never felt anything like this in all his long years, so why now…

“Diluc! Two rounds of Dandelion Wine, if you please!” Venti yelled as soon as he entered the tavern, and a tall, red-headed man groaned.

“Get out of my tavern if you’re not going to pay this time,” He said, shining a glass as Venti chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck shyly as Xiao took in the sights of the tavern around him.

The architecture was nothing like that in Liyue, from the size of the building that made Xiao feel slightly claustrophobic to the rich lighting that came from the candles that decorated the tavern.

“Just put it on my tab! Here, it’s not so crowded tonight, let’s go to the back!”

Xiao followed Venti who skipped to a table that sat in the far corner of the bar, where it was nice and quiet. Xiao smiled. He liked spaces like this.

“Oh? So you can smile!” Venti teased, poking Xiao’s cheek, who quickly pushed his hand away.

“I’m not… smiling,” Xiao said, sitting down. Venti chuckled, sitting across from him as Diluc brought them two tankards of wine, letting out a sigh as he watched Venti quickly start to guzzle his down, Diluc walking away.

“Diluc! Two more bottles please!” Venti called, having just drunk his entire tankard in one sitting. Xiao looked at him with curiosity. Archons were incredible…

“You should try it Xiao! Have you ever had alcohol before?”

“Adepti normally do not… drink unless it’s a truly special occasion, and even then we tend to drink glaze lily nectar.”

Venti nodded, giggling excitedly when Diluc brought over two more bottles of wine, setting them down on the table as he flashed Venti a look, who immediately popped open the new bottle and refilled his tankard.

Diluc walked away and Xiao finally took a sip of his wine, immediately repulsed by the taste. He didn’t want to upset Venti, however, so he took a bigger sip, quickly swallowing the odd tasting liquid.

Venti started drinking more of his, pulling his tankard away as he let out a satisfied “ahh!” as he turned his attention back to Xiao. He rested his head on his hands, raising an eyebrow as he smirked.

“Do adepti have any weaknesses?”

“No. Weaknesses are for mortals, they’re trivial things.”

Xiao took another sip of his wine and felt his face go hot, his head was also starting to feel a bit dizzy. He looked over at Venti, confused by the sensations, and the small god only chuckled.

“Looks like your weakness is alcohol.”

“Nonsense,” Xiao said. Venti raised an eyebrow at him, and Xiao quickly took a big glug of wine to prove him wrong. He slowly felt his face grow hotter, and he continued to stare at Venti as his mind went fuzzy, Venti seeming completely unfazed despite how much alcohol he had already drinken.

“Didn’t expect the great Vigilant Yaksha to be a lightweight.”

“I’m not - I’m not a lightweight,” Xiao said, a quiet hiccup escaping his lips. Xiao giggled at the sound. Venti’s eyes widened along with a big smile.

“You can laugh?! I didn’t know adepti laughed!”

“I’m not laughing,” Xiao said, hiccuping again, making him giggle more.

“Yuh-huh, you’re totally laughing right now! In fact, you’re giggling!”

Xiao shook his head groggily, losing his balance as he did so and dropping his head on the table. Venti cackled, almost falling out of his seat. He supported himself with his arm as he watched Xiao who continued to hiccup and giggle, Venti doubling over in laughter again.

“You’re laugh is so cute! Hey, I wanna hear more of it!”

“M-My laugh isn’t - cute,” Xiao said quickly, taking another sip of his wine as he managed to get his head off the table. He bit his lip to keep himself from making any more noises, especially giggling

Venti noticed this and pouted, quickly getting up out of his seat, walking over to Xiao as he squished his cheeks, turning his head to face him. 

“Laugh for me more!” Venti whined, and Xiao shook his head, hiccuping again.

“I don’t… Yakshas don’t… laugh,” Xiao said quietly, his words slurring. Venti chuckled.

“You’re like a drunk puppy right now after only a few sips of wine…” Venti teased, and Xiao’s face got a tinge redder, despite having an already heavy blush from the alcohol.

Venti smirked, letting go of Xiao’s face as he walked behind Xiao, giggling.

“I think Yakshas can laugh, and if you won’t laugh for me I might have to make you~”

Xiao was barely even processing what Venti was saying, he let his head rest on his arms against the table as he groaned, his head hurting slightly. He felt so fuzzy, he wasn’t sure he was going to make it back to Liyue that night…

His head shot up suddenly when he felt Venti experimentally poke his sides. He managed to muster a glare that he quickly shot at the Archon, who chuckled deviously. Venti poked him again and Xiao flinched, making Venti smirk.

“The great Yaksha wouldn’t happen to have another weakness, hmm?”

Xiao hiccuped as he realized what Venti was planning, and he quickly went to stand up, only to totter a bit before falling back into his chair, making Venti laugh.

Venti poked Xiao a few more times, this time managing to get a squeak out of the Yaksha as he flinched a few times. Venti’s eyes gleamed with a mischievous glint as he raised his hands up above Xiao, wiggling his fingers as Xiao leaned away from him, his drunken self only managing to make him fall out of his chair onto the floor.

Venti laughed again and finally dove at Xiao, sitting next to him as he started squeezing Xiao’s sides, making him shriek as laughter started to pour from his mouth, making Venti beam.

“Your laugh is simply divine, so easy to hear from all that wine!” Venti rhymed again, chuckling as Xiao drunkenly flailed around, his arms uselessly pushing at Venti’s hands before eventually just falling against the floor.

“B-Barbatohohohohos! Stohohohohohop this!”

“I already told you to call me Venti!” He said, now attacking Xiao’s helpless tummy as he cried out, somehow using his arms again to swat at Venti’s hands as he laughed.

“GAha! Venti - Venti plehehehehehease, not thihihihis!”

Diluc groaned loudly in annoyance from the bar of the tavern, it was never quiet when Venti was there. 

“I love seeing you laugh! Hey, I wonder which spot makes you laugh the most, can you tell me?”

Xiao shook his head, shaking with laughter as Venti danced his fingers delicately all over his tummy, skittering along in an almost feather-like touch that was driving Xiao completely mad. 

“NOHOHOhohot there! Vehehehehehenti!”

“Not here? Hmm, okay! What about here then?”

Venti slyly moved his hands up to Xiao’s ribs, dancing along them and digging softly between each one. Venti’s movements were swift and ticklish, and Xiao was just along for the ride as the Archon continued his odd torture.

“Ehe, you’re easier to play than the lyre!” Venti said as he continued to tickle Xiao, dancing his fingers along his ribs as if he were an instrument.

Xiao’s laughter escalated, and soon he felt tears prick the corners of his eyes. He wasn’t able to do anything to defend himself except uselessly swat his hands. Xiao silently swore to himself to never drink alcohol again.

Venti’s hands rose to Xiao’s upper ribs, scribbling his fingers around and even diving under his arms as Xiao’s arms clamped down slightly, barely protecting himself as he arched his back, digging his heels into the ground as he shook his head back and forth.

“Tickle tickle, Xiao!”

“STOHOHOHOHOHOhohohop!”

Venti stuck out his tongue playfully as he drilled his hands under Xiao’s arms, Xiao cackling as he did so. He had never laughed this hard in his life, he didn’t even know he was this ticklish. His tummy hurt a bit from laughing and tears started to trickle down his beet red face. In any normal situation he would’ve already freed himself of the tickling, but since he was drunk, his motor skills and coordination had seriously plummeted. 

“GohoHOHOHODS NOO! NOT thehehehehere!” Xiao yelled, roaring with laughter as Venti dug into the dip of Xiao’s hips, and Venti beamed.

“Looks like someone’s extra ticklish here!” Venti teased, vibrating his hands as he drilled them into Xiao’s hips, Xiao throwing his head back as he howled.

Venti went back to pinching along Xiao’s tummy, poking and prodding as he giggled.

“Boop, boop! Hey, what happens if I boop here?” Venti asked, poking Xiao’s navel as he squeaked, swatting at Venti’s hand as he curled onto his side, pushing at Venti as he giggled helplessly.

Venti grinned, taking advantage of Xiao curling on his side as he gave him a small push, setting Xiao up on his tummy as Venti straddled him, now wiggling his fingers against Xiao’s sides as Xiao whined through his laughter, pounding his fists into the ground as he laughed.

“V-Venti! Plehehehehehease!” Xiao yelled, twisting weakly from side to side as he tried to escape Venti.

“Please what? Please keep going? Sure!” Venti quipped, dancing his fingers along Xiao’s lower back, slowly travelling up to his shoulder blades, making Xiao holler with laughter as he scribbled on the small bit of exposed skin on Xiao’s back.

“Hehe, looks like I found a good spot! Tickle tickle!” 

Xiao banged his fists into the ground as he squirmed helplessly, desperately trying to escape the excruciatingly ticklish sensations. He didn’t even know he was ticklish on his back, but it tickled worse than any spot that Venti had tried previously. Between that and Venti’s teasing voice, it was too much for Xiao, especially in his drunken state.

“I cahahahahan’t! V-Venti plehehehehease stohohOHOHOP!”

Venti continued to skitter his fingers along Xiao’s sensitive shoulder blades, sliding his fingers skillfully between them and around them as Xiao laughed hysterically beneath him. This was so unlike him, laughing like this… 

After a few moments, Xiao’s laughter went silent. Venti took that as a sign to stop the tickling, though he didn’t stop until a little bit after. Xiao panted heavily beneath Venti, who quickly got off of him, giggling as he watched the slightly shorter man catch his breath.

Venti giggled as he poked Xiao again, making him squeak as he covered his side weakly, a few stray giggles still escaping his lips as he curled up.

“Your laugh was a melody, though I have to offer an apology,” Venti said, rubbing the back of his neck as he smiled sheepishly.

Xiao glanced up at Venti, still panting.

“Wh-why?”

Venti stood up, dusting himself off as he reached a hand down for Xiao, who quickly took it as he was helped up.

“I went a bit too far, I couldn’t help it though, you were too cute!”

Xiao flushed at the bard’s words, turning his head and shaking it.

“It’s fine just… don’t do it again… ever,” Xiao said, growling slightly as he spoke, making Venti chuckle.

“I can’t promise anything~!”

Xiao sighed and Venti laughed, patting Xiao’s back lightly. He flashed a quick grin as he lightly scribbled his fingers on Xiao’s exposed shoulder blades, making him yelp before retracting his hand quickly and putting his hands behind his head, acting innocent.

Xiao grumbled, and Venti chuckled, leaning close to him. Xiao backed away slightly from the Archon, who got on his tip-toes and leaned over Xiao, smiling.

“Let’s get back to the wine, shall we?”

Xiao felt his heart thumping in his chest when Venti finally backed away from him, skipping back over to his seat and quickly drinking more of his wine, then pouring more into his tankard. Xiao put a hand to his chest as he sat down, taking a sip of his own wine. He shook off the odd feeling, and instead engaged in more chatter with Venti, spending the rest of the night with the strange god.

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

first of all i want to say i absolutely love i'm looking thorugh you and i'm excited for the next chapter. now on an unrelated note i want to ask have you seen sarah z's new video on fanfiction? if you have, what do you think?

Hi anon, thank you so much!!! My exams are starting in 10 days and in 5 days I'll be seeing my sister for the first time in one and a half years, so I'm gonna really try to find space to finish up Chapter 8 very soon (perhaps today [not including editing time, but everything currently written has been gone through once already]) so that I can justifiably step away from it again to focus on my exams and spending time with her, before returning to it. (which probably won't be before September)

I hadn't seen it and haven't watched any of her videos in a while, but I did upon seeing this ask. (I find her long-winded and generally she doesn't say much I haven't thought of myself; watched it on double speed lmao)

I agree with her on most points, I think. Fanfic is clearly art, I think that's honestly a stupid thing to even debate about. Also, it's first and foremost a medium with intrinsic qualities that can be either used to the story's advantage or disadvantage.

While there's value in original fiction having to rise up to the challenge of building characters and setting from scratch, a narrative meant to be understood with foreknowledge of "canon" can actually inherently tell a different type of story. Like, it's kind of one of the points I'm trying to make with I'm Looking Through You; demonstrating how the story both parallels and diverges from what actually happened, which would be difficult to do in a satisfying and engaging way if I had to establish the first "timeline" within the story as well, if that makes sense.

That being said, I think Beatles RPF (the kind that doesn't take place in AUs) is sort of interesting in that respect: if you're writing fic for a book series or a movie franchise or what have you, in most cases you can expect the reader to have come across the entire canon (say with the exception of monster franchises like Discworld or the Star Wars EU). But in the case of a story based on a real history, which draws from many books and accounts as well as pictures and film, it's kind of difficult for me as an author to suss out what I can reasonably expect my readers to be aware of. Usually, when I tie in some recollection of a real event (example off the top of my head: I mention Paul getting Dot Rhone pregnant in chapter 3) I try to formulate it in a way that if someone wasn't previously privy to that particular fact it would still be understandable to the extent it's relevant to the story. The only thing I in general assume to be known is their discography. So in a way, the concept of fanfic not requiring any skills in establishing anything isn't quite accurate. I'm also kind of a big show don't tell truther, so I kind of think if you follow that principle perfectly (not saying I do btw, it's pretty difficult) with your characters, you're more or less doing the same thing whether the characters are known to the audience already or not.

I think the main thing about fanfic and the perceived poor quality of it is due to, as mentioned in the video, there being zero barriers of entry but also to the fact that constructive criticism is just not really welcome on fanfic sharing platforms. For better or for worse, in 90% of the cases, people are only gonna comment on a fic to praise it. I think that's fine in the sense that most people aren't aspiring professional writers, but it doesn't make for the best environment to improve and grow as a writer more than simply practicing the art would help anyways. If you're lucky, someone will specify the reasons they enjoy the story, but just like we can't expect everyone to write perfectly, we can even less expect all readers to spend half an hour writing a carefully worded review. I kind of wish there was a setting on ao3 where you could mark a fic as "open to criticism", so people who are just writing for themselves can just keep doing their thing unbothered, but people interested in honing their craft could get more nuanced feedback than "OHHHH MY GOOOOOD I LOVE THIS".

The kind of funny thing for me is that all original fiction I've written or attempted to write up until now was very much based around my own personal experiences, so writing from the perspective of men in the 60s who had insanely different lives from mine actually really forced me out of my comfort zone in a way? And the work I put into the historical research is considerable, so I just think that really doesn't match up with what fanfic-haters imagine the genre to be?

Of course, a bunch of stories do match up with antis' expectations of it, but alas that's not fanfiction as a medium's fault and there's nothing inherently wrong with stories written with their main purpose being escapism. I mostly think people should be aware that that's what they're consuming and if that's the only thing they consume, they might be missing out on more challenging ideas.

[sad-little-ghost-hunter]

The Professor and The Genie: A Full Breakdown

Welcome one and all to A Comprehensive List of All The Genie Lore In Puppet History, With Theories. If you aren’t familiar with what I’m talking about, go watch all of Puppet History made by @wearewatcher on YouTube and come right back here. No dilly-dallying. For those of you who are, you’re probably also aware of the recurring character of The Genie on the show, whose role has been the subject of much speculation among the show’s audience. I couldn’t find a compilation of references/ theories, so I made one! 

The show, which tells somewhat obscure stories from throughout history, accompanied by a special guest each episode and a musical number at the end of each tale, is hosted by The Professor, a little fuzzy blue puppet, who commonly references The Genie, with whom he holds a deep-rooted grudge. I will be going through all the existing information on this guy so far, and discussing a few theories as to what all this is about. It’s like my very own BuzzFeed Unsolved except I’m just one very bored person with way too much time on her hands. 

Let’s compile all of the currently known information: on April 10, 2020, in the video entitled, “Surviving The Titanic: History's Luckiest Woman • Puppet History” the Genie is first mentioned, at 16:10, in a question about what Violet Jessop saw while peering off of the ship. The answer choice reads, “A Genie??????????????????” 

On August 14, 2020, in the video entitled, “How America’s First Female Detective Saved Abe Lincoln • Puppet History” the Genie again comes up, at 23:04, in a question entitled “What’s the matter?!?”. The answer choice reads, “The secessionists had found a magical genie!” The pattern was starting to emerge. 

On September 4, 2020, in the video entitled “The Disastrous 1904 Olympics • Puppet History” the genie is once again mentioned, at 5:06. The genie is referred to as “fickle” and apparently keeps making things worse, no matter what the Professor says. From this we can gather that the genie may have gone back on some sort of promise he made to The Professor, and is escalating the situation. 

On September 11, 2020, in the video entitled “Isaac Newton's Nemesis • Puppet History” the genie is mentioned in an answer choice at 6:45, reading “A genie that will stop at nothing to make my life a living hell, even though I followed his silly rules to the letter and I don’t owe him anything.” Clearly, things with the genie are only getting worse. The genie is harboring some sort of grudge against the Professor, be it the Professor’s fault or not. The Genie also provided rules for something-- we’ll return to this later.

On September 18, 2020, in the video entitled, “The World’s Greatest/ Rudest Samurai • Puppet History”, The Genie once again comes up in the answer choices at 24:52, as “A genie who insists I owe him, and I wish I had a wish left so I could wish Musashi were here to teach him a lesson.” Once again, we see evidence that the Professor may have made some sort of deal with this genie, and whether or not he fulfilled his end of the bargain is still up in the air.

On September 25, 2020, in the video entitled “Policarpa: The Revolutionary Teen Spy • Puppet History”, the Professor makes not one but three references to the genie! We get so much lore here! First up, at 1:05, Ryan Bergara asks The Professor how old he really is. The Professor responds with this: “Yeah, you know, you start jumping around in time and things get a little funky…”. Just a few seconds later, the Professor says, “Well, if you could ask the subject of today’s story, which, how could I, it's not like you can just wish to be able to time travel…“ The pain in his voice here is apparent, devastating, and very real. Lastly, later on in the video at 20:05, The Professor gives the following answer choice to the question, “What happened?” (to Policarpa). The choice reads, “A magical genie meddled once again with history, and turned Policarpa in, and tried to pin the blame on a bespectacled puppet, who is at this point starting to suspect he may have made a deal with the devil.” Now here’s where things get real interesting. The Professor is now alleging that not only is the Genie out to get him, but the Genie is actually influencing history. 

On October 2, 2020, in the video entitled “The Grisly Journey of the Donner Party • Puppet History”,  The Professor goes on a longer than usual tangent about the genie at 18:38, saying, “He had cached a trove of treasured items, including a magical lamp that only a creature about the size of a human hand could get to, and inside the magical lamp was a Genie, capable of granting any wish, up to and including turning a seemingly everyday item into a secret time machine, but that if you wished for that, THE GENIE WOULD BE A TOTAL PRICK ABOUT IT, SO MAYBE BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.” The genie appears in a short montage of clips, with the professor’s above monologue in the background. The genie shown is just Shane in eyeliner and an Aladdin-style genie costume, cackling and looking mischievous. The professor rubs the lamp in the skit, and the genie does that evil villainous hand thing, and casts some sort of spell. There’s a lot to break down. First up, we may have gotten a glimpse into the Professor’s actual past here. It seems as though at some point in his life he was either told about, or found out about this cache of treasure deep in the mountains, that only a creature about the size of a human hand could get to. This is important because it debunks one of the most popular theories circulating the internet right now-- that the Genie somehow turned the Professor into an immortal, time-traveling puppet. The Professor was clearly already a puppet, as he had access to this treasure trove. Next we get the part about the time-machine. If we can assume that the Professor is projecting his past experiences onto the poor guests on this show, we can surmise that the Professor used his wish to wish for one of his ordinary objects to turn into a secret time machine. We will delve more into this later. 

Finally, on December 25, 2020, in the video entitled “The Story of St. Nicholas • Puppet History”, The Professor goes on another rant about the Genie in the answer choices, saying “The same curse that eventually befalls all of God’s creatures-- an evil genie was pursuing him through time and space to steal something the genie himself had made magical!” From this we can gather that, after the Professor wished for his time machine, the Genie gave him some rules and conditions he had to agree to. The Professor may have broken these, hence why the Genie is pursuing him across time and space. 

Now that we have all the existing information, assuming I didn’t miss anything, let’s get into the theories. 

My current, working theory is that The Professor happened across this lamp somewhere deep in the mountains, and wished for a Time Machine from the Genie inside. The Genie (who appears malevolent in the Professor’s flashback, but I’m gonna chalk that up to personal bias) agreed, but gave the Professor some conditions and rules to follow regarding the Time Machine. The Professor agreed, and promptly broke these rules. The Genie then demanded something in return-- This could be the Time Machine itself, but given Shane’s twisted mind I would assume the Professor owes the Genie something more. Perhaps… his soul?

Or maybe just a fine, I don’t know.

The Professor refused to pay up, possibly time traveling away to hide from the Genie, and is now on the run. A fuzzy blue fugitive. But, the Professor also mentioned that the Genie actually meddles with history, and tries to get the puppet in trouble for stuff he didn’t do. This begs the question; why would the Genie resort to a relatively harmless source of mischief to target the Professor, instead of just taking whatever is owed to him? This almost implies that whatever it is the Professor owes the Genie has to be given willingly. Hence, why the Genie is making his life “a living hell”. 

The puppet also seems to be immortal, or at least old enough to not remember how old he is. In his words, time is “funky” when you travel around it too much. 

We also don’t know which of the Professor’s objects could be the Time Machine. Some have speculated (some being me) that it’s his satchel, or hat. But, when you think about it, it seems most likely that it’s actually the theatre itself. The Theatre does often seem to transport you back in time to the actual stories, although that could just be Watcher’s killer editing skills. Either way, the Time Machine seems to be a source of great trouble for the puppet, so maybe just… get rid of it?

There are 2 main schools of thought here, in my own opinion. The idea that the Genie is in the wrong, and is relentlessly torturing this poor Professor for no good reason, or the idea that the Genie is actually justified in his anger at the Professor, and that the Professor brought this on himself. 

Theory #1: The Genie is a malevolent entity, and tricked the Professor into making an unfair deal with him. This is clearly what the Professor himself believes, or wants us to believe. The Professor says, and I quote, “starting to suspect he may have made a deal with the devil.” If this is true, and the Professor is actually on the run from the Devil himself, then that would imply that the Professor sold his own soul for this time machine, the most commonly referenced deal with the devil. However, since that would be a little far-fetched even for Shane (although, let’s be real- would it?) we could go with the second option- the Genie is just a Genie, but he did trick the Professor into making a bargain with him, and the Professor still believes he has held up his own end of the deal. 

Theory #2: The Genie is just doing his job, and the Professor’s the one at fault. Now I don’t want to take any sides here, but this does seem to be the most plausible theory. Even the Professor, on several occasions, has implied a set of rules that he agreed to when he wished for his Time Machine. What these rules were we may never know, but the Genie clearly thinks that he broke them and is now owed something. Historically, in folklore from all over the world, Genies are tricky creatures, and will try to deceive you into wishing for stupid stuff, or agreeing to things that you maybe shouldn’t agree to. However, in almost all cases, if you manage to outsmart them, or keep your word, they will leave you alone. Let’s say The Professor knew what he was getting himself into when he wished for the Time Machine. He agreed to the rules, and he understood that if he broke them he would owe the Genie something. Yet he went ahead with it, and now the Genie is after him. He clearly broke the rules and the Genie is just collecting on his bargain.  

All in all, we don’t have enough information yet to actually know what this Genie’s DEAL is (see what I did there). Is the Genie an evil being trying his very best to ruin the unlucky Professor’s life? Or is the Professor the one who wronged the Genie, breaking his word and escaping via Puppet TARDIS? The answer will remain… Unsolved.

[alexandenigtscreations]

Chapters: ½ Fandom: The Penumbra Podcast Rating: Teen and up Relationships: Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel Additional Tags: Poisoning, Poison, Heist gone wrong, Peter Nureyev has ADHD, Rita defiantly has ADHD, Nonbinary Juno Steel, Whump, Hurt/Comfort, TPP, Junoverse | Juno Steel Universe Summary:

After Nureyev get’s poisoned on a mission, he’s determined to see it to it’s completion. He and Juno make quite the team after all. Had many thoughts after reading @kaiserkorresponds​ 's fic ---> [The Celestial's Kiss https://archiveofourown.org/works/31409258 ]. Which apparently has been spinning round and round my head. I do love a good poisioning <3</p>

Chapter 1:

It should have been obvious from the moment the drink hit his lips.  The sour bitterness that the burn of poor quality alcohol failed to mask.  It should have been obvious.  But focused as he was on keeping a straight face; Nureyev found himself swallowing the vial fluid before he could begin to think better of it.  He paused, eyes flicking down to the odd shimmer he’d mistaken for ice melt.  

That- wasn’t ideal-

He filed deeper thoughts on the subject away in favor of assessing for further threats.  The facility crawled with them, from the myriad of security cameras to their flamboyantly garbed host.  They were watching a little too closely, a little too carefully.  A smile playing across their garish lips.

Nureyev sat back, glancing over at his goddess.  A vision in the scarlet A-cut dress.  There was a slit running up his thigh, revealing quite a bit of leg and a hint of a holster.  

Juno’s own drink, served neat, bore the same tell-tale signs of tampering.  The Detective swirled it about his glass, clearly about to throw it back in his usual no nonsense fashion.  

That would not due.

With all the coolness Nureyev could muster, he placed a gentle hand over Juno’s cup.  His Detective tensed, sending a soft, questioning gaze his way.  

“Not very hospitable, spiking a Lady’s drink.”

“What?” Juno pulled back, guard up.  

Nureyev’s fingers curled around the glass, taking a moment to weigh his options.  He had half a mind to fling it’s contents into the eyes of Jody, the large thuggish man directly across the table.  He might even have time to incapacitate Mx. Balsa and get Juno to cover him before reinforcements came.  They might even make it out in one piece-  

It was tempting, but ultimately would get them nowhere.

They were on a job, after all.  If there was any chance of salvaging the situation, that should be their first option.  One little computer virus, how hard could it be to plant?

He took the glasses and poured their contents on the floor, the ice shattered on impact.  

Mx. Balsa smiled.  “Very good Mr. Tillerson.  It seems you passed our test.”

“A test.  We came to have a civilized discussion, Mx. Balsa.” Nureyev said pointedly, he could still feel the burn of the alcohol in his throat “Not play childish games.”

Mx. Balsa shrugged their narrow shoulders “Childish or no, it’s effective.  We don’t let just anyone play with us.  I’m sure you understand.”

“Understand?” Juno bristled, “Understand my boot! You try to pull something like that-”

Juno came up short when Nureyev squeezed his thigh; nodding his head graciously, “Naturally.  Now are there any other- tests- we should be made aware of or are we free to get down to business.”  

Was he imagining it?  Or was his stomach already souring?  

File it away-

“Down to business!” Juno blurted, “They offered us a spiked cocktail and you want to get back to business?” he sat back, crossing arms over his chest “I say no way.  The only people that I know of who spike drinks are scoundrels and cheats.  How are we supposed to take them at their word?” At some point the moral outrage in his voice changed into a conversational tone.

Nureyev could have kissed him, if it weren’t for their cover- “My colleague has a point.  You’ve tested us, it seems only fair that we should test you.” he gave his best smile, “Perhaps a sample of your information for our technicians to verify.”

“I hardly believe that to be necessary-” said Mx. Balsa.  Nureyev knew that they were the sort of person that relied heavily on their reputation.  But deals weren’t made on reputation alone.  

“Oh?  But I do.  Unless you are unable to deliver what we discussed?” Nureyev stared into their pale eyes.  They didn’t flinch.  He waited a beat, then two and still nothing.  He stood with a heavy sigh “I believe our business here has concluded then.  Mr. Micah.” He offered a hand to Juno, who accepted it.  

“Sure Tillerson.”

The pair made to leave. Jody, Mx. Balsa’s companion moved to intercept.  Which was effective both for the fact he was so broad of shoulder as to eclipse the door behind him and so tall that even Nureyev felt as though he had to peer up into his face.  

Instinctively, Nureyev moved in front of Juno.  It was ridiculous, a man that large simply should not be allowed.  

“Like I said, there is no need to leave.” Mx. Balsa’s tone did not change, but there was a weight to it now, a tension.  

“And why should we stay?” Juno crossed his arms defiantly over his chest.

They surveyed him for a moment. “If it’s information you want, it’s information you will have.”  They slid a chip into their comms and made a fuss of downloading a sample.  It chirped upon completion and they offered it up with a flourish. “Please, a sample, if you will.”  

Nureyev’s eyes flicked from the chip to their host and back.  He smiled, accepting it in a cocky, gracious manor that was felt exclusively by his alias.

“Very well, I’ll have our team verify this information.  If you would excuse me.”  Jody made an intercept but this time Mx. Balsa intervened.  A small shake of their head, jewels shimmering in the light.  That was a relief.  With a nod to Juno, Nureyev slipped out the doors and made a beeline towards the restroom even as he sent the data to Rita.  

As much as he wanted to run, he didn’t.  He kept his gate easy and posture confident.  That changed as soon as he was in the privacy of the privy.  

Nureyev bolted to a stall, shoving two fingers down his throat.  He gagged and wretched till his eyes watered, jaw cramped and his skull pounded.  Bowing lower with each convulsion, clinging to the hope he’d retch up the vial cocktail.  

It wasn’t working.  

He reached deeper, spayed his fingers further, feeling the bite of his sharp teeth in his hand, nails scraping on the inside of his throat-  

Historically, he’d viewed being ill at will as a necessary evil of his trade.  A skill, as it were.  

One he’d never mastered.  

It had landed him in the hospital on an occasion or two.  

Try as he might, the only thing he succeeded in doing was ruining his makeup.  He gave up, of course he did, there wasn’t a point in driving himself into exhaustion.  Yet alone displaying that weakness for the world to see.  

There was nothing for it.  He would just have to bide his time until they returned to the Carte Blanche.  

In all probability, he had time.  Brahmese people were particularly resilient to a variety of toxins.  Not by some evolutionary fluke, but by design.  The planet had always been hostile to its human inhabitants.  In all its infinite wisdom, the government, rather than deal with the expensive venture of cleaning the pollutants from living zones, had instead chosen to subsidize gene editing.  That was before the war though.  

Mag had been so relieved to find Nureyev had inherited the genetic coding.  ‘First rule of thieving Pete’ he’d laughed ‘take any advantage you can get!’

Advantage- Nureyev snorted, more like a double edged sword.   While it afforded him some protection, it also marked him as distinctly Brahmese.

File it away-

The thought of the Carte Blanche again, of Vespa Ilkay.  She was the last person he wanted alerted to the genetic quirk.  

File that away too while you’re at it-

Nureyev turned his attention to the vanity.  He’d made quite the mess of himself.  Lipstick and eyeliner smeared, ropes of various… secretions clinging to his nose and mouth, eyes red and puffy.  He frowned at the fine dusting of red circling the tender flesh behind the spectacles.  Petechiae- apparently he’d burst a few blood vessels.  

Great, just great.  All the work he’d put into Tillerson’s visage for naught- file it away.  

All the same, he allowed himself a moment of discontent as he began the process of cooling the swelling, washing away the evidence and rework his appearance.  

The door swung open, and scarlet filled his periphery.  

“God Damnit , there you are- Tillerson-” bless him, they’d practiced using their aliases for a week before the job and Juno was still uncomfortable with them.  

“Mr. Micah.” Nureyev returned, blending the concealer under his eyes.  

“You were gone for a while-” Juno didn’t say it, but he didn’t have to.  Nureyev could tell when his Detective was worried.  He was fidgeting head to toe, poor thing.

“I decided to visit the powder room while waiting on our team to analyze the data.” he glanced at his comms “The information appeared to check out- And- oh my they seemed to have attempted to sneak in a trojan horse.  Rita assures it isn’t a problem but-”

Juno plainly wasn’t listening.  He was looking him over with that sharp eye, stepping into his space.  “You okay babe?” he breathed, reaching out to smooth a hair back into place and cupping his cheek “your eyes are red.”

Nureyev jumped in surprise.  Had Juno even bothered to check for surveillance devices or-  People slept with their co-workers all the time, he and Juno were no exception to that rule, but what if they were seen?  Found out?  Their cover blown!  What if-

But no- he trusted the Detective.  

He cleared his head gently kissing the lady’s palm.  He considered for a moment telling Juno about the poison, but what came out of his mouth instead was “Just some minor irritation, love.” He stepped away, Mr. Tillerson sliding back into place.  “I suppose we should return to our hosts.”

“Yeah-"he flashed an uncertain smile.  Just don’t go disappearing on me again.  Thought they were going to eat me alive or something-”

“We can not have that now, can we?” He returned the smile, trying to exude his usual confidence despite the weakness in his legs.  They would have to wrap this up quickly, if the dizziness was anything to go by.  Plant the virus and leave.

“You were gone for quite a while Mr. Tillerson.” greeted their host.

“Merely conversing with my associate.” he shrugged, “And you’re in luck, Mx. Balsa.  Your information appears to be- genuine.” Nureyev planted a firm hand on the table, as much for balance as it was to return the chip.  

“Of course it is, we went through great pains to ensure it to be so.”

“Indeed. I’m sure the origin story would be most interesting but we have a matter to settle.  The price.”

They had discussed this before.  Mx. Balsa wouldn’t deal with those who didn’t have something interesting to offer.  It had taken Buddy and Rita time to figure out their tastes, and even more to fabricate a program.  A hacking bot.  It wasn’t real of course, the only thing that made it halfway convincing at all was Rita piloting the thing remotely.  

“Yes, the price-” they drawled.  Nureyev did not take kindly to that tone.  “The price just went up.”

Nureyev’s eyebrows crept upwards while Juno bolted upright “Hey now!  We agreed to the terms before this even-”

“Micah, please”

“No!  So far they’ve tried to poison us and hid a goodie in their sample intel.  Now they want more .  Hell, they should be paying us for this-”

“Mr. Micah, please.  I merely desire to know what it is you hope to accomplish with the information.  And to get a taste for your program’s capabilities as you have of my intel.”

Nureyev pretended to consider it, placing a hand on Juno’s knee and tapping out a message, before saying “These appear to be fair terms, however, what I’m wondering is if there are any more hidden fees.”  

To say Mx. Balsa was slippery, was an understatement.  Nureyev had seen people like them before, knowledge brokers, able to root out and twist any grain of truth to their heart’s desire.  This was not someone he wanted to be investigated by.  Juno would be a veritable beacon.  Public employees were so easy to track-

Mx. Balsa took their time in testing the program.  Rita informed them when she’d gotten the virus set up in their system, it didn’t take her long at all.  Now they just had to play the wait game.  They fained interest in the intel, made up a story to satiate their curiosity and asked enough questions to avoid suspicion.  All the while Nureyev could feel his health take a steady trend downwards.  

Once or twice he thought they shot him a knowing look as his attention began to wonder, or that Jody was leaning in a little too closely.  He tugged at his collar absently, the sweat plastering his shirt to him under the corset.  It was hard to gauge if the pressure of the boning was having a positive or negative effect on the nausea.  If they knew he’d been poisoned, what would they do?  Would they try to revoke their deal?  Detain them?  Hurt them?  Hurt Juno?  

He could not let that happen, would not.  

Juno squeezed his thigh, startling him out of his thoughts.  Mx. Balsa was pushing a new chip towards them, the one with the information they’d spent the better part of a day mulling over.  It was encased in a silver embossed box, flashy and probably manufactured to ensure no one could scan its contents.

Nureyev took out his comms once more and clicked it into place.  It was all there, Rita checked for them.  Thank the stars it wasn’t another test.  After all, it would be suspicious if they left with only half the intel.  

“I believe that concludes our business.” he smiled, rising gratefully to his feet.  

“We’ve kept you so long, won’t you stay for dinner?”

“Dinner my ass.” Juno grumbled for only Nureyev’s ears.

“Didn’t quite catch that-” Mx. Balsa frowned.

“Ohh Sorry, we’ll pass, don’t feel like dying today.” Juno smiled, voice dripping in sarcasm.

“Ahh, Pity.”

Nureyev’s laugh was cut short from a stabbing pain in his abdomen.  He started again, swaying, hand pressed to his stomach.  Certain he’d find blood.

“Everything okay there Mr. Tillerson?”

Glancing down revealed only the pristine pearl embroidery of the corset.  No blade, no blood, he was…. fine-  

He released his death grip on the chair, quickly filing away that sensation best he could.  Their mission was nearly done after all, no need for theatrics now.

“Perfectly.” He smiled wider, displaying sharp teeth.  “We’ll show ourselves out.”

Jody made a big show of opening the doors for them so that the muscled chords of his biceps were on full display.  They’d just managed to step before slamming it shut at their backs.  

The smile Nureyev had been wearing, dissolved into a grimace. He set a brisk, if uneven, pace to the exit.  

“Hey- Ran-” Juno groaned “Tillerson!  Wait up!” Juno clacked to his side.  

“Apologies Micah, I merely-ah!” he stumbled over his feet, Juno caught him in his strong arms.

“Hey- are-are you alright?”

His head was still spinning and there was that question again.  He had no desire to deal with it at present. “I-”

“The truth this time.” Juno pressed, ever the persistent Lady.

“Just a tad under the weather-” he admitted.  

“Babe, why didn’t you say something-”

“Something I drank.  It’s fine love.”

Bone deep tiredness pulled him down.  He wanted nothing more than to surrender himself to the arms of his goddess.  It would be safe there, warm.

Juno looked like he was going to ask more questions but was interrupted.

A shrill cry tore through the hall.  It sounded like Mx. Balsa.

“What the hell?” Juno craned his neck to look.  "You don’t think they found it yet?“

"Let’s- not check.”  Nureyev entwined his arm with Juno’s, setting up a brisk pace towards the doors.  Relying on the Detective as one might a crutch.

There was a wash of hurried footsteps, people shouting, blasters charging- the only thing that made sense was security-

“I believe we’ve overstayed our welcome Detective!” Nureyev said.

“Ya Think!” Juno yelled back, voice cracking from the force of it.  Even so- he withdrew a fist full of blaster from the dress slit.

But Nureyev wasn’t focusing on Juno, wasn’t focusing on the escape.  Jody was barreling on through the guards, weapon raised and charging and trained on-

“Micah!”  He slammed into Juno just as the bolt whizzed past striking another employee.  They rotated so that he could serve as Juno’s shield while giving him time to line up a shot.  It might have worked too if he’d been a little quicker-  

The next thing he knew he was violently ripped from the Detective.  A strong, bulky arm wrapped about his throat, crushing it.

Jody-

It had to be, few could make Nureyev’s toes leave the ground.  His chest quaked with strain of forcing air in and out of his constricted windpipe.  He kicked for purchase, skiving off the panic by attempting to worm his forearm up through the choke hold; the other diving into a pocket for a blade.

“Tillerson!” Juno shouted.

“Important to you isn’t he.” Their voice was surprisingly soft and high for their bulk.

Juno fired two shots beyond them, he must have hit his mark because there was the sound of something hitting the floor.  

Jody jerked back, causing stars to burst in front of Nureyev’s vision.  Fear clouded his mind, making him claw at the bodyguard.  Even so he blindly groped for the familiar curvature of a handle-

“No more of that-” they warned “Or I will be forced to-” but what they’d be forced to do was lost.  

Nureyev found a knife amongst the stashed trinkets and baubles, he had just enough wherewithal to mouth ‘ ready- ’ before manically plunging the blade into the brute’s thigh.

They howled, dropping Nureyev.  Juno sent a stunner straight to their chest as soon as his partner was clear.  The lady darted forwards, catching the thief under arm and hauling farther along the passage.  Nureyev, for his part, gulped down air and forced his sluggish legs to take his weight.  

They had no choice but to run.  Nureyev readied fresh blades, easier to locate now his brain had a proper supply of oxygen.  Pressed for time as they were, he couldn’t help but notice he wasn’t recovering like he ought to.

They rounded a corner and “Damn it” Juno hissed, taking in the thick ring of guards round a door “There’s too many-”

Manny there were.  But they also appeared green, scared.  Nureyev didn’t need three decades of experience reading people to know they could be intimidated.  

“Perhaps-” he puffed, flashing a wiry smile.  "Let’s see what they are made of.“  It was all the warning he gave before sprinting towards the group.  

It was a foolish plan, a desperate one.  There were screams and shouts as Nureyev’s blades flashed.  He had to give them a little credit, they held ranks far longer than he’d imagined them capable.  That all changed with the first spray of blood.  Typically he’d aim to wound in Juno’s presence; but with the way his hands shook he was taking any opening that presented itself.

Distantly he could hear the bite of Juno’s words as he called out and could feel his presence joining at his side.  The two of them versus the small army of guards.  He allowed himself to get caught up in the simple rhythm of the moment.  

For the first time since the mission started, Nureyev’s mind cleared.  All there was was the ache of his breath, the burn in his limbs and the death defying dance with Juno Steel.  

They shot and sliced their way to an opening; clawed a path to the hall, the entrance way and the street beyond and-

Sweet escape-

This - this moment right here, was what Nureyev lived for.

The dizzying rush of the night air spurred the pair on until all sounds of pursuit faded.  Despite his long legs and penchant for running, Juno easily kept pace.  He could feel it now, the sickness worrying away at him from the inside.  He didn’t know how much more he could take before his legs would give out or lungs burst.  Still he pushed harder, dug deeper, counting his steps to drown out the complaints of the body.  

At long last they stumbled into an ally way; a narrow thing that reeked of misuse.  

"Okay- What the Hell!” Juno rounded on Nureyev, eye flashing in the dim light of the dome.

Nureyev swallowed, hardly able to keep his focus on the Detective.  The light cardio had left him feeling queasy and weak.  Wrong.  He supposed poison on an empty stomach would do that to you.  Not to mention how tender his throat was after Jody’s mistreatment.  

He put a hand to his clammy forehead, swaying a little.

“I thought I was the reckless one,” he lectured “the one that went off half co- babe?  Nureyev?!!!”

He’d doubled over, retching earnestly this time.  Just as before, there was nothing to bring up-  The cruel dry heaves cramped his core and set his eyes watering, legs folding under the crushing weight of it.  

“Babe, heyheyhey, hey~ I got you-” strong arms wrapped around him, propping him up, “I’ve got you.” Small circles worked into his back as they waited for it to end.

“S-sorry-” he gasped between convulsions.  They didn’t have time for this, they didn’t have time for any of this.  Yet here he was endangering Juno with his own ineptitude.  “I’m- ss-”

“Ugh-uh, no, you’re not doing that.” Juno cut him off.  “Hell, when you said you weren’t feeling good-”  Nureyev made to apologize again, but Juno gave a warning “hun”

He slumped against the brickwork, trembling and breathing heavily.  

“Done?”

Nureyev gave a non committal hum.  It was all he trusted himself to manage.  

All the same, a moment was afforded to him to clean up with a moist towelette.  Again his makeup was ruined, but he was far from caring.  The important thing at present was to leave this city behind.  

Juno seemed to be thinking along the same vein.  “Think you can stand?  Or should I contact Jet?”

“No need for that love.” Nureyev smiled weakly, nausea churning within “Just give me a hand.”  

The Detective obliged, neatly entangled their fingers and pulled him along using his comms to navigate.  He was mighty grateful for the assistance, between the stomach ache and the weight in his limbs, he was having difficulty remaining upright.  

Nureyev eyed the nooks and crannies of the back streets.  Had he been alone he’d likely of spent the night curled up in one of those charming locations.  Cold and cramped, but out of sight.  He sighed, surrendering himself to the guidance of his goddess.  

“Hello Ruby.” Nureyev greeted wirily.  It chirped in response alerting Jet to their presence.  The door swung open of the Ruby’s own volition and the pair slid in.  “Jet-”

“Ransom.”  Jet acknowledged.

“Hey big guy.”

“Are either of you injured?” he asked, glancing back in the rearview mirror.  “I ask because of the blood.”

“Don’t think so.  Had to get a little rough on the getaway.” Juno explained glancing down at his gore streaked dress and coat.  “Honestly, if we could move out, that would be great.  I don’t really fancy meeting up with those nut jobs again.”

Nureyev hummed in agreement.  Doing his level best to keep his expression neutral and his breathing measured.  He must look a mess judging by the way Jet kept eyeing him.  

Turbulence made him gasp as pain blossomed in his abdomen.  His composure slipping and rearranging like water.  He slouched lower, trying to get some relief-

Juno was talking with Jet, or talking at him more like.  Nureyev stopped listening after the first few moments, lulled instead by his Lady’s warm voice and the way it crackled at the edges when he became impassioned.  He was just so tired-

Before he knew it, the thief was leaning on the Detective’s shoulder, sinking into his side, bloodshot eyes fluttering shut.  Normally he’d be loathed to sleep at the end of a job like some worn out child.  But he couldn’t fight anymore.

[simpingforsoftboys]

PE Class Volleyball: Basics Edition

ft. Miya twins+Suna

!Gender Neutral Reader!

Inspired by @ 420rintarou on Tiktok

I wanted them to be meaner but... oh well. Also I DO NOT play volleyball and all my knowledge is from my previous PE classes and/or Google searches, or tips my volleyball player friends told me before.

*Edited 1/14/21 for mistaken rules hahah 

Ok so like you have no experience with volleyball at all

So why is it that you were paired up with the THREE people in your 4th period PE class that were on the famous VBC?!

Oh right... the teacher absolutely HATED you because he over heard you talking shit about him ONE time in the hallways

Miya Atsumu, Miya Osamu, and Suna Rintaro were FAMOUS on campus for TWO things: their looks and their volleyball skills

Unfortunately their *interesting personalities weren’t as pleasant to deal with as their appearance

Osamu was perhaps the only pleasant one to speak with among them- you wouldn’t have minded being paired with him

Suna was alright, but his sarcastic remarks and scarily neutral expression unnerved you at times

But Atsumu- dear G O D was he a nightmare to deal with

By all means you DID NOT want to be paired with him

Sucks for you though

A-hole sensei hates you

So you were paired with... you guessed it- A T S U M U

It started off simple enough?

Serve practice

Again, the universe was against you and everyone in your class had already known how to underhand serve...

So ya’ll went right into overhand serve practice

It goes like this:

“Wtf are ya even aiming?” Atsumu screeched, rubbing his head in pain

You had *attempted* to serve overhand... and get the ball over the net... but the ball didn’t even go in a straight line... instead it swerved and smacked the faux blonde in the back of the head- HARD

From the other side of the net, Suna and Osamu were openly laughing at your teams predicament

“Pfft Osamu look- I think I see a bump forming on his head-”

Osamu can’t even reply- he finna die of asphyxiation

“BAHHhhshah-”

You are absolutely mortified

If Atsumu doesn’t kill you first- his fangirls definitely will

“I am SO sorry-”

“Ugh- scrub- just serve underhand then. Can’t go wrong with tha’-”

You were about to prove him wrong

After getting another ball, you held it firmly in your non dominant hand, holding it a little ways in front of you, while pulling your fisted up dominant hand behind you- preparing to serve

Your form is decent, they think you’ll be able to pull it off-

You toss the ball slightly, expecting to be able to hit it with your dom. hand...

Seems you miscalculated by a millisecond- since the ball hits your foot before then

“Are ya fuckin serious?” Atsumu looks like he’s going to burst a blood vessel

“Oops- um let me try again! Sorry about that!”

Osamu at least has a little bit more decency and tries to hide his laughter with a cough and turn of his head

Suna straight up doesn’t care and is snickering, a wide grin stretched out on his face

“This is my 13th reason the saddest thing I’ve ever seen- even elementary kids can serve underhand.” He ‘whispers’ over to Osamu

You can still hear him

Very clearly

“Suna shut up-” Osamu says- snorting

“Ya know what... it’s fine... I’ll just serve.” the blonde huffs, after seeing Osamu’s (poor) attempts at decency, he’s decided he has to beat his twin feeling generous enough to pity you

You awkwardly take a spot up on the upper left of your side of the court, not knowing how to stand

The other team is no help- Suna’s back to his blank look and Osamu’s not even looking in your direction

You don’t even bother trying to mimic their stances, instead you just glance over your shoulder and observe Atsumu

His eye twitches in irritation- the gym is loud- as he bounces the ball a few times, tossing it into the air and taking three quick steps forward- before jumping and smacking the ball hard

It wobbles in it’s path slightly and begins it’s descent, nearly brushing against the top of the net

Osamu moves in and receives it perfectly

There’s a loud SMACK as he does so, sending the ball over to Suna expertly

Suna runs up to it, looks you right in the eye and spikes it right at you

The ball moves in an instant, meeting the ground right in front of you

You’re frozen in surprise- not even knowing how to respond

You don’t even hear Atsumu stomping up beside you

“OI Y/N ARE YA EVEN TRYIN? WHERE’S YER PLATFORM? DON’T JUST STAND THERE!” 

He is S E E T H I N G

Even though you’re the one making all the mistakes- you feel pretty frustrated with him

“I’m sorry Mr. Perfect- not everyone can be a volleyball fanatic like you! I have literally NEVER done this before- cut me some slack!” You spit at him, leering right into his personal space

His face twists with surprise for a moment- something akin to sympathy washes over him- but it’s gone in the blink of an eye

“Of COURSE I have to be paired up with a complete scrub-” Atsumu rants.

“L/N” Osamu interrupts his brothers tantrum, looking at you with a tired look “Do what I’m doin.” 

He spreads his legs shoulder width apart, right foot slightly ahead of his left- and bends his knees slightly

You follow his example

“Some people do it differently but this is how I do it.” He clasps his hands together, thumbs side by side. “It s’pposed ta make a platform for when ya receive the ball. See how there’s barely any space b’tween my arms?”

Again you mimic his movements, “Okay I think I get it, thank you.”

“Yeah, no problem... Tsumu stop it already- (s)he didn’ know any better.”

Atsumu gives his twin stink eye but does as told

Suna- who had been watching the scene silently- says nothing, instead going to retrieve a stray ball and waits to serve

“Okay... just... er- if the ball comes over ta yer side just try ta get it and send it my way. I can score the points.” The older twin says to you awkwardly, feeling a tad bit bad that you were a complete noob and he scolded you for it

He hadn’t always been good at volleyball so he understood the initial struggle

“Right.” You agree, clumsily getting into receiving position (is that what you call it? You don’t know but it sounds accurate)

Suna doesn’t run up to hit the ball like Atsumu did

Instead he just scans the court and tosses the ball, bringing his hand up to smack it

It flies over the net, again, to your side

You rush to intercept it, shakily lunging forward and barely bumping it up- it’s an awkward delivery since it bounces off of the inwardly curved part of your joined wrists

Atsumu hurries after it- the ball wobbles midair- luckily he manages to get it, creating his own platform and sending it over the net

Osamu calls out “I got” and positions himself beneath it, perfectly setting it over to Suna

He doesn’t need too but the brunette calls out a “mine” before hitting an easy cut shot. 

Atsumu was able to predict it and manages to pick it up, sending the ball to you

You scramble to receive it

Panic sets in as you try to decide what to do

“Try ta set it! Y’know the thing ‘Samu just did!”

As a setter, Atsumu knows setting is one of the hardest things for beginners- and one of the easiest ways to get in trouble was to set illegally

Some divine entity seems to have mercy on you, since you manage to pull off what you deem a *decent* set

Atsumu frowns at the sight of the balls odd side spin and his brows furrow as he allows the ball to drop right in front of him

“Wait why’d you do that?” You ask confused

“Oh you didn’t know did you?” Suna speaks to you for the first time

“We’re still playing by normal rules. When you tried to set- you touched the ball twice... we call it a double.”

Atsumu sighs, but he didn’t seem as irritated as before

“It’s fine, settin’ is hard for every beginner- ya just need ta’ get under the ball before it gets too low.”

You sigh, glancing at the clock on the wall. Only 10 minutes have passed.

It seems like you’re going to be here for a long while.

[neverdoingmuch]

now hear me out,,, an au where lan wangji is an editor who works for an erotica publisher and wei wuxian is essentially chuck tingle. (also lwj writes romance novels on the side)

wei wuxian didn’t plan to write erotica he wants to make that really clear, he was actually studying like biomed or something equally “oh wow my parents can brag to the other parents about this”

but, as frequently happens in wwx’s life, he got drunk with nhs, like really drunk and they woke up the next morning with a laptop on the floor beside them and loose paper strewn everywhere

they don’t really remember what they were doing or thinking last night but they’ve both drawn a bunch of really shitty and weird porn (the less said about the anthropomorphic version of wen chao’s pet turtle the better) and wei wuxian has like 20,000 words of an erotica story on his laptop

when he starts reading it, at first he’s like haha what the fuck this is so weird but then it turned out to be really good??? and nhs blushed at some of the ~sexy~ scenes so that’s how wwx knew he was writing the good stuff

anyway they’re sitting there, eating their hangover food and wei wuxian goes so uh my story was good right? and nhs is like yeah it was, top stuff i would buy it and wei wuxian goes what if i actually wrote it,,, haha just kidding,,,,, unless?

and in his defence he doesn’t actually write anything for the story for another like three months but then he finds himself in the middle of exam season and he’s like fuck it stress relief let’s write some erotica

he finishes the book and his exams (which he does well in but whatever) and then spends his summer holidays editing the book

when he comes back, he slaps down a paper copy on nhs’ desk and is like i finished it. nhs, thinking he meant his latest lab write up, opens it up to a random page and starts reading it out loud which was a Mistake

he trails off mid-sentence, and whips around to glare at wwx with all the wrath he can muster. it’s raunchy nhs says and just read it wwx tells him so nhs does

like 2 hours later nhs turns to him and says if it wasnt for you and the librarian staring at me the whole time i definitely would’ve felt something and wwx is like so it’s good? and nhs is like fuck yeah it is but i dont get what you want from me?

pretty much wwx passed out after exams, slept for like 20 hours and then woke up and went i should publish this and decided that nhs should draw the cover art.

nhs agrees of course and a month later wwx self-publishes bc there’s no way he can walk into a publishing house with his porn and not just combust on the spot and he decides to go by the name yiling patriarch

wwx clicks the final button to upload the fic and nhs just toasts him and goes yknow what,, this is the closest you’ve ever gotten to having sex and i’m proud of you

wei wuxian is the man who guarded his first kiss for the first twenty years of his life for someone special,,,, wwx definitely wants his first time to be special and there’s no way he’s putting out for someone he doesn’t think is important & despite having dated before, he’s never gotten close enough to someone to go yeah let’s do it so our boy is still a virgin

so wwx’s entire erotica writing inspiration comes from porn, nhs’ way too in-depth answers as to how his latest date went and uh more porn

wwx blusters about a bit bc how is he meant to respond to that and nhs is like maybe you’ll finally move on from reading those trashy romance novels and read something more exciting and wwx is like how dare you call them trashy!! hanguang-jun is a master of the romance novels!! he understands the heart in a way that no other person has ever!! 

and nhs just chugs a bunch of wine and is like yeah hon okay, do you still blush when the main characters hold hands? and wwx is like no! of course not! (it’s a lie, he blushes a lot)

so nothing really happens with the book at first and wwx forgets about it for the most part but then he wakes up one morning and he’s got an extra like RMB 1000 (i dont actually know much about currency so it’s roughly $200 if my quick interneting is legit)

wwx is like wtf? and once he finds out it’s from his novel he’s doubly like wtf? but then he finds out that someone had purchased his book and did a dramatic reading on youtube bc wwx decided that regular erotica was boring and decided to make it satirical or whatever and people loved it??

he’s got nothing better to do so he just goes hm yeah remember that Author i dated who had an “incredible idea that would absolutely amaze The Critics and helped explore his own convoluted mind” let’s make something of that and he writes another book kinda mocking that idea in a very horny way.

he publishes it and someone writes a review of his two books on their blog and now he’s actually starting to get popular - he’s got more money from those two books than he did by working at the local cafe for the whole week

wwx is poor and broke and semi-disowned anyway by this point so he goes fuck it and spends every moment he’s not studying writing erotica. 

he publishes another like five books by the time the year is out (i know the maths isnt working here but this is a book world where wwx can just do that via the power of loneliness and friends who egg you on)

also?? he varies his books. some of them are porn parody things a la chuck tingle and some of them are genuine porn and one book was just him writing a recipe book but making it sound as horny as possible

by the time he’s published his like 8th book or so he starts getting reviews that are critiquing his book and most of them boil down to the fact that he needs an editor or something 

he ends up asking nhs for help and he’s like oh sweet my brother’s boyfriend works for a publisher who does that sort of thing

cloud recesses actually specialises in erotica and i hate the idea that lqr has spent years reading and editing erotica but sacrifices must be made

(side note that i know nothing about the writing or publishing process so pls don’t judge me too harshly)

wwx goes in with his latest manuscript and ends up arriving like ten minutes late, he rushes into the room sweaty and hot, takes one look at the guy sitting on the other side of the desk, flushes an even brighter red and runs back out of the room. he checks the plaque on the door and walks back in slowly and goes hm i didnt expect you to be so hot

cue lan wangji

lwj has always enjoyed being an editor. what do editor do specifically? idk? edit? regardless, he enjoys it. 

while most of the time he’s happy working from this side of things he also likes writing

lwj fucks. he deserves it tbh. but, while he’s had a tonne of one night stands and fuckbuddies, he’s never actually dated someone. so the fact that he’s writing romance novels under the pseudonym hanguang-jun makes his friend jzx laugh a lot

he tried writing porn once and he just couldn’t do it. it was always too clinical or vague and lacked any actual passion bc he was always going oh okay mc sucks a dick but the guy i slept with last week was like a 6.4/10 when it came to sucking dick so maybe mc should also be bad at it or whatever and it just ends up falling apart,,,, but romance he can do

as an editor lwj has pretty high standards for good erotica but he’s really found himself enjoying yiling patriarch’s work even though he’s clearly just been editing himself so when the guy sent cloud recesses an email asking whether they’d be interested in his latest book lwj was ecstatic. 

he also didnt expect wwx to be so hot

anyway,,, we now get to enjoy a week of lwj thinking that wwx is super hot but even more annoying and then him deciding that annoying is hot and now wwx is just absolutely amazing and wwx is just panicking the entire time 

i want my publisher to rail me so hard wwx texts nhs and nhs just responds has he read the bdsm scene with the alien who has a tentacle dick and a knot yet? and wwx is like no??? nhs just goes shame, it will give him so ideas for if you ever grow a backbone and just ask him out

they publish one book together and nothing happened between them the entire time other than yearning and horniness,, of the heart and body. 

when wwx realises this means that he won’t get to see lwj again he immediately writes a new book and like a month later he’s back in lwj’s office, lying on his couch while whining about the cafeteria prices at university

lwj is very enamoured by the fact that wwx is writing erotica and studying biomed bc wow

they do this for like another three books and wwx’s eroticas evolve from here’s a dinosaur man fucking a politician while a mary sue watches on to be like here’s a dinosaur man with black hair and golden eyes and a stern look to his face fucking a politician while a mary sue watches on

and hanguang-jun’s latest book?? i dont want to say that this au’s version of wangxian is hanguang-jun finally finding inspiration to write porn (his muse is wwx of course) and writing the most amazing porn with feelings and plot novel ever,, but it is. 

wwx read it five times in the first week and when nhs finally tried to read it he was like uhhh wwx are you a narcissist, the love interest is exactly like you? and wwx is like ??? no???? he’s nothing like me??

anyway one day wwx gets called into lxc’s office and lxc is like so i’ve read your latest book (not the dinosaur man, a serious one with like normal people and not overly humorous thank fuck but still full of lwj yearning) and wwx is like okay? and lxc goes yes, see i was worried that you didn’t care very much for my brother but after reading your book i’m not so sure and wwx gets the weirdest shovel talk ever which is interspersed with like compliments for his porn writing skills

anyway lxc accidentally mentions that lwj writes books too and before he can take it back wwx is like who??? and lxc is like are you fucking stupid?? you told lwj to his face that you loved his books,,, he broke his theme of tender romance to write kinky sex with a character that’s a lot like you and wwx is like .,,,,,,,,, hanguang-jun??? HANGUANG-JUN???!!

lxc barely manages to confirm it before wwx is sprinting out of his office and across to find lwj.

regretfully for everyone else, lwj is in the lobby so thirty people get to hear it when wwx comes in and shouts LAN ZHAN!! back then, i really wanted write porn about you! ... i think i have actually? but i want to write porn about you and i want to be able to do the research to make it accurate! and i also want to go on dates and hold hands and feed each other food! and i love you a lot! 

lwj is dying inside bc his brother’s bf is there, his uncle is currently waiting for the elevators and a whole bunch of staff are also there but also wwx likes him??? dinosaur man was lwj??

he goes over and they make out for a really long time right there in the middle of the lobby but no one wants to get between them when they’ve been pining for so long

after that they start dating and they do all the romantic stuff but also,, let’s just say that the next book wwx publishes is a lot more creative than all of his previous books

and they become some writing power couple with horniness of the heart and body and sometimes wwx will be like hey lwj i don’t really know how the logistics of this sex scene will work and lwj will be like we could try it out ourselves? and wwx just pats him on the head and is like im sorry but you dont have enough dicks for it to work ),: better luck next time