#and the “you showed me how to find myself when I needed it the most” would apply for him learning how to control his wolf and anger for her

[take-my-body-from-me]

92%

I don’t think most people would peg me as the type of guy who’d want to be someone else.

Honestly, it probably looks like I have it all.

Growing up in Salzburg, then being sent to the French international school in the Alps—yeah, I was pretty privileged. My parents wanted the “best environment” for me, which mostly meant an endless carousel of uniforms, skiing weekends, and being reminded that I was the first-born son.

And I guess I’m not too hard on the eyes either. People have told me enough times: dark brown hair, olive skin, a lean build. Even my name —Lorenz—just kind of sounds hot. Thanks mom and dad for that one I guess.

But if I’m being honest, the pressure of being perfect all the time has been exhausting. .

That’s how I ended up on SwapService.

I’d heard about it a few years back from a classmate Nils. We’d gotten drunk together at a party and somewhere between our third and fourth drink, he leaned in and told me he wasn’t actually Nils.

I laughed at first, thought he was being drunk. But he went on to explain he’d swapped into that body. He’d grown up in Singapore, in some ridiculous wealthy family. Said he’d always wanted to be European, and that Nils' body—tall, blond, mode-like features—felt like his dream come true.

Nils just wanted to be muscular and tan and apparently this guy's old Singaporean body fit the bill exactly. They were both rich, both from the same private-school bubble, so I guess it worked out for them. No harm done.

That conversation stuck with me. And that’s how I find myself here tonight.

---

I’d been living on my own for a couple years now, post-uni in Vienna. My parents thought I’d go straight into consulting or law school, something respectable. Instead, I’ve been drifting—half working, half trying to figure out what I actually want. And the more time I spent alone, the more I realized how suffocating it had felt always being “the perfect son.”

So when I pulled up the SwapService site for the first time, it didn’t feel as crazy as it probably should have.

The homepage looked clinical—nothing flashy, just a clean form. Step one: enter your own stats.

Age range. Height. Weight. Ethnicity. Language. Region. Hairiness. I filled it out slowly, double-checking like it mattered whether I wrote “slim build” or “lean build.”

Then came the preferences section. There, the form basically asked: who do you want to be?

It asked all the same questions I'd fillled out about myself plus one about the duration of how long I’d like the swap to last. There was even a box for “permanent,” which made me pause for a second.

I shook my head. “Yeah, no thanks,” I muttered to myself.

I just needed a break, to step away from the version of myself everyone else expected me to be. But also… maybe a chance to see what being a real man was like.

So I put in my preference: 30+ years old , 170+ cm, 75+ kg, Latino/Hispanic, Spanish/English/French, Spain/Latin America, Hairy. I tried not to be too picky I just wanted someone different enough from me that I wouldn’t be thinking about my parents or home every time I looked in the mirror.

I sat back, staring at the form for a moment, heart beating faster than it should have.

Then I clicked submit.

---

About an hour later the email came through: “Your matches are ready."

My stomach did this weird flip. I hadn’t really thought about what it would feel like when the site actually came back with real people.

When I logged in, it showed me a list—about ten guys, each with a percentage score next to their names. The site didn’t explain what the score meant, just that the higher the number, the better the match. They also didn’t say which criteria lined up—so I guess it was on me to assume what the other person had put down about themselves.

The first few were exactly the kind of guys I had pictured. Latino, thirties, strong, built in a way I’d never been. Some with tattoos, some with heavy beards, all of them somewhere in that 70–80% criteria match range. They were hot, no doubt. I kept thinking, if this were Tinder, I’d swipe yes on every single one.

But then I scrolled down and saw the one the site had marked Best Match – 92%.

Rafael.

52 years old. Lived in Ibiza. Bald, hairy, muscular. The profile said he’d retired early after making millions from a construction company.

I just stared at his picture for a while. He looked nothing like me—older, rougher. Though he still had a flirty, kinda cocky glint in his eye. And apparently, out of everyone on the list, he was the closest fit for me.

I wasn’t really sure about it at first. I mean, 52 was a bit older than I was thinking. Yeah, I should probably just message one of the other younger, ripped guys.

I almost clicked back to this guy Arturo, my next highest match, but then a new message notification popped up.

Rafael: So, you’re my best match. I think we should swap now.

His style was straightforward—assertive but still, I was charmed. He already knew who he was and what he wanted. And apparently, that was me.

Rafael: Been trying for ages to get a match this high. You’d be perfect.

I stared at the screen, biting my lip.

Rafael: If you don’t want to swap, fine. But at least let me fly you to Ibiza so I can fuck you.

I laughed out loud when I read it, but I don't think he was kidding. Yeah, I had a feeling he meant it and I won’t lie... it turned me on.

I’d always fantasized about a daddy type, someone older and in control, but I’d never been brave enough to actually follow through. The thought of Rafael wanting me that badly made me sprout a partial.

I thought to myself, Rafael was hot enough. Older, sure, but powerful. Confident. He looked like someone who didn’t take no for an answer, in the best way.

And the idea of stepping into his life for a few months? Living as him, testing it out? That didn’t sound so bad.

So I typed back before I could overthink it:

Me: What the hell. Let’s do it.

When I woke up in Rafael’s body, it hit me all at once.

The hair on my chest and arms. The way my muscles felt thick and heavy even when I wasn’t flexing.

My head felt strangely light without hair, but in the mirror, the bald look worked, I felt great. And best of all, no more Mr. Perfect.

A few minutes later, my phone buzzed.

Rafael (in my body): Thank you. This is perfect. Already feels like home.

I frowned at the screen. That wording was a little odd. But I told myself he was just excited.

---

The first few weeks were surreal. I got used to being stared at in Ibiza—on the beach, at cafés, walking shirtless through my villa. I texted my old body constantly, just to check in.

Me: How’s everything? You holding up okay?

Him (as me): Yeah, it’s great. Your friends are fun. Everyone’s so easygoing.

But it was weird. Every time I reached out, he sounded surprised I was even asking. Like he hadn’t thought I’d bother. Still, he was always polite, always said things were going well.

Then two weeks went by without a single reply. My messages just sat there, unread.

By the time I finally called, my chest was tight with worry.

“Hello?” My voice—his voice—answered after a few rings.

“Hey,” I said quickly. “It’s me. You okay? I haven’t heard from you.”

There was a pause, then a slightly confused, cautious tone. “Oh… yeah. Sorry. I didn’t think you’d want me to check in all the time.”

“I mean, I do,” I said, trying to laugh it off. “I want to make sure everything’s good.”

“It is,” he said, still sounding like he was trying to place why I’d even be asking. “Really good.”

I hesitated, then decided to test something. “Would you be alright if I used your money to fly you—well, me—to Ibiza? Just for a visit?”

He laughed lightly. “There’s no reason to ask me. Do whatever you want with it. But sure, I’d be happy to come.”

---

Rafael flew in a few days later, wearing my body like it had always been his. He looked comfortable, confident—more than I’d ever seen myself. Even just walking through the airport, he carried himself differently. Straighter back, more presence, like he knew people were watching him and he loved it.

That night we had dinner at a little seafood place by the marina. After a couple glasses of wine, Rafael loosened up and started talking.

He leaned back in his chair, grinning, my face flushed from the alcohol. “You know, man, I have to thank you. I really mean it. I’m so fucking excited to live in this body. I don’t know why you’d ever give it up.”

I blinked at him. “Live in it?”

He waved a hand, like it was obvious. “Yeah. I mean, come on. The Christmas trip to Fiji with the fam? That’s going to be unreal. And that Amsterdam thing with my mates in February—I cannot wait for that.” He chuckled, swirling his wine. “It's a good life dude. I plan to enjoy every minute of it.”

My stomach dropped. “What the hell are you talking about? We’ll be swapped back by then.”

He stopped mid-sip and frowned. “Wait, what do you mean?”

“What do you mean, what do I mean? This was temporary swap. Then we switch back. That was the deal.”

He set his glass down, staring at me like I’d just said something insane. “No, man. We agreed to permanent. That was the whole point.”

I nearly choked. “No the fuck we didn’t.”

His eyes widened in shock. “You’re kidding, right? I checked off permanent on my end. I assumed you did too.”

I shook my head furiously. “I would never have chosen that.”

He leaned back, suddenly serious, his expression tightening. “Shit. You think that’s the 8% difference? Ninety-two out of a hundred—we matched on everything else, but you didn’t check permanent. That's crazy.”

I landed my glass down harder than I meant to. “You’re full of shit, man. You see how good my life is. I wouldn’t want to give that up—I mean, look at me.” I gestured at his face, my face, across the table. “You think I’d just throw that away?”

Rafael raised his hands like he was innocent. “I swear, I didn’t know. I thought we were on the same page. That’s why I was confused when you kept checking in all the time. Honestly?” He laughed softly, shaking his head. “I was surprised you wanted to give me my new body at all. But hey, I wasn’t gonna complain.”

The way he said my new body sent a chill through me. He lingered on it, almost savoring the phrase, like it turned him on to say it out loud.

��Well, I don’t,” I snapped. “And it’s not your body, it’s mine. We need to switch back.”

He leaned in, elbows on the table, voice low but steady. “Wait. Just—wait. I really thought… maybe you should just consider it. Consider staying.” His eyes roamed over me—over his old body now filled by me. “I mean, look at you now. You’ve been walking around Ibiza like a god. I know for a fact you’ve got a bigger cock now. And all day you’ve been saying how good it feels, how free you feel. What if that didn’t have to end?”

I stared at him, my chest tight. “But no—that’s my entire youth you’re asking me to give you. I don’t want to give that up.”

He shrugged, like it was nothing. “But you were fine giving a few months of it up? Come on, Lorenz. If it was really that perfect, you wouldn’t want to let any of it go. Maybe deep down, you wanted this more than you’re admitting.”

“That’s not the same thing,” I muttered.

“Besides,” he went on smoothly, “we don’t have to decide right now. Why rush? How long did you want the swap to last anyway?”

“Two months,” I said, my voice firmer.

He grinned then, slow and wolfish. “Two months? Then what are you even worried about? We’re only at a month and a half.” He leaned back in his chair, swirling the last of his wine with a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Relax. Enjoy it while it lasts.”

---

Later, we walked back to Rafael’s flat, the luxurous one-bedroom I’d been calling home since the swap. The air was humid, clinging to my skin. Neither of us said much.

Inside, I kicked off my shoes and peeled my shirt over my head, tossing it on the chair. The place smelled faintly of cologne and laundry detergent. Without a word, I stretched out on the bed, flat on my back, trying to focus on the ceiling and not the thousand thoughts in my head.

A few minutes later, I felt the mattress dip. Rafael slid in beside me. I didn’t need to open my eyes to know he was naked—his warmth pressed against me, skin to skin.

We lay there in silence. I shut my eyes tighter, willing myself to relax. Then I felt his hand drift across my chest, fingers combing through the thick hair. Slow. Lazy. Like he was testing what he could get away with.

He let out a quiet moan, almost like he was savoring it.

I didn’t move. I didn’t push him away.

Finally, he broke the silence. His voice was low, certain. “Just so you know… in case nobody’s telling you enough… you are so. fucking. sexy in your new body.”

Something in me flipped. My eyes snapped open.

In one move, I rolled over, grabbing his wrists and pinning him down against the mattress. His eyes went wide for a second, then his lips curled into a grin.

“You like that?” I asked, my voice coming out rougher than I expected.

He nodded quickly, biting his lip.

I spat on my fingers and shoved one between his cheeks, pressing inside. He arched his back, gasping, already opening up for me.

“Fuck, Rafael,” he groaned. “Yeah—just like that.”

I worked him with my finger, then two, and he was squirming under me, grinding against my hand like he couldn’t get enough.

When I finally pushed into him, he was more than ready. His hands grabbed at the sheets, pulling tight.

“God, you’re big,” he hissed, his voice cracking with pleasure.

I didn’t care that it was my old body I was fucking. Lying under me, he wasn’t me. He was just a needy twink, spread out and taking it, and I was in complete control. That was all that mattered.

I thrust hard, steady, holding his hips down. The sound of skin slapping skin filled the room, his moans spilling louder with every movement.

When I came, I stayed inside him, grinding deep, watching him writhe beneath me.

---

We fucked raw like that every night that week—sometimes twice. He’d climb on top of me, or bend over the edge of the bed, and I couldn’t resist. The way he moaned in my old voice, the way his face looked flushed and desperate beneath me—it was addictive. By the fourth night, I stopped thinking about anything except the pleasure. By the last night before his flight, I’d forgotten all about my insistence on swapping back.

When he packed his bag and headed for the door, though, the clarity returned like a jolt.

“Wait,” I said, leaning against the door frame. “We should talk about switching back soon.”

He paused. “Call me next week if you really still want that,” he said. “Maybe we can work something out.”

So, the next week, I called him.

“Rafael?”

“Yeah,” my voice answered on the other end, warm and teasing.

“I’m serious. I want to go back.”

He chuckled. “Lorenz, come on. You’re telling me you don’t love walking around Ibiza like you own the place? You didn’t love fucking in that body every night? Don’t lie. You’re thriving. Just give it a little longer.”

“I said two months,” I reminded him.

“Two months went by so fast. And what’s the rush?” His tone softened. “Trust me. If you go back now, you’ll regret it. Let yourself enjoy this while it lasts.”

By the time we hung up, he’d convinced me. Again.

But a few weeks later, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The longer I stayed, the more it felt like I was becoming Rafael and he was becoming me. I didn’t want to lose my body forever. So, I booked a flight to Vienna without telling him.

When I told him I'd arrived in the city, only then did he agree to meet me at a bar near the center.

I got there early, chest tight with nerves. I sat at a corner table, sweating slightly in Rafael’s heavier body.

When the door opened, my breath caught. It wasn’t just Rafael who walked in wearing my skin. He was with Henry.

Henry. My old classmate, my crush for years, the one I never said anything to because I knew he didn't feel the same about me.

They spotted me. Rafael’s face lit up as if nothing was unusual. “Rafael!” he called, waving as though we were just casual friends meeting up. Then he clapped Henry on the shoulder. “And this is Henry. Thought you should meet him.”

Henry extended a hand to me, eyes lingering on my chest, then my arms. “Nice to meet you,” he said, smiling a little too much.

I forced a nod, heart pounding. “Yeah. You too.”

We sat together, ordered drinks. Rafael kept the conversation light, careful, steering away from anything that would expose the truth. Henry leaned in toward me every chance he got. His knee brushed mine under the table. He asked me about Ibiza, about Spain, about how I was liking Vienna so far.

Eventually, Rafael stretched and yawned. “I’m beat. Gotta get up early tomorrow. You two stay, though.” He patted Henry’s back. “Take care of him, yeah?”

Henry grinned at him. “Yeah, of course.”

When Rafael left, Henry turned fully confessed. “You know,” he said, voice low, “I don’t usually do this, but…” He leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear. “I want you bad.”

Every rational thought screamed at me to walk away. To remember why I’d come. But this was Henry—finally, after all these years, wanting me.

I nodded. “Let’s go.”

We stumbled back to his place. The second the door shut, he pushed me against the wall and kissed me hard. His hands roamed over my hairy chest, down to my belt, fumbling it open.

“God, you’re built,” he said between kisses. “Exactly my type.”

I grabbed his ass, pulling him against me. I fucked him hard, raw, his moans filling the room. His fingers clawed at my back as I drove into him, finally getting what I’d fantasized about since I was a teenager.

Lying there after, sweaty and spent, I thought to myself maybe this swap wasn’t all bad after all.

I went back to Ibiza after that. But the weeks dragged on. I tried to enjoy the beaches, the villa, the easy confidence of this new body, but every morning I’d catch myself in the mirror and feel that ache in my chest. I missed my old face. I missed the way my friends knew me without introductions. I missed being me.

So I booked another flight. This time, I promised myself, I wouldn’t get distracted. I would corner Rafael and make him listen. No excuses. No stalling.

I walked into the same bar in Vienna, heart pounding with determination.

And there he was. My body. My smile. And next to him, perched close against his arm, was another guy.

This one was maybe mid-twenties. Dark hair, clean-shaven, dressed sharp in a designer button-down. His build was lean but toned, the kind of body that lived in gyms and rooftop pools. The second I approached the table, he turned his attention to me, eyes wide, lips curling into a grin.

“You must be Rafael,” he said, voice low and eager. He reached out, resting a hand on my arm as if we’d known each other for years. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

The way he said it, touch lingering on my bicep, I felt my cock stir instantly.

I glanced up, and there was Rafael. His lips curled into a satisfied smirk, as he’d set this up perfectly. He knew exactly what was happening to me.

I swallowed hard, pulse quickening, my earlier resolve slipping with every brush of contact.

I thought to myself: Fuck. Not again.

[keeperofasecretsecret]

They Say “I love you” For the First Time (Maknae line)

Han

"He isn't a violent person but as soon as they threatened Suho he was willing to go to war!" You are talking animately about your favorite drama and how the newest release has left you in shambles. People would often wave you off when you got like this, nobody else able to get a sentence in as your rambles took control. Han however sat and listened intently. He was also a certified yapper so he loved getting to experience the other side of things. You had ben talking about the show for the last hour giving him a play by play of the season and he was drinking up every syllable you spoke.

He sat back on the couch and enjoyed being in your presence. After months of scattered texts and phone calls getting to see you as your most animated self was something he was not going to take for granted.

"You don't understand because Sieun hates running but he was RUNNING to Suho!" It looks like you are nearing the end of your talk catching your breath. You glance at your phone eyes widening a bit when you see how long you had really been talking. "Oh, I'm sorry I can't believe you had to listen to this for so long. You just got back and shouldn't have to listen to my incoherent thoughts about this. I'll be quiet it's your turn. How was the Europe leg of the tour, are you guys sad it's over?"

It's an odd thing witnessing someone going from so bold and animated to quiet and reserved. He was sure he was conveying warmth in his face so why were you shutting down? "It was fun and yeah we're sad it's over but we are getting ready for the next release so we won't be relaxing for too long. You don't have to apologize for talking and existing though. I was having a great time hearing about your show and your thoughts on it. I won't have as much time to watch anything right now so this is like a spark notes version for me. Lets me consume more media than my schedule actually lets me. You don't have to make yourself quieter with me. You know I'm not quiet myself. Plus I love when you ramble. Honestly I love everything about you."

You are staring at him as he continues his own ramblings this time the topic is how much he loves and has missed you. You can feel the heat spreading across your face and neck, sure you look like a tomato. You're not even sure he fully registers the implications of his words. Finally he ends his long winded rundown.

Working through the shock of his revelation you have to clarify that this all means what you're sure it means. "you love me?" The color somehow drains from his face and moves to match your own sitting around his neck.

"Well this isn't exactly how I thought I would tell you but yeah, I do love you." You both shuffle to sit closer and spend the rest of the night talking about anything, no topic off limits and no length of ramble too long.

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

Felix

There are a lot of things that Felix excels at, coping while being sick is not one of them. When he cancels your weekend plans you know something is up. The two of you have been so busy and you set this weekend aside weeks ago to be able to spend quality time together. He was evasive when you tried to push and then stopped answering all together. You were worried about him, you trusted him completely but you still felt compelled to go to his apartment and check on him. Maybe talking in person would help you understand.

When you show up you give a few knocks and wait for a response. You know he is home so when you're met with silence anxiety begins to build. Needing to see him wins out and you type in the door code. The apartment is dark when you enter. "hello.. Felix are you ok?" Your stomach drops when you receive a groan in response. Moving fast to locate him you find him curled in fetal position on the couch. Rushing to his side you feel his forehead, pulling your hand away when you feel how warm he is. "Felix you're burning up I'll be right back." You maneuver through the apartment with ease grabbing a bowel to fill with cool water and a couple towels. Returning back to the couch you let them soak for a bit, moving Felix into a better position and giving him medicine to take.

As soon as the cool towel makes contact with the back of his neck he lets out a sigh of relief. Using the second towel to pat around his face and sit on his forehead. He falls asleep while you are doing this but you continue the process. After an hour you decide to make him some food, having given the medicine time to work and his temperature a chance to come back down. It isn't the first time you've cooked in the kitchen so you are able to move around easily finding the necessary ingredients to make one of your grandmas go to soup. Once all the ingredients are in the pot and simmering you use this opportunity to check on him. He's still asleep but his face looks more peaceful, wrinkles leaving his forehead as the muscles relax. Returning to the kitchen you make two bowls and grab a bottle of water from the fridge.

It almost pains you to wake Felix from his rest but it's important for him to eat and stay hydrated. "baby, I need you to wake up for me. I know it sucks but you have to eat I don't know when you did last so I need you to do it for me ok." You gently rub his back as he starts to come to. Definitely more alert than when you first came here.

"y/n? what are you doing here? You have to go I'm sick I don't want you to catch this. He tries to push you away but to no avail." The smell of food finally hits him and his focus changes. "You made me soup?" He looks back to you with tears in his eyes. "I wish I wasn't sick so I could kiss you." Helping him sit up, you take the towels and put them back in the water to get cold again. Carefully handing him his bowel and water. He gulps down half the water and gives you a shy smile. Taking his first bite of food his eyes flutter closed. "y/n this soup is the best thing I've ever tasted. I love it and I love that you're here. I felt so sad thinking I wouldn't get to see you. I love you and we've been planning this weekend for so long. I can't believe I got sick." He continues to eat and you're sure he doesn't realize exactly what he said. You though are stuck on those three words.

When he looks up it's his turn to be worried, "y/n your face is red don't tell me I already got you sick!" Trying to compose yourself you're sure it was just a sick rambling and he didn't mean to say it.

"I'm fine, just keep eating you need the strength." You both eat the rest of your soup in silence. Once he's done with his food and drank the rest of his water you help him lay back down. He's cooled down enough you grab a throw blanket to cover him with.

"y/n you probably are overthinking and think it's the sick brain but I meant it. I love you, thank you for coming to check on me and staying to take care of me. I don't know if I deserve this but it means a lot that you're here." A small smile takes shape on your face. Trying to hide the blush you turn to grab the towels returning them to his neck and forehead.

"Of course you deserve it... I love you too." Hearing your words he settles into the couch falling asleep with a smile and his hand in yours.

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

Seungmin

You loved getting gifts for people. Always finding trinkets for those you hold dear anywhere you went. So when you stumble across the baseball card Seungmin has been hunting down for months at a small convention you immediately bought it. Normally you would give it to him right away since you hate the waiting afterwards. Why did it have to be a special day to give someone something. This though you wanted to be a little special. It was only another month before his birthday so you could wait...hopefully.

Seungmin kept searching for the card and you were nervous he would find it before you could gift it to him. Three days before you plan to give it to him this fear became a reality.

"Dude, you'll never guess what I finally found from what appears to be a legit source not asking an arm and a leg in price!" Not thinking much you inquire like he wants you to. "That Shin-Soo Choo card I've been scouring the internet for! I am going to find my wallet so I can buy it before someone else does!"

"NO!" He stops mid step turning to see you, you've abandoned the crochet project you were working on, arms in the air as if you can stop him with your mind if you try hard enough. The pair of you freeze for a moment as you try to find a plausible reason to deny him what he has been searching diligently for. "I just mean maybe you should make sure the site it legit before buying it. I'd hate for you to put your information into something sketchy."

He hesitates and you can tell he doesn't fully believe what you're saying. "well I've used a sister site to them before so it should be fine. I'm not worried. Plus this is the best price I've seen for it so I am willing to take the minor risk." He turns again to go to his room and acquire his wallet.

"Well don't you want to think about it a bit first.. Maybe wait a couple days." He stops again and you can tell by the breath he lets out before turning back he is getting annoyed.

"y/n if you have something to say please just say it. I am not going to wait because if I do someone else will buy it and I'll be left restarting my search. His annoyance is valid, you usually hype him up about buying things like this, loving how his smile grows when he tells you about his latest addition to his collection.

"Fine if you won't wait I'll have to do this now but know I had a whole thing planned for your birthday." You scurry past him to get your bag. Luckily since you were so afraid of this happening you are prepared to give it to him early. Grabbing out the small box you carefully wrapped you turn and hand it to him. He takes it while looking back and forth between you and the box. He is slow to open it slightly distracted by your now anxious energy. Finally after what seems like an eternity he opens the box.

"y/n how did you- when did- I- I should have known as soon as you told me not to buy it. I can't believe you remembered the card and got it for me. Oh my gosh how much did this even cost you?! I swear I can pay you back- I love you so much and I can't believe you had a whole thing planned. Oh no! I ruined your surprise!"

You reach your arms up to ease his ramblings. "Seungmin please calm down, I promise it wasn't too much. Remember that convention I was at last month, there were several small booths that were selling different types of cards. I saw a guy with baseball cards and wanted to check. He was willing to take a trade and lower the price so really I got a great deal-" It was then that his words really sank in. He just told you he loved you. Seungmin loves you. He was taking in the card and you're positive the words were lost in the sauce and he didn't know he even admitted his feelings so easily. "Any price would have been worth it though because I love you too"

You analyzed his face as he went from admiring the card in front of him to realizing and understanding what had been shared during the conversation. He looked at you in shock but that was quickly replaced with joy as he leaned in to kiss you. Your arms took their natural place around his neck as he pulled you closer by the waist. While it wasn't how you planned to gift him the card it was definitely better.

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

IN

Looking around your room it looks like a tornado has gone through. Dozens of clothes scatter your bed and floor yet nothing felt right. It wasn't like you needed to dress up. You were going to Jeongin's dorm for the boys game night. You've met them all before, several times in fact, so there was no reason to be overthinking now.

You collapse onto your bed groaning about having nothing to wear despite every article of clothing surrounding you. You still had a couple hours before Jeongin was supposed to pick you up. Needing a break you head to your kitchen hoping a snack break will give your brain the answer it desires. Grabbing an apple and orange you make your way to the table. On the way you notice a maroon sweater laying over your couch. Placing the fruit down to investigate, when you pick it up you see one of Jeonigin's sweatshirts he left behind. It's a maroon basketball sweatshirt that is perfect for the game night.

Fruit forgotten you grab the sweatshirt and sprint back to your room. Now that you have the top you need to locate the pair of baggy jeans you have that match Jeongins. It takes you a while but you finally find them at the bottom of the pile on your bed. Using the opportunity Using the opportunity to clean after yourself you put clothes back while you look. It takes you a while but you finally find them at the bottom of the pile on your bed. You change into the outfit and feel good, it looks like you raided Jeongin's closet and you kind of did, but if he didn't want you to wear the shirt he should have taken it home.

Once you finish putting the final touches on your outfit you make your way back to the fruit once forgotten on the table. By the time you cleaned everything up and got ready there are only a few minutes left before Jeongin should be here. The fruit is now a reward for a job well done on the outfit. Personally it's the best you've done. Partially because Jeongin has insane fashion sense and you're essentially copying him. As you start to peel your orange you hear the knock followed by the door unlocking signaling that Jeongin is here.

"y/n are you still in fashion crisis I can offer my assistance but we will have to-" his words die when he sees you sitting at the table. You look up at him and smile standing to meet him. When he sees the entire outfit his cheeks redden and he can't look you in the eye for too long. "oh I uh"

You help him out by saying "You left it on my couch, as soon as I saw it the outfit came to me. I tried to match you as best as I could, do you like it?" You gave yourself a look over again and then looked back to him, hope filled your eyes. You started to get nervous the longer he didn't say anything. Maybe he was upset you were wearing his clothes without permission, especially since you were going to be with the whole group. Maybe they were going to pester him about it now and he was trying to figure out how to tell you. "I can go change if this makes you uncomfortable. I wasn't really thinking about it I guess. Give me one second and I'll find something else."

Turning to go back to your room trying not to let the embarrassment show he stops you. "I love you." Not sure you heard him right to turn back to face him.

"What?"

"Don't change, I like you wearing my clothes. It tells everyone who you are with. I love that you're comfortable in them, I love that you want to match, and I love you."

A smile spreads on your face and you cross the distance between you giving him a sudden embrace. "I love you too" You lean back enough to grab his face and lead him into a quick kiss.

"We do need to go so we're not late." He leads you out of the apartment but maintains some form of contact the entire way. Neither of you caring about the initial jokes from the boys when you arrive.

Hyung line ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Masterlist

✧✿✧ Tag List: @conscientiousmenace ✧✿✧

[venusplanetofloveee]

hi precious angels, i wanted to make a list of things i've been obsessed with lately. pls feel free to make yours too, i wanna see your tops <33

⭐️ so there’s this argentinean group called s.a.m.a made up of six s3x, faraonika, juana rozas, fiah miau, vera frod and chita.

all pop stars that often perform in the underground clubs of buenos aires, each one has her own solo career but they love supporting each other on stage.

recommendations: juana rozas’ album “tanya” she introduces us to this eccentric character, describing the album as like having a panic attack and she really nails it.

⭐️ addison by addison rae, i mean… who isn’t obsessed with this album? she completely captured the 2000s pop star essence, from the tiny mv thumbnails to the choreos on stage.

⭐️ disney stars who had a music career, GOD this is literally the obsession of the month, from lindsay lohan covering random genres to the vanessa hudgens “sneakers on” meme. i love every single woman who went through disney and then dropped music on her own.

⭐️ bangerz by miley cyrus… i recently re-discovered this album, i love every single song, i fully get the vision.

i couldn’t even decide what i love the most: the party girl portrait? the public’s reactions to miley dancing? a britney feature? the nostalgic videos? miley trying to completely break away from the hannah image? god there’s just so much, i’m even obsessed with that pic of miley and katy perry kissing. you. had. to. be. there.

lately i find myself being more of a series person than a movies one:

⭐️ my autumn rewatch: it’s fall in my country right now and the weather just gave me the urge to go back to my favs of this season;

pretty little liars, i LOVE LOVE LOVE, from the mystery, the outfits, the characters, the town, everything. i relate so much to hanna, she is me and i am her.

teen wolf, it has the worst special effects, 2010 wattpad fanfic level script BUT I LOVE IT, it’s so camp, literally everything about this show screams CAMP. also my personal contribution here is that stiles stilinski invented the term BOYFRIEND.

the vampire diaries; actually, when it first aired i only watched random episodes on mtv, never the whole thing, that’s why i decided to start it from the beginning.

⭐️ the oc; it’s rare for me to fall in love with a main character and yet here we are, ryan is literally my adopted son i just want him to do well in life. i fully fell for this show when he meets marissa and goes “i’m however you want me to be.” ARE YOU KIDDING MEEEE????? insane.

⭐️ glee; i’ve watched this show more times than i can count on my hands, you honestly need a high iq to understand it, i love that it never takes itself seriously and that everything happening is just pure chaos.

⭐️ avril lavigne: forever obsessed with how cool this woman is, i’m once again at a point in my life where i just wanna be her. i love absolutely everything about her. ignoring for 2 secs the misogyny in girlfriend, god her looks there??? her hair? those pink streaks?? everything about her just screams cool.

⭐️ roblox squid game: lmaooo call me basic but i’m actually deeply obsessed with this show idgaf. i could make a 3hr video essay analyzing every single character and game, i love them all (yes, nam gyu and myung gi are my boyfriends). anyway, you can catch me on roblox playing this with my friends.

⭐️ redecorating my room like my fav 2000s/2010s movies; my main inspo is the summer colors in wild child, the posters jennifer check has in jennifer’s body, aquamarine vibes, finding typical stuff from that era like a lips-shaped landline phone, old magazines, lots of victoria’s secret body sprays, a zebra print framed mirror.

⭐️ the sims 2: bitch i’m telling you, best game ever, the LORE it has?? childhood vibes unmatched, youtube music videos and machinima series… literally no other game will ever top this. you’ll find me at 3am creating the most chaotic stories while blasting 2000s music.

anyway gorgeous if u wanna make ur own tag me so i can read it, love u guys sm bbys, take care mwah

venus 🐆

[loganwritesprobably]

Practice never hurt anyone (K.)

Synopsis: Koby has never kissed anyone, and neither have you, you figure you probably both need some practice Tags/Warnings: Koby/GN!Reader, reader genitals unspecified, first kiss, innocence, grinding, making out, flirting, premature ejaculation, teasing, friendly banter Word count: 1479 Notes: I challenged myself to write more for characters I've written before only once, and Koby was first up

AO3 | Fanfic Masterlist | Request Rules | Fic Trades Guide

I'm celebrating 500 followers - join the party and play some bingo

You'd met Koby when he joined the marines as a recruit, having been in Garp's unit at the time, when he came with his friend Helmeppo and began to train. It had been funny to watch how hard Garp pushed them, and you knew he must've saw something in them, or in Koby, that he hadn't seen in a recruit in a long while. He didn't see it in you either, but that was just fine, you didn't need to be anyone special.

The two of you had become fast friends. He was sweet and gentle, but determined. He had a dream and he was going to achieve it, even if it killed him. You couldn't help admiring that part of him. You had a front row seat to his transformation, from the small scrawny boy you'd first met, to Marine Hero. You were just happy to be along for the ride.

It was a quiet evening on Garp's ship, the two of you were sitting in a communal area that was otherwise empty, most people either still eating or getting ready to head to sleep for the night. Koby liked to get some quiet time for himself before he slept, and you appreciated the feeling of peace he brought to any space that he was in.

"Hey," he said, and you looked up to show that he had your attention, "have you ever kissed someone?" He then asked, and that was quite possibly the very last thing you'd been expecting him to say. You were caught though, because you hadn't. You were so busy, and there was very few people in your unit that you'd even consider kissing. "It's okay if you haven't," he hurried to say, a little louder than necessary, "I uh- I haven't. Kissed anyone." Koby finished, and for a moment he couldn't look at you, eyes darting nervously around the room but never focusing on you. "Uh, I haven't either." You said with a small shrug, looking back down at the book that you'd been reading, though you could feel it as Koby's eyes suddenly snapped to focus solely on you. "Really?" He asked, and you weren't sure exactly how you were meant to respond to that. "What does that mean?" You asked, finally looking up and meeting his eyes. It was Koby, so you weren't exactly sure what you were expecting to find, but he looked curious, confused even. "I don't know I guess I just thought, you're cute, you probably get attention from people." "Oh. Well, I do. I'm just busy, and I don't wanna kiss any of the guys out there. They're all pigs." You rolled your eyes as you laughed, and though Koby would never verbally agree with you, he did laugh along. "That makes sense I guess."

"So, you think I'm cute?" You gently teased after a moment silence, and Koby groaned and covered his face, flustered in the face of his words being turned against him. "I mean, yeah. You're my best friend, other than Helmeppo, I've seen all the cute stuff you do." He replied, awkward and nervous, but his words warmed your heart, making it flutter just a little. You decided that was enough teasing, and let him calm down before you asked your next question, though you missed the pink of his cheeks. "Why do you ask? About kissing, I mean." "Some of the others were talking about it earlier, kissing and meeting people when we dock and it just got me thinking. Like, what if I'm bad at it, you know? What if we dock and I meet someone I like and I kiss them and.. I'm bad at it. That'd be so embarrassing." He confessed, hand raising to rub the back of his neck, once again unable to meet your eyes. "And what? You wanna practice?" You joked easily, turning your gaze back to your book, sure that Koby would just laugh and the two of you would move on. But he didn't laugh, and you could feel his intent gaze on you. When you looked up at him, his eyes were slightly wide, assessing your face as if to determine how real your offer was. "I mean- would you? With me?" There was a just a beat that passed between you, something people may call a pregnant pause, before you spoke again. After all, the situation was delicate and you had to account for that when you spoke. "Better than anyone else in this shit hole." You said and immediately knew that wasn't quite the right way to respond, and yet Koby was interested anyway.

As you marked your page and set your book aside, Koby pushed away from the table he was sitting at and stood, shuffling his way over to the sofa where you'd been lounging previously but now sat upright.

"Really? Not that I doubt you I just.. want you to be sure that you're sure." You smiled, a warm and bright thing, and if you'd been looking you may have noticed Koby’s shoulders relax in response. Instead, your eyes were focused on his smile, more nervous, like he might change his mind at any moment. "Are you?" You asked, a light teasing lilt in your voice. "Yeah. Just. Nervous." He admitted, his awkward laugh endearing and only serving to make you smile wider.

You'd read enough to know how this next part worked. You reached up to cup Koby's cheeks in your hands, then guided him toward you slowly. You stopped just an inch before your lips touched, about to ask again if he was sure, and then he was surging forward to kiss you. His lips were soft and warm, pressed gently against yours. You didn't doubt that it was clumsy, but you had nothing to compare against, so to you it just felt like bliss.

There was a brief moment after that first kiss where the two of you separated to catch your breath, looking at the other as you processed what had just happened. Then, the two of you couldn't stop. You pushed Koby backward against the back of the sofa and hauled yourself up into his lap, kissing him deeper. You had no idea what you were doing, you just knew what felt good, and being able to feel his strong chest beneath your hands while your lips moved together felt really good.

The first time it happened, you didn't realise, thought maybe he was adjusting or attempting to shift you slightly in his lap to be more comfortable. Then it happened again, and this time you felt the press of something hard in his trousers against you. You didn’t think about what to do next, you did it on pure instinct, grinding down against him in return. Koby’s moan was audible even with his lips on yours, his hands tightening slightly around your hips. Neither of you stopped, or checked in again, you just kept going. The kissing was addictive, and if you’d had the capacity to think about anything other than his body on yours, maybe you’d have wondered how you had waited so long to do it.

His length felt good against you, thick and hard, and as you adjusted your hips slightly he began to grind directly against you. Quickly, you were both growing far too loud for a public space, but you were too lost in the moment to care. Your fingers tangled in Koby’s hair, his glasses knocked off and forgotten, your shirt untucked so he could lightly touch your skin, almost reverent with it. Koby’s hips stuttered again, only encouraging you more, until suddenly he made a slightly different sound, his breath catching in his throat. You felt as his trousers grew damp, and realised what had happened. You were trapped between fond amusement and lust, but made sure to contain any laughter, lest you upset or embarrass him anymore than he already was.

“I- I’m so sorry!” He said once he’d caught his breath, face a deep shade of red. You kissed him again, even as Koby floundered. “I’m flattered.” You lightly teased, as if you also hadn’t been moments from cumming just like that. “Stop please don’t tease! I’m so embarrassed.” He whined. You carefully brushed some hair from his face and kissed him again. “If it helps, I wasn’t far from joining you.” Koby’s eyes widened, and you felt his cock give a valiant twitch beneath you. “Then.. do you want to.. continue?” He sounded out of breath as he suggested, like he was winded just by the suggestion, but not so much that it prevented him from offering. “Yes please.” You whispered with an eager nod, and your lips were on his again.

After all, you needed to be sure you were doing it right, and you’d only get better with practice.

Tag List: @claryeverlarkf @uselessboots @cainnoable @hyperfixationthingss @queenmimi2817 @fanaticsnail @mermaniaa

If you'd like to tip me you can head over to my Kofi

[thisonelikesaliens]

i love these interviews in cantonese because they are just more comfortable and hence more chatty. thought about typing out the transcript and translating line by line but...it's really long 😅 so just gonna summarize by section (it's still really long 😅)

0:19 請介紹《靈魂約定》的劇情。 Q: Please give us a synopsis of "The Promise of the Soul" (ok I'm skipping this, nothing new here)

0:49 二人同居 2 個月以克服出演尷尬劇情？ Q: So you two lived together for 2 months to prepare for filming intimate scenes?

Kenji: I think it was more than 2 months. Between pre-production and promotion circuit it's closer to 4 months. Of course there have been conflicts but they're mostly over minor things. Everyone knows I eat a lot so I do get "hangry."

Martin: We are both grumpy in the morning when we just wake up. Whoever has to wake the other up is gonna be on the receiving end of that grumpiness, so it's things like these where we have to find a compromise.

1:47 詮釋 BL 劇 V.S 詮釋傳統男女愛情劇？ Q: Difference between BL and a traditional het drama?

Kenji: I didn't have much acting experience before. I think when it comes to intimate scenes in BL, aesthetics are really important. In a het drama the kiss scenes are more fast-paced, but in a BL you're really trying to capture the best angles so you have to slow down. I gave my first on-screen kiss to Martin.

Martin: There really is a difference. It's a lot more straightforward in a het drama but in a BL you're trying to capture the most beautiful angles. It's a good thing Kenji and I are close and we really trust each other so we don't need to hold back for fear of making the other uncomfortable.

3:01 有沒有一刻對彼此的關係感到混淆？ Q: Was there a moment where you felt confused about your relationship with each other?

Martin: Actually we recently came up with the best term to describe our relationship.

Kenji: 日常 (daily/domestic life). Before we even filmed "Taste Hunter" there were a lot of occasions where we would see each other. And sometimes even without making plans we'd run into each other randomly. You can call that fate.

Martin: I believe it was fate that connected us.

Kenji: Sometimes people would wonder if we'd get tired of seeing each other so often, but I think we're even closer than family so it's become a habit.

Martin: We're at the point where we can just be comfortable in each other's company without putting in extra effort to maintain our relationship.

4:21 演戲能帶給 Kenji 甚麼？ Q: Kenji, what has acting given you?

Kenji: So there's a difference between how I present myself on screen and how I am in real life. If you've seen my older work you might know that I'm pretty restrained. Martin and my other friends know this. It takes time for me to open up. So acting opens up a new world where I can show different sides of me and the audience will see that I have range as an actor. I've learned a lot about myself and built up more confidence because of acting.

Q: What about singing? Has that helped with expressing your emotions?

Kenji: Of course. Our theme song to me is like Ye Hai Yuan's confession, or a love token between him and Xia Cha, so singing that song with my character in mind should hopefully get all of that messaging across to the audience.

6:18 Martin 和陳學聖為劇集插曲〈定格〉填詞的創作靈感？ Q: Martin, what was your inspiration behind co-writing the lyrics with Vision Chen to "Freeze"?

Martin: I fell in love with the demo immediately and I kept asking my agency if they found a lyricist yet, until one day I just couldn't wait anymore and wrote the lyrics myself. There's some grammatical differences between Cantonese and Mandarin so Vision helped tweaked my draft so it flowed more smoothly. (more on the song title which he already shared in another interview I translated so not repeating that)

7:37 演員主唱劇集歌，真的會更投入？ Q: Do you think you were more engrossed in the ost because you acted in the series?

Kenji: Of course. When we sing the songs it's normal to picture the scenes in the series. When I'm singing the theme song I'm thinking about Ye Hai Yuan on the chase and taking initiatives. When I'm singing "Freeze" I'm thinking about all the times I've acted immaturely and upset Xia Cha.

Martin: When I was writing the lyrics I wasn't thinking about the overall structure of the story but rather just taking a single detail and spreading that into different emotions. So I feel it's pretty easily relatable not just to Xia Cha but also to Ye Hai Yuan.

9:11 當 E 人的 Martin，遇上 I 人的 Kenji，性格算不算互補？ Q: When Martin who's an extrovert meets Kenji who's an introvert, do you think your personalities complement each other?

Martin: Even though I'm an extrovert, there are times when I suddenly just feel completely drained and I'll just give Kenji a look and he'll immediately understand I need time to recharge.

Kenji: That's what we call implicit understanding. I think we all emit unique energies beyond the stereotypical labels of "extrovert" and "introvert." Once I open up I'll keep talking to the point where people get annoyed.

Martin: I'm the one who usually warms up the crowd and then I'll retreat into myself.

Kenji: I'm the one who usually wraps up.

10:24 香港的粉絲 V.S. 台灣的粉絲？ Q: Hong Kong fans vs Taiwan fans?

Martin: Taiwan fans are really familiar with the standard procedures (of BL fanservice), like they'll ask us to make certain poses or do certain things. Whereas Hong Kong fans perhaps haven't been exposed to as much BL content so comparatively they're milder.

Kenji: Hong Kong fans like to see our interactions but Taiwan fans seem to have a certain standard for BL fanservice so they prefer more intimacy in our interactions.

11:32 默契大考驗 (testing how well they match/know each other)

11:50 Q1 Please list each other's top 3 regular hobbies/activities

Kenji (re: Martin): gym, eat yogurt, watch "The Promise of the Soul"

Martin (re: Kenji): gym, photography, shopping for clothes

15:39 Q2 Which of your two songs do you like more?

Martin: Freeze (the other ost he likes is "Walk Slowly" by Gu Yu An)

Kenji: You're the one I can't live without

16:43 Q3 The other person's most intolerable trait?

Kenji: Watching Youtube at a high volume

Martin: Acting too much like a kid sometimes

18:20 Q4 Was there a moment where your heart fluttered because of the other?

Kenji: Yes!!! (Martin says he thought Kenji was writing "No 無" because of the extra strokes)

Martin: Yes

19:50 Q5 What kind of relationship would you want with each other in the next lifetime?

Kenji: Brothers

Martin: Pet. Either I can be his pet or he can be my pet. I know Kenji loves his cats a lot and I think these days pets are treated better than kids.

Kenji: So you just want me to cherish/spoil you in your next life.

Martin: You just need to be responsible for my entire life, you can't abandon me.

[wings-of-ink]

Hey Lunan i was wondering, how do you manage to write so much? Like i struggle to write more than, let's say, 10k words. How do you do that?

Golly, well, my answer for this isn't super straightforward. It's a combination of things.

I'll start off by saying you don't have to write lots to write well. Really, if you can tell your story or provide information in fewer words - it often makes you a better writer in many respects. What you're writing also influences this. Take GC for example. Fantasy genres generally must use more words to tell their story because they contain an entirely new world. You can research the typical size of traditional novels - they often vary by genre. Not all stories are meant to be told in a million words.

With that said...I try to write a little each day, but I tend to have "sparks" where things have aligned just right between time, motivation, and energy where I will hammer out at least 10k even in a day - but then I rest. That doesn't always line up, but it helps to let myself have those windfalls. When they hit, it requires dropping everything and letting it happen because that spark is temporary. Not everyone works that way either.

But, you need to consider my lifestyle as well, I think. I...this will sound unhealthy, but I don't really do much else with my free time other than write or read.

Time is really on my side I think more than it is for others because I probably don't have the same responsibilities in my day-to-day life. I don't socialize much - my spouse is my very best friend and all my other friends live quite far away (we keep up online of course). Time gives me more opportunities to write or rest when the words just won't come.

Shows, movies, and social media don't call to me and I tend to have less interest in those things. I catch mostly what my spouse is watching in the background as I write, and we have a couple things we sit down to watch each week. I take a brain-break to scroll for funny videos sometimes, and of course, I cruise Tumblr. But, might spend as little as 30 minutes in a day on any of those things, it just depends.

I think also my age/experience and being child-free and long since out of school help a lot. I see many writers here who are students or have families - I do not know how they manage to find any time or motivation to do these projects at the same time.

All this to say, I'm able to make this my whole world outside of the other few responsibilities I have. Most people probably don't have that quite yet or even the motivation to live like that. I used to spend tons of hours gaming...I mean, a lot, lol. Part of that was because my life felt a little empty and gaming helped me experience the story, chaos, and comedy that I needed so badly. I don't game as much anymore (I do miss it), but those hours I would have spent in that, I spend writing instead - creating my own chaos.

You can't force creativity and enjoy it, I think. So, time is on my side and gives me the luxury of writing when I can. I have lots of moments where I just can't so I don't. I find that reading in those moments helps inspire me too.

I'm also...just incredibly wordy (just look at this answer, lol).

I would recommend trying a couple things to help you write more. If you're a "windfall" sort of writer, try to set yourself up to find a spark. Find a movie to watch, a good book, or IF - something that moves you emotionally. If you're a more structured type of writer, find what sort of framework you need. Some people need their to-do lists completed before they can focus - do that. Sometimes outlining a scene can help push you to do more.

I also highly recommend taking your writing with you somewhere else, away from distractions. I go to another room sometimes because I really need to be away from noise if I need to focus. I can listen to music as long as there's no lyrics, but I need quiet in order to zone in. A change of scenery can help a lot - library or coffee shop or some quiet public place. I don't have those, so I close the door to my office at home. Some people need to set a mood - candles, snacks, drinks, fidget toys, screams of the damned - whatever works.

Remember, any progress is still progress. If you do 100 words - you still accomplished 100 words more than what you had. Doing some is infinitely better than never doing any.

Sorry, this is long. But, I hope there's something in here that maybe helps you a bit. I have no magic secrets, I'm just weird and unsociable, lol. ^_^

[carry-the-sky]

.

[savage-rhi]

🫂

[morningmask27]

I might want to try out more new things next year...

[phoenixmuses]

; 🎟️ Lillian & Paul

[shippingmyworld]

how long does burnout last? asking for a friend

[mackthecheesy]

rip to the person in my dream last night who i was in a time loop trying to save </3 woke up before i ever could

[rolandkaros]

btw i found out that there's a gym near me that has clay tennis courts and i really want to try them out...

[fingertipsmp3]

There are two wolves inside me. One is trying to convince me to do extensive research for the job interview tomorrow and the other is saying “wing it”

[emilydorp]

The ring, I am screaaaming!! Such a good find, well done! Question is, do we think they have two matching rings or it's the same ring that they share.......... 🌝

Lulz, Rachel helped me a lot with that one 💕 Well umm here’s a receipt of their hand size difference, so you can make up your mindddd :D (I think it’s a matching ring cuz Ji’s ring finger is about as thick as Tabi’s pinkie? Lemme know if you disagreeee :P)

[tofupixel]

⭐ So you want to learn pixel art? ⭐

🔹 Part 1 of ??? - The Basics!

Edit: Now available in Google Doc format if you don't have a Tumblr account 🥰

Hello, my name is Tofu and I'm a professional pixel artist. I have been supporting myself with freelance pixel art since 2020, when I was let go from my job during the pandemic.

My progress, from 2017 to 2024. IMO the only thing that really matters is time and effort, not some kind of natural talent for art.

This guide will not be comprehensive, as nobody should be expected to read allat. Instead I will lean heavily on my own experience, and share what worked for me, so take everything with a grain of salt. This is a guide, not a tutorial. Cheers!

🔹 Do I need money?

NO!!! Pixel art is one of the most accessible mediums out there.

I still use a mouse because I prefer it to a tablet! You won't be at any disadvantage here if you can't afford the best hardware or software.

Because our canvases are typically very small, you don't need a good PC to run a good brush engine or anything like that.

✨Did you know? One of the most skilled and beloved pixel artists uses MS PAINT! Wow!!

🔹 What software should I use?

Here are some of the most popular programs I see my friends and peers using. Stars show how much I recommend the software for beginners! ⭐

💰 Paid options:

⭐⭐⭐ Aseprite (for PC) - $19.99

This is what I and many other pixel artists use. You may find when applying to jobs that they require some knowledge of Aseprite. Since it has become so popular, companies like that you can swap raw files between artists.

Aseprite is amazingly customizable, with custom skins, scripts and extensions on Itch.io, both free and paid.

If you have ever used any art software before, it has most of the same features and should feel fairly familiar to use. It features a robust animation suite and a tilemap feature, which have saved me thousands of hours of labour in my work. The software is also being updated all the time, and the developers listen to the users. I really recommend Aseprite!

⭐ Photoshop (for PC) - Monthly $$

A decent option for those who already are used to the PS interface. Requires some setup to get it ready for pixel-perfect art, but there are plenty of tutorials for doing so.

Animation is also much more tedious on PS which you may want to consider before investing time!

⭐⭐ ProMotion NG (for PC) - $19.00

An advanced and powerful software which has many features Aseprite does not, including Colour Cycling and animated tiles.

⭐⭐⭐ Pixquare (for iOS) - $7.99 - $19.99 (30% off with code 'tofu'!!)

Probably the best app available for iPad users, in active development, with new features added all the time.

Look! My buddy Jon recommends it highly, and uses it often.

One cool thing about Pixquare is that it takes Aseprite raw files! Many of my friends use it to work on the same project, both in their office and on the go.

⭐ Procreate (for iOS) - $12.99

If you have access to Procreate already, it's a decent option to get used to doing pixel art. It does however require some setup. Artist Pixebo is famously using Procreate, and they have tutorials of their own if you want to learn.

⭐⭐ ReSprite iOS and Android. (free trial, but:) $19.99 premium or $$ monthly

ReSprite is VERY similar in terms of UI to Aseprite, so I can recommend it. They just launched their Android release!

🆓 Free options:

⭐⭐⭐ Libresprite (for PC)

Libresprite is an alternative to Aseprite. It is very, very similar, to the point where documentation for Aseprite will be helpful to Libresprite users.

⭐⭐ Pixilart (for PC and mobile)

A free in-browser app, and also a mobile app! It is tied to the website Pixilart, where artists upload and share their work. A good option for those also looking to get involved in a community.

⭐⭐ Dotpict (for mobile)

Dotpict is similar to Pixilart, with a mobile app tied to a website, but it's a Japanese service. Did you know that in Japanese, pixel art is called 'Dot Art'? Dotpict can be a great way to connect with a different community of pixel artists! They also have prompts and challenges often.

🔹 So I got my software, now what?

◽Nice! Now it's time for the basics of pixel art.

❗ WAIT ❗ Before this section, I want to add a little disclaimer. All of these rules/guidelines can be broken at will, and some 'no-nos' can look amazing when done intentionally.

The pixel-art fundamentals can be exceedingly helpful to new artists, who may feel lost or overwhelmed by choice. But if you feel they restrict you too harshly, don't force yourself! At the end of the day it's your art, and you shouldn't try to contort yourself into what people think a pixel artist 'should be'. What matters is your own artistic expression. 💕👍

◽Phew! With that out of the way...

🔸"The Rules"

There are few hard 'rules' of pixel art, mostly about scaling and exporting. Some of these things will frequently trip up newbies if they aren't aware, and are easy to overlook.

🔹Scaling method

There are a couple ways of scaling your art. The default in most art programs, and the entire internet, is Bi-linear scaling, which usually works out fine for most purposes. But as pixel artists, we need a different method.

Both are scaled up x10. See the difference?

On the left is scaled using Bilinear, and on the right is using Nearest-Neighbor. We love seeing those pixels stay crisp and clean, so we use nearest-neighbor. 

(Most pixel-art programs have nearest-neighbor enabled by default! So this may not apply to you, but it's important to know.)

🔹Mixels

Mixels are when there are different (mixed) pixel sizes in the same image.

Here I have scaled up my art- the left is 200%, and the right is 150%. Yuck!

As we can see, the "pixel" sizes end up different. We generally try to scale our work by multiples of 100 - 200%, 300% etc. rather than 150%. At larger scales however, the minute differences in pixel sizes are hardly noticeable!

Mixels are also sometimes seen when an artist scales up their work, then continues drawing on it with a 1 pixel brush.

Many would say that this is not great looking! This type of pixels can be indicative of a beginner artist. But there are plenty of creative pixel artists out there who mixels intentionally, making something modern and cool.

🔹Saving Your Files

We usually save our still images as .PNGs as they don’t create any JPEG artifacts or loss of quality. It's a little hard to see here, but there are some artifacts, and it looks a little blurry. It also makes the art very hard to work with if we are importing a JPEG.

For animations .GIF is good, but be careful of the 256 colour limit. Try to avoid using too many blending mode layers or gradients when working with animations. If you aren’t careful, your animation could flash afterwards, as the .GIF tries to reduce colours wherever it can. It doesn’t look great!

Here's an old piece from 2021 where I experienced .GIF lossiness, because I used gradients and transparency, resulting in way too many colours.

🔹Pixel Art Fundamentals - Techniques and Jargon

❗❗Confused about Jaggies? Anti-Aliasing? Banding? Dithering? THIS THREAD is for you❗❗ << it's a link, click it!!

As far as I'm concerned, this is THE tutorial of all time for understanding pixel art. These are techniques created and named by the community of people who actually put the list together, some of the best pixel artists alive currently. Please read it!!

🔸How To Learn

Okay, so you have your software, and you're all ready to start. But maybe you need some more guidance? Try these tutorials and resources! It can be helpful to work along with a tutorial until you build your confidence up.

⭐⭐ Pixel Logic (A Digital Book) - $10 A very comprehensive visual guide book by a very skilled and established artist in the industry. I own a copy myself.

⭐⭐⭐ StudioMiniBoss - free A collection of visual tutorials, by the artist that worked on Celeste! When starting out, if I got stuck, I would go and scour his tutorials and see how he did it.

⭐ Lospec Tutorials - free A very large collection of various tutorials from all over the internet. There is a lot to sift through here if you have the time.

⭐⭐⭐ Cyangmou's Tutorials - free (tipping optional) Cyangmou is one of the most respected and accomplished modern pixel artists, and he has amassed a HUGE collection of free and incredibly well-educated visual tutorials. He also hosts an educational stream every week on Twitch called 'pixelart for beginners'.

⭐⭐⭐ Youtube Tutorials - free There are hundreds, if not thousands of tutorials on YouTube, but it can be tricky to find the good ones. My personal recommendations are MortMort, Brandon, and AdamCYounis- these guys really know what they're talking about!

🔸 How to choose a canvas size

When looking at pixel art turorials, we may see people suggest things like 16x16, 32x32 and 64x64. These are standard sizes for pixel art games with tiles. However, if you're just making a drawing, you don't necessarily need to use a standard canvas size like that.

What I like to think about when choosing a canvas size for my illustrations is 'what features do I think it is important to represent?' And make my canvas as small as possible, while still leaving room for my most important elements.

Imagine I have characters in a scene like this:

I made my canvas as small as possible (232 x 314), but just big enough to represent the features and have them be recognizable (it's Good Omens fanart 😤)!! If I had made it any bigger, I would be working on it for ever, due to how much more foliage I would have to render.

If you want to do an illustration and you're not sure, just start at somewhere around 100x100 - 200x200 and go from there.

It's perfectly okay to crop your canvas, or scale it up, or crunch your art down at any point if you think you need a different size. I do it all the time! It only takes a bit of cleanup to get you back to where you were.

🔸Where To Post

Outside of just regular socials, Twitter, Tumblr, Deviantart, Instagram etc, there are a few places that lean more towards pixel art that you might not have heard of.

⭐ Lospec Lospec is a low-res focused art website. Some pieces get given a 'monthly masterpiece' award. Not incredibly active, but I believe there are more features being added often.

⭐⭐ Pixilart Pixilart is a very popular pixel art community, with an app tied to it. The community tends to lean on the young side, so this is a low-pressure place to post with an relaxed vibe.

⭐⭐ Pixeljoint Pixeljoint is one of the big, old-school pixel art websites. You can only upload your art unscaled (1x) because there is a built-in zoom viewer. It has a bit of a reputation for being elitist (back in the 00s it was), but in my experience it's not like that any more. This is a fine place for a pixel artist to post if they are really interested in learning, and the history. The Hall of Fame has some of the most famous / impressive pixel art pieces that paved the way for the work we are doing today.

⭐⭐⭐ Cafe Dot Cafe Dot is my art server so I'm a little biased here. 🍵 It was created during the recent social media turbulence. We wanted a place to post art with no algorithms, and no NFT or AI chuds. We have a heavy no-self-promotion rule, and are more interested in community than skill or exclusivity. The other thing is that we have some kind of verification system- you must apply to be a Creator before you can post in the Art feed, or use voice. This helps combat the people who just want to self-promo and dip, or cause trouble, as well as weed out AI/NFT people. Until then, you are still welcome to post in any of the threads or channels. There is a lot to do in Cafe Dot. I host events weekly, so check the threads!

⭐⭐/r/pixelart The pixel art subreddit is pretty active! I've also heard some of my friends found work through posting here, so it's worth a try if you're looking. However, it is still Reddit- so if you're sensitive to rude people, or criticism you didn't ask for, you may want to avoid this one. Lol

🔸 Where To Find Work

You need money? I got you! As someone who mostly gets scouted on social media, I can share a few tips with you:

Put your email / portfolio in your bio Recruiters don't have all that much time to find artists, make it as easy as possible for someone to find your important information!

Clean up your profile If your profile feed is all full of memes, most people will just tab out rather than sift through. Doesn't apply as much to Tumblr if you have an art tag people can look at.

Post regularly, and repost Activity beats everything in the social media game. It's like rolling the dice, and the more you post the more chances you have. You have to have no shame, it's all business baby

Outside of just posting regularly and hoping people reach out to you, it can be hard to know where to look. Here are a few places you can sign up to and post around on.

/r/INAT INAT (I Need A Team) is a subreddit for finding a team to work with. You can post your portfolio here, or browse for people who need artists.

/r/GameDevClassifieds Same as above, but specifically for game-related projects.

Remote Game Jobs / Work With Indies Like Indeed but for game jobs. Browse them often, or get email notifications.

VGen VGen is a website specifically for commissions. You need a code from another verified artist before you can upgrade your account and sell, so ask around on social media or ask your friends. Once your account is upgraded, you can make a 'menu' of services people can purchase, and they send you an offer which you are able to accept, decline, or counter.

The evil websites of doom: Fiverr and Upwork I don't recommend them!! They take a big cut of your profit, and the sites are teeming with NFT and AI people hoping to make a quick buck. The site is also extremely oversaturated and competitive, resulting in a race to the bottom (the cheapest, the fastest, doing the most for the least). Imagine the kind of clients who go to these websites, looking for the cheapest option. But if you're really desperate...

🔸 Community

I do really recommend getting involved in a community. Finding like-minded friends can help you stay motivated to keep drawing. One day, those friends you met when you were just starting out may become your peers in the industry. Making friends is a game changer!

Discord servers Nowadays, the forums of old are mostly abandoned, and people split off into many different servers. Cafe Dot, Pixel Art Discord (PAD), and if you can stomach scrolling past all the AI slop, you can browse Discord servers here.

Twitch Streams Twitch has kind of a bad reputation for being home to some of the more edgy gamers online, but the pixel art community is extremely welcoming and inclusive. Some of the people I met on Twitch are my friends to this day, and we've even worked together on different projects! Browse pixel art streams here, or follow some I recommend: NickWoz, JDZombi, CupOhJoe, GrayLure, LumpyTouch, FrankiePixelShow, MortMort, Sodor, NateyCakes, NyuraKim, ShinySeabass, I could go on for ever really... There are a lot of good eggs on Pixel Art Twitch.

🔸 Other Helpful Websites

Palettes Lospec has a huge collection of user-made palettes, for any artist who has trouble choosing their colours, or just wants to try something fun. Rejected Palettes is full of palettes that didn't quite make it onto Lospec, ran by people who believe there are no bad colours.

The Spriters Resource TSR is an incredible website where users can upload spritesheets and tilesets from games. You can browse for your favourite childhood game, and see how they made it! This website has helped me so much in understanding how game assets come together in a scene.

VGMaps Similar to the above, except there are entire maps laid out how they would be played. This is incredible if you have to do level design, or for mocking up a scene for fun.

Game UI Database Not pixel-art specific, but UI is a very challenging part of graphics, so this site can be a game-changer for finding good references!

Retronator A digital newspaper for pixel-art lovers! New game releases, tutorials, and artworks!

Itch.io A website where people can upload, games, assets, tools... An amazing hub for game devs and game fans alike. A few of my favourite tools: Tiled, PICO-8, Pixel Composer, Juice FX, Magic Pencil for Aseprite

🔸 The End?

This is just part 1 for now, so please drop me a follow to see any more guides I release in the future. I plan on doing some writeups on how I choose colours, how to practise, and more!

I'm not an expert by any means, but everything I did to get to where I am is outlined in this guide. Pixel art is my passion, my job and my hobby! I want pixel art to be recognized everywhere as an art-form, a medium of its own outside of game-art or computer graphics!

This guide took me a long time, and took a lot of research and experience. Consider following me or supporting me if you are feeling generous.

And good luck to all the fledgling pixel artists, I hope you'll continue and have fun. I hope my guide helped you, and don't hesitate to send me an ask if you have any questions! 💕

My other tutorials (so far): How to draw Simple Grass for a game Hue Shifting