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rixitup · 10 months

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Rixitup’s Statement on TS Criticism (11 pages)

No one asked me to make a statement, however I’ve been seeing some TS criticism as of late and felt I should take a small stance on it.

I’ve been in the fandom for a really long time, so long in fact I remember vine, and I remember the very day Sanders Sides debuted. It’s been 8 long years of being in the fandom and 6 long years of being in the Sanders Sides fandom. I’ve seen Thomas’s channel really blossom with creative freedom as he has moved from vine to YouTube. I remember being so enthralled by his “Prank calls with Leo the Giant” video which actually has been deleted I think? Cause I couldn’t find it when I wanted to rewatch (however I found part 2 and 3) anyway- it’s the video that originally got me to subscribe after following on vine.

When the YouTube membership became a thing I joined and was a member I think for 1-2 years before they switched to patreon which I immediately switched to after the membership ended. Other things I was really lucky to do in this fandom was meet Thomas through a video chat for the holiday concert, and then meet him in real life when he was visiting New Jersey last year. (I go to school in NJ but live in MA).

So I’ve been around, I’ve stayed up to date, and I’ve been involved in the community as much as I can be.

Sure, Sanders Sides is a series that I favor the most out of Thomas’s content, however that’s not what I originally followed him for, I followed him for his goofy and entertaining content- and out of all the content creators I’ve followed, Thomas seems to be the most active in interacting with his audience on varying degrees. From art shoutouts, to tweets, to Instagram comments, Instagram stories, to cons, meetups, and live streams this dude goes out of his way to interact with his fan base- not a lot of creators do that to such a big extent (from my experience at least). At first I think in the formative years of his channel between the switch from vine to YouTube, Thomas was most active in his fan base. He did art shoutouts on Instagram and Twitter every other week and was generally around a LOT online. Since then I think he’s pulled back though a little and that’s because he’s gotten serious about his content and future. Thomas has gone from being silly online to being silly online AND moving towards being more of a professional individual. He’s voice acting now, he has an agent, he’s hanging out with friends- traveling- acting- etc- and amongst all of this he is still making content and interacting with his fans; cause at the end of the day he enjoys what he does, even if it’s a lot. I think because he’s gotten into so many things lately this has made content slow down, not to mention the team went from being 7 (IE- Joan, Talyn, Camden, Davii, Quil, Thomas, and I think there was one more but I do not remember their name) in 2019-2020 to dwindling down to what I *believe* is Thomas, Quil, a part-time/contracted cinematographer, an editor, Brie, occasionally Dom, and AJ. Now this is still a lot of people however it seems to be a very chaotic/part time situation for some individuals which really boils down to Thomas, Quil, and Brie working on what I assume to be the most stuff between set design, acting, directing, editing, script writing, and art. (This isn’t to discredit other employees, I just genuinely don’t know about the rest of the team.)

And I can relate to having a tiny team and trying to do a lot of stuff! I used to work for a State political party as a Deputy Convention Director- we had to put together a political CONVENTION with over 1000 people and attendees with only a team of 8 people. (Not to mention this was a government proceeding- these attendees were voting on the primary candidates for the Party on the midterm election ballot. This was serious business conducted by only 8 people.)

Sure- we brought on volunteers the day of the convention to help but for months it was just 8 people, working on putting together a whole ass convention- and that was super hard! I can only imagine how much these guys have to work to create big projects every day. Now that’s not to say they can’t hire more people- we don’t know if they have the bandwidth to do that and frankly I don’t think we need to know the specifics. Sure, maybe an update would be nice on what’s going on team wise and business wise but at the end of the day that’s not really our business; we’re the viewers, not the project managers.

Not to mention I think ever since Covid, the hurricanes, and personal journeys, the team has been hit with some obstacles that have affected content— but understandably so.

Is the ambiguity of what’s happening frustrating?

Yes.

Can we be patient and have faith the team is working things out?

Also yes, I don’t think we have any other reason to believe otherwise.

The team has gone through a lot of turnover in the last few years- they’ve also moved offices too which I think has added to their workload. But when has the team not gone through turnovers? In employees— plans— or otherwise?

When Thomas created Sanders Sides it was NEVER supposed to be a series with this much writing and production- he’s talked about it before in live streams and behind the scenes- so the series’ foundation was built on a silly little series that was never supposed to get this involved and has since evolved to try and withstand the pressure of these cinematic masterpieces that the team pours their hearts and souls into; I’m sure the foundation has some cracks because of it, so there is BOUND to be some moments where the team might be struggling to get things together. Do I blame them? No, I really don’t, in this economy making art is hella hard and discouraging- there are obstacles every single step of the way for artists, and the fact they’re able to make content? Despite that? Incredible.

Also I know how it feels to start something that became bigger than I ever imagined- I created a comic because people wanted to know more from a small angsty post that was never supposed to have anything but a ten panel story— it was on a smaller scale but I can still relate to their situation.

Should the team consider down-scaling their video production to pump out content faster?

I don’t know. I think the team should be able to do what they want because at the end of the day they’re creating free content on a public platform. People can complain about content taking forever and the team can make the choice to listen or not since their ad revenue is reliant on views and audience interaction; but other than that they aren’t obligated to change their methods.

Should they take these complaints into consideration to try and get as much profit as possible? I think any good business would but at the end of the day- again- people aren’t paying for the content, so if the team is content with the revenue coming in from the views they do get from taking lots of time on videos, then they get to make that decision.

The team's content has always taken a lot of time, whether that be months, weeks, days, or in this case years. And though Sanders Sides has a lot of fanfare, it’s not Thomas’s only content- it’s never BEEN his only content— he has other projects, other goals, and most importantly other things he has on his priority list such as- themed photoshoots on instagram, Patreon content, short videos/tik toks, merch deals (like plushies which have been in the works for a long time and a consumer demand), original songs/music videos, voice acting, friends, relationships, RSWR, Cartoon therapy, etc.

Now has he had a difficult time organizing all of this content?

Yes, probably- he is one man- and this channel revolves around him. I think we forget that although we have all of this content- Thomas is literally one person- and there is only so much one person can do? He can’t be in five places at once- he’s not 7 dudes standing in the same room as much as it seems like he is lol.

Now can he maybe find a way to pass on those responsibilities to other people? Yes, and he has! But only to the extent he can- as previously mentioned- the team is small, and there has been a lot of turnover. And he’s only had a team for so long- I think the team got an office around 2019? And then what happened after that?

Covid hit. And suddenly the office that they had so many plans for- had to be paused for the global pandemic that would then take place for 3 years.

We are only just getting back to normal, and so is the team. We can see this not only in the channel’s content, but I think in life.

For example, last year was my first year in college (fall of 2021) and we wore masks up until the spring- the END of my freshman year. It wouldn’t be until the fall of 2022 where things really got back to normal- and they still aren’t completely normal! Covid has rewired MUCH of our society. As a personal example- my college campus- Rutgers New Brunswick— used to have so many food trucks, festivals, and traditions that have still not come back to our university- Many places are hybrid, working from home for half the week and going into the office the other week- we have virtual meetings now, emails, texts, etc.

Not to mention the US economy is screwed up- that has a huge effect on things. We’re about to go into a recession (so we’ve been told) and that really causes a domino effect on everyone, employees, businesses, and supply chains.

Anyway- I’ve also posted here to say that on patreon live streams- although not given a direct time line- we have gotten updates about content and I’m here to reassure those who are criticizing, that the content is being worked on- it’s been in production for a while, and there has been many hiccups and obstacles outside of the teams control (including covid, turnover, and hurricanes).

Back in 2020 the finale episodes were drafted to be two episodes, since then, the episodes have developed into four parts with implications it will be a whole “production,” with other implications of musical components.

Back in 2020 the Sanders Asides were made to try and get content out faster in relation to TSS, since then, they have evolved into side stories that don’t quite fit in the general storyline but are important to develop character arcs nonetheless.

Back in 2020, Cartoon Therapy had plans, since then, many of the actors who were supposed to star in the series have- moved away, gotten busy, or were unable to be around as much as they had to be for the series itself. The last cartoon therapy episode was filmed with Joan directing from a computer.

The team is doing everything they can do to the extent they can with as much man power they’ve got at the moment.

I’m not saying don’t criticize- by all means do- however I think when we criticize we need to consider all the angles.

Does the team owe the whole community an update?

Yes! I think making a public update would be nice- maybe making a general post on Twitter or Youtube would be nice, however the team has given some updates publicly through Twitter, and Youtube Live streams, and youtube- given— they were at the beginning of 2022 and end of 2022— so it might be time for a public update rather than just keeping to patreon— but updates have been given nonetheless whether you saw it or not. (During the anniversary of TSS Thomas gave a small video update on twitter when thanking the fandom. He also has a video up on his channel from not long ago describing upcoming content)

As a patreon member I’ve always strived to try and give insight to what’s going on- on instagram I’ve made some posts about the series and what patreon has been told in order to keep the general audience updated because I felt as though that info shouldn’t be behind a paywall; others might disagree but I digress.

I think a general update would be great, however at this time those updates and information have been exclusive to patreon because the info has been provided in patreon posts and patreon live streams.

Is patreon not worth it for those looking for Sanders Sides content?

Perhaps?

I am subscribed to the Logan tier, and I signed up because I’d be getting *extra content,* not sanders sides content, *extra content.* In each tier it tells you what you’re going to get- for example in the Logan tier:

Monthly Thomas Sanders Livestreams: Watch Thomas and the team make fools of themselves once a month as they host Q&As, play unscripted games, engage in discussions and more! Just remember, what happens in Thomas Sanders live streams stays in Thomas Sanders live streams. (Livestreams live on the platform for 7 days)

Exclusive Photos and BTS Videos: All the dirty details that didn’t make it to social media! Not dirty like that, though. Like, spicy. But not spicy like that. Maybe spicy like that? Find out for yourself!!!

Watch previously released videos Ad Free! I get it, ads are boring and you've got better stuff to do, like, I don't know, watching more of our videos? Whatever. Up to you. No scales off my back.

Script Access: After videos are posted, we’ll release the scripts so that you can scratch that little Pandoric itch.

Patron-Only Poll: You’ll help us make certain video-oriented decisions! Choose wisely... there’s no wrong answer, but I might judge you for yours.

Extended Versions of Unscripted Videos: Because there was just too much footage for YouTube to handle.

Nothing in here says that the patreon will provide extra Sanders sides content. Sure, the patreon is themed to be TSS, but it never guaranteed extra TSS content- just extra content overall; fine print. (Not to mention the patreon blossomed from the YouTube Membership which never guaranteed extra TSS content either- just live streams and video talk backs. So the patreon was never founded on providing extra TSS content, just like how the YT membership was never founded on extra TSS content, just extra content).

Is that misleading? Yes, a little bit. It’s definitely a grab- a hook- but Sanders Sides is a big part of Thomas’ channel so it makes sense why it would be themed that way.

Is it a little disappointing when you go into it thinking it’s going to be more TSS content?

Yeah, a little, but at that point you can either decide to pay for that extra content or not.

The tiers are clear on the content they offer, so it is the consumers choice to purchase or not.

As a Logan tier I can say that I am getting what I am paying for, however I cannot speak for the other tiers, since I do not pay or experience the extra content for those tiers. I pay $50 dollars a year for exclusive live streams and general content updates; that’s really it. If at any point I think the patreon is not worth that $50 dollars I will stop my subscription.

As a Logan tier subscriber- I am content with the content.

I am curious to know if other tiers are content as well or disappointed and why they are disappointed.

I went back to the one tweet people have been reblogging from twitter where a fan @-ed Thomas and said:

“@ThomasSanders I know you work hard, and I love you a lot, but it’s been a year and there is still no updates on the season finale of sanders sides, where is it? ;-;”

To which Thomas responded:

“I’ve kept people posted on where I’m at with the finale here, in livestreams, and on Patreon to the extent that I feel comfortable doing. And I appreciate your excitement, but putting pressure on someone to deliver content they’re working hard on is never healthy or productive.”

I think there’s more to this than just surface level stuff. For one- Thomas has had a bad history with giving explicit release dates for videos. There have been several instances in the past where he has given us a release date and then it ended up being too early, and a technical difficulty with editing arrived.

Because of this awful track record of giving out release dates and then essentially jinxing himself (he has apologized so much every time this has happened in the past) I think the sentence where he says “to the extent I that I feel comfortable doing” is in reference to these past instances.

The next part of the tweet he takes time to sympathize with the poster, saying he appreciates their excitement- which I’m sure he genuinely does- however he follows this up by setting a boundary, one that I think we should all be aware of. Now- should he have responded to this tweeter?

I think he probably could’ve left it alone, and that this reply tweet is probably the product of him getting asked the same question over and over and over again by thousands of people everyday. I don’t know about you but if someone asked me the same question every day I would probably be very frustrated too!

Was the fan pressuring Thomas as he states?

They probably weren't, however the implied tone of their tweet does imply they are complaining about the wait time a little- and that’s not constructive- regardless, tones are HARD to read in tweets, so I don’t fault Thomas for responding the way he did, however I do think there was a genuine misunderstanding between either party in this instance and there could’ve been constructive communication over all; this is a learning moment from both sides, so I don’t think we should fault either.

While I searched for this tweet I also noted some things that Thomas worked on between October 2022 and December of 2022: TSS Halloween photoshoot-

In october of 2022 on the anniversary of Sanders Sides he posted a video on twitter talking a little about what they’re doing and thanking the fandom for the support:

https://twitter.com/ThomasSanders/status/1582928124979064832?s=20&t=98MtVvNZe3HesfeC892K_A

RSWR was the focus for the fall of 2022

Into the unknown was ALSO a focus for the fall of 2022

Youtooz and Plushies (which fans of the fandom have asked for since the start of the patreon- they had a whole live stream dedicated to asking fans for merch ideas, content ideas, etc)

He went to New York in the fall to collab with the try guys

I also went and found the other tweet people have been spreading around recently which looked like this:

Thomas tweets: “Nobody is more ready for us to start filming the next Sanders Sides than me… I’m so frickin excited”

To which a tweeter replies: “you’d be surprised Thomas, but I think everyone that’s been paying you for over a year without getting anything are way more excited than you… (Not me, I never had the money)”

To which Thomas replies: “I find that juuuuust a slight bit offensive and reductive, when we’ve actually been working hard all year creating a lot of things including Sanders Sides- related content. I’d hope those that are supporting us want us to create all the thing’s we’re passionate about.”

Then the tweeter responds: “I’m sorry it came out this way! This isn’t my opinion, I have a couple of friends who signed up for patreon (which was heavily marketed with TSS) expecting to get more TSS content, and were disappointed when they barely got anything. (Their words) Still appreciate you and all you do!”

Let's look at the first reply- the user essentially makes a statement that people have been paying Thomas to create Sanders Sides content- I think this is a misguided statement as they are referring to the patreon subscribers who pay for their tiers on a monthly basis for certain rewards and exclusive content. Now we’ve been over this in earlier paragraphs- the Patreon was never founded on the idea of “extra TSS content” it was founded on the idea of “extra content” in general- so the user is a little misguided here when they claim “everyones been paying you for over a year without getting anything-”

Now as a Logan Tier, I can only speak for myself not for other tiers and I can say with certainty I have gotten everything I have paid for- live streams, updates, polls, scripts, and BTS.

So from my standpoint, I am not paying Thomas to create extra TSS content, and according to the tier’s outline, no one in the logan tier should either.

(Again I cannot speak for the other tiers as I do not know if they’ve gotten everything they’ve paid for).

And after reading the other tiers and what they have for exclusive content, there isn’t anything in the writing that says people will get extra “TSS content,” just extra “content.”

Let’s move on to Thomas’ reply where he takes offense, and says he’s been working on “lots of things” which he has been-

He’s done:

Roleslaying with Roman

Blooper reel

Gavin sides

Trying Too Hard

Five Nights of Screaming (joystick joyride)

What does Mercury in Retrograde mean?

Real or fake Anime?

Strange things running up that hill

Can plushies improve our health?

Taking on taskmaster

Into the unknown

“We need to find the big lady” resident evvil

Wednesday dance

Dark Sides Ad commercial

Why is it called “broadway” Plus:

Instagram shorts

Shout out sunday

MANY TSS photo shoots

Art shout outs

Comfort characters photoshoot

This is content he pushes to EVERYONE- this isn’t paid for by anyone-

Sure, people give him money through the patreon, and the money probably goes towards some of these things- but the money also in turn gives people exclusive content on patreon that is not available to the general public.

When you pay for patreon, Thomas gives exclusive content in return (on the terms set) and the money goes towards making content.

So when the user responds:

“I’m sorry it came out this way! This isn’t my opinion, I have a couple of friends who signed up for patreon (which was heavily marketed with TSS) expecting to get more TSS content, and were disappointed when they barely got anything. (Their words) Still appreciate you and all you do!”

It doesn’t really matter what the friends have to say about patreon, because when you pay for patreon you’re not paying for TSS content, even if it is TSS themed- the terms are there as written- you are paying for exclusive content in general, not specifically TSS content.

Now we’ve already gone over the fact that having the Patreon TSS themed is a bit of a grab- it’s a hook to get you interested- but again, it was never promised that people would get extra Sanders Sides content- they would just get extra content with TSS being part of that when applicable.

Not to mention in October of 2021 Thomas made an instagram post (and assuming it was a twitter post too) describing the content that Patreon would have in the coming years. (2021-2022)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVBCnHPJSgw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

So the team was completely transparent about what would be on patreon.

Also when Patreon first debuted this is the video they used on Instagram to advertise:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGLR51ojElr/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Where Janus literally tells the audience they would get “extra content” if they went to Thomas’s patreon and subscribed.

He also made this video a little over a year ago: https://youtu.be/OiUUdYfob_8

Which is an update to what they’re working on…

To be fair there are some video projects we haven’t seen that were mentioned in that video update^^ and I think that’s a fair criticism! However- again- back to the point of people paying for this content- no one is explicitly paying for the general content made on the free viewing platform of YouTube- patreons are paying for exclusive content where funds are also being pooled to make Youtube content as well.

Overall, I think the criticism is valid in some points- Thomas seems to be doing a lot and the crowding of projects is definitely probably making things harder however that doesn’t mean the team isn’t working very hard on the season finales. They are a small team that got hit by covid during production and had to reroute in order to figure out what to do next.

I think it’s valid to want a general update on how things are going, but for now things are being worked on, they have been being worked on amongst a lot of other content that has been made in the past year as well.

I’m not here to tell people they should stop criticizing, I am here to offer my insight, my thoughts, and how I have analyzed the situation. And I hope my patreon insight helps clear some things up; I also hope my reasoning skills have helped people internalize all of the criticism as well.

We are all humans- and there are ways we can all improve, including ourselves and the team. But I do believe that the team has been working very hard to put content together, through a lot of obstacles out of their control.

I don’t think the lack of TSS content means they aren’t working on the finale, I think it means that they are working as hard as they can on the finale amongst other projects they want to work on as creative people. Is that slowing the process of the finale? Maybe, but it’s not our place to dictate what content they create.

And hey, if you don’t like the other content then that's fine, you aren’t obligated to like it, but at the end of the day no one is paying anyone for anything specific thing- Thomas is creating content, posting it to a public platform where he benefits from ad revenue and the audience benefits from being entertained.

With Patreon, the terms and conditions for exclusive content are stated, and for the Logan tier, things are at least good and people are getting what they are paying for per the tier terms and conditions of rewards.

It doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement on all ends, it just means that stated terms and conditions are being met on all sides- people get free content through youtube, and people who are paying get the exclusive content as stated (at least for the Logan tier). I empathize with those who miss Sanders Sides. I miss it too! But I would rather the team take their time, get rest, and make other fun content than them spend every waking second trying to pump out content- especially when no one explicitly pays for just Sanders Sides- But that’s just me.

Thanks for reading, -Rixitup (not looking for feedback- or comments- or replies- this is my analysis and that’s that. people are welcome to think and say whatever they want)

#ts criticism #sanders sides #Thomas sanders #Tss #essay #11 pages

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just-doing-lesbian-things · 2 years

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Jinx’s Neurodiversity

Disclaimer: this analysis is coming from a late-in-life diagnosed autistic woman, who, in her autism diagnosis had her “borderline case of ADHD” from childhood confirmed as actual ADHD. (cause there is no “borderline ADHD” or “borderline autism,” you’re neurodiverse or you’re not).

Also, we can all speculate as much as we please but if the writers didn’t do their research and create the characters with that intent, this shit is just that: speculative.

Buckle up for my brain dump ❤️

1. The first meltdown

It might seem like Powder overreacted to being told “don’t come,” but neurodiverse people (overall) have a limbic system (part of brain that regulates emotion) that develops differently from neurotypical people (see: needs extra support and has a steeper learning curve). ADHD-ers especially are more likely to experience very extreme feelings to triggers--as opposed to the more emotionally disconnected alexithymia which is more prevalent in the autistic community--but both labels can experience overwhelm, meltdowns, and shutdowns just from “big feelings.”

(And this is different from bipolar which will experience extremely high highs and low lows without a stimulus that will last for days/weeks/months.)

In ADHD/autism the intense feelings are more apt to last a few minutes to a few hours and they are highly dependent on external and internal triggers. They’re not “crossed wires” or anything we could pathologize, they’re plainly very intense feelings. And again, because our nervous systems just don’t know how to process the overwhelm it can lead to meltdowns.

Breaking down Powder’s first meltdown:

-Intense reaction to being left alone for an indeterminate amount of time

-Don’t know how to process “not ready” so is aggressive/melts down around the items that relate to her “not ready”-ness (her bombs and the suitcase she packed to go with the group).

-(This part was the key for me) She realizes that she has a powerful superweapon in her possession and immediately the meltdown stops. Because we’re onto a new set of feelings now. She’s no longer distraught over not being able to contribute because she has a solution, and so those intense feelings disappear and so does the meltdown.

2. The reflexes / brain go zoom

Jinx demonstrates that she has super reflexes

ADHD-ers, on average, have brains that work 3x as a fast as every other brain type. It’s what leads to a lot of us getting called the “gifted child” in school, but it’s not necessarily that we’re all geniuses, it’s just that our brains go zoom.

Our brains are also more likely to exhibit a kind of neuropathway (?) that bypasses a part of our brains that would otherwise be used to “edit” signals. Where most people’s brains would go “cup want. vase in the way. move around vase, now *grab cup*” ADHD brains tend to go “cup” at the same time as “grab” which makes for clumsiness and impulsivity but also super fast reflexes.

As well, I listened to a special ops on a biohacking podcast talk about how, if he had to be on the battlefield again, he’d want the person with ADHD next to him because our brains can keep up with the speed of battle with ease. Other brains are more likely to be overstimulated and have to wade through the shock first. But ADHD-ers have a speedy brain and are likely to have no problem keeping up (therefore keeping alive).

The speediness is how we can have such a high threshold for stimulation, and why we’re more likely to be that person “sucked in” by the video game or movie--our brains also like the constant stream of stimulation. And conversely, we’re the first person to whip out our phone and start multitasking as soon as there’s a slow point on the screen. ADHD brains are hungry for stimulation, and battle is fast-paced stimulation.

3. Happy-hormone starved

The way I understand it, because our brains work so fast we end up burning through dopamine/serotonin/happy hormones faster than other brains which is why we crave new stimulus constantly--it’s our brains way of chasing some happy. And again, battle is stimulating.

And Jinx, Jinx seems to luuurve battle. While, yes, there’s definitely a lot of validation that she gets from being the “stronger” adversary, it’s also probably something that is feeding her happy-hormone starved brain consistent hits of happy. So she likes it. Like a lot.

Edit:* There’s even evidence in this in the “romantic and elated” music that plays when her bomb is a success--it’s the same music that plays when she watches her siblings fight Decker’s gang, and we see that from her POV and the slow mo of it makes it like a dance. I think battle and violence was something she was drawn to even before she ran around intentionally committing atrocities.

4. The “blips”

The first time we see Jinx’s awareness “blip” out is during this:

She is visibly already uncomfortable and when Silco reassures her that Vi is gone. She (1) agrees, (2) blips and struggles to make a joke about sisters, (3) blips and is suddenly blowing on the needle like a whistle.

She’s dissociating. Shutting down little by little to avoid having to face the thing that’s causing her pain: the topic of Vi. I think this time the blip was to relay how her brain is processing trauma--in that it’s not processing it, but two other times it really felt more like the little manic episodes ADHD-ers can get.

You can feel like your brain is firing on all cylinders and, like, if your brain was a train, it doesn’t matter where you’re going cause the tracks will appear the millisecond before the wheels touch the ground. They don’t last long, a few hours at most, and they happen more when you’re “in the zone” or hyperfixating on something. And these happy blips happen when Jinx is in her element (and unbothered by her PTSD). She’s low-key manic.

5. “And I thought Powder could get obsessed”

Both ADHD and autism are known for having hyperfixations. Hyperfixating is like extreme tunnel-vision, almost always on something enjoyable. Neurodiverse people can go all day without eating if they’re hyperfixated on a project, ignore all body wants and needs--literally eat breathe sleep whatever topic they are hyperfixating on.

ADHD-ers, when we like a thing we become obsessed with it as it continues to feed our brain happy hormones hits, and then a few weeks to a few months later, when it stops bringing us the happy, we drop it and move on to the next thing.

Jinx clearly has obsessions that can each be explained by other means, but Vi has that one comment to Caitlyn, “And I thought Powder could get obsessed.” This trait has been a staple in Powder/Jinx since before the incident. And if Jinx is neurodiverse, then this is how her brain has worked since she was born.

Side note: hyperfixating is different from special interests, which are hyperfixations that can last a person’s lifetime. Jinx’s obsession with bombs and shooting are probably special interests.

6. “Different”

Jinx being “different” seems to be a point of contention for her throughout the season. She’s less than thrilled when Vi calls her different, and when she admits it in the last episode, it’s like with a beaten down resignation. She doesn’t want to be different; she spends the whole season trying to belong (first to the Vander-family and then she flits between her desperation to be loved by Silco and loved by Vi).

And this is one of the biggest complaints about autism; that because we are so different, we feel chronically lonely. We’re more likely to feel on the outs and like we just cannot connect and bond with others, even when we are actively participating or are with people we get along well with. It also means we’re going to be the person who doesn’t get the same fulfillment or feel the same ease when we are with other people. In my experience, the person at the party who wanders away from the crowd to go explore other rooms, or the person to break off from the conversation to sit at the table first is always neurodivergent (usually that person is me, but the rare times it’s not it’s another autie or ADHD-er). This inherent disconnect that happens, socially, makes us less apt to stick to the group and more apt to seek comfort or stimulation elsewhere.

Several times we see Powder wandering off on her own. The first time is in Jayce’s apartment; Vi, Claggor, and Mylo stick together in the main room and Powder wanders away to explore. Another time is in the arcade when Powder completely decimates Mylo in the gun game. Instead of sticking around to claim her victory, or anything you’d expect from a kid who just destroyed someone who’s been low-key bullying her, she sticks her tongue out at him and wanders away.

7. Comorbid diagnoses with neurodiversity

If you drew a circle around all of the overlapping symptoms of ADHD and Autism, and then another circle around symptoms of trauma, you’d have almost one solid circle. ADHD and Austim have a lot of overlap, and most of those symptoms are also symptoms of trauma because being neurodiverse in a neurotypical world is inherently traumatizing.

A large portion of the neurodiverse demographic have additional diagnoses of things like PTSD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc. I think one major factor in how prevalent comorbid diagnoses are, is that the daily trauma continues to compound until our brains have no choice but to alter our brain chemistry into something to seriously pathologize.

And Jinx bby has been through two serious traumas which, when compounded on top of potential neurodiversity, would explain how her mental health got to be so irreparably far gone by the time Act II starts (even though she wasn’t the only one dealing with the aftermath of the incident, and pretty much every fissure folk has been through an insane amount of pain, too).

This reddit post, btw, had a good talk about Jinx’s probable schizophrenia. From her “clang association” and “word salad” (as featured in “you’re a class act sister. sister, thought I missed her. bet you wouldn’t miss her.”), her paranoia, restlessness, and of course what we all associated with Jinx’s manifested mental illness: the hallucinations.

The last thing I want to point out is in the first scene: we don’t see Powder emotionally react to mom and dad dying. We see Vi break down and we watch Powder comfort her sister. Does Powder ever process her parents death?? Probably not! Which is so wildly unhealthy.

I think her not mourning mom and dad was the first crack in the bedrock of her psyche that that made for the choices and clear mental illness throughout the rest of the show. And that bedrock cracked as deeply as it did (and is as unfixable as it is) because she was probably neurodivergent from the start (plus the lanes don’t have therapy).

So...

Thank you for coming to my TEDtalk.

#arcane #arcane jinx #jinx arcane #jinx #arcane mental health #arcane trauma #jinx trauma #neurodivergent #jinx meta #arcane meta #arcane analysis

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blu3cl0v3rs · 1 month

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Badly Summarizing Njnjago

Season 2 Rewrite Edition

"The Ninja" work mininum wage while Meow and Gandalf motorbike off into the sunset. The devil forces the sneks to work for him, and the snek leaders don't like that, so they try to kidnap Trauma Child. Don't worry, with the magic of ✨️plot convenience✨️, Gandalf and Meow save Trauma Child, and "The Ninja" all get fired. The devil uses magical lava goop to turn the weapons into a Big Gold Stick-Thing. "The Ninja" meet Brownie, who owns a dojo, and kick his ass so they can train there.

The devil summons pirates, evil Ninja doubles, and a Grundal, and somehow still fails. What a loser. Trauma Child gets aged up with magical tea. The devil and "The Ninja" time travel and fuck around in the past. The Big Gold Stick-Thing and god's gold weapons from the past are shot into space. For some reason.

Satan's Wife shows up. Instead of actually being a mother for Trauma Child, she's been researching the Green Ninja's destiny. Everyone slow claps for the Best Mother of the Year /s. The Serpentine commit a coup d'etat by literally shoving the devil out of a helicopter, and Bloo Snek Leader takes over.

Satan's Wife gives a history lesson, and introduced god's greatest mistake: evil liquid cat, which we will call Demonic Purple Blob/DPB. DPB is stranded on the other half of Ninjago that god broke off, which we call the Dim Landmass. DPB created some indestructible warriors out of stone that we're gonna call the Rockies. Also, you remember the big boi snek that the devil smacked on the head? Well, the author forgot to mention that it caused big boi snek to fucking explode, and the gooey green remains can animate things. Anyways, the gooey green stuff brings one of the Rockies to life that Satan's Wife found underneath the museum she works at. "The Ninja" trick it into falling into a bottomless pit.

Meanwhile, after the devil got shoved out of a 'copter, he found the Dim Landmass, and DPB strikes a deal with him. The devil unlocks a new level of Dim Landmass, now it's not mostly underwater! Satan's Wife hits on Gandalf. The author is disgusted. A bunch of the Rockies are reawakened, and the sneks get locked underground again as the Rockies wreak havoc upon Ninjago City.

Gandalf and Satan's Wife literally attempt suicide via jumping out a building window, but "The Ninja" go "nuh uh" and save their asses by catching them on their flying boat the author forgot about last season. The boosters broke, so they sail to the Dim Landmass like how you're supposed to use a ship. Freezy's bird friend gets shot down. Demonic starfish eat some of the boat, and they crash land onto a not-lighthouse prison. SURPRISE! Freezy's dad is somehow alive, fixes their ship, and they fly away to the Dim Landmass.

Meanwhile, DPB annd the devil scoop up a bunch of evil galaxy mud, and are using it to create a super weapon. "The Ninja" get caught trying to sneak in and escape, then they go there with Satan's Wife to try to get the devil's fancy new hat and escape, but not before Meow gets kidnapped and experimented on.

One dramatic hero speech later, and "The Ninja" try to defeat the devil again.

They fail. The devil gets possessed by DPB, and Trauma Child gets physical trauma as well as emotional trauma! I would say baby's first traumatic experience, but Satan's Wife abandoning him and his entire time at Darkley's takes that title.

Ninjagoans(?) get turned evil, and the possessed devil and his army of Rockies go to Ninjago. Turns out the possessed devil has worse aim than the Storm Troopers and somehow manages to miss Brownie like 20 times. Then, the possessed devil decides to fuck it and uses Russian bombing tactics of "if you have shit aim, just shoot bigger ones in the general area" and launches evil mist everywhere.

The color coded dumbasses have their hero speech as the author spends way too much time looking at the sand physics, and holy shit god had a mech??? Anyways, "The Ninja" fly back to Ninjago, fight the Rockies, and get evil-possessed??? All except for Trauma Child, who unlocks God's fighting style and light beams the everloving shit out of his possessed satan father, which literally blasts the demonic purple blob AND the devil out!

Now, we're left with the world saved, a DILF, and his brother's dumbass students.

The End.

Or is it?? You'll see next time when I post Season 3!

#blu3 badly explains ninjago #ninjago #lego ninjago #lloyd ninjago #kai ninjago #jay ninjago #zane ninjago #cole ninjago #nya ninjago #wu ninjago #garmadon ninjago #misako ninjago #pythor p chumsworth #overlord ninjago

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baekhansol · 1 year

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the nightgown - w.jh

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 : wen junhui x afab!reader

𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 : fluffy smut

𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 : mature

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 : jun comes home and finds you wearing the nightgown signifying you're okay with somnophilia, where jun can wake you up with sex

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 : 616

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 : somnophilia, unprotected sex (please. use protection unless you want a baby. please.) very sweet smut where jun does all the work. jun manhandling you gently. jun calls you love. lot's of him saying "i love you" but dw y/n says it back. its super domestic.

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 : it's not super edited but please enjoy <3

𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

Jun comes home to you wearing the nightgown. He was so excited that he practically popped a boner right away. He didn’t even feel embarrassed because you were asleep.

Jun quickly gets ready for bed before climbing into bed behind you, turning on the light on the nightstand. Jun wraps his arm around your waist, lightly grinding into your ass. A hand slips under the nightgown as his fingers lightly rub over your folds.

You whine and lean into him, still fast asleep.

Jun’s mouth attaches to your exposed neck, his fingers continuing to massage your folds and arouse you. Jun knows how your body works and the quickest ways to make you horny, so it didn’t take long for him to feel the slick between your thighs.

You make a needy whine in your sleep that causes him to groan. He uses his free hand to push back his hair from his forehead before lifting your leg.

Jun adjusts himself and begins to thrust his cock between your thighs, rubbing his tip against your slit to coat himself in your arousal.

Almost instinctively, your hips move back into his. Jun groans when you do, swearing he is going to cum.

Jun whines softly before aligning himself to your hole and slowly pushes in. He groans in your ear, not even trying to stay quiet as he patiently bottoms out.

You softly grumble as he begins to thrust slowly, finally waking up.

“You feel so good for me baby, thank you,” he softly moans in your ear, picking up his pace as he rubs on your clit.

“Junnie?” you murmur, whining in pleasure.

“Yeah, baby?” Jun asks, not slowing down.

“Feels so good,” you moan, your walls fluttering around him.

“I know, thank you for letting me,” he murmurs, his lips attaching to your neck.

“Mhm, you said you’d be home late, so I-” you gasp as he finds your spot.

“There it is,” he hums, grinning as he begins to rub on your clit. “So you what, hmm?”

“I- wore it be-” your soft moan interrupts yourself. “‘Cuz I’ve wanted you all day.”

“Mmm, you did? You’ve been craving this cock?” he purrs in your ear, his thrusts enunciating his words.

“Mhm, mhm,” you moan, nodding eagerly.

“Good,” Jun hums, his finger moving faster on your clit. “Want you to cum on my cock for me.”

His words send a thrill down your spine, nudging you over the edge.

“That’s it, there you go,” he moans, continuing to thrust and help you through your orgasm before spilling inside. “Thank you, love,” he moans as he cums inside of you.

You whine, beginning to feel overwhelmed by his thrusts.

“Sorry love, I’m done,” he says, stilling inside of you, kissing your neck. “Let’s clean you up, okay? Do you want me to carry you to the toilet?” he asks as he pulls out.

You whine as you feel his cum leaking out. “Carry,” you murmur.

You close your eyes, gladly holding onto Jun as he picks you up. He awkwardly sets you on the toilet, kissing your forehead.

“Do you want me to do it?” he asks.

You shake your head as you relieve yourself and clean yourself up, whining to get him to help you stand and wash your hands.

“You took me so well, thank you, love. I didn’t go too hard, did I?” Jun gently asks, picking you up after you dry your hands.

“It was just right,” you mumble, curling into your bed and waiting for Jun to put on boxers and slide behind you.

“I love you,” he says, kissing your temple this time.

“I love you too, Junnie,” you hum.

#kwritersworldnet #ultkpopnetwork #jun smut #wen junhui smut #svt smut #seventeen smut

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kwanisms · 1 year

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All You Have to Do is Ask - k.jh

summary: your boyfriend ruined dinner

pairing: female reader x yesung

genres/themes: idolverse, established relationship, smut (minors dni), fluff at the end, yesung's real name is Jong-hoon (for those that don't know)

EDIT: I know he changed it (again) to Kang-hoon. I'll change it eventually lol

wc: 1.5k

warnings: explicit language, graphic sex, mentions of alcohol, slight praise kink, some dirty talk, unprotected sex (use protection!), creampie, and I'm including this in the warnings: Yesung is an older idol, so if the idea of having sex with someone near 40 bothers you, don't read this lmao I'm like 9 years younger than him so it doesn't bother me to read or write for older idols

a/n: hi, this is my first SuJu smut so pls be gentle. SUPER JUNIOR IS A 2ND GEN KPOP GROUP AND AS SUCH, THEY ARE THE OLDEST GROUP I'M WRITING FOR. IF THEIR AGES BOTHER YOU, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE LOL I'M ALMOST 30 SO THEY ARENT MUCH OLDER THAN ME AND IF THAT BOTHERS YOU, GET OFF MY BLOG. We don't accept ageism here. this is a work of fiction and all characters are not reflective of their respective irl counterparts. for entertainment purposes only. gif isnt mine. I do not allow reposts or translations of my works. All my works are ©️ kwanisms.

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[21:18]

Ruined. That was the only word for it. Dinner was completely ruined and it was all your boyfriend's fault.

He'd gone out immediately after practice to grab a bottle of wine before coming home to your shared apartment. You had told him you were making your favorite pasta for dinner and were excited for him to try it.

What you hadn't expected was him to come home, bottle of wine in hand only to slam the bottle on the counter and jump you the moment his eyes landed on you.

You should have expected it honestly. You knew your black dress was a little short, barely reaching the middle of your thighs and you can only imagine how frustrated he must have been to immediately start attacking your neck in wet kisses, tongue running over your skin as his hands grabbed the material of your dress in his fists before he pulled you from the stove and turned you against the counter to kiss you properly.

It was only a few moments later he had you bent over the same counter, skirt hiked up, panties ripped off and lying in a mangled mess on the hardwood floor. Your boyfriend stood behind you, one hand on your hip, the other holding your dress in a clenched fist as he thrust into you from behind.

You buried your head in your arm, moans tumbling from your lips as you felt the tip of his cock nudge against your sensitive spot. "Fuck," you heard him curse from behind you, voice barely audible of the sound of skin hitting skin filling the kitchen. "Goddamn, baby," he growled.

You glanced over your shoulder, peering back at Yesung, the sight of him losing himself completely sending more heat to your core and your walls clenched around him, spurring him on. You loved when he gave himself over to pleasure entirely.

The way his brow furrowed, the way he bit his bottom lip as he tried to focus on the quality of his thrusts. It was always quality over quantity with him in everything he did. He preferred to do things right rather than how quickly he could do them.

And that extended into sex with you.

Every angled thrust and slow deep roll of his hips made you see stars from beginning to end. He knew your body. He knew every inch of skin, knew how to tease you, how to draw out the most lewd sounds from you, whether it was with his tongue, his fingers, or his cock.

Your head dropped, a slew of moans and causes falling from your lips as you felt your orgasm approaching. Yesung must have felt it in the way your walls convulsed around him as he continued to pound into you, savoring the sight of himself disappearing inside you.

He hadn't planned on fucking you as soon as he got home. The plan was to take a shower while you finished cooking and then join you for a nice home-cooked meal and a glass of wine but when he saw you in that black dress, the short one that barely covered your ass and left your thighs completely exposed, he just couldn't hold back.

Practice had been particularly rough, tensions high amongst him and the other members as they prepared for their comeback. Heechul had been getting on their nerves, making snarky comments from the side whenever someone got the choreography wrong despite him not even dancing with them.

They had ended practice a little earlier than usual because they were all tired, annoyed, and tense. When Yesung had seen your text that you were making him dinner and asked you to pick up a nice bottle of red, he jumped at the chance to finally unwind after the last few days.

He didn't expect that he'd be fucking his frustrations out but you didn't seem to be complaining with how you moaned out his name, his real name, your hands trying to hold onto something to ground yourself against the onslaught of his hips but the smooth surface of the white marble countertops made that entirely impossible, leaving you to the mercy of his grip.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" he growled, voice low and husky. You let out a whimper, shaking your head quickly. "N-no," you stammered, your voice shaky. "I swear I d-didn't."

"Why else would you wear something so short?" he asked, giving you a particularly hard thrust, making you cry out. "If not to tease me, then what? Were you expecting someone else to see?" Yesung grunted, ignoring a bead of sweat that rolled down the side of his face. Though he'd cooled off from practice, here he was sweating all over again.

Though he'd much rather be fucking you than stuck in the practice room with eight other men, all as crabby as he was.

"N-no!" you mewled, letting out a gasp when you felt Yesung's hand grab your hair and tug you back, his other hand moving to cup your chin as he leaned over your back. "Did you expect me to bring home the guys?" he murmured in your ear, sending chills down your spine. "N-no, Jong-hoon, I swear," you squeaked out. You heard him hum in your ear, the hand in your hair moving around to the front of your body, pressing against your stomach, pulling you against him as he continued to thrust into you hard and slow.

"So you'd never wear this for any of them?" he asked, holding back a chuckle when you shook your head. "Never. Only f-for you," you whimpered. "You're such a good girl," he cooed, his voice sweet in contrast with the way his hips moved, driving his cock deeper and deeper into your wet cunt.

"Are you gonna be a good little slut and come for me?" he whispered. You nodded quickly. "I'm gonna cum, Hoonie," you moaned, the nickname making him groan as he let go of your chin and wrapped both arms around you, burying his face in the crook of your neck as he hastily chased his high.

It only took a few more hard thrusts before you toppled over the edge, coming with a cry of his name, walls squeezing around his cock as his thrusts turned sloppy. "M'gonna come, baby," he mumbled, lips brushing against your skin.

"Then come for me," you answered, voice still shaky. "Come inside me." Yesung let out a moan, urged by your words as he came, releasing inside you and filling you with his thick load. Every time he came inside you, it was always more than when he came alone or when he finished on your skin.

His hips slowly came to a halt as you both tried to catch your breath. "Shit," he cursed, carefully letting go of you. You let yourself drop against the cool surface of the counter, enjoying the cold marble against your hot, sweaty skin. "I'm so sorry," you heard Yesung say and you looked over your shoulder at him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Sorry?" You asked. "Sorry for what?"

Yesung looked over at the frying pan on the stove. "For ruining dinner," he answered, his cock still buried inside you. You shook your head, a light chuckle slipping between your lips. "It's fine, honey," you said, pushing yourself up.

Yesung took a step back, slipping out of you as he grabbed one of the decorative kitchen towels and ran it under the faucet for a moment before bringing it to your soaked core. "I also made a mess," he added as he carefully wiped your skin.

"You always make a mess," you answered as he finished and threw the towel in the sink, pulling his boxers and sweats back up, looking up only when you turned to face him. You didn't know how he managed to look so good all the time, nor how it was fair. His flushed face, skin glistening in the overhead kitchen lights, messy hair and those thin framed, round glasses that you loved on him so much.

You reached forward, grabbing him by the waistband of his sweats and pulled him forward, lips finding his as you pulled his body against yours. You pulled back enough to speak. "We can order in," you said softly, gently nudging his nose with yours. "Whatever you want, baby," he answered, kissing the tip of your nose before a cheeky smile broke out across his face. "And change your dress. I might not be able to resist you again later," he added. You shook your head.

"I'm not changing out of this if it gets me fucked like that again," you replied. Yesung let out a loud laugh at your remark. "Baby, if you want to be fucked like that," he said, leaning in to press a soft kiss to your lips.

"All you have to do is ask."

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#super junior scenarios #super junior imagines #super junior reactions #super junior fanfiction #super junior fluff #super junior smut #kim jonghoon #super junior yesung #yesung scenarios #yesung imagines #yesung fanfiction #yesung fluff #yesung smut #super junior x reader #yesung x reader #kwanisms

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fleshadept · 1 year

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giffing tutorial

hiii so here's a walkthrough on how to make your gifs clean, crisp, and colorful :-) it's literally so much fun, it's one of my favorite hobbies, i hope y'all enjoy too!!

first off here's what you're going to need

photoshop

this gif sharpening automation

a clip you want to gif! preferably in the highest resolution you can find, 1080p is generally my minimum

adobe premiere (optional, but nice to have only for step 1)

let's get started!

step 1: creating your clip

first off, we need a shorter clip than the average tv episode or movie length. choose a scene or shot you'd like to gif. for this tutorial, i'll be giffing a scene from NOPE (2022) as an example.

now, this next part is semi-optional, it just depends on how smooth you want your gifs to be and what access you have to other platforms.

most movies and TV shows are filmed at a framerate of 23.976 frames per second, while youtube and other online videos tend to be 30fps. you can check the framerate of a video file by right clicking > properties > details

however, if i clip out a scene using the built-in windows video trim tool, it will create the clip at 30fps, causing it to lose some smoothness and look just slightly choppier. and giffing is all about trying to minimize choppiness one small step at a time.

here's where premiere comes in. if you have premiere, go ahead and open it up and create a project. i have one just for gif clip exports. if you don't have premiere, you can either retain the framerate by importing the full original file into photoshop (step 2) or clip it and just work with it in 30fps. no worries either way, in the grand scheme of things it's not that big of a difference and we can still make the gifs super pretty.

open up the full file in premiere's source monitor and locate the section you want to clip. use the mark in/mark out buttons (or the "i" and "o" hotkeys) to select your clip range

then hit ctrl+M or File > Export > Media to export your clip. premiere will automatically set the export settings to match the framerate and resolution of the source clip unless you've used a different preset recently, so make sure the preset menu says "Match Source - Adaptive High Bitrate," name your file, decide where you want it, and hit export.

step 2: importing into photoshop

you're going to import your clip into photoshop by selecting File > Import > Video Frames to Layers, then picking which clip you want to gif. as you can see in my screenshot, i have this set as a keybind* to alt+shift+ctrl+i to make it faster

this will cause a menu to pop up where you can select the part of the clip you'd like to import into photoshop. now that the maximum gif size is 10mb, you can do pretty long gifs, depending on how much movement is in the clip. generally each gif can be a few seconds, but it's up to your discretion.

the clip markers aren't very precise, so don't worry about getting too perfect with the clipping here, you can shave off frames as you please throughout the rest of the process. when you have your range determined, hit OK and it'll bring us into photoshop proper!

*to set a keybind, go to Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts

step 3: prepping for coloring

each frame of the clip will be imported as an individual layer. it's subjective, but i've come to like my gifs having a range of about 40-140 frames, depending on how long i need them to be.

you want to make sure your workspace setting is set to "motion," so you can see the frame timeline across the bottom of your screen, like this:

you can select this workspace setting with the dropdown menu in the top right corner.

next up, scroll to the end of your timeline and shift click the last frame, selecting all the frames. click the carrot next to the number under the frames (the number in my example is "0.04") and select "other" to change the frame delay. i normally use 0.05 or 0.06, depending on how slow and dramatic i'd like the gifs to be. for this one, we'll do 0.06.

now hit "C" to open your crop tool. if you want those nice big gifs people make a lot, i'd recommend putting in 4:3 into the ratio bar at the top. you obviously don't have to crop at all; it depends on how you want it to look. hit enter when you have your crop how you like it to complete the action

select Image > Image Size or hit alt+ctrl+i to change the size of your gif. no matter what cropping you have, the width of your gif (if you want it to be the only one on its horizontal row in the tumblr post) MUST BE 540PX!! this is tumblr's ideal width for an image post** and will keep it from stretching or compressing when you post it. so go ahead and type "540" into the width column and hit enter.

now, make sure all of your frames on the timeline are still selected, go to the hamburger menu on the top right of the timeline, and select "Flatten Frames Into Layers"

go to the layer panel on the right (NOT the timeline), scroll past all the layers labeled "Frame [1, 2, 3, etc]" until you hit the first one labeled "Layer [number]." click the first layer, then scroll down and shift click to select all the layers labeled "Layer," and hit backspace or the little trash bin icon to delete them. we only want the ones labeled "Frame" now.

click the "Convert to video timeline" button on the bottom left of the timeline, right under the first frame!

so your screen should now look like this:

shift click the last frame (at the top) to select all your frames, right click any frame in the layer panel on the right, and select "Convert to Smart Object." this will compress all your frames into one dynamic layer photoshop knows is supposed to move.

**540px is ideal for one image in a row, 268px if you're putting two gifs next to each other, and 160px for three in a row.

step 4: COLORING <3

if you downloaded that gif sharpening tool i linked at the top, find it in the folder it downloaded to and double click to import it into photoshop. this should open the "Actions" tab, which essentially allows users to program in a series of actions in a certain order that they can make photoshop execute when you hit "play" on the action. for example, i had one that essentially did all of step 3 for me before my computer died last winter.

anyway, make sure your smart object is selected in the layer panel, open up the actions tab, select "glossy sharpening," and hit the play button. this is a nice sharpening tool i like that takes out a very difficult step, but if you'd like to play around with your own sharpening settings and get it how you like go ahead!

here's what it will look like after executing the actions.

now, remember what i said about the framerate in step 1? here's where that comes in. if your clip is in 30fps, you can skip this part because photoshop defaults to 30fps motion editing. if your clip (like mine) is in 23.976fps then click the same hamburger menu we clicked for "Flatten Frames Into Layers" before and click on "Set Timeline Frame Rate." Choose the correct framerate from the drop down menu and hit OK.

now for the best part: customizing your coloring!! go ahead and click the folder icon in the bottom right to create a group in your layer panel, but don't put your base layers in here. this is going to be for your color editing layers.

the icon right next to the group icon, the circle with a clear half and an opaque half, is now your best friend. this gives us our adjustment layers. the first one we're going to use, and by far the best one, is levels. levels is magical.

levels basically works by you telling it what "white" and "black" means by selecting pixels in the image. generally you want to use the "white" eyedropper to select the brightest pixel you can find and the "black" eyedropper to select the darkest.

this has the amazing power of being able to smoothly lighten or de-fog or clarify images. now, darker images are always going to be harder to make look good, and there's only so much you can do. but that "so much" is endlessly expanded if you mess around with levels, especially if you layer levels layers on top of each other, then right click > Blending Options > and mess with the fill opacity.

note: the levels layer i'm editing is at 28% fill opacity and 71% regular opacity, which is why it didn't entirely deep-fry the image when i clicked on a mid-grey with the white selection eyedropper.

after messing around with levels until i'm satisfied, i'll add a "vibrance" layer and boost it until it looks good. i also like adding a "color balance" layer and playing with it. for this one i'm adding a bit of blue to the shadows and a bit of cyan and red to the highlights. it's also been trendy lately, especially in gifs of people talking, to add a "hue & saturation" layer and desaturate the yellows by a lot while emphasizing other colors, like here:

after you have your colors how you like, i recommend toggling the visibility of the group a few times to see what you've done! it's so satisfying to look at the change between the base layer and the coloring you've made.

step 5: text

i try to keep my text pretty standard, but you can get creative with it as you please. to add text you can hit "T" to toggle your text tool or select it from the left tools panel. when you click to add the text it'll create the layer starting from wherever your playhead is, so make sure you move it on the timeline to line it up with the start of the gif. drag the end of the text layer on the timeline to make sure it's the same length as the gif so you don't get empty frames when you export. i like 18pt text, and i use the font Gadugi, but i've also used Calibri before.

caption colors for gifs come from broadcast caption colors, meaning that the first person to speak is given white captions, the second person is given yellow, and the third is given teal, although you can do whatever. i normally use:

1st person: #FFFFFF

2nd person: #fcbe11

3rd person: either a more muted orange or a soft teal

you also want to make sure your text is centered by clicking the center paragraph toggle on the top of the screen while your text layer is selected. using the move tool ("v" or the tool on the top of the toolbar) you can center on the guidelines photoshop gives you. i generally like my text pretty much as close to the bottom as it can get without getting cut off.

once all that's sorted, go over to the "fx" button on the same row as the adjustment layer and group/folder buttons. we're going to add a stroke and drop shadow.

the stroke adds an outline. i do 2px, postition set to outside, normal blend mode, 100% opacity and solid black (#000000)

the drop shadow is more malleable because it depends on how the text looks based on the scene it's overlaying. i tend to change it up to make the text the most legible i can, but here's the settings i start from:

step 6: exporting

to export as a gif, go to File > Export > Save For Web (Legacy) or ctrl+shift+alt+S. this will bring up a menu to configure your export settings, and will tell you how big the gif is going to be (in megabytes) after the export. as mentioned earlier, you want it to be less than 10mb. if you use the beta post editor, try to keep it under 9.8mb because for some reason the beta post editor tends to thing gifs that are almost 10mb are actually over the limit.

you can see the gif size in the bottom left, 6.507mb, so we're good to go. if your gif IS to big you can go back into the timeline and shorten it by dragging the edges of the timeline layers. if you drag the base layers (the ones labeled "Frame [x]" and "Frame [x] copy") the group above it will conform to that length, but the text layer will not, so you have to manually drag that layer too.

make sure the settings in the top right panel match mine to avoid export errors, and in the bottom right make sure it says "Looping Options: Forever" or you'll have a gif that will only play once.

to double check that you like your gif and see it properly, you can click "preview" in the bottom left. this will open a tab in your browser to view it in its final size and playback speed. if you don't like it, you can go back and tweak it however you want.

so that's that! we've got a gif.

i know this may seem like a lot, but once you get in the groove (or make some automations or keybinds!) it gets a lot faster and the satisfaction of making a good, pretty gif is so nice. i happened to choose a really dark scene to gif for this one so it's not my best work but it was just an example lol.

#cricket gifs #i guess #gif tutorial #giffing #gif making #if you have questions about other specific things feel free to ask!

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liesmyth · 8 months

Note

Do you have any tips/resources on writing smut? I've never really written it, but I need to include a little in a fic I'm writing rn and yours is very good.

Anon! Thank you so much, this is Extremely flattering ❤️ Honestly, my #1 rule to Writing Smut is that actually anything can be hot if a scene is written to be arousing. It's all about the setup.

Some things that work for me:

EMOTIONS. ime, smut scenes should cause some level of emotional response in the reader. It can be the POV character experiencing strong feelings and that coming through in the narration; it can be a taboo or hard kink that’s enough to guarantee some kind of reaction; it can be an emotionally cathartic scene or character study through sex. It doesn’t have to be a lot! But there has to be Something that makes the reader invested, a takeaway that you couldn’t get from a purely objective description or looking at a picture.

FLOW. You’re either trying to make the reader horny and/or you’re trying to make them interested in what the characters are doing and feeling. Lean into that when crafting a scene! I find that varying the length of sentences in a paragraph helps (building up to a crescendo) and so does the deliberate use of terminology to set up a specific mood (more descriptive euphemisms vs. crude slang as the POV gets more overwhelmed, alternating lush prose and crass descriptors to create some contrast.)

CHARACTER-APPROPIATE VERBIAGE. This is a big one! There are NO forbidden smut words, actually. I have read super hot smut that hinged on the repeated use of some deeply unsexy terms. It’s ALL about the narrative voice. Try to construct a scene that’s immersive, with a narrative voice that suits the characters and the story, and the type of vocabulary that suits the POV and setting. Ime, anything and everything can be sexy if the mood is right. Yes, even the word “penis.” YES even funky euphemisms.

PURPOSE AND PACING. Why is the scene there? Try to strike a good balance between descriptions, feelings, and words. If the characters stop mid-sex to talk, it’d be harder to get back into a sexy mood (why I’ve been stuck on this one WIP for months. RIP) On the other hand, sometimes it’s fine to skip moments / descriptions, or even end the scene mid-sex.

(This is especially important in chaptered fics, in my experience. Sometimes there’s a long elaborate build-up to a get together and then all the emotions fizzle out during The Sex Chapter, or a plot-heavy story, and then the story slows down to fit in 3 orgasms per character. It’s fine, often better, to just stick to one orgasm, make it extra hot, and skim over the others)

WRITE DRUNK EDIT SOBER or any variant thereof. Write in comic sans and edit in times new roman. Write horny edits in public. It’s really easy to overthink smut and in my opinion, it Really helps to fully commit to a shitty first draft—no quibbling over word choices or positions; just don’t look at the screen and bang out 500 words. (Ah-ah, bang.) Write on your phone if you want! Put it away for a while then edit.

SMUT IS NOT SEX ED. Realism matters less than feelings do. I don't need to know every detail unless it's relevant to the development of the scene. Unless it’s something glaring like someone is suddenly naked or used soap as lube, no one is going to nitpick how realistic it is to hold X position for Y minutes or how many spankings a human being can endure. The scene works narratively >>> the scene can be recreated by random non-athletes having sex. It’s fic! If someone is taking it as a Guide To Sex that’s not on you.

Other resources: This is a good essay directly from 2005 era livejournal. Some posts about vocabulary: on kissing, smut thesaurus, more words! (use with caution, don't take anything as a hard rule etc.)

Also I just think I'm funny:

GOOD LUCK WRITING IT LMK HOW IT GOES

#Anonymous #ask #writing tag #smut writing #long post

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little-pondhead · 1 year

Text

Fenton Family on Vacation (part 3)

Original Post

Part One⬅️➡️Part Two

(This is kind of a filler cause I’m trying to get an AO3 account set up, but Elle fighting a rat just got stuck in my head and I couldn’t get it out.)

Lights come on in a studio. Two people sit behind a glass desk, expressions neutral.

"Good evening, and welcome to C3TV. It's 6:45 p.m. central time on August 4th, 20XX. I'm Kimberly Anderson."

"And I'm Frank Meyers. For today's Fifteen Minutes of Heroes, we'll focus on one man in particular; The Flash."

A screen turns on behind the news anchors. 'Fifteen Minutes of Heroes' is written in bold letters. The screen cuts to a close-up picture of the Flash.

"That's right, Frank. Our city's protector is not often in the spotlight, so let's get down to business."

"Right you are, Kim. To start with, Captain Cold was spotted outside the Flash Museum earlier today. It is still unknown why he was there first, but Flash was quick on the scene and chased the rogue through the downtown shopping district."

A blurry photo of Captain Cold is shown.

"What stopped Flash from arresting him immediately?"

"Well, Kim, according to CCPD reports, a recent delivery of high-alloy austenitic stainless steel was stolen at a checkpoint before it could make its way to S.T.A.R. Labs. It's now known Captain Cold was the culprit and used the metal to produce new weapons. These new weapons gave both Flash and civilians alike a scare, as the rate at which they generate ice is astounding."

An image of S.T.A.R. Labs comes up. It switches to the silhouette of a crate with a question mark, and then a silent video appears. The video is of the recent destruction in the downtown area and captures crowds of people milling around. Some are cleaning up debris, and some are trying to evacuate their families and neighbors. Several emergency service trucks are lighting up the whole street. One man has a flamethrower and is trying to thaw out his car.

"Yes, traffic was horrible on the way to work. This new ice has a particularly high melting point, so its removal is still ongoing. Flash was spotted chasing the captain but frequently had to sidetrack for quick evacuation. Captain Cold was shooting to hurt today. There was no regard for civilian safety or public property. It seemed like he wanted to cripple the city. A few neighboring counties will pitch in for relief efforts; more at eight."

Snippets of their fight all over the area are edited together. Pictures of the destruction show up.

"Reports say their path took them west through the district before making a sharp turn on Roanoke Parkway and doubling back to Central City Plaza. There, Flash cornered the rogue. You can see the two arguing through nearby store cameras, but no audio can be provided. Captain Cold is visibly angered and takes a hostage at one point. The hostage, one Lacey James, was under threat for less than a minute before the Flash stole her away and returned her to waiting police officers. Cold is upset by this and douses the whole plaza in a thick ice sheet."

A virtual map follows the path taken with a red line—the screen changes to an out-of-focus storefront video. Captain Cold has a blonde woman at gunpoint, but Flash disappears with the woman too fast for the cameras to follow. Flash returns a few seconds later. Captain Cold seems angered, and the cameras short out soon after.

"Uh oh, we all know how hard it is to walk on ice. Captain Cold obviously wanted to slow down the Flash, but why?"

"We're still not sure, Kim. I mean, it's his thing. But does anyone know why villains do what they do?"

"You have a point, Frank. But that's not why we're here today."

"No, it is not. While the Flash did his best, bless his heart, a few civilians were stuck inside the plaza with the two supers. No deaths have been reported citywide, and only a single person has been admitted to the ICU due to a case of hypothermia. More about this young soul can be found on our website and the link to their family's GOFUNDME. But aside from that, one of the civilians managed to get an interesting part of the fight on video. None of the stores in the area had working cameras at this point, so let's look at the video now. Please be warned, viewers' discretion is advised."

The video opens showing the face of a young teen. The video is obviously from the point of view of their phone. The teen is swearing, and viewers at home can hear a long string of beeps.

A voice from off-screen: "Yo! Are you getting this??"

The teen swears one last time, but the video's perspective is changed. The camera is peeking out into the plaza between a car tire and a chunk of ice. "[beep], it's so cold, man. It's [beep]ing August. I hope that kid is okay."

"It was nice of you to give that family your flannel."

"It was that or let that kid freeze, man. Now shut up. I'm tryin' to hear what they're saying!"

The two teens pipe down. The camera is adjusted a few times, but eventually, the audio is picked up. Flash can be heard arguing with Captain Cold, although the dialogue is spotty due to the range.

"-can't do that!"

"The-[beep]ing [beeeeeeep] upstairs--hospital-----"

"-new procedure-----s West--gone clean---"

"NEVER! THOSE---[beep] this, GG---home--too sick---"

"-can help! S.T.A.R. Labs---new meds--won't------"

Flash is cut off by a scream of frustration from Captain Cold. The rogue begins to point and shoot at Flash, who has to zoom out of the way. Viewers can tell there are many close calls, as Flash stumbles more than once due to the slick ice.

Suddenly, a swirling green portal appears and spits out a figure right into the Flash's path. A loud smack is heard when they hit the ground face-first. One teen behind the camera sucks in a sharp breath, and the other whispers, "Ouch, that had to hurt." Flash has no room to stop and trips over the body.

"[BEEP]!" Flash face-plants and doesn't get back up. Captain Cold pauses, staring at the two on the ground. A loud groan is heard a second later, and the figure raises its head. The camera zooms in.

The figure was a glowing little girl with white hair and unnaturally green eyes. Glowing green blobs circle her head like cartoon birds. Bits of asphalt are stuck to her face, drawing green blood, but her skin heals as viewers watch.

The girl seemed disoriented, staring blankly at Flash and then at Captain Cold. The teen holding the phone can be heard scooting closer. The video shakes violently for a few seconds, but now viewers can listen to the conversation more clearly.

"Uh...hi?" Small animal noises are heard, and viewers realize it's coming from the blobs, whipping around faster than before.

"Where the [BEEP] did you come from?"

Whispers of astonishment come from the teens as the girl pushes herself off the ground and into the air, visibly struggling to stay afloat. "Hey, watch your [beep]ing language, dude. Children are present."

Captain Cold spluttered. "Wha-??"

The girl ignored the villain and turned towards the Flash. She bends over him, placing two fingers on his neck, presumably to check his pulse. Viewers see the girl wearing a big, black backpack in the shape of a ghost. From the camera's distance, it was difficult to determine what else she was wearing, but one of the teens said, "That's a sick outfit. I love the boots. Big 'Prometheus' vibes."

A scoff. "Yeah, no. I'm thinking 'Star Wars,' for sure."

An argument begins behind the camera, and the view tilts a bit since their attention is no longer on it.

A thin whine draws back the attention of the teens and the audience. Captain Cold is pointing a gun at the girl, who has a bemused expression on her face. Over the sound of the weapon, their quiet conversation cannot be heard.

(Later, a famous child psychologist would do a ten-minute interview for Beefood's new show, 'Cohabiting with Cryptids.' Analysis shows the child was actually terrified at Captain Cold's actions and more confused than she let on. Some comments point out that the girl attempted to put herself between the Flash and the rogue, proving that she hadn't meant the Flash any harm.)

Suddenly, the girl scoops up Flash into a fireman's carry and dodges an ice blast. The teen filming the event swears and drops their phone. Shuffling and more gunshots can be heard.

"You gotta chill out, man!"

"Ah, [beep], the screen cracked-"

"What?!"

"I can't-"

"Maybe a little shock therapy will get your Christmas spirit going!"

The shooting pauses. "It's Aug-AAAAAUGH!"

A scream startles the teens. It's coming from Captain Cold, and viewers can tell he's in pain.

The screen is still black.

"What the [beep], what the [beep]-"

"Is that lightning??"

"She's electrocuting him. How-"

"It's pink!"

"That's not what you should be focusing on right now!"

"But it's PINK LIGHTNING."

"She is literally burning holes into his parka, what the [beep]."

"Do you think Flash can make pink lightning? Should I ask him?"

"I don't [beep]ing know! She's going to kill him!"

"No, she isn't; look!"

A quiet moment. Captain Cold has stopped screaming, but small groans can be heard instead.

"She stopped, see?"

"How much electricity was that??"

"I dunno, but obviously not enough to kill him."

"You're very calm about this."

"Don't worry. I'll freak out later."

"Oh, Jesus-"

"Look!"

A clatter. "Sorry about that." The camera finally refocused, although it was shakier than before. The girl was hovering over the prone form of Captain Cold, still holding onto the Flash. Viewers could hear her voice tremble. "On the plus side, a few of your screws may have been knocked back into place from the electricity. Anyways, see you later, [beeeeep] Ice Prince!"

The camera swings around to face the second teen. Their eyes were lit up in fascination. "New life goal: Pull a Zarina from 'The Pirate Fairy' and figure out how to make pink lightning."

"Oh, my [beep], Lynne! Why-"

The video ends abruptly, and the news anchors fade back into view.

"Well, that was...interesting."

"I'd say so. We have seven minutes left; let's discuss the theories."

-----

Dani stared at the tv. A quick re-run of the video from Fifteen Minutes of Heroes was playing. It was well past ten now, but she'd managed to hole up in someone's party shack on top of some apartments. And while she refused to touch the poorly-hidden weed, Dani had no qualms about raiding the stash of (packaged) food and flipping on the old tube tv. She'd turned on the local news channel to learn more about this new world since wandering around for a few hours didn't tell her much.

And she'd learned a lot.

This was a world of superheroes. Dani didn't know how to feel about that. On the one hand, she thought it would be easier to care for herself. She wouldn't have to try as hard to hide her powers-hell, she was being featured on the news! And these people weren't discussing her imminent capture. No public warnings about reporting her, nothing about being a danger to society. These news reporters were doing their job, relaying the facts and throwing out theories about her identity and powers. Was she a super? A rookie? An alien? A meta? What was her name? The people on the screen flashed a phone number below and asked if anyone spotted her please call their hotline. Not to hunt her down but because she was a kid. A superpowered kid whom no one knew the identity of and seemed to be very much alone. And yeah, Dani knew there were people out there with malicious intentions. But the fact that she was on the news and not in a bad way was baffling.

(On the other hand, Dani knew her dad. A world full of superheroes meant a world full of supervillains that normal humans couldn't fight back against. Dani hoped with all her core that he'd stay away from the fighting. His Obsession wasn't protecting people, thank the Ancients, or they might never find each other.)

At the very least, Dani expected one or two comments about her 'horrible intentions' to hurt their city hero. Still, Flash himself came on in an interview earlier that night and said while he woke up in a really weird place, he did not have any injuries besides the ones he caused himself. Flash noted that "The kid even tried to make me comfortable. She made a cardboard nest for me to lay on and tried hiding me in a private location. Sure, that location was a dumpster, but it obviously worked because no one found me until I'd already woken up."

"In this picture, you're seen with a pair of-heh-handcuffs. Any idea why the girl might've attached you to that pipe?"

"If I had to hazard a guess, the kid is scared. I saw the footage. I know I got knocked out pretty quickly. But that girl did her best to defend me from my enemy and get me to safety. However, it's obvious that knocking out two men twice her size has her spooked. Those handcuffs were probably an attempt to restrain me so she could get a head start. Probably thought I was mad at her. She even left an apology note. But don't worry, Spooky. I'm not mad. Thank you for saving my hide, and I'm sorry I tripped over you."

Dani's eyes were glued to the screen. Those last words, Flash had addressed towards the camera. They were for her. But she told him her name, her human name. Why use Spooky?

Fuck it. I'm too tired for this.

-----

Whether she liked it or not, it was too easy for Elle to get used to life on the streets again. She'd done it before; stealing food, sleeping in alleys, squatting in abandoned buildings, always looking over her shoulder a second time.

She knew her family wasn't happy about her time on the streets-Danny especially. When they first separated, she could feel the pain from his core. He hated sending her away. But it was that or risk worse from the potential backlash. At least this time, she had an extra pair of eyes. Or five.

Blob ghosts were a common thing, especially around Amity. The more ecto-contaminated you were, the more blob ghosts tended to hang around. They weren't the weakened souls of the dead but more like collections of intense emotions imprinted on ectoplasm. Elle usually got a whole hoard following her back home, but in this new universe, only five managed to find the strength to follow her. Elle thought it was only appropriate to claim them as Hers and give them names.

So now, Noodle, Buffy, Preston, Shaniac, and Boogara were a part of her little fright. And as such, they became extremely handy in her city exploration. They were her scouts, her lookouts, her moral support. They could not, however, help out much when she was in a big fight, like yesterday. They just had to hide in her hair.

But with the smaller enemies, they really came through. For example, she was having a nasty brawl with a particularly ugly rat over a breakfast sandwich at the moment, and her blob buddies were being a huge help.

Yes, you heard right.

Elle was hungry. She'd been hungry before, and it was nothing new. But the fight and panic attack yesterday took a lot out of her. She'd barely touched the food at that weed shack, too afraid it was laced with something. So after picking an alley and transforming back into a human, Elle started looking around for something to eat. Her search led her to a small café, where she used the last of her allowance to buy an egg and ham breakfast sandwich. Which she promptly dropped onto the ground after face-planting for the second time in the past twelve hours. She was close to another alley, and Elle could only watch with wide eyes as a giant rat darted out into the sunlight, snatched the corner of the wrapper, and dragged it away. Why'd she fall? Elle tripped over a chunk of ice from the café doorway. ICE.

I should have kicked that man in the dick. Elle thought, scrambling up to chase after the rat. Her blob buddies led the way, harassing the rat as best they could to slow it down. They cornered it in a box. Buffy was chittering especially loud, leading the others.

Elle knelt and reached in blindly, grasping for anything. One of her knees was bleeding, and bits of broken glass were getting into the cut. "Where are y-ouch! Motherfucker! Did you just bite me??" The rat screamed and bit her again. "Oh fuck no! Get your ass out here, you little-"

The rat ran out, still dragging the wrapped sandwich. Elle tried stomping on it but missed. Noodle was handing around the rat's neck like a rope, trying to restrain it. Shaniac and Boogara were tugging at the sandwich, and Elle managed to snatch it up a second before the rat escaped into a shoe. Without hesitating, Elle punted the shoe into the street like a football.

She snorted in satisfaction when the shoe and its passenger were lost in the crowd.

"I can't believe that just happened." Elle whirled around but didn't see anyone. "Up here!"

Above her head, watching the whole thing with an amused expression, was a woman sticking her head out of a window from the second floor. The woman had tight brown curls and an equally tight face that looked strained when she smiled.

"You're that Spooky kid from the news, right?" The woman called. How did she-? Elle scrunched up her face. Right, blob ghosts.

"No!" Yeah, that was believable. "Anyways, mind your own business!" She stalked out of the alley, hard-won sandwich in hand, and did her best to ignore the woman's stifled giggles she could still hear two blocks away.

Okay, maybe staying as a ghost will be easier in this big new city.

-----

@passivedecept @lehana37 @kobol1 @cat-in-a-fedora @starkcravingmad

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thisnevermeantnothingtoyou · 3 months

Text

Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess first listen though!!

Femininomenon: I am not 100% sure but i think that femininomenon, got a new mix (the music video is deleted/unlisted now, plus a few weeks back i listened to the music video and the track on apple music side by side and the one on apple music was pretty clearly different), it has more oomph now, but it still retains the charm of the original. as always I love this song!

Red Wine Supernova: I love this song to death, its so fun the backing vocals are muah muah muah "put her canine teeth in the side of my neck!!" the final "i don't care that you're a stoner" is just muah, beautiful delivery, loves it!

After Midnight: YES SOFT POP!!!!! aughhhhh the delivery on all the lyrics is beautifull, chappell said "chaos bisexual anthem" and i LOVE it!!!! when the tracklist was released i was a slight bit miffed that so many of the tracks were previously released, but hearing the quality of what was kept for the album i am less pressed.

Coffee: live cassie reaction

im fine, im fine, my heart hurts, but im fine. this song is. wow, makes me hurt, i love it "I'll meet you for coffee, Cause if we have wine, You'll say that you're sorry, I know that's a lie" oh god and the final chorus, oh my heart cant take this.

Casual: I love this song, but hearing it after coffee, just makes it so much MORE, like coffee is the aftermath of the relationship, but causal is what the relationship WAS, and GOD IT HURTS, still a bop tho, the ending few lines always get me, like i will yell the bride but i SOB the last few verses "I fucked you in the bathroom when we went to dinner, Your parents at the table, you wonder why I'm bitter, Bragging to your friends I get off when you hit it, I hate to tell the truth but I'm sorry dude you didn't, I hate that I let this drag on so long, now I hate myself, I hate that I let this drag on so long, you can go to hell" but my heart

Ultra Graphic Super Modern Girl: OH MY GOD YESSSSSS "fugly jeans!!" i though that would be the bridge, but it being the opening is SO MUCH BETTER!!!!!!! OH MY GOD, this is how chappell charts, if this doesn't crack top 50 im rioting!!!!!!!

HOT TO GO!: I LOVE this song so much, for months before its release i'd listen to love recordings of it, and it is so infectious, chappell you are a genius!! this song makes ME want to be a cheerleader in a mid 2010s chick flick with heavy homoerotic undertones.

My Kink Is Karma: This song is for girls who watched a few too many "shipname yandere edits" in middle school, its just so good, the music video is so fun.

Picture You: yee haw??? YEE HAW???? oh those strings??? hellOOOOO??? This song is for girls who think too much about men who do not think about them, and i respect that because i am one of those girls.

Kaleidoscope: this song makes me cry so much, i can't really write anything about it i love it but i will cry if i think to much about it.

Pink Pony Club: What can i say about this song that hasn't been said before, it is amazing, i love every second, I especially love the bridge, especially the last line "i can hear your southern drawl a thousand miles away saying-" leading into the more striped down start of the last chorus. muah muah muah amazing!!!

Naked in Manhattan: the fact that Chappell had never kissed a girl when she wrote this, is just muah 10/10 lmao, seriously i love this so much. "wont you fuckin touch me?? i just want to touch you!!"

California: I love this song so fucking much, seriously its so good, it makes me happy, its just muah so good, i love how its depressing. But like yeah, i have never signed to a label at 17 and moved across country just be be dropped from my label and move back to my small town and work at a drive though while effectively looking at my dreams and hopes in the rearview mirror. but like i have felt like my failures are affecting my parents more then me, so.....

Guilty Pleasure: okay a slow one, i'm liking this resurgence of pop records ending on an introspective slow note. NOPE NOT A SLOW SONG WHAT HUH what just happened??? "I want this like a cigarette, lets drag this out and never quit" OH MY GOD IS THAT COWBELL??? wait no its electronic, this is so fucking fun!!! I love me a good 80s inspired bop about sapphic lust!!

Conclusion, this Album is amazing, and i really hope Chappell receives the accolades that she rightfully deserves for this piece of pure pop perfection, it is amazing, and I know exactly why Dan Nigro started an entire imprint for Chappell, seriously, this is an amazing project, and it slots so nicely into Dan's catalogue of amazingly produced albums. I won't be able to make it to chappels naked in north america tour stops near me, so I am now waiting patiently to see if i get off the waitlist for guts tour tickets so I can see her open for Liv (I really hope her and Chappell sing lacy together for the dates where chappell is opening)

anyways right now my rankings of the new tracks are

ultra graphic super modern girl

after midnight

guilty pleaure

coffee

picture you

(im just not in my sad song era, mkay)

#chappell roan #the rise and fall of a midwest princess

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thyandrawrites · 22 days

Note

is crocheting something easy to get into and do you have any tips on how to start I really like your work

Hi and thank you! Yeah, I find crochet pretty easy to get into. You don't need many supplies to begin, just yarn and a matching hook, and if you have access to youtube, it's full of tutorials on how to get started as well as how to do the basic crochet stitches. I learned with yt too so it's def not as hard as it might seem from the outside! You just have to practice. On yt there are also a lot of beginner-friendly patterns that go very slow and are easy to follow along as you make something. I checked out a bunch back in the day.

Be prepared, at first it's normal to skip stitches. Everyone does when they're still learning! But you'll get better with practice. My tips are the following:

- choose a thicker yarn to start with. Thin yarn is both harder to work with and makes the stitches harder to tell apart. There's advantages to using wool and advantages to using cotton, so you might wanna experiment what works best for you. I used acrylic because natural fibers split more easily, but they might be easier for you since they lack the distinct fuzziness of synthetic fibers

- if you can, consider investing in ergonomic crochet hooks or hooks with grips/handles. As a beginner, your tension will be super tight until you learn to relax it, and tight tension + a regular aluminum/steel hook can make crocheting uncomfortable or straight up painful after you do it long enough. Hooks with silicone/plastic handles are a lot easier on your wrist, allow you to crochet for much longer with 0 pain, and prevent carpal tunnel to boot! Def worth the extra penny imho. You don't need to get a whole set, just one that matches your practice yarn will suffice, and then you can upgrade if you need

- on the topic of matching yarn and hooks, yarn labels usually specify a recommended hook size, in case you don't know where to start. Those work best for crocheting clothing, but they're not hard rules. You can go higher or lower if you find that your stitches are too loose or too tight

- choose something easy and straightfoward for your first project! Don't go with a... Sweater or a blanket as your first, lol. My first was a pair of fingerless gloves. They were two rectangles (easy enough) folded in half and joined along the seam 😂

- stitch markers are you best friends! They help you remember the beginning of a row/round, which can be lifesaving if you are forgetful / easily distracted like me. They also help you keep count of your stitch number without counting each stitch one by one every single time. You don't need the fancy stitch markers either. Bobby pins and paper clippers work perfectly too!

- [edit cause I forgot to mention this] the way you hold your hook and your yarn varies from crocheter to crocheter. If you try to follow what you see in a tutorial and it doesn't work for you, you're not necessarily doing something wrong. That method might just not be for you. Find a different tutorial and try again. Personally, I can't crochet at all if I wrap yarn more than once on the finger that holds the tension, yet this method works for other people. Similarly, I can't crochet by holding my hook like a toothbrush. I need to hold it like a pen. Took me watching a ton of videos before realizing that old school rules are BS

Oh and before I end this ask, here's a masterpost with info and resources that I reblogged a while back! It might help you get started

#Ali replies #Crochet

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writingdotcoffee · 1 year

Text

#250: I Burned Out

You may or (let’s be realistic) may not have noticed that I stopped posting long-form posts a few months ago.

What’s up? Well, I burned out. After five years of writing a post every week, enough things in my life came together that caused me to have no energy left to keep this up. I was sitting at my desk at 11 PM working on the next post one Sunday, and I couldn’t do it. I gave up and went to bed.

It was surprisingly hard to do at that moment. The habit I created over the years was so ingrained. I wanted to figure something out and get on with it regardless of the circumstances. I hated myself for not being able to follow through.

The week after, it became a little easier to go through my Sunday without writing anything. Over the next few weeks, the habit faded away. That sucks, but it was necessary to take the pressure off.

How’s it Going?

The story is pretty boring, because burnout is boring, or at least it was for me.

I kept doing things that I’m obliged to do and spent the rest of my time reading the front page of Reddit. That was pretty much the only thing I could get myself to do.

Just before it happened, I remember this feeling of intense dread from doing work I used to not mind at all. Writing and particularly publishing what I wrote became a massive chore. It was very confusing.

I looked back at days when I was able to get 10x more done and wondered what the hell happened.

I knew what I wanted to get done, but I just didn’t have the will to do it. I found it super difficult to focus or make decisions. It’s frustrating and very hard to describe.

Fortunately, it was all temporary. I would not be writing this post if I weren’t feeling a lot better. I’m doing pretty great now. I’m back working on some exciting new features for Writing Analytics.

Burnout Isn't a Problem to Solve

To be completely honest, I don’t know what helped me get out of it. I wish I could make this post into a “5 Top Tips on Dealing with Burnout” type of listicle, but I’m not sure I even have one good piece of advice.

I didn’t slow down because I saw burnout coming. I did it because I couldn’t carry on. As I said, it’s very difficult to describe the actual feeling.

I guess I just accepted the reality of the situation. That let the pressure that I put on myself off. And then I waited.

There wasn’t any “oh, I’m not burnt out anymore” moment. Things improved over time until I was able to get excited about working on my projects again.

One thing I learned through this experience is that burnout isn't something to be "solved." There's no immediate fix. You have to give yourself space and let your body recover.

What’s Next?

I'd love to keep the blog going, but I'm not sure yet what will be the best way forward. As I said, my weekly writing habit has evaporated. I will have to start over and rebuild it. Or perhaps this is an opportunity to try something new? I'll keep you posted.

I've also been working on a massive new feature for Writing Analytics — perhaps the biggest update yet. I'm hoping to have it ready by NaNoWriMo this year 🤞.

Past Editions

#249: Finish More Things, July 2022

#248: Serious Procrastination, June 2022

#247: Learning How to Fail, June 2022

#246: Your Art Is Like a Journal Entry, May 2022

#245: Writing + Headspace, May 2022

#writing #writers #write #writing tips #writing advice #amwriting #writing life #blogging #burnout #writeblr

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myyoungroyalsblog · 2 years

Text

Red, White and Royal Blue fic rec

*Note: I have a lot of unfinished fics in my subscriptions but since there are over 200 fics there from other fandoms too I won’t be able to add those (for now), when they are finished I’ll edit this one or do another post in the future!

*Also couldn't find some of these writers here on tumblr, if you know tell me and I’ll add their @ beside it!

*Another note: Since I read the book back in November I went straight (ha!) to ao3 to read almost every fic, not even kidding it was like 80 pages aka 1.600 works (except the very explicit ones haha) and even if they aren’t listed here it doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy them! 💜

SERIES

Trans Kid Fics

Completed, 14 works, 57.141 words

Alex and Henrys kid is trans and it shows his journey through all of this (this entire series is amazing and I recommend reading every single work, at times it makes you cry but not too angsty, and you fall in love with the kid and his partner, super sweet series and very very fluffy)

MULTI-CHAPTER

Fox Repairs (and Basic Construction)

10 chapters, 11.009 words

By @floatingaway4 Henry AU and Alex being an even bigger bi disaster and loveable dumbass agsjshdjdbsu super adorable and funny

You'll Get Better Soon ('Cause you have to)

12 chapters, 38.875 words

They live in the brownstone but Henry has an accident and loses 4 years of his life, 90% angst but so so so worth it I swear (happy ending of course hehe)

A Picture on Your Corkboard

5 chapters, 23.087 words

AU where Alex can't remember faces and has a sort of memory loss every day, very interesting and the right amount of fluff and angst (the ending always gets me it's so beautiful!!!!!)

Hypomnesia

10 chapters, 14.687 words

By @bibliothesoph AU where Henry leaves the lake house and goes to another lake to erase his love for Alex, very very angsty but the end is very nice (A bit of spice in the end too hehe)

Someday We'll Know If Love Can Move a Mountain

22 chapters, 60.720 words

By @three-drink-amy AU where the emails aren't leaked but the queen forbids them being together so they decide to wait it out, until Henry is supposedly engaged and is to be married to another, very angsty in the beginning but quickly turns into so much fluff and domesticity, you will cry happy tears with this one

How wonderful life is (while you're in the world)

3 chapters, 34.959 words

Henry gets shot but it all turns out okay :D a lot of angst but also fluffiness, very heart wrenching story that then puts your heart back together hehe

What Do I Know?

25 chapters, 83.634 words

By @three-drink-amy Henry and Alex are married but Alex looses his memories, just the right amount of angst and a lot of fluff for the pain afsjshdhdhd also a bit of spice hehe (it's such cute story and you see Alex fall in love with Henry all over again and it's amazing, love this fic so much)

Best Kept Secrets

20 chapters, 58.597 words

By @three-drink-amy Fake dating AU where Henry takes Alex to a wedding, so much pinning but omg it's so so good!!!! Not much of a slow burn in my opinion and I love it (Also a bit of spice too hehe)

'tis the damn season

6 chapters, 32.510 words

Alex and Henry break up after 4 years together, and now they see each other again two years later courtesy of the other Super Six, also holy shit if you like angst... This is the fic for you it hurts so good (happy ending of course but wow what a journey, also a bit of spice in the last chapter hehe)

Pump The Volume

12 chapters, 22.426 words

Deaf Alex AU but still follows the story of the book (with some changes) and you see him and Henry fall in love again (a very very sweet read)

ONE SHOT

five times henry's competency turned alex on and the one time it turned him into a pile of romantic goo

4.333 words

By @minimoffs Just like the title says omg such an awesome read and also hilarious and fluffy and a tiny bit spicy hehe (but just plain adorable and one of my fave fics)

let me love you when your heart is tired

2.765 words

By @peppermint-patties Henry is having a hard day because of his dad's passing, but Alex takes care of him and makes him laugh at the end of the day, angsty but very very sweet

Calling in a Favor

2.816 words

By @bibliothesoph Henry and Alex try to become parents but there are difficulties, until a 2 year old brings back happiness into their lives, another angsty one but so so adorable by the end I swear

no one's gonna love you more than i do

4.315 words

By @peppermint-patties 5 times Henry takes care/shows his love to Alex and how Alex melts every time and realizes how in love he is, just plain adorable and guaranteed to make you smile

You'll always be my brother

2.395 words

By @actuallyshea1992 AU where Philip is actually a good brother and supports Henry when he comes out, very nice read that you'd wish were canon lol

A Lover's Embrace

2.699 words

Alex misses Henry a lot, but more specifically his smell, so he tries to figure out hi cologne, a lot of fluff ensues of course hehe

every little thing you do, i do adore

3.750 words

By @peppermint-patties Alex and Henry being in love and showing it, super cute read (a little spice at end tho hehe)

the world hurts less when I’m by your side

14.856 words

Demi Henry my beloved, university/roommates AU where they get along really well and we see how they get together/fall in love and be domestic af lol super duper fluffy

The Beginner's Guide to Floristry

19.293 words

By @clottedcreamfudge Hanahaki disease AU but still follows the plot of the book, there's angst and fluff (also a bit of spice at the end hehe)

Hehe ;) @existentialcrisis-servedhot

#went through the entire ao3 Henry/Alex tag since November and just finished :D #in february btw #had to reread my favs so I could make this post lol #red white and royal blue #rwrb #rwarb #rwrb fic #rwrb fic rec #fic rec #mine #queue

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anyamaris · 9 months

Text

Another Us pt.3

Word count- 2200+

Genre- Angst, lots of plot, super slow

Warnings- Vulgarity, alcohol consumption, I think that's it?

Part 4

Note- This is my first writing on here so I'm just running with it and I'm having alot more fun with it than I thought when I started so, if you're looking for a quick conclusion, it's probably not happening any time soon. Fair warning. I hope you enjoy! Also, still figuring my way out around here, so I'm not sure how to link these together yet but I'll learn and edit this later to make it easier!

Just cause it's adorable and I love them.

"Oh my god and he was so cool! OH! and you know he modifies his clothes and things? I want to work with him." Woo sighs and stares off dreamily.

You roll your eyes and swat him. "Hey, if you're going to come over to help me cook for everyone, then help me cook. Don't just sit there talking!" You smile as he jumps into motion, tightening his apron and saluting you before getting to work on the prep you gave him. You actually had a weekend off for once, not just a random few days mid week so the boys had asked if they could have a fun dinner party at your place.

Since you love cooking and they'd actually helped you clean up, you'd agreed. Plus, that dreamy prince charming was coming. Smiling to yourself, you just nod and enjoy the music playing and Woo's excited talking while you both prep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Finally able to break away to take a shower and stuff because San got back and everything was basically done until later, you find yourself with a moment of peace. Settling on a cute pair of leggings and a comfy sweater, you check yourself out. Hmmm...too casual? What am I thinking? It's just dinner with the guys. No reason to dress up. Your thoughts wander to your conversation with Mingi from the other day.

"Yeah, we're going to invite some people from the set, if you're cool having a few more people, Y/n?" Mingi asks, looking up from texting to catch your answer. "Of course, the more the merrier!" you say before your brain can catch up with your mouth. People from the set....? Does that mean...? Nope, not asking. Moving on from that, if he comes, he comes. If he doesn't, well then he doesn't.

Frowning into your reflection, you have to stomp down the little voice saying that they wouldn't mind seeing him again. "Really, Y/n?" you say to yourself, "What good could come out of that?". You turn away and throw some slippers on before you can go too far down that deep, dark rabbit hole. Far too many confusing emotions you'd already worked through and thought you'd defeated won't threaten how far you've come.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Welcome!" You smile as Yeosang walks through the door and greets you, smiling. "Hello again, Y/n." he smiles back at you and you mentally shake your head. Is this man real? Wow. Ushering him in and showing him the living area where all the guys are bickering about something (probably stupid) again, you take the bottle of wine he offers. "Oh! Thank you, I'll open it and get you a glass!"

Grinning like a moron, you head to the kitchen while he joins the guys. "Ha, getting all high school girl over a pretty face, Y/n. Classy." You mutter to yourself and set about getting glasses out for everyone. You'd all decided food could just be finger food so noone had to deal with plates and sitting down. Keep it casual and fun.

You glance out at everyone, yelling that they can eat whatever whenever. A bunch of voices acknowledge you and go back to their conversation. "Y/N!" you hear and before you can turn, you feel arms wrapping around your waist and a chin land on your shoulder. "Hi Sannie", you say, giggling, knowing who it is without looking. "Are you having fun? Want a drink?" you ask him and instead of answering, you feel him nod against your shoulder. San was such a snuggle bug, you think. Him and Woo were the best people to be around for comfort and energy. And you definitely needed that lately.

Walking around grabbing glasses and pouring drinks, San just keeps his arms around you and follows. "You're going to help me carry these when I'm done." He nods again. You can't help but smile and enjoy the mood, everyone was here and ---

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sighing and turning back around to go in for the 4th time, Seonghwa finally raises his hand and rings the doorbell. He can hear voices inside and smiles. Meeting these new people was a good thing for him, especially lately. He'd been around too many shallow people for the last few years during all his training and he needed a break.

And I hate to admit, he thinks to himself, seeing her again made me feel like I could redeem myself a bit for the past-his thoughts are cut off as the door opens and Mingi smiles at him. "Hey Hwa! Come in, come in!"

Seonghwa's eyes scan the room, taking in the open layout of the place. He recognizes everyone in the big living space in front of him, but his eyes continue to scan until they land on you, moving about in the kitchen.

.....with someone attached to you. His lips tug downwards before he continues in, his eyes following you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey! Let's play-!" San yells after a sip of his drink.

Oh no, you think to yourself. We are adults, why do these parties always turn into-

-"Truth or dare!" Yep. There it was. You sigh and take a very long sip before you talk again. Cutting through the chaotic chatter you say, "hey hey HEY! Shh" you put your fingers on your lips. "Not after last time." Yunho snorts and covers his mouth, remembering.

"Yeah, I think you had to burn those sheets after Woo and San had to go makeout in the closet but they went to your room instead." Mingi says between snorts. Laughter erupts and neither of the culprits have the decency to look even a little bit ashamed. You glance at Woo and he's just smirking, throwing his arm around San. "Yeah, let's not." You say, and glance around.

Yeosang is smiling and looking like he was just taking in the atmosphere, having a good time. So pretty, you think, just admiring for a moment. Yunho and Mingi were the comedy relief of the group with their antics, just being silly. It was so clear why they'd been friends as long as they had. Woo and San were just the cutest ever, it didn't even matter what they were to each other, you could tell they cared so deeply for one another.

I used to be close to someone like that, you think, glancing straight across at the man you'd be sub consciously trying to avoid. You straighten up as you meet Seonghwa's eyes. How long has he been staring at me? Jeez, you think, looking away, then dragging them back to him. He never looks away. "I dunno, could be fun." he says and leans back, his gaze finally pulled from yours to look around at everyone.

"That's more like it! See, don't be a party pooper, Y/n." Yunho sticks out his tongue at you. "Ugh fine, under some conditions." All eyes turn towards you. "First, I'm not doing anything disgusting." Snorts are covered up, from previous unmentionable nights. "Yeah, never again." You glare. "Fine fine, what else?" San asks, smirking, knowing you'll play and he will find a funny loophole to embarass yourself. You know him and Woo too well. "Second, I'm the only girl here so no weird naked shit." Boos ring out and you roll your eyes for likely what isn't going to be the last tonight. "Yeah ,where is your friend?" Mingi asks. "She had to work all weekend sadly so you're all stuck with just me."

"Not a bad deal." You hear and turn, blushing as Yeosang smiles back at you and tilts his head. Oh man. He's quiet trouble, then. Clearing your throat, you jump up and clean up some stuff. "Ok well if we are gonna play something so stupid, I'm at least picking up before you monsters destroy the entire living room with your antics. The less likely for you to spill crap on the floor." You start picking things up as they all get up as well. Wooyoung sprinting off to the restroom, San heading to put some music on.

Seonghwa, Yunho and Mingi are already discussing something about their work so you just busy yourself before you hear rustling behind you. "Oh, Yeosang! You don't have to help! You're a guest!" You exclaim, but internally you're happy to have the help and well....might you have a slight crush? You feel your cheeks pinken.

"No problem at all, doesn't seem like anyone else is going to help." He laughs, looking at how quickly everyone ran off. "Ah I'm used to it, no big deal. So, uh..." You feel awkward for a moment, not really knowing what to talk about.

"So how long have you known these cretins?" He asks and you burst out laughing, not expecting that. You guys continue to chat as you pick up stuff and get ready for the game.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Distracted by work things, Seonghwa blinks and looks back into the other room where you are laughing and chatting with Yeosang. He'd just met the guy this last week on set and he couldn't quite get a read on him. Wait, he thinks. Wasn't some other guy all over her earlier?

"Hwa, what do you think? Would next Wednesday be ok?" Yunho was asking and pulling his thoughts back to the conversation, he pushes the thoughts to the back of his head. Doesn't matter if she's dating one of them, he chastises himself. Still, he was curious.

"What is it, Hwa?" Mingi asks, handing him back his full glass. "Hmm? Oh nothing, just curious how 3 guys ended up living with 1 girl. Seems odd. Nothing wrong with it, you guys must be close huh?" He asks, taking a sip.

Yunho chimes in, "Oh yeah I guess it can look weird from the outside. Mingi, San and I all went to middle and high school together, and we ended up at the same college. Y/n also studied there briefly, before she decided she was going to focus on her 'true 'passion'. We became close before she left for her beauty school." He uses finger quotes and smiles.

"True passion?" Hwa asks, glancing back towards you making your way towards them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hearing your name as you and Yeosang make your way to fill your drinks, you mind briefly hoping San and Woo come back soon without making a mess of anything, you chime in. "Yes, beauty school. Cosmetology, to be exact." You say, brushing past them and refilling your cup from one of the bottles.

"Weird, I thought you hated makeup." You barely stop yourself from choking down the sip you were taking and look at up Hwa, staring back at you.

"Why would Y/n hate makeup, that's all she's ever loved since I've known her,"Mingi says, clearly confused. Yunho glances between the two of you, noticing the tension in the looks and he claps his hands together. "Let's all get this going, Mingi help me find those two idiots and make sure they are actually coming back." He grabs Mingi's arm and directs him into the other room, catching your glance as you mouth "thank you" at him. He nods and you just know you'll at least have some explaining to do to Yunho.

Ugh what a headache. Oh well, lying about it stupid anyhow, but it's a convo for another time. As the others go back into the living area, you stop Seonghwa. "Hey." He stops and looks shocked that you are talking to him.

"Me?" he points at himself. "Yes, look, sorry for getting so emotional the other day. It was stupid and if you're going to be around, it's a lot easier if we have at least some kind of truce." You say, trying to get it all out before you regret it.

His shocked expression seems to take forever to fall off his face. "Oh, yeah...I'd like that, Y/n. I told you I have no ill will towards you." "I know, but let's just not bring up the past, ok?" You poke out your pinky at him. "Truce?"

He nods, and looks at your pinky. Snorting he says, "You still do that, tsk." but he pinky swears with you and you breathe a sigh of relief. "Ok well let's go get this silly game over so San and Woo can get some energy out of their systems. Oh and heads up, they always pick dare. Fair warning." Seonghwa nods, still recovering from how easy that seemed and follows you back out of the room. Into the chaos.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"San, you're drunk, go home." You yell over the loud singing coming from the side of your head, LOUD singing. "Hey, he's still on key, at least!" Yunho is doubling over laughing at their antics. San and Woo were dared to dance the choreo and sing a popular girl group's song and they were pulling it off, too well, in your opinion. Even drunk, these men were talented. Everyone was having a great time, and you were starting to relax a little bit.

It was hard, given that your past recently came walking up to punch you in the gut in the form of the man to your right. You look over at him, frowning momentarily. He was always beautiful, but there was a huge change in him that you'd not allowed yourself to acknowledge until right now. I mean, yeah I saw it immediately but the last thing I need is to be reminded of my first ....crush? love? everything?

You snort and Hwa looks over at you. "How can he smell the same, serously, so annoying." you mutter and his eyes study yours. "Me? I smell?" He frowns and looks down at himself, sniffing. "Huh? What? I didn't-" You start but Woo cuts you off. "Y/N! TRUTH OR DARE?!" he yells, plopping down to your left after finishing their dare.

"Ugh are we still playing? Fine fine, dare. I don't want you jerks knowing any of my secrets!" You giggle and take another sip. "I think she's a bit tipsy", Mingi giggles, and you scoff. "Says you," you return, pointing at him.

"I think we're all a little drunk. Anyhow, Woo go ahead, dare her to do something." Yunho manages through his laughter. Everyone had been getting sillier and despite it being a very immature game, you all still loved something to stimulate the atmosphere and it never disappointed. Minus the gross shit that used to happen, hence the rules.

"Ok, Y/n, I dare you to give me your phone and let me send someone a text. You have to deal with the consequences of whatever the answer is." He giggles. "Hell no, that's far too vague Woo." You say, crossing your arms. "I don't want to get jumped in the street tomorrow cause you sent someone something horrible."

Woo is waving his hands at you, "Nah, it's nothing that will harm you, i PROMISE." he says and winks at you. He waggles his eyebrows and San starts squirming and you know they both have some kind of plan. Dear god, why did you play this?

Maybe it was the drinking or you are actually always vaguely curious what those two will come up with together, but you sigh and hand your phone over. "Don't worry, Y/n, if it's anything bad, I'll protect you. Noone has ever won in a fight against me." Mingi says, flexing his muscles before leaning back and nodding, trying to act cool.

"Mingi, I know for a fact that you got beat up multiple times throughout our school days, mostly because of that claim." Yunho says and Mingi just sticks his nose up and refuses to acknowledge the statement. You're so preoccupied with those two that you'd forgotten the dare.

"They're always like this," You say to Yeosang and Hwa, shaking your head. Yeosang smiles at you and then plays around on his phone for a minute. You catch Hwa's eyes again and have to stop yourself from leaning into him. Shit, maybe I am drunk, but was his nose always so pretty?

"HA!!!!!" "YES!!!!" You hear and snap out of it, looking back at the chaos duo.

Woo tosses your phone back to you and you think, Oh fuck.

Your eyes grow large at the text display.

San yells "It's settled then, you're going on a date!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"That's my sister's arm you're grabbing, pal." You hear as a large man removes the offending hand from you. You breathe finally and step back.

It'd only been a week on campus and some meathead was already trying to strongarm your number after being told no. Ugh, you think. Another tall man walks up beside the first. "Is there a problem? You messin' with my girl?" the other says.

"Uhhh, yeah uhhh-" the idiot looks up at your saviors, turns tail and runs off. You can't help but laugh and you turn towards the two angels, hoping they aren't even more weirdos.

"Wow, thanks." you say with a genuine smile. The first was super handsome, tall and lean with an adorable face, cute cheeks and big brown eyes. He puts his hands in his pockets and leans back smiling. "No problem, I hate men like that, it's disgusting. I'm Yunho, and this is Mingi." Mingi was also tall and lean, had the brightest smile and they reached his eyes, making him look so adorable. Wow, how can two men be adorable and handsome at the same time? And really freaking tall!?

Mingi is smirking and tugging at his collar. "We're so cool, right brother?" He says to Yunho and you can't help but laugh and relax.

"I appreciate it so much. What way are you guys heading?" You ask and you being to chat with them while you make your way to your next class.

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@veronicasawyerschainsaw @shinestarhwaa

#seonghwa au #wooyoung au #yeosang au #Choi San au #mingi au #Yunho au #ateez au #ateez fanfic

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