#and I've been making too many text posts recently

[everything--under--the--stars]

I don't think some of y'all get that in order to dismantle capitalism or the elite that benefit from it at everyone else's expense... you have to stop encouraging people who flex their wealth. A $50,000 designer handbag works just the same as a $20 tote bag and giving people who brag about owning symbols of power and wealth larger platforms to do so helps them, not you. Wanting these necessarily expensive items, saving up for them to buy the equivalent a quarter of its price, helps the people that make them so expensive in the first place, not you.

[xavieryaa]

The Reddit Blackout, #196, And Being New to Tumblr

okay i've seen a lot of people in the past ~24 hours or so confused by everything going on with Reddit & Tumblr from both sides - people new to tumblr who don't know how to use it, and tumblr users who don't know what's going on with reddit and why many of its users have joined up here i know this isn't really related to my blog but fun fact about me: i was up until recently a very active reddit user and even mod a subreddit, but I've also been on tumblr for about 3 years now on different accounts, so I think I can see pretty well from both sides of this and explain what's going on this post will be split in 2 sections: what happened with reddit (and what #196 means), and a guide for new users

1. What The Hell Is Going On With Reddit?

The thing that's caused all this ruckus is a major change to Reddit's API, which is what Reddit provides to people so they can pull directly from Reddit to make third-party apps or tools.

The change is that Reddit is changing its previously free API to be paid. Which on its own kinda sucks for developers, but it's not unexpected. They need to make money somehow, right?

The problem is that the API pricing is WAY TOO FUCKING EXPENSIVE. The developer of the most popular 3rd party Reddit app, Apollo, says it will cost him $20 million a year to continue running the app as normal.

Essentially, this pricing forces almost everything third-party to shut down, which causes 3 major problems:

Third-party apps cannot keep running, which sucks for normal users because Reddit's official app is awful. It's slow, its video player is a thing of nightmares, it doesn't have many useful features third-party developers have made.

It sucks even more for visually impaired users because they can't use the official Reddit app at all. Reddit's official app does not work with iOS's native text-to-speech function. Third party apps, on the other hand, often do. So Reddit is forcing blind users away.

Third-party moderator tools cannot keep running, which sucks for moderators because many rely on these tools to properly moderate their subreddits. And moderators are often necessary, because without them subreddits get banned and hate speech and even CSA can often run rampant.

So you see why this change is bad.

Reddit users were PISSED.

So over the past week and a half or so, they have been working on organizing a site-wide blackout. The majority of the most active subreddits have now gone private. Some are only doing it for 48 hours, others (such as r/196) are doing it indefinitely.

That's why you can't access most of Reddit right now, and that's why many users have come here.

You're probably still wondering, though - what is this #196?

Well, as you may guess, it's connected to that subreddit r/196 I just mentioned. r/196 is a subreddit which only has one rule: every time you visit, you must post before you leave.

That's it, that's the subreddit.

The thing about r/196 that set it apart from most other subreddits - and what lends the subreddit's users perfectly to Tumblr - is that it was dominated by queer and leftist users.

So now they've come here and set up shop in #196 and r/196 so they can continue their merry little shitposting.

There's a ton of lore related to r/196, actually, but this is already a long tumblr post and quite frankly I cannot be bothered to write about it at the moment.

2. I'm Here From Reddit, What Now?

Hello there, random new user. As a double-citizen of Reddit and Tumblr, let me show you around this place.

First off, there are some other people who are better at explaining that I am who have made some really helpful things. Watch this Strange Aeons video as a guide to Tumblr culture and functionality and read this post which directly compares Reddit and Tumblr.

Assuming you've done that, here's some additional advice of my own:

Do you miss sorting subreddits by top of all time/the year/the month? Well, you can do something very similar with tags! If you go to a tag at the top of the screen you can select top, and then at the dropdown that says "all time" you can select different time periods! Even 6 months, which Reddit hasn't ever had.

Tumblr has a lot of cool customization features! Even outside your icon/banner/bio, you can change you blog colors and on desktop you can have an html theme (which has its own thriving community here). That customization is part of what sets Tumblr apart from everywhere else - I think you'll enjoy playing with it.

Notes will probably confuse you at first. Unlike the different numbers for upvotes and comments, notes combines the total number of likes, reblogs, and replies into the same number.

Outside of organizing your own blog, when making your own posts tags are what help other people find your post. Use them! But don't abuse them, because then people will just block you.

There are three ways of people finding your post: if someone follows you, if someone follows the tag(s) assigned to your post, and if someone is just scrolling through the tag(s) assigned to your post (and also the secret 4th way no one uses, which is finding it on the trending page, but even if people did use it no one will find your post initially that way)

tumblr is no longer The Discourse Website. And unlike what Reddit wants you to believe for some reason, it is very much alive still. Most of the people seeking fights have moved to Twitter (though some have also moved back here again). You will not get any brownie points for being a dipshit like you do on some subreddits.

So there, welcome to the hellsite (affectionate), you'll pick up on all the in-jokes eventually, for now just try not to be a nuisance and soon enough this'll be your new internet home.

[jinnie-ret]

FIC RECS

Ok so someone in my asks box asked me for some fic recommendations and I tried to add some gradually but my asks have been so weird recently so I've had to make a new post for them!

First of all ty anonnie you words were really sweet, I hope you stay healthy too!

Also just to preface I will list sfw and nsfw recs so pls if you are a minor, do not explore the nsfw recommendations, these blogs will most likely have a mdni statement so pls respect that and don't go against that :)

Now, enjoy!

SFW

Enough for you - @mixtape-racha (poly ot8 angst comfort)

We love an angst comfort fic and this is one of my faves. Take caution reading this one and read the content warnings at the top just in case! But this one is simply amazing and I wish I wrote it the end.

The Field Trip - @dreamescapeswriting (Seungmin X reader)

Seungmin and reader are teachers in this and if you follow me you may have seen me reblog this one before bc I love it and want this, also this blog has so many imagines you will be fed for days

Warm blankets - @jiniret-writings (3 parts, hurt comfort poly ot8 x reader)

I felt so emotionally invested in this story when I read it, like I felt readers pain 😭 gorgeous

jack-in-the-box -@junicai (angst, ninth member reader)

Set in kingdom. We hate mnet. Skz are very protective and reader gets the comfort she deserves in the end, love this sm!

@hyunjinsbelovedamericano - lots of headcanons and reaction type fics on their MASTERLIST, give it a look!!

Simptober 2023 - @skz-streamer

Fluff for days!!! pookie rly worked hard on this one so go and show some love because you've got so much to read here

Skz text aus - @channiesbakery

These are so so funny I cannot cope. Also explore the other fluff posts too bc they're really cute!

More text aus - @diddybok

Same goes for this blog too, explore their other stuff!

@hannahhbahng has some rly cute fluffy reads on their masterlist

@hanjiquokkaaa check out their skz reactions! My pookie slays every time

Skz fluff fics - @wooahaes

So much fluff to pick from! I fall in love every time!

Warm milk and honey - @horanghoe (poly skz x reader)

One of my fav skz comfort fics of all time, it's so so good, recommending again bc I should

In his arms, unexpectedly yours - @cheesemonky (Hyunjin x reader series)

This is a new series which I'm excited to see my pookie write !!!

@astraysimp for dad skz!!!

Nicholas Ross - @dean-a-mean-tae (skz ninth member male oc)

Love their ninth member writings so definitely check it out if you're looking for male!oc who is the ninth!

In my past, I find you and in the future, I still have you - @yangbbokari (Chan x reader)

Heartbreaking, like so angsty but it's gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous

Princess treatment with SKZ - @j-oneproduces

Each individual member x reader has a drabble and I love it so so much, very accurate imo

@skzoologist read their imagines on their ninth member oc Bae! They also have a fic called unfamiliarity using the same oc :)

I like the view - @mirisss (hybrid ot8 skz X reader)

I rly need to reread this one because I loved what I read so far on it!!!

NSFW

Rabbit hybrid reader - @authorofdanger (hybrid skz x hybrid reader)

I've linked a masterlist, I'd recommend the fic dominance and then the first few fics which are to do with reader as a rabbit hybrid! slight warning that woojin is mentioned

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Red Moon - @lixiepeach (omegaverse series)

this is one of the first skz omegaverse fics I read and it is done so beautifully, as it says in the description of the series, it deals with more adult content than just smut, and the way it is explored is written so well, couldn't recommend highly enough!

Inked Petals and Message Tones - @leviackermanscleaningbuddy (poly smau with real life)

this is an ao3 skz fic which changed my life. I can't explain how much I love this, it had me on an emotional rollercoaster fr fr like it's amazing!

n.h.i.e mini series - @hyungszn (smut ot8 x reader)

damn this one really has me on my toes like the chapters are chefs kiss and it's such a good read!

Bold - @hyunsvngs (American footballer minsung x reader)

Wow wow wee wow. This one made my brain go brrr and evaporate and melt and wow the storyline in it is so so good too. Juno rly has such a good relationship with anonnies and moots and it's so lovely to see. A jupiter stan right here!!

Sanguis Limerence - @jl-micasea-fics (vampire skz x reader)

This is one of the first series I was fully committed to reading on this all and constantly checking. It's insanely amazing, I can't put it into words and now I wanna read it all back again 😭

waiting for us - @kkami-writes (smau poly ot8 X reader)

I'm in love with this!!! Perhaps my fav skz smau like the character development as well is really nice to see and it's an easy read if you find it easier to read it in text messages form

Anger management - @2chopsticks2eyes (minsung x reader)

This is so hot and the way the storyline progresses as well is beautiful

@1-800-shedevil I'm in awe of her and her blog. Gorgeous writer, gorgeous writing. Her posts about body positivity rly are so helpful and her words are so comforting

Sharing = caring - @cbini (ot8 X reader)

This is unbelievably good and if you haven't seen it yet? Do you even Tumblr? Love how ems has such a good relationship with moots and in answering asks too! cbinian for life

Better than revenge - @lixie-phoria (smau Jeongin x reader)

I'm so obsessed with this series so far, putting it here bc there's smut to be added in the future. But I'm in love with it so far wow!!!

[botboots]

Saw that your requests were open so what about TFP cons with an adorkable teen human reader? A really close friend (the emotional support bundle of joy™) that is really artistic, kind, understanding and just a pure cinnamon roll, what would be the bots reaction to the lil' human? Optimus, Ratchet,Bulkhead, Arcee, BB, and if you do the kids then the kids. If not the other bots, stay safe!

im back!! so sorry for the long ass wait, had so much going on in my life recently (graduating, going back home, etc.) but hopefully i'll be back to posting somewhat regularly! tysm for the continuous support :] love seeing the notifs pop up every day this is one of the first asks in my inbox (and i completely forgot that the prompt said reader was part of the cons... whoops) and i've wanted to get it done for a while now! have so many more to get through but will get them done eventually - this isn't the best but its cute <3 and you can 100% tell who my favs are lmao warnings: none word count: 939 (GN reader)

-----------------

Optimus:

he finds your outlook on things is a nice change of pace compared to the more pessimistic views that some members of the team can have at times

values your compassion greatly, often turning to you as a confidant over the time you’ve gotten to know each other. a mission went wrong and he’s putting all the blame on himself? you’re there to reassure him in a heartbeat, reminding him that he did his best and there’s always another chance; you keep him grounded

has an innate interest in art and writing - he used to be an archivist, after all

so he enjoys watching you indulge in your hobby, your excitement about it reminds him of his younger years of being a clerk at iacon when he would become giddy over a newfound archaic text

he’s very fond of you and makes sure you know it, taking note of the small things you like and getting you whatever little gift he can manage to find - genuinely thinks you’re cute and likes seeing you happy :] 

Ratchet:

while it may have taken him a little longer than the others to warm up to you fully, he grew to start looking forward to your company (despite his his best efforts to hide it)

he appreciates your quiet company; you’re much less rambunctious than both the other humans and his own team - you complain a lot less too, probably one of his favorite qualities about you

like optimus, your bubbly attitude gives him a much needed break from the dreary duties that come with being the autobot medic

you often find yourselves working in tandem, with you sitting on the couch working on your newest project while he stands at his terminal typing away. occasionally you’ll walk over with a nervous smile, and with a roll of his optics he’ll lower a servo for you to climb into and lift you up onto the corner of the console, huffing when you chirp a thank you before the both of you quietly return to your tasks (he enjoys it, really)

while he’s not one to vent his frustrations to you, he’ll always be open to listen to you vent about yours. even if he doesn’t respond with much, he’ll offer logical solutions and observations for whatever issue you’re having

Bulkhead:

the big guy loves art, having been exposed to his fair share of it by miko, and is very encouraging when it comes to your projects

he might not get some of the nuances or meanings of the things you make, but he tries - oftentimes making you laugh a bit at the sheer amount he misses. it’s endearing though, and you appreciate the effort

too fidgety to sit and watch you do anything for too long, but he’ll offer to drive you to a vista for some inspiration while he does his usual scouting routes, miko tagging along of course. she’ll probably bring her sketchbook with her and sit next to you and draw, chattering the entire time while blasting some music from her ipod, offering you one of her earbuds

Arcee:

similar to ratchet she takes a while to get used to you, a little cold at first to your attempts at friendliness

she notices how happy you seem to make everyone else and eventually makes a legitimate pass at being friendly despite how awkward it feels

but with how eagerly you accept it she doesn’t feel as bad, sighing in relief as you immediately start filling her in on how much you’ve enjoyed your time with the autobots

she’s not much of a conversationalist (especially when it comes to humans) so your chattiness is almost a relief - not having to keep up fake interest and energy with someone puts her in a more comfortable position; especially since you’re not one to comment on it like others tend to

will sit and watch you work on whatever your newest project is, a comfortable silence shared between the two of you

rambles about random stuff from her past sometimes - you turn out to be one of the few people she trusts enough to mindlessly dump her thoughts to, both good and bad

Bumblebee:

one of the first to get to know you, overly excited about having a fresh face around

super curious when he sees you working on something, a barrage of questions translated from mechanical chirps and whirrs with the help (and annoyance) of ratchet

he’ll actually try and mimic some of your art on the walls of hidden ditches where he and rafael hang out, excitedly bringing you along to show off his latest work and buzzing happily when you praise it

will eventually, with your encouragement, try and make something original - he ends up finding it pretty soothing and an easier way to feel understood; communicating his feelings without words can be unsurprisingly helpful for someone who can’t use any of his own

you’ll spend hours hanging out and working on your stuff - he likes when you help him with his own art, adding your own brushstrokes to the concrete wall

he’ll let you sit up on his shoulder just to watch him make whatever he feels like making, or even just taking you on joyrides in the desert where he doesnt need to worry about anything going wrong

while it’s usually you, him and raf hanging out he does enjoy spending solo time with you - usually in silence or one-sided conversations, but you understand each other well enough without words

will also figure out what your favorite songs are and surprise you with them; he loves when you get all giddy about literally anything

[bingwriterxo]

distant

pairing: vada cavell x reader

summary: in which you weren't at school during the shooting but your girlfriend was, and the trauma that it left her with caused her to practically disappear from your life

warnings: talks of school shooting

word count: 1800+

author's note: the very first vada fic i ever wrote (posted to my wattpad back in december) but someone requested something similar (find here) so i thought i'd throw this up here

"Hi, Mrs. Cavell," you said timidly as the woman opened the front door to her home. Her eyes widened at the sight of you--messy hair, dark eye bags, heavy eyelids--as she welcomed you inside. You were no stranger to her: she knew that you and Vada had been dating for nearly a year now. However, this version of you was one that she had never seen before, and she had seen many versions of you over the course of your relationship with her daughter. 

"Y/N, are you okay?" she asked as you took your sneakers off by the door, unlacing them so slowly that she almost thought you had fallen asleep where you stood. 

"Is Vada home?" There was almost no emotion in your voice. You just sounded...tired. The woman had become used to your high-energy personality, never surprised when you were running around with Amelia or making Vada dance with you in her bedroom. She couldn't help but hope that you were alright.

"She's at Nick's right now, but you're more than welcome to wait in her room, if you'd like." She checked the clock on the wall. "She shouldn't be gone for too much longer." You nodded, accepting the woman's suggestion and heading towards Vada's bedroom. "If you need anything, just let me know," Mrs. Cavell called out after you. You gave her a thumbs up before disappearing inside.

You gratefully laid down on Vada's bed, inhaling the girl's scent that lingered on her blankets. You hadn't seen her in a while--over two weeks and counting--and you missed her, so being in her bed felt as though she were enveloping you in a hug, though you did wish you had the real thing. 

You opened your phone, shooting your girlfriend a text to let her know that you were at her house, before going on TikTok, trying to pass the time. None of the short videos seemed to entertain you, though, so you resolved to just take a short nap. However, a single text erased this thought from your mind completely. 

Nick Feinstein (5:46pm): do yk where vadas at? havent heard from her in a while

You shot up, eyebrows furrowing at the question. Didn't Mrs. Cavell just say that the brunette was at Nick's house?

You (5:46pm): her mom said she was at urs???

Confusion and fear swirled in your stomach as you went to your girlfriend's contact, pressing the call button. You listened as the phone rang, anxiety beginning to creep through your veins. "C'mon, Vada. Pick up, pick up." However, the girl didn't answer her phone, leaving you with her voicemail message. "Uh, hey, Vads. Just wondering where you are...your mom said you were at Nick's, but he just texted me asking me where you're at. Uh, call me back when you can? I love you." You hung up the call, hoping that she would return your call soon. 

Nick Feinstein (5:47pm): nope

Nick Feinstein (5:47pm): havent seen her in a few weeks

You (5:50pm): just called her

You (5:50pm): every time i've asked her to hang out the past two weeks she always said she had plans with you...

Anxiety settled in your stomach at the idea that your girlfriend had been lying to you. Who was she really hanging out with? Why did she not want to see you? What was happening?

Nick Feinstein (5:52pm): think she's been hanging w that girl recently

Nick Feinstein (5:52pm): mia reed

Could Vada be cheating on you? You pushed that thought aside, hoping for a different outcome, but it continued to nag at your brain. Had she grown tired of your relationship? Had she grown tired of you?

Nick Feinstein (5:53pm): instagram.com/miareed/  here's her acct

You clicked on the link, ignoring the fact that your hand was shaking, and the girl's instagram account popped up. The most recent photo immediately made you nauseous and you dropped your phone, scurrying backwards on the bed as though the object had burned you. 

liked by vada_cav, nickfein.stein, and 1,246 others

miareed love her fr

tagged vada_cav

VIEW COMMENTS

vada_cav love u fr

↪︎miareed <3

hasland_quinton yw for the pic

↪︎miareed much love

↪︎vada_cav grateful

Even if Vada wasn't cheating on you with Mia Reed, their relationship was a bit too close for comfort for you. They were almost kissing in the photo, and while her caption could have been platonic, it sure didn't give you 'just friends' energy. 

A ding brought you out of your thoughts and you crawled to the edge of the bed, looking at your phone. There was a message from Vada, so you hurried to pick up the device, unlocking it to see what your girlfriend had to say.

Vads <3 (6:01pm): wont be home till late

Vads <3 (6:01pm): dont stay

The message felt like a stab through the heart. She must have been with Mia, and you couldn't help but imagine what they were doing: were they on a date? were they making out? were they doing something worse? Tears stung at your eyes as you turned your phone off. However, instead of listening to your girlfriend--was she still your girlfriend?--you buried yourself into her bed. You needed to confront her when she got home. If you didn't, you weren't sure when you'd get the chance to talk to her again. 

* * *

The covers were forcefully ripped off of you and you sprang awake, eyes squinting beneath the harsh overhead light. Vada stood in front of you, blanket in hand, eyebrows furrowed, nose flared. 

"What are you still doing here?" she asked. You flinched at her tone, sitting up so that you could really look at her. She crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for a response.

"I..." Was this a bad idea? Would this be the end of your relationship? "We need to talk." She didn't say anything, just merely gestured for you to keep talking. "Are you cheating on me?"

"What?" She looked offended, as though she couldn't understand why you would ask such a thing. You watched as she took a step forward, arms reaching towards you, before taking a step back: she couldn't figure out what to do. "No! I'm not cheating on you, Jesus!" She took the defensive route, and you couldn't say you were surprised. 

"I saw Mia's post," you began. Her jaw clenched, an action that you would usually find attractive instead caused more anxiety to race through your bloodstream. "It didn't seem...it just...it looked wrong." 

She shook her head, scoffed, brought a hand to her forehead. "Jesus fucking christ! Mia's just a fucking friend. What, I can't have friends now?" she yelled. You stood up from her bed, unable to stop the tears that had begun to fall from your eyes. 

"Of course you can! But you've been lying to me about where you've been and then suddenly you're hanging out with one of the most popular girls in school! If you had nothing to hide, you wouldn't have lied to me! Or Nick! Or your fucking parents, Vada." Your voice cracked as you spoke, spit flying from your mouth in anger. Your girlfriend stayed silent, just staring at you. "You know what? Forget it. You clearly don't want to talk about this."

"Thank you!" She fell face first onto her bed, signaling that she was done talking to you in general. Awkward silence encased the room as thoughts circled your mind, with one becoming too prominent for your liking.

"We should break up," you whispered into the empty air. This got the girl's attention. She pushed herself off the bed, turning towards you, and you finally saw some resemblance to the Vada that you knew.

"What are you talking about?" Her voice was small, afraid that you had actually meant the words that just left your mouth. She didn't want to lose you, didn't know she could lose you. She thought you two were solid, that nothing could change that.

"I haven't seen you in over two weeks, you've been lying to me, you didn't even want to see me today." You listed your grievances quietly. You didn't want to break up with the brunette, but hearing everything you were saying, you understood that you might have to if she didn't offer an explanation. "Do you still want this?" You gestured between the two of you. 

"Of course I do. I love you, Y/N." You could hear the truth in her voice, but that wasn't enough for you to just forget about everything that had happened recently. You weren't going to forgive her just because she loved you.

"Then I need an explanation." Vada glanced down towards your feet, her hair forming a curtain around her face. You reached out, a single finger beneath her chin as you forced her to look at you. "Please, Vada."

She nodded, gesturing towards her bed. You took a seat, sitting cross-legged as she sat across from you in the same way. Vada took a deep breath, preparing herself to tell you what she had been keeping hidden. "When the shooting at school happened, Mia and I hid in a bathroom stall together." Just saying the words made her think of that horrible day, but she continued, for you. "I thought--I thought that I was going to die in there with her.

"She ended up texting me a day or two after it happened. She wanted to make sure that I was okay, so we started hanging out. Honestly, she has no one there for her: her dads are away a lot and she doesn't really have friends, and I felt for her. I knew I wouldn't have wanted to be alone after this, and I wanted her to know that she had someone in her corner. And it was nice, being able to talk to her about it, to tell her about how afraid I was to go back to school, to tell her how I was afraid to do most things.

"I--I should've told you that I was hanging out with her, I know. That's not something I should have hid from you. It's just...I felt like I couldn't talk to you about how the shooting affected me because...well, you weren't there. I didn't know if you'd understand, and I didn't want to give you these feelings."

"Vada..." You reached out for her, pulling her into a hug. Her tears, which had begun midway through her explanation, soaked your t-shirt, but you didn't care. You just wanted to be there for the girl. "You can talk to me about anything anytime you want, alright?" She nodded into your shoulder before pulling away.

"And I'm sorry I've been so...mean...recently. I just have a lot of feelings that I'm working through right now, and I took them out on the people close to me, and I'm sorry," she apologized. 

You nodded, smiling softly. "It's going to be okay, Vads. I promise."

"I love you, Y/N."

"I love you, too, Vads." You pulled her in for another hug, rubbing her back softly as she wrapped her arms around you, more than grateful that you were there at that moment.

[christiansorrell]

RPG Read-through: .dungeon//remastered

For a while on Twitter, I've been doing read-through threads where I post my thoughts as I'm reading through a game for the first time. I recently did the same with Snow's .dungeon//remastered, a TTRPG where you are players logging in to a dead/dying MMO and exploring the digital fantasy world. I'm adapting those thoughts here for a proper Tumblr post! Enjoy!

First up, credits! Good folks who do good work in my experience. Also, we get the first of what seems to be a common through-line here that I enjoy: an online fandom bent to this all being a sort of GameFAQ style guide for an in-universe game.

My initial impression from most of the interior spreads I've seen just flipping through it is that I really love the style and layout. I think black and white layouts are underrated generally, but it really pops here with the pixelated text/symbols and the old school GUIs.

It's interesting to have these kind of "no bigotry" rules you see in many games couched within an in-universe framing. I think this more personal angle actually makes them land better for me than they typically do in games.

Of course, the author is still powerless to stop the players (just like with any instance of these rules, and all game rules in general tbh) BUT this is worldbuilding too, and it gives me a greater sense for the kind of in-universe fandom that's risen up around .dungeon.

Similarly, here's the game's unique version of safety tools - an in-game help menu that reworks things like lines/veils, x-card and more into the game world itself. I really like this.

Once again, the art in this is just great. I love the Fez-like runes/symbols. My ARG brain wants to know if there's a hidden message here.

I was surprised it was jumping right into the starter adventure, Tutorial Town, but I quickly found out that this is character creation AND a starting area/adventure all wrapped into one, video game-style, and that's so cool.

Each room of the starting area introduces a step of character creation. It's interesting that stats are based on real-world (not you the player at the table real-world but your PC at the "real-world" computer playing the game) ability. Your game knowledge, response time, etc.

As a long time Dota player, I also just really enjoy that the saving throw-like stat here is TILT. I have tilted many times and known many of my teammates to tilt regularly. Just fun to see that phrasing in a TTRPG.

There's more of the in-universe real-world player here than I expected coming in. Definitely has some really intriguing potential. I do wonder though if the intent is to be playing a "real-world" level character or if you are "playing" as yourself at that layer. Both would work.

Monster statblocks. Easy to parse and straightforward to run as the GM (tho at time the layout does have one two many things laid on top of one another that can make them hard to read at first glance - like where "GOBLIN" is here):

Health here is SYNC, and it's shared across the whole party - I'm interested to see how that full mechanic plays out and how it may affect play.

Reaction rolls. I'm surprised to see them given the video game setting, cus mobs in MMOs just always attack you. I've gone back and forth on it with my video game-inspired TTRPG. Don't think it's a bad choice, just one that means the game world is more than a usual video game.

So you have your real-world level Job (based on your characters' out of game job) and your in-game "Role" which follow the classic "holy trinity" of MMO design:

PCs and monsters can team up to attack and can forego damage for stunts - potentially fun/interesting moments happening from that. Monsters deal dmg to SYNC but only per type is interesting, means a crowd of one-enemy is more a long trickle of damage than an overwhelming burst.

Not knowing the ramifications of SYNC damage yet, I'm not sure what the Risk v Reward looks like for Respawns but it's intriguing. Letting your avatar die to keep the party in a stronger position overall (but being able to re-join after a fight) is definitely unique.

This is another fun room (and I like that other than saying late 90s/early 2000s it leaves appearance options open). I am not sure where to find the starting origins tho (they aren't on this spread and there's no page reference). Sadly, the PDF isn't bookmarked either, it seems.

This feels like a smart roadblock to place in player's paths early on. It's unlikely they'll have a lockpick at this point so really, it's about getting players into that creative mindset. What is in the room for you to exploit? What gear do you have you can use in a new way?

Might seem basic, especially to the OSR-experienced out there, but you'd be surprised how many players don't have experience with thinking more freeformly about the game in this way. No fault to them, most trad games condition you to use your PC's abilities/skills as a menu.

Another cool interaction between the layers of the game here (tho I do wish they all played more off of something more than just the tarot card being in the real-world layer). Still wondering if most folks play as themselves or as a real-world level PC.

This is interesting. I wonder if there is going to be a real-world layer to play or if this is meant to be the amount your party can heal between sessions of play (like when the actual real you stops playing in actual real life - this meta layer stuff is tricky to communicate).

I like this - a very short and sweet travel system.

I continue to love this art. Also, this tease here around dual-wielding requiring the discovery of new Roles out in the game world somewhere first is really enticing (I added the highlighter there btw).

This is fun - there are both in-game NPCs and PUGs which are other real-world players' in-game avatars. That extra layer to those types of NPCs is really fun and them running the gamut of fully out-of-character chatting to being hardcore RPers is fun to consider.

Whenever it leans into the digital world aspects, I'm super into it. Very much my kinda thing. I do wonder though how often players can swap their Roles. I don't believe I've seen that said yet - my inclination would be once on the fly (like Final Fantasy's Job systems).

And if these various layers weren't enough, .dungeon also features in-game collectible cards that are sort of enchantments and buffs. I wonder if my real-world level character can spend real money to buy Bytes to buy more packs from a merchant in town? lol

I won't spoil/detail too many more of these but these kind of fun (and common to video games but rarely seen when thinking of the world of a game or the intended way to play) moments are really appealing. Also, this game has Goons in it. Oh no.

Now I'm thinking the intention is the "real-world" level of play should be the real actual you, the person playing .dungeon the TTRPG (as opposed to a real-world level character still within the fiction of the game) since stuff like this would be tricky to track. Cool item!

Tutorial Island is cool, a good blend of char creation, intro to what the game is, and just a fun adventure with a session or more of play to it. I'd have to run/play this to really see but I find the Sync being tied to essentially your real-world session length interesting.

This stuff is cool and leans into that meta/fan-level play that only comes out of these big community-driven games, both MMOs but also things like Dark Souls.

A lot of these kind of possible secrets come as comments in the text, possibly just to inspire the GM and to get players interested in ways that the table can build out on their own over time. So far, I don't see some of the more esoteric secrets to be laid out (which I like).

The rest of the book, as far as I've seen, is lots of resources, gear tables, monsters, etc. to build out the game after player's leave Tutorial Island. The game world here has that anything goes Final Fantasy bent to it. There's swords & wagons, but laser guns & skateboards too.

The setting here is also explicitly queer (mostly seen so far in the "real-world" PUGs) and includes things like sex workers and other elements that it maybe could not have had but that would certainly lessen the richness of its world, the fandom presented throughout, etc.

The spellcasting uses the in-game money as mana points essentially. That's a cool way to limit spellcasting and motivate player's, especially spellcasters, to get out there and make some $$$.

Okay, here's the real-world explanation I was waiting for (after the in-game gear lists and such). This is cool - it's fun to have a real-life layer to this and to have the game's world support that sort of dropping in and out, doing things outside of a full party session, etc.

I know a lot of folks do this with ongoing campaigns anyway, but this is one of those fun things to include here to build that in as an expectation in play. You have your raid nights with friends and you have your little solo sessions after work where you sell your loot.

Now, the rest is a nice collection of random dungeon, NPC, settlement, hexfill tables and more. Everything you'd expect from an OSR-like ruleset but occasionally with some fun added meta-layers.

Players getting a quest from an in-game Moderator and then being able to become a Mod themselves is a really fun idea and something I could envision becoming a long-term goal for one or more players at a table. The threat of encountering an Admin is scary as well!

To finish it up, we've got a cool AASCII-style character sheet, complete with MingLiU-ExtB font (my beloved)!

And that's .dungeon//remastered! I really enjoyed reading this, and I think it has a strong core that's really enhanced by its real-world interaction layer. Gonna put this on "Play Soon" list. There are some smart rules in particular I'll likely steal for a future project.

.dungeon//remastered is available digitally NOW with, I believe, physical copies coming soon. I backed the Kickstarter to get this digital version. CHECK IT OUT HERE!

[wonwoosthetic]

series masterlist

kpop masterlist

word count – 11.6k (I love how I wanted this to be short)

a/n: I already explained what this is in a previous post, so I won't bug you with that here too, I just wanted to say thank you for your input on this and I really hope you enjoy it ˙ᵕ˙ thank you for all the love and continuous support, I love you all very very much!

some recent mimiwon moments i've been thinking about A LOT 🌷 Minnie

Everything in [brackets] is text is added text and commentary in the “video”

[LISTEN PEOPLE]

[a lot has happened]

[a lot of time has passed]

[and a lot has apparently happened in the mimiwon dorm bc we are being FED VERY WELL]

[you know me, #1 mimiwon supporter, fight me on that if you want to]

[some of these might be a stretch, but leave me alone and enjoy the show]

[sometimes you gotta be delulu when no one tells you what's the trululu]

[and the trululu for me is this video]

Weverse LIVE 230811

Mingyu was watching the newest Going Seventeen episode on his iPad, the voices of his members ringing through the speakers in the apartment as he chuckled at the screen in front of him. The sound of footsteps in the background made him look up, turn his head to the right side and chuckle at what he saw. Quickly, the camera was flipped to show the new episode of the BOOmily outing when the members had to sing a song they had heard the night before.

[suddenly so secretive🫣]

The comment section suddenly filled up:

"Is Mingyu not alone?"

"I thought all of the members lived alone, but I can hear whispers..."

"There are more people, right?"

"THAT SOUNDED LIKE MINNIE'S GIGGLE"

"Do you still live together?"

"Pls show Minnie"

"Why did you flip the camera? :("

[AS IF WE COULDN'T HEAR THEM]

[I swear to God, I heard a kiss]

*sound gets replayed, just a little louder*

[alright look, might just be fabric rubbing against fabric or sth else, idk, but let me be delulu]

A few seconds later, after a few more giggles in the background, the camera showed Mingyu's face again. His head was still resting on the back of the couch.

"Guys, look who just came," he spoke out loud before moving his phone further away from him to show the girl who had taken a seat next to him on the couch, looking very comfortable with her head tilted to the side and her knees up.

[THEY LOOK SO CUTE LIKE THAT]

[ugh i hate happy people]

"Hi everyone," Minnie spoke softly, waving to the camera. She turned towards Mingyu, "I was wondering why you were watching Going Seventeen."

"Carats said it's a funny episode, and look at me!" He pointed at the iPad. With one quick look, the girl started giggling and patted his upper arm, "Yeah, well... that's what you look like after waking up."

[IMAGINE getting to see that face every single day]

[HE'S SO CUTE SO PUFFY]

[girl, you're the luckiest bitch in this universe🫶🏼]

"Wow..." Mingyu shook his head.

[yep]

They both looked down at the screen in his lap before the girl opened her mouth again, her head now leaning on his shoulder.

[STOP LOOKING SO DOMESTICALLY CUTE]

[they're making me so sick, but I love them so much😭]

"It was surprisingly cold that morning."

The rapper hummed in agreement. "But it was a lot of fun too." Getting a nod from her in return.

Minnie rubbed her eye and went to cover her mouth as a yawn escaped her, making Mingyu turn his head slightly to look at her. "Are you tired?"

"A little bit."

[it took so many years for them to soften up to each other and now we're getting scenes like this?!]

[THIS IS WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN KEEPING FROM US]

[i mean, don‘t get me wrong, I love them bickering around, but I never knew I needed them to be like this so badly]

"Should we read some comments to wake you up?" His question made her chuckle. "Should we slowly end the live?" He wondered. "I'll come back. You wanted to do a live soon, right?" He directed his last question at the girl.

[i need him to talk to me this softly]

[since when can mingyu speak so quietly and slowly]

[well, he can]

[but only for MINNIE apparently]

"Yeah, but I have to think about what I want to talk about. Jeonghan's always eating in his lives, and the conversations he has come really easily, but I don't know if I could do it like that. I want to do something else maybe."

"Look," Mingyu pointed at the display on his phone, "Carats are saying they'd even watch you eat in silence."

[i'd watch that girl look at a white wall for HOURS, you don't understand]

[or actually, I think mingyu would understand me]

[whipped mf]

Minnie couldn't help but to giggle. "But that's weird. Just eating and not talking... We'll see." And ended her statement with a shrug.

[no, it's not weird]

[PLS we love stuff like this]

Suddenly, both of the members' heads turned to the side in synch,  

[in synch even off stage]

[this is what happens when you live together, huh?]

stopping for a second before chuckling at the same time. 

[WHAT WAS THAT]

[we all saw it, right?!]

*repeats clip*

[who made them smile like that?]

[don't worry, I already have the answer for you]

[JEON WONWOOOOOOO]

[i found this on twitter:]

*shows the clip again, this time with a raised volume*

[someone said 'balli' right?]

[pls tell me i'm not imagining it]

The girl raked her body up from the slouching position she was in as the rapper focused back on interacting with their fans, saying goodbye to them.

[she was so quick to get up]

[everything for jeon wonwoo, i understand]

[oh i so 1000% understand, girl]

"Bye, be well," he spoke in an unnaturally deep voice. Out of the blue, Wonwoo copied him, making the female member turn her head to the side once again, laughing at the older rapper as he continued to repeat Mingyu's exclaims.

[yeah, alright, we get it, mingyu's not the only one whipped]

"Bye," he waved into the camera as Minnie stood up to stretch her back, only for her to lower her head, peaking in from the top of the screen to wave as well.

"Bye, Carats. Have a good night, eat well and sleep well. Byyeeee"

[BYE MINNIE, HAVE THE BEST SLEEP EVER, YOU WONDERFUL WOMAN, I LOVE YOU]

[i just typed out mingyu's thoughts, you're welcome]

The rapper tapped around on his phone, trying to end the live when the distant female voice in the background spoke quietly, 

"Can‘t we just go to sleep?"

[SHE‘S USING A CUTE VOICE WITH THEM?!]

[didn’t Minnie say, she hates aegyo… well… not when it comes to those guys apparently]

[we will be debating this in the comments, see ya there]

-

[Going Seventeen] EP.78 Everything Possible In The White Zone #2

[this episode was made for mimiwon, convince me otherwise]

After they discussed Vernon's approach to the game, they decided to play another round, this time trying to find a different member.

First, Seungkwan proposed to let him be the person to find, but every member had a different idea of who it should be.

"We can't play 'Finding Joshua' because he doesn't read his messages," 

Woozi commented, making the room errupt in laughter.

[not mimiwon, but i laughed out so hard]

The group went back and forth until S.Coups made the final decision.

"Let's go with a member that's loud in the group chat, like Minnie."

"Me?" She suddenly sat up straight from her lying position close to Wonwoo's feet.

Dokyeom laughed as he nodded, "Yeah, you."

"Let's go with Minnie, she writes a lot," the leader finalized. 

[Opposite of Joshua]

Everyone seemed to agree, but Mingyu who sighed through his teeth and shook his head,

"Ah, I think Minnie's writing style is too unique, it'll be easy."

[OF COURSE IT'LL BE EASY FOR YOU MINGYU]

"Pff," the girl scoffed, "If you think so."

[i needed the bickering old married couple back, i'm so happy]

"Yeah, it might be easy for you, but not for the rest of us," Dino commented, pointing at the other members.

[DINO, tell us what you know👀]

[my guy, what are you keeping from us]

[share it with the group😬]

"No, Mingyu's right, I think we'll find her quickly," Wonwoo suddenly spoke up too.

[Oh there we go, the other husband]

[yeah go on and support your little couple]

"Jeez, alright," the female performer sighed with a chuckle.

"Let's see," Seungkwan's voice echoed through the room, having the last word before they created a new anonymous group chat.

-

"Who would enter as 'Taylor Swift'?" Hoshi wondered as they went through the names that were now in the chat.

[MINNIE FUCKING KIM WOULD]

[the queen she is]

[queens supporting queens]

[mothers supporting mothers]

The maknae of the group laughed out loud, "Oh, that would for sure be Minnie!"

[again, not mimiwon, but he knows her so well, it's so cute]

[i might have to make a video on dino and minnie]

[have you seen them?!]

[cutest siblings ever]

"I'm not THAT predictable!" The girl argued back.

[🧍‍♂️]

Mingyu turned around to glance at her. "We'll see about that."

"We'll see about that," she mocked him. "I bet you're 'Minnie Mouse', very creative," joking about his possible username, making him roll his eyes.

[BURN]

[did she really just call the creator of the bittersweet logo, the editor of the going magazine AND the artist of woozi's lockscreen NOT CREATIVE?!]

"'Pledis #1 Facecard' is really good too," Minghao commented, followed by a giggle.

[factssssssss]

Minnie grinned. "That's a personal attack on Mingyu though, isn't it?" 

[pls give this man a break minnie]

[he's suffering, but it's so cute]

Her grin washed from her face the second a pillow hit her face.

[that smack was PERSONAL]

-

"Let's ask about her idol," Seungkwan suggested.

"Idol?" The second oldest wondered in confusion.

"But idol as in role model, everyone should know this," the youngest main vocalist added as the other members agreed.

Suddenly a round of laughter filled the room as they went through the messages. The chat showed pictures of mostly Taylor Swift, one of a 15-year-old S.Coups and one of a gif of Jun in his Limbo MV, when suddenly somebody sent in a picture of the Pledis CEO.

[that was FOUL]

"Who sent this?!" Minnie couldn't stop laughing, throwing herself onto the floor.

[i love that she's laughing at her trauma]

[same ngl]

As if that wasn't enough already, the next picture sent was an older one of Woozi in the green practice room.

"Oh, this is Minnie for sure!" Wonwoo exclaimed proudly.

[mh, tell 'em]

"Woozi-hyung? No, I think Han Seongsu-nim is a bigger idol to her," Vernon stated, making everyone laugh harder.

[why is he rubbing salt in the wound HAHAHAH]

"Alright, so you sent in that picture then," the girl pointed at him, making him shrug with a mischievous grin on his lips.

They started debating when Hoshi made a clear statement. "Minnie usually has really old and embarrassing pictures of us on her phone." But Mingyu had something different to add,

"But she's the only one that would send in a moving image." 

[did he graduate from uni with a degree in 'analysis of minnie's texting' bc me thinks so]

To which the other members agreed with hums and nods. The girl stayed quiet in the back.

[i knew he was right, right then and there]

"Wonwoo knows how to do that too," the female performer debated.

[love her brining him into this]

[she needs her emotional support hubby]

"Don't try to make us now think this isn't you!" Hoshi's loud voice echoed through the room. She raised her hands in defeat.

-

"Doesn't she have a unique writing style, though? Let's ask something where she can write something," the youngest threw into the room.

"Do you want us to write entire stories like her?" Wonwoo wondered, chuckling when he saw the glare Minnie sent his way.

[he's a menace but we love him]

[also: i would pay for a novel message written by minnie, so wonwoo should be thankful, he get's them for free]

"Suddenly, you're complaining about my long messages? At least I reply!" She argued back.

[well, there we go, throwing him under the bus]

"Alright, alright, let's ask something like that," Minghao agreed, "That might make it easier."

"Okay, what about dinner recommendations?" Jun asked the rest of them

"Yeah, that's good!" Jeonghan answered him, followed by the others.

A few seconds later the first messages started flying in.

"Whoever Choi Seungnie is-" Seungkwan couldn't even finish his sentences as he started laughing, rolling onto the floor. "You're really holding a big grudge."

[QUICK INTERRUPTION: CHOI SEUNGNIE?! hella cute and the fact that it was cheol made me cry🥹]

"It sounds a lot like younger Minnie," Mingyu commented. "'Forget dinner, just let me go out to meet my friends' Who the hell are you meeting up with?" He directed the last question at the girl who looked at him in shock.

[we get it, you're jealous]

[it's okay, i'd be too]

[but i think that's what happens if your girlfriend is the hottest woman on earth tbh]

"That's not me! I wouldn't text like that!"

He nodded, "I know, I know," smiling to himself as he knew exactly.

As her fingers furiously tapped on her screen, a mumble escaped her lips. "I know exactly who this idiot is."

-

After the last question had been asked, every member had to make their final guess on who the real Minnie was in the group chat, and so the discussion began.

"She's probably the one with only the heart as a username," the leader stated.

"True, she uses that a lot," Dokyeom agreed with him, followed by Vernon who nodded along as he gave his opinion.

[yes, they know her well, BUT there are two people that know her even better]

"But 'Pledis #1 Facecard' used the same emojis. Either she didn't even try to hide it or that person imitating her is really good." The other members nodded. Everyone but the '97 Liner rapper, who interferred,

"But 'tulip' tried a bit too hard to sound different. It was kinda unnatural."

[did he just insult her]

[careful mingyu]

"Yeah, but wouldn't Minnie be better at pretending like that?" Hoshi turned the conversation around again.

"Or," Seungkwan interrupted, "That's EXACTLY what she wants you to think."

"Woah..." Woozi chuckled, "Finding Minnie is more complicated than I thought."

"She's smart, so it's definitely hard," Jun added.

[i knew i was in love with a smart woman]

Joshua glanced at the members with a proud smile, "I'm confident that Minnie is the one with the 'Pledis #1 Facecard'. Very humble."

Minnie giggled in the background.

[VERY HUMBLE HAHAHA]

"Yeah, I think so too," Minghao pointed at him. The rest of the members stood behind the statement, only leaving Mingyu quiet as he shook his head - that being caught by the second oldest member.

"Alright," Jeonghan quieted them down, "Let's just ask them to reveal themselves and then, if it's not Minnie, we can check 'tulip'."

"She's for sure that," Seungkwan mumbled to himself, "It has to be."

"Alright, who was it?" Dokyeom asked with a big smile on his face, turning around to face the group.

[DRUMROLL PLEASE]

Everyone went quiet for a second before a sly grin formed on Wonwoo's lips, "Me."

"Wonwoo?!"

"You?!"

"WHAT?"

"How?!"

[i. knew. it]

[LOOK AT HIS SMIRK]

[HE'S SO PROUD OF HIMSELF]

[i'm so proud of him too, ngl]

Different exclaims, one louder than the other, bounced off the walls as they found out who the real culprit was behind the name.

"What?! I was SO sure it was Minnie," Hoshi gasped, "Wow... that was amazing."

"You impersonated her really well, hyung, woah..." Dino complimented him.

[nah fr though]

[like... the next student who graduated university along with mingyu in the same course]

Wonwoo chuckled, "Thank you, thank you." 

"Wait, but who was 'tulip' now?" Joshua suddenly wondered.

Minnie giggled, "Oh, that was me."

"I KNEW IT!" Mingyu jumped up, "I told you guys! Why didn't you believe me!"

[i mean... what am I supposed to say]

[y'all are seeing this too]

[I don't even need to comment this, just watch them]

"Ugh," Vernon ran a hand through his hair, "We really should've listened to Mingyu-hyung."

-

[Going Seventeen] EP.81 TOUR SEV SEV #1

The screens showed the table where 11 out of the 14 members sat, slowly zooming into the beloved trio on the left side. Mingyu, Minnie, and Wonwoo were sitting next to each other.

They had just finished their call with Dokyeom and were falling back into a regular conversation.

"But why are you reading webtoon right now?" Mingyu suddenly wondered, leaning over the girl to get a better look at the iPad in front of Wonwoo.

"Well-" Jeonghan was about to explain.

"Why are you reading webtoons?"

"He can, why not?" The second oldest defended him, followed by the female member, who smacked her fellow '97 Liner's arm.

[i can NEVER read these two]

[are they gonna be all cutey and touchy today?]

[or are they gonna be just like in the old times?]

"Exactly, why can't he. At least he's educating himself," she argued, placing her hand on top of the older man's shoulder. 

[little dom girlfriend, supporting her sub gamer boyfriend]

[we love seeing it]

The younger rapper shuffled back into his seat, his eyes locked on the girl while he crossed his arms in front of his chest, a slight pout forming on his lips.

"Woah... you're really always taking his side," he mumbled dramatically, shaking his head, and making the girl reach out to poke his cheek with her finger.

[THE POUT?!]

[THE WAY SHE POKED HIM?!]

[I WOULD'VE KISSED HIM RIGHT THEN AND THERE]

[pretty sure she had to hold herself back from doing so]

[i understand minnie]

-

[more wonnie than mimiwon, but look, sometimes there's more content and this was too cute not to be included]

While the entire group was discussing where to go and what type of transportation they could use to their advantage, some would've maybe missed what had happened in the background.

Wonwoo and Minnie had diverted into their own little world, focusing on something on his iPad as they pointed at it and chuckled together. 

[are they looking for another one to sit right in between them? i volunteer]

They were being half covered by Mingyu's bigger frame, but the camera still caught their interaction.

As the girl went to lean back and straighten out the sweater she was wearing, the '96 Liner's hand reached out to move a strand of hair out of her face, earning himself a grin from her.

[ATTENTIVE BOYFRIEND THINGS]

-

Seungkwan jumped up from his seat, "Okay, by foot! Move on already!"

Causing the entire table to errupt in laughter, leaving a stunned Mingyu to sit on his seat.

[this was so choatic, i would've cried]

"Of course, we'd walk to nearby places," Jeonghan tried to calm down the quarrel, but everyone was too focused on the shouting of the '98 Liner.

As Mingyu was motioning to the younger member to sit down, "Don't get mad," speaking more calmly, Minnie leaned on his shoulder, trying to contain her laughter, in clear awe of the member next to her.

[my head would never leave his shoulder, respect to her]

"Seungkwan, sit down," she chuckled, still close to the rapper, patting his upper arm. "And you just move on with what you were saying."

The rapper finally finished his statement, thinking it was over and they could move on to the next subject matter, but the leader inferred.

"That's what I've been saying!"

"What?!" Mingyu mocked him, leaning forward just a slight bit, "You didn't say by foot," pointing at the oldest member, to which Minnie took his hand in hers to push it back.

"Stop that," she commented.

[DOM MINNIE STANS RISE]

[this was so hot for no reason and for every reason at the same time]

Seungcheol continued his argument, "I said by foot. By foot, public transportation, and by car!"

"Okay, Cheol-" the female member started, but the leader stopped her,

"Don't protect him like that, Minnie!"

She glanced at him wide-eyed, "I'm not protecting him! He made us laugh with his 'by foot' comment, so it's all good. Yes, you said it before, but let's just move on. Let him get his screentime."

Mingyu pouted at her comment, "I didn't do it for screentime." Which she brushed off with a motion of her hands, whispering something that wasn't heard clearly, but made him and Wonwoo on the other side of her chuckle in synch.

[I-]

[...]

[...]

[no words]

[they're too cute]

[that's all i can say at this point]

-

[again: wonnie content, but LOOK]

The group erupted into another loud discussion, leaving the more quiet members to their own as they sat back. Minghao decided to stay out of it, focusing on his laptop, while Minnie let her head fall back. Wonwoo turned to look at her, asking her something that the editors didn't put louder in the episode. His question made her sit back up straight, her face scrunching up in a way that could portray pain. The '96 Liner placed his hand on top of her head, patting it softly, letting it travel from her hair down to her back as she leaned forward again, her elbows resting on the table.

[do they know cameras are on them or do they really not care?]

[because WE NEED MORE]

[i've never seen wonwoo this affectionate]

[what is this girl feeding him]

-

[also wanted to include this just bc i thought it was cute]

"Leisure!" Mingyu added to the list as they went through the categories each group could focus on, to which the female performer scrunched her eyebrows.

"Leisure?" Gaining the attention of the '97 Liner next to her, who nodded. "What is leisure?" Looking up with her big brown eyes.

Before he could answer her, Wonwoo raised his voice over the rest of the group slightly, to reach the younger member on the other side. "Vernonie!" His head snapped towards their direction. "What is leisure in English?"

[the way he immediately knew to ask vernon to translate bc it would be easier for her]

[i know the bar is low, but this was cute, alright?!]

"Huh?" He wondered, leaning forward to hear the other rapper better.

"What is leisure? In English," the girl repeated.

"Oh," Vernon nodded, "Free time. Leisure"

"Aaaah," Minnie smiled at him. "Thank youuu. Leisure is really just leisure, okay." 

-

[Going Seventeen] EP.88 BOOmily Outing #4

After the alarm blasted across the place, everyone had gotten up, and one after the other was leaving the house to gather outside. Minnie came out through the door, a jacket swallowing her small frame as she had only taken a long pair of pants and a short-sleeved shirt to sleep in with her. 

[NOW]

[we all have seen this jacket before]

*inserts clip from episode one of Boomily Outing, showing Wonwoo wearing that exact jacket during the intro*

[MH]

[exactly]

*back to cute and tired minnie*

[i guess this is just minnie priviledge]

Her eyes adjusted to the bright light while trying to find a comfortable place to settle down and wait for her turn in the game they had to play. She saw Mingyu sitting on the elevated floor in the middle of the garden and made her way over. 

[we saw her literally looking for him]

The rapper found her approaching and made some space next to him for the girl to sit down, which she gladly accepted. As soon as her bottom hit the wood, her head fell to his shoulders and her eyes closed. Mingyu would shake her awake once it was her turn.

['no place like kim mingyu's shoulder' I LOVE THE GOSE EDITORS BC YES, SAME]

-

[Going Seventeen] EP.89 Guess Who Left Secretly #1

[this was so chaotic and fun]

After hearing multiple doors closing, Minnie calculated it to be the perfect time to escape from her room. In preparation, she took off her shoes and placed them right next to the door before opening it, ready to rush out. However, her calculations were wrong when she suddenly came to an immediate halt when her eyes locked with Wonwoo's, who gazed at her with a grin. Her lips pressed together in a tight line and she was ready to turn around when the '96 Liner motioned for her to walk past him, making her scrunch her eyebrows in confusion, only for him to move his hand around even faster, telling her to be quick.

[SUPPORTIVE BOYFRIEND IS BACK]

[he's so adorable, how can she just live with him like that]

With a quiet chuckle, she rushed past him, making sure that her steps were as light as possible, but the sudden sound of a familiar voice made her stop in her tracks.

"Call Minnie, please!" Mingyu called out.

[and there comes the devil]

The girl turned around and looked around the almost empty space, where only Wonwoo stood by the table.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, walking back slowly, trying to find an open door with Mingyu's figure - she was even more confused when she couldn't see him.

"I saw you, go back," he argued. The pout on her face made her partner chuckle. She kept her eyes open, looking closely around and focusing on every door individually, when Wonwoo gave her a soft hum, making her turn around to look at him. He pointed up slightly, letting her eyes travel around to where the makeshift build-up walls ended.

"You little-" she stopped herself from cursing, glaring at the camera Mingyu had put up right above his door.

[he was so funnily annoying with this, so i totally understand her]

[but we love it]

-

Sulkingly, the girl decided to stand in the doorway to her room, her arms crossed as she looked straight ahead, waiting for one specific door to open.

Right as it did, revealing the 6ft2 physique of her member, she shouted out loud, "Call Mingyu, please!"

The man sighed, "Yeah yeah, alright, I get it." Closing the door again with a smile.

[I LOVE THEM]

-

A few of the members gathered around in the middle, whispering to each other.

"Kill one person, just one."

"Mingyu," Minnie immediately suggested, getting a round of chuckles from the others as they nodded in agreement.

[PLS MINNIE]

"He's so annoying," Joshua whined.

[besties gotta stick together]

The girl didn't need to be told twice, she knew exactly what to do as she rushed over to the door of said member and locked it right away. Once she turned back around, Vernon was already waiting for her with his hand raised, high-fiving her,

"Good job," he giggled.

[THEY'RE SO ANNOYING HIM]

[he deserved it though]

-

"Mingyu," Wonwoo called out after he exited his room to join the others by the table in the middle, "The name of the program isn't 'Please call them'."

The girl chuckled.

[getting called out by the other husband, as he should]

"Stop laughing, Minnie and just unlock my door," was the only thing coming back from the '97 Liner rapper, but she shook her head, even though she knew he couldn't see her.

[she was so over it HAHAHA]

The female member got closer to the '96 Liner as he stopped by the table. She leaned into his side, speaking softly, "We'll leave by order of age. Okay?"

[my eyes are on you two]

"Us all?" He wondered, pointing at the others who were standing opposite of them, to which she nodded. "Okay," he answered, patting her back as she passed him, brushing her hands over his shoulders.

[it's the little things you know]

[and i don't even know how little this was bc twt went WILD]

[as they should yk]

-

After the second round ended, each member who was still somewhere within the building, came to the open space in the middle. They started discussing which members left when Dino noticed something,

"Minnie? Where's she?"

"Did she leave?" Vernon wondered while looking around.

Wonwoo grinned to himself, knowing that she left a few minutes ago as he had seen her but didn't say anything.

[i know what you did]

[and i love you for it]

[hubby material fr]

Mingyu suddenly shouted, "Please call Minnie!" Only a second later, the sound of a call going through bounced off the walls, making every member laugh out loud.

[and there he goes]

Before anyone could say something to her, the high-pitched voice of the female member rang through,

"You cannot be serious?! I had ten seconds left, you idiots!" Making the guys laugh even harder.

[she's so done]

"Aw, Minnie-ya come back, I miss you," the youngest of them all said to her, making her giggle.

"Well then, I'll only come back because of you, Dino."

"We miss you too!" Mingyu added, but that's when the girl ended the call, letting laughter fill the room.

[I LAUGHED SO HARD]

-

As soon as she got back, her eyes quickly landed on the tallest member, "You called me, didn't you?" And only got a sneaky smile in return.

[i bet my right little finger nail that they discussed this at home]

-

[Going Seventeen] EP.90 Guess Who Left Secretly #2

[if you haven't watched this episode: warning, loud; if you have: have fun watching this mess agian]

Minnie saw her chance and took it. She rushed out of her room, ready to race over to the door, when another one opened revealing Mingyu, who was quick to jump into the middle of the room, blocking off the possibility of her leaving.

"Go back!" He pointed back at her door.

The female performer groaned out loud, "Who unlocked your door again?!"

[vernon babes, hate to break it to you]

"Go," Mingyu just laughed at her antics, continuing to point at her door.

The two fell into a sudden silence as Minnie tried to get closer, lowering her voice.

"Let's form an alliance," she spoke softly, extending her hands, "You let me go now, and I won't tell you."

[she... her voice... i need her to whisper into my ear like that]

"That's not how the game works," the rapper shook his head with a chuckle, taking small steps back to keep the distance between the two.

"Says who?!" The girl whined, making him laugh even more.

"You have to go back, Minnie," He tried to explain to her as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, shifting her weight onto one leg, popping out her hip.

"Alright, then you have to back too because technically I caught you as well."

[THE SASS]

Mingyu nodded, "And I will, after you went back." Earning himself a glare from the main dancer.

[they're so hot when they're both like this]

[rilled up af]

The two were interrupted by the sudden opening of a door to their right, where Wonwoo's head peaked out, both members now focused on him. The distraction gave Minnie the opportunity to brush past her fellow '97 Liner, quick on her feet as she tried to sprint towards the door. Mingyu reacted quickly, able to grab the female member by her arm just as she passed him, making her groan.

"NO! Let go!" She fell to the floor dramatically, but Mingyu didn't even budge. 

[NOT EVEN A MILIMETRE DID THIS MAN MOVE]

[AS IF HE'S USED TO THIS]

[his grip must be so tight, oh lord, my thoughts are travelling]

[imagine his grip around your-]

Minnie's feet, still without shoes on them, stuck to the floor with all her strength as she tried to pull back from the guy's tight grip on her wrist. He let her go with a chuckle, making her sigh in relief, only for him to snatch her by her ankle. 

[the way he's enjoying this...]

[that hot mf...]

[i need him to do this to me]

A loud groan tumbled from her lips.

"You're using your strength against me, and that's unfair!"

[bet you that ain‘t the first time he's done that]

[TELL ME I'M WRONG]

By now the two of them had gained an audience, each one of their members staring and laughing at the two. Dokyeom was already on the floor too, his loud laughter filling the room while Hoshi was wiping away the tears that had left his eyes.

[love how they're all enjoying mingyu just manhandling her like this]

"Ya!" Wonwoo chuckled as he got closer to the two, "Let go of her and both of you, go to your rooms, come on." 

[DADDY]

[sorry, i slipped]

[the athority is doing things to me, i can't help it😶]

He tapped Mingyu's shoulder, making him loosen his grip before he took a step forward, reaching out with his right hand for Minnie to grab, but she only kicked up with her leg, pushing his hand away with a smile. 

[LOOK AT HER]

[look at her]

[she literally enjoyed this giant manhandling her]

The '96 Liner came up behind the other rapper and swapped places, helping the female performer up and brushing over her back, making sure her clothes didn't get dirty.

[and there comes the hubby material again]

"Wow, that was so dramatic," Dokyeom commented, making the others chuckle and nod in agreement.

[this fr must've been quite the scene to watch in real life]

-

[Going Seventeen] EP.91 Point of Omniscient Interfere Penalty #1

"Whoever does 30 squats outside gets 20 grapes!" Mingyu shouted into the room, sitting by the counter, eating his bowl of freshly cooked ramen.

Minnie didn't need to be told twice and rushed over, pushing past S.Coups who also wanted to give the challenge a chance, to the door, leading to the garden. "I'll do it!" She told them before disappearing, making sure to stay by the window.

[giving into a man that easily... minnie... i thought we were better than that]

[but then again... we are talking about mingyu here, so... i get it]

After crouching down 30 times, the girl got back inside, clearly out of breath as she found her fellow '97 Liner still sitting where she had last seen him. She approached him slowly.

"I did it," she got out, her hands on her hips as her breaths were falling heavily from her lips.

Mingyu's eyes met hers, noodles still hanging out of his mouth. "Oh, really? I didn't see it."

[bitch]

"W-," the girl gazed at him in shock, "You can't do that! You said whoever does it gets twenty grapes and I did it."

"But I didn't see you. How am I supposed to know you're telling the truth?" 

Minnie didn't answer him but just continued to stare at him.

With a grin, he patted the seat next to him, "Come on, sit down, I'll feed you ramen as an excuse." When she didn't even budge, he reached out to hold onto her wrist gently, pulling her in.

[why is her wrist so tiny in his hands]

[and why is that doing something to me]

[size kink go brrrr]

But she was anything but impressed by his pitty apology. "Mister Mediator!" Making Mingyu groan and throw his head back.

[THIS IS WHY THEY'RE PERFECT TOGETHER]

[mimiwon forever]

[🤍🐶🌷🐱🤍]

Wonwoo walked over to the couple, hands in his pocket and a smile plastered on his face. "Yeah?"

Minnie pointed at the culprit. "Mingyu's lying, and he's mean."

[gotta love a 25 year old woman calling out a 25 year old man for not giving her stickers]

"Mm," the '96 Liner hummed, "How many grapes did he promise you?"

"20."

He nodded, "Okay, I believe you. Mingyu, give her the twenty grapes." 

[oh wonwoo, can you be any more of a simp?!]

Wonwoo simply told him before passing them again and walking over to the other side of the room.

The younger rapper followed his best friend with wide eyes. "W- He's just gonna leave like that?"

"Well," Minnie grinned, "You heard him," showing him her palm.

Mingyu scoffed, "He's biased for real."

[STAND UP FOR YOURSELF]

[like... he doesn't even want to]

[they're both wrapped around her finger]

[even though he's trying not to show it too much, he can't hide it]

[not from us]

-

The Mimiwon trio was relaxing on the wooden platform by the karaoke machine, watching the performance unit leader with smiles on their faces as he tried to sing a song he had never heard of before.

"Hoshi, I'll give you ten if you finish this well!" the tallest of them all shouted out, getting a thumbs up in return.

All of a sudden, Minnie leaned forward, placing her chin on Mingyu's shoulder, whispering, but still speaking loud enough for the microphone to catch her. "Do you want to give me five grapes?"

[she's adorable, so yes, i would give her five grapes]

"For what?" Her turned his head, making her pull back slightly as they locked eyes.

She shrugged with a smile, "Just because." But he didn't answer her, instead directing his attention back to the singing tiger.

[HOW COULD HE DO THIS TO HER]

With a pout, the girl sulked back into her place. Wonwoo chuckled at the scene in front of him.

"What's going on with you two?" He wondered.

[pls get your partners in check]

Minnie turned around to face her boyfriend. "Should Mingyu give me five grapes?"

"What for?"

The female member placed both of her palms right underneath her chin, cupping her cheeks and tilting her face to the side with a soft smile playing on her lips.

[this could only work on them, and literally only them]

[the other members would've laughed in her face, SO HARD, you cannot even try to tell me i'm wrong]

[i know damn well i'm right]

Wonwoo nodded, "I see. Hm... I guess he should."

[... he's so weak for her]

[i need a man to be this down bad for me too]

[scratch that, i need wonwoo to be this down bad for me too]

She jolted up in excitement, smacking the other rapper's shoulder to make him turn around. "Ah, what?"

"He said you have to give me five grapes," Minnie nodded behind her, where a smiling '96 Liner was already gazing at the two in front of him.

"Woah, hyung," the younger rapper sighed, "You can't keep doing that."

[he's about to leave this relationship, i'm telling you guys]

"He's the mediator, he can do whatever he wants." 

[OH, wifey protecting her husband]

To which Mingyu rolled his eyes, already diving into the small bag that held the stickers she was asking for, keeping a glare on the girl, who provocatively kept on smiling at him.

-

Hoshi, Joshua, and Minnie stood up from their positions on the couch after Mingyu proposed the idea of drawing a portrait of Wonwoo, even though all three of them had already finished filling up their shirts with purple stickers. Their giggles followed them as they went to get a piece of paper each and pens. 

After they sat down on the floor, Jun decided to join them. "What are we doing?"

"Drawing a portrait of Wonwoo's face," Hoshi explained to him.

[and who's idea was that? sir simp kim mingyu]

"Wonwoo's face," he chuckled in amusement but still got ready to start his own drawing as well as he was still in desperate need of more stickers.

"I'll draw you too," Mingyu sat down as well, "I'm really good at drawing Wonwoo, we're roommates after all."

[i love how a lot of carats were starting to doubt they still lived together, so he really just had to remind everyone]

[no one's taking him away from you, don't worry mingyu]

[minnie's sharing him with you at least]

"And Minnie?" Vernon chuckled as he looked to the side, seeing the girl gaze up at the '97 Liner with scrunched eyebrows.

"Yeah, exactly," she scoffed, "What about me? You don't think I can draw him well?"

[oh minnie, you can draw him so much better, i believe in you]

"I've been roommates with him for longer," he argued back.

[why did he have to hurt her like that]

Minnie pointed a strict finger at him, "Next time I'm moving apartments, I'm taking Wonwoo with me."

[THE GAME IS ON]

[she threatened him GOOD]

[damn, that really must've hit close to home]

[wouldn't wanna be in the car on the way back to the apartment]

"Why are you three joining anyways?" The '96 Liner decided to change the subject.

[Mister Meditator is good at mediating]

Joshua turned towards him to answer his question. "Screen time, screen time."

"Plus I want to show Mingyu, I can draw you better than him," the girl added without looking up, getting a chuckle out of the Korean-American as he patted her hair gently.

[not mimiwon, BUT I LOVE THEIR INTERACTIONS SO MUCH TOO]

-

Minnie stood between Hoshi and Mingyu, being third to reveal her portrait as she clutched the piece of paper close to her chest. Her turn had come.

"Okay," she started, "My backstory is... because I keep up with Wonwoo's Gameboy lives, I decided to not only draw a portrait of him BUT to actually draw a portrait of his Animal Crossing character."

"Ooh, because you're so attentive," Jeonghan pointed, making her smile.

"Exactly."

[she's so supportive of her gamer boyfriend, i love it]

Mingyu's scoff made her eye him with a glare. "That's an excuse to be able to draw something animated. That's too easy."

"What do you know? Why are you coming at me like that!" The female member argued, kicking him softly with her foot.

[this was them almost the entire two episodes btw]

[it started off cute and ended like this, idk what happened]

"Yeah, leave her alone! Just because you don't keep up with Wonwoo's lives doesn't mean you have to be mean to her," S.Coups pointed at the younger rapper, getting a pout in defeat from him.

[big brother cheol coming to the rescue]

-

Younji's Drinking Show

[THIS WAS MY FAVOURITE THING EVER]

[i SO HIGHLY recommend you watch the whole video]

[i laughed so hard]

[this girl really doesn't know when to shut her mouth]

[i was surprised they kept this all in]

[but god, i just know everything they cut out must be GOLD]

[I'm gonna need a part two btw, just in case youngji and/or her team is watching. hi.]

With scrunched eyebrows, the idol leaned forward slightly, as if that would get her to see outside of the apartment.

"Was that a bark?" Minnie wondered.

[nah, probably just carats tbh, we do that nowadays]

Unsurprised, Youngji nodded, turning back around from her place by the kitchen counter, where she had prepared more drinks for the two of them. "Yeah, one of the neighbours has a dog."

"You're allowed to have pets here?"

The younger girl shook her head with a chuckle, "No."

[mood]

"Oh," Minnie joined her, covering her mouth and thanking her for the new beverages as they both sat back together at the table. "Ugh," her sigh was filled with sadness, "I should also keep a pet secretly."

"What?" Youngji laughed out loud, "Why secretly?"

"I'm not allowed," the performer pouted.

"Why? Says who?"

"My roommates," Minnie answered, 

[MY ROOMMATES]

[AS IF WE DON'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE BABES]

[she's so salty about this subject, i can't with her😂😭]

and took a sip from one of the cocktails she had mixed for both of them earlier, because yes, she wasn't yet drunk enough, her drunk self told her that.

"Aaaah," the young rapper nodded, "Wonwoo and Mingyu, right?"

"That's right," she nodded.

Youngji put a piece of meat in her mouth before continuing, "You three have lived together for a long time, haven't you?"

[suspiciously long, yes youngji, pls keep digging for the sake of mimiwon supporters, thank you]

The '97 Liner nodded as she was still drinking.

"For how long?"

"Ehm..." Minnie put the glass down, her pointer running around the brim in circles. She tilted her head to the side, "...when... when did Bittersweet come out?" Turning to her right, she hoped the producers could help, to which the younger girl chuckled,

[i know she was tipsy here already, but the fact that she didn't know😪🥲]

"Shouldn't you know that? Why are you looking at them?"

"I don't know," Minnie laughed out loud, "I forget... ehm... 20...21? Yeah," she nodded, "Yeah, 2021... May, I think. We moved in together around the time that we released that. Right before- before we went to In The Soop."

[this explains so many moments from in the soop tbh]

"Aaaah, ok ok, I see. And they still don't let you have a pet after over two years?"

[and she's been begging for one for YEARS]

The idol shook her head.

"Why not? What pet do you want? A kangaroo?"

[IMAGINE😂😂😂]

Her unexpected joke made the girl laugh hard as she hunched over the table. "Nooo, I want a cat. I've been wanting a cat for AGES."

"You have Wonwoo. He's a handsome cat too."

[youngji knows what's up]

Minnie's nose scrunched at the comment. "I know, I know, but a real cat would be really cute."

[SHE SAID SHE KNOWS]

[she knows how handsome her cute little boyfriend is, love it]

"Why don't they let you."

"Well... Wonwoo... Wonwoo would want one too, but... Mingyu doesn't. I mean, he's allergic-"

"That's a pretty good reason not to get a cat, Minnie, I must say," Youngji interrupted her, filling the room with her own laughter, accompanied by the staff in the background.

[no, don't side with her]

Minnie was quick to reach out with her hands, "No no no! He can take medication for that," she brushed it off, "But yeah... they say we don't have time for one, and I know they're right, but the other members have dogs, and they're happy and I would take very good care of a cat."

The younger one nodded. "Call them."

[i literally gasped when she said that]

"What?" The '97 Liner was taken aback.

"Call them." She repeated.

"Wonwoo and Mingyu? Now? Should I?" All producers bounced their heads with excitement, 

"We need good content," making the two at the table giggle. "And the producers are really big fans."

[i mean, who isn't, let's be honest]

"Yeah, I can tell," Minnie laughed.

-

The phone rang for just a second before Mingyu picked up. Before he could say anything, the girl beat him to it.

"You're on speaker, just so you know!"

[SHE WAS SO QUICK WITH THAT HAHAHAH]

[girl ain't about to catch a scandal]

A deep chuckle could be heard from him. "Are you still at Youngji's place?"

"Yep," she answered, moving her phone over to the other girl, so she could talk to the speaker.

"Hello, Kim Mingyu," she greeted him.

"Ah, hello Youngji. How are you?"

"I'm very good, how are you?" But he didn't even get the option to answer as Minnie snatched her phone back up to her.

"There's something important I have to discuss with you." Giggles came from behind the camera. The staff was very much enjoying the interaction.

"Okay. And you want to discuss that over the phone... on speaker? While drunk?"

[his concerned voice is actually so cute]

She rolled her eyes, "I'm not that drunk."

"Sure," Mingyu simply answered, clearly not believing her even a little bit.

[SURE]

"So," she started, "About the cat-"

"Minnie, no," he immediately stopped her, making her look straight into the camera, anything but amusement written all across her face.

[she knew he was gonna say that]

[i knew he was gonna say that]

[you knew he was gonna say that]

[but damn, he really just hurt her like that]

"But-"

"We've talked about this so many times."

"But you're not listening to me..."

"I've listened to you," he spoke softly to her, "I've even watched your PowerPoint presentation,"

[POWERPOINT PRESENTATION]

[she did a freaking presentation]

['why we should get a cat by kim minnie‘]

[i need to see this presentation]

"but Jag-...," he cleared his throat, "Minnie-ya... we can't. You know, we don't have time for one."

[Y'ALL HEARD THAT RIGHT]

[let me replay that for you]

*replays the clip*

[NOW]

[what are we gonna do about that]

[we knew exactly what he said, or what he wanted to say or whatever]

[... but yeah sure, i bet they're just calling each other that casually around the dorm, mh]

"Is it because of your allergy?" She wondered, placing the phone down to put both of her hands underneath her thighs.

Mingyu chuckled slightly. "I mean, yeah, that too. But I also don't have Aji or Bobpul with me-"

"Bring them! You can bring them to the apartment, and I'll get a cat-"

"Minnie, stop," he was now full-on laughing on the other side of the phone, Youngji doing the exact same on her side of the table.

[this conversation was everything to me, knowing they've had it multiple times before, but now over the phone, with a drunk minnie, WHILE BEING FILMED]

The female performer groaned, "I'm gonna call Wonwoo."

[if one boyfriend says so, you can still ask the other one, what a priviledged life istg]

[only minnie can do this]

"Wonwoo's right next to me, he's listening," the rapper told her.

"Wonwoo!" She called out, catching Youngji off-guard as she jolted up at the sudden volume of her voice.

"Minnie!" He copied her tone with an evident smile. "Do you want us to come pick you up?"

[THE SOFTNESS OF HIS VOICE]

[kill me pls]

[also: yes, come pick me up. yes, please. yes. on your motorcycle, thank you.]

"What? Hell no, I'm not done here."

[she was enjoying this so much]

The female rapper gave her two thumbs up with a proud grin.

"But," Seventeen's female member continued, "You can try to get Mingyu to agree on the cat."

"You know, I can't do that. We've tried. But we can go to the cat shelter tomorrow again if you want." His proposal made the girl's eyes glow up.

[and that's how you make a woman happy]

[other men, please take notes]

[just copy everything wonwoo does]

[just be jeon wonwoo, then you're perfect]

"Really?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Alright, then I'll let it slide for now, I guess. I'm still sad about it though."

"I know," Wonwoo chuckled, "Maybe one day. Enjoy the rest of the time with Youngji, okay?"

"Yep," she smiled, looking down into the phone.

"And don't say anything stupid when you're already this drunk now!" Mingyu suddenly shouted through the phone, sounding more distant than before.

[oh, our boy was SCARRED]

"Yeah, just be careful, okay? Call if you need anything," the '96 Liner stated, to which Youngji looked into the camera in shock.

[same youngji, same]

[we all need a man like that]

[PLS WONWOO, MY EXPECTATIONS ARE ALREADY HIGH ENOUGH, for christ sake]

"Alright," Minnie spoke sweetly, "I'll see you later."

Wonwoo hummed into the phone.

"I love you," she took the device into her hands again. Only another hum followed, making her frown. "Ya, say it back!"

[THIS INTERRACTIONS]

"Yeah, I love you too. Now go back to filming," the older rapper chuckled, ending the call.

[he's suddenly so shy, what the hell wonwoo]

The female dancer handed the phone back to one of the producers behind the camera to keep it safe for the time being.

Youngji was still quiet in her seat, just looking around the room wide-eyed.

"What's going on?" Minnie couldn't help but chuckle at her facial expression.

The younger girl sniffled, "They're so cute!" The dancer threw her head back and clapped, accompanied by her laughter echoing through the room. "Oh my God... I expected them to be kind, but THEY'RE SO SWEET!"

[RIGHT?!]

[and she just gets to live with them AND has both of them wrapped around her finger, can you believe it?!]

Minnie nodded, "They are."

"Do you always say 'I love you' so casually?" Youngji wondered, making the '97 Liner stop for a second before she answered.

[oh, there we go]

"Yeah... I always make them say it," she gulped, "But I make all of the members say it. It's important to hear it from the people close to you, you know?"

[sure minnie... sure... yeah i totally make my friends say i love you back to me]

"Aaaah," the other girl nodded, "That's true."

-

"You really have an entire bedroom here, wow," Minnie peeked inside one of the doors after exiting from the bathroom. Youngji had started to put some of their old glasses onto the kitchen counter to make more room for food on the dining table. The girls were a lot more drinks in now, making it hard for either of them to walk straight as they just continued to chuckle for no apparent reason.

"I couldn't sleep here on my own," the female performer mumbled as she slowly made her way back to her seat, leaving a confused '02 Liner standing

"You couldn't? Can't you sleep alone?" She wondered, joining the idol at the table.

Minnie shook her head. "But that's because... I mean- you have to imagine... I've shared a room with someone since 2010. Ever since I became a trainee. To suddenly sleep alone is gonna be really hard," her words were lulled but still clear to understand.

"But..." Youngji rubbed her eyes gently, her eyebrows still tightly scrunched together, "So... you share a room now in the apartment too? With Wonwoo and Mingyu."

[LADIES AND GENTS, WE GOT HER]

[OH YOUNGJI, YOU WONDERFUL GENIUS]

The Seventeen member opened her mouth, but closed it quickly again, looking straight ahead, before locking eyes with the other girl. "Oh... no!" She chuckled, "No, no... I meant like... alone... in an apartment... yeah." 

[yeah... mh]

[my god minnie, we love you a lot, but that hole you're digging is getting deeper and deeper]

[and we love it too much to get you out of it😭]

Quickly reaching out to get a hold of the glass in front of her.

[try playing it off as hard as you want, we got you in 4k]

"Mm... I see..." Youngji dragged out her answer as she kept her eyes strict on Minnie, who, in return, felt the gaze, making her glance over, only for both of them to errupt in laughter together.

[YOUNGJI KNOWS]

[oh she so knows]

[do you understand me now why we need a part two of this video?!]

-

A voice from behind the camera, made the girls look up.

"Oh, your mum is calling," the younger rapper explained, pointing at the producer who was holding up her phone.

Minnie squeezed her eyes shut, "Aaah... I'm way too drunk to talk to her normally.... hold on." She got up from her seat and walked over to grab the device, answering it while still out of the shot.

The crew had turned off her microphone, leaving Youngji's on, so she could talk to the audience in a whisper.

"Minnie is talking to her mother on the phone, she'll be right back."

[MAMA KIM HIIIIII]

[gotta love the queen]

A cut later, the female member was back, sitting in her designated seat.

"Everything okay?" The younger one asked.

The '97 Liner nodded, "Yeah, yeah, she just wanted to talk, but I asked her if I could call her in a few hours or tomorrow, so... all good."

Youngji nodded as she filled up another round of shot glasses with the Soju the other woman had brought along to the shoot.

"What does your mum think about the members?" She suddenly wondered.

"Oh," Minnie covered half of her face as she had just put a rice cake in her mouth, "She LOVES Mingyu." 

['what does your mum thing about THE MEMBERS?']

['oh, she loves mingyu']

[NOT THE QUESTION]

[love how she just bursted that one out]

And continued after chewing and swallowing. "I mean she loves Wonwoo too- all of the members, but... yeah... really likes them." 

[oh girly]

Youngji nodded along to her story. "Last year... I got to go home for my birthday, for... like a week or so and... I took..." She thought about how she should best tell the story but just continued as Carats already knew most of what she was going to say. "I brought Wonwoo along with me."

[just so we're all on the same page: we thought she went with him, right? But it was never confirmed.]

[WELL, not up until now]

[!wonwoo and minnie couple holiday!]

"Oh, why Wonwoo?" The rapper wondered, handing over the shot glass.

[that's the right question to ask]

The girls clinked their glasses and threw back the alcohol before taking a deep breath to let it settle in their bodies.

"Ehm... I just- He had never been, and... he had time, so... you know," she shrugged while Youngji kept on grinning at the female member.

[WHAT DO YOU KNOW YOUNGJI]

[LOOK AT HER SMIRK]

 "And after we left, my mum immediately texted me 'And when's Mingyu coming?' and I was like..." she paused for a second. "Mum... you just saw Wonwoo again after... YEARS, so... let me bring them one at a time." 

['one at a time‘ but watch her only taking mingyu the next time and then not brining any of the other members]

Ending her story with a chuckle.

"Where did you stay while you were there?"

"When we were in England, we stayed in a hotel, but then we also visited my grandparents for a bit and just stayed at their house because they live in the countryside, so it was easier to just stay with them."

[for this i really have no words, it's just hella cute]

[introducing the boyfriend to the grandparents]

-

Weverse Live 230824

"Okay," Minnie sighed as she slumped back into the seat she had occupied earlier on the couch, her phone back in her hands so her face was seen again on the live. "I took Mingyu's iPad so we can listen to some music in the background," she explained, tapping around the screen of the device. "I'm really sorry, Carats, I almost forgot how to do these lives, I haven't done one in so long." She decided to set the phone on the coffee table in front of her, so she could have both hands free to type. "Wait," she mumbled before a lot of rustling could be heard as she shuffled forward, pushing the coffee table slightly back so she could sit down on the floor, resting her back against the couch. "There we go," she sighed happily, "That looks much better. I should've done that from the beginning."

A few seconds passed in silence.

"So," she started again, "I'm accepting song requests," and leaned forward to read the comments showing up on her phone screen. For a bit, she read through them until one caught her eye.

"Miley Cyrus' Flowers, please," Minnie nodded, "Yes, that's a good one." 

[if i didn't know she was happily living with her two husbands, i'd wonder who had hurt her, ngl]

While she already started to mumble, she typed in the name of the song, only for it to be played through the speakers in the apartment a second later.

"Is the volume okay?" She wondered, "I'll lower it a bit, so you can hear me better."

With a smile, she read through the comments, chuckling every now and then.

"'Mingyu said he furnished the apartment by himself, is that true?'" She read out loud, "Ehm... slightly, yeah. I mean..." for a quick moment, she thought about her answer, looking around the room. "I just wanted it to be comfortable... but our styles- like our... interior style choices differ a lot from each other... so... it was hard to make choices, so I let him choose a lot of the furniture. As long as it made me feel comfortable, I was fine with it," she answered with a smile and nod.

[it's so domestic, they warm my heart, it's disguting]

[i love them though]

"'Where are Mingyu and Wonwoo?' I mentioned it earlier, they went out to get food but I said I'll stay back and do the live I've been wanting to make but never have time for. So now I'll wait and chat with you guys until they're here." Minnie continued to hum to the tune of the song.

"'You don't want to do a live with them?' No, it's not that... I don't mind doing a live together with them, but... hm.... we- we usually talk about things... that we can't really talk about with Carats...," she gazed around the room suspiciously. 

[THE EYES, CHICO, THEY NEVER LIE]

[we would LOVE to know what y'all are talking about btw]

"That sounds weird, but I don't mean it like that, it's just... like the things we talk about at the monthly meetings. Just more private and... boring things... yeah." She ended it with a grin, hoping her answer was enough and it wouldn't cause too much tumult.

[PRIVATE THINGS HUH]

[i can tell you one thing and that's that she wasn't thinking about any talking when she answered that question]

"Yes!" She excitedly sat up straighter, the iPad back in her grip, "I'll add more songs, please request them now. I'm gonna put them all into the queue. That's gonna make it easier."

She added one song after the other, trying to pick out the ones she thought she'd be allowed to play.

Right as Minnie had opened her mouth again to talk, the door to the apartment opened, and the familiar deep voices filled the room,

"Jag-"

"AAAAAH" the girl suddenly shouted, "What?" quickly snapping her head to the right. 

[THE PANIC]

[i mean, we didn't hear it clearly, and I'm open for suggestions on what you heard, but know what I want to hear, so I'm staying with mine]

She reached out with her hand, ready to cover the camera when she found the eyes of the culprit entering the living room with an apologetic smile on his face. 

[this.]

[let's go over this]

*clip repeats*

[WONWOO]

[not him literally outing them like that]

Minnie nodded, speaking calmly again, "You're back already."

[just survived a heart attack]

"Yeah," Wonwoo could be heard from the side. "The food was already done when we arrived."

[exactly, play it off as if nothing just happened]

"You're still live?" Mingyu suddenly spoke up, to which she nodded, suddenly getting joined by him in the shot. "Hey guys!" He called out to the live, waving his hand to greet everyone that was watching. The rapper sat down next to her, having to push the coffee table back just a bit further as he took up more space.

"We didn't think you'd still be live. We thought you might end it because we took a little bit longer," he explained, a somewhat tight smile on his lips.

"Yeah," she nodded with a chuckle, "I figured."

[MH]

[kinda guessed that by your entrance]

"Are you playing your own playlist?" Wonwoo's voice got closer right as Minnie looked up, following something behind the camera while Mingyu was focused on reading through the comments.

[how he can just DETECT her music]

"No," she smiled up, "Carats just the same good music taste as me," cutely tilting her head when her gaze landed back on the screen. "Oh- come here," he motioned on her left side, "Don't you want to say hello to Carats?" Minnie asked with a teasing tone, giggling when Wonwoo got closer, leaning down to appear in the frame, waving.

"Hello everyone," he smiled.

She patted the free space next to her, "Sit down."

"No," he pointed to the couch, "I'll sit behind you." She immediately leaned forward, so the rapper could get in a comfortable position behind her on the couch, her shoulders squished in between his knees. 

[what even]

[like... he's doing this on purpose]

[you know that, right]

[he wants to show off]

The sight of it in the camera made her laugh, Mingyu joined her once he saw it too.

"I'm Wonwoo, and I have 57cm shoulders," she mimicked the deep voice of the man behind her, making him squeeze his legs together, squishing her even harder. Minnie smacked his calves to make him stop, getting a chuckle from him in return.

[THE TEASING]

"58cm," he simply added, to which she rolled her eyes dramatically.

"I'm so sorry, how could I dishonour you like that?" The two men laughed at her antics.

[i need more of this]

[pls let wonwoo forever be this affectionate]

While Mingyu continued to read out loud some questions and answer them along the way, the girl turned around to look up at the older member. She found the bottle he was still holding and reached out with her hand, making 'grabby-hands' to get a hold of it. Without needing to be told twice, Wonwoo handed it over after taking a gulp from it.

She put it up to her lips and took a sip, before closing it and handing it back to him, continuing to look straight ahead.

[i know some other members have done similar things, but I personally don't just take the bottle from my friends and drink it]

[👀👀]

-

"Did you close the window in the bedroom already?" The '96 Liner suddenly asked. Minnie stopped reading through the comments, subconsciously wrapping her arm around one of his calves that had now trapped her shoulder between them and the couch.

[now back to the singular use]

[this might be a translation problem, but i will go with it]

[THE window in THE bedroom]

[y'all have one bedroom or what?]

"Yeah, earlier, why?" She tried to look back at him as she wondered.

Wonwoo shrugged, "It's a bit chilly."

"Ah, but... oh, the bathroom window is still open."

He nodded, "Oh, ok, ok."

The girl got ready to get up, "I can go close it." But Wonwoo didn't make any move to let her out from his legs around her frame.

[he looks so comfy like this😭]

[minnie too]

[just too domestic, i can't]

"No, it's fine. I'll do it later." Making her go back to her original position.

-

"Wonwoo!" The girl made the older rapper jump by the sudden volume of her voice as she raised her head - having let it rest on his knee for a while.

[again, no words, just cutey thoughts]

"Huh?" He wondered, putting his phone to the side.

"'What was the last book you read?' a Carat asked," she explained to him, continuing to look straight ahead, taking a quick glance over to the other man who had the iPad and had started drawing something, making her smirk.

"Ehm..." Wonwoo tilted his head to show he was thinking, "What was the book you had on the nightstand?"

[THE NIGHTSTAND]

[not even YOUR nightstand, just THE]

[imma be sleeping on the highway tonight]

"Me?" She pointed to herself, slightly looking up, yet not being able to see him fully. He hummed in response.

"Diary of a Murderer," she told him and the people that were on the other side of the screen.

The rapper nodded, "Then that. I quickly breezed through it when I saw it."

[sharing books is a love language in itself to be fair]

Out of the blue, Minnie smacked Mingyu's upper arm gently. "I told you to read that," before doing the same to Wonwoo's leg. "I didn't think you'd like it." Directing each sentence to each one of them.

"I'll read it once you're done," her fellow '97 Liner assured her with a smile, followed by the sound of him placing his hand on something, almost imitating a slapping sound.

[they got mingyu to read now too]

-

Minnie was focused on answering a question, getting surprised by the delicate touch on top of her head.

[so checking out if my toaster is waterproof in the bathtop right after this video]

[how are these people calling me single THIS hard]

"I'll go prepare the food. I'm getting hungry," Wonwoo told her, his voice low and gentle as he stood up after the girl shuffled her body forward, ducking her head, so he wouldn't accidentally smack her with his knee or foot, even though he still had his hand on top of her hair.

Mingyu sighed, "Yeah, I'll help you," following his member out of the shot.

"Well, Carats," the girl spoke, "I think that's my cue to go. It was very nice talking to you and I promise to try and come on here more often. Maybe more alone," she added the last part with a whisper.

"What's wrong with us?" the younger rapper whined, making her chuckle as she waved into the camera, the voices of the two men filling the silence as they also said their goodbyes.

[and that's my cue to go and watch more compilations to continue feeding my delulu self]

Minnie x Members Content (open!)

official poly!mimiwon poll (open!)

Taglist: @shrynkk @chaebb @lunarxsun @hoe4wonwoo @kimhyejin3108 @soobzao @billboard-singer @cosmicwintr @zwiehe @alixnsuperstxr @angie-x3 @smooore @allthings-fandoms

[irrealisms]

if you can live your life without an audience, you should do it.

The Truman Show // MAG188 - Centre of Attention // Twitter: TubboLive // Can't Handle This (Kanye Rant) - Bo Burnham // Wilbur Soot VOD (Oct 17th 2020) - [DreamSMP] Speedy Stream Festival What festival // MAG117 - Testament // Margaret Atwood - The Robber Bride // @elytrians // MAG188 - Centre of Attention // The Truman Show (edit by @parakeet) // Untitled #15 by @that-house // something about a truman show complex, greek heroes, and the illusion of free will. by @yuker // Tom Stoppard - Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead // Bo Burnham - Inside // you're fairly certain there's a curtain somewhere by @irrealisms

[IDs under cut]

Images 1 and 2: Screenshots of the Truman Show. The Closed Captions read "Let me get you some help, Truman. You're not well."

Image 3: ARCHIVIST: Hm. You want a show so badly?  Fine.

Image 4: a twitter poll by @TubboLive. text of the tweet is "What do we do..." Options are "Exile Tommy", with 55.8% of the vote, and "Don't Exile Tommy", with 44.2% of the vote.

Image 5: The truth is, my biggest problem's you/I want to please you/But I want to stay true to myself/I want to give you the night out that you deserve/But I want to say what I think/And not care what you think about it/Part of me loves you/Part of me hates you/Part of me needs you/Part of me fears you/And I don't think that I can handle this right now"

Image 6: WILBUR: You're saying "do it", chat, but you're-- this isn't-- you aren't affected, you just want to see explosions, you guys aren't affected, I understand, I understand, I-- I've been hasty.

Image 7: TIM: All right. I don’t know what you are, I don’t even know if you’re listening. I don’t care. Just, if you’re there, I want you to know that I hate you. I hate you for, for witnessing what’s happened to us.

Image 8: “Male fantasies, male fantasies, is everything run by male fantasies? Up on a pedestal or down on your knees, it's all a male fantasy: that you're strong enough to take what they dish out, or else too weak to do anything about it. Even pretending you aren't catering to male fantasies is a male fantasy: pretending you're unseen, pretending you have a life of your own, that you can wash your feet and comb your hair unconscious of the ever-present watcher peering through the keyhole, peering through the keyhole in your own head, if nowhere else. You are a woman with a man inside watching a woman. You are your own voyeur.” ― Margaret Atwood, The Robber Bride

Image 9: a tumblr post by @elytrians. text: *coughs up blood* how do i look? do i look good? was that hot?

Image 10: She had once counted how many times she could spot a camera watching her during her morning run: thirty-one in ten minutes. At least, it had been back then. Last time she had tried it there were hundreds. They tracked her movements, and made so much noise she could not have ignored them if she tried. It was halfway between the mechanical whir of a focusing lens and the low rattle of mean-spirited laughter. Carmen didn’t go running anymore.

Image 11: The last scene of the Truman Show, edited to add a twitch chat full of PogChamp emotes.

Image 12: a comic of two squares talking. RED: I realized something. BLUE: Yeah? RED: This comic could just end. Without warning. The Creator could just get bored. BLUE: No closure, no catharsis, nothing. RED: Our recent few strips would make for unsatisfying ends. Maybe we should give every comic a satisfying conclusion. BLUE: But that’s life. Life doesn’t always have a satisfying ending. RED: This isn’t life, this is a comic. We can control it. We can make sure there’s a happy ending. BLUE: We can’t control jack shit. The comic’s ending is up to the Creator.

Image 13: a comic of Technoblade. He is sitting amongst scattered papers with his hands on his face. The scattered papers have the titles of various Technoblade DSMP Youtube videos written on them. Text on the image reads: “It can hurt, knowing you’re just a character with predetermined lines instead of a person with feelings. The voices are the audience and they’re constantly critiquing your performance.”

Image 14: ROS: I wish I was dead. (Considers the drop.) I could jump over the side. That would put a spoke in their wheel. GUIL: Unless they're counting on it. ROS: I shall remain on board. That'll put a spoke in their wheel. (The futility of it, fury.) All right! We don't question, we don't doubt. We perform.

Images 15, 16: Bo Burnham stands outside a house on a stage; there is a spotlight on him. the caption is [disembodied applause] He tries to reenter the house. the caption is [disembodied laughter].

Image 17: WILBUR: It’s better to play along. Give them what they want. Put on a show. Who cares who it hurts, as long as it’s fucking—influential? God, I hate it so much sometimes, I want to scream. And then I think, would they like that? Would that be entertaining enough for them? Still have to give them their performance. Even when I was dead I was still—I rehearsed my resurrection.  TECHNO: Dude, you need therapy.

[anistarrose]

Hello, TOH fandom, I am here once again to talk about accessibility!

[Image description: a screenshot of Lilith Clawthorne excitedly holding up a sign, which has been edited to read: "Image Descriptions for The Owl House (and why they matter)" in all caps. End description.]

Image descriptions, like the one I just used above, are exactly what it says on the tin: descriptions of the content of an image included to make the image maximally accessible.

Blind and low-vision people who use screen readers, people who rely on increased font size in-app or in-browser to read text, and neurodivergent people who have trouble interpreting elements of an image (for example, expression) all benefit from image descriptions.

And all images on the internet should be accessible regardless of topic, of course, but I've recently been trying to spread awareness in the context of The Owl House specifically because it's a show with multiple disabled and/or neurodivergent characters! In fact, Principal Bump is canonically low-vision with a service animal to help him in that regard — and I'd argue that making content about disabled characters accessible is extra, extra important!

[Image description: a screenshot of Principal Bump with his palisman Frewin removed from his head, revealing the scars over Bump's eyes. Frewin is in staff form, smiling, and Eda looks on from the side. End description.]

I know it's within this fandom's ability to make our posts about the finale as accessible as possible — and I know that because I've already seen a decent increase in described posts over the course of Season 3! I've seen more artist-described posts especially, which means a lot to me, and even more to a lot of other people, too <3

So, on that note, how to write an image description? It may seem intimidating, especially if describing someone else's post or fanart, but honestly, there's no definitive "rubric" to follow, just a list of general guidelines:

Indicate where the description starts and ends, with "end description" or "end ID".

Place the description immediately under the image, not under a read-more (this allows people who rely on IDs to experience the post the same way anyone else would, whereas read-mores are inconvenient, especially if OP changes their URL)

Minimize caps lock, italics, bold, and strikethrough, which can be hard to read and/or troublesome for screen readers. Generally, it's just best to transcribe in lowercase without particular effects, then indicate in the transcription if something is emphasized.

Likewise, don't put descriptions in Tumblr's special small text. It's difficult to read and inaccessible to many.

Don't make jokes or add commentary in IDs. If an image is meant to be humorous, obviously it's fine to phrase things in a way that tries to capture that, but it's not the place to add your own jokes, nor is it the place to declare subjective qualities like "this art is beautiful".

Descriptions can vary in length, but if one is getting long (if you're describing a comic, for example), then be sure to break it up with paragraph breaks.

Specifically, while I've heard that too many breaks (ie, every sentence) are annoying for some screen readers, long walls of text are conversely difficult for people with visual processing problems to parse. So, it's good to strike a balance.

With regards to length and amount of detail, it varies by personal preference! Most images don't need a whole small essay, but there's also value in describing certain small and symbolic details, subjective as it is.

Speaking of which, if you're the original artist, then you are automatically the expert on what you wanted the image to convey — the nuances of expression and body language, which details are important and which details are not — and for that reason, I love seeing artist-described works!

Below the cut: more on describing Owl House images specifically, on IDs versus alt text, and other possible questions!

When I transcribe TOH related posts, there's a few other guidelines I use, though these rules aren't as immediately important as the ones above. I generally start by indicating the type of image we're dealing with (a screenshot? fanart? a photo of a cosplay?), then mention what characters are depicted.

Unless I'm describing something long, like a comic, and relying on summarization, I usually mention which character designs we're dealing with (is Lilith in her dramatic black dress from Season 1? or is she in her low-battery shirt?). If it's fanart and the artist has come up with original outfits to put the characters in, I'll summarize those too.

(This is the other reason I love seeing artist-described works: because I, personally, am just kinda bad at describing fashion lol.)

Now, I'd like to go over some other questions that I've either encountered before, or anticipate:

What about alt text? Doesn't that accomplish the same purpose as image descriptions?

In a lot of senses, yes, so alt text is certainly much, much better than no description! However, remember that not every person relying on descriptions is necessarily someone who uses a screen reader every day, or uses a screen reader period. Some people do in fact read the descriptions themselves.

[Image description, identical to alt text: a screenshot of Luz Noceda from Season 2, smiling and blushing. End description.]

As you can see above, alt text takes an extra click (or tap) to access. In general, it's also prone to displaying walls of text, and — as far as I know — sometimes just doesn't show up if the Tumblr app isn't updated enough. (Not to mention that, in my opinion, making image descriptions visible to people who don't use them is an important part of spreading accessibility awareness in the first place!)

On the other hand, I've heard some people who benefit from descriptions say they actually prefer alt text, so I'm not going to come out and take a hard "absolutely no alt text ever under any circumstances" stance by any means. But, long story short, this is the reason that in my own posts, I almost always defer to in-post descriptions — the only exception might be if I'm writing a meta post, and functionally describing the images in the text anyway.

I've seen that sometimes you use [ ] brackets and sometimes you don't. Is there a reason?

Basically personal preference. I use brackets in posts like this when I have a lot of non-description writing, and want to make it extra clear where the description ends and the non-description begins. If I'm just captioning some fanart in a reblog and not adding any commentary, on the other hand, I leave off brackets because they're pretty redundant.

I'm nervous about describing images, but I still want to help make the fandom more accessible. Is there anything I can do?

Well, my first piece of advice would be to start small! Hell, start with just making sure you include a description whenever you post an image with just text, like a screenshot of a reply or someone's prev tags. You can build up little-by-little from there!

(My personal accessibility journey went from describing only tweet screenshots whose text I could just copy, to describing simple memes like cat pics, to deciding it was important to at least describe fanart of disabled characters like Eda, to finally describing almost every post I reblog. Trying to make that jump without any of the intermediate steps would've been overwhelming, but at this point, it all feels natural to me.)

But secondly, I would encourage showing some love to artists who describe their pieces! Queue up some described fanart, especially artist-described stuff, and help normalize it!

Get into the habit of checking the notes for descriptions (go to reblogs and filter by comments only) before you share! If someone describes your art, copy it into the original post, so the version of the thread reblogged directly from you will be accessible too! (And if you want to make some little tweaks, no one will be offended.)

You can also look into making your blog theme accessible, such as making sure the font size is large enough (and ideally sans serif, for readability). And if you feel more confident with describing audio, then writing transcripts of audio is always incredible as well, to help out those who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have auditory processing disorders!

I've heard that AI is able to describe images for screen readers pretty well these days. Are descriptions still important/going to remain important as the technology advances?

Well, let me say first that I'm very glad this technology exists, for sure! But I'm of the opinion that human described (and especially artist described) captions are, at least generally speaking, still going to be the gold standard for the foreseeable future — AI doesn't have the context we do for our art and our fandoms; it's much less likely than a fan of the show to pick up on what's an important or symbolic detail.

Are there actually people who need image descriptions in cartoon fandoms? I mean, the source material has such a visual component!

First off, blind and low vision people do in fact watch things like TV, movies, and plays — ever notice the "audio description" option to add narration to a given show in a streaming service? That's there to provide basically the real-time equivalent of image descriptions.

And, second, I'll leave you with this — don't you think a lot more disabled people would participate in fandom if fandom were more accessible and accommodating to disabled people in the first place?

[crescencestudio]

Devlog #35 | 09.26.23

Hi everyone!

Hope the beginning of Fall has been kind to you all <3 To be Frank, it has not been Kind to me LMFAO. But I'll get into that, so let's dive in yippee!

Before I do, someone liked this post recently, which was such a throwback. It was before the full demo was out and everything!! I was so young and full of life. I'm going to sprinkle some comparison shots of the new assets with the old ones to break up the text and also walk down memory lane with me! (Full GUI not shown as I'm still waiting on the assets)

Chapter Cards (Left: After | Right: Before)

The "Progress"

I'm going to structure this devlog a little differently from the usual template. The main reason being, for those of you who didn't see, I have not been feeling Myself recently.

This month I found myself all out of sorts. While I felt like I was making progress and doing so much everyday read: fighting for my life, when I looked back on things at the end of this month, I didn't feel like I really did much.

On a higher level, I finished fulfilling Kickstarter physical rewards, opened a Kofi shop of the remaining merch, edited Druk's route and continued writing Etza's route, updated assets and code for the updated demo, and then general commission stuff (BGs from Vui, soundtracks from Peter, etc.).

But overall, Alaris felt largely like it was kinda sitting at around the same spot as it did when I entered this month. Which made me a little sad! I had wanted to make So Much Progress on Alaris because next month I won't be able to work on it really. Then, I realized I haven't taken a break from game development since I started it two years ago HA!!!

The Real Progress

Development for me has been back-to-back. Chapter releases every 1-2 months during my first half year of development, Full Demo release shortly after, Kickstarter shortly after, Full Game Development shortly after. When I was feeling burnt out from Alaris, I made intertwine. Then I was Heavily Involved in the development of two games shortly after.

All of this on top of my IRL responsibilities, which include a job, PhD school, and well, functioning as a normal human occasionally.

And then here we are at the end of September 2023, and I'm wondering why even though I creatively want to work on Alaris, I find my brain literally just getting too tired to think.

Etza CG (Left: After | Right: Before)

I think ever since the Kickstarter, I've put a lot of pressure on myself to consistently put out LOTS of updates for each monthly devlog. I don't want people to think I'm not working on things or I'm not committed to delivering after giving me their hard earned money. But now, with two years under my belt, I'm realizing that is... HMM maybe too high of a standard to put on myself for my first game ever. There are many much more seasoned developers than me who don't put that pressure on themselves (which is Good and Healthy).

So this month, I debated scrounging around and gathering all my crumbs to give you all a devlog that you'll be satisfied with. But I decided ultimately that wouldn't be good for me and would honestly not be the most transparent way to present the current process of things.

And so. Here I am. Head in my Hands. Letting you all know that while I'm not "burnt out," I am.... only human LOL (one human at that). And so some months, like this one, will just not have much progress to report. Not because I'm not working on it or any other deeper reason. But because it's physically impossible and unreasonable for me to be continuously pushing out a steady stream of content.

In-Game Sprites & BGs (Left: After | Right: Before)

Next month, I'lll be taking a vacation. It's actually my first Big, Official one in a Long Time! I'm very excited for it. And while I did initially think about working on Alaris while I was traveling on trains or things like that, I decided to respect my own need to be a Human and just take a break for once in my life. I don't even want to say I Might work on things, because that sentiment alone will pressure me to make some progress. So yes. Next month, there will be no devlog or updates. But please rest assured, I am "working on Alaris" by letting myself just Exist and Rest Up!

Not an Alaris screenshot but it is market research that deserves to be included because I played House in Fata Morgana recently and it was Phenomenal!

Thank you all for understanding and your continued support. I'm extremely appreciative to have such a kind and patient community. Hope you all have a wonderful October filled with Fall Treats, and I'll see you in November! <3

[iwillbringyouruin]

Radskier dialogue nuances in different languages

So I have been rewatching The Witcher in French recently and some of the changed lines stuck out to me, in the interactions between Radovid and Jaskier in particular. So i figured I'd compile my favourites from the translated versions I've seen so far here and compare their meaning to the original. I've also included some of the German lines since I'm German and I got curious!

Disclaimer: I'm just a guy who speaks a bunch of languages, don't expect overly technical linguistic wizardry here. Also this is not about the voice actors' skill or how well the lines are matched up to lip movements, strictly about the little changes in meaning when you take the translations literally! All meant to be in good fun.

Since this is about the season 3 dialogue, there are spoilers ahead.

This is going to be a long post so buckle up!

Season 3 in general: The way Jaskier and Radovid address one another

English (original): both use "you" which makes sense of course

French: Jaskier uses "vous" (the formal "you") for Radovid and Radovid uses "tu" (the casual "you") for Jaskier until they have sex in episode 4. When they talk the morning after in episode 6, they're both using "tu".

German: both use "Ihr" and the other formal derivatives for one another throughout (Even Geralt and Jaskier address each other formally the whole time. I'm not a fan)

Episode 1: Jaskier and Radovid meet

The dialogue here is generally very close, just two little things between the original and the German version I want to point out.

English (Jaskier): Fuck, I don’t really know what I’m supposed to… Bow? Or curtsy, or… I’ve been holding your hand a long time, so sorry about that.

German (Jaskier): Shit, I don't know if I'm supposed to bow or be polite... I've been holding your hand for too long, forgive me ("bow or be polite"?? HUH?)

English (Radovid): If your time at court’s been staid, you’ve been doing it wrong

German (Radovid): If your time at court has been too calm/quiet, something went wrong ([gay silence])

Episode 2: specifically Extraordinary Things

I've put the different lyrics as rather direct translations in the pictures below. They're also written out in the alt text. The French ones are a little more pointed compared to the original imo, I like that version a lot. I'm not sure how I feel about the German version but the first line did make me giggle.

Episode 3: Jaskier talks to Vespula about Radovid

I love this scene for many reasons. I have two things to point out about this.

The first thing is that while in the English and French version, Jaskier says that he and Radovid have only met twice, in the German version he says that he and Radovid don't even know each other.

The second thing is that in the English and German version, Jaskier calls Radovid a spoon and he does in the French version as well. However, he specifies Radovid is a "little spoon" here. Need I say more?

Episode 4: the scene in the shed

Ah, the scene of all time. Before the other scene of all time in episode 6. A few things about this one. The first thing is a very small change in the French version:

English (Jaskier, after Radovid admits he's scared): Just saying that makes you braver than you know.

French (Jaskier, after Radovid admits he's scared): The fact you're admitting that proves you are brave

The second thing bothered me more because it isn't really a subtle change. Both in English and French, Jaskier says Radovid has "learned [his] song", but in German he says Radovid "knows [his] song". The German line here isn't saying that Radovid "knows" the song as in he knows how to play it (from hearing and watching Jaskier play it for him once, mind you), the way it's said makes it sound like Radovid has just heard the song before.

The third thing is what they're saying right after the kiss. Unfortunately with the slightly changed lines for Jaskier we don't get the clever connection between Jaskier talking about taking Radovid into the cabin and Radovid asking Jaskier to take him (sexually).

English (Jaskier): I can't take you inside, I'm sorry.

English (Radovid): Then take me here.

French (Jaskier): The cabin is occupied, I'm sorry.

French (Radovid): Then take me here.

German (Jaskier): We can't go inside, I'm sorry.

German (Radovid): Then take me here.

Episode 6: the morning after

The German version is the same as the original here.

English (Jaskier to Radovid): I thought I’d seen through your mask. Turns out there was nothing behind it.

French (Jaskier to Radovid): I thought I had lifted the veil from your soul. But I found nothing but darkness beneath that façade

The subtle differences in the French version on the other hand not only make the pain a little different, it also includes an allusion of sorts to that version of Extraordinary Things with Jaskier talking about Radovid's soul. At least that's how I saw it. Ouch!

Episode 7: the moment where Jaskier finds Radovid at Thanedd

All three versions here make me want to cry. That's all.

English (Radovid): Just let me be there with you. Prove that I’m more than a mask.

English (Jaskier): Maybe.

French (Radovid): Just let me stay with you and show you what is beneath this façade.

French (Jaskier): Why not.

German (Radovid): Just let me be with you and show my true self.

German (Jaskier): Maybe.

[ultrainfinitepit]

Hello!! I return with more pin making questions :]

In my first ask you mentioned that you'd be willing to go into detail about your favorite social medias, and as I have basically only used Tumblr that would be super useful!

It would also be wonderful if you'd be willing to talk about your experiences with the different shopfronts that you've used, but I understand if you can't due to partnership stuff.

And the last question for now, Newsletters! How did you go about setting one up/what program you use/how long does it take to write an update/etc.

Thank you so much!! You're awesome!!!

Hi again :)) sure I can answer this, this is going to be a very long post so I'll put my answers under the cut.

Same disclaimer as last time that all this is just what has worked for me or what I've personally observed, that doesn't mean this is all objectively correct or factual. Others will have different mileage or find other things that work even better.

Social Media

The three platforms I prefer the most are Tumblr, Instagram, and Twitter.

General recommendations:

Respond to people's comments, even with something as simple as a "thank you" for a compliment. This will help build engagement and foster a good relationship with your audience.

Take nice product photos: keep your pin in focus with a nice background and good lighting. Often you only get one chance for your product to leave a good impression!

Pick only a few social media profiles to manage. Don't stretch yourself too thin such that you can't engage with your audience on all your social media.

Find your niche! It’s easier to gain followers for a specific type of merch (such as, angels) than for a broad range.

Tumblr

Posts have a long but sporadic lifespan thanks to the queue (sporadic means, they will exhibit random bursts of activity). And you can post large image sets and long text posts with links, for this reason it is my favorite platform.

Getting a following on Tumblr is largely luck-based. Users rebel against posts being pushed into their feed by the recommendation algorithm or boosts. Users find posts via other users and not so much the tags, although the tagging system is leagues better than Instagram's (which no longer shows most recent posts and only shows popular posts).

On Tumblr I get the most traffic from:

Responses to user submissions - for example, drawing people's angel requests.

Tag yourself posts

Silly or cute doodles and comics - especially if people can overlay their fandom darlings onto these posts.

Compilations of Pride-related designs, particularly of popular flags

I have noticed over the years, people do not reblog as much as in the past, so it's harder to get your posts noticed.

Instagram

In my opinion this is the easiest platform to grow an audience on. Instagram has a very predictable set of criteria for showing your posts to other users, through personal experience it is something like this:

Post once a day.

Post one Reel a day.

No more than three Story shares.

If you deviate from this for too long, or post too many times in a day, Instagram will deprioritize showing your posts to other users. This schedule can be a lot, so if possible I recommend having a buffer of saved up posts and Reels.

Instagram users are pickier about what they like to see. I recommend keeping your profile looking neat and professional; WIPs don't seem to do well there. Instagram users like illustrations and heavily-visual posts; they do not respond well to slides with text on them unless it is a tutorial or tag-yourself post.

Some users like to put memes or other silly images at the end of their posts. I personally don't do this, but I've been told the reason for it is: people share the silly images and that gains more traffic for the post even if they are not sharing the main content.

On Instagram I get the most traffic from:

Fanart of recently popular characters

Tag yourself posts

Pride-related art for popular flags

Cute, colorful illustrated creatures

Anything that asks for audience feedback in the comments. More comments means more engagement, which means it's bumped up in the algorithm.

Hosting monthly art challenges such as Angeltober

Bare chested men

And I have noticed DTIYS challenges are popular and a great way for people to find your profile, although I haven't hosted one of these yet.

Tags on Instagram appear to matter less than in the past, but I still think they are worth using. Try to tag for the content in your post (such as "#biblically accurate angel") instead of using tags for artists or small businesses (such as "#smallbusinessstrong"). Everyone else is using these tags so you have lots of competition, but no one is trawling through those tags so you have less engagement from them. Users are looking for specifically the content they like, they don't care who is posting it.

Twitter

The most arcane out of these three platforms. Getting noticed on Twitter seems to be largely luck-based as well. I had my Twitter profile for a while with little traffic on it until I started posting the new Pride Angels, then it blew up. Hashtags are pretty useless on Twitter and I didn't have many followers before then so I'm not sure why those got popular at that time.

On Twitter I get the most traffic from:

Pride-related art for popular flags

Other relatable art such as for astrological signs

Dishonorable Mention: TikTok

I have a TikTok but I just use it to crosspost my Instagram Reels. I do not have many followers on TikTok, I do not put effort into it, and I dislike the interface. That being said, I have heard from other creators it is way easier than Instagram to grow on if you are willing to make videos and post every day.

A note on blacklisted words

On Twitter, Instagram, and possibly Tumblr too: words like "shop" "link" "commission" etc. may cause your post to be deprioritized. This is because social media platforms do not want you going off of them to some other site to spend money elsewhere. That's why you'll notice people censoring these words ("shop" to "sh0p").

Personally I dislike doing this, it just makes me feel silly, so I don't bother. But I will admit, it hurts my posts. So this is something to keep in mind if you want to do shop promotion on social media.

Shops

The shops I run are, in the order of making them:

Redbubble

The lowest possible barrier to entry for a merch artist: they literally do everything from production to shipping for you, and all you do is provide the artwork. The trade-off is that it's very hard to make any significant money from Redbubble (I make maybe a few cents at most from each sale), and you have no control over the quality of the products.

Etsy

My referral link here.

While Etsy can be imposing at first, it is probably the easiest out of all the marketplaces to start out on. There is a lot of information to fill out to get started, so take it slow so you don't get overwhelmed. It does get easier after the first listing. Once you make one listing you can just keep duplicating and changing it a little so you don't have to keep making listings from scratch.

Etsy claims you need ten listings in your shop before you open it, but you can ignore that.

Once you've gotten started, there's lots of little tricks to learn such as letter mail shipping, all about VAT, improving listings, sections, and so on that I could go into more detail on if anyone is interested. For now I'll just focus on the platform itself.

I like that Etsy has a marketplace search, as a customer it is really nice to use. I like that it has one big cart for all the items I am looking at, and that it has a favorites system. I also like as a customer how each shop is uniform; I know exactly how to search through each shop and what format to expect. I do enjoy artists' custom shops but, sometimes their interfaces are tough to navigate.

Etsy is reasonably good at showing your items to people, which is the number one reason I recommend it for beginners. Just make sure to put effort into your listings such as tagging them, adding nice photos, and videos.

They have protection features built-in such as covering refunds if an item is delivered but the customer claims to not have received it. Etsy also enables international shipping with VAT which is great for EU/UK customers. My biggest gripe with Etsy is the fees, which I've already complained about.

Gumroad

Not much to say about Gumroad really. I only use it to list digital items such as PDFs of my lineart. I think it's saved me a few inquiries from people looking for my art for tattoos. Since all that art is for free on social media anyway, I don't charge for purchases on Gumroad. That's just a personal choice though.

Mercari

Not much to say about Mercari either. I use it to list pins from my personal collection, though I've seen a handful of pin makers use it for the pins they've created. I think the Mercari listing creation is atrocious: they like to recommend titles for your items when you upload new images, and will overwrite existing titles.

I've been considering moving away from Mercari, they recently switched their fee model so now buyers pay fees instead of sellers. This means while sellers can lower their prices, buyers get sticker shock and then ask for discounts on top of already-discounted items. I'm only on there because it's the most popular place for second-hand pin selling.

Shopify

So far I've really enjoyed Shopify. The setup was nightmarishly hard, not to turn anyone off of it but it took me literal months. You can import your listings from Etsy to Shopify but then you have to redo all the SKUs, link up photos to variants, and so on. If you have a ton of listings like me it takes a while. If you only have a few it is more worth it or, might even be worth starting out on if you can do sufficient promotion.

The major advantage of Etsy over Shopify is the marketplace feature: if you don't need the help of Etsy to promote your items then Shopify might be the better option to start out on.

I like that Shopify has significantly lower fees vs. Etsy. However, they do payouts differently and in a way I dislike. Etsy will deduct your shipping fees before calculating your payout balance, while Shopify will payout your balance and then charge you for shipping as part of your monthly bill. So you need to make sure to set aside some of your funds always to cover the Shopify shipping charge.

Additionally, to enable certain integrations or features you will need to pay for them monthly, which can add up. To sync my inventory between Shopify, Etsy, and Faire I use Trunk Inventory, which charges me a monthly $60 fee. That's in addition to the monthly Shopify fee.

Faire

I actually hate Faire despite using it. I was going to use Tundra but Faire drove them out of business (lawsuit pending). Now Faire is the only game in town for wholesale so I'm forced to use them, not that it's done me much good since I haven't had any sales there.

I can rant for ages about Faire's horrendous fees and outdated product import. But if you're a beginner you don't have to worry about wholesale selling, so I'll leave that discussion for another time. If anyone wants to hear more from me about Faire they can send another ask.

My stockists

It's quite hard to give honest reviews of my stockists here, since they might see them so, I'll just share my Linktree for them and you all can investigate on your own and inquire privately.

Newsletter

I used to use Tinyletter but it shut down, so now I use Email Octopus. Here's a referral link, and you can check out my newsletter sign up page here.

Email Octopus doesn't have a newsletter archive, and the interface is more complicated than Tinyletter's, which I dislike; but I like it better than Tinyletter's replacement Mailchimp.

You can try these out for yourself and see which you like better, it really is personal preference. All newsletter services are essentially the same: all you need is a sign up page, a way to store emails, and an ability to send a newsletter to them.

To get people to sign up for your newsletter, I personally recommend always offering it as a choice. For example, if you run a pin campaign, send an update where you share a link to your newsletter to your backers so they have the option to sign up. Do not export their emails and add them to your newsletter without a choice. I have been on the receiving end of this as a backer/customer and it makes me feel bad: it's extra emails in my inbox I didn't agree to and it feels like the creator misusing my information even if technically they are not. As a fellow creator I totally get why others might do this, it's an effective way to get lots of new newsletter signups at once. I just don't personally like it.

Shopify has a built-in newsletter feature you can use as well if you make a Shopify storefront. From your dashboard you can go to Marketing > Create campaign.

I like to send out a shortened newsletter via Shopify. Usually what I do is copy my full newsletter from Email Octopus to Shopify, and remove any bits not directly related to my Shopify, such as news on crowdfunding campaigns.

Writing your newsletter

Writing a newsletter doesn't take much time, and I think it should be a low effort task. In fact, if you make it too long people will not read it.

Throughout the month leading up to a shop update I will update my newsletter with whatever new items are ready, taking only a few minutes here and there. I include a few photos and I make sure to link to the items once they are listed (truncated example below).

I will also alert people to any sales or other special offers, news about stockists, and crowdfunding campaigns: anything a potential buyer would be interested in.

I have seen other artists share much longer newsletters with impressive graphics, sections on their art process, personal updates - but for myself I usually skip over that stuff in my inbox, so I don't do it as a creator. For others it might be worth the effort!

Final Thoughts

If you read all this, thank you! I know this was a very long post. I hope it helps at least one of you. I won't keep you much longer: you can find links to everything I mentioned in my Linktree and if you have more questions you can send an ask.

One day I'd like to make a tutorial series for making and selling merch, so this was useful as a draft for that. I would also include manufacturer reviews. If that's something you'd like to see someday you can let me know.

[front-facing-pokemon]

I just found this blog so I'm jumping aboard the plushie bandwagon.

First we got Absol. (i feel like maybe i should've taken a closer-up picture but it's the face sooo)

Then a Wooloo

And, saving best for last, this Leafeon plush I own... of which I swear on my life is official merch.

I also have some more eeveelutions (plus an eevee and a few more) but: 1. I didn't want to send too many. 2. Eeveelutions are more popular so I wanted to give some other people the chance to submit their own. 3. I don't know where my Pikachu and Snivy plushies are cuz I own too many stuffed animals.

Only reason I submitted Leafeon was so I could show off this ~masterpiece~ of a plushie I own. And it's face isn't the only thing wrong with it too lol. Also I just noticed I accidentally had one of the ears hanging back but I'm too lazy to go take another photo but i hope this amuses you nonetheless.

ALRIGHT THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF YOU AS I'VE BEEN OUT WITH MY FAMILY FOR CHRISTMAS HUH

let's start with these guys. beautiful. wonderful. i do not believe that that leafeon is official merch. this statement is baffling to me. welcome to the front-facing pokémon family. i love the eyes on that absol and wooloo is one of my faves. i was rather obsessed with it when it first came out and have a whole wooloo tag on my main blog because of it. though i guess i cleared that whole thing out recently so i don't anymore

let's get the nose ratings out of the way:

↑ this is a lie. 10/10 chespin

it's very wide and also 10/10 you're being too harsh. merry day to you too

circular face indeed. did i already post this one? if i did you can have it again

clodsire be upon ye. clodsire fans this is your treat until gen 9

this is a trend now. i think tumblr just crunched this image to hell for some reason so here's what the text says:

"Felt like joining the others for front facing pokeplushies [images] I have more pokemon but its early morning and these are the plushies that are easy to access"

i have not but i imagine "a moment" has long passed by now. my apologies but apparently today was an important day or something? idk

YEAH it's super unbelievably fucked up. i think i kinda remember the circumstance being a bit dire so everyone else was more worried about either 1. protagonist getting stomped on brutally or 2. saving the world from kyurem / the bittercold. i was totally under the impression that he was dead in that moment but i guess the characters may have known that he would just come back? i seem to vaguely remember partner being surprised that he came back and being like "but we watched you die :OOO" but maybe i'm misremembering that. i do create a lot of pmd lore on my own time so i have a hard time telling the difference between canon and fanon sometimes

two a day makes the world go round! this blog started when i started college, paused for 80% of my college career and now has started back up and i just graduated college a week ago. i would say "how time flies" but it has been a very, very long year

i've said it before and i'll say it again: gen 6 is my favorite gen, so you'll be seeing lots of favor for this gen from me in the tags i'm sure. maybe gen 6 is my excuse to start doing other things here. like that stream i keep talking about

if they put meloetta as a little obscure puzzle thang in sv, i'm sure they'll do something for genesect. i hope. at least for keldeo probably. genesect i'm not sure is very popular, unfortunately, outside of the tumblr crowd. if the general public's opinion on genesect is favorable, then maybe

okay and then i tried to scroll down further in my screenshots for more asks and saw the wobbly will smith in a hospital bed Gimme a Hug, Man that i copied from the "i get a little bit genghis kanghis" post so that's it. to everyone who christmases: merry it. it is today. although it's basically over by now so! merry boxing day for tomorrow if i don't say anything tomorrow. but i probably will. now i'm gonna go queue up today's 'mons because i haven't done it yet today. see you all in a few weeks when those post

[wanderingaldecaldo]

WIP Whenever

@gloryride @merge-conflict and @ouroboros-hideout tagged me. Thanks chooms! I have a couple of things in progress right now...

Modding

I recently learned posing so I'm working on a "Just Chooms" pack, as I sometimes want paired poses that aren't necessarily romantic. I'm trying to make some of them interchangeable to add reusability.

Writing

I haven't been working directly on any of my WIPs the last few days because @marine-123 asked a question on Saturday's shippy post that I've been chewing on ever since: How do V's friends react when they find out she's dating Rosalind Myers? This is a great exercise for me in figuring out Val's relationships in this universe. Also, it's giving me subjects for testing my poses!

Here's a little of what I've got so far:

Val is cautious about telling people once she and Rosalind start dating. They are trying to keep things under wraps—even if they know it's ultimately futile and the media will find out—and she doesn't want to mess things up. She's always been a fuck-up and a flake in relationships, but she's taking this one seriously. Misty is initially the only person she trusts enough to talk to about Rosalind, and she's known about her from the moment Val got back from Dogtown. Misty believes her about the “fling”, even if she doesn't quite get it. Later when Rosalind and V start texting regularly, Misty hears about it all the time. Sometimes she even shuts V down because all she wants to do is discuss the nuances Rosalind's word choice from the same text message for the hundredth time, and sometimes that's just one time too many for Misty.

Tagging with no pressure to share something you're working on: @dani-the-goblin @kdval @streetkid-named-desire @butchsquatch @mirandaputsherbestbuttforward @valrez and @cp2077thotsociety 👀👀👀

[humming-pokemon-helpers]

Finally got the go-ahead to post about this… so, with the growing visibility of hybrids in the public eye, I was offered the opportunity to interview with RIME Magazine! (Capitalizing the name properly was part of the deal.)

I’ll be pasting the text of the article below for anyone without a subscription (to be fair, it’s also posted online, and I have permission), but before that… I also got a cover photoshoot! I wound up touching up my ears with my illusions… and some of the burn scars… but I’m quite happy with how it turned out, still. Wolfy couldn’t make it, so I took the photo with Chiru that day! Anyways, hope you enjoy. :)

(//Art is a commission by @/RhymeWithRay here or mostly on Twitter! They make amazing Pokémon-style work, worth a look for sure!!!)

But without further ado, the interview!

RIME Magazine sat down for an interview with Vanilla Cress, a Hisuian Zorua hybrid, human and Pokémon psychologist, Champion-class trainer in Paldea, Galar Champion Cup semifinalist, and hybrid model and activist, in early February. Topics discussed varied widely, from Cress's own experience growing up as a human-Pokémon hybrid, understanding Pokémon, Cress's recent modeling and activism, and future plans. What follows is a condensed and edited transcript of the interview.

That's quite the list of accolades you've accumulated along the way. What do you think has led you to achieve so highly?

Well, for one, I think you're giving a lot of this more credit than it's worth, [laughs]. I'm not sure being pulled off of the street because I look like a walking ice-cream cone is much of an accomplishment, personally. Nor do I do much activism apart from this interview now, apparently.

I think I understand the answer you're going for here, though. I would say that my hybridity's a large part of what brought me as far as I've come. Not only in having the gift to talk to our partners in life--which is an incredible gift--but in that there's this drive to prove myself. Or maybe to redeem myself. I'm not really sure which, personally. Doing things has just filled all of the gaps in my life, until now.

Right, and you only publicly "came out" as a hybrid less than a year ago.

Yes, less than a year ago! It's been a huge adjustment, but I have so much more energy these days, not having to worry about being discovered by hitting something with my tail, [laughs].

While my experience hasn't been entirely positive after "coming out" myself, and I realize that even being able to hide is a privilege many hybrids simply don't have, I will say that generally speaking, the public response has been overwhelmingly positive. Say, for every enemy I've made, I've made ten more friends in their place. And from so many different walks of life, too!

You say your experience wasn't entirely positive. Could you elaborate some on your negative experiences as a hybrid?

Well, if I have to. Which I suppose I don't, but it seems rude not to. There are, of course, people out there who view you as subhuman, when you look like me. Or in maybe a less extreme sense, people who have a tendency to see all of the fluff and decide "Oh, this person--I should talk to this person like they're a child." But those are really quite few and far between, at least in my case. I'm more likely to scare people, with the teeth and the claws. [They make a pose showing both off.]

My main negative experience, though, was something more personal and targeted.

Yes, there was the news earlier last year about the Dreamyard Laboratory...

"Earlier last year" doesn't feel right, somehow. I won't go much into detail, but yes, I was taken against my will for the purpose of illegal research on human-Pokémon hybrid power, by Colress Achroma. It was only due to the efforts of my dear friends that I'm here now. I cannot express my gratitude to them enough, if any of you are reading!

Thank you for sharing. To turn back the clock a bit, what was your childhood like, being half-Zorua?

Well, for most of that time, it was like paradise! When I was a young child, we were quite isolated, so I never got the sense that my life was "off" or "strange". I thought for the longest time it was normal to have a family like mine. My older sibling, Wolfgang, a Zorua then--we were just "W" and "V" at the time--he and I would just run wild and play in Lostlorn Forest for hours while the rest of the pack hunted. And then they'd come back, and they'd start in on whatever they'd caught, and my mother would swoop back in to make me something completely different. And teach me the alphabet. [Laughs]

Was there a time, when that facade cracked?

Oh, there was this time, right when I had gotten used to using my illusions, that my mother brought me to the grocery store with her. And that's when I learned a lot of facts about the world very quickly. And then I had to learn those facts all over again, a few years later, when I rejoined the human world with my adopted family. Everything had to be hidden after that, or else. It was dangerous, not knowing what sort of person you'd meet, or who'd want to hurt you just for existing.

You say you were also adopted?

Right. There was... a forest fire, at one point. Intentional. And I lost everyone dear to me but Wolfgang. And I became the sort of Zorua you see here now [a Hisuian Zorua]. And after a few years of... homelessness and what not, I was taken in by the Cresses. It was a chance encounter. And it was a major culture shock! Going from streets to high society parties. It was thanks to them, though, that I managed to find something to do with my life and graduated from Naranja-Uva.

And in between that, the Galar gym challenge...

[Laughs] I'm sure you have a clip of that somewhere. I'd rather not talk about it, that was... a strange period of teenagerhood for me.

How do you feel about your childhood, on reflection?

That's tough. That's something I believe I'm still working out, myself. It was positive moment-to-moment, but considering what I know, now, I would say... to some degree, I resent it. It's hard not to resent being born in a position where it feels like, for so long, nobody understands you. I wouldn't trade Wolfgang for anyone else, but otherwise, I do wish, sometimes, I was "just" a human.

I can imagine. At the same time, talking to Pokémon is quite the advantage, right? What is it like?

Depends on the Pokémon! Some of us are more talkative than others, and of course, there's a range in how sophisticated Pokémon communication is too.

The difference is something like... imagine two Pokémon asking for pizza. In my experience, a Solosis would usually just beam the word "PIZZA" right into your mind. A Sewaddle might be coherent enough to say "Pizza, please". And a Zoroark... probably something along the lines of "give me the damn pizza already," [laughs].

So sometimes you can get a lot across by understanding Pokémon, but that doesn't mean they're all speaking in the same way as humans still. Understanding those individual differences goes a long way in my line of work, too. It's a bit easier than reading behavior, anyways!

As a Pokémon psychologist, what's one thing you think more people should understand about their Pokémon?

More than anything... it sounds cliche, but most Pokémon truly view humans as their partners, just as we do them. As much scientific proof as has gone into the question of proving that Pokémon love us as much as we love them, in my experience... that's absolutely true.

At the same time, even as partners, Pokémon think quite differently from humans in their daily life. I think in order to create the most balanced world possible, where both can coexist, it's key to consider the Pokémon's perspective more too.

What's one thing you'd like to impart about hybrids to people who don't know much about them?

Every hybrid's experience is different, firstly! Some, like me, are born, but others are created through science or magic we still don't know about. Some may look almost identical to humans, and some may have appearances considered frightening or unusual. Some of us have long-standing health problems. Some of us can use moves, or speak in Pokémon language, or access abilities, whereas others may be more limited. There's no one experience that I can really label as "the hybrid experience".

There are people who might think we're dangerous. Or inhuman. But whether you consider us 'human' or not... like any living being, we still deserve respect and a voice. Maybe that's obvious, but I think it still rings true.

Finally, what are your plans from here?

I'm hoping to finish my Unova League challenge together with my traveling partner! I certainly don't intend to become the Champion, but if I can say I challenged every member of the Elite 4, I'd be happy.

From there... well, there are a few things I'd like to resolve otherwise, but I think I'll return to my day job as a therapist, and hopefully, my own personal sword training. I'd also like to spend more time with my friends, my traveling partner, and my family in Lostlorn! My brother, Wolfgang has four incredible kits, and they're the absolute most adorable--

I'm afraid we're out of time for today, Mx. Vanilla.

Ah, yes. Thank you for having me!

[misscaterpilla4]

IMPORTANT

This is a clarification about TSAMS and what I will do in this blog

I'm sorry if I can't make myself understood correctly, I'm writing this quickly and I'm having a hard time translating it since I've been having some headaches and I just want to stay asleep, well, I recently found out about TSAMS and have received both warnings and suggestions , but I want to clarify something, I won't draw anything about it, this is mostly because I have a lot of things to do, I'm slowly getting back into animation, there are 2 animations I want to make about One Piece, doodles from both OP and of FNAF and I also have my head saturated with a comic that will be my most important project to carry out, so at the moment I don't have much time to review external things of which I have no knowledge, I want to clarify that this is nothing against the fandom , in my tray I received a warning about this and the behavior they sometimes have towards DCA artists, I asked others and they gave me varied answers, I have been in fandoms that can be considered problematic but I know that like in all fandoms of that style There are also very kind and respectful people, I have even had some run-ins with people from the DCA fandom and despite this I continue to draw about it, however as I mentioned before, I don't have time to get into another fandom, I want to focus on my projects and answer questions that I have pending for months, if you are part of the TSAMS fandom I hope you understand my position, all the suggestions sent about the show will not be answered, I also decided to delete the previous post where I asked about it since there was a situation that affected the person of the question, lastly and with all my heart, do not fight among yourselves, do not be threatening towards those who enjoy TSAMS, I know that you may be worried about the experiences and that you do not want that for me, but I will be okay, it is not necessary to make a complaint to the other person, this has saturated me with many emotions, I still cannot understand myself but I usually get very anxious and scared with anything since I worry too much about everything, I just want everything goes well, that both you and I are fine, I honestly don't know what else to add, I think this is all, I hope you can understand me and that everything is fine, I'm sorry if the text is very long, I try to be as clear as possible although perhaps I could have said very little but there were many points to be made here.

I will be away for a while, I am going to rest a little to calm the headaches, when I feel better I will continue working on my things, I will try as possible to bring some content so as not to neglect you so much, it may be a slow process but I will do everything at my pace, so please be good to each other, I love you and I don't want there to be problems between you because of me, it may not have been something that big but as I mentioned I can be very sensitive even with the most simple, see you later!!