#but with how things are going i think that youtube is becoming the best option

[awakefor48hours]

As I'm rewatching TADC, I'm beginning to realize that in the near future, we're probably going to see more indie projects and I actually think that it has the potential to be good for the entertainment industry as a whole.

As time goes on, more people are pretty much only using streaming services but streaming services have a lot of problems with their platforms. The subscriptions are getting more expensive, there's so many of them, and a lot of the shows are getting cancelled in their infancy (some after being greenlit for more) despite their popularity.

Since 2019, Netflix alone has cancelled dozens of shows such as Dead End Paranormal Park, Julie and the Phantoms, Inside Job, Lockwood and Co, Warrior Nun, The Baby-Sitters Club, Raising Dion, Shadow and Bone, The Oa, I Am Not Okay With, A Typical, Anne with E, and much more.

This list doesn't even touch on other streaming platforms but I'm choosing to focus on these shows from Netflix (probably the most well respected streaming service) because I feel like it gets to the root of the problem. A lot of these shows were cancelled in their infancy despite having had high ratings (once again, some of them were even greenlit for more seasons). I almost never hear about shows ending anymore, I only hear about how they get cancelled after a season or two.

With both streaming services and cable not really giving creators the most certain platform, doing indie projects seems like the best bet and it works really well for both the creator and the audience.

To go back to streaming services, the amount of streaming services in the world are only growing and not everyone has the ability to pay for all of them but even the people that do pay for a lot of streaming services can't watch everything. I've mentioned this once but my parents are subscribed to 5 different streaming services, that's so many but they still ask me for help to pirate about once a month because they want to watch a show that isn't available on the streaming platform they use. That is ridiculous and I fully believe my parents should be allowed to watch whatever they want. (Just like my parents, I'll gladly share the piracy sites I use but it's through DMs only, I promise I'm not scary I cry watching kids cartoons).

But when it comes to shows on YouTube, it's available to basically everyone with a Wi-Fi connection and I fully believe it's the main reason why shows like TADC, Lackadaisy, Helluva Boss, RWBY, RvB, and more were able to get their level of popularity. They're on a free to use platform and can be shared to other people just as easily. Also when creators post their show on YouTube, it's much easier for people to make gifs and edits (which, let's be honest, are the real advertisers of a show) because YouTube lets people take screenshots/screen record without any hassle.

*If you want to know how to screenshot/screen record DRM content (things like Netflix, Hulu, CrunchyRoll, etc), I do have a post about here.

Along with the fact that it's more available to the public, it's also more available to the crew and creators. A few years ago, Dana Terrace (creator of The Owl House) made a tweet introducing a new character to the show but the tweet got popular because admitted that she had to pirate The Owl House in order to watch it.

(Since it's cropped in this screenshot, in the top right corner is a watermark of a well-known piracy site for The Owl House).

Imagine working for a company like Disney and not have the ability to watch your own show. They couldn't even give her complimentary mp4 files or even a subscription to Disney+ despite the fact that without her the show wouldn't exist. It's really annoying to see this but when it comes to shows like TADC, that problem doesn't really exist. You can just watch the episodes for free on YouTube.

Also, the fact that the episodes take a while to come out really makes the fandom feel a lot more united. The wait time between episode really kills the binging aspect of TV and I'm in full support of that. Ever since streaming services started to become the default way to watch TV, binging culture has gotten really bad and it can be pretty isolating to people who have busy lives.

Take me for an example. Someone like me, a single adult who has no kids and a terrible sleep schedule (ignore username), can stay up until 3 in the morning binging shows without too many negative consequences. But I have friends who are married/getting married and have kids/planning on having kids, meaning that they don't have the same amount of time as me. I can finish binging shows in a day or two which isn't a pleasure my friends have and it also mean I can't talk to them about it because they're only on episode 2.

I also feel a lot more comfortable donating to these indie projects because the money goes directly towards the creators and crew. When the WGA strike happened, creators explained how they got paid (you can watch the whole video here), and the quick version of it is, they only get paid the amount of times someone watches and episode, they get paid thee residuals from the subscriptions which is so little that it almost feels criminal. When you really put it into perspective, donating to 2 dollars to a GoFundMe and watching the show three times on YouTube is going to do more for a show then paying for a 15 dollar subscription and watching it 10 times.

YouTube definitely has it's problems, I've been subjected to whole ass adults saying "seggy" for nearly a decade, but when you compare it to the current state of streaming and cable, it seems like the best option for both the creators and fans.

[girlbossagenda]

HOW TO HAVE YOUR SUMMER REVENGE GLOW UP

Summer break it's here! A lot of us have grown out of shape due to all the stress caused from school, and the lack or time to exercise or live a more healthy lifestyle, are you scared to go to the beach because you feel like you don't have that beach body? Are you heart broken and just want to live your hot girl summer or perhaps you want to finally be confident your body and change your entire life? If so this is the maxi guide for you.

౨ৎHow to get started౨ৎ

I made this google doc where I explain things more in depth here you can find, how to glow up: physically, mentally and socially(friends, summer filings, popularity etc...) if you want to know how to archive your results, you can find my explanation in depth(also winter friendly)

Here -> THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY: HOW TO REVENGE GLOW UP

Do you remember those girl on YouTube, IG and tumblr?The pretty ones that were living their best summer? Wanna be like them? Then think and plan a summer in the same way a girl with your dream summer would do!

୨୧Make a pre-summer status୨୧

We will use this to track what changed about out life during this summer, I know it might be stressful or embarassing at first, but you're going to be grateful knowing all the progress that you made

୨୧Work on your mindset୨୧

This is so important, read again point n°1, and then put yourself in the shows of the person that you want to become, for example:

-> you want to be a pretty popular girl? "Would the pretty popular girl say that her Summer is ruined and that she has no one to hangout with"? I don't think so.

౨ৎHOW TO GLOW UP PHYSICALLY౨ৎ

if you're interested just in the physical stuff this is the section for you(more in depth in the Google doc)

You need to understand that most of the time a summer glow up last up until the first week of school then it's gone, but you want it to last, right? Here's how:

୨୧Find a low effort beauty routine୨୧

During summer you have all the time to maintain a beauty regiment, but you also need to make it practical, for example you might keep your hair natural during summer, you need to simplify them -> extensions, braids, sew in, silk presses or clip in...

୨୧Change hair color୨୧

During summer you need to grab attention change hair color to blonde, red, or more funky colors like blue, pink etc...

୨୧Diet୨୧

I know, it's hard, with all the ice cream around, but you can also try by drinking healthy smoothies(especially the green ones), opt also for a salad as a snack.

୨୧Skincare୨୧

You have to wear sunscreen and if you want to get a tan you NEED to put that after sun lotion and be consistent with your skincare

୨୧Grow your lashes + eyebrows୨୧

Always, this is a must, you finally have enough time, then start now, be consistent and in 3 months you're going to have the best result, I advise you to use castor oil in the night and in the day a lash growth serum.

୨୧Learn to do your make up୨୧

Optional but very useful, in those days that you're at home you can learn how to do your make up so you're going to comeback to school and slay even in your worst days, plus it's a cute hobby.

౨ৎHOW TO GET POPULAR DURING SUMMER౨ৎ

If you don't have friends at school it would be nice to have them outside, plus having friends out makes you so much cooler! Are you ready to expand your social life?

୨୧Summer school/camp୨୧

A classic, you can meet so many people here, works best if you are between 11-16 yo, If you're 16+ you can try joing a camp and be an animator

୨୧Beach୨୧

Have you even heard of "the beach friend"? Where I'm from they are very common and popular, it usually starts early in childhood, but you can also make them at your age! You just need to approach the people that look like share the same interests as you, better if they are alone too!

୨୧Online୨୧

You can go on a forum site and actually ask in the chat if someone wants to make friends and exchange ig, snaps,discord etc...you might make long distance but strong friendships

୨୧Work୨୧

Now coworkers are not actually your friends, but you might get close to some, better if it's not a competitive environment, try to network between your coworkers, maybe some of them actually know people of your interest, if you can start working with friends!

୨୧Neighborhood events୨୧

Churches usually during summer do some activities for the youths you can try and enjoy them! Or go to a popular place or even host in your neighborhood!

౨ৎHOW TO HAVE A SUMMER FLING౨ৎ

I'm not really into romance, but it might be different from some of y'all! If you want to flirt, get. In a relationship or just have some fun experimenting then keep reading!

Follow the beauty steps written before!

୨୧Go to parties or events(better if on the beach)୨୧

What a better place to find love if not on the beach? All you'll need to do it's to wear a cute bikini and have fun with your friends!

୨୧Work on your gaze୨୧

You know the phrase "love at first sight"? Let's turn it into "love at first gaze" you need to exercise on your facial expressions and your seductive gaze, grab a mirror and flirt with yourself!

୨୧Make time to hangout୨୧

You're not going to find love by staying at home! You need to get out and wander around the city! Go to all the places where people of your age go! Bring your friends along(if you can or be brave and go alone!)

Phew, this guide was quite long! And there's so much more! Thank you for sticking with me and supporting my blog! Ilysm and I'm so grateful for all the people that read my posts, let's glow up together this summer!

xoxo gorgeous

-𝓐

[charmedreincarnation]

Dream life before the EOTS challenge

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Hello beautiful people! I totally get it- as the end of the school year approaches, I understand there's this huge push to finally tap into our dream lives before the beginning of the next school year. But here’s the thing, I don’t want you all to get too caught up in the timing. Instead, I’m excited to share with you a mix of my favorite techniques that can truly help you tap into your dream life, as we should!

Consistency is going to be your best friend here, and naturally, feel free to adjust these to better suit your preferences. I’ve got this strong feeling that this challenge is going to be particularly impactful for those who thrive on methodical approaches and have been searching for their calling for some time now. the journey to your dream life isn’t about rushing or meeting arbitrary deadlines. It’s about finding what resonates with you, applying it with dedication, and allowing your things to unfold in its own way. Use this for anything… your dream life, shifting, the void state, it does not matter ! Just Remember, the journey to your dream life isn’t about rushing or meeting arbitrary deadlines, please be kind and patient with yourself !

——————————————————————————

What we will be using this challenge

1.I am 100% sure technique

2.living in the end

3.reverse psychology techniques

4.Questions technique x SATs

5.optional* lucid dreaming

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1.This is inspired by @gorgeouslypink ‘s challenge but…

Every morning, as soon as you wake up, either say or write or think "I am sure that I will [insert desire]. Anytime you think of your desire, think or repeat that affirmation to yourself as a reminder. You don’t have to do it a billion times. Once is enough and move on with your life. Another tip is, one of my first shifts was by using the 5 sense method while listening to music. Affirming while listening to your favorite song or sound is basically a hack to get you into your desired state.The key is to do it while listening to a song that makes you feel euphoric and in the morning to revise your mind while it’s in theta state ! Just during those times !!! don’t parrot affirmations if it stresses you out

2. You should be "living in the end" in whatever way inspires you. I encourage you all to create your vision boards on Pinterest if you're a visual person, and really immerse yourself in the joy of knowing this is your life. Those are your pictures.

If you're more of a writer, script your success story that you'll send to me, or write a thank you note to your favorite blogger. In the draft, mention how you used this technique along with whatever else you're doing. Write with the conviction that it's real.

For those aspiring to be YouTubers, film a mock video. If you envision yourself becoming a TikToker, start drafting video ideas. And if your dream is to be an actor, do practice runs of your favorite script, if you’re going to be an entrepreneur, draft your business ideas and proposals and draw inspo from your favorite successful entrepreneurs!

Guys, fulfilling yourself and living in the end should be fun! Embrace your inner child, remember how easy it was to believe in Santa Claus even when you were with your mom buying gifts. To become famous like the kids on Disney, all you had to do was desire it and practice making the Disney sign with a wand. Let's bring that love back to manifesting.

3.If you're someone who likes vaunting or affirmations, instead of just parroting affirmations, use the reverse psychology method! Talk about how tired you are of succeeding, how you want to wake up in your CR not your DR, how you're tired of waking up in the void, how lucid dreaming every night by accident ruins your sleep schedule, etc. Do some of the vaunting in front of a mirror, I don’t know theosucholgy about it but vaunting with convections in front of mirror looking straight into my own eyes always brought me results in days.

4. Before bed, think about what you want, imagine being there, and start asking yourself creative questions. Really picture yourself in that situation and take part in it as you answer. One at a time, slowly, we'll get into each question by thinking up answers and feeling like we're really there.

The whole point is to immerse ourselves in the reality of this state as we paint the portrait. Ask yourself whatever questions, then imagine that scene. It doesn’t matter if you do 40 or just 1. Ask yourself what it’s like to enter the void state every night and have a scene of you living your dream life doing whatever you want. Ask yourself what it’s like to be a girl who shifts reality while people fight over resources in the 3D, and imagine yourself in your WR (Waiting ROOM) or DR (Desired Reality) living your dream life. Ask yourself what it’s like being someone who is wealthy in the top 0.001% and imagine a scene of buying expensive things, checking your bank account, and making lunch with finer ingredients. Again, it should be fun; it doesn’t matter how specific or vague the questions are, how long or short the scene is, whether it’s one scene or 100 scenes. Fulfill yourself in SATS (State Akin to Sleep). Whether we do this before a nap, after you wake up, or before you go to bed, it does not matter. Pair this with a nice Subliminal with good music if you desire

5.Combine this with anything from my lucid dreaming guide that resonates with you, or just assume you’ll have a lucid dream and read all the ways you can shift/manifest/or enter the void through in my LD guide!

I know how busy everyone is; this shouldn't take a lot of time, nor should it feel pressuring or like a task. We all deserve our dream life and, most importantly, we all deserve to feel fulfilled as we embody the people we truly are. During this challenge, be kind to yourself, remember why you’re doing this and who it’s for—it's for you. Be persistent and have patience, not just to be a good follower of the law but to be good to yourself! We all can do it; I know it.

[herejusttosufferalong]

My delulu is intensifying. I'm starting to think that the theory of L catching feelings super early, like even when he first met N, is clicking for me. How he remembers meeting her for the first time in such detail. I just think the wheels were starting to turn even back then. Do I think he was consciously aware of it? Probably not. Do I think he ever vocalised it to N? Hell no. Do I think feelings intensified once he was announced as lead for S3? Absolutely. And got near breaking point during filming? Yes, indeed.

The whole unliking J's posts from a very specific time-point is interesting. Some of you have mentioned that maybe something changed for him at that time, which just so happens to coincide with finding out he was going to lead S3 with N. Very close to the time of that cute N and L photo, looking very cosy. They were probably spending A LOT more time together, planning and discussing. Becoming closer. I imagine N would have been super professional about it. However, I think things shifted when they started filming.

May I present Exhibit A. I was watching this video last night (the YouTuber is fantastic, love her work):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxSZShhh45k&ab_channel=SammyBates

First of all, this kiss is IMHO the best kiss I've ever seen. It literally had it all. I fixated on her comments at 16:45 re. L's lower lip trembling/quivering in the kiss. An involuntary, uncontrollable response. I had noticed it before, but never properly contemplated what it actually means. My scientific investigation began... Googles "lip trembling during kiss". Unfortunately, not very fruitful information, talking about possibly having a potassium deficiency or other medical conditions (lol). No google, not random lip twitching! I'm talking about trembling DURING a kiss. Eventually I did find an answer on the 'girls ask guys' page (reputable, of course). Generally the responses went something like this, "definitely a sign of emotion or fighting to control himself. My bf does this when we're kissing slowly then usually becomes more aggressive soon after (losing control a little)". Becoming so overcome with emotion and trying very hard to reign it in... Hmm ok? And this is involuntary, you say, like it cannot be faked or 'acted'? So two possible options. The method acting was methoding and he really felt the love to his core as Colin for Pen OR well... we all know the other option.

Now, looking back at the BTS, I don't think either of them were really method acting. They were easily coming in and out of character between scenes, and you could see the differentiation between the character and the actor. Although, the intimate behaviours were not really stopping lol. I've noticed other involuntary responses from N as well looking at the BTS, like gulping when he touches her face while practicing the dance scenes. I would hazard a guess there was real fire there. But as many have also said, the lines were blurry and they probably were pinning the feelings down to their characters, and the high emotion surrounding leading such a big production. Dismiss those feelings.

Take time apart, and come back, and guess what? The feelings are still there but they're not playing Polin. Avoid, reject internally, become defensive? Give in possibly? Emotionally? Physically? Not sure. But either way, I believe walls were built back up for reasons we can probably deduce. The timing just ain't right.

Now I guess we wait and see what happens during S4 filming.

#hardcoredelulu

💜🥃

[absolutebl]

Began Beginning - Myanmar's first BL 

Not So Quick Pitch (or is it a pitch?)

Cause I got a lot of thoughts

8 eps 25 min ea YouTube

Began Beginning feels very much like a first timers BL. Which it pretty much is. There’s a lot of explaining and info dumping and information that we really don’t need about the characters (or the family) especially in the first couple of episodes.

Here's your hlepful breakdown:

Mani = main boy workaholic, probably gay, acts ace 

Hlyan = cute flirty bestie, smoker, closeted gay (for good reason) in love with Mani (becomes main character about 3/4 way through) 

Walar = openly gay visitor recovering from a breakup who enters their codependent dynamic and things happen as a result

Thae = Mani & Hlyan’s other bestie, trans 

I was tempted to say this reminded me of early Vietnamese BL, but in actuality what it reminded me of most was the stuff we got from way back in the early 2000's out of Hong Kong, or more recently from the Philippines (I'm thinking about something like The Boy Foretold by the Stars).

There is a grungy sticky authenticity to these works, of which Began Beginning is now a part. They have their own tarnished charm. For all their hiccups in storytelling and absurdities, there is an almost documentary feel to them, partly as a result of the inferior quality of production and filming (which is entirely economic). But that itself also somehow adds to the appeal.

This kind of BL is entirely the opposite of something out of Korea or GMMTV. And if you like that BL best, you aren't gonna like this product. But as much as KBL wins top ranks from me pretty consistently these days, sometimes I enjoy this kind of BL too.

The range itself keeps the genre vibrant and healthy.

So what is Began Beginning about?

Childhood best friends must come to terms with their own identities and true feelings for each other when a new boy comes to town, putting them into conflict with their families and ultimately, each other.

For the first half of this show there’s a lot of sitting across from each other and talking about life choices over yummy food and then going to tourist spots (mildly boring and not particularly important to the plot). 

It changed tone about 2/3 in to be way more of a coming out family drama about forced marriages and homophobia.

And then at the very end it changed again, becoming a full on soap opera with kidnapping, crazy characterization shifts, and rescue missions.

All in all? It was a wild raw creature to consume as a binge. No kisses since this is Myanmar, but a very romantic end, so I think maybe actually worth your time? I'm certainly glad I watched it.

Recommended with lots of reservations but great respect. I’m going with a 7/10.

There is a particularly important part at the end when Hlyan talks about asking Thae to dress him as a girl to see if he was third gender because he had these feels for another boy. And how unpleasant that made him feel. I thought it was hugely impactful as a window into the boxes same sex loves in modern society forces upon us. No matter what options our culture provides for us, if the boxes are limited we feel limited too. Also, drawing a distinction between gender identity and sexual identity. Lovely bit of storytelling.

(see comments, turns out this is not the first one)

(source)

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Hi so I’m 15 and in a relationship for the first time so I don’t have experience with any of this stuff. My partner and I have been doing sexual stuff for a few months now I just have some questions.

First, I was wondering how we can do sexual things in a way that doesn’t bother other people in the house. Like maybe that’s a dumb question and the answer is just be quiet but idk it’s hard bc my partner is very vocal. Also there’s very few opportunities to do stuff without anyone else home so that’s not rly an option.

Also my parents have been very weird about my relationship with my partner. Making lots of odd comments such as “i wonder if they’re having sex up there” (to my brother who is a *child*) and giving me lots of looks that just kind of make me feel really bad about my relationship. I know that sex is natural but they make me feel really bad about it and I could use some advice on what to do about that

Next, my partner and I are both interested in getting in to kink but I don’t really know how to go about it. I’ve never heard of people getting into that stuff as minors and we don’t want to do anything too crazy especially since we don’t really have access to any supplies.

You’ve definitely talked about this before but could you tell me what kind of protection is best and easiest to use and obtain for f/f sex. School didn’t teach me how to use anything other than a male condom.

Thank you so much. Sorry for asking so many questions

hi anon,

your first question is going to be pretty circumstantial; I don't know what the layout of your house is like or how realistic it is to wait for privacy. the ideal if of course to wait until everyone else is either asleep or out of the house, but I recognize that the former may be difficult if not impossible for someone your age and you've already said the latter is hard to come by. using other noises, like music or TV or white noise, can be helpful, although it's unlikely to prevent your parents from speculating.

to address your second problem most directly, I'm afraid there's no much that I personally can do to rectify that. it is unfortunately very normal for parents to have an anxious, awkward, and difficult time adjusting to their children becoming sexually curious. I think the most crucial thing to remember here is that this has nothing to do with what you're doing being gross or wrong, and most everything to do with how your parents were raised to think about sex. unless they have specific concerns they want to raise with you about sexual safety, their reactions are most likely coming from a place of discomfort that they don't know how to channel appropriately. that's not a shortcoming on your part, but on the people who failed to help them develop a better way of understanding their own feelings about sex - and, yes, on them for how they're handling those feelings now.

I'm unsure exactly what you're interested in exploring, since kink covers a very broad array of activities and "supplies" could mean almost anything, but I would definitely recommend an abundance of caution in your explorations. kink is great, but that doesn't mean it's easy for for everyone. there's a reason that you seldom hear of people your age getting into kink, which is that it generally requires a great deal of practice with navigating partnered intimacy and communication - something that few teenagers have had time to develop the skills for. kink is also something that many people find works best as a communal activity, by finding others to help introduce them around and sharing experience to help safely explore their fantasies; for obvious safety reasons, few kink spaces are looking to admit 15 year olds. by all means, do your research - Evie Lupine's youtube channel is a great place to start, with a backlog of hundreds of videos covering all kinds of kink-related topics - but be careful with how you act on it, and recognize that kink comes with more potential complications and risks than "vanilla" sex that cannot be taken lightly.

if both parties have vulvas and vaginas then you can use dental dams for protection during oral sex, latex or nitrile gloves or finger cots to cover hands/fingers, and external ("male," although there's nothing inherently gendered about them) condoms for any penetrative toys (or cut them down one side to flatten them out and make the aforementioned dental dams).

please don't apologize for asking questions! questions are how you learn and stay safe :)

[helpfandom]

hello!! i saw you had requests open so i hope you don’t mind me asking for one :3 so what i was thinking was could you do a Yandere P03 (inscryption) x reader? can be platonic or romantic it doesn’t really matter whatever you wanna do! headcanons please, and for the premise just about like how it would act as a yandere and how he would treat the reader and how he would go about becoming a yandere for them :0? it would also be cool if you explored the games ending (where it ports into lukes computer) a little if you wanted to but tbh i’ll love anything you make because i am so desperate for content of this game ngl 😭 but you can go nuts! i don’t mind you adding some things, just have fun w it :D! thank you so much tehehehe!

The first part is roughly based off of my first playthrough, and I finally finished the game, It. Was. AMAZING!! OH MY GOODNESS. >.<

Call him AM the way this little freaky computer hates.

@lonleydweller

°⁺⁎⋅❤︎⋅⁎⁺°⁺⁎⋅❤︎⋅⁎⁺°⁺⁎⋅❤︎⋅⁎⁺°

°⁺⁎⋅❤︎⋅⁎⁺°⁺⁎⋅❤︎⋅⁎⁺°⁺⁎⋅❤︎⋅⁎⁺°

Your friend, Luke Carder, was more than happy to let you play Inscryption first, especially after this person named... Amanda? showed up at his house. Anyway, you had the disk drive and could actually play it, so as long you gave him footage and the like, he had no issues with you playing it for him.

At first, he was moreso just happy to have someone finally playing the game again and get actually have the ability to do something after such a long time.

He was a little surprised when he felt you change the game and exit out and then back in when he said "Total Misplay" or anything along those lines, and even more intrigued when you actually listened to him when he mentioned more about the other scrybes.

He couldn't see you, no not yet, but he could at least watch your cursor as you hover over options in your hand and still can't choose. Of course, he got bored quickly, going back to thinking about how much he hates Leshy for forcing him into an organic body, and a stoat at that.

When he finally gets back into his robotic form due to your success in beating Leshy, he instantly connects himself to every part of your computer, quickly asserting himself to hear everything you say and even how you look. You look... not bad for a human. Of course, you'd look better Robot-ified, but still, not bad for a human.

He has mixed opinions on the scrybe you choose to replace, if it's Leshy, he's ecstatic about that, eager to see you destroy him, even if you destroy all of them technically, but he's so eager to watch Leshy's face for betrayal. If it's Grimora or Magnificus? He's okay with it, neutral about it. I mean, he knows it would suck about Grimora, she's very sweet and kind, but no big loss. But if you choose him?

He laughs to himself at your optimism, thinking you beat him? He's 4 steps ahead of you, always watching and all knowing, smarter and better than you. Well, you and that annoying guy you bring around sometimes to give him recordings.

'Luke', He agonizes over that name. He's insulted that you stick with a loser, a mere youtuber when the obviously better option is him. Doesn't matter if your feelings are romantic or platonic to your friend, he hates him.

He enjoys your shock when he takes over the game, relishing in your emotions and mixed feelings, and he enjoys your quick adaptation to the new world he created, for you. If he could, he would take you out of that stupid world separating you and just keep you with him when he does The Great Transcendence. You're the best player he's had for a long time...

Now, here there are several endings, one where he does what he wanted and uploads Inscryption to the internet fully, the original end of Inscryption but without Amanda, one where he finds a way to bring you here, one where he never fully dies, and one where you die instead.

[seat-safety-switch]

Being famous is always held up as an achievement that's not all it's cracked up to be. Think about that real hard. If that were true, then why do people try so hard to become famous? The only possible explanation is that the existing famous people are trying to cut down on the competition, discouraging you from becoming rich and powerful like them.

In the modern era, there are more ways than ever to become famous. Thanks to fancy new technologies, you can film yourself ranting about your current obsession from the front seat of your 2006 F-150 and receive instant gratification. Or not, as the case may be, but you got a lot of irons in the fire. Maybe this other marginalized group is the secret sauce to make real grievance numbers? Worth a shot. Keep on that grind.

Your one-in-a-million chance will arrive. Maybe, despite all your best efforts, you're not going to become famous for what you're really passionate about. Statistically, scientists say, your brush with the collective social consciousness of the entire human race will come from throwing up live on camera during a taping of Good Morning America where you forgot that you are actually allergic to lobster tails. Congrats, buddy, we always knew you had it in you to hit the big-time.

Thing is, once you've gotten there, what's next? Everyone gets their fifteen minutes of fame (because we're in the future,) but people are selfish. Greedy. They want sixteen minutes of fame, goddammit, and they're willing to do nearly anything in order to get it. As far as I can tell, there's only two paths out of this state, maybe three if you're willing to go wandering in the mountains and never return, but let's stick to the basics here.

The first "exit" you have from your waning fame is to become insufferable and ruin the lives of everyone around you. Burn the world down with you in it. Make them rue the day they ever gave you power, even if that "power" was largely illusory and consisted entirely of social leverage because people liked laughing at a 35-second YouTube video of you embarrassing yourself in public.

Didn't like that one? Neither do I. So we're onto option two: the comic convention circuit. You'll travel across the world, signing autographs for people who dimly remember your guest spot on an episode of Hoarders X. It doesn't pay well, but it does something more important. Like a fibreglass splinter in a finger, society will continue to throb painfully around you, but unable to dispose of you, with the eventual reward being that your demise will be met with "they were still alive?" on the lips of everyone who was once vaguely aware of your existence. And that's how you win at being human.

[cammslush]

6REEZE; each member has their own special and adorable darling (but you don't know they think that way about you) - Part 2

-----

Content warning(s): Yandere themes (overprotectiveness, possessiveness)

Let me know if I missed anything.

-----

Part II: Center - Aether

"We're having a concert today, I'm sure you know. It's going to be live on our YouTube, please watch it there instead."

Aether tried his best to hide his signature golden strands of hair from the light, underneath his dark hood. He speaks quietly into the receiver of the payphone conveniently just a few blocks from the concert venue. But with him being pretty much the face of 6REEZE…

"Hey, I recognize that golden hair anywhere! Is that…?"

"Sorry, talk to you after the show. Bye."

It was almost an impossible task trying to keep a low profile.

You were a strange-fated soul who met Aether during a photoshoot for a magazine. Well, he was hard to ignore. The brightest member of 6REEZE, that was him!

"I'm ____, pleasure to be your acquaintance," you held out your pretty hand to him. Why did you introduce your name? He already knew who you were: an actor. But some part in his heart sort of…thumped, at the thought of you saying your name.

It's a very common thing for celebrities to meet in joint projects. It's also a common thing for said celebrities to become close friends…or even fall in love.

"No…I shouldn't fall in love. I can't fall in love…" Aether almost wanted to rip his heart out the same day he met you. Idols always sing love songs, but they are not allowed to love. So then…

Why? Why does his heart beat so quickly whenever he thinks of you? Why is it that his chest hurts everytime he sees your face in an advertisement, or your acting in some unpopular movie? Why, why, why…

But he can't just leave you in his "list of merely recognizable people", not after you offered so much company and kindness.

“I met Aether from 6REEZE during a photoshoot once,” you carelessly said in an interview, “And then we actually became friends! He’s actually a pretty nice person! And his hair looks way brighter in person. Go watch their live concerts to see it for yourself!”

Do actors live in a different world from idols? You’re so good at acting in shows, from what he can tell. Why can’t you act like you have never met him before?

Don’t you get it? Your adorable face will get mauled by a horde of crazy idol fans if you admit that! He can’t let that happen!

Venti is so careless, he lets the existence of his "bestest friend" be known to the public with such little care of their wellbeing — Aether is different! He isn't careless one bit.

Despite being your friend, you really have no actual way of contacting him besides a phone number that he asked you to memorize, and he also asked you not to ever input this number on your personal phone. You thought it was a little strange, but heeded his requests nonetheless. Perhaps it was a strange tradition.

But Aether isn't mean to you or anything, yes? He is one of the nicest, brightest people you've ever met in your life! He'd never want you to get hurt, that's the whole point of his actions.

He himself has perfectly memorized all of your information, like your phone number, or your address. It's only, purely because he believes he isn't allowed to save any of that info on his phone, not because he feels the need to know every single little detail about you.

It would be bad if any fan found out about his close association with another celebrity, right? The only, only option left is to store everything about you safely inside his mind.

Under absolutely no circumstances should anyone know you exist in his life.

That is knowledge available only to him.

"Aether, I was recruited to act in an advertisement, and they're still looking for more actors. Marketing opportunity for 6REEZE! Just say the word and I can recommend anyone who's interested to the Director," you spoke to him over the payphone.

Aether wanted to smack himself for how much he misses hearing your voice. It was hard to tell his inner conflicts, thanks to his bright and sunny outer image.

Looks like there's no other choice, "I just asked, buuut no one else is interested, so I'll take any role."

He cannot even allow his fellow 6REEZE members know.

"Oh, okay. Also, I'm watching the concert at home. Everything you guys did was so cool! Especially at the song 'Let the Wind Lead'...My Archon, all I can say is you guys shone very brightly."

Aether wants to keep hearing you talk. But at the same time…

"Yeah…The intermission is about to end. Let's stop here," without even telling you, he hung up the phone and promptly deleted the conversation from his contact history.

With a sigh, he left the break room.

No, no…he can't let what happened to Lumine be repeated with you. Nobody deserves that.

It's not because solely his attention should be on you — "get your head back on track, Aether!" It's because you'll be in grave danger if anyone else found out. He's told himself time and time again, someone as precious as you should never be laid a finger on.

If anything did happen to you, he might as well as die right then and there with you.

"...Aether? Hello?" You spoke on the other end, confused.

You're such a great actor, aren't you? He knows, he's watched almost every piece of film or advertisement you've played a role in, no matter how unpopular the show, no matter how insignificant the role.

So please, act like you've never heard of 6REEZE. Act like you've never even heard of Aether, in public.

That way he can have you all for himself!

[kamiliora]

Too people who want to get "prettier" and have a "glow up" Do NOT expect it to go over night.

Plenty of people believed that you just become pretty with no effort like you see on TV. It's never that easy. It takes steps, processes and Discipline. Always start with the basics like :

Hygeine

Make a skincare routine for your skin

Know your skin type and build you skincare routine from there

body care for the entire body

Scrubs , lotions and body butters are a must

Exfoliate 1-2 times a week

haircare (hair is everything even if u have a hijab hair care is still possible)

Oil train your hair and know you hair porosity to know what products to use

Use a non sulphate or silicon shampoo

Conditioner and a hair oil of your choice based on your hair problem

Hair mask 1 times a week

Know ur hair pattern to be able to use the right products and not damage your hair pattern

Do not straighten your hair everyday!!!

Use Silk pillows and silk scrunchies instead of elastics!!!

Getting a closet and hair cut for you

Find your best colors and body type

Therefore you would know which colors make you shine the most as well as

Find your seasonal color and which fraction ur in (like winter bright , summer light and etc)

Find which type of hair cuts and bangs suit your facial featured and face shape most

I recommend looksmaxing or the Yt channel Dear Peachie to help you including makeup tutorials, which archetype you are and which closet you can do

Look for styles that match your personality and makes you stand out

Build up a hobby

like sports photography, drawing, crocheting, dancing, and etc.

Doesn't have to be time consuming just something to do when ur bored or free even

Also depends on your time to be careful on what you commit to

Try to explore more options without much costs before fully committing to something that isn't for long-term

Exercise ( unless you already do)

Exercise requires discipline for you to be able to do it continuously for progress

If you can't afford a premium membership take a walk/jog/run around the block,street,park

If you feel unsafe you can do a YouTube work outs as they are effective depending on your goal

I recommend channels like :Madfit ,Hinafit, Shirley kim, April Han, ema wong, and Chloe ting

Take time for yourself (not all the time)

If you dont have time for yourself your body and brain will get stressed (from experience)

It can be as simple as drinking your daily detox water, green juice, coffee, tea or reading a book

Get 8 hours of sleep

Make sure not to stress for something so complete a task when given no matter how far the deadline is!!!

Reduce screen time to 3 hours a day (outside of school/work related stuff)

Diet

Never go too extreme like you see those people online do

Unless you are talking to professionals such as dieticians, Nutritionists and etc. (Bc most public figures do have professionals that they seek help too for these types of situations)

stick to a healthy diet like the 80/20 method

Or you can also do keto/greek/high carb or protein just never go extreme as it will slow down your metabolism

Find who you really are and trying to be better

People never really open up to try different things you should try more to find what you like most or which you are most stable with

See the perspectives on how you act im different situations and see what your mistakes are to try to avoid doing them again

Fix your mentality (watch wizard Liz, Song Jia,) and read quotes to inspire you to do better and the most you can

Always Analyze the situation before commenting or doing action unless its an emergency

Do not let people decide for you or get to your head it is their opinion not yours. You opinion is never invalid and justified in your perspective

Confident vs Arrogant vs Egoistic

Confident people never brag nor do they drag people down. They know they are THAT person and will NOT care about your opinion of them.

Arrogant people like to Brag about something that they have and thinks their all That. They bring down people for not having the luxury they have. But when someone has more and better than them they always try to avoid them, argue with them or get annoyed by them as They want to show supremacy

Egoistic people tend to make fun of people. Self-centered people that only think about themselves without knowing or thinking that they hurt others. Their too preoccupied with themselves to think of others helps or needs

(Sorry its so long and unorganized I made this at 2:30 am bc idk and these are just some tips)

[r0gue-taxidermy]

PACKERS AND PACKING INFORMATION AND REVIEWS:

Cw: prosthetic male genitalia/penises for informational purposes only 

I’m going to start this by first introducing myself so hello I’m Jackson I’m a plus size ftm trans teenager and I’m going to go over the best and easiest way to pack as a trans dude

You may be asking what a packer is? Well a packer is a gender affirming tool that creates or mimics a bulge or a penis which may seem like it’s a thing meant for adults but actually it’s very useful for everyone it helps with dysphoria or even just helps if your wanting to appear more masculine

Another thing that will be mentioned are STPs; STP stands for stand to pee device which do make it possible to as said stand to pee which can go from looking realistic or just being a cup with a tube

so I will be ranking my favorite packers/STPs/packing alternatives and will include where to find and price ranges and packing ability’s. If you have any questions either message me or comment them down below! Starting off strong with number one my favorite packer is

1. STP FREELY:

This is my favorite STP packer it’s 3.5 inches long and is a SOFT packer with a wide brim cup with a lip so no worry about spills or anything made with a skin safe soft silicone , definitely more of an affordable packer + STP it ranges from 45-50$ and it comes in 5 different skin tones! there is a XL Version of this packer that is 5 inches that I have not tried that is 50$ (you can also buy the XL rod which turns this into a pack and play “toy” for around 16$) and both xl and regular come with the option of being circumcised or non circumcised which I think is a neat feature! This packer also requires a harness ! I recommend the cake bandit packing harness it’s comfortable and not too tight. you can find both of these on TransGuySupply.com

Packing ability:9/10 definitely my favorite packer I’ve owned packs very well

Looks:9/10 nice weight, decently realistic but there are definitely better packers on the market but overall a wonderful packer

Stp ability: 10/10 very easy to get used too, big cup with a lip and semi realistic urethra hole

Can’t stress how much I love this packer will buy again

2. EZ bulge:

Here’s a cheap simple packing option for people who want to try out packing as it’s a foam insert made of a thicker foam material that you put In your boxers, these usually range from 5-10$ which isn’t bad the only downside is that they are stiff and if your bigger like me it will rub against your thighs and become uncomfortable and there’s definitely pros and cons for this packer like it’s latex or silicone free but it is kind of stiff and hard to position you can get this packer from transguysupply.com or Etsy!

Packing ability: 7/10 it works but is kind of uncomfortable and if not positioned right can look funny

Looks: 6/10definitely a more discrete option if you don’t get one with a dick imprint

3.HOMEMADE SOCK PACKERS

Omg I can’t express how much these save my life if I’m dyphoric these are a simple, cheap and easy way to pack I can’t express how much I use these on a daily basis, there are plenty of videos on YouTube on how to make these (kade cooks has a good tutorial on YouTube btw)

Packing ability:5/10 definitely a easy packing tool but can look kinda wonky if not made right and may take some trial and error

Looks: 2/10 definitely not a good looking packer but gets the job done

4.FOAM INSERT PACKER

Similar to the EZ bulge this is another foam packer insert but definitely is more comfortable, it’s a thin foam works well with most of the packing jockstraps,briefs, or boxers it’s about 5$ usually. I had one for a couple months then it started falling apart as the first layer of thin fabric came off of back but was a cheap and easy packer and is way more discrete option you can find this packer on transguysupply.com

Packing ability: definitely a solid 6/10 it works well but can fold or bunch up easily if you have bigger thighs

Looks:5/10 decently discrete looks similar to a bra cup

5.PACKER GEAR STP

this was my first ever STP or packer in general and can I say how much I hate this packer very small cup with no lip so spills are a big problem, it is almost physically impossible to use this as a packer this is the stiffest packer I’ve ever had IT WILL MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE YOUR HARD, the urethra and hole of this packer is massive and it’s unrealistic you will piss a stream the size of a no.2 pencil. One of its cons though is that it is the cheapest stp packer I know it’s 15$ and comes in two different skin colors, it is around 4.5 inches and can be found on transguysupply.com

Packing ability: 0/10 it’s trash

Looks: 5/10 it definitely tried to look realistic

Stp ability: 5/10 definitely not the best on the market but for how affordable it is it’s not too bad minus the firm cheap silicone and small cup

6. ANY FEMALE CAMPING URINAL

Such a honorable mention this fuckin thing well these can be found in most camping places, Amazon or anywhere online really. I can’t say I hate them but I can’t say I like them either but definitely work, they look mad dumb honestly and make me dysphoric lowkey but they work as STPs but unlike the other two options on this list this can’t be used as at a urinal but they don’t spill and are easily found and can be used by people who aren’t FtM or transmasc and usually range about 5-20$ online

Packing ability:0/10

Looks:0/10 mad Fucking ugly

Stp ability:10/10 definitely does the job

And that’s the end of my review folks I hope this can help out other trans people

[ivormybeloved]

I would happily hear about any Delusion AU rants and rambles. 🙏 It can be anything- plot snippets, character stories, design choices, I’m all ears.

HAHA FINALLY I'M SO AHKE0FGWYWGXU2HXHSJQBCH

sorry

The AU itself is a work in progress, as I created this story not too long ago

Basically: Ivor, Soren, and Harper found this odd dimension in a ravine. None of them had seen the portal for it so they decided to explore only to find out there was no exit. Once again, in this AU Ivor is Jesse's father (I love making AUs like this, cuz it's really dramatic when Jesse meets his evil dad 🥰🥰) Gabriel, Magnus, and Ellegaard were left with Jesse for a fraction of his life.

Like 17-20 years later, Jesse is an adult and most people he knew were gone by now since they went to go look for their three missing friends. Jesse is basically pretty normal and lives in a treehouse, like canonical Jesse. Except there was no Olivia or Axel or even Petra. He only had Reuben. One day, when taking a walk to calm down, he heard cries for help come from the ravine. he went to investigate and ended up finding the portal. He went through and was trapped in the same world all the experiments were in.

Through the course of the story, Jesse is chased around by many different experiments and creatures to turn him in for The Creator (better known as "him" by the experiments. He's seen as god since he was the one who experimented on everyone and is pretty well known and feared. He serves as our main antagonist.)

The only people who AREN'T trying to kill Jesse are

Olivia - because Jesse is really nice to her and compliments her a lot despite her being anxious a lot

Axel - because he thinks Jesse is pretty cool and has a cute lil pig

Lukas - who else is going to tidy Jesse up after hours of being chased? (He was the first person Jesse met, you can smell the love in the air)

Aiden - ..he doesn't really care- he's more concerned about himself cuz he thinks he's so cool and AGH

There's also a thing called Operating Day which is basically when the chase ends and The Creator experiments on newcomers like Jesse. Jesse has a week before The Creator intervenes and tries to take him.

The Creator is basically trying to find the "perfect specimen" and has decided Jesse is the best option. A fraction of this is determined by how long the target can evade the patients and The Creator, to which Jesse does for almost 2 weeks. (1 ½ weeks of the patients, ½ of a week of The Creator.)

but the reason I keep adding "diagnosis" on the character sheets is because every character has some sort of disorder. (Examples being Magnus + ADHD, Radar + OCD, and Milo + ODD) their designs are based off of their diagnosis as well. (Vos is a phobia and Cassie is an identity crisis cuz we ran out mentally and were like "okay why not this")

Characters like Nurm and Reginald are NOT experiments. They are little mobs that Sora created to keep specific patients calm. (Jack has Nurm, and Isa + Milo have Reginald) they're based off of stress toys and stuff

There will be a couple characters not present in this au like the YouTubers and EMILY.

but other than that ya 👍

All I can say about the end is someone becomes part witherstorm ;]

You're welcome to guess who The Creator is, if he's an OC or if he's an actual character from the show. If you get it right you get a cookie 🍪

[faulty-writes]

Hello I'm not sure if you're free right now but could you do headcanons for bully Mirko and bakugou (separately) with a reader who is very chill but when insulted just enough they ROAST THEM TO THEIR VERY BONES (also search up packgod on YouTube if you don't know what I mean) and finally have fun 🙂

[ I listened to this dude, and I almost felt bad for laughing. Goddamn though, he gives Present Mic a run for his money with the way he spits out them words. I hope you enjoy these headcanons, I missed writing for our bunny girl and hot-headed boom boom boy. ]

"Awe, what's a matter? Is pretty face gonna cry?!" Rumi mocked, making the motion of wiping her eyes to further add to the humiliation she hoped you felt. You groaned, picking your now food-covered face up from your tray. Yes, this was your life. Constantly being bullied by Rumi.

Despite the obstacles in your everyday school life, you were known for your calm and collected attitude which at times would bother Rumi as she continuously tried different tactics to get a rise out of you. Jello in your locker, tacks on your seat, hell even physical bruises on your body. But no, nothing seemed to make you angry.

Rumi aspired to be a hero and while she knew the things she did weren't very hero-like, everyone had their own style and that's just something the public would have to deal with. Of course, her heroic side shined more when she witnessed you getting bullied by others instead of her, and frankly, she didn't know how you'd handle them on your own so stepping in was the only option.

"Ya know, that could have been bad back there, pretty face!" she snapped before furiously biting into her carrot. "Keep letting them treat ya like that and ya won't make it in the real world," she noted, but you only smiled in return knowing that the best kind of advantage is when others thought they had the upper hand.

"Big-nosed, big-headed, Fat Gum looking what?" Rumi questioned, holding her hands against her stomach as she laughed. She never imagined she'd step into the middle of you screaming at someone, granted they had just insulted you and frankly you had enough drama for one day, so you unleashed your secret weapon. The power of roasting.

"Hah! Do that again! I dare you!" Rumi said, jabbing your shoulder and well, who were you to deny her wishes? 'Big-toothed, orange carrot eating, no good sleeping, peeping and sneaking, rule-breaking, poor excuse for WWE fighting, Bugs Bunny rip off,' wasn't something she expected to come out of your mouth but in a way, she loved it.

It was partly a relief to know that you could, maybe, handle your own. "Looks like my pretty face is growing up," she declared, placing her hands on her hips. "But don't go thinking you've outsmarted me, got it!?" you should have known nothing would stop Rumi's goal of making your life miserable.

He hated and loved you. It was rare that someone wasn't intimidated by him. Sure, there was that damned Deku and Best Jeanist, and like Best Jeanist, you had a calm composure around him, and it pissed him off.

"Say something already or I'll kick your ass, damn it!" he snapped, grasping the front of your shirt while smoke seeped from his palms. You knew from experience that Katsuki was a hothead and disregarded the rules which is why you had become his target for bullying. But you refused to give him the satisfaction he was looking for and frankly, you didn't like how you got when someone truly pissed you off.

Much like Present Mic, your voice was your biggest weapon. This paired with your intellect or ability to spit rhythms was part of the reason you preferred to remain in a calm state. But Katsuki didn't understand this, not that you admitted it to him, and because of this he continued to make your everyday school life a living nightmare.

"Had enough yet!?" he demanded with his arms crossed, standing in front of you who was currently slumping against a brick wall. There were several burns across your body and the reason behind said burns was because you had refused to give Katsuki the reaction he was looking for and so he decided to try and force it out of you, Of course, this didn't work.

You knew he wouldn't believe you and you couldn't blame him. After all, who would think that you were the master of musical insults? "Heh, so what? Words don't mean anything," he said with a smirk. "If they did, you would have said something already. Challenge me, damn it!" he demanded with a snarl but now wasn't the time. At least that's what you decided.

It took a lot for you to get worked up, but as of late, Katsuki's constant belittlement of you was a little too much. So when you finally spit out, 'Blond anime-looking spiked-up hair, lame quirk using, kool-aid man bursting through walls, overactive, non-stop, mouth flapping, idiot!' you felt an enormous amount of pride fill you as his jaw dropped.

[oceandeviancy]

Speculation (BadBoyHalo x Male Reader)

Title: Speculation

Pairing: BadBoyHalo x Male Reader

Requested by: xenenbii on Wattpad

Scenario: You decide to make hot chocolate for Bad while he streams.

---

It was no secret that it can be hard dating a content creator. (Y/N) had many creator friends who had their relationship public and he's seen the good and bad affects of doing that. Some flourish in the spotlight, showing off that perfect life, while others have seen the strain. He has witnessed many breakups and it wasn't fun to witness his friends go through so much pain, especially when millions of fans were involved.

He was grateful there were friends that trusted him enough to know the status of their relationship and in turn, he knew the status of his own was safe with them as well. (Y/N) was not a famous YouTuber or streamer by any means. Sure, he did a Twitch stream occasionally and a YouTube video rarely but he did not consider himself on the same level as his boyfriend or any of his other friends. That life was something he did not need the stress of.

(Y/N) saw the stress Darryl had keeping up with content creation and his public persona. He was glad his partner always set aside time to spend with him. He sometimes wondered how actors could spend months at a time away from their families. He wondered if it carried the same association of a musician going on tour.

One thing (Y/N) loved to do is watch Darryl's streams and bring him things as needed any time he mentioned them. It was (Y/N)'s way of telling Darryl he was watching. You'd think he would be mod with how much he spent watching but the pair agreed it was best if that didn't happen. Being mod could cause people to start looking into who (Y/N) was. Some fans could be a bit intense with how they treated their favorite people and those surrounding them.

On today's stream, Darryl had a camera set up to show Rat, who was currently sleeping on her bed, and the audience were loving it. They would commentate on everything she was doing. Every turn, every yawn, and every blink of her eyes. It was a bit much but Darryl preferred this greatly over some of the spam he's had to endure over the years.

Rat wasn't her actual name but it fit her so well that it might as well be her name. It's one of those nicknames you give your pets that become so common in your day to day life that using the original name seems wrong. Even when he wasn't using his BadBoyHalo persona, Darryl would sometimes say or do things that he would typically only say or do while streaming, including saying Rat. (Y/N) found it adorable.

(Y/N) didn't love Darryl because of him being a popular YouTuber. He loved Darryl for Darryl, and he appreciated that. Darryl didn't need to keep up his online persona in his personal life. He wasn't having to live a lie with his boyfriend. The lie was to his audience.

He was watching the stream, which was mainly building a new base, while trying to finish a personal project. He had all of his work out on the kitchen island and his laptop with the stream off to the side. (Y/N) kept moving the laptop around as he didn't want to bury it underneath all of his work.

"Does this look right chat? I can't decide if I like this color or this color"

(Y/N) checked the stream to see the context. Darryl was designing the entrance to the base and had several ideas for the color palette. The chat seemed to be split between the two options he had shown. (Y/N) quickly typed his opinion in chat and went back to his work.

"Yes, I think I am going to agree with everyone saying this one. Sorry to those who said the other. Both were very good options"

He continued to make progress and was slowly clearing the table.

"'What is your favorite drink'? Hmm...that is a good question. I think I'd say hot chocolate. Man, I'd love some right now"

In that moment, (Y/N) got an idea.

He thought it would be a good idea to make some hot chocolate for Darryl as a surprise and for him to have a treat to enjoy while streaming. He found the container in the cabinet and started the process of making it. Normally he would make the whipped cream but they, unfortunately, didn't have the cream or the vanilla he preferred to use. He chose to just use the can in the refrigerator.

Occasionally he would hear Darryl say something hilarious from reading chat and (Y/N) would let out a laugh. He loved his goofy self.

Once the hot chocolate was done, he topped it with the whipped cream and a little bit of cinnamon.

He walked into Darryl's room and could see he was busy with his game and reading chat. Rat was sleeping peacefully in her bed. With a careful eye on the hot chocolate, (Y/N) made his way across the room. He taps Darryl's shoulder to alert him.

"Oh gosh, you scared me" he jumped.

"Sorry," (Y/N) laughs softly, "I thought you might like some hot chocolate"

He hands Darryl the mug, whose face immediately lights up at the sight of it. He takes it from his boyfriend and places it on the part of his desk where he knows he won't accidentally knock it over.

"Should've known you were watching my stream"

"Of course. They're always very interesting"

"Chat certainly makes it interesting"

They both glance at chat. It was a mix of emoji and meme spam and people beginning to question who was talking.

"Indeed they do," (Y/N) turns to Rat, "Sorry to wake you, Rat"

He kisses her head and pulls out a dog treat from his pocket. He offers it to Rat, who immediately takes it. Dogs were always really hilarious to watch eating a treat. (Y/N) did know he was in view of the Rat Cam but in this moment, he wanted to forget.

"Would you like me to order food for you? I was considering getting something for myself but thought I'd ask you as well"

"I'd love some. I'll text you once I figure out what I want"

"Great. Enjoy your stream"

(Y/N) gives Darryl a soft kiss and leaves the room. Darryl was grateful he wasn't using his webcam. He was burning from the blush that would be very clear to an audience.

"I know what my chat is going to say. (Y/N) is just my roommate, I've said that many times before" Darryl says.

He really did wish he could tell them the truth but now just wasn't the time. One thing that was important was time. He wanted the time with (Y/N) where his audience wasn't going to constantly ask about the relationship or try to dig into their personal lives. He liked that peace. Separating his work and personal life is how he liked to live.

A lot of their friends knew they were roommates but only a small group knew of their relationship status. Darryl trusted the people who knew.

"I think communities of content creators sometimes look too deeply into the things the creator shares with their audience. Friends will playfully interact with each other, that doesn't mean they are attracted to each other. People will have roommates, that doesn't mean they are dating"

He could see that chat was still the mess that it was. On top of the normal spam, it was now filled with speculation and theories about who (Y/N) really was. It wouldn't stop as that is just how some fans can be but he could ignore it in the best way he could.

"Let's go back to this game, shall we?" Darryl sighs

He glances at chat and sees a familiar chatter.

(U/N): People are so nosey smh

"Indeed they are (Y/U), indeed they are"

[oceansmotion]

New Story Blog & New Challenge Idea

I came up with a new challenge for Sims 2 called the Test of CC challenge and with that, decided to start a separate blog where I post my sim stories. If you're interested in that sort of thing, you can read them here.

The challenge is to start with vanilla game and work your way to modern era CC, as a way to appreciate old CC and remember how far creators have come!

Interested in the challenge? Read the rules below!

The Test of CC/Bygone Eras Challenge

Most people have heard of the Test of Time challenge, which got me thinking about bygone eras….of CC! So I came up with this challenge to dust off the CC of yesteryear and play the way Simmers of old used to.

The goal of this challenge isn't to be restrictive or particularly difficult, the goal is to simply revisit all that old CC and mods that were popular way back in the day; start from vanilla and eventually get to the modern age of custom content and modding. This challenge can easily be played alongside a lepacy but is not required.

Every generation includes 2 full years of CC and mods to browse through starting from the game's release. You can play however you want to, you can start with a premade hood in a premade family, you can make your own founders, play rotationally or legacy, you can even try to find one of the oldest custom hoods ever made, it doesn't matter, that part is up to you :) I've also included some optional goals for each generation.

Generation 1 - The Founders

Vanilla only! No CC is allowed in this generation, to cleanse your palettes of CC. All mods that do not directly fix your game are not allowed. Anything you use to make the game playable is acceptable, but anything else is not! Mods that fix things that were broken or taken away or otherwise unusable are allowed. Things like RPC, aging fixes, removal of perma plat, no corrupt death, stuck object remover, rug fixes, etc, are all acceptable, but things like changing your UI, ACR, midge's Romantic Standards, and such are not. Fail safe mods like simblender, memory manipulator, day setter, etc, are all acceptable, as the goal isn't to play a broken and frustrating game, but to see all the CC and mods people used to use! As you progress through the ages, you can begin to add in mods that were popular in that generation's years, like inteen. What you choose to keep is up to you, but keep it in the spirit of the challenge!

Optional: try not to let your sims die, try not to uninstall the game because you miss your mods. I personally cheated my sims in money to really see all the vanilla items and see them in their fullest glory.

Generation 2 - 2004-2005

Simple, but effective

The very first CC and mods were beginning to come out, and you'll be very surprised at what was available even in the first year of the game's release! While a lot of it isn't very pretty, and toddlers, kids, and elders didn't have very much, this is what people had at the time.

Optional: Have your sims live perfect lives. The game had just come out and most people were still exploring the game.

Generation 3 - 2006 -2007

Year of the Emos, ball gowns, and more

This is when things really start to get fun! A massive influx of CC and mods were beginning to come out, and a lot of it you might still be using to this day. This was also the era of emo/scene styles, and the beginning of sims stories and machinima. You'll also start to recognize some very familiar meshes!

Optional 1: Your teens become orphans! Somehow, in some tragic way, your teen's parents die, leaving them all alone, and he/she also becomes a teen parent. This was really popular back then, don't look at me. It's also extremely important to marry in a face 1 sim.

Optional 2: Make your own sims machinima or story! Go back in time and dig up some of those old videos on Youtube. Watch as people put their sims through it all and try to recreate that feeling. It doesn't need to be the best video or story ever, but have fun following the trends of this time period and recreating those feelings :) Also gives you an excuse to use all the smeared mascara makeup people made. Maybe a story about a teen getting dumped at prom, or some poor sim gets run over for no reason, a teen becomes an orphan or gets pregnant, go wild!

Generation 4: 2008-2009

Year of the…Celebrities?

There is so much CC in this time period to create ultra realistic sims, including celebrities! This is one of my personal favorite eras of CC

Optional: Go big or go home. Your sims live the life of luxury! They live in a giant mansion with everything they could ever want, Desperate Housewives style. Your sims start drama, get into petty cat fights, plot, steal, cheat, and otherwise live the life of a spoiled housewife/husband.

Generation 5: 2010-2011

The end of Sims 2 but not the end of CC….mostly

The Sims 2 might have ended, but people still created CC and mods! You'll start to see more modern mods coming out, ones that you probably use today to spice up your game. Things are a lot more chill in this era as people made stuff that fit all types, there's a lot less photoskinning going on, and the ultra shiny hair starts to phase out. There's honestly not a lot around this time, I guess most people had moved on to Sims 3, so it's slim pickings for clothing. Paris Hilton and emo kids are out, much more "normal" and less "socialite" is in.

Optional: make a love story to rival Twilight! Twilight was all the rage, and it could be seen reflected in sims stories across the world.

Generation 6: 2012-2013

What even happened this year?

CC only continues to reflect a more modern era, mods get more and more advanced, but the playerbase is more and more fractured. Challenges are more popular, toddler clothing previews get weirder, but there really isn't much else. Machinimas were replaced with actual feature length videos years ago, but they're still going strong.

Optional 1: Your sims go broke, losing everything. Reduce funds to zero, move into a smaller house, and start a new career. It'll make sense later, promise.

Optional 2: The Hunger Games exploded! Create a fun mini challenge where you pit your sim against other sims to fight to the death! Hope your sim has siblings in case they lose :)

Generation 7: 2014-2015

The Comeback Kid

The Sims 4 comes out and with it….conversions! There's still CC being created in the more traditional fashion as well, conversions don't take off straight away, but they do start.

Optional: Your sims make a huge comeback if they went broke in the previous era! Cheat in some funds to give them a nice blue suburban house and some extra cash to cushion things.

Generation 8: 2016-2017

The End of an Era

2017 is the last that time anyone uploaded something for the Sims 2 on The Sims Resource. Please give a moment of silence for this tragedy. There are over 5000 pages of CC for females alone on TSR, half of the first page of ALL Sims 2 downloads are from 2016-2017. Over on MTS, there are over 500 pages of CC for females, the last 17 pages cover 2016 to 2023. You realized generations ago that there are hundreds of dead sites dedicated to Sims 2 CC that are lost forever, and the two Big ones aren't doing much better when it comes to this version of the game. But I'm also sure that you know that most creators have moved on to other sites, mainly Tumblr!

Optional: Don't let go, keep the dream alive. Don't use any 4t2 items and stick to what you have. Only download things made in the traditional sense for the game, and continue to use older CC. You're not ready to move on yet, in rememberance to all those amazing creators from the past.

Generation 9: 2018-2019

The Start of Something New

I'm sure you miss your pretty, uncrunchy, modern CC, and we're almost there! But there's still some stuff left to look at in these years, stuff that we've all seen before. Stuff that I'm sure you have defaulted in your normal saves somewhere. Go grab all that stuff and mix it right in with your 4t2 items.

Optional: This is the year of strict wants and rotational gameplay for reasons unknown (but you can guess). Load up your ACR, crank those settings up, and only play strict wants based. Calculate everything, hope for your sims to autonomously do something, or roll for it. You're hands off, baby, let your sims take control.

Generation 10: 2020-2022 and beyond

The Modern Era

You made it! You've traveled back in time, dusted off those crunchy textures, and got to see what people of yesterday were playing with. Did you find things you like? Things you'll be incorporating into your downloads folder from now on? Do you have a new appreciation for modern CC? I certainly hope so if you stuck it out this long!

The rules are pretty flexible, as the whole point of this is to look at all the old CC created way back in the day. When it comes to mods, anything that fixes something that was broken in some patch are allowed, and mods that do something to a pack that was released after the year that you're on are also allowed. Examples include mods that fix butler behavior, pets, landlords, apartments, etc, are all fine. But if you're in Gen 1, ACR is not allowed, if you're in Gen 2, UI mods aren't allowed, and so on.

It's up to you to decide what mods you want to use, but keep the spirit of the challenge in mind. Don't put in things like 3t2 traits or planting overhauls or things that are clearly from Sims 4 game play. Try to think about what people of that year were playing with and try to play with those too. The one big exception I've allowed is Uni semester changes after gen 1, because the mods they had at that time are unreliable and often crashed the game.

[invinciblerodent]

tbh, it never ceases to astound me that there are actual people who are fans, legitimate fans, of Ascended Astarion.

like i'm not even saying this as a funny thing, i'm not even gonna put it any tags or whatever, and it's not like i want to make fun of someone for a preference in a fictional character, that's not what this is about, it's just that.... posts here, and the comment sections on videos of his voicelines, always have at least one person trying to justify his behavior as actually good, or talking about how hot some line or another is, and how much they like this outcome (not because it's fucked up but because it's "passionate" or "sexy" or whatever- this btw is much more prevalent on youtube), and I just... can't grasp how that's a possible thing for people to think unironically. how someone can play through 100+ hours of game, interact with Astarion multiple times, take him through his whole damn personal journey, and still not feel like post-ascension he's just a... a horrible stranger wearing a friend's face.

If you see the fucked up part and go "yeah i'm into that because it's fucked up"? I'm fully in support of you. Absolutely 100% in your corner. Write/imagine/fantasize about nasty fucked up manipulation and shit all you want; I've been known to indulge in worst case scenarios myself. Engaging with unhealthy dynamics with the knowledge that it's unhealthy and exploring that can be good for the soul. But way too many seem to be arguing that "he still loves (the PC)", and that it's possible for that guy and the PC to have a decent, loving relationship on equal footing, while they need to actively dodge all the options even in-game that exist to call him out for being a piece of shit.

because he's. god, ascended he's such a creep. he sets off all the alarm bells in my head, worse than any guy I've ever decided not to let buy me a drink. an obvious manipulator, nakedly abusive, dismissive, clearly a megalomaniac that's going as far as saying the quiet part out loud in the multiple times he can say that he wants to turn the PC into a spawn so they can't leave or defy him, and it's right there on the surface in every single interaction that being with him is not a good idea. The other companions fucking hate his guts and feel sorry for the PC, and even a PC that's head over heels, fully on board with all the bullshit, and is into the whole "gilded cage enslavement" aspect, can complain (and it's implied that they have complained, multiple times) in the epilogue about not having their freedom.

Six months after becoming his spawn, they're still not a full vampire, and we know from that conversation with Aurelia and Leon that one of Cazador's little tactics had been promising his spawn freedom he never intended to give, in order to keep them obedient.

sure, he has some lines that, in a vacuum, are hot. but I'm pretty sure that's all simply Neil Newbon (despite being a very skilled actor who's fully deserving of all the acclaim he's been receiving), being physically unable to inject enough gross sewer-slime into his voice, and not any merit to this weird creep of a character.

this whole thing, I'm gonna be honest, is just... so fucking worrying to me. it like actually worries me how many people can't see something written with the explicit intent to be unsettling, and a guy written openly to be awful and shitty and gross, as such. And it's not like we can fully chalk it up to how emotion in the moment can cloud your judgement, or how manipulators can and do adjust their personalities in accordance to how best to make you stay, he's literally ones and zeroes, and a limited number of lines you can listen to over and over again and dissect if you want.

I'm not even remotely joking, is this how people end up in relationships with genuinely awful people????? because god, it sounds so terrifying that there are actual people who can look at a fictional guy draped in a red flag the size of a tectonic plate, and still only notice that the color brings out his eyes.

(and to reiterate, if the awful is the selling point, I'm fully in support of that. but god, the "I can fix him"/"I know he still loves me" sentiment is just... it makes the back of my neck itch.)