#can people like. stop making fun of others online. like forever. please.

[flutteringfable]

ever realize how all those cosplay “cringe comps” are almost always completely composed of plus size, young, or inexperienced cosplayers? i think about that a lot.

[inkskinned]

will you be enough for her, though. little slip child. you hated every time you had to scream to be heard, so you stopped screaming. it feels so fucking demeaning, 16 and shivering, saying please! father! look at me! and having him say in a minute sweetie.

online they're back to making fun of self-harm scars. isn't that funny. we have dropped the silver pretense of empathy and are walking around without any shred of humanity.

are you still shouting? how can anybody love you, then, siren. error signal. your voice so quiet and desperate. nobody is going to help you, stop begging. how can anybody actually look down at you without squashing you flat. oh, darling. you once bit into the back of your hand to stop from crying out, and discovered that it felt too dramatic for repeating.

people like you aren't supposed to cry, because you are too much. you have never meant to, but you take the air out of a room just by walking in. other people can take up room like a sunbeam. you blurt out all your wickedness in oilslicks, everyone can feel it. you slosh yourself over their hands and demand their flinch. you are a bone stuck in the throat.

be more beautiful, more perfect. if you can earn it, they won't abhor you. they might even tolerate you, if you turn the right way and never stand up straight.

but love? her life is a silver fish, a cat paw. your life is a long, thin, impossible desire - angry like a blade. your life is a crack in the floortile. you cannot bring your rotted fruit heart into the church of her hands. you will ruin her. you will overtake everything good for her.

or worse - you will have to beg her look at me. and that moment of desperation will ruin you forever. completely.

deleted scene from body's a bad monster, 9.24.2024

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Code of Conduct 4

Warnings: this fic will include elements, some dark, such as cheating, noncon/dubcon, and other untagged triggers. Please take this into account before proceeding. It is up to curate your online consumption safely.

Summary: your boss has a difficult time keeping his personal life from bleeding into his work. 

Characters: Steve Rogers, this reader is known as Rosie.

Author’s Note: Please feel free to leave some feedback, reblog, and jump into my asks. I’m always happy to discuss with you and riff on idea. As always, you are cherished and adored! Stay safe, be kind, and treat yourself💜

💼Part of the Bad Bosses AU💼

“Are you sure you want to keep working?” You ask Mr. Rogers as you bring in the printed report he requested. 

“Yeah, can’t really go home...” he mutters as he takes the report with a brittle smile. 

“I guess, but you could... take some time for yourself. I can call your one o’clock,” you offer. 

“Rosie, you’re wonderful. But I need the distraction.” 

“Okay, I—can I get you anything? A tea? When I feel down, I have this lavender chamomile in my desk that helps me feel better.” 

He looks at you, his blue eyes sparkling. You really can’t handle him crying. His eyes are already pink and puffy from the tears he hid in his closed office. 

“You’re so sweet,” he sniffs. 

“Look that over and I’ll steep the tea,” you insist. 

You leave him before your ingrained sympathy can have you joining his pity party. You feel awful for him but lost too. You’re not sure how to handle all this. Relationships have always been a bit of a mystery to you. You have lot of friends but never found anyone to be more than. 

You take your time in the break room. You smell like vinaigrette. It’s another reminder of the chaotic morning. The kettle pops and you pour the water over the tea bag. You bob it up and down with the string and make your way back to Mr. Roger’s office. 

He thanks you as you set it down and warn him it’s hot. He runs his thumb up and down the edge of a page then looks up at you.  

“Anything else, sir?” 

“You... you said you feel down sometimes?” He asks. 

“Oh, well, yeah, but everyone does.” 

“But... about what? Why would you feel down?” He lowers the stapled papers onto the desk. 

“Just... things, sir. Nothing big. It’s just the way people are.” 

“You-- you have everything, Rosie. You’re so bright and bubbly. What could make you sad?” He pivots his chair towards you. “Who do I gotta give a talking to around here?” 

“No one, sir. Really. I guess I just need a pick-me-up from time to time.” 

He nods and looks down. You hover on the other side of his desk. You should get back to work but you don’t know if you should leave him. 

“I get lonely too.” He lifts his chin up. “Even when Peggy’s right next to me. I get it.” 

“Sir?” 

“You said you’re not married, right? I—I'm sorry if I assumed--” he cringes. “Wow, I’m so embarrassing.” 

“It’s... it’s fine. I have friends and we have lots of fun. My friend Missie, she’s really cool. She lies to tie-dye. We do that sometimes. And you,” you perk up, “you have Mr. Barnes, right? He told me that you twohave known each other forever.” 

“He told you that?” Rogers tilts his head. 

“Well, sure, he’s a bit chatty when he stops by.” 

“He is?” A brow arches curiously and ripples his forehead. “I shouldn’t be surprised. You’re so easy to talk to. Even with someone like him.” 

“Erm, I guess. I just try to see the positive. You know. Um, I don’t mean to presume because I can’t begin to know but I know Peggy loves you. And you have a good job and you can fix this, Mr. Rogers. You could try counselling or I don’t know. Like I said, I don’t know much,” you shrug. 

“We did counselling,” he picks up the mug and blows the steam away, inhaling the scent. “She stormed out of that too. We’ve tried a lot of things. A second honeymoon, a vow renewal, everything.” He looks down and his shoulders slump. He looks tiny even though he’s a big man. 

“I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t mean to overstep.” 

“You didn’t,” he inhales and pushes his shoulders straight. “You’re right, I can do something. I can put myself first. I think... I think I need to look into leaving.” 

You blink. You’re speechless. It feels like too much. Not his suggestion, just that he’s saying it to you. You’re fine getting him coffee and sorting his schedule but you haven’t been trained for this. 

“You should do what’s best for you, sir.” 

He nods and tastes the tea. “It’s good, Rose,” He sets the cup down. “Thanks. You’re... you’re too good to me.” 

“It’s just tea. I’ll let you enjoy it in peace and I gotta get back to it.” You smile. “Let me know if you need anything else.” 

“Will do,” he utters glumly. 

You slowly turn away and stride out. You feel a tugging in your stomach. Like guilt. You feel bad leaving him like that. Yet, you don’t know what else you can do for him. Missie would know. She always knows how to make things better. Maybe you could ask her but it’s a long story. 

Hm. 

You take out your phone and open up the conversation. You giggle at the kitten pictures she sent you last night. It takes several attempts to get it right; ‘hey, Miss, what would you do for someone going through a break-up? Tryna do something nice. Thx <3’ 

You’re sure she’ll come up with something, even without all the details. You tuck your phone away and turn back to your screen. As you do, an email pings into Mr. Rogers’ inbox.  

You click on it and open the attachment. The legal letterhead has your blood cold. Before you can react, you hear Mr. Rogers exclaim.

Oh no, he’s already seen it. Divorce papers. 

[13leaguestories]

Hi! I have finally decided to start the journey of creating an interactive fiction story. I absolutely love your works and have always found I have an inkling for writing, If you have any basic tips or general things that helped you I would really appreciate it because looking online is so confusing. Im a 19 year old full time college student and athlete so it will be a slow process but any insight would be extremely helpful. Thankyou! :)

Oh shit, I was in the same boat. Used to be a college athlete as well so I know exactly how much time you're about to have on your hands to do other things lmfao.

General advice and biggest: do not over exert yourself. I know this is something everyone says and it feels so ... simple. But I am being 100% honest. Even when you think you're on a roll and can write like 50k in one sitting, don't. I say that because burn out WILL catch up and burn out doesn't just leave after a week of a break, that bitch takes forever to truly recover from. I don't know how else to say it but please take care of yourself. Your brain, hands, all that.

Keep it light and fun. Remember to keep it light and fun. I wrote Dragon Racer while in college and a lot of shit fucked with my mind leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

Another piece of advice that I know folks always talk about but always like to argue: write for yourself. I kinda lost that along the way but it really is true. At the end of this, you're the one whose going to fall out of love with something you wanted to do. That doesn't sit well. This is for you, first and foremost. Ask yourself if only a handful of people ever read your work and if that makes you never want to write again. If the answer is yes then some self reflection needs to be had. Just being honest. Where's that meme of "try to change my mind."

Of course you want folks to read your stuff but if you're not in love with what you're doing then it will feel like a job and that's when it falls apart.

Resources wise ....

Just learn coding. Never stop learning. Never cut yourself off from learning coding.

Tons of writing resources. Have an entire folder on them. Also figure out what your weaknesses are (yes, we all have them, I for one suck at action) and get advice and guides on them. Like, there are tons of them everywhere. Like this is literally just my subfolders: Do not ask how many files and folders are in those. Literally just type in something to a search engine like "shades of colors" or "ways to describe sadness" shit like that and you'll get tons of results. Have numerous articles about the same thing.

Read. Read. Read. Read.

Read some more. And I mean things you wouldn't normally read too.

Either get a writing circle or join writing groups so people can give you their thoughts. You need that, period. Ask other writers. Most of us don't bite. Some of us do.

https://www.motoslave.net/ for Twine things. That's my bible for SugarCube

Oof that's enough, hopefully. I really do wish you all the luck in your writing. And I'm honored you even thought to ask me for my sliver of advice and thoughts on it. I love seeing more writers appear, we just want to share our vision and the world can never have enough of that especially nowadays will bullshit AI.

[alelelesimz]

here are my favorite things i did this year :) thank you for tagging me @madeofcc <3

i was just gonna make a simple post and for some reason i decided to make this whole thing i guess, even features my stupid handwriting lol. everything written above + some more thoughts down below so you don't have to decipher whatever i wrote, also links to everything. thanks for following my messy blog and allowing me to rant about splatoon every other day lmao love u friends

harmony my beloved

i love splatoon ok! i've tried to recreate a few different splatoon characters before but they don't really translate well to sims. however i love how my harmony turned out! she's my fav character in the game and i'm quite proud of this funky little edit :)

leaf carrying a plant she stole

as soon as i saw that pose i knew i had to use it with my girl leaf! simple edit, but very cute <3 i wanna post more about my nymph!!!!!

what is this? a crossover episode????????

bojack horseman is my fav show ever. when i saw the horse pack trailer i KNEW i had to make this silly joke :p i didn't expect it to get so much attention but i'm glad it did! fun facts: 1) i painted bojack's face in game but basically redid the whole thing in photoshop bc sims textures are uh bad. 2) i recolored pc's dress and god i wish i could've made something better lmao. 3) i converted mr. pb's glasses and i SUFFERED. they actually look terrible ingame but ✨photoshop magic✨

this edit of an alien oc that i need to name still

i don't really use alpha hairs but ain't this one cute?! and i love this edit! if you read this give me a name suggestion for this sim please

YES THAT'S HAPPENING

I LOVE JUNO BIRCH!!! i literally need to stop myself from making another juno post every time she posts anything online lol. but that hot dog costume is iconic, what can i say.

sims in the city, baby + everything i made about them

i've been wanting to recreate these guys ever since i joined simblr back in 2019 (jesus christ) and i finally did! i'm very proud of them and happy so many people like them :) i loved this game growing up but none of my friends played it, so it's really cool to see more people who played it too!

also, that roxanna moxie lookbook i did? peak fashion

GRAP3FRUIT!

these guys!!!!!!!!! i really wanted to make a silly little band since forever and kari's edgewave fest finally pushed me to make them and I LOVE THEM! i can't wait to keep making more stuff with them babyyyyyyyyaskldjalskhdfklasj

[aspiringwarriorlibrarian]

Hello,

Ive been following you for years and I love your blog. In all my years on this website I have never posted, sent an ask or a message, commented or interacted with anyone on this website in any way. However seeing your recent posts about Palestine made me feel like I had to say something.

Just because you support the “weaker” side, it doesn’t make you immune to lies and propaganda.

Please educate yourself before you spread misinformation and/or misleading info.

I am a citizen of Israel. This conflict started when Hamas brutally murdered hundreds of innocent civilians, including elderly and children. They kidnapped over a hundred more. They are known for being a terrorist organisation whose stated goal is to murder jews.

I am terrified. My people are forever scarred. I and everyone I know have lost loved ones in this war. And the fact that people like you in these terrible times choose to focus solely on the suffering of the Palestinians, ignoring and justifying our suffering, speaks volumes.

The bombings you speak of, are a retaliation for the slaughter of October 7th. Israel warns citizens in advance, in order to prevent as many casualties as possible. But we cant just ignore the murder, kidnapping, rape and harm to our people like you do. We have no choice but to defend ourselves.

We have no interest nor desire to commit genocide against the Palestinian people. If we did, we would have already done so. Instead we financially support Palestine, despite the fact they use this money not to better their lives, but to instead attack our civilians.

Beware of misinformation like the accusations against Israel for bombing the hospital in Gaza. That is a straight up lie that was proven false, and the Hamas spread it along with lies about how many people got hurt, in order to convince people like you that they are justified. And its working.

Before you accuse others, maybe check your own biases and think to yourself why a Palestinian life is worth something to you and an Israeli one isn’t.

Can you even imagine what it feels like to go online after such a tragedy for a little relief, only to see people like you calling for my death?

And yes, that is what you’re doing by supporting and encouraging the actions of Hamas. An organisation that cares more about killing innocent civilians like me than protecting its own people.

I hope that if you can’t take the time to properly understand this complicated situation, you will at least stop talking about something that you clearly don’t understand.

You know, I put all of this in a private post initially. I've been largely focused on spreading charity posts, actual concrete things that can be done to save the innocent people caught in the crossfire. But clearly, my message has been mixed, so I'll define it right here.

This is just something that seeps into my bones and I had to say it somewhere: the sheer refusal by both sides to admit what they're doing. Oh, we thought that music festival was soldiers....wait no we didn't, it was random Gazan civilians who did it instead, not us, hurt them instead. Oh we are going to wage all out war....no those innocent civilian casaulties weren't us, it was them! (No, the cause of the explosion has not been independently proven. It has, however, been proven that Israel shelled the place three days earlier as a "warning" then called ordering an evacuation shortly before.) Put down an evacuation order so short and so sudden the UN protests that civilians can't possibly get out in time, then bomb one of the convoys. Tell your countrymen the evacuation order was fake so you get more human shields. More rockets! More airstrikes! More "accidents" to the tune of hundreds of civilians dead, and you never have to carry the burden or the blame for any of it. Shoot from far enough away, target enough civilians, makes it easy, makes it fun. The glory of war with none of the guilt and none of the risk! Ain't that a wonderful thing. Ain't that a fucking joke.

I grieve for the innocent Israeli citizens slaughtered because Hamas cowards wanted to kill the defenseless. I grieve for the people in Gaza getting slaughtered because neither side cares if they live or die. The difference between the two is not that one life is worth more than the others. That is morally repugnant and fundamentally absurd. The difference is that Israel is getting aid from many nations, while other nations only give aid to Hamas, not the people of Gaza. They need humanitarian aid, they need someone to speak for them and beg for restraint, which is why I'm primarily reblogging posts that call for humanitarian aid to them and for a ceasefire so they can, at the very least, have the evacuation time they should have been allowed. It is not because their lives are worth more, but because to far too many, their lives are worth less.

I understand your pain and fear, and I am deeply sorry for your loss. I too find those rooting for Hamas or declaring that the victims deserved it for being settlers repugnant. But the people of Gaza did not do this, and if it's a choice between them living and Hamas dying, I will choose their lives every time. I will always choose life. And I refuse to apologize for that. Violence like this is a cycle, revenge and revenge and revenge again because you cannot kill an idea with bombs, only keep destroying until nothing is left to fight over. You cannot stop a cycle by continuing to spin.

[lastlifeforfans]

Minecraft SMP Announcement

Are you a fan of the Traffic Series looking for your next great adventure in our beloved game? Look no further!

The Ruby SMP has just started its third season! Now set on 1.20.1, this vanilla survival server is a great place for players who are 18+ and fans of the series to play the game and make some friends along the way! The server is always open, so it’s never too late to join, and all you need to know in order to do so is read this little post. 

(If you’d like a short version, scroll to the bottom for a TL;DR. To avoid disappointment in advance, the server is for those 18+ ONLY!)

How do I join?

To join the Ruby SMP, you must first join the Last Life For Fans (LLFF) Discord. Here, you’ll find a bunch of channels relating to the series itself, the series we run for fans, and the Ruby SMP. It’s a great place to chat, and there are often other fan servers (i.e. Origins, Afterlife) popping up within it to play on!

From there, you’ll find all you need to know about the Ruby SMP listed under its category, along with the whitelist to sign yourself up, and then you’re free to play!

Please note, you must be 18+ both to join the LLFF Discord and the Ruby SMP itself. Discord Link: https://discord.gg/FbxHhTT5AB

Is the server vanilla?

The server is mostly vanilla, with the exception of a few tweaks similar to the ones you’d see in Hermitcraft. Several of these are just to make the game a bit kinder (i.e. universal dyeing, mini blocks, graves - full list in welcome doc). Ruby SMP also uses the voice mod, which you will need to install upon playing, and has an optional elytra trim mod (there is a very handy guide to this in the welcome doc when you join the Discord!). 

Other than that, it’s very much vanilla! It is also worth mentioning that the server is on hard mode. 

Do you have to be a content creator to join?

Not at all! Recording and streaming is allowed and encouraged, but is definitely not a requirement at all. The server does have a plugin that allows you to let others online know when you are streaming or recording, so just be sure to use that so people know what you’re up to! 

There’s also a ‘promotions’ channel in the Discord for you to advertise any channels you’d like to! 

Is there roleplay on the server?

Some people on the server do partake in roleplay to some degree, but it is absolutely not a requirement! It is great fun (I’m biased), and I can guarantee that you will always find someone who is willing to RP with you. But, if you prefer not to, there’s also plenty who don’t RP to hang out with as well. 

There’s not really any specific rules on RP for the server generally, but just make sure to discuss any personal boundaries and rules with those you RP with and contact the mods if there are any serious issues. 

What are the server rules?

The rules are quite straightforward and can be found in full on the welcome doc, but most importantly;

1. Treat everyone with respect - no discrimination or disrespect will be tolerated. 

2. No villagers/farms in spawn chunks. Keep laggy farms contained to industrial areas where they won’t be constantly loaded. 

3. Make sure everyone is on the same page when PVPing - stop means stop. 

4. Keep lag pranks to a minimum and ensure everyone involved is okay with being pranked. Be willing to clean up the messes you cause!

5. No griefing. 

Is it okay to join late?

Absolutely! I know that joining late can be incredibly daunting, and even joining during the third round of the server can be intimidating, but everyone on the server is very friendly and people will be more than willing to adopt you as a friend and let you live with them until you find your feet (or forever, in a lot of cases). 

There is no deadline or anything on joining the LLFF Discord or the Ruby SMP, so take your time and join when you want! It is worth mentioning that as of writing this, the SMP only reset less than 24hrs ago, so now is an ideal time if you do want to get in early!

Is there any expectation of playtime?

Not at all! You are welcome to play as little or as much as you like, build as much or as little as you want, get as rich or as poor as you desire. It is entirely up to you! Everyone’s free time differs, especially with it being an 18+ server, so do not worry if you have barely any time or all the time in the world, people are very accommodating!

So far, the server has reset with each major update (1.18, 1.19, 1.20), so the duration of the server will likely be until whenever the next update comes along! 

Who runs the server? 

The discord moderators run the server! They all have administrator access on it, in case you need help with something. 

Final notes - What to expect?

Ultimately, you will find that the Ruby SMP is a very mixed bag of players - from grinders to builders, roleplayers to casual players, there is a place for everyone so long as you are 18+, friendly and enjoy the game! 

The people who are already here are very welcoming, and we look forward to welcoming you as well if you choose to join! :)

TL;DR

- You must be 18+ to join the server. 

- You must join the LLFF Discord first, where you will find all the information for Ruby SMP and the category dedicated to it in the server. 

- It is mostly vanilla, the exception being some tweaks (crafting recipes, graves, mini blocks etc.). It is on hard mode. 

- The server uses voice mod which you can find a guide to install upon joining. 

- Streaming/recording is allowed, but not necessary. Same goes for roleplaying. 

- Server rules; no discrimination/disrespect, keep laggy farms contained to industrial areas, consent is key during PVP and pranks + no griefing!

- Joining late is fine! The servers always open and the players are very friendly and welcoming. 

- You can play as much or as little as you like! The server usually resets with each major update. 

[tired-old-men]

Dude where was this blog when I was 12? I was obsessed with the Brotherhood so much I had the whole family tree memorized. I would info dump at the drop of a hat. I would be so feral about these sad old men and no one- not my family, my friends, or even my dogs- understood what the FUCK I was even talking about so eventually I just shut up and stopped thinking about it. And then my dash is full of Knuckles and now I’m like *gasp* “THE SAD OLD MAN CLUB!” and then you are just here??? Talking about this thing that I literally thought no one except me cared about??? Hello??? Shall we have a spring wedding???

MY BROTHER IN ECHIDNA I FEEL YOU ON A METAPHYSICAL LEVEL!!! I have never connected so hard to an ask in my life. I was hella obsessed with these guys in my teens! I knew their family tree by heart, knew their lore inside and out, I doodled Edmund and Dimitri in my science notes in class constantly, shit these guys lived rent free in my brain with how much I daydreamed about them! I might have had like 3 people tops on deviantart at the time that I could even talk to about these guys, who actually knew who they were and even made art and content for them.

Then came a period of time I ended up leaving the sonic fandom entirely, probably a mixture of being made to feel discouraged in liking my interest from my offline peers and family (back when liking Sonic din't made you a cool kid but a target) as well as getting hyperfixated on other things I just... moved on sadly. It wasn't until last year I want to say, that I stumbled upon @julie-su's art and realized that it was made in recent year, that I got genuinely excited for these guys and the sonic fandom again. You can also imagine my subsequent heartbreak when I found out about the Ken Penders lawsuit and how all of these beloved characters ended up... But as the saying goes if you want something done right you gotta do it yourself! Got sad that there's no more art of these dudes time to make some! It's how I ended up coming back to tumblr and getting to meet more echidna loving individuals and honestly I wouldn't go back not one bit. I'm sad that I feel like I missed out on the Archie comic fandom era back when the comics were still publishing, but I'm glad to be making up some lost time by indulging in the grandpa gang with my online buds. I can't imagine my life without these sad old dudes living rent free in my mind, they keep me entertained, they make me laugh, and bring me much comfort. It makes me so happy to see fans of these guys and new content being made for them just get me so fucking excited and happy.

Most of the time making content for them seems like I am screaming into a void considering how obscure they can be. But in the end, I don't I think I have had more fun creating art and writing than when I started drawing them again. In a way I keep them alive in my memories through my works and that makes me happy. I know the few that know and love these characters also love to see them still around, and have been big inspirations for me to create my own stories and headcanons for these characters and I will forever be grateful for them enriching my life with their creativity. Always a delight to meet someone that loves these tired old men as much as me, your comment literally made my day! Thank you for being awesome and for even liking my works, It really means a lot to know theres still love out there for these characters. I'm always happy to chat with a fellow guardian fan so please don't be a stranger! Besides, we have to frolic down the hills of Angel Island in the eve of our honeymoon~

[u2fangirlie-blog]

Book Club Introduction

Recently, I was invited into a book club on Facebook. A friend asked me to join with other friends she knows. I know two out of 30 members. How are people supposed to introduce themselves and get to know each other in FB groups, particularly book clubs? I have no clue! The book club creator and moderators all follow BookTok and have To Be Read lists. I don't do that. It's all new to me.

To start, I read through posts, liked, commented, and replied to interesting and relevant posts. I thought this would be a good way to get to know new people. Then I took a risk and wrote an introduction. The post was viewed by half the crowd. My friend H. replied, but there were no other comments. Just silence. Not even a clock ticking in the background.

The first book selected is Murder at the Book Club by Betsey Reavley. I want to stay, make new friends, and be introduced to new authors, but I feel like an asshole. My introduction to the book club was dead on arrival, so I'm going to delete it from the group.

Here's the introduction. I put a lot of thought and planning into it and don't want to see words go to waste. Someone might read it in the vast expanse of words on Tumblr.

Hi! H. invited me to join the group. She said you are awesome fun people. H., C., and I have been friends since elementary and junior high school. In the past, I've been part of reading circles where we read and discussed metaphysical books. This is my first online book club. Please guide me in what is appropriate behavior and social conventions for online reading groups. I hope to read books in genres I've never read before. I look forward to getting to know everyone here.

I just want to introduce myself a little bit to the group. I'll start with my reading habits and preferences.

I don't have a TikTok account, so I don't follow any Booktok creators.

On YouTube, I don't follow many Booktube creators. However, I do watch channels that focus on one author or genre. I like Quinn's Ideas. He's the go-to guy for Dune and A Song of Ice and Fire. He also discusses classic hard scifi and new scifi. I enjoy T.L. is Reading, who is doing a Discworld read-along. If I'm interested in a new book or TV series based on a book, I'll look on YouTube. I learned a lot about the Wheel of Time that way.

I prefer print books. My house is stacked to the rafters. Remind me sometime to tell you about the time a tree branch went through the roof, and instead of going to the basement for safety, I ran upstairs to rescue boxes of books from the rain.

I do read some ebooks, usually if it's a long series or older books that are hard to find in print. Discworld has 41 book, so most of my Pratchett collection is in ebooks.

Kindle Unlimited - I don't have it because of the cost of subscriptions. If I get a book, I buy it. One reason I prefer print books over ebooks is that having physical media is forever (exceptions of fire or flood). What's going to happen if Amazon loses rights to books or if there's a major technology failure? We the consumers will lose access to digital media we "own" and paid for and will never get it back. It's already happening with streaming videos. If the Big One happens and if we lose electricity and satellites and the internet and if electronic devices stop working, y'all can come to my house. I own all the books and DVDs. LOL!

Audible - See above. Cost of subs. Potential loss of access to digital media. I listen to bootleg audiobooks on YouTube. I have a few audiobooks on CD. I haven't got any new audiobooks in ages because they're so freaking expensive.

Genres - Sci-fi. Fantasy. Classic literature. Mythology. Metaphysical. Paranormal. Occult. Tarot. Non-fiction essays and articles. Encyclopedias and dictionaries. You read that right. I'm a sucker for an encyclopedia with pretty pictures. I have lots of specialized encyclopedias in mythology, symbolism, gemstones, animals, and plants. I love etymology and enjoy looking up word origins. Classic authors: As an English major, I read a lot of the classics. Jane Austen is okay, not my favorite. I have issues with the Bronte Sisters and other authors who introduced the bad boy lover and gave really unhealthy expectations to young people about relationships.

Authors - Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Frank Herbert, Diane Duane, George R.R. Martin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Diana Gabaldon, Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, Laurel Hamilton, and Anne Rice (because smut is better with paranormal characters, and their vampires are infinitely better than Stephanie Meyers) J.K. Rowling (before she turned evil), and Neil Gaiman (Yes, I know about the allegations and am still processing how to respond publicly. His alleged behavior is horrible. The Good Omens and Sandman fandoms are fighting and ripping each other apart.)

First, full disclosure: I have a BA and MA in English, with a minor in creative writing and special studies in archetypal myth criticism. I don't write fiction. The creative writing workshops were difficult for me. My professors didn't inspire creativity, but instead they instilled critical analysis of writing, self-criticism, and self-doubt. My teachers critically wounded my desire to write stories, and later it just died. I gave up writing fiction a long time ago. No, I do not secretly want to write fiction.

My strong suit is non-fiction, including articles and essays. Mostly I write short humorous stuff for my social media and a captive audience of about 70 friends and family. Also I write in-depth analyses and criticism of books, movies, and TV series. And sometimes my friends get sick of my BS and think I'm too critical. That's just how my brain works. Analyzing something to the extreme doesn't mean I don't still enjoy it or love it. (Unless it's objectively crap. LOL!) I have a Tumblr blog for publishing what I don't want family to read.

That being said - When I put a lot of time and effort into writing a longer piece (for example an essay with photos) and people either don't read it or they only respond with a like, I feel frustrated and very hurt. I get it. People don't have time and are selective about what they read. I wrote a Tumblr post about it and will share it if anyone is interested.

For the past 7 years, I taught English comp and how to write research papers at a community college. I also ran the writing center with a staff of one (me) and helped students with their papers. If you need help with MLA and APA citations, I'm your girl! I departed for financial reasons. My past work experiences were in office/clerical. Recently, I started a new job in an office. It's good.

Finally, this is my binder full of maps. As an avid fan of fantasy and sci-fi series. maps are important to know where characters are located and the various cities and realms they are in. I'm obsessive. I'm a nerd and a dang weirdo (in the Muppet Gonzo sense of being a weirdo).

Here's a link to the binder of maps from fantasy, sci-fi, and history in literature.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Do you think there's a connection between the 80s and 90s comics mostly only mentioning him offhand without actual appearances and modern comics like Twojar or One Bad Day making him more violent and increasingly taking away his gimmick ? Because I feel like it's two different approaches to the same idea of wanting to have a villain whose thing is being 'smart' on hold in case they want a story where Batman shows off his mental capabilities but not wanting to deal with everything else that comes with the character like the goofyness or having to come up with riddles that don't suck

oh man okay this is such an interesting question and I'm so excited to be able to revisit it when my reread gets into the 2000s and have more perspective to offer

for the time being I do think that it's fair to say that making the Riddler a central antagonist in a story is challenging because he has, like, a relatively narrow gimmick compared to a lot of other rogues and having to actually come up with riddles is a tall order that a lot of writers simply don't want to fuck with.

personally I think the best way to embrace this is to just acknowledge that the riddles are going to be balls to the wall stupid and let the audience understand that Batman is equally unhinged for being able to solve them at all. Batman '66 is frankly great at this, best exemplified in this scene from the movie that no other Batman adaptation has topped yet:

what are any of you talking about! you sound crazy! they are right though, and that's what living in Gotham does to a motherfucker.

for the record I think Batman Forever also actually does this really well without being quite as unhinged. the riddles are actually pretty solid and straightforward; Bruce solves them easily but the real challenge is in putting them together at the end to figure out who's actually behind everything. (it's Jim Carrey, serving cunt.) it's maybe the only part of the movie that actually shows any restraint at all, and I respect that.

the thing is that this approach kind of falls apart if you want to do a more grounded take on Batman that presents the Riddler as the legitimate threat despite being a man who on purpose calls himself the Riddler. I dog on Batman 2022 a lot but at least there you can (charitably) read Paul Dano's shitty little puzzles as being intentionally messy owing to the fact that his Riddler is, you know, a sopping wet miserable catholic redditor who's really just trying to kiss Batman. I do genuinely like that his master plan is incoherent enough that Bruce doesn't crack all of it and misses vital pieces, it's a nice spin on an inexperienced Batman + the complexity addiction that Riddler schemes are so known for.

and like, to be clear, I do still think that Riddler sucks, but other attempts to make him a serious antagonist are so much worse. you mentioned War of Jokes and Riddles and One Bad Day, the latter of which I do think is just. appallingly misguided on literally every imaginable front and betrays an embarrassing lack of understanding of what people actually like and find entertaining about the character in favor of scrubbing him down to a bog standard Hannibal Lecter-flavored evil genius serial killer manipulator.

which is a fine stock character, where would comic books be without easily recognizable bad guy archetypes, etc, but god, not the Riddler. where the fuck is the fun in that? he's just a silly little guy in a leotard. please, stop trying to make this guy scary.

for god's sake. he's just a baby.

anyway I get why it happens though and it's Marketing, and I think specifically the very online and instantaneous nature of fandom in the 21st century. detective comics comics needs people reading their comics and, maybe even more importantly, talking about their comics, and that means leaning really heavily on well-established characters the people give a shit about. most readers are going to be more interested, even passively, in the Riddler than Random Smart Guy Murderer #623, because he's been around for a long time and he's a very ingrained part of the lore.

but everything has to be a fucking event with high stakes now, again because attention is currency, so it can never just be, like, "oh no, the Riddler has Batman trapped in a giant hamster maze," it's the Riddler and the Joker beefing and also the Riddler murdering Kite-Man's son for ??? reasons ??? idk man look how fucked up he is! this guy's serious! he has a question mark scar on his chest! please take him seriously!

and also, back to the first point, it's frankly just easier to write a generic egomaniac smart guy than it is to come up with riddles that are even a little bit good or interesting enough to carry an entire plot. I bet Tom King really thought he was doing something when he settled down to write One Bad Day and decided that the riddles were actually just a fucking power inhibitor the Riddler was putting in place to stop his massive brainmeat from killing everybody he came in contact with, but I think it's actually the sign of Tom King being a lil punk bitch, actually. just admit you don't have the sauce to come up with a riddle and pass the gig onto someone else!

anyway this is why most of my favorite Riddler appearances have him in a supporting role rather than serving as a primary antagonist (think Batman: Unburied, King Tut's Tomb, the Long Halloween/Dark Victory/When In Rome triptych), and his best antagonist appearances have him working with WAY lower stakes that's mostly just trying to get Bruce to pay attention to him (Vol. 2 of the Batman Adventures and Strange Love Adventures 2022).

tl;dr stop trying to make me take this man seriously

[phantominzie]

Why is everyone bored of their phones and life has reached an all time low.

Look, I'm not an expert for any means, I'm just some teen on the internet who just wants to know shit. But, I want to throw this into the pot of answers to questions that rattle in my brain. If you want to, stay and read, but if you don't that's chill because I get it.

We, as a collective on the internet, are dead inside.

Life is no longer fun, everyday is the same as the last, and your phone is boring which leaves you bored and tired and sad. I don't really know how to explain it but recently I've seen a lot of tiktoks saying that they're bored with their phone and the internet. So, since I question about everything, I asked myself why? Why are we all so bored with technology that could have been considered fucking mind blowing not even 15 years ago? It's because ever since 2020 life is just so... bland.

Please, think back to 2020 if you will, it was just stuck indoors with death was surrounding all of us on all sides. And I think because of that all of us are now just so jaded and angry about everything about everything all the time. God, this is stupid, what am I even talking about? THERE! See, that wasn't even me just voicing the crowd that was a thought I just had. I sat here, stopped typing, furrowed my brow and wondered why am I even doing this. Can you relate? I bet you really could, because when you make an original post you wonder 'Does this even matter?' 'Why do I bother with this, no one even cares because the damn world is on fire?'.

Life has become so bleak that you wonder the point of doing anything you care about because why would it matter. Because of 2020 all of us just don't care for the internet and our phones. We've seen it before, it's not new, there is no wonder and amazement over even going viral. Do you know how like, fucking wild that is? If you went viral you went on Ellen. Like, a talk show. You were put on national television if you went viral, now no one gives a shit if you get viral. 'Oh you're viral? Next day you're not now fuck you, no one likes you, and I want you to leave the internet forever because you suck'.

The internet is just in its angry phase if that makes sense. Everyone is so fucking angry about people. Like, society had a honeymoon phase with the internet y'know? We were all so happy and excited about being online because it was so cool and fantastical. And then we hit 2020 and suddenly we hit a big shift and suddenly it was no longer fun, it was just stupid and seen before.

That's why our phones are so boring, we aren't excited about anything anymore. Our phones as they are currently have been around for everyone to use for almost a decade. We had our honeymoon phase, and recently it's passed all of us. We just don't care anymore. Maybe I don't make sense, maybe I do, but I want all of you to know that even though the world is on fire and everything sucks that it's going to be okay. Fuck it, tell me anything in the comments, reblog and tell me your opinions, I want to know everything you think no matter what because I want the internet to just be fucking nice to each other.

Thank all of you for reading this, I hope all of you tell anyone you like them today because we need less shit talking to eachother. I love all of you, goodbye. <3

[thespoonisvictory]

hello spoon the spoon is victory i come to you in my time of need… i made the admittedly unwise decision to take both orgo 1 and 2 as a senior in high school…. please share your best tips to survive these trying times 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

oh boy, have fun. here are my tips:

to the best of your ability, don't skimp on understanding the basics of orgo just because it's easy to breeze past, because it gets way harder way fast and you'll want to understand the basics of hydrocarbons like you know that 2+2=4

if you have access to a molecular modeling kit, use it! stop trying to rotate molecules in your mind and rotate them in a physical way

just. memorize the VESPR molecule shape chart when you get taught it, don't half-ass it like I did and chase after that knowledge forever, it's not that hard

S vs R configuration will confuse you if you get to that. it confuses everyone don't worry

Practice obviously makes perfect, and there are lots of naming quizzes online to take advantage of

study with other people if you can, it's more fun and a lot of orgo is best understood through just sheer force of will in exposing yourself to different questions and problems

the last rule of orgo is have fun and be yourself

[yippieitsarvensart]

OH OH OH CAN I TALK ABOUT AUTISTIC HEADCANONS?? Okay okay- so I'll go in house order ajshdoakdhdjfkfj I'm so exicted!!!

Riddle is RIDDLED with autism and you can't change my mind. Like yeah his mom definitely has a big part on why he's Like That, but the need for routine?? The fucking MELTDOWN when things don't go as planned? When he feels he isn't being listened to/understood and it fills his blood with rage???? When he has trouble understanding tone (the most obvious one being sarcasm, but he's struggled with trying to discern if people are upset with him or not as well, same with patronizing/being teased!!) LIKE?????? He's just like me fr!!!!!

Cater is another that seems so obvious to me, like it's canon he has a way lower social battery than he let's on and he's masking like 24/7! And every autistic person I know is way more popular online than they are irl askgsksshvxkx, it's harder to be perceived as "off" through social media and I think he figured that out awhile ago

Jack's never ending energy when it comes to the things he loves, such as running or gardening? His strict moral code? His discomfort with expressing emotions? His sensitive/heightened senses? (That's probably just a beastman thing but shhhhh)

Literally the whole octatrio. Azul finds comfort in small enclosed spaces and compression, has canon comfort/security items and spaces, has safe foods and not safe foods, more prone to meltdowns than he'd ever let you believe.

You know how Azul needs compression? Yeah the twins HATE that shit, they don't like being restricted but you know what they DO like? Being the compressor! All 3 of them find comfort in giving a good squeeze, only Azul likes to receive the squeeze.

Floyd is SENSORY SEEK9NG ALL THE WAY, he needs loud music he needs to be THROWN he needs to eat rocks and do cartwheels and touch all the weird land textures!!! He HAS to or he's gonna EXPLODE!!!!!

Jade's special interest is mushrooms, that much is obvious, but i also would like to mention that he's kind of the middle ground between Floyd and Azul. He gets so bored and understimulated when everything is smooth sailing, nothing new, no chaos, BUT he needs controlled chaos. He needs chaos that isn't gonna throw him into a sensory overload ya feel? He needs some fun but a specific kind of (cough sadistic cough cough) fun that he controls like puppet master.

I'm gonna stop here so I don't go on forever but!! If you want I can continue!!! I have SO MANY THOUGHTS about these characters and their mental states :D

I LOVE THAT YALL ARE JUST RAMBLING TO ME NOWWW YEAHAHAHA yes yes please continue oh mymy god. I love autism hcs I LOVE HCS SO BAD Literally anyone out there. Come tell me about twst hcs. I'll go absolutely bonkers insane over them <333

Okay I get you so bad rn they're so real. Riddle autism was already so real to me and I love it when people can like actually properly explain how the hc WORKS like this like you make it WORK now I never did think of Jack as autistic, that... GUYS AUTISM TWISTED WONDERLAND REAL??? SO REAL>/????

I'M SO GLAD!!! YOU GET ME !!! WITH FLOYD!!!!!!! I've been fucking saying he needs that loud music and that action but. SLAMS FIST ON TABLE. NO ONE GETS ME. Like I just recently convinced someone that he'd be big on rock/metal music (like me) (I was projecting) because of how dancey it is because of how UPBEAT and CRAZY it can be sometimes!!!!!!!!!!!

Though I personally think that Floyd would be big on compression as well, he's always squeezing ppl but I think he'd also like it if someone squeezed him back. It never happens to him like ever but when it does he just melts. (mecore)

He and Azul wrap their tail/tentacles around each other and SQUEEEEEEZE!!!!!! And sometimes they fall asleep tangled around each other. Side note for that: /p btw I noticed I don't rlly ship the octatrio unless it's yuri jeiazu LOLL Jade being the only one who doesn't enjoy a lot of physical contact IS real to me though. (I love making the twins so #opposites but also #samezies)

[zooone]

HIII ZONE I MISSED TALKING TO YOU SO MUCH :D

Five six and twenty two for the ask game perhaps?

HELLO SARDONIC!!!

5 - what made you start your blog?

there was nothing new on other fic sites. id always see the same old stuff so i thought id give tumblr a try (mistake number one) and i ended up really liking the little community that was wilbur fanfics so i wanted to give it a little try ^_^

6 - what’s the best and worst part of being online/a creator?

both answers; the people. for best, oh my god i love all of my little (literally) mutuals!! they are so fun and they can tolerate my silliness. and seeing people supportive of my work is such a nice little feeling

but also, the people here are not the best. irl and in social circles i am the type of person who wont let anything slide really and if someone fucks up, it ruins my perception of them forever. the phrase "forgive and forget" ive never known bro. and since i am a little bit more well known (kinda) its hard to pretend that i dont have neg feelings about another person online cuz i dont wanna cause an entire discourse

22 - say 3 things about someone you love

this is for florence @harbingerofheartbreak bcuz i love her and she is a little bit headachey right now so i hope she can wake up to this ^_^

they will be under the cut cuz wow this is getting long

one - flore listens to me all the time no matter what . if im telling her a stupid little idea i had, if im telling her about my silly little niece, or if im literally telling her about my issues she'll always listen!!! even if im loopy or if im so incoherent that my sentences have 37 spelling mistakes and 42 made up words despite the sentence only being 13 words long, bro will listen 😭😭 its insane

FREE HER!!!

two - we are so incredibly delusional we have an entire world built around just made up people we've created and the shock factor for me is that we didn't make them for writing or literature purposes it was literally just to have fun and be delulu . like if it were any other person i definitely would have shared c**** out into the world but since flore has just been so so so sweet and so supportive i didnt have the issue of wantjng attention to be on my writing because she gave it to me!!!

three - the reason we started talking to begin with (and this is still so funny to me) was because a sweet sweet anon was giving me fic recs and one of them was hers and i was such a little fan girl of her writing style that i just absolutely love bombed her and she went in the dms saying thank you. one of the scariest dms ive ever gotten . and then i proofread her fic yours now and forever (which is getting rewritten and posted soon!!!! and ive read and confirmed the ideas aand lemme tell you it is good good. all of you better read it when it comes out) and i was still being a little fan girl and she said "bro i dont care please stop i just asked you one question" (word for word what she said /j) and after she asked me if she should read tcfsv, we became best pals!!!

okay i did not mean for this to become a flore appreciatiob post but thank you very much sardonic for the ask ^_^ hope all has been well

[turtlespancake]

I think we should really talk about "Anything you post on the internet stays on the internet forever" in terms of art. Because it does but also it doesn't.

When you post art online, you HAVE to be ready for the fact that other people will see it. I know that sounds obvious, but I cannot stress that enough. People will misinterpret you work. People with Understand your work in ways that are gratifying beyond belief. People can be mean online. People can be annoying online. People can be kind and supportive online. Sometimes something you pour your heart into can go mostly unnoticed. Sometimes something you spent five minutes on can blow up beyond your wildest dreams. If you're posting art PUBLICALLY online, you have to accept that any and all of these scenarios can happen. Not everyone will get famous in a day. Not everyone will get famous full stop. If you just want the attention, you have to be prepared for the fact that you may not get it. Similarly, if you just want to hide in your little OC corner with your 3 mutuals, you have to be prepared for the fact that a person, or many people who you've never met could see it too.

We are our own worst critics. If a fan said to you the same things you say to yourself, it'd be worth reporting. "This is cringe and fail and had no effort put into it" is something "normal" for an artist to say to themself but would be worth a block if said by a stranger. When streaming services make shows permanently unavailable bs reasons, it's a tragedy. Yet when you take your own animations off of YouTube for your own arbitrary reasons, it's fine and justified. Lost media only counts if it's big, polished studio projects obviously.

Some of my favorite videos on YouTube were made by accounts with under 100 subscribers. Some of my favorite animations and art pieces are genuinely gone from the internet, either because the artist took them down or they got a copyright strike from YouTube or something along those lines. I will likely never see them again, and it bothers me to no end. You have NO idea what impact your art has on people. You may never know. But you HAVE to trust your audience when they say they liked something.

Common reasons people delete their art:

"It was old and bad." You will inevitably get better and learn new things as you keep drawing, but that doesn't mean what you did in the past was necessarily terrible. Even if it was, sometimes it can be fun to see an artist's journey! Plus, if you consistently delete your art once it hits a certain age, it can make it hard for your audience to trust you. How are people supposed to enjoy your new art knowing that there's a 50/50 shot they'll never be able to view it again given enough time?

"It's cringe and embarrassing and I didn't put enough effort into it!" If it's really that bad, no one would look at it. There's value in all art, even if it's "objectively bad" or "cringe." One man's trash is another man's treasure and all that. Plus, just because it's "bad" in one regard doesn't mean it's not phenomenal in another. An animation with problems staying on model can still have fantastic timing. An illustration with confusing lighting can still be beautifully composed. All art is flawed, and all art has its merits. If someone is looking at a piece long enough to notice its mistakes, it means they've been staring at it because they already like it. Please, believe your audience when they say they enjoy something.

"People keep reposting my art without my permission." That genuinely sucks, but how does taking down the original copy help matters? If people are stealing credit from you, getting rid of the original copy -- and effectively the evidence that this really is your art, and no one else's -- won't help. If it's already being reposted, it's not like taking down the original will stop the reposting either since people can just do reposts of reposts. I get the frustration, I really really do!! But taking down your original copy won't stop the problem.

"It's nothing like my other art and I don't create things like this anymore." Not every fan of yours has to be a diehard who looks at/enjoys everything you've ever made. If someone wants to come watch your one warrior cats meme from 2011 when everything else on your YouTube channel has nothing to do with that, then let them enjoy that one video and be on their way. You're not a brand, you don't need to be consistent all the time every time.

"I don't want the attention anymore." That's understandable, but there's other ways of taking eyes off of you than nuking your entire gallery. All hype and drama will inevitably fade with time, and the mute button is your best friend.

"It didn't get enough attention." And you think deleting your art will help you get more attention or something? Some posts take a while to really get going, especially here on tumblr. Not to mention social media is NOT a true indicator of skill or emotional impact. There are professional artists who get 10 likes. There are kids drawing in MS Paint who get millions of likes. If you stay online enough, you'll see both examples a million times over. Don't let a flop post discourage you, and don't give up on a post too soon.

Please, if you're an artist on the internet, be kind to yourself. Young or beginner artists on here, this ESPECIALLY applies to you. You have no idea how you can inspire others. Don't let a few jerks on the internet or your harsh inner critic convince you your art isn't worth seeing, because I PROMISE you it is.

[abyssal-zone-stares-back]

Demon Actor x fem!Angel!Reader

Warnings - hypnosis, surprise kiss, cliff hanger >:3

Actor pov

Humans, strange things. But, easy to manipulate. And that’s what he’s here to do. Dressed up as a demon at a random rich person’s Halloween party he’s hypnotized someone into letting him in. The red horns, a forked tail, and a stupid plastic pitchfork. Like they actually use those. But it is fun to trip people with.

He’s done it a couple of times so far. Most just catch themselves and continue on their way but one face planted and didn’t get up for a good five seconds. Probably going to be online in some time with a stupid clickbait title. “So and So passed out in the middle of, whoever the hell's party this is.” Something like that. He snagged a random glass of cheap ass alcohol from a passing tray, like seriously you have a glass chandelier and you can't buy good alcohol?

With a slight look of disgust he swirled the glass, performing a minor miracle to change the drink into one he actually enjoys. His black suit and red tie go well with the costume at least he muses to himself as he looks around, sipping his drink. Most are just wearing masks, ones on sticks that they can remove when needed.

Some aren’t even dressed up in costumes at all. Across the room a spot of movement catches his eye. There. In white with a halo and a feathered mask, you. You’re laughing with some random person, putting your hand on his arm, leaning closer. He barely notices when the glass shatters in his hand and disregards the looks people around him give. A quick minor miracle again and they’re none the wiser.

Brushing the glass on his hand off on his pants and adjusting his suit coat he makes his way over. Putting on a smile he lets himself into the conversation. “Oh hello darling, I haven’t seen you in forever.” You jerk your head around to stare at him in surprise but quickly get over it. “Markus, how nice to see you.”

“You two know each other?” The man you were talking to pipes up. “Yes,” You start but Markus interrupts you. “I’ve known them for a while now.” Long enough to fall in love “Friends since we met.” You give him a look that the other man doesn’t see before agreeing. “A while.”

You both know that a while means a couple thousand years. 2,738, but who’s counting. Not him obviously.

He turns to the man you were talking to, sticking out his hand to shake. “Markus,” He shook his hand, offering his name in return. “Damien.” “Well, Damien, you wouldn’t mind if I stole them for a moment would you?” He gave Damien a smile, not waiting for an answer before steering you away with a hand on your lower back. You shot a confused Damien an apologetic look over your shoulder.

“What are you doing?” You hiss at him once you were out of earshot. “Collecting souls, swaying people to hell. That should be obvious. And I could ask you the same question.” He grabbed two drinks off a tray. “But I assume you’re here for the same reason, for the opposite side of course.” Offering you one you refuse. “I’m not here to drink.” Shrugging he tipped one back and made a face.

Looking doubtfully at the other glass he left both of them on another tray. “Why are you here then?” He leaned closer and you pulled off your mask. “Now’s not the time for your games Markus. Stop trying to tempt me.”

He leaned back, placing a hand on his chest in mock hurt. “Me? Tempt you? Wherever would you get that idea my dear?” He teased. “You’re trying to sway souls to your side am I right?” He grabbed one of those ridiculous tiny sandwiches off a tray. “Why are these so small?”

He left it on another tray as Damien approached the both of you again. “Uh, if you’re done. I’d like my partner back please.” Markus stiffened. “Partner?” He shot you an incredulous look. “Not like that,” Damien quickly amended. “Partner as in friend.”

“Then why didn’t you just say friend?” You teased Damien. He blushed slightly. “I, I don’t know. It just came out.” “So you’re here as friends then?” Markus purred. Damien nodded, the blush spreading slightly.

Markus chuckled, leaning closer. “That means you’re free right?” “W, well no. We’re at a party.” Markus laughed, placing a hand on Damien’s bicep. “Oh honey, that’s not what I meant.” His eyes flash red for a split second and he knows you saw.

“Markus, are you ‘flirting’?” Flirting, hypnotizing, same thing. “Maybe, do you have a problem with it?” He turned to you, eyes flashing red again. You glared at him. “Don’t ‘flirt’ with me, it doesn’t work.” He sighs, mumbling under his breath as he turns away from you. “Believe me I know.”

He turns back to Damien. “This party is kinda boring isn’t it?” Damien nods agreeing with him, a dazed look in his eyes. “Yeah, kinda boring.” You grab his arm. “Markus, stop that.” He shakes you off gently, not breaking eye contact with Damien. “Wouldn’t you like to do something more fun?” He nods again. “Yeah, fun.”

Suddenly his jaw is seized and there’s lips on his and you're kissing him and you taste like what he’s imagined you taste like.

All too soon it’s over and you’re pulling back. Eyes wide you back away. “I’m, I'm sorry, I couldn’t think of anything to do and it was the first thing I thought of.” Damien’s standing there, blinking confusedly. “What just happened?” “N-nothing Dames, let’s just go.” As you lead Damien away he says to Markus. “Nice meeting you.”

And they were gone.