#i almost like this better than the studio version

[sourbinnie]

☆ regrets & replacements ☆

♡ genre ¿? ♡ -> angst again yes sir ♡ pair ¿? ♡ -> maknaeline!skz x gn!reader ♡ plot ¿? ♡ -> did he actually forget? or did someone make him forget? ♡ warnings ¿? ♡ -> swearing ♡ request ¿? ♡ -> yes!

a/n -> here's the maknae line version! and if soohee was bad on the first one, i'm sorry she's even worse on this one.

hyung line

jisung ✉

he was the most forgetful person you knew, so was it a surprise that he wasn't here? not really. did it sting? of course it did, you wanted to spend the day with your boyfriend and your friends. it looked like you were gonna have a change of plans as you looked at your phone and you also didn't register any messages from jisung. you still had a whole day to hope he remembers so you weren't worried.

but the hours seemed to pass and there was no sign of him returning home. this took you to message minho and ask him where your boyfriend was. he responded saying he locked himself up in the studio and that he thought it was gonna be a surprise for you but he wasn't sure. a tiny bit of hope grew in you as you grabbed your things and headed to the jyp building.

"oh i'm glad you're here! happy birthday (y/n)." minho said as he hugged you and you received the hug as you smiled. you had a really good relationship with your boyfriend's best friend and it transformed quickly into a friendship of it's own. you knew they were preparing for a comeback so bothering them wasn't really what you wanted to do but seeing jisung would light up your day even if it was just a few seconds, just to know when he was coming home. "i don't know what the hell he's being doing there, can't get him out so i'm guessing it has to do with you."

"i'll be surprised if he remembered to be honest." you said and minho laughed as he recalled the times where jisung forget his birthday and the other members' too. 

"i better let you see your boyfriend but we're going out later!" minho said as he walked to the dance studio and you nodded as you went to jisung's studio.

standing in front of the door as you typed in the code, you felt uneasy for some reason. it's almost like you were hoping that everything would turn out good but there was just something making you anxious. it was beyond him forgetting, you didn't really care about that as long as you got to see him. you took in the scene of him on his laptop but next to him there was someone and that was no one other than soohee. okay that was odd but you weren't gonna question it.

"babe? what are you doing here? ah damn i forgot to text you!" he said as he facepalmed himself and you just gave him a little smile as you hugged him. you could feel the piercing stare of soohee burning through you and it wasn't weird since you've never had the best relationship. 

"it's okay sung, i just wanted to see you and ask you if you're coming by today?" you asked as he grabbed your hands and he looked so happy but then his smile faded and he looked at soohee.

"actually i had plans with soohee, that's why i invited her so we could head out together in a bit." he said and ouch if that didn't sting, you didn't know what would. even if you wanted to say that you wanted to have your birthday with him, that you didn't want him to go out with his best friend, you didn't say anything. 

"okay! i'll see you tomorrow baby." you said smiling with teary eyes which concerned jisung immediately as he nodded and kissed you to then let you go. he thought he didn't say anything wrong, maybe you were just unhappy that he was gonna hang out with soohee but she was his best friend after all and he made plans with her.

"i never would've thought you would choose me today but thank you jiji, i'm sure we'll have a good time." soohee said as she got up to go out and that had jisung so confused. what was she referring to with "today"? he suddenly felt the urge to check the date and when he saw it crystal clear on his phone he felt like disappearing. he literally chose to spend his partner's birthday with someone else and you're so kind hearted that you let him do it. he felt like he didn't deserve you at all.

felix ✉

unfortunately you had to work on your birthday which wasn't uncommon but you were kind of excited to spend it with felix. you tried to not look at the clock as time went by but it seemed impossible because you only wanted to get out of there and go to your apartment and celebrate the rest of the day. yet you were glued to your desk chair as you went by all the messages on your phone and also the endless emails that seemed to arrive when you wanted to leave the most.

it was an incoming call from australia that startled you and made you get out of your office to pick it up and when you heard who it was, you couldn't help but smile.

"(y/n)? i hope felix gave me the right number. happy birthday! i miss you." olivia said on the other side and you could hear rachel say happy birthday as well. you had a really solid relationship with felix's sisters when you visited them in australia to meet the whole family. so hearing them say nice things to you even if you were miles away from each other was really heartwarming.

"thank you so much, i miss you too!" you said and you continued to talk for a while until a sudden question popped you out of your bubble and took you by surprise.

"what did my brother get you?" rachel asked and then you realized that you haven't seen felix all day. he hasn't even texted you yet and you could understand if he was busy but he usually made time for that and sent a text or two.

"we haven't seen each other yet but i'll be happy with anything." you responded and they both were happy to hear that but since felix hasn't stopped talking to them about getting you something, they were taken by surprise as well. 

as you hung up after a while, you looked at the clock again to see work time was over and headed back to your apartment. you were expecting felix to be there since work would usually be over for you at the same time but you opened the door and it looked just like you left it. you sighed disappointed but you didn't let it ruin your day as you responded to the rest of the texts that were coming your way and as you opened instagram, you were greeted with something or rather someone.

you followed soohee mostly because she asked you to when you first met. she stopped following you a while after but you still followed her because you just didn't wanna seem rude. but here she was with your boyfriend, hanging out and just having a great old time together. to any other person it would seem like they were on a date even from how close they looked and that made you feel a level of insecurity you didn't know you had in you. the caption being "with my best friend, my everything<3" and you shut down your phone.

you felt so stupid for crying over this and as you sent a text to felix asking if he was having a good time, you felt like you were being immature. but then a side of you was saying it wasn't fair that he did this to you and was hoping he would realize his mistake.

felix got the message as he was going to soohee's apartment and he responded that he did indeed have a good time. he really wanted to see you at night though and he was excited to just drop by, have a cozy evening with you and hold you most of all.

"ugh they're texting you? i can never get you all to myself." soohee said as she took a look at felix on his phone and a frown formed on felix's face. he knew you two didn't get along but she was never really vocal about how she felt about you. "they're probably pissed that you decided to spend their birthday with me."

"that wasn't today." felix backfired and soohee just raised an eyebrow. he checked his phone again to see messages from his sisters saying that they called you to say happy birthday and that he should give you the present soon. that was only from hours ago and he stood still like a statue as he couldn't walk anymore to his friend's apartment and as he saw it was night already, he felt the tears come in because he made a huge mistake. he turned around and headed to your apartment, hoping he wasn't too late and ignoring soohee calling out for him.

seungmin ✉

you weren't sure if seungmin forgot or was acting out because he was planning a surprise. he woke up that day and kissed you on the cheek as he told you he was leaving for the day. you didn't think much of it but it was certainly uncommon for him to act that way and not even drop a "happy birthday". it didn't stop your excitement though 'cause the day just started and you didn't know what you were in for.

time was going by in a flash as you spent the day answering all the messages. no sign of seungmin though and to be honest that's the only person you wanted to see was him. you decided to go out and clear your mind, maybe visit a friend or a family member since you didn't really plan anything for the day. 

as you were outside you got an incoming call from jeongin and you picked it up as soon as you saw it.

"happy birthday (y/n)! i hope hyung planned something nice for today." he said cheerful and it had you smiling until the last part as you looked around and remembered there was still no seungmin next to you. you didn't even care about presents or having a big party, you just wanted to spend the day with your loved one.

"i think he forgot innie and i don't know how to feel." you responded and that had jeongin worried. his hyung forgetting his partner's birthday? it was possible but where could he be if he wasn't with you? especially right now since they had free time.

"i hope he's planning a surprise because i will kick him if he doesn't show up." that made you chuckle a little bit but it was gone in a second as you really hoped this was just part of a plan. "if you're feeling lonely though, drop by the dorms and we'll keep you company."

"that's okay, i'd rather not bother you during your break. besides he will probably show up, well that's what i'm hoping for at least." you said and you continued to talk for a while. you hanged up because you didn't want to bother your boyfriend's bandmate with your negative thoughts right now and wanted to head to one of your friend's houses. but something stopped you from doing that and it was the image of seungmin being not so far away from you as he talked to someone, as you got a closer look you could tell who it was. soohee and you were never gonna be friends and you accepted it, right now though it seemed like she had it all planned out from the start and it made you incredibly upset. he was too oblivious to say no and she was too persistent to give up. you headed back to your apartment 'cause that sight ruined your day alone.

when seungmin got to the dorms late at night, he saw that the maknae was still awake and on the phone with someone. he didn't pay too much attention to it but then he heard jeongin comforting someone who seemed very upset on the other side. but when he heard who it was, it all crumbled.

"(y/n) hyung/noona, it's okay. i'm sorry you had to witness that, i wish you didn't choose to spend your birthday alone and you dropped by. you're never a bother to us!" he said and seungmin couldn't hear what you responded but he heard jeongin end the call. he took in what happened today and he didn't know what was gonna happen next. "hyung you really messed up this time..." jeongin said as he saw his friend's figure standing by the door.

"i'm such a fucking idiot." seungmin said and as he looked at the time, he knew he was too late. your birthday was gone and there was no way of turning time around to make it up to you.

jeongin ✉

you woke up to an empty bed. it was okay because you remembered you had plans at night for your birthday and you knew jeongin was working today. looking at your phone, flooded with messages from the boys, your friends, your family, everyone you knew. yet there was no jeongin, maybe he was waiting to see you to tell it to you in person, yeah that was the conclusion in your head.

night time arrived pretty quickly and before you knew it you were getting dressed to go to dinner. your reservation was made by you and it was for the both of you to have a good time. you would eventually celebrate your birthday with your friends and family on another day but tonight was just for you and innie which made you smile. just thinking about seeing him made your heart beat faster, it's like you kept falling in love with him all over again every time you had a date.

when you arrived, jeongin still wasn't there and you spent the time texting seungmin back and forth. he told you that jeongin had already left practice earlier and he imagined it was because he wanted to prepare for your birthday. you hoped it was but it didn't really make sense that he wouldn't be here then if he got out of work a bit earlier. 

30 minutes passed, no sign of your boyfriend. it had you quite concerned as you looked at the door every time someone walked in but it was never him. disappointed but still with hope, you called seungmin just to keep you company for a bit.

"that's really weird. usually he's on time for everything and i'm pretty sure he told me about dinner with you like two days ago?" seungmin said and it felt like you were preparing for the worst as you took in his words. he was right though, he usually would be the first to arrive all the time and today he didn't even text you. "we should give it time though, let's just hope he's getting you a gift or something."

"he does tend to forget to buy gifts so it does seem possible." you respond and seungmin laughs as he remembers the time jeongin showed up to his birthday party, rushing from getting him a last minute present. 

seungmin had to go to your dismay and then you looked at the clock. an hour and thirty minutes had passed, you were sure you were getting kicked out if you hit the two hour mark. you grabbed your phone again and doubted if you should call your boyfriend or not but decided to give it a try. you just wanted to know if everything was okay and if something had happened. you weren't prepared though when you heard that voice on the other line.

"(y/n)? what do you want?" soohee responded to your call and you didn't know how to feel about many things. one why was she using your boyfriend's phone and two why was she there in the first place. 

"can i talk to jeongin?" you said ignoring all the red flags for now if you could only hear your boyfriend's voice justifying this even though there was no way of doing so. you already wanted to cry thinking of all the scenarios in your head but you shook them off.

"he's busy right now but i can send him a message if you want?" soohee said with the most fake tone you've ever heard and you nodded as the tears spilled. you grabbed your things preparing to leave because you just couldn't be there anymore.

"tell him to go fuck himself." you said as you hanged up and it was kinda dramatic but you felt in every right to do so as you left a tip for the waiter and stepped out of the restaurant. 

jeongin looked at soohee as he asked her to pick up the phone for him but then realized it was a big mistake because he didn't think of the possibility of you being on the other line. he knew you two didn't get along but he tried his best to make you two avoid each other.

"who was it?" jeongin asked because he was indeed busy as he was in the kitchen and soohee was sitting in the couch. she laughed as she recalled how mad you sounded on the other line and said your name. jeongin froze as he thought about you hearing his friend's voice in the other line instead of his. "what did they say?"

"that you should go fuck yourself which was kind of rude but then i suddenly remembered it's their birthday." soohee said and jeongin took a deep breath as he remembered the dinner reservation. of course you were fuming, of course he deserved to go fuck himself and of course this would be the end if he didn't make it up to you. he was panicking as he grabbed his things and tried not to cry all the way to your apartment. he needed to fix this mess that he created.

[usergif]

HOW TO: Make Animated Neon Text

Hi! No one asked for this tutorial, but this is one of my favorite typography effects as of late — so I thought I'd share how I do it. You can see this effect in the first gif of this *NSYNC Celebrity set and the last gif of this Anthony Bridgerton set. Disclaimer: This tutorial assumes you have a basic understanding of gif-making in Photoshop. It's also exclusively in Timeline and uses keyframes for the fading effect seen on the blue text.

PHASE 1: PREP YOUR BASE GIF

1.1 – Choose a dark scene. This effect looks best contrasted against a dark background. You can definitely do it with a bright background, but just like a neon sign irl, you only turn it on in the dark/at night — so keep that in mind! 

1.2 – Determine the length of your clip. Depending on how much you want your text to flash or fade in, you'll want to make sure you have a scene long enough to also allow the text not to flash — reducing the strain it takes to actually read the text. For reference, my gif is 48 frames.

1.3 – Crop, color, etc. as you would. New to gif-making? Check out my basic tutorial here!

PHASE 2: FORMAT YOUR TEXT

Before we animate anything, get your text and any vectors laid out and formatted exactly as you want them!

2.1 – Finding neon sign fonts. It's easy as going to dafont.com and typing "neon" into the search bar!

2.2 – Fonts I used. Neon Glow by weknow | Neon by Fenotype | Neon Bines by Eknoji Studio

And to not leave my fellow font hoarders hanging, the font for "tutorial by usergif" is Karla (it's a Google font) 🥰

2.3 – Group your text layers. (Conditional) If you plan on having multiple text layers like I did and you want them to appear connected (like how the last letters of "NEON" and "sign" intersect with the wand icon), I suggest putting the layers into groups according to color (the shortcut to group layers is Command+G). If you don't group your text and just apply the outer glow settings to each individual layer, you'll end up with something like this:

—where you can see the glow overlap with the line, instead of the smooth connection you see in my final example gif. I'm using 2 colors for my text, so I made a group for red and a group for blue.

2.4 – Apply Outer Glow. Right-click your text layer (or your group if you have several layers) and select "Blending Options" to open the Layer Style menu. Check "Outer Glow" and feel free to play around with the settings until you like the way your text looks!

Your outer glow color should be darker and more vibrant than the color of the text itself. The text should be within the same color family but much brighter and, sometimes, almost white (see Step 2.2 again for my text colors).

Here are the settings for the Red Glow (the glow color is #FF3966) and Blue Glow (#00F0FF):

These aren't always my exact settings but they're pretty close to my standard. I always set the blend mode to Hard Light and usually have the opacity at 100%.

For every gif I use this effect on, I like to play around with Spread and Size. Spread will make the glow look denser and "expand the boundaries" (source: Adobe) and Size will diffuse the glow and blow it out so it covers a larger area (Adobe says it "Specifies the radius and size of blur").

2.5 – Duplicate your text layer/groups and remove glow. We're only going to be animating the glow on our text, and since doing this affects its opacity/visibility, we want to preserve the base text by creating a duplicate.

I just hit the Command+J shortcut to duplicate my groups and delete the Outer Glow effects, making sure that the "No Glow" version is above the "Glow" version:

I also put all these groups into one group called "Text" for organization and so I could apply a drop shadow to all the elements for better visibility.

PHASE 3: CREATE THE FLASHING EFFECT

This is for the effect you see on the RED text in my gif!

3.1 – The 0.03-Second Rule If you've read any of my animation tutorials before, you're probably already familiar with this rule. In my experience (and for reasons I can't explain), Video Timeline pauses every 0.03 seconds (try clicking the forward button a few times, you'll probably find a "duplicate" or paused frame). So, keep all your layers a duration of 0.03-second increments (e.g. 0.06 or 0.09 seconds can also work) and align them on the Timeline at 0.03-second intervals. If you don't follow this rule, you'll get duplicate frames when you export, resulting in a choppy final gif.

3.2 – Trim and arrange your text layers. Only on the layers/groups WITH the Outer Glow effect, trim them into several segments of varying lengths where the glow will be "on" (visible) and leaving spaces where the glow should be "off."

Typically, I'll have a mixture of 0.06 and 0.03-second text. That's when the glow will be visible. Between each "flash" of visibility, I've got a 0.03-second blank space, baby *pen clicks* and I'll write your name:

The layers shown above are arranged with a few flashes and two long segments of no flashing. This is the order and duration of each segment shown above (purple = visible segments):

0.06 blank, 0.06 visible, 0.03 blank, 0.03 visible, 0.03 blank, 0.03 visible, 0.03 blank, 0.24 visible (the long bit where "FLASHING" doesn't flash at all), 0.03 blank, 0.03 visible, 0.03 blank, 0.12 visible

(I only did this for the text that says "FLASHING" to give it a glitching effect. The other red text keeps the glow visible starting at the first long segment.)

PHASE 4: CREATE THE FADE-IN EFFECT

This is for the effect you see on the BLUE text in my gif!

4.1 – Animate using the Opacity Keyframe. Again, we're only touching the layers/groups WITH the glow effect. If you only have one layer of text, you'll find the Opacity Keyframe by clicking the film reel icon:

If you're working with groups like me, you'll find it in the Timeline panel under the group when it's expanded:

As you can see, I already added my keyframes (lil diamond babies). And luckily, it's super easy to do!

4.2 – Add the ending Keyframe first. We're starting at the end because our layers/groups are already at 100% opacity. Drag the playhead (the blue arrow attached to the red vertical line) to a spot where you want the glow to be 100% opaque — this is where the glow will be fully "on" or visible. [Again, follow the 0.03-Second Rule. You will get duplicate frames regardless when using keyframes (this will be explained in the note in Phase 5), but abiding to the rule will mitigate the amount of dupes you get.]

Then, click the clock icon by "Opacity" to place a keyframe:

4.3 – Add the starting Keyframe. Go backward from the ending Keyframe you just placed (I went back 0.12 seconds — but you can play around with the duration of the fade, just keep it a multiple of 0.03):

And drop another keyframe, this time by clicking the diamond icon by "Opacity":

4.4 – Reduce the opacity on the starting Keyframe. Keeping that keyframe you just placed selected, go to the layers panel and reduce your layer's/group's opacity to 0%:

Now, this Outer Glow will slowly fade from 0% to 100% opacity.

And just for a visual aid, here's where my fade-in keyframes are in relation to my flashing segments:

To refresh your mind, the 0% Opacity Keyframe starts when "FLASHING" is visible for 0.24 seconds (the first long segment of visibility).

With these keyframes, you'll get a smooth fade-in à la ✨light switch with a dimmer✨

PHASE 5: EXPORT

Yay, we're finished! Convert from Timeline back to Frames and export your gif!

NOTE: If you only did the flashing effect and followed my 0.03-Second Rule, you shouldn't have any duplicate gifs. BUT if you included the fade-in effect using keyframes, you WILL have duplicate frames. 'Tis the nature of keyframes. 🤷‍♀️ I had 4 extra frames where the fade-in starts, which I deleted. So, as always, I recommend checking your frames when you convert from Video Timeline back to Frame Animation — and manually delete any duplicate frames.

Sorry this tutorial is so long 🙈 I over-explain so you're not just mechanically copying steps, but understanding the WHY behind each step! Thanks for bearing with me

If you have specific questions about this tutorial, feel free to send a message to usergif and I'll try my best to help! :)

More USERGIF tutorials • More resources by Nik • USERGIF Resource Directory

[residentialsinyomakai]

I was tagged by the wonderful @jqmon ! Thank youuuu and here I go;

Favorite color: Purple, navy blue, and neons in general! They're pretty nice and can stand against a black background.

Last song i listened to: I have just had a random playlist on right now actually, but I think its called A Mask of my Own Face by Lemon Demon!

Currently Reading: "Camouflage of Great Reknown" by RatCandy! Again AUGH i love this fic Zote is me and i am Zote. Anyways, I would go on a tangent about that but this shouldn't drone on longer than my usual ramblings wahahazzzzz Also, "To Kill a Mocking Bird" By Harper Lee.

Currently watching/rewatching: "Yokai Watch!" and "Brave the Animated Series!" I've watched the latter almost 17 times in counting now aodjoeod, it's one of my faves that rivals Yokai Watch (which is pretty impressive if you know me!)

Want to watch/rewatch: "Yo-kai Watch" (OG), "Good Omens", "The Good Place", the new TMNT show and "ROTTMNT"! Quite the list but y'know =u=.

Currently craving: What I would do for some tiramisu right now...

Coffee or Tea: Same as prev, I like em both! I do like them like my chocolate though; a little more on the bitter side!

Hobbies in Mind: Drawing (digital and traditional), singing, playing videos games, and general crafts. I'd try to make anything once ○°w°○ wwwww.

Current AU: I have an unnamed Yokai Watch AU featuring my sona/character Caspian! I like making random stuff for it but I don't have a post or anything on it yet tho aifkoeod. Not to say I haven't fleshed some of it out or come up with a plot+official refs rho! (Fun fact if you've seen some of my posts; the yokai redesigns I showed yall a while ago were mostly just an excuse to show you the AU versions wwwww^) That, and a little personal world thing with two irls that I love <33 (COUGH. @samiisams and @sketchdeath22 ..... they have amazing stuff go look ooooo......)

People who I wanna get to know better: Hope y'all don't mind the tagggggggg!

@analog-smiles @c00kietin @strange0-0storm @amf-studios @aura-bug @suppai-limes @sketchdeath22 @samiisams

Love y'all!/p (hope I didn't accidently tag anyone whose already participated auiemdhjcr...)

[cowgurrrl]

It Ain't Me Babe

Pairing: Joel Miller x fem!reader

Author’s note: A holiday present from me to you ❣️

Summary: Ellie’s first art club meeting [2.8k]

Warnings: creative insecurity, mentions of financial instability, teacher things, Ellie talking about Sarah, more flirty flirt, I think that’s it??

Nothing has ever been as annoying or guilt-inducing as an unfinished piece of art. Sure, every artist— no matter the medium— has felt like an uncreative, unoriginal hack, but it still feels just as new as it did the first time. Moonlight streams through your window as you glare at the canvas, hoping for an idea or stroke of genius. It's late. You should be in bed, especially since it's a Sunday night and you spent your weekend working at the bar down the street. But you're holding a paintbrush between stained fingers and praying for a miracle. It's been eight months since you last sold a piece for a whopping $200, chump change when it comes to living in Austin these days. Even with two jobs and doing commission work, you're living paycheck to paycheck. Maybe that's why it's so hard to create? That has to be the reason. You don't remember it being this hard when you were younger.

Creating art was the only thing that brought you solace during your teenage years. It didn't matter if it was drawing, pottery, painting, sculpting. All that mattered was that you were doing it and you were good. You won awards, scholarships, and attention. Your art teacher, Ms. Henry, was a godsend. Grey-haired, glasses-wearing, colorful Ms. Henry glided through lessons and projects like it was second nature. She always had pencils in her hair, a mug in her hands, and a kind word on her lips when you entered her classroom. She's the one who pushed you to go to your artsy liberal arts college full of people richer and better than you. Even with her love and support, you struggled and almost dropped out after that first semester. 

"There's always someone better," she told you when you ended up crying across from her in a coffee shop. "But there's nobody in the world who can make what you will because there is and never will be another you. I mean, God, what a gift. I'd hate to see you waste it." That sobered you enough to keep going and eventually pursue a teaching certification. Ms. Henry has since retired to the Pacific Northwest with her wife, Mable, and sends you a postcard every once in a while because she believes smartphones will be the downfall of civilization. After so many years in education, you're ready to agree with her. 

You sigh, feeling your motivation fluttering away with your breath, and plop your paintbrush down in the cup engraved with the words "DO NOT DRINK" in bold. The canvas doesn't look like much of anything right now— just a mass of colors and shapes that could potentially pass as an abstract version of a landscape. It looks like the other painting you left at the school to work on when you have time. And the painting before that. And the one before that. You curse at exactly the same time your phone buzzes with a text. 

You awake?

You don't bother responding and go straight to FaceTiming her. She picks up on the second ring, her beautiful, round face greeting you with a smile. You met Andie during high school, and her effortlessly cool attitude and bulky violin kit quickly became a part of your heart. You two were inseparable all four years of high school, dividing your time between rehearsals and time spent in the studio, but college took you to art school and her to a prestigious orchestra program in Vienna. She's been there ever since graduation, playing for diplomats and royals alike, but she comes home for holidays, and you've been trying to save money to go see her. Being so far from her is hard, but you make it work. 

"Why are you awake?" You ask by way of a greeting, more than accustomed to your seven-hour time difference and her early riser habits. She laughs, and you hear a tea kettle whistle in the background. 

"Well, hello to you, too," she says. "I have rehearsals all day today, so I got an early start. Why are you awake?"

"I'm staring at my waking nightmare." 

"Oh, God, are you having another spiral?" 

"I'm a hack."

"You're an artist."

"I got rejected again this weekend," you say as if to prove your point, and she sucks her teeth. "They said my art didn't fit their vision for their exhibition, but to feel free and submit another time."

"Well, they must not know great art when they see it. There will be another exhibition and another chance for you to show off your amazing skills. And when you get accepted, which I know you will, I'll fly in, and we'll drink fancy champagne and talk shit the entire opening night." She says, and you sigh. Her persistent optimism is one of the things you love about her, but sometimes, all you want to do is sulk. 

"Or I could fly to you when your first composition gets performed, and we could do all those things in Austria instead of this shithole."

"Hey, some of us like that shithole."

"Some of us haven't lived in the shithole in ten years." 

"Touche," she concedes. "But I'm serious about what I said. You're a good artist, just going through a little bump in the road. One day, we'll be really sexy and successful, and we'll look back at this and laugh with our rich spouses while drinking expensive wine."

"One day," you say, smiling. "How are rehearsals going?" She groans at the question, and you laugh. Whenever you talk to her, she's working on a new show or with a new conductor and always has something to say. There are many things you could call your best friend, but lazy is not one of them.

"I feel like we're stuck on this one part, but the conductor won't listen to me. He says he knows better than I do, which might be true, but also, if he just listened to me, then we can move on. I don't know. I'm sure if I poke him enough, he'll have to listen to me."

"Sounds reasonable." 

"That's what I'm saying," she says as she shuffles her coffee mug and breakfast to her dining room table before checking the time. "It's midnight there. Don't you have school tomorrow?" She asks, and you sigh.

"And an early morning staff meeting and art club after school." 

"Sometimes, I worry about your mental health." She says, and you laugh a little too deliriously to prove her wrong. You stay up talking with her for a while before finally getting hit with a wave of fatigue and crashing into bed. 

The next day is not any less hectic than your weekend was. The staff meeting early in the morning is mind-numbing and completely unnecessary. The printer in the teacher's lounge breaks halfway through a heavy-duty print job, and you're left scrambling for new activities and lessons. Not only that, but your students were more out of control than usual, prompting a veteran teacher to come in and scold your class on your behalf. It would be kind if it didn't make you feel two inches tall and your students didn't look at you like you betrayed them. You spend your planning period indulging in the silence of your empty classroom and fighting off a migraine. 

The second the final bell sounds, your art club kids are knocking down your door, more than ready to work on their projects for the winter showcase. The winter showcase is hosted by a local art gallery that opens for submissions from students every fall. If a student's work is taken, it gets shown in the gallery, and they get entered into a prize to win money and a chance to paint a mural downtown. It's a big deal. So far, you haven't had a student win first place, but you've had them get very close. You always assure them you're proud of them no matter what, which is especially true when Ellie slinks into your classroom with a shy smile.

"Hey! We're just setting up supplies to work on stuff for the showcase. Do you have something to work on?" You ask, gesturing to the students working around the room in a buzz. 

"I think so. Are you gonna play music?" 

"Who do you think I am?" You make a face, and she laughs. "Why don't you find a spot and get comfortable while I queue up a playlist?" She hesitates for a second before she takes a deep breath and musters up the courage to approach another student to ask if she can sit with them. They start chatting easily, and her shoulders relax as she gets more and more comfortable with all the new people. You put on a random playlist and move around the room to answer any questions about colors or give an opinion when asked for one. Over the course of an hour, Ellie makes her own little group of friends, and they all talk as if they've known each other forever as they work. She seems so in her own element, and you can't fight the pride beaming in your chest. Okay, so maybe your job can be pretty cool sometimes. Not fame and fortune cool or traveling overseas cool, but cool nevertheless.

Students gradually start packing up their things and leaving when they get texts from impatient parents in the parking lot or close to dinner time, but Ellie stays behind, bobbing her head to a beat or bouncing her knee under the table. She's the only one left in the classroom when you start packing your stuff and preparing the room for the next day. "You've got a ride home, honey?" You ask, and she glances nervously between you and her phone.

"Yeah. My dad should be here soon." She says. 

"Alright, well, I've gotta lock up here, but I'll wait outside with you until he gets here."

"Oh, you don't have to do that."

"It'd make me feel better knowing you weren't left behind. Plus, I'm the adult responsible for you until he picks you up, so it's kinda illegal for me to just leave you here." You say, and she looks hesitant again but nods. Together, you walk out of the classroom and through the empty hallways until you get out to the scorching September afternoon. You stand outside in silence for a few seconds, taking in the sunset, before you turn to look at her.

"How'd you like the club?" You ask. 

"It was fun! I met lots of cool people."

"I told you, kid. You just needed to give it a chance."

"I know, I know," she rolls her eyes, and you smile. "Thank you for pushing me to go. I don't think I would've gone without you." She's so genuine and kind in her tone that it throws you off-kilter. You're used to being berated by students, staff, and parents. To be told you actually had an impact on someone is not commonplace, to say the least. 

"I'm sure you would've found your way there without me." 

"Maybe, but you helped me get there a lot sooner than I would've on my own." She says, and you take a deep breath. It feels nice to be acknowledged, especially after the day you've had, and Ellie seems to sense it. You're looking for something to say when she looks down at her shoes and kicks a stray rock. "Just take the compliment and move on. Don't make it a thing." 

"Alright." You say, laughing, and she cracks a smile, too. Traffic will be horrible on the way home, and you have nothing to eat for dinner, but it's okay. You did one good thing today. That's all you need. 

"Sorry, my dad is taking so long." She changes the subject, a touch of anxiety creeping in, and you shake your head. 

"Does he always work late?" You ask, and she shrugs.

"Sometimes. Dad and Uncle Tommy have been picking up jobs to send money to my sister in Boston. "

"What's in Boston for your sister?"

"Medical school. She's about to go into her internship at a hospital there."

"That's a big deal." You say, and she hums. 

"Yeah. She'll probably save the world or something one day." There's a hint of something nostalgic in her voice, and you decide to push just a little. 

"Do you miss her?"

"A lot," she says. "She's my best friend."

"She's lucky to have you." You say. She smiles but doesn't say anything. You want to ask more about her family, but a rickety, greenish pickup truck comes rumbling through the parking lot before you can. Ellie shifts her backpack on her shoulder as her dad and uncle come into view, and you smile at them. Joel, however, looks frantic. 

He's unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the driver's side door before the car can even finish moving. There's dirt on his pants and a little bit of a sunburn across his arms, the muscles straining across the black fabric. He politely pulls the ball cap off his head to reveal sweaty curls as he approaches you, jerking his head toward the truck at Ellie. "Why don't you wait in the truck with Uncle Tommy? He's got a snack for you." He says, and Ellie lights up at the mention of food. When you're alone, he tucks his hands in his pockets and gives you an apologetic look. 

"'M so sorry. We got caught up at work and lost track of time. It won't happen again." He says, wringing his hands like he's waiting to be scolded, but you wave him off. 

"It's okay. Things happen, and I'm just glad she's got someone picking her up." You say. 

"How'd she do today?"

"Really good. I think she fits right in."

"She make some friends?"

"I can't give away all my secrets. What else are y'all gonna talk about at the dinner table?" You tease. 

"I guess that's right," he says as he stares at you, a muscle in his jaw jumping. "Thanks for waitin' with her."

"It was my pleasure." You say. You stand awkwardly for a few seconds, rocking back and forth on your feet. His eyes are locked in yours, and there's a silent competition to see who's gonna blink first. "Well, I should let you get home. Have a good night." 

"Uh," he starts, stopping you before you can even fully take a step. "I wanted to apologize for the other night. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"You didn't make me uncomfortable," you say a little too quickly, and he smirks. "I was very flattered. Besides, it's not the first time."

"Beautiful woman like you, I'm sure you've got 'em linin' the block for a chance with you." He says. You're dancing a delicate dance here. You're not not flirting, and you're not not interested in him, but if your principal finds out, it could cause a whole new world of problems. Still, it's nice to be wanted after so long of being on your own. You're not a saint, but you're also not doing anything inherently wrong, right?

"The teacher thing usually freaks 'em out before they can get very far."

"That's a damn shame." He's quick with it, and you have to resist the urge to roll your eyes at the line. A buzz in your bag reminds you of the time and why you're still at school, and you find your footing again. 

"Uh, I usually give out my contact information to the parents of my art club kids in case they need anything or need to contact me quickly. Since Ellie's an official part of that, I figured I should give you my phone number in case anything comes up. If that's alright?" You say, and he pulls his cracked phone from his back pocket. 

"Yeah, yeah. That's more than alright." He says, handing it to you to punch in your information. 

"It's for emergency purposes only."

"What d'you consider an emergency?"

"Mr. Miller-"

"Joel." He corrects, and you give him a look as you pass his phone back. 

"Don't abuse it. I'd hate to have to put you in a group chat with all the PTA moms."

"You're evil." He groans, and you laugh. Tommy, leaning over and honking the truck horn, interrupts your conversation, and he shoots daggers through the back window. 

"I'll see you next week, Joel." You say, dismissing him, and he hesitates for another second before nodding.

"See you next week." He says and turns on his heels to get back in his truck. You think you vaguely catch Joel scolding Tommy for being impatient, but you ignore his deep voice and the engine sputtering as you walk to your own car with a little more pep in your step than this morning.

TAGLIST: @abbyhaslongshorts @kiwiharrykiwi @sumsworldz @myloveistoolittle @anavatazes @marantha @cosmoscoffeee @shyminnie07 @beezusvreeland @eddiemunsonsbedroom @harriedandharassed @doodlebob-mp3 (look at how many of you there are!)

[blippymilk]

Veneer x Fem! Dancer Reader

(I’m going to make a headcannon version of this and it will be gender neutral)

(Please feel free to replace the female pronouns if needed. I’m mostly going to stick to gender neutral fics, but because I’m so familiar as a dancer as a female, I’m making this a female reader fic.)

“Enjoy the show!” the ticket booth attendedent lady smiling at Veneer, as she handed him the tickets.

“Thank you.” He returned the smile as he walked through the black double doors into a room about as big as a theater. Your boyfriend had purchased two tickets to the dance competition your studio was going to be competing in today, one for himself, the other for his sister Velvet. “Ugh! Do I have to be here?” Velvet exclaimed, throwing her arms around in a over dramatic manner.

“No, you don’t that’s why I’m thankful that you tagged along sis.” Veneer said, now frantically looking for you. He came a bit early in order to see you. There were about 30 other people, stage managers, and a few dancers running around. He looked for you in your costume because he specifically remembered what it looked like when you tried it on.

Veneer pulled out his phone to text you and began typing, only being put to an immediate halt when you came, throwing yourself at him. “Venee!!” You giggled as he immediately caught you in his arms, his smile even wider than before. You were in his warm embrace as your tutu smooshed across his body.

“Heyyy (name).” Veneer stretched out this sentence like he usually does when he greets you. He gave you big kiss and you returned it. Velvet’s loud groan was the only reason you knew she was there to begin with. He put you down and observed your outfit, twirling you around once with his hand. “Where’s your costume babe?” he asked. “Oh, this is the group dance costume. We’re doing ballet this time, hence my tutu. But the one you saw me in was my solo costume.” You replied as veneer nodded, still focusing on your outfit.

(Choose one or make up your own)

“Your still slaying the look though babe.” Veneer said spinning you around once more as you giggled. You were used to having such a sassy boyfriend, which sometimes confused others but who cares, it’s Veneer. Velvet grumbled again and this time you paid attention to her. “Hey Velvet.” You said as she nodded her head in response. Velvet really did have a soft spot for you when it came to her brothers happiness, but dance competitions aren’t really her thing. Especially when she’s not one of the performers. It’s just hard for her to let anyone that’s not her enjoy the spotlight, so you were just thankful that she showed up.

Veneer began to speak again before being interrupted by a loud shriek then sent a shock through his body, nothing he wasn’t used to though being the brother of Velvet. “That sounds like my coach, I better go.” You said before turning around to run back, being stopped by Veneer grabbing you by you wrist. “What your not gonna give me a goodbye kiss?” Veneer said jokingly, but you could tell he was so dead serious. Rolling your eyes playfully you turned back and grabbed Veneer by the chin and pulling him into a kiss. Almost biting your lip in surprise, Veener melted into the kiss. If it weren’t for Velvet sighing loudly (and I mean loudly) you two might’ve went on for hours.

“Thanks Velvet, sorry about that.” You chuckled pulling away. “Yea thanks a lot Velvs.” Veneer said wiping his mouth (unintentionally) with almost a hint of sarcasm behind it. Velvet gave him quick stern look before he fixed the frown on his face. “Alright guys, hopefully I’ll see you in the audience.” “You know you will.” Veneer said finger gunning you. “And thanks again for coming Velvet.” You smiled at her. “Yea yea, no problem.” She replied sternly, but her eyes had softened as she gave a little smile.

More people started to come in so the twins grabbed an up and close seat. Velvet was occupied scrolling through her phone while Veneer was just anxious the whole time. His leg bouncing up and down, waiting and praying that you would do the best you could. He even found a pen in his pocket and started clicking like crazy. “VENEER!” Velvet said after literally point two seconds. “Sorry sis I’m just really nervous.” Veneer dropped the pen immediately. “Lord have mercy, the show hasn’t even started yet.” She rolled her eyes so hard you could see it from the stage if you were standing in it.

So when the competition finally did start you can imagine how anxious Veneer was, and how pissed Velvet was. Veneer kept looking through the program paper to see when your group dance was on. “Two more…two more…” at this point he was just excited and Velvet didn’t feel like bashing him for it, this time.

When your group dance was finally on he once again, frantically searched for you. After a few seconds he spotted you and the rest of the world just seemed to fade away. His eyes were on you and you only. He can feel himself falling in love with you all over again. The rest of the girls weren’t even there, if someone had asked he might’ve said it was a solo. He thinks knows you’re the best dancer on that stage. You stand out to him so much, and he thinks your above the rest of the girls. He thinks your too overlooked by your coaches. You could be the feature in the dance and he still would think you don’t have enough recognition.

Once your dance was over he was upset to see you leave the stage. But he remembered your solo was coming up and he regained hope. Then lost it again when he realized that the competition had to get done with the group dance category.

Veneer had watched, and slouched, and waited patiently through the group dance category until the competition manager announced the solo division. Veneer sat up in his seat because he knew you were one of the first to perform. He waited and waited until the announcers called the name of your dance. You gracefully walked out onto the stage in the costume Veneer had seen you in a while back. He thought you were gorgeous.

(You can choose one of these or come up with your own. Also the style of dance is up to you)

And when you started dancing once again, it was just you. His sister wasn’t there, the audience wasn’t there, the judges wern’t there. It was just you and the music. There was a moment in the dance he could’ve sworn you looked over at him and smiled brightly (which you probably did) which put this lovesick look on Veneer’s face. He watched as you turned and leaped (sorry for those that chose hip hop 😭). He could almost name a few of those moves. Even though Veneer could dance he never knew the names of certain moves, so he tried learned them so he could connect with you more. ‘Calypso…pas de chat…a la seconde turns…’ he was almost a pro.

He had been so focused and connected that before he knew it, your solo was over. He made sure to give you a standing ovation clapping loud and shouting your name. Velvet rolled her eyes but made sure to clap just as loud. And a few other people joined in with Veneer.

Soon the results rolled around and Veneer was as anxious as ever. All the teams were sitting out on the stage. He really wanted you to win your solo. He cared about the group dance but not as much as your specific solo. At this competition they announced solos first so Veneer was on cloud nine. When they got to your age division he noticed you tense up a bit. He waited for your eyes to lock with his and he gave you a ‘Don’t worry I know you’ll win this’ look with just his eyes. You smiled a bit and went back to focusing on the judges.

“Third runner up…(____).” The judge called as the girl went to claim her award. You and Veeners legs were bouncing as there were only two more places left and no sign of your name. “Second place goes to…(____)” Now you knew you had either blew it or knocked it out of the park. You waited for them to announce first place as some of the girls held your hand. “First place overall goes to…” Veneer was would’ve exploded if the judge took any longer, “(Name!)” the announcer called as you pumped your fist in the air and went to collect your prize. Veneer almost jumped out of his seat. He was louder than the whole theater combined.

The announcer asked you the name of your studio, as Veneer whooped and hollered. You looked back at him and smiled and you even saw Velvet smiling at you as well.

Your group ended up getting second in the teen group division, but you were still so happy that you had won.

When the competition was over you ran to Veneer with the big trophy in your hand, as he held his arms open to embrace you. “Try not to knock me out with it!” Veneer yelled right before you got to him, and for the record you almost did. “You did so good! You definitely deserved that win more than anyone else here, I don’t care.” He said causing you to laugh. “I don’t know, it was really hard competition today.” You replied. “Well you deserved it.” He said dragging out the last word, that meant he was about to get lovey dovey.

“Yeah that was good (name). Now let’s go now or I’ll never get you two in the car.” She said walking off. Was she a little aggressive? Yes. Was she wrong? No.

[hurpdurpburps]

Astoria: Fate's Kiss Is Getting Re-released On 25 July, Here Are Some Things You Should Keep In Mind

Most people don't know it (until now I guess), but I'm the founder of, and have been running the @ls-salvation-squad project since Christmas 2021. I hardly interact with the LS community outside of the project server in a personal capacity as I've largely left the fandom around 6 months before the announcement of the app's closure.

I was pretty late to the game (pun intended), having only learnt about the app in 2020, but managed to be around for 'milestone events' such as the writers' strike and the DMCA rampage on YouTube/tumblr. Thanks to certain friends and technology, I've also had privileged access to a quasi-'insider look' into Voltage's workings (and failings) as a studio, both in real time and through secondhand horror stories of the past.

This culmination of experiences has spurred me to make my first, and last, personal opinion piece regarding LS on tumblr, a corner of the community that I haven't really interacted much with.

While I understand the sheer joy, relief and excitement that comes with revived, legal access to some of the most impressive, unapologetically queer stories to have ever graced the internet, I want to point out the ugly truths that are intertwined with the revival of this troubled app:

Buying the game =/= supporting the creators. Not a cent of your money goes towards them. Even when Voltage USA used to be a thing, barely any of it went towards the employees in general either. The writers were paid 3 cents/word, and producers were working twice as hard but only paid around half of their counterparts in other companies. AFAIK the artists have kept quiet but it would be more of a surprise if they were treated any better than their peers.

Buying the game =/= supporting queer content/community. This might come as a shocker, but homophobia ran rampant within Voltage's management. The best evidence of this can be found in their history of 'peculiar' business or creative decisions - and they've made a fuckton of bad choices. Fun fact; the first queer routes were only made possible via sheer force of will of a particular producer. I'm not at liberty to share the nitty gritty on this public platform as the stories aren't mine, but maybe if you asked some of the former staff nicely, they might give you cryptic hints.

You're gonna be paying them a THIRD time. Many of us have already shelled out hundreds of dollars on heart choices - not once, but twice. Putting the whole version on Steam/Switch had always been a valid option from the beginning of the end, but they chose not to do it. Why? Because users scrambling to make bulk purchases of tickets and hearts to record routes as a last hurrah meant a last, fat cash-in. Not to mention the fact that they're selling the game at US$30 per series, for almost decade-old content, presumably without any new additions. At this point, throwing your hard earned money at them AGAIN is just rewarding scummy management and unscrupulous business models.

Do you really need to? Our team of around 100 archivists worked tirelessly in Q1 of 2022 to provide you high quality recordings of every single route. We've gone so far as to acquire recordings of pre-LS Voltage content such as Queen's Gambit and all of the soundtracks. We've put assets up for download. There are a dozen passionate creators out there who have been updating their Ren'Py recreations so that you can scratch your itch - and all for free!!! What more could you possible want or need that only the greedy bastards at Voltage can give you - apart from seeing your custom MC name on the screen and the absolutely inconsequential choices B & C that our videos didn't cover?

Is this a call for a boycott? I guess not really, or at least I didn't consciously set out to make it like this. Dissuading others from purchasing legal access to media when it's easily available goes against my general principle about responsibly and pragmatically supporting creators. And as one 'em Gays™, I know the preciousness of possessing Queer Stories Written By Queer People.

But I was concerned at what seemed to be a wave of happiness and eagerness at news of the revival, without any mention of the absolute shit show that has led us to this very point. There's a very big part of me that's absolutely pissed at being taken for a ride. News of the revival has been a bittersweet development for us all, especially those who have poured their time, money and energy over the past 2.5 years into salvaging what was thought to be a lost piece of queer media - only to find out that all that effort might only get them a slap to the face in the form of a DMCA from the grave. So yeah, fuck you Voltage.

TLDR: You should really save your money for more ethical, indie developers who have the decency to not mock your consumer intelligence. I don't think it's a crime against humanity if you end up buying it after all, but just think about it yeah?

[herslvt]

Kpop Soft Thougts with Ateez Hyung Line

From a black female writer -

I think my bias is very evident in my writing 😭 I'm ot8 I promise (I'm confused that's what I am)

This was very self indulgent, anyway go read the Maknae version

Maknae Version

ATEEZ members who spoil the literal hell out of you and treat you like a princess in their own individual ways.

Hongjoong! will take you to the studio with him and let you sit in his lap, knowing it's distracting for him but he doesn't care because he loves you and wants you to be happy. He'd rather be couped up in the studio with you than anywhere else and honestly you don't mind.

Hongjoong! Who randomly shows up to you apartment with food at random hours because in his words he had an incling you were hungry, he in fact was always right and you never understood how. (I am a strong believer that seonghwa and wooyoung are the exact same way)

Seonghwa! Who begs you to let him try to style you hair whether it be natural or in braids or even if your a wig wearer. He will find cute hair styles on Pinterest and learn to do them to make you smile. (This resonated with yeosang also)

Seonghwa! Who calls you randomly to make sure your okay mentally and will show up at your apartment at the first sign that you're not. He will treat you like an Angel, coddling you until you feel better regardless of what he had to do that day.

Yunho! Treats you like a doll, buys you whatever you want and refuses to tell you no. You don't even have to beg (he might make you just because he loves the sight of you begging) You want to go out for lunch? He'll find time. You want to get your hair done? He's getting it done. He doesn't care!

Yunho! Sleeps holding you in his arms because he loves the way you feel under him. Will quite literally cage you in and not let you go, not even on purpose he just can't bare to sleep without you. You're his peace and he needs you to sleep through the night ♡ (MINGI, MINGI, MINGI like best friend like best friend I literally think he'd be the exact same way)

Yeosang! You're his pretty little princess and because of that he likes to leave very expensive gifts around your apartment randomly for you to find. You tell him to cut it out but he just can't stop. You found a pair of Chanel earrings in your dish washer and almost strangled him. He means well though so just accept the gifts and don't speak about where you found them.

Yeosang! Who has movie nights with you where the two of you build a fort in your living room. The floor covered in snacks as you both cuddle under each other and watch the princess and the frog for the 2,000th time since you've been dating. He'll never admit it but he secretly refers to you as his Evangeline when talking about you to others. They'd never understand it but he does and that's all that matters.

[kitten4sannie]

ᴘᴜɴɪꜱʜᴍᴇɴᴛ

Boyfriend! Hongjoong x Fem! Reader 

Genre: smut, some tooth-rotting fluff at the end, idol! au

Summary: What happens when you distract Hongjoong from his work? He loses his temper, obviously. Good thing that’s exactly what you were hoping for 🖤

W.C: 3.9k 

Warnings: established relationship, dom! Hongjoong, sub! reader, Hongjoong is ruthless, filthy dialogue (when i say filthy i mean FILTHY), frequent use of the word “Daddy”, it’s givinggg ddlg, brat taming, name calling, degradation, hair pulling, slapping, spit play, pussy slapping, sex toy usage, orgasm denial, squirting, fingering, spanking, sorta passionate sorta rough (unprotected) sex, very brief cockwarming 

Author's Note: This is a very self-indulgent one, but so are the other ones that I've written ajskdhkds. I hope you enjoy 🖤

Song Recs: Daddy Issues by The Neighbourhood (this song is perfection point blank period), The Beach also by The Neighbourhood 

➽───────────────❥

You sat beside your boyfriend in his recording studio, chewing on your lip and aimlessly looking around to quell your boredom. Hongjoong had been working on a demo for the last thirty minutes, completely engulfed in his own world. 

He had promised to spend some time with you earlier that week. Instead, here you were all dolled up for him and he hadn’t even spared you a single glance. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t upset, so you figured you might as well make an attempt to steal back his attention.

This, however, was a pretty risky move. You already knew that Hongjoong hated being interrupted when his creative juices were flowing; in fact, the last time you had done that, your ass was so bruised, that you couldn’t sit down for a week without wanting to cry.

 You usually preferred when Hongjoong was his normal, exceptionally sweet self, but the masochist inside you had an affinity for the cruel version of himself that he sometimes revealed to you. Perhaps it was time for him to pay you a visit. 

“Daddyyyy….” you whined into his pierced ear, grabbing onto the sleeve of his hoodie and tugging at it. “I’m literally going to die if you don’t give me attention right now…”

Hongjoong stopped moving his computer mouse around, giving you a side eye. You knew better than to start acting like this while he was working, so that alone already began to piss him off. 

“Sweetie,” he started, his voice devoid of any warmth. “I told you that I would need an hour to get this done. It’s very important. I know we were supposed to do something together tonight, so I’ll make it up to you, okay?”

You pouted, crossing your arms across your chest and leaning back into the computer chair you were sitting in. “Whatever,” you muttered, rolling your eyes. 

Hongjoong’s jaw clenched in response to your bratty behavior, eyes scanning you for a minute to see if you were going to pull another stunt. When he saw that you were just sitting there quietly, his attention turned back onto the track he was working on. 

Only a few minutes had passed, before you were ready for phase two of Operation: Mean Hongjoong. It was a very simple plan, but it was fool-proof. You could feel more and more butterflies accumulating in your stomach the longer you waited to act on your carnal desires. 

Taking in a deep breath, you stood up suddenly and swung one of your legs over Hongjoong’s lower half, before sitting down on his lap. Without another word, you grabbed the computer mouse from his hand and tossed it across the desk where he couldn’t reach it. 

“I can’t wait, Daddy. I want your attention now!” you whined, grabbing his shoulders tightly and shaking him a bit.

The almost glazed-over look in Hongjoong’s eyes would’ve scared you if it hadn’t turned you on first. Every time he got like this, it was like you were dealing with an entirely different person. Your precious Joongie was nowhere to be found; in this state, he might as well have been a demon disguised as a human. And this version of himself wanted nothing more than to see you crying and begging for his mercy. 

“Daddy, did you hear me? I said I w-” 

Your words were quickly cut short when he abruptly grabbed a fistful of your hair, his fingers keeping a tight grip near the base of your scalp. It burned and you loved it. You really were nothing but a slut for the pain he occasionally provided you, but who could blame you? It’s not your fault you had daddy issues.

 The rough, yet very precise slap that Hongjoong brought to your cheek pulled you out of your current headspace.

 “Ow!” you reacted, looking at him with wide eyes and a pout, feigning innocence.“What was that for, Daddy? You’re so mean…” you murmured, rubbing your cheek, as a way to ease the pain. 

Without hesitation, Hongjoong gave you another smack, this time on your other cheek, leaving both sides of your face warm and stinging. 

“Don’t play games, brat. You know the rules. It’s time for your punishment.” 

You could feel arousal begin to pool inside your core, causing your panties to feel wet and sticky, without any stimulation. You gazed up at him with lust-filled eyes, biting into the skin of your bottom lip. 

You were going to enjoy every single second of this.

“Open your mouth,” Hongjoong commanded, as his fierce brown eyes bored into yours, his eyebrows knitting together.

You could almost feel the rage emanating from his body. 

Your lips parted obediently, your eyes studying Hongjoong’s beautiful, yet in this moment, harsh features. He was mad, mad. You almost felt guilty for pissing him off so much, but being the brat that you were, you had no regrets whatsoever. 

A wad of spit suddenly came flying out of Hongjoong’s mouth and onto your sore cheek, slowly dripping down it. You shuddered, trying to keep yourself from moaning.

“Oops, missed,” he observed dryly, still maintaining an iron grip on your hair. “Stick your tongue out, slut.” 

You did so without question, the tip of your tongue resting against the area just below your bottom lip. 

“Aaah…” 

More spit came shooting out of his mouth, this time landing directly into your own, some hitting the back of your throat. 

“Good girl. Now swallow.” 

You did, feeling the aching between your legs increase tenfold. Reaching down to ease some of the discomfort, Hongjoong noticed almost immediately and slapped your hand away from yourself. 

“Ah, ah, ah,” he scolded, holding out a finger to shake it disapprovingly. “You lost that privilege when you decided to be a distracting little whore who couldn’t wait for an hour for my cock.”

You whimpered at his words, loving the way he talked to you. You wanted more. You needed more. Luckily for you, Hongjoong was just getting started.

 He suddenly let go of your hair and picked you up, setting you down on the desk, somewhat forcefully. Hongjoong lifted up your skirt and admired the obvious wet patch that was present on your panties, before giving your pussy a quick, hard slap. 

“A-ah!” you gasped, gripping the edge of the desk, feeling the knots in your stomach tighten significantly. 

“Be a good girl and sit still while Daddy looks for something.”

 He walked over to some bins that were sitting in the corner of the room and started rummaging through one of them. 

You sat still just as he asked of you, hands resting obediently in your lap, your pussy throbbing in anticipation of his punishment. 

“Here we go. I found just the thing to keep you busy while Daddy finishes his demo.”

Your eyes widened at the toy he held in his hand. It might’ve not looked like much, but you knew better; you were very familiar with this one. It was a simple vibrating bullet, nothing too intimidating about that, but here’s the thing: it had ten different settings of varying vibration power and could be controlled with an app, giving Hongjoong the ability to do whatever he liked. You almost felt dizzy just thinking about how long you were going to have to use it on yourself. 

“You remember this one, Y/N? Oh wait, probably not. The only thing occupying that empty head of yours is Daddy’s cock. Am I correct?”

 Hongjoong stalked towards you, like a predator would with its prey. His dominating presence, combined with his dark lust-filled eyes never failed to send shivers up your spine. 

You nodded your head in agreement, his degrading words hitting in the best way possible. Mean Hongjoong was your absolute favorite, you couldn’t lie. Even Wooyoung was into it, so how could you not be? 

Hongjoong pulled out his phone and opened the app, before looking at you with a disconcerting neutral expression. “You’re going to hold this against your clit until it dies or until I'm done, whichever happens sooner. Got it? And you better not cum until I say so, or else.” 

“Y-yes, Daddy,” you answered, swallowing nervously. 

There was no going back now; you had to take his punishment. 

*** 

“F-ffffuck…! Daddy, please, no more! It’s too much!” you cried out, legs starting to feel like jelly, hot tears already staining your cheeks. 

You were sitting on the side of Hongjoong’s desk next to his computer, where there was just enough room for you to have your legs spread open for him. You had no idea how much time had passed, but you had routinely gotten close to orgasming at least five times already, so it had to have been a while. Every time you got close, Hongjoong would suddenly order you to stop. It was killing you, but at the end of the day, you were the one that asked for this to happen. 

“I think you’re exaggerating, baby,” Hongjoong mumbled nonchalantly, his eyes focused on the screen in front of him. His finger was hovering over his phone, as he wondered if he should put the toy on the highest setting or not. 

“P-please, stop! Please!” you begged, starting to pull your hand away from in between your legs.

When Hongjoong noticed, he immediately reached over and gave your clothed pussy two rough slaps in a row, causing you to let out a choked gasp. 

“What did I say, whore? You pull your hand away again and I’m going to leave that leaking pussy of yours all red and swollen.” Hongjoong casually looked back at his computer screen, clicking away at the mouse, as if he didn’t just say something incredibly filthy.

“I-i‘ll be good, Daddy…I’m sorry.” You obeyed his command, pressing the bullet back against your throbbing clit. Just as you did, Hongjoong’s finger tapped the screen of his phone. 

“Fuck!” you yelled out in response, your hips bucking involuntarily. You were so incredibly sensitive after being tortured for so long, that you were already about to reach your orgasm again. 

“Daddyyy…!” you moaned in a whiny tone, looking in his direction, desperate for him to pay attention to you. His eyes flickered over to yours, appearing indifferent. For some reason, his uninterested expression sent you over the edge. You let out a series of constricted moans, as you squirted directly into your panties, soaking them completely.

“Mm, couldn’t help yourself, could you, brat? Looks like I’ll have to punish you more. I wonder how long it’ll take for you to learn not to disobey me,” Hongjoong commented, closing the app on his phone and standing up from his computer chair.

“I-i’m sorry, Daddy…It just felt so good..” you pouted, not getting an answer from him. 

 Hongjoong placed himself in front of you, pulling your drenched panties to the side and using two fingers to move up and down your pulsing hole, admiring the wet sounds it made. 

“I think you need to be spanked. At least ten times. What do you think, Y/N? Is that a fair punishment?” 

You nodded your head quickly, gasping when the pads of his fingers rubbed circles around your swollen clit. He used two fingers from his other hand to slip inside your eager hole, silently fingering you for a couple minutes. 

“D-Daddy…that feels…good…” you exhaled shakily, just as you felt his fingers curl inside you, hitting your g-spot. “F-fuck…!”

Hongjoong casually pulled away from you when he felt your pussy clenching around his digits, popping them into his mouth to clean them. He walked over to the couch that was behind him, sitting down with his legs spread open slightly.

 “I want you laying across my lap with your ass up in the next two seconds. Skirt and panties off. Leave the knee-socks,” he smirked, patting one of his thick thighs with his veiny hand. 

You scrambled off of the desk, quickly sliding out of your skirt and panties. You then ran over to Hongjoong and positioned yourself across his lap, equally scared and eager for what was about to come. 

“I want you to count every time I spank you. Are you ready, brat?” he asked in a low voice, his dark eyes surveying your exposed lower half. 

“Yes, Daddy,” you replied, nodding your head confidently. 

You were extremely ready for what he was about to do, but your heart still pounded away inside your chest. You knew he was going to be ruthless; you could feel it in your bones. 

Hongjoong took a deep inhale, opening and closing his dominant hand a few times as a way to prepare himself for the pain he was about to bestow upon you. 

“Three…two…one…” 

When his hand suddenly came down onto your bare ass, you couldn’t help but let out a moan. When he didn’t hear the number one coming out of your mouth, he swiftly smacked your ass again, harder this time. 

“I thought I told you to count, whore.” 

“T-Two! It’s two!” you whimpered, your lips forming a pout. 

Hongjoong let out an ‘ahhh’ sound, pretending to sound impressed. “So you are capable of counting. And here I thought you were just a brain dead little fuckdoll that’s only good for getting your cunt stuffed full of my cock and cum.” 

You felt your pussy clench around nothing but his venom-filled words, wishing for him to continue degrading you. It felt so unbelievably good to hear him say nasty things like that; you swore you could cum from his words alone, if you really wanted to. 

Hongjoong brought his hand down again, before his fingers gently brushed over your already-burning skin, as an attempt to ease the pain you felt. 

“Three…” you exhaled, closing your eyes, taking in a sharp inhale, as a desperate attempt to prepare yourself for the next round. 

Pulling his hand back farther than before, Hongjoong mercilessly sent another wave of pain into your backside, sighing to himself when he heard the long, drawn out whine that escaped your mouth. 

“F-four..!” You gripped the side of the couch so tightly, your knuckles began to turn white. 

Hongjoong gave you a single second to recover, just before the palm of his hand expertly cracked down on a large section of your ass cheek, his dark eyes focusing on the way it bounced back. 

“F-fuck! Five!” you cried out, wondering how you were going to handle the rest, if the fifth one already had you on the brink of insanity. 

*** 

By the time you counted to eight, you were seeing stars. Your ass was sporting a deep shade of red, with bruises already starting to form underneath your skin. There was a constant stream of drool dripping down your chin, but you could care less. You were in heaven. 

“Ready for the last two, brat? Hm?” Hongjoong used his hand to massage your swollen ass cheeks, knowing you were in rough shape. He almost felt bad, but then he remembered that you loved every second of it. What a good little painslut you were for him. He would definitely have to reward you for your efforts. 

“Yes, Daddy…” you mumbled, only able to focus on the constant stinging sensation you felt radiating from your battered ass. 

You only knew he had spanked you again because you heard the slapping sound interrupt the silence in the room. You were simply too far gone to concentrate anymore, but you desperately wanted to please Hongjoong. 

“N-nine…” 

Hongjoong reeled his hand far back, watching as you took a deep inhale. “Last one, baby. You can do it.” 

“Give it to me, Daddy,” you encouraged, gripping the side of his thigh tightly with your sweaty hands. 

Hongjoong’s palm slammed viciously down onto your bruised ass for the last time, the extreme pain sending you into a state of pure euphoria. 

“Ten…” you exhaled with an airy voice, your body slowly relaxing against his. You closed your eyes for a minute in order to ground yourself, due to feeling like you were floating. 

Hongjoong lifted you up and into his lap, gently rubbing your ass with both hands, as an attempt to soothe the lingering pain.

 “You did so well for me, baby. So, so well.” 

You hummed at his praise, wrapping your arms around Hongjoong. “Yay…” you sighed breathlessly, resting your head in the crook of his neck and clinging to him. You stayed in that position for a while, until you finally noticed that Hongjoong’s aching cock was poking against your bare pussy through his sweatpants. 

“Daddy?” 

“Yes, angel?” he inquired, rubbing slow circles on your lower back. 

“Can you please fuck me now?” 

Hongjoong let out a low groan, his dick twitching against you. Sure, you had to go through your punishment, but in a way, Hongjoong had been punished as well. He had sat there the entire time with a raging hard-on and didn’t even touch himself once. But now, it was finally time for him to relieve the built-up tension. 

“Of course I can, baby,” he cooed, bringing his hand up to cup your cheek, thumb rubbing your jaw affectionately. He then lowered his sweatpants, allowing his stiff cock to spring out against his lower abdomen. “Are you ready for Daddy’s cock, babygirl? Hm? Are you ready for me to fill your pretty little cunt up completely?” 

“Yes, please…!” you exclaimed, pressing yourself onto him, your bodies flush against one another. 

Hongjoong lifted your hips up and guided the head of his cock to your slit, slowly slipping it inside your slick opening, causing you to moan in response.

“Fffuck, baby…I fuck you almost every day and yet you’re still so fucking tight…” he exhaled, finally bottoming out inside of you. “Mm, my cock still fits so perfectly inside you, though. Your Daddy’s little personal cocksleeve, aren’t you?” 

Your pussy started to pulse around his length, clearly showing him how much his filthy words affected you.

 “Of course I am, Daddy. I just want to get used by you day after day after day…until the very end.” 

Hongjoong responded to your words by finding a good pace to thrust into you at, the springs in the couch creaking along to his movements. He slid both of his hands underneath your top, grabbing your braless breasts with his soft hands. His fingers tweaked your nipples, flicking them one by one for a bit, before pulling them. 

“D-Daddy…!” you gasped, back arching in response to the endless pleasure he provided you. 

After Hongjoong was done playing with your breasts, he wrapped both hands securely around your waist, before snapping his hips up into yours at a brutal new pace. “Oh, yeahhh…that’s it…” Hongjoong kept his eyes on yours, wanting to maintain eye contact with you. You gazed back at him, your own eyes filled with pure unadulterated love and lust.

 He smiled at you with his teeth, his tongue poking out in a playful way. “I fucking love the way you look at me, baby…You always act like this is the first time I’m fucking you…” 

You had your arms wrapped securely around Hongjoong’s neck, pressing your forehead against his, feeling his soft breath hit your chin. “That’s because it always feels like the first time, Daddy…” 

You both continued to look into each other’s half-lidded eyes, Hongjoong’s thrusts never slowing down or faltering in the slightest.

 “My pretty baby…so beautiful…” he praised, already starting to feel like he was about to cum. He couldn’t help it; you were just so good for him. His perfect match. “B-baby, I’m gonna cum, but…aaah…I need you to cum with me.” 

You nodded, pulling your face away from your boyfriend’s, when you felt your own high start to creep up on you, wanting to get a better look at him when he eventually reached his climax. 

“M-me too, Daddy…I want to…cum…with you too…” you replied, in between moans, feeling his thrusts becoming less coordinated and more sloppy.

He gripped your waist tightly, sliding down against the couch a bit, so that he could start pounding into you at a better angle. You let out a strangled scream, your fingers slipping into his damp hair, gripping it desperately. 

“Daddy…! I-i’m gonna…! Fuck!”

Hongjoong nodded his head, watching you with a fervent gaze, replying, “I know, angel. I know. Just let go and cum for Daddy.”  

He shoved his cock into you one last time and that’s all it took for you to unravel, your vision fading quickly and everything around you disappearing while you came. 

Hongjoong brought you back to reality by cupping his hands on either side of your cheeks, pressing his forehead against yours once again. He let out a long groan, his cum spilling out deep inside you, filling you up with his love.

 “You feel that, baby? You feel Daddy’s cum inside your pretty little pussy?” 

“Y-yessss…” you breathed out, completely and utterly fucked-out. A small amount of drool dripped down the side of your lip, prompting Hongjoong to wipe it away with his thumb. 

“You’re so pretty, baby…All fucked-out for me.”

“Only for you…Daddy,” you added, your lips curling into a warm smile. 

“Only for me,” he echoed, giving you a gentle kiss. 

He held you in his arms for a while, his cock still sitting inside you. You always loved when he did this; it made you feel so warm and full inside. You sighed softly, enjoying the sensation as much as you could, before it would inevitably go away. 

 Once Hongjoong had his fill of cockwarming, he pulled out, watching as his cum slowly dripped out of your hole. He hummed to himself, never getting tired of seeing his seed spill out of you. He then looked up to focus on your flushed face, giving you a heartfelt smile. You felt your heart skip a beat, as you smiled back at him just as lovingly. 

“You know I didn't want to punish you, right? You were being a huge brat, so I had no choice." Hongjoong tilted his head slightly, his eyes scanning your face. "You do know that, right, angel?” he asked softly, running his fingers through your damp, messy hair. 

“Yeah, I know, Joongie,” you replied, giving him a sheepish smile. “I’ll try not to be a brat again. I want to be your good girl.” 

“You’ll always be my good girl, Y/N. Always.” Hongjoong looked at you with love in his eyes, filling your heart up with a warm, fuzzy feeling.  

“I love you…” you gushed, placing a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat steadily against it. He immediately slipped his own hand over yours, squeezing it softly. 

“Love you more, baby.” Hongjoong kissed the top of your forehead, before pulling you against his chest, in order to give you a long, much-needed hug.

➽───────────────❥

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© toxicccred, 2022.

[sirfrogsworth]

I keep wanting to write the ultimate post on autotune but I just never quite finish. I think there are 3 versions of almost-done autotune posts in my drafts.

So I'm going to leave out the technical and try to simplify my points.

Autotune is not the devil.

It is not good or bad.

It is just a tool.

It can be used well.

It can be used poorly.

And most importantly...

Autotune cannot make you sound good.

In fact, reverb and EQ can do more to make a bad singer sound okay than autotune.

All autotune does is correct pitch.

Singer sings the wrong note.

Autotune shifts that note.

Nothing about that makes you a better-sounding singer. It doesn't change your tone. It doesn't give you more range. It doesn't give you more power or dynamics. It doesn't give you vibrato.

It just makes you... in tune.

I have never heard anyone say of a great singer, "Wow, they are so in tune!" No one cries over a beautiful performance because the singer hit all the right notes.

And I guess if you are wildly out of tune, people might say you are a bad singer, but I would actually say that makes you an *inexperienced* singer. And whether you are good or bad cannot really be determined until the tuning issues are addressed. (Which most of the time is just a matter of training and practice.)

Good singers can sing the wrong note. It happens quite a lot, actually. Especially with material they aren't familiar with yet. In fact, every singer hits wrong notes. Even people with perfect pitch hit the wrong note. They just know immediately when it happens. This is because singing a note is a physical action and if your vocal mechanisms are not warmed up or you have a cold or the temperature is hot or cold, it is impossible to know if you are going to hit the perfect pitch at any given time.

This is why people warm up and rehearse and do scales before actually singing anything.

Autotune's main use is to fix good takes that have a few sour notes. That is what it is used for 95% of the time. Otherwise you are burning through expensive studio time doing take after take until you hit every single note at the perfect pitch. Sometimes a singer will do an AMAZEBALLS version of a take and they hit one sour note and instead of trying to create that lightning-in-a-bottle moment again, they just nudge the one note and save the performance.

You do not notice autotune the vast majority of the time. If it is used properly, autotune artifacts are completely inaudible.

In fact, I would argue that autotune makes inexperienced singers sound worse. That robotic sound you sometimes hear means the singers were very out of tune. The more out of tune you are, the worse autotune sounds. The more in tune you are, the more invisible it is.

There are very few people who are actually tone deaf. Which means everyone can be taught to sing in tune with decent consistency. And so if there is an instance where someone uses a lot of very obvious sounding autotune, it means they weren't interested in practicing. Or that they got tired of doing multiple takes and had better things to do.

And it isn't that they are a *bad* singer necessarily, but they are probably a lazy one.

Now, there is a different discussion about using autotune to "fix" notes that probably don't need to be fixed. Some variation in pitch can be a good thing. It can show emotion and give notes some spicy flavor. Sometimes singers will start out of tune and shift up to the right note. Like a vocal guitar bend. Being perfectly in tune can sound sterile. And sometimes overzealous producers will let their perfectionism get the better of them and make sure every single note is accurate to the cent and it brings a lifeless feel to the song.

When musicians complain about autotune, this is usually what they are talking about. Not some nepo baby with a record deal who couldn't be bothered to practice their song enough to get it mostly in tune when they sing it.

You should only use autotune to fix pitch when a note truly feels wrong. Like, it is so out of tune that it breaks your immersion.

Otherwise, leave it spicy.

[madlificent]

Reach Clip Studio Paint Pro - 6 hours Throughout the past year, I have become entranced by the band glass beach ever since my friend recommended "plastic death" to me. "the first glass beach album" (where the line in this piece is from) is a trans anthem from a band with multiple queer members including their trans gal lead. It resonates so deeply with me and I sing along with it quite often. And as my transition continues along and I jam out to glass beach for the millionth time, I often end up reflecting back on my journey and the emotions held within it, both recent and long past. I'll admit that, despite how comforting it initially was to say the words "I think I'm trans" to my partner almost two years ago now, it was also terrifying and worrisome. I didn't know what that meant, I didn't know what that would look like for me, how family and friends would react. I was stepping into a void, an abyss if you will, and I was more than a little scared. But a part of my self, my true self, pleaded for me to take her hand and join her in diving into that abyss. Because even though the unknown was scary, with time it would grow comfortable, I'd adjust and find my footing in it and it was a whole hell of a lot better in time than the lie I was living for so long. And that's what this piece is about. It features Sorochi instead of myself as I have always found portraying my gender and mental health struggles to be more comfortable for me when they are channeled through her. Her true self bears the wings of the abyss angel, a critter of glass beach's making. I wanted to play with the “savior” concept, but angel wings felt far far too cliche and ill-fitting. The amorphous, “ugly��� design of the abyss angel’s wings and its name felt much more in line with the vision I had. Because I wasn’t fully sure who I would become or what form I would take when I first jumped in. And I’m honestly still finding that out as time marches ever onward. I also wanted to spin the savior concept on its head a little and make the savior another version of one’s self. Because that’s really what happened for me. Yeah I talked about my identity with friends, yeah I sought my partner for support and a therapist for counseling, but ultimately the only one that really made the first step in all of that process was me. And that’s not to say I don’t appreciate the support and the love my friends, family, and peers have given me, I cherish it more than they all know. But I also recognize that only I could make the final decisions, call the final shots, take the first step into the abyss.

I think also that "into the abyss again" stands out in particular to me for this piece. Because, as depicted in a sort of twisted "black and white, x is absolutely y" fashion, I was already in an abyss. One I had slowly sank into over time and constructed by expectations, lack of knowledge, and fear of digging too deep lest I uncover something horrific. But that abyss was leeching me, I didn't know how lifeless, how drained I was until two years into this journey where I am finally joyous and bouncy and comfortable in my skin. Sorochi is my own OC. Lyrics and abyss angel wings belong to @glass--beach

[inficetegodwottery]

So. Werewolf 5th Edition.

Werewolf 5th edition sucks. A lot.

Edit- I made some errors in my initial edit of this post that were fuelled entirely by being underinformed and almost insensible with anger, disappointment, and anxiety.

Some very informative responses have been made that I intend to incorporate into a much better and less rambling post with those updates and corrections. I'll probably delete this one soon as I type that one together, so folks only see the updated version.

Sorry for any mistakes I made on this old version, again, I was in an extremely poor place mentally and thoroughly dispirited by the total butchering of what was supposed to be a less shitty and mean-spirited version of a setting I care deeply for despite its foundational flaws and 30+ year history of exactly this thing happening.

I'm still very, very angry. But it's important to be angry and correct. This post was not made by someone informed of all the facts, and I intend to correct that.

Paradox Interactive has made the brave decision to reboot the controversial Werewolf the Apocalypse setting entirely rather than try and fix it, and have somehow done a worse job than the games studio that released an RPG book titled an ethnic slur.

It's taken me almost a month since this came out to be anywhere near mentally prepared enough to even collect my thoughts on it.

Man, it is rare to see an edition of ANYTHING that pisses off old players, new players, players who want to keep the lore the same, players who want to change the lore, conservative players, radical players, and even powergamers.

How do you set out with the intention of making an infamously dated and poorly researched/outreached setting LESS uncomfortable and racist from a modern perspective.... and end up with something EVEN MORE racist and uncomfortable, but also suffocatingly tonedeaf, insincere, and deeply sinister and corporate in its erasure of existing issues rather than addressing them whatsoever.

We made the Get of Fenris irredeemably evil because some of them in the past were nazis and also nazis like Germanic mythology, so the viking werewolves are all nazis now.

Okay, I understand why you did that from a modern political perspective even if its kind of heavy hand-

The Native American werewolf tribes have been removed entirely and replaced with American Murican werewolf tribes. Renaming and rewriting them to be more respectful was just too much work! Now they're more inclusive. :)

The Irish werewolf tribe is now the Nature Werewolves tribe, like every other tribe of Werewolves also is, but also stripped completely of celtic origins.

The Red Talons are openly genocidal ecofascist malthusians and somehow NOT IRREDEEMABLY EVIL like the Get of Fenris are.

Also the feminist all women werewolves are no longer all women or even feminist. AND ALSO SOME OF THEM ARE SOCIAL DARWINISTS AND THATS SUPPOSED TO BE A GOOD THING!?!

Also we entirely dropped the themes about how forcing children to be a part of a war they barely understand while also lying to them about the crimes their ancestors committed that led to the current crisis is fucked up and evil.

Now its actually awesome to be a child soldier born into a repressive apocalyptic death cult with a siege mentality and everything is cool about that actually, you're the Good Guys, and no amount of covered-up historic genocides or internal/external bigotry will ever change that! :)

Also we solved the way people were uncomfortable with the idea that werewolf society is transitioning messily from being horrible ableist assholes that discriminated for centuries against those they view as deformed, disabled, or sexual deviants to new generations that don't care about that stuff, by removing disabled werewolves entirely! Problem solved! No more discomfort or moral conundrums! We are the liberal-est!

There's just something so unbelievably fucked up and suspicious about erasing entire minorities from a fictional universe because they were handled poorly in the first edition, rather than talking to writers and outreach specialists FROM the real world equivalents to those minorities to try and rewrite them.

Don't worry, we removed the group the setting was bigoted against! Problem solved! Just remove the minority!

I've written my own post on why the Metis/Crinos-born should be renamed and probably rewritten, but as a severely disabled individual with multiple hereditary disabilities that severely impact my QoL, outright removing disabled characters in a work of fiction because the prejudice other characters showed them in-universe made people uncomfortable makes me want to tear out someone's throat with my teeth.

Sure, completely remove my ability to play disabled a character fighting back against prejudice and bigotry, rather than rewrite the most uncomfortable aspects of YOUR FUCKING PORTRAYAL OF THOSE CHARACTERS to make it more clear who the sympathetic one is supposed to be.

It's just so unbelievably cowardly and whinging and wretched.

So fuck it, I guess!

Fuck the deeply applicable themes of being born into a well-intentioned but deeply flawed and bigoted society, and trying to create the better world your parents always told you your ancestors fought for, while dealing with the fact that your world is built on mass graves those ancestors helped fill.

Fuck a game that deals with intergenerational trauma and the ethical hellscape that is a highly religious society devoted to the very same ideals it often violates just to win fights against the enemies it created through its own arrogance and prejudice.

Fuck a game that lets you play someone born different, born strange and sickly, bouncing constantly between people who pity you and people who view you as subhuman, before finally finding the people, the family who love and accept and fight alongside you for a world that has never accepted you, but WILL FUCKING KNOW YOUR NAME.

That's not relevant to the real world at all!

There are no kids born in deeply flawed and hypocritical societies, who grew up on stories of the glorious future their society would create, forced then to reconcile the hopeful dreams of a better world with the comprehensive list of horrific things done in the name of that future.

There are no children born confused and alone in their navigation of the maze that is past atrocities, ethnic conflicts, religious prejudice and dogma, or modern propaganda attempting to erase the histories of all of those things.

There are no disabled teens who spent their lives believing they didn't belong in the world, kept going only by the connections they forged with other outsiders and people who fought back against the kind of wretched bigotry that suffocates children to death, who found homes and families they could trust outside the pissant communities they were born into.

Apparently those people don't need a game! They don't need to explore those feelings!

Just throw some more nazis in, so we can pretend we care about social issues or understand the redeeming threads of a deeply flawed gameline, ostensibly so we market it to leftist youngsters, but while we also erase the entire point of a game WHICH IS ALL ABOUT BEING PUNKASS YOUNGSTERS DESPERATELY TRYING TO FIND THE REDEEMING THREADS OF A DEEPLY FLAWED AND PREJUDICED SOCIETY THAT CONSTRAINS THEM, FINDING A WAY TO REBEL AGAINST BOTH THE EVILS OF THE RACIST BASTARDS WHO RAISED THEM AND THE POMPOUS SHITHEADS WHO WANT TO DESTROY THE WORLD OUT OF GREED.

No! We want a squeaky clean, sterile white game that AmericanTM parents can be proud of their kids for playing! A marketable game, that advertisers will gladly pay Revenue to put their products in! Play the good guys, everyone! You're the good guys! Be a big werewolf UwU!

Don't worry about historical atrocities or the flaws of the society that raised you! That's Pentex propaganda!

Fighting bad guys means you can't do anything bad yourself! The Emperor told me so! Deus Gaia Vult!

A hollow, performative, offensive jizzstain that should've been scrapped in its crib. I have no idea how this edition got past a quality assurance team.

Hell I have no idea how it got past a legal team, given the number of real peoples' likenesses they used without permission.

Devoid of artistic integrity or merit.

[softle0]

hi i know you said ask again a week from now so here i am lolll. is there an update on your "Residences for Ciudad Enamorada" lot :)?

Hiii babe!!! sooo... you're gonna hate me for this 😭😭😭 but I started working in one of the apartments, but I decided to start in a very modern one... and apparently right know I'm in my more trashy/middle class(?) era lmaoo. So I felt overwhelmed with that fancy ass build and I stopped working on it 😭😭 I stared working in a "normal" area for me, I'm literally taking inspo from the streets near by me home lmaooo 🙈🙈

BUT LUCKILY, I did some research about mexican colonial builds (I literally watched just one fucking movie lmao but that gave me a better idea and I started to remember more scenarios where I know how they look on the inside hehe) and I came with a couple ideas.

So for me, the overall floorplan idea is this:

as you can see and if you remember, these apartment residences were really big homes in the past so when they started dividing the home into multiple unit apartments, this units were usually one of two divided spaces and they're usually connected each other by doors and sooome of them may have hallways but the reality is that the main hallways were almost always outdoors. The doors to the bedrooms are even outside you can see it in the picture above. In the modern days, this units were converted in loft studios with an added bathroom (the units used to share bathrooms and kitchens before T_T insaneee) and for the bigger ones you normally need go through the kitchen then the living room to enter to the bedroom, there's no hallways, you need to almost walk every single area of the home to your bedroom.

These are the only two units I changed to a more accurate floorplan for now (at least what I think) and I added some extra info so you know how they're divided :D ***sorry i added an extra n in dining OOPS

I think you can now have a better idea in how I divided them as you can see, there's really not hallways in the units. I think the only time I'll use hallways will be for bigger units with more than one bedroom. I did a quick redesign of another unit, and this is the floorplan I ended up with:

This one was little hard to come up with because I have no fucking idea how to make this one work because I don't think they're supposed to be this big irl, So I'm not fully convinced on this one. I'm not loving how big the living and dining area is buuut this was the most accurate version I can think of lmao. So, those are the options I can give you now. If I come with better floorplans I'll let you know anon!! Lately I been watching a lot of videos and reading about mexican architecture so I might know better soon lol but honestly its been like really hard to find info about this, ugh so frustrating.

*** I just had a little thought about this, and I can't show you because I already closed my game BUT I was thinking that another great floorplan for a two-bedroom unit could be this one, please dont mind my silly ugly drawing buuttt yeahh... the black lines are doors, I think the best way to blend in a hallway is definitely a door, an open hallway concept looks a little weird to me idk

I'm still thinking whether I'll share this build or not… maybe I will!!! but IDK IDK I'm not fully convinced yet 😭😭 I just don't feel like sharing cc builds but IDKKK lol

[the-old-mayhem]

How would you rank the Year of The Goat songs? And how do you feel they compare to Mayhem's early music overall?

Morbid's music is hardly on the level with genre defining, groundbreaking, moody DMDS.

I guess it's on the level with Deathcrush. And better than everything Mayhem made after 1994. FOR ME.

How would I rank the songs? It was really hard tbh. I love them all almost equally

1: My dark subconscious

2: Wings of funeral

3: From the dark (And tragic dream lol)

4: Disgusting Semla

5: Deathexecution

6: Necrodead

Deathexecution and Necrodead I ranked last because there are no studio versions, but I actually really like Deathexecution, it's too bad there isn't a better recording

[mmoodd-jobutupaki]

*takes a deep breath* AHHHHHDKAJFKSJA

I JUST WATCHED BOY AND THE HERON AND I LOVE IT SM AND IT'S SO GOOD.

So obvs, it's studio ghibli, it's gna be some of the prettiest stuff you've ever seen. So many scenery frames made me think "I'm gna scour the internet for them and repaint them as art practice. It resembles smudgy oil paintings rather than studio ghibli's gouache style (see spirited away, Totoro) but it's honestly beautiful nonetheless, and seeing it on the big screen made me feel like I was in the movie. There's even a stone passage that looks like the one from Coraline. The animation works so smoothly to make the film an overall wonderful immersive experience.

The character design was so good. You have your classic ghibli, countryside, apron wearing girl. Your boy with spiky hair. And probably the best addition of a butch seafarer, Kiriko, dubbed by Florence Pugh (oh my goodness I am too gay for this). The grannies were so inexplicably lovely and visually distinct I just want a hug from them. The wizard (Mark Hamill having this otherworldly yet grounded design and amazing hair. The heron was oddly grotesque without being scary (this is such a gift only japanese have.) and his various designs fluctuate along with the story. I was surprisingly intrigued by the fact that even in crane form, he had human teeth. And ofc THE WARAWARA.

GOSH THEY ARE ADORABLE I LOVE THESE DAMN TAPIOCA PEARL LOOKING THINGS THEY HAD ME SQUEALING IN THE THEATRE EITH HOW CUTE THEY ARE.

The score is beautiful and I dare say that it's on par, maybe even better than the Spiderverse score (and that's REALLY HIGH praise coming from me, I love the Spiderverse score to the point where it's on my Spotify wrapped.) I loved how the use of motifs, especially in relation to magic in the film. And definitely need to go give it more listens. 11/10 would recommend listening to it even outside of the film, it's just that great, give it a Grammy or smth.

Humor in this film is hilarious without being corny. It's very on the nose, what's currently happening in the scene humor. Characters (won't say who) also have amazing dynamics that supply a lot of humor for the film. Obviously we have that last snippet from the trailer and I'll give you this out of context "Mahito's turned into a parakeet"

The story is very easy to follow. The first half of the story is very grounded. And even in the second fantastical half, the visuals and little sprinkles of just the right amount of information help to guide us through the amazing fantastical world. Nothing ever feels too spoonfed to the audience or too overwhelming.

Spoilers below the cut

Character was great too. The main cast each have a very touching emotional aspect and nothing is what it seems, not from the trailers and not even within the show. Characters go on journeys you never could've expected from the beginning of the show. Such as the heron, who I genuinely thought from trailers was gna be the bad guy but turned into a genuine, squat goblin companion. And the parakeet king goddamn I thought he was gna be a good guy with his "we must protect this world" gig, not some giant cannibalistic parakeet with a surprising penchant for sneaking. Anyway, I especially loved how we meet characters almost multiple times with how we're introduced to different versions of them. Kiriko>>>

The moral of this story had me confused ngl, but I'm fcking dumb and need to go read some analysis so ignore this. The main message I got was that "Life is shit. But it's worth living and I can make it better for myself. Through friends, I don't have to be alone through it all" which made me tear up ngl since I've been struggling with life this year and seeing how our boy Mahito went from being a closed off lil squat to that *cries*. Personally I interpreted the great granduncle and his blocks as seeing what's wrong with the system the older generation has built, and demanding more from it/straight up turning away from it. Also Mahito learning to let go of his mom. The pelicans wanting the best for their children and not always liking what they have to do for survival as a link to war soldiers @hamable . I also read from @simplysparrow14 and @rockpaperimpala the film is also Miyazaki coming to the realisation that 'studio ghibli will be his legacy and it will be put to rest, it won't be the same if continued without him and that's okay' and ow I just got hit in the feels.

To summarize the boy and the heron excelled, slaps, is show stopping, brilliant, awesome, a true work of art and soul and 11000/10 go watch it ON THE BIG SCREEN I am not joking.

[meraki-yao]

RWRB Cut Scene: Texas Campfire Scene

Partly in honour of today being the anniversary of Alex's speech, here's a ramble about another deleted scene: the Campfire scene

This promo still of the scene is the cover picture of the movie on prime

In the final cut of the movie, namely the released version that we got, we get the campfire scene as part of a montage in the speech, but unlike running through the V&A as the sun rises or the forest kiss, I don't think this scene was originally shot as a montage, but as a full scene that got cut for some reason

Henry's Instagram account posted a photo of him from that scene, and he credited Nora as the photographer, so I'm guessing Nora was in this scene. This also suggests that this is an ensemble scene, which might be part of the reason it was cut, but also means it would have been a longer scene, I'm guessing 2.5-4 minutes. (which, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH) also Henry posted this the same time Alex posted a photos from the karaoke bar, so I think that counts as confirmation that the campfire is part of the Texas holiday

We don't actually have any context about this scene other than it's most likely part of the Texas holiday: Is this the equivalent scene of the gang in the books chilling when June plays the guitar and Henry and Alex make out (P256-257 of the original print, where "Alex is so in love that he can die" came from, and Holy fuck does Taylor bring that single line to life)? Are they having a barbecue? Or is this just a campfire? We don't actually know at all

Date wise I'm curious: the final release of the movie almost made it seem like it was literally two days: day 1: arrival -> volleyball -> hammock reading -> night at the bar ; day 2: conversation with dad -> Lake -> Henry runs away. Given the campfire is also a night scene, I think this means there's an extra day in the holiday sequence

I can't find the GIF for the montage used in this scene in the speech, but God I love that moment. It's almost like the reverse of the Paris pillow talk: this time Henry's talking about something he's passionate about, and Alex listens

Actually on that note, I wonder if that's the reason it was cut: maybe they tried out two different scenarios of Alex's "God I love him" epiphany, one here and one during the karaoke, and decided that the karaoke worked better for whatever reason. Just a guess, but either way I do really, really want to see this scene

I wonder what Henry/Nick is saying in the scene. He looks so happy talking about whatever it is. If I'm right about this being a full scene, then it's most likely scripted lines, but I could be wrong, which in that case, there's also the possibility of that being Nick ad-libbing in character or ... just Nick, which... is a whole other kind of ... wow. Either way, I really want to hear what he's saying

I swear sometimes I wanna grab Henry by the shoulders and shake him because HOW DID YOU NOT REALIZE HE LOVES YOU TOO??? Oh my God, Taylor's fucking performance, the man is drinking in every sight and sound of Henry like a man lost in a desert. He looks like he's two seconds away from proposing on the spot. I look at how Alex looks at Henry and I want to cry from the sheer amount of love there is in his eyes. What the fuck.

Although I'm confident that we're getting more content including deleted scenes in the future, even just from a studio profit perspective, I'm not confident in them releasing everything we want, and so here I am once again screaming for another deleted scene and a DVD with everything