#it is on my list to check out at some point

[thinemoonshine]

⋆ ˚｡𝓀𝒾𝓈𝓈, 𝓀𝒾𝓈𝓈—𝓂𝒾𝓈𝓈! ୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

enhypen 8th fem!member x enhypen ot7 content(s): fluff, suspense, enhypen is the drama, members are conflicted, riki is jealous, hoon’s protective instincts kick in, members being super supportive <3 type: oneshot word count: 1.5k

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ synopsis: in which (y/n) plays a side character in a web drama but doesn’t tell the members that she has an almost kiss scene—and they only find out when they watch it together ˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚

“HEY! Why would you just pull my hair tie like that? You think it’s easy to do a proper ponytail??” Dasom, the character (y/n) plays as, chides her romantic interest, Seokwoo, who only laughs with amusement.

The members of Enhypen find themselves entertained as well with Jungwon pointing at the TV screen.

“Wah~ She’s not even playing a role. That’s (y/n) as (y/n) herself right there,” he comments and only smiles cheekily that shows his dimples when (y/n) shoots a playful glare.

The scene continues with Dasom chasing Seokwoo around in attempt to retrieve her tie and (y/n) can only hide in her palms from the embarrassment. It’s the typical, cheesy ‘catch me if you can!’ scenario and it makes her—and some of the others’—toes curl.

Riki stares at the screen, almost burning through the glass with the intensity of his gaze. “Who even is this guy? I’ve never seen him before.”

“Really? He’s actually quite famous in the web drama world. Might even do bigger projects soon,” (y/n) answers after giving only a brief look at him as she wants to focus on the screen.

Riki grumbles disapprovingly before he slumps back into the couch with crossed arms.

Dasom starts panting as she rests her hands on her knees. “I give up! I can’t run anymore! Just give it back to me, will you?”

Seokwoo hums with his brows furrowed, pretending to be deep in thought before uttering a single, “Nope.”

Not the best decision because suddenly Dasom’s back to being his tail, faster than before and right when he sees him about to accelerate, she quickly pounces.

Sunoo squeals while the others lets out their roars and whistles when the scene goes into slow motion—showcasing the romantic moment between Seokwoo and Dasom with the former wrapping his arms around the other’s smaller frame to protect her from the fall.

“Oh my goodness,” (y/n) mutters under her breath and her cheeks grow redder than they already are, head hanging with shame. “Dasom should seriously consider the cost of hospital bills.”

“Ugh…” Seokwoo grunts painfully, his back sore but he’s quick to check on the wellbeing of the girl pressed against his chest. “Dasom, are you okay?”

Dasom lets out a faint groan before lifting her head to nod but is met with surprise at the proximity of their faces. She gasps, eyes wide as they shift between his. Left, right, left and right. Her face mantles as she bashfully looks away.

“OHHHH!! (y/n), what is thisss!!?!! Do you actually like him?? Why do you look so shy and and blushy~??” Jake teases as he holds her by the shoulders and shaking her vigorously. She’s limp, passionless—spirit fleeting from the unhealthy amount of cringe she feels.

Now she understands why some actors don’t like to watch their own acting.

Sunghoon frowns, disapproving of the excessively touchy interaction between (y/n) and some wannabe A-list celebrity. “Why are you two so close for so long?? He should’ve helped you up at this point.”

Jay agrees, his brows in a soft knit. “How long does this go on for?”

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Seokwoo asks obliviously when Dasom refuses to meet his gaze, finally sitting up and letting her sit on his lap.

“Your breath stinks,” Riki hisses quietly, hoping Dasom would say the exact line while still throwing daggers to the male with his incessant glare.

The girl shakes her head. “N-nothing. We were just so close…that’s all.”

“oH?? OH?” Heeseung sounds excitedly when Seokwoo cups her jaw to gently turn her to face him. Something between a shout and a squeal escapes him when Seokwoo smirks. “He’s making a move on our (y/n)!!”

“Her name’s Dasom,” Ni-ki corrects with dissatisfaction and the others don’t miss their male maknae’s obvious dislike towards the actor.

“Close? You mean like…this?” Seokwoo teases and suddenly narrows the gap between their faces—noses now touching as Dasom’s eyes grow wide as saucers.

It’s like a whole audience of the World Cup is in the dorm from how rowdy and passionate the boys are—all howling and cheering like they’ve singlehandedly won the game for Korea.

“S-Seokwoo?” Som stammers nervously as her romantic interest’s gaze melts into her like a man truly in love.

But the thrilled chaos from the members dies just as quickly as it forms when they see their female member gradually being approached by her co-actor—closer and closer to a dangerous extent.

Some of the members have their jaws unscrewed while some others are screwed on too tight but eyes are all burning through the screen intently as a mix of emotions swirl in them.

Are they going to see (y/n) kiss? How are they supposed to react? Should they cheer? Should they grieve?? Maybe they shouldn’t react at all?? Like that bite scene between Sooha and Jay where they just completely cut it out in the reaction vid.

BUT THIS ISN’T A REACTION VIDEO.

Sunoo’s hands are covering his face with only his eyes seen peeking out from the little gaps between his index and middle finger—creating two V’s.

Meanwhile Riki is full on DISGUSTED, along with Sunghoon who’s so conspicuously scowling at the TV with arms crossed as he leans heavily against the couch. His tongue clicks against the roof of his mouth as he lasers through Seokwoo with his stare of distaste.

“Wait, wait, wait… You have a kiss scene? You didn’t tell us. Aren’t you too young for a kiss scene?” Heeseung raps out, completely disregarding the fact that her role as a high school senior does not reflect her real life character and age.

(y/n) stays quiet as she stares at the drama, letting the suspense build up with the never-ending inching of Seokwoo and Dasom and right when their lips are about to touch, Sunoo shrieks and the scene stops.

The outro of the drama plays as the names of the actors and sponsors begin to roll—(y/n) now giggling and clapping like a seal with delight at her members’ frozen figures and faces.

“It’s finished!! How was it?” She asks amidst chuckles and they all whip their heads to her.

“What was that?? Did you guys kiss or not??” Jake asks curiously.

“Eyy~ Can’t be~” Sunoo denies with upturned eyes and a playful grin but then shifts his honeyed orbs to the girl. “Right? Right, (y/n)ie??”

“(y/n)’s taking a step forward in her career already! Are you going to win rookie actress of the year?”Jungwon applauds with a chuckle, dimples showing. “Don’t forget about us, though! Haha! No, seriously. Don’t. And you were so cute too, (y/n)!”

Sunghoon shakes his head with another click of his tongue, furrowing at (y/n) but she knows he means well—to her, at least. The same can’t be said about Seokwoo’s actor. “How old is he? Isn’t he much older than you? Why’d they make you have a kiss scene? Manager-nim actually let it pass?”

(y/n)’s mouth is akin to a fish’s from their constant open and close due to Sunghoon not letting her squeeze a single word in with every new question.

“Yeah, that was kind of…unnecessary,” Jay chimes with his nose scrunched but then ruffles the girl’s hair. “But it is cute. You did great! Can’t wait to see the next episodes.”

“As expected of our (y/n),” Heeseung coos and earns a gag from some others—including (y/n) herself. But she’s quick to express her thanks with a beam and a finger heart.

Riki scoffs as he crosses his arms. “I don’t really like the male lead. He seems kind of dumb. Why would he steal your hair tie, anyways? He can buy his own.”

His attitude is saltier than the seas and the members are deeply entertained by it.

“It’s just the plot, Riki,” (y/n) answers in a tone of amusement to which he unconsciously pouts at.

Sunghoon stands and abruptly engulfs the girl in his arms with his head on hers as if him hugging her will magically erase Seokwoo and Dasom’s embrace from existence. It’s not new to the members for him to be so protective over (y/n). Maybe it’s the big brother blood in him but he’s always wary of anyone and everyone around her that he gets teased for being her security guard alongside personal assistant.

“Tell us whenever you have a role like this again. We have to make sure there aren’t any weird scenes, okay?” He advises, swaying left and right softly as she nods with difficulty from the way he’s practically squeezing her against his chest.

And suddenly it’s a Q&A session with the boys asking her about her experience while a bitter Riki can only watch from the sides with Jay chuckling at him—earning him a glare.

As if Jongseong himself isn’t already planning to read her future scripts himself (with Sunghoon) to make sure there aren’t anything too…kissy kissy even if it’s a near miss—for now, at least.

ᡣ𐭩ྀི₊ ⊹ masterlist ᝰ.ᐟ✮⋆˙

𝜗𝜚 hi, it’s romi here!! thank you so much for reading to the end!! if you enjoyed it, don’t forget to leave a heart and reblog—they give me some motivation, ya know? but please do not spam like!! X♡X♡, romi ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

copyright © 2024 thinemoonshine all rights reserved

[brightmyth-fr]

WHY I DON'T RETIRE MY SKINS: an essay

Disclaimer that I'm speaking from a point of being established here, because not everybody can afford to run their skin shop like I do. I don't judge less established artists for needing to limit their skins because they can't afford to print a run with only 2 people on it. I'm also not judging anybody who does retire their skins after a set number of prints - whole different matter! I'm giving an opinion piece based on my own personal thoughts about running my own skin shop.

Okay, now that's out of the way. I really dislike the idea of time-limiting my skins. There's just no actual justification for me, as an established skin artist, to limit skins I know will sell... aside from prestige, and putting buying pressure on my customers. So there's a couple of reasons I don't like that:

1) Erodes trust in the artist.

Yes, I could probably make more money if I kept my skins limited so people HAD to pick up my skin on release. Maybe even all 4 colors of the skin, including the one they don't really keep in their hoard. Just in case they want it down the line but it won't be available anymore.

Is this good business practice though? Do I want people to start feeling panicked every time I ping for a release, because they just picked up a new project and really really CAN'T afford to be buying skins right now but there's 5 colorways of my skin available and they'll probably be resold for 2kg as soon as they retire?

Personally, no! I want people excited when I ping, not feeling dread in their hearts and budgets. I want people to be thinking: 'Awesome, a new skin! I can't afford that right now but I know he always keeps a few on the AH at print price even after preorders end. Even if I can't buy a skin just this moment, I'll be sure to keep an eye on his thread for when I have gems again.' Or: "Awesome, a new skin! This one doesn't appeal to my lair aesthetic, so I will just nod and smile. I don't feel the need to buy it in case it gets popular for resale, because it will always be on the AH for print price."

People tell me about unsubscribing from GASP because they get anxiety being pinged for skins they want but can't have. So I want people to stay on my pinglist because there's no pressure on them whatsoever to purchase anything. It'll always be here, okay? In the meantime, just enjoy the art, maybe preview it on a scry or two. I'll be here if you're back in three weeks, or three months.

2) Passive income!

I lied. I probably would've made less money time limiting all my skins than by keeping my skins restocked. A couple of reasons for this:

- My earlier skins sold worse. This isn't psychology, it's just numbers. Some of my most popular stock were made early on in 2021/2022. I didn't have that many sales then, so could you imagine if I had retired them immediately after that? There's 230something copies of SAILOR'S WARNING out in the world right now. If that skin was time limited after preorders died down, I would've sold "only" 50 forever.

- People see my shop stock whenever you ping for a new releases. I get 3-4 sales off auction house whenever I release something new and people check my front page. It's not a lot but it's consistent.

- It's a win-win situation, okay? If a skin is popular, there's no reason to time limit it to drive up sales. If it IS popular, then people are going to see it on other people's dragons, go "damn that's a nice skin," and maybe do an AH search for it. And if there's a cheap print price copy available, they're gonna buy it.

2) Reprints are easy!

It was a lot more annoying to keep track of queue numbers and inventory back when reprints had to go through regular queue for a week. Did I put in 10 copies of SUNHEAVEN already? Wait, are my kitsune aethers back yet? How many of MOLOCH are still listed?

Now I can put in a blueprint and get my reprint instantly. No fuss at all.

3) I don't want to buy into the 'this is a retired skin' hype...

This is just personal preference. It makes me feel a little bad when a public skin I made is popular and people can't afford to have it. I'm not judging anybody who does like it when their skins are rare, special, and sought after.

It's just... I get that part of my brain scratched from my customs. They're gorgeous, they're 5 prints, they're on the AH for 30kg if you really want one. Most importantly they're niche and high coverage enough that even if someone hadn't paid me to draw an exclusive skin specifically for their dragon, they'd never do well as a public skin anyway.

Here are some tips for people looking into keeping their skins unlimited:

- You don't need to do it like I do.

Blueprints are expensive. Even I don't have my entire catalogue stocked, only the ones I noticed always have reprint requests. For example, only SAILOR'S WARNING out of 4 total colors for my impm skins is kept stocked because the others don't sell enough to justify it.

If you can't afford to stock them 10 at a time, have the customer provide the blueprints. Shelving your skins but having them be reprintable with a BP and a fee (350g is good for 850g print prices; remember, 500g of that went to you purchasing blueprints in the public run, so it doesn't make sense to charge customers a whole 850g when they're already providing the blueprint) is a good alternative to permanently retiring your skins. You don't get a ton of people who can afford that, but the option is there for people who want it.

- Notice which skins sell!

If you already have a good amount of skins in catalogue and have trouble figuring out which ones to begin stocking, you can start by checking in with your pinglist. Poll them and see which ones you'd want to rerun.

- Don't have so many recolors.

It's a law of the universe that they more recolors you have, the worse they sell collectively. I usually do 2, no more than 3. If you have to time limit your skins to get 6 recolors to hit print, then it's time to cut those recolors down.

There's reasons for this: it's choice paralysis, people may want 'complete sets' and will skip out if you're making that complete set cost 4kg total, and it just plain doesn't make sense for very similar color schemes to cover 4 different skins. Feel free to print personal recolors or have custom recolors open.

[tippenfunkaport]

SPOP Saturday

We were talking in the Flex server about a way to showcase fics we love to get them more attention and came up with a little idea to try for the summer (and then beyond, if there's interest): 

SPOP Saturday

Here's how it works:

Every Saturday, we recommend fanfics using the hashtags #SPOP Saturday and #fic rec as well as any other relevant fandom tags so people can find it. Just post the link to the fanfic, a word or two about why you like it / why people might want to check it out, that's it. (Tagging the fic author is optional but nice to do if you can because everyone likes to see their work being appreciated!)

To give this a little structure, I'll be sharing optional themes for each Saturday for the types of fanfics to recommend. The purpose of this is just to give some variety in what everyone's recommending so it's not just the same few fics over and over again.

While you can just add your fic recs as a reply or reblog my post if you wish, you may get more eyes on you post if you make your own (esp if you're rec-ing non-canon ships as my follower base is mostly canon ship focused).

I specified in most cases no more than three mostly because I don't want this to be a high pressure thing where you try to list every single fav and friends get offended if they don't make the list. Just whatever ones you're most jazzed to mention for this week's prompt off the top of your head!

Time is a construct! Don't stress too much about getting it out on time or if you want to do a previous theme on another week, the point is just to recommend FanWorks and share the love!

Check out the rec-ed fics, leave kudos and comments, keep your fandom writers well fed with positive attention so they keep the good stuff coming! 

(Note: I will build in one week for people to self-promote but the spirit of this event is to show other authors some love, not push your own fics.)

[thelilylav]

Y'know what? Fuck it (gives u guys a list of poc artists to listen to cause the white ppl on the music side of tumblr have been embarassing me)

List is under the cut, and warning bc I made it very long

Rock:

Los Abuelos De La Nada

Gesu No Kiwami Otobe

Chuck Berry

Ben E. King

Los Prisoneros

Ahmed Fakroun (ok this one's french art rock but in my book it still counts)

Burnout Syndromes (been fucking w them since I got into Haikyuu lmao)

Infinity Song (their hater song genuinely gets me every time LMAO)

People in the Box

N.E.R.D (my god if u don't know them.. idk dude my brother has been obsessed w them for forever so i just was not getting away regardless lol)

Punk/Punk Rock (& other punk subgenres):

Nova Twins (u must listen to them it's just the way it's gotta be guys)

Rina Sawayama (her hatred of Matty Healy is so attractive. i cannot believe i found her two years ago cause i still remember i would not shut up when i first heard her music it was so good)

BABYMETAL (the way their band name just straight up screams at people gets me every time lmaooo)

Indie:

The Younger Lovers

Mashrou Leila

Stella Jang

Shak SYrn (Jenni is on repeat in my room at any given moment)

Steve Lacy (if u listen to more than just Bad Habit u will find an actuall amazing discography)

Jenny Nuo (i have been OBSESSED w her music since like 2021 ish and it is a crime she hasn't blown up more imo)

Nujabes

Hemlocke Springs (oooo i hate that she does not get more love!!! synth pop and alt indie is such a fun niche like!!!)

Lyn Lapid (in my head she's huge but i have recently learned that artists i think r super popular may be unknown to an entire genre of ppl soo)

Megagonefree (found them on ig and omg!! PLS go check them out genuinely)

boa (i am once again shaming u if u don't know them)

Wallice

JAZZ (in all caps bc I fucking LOVE jazz no it's not dead go listen to jazz rn motherfuckers):

Idris Muhammad

Esperanza Spalding

Joanna Wang (ok she does pop and folk music too but idk she felt most appropriate here)

SAMARA JOY (put. some. respect. on. her. name. i would actually go to war for her i am not kidding. also this is in all caps bc MY MOM GOT TO SEE HER LIVE??? AND SHE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHO SHE WAS PLS I WAS SO MAD OMGGG but i've been promised tickets next time so we're good)

Sade (my og one and only)

Funk:

Fadoul

George Clinton (i mean he's just a classic yknow)

Parliament (Give Up the Funk can make me dance like no other i swear)

Stevie Wonder (i mean.. like if we're on the topic of classics anyway then...)

Michael Jackson/The Jackson 5 (moreso his earlier stuff if my memory isn't lying to me.. look it's been a second since i listened to mj IM SORRY i am a busy person ok TT)

R&B:

Valerie June

Maxine Nightingale (if u don't listen to her... how do u have fun? actual question i put her on every time i need to feel happy atp)

Boney. M (technically they're reggae but they also count as R&B so idk.. i'm just putting them here if anyone wants me to move them later i will)

Amahla (Ca Suffit was so good and got me to check out the rest of her music, YOU SHOULD TOO!!)

Mary J Blige (not to judge but like... if u don't know THE queen then idk how to help you tbh)

SZA (wouldn't be a list without her in it tbh. i'm in love w her not even joking abt that)

Kali Uchis (to this day i cannot believe i saw her live i'm truly never getting a better moment than that omggg i have such a big crush on her anyway)

Aupinard (if ever u need to just vibe, this is the man u go to.)

Wejdene (TU PARLES AVEC UNE ANISSA MA MOI J'APPELLE WEJDENE- she's been my day 1 since i was like thirteen i can't even lie)

Annisse (just found out she only has like ~500 listeners on spotify??? apparently i'm one of them tho lmao so yeah go get that number up guys i love her too much for this disrespect)

Sister Sledge

Cheryl Lynn

Reggae:

Daddy Yankee (he's an honourable mention cause i couldn't not lmao)

Skindred (they're a reggae/metal fusion band and i will shut up abt them when i'm dead bc Nobody rewired my brain chemistry!!)

Manu Chao

Toquinho (i was so convinced this man was bossa nova but apparently he is reggae and i need to do some music theory review)

Folk:

Sushi Soucy (oh the things I Deserve to Bleed had me going thru in 2020/2021)

Miriam Makeba (Pata Pata should be enough to get anyone listening to her, just saying)

Lead Belly (do urself a favour and do some research on this man, i'm not kidding even if u don't like folk music u should know abt him- ESPECIALLY if u like Nirvana that'll make sense later trust)

Pop:

Corinne Bailey Rae (she has so much good music that gets ignored bc of Put Your Records On so.. yeah go listen to Black Rainbows she's only gotten better as time goes on lol)

Dru (he is for any person who likes ke$ha. i'm so serious he is early 2000s in a bottle and i love his music ur rlly missing out if u ignore him)

Monique Hasbun (found her recently! she's a Palestinian, Mexican and Salvadorian artist who plays around with Latin pop and does a lot of fusion music. she's dope go listen to her fr)

Mohammad Assaf (he made the Palestine song that's been going around ig a lot, but his other stuff is great as well. he's another Palestinian artist, so once again, go check him out!!)

Pinkpanthress (i LOVE her she's so much fun to just vibe to and idk how anyone couldn't have heard of her atp but then again this is the sight that didn't know who drake was so... sigh. go listen to her if u don't already!!)

Aliyah's Interlude (BROOO if u haven't heard of her actually go listen rn i'm so serious she is so good i can'ttttt ok bye)

Veondre (had a collab w Aliyah on It Girl and is gonna be releasing her own music very soon! she's trans too so go give her some love)

Shalco (wasn't sure whether to put him here or in hip hop, but his stuff is very very good either way)

Ado (she's j-pop but it's a form of pop so into the pop category she goes)

Moon (she's got two songs out rn, Moonlight and Seoul City Drift, and both r going on loop in my head at all times)

Jay Chou (call me a basic bitch idc he's good ok)

Atarashii Gakko! (i wouldn't say they're j-pop, but google did, so i'm just going w it lol)

flowerovlove (just trust me on this one)

El Tio Gamboin (Los Gatitos is such a cute song)

Grace Chang (see note for Jay Chou)

King Gnu (for all my j-pop lovers... come get ur man)

Salsa:

Lalo Rodriguez (included this genre specifically so i could mention him)

Adalberto Santiago

Roberto Roena (he's a classic i can't lie)

Hector Lavoe (i think he might be the most popular one in this genre lol)

City Pop (this is its own genre bc i literally did a presentation in high school abt it and i'll be damned if i don't flex my knowledge now):

Mariya Takeuchi

Miki Matsubara (my QUEEN my everything my-)

Anri

Taeko Onuki (one of my most listened to artists last yr for a Reason)

Kaoru Akimoto

Kingo Hamada

Jun Togawa

Bossa Nova:

Joao Gilberto (ooo he gets me every time i fucking love this man)

Elizeth Cardoso

Johnny Alf (forgot this man the first time around my bad BUT he's called the father of bossa nova for a reason so)

Hip Hop:

Flyana Boss (they're sooooo good i actually can't gush enough i have never felt so girlypop listening to music before go listen to them!! found the duo through ig so yeah if u want go follow them on there too to show support)

Lil Uzi Vert (for any emo lovers, go check out his song Werewolf with Bring Me the Horizon it is SO GOOD)

Samyra (she's slowly curing my body dysmorphia lol)

Yame (there's an accent on the e but idk how to do that on tumblr. anyway my ass loves french rap and before him i was stuck with klub des loosers so he saved my faith in the genre i can't even lie)

Lay Bankz (u cannot be chronically online and not have heard Ick yet, but i'm repping her regardless bc SHE'S SO GOOD)

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (HEAR ME OUT-)

Kaliii (Area Codes was one of my most listened to songs last year... as it should be tbh)

Miguel (he does R&B too i just first listened to him bc of his collab w J.Cole sooo)

Tyler the Creator (putting him on here just to brag abt getting to see him in concert lmao)

XXXTentacion (he has been mourned and talked abt an insane amount, but he deserves it i'm not even gonna joke on this one. his artistry is insane and he deserves some love if u haven't listened to him yet)

Kendrick Lamar (i mean i've been reblogging stuff abt him enough. Mr. Morale was actually the album that made me start Listening listening to him and i'm honestly glad it was bc that album is still my favourite to this day if i'm being totally honest)

Renaissauce (criminally and i do mean CRIMINALLY underrated)

[ecoqueer]

I wish that people gave a shit about nonbinary people who don’t use they/them pronouns. You can literally give your friend group (which includes another nonbinary person) a list of your favorite pronouns, none of which include they/them, and mention several times that you don’t like they/them pronouns for yourself, but they’ll make the switch from she/her pronouns to…they/them. And feel super proud of themselves for being sooo progressive as to use they/them pronouns for you….when those aren’t your pronouns.

I think that saying “he she and they are my least favorite but are fine in combination with other things…I’m really fine with any neos but here’s a list of my faves that you can choose from!” Is polite and not a difficult request. I’m not good at being a pushy person, and I shouldn’t need to be.

[allsassnoclass]

HELL YEAH!!! can i get uhhhh #9, an I'm so proud of you kiss? pairing, fandom, etc is all up to you :) ill read it even if im not in the fandom go fkn crazy ily xoxo

hi @clumsyclifford!!! alrighty let's throw some fake college sports players in here.

jerejean: I'm so proud of you kiss

Jeremy goes to find Jean after a few minutes, weaving through the crowd of his teammates and the Foxes until he reaches the edge of their party's sphere, out in the sand where the light from the bonfire has no hope of reaching. He stumbles over Neil and Andrew, drawn hypnotically to the bright cherry of the cigarette they're sharing, but neither of them question where he's going or make any attempt at conversation. Neil simply tilts his head to the left with a knowing look, and Jeremy nods in thanks once he spots the shadowy figure sitting yards away in the darkness, looking out at the waves.

Jean doesn't look up as Jeremy approaches, chin resting on his knees as he looks distantly out at the ocean, where the horizon line blends too deep in the darkness to discern what is sea and what is sky anymore. Jeremy flops gracelessly down next to him, kicking up sand and checking to be sure Jean isn't shying away. He relaxes when he doesn't. Jean still doesn't do well with isolation, but he's an introvert at heart and needs his space. After the events of today, Jeremy isn't surprised that he retreated down the beach to be alone, but he also knows that it's the kind of alone that Jeremy is welcome to interrupt.

It makes his chest fill with warmth, being one of the people that Jean doesn't need energy to be around. It's a privilege that he doesn't take lightly, especially when so few people in Jean's life have been safe. For him to have found a group of people to love and be loved by in return is no small feat, and it's something that they've gradually cultivated together in the past year.

For a moment, Jeremy thinks about the first time he saw Jean in person outside of a court, watching the shell of a man cautiously approach him at LAX with only a few t-shirts, a tattoo, and years of abuse to his name. He would never have predicted that they'd be here now, only a few weeks shy of a year later. Jean has grown in ways too numerous to list, but Jeremy has changed, too. It's a mutual metamorphosis, made more important for the way that they've grown in harmony with each other, filling in each other's gaps while leaving room for the other person to stretch and flourish.

Of course, one other difference is that they're NCAA champions now. It isn't a new title for Jean, but Jeremy suspects that this one feels sweeter, more earned.

This is a win that Jean should feel proud of, one untainted by the shadow of black wings and bruises. A championship that has nothing to do with the number that used to be tattooed on his face and everything to do with the person he has decided to become.

"What are you thinking about?"

Jeremy tilts his head towards the quiet, lilting sound of Jean's words. His accent has lessened slightly over the year, either due to less necessity to use his French without Kevin around or being surrounded by people who never stop talking in loud California drawls, but it still colors his words like a swash of blue in a sunrise.

Jean never wants to return to France, but sometimes Jeremy wonders if he would enjoy visiting Canada or Haiti, somewhere that he could use a version of his native language without ghosts following him.

"Jeremy?"

Jeremy blinks, bringing himself back to the present rather than some unnamed future with the two of them wandering around Montreal.

"I was thinking about our win," he says when he can remember what Jean's original question was. Jean huffs, but the sound is fond. Jeremy can't see much in the darkness, but he can picture Jean's expression perfectly. He's not smiling, but he's softer, relaxed and open enough that Jeremy can read his intention.

"How does it feel to be a champion?" Jean asks.

"Amazing," Jeremy sighs, tipping his head back and remembering every hour of practice and hard-fought game that brought them here. Despite the backlash from his decision to cut down the line last year and all of the negative press surrounding Jean's transfer, they made it all the way to the championships and came out on top. It was a battle in more ways than one, but it was absolutely worth it for the look on Kevin Day's face when Cat stole the ball from him using a technique that Jean taught her, then slammed the ball down the court for Jeremy to catch and score.

The team as a whole has grown exponentially. Jeremy has never pushed himself harder, and it wasn't all sunshine and smiles on the court this year. Still, they held it together, and as turbulent throwing a former Raven into their midst was, Jeremy has never regretted the decision to bring Jean to them.

"It's sweeter because I could do it with you," Jeremy says.

He glances at Jean out of the corner of his eye. He doesn't duck his head bashfully, and he doesn't freeze awkwardly the way he used to when Jeremy would drop a sappy but sincere compliment months ago. He simply lets the sentiment wash over him, keeping his focus on Jeremy.

"I'm glad you are happy," he says. Jeremy reaches for his hand, fingertips dragging along his forearm and wrist until Jean turns to thread their fingers together.

"What about you?" Jeremy asks. "How does it feel to be a champion this time?"

Jean takes time to consider his answer. Jeremy listens to the distant sounds of their teammates and friends over by the fire and the gentle sounds of waves hitting the shore while he waits. A breeze gently shifts his hair, light and crisp enough that he nearly shivers.

"I didn't think it would mean this much to me," Jean says quietly. Jeremy squeezes his hand once, then relaxes, giving Jean the space he needs. "I knew that winning with the Trojans would feel different, but the Ravens won because we were expected to. You and I won because we deserved to this time. Because we fought harder and wanted it more."

"And you did it all without a red card, even though Neil was being annoying," Jeremy says.

"It felt good to beat him," Jean grins. "That was very satisfying."

No one felt like it would be a good idea to make Jean block Kevin, not with everything he's told them about scrimmages in the Nest. While he played with Neil at Evermore as well, it was never while Neil was playing striker, and Neil only features in a fraction of the traumatic memories that Jean has recounted. Jean has been doing great in his sessions with Betsy and has grown a lot in his recovery over the past year, but no one wanted to risk prompting a flashback during the championship game, when the eyes of the entire public and Ichirou Moriyama would be on him.

Jean seemed to enjoy playing against Neil, anyway. Jeremy still doesn't understand their relationship and probably never will, but it was one of Jean's best games. Neil ran him ragged, but both of them seemed satisfied with their individual performances, and Jeremy overheard Jean tell him to have a winning day while stealing the ball at one point.

It's taken a long time for Jean to be able to have fun on the court. Healing is slow and non-linear, Jeremy knows that better than most. The progress that is visible, though, is much more gratifying because of it.

Jeremy looks at Jean, tracing his outline in the blue shadows. He takes in the relaxed slope of his shoulders, the enticing tilt of his head, the self-satisfied smile that Jeremy can barely see gracing his lips in this light. He looks like he belongs on this beach, relishing in his win with dozens of people who love him only a few yards away, holding hands with someone who adores him.

It's amazing, what a difference one year can make. Jeremy's chest feels warm and full, ready to burst.

"Hey," he says, squeezing Jean's hand. Jean turns towards him with a questioning noise. Jeremy tugs on his t-shirt, coaxing him forward until he can lean up to press their lips together. Jean responds once he catches on to Jeremy's intention, relaxing against him and sliding his free hand around Jeremy's waist. Jeremy presses forward, trying to transfer as much of the feeling in his chest to Jean as he can. He curls his hand around Jean's shoulder, partially to draw him closer and partially for his own stability. Jean sighs against him, and Jeremy can't help but smile into the kiss.

When they part a few moments later, Jeremy watches the way that Jean's eyes take a moment to flutter open.

"What was that for?" Jean asks. Jeremy smiles and brushes his thumb against Jean's cheek, right over the small heart tattooed there.

"I'm really proud of you," he smiles. Jean ducks his head, leaning into Jeremy's palm. "You've come a long way."

Jean wraps his hand around Jeremy's, pressing it against his chest.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Jeremy."

Jeremy doesn't think he'll ever get used to the way his name sounds in Jean's mouth, his accent curving around it and voice soft as music.

"Still," Jeremy says. "I'm really proud of you, Jean-Yves."

Jean ducks his head again, but Jeremy can't have that. He reaches for Jean's jaw again. Jean knows him well enough to evade and kiss him instead, the perfect distraction. Jeremy is happy to let him get away with it, because that was his end goal anyway.

They stay on the beach together for a long time. When their friends eventually find them, Jeremy watches the way that Jean lights up as Cat tackles him in a hug and he playfully banters with Kevin, two things that would've been impossible a year ago. Jeremy keeps hold of his hand, both of them on top of the world with no plans on coming down.

[bloobydabloob]

Is there a reason ur drawings kinda look like someone stretched them in some direction. Not in a mean way. It's very silly imo /pos

Thank you, I’m glad you like it. I take inspiration from artists like @tostyart (twt) @robert_valley (insta) jasonlupas (twt) and several other artists, who do the same thing. I think it looks great. There’s no deeper reason sadly… just think it looks cool.

[rubinee]

even though it has happened multiple times by now i'm still confused every time any of my posts get more than a couple hundred notes. what do you mean what i find desirable is not just hot to me but others enjoy it too.

i dont even know why i got it in my head that I'm uniquely terrible and that everything i enjoy must be weird to the average person in some way when my desires and the things i post about are. super mild lol

i like knowing my partners boundaries and operating within them. i like (love) seing someone follow my instructions, being listend to is just top 10/10. i like it sensual i like spending time touching and exploring. i like being given trust and power and especially responsibility. i like the intimacy of beautification - dressing up dolling up showing off. i like when gender expectations & unwritten scrips are ignored in favor of making decisions based on the individuals involved. my favourite way to bond with people is through humor & making me giggle is the fastes way to get me to like you. i have a complex relationship with my body, how others perceive it and what it can and can't do sexually. but who doesn't

none of these things are extraordinar or weird or shameful. it's all pretty common stuff. so why am i so insecure about having desires?

[seaweedstarshine]

RIP Krakoa 🌹 I can’t lie I’ve been kinda behind since midway through Fall of X I’m gonna catch up before my first SDCC this summer but I hear Vulcan didn’t see much action anyway. Anyway my hand slipped and I found myself looking into the eyes of my canonically psychotic son the best Summers brother who’s never done anything wrong in his entire life, (he’s done lotsa wrong things but I love him more for it)

[sysig]

The return of all time <3 (Patreon)

[sundial-girl]

YEAG him being a cat is why he has a pet cat named tami in my hcs im always ready to dump my hcs about them actually theyre so silly... also fun fact they use jibun and boku in the song [boku gives masc vibes + jibun is male] but calls themselves a heroine. teniwoha giving us another trans character after azuru and renri/pos

👍

👖

[sylvies-kablooie]

my only reaction to the finale is to sit on the floor with so much (for) stardust the album and song on repeat

valid. remains their album. apocalyptic motifs in both the sense of rebirth and destruction. if s1 was Love From the Other Side s2 was So Much (for) Stardust. i used to be a real go getter. i used to think it’d all get better. we thought we had it all thought we had it all thought we had it all etc etc.

[jenivi]

senioritis hitting me hard

[anotherpapercut]

has anyone else noticed that there are typos on the lyric inserts for so much (for) stardust?

[piotrekek]

"oh wow! It's been a while since I seen these ocs- why can't I like the post... OH yeah, the artist blocked me"

[jedi-bird]

Moved a very big and very heavy professional display case back against the wall all by myself. Definitely going to be feeling it tomorrow but I don't care. This has been bugging me for a while and once I emptied it of the random stuff stored in it it wasn't too hard to wiggle it slowly into place. Started filling it with some of my grandma's and mine old Star Wars figures, though now I have to decide if it's better to keep them in their packages or open them to save space. I see a lot of ebay research coming in the future. Did find some interesting things though.

I love how dramatic the Revenge of the Sith packaging is. I can almost hear them yelling at me.