#server should either end or continue

[imflyingfish]

.

[chipper-smol]

ISAT 2025 Art Bang!

After the telephone game lot of people told me that they were interested in joining another project just like it so here we are!

Sign up is available here!

There's a project server invite at the end, you're not required to join it but please don't feel anxious to join! The previous participants have created a very kind community 'v'

The timeline!

What is an Art Bang?

An art bang is meant to create a BANG of fanwork in the fandom! You (and as many authors who sign up) come together to write fanfics from scratch. The fanfic can be an idea that you’ve been wanting to write for a while and just haven’t gotten the motivation to, a fanfic you haven’t been able to continue but want to, or it can be an idea someone else suggests when you join.

Halfway through the writing process authors will be paired up with artists who have read a summary of their work and want to draw for it. When everything is finished, everyone will release their fanfic and fanart in the same week in an explosion of fanworks!

More info below the readmore!

How does it work?

Step 1: Authors sign up and start writing on June 28th. Authors CANNOT add any words to their official word count until after June 28th.

Step 2: After about a month, Authors submit a snippet or summary of their fic which is presented to the artist participants anonymously.

Step 3: Artists choose as many fics that they’d be interested in drawing for and I organize and pair up everyone together.

Step 4: Authors finish up writing, Artists finish up drawing.

Step 5: Works are scheduled to be uploaded to Ao3 and/or Tumblr!

Rules/Expectations

If you use generative AI or AI “assistance” I will trap you in a timeloop ☆*: .｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

AI anything is not allowed under any circumstances and will get you immediately banned from this project and any future projects.

All fics must be uploaded to either Ao3 or Tumblr

Spoilers for ISAT and SASASA:P are not reinforced in the Discord server

Authors

Authors must write at least 10k words in total.

Authors can write as many chapters and fanfics as they want.

Can be about anything! It can even be a continuation of a previous fic that you’ve lost motivation on, but you still must write at least 10k words in total.

Can be any rating! General Audiences to Explicit are welcome 

Authors who want to write Explicit fics must confirm they are 18 years or older.

Artists

Artists must create at least one finished artwork. 

If artists want to create something like an animation or animatic, they can check in with me and we can decide together what is a reasonable finished goal.

Artists can create artwork for multiple fics.

Artists who want to draw for explicit fics must confirm they are 18 years or older.

Can I share snippets of my work before the artist claims?

Preferably no, artist claims are made anonymously so that works are picked without any bias.

10k words seems like a lot?

Altogether, yes, but this challenge extends over 2.5 - 3 months, that’s roughly 3k words a month.

Can I write multiple fics?

Yes, but one of them needs to reach the 10k word mark.

Do explicit fics mean nsfw/sex included things, or is it general heavy themed ones?

Both. Nsfw/sex and general heavy themes.

How 'high level' do the art pieces need to be? i dont want to just do simple sketches of course but how complex should they be?

Since you'll be given a month+ to work on your piece, at the minimum it should be a polished piece. IE Lineart, color, shading

[dmwrites]

Cleo was tired. The first few weeks on a new server always were. They were back at their starter base after a long walk to find some mangrove trees. Their starter base wasn’t much yet, but they could appreciate its simplicity as they collapsed on the only chair they owned. As soon as their butt hit the chair, though, there was a knocking sound on her front door.

“Hey, Cleo? Sorry to bother you so late.” Joe could be heard over his knocks.

Cleo stumped over to the door and opened it. “Joe, I- oh no, what happened?”

Joe looked up at them sadly, holding stuffing in his hands. He had a few arrows sticking out of his blue skin, and a slash in his stomach, where the stuffing was leaking from.

“I was caving, and I may have run into a skeleton spawner… and a stalagmite.” Joe replied sadly. “But with this new puppet body, I don’t know how to heal myself.”

“Oh Joe.” Cleo chuckled in sympathy. “I think you and I need to stop hanging out- we’re too alike.”

“What do you mean?” Joe asked, still clearly upset.

“You need stitches like I do to my own skin. Come in, I’ll show you how to do it.”

Cleo had the puppet of a man sit on the only chair, still cradling his stuffing, and went to get her scissors and industrial-grade string.

“Right, arrows out first.” Cleo told him, setting down her equipment. “You just hold onto that stuffing… wait, would those be your organs, technically?”

Joe looked down at the white fluff. “I guess so, yeah.”

“That’s so gross, I love it.” Cleo said, and reached for an arrow lodged in Joe’s shoulder. “Okay, ready? I’m gonna pull it out in three, two, one.” they tugged the arrow out, and looked for any signs of distress on Joe’s face.

“Oh, that didn’t hurt at all!” Joe said, a little more cheerfully. “Now that I’m thinking about it, none of my wounds hurt, it’s just the emotional part that got me.”

“You make being a puppet sound more and more appealing.” Cleo grumbled, pulling the other arrows out in rapid succession. “Alright, let’s deal with this stomach wound- did you bellyflop onto a spike? How on earth did you do this, Joe?”

“Yeah, that’s it, really.” Joe said sheepishly. “Wait, don’t you need gloves or other sanitation methods to do major surgery?” He continued as Cleo reached for his stuffing.

“You’re a fucking puppet, Joe, if an arrow does nothing to you, germs shouldn't either.” Cleo replied, giving him a withering look.

“You’re right! Okay, let’s stuff away!”

Joe and Cleo stuffed the stuffing (or guts, depended on how you looked at it) back into Joe. Cleo carefully sewed him back up, showing him how it was done as she did. In no time at all, Joe was all put together again.

“Okay, here’s your own scissors and string, so you should be set to go now.” Cleo said, handing her extra supplies over to the puppet.

“Oh, thank you for stuffing me full of the good stuff, Cleo!” Joe beamed.

“Good lord, don’t tell people I’ve been stuffing you full of the good stuff, Joe, or we won’t hear the end of it.” Cleo sighed, but waved Joe off nonetheless.

[dearestzaychik]

After gathering my thoughts and doing my research on the situation, I will continue to write for Forsaken. It's genuinely so disappointing to see people that do these kinds of things just because they aren't affected by the actions they have done. I wish nothing but the Best for not only Soul (The owner) and their girlfriend, Juno, but for the entire team of Forsaken as well.

Based on the research I was viewing, some bad apples created false accusations and claims about the owner. But the information inside the said documents are either Exaggerations of certain situations, Things that were taken out of context, and some parts that were problematic that are confirmed but are placed in an entirely different situation where they paint the owner as a fully bad person. For some of the parts that actually happened that were in the docs were placed in a different situation, as at the time everything was happening Soul was practically around 11-13 years old during that time, basically a MINOR that was influenced with a toxic community. It's also confirmed that Soul themselves already have apologized for their actions long ago, and it doesn't define the person they are today.

The bad apples didn't seem stop there either, also sending doxxing threats and harrassments to the forsaken team to the point that practically everyday they had to suffer and fear for their lives. yet despite all of this the Forsaken Team is still willing to work on the game itself, which I have the most deepest respect for. There's even some hypocrisy regarding the people who accused the owner of such things even though they themselves were seen participating is disgusting and disrespectful actions.

They practically driven the owner to such a close point of a breakdown and drove some staff into leaving or stepping down for their own safety and to be away from the drama, as well as sending the said documents of the false accusations to every collab the Forsaken Team got to do hence the removal of said collab skins as well. They even got the owner swatted 2 times, and the SWAT team looked through their computer and devices and such to find absolutely nothing about what the accusations are saying. It's genuinely a shame how people are choosing to doxx people like it's some sort of Normal on the internet, Doxxing the Owner while at it. It doesn't seem to be only Soul and Juno that got doxxed but even some of the staff themselves. That's personal and private information right there that should not be shared at all, yet these people do it like its some sort of child's play as if they aren't endangering people's lives.

Moving forward, I'm still gonna be writing for Forsaken. But it will definitely and considerably slow as there have been many changes that happened in such a short time. People will come and go, even though I'm still distraught about some very looked-up members of the team stepping down.. I most definitely respect their decision, and so should you! This is not the end for Forsaken from the confirmation of the announcements channel in the discord server, and I'm sure with due time they'll have more content for us once their finally ready and back from their break. Although im not forcing it, please continue to show support and love to the developers of Forsaken and respect any decision they make in the future!

Once again, I'll still be writing for Forsaken! P.S. I'm still not writing currently though.. This is just a little explanation for those that don't have the time to research or are confused by the current situation

(thank you for looking through my little ramble of my own personal opinion about the situation, if there are any mistakes with what I said please do point it out.)

[mcyt-jukebox-bonanza]

Mcyt Jukebox Bonanza Event!

Jukebox Bonanza is an MCYT multi-fandom event held during the month of september where artists will take songs of their choice and create illustrations based on these songs. This is called a Jukebox Night, and it was popular in the hermitcraft fandom circa 2019. This event seeks to revitalize the tradition and create some fun art.

Every participant who makes at least one Jukebox Night will get their named added to the Jukebox Bonanza hall of fame, and artists who make more can reach higher tiers of victory! This event can be either casual or hardcore, depending on how many drawings each individual wants to make. (Sign-ups will be open for the duration of the event, so feel free to drop in even if it's halfway through September!)

Timeline:

August 17: The signup form drops and the discord server opens (having a discord account is required for participation in this event.)

August 24: song claims open! Each song behind a jukebox night for jukebox bonanza must be unique, so artists will claim a song before they begin drawing.

August 28: All first claims should be assigned. Once you receive confirmation of your claim, you can begin drawing. Additional claims continue throughout the month as individuals finish one jukebox night and request another song as desired.

September 30: creation period ends. You can't start any new drawings after this, but it's okay to finish one during the posting period.

September 30-October 7: posting period! Post all your jukebox nights and tag this blog so we can reblog the posts here. At the end, the mods will count up all the jukebox nights to declare the final illustration count and award victory tiers.

Sign up for the event by filling out THIS form! The link to the discord server is at the end.

FAQ and song claim information under the cut.

Who are the mods here?

There are two mods on this blog and on the discord server: Mod Idea (@paradoxlemonade) and Mod Ghost (@gay-ghosts).

Who can participate in this event?

Participation is open to all fans of MCYT ages 13+.

What's a jukebox night?

A jukebox night is a single completed illustration based on a song. They were usually square back in the day so they looked like the could fit on an album cover, but that wasn't a hard rule. Some had lyrics in the picture itself, and others had them below the drawing. For this event, a drawing is considered complete when it is fully colored and/or shaded.

What fandoms can I make a jukebox night for?

Although this tradition originated in the hermitcraft fandom, all MCYT fandoms are eligible for this event. Small MCYT, old MCYT, new MCYT, popular MCYT, and anything else are all fair game. If it's minecraft and it's videos, you can make a Jukebox Night for it.

What songs can I claim?

Most songs are fair game, but there are a few stipulations: Songs must not be graphically about sex or contain graphically sexual content, as this event is open to artists age 13-17. Additionally, no songs made by Wilbur Soot/Lovejoy are eligible for this event.

How do song claims work?

If you participated in mcytblr AU fest, then you might be familiar with this process. A google form will be posted at a determined time and all participants will fill it out. You must list at least one song, but you can name up to five. The first person to claim a particular song will be the one to receive it, so it's advised that you list a few in case your first choice is unavailable.

Once you finish your first Jukebox Night, you can fill out the form again to claim another song and receive a second assignment. You can do this as many times are you want, but you can only get a new claim once the drawing for your previous one is completed.

What can I depict in a jukebox night?

Pretty much anything, within reason. Canon events, canon divergence, AUs, headcanons, you name it! Shipping and violence are fair game as well. We ask that art made for this event be about the characters, not real people. Additionally, art made for this event cannot contain sexual content of any kind or anything that would warrant an E rating on Ao3, as the event is open to artists age 13-17. If you're uncertain about an idea, please reach out to a mod for clarification.

I have another question you didn't answer here!

Send an ask in and one of the event mods will get back to you!

[ayyy-imma-ninja]

For context:

A few days ago, @meagancandraw (Night-Waker) and I did a lil' "what-if" scenario in a private server of what would happen if Moon punched Sun after a hallucination-driven breakdown and then ran off and was visited by someone who gave him the clarity he needed.

The following is what transpired:

NIGHT: He's starting to hallucinate, goes to hit one, and it ends up being Sun.

Sun: Moon-! Moon: DON'T TOUCH ME! (THWACK)

And that's when he snaps out of it-

ME: The sound echoes, bouncing off the walls and ringing in Moon's audio receptors. There's a frightening sting that spreads across the back of his hand. The swirling black and red of his vision vanishes practically in an instant as he stares mortified at Sun, who cups his cheek with an equally mortified look. What did he…? No…no no no what had he done-- ?: M-Moon…?!

NIGHT: Moon can only look at Sun, at the hand holding his cheek. It looks dented, and there's specks of dark blue visible between his fingers. Moon slowly looks down at his own hand, and sees where small streaks of paint have been violently scrapped off, exposing the grey underneath. He feels sick. Moon: I- ?: Sun! Lunar runs into the room (Oh God how long had he been standing there how much had he seen), asking Sun if he's okay. The sound is muffled to Moon, however, as he continues to stare at his hand. There's more talking - or is it yelling? - but he can't tell from who. All he hears is static. Horror blooms in his chest and spreads through his circuits

ME: Earth suddenly rushes in as well, looking between the two. She asks what happened but doesn't get an answer from either, so she asks Lunar, who fills her in. Her eyes widen and she looks to Moon- God that look…The way she looked at him--horrified, scared, angry--he couldn't bear it.

Before anyone can think to stop him, he turns and activates a random portal, and flees into it.

-

NIGHT: Moon [begins] spiraling and thinking his whole family must hate him. They should. Not only did he fail to protect Solar, now he's hurt Sun in front of them. He's a horrible brother. They don't deserve as terrible as him. Is hurting his family all he's good for?

ME: (imagine while in Beta 10 he starts hallucinating.)

"What, gonna start drowning in your own pity party again?"

He sees hallucinations of his family, one by one. Starting with Earth. Then Lunar. Then even Eclipse. Then Sun.

Then Old Moon.

All of them berating and sharp, pushing the dagger in deeper. "You promised you would be better." "Why weren't you honest with how you felt?" "You're a monster." "You're pathetic."

"You did the one thing I told you not to do." In the midst of the anguish as the people he loves drive home every wound, he hears a voice he doesn't expect and looks-

to see Solar.

Still a hallucination, but…he is different. He's not shouting at Moon for his failures, he's not calling him horrible things.

NIGHT: "Solar" asking Moon what he's doing here instead of being with his family Moon (crying): I don't deserve to be with them

ME: Solar: What makes you think that?

NIGHT: Moon: Because all I'm good for is hurting them! I hit Sun! I let you die! I can't protect anyone! I'm just as bad as the old me! ME: Solar: Moon. If that's all you ever see in yourself, then that is all you will ever be.

NIGHT: Moon: It's all I am! The old me killed himself because he thought that I would be better, but he was wrong! ME: Solar: Was he? NIGHT: Moon: Yes! Name one good thing I've done that didn't end up backfiring or making things worse for everyone!

ME: Solar: hm. Well…from what I heard about the guy, he didn't have a shred of empathy. So you got him beat on that front. NIGHT: Moon: Yeah… a lot of good that's done for me

ME: Solar: Yeah it has. 'Cept I don't think you actually see what good it's done. NIGHT: Moon: Like what? ME: Solar: well your brother, for one. Would you say you've grown closer since you re-awoke? NIGHT: Moon: I… guess? But I still hit him, and I promised myself that this version of me would never do that

ME: Solar: and you think he's upset with you?

NIGHT: Moon: Of course he is! Why wouldn't he be?!

ME: Solar: well, you kinda just ran before you could see what he'd say.

NIGHT: Moon: … Moon: That's because I'm a coward

ME: Solar: hm…didn't they say he was a coward, too?

NIGHT: Moon: Who?

ME: Solar: the old you. He ran from his problems too, didn't he?

NIGHT: Moon: That's part of why he made me. He had a lot of problems and regrets he couldn't face… If you're here to tell me that I'm doing the same thing right now, trust me, I'm well aware. I guess it's just another thing I have in common with the old me

ME: Solar: I don't think I'm here to tell you what you've already heard.

NIGHT: Moon: Then what are you here for?

ME: Solar: well? You don't want to be like him, right? And if he ran from his problems, what do you think you should do?

NIGHT: Moon: Yeah, I know… I just… (Sighs) I dunno… what if what happened is just the start? What if Sun and the others are wrong about me, and I just keep getting worse?

ME: Solar: everyone has highs and lows, Moon. And the lows can really suck sometimes. That's just how life is. But that's what family is for, yeah? To help pick you back up when you're down?

NIGHT: Moon: …You're right. Heh, even when you're dead you're right … (Tears up) God, I miss you

ME: Solar: (smiles) failing and making mistakes doesn't make you a bad person, Moon. It's how you respond that determines how things go.

NIGHT: Moon: I should probably get out of here, huh?

ME: Solar: they're probably out lookin' for ya right now

NIGHT: Moon: Yeah. I should- Sun: (From the entrance) Moon…? Are you here? Moon: Sun? (Looks over at Solar to see that he's vanished)

ME: Sun: (approaches, finds him staring at the mirror) …figured you'd come here

NIGHT: Moon: Actually, I set the portal to random … …Are you okay?

ME: Sun: (thinks for a moment). Not happy about being punched again, but…I'm fine. And…m-more worried about you, honestly.

NIGHT: Moon: I'm… better than I was earlier… Sun, I am so so sorry for hitting you. I don't think there are any words that can begin to tell you how sorry I am

ME: Sun: I know you're sorry. I do. But…Moon, this-- (sighs) This can't keep happening.

NIGHT: Moon: I know...

ME: Sun: Do you?

NIGHT: Moon: … Moon: The old me gave up his life so I could be the better version of him. I already told you what he told me: To protect our family no matter what. That's been my entire purpose since the moment I woke up, but lately it feels like no matter what I do, it's not enough. That I'm not enough. I keep thinking that if I was smarter like him, then Solar would still be alive, or if I did start killing anyone who was a threat - sure, it wouldn't be right, but you'd all at least be safe

…I'm terrified of becoming like the old Moon, Sun. That's the last thing I want, but KC's already dead, and if I can't keep our family safe, then that officially means the old Moon died for nothing! I know that's not an excuse, but I- I can't lose anyone else, Sun!

ME: Sun: we don't want to lose YOU, Moon! Why should protecting our family be only your responsibility?! Family protects each other, it's not supposed to be one person's burden! … The old Moon, he…I get he did what he did to keep me and everyone safe, but…it still hurt people. It still hurt me.

NIGHT: Moon: I know, and I'm sorry. … You're the most important person in my life, Sun. I love Lunar and Earth, but you're the one who keeps me going. It's your light and your strength that inspires me, and I want to protect that at all costs. I want to make sure nothing ever happens to you or the others, even if it means taking on that burden all by myself. I know it's not fair to you, or Lunar and Earth, but I… I don't think I know how to do it any other way. …But I'd like to learn

ME: Sun: (listens in silence, then after a moment he sighs) Moon. I know you mean well. But—I am not a child. I am not some delicate thing that needs protecting. I can handle myself. Earth can handle herself, we know that. Lunar…more or less. (sighs) But the fact is, our lives are not perfect. Things will happen whether we want them to or not. That’s just how life is. And if you’re so busy going around trying to protect US…then who is going to protect you?

NIGHT: Moon: (Ponders the question in silence) I've… never really considered that, to be honest. I didn't care what happened to me as long as you guys were okay. I can… see why that's a problem, now that I say it out loud… (Sighs) I really screwed up…

ME: Sun: yeah. You did. (he steps and engulfs Moon into a tight hug) but who hasn’t screwed up? I’ve made mistakes. Lunar, too. I’m sure even Earth has. But at the end of the day…we’re still a family, aren’t we? (he squeezes him) You’re a real idiot sometimes, Moon. But you’re still my brother, and you always will be.

NIGHT: Moon: (He hugs him back with his first genuine smile in a long time) Heh, thanks, Sun. I love you, brother

Unbeknownst to any of them, "Solar" is watching them as they leave the bunker. He smiles at the group before fading away…

--The end--

[celestiaras]

‧₊˚✧ ❛[ surrounded by stone ]❜

ft. yu. q wilson x f! reader — krisis, nijisanji en

╰₊✧ while out exploring with wilson, you find yourselves trapped in a 1x1 hole with no tools to escape┊2.6k words

contains: smut!! switch wilson, reader┊takes place on a hardcore krisis server, reader is a member of krisis & shorter than wilson, minecraft mechanics, forced proximity & awkward sexual situations, begging & some teasing, mutual masturbation (fingering & handjobs), willy overthinking & being cute, implied polykrisis at the very end, his clothing actually might be innaccurate idk how all that works from the reference sheet, very very rushed ending

➤ author's note: i love this picture of willy, he looks so cute and shocked. i really went back and forth about how to go about this piece, but i hope that the finished product is okay!! this piece was long overdue and should have been finished months ago…

₊˚ʚ 💌₊˚✧ dedicated to the wonderful @vezalust, i didn’t forget!! i just struggled with motivation, but it’s finally done & i hope you’ll still enjoy despite how long it’s been since i promised it!!

“AHHHHHH FUCK GET ME OUT OF HERE!!”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU ARE TOO CLOSE TO MY EARS FOR THIS!”

this was just supposed to be a simple adventuring trip to map out new territory and gather the necessary resources to progress through the world, but it all went horribly due to rotten luck. really, what are the chances of discovering three zombie spawners within a hundred blocks of each other? finding something like that would be next to impossible and would even be a great find for an experience farm if you were well-equipped, but unfortunately for you, it wasn’t as impossible as fighting off such a large wave of the undead. even if you two were heroes, you only had iron tools and partial armor and getting swarmed by the horde made combat extremely difficult. the rest was a blur, running around like headless chickens and blindly swinging at enemies that got too close while screaming various swear words.

by the time all of the action, you found yourselves trapped in a one-by-one crevice that wasn’t even tall enough for him to stand up straight, making him slouch so that he wouldn’t bump his head on the ceiling. since neither of you could get close enough to light up the dungeons, you resorted to digging into the side of the cave wall instead and wilson followed you as he placed blocks behind him to shut them out… except he wasn’t looking in your direction, continued until he backed up into you and realized that you were both stuck.

your tools were one block away from crumbling in your hands and you frantically began to search through your inventory, looking for something to fix your pickaxe with or to make a new one entirely, but it was just filled with treasures you gathered up to this point. truly, you were blinded by greed to collect new riches and completely forgot to grab extra essentials like wood. (although now that you think of it, you would need to break at least two blocks to place a crafting table and work on it, such an unimportant thing that is now inconceivable to get out of this cave.) “wilson… please tell me that you still have your pick on you…”

“so i… uh…” with how close you were to him, you could hear him gulp and shuffle around to tug on his collar. “i sort of freaked out and… threw it at a zombie… with my phone too… i don’t have any crafting materials either…”

your device lit up the dark space as you squinted and quickly sent the other two your coordinates, but it died in your hands before you could send the text explaining what happened. “well… it looks like we’re stuck here until vanta and zali wake up since it’s way past midnight,” you groaned. “we told them that we would be back in the morning, so they’ll probably figure out that we’re lost and will look for us then…”

the rough wall of stone was nothing if not uncomfortable to lean against, but you were barely a few inches away from the blonde with your hips still pressed together despite your best efforts to give the other a shred of personal space. it was getting uncomfortably warm from the shared body heat and you could only imagine how hot wilson must be getting in his hoodie, but the stifling silence was honestly a worse fate.

krisis have known each other for a little over a year and were one of the tightest-knit groups, yet here you and the hitman stood like complete strangers stuck in an elevator. it’s safe to say that neither of you could get a second of rest like this despite the long day of traversing uncharted lands, so this awkward position would remain until you two were saved. the idea of starting a conversation crossed your mind but was quickly crushed by the possibility of it falling off and making everything worse, so you decided to just keep your mouth shut and sort through your inventory.

although it had only been a day, the loot piled up in your pockets was impressive now that you were properly tallying it up with stacks of iron and dozens of various gems of ores— this would certainly be able to gear the team to travel across the fiery nether once ready and might even help go towards finding the end portal. you could already picture the gang full-clad in shiny diamond armor with the slain ender dragon at your feet, but maybe you were getting a bit ahead of yourself. for now, building a proper home and creating the gateway to what was essentially hell would be massive accomplishments.

you paused for a moment when you felt wilson shuffling around and realized that his breathing had steadily been getting heavier. peeking over your inventory screen with eyes that were now more adjusted to the dark, you could faintly see him biting onto the thick fabric of his outerwear’s hood. he seemed to be trying to suppress himself in a way, but was struggling terribly and sweating like a sinner in church even though you two had been still for nearly an hour. you tilted your head in concern, “wilson… are you alright? did you injure yourself earlier?”

“i-i’m fine… just…” he let out a shaky breath, his ears burning with embarrassment as he hoped to whatever god there was out there that you haven’t noticed anything. “could you m-move your leg?”

“oh, sorry! wait, let me…” you tried your best to scoot away from him, but the space was so tight that there wasn’t anywhere to escape you. pushing your hand against the course-textured ceiling, an attempt was made to push yourself back from his personal space, but to no avail.

all this while, wilson felt like he was going to explode. yes, he didn't want to realize that he had a raging hard-on— who would be able to bear the humiliation when he couldn’t run away from the situation? however, oh god, your lack of awareness was going to be the death of him, he really needed you to stop unknowingly rubbing your thigh against his crotch and making the problem worse. he’s so fucked (as vanta would say, he’s so cooked that he’s fried a crispy golden brown). what kind of depraved pervert he is getting a boner from being so close to one of his friends— you were never going to talk to him again after this if you find out!

he didn’t want it to happen this way, he wanted to confess his feelings to you in a proper way like a gentleman and go on a few dates before hopping onto anything like this. to jump onto you like a dog in heat before you even know about his feelings was so humiliating and would definitely dash any of his hopes of ending up with you because of how pathetic he was, but he wasn’t in the right mindset to think any more than a minute into the future. “i-i’m sorry…”

before you could ask him what he was talking about, you felt him cup your face in his hands and pull you towards him for a hungry kiss. your eyes widened at the sudden action, feeling him kiss you like a parched man wandering a desert finding an oasis. once you felt the prominent bulge protruding from his pants, you didn’t cringe in disgust like a normal person but rather became dizzy with want. you didn’t start this with any sinful intentions, however, you certainly weren’t going to take it back and reject the advances of someone you’ve fancied since the very beginning.

his hands wandered around your body, tracing over your skin and leaning into your warmth as his tongue darted out to explore your mouth. you couldn’t see a thing, but it only heightened your other senses from the vague smell of his cologne mixed with sweat and the heat burning in his fingertips. it felt unreal, the lines of reality and dreams getting blurred with every passing second. you didn’t want it to end nor did you want him to stop, you just wanted him to ease the aching pain in your cunt and to kiss you like it meant everything to him.

it did mean everything to him, but he was just too horny to focus on the sentimentalities that he was robbing your first time together of in a lust-induced haze.

he parted his lips from yours first, resting his forehead on yours and trying to catch his breath, yet continuing to press kisses onto you in shorter, more frequent intervals. he held you so close to him, it was almost like he was about to implode if he didn’t have his way with you right now, pleading and whining like a little puppy for your permission to escalate the situation further to chase his own high and hopefully yours too. a simple nod would suffice, anything would suffice, and hearing your soft pleas was more than enough to knock over the already tipped scales.

in his rush, he didn’t even bother to try taking off your top. he would only pop off the buttons by accident and ruin the garment without light or night vision of any sort to see just how beautiful your naked-upper form was, so there wasn’t much reason to do so. he would just have to make do with his vivid imagination reinforced by his other senses until next time (if you decided that you would still associate with him after this, that is…), running his hand over your naked skin and gently groping your soft chest. he’s so clumsy in his movements, like a high school boy who is going through his first time with another, but it really just a result of nerves from his affection for you.

you grabbed his wrist to stop him in the act, making him flinch in worry that he did something wrong, but you led it to where you wanted him most. “please,” you breathed, “i know we’re gonna be stuck here for a while, but i need you now.”

oh, if only you could see the expression on his face, you would tease him so badly for it! he just had to blink a few times to process that and got to work, pulling down your pants along with your underwear to finally access your heat. his throat became dry as the overwhelming desire to have you on his mouth and to taste your arousal washed over him, but there wasn’t enough room for him to kneel even if your legs were tossed over his shoulders, so he could have to settle for the next best thing as he circled your clit with his thumb and adding more pressure when you asked him to press on it harder.

“mmhh, fuck…” you threw your head back at his fingers beginning to work you open, slow at first, but steadily became erratic as you wrapped your arms around his neck to cling onto him. he seemed so shy about doing this despite initiating all of this, but hearing your cute little moans of pleasure gave him more confidence about his actions. your hands slipped under the material of his hoodie and managed to find the zipper of his bodysuit, capturing the metal between your fingertips and undoing it before he could notice until the fabric fell a bit below his waist.

he isn’t very built and on the slimmer side since his job is more reliant on speed and agility rather than strength, but you felt as if it balanced the playing field for you to have an equal opportunity to dominate him as he could with you. you traced a line down his torso and pulled at the elastic of his boxers, his breath hitching as your wrapped your fingers around his throbbing cock and experimentally started to jerk him off. if he wasn’t already, he was now putty in your hands and immediately bucked his hips into your hand in an almost desperate state while the pace of his fingers faltered.

you couldn’t help but smirk at his state just from your touch and tease him for it, “god, you’re so needy— how long have you been waiting for something like this to happen?”

he couldn’t keep his voice still and kept stuttering, how could he sound any different when you were stroking him so sweetly like that? “i-i don’t even know—mmhh— it feels like f-forever…”

forever almost seemed to be laughable since it’s just been a year and a few months since you first met, but it really does feel like it’s been much longer than that. there’s always been chemistry between the two of you which was a bit stronger than the other members, one that always had you gravitating towards the other. you frequently got teased by vanta and zali over this special connection several times and had no doubt that wilson went through the same treatment, now realizing that they probably thought something like this where hidden affections boiled over should have happened earlier.

he was dripping so much that lube wasn’t even necessary, your hand able to slide up and down his cock with ease repeating the motions: massaging his shaft while running your thumb over the leaking tip and smiling whenever he let out a soft whine as the building pleasure released all over your hand. he would have been more embarrassed about climaxing so quickly and easily if he hadn’t already diverted his focus on making you do the same.

his fingers were still halfway inside of you from before, but you still gasped when he resumed his relentless pace like he had never stopped at all and igniting fire under your skin as you clung onto his shoulders. wilson isn’t the most experienced, but he quickly learns what feels best to you based on how loud you’re being: what makes you go quiet versus what makes you shudder and gasp until you finally gush on his fingers.

as the rush of euphoria reached it’s peak then began to settle, you briefly thanked this blocky world for not listening to the rules of your dimension and that this tiny little space somehow contained enough oxygen to last for forever seeing as both of you were completely out of breath. your bodies were sweaty and a bit overheated, but it somehow felt fine since it all happened with him. “let’s just… stay like this for a bit… i’m so tired, and this feels so nice,” you sighed as a spell of fatigue suddenly swept over the two of you, leaning into his chest and letting him wrap his arms around you while relishing in the sound of his rapid heartbeat.

“so, uh… does this mean we’re dating now?” he no longer felt scared that his feelings would be unrequited, knowing that you felt same (he would have to ask later how long it’s been…).

“yeah,” you said without hesitation and placing a more loving kiss on his lips before falling asleep, “we are…” the two of you remained like that for long after the sun rose, not even realizing when your other two teammates exposed you to the light after digging you both up. it didn’t require a rocket scientist to figure out what happened over the past six hours based on the mostly nude state of your unconscious bodies, giving them a good chuckle, something to bully both of you eternally over, and a new awakening of desire that wanted to join in on the fun lit inside of them.

[clownshifting]

"Exodus"

Now, you all know I'm not into drama anymore nor do I want to stir anything. I believe having a conversation rather than fighting genuinely helps the environment because too much smoke fogs our lungs. Let's be real, just for a second.

The alterhuman community as a whole needs to mind their own business.

When I say that, I mean, everyone. Even you. When I say that we need to mind our own business, I damn sure mean that every single alterhuman who has ever used the label, is using it, fits under it, or identifies complexly - needs to mind their own business.

It seems like everyone is speaking about and for everyone and the answers that are being popped up are from the "graymuzzles" and the popular blogs who just can't seem to stop not minding their own business, especially in conversations that has nothing to do with them or identities that aren't bothering anyone. This leads to a "monkey see, monkey do" effect where those followees then find time out of their day to go and single out the subject of their curiosity and further develop (negative or positive) feelings about their identity. They turn their real experiences into discourse topics.

This extends to any alterhuman, by the way. Let's make a scenerio. Subject B is factkin. R is the follower. G is the blog owner. G has a lot to say on subject B because subject B, in their eyes, can't fit into the otherkin label because of it not being "historically connected" to otherkinity. R sees this and agrees, but because of the message, R wants to share said message and have their own opinion.

Here's where that should end and where people should mind their own business. You see, R publicly posts this on their own blog and continues the cycle of posts seen by those who are of subject B's identity pool. Those who are "of B" are then left feeling hollow and out of touch, and then with how little (recent) the community "of B" is, their relavence is dwindled down into being a tie breaker for many in the community, where the utilization of DNIs and BYIs and BYFs listing subject B or those "of B" on it either negatively or positively.

While this is an oversimplified version of it, this has happened in the alterhuman community before by use of graymuzzles and dogpilling in public servers. I was hurt by the discourse around subject B back in 2020/2021. This has happened online for decades and will continue to happen in a cycle, as it always is, because those in the alterhuman community who wish to be the authority - understand not what it's like to be the minority. They already have the blog and the following to simply persuade others into that drama and agreement because they're seemingly wiser. And it's a shame that you'll see this mob mentality with no way to stop it all while they will be the ones calling your identity a cesspool of cults.

Let's step back for a moment and breathe... Ready? One, two, everyone in the alterhuman community should mind their own business. Better?

You may be asking, why did I put that screenshot up there? Don't worry about it, it'll come back lat -

So apparently someone in the alterhuman community decided to open their mouth again with an opinion about something that had nothing to do with them because it's not their identity, it's not their group, they didn't even know it was happening. And I'd have to ask ... how?

These are not all from 2025.

How did you not know?

It's because you don't hang around those groups of people enough to formulate an opinion. Which is when you should actually begin minding your own business. Actually, no, it's because you don't care about these groups until they're actually needed to be used as a way to belittle other groups OR prove you're right. You've classified all those who are exoduses as tokens of their group in which you use in a slot machine to win. That's all you've done and your discourse, your disdain for other groups, makes them absolutely disgusted being in the wider alterhuman community.

Now. What is the act of minding your own business? It's simple.. "If it ain't got anything to do with you, it ain't got anything to do with you."

No hate watching, not vagueposting, no reacting, no thinking about it or theories or trying to figure it out. If you truly wanted to know about it, you'd research outside of these spaces and find understanding there - you wouldn't see it happening and immediately ask another person who doesn't fit any of these groups their opinion - an opinion that can very well sway groups of people.

If you're already deep in the shit, step away like you're mature enough to be on the internet, and claim fault for engaging. Turning to another discourse is not disengaging.

Mastering the art of minding your business is important too, especially for those who are impulsive or can't seem to shake the need to talk about it. You may be knowledgeable about the situation, but if you are not mentioned and if there is ongoing discussion, you are not needed. In cases where your opinion does matter, especially if you are putting a label or flag or symbol in place, you very well can speak. Other cases like an essay, misinformation, corrections, and open discussions are alright too - the only places which don't need your help is "the stirring of the pot", aka, discourse and identity experiences.

Nobody needs an "uhm, actually" when they're talking about their frolicking in the fields of identity.

"If it ain't got anything to do with you, it ain't got anything to do with you," extends to if you don't know a subject either. If you don't know, refer to another, or post resources. You can't be the authority on every single topic, stop trying to and mind your own business. Stop contributing to ableism and gatekeepy practices that enable others to feel safe enough to share derogatory fables and terminology in your circles, because that also gives way for egregious amounts of backlash and discourse.

Why mind your own business? That's simple... it's not hard to find it in yourself to be kind. A lot of people think that helping is kind, and I agree. You should strive to help in the alterhuman community - in any community really - but help doesn't extend to knowing everything and formulating opinions where there needs none. I don't need to know why a homeless person is homeless in order to help them get a home. I don't need to know why you're physically nonhuman or factkin or fictionkin or a linker in order to help you feel welcomed in these spaces. Help doesn't mean knowledge, it means understanding and sympathy, even if you don't have any. It means being kind enough to share the message to those who can help.

This.. exodus is not new. CLCZs have been feeling disconnected from the wider community since they were a topic of discussion (as late as 2019) as a whole and opinions about their actions when you're unaware of it is unhelpful and nosey. It's a way to steep yourself back into be reliable and all knowing. It is a way to see yourself as able enough to be authority. Let go of that, find what you're good at, and find joy in the art of minding your own business and sharing resources instead.

You should be your own authority, for only you can have control over your palace of the mind.

[vynegar]

vyn 5th birthday ssr, part one

so… it has (yet again) been almost a year and a half since my last translation. honestly i didn’t expect to be back either since i’ve been taking a hiatus from reading CN server cards, so this is a surprise to me too! there were just some parts of this story i really liked and wanted to translate, so here we are. i hope you enjoy!

disclaimer (there is an extra one): this is a fan translation and i am not fluent in chinese, so keep in mind that there will be mistakes. please also note that although i’m translating this story, i don’t necessarily agree with everything that’s said in the story or with how it handles certain topics (mainly regarding the justice system and mental illness). feel free to let me know if you have questions, concerns, or comments.

do not repost without explicit permission. if you want to quote this or reference parts of the translation, credit and link back to me.

check my masterlist for more of my analysis/translations.

timestamps go along with the card video here. it’s not mine, please support the uploader ShiroNaya by liking/commenting/subscribing. also note that while the video uses the S-CN dub, the text is T-CN, so the on-screen text may have slight differences with the dub and my translation.

[PART ONE]

[0:31] Themis Law Firm

It was lunch hour, and the drowsy atmosphere spread through the office like a virus. Sunlight blurred the words on my screen until they were hard to distinguish. My thoughts were starting to wander, as the red circle I had drawn on my desktop calendar looked especially bright.

MC: (Come to think of it, it’s almost Vyn’s birthday…)

Last year we were stuck in Svart because of the Appointment Ceremony, but this year things were quiet. However, I couldn’t be sure if this was simply the quiet before the storm, or if Eirik had truly understood Vyn’s resolve after we escaped…

MC: (Either way… last year was tumultuous, but this year we should be able to peacefully celebrate Vyn’s birthday. Maybe I should ask him what his thoughts are…)

I unlocked my phone. Figuring that Vyn was probably still taking his afternoon nap, I instead started to search restaurants he might be interested in…

Kiki: Huh!? Is this real?!

The quiet office broke out into commotion; Kiki’s shout startled me so much I almost dropped my phone.

Kiki: MC, look at this.

Before I could react, my vision was completely obstructed by a phone screen Kiki reached over to show me.

???: I, Zheng Yan, have had my life ruined by false charges! My family was torn apart, and now they’re all dead! Do I really deserve all this?! Yes, I’ve made mistakes. But if this is all just karma, then where’s the karma for the people who harmed me?!

Kiki was showing me a livestream of a middle-aged man standing on a rooftop. His face was haggard, his hair was mostly white, and he made no attempt to conceal his pain and despair. The hoarse shouting was scattered to the fierce winds.

Zheng Yan: You’re all good people, but I… I just don’t want to live anymore!

MC: What?!

The man stepped over the railing. His cumbersome body seemed like he might lose his balance at any moment, causing several more people in the office to cry out in alarm.

MC: Is he livestreaming his suicide?!

Kiki: Yes. He’s only just started, but the stream already has over a million hits.

A livestreamed suicide made for a shocking headline. Before long, the law firm was filled with continuous sound of the man’s laments.

Zheng Yan: My son is just a boy, but because we didn’t have the money for his treatment, all he could do in the end was just wait at home to die. When he was in so much pain he couldn’t sleep, I was in prison. When he was on his deathbed crying out for his dad, I was still in prison! I’m despicable. I should just die! I’m sorry, Xiao Zhuo, I’m so sorry… (1)

He was crawling on the ground, weeping. I couldn’t help but frown at the sight of such a heartbroken father.

MC: What happened to him? What made him like this?

Kiki: It seems like he was wrongfully imprisoned in Svart, but he hasn’t gone into specifics.

MC: Svart?

The sobbing gradually stopped. Zheng Yan calmed himself, then looked back into the camera.

Zheng Yan: But before I die, I won’t let the person who harmed me get away with it!  I’m going to show everyone your true colors!

[flashback]

[3:39] Interrogation Room

The room was dim. With the only window facing a hallway, even the alternation of day and night had lost all meaning here. Worse still was the unrelenting rain – like hypnotic white noise, the incessant thunderstorm wore down even the most resilient of minds.

Zheng Yan didn’t know how long had passed, but based on the increasing impatience of his interrogator, Detective Jack, he figured his custody limit was almost up (2). Just hang in there a little longer, he thought. They had simply gotten the wrong guy. Soon, he would be free, and once he was out of the police station he could go home to Stellis. It was summer, which meant Xiao Zhuo’s birthday was coming up. Zheng Yan hadn’t seen his son since coming to Svart. Did his son still remember him…?

???: Ahem.

A coffee spoon clinked against the walls of the cup. The crisp sound immediately interrupted his wistful daydreams.

???: You seem distracted.

Ah yes, how could he forget. There was someone else in the room.

A young man sat across from him nonchalantly, holding a coffee mug. There was nothing remarkable about his appearance – except his unforgettable eyes. Zheng Yan had been to prison in Stellis and seen people with all sorts of looks in their eyes: those muddled with desire, those agonized by regret… but he had never seen eyes so clear that they made him feel ashamed. People had weaknesses because they had a goal, and this man seemed to have no goal.

Zheng Yan: Oh… what were we talking about…?

Although the atmosphere wasn’t tense, Zheng Yan still felt a sense of unease. The young man hadn’t revealed his name, only that he was a psychology consultant invited by the police and that he just wanted to chat with him. It didn’t sound very formal, almost as if the police were out of other options… However, it was still possible that this was just a smokescreen for something else. What had this person been thinking when Zheng Yan was lost in his own thoughts?

Young man: We were talking about how the different the weather is in Svart compared to Stellis. You are still not accustomed to it.

The young man easily brought up the trivial topic, wasting the police’s precious time.

Zheng Yan: Ah… that’s right, summer here is nothing compared to summer in Stellis! Xiao Zhuo’s mom would always make a big pot of mung bean soup around this time of year, and any leftovers we would make into mung bean popsicles. Whenever Xiao Zhuo got so hot he was sweating like a pig, he would eat one to cool off. You probably haven’t had mung bean soup before, have you? Back when I was in Stellis, it was too sweet for me, but now I miss the stuff.

Young man: I have tried making it before, but it is not as hot here as it is in Stellis. Its cooling effect was not that apparent.

Zheng Yan: Oho, sounds like you’re interested in Stellis! You’ve even tried making mung bean soup. I didn’t think people from Svart had even heard of the dish.

Young man: Is that enough to count as “interest?” Although, it is true that I would like to visit Stellis.

The man was reticent, but it was the first time he showed an emotion that Zheng Yan could not understand.

Zheng Yan: Sounds good! When you have a chance, come visit me at my home. People from Stellis are very welcoming to guests.

Young man: “Visit you at your home”… So you believe you still have a chance of leaving.

The man responded to Zheng Yan’s promise with an almost-instinctual disdain, as if he knew something that Zheng Yan didn’t. His tone wasn’t even that of a question, it was one of finality.

Zheng Yan: Why wouldn’t I? I already said, I didn’t kill anyone. And the police haven’t found any evidence – are they planning on arresting a good person?

Zheng Yan unwittingly rose his voice. Ever since he’d been detained, everyone had been acting like he would never be able to leave… Why? He hadn’t killed anyone! The police had it all wrong, and there was no way they found any evidence. Once the custody limit was up, he would be free to go. Xiao Zhuo was still waiting for his dad. Zheng Yan was certain he’d be able to go home, of course he’d be able to, he had to.

Young man: You, a good person? Perhaps Stellis and Svart have very different definitions of what it means to be a “good person.”

Zheng Yan quickly realized that getting emotional was playing right into his hands… But no matter how much he tried to control himself, the derision in the man’s words wounded him deeply. When he left Stellis, Xiao Zhuo had said the same thing – sobbing, he said that he didn’t want a bad person as his dad. Xiao Zhuo was only a child, so that undisguised loathing had stabbed Zheng Yan right in the heart. He couldn’t help but clench his fists.

Young man: I saw your Stellis criminal record. First burglary, then armed robbery… just one crime after another. Right now your child is only seven years old, but the sum of all the prison terms you have been sentenced to is longer than the time he has been alive.

Zheng Yan: I admit it, I made a lot of mistakes in the past. I lost my way. But for Xiao Zhuo’s sake, I turned over a new leaf – I’m a changed man now!

Young man: Hah…

The man snorted. His blatant ridicule provoked Zheng Yan once again, even after Zheng Yan’s effort to calm himself down.

Zheng Yan: Is something funny?!

Young man: Why of course. I would love to ask Xiao Zhuo whether he thinks someone sitting handcuffed in an interrogation room is a “changed man.” I am sure he would laugh even harder than I did.

Zheng Yan: You have the wrong guy! I didn’t kill anyone, the cops made a mistake!

That had provoked Zheng Yan. His handcuffs made a harsh sound as metal scraped metal, a reminder of how dire and helpless his current situation was.

Young man: The police would not arrest someone without a good reason. Only you and the deceased were in the office when the crime occurred, and you do not even have a proper alibi. Do you really think you can escape this?

The man’s index finger tapped the table sporadically. In contrast with Zheng Yan’s agitation, he seemed certain of his victory.

Young man: You are only this relaxed because you believe the crime occurred in a locked room. As long as the police are unable to determine how you committed the crime, you will be released once your custody limit is up. But were your efforts really that flawless? To be honest with you, your custody limit is going to be extended again. This means that the police will have more time to investigate.

Zheng Yan: You guys—!

On the verge of being consumed by rage, Zheng Yan was no longer rational enough to discern the veracity of that statement. The young man paused, suppressing his annoyance at having to waste time talking to Zheng Yan, then put on a charitable expression.

Young man: There is a difference between choosing to turn yourself in and having to confess. I am sure you understand this better than I do, considering all the experience you have.

Because he wasn’t a police officer, the young man spoke with no reservation. Each word was filled with contempt for someone with a criminal record.

Zheng Yan: How can I confess to something I haven’t done!

Young man: Stop with the useless defiance. Have you thought about how your son would feel? Maybe when you left Stellis for a fresh start, he still had a sliver of hope for you. But if he knew how much of a coward you were, how you were trying to escape the consequences of your actions, I bet he would wish he never had someone like you as his father. You see, all you fathers are like this. You claim that you have your children’s best interests at heart, but in reality you are nothing but selfish!

Zheng Yan: That’s not true!

Zheng Yan pounded the table, but nothing could stop the man’s scathing words. The young man was still speaking, but Zheng Yan could no longer hear it. Once again, he recalled Xiao Zhuo’s sobbing face.

“I don’t want a bad person like you as my dad!”

“He would wish he never had someone like you as his father.”

The two voices wove together until they seemed to come from one person, and Zheng Yan couldn’t take it any longer.

Zheng Yan: Shut up! You’re lying! There’s no way… Xiao Zhuo is my son, there’s no way he wouldn’t want his dad!

Young man: Who would acknowledge a father who brings nothing but shame?

The man’s voice seemed to get sharper and sharper. Zheng Yan wished he could cover his ears but was unable to. With tears and snot streaming down his face, he knew he looked a complete mess already, but he just wanted the man to shut up.

Zheng Yan: Shut up! Shut up!

Young man: There you go again, trying to run away. How utterly humiliating it is for a son to have a father like you!

Would confessing to the crime shut that man up? He just had to confess, and that man would shut up. Then he would confess – to the murder or to whatever other crimes, he would confess to them all.

Zheng Yan: I… I did it. I confess.

Young man: Now if only you had done that earlier.

Completely numb, Zheng Yan didn’t even know what he was saying. He mechanically pressed his thumbprint to the document with his confession, signing it. Then, as if possessed, he looked again toward the young man.

Young man: *sigh*

The man hadn’t left yet. Of course the victor would want to stay behind to examine his spoils.

Sensing Zheng Yan’s gaze, the man looked back unflinchingly.

[11:11] [screen blacks out]

Zheng Yan vaguely recalled a nature documentary he had once watched with Xiao Zhuo back in Stellis. The eyes of a cheetah were visible from where it was silently hiding. It wasn’t that it had no goal, but rather that it had already determined its plan.

[11:19] Themis Law Firm

The sun was still high in the sky, but Zheng Yan’s narrative was so expressive that I felt like I was really in that dark, damp interrogation room.

Kiki: Do you think this Zheng Yan is telling the truth?

Kiki clearly felt the same way I did, as she subconsciously rubbed her arms and shuddered.

Kiki: Our current justice system is so refined that I don’t believe a confession could be induced or coerced… but his story is just so horribly realistic. It’s hard not to believe him.

MC: Right. Even if he were coerced to confess during the interrogation… There’s still a lengthy trial afterwards, where Zheng Yan would have plenty of opportunities to retract his confession. If there were no evidence whatsoever, how could he get such a long sentence based only on some botched false charges? But still, he doesn’t seem like one of those suspects who puts on act in order to be exonerated…

As a lawyer, we had seen countless suspects who kept up the crocodile tears until they were faced with ironclad evidence, then finally confessed.  As a result, it was critical for us to learn how to distinguish those who were putting on a show from those who were sincere. But his words had even stirred experienced professionals like us, let alone the vast majority of the public in the comments. Immediately, the comments toward the person who forced the confession became vicious and hateful, the words they used downright vitriolic. 

MC: Pain and despair aren’t difficult for a criminal to feign, but fabricating other characters in a story is much harder. You can practically feel the pressure from the psychology consultant that he described. If he hadn’t personally met the man, then considering his rash personality, it would be very hard for him to describe him so vividly.

Kiki: Vivid? I didn’t really feel that way, I just thought that person sounded scary. Maybe it’s because you’re with Dr. Richter, who’s also a psychologist. You’ve seen so much of his work that the story affected you more.

Kiki was just making an offhand remark, but it had given an outlet to the discomfort I was feeling. It was impossible to ignore the connection after the mentions of Svart, psychology consults, and those comments about his father. And yet I was unable to associate my image of Vyn with that person who trampled all over someone’s mental defenses. There was no way that the Vyn I knew could be an immoral person who stereotyped others and lodged personal attacks.

MC: Maybe you’re right…

Zheng Yan was still tearfully describing what he experienced in prison and how he returned to Stellis to find both his wife and son had passed away. I could faintly hear police sirens in the background. It seemed that the police had arrived at the scene, and the situation was changing rapidly. Zheng Yan, however, was hopelessly consumed by his own fury.

Zheng Yan: At first when I got out of prison, I just wanted to forget about everything that had happened and be together with my family. But I no longer had a family. At first I just wanted to take my own life and end it all, but I never thought that… I’d come across news of that psychology consultant. I never thought that he would actually come to Stellis, and even become a famous professor at Stellis University.

As Zheng Yan recounted his enemy’s personal information, it wasn’t clear whether he could predict the waves that those details would make.

Zheng Yan: The person who harmed me is out there living a great life, and here I am, an innocent man made into a criminal! How is the world so unfair!

Each sentence crashed into me like a tidal wave. Dimly, I guessed what he was going to say next, but I felt I could no longer think.

Zheng Yan: I know that if I say his name on livestream, it might be considered slander. But I’m willing to take responsibility for everything that I say. I’ll pay the price, no matter what it is. It’s not like I have anything left to lose!

Zheng Yan paused before facing the camera head-on, as if making a declaration of war.

Zheng Yan: It took a lot of work to find out what that consultant is called nowadays.

If he hadn’t spoken out on this kind of platform, maybe the situation could still be salvaged. But here, like an arrow released from a bow, there was no turning back.

Zheng Yan: His name… is Vyn Richter!

With a “whoosh,” that arrow sliced through the air, piercing me right between my eyes.

[END PART ONE]

[PART TWO]

(1) Xiao (小) is a prefix to make a nickname out of the name Zhuo (卓)

(2) “Custody Limit” Big Data Lab entry (under Academia>Law): A custody limit is the legal time limit that an accused person can be detained while under investigation, prosecution, or trial. Under Svart law, the police can arrest a suspect for up to 48 hours. If the suspect isn’t formally charged within the time limit, they must be released. The time limit can be approved for extension, but cannot exceed 96 hours.

[manicpixiedreamlestats]

GINGERWREN'S PAYNELAND RECS 2024!

I can't believe we have had Charles and Edwin for less than a year. Even still, we've had a lot of fun! I wanted to share some fics, art, and gifs that made this year worth it for me personally. I was talking to a friend recently, and we noticed recent rec lists seem to be short, tag based lists with no real input from the list writer. Many of them also seem to rec the same few fics. Sometimes I feel left out as a smaller writer, and I know my favorite fics also don't always make it onto these lists either.

So, gentle reader, I will not be making a list of tags and summaries. You can read the tags on the fics and the art work, should you choose to view. I will be telling you why I love the works themselves. This is the best way I can think to recommend work to you.

Without further ado: the list is below.

WRITING

sweeter than honey from the rock - @dearheartdont

This lives rent free in my head. Literally in my mind this is like a lost episode or something. I do not want to spoil it or anything, but some of my favorite things in it are the world building (there are delightfully sympathetic clients, and witty antagonists), Charles does... exactly what one would expect Charles to do in order to help the client and protect everyone, and he makes things temporarily worse for himself. Rest assured though, there is a very, very satisfying resolution. Really, this is such a wonderful fic.

Winter Bloom - @skinnybritishdudes

PINK!!! EDWIN!!!! NOW!!!! This was my request for our server's Christmas exchange and it blew me out of the water. Genuinely, the magical mischief PLUS the subtle horror PLUS the absolute tenderness at the end?? Was everything I wanted, and more than I expected. Friendship ended with my own pink Edwin origin story. THIS is Pink Edwin now. Run don't walk for this one (as you can see, I still have not calmed down I am so excited about this one).

Nothing Left to Hide - @roseganymede95

I know I need to say more than "spider jar" but there's a point where I just start crying softly and going "spider jar" while I am reading. Honestly I'm sure if I said that to you, you would probably know which fic I'm referring to. It's this one. It's brilliant. It rewired my brain early on and I haven't been the same since. I found a spider jar pin because it may as well be canon in my mind. They call each other mine in the fic what more do I need to tell you to get you to read this? Join the spider jar cult with me.

right. never finished it.- taableclofh

A classic. Charles tries to save Edwin from Hell. He figures some things out in the process. (This is canon divergent in the best possible way and was a real balm on the soul, somehow).

molliculi (soft little things)- @williamvapespeare

This was made in a lab to make me cry specifically. The first time I finished reading it, it was two in the morning. I stared at my bedroom wall for like twenty minutes, bleary eyed, and then finally managed to type something to @williamvapespeare (who was really gracious about whatever mess I sent, lol). God fuck. It's a character study on Edwin. It's a history of living and dying in 1916. It's wondering what it means to continue on existing, but never have lived on with your peers. It's an outsider's perspective on Charles' trying to figure things out. Go. Go now. Suffer with me.

All Rights Reserved- @phoenix-soar

Do you like possessive Charles? (There's one right answer and it's yes). This fic is the fic. This also lives rent free in my brain. I wish I could say something more coherent but honestly I do not know how much I can say- well there is this lovely description where Charles compares Edwin's eyes to the sea on a stormy day (ao3 is sadly down, I cannot pull the full quote, but it was gorgeous). The rest... 🌶️🌶️🌶️

The Case of the Omegaverse Portal - miraworos

Omegaverse, as specified in the title. Also a very well written casefic, and some really satisfying feelings revelations. Once again: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

ART

Kiss (Blue) - @ent-is-indecisive

Genuinely A I am just amazed by how lovely all the kisses you draw are. Like they come out stunningly, over and over. I have no idea how you pull off this wizardry but it is amazing. Anyway I picked the first picture we ever talked about but I am also genuinely blown away whenever you drop something in LOMA

Collab Gifset For Payneland Week- @mellxncollie

I know you have all seen Olly's gifs. If you haven't, what are you even doing? (Maybe you're new here. That's okay). It's something special when Olly makes a gifset for your fic. Genuinely, sometimes I just go back and stare at this one because WOW THOSE ARE MY WORDS. BUT ON A GIF. Genuinely thanks for making my first year in the fandom special Olly.

Pink Slip- @arisprite

Ari was super great during the flash sketch commissions and we had a blast. Now this reminds me of ongoing convos that @majorlb @deadboyslullaby and I have (and perhaps one day we will do something more with those) but the point here is Ari is great. You all should go and appreciate the wide range of payneland she has made. Her fem!payneland is dazzling, and so is her sad boy Charles (which I think is the first piece I ever fell in love with).

RITUALS - @deadboyslullaby

THE RITUALS ARE INTRICATE. This was a collaboration with @likemmmcookies . @deadboyslullaby worked really hard on the inscription around the edges for this one and I am forever in awe of all the little details here. I want more of them doing strange, arcane stuff together always.

ORBWIN IN CHARLES’ RIBS- @jube-art

This is absolutely what I think is going on when one of them is orbing and the other isn't. No I am not taking feedback. Once more, this was a piece of art that re-wired my brain early on. Ribs are for lovers.

BONUS:

Feathers and Fur - merle_p

Super secret rare pair that rewired how my brain works forever. I love you catcrow. I love you Monty that's a little bit depressed a little bit of a masochist. I love you Thomas who can't help but take in strays but still has teeth and hasn't been declawed in this fic. This fic is just... so... gorgeous*chef's kiss*. I won't spoil it for you, but I implore you to read it so I have more people to talk about this pairing with.

These were all my recs for now. Thank you Dead Boy Detective fandom 2024! We may have had some bumps in the road, but here's to a strong and healthy 2025!

[6feathered6siren6]

Winding back the clock

Trigger warnings

Death/gore

Killing the main love interests

Being dilutional

Spoilers of the good/bad ending of love interests

Note: This was inspired by a song, "Again & Again" and reminded me of this game. Anyway enjoy, I will continue this idea with small tidbits, don't know if it would be in order yet, but this is one is at least. Btw rolled a d20 for how this story went, I rolled a nat 1. So be prepared, it's kinda angsty.

P1, P2, P3, P4, P5

𓆩☠︎︎𓆪

September 31st, 11:50 pm. Again.

You have been through this for how long now? Years? You don’t remember, but you remember when it started. 

『00:01』

You didn’t know The Devil Butcher’s name in time, and there was no way out. You had stabbed him, felt the red, hot liquid on your hands, stained them from that moment one. His laughter filled the alleyway. Forever ringing in your ears. His bloody toothy grin was his last movement before the light from his eyes vanished. 

You ran home, you felt his spirit taunting you. His laughter still rings in your ears. No matter how many times you shower, wash your hands until they bleed themselves. You can still feel his blood on them. 

You felt your phone ping, it was Angel. You felt her anger through the letters and words. Then Ronin’s account texting you, then felt like your body was light and saw black. 

-

As you came to, you saw your bedroom ceiling. Not the bathroom. You swore you were there. And you swore you were wearing different clothing, ones painted in red. Not… your cartoon pajamas. Did someone come in here? You check your phone which didn’t have that crack when you dropped it near thanksgiving. Turning it on, September 31st, 202X, 11:50 pm. 

Did.. Did you go back in time? You stared at your phone screen for a moment, you felt so much fear. You looked at your bright computer screen and saw Ronin’s invite to the server. 

This has to be a dream, like it can't be true. Right?

『00:02』

You chalked it up to some weird dream of showing you the future if you loved Ronin. You couldn’t go down the path of falling in love with him again. You couldn’t. You still hear his laughter, your hot covered hands. Instead, you went to the most chaotic member of the server, Misaki. 

You had them in your arms. Her smile was bright, and full of love. Her crossed dazed eyes stared at yours. They were gonna go assassinate someone, but you had to stay at your place while it happened. At least you can text and call, right?

-

You heard the shot through the phone. Her saying ‘I love you.’ and ‘Not your fault.’. But it was, you allowed yourself to let them call you. You knew not to, and you did it anyway. Misaki was dead. And it's your fault. You could feel weight built up on you. Another death you caused. Another soul staring you down. 

You felt your phone ping. You look at it, Ronin and a few others are spam calling you. Ronin knows you did it. There is only so much time you could get away from him, you had to leave, find some protection. The moment your hand was on your doorknob. 

You blinked.

You’re back to your computer screen. Back to September 31st, 202X, 11:50 pm. 

This had to be a dream, right? Like some weird psychic dream. This can’t be real, you can’t have two people’s blood on your hands. 

『00:03』

V, V was a sweetheart in your opinion. And you tried to not be murdered or murder anyone else. Telling him straight out, no, you are not a killer. Well, in reality? Right? And that, he should try and not put Ronin in prison, giving him the freedom from death or going there at all. Or, paying back that you weirdly killed him in a dream. 

You went through Luca and Feli’s whole drama of not dating each other. Helping them again for the third time. Your dream predicted this situation twice, three times now. 

Vince’s Christmas dinner was three times correct. Or ‘March is for murder’ again. Feli and Luca’s whole “Is Vince and Ai Hua dating or MARRIED?!” debacle. Christmas call, then Ronin either giving a shovel talk or rizzing you up himself. 

Three times true. Your dilution is tough shelled, that had to be some messed dream. That showed the future… 

V was arrested. 

It still hurts so much, he might die either in there or on some death sentence. You didn’t know. They didn’t arrest you, leaving you on a whole new warrant. You had limited time. 

That same ping. The same message of something went wrong. The same ping of ‘You fucked up.’ You were screwed.

Your hands gripping onto your skull, turning your knuckles white and feeling blood run down your head. Your eyes shut close, hurting them. And Ping! You opened your eyes.

It was your computer screen. Back to September 31st, 202X, 11:50 pm. 

Maybe… maybe it’s not a dream…

『00:04』

Maybe the Angel was the path to take on, like, you murdered two in a dream(Which you are still questioning if it was real.) and another was arrested. Like, she can’t be killed or arrested. Right?

-

You had to fucking jinxed it. YOU HAD TO.

As Ronin was going to your house, the clock hit 3:25 pm and it was back to square one. Back to the beginning, getting that same invite. 

『00:05』

What if saving them worked, what if not being manipulated and fucking everything up. To try and save them.

Would it work? 

Ronin? You made out in the alleyway and him saying your book was good, and that he loved you.

Back to square one.

Misaki, you didn’t call her, didn’t indulge their call. They came out alive and you guys were having an amazing time. 

Back to the computer and hearing that dreadful ping.

V, you didn’t get him arrested, he stayed at your place for a while, and when he said your book was great. 

Another tally to this just being a dream, right? 

Right?

And with Angel, she shot her manager. Her bloody lips kissing while you help her clean up. The moment you are in bed, you are back into your own chair, staring at the fucking blinding screen. 

It didn’t work.

『00:09』

What about them getting arrested? That had to be it. The good ending. It had to be.

The text for everyone, that they should hide, was scary to you. It felt real. No one is dying nor falling in love. This had to be it.

You shut your eyes while on your bed. March 10, 202XX. Taking a breath. This had to be it…. But it wasn’t. Your eyes saw the search engine and your socials with the red dot. 

This is a time loop. Isn’t it?

『00:10』

Seeing your computer again, and the awful ping sound. You were sick of this. You were in a time loop, now… how to get out of this? Like, there had to be. 

Joining the server again, guessing the password right, you knew what would happen, the text and the welcoming. 

You just stared at your bright, digital device as you sighed. Until… an idea popped in your head. This is a time loop. You go back in time 9 times already. What if… you go the way you wanted?

You decide to flirt with Ronin again, play his games, but be corrupted just like him. 

-

It was December, and you stood in this alleyway alone with a corpse. He was an asshole to you throughout the night. You were just walking around when he decided to try and pursue you. You sit on a crate looking at the body, in your past time lines, you looked a lot into murder, the ways people killed, how they disposed, their alibis. You could take one out of Angel’s book and eat him. You never had human meat. You knew some of the effects of eating your own kind. You twiddled your weapon in your hands, a metal rod that was nearby when you attacked him. It was rusted, but now stained with blood. 

It’s also weird to you, you thought when you killed someone with your own bare hands, in your own accord, it would be different. Not… emotionless, like now. You got off the crate and walked closer to the dead person. His head was bleeding quite a lot. Heck, you smashed his head in, to the point you could see his brains. Maybe you could pin it on someone, put the weapon in another’s hands. 

“Now that's a sight for the divine.”

You turn your head to see Ronin, his crowbar was also stained in red. His grin was widder, more sinful in your taste. The man you fell for the first timeline, the original. His combat boots were loud as he took a step forward to you. 

His chuckle pierced your heart again. His warm hand coddled your cheek, his thumb wiping the blood off of you. 

“You might steal my heart by stealing this view, Darlin’.”

You proved yourself, proved that you do kill. And this time, not him. You leaned into his hand, the warmth that radiated off of him. 

“Not some pretty little innocent writer, huh?”

You could hear his grin. His pride and ego. As much as you hated it. You loved it. 

“Let me help finish up here, then we can talk. I want to know everything.”

𓆩☠︎︎𓆪

You told Ronin everything, well, except for the whole time loop thing, and him dying in the first timeline. Why did you kill that asshole and how? You dropped the stained metal rod into garbage. One that would be thrown out in the morning, before the body gets found. 

He holds you close to him, holding your shoulder. Like he’s teaching you. He is guiding you to somewhere. But where?

“You did so well, lost, little lamb.” Lost, little lamb… you pondered on that nickname, you were never called that before. Maybe instead of being called a fallen angel, but it's now ‘little lamb’. You changed a major course and still got his love. You didn’t guess his name, and went straight to him, falling more in love with you. And it’s December, anytime before you start dating, it was February, or a major change was in March, ‘the ending’.

You decided to see how far you can take with these timelines. How far can it take you?

“Ronin…” You mumbled out softly, you looked at him. You finally see that it was snowing. “I…” Your feelings from the original time loop were burning again. You remember that any person you flirt with would date you in February, not December. So you couldn’t take it so far, right?

“I really like you, Ronin.” You blurted out. That was not what you wanted to say. You felt your face burn up. Even he was shocked that you said that before he started laughing. 

“Tell it to me proudly and with no shame, huh?” His grip was tighter, his smile had joy in it. Not like a joke, but with pride. “Can you carve out your own aorta then? Give it to me on a platter.” 

Your face burns as blood rushes through, but you nod. “I will.”

“Good.”

-

It was a week after your first kill. Your first kill of your accord. Ronin seemed to act more romantically towards you. He was also acting kinder to you in his own sadistic way. He even brought you to his killings as dates. Everything seems to be going your way for months. Until March 10th. The day you return back. 

You were feeling sentimental, you didn’t know if you were going back yet. You were laying on Ronin’s bed, next to him. He was surprisingly asleep, he was busy the day before working at his job, late as well. Some rich guy needed his car fixed right away. Paying double to get it fixed right away. 

He was holding you to his chest, his hand was in your hair. Your arms were around him. You were wishing to stay there in his arms. The clock was ticking down, closer and closer… Your eyes shut, it was only Ronin’s breathing that filled the quiet. 

Then Ping!

You were back in your uncomfortable desk chair, in front of the screen.

『00:19』

You felt nothing, any sweet moments you had with anyone were gone again. No one knows, no one that can help you. You felt despair. The moments with V, him holding you, or tending to his animals with, Angel, helping her manage, or just doing her makeup for a video. Misaki, the moments planning an assassination, or having dumb, loveable dates with them. Or Ronin, learning how to fix a car and giving him tools, or playing on his Gameboy with him. 

They felt nothing to you. If this was timeloop, repeating over and over. You are gonna take control, not what ifs anymore, you want to see how far this can go. Killing Angel’s manager way too early to support her, or sending Misaki anonymous messages on their assassin request board that they are great and to keep it up. Helping V by capturing the killers he was planning to find and tie them up for him. Except for Ronin, and for Ronin. What if you carve out aortas and left them in his alleyway. You want to see how chaotic you can make these timeloops be. Because whoever put you here, you won’t be trapped with them, but they will be trapped with you. No matter how insane you get. 

* ‧̍̊˙· 𓆝.° ｡˚𓆛˚｡ °.𓆞 ·˙‧̍̊ * ‧̍̊˙· 𓆝.° ｡˚𓆛˚｡ °.𓆞 ·˙‧̍̊

I have more to come, wrote a few already but thought to share what I have. Sorry if it seem dramatic or confusion. It was meant to be that way. (1/?)

Words: 2,233

[i-like-forcefem]

Um- little weird question to ask, I think, but how do you know forcefemming people would be good for them? I myself have had issues with identity as whole, and it has gotten me thinking on if this actually works?

You can’t know for sure before you do it!

You just gotta give her a little push and see how she reacts!!! It’s not for everyone, but the smiles you see when a girl puts on her first skirt, looks into her own eyes after putting on mascara, or after she’s called a good girl are all so so beautiful!!!

Gender Euphoria is a much much better way to figure out hidden girls then Disphoria ever will be

Would she be happier as a girl? If so continue forcefemming!

And then who do you forcefem? Everyone! If they have even the slightest doubt they could be happier as a girl, she should try it!!!

It’s simple enough! Buying a skirt online, changing pronouns in a discord server, making a sideblog with a girly-pfp!

And just see: does it make her happy?

If so: KEEP APPLYING FORCE (get hrt and makeup and a new name and everything she’d ever need to feel this euphoria for ever)

And if not, no harm done!!!

So cutie: Forcefem yourself today!!! It can be small!

But just see if you’d be happier being more femme! Give it a shot! Either you dislike it and you’ll end up knowing more about yourself or you’ve found a path to happiness so plnetiful and beautiful you’d never imagined something like it could exist

You enjoy a happy life cutie! Buy a skirt today!

[gallnerkyle]

imagine how tired i am.

tagging a couple mutuals (i hope you don’t mind) who’s gifs/edits i have seen this person repost across multiple platforms: @crumb @ozarkthedog @jamesheathridge @leadmetothegardenbetty

1. okay so first of all, stop reposting other people’s gifs, edits and art without permission and credit. they are not yours to repost. if you do not know who made them, do not repost them. it is quite literally that simple.

2. the screenshot above that you posted (the 1st image of this post) is either photoshopped or you sent the message and then immediately blocked me. there is no reply from you on my end and i didn’t block you on discord so there isn’t really a reason for me to not be able to see that message unless you did indeed photoshop your response. i’m also not really sure why you posted a private discord message to your FAN PAGE on multiple platforms but okay. also, you kicked me out of your discord group because you wanted to continue reposting gifs without credit, not because i didn’t answer your “questions”, which by the way, i did answer. i gave you my pronouns and age on my 2nd day in the discord. here is the unedited version of the screenshot you posted that i took just now. you did NOT respond.

you also posted that same screenshot to your fan page here on tumblr and called me an asshole for… *checks notes* asking you to not repost my gifs.

3. “what you’re not gonna do is come at me for zero reason” i’m not “coming at you for zero reason” i’m asking you for about the 5th time to STOP REPOSTING mine and several other people’s gifs. what about that do you not understand?

4. “i don’t have a single message from anyone about reposting, so i don’t even know what you’re going on about.” you are straight up lying. you’ve even responded to me about this in discord before and here are some screenshots to prove that:

5. here are just a few examples of entire gifsets this person has reposted without credit and without permission: (these accounts are the same person)

6. don’t really have anything to say in regard to the screenshot below. just wanted to post it because it’s the most ridiculous excuse for reposting other people’s gifs i’ve ever seen. you are literally admitting to being lazy and not caring if you credit people for their work if it inconveniences you.

7. and here are some screenshots of this person mocking me for asking them to stop reposting my gifs or at the very least add credit:

8. and finally, if you think gifs are "just screenshots", why aren't you making and posting your own instead of reposting other people’s work?

TLDR: for anyone reading this in the kyle fandom who makes their own gifs or art, i suggest blocking this person. they have been asked many times by myself and several other people to stop reposting our gifs, edits and art, but they refuse to do so. they clearly do not care about crediting gifmakers and artists for their work, they just want the clout from reposting things they themselves have not and do not have the ability to make.

their accounts you should block:

tumblr: @/blah-blah-bea tumblr: @/beamidnightmystery tumblr: @/kylegfacepage tumblr: @/blah-blah-blah-bleh tumblr: @/hexxedundead tumblr: @/antiantiantiantiantiantianti tumblr: @/brandiilynphotography tumblr: @/xxxundeadxxx twitter: @/kylegfacepage twitter: @/brandii__lyn twitter: @/midnite_mystery twitter: @/hexxedundead instagram: @/kylegfacepage instagram: @/brandii__lyn instagram: @/b.e.a.photography instagram: @/brandiilynphotography

they also have two kyle discord servers (not sure how to link those but i advise avoiding those too.)

[olderthannetfic]

I know the response to this will be "WRITE FOR YOURSELF!!!1!" but when I look at things I worked really hard to write that have zero comments and the things I threw out there on a whim that actually appear to have made people happy, I feel so much less motivated to write the former. I know I'm supposed to be "doing it for myself" but I don't know what that means. It feels like those 90's movies saying "be yourself" or my therapist saying "be authentic". It's a nice enough sounding thing, but what does it mean? Does it mean writing in obscurity is more pure or more artsy? Is it supposed to be more moral and demonstrate integrity?

There's an agreement in fandom that writing for others is bad. It's impure. It's selfish. But no one has really ever explained why. Nor am I getting much out of writing a story that means a lot to me and getting dead silence in response. I like entertaining others and making them smile.

I can practically feel the, "uh, back in my day fic was hosted on a server and we didn't see hit counts let alone get comments and we were happy with it because we weren't whiny and in need of validation like Gen Z!!!1!" people gearing up to yell in the replies that they're good writers who don't care about comments. That's great for them, and I mean that sincerely. But equally sincerely, how are you supposed to maintain passion for something no one else is interested in? I've been told it's better to get validation via hit counts or bookmarks but numbers don't really do anything for me. Someone saying, "I loved this! Can't wait to see what happens next." can make not just my day but my week.

I know what people say. Fandom isn't a popularity context. It's not social media. You're not supposed to like talking to people about fandom things. But... I do. And the utter silence that is modern fandom - of the 100 last published fics in my fandom, only 10 have comments, and only 4 have regular commenters - is just really not fun to me.

--

Yes, lots of people do think it ~demonstrates integrity~. People who never finish anything.

People who actually succeed at making art will say superficially similar things, but what they mean is "If you write things you aren't actually interested in, you will either burn out or the art won't actually be satisfying to the audience or both".

--

The thing about back in the day is that we only got comments. You're dead wrong about that part. Yes, people whined that there wasn't enough feedback, and they will continue to whine about this until the end of time, but your description misses the most important part about the rose-colored glasses and what people are trying to explain about the past in most of those posts:

We couldn't see the lurkers (hit counts) but we did see some actual interactions. This allowed us to imagine that the comment rate was way higher than it actually was and to see fandom as a close-knit community (which was maybe somewhat more accurate than now but never as true as people believed).

--

You have fundamentally misunderstood what the (saner) posts about this are saying.

You shouldn't care about overall numbers. You should care about meaningful social interactions. Obviously, people like connecting with others via art.

Fandom is not a popularity contest. That's why you should enjoy talking to actual peers about things. Genuine connection is not about being a celebrity with fans: it's about making friends.

--

Some fandoms do have interactions. Maybe if you start interacting with others' works, that will help. Maybe you need a different fandom. "Modern fandom" isn't this total wasteland with no interaction, nor do most people find a total lack of it fun.

[shousetsubangbang]

Signups are now open for the April 28 issue; the text deadline for the issue is Tuesday, April 15 and the art deadline is Saturday, April 26.

Please reply to this post if you plan to submit a story or artwork for this issue, indicating whether you are interested in contributing to the issue as an author and/or artist, and whether or not you are looking for a collaborative partner. As always, you don’t have to sign up to participate, and you’re not creating an unbreakable contract by signing up, but it’s always a good idea!

This issue’s theme is Quantum Entanglement: Our April issue is all about bringing things together, no matter how far apart they may be.

SPECIAL NOTE: Obviously there are a number of ways to interpret this theme, especially along isekai lines, and we’re happy to see all of them. However, for this issue, we’d especially like to encourage submissions that are “entangled” with other SSBB stories and art. One way to do this is to come back to older pieces: retelling a story from a different character’s point of view, writing a story based on a standalone illustration, or creating a radically different version of a story or illustration that already exists in our archives. Another way is to team up with other creators for this issue on completely new pieces and either collaborate on a single submission or create two (or more!) submissions that work as counterparts to one another. As always, stories have to stand alone and should not necessitate someone’s having read something else before — which should also mean that stories submitted together should be able to be read in any order and must be complete stories with a self-contained beginning, middle, and end. Note that this is not about continuing someone else’s story without their permission, much less just plain rewriting it. While you are welcome to use someone else’s work as a starting point, your finished product should be substantially different, yet still recognizably tied to the original. Works inspired by other SSBB pieces will have linked credit to their inspiration(s).

Quick Answers: Interested in participating but don’t know where to start? Bring your quick questions here!

Submission Guidelines for Fiction: All the specifics for text submissions. READ BEFORE SUBMITTING.

Submission Guidelines for Art: Whether you’re illustrating or submitting a standalone piece, here’s what you need to know.

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[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for setting a boundary on a Minecraft server that I didn’t want to interact with one of the admins after he quit my partner’s dnd campaign?

I (20, nonbinary) was on a lgbtq+ discord and had become friends with a trans guy (henceforth referred to as A) who was a minor. This was easy to forget as he made raunchy jokes, got drunk and high on call, and I have horrible memory issues (so I often opt to just remember people’s names and topics I should avoid around them via making little notes.)

We would very often end up in a vc together with others from the server, including our respective partners, chilling, playing games, sharing fun things we found. (His partner will henceforth be referred to as B, and mine as C) (I had known his partner before from another server and was happy to see them getting along then eventually getting together)

(C especially would always give advice like “if you’re drinking, make sure to eat/get some carbs, drinking on an empty stomach is bad!” Because they love researching medical effects to make their writing and worldbuilding feel more realistic)

There were a handful of incidents where I believe I was the asshole

I loved showing off games and musicals to people, and this has the unfortunate effect of sometimes unintentionally saying words that anger people.

Incident 1) I was playing a game and mindlessly saying location names- and I got a dm- I pause to glance at it- and I got a message saying “hey remember [redacted] is A’s deadname and he’s uncomfortable that you keep saying it”. I pause, make a mental note of “but. It. Wasn’t directed at him?” Then continue playing, dodging saying the name for the rest of my time showing the game.

Incident 2) I was showing off a musical I like- and there’s a cute scene where a character suggests a name for another character, saying that they don’t need it anymore, and it just so happened to be A’s deadname again.

Incident 3) I was playing Sea of Thieves solo- and struggling. I’d been hit by lightning, and now was being attacked by a shark. A and B were making fun of the fact I had slipped into an accent out of sheer panic so I (enraged and not thinking at all) said “I’ll name the damn shark after you, fillet and gut it!” (A really likes sharks. I also like sharks but apparently not as much as him)

(I apologized for this on call later, saying that I was emotional and mad, and if I’d been thinking I wouldn’t have said that. I also apologized for the previous incident about the deadname)

A and B had also joined C’s dnd campaign alongside another one of our mutual friends, D (who did not leave the campaign, but that’s not important right now). I have reason to believe C told the others they couldn’t be either of the two classes I said my character thought they were, but I don’t know. Things went great (or so I thought) we got some plot trails (one connected to the race of my character, one being D’s character’s family) and everything seemed fine- A was flirting with a lot of the enemies and NPCS (C found the character arts via google images and unfortunately ‘attractive’ seems to be a main character design commonality)

Then one day, I woke up to check the campaign discord because of a ping and noticed both A and B had left the server and there was no new messages- confused, I hopped into call with C- who explained that A had dropped a long list of accusations about Myself and C, essentially insulting us and accusing us of things like ‘sending NSFW things to kids’, ‘acting like the victim’, ‘naming a character A’s deadname’, ‘DM favouritism’, and a whole bunch of other things. I was- shocked.

(A also apparently messaged D and said something like “sorry for ending the campaign like that, if you want to use your character you can always write with me!” And got angry when D said they didn’t leave the campaign.)

(C is also a generally sex-repulsed Asexual. They were forcing themself to become more comfortable with it because of A’s raunchy jokes)

This was followed by some harassment from A and B.

A tried publicly calling out C on social media (which C had only used to make a single post sharing something they had made for someone’s art/design) for “sending nsfw things to minors” and on another platform for “being a fake ass bitch”, as well as both of them heckling a new haircut I’d been nervous but excited to try and get for years and just figured out how to ask for (responses such as “omg no ew why would you do that”), as well as A saying “no I don’t” a picture I shared of C and I going to see a musical together with the caption “you wish you were here!” (All were shared and reacted to publicly on the discord server)

(To be fair about the haircut- the stylist had cut part of it a little too short and it made my face look especially chubby)

This is where I start to feel less like the asshole

So I went on the discord for the Minecraft server and said “hey, I don’t feel comfortable interacting with A after the allegations they’ve been making”. A immediately got defensive and angry about me saying “allegations” and kicked me from the discord before I could defend myself (and C).

I explained the situation to the admin of the server we’d met on, who also owned the Minecraft server, and apologized to them that they had to moderate. Both A and I lost our mod privileges on the discord, and I also found out A had been given multiple “cease and desist”s for… saying/sharing vulgar/nearly nsfw things on the discord before. And they did it again. The reason they were never banned or kicked was that the admin had made it in hopes that A would make friends.

Now. To a part that still horrifies me.

A legitimately found out C’s mom’s number, and called her to insist that C sent NSFW things to minors. (C suspects that they got it from a time C called the police out of genuine concern for A who hadn’t responded to any messages in around a day)

C also told me that the most they had sent A was like. Attractive anime guys from the first page of google images because C really liked big anime man chests. A apparently sent C full on p*rn once.

The problem is- I feel like I was the asshole- even though most of the “incidents” were accidents because I try to not remember someone’s deadname because- it’s? Not their name anymore? And it didn’t help that I genuinely do not remember being told it was their deadname until after incident 1.

Was I the Asshole?

What are these acronyms?