#sorry to the people who followed me for art and got this in their feed instead

[jerich0two]

Hi! I don't know if your ace or not, and if this question makes you uncomfortable ignore it, but is it possible for ace people to like, stop being ace if they find the right person? I just feel rlly guilty about reading alastor fics knowing that he's ace and ig this would make me have peace of mind or smth?

I am ace! But I can't speak on behalf of all aces, since everyone's experience is different. There aren't any “rules” to live by as an ace person. Honestly, you can do whatever you want and still be ace. You can also use the label and then find it doesn't fit you anymore, no harm done. That being said… the idea that asexual people will “stop being ace if they find the right person” is a very dodgy one. From what I've seen/read, it tends to be used to invalidate the ace identity. People on the asexual spectrum can and do take partners, and some people end up feeling sexual attraction (demisexuals and grey-aces, for example), but that doesn't make them any less ace.

(more thoughts below the cut-off)

  I'll throw in my personal opinion here (since this is my blog!): with Alastor specifically, canonically he seems uninterested in sex at the very least, and maybe even sex-repulsed. I don't think the people writing Alastor fics or drawing ship art are being malicious, and the same goes for the people consuming that content. Go right ahead and read those Alastor fics if you want. Personally, I don't care. I've seen some posts on here from other (aro)ace people endorsing the writing and reading of that kinda thing! But IMO, it’s been disappointing to see Alastor's canon identity thrown out so frequently in favour of making shipping/sexual content. There are so many other characters you could be shipping! And I don't think the vast majority of people are thinking to themselves, “he's ace, but there are so many different ways to be ace, and I'd like to explore that for his character”, they're just using it as an excuse to ignore his identity and give him the same treatment as the rest of the cast. But again, I don't think (most) people are being malicious. Just (maybe wilfully) ignorant.

  Anyway, sorry for the ramble! If you really feel guilty about reading Alastor fics, find fics with other characters you can comfortably enjoy. I reckon that'd be a better time for everyone haha /lh

(And do keep in mind that this is my personal opinion. Other aces might feel differently! If you think I've spoken out of turn here, feel free to let me know – I'm not used to talking about my identity online ^^”)

[ask-whitepearl-and-steven]

I admire your patience with those readers who need you to spoon feed them the story. Everything is in the comics but they still manage to go pass it. I can't help but feel a bit sad for them? Do they not understand what they read? Are they not attentive when reading it? I'm legitimately concerned because I function so differently I can't fathom this. If you like a story, isn't it normal to make your best to grasp it's essence and reflect on it? I know I project a lot about this, everyone works and registers things differentely of course but sometimes it's very frustrating to see people consume any media and just completely miss all the important messages in it, or even just fail to get the scenario sometimes, and it feels like it's very common now... Idk I just wanted maybe to have your perspective on this? Sorry for the long post (Been here for a few years now and your a true inspiration to me. All my luv to you! ❤️)

You know, I'm gonna be honest. I used to stress out about this... a LOT.

As a story-brained person, this is definitely something that comes naturally to me, and perhaps to you, and to many other people who are wired similarly. To us, following the path of a story in an analytic, highly detail-motivated manner and unwrapping the themes can be as exciting as lifting up a rock to see the bugs underneath. It's an exciting mental activity that's stimulating and feels effortless.

And yes, as an author who spends literally 60% of my day thinking about this comic and how to draw it, panel it, script it, make it better (I script and panel in my head constantly)........ I have trouble realizing/dealing with the fact that some people are just here to CASUALLY enjoy the story that I am lowkey obsessed with.

But I've come to realize that... that's NORMAL! And healthy.

People have different attention spans for different things.

People have varied ways to read a story and engage with it.

People have unique interests.

People don't have the same amounts of energy to devote to reading!

Maybe someone missed a detail I lovingly and painstakingly put into the dialogue because they're reading the update late at night after a long shift at work. And maybe someone scrolled past the dialogue completely and just got the gist from looking at the art, because they're in a hurry to get to practice at their favorite sportsball.

And maybe someone just had a really bad day with a really bad encounter, and they're reading the update in a terrible mood and instead of seeing MY grey-morality narrative, they're focusing on all the negative points and misread the vibes because of their own biases that stem from places of hurt.

The thing is, I have to be okay with that as an author, because I will NEVER be able to get into my audience's heads and read this comic 'correctly' for my own sake.

They will always have a slightly different interpretation of things, and they will always misunderstand details and miss clues. And sometimes, they will be wrong about the way they read a character's motivations... and sometimes maybe they won't be! That's just a part of communication. That's a part of telling a story.

An imperfect delivery, and an imperfect reception should, in my opinion, be a natural and accepted part of storytelling. We're human, and we all have a different lived experience, and we will ALL have different takes on a comic, even if it's so close that we THINK we are both getting the exact same thing. That small human interpretation variation is a home-made touch that makes it feel more organic.

In short.... Not all light particles make it here from the sun, but damn the result is stunning anyway.

[artdcnaldson]

Ok so I’m coming around with the cheating fantasy (sorry im on the vanilla side) I gotta ask, how do you think the trio would snake back reader to their quad? The scenario is that at stanford reader had a relationship with the trio, broke up after a couple of years due to possessiveness, jealousy and borderline toxic behavior from all 4 of them. I can def see reader, after some years removed from them, a new boo and a ring on their finger, fall victim to Patrick first, him convincing reader to at least hear the trio out, the trio causing some chaos to readers engagement, all trying to get reader back to their fucked up little quad

GODDDDD I love the toxicity so badly fuck!!! I need more of this so fuck it. give me an au name we’re running this bad boy into the dirt if we have to

You run into Patrick at your second bar of your bachelorette bar crawl— with a short white dress and a little cheap tiara and veil and a sash that says Bride to Be in silver sparkles.

You choke down your shot when you notice him, eyes wide as you get fucking yanked into flashbacks of Patrick and Tashi and Art and all the shit you got into at Stanford. Good… and very bad.

You try to ignore him, but he’s not going to let that slide. He sidles up beside you at the bar, smiling wolfishly, like he wants to just eat you up.

He’s standing too close, leaning in so you can hear him over the loud music of the bar— his breath is warm and tickles your cheek as he tells you how good you look, that he’s missed you. His hand settles on your arm and he’s so warm.

“When’s the wedding?” He asks.

“25 days,” you reply. “At the botanical garden near his hometown.”

He thinks you sound a little dreamy about it, like it’s a fairytale. So he picks at it, needs to make it unravel. “Have you fucked?”

Your eyes go wide, you frown in annoyance, maybe a little bit of amusement, he thinks. “Patrick—“

He shrugs. “Well, I just remember how particular you were in college. Just want to make sure you’re marrying someone who knows how to take care of you.” Your mind unconsciously feeds you the memories in tiny flashes— how nice it had been to be their plaything, to be taken care of. Falling apart as Patrick’s cock bullied into you, or as Art buried him head between your thighs, or around Tashi’s fingers or strap.

Pillow princess. You had always been taken care of, at least sexually. They liked keeping their sweet girl satisfied in that way, even if the other areas could fall flat.

“Particular,” you echo. “You know most people have very fulfilling sex lives with just one partner.“

He grins, shrugs. “Well, you’re not most people.”

It pisses you off. And you’re losing the nice buzz you’d gotten from that first bar. You grab a stupid glowing shot off of a girl carrying a tray, throw it back with a huff.

“You don’t know anything about me, Patrick.” You meet his gaze, raise a brow.

“We dated for— what?— four years? I know plenty.” He pauses, leans closer. Impossibly closer. “I know how you act when you love someone, when you really love them in your fucked up way you do and not the bullshit romcom act you’re putting on for him. I know the kind of sounds you only take when you’re taking two cocks at once. Does your…” he trails off, looks at the stupid shirts your bridesmaids are wearing further down the bar. “Ben. Does Ben know that?”

You scoff, brush past him with hot annoyance in your belly. This is your fucking night— for fun and getting shitfaced with your friends before you get married and Ben doesn’t let you go out as much anymore. Before you have to carry his kids and lose yourself to a newer, boring version of yourself everyone would just call mom.

Whatever. Ben makes you happy. You don’t want to reach 30 and still be clinging to a toxic four way relationship from college. That would be clinical. You had been happy for three years away from them— you weren’t their girl anymore.

So why are you relieved when Patrick follows you into the alleyway between this bar and the one next door. When he pins your wrists above your head against the scratchy brick wall and tells you to stop him if you don’t want it.

“I don’t want it.” You say, weakly, while your lips instinctively seek out his. “I don’t… I don’t want it.”

“Don’t want what?” Don’t want this? Don’t want Ben? His lips brush against yours, teasingly, almost like it hadn’t even happened and you sigh.

“I just… I don’t—“ and you’re kissing him, messy and hungry and so fucking perfect. You’ve missed Patrick’s kisses— the intensity and need. Ben doesn’t kiss like that. Actually you can’t stand the way Ben kisses sometimes— like you’re already an old maid with no sexuality at all. Like he’s already planning the affair he’d have with his secretary in a few years.

Patrick’s hand slips between your thighs and you nearly sob with relief. He knows your body so well, he knows you so well. He makes you cum with no effort at all, gushing onto his fingers.

He tidies your sash, straightens your veil hairclip. He sucks his fingers between his lips, cleans them off. “Your bridesmaids are going to miss you,” Patrick says plainly. Testing you.

“Do you? Miss me, I mean. And I mean me, not… not that you miss fucking me.”

“We all miss you, baby. You know how crazy seeing your engagement photos made us? Fucking crushed us.” He kisses your forehead, so tenderly that your heart starts to stutter. You want to say something, but you don’t know what there really is to say. But Patrick gets it. He always does. “I hope Ben makes you really, really happy. You deserve better than just settling.”

You nod, but it’s all so confusing. Ben makes you happy, doesn’t he? You weren’t settling, were you? He was a good guy, a sweet guy, and you loved his family.

But was he the one person you wanted to spend your life with? Could one person really be all you needed?

You walked back into the party and got another drink from the bar, almost waiting for Patrick to come back in and whisk you away.

He never did.

[sy3ra]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ lovestruck!

𖤐 description: love-struck/lovestruck (adj.) experiencing intense feelings of romantic love for someone; besotted or infatuated.

𖤐 ft. lovestruck/lovesick! satoru × yuji's sister! reader (fem)

𖤐 content: lovestruck/lovesick! satoru, fluff, sickeningly disgusting fluff, the gojo satoru falling in love, wholesome, feeding my delulu rn, cringe and cliche sorry, reader is described as very beautiful, almost angelic (the things lovestruck! satoru can see lol), reader is yuji's big sister here (obviously an au)

𖤐 author's note: my writing style is so inconsistent i'm so sorry, everything's just based on my mood lol & my grammar sucks. anyways i'm terribly down bad for a lovestruck satoru so, i'm bringing y'all with me. (p. s. reader is well versed in arts and crafts and runs a small business in australia)

(author from the future: heyy, since y'all agreed that i should post this piece of crap rotting in my drafts, so here it is! so sorry for the late post, i've been busy with school.)

masterlist | requests

reblogs are appreciated!

☆★☆★☆★☆☆★☆★☆★☆☆★☆★☆★☆★

"sensei, can we go to the airport?"

yuji suddenly asks, looking up at his teacher, who was seated beside him. "airport? why do we need to go there?" probed satoru. "my big sister's coming back from australia today. normally, she would only come back for vacation but...now that our grandpa has passed, i guess she just wanted to give me some support." yuji responded with a mellow smile at the thought of his big sis, he's missed her so much.

satoru pondered for a moment, before giving his student an accepting grin and a thumbs up. "i don't see why not! i mean if it's for my student of course i'll accept" he said, pearly whites showing as he stood up, which was soon followed by a gleeful yuji. "really? thank you, sensei!" yuji's smile widened, to which satoru returned with the same gleeful smile. seeing his students happy in this damned world was enough.

☆★☆★☆★☆☆★☆★☆★☆☆★☆★☆★☆★

"so, what's your sister like?" satoru asked curiously, hands gripping the steering wheel as they drove to the airport. (unfortunately, he had to drive) yuji's eyes lit up at this, finding this the best opportunity to ramble about his big sister.

"she's the best sister anyone could ever possibly ask for, except her teasing, she still treats me like a kid even now.." yuji started, obviously passionate about his beloved big sister. "she's well versed in arts and crafts, and even she even opened up a small shop in australia!"  she's talented, satoru thought, feeling the gleefulness of his student from the driver's seat. "she sounds impressive," he nodded with a smile, a pause following soon after. "is she pretty?" satoru felt bold at the moment, not sure why. maybe he was just curious, yes that's it, right?

"very! she's basically the female version of me, sensei!" yuji replied, to which satoru chuckled imagining a vague image of yuji's sister in his mind. "can't wait to meet her then!" satoru nodded with a cheeky smile as they got nearer to the airport.

the weather was surprisingly pleasant, the sun shining down from the large patch of blue sky, covered slightly by white fluffy cumulus clouds creating a breezy atmosphere that isn't cold but not too hot. the traffic wasn't too much of a bother as well, they got to the airport as quickly as they left the jujutsu technical high school.

the only predicament was, the airport is jam packed with people. yuji frantically searched for his big sister, since her plane had landed thirty minutes ago. even with satoru's height, it's still quite hard to look around properly, he didn't quite know what yuji's big sister looked like in person, yuji just described her to be a feminine version of him.

that is until he sees his student's eyes light up, rushing towards someone, almost pushing everyone that was in the way, engulfing a shorter girl with the same pink hair as yuji in a bear hug.

"you've grown so much, yuji! you're taller than me now!" the pink haired woman said, stepping back to look at her little brother (that's not so little anymore). satoru couldn't see her very well, unfortunately. "i missed you lots, nee-san! i brought sensei with me, come meet him!" yuji takes his sister's hand and leads her to satoru, who was somewhere at the entrance of the airport, leaning against the wall.

to say he was infatuated by her was an understatement, hell, he was enamoured by the woman who stood before him. she was short, her hair shone a strawberry pink like her brother's, her eyes, oh her eyes were beautiful, they shone like a pair of gems, and her smile, they were so bright and warm, almost like the gentle rays of the sun. she stood out from the rest of the crowd.

"hi! you must be yuji's sensei. i'm (____) itadori, his big sister. nice to meet you..uhm, sorry what was your name again?" you greeted with a smile, small dimples showing on each side of your cheek as you held out your hand for him to shake.

your voice snapped him out of his euphoria, it sounded so angelic, he wanted to hear your voice everyday. satoru's mind felt absent as he looked down at you, you were really more beautiful than he had imagined you to be.

"sensei?" yuji queried with concern, making satoru shake his head, that same charming and handsome smirk appearing on his face (he was nervous). "sorry sorry, nice to meet you too, miss (____). i'm satoru gojo." he held his hand out as well, meeting yours, his hand was larger than your hand, almost swallowing it whole.

you smiled as you shook hands with him, feeling a small electric spark when your skin came in contact with one another, though you paid no mind to it.

"yuji has told me all about you, mr. gojo! thank you kindly for taking care of my brother. How could I possibly repay your kindness?" you said with a slight bow, making satoru feel slightly embarrassed  (for the first time ever). "no need, i was just doing my job as a teacher." replies satoru, clearing his throat. his adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallows. hard. why was he so nervous in the presence of this woman who he just met? he was so used to flirting with other girls (despite being a virgin) but.. you. you made him nervous.

"oh I insist, mr. gojo!" you chuckled, lifting your head up, straightening your posture. yuji tugged at your sleeves, making you look at your little brother. "what is it, yuji?" you ask, tilting your head sideways. cute: satoru thought. "i'll go to the bathroom for a bit" yuji says quietly, earning a nod of acknowledgement from his sister. "sensei" yuji gives him a thumbs up before rushing to the nearby restrooms of the airport.

"well that was something" satoru laughs as he stands there, quite awkwardly now that he's left alone with you out of all people. you on the other hand, only laughed at his awkward response. "now, back to my statement: how can i repay you for taking care of my brother, mr. gojo?" you ask once again, you were stubborn like your brother, almost.

satoru comes up with an absurd idea in mind, he hesitates, this was going to be a bad idea. "your number," satoru responds, his throat becoming dry from the sheer nervousness he was feeling. "you can repay me by giving me your number, miss (____)." he continues, it was insane how he was able to keep his smirk up despite his palms beginning to sweat.

you were silent for a moment, your cheeks becoming rosy by each passing second. it wasn't always you encountered a man who was bold and smooth enough to ask for your number, and actually become successful at it. you chuckled as a response, your chuckle coming out as embarrassed instead of happily as originally intended. "really now?" you whisper, your index finger scratching your cheek lightly, before you came up with an idea.

you rummaged through your backpack, finding a thin black marker in one of its pockets. "that's a pretty bold move you got there, mr. gojo" you bite back a smile as you take his left hand and begins to write your number on his palm, you looked so adorable in his eyes, with your half-lidded gaze concentrated on writing the numbers on his skin, your visibly rosy cheeks, and your hair that was annoyingly in the way of letting him see your face in all its glory.

slowly, satoru lifts his free hand up to tuck a thick strand of your pink hair behind your ear, since it was in the way. a seemingly harmless action yet it made you divert your attention from his palm, to his face with slightly wide eyes, and suddenly, your gaze felt like a spotlight, it was as if you were looking at him like he was the only man in the world.

you clear your throat, stepping back to give him his space, and then put your black marker back in your bag, eyes studying the numbers that you wrote on his palm. "there"  you say simply, with a small smile. satoru stands there, seemingly in a state of euphoria for a moment before shaking his head, cerulean blue eyes looking down at the black ink drawn on his skin through his blindfold. a lopsided smirk appearing on his face. "now for some reason, i feel quite special to have a cute girl's number in my contact list. thank you, miss (____)." he responds, his smirk turning into a cheeky grin as he stuffs his left hand in his pocket, careful not to smudge the ink on his palm. after all this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

in return, you huff out a laugh. "(____)'s fine, mr. gojo." you chime in, your voice seemed so soft to him.

"i'm back!" yuji yells, catching the attention of the two adults as her runs back from the restrooms. "why don't we grab a meal? my treat" you say, smiling at the two boys, in which yuji returns with an excited nod. "i don't mind, but it will be my treat, i insist." satoru offered, "oh no need, mr. gojo. i insist." you reply,

"i insist, miss (____)"

"no, i insist, mr. gojo!"

"why don't we just divide the bill?" chimed yuji, making the two adults that stood in front of him think for a moment before coming to a conclusion.

"oh alright, that seems fair." you nod, looking up at satoru, the man nods as well. "then it's settled, let's go!" satoru grins excitedly, staring down at yuji and back to you.

"let's go! i'm starving!" yuji groans, taking the first step forward, and you smile at your younger brother, a sweet, nostalgic smile.

satoru swears to himself that he was going to win your heart, your soul, all of you. you were perfect from head to toe.

and he sure as hell isn't gonna let someone like you go.

— Mayven.

[kissofthemis]

Hello, hello! May i ask a headcanon someone tries to flirt/harrass the nxx boys and the reader comes to save them! We love a badass reader ᕙ⁠(⁠⇀⁠‸⁠↼⁠‶⁠)⁠ᕗ

Reader to the rescue! (*≧∇≦)ﾉ

"Wow, you're a doctor?"

Immediately you felt your stomach sink as you heard the tone in which this stranger cooed at Vyn. While out and about, neither of you had expected to run into one of Vyn's patients, who politely had referred to him as "Doctor Richter."

Sometimes you forgot how shameless other people could be, until presented with situations like this one.

"Indeed," Vyn replied curtly but politely. "But I'm afraid I'm not taking new patients."

That should have been the end of the conversation. Vyn, in his eerily calm but always courteous manner, had made his point clear.

Sometimes you forgot how shameless other people could be when they refused to take a hint.

"Oh, but doctor...!" The overly exaggerated whine grated against your ears. "I've got this odd spot, you see, and I'm worried," she whimpered, following after him. "Could you take a peek... down there... for m--"

You stepped up to block her path, arms stretched wide to make sure she wouldn't sneak past you. "My supervisor is busy," you told her flatly, barely able to swallow the venom in your tone. "If it's that concerning, surely I could take a look?"

She didn't reply, just stormed off with a huff and muttering choice words under her breath. With a sigh, you turned around to follow after Vyn, only to find that he had snuck back to your side when you were distracted.

"Supervisor?" he murmured, with a small smirk creeping onto his lips. Leaning over to whisper directly in your ear, he breathed, "Don't tell me, you want to be my assistant?"

"..." You swallowed hard as you fought to regain your breath, flustered at his proximity and his teasing. "Please don't hire me unless you want us to be sued for medical malpractice."

~♡~♡~♡~♡~

"Too much of a big shot to say hello? Didn't know Mr. CEO would turn out to be such a stuck-up prick."

Your eyes flickered nervously between Marius and the young man who was heckling him. His finely combed hair and well-tailored clothing revealed his wealthy status, but the harsh words coming from his mouth were hardly better than what one might hear in a middle school locker room.

"Marius, do you know him?" you whispered, trying to keep up with the CEO's long strides as he walked away wordlessly.

"Not really," he mumbled with a shrug. "Might have gone to high school with him, or something. He looks like a brat that would come out of that school, anyway."

A tug pulled at your heartstrings. You knew Marius was trying to act nonchalant so as not to feed the beast behind him, but you also knew that his teen years were a sensitive subject. He'd gone abroad for his studies, claiming it was solely to help further his career in art, but...

You knew he had been painfully lonely his first year of high school, in an overly sterile environment of rich heirs and dirty money that refused to befriend the youngest von Hagen.

"Awfully cocky for a guy who was second choice for his position," the former classmate continued. "I feel sorry for that brother of yours. Of course, assuming you didn't--"

Marius stiffened at your side.

Nobody brought Giann into their taunts.

Nobody.

Before Marius could say a word in his or his brother's defense, however, you stormed up to the rich brat with a fire in your eyes. "Excuse me, but if you want to keep flapping your jaw, you'd better start saying something intelligent," you snapped. "Mr. von Hagen is a very busy man, and he has a tight schedule. Time is money, and his time is very expensive." You lifted your chin and squared your shoulders, trying to make yourself look larger and more professional. "Do you know what his hourly rate is?"

The number made the young man's face drain of color.

"Now then, if you--or rather, if your daddy's wallet--can afford to schedule an hour with Mr. von Hagen, give us a call. If not, perhaps read a book or two. What a shame that you have such a big head, only full of hot air."

With that, you spun on your heel and stalked off after Marius, who had paused up ahead to wait for you.

"I'm so sorry!" you whispered as soon as the heckler was out of earshot. "I couldn't stand by and let him be such a jerk!"

"Don't apologize," Marius insisted. "Actually, it was a bit..." His voice trailed off, and instead of finishing his sentence, he checked his watch with a cough. "We're late."

"Marius, is your nose bleeding?"

"Now's not the time, Y/N!"

~♡~♡~♡~♡~

"Don't you look all stiff? C'mon, let's have a bit of fun."

In hindsight, you should have told Artem that the dress code for "dinner and a movie" was casual. Laid-back. Just two friends having a relaxing evening.

In your defense, however, most people wouldn't interpret "dinner and a movie" to mean "arrive in a suit and tie."

Even after coaxing Artem to take the suit jacket off, he still looked out of place in his dress shirt and slacks. The restaurant was nice enough where you weren't too concerned, and nobody could see the two of you in the dark theater, but as you walked along the city streets to find a bite of dessert....

Well, you'd attracted some unwanted attention.

"I have plans." Artem's reply was curt.

"Aww, this cutie here? C'mon, of course you're invited!" You instinctively covered your face as the reek of some sort of alcohol assaulted your senses. Wine? Vodka? Tequila? You didn't know or care. It was overpowering.

"We are not interested." Artem's tone was harsher, more insistent this time. He couldn't have been any clearer that he wanted nothing to do with this situation. "Let's hurry, now. Before the shops close."

"Aww, isn't that collar of yours so tight and hot? I can loosen you up real good, and my hours go all night lo-"

"Can't you catch a hint?" You smacked away the hand that was reaching for Artem's bicep. "He's being polite because he's considerate of your feelings, but I'm not! Go find someone else before I hook you up with Chief Darius for the night!"

That seemed to be enough to finally give you and Artem space to leave. Still fuming, you gritted your teeth as you walked a step behind Artem, eyes flicking wildly around the streets.

"I think you can relax now," Artem told you after a couple minutes. "Just one drunkard. It's still too early for most people to be in that bad of shape."

You sighed and unclenched your jaw. "I'm sorry. It's my fault for suggesting a place so close to North Stellis."

"No need to be sorry," Artem assured you, and the warmth in his voice helped you relax. "I rather like it out here. You can see the stars more clearly than you can downtown."

You turned your eyes up to the night sky, and a soft gasp left your lips as you took in the spectacle of stars and moonlight above you. "You really can! It's beautiful!"

"Yes," Artem murmured in agreement. While looking at the sky, you couldn't quite see his deep blue eyes gazing in your direction. "A captivating sight indeed."

~♡~♡~♡~♡~

"Are you some kind of con artist? You're the worst!"

The shrill shriek from the lobby startled you so much that you almost dropped the box of bits and pieces you were carrying.

"You can take it to an appraiser for a second opinion, but I--"

"No way! Pay to have some buddy of yours lie to me, too? You're scum!"

Luke had mentioned that he'd been swarmed with customers lately, both those looking for repairs and those browsing for antiques to purchase. You had offered to lend a hand to take some of that burden off. At first, he had hesitated, but when you mentioned you wanted to hang out with him more...

His mood turned 180 degrees, and he invited you to help him organize materials and keep him company this weekend.

Initially you had thought Luke was just too proud to admit he needed help. But now, you couldn't help but wonder, "How many visitors throw fits like this woman?"

"Is everything okay over here?" you asked at last, setting the box down next to Luke's desk.

The brunet cast you a look that screamed at you to step back. But if someone was causing a ruckus, you didn't want to leave Luke to handle it alone. You had offered to help out, and you were going to stay true to your word!

"Do you work here?" The woman whipped her head around to glare at you, a harsh look full of malice and frustration. However, you sensed something else in there too: anxiety. "Are you here to call my boyfriend a liar, too?"

"I didn't say he was a liar," Luke clarified, interjecting before you could respond. "I just said--"

"You said this was a fake!" she snarled, turning her anger back onto Luke. "My boyfriend said he searched high and low to find me an authentic, vintage music box! You're spitting in the face of our love! Who do you think you are?!"

"I've been collecting and repairing antiques for quite some time--"

"As if!" she scoffed. "You're like what, 25 at most? 'Quite some time' my ass!"

Clearly, she did not want to listen to a word Luke had to say. She had already decided he was a scammer and an anti-romantic. Judging from Luke's expression, his patience was also wearing thin.

"Excuse me, miss? May I say something?"

She stomped her foot as she spun to face you, and for a moment you thought she was going to bite your head off to make a point to Luke. Luckily, your head was still on your shoulders for now, so you figured you would try to get as far as you could before one of those two snapped. "This man here is also a professional detective. He has a great eye for detail. I'm sure he has a reason for saying this box is not authentic." You saw her nose twitch, and you braced yourself for her to start spewing flames again. "Luke, why don't you point out which specific details are not 100% accurate to an authentic antique? Here, I'll bring over an extra magnifying glass."

Slowly but surely, Luke was able to point out a couple of minute differences that were hard to discern for an untrained eye. "While it's a beautiful replica, it's not a true, authentic piece," he declared finally. "Replacement parts will be easier to find for this model, as it's more modern, but... I think your boyfriend just got unlucky."

"So the seller... was the liar...." Her demeanor had changed entirely from when you first found her. She seemed dejected and remorseful, but also a little... relieved. "I thought it was off, you know. The coloring... Anyway, I kind of hoped you'd tell me I was wrong. I'm glad you were honest." She chuckled and shook her head. "I'll talk to him about it. We'll figure something out. Thank you, Mr. Luke, and sorry I called you a scumbag."

Once the door closed behind her, Luke drummed his fingers against his desk and called your name. "You didn't have to do that. I could have handled it."

"You looked like you were about to hit her."

"I would never hit a woman."

"Sorry. You looked like you were about to dislocate her arm."

He sighed. "I'm annoyed... but I'm grateful." He cast you a beaming grin, his sharp canines glinting in the half-light of the sunset. "Now help me clean off one more shelf, and then it's pizza on me!"

[choccy-milky]

Hi babe, just read what u published about getting hate on Clora from your latest chapter.

I just wanted to say that there’ll always be people that will throw HATE - on your oc - story- decisions u make for your fanfic-story-character. The important thing here is to know where you stand, what u like, how u want your characters-story to be headed. I knoooow for a fact that is jealousy, towards you, your creativity, your imagination, and they just wanna be “cool”.

I’ve followed u for a time now ( and sorry I’ve always wanted to message you saying how awesome u are 🥲 but didn’t have the courage to do so… but this drew the line! ) and how you manage to portray the feelings, story and the character’s personalities is truly unique. U👏KEEP👏DOING👏THAT👏.

In my country we say “take the things from who says them” ( poor translation sorry ) it basically means take the comments and opinions from the people who know about the topic, from people that are important to you, from people you admire, etc. Not from those kind of people who CLEARLY have NO CLUE about the HP plot 😅 which like u said, it revolves about sacrifice and love, or just for the art of hating an -awesome- OC. Like, c’on we’re too old for this hating on one and other 😒.

I know it’s upsetting. BUT: Keep on shining. Keep on giving Clora her vibrant and wonderful personality that u both share. Keep working hard. Keep creating.

I’m sending all my love and support from a remote corner of Earth. 💖🫶

PS. Sorry for the long AF message. Toodaloo!😘

AWW TY BABE SRSLY💖💖💖 im so happy youve been enjoying my art/story/following me for so long!!!😭💖💖

and you're 100000% right, i need to just focus on the positive and people who enjoy my content and who are kind to me and whose opinions i respect 😭💖LIKE YOU!!💖💖and ik people might just then accuse me of surrounding myself in an echo chamber of yes men who just are nice to me bc i cant take criticism BUT HEY!! what else am i supposed to do for my mental health? if you dont like clora or my story/art or w.e else, just block me and curate your feed and move on and dont think about me anymore, the same way im trying to do for my own wellbeing. im lucky enough to have lot of ppl like my art and story but that doesnt mean i signed some agreement to have people be rude to me and i just have to take it with a smile. like naw my guy, i have ANXIETY UP THE WAZOO!! and im allowed to block and delete and respond to stuff like that when it upsets me too ALSO THANK YOU AS WELL @jodiswiftle 💖💖im so happy youre enjoying my fic sm. i got your ask but i hope you dont mind me just addressing it here, bc i dont wanna keep drawing attention to this and keep making separate posts about it/the negativity and i want this to be the last one. but IT REALLY DOES MEAN A LOT, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PASSIONATE RANT OF AFFECTION BAHAHA IT RLY CHEERED ME UP TOO 💖💖🥹

[pamithebunterfly2007]

What Have I done. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ?

For those who just met me, I wanted to say that Ever since I get to tumblr just to avoid everyone. . . . . . I admit what I’m even doing wrong. . . . . I’ve always hated my myself for every single error I’ve done in my past life and today. . . . . . . . . . . . . I was so mindless and dumb for what I’m doing wrong. . . . . . . I didn’t even realize what I’m doing until now, the fact that it was the only way to cope with, by making “revenge art” of the people who betrayed me or left me. . . . . . . . . I never felt this guilty before, I didn’t realize that why I’m doing, due to everyone in the past of cutting me out . . . . . . . They hated for that one mistake that will forever be stuck with me. . . . . . . . . . So by then a way to make me feel better of myself, I decided to make cringy and not so cool revenge gore art as a way to cope with the stress and anger that they affected me. . . .So by that one callout doc that on of my friend cut me out I deleted them all and so those all the drama I got involve in. . . . . . I’m trying my best to quit doing that . . . . . . . . . . But one is being exposed on Twitter by that one user I can’t name. . . . . . It’s got flagged so I deleted it. . . . . .never to be seen again. . . . . . . . . Sure what I’m doing is absolutely not okay, I should’ve ignore them in the first place . . . . . . . . . . . . But due to so much trauma in my DA life made me this way that triggered me causing me to draw “revenge art” on them and that won’t happen again for how much of a psycho I was. . . . . . I was so mindlessly rude to everyone that two user who I cannot name already left because of my selfish actions towards them and yes, that I’m aware of this because I hurted them in many ways that makes me an awful person to them. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . And I’m sorry, I’m the monster this whole time. . . . . . . . . I couldn’t help for what I’m doing, I get that all I done was shitty for fuck’s sake. Because From the bad memories of DA and the friends who cut ties with me cause me to turn into a mean and cruel user backstabbing everyone in my path. . . . Not to mention how it badly influences my friends . . . . . . .causing them to make bad decisions by troll feeding and bash opinions . . . . . . . . . . I took them in my own control, I manipulated them many times, I abuse them with my own control, Causing a user who doesn’t like Viziepop’s works to block all of us just for acting like a bunch of crazed fans of a HB character . And my behavior to everyone was just upsetting that I get many people especially that one user, Didn’t like what I’m doing to them. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . so by then I deleted the cringy gore stuff I did in the past . . . . . . And I admitted for what I’m even doing is stupid. . . . . . and the thing is that I just wanted to change for the better, even for my friends and followers, because I don’t want the same thing happening to me again. And to the two user who left this site and those who blocked me, I was so bitchy towards others and especially you and a few like not too many like maybe one or two people cutted ties because of my behavior because for how obnoxiously rude I am and so verbally aggressive was to them and using them just for abusing my own willpower to harrass them at my own will due to how horrible DA and my former friends effected me which turns down into verbally harassing you and bullying others just for shits and stuff. . . . . I understand and know you don’t need me or don’t love me anymore, by then you hated me now but, I know it’s for my good that you all leave me behind, I understand that I treated you very horrible because you never wanted to deal with a demon who is hurt and misunderstood and struggling with social cues. I was just so plain rude that I confess to everyone especially to those who left me and block me that I am nothing but a monster and crazy person, but in reality I’m struggling to be nice and instead lash out on these for the sake of it. . . . But

Things are different now and im willing to finally change for the better, . . . I won’t give up on myself and my friends and I’ll try to be more nicer to people and even don’t get involve with too much drama or any of my friends drama, .I’ll try to not make any more gory hate art on others who left me and to all the people who left tumblr and block me for my awful actions, please note that for now, Im staring my journey through redemption, all of my friends who art still with me are supporting me hard, to get to the point where I finally be a true good user for once and be more friendly to everyone even my friends.

@nicky-toony27

@softpawsxd

@sketchymenace

@lilithbutweird

@art1c-m0nk3ys

@ghosthyena74

@emo-gals-4life

@rhyliethecaterfly

@itsmetord

@zizzythehedgehog

@lizzietherwbychibifan

@smurfylegofan2005

@melimilkysblog

@melimilky

@adam-frankenweenie

@hellishhotel

@megamanzero5098

@halliedoesstuff

@halliedrawz

@endomentendo

@skylarthethompson

@leftunknown

@galacticsomewhat

[twistedhypersonicnavigator]

Bullying

For those who are unaware. Last year (under my old account NoraMutaoFrost) I was bullied because I shared an image from someone who did 'blankshipping' art. I did not know they did, because I didn't go looking for that specific tag. Someone else shared it, so it ended up on my feed.

Apparently sharing someones art who did blankshipping art was a big no no and I got my name put onto a 'block'/'blankshipping' list where my over 700 followers went from 700 to 300 overnight. I mean that literally. I donno where this list was or who made it, I was told this by one of my followers.

After this I kept getting messages/asks/DMs about how a broken person I was, or how gross I was going liking blankshipping. Regardless of how many times I told them that I didn't like blankshipping.

Now keep in mind that I am completely indifferent to the actual blankshipping. I don't look for it, I don't write it, and I have that tag blocked because I don't like seeing porn in general. So I tend to avoid it.

So after giving up all together and stopped writing everything I was writing at that time with Submas, left all the submas servers I was in, and hiding under a rug for a few months I finally decided to delete my account and start fresh. Maybe the bully's won't find me.

I'm a really shy person in general and I don't do to well with confrontation, I tend to stick to myself, and I don't have may friends on here that talk to me often enough to check up on me when I'm to quiet.

Anxiety and depression are bad.

Sorry for venting, I just wanted to get this out in the open so people know.

[thekraftcryptid]

I’ve been rereading SYRE like once a week and stumbling across your art was like finding treasure in a desert 😭 What are your favorite chapters/scenes? My favorite scenes that I can’t help but go back to are the snake and the tree and Thatch and Izou talking while Shellie is just bundled in blankets (and the newest chapter because WB PIRATE FOCUSED and the writing and characterization of each of them is just 👌😤)

*we are family, Kiki Palmer blasts in the background*

I’m not joking when I say the first thing I did after reading this story was look up fanart for it, find nothing, and no one talking about it and said:

On god, this fic is watering my crops, feeding my family, clearing my skin, paying my debt, snatching my waistline, and has turned me into an ascended being of pure light. I thank whatever higher power (Dianxia from heaven officials blessing) has ordained that you find that fic, but then my art. I’m glad you like it and I love gushing about how amazing it is, especially how well our host HippieMindy52 writes with such a strong tone and specific characterization that changes depending on who we are following, you get to see each characters thought process, the way they process situations and new information and how they choose to act on it. It’s got me in a death grip tbh.

On god, there is more to come, I’m actually working on a birthday piece for one of my big sisters and her fav Jiujitsu Kaisen character going on that vacation he talked about. Also a piece from my other big sisters star wars fic (her name is deadstarsrising and if you like star wars her work is amazing, we parasite to each other and egg each others ideas on, #codependency)

Anyways, I’m actually planning to do a little mini comic based around the tree scene. (And now burrito Shellie but you didn’t hear that from me)

So far, one of the best scenes for me is actually our #bestdadcaptainhook Cherry when Fossa and Haruta scared the hell outa her, also when she met him and complimented his name when trying to find the kitchen. God those scenes were so good and packed with show don’t tell subtext, which is some of my favorite writing forms ever.

I cannot wait to talk to pirate daddy. On god I just got to him in the anime, I’m on ep 321 I think.

Sorry to ramble about this though, I just love fic writers and wanna give them as much appreciation as possible, bc while we artists get away with so much more on so many fronts. Just, show Mindy some love on god, she deserves it so much and I wish more people were reading it and making art.

[piplup335]

hi guys! I’m kinda new to this, but i wanna try writing for roblox stuff!

you can call me Pip, Piplup, or just, well- “Inpherno’s Chef” because I gotta feed you all LMAOOOOO-

if you like my stuff be sure to drop a follow, gotta feed as many people as possible :D

ask me anything…EXCEPT anything related to art, I can’t draw 😭

I run @blackrockbiograft, @flipsidedom, @jpatel-dtt and @piplupcannotart :D

requests currently closed!

more info below! [games, stuff I can/can’t write, random info, tags I use & the request queue which I even have a lil counter for :D]

╔══════ ⋯⇋ ૮(•͈⌔•͈)ა ⇌⋯ ══════╗

╚══════⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯ ══════╝

games I write for!

Phighting!

Defend The Train (underrated af, go check it out!)

Doomspire Defense

I can write anything except:

NSFW stuff (Phighting)

NSFW stuff and romance, unless there’s demand (defend the train)

NSFW stuff (Doomspire Defense)

Side note: pls specify if it’s platonic or romantic ;-;

yes, I can do reader inserts (or xreaders) and possibly OCs. emphasis on possibly ;-;

random info!

foot pics are unnerving…please do NOT send them-

I write short stories, you can find them on AO3 and wattpad, under piplup335 on AO3 and da_galaxy_cat on wattpad :D

…pls request lol

requests take ~1 week because of schoolwork, sorry!

this means I’ll post max. 2 times a week ;-; but I’ll try to speed it up for you guys though :D

tags I use:

#marinated seasoned and grilled to perfection!

-> literally any bit of writing lmao

#piplup reblogs

-> I go by Pip(lup). I’m reblogging stuff. yeaaaaaa-

total request count: 16 (…fml)

working on:

-subspace x reader enemies to lovers…soon, I guess

queue:

-broker x reader…for a malnourished human being 😭

-hyperlaser x katana bar date!

-“GET THAT ROBBER OUTTA MY LAB, DEAD. OR. ALIVE!!” Subspace after reader steals a child (Biograft lol)

-medic and psycho drawing

-S&J bonding, they figure it out

-Valerie and Vanessa shopping trip!

-medkit comfort…my dumbass didn’t read the bottom line LMAOOOO

-scythe n broker comfort fluff

-boombox x depressed/suicidal reader, angst to fluff

-father figure katana with a depressed teenage reader

-subspace x stranger/basil!reader

note to self: stranger and basil are from omori

-shuriken and player reader who got MVP!

-subspace and a tryhard player reader who's good at the game!

-psycho x reader!

-scythe x reader, with…let’s see…southern rizz, pet names and fella getting flustered. simple enough but I’M DUMB AS SH-

[blorbopolis]

hello! im sorry if you get asked this a lot, but I was curious how you got into doing art ttrpg? and what should an interested artist have in their portfolio? thank you 💖

hi! so i wrote out a big "how to" before re-reading your message and considering you maybe just... asked how it happened for *me*, not necessarily how someone else should do it LOL. so, how it happened for me: i've been actively courting freelance art work since ~2009, and fantasy ttrpg is a natural extension of my interests - my portfolio was already full of world of warcraft fanart by the time ttrpgs & D&D really started having their modern moment. TTRPG is a good low-to-mid level place to find leads, as well, because the barrier for entry is super low for creators, which means a lot MORE projects to go around. (If you want to make a board game, your artist has to know a LOT about packaging, printing, manufacturing, graphic design, etc. if you wrote a D&D module and just want to publish it on itch.io? your artist only needs to know how to send you a decent sized .jpg.) as far as portfolio goes, when i started getting consistent replies to my cold emails, my portfolio had mostly covers and half-pages (ie, narrative illustrations), portraits, and animals. If you want to be more well-rounded you could also include pieces focusing on environments, items, and creatures. Don't include anything unless it's GOOD though. (i am so serious about this - bad work in your portfolio makes the good stuff look like a fluke.) now. if you wanted a "how to" answer, here is 600 words lol. I'm gonna start with the base assumption that your work is already hirable so we can focus on just like, specialization + client acquisition tips. getting a folio up to snuff is a whole other can of beans short version goes like this:

this whole thing only works if you have the ability to honestly self-assess. new work & skills: you should have fresh stuff that's a snapshot of what you can do *right now.* this doesn't mean old work can't stay in your folio if it's still good, but a small, current folio that really hits is WAY better than a bloated old one with irrelevant studies or student work. new artistic peers: as you continue to evolve as a professional, you should have an idea of which other working artists your work is most similar to, in terms of skill/tone/specialties/other relevant skills (3D/graphic design/etc) in order to see how you stack up to your """competition""" for lack of a better word. Additionally those artistic peers have hangout zones (discords or FB groups, etc) where you can talk shop & pass around job leads. research peers' clients: research who those peers are contracting with. See if your work would be a fit for them; if so, find their contact info and put it on your list. Those clients are probably also promoting other similar projects or publishers on their feeds; twitter has a handy "you might also want to follow" list that has other similar accounts you can explore. You can also work backwards from the product to the creator (see any cool battle maps, CCGs, board games, etc? find out who made it and whether they're the ones doing the art hiring.) Additionally, those discords & fb groups I mentioned will have leads (of varying quality) shared around that you should be assessing as they come in. reach out to new batch of clients: cold email. be realistic about who's worth contacting, but don't self-disqualify. that part is a balance. art directors are people with problems to solve, and you need to be able to A. anticipate the problems they need solving, and B. confidently (and honestly) let them know exactly what you can do for them. Attach A FEW, SMALL, RELEVANT jpgs that they can easily download and keep for reference. do not send massive high res attachments, their inboxes are full enough as it is. If you're responding to a specific call, attach relevant pieces or curate a page on your portfolio site specifically for work that would fit the project. If reaching out to clients doesn't result in a lead - *or*, if it takes them 3 months to get back to you, you should spend that time doing your own stuff and bolstering your skills. eventually your portfolio will be good enough that it kicks down doors for you.

you'll notice i never included "be active on social media! post your new work! feed instagram's ad revenue by giving it more content!" in this strategy because it doesn't matter. i'm not professionally active on any social media. we were getting hired before twitter existed and we'll still get hired after it dies. just do make sure you have an online portfolio (your own website >> artstation >>> other free folio builders >>>>>>>>>>>> an instagram feed.) the more times you do this cycle the easier it gets; both because you'll just get good at every step of the process, and because more people will know you and have known you for *longer* so you seem like a safer bet. I'll be honest: it's a ton of rejection lmao. I would get a rejection in my inbox at least once a week - even more than that i'd just get radio silence. But eventually you'll get a yes, and if you're lucky that yes will result in high quality new work you're proud of and can put into your folio (taking you back to step 1 lol.)

the freelance life is (INSHALLAH!!!) behind me since i now have a full time job doing marketing/supporting art for video games. But my portfolio never would've gotten there if i didn't have the experience of going through the freelance meat grinder first. it really taught me how to be an actualized *creative* (who can stand up for her own expertise, think like a project manager, and take creative ownership of / responsibility for my assignments) and not just a hired hand. my team likes that. i think

[sinningtamer]

Not sure if you’ve answered this before but what are your favourite fics and ships?

Love all your art btw! <3 Thx for all the food!

i might've years ago, so let's go again! i'm gonna answer this question as only NSFW/kink related, otherwise the list would be way too long haha

alright let's start with the obvious: ParviII is and always will be my #1 one ship, even when I dip in and out of the fandom a lot (i feel the term OTP is super outdated these days? but if there was one ship i could use it with it's them...)

so obviously i'm gonna say Talking Body and Payment and Payback by @sparxwrites. because. you know. how can i not. oh yeah, Good Vibrations is also a classic. hiii sparx, i'm sorry for picking your older fics, i just have such a bias. they've written a ton of great stuff over the years though, so go give the account a peak! there's something for everyone, especially if you like darker stuff.

...speaking of accounts with a lot of content who lurk around here, shoutout to @pawpunkao3. lmpᴇarI is one of my favorite ships, and they're still such a rarepair somehow?? anyways I think about Between Bedrock and a Hard Place at least once a week tbh. A New Religion That'll Bring You To Your Knees is fantastic, and i have a soft spot for I Spy (even tho i didn't watch too much empires). again, another author with a whole arsenal under their belt, so don't just take my word for it and check the rest of his fics!

back to lmpᴇarI being a rarepair... @thatstoomuchsoup has Chicken Soup for the Soulbounds (okay it's more pearI-centric but they're both there) and is another blog that specializes in some of my kinks and these fandoms. same with @anon-teddy's content, gotta give a shoutout to full. this is also making me realize i haven't sought out enough poly S0up Group or GᴇmpuIse/PᴇarIgem fics...maybe i'll get back to you on that...

there's a bunch of good explicit trᴇᴇbark fics, but i said i was gonna keep this list concise, so the only one i'll specifically point to is how to deal with your supernatural lust for blood (and other things) in a completely normal and god-honoring fashion. for...reasons. also because it's good!

edit: oh my GOD i realized two seconds after posting this i completely forget to mention @also-an-art. go read (this is) hungry work and honey don't feed it right fucking now. i've read both of these in full (pun intended) multiple times they're that amazing. it's rare that the plot is just as good as the horniness, when i tell you i lost my mind at some of the development in these. also hot and dirty (like the la air) is a guilty pleasure. AND it introduced me to a song that ended up being #20 on my spotify wrapped LOL (RPF warning on that one! trust me tho)

let's get to my other bias, shall we? RᴛSpiff and RᴛS00t don't....have any explicit fics. nor does poly lᴀds. CMRᴛ does, though! I'm kinda picky about how people characterize them, but play it cool and Every Stumble and Each Misfire are lovely (note that the second one is also blatant RPF! don't say i didn't warn you o7)

speaking of lᴀds, if you follow me on main, you know i got into Bᴀnᴀna Bᴜs Sqᴜᴀd just last year (I'M SORRY, OKAY, DON'T @ ME-) you'd think getting into an old fandom late would mean a ton of great smut fics, right? to be honest, i haven't found many that i care for, but maybe i'm just picky... however, i remember your lips, they're the ones i miss, and smoke in your lungs, your lips on mine are SO GODDAMN GOOD i'm not even mad it's only those two i like because i could reread them 20 times. god. such fun characterization. shame the author orphaned them because i badly wanna read more of their stuff.

this is the part where you go, spirit, do you read anything besides (mᴄ)yt fandoms??? and i go, not really.............well, sort of. i like 0verwatch! and M0icy!! Reciprocity is a delightful PWP long fic. i'm also not really an omegaverse guy, but Water Me has such a good take on it i fell in looove.

okay, i'm gonna cut myself off here, enough though i could probably name dozens of more fics if i sat and thought about it. if anyone i tagged wants to be untagged, feel free to reply here or shoot me an ask/dm!!

[wileycap]

Alright, my algorithm content is filling up with crazy people whom I've been dutifully blocking (don't judge me sometimes I want tumblr to feed me pictures of cats like I'm a small baby bird) which, you know, we all know why it's happening in an American election year.

So I'd like to caution you against one of the more insidious types of posts they have.

The Reasonable Post.

I'm going to be using the words Cats and Dogs to describe any (false) dichotomy that these people want to push. Why? Because this shit is as depressing as a single lost candy in a tin of sewing supplies. Obviously most people can see what the following examples are patterned after, but this sort of thing happens with any number of groups. Creating dichotomies and conflating different groups of Others (i.e. harnessing existing hate towards Group A by suggesting that they are all also members of Group B, with Group B being the real target) is the bread and butter of information warfare.

Imagine the following post:

"Not all Dogs are bad and we shouldn't prejudge every single Dog."

That is a Reasonable Post. Everyone can agree with it and usually they should. There is nothing wrong with that post, it really is just a very uncontroversial statement that the vast majority of people should be able to agree with. It is deliberately ignorant of any social context or the framework in which these discourses happen, but it's not wrong.

But let's consider the framing. The post exists as part of a blog, which, by unfortunate happenstance, also has other posts in it.

So, We Can't Classify Every Dog As Evil (good post, 3000 notes) exists within the same space as classics like...

Cats complain, Dogs do.

The purpose of a Cat is to stay indoors and protect the house from pests. This is one of the hardest jobs out there, and Cats should be praised!

A Dog has to HUNT. Cats will never understand this. (A/N: if you google "are cats predators" this will become a Very Funny hypothetical post from a nonexistent blog discussing a nonexistent dichotomy.)

Dogs: "Alright, human, today I've helped you with hunting, tracking and herding sheep! If there's anything else you need me to do, I've still got energy!" Cats: "Today I laid around doing nothing. Where's my food? Also my bed is bad so I stole the Dog's."

Oh, look, 5 Cats who committed Cat Crimes. I wonder if they'll receive a fair and proportionate punishment...

Et cetera, et cetera. The posts will continue to escalate, from seemingly harmless to outright hateful. They will attack existing social structures to frame them as favoring the Other. The Reasonable Post acts like the funnel theory in sales, reaching a large audience and sucking as many of them in as possible until only a few "sales" happen - but it also serves as a shorthand for likeminded people (a dogwhistle, if you will) via its framing and content that this is a blog that promotes the ideology they want to see.

*I've also noticed that a lot of these blogs have "traditional" or "vintage" pinup art. This could just be a matter of personal preference (after all, I like old timey boobs as much as the next girlie), or it could be another funnel, where people who would like to see More Boobs click on the blogs and find some boobs, but also the other stuff. Not that this has ever happened to me.

After the blog establishes some sort of following, they're usually free to engage in more extreme discourse. The Reasonable Post can then be used as a shield: "I was only saying what I've been saying all along: you shouldn't judge all Dogs. I'm sorry if that offends you."

There is also a highly desireable side effect for the Reasonable Post - it can drive people to disagree with what really is an uncontroversial, widely accepted opinion. Of course, the people disagreeing are usually (a) crazy themselves, (b) fourteen, (c) directing their interactions at the wider framework of their post, not the uncontroversial statement itself or (d) a combination. They might even be sock puppets. But these interactions are extremely valuable to these kinds of blogs. All of a sudden, they have an Enemy - an unreasonable person who probably wants to kill all of the Dogs!!! This is what we're fighting against! Rally!

And then the screenshots of those interactions can be fed into Facebook for easy outrage, or a "meme account", or any number of places where they can gain traction. They are used to reinforce existing ingroup loyalties and to bolster hate against outgroups. They are used to muddle the waters, to make extremist ideas seem like reasonable discourse and to provide plausible deniability. They are used to discredit "the opposition". Remember: fascism always requires an enemy that is both strong and weak.

Many fascist and extremist movements in the age of social media use these same tools to recruit and to advertise, and this post - while long - barely scratches the surface.

However, there is a very good way to limit the damage. Think critically about posts you see, this one included. (I should state that I'm, like, a huge leftist, and all that that implies) Familiarize yourself with common dogwhistles. Vet the blogs you see - a quick glance is usually all it takes. Block the user and don't interact with the post. Don't give it visibility.

And remember: you are not immune to propaganda.

[greyfacade]

Ask game questions! 5, 7, 8, and 23 for spamton bc I'm legally obligated to ask about him. You don't have to do all of them tho if you don't want!

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

I'm Gonna Win - Rob Cantor

First song I thought of, though I'm sure there are other more suitable songs I could come up with. But honestly, due to my illness I don't get to listen to music often. I'm sensitive to sound.

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

There's been some really nice fanart, and I love the fake ad ones people make, and the pinups. I love buying merch from people.

Its also nice when people treat their plushes nicely, or actually see him as more than just the "funny salesman." Don't get me wrong, Spamton's is an awesome a salesman and all, but that's not all he is.

Oh, my fave part though, is how everyone celebrates his fan birthday. Thats super sweet. I love seeing people make fanart for that.

23. Favorite picture of this character?

Hm.. there's lot of great fanart of him, and you can see what I post already.

But I guess his shop sprite. It's fun to talk to him.

I do wonder what he would be like in person though.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Haha... heh.... well, this will get long... (Sorry.)

Mostly just the fact that the fandom is made up of a LOT of hateful people, who hatepost about Spamton because he's "popular," or because their fans of Swatch/Queen/Addisons and are in denial about what those guys did to him so they try to pin it on Spamton by saying "he deserved it" or saying it never happened.

Which is REALLY ironic in a way. But wait, we got more!

(_WARNING: RANT INCOMING!_ You dont have to read this.)

Many people can't get past the "funny salesman" trope. They think the salesman pitch Spamton puts on is literally all he is, that he really is this guy who is silly, obsessed with money, and batshit crazy. Does no one know how entertainment works!? Has no one ever followed a YouTuber or Twitch streamer, or gone to the circus or seen a live show? That how people act in front of a camera, isnt how they act all the time!? Spamton doesn't actually care about money, he said it himself; he does all he does because he's an entertainer trying to survive! The Spamton Sweepstakes, the Fangamer ads, the Twitter replies... while they contain truths and genuine things about him, for much of it, he's playing everyone like fiddles! He's saying whatever the hell he can to make you buy his shit, because funny thing, its his job! And the things is, it WORKS. Everyone totally buys in to it! But while I'm sure he does find joy in what he does, it can also be kind of painful that everyone actually thinks that's all he is in a way... they infantilize him, they treat him like he's crazy/stupid, they stereotype him, they make fun of him, they talk about wanting to hurt him... and they think its okay, because "he's in on the joke." Yeah? You really think anyone would find joy in seeing you make art of them getting abused/hurt/killed? REALLY? Ever thought that maybe... its not actually okay....

I guess I feel bothered by it. Sure Spamton chooses to play up all the stereotypes about him so that people will buy his stuff, and its cool that he can still joke about things like that. But... I wish people saw more of the real him sometimes, and realized he deserves kindness and respect like anyone else.

But I think Spamton is a good example of how people go too far, how they'll greedily take everything from someone, even their dignity, if it means feeding their own happiness. How they can't separate entertainment from reality (... yeah yeah, some irony there as I'm talking about a fictional character...)

In a way, the Spamton fandom, often represents to me, much of the things I hate about the entertainment industry, hell even fandom. I'm glad people love him and buy his stuff, but I also wish they liked him for kinder reasons. I hope that if he continues to be in entertainment, he gets to make something he loves, that allows him to be who he wants to be. Because like many of us, he sometimes gets trapped in a role, determined by other people. And while some of it is true, like he is funny and has a dark sense of humor, and I'm sure he does enjoy many of the things he does... but some of it, I think is sort of forced on him. It's like if you don't act the way everyone wants, they'll get angry or abandon you. And that, thats awful.

(And Im not saying don't enjoy his salesman persona, just that, I wish people saw the rest of him too. Because he's a kind, caring and brave guy, and I really wish him the best ya know?)

.... of course, I admit this might be some of my own self-projection too, but lets not unpack THAT.

...

......

You made it this far, wow... uh... *gives you a gold star saying "I just wasted several minutes of my life to an insane fan rant." except all the words don't fit on the star, so it just says "I just wasted."*

... *runs away while you ponder the star*

[chromatic-lamina]

Any number you haven't yet answered but want to for the writer ask meme!

Heh-heh! Great ask ❤️

26. Would you rather write a fic that had no dialogue or one that was only dialogue? One with no dialogue, because I can always throw in reported speech and thought processes. Takes a particular skill to make a fic that is all dialogue authentic and interesting.

28. Does anyone read your fics before you post them? If so, who? Sometimes. I won't name 'em cos' I don't want to clutter up their notifications, but especially for exchanges, or if I've used someone's art (with permission) as inspiration, or for zines, etc.

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it? Okay, I guess the most recent is valuta from the Corazine (aftersales almost finished, but that's just an aside). I thought I did a pretty good job on portraying what the Donquixote brothers went through, also Cora's relationship with Sengoku and Law, and then Law with Sengoku, but maybe it was too much for the word count. It got very little interaction in the way of comments, at least. I like the KidLaw fics I did for the 2022 exchange and for the OP secret santa that year, but they remain two of my least popular fics (in terms of hits).

I like valuta for story parallels (Cora and Doffy, Law and Lami, etc.). I like the KidLaw fics because they make me laugh.

38. Did any of your fics get surprisingly popular (whatever that means to you)? Which ones? Why do you think they were so successful? Yeah. I think I've answered this before, and it's not massively popular compared to some fandom behemoths, but the Usopp vs the Heart Pirates fic: Dark like the North Blue Sea (aka The Sea-Hill you Die On) . I think it grew in popularity because it's canon compliant (also, maybe funny). Once a fic gets a certain number of kudos or hits too, it feeds its popularity growth, because people sort by kudos and hits, so all those hidden gems remain hidden! I'm happy that people enjoy it though!

43. If you take/write prompts: what’s your favorite prompt fic that you’ve written? Probably the one that @afterdeck-ace gave me of: Chopper and Law talking about courage or Jolly Rogers. They're talking about both in softening the fall of snow. That's followed or on par with screen / shiki-e, which was inspired by a tsute doodle. You can see the doodle and links to tsute's art on the AO3 page.

47. If [taxi] was a pair of shoes, what kind would it be? Describe the shoes.

Her jeans cost more than his weekly pay, hell — monthly— and her sneakers were scuffed and used in a way that hid or emphasised their one-of-a-kind design. Pretty cool. A red tonbo — dragonfly — from what he could see, stretched from the toe, its thorax and segmented body running along one side of the shoe, a blue chrysanthemum and pond reeds rising from the heel and undulating in the air below the insect.

I used a ref for that, but can't remember where I sourced it from.

I changed a few things, and the maker's name is on the jpg, fortunately!

48. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

Yes! I recommend it: Ours lives like sand in the gears of the world by @afterdeck-ace (Lily_Amazon). A platonic Law & Robin ficlet that explores the parallels and differences between them so well.

Also, a quick but satisfying read (sounds like Borsalino's possible reflection on Akainu) with this fic, In The Dappled Sun. Lemon mentioned (tumblr's being silly with throwing out community settings left, right and centre, so sorry for the return to FFN vocab). Fic author @kookoofufu

Am continuing to read saltyrock's It Takes a Lot to Know a Man but haven't read the latest chapter yet. LawBin and CrocoBin. Endgame LawBin.

There's a lot of good stuff out there, and so little time!

[where-dreamers-go]

“Dancing And Dragons” Eragon x Reader

(A/N: Oooo a Modern!Reader who knows martial arts. Now we’re talkin’!!! :D And capoeira??? Yes, please. Eragon won’t know what hit him! Hahaha. Okay, let’s go with a new concept—a fresh and different Modern!Reader that’s separate from the mess on my computer. Woo! So just a Modern! Reader. @coffencomputers I got a little carried away writing in dragons. I definitely recommend any readers to read up or watch some videos about capoeira. Warnings: Mention of kicking, but not actually kicking someone. Word Count: 962 words)

Alagaësia, a wide and magical land of fantasy.

So what the blazes were you doing East of there with a dragon hatchling nuzzling your shoe? You had no idea.

What you did know was that you were lucky to be alive. Out of all locations to pop into, at least you were near people and water. More specifically: Mount Arngor.

There were dragons, urgals, dwarves, elves, and a very confused Dragon Rider. The Dragon Rider who stumbled upon you in a clearing and chose not to end your existence. After a lot of fast talking on your part. Thank goodness.

Being in a world of magic when your memories of it were through words on a page was ore than a little mind boggling. It hardly made sense. So you left that bit of information out of any conversation. Sticking to the story of unknown teleportation was working fine. Vague, but believable.

The little amethyst colored hatchling pawed at the toe of your shoe. They were the smallest one you had seen. Cute and curious.

It was a wonder you were allowed to be near any dragon. You were still a stranger. Right? No one knew your favorite color.

“You know,” you told the little dragon, “I think it’s time for some movement.”

The little dragon tilted their head as they met your gaze.

“I can’t sit here forever. It’s peaceful, but I have to move around.” You stood up and walked into the small clearing. “You can join me if you want.”

They made a small snort.

“Alright.” You shrugged. “Enjoy your break from….Language lessons? You’re having those right?”

Tilting their head again, they sat down to watch you.

You took that as a maybe.

Taking a few deep breathes through your stretches helped ease your body from the sitting you had been doing. Nothing fancy.

Once finished, you really started.

Music played through your mind. A slow beat that kept you steady on your feet. Sweeping a leg just over the ground, you held control.

There were no competitions nor fighting.

The rhythm of your internal music picked up. You followed it. Felt it.

Rotating your torso, your foot made an arc through the air as your hand met the ground. Fluid and steady. You did it again. Your movements did not take you far from your starting position.

You smiled.

Getting into a rhythm was easier. To pretend there was live music helped. It added a liveliness to the movements. Fun.

When else would you be turning through move after move and kicks? At home probably.

Being in a fictional world, or what you thought was only so, gave you many reasons for outlets to relax. Sometimes the idea of where you were was a bit much to handle. Both the good and annoying. Time alone with your thoughts was important.

Even dragons needed time to themselves. Hence the half dozen hatchlings watching you go into a hook kick.

You supposed they needed entertainment too. Unless it was them feeding curiosity. Probably the later.

Whether you spoke, walked, or completely pretended to mind your own business, you were on the other end of someone’s curiosity.

“You dance without music?”

“WHOA!” You spun around.

Eragon stood with his hands up defensively. “I’m sorry. I did not mean to scare you.”

“Startled, but fine. Hi.”

“Hello.” He lowered his hands. “May I ask why you’re dancing without music?”

You rose an eyebrow.

“Not that—I mean—I was walking nearby and wanted to know why the hatchlings were gathered here. I haven’t been here long.”

Pressing your lips into a thin line to suppress a smile was seemingly more difficult than half the kicks you performed. To have casual conversations with the Dragon Rider were far more fun without the presence of judging eyes. Usually those who ignored everyone and had pointed ears. Knowing him more than he knew you gave you an unfair advantage. A fun one though. For you at least.

Taking pity on Eragon, you decided against teasing him with word play.

“I wasn’t dancing.”

Eragon’s mouth opened silently.

“But if it looks like dancing,” you chuckled, “then I haven’t forgotten how to do capoeira.”

“What’s that?” He asked and took a few steps closer to you.

“It’s a fighting style.” You smiled.

Oh, did you know there was a question or ten about to roll in. Eragon always did have a question for you. Literally, every day. That’s what happened when your home was nowhere near Alagaësia and he knew. Something you had to live with.

“Are there many styles of fighting where you’re from?” Eragon asked. A curious glint shown in his brown eyes in the afternoon sun.

“Yes.”

The excitement of new knowledge smoothed the stress from his features. From Dragon Rider to farm boy in less than three seconds.

“Do you know other styles of fighting?”

“I know of others. I’ve mainly practiced capoeira. I like how it flows. Between moves, you know?”

“Oh.” His eyebrows knit together, thoughts churning. Eyes looked elsewhere.

“It’s alright to ask.”

Eragon’s gaze met yours. A little unsure, but soft.

You nodded encouragingly.

“Is it effective in a real fight?” Eragon asked.

“Yes. A kick can knock someone to the ground. It might seem….unconventional in appearance or…a dance, but that’s the point.”

He smiled.

“And no, I will not demonstrate on or with you,” you said quickly. “I’d rather not be roasted.”

Smiling, Eragon tried covering up his discomfort at the idea. He was still getting used to your humor.

“But….then again.” You crossed your arms under your chest. “If we do it correctly, neither of us will even hit the other. Could be fun.”

The dragon hatchlings chirped and jumped excitedly.

Eragon stilled.

~~~

(If you love my writings and want to support me, I have a Ko-Fi where you can buy me a coffee. I would be eternally grateful.

Best wishes and happy reading.)

~~~~~

DreamerDragon Tags: @cubedtriangle

Inheritance Cycle Tags: @shewhobreathesfire @emburbaguette 

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