#even if I usually cheat and don't tag this many people because its a lot of people and Iam sorry for bothering you

[funderberkersims]

Sims Tag

this tag has been dead since 1823 but since i was tagged by fellow vampire enthousiast @ho3sferatu, i resurrected it.

1. What’s your favourite sims death?

electrick shock, for the the blue skeletton >:)

2. Alpha CC or Maxis Match?

a bit of both

3. Do you cheat when your sims gain weight?

no, i did'nt even know there were cheats for that. usually if my sims lose weight, it's because i make them work out for a promotion, but i don't get out of my way to keep them fit.

4. Do you use move objects?

what? no! you don't have any proof. get a lawyer!

5. Favorite mod?

acr for the drama and @midgethetree's hereditary supernatularism!

6. First expansion/game/stuff pack you got?

sims 2 and then sims 2 nightlife!

7. Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing?

aLIVE

8. Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made?

the founder of undonia : faye! i was in a wong kar wai phase, and fell in love with faye wong in the movie chungking express. so i tried to recreate her, and though it does not look like her at all, i think she turned out cute.

(old school pic) 9. Have you made a simself?

when i was twelve, but you know face 1 and skinny with boobs, so hm...

10. What sim traits do you give yourself?

cat person, good sense of humor, vegetarian, friendly, never nude (laul)

11. Which is your favorite EA hair color?

black!

12. Favorite EA hair?

messed up from university. i was 13 and i thought it was the coolest hairstyle ever

13. Favorite life stage?

young adult and adult

14. Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay?

it really depends on the mood, but mostly gameplay (i know it's ironic looking at this tumblr)

15. Are you a CC creator?

no

16. Do you have any simblr friends/a sim squad?

i have like one or two of the best quality. usually i like to compliment simblrs that i admire, but i'm too shy to go any further

17. What’s your favorite game? (1, 2, 3, or 4)

2!

18. Do you have any sims merch?

i have two disks with cc on it (a lot of it by peggy) that came with sims 2 magazines. also when i bought the sims 3 just after its realease, it came with a plumbob usb flash drive, and i lost it and i"m still mad about it.

19. Do you have a YouTube for sims?

no

20. How has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing?

i played vanilla for a loooong time, before discovering simblr and its many creators in 2017! first i was very maxis match, but now i mixed it with, not necessarily alpha cc, but like neon, apocalyptic and grunge stuff. very inspired by the ogs @pooklet and @skulldilocks as well as @leaf-storm

21. What’s your Origin ID?

never had origin!

22. Who’s your favorite CC creator?

euuurg so much! @deedee-sims was the first one i discovered and inspired me. as i said pooklet, azaya and leaft-storm. also really liked @brattylulu, and @jahkatai when they were active, and more recently @katsurinssims, @applewatersugar and @andrevasims

23. How long have you had a simblr?

i created the account in 2014 only to lurk at art and fandoms communities. then i began actually using it as a simblr last year.

24. How do you edit your pictures?

i crop it and lighten it and color it a little if necessary. i'm too lazy to do something else

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next?

none the sims 2 and its many cc creators are fine as they are :)

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack is your favorite so far?

nightlife! chemistry, clubs, vampires and mrs crumplebottom, what more could you ask! i tag people who like to do old tags!

#tag #sims 2 #ho3sferatu

[the--highlanders]

20 questions for fic writers

super late but tagged by @penny-anna, thank you!!

How many works do you have on ao3?

203 apparently! which is like, a lot but also doesn't feel like that many for how long I've been posting now

what’s your total ao3 word count?

1,060,055, and I'm still SUPER proud of hitting a million words. don't think I'm ever gonna write as much again as I did in 2022 (how did I write almost 400k in a year????) but apparently I'm over 100k for this year so. happy with that even though I haven't written nearly as much as I'd like due to like, general life stuff

What fandoms do you write for?

just second doctor era dr who! I definitely get like, story ideas for other fandoms I enjoy, and occasionally I'll idly imagine writing some of them, but never really seriously. I've kinda made an active choice for this to be my niche and I don't seem to have run out of ideas yet so

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

ok I'm gonna cut out like, 'fics' that are actually compilations of prompt fics etc bc I feel like that's cheating but. let's see

in the night i lie and look up at you (when the morning comes i watch you rise)

Sacrificial

Revelations

Vigil

tell me how you'll kiss me when i touch down

weird list tbh! big fan of the first and last one being there but like... sacrificial in particular I was NOT happy with ahgjklfdjgf. I do like vigil tho

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

yes absolutely!!! they fill me with so much joy & serotonin so I like to reply, & also I love love love discussing stuff w/ people in the comments (hi @galacticlamps ahjkgfd). I'm very very behind on it right now but I will get around to them all I promise!!!

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending

oughfkdjg this is tough. I do think if only we could have been brave on time was pretty angsty, I don't usually write fics that toy so much with major character death.

there's a few others but the first one that jumped out at me while scrolling through my fics was i'm trying to reach you (before all the ghosts do). minor character/oc death this time but like. the whole fic was very much born out of the image of its angsty ending, so.

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

hm I mean I do write a lot of angstless fluff!! so like, any of those. but I'm gonna go with litany for a reunion, because so much of it is angsty that I think the ending seems happier because of it.

Do you get hate on fics?

not yet! but this fandom is pretty chill so.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I am very very sex-repulsed ace it would not be a good time for anybody <3

Do you write crossovers?

not in the sense of like, bringing characters from one fandom into another. if I had the stamina/confidence to do proper longfics I'd absolutely do more aus, some of which are inspired by other media (if you guys could see the fairytale aus that live in my head.), and I /do/ have a daemon au.

the only crossover I've really done is Lifeboat, which is like. still a concept I enjoy. ark/its lore is something so close to my heart, so it was a lot of fun to fuse it with dr who. plus I just like imagining that victoria's dad was surrounded by so so so many unhinged mad scientists. & I also find it very very very funny that the ark character in question is now voiced by david tennant

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that I'm aware of! again like. small and chill fandom. who's going to be doing that.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no, and I don't think I'd want to - I'm a little bit too precious/sensitive about my writing to even have like, a beta reader or anything. I don't think I'd do well trying to co-write with someone. the closest I've come is kind of co-plotting out fics with other people (the plot of the selkie au is as much @ettelwenailinon's brainchild as mine <333)

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I have been so deeply invested in two/jamie for so long that I can no longer untangle it from myself.

What’s a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

the fic I want to write most is a super comprehensive multichapter spanning about two years between jamie getting dropped off at culloden after the war games and two coming to pick him up again for 6b. I have a general sweep of the arc, some summary notes, and pages and pages of historical notes for it. unfortunately I don't think I'm ever going to feel like I've done enough historical research to justify writing it, even if I do somehow magically get myself to buck up into writing proper longfic.

What are your writing strengths?

hm idk! I'm quite pleased with some of my prose/descriptions sometimes. & I've had a few comments over the years saying I'm good at characterisation, which is always nice to hear.

I never really know what's good about my writing tho. not out of any sense of inferiority or false modesty or anything, I just. don't think that deeply about writing in general. the words come out & if I like them I like them

What are your writing weaknesses?

^^^ as I am always saying I wish I could break down the mental block that's stopping me from writing longfic

kinda related but like. I'm definitely a perfectionist and that can paralyse me sometimes when I'm trying to write a first draft.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I need to do it more often!!

my absolute dream would be to be able to translate all my fics into gàidhlig tbh. but I love love love giving jamie gàidhlig dialogue, or even just dropping little turns of phrase into his english dialogue, stuff like that. I definitely feel like there's some space between how I write/characterise jamie and how he is on screen, but to some degree that's a conscious decision. I'm always trying to strike a balance between like, writing him in character and writing him in a way that feels authentic to his time and cultural background. but dropping in bits of gàidhlig is a fun way of doing that (and also of getting myself to write in the language which is definitely good practice)

First fandom you wrote for?

hm I mean technically ig it was the saddle club. I was like 3 years old and I wrote a 'book' about the horses.

in terms of like, actively writing fic with the conscious knowledge of what fic was, probably fic about warrior cats ocs when I was about 11/12.

Favorite fic you’ve written?

old ghost's waltz, always. I loved how it came together, it was my first real dip into doing super historical jamie fic & a sort of replacement for the post-war games longfic I may never write, and it was a response to the phantom piper, which drives me absolutely insane in both good and bad ways. like it gave me so many ideas but god I could fix her.

unsorted is a very solid second though. it had all the historical fic joy of old ghost's waltz (even more so in some parts - the scene with jamie and connie might be my favourite scene I've ever written), and it was just. so cathartic to write as an expression of a headcanon I'd kind of hidden for so many years bc I was worried it wouldn't be well-received. it's my favourite fic to get comments on just because it always feels like a relief to see people enjoying it.

tagging @galacticlamps, @p0stscripter, @ettelwenailinon and anyone else who wants to do this!!

#personal

[malka-lisitsa]

Meet the mun!

name : November (Novi)

pronouns :  she/her

preference of communication : Discord for sure I hate tumblr IMS

most active muse :  Katherine, always Katherine. Though Death has been making an appearance a lot lately!

experience / how many years : Oh god idk, ive been writing since I was 13 but ive only been writing WELL for like the past eight years maybe?

best experience : Oh god, Idk! I've had so MANY but honestly probably all the love and support of the people I've met since I started writing Katherine on tumblr. Particularly I want to throw @unsettledspirits @baby-royalty @el3nas @bunnyblooded @ravenskeeper and @langdhon under the cat bus

rp pet peeves : People who don't write their characters correctly. Just make an OC and use a fc. I do not mean AU interpretations, I mean your muse as a person, the basic traits that make them that character.... there is more to writing a character than just saying you do. But that's just me being "elitist" and I will 900% lean into that i give zero shits.

fluff, angst, or smut : I get so BORED with fluff so FAST idk what that says about me but probably nothing good. So ANGST and if its done WELL I do love me a good smut thread ;)

plots or memes : Uhmmm either tbh. I dont usually do the ask to thread thing, I like ask for one shots OR ask trains. I also love plotting threads Like the one I have with @bunnyblooded for the rewrite the stars verse, and honestly all of my threads with @multi-royalty With Madison in the fire starter verse.

long or short replies : A lot of my particular writing style has a lot of internals and thought processes so even my short ones tend to be long.. which honestly gets overwhelming quickly when I have a million threads, so Im slower on replies... but I don't mind single para or even one liner chats sometimes! Those just don't tend to be long term threads.

time to write : Jesus its so sporadic. Honestly my biggest issue with writing is just doing it. Once I open the draft and start typing the reply comes out no issue, I dont even have to think it practically writes itself... but its the getting there that gets me. Every time.

are you like your muses : I am most like Katherine tbh (and Nova but that's cheating shes practically a self insert from my book) And because Im a lot like Katherine IRL I am also a lot like Elena, since they share almost all the same traits- good and bad. I can be like Lexi sometimes and Rebekah too. I am a social chameleon so really it depends on the people and situation im in, but I am most like Katherine. Yes that includes the over competitiveness, the selfishness, carefully and sometimes extremely poorly masked insecurity, and impulsive rage.

Tagged by: @multi-royalty

Tagging: @unsettledspirits @bunnyblooded @hybrid-royalty @el3nas @salvatoraes @stanfordprepped @tricursed @ravenskeeper @ladamedemartel @nancewheelr @forbaes @cahroline

#dash game #meet the mun #the one and only... sort of: ooc

[amazing-spiderling]

For the ask game: K N O P W X Y Z

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?

I think people often overlook how much comic Spider-Gwen grows over the course of her series, but it's one of the reasons I love that run so much. Okay, she's still kind of schlubby and chronically late for things, but in the course of... three years? She does something that Peter Parker took decades to do (and keeps waffling) which is to reveal herself publicly and face the music for any crimes she committed as Spider-Woman (specifically the death of Peter Parker). I think a lot of superhero books are able to keep running on the same drama because they keep letting the hero *just barely* outrun the consequences of their actions, or if they do, they keep going back and forth on who knows their identity etc etc. If being a Spider-Person is about responsibility, I think Gwen really did the best job of stepping up to the plate.

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

For Daredevil: Oh man, you don't even know (ok, actually, you specifically probably do know haha) how much I'd like to see more DD crossover with mutant characters, specifically Nightcrawler. I JUST THINK THEY COULD HAVE SOME GOOD CHARACTER BUILDING MOMENTS, and while Nightcrawler is like... a guy pretty much everyone likes, I think he's under utilized in fanfic. HE'S A GOOD DUDE. And boy howdy his recent comic events have made him a very... meaty character. I'm hoping his upcoming stint as Spider-Man gives people more ideas for stuff to do with him.

Maybe comic edits? Serious ones or funny ones. There are some very talented people out there doing neat things with all this classic art and I'm always in awe. I dabble, but struggle a lot with creating wholly new things as opposed to just cleaning up images. I love show edits, but the problem with pretty much any live action media fandom is that you end up seeing the same clips over and over because there's only so much to draw from.

This is a silly one, but people should do more mattfoggy animatics to dialogue from episodes of House. I don't know why the algorithm started pushing clips of that show to me but there have been so many times I was like "is this not just lifted from like... the Bendis run or something?" haha

O - Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of?

I went to my 2022 recap and picked the 28th song. It's "I'll Still Have Me" by Cyn which I almost feel is a cheat for me because I'm pretty sure I've put this on prompt lists specifically. This song (about losing your loved one either via death or a relationship that naturally came to its end) is so sweet and sad, and it puts me in mind of Foggy from season 3 of Daredevil when he thinks Matt is dead and is still trying to process it and move on with his life.

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas).

Isekai where Foggy gets transported to a magical land where everyone is convinced he's doing to save the kingdom but it's very clear that it's all of his companions (the Defenders etc) who have amazing abilities and he's wondering how he got here and how long he can keep this up.

W - A trope which you are virtually certain to hate in any fandom.

HMM. Hate is a strong word... I just y'know, don't click on things or block the tag but... I usually pass on genderswap fics? Not really out of any strong feelings (I think art can be interesting because I like seeing how costumes are reinterpreted a lot of the time). I just... don't have the interest. One that is sometimes harder to avoid is when someone drops a full ass song into the middle of a fic (a few lines of lyrics are fine) and it doesn't have anything to do with the narrative, the author was just really feeling their girly bop feels that day. It takes me right out of the story and I pass over the lyrics 99.9% of the time.

X - A trope which you are almost certain to love in any fandom.

It's probably because I live in a place that's roughly as hot as the surface of the sun but I go WEAK IN THE KNEES for any story where character A has been in the cold for too long and character B has to help them get warm again. Can be an actual danger-of-hypothermia situation or a "you really thought a snowball fight was a good idea" situation, it's all good.

Y - What are your secondhand fandoms (i.e., fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)?

I will send my memes friends for Hannibal, Stranger Things (which I watched and enjoyed, I'm just not in the fandom for it) and the occasional DC property. Things I know just enough about to go "oh that's a funny one".

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go! (Prompts optional but encouraged.)

This is silly, but I'm so happy so many buddies are jumping on the Spider-Gwen panel redraw! It's fun to see how people's styles vary and what techniques they use to get a desired effect. Kind of feels like I'm back in art class and twenty kids are drawing the same bowl of fruit, y'know?

#thank you for the ask!

[shellyscribbles]

Last Line Tag

Rules: Post the last line you wrote, and then tag as many people as there are words in that line. 

Thank you for the tag @dustylovelyrun

I usually cheat on these, but I’ll follow the rules today.

             With tears blurring her vision, she obeyed, running frantically across the yard, trying not to think of what Akil was doing inside.

Tagging: @permissiontobreathe @writerofthecosmos @writeouswriter @linariouswrites @lrose-writes @eastwrites @themillionthdraft @rnoonlightink @winonapeaks @sundaynightnovels @pcrphyrias @charles-joseph-writes @itsjustanotherwriter @marsssarttt @wildler @ellepacca @rhikasa @to-be-a-rose @dreadwvlfscript @raywritesblog @mangowriter @dowings

No pressure. :)

#tag game #last line tag #I like this game #even if I usually cheat and don't tag this many people because its a lot of people and Iam sorry for bothering you

[thebibliosphere]

So I'm currently unemployed because I got fired for taking too much sick leave (it was legally sketchy blah blah blah but in the end I just can't work and take care of myself and investigate my mystery health problems at the same time). So I've been spending more time writing!

I really admire your writing and loved Hunger Pangs. I'm looking forward to the poly elements developing and I'm wondering if you have any advice for writing about poly. I've made one of my projects a snarky take on "write what you know" ... Apparently what I know is southern gothic meets Pacific northwest gothic, chronic illness pandemic surrealism, and falling back-asswards into threesomes.

I know this is a very open-ended question and I don't expect an answer, I'm just curious about it if you have the energy. As a writer, trying to write honestly / realistically about polyamory/enm, I'm curious if you have any thoughts on what's different about portraying monogamy or nonmonogamy in books, romance or erotica or otherwise.

I'm trying to read examples but it's hard to find examples that fit the niche I'm looking at. Excuse me if this question is nonsense, it's the cluster headaches.

I'm sorry to hear you've been dealing with all that and solidarity on the cluster headaches. But I'm glad you're finding an outlet through writing! And I hope you're happy with an open-ended ramble in response because oh boy, there's a lot I could talk about and I could probably do a better job of answering this sort of thing with more specific questions, but let's see where we end up.

There's definitely a big difference between writing polyamory/ENM (ethical non-monogamy) and what people often expect from monogamous love stories.

Just even from a purely sales and marketing standpoint, the moment you write anything polyamorous (or even just straight up LGBTQIA+ without the ENM) you're going to get considered closer to being erotica/obscene than hetero romances. It's an unfair bias, but it's one that exists in our society. But also the Amazon algorithm and their shitty, shitty human censors. Especially the ones that work the weekends. (Talking to you, Carlos 🖕.)

So not only do you start out hyper-aware that you're writing something that is highly stigmatized or fetishized (at least I'm hyper-aware) but that you are also writing for a niche market that is starving for positive content because the content that exists is either limited, not what they want, or is problematic in some fashion i.e. highly stigmatized or fetishy. And even then, the wants, desires, and expectations of the community you're writing for are complex and wildly varied and hard to fit into an easy formula.

When writing monogamous love stories, there is a set expectation that’s really hard to fuck up once you know it. X person meets Y. Attraction happens, followed by some sort of minor conflict/resolution. Other plot may happen. A greater catalyst involving personal growth for both parties (hopefully) happens. Follow the equation to its ultimate resolution and achieve Happily Ever After. 

But writing ENM is... a lot more difficult, if only because of the pure scope of possibilities. You could try to follow the same equation and shove three (or more) people into it, but it rarely works well. Usually because if you’re doing it right, you won’t have enough room in a single character arc to allow for enough growth, and if ENM requires anything in abundance, it’s room to grow.

And this post is huge so I’m going to put the rest under a cut :)

There's also a common refrain in certain online polyam/ENM circles that triads and throuples are overrepresented in media and they may be right to some extent. Personally, I believe the issue isn't that triads and throuples are overrepresented, but that there is such minuscule positive rep of ethical non-monogamy in general, that the few tiny instances we have of triads in media make it seem like it's "everywhere" when in actuality, it's still quite rare and the media we do have often veers into Unicorn Hunter fetish porn. Which is its own problematic thing. And just to be clear, I’m not including this part to dissuade you from writing "falling back-asswards into threesomes." If anything, I need more of it and would hook it directly into my brain if I could. I'm just throwing it out there into the void in the hope that someone will take the thought and run with it, lol.

I’d love to see more polyfidelitous rep in fiction, just as much as I’d like to see more relationship anarchy too. More diversity in fiction is always good.

Another thing that differs in writing ENM romance vs conventional monogamy is the feeling like you need to justify yourself. There's a lot of pressure to be as healthy and non-problematic as possible because you are being held to a higher standard of criticism. Both from people from without the ENM communities, and from the people within. Granted, some people don't give a shit and just want to read some fantastic porn (valid) but there are those who will cheerfully read Fifty Shades of Bullshit and call it "spicy" and "romantic," then turn around and call the most tooth-rottingly-sweet-fluff about a queer platonic polycule heresy. That's just the way the world works.

(Pro-tip for author life in general: never read your own reviews; that way madness lies. I glimpsed one the other day that tagged Hunger Pangs as “ethical cheating” and just about had an aneurism.)

And while that feeling of needing to justify yourself comes from a valid place of being excluded from the table of socially accepted norms, it can also be to the detriment of both the story and the subject matter at hand. I've seen some authors bend so far over backward to avoid being problematic in their portrayal of ENM, they end up being problematic for entirely different reasons. Usually because they give such a skewed, rose-tinted perspective of how things work, it ends up coming off as well... a bit culty and obnoxious tbh.

“Look how enlightened we are, freed from the trappings of monogamy and jealousy! We’re all so honest and perfect and happy!”

Yeah, uhu, sure Jan. Except here’s the thing, not all jealousy is bad. How you act on it can be, but jealousy itself is an important tool in the junk drawer that is the range of human emotion. It can clue us in to when we’re feeling sad or neglected, which in turn means we should figure out why we’re feeling those things. Sometimes it’s because brains are just like that and anxiety is a thing. Other times it’s because our needs are actually being neglected and we are in an unhealthy situation we need to remedy. You gotta put the work in to figure it out. Which is the same as any style of relationship, whether it’s mono, polyam or whatever flavor of ENM you subscribe to* And sometimes you just gotta be messy, because that’s how humans are. Being afraid to show that mess makes it a dishonest portrayal, and it also robs you of some great cannon fodder for character development.

Which brings me in a roundabout way to my current pet peeve in how certain writers take monogamous ideals and apply them to ENM, sometimes without even realizing it. The “Find the Right Person and Settle Down” trope.

Often, in this case, ENM or polyamory is treated as a phase. Something you mature out of with age or until you meet “The One(tm).” This is, of course, an attempt to follow the mono style formula expected in most romances. And while it might appeal to many readers, it’s uh, actually quite insulting. 

To give an example, I am currently seeing this a lot in the Witcher fandom. 

Fanon Netflix!Jaskier is everyone's favorite ethical slut until he meets Geralt then woops, wouldn’t you know, he just needed to find The One(tm). Suddenly, all his other sexual and romantic exploits or attractions mean nothing to him. Let's watch as he throws away a core aspect of his personality in favor of a man. 

Yeah... that sure showed those societal norms... 

If I were being generous, I’d say it’s a poor attempt at showing New Relationship Euphoria and how wrapped up people can become in new relationships. But honestly, it’s monogamous bias eking its way in to validate how special and unique the relationship is. Because sometimes people really can’t think of any other way to show how important and valid a relationship is without defining it in terms of exclusivity. Which is a fundamental misunderstanding of how ENM works for a lot of people and invalidates a lot of loving, serious and long-term relationships.

This is not to say that some polyam/poly-leaning people can't be happy in monogamous relationships! I am! (I consider myself ambiamorous. I'm happy with either monogamy or polyamory, it really just depends on the relationship(s) I’m in.) But I also don't regard my relationship with a mono partner as "settling down" or "growing up." It's just a choice I made to be with a person I love, and it's a valid one. Just like choosing to never close yourself off to multiple relationships is valid. And I wish more people realized that, or rather, I wish the people writing these things knew that :P

Anyway, I think I’ve rambled enough. I hope this collection of incoherent thoughts actually makes some sense and might be useful. 

----

*A good resource book that doesn't pull any punches in this regard is Polysecure by Jessica Fern. It's a wonderfully insightful read that explores the messier side of consensual non-monogamy, especially with how it can be affected by trauma or inter-relationship conflicts. But it also shows how to take better steps toward healthy, ethical non-monogamy (a far better job than More Than Two**) and conflict resolution, making it a valuable resource both for someone who is a part of this relationship style***, but also for writers on the outside looking in who might have a very simple or misguided idea of what conflict within polyam/ENM relationships might look like, vs traditional monogamous ones.

** The author of More Than Two has been accused of multiple accounts of abuse within the polyamorous community, with many of his coauthors having spoken out about the gaslighting and emotional and psychological damage they experienced while in a relationship with him. A lot of their stories are documented here: https://www.itrippedonthepolystair.com/ (warning: it is not light material and deals with issues of abuse, gaslighting, and a whole other plethora of Yikes.) While some people still find More Than Two helpful reading, there are now, thankfully, much, much better resources out there.

*** Some people consider polyam/ENM to be part of their identity or orientation, while others view it as a relationship style.It largely depends on the individual. 

#long post #writing #ethical non-monogamy #relationship styles #relationship models in fiction #also that kindle link is an affiliate link #because fuck giving amazon free recs

[ming-yu-hao]

Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder | Chapter 1

Pairing: fratboy!mingyu x female reader

Word Count: 3.1k

Synopsis: When you transferred to a different university, you and Wonwoo promised that you would make long distance work. But distance proves to be more difficult than you both originally thought.

This Chapter’s Tags: some angst ig, light cheating? (not really lol), mingyu is just flirty, female masturbation, mentions of alcohol and weed

Warning: THIS SERIES IS ABOUT CHEATING. DO NOT READ IF IT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE!

A/N: it’s gonna get spicy soon just trust me ;)

Chapters: Next | Masterlist

30 minutes. That's how long you had spent anxiously perched in front of your computer, waiting for the familiar ring of the video call to echo through the speakers. You cycled between scrolling through social media, checking your reflection in the camera, and debating on whether or not to text Wonwoo. You understood that he was busy; it wasn't unusual for either of you to call a few minutes later than you had originally planned. But Wonwoo had never left you hanging for this long without an explanation. Normally, your mind would begin to fixate on the worst case scenario, but Wonwoo had already cancelled on you the past two weeks because he was busy working.

The loud vibration of your phone against your desk drew you out of your thoughts, and you hurriedly picked it up and saw Wonwoo's name glowing across the screen. "Hello?" You answered quickly.

"Hey," Wonwoo's deep voice sounded through the phone. "You're gonna hate me," He chuckled.

"I could never," You replied. You already knew the next words that were going to come out of his mouth.

"I can't FaceTime tonight." He explained. Even though you saw it coming, you couldn't help the feeling of disappointment that weighed heavy on your chest.

Your eyes met with the reflection displayed on the laptop screen. It taunted you, reminding you that Wonwoo's face wouldn't be there to replace it once again. "Well, I would be a lot happier right now if you told me that half an hour ago," You laughed bitterly. Running a hand through your hair, you quietly sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry." Wonwoo apologized. His voice was laced with genuine sorrow; you could clearly picture the frown that lined his lips right now. He added after a moment of silence, "I don't wanna keep doing this to you, so I think we should change our date day. I've been working more Fridays lately."

You nodded despite him not being able to see you and hummed in agreement. "What day then?" You asked.

"I'm not sure yet. I still have to figure out my schedule. Just text me what works for you and I'll let you know soon, okay?" He sighed.

"Oh, okay... yeah." Your lips drew into a tighter line with each word he spoke.

"Okay, I have to get to get back to work right now. I'm sorry again." He continued quickly. "I love you."

"I love you too."

The three tones signaled the end of the call, and slowly you pulled the phone away from your ear. Your tired reflection stared back at you. Finally, you shut the computer for the third Friday in a row.

The remainder of the weekend passed and you had barely heard anything from Wonwoo except for the usual good morning and goodnight texts. By the time Wednesday came around, the both of you finally agreed that Saturday could be your new set day for FaceTime dates. You powered through the rest of the week, and on Saturday you excitedly set aside all the work from your classes and waited patiently for Wonwoo to call.

You really missed him. It'd been just over two months now since you last saw him in person, when you moved into your dorm at a university three hours away from the one where you and Wonwoo met. He stayed behind while you transferred to a college with a renowned journalism program. At first, you were hesitant to leave him, but Wonwoo refused to let you give up such a great opportunity just to stay close to him. That was what you loved about him: he wanted to see you be happy and successful.

Situating yourself comfortably on the bed, you pulled up some random Netflix series to entertain yourself while waiting for Wonwoo. You only half paid attention, glancing between the computer screen and your Instagram feed on your phone. Time crawled, and slowly you sunk deeper into the softness of the mattress below.

Cold, small hands shook you awake. You rubbed your eyes and sat up, disoriented. The series you were watching was still playing quietly. Your roommate, Jisoo, stood next to your bed with her arms crossed over her chest. She stared at you with a raised eyebrow. "You're passed out by 7 on a Saturday night?" A teasing smile was displayed across her face as she shut your laptop.

You suddenly realized that it was an hour past the time that Wonwoo had promised to FaceTime you. Your heart sunk in your chest as you thought about how you probably missed his call without an explanation. You picked up your phone, but quickly noticed the notification for a missed phone call from him, followed by a text that said: I'm so sorry, something came up I promise I'll call you tomorrow.

Jisoo surveyed you for a moment; a more serious expression began to cross her features. She sat down at the bottom of your bed. "Did something happen?"

You rolled your eyes and looked down at your hands. "Wonwoo cancelled on me again," You sighed, "But I shouldn't be mad at him for it. It's not his fault he's busy."

Jisoo tsked and patted your leg through the sheets. "Of course you can be upset! How many times has it been now?"

"This entire month. And he always cancels super late."

She scoffed, "See! That's shitty. If this was the first time it wouldn't have been a big deal. But four times?" She stood up quickly and opened up her wardrobe. "If he wants long distance to work, he needs to have better communication."

"Yeah, I guess." You replied. Jisoo held a black top up to her figure, observing herself in the mirror. "Where are you going?" You inquired.

"A party at the SVT frat. You know any of them?" She explained while changing her outfit.

You had heard of the frat before, but you racked your brain for any of their names and couldn't remember one. "I don't think so."

Jisoo faced you again and smiled. "Well, let's go."

You chuckled, "No way."

She pouted. "Come on. You haven't gone out with me I'm so long. You're in college!" Jisoo begged. "Just this once. You'll have fun."

Jisoo had a point. You really had nothing else better to do besides sit around and mope over Wonwoo ditching you. You let out an exhasperated sigh of defeat, "Fine, I'll go."

"Yes! Go get all cute and dressed up." She cheered.

You emerged from your bed and strolled over to your own closet. "Alright, I'll be quick."

You and Jisoo walked into the party hand in hand. Immediately, the stench of weed and sweat overwhelmed you. Loud music vibrated through the walls of the house and clashed with the sounds of people cheering and yelling. An intense game of beer pong captured the attention of most people in the main room, but you could see a separate crowd gathered in the kitchen too.

"Who do you know here again?" You shouted over the music at Jisoo, not seeing a single person you recognized so far.

She leaned closer to you so you could hear. "Choi Seungcheol. I have a chemistry class with him." She scanned the room and suddenly perked up. "Oh, there he is!" She called his name and pulled you along with her towards him.

He stood against the wall with a red cup in his hand, talking with another tall boy. At the call of his name, he looked over at the two of you and smiled brightly. "Jisoo! I'm so happy you made it." He exclaimed while wrapping his arm around her lower back. Seungcheol watched you with kind eyes as you approached him. "And who is this?" He asked Jisoo.

"This is my roommate, Y/N. Y/N, this is Seungcheol." She introduced you both and you smiled and gave a small wave to the two boys.

The other boy flashed you a sweet smile that caused his eyes to form into crescents. "I'm Seokmin. I live here with Cheol." He explained.

All four of you continued to converse casually until Seungcheol pointed to you and Seokmin and said, "Hey, why don't you two go get some drinks? We'll wait here." You swore you saw a gleam of mischief in his eyes, and you quickly glanced at Jisoo to see if she noticed it too, but her expression remained neutral. This was exactly why you strayed away from parties. You wanted to avoid any encounters with flirty, drunk frat boys. But Jisoo, who was basically a mind reader, didn't react, so maybe you were just being overly paranoid.

You nodded and walked over to the kitchen, Seokmin following close behind, and watched as he began to mix some drinks together for the four of you. He let out a frustrated sigh as one of the bottles of liquor reached its end. Seokmin peeked over his shoulder and shouted, "Mingyu! Can you get me the other bottle of vodka?" You perked up at the familiar-sounding name, but couldn't remember where you had heard it before.

A moment later a presence approached you and Seokmin from behind and set the bottle down on the counter. "Now you have to make me one too," The deep voice joked. You turned around and immediately recognized the tall figure.

"Mingyu?" You called out in surprise.

His eyes dragged over and met yours. His face lit up instantly as he recognized you. "Y/N! What are you doing here?" Mingyu laughed.

Seokmin turned around and handed a cup to Mingyu with a raised eyebrow. "You guys know each other?" He questioned.

You grabbed your own cup and took a sip of the bittersweet mixture. "Yeah, we have a digital media class together." You said before smirking at Mingyu. "I didn't think you were the frat boy type."

Mingyu rested his right hand on the counter beside you, almost trapping you in between the wood and his body. "I guess I'm just full of surprises," He replied.

You felt your heart flutter in your chest at his flirty response. This was a whole new side of him that you had never seen before in class. Granted, he was most likely tipsy and maybe even a bit high, but in class he was usually polite and reserved. He cracked jokes with you sometimes, but you never expected him to be so bold. On top of that, he always had his hair styled back neatly. Now, his dark hair fell over his forehead in messy curls. His skin was sheathed in a light layer of sweat, and the muscles in his arms and chest were suddenly more prominent under his white tee in the dim light of the house. You had to admit, he was ridiculously attractive.

"I'm gonna go give this to Cheol and Jisoo," Seokmin interrupted before leaving the kitchen with both cups in his hands.

Silently, you started behind him and Mingyu walked with you. "So what are you doing here?" He asked again as the two of you rounded the corner and entered the living room.

"My roommate was invited and made me go with her," You told him. You continued to sip your drink, basking in the warm feeling that the alcohol left in your chest.

"Makes sense. I didn't expect you to be a party girl." He teased. His arm slowly snaked around your waist and squeezed your hip lightly. Your skin tingled beneath his touch but you didn't give him any physical reaction, opting to just ignore the grip he had on you.

Your jaw dropped in a fake gasp. "You think I'm boring or something?" You narrowed your eyes at him and he chuckled.

"I never said that," He responded with a smirk on his lips.

Seungcheol and Jisoo had migrated from the spot where they previously stood, so you scanned the crowded room for the long haired girl. Finally you noticed her sitting close to Seungcheol on the couch. You could see they were laughing about something and considering Seokmin wasn't hovering near them anymore either, you decided to leave them be.

Mingyu noticed where you were looking and raised his eyebrows at you when you turned back to look at him. "Well, I guess my roommate is busy," You rolled your eyes.

You had forgotten about Mingyu's hand on your waist until he squeezed it again. "Good thing you have me then," He bantered. Your skin flushed; you slightly leaned into his touch. It had been so long since you felt someone else's hands roam across your body. You missed the feeling.

Mingyu slowly pulled your body closer to his until your chest was centimeters away. You gulped and dragged your eyes up to meet his. He stared at you intensely, his other hand coming up to caress your cheek. Your breathing hitched as he ran his thumb over your bottom lip. "You're so pretty," He muttered. It felt like fire had lit up your entire body. Your nerves tingled and your brain felt fuzzy and you hated to admit it but you could feel arousal growing between your legs. Somehow Mingyu pulled you even closer than before and you felt his hard cock brush against your thigh through his jeans. His tongue darted out against his lips and he inched his face towards yours. "Can I kiss you?" He whispered just inches away from you lips.

Guilt imprisoned you as soon as he said those words. They reminded you of where you were, and what you were planning on doing. You closed your eyes and pulled yourself out of his grasp. "I have a boyfriend," You admitted briskly.

Mingyu stared at you in confusion. "What?"

Shame overtook you. Wonwoo had trusted you to remain loyal, and here you were at a frat party, leading on some poor boy from your class.

Mingyu lightly grabbed your wrist. "Hey, I'm sorry. I should've asked-" He started, but you quickly cut him off.

"No, I'm sorry. This is my fault." You apologized and pulled your wrist out of his grasp. You looked at him; he stared at you with a sorrowful gaze. The regret on your face was evident and he knew that he had helped in bringing this guilt upon you.

"I- I have to go do something," You added before turning around and darting towards the door. You didn't bother to turn around or look for Jisoo, you just needed to get out of there as fast as possible. Once you were outside, you inhaled a sharp breath and pulled out your phone to call for an Uber. You waited near the street, sending a text to Jisoo to let her know that you felt sick and went home while you waited.

Eventually the Uber pulled up and you hurriedly sat down and told the driver where to go. You breathed a sigh of relief as they finally pulled away from the frat.

The drive was short, but you spent every one of those few minutes replaying the night's events in your mind. Your flesh still tingled in the places where Mingyu had touched you. Guilt haunted you, but you attempted to lessen that burden by reasoning with yourself. You missed Wonwoo. A lot. You missed hearing his voice and seeing his face and of course feeling his touch against your skin. You hadn't been fucked in over two months now, so it was no wonder that any bit of physical affection would have such a strong effect on you. What mattered is that you stopped it before anything happened. You could live with that, you decided. All you had to do now was just clear up things with Mingyu next week, deal with any awkwardness between you two, and focus on Wonwoo.

When you arrived at your dorm, you quickly changed your clothes, cleansing yourself of the faint smell of weed and the remnants of Mingyu's touch. Not long after, exhaustion began to take over your body. You laid down on the bed, not even bothering to check your phone before closing your eyes and letting sleep overcome you.

You weren't sure what time you fell asleep, but you awoke some time later and glanced at the clock. 11:54 PM. You stretched your arms behind your head and yawned as you scanned the room. Jisoo was still gone. You closed your eyes again and tried to fall back asleep, but your mind began to race.

You could clearly picture Mingyu's lust-filled eyes staring down at you, his hands running over your waist and pulling you towards the heat of his body. The glow of his skin, the messy curls hanging over his forehead, the fullness of his lips as he asked in his husky voice if he could kiss you—the images and sensations swirled around in your thoughts.

In a half asleep daze, you rubbed your thighs together. Friction built between your legs. You groaned quietly as your mind revisited how you felt when Mingyu's hands were on your body. More arousal began to pool in your heat, your underwear clinging to your wetness.

Languidly, you ran your hand down your stomach and toyed with the hem of your underwear before slowly pulling the fabric down your legs. You imagined Mingyu's sharp eyes staring at you from between your thighs as you ran your fingers through your slick folds. Arousal coated your fingers and you began to rub your clit in slow circles. You pretended that Mingyu's thick fingers were the ones teasing your clit, making your legs jolt each time you pressed the right spot.

You moaned quietly and began to grope your own breast. You squeezed and flicked your nipple, causing a quiet gasp to fall from your lips. You pulled your hand away from your clit and slowly pushed two fingers into your dripping heat. "Mmh, Mingyu," You groaned under your breath. You imagined his deep voice saying the dirtiest things to you as he pumped and curled his fingers into your pussy.

You gasped as you hit a particular spot that made you arch your lower back. You continued pumping your fingers at a fast pace until the knot building in your lower stomach snapped. Your eyes rolled back and you let out a sharp whine as an intense feeling of euphoria washed over your body.

Your body relaxed against the sheets as your heart rate began to slow and exhaustion overtook you once again. You sighed contently and wrapped yourself in your blankets, allowing yourself to drift off to sleep.

You promised yourself that you would never do that again.

#seventeen #seventeen smut #mingyu #mingyu smut #kim mingyu smut #mingyu scenarios #seventeen angst #svt imagines #svt smut #svt angst #svt au #seokmin smut #woozi smut #jeonghan smut #minghao smut #junhui smut #lee chan smut #wonwoo smut #joshua hong smut #vernon smut #scoups smut #seungcheol smut #hoshi smut #seungkwan smut

[slade-neko]

Saw this video game tag thing pop up on my dash a few days ago. Wanted to do it.

1. First game you played obsessively? Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I believe I was 5yo. Still waiting on that FF7 Remake treatment.

2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc. Well if I play a game and like it, then I'll create sims of it. Does that count?

3. Who did you play with as a kid? My brother from the day I was born.

4. Who do you play with now? My brother FROM THE DAY I WAS BORN.

5. Ever use cheat codes? I wasn't lying when I made this post. {link}

6. Ever buy strategy guides? Yes! Mainly to look at the artwork though. (Don't need no guide!)

7. Any games you have multiple copies of? Lots of games, most being Left 4 Dead with 6 copies (3 Xbox 360, 1 PC case, 2 PC digitally.) What can I say, its a GOOD GAME!

8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection? Gold cartridge Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time (maybe that's rare?)

9. Most regrettable purchase? I don't regret my purchases, but I have received games I have never played like Cubix (PS2) no clue where that game came from, but I have it somehow. Madagascar (Xbox 360) came with my Xbox 360, never opened it from its case. And Monsters Inc. Scream Arena (Gamecube) or something... it was a gift.

10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours? No, because then I'd have to interact with people.

11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games? I'm only friends with people BECAUSE of video games, so yes.

12. Ever get picked on for liking games? No, that'd be ridiculous.

13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has? Probably a lot, I'd say Call of Duty, but I technically played CoD 1, 2, and 4. The campaign mode was alright, but I don't really care for CoD games at ALL.

14. Favorite game music? Koji Kondo and Grant Kirkhope are two BIG ones.

15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick? Triforce is the most basic option, but I'd rather not get a tattoo.

16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL? Super Smash Bros. Brawl with hacks, but that was over a decade ago.

17. Ever lose a friend over a game? No, that'd be ridiculous.

18. Would you date someone that hates gaming? No, that'd be RIDICULOUS.

19. Favorite handheld console? PSP. 3DS is great, but PSP Monster Hunter has ALL of my portable gaming memories. Like playing in school after End of Grade tests with my friend.

20. Game that you know like the back of your hand? Sims 4 I like to think I know everything about Left 4 Dead. Quite a bit about Monster Hunter, more so of a series though than a specific game.

21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now? I'd say Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. I loved it as a kid, but had a lot of complex pen & paper RPG mechanics that I never understood. I understand a lot more of it now, but its still complex as all heck. I just know you hit things, they die.

22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories? That's the only thing I wear.

23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into? Not sure so I'll list a few. Sims 4, Smash Bros. Brawl, Monster Hunter (its a series though), or Left 4 Dead

24. First Pokemon game? Leaf Green

25. Were you ever an arcade game player? No, don't like paying to play.

26. Ever form any gaming rivalries? No.

27. Game that makes you rage? I don't get mad at games, but I had a custom modded Hard Eight mutation in Left 4 Dead that is absolute bullsh*t!

28. Ever play in a tournament? No, because then I'd have to interact with people.

29. What is your gaming set up? A giant wall of video game consoles spanning from NES to Switch, 4 TVs, but I sit at a desk with a PC.

30. How many consoles do you own? "I own every console that's ever existed." - I Don't Play Games When I Play Games (My STRENTH) original song by Smooth McGroove BUT no seriously I own 32 consoles including handhelds.

31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches? Yes. 3DS gave me headaches though I only really played with the 3D feature in Ocarina of Time 3D. I think my eyes broke because I couldn't get my 3D to work very well after.

32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic? Sure I play games based on a lot of things. Literally any anime game. If I had to pick Dragon Ball Xenoverse is kinda like a dream Dragon Ball game. Oh, Attack on Titan 2 is pretty neat too!

33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games? Some SEGA plug-n-play thing once. Played it like once and now its lost to time (or my closet.)

34. Do either of your parents play video games? Yes. Mom and Dad played NES Super Mario Bros. My Dad went HARD at that game until he saved the Princess. Then he quit forever.

35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop? "Hi. Welcome to Gamestop!"I never want to hear that again, but it was my main store until I went full digital/ online orders.

36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game? No, I don't tend to get upset or emotional, but Bill dying in Left 4 Dead made me pretty pissed.

37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination? Never played it. I don't really play "bad" games, but maybe Sims 4.

38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like? The Sims 4

39. A sequel that you would die for them to make? Dragon's Dogma 2 WHICH I think is actually in development, so I'd have to say Fallout New Vegas 2. C'mon Bethesda you cowards, hand the keys back over to Obsidian so they can make another good Fallout game!

40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls? Two part question, two answers. VR Headset to immerse in world, yes. Motion Controls, no.

41. A genre that you just can’t get into? MOBAs and MMOs. I don't like paying to keep playing.

42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness? Nintendo 64 opened me up to what video games could be as a kid. Sad to say my parents' NES didn't really do that for me. And years later Fallout 3 was a big game changer for me too.

43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else? Every day of my LIFE.

44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters? None. I'd rather emulate.

45. How are you at Mario Kart? Pretty dang good. 3-STARS MARIO KART WII, BABY!

46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon? Yes, both of those. I preferred when Animal Crossing had more character to it. New Horizons looks so pretty, but feels so bland compared to classic AC.

47. Do you like competitive games? No. Not really. Usually amongst friends or if I can get competitive against AI Bots. I love my machine bot friends cause they don't cry like 10 year olds when they lose.

48. How long does it take your to customize your player character? Too long. I've seriously restarted games because I wasn't happy with my character's appearance.

49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character? Yes, I am always the magic man, my brother is always brute warrior, and my friend is the ranger.

50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create? I don't really know. Honestly, I'd rather mod already good games to make them better than create something completely new.

51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep? No, that'd be ridiculous. But I've had a friend fall asleep playing games at my house 3 different times and currently dozes off during our Minecraft sessions. So, maybe that's not a completely ridiculous thing after all.

52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid? Kirby 64 apparently. My brother tells me we had to count out pennies to buy it. I must've been too young with no recollection, but I believe it.

53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days? It's good if its not in the game's files from the beginning and is actually developed AFTER launch... and pre-order bonuses should be standard DLC a month or two later. Some games have content lost to time because of that pre-order bullsh*t.

54. Do you give in to Steam sales? Of course. If you want a game and its on sale then why not? I typically wait just for Steam sales to get games.

55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them? No? I typically make people and characters I like in Sims. I've made villains like Dio, but he's an anime villain and I don't really HATE him despite the horrible things he's done.

56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests? No. Never played that game.

57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements? I try to for all the games I really like.

58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick? The Sims 4, Skyrim, & Fallout: New Vegas. Mods make them live forever. Left 4 Dead and Monster Hunter are good choices too.

59. Do you play any cell phone games? Those aren't games.

60. Do you know the Konami Code? No? But I'll take a guess. Is it make an IP and forget it exists?

61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever? Keep forever... even the bad ones.

62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game? PS4 Pro for Monster Hunter World. It was basically for early access since the PC version was being developed and releasing after PS4, but I don't like waiting.

63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament? Sort of. Been to anime cons and walked into the gaming tournament rooms only to walk out less than 10 minutes later.

64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming? No, but I'm going to be doing that soon, hopefully.

65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file? GameShark for N64, PS2, Gameboy, and Action Replay for Gamecube, DS, 3DS. And no not really, I would cheat responsibly... but there was this one time at school my friend and I borrowed another friend's Gameboy game, loaded it up with my Gameshark, tried playing, it crashed, loaded it back up, save file corrupted... we just stared at each other jaws dropped, "Here's your game back, dude. Make sure you don't play it til you get back home!"

66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it? No, but I remember seeing them on billboards in the game DRIV3R on PS2.

67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share? Every game I play is filled with happy memories (mostly.)

68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool? These tiger plushes. My brother got white and I got orange. They were the coolest. Got a butt load of tickets from some jackpot spinning light game thing as I was good at the timing with repeated jackpot hits.

69. In your opinion, best game ever made? I've played quite a few masterpiece games, but to pick one, I'd say Fallout: New Vegas

70. Very first game you ever beat? Super Mario 64. I was a mere child on a Sunday morning and ate celebratory pancakes made by my Dad.

Wow, that was long... I get the feeling this was supposed to be a "send me ask with numbers" thing, but answering all at once is more fun.

#personal #video games

[dramionediscussion]

I'm not the anon who submitted the ask about epilogue babies, but I read the responses, and I agree with both them and Elle. they're right about them not being many non-child-centric epilogues, and I understand that it's incredibly frustrating when an epilogue ruins a story. elle is right when she says that we as readers don't really have a right to decide what the authors put into their story.

2) but the thing is, most authors supply readers with what they want the most. look at early 2010s fics for example: ron weasley bashing is HIGH. it's difficult to find a fic where he's not a cheater/general AH/unsupportive jerk/etc. but over the years, as the number of ron supporters grew, the ron bashing decreased. writers are influenced by readers and other fanfics, even though the plot is their own. the idea that draco is a sex god while hermione is this prudish little thing?

3) that idea fell through too after we realised that it was vaguely sexist. the fics are getting darker and angstier now, without tentativeness around topics like sexual assault, abuse, etc--something you probably won't see in earlier fics, when all these topics were still a little 'not talked about'. but my point is, as people grow and evolve, the fandom evolves too. we're at a point where MOST people usually equate marriage and babies to a healthy, stable relationship.

4) hp fandom aside, look at other books and movies. it's incredibly rare for a heterosexual couple to NOT have kids. if one of them is against it, they usually end up changing their minds. at this point in life, having kids is "the norm", whether or not we agree. again, this influences writers--the couples they write end up having kids. I agree with anon that we should have more epilogues that don't revolve around kids, but that's what's normal for us right now.

5) ron weasley bashing was normal for the fandom before, whether it was a dramione, krumione, or harmione fic. but we changed because people started to appreciate ron's character and stopped reading those kinda fics. ofc, there are people who don't like ron and enjoy reading those fics, and by no means should the writers stop writing for them.

6) basically this is what I'm trying to say: maybe in a couple years, when people finally understand and accept that heterosexuals don't NEED to have kids, then our fics will change (there'll always be people who write in babies in the epilogue, but I'm talking about the majoity) but until then, read what you like, write what you like, skip the epilogue if you don't like it! the ultimate goal is to ENJOY fics, whether you're writing them or reading them.

_______________________

Thank you for your thoughts. I absolutely agree with you that when you look broadly at Dramione fanfiction, you do see shifts and changes over time because we’re influenced by what we read and by what we see in society around us. Tropes work their way in from other fandoms as well - no one wrote ABO Dramione just a few years ago, and the whole marriage law thing made its way over from the Severus/Hermione fandom before it was revealed he was a halfblood. That’s just the nature of fanfiction. It builds on itself. 

That said, this ship is so big and so diverse that there are many exceptions to pretty much any generalization you can make. I do see writers moving more toward enthusiastic consent and away from untagged dub-con stories presented as romance, but I also still see plenty of dub-con and non-con stories - they’re just tagged better than they used to be. Right now one trend in Dramione I’m seeing is tall/smol where Draco is a big guy with an enormous dick. You can easily see how Sex God Draco at Hogwarts has morphed into Big, Tall, Sexy Draco with his Big Dick post-war.

I hate the term “Ron Weasley bashing” because Ron fans tend to apply it to any situation where he’s not a great guy, but based on his canon insecurities and tendency to storm off in a huff, I think you could absolutely write a realistic portrayal of him cheating, fighting with Hermione, etc., and I would not consider it bashing at all. Bashing to me = Ron is a violent man who beats Hermione or Ron is a fat, dumb slob who can’t understand half of what Hermione says, etc. And those stories where Ron DOES cheat on her, resent her career, feel insecure about his own success or intelligence, etc. are still being written - he’s just usually not as extreme a caricature in them.

You said that most writers supply readers with what they want, and I would argue that that’s really only true when it comes to Dramione endings. Most people want Dramione to end up together, and most of us deliver on that, even if it’s a darker or more ambiguous scenario at the end of the story. There are still tear-jerkers and unhappy ending fics, but there aren’t as many of them. For everything else...I think it’s more about what a writer wants to write. 

Are there Dramione writers who try to play to the audience and build the biggest audience they can and strongly incorporate reader feedback into their stories? Yeah, sure, especially among those who make up the plot as they go. But one of the first pieces of advice that we often see writers giving out to new fanfic writers is to write what you want to write. You’ll be more invested in it, you’ll love it more, and you’ll ultimately write a more compelling story than one you’re writing at the whims of someone else. It’s really easy as a writer to fall down a rabbit hole of trying to deliver what you think fans want, and it’s an exercise in futility because of how big and diverse the fandom is. For every reader who wants a ton of hot smut, there’s one who hates it and just wants an interesting story without graphic sex. For every reader who loves creature fic, there’s one who hates it, etc.

I’m American, and most of my readers on FFN are American, but I do think it’s important to remember that Dramione is a world-wide ship, and there are both readers and writers in countries where culturally it is expected that a woman will marry and have children. My personal belief is that no one NEEDS to have children, but I understand that a lot of people want them and that this desire plus what we see of canon all contributes to people writing stories that involve Dramione + babies. Heck even some of my friends who are child-free by choice write stories where they have children. 

Right now when I think about Dramione stories where they don’t have children, I think more in terms of stories where the ending comes before a pregnancy or a birth, and it’s left kind of open as to whether that happens in the future for them. As fanfiction continues to build on itself, I do think it’s possible that we’ll see more stories where they are shown making a conscious choice to remain childless. 

Thank your for your thoughts.

- Elle

#anonymous #dramione

[tethered-heartstrings]

i read the first five chapters and i love it! i know you've said the writing is not quite to the same level of how you write now but i see a really wonderful start :) also be warned, i am not great at giving compliments because i know *why* i like something but it's hard to explain most of the time, but i will try my best

-🐞

nsbffjshfewnf I feel seen.

Honestly, I go back and read some of my earlier chapters and I'm like "how the fuck did I publish this." Part of me wishes I just... waited so I could go back and make everything better. But I feel going back at this point and improving it feels like cheating? I can't explain it. I do wonder how many people get turned off by the quality before getting to the better writing? Not that I can tell you when it gets better, its probably really gradual and more noticeable when you either binge or go back to reread it. I suspected it got better and some comments confirmed it for me so I feel a bit more justified in that statement. "Better" is subjective anyway so who the fuck knows haha.

I will say, some of my favorite stuff comes a lot later. I usually put in a post-note a comment about if its among my favorites or not. It's all blurred together at this point. Just some were conceptually very fun to put on paper.

And thank you!!! I feel the story has good bones, just the good meaty bits come later than I'd like. Still probably a mediocre to decent stew overall. May need seasoning. I think the beginning is just a bit rushed because I didn't intend for it to be so fucking long, ya know?

And dude, I totally get it. I am so bad at complimenting works or art I enjoy. I just think "it tickled the part of my brain that signaled serotonin" and that's all I got. It is hard to compliment, so, please don't feel obligated to say anything haha.

At least you came to it late so all the cliffhangers hold less weight for you now. I've had people since the beginning that are still there (incredible of them honestly) and I made some of those cliffhangers fucking wild.

And thanks for even reading it at all, honestly. <3 I know my tag rant was weird as fuck and probably made no sense. I can write a fic about two feral men in love but I can't coherently talk about my own stupid feelings.

#I guess this story was just development so my future fics just start off better I guess #I have to survive this first one before even considering sharing my other ones #because who knows I may just scrap it entirely even if its... 65k long. I hate myself #i did actively try and put some sneaky ass foreshadowing in there so #its hard to say if I pulled it off because I wrote it and know what's gonna happen #p.s. totally answering this instead of editing the chapter for tomorrow hahaha fuck #ladybug emoji #the curious clown

[toricrypticice]

Lets get personal

No one tagged me but why not?

RULES: you must answer these 92 statements and tag 20 people (Lmao, no)

THE LAST:

1. drink: Iced Tea 2. phone call: My mom 3. text message: “?” 4. song you listened to: Pretty Girl -Cheat Codes X CADE remix 5. time you cried: 7:35 pm today  6. dated someone twice: yes 7. kissed someone and regretted it: yep 8. been cheated on: sort of 9. lost someone special: yes, I lost an important friend as of kind of recently. :( 10. been depressed: yep right now but I’m getting help  11. gotten drunk and thrown up: Nope

LIST 3 FAVOURITE COLOURS:

12-14. - Maroon, seafoam green, and Teal.

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU:

15. made new friends: Yeah and they all are pretty great (≧▽≦) 16. fallen out of love: kind of  they broke my heart once and I was stupid enough to get back with them only to realize I had gotten over them between the time we were apart. 17. laughed until you cried: Yes XD 18. found out someone was talking about you: not really no one does. 19. met someone who changed you: Mmm, yes. in real life and online. 20 found out who your friends are: yeah, a lot some people don’t stay I guess and some are closer than others.  21. kissed someone on your Facebook list: Yep 

GENERAL:

22. how many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: All of them except two actually  23. do you have any pets: Not myself but my family has four cats who I love but I want a dog 24. do you want to change your name: Ehh unsure yet I like Tori but I also like Marsh. A lot of my friends call me Marsh.  25. what did you do for your last birthday: Well the day of my birthday not much I mean we had something I picked out for dinner. But two days before my B-day I hung out with my other family and they got me a cake, brought me out to eat, and walked on the beach with me. I missed them a lot.  26. what time did you wake up: Today around 3 but went back to sleep until 9 am 27. what were you doing at midnight last night: Chilling on my phone, mostly instagram and Snapchat 28. name something you can’t wait for: FOR ME TO GRADUATE  29. when was the last time you saw your mom: today at 3 30. what is one thing you wish you could change in your life: Money issues. I wish we didn’t have to constantly worry that we might lose the house and the roof we live under. 31. what are you listening to right now: A fucking Spotify Ad (ಠ ∩ಠ) oh wait well now Broken Strings by James Morrison 32. have you ever talked to a person named tom: Yep,  33. something that is getting on your nerves: A lot and really there is no reason. Acne, my body, my anxiety, my depression, summer school (눈_눈), and of course my family. 34. most visited website: Youtube 35-37. lost questions?? ?Wat 38. hair colour: Naturally brown but dyed partially blonde 39. long or short hair: Short but growing it out  40. do you have a crush on someone: Right now no but I kinda wish I did. 41. what do you like about yourself: Creativity 42. piercings: None (my ears closed on me) 43. blood type: Fuck I don’t know lmao 44. nickname: Tori/Marsh (Tori short for Victoria, Marsh short for Marshall) 45. relationship status: Single 46. zodiac: Taurus 47. pronouns: Any 48. favourite tv show: hmmmmm idk I don’t watch much but I like the classic teen titans not the sucktacular new one, oh and Steven Universe is super good. 49. tattoos: Nope    ....But doesn’t mean I won’t be getting some ฅ•ω•ฅ 50. right or left handed: right 51. surgery: nah 52. piercing: wat....this was already a....aw whatever 53. sport: Sports don't agree with me. I mean I’m good at frisbee and badminton, other sports are fun but I’m not the best. I do like watching Hockey and Ice Skating though. 55. vacation: Nah my family doesn’t have the money. We never go on vacation. 56. pair of trainers: .....oh this is talking about shoes XD.... I was like trainers who gets two and why is this a common thing. lmao welp guess I answered that with a big fat nope!

MORE GENERAL

57. eating: thirty minutes ago 58. drinking: Been drinking a lot of over sugared ice tea, monsters, and water lately. 59. i’m about to: Push all my clothes onto the floor so I can chill on my bed instead of chilling on the floor.  61. waiting for: this shouldn’t be a hard question but somehow it is, uhhhh oh for all my friend to be free so we can get together I wanna go to Quassy for $0.50 cent night 62. want: To get to my goal weight :P 63. get married: I do XD   I hope to meet someone that I can hangout with to recharge There’s a Youtuber I watch who has a great relationship with his wife. I want that. 64. career: I’m so unsure. Being a YouTuber has been a huge interest but everyone shits on that along with my acting dream so I guess anything to do with art  65. hugs or kisses: I love both but I do like hugs a lot even though I act rather stand offish I appreciate hugs

66. lips or eyes: i think it depends on the person honestly, but probably eyes 67. shorter or taller: Hmmm I don’t know   it doesn’t matter to me I don’t get why people say they NEED someone who is taller. If the person is sweet, acts like a child, enjoys games, and loves movies they are my kinda person.  68. older or younger: I don’t know I like people who are rather mature but can also horse around 70. nice arms or nice stomach: Eh Don’t care much for either. 71. sensitive or loud: Both, and they need to know when loud is appropriate and when it isn’t, because I have no patience for immaturity in that way. Idk maybe that’s just me 72. hook up or relationship: Relationship. I don’t think I can hook-up because I’ve been realizing I’m pretty sure I’m on the demi-sexual side of things. Plus i don’t know a hook up just seems terrible. You hook up and give someone a part of you and then you never see them again I don’t know maybe its just not for me. 73. troublemaker or hesitant: i prefer someone who is hesitant, but with a slight troublemaker streak because I am very hesitant myself. Yeah as long as we don’t get arrested/expelled/fired I’m up for it. 

HAVE YOU EVER:

74. kissed a stranger: nope. 75. drank hard liquor: Yep but just a sip  shhhh 76. lost glasses/contact lenses: Yep and then you can’t find them because you need glasses to see but thats what you lost. 77. turned someone down: Yeah, but it never gets any easier I just feel so bad cause I know what its like to be on both sides. Both sides are horrible. 78. sex on the first date: NOPE!!!! 79. broken someone’s heart: Yeah God I felt so bad :(    But I think they are over me, we are still friends.... but I still feel bad.  80. had your heart broken: Yeah twice and both times were horrible 81. been arrested: No and I hope it stays that way 82. cried when someone died: Yeah but not usually when I first get the news it takes awhile before it sinks in. I’m bad with emotions. 83. fallen for a friend: Yeah all of them. They all didn’t work though :P

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

84. yourself: Not really, I rather mean to myself but kinder to others. but I’m also a jerk at times to people I care about.  85. miracles: Uhm. Only because I’ve seen some, tbh.  86. love at first sight: Kind of.  87. santa claus: Nah man its not possible.....wait unless he’s a wizard OH SHIT___!!!!! 88. kiss on the first date: Maybe, idk, probs not, but there’s a chance. 89. angels: not really I don’t believe in god sooooo 

OTHER:

90. current best friend’s name: Mikayla and Michelle   They are the closest people in my life.  91. eye colour: blue/green with a brown ring around my pupil 92. favourite movie: UGh I can’t really choose, I love movies so its super hard. like there are musicals, dramas, romance, thriller, animation, comedy- I could go on forever. My favorite movie changes. Right now its Winnie The Pooh Piglet’s Big Adventure but tomorrow it will most likely change. Dude I should watch that. 

Who’s Tagged? (I chose most of them randomly)

@seashell-calling @theauthorolive1215 @i-ship-septicplier @i-did-it-because-i-can @elentori-art @konoira @queer-coffee @planet-pastels @peachymints @ethan-works @lemememeringue

[laencore]

broken promise

Alex: I'm not proud of you.

I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. To hear that from the person you love most in life, she tore right thru me.

I've been with Alex for 6 years and she's the love of my life but there has been few occasions (5 she's been counting), where I have made her feel insecure, unhappy... I've made her feel like shit. She doesn't trust me. Before I say anymore, let me take you way back where this started.

Alex and I met in high school. It was a new school where I had no friends but two cousins Steph and Miguel. Thank God for them if not high school would of been a really dark place. Miguel and I were the new kids in school oh and a couple hundred since 2006 is where all California decided to more to Texas.

Steph already had been there and had a few friends and one of those friends was Alex. From an outsieders view Alex seems to be one of those girls that liked you if you were convenient, if not she would pay no mind. After getting not know her, I found out that she came from a family with great morals, someone who treats people like she wants to be treated and feel respect. We stayed friends all thru high school. I started noticing her differently after that. I developed felling along the way. Certain thing she would do I became in love with. For example, she's a pusher but in a good way, she pushes people to do their best. She's the type to cheer at a pool table game, even if you made the eight ball when your not suppose to. She's the most confident person, she goes into situation that are new to her with no doubt and if their is fear, i've never seen it. Never in a million year would i think this girl and I would be more than friends. I don't know how she decided to be mine but she is.

I have had this friend since high school, Celia. When Alex and I became boo's, Alex became insterested in knowing Celia. They both became friends and everything was great, if Alex and I were planning to go out or do something, we decided to invite her. Not that she tagged along all the time but everyone was good. The first year of our relationship I didn't know how to express emotions all that well, Alex and I called it quits. It was my first real relationship, even though Alex says it wasn't that serious, I cried like a lil' bitch that night.

Celia being a friend, she would be there. She would be the person i would vent to about everything that was happening. A few weeks passed and on of my cousin's, Miguel, would be turning 22 and decided to celebrate this birthday at this bar called SoHo in the middle of downtown San Antonio. I asked Celia if she wanted to drive together since she was invited too. The truth was, that asked for her to go with me because I knew Alex was going to be there.

Celia and I were one of the first ones there, we waited for everyone to get there. We sat on a table that faced the bar but you were able see the coming in. I saw her walking by, Celia and I both said "Hey Alex!" Nothing, not even a glance at our direction. Celia and I said to each other, "Fuck it, lets just have a good time." And we did. Celia was always there and so was I. She was a little boy crazy. If she was feeling down, I was there to cheer her up because she was there for me.

A few months after that, Miguel was graduating for community college and he wanted our group of friends (which pushed me aside for Alex) to have dinner at Piranha. Celia wasn't invited because her ex-boyfirend was dating a new girl and well Miggs (Miguel) is a no beef type of guy. I was sitting next to Kurk and Ed, which was Celia's ex boyfriend. He started talking about the Air Force since he had enrolled a few years back and hadn't seen him in a while. The door opens and I hear her laugh. I could feel peoples eye looking my way. I grab my drink and i sip my gin and tonic because that's what Colin Firth and Julianne Moore drank in, A Single Man, one of my favorite movies.

Still talking to Ed and Kurk, I'm eavesdropping on Alex's conversation with the group. She just flew in from Tempe, Arizona where she was working as a trainer for a call center for JP Morgan Chase. I looked up and said the first thing that came to mind, "How's the weather over there?"

She relied, "It was good, it's usually pretty cold."

We continue to talk asking each other how we've been... small talk. After everyone was caught up with each others lives and done with eating, Miggs, decides we should all go to Bar Louie to continue the celebration.

Some of us got there before others, Miggs and Johnny and I were the first ones there. They both say to me, "That went well." I reply, "What do you mean?" They continue, "You and Alex." I looked confused "What were we supposed to do, fight with each other, cause a scene? I don't think we're that type of people." Miggs and Johnny get closer "We're just happy everyone is getting along. It's been hard since you and Alex have slit. Sometimes we're not sure if we should invite you or her or both of you guys to things." I get louder. "Is that why I haven't been invited to go out with you asshole!?!" Both of them, "Yes! It's been hard, you guys left us in an uncomfortable spot."

Alex gets there about ten minutes after we did, we all get drinks and it feels less tense. Everyones laughing and telling stories of all the things we've done together. The times we've gone on our mini rode trips, the many wild nights at The House of Scum. The House of Scum was the home of Ed, Johnny and Miggs. They were in their early 20's and i think Ed was 19, you can only imagine what's happened there. No rules and no fucks given, good times.

The more and more Alex and I spoke, I knew I never stop loving her. Her laughter, her smell, the way she looks at you when you got her undivided attention. She makes you feel calm even if your in a bar full of people and a DJ blasting music. I knew she was the one. And that night was the night I was going to confront Alex. I knew I still had feelings for her and I didn't know if she had any feeling for me anymore but I was going to get her alone so we could talk. I leaned in and asked her is we could go somewhere we could talk. "Okay," that's was she said.

We walked out of the bar and she locked arms with me. Thinking to myself, "I might still have a chance." It was too cold to stay outside. We went to the nearest car with was her truck. She put the heater, we talk about how our year had gone, we both did a little bit of traveling which was our new obsession. I've always gone to Mexico to visit family but that year my brother and I had gone to Mexico by ourselves where we didn't know anyone and it was a life changing experience. She had traveled too and she told me she went to New York City and I was instantly jealous. I've always wanting to got to NYC and never did and here she knew how much I wanted to go. I had so many questions for her. After a few minutes I asked, "Why did it take so long to talk to each other?" asking her while rubbing my hand together to keep warm. "We've been busy." her looking outside into the lights of the parking lot. "Sure but we've always been busy and that never stopped us before." She smiled and said, "You talk more." I looked confused and said, "Really, should I shut up now?" With a half laugh she said,"No, I like it." I asked, "Why did we even brake up?" She took a moment and said, "We broke up because you didn't talk about much, I didn't know how you felt about things. If you were happy or if you were upset. I was talking to myself sometimes." "I didn't want to argue of get upset at things that don't feel worth getting mad over. I just rather enjoy our time together when we were together." "You would only talk about how you and Celia went to this place, how you did this or that. If you would get upset you would vent to her. Where was I in all of this? It would never be me." "I guess I never noticed until now." Her, still looking at the lights,"That's why..." "Why did you ever tell me?" "I'm not going to tell you how to do things. You're suppose to make your own choices. Plus, I'm not going to ask you to loose a friend." "That's it though, she's just a friend and good friend. Everyone else took to your side, I didn't even know there was sides and fucking left me. The only person that stayed was her." She looked at me, "I'm sorry, I guess thats my fault. When anyone mentioned you, I didn't want to hear about you." "If you would of told me how you felt things would have gone differently." It was silent.

"Do you remember Miguel's birthday?" she asked. "Of course I do. I said hi and nothing." I look at her with a frown. She continues,"I had all the intention for us to talk but who was there right next to you? Her."

"I never knew you felt that way," while holding her hand

"Well know you know." Her hand were warm like they always been. Mine were like popsicles, cold.

She got a phone call. She say, "I'm going with a co-workers party and Miggs is going with me but i want to see you tonight."

"Okay. What time?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, its a bit of a drive. I'll call you when I'm leaving the party. Stay up?" She asked with smile.

"Alright, I'll see you tonight." I told her.

A few hours passed and I get her text, "Are you up?"

I reply with a simple,"yup". I pull up to her drive way and see her in her car with. I get out of my car and knock at her window and she looked startled. She opens the car door and I whisper to her, "Why are you outside?" She whispers back, "Everyone's asleep and I don't want to wake them" We get into my back seat of the car. The stay up talking and in silence. She leans on my shoulder and says, "I missed you." I tuck her hair behind her ear and touch her face and say, "I missed us."

Since then, we've been together and that's been since 2012

The issue now is that I've betrayed my baby's trust. I've lied or kept where I've been going. While writing this i realized thats been an issue since we've broken up the first time. I've never cheated on Alex nor has that ever been an issue. There's nothing in this world more that I love than my Alex. I've always thought that i would do for her but I've failed. I'm willing to do anything to get her trust back. And it's hard to just tearing someone from your life but its harder for Alex to be torn by the person you love. I'm willing to sacrifice a friendship that hurts the person that I love. And I hope she can forgive me.

I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry, I stabbed you in the back when you weren't looking. I don't want to make up words and just say sorry because i've said them before. I broken the promise i made to you, i promised to never fail you, to follow you where ever you go. i'm sorry baby.

#sorry #ourstory