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simonjadis · 5 days

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Jesus christ. I'm scared to ask but... what the hell happened with The Watcher fandom?

I don't even go here, but here's my understanding

Several years ago, Shane and Ryan left Buzzfeed to launch their own company, teaming up with Steven Lim. Watcher has grown, producing multiple shows. Initially, people were supporting them on Patreon (for discord + early access) and YouTube. both of these are increasingly notorious platforms that take cuts from profits. YouTube payouts are massive if you're just 1-2 people getting a million views per video and a new successful video every week. but it doesn't cover a growing company's needs

To be blunt, for Watcher to continue as a company, they need cut out "middleman" services that both regulate their content and take a cut of their earnings. That means moving off of YouTube and it means changing the Patreon to just be for the podcast.

So, on Friday (April 19) Watcher announced that they're launching their own streaming model. Everything that they'd already shared would remain on YouTube, but future content was coming out on their own service for a $5.99 sub. Which in turn would be lower than or about the same as anyone subscribing on Patreon, and would also be without the horror of YouTube ads

(Again, I don't go here, but I will not watch advertisements voluntarily, least of all on yewchube. I have ublock origin/firefox and when it comes to streaming, I have the ad-free subscription or I don't watch it at all)

To be clear, they made this announcement well in advance of launching, and were making sure that international viewers would still be able to view (something that some major corporate streamers have not done). They also emphasized that they're unbothered by profile sharing, so that $5.99 per month could come down to $2 per month for three friends, or just (as I often do) one person buying it and sharing the login with friends.

Also you can gift subs. All of this is unfortunately moot, and it seems that many of the people reacting to the announcement did not learn or care about any of this.

The reaction to this news was, to be blunt, unhinged. Obviously, it's normal for some people who cannot afford $5.99 per month to feel disappointed. And any change can be unnerving for a fandom. But the vitriol (some of it, like the person who accused them of "ruining Taylor Swift's day," was admittedly very funny) was pretty vicious.

I think that a lot of it was disinformation based (unclear on where the idea that they were removing old content from YouTube originated, as it certainly was not from their announcement video) and a lot of it was (predominantly younger) viewers looking for social media clout by coming out with the coveted "worst new take" to impress their friends.

And so, SO much of it was racism. For some reason, a lot of people have invented a narrative where Shane is being held hostage by the other two co-owners, and desperately wants to release content for free to the detriment of his company, but Ryan and Steven have somehow conspired to make their company profitable so that they can continue to (evilly) pay their employees.

From what I can tell (again, I don't even go here), the bulk of the backlash ended up targeting Steven. People in the fandom are already weird about him and have an ugly tendency to invent mean things about him (a couple of years ago, some of these same ill-behaved "fans" decided that he was homophobic, not because of anything that he did or said).

So this was an excuse for these vicious little beasts to let loose. They were leaving abhorrent comments on his loved ones' Instagram photos -- some from months ago.

On the less overtly racist front, backlash included people saying that they just want Shane and Ryan sitting in a room talking about stuff. It is unusual for creatives to not care about the quality of what they make; of course Shane and Ryan and Steven care about production quality, about being able to film ghost-hunting and other shows. They're not 23-year-olds scraping by, they're artists and storytellers and they are also employers.

I don't know these men and I don't generally feel sorry for men, as a rule, but it must have been pretty devastating to find out how many of their most vocal "fans" seem to despise them, feel entitled to their art for free, and will rage against them like this.

Which leads to Monday's grim announcement, which as I understand it was that they're going to put new Watcher content up on YouTube with a delay. I'm not saying that it's a bad policy; I'm saying that it means that they remain tethered to YouTube for what content they can include, and it's showing these rancid trolls that their cruelty works.

I'm not going to say that this is "letting the terrorists win" because I'm not trying to victim-blame Watcher here. But I worry about what these rotten little beasts will do now that they've felt the rush of victory.

I cannot emphasize enough that I do not even go here. plenty of people very much go here and have written at greater length and in greater detail than i have. I'm just horrified. I don't even go here

#watcher #watcher entertainment #I don't even go here #anon #ask #anon ask

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my-rose-tinted-glasses · 4 months

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Friday Ramblings

Yup, doing this again because I just wanna say some things about a couple of shows. That's how this place works right? Am I doing it right?

First let me start by saying I will procrastinate on Kinou Nani Tabeta as long as I'm able because if I never see the last episode then it isn't really over. That's exactly how it works. (I'm right @lurkingshan, this is how it works?😢)

Middleman's Love

I'll say it again. I suffered through the mains and I was rewarded. My side couple is winning. That whole scene came out of nowhere and I'm not complaining. I am cheering!!! Chairs @lukaherehelp and teas @hermioneismyrealname went flying and I was squealing like a teenage girl. They are adorable.

Pit Babe

Ok. It's official. This show is firmly on omegaverse and I'm officially confused. Everything I know about omegaverse I learned on this site since the show started so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ And now there is pregnancy talk, Mama and Daddy talk and someone said enigma (thanks @pharawee because without you I would be even more lost ). I will stay here for Alan and Jeff because they are honestly adorable, but I'm getting a bit of main couple fatigue.

Twins

Honestly I like the Zee Sprite and First relationship a lot but he should've told the truth by now. Cause I'm not crazy about the future conflict, mostly because I hate lying so I'll be rooting against Sprite. Also I wish we had a bit more of Zee, so I could better understand his state of mind. And this whole thing about both him and first being jealous of Salmon was not my favourite.

Last Twilight

And... this is me

The thing I love about Mhok ( one of several actually) is that he's not fearless, we can see he's scared, but he's too earnest and honest to let that stop him. He's testing himself, and Day, until that last moment in the race when he just can't do it anymore. Also because he knows, that he might have been reckless in the past, but this one is important, this matters, so he needs to take that step (yes I know) because one way or another, he needs to know. And that need, and his love for Day, are bigger than whatever fear he might have of the future. And I love that. I could talk about this show forever but I'm already tired from typing.

That's it for now. 💜

#last twilight #twins the series #middleman's love #pit babe #rose rambles

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pharawee · 5 months

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🖇️BL WATCHLIST DECEMBER

🎬7 Days Before Valentine - WETV - The crispest sound I've ever heard in a Thai drama. And so much symbolism, I love it!

🎬Playboyy - GAGAOOLALA - 🍌🍍🍈🍎🍑🍐

🎬For Him - IQIYI - Messy uni bl my beloved.

🎬Twins - GAGAOOLALA - The first ep had a bit too much exposition for my taste but I like it.

🎬Pit Babe - IQIYI - Not iqiyi geolocking things again. Don't they understand I need to watch this for the neonsynth vibes and Nut and Pon??

🎬Beyond the Star - IQIYI - Look how they massacred my show. But still, Bank Chanwut my beloved. 🥰

🎬The Sign - YOUTUBE - The fantasy lakorn BL of my dreams.

🎬Dead Friend Forever | DFF - IQIYI - How did BOC know that I want a horror BL for Christmas this year?

🎬Bake Me Please - GAGAOOLALA - Ohm and Guide and lots of sweetness, need I say more?

🎬My Universe - IQIYI - Lots of couples each with their own self-contained mini series (if you can even call it that). I'm intrigued.

The calendar overview for November was super handy so:

🖇️FINISHED

🎬My Dear Gangster Oppa - IQIYI - This is already so cute. Achievement unlocked: new Thursday happy place.

🎬Bake Me Please - GAGAOOLALA - Ohm and Guide and lots of sweetness, need I say more?

🖇️ON HOLD (aka I love these shows, I just don't have the time😭)

🎬Absolute Zero - IQIYI - I want to love this show - it's beautiful and bittersweet - but some of the plot leaves me puzzled.

🎬Shadow - GAGAOOLALA - I've been waiting for this series for so long. 😭

🎬Last Twilight - YOUTUBE - I'll tentatively watch this for JimmySea.

🎬Cherry Magic Thailand - YOUTUBE - This is going to be unbearably cute, I just know it.

🎬The Middleman's Love -| IQIYI + YOUTUBE - This is moving very very fast, much faster than the novel. Consequently, Jade is very, very unhinged but that's why I love him.

🎬Cooking Crush - 26 November | YOUTUBE - OffGun means I'm in.

➕ MDL | ABOUT | ALL WATCHLISTS | COMMENTARY TAG | THAI BL NOVELS

#jane watches stuff #bl watchlist #not much change for december #the first of the shorter november series are ending #so january will be positively chill #colorful melody will be on wetv and doesn't seem to have an inter release yet

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vermillioncrown · 9 months

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an actual AU snippet: a number of different selves

bc @rozaceous and i keep teehee-ing about 'folie a deux' and aaaaall the au's we have for our dc-siocs

money where the mouth is: bonus snippet + concept for followers

(it'll prob just be like my longer mdzs au's with one written part and the rest is just back and forth)

impetus: roz and i saw a shitpost where someone laughed at "bruce wayne x reader divorce" and said "he's already going through it and people are really inserting themselves in the narrative just to divorce him lmao"

which we then joked "damn we'd be set. he could have whatever mistress he wants as long as we could have financial support and leave us alone. we'll play his trophy wife"

and then we both realized that there would be things we couldn't let go if we ever caught wind of it. like it would drive us insane to abide by it. and thus...a version of our si's w bruce (yeah you heard me, both of us)

so here's a thing, bonus only for tumblr🙂

“I put you two in that meeting to clear up any hard feelings,” Lucius stares dead-on at his screen. He tries very hard not to pinch the bridge of his nose—composure needs to be maintained. “It can’t have gone that poorly.”

“Time is a finite resource for us lowly mortals and I’m not getting that hour back,” Vivienne grits out. “A fucking PA—where does he get off on his high horse? I hope he explodes.”

What?

“—know how many people work here, Lucius? Let alone just my division? And you’re wasting everyone’s time with each dead-on-arrival concept that gets shuffled into our portfolio and then ‘mysteriously’ yanked when it’s just good enough to Frankenstein into whatever high school science project that’s hiding in some Gotham sewer tunnel.” Her tirade is caustic and not hidden behind the typical red lipstick smiles. “Morale is dipping. There’s only so much you can pay to keep mouths shut and stop turnover.”

Vivienne makes very good points—the fact she has the acumen even three years ago was why WanyeTech moved to fund her PhD and fast-tracked her as a technical director upon entering the workforce. She caught on very quickly—too quickly—that there were private uses of certain advanced concepts within R&D, and she cared. Fortunately for WayneTech, her diligence meant increase in efficiency for the company; they’ve won several bids that have extended their reach into two new industries.

(Fortunately, WayneTech is privately held and not subject to public shareholder scrutiny.)

Unfortunately for the Batman, it meant additional roadblocks for his tools and supplies. It was by God’s grace, or something, that Vivienne didn’t decide to either blackmail them or whistle-blow. What she argued for was more oversight and appropriate man-hours and billing for certain projects that went towards a ‘private use case.’ The willingness to help (out of logistical fury) took a load off Lucius’s shoulders, but it put two new headaches in his skull: one next to each ear every time Vivienne or Bruce complained about each other peripherally.

“Does His Dark Grace think he’s not subject to g-forces?”

“Lucius. I asked for four different configurations. It should be able to fit.”

“Love his idealism—of course we have the manufacturing tolerances of an ant colony!”

“This is over-redundant and unnecessary. It gets in the way of visibility. I need a design change by two weeks.”

...and so on, so forth. So Lucius decided to cut himself out as the middleman and make the two talk to each other. A direct stakeholder meeting to capture requirements and fulfill proposals, so to speak in company terms. As both Bruce’s long-standing friend and Vivienne’s superior for her tenure at the company, he’s in the unique position to see the similarities in their personalities and (perhaps foolishly) believed they would get along after candid discussion.

And somehow, it all went to hell in a hand basket. That’s probably on Lucius for forgetting that adults were equally susceptible to playground scrapping as his six-year-old son. Thankfully, there’s less physical dirt involved or impromptu weapons, even if Vivienne looks ready to rip her stiletto heels off to use as a real stiletto.

“Vi, what do you need me to give?” Lucius straightens and prepares to negotiate. The greatest vulnerability of adding good talent is having more people in the know. Loose ends. It’d be a blow to lose Vivienne, but as long as she doesn’t talk—

“He’s lucky he’s a net good,” she snarls, now pacing in front of his desk. “He’s fucking lucky city statistics are on his side.”

“Vivienne.”

She stops mid-rant. “What.”

“Are you terminating our agreement?”

Vivienne takes a few calming breaths before rearranging her stance into something more office-appropriate rather than riled up before taking part in an illicit cage match. “No, Chief Fox. I am not,” she answers with a placid smile, tone light and even.

“Then, what would make your life easier?” Lucius does understand that she’s doing them a huge favor at an equally huge cost from herself. There’s a lot of duties that are more effort and well-beyond what someone her pay grade should need to touch; the delicate situation requires her to be equal parts every role for end-to-end conceptual design to manufacturing.

When Lucius scouted Vivienne Yang from her undergrad in Gotham University, it was by chance—there were technical managers scouting and giving PR for various capstone projects, and he decided to tag along. There, as he was browsing various posters, is where he found her. The work done by her team wasn’t novel (just par for the course with undergraduate engineers), but it was the polish that caught his eye. A methodical approach to answering the prompts given by the capstone courses, justified scope, and structured analysis and design choices that made her team’s final concept (proposed electric car design) stand out. Their value proposition considered necessary support infrastructure and manufacturing as part of their considerations.

He called them ‘her team’ because it was clear that, despite being barely 5’6” with pointed choice of footwear and surrounded by young men over a head taller with the typical engineers’ mannerisms to boot, she called the shots. Oh, of course, her teammates contributed to the questions he asked (”Andy,” young-Vivienne barked, and Team Member Andy jumped in to answer about the drivetrain sizing), but she was the systems integrator.

This was the type of skill that took years to build—usually, years of practical experience on the job—and she had it as intuition. And when Lucius corrected certain assumptions on their design, she didn't take it personally but was instead able to promptly speculate how that would shift their design point.

Thus, he put out an immediate sponsorship for her to grab an advanced degree (or two), school of her choice, research topic to be approved by whatever technical manager in WayneTech that acted as her liaison, and would jump into a stable job with a salary and employee benefits other grad students could only dream of.

Landing something as prestigious as Director of Advanced Concepts, slated for Chief Technology Officer by her 30s, in a Fortune 500 company? Barring the fact that the work was based in Gotham, crime capital of the United States, it would be something like pure fantasy to any aspiring engineer.

She took the sponsorship offer, and Lucius learns over the years that she financially supports her family living out-of-state and genuinely enjoys the various industries that intersect within WayneTech’s R&D. She likes a job well done, is practical and professional (if not overly enthused) when defense-related bids come across their table, and disdains many of the big research or tech conglomerates that make the news for various crimes or “waste of brain cells and human effort.”

Her morals aren’t obvious, but Vivienne’s choice to support Lucius’s efforts to protect Bruce in his uphill crusade is her character vouching for the Batman, even if she dislikes the actual man behind the mask and his design requirements. That she considers it still of worth is something that Lucius needs to compensate her for.

Lord knows had Bruce actually gone through with that projectile design, he’d have already lost an eye. If Vivienne says his proposed ‘Batplane’ design will vibrate into smithereens, he’s inclined to trust her on that.

“I’m going to start calling him an idiot and vetoing stupid requirements,” Vivienne declares, one eyebrow raised like she’s daring him to object.

“You mean you haven’t been doing that already?”

“Lucius, I have been nothing but polite to him. You have the CCs,” she refutes, looking at him incredulously.

He’s not sure by whose standards her scathing emails can be considered ‘polite’, but of course she can be worse. He needs to smooth this out, redo the first meeting ASAP. His hairline can’t take more of this.

“Fine, alright. Just—let’s try to set up another discussion. I’ll attend this time.”

Vivienne actually snorts. “Guess I’m never beating the PA allegations.” She looks down at her watch. “Fuck. Should have just written you an angry email. How am I going to make it five blocks in ten minutes?” She mutters and just as suddenly as she invaded his office, she strides out with a distracted, “Okay thanks, I’ll continue this later.”

He’d rather she not, but it seems she’s sticking around the Wayne Enterprises HQ building to call into her upcoming meeting; he hears her requesting a fresh notepad, a hot cup of coffee, and a private conference room and everyone outside honors those requests immediately.

That’ll give Lucius about two hours to process Vivienne’s rant, track down Bruce for his side of the story, and figure out how to smooth things out. It shouldn’t be unreasonable.

His phone call to Bruce shatters his expectations.

“You called Director Yang my what?”

#on ands #phd-verse #verm bits #<- new tags #will be backtagging stuff #folie a deux #the amount of stupid-ass acronyms we have now #tpac. aseh. hlwi. tpil. whfagt. ttbh. tdog. tbokk. all the ones that roz has yet to name on her end #and now...passing it onto roz!

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hanibalistic · 1 year

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#FFEF5E | LEE FELIX.

genre | fluff

word count | 909

warning | none

note | card collecting couple :) the same jisung from the love letter hyunjin fic i wrote (perhaps) / my sister gave me this scenario after i bought some cute pokemon cards, and i just had to.

felix thought you were a bit harsh when you left him a threat in his direct message, but more importantly, he has no idea why you even needed to threaten him with a 'scammer!!!' (with three exclamation marks specifically) label in the first place.

he gave you what you requested: a pack of cute pokémon cards, regardless of rarity, for your pikachu vmax rainbow card.

the way you leveled him across the table made him shiver. you looked angry, almost, but something about how your brows furrowed screamed disappointment and disbelief. he assumed all the passersby noticed the absolute destructive gaze you weighed onto his shoulders because whoever tried to take the empty seat next to him promptly scurried away.

you sat staring at him for a while, attempting to conjure something to say. the furrow in your brows was tight and heavy, not because you disliked the situation that brought you both together, but rather that you had no idea the lee felix you have been chatting with after being forcibly inserted into the campus card-trading group chat was attractive. soft features and warm clothes, fidgety hands and careful eyes, felix just looked like an honest, cute boy.

you felt somewhat embarrassed about everything—the absurd deal you made, the threat you shot him, and the demand you made asking him to bring his collection binder to school. if there was a first impression to be made, yours was already done for.

"here are some of the cards jisung gave me," you said as you knocked the stack of cards against the table to even them out before sliding them to the middle of the table. "sorry i couldn't meet up with you instead. i hope jisung kept pikachu safe in his–"

"textbook." felix finished the sentence for you with a pained smile. the card was not damaged, but thinking about the huge chances of it being so when it had been lying flat in one of jisung's thick textbooks made him cringe. "it's better than him putting it in his wallet, i reckon."

"trust me, it is," you muttered with a sneer.

jisung has been the messenger, the middleman, the post office worker for your card trading endeavors. very rarely would you meet up with a classmate to receive and give your cards—a product of your introverted personality and busy schedule. besides that, being the charmer he was, jisung has been able to sneak his way into people's collection binder and grab you a few extra cards on the way without fail. you never knew why he was allowed to do that, but as long as it benefited your collection, you didn't care.

you just wished he had better taste and care for these trading cards.

"did you not like them?" felix asked when he reached out to take the stack of cards back. he felt them in his hands—they felt new, still—and observed the pictures with a saddened frown on his face. he whispered as he flipped through the cards carefully, "i handpicked them, too."

"i did like some of them, but most of them were…" you pursed your lips together to shut yourself up. when he looked up at you, prompting you to continue with those bright eyes of his, you found it even harder to tell him off. "felix, i asked for cute cards. cards with cute illustrations."

he placed the cards on the table and scratched his head. "i know. i did give you most of the cute cards i have! i even parted with some of the ones i liked–" he, frantically even, reached for the stack and flipped through it before pulling one out, "look! this is one of my favorites!"

he gulped when you eyed the card in his hand with disinterest and back into his eyes, the previously generously glint fading with each second. you leaned against the back of the chair and crossed your arms, feeling a hurdle of mocking giggles trying to escape your lips. you swallowed them down seriously.

"you can keep that one," you said, and it nearly broke felix's good little heart.

"what's wrong with the card? it's so cute!" he argued.

"it's mr. mime."

"mr. mime is cute!"

you stared blankly at him, clearly in disagreement. but more importantly, you were occupied with a sudden awakening, a final realization, as you eyed the deck of cards in front of felix. your eyes met his animated expression—wide-eyed and mouth pouty in defense of a magical creature that would probably trap him in four invisible walls and throw him in the river as a funny prank.

you asked for enough cute pokémon cards worth of one rare pikachu card, and he had earnestly picked them out for you from his own collection. in no way was felix trying to scam you. he just genuinely thought the cards he picked out were cute. he just gave every pokémon a chance to be adorable regardless of their design. you couldn't find it in yourself to disagree with him.

"you're right," you said with a nod as you beckoned with your hands. "he is cute. give me the cards back, i'll take them."

you would separate a page in your collection binder of strictly cute pokémon cards, marked behind that page were not necessarily cards that fit the theme of your collection, but rather a collection of cards given to you by a very adorable boy called lee felix.

#felix blurbs #felix x y/n #felix scenarios #stray kids scenarios #stray kids x you #stray kids imagines #stray kids x reader #skz x y/n #skz imagines #skz x you #skz x reader #stray kids x y/n #felix x reader #felix x mc #stray kids x gender neutral reader #felix imagines #skz blurbs #stray kids blurbs #skz scenarios

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blackmagictrait · 8 months

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""""robin hood"""" all you do is reupload cc someone ELSE already uploaded to another site.

girl what?? 😂😂 where did I call myself "robin hood"...? lmao huh

anyway baby I been saying ad nauseum since the START I'm just a middleman and y'all could be doing this yourself if you wanted. why did you think I link every single source I've ever used in my pinned post? like.....yeah, that is what I do, I'm the one who told YOU that's what I do lmao.

idk the reason why people don't want to use the sites I link. some people just won't trust rebels and won't sign up for dhm despite me singing their praises. (fr they're the best, I love them and everyone should use them<3) I deadass just answer people's asks. like that's all I do lol. idk their situations but they want some cc and like, yeah aight, I can do that for you if you need it. not much more to it than that. 🤷🏾‍♀️ as I've said again...and again....and again.....I'm just a middleman but I'll help ya out if you ask me to.

#hmm prolly should have blocked this but it made me laugh so #anon guess you get a 2nd chance lmao

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sednonamoris · 1 year

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stormchaser

Pairing: John Marston x gn!reader

Summary: Abigail Roberts joins the gang. Your relationship with John is changed, maybe forever.

Warnings: Pregnancy mention, hunting animals, brief mention of dead animals, canon-typical alcohol use, jealousy

Word count: 1,385

A/N: First of all I need to specify that Ghost is jealous of Abigail and thinks badly of her rn, but this story will not vilify Abigail’s character in any way!!! I love her!!!! Second of all it’s not terribly long but I hope you all find this chapter as juicy as I did bc I’ve been looking forward to this one pretty much from the start. Also this chap is 2/3 in a series, the first being ‘cloudburst’. The last one will be ‘thunderstruck’ - I’ll let you do with that info what you will 👀

Series masterlist • AO3

—

When Abigail Roberts joins up with the gang everyone clamors for her attention. The women help with her chores and mend her dresses and pet her long, dark hair. The men make excuses to come by her tent and help her onto wagons and touch her hand by the campfire. It’s obvious why; she’s a beautiful young woman.

You’re not sure you’ll ever forgive her for that.

Of course, you might not have minded at all if it wasn’t for John. He’s smitten. Every moment he used to spend riding or robbing or roaming with you is now spent at her beck and call. You tell yourself it’s not jealousy that crawls up your throat and colors his name green in your mouth when you call across camp, knowing who he’s with. You tell yourself it’s a coincidence when you wake up next to a pretty, painted whore with dusky blue eyes and brown hair just like hers the next time you’re in town. You even tell yourself that it doesn’t hurt to watch the grey of John’s eyes shine stormcloud bright when they turn toward the object of his affections. When that object isn’t you.

Like some storybook romance he courts her. It’s clumsy - it’s John - but he brings her half-crushed flowers, and tries to read her some of Dutch’s poetry, and eventually he stops paying for the privilege of a night with her because they cut out the middleman and start sharing a tent.

Arthur notices your sulkiness. Hosea, too, though neither say anything outright. Instead they break your heart further with sad, understanding smiles and warm hands clasped on your shoulder in passing. Sometimes you wish they’d spill your secrets for the whole camp to see, just to put you out of your misery.

The days you aren’t out hunting you’re fencing horses or robbing farmers - anything to keep far from camp. Once a week you come back with cash to add to the box and a few new stories to trade around the campfire. Dutch is appeased by the money and the odd tip you bring home, and John—

You wait for him to say something about how distant you’ve been.

He doesn’t.

—

The sky is clear when Abigail announces her pregnancy in front of the whole camp a few months later, but you smell a storm on the horizon.

She’s so goddamn happy, and everyone cheers and shouts and rushes to hug her, and you think Ms. Grimshaw’s eyes gloss with tears at the promise of new life and young love, but John’s smile catches at the corners. It doesn’t quite reach his eyes. The panic does, and as much as your heart is already broken and you’ve given up hope, there’s some savage satisfaction you get from knowing he might be miserable now, too.

Dutch calls for a celebration. Everyone clamors to break out cases of beer and Hosea even proffers the good whiskey he’s been saving for a rainy day. Top shelf, according to the man he stole it from. Pearson sweats himself into a frenzy to have a good, hearty meal prepared in time. Ms. Grimshaw has the camp cleared and clean with military precision. Javier settles next to the campfire with a song just waiting to sing off the strings of his guitar with each joyful strum.

You slink away and pack your gear for a hunting trip.

After a feast like this the camp will need game, and you’ve always found the most success right before weather hits, when the animals are out getting the last bit of sustenance they can before hunkering down in the brush. You clasp Abigail’s hands and congratulate her, trying not to make the words sound like a curse before you fade into firelight shadows. While the others dance and sing, you nurse a bottle that does nothing to dull the ache in your heart.

You’re gone before first light.

—

The grassy plain is wide open and endless before you. Tall grass rises up to the stirrups of your saddle, and thunder rumbles its electric intent in the distance. Overcast clouds promise rain on the breeze as the sky gets darker and darker. It’s a cobalt blue sort of storm, one that paints the grass greyish and strikes your silhouette onto the American frontier for anyone in the distance to see.

A herd of pronghorn graze the prairie grass. You’ve been tracking them for a few miles now. Downwind. A safe enough distance away that they’re worried more about the oncoming storm than potential predators.

Two does, you think, ought to be enough.

You’re shit with a bow and arrow, so you rely entirely on being quick on the draw of your hunting rifle. Perks of spending the better part of your life as a gunslinger.

Your horse tenses beneath you as you raise your rifle up, muscles coiled and ready to spring into action. You let out a slow, steady breath. Bang, bang, in quick succession on the trigger has your horse leaping forward. You let his momentum carry you while the rest of the herd scatters in frantic leaps and bounds.

Two clean shots await your inspection when you crouch to tie the bodies and sling them behind the saddle. Rain begins to fall. The wind carries hoofbeats your way, and you turn with your rifle raised on the off chance some fool hunter is coming to try and steal your quarry.

“Ghost, there you are!”

Not a fool hunter, but a fool.

“John,” you say past the anger and jealousy burrowed deep in your chest. “What are you doing here?”

He shakes his head. “I was gonna ask you the same thing. You left without sayin’ a word.”

“Surprised you noticed,” you scoff.

“You wanna tell me why you been actin’ so funny lately?”

You fold your arms. “You followed me all the way out here just to tell me I don’t act right?”

“Everyone else is happy,” he says. “Guess I’m just wonderin’ why you ain’t.”

There are a thousand things you could say to that. I’ve been in love with you since before I knew what that warm feeling was in my chest. We were best friends and then you chose a stranger over me, and now that stranger is going to have your baby. Sometimes, when I dream, I dream of us getting old on a farm out West where the law won’t ever touch us. I think of you every time it storms. You say none of it.

The rain falls harder.

“I know you, John Marston,” is what comes out your mouth instead. “You look more scared than happy to me.”

“I ain’t scared,” he says, snappish and too-fast.

“I am.” The smile on your face is sad, and it stops the defensive snarl trying to form across his face. “Guess that’s why I came out here, away from it all.”

Lightning strikes in the not-far distance. The flash lights your surroundings in an eerie daytime glow for a heartbeat and a half. The thunder that rolls across the plain not long after makes you feel even smaller than you did already.You pull your coat tighter around your shoulders.

“I’m camping here tonight. Room in the tent for two if you want.”

It’s even flimsier than your usual peace offerings, but he takes it. On the edge of the prairie you strike the tent while he pickets the horses. The rain is coming down in sheets, now, and you’re both forced to strip to your underthings because your clothes are entirely soaked through. The blankets and bedrolls are damp, but drier than the two of you. As you settle into sleep to the sound of pelting rain against canvass, John’s roll tucked up against yours, you hear a raspy voice speak up.

“You were right,” John says. “I’m scared of— well, all of it. Raisin’ this kid. Disappointing Abigail. But I’m more scared of losing you, Ghost. We’re best friends, ain’t we?”

Your chest constricts. “‘Course we’re best friends. You won’t lose me.”

Then, so quiet you almost miss it, “Haven’t I already?”

The tears that run down your face are silent, and dark as it is you pray he can’t see them. Thunder and rain drown out your shuddering sigh.

#john marston x reader #rdr2 x reader #rdr x reader #fran writes #ghost story #ch. 7

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scarefox · 4 months

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10 BL BOYS I WILL THROW HANDS FOR

got tagged by @mygwenchan and @blmpff (slightly different challenge title but basically the same so I throw it together)

haha, this perfect. I tried to do the "10 characters I want carnally" challenge twice, but failed so hard because... well I don't want anyone carnally, nor would I want to get between my fav couples 😅

But would I throw hands for my favs?? I sure would!

No particular order except number 1 :>

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1 ) Uea from Bed Friend & Middleman's Love

Is anyone who follows me surprised? I am member of the Uea defense squad. He can be as snappy as he wants, he's allowed to.

2 ) Nont from Playboyy

Don't question his methods, okay? If he thinks he has to make out with everyone, play silly party games with hidden agendas, torture and kill people all for investigation reasons (or pleasure), then so be it 😌🤷‍♂️

3 ) Phop from Playboyy

He's just a cute little camboy who sometimes scams people to support his family, leave him alone

...... oh well haha

but hey it basically was just a conversation, before I moved Phop on my protection list I am sure this will never happen again between these two :)

4 ) Hira and Kiyoi from Utsukushii Kare

Haters just don't get them and how special and perfect they are for each other. Also the neurodivergent representation.

5 ) Kijima from the Pornographer series

Is he a bit of a manipulative, weirdo and pervert? Yes? But he's also a depressed writer with artblock who needs some love?

6 ) White from Not Me

He tried his best with the options he had okay? It's not as if he could just google his brothers biography. Of all the twin switch plots he's the one who did the most effort in actually looking like his twin and tiptoeing around his gang.

7 ) Yeon Woo and Yoo Han from Color Rush

Codependent frenemies to lovers, soulmates with a big dose of hurt/comfort. I love them and don't you dare call it bromance just because has no spice scenes. But the tension man, the tension~

8 ) Babe and Charlie from Pit Babe

Welcome Mama and Papa on my protection list 😌 Everyone wants something from Babe, while he just wants to live freely. And Charlie out here trying to protect Babe while endangering himself. Just let them have their little family in peace.

9 ) Jeff from Pit Babe

Most relatable and smartest guy in the whole drama. Also introvert-no-touchy representation.

10 ) Fan Ze Rui and Bai Zong Yi from Kiseki: Dear to Me

One of the most underrated couples??? My siblings in hell??? Their insane plot, the angst, the bite kink, the height difference, the tension, the devotion, the lap sitting???

Okay, let's keep it at that. Those are all characters I defended already or am ready to defend haha. There are definitely more but these are my big ones atm.

I tag @dream-thief-forever-amen @nozunhinged @braceletofteeth @lukaherehelp @chitaprrrrrrrr

I don't know who already did this. So yea, as usual do it if you want to (also everyone who isn't tagged and wants to do it, just do it)

#there is a pattern in this and it's that I like unconventional characters and couples the most

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kajinovaa · 5 months

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Hey, can you tell us what drawing tablet you use?👀👀👀 Your art I can say looks delicious, I love how you draw teeth and expressions so vividly 😤😤

tytyyyyy~ ✨️✨️✨️ and of course i can tell you! i'll even tell you what programs i use for an added bonus :> im not at all fancy with mt equipment, i prefer the smaller stuff idk why

TABLETS

XP Pen Deco 02 (primary), $79.99 USD - my main girl in the current scene, and i won't lie about growing fond of it! my fav feature about it is the plentiful of express buttons on it (6) and the dial that allows me to adjust my brush's size on the spot without haven't to tap onto the art program's icons by hand ✨️ plus the pen itself feels like rigid material and shape, #2 pencil typebeat, really good for heavy-handed artists

Huion HS64 (NOT IN USE), $35.99 USD - this one is in the storage due to the fact i accidentally damaged the pen so i need to buy a new one and haven't gotten around that. this is THE tablet i would recommend to beginner artists. wacom is good too, but the cost isn't beginner friendly, plus the stylus sensitivity is just as good, if not better than wacom's. also, wacom drivers can be so fucky at times, and i have yet to encounter something with huion's

PROGRAMS

Paint Tool Sai (primary) - my absolute default in anything i start. simple layout, simple tool setting adjustments, super duper beginner friendly, and it's ultra light on your system's resources. also, the brush engine???? sweet fucking jesus, i have yet to find a lineart brush in Clip Studio Paint that can match the smoothness and clean lines that Sai offers, and i've been running with Clip for like 7 or so years now. i don't know how or why, Sai's line brushes are superior in my opinion

Clip Studio Paint - you've probably already heard of this one. i do use it when i want some texture to my lines, or some shortcut brushes like foliage and clouds. my primary usage nowadays is tone adjustments and effects

HONORABLE MENTIONS FOR PROGRAMS

Paint Tool Sai v.2 - sometimes i feel messing around in it cuz it handles stabilization a little differently, and the program itself is closer to the current programs out on the market, like CSP/PS/etc. it's a great middleman when you wanna transition from Sai v.1 to CSP! plus i've seen that the interface is totally customizable through a mod somewhere

Magma - bro, this... this one might be an underdog and it's why i'm mentioning it in this list. it's COMPLETELY free, browser-based, and i swear to you that if you manage to fuck around with the brush settings enough, they're so damn smooth and nearly behave like CSP's. please give it a look into if you haven't yet and you're looking for a light alternative. also, fair warning, use opera/opera gx as your browser for it. for some reason chrome/firefox give it horrible lag and it won't feel as smooth with your strokes. ALSO A BONUS TO THIS: YOU CAN COLLAB ON THE SAME CANVAS AS YOUR FRIENDS AAAAAAA

hope that helps!!!

#barking mailbox

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respectthepetty · 6 months

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I was going through the Last Twilight stills and noticed a certain colour pattern that i thought might intrigue you hehe

@hsfavoriteworlds, are you . . . are you saying . . . are you . . .

ARE YOU TELLING ME I'M GETTING A BLUE BOY X GREEN GUY?!

You better say sike. Say it right now before I get my hopes up!

WHERE IS THAT TRAILER?! I NEED IT!

Mork as a Blue Boy and Day as a Green Guy is making my head spin, and if so, is that first picture already a color exchange? I need to know who is the cinematographer helping out Aof because if it's Rath, this is going to have the bomb-ass lighting treatment, and I just, I just *losing my mind*

Now I have to wait another day for the trailer!

I just got the Middleman's Love trailer, Shadow dropped, Guide is in Bake Me Please, and now this?! If I wore a smartwatch, I'm sure it would go off every two seconds the way my heart is pounding today. I must go lie down like the protagonist of a Regency Era novel.

My poor nerves cannot withstand the elation of Gay Christmas.

#last twilight #last twilight the series #am I getting color coding?!#will there be color-coded boys in love?#do the colors mean things?!#GIVE ME THE TRAILER!

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sushisweetie · 4 months

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Just finished Middleman's Love Ep. 8 and I still can't move on with Jade's,"Mai Mai" ┻┻︵ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵┻┻

Not Mai being a possessive human being, he prevents his older brother from putting the rice on his beloved P'Jade's plate ¯\_( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_/¯ + the meowing sound in the background (cheff kiss)

And when Jade's family looks at Mai like a predator (especially Jade's mom) ꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡

I need more Jade and King banter because they sure have a lot of beef in the novel ʕಠ_ಠʔ

We've been through ups and downs with these two characters. Sometimes I want to bump their heads together and yell, "JUST KISS ALREADY, DAMN IT!". I know what kind of stress I'm putting myself under from the start. I even made a post about it.

I can see myself supporting them for a long time. TutorYim is my comfort couple (?!?!?!). I'm out (っ˘з(˘⌣˘ )

#the middleman's love #middleman's love #middleman's love the series #maijade #tutoryim #text: sushisweetie #yim pharinyakorn #tutor koraphat

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singto-prachaya · 1 year

Photo

Y-So finally I got time to talk about the DMD announcement. We will start with the announced series and then some other stuff.

Bed Friend

That teaser! I am super excited. I hope the script and the acting is good.

Middleman’s Love & First Love (K-BL)

I like to hope that they just didn’t have enough footage for a teaser yet because the teaser was a bit messy. But either way will watch since TutorYim. I wonder how many people will skip Bed Friend and this because Cheewin is producing this (War Of Y, Secret Crush On You, Y-Destiny YYY). Also anyone who’s now hating on this show now because Mii2 is longer in it can fuck off. They can go cry me a river!.

Seems the K-BL of TutorYim is called First Love and it’s by the same company as Peach Of Time. I really liked that one so I will probably watch this one.

Cutie Pie 2 You special

I will watch the NuerSin parts and that’s it. Don’t care about the rest.

Naughty Baby & 2 Worlds

There’s no poster for 2 Worlds so I will just put it together with Naughty Baby since both are MaxNat anyway. I have always been uncomfortable with MaxNat so I will not watch these. As far as 2 Worlds I already was like “no way in hell” when this series was announced and read the sympnopsis. So no matter who would star in this I would have passed on it anyways.

Love Upon A Time

Seems to be a reincarnation type of story so for now no. I just don’t like those. I will just wait for the final trailer before making a final decision.

The Next Prince

Just like I get uncomfortable with MaxNat I also do with ZeeNew so I will pass.

Punk Spy

I was already going to watch this and I still will. I just hope Thomas won’t get any hate thrown forwards him for being Jimmy’s replacement. Toxic fans can go somewhere else.

Zomvivor

I find zombies boring. Watched a Korean zombie movie once and it was a waste of time. Also don’t care for zombie horror games while I love horror games so I’ll pass.

Your Sky and Fan Boy

These will be the shows for the new gen! We don’t really know much besides that Fan Boy will be an original script. I will keep my eyes for the trailers and then make a decision. I do want to support the new gen tho.

DMD Boyband

WHO THE HELL ASKED FOR THIS??? Yes this whole segment will be in bold because I have nothing good to say about this. I know Aof has talked a couple of times about this before and every time I was like hell no. And who will be in this? A tweet said “DMD Boyband will definitely happen, but cant be hurry b'cs need to practice untill they're ready. And hv to qait & c, who ll b qualified”. Well then they can wait for ages because they don’t have any actors who can both sing and dance. Unless the whole new gen turns out be good singers and dancers. What’s the point in creating a mediocore BL boyband? Is Aof just hoping people will eat it up? The only good BL boyband we have is Trinity. SBFIVE was mediocore, Tempt wasn’t good at all, no BL boyband was more tragic then NKO and they are basicly dead now. They got new members earlier this year but there’s only 2 left now. Then we saw the debut of XI earlier this year and at first I didn’t even know it was a BL boyband. But they will star in boyband the series. Anyway no effort being made with this boyband either. And then there’s Element. Element could be worse but also better. They don’t even sing live. Even Proxie who aren’t know for the best vocalist sing live.

And last but not least. Why where the Aholic guys even there? They are not appearing in anything.

#bed friend #bed friend the series #middleman's love #cutie pie 2 you #naughty baby #2 worlds #love upon a time #the next prince #punk spy #zomvivor #your sky #fan boy #thai bl

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