starkerisendgame - Tumblr blog

starkerisendgame · 2 years

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PSA regarding tumblr’s latest Censorship Nightmare

For those of you who haven’t seen this announcement, tumblr recently made some changes to the iOS version of the app, purportedly to comply with Apple’s content guidelines. These changes took effect on Dec 21, starting in version 22.5.1 of the iOS app. As some of you may recall, Apple’s strict guidelines were the driving force for the infamous Great Purge of 2018, which coincidentally also happened around this time of year, but it seems banning all of the female-presenting nipples wasn’t good enough for Apple.

Below is a summary of the important changes. Note that these changes technically ONLY affect those using the iOS app. If you’re accessing tumblr through a different app or operating system (Google Chrome, Android app, etc) it won’t affect you directly but it will affect your followers who use iOS so you should definitely be aware of it.

The list of banned tags has been expanded. As before, there’s no way to know which words or phrases have been banned until you try searching for them, in which case you’ll either get no search results or the following message: “This content has been hidden because of potentially suggestive or explicit content.” You may think this doesn’t concern you if you don’t post explicit material, but do not make the mistake of expecting the banned tags to be logical or reasonable. I’ve already encountered multiple completely innocuous posts (random fandom gifsets) that seem to be hidden on iOS for no discernible reason.

Blogs that have been flagged as explicit can no longer be viewed. Previously, flagged blogs just had their posts hidden from searches, but if you knew the username you could still visit it after clicking through a warning about sensitive content. Now you can’t access it at all.

Likes and reblogs from blogs that have been flagged will no longer show up in your notes. This one won’t affect most people’s user experience as much as the others, but it does mean you may be missing notes. It’s unclear if likes and reblogs from flagged blogs will still count towards the overall note total (and only be missing from the activity feed and note viewer) but I suspect that’s the case.

THE BIG ONE: ANY POST TAGGED WITH A BANNED TAG WILL NO LONGER SHOW UP ON YOUR DASHBOARD. Previously, if you tagged a post with a banned word or phrase (even if the words were used inside another tag), that post would not show up in searches, but your followers would still be able to see it on their dashboard. Now those posts are hidden from your own followers as well. This includes both original posts and reblogs. And if that wasn’t bad enough, here’s the real kicker: even if you don’t tag something with one of the banned words, if the OP used a banned tag, any reblogs of that post will not show up on anyone’s dashboard (on the iOS app). The only saving grace here, and I hate to even call it that, is that the blocked posts are still visible if you visit a blog directly or if you have post notifications turned on.

As usual, tumblr was extremely unclear and evasive about all of this in their official announcement. Not surprising, of course, since if more people were aware of these new draconian tactics I can’t imagine there wouldn’t be more of an uproar about it. Tumblr claims that these changes are somewhat temporary and that they are currently working on something that will allow for a less restricted iOS experience, but they refuse to say what that something is and when it will be implemented. And let’s just say, considering their track record, I’m not hopeful.

All of this is horrible and infuriating for many reasons, but the worst part is how insanely counterproductive it is to creating the “safe” environment tumblr (or more specifically Apple) supposedly wants.

Tags have always been used for both blog organization and filtering purposes. Tagging posts with triggers and content warnings is a common practice that gives users the ability to filter out content they may find upsetting or just don’t don’t want to see for whatever reason. By choosing to ban a bunch of unlisted “sensitive content” tags, all they’re doing is encouraging people who want to share that kind of content to come up with alternative less well-known tags or simply not tag that content at all anymore if they want it to show up on their follower’s dashboards, thereby making it more likely for someone to encounter it when they didn’t want to.

So really, with all of the alleged concern for safety and “protecting the children,” all they’ve done is make tumblr less safe for everyone. Typical.

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starkerisendgame · 2 years

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starkerisendgame · 3 years

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#sie art #art #fanart #mcu #marvel #tony stark #iron man #tony stark art #tony stark fanart #iron man art #iron man fanart #mcu art #marvel art #mcu fanart #marvel fanart #digital art #not starker

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starkerisendgame · 3 years

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This blog is a back-up blog.

Please go to @starkeristheendgame ❤

Hey guys!

I keep getting notifications on here for new followers and messages and I'd just like to remind everyone who might be thinking this is a stand-alone blog that it is in fact just my backup blog.

I'm active over on the above linked blog where you can send messages and asks and where I frequently post new content 🥰

#starker #ironspider #tony stark/peter parker #peter parker/tony stark #starkeristheendgame #starkerisendgame

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starkerisendgame · 3 years

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I have a hard time shutting my brain off about fandom stuff. Ideally, I'd love to log on to social media once or twice a day and spend some time talking about fan stuff and then log out and mostly not think about it until the next day. I guess I feel like I would benefit from a more structured approach to fan activity so that I can spend time thinking about other things I want to think about in my life. It's almost like I feel guilty if I'm not thinking about fan stuff? It's weird. So do you have any tips on how to still carve out time for fan activities in a way that is more balanced and structured so it doesn't become this sort of pervasive time suck even when I'm not logged into social media?

The first thing to rationalize and accept is that fandom is not an obligation, nor is participating in fandom space, running your blog, ect. These are things you choose to do and these are social activities that have no consequence or repercussions in terms of not doing them.

Behavioural and cognitive patterns can be hard to break and in many cases the necessary corrective procedures differ on an individual basis.

You could begin by asking yourself a few questions:

Will anyone be harmed if I don't focus on fandom/social media for X amount of time?

Will I miss anything that I can't catch up on if I'm not online at the exact moment it happens?

Are there any real-time ramifications and consequences to me not focusing on fandom/social media?

The answer to all of the above should be a solitary and clear negative. Although you might miss being part of the immediate reaction towards something and while you might not form such close relationships with your peers, there is otherwise nothing impactful about not engaging with or being part of a fandom space or social platform.

Some people find apps or the removal of choice helpful. For example;

Forest: Stay Focused + Focus: Garden Are apps that encourage you to not use your phone by growing plants while your phone is inactive. The longer you don’t use your phone, the more plants will grow.

App Lock: Blocker + App Lock: Tracker Are apps that can help you focus and avoid spending too long on particular websites (or going back onto your phone when you’re trying to sleep) by ‘locking’ selected apps and websites. You can set timers so apps/site stay locked for X amount of hours and you can also view your app/site usage so you can identify which apps and websites are taking up most of your time.

Another behavioural modification you could try is integrating fandom interaction into set aspects of your routine. This can be difficult if you live a busy lifestyle, but if you have a schedule that allows you to set aside time at specific intervals, it may prove beneficial to getting you into a set rhythm with ‘turning on and off’ in regards to fandom and social media.

I also, personally, gave found that tailoring my social circle across various platforms helps me to avoid scrolling endlessly and looking through miles of content without actually needing to or being overly invested in any of it. For example; I use Twitter to keep up to date with official announcements and content from the actors, franchises and fandoms that I am part of. I use Facebook to keep up with my friends and family only. I’ve found that none of the brands I follow post something to Facebook that they haven’t already posted to Twitter or Instagram. I use Tumblr to interact with all fan-level fandom content, including following artists, fanfiction authors, ect. Again; I’ve found that everyone tends to post to other platforms what they’ve already shared on Tumblr.

That way I know once I’ve scrolled through the newest things on my feed, I’ve seen all there is to see on that app. I can either switch to another until I’m all caught up, or I can turn my phone off for a while and just check a different one next time I decide I’m ready to engage in social media again. You’ll find that a lot of official or representative accounts post the same things across each platform, so you’re not actually missing out on anything by following them on Twitter but not Facebook.

If, during the day, you find yourself really thinking about something you want to post, you can save it as a note on your phone or something to post it later, so you don’t risk going onto social media, posting it, then mindlessly scrolling because you’ve opened the app and gotten distracted.

#not starker #advice #helpful

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starkerisendgame · 3 years

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[Image description in Alt Text.] [ID: Red, block text on a transparent background. The text reads: ‘Fanfic Author PSA’. The dark red Archive of Our Own logo is depicted on either side of the lettering. End ID.]

Many people who read fanfiction also require the assistance of text-to-speech or audio description software. Blind and visually impaired people are very much present in the fanfiction and fandom communities, but are so frequently disregarded or forgotten about.

If you are writing a work and like to utilise paragraph breaks, please do not use combinations such as the following:

[Image description in Alt Text. I have used an image to avoid what I will describe below.] [ID: Four examples of punctuation and icons that are disruptive when used as line breakers. The first line is a series of O letters. The second is a series of asterisks. The third is a series of dots, circles and stars. The last is a series of tildes. End ID.]

The software will read these combinations out loud letter for letter or symbol for symbol. For example; it would read to the user the word ‘asterisk’ six times in a row, or the word ‘tilde’ five times in a row.

This is unpleasant, confusing and often irritating for blind or visually impaired readers. If you would like a similar sample of what it would sound like, enter one of the above combinations into Google Translate and use the audio button.

Here is a post by @ao3commentoftheday that also details this difficulty and provides links to downloadable audio transcribers and fanfiction audio readers. These are also helpful for if you simply wish to listen to fanfiction but can’t find a podfic of the work.

Screen Reader Friendly and Screen Reader Compatible are AO3 tags that help visually impaired readers track and access fanfiction that is consciously created with their needs in mind. Please consider adding these tags to your works in order to expand the range of works that visually impaired readers can safely and confidently access.

Alternatives to these are:

Utilise HTML or embedded line break functions where possible, such as the feature on the Archive’s editing functions. Most screen readers should be equipped to understand these.

[Line breaker] can also be read by most screen readers. While not as aesthetic, it’s still functional.

Use an image divider/breaker and utilise the Alt Text or [ ] descriptor functions to label it as a line breaker.

#screen reader friendly #screen reader compatible #audio reader #fanfiction resources #fanfiction psa #author psa #author resources #resources #fanfic #fanfiction #psa #sie talks #not fandom

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starkerisendgame · 3 years

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How many stories did you publish?

For Starker specifically I published 35 between the Archive and here. I have 8 WIPS, including a commission.

What is your total word count for 2020?

For Starker specifically I’ve written 196,944 words during 2020, including non-published WIPS.

What fandoms did you write for this year?

On this blog I wrote exclusively for Marvel (MCU, Avengers P1-4).

Did you write more, less or roughly around what you expected you would?

I wrote a lot less than I thought I would for Starker, honestly. Part of that was due to personal struggles but also because I’ve been fixating on other fandoms. I tried to make up for this by reblogging a lot of other creator’s works.

What story did you write in 2020 are you most proud of?

In The Hands of Gods.

This is a piece I worked on for over a month and crafted an entire universe and cult for. I also made moodboards for it, and it was one of my pinnacle pieces for 2020. Despite one blogger attempting to tear it down, I still remain proud of it. Its one of my largest stand-alone pieces for Starker.

Did you take any writing risks this year?

Not necessarily in the Starker fandom, although I did branch out and wrote a little more involving non-con and darker themes. I did start a collab with @professional-benaddict, which is my first ever collab for Starker and which I fully intend to finish. (Thank you for being patient with me, sweetheart!)

Do you have any fanfiction goals for 2021?

I intend to finish the multi-chaptered works I have currently left languishing on my Archive account. Some have been unfinished for literal years and it pains me to look at them.

What is your most under-appreciated story?

I’d say based purely on the notes, the following three (>100) are probably the ones that received the least appreciation/engagement;

Puppy Talk

It’ll Be Okay

Love via Flowers

Biggest fanfiction related disappointment of 2020?

Tied between several of my favourite authors disappearing from the fandom and a blogger targeting my works then sending me a 2,000 word email thrashing me and my works.

Also finding a re-upload of one of my works on Wattpad. That wasn’t fun.

Side note, please routinely check Wattpad, LiveJournal and FF.net for your works. Wattpad especially, as people frequently take works from authors on AO3 and re-upload them.

Biggest fanfiction related surprise of 2020?

@professional-benaddict suggesting a collaboration, for sure. To be considered worthy of such a thing by such a wonderful person and talented author was a huge and pleasant surprise. I’ve enjoyed every single moment of it, and can’t wait to share it.

Biggest fanfiction fans of 2020?

@starkerswonderland, @professional-benaddict, @starkerscoop and @katiebug9 amongst many others are frequently in my notes with such wonderful reblogs. There are so many supportive people who engage with my content, I wish I could tag every single one of you.

@profoundfandomaddict and @firefandoming are also consistently there showing me all the love.

Also a shout out to @starkerflowers and @starkeroverlord for their undying, valued support and love.

Tagging: @professional-benaddict @spideythot @spidey-sins @twokinkybeans @the-mad-starker

#sie talks #starker

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starkerisendgame · 3 years

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can someone make a collage when they're not flexing?? cause some of us like a bit of meat and soft tummies too!!!! daddy vibes

right!! i wanna see some soft tummies up in this bih

#starker #ironspider #starker moodboard #moodboard #ironspider moodboard

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starkerisendgame · 3 years

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Self-Promo Sunday

About

Multi-ship & multi-fandom

RPF friendly

>18 & 18+ friendly (block the tag ‘nsfw’ if you are under 18)

No discourse, anti behaviour, anti content or hate (ever!)

Best viewed on desktop (organised theme)

Fandoms:

9-1-1 (on Fox)

The Witcher

Teen Wolf

Marvel (MCU, The Avengers, X-Men)

The Man From U.N.C.L.E

Supernatural

Sample Pairings

These are not all the pairings I ship but are some of the more prominent ones.

Buddie (Evan Buckley/Eddie Diaz)

Geraskier (Geralt/Jaskier)

Stucky (Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes)

Sterek (Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski)

Destiel (Dean Winchester/Castiel)

Napollya (Illya Kuryakin/Napoleon Solo)

Blog Content

Fanfiction (search: ship + fanfiction)

GIFS (search: character/actor/fandom/ship + gif/gifs/gifset)

Shitposts/memes/incorrect quotes

Meta

Fanart (search: character/fandom/actor/ship/fandom + fanart)

Edits (search: character/fandom/actor/ship/ + edit (or rogue edits)

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starkerisendgame · 3 years

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Blue Christmas

Personal use encouraged. Please do not re-upload or upload to other sites.

#tom holland #my edits #rogue edits #tom holland edit #christmas #christmas icon #peter parker icon #tom holland bg #blue #blue aesthetic #peter parker bg #tom holland wallpaper

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starkerisendgame · 3 years

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The Cardinal Rules of Real Person Shipping

The debate on the morality of RPS is a long and divided one. But it will always exist and while it does there are basic rules of conduct and respect that that anyone engaging in RPS should follow. Its very important to remember that you are not shipping fictional characters or characters based upon historical figures. You are shipping actual, real people, and they should be treated as such. Please note these should also extend to fanart of one person, ‘slash reader’ content and anything that involves sexualising or romanticising another person.

Do not tag the people in RPS content. This goes for posts, fanfiction, fanart and any other form of RPS content. ‘Gen’ content (for example, fanart depicting them hugging in a non-sexual manner with no RPS related caption or implication) is acceptable, but its very important to ask yourself before you do so: ‘Is this work immediately interpreted as platonic?’ If the answer is no, post it but don’t tag them. Don’t tag them in discussions or posts pushing their friendship or “relationship”. If you’re confused on what to tag it as, here’s a key: Name & Name = gen/platonic content. Name/Name = romantic/sexual content.

Do not, EVER, show/share with/push NSFW content on the people. At all. This is the number one rule and breaking it will disappoint even the rest of the RPS community. Its uncomfortable, weird, and downright disrespectful. It doesn’t matter if the actor has laughed about coming across NSFW content before. It doesn’t matter if they joked about it in an interview. Just don’t do it. Any NSFW content you make involving RPS should be appropriately tagged. Another thing to remember here since a lot of people post NSFW fanart to Twitter - writing the person’s full name in the text will make your Tweet show up when people follow that name.

Where possible, keep RPS content out of the ‘main’ tags. This one is just as much to protect you as it is to protect other people from being exposed. People who are against RPS content often resort to volatile bullying, death threats, harassment, doxing and detailed hate speech. RPS is also normally an extreme breach of moral clause and respect for many people, and it makes them uncomfortable and upset. All in all, for everyone’s sake, its better to keep RPs content to specific pairing tags or to make a ‘secret’ tag. A lesser known fact is that ‘ship names’ can also be used platonically, but while this is a fact its still best not to use the tag in conjunction with other main tags, such as the fandom name or the people’s names.

Do not spam the people with RPS content or push it on them during streams, cons, panels ect. This relates to the NSFW rule but constantly pushing RPS content on the people involved can quite literally ruin their friendships. We’ve seen it time and time again - Septiplier, Phan, Cockles ect. Especially if there’s no merit to the RPS pairing (e.g both are happily in monogamous relationships). It can erode friendships and force the people involved to be more reserved. Imagine not being able to go out with your friends or hug them or engage with them because people forcibly sexualise it. This is what can happen. Embracing their friendship is fine, but its important to remember the limits. Its also important to note that disregarding a celebrities other acts, motions or achievements in order to push RPS or fictional ship content on them is a dick move. One such example is Misha Collins’ latest political panels being spammed with Destiel demands. Undermining and undervaluing their other projects and their lives in order to satisfy your own desires isn’t going to earn you brownie points.

Do not, under any circumstances, harass or hate on the partners or friends of the people. This is right up there with the NSFW rule. Its important to remember that almost every RPS ship is purely fantasy and that those people often have real partners and real friends who can and are hurt when you hate on them or harass them over an RPS ship. Regardless of your feelings about the relationship, they are the real life partners and friends of that person, and you are also hurting that person by attacking a valued piece of their life. Partners and friends are not ‘unworthy’ or ‘getting in the way of Z and Y’. No other friendship is less valuable or unfair. No partner deserves to be attacked on a daily basis simply for being with someone. Know that if you do this, even the RPS community doesn’t want to engage with you and that you won’t be welcome on 90% of the blogs who engage in that ship.

The only proof that is conclusive is what comes right from the people’s mouths - anything else is speculation. It doesn’t matter if its sharing clothes, buying each other accessories, getting matching tattoos or whatever. Unless the people involved have explicitly said ‘this is what’s happening’ then it is speculation. Intimacy is not strictly romantic nor are definitive acts of love/bond such as matching tattoos. Its great to celebrate acts of their bond but don’t claim it as irrefutable proof that something is happening; again, things like that can destroy the friendship or erode the closeness of the bond.

As a last note - its important to be respectful no matter your stance on RPS. If RPS isn’t your thing, block any related tags or blogs and cultivate positivity in your own space. If it is your thing - don’t give antis reason to attack and harass you.

#RPS #Rom Howney

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starkerisendgame · 3 years

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Something I don’t think anyone has really considered/spoken about before regarding soulmate “tattoos” is the fact that there would literally be no argument about homosexuality being “un-nautral” anymore.

Because. Because fate has literally dictated your person is the same sex/gender as you. Bigots would literally not be able to say “its against nature” or “its not God’s will” when you were born with that person as your person.

#soulmates #soulmate au #soulmate #lgbt #lgbtq #fanfic meta #lgbt+

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starkerisendgame · 3 years

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OTP Things To Ask Yourself

You can use these for talking about your OTP, your ships or if you’re writing an OC romance.

Who is the morning person and who wallows in bed like a hog in mud for as long as they can?

Who has their shower at an acceptable level and who bathes in the flames of Hell?

Which one wears the shirt that says ‘Return to X’ and which one wears ‘I’m X’?

Which one is too shy to complain about their food and which one rolls their eyes and flags down a waiter on the other’s behalf?

Which one meticulously does laundry by fabric/colour and which one shoves it all into the drum and hopes for the best?

Who has the organised Tumblr blog and who has the all lowercase shitposting Twitter blog?

Who is more likely to fist fight a bigot in the cashier line at the grocery store?

Which one is banned from having control of the credit card because they physically cannot stop themselves from impulse buying the weirdest shit?

#writing #writing help #ao3 help #character help #character meta #character sheet #otp sheet #starker #ironspider #rom howney

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starkerisendgame · 3 years

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Cold mates and black coffees

For @starkerfestivals prompt of mates

There is, he supposes, something beautiful about a world such as this, primitive yet advanced and sophisticated. Children no taller than his knee carry around super computers that fit in the palm of one’s hands, talk to friends thousands of miles away whenever they want. It used to take him months to receive his preferred concoction for the early night wake up call, now stores inhabit every corner of every city. They patiently wait to receive their dependents, all sorts of people relying on some version of the simple black coffee to jolt their system. Convenient, sure, no doubt about that. A quick stop at a Starbucks and violá, five hours of productivity guaranteed. But nothing builds character like swimming laps through a freezing lake infested with piranhas to keep away the urge to rest for just another five minutes. Unfortunately, sleepless days were the norm for him and Rhodey whenever they endeavored to race each other underwater.

There are clothes, too. Clothes for each season available year round. Fox fur adorns a lanky mannequin next to a twin showcasing how breezy summer fabrics can be. Riding boots that he would have spent a small fortune on decades ago shine below man made light for the cost of a nice meal over at Pepper’s. Jewels fine enough for the family vault enchant any who take so much as two steps in either direction. Everything is for sale; it just means swiping a plastic card, presenting a number off a super computer or giving the cashier the remains of ancient trees. He could buy an ice cream cone (with sprinkles, of course, he’s not an idiot) and immediately wander over to a restaurant selling sizzling curry. It’s what his father dreamed about, a thousand years ago. How odd then, that his only heir couldn’t be more nonchalant to all this.

Keep reading

#fanfic #starker

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starkerisendgame · 3 years

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Tony and Peter being in a relationship, Skip shows up and blackmails Peter (he has pics/footage from when he took advantage of him). Even if it's not his fault, Peter doesn't want it to get out or Tony to know AT ALL and he's still very ashamed of it, so he does anything Skip tells him to, from paying him, to sending him pics to sexual favours. Maybe Tony finds out because Peter starts acting weird or something, maybe they argue cause he thinks he's cheating on him, peter continues going out 1/2

Secrets Kept pt 1

I’m not strictly following canon here, I’m going with that Skip messed with Peter all while he was growing up and Peter never told anyone. That being said, this is a dark fic and if that’s not your thing, scroll on. If it is, I hope everyone enjoys 💕

Extra note: this is going to be pt 1 because there’s still more plot I want to get out but my brain isn’t working to get it all out. So here’s pt 1 and pt 2 will be here. At some point. Because I absolutely loved writing this. Everything is just hard right now so plot is difficult. I’m really trying

Warnings: Skip Wescott, manipulation, blackmail, noncon (not explicit but mentioned more than once), just quite a bit of dark stuff, read at your own risk

————

Peter hadn’t really thought through going alone after he got a message about meeting someone at the lobby.

But he instantly wished he had brought Tony with him.

He could have sworn that his heart nearly stopped as he caught the sight of white blond hair tucked under a cap.

No. No no no.

The man turned around, grinning when he saw Peter. “Hey, Einstein. It’s been a while.”

“Skip,” Peter whispered. “Please, leave me alone.”

He knew that wouldn’t happen. The other man had clearly come on a mission. He wouldn’t have randomly showed back up in his life otherwise. Everything he did was calculated. In his own sick way.

Skip laughed, pulling an envelope out. “I think you’ll want to see what I have to offer first. Have anywhere more...secure that we could go?”

The younger man stared at the envelope, stomach turning. “Y-yeah. Just...follow me....”

He walked to the elevator, heart racing in his chest. He was in trouble. And he couldn’t even get Tony for help. There was no way that Tony could know anything about Skip. And what he’d done.

“Glad to know you know what’s good for you,” Skip murmured. “Smart boy. You always were the smartest person I’d ever met. Well- except for how naive you were.” He grinned.

“Shut up.” But there was no venom to it. Peter just sounded sad.

“Uh huh.”

The elevator dinged as the doors slid open, opening to Peter’s personal lab. The younger man walked out, hands shaking slightly as he moved to sit down. “What do you want, Skip?”

The man chuckled, opening the envelope and spreading photos across the table.

Peter’s stomach dropped.

The pictures all had Peter at various ages, doing various sexual acts with the older man. A few even had his face. No denying they were him.

“Now,” Skip started. “It would be a shame if daddy Stark saw these, huh?” He affectionately picked up one picture, showing it to the younger man. “Remember this?”

Peter looked at the picture, cheeks burning. “Yeah,” he whispered. It was one of the few pictures that showed his face. His cheeks and mouth were splattered with cum and he had clearly been crying. He had probably been sixteen at the time.

Skip chuckled. “I’ve missed that. I’ve missed my pretty Einstein. And you look just like you did in that picture,” he mused.

A nervous feeling began knotting up in Peter’s stomach. He had a feeling that he wasn’t going to like what Skip said next. Not that he liked any of it in the first place.

“So here’s my proposition,” he told him, setting the photo down. “You’re mine. I get what I want from you. Just like old times. And in exchange, no one will see these. Especially not Stark.”

Peter’s eyes squeezed shut and a tear slid down his cheek. He didn’t want to agree. He didn’t want to even entertain the thought of agreeing to such a sick thing. But he knew that he didn’t have a choice. “Okay,” he whispered. “Deal. Just please, he can’t see those.”

Skip smirked, tucking every photo back into the envelope before tucking it back into his jacket.

Well, almost every one. He snuck one into Peter’s pocket.

“Now that we have our deal, what better time than now to start?”

The younger man whined in protest, but the glint in Skip’s eyes made him know that there wasn’t a choice. There wasn’t ever a choice for him. So he slowly got down onto his knees, staring up at the blond as he unzipped his jeans.

Hopefully it wouldn’t take too long.

———

Peter had never been so glad that Tony had a meeting. That just meant that he didn’t have to come up with a story about why he had been crying or why his kisses definitely tasted like someone else’s dick.

He immediately went to the bathroom and threw up. Then he brushed his teeth to try and get the foul taste of Skip out of his mouth. But no matter how much scrubbing he did, he still felt dirty. Used.

He hadn’t missed the feeling.

By the time Tony got home he was all cleaned up and fixing dinner in order to distract himself.

“Hey, honey,” his boyfriend murmured, wrapping his arms around him from behind. “What’s for dinner?”

Peter tensed but quickly relaxed. It wasn’t Skip. It was Tony. He was safe and okay. “Making chi-chicken Parmesan. Wanted to try something different.”

“It smells amazing. You’re perfect.”

“Thank you, Tony.”

Peter felt so awful about what he did. He couldn’t believe that he had agreed to any of it. But he didn’t really have a choice.

So he just had to act like nothing was wrong. Tony couldn’t know about Skip.

They went to bed that night and Peter was pretty sure he had never felt so guilty.

———

Skip was relentless. He pulled Peter from spending time with Tony to make him send explicit pictures or videos, made him lie to Tony about buying things when really the money was going to Skip, made him meet up places whenever he wanted for sex.

Peter was being worn down so fast.

He couldn’t even keep up his normal and relaxed front with Tony. He couldn’t.

And his boyfriend definitely started noticing. He saw how tired Peter was all the time. And how often he disappeared with nothing but a weak lie to explain it.

That wasn’t how a relationship was supposed to work. And something was obviously up.

So he knew that he had to confront him about it.

He waited until Peter got home from his latest...well, wherever he went. The younger man came back a mess, a bruise on his cheek, eyes red, lips swollen, walking with a slight limp. The last two bits were honestly the most concerning.

“Peter?” He called gently. “What’s up? Where were you?”

He didn’t really want to know the answer. But he knew that he wouldn’t get the truth. So it didn’t matter to ask.

“Oh- I just had to do a quick. Patrol thing,” Peter lied, gingerly touching the bruising on his cheek. “You know how rough those bad guys can get.”

“Who was it this time?” He knew that Peter wouldn’t have a full story. Questions were key.

Peter bit the inside of his cheek. “No one important. Just some asshole burglar.”

“That managed to bruise you? And do...I don’t know, you look rough.”

The younger man winced. Great, that was exactly what he wanted to hear. He was hoping that he didn’t look too bad. Apparently that was too much to want. “Yeah, I was just off my game. It’s okay, though. I’ll heal.”

“Right....” Tony sighed. He had no idea how to bring it up. How to confront. This was his Peter, after all. He wanted to believe that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt him. “Peter, you wouldn’t lie to me, right?”

Peter froze in his tracks, tensed up instantly.

Great.

“No. Tony, why would I lie to you? I love you.”

The older man raked a hand through his hair, sighing softly. “I just- you’ve been so distant lately. Obviously something is going on. I just need you to tell me what.”

Peter slowly took off his coat, not noticing the photo that fell out of the pocket.

He had never realized that Skip put the picture there. The one with his face. The one where he commented how Peter still looked the same.

Peter didn’t notice that the picture was there until Tony started reaching for it. And he immediately knew what it was.

“And-“ Tony’s eyes followed to where the picture had fallen to the ground. He picked it up, ignoring Peter’s cries of protest.

It was definitely Peter. Face covered in cum. And it seemed to be recent.

Tony felt his heart being crushed as he stared at the picture. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Peter would never cheat on him. Peter loved him.

But there was the proof that said otherwise.

He finally looked to his boyfriend again, expression unable to hide his pure disbelief.

Peter had his arms wrapped tightly around himself and he was trembling furiously. He hadn’t known the picture was in his pocket. But he couldn’t tell Tony anything about it. He was stuck.

“Is this where you’ve been?” Tony asked, voice quiet. “Been fucking around? Peter-“ he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Peter, what the fuck has gotten into you? I can’t believe you.”

“Tony-“

“No. No, don’t do that. Did you cheat on me? It’s a yes or no question. I only want one word from you. Yes. Or. No?”

Peter broke down, crying harder. There was only one way that he could answer. Because it was the truth and he couldn’t lie to Tony. Even though all he had been doing for weeks had been lying. “Yes,” he choked out, covering his face.

Tony tried to ignore the broken glass he felt that replaced his heart. All his fears came true. Peter had really cheated on him. “Get out.”

“Tony- I can’t-“

“I said get out. You can get your shit in the morning while I’m at work. For tonight you need to leave.”

The younger man sobbed, grabbing his coat and looking around. Was there anything else he needed for the night? He didn’t know. All he could think about was Tony. And that everything was over.

All because of Skip.

He showed up to May’s an hour later, still unable to stop his crying. He was a wreck and he knew it.

She wasn’t sure what happened but knew better than to try to ask. But she did call Tony and leave a particularly nasty message about how she knew she never liked him and he had better watch his back.

Peter got settled in his own room, all curled up and finally calming down. When his phone vibrated with a text.

‘I need a couple pictures. A little inspiration please.’

Then a second message less than a minute later. ‘Actually make it a video.’

Peter stared at the screen for a moment, trying to fight off the tears that threatened to spill again. He couldn’t send Skip anything. He was with May. He couldn’t just hole himself up in the room suddenly. And there was the fact that the walls were so thin.

‘I can’t,’ Peter sent back, holding his breath. Skip didn’t respond well to rejection.

The three dots that signaled he was typing appeared and disappeared a couple of times before anything finally came through. ‘I have digitals of the pictures. I can easily send them with just a couple clicks.’

Even if they were broken up, Peter couldn’t have Tony know what all had happened to him. What was still going on. ‘Fine.’

He sat up to make sure that his door was locked, hands trembling as he started to undress himself after setting his phone up to record.

He so badly just wanted to be free.

———

Peter didn’t see Tony for a month after they broke up.

When he went to get his things Tony had been at work, as he said he would be. And he hadn’t been back to the tower since then. And he did his best to avoid any news about the billionaire.

So he stayed in the dark about it all. He barely even left the house. Except when Skip needed him for something.

Skip wasn’t happy when he found out. He was worried that the lack of contact with Stark would make Peter cave and refuse to do anything else. Plus he wouldn’t be able to get money any more from th arrangement.

But it became apparent quickly that Peter still loved Tony. And would continue to do whatever Skip asked to keep the pictures from making light.

Good.

#fanfic #starker

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