Apricity

Pattern of rancid behaviour over the years

Let's start with the laundry list of all the bad behaviour he's expressed through the YEARS. You can read this better on my reddit comment here which I posted in reply to a shill thread made by what most people agree as Jay's sockpuppet account on the ffxiv subreddit. All of these I had the displeasure of witnessing myself or have been corroborated by multiple people:

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Self-aggrandising behaviour

Here is Jay claiming that there aren't many queer creators in xiv which is INSANE because this is the queerest fandom I have ever seen. You can't sneeze without hitting a queer artist. He also calls himself a pillar of the community, which is HILARIOUS because I have never seen him uplift other creators. You can't be a pillar of the community if you don't engage with the community. Your sycophants don't count.

How can you victimise yourself to such a degree?

He also claimed that if he was a lesbian, all of these callout of his rancid behaviour won't happen, which is laughable because you ask any lesbian in this space what being femme entails, they'd tell you straight up that they have experienced misogyny, no less from people like you Jay.

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Entitlement

Jay being ungrateful that ONLY 25 people have shared his post, and then saying you deserve to not be helped when you need it unless you share his post because he's a poor comic artist earning $1.2k from patreon every month. Because not sharing a post from a popular artist is obviously equivalent to not helping someone in dire straits. If you have been around, you'd know that times are hard, especially when you're queer. He's wishing you ill for the offence of not pressing that repost button.

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Being ungrateful with a sprinkling of misogyny

Jay straight up insulting anon's wife because how dare she reads his comic when she hasn't played ShB because her mind would not comprehend the complexity of his plot. And this is AFTER he begs for followers, as he does with every single one of his goddamn post.

So which is it, are you going to appreciate people who read your comic or are you going to put up so many qualifiers you only deem them worthy of following you when they've ticked all of them?

Hey Jay, maybe you should connect to your readers in a genuine manner and not in bad faith where all you want is for them to stroke your ego whilst giving a facade of appreciation.

And maybe, just maybe, you should start uplifting your fellow queer creators before demanding everyone support you.

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Cater has taken it upon himself, to teach you the ins and outs of the wondrous app that is Magicam.

You have a sneaking suspicion that he just wanted an excuse to have a sleepover, but you refrain from calling him out. A night away from Ramshackle is a blessing you're not turning down no matter the circumstances, so here you are in Cater's dorm room letting him blabber on about Magicam while your matching face masks soak into your skin.

"So, if you wanna get the most traction and interactions with your posts, you gotta post during peak traffic times. Using certain hashtags and filters also boosts posts in the algorithm too, so be sure to keep that in mind." To be honest, you stopped listening to Cater the moment he settled in next to you on his bed. It's not your fault that the very minuscule amount of space between the two of you makes your head spin!

Thankfully, he hasn't noticed that you've all been completely checked out of his impassioned lecture. Your occupational hum or grunt of confirmation are apparently all that Cater needs to keep going — and boy, has he been going.

"Oh, oh! I didn't tell you, but Magicam has gotten really strict about undisclosed ads recently! Like, sooo many of my mutuals got their accounts nuked and hit with warnings for not marking their content as paid sponsorships. Luckily, Cay-Cay here is 100% transparent with his followers about his paid partnerships, so he doesn't have anything to worry about! Isn't that great, (y/n)?" Finally, Cater notices.

He was so caught up in his ramblings that he didn't feel your head slump against his shoulder or the rest of your body curl up against his side, but now that he has, it's impossible to ignore. You look so calm and peaceful for once. It's a nice look on you, one that makes Cater itch to take a picture to capture this moment forever.

"Hnghh… sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Hehe it's alright, I'm not gonna cancel you for finding my yapping boring."

"No, no, it wasn't boring at all. Your voice is just really soothing, so I guess your talking just lulled me to sleep."

"…really?"

"Yeah, you should like, narrate bedtime stories, or something like that. I bet it would blow up on Magicam."

For probably the first time in his life, Cater has nothing to say. He can't remember the last time someone paid him such a tender compliment. Usually, people just tell him how cute or pretty he is. Those words don't hold the same meaning they did when he was younger. In fact, they don't mean much of anything. Not anymore. 

What does matter — at least right now, at this moment — is you. Your words don't carry a crushing weight. They don't make Cater feel like something he doesn't want to be. They make him feel like more than some pretty boy on display for others, forced to be bright and bubbly and cute when deep down he feels anything but.

With you, he's not Cay-Cay, he's just Cater.

"You're too nice, (y/n). You're gonna make me get a big head if you keep being nice to me like that."

"But I like being nice to you, Cater. You're easy to be nice to."

The huff of laughter that escapes Cater's lips is by no means humorous. It's a nervous habit of his, one that's persisted despite how much he's changed throughout the years. It's gotten him in trouble from time to time, but something tells him that you won't get mad at him for choking out a laugh at a time like this.

"You're really something else, you know? I'm starting to think that you came to Twisted Wonderland on purpose just to get under my skin."

A fond smile finds its way to Cater's lips. It's more natural than the forced grins he wears during his day-to-day life, but you have a way of making him drop the mask without a second thought. Here, within these four walls, Cater can truly be himself with you.

"It's working, by the way. I don't mind, though. Not if it's you. I'll let you see all the sides of me I keep hidden. Just promise me you'll keep everything you see between us. Not everyone gets such a privilege, you know?"

A quiet hum leaves your lips in response, but Cater knows well enough that the noise means confirmation on your end. You're all but fast asleep on his shoulder, so serene and calm in a way that's all too foreign. Maybe if Cater lets you see more of himself, then he'll get to see you like this more often — at least that's what he hopes.

You stir every so slightly as his fingertips gently graze your temple, brushing away a few stray strands of your hair before he goes on to peel off your sheet mask. You let Cater guide you to lay back against his pillows, still clinging to his arm even as he tries to get out of bed.

"I'll be right back, (y/n). Just let me throw these away real quick, and I'll be right back so we can cuddle, yeah?"

The promise of cuddles is enough to make your sleep-addled mind decide that letting him go for a brief moment is better in the long run. That doesn't mean you're happy to let Cater go, though. Maybe if you pout enough he'll be extra quick, or better yet, maybe it will make him hold you extra close.

"Honey, I'm homeee. Did you miss me?" Cater's arms warp around you like they've always belonged there. He pulls you close, letting you tuck your head beneath his chin as he buries his face in your hair. Your legs tangle with his beneath the sheets in a knot that neither of you ever want to unravel. 

This level of affection should feel a bit much for two people who swear up and down that they're just friends, yet it doesn't. It feels natural, and in a way, inevitable — like it was always meant to be. 

"Hmm, yeah. C'mere, I was promised cuddles."

"You're so demanding ordering me about when you're in MY room sleeping in MY bed."

"Don't be mean."

"I'm not being mean, though. Ah, whatevs. Fine, let's just go to sleep."

"G'night. Cater."

"Sweet dreams, (y/n)."

…