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[glasscupofsnakes]

Jan and Toffee the hognose :)

[glasscupofsnakes]

I adore them... beautiful... exquisite... thank you for your service

Did anyone ask for Janus as a lil' hognose snek?

No..

I did it anyways

[glasscupofsnakes]

[glasscupofsnakes]

Yellow

Part of January’s Colors series

Word count: 362

Warnings: None

She was drifting down the dusty path when she first saw them. The brilliant, vivid color was a stark contrast to the grey landscape around her. Picking up her pace, she quickly reaches them and kneels down to get a better look. She ignored the grey dust dirtying her pale yellow skirt while she gently cupped the head of a rose, fully in bloom.

What made this rose special, though, was the vibrant golden color that almost seemed to glow. She smiles, for this was the first rose of the season. Soon, she thought, this whole lane would be filled with beautiful gold roses. And they would be all for her.

As she continued down the lane, she glanced around, searching for any other yellow flowers. It wasn’t hard, since the landscape around her was completely grey. Little buttercups and the spots on butterflies stood out so easily, it was hard to miss the bright color. While she was distracted, she missed the dark grey figure coming around the bend.

“Aurembiaix! Is that you?” A soft voice calls, snapping her from her thoughts. “Indeevar, it’s good to see you!” The two friends catch eachother, embracing for a moment before stepping apart. “Find any roses yet?” The grey boy asks, glancing around without any direction. “Mm, yes! The first one of the season, just a bit back that way!” She points behind her, then turns back to her friend. “How’s the sky?” He looks up, grinning from ear to ear. “Gorgeous. It’s a deep, rich blue, and not a boring grey cloud in sight! I also saw some blueberries on the way here,” he stops to rustle through his back, retrieving a small napkin, “Try some, they’re perfectly ripe!” The girl takes a few of the small, round, grey berries and pops one in her mouth. “Oh my... these are perfect! Thank you so much Indeevar, you’ve made my day even better.” He smiles, blushing slightly. “Well, I hope to see you around! Bye, Auri!” They wave to eachother and depart, both smiling gently to themselves.

Aurembiaix went on her way, continuing down the dusty path, keeping an eye out for another rose.

[glasscupofsnakes]

My next writing endeavor will be a series of short stories using a different color for each prompt. I will be using #January’s Colors to tag each story ;P I hope you all enjoy!

[glasscupofsnakes]

Be selfish

In order to heal, you need to be selfish.

When the world takes too much from you, unapologetically and selfishly put yourself back together again.

Because no one else will.

No one else will be able to take care of you, like you can.

No one else can make you whole, except you.

Eventually you will be able to strike a healthy balance between selfishness and selflessness.

But for now, be selfish and take the time to heal by putting yourself first.

[glasscupofsnakes]

Things finally caught up to me

[glasscupofsnakes]

Randomly coming up with Sanders Sides animatics while listening to music... really shows how deep I’m in it. Anyways who wants to hit me up and make this a reality since I can’t draw

[glasscupofsnakes]

Janus’ playlist: a thin line between melancholy and cynicism (part 1)

It happened again.

I keep fooling myself into thinking that one post will be enough, that yes, of course I can manage to talk about 20 songs into one single post, even if the songs are from Janus’ playlist and he’s a cryptic snake boi.

Well, I am a fool. So here we are with the analysis of the first ten songs. And this post will be long enough already.

Before starting: everything written here is just my interpretation, so I can be 100% right as well as 100% wrong. If you have another good opinion, please feel free to share, so we can have a nice discussion :D

_____________________________

Five recurring themes

Janus’ playlist is dominated by five big recurring themes:

I love you, Thomas. I adore you. You have no idea how much I care about you. I will do anything for you and by anything I mean ANYTHING

Society is awful and men are evil: “Lord of the Flies” Extended Edition

Have you ever heard about my connections with Christianity?

Foreshadowing. Foreshadowing everywhere (Janus Bifrons, anyone?)

I love my sons

The first ten songs encompass the first four themes, so we’ll ignore the last one for now.

Just a word about the first theme: it baffles me the sheer amount of love in this playlist. For someone who is so cold, cynical and sharp, Janus’ playlist is literally overflowing with love. He cares about Thomas in a way that’s almost painful to see - but at the same time it makes completely sense, because he’s self-preservation and if there’s someone who should care this much about Thomas, is definitely him.

_____________________________

BLACK HOLE SUN: So you know what to expect

Janus’ playlist is a heaven for theorists: every single song is full of metaphors, interpretations, allegories, emotions, themes, connections, everything and even more, if you dig deep enough.

And Black Hole Sun, by being the first song of this playlist, is the perfect warning: this playlist won’t be easy to understand. Some meanings will be obvious, others well hidden behind metaphors and allegories. Or maybe they’re all hidden and you’ve got them wrong. Or they’re all very obvious. Who knows. Everything can be a lie, everything can be a truth.

It fits so damn well with Janus’ essence. He literally has two faces, like his logo and the God whose name he bears. Of course his playlist will be just like him.

So what better way to start this journey, than with a song that, apparently, has no hidden meaning at all?

In fact, according to the author, he wrote this song just for the sake of playing around with words. Black Hole Sun doesn’t really carry a message, but it’s just a mix of imagery and surrealism.

Yet, the huge amount of images used in this song is basically an invitation to find themes and connections. And some of them are so obvious that this must be the correct interpretation, isn’t it? It’s so clear! And yet, it may be all wrong.

1. The Christian theme

Some images and words are just begging to be connected to this theme. I’ll just quote three examples to give you an idea:

Snakes, snakes everywhere: the snake from the garden of Eden, the devil as the snake, snakes as metaphor of bad people. You want a snake, here’s a snake. I have never heard a song with so many references to snakes. It’s perfect for someone who is literally half snake.

Heaven and hell: these two words keep appearing everywhere in this playlist. Remus may be the Side connected with Thomas’ Catholic upbringing, but Janus embraces this theme SO MUCH it’s not even funny.

Praying: what was I saying about the christian references? And the verb “to pray” is basically the “religious-related” verb that recurs more often.

2. Dualism and melancholy

Dualism comes up from the title: Black Hole Sun.

Interesting combination, isn’t it? A black hole is a stupidly huge and dense region of spacetime where gravity is so strong nothing can escape from it, not even light. While the sun is the star that gives us life. We look at the sun for life, without sun we would be doomed. And the black hole is the quintessential of being doomed.

So we have this giant circle of nothing, fused with the thing that made life bloom on our planet. It’s the perfect dualism between life and death, everything and nothingness, light and dark.

And not only this first PERFECTLY with Janus because of the whole dualism/having two faces, but also because the image of a black hole sun gives a lot of feelings that can be associated with Janus, first of all melancholy.

Melancholy is a very interesting (and complicated) emotion. It’s often associated with depression, but those are actually very different. Depression is more about resignation: when you’re depressed, you are unmotivated, you can’t do the simplest tasks, you can’t see anything, nor think about anything. You just feel empty.

Melancholy, on the other hand, involves the pleasure of reflecting and contemplating things we love or we want to have. It can be seen as a desire, deep down into the soul, of something or someone which we long for and it’s sorely missed. It can be evoked by people or places, it can be linked to sadness, pleasure, love, nostalgia, yearning. It’s not a happy emotion, yet you may want to experience it, from time to time, because its nature implies a deep self-reflection.

And Janus’ playlist is full of melancholy. It makes sense, considering that he’s a dark, cynical, philosophical thinker, more prone to reflection, rather than action. Melancholy is definitely right up his alley.

3. The Thomas theme and childhood’s hopes

Times are gone for honest men And sometimes far too long for snakes In my shoes, a walking sleep And my soul I pray to keep Heaven sent hell away No one sings like you anymore

When asked about the line, “Times are gone for honest men”, the author said (and I quote): “It’s really difficult for a person to create their own life and their own freedom. It’s going to become more and more difficult, and it’s going to create more and more disillusioned people who become dishonest and angry and are willing to fuck the next guy to get what they want.”

Well, isn’t that a perfect Janus’ mood? The world is a cold, unforgiving place, no one will give you anything for free and other people will step on you. It perfectly links with Lord of the Flies and man’s inherent evil. Everyone is a snake, people are bad, men are all evil…

Except for Thomas. He may not be a 100% good person, but he’s definitely better than the rest of the world. Maybe even too good, for such a cruel world.

“No one sings like you anymore”: there’s no one left that is as good as him. Thomas is literally the only pure person left, the one who sings differently from all others.

That’s why he needs to be protected. Janus had to be a snake, figuratively and literally, in order to protect him from other cruel snakes.

We also have another interesting detail here: an hopeful prayer. “Heaven sent hell away”. Hell is on earth, in this bad world where there’s no time for honest people anymore. But if hell is sent away, then the good people will be saved. Especially one good person, the one Janus cares the most. The one who sings differently, the only one that is still good in the whole world: Thomas.

And this hope is expressed again, in the same song:

Black hole sun Won’t you come And wash away the rain?

If the black hole sun, this incredible destroyer, comes and wipes everything out, then Thomas will be saved. Rain/bad things will be washed away. And not “gently brushed away”, but annihilated by the darkest, most dangerous thing in the universe. It shows how dark Janus is willing to be, how far he’s willing to go, in order to protect Thomas.

You see what I meant, by saying that Janus REALLY cares about Thomas?

And that’s just the beginning.

Keep reading

[glasscupofsnakes]

I’m so glad!! I live to bring joy 😌

The First Something Everything

Prompt: Janus helps Virgil make his hoodie

Ships: Anxceit

Warnings: None

Janus sat at their sewing table, chin propped up on one of their hands. They sigh, they’d been sewing for what felt like days. Remus had requested a rather complicated ball gown, and in return, Remus would give Janus something precious; peace and quiet. A knock on the door pulls Janus out of their thoughts. “Yes, I definitely have finished your dress since you asked five minutes ago.” Janus looks up, expecting to see the tall figure of their chaotic friend, but instead it’s someone smaller. “Uh, no… that’s not why I’m here..” Virgil shifts, unsure if he’s allowed into the snake side’s sewing room. “Oh, Virgil. It’s you. I didn’t think you were Remus, again.”

Janus stands, brushing off loose thread and fuzz from their lap, and motions for Virgil to come in. Virgil takes a small step forward, looking around at the small room. To his right was a small green couch, piled with fabric and boxes of thread. There was a wooden coat rack, and from it hung Janus’s hat and cape. The hardwood floor was covered in an old grey rug, making the room a little more cozy. The wall to his left was completely made of bookshelves, each shelf was full with various books, some looked handwritten. Little trinkets sat in front of the books, a thimble here, a push pin there, the collection wasn’t organized or specific. On the back wall was a massive window, framed by curtains that matched the couch. Light poured in, but it wasn’t overwhelmingly bright. In the far right corner sat a large desk where Janus had been sitting. On it sat a sewing machine, their current project, scattered fabric, needles, thread, and a potted venus fly trap. Next to the desk was a smaller table, which held only an old gramophone. Under it was a basket that contained, what Virgil assumed, was vinyls. The right wall had various pieces of art on it, some were complicated landscapes, but others were clearly rendered by Remus. A shelf had a crystal vase with yellow roses, and a statue that Virgil couldn’t quite make out.

While Virgil was taking in the room, Janus had moved the pile of fabric and boxes of thread from the couch onto the desk. “Do you want to sit? You often visit me here.” Virgil doesn’t move, but he knows the remark on his presence was really a question of why he was there. Janus had a tendency of never being direct, and instead expecting everyone around them to read between their sarcasm and vague comments. “I’m okay, I was just, I was wondering, if you could help me with something.” Virgil crossed his arms, and didn’t meet Janus’s eye. “I hate to lend my assistance when I can. What can I do you for, my dear Virgil?” Janus leaned against their desk, mirroring Virgil’s arms. “I don’t like my jacket, and I wanted a new one, one more personal.” Janus stood, and turned to face the window. “I see, and you know how to sew.” Virgil tugged at the zipper on his hoodie, and Janus watched him carefully over their shoulder from their non-snake eye.

“Do I make you anxious?”

“No.”

“Liar.”

“It doesn’t change anything if I said yes.”

“Why get my help? I’m sure Patton would hate to spend bonding time with you.”

“Patton is great, but…”

“Overwhelming.”

“Yeah. Are you gonna help me or not?”

Janus stared out the window for a moment, before crossing to the book wall. They carefully remove one of their yellow gloves, and take an emerald green journal from the shelf. Janus hands it to Virgil without looking, and finds a wooden box on a different shelf and takes out a mechanical pencil. “You’ll need a design first.”

Janus sat on the bench, while Virgil leaned against the desk, and together they drew up designs for a new hoodie. After a long while, and many drafts later, Virgil had a design he liked. “So… should I come back when it’s done?” Janus stops sifting through various fabrics and looks up at Virgil. “Oh no,” they smile, “You’re going to learn, and I’m going to teach you.” Virgil says something inaudible to Janus, but sits anyways and props his head up with his hand. “Okay, Lord of the Tailors, what next?” Janus throws a plain black hoodie at him, and brings out a sheet of purple plaid fabric. “What do you think?” Virgil rolled the soft fabric between his fingers before nodding, and let out a small exclamation when Janus settled onto the bench beside him. 

“What?”

“You surprised me, is all.”

“Oh?” Janus raises an eyebrow, glancing at the person sitting next to him.

“So, what do I do first?” Virgil asks quickly, turning away to hide the flush rising in his cheeks.

They work together for several hours, chatting in between Janus’s instructions. Virgil holds up his new hoodie and smiles, quickly covering it up with a cough. “You hate it.” Janus takes it from his hands, and holds it open. “Try it on.” Virgil makes a point to sigh dramatically before slipping into it. He goes to pull it up over his shoulders, but is surprised to feel Janus’s hands pulling it around him. With a small tug, Janus spins the stunned side around, and holds back a smirk as they study Virgil’s face. Bringing their focus to the jacket, they circle around the room, before summoning a mirror. “See for yourself.” 

Virgil stares at the jacket for a moment, and sees Janus smiling behind him. Turning to them, he shoves his hands into the pockets. “What?” Janus looks away, preparing a lie. But when they met Virgil’s eye, something compelles them to be honest. “You look really good. It suits you.” They pause, before realizing that he wouldn’t know if they were telling the truth or not. With a smirk, they hold up their right hand. “Scouts honor, I’m not lying this time.” Virgil blanches for a moment, before regaining his composure. “I’m not sure that’s true, anyways.” He manages, turning away slightly. Janus grabs Virgil’s arm, so fast it was nearly a reflex, to keep him from turning away. Hesitantly, they take a step forward, closing some distance between them, and they take their hand off his arm. “I don’t tell the truth often, Virgil. But when I do, I mean it.” They lift their hand slowly and deliberately, as if to give him a chance to stop them. Gently they lift Virgil’s chin until their eyes meet. “Janus…” “Virgil.” “What are you doing?” “Being honest.” “I mean, this, you’re very, uh, close…” “Is that okay?” “I think so.” Janus retreats a step, opening his mouth to apologize, but Virgil stumbles forward and pulls Janus back. Before they can say anything, Virgil pulls them close by the front of their shirt and kisses them. Regaining their confidence, Janus wraps his arms around Virgil, pulling him closer and kissing back. After a very long moment, they let go of each other, breathing softly and blushing. Virgil quietly breaks the silence, “It’s okay,” he whispers, “It’s very okay.”

[glasscupofsnakes]

[glasscupofsnakes]

Anxceit? Anxceit. 💜💛

Redraw I did of this!

Hope you enjoy the snek boi in his bf's jacket

[glasscupofsnakes]

Yesterday in the shop, I was in line and I noticed the person in front of me had a snake around his neck. Of course, I lost my mind, and the person said she was friendly. And then they just hand her to me! Just like that! I didn’t even have to ask! She was beautiful, her patterning was stunning. They tell me she’s a speckled banana ball python morph. Gorgeous. They then go on to say that they rescued her from a fire! She was so sweet, that was the best shop experience I’ve ever had.

[glasscupofsnakes]

The First Something Everything

Prompt: Janus helps Virgil make his hoodie

Ships: Anxceit

Warnings: None

Janus sat at their sewing table, chin propped up on one of their hands. They sigh, they’d been sewing for what felt like days. Remus had requested a rather complicated ball gown, and in return, Remus would give Janus something precious; peace and quiet. A knock on the door pulls Janus out of their thoughts. “Yes, I definitely have finished your dress since you asked five minutes ago.” Janus looks up, expecting to see the tall figure of their chaotic friend, but instead it’s someone smaller. “Uh, no... that’s not why I’m here..” Virgil shifts, unsure if he’s allowed into the snake side’s sewing room. “Oh, Virgil. It’s you. I didn’t think you were Remus, again.”

Janus stands, brushing off loose thread and fuzz from their lap, and motions for Virgil to come in. Virgil takes a small step forward, looking around at the small room. To his right was a small green couch, piled with fabric and boxes of thread. There was a wooden coat rack, and from it hung Janus’s hat and cape. The hardwood floor was covered in an old grey rug, making the room a little more cozy. The wall to his left was completely made of bookshelves, each shelf was full with various books, some looked handwritten. Little trinkets sat in front of the books, a thimble here, a push pin there, the collection wasn’t organized or specific. On the back wall was a massive window, framed by curtains that matched the couch. Light poured in, but it wasn’t overwhelmingly bright. In the far right corner sat a large desk where Janus had been sitting. On it sat a sewing machine, their current project, scattered fabric, needles, thread, and a potted venus fly trap. Next to the desk was a smaller table, which held only an old gramophone. Under it was a basket that contained, what Virgil assumed, was vinyls. The right wall had various pieces of art on it, some were complicated landscapes, but others were clearly rendered by Remus. A shelf had a crystal vase with yellow roses, and a statue that Virgil couldn’t quite make out.

While Virgil was taking in the room, Janus had moved the pile of fabric and boxes of thread from the couch onto the desk. “Do you want to sit? You often visit me here.” Virgil doesn’t move, but he knows the remark on his presence was really a question of why he was there. Janus had a tendency of never being direct, and instead expecting everyone around them to read between their sarcasm and vague comments. “I’m okay, I was just, I was wondering, if you could help me with something.” Virgil crossed his arms, and didn’t meet Janus’s eye. “I hate to lend my assistance when I can. What can I do you for, my dear Virgil?” Janus leaned against their desk, mirroring Virgil's arms. “I don’t like my jacket, and I wanted a new one, one more personal.” Janus stood, and turned to face the window. “I see, and you know how to sew.” Virgil tugged at the zipper on his hoodie, and Janus watched him carefully over their shoulder from their non-snake eye.

“Do I make you anxious?”

“No.”

“Liar.”

“It doesn’t change anything if I said yes.”

“Why get my help? I’m sure Patton would hate to spend bonding time with you.”

“Patton is great, but...”

“Overwhelming.”

“Yeah. Are you gonna help me or not?”

Janus stared out the window for a moment, before crossing to the book wall. They carefully remove one of their yellow gloves, and take an emerald green journal from the shelf. Janus hands it to Virgil without looking, and finds a wooden box on a different shelf and takes out a mechanical pencil. “You’ll need a design first.”

Janus sat on the bench, while Virgil leaned against the desk, and together they drew up designs for a new hoodie. After a long while, and many drafts later, Virgil had a design he liked. “So... should I come back when it’s done?” Janus stops sifting through various fabrics and looks up at Virgil. “Oh no,” they smile, “You’re going to learn, and I’m going to teach you.” Virgil says something inaudible to Janus, but sits anyways and props his head up with his hand. “Okay, Lord of the Tailors, what next?” Janus throws a plain black hoodie at him, and brings out a sheet of purple plaid fabric. “What do you think?” Virgil rolled the soft fabric between his fingers before nodding, and let out a small exclamation when Janus settled onto the bench beside him. 

“What?”

“You surprised me, is all.”

“Oh?” Janus raises an eyebrow, glancing at the person sitting next to him.

“So, what do I do first?” Virgil asks quickly, turning away to hide the flush rising in his cheeks.

They work together for several hours, chatting in between Janus’s instructions. Virgil holds up his new hoodie and smiles, quickly covering it up with a cough. “You hate it.” Janus takes it from his hands, and holds it open. “Try it on.” Virgil makes a point to sigh dramatically before slipping into it. He goes to pull it up over his shoulders, but is surprised to feel Janus’s hands pulling it around him. With a small tug, Janus spins the stunned side around, and holds back a smirk as they study Virgil’s face. Bringing their focus to the jacket, they circle around the room, before summoning a mirror. “See for yourself.” 

Virgil stares at the jacket for a moment, and sees Janus smiling behind him. Turning to them, he shoves his hands into the pockets. “What?” Janus looks away, preparing a lie. But when they met Virgil’s eye, something compelles them to be honest. “You look really good. It suits you.” They pause, before realizing that he wouldn’t know if they were telling the truth or not. With a smirk, they hold up their right hand. “Scouts honor, I’m not lying this time.” Virgil blanches for a moment, before regaining his composure. “I’m not sure that’s true, anyways.” He manages, turning away slightly. Janus grabs Virgil’s arm, so fast it was nearly a reflex, to keep him from turning away. Hesitantly, they take a step forward, closing some distance between them, and they take their hand off his arm. “I don’t tell the truth often, Virgil. But when I do, I mean it.” They lift their hand slowly and deliberately, as if to give him a chance to stop them. Gently they lift Virgil’s chin until their eyes meet. “Janus...” “Virgil.” “What are you doing?” “Being honest.” “I mean, this, you’re very, uh, close...” “Is that okay?” “I think so.” Janus retreats a step, opening his mouth to apologize, but Virgil stumbles forward and pulls Janus back. Before they can say anything, Virgil pulls them close by the front of their shirt and kisses them. Regaining their confidence, Janus wraps his arms around Virgil, pulling him closer and kissing back. After a very long moment, they let go of each other, breathing softly and blushing. Virgil quietly breaks the silence, “It’s okay,” he whispers, “It’s very okay.”

[glasscupofsnakes]

And in that moment, my heart broke for you.

In that moment, the hurt that shook in your voice brought me such pain.

In that moment, I felt so much rage, and fury, and disappointment, and fear, and a loss of hope.

In that moment, I didn’t think the world could be so good anymore.

Because in that moment, while you tried to convince me it was you who was the monster, I was only realizing that everyone else was the monster.

In that moment, I cried for you. For all the anger you’ve had to bear, for the hurtful words, for the abuse, for the moments no one else could bear. I cried for you.

In that moment, I wanted to hold you, and make you forget the rest of the world. I wanted to make you forget the cruelty and the hatred.

In that moment, my care for you only became stronger, my determination to make you see your worth only became stronger, my promise to never leave only became truer.

In that moment, it was all I could do to say “You’re not a monster.”

[glasscupofsnakes]

everybody who reblogs this will get a terrible Sanders Sides pickup line in their inbox. every. single. fander. 

[glasscupofsnakes]

I made a playlist of the songs that are basically the thoughts that echo in my head. At least the music drowns them out...