#and it's easy to see in an interview if they're pretty enough

[dukku-of-catempty]

Linking my translation of Red Candle's interview yesterday here, also typed out below. I didn't translate everything, but hopefully it's enough for fans to get a glimpse of their game dev process. Interview vod here.

Ninesols was delayed twice. As their first try at a metroidvania, they found out there's a lot more to be done. Their first game play video was actually an accident. Someone clicked the wrong button on the obs and it became a live stream.

For the interview today, we have 2 of the 6 co-founders of redcandlegames, Henry and Vincent/4wei, plus the game play designer Lighty and Art designer Pege/XiaoHe.

Game Dev Process

Back then Yi was a head shorter, pretty close to Hollow Knight. Devs call it the "Hollow Cat era". It took them 1-2 years to progress from Hollow Cat to 2D Sekiro.

Q: You've already set such a high bar for game play (hollow knight, sekiro), why did you have the same high standard for art and story as well?

Henry:(points at Vincent) this is all him. I said, just focus on the game play! Then he decided to throw in the story

Vincent: I didn't set it out to be so dialogue heavy. But simple gameplay doesn't keep gamers playing, they have to be invested in the world to want to play more.

Vincent: I wanted to save budget so I thought, comics, they're simple enough. Turned out they were costly too. Pege got the other end of that. She drew all the in-game comics.

Pege: Comic works in that you can get up close to the characters and see the details, their expressions.

Their initial inspo for the artstyle was Akira... really reaching for the heights of everything

On the designing process:

Vincent: pacing comes first, whether it's story, combat, or the gaming experience

About 35mins in: Lighty explains the initial concept of TaoPunk

Vincent come up with keywords and Pege designs the character. For example, Goumang was "princess, tsundere", Lady Ethereal was based on "Zhuangzi and the butterfly dream".

40min, Pege explains the character designing process

Pege had the hardest time designing JieQuan. Girls are easier.

Vincent: he's the typical straight macho dude

MCs: what do you mean straight? All I see is 🌈

Vincent wanted there to be a low point for the gamer, since the first 3 bosses were relatively easy. He drew inspiration from Bloodborne and MGS, and JieQuan was born as Yi's tormentor.

Pege's favorite character is Ji, based on his character design and gender.

Vincent: I said Ji can be a they, but Pege insisted on him being male.

MC: So we can actually see stuff under his skirt

Henry: Yi had to struggle to not get flashed during the fight

Lighty also likes Ji best, because of his character. He likes his views as an immortal.

Henry also likes Ji best, because of his combat pattern. Out of all the bosses, his combat pattern is the only one thats entirely original. He wanted to make a 3rd stage.

Since all the characters came from Vincent, he doesn't have a favorite, but is impressed by how popular some of them are. Lady Ethereal's fight was actually the least costly. The platforming was a budget choice. Including the jumpscare, Ethereal was the easiest stage to make.

Vincent: Even the bgm. For Lady Ethereal, I didn't need to tell the composer what I want, they finished it perfectly.

Henry: This is a collaboration where everyone provides their expertise, and Lady Ethereal is an example of us working extremely in sync.

They ran out of time and funds at the research center, and were not entirely satisfied with it even when the game launched.

Solarian was based on Middle Chinese. Old Chinese sounds close to Vietnamese and is too hard for the VAs to pronounce. Vincent thinks since the game is sci-fi in ancient times, a new language is needed for immersion.

Everyone's stressed at the end of the project: it's been five years, and the game hadn't been tested by the mass public, so they weren't sure how it'd be received

Solarian language and Voiceover

Vincent: in Taiwanese we have checked tones, libiodentals, we digged deeper into these traits and referenced Taiwanese/Hokkien, Hakka, Cantonese and Middle Chinese for the Solarian language. Our Solarian expert, Sheng-Han Lin worked on it for 3 months. He even wrote a program where it converts a word into Solarian automatically, complete with KK phonetic symbols.

Basic Solarian words/phrases:

(Making these up, tone numbers are mandarin)

Bi³ Suen² = big brother

Shuai² In³ = Hello Friend

Why⁴ Song⁴ = Stop right there

Uen Zai² Chok = got it (I think?)

Ket Do³ = thank you

Vincent: first thing I said to the VAs was "sorry". Even after the recording process they still weren't sure what they were saying 😂

Many thanks to our voice director Neven Chang. It's the VAs performance that convinced me that Solarian is an actual language.

The Solarian characters came out of the need for there to be inscriptions on the background architectures, but modern Chinese characters breaks the immersion, so the art team came up with the idea to use the CangJie input method.

Vincent: initially we wanted to use the oracle bone script, but it's too time consuming, we needed something systemized. We do have our own Solarian font tho.

Solarian font has been dicephered here

Fan made font

Q&A section!

First question: are there plans for future nine sols DLCs?

Vincent: we still have a lot of work, like console ports and adding more languages, plus the crowndfund reawards... so currently we're looking to finish these first.

Vincent: as you know, we are a bunch of overachievers, so if there is a DLC, there's no telling how long we'll work on it... but atleast for me, I do hope to tell more stories in this world. That's all I'll say for now.

Q: will there be merch?

A: Yes, all the crowdfund rewards will also be sold as merch, like the art book and physical game pack, but at a higher price. Not the figure though, they're already finished, to make more we'll go bankrupt.

Unless, there's a really high demand for it 👀

Q: were there any additional plot you had to cut due to lack of resources?

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*SPOILERS

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A: Chien's boss fight, Ji's 3rd phase, Yi fighting himself in Eigong's soul sanctum, a TianHuo last boss, Abacus was supposed to be Yi from the past, Kanghui, the dragon... we cut a lot

Vincent: There are two plotlines I stood my ground on: the revenge plot, and the relationship between Yi and Heng.

We actually changed Shuanshuan's story a lot. Initially he was supposed to be super energetic and run around all of New Kunlun.

Q: there are a lot of ways the player can fight in #ninesols, were you worried about it being too hard?

A: Yes. It's very parry focused, so if you can't parry, you're dead. The Story Mode was made out of this fear. But from the response we've got so far, it seems to be ok.

Vincent: the real problem is gamers having false expectations. Souls fans get frustrated with the parrying and combat fans get frustrated with the dialouges. So we have to let the gamers know, this isn't hollow knight, isn't Sekiro, this is Nine Sols.

Q: what do the lyrics in the bgm mean?

A: they are all really simple. Like "heroes are forged in agony". For Fuxi and Nuwa, their keyword was "Peony Pavilion", opera related, so the composer incorporated 牧虎關 into their battle bgm.

All #ninesols boss music was composed by @/FFXX_sound. 4-5 of the songs were recomposed after betaing. The boss fight in plumblossom village wasn't supposed to be this hard, but the bgm was too fire, so the team adjusted it.

Vincent: the composer could choose whether to use Solarian or Mandarin lyrics. I was there during recording. We got a talented Taiwanese men's choir to sing for us. Four professional singers singing "Huh! Hah! Heroes are forged in agony!" It looked ridiculous.

For the ending song, redcandle wanted to connect to the international audience, and Collage fit that perfectly. Plus our fans kept recommending them to us. Communication was smooth, apparently Natsuko is a gamer and really liked us.

Taopunk was a mix of Eastern and Western cultures, so it was decided early on that there would be English lyrics in the ED.

There was an ARG on discord where fans can uncover the ED bit by bit.

There are also plans for future interactive games like that

Q: what are some challenges for the EN locoalizatuon?

A: It was pretty smooth, we had a lot of help from our discrod server, including JP proofreading. Both EN and JP TL was actually done in a month before release. We just posted our beta dialougues and everyone came to help us.

Lady Ethereal used to be FuDie, but it sounds terrible in English, so she was renamed.

KangHui used to be GongGong, but it's too confusing to non mandarin speakers.

Eigong too, she used to be Yigong, Yi as in change, but players may mistake her to be related to Yi.

Solarian society trivia:

-they are a matriarchal society

-the average age of death is 140

-cats are evolved from Solarians

They are working on more languages, all of them EU ones. MC asked if there are plans for SEA languages. They say that'll require ppl fluent in these languages, since the other TL are mostly done by community members/fans.

2-3days after release, their text file was hacked. It's a Google doc, Lighty went on there and found someone typing Italian text there, all correct dialougues. They kicked them out then emailed the Italian.

The Italian : I'm just a player, I just want to help.

They translated pages of text, the team was terrified. Security breach!

the Italian said thank you to the team for being patient with them, cause they did the same thing with other games and got severe responses.

RedCandle: thanks but please don't ever do it again.

Q: are you satisfied with the response from non CN speaking players?

A: Yes. Most of the reviews we got were English. It's our goal anyway, to break the culture barrier.

There are of course some surprises.

MC: you mean the furries?

A: the amount of fanart was unexpected

Vincent: I was also surprised by the response we got on reddit. We actually realized our goal, so I was pretty happy with that.

Q: any plans for a new game?

they've worked on nine sols for 5 years already, pretty drained right now, so (as a team) theres no new content planned yet

And here comes the funniest part lol (clip)

Q: any plans for a new game?

Vincent: Having ideas for a new game is one thing, but we still--

(Thunder claps)

Vincent: 😱 Did I say the wrong thing? I'm sorry! OK? We'll start working on it!

Discussing the ending...

Devs consider the true ending a good ending. Its ok if life has no meaning, having lived is enough and all that.

And ED is Collage's take on the ending.

I'll end the thread here, though there are 30mins more to go. Many thank to Wenlobong for hosting the interview, and Red Candle for making the game! Really hope #ninesols will get more recognition

[tobiasdrake]

Hi! Absolutely adore your DBZ analyses, thank you so much - just spent a delightful time reading them all. I was wondering, since you've commented on Chi-Chi and Goku's marriage, what do you have to say about Vegeta and Bulma's relationship? (I've always been entranced by it - mostly because as with all his romances, Toriyama had the wisdom not to show any of it onscreen. But I'd love to know your thoughts about it.)

Bulma and Vegeta are a match made in Hell, and they deserve each other. (Which is to say yes, I love this ship.)

Hooking Bulma up with Vegeta was a hell of a narrative swerve. Generally speaking, stories rarely do this; They rarely let characters break up once they're already invested in a romance, unless it's supposed to be like a love triangle thing.

And Bulma? Bulma was invested. At least, to a degree.

This was the birth of the original Bulma romance that ran through about half of the manga. Two teens interesting in the opposite sex suddenly realize the availability of the other and a relationship is born.

Toriyama says he's bad at writing romance but to be honest, this has always hit me as more believable than your typical drawn-out five-seasons-of-pining Will They/Won't They affair. I'm a girl. You're a boy. Wanna go out and see what clicks?

And these two... these two do not click. We only really see their relationship from Bulma's perspective but it's clear that these two are miserable together.

The manga sorta takes Bulma's side, in that we never really get to hear Yamcha's opinion about their relationship one way or another. When he's around, all he wants to do is talk shop about martial arts. Since Toriyama doesn't like to write romance, we simply don't see much of it from them. What little we do hear about it comes from Bulma complaining about how miserable she is.

Bulma is pretty much always pissed off whenever the relationship is in focus at all.

Anime filler tends to take Yamcha's side instead, portraying him as a put-upon victim of Bulma's jealousy and abuse. A nice guy who doesn't deserve the way she treats him.

It's not hard to buy into this interpretation of their relationship since, as noted, we rarely get anything from Yamcha with regard to his relationship to women or Bulma specifically but we know Bulma's a lot. It's easy to accept Bulma as the "bad guy" of this relationship because. Like. Remember that time she enslaved a sentient being? Good times.

Though one particular moment from Yamcha later on kinda stands out as a bit of a retroactive Yikes.

Yeah. Uh. Threatening violence against a woman for rejecting his bro is a bit of a Yikes. Is this who we were supposed to see Yamcha as all this time? Because, if so, it might have helped to let him opine about the relationship more. Just saiyan.

According to Toriyama in interview, Yamcha and Bulma ultimately broke up because she caught Yamcha cheating on her. I guess that's what him being "popular with girls" was supposed to mean: Once he got over his gynophobia and found confidence with the opposite sex, Yamcha became a player.

But that doesn't necessarily come across from the statement, "Bulma can't stand that Yamcha's popular with girls." A lot of fans took that to mean girls just like him for no reason, and Bulma's unreasonably jealous about it. The anime took that position too.

Note that the "Yamcha is popular with girls" thing isn't helped by the fact that we never see it on-panel because he's only ever talking shop when he's around. But we do see a wandering eye from Bulma often enough.

There's nothing wrong with enjoying the aesthetic appeal of another party even when you're in a monogamous relationship, but it doesn't really present the "Other party is a womanizer and cheater" case when you're the only one ever seen doing this.

So it feels like there's a lot about Yamcha and Bulma's relationship that never made it to print yet influenced later decisions. Those decisions ended up being controversial because the foundation for those decisions was never laid. Here, Toriyama's disdain for writing romance worked against him.

But ultimately, regardless of whose side you take, it doesn't really matter. It doesn't matter who the "bad guy" is. A healthy relationship does not have a "bad guy" in it.

Whether or not Yamcha cheated, whether or not Bulma's just an unreasonably jealous hell-beast, it doesn't actually matter. What matters is that once you reach the point where you're taking sides over which party is the most obnoxious asshole and I hate you and I wish we never met... this relationship is not working for anybody.

It doesn't matter who the bad guy is. It doesn't matter who deserves the blame for this relationship being a toxic shithole. That there is blame to throw around in the first place is the problem. Every relationship has its ups and downs but if one party is constantly miserable for years and has possibly been looking for an escape hatch since year 1, that's not a little tiff.

What matters is that these two are not working out. Any time we see their relationship in focus, they are miserable together. The anime tried to do some patchwork on that with audience reception by giving them some cute moments as well, but because those moments aren't canon the pair remained miserable.

And then this happened.

Despite everything, I think we all assumed that Bulma and Yamcha were going to work it out. Fictional relationships are often portrayed as tumultuous. To a writer, nothing says true love like being constantly miserable and despising every waking moment you spend with your awful, nagging ball-and-chain of a spouse. That's just. Like. What the straights think romance is. It's weird.

I think we all thought that was going to be the deal here too. And then Trunks came along and said, "Nope, actually, they finally severed the cord."

Again, Toriyama says he's bad at writing romance but holy shit, the toxic and miserable relationship actually ended. The two characters involved who only got together out of loneliness and desperation later found they were incompatible with each other. That's so real. Much moreso than a lot of fictional romances.

Instead, we got the absolute crack ship that is Vegeta and Bulma. What a wild-ass revelation for Trunks to drop.

Like. Until the end of the Namek arc, this was the only time these two characters even met.

She also saw Vegeta for like two seconds here.

That was it. That was their entire history together until Goku defeated Frieza while Kaio sent everyone to Earth. But that's when everything changed for Vegeta.

Stranded on Earth with no ship, no affiliations, no ability to leave the planet and nowhere to go or be and no obligations to anyone but himself, Vegeta's circumstances were wildly different than they'd ever been before. He had become one of the Namekian refugees.

And Bulma was offering refuge.

Hard to resist, indeed. That moment is absolutely hilarious in retrospect. Bulma rolled a Nat 20 on that charisma check. It's pretty clear who the instigator of this relationship was.

Like. It needs to be stated that at this point, the only thing Bulma knew about Vegeta was that he tried to kill them all multiple times, and also he's kinda hot. But. Like.

It's Bulma. Anyone who doesn't expect this from her by now either hasn't been paying attention or started watching the English dub of the anime when they did Z first.

So, naturally, Vegeta is a kind and loving man and became a phenomenal husband and fa--

Wait. No. I got my notes mixed up. It says here Vegeta's a rotten dirty bastard. Like. Chronically. He has Supreme Dickshit Syndrome. It's genetic.

Most of Bulma and Vegeta's developing relationship happens offscreen. From what snippets we get, Vegeta has a tendency to vanish during the day, but he still lives at Capsule Corp so Bulma sees him around.

By the end of the three-year timeskip, it's official. Or semi-official. Yamcha and Bulma broke up at some point during that timeskip and Bulma's given birth to Trunks.

As for Vegeta, he's evidently moved out of Capsule Corp and into his own place.

I guess he's still keeping contact with Bulma since she knows what his intentions are. Not to mention he found his tranquility during these three years, though it's somewhat ambiguous as to what exactly brought that peace to his heart.

But the relationship is off to a rocky start nonetheless. Clearly something went down between Vegeta and Bulma that drove Vegeta out of Capsule Corp. To. Uh. Somewhere.

I like to imagine Vegeta living in some shitty West City apartment he rents off a stipend Bulma's sending him that he refuses to openly acknowledge. Like, room 101 is a down-on-his-luck tax accountant, room 102 is a couple with a kid trying to make ends meet off two retail workers' salaries, and then room 103 is Vegeta, Prince of All Saiyans. Sometimes he goes to community events and pretends he isn't having fun.

No lie, I would absolutely watch that as a sitcom.

As for Vegeta himself, he's still a rotten dirty bastard.

Worth noting that Vegeta's saying this as a Super Saiyan which means he's drunk on the form's enhanced aggression. But. Still. Vegeta is an absolute monster being dragged kicking and screaming into a pleasant life that he'll one day resent himself for enjoying. This is his arc moving forward.

It's not so much a redemption arc as it is a domestication arc. The uniquely evil even by Saiyan standards Vegeta is gradually being changed by his new terrestrial life. He doesn't want to own up to how much he enjoys it here. Seven years later, he's still desperate to avoid owning up to it.

He doesn't want to be happy here. He doesn't want a loving wife and a son who looks up to him and the most lavish home wealth can afford him and easy, comfortable days spent with friends and loved ones by his side. He doesn't want a happy ending.

But it's like Bulma warned him: Dragon Ball's queen bee is hard to resist.

Welcome back to Capsule Corp, Vegeta. We hardly even noticed you were gone. Honestly, Future Trunks deserves a lot of the credit for this; Watching him die at the Cell Games was what flipped the switch in Vegeta's head that he wants the family he and Bulma have spawned together.

Sure is a good thing we have Dragon Balls because this is a hell of a time to suddenly decide you love your son. But we see the consequences of that seven years later, since Vegeta moved back into Capsule Corp from... I don't know, wherever he went. They're gonna miss him at the next community poolside summer BBQ event for all tenants.

Part of what makes Vegeta and Bulma work, I think, is that they're on the same page about one crucial point. For Bulma, there is one person who will always take precedent in her life above all others. Romance comes and romance goes, but this is the relationship that matters most to her.

Especially when it comes to martial arts and fighting. Bulma doesn't know a lot about the subject, but she knows that Son Goku is her #1. She has no reservations about saying that to her lover's face either.

When fists start flying, Bulma knows who she's rooting for. If Goku's involved, then it's not her guy. That's. Just. Something that anyone who wants to be with her has to be willing to understand. The single most important relationship in Bulma's life will always be her friendship with Goku.

And the thing about Vegeta is... He kind of agrees? Like. See above, re: I wanted Babidi to destroy my feelings for Bulma so that I could become the warrior that can fight with you, Kakarot.

As much as Goku will always be Bulma's #1, he'll also always be Vegeta's #1. He even gets included into Vegeta's fond farewell to the family he loves.

Goku is basically the platonic third in a two-person polycule. This is the second marriage that this poor ace plays a vital role in despite having no real interest in romance whatsoever.

Bulma is selfish, spiteful, petty, and vain. At one point, DBS: Broly directly compares her to Frieza; A comparison that manages to be unbelievably unflattering to both participants.

They're the same picture. A revelation that would probably be horrifying to both.

And Vegeta. Especially Vegeta. But. Like. She warned you she was irresistible. You didn't take her seriously and now look where you are. Married to the She-Frieza. Maybe you should think about your life choices.

This is just. So much fun. As I said at the outset, Bulma and Vegeta are a match made in Hell who make it work because they're both similar brands of awful.

As for Yamcha, it's a little known fact but Yamcha rebounded and moved on with his life. He stops having much story relevancy after he leaves Capsule Corporation so we see very little of his private life from there. After retiring from martial arts and splitting up with Bulma, Yamcha's left without any story hooks to keep him involved.

But there was this interesting moment, when he realized they had a Shenron wish to spare.

After Krillin comes up with something better to use the wish on, he takes it back and claims it was a joke.

This is, surprisingly, a point of contention in the fandom as some of Yamcha's fans prefer the idea that he died miserable and alone after Bulma ruined his life by leaving him. This takeback gets pointed to as proof that he made up his girlfriend entirely. However, in context, it's clear that a) he's trying to brush off his earlier attempt at making a petty wish and b) the thing he's transparently pretending was a joke is the necklace wish, not the existence of his new girlfriend.

Like Bulma, Yamcha moved on with his life after the break up of their miserable relationship. And that was the final word that was ever uttered on Yamcha's romantic prospects, because this was the last time he was ever meaningfully involved with anything at all.

[sky-high-standards]

Hi, i saw your requests open and i've been thinking what i should request but an idea came up to me.

What about singer reader x yandere fans? I think is a great idea.

Ah apart from that, what's ur favorite song?

Yandere!!Fans x Singer reader

Thank you so much for requesting and my favorite song is currently either the Daddy issues remix or Everything I wanted.

Yep I decided to redo this thing and I may make it a reverse harem

No one expected you to blow up you took the industry by storm your humble beginning and charming persona first got you a small fan base on TikTok then you only got more and more popular and here you are now sitting pretty on a talk show the bright lights blinding you as the host looks at you eagerly itching to start this interview.

Welcome back everyone today we have hit idol Y/n S/n here with us

The crowd roared when they heard your name thousands of people here just for you their beloved idol.

Host: So y/n what's it like to have such success so quick and young.

Y/n: it's pretty overwhelming that's for sure but I have my adoring and loyal fans supporting me.

You said and smiled at the audience and that sent them over the edge your fans were always quite insane lively but they meant well they got you your success in the first place who are you to complain but idol life was tough enough and you weren't exactly thrilled to see your Instagram filled with desperate fans begging for your attention everyday some even threatening to commit suicide if you didn't reply.

And the things they'd throw on stage when you performed were sometimes sweet like a teddy bear or roses and other times not so sweet the day you were preforming and got hit in the face with a dildo is a day you'll never forget...you still shudder st the memory.

And the amount of secret getaway houses you own are concerningly high since an extra persistent can always manges to follow you home no matter how many detours and lane switches you take.

No one said being famous was easy and all fans act like this right?

It's totally normal that they worship you like a God and it's totally normal to know jars of your sweat and used pads are being sold for millions on the dark and what celebrity doesn't have a dab try to kidnap them twice a week.

And you'd think you'd have your bodyguards preventing most of these things but unfortunately they're fans too and it's common to find your bodyguards being a little too close and going through your dirty laundry...

But unbelievably enough there were certain fans that stood out among the rest in the worst ways possible these fans will do anything and I mean anything for your acknowledgment oh you have an extra mean troll sending nasty comments no less then a day later they send an apology and they've mysteriously gone missing you signed an undeserving fans merch? they were immediately talked down and beaten up for it.

Completely normal fans ☺️

[mimiriko]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐃𝐘 | 𝐁𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐆𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐀𝐓𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐈

notes :: established relationship. 2.4k. fem!reader.

summary :: it’s slow progress making people realize their explosive hero is more than that, more than shallow waters of anger. you wonder faintly if it’s intentional turning a blind eye at the love cracking from his hands, bleeding into you so openly. all it took for the world to change is him carrying you bridal-style.

Sometimes you think about people, and how easy they judge. Sometimes, you think the surface layer is faux and the sea beds contain the real treasure. But to put on a suit and take a deep breath: from your mouth and hold it in your throat, venture down until your ears ring, is too much. Skimming the pretty waters from above is enough.

Living amongst dreamers will never become better, walking beside the theorists and talking to the audacious never gets lighter to bare. To conure stories of the wonders and horrors underneath, cajoling you into saying anything that will prove their words, imprint fact on their gossip. You're the first and only one with a diving suit after all.

"Is he coming?"

The smile clipped on your face is straining. "Any moment, he's just parking."

"It's almost been six months together, right?" she continues, giggling unkindly and sipping her fruity drink. "Who would've thought."

It's a shame: her polite guise from afar drove you to her side, a nook of safety from the overwhelming dance floor, but her mouth opened just like the rest. 'Who would've thought?' You scoff, scanning for the familiar blond peaks of hair.

Don't flare up; you're gonna leave soon anyway.

"Yo."

Thank god.

"Hey, Kats," you're glued to his side in a second. The mercurial energy around the girl— her name already went out of one ear, ever since she recognized you from the papers —switches into something else. Sycophant. Harsh for your tongue, but her fluttering lashes at your lover is boiling your temperament with rage. Raw, as strong as it's been since the first day. The first day Katsuki made it known he was yours.

(It wasn't a fleeting comment on your relationship, no Sorry, I've got a girlfriend to fans, it was even before any dispatch got ahold of your pictures. It was in his first interview. Where he looked the camera dead in its lens and flayed himself open, I'm taken. )

"Hi, Dynamight," she says, breathless.

"Hello. I'll be leavin' now. Enjoy your night."

You spluttered, catching yourself before fully launching a laugh in her face, and turned to the front door with his arm hanging off your shoulders.

You notice the tension in his face and frame easing off, the rough edges around his eyes slanting, sculpting into a rounder, softer look.

No one sees the hand that holds the door for you, they just see your warmth embracing the man.

—

Your legs burn. Diverging from the joint of your knees, paralysing nerves till your toes and sending needles up your abdomen. Harsh fluorescent lights blind your vision in spots, and you're stuck with blinking them away vainly as you scan the store aisle. You look worn out, from the creases in your hoodie to the shine of sweat on your face, and you feel exactly that. Rung dry from the day, barbed heart and pounding head.

Nimbly, you slot a packet of pads in your armpit and make a beeline for some food. Something warm for your sore throat, maybe some sweet potatoes if they're still on the charcoal at this time. Or you could snag any bento box and frozen gyoza left and heat it for you and Katsuki. It’ll be futile considering he’ll have to deviate from his meal plan, but you’re sure he won’t mind you indulging.

A hand on your shoulder startles you, “Wha—“

You blink. Speak of the devil. “Kat.”

Dressed in his spare outfit he wears after patrol, the one that smells like a men's locker room, Katsuki stretches his hand to you, holding a basket full of your cravings. "Knew you'd be here," he says plainly.

Dumbfounded, you take the basket. Your eyes catch your favourite rice cakes, drinks, chips and frozen gyoza. Around the handle your fingers tremble, and you shyly tuck your chin and move closer to him. A surge of protectiveness overtakes him, and he tenderly holds your head with his calloused hands, bringing you to his chest.

Walking towards the cashier with his heartbeat as your melody, a sharp ring from his phone cuts the air and divides his attention. He fails to feel your arm shooting towards a coffee drink left out, securing a pack of chilly ramen along the way. Your hands slink the items at the counter, and his copper eyes burn your downturned face resting now on his bicep. He was Dynamight on the phone right now, and could not break out of it.

Bag in your grasp, the moon offered her light on the walk home, lighting the concrete silver. Shades of black detail his build and his hair looks as if it’s crowned by stars—you can't help but stare.

Silence caved once Katsuki finished the call, savouring the tranquillity the night brings in comparison to the hustle of the day.

Quietly, pensively, your hand lowered into the bag, floundering for the shape of a can. Your fingers spread like cobwebs until they wrapped themselves around the item. In an attempt to be smooth, you lift it in one motion, and a defining chorus of crinkles of plastic echoed.

You sweat.

He sucks in a breath. "Y/n,” he growls, "you know caffeine isn't fucking good for your cramps."

"I know," you reply helplessly, "but-"

"And it's almost midnight!" He takes the can, swatting your hands away.

You whine with no real vexation, like a sated child denied extra candy. Bouncing on your heel, tugging him by his collar, reaching for his arm that went in the air above your reach, or when he stoops down and you have to crouch to even skim your fingers on the metal.

"You wont get anywhere with this." He smirks despite the mask of indignation: lips stretched lopsidedly, utterly charming and handsome. Your own lips tingle, buzzing with a want to kiss him silly. Even if you're in public at nighttime, even if the shadows cloak you—the memory of a glossy lens, cold glass shielding an all-knowing eye, renders you to keep your love for home.

But like an oasis in a desert, a novel feeling mixes in your head. Glistening with temptation under the heat and surrounded by hot sand, beckoning you to bring its poison down your gullet.

It's just you and him. The night was waning, and your heart loosened with it. It's just you and him.

Giddy, you shoot a grin, killing him softly. And then you spring up, startling him. Your lips meet with excitement, mirroring two puppies. Eager, trusting, vulnerable.

Incrementally, you deliver another peck. And another. Until a warm hand takes shelter in your hair, bunching it up and using it to angle you better. A swift kick to his calf jolts him. "The fuck?"

A curse never sounded so breathless. "Give my coffee back you piece of shit. You'd think your lover would be a little nicer when you're on your fucking period.”

"Oh yeah? Maybe your lover just doesn't wanna be a victim to your fucking tossing and turning at night because of your cramps."

Wrestling him is useless, not when his muscles faintly show themselves under his hoodie all hard and wired, but you try anyway. You continue until he's heedless to his own laugh, a rosy tint spread on his bunched up cheeks. You can feel the wind of it on your face.

But the world zooms out of focus, expanding from your happy alcove far too soon.

Beneath a street lamp on the lane you just entered stood a group of people. Back from an outing, judging by the glimmer and cat-eye's, adding depth to the stare they've held on you. Heads drawn like a shark to the scent of blood.

Katsuki fluidly untangles from your limbs, but his jaw is more rigged, his eyes are cast off a bit too far, and the hand on your waist hovers lightly. Touching the fabric of your shirt more than yourself.

Your heart sinks as you pass by, only a narrow road between you but it feels like oceans. A ship travelling the opposite direction and passing by your route, whispers flicking at your ears like sea-foam and cannons angled towards you.

(The main fear that resides in your chest, claws sharp digging at your bones, is what they can say about Katsuki. Ruin him overnight, transforming the gentle hands around your waist to ones with an intent to hurt, to harm. Off of no basis—only his explosive character.

However you are nothing but an open heart to him; he knows your fears like they're his own, and he makes sure everything is behind sealed doors.)

The bag full of food becomes invisible, but the coffee in his hand away from you is in the spotlight.

—

You feel as if you’re in an inchoate dream.

Skipping stones between life and a hazy alternate universe; the low thrum of the car brings an illusion of a soft lullaby, coaxing you into letting go and float somewhere above clouds.

If it hadn’t been for the hand on your thigh stroking in gentle motions, you would not have made it this far. If it hadn’t been for Katsuki sitting beside you, powering you through all the preparations, your first official public appearance would’ve been a calamity.

The car slowly rolls to a stop in front of a red carpet, sleek and ever so daunting, and the chauffeur makes his way to your door before Katsuki stops him with a hand.

Dressed smartly in a mulberry tux, tailored fabric and fitted waistcoat leaving nothing to the imagination, he turns towards you, as if approaching a trembling animal, and waits. Your eyes felt as if they’ve been covered by a veil, barely outlining his face painting only patience towards you. The world’s chaos outside reached your ears through a blanket of water, and your own matching mulberry dress clung uncomfortably to your skin.

He extends his fingertip, brushing your knuckle, and you blink owlishly at him. Trailing further to your wrist, he takes your hand and places it on his lap.

Your throat unstuck itself suddenly, just by a touch.

He tugs towards the door, looking at you for permission—and with a nod, you give it to him.

The rest is lost in bliss and buzz of fame. A dizzying dissonance of memories but all linked with happiness. You are here. You are alive and well.

And with Katsuki, you can finally turn to a camera and give a smile. A big, beautiful smile that leaves your eyes in sparkling crescents. A smile no serpent could look away from.

But there’s a limit to the sky, and being weightless only feels so great until you miss the drag of gravity. Your fingers tug Katsuki’s tie askew in the after-party, and one eyebrow rose in response. He studied you, posture needle straight which he knew was forced, and put his drink down on a nearby table. “Want to switch your heels with my shoes? Your feet are probably red as hell.”

Your chest warmed with the question. “‘m good.”

The ruckus you stood in was at the back of a building, floors down and a lengthy walk from the line of cars awaiting for their respective hero’s. You nod at friends while you make your way to the entrance—Izuku, Kiri, Mina—and smile back at their lovers.

You forgot Katsuki’s words have a habit of becoming law though, no matter the circumstance. A soft pinch of your heel strap takes your attention, and it continues until it starts to scrape. You’re slow to feel the tender flesh of your soles, the press of material at your toes. Glossy lips become a chew toy to suppress your agitation because you were just fine ten minutes ago.

It’s fine, there’s not much longer to go. It doesn’t matter if you can see from your peripheral vision Katsuki’s tantalizing face.

"The earth won't collapse if we switch shoes y'know."

"It's not that long of a walk," you grumbled, "quit it."

If the stars weren't spilled into the night sky, if the sun replaced the moon and the familiar goosebumps of cameras returned, you would have let him wear your heels. The media would greedily devour the intimacy, the acts of service, and boost Katsuki's name with praise not flames.

But underneath the high ceilings and dimly illuminated hallways, with only tinted windows to know of your love, there's no point.

The word stubborn breezes past your ears, and you turn your head at him curiously, before your world is rocked sideways like a glass knocked off a table.

Yet the arms that were the source of your fall did not let you hit the ground, that wasn't the purpose at all, but instead lifted you and stole a yelp from your lungs. Cradling you bridal-style, feet dangling off his arms.

All you did— could do, courtesy to the iron grip on your body, was stare at him. At his eyes fixed forward—defiant, stubborn, handsome. You wonder if your weight matters to him at all if he could steal you from the ground mid-stride.

And you have half a mind to castigate him for it, because it was fundamentally cruel. Unfair. Unjust for him to blend your heart like this.

"You better put me down before someone sees,” You stress.

"Y'see anyone here, sugar?"

"Once you get to the front door there will be! I'm not playing Kat."

"Neither am I.” he says, before jostling you around with dilute vigour, with you whisper-screaming to knock it off. Another flight of stairs and a revolving door, and you'll be at the eye of the public again. Like entering a relic.

The idea of lowering your head, clinging to Katsuki and praying the shutters of white light would freeze in time, was unbearable. Not when you felt encapsulated in a fairytale tonight. How had you lived before?

Because you weren't. A mere skull filled with blackened thoughts. It felt like removing the stitches off a wound, staining the marred skin red and jumping back in.

You were getting closer, nearer to the front doors.

In that instant, a new feeling blistered.

You brace yourself with a smile. "We're going to make a scene, aren't we?"

The halting bold look on his face transmutes into confusion—then true courage takes over.

The uproar of paparazzi and the internet the next few days rival each other. A sight one would think is so rare there wasn't a chance of it existing at all, served on a silver plate. Ares holding an Angel.

One thing in particular which truly lit the public into a spiralling inferno, was spotted by a fan. Trained eyes from a bedroom catching a private moment, between the intervals of blinding light at Katsuki's walking figure.

@makingmagic :: Doesn't Dynamight look like he's whispering "darling"?

© mimiriko 2023, all rights reserved.

[blorbocedes]

Age difference marriage for your choice of hornstappen or nico/mika please!!!!!

When Mika proposes, it's with the latest 2010 Mercedes sportscar model. Nico jumps into his arms, and then immediately reaches for the key. It's better than any ring, he tells himself.

"Did you know I used to have posters of him on my wall when I was a boy?" Nico wiggles his brows to the strangers at the Ibiza party lounge. Nico knows why Mika wants to get married in the party capital with no one else in their distinguished motorsports circle around. He's embarrassed. 42 year old, second marriage, pretty young thing on his arm. It all screams midlife crisis.

Well, Nico doesn't need to make it easy for him.

"Mouse." Mika's voice is warning, hand on his shoulder. Nico immediately turns to Mika, smiling, and crawling on his lap.

"What, it's true," Nico toys with Mika's collar. Mika's blonde hair falls over his eyes, hiding the carefully botox'd crows feet when he frowns. "You remember."

Mika's hand rests on Nico's hip. "Don't be trouble." Nico grinds down on him.

The strangers now look away from their public display, embarrassed, and Nico takes it as a win.

A GP2 crash shattered Nico's motorsports dreams, and he kept his word to his father, did 3 years at Imperial, graduated with flying colours with an engineering internship at Williams waiting with his name on it. Nico opted to instead chase after rallying and endurance races, cheering for Mika and waiting for him. It wasn't even hard, after Nico decided his favourite Finn was his white whale. Slipping into the hotel sauna where they were alone, and not wearing much. Mika objected weakly, the flimsy excuse for his conscience, and gave in anyway.

Nico grew up like a little prince so it's hard to spoil him. Mika does, anyway. A short fling of a childhood infatuation turns into something akin to whirlwind romance, it's dangerous and fun and a little bit taboo, and Mika leaves his wife for him.

Nico knows his father would disapprove. Mika knows it too, even as Nico shows up beside him more often than not. But it's nice, Mika's a large, protective figure behind him and always has a sweet name for him: mouse, pigeon, pet, darling, something in Finnish Nico can't quite decipher.

When they're in bed together, Nico can think of how neither of them are going to F1. Yes, Mika's technically on 'sabbatical' but everyone knows. The slight swell of his gut gives it away, but it's okay Nico will be fit enough for both of them, breaking up his croissant so it's harder to notice he hasn't touched it and feeding Mika. He likes that Mika has that touch of vanity of him, that keeps dyeing his hair blonder and is susceptible to the Monaco lifestyle of keeping everything looking young, tight, tucked in procedurally. It makes Mika not the dashing hero from his childhood dreams, humanizes him. And when Mika calls Nico beautiful, it is both a fact and tinged with envy.

"Pigeon, we have to go to the F1 paddock this weekend." Mika tucks Nico's long lock of hair behind his ear.

"Why?" It's technically their honeymoon.

"Mercedes are trying to get Lewis. Hamilton-Schumacher lineup. Ron called me to convince him to stay."

Lewis... Lewis Hamilton, 2008 world champion. The wonder rookie. Nico knew him once upon a time, when they both promised they'd make it to Formula 1 together, childish promises of becoming World Champion. Only Lewis kept up his end of the bargain. The thought of seeing him again makes Nico feel funny, like he wants to hide away. Nico hasn't even gone to Monaco in years.

At the British Grand Prix, Mika Hakkinen enters the McLaren garage with relative fanfare of a Formula 1 World Champion. Nico stays out of the cameras, doesn't have to field any interviews -- people generally don't know him without his dad around. The smell of the rubber and engine fuels and screams of thousands of fans, it's all reminiscent of his childhood. Nico idly thumbs the car keychain in his pocket, waiting for Mika.

"Nico? No way, is that you, man?"

[stoopid-turtle]

Consuming Candies Pt 2: DD ❤️ GG and GG ❤️ DD

ALL FAKE. I'M MAKING SHIT UP FOR FUN. DON'T BELIEVE ME.

Intro post for this series

Once I convinced myself that DD and GG are some variety of gay, the rest is honestly not hard to conceive of. Two gay guys filming a BL adaption on a set that was open to same-sex relationships who got on really well...it's not hard to believe they'd "get together".

3. DD and GG had "a thing" around the time of the TU production. This could include the time period during filming and through the promo period. Actual timelines and details of the nature of the relationship are secondary.

If an actor and an actress hit it off as well as DD and GG did, it'd be easy for people to see that they were an item. For some reason, people struggle more to see that with two men (okay, I know the reasons, but I'm not getting into that here).

By the time I'd established 1 and 2, I'd seen enough bts and other footage to buy in to 3, as well, but here's the list of moments/candies that just nail it for me. It would be impossible for me to list out all the moments that simply scream "They're in a relationship!!!" because there's, just, a lot. So here's the short list, again, in order of most inarguable to more open to interpretation.

a) Old cow eats young grass.

That's it. That's the clip. There is no het explanation for that. I guess you could maybe claim DD was referring to GG liking younger women, but that doesn't flow with the rest of the conversation they're having. Especially with GG's comment about paying for new brake pads,

They did the gay together. More than just casually. They were an item at this time. Hands down. Case closed.

(Again, I'll get to the argument that this is all fabricated fanservice at another point)

b) The bts of DD getting into costume where he's quizzing the costume-jiejie about what GG said about him in an interview.

This is straight-up, cliche, 'shows up in freaking romance novels' behavior when you have a crush. Nobody's that concerned about what their friend is saying about them in interviews. You only care that much when you're trying to get a feel as to their feelings for you.

Also, the costume-jiejie is hilarious about it. Asking him about his response in an interview and then teasing him about not remembering what GG said about DD. She clearly has served as a sounding board for DD about his crush before, and she's amused and encouraging and teasing, all at the same time. Hats off, costume-jiejie.

c) Happy Camp moments: jealous!GG and the necklace.

I don't usually put much stock in the jealous GG/DD stories, but the instance with GG going grimdark as DD wriggled through the hole with another guy is just...again, I'm struggling to think of a context that would make sense that isn't "they are together and GG is jealous".

(I don't find jealousy cute, tbh, so I'm not jazzed about the moment. I don't know what was going on between them that led to that, but I'm glad they seemed to clear it up).

This leads to the other Happy Camp moment, seen only in fancams. The ox-head necklace that DD had been wearing scratched up his neck during the game. GG's stunned reaction to DD's injuries and his concern, plus clearly telling DD to take it off...none of this makes sense unless GG gave DD the jewelry.

Like, okay. I have a necklace my bff gave me, and I wear it a lot. It's really meaningful and sentimental. But if it were scratching up my neck, I'd take it off. If she were there while it was scratching up my neck, she'd joke about it and agree that I should take it off. She wouldn't look distraught.

My wife, on the other hand...

c) DDU's 11th anniversary episode

There's no way to describe this episode except that it really felt as if DD was having his new partner meet his fam. The fact that DDU stopped throwing women at DD after that speaks volumes.

From a), it's clear that their relationship was pretty serious (and extended after the end of filming), and having GG meet DD's DDU brothers is another indication of where their relationship was at. That's not a trivial thing.

d) GG's lack of chill during promo interviews.

I get the vibe that if they were in a relationship, GG was a lot more scared/nervous about it than DD was. He also had less experience with interviews and such. There are numerous moments where GG misunderstands, overreacts, or just acts weirdly during interviews that are hard to explain away.

- The "It's been a year" video, where DD points out that the camera is recording and GG balks at whatever he'd been saying. Cue the nervous laughter and whispered conversation between them. - The backwards pants interview question. - An interviewer asking him if being in a relationship means the end of his career (right after asking about his marriage plans--a question that made dd mad). - His weird denial of DD's waterfall story

In each case, something startles GG into a panicked silence. Then DD usually intervenes and so then GG has some nervous laughter.

Plainly, there's something he's afraid of being revealed in interviews. So much that he's seeing danger, even when it doesn't exist. Given the nature of the questions, we can see that the "thing" he's afraid of is

- him being in a relationship - something involving DD and him and a waterfall - and accidentally wearing someone else's clothes.

All involve DD. In all, DD is the one who relieves the panic and calms him down while smoothing over the interview.

It's not a leap to guess that he's in a relationship with DD that he's afraid people will find out. Sure, he'd want to hide a het relationship too, that makes sense. But then there's the pants question and the waterfall question. And the only way GG and DD's reaction to the question of whether being in a relationship would be the end of GG's career is if...GG and DD were in a relationship.

e) Hot pot.

Okay, this is where I start sounding crazy if I discuss this without prefacing with everything above ^^^. But the fact that their tastes in hot pot shifted over time to more align with each other is significant. I've read about the regional differences and how DD's sudden taste for spiciness could only really be attributable to GG, who's from an area with spicy hot pot.

This resonates with me, especially, because I was a hella picky eater when I met my wife. Like, embarrassingly picky. But then I met my wife, and she cooks and is a foodie and eventually, my palate just expanded. Now I'm a freaking foodie (and a vegetarian, like her), and our eating habits are pretty closely aligned.

Merging is real in longterm relationships. It looks like this. In my case, my wife demystified food for me with her cooking and likewise, it seems as if GG taught DD how to handle spicy stuff.

This wouldn't be significant on its own, but in conjunction with everything else *waves hands*...well, it's convincing to me.

In summary, it is blindingly obvious to me that they were a committed couple at some point after TU filmed and aired (when that commitment started is unclear, but I'm not gonna get into that here). Even after 227, it's clear that they're romantically together. I'm 100% convinced of this. Since I started drafting this, I've come across older mentions of (now gone) bts that just...there's no doubt. They weren't hiding it on set. They were just out there, exhausting everybody around them with their chaotic flirting/mating dances. It's insane and I love it.

4. DD and GG are still together.

Me: So I've been watching behind the scenes for The Untamed, and I think the two actors maybe had a thing? There's just...a lot going on there. My wife: Sounds gay. Me: I mean, some people seem convinced that they're still together because of shoes or something. That gets real out-there. But I definitely wouldn't be surprised if they had a thing during filming. My wife: (who only watched the show) I could see it. They had that chemistry.

(2 weeks later)

Me: Honey, I swear I sound crazy but I'm not. These two guys were totally together and I think they might still be together. My wife: Because of shoes? Me: I SWEAR I'M NOT CRAZY, HONEY, JUST BELIEVE ME My wife: Yes, dear. Their shoes make them gay. Me: *sobs*

When I first started dipping into things, I felt a great sadness watching older videos of them, because I'd heard that they weren't allowed to interact in public, that they probably didn't even talk to each other anymore, etc etc. YouTube's full of this, and the fans who say they're still together look, well, crazy.

It's easy to conclude they're not together anymore given that so much early evidence of their relationship is based on videos/audios. The bts, joint interviews, fan meetings, etc. We were spoiled with up-front and personal visuals of their dynamic. It's not a surprise that in the absence of that, most people just assume they don't talk or interact much anymore.

Not to mention, wandering in some years later, you get a massive dopamine hit with the bts and the promos and then there's a drop when you try to look for more recent stuff. When we could see it, their relationship seemed to alive. So real. So undeniable. But in the absence of that, the immediate instinct is to assume that lack of visibility = lack of existence.

But we have only ever seen a small slice of their lives, most of which has been selectively shown to us by them or by production companies. Both DD and GG have full lives when we're not around to see them. They each have their own career trajectories. They have vastly different hobbies and both of them have their own friend groups. We only get a glimpse of all of that, but that doesn't mean that's all there is. Especially now, when they're sharing fewer personal posts and China is cracking down on the entertainment industry.

No doubt, we only know the tiniest, most tailored portion of their personal lives these days. But back in 2019-2021, they were clearly together. Their relationship was clearly serious. They joke about shared financial decisions, get introduced to each other's on-screen and off-screen family, visit each other's set. Both of them seemed in it for the long haul.

Given that, I don't see why we should assume they have broken up just because we're years later and we don't get the joy of seeing them together anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think a break-up is impossible. Couples break up. Even couples that have been together for a while. Even couples who adore each other and try to make things work. It happens.

But there's no reason to assume that they're broken up just because we haven't seen them together recently.

I do have a couple "reasons", but this evidence won't convince anybody who doesn't believe they were ever a couple. It's only when you accept that, yeah, these 2 BL actors are actually gay and in a long-term relationship, that this seems reasonable.

a) The bone necklace.

I'm pretty well certain that the ox-head necklace was a gift from GG. The timing of the bone necklace's appearance, plus DD's attachment to it (similar to his attachment to the ox-head necklace), makes it a decent guess that the bone necklace was also a gift from GG.

We can kinda guess at the meaning. I've only seen one clip where GG has called DD gouzaizai, so I don't know if that's an actual "thing" between them. (though it's not outside the realm of possibility that they are influenced by bjyx fandom).

In any case, the bone necklace is still around. Still being worn. That's notable to me.

b) They could end this ship if they wanted to.

They have both had other pairings shut down. The fandom wars between turtles and solos is intense and causes disruption, something neither of them need. The solo fanbases are huge and it'd be a no-brainer to jettison the CPFs if you want to cut down on the type of fandom upset that gets unwanted government attention.

But they haven't.

They could have the supertopics shut down. DD could avoid being anywhere near the number 3. They could both dive into a bush rather than be around the color yellow or a turtle. DD could take a video of himself melting down the bone necklace or giving it to a pretty woman. They could starve the fandom.

But they haven't.

They keep around their gay CP, despite not publicly interacting with each other in years. They take down articles about them breaking up, pull down hot searches about them with actresses, and continue to feed the fandom with candy.

Most recently, GG went to work late on the days DD was out sick. That's not even an intentionally thrown candy. That's just us noticing a couple taking care of each other. If they weren't together, then GG, whose team certainly knows about DD being sick, could have avoided doing anything that would make it seem like he was involved with DD during that time.

But he didn't. Either their teams don't care about turtles, which seems difficult to believe given the conflicts that have arisen within the fandoms, or the teams (notably, gg and dd) want to keep turtles around. At this point, years past the point the show is out, years past the time the two have even been seen together, there's no rational business reason to hold on to the turtles.

That's not neutral. They're not keeping turtles engaged for economic reasons. They're not keeping turtles engaged just for shits and grins (the joke has run a little long for that). They're keeping turtles around because they're getting something of value from having us around.

Honestly, I think having a huge contingent of cpf cheerleaders is probably comforting when they aren't allowed to express their feelings for each other publicly. It's probably weird and sometimes probably intrusive, like most stuff with fans, but they still have millions of people who embrace them as a couple when they live in a country that is hostile to their relationship. Who in that situation wouldn't want to keep that?

In sum, I had to get past the "too good to be true" hurdle. The automatic dismissal of BL fangirl fantasies. I mean, BLs often market to those fantasies, so a healthy dose of skepticism seems reasonable. I don't honestly blame people for dismissing it when they only have a passing familiarity with the whole thing.

It took a lot for me to see past that, and to see that this is the one case (that I'm aware of) where the fantasy is real. I think it's notable that this "fantasy" doesn't actually look like the fanservice fantasy often served up in BLs. I mean, ggdd have their moments, but they're also snippy, jealous, possessive, lewd, awkward, and just plain weird sometimes. They're real and that's messy and that makes it even more real.

In the next part of this little series, I'll talk more about the fanservice question, plus fanfic, and The Timeline. That post requires more editing, so it probably won't go out until next week.

Just remember it's all fake and nothing I say is true.

[inchidentally]

Something that i really noticed with that last video mclaren posted, the way oscar talks when he’s around lando vs how he talks when he’s alone. Like that aussie vs british words video which was probably filmed not that long ago from now, oscar is completely showing his sass and not holding back at all with his thoughts, doesn’t even care what the interviewer finds weird (obviously still in a respectful way, bc he was raised right) But when he’s with lando it’s like he reigns himself back because he wants to relish in lando’s sass instead, he wants to hear his thoughts and he’s genuinely interested in him and what he’s saying. Everyone keeps saying we miss prema Oscar, but prema oscar never left, based on that video he’s obviously still like that. it’s not even that he wasn’t comfortable enough as a rookie or not well settled in yet to show his character in his first year or that he was only following lando’s lead(which he was to some extent) but it’s been an entire season and he STILL waits for lando to speak first and waits for him to finish his sentences with exceptionally long pauses. He just loves hearing him. And even with lando’s tendency to ramble sometimes and oscar wioild still listen to a meaningless ramble from him bc he adores him. Sigh

They’re made for each other(I’m delusional)

OKAY BUT I hear you so much anon and I just want to lead into smth that has been cooking around for me about this since I fully agree w you, the Oscar we see with Lando is curiously different and quieter than Oscar with anyone else.

and I think this comment on the latest video hit the nail on the head?? in a way the person prob didn't think was that deep ??

bc of speaking the same language to the point of semi-mind reading but now ugh you've got to bring Other People along on your conversations and translate everything..........

so like y'know how Lando and Max F always look a little like they're going to burst out laughing when they have to put on their on-camera personalities in a Quadrant video? when you're around a close friend where you both normally speak in like half sentences bc you don't need to fill in the rest, it gets weird when you have to translate all of that out loud for the benefit of other people watching?

seeing Lando and Oscar's relationship develop over the season and now into the new one with this interview, I'm actually starting to think that's way more the case w them as well. we all joke about the twinning and unconscious mirroring but it makes all kinds of sense that considering how similar Oscar and Max F are in many ways that Lando would have a similar dynamic with Oscar - where it's not always easy to include the general public and have to bring all of us along.

the like, overlapping sentences and watching each other's expressions thing is so similar in both those relationships as well. same as when Lando is in A Mood where he's either hyper or giddy or low-blood sugar argumentative and Oscar and Max are basically following around after him like adults making sure a worn out toddler doesn't smash their head into sharp edges lahflashf.

and with the other F1 Lando friends like Carlos, George, Daniel Alex, Yuku, Max V etc, Lando is fully a gossipy chatterbox and pretty high energy - even when they're filmed casually or candidly. those friendships revolve around F1 and shared activities like padel, golf, gossip or going out/partying. it isn't that guys like Max F or Oscar couldn't easily slot in with those groups, I just think it's more that they're a different type of friendship with Lando. the streams don't usually cross in Lando's life, or very very occasionally. and I feel like he's even said he likes keeping the different parts of his life a bit separate?

so initially it kind of threw a lot of us when he seemed so relatively quiet and less of his usual 'on camera personality' around Oscar rather than seeing his usual teammate Lando Effect of jumping into a bromance, leaning into humor and figuring out a shared activity. and that usually includes lots of social media content together for fans.

but Lando and Oscar never post about when they hang out - even when 'contractually obliged' - and we only find out incidentally or bc someone else mentions it or posts pics. and from what we do find out incidentally, it makes you wonder about what else we're missing. it's just the usual things that a lot of drivers do together but Lando and Oscar prefer not to broadcast it for some reason.

and when you think about it both Oscar and Lando keep a certain percentage of their lives strategically offline already (Oscar way more obv) and it's like they automatically inserted each other into that part of each other's social life rather than a fan-facing one?

like obviously I'm just going off what we can see but they've been pretty damn consistent about it. Lily is obv a major part of Oscar's life and he has this whole set of close friends from boarding school who've gone to races as well as a set of old friends back in Australia - but apart from the occasional post of Lily, we only know any of that part of his life from Oscar mentioning it in passing or incidentally from a post by someone else or a fan sighting. Lando has a whole existence with close friends in Monaco that fans have tried and failed to squirrel out that Lando himself only mentions in passing and never posts about. he posts Martin but goes very shy and doesn't want to talk about him or their friendship in interviews.

and then Lando and Oscar have all these little in-joke moments and watching each other super closely and almost actively concealing the time they spend together that isn't requisite… and then little touching moments like Lando posting Oscar giving him a small smile on lando.jpg as the first slide so that the black heart caption sits underneath. and Oscar staying up all night after Vegas liking comments about Lando's crash and leaving that little papaya heart under the post of McLaren announcing that Lando was discharged safe and sound from hospital. at like 5am and apparently either when Lando was with him or after he'd left him.

idk it's just such a weird case of kismet that Oscar became a serious Lando fan when they were 14 and 16 respectively, their karting journeys both went through Ricky Flynn, Oscar and Max F knew each other in the Renault Academy, their paths crossed in an interview where Lando (who doesn't really talk much about the junior categories) said "not yet" when asked if they'd raced each other. and then Oscar arrives against a LOT of odds as Lando's new teammate and he's got zilch in common with Carlos or Daniel for Lando to fall back on and it's the worst start to the season of Lando's entire career… yet it ends up being the most immediately strong partnership Lando's ever had ?? there's no mixed dynamic to overcome or huge disparity in anything, not even an age difference and they share a double podium not once but twice while Oscar is still a rookie ??

and like, Oscar's in so many ways set up to fit in perfectly with the more low-key friendships Lando has in his non F1 life. bc from what it seems, Lando likes hanging out at home playing games and eating takeout and just chilling quietly as much as he does the glamour of F1 and touring the world and being a businessman. and I feel like he's even said somewhere how he needs to have that balance in his life rather than just being an F1 guy or just being the guy who stays at luxury resorts with famous friends.

so this separate little world that even casual fans seem to pick up on feels like it's because they genuinely fit together so well as people but also happen to make extraordinarily great teammates and I get why Lando keeps bringing up what will happen when they're battling for a WDC with that worried little shadow over his face bc it's one thing to have a bromance buddy teammate where you can shove each other around and laugh and hug off the tension… totally another when it's someone you feel is so similar to you and feel so strange when you're both having to pretend to talk 'normally' on camera and even weirder imagining you both on separate sides of a competition rather than joined together for it ???

like, they wouldn't necessarily have known each other if they weren't teammates and as teammates they're both talking about WDCs in cautious but confident tones and saying how they have 'years together' but also the tension of being each other's biggest competition and measure of success without any of the usual bro-ey fun of being Good Mates or Cabrones bc Lando and Oscar aren't bros and they're not dudes and they don't shove each other around or make loud jokes so how do you diffuse tension when you can psychically sort of connect and the bleed of what you want for each other and yourselves doesn't have that easy delineated relationship boundary bc Lando and Max have had to delicately and carefully navigate something similar and they couldn't just crack a joke or slap each other on the back in a hug and sort it all out bc that's now how they are together they actually talk and they make considered kind and gentle effort and it's too embarrassing to tell people about that unless you feel absolutely safe and chat is unusually chill and idk idk idk the similarities with Lando and Oscar and the complexities man !!!!!

idk as per usual this JUST my brain chewing all of this over and is NOT me thinking I actually know what's going on but it sure helps to offload it here where I know some of us will prob be like 'oh yea I get what that btch is saying' <3<3

[letterlitter]

Like fawns to the huntsmen

Lestappen

•Max needs to be careful, his relationship with Charles cannot get out.

•Tags: angst maybe??, a tiny bit of fluff

•word count: about 800

"Max? Max? Come back to earth please."

Max blinked himself to consciousness as the reporter-filled room burst into laughter from his zoning out. The question as far as Max could remember was about Ferrari so he tried to whip up an answer, "I think Ferrari is in a good place at the moment and we will have to see if they could keep it up. Charles and Carlos are old friends and it would be fun to race against them and see them eat a little bit more of the dust I have to blow."

Another wave of laughter filled the air and marked the end of the press conference for Max. Even with hating to be interviewed, he had been somewhat prepared for this. The reporters had been asking him questions about Charles over and over again in different ways and different context just to see how he would respond. Just to catch him off guard and make his tongue slip a secret or an unexpected opinion they could use to make them both look bad.

Formula one is a male dominated sport, most of whom are homophobic and racist and definitely not open to new things; so if Max's secret would be out, it would only be a matter of time until they both received countless death threats and even more hate messages telling them they will go to hell.

That was the last thing either of them wanted now that they were both at the peak of their careers. So they decided to hide what they have and tell everyone they're just good friends.

Charles was okay with this. He was good at hiding strong feelings of his, having been through so much in his life and continuing to do so. He could feel satisfied for the day with recieving small glances and smiles and Max's hand being wrapped around his waist to take a picture when they were both on the podium. It was the best he could ask for.

Max on the other hand was different. He liked to show people what he has done and what boy he has pulled. He liked people to know that they will go to the same hotel room after to celebrate their wins; to have their own little private party making everybody else in the world jealous of not knowing what will happen behind closed doors.

But not everything could go as the three times F1 world champion would want. Money could buy a lot, but not everything. This was one of them.

It was way too risky. Reporters would constantly ask him "how's Charles?" Or "any thought about Leclerc today?" Like they knew everything about what was going on between them. All the F1 ads and merch would put their pictures next to eachother on purpose. The camera flashes, like loaded guns, would go crazy everytime they even looked into each other's eyes.

Charles always thought if anyone would care enough to look closer, they would find out about them. He would nudge Max on the shoulder and whisper "don't be so obvious" when he kept staring at Charles's lips while waiting for his own post race interview.

Charles liked their dirty little secret. He liked it that no one could dare make their choices for them and they could keep denying it if anybody asked. Nice and easy and private.

Max loved Charles with every single vein in his body. He loved him so much he could barely breathe. He loved him so much his bones would ache. Charles was the only good thing Max still had from his childhood.

Charles's feeling had formed pretty early on. Ever since he didn't know what to call them. He just liked Max; he liked to tease him and make him mad by ignoring his concerns about the race. They were kids after all, who would care that much about a silly little karting mistake?

Charles liked to be around Max and it took him a while to realize why.

They kept eachother grounded, calm. They kept the noise down for eachother when things got way too overwhelming. They were each other's little miracle.

But things were sometimes harder as they were easy. Ferrari wasn't always the best team and Jos was never the best dad. Them going to eachother and having short meetings behind the garages would sometimes become unbearable. Why couldn't Max just kiss Charles right on that podium? Why would it make a scene if Charles hugged Max tight when he was down?

The sport reporters and photographers were everywhere. Any "wrong" move would make it right to the front page of every magazine and website, ruining their careers for the most part.

and there was nothing anyone could do. Only if they had been braver, only if they'd been less greedy. Only if the world wasn't so cruel...

[thewritingofspencerrose]

A Women's Guide to Sports Masterlist

"Niña, are you okay?" Is the first thing that greets my ears upon returning to the Aston Martin garage, Fernando's concerned expression meeting mine as he gives me a once over.

"I'm assuming my debacle in Redbull has already made it back here?"

"It's all over the internet," Lance is the one to answer, looking hesitant to continue. "Including the part where he announced that you're Verstappen's little sister."

Of course someone caught that on video. "Fuck me."

"Don't worry, no one around here will treat you any different," the Canadian assures, looking more sorry than I'd really like. "We're all pretty tired of the Verstappen's anyway. As long as you're okay, and that ass was kicked out, we're good, yeah?"

I can't help but laugh, nodding at the Canadian. Why he's made out to be the biggest ass, i have limited idea.

"Ms. Hughes, Mr. Caufield, Fernando and Lance will be needed in 30 for prep, so-" One of the staff mentions, earning a nod from the for of us. "We have prepared a set of stools in front of an Aston Martin backdrop for you all. It is just over here," She explains, pointing off to the side.

"Great, thank you much," I thank, taking the microphones from her hands before stealing Cole's hand from himself, pulling him to our designated chairs.

"Okay, so, the camera is here and rolling, so when you all are done we will edit it together," The woman explains, waving her hands around before walking off without a response.

"Y'all are very straight to business around here, aren't you?" The joke slips, ignoring my knowledge that Lance's father literally owns this team.

"You get used to it," Is Lance's chuckled response, just shrugging it off, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I get it, hockey's the same," Cole chimes, the little comment learning a kind smile. They're relating, Mom would say, it's how boys deal with feelings.

"Okay boys," I begin, clapping quietly and collecting their attention. "Starting in 3-" Cole's hand is moving to my leg, resting just above my knee in support. "2-" Fernando is running a hand through his hair, using Lance's sunglasses as a mirror. "And 1!"

"Hello everyone and welcome back to today's episode of A Women's Guide to Sports! As always, my name is Emily Hughes and today I am coming to you from the Canadian Grand Prix!"

"If you are one of my people who are watching this on social media, hi!" She greets with a little wave. "Or if you're one of my podcast diehards, I'm here to clue you in."

"As you most will have seen prior to this episode on social media, today I am here at the race with my brother Jack Hughes and Trevor Zegras, both probably lost in the paddock, and my boy Cole Caufield as guests of Aston Martin!" Cole gives her a little squeeze of acknowledgment with one hand, the other waving to the camera with a smile.

"Speaking of AM, we have some very special guests today, gentlemen, would you mind saying hi to the people on the other end of the audio?"

Both Aston drivers wave to the camera, offering a verbal hello as well.

"It's great to be here," Fernando assures, his quieter teammate nodding.

"We'll see if you still believe that when we're done with the questions I have for you two."

"Starting with?" Lance has enough self-respect to be concerned. He has seen her interviews before, asking about life while living the sport rather than just logistics.

'Women connect to a sport more when they can connect to a person, rather than data,' Emily had answered once when asked about the peculiar nature of her interviews.

Everyone knows those are the hardest questions to answer.

"So, we'll start a little easy on the questions here: Is it true that you have unofficially adopted Lance, Fernando?"

The older driver laughs, a light pink taking over Lance's cheeks as both men laugh, making Emily's smile impossibly larger, a sight that makes her brothers smile from off to the side, hidden from view and the camera.

"She seems to enjoy this," Max comments to Jack, noticing how easily she prompts the borderline ridiculous questions along, making sure to include many real questions about the cars performance and what it's like to live and love in Formula one. "She is doing better than most of the journalists."

Jack is an older brother, it's in his blood, and while that prevents him from trusting Emily's newfound family, he also knows that anything less than an attempt at acceptance would result in puppydog eyes.

And God all her brother's are a sucker for those.

"Yeah, she's studying journalism in New York, it's always been a passion of hers," Is the Hughes boys response, although he can't help the smile that takes place on his face. "While Quinn, Luke and I were pretending to be NHL stars as kids, she was pretending to interview us."

Max knew it would be hard not knowing her since she was a child. With his other half siblings he had been given the opportunity to be in their lives for all of those moments, or to at least know they happened.

"Now, this question is for the both of you," Emily catches his attention once more, "Fernando, towards the beginning of the season you were connected to one Taylor Swift, with rumors of you two being together floating around," She begins, giggling when Fernando winks dramatically at the camera. "With her mention in the sport, there was an increase in attention as everyone tried to puzzle out what was happening. Do you both believe that if big names such as Ms. Swift began to invest more into the sport, the audience would grow?"

Lance takes the question, diving in to how with his father being an investor, he does believe that if large names were to contribute more, the sport would increase in numbers. Fernando expands on it, explaining that that's how these things work, and why the teams like Ferrari and Redbull have such a following.

"So," Jack starts, doing his best to bond. "Do you have any other siblings?"

Max can't help the way his brows scrunch at the question. It's clearer by the second that as they watch their sister, they're just trying to get by.

"I have four," He decides to answer. "My sister Victoria is by full blood, then my sister Blue Jaye from my fathers second marriage and Jason and Mila from his third."

"God," the Hughes almost grunts. "Em has another brother and three sisters?"

"Yes," He hadn't processed that his siblings would be hers as well. "Does she have more brothers... through your family?" Is the only way Max can think to ask. "You mentioned a Quinn earlier?'

Jack nods, still in minor surprise that his sister has gone from simply having three brothers to now having five and three sisters. "Quinn's the oldest of us all, then there's me, Em, and we have a younger brother Luke."

Emily seems to have superior hearing, because her next question is on the same topic her brothers have been covering, "Now men, on to siblings, how does it feel knowing your sisters are superior to you?"

[asmallmoon333]

What do you think Light would be if not a detective?

I like to think Light would become an idol after getting scouted, then go into acting with the goal of using his newfound fame for activism. Very, ah, unlikely, I know. But its a fun thought 🙈

What's your non-detective career for Light?

Okay!! This is a fun question and I've been turning it around in my head for a couple days lol. Apologies in advance, my brain took this not as "what do I think/like" but as "how would I write this" and boom, I ended up overthinking it and making a couple of AUs....again. Hope it's at least amusing!

Actor AU. I actually really like this AU, entertainment-industry!Light sounds really fun, and I don't think your idea is unlikely! Now I don't see him as the sing-and-dance type of idol, but a model and then actor? Yup, I can see this, and I think it would be really fun to explore Light's propensity to live in an act, and make that not only his daily life, but also his career. So the way this AU would start is fairly simple: he'd be walking, and some famous person, probably Misa, would be doing a public shoot. The male lead doesn't show, so she'd point Light out in the crowd and make the crew add him to the shoot as her boyfriend. The photographer wouldn't protest cause Light is handsome, and MisaMisa is a beloved idol, so why not play along? Light would be annoyed but would also play along cause he's a 'nice guy' (and also cause they'd pay him, so easy money.) Plus they would promise not to reveal his face, which is key here. In Light's mind, it's an ego boost, so why not? But, of course, the pictures do get out, showing his face and 'devoted boyfriend act,' they're well received by the public. So now Misa won't shut up about him in interviews, starts to insist they're dating, and Light gets some small fame. He's the 'prince type,' and when Misa moves into acting movies, she wants him to have a role, and they give him something small. Light kinda doesn't want to, kinda does, but is mostly annoyed by the 'small role' thing and wants to show them he can do any 'stupid acting job.' And so he does do it, and plays the role very very well, and from there he gets popular. Light starts an acting career, he does it part-time alongside Uni (which is too easy for him, so he'd bored and has free time lol). The acting jobs also pay very well which is his main concern, since they'd help him get his own place. He also finds he doesn't hate it; it's more interesting than tutoring jobs at least. By this point, he's been typecast as the romantic male lead character or the second male lead, a prince type. Acting is easy for him, he knows what emotions to put on, and so the jobs are pretty easy for him while also building his fame. Eventually, he does this more full time as the roles get bigger, and as you said he also always speaks up for Just Causes in interviews. (to both build his reputation, but also to justify it to himself that he's going this for a 'good reason'). Light developed got a very clean public image, while in the background he's experienced enough shady things in the industry that he learns how to handle it and gets good at buring his opponents. He sees it as an interesting bonus to acting, lol. Now, here's where the AU gets fun; Light grows bored of generic romance movies, and eventually picks up more complicated scrips. Historical dramas, thrillers, etc. These are more challenging, more interesting, and he soon realizes he can slowly start letting his 'real' self out for the first time in his life, shocking the viewers with his 'realistic acting' in much darker media and roles. Then he'd revert to his good-and-humble prince self in public. He'll be known as a genius actor with a great personality. While internally, he'll also get catharsis by playing darker roles and exploring the emotions he was never able to in his daily life. The act becomes the truth, and the truth the act. It's a cool reversal! (Bonus points if L one day sees a darker movie of his and is watching very intently and goes "......he's not acting." And gets interested in Light. Boom, I shoved lawlight in there too!)

Politician AU Okay, now for a darker career path for Light, another AU that I really like to think about: Politician Light Yagami. But this one is actually not a 'If Light wasn't a detective' AU, it's one that takes place years in the future, after the detective bits. In this AU, Light did go to the NPA, climbed the ranks, and eventually he achieved his canon goal of being Director of the NPA. Probably in his 30s, a stupid young age, and everyone is in awe. And Light likes it for a while, he enjoys the power, but then he stats to slowly come to terms with the fact that crime is not the real enemy, its politics. That he can't fix the real problems just by getting rid of the symptoms (criminals) but that it's the sickness itself he has to eradicate. Light gets jaded over the years here, his 17-year-old naivety is gone, and he finds even the Director of the NPA has to bow down to other people (which he hates). But he tells himself it's cause he still doesn't have the power to enact real change. But, most characteristic of all? Light is bored, probably gets there within 3-5 years as the Director. It's boring now, he's reached the top, found it to be unsatisfying, so...now what? Another 20 years of this? Nope! Now, I don't know anything about the Japanese political system, but I know that Light Yagami, using his position as a political basis, would then run for some type of public office. He'd hand the NPA to a puppet he cultivated, and move on to more powerful positions, climbing higher and higher. His hands would get so dirty, and he'd do some truly horrific things, but in true Light fashion, he'd justify it as being 'for the greater good.' After all, the system is corrupt, and Light is "the only one who can fix it," and only by temporarily playing by their rules can he take charge. Or so he tells himself. But really, Light just lives for the thrill; the political enemies to outsmart, the people to set up, the 'bodies' to climb over, he lives on it, even while always telling himself it's for the greater good. And to his credit, he does make positive social changes (he needs social support in politics, after all) and he develops a great reputation in both his offices, and as his stint as head of the NPA (since crime went down in his hands.) People trust him, voters like him, and he looks great on a newspaper or magazine cover. He's also very clean politically, because no one can pin him down for anything. Only his fallen opponents know the truth, but even they doubt it sometimes. In this AU Light Yagami would climb to the greatest social position he could get in Japan....only to eventually realize that the victory of that bores him, too. So he'd have to come up with new goals, new methods, and maybe he'd even turn his eyes on neighbouring countries that are "chaotic" and "ruining his perfect vision of the world." (Let's squeeze L into the AU here, cause someone has to stop Light from starting World War 3.) Not sure how this would all end, but history would remember him as either a revolutionary, or a terrible dictator. The type of politician no one ever wants to see again.

And, well, there you go!! Two career paths that I can see Light pursuing, and best of all two stories that I think would be interesting to see unfold! Thank you for the fun question!

[tacky-optic]

Had a question about who our favorite Zenigata partner is in a server I'm in and now I can't stop thinking about them. Tis the zaza sickness.

anyway here's literally all of the characters Zenigata's been partnered with that i could find (within reason). if anyone wants to elaborate on any of these guys (cough yata cough) please feel free to go absolutely ham. *(obligatory spoiler warning for a whole lotta lupin specials, waow-- notably zenigata keibu since that's probably the most unwatched of everything i cover. but if youre here im guessing youre as unfortunately well-versed as i am so LETS FRIGGIN GET INTO IT)

Starting off nice n' mellow. I'm pretty neutral on Yata, tbh. I just think he's neat and it's easy enough to write him and not much else. I've rambled about him being a stand-in for the viewer before, but overall i just don't have all that many thoughts on the guy (seriously someone please do yata). ironic considering he's hands-down the most prevalent sidekick to date, but alas. head remains empty.

MARIYA. Mariya my girlie oh how i love thee. finally, someone with a Gimmick on par with Mr. my-sword-can-cut-anything. Plus she's super sweet and smart and sharp and just an all-around endearing character. AND SHE'S DIFFERENT!! she's tagging along with Zenigata of her OWN FREE WILL like gurl what are you THINKING. there isn't a shred of coherent interview material to draw from this man, especially about Lupin. The dynamic they end up developing is on point, though!! Zenigata's initial total miscall of it aside, It's just plain ol' wholesome. If Yata's his surrogate son than Mariya's obviously his daughter. No shot in hell they don't at least keep in contact after the special's done. plus her snapping a pic of him every time he eats shit is peak comedy journalism

MOTHAFUCKIN' MELON COP!! an absolutely magical reefer-smokin' shitbag, especially in the edgy Tokyopop translation. He's a great foil to our otherwise serious(ly neurotic) manga Zenigata. Not to mention the combative potential with a down the line Melon.... ough. A more toned-down "newer part"-esque Zeni getting slapped with an extremely smug and insistent reminder of his angstlord past is such a delicious concept to me. i will be using this guy extensively in that exact way one of these days-- he's too fun not to.

a bit of a sidenote but i've gotta point fingers at gray jacket again (can't recommend it enough) for having my favorite melon depiction in fic; walther recently had him show up in their fic secondhand vanity as well (which i also can't recommend enough), so needless to say i think he has some fun potential.

Sakuraba and Kunikida from the live-action show get honorable mentions, obviously. They're both so different yet learn so much from Zenigata all the same. As far as reacting to the inspector goes, they're the ideal Yatas (again i am so so sorry yata-- surely someone will do you justice). Even though they aren't technically "new" to the force they're new to the Zenigata Shenanigans, and that is where the entertainment factor is. Sakuraba's the traditionalist keibu method-doubter whereas Kunikida's this mousey blue around the gills fella, and over their respective case file appearances, they both gain faith in/learn confidence from Zenigata, respectively. It really is a great bit of development to watch play out.

I'm gonna count The Guys™️ as a collective group/formless mass with maybe one of the Guyest of Guys as Zenigata's right hand Guy, like that one dude in Cagliostro. Apparently the name he's given in one of the dubs is Sam?? That's neat. Sam's neat. for anyone interested in some homework, here's the link to the highly informative lupin forum thread i found that out from: [x]

But yeah the Guys! Right from the start, Zenigata having this army of inexplicably and absurdly loyal cops was always a fun trope and i love to see 'em whenever they show up. I had this idea ages ago for this fake documentary-style miniseries based around them-- all the usual Lupin nonsense goes on in the background while we get a peek at the typically unseen shenanigans happening on the law-bearing side. Getting assigned to the lupin taskforce is probably seen as some kind of punishment, but that just makes the camaraderie all the more tight-knit. There'd be some behind-the-scenes Zenigata/how he interacts with them, what they get up to on their own whack case assignments when they're in a Lupin sighting lull.... hell maybe we even learn why they're all so damn loyal to this one supposedly hyper-independent guy. I think it'd be fun but maybe that's just the Zenigata hopeful in me. Surely he's capable of building some semblance of rapport with the fine group of folks he drags around the world with him....

Let's just rip the band-aid off-- I dislike Oscar with a burning passion. which is weird, right? because i like Melon Cop, the dude who's totally cool with straight-up cold-blooded judge/jury/executioner-style murder. I dunno dude the obsessive daddy kink simping's just too feckin' weird for me. i checked the hell out so fast. If the goal was to make Oscar extremely disquieting, they friggin' did it. Granted he was written to be a bit whack from the start, and getting raised(?)/mentored by THAT Zenigata would irreversibly mess anyone up. I get that the fucked up-ness is part of the appeal, but man. How anyone can gravitate towards Oscar without heavily modifying his whole deal escapes me.

I've seen him written tolerably in fic maybe... twice? He's in gray jacket (there it is again!) and SMRO (needs no introduction nor explanation), so obligatory kudos to anyone who can wrangle [gestures vaguely at all of that].

Vicky though. Vicky Flannigan from Island of Assassins is so goddamn funny. Still can't believe they took one of the most badass Zenigata character designs and actively went out of their way to make him bedridden. I've seen folks call him "Proto-Yata" and. Yeah. Can't argue. He's a glorified babysitter, if anything, and the only reason he's even remotely effective is because he (accidentally) broke both of Zenigata's legs. Funniest shit istg

ICPO LADIES!!! They're cute. Designs could be better but it's Babylon yknow. Despite being an admittedly fun romp, the special has its obvious.... uh. issues. product of its time and all that. iykyk. anyway LADIES. They're competent. They take No Shit from Zenigata. The random little crush that comes out of nowhere between Chinjao and Goemon is cute as hell. Plus, I've seen some pretty rockin' fandom redesigns floating around.... wouldn't mind in the slightest if they made a comeback.

I'm gonna lump all of the Betrayers into one category: Emily O'Brien from Angel Tactics, Kazami from Fuma Conspiracy, and Terry Crown from Alcatraz Connection. Never expected the "Zenigata's partner is the bad guy!!1" trope would be so prevalent, but it tracks in retrospect. It's a neat enough idea-- bummer they never seemed to nail it down, though.

The only reason O'Brien is so predictable is because she's so goddamn unlikable. There's hardly any screentime of them working together and in every single scene, the incompetency just feels so blatantly intentional its almost offensive lmao. Zero surprise in the slightest when she showed her true colors-- just mild annoyance, which tracks for the whole special tbh. Only worthwhile parts are the beginning and the end, and absolutely none of that has anything to to with O'Brien.

Kazami just has that chump secondary villain face y'know. Again, a bit on the nose how obnoxiously dorkish he is-- but them playing up him putting on his glasses so Fujiko can recognize him got a little laugh outta me, ngl. He served his purpose, plain and simple.

I'll never know whether Crown was predictable or not because I stumbled across ""Evil Columbo"" before I watched Alcatraz, but despite the spoiler I can at least say he isn't lame as shit. Pre-reveal, he's probably the closest we'll get to a taste of what Melon might be like in modern Lupin media. He's your run-of-the-mill corrupt sleazebag detective-- steals evidence, generally doesn't give a fuck, takes cheap jabs at Zenigata-- but their final standoff is what puts him above Kazami for me. Just a real melodramatic overdramatic moment of Zenigata Zenigata-ing his heart out.

Welcome to the ELDERLY MEN CATEGORY, OORAH. The old guy from Twilight Gemini, Kogoro Akechi from the pilot, and George McFly from First Contact. I could track down Gemini old guy's name, but I hand-to-god couldn't care less. The only worth a damn thing Gemini's given me is that one jigzeni screenshot, so we're just gonna move on to the next two.

Not much of Akechi, huh. He only shows up in the pilot and doesn't do anything of note besides be someone for Lupin to disguise himself as. Dare i say Goemon was a more effective ally to Zenigata than Akechi...? yeah sure, why not. Goemon's a zeni sidekick. i'll die on that hill. anyway I believe he's also a reference to a pre-existing character...? like Lupin, Goemon, and Zenigata are. All in all its probably for the best that he didn't make it to part 1.

Finally, the only old guy that actually has aspects to talk about. I actually really like McFly and the role he plays in First Contact; it isn't Zenigata learning from whoever his partner may be, but McFly learning from Zenigata. He's a jaded, on-the-verge-of-retirement type that thinks he's seen all the force has to offer, but here comes this young (is he considered "young" in this?? early, maybe) freak-ass foreigner cop with a vendetta he's practically frothing at the mouth to rectify. Neither of them are exactly enthused to be working together, but McFly sticks around anyway and learns to see past a lot of Zenigata's first impression baggage; the tenacity, the passion, the genuineness of it all. Not only does he want to make real change, but the crazy bastard can actually friggin' do it. ...Or at the very least make a sizable dent.

Zenigata sincerely adheres to the idea of what a cop's supposed to be, fundamentally, and not what a "cop" actually is, as a vague collective occupational concept. Zenigata has a genuine effect on McFly-- enough to make him just the slightest bit less soured by the end of it all. It's a nice sentiment; that no matter where you are in life, ideas can still change. It's a small arc that flies beneath the radar of everything else, but i noticed it. I FRIGGIN' NOTICED IT, MAN

tl;dr Zenigata's a lonely guy, sure, but he doesn't have to be.

That should cover all of the significant parts/specials/movies, but if i missed anyone (any notable episodes? manga?) lemme know. Either way, it's nice finally having 'em all in one place.

[backjustforberena]

Any headcanons on vaemond and Rhaenys’ relationship? Vaemond seems pretty anti Targaryen to I can’t imagine he was all that happy at first.

An excellent question! It's interesting. I don't think I have specific headcanons per se but more... vibes I pick up. From the scenes we get and then little nuggets in interviews.

It's tricky. They only have one scene together, in private, and it's in extremis, and it's also after 30+ years of knowing each other.

But things I pick up on are use of names: they both speak to one another without title, and they both refer to one another by relation as well (good brother, good sister). Vaemond feels safe enough to confront this issue with her, which is also something. Admittedly, however, as much as this suggests familiarity, for both of them it also suggests the context of the scene - Vaemond seeing Rhaenys's power waning, and Rhaenys wanting to keep it a private matter. As well as other stuff. It's layered. It doesn't necessarily mean they're buddies in the fluffiest sense of the word.

I definitely think that Vaemond wasn't particularly happy with the marriage. I don't know if he liked Rhaenys as a person, but I do think he actually respected her and respected what she did for House Velaryon (to a point) and respect that his brother did love her and that she loved him.

But I think, from the get-go, he thinks it's dumb. Just looking at the interests of House Velaryon: sure, marry a Princess, that's great. But THIS one? Rhaenys? The Heir's only child? That yokes House Velaryon to the Crown's interests and, even, to be overtaken by the Crown as any of Corlys's heirs will be hers. It's just playing with fire. I think Vaemond probably questioned Corlys's motivations. And then, of course, Rhaenys gets put aside and Vaemond's like: brilliant, what was the point of all that then? And then Corlys keeps up with his ambitions and probably spent a whole lot of dosh on Harrenhal and it's just a whole thing and the root cause, alas, is Rhaenys.

I do think Vaemond loved Laena and Laenor though. He was devoted to his family and to his house. I think he loved those kids. And so it's easy to blame "bad influences" for leading them astray. Such as Daemon or the Targaryens as a set. It's very easily done.

I don't think Rhaenys thinks the world of him but I do think she respects his loyalty to his family, whatever support he has been to Corlys over the years and, by extension, her kids as well. She does care for his wellbeing and feels a sense of responsibility towards him as her husband's brother. She warns him, multiple times, and gives him an "out" during Episode 08, and does seem genuinely moved when he dies - she stands vigil over his body and stays in King's Landing to escort it home. There isn't a lack of care there or a hatred.

Saying that, Laenor totally got his influence to call Vaemond "Master of Complaints" from his mother.

We can assume that Rhaenys has been in charge often enough when Corlys has been away. Now, if she weren't Rhaenys then, in all likelihood, the running of Driftmark might have passed to Vaemond, especially where the Fleet is concerned, given that he's Corlys's closest male kin. But Vaemond seems very secondary to her and I don't think he ever tried to take that away from her. I don't think there was necessarily conflict because of that. Teething problems? Sure! But I think they both give each other grace and have their roles.

Whilst Vaemond is necessary to the opening of Episode 08 (obviously), I personally also choose the read it as indicative of their relationship as well. Vaemond isn't shunted to one side, there is some sense of inclusion and proximity. I've always imagined that scene comes directly from hearing petitioners or at least something like that, to account for the formality of the setting - Rhaenys on the throne, Baela at her side, Kelvyn in centre.

And, thinking on it, though I will wrap up soon, I wonder about Vaemond during those six years. I'm going to go out on a limb that he probably had more of a clue on Corlys's headspace than Rhaenys did - especially in regard to his motivations. I can even imagine him going to the Stepstones, initially. But there becomes a point where he can turn back where Corlys wants to press on and Vaemond is granted leave. Vaemond could know Corlys was going to keep going until he died or something similar (I'm thinking of the conviction Vaemond has towards Corlys's death). I like to think Vaemond has been back for a signific period of time by Episode 08. Maybe years?

And Corlys totally wrote to Vaemond wanting sly reports on how his wife is. Vaemond rolls his eyes but complies.

[funnywormz]

OUUGHHUIIIUIOO DIMPOLE

edit: image description written by @princess-of-purple-prose ! thank you!

[ID: An in-character interview with Dimple from Mob Psycho 100 on 4chan. It reads:

>Interview with Dimple

>Q1. What kind of person were you when you were alive?

A. I forgot... But since its me, I'm sure it was a hella sexy dude.

>Q2. It seems you can communicate with Reigen when you're possessing him. How is that different from others?

A. Who knows. It's probably because we have a shared purpose. Even when you're both sitting in a car, only one of you can use the steering wheel, right? So unless two people agree exactly on which direction they're going, the car's not going to move in the right direction with two people behind the steering wheel. Ordinary people aren't usually conscious when I'm possessing them. It's different for espers, though. Especially strong ones, who can't even possess.

>Q3. What do you feel like?

A. Wet, smooth, slippery. A bit cold, but that can be adjusted. But it's not like ordinary people can touch me to begin with.

>Q4. Why did you stay in the world after giving up on becoming a god?

A. I'm not sure either... Spirits are born from a purpose, like resentment or obsession. Only with strong desire can the spirit body be maintained. But maybe it's like what Mob said. People are just people. You don't have to exist for a reason, and it doesn't matter if you care about it or not. Why does that kid occasionally say something profound when he's dealing with something besides himself?

>Q5. Is there anyone you particularly enjoyed possessing? Anyone you want to try?

A. That old lady or whatever guarding Claw. People who have very little spiritual resistance will do whatever you want, so that feels nice. Being the cult leader of LOL was especially fun! One person that surprised me was the leader of the Body Improvement Club. It was like manipulating a giant robot! Someone I'd want to try... probably Hanazawa. If you give him to me, I'm sure I can take him from being the school idol to the least popular guy in school in a day.

>Q6. What do you do when Mob's at school?

A. I've been going to Spirits and Such more often because interesting things occasionally happen there. Besides that, sometimes I take a walk, watch TV, or I check out your house. (evil laughter) I'm kidding, of course.

A. He's always trying to play pranks and thinks he's got Mob fooled, which is pretty funny to watch. Or at least that's what I thought, but it turns out Mob is really just that gullible. Reigen's like that guy who keeps building shaky towers out of building blocks, and it should come as no surprise when they collapse. He's always using some weird and question means of maintaining it all, and sometimes I just want to poke him a little bit and make him fall. ...I have to repress that desire.

>Q8. If you could become a human and become Mob's friend, what would you do?

A. Become a human... Make friends... Travel, eat food, play sports. Anything would be good, but I'd just like to pass the time as usual. That's enough to make good memories. ...or actually, I think I'd like to do sumo! Even if I can't beat him in powers, I want to use my bodily strength and muscles to toss Mob around. Let him see how that feels like.

>Q9. What was your first impression of Mob? How about now?

A. I thought he was just a kid so I underestimated him. But instead he was scary as fuck. I pissed my pants, okay? I don't think I understand him as much now since he's grown up a lot. I wonder how he'll end up.

>Q10. How can someone see you? A. You need to think that seeing me is something completely natural. Once you can fool your brain, your perspective changes. This is something that you can train, but maybe something completely unexpected will happen. So it's dangerous and not recommended. The easy way is to just let me possess you. The important thing is just to break the common sense that forms your vision.

Q11. Can you eat ordinary food? Please tell me your favorite food!

A. I can still eat and drink, and I'll absorb the energy in the food. My favorite food? Beans and peanuts. That's cute? Yeah, that's right. Also alcohol. Beer has the best alcohol fragrance. You say I sound like your dad? Hmph, shut up.

>Q12. What's the first thing you remember?

A. The memory of my life is entirely gone... I can't remember at all. I feel like it should be like it is now. I stare at the sky a lot. There's some old memories from right after I became a spirit, probably in a cemetery. But I don't know if I have a tomb somewhere. It's all like a prior life to me, anyways. One day, will I forget about what's happening now, too...? Ugh, that sounds like something an ordinary living person would be worried about. Forget about it. End ID]

[lxndonorris]

blindfolded - Maxiel

Max Verstappen x Daniel Ricciardo Theme: Smutish, Teasing, Touching (not too explicit) Things escalate slightly after filming the simulator racing challenge between Daniel and Max (Max's POV) word count: 2040+ Editor's note: The video and this picture inspired this story, and I hope it's enjoyable! I'd appreciate it to receive some feedback since I feel it's harder to write about same-sex couples due to always using "he/him" or simply the name. Did you enjoy this? Do you have any requests? My ask box is always open!

A few clouds are hanging above the paddock when Max finds himself standing inside his motorhome, browsing his phone. A day of filming another challenge for Red Bull Racing's various social media channels is finally over, and normally Max isn't a huge fan of it all. He wants to race and do as few interviews, challenges, or videos as possible. This changed, however, when someone special reentered the Red Bull spaces. That special someone is Daniel Ricciardo. For a long time now, they have been seeing, dating, and loving each other. It was quite hard since for the last few years they were racing for different teams, but somehow it worked out fine. Daniel is always making Max laugh, and the other way around. It is so easy for Max to film videos now, to be himself more, and to actually enjoy playing stupid little games or challenges.

Max is scrolling through his phone, slightly bored, when he lets out a soft, low groan. He puts his phone down and leans his head back against the huge pillows on the sofa. Still thinking about today's challenge, he can't shake off the thoughts of what happened today. He closes his eyes and gives in to one of those thoughts about what happened before.

The challenge was getting into the simulator blindfolded, with another helping them around the track. When it was Max's turn, he put on the blindfold, and right away, he felt a little aroused. Just hearing Daniel's voice echo through his mind was enough to really get to him. It was slightly weird to get into the sim like that. Maybe it was the lack of control or being dependent on someone else. Luckily, it was Daniel who should help him. At first, it was pretty good, even though Max's thoughts were flooded with imagery of Daniel. Just hearing his voice sparked so many different pictures, but he was able to concentrate on the challenge. After all, he loves the sim so much that he could basically do it while asleep.

But then, Daniel did something to tease Max even more. "I'm gonna go on my knees, so I'm more at driver line." He said, and instantly, Max panicked slightly. 'What is he doing?', he thought to himself, and  felt his whole body tensing slightly. Max sensed him right beside him, and more importantly, the faint, familiar scent of Daniel's favorite cologne reached his nostrils, sending shivers down his spine. More than a dozen different thoughts raced through his head. It felt like Daniel was about to tease him, touch him, kiss him right here, with Max unable to see anything. All of his body got stiff in anticipation, and his desire and lust grew bigger. Licking his lips, Max opened his mouth to say something, anything, but before he could respond in any way possible, Daniel leaned in to Max and whispered audibly into his ear. "And you can hear me when I talk to you like this." He said, holding back a giggle, but all of this was enough to spark another thought inside Max's head.

He already felt Daniel's hand on his body, opened his mouth, and let out a soft moan. In a second, he blushed, giggled, and turned toward Daniel's voice. They shared a quick laugh, realizing that they're actually getting filmed right now. Daniel, however, was completely aware of what he was doing and what effect he had on Max whenever he whispered into his ear. "You good, Checo?" He said, making anyone aware of how tense this small interaction had become. But this didn't stop him from teasing Max. Near the end of the challenge, he leaned in once more; this time, it was just meant for Max. "Fuck. The things I'd do to you right now." He breathed right into his ear, causing Max to hold back another, louder moan. It was quite intense, and he had trouble hiding the excitement gradually growing inside his skinny jeans, a disadvantage of tight clothing. While taking off the blindfold, Daniel placed a hand at his back, subtly stroking him while he whispered once again. "Too bad it's already over." His voice sounded so smooth and deep, as if craving more. Max just licked his lips before he said, "Just you wait, Daniel."

Still with his eyes closed, Max is getting more comfortable on the sofa. Legs spread, he breathes deeply, and subconsciously, he keeps on touching himself through his jeans. Once, then twice, his hand brushed over his length, thinking about what Daniel had said to him before. He groans quietly, adjusting himself to the pillows with his back rubbing against the sofa. Max is wearing his usual outfit: skinny jeans, a Red Bull shirt that's pretty tight, but that's how he likes it, and one of his beloved caps. His body is stiffening slightly, but he is still stroking himself lovingly.

"Enjoying ourselves, aren't we, Max?" A voice rings through the room, catching Max off-guard. His eyes jump open, and he turns his head toward the source of the noise. Of course, it's Daniel, standing between the doorframe, just closing the door silently behind him. "Huh?" Max says, unaware of his hand on his crotch, outlining his bulge with the tip of his fingers. Daniel motions toward it, causing Max to follow his gaze with his eyes. There is no denying it, and he doesn't bother to stop just for him, who's the cause of it after all. "Obviously." He hisses slightly. Daniel tilts his head, bites his lower lip, and runs a hand through his beautifully curled hair. "Feisty, aren't we?" He says this, holding back a mischievous grin. Of course, Max isn't angry with Daniel—maybe just a little bit. But to be honest, he missed messing around during PR shoots a lot.

"That's what you do to me, babé." Max raises an eyebrow and lifts his chin, looking at Daniel from underneath his cap. "Aww." Daniel says quickly and strokes his own chest once, then twice, before approaching Max. While keeping eye contact, he sits down right next to Max, who's eyeing him suspiciously. With one hand still on his crotch, Max rests his head on the other, with his fingers gently stroking his neck. Daniel lowers his head, trying his best to look into Max's eyes, but he's using that cap as a shield. Something he'd always do to stay comfortable because it grants him self-confidence. Daniel is aware of that, but he knows how to play around it. "The challenge was fun, wasn't it?" He smiles deviously, leaning in to Max again, who's lifting his head just enough for him to get a glimpse of his beautiful, bright eyes.

A coy smile spreads across Max's lips; he's acting shyer than usual. "It really was." He says it and feels his body getting into it right away, with his hand still stroking himself mindlessly. Getting even closer, Daniel's mouth is right next to Max's ear, and he feels his hot breath against his skin. "I meant what I said." He exhales deeply, sending shivers through Max's entire body. Immediately, his whole body is drawn into it, with all of his muscles and every fiber of his body tensing in anticipation. "What...." Max's voice breaks slightly, sounding even rougher than before. "What would you do?" He says this, and he is barely able to keep eye contact, so he focuses on Daniel's chest, his shoulder, arms, and hands instead. One of his hands moves to his own chest, stroking himself again through his jacket. "I'll tell you." He breathes deeply again. "But first, put this on." Daniel smirks, pulling the blindfold out of his pocket, and at first Max hesitates, but with a sly smile, he puts it on himself.

With his vision blocked now, he's ready to give in to his boyfriend. To calm himself down, however, he keeps on stroking himself. One hand is still on his crotch; the other is running across his own chest. "Fuuck." Max exhales deeply, followed by a quick chuckle. "I'm kind of nervous." He says, his whole body humming quietly. "It's fine. It's just me now." Daniel says it softly, his mouth right next to Max's ear. "May we start?" He asks, and Max nods slowly. "Alright." Daniel says, and by the tone of his voice, Max knows he must be smirking. This causes his heartbeat to accelerate faster than any car he has driven before. All of him is craving more, and he is unable to hide it. His muscles are bulging against the fabric of his tight shirt and jeans, with his desire visibly imprinting through their fabric. So many things are ringing through his mind in what feels like a nanosecond. But then it stops when he feels a hand on his chest. "I'd start by touching you, just the way you like it." Daniel's voice is so deep now, so soft, with his hand now touching his chest and his pecs through his shirt.

Right away, Max can't help but moan under a deep sigh. "So good." He exhales, and it turns into a soft chuckle again. Enjoying this feeling, he embraces that hand, which encompasses his upper chest, with the tip of the fingers brushing over his hardening nipples. Those hands know their way around his body, making sure to hit every sweet spot perfectly. Another hand joins his chest, making it even harder for Max to stay focused. "Enjoying that?" Daniel whispers, increasing the intensity of his strokes just slightly so as not to overwhelm Max just now. "So muuuch." Another moan escapes Max's lips, and his own hand follows Daniel's movements. "Good." Daniel smirks again. "How does that feel?" Max feels one of those hands now on his neck, tracing his firm jawline with the thumb and his soft lips with the tip of his fingers.

"Mhmmm." Max, unable to speak, purrs contently. He leans his head back before melting into that loving touch. At the same time, the other hand is running down his chest before slipping underneath his shirt. At first, Max flinches due to the cold hand, but it doesn't take long for him to embrace it as well. "Yeah, that's it." Daniel breathes deeply as his boyfriend purrs more and more. Max's entire body is now vibrating rhythmically as Daniel's fingers draw circles across his chest, outlining his tits, nipples, and abs, with all of his muscles reacting instantly to the slightest touch. "Fells good, yeah?" He whispers again, and Max opens his mouth to say something, but a low grunt is all that comes out.

"How about this, then?" The hand slides out of his shirt and instead moves toward the tent forming inside his trousers. Licking his lips in anticipation, Max's body gets stiff and rigid. "Daniel, fuuck." He groans once it reaches his length, stroking him lovingly, once, then twice, rhythmically, in sync with his own hand. "Come here." Daniel takes Max's hand, moving it away from his crotch and right toward his own. Right away, Max gasps, feeling Daniel's lust also building up rapidly. "Fuck." He grunts, turning his face toward Daniel, who's purring now too. "Let me help you." Daniel growls and guides Max all over his body. The feeling of his boyfriend's firm chest gives him goosebumps.

For a while, he is allowed to freely move his hand all over Daniel's chest and back to his waist, thighs, and crotch. It feels amazing, even though he can't see anything. All of this, including Daniel's scent hovering all around him, slowly overwhelms him. He opens his mouth to let out another, longer moan, but then Daniel kisses him softly, causing him to moan right into his mouth. Then, Max feels him separating himself before the blindfold is removed. At first, his vision is slightly blurry, but he's adjusting to the surroundings pretty quickly when he spots Daniel, smirking shyly. "How did it feel?" He says this, and Max slowly regains his composure. "Fucking amazing." Max smiles brightly, leaning in to steal another quick kiss. "We should do it again." At the sound of his husky voice, Daniel's smirk grows bigger. "I'll keep it, then?" He plays with the blindfold, and they share a laugh.

[theyoungeragrippina]

💫 5 gentlebeard fic recs

to see if we have similar taste or find more to read, you can access 15 more recs here, or my current master recommendations list as an ao3 collection.

all the works on this particular post:

are longer-form (40k+)

have no steddyhands (simply not my thing)

are generally, all around brilliant (well-written, had me kicking my feet and giggling, laughing, or crying)

are complete!

enjoy <3 !!!

The Angriest Chicken In The Apothecary by @ignisentis

49k, explicit

"Stede's a lonely apothecary owner looking for love. Ed's a jaded potions master looking for his place in the world. This is how they find what they're looking for in each other."

so funny & creative & witty. i would actually die for stede's chicken familiar clemmy. clemmy stan club for life. i love her. this is SOOO good.

The Curse of Blackbeard's Sword by @dimplyowl

69k, explicit

"Stede is beside himself when he's hired to acquire and restore the infamous sword of Blackbeard, the scourge of the Caribbean and Stede's childhood obsession. He didn't expect that the sword would come with the ghost of Blackbeard attached, for Blackbeard to be so interested in him, nor for his simple offer to help Blackbeard's soul move on open the gates to a relationship right out of his deepest fantasies."

a super fun magical realism quest/romp/rom-com. also i LOVE witch frenchie and stede's cat and poor third-wheeling lucius.

Hold Fast by @cuddlytogas

304k, explicit (all the sex scenes except the last one are pretty easy to skip, but definitely still worth reading without it. pls feel free to message me if you want pointers on where to read around in the last bit and i can summarise/signpost for u!!)

"Stede Bonnet is free at last, and on his way back to his love. As "Captain Thomas Edwards", he'll learn a lot about sailing and emotional availability, and perhaps even make a name for himself as the man either brave or foolish enough to hunt the legendary Blackbeard. But rumour has it that Blackbeard may be the opposite of welcoming, if and when he ever catches up..."

this is so long and so well characterised that it felt like an alternate canon continuation to the show. every time i came back to it it was like sinking into a warm and comfortable and familiar bed <3 so easy and emotional and incredible and SO well written.

Liquid Gold by @perkynurples

79k, mature

"Stede Bonnet, recently divorced, returns to the town he once knew with a plan. He's got the house, he's got the bees, and he's going to be(e) happy if it's the last thing he does. (Stede is, as it turns out, a bit miserable no matter how hard he tries.) Ed Teach has been keeping all of his various demos at bay more or less successfully for years now. He's known as THE beekeeper in town, always meticulous, always gentle, never too bothered with rules, expectations, or protective gear for that matter. (Ed is also, no matter how hard he tries, a bit bored at this point.)"

ed and stede are so well characterised, heaps of cat and bee and flower rep, fantastic sassy and nosy lucius. just a fun and funky and good time! (also contains my personal no. one favourite piece of fanart ever).

To Stede, This Morning by keriiiocabinet

71k, mature (nothing sexually explicit!)

"In July of 2003, music journalist Lucius Spriggs travels to Valle Crucis, North Carolina to secure the interview of a lifetime: a candid, one-on-one conversation with with the elusive country music legend Edward Teach. He expects the basics - talking to the infamous Man in Black about what the industry was like at his prime, the potential to unlock an exclusive confession or two, if he was lucky. But the story Lucius gets from Ed starts in the spring of 1963, when Ed Teach met Stede Bonnet. A story of chances taken, D-I-V-O-R-C-E, nudie suits, and an unconditional love spanning across forty years."

this is one of THE best pieces of fiction i've ever read, but also i am genuinely weeping. it is 9:30 on a thursday morning and tears are streaming down my face. unbelievably bittersweet.

let me know if there's any works you've loved or written that i've missed!

[molsno]

yesterday, I did shrooms for the first time. I wasn't really that sure what to expect. I take weed gummies every week, and I have experienced some psychogenic effects from them in the past, so I thought that they would be somewhat comparable, but they're really not. I wanted to write about my experience and organize my thoughts, so I tried to go into as much detail as possible. this post is very long, so I've put it under a read more.

first of all, I took them via capsule. I don't handle strong, bitter tastes very well, and I'd heard that's what they tasted like, so my girlfriend and I ground them up into a fine dust and packed them into pills. I ended up taking 6 pills, for a total of 1.8 grams of shrooms. I ate light beforehand since I knew nausea might be a problem. I just had a simple cheese and salami sandwich and then swallowed the pills.

it took a while for them to take effect, and I was a little anxious to find out how I would react. that said, I was in a pretty good mood yesterday - I had just had a job interview that I thought went really well, so I'd been feeling a little better than usual. normally I'm quite pessimistic, but I knew that going into a trip with a negative mindset would make for a bad experience, so I tried not to stress over it too much.

the effects were mild at first. my pupils began to dilate, and the ceiling looked as though it was tilting and rotating. the popcorn pattern had the illusion that it was sliding to the left as I stared at it, which made me giggly. based on what I'd heard, I thought that I would start having stronger visual distortions, and maybe even some hallucinations. that wasn't the case. I'd taken a milder strain of shrooms - golden teacher. and I was about to learn just how fitting that name was.

slowly, I started tearing up. I wasn't sure why it was happening at first; I thought it was just because I'd had my eyes open for a long time. but soon enough, the floodgates burst. the world fully opened up to me, and before I knew it, I couldn't stop crying tears of pure, unrestrained joy.

it's difficult to describe what it felt like, so let me give you some context. for the past 6 months, I've been unemployed since being laid off from my job, and I've been struggling to hold it together emotionally as things continue to fall apart around me. recently, every day has made me question whether or not life was even worth living. I've felt powerless to help myself as the horrors of capitalism continue to push me down and break my spirit. I've felt alienated from my friends, especially as many of them have left me and the friends I hold dear. and due to my aforementioned powerlessness, I felt as if it was impossible for me to truly help the people I care about as much as I want to, even when they're going through horrible crises, especially because of my own fears holding me back.

in an instant, all of that changed. I can honestly say I've never felt happier in my life than I did yesterday. I approached the window, which extends from floor to ceiling, and put my hands against it as I looked out. the sky was overcast, but the world had never seemed so bright. as I listened to the album "nurture" by porter robinson, I looked down at the city, watching all of the people walking around, and it dawned on me that like all of them, I'm just another person in this wide world.

it can be difficult for me to understand that, because being a marginalized trans woman living under a capitalist regime makes me feel so insignificant. but in reality, I'm connected to every single organism who's ever lived on this planet, and in that moment, I felt like I really understood what it means to be human.

in our industrialized society, it can be all too easy to downplay the significance of nature, to see it as less important than us, or in the worst cases, to see it as an obstacle to our survival. but that's simply not true! humans aren't separate from nature; we're just another part of it. even in a concrete jungle made by human and mechanical hands, nature surrounds us, we just have to know where to look.

sure, nature can be dangerous. there are plants, animals, and fungi that can easily kill us if we don't know what we're doing, if we don't respect their needs and desires. but humans survived for all of these millions of years by helping each other, by teaching each other, and by loving each other. even in the harshest conditions, we're incredibly resilient due to our eagerness to care for one another.

with tears still streaming down my face, I couldn't hold myself back from telling the people I care about how happy I was to know them and how much I love them, and how happy I was to be alive. for the first time in a long, long time, I felt genuine hope. I truly felt that no matter what happens, everything will turn out alright.

incidentally, I really wanted to go for a walk outside, but my girlfriend advised me not to, both because she was worried about my safety, and because there were too many people out there, and I was very obviously tripping. I think she made the right call this time, as I have no idea how a stranger would have reacted when I inevitably approached them with tears streaming down my face and told them how beautiful the world is. still, I believe that going for a walk through the park on shrooms some time would be really enjoyable. perhaps one day I can, when I have more experience and I'm in a less populated area.

in any case, I genuinely believe that these mushrooms were communicating with me. sure, we bought these from a company, meaning they were probably grown in a lab or some other artificial environment, but mushrooms just like these exist all over the world. they wanted to teach me to appreciate the natural environments they originated from. if I truly took their lesson to heart, if I researched and studied hard enough, if I learned how to reliably and consistently identify the organisms that exist in the world around me, it would be possible for me to go to a forest and safely identify mushrooms like these growing in the wild, where I could just pick them and eat them freely.

is it naive for me to believe that they intended to teach me that? maybe, but I don't think so. I would say I'm overall a skeptical person, but after this experience, I don't think it's fair for me to discount their intelligence. we may be different, but we're ultimately both organisms that exist on this earth together, and we all share a common ancestor. I'm no mycologist, but there are fungi out there that know how to take control of an ant's body and use it to spread their spores. I think it's fair to believe that they're intelligent enough to communicate with humans in their own way. that's why I think that golden teacher is the perfect name for them.

soon enough, the peak of my trip began to fade, and I stopped crying. I eventually got a headache, but I still felt wonderful. I ate some oreos and drank a glass of milk, then laid down for a while and processed my thoughts in silence.

after some time, I started to feel tired, and even a bit nauseous. I wanted to hold it in, but after an hour or so, it only grew stronger, so I rushed to the restroom and threw up. I hadn't been prepared for the nausea - I heard that it would usually only take effect about an hour into the trip, but mine didn't hit me until several hours after it had ended. although my stomach felt better, my head still hurt. despite being exhausted, I found myself unable to sleep. I stayed awake for hours. 2 am came to pass, then 3 am, then 4 am. at some point, I think I did fall asleep, as I remember having some dreams, but it was a very light sleep, and wasn't continuous at all. as I write this, I'm still very tired. I think I'm going to take melatonin tonight to help me sleep.

during my trip, I wanted to feel the euphoria I'd been feeling forever. but as it faded, I realized I don't need to. and in fact, I actually didn't want to; feeling so much joy was actually very overwhelming! it's difficult for me to convey just how strong the emotions I felt were, and having so many revelations in such a brief period of time was overly taxing on my brain. not to mention, throwing up and being unable to sleep was pretty unpleasant.

these mushrooms were never going to solve my problems or cure the emptiness I've felt inside, and it would be disrespectful toward them to ask them to do that. rather, they taught me how to obtain happiness for myself. they taught me to find value in the world around me, to pay attention to the nature that surrounds me in my day to day life, to be proactive and vulnerable with the people I care about, and to remember my place in the world. if I want to feel this joy, I have to put these lessons into practice, and work to make the world a better place for everyone. and I'm going to try my best do just that.

while I'd love to do this again (ideally with a bit more preparation), it's not something I can take for granted. I'm really glad I got to have this experience. I feel like it changed me for the better, and I want to do for the world what these mushrooms did for me. ❤️