#at this point it’s about the only time I create content for them omg

[apiratefellinlovewithastar]

“He’s huddled up in the corner again, by that damn mirror he’s been so protective of for the last few months that he won’t let anyone but Chrome come near.”

@khrrarepairweek Day 1: Ghosts

[amjustagirl]

Chapter 2

pairing: hoshina soshiro x f!reader

genre: romance, angst

wc: 2.7k

summary: you've loved soshiro since you were seven. he will always place his duty above you.

chapt 1 / chapt 2 / chapt 3 / chapt 4 / chapt 5

The first step in your mission to reclaim your heart back from Hoshina Soshiro is to ignore his texts. 

// omg my blade got chipped in a fight //  // daikaiju with a ridiculously hard shell //  // so annoying!! //  // hmph!!! // // fix it for meeeeee //

<kindly send me your request through official channels please, vice captain hoshina>

// !?!?!??!?!// // u still have indigestion???//

You really should’ve foreseen his sheer stubbornness though, considering the mountain of rejection he had to claw through to get to where he is. He springs a surprise visit on you, breaking into your lab without warning. 

“Did you seriously ask me to fill in an official form for upgrades?” he demands, miffed. 

“Record keeping purposes”, you lie through your teeth. “My boss is on my back.” 

“Your boss?!” he repeats incredulously. “Aren’t you the head of your department?” 

A department consisting only of three overworked blade specialists servicing the entirety of Japan’s Defense Force and private security forces, but he has a point. “Well, the auditors might run their checks, and how am I supposed to justify spending budget on reckless improvements that a certain vice captain demands -” 

He slings an arm over your shoulder and a crackle of electricity zips up your spine. “C’mon, don’t be silly -” 

You shrug him off, waiting nothing better than to run for the toilets to fan away the heat spreading up the column of your neck to the apples of your cheek. “Fine”, you acquiesce. “I’ll get to it - just, stop bugging me -” 

He smirks, content at getting his way. “Great, now we can grab lunch. Food here’s so much better than on base -” 

That, you can fend off. “Can’t”, you say. “Lunch with colleagues. And no, you can’t join, Hana-chan wants to cry about her ex, and you’ll make her uncomfortable if you’re there.”

He goggles at you. “Since when do you have friends besides me?” 

“Always, you rude shit”, you say, though really, you’ve just been putting in more effort in being more social at work. “Now, get out.” 

At last, he leaves, so you can reset your heart to its factory settings. You fix his katanas and send it back via courier, when previously you might have delivered it to the base yourself as an excuse to see him again.

The next step is to find something else to preoccupy you. 

You sign up for pottery lessons on Sunday afternoons, which clashes directly with when Soshiro gets the majority of his time off. You aim to slaughter two birds with a single stroke, an excuse to avoid him coupled with a hobby for you that has nothing to do with him. 

It comes naturally to you, since you’re accustomed to using your hands and handling heat to create things, even if it’s usually steel, not soft clay. But it’s different when you do it for fun, for yourself. Blades can be beautiful, but your focus when hammering at them has always been its function, not form, so it’s a welcome change to just create things for its beauty. 

You make cups and bowls for your colleagues (now friends), a set of sake cups for your parents in a rust-red glaze. Your proudest creation is a tea set that you keep for yourself, displayed on the windowsill to remind you of a summer sky when it’s grey. 

Even Yamamoto-san gets a little gift since you now consider him a friend, a stone pot for a plant  he complained of having outgrown its home. He reciprocates next month with a plant for you, who he says needs a home. This you struggle with, not being born with a green thumb. You studiously research plant-rearing tips and plunk the monstera you are gifted with by your prized tea set, but it truly thrives when you bring another potted plant home. Pothos, at first, because they’re too-determined to live. Bird’s fern, for it’s graceful leaves. When you’re more confident, you top it off with azaleas, for colour, hydrangeas to match your tea set.   

(not violets, never violets)

“Huh”, you stare at the jungle on your balcony “Even plants need friends, I guess.” 

It’s still little too soon to put yourself out there on the dating apps and start searching in the radioactive waste pool of the Tokyo dating scene when your heart is still tethered to Hoshina Soshiro. Any willpower you have to stay away is shaken when you hear that Soshiro’s been assigned a numbers weapon, especially after hearing whispers in the lab that testing has been going terribly. You ask permission to be on base to watch one testing session yourself as a weapons technician. The Numbers Weapon 10 has a mind of its own, and it keeps clashing with Soshiro, causing their test results to be abysmally low. 

“Will he be safe?” you question Okonogi-san, the overworked third base operations leader. 

“If he doesn’t get his numbers up with the weapon, I doubt he’ll be allowed to wear it out on the field”, she shrugs. 

You slip away before he’s released from testing grounds. 

// did u srsly come to base //  // and not say hi!?!??! //  // i haven’t seen ur face in forever // 

<super bz, sorry!!> 

It’s the truth. Despite your pledge to carve out more space to live a life that yours, you make an exception, burning hours on a new weapon to match the volatile Numbers weapon that by all reports, only wants to be worn by Soshiro. Anyone who knows anything about Soshiro knows of his preference for twin blades, ‘cos it makes me look cool’, he jokes, so no one will anticipate a single katana as a backup weapon. 

// ty for the katana //  // it’s q cool //  // ok, v v cool //  // wld be cooler if you dropped by to say hi //  // free this weekend? //

You take a train all the way back to Osaka to visit your parents instead, lest he take it upon himself to commit larceny by breaking into your apartment. You don’t put it past him, since he has the combination to your front lock - his birthday, that’s another thing you need to change. 

“How’s Yamamoto-san?” your mother asks, none too subtly. 

You know your parents are proud of both you and your older brother for following the family’s traditions, and you’re lucky they’re progressive enough to encourage it even in you, but they’re of the age where they’re starting to long for grandchildren. Your older brother’s wedding scheduled for next year should distract them for now, but they’ll soon look to replicate their success with you. 

“He’s pretty nice, but I don’t think he’s the one”, you reply.

Your mother’s lips purse. “Are you still hung up on that Hoshino boy?” 

You’re stung into silence, your mother’s directness catching you off-guard. She tsks at you, pouring you tea that’s bitter from being steeped too long. 

“I’m not - that’s not -” 

Her gaze is sharper than any blade you’ve ever made. “Don’t insult me by lying.” 

“Ka-san. It’s hard but I’m trying to get over it- gods, it’s so embarrassing to say this aloud in front of my own mother -”

She sniffs imperiously. “Try harder.”

“Will do”, you reply dryly. “I’ll just walk into the nearest combini and pick up the first guy they have sitting on the shelf, shall I?” 

She raps your knuckles with her chopsticks. “Don’t be insolent”, she clucks. “Hoshina Soshiro -” 

“I know, ‘ka-san”, you interrupt, the wound still raw under its scabbing. “You don’t have to say it.” 

“Hm.” 

It’s too difficult to meet your mother’s eyes, so you’re glad when she bustles off to the kitchen. A plate is shoved under your nose, oranges, painstakingly peeled, apples, perfectly sliced. 

“There’ll be mangoes if you come back next week”, your mother says. 

“That’ll be nice”, you smile. 

The next step is the hardest, the part you fear the most. 

Soshiro insists on seeing you. There’s no excuse he accepts, not after forty two calls and unread messages. Initially you toyed with changing the combination on your front door to keep him out, but you’re certain he’ll stand outside and cause a ruckus until you let him in.

He’s waiting in your apartment when you return from class. “Okairie”, he grounds out, jaw set. “It’s nice to see you again.” 

There’s no point running. He’ll catch up with you within seconds anyway. 

You drop your bag of groceries on the kitchen counter. “It’s nice to see you too”, you reply, skirting around his palpable annoyance. “Are you staying for dinner? I can make curry rice - ”

“I wanna know why you’ve been ignoring me.”

You plaster on a smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking about”, you hedge. “I mean, I’ve been busy at work, you’ve been busy at work - I’ve been picking up new hobbies -”

“Which I’d know, if you talked to me in the past three months -” 

“I’ve really been too busy, haven’t had the chance -” 

“Nonsense”, he scoffs. “Don’t think I don’t know that you dropped by base without saying hi -” 

“Pretty sure you were too busy tussling with that new combat suit  -” 

“You didn’t even bother to lunch with me the last time I came to your office -” 

“I was busy working on your weapon, which I don’t hear you complaining about -” 

You stop short when he takes you by your shoulders. You smell coffee and steel, a scent that just so Soshiro, that it makes your heart forget to beat. He’s close, far too close that you can see the dying sun-gold illuminating the violet iris of his eyes. You squeak as he tips your chin up, calloused fingers so painfully gentle as he meets your gaze. “Are you sure we’re okay?”, he asks softly. “Did I do something wrong?” 

Other than torturing your heart by being within your vicinity? 

Shaking your head, you take a large step back. “All good”, you splutter, ears on fire. 

He doesn’t give you a chance to hide, shouldering into your space. “Somehow I don’t believe you”, he pinches your cheek. “Spill it. Stop lyin’.” 

The pieces of your heart are stitched together with fragile threads, but his presence makes your heart slam itself against your ribcage over and over again. You are powerless from stopping it from falling apart again. 

“You can eat my entire tub of chestnut ice cream -” 

“Stop tryin’ to distract me.” He leans in, almost nose to nose with you, the curve of his mouth so dangerously close to your lips that your heart chooses this precise moment to combust. “Tell me what I did wrong so I can fix it.” 

Courage has never been your strong suit, but you owe it to Soshrio to be brave enough to be honest that it’s not him, never him that made you run and hide. It’s your traitorous heart at blame. Plus, you figure, when he turns you down, perhaps it’ll finally deprive your heart of any lingering hopes it harbours, so you can finally, finally reclaim ownership of your heart. 

Your lungs claw for air. 

“It’s not anything you did”, you whisper. “I just wanted more than what you probably ever thought to give.” 

His brows pinch together in confusion. 

“It’s just - I know you’re busy doing big things in the Defense Force and you probably never have time in between killing a million kaijus to consider anything outside of work, and I know that you’ve never given any indication that you see me more than just a friend, cos really, I know where I stand -” 

“You’re rambling.” He shakes you. “You’re not making any sense.” 

You close your eyes. 

(plunge a knife into your chest, carve it out whilst it's still beating, still bleeding)

“I like you, Soshiro-kun”, you say. “Not just as a friend, in case that wasn’t clear enough.” 

“Oh.”

It’s a simple word with exactly one syllable, but it does the job. He stares at you, slack jawed. His reaction twists the knife deeper into your belly. You clutch the counter for balance, prevent yourself from doubling over, spilling your guts on your kitchen floor. “I didn’t wanna ruin our friendship so I’ve just been kinda distant. I needed - I needed space. Just to get over it. I’m sorry if I worried you.” 

He still doesn’t respond. 

“Soshiro -” 

He looks up and you read only pity in his gaze. “I’m sorry -”

Your hurt pride will not allow you to let him see you fall apart. “Can we attack that tub of ice cream now”, you interrupt. “We don’t have to talk about it anymore.” 

“Right”, he says after a long pause, face carefully blank. “Ice cream.” 

You spend the rest of the evening eating ice cream and decidedly avoiding his gaze while chattering away about everything and nothing at all, papering over any awkwardness in a desperate attempt to pretend you don’t care that you’ve just killed any chance you’ve had at keeping your friendship intact. He’s almost silent save for some mmhms and grunts to indicate he’s still listening, so unlike his usual talkative replate with a joke in hand. You too, cannot put up with this charade anymore, so you feign tiredness, just to cut this ordeal short. 

“Stay safe”, you remind him. “Don’t get eaten by a kaiju.” 

“Yeah”, he replies. 

He doesn’t say seeya later, as he usually does. You’re unsurprised by that. 

Your phone remains empty of any new messages from him. 

In the initial aftermath, you drown yourself in work to overcompensate for your wandering mind and wishful heart. All tweaks to his weaponry are done purely through official channels, as you previously requested. He doesn’t even text you a thanks when you stay up working on changes to his blades. Not that you’ve ever felt entitled to his gratitude. It’s just your job - one that you’ve decided to take up because your seven year old self lost her heart to him, but really, that’s on you, not him. 

There are no spontaneous lunchtime visits, not even when you make updates to his brother’s tech. He doesn’t drop by your apartment the next time he’s off-duty, nor he does ask you to accompany him to another overpriced dessert cafe, not even when the gingko trees in Tokyo turn yellow, marking the season for every store to have a mont blanc special which you know he’d be weak for. 

This is good, you tell yourself. 

It hurts less than you expected. Of course it splits open your stitched-closed wounds to hear him say in your face what you already knew, that Hoshina Soshiro will never love you, not in this lifetime or the next. You allow yourself a few lonely nights to wallow in self-pity, spend a weekend facedown on your bed, stifling your screams into your pillow.  You might have lost your footing momentarily, slipped down a ravine of despair, but with a few weeks’ grace, you start to claw your way out of the ravine of despair. 

You will find your footing, find a way to get over him, live a life without Hoshina Soshiro by your side. 

You will. You will. 

It will become easier. You find contentment sitting on your balcony by yourself as the evenings grow cooler, leaves catching in the breeze, a meal you cooked for yourself on your lap. You throw yourself headfirst into pottery classes, where all you focus on is the feel of soft clay melting into your hands. Between work, your hobbies and weekend visits home, you don’t give yourself time to think about anything or anyone else anymore. 

Weeks pass. 

You catch a glimpse of him on the office TV as you clock in for work. Though you almost always turn it off right away, lest your heart believe it can find its way back to him, you make an exception today when the TV starts to blare about some daikaiju appearing, one after another across Japan, the third division  deploying to a location not too far away from you. 

 <stay safe>

 <don’t be eaten by a kaiju>

 <eat ‘em for brekkie instead>

The building starts to shake. 

You put your phone away. Your co-workers surround the screen, yelling about evacuations and contingencies. You start to head down towards the forge, determined to save as much of your handiwork as you can. Soshiro and the rest of the swordsmen in the Defense Force will need whatever you can save. 

a/n: manga spoilers from the next chapt onwards, read at your own risk! also, am off riding in mongolia til the 20th - next chapter out after - pls lmk what you guys think in the meantime ;)

[drvscarlett]

Sweet Nothings (2)

Carlos Sainz x pageant queen!reader

Summary: All that they ever wanted was sweet nothings but everything changed like midnight rain.

Sweet Nothings: 1, 2, 3. 4

A/N: i indulged a lot with catriona so expect a lot of her faces. i like to build up things hehe.let me know your thoughts

YNjpeg posted a photo.

Liked by CarlosSainz55, LewisHamilton, and 543,456 others

YNjpeg thank you for the opportunity for the roundtable to discuss different issues faced by our society [link]

User4 the way she speaks says a lot about her character

User6 I dont need to see any other queen, Y/N is my Miss Universe 2024.

User7 i never knew Y/N is this knowledgeable

User9 right?? i mean before we all knew her as just Carlos' partner User10 is it bad for me to say that i think Carlos and Y/N break up is a good thing? User9 true bestie.

LewisHamilton Wonderful insights, thank you for using your voice!

YNjpeg honored to be appreciated by you Lew! LewisHamilton 👑☝️ User12 real recognize real!

User55 anyone notice that carlos is still liking?

User90 omg i just noticed that! User77 my divorced parents

F1News posted an article.

Carlos Sainz sits down talking about championships, end of contracts, and relationships.

The hottest topic in the paddock at the moment has been Carlos Sainz. He is the driver that has been to watch out for as he becomes the El Matador that crushes Red Bull's streak of victory. The soon to be ex-Ferrari driver thanks the team for building a good car and creating new strategy that allowed them to best Red Bull several times already.

It was no surprise that him and teammate, Charles Leclerc has been chasing Max down for the championship. When asked about how does he deal with the pressure, he mentioned that he kept himself grounded by a note tucked inside of his helmet. He said that the content of the notes cannot be discussed (as well as the writer of the note) but he is very grateful for it for keeping him in touch with reality. The Spaniard is currently sitting at the second place with only 2 points difference from the current champion.

"It has not yet been decided" this is what Carlos has to say regarding where he would sign next. Carlos assures everyone that there are offers but he is still weighing which will be a better option. His focus at the moment was not on the signing because as he states "if I'm a good driver then the offers will just keep coming." He wishes to focus on doing his best with his current team and reiterates that he has no ill feelings with the team.

Another hot topic that Carlos was asked about is regarding his love life. There were rumors about his split with long-time girlfriend and now running for Miss Universe, Y/N L/N. Carlos explained how he is very proud of Y/N and that he wishes all the best for her. He refused to answer questions detailing more about her since he explains that "focus on Y/N as a beauty queen and not because of her relationship. She deserves more than just being someone's girlfriend."

CarlosY/N4ever

CarlosY/N4ever me realizing that Miss Universe 2024 and the Las Vegas Grand Prix is happening together???!!!

User5 wdym together???

CarlosY/N4ever It will both happen in the 24th,the gp will go first at 2pm while the Miss Universe will start at 6pm. User5 OHMYGOD????

User7 So are we going to watch miss universe or f1???

User8 Im gonna watch both User9 rip to us with a different timezone

User10 i love how we can use Y/N's reactions for this

User11 girlie is a walking meme User13 walking meme but still elegant

User19 SO WILL THE GRID BE WATCHING????

User22 what is barbenheimer when we have this going on!!!

QueenYNUpdates just posted a reel

Well my gowns and my costumes have been carefully selected. Everything has a meaning. It is an homage for my country and of course to the best parts of myself. [Can we have any more insights about your evening gown] All I can say is that I want to make Filipinos proud and the color has a very personal meaning.

User10 Im excited to see her final look!

User12 agreeeee,her attention to details is everything!

User7 Our filipina queen! PERIODT!

User13 the color has a very personal meaning + that smile.. anyone wanted to bet with me that its ferrari red???

User15 I might cry if its really red User18 and its carlos' last year to ferrari as well User90 I just want to have a good time on this app

User55 Go fight for the crown!!!! Bring home the crown!!!

QueenYNUpdates posted a reel

[What can you say about your relationship with Carlos, everyone is curious about what happened] This is the only time, I'll talk about this. If you are looking for drama, there is no drama between the two of us. Carlos and I met when we were still young people and we grew up together. We matured as individuals..Its not a bad thing. I am extremely happy and proud of where he is right now. Were both chasing our dreams. What we are, what have been. Its all good. That's all that I have to say.

User5 This basically confirms it.

User6 we are really children of divorce

User7 CARLOS GET HER BACK, ITS NOT TOO LATE

User8 YEAH SHE IS NOT YET MISS UNIVERSE User9 BRO DON'T LET HER GO CarlosSainz55

User11 Its the miss universe curse. If the girl really wants the crown then they will undergo heartbreak

User14 why do we have to sacrifice someone?? User15 so miss universe is just like ferrari strategy? here we sacrifice a boyfriend, in ferrari we sacrifice leclerc User17 that comment got me gagged.

YNjpeg posted a photo

liked by CarlosSainz55, LandoNorris, and 876,525 others

YNjpeg I am ready to represent!!! Flying to Vegas!!!

Charles_Leclerc goodluck Miss Philippines!!

YNjpeg thank you charlieee

LandoNorris can't wait to see you take the crown

YNjpeg lando you believe in me too much LandoNorris I SAID take the crown!!! YNjpeg ON IT!

User5 im so happy that she is still being supported by the grid

User67 bring home the crown Y/N!

User8 Mark my words, she will come back with the crown!

User9 safe flight!!!

CarlosSainz55 just posted a photo.

CarlosSainz55 You always hated flying. You told me that there is a certain discomfort and uncertainty when you are a thousand feet from the ground. Right now, you are flying. I know it has a certain discomfort and uncertainty of what's to come but I believe you can find some joy in it.

You will always be the most beautiful in the universe.

User7 OMG????

User6 CARLOS I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH YOUR GAME

User8 bro really went to tell the whole world that he will be here no matter what

User15 were always talking about how Y/N is Carlos' biggest fan but Carlos is also Y/N's biggest fan

User17 ITS TOO ERALY TO CRY

CarlosSainz55 just deleted the post.

[yandere-sins]

OMG that yandere spot was sooo good, people hardly write him yandere it suckss </3 could you do some more with him? i dont have any big ideas on hand, maybe just him having you prone with his spots, cuddling you? idk, but hes so cute lol

Aww, he really is such a cutie! Thank for requesting him ^-^

»»———————— ♡ ————————««

Your hands sunk into the black spots, the portal sucking them in greedily the moment your body hit the ground.

Was it the ground? Maybe it was the ceiling or the wall, but it was hard to tell, with the sterile white color interrupted only by countless black spots being all you could see. Somewhere to your lower left, you saw the fingers of your right hand emerge, and although you could feel the outlines of the spot with your left, you had no clue where it had gone. The disconnect to all your limbs had become easier to understand for your brain after having been in this situation so many times. But it never completely disappeared, always leaving you anxious. All you could do was remind yourself not to be hasty and to keep a cool head. You didn't want one of your limbs to accidentally be severed by panic or rash decisions.

"Gotcha!" Spot chuckled, letting himself fall forward-upwards-downwards—whatever direction, directly on top of you. You ground your teeth in frustration about the failed escape, turning your head away as he hovered his in front of you.

"Worth a try," he admitted, pouring salt into the wound of your failure. "Too bad you can't outrun me."

"I could, and I did, Psycho!" you spat right back into his featureless face, and though not visible, you heard the grin in his voice when he spoke next, your feistiness a point of excitement to him rather than anger.

"And then still stepped right into my spot like an amateur. Really, have you not learned anything in all this time?"

As if to solidify his claim, you glanced down at the feeling of your leg being sucked into yet another portal, all the way up to your knee. You gasped when it appeared right over your head, wiggling as your body tried to deal with the disconnect until your shoe loosened from your foot.

Quickly closing your eyes, you braced for the hit, ducking your head when you heard a dull thud. By the time you dared to open one eye, the shoe was already silently resting some feet away, and Spot cleared his throat, apologetically admitting, "Sorry, that was on me."

Somehow, the break from his villain act made you breathe out all the tension and adrenaline you had harbored in your body from the escape, leaving nothing but exhaustion behind. Sure, you had failed again. Jumped into a random portal that Spot had opened before suddenly finding yourself flying through the air in some unfamiliar universe. Luckily, he noticed you escaping his "spot-verse" and teleported you to safety. Still, after a long chase around skyscrapers and shops, you made the fatal mistake of not looking down while walking, stepping right back into his portal.

It was unfortunate, but at least you tried.

"Can't you just... I don't know... come to terms with this?" he asked, gesturing one hand around you two as if to mean this space he created. You blew some hair out of your face so he could see you rolling your eyes before replying curtly, "No."

"Come on, it's not half as bad as you make it out to be."

Rolling over to lay at your side, defeated by your defiance, Spot rested his head on your chest, listening to your heartbeat. A habit he liked to live out a lot these days. "You're warm," he mused, this time sounding like a content smile was playing on his lips. Thanks to his spots, it was easy for him to wrap his arms around you through the floor, and he nuzzled his face into your immobilized body, even when you heaved a deep breath of annoyance.

"I was about to declare war on Spiderman today. Before you popped out of the sky, that is."

"Who cares. You've already declared it a thousand times."

Spot perked up, lifting one white sausage finger into the air and wagging it. "No, no, no. For real, this time. I was going to make it official."

With a sigh, he laid back down again, mushing the spot on his face as far as possible into you. One day, he'd just consume you whole, you feared. One day, he'd lose control, and the nagging feeling of his portals sucking at your skin would turn everything into a black hole, decimating you. The thought brought goosebumps to your skin and a frown to your face. Your days were numbered if this continued, and the urgency of escape nagged at the back of your mind again.

"What if you fail again? What will you do then?" you asked, entertaining his illusions the only thing you had to fight the anxiety and boredom in this isolated space. Even if they were hypotheses and Spot was still a loser despite his new powers, listening to him was like watching a bad soap opera—just barely entertaining. You doubted he noticed the weight in your words, the comparison you drew between him and you.

"Come back to you?" he replied, sounding like a question even though it was more like a fact. It was as if he asked for permission, knew he wouldn't get it, and still decided to state his thoughts. "At least I got you waiting for me, but I know I won't fail."

It wasn't the answer you wanted to hear. No one would were they in your position, but it reminded you of the complexity of his feelings, the way he seemed to genuinely like you even if all of this wasn't healthy.

"What if I'm not here?"

"Then I'll go out and find you."

"I see."

Resting his chin on your chest, Spot looked up at you. Adoringly, in love you imagined. "Do you doubt me?" he asked and you questioned yourself for a few seconds before shaking your head. "No, but does it really matter that we stay here of all places then? You can just come and find me if it's so easy for you, no?"

"What's wrong with this place? It's cozy!"

"It really isn't!" you complained, moaning about him thinking white walls, white floors, black dots, and white ceilings were anything but mentally driving you nuts. "I hate how white everything is! It's awful!"

Spot gave an offended huff before getting away from you, sitting by your side as he looked around. "Is it that bad?" he mumbled before his head dropped, his gaze unmistakably falling on himself. "Do you hate me, too?"

There was a soft whine in his voice, pleading with you not to agree. But how could you? You did positively hate that guy who kidnapped you off the street and held you like a glorified pet, professing his love while keeping you locked up in a different universe away from your own, stealing food for you instead of taking you on dates like someone normal would. Everything was just wrong about this guy, and you didn't just mean his inhuman looks!

"Well, duh," you mumbled, exasperated. There was a long moment of silence before he sighed.

"So that's how you see me..." Spot mumbled, and you hoped the discussion for the day would be over now. But to your surprise, his hands suddenly crashed down at the sides of your head, darkness shredding through the white ground and climbing up his arms. You instinctively wanted to move away, but his portals kept your body in a tight hold, even as the black spread over the previously white everything around you.

"Well then," he asked, no signs of sadness in his voice anymore. You directed your gaze forward, your body signaling you to get the fuck away from the creature that appeared before you now, but you couldn't do anything. Soon enough, all of his white skin was shrouded in black, the space you two resided in twisting and turning in threads of black, your body dunked into darkness with only Spot standing out against the change.

"How about I show you something amazing to ogle? Something that will convince you that I can defeat that pesty spider?"

A terrifying grimace ripped through his body, the whole space vibrating with power you had never witnessed before. You were too choked up to speak, too scared to move even a muscle. You could only watch Spot's face split into a monstrous, sinister grin as the black around you began devouring you.

"Do you love me now, Darling?"

[jetra4ivor]

3-4 of my posts regarding the Minecraft Movie have gone viral. And as someone who has never had a post go viral before I gotta say…

I do not like it.

Maybe on other websites it’s not a big deal, but here on tumblr it is a nightmare.

The biggest issue is that it’s really hard to filter the reblogs and be able to respond to things. If I’m like scrolling down through the reblogs to see what people are saying or writing, the SECOND a new reblog or like comes in tumblr INSTANTLY jumps me back up to the top. Because tumblr wants me to see that someone new is reblogging my posts.

And when you’re only dealing with 1 or 2 new reblogs or likes every few minutes or hours… not a problem.

But when it’s literally multiple times a SECOND? Omg… I can’t scroll down. I can’t keep up. It’s just CONSTANTLY snapping me back up to the top and I can’t scroll through anything and see what people are saying!!!

I was hoping after a few days it would slow down… BUT IT HASN’T. The only way I’ve been able to respond to anything lately is by manually finding the individual posts or reblogs themselves and scrolling through the comments there instead.

The second issue is that tumblr keeps your post as it was reblogged. Even if you edit the post later to fix a spelling or grammar mistake, tumblr keeps the incorrect version of the post if that was reblogged before you corrected things.

And for example, in one of the viral posts my phone auto corrected “Piglins” to “pigeons.” And I didn’t notice it at first until the post was well into being viral and someone pointed it out. But even after I corrected the mistake, it had been reblogged so many times now that the incorrect version is all anyone sees. So I’m still getting people telling me I wrote it wrong LONG after I already fixed it 😭

I post primarily about gay MCSM content. Specifically involving female Jessie and Petra. I don’t generally post about other Minecraft stuff, as I try to keep my blog focused on MCSM related content. I probably wouldn’t mind too much if going viral meant more people saw some of the gay MCSM content I reblog or talk about…

But none of the viral reblogging has transferred over into any of my other posts. Which is sad because one of the viral posts is about people talking about how good MCSM is. After nearly a decade of people talking down on MCSM it’s so fantastic to see so many people stepping up and defending it and saying it was good… but none of that positivity is spreading into any of my other posts about the game!

You guys actually liked MCSM? Please… come into the MCSM fandom! Inject your love of the game into this fandom! We NEED you here! We’ve felt so isolated and small! Where have you all been? Why won’t you join us here and create new art or talk about your favorite characters or moments?

Why hasn’t any of my viral success transferred into more fans of the game joining the MCSM community? 😭 It’s so gratifying to see the love of MCSM in the comments to the Minecraft Movie trailer… why isn’t that resulting in more people coming into the fandom on tumblr?

Don’t get me wrong… it’s nice that people liked some of my posts enough for them to go viral. But the way tumblr works makes going viral really difficult to deal with and I’m not seeing the cross pollination of MCSM fans into any of the OTHER posts I’ve made about MCSM!

I just want more people talking about the lesbian block people! You came here for the Minecraft Movie Trailer dissing… please stay for the lesbian block people!

[zombie-bait]

Omg i just realized I have something tiny to add to the whole James Somerton debacle. I'm currently watching the hbombguy vid (as you do when procrastinating assignments) and I remembered something that stood out to me in James' old videos.

So I used to be a fan of his stuff. I am also a fan of Hannibal and IWTV. He made a video covering both so naturally I was very hyped. It was called 'The Gay Appeal of Toxic Love.' The vid itself was fine (I don't remember having any super strong opinions of it besides being excited to hear ppl mention Interview cuz I had recently become obsessed) but one thing did stand out to me. In the IWTV section he mentions Nicki and, naturally, his death:

"After becoming a vampire, Nicky becomes nearly catatonic, and eventually slips away from Lestat entirely. And after centuries of dealing with depression and severe mental illness, Nicky kills himself."

(sourced from this transcript: https://github.com/TerraJRiley/James_Somerton_Transcripts/blob/main/Transcripts/The%20Gay%20Appeal%20of%20Toxic%20Love.txt)

To anyone who's read TVL, I don't think I need to explain that Nicki had not, in fact, been around for centuries. "Nicki had lived to be 30" has been rattling around in my head since I first read it.

And like, obviously I don't expect every youtube essayist to read several long-ish novels to have a full grasp of the series' deep lore, especially when the focus was largely on IWTV and Loustat rather than the entire Vampire Chronicles. Still, it makes you wonder a bit about the quality of the research being done here. You can find the proper info in like, 5 seconds by just going on the fan wiki so I'm not sure what his sources were. And that's the issue at hand, isn't it?

At the time I felt a tiny bit smug recognizing the error but in light of everything that's been revealed, it's kind of telling. I'm not saying this part was plagiarized (I haven't found anything but others on reddit have found issues with different sections of the same video) but rereading the transcript it comes off as someone who clearly doesn't know much about Interview.... It feels like he's reading through a loose summary of plot points rather than analyzing a piece of media that actually means anything to him. It's very much Interview for people who don't know Interview which, one could argue is fair. Especially beyond book one, VC is a niche series and a lot of elements that are important to certain characters or plot lines cannot be summarized quickly for an audience unfamiliar with it. A good writer, who's done a lot of research about the specific topic they have chosen to make a video on, would be able to balance this. There is a LOT to analyze about queerness in VC and its a shame to see one of the more popular queer media channels half-assing it just to churn out videos heavily made up of other people's work. In retrospect he had several videos like that, where he would discuss things like manga/manhua communities while clearly having little knowledge on the nuance of those subjects. He was an outsider who presented himself with a strange amount of authority.

This was content created with the sole intention of propping up queer stories and history, yet it's built off stolen work from queer authors and doesn't actually care that much about exploring the communities it features. Vids like the IWTV one weren't really fact checked because it's only people like me who would might give a shit or even notice anything is off in the first place. There's a bit of a similar vibe in some of his other vids where he undermines the experiences of queer women because he clearly has not taken the time to learn about the nuances of representing queer women in media. These are things that irritated me when I first started to notice them but I put those concerns in the back of my mind because I cared about the topics he was covering and was excited to see these discussions becoming more mainstream.

The revelations of this evening have been disappointing to say the least.

(also for the record I know he made other more recent vids about IWTV but I haven't seen those and even if his account was still up I don't think I would lol

BUT

I did look at the transcript for his 'Vampires and the Gays Who Love Them' video (found from the same link I included above) and this quote about the IWTV AMC show is sending me: "Daniel has never grappled with the complexities of being gay"

Shoutout to straight, uncomplicated icon Daniel Molloy. Devil's Minion was a mass hallucination, spread the word)

[kanmom51]

JK Golden concept photos are starting to drop.

We got three last night.

Let's talk a little about what I see here. First glance for each photo for starters.

We have golden lit faced JK with the blueish circle aura in the back. First thing that comes to mind is JK looking into the sun, or perhaps he is the sun, and behind him the round full moon.

But if I think about my post about Magic hours, then you have that too, the combination of golden hour and blue hour, perhaps a perfectly created time where golden hour and blue hour exist together, when the sun and the moon create their most beautiful lighting settings. This isn't when the sun and the moon are each at their peaks, but more so when they have this kind of equilibrium of sharing the skies together, at once.

OMG, I'm such a good bullshit artist. Lmao.

But seriously, this might all be bull, and yet it somehow makes sense to me in my head.

Now this one. Ok, clearly JK on the screens behind him, but at the same time that is one of those photos that reminds of JM's face shoot ever so much. And you just cannot ignore how much this looks like JM's Filter shoot.

And it could literally have the same kind of meaning. As this is something each and every one of them struggles with. With JM it was about being what we want him to be. With JK it could be about not being what he's expected to be. This I'm only taking from everything JK has been giving us the past few months. I guess we'll wait and see as the rest of the pics, content and album drop.

And last pic for today. Is it intentional that we see him standing on what looks like an elevated square limited in size platform. Platform shoes as well. Is he being lifted to be taller than he is? Put on a pedistal? Chest bare but covered at same time.

I'm telling you, my bullshit meter is going crazy this morning.

Nah, but seriously. Maybe there isn't meaning behind every shot, but I can assure you much thought went into this. And we know JK's involvement in these shoots!! So, once again, we wait and see.

Ok, so now is the point where we talk about the similarities to JM that hit you right in the face. Because you cannot just ignore them.

Do these need explanations?

JM looking at himself performing, facing the fans. JK standing facing away from the screens, the image on the screens feels like him in a more exposed or vulnerable position...

And this one.

And people's thoughts and ideas about these photos...

Or this as well.

Of course there are those that will be screaming JK stole JM's ideas. What a load of bull crap that would be.

Is he inspired by JM?

Hell yeah!!

Is he intentionally trying to send us a message?

Very possible that he is.

At this point I will say this. And these are my own personal thoughts.

This is not a coincidence. This, in my opinion, is also not unintentional. It's just way too much to be an "oops this kinda looks like JM and I didn't even notice I did this" JK. It feels intentional. It feels messaged. It feels this is him telling us just how much they are: You are me I am you!!

[dutifullyshamelessearthquake]

Ta da!!

My goodness I love these two. it’s so much fun for me to make art from these stories I love it so much! I did keep things slightly more simple this time around but that’s mostly just for my own sanity. I get a little too excited occasionally and realize if I don’t reel it in I’ll never finish things 😅. These are bits mainly from chapter five and a little bit from four. I wasn’t sure how we feel about like…actually drawings of vomit? I don’t want to push it (and frankly idk if I’d be comfy with it lol I’ll have to think about that) but I still want to include like…the energy ?🤣

I can’t wait to draw more stuff as fics continue!! I hope to expand too and draw other pairings and moments as well!! But I think sick Cyno and caretaker tighnari will always be my number one hehe 😊

(Ps…personally… I hate the clothes I put them in??? Like I had to stop eventually cuz I was waaay over thinking it and it’s really not the point at all, but at the same time I was like..wait how many outfits did they pack? How many times do they change clothing? Would Tighnari even look good in that color?? It doesn’t matter and kinda made me laugh but I was this close to doing online window shopping to get better inspiration 🤣)

OMG IT'S HERE!

I don't know how you do this but you always manage to blow me away with your art JUST LOOK AT THEM!! LOOK AT OUR BOYS!! THEY'RE SO- AH! You have no idea how happy these make me 😭

They're my favourite pairing to write right now too, so you can bet I'll be spoiling you with a lot more content of them! Especially sick Cyno, he melts my heart.

AAHH I don't know what to say without rambling! I'm so giddy, I can't stop looking at these!! (I love that drawing of Cyno sitting on the edge of the bed and throwing up- you somehow captured just how miserable he is, even with only his back showing!)

And I think the clothes are cute!! I love that you drew different outfits in both pages of sketches! Tighnari is 100% the type to over-pack, he definitely had an absurd amount of spare clothes. Which, good thing, I think Cyno sweated through several pairs between chapter 4 and 5 😭

AGAIN! Thank you so so much for all the beautiful fanart you've shared!! It means so insanely much to me to see fanart created of my works, and your art is so good too!! I am one very happy writer right now!

(on the topic of drawings of vomit! Absolutely only draw what you feel comfortable drawing. I think you portrayed nausea really well in your drawings, and I really like how you drew the sketch of Cyno throwing up! I am not at all phased by vomit in drawings, so whether you choose to draw it or not, I don't mind at all. As long as you're comfortable with what you're creating! Also if you were to submit drawings that included actual vomit, I would probably just put the art below a cut with a warning, for any of my followers who'd rather not see it.)

[angelsmooches]

hiii ur works are so good omg i’m obsessed!! could i plz request barbatos fluff where he’s teaching mc how to bake bc there is absolutely not enough wholesome barb content out here lol—thank u!! ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡

★﹐black cloud cakes ．﹑

synopsis: barbatos gives MC a crash course in baking.

wc: 2,391

genre: fluff

warnings: none!

a/n: I LITERALLY LOVE BARBATOS SO MUCH OH MY GODNUIBHYGVYFC THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REQUESTING THIS o(≧▽≦)o i’m so happy that my first request is for one of my fav characters ugh barbatos doesn’t get enough love. PLUS i absolutely love baking so this was so much fun writing!!

     no matter how many times you visited it, the demon lord’s castle will always be an intimidatingly grandiose sight to see. with its countless towers, its towering walls, all shrouded in darkness, you couldn’t help the ominous feeling that spread through your veins.

that ominous feeling always dissipated as soon as you stepped inside. with how often you’ve been here, it began to feel almost like.. home. much like how the house of lamentation feels. you wandered about, passing the magnificent staircases and the shining pillars, walking down hallway after hallway until reaching the one room you were looking for in particular.

every single surface in the kitchen always shone with pride. strangely, the kitchen had become one of the rooms you were most comfortable in here at the castle. it carried many fond memories that you always smiled at the thought of. 

“good afternoon, barbatos!” the butler turned towards the sound of your voice, smiling in greeting.

“good afternoon, MC. i’m glad you could join me today. come, i’ve just finished laying out the ingredients we are to use.” barbatos gestured towards the numerous bags and containers in front of him, then pushed a recipe book towards your direction. “this is what we are to be making. please read over it.”

you skimmed over the page before looking back up at him dubiously. “we? as in you and me? i’m not so sure about that, barbs. i’ve never really baked before, i’ve only watched.”

“precisely, you’ve watched,” he said. “you’ve watched me countless of times baking assortments of desserts. surely you’ve retained some information, yes?”

he had a point. everything that was in the book were things that you already knew just from observing barbatos in his element.

“i mean, yeah, but... what if i burn down the castle?” 

barbatos chuckled at your pessimism. “i highly doubt that. have confidence in yourself, MC.” he entrusted the whisk he was currently holding over to you. “would you mix the chocolate and the butter together while i beat the egg whites? thank you.”

hesitantly, you took the whisk from barbatos’s gloved hand. he offered an encouraging smile before turning back towards the pile of goey clearness that you assumed were the egg whites. 

“may i ask why we’re making this dessert in particular?” you asked, the whisk gliding through the dark mixture. “if i remember correctly, these cakes are massive. why would you want to bake one if you didn’t really need to?”

“the young lord has invited quite a number of people over today, and he requested that i create something special for them,” barbatos replied.

you turned this information over in your mind, adding the cocoa powder into the mixture. “and another thing, why not ask luke to help you instead? even if luke refused, i’m pretty sure you could do this without anyone’s help.”

barbatos was quiet for a moment, his cheeks tinged a subtle shade of pink. “i desired your company. baking with you is always an enjoyable experience.”

“thanks, barbs,” a smile blossomed across your face. “i really enjoy baking with you, too.”

a comfortable silence overtook the room, the sounds of whisks scraping against bowls filling the empty space. your bowl had been thoroughly whisked within a couple of minutes. barbatos, on the other hand, was still occupied with getting the egg whites to form soft peaks. not wanting to break his concentration, you simply decided to examine your surroundings, your eyes naturally drifting towards the demon in front of you.

it was obvious that barbatos took his title as pastry chef very seriously. every single pastry that he baked was the result of meticulous work, and this pastry would be no different. he would carefully add a small amount of sugar, whisk the eggs, then add more. his brows were furrowed ever so slightly, as if he were counting every single grain of sugar that entered the bowl. you found it endearing.

“may i ask why you’re staring at me?” barbatos’s question popped your little bubble, grounding you back into reality. his cheeks were once again that warm shade of pink.

“ah, sorry,” you awkwardly looked away, the mental image of barbatos’s baking face making you inadvertently smile. “it’s just.. you put a lot of time and effort into everything you bake. i admire you for it.”

 the normally calm and composed butler seemed caught off-guard by your response. it’s true, he’s heard this from many other appreciators of his pastries, but hearing it come from you was entirely different. “you have no idea how happy that makes me. thank you, MC.” with one last test, barbatos lifted his bowl and brought it next to yours. “excellent job. i couldn’t have done it better myself. would you please whisk the egg yolks and the hell poison honey while i mix these two?”

you did as told, bringing over your bowl back over to barbatos, who took it with a ‘thank you’ and poured it into the main bowl. he methodically folded it over and over, taking great care not to move too fast.

“barbs? i have another question.” he hummed in response. “why don’t you just mixed the whole thing? it would be a lot faster.”

“are you getting bored of me already, MC?” he mused.

“n-no! it’s just—”

“i’m only teasing,” a playful smile overtook his features. “but to answer your question, i’m taking my time to prevent the mixture from deflating. it wouldn’t be a black cloud cake if it didn’t have a cloudy texture, now would it?” barbatos poured a little bit more of the egg whites into the main bowl, repeating the methodical folding process. you hoisted yourself onto the counter, idly kicking your legs.

“talk to me, barbs. it’s too quiet in here,” you complained, folding your knees into your chest. “c’mon, quiz me!”

“if you insist,” barbatos decided to give you an easy one. “what temperature should we preheat the oven for a black cloud cake?”

your mind blanked. “oh, crap... uh.. 350 degrees?”

“fahrenheit or celsius?” barbatos’s teasing smile showed itself again.

“fahrenheit.” you replied, biting back the urge to add an ‘obviously’ at the end of your sentence.

“excellent. if you wouldn’t mind, could you please preheat the oven now? i’m just about done with this bowl.” barbatos folded it a few more times as you turned the knob on the oven, making sure there were no unmixed pieces hiding in the abyss-like mixture. you lifted yourself back up onto the counter, the two of you waiting patiently for the little ding! that the oven would make. 

you hummed a tuneless song while barbatos folded the mixture a couple more times just to be safe, the ding! of the oven echoing through the shiny room. without hesitation, barbatos opened the oven door, slid the cake inside, and closed it back up again. the first time he had done this in front of you, your jaw dropped from the shock. barbatos rarely wore oven mitts, but then again, he didn’t really need them.

“is something the matter?” the butler always seemed to notice every little change in expression that gave away your thoughts.

“no, no, it’s nothing,” you shrugged off the unease. “could you just wear mitts every once in a while? i’m scared you’re gonna burn yourself one of these days.”

barbatos laughed at this, leaning against the oven. “it would take quite the oven to burn me.”

“what if i gave you oven mitts?” you suggested. “would you wear them?”

the hypothetical made barbatos strangely happy. “i would gladly wear anything you gift me.”

barbatos could certainly be a teasing nag at times, but he could be a sweetheart when he really wanted to be. though you haven’t put it together yet, barbatos only shared these moments with you. the more you two spent time together, the more barbatos found himself feeling more drawn towards you. he had no idea when or how a human became so important to him.

the sound of your sigh broke off barbatos’s thoughts. “what should we do with all of the excess ingredients? we still have a whole bunch of that liquid chocolate, we didn’t even use the flour, and there’s still some sugar and eggs. do you think we should bake something els— oh!” the feeling of something slimy slid down your hair and onto your back, causing a shiver to wrack through your body. 

“i have a vague idea of what i would like to do with the excess,” barbatos replied, smiling cheekily. a broken eggshell was in his hand.

“barbatos! what the hell was that for?” despite wanting to sound upset, you couldn’t hold back the bubbly laughter that came out with it. you quickly took another egg from its container, aiming for his head. the demon was far too fast for you, instantly catching your wrist before your egg could come into contact with him. “cheater.”

barbatos only gave you that same mischievous smile, his arm easily overpowering yours, using your own hand to crack the egg onto your head instead of his. you used your other hand to reach in back of you, grabbing a fistful of flour and ruffling it into his hair, barbatos releasing your wrist in surprise.

“ha! karma!” you grinned. barbatos’s smile only grew wider, adding a more sinister tone to it. aw, crap.. you had unintentionally started a food fight. barbatos would more than likely finish what you had begun.

 you squirmed past the butler, careful to maintain your distance as the two of you began throwing all sorts of things at each other. clumps of butter, streaks of melted chocolate, handfuls of sugar and flour, pretty much whatever you two could get your hands on. you ran all around the kitchen, using the island as a sort of barrier between you and barbatos, who looked nothing like he usually did. his neat hair was disheveled and white from the powder, his apron was stained with chocolate and butter, and he was absolutely enjoying himself. this was, by far, the most fun he’s ever had with baking, and to be sharing this experience with you only added to it.

in one swift motion, barbatos slid across the island and grabbed hold of your wrists in one hand, the other hand menacingly holding a handful of dripping chocolate.

“wait! wait!” you cried out. “truce! please! i give up!”

barbatos smiled triumphantly. “what was that? i’m not quite sure i heard you.” his hand drew closer and closer to your hair.

“truce! i give up!” you yelled, hanging your head in defeat. “i’m no match for you, barbs..”

barbatos withdrew his hand, although he did not let go of your wrists. his eyes scanned your face, your clothes, before glancing around the room. “oh, dear. it appears that we’ve made quite a mess,” he looked down at his own clothes, smiling almost chastisingly. “what am i going to do with you? it’s hard to be upset when you look so adorably funny.”

you two couldn’t help but erupt in a fit of giggles, barbatos’s hand traveling from your wrists to your shoulders. “look at you, you’ve even got chocolate in your hair.”

“and whose fault would that be?” you retorted, barbatos reaching up to gently pull at the strands of hair covered in chocolate, tucking the strands away neatly. 

“i’d have no idea whose fault that would be” he replied innocently, his fingers combing through your hair before settling on either side of your cheek. your giggling fell silent, the intensity of barbatos’s gaze sending a painless jolt through your body. barbatos couldn’t bring himself to look away from your face, drinking in every single feature. drips of egg yolk on your forehead, a smudge of chocolate on your cheek...

“you seem to be quite the messy eater, MC,” he teased, his thumb softly caressing your cheek. your eyes narrowed at that, earning another laugh from the demon. “you have a chocolate stain on your cheek. allow me to clean it for you. stay still, please.” you locked your joints into place, afraid that if you moved even a fraction of an inch you might scare away barbatos or something. slowly, carefully, barbatos leaned in, pressing his lips to the smeared chocolate. the feeling of his tongue gliding against your skin made you shudder.

he pulled back to look into your face, blinking once, twice, then smiling apologetically. “please pardon me. i don’t know what has gotten into me as of late. i hope i didn’t make you uncomfortable.”

“no, no,” you replied hastily, your hand moving to lay atop his. “it’s fine... thank you.” another comfortable silence blanketed over the room, except this time, it felt more.. intense. as if the entire room was filled with electricity. your cheeks stung without pain where barbatos held them.

“i’m not the only one with stuff on their face,” you grinned, cupping barbatos’s cheek and turning his head slightly. “you have chocolate right... there.” your thumb brushed against the corner of his lips, the demon’s eyes fluttering shut at the sensation. “please, allow me to clean it for you.”

barbatos fully turned his face towards you, a tender smile curving his lips. his thumb brushed against your cheek once more as the two of you slowly began leaning into each other, the warmth of barbatos’s chest seeping into your own. 

gradually, barbatos’s face drew closer and closer to yours, your lips only centimeters apart.

his sweet breath fanned across your face..

ding!

the sound of the oven made you both jump, your cheeks becoming overwhelmingly warm underneath barbatos’s touch. barbatos didn’t take his eyes off of you.

“it appears that the cake is done baking,” he said simply.

“...yeah..” was all you could say. “you’d better.. go get it before it burns.”

“that would be the wise thing to do.” he still didn’t move an inch, his eyes piercing into yours.

barbatos's loving touch made your brain feel fuzzy. your grip on his sleeves grew tighter. “i’m sure diavolo’s guests wouldn’t mind a little crispiness to their cake, right?”

“i believe it is called black cloud cake for a reason.” he agreed

barbatos pressed his lips onto yours without a second's delay. he found that you tasted sweeter than any pastry he's ever created.

©2023 please do not repost, modify, or claim as your work.

[sadalmostlesbian]

directors cut of just as it was!!!!

i remember genuinely screaming out loud when i first saw it pop-up in sejanus's tag because i'd been wanting to see a fic of that specific concept for SO LONG (and it definitely did not disappoint!). so i'm dying to know what inspired you to create it and what gives you the ideas to keep expanding on the story!

Ahhh thank you sm for the ask!

I didn't get super into TBOSAS until I saw the movie, even though I read the book beforehand. I liked it, but after I watched the movie... I just knew it was something I was going to get SUPER into. I immediately looked for TBOSAS content on TikTok and the first thing I saw was actually one of your Sejarcus edits! Then I started thinking more about the ship, went to ao3, only to find there were like 14 fics under the Sejanus Plinth/Marcus tag. I was getting a little annoyed at the focus on Coriolanus on ao3 so I thought... might as well write what I want to read. And I did!

When I started writing, I knew I wanted to explore Sejanus's childhood and family dynamic, and that he would escape to D13 with Marcus. But honestly, the rest of the fic I came up with while I was writing it.

I think the majority of the chapters had a certain scene/line/dialogue piece I was super excited to write, and in planning them out I would focus on the build up to that. (Also, I'm very focused on logistics and wanted to make the fic somewhat realistic, so I spent a lot of time plotting milage and train routes on google maps.)

Here's a list of my favorite scenes/lines from each chapter or the point I was trying to establish in each chapter.

This was mainly exposition, I just wanted to show the Sejanus and Marcus snow scene how I imagined it. Also introduction to Strabo Plinth's A+ parenting.

I wanted to kind of explore why Sejanus still acted so "district" even after living in the capitol for 10 years, and I thought the best time to cement an ideology was in childhood.

I just wanted Sejanus and Tigris to interact tbh

The beginning part of this chapter was to establish Sejanus and his father's dynamic in adolescence, the rest was a plot device to explain how Sejanus knew about D13

10th annual reaping scene from Sejanus's perspective

Zoo scene from Sejanus's perspective (not much else to it tbh)

Domestic/child abuse angst, Strabo Plinth being consumed by fear but not knowing how to express it, and an excuse for Sejanus's house staff to hear about Marcus and tell him about the tunnels

This chapter was ANNOYING. OMG it took me so long I did NOT want to write it. It was mostly just planning thier escape. I think the only thing I enjoyed writing was Sejanus's interaction with Marcus at the very end.

Two things I was excited about here. One being Sejanus's conversation with his father (specifically the line "but you don't care, right. As long as your family name isn't tarnished, whether I live or die is of no consequence to you.) And secondly, the paragraph at the end where Sejanus kills the peacekeepers at the border.

"You really believe that?" "I'm trying to."

I was totally inspired by Roman Roy from Succession at his father's funeral for this one, him looking down at the grave and saying "can we get him out?" Just totally reverting back to a childlike state during a traumatic time. That's what inspired Marcus saying "Can we get her down?" I was... far too excited to write that line.

I like writing characters with accents, and Mr. Hadley is inspired by my grandfather (kinda), so he was fun to write and develop as a character.

The kiss scene. That's it tbh i was literally giggling at my OWN writing while writing this chapter.

I love this chapter SO MUCH. It's my favorite by far, but I'd say the part I was most excited about was when Marcus is begging the ppl in D13 not to take Sejanus away because I think it's just a clear moment of vulnerability for a character that tries to come off as very tough and unemotional. But in that moment he can't be because they're taking away the only person he has left.

"Your father’s legacy destroyed my home, my people. It is a disgrace to those who died to allow his heir a place here when they were denied it." Also I love Levee and it's always a delight to write him.

I was just world building 13 here tbh

I really like this chapter but I'd say my goal was to let the teenage characters finally be teenagers. I liked writing Sejanus's internal monologue when he's in the cafeteria and kinda delving into how bullying sticks with someone even when it doesn't make sense.

The goal was to let Marcus be vulnerable (and in conjunction, let black men be vulnerable)

For this chapter I really focused on using small details from canon and working them into my fic. Like how Coriolanus says that Pluribus is good at keeping a secret so I made him a rebel informant. Also I just love Tigris, and shitty Coriolanus Snow verging into insanity.

[divineerdrick]

Homestuck Beyond Cannon Upd8 for September 14, 2024

Couple days late on this one, so let's get started right away.

Oh! But first we have a news post. It is the first upd8 of the month after all.

I mentioned content warnings on the last upd8. Looks like I'm not the only one. Yeah, those would have been appreciated. But hopefully James can follow through on his promise to get better with them.

The Karkat plush is . . . today! Apparently you can now preorder it, or at least you should be able to. I need to check on that. I think my previous support counts as my preorder, but I want to be sure. Don't want to miss out on the wonderfully grumpy plush with the awesome hair.

The Patreon is apparently the reason we're getting upd8s like this one, and James is trying to figure out how to bolster it. Makes me, again, appreciate all the work Andrew did on the original. He seems reluctant to do another visual novel like this, but who knows what the future holds. Wish I could support the comic again, but right now I don't have the funds. Admittedly, part of that is because I play Warhammer.

On to the upd8!

Er . . . after I fix the browser thing again >.<

Huh! I just noticed that the panel that we see while the game is loading is actually fake and created by the game window. You can barely see the outline there, but the big give away is the menu bar in the upper left. Neat trick!

Looks like @nostalgicamphibian was right! That feather is very much orange, and so that means we know who it belongs to. Maybe Vriska will take some advice and just chill and recoup for a bit. I'm sure she needs it after the last chapter.

Also! We can now reread the prologue from here!

I still feel like Vriska both needs to see Terezi and (Vriska). They are together in the bubbles, or were the last time we saw them. So she could do both at once. I think there's a huge lesson she could take away from that. One chapter left after this one, so we'll have to see I guess. For now, let's see some shenanigans!

Also this is Chapter X, apparently.

And now for something completely different! Apparently this was happening during the last chapter?

Embarrassed? We haven't seen all the sprites, such as Arquius perhaps. But Davepeta is specifically saying sprite^2. And only one other character has that designation . . .

Okay, this is just great! Which ever member of the team that wrote this managed to perfectly mash up Nepeta's kitty themed RP with Dave's rambling. I love everything about this!

And there they are! Bit of a callback to Rose having to wait on Dave before. Jasprose appears to still be painting the town red on Meat Earth C. Wonder if we might see Jane with her at any point in the future.

omg im l so fucking mao at this! That is the perfect Rose Tier Homestuck technobabble. Midnight City is is in superplausitional canonical deniability. So for any purpose, it could be said to be canon or not canon as the HICU needs! XD

I'm literally struggling to keep it down right now! Also, I think the only panel I haven't as part of this was the stuff with Erisol! This has all been S Tier!

Hah! And Dad and Droug are apparently still running around too! That probably put a damper on Jasprose's night on the town! Also good to see that even this version of Rose is still sober.

Not so good to hear that Jake is still completely fucked up after what Dirk did to him. Jasprose hints that he still might have a role to play before the end though.

And, of course, we have timeline shenanigans! While Davepeta has been stuck with Vriska for multiple years, Jasprose is still on the same night of partying we left them with.

Davepeta is not pleased with Vriska's progress. Maybe they'll think different depending on how she responds to Scratch's abuse. But they're clearly worried, and this is apparently extremely important to whatever plans the two sprite^2 have cooking. And Dave is for once appreciating Rose's desire to understand the human psyche. Not that it would necessarily have helped with Vriska.

Hah!

Apparently even they weren't expecting that.

Normally a beat panel like this after a statement like that can only mean one thing . . .

Hah!

Join us next time when 4 more years have passed! That was the meaning behind the 8 Ball all along!

Now excuse me while that line sends me into existential dread over the possibility of a different type of "4 more years."

[uriekukistan]

Something I've been thinking about in the past couple of months is what current fans of JJK will think of the series in the future: 1, 5, 10+ years down the line after it ends. I don't think it's a secret or anything that fans are really divided and have during opinions about where the series is going and how it might end, but I'm curious about what it's legacy will be. Do you have any thoughts about that? (Also hi I hope you're having a good day!)

oooh interesting ask, thank you winnie :D hope you're having a good day too !!

hhhhh im not sure im smart enough to conceptualize this kind of thing fairly, but im gonna do my best 🤞 sorry in advance for the essay omg

one thing i wanna touch on really quickly is that i feel like the lifespans of fandoms are decreasing. im not sure if this is a fair assessment, but it seems like people move on quicker that they used to and migrate to new fandoms quickly as series end. i think it has to do with the increase in the amount and accessibility of new media, plus the trend of "consuming," rather than enjoying. part of a growing problem of rapid consumption and accelerating trend cycles.

that being said, jjk is still ongoing for who knows how long (allegedly finishing this year), and has to be animated after that. so depending on how they break the series up, and how hard mappa decides to push their workers, could be up to 5 more years of releasing content, which means retention of old fans and acquisition of new fans. i also think it will be impacted by the ending of the story.

the other two fandoms i participate in are 10+ years old (death note is 20+ at this point...) so im gonna use them as reference points

i was like...1-5 years old when death note was actively releasing, so im not sure how ppl were reacting at the time. but death note has become a "classic" anime/manga that new fans are constantly discovering and appreciating, keeping the fandom going. a lot of people still love death note, and from what i've seen, it's generally less divisive. people like death note, generally. everything has flaws and can/will be criticized, but as far as anime/manga goes, people are generally able to come to a consensus that death note is good. it has interesting characters and interesting themes and comes to a satisfying conclusion- that no man can be god. because of that, it still has a large and active fanbase that has enjoyed much longevity.

in contrast, tokyo ghoul is very divisive, and its aggravated by the fact that the anime completely diverges from the manga, and creates its own story, so the reviews are always mixed. it's wonderfully tragic or it's edgy. it's beautiful or it's boring. it has great themes or it's incoherent. it doesnt help that the mangaka was seriously burnt out towards the end of creating it. despite the fact that tokyo ghoul was one of the most popular anime/manga at one point, its fandom, while very much alive, is also pretty small. im either oomfs or oomfs-in-law w pretty much everyone here. i think the amount of criticism tokyo ghoul got (which dont get me wrong, some parts are very much worthy of it, but that's not what people were saying) affected the longevity of the fandom.

that brings me back to jjk. i think there's two camps of people in the fandom right now: those who are only interested in a "happy ending" and those who are interested in whatever ending may come, so long as it suits the themes and the character arcs feel completed. so i think the way jjk ends will be the deciding factor of its legacy and the direction the fandom takes.

personally, i'll be happiest with the second option, i mean im a tragedy fan if nothing else, and i love the thematic aspects of jjk. but i know most people will be looking out for a happy ending, at least based on what i see people saying. the fact that so many people are back to saying jjk is good after last night's leaks is proof of that to me. i think if the manga ends happily, whether it suits the story or not, people will be more likely to stick around than if it ends in a way that is less happy, but suits the story perfectly. if that makes sense.

[charon-cries]

omg please tell us more about harrow and spade

i put my response under the cut, because i wanted to explain a little bit first: this isn't meant to be flat-out cutesy, it has elements of psychological horror. their relationship starts out as unintentionally toxic and grows to be incredibly sweet when they course-correct after learning what's going on. i figure that most of the time i don't need to clarify that, but media literacy on this website is down the drain so i wanted to make sure

also take this:

in their world, people have the ability to create or manifest a familiar. the creation of the familiar, as well as the abilities of the familiar, are based on the person's creature type (demons, angels, witches, vampires, phantoms, vampires, werewolves, and zombies). for a demon to make a familiar, they need to make a deal in which they are required to sacrifice the most important thing in their life to them. the anguish of the loss creates the magic required to manifest a familiar.

spade is a scientist, and was extremely unwilling to give up more than he's already lost. instead of making a deal, he took what he knew about how other creatures create their familiars and used it to make harrow. harrow is the first humanoid familiar in history, assembled by body parts from corpses spade collected working in the morgue below the largest hospital in the city. while looking human, they were meant to offer everything a typical familiar can, as well as the illusion of company, which spade is otherwise unwilling to keep.

what neither spade nor harrow realized for a while, though, is that harrow's appearance was never an illusion.

where most familiars are essentially robotic, harrow was experiencing thought. it was entirely unheard of at this point in time, but harrow was a man,

a man with no reason to believe that their internal experiences could compare at all with that of the people around them. they assumed that their emotions ran less deep, that their desires were incredibly mild compared to spade's. after all, they were near-constantly content. as spade's passion project, harrow was extremely well taken care of.

but their body was built from corpses. it was only a matter of time before it began to rot. spade, of course, made sure of their safety when the fear and the pain came. and that's when the surgeries and replacements started.

so the question of their relationship is this: how do you cope, knowing that you are responsible for the pain of the one you love? and perhaps worse, that they forgive you?

[runningfrom2am]

what happened to lucy gray baird?

1. well, in her defence, she had considered lucy gray a friend too. it’s just that she loves knowing all the cards and she couldn’t trust anyone except her coryo.

2. lucy gray being afraid of coryo being nearby because the capitol duo are never not around each other and therefore, alongside not having what it takes to take r’s life, shying away from the cabin but r being the actual physical threat to her all along because had it been her who went after lucy gray, she couldn’t have escaped and coryo is long gone at that time.

3. “She tried to kill me, too.” no, i’m pretty sure she is the reason why you’re alive and well right now but whatever it takes to gain trust i guess.

4. i’m so glad that both sejanus and lucy gray acknowledge everything that could’ve been an indicator of how much she was “not like them” after things happen because it creates a contrast with r convincing herself that she is in the right before anything happens.

5. the president and the head gamemaker <333 (i have accepted them as my favourite problematic couple, what about it?)

6. sejanus imagining r and coryo as the presidential couple when they were kids is everything.

7. after seeing her with arachne, persephone, livia, ash and lucy gray; it’s safe to say, even after all, sejanus was never actually on the receiving end of her anger. she did love him enough for him to survive.

8. i love how her emotions went from shock to disgust and then confusion to contentment because how else does a human react to this? the boy who was one of her closest friend, once, the boy whose life she’s saved, standing in front of her only because she has lost the war.

9. her character doesn’t seem to have changed much over the passing time if she refuses even the idea of dying a boring and unimportant death. even in death she has to have the biggest effect on the world as she knows it, whether it be mourning for days or a big celebration.

hiii omg we have so much to discuss here we go :)

1. she considered lucy gray a friend until the moment she realized that lucy gray could be a potential threat to her. she wasn’t a tribute anymore- she was a victor, and now there was no cage separating her from him. not even the “cage” (if we can refer to it that way) of him being a peacekeeper and not being able to be seen with her publicly.

but THEN when they are set to be married a year later, she’s like *sigh* “i wonder if lucy gray would have been my maid of honour. that could have been cute” like it wasn’t HER FAULT THAT LICY GRAY WAS “DEAD”. did she kill her? no, but she did manipulate coryo into doing it and i consider that very much the same thing.

2. the faith she still had in coryo for some reason to be like “oh god, he wouldn’t leave her out here alone. i have to get out of here.” like girl he just tried to kill you OF COURSE HE’S LEAVING HER OUT THERE ALONE. but i think by that point they were both very much equal threats to her- so she was not about to run the risk of either of them seeing her (even if she didn’t know he was gone)

3. yeah like sir-

(to be fair it is an extremely fine line that she walked between “trying to kill him” and “letting him go” considering she got to the point of lifting the weapon at him, so it doesn’t surprise me that within such a short period of time he’s still seeing it the way that he does.) also 100% he needed lucy gray to know she was safe with him and by convincing her that he was in the same boat was the most obvious way.

4. oh absolutely. and i think it’s almost funny how sejanus was best friends with them for so long and then it took one day for him to go from “haha my friends are so crazy. unchecked anger issues- am i right?” to “oh, shit, like they’re violently insane and i should have always known this.” the rose coloured glasses had to come off SO fast.

5. 🫡🫡 (i love them so much)

6. AND HE WOULDDDD 🥺

like no doubt he knew about their feelings for each other well before either of them did. and i know damn well even if most of their classmates didn’t like him he was privy to one or two conversations about them when they weren’t there. like clemmie would TOTALLY corner him and be like “what do you know?” omg especially after livia’s birthday and hold on i’m actually gonna work on a part two rn-

7. he had ALMOST been on the receiving end of her anger. and also, like he says, “i’ve seen her get violent before, but nothing like that” even though she wasn’t violent toward him necessarily, i think it was the things she was saying that really freaked him out. she was angrier than he had ever seen her, and i think it was the calmness and severity of her statement that nothing was going to keep her from the life she wanted that did his opinions in.

8. yes and i know eventually she landed on being happy. bc really, that is what she wanted. “i won’t bury another friend” is HEAVY here, because while she never buried him, after going out of her way to save him from his execution and then letting him go in the HEIGHT of her mental breakdown, she never really knew if he survived. she risked so much for his survival, that i think it would be extremely fulfilling to know that she succeeded despite everything.

9. yesss and really how could she change? any kind of moral compass she had was left in twelve and she was rewarded significantly for what she did literally as soon as they got back. every single one of her problems were instantly solved; she had coryo, her father was out of her life, and she was immediately put on track for her dream career. and like she said, she got everything she ever wanted. even after her “death” it was attention that she craved and therefore she would have it- she doesn’t care if people are celebrating her death. it’s a testament to her success.

[hinamie]

hi hina what are some of your favorite art styles in manga?

OOOOH i love this ask so much u don't understand,,, first of all ok any1 who knows me knows i am a filthy anime-only fr most of the series I like so there r a few on this list tht i haven't necessarily read in their entirety gomenasorry i'm a fraud i just like the pretty pictures....

also this got longer than anticipated (i lied i anticipated it) but here r a few series whose art i want 2 chew on :D i feel like i've mentioned all of these at least in passing before but fr anyone who wants to read me yell about the specifics....take a shot every time i say the word "love"

tokyo ghoul: *takes an extended drag* all the roads lead back here. listen. ishida sui is a master the man is a god what can i say he is like leonardo da vinci 2 me. he is Better than leonardo da vinci 2 me. the serendipity of me being into tg during a very formative time in my art journey (right when i was making the transition into creating my own content) meant that a lot of tg influence ended up kind of bleeding into my work pun intended. Ishida's way of doing eyes n faces is so unbelievably expressive plus the scratchiness of his lines combined w the soft n rounded way he does facial features... thts not even mentioning his coloured works god theyre entrancing i adORE how everything looks like a mix of watercolour and almost . layered tissue paper?? like it's sharp n translucent n angular but everything looks so soft...how he manages to make something look so sharp but so smudged at the same time is witchcraft it looks like smth out of a dream it looks like coloured ink seeping into fabric it looks like fogged stained glass,,, ishida sui my king u will always be famous 2 me

jjk: this feels like a no-brainer but i have 2 talk about it i'll b hunted for sport if i don't talk about how much of an absolute slut i am fr gege's art style. i wld bet real money tht me getting into jjk was part of what solidified my love for the Sharp Angular look that i tend to implement into my own stuff bc gege does it !! SO well!!!! not only does it make his fight scenes look super dynamic but i Also think it lends really well to all of the character designs like. holds up megumi this boy is triangles on rectangles not a fuckin curve in SIGHT . its not just megumi either!!! his shape language fr the entire fucking cast is to die for i want to rub my face against it like a cat. also ive gushed abt it in regards to yuuji specifically bc i think he's the best example but gege's expressions also are so goddamn GOOD the eyes hold so much emotion...so much anguish n weight n he's so good at conveying that battle-crazed psychopathic thousand yard stare.....nothing but murderous intent behind those eyes n it looks incredible every ! fucking ! time!!!!! i love the way he does eyes so much it's a shame he keeps tearing them out of his character's skulls

toilet-bound hanako-kun: EATS IT EATS IT EATS IT!!!! i own 2 of the artbooks i love the art in this series so MUCH i love the shapes i love the reds n warm tones i love the cutsey proportions meets traditional yokai illustrations n spooky vintage aesthetic,, the art in tbhk is like studio ghibli to me in the way it NAILS visual clutter n making environments/backgrounds look strategically Busy,, the manga covers the illustrations the splash pages...all the official art is so jam packed with detail but somehow it doesn't tip the scale into being Too Much it all looks so intentional and cohesive and the colour choices are all so GOOD i just!!! how do u DO that!!!!!!!! also omg the way they draw eyes n hair. puts it in my mouth it is so. blobby and blocky respectively i love when art styles make the irises Not Quite Round i think it adds so much character :'>

owari no seraph: ons entered my life around the same time as my tg era and didn't have Quite as much of an impact on me as the former so i don't have quite as much to say but HOLY SHIT THE MANGA COVER ART POINTS AT MIKA'S HAIR POINTS AT THE CHAINS ON HIS CAPE DO U SEE THIS SHIT??????????? it's ethereal!!!!!! it's so blended and smooth and detailed but the line weight is still so intact and satisfying to look at :'>> not to mention the colour choices and lighting makes everything look so wintery and cold it feels like a marble church it /feels/ vampirey and i LOVE it

[allianettemie5]

Honestly, if any CC reads this I will have my goal achieved, so proceed

Warning: about CCs and fanfiction, so to those who can be triggered, pls skip this

I hail from a big streamer-based fandom, a place that had apologists, haters, and those who tried their best to be within everyone's boundaries of privacy; there were a lot of artists and writers there, excellent ones, who could rival published authors tbh. I am in awe of many of them. I mostly stayed out of any controversies, though they naturally were bound to find me in whatever corner of the world I was hiding. Privacy breaches, a lot of dirty clothes being dug out, CC targeting, mental illnesses, fans being unable to separate characters from content creators, and more. It's disgusting

I went to among us streamers in search for idk maybe more mature vibe, and I thought I found peace for just a short while. But lobby slot arguments, people not clicking with each other, that even led to shouting matches, bringing the group mood down. It was exhausting. The fandom was as creative, less explosive but was new, inconsistent and shaky, and it seemed that nobody knew each other

I don't see that much in PR1 streaming group and PR2 community. I enjoy talking to people that hang out here and enjoy the same things that I enjoy in a similar way that I do, and they are all just wonderful, just amazing, and fun, and crazy, and insane (in the best way possible). There is peace between CCs and fans, both sides addressing the bad things that happen in the fullest once, just once, and that is always enough for the both sides to keep the matter quiet and just keep up the positivity and mutual understanding

However

The recent events (that were basically just a sum up of several events prior to that, and it started way back a decade ago) actually rose a serious concern, that I was really hesitant to address, but it's that time I guess (yt "we have to talk" thumbnail)

I have not encountered online bullying directed at myself yet, and I hope I'll never have to, and I wish that my fellow PR2 people will not experienced that in the future

I know what irl bullying is though, I've experienced it first hand. I know what it is like to be hated and publicly laughed at because of being different. I know what it feels like to hear slurs and hate-talk about yourself and those who are very close to you from such a prejudiced point of view

I just escaped all of that. I have enclosed myself within a tiny space, consisting of only those who I want to speak to, those who I enjoy listening to, topics I feel safe reading and not going to lose my last nerves on

I'll say this once, and will not make another tumblong on this topic

If an abstract CC wants to read fanfiction sooooo fucking badly, they should

Suck it up and make an account, fucking coward

ASK THE AUTHOR FOR PERMISSION YOU ASS

Do not make fun of a real living person because they do what they enjoy for their friends to read

Do not make content of other people's hard work in a disrespectful way

Do not FUCKING STREAM reading the fanfic without EXPLICIT PERMISSION from the author

Imagine if the developers of a game, that you enjoy playing a lot and create playthroughs and guides and theory and lore exploration videos, come across your content and start yelling in their twits how fucking dumb you are, omg we can't believe that someone would in their right mind create these, LLOOOOOOOLLLLL WHAT AN IDIOT, what would you feel? You go to your comments and see haters and insults and you receive messages that you're a disgusting person and should stop doing whatever you were doing, what would you do? How would you respond?

If certain CCs don't learn that boundaries go both ways they can very well expect their fans number decreasing in a rapid rate