#which IS very Giovanni of him

[florenzist]

got one of my irls to name the f1 drivers and im pissing myself laughing

[ohproserpine]

ii. deer dolly

part i | part ii | more | ao3

tags: fem! reader, reader is a performer in a speakeasy, human! possibly ooc! alastor so he's a bit more "tame" here, unsettling & obsessive behavior, jealousy, possessiveness, written before episode 7; may become inaccurate, unwanted advances (not by alastor), murder, graphic descriptions of injuries

As the days unfolded into weeks, Alastor remained true to his word. A routine soon formed between the two of you: he would make regular visits to the speakeasy, engage in polite conversations with Mimzy, and take his usual seat to enjoy your performance.

In time, Alastor's interactions with you grew more intimate. And one night, following the success of one of your busiest night and biggest show, he surprised you with a beautiful necklace. Pulling you into your dressing room, Alastor asked for permission to formally court you. Without hesitation, you agreed, and in a burst of affection, proceeded to kiss him within an inch of your life. 

Since then, Alastor had begun to take you on dates outside the speakeasy. He whisked you away to quaint diners, lively jazz joints, and even introduced you to his mother—a sweet woman who welcomed you with open arms.

Throughout your time together, not a single one of your performances escaped Alastor'. Why would they? For him, your shows were the very essence of color in his otherwise dull and monotonous existence. His devotion to you almost mirrored religious fervor as he attended each of your shows like an impassioned disciple in the dimly lit speakeasy pews.

Your voice became a spell, luring Alastor like a foolish sailor drawn to a siren's call. In those moments, the world faded away, and he followed the melody with an irresistible pull, captivated by thoughts of you, you, you.

Only you.

Tonight, however, was anything but ordinary.

Alastor, following his usual routine, occupied his customary spot at the pub, savoring his whiskey with slow sips from his glass. However, the comforting rhythm of the night, which he had grown used to, was broken when the band screeched to a halt, the shrill notes of the violin cutting through the air. Immediately, the pub erupted in a chorus of boos and shouts.

Alastor blinked, his smile turning strained as he noticed a man stumble onto the stage. It was clear that he was intoxicated, moving about as gracefully as a headless chicken, as he made his way towards you, nearly knocking you off your feet.

Noticing the commotion, Mimzy clicked her tongue, slammed her drink onto the counter, and swiftly rose to her feet. She rushed to the stage, the glitters on her vibrant dress catching the dim lights of the speakeasy.

“Why, I oughta—" she began to seethe, as she stomped towards the stage, finger wagging in the air. “That’s the fifth time this week, Giovanni!”

"Ah, Mimzy! Jus' wanted to surprise my sweetheart," Giovanni slurred, his thick accent muddled as he clumsily leaned into you, head tucking into your neck.

Snap.

Alastor felt a visceral reaction, something within him snapping as the glass in his hand cracked under the strain of his grip. The fractured crevices dug into his skin, and golden liquor seeped out, mixing with crimson red blood.

As a regular performer at this pub, your popularity was unquestionable, and Alastor was not entirely pleased with the attention you garnered from other men. If given the opportunity, he would have you whisked away from this place. In his eyes, your voice was too lovely for a place like this. Your talent deserved a grander stage than the confines of this tacky establishment.

“Ahah,” you smiled awkwardly, shuffling away and shrugging the man's arms off of you. “Not your sweetheart, Giovanni…”

"Are you not happy to see me, carina?" Giovanni’s voice dropped to a whisper, his hand dropping to grip you by the waist. He leaned his face in closer, and you cringed. The man's breath reeked of alcohol, and his eyes were a bloodshot red. “Come on~ I came all the way to see you.”

“Ya' can go see and do whatevah the fuck you want with her after the show!” Mimzy scowled, stomping her heels onto the wooden flooring. “Can't have a moment of peace in here. Someone get him off my stage!”

"I'll do whatever the fuck I want!" Giovanni retorted, his anger bubbling over as he lashed out, kicking the microphone stand in Mimzy's direction. She barely dodged in time, the crash of the mic hitting the floor drowned out by the screeching feedback.

"Please. Just go," you pleaded, your patience wearing thin. "Why? Why do you always have to make a scene?"

"Ay, carina, don't get bratty with me. Let's talk in the back," Giovanni insisted, his grip on your shoulders tightening as he attempted to pull you off the stage. But before he could, Mimzy's guards intervened, forcefully yanking him away.

"Hey! Get ya' hands off'a me!"

Turning around, you rushed to get off the stage, but Giovanni somehow managed to break free and extended his hand, trying to grab onto you. Panic welled up within you as his hand reached out, but relief followed when he was abruptly stopped by none other than Alastor.

"Now, now," Alastor's voice had a lilt as he held onto Giovanni's wrist, but the venom woven into each word was unmistakable. His ever-present smile stretched wide, serving as a clear warning. "Causing a commotion isn't the best way to impress a lady."

"This ain't none of ya’ business. Let go’a me!" Giovanni scowled, attempting to wring his hand out of the brunette's iron grip. Alastor merely chuckled and adjusted his glasses with his free hand, the unsettling grin still playing on his lips throughout the exchange.

"This ain't none of ya’ business. Let go’a me!" Giovanni scowled, attempting to wriggle his hand out of the brunette's iron grip. Alastor merely chuckled, adjusting his glasses with his free hand, the unsettling grin still playing on his lips throughout the exchange.

"Ha ha! Kind sir, when someone disrupts a delightful performance, it becomes everyone's business," Alastor laughed, the sound of it tinged with sarcasm.

"But I must commend you. My, that impromptu performance of yours was quite remarkable; you truly made a wonderful spectacle of yourself!" Alastor's grin widened, his mocking tone drawing out laughter from the crowd.

Then, Alastor bent down to meet Giovanni face to face, his amusement fading. 

“Though I think you've overstayed your welcome, no?” Alastor's grip tightened around Giovanni's wrist, the pressure leaving bruises in its wake, hues of purple, green, and blue blossoming beneath the skin.

Alastor's grin turned sharp. "You will leave. Now."

"F-Fuck are you gonna do if I don’t, aye?" Giovanni spat, attempting to maintain a façade of bravado despite the pain. He tore his hand away from Alastor's grip, cradling his wrist. "Ya' think you can tell me what to fucking do?!"

"Hmm. I would at least advise you to salvage whatever dignity you have left and leave. If you had even a dust of intelligence in that hollow head of yours, that would have been the first thing you'd have done," Alastor chuckled.

“Damn right. Ya ain't got no fuckin place in my establishment,” Mimzy scowled, snapping her fingers and gesturing towards the men surrounding Giovanni. “Take him away, boys!”

As Mimzy’s goons surrounded him again, Giovanni sneered, "This ain't over."

"Oh, my dear pal, I assure you, it is very much over. The lady has made her wishes very clear," Alastor grinned.

With a final snarl, Giovanni was forcibly led away from the scene, his protests fading into the background as Mimzy's guards escorted him out. Mimzy wasted no time, bustling backstage and barking orders to her staff to clean up and prepare the stage once more.

Alastor's charismatic facade returned as he turned to you, though a glint of irritation lingered in his eyes. "Apologies you had to see that, cher. Let's hope the rest of the evening proceeds much more smoothly."

"I hope so." With a sigh, your gaze shifted downward, and you spotted his injured hands. The glass he had broken earlier had left wounds all over his calloused palms — not deep, but enough to draw blood.

Concern etched across your face, and you gently touched Alastor's hands. The radio host, accustomed to your touch by now, allowed you to inspect the damage.

"You're hurt," you pointed out, caressing his skin.

Alastor met your gaze with a reassuring smile. "Ah, this is just a trifle. A mere inconvenience, I assure you! My, I've endured far worse during hunting, darling! This is hardly worth mentioning."

"But—" you began, only to be interrupted by his finger pushing against your red lips.

"Worry not, cher. I'll take care of it. There's no need to play nurse," he spoke with finality, as if this was a matter not open to further argument.

"Alright," You managed a small smile. "I am really sorry things turned out this way, Al. I didn't know Giovanni was going to show up again. He's always been like that for as long as I can remember. I told him to stop but he never does."

"No need for apologies. None of this fault is on you, darling. Though it does add a touch of excitement to otherwise mundane affairs, doesn't it?" Alastor chuckled heartily, though you sensed there was a bitter undertone to his laugh.

"Excitement? That man is a shitshow just waiting to happen," Mimzy returned and walked up to both of you, rolling her eyes. "And I thought I got rid of him for good..."

Suddenly, she leaned in with cosmetics in hand, deftly swiping lipstick across your lips and delicately brushing blush on your face. "Now come on, dollface, let's get you back to that stage."

You realize you're still on shift, but the thought of performing feels nearly impossible at the moment, especially with all this lingering adrenaline in your system. Admittedly, you're a bit shaken up, and all you want is to curl up by Alastor's side and savor the night with a drink in hand. 

"Oh, Mimzy…I'm not sure I can really perform right now, love. I feel…" you slowly trailed off, faltering under the weight of Mimzy's hardened gaze.

The blonde cooed out your name, her fingers gently wrapping around your arm, soothingly rubbing it up and down. "Dollface, you're not here to question; you're here to perform! Alastor here has been so kind to get rid of your little problem. Now, let's get back up on that stage and do what you're good at."

"Pardon?" Alastor snapped with a raised brow, his usually jovial tone replaced by a sharper edge. "Well, I don't mind in the least. In fact, I rather enjoyed putting that simpleton in his place. I'm sure your patrons can afford to wait, can't they? This poor dear is still shaking in her heels!"

But you intervened, mustering a smile and smoothing down the wrinkles on your dress while nervously tending to your hair. "Oh no, Al, it's alright. Mimzy's right. I can't just let one man ruin my entire night."

With a deep breath, you steeled yourself, taking a moment to compose before adding, "Besides, the show must go on, right?"

Alastor paused, his eyes narrowing as he studied your nervous tics. The radio host silently appraised your form for a few more seconds before eventually giving in. "Hmm, very well. If that's what you wish."

"Thank you, Al," you whispered with a smile, tilting your head up to press a kiss against his cheek. Your lipstick had left an imprint on his bronze skin, but he made no move to wipe it off.

With a chuckle, Alastor leaned back into you and returned the gesture warmly. 

"I'll take care of everything, doll," he whispered, voice low, before pressing a kiss to the corner of your mouth. "He won't ever bother you again."

Confused, you blinked up at him with those bright eyes he loved so much. "How do you plan to do that, Al?" you asked, but he ignored you, staring at you with that unsettling look in his eyes again.

Alastor suddenly raised your hand to his lips, brushing the knuckles with gentle pecks, causing your mind to blank and cheeks to go aflame. 

Tapping her foot impatiently, Mimzy's irritation grew as the display of affection lingered longer than she deemed appropriate. With a swift swat of her hand against the man's shoulder, she hissed at him. "That's enough outta you!"

Alastor smirked to himself and began walking back, seemingly satisfied with the subtle disturbance he had caused. He was such a bastard, but he was yours.

With a shake of your head and a smitten blush gracing your cheeks, you returned to the stage. The blinding spotlight enveloped you as Mimzy tossed the microphone back into your waiting hands. 

Meanwhile, Alastor reclined in his seat at the booth, his gaze fixed intently on you as you resumed your performance. The audience, having brushed off the brief interruption, eagerly redirected their focus to you.

Rabbit, rabbit! Won't you run away? Don't give the farmer all his fun today~ He'll get by without his rabbit pie. So run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run!

As you neared the end of the song, Alastor joined the crowd's applause, rhythmically snapping his fingers together.

Wonderful, as always.

.

Snap.

The sudden, jarring sound shattered the stillness of the forest, followed by a shrill scream that seemed to shake the trees. Giovanni's hands instinctively shot down to his ankle, where his bone had twisted in a gruesome sight that sent bile rushing to his throat. However, he had no time to inspect the damages as a rustling bush caught his attention. Desperately, the man began crawling on the ground, doing his best to move farther away, dragging mud and dirt all over his body.

"Don't give the farmer his fun. Fun. Fun," emerging from thick shrubs, Alastor sang lowly as he continued his slow advance, relishing in the fear that emanated from his prey. He raised his hand, fingers idly tracing over the red mark on your lips, and if he focused hard enough, he could still feel the burn of your affections. "He'll get by without his rabbit pie."

The dense forest around them seemed to close in, casting eerie shadows as Alastor's menacing silhouette moved closer. Giovanni, now gasping for breath, cast terrified glances over his shoulder, desperately searching for an escape route.

"So run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run," Alastor continued to trail after the man, his axe slung over his strong shoulders, a sinister grin etched on his lips.

Ah, it had been so long since he last pursued larger prey, opting for smaller catches like rabbits and squirrels lately. This, however, was a different kind of pursuit, and the thrill was delicious.

“It's rather unsavory to disrupt a live performance,” Alastor mused, gripping his axe and running his bandaged palm along the side of the blade. "Oh, the misery! Each performance interrupted, a masterpiece marred!"

“Though I suppose you redeemed yourself with your own impromptu circus show,” Alastor snickered, reaching down and seizing Giovanni’s sprained ankle, dragging the screaming man back toward him.

"Good show!" The radio host grinned as he pressed his feet against Giovanni's back to prevent him from escaping. Alastor raised the axe high, the glint of the blade reflecting the crazed gleam in his eyes.

"Now, let's see how this act ends."

With a practiced swing, he brought the blade down, chunks of flesh and blood spraying onto his clothing and skin from the impact. Alastor laughed as the light gradually faded from the man's eyes, his once-struggling arms and legs now falling limp.

“What a show!”

[yamujiburo]

You said you like sharing Team Rocket facts, sooo, what are some of your favourite facts that you don't get to share often or think not many people know? :D

Yam's Top 10 Team Rocket Fun Facts!

Jessie and James are both 25 years old

Jessie and James are NOT siblings (you'd be surprised how many people think they are). They have almost polar opposite backstories from each other.

James grew up rich but ran away from home at a young age because of all the pressure as well as his arranged marriage with Jessebelle (who looks exactly like Jessie funnily enough)

Jessie's mother, referred to as Miyamoto, was also a Team Rocket operative who worked directly under Giovanni's mother Madame Boss. However Miyamoto went MIA while on a mission looking for Mew and never came back, leaving Jessie to grow up in foster care

Jessie and James in English are named after the outlaw Jesse James which most people seem to know about. Buuut in Japanese, they're called Musashi and Kojiro, named after the famous swordsmen Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro. Musashi kills Kojiro so do with that what you will. Sub fun fact: Musashi and Kojiro's duel is referenced in Sun and Moon with Jessie battling Ash and using the sun to temporarily blind him and Pikachu before striking.

The Team Rocket trio are based off of the Time Skeletons from Time Bokan, who are probably the earliest version of the very specific trope "san-aku" (literally translated to three evil). The trope usually depicts one female leader and two bumbling men, one short and one tall. They also regularly build mechs/robots and beef with kids. In Sun in Moon, they DIRECTLY reference the Time Skeletons!

When the Johto series came to an end a decision had to be made on whether Misty or Team Rocket would leave the series. Head writer Takeshi Shudo fought really hard to keep Team Rocket (I think it's safe to say that they were his favorite characters). Seeing how Team Rocket stayed in the series till the very end, I think it's obvious to see what the end result of that decision was

The reason Jessie, in later seasons of Pokémon doesn't smack around James and Meowth as much/at all is because her voice actress, Megumi Hayashibara personally requested that the writers make her less violent. She felt it went against the "good natured villain" concept Takeshi Shudo originally had for them. On Hayashibara, Jessie's "failed nurse" backstory is based on Hayashibara's experience in trying to become a nurse.

James' love for sports and racing is often depicted in the show and is a reference to his VA, Shinichiro Miki's, love for cars and racing.

The reason Team Rocket crossdresses is literally just because the artists thought James looked better in a dress than Jessie did and ran with it

[devilrose]

redraw of

but with a design intermediate between GSC and HGSS

(longer notes after the cut for whoever is into character design analysis and early 2000s fashion)

fluffy hair from GSC - I took some hints about the shape from HGSS, but keeping it longer. He is after all "the boy with the long red hair"

a version of the suit jacket from HGSS. I think that in GSC he's supposed to be wearing one of those hoodies that everyone had in the early 2000s, with the massive kangaroo front pocket, but mistakes were made and in GSC it was drawn simultaneously as a zipper jacket and a front pocket hoodie.

Anyway, I like that HGSS gave him something that looks a bit like a suit jacket, to visually strengthen his relation to Giovanni

is that button on the shirt in the GSC design the Game Freak logo? :)

pants from the GSC design (the HGSS ones are similar though). I think they might be cargo pants, though without the awesome big pockets?

shoes from the GSC design but a bit more specific. clarified that the heel has the bubble that was all the rage back then and recently came back in style. otherwise kept them velcro and tall-ankle type, which is an unusual combination, but sure, why not? very Dragon Ball inspired.

face closer to the HGSS design. red eyes because why not. I appreciate that HGSS gave him a very distinctive face.

last note touching briefly on something that maybe could become an essay in the future - the more I look at Silver's original GSC design and storyline, the more I wonder if rather than the son of Giovanni, he was at some point meant to be the son of Lance. Red hair, similar outfit design as Gen 1 Lance (black and red with the tall boots), and that would explain why there's that whole scene where Lance tells him something offscreen that we never get to hear but seems to change him forever. Naturally this is definitely no longer a thing if it ever was, but I wonder.

[shoezuki]

honestly there's no doubt in my mind that sampo is an emanator of aha like. i think hoyo would have to throw a massive curveball at me for me to be doubtful so much jus seems to work in him being an emanator

and i want to know so much about it cuz i mean. he's a FORMER masked fool. we heard him talk to giovanni about how he disagrees with other fools' ideas of elation. he clearly dislikes sparkle for that reason in that her idea of elation includes hurting people and causing harm. he seems to have a very... like in terms of his own ideas of elation, he's very moral? he has strong morals in that regard and disdain for people who follow elation through causing harm to other people and forms of elation that is at other peoples expense.

which as an emanator. i wonder if he even Wants to be an emanator. like sure he engages in his own chaos and hasnt abandoned elation fully but he seems to reject a lot of others who follow the elation. like it could very much be that in leaving/rejecting the masked fools and abandoning his mask, that was his attempt to abandon being an emanator at all.

[comradekatara]

an ask for u! what side of tumblr do you think each character would be on? (for your selection of characters lol)

characters who would not use tumblr: aang is too busy touching grass; katara is terminally online but primarily in a twitter way, she thinks tumblr is for deranged gays and has never ventured to confirm or deny that suspicion; sokka would probably love tumblr if he knew what it was but he thinks it’s a social media platform (which is only partially true) so he avoids it at all costs because he’s paranoid; toph occasionally tweets but is otherwise too cool for social media; azula thinks tumblr is a cesspit of liberal social marxist postmodern blue haired pronouns, she would much rather stay on reddit thank you very much; ty lee is too busy making bank off of being an influencer, and since tumblr is not a particularly lucrative platform, sees no point in exploring it.

suki would use tumblr but in the most well-adjusted way possible. she just reblogs aesthetically pleasing pictures, pictures of hot girls, music she likes, quotes from books she is reading, occasionally will post her own pictures from a hike or a concert or of something she cooked, or make brief, innocuous textposts about her life that are charmingly humorous. her tumblr presence is entirely unobjectionable.

zuko would use tumblr in the more typical, unhinged way. he gets into fights and receives anon hate constantly (but he won’t turn anon off because he secretly craves the attention). he’s constantly changing his political views, and even though it comes from a place of earnest internal struggle, everyone calls him a hypocrite for it and makes lengthy callout posts with receipts, or claim that he’s probably a russian bot. besides making contentious personal posts that are basically just lengthy monologues about how confused and frustrated he feels, he also reblogs a lot of pictures of cats, frogs, horses, rustic scenery, quotes from giovanni’s room, sad gay poetry, mitski songs, and then the occasional picture of like, a motorcycle with flame decals on it or a sexy picture of a hot girl, just to like, reaffirm his masculinity with the most blatant posturing possible. i mean who is this even for. his tumblr presence is radioactive and anyone who does make the mistake of following him often regrets it within the week.

mai has been on tumblr since puberty but she would deny even knowing what it is to anyone who asked (including zuko, but that’s mostly because she’s seen his blog and couldn’t stand to be mutuals with him out of friendly obligation). her blog has really gone through phases and grown and changed as she’s matured. she definitely went through a superwholock phase and has a lot of opinions on shows like house md and succession too. her blog is mostly a repository for her private thoughts, her favorite video games, tv shows, movies, and music, but she’s amassed a lot of followers through making many funny textposts that get tens of thousands of notes each. she’s constantly getting asks that are all like “thoughts on [X]?” but because she can’t usually be bothered to take them seriously she’ll just reply with a funny quip, which also gets a lot of notes. she used to take her blog more seriously but now it’s just a funny little website for her, and she’s thriving.

yue is putting in so many hours of backbreaking labor at the webweaving factory. her url is probably something like “[noun]motif” (probably moon, water, or angel) and her blog title is a line from louise glück. she mostly posts poetry, both reblogging others’ as well as her own, but she also talks about tv shows she’s watching and books she’s reading. she’s somehow managed to get into drama because ppl will call her out for enjoying and talking about media that supposedly “supports incest” or “supports cannibalism” or whatever but she’s too busy minding her own business to really notice. no one really knows anything about her life because her blog is exclusively centered around her artistic and poetic inclinations, but everyone assumes she’s an english major (no one would ever guess that she’s actually a #womaninstem). years after she dies her mutuals will still make posts like “i miss moonmotif i hope she’s doing okay and that she abandoned her blog for a good reason.” perhaps it’s better that they don’t know.

[teecupangel]

i know you have so much on your plate rn but i can't stop thinking about Ezio-era Baker!Desmond and the shenanigan layers of ✨intrigue✨ going on with Ezio and Leo thinking he’s Giovani's bastard, and Maria inviting him to the villa on a whim ’cause she thinks her kids (and Leo) like the pastries, and Desmond misinterpreting absolutely everything because that boy is a Wreck™

what comes of it, tho?? is Desmond trying to alter history more than just pre-inventing exotic baked goods? is he already having to dodge assassins around Italy while trying to protect the Auditore family, getting on Giovani's radar and spooking him ’cause he can't figure out what branch he's from? or is Desmond holed up in his bakery trying very hard NOT to change anything ’cause hey he’d already saved the world he’d like to not fuck things up bad enough to have to do it again?

does Giovani catch a glimpse of him at some point (either just in the bakery or while Desmond’s out being assassin-y), and instead of thinking he looks like himself or Ezio (since this would be before Ezio gets the scar), thinks he looks eerily like the statue of Altaïr? as another layer of shenanigan, he could come to Leonardo with the idea of time travel but thinks that Desmond is from the PAST rather than the FUTURE, and Leo spends the whole convo trying not to blurt that he thinks/knows Desmond is GIOVANI'S kid

just. the confusion of this au speaks to me, since it’s ALMOST crack-y but also these fools are canonically FOOLS, and i love the way you blend angst with shenanigans. im also shippy at heart, so would love to see your take on that in this au if you have the time 👀

(thank you for reading, i hope you're doing well! 🧡)

As long as you guys are find that your asks are getting answered a month later, I’m alright with adding more to my plate XD (just to be clear, this is a first-in-first-out basis for both asks and replies/reblogs and I’m only about to clear Oct 13 XD)

The original Desmond becomes a baker in Renaissance Italy and gets mistaken as Giovanni’s illegitimate child idea for those curious.

In this one, Desmond only went as far as stop the Auditores from being arrested by dropping key documents showing Uberto’s treachery to the Medici. He stayed as far away as he could from the Auditores and only dropped off the evidence in Lorenzo’s bedside table one day, slipping into the darkness. Anyone who saw him actually thought he was a monk since he was wearing a monk’s attire (which he burned afterwards). This does lead to Giovanni and the thieves guild looking for him after since he hasn’t done any other Assassin related stuff and was simply living his life as a baker, they’re hitting a dead end. Desmond doesn’t plan to do anything else since he believes that the Auditores would be able to handle it from here and he’s betting on Giovanni finally starting Ezio’s training after learning that the Templars are after his family.

Giovanni’s first glimpse of him is when he checked the bakery from afar since his family seemed to like it so much. He just wanted to make sure it wouldn’t post any danger to his family and maybe even talk to La Volpe into adding it to the thieves’ patrol route just so they would have eyes on the bakery at all time. It’s gotten so popular that the Medici are even thinking of ordering from them so Giovanni figured he should do reconnaissance before it got to that point. When he saw Desmond, he doesn’t see the similarities between them, he saw Desmond looking a lot like the statue of Altaïr and he freaks out. Because, unlike Ezio or Leonardo, he does have an inkling of how powerful Those Who Come Before were. He has seen the Shroud and he has heard the tales of how Altaïr had mastered one of their weapons. And… if the Shroud could heal all and any injuries then… In this case, Giovanni doesn’t think Desmond is a time traveler, he thinks Desmond is Altaïr himself who has gained immortality thanks to the ‘powers’ of Those Who Come Before.

Thank you! I honestly like writing these ideas where it’s crack but not crack enough that it’s a bit confusing XD

[thesaart]

WHO? WHAT? WHY? SAMPO KOSKI

This is a summary/theories/rambles made by me, someone who has way too much brain rot for this character right now, hope you enjoy.

(fyi this is increadibly long)

First Black Swans companion quest, Im very much basing this entire thing on the theory that her quest plays before Belobogs main story. 

First the quest plays while Sampo is no longer a mask fool in addition it's also implied that he was on Penacony for at least a while. Not only did he have a VIP pass for the Pepeshi club but the Pepeshi people also trust him. Which leads me to think that he properly got that pass at least somewhat legitimately.

Granted we know this from the interaction between Sparkle, Firefly and the Trailblazer but I still think that this is also applicable in the situation within Black Swans quest. 

(also very importantly Black Swans quest is told via a Memory Bubble so knowing exactly when it happened is already nebulous at best)  

If the companion quest happened after the main events of Jarilo VI. Then what happened to Sampo, that in the span of, if we’re generous, a few months leads him to leave the mask fools? Sampo seems to have very strict rules/lines/boundaries for himself so to assume that something happened in the span of a few months which leads him to lay down his mask and go to Penacony but then a new catastrophe befalls Belobog and he immediately goes back to the fools, just feels a bit flimsy to me.

Him also calling himself an old timer with the fools is important. Basically this man has seen some shit so him going back, surprising even Sparkle makes me think that he was out of the Mask fools for a while. 

Also quick side note, that out of all places Giovanni could have chosen to host his event, he went with Belobog. The place he knew he could meet Sampo at. Or he at least knew that if he went there the chance of meeting him was quite high. Potentially because he could have seen the end broadcast of Sampos after the main story of Belobog or because Sampo told Sparkle at the end of Black Swans quest to “tell Giovanni I said hi”. I just find it interesting that the writers put that line here.

Anyway, the Next bit is my personal understanding/theory of Sampos timeline.

Sampo was a member of the fools for a very long time, something happened that went so against his boundaries that he left the fools. He either then immediately went to Penaconey or traveled around for a bit before going there, possibly wanting to settle down.

Sparkle arrives in Penacony for her own reasons. Finds out that Black Swans here too and wants to fuck with her a bit. So she enlists the help of her “friend” Sampo. 

They make a deal that he helps her and she then gives his mask back to him. (important side note the deal with the masks isn't just that they are a sign that you follow the elation but it's literally your entry ticket to the fools and the tavern.) 

The reason why she has the mask or at least knows where it is properly is because Sampo was the one who gave it to her. He initially doesn't tell her exactly why he wants the mask back. that's properly the reason why she mockingly asks if it's about Jarilo VI.

(I acknowledge that Sparkle referencing Jarilo VI makes more sense if Black Swans quest happened after Belobog but hear me out. Sampo clearly has not just knowledge of Belebog but also a huge interest and care for the planet. Maybe the other fools knew of this interest of his. Also I'm gonna talk about his knowledge of Jarilo VI and Belebog later.)

Back to the timeline, Sparkle and Sampo agree on the deal and Black Swans quest starts. Afterwards, Sampo goes to the tavern and gets his mask back. Now he is an active member again, ergo he could potentially get extra help from the fools (for example the potential care package you can find in Lynx’s companion quest that has Sampos name on it.) He arrives on the planet, if he goes first to the overworld or the underworld is anyone's guess. 

But anyway, he meets Natasha and helps her and in extension  Wildfire. Then he continues like Sparkle inspired him to.

Too late to take the stage? no matter, it's a wonder what you can accomplish if you're just a side character.

The Nameless arrive on Jarilo VI a few years later 

(if im not wrong around two years later)

And the main quest starts. 

After that he meets Giovanni at the Aetherium wars event. They have a chat and Giovanni tells him that Sparkle is on Penacony, to which Sampo replies that he doesn't want to see her.

Why? I'm not 100% sure. Sampo is an opportunist, him meeting Sparkle helped them both but they still fundamentally disagree on a few things especially their idea of Elation.

This is my reading of his potential timeline for now. (also another side note hes definitely keeping taps on the Nameless. Simply because of the bomb you can find on the Xianzhou.)

Sampo is strange and his knowledge confuses the hell out of me

He knows a lot about Belobog but the interesting/confusing part is that as an outsider he seems to know things that most if not all locals don't know about. 

For example the tunnels that he uses to travel freely between the over and underworld. Just how the hell does he know about those?

Svarog, a Robot built around 700 years ago, didn't know about them, that or he forgot they exist which seems unlikely.

If Svarog knew about them he would have sealed them off, but he didn't. 

We can assume that the tunnels are not just incredibly well hidden but also safe, because Sampo carried four unconscious people through them to the underworld.

Potentially those tunnels could have been here before the war and miraculously survived both the Antimatter Legion and the Eternal Freeze. This could explain why neither Svarog knew about them, being there before his time, and for the people of Belobog being also way before there's. 

We as the Players never get to see the tunnels but we can assume that they are potentially located in the layers between the over and underworld. 

Then Sampo has the knowledge to repair ancient artifacts from a planet that was isolated and forgotten for multiple hundreds of years. Granted there are people especially from the underworld but also from the overworld that know how to repair them but those include Serval, a gifted mechanic who also was an Architect at one point, so someone who was constantly surrounded by those artifacts and had still surviving documents of how to work with them. Clara, also a gifted prodigy of a mechanic whose dad is Svarog, who could absolutely help her if she has questions about some of those artifacts.

Sampo is an outsider though so how did he learn how to work with or just straight up repair ancient technology?

If we now go away from his connection to Jarilo VI for a second there's just a lot of other stuff that are really interesting/confusing about him. 

We can guess that Sampo is actually quite knowledgeable especially when it comes to making things. He made his smoke bombs meaning that he not only has the technical understanding of making the inner workings of a bomb but also knows how to make knockout gas that also doesn't seem to affect him. 

Same with his knives. I have my theory that either he made them himself or someone made them for him. The blades are just too tailor made for his fighting style to simply be a thing he stole from somewhere. 

The next few points I'm gonna get into were absolutely pointed out many times before by others but still I want to mention them too. 

Also this is already incredible long so fuck it.

First, the foot prints, him not leaving any in the snow is already strange. Granted you could argue that he uses the wind ability that his path grands him to erase them the moment his feet touch the snow but it's not just snow, in Penaconey there are fountains that you can walk over and Sampo is the only one the does not create any splashes, only little ripples on the water's surface.

Second, Brughel Poisson, first I love that his entire character story is about a heist/scam he plans and acts out while playing a different character. It's a wonderful and creative way of showing us a bit more about him and it characterizes him very well.

But also I have my doubts this was just him simply putting on an incredibly good disguise and showing off how good he is at crossdressing. One scene that always stuck out to me in the character story was how incredibly sure and confident Sampo was that the guard would not see through Poisson. Even showing off her hair as in saying, look at this, this is obviously my real hair, no wig at all. 

I have my theory that he could have shape shifted similar to what Sparkle does with the only difference that he did it not in a dream but in reality. 

Him having extra magical abilities would not surprise me, as I said before the smoke of his bombs do not seem to have any effect on him. He is potentially able to teleport or he's just incredibly fast. If he carried Bronya, the Trailblazer, Dan Heng and March 7th all at once to Natasha then he also is a bit stronger then what I think a normal human would be able to do. And the incredibly low temperatures outside of Belobog don't seem to affect him that hard or at all. 

Last point

Out of all the playable paths they could have given him they went with Nihility, the most similar path to Elation simply because Aha and XI agree on one thing and that is that the world and all its life is meaningless. 

It would be fascinating if Sampo first was on the path of Elation and then later switched to Nhility or that he always was on the path of Nihility because of something he went through in his backstory and then found kinship with the fools. 

There's so much potential for his story and his character and I really hope the writers of HSR have a plan for where they want to take him.

If you read all of this thank you so much          

[phlurrii]

Something I remembered today

in real-world biology, roaring, and meowing/purring are mutually exclusive.

Which means that any cat that can purr can not roar, and any cat that can roar can not purr or meow.

which means that Meau, having been seen purring, is physically incapable of roaring,

(which means that the sound in this panel is a snarl and not a roar)

Ody on the other hand, has not been seen purring yet (I think), so it could be possible that Giovanni had him engineered to be able to roar.

That’s actually incredible you caught that detail XD

Meau is indeed not roaring, she’s charging up the hyper beam and both the sound of it charging up and her own disdain towards current situations is seeping out in such. Resulting in a gross mix of a throaty snarl and the attack noise!!

So while she can’t roar like a Lion, she can still make loud, screaming like noises. Think when your cat is very pissed off and screams, that, but with stronger vocal cords and a shit ton of power backing it ;3

[zalrb]

Haha, you mean another? Because I have quite a few.  

This is probably just going to be a repeat of a bunch of things I've said in previous breakdowns but now said in this specific context.

On one level, I think they respect each other because they're both Borgias, and they understand what that means and they love each other because of that and in spite of that simultaneously.

They've both had romantic interests who do not understand them and/or are frightened of them and/or resent them and their "Borgia-ness"

and I think they respect that they can be themselves completely and utterly with each other

because as they've seen, not everyone can handle a Borgia -- Cesare drove Ursula to the convent

and Lucrezia drove Alfonso to drink

both Paolo and Ursula end up dying because they fell for a Borgia whether directly (Paolo) or indirectly (Ursula).

But they have the will and the grit and the passion to accept and love and withstand each other and are not put off by what they do or how they act or how they think, they embrace it. Ursula couldn’t handle that Cesare killed her husband for her

Lucrezia accepts the knife with Giovanni’s blood on it

On a less abstract level but very much related to this, I think we see that Lucrezia respects Cesare's strength and his ferocity

From another post of mine:

[..] in the first scene they have together when Cesare is ready to kind of let Alfonso have it about whether or not he trusts Frederigo with the “future of his family” i.e. Lucrezia, before Alfonso reveals Lucrezia was the one who helped get Frederigo to where he is, she looks turned on

which is why when 3x04 happens, she's yelling this

all the things that she counts on, that she loves and that she respects.

And as much as his ambition can feel suffocating at times -- a Borgia trait

she respects it because it's also in her

and Cesare's respect, I think evolves throughout the series, which I've sort of spoken about in the first analysis I ever did of Cesare and Lucrezia where when we first meet them, I think he respects her innocence

he doesn't want anyone else to tarnish it, he wants to protect it because he respects its existence.

After season 1, after Giovanni, we see how that sort of begins to shift to respecting her will, respecting her decisiveness as we see in 2x01 when she saves Rodrigo, she took action, she saved their father

and by the end of season 3, when she poisons Alfonso and he realizes she can make these decisions, she can make these calls, he respects her ruthless kindness, he respects that she has the mark of Borgia same as him

all the while respecting her as this breath of fresh air and this light for him.

[impromptu-sketches]

𝔹𝕃 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟛 ✦ 𝕎ℝ𝔸ℙ-𝕌ℙ

Happy New Year! ☕️⋅˚₊‧🌸•₊✧📖｡⋆

For all of the BL stories I've read this past year, I have a winner in 13 categories and 5 overall 2023 winners!!

This was an amazing year for BL and incredibly hard just to narrow these down to only five per category. Thank you to all of the authors, writers, and creators out there! We appreciate your hard work ♡

Enjoy!

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✰ FUNNIEST

And the nominees are...

Killer Crush (2022 winner)

Punch Drunk Love

Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi / The World's Greatest First Love: The Case of Ritsu Onodera

Lucky Paradise

Sasaki and Miyano

And the winner is...

PUNCH DRUNK LOVE

Moscareto, you've done it again. I'm literally laughing every chapter. The characters, the art, the whole story is amazing. Can't wait to continue reading it this year and will definitely be a re-read for me down the line. Love those AU chapters too!!

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✰ MOST INTRIGUING

And the nominees are...

Mad Place (2021 winner)

Lost in the Cloud

Shutline

Liveta

I Became the Lousy Side Top

And the winner is...

I BECAME THE LOUSY SIDE TOP

Yay!! I was so surprised by this manhwa. I started to re-read it and suddenly it was taking over my thoughts - the transportation mystery and the shifting love triangle has me hooked!! I'm so excited to see where it goes from here ❀

.

✰ BEST S3X SCENES

And the nominees are...

Pearl Boy

Love in Orbit

Coyote

Taming the Tiger

The Ghost's Nocturne

And the winner is...

COYOTE

I mean... everything this author does is beautiful and sexy af. Their very first sex scene was... very good. The difference in species, the secrets, the newness, the amazing art style (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄ Easily some of the hottest scenes I've read.

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✰ FAVORITE FLUFF

And the nominees are...

Our Dining Table

The Third Ending

Sasaki and Miyano

Hirano and Kagiura

Our Sunny Days

And the winner is...

OUR DINING TABLE

Awwwwww this one was so cute!! I read and also watched the live action which was great ♡ I usually don't get attached to shorter mangas because you don't spend as much time with the story and characters, but because I watched the live action with this one it's stuck in my heart. Super soft romance ♡

.

✰ FAVORITE BOTTOM

And the nominees are...

Seo-an | The Pizza Delivery Man and the Gold Palace (2022 winner)

Victor | Liveta (2021 winner)

Sangwoo | Semantic Error

Seon-Woo | Punch Drunk Love

Yeonwu | Banana Scandal

And the winner is...

SEON-WOO | PUNCH DRUNK LOVE

He really stole my heart with his hilarious daydreams and fantasies, but I grew to love this character even more because of his sweet (yet sexually charged) nature and the fact that he's genuine and earnest. So cute and just an overall unique character ♡

.

✰ FAVORITE TOP

And the nominees are...

Giovanni | Hold Me Tight (2021 winner)

Dooshik | Pearl Boy

Ash | Define the Relationship

Juwon | High Clear

Yoonseul | The Third Ending

And the winner is...

GIOVANNI | HOLD ME TIGHT

Giovanni again!! ♡ It was super tough to choose from this list of amazing men but as I've said many, many times, Giovanni has my whole heart. I simply love him.

Like a lot of the tops on this list (I love the green flags the most ♡) he's different from the typical top who's a company president/director. He doesn't care about money, power, or really anything else except the ones he loves - which is mainly just Felix. One of my favorite things about Giovanni is that he'll drop absolutely anything to go to Felix's side, no questions asked. And sometimes a few questions would be a good thing.

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✰ FAVORITE COUPLE

And the nominees are...

Dooshik & Jooha | Pearl Boy (2021 and 2022 winner)

Skylar & Cirrus | Lost in the Cloud

Taeman & Dahyeok | Killer Crush

Sangwoo & Jaeyoung | Semantic Error

Sasaki & Miyano | Sasaki and Miyano

Woo-won & Seo-an | The Pizza Delivery Man & the Gold Palace

And the winner is...

DOOSHIK & JOOHA | PEARL BOY

Dooshik & Jooha again!! ♡ It was so hard to choose from this list!! But if you've read Pearl Boy, you know these two are the epitome of ride or die. On top of that, they're also so many other things, like adorable, awkward, funny, silly, and incredibly sexy. I absolutely LOVED their awkward and silly beginning and both of their determination throughout the story to be with each other and care for each other ♡♡

(Yes I have six in this category but I couldn't take any of these off the list!!)

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✰ FAVORITE SIDE COUPLE

And the nominees are...

Potato & Heesung | Jinx

Sys & Randolph | King's Maker: Triple Crown

Deisel & Ein | Wolf in the House

Taeman & Da-hyuk | Killer Crush

Seo & Do-Hyeok | My Suha (side chapters)

And the winner is...

SEO & DO-HYEOK | MY SUHA (SIDE CHAPTERS)

I'm kind of surprised this won, but I can't lie. I ate these side chapters up. Every week I looked forward to seeing if these two were going to fight, f*ck, or fight while f*cking. I didn't think it would end so soon and abruptly. I was also hoping for a different ending. But I'm happy we got this story in the first place because I don't think anyone expected these two characters to interact, I'm glad we got to see it. And maybe we'll see more of them someday? A girl can dream.

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✰ COUPLE I MOST WANT TO BE IN A THROUPLE WITH

And the nominees are...

Our Sunny Days

Define the Relationship

The Pizza Delivery Man and The Gold Palace

Pearl Boy

Hold Me Tight

And the winner is...

DEFINE THE RELATIONSHIP

:'( Sadly none of these will become a reality, but if I could choose a relationship to be welcomed into with open arms, it would be with these two beautiful men. Two alphas? Are you kidding me? Two alphas, one top one bottom... yes please!!

.

✰ FAVORITE MAIN CHARACTER

And the nominees are...

Seon-Woo | Punch Drunk Love

Juwon | High Clear

Yoonseul | The Third Ending

Taeman | Killer Crush

Shin | Shutline

And the winner is...

TAEMAN | KILLER CRUSH

Taeman ♡♡♡ we've got ourselves a killer / babygirl! Really the perfect example of 'get you a man who can do both.' He'll kill a wild boar to save you no sweat then cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie with you. He's shy and blushes a lot, he's also calm, cool, and collected when he needs to be. He is everything to me ♡ Looking forward to re-reading Killer Crush soon before the next season comes out!!

.

✰ FAVORITE SIDE CHARACTER

And the nominees are...

Deisel | Wolf in the House

Woojin | Lucky Paradise

Sys | King's Maker: Triple Crown

Heesung | Jinx

Potato | Jinx

And the winner is...

SYS | KING'S MAKER / KING'S MAKER: TRIPLE CROWN

Where do I start? I love him ♡ I love everything about him. I love his cuteness and his cheerful energy. I fucking love his dom side, his choice of outfits for himself and others, his taste in men. What an icon. I'm sure I'll have much more to say after actually reading season 3.

.

✰ FAVORITE BOY

And the nominees are...

Kim Dan | Jinx

Dooshik | Pearl Boy

Giovanni | Hold Me Tight

Yoonseul | The Third Ending

Juwon | High Clear

And the winner is...

JUWON | HIGH CLEAR

I love this boy so much! So cute, so funny, incredibly awkward, and so freaking sexy. I love his tough energy in the beginning and his more recent soft top energy. His chibis kill me every single time. And I think it's well known by now that characters with red hair like this are my weakness (>ω<)

.

✰ FAVORITE TOXIC BL

And the nominees are...

Twittering Birds Never Fly

Low Tide in Twilight

Jinx

Under the Green Light

My Suha (side chapters)

And the winner is...

TWITTERING BIRDS NEVER FLY

How can I not choose Twittering Birds when I've been obsessed with it for like 3 years? I re-read it a few months ago and cannot get enough of these two. I love it. I need more. I pray for a happy ending - though not anytime soon. I cannot get enough of their tension and the recent chapters!!!! ⁂((✪o✪))⁂ I'm so excited to see what we'll see from them this year.

.

✰ SUING FOR EMOTIONAL DAMAGE

And the winner is...

PEARL BOY

I bawled my eyes out after seeing one tiktok of these two. The ending... while technically happy... had me in tears. Really, I was in distress throughout the entire series. And also the ending could have been happier and more clear in my opinion. But was it all worth it? Yes. Would I do it again? Ideally I would read it all in one go, but still yes.

.

✰ FAVORITE NEW BL

And the winner is...

OUR SUNNY DAYS

Ahhhhhhh!!! I'm so happy about this new BL!! So wholesome, so cute, SO FUNNY!! Not even 10 chapters in and I already adored all three of them. So much warmth ♡ I would read 100+ chapters about them just going about their daily lives.

The author apologized in chapter 22(?) because we had to wait so long for spicier chapters - first, I did not once feel like I was waiting too long for spicy chapters, I wasn't even thinking about that, I was just happy and second, dear author, you never have to apologize for anything, you're creating a masterpiece here. I already know it's going to be one of my all time favorites ♡♡♡

.

✰ FAVORITE ONGOING BL

And the winner is...

SEKAI-ICHI HATSUKOI / THE WORLD'S GREATEST FIRST LOVE: THE CASE OF RITSU ONODERA

Oh my god... I read this for the first time this year, not expecting much but to my surprise I enjoyed every second of it 0_0

It was just so fun! Ritsu was hilarious and relatable (minus the nepotism), maybe controversial, but I love Takano ♡ That man just wants Ritsu's love, he's got it so bad.

I loved reading about all of the side characters and couples too ♡♡ I will be reading Junjou Romantica and then re-reading this and then probably watching both animes. And by then, maybe, finally, Ritsu will have confessed.

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✰ FAVORITE BL THAT ENDED THIS YEAR

And the winner is...

HOLD ME TIGHT, BANANA SCANDAL, -AND- SEMANTIC ERROR

I couldn't decide!!! How was I supposed to decide between these three??? There were so many great BLs that ended this year (ノAヽ)

Hold Me Tight - Wow, 194 episodes and I would have kept reading as far as the author wanted to go. This one has a special place in my heart because I remember exactly where I was when I started it and binged probably the whole first season. I've since re-read the entire thing, and despite how long it is, I was so sad when I got to the last chapter. One of my all time favorites. I love Giovanni and Felix so much ♡♡ I love their love ♡♡ (Leegang was my favorite side character). Funny, heartwarming, loving, wholesome ♡

Banana Scandal - I am so so SO glad that we got a season 3 ♡ Even with 190 episodes, similarly, I would have read three more seasons. I loved Taehee and Dojin in season one so much, but Yeonwoo and Taehwan stole my heart just as much at the end of season 2 and in season 3!! I will definitely be re-reading this again ♡ and recommending it forever. Sweet, funny, cute, love these boys ♡

Semantic Error - which just ended like last week it feels like. I'm so sad seeing this one end right now, I want to see more of Sangwoo and Jaeyoung ♡ I feel like there was some more to tell - I'm really hoping for a few side chapters. But overall, duh, I LOVED reading this. So funny, had me hooked from the very beginning. Enjoyed the art style, the concept, and of course the characters ♡♡ I will be re-reading this one again someday. And maybe checking out the novel...

For all of these and other ones that ended this year, I'll be so excited to read future works by these authors!!! ♡♡♡

.

✰ FAVORITE BL OF 2023

And the winner is...

SASAKI AND MIYANO -AND- HIRANO AND KAGIURA

I cheated again and included both of these for best of 2023! I think we all know why and know that I couldn't possible choose one over the other.

Sasaki & Miyano I started in the beginning of 2022 and immediately read Hirano and Kagiura after I caught up and also immediately watched the anime. And now we have a movie!

In addition to being an adorable and wholesome romance, both of these were hilarious. Miyano is my favorite, and one of my favorite panels of him is when he called Hirano an uke to his face ʱªʱªʱª(ᕑᗢूᓫ∗) Miyano you crazy fudanshi!!

The tension with both of these couples!! So freaking soft ♡ and the way I know we're all screeching at just hand holding and little touches is delightful ♡

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.

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Thank you for reading!

[hellfireclubmember]

The Cake Attack of ‘87

a/n: this is just a short fluffy relationship fic. also I currently have 666 followers and thought that was neat. Thank u to anyone that reads this and enjoys it.

w/c: 1,350

pairing(s): boyfriend!steve harrington x fem!reader

summary: Steve is excited to be throwing his best friend a surprise birthday party. Unfortunately, his friends are idiots and he ends up with a face full of cake. Good thing his girlfriend is there.

warnings: sort of curse words, idk if the word i used is considered cursing but jic. soft girlfriend and boyfriend type beat

It was Robin Buckley’s 19th birthday and Steve was far too excited to throw his best friend her very first surprise party. He had been running around Hawkins, sneakily buying bags of party streamers and quietly shoving helium balloons into his car, all week. You were in charge of getting all the food; pastries, chips, the cake. This was a very important task, something Steve continued to emphasize, because it’s not really a birthday party without the birthday cake. He also kept telling you that he trusts you with this very important mission because you’re the person he trusts the most, which is a load of crap. You’re just the only other person with a license that doesn’t drive like a maniac.

Steve was on a kitchen chair in the middle of the living room when you walked into his house. His cheeks were flushed, pieces of tape between his lips, as he attempted to stick purple streamers to the ceiling.

“Hey, Stevie.” You walked over to his kitchen and put the cake down with the other sweets. There were plates full of cupcakes and cookies on the counter. A myriad of drinks and bags of chips. Maybe Steve had gone a little above and beyond considering the amount of people coming but honestly, it was really sweet.

“Hey, sweetheart. Got the cake?” You walked back into the living room where he was trying to get a mess of tape off his hand. The chair he was on wobbling a little as he flailed his arms. You sped walked over to him and grabbed his hand, gently peeling the pieces of tape off his hand. “Thank you.” He mumbled, stepping off the seat and planting a kiss on your forehead.

“Of course, one vanilla birthday cake.” You reached down for his hand, pulling him into the kitchen with you. The white cardboard box, with the words ‘Giovanni’s Bakery’ spread across the top, sat nicely among the other treats “You know, I think this is very nice of you.” You wrapped your arms around his torso, looking up at him. “You’re the best friend a girl could ask for, Harrington.”

A wide smirk spread across his face. “Yeah? Am I the best boyfriend a girl could ask for?”

“Well….”

“(y/n).”

“Yes, Steve.” You rolled your eyes playfully. “You’re the best boyfriend anyone could ask for.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Steve’s smirk was replaced by a big dumb grin. He brought you in for a kiss, hand on the back of your head.

The doorbell rang throughout the house, immediately followed with incessant knocking. “C’mon, Harrington! It’s hot out here.” Eddie’s voice was slightly muffled by the door. Dustin’s voice not far behind.

“Yeah, open up.”

-

Robin had been sufficiently surprised. Actually, when she walked through the door and everyone yelled out, she threw her water bottle at the nearest child. Mike was winded for a few seconds but got over it quickly.

“Awww Stevie, you did this all for me?” Robin’s arm was flung around your shoulders as she spoke. She was making light of the situation but her heart felt so full. No one had ever done something so nice for her. There aren’t a lot of moments when Steve and Robin tell each other how much they care for one another and this felt like Steve’s way of saying just that.

“Oh yeah, you should’ve seen him.” You slid your arm around Robin’s waist. “He was a decoration fiend. Driving around, car full of balloons.”

“You’re both annoying.” Steve rolled his eyes with absolutely no real annoyance. There was nothing he loved more than watching you get along with your shared friends.

You weren’t originally part of the group. When Steve asked you to officially be his girlfriend, he was actually quite nervous about introducing you to his friends. He was so scared they would run you off. His anxiety proved to be unnecessary because you were welcomed with open arms by everyone. Even Max was a fan. “Whatever, happy birthday, nerd.”

“Yeah, happy birthday, Robs.” You kissed her cheek. “Oh! The cake. We must abide by tradition and awkwardly sing happy birthday.” You clapped your hands and excitedly went to go grab the cake. Steve started gathering everyone, herding them to the kitchen table. The cake was now on a pretty crystal stand. You were very careful, gently putting it down on the table in front of everyone. There were unlit candles on the top of the sweet dessert. “Right, we need to light those. I’ll go look for a lighter.”

While you were in the kitchen, rummaging through drawers you heard some loud chattering immediately followed by a thud. You rushed back to where everyone was standing. All of them looking very guilty. Your beautiful boyfriend was standing in the middle of everyone, face covered in vanilla frosting, large chunks of sponge cake littered around his hair. Robin and Eddie were standing to the side, neither of them able to meet your eyes. Both of them clearly the culprits behind the cake attack. You would have to deal with them later.

“Baby, what have they done to you?” You scraped some frosting off his eyelids so he could finally open them. He still couldn’t really open his eyes, squinting to be able to look down at you.

“Just point me in their direction so I can kill them.”

“No murder right now, tiger.” You intertwined your fingers, carefully leading him up the stairs. “Gotta get you cleaned up first.”

-

In the bathroom upstairs Steve was sitting on the closed toilet, your hand holding his face still. You were wiping his face clean with a moist towel, trying your absolute best to be as gentle as possible, not wanting to irritate his skin. His hand was on the back of your thigh, softly rubbing circles with his thumb. He was looking up at you, adoration clear in his eyes. The moment was so sweet, it filled his heart with pure unadulterated happiness.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to stop the hooligans.” You picked a particularly large piece of sponge cake out of his hair.

“It’s alright, better me than you, sweetheart.” He put his hand on your hip and shot you a wink.

“Alright, Romeo.” You scoffed, trying your best to get all the frosting out of perfect hair. “Want me to just wash your hair, babe?”

“Please.” Steve pouted, loving all the attention you were giving him. He was usually trying his best to take care of everyone around him so he was taking full advantage of the situation.

-

Steve was then sitting on a chair that he had dragged into the bathroom, his head on the cold marble of the bathroom sink. A really uncomfortable position, but he’s not complaining, not when he has your fingers in his hair. The anger he had felt earlier when Eddie and Robin pushed his face into the cake completely gone now.

“I’m a little scared that they’re down there by themselves.” You said, sitting down on his lap as you rinsed the suds out of his hair. Gently kneading the last bits of cake out.

“Baby, in this moment I don’t really care.” His eyes were closed, just enjoying the feeling of your magic fingers expertly massaging his head. “They can break whatever they want.”

He was being serious. He loved how you took care of him; you were so attentive and caring. Steve had always felt clingy in his relationship with Nancy, and you never made him feel that way. You both loved each other and cared for each other, he was finally happy. Nancy might’ve been his first love but you were his great love, he was sure of it.

A crash was heard from downstairs, making you both jump. “(y/n) it wasn’t me I swear!” You heard Lucas call up the stairs.

You sighed and rested your forehead on Steve’s shoulder. He was laughing.

“I don’t know why you’re laughing; this is your house.”

You felt his laugh come to a stop. “Those little shits.”

tag list: @johnricharddeaky @slashersluttt @slurmp69

[flints-black-spot]

I've recently seen a few people talking about media literacy in relation to Flint's sexuality and labels and figured I'd throw in my two cents on the discourse that seems to pop up every few months.

Because, I honestly think it does a disservice to Black Sails as a whole to focus on "gay vs. bi Flint" because like... does it matter? if Flint only has attraction to men, that doesn't change the fact that he's canonically, willingly, had sex with women (namely Miranda). But, on the other end of the spectrum, it's just as important to recognize how, societally and culturally, gender is a construct, which will inherently mean that sexuality is fluid! Flint can be a gay man with some level of attraction to women (hell, the majority of the fandom agrees that Anne is a lesbian, yet she's clearly in love and has sexual attraction to Jack, and that doesn't take away from her lesbianism!), and that attraction doesn't make him any less of a gay man! Or he could be bisexual, and that doesn't take away anything from the overarching narrative of his queer relationship with Thomas! The focus on a single 'correct' interpretation of his sexuality, in my mind, takes away from what the show is really trying to say about sexuality, which isn't the "this way" or "that way" to be queer, but the overarching connection that struggle and strife can bring to a community. (For a similar issue, see James Baldwin's response to critics arguing whether the main character from his novel Giovanni's Room is gay or bisexual, his response is incredible.)

And, on the other hand, it's also not entirely accurate or even fair to try and ascribe modern labels and perceptions of queerness to a character that existed long before those terms were even coined? In Flint's time, homosexuality was something a person did, not who a person was. While, yes, his queerness is inherent to his journey as a character, and he very clearly views it as a part of his identity, it's also very much worth noting that two things (homosexual love and desire, and heterosexual love and desire) can coexist, and not either way take away from his narrative as a whole.

Finally, then, there's the common thread of 'media literacy' in determining Flint's label (which, again, I honestly think is just a non-issue because it has such little impact on anything in meta discussions?). To present an opinion like "Flint is gay" is an example of an interpretation, one which can and should exist among others! To have a single, 'correct' interpretation of a piece of media, especially one like Black Sails, is an inherently flawed idea, because every interpretation should have its own merit on its own. Flint can be both bi and gay, and both arguments have perfectly equal weight, but in the end, it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of Black Sails meta. Either way, Flint is queer, and that queerness was a defining feature of his character for the rest of the show. To assign such importance to "gay or bi" just feels unimportant.

[bowtiepastabitch]

Let's Talk Costuming: Come on, Hamlet! Buck up!

Welcome, my friends, to the Renaissance, or to be more specific in geography and time, the Elizabethan period! Shakespeare! Protestantism! Great fun! For context, this scene likely takes place sometime around 1599-1601, towards the end of Queen Elizabeth's reign.

What I find most interesting about clothing of this period (aside from how silly looking some of it is) is that this is the era of ~*sumptuary laws*~ so every piece of clothing you see tells you a story about the person wearing it! Of course, I can't imagine Crowley or Aziraphale are all that concerned with being mistaken for a duke or somesuch, but it's fun to image what an onlooker may have thought of them.

Note: The focus of this analysis will be on Aziraphale's costume and on Elizabethan sumptuary laws. Crowley is up next, and his costume analysis will focus more on composition.

[text of a Royal Proclamation dated 15 June 1574, British Library]

Sumptuary laws have been around for a while, and they served a dual purpose during the Elizabethan period. First and foremost, they set to reinforce class boundaries by forbidding one to dress above ones station, but they also sought to reduce foreign imports of excess frippery that drained English pocketbooks. The proclamation even warns that young men of the realm, having spent their fortunes on fine clothing, will turn to lives of crime to satisfy their appetites.

These laws regulated all kinds of things: the textiles one could wear, in what colors, how much a guy could pad his calves out for ultimate sex appeal, really anything you can think of. That's not a joke, in fact a man in 1565 was detained for wearing "a very monsterous and outraygous greate payre of hose," which likely refers to a 1562 regulation on hose, ruffs, and swords. Hose could not be "containing in the netherstocks and upperstocks more than one yard and a half, or above one yard and three-quarters at the most, of the broadest kersey, or with any other stuff beyond that proportion," nor could they be lined excessively or constructed with too much fabric.

This same law regulated ruffs, like the ones we see at Aziraphale's neck and sleeve cuffs, to only a single width of ruffle, which dear Azi is following:

Where he might find himself in a spot of trouble, though, would be in the colors he's wearing. The color combination is rather divine on him, but the use of gold embroidery on clothing is forbidden unless one ranks as a Viscount or above. Now, could it be argued that Aziraphale, as an angel and a principality, has a privileged rank of his own? Yes, it could, but that takes some of the fun out of this.

His doublet (cute little jacket) appears to be a silk damask dyed in a lighter shade of blue, so likely woad. He would be safe in all these regards. Were the blue indigo, he could get in trouble for that, however, as that rich shade of blue was reserved for the upper echelons of the gentry as well.

Swords notwithstanding, the cut of Aziraphale's garments is reminiscent of several of the gentlemen in the foreground here:

[Royal procession of Queen Elizabeth. Printed by and for J. Nichols and Son, London, 1823. Folger Shakespeare Library]

As usual, we see Aziraphale in a tasteful iteration of the era's clothing that incorporates his character's color scheme. The incredibly dramatic silhouettes of the era definitely leave their mark, but he ends up looking rather refined rather than ridiculous.

[The Tailor, Giovanni Battista Moroni, 1565-1570]

This portrait gives a great view of these outrageous pants up close, as well as a jacket very similar in design to the one Aziraphale wears in this scene. The primary difference between the two is that the tailor is dressed appropriately for a craftsman, plain colors and not much extraneous ornamentation. Against this, Aziraphale certainly stands out, with his fancy trims and such, and would thus necessarily be identified as a member of the gentry by anyone in his vicinity.

This is important, because his positionality in this world is very clear. As in many of our historical moments, Aziraphale's wish to blend in only extends to a certain degree. He complies with the style of the era, and I suspect even enjoys his little games of dress-up, but as time goes on he creates more distance between himself and the garb of the peasantry. In some of the biblical era flashbacks, he's dressed rather plainly, but in later periods we seem him as a knight, a rather foppish Victorian gentleman, and finally in his well loved 20th century gentleman outfit that he keeps well past the point of anachronism.

He leans into these little luxurious identities in part because he is an angel, yes, but he is also slowly falling in love with all the beautiful little things that humanity has to offer. And what does the renaissance give him? Great works of theatre, luxurious gold embroidered silk jackets, and slutty little pumpkin shorts.

He's adorable, you have to admit. My sources, for your further reading pleasure or to prove I did my research:

-https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2014/02/sumptuary-laws/

-https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/proclamation-against-excess-of-apparel-by-queen-elizabeth-i#:~:text=During%20the%20reign%20of%20Queen,on%20luxuries%20such%20as%20clothing.

-https://www.folger.edu/blogs/shakespeare-and-beyond/sumptuary-laws-rules-dressing-shakespeare-england/

Ta ta, have a wonderful day, and I hope you enjoyed our little history lesson.

[lunarsluttymoon]

Epithet side effect headcanons that somehow turned into disability stuff while I was writing 👍👍 (these are kinda angsty I did not intend for that to happen but uh here we are—)

Molly — sometimes if she overuses her epithet, it can almost “nullify” her mind in a sense, giving her short-term memory problems on occasion. Usually it’s mild and doesn’t have much effect, just normal everyday forgetfulness, but when it’s bad, her head gets really fuzzy and she can’t focus or remember anything, she gets awful migraines and headaches, and she has a sort of feverish mind (y’know like when you’re so sick ur head feels Weird and u can’t Brain right). It’ll go away pretty quickly as long as she rests, but uh. We know she ain’t getting much of that.

It’s really Stressful and frustrating for her, because she KNOWS she forgot something but she can’t remember WHAT in the slightest.

This doesn’t happen very often thankfully since she doesn’t strain her epithet much, it’s like a once-every-few-months kinda thing.

Giovanni — got this one from a fic, Giovanni has a lot of sodium in his blood (cause soup, salty) which gives him wonky blood pressure, and it causes chronic nosebleeds. I like this one a lot cause I used to get nosebleeds on like a weekly, and in the summer, daily basis as a kid.

He got his first nosebleed in late spring when he was about 5 or so, just running around outside. He didn’t notice (and trust me when I say it can be HARD to notice) for a LOOONGGGG time. He ended up losing a LOT of blood. When you get a nosebleed it can sometimes run down into your throat and you’ll start spitting up blood it’s Uncomfortable and Gross. Anyways he went back home, went “hi moms :3 *soaked in blood, choking up blood*” andddd they Freaked Out.

He’s anemic because of it, and has to take iron meds. If he forgets to take them he gets really dizzy, and if it’s particularly bad, he can faint.

Sylvie — Narcolepsy. And insomnia. You can have both (and from what I know, they often go hand-in-hand), and he is Not having a good time.

He’s exhausted during the day, he tries to take stimulants to stay up but they don’t always work. When it’s night, he can’t go to sleep for the life of him, and if he does, he wakes up very often. It’s Not Fun. Sometimes he just gives up, and sleeps all day, then works all night.

Mera — We know the side effects, but I’m gonna mess with it a bit (aka I’m projecting). The muscles around her joints are really weak and frail, meaning it’s looser, so she has Hypermobility. Possibly also Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. She’s got a lot of joint pain on top of her regular pain.

She’s got it b a d, if lifts her arm up too high it’ll jerk and she’ll be like “oh yup. Dislocated again.”

She’s absolutely COVERED in bruises and scars, whenever she has to get stitches it constantly tears. She heals horribly. She’s starting to develop arthritis as well.

Medication usually doesn’t do anything for hypermobility related pain, if you’re lucky it’ll take the edge off. Indus helps her out with heatpads and stuff, but other than that, she just has to tough it out.

Indus — nothing. Have u seen this man?? He probably drinks disgusting high vitamin smoothies every morning, he eats full proper meals, dude is in PEAK CONDITION. If he did have any side effects it would be completely negated by his sheer healthiness. Diseases and conditions fear him.

He is however that One Person who is prepared for Everything and will help u if u need it. He carries medication and heatpads for Mera in case she forgets them, as well as bandaids and antiseptic wipes. He’s just a Good fella… <33

[orphetoon]

Ayo! gotta say, LOVE your Haruno Higashikata AU! got two questions:

1: what role does Gio play in part 4?

2: If nobody's done so already, I must put forth the obligatory question of "what if G. Giovanni & H. Higashikata met?" whether or not D4C rules apply is at your own discretion. I suppose their respective GERs could just revert their own actions (in this case, approaching each other) should they accidentally annihilate each other.

giorno in a lot of the slice of life parts is a lot of:

at least in stories not directly related to him lol

there is an added element of ✨joestar family drama✨ which is the main focus of this au, but during the kira parts gio is investigating but usually w josuke and okuyasu as opposed to jotaro

if this au gio met regular gio i don’t think they would like. hate each other or anything. without rambling abt the changes the broad strokes of the character are still the same (being saved by a mafioso vs being adopted, wanting to fix the drug problem vs wanting to fix the mess dio/the arrows have caused)

they’d be chill if not a little uncomfortable with the differences. this au josuke would be very worried abt regular gio tho