#because also? that’s my opportunity to say hey! I know an artist who’s just as good and so much quicker!

[sweetest-honeybee]

Don't beat yourself up! Honestly, it's fine if a commission takes a little long, the last thing I'd want is the person I commission to stress themselves over a piece and getting frustrated. In my opinion I rather wait as long as possible for something that had time and effort put into it then receive a product the artist didn't have a good time working on!

I really appreciate it! It’s not for everyone to wait and that’s alright but genuinely, a lot of my best work comes out of patience and enjoyment. I put in a LOT of effort and fun details and take my sweet time cleaning up the piece when I know I’m gonna enjoy taking all that time to do it

Like hell, how I did the entire second version of that piece of the one oc and Frank? I had so much fun doing it and adding details that were harder to notice and taking the time to throw on some more layers to make a creepy one and I hardly minded taking that extra time to do it because I was in the zone and having fun 😌

[marrycv]

Muse

rockstar!ellie x reader

warnings : SMUT!!, no to consentement (happened with a men ellie saved us), alcohol, ✂️✂️✂️, swearing, age gab? (ellie be like 2-3 years older), thigh riding (r ! receiving), fingering (r ! receiving)

idk if thats all but i worked hard on this one 😜

enjoy!!

—

“Cmonnnnn we’re gonna be late!!”

“not my fault you took 2 hours in the shower?”

you and your bestfriend were getting ready for that little concert that was in your city. it was so rare you had finally something fun to do, and the best part of it, is that your favourite band was gonna be there. you were so excited to go there, but your bestfriend was just making you nervous, in the worst way ever.

you had a denim mini skirt with a lace crop top in black with some leather jacket, classic ‘rockstar girlfriend’ outfit if you’d search it on pinterest. but, it was a rock show anyways, so you were fitting in that vibe.

you had a little smug eyeliner with some star glitter around your eyes. your best friend has some too. exited by the fact that you two were matching like some 13 years old teenagers.

“okay, im ready”

“about time!! now come on, i dont wanna arrive while its crowded, wanna have the best view” she tells you while bringing you outside towards her car

“girl did you know my fav band are gonna be here??”

“ugh omg you said it at least one thousand times…” she sighs

“okay okay, will you be less annoyed when i tell you they look like this :” you said as you showed her the guitarists and the singer. they were 3 and your age. absolutely gorgeous people.

“YOOOOOOOOO!!!” Layla said, looking at the picture of the three bend’s members.

“rightttt?!!!”

“okay but look at the men?”

“his name is Jesse, one of the guitarist. currently dating the other guitarist” you informed her, for only her smile dropping at the deception.

“look, thats the singer” you continue “her name’s Ellie, and shes SO fucking hot, and shes gay”

“lesbian?” she asks you while she starts driving towards the location for tonight.

“yeah, literally everyone who listen to their music is because all the fans envy her. i dont blame them tho”

“what about the other guitarist?” she asks you, now interested in them

“Its Dina, Ellie’s ex”

“WHAAAAAT ??? nowayyyy”

you two laugh at the drama you shared to layla. it was funny gossiping and her finally showing some interest in what you liked.

-

arrived there, it was already crowded. nobody was on stage yet, but it was definitely bigger than you expected.

you friend touched your shoulder, knowing how much noisy places made you so uncomfortable.

“what aboouuuuuut we get VIP tickets for a quieter place mhh?”

“Layla? its too expensive i cant afford that, ill just- support it” you tell her, looking at your phone trying to distract yourself

“too late babe i bought us some” she says, looking at you with the biggest smile. eyes disappearing and teeth showing. She was your sunshine.

“whaaat? you shouldn’t have- im gonna repay you when i can okay?”

“nuh huh, its our night and my gift, okay?”

you nod and smile, worries erased by her gentle smile.

it was true, it was you guy’s night, and no anxiety would take that away.

In the VIP room, there was mostly middled aged men with some really young, but beautiful girls in their company. all already wasted. from here, you could be so close to the stage you thought if the artists would be close enough, you could touch them. you also had access to the backstage, which was an insane opportunity.

some normal people, like your age hanging out with people their age were also in the VIP. it was less awkward with all of those creepy men probably were ‘sugar daddies’

“im gonna grab us a drink ill be back, yeah?” layla whisper-screams in your ears then vanishes to the bar.

you look around you, analyzing the people. then get on your phone, just to seem lees alone.

“Hey you gorgeous lady, would you mind some company?” a raspy voice said

you look towards the voice and see a men, probably 25 years old, but obviously drunk and maybe also high.

“i already have company, but thanks” you said, gently, not wanting anything to happen.

“oh, but i dont see anyone babygirl…” he said as he leaned closer to you while you backed off a little.

his eyes widen, completely surprised by your non interested move.

“im not gonna bite youuu, only if you ask me to” he says and winks at you while touching your arm, going closer and closer to your breast.

“um.. no thanks..” you said, trying to get away, searching around for layla’s figure somewhere around…

“why are you so fucking rude? huh? cant even be happy someone wants to be with you mh? ‘lil slut..” he said as his grip on your arm was tightening, probably gonna leave a mark after.

“please-“ you started but got cut by someone else, behind you two

“she said no man”

the men looks behind him, feeling his grip on your arm going insanely tight. you hiss by the pain.

“she’s with me” he answers to the girl you yet didn’t dare to look at, feeling embarrassed by this whole situation

“are you with this man, miss?” the girl asked you.

her tone completely shifting from raspy, loud and angry to sweet and gentle. making you look up from the ground to see the Ellie Williams defending you. you answer her a small ‘no’. scared if you talked louder the men would take away your arm at this point. or scared you’d cry from anger. the tight feeling you felt in your throat was cutting your voice to get through, if the knot would get destroyed, you’d probably sob right here, but it would only get tighter, feeling like it was taking the oxygen away from your lungs. feeling like it was choking you so it couldn’t pass anymore. would only make your heart beat slower due to the little air you were able to breathe. but you felt like it was beating faster, like you just ran kilometers and stopped suddenly. making your body react in a bad way in the sudden change.

but that was only a feeling.

you just looked, away.

you could hear Ellie yell at the men until his grip on you left to only see his arm swing towards ellie’s face. only that she dodged his punch smoothly. almost satisfying to watch her doing it like she was the finest fighter in the world.

but the slowmo and the muffled voices stopped and when Ellie punched him. Everything was too loud and too clear.

blood getting out of the man’s mouth. attacking Ellie back. everyone screaming and getting away from the fight, creating a non purpose circle.

suddenly it wasn’t a rock show, but a fight show.

Once Ellie completely knocked out the men, him completely passed out on the ground, blood all over his face. she went towards you

“You okay?” she asked, gently as she didnt even just fought with someone like she was gonna kill him.

you simply nodded to her, shocked by this whole situation, never wanting it to end up this way.

“come with me, yeah? ill get you some water and… clean you up” she said looking at your cheek, having some blood on it.

you just followed her into her lodge. it was quiet and cozy.

nobody was in there, but you were kinda nervous about the fact that you were literally with a celebrity.

“sit down” she obeyed.

you sat on the closest chair you saw, following her orders like a dog, still under shock.

ellie took a glass and poured water in it, placed it on the table next to you, then took a small towel and again, put water on it. she came real close to you, her head titled on the side a little bit, her fingers took your chin and made your head move a little bit on the side. she took the towel and took the blood away from your cheek. probably the men’s blood. ellie didn’t have one single scratch. only her knuckles were brushed.

you watched her taking care of you like a little kitten she had found on the road and just, felt bad for it.

her eyes were concentrated on what she was doing, her fingers touching you so gentle, so softly. her bottom lip between her teeth due to the concentration. she might looked so rough earlier, but here? she was the softest person you’ve ever laid eyes on.

“here..” she said as she stopped what she was doing. she sat next to you, with concerned eyes. she suddenly cared so much about you.

“thanks” you whispered, looking down to the glass of water in front of you.

“dont thank me, this guy was an asshole. are you hurt?” she asked looking at your arm, knowing he was holding it.

“if i were you id worry more about your hands” you said looking at them, all bloody and swallowed.

“its okay, dont worry about me…” She said getting up to grab some ice for your arm

“no, take it.” you said, putting it on her fingers trying to ease her pain from defending you.

the room went silent, a comfortable silence. the ones where you didnt rush do say anything or where you werent overthinking to find a subject to talk about.

Ellie on the other hand, was going insane. You were so pretty and you had a pin on your purse about their bands which meant that you were a fan. which meant you knew about her and listened to her music. the silence was driving her insane. she’d just wish she was a normal person who weren’t screaming for her name out there. screaming for her and the fact that they all wanted her. like she was theirs. but she didn’t want that. she wanted to be yours, and it wasn’t gonna be easy. she thought you were scared by her, she thought you saw her completely different now, that you’d stop listening about her being so so toxic with girls with the best beat dina and jesse could ever put to make everyone forget about how of an asshole she was.

about how the girl was hers but she wasnt the theirs. about how she just fucked the girl cause she was bored.

but now, you could saw her as a crazy girl that punches someone almost to death. someone dangerous.

you were just too pretty for this man, for this treatment. she would have done this for anyone, but taking care of them after? nahhh she wouldve just walked away.

“whats your name..?” Ellie asked, looking dead up in your eyes like she wasn’t going crazy on overthinking.

“my name’s ______” you tell her.

“im uh, im Ell-“

“Ellie Williams, yeah i know”

“of course you do..” she sighed at herself.

“fuck- i uh my friend… she’s gonna be dead worried!! fuck fuck” you say, completely on panic mode

“hey, hey, hey, its okay, just send her a message to let her know youre all good, im not letting you out there again, something worse could happen to you.” she says, in a stern tone.

“you worried about me Williams?” you ask her, calmed but surprised by her reaction, slightly titling your head a little bit. the small amount of alcohol in your system making you bolder than you ever could.

“believe it or not sweetheart, i care about my fans”

something in what you said activated Ellie’s dangerous side. she was gonna torture you and never let you go.

“dont you have a show you have to do? for the caring of your fans?”

“i believe they can wait a little bit, dont you think?” she smirked at you.

that goddamn smirk she’d have in those pinterest pictures of her if you searched up her name on the search bar. that smirk when she was on live and someone would tell how much they loved her. or when her fans would ask her to sign on their boobs.

that smirk.

“how disappointed i would be if i was one of those, knowing you were just sitting in here with someone you didnt even knew”

“mhhh i wouldnt care less doll”

you blushed at the nickname, you’d cringe if someone else would’ve called you like that, but the way she said made your panties grow a little wet spot faster than you thought your body could.

you shifted a little bit in your chair, uncomfortable by how sweaty you’ve just became.

“dont you think its hot.. in here?” you said, praying for her to not notice it was because of how much your heart was pumping, making you red everywhere.

“follow me” Ellie said, getting up and walking in another room. you were almost too shaking to even walk but you managed to make your way to ellie. she was in a small bedroom. how could you know lodges had bedrooms? no idea.

“we have those bedrooms if someone from the bend is tired or dont feel good, very useful. i think it was Beyoncé that asked that”

“you know beyoncé???” you asked completely amazed

“uhhh, no. im a small artist, not a pop star” she laughed and made herself comfortable on the bed.

you sat next to her, but shy enough to keep your distance away from her a little.

Ellie just grabbed a guitar that was hanging on the wall and started to play a little melody. her fingers stroking the strings so perfectly, making them some beautiful note and then you recognized the song. she was signing one of hers.

its like you were in a dream, the room was so dark but there was lights everywhere, hanging like a teenage room. making able to see everything with the most perfect lighting, you were able to see the intense shadows from ellie’s perfect muscles. aligned how it was made, like god modelled them himself with his own hands. the way she was just there looking at where her fingers were at to know what note to play next. her foot tapping around with the beat. her hair being lighten by the small yellow lights, making her auburn hair look way more softer than usual.

you couldn’t contain yourself at the sight.

“wanna try?” Ellie asked, handing you the guitar with smile on her lips… her perfect lips- ok stop this madness.

“i- i dont know how to play”

“ill teach you- here, put it on your legs…” she then got closer and took your hands to place them to make a chord. “and here is the chord C major” she smiled at you. “easy right?”

“sure, if i dont count the fact that my fingers are about to explose”

she looked at you and laughed, you did the same. you felt now so comfortable with her.

“alright..” she said,

“get in my lap imma teach you some other stuff.”

“huh?”

“the guitar, you trust me?”

she said, clarifying your dirty mind.

“uh yeah, i do” you said then sat in front of her, between her legs. she wrapped her arms around you and guided your fingers, showing you the chords. one by one.

her fingers felt sooo good on your skin, you were just wondering how good they felt inside of you.

you knew that what you were feeling was wrong, that you two just met but you couldn’t help to press your ass to her crutch. Ellie’s words stuttered, and so did yours. every words were slower and her mouvements were more sensual, if you werent delusional.

the tension just kept growing and only one more move and it could be done for the both of you.

she pressed her head in your shoulder. still teaching you. a hand on yours- guiding you and another on your hip… and she just made you get closer to her, as you could even get closer. you were trying to not moan at this point. what she was doing, ‘teaching’ you guitar and making your heart skip a beat, pretending like nothing else was happening, like it was just all in your imagination. but the feeling was so strong, so strong.

you felt her lips stroking against the skin of your neck while she was whispering you the instructions of the next chords.

crazy how an hour ago you were with your bestfriend, being exited about just seeing ellie live, and here you were, she was literally teaching you how to play guitar with hers. this felt all like it was some kind of prank, too good to be true, but you were just there to enjoy yourself at 100%.

Ellie’s hand on your hip was now playing around on your thigh, she’d tell you how good you were doing. she then moved her hand, painfully slow in your inner thigh. your breathing was speeding up like she was already in you…

she has just touch you so little.

you craved her so much.

you let her get higher, she stoked her fingers on your clothed cunt, could feel the wet spot on your panties that was growing since you got into her lodge.

“is this okay?” she asked you. scared she was taking everything too far, but you just pushed her hand closer to where you needed her the most.

Ellie took the guitar away from the both of you and turned you over so she could see your face.

your legs wrapped around her waist and now both of her hands were on your hips.

the atmosphere completely changed. it was romantic and comfortable 2 seconds ago, and now its so much more intense, the room feels hotter and your nervousness is on the top of your head controlling you to stay still.

“ellie…” you whined.

that made ellie so much more bold. her hands moved up from your hips to your cheeks, not forgetting to touch every part of your skin that was on the way. it wasn’t too slow and either too fast, just enough to realize she was getting closer and closer while her eyes switched on your eyes to your lips. you leaned in, like she was a magnet, pulling you towards her. her lips on yours felt the most right thing you’ve ever felt. they were so soft, so warm, so so tender against your lips. the kiss turned into a make out soon enough like it was a relief from all the tension that had built. her tongue dancing against yours, feeling this feeling of euphoria in your whole body, only catching yourself needed more and more.

unconsciously, your hips were rocking against any pressure you could find. ellie stopped her kisses to only replace them on your neck. you tilt your head to give her more access. you had no idea what you were doing, its like your body went into full control and your mind was just beyond the clouds, seeing the stars when her knee pressed against your clothed cunt. a moan and a a relief sigh escaped your lips.

all was happening so fast and ellie was taking your shirt off, as you were doing the same to her, like in those romantic movies when the two characters find eachothers and they get heated in the moment. like there wasn’t time, like you were late to somewhere.

ellie’s fingers found their way, once again on your clit.

“you mind if i take this off?” she asked, with a smirk, but you could see her cheeks blushing, her breath being fast… her hands shaking.

you nodded, way too speechless of the goddess in front of you

“words, i need words baby”

“take it off” you saw, looking at your legs that were still wrapped around ellie’s waist.

ellie layed you down on the bed, now on top of you, looking at you up and down, analyzing your body. she gently touched the hem of your skirt to take it off. you lifted your hips up to help her. her mouvement were painfully slow, as she was trying to make this sooo memorable.

your panties along with your hips were now on the floor of the room. laying with only your bra left.

ellie’s lips returned to yours, while you could feel her hands getting closer to where you needed her the most.

“ellie..?”

“yes, yes? what’s wrong?” she asked, genuine

“i uh.. can i ride on you?” you asked her, closing your eyes to try and hide yourself from the immense embarrassment you felt, but before you knew it, ellie stood up, you looked at her, clearly confused about what she was doing

to your surprise, she only stripped herself, finding her now completely naked. you could see her abs.. her biceps.. the ‘v’ kind of shape she had on her lower stomach.. her small, yet perfect boobs, only finding your mouth watering at the sight- and not only your mouth but your pussy was drenched too.

“are you gonna stop staring at me?” ellie asked as she climbed on top of you, kissing you- again

maybe she felt magnified to you too? just like you felt so attracted to her

you were winning in anticipation and excitement

naturally, her leg intertwined with one of yours so both of your clits were pressing against eachothers.

feeling her like that against you was heaven. grinding yourself against her was beyond beautiful. the scene was so pornographic that i’d create a new sin in the bible.

“els! im so.. close… fuck!!”

“me too, fuck.. together yeah?”

and just like that she gave a couple more trusts against you and you did the same, as your mouvements were synchronized, as if it was destiny to find her and make love with the love of your life.

you saw and felt fireworks, a big release escaped as you were almost screaming by pleasure. and ellie was just, amazed by your fucked expression she could cum again over and over by just being on top of you, looking at you this beautiful. she couldnt stop.

“els! please!” you said as you felt overstimulated by your previous orgasm.

“please give me another one, please.” ellie was begging at this point. as she needed it more than you, as she felt it in her.

she could go on and on, and you would let her abuse your cunt for the rest of your life if it felt like that.

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.3k

Warnings: none

Summary: You’re plagued by the kid who lives in your neighborhood, the kid you know has a crush on you. You left town, you lived your life without him, and now you’re staring at him face to face after years. Something about him has changed and now you can’t help but want him back.

Square Filled: art student au for @spencerreidbingo

Author’s Note: any and all comments are appreciated <3

x

Then

As soon as the last bell at school rings, you race off campus to start the walk home. It’s not a far walk but you enjoy the silence you get from it. Your house is filled with little brothers and sisters and it’s hard to get a moment of peace. Your parents do the best they can but you know it’s hard for them. You’re the oldest so you’re expected to help out which is why you also enjoy your time alone.

You walk around the corner and notice the sixth house down from yours with the garage open. You’re not sure how you feel but something washes over you knowing what’s going to come next. Maybe it’s annoyance or irritation or indifference but the same thing happens every single time you walk home from school.

The only kid that lives there, Spencer Reid, loves to come out and walk with you the rest of the way to your house. He’s a nice kid but that’s all he is--a kid. He’s two years older than you are but you’re much taller than he is. If he is going to get a growth spurt, he’s getting it late in life or maybe his family are just short people. He’s not enrolled in your school because he’s mega smart and needs higher education to stimulate his brain.

You slip past his house in hopes you can enjoy the rest of your walk in silence but you hear the garage door slam shut and footsteps padding down the driveway.

“Hey, Y/N! Almost missed you.”

“Hi, Spencer,” you shake your head.

“How was your day?”

“It was fine. It’s just school.”

“Today was my first day of college and it was exhilarating. I have to admit, I wish you were there. Or I wish I was enrolled in your high school like all the other normal kids. At least we’d be together.”

You knew he had a crush on you after the first conversation you ever had with him. He called you pretty and vowed he’d walk with you to protect you against predators. It was cute at first but not you’re interested in someone like him. Like you said, he’s nice and has the potential of being a good boyfriend but he’s short and you don’t go for short boys.

“Sure, Spencer.”

“Listen, my mom gave me some money and I wanted to see this new French film that’s playing across town. Do you think you’d want to maybe go with me?”

Never has he ever had the balls to ask you out. Now that he has, you need to put a stop to this. He’ll get over the crush and you won’t be humiliated every time you go out in public. Does that make you selfish? Maybe. Does that make you a douche? Definitely. You stop outside of your house and look down at Spencer who has a hopeful look in his eyes.

“Spencer, listen, you’re a nice kid but it’s never going to happen between us.” Spencer’s face falls but he doesn’t say anything. “Grow over six feet and then we’ll talk, okay?”

You meant that as a joke but you don’t stick around to see if he laughs. That’s the last time you ever saw Spencer Reid.

Now

Today is the day. You’re given the opportunity to feature your art in one of the most successful art galleries in the country. You studied at Princeton and got a degree in fine arts before interning for known artist Benjamin Hale. He’s so successful that he has hundreds of galleries across America with dozens more across the world. He was impressed with your portfolio and offered to let you study underneath him while creating your artwork in private.

He offered you a chance to showcase your work in one of his new galleries. According to him, he needs new blood in this gallery and you’re the perfect fit for it. Your speciality is portraits, realism, and photorealism. Your favorite things to draw are people but there is something about being in nature and drawing what God put on this Earth. You have an eye for making your paintings look real and raw, and you’re able to capture people’s emotions henceforth the realism part of your art.

You only have about a dozen works put up in your small corner of the gallery but you’re proud of it all. You might not sell anything tonight and that’s okay. When you got the word out that the gallery was going to open, people agreed to come once they saw free food and wine was going to be handed out. Still, you appreciate everyone coming.

The place is packed mostly for Benjamin’s work but you see some people enjoying your work. You’re in the back room getting more wine for the servers when one of them joins you.

“Hey, Y/N.”

“Oh, hey, Lori. I’ve just gotten the box of wine for you guys.”

“I just came back here to tell you that someone just bought all of your things.” You’re so shocked that you spring up but hit your head on the corner of a shelf. You yelp in pain and rub the sore area before backing out of the dusty corner. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. What did you just say?”

“Someone bought all of your work.”

You don’t wait to hear what else she has to say. You’re already out the door and rushing into the main room. You look to your section but don’t see anyone lingering around. You’re not paying attention to where you’re walking when you almost run into someone. The man grabs your shoulders to prevent you from falling and lets out a chuckle.

“Are you okay?”

Wait you know that voice. You look up at the man towering over six feet tall. Damn, he grew up.

“Spencer?”

“So, you do remember me.”

He lets go of your shoulders and allows you to take a step back from him. Damn, not only did he grow but he grew more handsome since the last time you saw him. Well, he was fifteen the last time you saw him but still.

“How could I forget the little boy who followed me for two years?”

“Yeah, I kind of had a crush on you,” he chuckles.

Oh, he even has a beautiful smile. Damn, I really was a dick to him back then. You try to ignore the pang of sadness at his use of “had” and not “have”.

“I know you did. I’m sorry, but I need to go.”

“Looking for someone?” he asks before you have a chance to leave his side.

“Yeah, someone bought everything I have out.”

“It was me.”

You pause and turn to look at him. He has a slight smirk on his face, and something in your head clicks into place. You look at him up and down and notice how he’s trying hard not to be overly confident in his decision.

“So, what, you got older and taller and now you think you’re hot shit?”

Spencer shrugs and shoves his hands into his pockets.

“You’re the one looking up, not me.” Your jaw drops several inches at his remark. “So, can we talk now?”

“Excuse me?”

“You told me to grow over six feet and we’ll talk. Well, I’m over six feet now. Will you let me take you out?”

You have no clue what to say to that because your mind is reeling from the last thing he said. Someone calls his name and you both see a black man, two blondes, and a brunette waving him over. They point to their watches which means he is either late or they have to go. He digs in his pocket and produces a business card. Only it’s not a business card. He’s in the fucking FBI.

“How about this?” He hands the card to you. “Call me when I can pick this stuff up and maybe we’ll talk then.”

He leaves your side and joins his friend group without another look at you. Is it shallow to want him now? Maybe. Are you going to try like hell to make up for lost time? Definitely.

x

Want to be tagged? Follow my library blog @aqueenslibrary​​​​​​ where I reblog all my stories, so you can put notifications on there without the extra stuff :)

[thesims4blogger]

The Sims Shares Details About Collab with SixamCC

You Make The Sims Featuring SixamCC

The Sims community is a place of big ideas, storytellers, content-makers, and creators of all kinds. Our players inspire us to keep looking for new ways to tell universal stories, and to continue to invite collaboration and creativity from all kinds of Simmers to help shape the game we all love. For this edition of You Make the Sims we’re sitting down with SixamCC to take a look at what inspired the Storybook Nursery Kit and how he and The Sims team brought it to life!

SixamCC (also known as Alex) is well-known in The Sims community as a custom content creator and 3D Digital artist. A lover of both video games and Japanese fluffy pancakes–a winning combination, tbh–SixamCC works in the creative field and spends his free time creating CC for the community he loves..

Like many players, SixamCC was introduced to the game by a family member, and knew from that first playthrough it was going to be one of his favorite games.

THE SIMS TEAM: Tell us about how you were first introduced to The Sims and what inspired you to start making custom content.

SIXAMCC: My cousin was a big fan of The Sims at the time, and she told me about The Sims 2 and how fun it was. She told me all about the endless possibilities and opportunities to tell every imaginable story with the game, which sounded fascinating to me. One day, she brought the Deluxe CD to my house and got me to install it. Ever since then, I knew it was one of my favorite games.

I’ve always wanted to make my own custom content for my Sims, but I never had the time to get into it. During the 2020 lockdown, I finally decided to try it out, and I found the process so fascinating and fun.

THE SIMS TEAM: Kit collaborations are some of our favorite things to work on, because of amazing creators like you who pitch a concept to The Sims team. As a creator, how do you approach creating a new concept from scratch?

SIXAMCC: I always ask myself what kind of stories I want to tell with the concepts I design. I like to go beyond just decorating a room. I think the game allows you to create your own stories without needing specific new gameplay, which is why I aim for my ideas to have something unique and interesting to explore.

THE SIMS TEAM: How did the idea of ‘legacy’ play into what you wanted to create?

SIXAMCC: I truly believe our most iconic Sims characters have set the perfect example of legacy; Bella and Mortimer have shared a story that has stood the test of time and distance, we’ve seen them in different life stages throughout the games. This is what inspired me to create this Kit—a space, or in this case a nursery room, where every legacy story can take place.

THE SIMS TEAM: What kinds of stories do you hope to see Simmers tell with this pack?

SIXAMCC: I want players to have the chance to expand their legacy storytelling in any way they dream of. I've seen some truly amazing family trees from players who’ve spent years crafting the perfect legacy family, and I think that’s just fantastic. This kit is perfect for kicking off a new generation and keeping it going strong.

For those who’ve never tried it before, I invite you to start with this kit . I know it can be tough to say goodbye to our favorite Sims, but sometimes that’s part of the fun of creating new stories. (And hey, you can always bring them back to life!)

THE SIMS TEAM: You've created so many wonderful items for children and infants in the past; what interests you the most about designing and making objects for younger Sims?

SIXAMCC: Making content for younger Sims is just fun. You can experiment with different silhouettes and bright colors, and still provide swatches and options for more serious players. I feel like my creativity flows more freely when I work on content for kids. I also love to hear from my community and they’ve been pretty clear about loving children's items.

THE SIMS TEAM: This kit has a real air of elegance to it; is there a particular object you knew you had to include to make this feel like an elevated nursery?

SIXAMCC: Oh what a difficult question, the truth is that each of the elements that make up this kit are perfect and I can't imagine any of them being left out. But if I had to choose I think it would be the canopy, I'm sure the players will use it to give that extra bit of elegance to their little ones rooms.

The canopy taking center stage in this pink and white colorway of the Storybook Nursery kit.

THE SIMS TEAM: Do you have a favorite detail or easter egg you’d be willing to share?

SIXAMCC: I love all the easter eggs in this Kit, I would like to mention them all! I won’t spoil them! but I think one of my favorites without a doubt is the hanging mobile where, if you zoom in close enough, we can actually see Bella in the hot air balloon. It certainly brings back a lot of nostalgic feelings from The Sims 2.

THE SIMS TEAM: You’ve collaborated with other Sims community members in the past; are there any creators you’d really love to work with some day?

SIXAMCC: I could start listing all the people that come to mind, and we’d probably run out of time for the interview, haha. There are so many talented Simmers I admire, both as individuals and as content creators, modders, and other CC creators. I’d absolutely love to work with all of them, but the truth is, I’m super shy and I always hesitate when I think of asking. (Some people are going to laugh when they read this, but I promise it’s true!)

For now I can say that I would love to collaborate with Juno Birch and Trixie Mattel; I love their style and I think something extremely cool and unique would come out of it.

THE SIMS TEAM: For anyone who’d like to start creating their own digital art, is there any advice you’d give them?

SIXAMCC: (Looks at the camera) You, yes, you, don’t overthink it, just do it.

Honestly, it can seem scary, but the most important thing is to just dive in and give it a shot. There are so many places out there now where you can get help and learn whatever you need. And as they say, practice makes perfect, right? It doesn’t have to be perfect on the first try.

THE SIMS TEAM: You answers have been so great, so let’s end on a truly tricky question:

You can only pick ONE!

SIXAMCC: This is a tough one because Jenni, from The Sims team, made me love the possum that we made for this kit, but I think I'll probably choose a sloth one because it's my absolute favorite animal.

The council of the eight plushies awaits your decision: If you can only choose one, who are you choosing?

Thank you to SixamCC for his time, thoughtful answers, and for all the work he did to bring the beautiful Storybook Nursery Kit to life with The Sims 4 team! Choose your very own favorite stuffed animal friend and level up your legacy with this kit when it releases later this month.

The Sims 4 Storybook Nursery Kit will be available for purchase beginning September 19 in The Sims 4 on PC and Mac® via EA app, Epic Games Store, Steam®, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One systems.

[mangosaurus]

Ceratosaurus, Dilophosaurus, and Compy for the ask game! Btw I’m so happy you get to finally participate in it 🧘‍♀️

HEHE same here! kind of wish i was around while it was still getting passed around by my mutuals so i could have sent in my own asks, but better late than never >:)

1. Ceratosaurus - Favorite character design from both series? (Also who in your personal opinion, had the best glow up from CC to CT)

AW MAN THIS IS SUPER HARD. of the nublar 6 my favorite designs in camp cretaceous are tied between yasmina and brooklynn from s3 onward, mostly because i love the way they both wore their hair. in chaos theory darius totally wins over everyone else though, the team really nailed his design there (but i am really fond of some of the concepts the artists came up with during pre-production! same goes for the other campers, especially brooklynn. that bleach blonde pixie cut is my roman empire tbh)

as for biggest glow up ... i feel obligated to give that one to ben, if just because of the growth spurt. also gonna take this opportunity to go on the record and say LEAVE KENJI ALONE I GET THAT HE'S SUPPOSED TO LOOK A BIT ROUGH BUT HIS HAIRCUT ISN'T THAT BAD 😭😭😭

2. Dilophosaurus - How did you discover Camp Cretaceous?

so, i didn't actually start watching camp cretaceous until a few months after the final season wrapped up—i think sometime around september 2022? but i had some close friends who had been keeping up with it for a while, and after hearing them talk about it so much i was like, hey, i want in! which is funny, because i was never really into jurassic park/world before then? i was more of a marine biology kid than a dino kid growing up. but even without knowing the ~lore~ of the franchise, CC and its characters still managed to reel me in, and now i'm here nearly two years later and my hyperfixation is still going strong!

3. Compy - Favorite duo/trio/friendship and why?

favorite purely platonic duo goes to ben and yasmina EASILLYYYY. they just get each other on such a personal level, and i love seeing ben go from this kid yasmina begrudgingly tolerates to someone she trusts enough to confide in, both in JWCC s5 when she realizes she might harbor romantic feelings for sammy, and then again in JWCT s1 when her relationship with sammy has hit a rough patch. shout out to yasmina and darius though, their interactions in JWCC s2 were really sweet, they don't get enough love imo. i've said this at least three billion times before but if kenji is darius's shitty older brother then yasmina is darius's cooler older cousin

as for my favorite trio, i feel like most people would probably say either yasammy + ben or the original three (darius kenji and brooklynn) but for me it's darius brooklynn and ben 🥹 their individual dynamics all mean so much to me, and it doesn't hurt that i also lowkey highkey ship them as an OTV with darius in the middle (although if i had to seriously ship ben with any of the girls, it'd be brooklynn, lol)

🦖✨ JWCC/CT ask game!

[elisysd]

Green Light - Lorde

Masterlist - Previously - Next Chapter

But honey I'll be seein' you down every road I'm waiting for it, that green light, I want it

The three Grand Prix that followed for Charles were rather uneven in terms of results. A P4 in China, a P5 in Miami but a fine victory at Emilia-Romagna which gave him confidence for Monaco. He was looking forward to racing in his hometown, on the streets he knew by heart, and especially in front of Lyanna. It really was a special Grand Prix for him, but this year even more so.

As for Lyanna, she had just finished filming Ferrari just in time to start promoting Flowers and Crown. The movie was due to have its premiere on Friday evening, the week of the Grand Prix, and she was also expected in Cannes the day before for the festival with the entire Ferrari film team, who were among the guests of honour. Charles would be joining her, and she knew that Kika and Pierre would be there too. The opportunity for a double date for the couple of friends before the wild weekend in Monaco got underway.

Lyanna was dreading the moment she would meet David again. She hoped he wouldn't make things more complicated than they had to be. She wanted to get the promotion of the film over with as quickly as possible, especially as she suspected she was going to be asked questions which would have more to do with a certain Ferrari driver than with the film. But she couldn't really blame the journalists, as most of the promotional activities were taking place in the middle of the Monaco Grand Prix.

Charles had returned from Italy the day before, but Lyanna had the impression that they had barely crossed paths. He was very busy with press duties and she was going back and forth between Nice and Monaco to sort out the final details before starting the events to which the film crew had been invited and the interviews. Her mind was everywhere and nowhere at the same time, and she barely had time to sleep or rest. So when she arrived at the hotel in the heart of Monte Carlo, where she was going to spend the day answering the same questions and pretending to have a complicity with David that didn't exist, she was delighted to see the team of make-up artists who were going to take care of her. Once she was ready, she went to the lounge where the PR officer, David and a young blonde woman whom Lyanna didn't know were present.

“Lyanna, thank God you’re here. I was just briefing David about what you can expect from today.”

She began to explain everything to Lyanna, who pretended to listen to her as she nibbled on a croissant. She watched with curious interest as David and the pretty blonde talked and laughed together. They looked close. David's attitude was also more relaxed than she remembered. He didn't seem like the complete asshole she'd met almost a year ago.

“And I think that’s all I had to say for today, did you understand everything Lyanna?”

“Yeah, sure. All is good.” She absent-mindedly said.

Soon David, the girl and her were the only person left. Feeling her gaze on him, David turned and approached her.

“Lyanna, hey… long time no see.” He greeted her.

“Yeah…”

“Well… Here’s Hanna. My girlfriend.” He presented the so-called Hanna who waved shyly to Lyanna who gave a little smile.

“Girlfriend? Well, that was definitely something that I was not expected.” She repeated surprised.

“Me neither, to be honest. But you know what they say, we find love in the most unexpected places.”

He took his girlfriend's hand and gave her a long, loving look.

“Where did you guys meet?”

“An art gallery in New-York. I was looking for something for my apartment and she was working there. We bonded over Banksy and Van Gogh and the rest is history.”

“I didn’t know that you liked art?”

“Actually, I studied art history in uni. Before acting. How could you have known? We’ve never really talked.”

“Yeah, that’s because you were an ass to me and everyone.”

“About that… I want to apologise. I got time to self-reflect and most specifically since I’ve met Hanna and I know I’ve been awful to you. And for that I want to apologize.”

Lyanna nodded. Hearing him saying sorry was the last thing she expected while coming today. But it felt nice. Maybe promo wouldn’t be that bad.

“I appreciate, thanks. It doesn’t erase everything that you did and say but it feels nice.”

David nodded to her before the PR rep came to fetch them for the interviews. As Lyanna suspected, some of the questions directed at her had more to do with her personal life and Charles than with the film. She tried to answer them courteously at first, but when the fifth journalist asked her another question about Charles and herself, she couldn't contain her annoyance.  To her surprise, it was David who came to her rescue, skilfully diverting the subject. Then, the whole thing went on very quickly, and she barely had time to eat a few biscuits before going on to a photo shoot that didn't end until very late in the evening.

It was therefore completely exhausted that she returned to Charles' flat at ten o'clock in the evening, wanting to take a long shower and curl up in Charles' arms. Thinking about tomorrow was already giving her a huge headache, as she had to go to Cannes to get ready to walk on the red carpet. This time she was going without Charles, only with the Ferrari film crew, and with Charles, Pierre and Kika the day after. Glancing at her calendar, she wondered when she would even have a minute to herself.

When she entered the room, Charles was fast asleep. Without a sound or sudden movement, she crawled into bed. Charles feeling the mattress sag, moved slightly and unconsciously put his arm around Lyanna's waist to draw her to him. The young woman offered no resistance and soon fell asleep.

She had hardly had a good night's rest when it was time to wake up. Charles was still asleep but it was time for her to get moving. She made herself a quick cup of coffee before meeting her driver, who was due to take her to Cannes. The rest of the morning was a blur and soon Lyanna found herself flanked by Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz and Patrick Dempsey on the red carpet. The quartet spent the rest of the day in interviews before being invited to a party organised by one of the event's sponsors. Lyanna was handed a glass of champagne, which she drank while chatting to a group of people whose names she couldn't remember. Bored to death, she began to drink one glass, then two, then three. Having eaten nothing all day except some hors d'oeuvres, the alcohol quickly went to her head, so much so that one of the hostesses at the event, seeing that the young woman was beginning to feel unwell, forced her to return to the hotel after calling her a taxi.

Alone in her room, Lyanna collapsed on her bed without taking the time to remove her dress and shoes. She felt as if her head was going to explode and she was going to be sick. Mechanically, she picked up the phone and dialled Charles' number. It was nearly two o'clock in the morning and she didn't expect him to pick up, but after a few rings he did.

“Lyanna? It’s two in the morning, are you okay?”

“Charles…I just wanted to tell you I love you, very very much. Very a lot.”

“Very a lot doesn’t exist, love” he said with a smile in his voice.

“Now it does, because I said so.”

“Lya, are you drunk?”

“No. Yes. Maybe a little bit.” She confessed as she was giggling. “You’re cute, did I ever tell you that? And your hair is fluffy.”

“My hair is fluffy. Interesting, I’m going to say that to my mom, she will be happy.”

“I love you. I miss you.”

“So you’re a cute and clingy drunk. Good to know.”

“Do I bother you?”

“Never.” But still she could hear him repress a yawn. “Sleep, love. And drink water, okay. You’ll thank me tomorrow.”

“You come tomorrow, right?”

“I would not miss that for anything in the world. I love you, Lya. Very a lot.”

And Charles kept his promise. He met Lyanna again the next day for the red carpet and as they posed for the photographers, he realised for the first time in his life what it felt like to be someone's boyfriend. The cameras were flashing at Lyanna, she was the one being approached, the one they wanted to talk to. Charles wasn't important. It did him good, for once, to be in the background, but he also understood how Lyanna could feel when she joined him on the tracks.

They both met Pierre and Kika inside the building and decided to just stay together and watch the festivities from afar. Kika had to meet some brand executives while Pierre was enjoying the free food and drinks. Lyanna got to talk with a few people from the entertainment industries as Charles was watching her, in awe. Something Pierre noticed and had fun commenting on.

“I think there is some drool down the corner of your mouth.”

“Shut up.”

“You’re so in love it’s sickening.”

“You are no better.”

“At least I don’t look like a lost puppy whenever Kika is not around me.”

“I’m not… you know what? I’m not even going to comment on that.”

“That’s because you know that I’m right.” Pierre laughed.

“Laugh all you want, you’ll be less of a smart-ass when I’ll overtake you this weekend.”

“You know that you can’t overtake in Monaco.”

“I have an extra good feeling about this weekend. And Lya will be there, so nothing wrong can happen.”

“I’m praying for you, my friend.”

The group of friends didn’t stay too long at the event. The boys had to leave early in the morning to go back to Monaco where they both had press duties to get to. As for Lyanna she had to meet once again the Flowers and Crown crew for some events and interviews. She couldn’t wait for the weekend to be over to finally have some peace and quiet. To have a proper meal and a proper sleep, as well.

Finally, after what felt like an ever-lasting long week, Friday arrived and with it the free practice as well as Arthur qualification session that she and Charles were going to attend, along with Carla and Pascale. When she woke up, she was alone, Charles already gone. She wasn’t feeling well, she felt week and felt like each one of her movements was going to make her throw up. And she had not even eaten yet.

Pascale and Carla arrived a short while later with croissants and other pastries fresh from the bakery, as Lyanna was almost done making herself look presentable. As soon as she opened the door, the smell hit her and as her stomach had already decided to bother her since she had woken up, it didn’t take much for her to rush back to the bathroom and throw up. Pascale rushed to her side, holding her hair back to help her. When she finally stopped Pascale gave her a glass of water and looked at her worryingly.

“You’re pale Lyanna, you should rest, today. It’s just free practices Charles will understand if you don’t come.”

“But I want to go. It’s not only for Charles i want to be there for Arthur as well. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I think it’s just the stress of these last few days. The fresh air will do me good.”

“If you’re sure… but the first signal of you not feeling well, I’m sending you back home.”

But Pascale didn’t need to carry out her threats. By the time Lyanna was stepping inside the paddock, she was feeling much better. She didn’t feel the need to tell Charles about the morning as it was not such a big deal despite Pascale recommendations.

After the Free Practice, it was time to support Arthur. Charles brought Lyanna to the F2 paddock and they both find a quiet spot where they could enjoy the race without being bothered. Lyanna did her best to cheer on Arthur and it warmed Charles’ heart who took the opportunity to snap some pictures of her. He needed a new lock-screen. Arthur ended up P3 in qualifying, his best result up to date and Charles was so proud of him. Giving him a big hug as soon as he stepped out of the car. Arthur was still disappointed but Charles tries to did his best trying to find positive things to say to his brother. Lyanna could not help but to find that a little funny, knowing Charles.

“He is as hard on himself as you are.” she told him on their way back to the F1 paddock.

“I know, it runs in the family… I just want him to know how proud I am of him. I know how hard it is for him and how illegitimate he feels sometimes. It makes me feel bad because I know that it’s my fault.”

“You are a good brother Charles, he doesn’t resent you. He admires you and he wants to be like you. You are his hero. It won’t change.”

If Lyanna thought that her day would end after the FP2 and that she finally would be able to go to bed early, it was in reality far from the truth. Andrea and some friends of Charles were going to come to the flat for dinner. It was a little tradition that Charles had and that he wanted to share with his girlfriend.That’s how she found herself in the kitchen, at 8 pm watching Charles’ attempt to cook pasta under the astonished eye of Andrea.

“Stop judging me guys! You’ll see that they are going to turn out just fine. I’m telling you, it’ll be the best pasta you’ve ever had.”

Joris, who was near, didn’t try to hide the fact that he was recording the whole situation.

“I’m going to keep that preciously somewhere. It could come out handy someday.”

“I’m 3 seconds away to order an uber eats, I know that’s going to be a catastrophe.” added Lyanna.

“I just hope no one will be sick. I need him at the top for tomorrow…” worried Andrea as boiling water was coming out out of the saucepan.

“Guys! Have faith in me!”

Lyanna never ate such horrible pasta in her life. And from the look on everyone’s faces, she was not the only one.

“I didn’t know that it was possible to screw up pasta, yet you prove me wrong.” she told him as everyone was laughing, Charles included.

“Come on, it’s not that bad. It’s crocante! And I’m still going to eat them because in this house we don’t waste food!”

The day of qualifying, Lyanna woke up earlier than Charles with the need to throw up again. She still wasn’t feeling well. She was not feeling rested and her head was spinning a little. this ended up waking up Charles earlier than he expected.

“Lya? Love? Are you okay?”

“Peachy. I’m never eating your crocante pasta ever again. Look what you’ve done to me…”

“I’m so sorry, love… Do you want me to get you something?”

“I’ll be fine, please for the love of god don’t go near the kitchen… ever again.”

If the Friday was relatively calm for Charles and Lyanna, Saturday started to feel a bit overwhelming for her. As soon as they stepped out in the street to go to the tracks, people were there to congratulate him, encouraging him and wanting pictures or autographs from him. Charles was trying his best to accomodate everyone while making sure that Lyanna was okay.

Charles ended P2 in qualifying and everyone was so happy for him. Only Max had managed to snatch the pole from him by driving brilliantly. Charles had nothing to regret, he really had driven his best. But he couldn’t help but feeling as he failed. He wanted to win in Monaco so bad. He wanted to win for him, his family, his friends, his dad, Lyanna and for everyone that supported him. But his disappointment disappeared as soon as he saw Lyanna bright smile when he entered the Ferrari hospitality.

“P2, champ! I’m so proud of you!” she said as she stood up to hug him.

“Yeah, but it’s not pole position and you know how important it is to get it here.”

“Hey, both you and I know that the chances of safety car in Monaco are higher than anywhere else. With a good strategic call and no mistakes during the pit stops, you can definitely win. Everything can happen here.”

“Since when are you this knowledgeable on the topic?” asked Charles, surprised.

“I have a very good teacher who happens to race on the weekend. He taught me a lot. And he is also my boyfriend so that helps.”

“He seems like a good boyfriend. You’re lucky.”

“The best.” she said as she stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss.

Sunday morning began to feel like every single day since Friday, with the throwing up, the feeling of not being fully rested and her head spinning. Fortunately, Charles had already left so she didn’t have to explain anything to him and he would not feel worried. It was the last thing he needed today. But Lyanna felt so much worse than the day before. She could feel her legs trembling and she could barely stand up. She tried to go back to sleep before Pascale and Carla arrivals but failed when she could feel her stomach not cooperating with her. She ended up giving up and decided to prepare herself some tea in the hope of making the nausea go away. She also tried to nibble on some slice of bread but thought it was tasteless. He head was pounding and she was hoping the ibuprofen she had taken would have a miracle effect.

She tried to hide her exhaustion behind a nice and glowy make up but it was not enough to fool Pascale when she finally arrived to take her to go watch Arthur’s race.

“You look like a ghost, Lyanna. Are you really sure you want to come, it’s just Arthur’s race, I would prefer if you were resting and be fine for Charles.”

“I won’t be able to rest, I know that. I prefer to go and try to forget how awful I feel.”

“Suit yourself, Lya, but you are worrying me.”

Lyanna spent most of the race sat in a corner with a bottle of water to keep her hydrated, on Pascale’s advice. Arthur finished the race P6 after a bad call from the team but he was nonetheless very happy with his result. It was the first time he finished his home Grand Prix and he was proud. And everyone was proud of him. Lyanna started to feel a little better by lunchtime, where she met Charles. They found a quiet spot in the hospitality away from everyone. Lyanna could tell Charles was anxious as his right leg couldn’t stop to bounce. It started to stress her out and she decided to place her hand on it and to squeeze it lightly.

“Sorry, it’s just a mix between anxiety and excitement.” he said to her as he was taking a bite of his avocado toast.

“It’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. And no matter what I’m proud of you. Even if it doesn’t turn out the way you hope it will, I’ll be there. Always.”

It was all the reassurance Charles needed to know that it would be okay.

Soon it was time for them to go back to the garage and for him to step into the car. Lyanna went to the back where Arthur was as well as Pascale. Right before being called by his mechanics and engineer, Charles toddled around his family to give them a hug and a forehead kiss for his mom. Then, he took Lyanna’s waist to pull her against him. She put both hands on his chest, playing with the scratch pads of his racing suit.

“Well… be fast. Come back to me. I love you”

“Always. I love you too. Take care of that for me, okay?” he asked, giving her the little red bracelet that Lyanna put immediately around her wrist.

A few moments later, the race began with Charles trying to pressurise Max, unsuccessfully. The Red Bull was fast and it was a matter of time before max took the lead comfortably, leaving Charles defending against George. Lyanna had to admit it, the race was boring, as everyone had told her it would be. But still she was still watching the screen intently, leaving a gasp when Lance lost the control of his car and ended up in the wall. His mistake led the deployment of the safety car and everyone was holding their breath waiting for Ferrari strategy. The call made was a double pit stop with the priority for Charles. A few seconds later, Lyanna could see from the corner of her eyes the number 16 red car stopping and making a great 2.2 seconds stop, which was great. Lyanna breathed a little bit better as Charles was back on the track, trying to catch up to Max. He was just three seconds away, but there was only ten laps to go and the gap between them remained the same. But at least Carlos who managed to get rid of George thanks to a missed pit stop from Mercedes. But at least, the podium seemed secure for Charles and Lyanna could start to feel tears form behind her eyelids. She looked at Pascale and Arthur that were in the same sate of happiness as her and even if everyone remained focus in the garage, you could feel the atmosphere had changed.

There were only five laps to go when Lyanna stood up and she could immediately feel that something was wrong with her. Her legs felt weak and she felt dizzy. She felt like the world was spinning around her and tried to hold on to something but failed as the world faded to black around her.

Charles did it. He finally made it. After all the DNF, engine failures, strategy fucks up, he finally was on the podium of his home Grand prix. Not on the first step as he would have loved to but on the second one. He would not lie, there were a few tears that were threatening to fall when he walked on the podium. His gaze scanned the crowed looking for his mom, his brothers and Lya. If he had no problems finding his family, it’s Lya who was nowhere to be seen. He was disappointed, his first podium here in Monaco and she was not there. He did not worried much than needed, he knew she was pretty busy with interviews and media duties, something he knew all to well. Bu still, somehow it hurt him.

So as soon as he got rid of his obligations, the first thing he did was looking for his family who was waiting for him at the Ferrari hospitality. When he saw them and most importantly when he saw the dark look on their faces,he immediately knew something was wrong. And he was sure of it when the hug his mom gave him was feeling more like an i’m sorry than a congratulations.

“Where is Lya?” he asked immediately

“Charles… she is at the hospital. She fainted.” announced his mom.

And just like the high he was on was over and he felt his heart shattered in million tiny pieces.He did not care about anything else than rushing to the hospital to be at Lya’s side. Nothing mattered more than that. Not the journalists, not the team, not the after party and definitely not the Prince Albert of Monaco whose name was appearing on his phone as he was sprinting towards the paddock entrance, Arthur following closely behind.

“She is at Princesse Grace hospital. The medics thought it was better for her to be there rather than staying with the medical staff here.” told him Arthur as they were getting on the bikes.

“Fucking trafic… when did it happen? What happened exactly?”

“She was already not feeling well this morning when mom came to your flat to get her. But Lya insisted to come, she did not want to miss your race. Mom tried to resonate her but she is pretty stubborn. And then she turned pale all at once and she fainted a few laps before the final one.”

“She seemed fine when we ate lunch together.”

“Actually, mom said she has been sick for a few days. She threw up a lot and she is really tired.”

“A few days? I knew about Saturday but I thought I food poisoned her with the pasta. Why did no one tell me anything?”

“You’ve barely been there. And I’m not saying that to blame you. I know you were busy.”

“Still, I’m busy but I could have still taken time off for family emergency.”

Charles felt like he had never ridden a back as fast in his life. Soon they were at the hospital and he rushed to the reception, Arthur following close behind on the phone with Pascale that would call Lya’s mom.

“Lyanna Michel. Where is she? She was brought here as an emergency.”

“Who are you? Only family is allowed.”

“I’m her boyfriend.”

“Room 164, third floor. The elevator is this way.”

Charles thanked and wave at Arthur to follow him. When they finally got there, the doctor was coming out of the room. Charles rushed to his side and asked him how was Lyanna.

“She is resting at the moment. He blood test showed us that she had anaemia, which explained why she felt so tired, the headaches and the feeling of dizziness. And also why she was throwing up. It’s a never ending cycle. She was too tired to eat, her stomach began to get accustomed to the lack of nutriments and then rejects everything when she tried to eat normally. We are still going to do a bone marrow biopsy to be sure there is no sign of leukaemia. We are going to keep her for a few days.”

Biopsy. Leukemia. Those were words Charles did not like at all. He felt guilty. If he was the good boyfriend he thought he were he should have seen the signs. he should have seen she was sick. But he was too caught up in his own bubble to noticed it.

“Can I see her?” he asked

“Sure. But not more than one person at once. She really needs to rest.”

Charles entered the room and saw immediately Lyanna’s frame linked to different machines that were monitoring her as well as an iron infusion. He took he seat next to her and take her cold hand in his carefully. She shifted a little, turning her head toward him.

“Hey, champ…”

“Lya…” he sighed, defeated.

“No. Don’t be like that. I’m okay, Charles. Well not right now because I feel like shit, but I’ll be. I’m just sorry to not have been there to see you on the podium.”

“I don’t care about the podium, Lya. I only care about you.”

“I’ve ruined your home race…”

“You didn’t ruin anything. Don’t worry about that, okay.”

“But you must have so many places to be at, so many people to talk to…”

“I’m right where I need to be.”

She closed her eyes for a short moment before opening them again. She could see how uncomfortable Charles was and she knew that this hospital was bringing back some bad memories. She squeezed lightly his hand and trace smal pattern in the palm of his hand to get his minds off of the dark corners it went to.

“I’ve talked to the doctor… He talked about leukaemia and biopsy Lyanna.”

“Normal tests to run, Charles. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately, barely had time to myself, to eat and drink and rest properly. Something like that was bound to happen.”

“Still I hate that…”

“I’ll be fine. I promise you.”

“Yes. And as soon as you leave this place, I’m not leaving your side. You’re coming with me for the European races. This way I can watch you and take care of you properly. It’s you and me against the world, Lya.” he whispered to her as he was pressing his lips on her forehead.

========

author's note: It's the Monaco Grand Prix baby!!The longest chapter of the book but the very first one I planned. I as so anxious to write it because I wanted it to be perfect. I hope you enjoyed it! As usual, let me know your thoughts through the comments or ask box if your too shy. And don't forget to leave a like or reblog the story. It helps. And it lets me know that you like the story. taglist: @zendayabelova @purplephantomwolf @ru-kru @dakotali @blueflorals @aundercover @ruleroftheuniverse @fangirlika @writerscurse @elijahmikaelsonbitch @leclerc13 @karmabyfernando @stargaryenx @pitlanebabe @boiohboii @reengard If you are tagged but did not receive any notifications, please check your settings because it means that Tumblr didn't let me tag you.

[edge-oftheworld]

a snapshot in time of my CALM orchestral arrangement

so I just discovered that this is a thing you can do on tumblr and i've been debating putting it up here (i'm not even sure it's legal) but at this point, to me it's worth the (very slim) lawsuit risk to show you guys the inspo behind making this blog. for @bluewrite who i've been meaning to email this to for ages but never got there. for @tleeaves who i think got a slightly older version as did @ghost-of-you but this is also for all of you who've heard me rattling about music things, for people i've gotten into 5sos by talking about this project such as @thevagabondexpress (thank you for drawing the U2 link).

anyway, as you probably know i'm a classical violist. i know my instrument and i know a fair amount of music theory and i know how to play the keyboard/piano as well and at the start of this project i knew very little about building orchestral scores or anything about wind instruments at all. i'd written arrangements and original pieces before but only for strings-only orchestras, and though i'm alright at pulling out instrumentation from songs my experience is largely in the more classic 2000s pop/rock/worship with very minimal synth activity and max 3 part harmonies. to say this was a challenge is an understatement.

it's also not finished yet. i've gone back and forth on this getting feedback from a bunch of people, much of which i didn't understand and wasn't ready to implement. i've also found ashton and calum's videos explaining these songs in more detail and the acoustic version of teeth and best years with the actual chords of the songs and now, differently to the week tfofu came out but similar, i'm on it again, noticing things. noticing musical trends. most of this was done by pure sound intuition and a handful of piano scores arranged by @/keudae on youtube i bought and played to get a feel of the songs. I feel really stoked to have picked up on the whole lover of mine setting us up for lonely heart and being a bit like ghost of you and some of the themes within the album!

but there is a lot i didn't pick up on. especially in the last movement i don't truly feel like i did any of those songs justice. nor lonely heart. and there is a stark difference between the quality of the songs that were played at the RAH and the ones that i only had a studio version to work off (my strings background comes out here). i've also looked at all the 22 individual parts and realised, hey, i want to be in the 5sos spirit and make every single one of these fun to play and right now the only one that is is the cello which carries luke's main melody line but it's also kinda working too hard.

and that's the thing i know, probably apart from that one keychange into lonely heart from ghost of you, this for the most part sounds good and i want to share it here before i rejig it too much, make it too much more orchestral, so we can remember it and see it evolve. because i have a bunch of juno and guitar and percussion and harmony parts i haven't put in. general song vibes. shake up the choruses and make them a variation on themselves each time. maintain the atmosphere it's got but add more layers to it, be more true to the original songs. make something i would be proud to show 5sos if the opportunity ever arose, something that would actually astonish them and I think I can. because their musicality in this album is astounding, and something i haven't seen in heaps of other artists, and i want to recognise that and draw it out in something that can do it justice like an orchestra.

[keymintt]

Not sure if this has been asked before but, how did you start doing professional work for traffic cabinets? Was there some sort of job fair or exhibit that you advertised your art at and the city decides "this guy is really good, let's get his art in public"?

OKAY so the thing with public art is it's all local and every city kinda does it differently, but so far in my career all of the public art stuff i've done has been application-based

this got long so i'll go into details about what the searching/application process looks like under the cut but tldr: a big part of finding work like this is knowing where to look for local opportunities and submitting applications

generally the cities/towns/whatever will put out a call for artists (also sometimes called a request for qualifications or RFQ) that's basically like "hey we need some artists to do this, this is how much we'll pay you and the details for the project" and from there they'll link a form (or sometimes give you an email address) to apply to where you submit stuff like your contact info, resume/portfolio, sometimes references, and usually a letter of interest on the project

because i submit applications to things pretty regularly, i'm usually good about keeping track of what i use to apply to things—this includes what i've written for applications and stuff like image descriptions—so when I apply to new things it's a lot of copypasting and editing things to explain how i'm a fit for the specific project yadda yadda it's cover letters. it's basically cover letters. pain and agony

in terms of finding the applications, i'm signed up for several local newsletters and arts organizations, but i also check sites like the az commission of the arts (bc i'm az-based) for their updated list of opportunities pretty regularly, as well as searching for stuff like [city] arts and culture and poking around the .gov sites to see if they have an arts opportunities page. in all honesty a pretty big component of finding this work is knowing where to look, and unfortunately if you're doing public art a) it's not always listed on social media b) the best places to look/start are local, and that differs for everyone so i can't say like "oh look here and you'll find something"

once you apply it usually takes awhile to hear back (they usually give you a timeline on the initial application of how long it takes to review all the applications), but i've found people in these fields are good about letting you know when you didn't get something so you can move on with your life lol. atm i'm waiting to hear back from....over five things so i'm kind of always doing this "applying to projects while i'm working on other projects" song and dance which is honestly just...kind of the freelance artist experience?

i feel the need to mention that public art stuff like this consists of about...2/5 of my yearly income...? i'm not solely making a living off of doing these things bc i also usually have teaching and ttrpg illustration stuff in the mix BUT there are artists who can and do make a living off public art and murals and whatnot. i simply cannot resist the urge to stick my finger into any pie i'm even remotely qualified for

working with public art stuff is also that same thing with a lot of fields where once you get some sort of experience, it's easier to get more jobs, BUT as an artist your portfolio can do a lot of speaking for you, even if you don't have experience with public art specifically. take my traffic boxes for example: i've done three of them now and have a fourth lined up, i know that if there's an application for one i have the exact experience they're looking for and will in all likelihood be one of the selected artists at this point. however with my very first one, i obviously didn't have a traffic box in my portfolio so i included a digitally illustrated city banner i designed, several other digital illustrations of mine (bc they wanted a digital artist), and a mural i had painted on a 3d object (to demonstrate i could design with 3d forms in mind), and together these things all helped my credibility as someone who could do this project. as much as i loathe writing letters of interest these are also good places to elaborate on how your portfolio can connect to the project

also with public art starting local is also your best bet at first (not to say you can't land other opportunities right off the bat though), bc people like their artists to know the local scene. i have the experience to back me up more nowadays, but when i was first applying to things you bet your ass i was all like 'i love it here and want to give art back to my local community bc i'm an artist and i'm fresh out of college yaaaaayyyy' you don't have to mean this when you say it, but they don't have to know

thank you for the ask !! and best of luck with any of your potential artistic endeavors (to anyone reading this)!! feel free to ask any more questions, i'm happy to elaborate on anythin btw for anyone :>

[enby-wrights]

(warning i do not understand how tumblr works i have been on here for like two months and gathered absolutely nothing so i apologize if i did something wrong with like tags and the like? also i think i kind of sound like a youth pastor towards the end of this but it’s okay i do what i want. anyways)

greetings marble hornets fanbase i just have some (long) thoughts to share on tim and alex :) i have some Mental Health Hot Takes that are not worded well because i wrote this at one in the morning but feel free to read anyways. also i know that the marble hornets mental illness allegory conversation has been done to death but please let me throw in my two cents i am just a little guy and i even said please

in all my six long years traversing the Deep Dark Depths of the marble hornets fanbase, i’ve never been all that interested in exploring any kind of close relationship between alex and tim within the story-- i think 2006 alex comes off as a bit desperate and overbearing, and i think that would have made 2006 tim a little too anxious to attempt to get close to him. it’s just interesting to think that they wouldn’t quite fit together at the only point in their lives where they would have had the chance.

their position in the overall story as narrative foils to one another, however........... now that’s a tasty character dynamic if i do say so myself :) although essentially all of season three revolves around the conflicts between people as they react to the mental illness metaphor operator in their own Fun And Unique ways, alex and tim are undoubtedly the poster children of this concept. both of them begin dealing with almost identical issues, and their reactions to these issues shape their individual narratives in completely opposite directions. i was thinking about it while listening to the podcast great, more tapes today (which if you haven’t listened to it i totally recommend it even though it has been dead for a year) and it’s kind of a really great allegory for the ways in which people’s reactions to experiences with mental illness can either make or break our recovery. as someone who has intentionally made my own recovery worse on multiple occasions out of general manic faux edginess, the parallels kind of hit me really hard

i’m gonna highlight the differences between alex and tim’s reactions to the mental illness metaphor operator using a bullet point list because i’m autistic and all of my thoughts occur in bullet point lists actually

during the filming of alex kralie’s marble hornets, as their symptoms are both beginning to set in, we see alex alone incredibly often. tim, on the other hand, is always seen surrounded by other people (this also comes down to the contexts in which they were filming but whatever it’s artistic framing or something idk)

tim seeks medical attention. duh. i think it’s probably pretty safe to assume that alex did not seek any sort of medical attention for his mental health issues leading up to all that murder, otherwise there maybe wouldn’t have been murder

aside from seeking medical help, we also see tim seeking help (or at least visibility) from his peers. entry #66 is just tim yelling at jay about how scared he is. and even if jay isn’t really much help, he can at least see where tim is coming from in the future and has the opportunity to act accordingly (he does not take this opportunity but hey at least it’s there. as alex’s condition worsens, all we see is him lying to his loved ones about what’s going on. which is bad.

alex constantly walks in anger and fear. tim doesn’t stifle his emotions (i.e. him beating the shit out of jay), but he also acts logically and doesn’t dwell on them for too long

by season three alex is just fucking living all alone in the woods (which if you didn’t know is the opposite of seeking help)!! not only is he running around in an echo chamber but he chose to bring a gun into the echo chamber with him which is a really great way to become more mentally ill. tim on the other hand has a job, and a life, and people in his life who at least care enough about him to call him and see if he’ll be at work on time. he keeps busy and he interacts with the world around him and even when he’s having to constantly check in with his doctor to make sure he stays okay he is out and about and being a person

and it’s a weird thing to think about because when i’m at my worst psychologically i tend to bring a (METAPHORICAL) gun into my own echo chamber and sulk around in there until i start to believe some pretty shitty things about the world around me

but on the few occasions where i do manage to reach for help and respect my feelings while still existing outside myself it’s a miraculous feeling. i get better. and then i get worse again, because mental illness is a bitch, but it gets easier and easier to reach out every time.

and i think that’s part of the reason why alex gets eaten up by the idea of the operator while tim doesn’t. tim has experience with getting help, and he’s clearly developed a skill for taking care of himself. he just got lucky that his first time dealing with a mental health crisis wasn’t as fucked up as alex’s.

anways tldr alex kralie is my new example for what not to do in my mental health recovery journey also he’s a bitch 

(ps i don’t understand how i got to the end of this rant without mentioning masky a single time but i promise he fits into the mental illness allegory somewhere probably maybe)

[fuck-customers]

I talked about my ordeals with who I dubbed Stalker Boy a while back, since I still don't know his last name (it took me about 6 months to find out his first name, since he decided to start stalking me at work after seeing me there once) but this isn't about him lol.

This time, the stalker wasn't here for me, he was after my coworker I'll call C. For context, C is barely 19 and tiny, and generally looks even younger than she is.

Well a couple weeks ago (the week after Mario came out), she was walking around in the back with a manager doing whatever, and this guy, who was about 40, and also roughly 6ft 5, was following them. After a while, the manager stepped away and the guy used the opportunity to corner C. And you'll never guess what he says.

Creep: "Hey, I think you're really attractive. How much would I have to pay you to have sex with me?"

C ended up kinda staring at him and saying "I can't disclose that information" because she didn't know what else to do.

Luckily the manager who'd walked away got a bad feeling and came to get her. C filled in the manager but the guy had disappeared, so they had C shut herself in the break room (where I was on my lunch) until they could find him and remove him from the building.

After I come back from lunch, I go back to working door (taking tickets), and keep my eye out for the creep, which was hard because I never actually saw him.

(Seriously dude, I have a lot of respect for sex workers, but what the fuck makes for think that's an appropriate conversion starter, let alone using it on a teenager half your age and size that you cornered while she's sweeping up popcorn???)

Fast forward a couple days. We had what I was told was a glitch, but I think was actually human error, but we ended up having three shows, in the span of roughly an hour, for Mario where two shows had been created for each time slot in the same room. So it was crazy busy since they sold out and twice as many people showed up as expected. And since there were two tickets per seat, we had to implement system for explaining what was going on to people as they come in and establishing who gets the seat and who gets a refund, and it was just a huge mess. One of the shows, the first one that was double booked, had 250 seats, meaning there were 500 people there for it. And guess who decided to use the confusion to sneak back in.

So I finally managed to get to the end of the line, but the managers were still at the service desk trying to do refunds, and I hear one of the newer girls radio about a creepy guy who was standing inside the doors to the auditoriums and just staring. I'll call her N. N, like me, is butch, and I'm not sure if Creeper realized she's a woman, or if he was just only interested in C. Here's a helpful artistic rendering of what N was seeing.

(Not pictured: being in shadows because he was standing in a dark room)

At this point, we had no way of knowing that it was the same guy, but she kind of walked away, and when she came back a few minutes later, he was still there, though he later started moving to other auditoriums and doing the same thing. C was actually there that day but was on lunch.

So N was radio'ing about needing help dealing with a weird guy who's movie-hopping, and she said he was getting really aggressive when she asked him what he was doing. The managers kind of just waved N off (over the radio), saying that they were busy, and told her to deal with it the best she could. I was getting bad vibes, so I walked over to tell the managers directly that they need to go help N. I'm working the front door so I'm not actually allowed to leave the little area, but luckily, the service desk is right on the edge of my area.

And one of the managers snapped at me as soon as I got two words out and said "We're we're with customers, you know better than to interrupt". Which, they're right. I've worked here longer than both of them combined. I know damn well how things work and I follow the rules, so if I'm suddenly not doing that, it's because I have a fucking reason, m'kay?

N managed to summon enough guys from the cleaning crew to help her herd the guy to the front, at which point the manager who'd kicked Creeper out last time recognized him and realized how serious it was (she's not the one that snapped at me) and she kicked him out again.

Because I don't know why this guy would be hiding in dark rooms and watching and waiting, unless he was waiting for C to walk by so he could do god knows what to her.

And then about 10 minutes later, one of the managers who snapped at me came over and was like "did they tell you about The Guy?" And I just stared at him and said "*I* was trying to tell *you* about The Guy, and you told me to go away." And he didn't say sorry or anything, which is what I expected.

And then apparently Creeper came back two more times later in the week on days I wasn't there and on the fourth time, the manager had finally decided enough was enough and called the cops and he ended up getting arrested. So I hope that's the last we'll see of him but I'm not going to hold my breath.

[kaphzzz]

i love your art so much! your bio says that your work is not created to be references, does this mean you don't approve of their use as such? i've referenced your art in the past, but i'll stop doing it if it's not what you want. keep up the great work!

tl;dr: I appreciate anyone wanting to use my work for reference but please ask me for permission before you do because i own it and it's basic artist etiquette. (also i may not grant it.)

hello again :)

ah! perfect opportunity for me to explain this whole thing! that was me throwing a tantrum in response to one particular case which was an artist copying one of my photos exactly as it is and was like hmm i'll sell this as a print, and i saw it by chance and was like no wtf thats not ur work to sell... and granted they did credit me but this, along with a few others things both recent and long bothering me, pissed me off enough I put that in my bio. like. there are ways to respecfully create something based off other ppl's work and ways that don't. also ways that just straight up aren't technically legal. i get walked on so much i forgot my rights to my own work.

with that said tho as long as my work is credited or its noted that the art is reference practice and not original art, and not like... further edited or interpreted in the same way an artist wouldn't want their art to be tampered with, especially the fake cgs i sold my soul to make, im mostly fine with it. also ask me for permission before hand bc there are things i don't want other ppl touching. i think i know what ur art blog is and im pretty sure you've been crediting and being very supportive so im okay with it :)

i could write a whole thing about how originality and effort and creative ownership in VP is overlooked but in short, my work are all individually a complete photographic piece that i intend for to be viewed as is. if, say, i blur an image or have little lighting or only include half a subject's face or whatever these are all intentional choices i make in attempts to create emotion and atmosphere etc. idk if i managed to communicate that clearly. basically what im trying to say is, judge me if you will, but i don't think it's selfish for me to want my work to be viewed the way i want it to and for ppl to recognise the effort i put into making it a creative original piece.

now this is just me rambling but in general, while i do appreciate that others will look at my work and think the composition or lighting or whatever is good enough to be a reference, i'm still bothered when thats all they can see (i.e. sees a vp work and think oh hey look what a good ref for my art!!1!), especially if they like see it reposted on pinterest and think its free for the taking…? baffles me how some artists are so aware of the ownership of their own work but fail to give others credit where its due.

a few links for anyone interested enough:

anyway wordspew over. sorry if this whole thing sounds angry but like. i'm angry. have been for a year ever since i started doing vp. mostly bc of the resposting but still. but yea anyway thanks again for this ask and for being considerate and the support! <3

[bebx]

Thank you for responding back! I am glad that my texts had you having a "good kind of whoa" moment :)) Of course, I still remember your amazing participation with diversely intriguing takes in spite of mainly focusing on only a couple of characters throughout your peak era. You have been my gateway to Tumblr and to confidently celebrating my love for a show, its characters and dynamics so profoundly. And I am ecstatic that my introduction to the world of fandom thriving here happened with you unknowingly guiding me through its orientation. Because after I had to venture around on my own, despite behind the shield of lurker, I realized how toxic and vainly spiteful some people can be, all due to differing opinions, framing then harassing one another, overall devolving the ambience of this site to downright Instagram toxicity when they all should be equally rejoicing about their common subject of enthusiasm getting a feast and that just made me long for re-experiencing your peaceful way of practicing free speech more. You radiated a very warm, uncomplicated aura with an assertive mind, despite the blood and gore and other unconventional topics of interest, compared to the absolute exhaustion one suffers by just skimming through their blogs or archive which are otherwise also saturated with thought provoking analysis. So, it has been very grey haha when I had to go exploring independently and not remain reliant about any ST news or fanarts, especially concerning Hawkins Lab Plotline on your blogs anymore since November 2023. Brightest side of this rollercoaster exposure is that I discovered many others with alike interests as well as views! Although I have to sacrifice my morals and principles while checking out the posts of some of them who tend to have a very strangely twisted and unavoidably problematic side. I feel wrecked by guilt while liking their posts which are relevant to what I predominantly seek them for but then I remember "hey just because I like Harry Potter doesn't mean I will have to stand by J.K Rowling". So yeah...haha that helps in upholding the neutrality, but this just makes me miss the simple times more. You have been such a great source of collecting the finest qualities of fan materials either through your own blogs or the posts you reblogged. Very well researched and organized. It was an authentic and easy way for me to keep a track of all the most artistic crafts related to the fandom through the exhibition on your archive. This is why I previously said in my preceding text that I appreciate people with a good taste of art, referring to you. But I am also thankful for the opportunity of liberation and self-dependence this unforeseen phase paved a way to, resulting in various discoveries which may have missed your radar. So yeah this is pretty much why I still remember, I hope I have sketched a bigger picture of my timeline with everything here and how you play the key role in it. It's always the little things with bigger meanings. But this is not the only reason, this was just for starters, I will shed light on other factors ahead.

Secondly...(yeah Ik I have written so much, I should just stop but I just have so much more and vital stuffs to say which I hope you would like to hear too.) I never felt your posts were all silly other than the intentionally hilarious ones such as incorrect quotes and other memes which could make the day of anyone who is familiar with the show. Underneath or beyond the humor, I felt they had a lot of heart and soul. Which is precisely why I was so anticipated for the marriage between the new *gasp inducing as well as fulfilling* updates and your insightful approach, full of creativity and writing skills with your characteristic capturing of classic human themes that know how to intricately weave so much of complimenting theories, observations and heartbreaking as well as heartwarming stories around it which I religiously consider as some of the best and underrated fanfics out there. I don't know how much you have been aware with TFS spoilers as I am not sure what did you exactly mean by not stumbling upon any real spoilers but so many things you stood for when there was hardly any substantial evidence, it's like you literally spoke them into acknowledged existence. I am not gonna risk spoiling most of it for you but I would just say that you made a post once, commenting on a theory highlighting the potential relation between Vecna and Mindflayer, the question of the true master of puppet and "how each time a gate opened, a boy was taken" and that has aged so well, that's all I can say. Rediscovering that post gave me chills. So you see, so many of your interpretations have hit the bull's eyes, as without giving something massive away, the prequel has humanized his character extensively. Like this was everything JCB could have asked for since S4 released and poor guy had been alone taking a mysteriously empathetic stand for him in public, which we got pleasantly mystified by as it also vindicated our resonating defense deep down, so we followed after. Subsequently I had this inside joke from that time (Nov 2023) that, "Damn, the makers humanized him more than any fanfic ever did, even collectively." So, in a way, this is everything we could have asked for, ourselves. You have this incredible penchant for seeing beyond what's purposely being misleadingly narrated, once it got backed up by a vaguely but still authoritative source, you get to the bottom of all the potential alternatives. Trusting your instinct based on Jamie's subtle and interesting support paid off! You realized something so unpopular once and presented compelling reasoning points which were the closest to what it is canonically revealed ultimately. You perfectly encapsulated the soul of something or someone which was too monstrous for the majority to be a subject of deep thinking let alone any redemption, which can be magnificently seen through every fanfic, short or lengthy, you wrote about him and Eleven and not merely through some "peek into mind" insights posts here and there. This play literally calls for a celebration. You have been nearly a lone wolf, I mean yeah there were plenty others here however with your unique perspective and standard nevertheless differentiating from other stans, this was almost your sole battle which in my view has been surprisingly validated by the stage play so much, beyond expectation actually. Like a perfect reward for loyalty and dedication. I still am halfway through what I am here to convey, the text limit is gonna reach soon so, will share the rest on another upcoming part.

I read everything and this is one of the kindest things anyone has said to me. thank you for your kindness and authenticity, it means so much to me and it may have awoken that part of my Henry hyperfixation, that’s been laid dormant for a while, a little too.

I wish words could describe how grateful I am for you, but I’ve definitely screenshot these and saved them so I can come back to look at them later when self-doubt starts making its presence known.

thank you for being so thoughtful, supportive and kind. it means more to me than words could ever describe.

also, yes, I’ve seen The First Shadow trailer and it’s absolutely beyond expectations. I have no doubt that the play is exceptional in every way.

[ilovewhiteroses]

We Are Not So Different After All

Pairing: Clement Mansell x GN! Con Artist Reader Genre: Smut with humour Warnings: Sexual and adult themes, cursing Rating: 18+

After you failed to rob him and had to reveal him what do you do for a living, Clement realised the opportunities and asked you to join him and Sandy in their money making shenanigans...

You were at Sweety's bar and you saw a handsome man by the jukebox, cheerfully singing. The song was familiar to you and you also started singing and approached him.

"You have good taste in music!" he praised you when the song ended and another began. "I'm Clement." he introduced himself to you and you told him your name.

"Well, Clement, now that we know each other, would you like to have a drink with me?" you asked, gently stroking his arm, to which he smiled.

"Okay!"

You went to the bar and Clement asked Sweety for two Strohs. You noticed how good the relationship between the two men was and you asked Clement about it.

"Good ol’ Sweety and I have been friends for years."

“That’s nice.” you said smiling.

The hours passed and Clement started to get more and more drunk while you stayed sober as you just pretended to drink and poured most of your drinks behind your back. At one point, he took off his black leather jacket, put it on his chair and told you that he is going to the restroom. When he was out of sight and no one else saw you, you reached into his jacket to find money or a credit card. To your annoyance, you didn't find anything and when you put the jacket back in its place, you turned around and found yourself facing Clement, who was giving you a very angry look. Suddenly you didn't know what to say and could only gulp.

"What the fuck were you looking for in my jacket? Money?” Clement asked, so angry that he sobered up immediately. He put on the garment. "Bad news for you: it's here." he said and pulled out a small wad of money from the pocket of his dark jeans, which he put in the chest pocket of his jacket. "Look, if you tell me why you did it, maybe I won't make a scene." he said menacingly.

You were so mad at yourself for being so clumsy. You were forced to tell him the truth.

"Are you a cop?" you asked before confessing.

"No."

"Okay. Well, look. I've been doing this for years. I'm nice to people, I become friends with them and when the time is right, I steal their money." you felt embarrassed for having to say all this, but Clement's reaction surprised you. Just when you thought he was going to hurt you, his face softened and he seemed to look at you with understanding.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Hm. So you're a con artist. Looks like we are not so different after all." he said, now smiling.

"What do you mean?" you asked him confused.

"My girl Sandy and I do basically the same thing. I give the idea, she does the job. She seduces men, and when we have the chance, we steal their money together."

You felt relieved. What luck! Your evening could easily have turned out worse.

Clement's eyes lit up.

"Hey, since we both do the same thing, wouldn't you like to join us? The three of us would get more money and, of course, would divide it into three."

You thought about the offer. You were good on your own and so far everything went well, but sometimes it was quite tiring to work alone.

"Alright, I'll join!" you said enthusiastically.

"Great! Let's meet here tomorrow afternoon, I'll bring Sandy and introduce you to her, and then we'll figure out the rest together." Clement said, rubbing his palms, barely able to hide his excitement.

The next day you went to the bar at the appointed time. Clement introduced you to Sandy, his girlfriend, who was already pleasantly high from weed and offered you too, but you didn't take it.

Clement sat you down at the bar while Sweety poured you all a drink.

"Okay, I'll tell you how we gonna do this. I told Sandy about you and she said she'll get you a job at the casino, which would be good because you'd be twice as efficient together." Clement said enthusiastically.

"Really?" you asked looking at Sandy.

"Yes. There is also a guy I am “dating” now, his name is Skender Lulgjuraj. He is Albanian and a real moneybag.” she said and Clement winked.

"I see." You started thinking about how you could work with the blonde girl.

"What would you say to Sandy and I flirting with potential candidates, getting them drunk and stealing their credit cards? You have to go for the cards, because there is more money on them than what guys usually carry with themselves in cash." you told him and her your idea, which they both thought about.

"I like the way you are thinking." Clement said with narrowed eyes and a sly smile, Sandy liked the idea too. "Okay, we got this. You go to the casino with Sandy and the job can start soon. Come on, let’s drink to that!”

Few days later, you found yourself in the casino in your waiter's clothes and you were taking a few drinks to one of the roulette tables for the guests. You looked at the clothes and accessories of each of them, because they revealed a lot about their wearers. When you saw that one of the guests was wearing a presumably real, expensive watch, you approached him and started flirting with him. When he got bored of the game, you asked him seductively.

"Would you like to party with me and my friend?". The man nodded so fiercely that his head almost fell off. "Okay, but let's have a drink first."

You went to the bar, where Sandy was already waiting for you. The two of you just pretended to drink, but after a few drinks, the guy could hardly speak and his thinking seemed to slow down, so at a certain moment Sandy took out his wallet from his suit, took out his credit card, and then put the wallet back as if nothing had happened. Once you were done with that, you called him a taxi and two security guards took the drunk man away from you.

Then you carried out another such action during the evening, and after work Clement picked you up and you went to the nearest ATM. You took as much money from both cards as was enough for you then went to Clement and Sandy's apartment, where you celebrated the first successful job together.

You continued like this.

You discussed with Sandy that you would rather rob three people during the night, after you made sure that the person had money. In most cases you were good, but were not always lucky. There were times when the person didn't want to drink with you, or it turned out that he had just lost all his money, or he got so drunk that you couldn't help but slap him to come to his senses. It also happened that a guy's wife suddenly appeared, so you were forced to retreat.

After a while, you collected so much money that Clement could hardly count it.

"My darlings, Daddy is very proud of you!" he said, being in his tighty whities and kimono and gave you and Sandy a kiss on the head. You and the blonde girl sat in front of the TV eating potato chips. Her phone rang, it was Skender. While she stepped aside to make a phone call, Clement sat down next to you on the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table.

"What’s up with this Skender guy?" you asked Clement, biting into a chip.

"He supposedly has a secret hiding place or room and I think he keeps a safe full of money there, then when the time comes, Sandy and I will rob him. You can come with us if you want to." he told you.

"And how long have they been together?"

"Maybe a couple of weeks."

"And they sleep together?" at this question, Clement was silent for a moment and just looked in front of him.

"Probably." you could sense some bitterness in his voice. Sure, the money was the motivating force, but you could see in Clement that he wasn't comfortable with his girlfriend sleeping with another man, no matter how hard he tried to hide it from you. "But hopefully it won't be like this for long and then we'll go to an exotic beach where we can relax." he said and rubbed your shoulder as a sign that they would take you with them, because without you they wouldn't have managed to get so much money.

It was good for you that they took you in and that Clement treated you as an equal, not like Sandy, whom he scolded for smoking too much weed and complained to you about her.

You wanted to talk to Clement about this, but Sandy just got back.

After another couple of successful money making actions, you and Clement were alone in the apartment, and Sandy was spending time at Skender's.

You were in bed leaning against the headboard and talking. Clement was again in his tighty whities, you were wearing a T-shirt and shorts.

He told you what he was doing while you and Sandy were busy at the casino. Of course, he spent most of his time at Sweety's bar, other times he negotiated with his lawyer, Carolyn Wilder, or went to rob a few people.

"Just the usual." he said to you and smoked his cigarette. This time you lit one too. "It's good that you don't smoke weed, Sandy often takes it too far."

"I tried it once, but I almost choked on it, so I've been avoiding it if possible, but the smell doesn't bother me." you said and you also smoked your cigarette and then blew smoke rings.

"See? I’m telling you, that shit is dangerous!” Clement said and you both laughed, then he suddenly put on a serious face. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Would you sleep with someone just to get their money?" Clement asked, looking at you with almost sad eyes. You knew what he was thinking and you were glad that he asked, because it meant that he also wanted to continue your last conversation.

"No, I would never go that far, my dignity would not allow it. I'd rather get the fuck out of there than give my body for a stranger's money. I hope you understand."

"Yes, of course, and I appreciate your honesty." he said and put out his cigarette into the ashtray on the bedside table. "Look, I love Sandy, but not like I used to. Of course, it's good that we get money together and everything, but at the same time, it bothers me that she's also sleeping with Skender. To tell the truth, sometimes I get a little bored of her and I have the feeling that I want to be with someone else too, if you know what I mean."

"Yes." you nodded and put out your cigarette, then you took his hand. You were understanding and compassionate with him.

"Unfortunately, it's like this, you can't do anything about it. Just because we steal money from others we are human too with feelings. That's why I always worked alone, so that my emotions wouldn't influence me." Clement looked at you with wide eyes.

"Wow! I don't know when was the last time I heard such sensible thoughts. You can't really talk about such things with Sandy, not to mention she doesn't like the White Stripes. How can you not love that band? They are fuckin’ amazing!"

"Really? I love them too!” you told him, and then you started singing 'I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself' by the band together, which was actually a cover. Clement had a surprisingly good voice, as you had already noticed during your first meeting.

When you finished the song, you both moved at the same time and kissed each other. You kissed like your life depended on it and you only stopped when Clement pulled off your t-shirt and shorts and you pulled off his underwear. It wasn't long before you were lying under him and caressing each other's bodies. During kissing your tongues touched gently, you playfully bit Clement's lower lip, then his neck, and you turned so that you were now on top. You reached down to Clement's cock and started stroking him.

"Hmm, look how greedy you are! You want my cock, honey? You want to feel it in yourself, right?” he asked in his sexy, deep voice and pulled you close by your neck for another tongue kiss.

"Yes!" you gasped, feeling the lust taking over your body and fog started to cover your thoughts. Clement reached into the nightstand drawer and cursed.

"Shit, I don’t have condom. What if we do it with the pull-out method?”

"Okay, just let's do it, I want you so much!"

You sat on him in a reverse riding position and put his hard cock inside you. You pulled your knees up and supported yourself with both arms behind your back. He clasped his hands at the back of his head and with a smug smile he watched you moving on him. In order to reach orgasm sooner, you touched yourself.

"Oh baby, you're so tight, ah!" Clement said, gripping your hip with one hand.

You were so consumed by desire that you didn't even care if Sandy walked in and saw you two fucking.

Your knees started to tire, so you pulled Clement out of you and lay on your stomach, raising your ass up. He took the hint and knelt behind you. He caressed your round butt with his palm, then he grabbed it and put himself back inside you.

"Oh baby, you're so good!" he said between moans and moved his hips in a fast rhythm, so much so that you could feel his balls slapping against your skin.

The bed started to creak from the intense movements and you were sweating like you had run a marathon. Clement waited until you reached your orgasm and then he too was getting closer to it. He pulled himself out of you and came on your back, you could feel the hot fluid dripping off you. He laid on his back next to you, and you spread your legs out and lay on your stomach, gasping.

"Should I wipe your back?" Clement asked with a chuckle, now satisfied and in a better mood.

"No need, I'm going to shower anyway. What…what are we going to tell Sandy?”

"Nothing. She doesn’t need to know about this." he said and leaned in for a kiss. "This should be our little secret." he winked at you and you smiled to yourself.

"We can do this another time." you told him teasingly. Clement raised an eyebrow, apparently liking the idea.

"When Sandy isn't at home, you and I will fuck everywhere in the apartment!"

[emojifarm]

I'm not going to apologize for what was said, no. Feel free to block bit this needs to be said.

I've seen the actual blocklist and you can say it's mostly adults but it's not. It's about 1/5 per page. Most are minors that can learn from their mistakes if given the chance.

I was angry because all I knew at first was woah. A random 25 year old was saying shit about random artists, and yeah I'm still angry. But harassing people isn't right. I'm also an adult, take this advice and get off tumblr and discord for awhile. Spreading hatred through this community is not going to help anyone, and doing this blocklist, with their UID's out in the open is not only going to bring harassment to you if the doc is published, but the users mentioned. I think some may deserve it (the adults because clearly they know what they're doing) but minors can learn. You need to tell them what they did wrong instead of hating them.

If you do listen to this instead of just blocking me, thank you. This is not just for you, but for others who have blogs to hate on others who may follow you. It's not okay.

For the last time, I'm not publishing the blocklist anymore and I'm not harassing anyone. The most I'm using it for is for my own reference and for the mods in my server. That's it. If it got leaked by someone who had it previously, that's not my problem. It's not even finished and is missing 80% of the information BECAUSE I STOPPED WORKING ON IT BECAUSE I REALIZED IT WAS A REALLY BAD IDEA! Everyone on there, to my knowledge, is 16+. If they lied about their age on their page or don't have it visible on their page and I assumed their age to be older, that's not my fault. Everyone on there is on there for harassment, being a pedo, being a zoophile, copying others repeatedly and not stopping when informed of what they were doing, or other similar things. The "by association" section is people who have been very vocally supporting said people or, even worse, have been seen in servers doing the exact same things. No one is on there for no reason. I have the screenshots to back everything up in a folder on my computer, but it's not my damned business to spread such things because, even if I say "hey don't harass these people", y'all motherfuckers have been feral recently and would start sending death threats and kys messages anyways. I've seen the screenshots from K9's server and the asks people who were called out in there received not long after. I'm very violently aware that saying that does literally nothing at this point. Only reason I've been so vigilant is because I'm aware that I'm one of the oldest people in this community, so I've grown very protective. I want the harassment and bullshit drama to end. That's what I thought the blocklist would achieve, but I know it won't due to the state of this community. Also, the UIDs were there for ease of banning from servers and blocking. If people didn't feel comfortable with said people on the list anymore after seeing what they had been doing, I wanted them to have an easy and seamless way of cutting them off. That is not harassment. That is giving an option for safety and comfort for those that need it. If you choose to be upset over this that's whatever, but I did have good intentions and still do in not making it public. Someone turning on me and deciding to leak it is not my fault.

PS. Since I've mentioned K9 again, I would like to note that me and my Emoji Finder staff had talked with K9 and their staff on multiple occasions trying to explain things and work things out and they still continued their behavior of harassment and spreading of misinformation in their server. The deal was that if they didn't straighten things out and do better in a month, they were going back on the list. They were better at first then screenshots came my way a week later that showed that it was more of the same. There was communication and an opportunity to grow and learn. It was all civil and agreed upon. Make of that what you will

[accio-victuuri]

xiao zhan - tod’s interview @ mfw with linda

Milan Fashion Week is the second interview. I remember that during the first live broadcast, I said that I must go to Milan if I have the opportunity. In just a few months, I did what I said, and I came! This time the itinerary is very rich, in addition to watching the show and exploring the store, Zhanzhan also went to the factory, very happy~

🎤: hello everyone! i am very happy to be able to be with zhan zhan again today, to interview him~ zhan zhan when you get off the van you see so many fans who likes you and support you whole heartedly what do you feel at the time?

ZZ: because it was in a foreign country, seeing so many people like me and come to support me, actually my first reaction was surprised, so it’s the thing that makes me moved

🎤: you watch the show wearing tod’s that looks very classy

ZZ: yes it’s the leather jacket from tod’s 2023 autumn and winter series. first of all the leather color is white and i like it very much, it’s very eye-catching, very newly, the second is the texture of it’s leather, it’s tailoring i think it’s very neat to wear it.

🎤: the style

ZZ: yeah it’s very cool!

🎤: after you arrived at the show and see the entire tod’s show installation, what do you feel about it?

ZZ: very shocking. it’s a very tall structure, then as well as the lighting, shade and artistic sense of its arrangement. i like it very much.

🎤: i see that when mr. diego saw you and he rushed forward to you very enthusiastically, what did you talk about?

ZZ: we finally met, so it was like a friends meet, he was very, very enthusiastic, he invited me to his factory, to his home, take me to see and introduce tod’s and its italian style.

🎤: including some cultural aspects of the brands

ZZ: yes, that’s right~

🎤: watching the show online is definitely different from watching the show offline right?

ZZ: totally different. all models came out and give the feeling of the clothes they wear in very detail on all leather, bags shoes. you can see it all clearly.

🎤: right in front of you

ZZ: right. it’s something you can’t feel through the screen.

🎤: do you have any items or looks from the show that impressed you deeply?

ZZ: yes, yes. yes actually i love all the look of this season very much. i’m very excited after watching the show and keep saying: hey those coats in so many detail in this season, friends there are so many silhouettes of the coats in this season as if i can’t describe it down well.

🎤: including the bag, i see there is a kind..kind of similar with camera bag, with small square

ZZ: right, right and there is metal under it it’s so powerful this time. its completely show the elegance of the italian tradition combined with fashion pioneer.

🎤: then we saw you just visit the boutique for shopping have you seen some items you like?

ZZ: of course, the loafers i like all are there

🎤: just a short chat but we probably know that zhan zhan come to milan this time although the schedule is tight and full but if you have a chance, go shopping more then take a break ok?

ZZ: that’s right

🎤: with tods we also look forward to more cooperation from you then see some more work.

ZZ: of course you must

🎤 and ZZ: thank you all~

[thrudgelmir2333]

"No Saints in Peace Times" - The Continuity of Sanctuary in Masami Kurumada's Writing

When you ask the question "Are there Saints in Sanctuary when there is no Holy War?" are you really asking just that? This is another Reddit-inspired post. I like doing these. Sometimes people actually do ask interesting questions about the Saint Seiya franchise that I like musing on, I just don't put all my thoughts into a response there cause Reddit in general isn't the best platform for essays. I also often get the feeling that this kind of 'overthinking' is frowned upon in that site. Recently someone was very surprised that I made a pot joke in response to a post about a weirdly colored frame of a character, like they expect me to write essays about the most minute things. I can only imagine because, to a lot of people, answering questions online is about posturing and signaling allegiences and not really having human thoughts about something that interests you. Someone asked on R/SaintSeiya if there are Saints operating in Sanctuary between Holy Wars. You know, if they stick around during those 240-year-long periods when Hades is sealed up and the "cameras are off". And I think it is an interesting question because, again, it's one of those lost world-building opportunities that Kurumada just kind of let the other authors who made the spin-off mangas answer for him. At least in story-telling, you know? As opposed to when he has one of those interviews where he thoughtlessly 'expands' on his story's lore, like when he told people that "Cosmos makes you have eternal youth" or that Gold Saint Cosmos had midlochlorians (or maybe that's just some kind of trauma memory from something else just as stupid he has suggested about his own characters)

This post is sort of going to be about all of that. Get ready for it to be long btw. (don't worry, I threw in a couple of images)

Fertility in World-Building

When people have asked me why I chose to write in Saint Seiya when I have such nasty things to say about it, I always say the same thing.

It's because it's a pretty damn fertile world.

Yes, it's fertilisers comes straight out of Masami Kurumada's ass, but hey, produce is produce.

Again, you don't come up with 2.1 million words (so far) to say about it without there being something special about what Kurumada has done. However, I want to draw an important distinction between that being the merit of his work or the merit of his lack of it. It's not so much that this incredible tree of ideas has been planted in it, but more so that it covers so much fucking ground in terms of creative landscapes, that it can't help BUT be fertile.

Think about it for a second; in Saint Seiya, just conceptually, there is Greek mythology, alchemy, weird Muvian people, Shinto and Buddhist influences from Kurumada's martial artist background (one of his few helpful contributions), Japanese corporatism, mistreated orphans, bizarre technology, power suits and an overall fusion of east and west that is found in the best world-built stories like One Piece.

And this without getting to the astrology.

Right! This is so my dad, I swear!

Wait, what? But that's the same as...

I have friends that love astrology. I have friends that call themselves astrologists. Proudly, so. I myself have a bit of a fascination with it.

But holy shit, is there a bigger field for personal speculation than astrology? This topic is so abstract, based on symbolism and subject to cultural backgrounds that it is the backbone of countless conspiracy theories, religions and lores. Not to mention a synonym for that horrible news-channel commentary-segment culture that now plagues everything from sports to politics.

Which is to say you can basically make up shit about any constellation and chances are people will just accept what you say. You can take astrology and pretty much say anything you want about what it means for Mars to be shining brighter and everyone even remotely interested will take you for your word.

In writing, astrology is the perfect vehicle to create a sense of instant spiritual meaning to your characters' designs and actions. It's like salt; you add just enough of it to the pot and even the most horrible cooking will suddenly seem 'ok'.

And this is all because astrology ultimately has a paradox inherent to it; that its simultaneously the most powerful force in the universe, capable of controlling our destinies all across the distant reaches of the universe, while also being the subtlest and most imperceptible one. My chances of winning the lottery are virtually zero, but that's okay, because it's the month of my Zodiac, so my 'luck' is unusually high. I am BOUND to get something. Right? Good luck proving me wrong.

It's religious thinking. It inflames the senses and gives us a sense that there is order to the chaos, all while making itself unfalsifiable. It's no surprise Saint Seiya is especially popular in societies still culturally tied to their religious rituals, even if abstractly, like Brazil and France.

So when you combine it with all those other elements I mentioned, it makes it so that the world of Saint Seiya has this unusually high potential. You can tell stories about technology, society, struggles between genders, the battle of what beauty means and epic accounts of wars against the Gods, all in one setting. So long as you have the right creative person at the helm.

Right.

What all these elements show is that there is no mystery to Saint Seiya's success. It had all the right ingredients after all. It just needed to be stirred right by someone in the position to do so. But once you capture that initial success, then comes the time to invest on it, to see it to term.

Kurumada, the Idea

So, to answer this question, let's talk about the writer for a moment (or two). Masami Kurumada is sort of a fascinating example of a mangaka. I'm a bit obsessed with the guy. He's one of those creatives that have birthed an enrapturing world out of their minds, like Athena sprung out of Zeus' head, and then just catastrophically failed to understand its meaning, implications or potential, like George Lucas or the Wizard Lady. But Kurumada is also one of the most confounding examples of it, because, as is typical of mangakas, not much is known or understood in the West of what kind of guy he is, or even what kind of creative person. This is just a reality about understanding the people who write and draw mangakas because, not only do they live in a pretty quiet society, socially speaking, usually with their own local social medias to boot, but they themselves typically are the quieter type of people. You know, the artists and the nerds.

So on top of the interpretative ambiguity that goofy characters like George Lucas inspire, there is this added layer of fog around Kurumada, especially in the West. You can make up all sorts of shit about what he might have said or done and chances are you will have reasonable plausability to believe it, or find it a positive or negative.

As a result, if you look up Kurumada and his career, at least through English sources, you'll find that a lot of the writing done about it is by fans. And as a result, it looks unprofessional at best and hegiographic at worst. Conversation about his life in social media dedicated to Saint Seiya carries this weird casual fanboy tone to it, describing his art style in an odd, opinionated way that doesn't exactly scream objectivity.

This, I know, is because to the eyes of people unimpressed by Kurumada, he's not worth writing about, which leaves the fans a bit of a monopoly in the practice of documenting the guy.

Why, just relatively recently, someone circulated a story on R/SaintSeiya that Kurumada not only got into a lot of fights, but pretty much badgered his way into Shueisha to get him his job. The post paints it as an act of badassery, like Kurumada was this confident guy who refused to accept that he got the boot from destiny, much like Seiya and many of his other protagonists when they affront their gods with their heroic defiance. The story is based on a blogpost celebrating Kurumada's 50th birthday with a thorough account of his life that is arguably better than anything in wikipedia, but still very flattering (more on that below) Here's the source paragraph for the Reddit thread's statements:

A sober account of events

You could read this very normal account as the story of Kurumada imposing himself into the mangaka industry with his sheer chadness, as the Redditer did.

OR, you could read it more as an editor feeling sorry for a very passionate artist and giving him a starting shot at the studio. Something he didn't even earn, if the aforementioned contest results are to be believed. Which is far more realistic, but less flattering to the 'idea of Kurumada'.

Ah, the ancient times! When animators could just force their way into animation and comic book studios, sleep at their desks and just be allowed to keep working for these companies! Or accost Walt Disney in the street and demand a job after shoving your dossier of animations in their faces. Or in Kurumada's case, 'showing your gumption'.

This is why you should always be very careful reading accounts of people's lives, especially in 'commemorative' pieces, and especially if they're done by fans. These things are usually more akin to publicity stunts than they are to legitimate documentation. More often than not they are vague and inform their tone with their pre-existing intentions.

However, this sort of lame deitification isn't limited to random social media posts. Here's an example talking about the way Kurumada draws from Wikipedia, the wiki everyone can edit. And yes, this was actually written in a site that is supposed to be about objective documentation:

Transcript of Kurumada Fanboying, found in the Wiki everyone can edit.

I want to make clear that despite my cynicism, whoever edited this page obviously had good intentions in mind. I'm sure they are wonderful people. It takes gumption to volunteer to do this sort of stuff, to borrow a term.

But this is just shit wiki work. I don't need to tell you that describing someone's artstyle as "sometimes can seem rough, but his improvement can be seen when comparing old works to new" isn't so much an objective description of the facts, but more so a subjective, insecure evaluation from someone clearly acting as a lawyer to Kurumada's work. On what's supposed to be the world's biggest online reference book. Hence the "citation needed". And some wonder why the franchise's wikis are equally filled with personal commentary on the show and its characters. People don't just put those up to annoy rival wikipedia editors, it's to point out they've done a shit research compilation in what's supposed to be a reliable source of information about someone. And discussion about Kurumada, not just his wikipedia page, is usually riddled with hegiographic tones, where he's described as someone "who has influenced the greatest names in manga today" or "once competed with the greatest". But it doesn't end there.

Seen above; paragraph of barely-conceiled speculation in Wikipedia, the wiki anyone can edit

I don't know about you, but half this stuff feels like a loose collection of 'impressions' of what's going on, based on uncited sources and a wonky timeline of events. It sounds less like a careful description of events, and more of an opinionated online article about the rise and fall of an industry artist's works.

This is, again, because a lot of the talking about Kurumada in the West is done by the fans of the height of his career. You're not going to find the name of a man born in the 50s who drew cartoons in the 70s and 80s in the mouths of people who acquired their taste in media in the 2000s. And that's okay. But if you care so much about it, you know, do a bit of a better job filtering what's factual from what isn't. It's not that hard!

Cause otherwise you get weirdos on Reddit who legitimately think that the only reason Saint Seiya isn't more successful is because 'It got screwed by the network' or that Kurumada is some kind of chad for basically pulling ahead of a bunch of other artists that did better work than he did. And then whine about why he can't compete in people's minds with Dragon Ball.

Usually, if you want accurate, unbiased information on what kind of guy Kurumada is, you need to go straight to the source; the man himself. Funnily enough, the only stuff you can find cited in Wikipedia about Kurumada is stuff describing things he's said in interviews or statements about organisations he's worked under, etc

Now, Kurumada is an award-winning mangaka. There's no doubt about his success and impact. Most of us will never seen even one percent of the triumph in life he has acquired, and that means something. The guy is referenced throughout anime, his characters have been used as templates for other great mangakas works (see my post about how Ikki may have influenced characters like Byakuya in Bleach) and many have cited him as an inspiration for their own careers in art, from mangas to cinema.

Poster Kurumada has made for the 2010 Movie "Clash of the Titans". Kurumada was contacted by Warner Brothers at the time to collaborate with Louis Leterrier's movie remake. Louis himself has stated Kurumada was an influence in his work

I mean, you don't get at least 4 other mangakas to write stories set in your world if you don't have some kind of talent, right? Look at all the people whose minds Kurumada has impacted! Perhaps the hegiographic descriptions are a bit much, but there's a root to why they are written?

This world that Kurumada has conceived must be wonderful to delve into, if it has seen so much success and praise. Surely when we dive into the matter, we will find depthful characters, a personal story of a hero Kurumada wanted to talk about and a setting where characters have multiple dimensions to them? We will surely find an answer to "Are there Saints in Sanctuary when there's no Holy War?"

Yeah...

Well, it's complicated.

The Writing of Kurumada

For those of you who don't know me very well, I write.

I'm not saying that as some kind of statement as to why my opinion is more valid, just to explain why this topic might be important to me.

I'm also not saying that I love writing. As someone once said:

So wise. Someone should put this in hyeroglyphs or something, seriously.

So what do I care about writing if I hate it? Well, this is because there is a difference between you loving something, and something being important to you. You can revolve your life about something that is important to you and still... ----ing... hate doing it. And how limited it is to conveying your thoughts and feelings.

That being said, it does put me in the weird position where I don't really respect any kind of laziness in writing and world-building, because if I was able to spend the last decade of my life writing 2.1 Million words for a franchise I don't even respect,... then someone else not even bothering to do proper world-building and yet being in some kind of position of authority over commenting on it does drive me a bit up the wall.

And, twist, Kurumada's 'world building' drives me up the fucking Wailing Wall. I can see Elysium from how high he drives me.

And no, I don't mean just the recent stuff.

On that topic, for those of you who don't know, Masami Kurumada, in the style of such respectable peers as George Lucas and the Wizard Lady, has spent the last 20-30 years of his life simultaneously not giving a shit about their Magnum Opus and interfering with it in the dumbest ways possible. From revealing that Saga has always just secretly been a "Force Baby" in the same manner as Anakin Skywalker, to stating that the reason Shion lives so long is because "Cosmos is just that convenient that it gives you a long life", Kuru seems to be on a mission to ruin the depth of his world with these milktoast, pandering concepts.

In my opinion, however, the problem stems from much further back, right to the early days of Saint Seiya. Could the signs of his lack-of-shit-given be there from the start? Let's investigate.

And what better place to start than the 50th anniversary account that the earlier Reddit post mentioned? It was so thorough, after all. And it's bound to portray him in a positive light.

Oh.

So the whole thing was an act of spite?

Don't worry, it gets worse.

Uh-uh... okay...

Wait, lol, what?

So... he just recycled a bunch of his own old ideas together?

It shouldn't? Why not?! lol

OH, so it's not laziness, because the people he's selling these old ideas to haven't read them in his other works??? W O W

So, what you could conclude from this, and allow me to influence your conclusion with my own (just like the commemorative piece above tried to), is that Saint Seiya wasn't conceived because Kurumada wanted to tell a story with rich characters that evolve in a dephful world.

It's because he was MAD his previous ideas didn't work with the public and so he manufactured them all into a friendlier, lazier package. One that he could sell to this dumb-fuck public that didn't like his stories.

And he made his whole success out of it.

Yes, this is the origin of Saint Seiya and its writing. The foundational spirit of the story millions of people love to this day (and that I spent half my life obsessing over). A guy sitting at his desk, conceiving characters for a mangaka he didn't want to make, all to chase an idea of success after basically giving up on his personal projects.

If you're the type, like me, that occasionaly peruses the fandom for stuff to talk about, do me a favor; from now on, if you ever see someone whine on the internet about why Saint Seiya can't compete with modern storytelling, just show them these wonderful nuggets. Show them how petty and selfish the foundational spirit of this tale was, how Kurumada didn't even make personal decisions on who should win the galaxian tournament rounds. How he left it to reader surveys, because to him, it didn't matter who won, so long as it was the most popular choice.

There was never any message, any curiosity about this world he was creating, any interest in exploring or discovering things in it. It was just a sad, spiteful, last-ditch attempt at success by a mangaka that didnt even earn his spot at Shueisha being gradually pushed out of the market to make it big during an era of relatively low creative competition.

Kurumada: "Oh, they want trash?! I'll give them trash!! I'll give them all the trash they wa- Oh, it's selling how much? I mean, this is a rich world, filled with wonderful characters! Like Saga! Btw, did you know Saga came from space?"

If you're wondering why this franchise has landed in the hands of people who don't care about anything but selling merch, this is it. It's because even the supposed guardian of the story's integrity didn't give a damn. And the worst part of it is that most of the sources detailing all of this treat it like an inspiring story. Because to them, it doesn't mean anything, because Saint Seiya's narrative value, it's depth in writing, is already decided upon by a combination of its success, nostalgia and how shiny the armors look.

Okay, Thrud, what does this have to do with anything? "Are there Saints in Sanctuary when there's no Holy War?" or not?

Don't rush me! I'm getting to it!

The Price for lack of vision

Hopefully now you understand why I started this post with two sections basically dumping on Kurumada's whole career. It's to make the point that he's far, far, far from being the right person to fully capitalise on these successful elements Saint Seiya has in its soup in the long term. Kurumada is a jock that happens to know how to draw, and the anime injected enough catholic fantasy into their adaptation to ensure Latin America would always be a viable market. Masami didn't even have enough confidence in Saint Seiya to pick by his own vision which characters should advance in the story during the first arc of his epic tale!

So imagine trusting someone like that to write compelling, rich story arcs.

Or understand the differences between Dante's Inferno and the Greek myths of hell, or how they collide in storytelling.

Or taking a comment about how Shun is an LGBT symbol without doing something spiteful in return, like giving him a two-chapter girlfriend named after the interviewer's magazine?

Or imagining what Sanctuary is like for its characters when there isn't a Holy War going on?

And speaking of characters, to pull another Reddit post that annoyed me (mostly from how utterly dumb and caveman-spirited it is), some meme-manufacturing dummy only interested in farming karma made the shallow comparison that Shiori's Lost Canvas Gold Saint characters would be a good replacement for Kurumada's characters in his story.

Moments like this make me wish I was Palpatine falling down the well.

There's a lot wrong with this suggestion of swapping the Sanctuary Arc's characters with Lost Canvas, the worst being that Deathmask, of all the characters in Sanctuary Arc, should be replaced by Manigoldo. I'm not going to go in-depth about how terribly that would work, but I just want to show how the person who made the meme is signalling to a culture of people who thinks the quality of characters is measured not by their utility and effectiveness to story arcs, but by weather or not they are 'badass'. In their minds, all Manigoldo really has over Deathmask is that A) he was an antagonist instead of a villain and B) he briefly fought Thanatos, the Death God (and lost). And that's enough for them to be a 'better character'.

But while the post is just something the author thoughtlessly created for the purpose of making a number of community approval go up, it also points towards the fact that there is a generalised insatisfaction in a lot of Saint Seiya fans about its characters. I would posit that a lot of the reason so many gravitate to Lost Canvas (even though Saintia Sho is better imo) as a comparison of "Saint Seiya being done well" is because it was the first to show that Saint Seiya could be capitalised on to create a story a bit more character-driven.

Which is to say Lost Canvas isn't great, just that it's better than what we had at that point.

The truth is, people are passionate about Saint Seiya and they want to see its potential realised, even if for silly, Dragon-Ball-fans-dunked-on-me ways. They want to see their enjoyment of it validated, elevated to cultural relevance. Some of my most popular posts online about Saint Seiya are posts that... accidentally make Saint Seiya seem smarter than it is.

So, when you ask the question "Are there Saints in Sanctuary when there's no Holy War?" are you really asking just that?

Writing-in-Depth

That's a warfare pun.

See, defense-in-depth was a style of battle ordering where you deliberately arranged the outer layers of your army to be weak, so as to lure your enemy to attack deeply into your center, allowing you to surround them from your stronger positions and....

Oh, whatever. You don't care about that.

When people talk about 'hidden depths' in a character, usually they refer to discovering that a seemingly superficial character actually has a compelling motive for their seemingly superficial actions. You observe a character, see them doing something strange routinely, don't pay any attention to it, and then you discover its because someone once told them it made their spouse smile, or something. My favorite example is Senor Pink, from One Piece.

Senor Pink in his natural state, surrounded by fangirls

Senor Pink is a wild character. He dresses like a baby, has a baby suckler, wears sunglasses, works for one of the most ruthless villains in all of One Piece and has a Devil Fruit that lets him swim through land. And he's 100% serious about all of those things. This is not a gag he's pulling. This dude is dedicated to this shtick and god help you if you laugh at it.

He's also one of the most surprising and beloved side characters in all of One Piece, a story celebrated for its character twists and turns.

I'd advise you to read up on him, but not only is the picture above worth a thousand words, but you'd risk spoiling yourself a pretty neat surprise about why Senor Pink is the way he is. I will offer a hint in the image below, though.

One of the few female characters in One Piece that doesn't totally look like either Nami or Robin

The Senor Pink backstory was a pleasant surprise to a lot of people. Many already liked him for his outrageous design and attitude to his job, but it was also unexpected that such a touching story would be told about a guy inserted into one of the most villainous crews in One Piece. All his coworkers and friends are sadists, liars, manipulators, murderers, torturers, bullies and tyrants, but Senor Pink transcended his context as a character and showed a depth no one expected in him, to the point it was almost surprising a guy like him still worked for Donquixote Doflamingo.

This doesn't mean that in order to have depth in your characters you need to trick your audience. It just means that you have to show they are about something a little bit more than just their names and their jobs. We, the audience, assumed limitations on Senor Pink based on superficial context, and then discovered he had the depths of a human being worried about daily life, loved ones and loved things.

That, in turn, helps paint a grander picture that we could potentially expect that out of any character in One Piece, even the most unassuming ones. Eichiro Oda demonstrated that there is no reason to think there haven't been 1000 Senor Pinks throughout the story. Through the depth of its characters, the world building is given depth. Meanwhile;

Saint Seiya characters in the wild, doing their mating call

You wanna know what they're weeping so hard about? You really wanna know? They're crying that they have to go kill Athena during the Hades Arc. See, Hades ressurrected them and... it's a long story okay? What matters is that they are invading Sanctuary as Specters, hereby becoming traitors to their honor as Gold Saints. The honor of their jobs.

They don't even know Saori that well, btw. That guy on the right? His name is Camus. He's never even MET Saori. He doesn't know what she's like, or the speeches of motivation she's given or even who her favorite boy to whip is (Saint Seiya joke, Im sorry if you don't get it).

He just knows she is Athena. So he cries. Which is to say Camus cries because he's a Gold Saint and so he's supposed to. Not because Saori means something special to him personally. Camus has never stated anything about himself that indicates he gives two shits about anything other than moralising Hyoga for...

...for crying about his mom? Wait, what? Isn't that sort of what he's doing here?

Wait, what's going on here?! Why is Kurumada's writing like this?!

This, my friends, is where we get to the point of this Thrumblr post.

Are there Saints in Sanctuary during Peace?

So, "are there Saints in Sanctuary outside of Holy Wars?"

What I believe the reddit poster was asking, in a small way, was if there is a world beyond what we are shown in the cartoon that Kurumada has envisioned? Does the writing of Saint Seiya, or even of its spin offs, thread towards an unseen dimension, a hidden world-building depth, that we can all be confident in?

Does the story of these characters continue once the curtain closes on Saga's reign, or Julian Solo's rampage? Or does it all blink into the next conflict?

This question speaks to matters of temporal permanence of ideas in a story, of course, of consistency. In a way it's a test to wether or not its worth looking into the story a bit deeper for greater meaning, or a personal message from the author. Is the story smarter than it looks? Does this imaginary world keep on spinning after the camera cuts to black? I'm afraid to say, no. It doesn't.

Not in the minds of its writers anyway.

Obviously there is continuity the technical way, because it makes sense to be, but it doesn't exist in any imagined or thought-out sense, which is the most important. It all just passes by like Harry Potter's summers at the Dursleys.

This is because the world of Saint Seiya doesn't know what its characters are other than action pieces IN holy wars. They are power rangers, going from episode to episode, battle to battle, uninterrupted. While the occasional moment of break exists, there is no 'living' in piece. We aren't shown what these characters are or what lives they've lived when they're not, because they were imagined by someone who never intended to 'create a world'.

Tragically, even Shiryu, the best character in the franchise, only has a simple farmer life with Shunrei in rural china to look forward to. Not that we're shown a whole lot of it, of course. This, obviously, before he gets called back to do his duty.

Go to her, Shiryu! Go to "Sunrei", whoever she is! Leave this shit-show behind!

In One Piece, we can imagine what happens in the entire world while Luffy and his crew battle Kaido in Wano for a year. We picture gears turning and characters moving because, countless times, Oda, who is passionate about his world, has shown us in side stories and catch-up chapters what they have been up to, and the impact it all had in the main characters without them even realising it. Meanwhile, Kurumada had an entire storyline of Shun being Hades' vessel and ikki failing to rescue him, and neither character got to exchange a serious conversation of confrontation later when met with Hades personally. It's like it didn't even matter to them, or that it didn't happen, because the whole thing was just a temporary fancy in the author's head.

There's no continuity to things, no permanence of objects. Things happen, but they then don't continue or matter. Characters rise and fall like the passing of the tides, barely making a dent in our memory.

At the end of every arc, when Saori and her Saints pose to the camera and it all fades to black, the world ceases to, indeed, exist. Sanctuary dies. It disappears from the imagination and lives no life until the curtains reopen. An absent of war in the characters lives means an absence of meaning, of pertinence, of life and character and depth.

There are no Saints in peace times.

Thrudgelmir2333

Post Scriptum

Now, there could come the day that someone could pose this question to Kurumada. "Kurumada-sensei, are there Saints in Sanctuary between Holy Wars?"

You can already imagine what the answer might be. "Why, yes, of course, and they also hold wrestling tournaments in the style of the greco-romans. Also, have I mentioned that Gold Saints are pre-destined to become so and Aiolia was struck by a Thunderbolt of Zeus when he was a child? What? No, I don't remember who June is."