#crying why are they both like this

[mark-the-snark]

The reward for the quickest a media made me do fanart goes to these guys ☝️☝️☝️

Also if it's hard to tell what's happening, the kitty made him a new tail. U may not believe it, but I almost cried drawing this 😔

[vebokki]

i present to you for your consideration: luo binghe and sha hualing as roommates. also they're both going to be late to their respective dates

[caninescreations]

sketch dump bc i cannot get my mind off this fic + comic abt the fallout of shifter!stan verse jurassic park adventure from that one ask bc i would die and kill for dark lord's emma may. also stan just... mossing himself and glomming onto ford? peak.

the scrapbook. can i talk about the scrapbook???? the fucking love and care that ford put into making it??? for stan???? for stan his brother stan that he loves so much he made that????? stan trying out a moustache for like. a day and everyone hating it.

i love how sopping wet baby shapeshifters are they're like weird gross little wet cats and i want to smoosh them gently.

[captain-astors]

Soft.

[syluses]

big girls dont cry QNA

i know you guys have lots of curiosities about this fic lolll so i’ll try to answer some of the questions i received (∗ᵕ̴᷄◡ᵕ̴᷅∗) 💕 if u still have some, just shoot me an ask!! :] also im really bad at explaining so i apologize 🤦🏻‍♀️ i have the plot nailed in my head but its tricky to articulate it in a clear, linear way for yall considering all the little nuances i added lol. i’ll try my best tho hehe :,)

Okay so there’s a whole ‘nother plot that exists in the background of this fic- which was super fun for me to write, but im sure from a reader standpoint it’s also kinda thrilling to try to connect the dots i left lol. thats why theres so many interpretations for this story (which i love!! i loved reading all yall’s theories)! 💕 BUT. that being said, the ‘canon’ goes like this:

SPOILERS BELOW read it first then come back! ( ⸍ɞ̴̶̷ ·̫ ɞ̴̶̷⸌ )

was caleb really dead?

No. Caleb staged his own death and then, similar to the main story homecoming wings, didnt tell mc :,) for his own reasons, for a time, he decides he’ll let her go on believing he’s truly gone…

why did he stage his death?

I dropped little crumbs of it in the fic, but it’s hinted that mc, on top of all her grief, feels a bit bitter over the whole shebang and also blames herself for it. hmm… why would that be? 🤔 well because their final moments together (or so she THOUGHT) were emotionally charged and volatile.

the foundation of their sibling relationship was growing weaker and weaker before the explosion. arguments are forming out of nowhere- things are becoming more tense and mc, for the life of her, can’t understand why her gege is always pulling her into a heated debate about safety, danger, blahblahblah, this that and the third, every time they interact. He’s being wildly unreasonable, which she knows, and protective- a trait that has snowballed as they entered their adulthood- but what she doesn’t know is the why behind it. she tells herself she just has a super protective older brother who views her as a little baby in need of his guidance- which isn’t entirely wrong… but she doesn’t see the full picture. His true feelings. All this tension eventually climbs to its peak. Caleb just gets worse and worse. He needs to do something before the world collapses on them both.

Now, in this au, he works at EVER, a somewhat shady but lucrative company- which dabbles in robotics amongst other things. I imagine they have abundant resources and wealth- and what with his promotions, it’s safe to say caleb is making a LOT. So, the delusional guy he is, he buys a big fancy suite with the idea in mind of two eventually living in it ;) but mc doesn’t want to- she has her own life in linkon!! She wants to spread her wings and separate from the nest anyway. Partly to start her own life; partly to prove to her gege that she can take care of herself. The argument that unfolds over this is the last they have before the big tragic explosion 😭 caleb, putting on a show with his beaten puppy eyes, leaves and then that’s the last time she sees him.

Caleb meticulously plans his ‘death’ out (with some help from his wingman ofc) and then eventually the robot is introduced to mc. It serves as a trojan horse. He’ll finally conquer her heart with it and win full autonomy over her. THIS IS HIS MAIN GOAL WITH THE ROBOT. WHY HE EVEN DOES ANY OF THIS TO BEGIN WITH.

Caleb gets to spy on mc with it and also slowly reshape her to accept his feelings; his ‘death’ has left her in a fragile state of mourning and he knows, after she warms up a bit to not-Caleb, he can more or less get away with anything- bc she will claw for whatever’s left of her family member. He can make her finally reciprocate and understand him— whether that be his feelings or fear or love. He tried to be patient, to be good, but obviously he had to travel a new route. He’s thinking of her 24/7. He’s obsessive, longing, protective, you name it- and all of this just worsens the more she denies him. When push comes to shove… well, caleb will do whatever it takes to win her :] He knows it’s unconventional and he’d be lying if he said it didn’t hurt him too- monitoring his endearingly stubborn, but sweet meimei and the shattered pieces he left of her through his android’s eyes— but it’s all temporary, and he truly believes it’s for the better.

did gideon know?

Yes, Gideon knew all along. He’s Caleb’s best buddy after all. To be matter of fact- Gideon didn’t just know, he quite literally ‘herded’ mc into the lion’s den in a way. Mc knew vaguely of their work at EVER, but not too much; so Gideon was the one who shined that light on their robotics and really introduced her to the concept of not-Caleb. Now, i wouldnt say Gideon is exactly comfortable with his involvement, but he actually really does care for mc and thinks she needs that help- as dubious as the means are. Anyway, it’s almost impossible to shut out all of his buddy’s demands: the brunet is nothing if not insistent on getting what he wants. In his own whacky way, Gideon thinks what he did- playing into Caleb’s plan- was for the better as well. I mean, Mc clearly wasnt doing good before not-Caleb came along,… but with the few visits he managed before the android got a little too stingy and sent him off, Gideon actually managed to catch a smile or two from her! So clearly he did the right thing 👀 not to mention… the real caleb seems very pleased with the progress, too. besides- the whole robot situation is temporary anyway :] She’ll be reuniting with the beloved gege she misses so much sooner rather than later.

how accurate was not-caleb?

His programming is like 100% accurate. Mc, for a mix of both naiveity and delusion, thinks not-Caleb is flawed when he starts to show signs of amorous/romantic feelings for her. Really, though, after she tells him to stay the night with her (innocently; and after years of having not shared the same childhood twin bed), it triggers a part of his ‘brain’ that undoes all real caleb’s self restraint thus far :] If the same exact situation happened with the real caleb, his reaction would’ve more or less been the same. Homeboy can only keep his feelings in check for so long

who programmed not-caleb?

Real Caleb

how is mc pregnant?

Because the robot’s creator wanted to add his own special touch to his work if you know what i mean :) yeah he’s a freak like that. Dont think he WOULDNT install in his robot the ability to indirectly knock his ‘meimei’ up. I will say though, that while caleb wants to get mc pregnant, its not fully bc he wants to start a family- at least not right away- but because he wants to emotionally and legally trap her with him. Besides monitoring her/wearing down her walls while she thought he was ‘dead’, this was actually one of caleb’s biggest goals with sending not-caleb into her home.

is not-caleb self-aware?

Yes

what’s real caleb been doing all this time?

Basically climbing the ranks of EVER from his lil perch somewhere in skyhaven. all the while, of course, spying on mc like a hawk. Biding his time & waiting for the right moment when she’s at her weakest, most codependent state to replace his carbon copy :)

was caleb controlling his robot?

No. But he essentially created its whole program. And there are cameras inside its eyes in which he watches mc from :) and cant help but snap pics with sometimes: she’s just so pretty— and endlessly sexy when he finally, in a vicarious way, gets to lie her back and make love to her <3

what is real caleb’s motive/ultimate goal?

1. to control/protect/‘tame’ mc through the robot; get her to see things from his point of view (which means realizing she belongs with him- where it’s safe and he can protect & love her)

2. to knock her up (hence the. ahem. reproductive abilities of the robot) so that he can trap her with a baby on top of all the other emotional strings he’s hogtied her with.

does gideon want mc too?

the question is not would gideon smash her. the question is would caleb LET him…. 👀

also, below i just attached a screenie from some of the notes i took. theyre ofc a little disjointed but i think it might clarify things too :] im so bad at answering questions esp for a plot this spiraling but i really tried my best guys my brain is tired forgive me :,)

[momochimchim]

I read ur tags HAND OVER UR DAYDREAMS MOMO!!!!!

GIVE HIM TO US!! (Please if u do not mind)

WELL YES OF COURSE DEAR BUTTONS!!! (i had a lot of fun but i'm still scared you won't like it oh Gods)

HERE YOU GO, I LOVE YOUR AUS SO SO MUCH!!! 😭💞 (I headcannoned so hard i'm crying, i love you Daydream)

ALSO, BABY NEXUS!!!!!

(Idk if Baby Nex can actually walk but the situation in my Head was so funny i had to draw it 🥺)

[deadwerewolfgirlfriend]

Supernatural + the many meanings of "Castiel" 4.01 Lazarus Rising // 4.16 On the Head of a Pin // 4.21 When the Levee Breaks // 8.10 Torn and Frayed // 8.17 Goodbye Stranger // 13.01 Lost and Found (source)

[smilemuse]

THE BLUSH DOESN'T GO UNNOTICED ON AN IMMORTAL GAZE. he doesn't say anything but the temptation to take off the mask himself and lather him in affection is calling him. he resists as they aren't acquainted, or at least he's certain the other doesn't remember him from long ago. however, he knows that his features are rather unusual considering he is a fox deity. ❛ they are, ❜ he shrugs as it should be taken as a matter of fact statement. ❛ you can touch them if you like. ❜ he makes the offer so that he can validate that his fox ears are real. the color is a stark contrast to the dark clothes he's sporting, but being an inari the color of his ears & white were pure snow.

denji's reaction to his proposal despite how outlandish it amuses yoshida to no end. the way the other boy's face reddens at the thought of being yoshida's, or even the fact that yoshida himself wants his first kiss as a currency. yoshida truly desires to make denji his, of course he wants the other to fall in love with him naturally. he could handle the stages, however slow they may be. for him, time is nothing but a unit of measurement that changes like the color of trees. yoshida would wait for denji & that much he's certain of.

❛ what issue would i possibly have with you? i'm serious about you.❜ not that being serious meant suddenly popping out of thin air, but he knows it took awhile for him to reveal himself. yoshida had wanted to get to this status within his lineage before coming back to the blonde. yoshida wants the free reigns to do what he likes while also training his next-in-line. ❛ i'm sure you've heard tales of a fox bride, i'm just sticking to those traditions. some can be humans, it's not of unheard of. man or not. ❜ not that yoshida would make his preferences known although the declaration itself should be more telling than what it is.

a smile still graces his hidden lips at denji's statements. ❛ i'll wait until you get out and i'm more than willing to allow you to get to know me. like, i said i want you to fall in love with me.❜ there's a hum from his lips as he reaches out for denji to allow him to know that divinity can exist between flesh & bone. ❛ you can take my mask off, i don't mind revealing myself to you.❜ there's a gentleness to this act, a breeze of cool air that soothes anyone on a hot day. his thumb rubs small circles along the back of denji's hand.

truth be told, yoshida doesn't know a thing about love either.. however, he does know his crush on the other has blossomed into a quiet devotion & the favoritism he's always willing to show within the shrine. aside from denji, the only person he's shown a good side to is aki himself. there is nothing but respect from someone who governs the people of this shrine to making homages to him.

denji's face falls subtly, blush dusting his cheeks as disbelief also settles on his features. he's not used to someone being so bold with him; even at school he doesn't get this much attention unless it's other guys complaining to him about their girlfriends using him as a seat and starting fights. his eyes are wide, searching for something hidden behind the mask beyond the playful lilt the voice behind it seems to give. denji is unsure what to think when he's almost sure he'd never met the other before.

“haah — there's no way those things are actually real,” denji mutters with a tilt of his head, and for once, steps towards the other man to get a closer look. it's embarrassing now, denji notices, how much taller the other man is compared to him. it's the first time he's ever felt small; it definitely doesn't help the blush on his face too, but he can pretend it's not there so as long as it's not acknowledged.

denji is quiet for a moment, taking a generous moment to consider everything. this guy is seriously insane, he concludes. he doesn't know if he should ask for some kind of proof beyond the ears and tail. as for what kind of feats their god should be able to perform, he wouldn't know of either. he's about a good second from telling the guy off for impersonating a god when the name makes him stop. the name yoshida isn't forgotten, but scarce few would refer to the current god by that name. only the priest himself and the caretakers of the shrine know him by this name, or rather the lineage from which the inari come from. denji knew little about the hierarchy, but from what he does know is no one would call him by the family name so casually. maybe there is some proof to his claim.

however all thoughts cease altogether when the big question is answered. denji stares at yoshida for a moment unblinking, face contorting into mortified bewilderment; flustered at the proposition of marriage and having his first kiss stolen away. his face is a furious shade of red, and he can't see anything, but he's pretty damn sure that behind that stupid fucking mask, the bastard has some kind of shit eating grin. “w-what the hell, dude; what's yer issue,” denji hisses, fighting his voice down from his surprised heightened pitch down to normal. “ y-your what? bride????? dude, i'm a man, in case yer dumb mask doesn't make you see well. besides, i'm in school; i can't get married to anyone, and i'm not gunna marry someone i don't even know. i don't even know what your face looks like.”

[fairyroses]

He was about to kill you, Lex. Or divulge something you didn't want me to know.

— SMALLVILLE, "Forever" (4.21)

+ bonus from "Arctic" (7.20):

[lurkinginnernarrator]

in the spirit of thanksgiving

Cang Qiong should have an age old traditional feast.

Depending on who you ask:

It's great. Food, wine, the people you grew up next to and fought side-by-side with. The disciples you've raised.

It's terrible. Awkward small talk, other people's insane opinions (think modern day politics and stuff but xianxia), the adult versions of your fellow disciples(cousins) who either you bullied, or they bullied you, your terrible first kiss, AND those brats you have to teach/the one teacher that just hates you

(Shang Qinghua hates this feast. So, so much. Drunk peak lords, drunk hallmasters, drunk disciples. )

And there's dancing. It's great. It's terrible. All depending on who you ask.

Shen Yuan's first feast makes him dislike them. Between the distance acting as Shen Qingqiu puts between him and everyone else, and the empty void he feels in his ribcage it's not the best. He won't even think or acknowledge it, but it's there.

The feast reminds him of the family dinners from when he was younger.

But there isn't a Shen-mei to lean over to and show stupid memes, there isn't an Er-ge to gossip with, and there isn't a Da-ge to have a late night meaningful conversation with that sticks with you for the rest of your life.

Instead it's a bunch of strangers.

He doesn't actually know them. At all.

To everyone but him, these are the people who they've lived next to for years, shared meals, little joys and burdens, the monotony and life-changing events. Inside jokes and ribbing about choices you made as a teenager.

To him, it's the same as having a meal alone in a bustling restaurant: It's warm, full of laughter and gentle smiles, jokes and stories. And there he is; standing alone.

What's worse? To be completely unknown, or for people to believe they know you, and know your shared history, and be wrong. To have no-one acknowledge you at all, or to be held accountable for actions that are not your own?

As soon as it's socially acceptable to leave, he does so. He shoos all of his little disciples away, telling them to enjoy the festivities.

He comes home to an empty, cold house. At least it's quiet.

(The next feast is bearable. What makes it good is he and Airplane retreat back to the bamboo house together and get blackout drunk. They laugh, they cry, they dance (and sing but they don't remember that.). )

[zvahlne]

headcanon: shadow knights can't cry.

it takes him a long while to notice. he had never considered himself much of a crier. it wasn't that he thought there was anything wrong with crying. he was just one to keep moving, keep doing, show the people around him and under his care that it would be alright, no matter what had happened. some might accuse him of bottling for this, though whether it was selfless for others (so they wouldn't worry; so they could cry while he carried it) or selfish (so he wouldn't have to think about it, wouldn't have to feel it), up for debate. either way, he would disagree, and had whenever someone close enough to him to notice the pattern mentioned it (usually cadenza).

...the last time he remembers crying was with cadenza. it was about joh.

he didn't cry in the nether (no water can last long there; how could he? your eyes could never get wet enough. every blink in the nether is stinging).

he didn't cry when he was brought back, not for his sight, not for ungrth (more surprising, but he was in shock. nothing felt real in those days, and after, he had things to do, people to care for).

it's when he loses 15 years and he comes back to his father's death and can't shed a single tear that he finally thinks he really ought to be crying. but he isn't. he can't?

he goes to ungrth's grave and he thinks of ungrth and he thinks of hayden and he thinks of joh and he thinks of garroth and he grits his teeth, he digs his nails into his palms, he gets a headache from how tight his brows furrow, he feels an ache so intense in his chest he's gasping for breath, but his eyes are as dry as they've since the day he died (he wants to cry, he should be crying, why isn't he crying?).

his life is taken from him, replaced with facsimile. the man he trusted more than himself betrayed him, and is now lost a dimension away. he's lost fifteen years, his father passed without him present, his friend's grave has been desecrated, the places he lived in and loved and protected fallen and rebuilt, all in his absence, all to be discovered all at once. he loses nearly everything, he watches helplessly as he loses even himself. and yet...

laurance can't cry.

[avocado62524]

[radrobsgarage]

I finished it

Thoughts in the tags

[tending-the-hearth]

Ponyboy: Darry hates me and would put me in a boy’s home if Sodapop let him, he can’t stand me, I bet he wishes he never got stuck with me.

Two-Bit, who Darry made swear to always keep an eye on Ponyboy at school and who has witnessed Darry nearly breaking down his front door in a panic to ask his mom what medicine is best when Ponyboy got a cold: Sounds fake but ok

[ambigrueity]

Incredibly long post about Trey and Riddle's Relationship that I vaguely said I'd do in the tags of my posts somewhere

Disclaimer: this is not intended to be shipping in any way I very much view them as family, even more so after these updates. To start with I'm going to separate their relationship into 3 distinct stages and focus on their perceptions of each other at each stage. I think their relationship is wonderfully written As usual, I ramble so sorry in advance, but I really want to analyze how complex they are.

Stage one: Childhood: ||Riddle|| A friend: Trey and Chenya were Riddle's first friends. Riddle had spent his whole life knowing the four walls of his home and his mother and both Trey and Chenya were his gateway to experiencing the world outside his windows. As such, they're immensely valuable to him. Under his mother he had no other way to grow socially, so when provided with a logical reason for going out and playing (Chenya stated his grandpa believed play is a form of study) he jumped at it because he wanted that connection. Trey specifically was his ideal. I think he looked up to him a lot. Normal home life. His mother didn't confine or trap him in any way. And he could eat whatever he liked. That's why when Trey said that one or two slices of tart wouldn't hurt, it was good enough to sway Riddle. All his life he'd grown up hearing about sweets being poison. But Trey seems happy and fulfilled so surely it's not as bad. However, breaking his mother's rule made him lose everything. The momentary friendship he'd built and any chance of freedom. It impressed upon him the importance of following the rules because breaking them lead to loss. And on top of that, it left him with guilt. I talk a lot about Trey's guilt in this situation (and I will talk more) but Riddle has his own guilt too that just manifested in a different way. More on that later.

||Trey|| A brother: While Riddle might have viewed Trey as a friend (no doubt because he was an isolated only child with a different perception and a lot of baggage tied to the world family), Trey saw him as a brother. He expressly states in his dream that Riddle was smart enough to identify plants and flowers and had enough magic control to get their soccer ball out of the trees, and he felt proud to have a smart little brother. And this sort of label is easier for him because he comes from a rather healthy family with siblings and has a blood brother around Riddle's age. Instinctively, Riddle became someone he wanted to care for, spoil, and cherish. That's why after knowing Riddle wanted to try a tart he wanted to let him. Later on, he tries to dismiss or come to terms with his actions in various ways, stating that it was not his place and of course anyone would get upset if their house rules and dietary restrictions weren't being respected. He tries to make it out into a joke, saying it's become a family incident of sorts that they just laugh about. "Who gets that mad at children playing." But underneath all those attempts to bury his own trauma, lies guilt. Because he feels, deep down, that as a brother he should have protected Riddle better. And instead, after just 2 months, he had to see everything that made Riddle happy stripped away again. More on this later. Stage 2: Riddle's First Year

||Riddle|| A stranger. Riddle's changed. He's developed some of his mother's anger. He's been confined for years. And because of that one incident with the tart, he firmly believes that growth and by extension fulfillment can only happen under the rules. Moreover, since Trey represents that period of his life where he learned that lesson rather harshly, he ices Trey out, pretending he barely knows him. After all, they might as well be strangers after all these years. Especially since Trey is banned from his house. This is a result of the guilt I mentioned earlier. He failed to follow his mother's rules and the punishment put Trey and his peaceful family that he looked up to in the crossfire. I think a part of him doesn't know how to face Trey after all that, worried that he might hate him. However, he cannot fully erase his own memories. So it is Trey he consults when he asks how to challenge a dorm leader for the seat. Even if he's distancing himself by calling him "Clover-senpai" Trey still remains someone he trusts to a degree. After Riddle takes the throne he makes a decision I find interesting. He doesn't select a vice, instead he leaves it to the popular vote. This could be read two ways IMO. Either, he didn't feel the need to have a vice because he was so confident in his own skills, but was aware that it was customary to have one so it didn't matter to him who it was. Or, deep down, he was afraid that no one would be willing to work with him. After seeing his dream, I do think it might be the latter. All of the darkness versions of his card soldiers showed some form of disloyalty. Willing to go along with the idea that they might jump ship, or that Riddle could be overpowered. It's this insecurity born from his own fear of his mother. He knows he's become a reflection of her, and he's worried how other people might react to it. In the end, he's still chasing those relationships from childhood, but is stuck believing that rules are the only way to keep what little happiness he has which alienates him from Trey to a degree. ||Trey|| A brother still: Despite the years, Trey's feelings about Riddle hadn't changed much other than being swamped with underlying guilt. Upon realizing that Riddle was going to attend NRC, his first instinct was to create a space for him. Trey generally, is introverted but excited to see his childhood friend again, he ends up talking to the people around him saying that Riddle was a quiet but studious boy and he hopes that people will welcome him. That was at least, before he saw what Riddle had become (he ended up fighting Floyd at the entrance ceremony) leaving Trey with the realization that this was not the boy he knew anymore. And worse, he was pretending not to know him. I'm sure it hurt, but even so, when RIddle asked about dueling the housewarden, he did try to accommodate him (after getting over his initial shock). The thing that gets me the most, however, is that Trey still saw the good in him. Trey in the rose maze part of Riddle's dream tells Ortho that the first thing Riddle did when he became housewarden was tend to the roses. To him that was a sign that Riddle was still somewhere in there and he was willing to support that. He would have been resigned to accepting that he was a stranger to Riddle if he hadn't been elected vice, but regardless of how Riddle felt, Trey still felt responsible for him. Both out of guilt and because he was still family.

[reunitedinterlude]

lofi phantasy: the album

track 20: box boys