#it does sometimes feel like a weird place to be

[plutosunshine]

What changes do you need to make in your life? Uranus in houses

Uranus in the 1st house

If you have Uranus in the 1st house, life is kinda asking you — maybe even pushing you — to embrace your individuality completely. Like, not just surface-level "I'm a little different" — but deep, radical self-acceptance. You're meant to stand out. You’re not here to fit into neat little boxes or live by someone else’s blueprint. And honestly, the more you try to "blend in," the more uncomfortable and restless you’ll probably feel.

Change for you often looks like breaking free from old versions of yourself — shedding layers of identity that don't match who you actually are inside. It's almost like you have to reinvent yourself several times through life, and each time you get closer to your truest, most electric version.

Also, people with Uranus in the 1st house sometimes shock others without meaning to — just by being themselves. If you've ever felt like people either instantly "get you" or are like, "Whoa, what are they about?" — that's totally part of your magic. You're meant to wake people up just by existing. So part of the change you might need is learning not to shrink yourself to make others more comfortable. Your energy shakes things up, and the world needs that.

Basically, life is asking you to be bold about who you are. Own your quirks, trust your instincts, and don't be afraid of people who don't "get it." Your real people will. ⚡

Uranus in the 2nd house

When Uranus is in your 2nd house, life kinda whispers (or sometimes yells), "Hey, your relationship to money, possessions, and self-worth isn't meant to be traditional." Stability in those areas? It's a moving target. You might experience sudden gains and losses, or your income might come from weird, unconventional, or unexpected places — like random side hustles, tech stuff, spiritual work, inventions, or just not the typical 9-5 route.

You're not supposed to cling too hard to stuff — money, belongings, even security in the "normal" sense — because Uranus wants you to find your true value somewhere deeper. It's like life challenges you to stay flexible, resourceful, and open to change. If you ever try to "lock down" your finances too tightly, life might throw curveballs just to remind you: "Hey, you can't control this like everyone else does."

What you’re really being nudged toward is a more authentic, liberated version of security — one that's based on your own inner worth, not just how much is in your bank account or what you own. That can feel wild sometimes, but it’s where your freedom and true abundance live.

Also, with Uranus here, you probably have some super unique talents or ways of creating value — like, skills that aren't "standard issue." Part of your life path is trusting that and not trying to be cookie-cutter about how you "should" earn or what you "should" have.

In short: you’re here to redefine what stability means — on your terms. And once you stop trying to do it the way everyone else expects, the real magic flows.

Uranus in the 3rd house

If you’ve got Uranus in the 3rd house, your mind doesn’t work like everyone else's — and that’s a huge gift. You're wired to think fast, differently, outside the box. Like, while everyone else is still putting the pieces of a puzzle together, you're already looking at the next puzzle two steps ahead. Your ideas can be brilliant, futuristic, and honestly, sometimes even too "out there" for people to immediately understand.

Life pushes you to communicate in your own unique way — whether that’s through writing, speaking, tech, memes, art, whatever fits your flavor. You’re probably not here to just parrot what’s already been said — you're here to spark new conversations. It’s very "I have something different to say, and if you don't get it, that's fine — you'll catch up."

Change-wise, Uranus in the 3rd house wants you to free your voice. Don’t water yourself down just to be understood easily. You're meant to bring new ideas into the world, even if it feels like you're shouting into the void sometimes. You’re also probably here to teach or influence people in unexpected ways — even just by chatting or posting online. You might drop a random comment that seriously changes someone's life without even trying.

Also, heads up: your day-to-day life can be kinda unpredictable. Last-minute trips, sudden changes in plans, weird encounters with siblings or neighbors — that's all very Uranus 3rd house energy. The universe likes to keep your environment stimulating, because your brain craves newness and movement.

So overall, life’s asking you to trust your strange, electric mind — and share it, even if it feels like no one gets it at first. You’re a mental pioneer. 🧠⚡

Uranus in the 4th house

When Uranus is in your 4th house, home and family roots are not exactly "normal" — and they’re not supposed to be. You might have grown up in a household that felt a little unstable, eccentric, chaotic, or just different from what most people around you experienced. Maybe there were sudden moves, surprising family dynamics, or a general sense that home didn’t always mean "predictable."

At a soul level, life is nudging you to redefine what home and emotional security mean for yourself. You’re probably not meant to live a super traditional, white-picket-fence kind of life — unless you totally reinvent what that looks like for you. You're wired to crave emotional freedom as much as emotional connection, which can be a weird balancing act. You want to belong, but not if it means losing yourself.

One big change Uranus asks from you is to detach from old family patterns that no longer support who you are becoming. You might be the one in your family who “breaks the chain” — doing life differently, healing old emotional wounds, choosing freedom over stuck loyalty.

Also, you may randomly move at unexpected times, live in unusual places, have a very unique home setup, or create a kind of “chosen family” of your own. Home for you isn't necessarily one physical place — it’s more about finding people and spaces where you can breathe, be weird, and feel truly safe being yourself.

If you ever feel like your foundation is shaking, it’s usually Uranus asking, "Is this still real for you? Or are you clinging to something out of fear?" And if it’s not authentic, life will eventually push you to shake it loose.

In short: your soul's mission is to create an emotional life based on truth, not tradition — and it's okay if it looks totally different from what you grew up with. In fact, it’s supposed to. 💫

Uranus in the 5th house

When Uranus is in your 5th house, life is saying loud and clear: "You’re not here to create like everyone else. You’re here to shock, inspire, and completely rewrite the rules of self-expression." Your creativity, your passions, even the way you love — it’s all electric, unpredictable, and absolutely unique to you.

You probably get flashes of inspiration out of nowhere — like one minute you're just living your life, the next you’re hit with a wild idea that’s lightyears ahead of its time. Follow those sparks. Your soul is happiest when you’re making or doing something that feels exciting, different, even a little rebellious.

When it comes to love and dating? Yeahhh... not exactly "by the book" either. 😂 You need excitement, freedom, and real connection — not just safe, boring routines. People who try to tie you down too fast or expect you to follow some romance script might make you want to run for the hills. Fast. Love for you needs to feel like an adventure, not an obligation.

Also, with Uranus in the 5th, you're meant to experiment with joy — find what lights you up and don’t be afraid if it changes over time. Hobbies, art, passion projects, even the way you relate to kids (if you have them or ever do) will all have a non-traditional flavor.

The big change Uranus asks of you is to trust your weird, wonderful self-expression, even if it doesn’t make sense to others. You’re not here to color inside the lines — you're here to invent whole new colors. 🎨⚡

And honestly, when you really let yourself play your way, life becomes magic.

Uranus in the 6th house

If Uranus is in your 6th house, life is basically saying: "You’re not meant to do work, health, or daily life the 'normal' way — and the sooner you own that, the freer and happier you’ll be."

You probably get restless with routines that feel too rigid or boring. Clocking into a 9-5 every day doing the same thing forever? Hard pass. Your soul craves freedom in your work life — meaning freelance gigs, weird career paths, sudden changes in job direction, or working somewhere that lets you be independent or innovative. Traditional setups might feel like they drain your life force unless they give you enough space to be you.

And your relationship to health is just as unique. Your body might respond weirdly to stress, routine, diet, or even conventional medicine. Sometimes it’s like your system is more sensitive to energy shifts — so listening to your own intuition, trying alternative healing methods, or mixing different styles might actually work better for you than following the "one size fits all" advice.

The big thing Uranus pushes you to change? Let go of trying to force yourself into boring, mechanical rhythms just because you think you “should.” Find your own rhythm. Make your day-to-day life feel alive, not suffocating. It’s about learning how to serve the world and honor your individuality at the same time — not sacrificing one for the other.

Also — random note — you might suddenly shift habits, diets, or routines overnight. Like, you wake up one day and think, "I'm never eating sugar again" or "I'm quitting this job today." And if you trust those intuitive jolts (and they come from real insight, not just rebellion), they can actually be super healthy for you.

In short: build a life that lets you work and live in a way that feels electric, free, and true — even if it looks totally different from what everyone else is doing. 🛠️⚡

Uranus in the 7th house

If you’ve got Uranus in the 7th house, life is basically setting you up for relationships that break the mold. The traditional "settle down, follow the script" thing? Yeah... not really your destiny. Deep down, you crave connection — but it has to come with a huge side of freedom, authenticity, and excitement.

You might attract super unusual, eccentric, brilliant, rebellious partners — people who are totally different from what your family or friends expect. Or your relationships might start in weird, sudden, out-of-nowhere ways. Sometimes it's instant sparks, sometimes it's chaos, but it’s never boring.

One big thing Uranus asks of you is to rethink what partnership means. You’re not here to merge into someone else or lose yourself in "we" — you're here to form relationships where both people still get to be totally themselves. If someone tries to control you or box you in, your soul is gonna scream, "Nope!" even if everything looks good on paper.

There can also be sudden changes in relationships — fast beginnings, sudden breakups, on-and-off vibes — because your partnerships are meant to reflect growth and evolution, not just stability for stability’s sake. Long-term, the kind of relationship that works for you is one that feels like a conscious choice every day, not an obligation you’re stuck in.

You’re meant to experience partnership as something that’s alive, surprising, and full of breathing room — not something that clips your wings. 🪽

In short: you’re here to build new models of love and partnership, ones that are real, free, and yours — even if they don’t look traditional to the outside world.

Uranus in the 8th house

If Uranus is in your 8th house, you are wired for deep transformation, but it’s not going to be slow, steady, or easy — it’s going to come in flashes, breakthroughs, and total holy sht* moments. Life doesn’t let you stay the same for long. You’re built to shed skins, reinvent yourself, and go through some seriously wild inner changes that shock even you sometimes.

The 8th house is about shared energy — intimacy, deep trust, merging resources, death and rebirth (emotionally, spiritually, and sometimes literally dealing with loss). Uranus here brings sudden shifts in all those deep areas. You might experience unexpected changes with money you share with others — inheritance, investments, debts, etc. But even bigger than money? Emotional intimacy. You probably don’t do closeness the "normal" way. You need freedom even in deep bonds — meaning you’ll crave deep connection but also fear losing your independence if it gets too entangled or heavy.

Part of your growth is learning how to let people in without feeling trapped. And honestly? You're meant to attract people who help awaken you — lovers, friends, mentors — not just keep you safe and cozy. Relationships with you can feel electric, transformative, and a little chaotic because you wake people up, and they wake you up right back.

Also, you probably have some crazy strong intuition about hidden things — emotional undercurrents, secrets, even metaphysical stuff like energy healing, astrology, or psychic phenomena. Uranus in the 8th house often gives flashes of insight into the unseen realms.

In short: you’re here to transform, to trust your inner flashes of insight, and to live through depth without losing your freedom. It’s intense, but you were built for this kind of magic. 🖤⚡

Uranus in the 9th house

If Uranus is in your 9th house, your soul is basically wired for exploration, expansion, and truth-seeking — but in the most wild, non-traditional way possible. You’re not here to just accept what you're taught; you’re here to question everything and find your own truth, even if it’s way outside the "normal" zone.

You might have an intense need for freedom through learning, travel, philosophy, or spirituality — but you’ll always approach those things in your own way. Like, traditional religious systems? Academic structures? "One-size-fits-all" beliefs? Nah, that’s not gonna cut it for you. You need room to roam, both mentally and literally. ✈️📚

Big changes with Uranus here usually look like sudden revelations that totally flip your worldview. One day you might believe in X, the next day you're like, "Nope, it’s Y," because a flash of insight hit you so hard you can’t unsee it. And travel? Yeah — you might have unexpected moves, spontaneous trips, or a restless need to experience different cultures and ways of thinking. Even if you stay in one place physically, your mind is always somewhere new, exploring.

In relationships and life in general, you need people around you who respect your mental freedom. Anyone trying to force you into their belief system or limit your thinking? Instantly a no-go for you.

The change Uranus is pushing you toward is breaking free from inherited beliefs and creating your own understanding of the universe — one that's alive, evolving, and completely yours. You’re here to be a trailblazer in thought, not a follower.

In short: You’re meant to wake people up to bigger, freer ways of seeing life — starting with yourself. 🧠🚀

Uranus in the 10th house

If you have Uranus in your 10th house, you are not here to have a "normal" career or public life — at all. Like, truly, you’re built to shock, inspire, and change the system by just being yourself out in the world.

You might have this deep, restless urge to do work that’s different, groundbreaking, or ahead of its time. Sitting at a desk doing the same thing every day under someone else's rules? Not it. You need freedom, innovation, and the space to carve your own path. A lot of people with this placement either blow up suddenly (like, overnight success out of nowhere) or have a career path that's full of random twists, turns, starts, and reboots. You're not supposed to have a straight-line journey. You’re meant to reinvent yourself publicly over and over.

And when it comes to your reputation? People might see you as rebellious, brilliant, eccentric — maybe even a little unpredictable. Some will admire it, some won’t know what to do with you — but either way, you’re unforgettable. Your energy shakes things up wherever you go, especially in the areas of leadership, fame, career, and achievement.

The big shift Uranus demands from you is: don’t force yourself into traditional definitions of "success." You're supposed to define success on your terms, even if nobody else gets it at first. When you stay true to your weird, genius path, that's when the universe really opens doors for you.

You’re basically a walking permission slip for others to realize they can be successful without selling their soul. 🔥

In short: You’re here to change the game — not play it. 🛸🌟

Uranus in the 11th house

If you have Uranus in the 11th house, you’re literally built to find your people — but it’s not gonna happen in a typical, cookie-cutter way. You're supposed to connect with wildly different, progressive, visionary communities — the weirdos, the geniuses, the rebels, the dreamers — the ones who don't just fit in but want to change the whole damn system.

You’re not meant to just be part of any group; you’re here to help invent new movements, ideas, and futures. You might feel restless or out of place in traditional circles because your soul knows you need a tribe that lets you fully be yourself — no masks, no small talk, no shrinking.

You might also notice that friendships and group connections in your life can be sudden, electric, and sometimes unstable. People can come into your life fast and leave just as fast — but every connection usually brings some kind of awakening or shift, even if it’s short-lived.

Career and dreams? You’re meant to dream big — not just for yourself, but for the collective. Like, you’re here to push humanity forward in your own way, whether that’s through tech, social movements, arts, spirituality, or whatever wild path your heart picks. And honestly, you're usually ahead of your time — you see futures that other people haven't even imagined yet.

The big shift Uranus asks of you is: don’t cling to old friendships, networks, or dreams just because they’re comfortable. Your soul craves growth and evolution. And sometimes that means walking away when a community no longer matches your vibration — even if it’s hard.

In short: you’re here to shake up the collective, connect with your soul tribe, and dream the future into being. 🌍🚀

Uranus in the 12th house

If Uranus is in your 12th house, you’ve got this deep, electric connection to the unseen — the collective unconscious, intuition, dreams, energy fields, things most people can’t even put into words. You’re wired to sense shifts before they happen. Sometimes you’ll just know stuff without knowing how you know. It's like you have a built-in cosmic antenna — picking up on vibes, future trends, hidden emotions, even collective spiritual shifts.

But here's the tricky part: because the 12th house is so hidden, a lot of this Uranian lightning might be happening under the surface, inside you — not always super obvious to you or others. You might feel restless without knowing why, or you might have sudden awakenings that feel totally random but actually aren’t.

Freedom, for you, is an inside job. It’s about freeing yourself from old karmic patterns, unconscious fears, and anything that cages your inner wildness. You’re here to break free from invisible prisons — things like self-sabotage, outdated spiritual beliefs, hidden anxieties.

Also? You’re super plugged into the collective energy. When society goes through chaos or awakening (and let’s be real, it does a lot these days), you might feel it in your body and soul before anything even happens externally. You’re like a cosmic early warning system. 🚨✨

The shift Uranus is asking from you is: trust your flashes of insight, even if they come from dreams, meditation, or deep inner nudges that don’t seem logical at first. And learn how to ground your energy so you don’t get overwhelmed by everything you’re sensing.

You’re meant to be a kind of hidden awakener — someone whose very presence, even quietly, stirs change in others on a deep, soul level. 🌀💫

In short: you’re here to awaken not just your own soul, but the collective dream — and it all starts with trusting your inner electric magic.

[4bsurdcreature]

Something is wrong.

Something is wrong something is wrong something is wrong.

You don’t drop your drink on the bar floor, you place it gently on the bar it was served on, as you feel your heart pulse in cut time, while your face flushes and your hands shake. Next to you, a warm smile, a gentle hand, a deep voice asks,

“Are you alright?”

And your heart sings, your pulse leaps, all you can think is I love you, I love you, I love you! and you feel sick with the infatuation of it all. “I’m fine.” is what you eventually say, but it comes out unstable, higher pitched, than you want it too, and in turning away you watch your friends trade glances with one another.

“She’s in love!” One of them, Rachel, says to the other.

“I never thought I’d see the day!” The other, Beth, replies.

Something is wrong! You try to tell them, but you can’t get the words out, as they trade giggles and hushed tones while you excuse yourself to go to the bathroom.

----

Inside, you face yourself in the mirror. Water has done nothing to calm the fire in your gut, and the butterflies in your stomach swirl to a stampeding rhythm.

You’ve never been in love before, and you never thought you would be. You love, you have always loved, or sometimes loved, or kinda sorta loved, before. But you’ve never been *in* love; beyond passing curiosity, you’ve never wanted to be. It took a while to be okay with that, and an even longer time to acknowledge it, but this is how you are and regardless of how you, or other people, feel on putting a term to it, it’s how you imagined your future remaining.

Asexual. Aromantic. The bane to love-song propaganda. The constant butt of every joke that cries “This is what it means to be human! To Love! To Love! To Love!”.

Right now, you don’t feel human. This feels wrong, like a violation, like someone reaching into your nerves and burning them with the uncomfortable jolt of electricity, forcing you to jitter and move against any conscious choice. Forcing your blood to rush, and your mind to fill with him, him, Him!

Ants bearing love notes and centipedes scrawling heart-felt confessions skitter and scrape across the undersides of your skin. You would cry, you think, if your mind wasn’t cotton stuffed full of Love.

“There you are!” Rachel says, entering the bathroom to find you, shaking, wiping down your face one last time with water and crumbling brown paper towels.

“Something is Wrong.” You tell her, finally able to think without that man drowning your thoughts, content to be a constant undercurrent for now.

“I’ll say!” She laughs, “Look at you, you couldn’t take your eyes off of Joshua back there!” No, no no, she has it wrong. You’re not here to think about Joshua’s soft blue eyes- Stop it! Blue: ice scrapping, chilling you to the bone.

“You don’t get it. This isn’t normal. I can’t stop thinking about him. I’ve never felt like this before.” You try to impress. You want to scream. You want to throw up, a little, too, but you can’t tell if that’s you or the Love.

“Twenty-seven is pretty late to get a first crush, sure, but Joshua’s a nice guy, I get it! Not to mention big, strong, and handsome~” She does that thing with her voice. That double entendre waver that you always thought was a little gross, when talking about someone in love.

Why doesn’t she understand- “No, I mean- Don’t you think it’s weird? Isn’t this out of character? I don’t-” You can’t, “But now-” You can’t even say it, “It won’t let go. It won’t stop. I want to be with him, I want him to be with me! I feel weird! This isn’t right!”

“You’re being dramatic... but I guess that makes sense- it’s your first time, after all! Oooh, I can’t believe I got to be there when you fell in love for the first time! This is so romantic, it’s like a fairy tale! No one was right, no one fit, you had resigned yourself to living a Loveless life, until suddenly, He appeared!” She sighs, dreamily. You think you’re going to be sick again.

But still, you stop and think. Stop to partition the little idiot in your brain that keeps designing cursive versions of your name next to Joshua, blossoming with bloodstained hearts in-between. Resigned, that’s how Rachel phrased it. Is that how she saw it, saw you? The bathroom door opens- it’s Beth. She’ll understand.

“You two were having a gossip party without me?” Beth says, but there’s no hurt in her eyes as she gives a sly smile.

“She’s In Love~” Rachel taunts you, incriminating flush branded deep in your flesh burning all the brighter.

“I saw!” Beth squeals, and your stomach drops, hope failing, while your Love soars.

“Beth, you’ll listen to me, won’t you?” You ask, desperate, a last ditch effort “This isn’t normal, this isn’t right- I think maybe someone poisoned my drink-”

“Oh, she just won’t stop.” Rachel cuts you off, rolling her eyes, “She’s convinced, that just because she’s never been in love before, that must mean there’s something wrong.”

“Being in love isn’t wrong!” Beth responds to Rachel, sympathetic gaze turned towards you, reaching out to hold your hands like you’re a child needing comfort, “Sure, you’ve never been in love before, and change can be scary when you’re not ready for it, but shouldn’t you be celebrating? Now you know you were wrong! It is possible for you to love! Isn’t that wonderful?”

You’ve known Beth the longest, you’ve confided in her the most. Every moment of your life had been charted out and experienced with her by your side, your best friend and confidant. She knew you before you had a name for what you were, and she had always acted supportive of your decisions. She was the first person you told, when you discovered your relationship with love.

Beth looked so happy, as she said those words ‘Now you know you were wrong!’

You can’t. You can’t look at them. But you also can’t stay here.

“I’m going home.”

“Already?” Rachel scoffs, arms crossed, looking at you like you’ve said something ridiculous.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of!” Beth calls out to you, as you shoulder your way past her to leave.

----

No one believes you. You think that’s the worst thing you’ve discovered, about being in Love.

They see how your rash of a blush spreads when you talk about him, how you choke and stammer out praises mixed in with your loathing. They think you’re an idiot, new to your feelings, bumbling about them like a hormonal teenager, Love too big to think clearly. That last one is true, (Love all but suffocates you) but not in a way that you can make people listen.

It’s amazing, how few people truly care, when they think it’s about Love.

You ask for help, but it’s not the kind anyone wants to give.

‘Self Sabotaging’, ‘Repressed’, ‘Denial’, you’ve learned there are a million different ways to tell you that you’re wrong for thinking it’s wrong you’re in Love.

----

It is with vindictive satisfaction that you eventually prove your claims correct. When enough time had passed without you throwing yourself at Joshua like he undoubtedly assumed you would (and you were terribly grateful you were able to prevent), you caught him in the act of poisoning another drink. You had proof, and you took it to the right channels; you were cured and he would never do it again.

You were overjoyed, for a bit, but the victory itself was tainted. You stopped the villain, but the damage had already been done.

How quickly did those close to you turn, and how alienating it was, for no one to believe you. Puppeted by Love, reciting poetry of rotting verses, they mistook sweetness for healing rather than underlying disease. They must have seen the festering spread of Love as something to fill in the cracks of your character, instead of covering what little of you there was left beneath it all.

A gift in disguise, you think bitterly to yourself, as you wash the whole event clean. If your friends and family wanted you to be in Love, they can hold onto that fantasy- you don’t plan on speaking with them again, after all. They can read about what happened to Joshua in the news, and you can find a better group of people to spend your time with.

It is with peace you find yourself, in a life without Love.

"Aro/Ace person gets given a love potion" story but instead of them being immune or whatever, it DOES work, and they realize IMMEDIATELY that they've been fed a love potion because this feeling is so wrong and foreign but everyone keeps laughing off the idea of it being a love potion because "they were probably just a late bloomer" or "no, you just finally found the right person!" and it's just a horror story about how no one believes them even though they know, they KNOW this isn't right and they can't stand it.

[yanyannica]

it's not like ushijima wakatoshi to get jealous over anything, but the one time you heavily suspect he does...

"oh? you jealous?"

your tall hunk of a boyfriend stares you down with a mild crease between his eyebrows. you stare back just as intensely with a dopey grin, waiting for an admission from your ever-stoic boyfriend.

it's not everyday you get to see him react like this, so you practically jump the opportunity.

you watch tentatively as he brings up a hand to his chest, clutching his shirt as his gaze drops to the ground — expression stoned not much unlike a rock as he contemplates your words. he never fails to look so serious.

"...am i?"

the blatant confusion on his face couldn't be any more funnier, and you had to stifle your laugh into your hand lest you hurt his feelings.

you really should've known better — of course he wouldn't know what to call it even if it slapped him in the face. we were talking about the guy who went up to you during a random tuesday and confessed that he had an constant urge to kiss you, and innocently asked if you knew anything about it like he was inquiring about homework.

(for an entire week before you officially got together, you had to convince him that no — you were most definitely not hypnotizing him.)

"you're such an idiot, you know?" you nudge his side teasingly, leaning your weight against him as you struggle to keep your giggles at bay.

your hulk of a boyfriend is way too adorable sometimes.

"i'm not quite sure what jealousy feels like. my apologies."

you grimace a bit at his response, now hyper-aware of the way his athletic body feels against your side.

he's never had to be jealous of anything because everyone else is busy being jealous of him!

you pout at him, before poking his side. softly, of course. you might break a finger or two if you went any harder.

you turn back to the matter at hand before it completely derails — you need full details on this rare side of him. "well, what did it feel like when you saw me talking to that guy?"

ushijima takes a moment before his eyes clear up.

"something felt weird here," he gently patted the spot over his heart and your eyes widen in surprise, pulling away to look at him more firmly. "like it got pinched. it didn’t hurt physically, but it made me... sad."

your heart clenches, hard. you swear you heard it crack within your chest too. oh my god. it was one hundred percent your fault! no questions asked!

you reach out to his arms as your eyes turn glassy, "oh, baby. i'm so sor —"

"my muscles contracted by themselves too, like how it feels when i want to hit a spike."

... ha?

your eyes nearly fall out of their sockets. the romantic air disperses in a matter of miliseconds, crashing down to earth.

a spike?!

what the hell? well, good thing you kept the conversation short, or else that guy would've had his head blown off...

a shudder runs down your spine.

you sweat profusely at his profound statement, "n-next time you feel bothered by something like that, make sure you approach me first before doing anything, okay?" for safety purposes!

ushijima blinks at you, completely none the wiser to your inner turmoil.

"alright," he pauses, as if there's something else he wants to say, contemplating it for a few moments before speaking up again. "i don't like feeling jealous. is that a bad thing?"

reallyyyyy such a baby. your baby.

"i'm really sorry for making you feel that way, toshi," leaning up on your tippy toes, you coerce him to lean down into your hold — placing a chaste kiss to his cheek. "you do know that you're the only one i have eyes for, yes?"

he nods affirmatively, like an obedient child heeding their parents' words like it's gospel.

"you trust me, right?"

another truthful nod of approval. you sigh in utter relief as you let him go for him to resume his practice, satisfied at how you were able to prevent a major crisis from occurring.

"i will make sure to consult you first before spiking."

you feel a tear form.

"toshi — baby, no —"

oh yes */smirks deviously

[ijustwannabecool]

Left On Read

Carlos Sainz x Reader

Summary… A barista leaves little motivational quotes on coffee cups. A quiet regular starts replying on the back of the cups.

A/N: As always I hope you guys enjoy this little story. Feedback is always welcomed. Happy reading and have a beautiful day today!!

Request are open (:

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——

You don’t know his name. Just that he always orders the same thing: café con leche, no sugar, extra hot. And that he tips with coins—heavy, clinking, deliberate. And that he always, always, looks a little tired. A little too quietly handsome for your peace of mind.

You start leaving motivational quotes on the coffee cups in early October, mostly out of boredom. Your boss thinks it's cute and tells you to keep it up. Customers start noticing, smiling, even snapping photos.

But he—the guy with the jawline carved by the gods and the hoodie pulled over his face like he’s hiding from the world—he doesn’t say a word. Just picks up his cup, nods once, and disappears into the Madrid morning like fog.

Until one day, you see something new.

The back of the cup.

“You always write them for everyone else. Thought you deserved one too.”

‘The world is better because you’re in it.’ – C.S.

Your heart does a weird little flip.

You glance up, but he’s already gone.

——

After that, it becomes a silent ritual.

You write something soft, hopeful, maybe a little poetic. He responds.

Sometimes seriously:

‘Hope is the thing with feathers.’ I like that one. Reminds me of my mom.

Sometimes playfully:

“If the coffee doesn’t wake you up, your handwriting will.” – C.S.

And once:

‘I needed this today. Thank you.’

That one sticks with you.

——

You don’t know that Carlos Sainz is a famous athlete. That he’s a driver.

You just know he’s always got a cap pulled low, a hoodie even lower, and those dark eyes that feel like thunderclouds and honey all at once.

He’s never brought up racing. Never rushed. Never dropped a single hint.

Just a man who likes his coffee and, apparently, your quotes.

——

One particularly rainy Thursday, you take a risk. You write:

“Sometimes I think we leave pieces of ourselves behind in places we love.”

And on the back, his reply:

Maybe that’s why I keep coming here. – C.S.

You stare at the cup longer than you should, wondering what kind of person says things like that with so much quiet weight.

——

Two weeks later, he doesn’t show up.

Or the next day. Or the next.

You don’t want to admit you notice, but your hand hovers longer over the cups now. The quotes feel a little more hollow without a reply. You try to brush it off. People have lives. Coffee isn't a commitment.

But the silence is deafening.

——

He shows up again on a Monday. Hair damp from the rain. Hoodie soaked. Eyes tired but warm.

You don’t even think. You just say, “Rough day?” as you hand him the cup.

His eyes lift to yours—sharp, searching, like you just caught him in a lie he didn’t mean to tell.

Then he smiles, slow and sheepish. “You could say that.”

On the cup, you’ve written:

“You’re not behind. You’re right on time.”

And this time, when he turns the cup around, he doesn’t write anything. He just says it. Out loud.

“Gracias. I needed that.”

Your heart trips. You smile, a little breathless. “Anytime.”

——

That weekend, your friend drags you to watch Formula 1 for the first time. You're halfway through the broadcast when the camera zooms in on one of the drivers.

Brown eyes. Familiar jawline. That same curve of a smile that lives rent-free in your mind.

You nearly spill your drink.

“Wait. WAIT. IS THAT—” You scramble for your phone, googling him so fast your fingers fumble the letters.

Carlos. Freaking. Sainz.

Your quiet regular is literally a world-famous F1 driver.

——

The next day, he comes in late. Hoodie, cap, sunglasses—a whole disguise. You try not to smile as you write on his cup.

“Thought I’d seen you somewhere before. Nice helmet.”

When he sees it, his mouth twitches. He lifts his eyes to yours, mock-serious. “You found out?”

You nod, biting back a grin. “Let’s just say you left me on read long enough to google you.”

And finally—finally—he laughs. A warm, chest-deep sound. “Guess I’ll have to start leaving you real notes then.”

You hand him a pen. “Back of the cup’s yours.”

He doesn’t write anything this time either. Just sips his coffee.

And then—softly, without looking— “Dinner sometime?”

[chaos--s]

platonic yandere! superhero x sidekick!reader

warnings; violence, infantilization, yandere behavior

--

It's been a year since you started in the Hero's agency, having recently been approved to be a sidekick. But it didn't matter, you were fulfilling your dreams so you could endure two years of grunt work. You were working to your dream of finally becoming a superhero. The ones that were on TV, flying around and helping those in need.

Being a hero. So when you were assigned to work under the hero, it was like a dream come true. Siren. The noble hero, the man that laid his life for the city. Of all the superheroes you could've been put with, you were placed with him. And you couldn't be happier.

Things seemed normal, first impressions were amazing. He was exactly like you imagined. Humble, kind and generous. He was exactly what a true hero was.

But your relationship with him started to feel...weird. A light way to put it, but you couldn't find the words to explain how he treated you.

Sidekicks were meant to trail along with all the missions that their heroes were assigned to, having to train as well as learning alongside their mentors.

Siren had started to stop you from following him to his missions.

Like today, for example.

"Multiple villains have been spotted downtown, Siren? Do you think you're up for it?" Mirage asked, another high-tier hero. Siren simply smiled. "Always."

You were standing next to your mentor, slight bouncing on your toes. You hadn't been on a mission in a while so maybe, just maybe this mission he will need your help in. There's multiple villains, obviously he would need more manpower, right?

You had tuned out of the meeting but when it finally ended, you stared at Siren. Expecting him to ask you to suit up and follow him. But all he does is smile down at you and pats your shoulder.

"Wish me good luck!" He winks before turning around to take off. You blink twice in confusion. What?

You appear in front of him before he can exit, teleportation can come in handy sometimes, placing a hand on his chest. "What do you mean- am I not coming with you?"

He sighs, smiling at you like a tired father as he pushes your hand down. "This is something I can handle on my own. We'll continue training afterwards, alright?"

"Wait hold on," You scoff. "You said this yesterday, it's been days since I've been on an actual mission. I'm joining this one."

Mirage is a witness to all this. Feeling slightly bad for you, he decides to speak up on behalf of you. He notices how hard you train so that you could become the best hero you could be.

"C'mon, let the kid on the mission. It's a buncha low-level villains anyways, nothing dangerous." He says.

"I didn't realize you were apart of this conversation, Mirage." Siren's voice is darker now, it surprises both you and Mirage when he turns around to glare his fellow hero down. As if he was glaring at a villain.

"I-It was just a suggestion-"

"I don't think you need to be reminded of where you stand and where I stand, right? They are my sidekick. I decide when they join." You have never seen him react in this way, it scares you a little. He turns back to face you and you jump a little when he looks at you. The same iconic smile. "Don't worry bud, I'll be done with the mission in the blink of an eye."

He pats your head before walking off.

"I-" You look at Mirage. "I didn't know he would-"

"It's fine kid, at least he's finally showing his true colors." He mutters as he massages his temples. "Sorry you couldn't go on the mission, I know how much you wanted to join."

You didn't even care about the mission anymore, now all you could think about was your mentor. Siren. You wave him off. "It's alright... thanks for trying."

You offered a small smile before leaving the meeting room, trudging back to your dorm room. Your mentor wasn't the kind man you thought he was.

--

Mirage had been looking after you for a while now, after that whole incident you found yourself avoiding Siren as much as possible. Because of this, he had become more unstable to the rest of the Hero agency. Snapping at people more often, completely disregarding his heroic reputation.

You had essentially resigned from being his sidekick. Siren shouldn't care about that, you were just a sidekick the Hero agency could easily find him a new one. But he doesn't want a new sidekick, he wanted you back.

His sidekick, you were his. All he wanted to do was to protect you, and you do this? Betray him by going to the number two hero? What did Mirage have that he didn't? He was the number one hero for god's sake.

What he wanted, he got. And he wasn't going to let some low-level hero take you away from him.

Siren was quickly spiraling without his little sunshine of a sidekick near him, but you on the other hand? You were thriving.

Mirage never underestimated you, always allowing you to join in missions and actually train to be a good hero. He believed in you. He did what a good mentor was supposed to do.

"Holy shit kid! You did amazing today, I'm proud." He cheered, shaking your shoulders in excitement. You laughed slightly at his excitement. "Thanks, Mirage."

"No problem. Go clean up, we'll debrief later." You nod and quickly ran off to your room. When you entered, the first thing you see is Siren sitting on your bed.

You almost jump out of your skin at the sight of your ex-mentor. "What are you doing in my room, Siren."

"You got hurt." He doesn't answer your question, his eyes land on the few scrapes along your arms that you had acquired during the fight. You rolled your eyes. "Barely. Just a few scratches, that's all. You didn't answer my question."

"I'm still responsible for you, darling. Still my sidekick, even if Mirage has been training you in my absence." He says your new mentor's name like it's poison.

"I was wondering about that, you disappearing for weeks on end. Not really heroic of you."

He laughs a little. "I guess not. But I was preparing something. Planning on adopting soon actually, thought it would be finally time for me to have a kid of my own."

You snort. "Alright, good for you I guess. Still doesn't explain what you're doing in my room." You were getting tired of this friendly back and forth.

"...Do you like tormenting me like this?" True colors, huh? "Abandoning me for some- some irrelevant no name hero, as if you weren't under my care for a whole year?"

You shrug. "What did you want me to do? You didn't let me go on any missions, was it because you thought I was weak?"

"I cared about you, is that such a crime? Someone as...as young as you are shouldn't be fighting villains. You could've gotten hurt!" He points to your arms. "And you did get hurt. Under his watch."

You wanted to laugh. If he thought the scrapes were bad, he should've seen you a few weeks ago when you were landed in the hospital with a broken arm. But nonetheless, he was the same as before. Underestimating you and making you seem like glass that couldn't get hurt.

"This is nothing, you need to leave me alone.” You were getting angrier by the moment. A small part of you had hoped that he changed. That he wasn’t the same overbearing figure you despised. But here he was. The exact same jerk you stopped admiring.

“I’ve given you space, just like all those dumb parenting books tell me to do. But honestly? That isn't want you need." He stands up, watching as you started to back up. "I'm going to make you listen to me, your little hero fun is stopping now."

"You can't stop me, Siren." He raises an eyebrow, an amused smirk grew on his face. "Can't I?"

There was a reason why he was named after the mythical creature known to lure sailors with their voices. He had a similar ability, he could control people with his words. Commanding them to do things that they wouldn't want to do.

He had promised that he would never use it on you.

"Sleep."

Within seconds you had fallen asleep, falling right into his waiting arms. How silly of you to think you could fight him on anything, what he wants he gets.

[luna-azzurra]

Character Careers That Aren't Clichés

(because fictional economies deserve better too)

Look. I get it. I do. A hot CEO. A dreamy small-town baker. A moody artist who somehow lives in a massive Brooklyn loft despite only selling two paintings a year. Those characters have their place.

But if you want your story to feel fresh, real, alive — sometimes you’ve gotta ditch the Insta-ready jobs and actually think: What does this person do at 9 a.m. on a Wednesday? What would they complain about after a garbage day at work?

Here’s how to get careers that feel like they belong to an actual human, not a catalog model...

❥ The "Unexpected But Perfect" Career Pick something that makes your reader go, wait, what? and then oh my god, that's so them. Like:

A chaotic, disaster character who’s actually a surprisingly competent funeral director. (Yes, it’s messy. Yes, it’s weirdly perfect.)

The quiet, overlooked character who’s a locksmith. Always helping people get inside things. Always a little lonely themselves.

The job should reflect the character’s secret self.

❥ The “Soul-Crushing Job They’re Too Good For” Reality Check Not everybody is their Dream Job Self yet. Some characters are stuck. Flipping burgers, filing invoices, answering phones for screaming Karens named Marge. And you know what? There’s story gold there. Give me the character who’s quietly making art out of coffee foam because it’s the only creative outlet they’ve got. Give me the character who’s wasting in a job they hate, but who hums with what could be underneath.

Failure and frustration? Delicious character fuel.

❥ The "Job That Messes With Their Brain" Career Certain jobs change you. Make you hard in weird places and soft in weirder ones. Lean into that.

A paramedic who's numb to blood but cries at dog food commercials.

A social worker who can’t listen to their friends' minor drama without tuning out completely.

A vet tech who talks to animals better than people.

The job should bruise them in little invisible ways.

❥ The “Work Family or Work Frenemies” Setup Office dynamics are like nuclear reactors: volatile, ridiculous, and perfect for drama.

Give them the boss who’s a passive-aggressive nightmare in group emails but buys everyone surprise cupcakes on Fridays.

Give them the coworker they want to strangle and defend to death when someone outside the office talks crap.

Make their work life messy. (Because it IS messy.)

❥ Actual Career Ideas You Can Steal Because I Love You (yes, you have my blessing, take 'em, twist 'em, make them yours)

Travel nurse who secretly dreams of putting down roots

Archivist in a creepy, half-forgotten library wing

Theme park mascot who has existential crises inside the costume

Home inspector who lowkey loves snooping through strangers' houses

Court stenographer who writes fanfiction on the side during boring trials

Aquarium maintenance tech (yes, it’s a thing, yes, it’s hilarious and tragic)

Disaster clean-up specialist (like post-floods, fires, crime scenes , very spicy potential)

Final Truth Bomb: Your character’s job doesn't have to be their whole identity. (Shocking, I know, Hollywood.)

But it should still touch them somehow. It should rub off on the way they move through the world, the way they talk, the way they size up a stranger in five seconds flat. Because we are all shaped by how we spend our hours, whether we mean to be or not.

[cultkinkcoven]

TW: NSFW

Lord Lucifer sometimes does this very interesting thing that’s kind of hard to explain.

I had a very very vivid dream like trance with him today, in which we were in a stone temple. He layed me on a slab of stone that had symbols carved into it, it was being used as an altar, surrounded by candles and crystals. And he told me to lay flat and breathe deeply. He then sprinkled what I think was salt and spice over my body, fanned me with a large leaf, dotted oil on my forehead, chest and stomach, and started a prayer. Then he began to touch me intimately and soon after he was propped over me.

The interesting thing that seems to happen, is that during our most intimate moments when I’m most overwhelmed and entranced, Lucifer will give me this look that’s somewhere between focus and bewilderment. He drops his act or breaks character in some way, forgets to mask, and looks confused almost. Today he did it very clearly, stared at me confusedly while he continued to do things. What was different today was that he almost seemed to forget what he was originally doing, whatever the ritual was supposed to be, which is unusual. He doesn’t usually get distracted regardless of what we do. But this time, after he’d done everything to me and I was a weeping mess, he didn’t stop.

Rather, when my eyes opened again I wasn’t in the same place anymore. I was in his bedroom, a place I’ve only really been a handful of times. And he was still propped over me and pinned me down by my arms. And even though he knew I had absolutely no strength to resist him he still asked me not to. And then strangely he apologized, covered my mouth and kept digging into me for quite a while. It was different than usual though, it was almost like he was unstable or becoming overwhelmed himself for some reason. I knew he was apologizing in part because of how little regard he was showing me, it was like he was begging me to just let him do whatever, and he was going harder than he ever has. and I will admit there was a moment where my heart skipped a beat. He seemed almost frustrated, started cussing.

I don’t know how to explain this without getting super graphic but his 🥜 was different. Rather than being y’know… goopy and liquid and normal, it almost flowed and dissipated like incense smoke, like it was steaming out of his body. It was hot, I could feel it inside of me and I winced when it hit my skin.

and then he whispered that he loved me, but again it felt different than normal, especially with the following apologies. By the time he was done I was completely burnt out, and he just clutched me close to him for hours. I somewhat got the vibe that things had gone wrong.

I felt weird when I woke up and the energy around his altar was also strange and distant. I didn’t say anything about it for a while.

Then as I was just tidying up my altar, leaving him some incense, he finally came and apologized again. “I think I should apologize for my behaviour earlier.”

and I was slightly confused. Why apologize? I didn’t think you did anything wrong.

“i have a responsibility to keep my composure. I should have stopped when I realized I was losing control, I don’t ever want to make you uncomfortable or afraid with that, I’m sorry.”

and I was (and honestly still am) surprised at that, at the idea that he could lose control during something like that. So I told him I wasn’t uncomfortable or afraid, I just wasn’t sure what was going on. He seemed almost embarrassed ?? melancholy ? about that.

“I try not to get too tangled up when we do things like that. Sometimes when things feel good I struggle to distance myself and I get carried away. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

and I couldn’t help but smile a little at that. Feel good? I didn’t think you derived the same sort of pleasure from sex. He seemed to shake his head. I told him that it’s okay, that he doesn’t have to distance himself if he doesn’t want to, but he assured me that he must. That there’s something inherently inappropriate about being too interwoven in some ways. You’re allowed to engage in sex but you’re not allowed to enjoy it too much? He agreed with the absurdity of the idea.

When he seemed more comfortable I got up the courage to ask him a question. Lucifer, when we make love, sometimes you give me a look that seems like you’re confused or bewildered. What is that? Why do you look at me like that?

and then he apologized again. No don’t, it’s okay, I was just wondering.

“Sometimes you do confuse me. As a spirit without a body, I’m bewildered by the way your body processes pleasure, how you respond so strongly to such subtle moments. I am… transfixed by your vulnerability. It’s,.. confusing to me sometimes, I struggle to fathom why you would put all of this on display for me, knowing how much danger you must be in. And I desperately try to understand, but it seems beyond me. You let me bear my teeth by your neck, you let me hold your entire life in my hand. When you’re in that state of pure orgasmic ecstasy, I see a reflection of myself in your eyes, it… reveals something about me. But I still don’t know what this is. I know you so deeply, and yet I still can’t seem to figure out what you are exactly. What I do know is that I want to do this to you more.”

I’m not sure I entirely understand what that means, and he replied that he doesn’t entirely understand it either.

Hm. I smiled, “I like seeing these glimpses of who you really are on the inside, Lucifer,”

He sort of just hummed like he was contemplating what I said.

I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about this, or what this really means.

Lord Lucifer is so interesting.

[butchpeace]

Apr 24 trans man anon here.

To answer your questions, I genuinely enjoy the company of men. I find them funny and smart and real. That does NOT mean that women aren’t also funny and smart and real, it just means that this is how my brain personally perceives the sexes, subjectively. Even trans women I enjoy the company of, probably because of that good ole male socialization/male biological factors they retain. I know they are men and tbh I think they know it too, they just don’t like hearing it. Which is fine, I can play along, I don’t believe anyone should be forced to but it’s my choice to do so.

As for other trans men, I typically don’t enjoy their company. Just like with their trans women counterparts, they tend to retain their socialization and some biological factors. It feels like just another edgy countercultural group of women who still expect to be treated like women (with care and fragility) while not wanting to actually be called women. Of course, there are outliers! It tends to be the trans men who aren’t eager to out themselves, who want to be treated the same as men. I feel like I’m kinda in this category, as me outing myself in your anons here is a rarity for me. The ones who are eager to be seen as a “twanny uwu soft boi fag”, they enjoy the thrill and attention of feeling like they’re in the cool trans kid club, not out of actually relating to men as a sex.

I love women sometimes. Sometimes. It just is becoming less frequent. I guess I came here originally to try and see if you could get my perspective, but the more I think, the more I respect yours. It’s just not my path. Maybe I’ll come around someday. I just don’t feel the magical radfem female solidarity and I’m worried I never will. I enjoy the rough and tough of malehood, not just surface level aesthetics of it, but the actual lifestyle, where you kind of just have to take life by the balls and wrangle it to fit your vision. Womanhood feels more like waiting for someone else to do it for you, even women who feel like they’re special and against the mold. Other women kind of expect me to perform for them, to watch my every word, to minimize myself. I can be myself with the dudes. That’s just how it is, for now.

Sorry for ramble. Might as well send this after I wrote all of it. Don’t have to respond, your choice. Good luck on your path, I bet it’s great.

I respect that you've come to different conclusions about yourself and that you're currently identifying as a man, and I'm glad to hear the respect is mutual.

Here's what I think though:

Whether you feel some "magical female solidarity" or not, you are still female. Just because you're different from other women and you genuinely relate better to men due to differences in personality and socialization doesn't mean that you're not a woman. Other women's expectations of how they think a woman should act don't mean that you're not a woman. It means that they have unreasonable and anti-feminist expectations, and you're just a different kind of woman.

Your difference isn't wrong or weird and it doesn't mean you don't belong in women's community – It means you have a unique role to play and valuable skills to bring to the table that most women don't have. Plenty of men are friends with women despite social differences. What's stopping you?

"Womanhood feels like waiting for someone else to do it for you"...According to who? Not according to me. Not according to other "masculine" women who have always had personalities like mine and yours.

What's happening here is that you're placing borders on yourself, based on what you think "womanhood" is. You fall outside those borders, and that made you decide you're not a woman.

This is why people call trans ideology misogynistic. It's not because you're a misogynist – It's probably just that you feel different and out of place with women, not that you hate us or think badly of us – But it's misogynistic because your understanding of gender is based on the sexist norms that we've all been taught by society. Instead of questioning those norms, you've leaned into them.

And this is why being a masculine woman and being visible is so important. Women like you are growing up not even knowing that the way you are is an okay and actually not that uncommon way for a woman to be. So you're all transitioning because of societal misogyny. You're no different from any other TIF in that respect.

At the end of the day this is what I want people to take away from my blog. Identify however you want, live your life however makes sense for you. But be good to yourself and take care of your female body. Look through my Medical Research tag and get informed on what you're actually doing. Then sit down and seriously question why you're still on testosterone.

You only get one shot at life. Take care of yourself.

[ghnosis]

i asked my homie to help me suss out the influences in SKELETA

when i first listened to SKELETA I heard a lot of Def Leppard, a little bit of Rush (I see you Marks of the Evil One) and a lot of Iron Maiden again and I thought I was going crazy and only knew 3 bands in the world.

so I asked my homie who plays the kind of doofus ass metal Tobias Forge listens to (affectionate) to help me corroborate and this is what he sent back (under the cut).**

**Doofus Metal missed the Rush but I asked Drummer Bestie, who loves Rush to an almost unhealthy degree and *he* said "I DEFINITELY think ol’ Toby was listening to 2112/Farewell To Kings-era Rush with Marks of the Evil One, you absoLUTELY called that one!!"

Peacefield

Opening very imogen heap (very cool)

First verse very 80 glam

prechorus is very journey (triumph)

Chorus similar

post-chorus very iron maiden harmonic themes

2nd verse has the driving frontman heavy Judas priest style

prechorus still very triumph, the tagline pushing major is very uplifting

Chorus similar to prechorus

bridge is very eurometal, "odd" (read as: not boring and generic) vocal lines

outro is almost very Def Leppard-ish

Lachryma

Opening is very 90s sludge thrash

Prechorus is very priest

chorus very gothic def leppard

this riff is insane, almost proto-megadeth circa Peace Sells

"and I cannot hide" is such an interesting cadence, it communicates a cool vibe before the chorus

post-chorus is very iron maiden, especially him bringing the harmonies up (iron maiden doesn't usually cadence on emotive lines so it's a bit more refreshing lol)

Satanized

Verse is extremely 80s power metal but with interesting vocal lines (no shade to 80s power metal)

Chorus is very Blind Guardian/Gamma ray (depending on how old you are)

IS THIS LATIN IN MY POWER METAL

2nd Verse feels so uplifting and hits that 80s power metal vibe so good

these "Save Me"s hit real good

This solo is a Glenn Tipton solo if he could play guitar

The thematics feel very Judas Priest, but they're more accessible (said with love, The Ripper sometimes turns people away)

Guiding Lights

This is so incredibly Manowar power metal but nobody has said "Abs" or "sword" yet so we're in uncharted territory

Super ballady solo rips, I am a huge simp for ballads, especially when they're doing the "I'm a soldier on the path to my death" lament style

De Profundis Borealis

Intro is very proggy, the guitar players really have a good ear for weird cool riffs

Verse seems like peak Ghost, I'd basically call this their "style" they should be remembered for, like the slightly uncomfortable enigmatic dissident vocalist over very "pump your fist" riffing, so it makes you very motivated but you're being motivated under the guise of a concerning dark leader (?)

Pretty banger chorus, hard to tease out an influence

Post-chorus feels like it could be iron maiden but they're a bit more interesting than the normal 16th note grind of your typical maiden, almost seems closer to Super NES boss battle music than maiden

Cenotaph

This guitar tone is such an enigma to me with how well it works but if I just focus on it my brain explodes.

This gothic billy joel verse is killing it

This verse is very early priest, very NWOBHM especially if they open up the chorus to be very Definitely Hetero(tm)

in the heat of the MOEMEANT

This solo section is pure European power metal, Sonata Arctica big vibes (or maybe bodom? I feel like they never have the emotive qualities this does)

big chorus feels great, and the vocal riffing after feels great

Missillia Armori

Intro is very Rock of Ages def leppard but using interesting notes and diction

Chorus feels big time Iron maiden but without the incel edge on their early albums

This bridge fucks

The solos on this album rip wtf(1)

Marks Of the Evil One

This one I'm having a hard time placing. It feels like peak Ghost, between both the verses and

the chorus, this is exactly what I'd say future bands will pull influence when I say "these guys

wrote a Ghost song"

Chorus rips

awesome drop into the solo, also see: (1)the solos on this album fucking rip wtf

DID HE JUST SAY "FUCKIN"

Umbra (what a fucking cool name would be a shame if some nobody band wanted to use this name for a song ;_;)

Intro is neo-horror Journey/Triumph (Triumph is better)

Okay hold on what's going on

I have no words for influences on this one, it's so sick

chorus fucking rips. These dudes are so good at writing big choruses it's becoming uncanny

trying to disentangle what's going on in these verses, it's got such a great upbeat 80s power metal beat plus a chuggy 90s midtempo thrash guitar but the cowbell keeps scrambling my brain and his verse is just so mismatched that it creates a tangible feeling of discomfort in me but that meshes with the song perfectly

oh shit we playing 16th notes, and this 70s acid rock middle section is wild cause those 70s players could never touch these solos lol (no disrespect Iron Butterfly)

I am feeling very uncomfortable but that is the intention

Aw fuck yeah, this is the release I needed. if he drops out the instruments under IN THE TEMPLE OF THE- I'm gonna blam

I KNEW I was gonna blam

on first listen, this one is my favorite by a huge margin

Excelsis

This is very Judas Preist meets The Beatles, but honestly Tobias has such a unique voice that he kinda slays it outside of those two

OH MAN IT'S ANOTHER POWER METAL BALLAD HELLLLLLLL YEAH

This terrifying sing-song verse cap is giving me tummy feelings

Great 2nd verse, the dancing organ in the background adds a WILD tambre that undermines the JP/Beatles vibe

chorus rips, adding that verse cap ("you will too") does such a good job at making it uncomfortable

really good last song on the album, feels great to be left on this when the CD ends

CONCLUSION:

This was my basic knee-jerk referential ideas on “This sounds similar to X’s style” but I really can’t underline enough that most of the time I’m comparing them to Triumph or Def Leppard, it’s REALLY hard to disambiguate because they’re so unique compared to both those bands AND it’s hard to say that Triumph and Def Leppard can take claim to “Arena Rock” sound- meaning like the Rock of Ages vibe that the main drive is “This is played in a big arena full of people” because (afaik, no qualifications) Ghost’s whole thing is the idea of the “Megachurch Vibe” being like the penultimate arena rock sound, they differentiate themselves from those “roots” (if they would even agree that’s their influence) because there is simply a psychology to the “Arena Rock” feel that a ton of big bands have figured out, and it’s kinda core to Ghost’s identity (imo) while I think their writing identity is definitely more of Mark of the Evil One, because I would say that checks all the boxes for Ghost’s style, so much so that I had a hard time even figuring out how to categorize their influences on that, “it just sounds like Ghost”

[steamberrystudio]

28/04/2025 Devlog!

Hello everyone! Here is the tumblr update coming in a day late due to a hectic weekend and me being forgetful!

Summary Bullets:

Finished Wil's expressions for Chapter 6

Started on side character expressions

Worked on some new sprite stuff

Received the final background

Worked on POV scenes

More accessibility stuff

Art:

Not much in art news this time. I worked on some new sprite stuff for this episode and also received the *last* BG. I feel like I've been getting BGs for this game forever after having them done, then redone, then a lot of them redone again.

Writing

Worked on Asher's PoV scene that will go out with Chapter 6 but is about the events of Chapter 5.

One down...five to go.

Other Stuff:

Coding sprite expressions. Ugh.

I got all of Wil's expressions done for Chapter six and started on the side characters. My goal is to work through all the side characters since they have fewer lines than the LI and I can tick them off the list a bit faster.

Then work on the LIs.

I'm estimating there will be 2000 - 2500 expression switches in this chapter. And I've got about 1100 of them done. So. Huzzah. 

I also continued to work on some accessibility related things - mostly the way self voicing interfaces with the glossary. 

I think by my last update, I'd mostly fixed the issues with self voicing and the glossary, customisation, and affinity screens.

With the glossary, it was realising there was no signifier for the glossary hyperlinks other than the link being coloured differently. So I had to add a notification to that, which was simple enough.

But then it became an issue of finding the new entries in the glossary. So I added a "NEW!" tag to them.

But then the self voicing wouldn't read it. ╰(*°▽°*)╯

No matter what I did. ╰(*°▽°*)╯

This is why "adding alt text" sometimes isn't enough. Because sometimes for whatever reason it is, the self voicing won't read it. Or it reads it twice. Or it has some other weird issue.

So I fixed that finally. After a short struggle.

But there is still an issue where it's reading stuff in a weird order and I want to fix that *if I can* - however it's on the back burner for now so I can make progress in other areas.

Something else I did in that regard was go through and look for every hard scene transition where the narrative text and dialogue does not make it clear a transition to a new location happened...

And I added alt text that just indicates there was a scene change to a new place.

This will hopefully allow people to follow the story a bit easier if they're just listening because there won't be any sudden and silent changes to a new location.

And finally I have been going in and writing up glossary entries for all the people and places you encounter. The main purpose of this is to allow me to add in descriptive text that describes the person or place *without having to insert it into the story narrative as alt text*.

This will allow people to read the descriptions only if they want to. They can do it when they want and they can go back and re-read them if they want. I still have to go back through and add all the unlock statements since those have to be done manually but that is, again, something I will tackle later.

Upcoming Weeks:

I will be focusing on expressions and POV scenes first and then going on into flowcharts and the remaining things. So for the next two weeks at least, it'll be expressions and POV scenes.

And hopefully I will remember the update in two weeks and actually touch base again then.

[layaispunk]

storm and solace - chapter 6

series masterlist | full series on my ao3

chapter summary: the millers and elle escape to a beach town for a weekend filled with laughter, sunshine, and deeper bonds

chapter warnings: 18+ male masturbation. brief mentions of sex, & mostly just cute moments with the millers

The mornings felt lighter now. It was no longer spring. Sarah was on summer break, and the summer vibes were full-out. Neighborhood barbecues, festivals, and beach trips. 

Elle still had the occasional rough night, moments when her thoughts tangled up too tightly to sleep, or the silence felt like too much. But those nights were fewer. She’d started giving herself permission to feel good.

Joel’s house had helped with that.

She didn’t stay there every night. Just the ones where it felt right. Sometimes she’d bring a book, or make them both tea, or just lie in bed listening to him breathe until her thoughts went still. It was never weird. Never uncomfortable. He’d wash her pijamas with their own laundry like it was the most normal thing in the world.

And Sarah? Sarah loved it.

She wasn’t a little kid. She picked up on things. She saw the way her dad looked at Elle sometimes, like he was trying not to want something too much. But Sarah didn’t make it awkward. If anything, she seemed to approve. And Tommy never pressed. 

The kiss with Tommy had never come up again—not once. And Elle appreciated that more than she could say. It meant something, that he respected her silence. That he didn’t try to make it more or less than what it had been: a moment. A little misstep between two adults who cared about each other but knew where their hearts really lived.

Tommy had very quickly become her best friend. Somewhere along the way, between fixing the broken dishwasher together and late-night porch talks, he’d earned that title without either of them saying it aloud.

Which is why when he brought up the yearly beach trip they do to celebrate both his and Sarah’s birthdays (which are a week apart), and asked her to come along, Elle said yes without hesitation. 

They hit the road Friday afternoon. It was a 3 hour roadtrip to a quiet little beach town. Joel drove. Elle was in the passenger seat, red heart shaped sunglasses perched on her nose, one leg folded up under her.

Tommy and Sarah were in the backseat, arguing over snacks.

“You bought three bags of pretzels and zero chips. Who does that?” Sarah groaned.

“People with normal taste buds,” Tommy replied coolly. “Besides, I got those for Elle. She likes pretzels.”

“He’s right,” Elle said, glancing over her shoulder. “I do.”

Sarah slumped dramatically. “You’re all against me.”

Just then, “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan came on shuffle. Sarah immediately turned it up, singing every word like she was performing for her world tour.

Joel, hands on the wheel, said nothing. But Elle noticed that low hum beneath the music. A soft, barely-there hum.

“You can kiss a hundred boys in bars..” He was singing. Quiet. Under his breath. Off-key and completely unaware. Elle looked over at him, heart stalling a little. Gosh. This family. He didn’t even realize he knew the lyrics.

--

The beach house was small, coastal, and gave off serious mermaid vibes. It sat directly on the shoreline, no sidewalk or road separating it, just a low wooden deck that led straight into the sand. From the front windows, all you could see was ocean and horizon, like the world stopped right there. It was magical. 

Blue-and-white striped wallpaper, shells on the windowsills..The breeze carried that ocean smell that made her feel like she could finally breathe. Salt air. Rusty doors. She loved it. 

Elle stepped inside, bare feet against the cool wood floors, and looked around like she was stepping into a dream. The late afternoon light spilled through the white lace curtains, golden and soft.

“Okay, this is the cutest place I’ve ever seen,” Elle said under her breath, setting her bag down.

Tommy walked past her, dragging everyone’s bags. “Told you you’d like it.”

Sarah was already thumping up the stairs two at a time, calling dibs on the room with the biggest window.

Joel’s voice was quiet behind her. “There’s an extra room down here. Has a ceiling fan and everything.” He blinked. “We can share, if you want.”

“Yeah,” Elle said, smiling. 

She caught his eyes for a moment too long. The kind of look you don’t mean to hold onto, but don’t let go of, either. It was like magnetism. They couldn’t look away from eachother. 

-

By the time bags were dropped and rooms were claimed, the sun was hanging low in the sky. Gold and honey, casting a glow over the porch.

Sarah came bouncing down the stairs in a swimsuit and cut-off shorts, sunglasses already perched on her head.

“We’re literally wasting daylight,” she declared. “Let’s go swim!”

Tommy followed behind her with a towel over his shoulder, shirt already half off. “Last one in’s a loser.”

“You’re not swimming?” Elle asked Joel, who was standing near the counters, stoic. 

He shrugged. “Was gonna wait ‘til the chaos died down.”

“So… never?”

That made him huff out a laugh. “Pretty much.”

Elle hesitated in the doorway for a second, then grabbed the small bag she’d tossed in her and Joel’s shared room earlier and quietly changed.

Elle stepped out barefoot, towel over her arm, the ocean breeze catching her hair. Joel looked up—

And forgot how to breathe.

Jesus Christ.

The red gingham swimsuit fit her like it had been made for her. sunlight bouncing off her skin, her hair loose and falling down her back. She looked relaxed. Confident. Dangerous. He blinked hard, trying not to stare. Failing.

“Hey,” she said softly, stopping a few steps from him. “Could I—um. Could you help me with this?”

She turned slightly, lifting her hair, revealing the loose strings of her swimsuit.

His mouth went dry.

“Yeah,” he cleared his throat, trying not to sound too high pitched. “Yeah, of course.”

Joel stood and stepped behind her, careful not to touch her skin until he had to. His fingers worked slowly, threading the ties together, making sure it was snug and but not too tight for her soft body. 

“All good,” he said, clearing his throat, stepping back like the air had turned too thick around them. “Do you… want me to help you with sunscreen on your back?”

Elle turned slightly, meeting his eyes with something unreadable in her expression. “Hm. Very thoughtful of you.”

She handed him the bottle. He poured a small amount into his hand, warming it slightly before touching her again.

The first press of his palm to her lower back nearly undid him.

He moved slow. Gentle. Focused. Like she was something fragile he wasn’t sure he was allowed to want. She didn’t flinch. Didn’t pull away. Just stood there, quiet and still, her breath slowing under his touch.

Joel's thoughts weren’t quiet. They were a mess. She’s so close.

She smells like the ocean. This is gonna kill him.

He finished the last sweep up her spine and stepped back like it burned him. “All done,” he said, voice low.

Elle turned back to him, cheeks a little pink - but not from the sun.

“Thanks,” she said softly.

Joel nodded once. “Anytime.”

Elle quietly stepped outside, heart racing. She waded in slowly, the saltwater clinging to her skin, pulling her hair into soft waves. She ducked under once, came up laughing and wiping her face, just as Joel stepped off the porch.

Elle’s gaze lifted instinctively. He wasn’t ripped, not like those guys in glossy magazines or gym ads. He had a little bit of abs, but you could tell he liked a cold beer after a long day—but God, he looked mesmerizing. Strong. All shoulders and broad chest, with thick biceps that flexed slightly every time he moved. His back was shaped like something that was carved by a greek god.

She didn’t mean to stare.  The way the sunlight hit the slope of his neck. The way his dark red swim trunks hung low on his hips, darkened slightly from where the water had already lapped against them. The way he raked a hand through his messy, damp hair like it wasn’t the hottest thing she’d ever seen.

He’s a dream, Elle thought. A fever dream. A wet dream, maybe. But she didn’t let her mind go there.

Elle’s whole body felt like it was buzzing. We’re not talking butterflies.

She was turned on. Embarrassingly so. No one had ever made her feel like this—from a glance. From a walk. Joel Miller, with his quiet eyes and strong arms and that goddamn soft way he touched her back earlier, had her on fire. She had to turn away. Because if he looked at her right now—really looked—he’d see it all over her face.

Elle had waded back a few steps, hands brushing over the surface of the water, watching Sarah and Tommy splash around like kids.

Joel joined the splashing, half-laughing, half-shouting. Sarah dunked him with both hands, and Joel let her win, obviously, like it didn’t even occur to him to push back.

It was sweet. Stupidly sweet. And a little heartbreaking, because she wasn’t used to this. To watching people who loved each other just love each other.

She smiled to herself, feeling the warmth settle in her chest. The kind of warmth that had absolutely nothing to do with the sun.

And then it happened. Tommy happened. 

“No time for those melancholic thoughts of yours.”

Two strong, wet arms wrapped around her thighs, and before she could even gasp, she was in the air.

“TOMMY—!” she shrieked, grabbing for his shoulders as he lifted her straight onto his back.

“Too late!” he shouted, water sloshing around his legs. “You’re in my team now.”

“I’m gonna kill you, you scared the shit out of me!” she laughed, gripping his head.

“Better do it quick, partner,” Tommy said, grinning up at her. “Because we’ve got enemies.”

She blinked, confused, until she turned slightly and saw Sarah already being hoisted up onto Joel’s shoulders.

“CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!” Sarah yelled, absolutely feral, like a witch laughing under a full moon. “You’re going down.”

“Oh no,” Elle muttered, hands tightening on Tommy’s wet hair. “We’re gonna die.”

“Not if you fight dirty,” Tommy said. “Now square up.”

And it began.

Sarah lunged, arms flailing. Tommy spun. Elle screamed-laughed. The water churned around them as the battle turned ridiculous immediately. No form. No strategy. Just chaos and desperate attempts to stay balanced.

Joel adjusted his grip on Sarah’s legs with practiced ease, the water up to his chest. His arms flexed, back muscles shifting with every small movement, and Elle tried—really tried—not to notice.

Tommy, on the other hand, was a mess. “I’m losing blood flow to my arms,” he groaned dramatically.

“Don’t you dare drop me,” Elle hissed, laughing so hard her stomach hurt. It was Sarah who went for it. A bold dive forward that sent all four of them toppling like dominos into the sea.

Elle surfaced, sputtering and laughing, wiping hair from her face. Joel was next to her, shoulder to shoulder, dripping wet and smiling in that boyish way. “I think we won,” Joel said.

“Absolutely not,” Tommy coughed somewhere behind them. “We had spirit!”

“You had brain damage,” Sarah shouted, kicking water at him.

--

They sat on the back porch after dinner, the sun hanging low in the sky, casting everything in amber. Tommy and Sarah were taking a shower, in their own separate bathrooms, and Joel and Elle were sitting outside. The air smelled like salt and grilled hamburgers, the quiet hum of the waves not far away.

Joel leaned back in his chair, sipping a beer. Elle sat beside him, in Joel’s t-shirt, knees tucked under her chin, wrapped in a blanket she’d dragged out with her.

It had been a good day.

She didn’t want to break the peace. But the question had been sitting with her for a while now. “Can I ask you something?”

Joel didn’t look over, but his voice was gentle. “Yeah.”

“Sarah’s mom… she’s never around?”

He was quiet for a second. Unreadable.

“No,” he said finally. “She left when Sarah was a baby.”

Elle blinked. “Left?” Joel nodded once, slow.

“Packed a bag one morning. Said she couldn’t do it. Said the whole ‘mom’ thing wasn’t for her.” He sighed.

Elle’s chest tightened.

He took another sip, then set the bottle down. “She never looked back. No letters. No calls. Nothin’. I thought maybe she’d come around eventually. But…” he trailed off.

“I’m so sorry, Joel.” Elle murmured. “That must’ve been…”

“Hard,” he admitted. “Yeah. But I didn’t really have time to weep about it. Tommy helped a lot. She’s his world. Our world.”

He glanced over at Elle, eyes darker now in the dimming light, “I made it my life’s mission to give her everything I had. Even when I didn’t know what the hell I was doin’.”

Elle didn’t speak for a while. Just looked at him, really looked at him. “You’re doing amazing Joel,” she said, voice thick. “She’s… she’s incredible.”

Joel’s chest hurt. This woman was driving him nuts. 

After a couple of minutes, Elle got in bed, and Joel stood in the hallway, running a hand through his hair. He needed a second. Alone. To chill the hell out.

He grabbed a clean towel and stepped into their shared bathroom, locking the door behind him like it might keep his thoughts out. Elle was just done with her shower, and it smelled like her. Everywhere. Her shampoo. Joel was consumed by it. 

The shower steamed up quickly. The heat was good - it loosened the knots in Joel’s shoulders, eased the ache in his lower back after hours on the road. But it didn’t do a fucking thing for his thoughts. He braced one hand against the wall, eyes closed, letting the water rush over him.

Elle.

God, he was trying. He really was.

But every time he let his guard drop for a second, she was there. The way her laugh echoed in his head. The way she pulled her hair up at the table without even realizing how that simple mindless movement had fried his brain. In the way she sat on the porch earlier, knees tucked to her chest, the curve of her her back catching the sunset.

It wasn’t just her body—though that alone could’ve driven any man out of his mind. It was the softness in her voice. The way she looked at Sarah. The way she looked at him when she thought he wasn’t paying attention. The way their family dyanmic completely changed for the better ever since she’s been around. 

He dragged a hand through his wet hair, exhaling hard.

She was just down the hall. In his t-shirt. Curled up under a blanket with her legs tangled in the sheets and her hair all over his pillow.

And Joel, well … Joel was standing under hot water trying not to imagine what it would feel like to walk down that hallway, push open their door, and kiss her. Breathlessly. Til their lips are red and swollen. He would make love to her, gently, passionately, focusing on how she reacted to his movements so he could learn her body with his eyes closed. 

He couldn’t stop thinking about it. He needed a release, quickly. Joel shut his eyes, and started to stroke himself, trying to muffle the sounds of his moans. It was like she’s put a love spell on him. He wanted to be hers. He had so much pent up frustration that after a minute, his vision started to fade to black and his orgasm struck him like electricity. He was repeating her name, back and forth. Elle. Elle.

He clenched his jaw, letting the water run hotter, trying to burn the thoughts out of his system. He promised himself he’d take it slow. She even wanted to take it slow. They never talked about it, but he knew her well enough. But God, she made it hard …. Literally. 

Meanwhile, Elle was laying still, curled under the floral duvet, pretending her mind wasn’t racing. She didn’t mean to overhear. She wasn’t stupid. But the walls were thin, the shower was loud, and she was wide awake. The second she caught on, her entire body went still. Her heart was pounding, her skin flushed, and every inch of her suddenly felt too hot. She stayed exactly where she was, eyes closed, one hand fisting the edge of the blanket. She could’ve blocked it out. Could’ve convinced herself she was imagining it. But she knew what she heard and she couldn’t stop replaying it. Elle closed her eyes, exhaling softly into the pillow. She wasn’t going to bring it up. Not tomorrow. Not the next day. But she wasn’t going to forget it either.

a/n: let me know if you want to be in the taglist!

 taglist: @friskynotebook @brittmb115 @millersdoll @mukeovernetflix

[prince-liest]

I’m a sex-repulsed ace, and reading the latest chapter of 666 (as well as your analysis here on Tumblr) made me realize that I have been subconsciously thinking about MY OWN sexuality from an allo perspective? And that it has kinda been messing me up?? Like, ever since I learned that sexual attraction was actually a Thing and that it’s Important To People, I had been carrying around a fear of being deficient in some way and not being able to love to the same extent as allos. (1)

Even though I know logically that’s complete garbage and totally untrue, I felt left out of the loop because people seemed to care strongly about this thing I couldn’t even imagine. Whenever it looked like a relationship might happen I panicked for a reason that I couldn’t understand. But now I’m starting to realize that it’s because I was subconsciously terrified of an ‘ulterior motive’ behind the other person’s reasons for wanting to be with me. (2) That part of the reason they even cared was because of something I don’t experience. So thank you, because this realization just clicked into place while reading your work. The thing is, this way of thinking was just internalized in such a way that I didn’t even realize it was there until literally this week. And I think you’re right; one of the main reasons behind that is because I’ve always consumed media written from an allo perspective. (3) If ace/aros are shown at all, they’re depicted as “lacking” and their character development usually revolves around being “fixed” by the story. When I was ~10 years old my mom sometimes let me watch the Big Bang Theory with her (looking back, maybe not the best decision). Anyways, there was one episode deep into the series where Sheldon (who for the past nineish seasons was probably the closest thing to mainstream ace rep) has sex with his girlfriend for the first time. (4) Afterwards, he says something along the lines of “that was better than I thought it would be”, and it’s presented as a Very Good Thing and a big step in their relationship. I think a lifetime of stuff like that makes it very easy to internalize aphobia and feel like the lesser part of the relationship. Or to feel like the other partner is making a huge sacrifice to be with you. That got wayy too long, sorry. All that was just a lot of words to say that I appreciate you. Take care of yourself!(5)

The portrayal of asexuality that you see in media being almost exclusively as you described is very tedious to me because it presumes that something is inherently lacking in aro/aceness rather than that feeling of "lacking" being something that is induced by societal norms. Actually, one of the things that I find additionally alienating is that fandom spaces specifically have been getting better and better about ace characters - but got damn does fandom not jive with aromanticism. Like, a character doesn't want to fuck? That's becoming a liiiittle more fine, it's 2024, we stan consent. But not shipping someone romantically?? Not so easy, now.

I'm glad that my work has been something that resonated with you in this respect! Alastor cares a lot about his reputation as a demon but is pretty blatantly a person who could not possibly give less of a shit about being "wrong" for not being experiencing romantic or sexual attraction. The explanation Viv gave at one point for his own understanding of himself (that he thinks he's just "waiting for the right woman") actually stuck out to me a lot because it's a very "well, nothing is wrong with me for not feeling anything, it's the world that's failed to produce a suitable person" perspective.

But having that kind of confident perspective of your own rightness in the world is really not often portrayed in media, or even in fandom, which even ten years ago was still in the throes of standardizing "Oh, no! Me, gay? These feelings are so wrong!" style m/m content and is honestly not that far off from essentially that for aro/ace characters.

Anyway, all of that is to say that there's not yet much out there that doesn't frame allo/amatonormative values as the default that "even aro/ace people can (and should want to) achieve," and that it's really fun to write a fic that is unequivocally from the perspective of a character who is aroace and doesn't see it as even remotely a fault in himself. Does he have moments where he's a little confused and trying to process how things fit for him? Absolutely. But he just doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who thinks he owes romance to Vox of all people, hahaha. I've written him trying to conform to allo/amatonormativity more with Mimzy, because I think the social standards of their time could push him into it, but Vox? Absolutely not, he does not respect Vox enough for it to even enter his mind.

And then, on the other hand, writing it from an aroace perspective centers the way that romantic and sexual interest can feel like a betrayal of a good thing. With a character like Alastor, it frames romantic and sexual attraction the same alien way that we usually see aromanticism and asexuality framed as.

In the end, this is just one of a plethora of different experiences that aro/ace people can have, but it's one that I really wanted to see represented more, so I'm very happy to write it. I'm glad that you're enjoying it!

[noisytenant]

always kind of strange and uncomfortable when someone admits "yeah i basically fried my attention span on Phone so i can't do anything that requires patience now". the kind of thing where i want to say a million things in response but i tend to say nothing at all

[hana-bobo-finch]

jørgan clan my beloved. you guys are so messed up

[sophaeros]

what if im not really masc and im just pretending because i think mascs are cool and sexy

[theood]

It might just be a lot of things. I really don't know. I don't like not having any energy after work but it staves off a lot of our thought processes but at the same time I don't love it. It's tolerable but I want to be doing something else. I wanna be in the dirt and I want to feel the earth under my feet and I want to know she's listening to me and telling me it's ok and I want to take care of her like she's taken care of me. I want to plant trees and cut back weeds and learn to identify our native plants and I just can't do any of that and make a living. It's not even a volunteer opportunity for me. I'm just some random citizen who didn't even go to school for any of it. And I'm so lonely. I'm the loneliest I've been. I love all my friends online I do. Truly and wholly but it doesn't help the fact that I have no one around me irl. And it hurts. And I'm scared. And I am so small all the time. And I just want it to change.