just seen a tweet about how Bertie sometimes closes his eyes when he answers questions, and I'm imagining if that was a Baelor thing too.
I'm thinking of this in terms of TMM Universe but like just any Baelor x reader.
Like, when you and Baelor are together, having deep discussions in your rooms, and you ask him a question that really makes him think, he closes his eyes as he speaks and you just absolutely love it. It makes you shiver with happiness because he cares so much about the questions you ask that he wants to truly think about how he responds. It just makes him even more intelligent (and thus even more sexy...)
And one night you just can't help yourself. He does it, smiling a little as he thinks back to some memory to relate it to the question, and all of a sudden you are kissing him, arms wrapped over his shoulders, mouth against his with a little 'mmph'.
He smiles into the kiss and returns it quickly, wrapping you up in his arms and hauling you against his chest. When you pull away, you smile up at him, kissing his lips softly between words as he says "I was thinking, you know."
"Mm, I know. My apologies for interrupting, but I just could not resist."
And he just smiles brightly and kisses you againnnn.
AAAA Bertie Carvel, you sexy sexy old man, pls call me.
On Pesterquest, The Aftermath of The Homestuck Epilogues, and Why Homestuck Appeals To Us Still.
It's 1 AM, I'm exhausted and can't sleep, and I'm gonna bullshit a little. Ramble incoming, please read past the break if you still care about Homestuck, ignore if you don't, yadda yadda yadda.
Homestuck started out intriguing, it got better, it got wilder, and then it just kinda... broke under its own weight. And that was deliberate. Hussie delighted in this. The entire theme of the work in the end was breaking. Breaking the 4th wall. Breaking the premises. Breaking character arcs. Showing how stories break characters just by containing said characters.
Then came the Epilogues, and the Huss tried to break us. The fandom itself.
And... by all accounts... shit didn't work. We saw his clumsy attempt at satirizing the very nature of the fandom that we'd created (we, not he, as fandom is always the work of the fans, not the original creator of the work) and kind of collectively flipped him off.
Because we're Homestucks. We're already self-effacing to a ridiculous degree, but we know what works underneath us, we know what works underneath the plot, we know why we're here, and it's not for Hussie's masturbatory themes.
It was the worldbuilding and the characters.
That was it. The plot became negligible, because the creator didn't treat the plot with respect. We were just there for the character development, and when that went south (particularly in the Epilogues), we collectively said screw that, we're doing it our way. We wrote our own stories, our own epilogues, our own fanventures and AUs and fucking everything else imaginable.
We said, collectively, FUCK THAT, WE'RE PROTECTING WHAT WE LOVE IN THIS WORK BY TAKING IT FROM YOU.
Now, what does that sound like?
The ending of Pesterquest.
We're locking away OUR collective versions of the main cast, so they can be happy, or whole, or at least logically consistent, or at least not running in the opposite direction of the character development that everything SCREAMS they should have (looking at you, Jane).
So.
With that in mind, in 2023, what is Homestuck now?
What do we treat it as?
Commedia dell'arte.
It's a group of strong characters that can be put into almost any story. A nigh-universal cast, diverse and interesting, with built-in relationships and chemistry that can be savored or jettisoned as the plot requires.
But that's the kicker.
We have plots we care about.
And thus, we have transcended the original work. And with it we have helped the characters ascend. We have protected and guarded them, and they will not be remembered as characters from a webcomic that "used to be good".
Keep writing, Homestucks. Keep drawing. Keep spitting out incorrect quotes (which might as well be fucking correct at this point), scribbly comics, podfics, and fanventures that eclipse the original in all but word count.
Because, by all accounts, we're winning.
(Disclaimer: Yes, this includes the crew that are working on Hiveswap; it's pretty obvious they still Care About This Shit, and it doesn't share Huss' incredibly nihilistic late-game BS. I am including every HS creator EXCEPT The Waste of Space in here.)
So thinking about Gravity Falls, and a concept stood out to me:
If Stanford had just said "thank you" at the start, Bill would have been beaten a lot sooner.
But... from his arrival to Weirdmageddon, he never once considered that his twin brother spent 30 years to get him back, even if it destroyed the world.
I.E, his brother meant more to him than the world... but he never grasped that. He was so wrapped up in his sci-fi research that he didn't give consideration to others, ESPECIALLY his brother.
Even when he DOES thank Stan, it comes out halfhearted. Yes, we know there isn't time, but maybe rather than criticizing Stan's grammar you could have added, "I really do appreciate you bringing me home. I'm sorry I never showed it,"
The lesson: Always show appreciation, and give it as well. It may mean more to someone than you think.
which fic do we want first in the senator/president!baelor world?
I have an idea for senator!Baelor and an idea for President!Baelor. The 2 fics are quite similar in all fairness, but there are differences and the vibes will be a little different because one will be about senator!baelor campaigning and the other is about him already as the president.
Senator!Baelor x Social Media Intern!reader
Fresh-faced and ready to face the world, Reader has just gotten a dream internship with a presidential campaign, an amazing opportunity she can put on her CV and will give her valuable experience in the field. She joins up and on her first day meets Senator Baelor Targaryen, the man she technically works for. He is so charming and charismatic and she is instantly putty for him.
As days go on and she finds her footing, she ends up working late at the office, purely because of her drive and determination, not realising that the only other person who stays as late as she does is Senator Baelor himself...
2. President!Baelor x PR Rep!reader
After the inauguration, President Baelor is filling his cabinet and gathering his dream team. While Reader has experience in the field, she is young and fresh and has not had such a high-profile role before. Reader is hired to work in the PR and Media Team to ensure the image of this Presidency is fresh and accessible to all demographics across platforms. This means she ends up working with President Baelor often to create content, and then this grows to an even larger advisory role on the more general image of the president and his administration.
During a large media meeting, her and President Baelor end up alone during the break, and he engages in conversation with her (initially to be polite, then it grows with intrigue). Slowly, through public and private interactions, they develop a rapport, and there is a growing tension between them.
I received this amazing ask about a modern scenario with Maekar and DIL!reader (I promise I will get back to answering all of your asks soon, I just really want to finish President!Baelor first before I do anything else!) and now I really want to write modern versions of DIL!readers and Maekar and Baelor. Like, I think the fics could be very fun and sexy. Would anyone be interested in this if I added it to my WIPs???
The Marriage Mart (Baelor x Reader) has officially hit 8k words... anyway! Since I didn't finish it yet again, here is another snippet to enjoy!
Baelor cleared his throat, hoping not to jolt you, and watched your eyes slowly peel open and your body go a little rigid again. But this time he smiled softly, walking a little closer with knowing eyes that made your skin feel hot and your chest rise and fall a little quicker than before.
“My apologies,” you quickly breathed out, as if you needed to jump and say the right thing first. Then you winced, bowing your head as you realised how utterly stupid you sounded.
“Whatever for?” Baelor asked, eyes a little wide in surprise as he stopped a few feet in front of you. You looked up at him through your lashes from where your head was still bowed, and smiled apologetically.
“I do not know,” you sighed, and when Baelor chuckled, your hands tingled and you felt something clench inside you. You straightened up a little and pressed yourself a little harder into the wall behind you, hoping the sensation would ground you.
“I would advise not to apologise when it is not needed,” he told you sagely, and you nodded, smiling softly.
