I Write Things and Draw Things Sometimes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@themultiverseinmymind
| Tina, She/Her, 27 | | Chronically fatigued person who draws and writes sometimes. Newer to sharing my stuff with the world, so please be nice- emotionally, I bruise like a peach lol. | | Most of my content will likely be NSFW | ObeyMe, Skyrim, Dragon Age, Mass Effect Fan | She/Her but willing to do gender neutral content upon request |
The best advice really is to just write. Write badly - purple prose, stilted conversations, rambling descriptions. Don’t delete it, pass go, take your $200, save all your garbage in a big folder. Look at how much you’ve made - it doesn’t matter if it isn’t perfect, isn’t polished, it was practice. Every time you write you learn a little more, and find another piece of your voice.
“If you’re only going to write when you’re inspired, you may be a fairly decent poet, but you will never be a novelist — because you’re going to have to make your word count today, and those words aren’t going to wait for you, whether you’re inspired or not. So you have to write when you’re not “inspired.” … And the weird thing is that six months later, or a year later, you’re going to look back and you’re not going to remember which scenes you wrote when you were inspired and which scenes you wrote because they had to be written.”
- Neil Gaiman
this made me realize i was literally just using inspiration as an excuse to procrastinate
‘WRITE IT BADLY. Write it badly, write it badly, write it badly, write it badly. Stop what you’re doing, open a Word document, put a pencil on some paper, just get the idea out of your head. Let it be good later. Write it down now. Otherwise it will die in there.’
— Brandon Sanderson on overcoming writer’s block to create a first draft as a professional author (quoted in this tumblr post here)
‘Writing tip of the day: it is perfectly acceptable, when working on a scene that vexes you, to write “DUMBEST VERSION” along the top of the page and start from there. As I, a human who has been writing professionally for 25 years, just did. Give yourself permission to suck.‘
Okay perhaps this sounds odd but imagine Astarion starts to disassociate while intimate with Tav and so he uses their established safe word, only to be bewildered when Tav actually listens to him and stops and asks if he’s okay and tries to comfort him because nobody has cared that much before 😢
OH GODS WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME (i love it)
warning for suggestive content :)
For as long as Astarion's been genuinely intimate with you, for no other reasons but simply because of the affection the two of you hold for one another, he has always been in control.
It soothes him, in a way, to be on top. And as much as he enjoys watching you come undone beneath him, there's a more frustrating reason behind why he always feels the need to be the one to push you down onto whatever surface he deems decent enough at the time. From above you, he can see every little twitch in your body, every shift in your expression, and most of all, he can control what's happening, unlike his centuries spent as a seductive tool for Cazador's own needs.
He knows you're not like those fools. He knows you're different, and you're special to him. But the gnawing voice in the back of his head always forces him to pull you in, to hold you closer, to make love to you.
It's fucked up in so many ways.
"I want to make you feel as good as you make me feel."
But when you look up at him with those imploring, loving eyes, the voice seems to go quiet. He swallows the dryness of his throat, unable to think of anything but how wonderful your touch feels on his skin, and he thinks he could drown in this forever. He's putty in your hands, whether he wants to admit it or not.
"Well? Don't be a tease just standing there, darling."
In what feels like minutes, he's a mess. He's making sounds he shouldn't be making, fingertips digging into your hips as if they're the anchors keeping him from finishing too early. He breathes heavily into the crook of your neck, groaning when you caress the sharp tip of his ear between your fingers.
The only thing keeping him from spilling is the impending embarrassment he'd feel for doing so this early on in the night.
Then, everything stops.
"You're so beautiful," you whisper.
They're only words. They're not ones he's heard little of---in fact, he's heard it too much in the past two hundred years. In an instant, memories of the nights he spent under strangers, forced to shove his mind into its darkest corners just to get through their own pleasures, flood his consciousness. The sickening taste in his mouth afterward, and the need to rub his skin till it goes raw were not uncommon. It was routine. A sick part of his life that he'd rather forget.
You don't mean it the same way they did. They only said things like that because that's all they could say. They didn't know him as anything but the husk of a body he resided in. He knows you are saying the words to him. Not to his body but to the very person he is.
But the word comes spilling out his mouth, and immediately, you freeze.
You actually stopped.
Of course, you would. You're you.
"Are you okay? Did I do something?" you reach to cup either of his cheeks, and he stares at you as if you're a star that's fallen from the sky. He blinks, slowly.
"I don't know, I just---" he searches for words. "--you haven't done anything wrong, darling."
You wait for him to finish patiently. Gods, he doesn't deserve this. He doesn't deserve you.
"I only remembered something I'd rather not," he plasters a crooked grin on his face. "It's quite alright. We can continue now if I haven't ruined the mood."
You pull away from him, and he fears you'll leave.
Moments later, you return with a glass of water. Wordlessly, you hand it to him, and he only stares at it, confused beyond belief. Only once he notices the way you gesture to the glass does he drink it, and you finally climb back into bed, lying down beside him.
"Come here," you open your arm, motioning him to come closer.
"Darling, as much as I'm all for experimenting, that's a strange position to have sex in."
You smile, shaking your head. You don't explain any further, only continuing to hold out your arm.
Hesitant though curious, he slowly lies down beside you, his head just above your chest and slotted between the space below your chin. With gentle hands, you pull him closer and toss the blanket over both of your bodies.
It's warm. Strange, but warm.
"You don't have to wear a mask with me," you whisper.
His eyes grow wide, and his chest stills. He doesn't have many tears left after 239 years, but there's an unfamiliar squeeze in his chest that tells him if he were still 39 and alive, he might have. Astarion wraps his arms around your waist, burying his face into where he can hear the steady beating of your heart.
Later, when your eyes begin to droop, he mumbles.
"Tell me I'm beautiful again."
"You're beautiful," you say softly. "With or without your pretty face."
You might be imagining it, but you feel him smile against your skin.
So, finally getting around to sharing my process. I feel so bad that this took so long to finally do, but better late than never?
Also, please bear in mind that I am mostly self-taught, so if I'm doing things funkily, that's probably why.
This is gonna be a long post, so I'm putting it under the cut.
First step is gathering references. This takes… So. Much. Time. Because it never feels like I can find the ideal one for what I'm picturing in my head? (Also, because I end up distracted and gathering ones I don't need, but the ADHD is strong in this one.)
I usually end up using multiple references for various aspects and kind of Frankenstein-ing them together (like, one might involve the initial placement of two figures hugging, but then I'll find another to place an arm differently, or to help depict a different body type than the first reference. Oftentimes this involves using the "perspective" feature of "transform a layer or selection" on Krita for positioning a reference.)
I tend to keep different linework in various bright colors to help myself differentiate between them, keeping several separate layers, and later merging (and ideally labelling) them.
For example, I'll have several hair layers as I add details and whatnot, and will only combine them into one layer once I'm satisfied with how everything looks.
Linework involves a bunch of redrawing for me as I play around with things to get them to look the way I want, so I make a bunch of copies as I tweak different lines in case I bork something up and need to revert to an old copy (I'll periodically go through and delete old copies as I improve said lines.)
This is the point where I'll color my lines black, though if it's difficult to differentiate between certain lines, I might leave certain lines colored until the flat colors are done.
Next is getting my flat colors done, usually taking from the original color-scheme if it's fan-art of a non-original character. I usually keep a little labelled swatch like the one in the upper right.
Then we get to the fun part that I hate and love in equal measure: shading and highlights!
I'll usually start with adding pink-ish tones to the areas that have the concentration of blood-flow- cheeks, tip of the nose, etc. (Though, I don't think I did with this one, so I don't have an example to show, oops.)
Then I'll move onto shading, following a reference typically for a basic idea of where the contours need to be, but a lot of this ends up being intuitive. I like to use a combination of the wet paint brush, the soft airbrush, and the basic blender- often setting it to a lower opacity as I blend/soften edges and switching the eraser setting on and off.
I try to move my brush strokes in directions that follow the shape of the contours themselves - as if it were a 3d model (does the way I'm describing that make sense? I hope so.)
I like to play with different filters on the layer setting to get the color/concentration I want for this - "Shade - IFS Illusions" gets used a lot, though typically set to less than 50% transparency and often in combination with another lower transparency layer or two, I play with layers to get the looks I want.
Post-blending:
Then adding extra details- in this case, slight creases and stubble, etc.
Then highlights- I love using the "Luminosity/Shine SAI" layer filter for this- gives it a nice glow. Same as before, I might have several layers for highlights, at various transparencies to achieve a certain look.
Then I'll add more details, usually focusing on things like clothes.
Then the background. I do not love doing background stuff, but I am very grateful for finding FizzyFlower's Essential Brushes- it has sooo many helpful brushes.
Annnd that's about it. I hope it was helpful and not too rambly.
Was working on this a while back, before the Great Computer Crash of '23 (I lost so much art and stuff, ugh.) Don't know if I'll ever get around to finishing the background, so figured I'd go ahead and post it.
This is Talbott from Hogwarts Mystery with my character Aurelia in their final year at school (they're 18 here, to be clear.)
Haven't posted anything in quite a while, but... well, life. Anyway, here's Wonderwall. And by Wonderwall, I mean Hodari from Palia, because I love him <3
Been sitting on a bunch of art pieces that are like, 95 percent done for a hot minute now, but finally managed to finish this one of Lance Ira from Court of Darkness and my OC Brielle :)
Ah, and in case anyone else is interested, since someone asked me if I could share my art process, I’m planning to do that next time I start a fresh piece :) (it’s chaotic, but maybe someone will glean something helpful from it.)
Sooo, I drew a thing. A spicy thing, heh.
Here’s some fanart of the lovely Bahadur from the amazing visual novel Wilder by @sonnet009 . Words cannot express how much I enjoyed playing through his route, my goodness. I laughed, I cried, I felt all the feels. I also loved how realistic his facial expressions were in his character sprites- they paired so well with the emotional tones of the various scenes.
He is best boy and I adore him <3
The spicier version is below the cut (I struggled a lot with his pants and the uh... the contents of his pants 😅 ... and I’m still not entirely sure that I’ll ever be satisfied with it, but it is what it is.)
true but I also think “cant wait until they have their first unguarded smile. cant wait until they laugh from joy and it takes them entirely offguard and they surprise themselves”
*Resurfaces from my hermit hidey hole, dumps out a bucket of angst, and then retreats*
Mortality has been heavy on my mind lately, so I’m back on the angst train. Le sigh.
Idk, at least it’s kind of wholesome this time?
He split his candle with you. Extending your lifespan far beyond the natural limit, and shortening his.
It meant that one day, demon though he remained, his body began to age alongside yours. Not quite as noticeably, perhaps- the silvery strands in his hair no longer merely adorning just the tips, but streaking throughout it. The worry lines from his stress, the frown lines from his anger, and the crow's feet from his smiles - rarer in company but by no means rare to you- were hardly prominent by human standards, nor to someone who'd been with him every day and didn't notice the gradual shift - but he remained changed since the first time you'd laid eyes upon him, and yet he remained unchanged as well, in that he was still just as beautiful.
And one day, when your times came, the two of you passed from this life together, and were put to rest together.
Lucifer Morningstar, Avatar of Pride, formerly known as the Lightbringer, The Shining One, God's most beautiful creation- had given up his immortality, to die alongside the ordinary human he had fallen in love with.
In those final moments, as the end loomed over both of your heads, you asked him:
"If you could do it all over again- go back to the beginning of your life, before The Fall, would you change anything?"
He looked into your eyes, took your hand in his, thinner skinned and more delicate than it had been when he first held it so many years ago, and pressed it to his lips.
"No, my love, I would not change a thing."
He watched as your eyes closed, a soft smile on your lips, before you nestled in close to him, ear pressing against his chest to listen to the steady, soothing rhythm of his heartbeat. He tucked your head under his chin, arms wrapping around you, and wings forming a cocoon around both of your bodies.
And then the two of you fell into a deep, eternal slumber.
Note: Kind of based on Solomon's Devilgram, The Threads of Fate.
Obey Me! Masterlist
--
Solomon peeked into the classroom MC was still in, packing up their supplies. A grin formed on his face as he quickly made his way in. He tapped MC’s shoulder, but hid on their other side. He chuckled lightly when MC looked to see that no one was there. Peering over the other shoulder, they gave Solomon a small pout.
“Hi Solomon,” they sighed, but then grinned when they dropped their façade. “What’s up?”
“I was wanting to see if I could use you for a spell. I did some more research in bonds, and I think I may have finally discovered a way to discover who your true soulmate is.”
MC blinked. “And you want me to be first?”
Solomon opened his mouth and then closed it. He laughed, almost as if he were guilty of something. “Actually, I tested it on a couple of demons to make sure it was safe. I didn’t want to hurt you. But what do you say? It worked on the demons.”
MC chewed on their lip for a second, before they slowly nodded. Solomon uttered a few words, starting the spell. Then, a single, golden thread appeared.
Lucifer
MC followed the golden thread. Their footsteps led them out of the classroom. They meandered through the hallways of RAD before they realized where it was taking them. Their pace quickened until they were running. Then, they paused outside the council room. Their chest heaved up and down as they tried to relax their breathing.
“I don’t know where the thread came from,” they heard Lucifer’s voice tell someone. “It must be another one of Solomon’s experiments.” He sounded almost irritated.
MC peered their head to look through the doorway and where the golden thread took them. As if he sensed their presence, Lucifer glanced up from the golden thread connected to his chest and to MC. His eyes widened seeing where the golden thread led to.
“MC?” he questioned. “What’s the meaning of this?”
MC slowly walked in and towards him. Once they were standing right in front of them, they whispered, “You’re my soulmate.”
Lucifer’s crimson eyes widened, he felt the breath get caught in his throat, his heart skipped a beat. “Your soulmate?” His fingers reached up and gently ran along the thread. The thread led to MC. His hand traced up to MC’s face, gently caressing their cheek. “You’re my soulmate?”
MC nodded and leaned into his touch. Lucifer felt the air rush back into his lungs. A chuckled softly and rested his lips on their forehead. He pulled back. “Good. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now the others will have to respect the fact that you are mine.” He took a hold of their hand it brought it up to his lips. His crimson eyes fluttered up to meet MC’s gaze. “And I’m yours.”
Mammon
MC started to follow the thread, only to be nearly ran over by a demon. Mammon slid to a stop. His hands gripped onto MC’s shoulders to prevent himself from falling over.
“Gah! Human! What are ya doin’ here?” Mammon nearly yelled while he worked on regaining his balance. He backed up a bit, revealing the golden thread being connected to his chest. His eyes followed the golden thread to MC’s chest. “Why is it connected to you? Ain’t it supposed to lead to some sort of treasure? That’s why it’s gold, right?”
MC stared at him in shock. They shook their head to regain their composure. “You’re my soulmate.”
Mammon blinked, heat quickly started to spread across his cheeks, to his neck, and down his neck. “Wh-what? I thought this thread led to money, but are ya…Are ya serious?” His voice trailed off towards the end to be just above a whisper. His hands fidgeted, he shifted from side to side, nervously glancing at MC.
“Yes, I’m serious,” MC breathed out. “You’re my soulmate.”
Mammon pulled MC and slammed them into him. His arms clung onto them desperately. He breathed heavily, as if he had started bawling. The drops that fell onto MC’s shoulder confirmed he was indeed crying.
“I…MC, you’re better than any treasure or any amount of money,” he sobbed. “I never thought I’d be good enough, but you’re…” His voice was cut by his cries. His nuzzled his face into the crook of their neck, not wanting to ever let go of them.
Leviathan
MC glanced up at the golden thread and slowly started following it. It led outside of RAD and back to the House of Lamentation. They tilted their head, before their eyes widened in realization. There would only be one person at the house during school. Quickly, they swung open the door and ran up the stairs. Their feet carried them to outside the door before they hammered on it with a fist.
“I’m in a raid!” they heard Leviathan’s voice through the door. His voice was muffled as he was likely talking to the others playing the game. MC rolled their eyes and opened the door, making their way towards him. Their eyes peered at the golden thread attached to the gamer. His eyes were glued to the screen.
“Leviathan,” MC spoke.
Levi glanced at MC’s face and then back at the screen. “H-hold on! I’m almost done, promise!”
MC grabbed the seat Levi had bought them and rolled it over. Their eyes kept glancing at the thread connecting the pair. They restrained their hands from reaching out and grabbing him. Instead, they stilled their breathing and watched as Leviathan finished the raid.
Soon enough, the raid was over. Levi moved the headphones off his ears and around his neck. He glanced over at MC and paused. His eyes landed on the golden thread. They followed it and how it went to his chest. He jumped in his seat. “Wh-what is this?”
MC slowly reached out and grabbed his hand. They gave it a reassuring squeeze, knowing that the news would likely overwhelm the otaku. “It’s a thread that shows who your soulmate is.”
Leviathan was silent. His eyes kept darting at the thread and to MC. “But…Your thread is connected to…”
MC squeezed his hand again. “To you, Levi.”
Leviathan’s lip trembled. “B-but I’m…” He looked away with his eyebrows drawn close together. “And you’re.”
“You’re perfect for me, Levi,” MC whispered to him. They pulled on his hand to pull his chair closer to them. “I’m so happy you’re my soulmate.”
Levi looked back at them. Tears built up in his eyes. “You are? You’re not just saying that?” MC shook their head. Levi laughed through tears. He pulled them into a hug, his heart hammering away wildly. “I-I’m so happy. I’ll try my best to be a soulmate you deserve.”
Satan
MC followed the thread through RAD, but paused once they were at the beginning of a hallway. Their eyes glanced up seeing Satan standing at the end. He gave a small smile and made his way towards MC.
“Well, this is a pleasant surprise,” Satan spoke. “I was expecting something worse to be at the end of the thread.” He played with it lightly. “Do you know what this is for, MC?”
MC took a deep breath. “Solomon created a spell to show who your soulmate is.”
Satan’s eyes widened and his cheeks were dusted read. He felt his heart flutter with a comfortable warmth growing in his chest. “So this thread connects two soulmates together?” MC slowly nodded their head. Satan laughed with his eyes closed. After a moment, he calmed down. “I’m sorry, I’m just so happy.”
“You are?” MC asked with a smile.
“Of course.” Satan took a hold of their hand and intertwined his fingers with theirs. “Honestly, I didn’t know if I would have a chance at having a soulmate with how I came into being. In my mind, there was a very real possibility I wouldn’t have one. But now that I have one, I wouldn’t want anyone else to be my soulmate. I already love you. This just means that our love was destined.”
He paused as he gazed into their eyes, his expression softening. “Can I hold you?” MC moved to hug him. His arms wrapped around them tightly. “Thank you, MC.”
Asmodeus
Before MC could get far in their search, their D.D.D. buzzed. They pulled out their phone to see a selfie from Asmo.
Asmo: Anyone know what this thread is? I scared me when I was taking pictures, but I think it’s really compliments my eyes!
MC: Where are you?
Asmo: Outside of the bathroom, the thread is going somewhere.
MC: Follow it and I’ll meet up with you
Asmo: !!!
Asmo: I’ll see you soon! <3
MC quickly followed the thread, seeing Asmo skipping along. He paused when he saw MC before running up to them. He picked them up in his arms and swung them around while he laughed with joy. He set them down and examined the thread.
“Here I thought it complimented my eyes. It really brings out your eyes!” he gushed and softly caressed MC’s face. “Oh, you just look breathtaking with it, MC! I could just kiss you!” He winked at them before backing away. “But do you know what it is?”
“It’s a thread that connects soulmates,” MC spoke slowly, waiting for him to--.
Asmo squealed. “Soulmates?! Oh, this is amazing!” He tackled MC with another hug. “And I could ask for a cuter soulmate!” He pulled back and kissed their cheek. “Or a sweeter one!” He kissed their other cheek. “Or a more perfect one!” He giggled lightly as he gazed into their eyes, not to charm them, but to see the one he adored so much.
Beelzebub
MC’s feet took them to the fangol field, they gazed out at the team. A frown heavy on their face as they couldn’t tell exactly which player the thread was connected to. The whole team was gathered around someone that thread was connected to.
“Please be Beel,” MC muttered and made their way. “Excuse me,” they spoke and pushed past the intimidating demons. They glanced at them and parted like the sea when they gazed upon MC’s thread.
“MC?” Beelzebub spoke. His helmet was on the ground next to him. He blinked and looked at the thread. “Do you know what this is? I almost thought it was honey for a second. Now that I know it’s connected to you, I’m glad I didn’t bite it.”
“It’s a soulmate thread,” MC spoke. The other demons around them started whispering amongst themselves. “It means we’re soulmates.”
Beelzebub blinked. “Soulmates?” He thought for a moment, before his lips moved upwards. “That’s great!” He laughed quietly and picked MC up in a hug. “I always thought there was something special between us!” He placed MC back down on the ground with a small apology, but the smile on his face never fell. “Do you want to go get something to eat?”
“Beel! You have practice!” another demon whined. “You can’t just go and get something to eat.”
Beel blinked and looked at his teammate. “But MC’s my soulmate.”
MC laughed lightly. “Finish practice, Beel. I’ll be here when you’re done. I promise.”
Beel looked back over. “Are you sure?” When MC laughed and told him they were sure. He nodded his head. He placed a quick kiss to the top of their head. “Thank you, MC. I’ll try to hurry.” He ruffled their hair lightly before running off. He glanced back at them, his heart dancing in his chest when he gazed at his soulmate.
Belphegor
MC had found him napping on the bench, completely unaware of what was going on. They quietly made their way over to him and slowly sat down by his head. Their fingers found their way through his hair, enjoying how soft his hair actually was. Belphie let out a yawn and his eyes slowly blinked open. Feeling MC’s hand, he leaned into their touch and adjusted so his head was laying on their lap. He turned so he was looking up at them.
“MC,” he spoke with another yawn. “What’s that on your chest?”
“It’s on yours, too,” MC hummed to him.
Belphie’s eyes followed the thread to his own chest. “So it is. What is it? You’re supposed to pull pranks on Lucifer, not me.”
MC laughed lightly. “It’s not a prank. It’s a thread that shows who a person’s soulmate is.”
“Soulmate?” Belphie’s eyes widened. “Then that means…”
“You’re my soulmate.”
“My dreams have actually come true,” Belphie mumbled with a sleepy grin.
MC snorted out. “That’s cheesy.”
Belphie shrugged. “It’s true.” He turned on MC’s lap so that he was facing their stomach. His arms wrapped around them. “I’ve loved you for a long time. This doesn’t change anything for me, but it does make me happy.”
Diavolo
MC found their way to the council room. Their eyes widened when they saw the next king of Devildom with the golden thread. They found their words stuck in their throat when Diavolo’s amber eyes flickered to them. He smiled at them and made his way over.
“Ah, MC! I’m glad this thread has something to do with you. Would you care to explain what it is?”
MC tried to say something, but nothing would come out. Diavolo glanced back to Lucifer and Barbatos before motioning for them to leave. Once they were gone, he took MC’s hands and guided them to a chair and had them sit. He knelt in front of them and carefully watched their face.
“What’s wrong?” Diavolo questioned, his voice quiet. He gave their hand a reassuring squeeze.
“We’re,” MC started and took a deep breath. They looked away from him, almost scared of what he would think of the idea that he was soulmates with a human. “Soulmates.”
Diavolo was silent for a moment. “Soulmates?” he asked, his voice hopeful. His fingers hooked under MC’s chin and had them look at him. He was wearing a kind smile, with the corners of his eyes crinkling up. “Truthfully?”
“Yes,” MC nearly whispered. “You could tell if I were lying.”
Diavolo chuckled. “True. This is just such incredible news I had to be sure I heard you right.”
“You’re not upset?”
Diavolo’s eyes widened and he frowned. “Upset? No, MC. Just the opposite. I couldn’t be happier. I kept trying to think of a way that I could be with you with as little opposition as possible. There are still demons out there that don’t like humans. But with you being my soulmate, there is little room for argument for me being with you.” He leaned forward and rested his head on their shoulder. “This is the most wonderful gift. Thank you.”
Barbatos
Once MC stepped out of the classroom, their eyes widened. Barbatos was standing there in a portal. He stepped out, a look of relief on his face. He quickly made his way over to them and grabbed one of their hands.
“Finally,” he breathed out. He brought MC’s hand up to his lips and then against his cheek. He leaned into their hand. “You finally know.”
MC blinked, staring at him in shock. “You already knew?”
Barbatos hummed with his eyes fluttering shut. “I’ve known before you even started the exchange program. I’ve known before I even started serving Lord Diavolo.” His eyes slowly opened. “You have no idea how difficult it was for me to restrain myself. But now, I no longer have to hide it. I no longer have to hide how incredibly important you are to me, MC.” He lowered MC’s hand. “Please, may I hold you?”
MC moved into his arms. He squeezed them tightly against him. Their own arms squeezed him back. Barbatos buried his face into their hair, pressing a quick kiss to the top of their head. His shoulder shook ever so slightly.
“Are you okay?” MC questioned.
“Yes,” Barbatos responded in a whisper. “I knew this day was coming, but I didn’t realize just how happy I would be when it finally did after thousands of years of waiting. I’m so incredibly happy to hold you like this. Could we please stay like this for a few moments longer?”
Simeon
MC’s feet carried them to the courtyard where Luke was standing next to Simeon. His was muttering how a demon must have cursed the elder angel. MC laughed lightly at Luke’s accusations, drawing both of their attentions.
“Ah, MC!” Simeon stood from the bench he was sitting on. “I’m glad to see this thread leads to you. I must admit, Luke was making me a bit nervous with his theories.” He walked up to MC, watching as the thread grew shorter. “Do you happen to know what this is? It’s very beautiful, albeit strange.”
MC looked into his curious eyes, growing a bit flustered. “It’s the thread that ties soulmates together.”
Simeon’s eyes widened. “I knew Solomon was working on it, but I had no idea he actually got his spell to work.” His eyes kept darting between the thread and back to MC. “So that would mean we’re soulmates?”
MC nodded. “It does.”
Simeon laughed before pulling MC in to a hug. “Then that means I won’t end up like Lilith,” Simeon whispered so quietly that MC almost missed it.
MC pulled away with a frown. “What do you mean by that?”
Simeon ran his hands along MC’s arms, a sad smile forming. “Lilith was punished for loving a human. Until recently, I never came to fully realize just how horrible her punishment was. At least, not until I fell in love with you.” He chuckled lightly. “I’m supposed to love everyone equally, but with you, I can’t help loving you more. And this thread, this beautiful thread, shows that it’s okay for me to do so.” He pulled MC back in. “It’s okay for me to love you more. It’s more than okay.”
Solomon
He fell to his knees the instant he saw the golden thread connect him to MC. His buried his face in his hands as his entire body shook. “Thank goodness,” he kept muttering over and over. MC crouched next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up with tears in his eyes, but a smile on his face. “I was so worried.”
“Worried?” MC’s face scrunched up in concern.
Solomon nodded, he grabbed the hand that was on his shoulder. “I was so worried it wouldn’t be me.” He took a deep breath. “More than anything, I want you to be happy. I told myself that I would be happy for you, no matter who your soulmate turned out to be, but…” He felt the tears fall from his eyes and run down his cheeks. The lump in his throat made it hard to breathe as he felt more tears form.
MC used their free hand to wipe his tears before pulling him into a hug. His hands grasped desperately onto their uniform’s jacket, almost afraid that if he let go, they’d completely disappear. “It’s okay, Solomon.”
Solomon laughed through his tears. “It’s better than okay. I love you so much, MC. Now that I know…I can’t tell you how incredibly happy I am.” He pulled away and laughed more as he wiped his tears. “I’m a mess.” Taking a deep breath, he cupped both of MC’s cheeks. “I promise, I’ll do everything I can to make you happy, to make you smile every day. Not just because you’re my soulmate, but because I love you.”
1. You are responsible for your own media experience.
2. There is such a thing as a healthy level of avoidance towards topics that make you feel unwell or even (in a real-life clinical definition of the term) trigger you - but you are the one to actively take care of what you view.
3. Avoiding does not mean policing others.
4. You have no right to tell artists to censor themselves - you may criticize what others do, you may dislike it, that’s fine - but actively asking for censorship when you could easily unfollow or block a person just makes you look incompetent in your use of the internet.
5. Do not give people on tumblr or /any/ website the responsibility for your emotional well-being. Because these people do not even know you so no, you have no right to ask them to take care of you.
6. Content creators are not your parents and owe you nothing, not even a breakdown on why their content isn’t problematic. You don’t get to demand a dissertation denouncing any and everything unhealthy in a piece you don’t like. Move on.
7. Tagging is a nicety but not an obligation. You can message people, politely, and ask them to tag things, and many people will, but understand that it’s their blog and they aren’t obliged to say yes. Unfollow and block when you need to. Circling back to number 1, you are responsible for curating your own experience.
8. Don’t be a jerk. Remember at the end of the day, there are actual living, breathing people behind each screen name. Don’t say anything you wouldn’t say to someone’s face in real life.
