#But I can understand that Y’know games like that can be really fun! But a lot of multiplayer games (think like Fortnite-COD-etc) can be ful

[mossy-paws]

What R your hottest takes when it comes to gaming

MMMMMM I think the hottest and most controversial take I have is that young kids should not be allowed within a mile of any time of shooter/pvp game unless they have parental supervision- And no that is NOT because of the stupid “video games cause violence” sort of thing but it’s because of other people either being mean, rude, creepy, or just generally bad. This also applies to older kids being weird and uncomfortable as well- not just adults. People now a days are way way WAYYYYY too comfortable being gross on the internet and it defintely applies to games as well.

[blushweddinggowns]

“Your boyfriend,” Chirssy sighed as she picked through Nancy’s clothes, “Y’know, Steve?”

Robin blinked at her, “You think I’m dating Steve?”

That was a silly question, “Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I? You guys are all over each other.”

They were. Piggy back rides, cuddling on the couch together, constantly invading each other’s personal space. The only person worse with Steve was Eddie, but Chrissy figured that just came with being best friends for over a decade. She didn’t exactly have a frame of reference for that, considering her first real friends were barely six months old. 

Chrissy just hadn’t expected Robin to burst out laughing. Hard enough to double over.

Robin wiped at her eyes, barely managing to speak through her own cackles, “That’s-oh my god. How have we fucked up this badly?” 

Chrissy could feel a flush creep up her neck, embarrassment kicking in. She hated when she wasn’t in on the joke. It usually meant that it was actually on her,  “Don't be mean.”

“No!” Robin rushed out to say, effortlessly catching on to the look on Chrissy’s face, “No! I-I don’t mean- you’re not stupid! I am. We are. For… reasons. But we aren’t dating.”

That didn’t make any sense. Unless… was Steve leading her on? Was he the type of guy to do that?

Chrissy raised a brow at her, “So what are you doing? The two of you are attached at the hip. Unless he just drives you around everywhere for fun?”

Chrissy could tell Robin was still trying not to laugh. She was failing at it too, obvious as she hid it behind her hand. 

“Stop laughing at me,” Chrissy grumbled. 

“I’m not! I’m just laughing near you,” Robin said quickly. She turned to Steve, “Hey babe, can you come over here for a second?”

He came trotting right over, leaving Eddie to argue with Nancy in his place. He kind of reminded her of a dog, but in a cute way. Like a golden retriever boyfriend. 

Robin wrapped an arm around his shoulder the second he was within reach. She grinned at him, shaking him the slightest bit, “How would you feel about us going out some time?”

Steve stared at her, obviously confused, “Huh?”

“You, me,” Robin went on, “The whole boyfriend girlfriend shtick. What do you say?”

Chrissy didn’t expect to Steve physically cringe, like the idea completely disgusted him, “Ew, no.”

Robin scoffed but she didn’t look very surprised, “Fucking rude.”

“No!” Steve said, raising his hands to placate, “I don’t mean you’re gross! I mean it would be like banging my sister!”

It was Robin’s turn to cringe, “Dude, ew.”

“See!”

Chrissy didn’t understand what was happening. She stared at them, blurting the question out, “You guys aren’t together?”

Robin did a set of jazz hands, “Nope. Absolutely zero attraction between us. See?”

“But why?” Chrissy asked, looking between the two of them, “You both seem so perfect for each other.”

“Hey Eddie,” Steve called, a weird smile on his face, “What do you think? Are Robin and I perfect for each other?”

Suddenly Robin had that same look, “Yeah. He knows Steve better than anybody. Let's have him weigh in.”

Eddie groaned as he came over, clearly eavesdropping the entire time. He left Nancy to dig around her closet, walking up next to Steve with a sigh, “Are we really doing this? Really?”

Robin gasped, faking a faint, “Are you implying that I’m not good enough for Steve?”

Steve gasped right along with her, joining in with the dramatics while Chrissy was still lost, “I think he might be.”

“As fun as this little game is,” Eddie sighed, “I think we should just tell her. I’m tired of keeping my hands to myself anyway.”

Steve looked at him, head cocked, “You think so?”

“Why not?”

Steve shrugged, his eyes landing back onto Chrissy. His voice dipped down, more serious then before. He was talking like he was speaking to Eddie, but Eddie wasn’t the one he was staring down as he spoke, “It makes sense. I think the chances of it going badly are pretty low. The alternative wouldn’t be very wise.”

Chrissy was reminded, not for the first time, why she thought Steve was the scarier one of the best friend duo. 

But then Eddie was clamping a hand onto Steve’s shoulder, pulling him closer as he mumbled in his ear, “Put the claws away angel. I highly doubt she's like that. Plus she's been through enough for one day. Don't you think?”

It was actually pretty impressive, how easily a few words had Steve’s face transforming from scarily defensive to pleasantly neutral. It nearly looked like the words made him shiver, “I-you're right. Sorry Chris. I'm just… sensitive about it “

“I have no idea what’s going on,” Chrissy said, completely unable to accept an apology that she didn’t understand, “What is happening?”

And what did Eddie just call him? 

Eddie went on, “Well… we kind of have this thing when we’re in a near death experience. Or at least adjacent to it. Where we, well, kind of let loose? So we might as well warn you about what you’re going to see beforehand.”

Chrissy stared as Steve leaned further into him, nearly too close. No, definitely too close. He was basically nuzzling the side of Eddie’s face as he spoke, “You’re making it sound like we’re going to commit public indecency in front of her. And I’m the one who needs to calm down?”

Chrissy still didn’t get it. But her brain was still trying to work it out, fitting the weird pieces together. The way they were leaning into each other. The fact that Steve, for some bizarre reason didn’t want the best girl in the country, despite the fact that Robin was right there. How Eddie was instantly able to calm him down. 

Angel.

Oh. 

Oh. 

OH. 

“Uh, you okay there Chris?” Eddie asked, watching right at the realization hit her.

She was not okay. Not because of Eddie and Steve, but because this meant Robin was single. And she had been the entire damn time. 

Chrissy shook herself out of the stupid thought, just because she wasn’t taken didn’t mean she had a chance-

“Yeah, we’re kind of the queer trio over here,” Robin added, effortlessly grinding Chrissy’s train of thought back to a halt, “I um, probably should have told you sooner but piggybacking on their coming out seems appropriate.”

Nancy snorted, her outfit choices formalized as she walked over, “If you’re the queer trio what does that make me? The straight fourth wheel?”

They were all talking about it so casually. Like the thing that has plagued Chrissy’s mind for years, filling her with guilt and doubt, didn’t matter. It was normal, it was fine, and Robin liked girls.

She was pretty sure she was going to faint. But before she could her mouth was opening, “That’s- I - Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!”

Her voice came out more forceful than she expected. Though in her defense, she just found out that she had a real shot with her best friend the same day her life was in danger. She was feeling frazzled, but she corrected herself when she was met with silence, “I-I’m fine with it! Really! I j-just wish I had known.”

Nancy looked at her sympathetically, “Did you have a crush on one of them too? I get it, Steve got me the first time we started getting close. But I promise it’s not that hard to get over it.”

“No!” Chrissy said quickly, again with too much force, “I’m just surprised. T-That’s it. Everything’s fine.”

“Think you got the wrong category there Nance,” Steve mumbled under his breathe, yelping when Robin pinched his arm with a sharp glare. 

“Ignore him,” Robin said with a sad smile, “He doesn’t get everyone doesn’t have the gay gene.”

Chrissy nodded, her eyes trailing the flush that was going up Robin’s neck. Suddenly her mouth felt dry, the urge to correct her coming out full force. She shouldn’t tell them, right? It was wrong, it was bad, it didn't make sense. Because she knew they weren’t wrong. They weren’t bad. And Chrissy was so, so, tired of other people’s words invading her own thoughts. 

Nancy was laying the clothes out, the only one capable of getting everyone back on task, “Since it looks like neither of you were actually looking. I picked these out for you-”

“I have it,” Chrissy blurted out, her eyes still on the clothes on the bed. She refused to look up for any of their reactions, “The um, what you guys were talking about earlier. Me too. And I like the blue skirt.”

Nancy was the only one who didn’t miss a beat, “Ah, so now there’s four. Good for you. And I agree with the skirt, it will make you look a little taller with the heels and the elongation. We can get you to pass for a college student for sure. Robin, what do you think about the pink?”

from the next chapter of this fic

[maxlarens]

(last one for now) 🩷: Logan + (american 😤) football game 🥹

honestly this is how i think that me going to a american football game would go (at least re: not knowing whats going on). anyway loved this idea actually thank u 💝 can u tell i dont understand how american football works

cw: ummm slightly suggestive?

“Logan,” you sigh, “I’m sorry, I know this is fun for you, but what the fuck is going on down there?”

Logan laughs, tips his head back so you can see the line of his throat. Foamy beer sloshes over the rim of his plastic cup as he points an arm out, gesturing at players down on the field. You’ve got no real way to know who he means when he says words like Quarterback and Wide Receiver and Outside Linebacker. It’s a whole different language, never mind the way his accent has thickened since he’s been home. Vowels turning honey-sweet and long.

“You understand?”, he asks off the back of a long spiel that you definitely didn’t get.

You wince a little, shake your head, “All I got is that they’re chucking a ball around, Loges. Same as every other sport.”

Logan raises a blonde eyebrow at you, smile tugging charmingly at his mouth, “Every other sport?”

“Yuh huh. Tennis, soccer, footy— uh, padel. Even you guys, I guess.”

A snort, indelicate, childish as he waits for you to elaborate. Clearly intrigued to see how you’ll relate the two, “Go on.”

You shrug sheepishly, feeling a little embarrassed about your dumb joke, but persevering anyway, “Yeah, y’know. Twenty of you slinging your balls around the track every weekend.”

Logan, who’d made the mistake of taking a sip of his beer, bursts suddenly into laughter. Has to redirect the beer-spray that shoots out of his mouth onto the concrete steps below you. Not quick enough apparently, as some hits your bare knee. You can’t help joining in on his snickering as you wipe your knee dry with a napkin.

“Gross,” you complain.

“I’m gross?”

You raise an eyebrow at him, “Yeah. You spat on me.”

Logan’s cornflower blue eyes sparkle under the stadium light. You eye the smattering of blonde stubble as his jaw ticks. Mouth twisting in amusement.

He shrugs his broad, muscular shoulders, expression glinting with something familiar, “I’ve done worse.”

Something tingles down your spine as you bite the inside of your cheek. You raise both eyebrows at him in surprise, maybe just daring him to go on.

“Oh, have you?”, you bite, knowing for certain fact he has, just wanting to hear him say it.

He nods, a polite, perfunctory thing, says, “Yes ma’am,” pretends like he doesn’t know what that does to you.

You purse your lips like you’ve sucked on a sour lemon. Raise an eyebrow at him incredulously for what feels like the hundredth time today. Really, it asks.

His eyes are still bright and mischievous. Happy. The crowd erupts into cheers as some Quarterback or Linebacker or fucking whatever, scores a goal or a touchdown or something of that nature. Neither of you are looking— only at each other.

You grab for the plastic cup in Logan’s hand, in an attempt to stifle the electricity buzzing between you— it’s not the place, nor the time, “Gimme that.”

His lip curls up, satisfied, acquiescing the drink easily to you, “Sure thing, babe.”

A little breathless, a little warm, you gulp down lukewarm beer in an attempt to stifle the heat inside you.

“You’re fucken’ evil, Sargeant.”

He hums, “Yeah. You love it.”

what is it with logan and me making the drabble slightly h*rny. is it just because i’m writing it for u viv????? is it logan?????

[daytaker]

The Demon Brothers React to Watching a Horror Movie with You

CW: discussion of gore (Satan)

I didn’t include the dateables in this one but if people want that, y’know…let me know.

Lucifer

"You frighten yourself... intentionally? Interesting."

He fails to see the appeal, quite frankly.

Not only does he not find them scary, he doesn't understand why you watch them if you do.

He's too used to playing the babysitter to take you grabbing his hand as an excuse for physical contact. He interprets it as you tapping out, so he'll pause the movie and give you an out.

Of course, if you insist on finishing the movie regardless, that's an interesting choice in and of itself.

What an opportunity to observe a tortured human psyche at work.

If you insist on holding hands at this point, he won't fight it. He is a bit more dubious than before, though. Are you really doing this because you're scared? You wouldn't happen to have any ulterior motives, would you?

He will gladly reassure you after the movie is over that you are always welcome to come to him for comfort if you're afraid in the middle of the night. You know where his room is.

Mammon

"Just so we’re clear, I ain’t afraid of no horror movies. Not even a little! Not even a teensy-tiny bit, all right? Like, seriously."

He's lying.

This isn't even headcanon stuff, this is just common knowledge.

Also common knowledge: he will insist on proving how cool and brave he is by watching a horror movie with you and protecting you from the monsters and gore onscrEEAAAUUUUGH???!!!

He wasn't scared, he was just startled.

And he's only up here on the lights fixture because he remembered one bulb was flickering earlier. There. He fixed it. He's just being responsible.

Anyway, if you're nervous and want to hold his hand, he understands. Humans are fragile as hell.

In fact, you don't need to stop at hand-holding. You can just hug hiMYEEAAGH!!!!

He's hugging you instead. He's being a good demon and taking care of his human.

Yes, he's in your lap. He thought you'd feel more secure that way.

Stop laughing!

Leviathan

"So I read that the film set for this movie was cursed by a mangaka who never got credit as an influence for the story..."

Time for some J-horror, obviously.

He read up extensively on the production before asking you to watch it with him. He figures he'll be less terrified if he has plenty of background knowledge about the film as an artistic piece to remind him that the happenings onscreen aren't real.

Instead he found a bunch of rumors about how the movie was cursed. But he'd already poured so much of his valuable time into researching it. Sunk cost fallacy: activated! You're watching this damn movie.

He's scared. He's so embarrassed to be this scared but he's scared.

When he's by himself, he doesn't mind that he spooks easily. He likes it. That's the fun of horror games and movies.

But with you here, he feels the pressure to be your emotional rock during the harrowing film-viewing process.

You can hold his hand. You know, if you want to. He gets it if that idea grosses you out, but he did wash his hands right before you got here, so...

If he gets too scared, the demon form comes out, and suddenly you have a scaly tail wrapped around your waist and webbed fingers clutching you.

He's sorry, it's just... It just happens sometimes, okay? Laugh it up, normie!

Actually, it feels kind of nice when you stroke his scales like that. If you really want to, you don't have to stop.

He is no longer watching the movie.

Satan

"This is an extremely unrealistic depiction of decapitation with a hacksaw."

There is nothing less scary than watching a horror movie with Satan, because his smart ass can't stop telling you about everything wrong with it.

The movie is starting. Are you nervous? He'll hold your hand. He has enough basic sense to at least get that part of the process right.

...That's not even close to how it looks when you disembowel a deer.

There's a lot more blood spatter than you'd expect when head wounds are involved. Apparently the special effects crew on this movie didn't do their due diligence.

Hmm, that's actually a pretty convincing amputation scene. Credit where credit is due.

Sorry, but he thinks that calling this one a "psychological thriller" is giving it a little too much credit.

Asmodeus

"Nooo! Ahhh, I can't take it, it's so scaryyy!"

He's not scared. Not even a little.

He's not even grossed out.

But he thinks that seeming terrified is cuter than seeming mildly amused and a little bored.

So before you start watching, he makes sure to lay down some ground rules.

If he's scared, he gets to hold your hand. If you're scared, you get to hold his hand.

If he's scared, he gets to hug you. If you're scared, you get to hug him.

If nothing scary is happening for more than five minutes, he's allowed to request a kiss. Just to keep you both from getting bored.

Why are sex scenes in slashers so awful? Even before the stabbing starts. They're just so... blah. It's disappointing every time.

Ahhh! There's the killer! He's so scared! He's going to hide his face in your neck and cling to you for dear life!

Beelzebub

"What's wrong? Why do you look so sick?"

Bro will eat nonchalantly through the most brutal and gut-wrenching scenes of gore, entirely unaffected.

And he will.

He will do that, right in front of you, and not even have the decency to understand why you have to go vomit.

He doesn't really get most horror films. But occasionally something will resonate strongly with him and he will become very quiet and potentially fairly upset for awhile.

If something reminds him too much of Lilith or her death, for example.

But even if that happens, he won't stop eating.

Belphegor

"Wake me up if something interesting starts happening."

Another one who is entirely unaffected by horror.

Nothing is more horrifying than living as himself in this fucked up world.

He's very annoyed whenever Mammon or Levi watches anything horror-related because their screaming makes it hard to sleep.

He doesn't mind if you scream though.

He can fall asleep to the sound of you screaming.

Take that however you wish.

[the-bitter-ocean]

( ACT 3/ ACT 4 SPOILERS) This is part 6 of the many responses/ dialogue options I wrote for the conversation that Rewind and Mirabelle have on what Rewind’s identity truly is. To understand the full context you can find the original post here. Writing is under the cut:

{{ “So I suppose you must have a lot of questions for me don’t you? Theories as to who I might be?”}}

{ You do. You can’t help but feel overwhelmed by all of this.}

{{ “Let’s make this like a game so you can get to know me a little better. How’s that sound hm?”}}

{You nod slowly, still unsure.}

{{ “You get one guess for this so pick whatever feels right in your heart.”}}

{One guess?}

{Something about the way Riri speaks to you feels familiar. }

{ Someone dependable and willing to help you even in the most dire of circumstances. }

{ Someone who’s shown to care for you deeply over the course of this whole ordeal and in turn you have done the same for them as well. }

=> { You’re one of my allies. }

{“.. Are you.. Um. one of my allies ?”}

{Riri stares at you confused.}

{{“Which ally of yours do you think I am, Plum? I’m curious” }}

{ Rewind is….}

=> { Siffrin.}

=> { Isabeau. }

=> { Odile.}

=> { Bonnie. }

=> { Siffrin.}

{“… Um well.. maybe Siffrin?”}

{Riri confusion grows even more. She shakes her head}

{{“Mmm..Why’d you say that?”}}

{“.. We’ll you’re so mysterious .. and uhm you make fun of me sometimes, but it doesn’t feel like it’s meant to be in a mean way?”}

{“You seem so..nonchalant? Like you’ve seen it all before.. and well that’s the type of way Siffrin was when I asked him for help on the journey so..it just makes sense?”}

{“I don’t know. It just reminded me of them was all.”}

{Riri goes quiet. She’s lost in thought.}

{{ “..I remind you of your Rogue? For that reason..? That’s very..”}}

{She sighs clearly wanting to say something more, as if to correct you but brightens up in tone again}

{{ “Silly of you! I tease you because you just have the personality that makes it so easy for me to do!”}}

{{“You’re so adorable, don’t you know that?”}}

{Riri gently boops you on the nose. }

{You sulk.}

{{“..You guessed wrong. Sorry Plum!”}}

—————————————————————————————————

(ALTERNATE RESPONSES)

{Rewind is….}

=> { Siffrin.}

=> { Isabeau. }

=> { Odile. }

=> { Bonnie. }

=> {Isabeau.}

{“…Are you Isabeau?”}

{Riri confusion grows even more. She shakes her head}

{{“Wh- Huh?! You think I’m your Fighter? For what reason?”}}

{“.. Well you’re like really uplifting if that makes any sense? It seems like you just know how to cheer me up before I even could begin to tell you if I was upset. ”}

{“.. Isabeau is really good at that sort of thing. Plus you look.. really stylish? Ah in hindsight it’s probably a stupid answer, sorry.”}

{“I don’t know. It just reminded me of them was all.”}

{{“…No, I’m not your Fighter.”}}

{{“As cute as it is that you think I’m anything like him, it’s not true.”}}

{{“I think that even someone who excels at Changing like him… would have a hard time changing into something like me.”}}

{ What’s that supposed to mean-}

{{“Anyway you guessed wrong. Sorry Plum!”}}

—————————————————————————————————

{Rewind is….}

=> { Siffrin. }

=> { Isabeau. }

=> { Odile. }

=> { Bonnie. }

=> {Odile.}

{“…Are you Madame Odile?”}

{Riri confusion grows even more. She shakes her head}

{{“….? You think I’m your Mage? Why?”}}

{“.. You just.. seem to be really knowledgeable about a lot of things and you’re very..reflective?”}

{“You get really quiet sometimes- like you’re thinking of a bigger picture that I couldn’t even begin to understand, y’know?”}

{“..Madame is really good at planning strategies and figuring out the best ways to solve a problem, kind of like what you do when you talk with me.”}

{“I don’t know. It just reminded me of her was all.”}

{{“…Hm. That’s awfully sweet of you to say but no! I’m not your Mage.”}}

{{“If I was anywhere near as smart as her, I’d have solved both of our problems regarding this whole time loop business by now.”}}

{ “Huh? Wait but-“}

{{“Anyway! I hate to say it but you guessed wrong. Sorry Plum!”}}

—————————————————————————————————

{Rewind is….}

=> { Siffrin.}

=> { Odile. }

=> { Isabeau.}

=> { Bonnie. }

=> { Bonnie.}

{“…Are you Bonnie?”}

{Riri confusion grows even more. She shakes her head}

{{“..?! You think I’m B-..Your Apprentice?”}}

{Rewind looks at you dumbfounded.}

{ Rewind puts a hand over where their hypothetical mouth would be, if she had one and laughs at you.}

{{“Do you really think I’m that childish?”}}

{“Wh- NO!! Not like that at all!!”}

{“You’re just hard to read. N-Not in a bad way!”}

{“I don’t know why.. but I get the feeling you’re trying really hard to not get close to me?”}

{“.. But I don’t think you hate me either. It’s clear you care a lot about me and want to help me. So it’s just a little confusing on where I stand with you.”}

{“..Bonnie gets like that too sometimes. They want to help however they can in their own unique way even if they can be stubborn about it.”}

{“I don’t know. It just reminded me of them was all.”}

{Rewind looks away from you.}

{{“That’s a very strange conclusion for you to reach.”}}

{{“No, I’m not your Apprentice.”}}

{{Rewind puts on a sing songy tone as she speaks.}}

{{“I’ll have you know I’m an adult, thank you!”}}

{{“I consider it a good thing… im thankful that I’m not your apprentice.”}}

{{“I don’t want to even think about the possibility of someone that young being in my..”}}

{{“…”}}

{…?}

{“Being in your what-“}

{{“Moving on now! Point is, your guess was wrong. Sorry Plum!”}}

[coral-melon]

Heya!! CM! (Get it your user!)

Its 🍓 again :3

Would you be able to write imagine/hc thingys how they would react to seeing your human form for the first time when you go to the human world with them! Im thinking along the flustered fluff/ possibility suggestive thoughts about mc =^=

Any of the brothers/dateables u want! But if your looking for specific just mammon & levi as personal preference :3

(AFAB preferred but No description of gender js cool too :3 )

Aghhh sorry this is worded so weird I’m not the best leaving suggestions i feel too askyy ;^;

Your writing is lovely and i can’t wait to see more!!

- 🍓

Hello again -🍓! Love the ‘CM’ nickname! And by all means, ask whatever you want and however much you want! I’ll always make the time to write any requests~

Also sorry for taking so long; I really wasn’t too sure how to write this, and I’m sorry but I kinda tweaked it and lil bit.. ^^’ I was going to make everyone but I ended up only doing Mammon cuz I thought it would’ve been a very long post. BUT! I can most definitely make separate posts for each of the brothers if that’s something you and others want!

A and as always, if it sucks just lemme know! Constructive criticism is always welcome >;)

Cotton Surprise

Obey me! Mammon x Sheep!MC

Genre: Fluff, crack/shenanigans, slightly suggestive

What’s it about?: Seeing your human form for the first time!

Not that many but They/them pronounce; mainly AFAB

A throwback to Lesson 19 from the original game but tweaked it as well

Edit: ((There were minor changes cuz someone made a comment that pointed out to me how maybe some people didn’t understand what I was telling. Totally my fault ^^’🙏))

None of them ever understood why you turned into a sheep. It happened as soon as you first arrived to Devildom. But the more time they spent with you, they got used to it — some even forgetting you’re a human all together.

One day, most of the Brothers were sitting together in the living room. It was mostly quiet until Asmo brought the question: “Hey, What do you guys think MC looks like if they weren’t a sheep?”

It left them a bit dumbfounded that they hadn’t even thought about it. They got so used to you being a sheep so it kinda just slipped their mind. It also got them to start bickering a ton of what they thought you’d look like.

— “What’s with all the commotion?” A voice interrupts their conversation. Lucifer walks in with you in his hand, talk about perfect timing!

— “We were just talking about what MC looks like if they were in their human form.” Beel explains.

— “Oh right.. none of you have seen them.” Lucifer remarked, chuckling softly under his breath.

— “What does that mean?” Satan says with already irritation in his voice.

— “Well, it’s only right that I know what MC looks like. I was the one who picked them, after all.”

This got many of them heated! Jealous that Lucifer was pretty much the only one that knows. Mammon, Levi and Asmo were whining about how that’s not fair, Satan was gritting his teeth, and Beel along with Belphie just sat quietly watching the scene. They quieted down once you said, “I could just describe what I look like, y’know.”

All of them gathered around like a bunch of kindergartners getting ready to listen to a story book. They payed such close attention to every detail you said and tried to visualize it in their head to the best of their ability. It only made them even more eager to see you for themselves.

And it didn’t happen until the very last moments before you had to go back to the human realm..

… With a true loves kiss! >;D

Cliché, I know. - -’

Mammon

After dipping the House of Lamentation, he ends up in who knows where but more importantly, away from Levi. After he was done huffing for air, both of you start laughing from the absolute fun of stupidity you guys had. You couldn’t help but think about how odd it must’ve look from someone else’s perspective.

You two eventually eased off and took the time to catch your breaths. And then realize the beautiful view you guys have of Devildom. He sits you down gently on the thick stone fences while he rests his body on it. There was a short, soothing silence between the both of you — a soft, cool breeze blowing while you watching the city lights together. Mammon eventually brakes the silence and says,

“Y’know what? It’s always fun whenever you’re around.. I’m always smilin’ and laughin’ when we’re together. There’s never a dull moment..” he says softly; when you look up at him, he’s not looking at you but can tell he has a blush decorating his cheeks.

You smile at him warmly, before looking down at your tiny trotters. You were a sheep till the very end.. you had fun, but you can’t help but get a little sad thinking about it. Like just now, you would’ve been able to run away with him instead of being carried like a pillow.

“W-Who needs the human world, eh? You don’t gotta go back! I want you right here in Devildom, I want you here with me, all the time..!” Mammon looked straight at you, you perked up at him once he said that. He looked at you as if you were the greatest treasure he’s ever had. He wasn’t kidding around, such an unusually serious and determined face…, you felt butterflies in your stomach.

There was a silence again, you looked at him with in awe eyes. He slowly leans in, you leaning slightly forward.. letting whatever was going to happen, happen. Until finally, his lips reached you.

☁︎ —Poof— ☁︎

Light clouds suddenly surrounds you, Mammon was completely taken aback; and then he just freezes. When the clouds disperse, it revealed you.

You felt.. different. Blinked a couple of times before you looked down again. And to you completely surprise, the troopers you looked at but merely a few seconds ago were replaced with hands! You touched your face, your hair, your legs.. they were all back! You give a yell for joy, your curse has been broken! But then you also realize how you didn’t have any clothes on… you looked at mammon — who had his face completely red and eyes glued on you, completely frozen in place. Which made you freeze for a moment.

(Him)→ ╭( ⸝⸝๐_๐)╮ (○□○) ←(you)

— “AAAAAAAHHH!!!”

— “AAAAAAAHHH!!!”

You tried to cover yourself to the best of your ability; but first of all, you can’t really cover much. Second, he already saw everything! Both of you were very flustered, embarrassed, and still shocked by what just happened. You weren’t a sheep anymore! What’s up with that?!

Thankfully, Mammon at some point finally snaps out of it and covers you with his uniform’s blazer. You grip onto it tightly and covering yourself to the best of you ability. You mutter him a ‘Thank you’ under your breath. But both of you were still quite frantic, looking at each other with wide eyes while huffing to calm you nerves.

“Aha! …Found you!” A voice suddenly says from a short distance. It was Levi!

“Oh shit..”

“Mammon, Give me back my moneeey!!”

“Yikes! Time to go!” He says, lifting you up into his arms and making a run for it. And man did he run! He probably ran faster than when he was being chased by Lucifer. Levi didn’t see it coming’.

You were in a daze, you’ve been carried by him countless times.. but today you felt like a princess that’s been swooped by Prince Charming — a very peculiar one, but still charming.

He — at some point — stops running and hid in whatever corner he thought was good enough so that Levi wouldn’t find you two. With his back to the wall, he collapses to the ground. With you still in his arms but making sure you didn’t fall. You can’t help but laugh and pull him into a tight hug.

Mammon felt like his face was going to explode any second now, he just couldn’t believe that he was holding the actual you — and naked at that! But whatever was going through his head completely perished once he heard your lovely laugh. You were so happy.. embracing him with all your new found excitement. It felt like it was only the two of you in the whole word, so nothing else mattered.

“You broke my curse, Mammon!” You say. When I say this guy’s ego got inflated, I mean it. He felt like nothing could stop him now. That’s right! The great Mammon just did that! No one else!

He takes a closer look at you face; he always kept in mind all of the details you said that day, but you looked way better than what he had imagined. He couldn’t believe his eyes…

You suddenly pull him in and give him a passionate kiss; and oof, was he over the moon! After that one, he starts feeling greedy. Just one kiss isn’t enough..!

—☁︎

Later on, he bought you a few clothes since, of course, you didn’t have any. And decide to go back home.

When he went back to the House of Lamentation, he wanted nothing more than to just sneak in without his brothers knowing. But much to his dismay, Levi was already waiting for him at the gates. And when he realizes that the person he’s holding is you, he goes hysterical and now the rest of his brothers know..

“Oi, that’s enough! Step aside! Can’t ya see MC needs to get to their room??”

He’s always looked out for you.. from beginning to end. You felt like you were falling in love with him all over again. It was hard to believe that life here was coming to an end.. You want to make the most of it before having to go back home. But at the moment, you just wanted time to stay still, just for a moment..

End

I had a lot of fun writing this! So tysm for requesting it -🍓. Tho again, I’m sorry for not really completing what you asked for.. I still hope I was able to put a smile on your face! Take care~

[junicult]

contains ; sfw. budding romance. fem!farmer. a bit of ooc!maru. unestablished feelings. maru just wants to stir the pot 😁!

note ; i don’t even know where this came from.

lmfao i’m just thinking abt maru that definitely knows somethings going on between you and harvey just because she works at the front desk of the clinic.

aside from the first few times you came in to say hello, acquaint yourself with the two during the first couple weeks you were in town—it started to stand out much more that you weren’t just stopping in to greet her as well.

in fact, she’s seen you walk into the clinic even on her days off. she knows you’re not coming to see her.

it started off brief, she’d raise her head to the chime of the glass door opening, seeing you walking in with a smile. “is it an emergency?” she’d ask, scanning you while you quickly shook your head, “ah, no. i’m just here to say…hi.”

you were always polite about it; when she was behind the counter, you’d ask her questions about her day if it wasn’t busy. you at least pretended like she was the reason you came in.

but when you’d disappear in the back for a good while, she’d hear the laughter come from your throat and the shy hum of her boss’ voice through the thin walls.

she wasn’t naive. in fact, it became one of the highlights of her day.

by this point, she was already well aware of what was going on. so why not make it enjoyable for herself as well?

here you are again—she’s lost count of how many times it’s been. for a while she just started telling you how it is; “he’s in the back,” or when she’s feeling particularly bored, “you already know where he is,” just to see your eyes widen and your lips purse coyly.

however, this time it happened to be a very slow day. she’s been sitting behind the counter twiddling her pen for an hour now. she already finished up any extra work she could occupy herself with; now it was just a waiting game.

until you walked in, and she perked up a little.

“hey farmer, how’s it going?” she asks, slapping on a smile and tilting her head.

“i’m good, maru. how’re you? how’s that robot you were working on?” you’re sweet, but she can tell from the way your gaze darts to the door that you weren’t expecting to stop and chat.

“really good! and how’s the farm doing?” she leans in, propping her chin in her palm.

you let out a light laugh, “wonderful. just picked up some extra seeds, actually.” you gesture towards your bag, making it seem like coming into the clinic was only just because you were nearby; yet you both know that isn’t the case.

“oo, what kinds?” maru chirps, feigning much more interest then she actually cares for.

you lick your lips, once again your gaze fixing towards the door, before you plant your feet on the wrong side of the counter since the conversation doesn’t appear to be ending.

“y’know, just some seasonal ones. radish seeds, and i was low on wheat.” you recap, easily a little awkwardly.

“ahh,” she nods in understanding, hardly though.

you sit in silence for a moment. to you, it’s stiffening, it makes your eyes wander anywhere else besides her. but to maru, it’s the most interesting thing that has happened to her all day. seeing your lips purse, and looking down when she hears you softly crack your knuckle.

“so, uh… is—i’m gonna…” you mumble, taking an awaiting step towards the door, before she grins.

“oh! duh. give me a minute, he’s been busy with a couple patients all day so let me see if he’s free.” she straightens up, warm grin on her cheeks.

which isn’t something she’s ever had to do, and that was for a reason—because she’s never needed to. but what’s the harm in allowing her in on a little fun, right?

she hardly stifles her laugh when she turns away, pushing against the door just across the hall where she knows he sits patient-less—just like he always is when you come in. it’s clear you’ve discussed his schedule before, which is why you’re probably raising your eyebrows out in the lobby.

“harvey, the farmer’s here for you. like usual.” she feels inclined to add, leaning against the handle of the door.

“oh!” he turns in his chair, eyes flicking to the clock on the wall before he looks at her. “is she hurt?” it’s impossible to miss the instant worry in his tone.

obviously he’d assume so, maru has never come in to let him know of your presence.

“nope!” she smiles, “want me to send her in?”

he blinks for a moment or two, so amusing, before he nods with a hum.

and just before she closes the door she gets to see him take a quick peek in the mirror, reaching up to ruffle his hair.

“alright, he’s free. ‘round the corner, you know where he is.” maru chaffs, nodding her head in the direction.

you briefly laugh, still dripping in awkwardness that only makes her entire evening.

but, if there’s one thing about maru, it’s that she’s quite nosy. it’s unbelievable how badly she wants to ask about it.

it’s clear from the way you’re always together, seen in public, and even sometimes at festivals she’ll look over to see you talking his ear off—that you’re into him.

and from all the times she’d mention your name just to see his eyes flicker, his posture straighten, and his hands slightly tremble—he’s into you.

hell, even the times when she’d be standing in the same room as you two, watching the overly expressive eye contact, the fleeting touches; it felt like she was watching a live rom-com.

whether you both realize it or not; she does. which only makes it so much more enjoyable on her end.

[blackenedsnow]

Trans reader x Beej? 🙏 I love reading your work, btw! 😊

ghost light

WARNING: None

PAIRING: Beetlejuice x Transgender! Reader

NOTE: Hey!! Thank you so much, this one’s got a big chunk of heart <3 I actually got some help from a trans friend to make this as real as possible. I love hearing from you all, so don’t hesitate to send more asks or thoughts <3

SUMMARY: It’s a weird thing being with Beetlejuice, but it’s also the most fun you've ever had. He makes you feel like yourself in a way no one else does – loud, strange, and totally alive.

There’s something about Beetlejuice that just feels right, in the loudest, strangest way possible. Even on the bad days, when you don’t quite feel like you fit into your own skin, he’s there with that wild grin and endless antics, making you feel like you could belong somewhere. It’s not that he really gets it – you're not even sure he really understands half of what you tell him about yourself, your past, the weirdness of figuring out who you are. But he listens, sort of, as best as Beetlejuice can.

“Wait, you mean to tell me you got a whole… thing with your body?” he says, scratching his scraggly chin with this exaggerated look on his face, like he’s really thinking hard about it. “That’s gotta be a real trip. Personally, I think you’re lucky – I don’t even have skin problems. Or organs. Or haircare needs!"

You laugh because that’s the thing with him. He has this gift of making everything feel like one big, surreal joke – but not in a dismissive way. It’s like he’s lifting the weight right off your shoulders, letting you laugh at yourself in the best possible way.

“Don’t you ever get tired of being you?” You ask, half-joking, half-curious.

He looks at you with these glowing eyes, brows wiggling in a way that’s simultaneously ridiculous and, well, somehow...charming. “Oh, honey, being me is the best gig in the Underworld! And you? You’re pretty good at being you, too, y’know?”

You roll your eyes, feeling that warmth bloom in your chest, the way he can just make everything feel like it’s already okay. And even though his teeth are gross and he’s grinning a little too wide, you believe him.

It’s like he understands the parts of you - you sometimes try to hide – the doubts, the days where you wonder if anyone will really see you the way you are. But with Beetlejuice, you feel seen in a way you never have before, like your weirdness fits perfectly with his own.

“You think I’m good at it?” You say, trying to keep your tone casual. “What’s my thing then? Just…being, I dunno, strange?”

He throws his hands up, a look of mock offense on his face. “Strange? You’re one-of-a-kind, babe. An original! If there was a pageant, I’d parade ya around like a prize! You’re the whole package!”

It’s over-the-top, ridiculous even. But it makes you laugh.

It’s not all fun and games, though. Sometimes, when you're alone, he’ll look at you in this quiet way, without the show or the wild grin. It’s rare, but it’s there – like he really, actually cares. And maybe that’s why you stick around. You think, in his own odd way, he sees you, all of you, even the messy, uncertain parts. And he loves you for it.

One night, you're lying on the creaky old bed in his little corner of the Netherworld, and he’s uncharacteristically quiet. You're lying there beside him, feeling his gaze on you, intense and curious, like he’s trying to figure something out.

“So, what’s the deal with you wanting to change so much?” he asks, in this genuinely curious way, like it’s just a passing thought. Beetlejuice is hundreds of years old, you have to explain a lot to him. “I mean, you’re pretty great as you are, kid. And trust me, I’ve been around long enough to know greatness when I see it.”

You smile, looking down at your hands, feeling a little of that doubt creeping back in. “It’s…complicated. Sometimes, I just don’t feel right in my own skin, like it doesn’t really match, y’know?”

He nods, though you're not sure he fully understands. But it’s the fact that he wants to that makes it matter.

“Look,” he says, leaning over so close that you can see the glint in his eyes, “whatever skin you’re in, I think it’s damn near perfect. Got it?” He grins, flashing those nasty teeth again, but there’s a warmth to it that makes your chest ache.

He pulls you close, wrapping his arm around your shoulders, you let yourself relax into his embrace. You let yourself believe him – even if just for a moment – because in this strange corner of the world, you're exactly who you need to be.

[boyfhee]

⌕ TAKE TWO ━━ 23 : leaving for good

PRECIS. while riki constantly assured you that him being an idol under a different label wouldn't be an issue in your relationship, you start getting second thoughts when fans start shipping him with his co-mc at music bank.

w : angst but r we surprised ( 2.03k )

note : haha guys enjoy !!!!

“are you breaking up with me?” riki’s words are laced with confusion and disbelief. you both were getting better, you talked— sure, a few loose ends were left untouched. there were questions yet to be answered, but nothing quite led his assumptions to this conclusion, even in the worst scenarios. “answer me, yn,” 

“you asked if i could give you another chance and i did that. now, i don’t think i have any more chances to spare,” and what else were you supposed to say? that you feel guilty for hiding the truth, or that you can’t even bring yourself to give him the actual reason why you’re breaking up? the only reason why you wanted to have the first say in whatever you both were to discuss was because you didn’t trust yourself. “i think we’re better off without each other,” 

because you came here to tell him everything and perhaps, make him feel less guilty about himself and his actions, but now you don’t know where all the determination went the moment riki took the lead. 

“this doesn’t make sense,” you hear him murmur under his breath, a deep sigh escaping his lips. “is it because i didn’t explain things to you sooner?”

“it’s not about you,”

“we can make amends,” and it pains you to see hope in his eyes. 

“riki, this isn’t about you and no, we can’t ma—”

he takes a sharp breath. “well, then tell me what it’s abo—”

“i kissed jungwon,” a pause, a short session of silence follows. you don’t quite understand the depth of your words until you’ve already said it. “i don’t know how or why it happened. we were just talking, he confessed, and i kissed him. i can’t even sort out my own feelings and this is unfair to you.” and you’re just waiting for him to say something before you lose composure.“we should break up,” 

you did plan on telling him, really, in all honesty. that was the plan, the reason why you decided to meet him again, but once again, when have plans ever worked in your favour? he deserved to know the whole story, just not like this, not when you both are in the middle of a probable breakup with your relationship hanging by a string. this discussion wasn’t even planned because you thought riki wouldn’t question your decisions or the break up. in fact, you expected him to anticipate the same. you didn’t want to keep things from him, not after what happened, you just didn’t know how to put everything in words until it fell off your mouth like wind in jet streams. 

but you are here either way, sitting in front of him, fiddling with your fingers, mind blank, silence stinging like poisoned darts. you’re not expecting anything, not after what you’ve done, but you want him to say something— anything. you want him to yell at you, call you a cheating lying bitch, curse you out, anything but silence. yet still, riki keeps his mouth shut. his eyes widened for a brief second, you guess that he wants to speak, but words never leave his mouth, and when they do, you feel like the ground has shifted below your feet. 

“i had feelings for miya,” it takes you a second to realise that you both were finally playing the truth game, stripping each other off the facades. “it doesn’t make sense. she was annoying, she wanted to hang out all the time. she was demanding. but, i started liking those demands, y’know? it was fun, i liked having someone to hang out with while you weren’t there, made me feel less lonely, to put it straight. and then things escalated, i wanted to see her more. maybe that’s why i got mad whenever you’d bring her up. i was scared you’d find out, but now that i know the kind of person she is, i’ve lost a friend, and i’m close to losing you,” 

now, the silence is on your side. 

you’re not holding back any tears, your hands aren’t shaking, you’re not in disbelief or feeling utter betrayal. you’re not heartbroken to the point from where, there’s no recovery. if anything, you’ve come to terms with reality. despite the fear and insecurities, a part of you has always been aware of whatever was going on between him and miya. romantic or not, it didn’t matter. you simply knew she was one of his very first priorities, probably even before you. right now, it’s not his words that hurt you the most, but rather, they make you question the very basis of your relationship. how many times did he ignore you for her? was there a time when you weren’t his first priority? 

how many times did riki say i love you to you and it was meant for someone else? 

“would i have dated her if you had never found out? probably, and that makes the two of us equal,” and his words now give you the answers to your questions, sort of. 

probably more than you can count on your fingers. 

“no, it does not,” you argue back, voice a little louder, turning heads in your direction as you pause before speaking at a much lower amplitude. “i kissed jungwon,” 

but, he never cheated on you, did he? 

“it was a mistake,” riki says softly, lips pressed together between words. “you were scared, you were having a hard time, and people tend to accept every ounce of affection in hard times. you’re owing up to your mistakes, i did the same. i think we’ll be fine,” at this point, it’s not you who he’s trying to convince, but himself. his heart that is beating at an enormous rate, every pump of blood that feels like a knife twisting in his chest, every breath that threatens to collapse his lungs, he’s telling his mind that the pain will be over, that there’s still a chance. 

but riki doesn’t know where he stands, where you both stand. the damage was done, he is aware of all the tears and night it had cost. your decision is probably right, breaking up would be the best. sunghoon has been telling him to take some time off, he’s exhausted, he needs a break, but is it really easy to drop your first love and pretend nothing ever happened? to ignore everything you two had, to forget all the firsts and all the promises about being each other lasts, to discard the polaroids in his dorms that take him back to the moment they were taken, is it really as simple as it sounds, or is moving on a luxury only for people in movies and novels? 

“can you just get mad at me? i don’t know, curse me out, yell at me, say you never want to see me again,” you’re knee-deep in desperation. your veins are no longer carrying blood, it’s the guilt oozing out of your heart. “please, make this easy for me,” 

and even at this point, even when you’re the villain in your own story, when the pain he’s feeling is probably multiple folds severe than yours, when the scars you gave him in return are much deeper than the cuts he left you, you’re still begging him for mercy, to let you go because it makes things easier for you. 

“is it necessary?” his voice is tender, sadness pooling in his eyes. “we came clean. so, what’s the point of hurting ourselves, yn?” 

“and if we get back together, can i count on you?” it’s not a question for him. more or less, they’re the words you’ve been asking yourself over and over again, and when you can't find the answers, you direct them to him. “what are the chances that this will not happen again? how sure are you about your feelings for me? how are you sure that what you’re feeling is for me and not for someone else? what are the chances that you will not fall for someone else while claiming to be in love with me, and what are the chances that i won’t kiss jungwon again?” 

loving was never supposed to be easy. you were young, you kissed under the street lights, you held hands on your way back home, you drank from the same cup, that was love for you and riki when you started dating, where the thoughts about breakups and moving on didn’t even cross your minds. but you grow, the problems you face are no longer about not being able to text and bid a sweet goodnight, and most importantly, sometimes the solution isn’t to kiss and make up. 

if you’re being honest, loving was never for you. you had your own demons, he had his own issues. ‘tell me your problems and i’ll make them mine,’ only sounds good in fiction. in real life, when you’re sitting in front of the love of your life while talking about breaking up, nothing haunts you more than what has been caving inside your mind. at that moment, every single weakness surfaces and suddenly, you no longer think about how the other person is feeling. you kissed jungwon because you were in pain, you didn’t think about the effect it would have on riki or jungwon himself. riki turned to miya because you were absent, not knowing the depths of his actions and the harm it could potentially cause. 

so, at the end of the day, loving was never meant for the two of you, at least not now. the only thing written in your fates was leaving for good.   

“you’re right, we could get back and pretend none of this ever happened. but, riki, i can’t even look you in the eyes,” it’s true, to some extent, yes. you’re sitting here, you’re talking, you’re still in love, not sure with whom, it isn’t any different for him either. forgetting everything that happened would be easier, but you’re not sure how long you two will last. “ask yourself again, do you want this relationship because you still love me, or do you want it because you want to save yourself from heartbreak?” 

“we’re breaking up for good, aren’t we?” you notice the corner of his lips perk up, an ironic smile settling on his face, because who even breaks up for good? all those movies about leaving because you love the person and want them to be happy never made sense to riki. 

what’s so happy about breakups, anyway? 

“it’s the best for us,” you nod, after all, it’s the best for you two, right?  

and yet, it’s not in the best interest of you two. he wants to stay, you want to leave, the ‘good’ part of breakup, he doesn’t see it. riki never understood the hypothesis behind the good breakups and the breakups that happened while two people were still in love. you don’t throw away a cake even when you’re hungry, he thinks it’s the same logic. to leave the person you love the most for ‘better’, to spend days and nights and afternoons thinking about them and torturing yourself over and over, to drown in endless yearning and the lingering memories— he’d rather have it the other way. 

if you’re the sun, riki wants you to burn him, if you're the moon, he wants you to freeze him cold. love, for riki, is not something that puts him to bed but rather, it’s something that takes away his sleep every night. so, leaving for good doesn’t make sense to him, for he simply wants you back, in any way, any form. even if you return to him as a ghost, it’s fine, he wants you to haunt him forever. 

a theatrical confession, he doesn’t say it out loud. it would be stupid, but you seem to know what he’s thinking, the tears brimming your eyes tell him that. 

“this is probably going to sound stupid, but i want to ask you just one question,” you hold your breathe. “in future, if you find yourself in a position to fall in love again,”

“will you fall for me?”  

PREV | NEXT | MASTERLIST

[pokegalla]

Requested by @tryslogic

A little comfort and fluff for the soul✨

How will these Sans AUs comfort their S/o when they dissociate themselves after hearing bad news?

Fresh:

* Fresh is a fun guy to be with and you’re his S/o. He’s always ready to take you out for some fun and mischief! But he’s quick to catch on when you started acting different. Now he’s not very good with understanding emotions…..but he’s smart enough to know if it’s something not good. This was a clear bad sign and he’s already by your side once he’s figured it out.

* How he approached you was rather blunt- “Wassup brah? You not feeling yourself? Ain’t been getting yer messages in awhile.” He’s pretty casual about it and doesn’t seem concerned. Just genuinely curious. It only confuses him more when you don’t answer. So when you DO explain about receiving bad news and your dissociation as a sort of emotional whiplash…..he just stares at you…..then with a straight face says “Wat Dat? Is that like a rollercoaster-?” You swear if you didn’t love him, you would have punched him but instead you can’t help but laugh.

* But that’s definitely how he’s gonna help you! Making you laugh and come out of your shell bit by bit. He’ll get you your favorite snacks and chill with you the entire day in your home, playing games and snuggling. Once he sees you feeling better, he’ll look….surprisingly relieved. It’s odd he can’t feel emotions. But he does always feel…..something when he sees you smile. Something special.

* He wants to protect that special something you have together❤️

Lust:

* He’s a wonderful bone-friend and he’s very sweet as he always will give you the space you need. So when he notices you not messaging as much, he at least keeps messaging you sweet words of confirmation, letting you know that he still loves you and gives you multiple cute compliments with cute emojis as well✨ he usually waits until you tell him what’s wrong or say that you wanted to talk. Once you do, he immediately goes visit you.

* He comes over already with sweets and coffee from a nice bakery just for the two of you to share while you both talked about what’s wrong. “C’mon love…..you can take your own time. But know that I’m here for you.” You can’t help but feel much more comfortable as you tell him your recent situation and how drained you felt. “Awwww you poor little thing~ I’ll make sure to take care of you~”

* And he was not kidding on that. He ended up giving you a fun little spa day at home! Giving each other face masks, mani-pedis, washing your hair, massages, that skellie spoiled you rotten- by the end of the day, you two were cuddling in each other’s arms. He made sure you were ok by flirting and complimenting you…..and seeing you blush was just a nice bonus~. He’d be so happy to see you feeling better, he’d smother you in kisses.

* He’s your little Casanova! He wants to make sure his sweet S/o is happy no matter what!

Blue:

* Blue is a little confident sweetheart! At least he tries to be confident. Deep down he’s quite the Worrywart for the people he cares about. So seeing you distance yourself rang a lot of alarm bells for Blue. But oh he was so hesitant to confront you about it. What if he bothered you? What if he was overthinking? Oh what if HE was the reason you were upset?! He had to snap himself out of it. Whatever the case may be, it was his job to help his S/o!

* He kinda tries to dance around trying to ask you what’s wrong by asking questions about your day, if you’ve eaten anything, Y’know just making sure you’re ok. But when you question his concerns, he finally says it. “Well you’ve been….distant. And I didn’t know how to ask you directly. I’m sorry if I did anything wrong-“ you of course stop him right there. After all it wasn’t his fault at all! After the explanation, he understood right away! “Really?! Oh well we can’t have that now can we? Just leave it to me!”

* Blue did not hold back- he started cleaning the place, doing your laundry, dishes, and he didn’t want you doing ANYTHING. He wanted you to relax and have time for yourself! And he even made dinner for you! (He didn’t burn the kitchen down and it actually tasted pretty good thank god- but it seems he’s been practicing for you❤️). The day ended off with cuddles on the couch while watching a movie. Poor guy was super tired at the end but you couldn’t be more happier to have him as your bone-friend.

* He really is like your knight in shining armor, ready to defend you from anything! Even a bad day!

[mochiwrites]

y’know I’ve been having thoughts about mumbo not being in limited life so…….

“No. Absolutely not.”

Mumbo splutters, “W-What? Why not?!”

Grian stares at him, expression very serious. He crosses his arms. “Because, Mumbo,” is all he says.

A frown threatens to pull on Mumbo’s lips, as he already feels the corners of his mouth twitching. He stares down at his boyfriend with a bit of incredulousness. This was not the answer he expected upon asking Grian if he could join the next life game. Last Life had been quite fun, even if it was a bit overwhelming and terrifying all at once. He had liked it. It was nice to let loose. And Grian seemed plenty happy he was there! So, “Why?” he repeats himself. “Is it — was I bad at the game? Oh goodness, I didn’t ruin it for the others, did I?”

He sees something in Grian’s eyes crack, and the avian is pulling his gaze away. “It’s nothing like that. I’d even say you were great, Mumbo.”

“So then why can’t I join this next one?” Mumbo asks, beginning to feel just a bit frustrated. “Just give me a straight answer, Gri. That’s all I want.”

Grian looks up at him, and Mumbo attempts to plead with him with his eyes. He watches the very moment Grian’s resolve breaks, seeing it in the way his shoulders sag as he uncrosses his arms.

“The life games are different from Hermitcraft,” Grian says, and Mumbo blinks.

“Well — yes. I know what I’m signing up for, Grian,” he replies, though not rudely. He doesn’t see the issue here. “I was in Last Life, remember?”

Grian frowns in return, “That’s the point.” The way Grian says it makes it seem like that one sentence holds the answer to Mumbo’s question. He says it like it’s obvious, which it very much isn’t to Mumbo.

He resists the urge to groan. “Grian, mate, I really don’t see the issue here,” he reaches for Grian’s hands, taking them in his hands.

The way Grian looks at him breaks Mumbo, just a little bit. Because Grian looks at him with a bit of desperation, with this pleading gleam in his eyes. You’re going to make me say it? Is what his state communicates to Mumbo. He squeezes his hands in comfort. Encouragement. And, “Whatever the reason is, you can tell me, dove. I’m not going to be upset.”

Grian opens his mouth, hesitating before finally giving in. “I never wanted you to see me. In one of those games,” he admits.

“What?” Mumbo asks, looking at him.

“We all become a little different in those games. A little more violent, bloodthirsty. The moment someone turns red, everything changes,” Grian continues, looking down at their hands. “I’ve done things I’m not proud of… taking your final life being one of them. So I — Mumbo I can’t let you join another game.”

Oh… Mumbo stares at Grian with a bit of surprise, as well as pain. “But Scar,” he points out, because he is a complete and utter spoon.

Pain flashes across Grian’s face, and his grip on Mumbo’s hands tighten just a bit. “Scar is… he’s different,” he mutters. “I don’t want him there either, but he’s been a part of these games since the start. And no matter how hard I try, I can’t stop him.” He brings one of Mumbo’s hands up to his lips, pressing a lingering kiss against his fingers. “I’m sorry, Mumbo, but please… I can’t have you both there.”

And Mumbo begins to understand. He knows these games can weigh heavily on the others, Grian especially. He remembers how he was when they all came back from Third Life. How Grian and Scar were. He doesn’t think either of them ever fully recovered from it.

Mumbo remembers pleading with Grian to join Last Life, wanting to understand what it was that they experienced. What was it that affected his boyfriends so thoroughly that caused them not to talk for weeks?

He had quickly understood.

“Oh, Grian,” Mumbo murmurs it very softly, moving to hold his face in his hands. “Grian, love, it’s okay. I understand.” He offers Grian a comforting smile. Grian, who had previously been tense in his hold, seems to relax at that. He sags in Mumbo’s grasp, and Mumbo can’t help his soft chuckles. He moves to kiss his nose, “Thank you for telling me,” he says, because he is grateful for the answer. “Nothing you do in those games will ever make me stop loving you, alright?”

Grian’s face breaks out in warmth, and he inhales quietly. He moves to embrace Mumbo, holding him tight. “Thank you,” he mumbles, “I love you too.”

Mumbo makes a mental note to be prepared with lots of blankets and snacks for when Grian and Scar come back from this next game.

He gives Grian a little squeeze, as well as a kiss to his hair. I’m here.

[meowzfordayz]

when you stay up late — tanjirou, kyojuro

Author’s Note: … sooo, who else is a night owl? 😅

when you stay up late — tanjirou, kyojuro

Kamado Tanjirou x Reader, Rengoku Kyojuro x Reader

Word Count: ~800

CW: none

Emergency Request Fulfilled: I think I’ve been exhausting my body a little tooo much, so parts of my arm and leg are beginning to hurt. I’ve also like, not been sleeping on time lately.. (cough 2am) 😭

So maybe (if you can) do a Drabble (or anything really) in which Tanjiro helps reader get some sleep on time? Maybe even help in keeping reader from exhausting her body so much?

Suggestion Fulfilled: How would Kyo react to finding his s/o up at an inhuman time late at night? What if she is playing videogames and stuffing her face with snacks or something? "my love, it's 2 in the morning!" "yes but this game is so good and I need answers!!" 😂 (def not what I've been doing)

AND AN EVEN BETTER ADDITION, what if he ends up sitting down next to her to stuff his face whilst watching the screen intently because, indeed, the game is very good and interesting and now HE needs answers? 😂😂😂

~faqs~

Has a couple tried and true methods for helping you sleep ~early

Or at least, sleep at all if he falls asleep first, and then wakes up hrs later to you still awake 😅

Tells you stories

They’re always made up, and always ~nonsensical, but the simple act of murmuring softly beside you till your eyes begin drooping is what matters most 🥺

For example:

“Once upon a time, there was a bottle of hot sauce. His name was Frank.” 🔥

“Tan, shouldn’t his name be RedHot, and his dad is Frank? Y’know, Frank’s RedHot?” 🧐

“You’re supposed to be relaxing, not logicafying my story.” ☹️

“Hmpf.”

 “Anyway, Frank’s best friend was an apple named Macintosh. 🍎 They went on many adventures together, from apple picking to hot wings sampling events. Their favorite festival was the applesauce and hot sauce festival where vendors from all over the land gathered to provide three days of sauces and fun.”

~at this point, you’ve fallen asleep~

Tanjirou doesn’t always know whether to feel proud or offended that you fall asleep so quickly

Like, is he that calming and soothing? 🥰

Orrr bOrInG?! 😭

Takes you on late night walks

Hear me out

Is going for a walk @ 2am a lil counterintuitive for going to sleep?

Yeeeah

BUT

If you’re already awake, and lying in bed isn’t helping, then a cute, moonlit walk couldn’t hurt any more 🌙

“You want to get up now?” you yawn, fixing an amused stare at Tanjirou’s bedhead

“Why not?” 😁

And altho you could technically think of plenty of this-is-why-not reasons, you shrug instead

“Okay!”

Within a block, you’re clinging to his arm, body feeling heavy and content 😴

And within two blocks, you’re whining cutely into his shoulder, “Taaanjiiirooouuu, m’sleeeeepy.” 🥱

11/10 you’re getting a piggyback ride home 🤗

More often than not, Kyojuro ends up getting roped into whatever’s keeping you up 🥴

Suffering through hw?

He’ll get his own notebook, snacks, and water (to share, ofc), and keep you company 🤓

“My love,” he whispers—after ~30 secs—stricken faced

“Hm, Kyo?” you hardly spare him a glance, trying (and failing) to make sense of your lecture notes

“I realize now why you are still studying at 3am. This is incomprehensible!” 😖

Nonetheless, he persists along w/ you, doing his best to hide his yawns, and insisting on 1 min cuddle breaks whenever you have an epiphany aka finally understand something

By the last cuddle break, you’re falling asleep in his arms, and he doesn’t do a thing to stop you 😌

(spiritually, he fell asleep hrs ago 😃)

Fixated on a video game?

Kyojuro trusts you when you tell him, “No worries babe, go to sleep, I’ll join you in a bit!” ☺️

He shouldn’t have 💀

Unless “a bit” always meant “sometime after 2am” 🤡

“Darling,” he rasps, blearily eyeing your focused position in front of your computer (that you haven’t moved from since he was last awake), “What time is it?” 😵���💫

“Time to destroy this BOSS,” you exclaim, not missing a beat, nor shaken by his sudden consciousness 😎

“Do you think you have enough snacks?” he asks wryly, surroundings slowly but surely registering 🥨🧀🍫🍿🍪

“Nope,” you grin, “But you can still have some.”

“Why did the screen go black?” 🤨

“Because I died,” you huff, “You really ought to know these things.”

“And become a gremlin like you?” he chuckles, blankets tossed aside as he shuffles himself out of bed

“A WINNER, Kyo, I’m going to be a WINNER.” 😤

“Sure, especially when I have seen that black screen at least three times in the five minutes that I have been awake.” 😉

“Y’KNOW WHAT,” you shriek indignantly, pointing a playful finger at him, “Sit and watch, this game isn’t easy.” 😒

“Is it multiplayer?” 🫢

“No.” 😐

(yes, but no hell in way are you letting him join and show you up now — at least, not tonight)

“I can eat your snacks?” 😋

“As long as you promise to fetch more when they run out.”

And that’s how you and Kyo end up pulling an all nighter, eyes bloodshot, stomachs full, and very hydrated (bc water is apparently a snack too)

P.S. You eventually allow him to play w/ you (after you beat the game yourself)

P.P.S. Watching him struggle brings you immense satisfaction 🤠

P.P.P.S. “Kyo, you might break your record of deaths in a minute.” “Oh hush, I am just warming up!” ❤️‍🔥

[wren-kitchens]

oh if you didn’t stay (I would wait anyway)

it does make him think though, that maybe, if he was still so determined to ignore it all, he could have blamed the warmth in his face and chest on the fires that had been surrounding him and ren for the past half hour rather than the man accompanying him for a pretty lengthy improv session. honestly, he isn’t quite sure when he decided to stop lying to himself, but he didn’t realise how.. freeing it was until this moment—to be able to feel and feel- and to let himself feel. a smile has been unmoving from his face since he first started talking, and his cheeks hurt, and martyn doesn’t care. void. he really missed ren, huh?

this is a secret santa gift for @loveroped!! I haven’t written treebark before, so I hope I did them justice hkfhd

can you tell i’m messing around with the way I format things here

martyn might have just had the best day. like- ever.

of course, he’s not sure if anything could top a reunion with ren, regardless of the circumstances. not to discredit decked out, of course- it’s an amazing game! a wonderful game! it’s extremely clever and fun and interesting and he loves it very much.

(martyn is pretty sure that the game can both hear and understand his thoughts. after his experiences with thought-reading things, he is not about to take any chances.)

it does make him think though, that maybe, if he was still so determined to ignore it all, he could have blamed the warmth in his face and chest on the fires that had been surrounding him and ren for the past half hour rather than the man accompanying him for a pretty lengthy improv session. honestly, he isn’t quite sure when he decided to stop lying to himself, but he didn’t realise how.. freeing it was until this moment—to be able to feel and feel- and to let himself feel. a smile has been unmoving from his face since he first started talking, and his cheeks hurt, and martyn doesn’t care.

void. he really missed ren, huh?

“man, they need to make more rifts.” martyn says, leaning against the blessedly cold wall of the citadel, eyes closed. “this has been so fun.”

ren chuckles, and martyn’s heart jolts as he realises that they are much closer than he thought they were. “you’ve been in the actual game like- once, dude.”

martyn hums, cracking an eye open. “who said I was talking about the game?”

“I-“ ren’s breath audibly stutters, and martyn finds his own has been swept from his lungs. when did he start holding it? “you mean the- pictionary, and stuff?”

“kinda.” martyn looks down, realising that his newfound confidence has left him entirely. oh good, that’s exactlywhat he needs right now. “y’know and the- the people who I don’t.. see as much.”

martyn can feel ren’s eyes on him, burning into his skin. “it’s been amazing to see you again, dude.” ren says with just enough honesty to make martyn feel as if he could be floating.

when martyn looks back up at ren, he’s smiling the smallest, softest smile martyn has ever seen grace his face. in truth, martyn thinks that may just be the best thing he has ever seen in his life; he wants to put that smile in a locket and keep it around his neck forever.

“you as well.” martyn says, maybe too genuinely.

ren’s face flushes in pleasure, and he squishes down a very obvious smile. martyn might just be in love. “well, i’m- i’m glad.”

martyn grins, nudging ren with his shoulder. “what, you didn’t think I missed you?”

there’s a quiet thumping noise that martyn thinks is coming from behind ren. probably just all the machinery behind decked out making itself known. “well, I- y’know. I found myself.. hoping that you would but.. I was never sure.”

“aw, c’mon,” martyn says, voice far more casual than the reaction to that statement should be- than it is. because- man, is it a weird feeling to be the cause of nervousness, to be the cause of that ‘does-he doesn’t-he?’ feeling. “I was practically lamenting over you. just ask jimmy; i’ve been so annoying.”

ren snorts a little, and some of the tension that martyn didn’t notice was between them dissipates. “I have to admit that i’ve already had a complaint from jimmy.” he says it like a joke, but there’s a distinct undertone of fondness that sends martyn’s mind reeling.

“well, there you go.” martyn grins. “i’m nothing without my king.”

“no.” ren says softly. so softly, in fact, that martyn suspects ren never meant him to hear it in the first place, but he just- he can’t stop listening; not when ren sounds so sure, so honest. “you’re everything.”

before he can stop it, a gasp escapes martyn’s lips, and ren’s eyes widen as he seems to realise that he was not as quiet as he meant to be. martyn wants to respond, to let ren know he feels the same as—well, whatever ren is feeling right now, it sounds pretty fucking close to what martyn is feeling—but his voice is stuck in his throat. 

“i’m sorry- I shouldn’t-“ ren looks almost scared, and martyn silently begs his voice to return. he can’t let ren sit there and not know-

“I love you.” martyn blurts, breathless and a little too loud, but ren is looking at him as if he’s the only person in the world, so he doesn’t stop. “I think- for several years now, and i can’t keep doing the- the skirting around our feelings thing, because all i’ve been doing this whole time is pining over you and- i’ve had enough of waiting, okay. so i’m- i’m telling you now, and you can do whatever you want with this information. but i just- I love you. always have.”

“I- martyn.” ren half whispers, looking for all the world as if martyn had just given him bedrock or a block of void or- or something very good. he’s running out of metaphors, okay, leave him be. martyn vaguely notices the quiet thumping returning. what part of the game could that be?

“that’s- that’s me.” martyn says, unsure whether to be reassured or terrified by ren’s response.

“I can’t- I don’t even-“ ren stammers, running a hand through his hair. martyn is leaning towards terrified when ren finally lands on- “I love you. this whole time, i’ve loved you, and I thought- oh my goodness.” he gives a huff of laughter. “you’re serious?”

“am I ser- of course i’m serious!” martyn grabs ren’s hand, who is smiling more than martyn thinks he’s ever seen ren smile. “you thought i’d pour my heart out for it to be a bit?” he laughs.

“well I- you’re very committed sometimes y’know.” ren grins, intertwining his fingers with martyn’s. 

“it has been- what, three years now?” martyn leans into him. “I am extremely committed to you. i’m probably too committed, honestly.”

“asking someone to kill you is a great way to flirt—who knew?” ren says, mock-solemn, and martyn cackles.

“i’ll have to try it some day.” martyn teases, looking up and finding himself much closer to ren’s face than he expected to be. 

and- okay, martyn won’t pretend that he’s never watched ren just a little too closely from across a room, or that his gaze has never lingered for a few seconds too long after ren left, or even that he hadn’t found himself lost in his eyes—cheesy as it is. 

but this- this is different. because martyn has never admitted his love before, and ren has never reciprocated those feelings before, and so there’s never been a moment where he could just look and look and look until right now. and you’d be kidding yourself if you don’t think that martyn is sure as shit going to take advantage of that.

“you know,” martyn murmurs, reaching a hand up to brush the stubble on ren’s jaw, watching with the utmost interest as ren melts ever so slightly into the touch. “I don’t think i’ve been able to do this before.”

“do, uh- do what?” ren’s voice comes out just a little too high for it to be entirely natural. martyn suppresses a smile and the thumping grows faster.

“look at you while you’re looking back.” martyn says simply, and oh, that shy little grin that slips onto ren’s face is perhaps the most gorgeous thing martyn has ever seen.

ren rubs a thumb against martyn’s hand that he still holds, and- okay, maybe martyn’s insides have gone all mushy because of it, but who are you to judge? “then I think we must have kept missing each other.”

it takes a moment for martyn to process the words. when he has, he pouts jokingly—even as his mind reels. “what, you’re telling me I could have been doing this years ago?”

“that is absolutely what i’m telling you.” ren grins. is he getting closer? martyn thinks he might be getting closer.

“well then,” martyn says, and the smoothness of his voice sounds entirely ludicrous when his brain is so frantic, it’s probably on fire. ren is leaning forward, and martyn thinks he might be too, and they’re getting so close to each other that martyn can feel ren’s breath ghosting his lips. “I guess we’ll have to make up for lost time.”

“I suppose we shall.” ren’s voice is low and soft, and martyn thinks he might just die.

that is until their lips meet and martyn decides- no, he knows he’s going to die. because ren’s hand is in his hair, and martyn’s is still cupping ren’s cheek, and it turns out that ren’s lips are exactly as soft as martyn always imagined them to be and he’s going a little crazy over it.

the kiss is fairly short, but martyn feels like his brain has entirely short-circuited by the time they part—in the best possible way. 

“we- that happened.” martyn stammers. “oh my god. I didn’t think i’d ever-“

“I thought i’d chicken out.” ren sounds equally astonished at his own confidence. “I- dude, you are a great kisser.” martyn’s face burns and ren puts a hand in front of his mouth in an obvious attempt to keep from laughing. “well you are!”

“I- thank you, I-“ martyn can’t see himself, but he’s fairly certain that he is beet-red right now. 

the thumping returned the moment they kissed and has not left, and martyn realises it is far too close to be part of the machinery. regardless, it sounds familiar somehow; the weight behind it, the rhythm of the thuds, the softness of it. martyn knows he doesn’t have the best memory on the server, but he’s pretty sure he should be able to remember what-

wait a second.

“ren,” martyn says, a grin creeping slowly onto his face. “are you wagging your tail?”

it’s kind of cute how fast ren goes from cocky to deeply flustered within a matter of seconds. it’s also very funny, especially as ren’s ears—which were resting casually—are now stuck straight up into the air.

“I- I don’t know what you mean!” ren says in a failed attempt at his usual suaveness. martyn stifles a laugh. “i’d- that’s a preposterous thing to suggest, you-“

martyn, deciding to test a theory, leans forward and presses a chaste kiss to ren’s lips (he is never gonna get over the fact he can just do that now) and watches with glee as ren’s tail wags even harder.

“I.. might be wagging my tail, yes.” ren mumbles, thoroughly embarrassed.

martyn fails to stifle another laugh, and ren honest-to-void pouts. “oh my- ren.” 

“yep?” ren practically squeaks. he clears his throat, blushing pink. “um- just pretend you don’t see that.”

“why would I do that?” martyn teases. “it’s cute.”

“you say cute, I say embarrassing.” ren says, but he’s grinning shyly, and man if that isn’t the best thing martyn has seen all day.

“ren, trust me when i say that if I had a tail, it’d be entirely a blur by now.” martyn half laughs. “I love seeing you happy.”

“then you’re in a great amount of luck,” ren says, and his gaze drifts to martyn’s lips. martyn would make fun of him, if he weren’t so flustered by it that he’d forgotten the english language. “because seeing you has never failed to bring me joy.”

martyn feels all the air leave his lungs. “you- i haven’t-“ he stammers a few more failed attempts at a sentence before landing on, “oh- just kiss me.”

ren grins, and his canines push ever so slightly against his lower lip, and martyn is going to die. “gladly.”

and- okay, it’s a little embarrassing to admit, but.. well. they may have gotten a tad carried away, and before they knew it, jimmy’s turn was over and tango was looking for martyn. it’s not his fault, okay! when you’ve been wanting someone for as long as martyn has wanted ren (and vice versa apparently, which- no, martyn is never gonna get over that), time starts to fly a little.

so when tango stumbled upon them both, accompanied by half the guests and half the hermits, that was entirely not martyn’s fault! in fact, it was theirs for being so damn quiet. if they were louder, ren would have heard them, and then they would have time to- stop making out.

yeah. martyn is never gonna live this down.

[talenlee]

Game Pile: Princess Wing

Princess Wing is a Japanese indie TTRPG, by Hayato Suzumiya, in which players take on the role of Princesses at the prestigious Princess Training Academy, who defend earth from mechanical monsters called Void through their cool outfits that also double up as multi-purpose military machinery and short skirts. Drawing heavily on a particular kind of anime genre that I mostly know in the terms of ‘like Symphogear, right?’ it’s a card-based RPG where players use a predetermined micro-deck to make strategic moves and drive their narratives forward, and everything novel about it I can think of I pretty much describe in this opening paragraph.

Yeah, uh, I don’t know what I’m going to tell you about this one. Come with me on the journey to not really understanding a book that I’ve spent several days reading and the reasons why I think that is.

Just a note: I’m reading an unofficial translation of Princess Wing. I’m not fluent in Japanese, and any time I think a phrase is badly written or clunky or strange, I let it go. That’s not important to this and treating the game as if that’s vital is a great way to cut yourself out of a lot of really cool translated TTRPGs.

Straight up, the things in this game that stood out to me, from my initial notes:

I like the way it suggests players recruit other players to play NPCs in scenes. That’s a cool idea to make part of the recommended text.

I appreciate the idea of dealing players a hand they get to use over the course of a scene, meaning you can have good and bad moments that you get to pace out, without full control over the.

It includes a section on pronoun use in the game.

And then the followup notes…

Wait, the pronoun use splits everything into a hard dichotomy where players are all ‘she’ and the enemies are all ‘he’? Kinda simple binary there.

Hang on, what’s the resolution mechanic for this game? What do I do if something comes up that’s not in one of these specific tables?

Wait, character creation starts when?

At which point I realised I kinda had to give up on treating this book like I would one written in a more familiar language to me. I think it’s very it’s important to look at games outside of my genre interests and my readership space – I love Golden Sky Stories and had a lot of fun engaging with the hot mess that was Gensou Narratograph, after all. I am an anime fan, but something like Symphogear that this game is pretty explicitly referencing, has never been my interest. What’s more, this is a translation of a Japanese RPG — which means there’s a range of ways I think things should be done because they appeal to me and make clear sense to me, that are culturally signified. I won’t know what I don’t know if I don’t look.

Now, you may think, hang on, but you don’t know anything about Symphogear, so why should we care what you say about the Symphogear-inspired TTRPG? And if you need an expert’s opinion on whether or not it’s delivering on its ideas, then yeah, I suppose that’s a thing. I cannot tell you if this is a game that’s good at being Symphogear and crucially, anything I learn about this game will not be useful for interpreting Symphogear. After all, if I was to just look at this book I might assume that Symphogear is about some very specific, complex machinery that’s designed to work under specific rules and conditions, almost like a kind of murder mystery of a mechanical construction, a system of combat rules that remind me a great deal of Bleach in the way that it relies on hard-to-decipher but consistently-applied rules and mechanisms that don’t actually make the narrative they construct meaningfully engaging.

Y’know, Bleach and Symphogear, two very similar anime that I’m sure won’t annoy anyone with that comparison.

Here’s the thing: I think this game is explicitly and delicately tuned to its audience. I really do, and this is an assumption based on the idea that this game is trying to do a good job, by people who are confident in what they are doing. It has the presentation of a thoughtful, creative, well-made book, after all. How then do I grapple with this mechanically uncomfortable system, awkward problem-solving mechanism and system for narratives that need the whole thing mostly created ahead of time, across a language barrier, and not come across as being, at the very least, a little bit of a dick?

I do not know this audience. I do not know who this book was written for. It is a mystery to me and even obvious inferences – it was for people who read Japanese, probably in Japan, and probably used to other Japanese TTRPGs, of which I know exactly one – can’t be treated as representing a meaningful truth. I am peeking through a keyhole and what I am seeing makes no sense to me.

When I talk about games, I describe them as a machine that makes stories. TTRPGs, then, I tell people, are a machine that makes a machine that makes stories. It is a system that you then use to construct your game, and then you play that game to find out what happens. And twice now I’ve looked at Japanese TTRPGs that seem to instead take one step back from that freedom, away from that creativity.

I think that this game hooks you instantly if you like its pitch. Do you already have a Symphogear OC that kinda works in these five general overtones? Do you already have a character you think of as ‘An Amanda’? Well, here’s what you want, here’s the onramp, let’s go. For me? Someone who doesn’t know what it’s about and doesn’t have a reason to resonate with its looks and vibes? It has no time for me and I don’t find a reason to want to belong to a universe that is primarily about teenaged girls with multiple pages dedicated to showing you the components of their uniforms.

At the time of writing I am coming off watching another strange set of interactions about Dungeons & Dragons by people who do not like it remarking on the behaviour of those that do like it. This space is interesting because there are some valid criticisms in deep and thoughtful ways and some shockingly headassed takes that don’t make any sense to me. One criticism is that it’s really weird that the official D&D tiktok is boasting about the new Players Handbook being the largest one ever, as if to say that getting more book in your book means the game is better. To that end, I’d like to submit that Princess Wing is a game that wants to make sure before you start, you’ve already watched twenty plus episode of an anime ahead of time. By that marign, I think it’s fair to say that makes this one of the best games ever.

I don’t think this game has a bad approach, I just think the approach is one that misses me, and unlike other games I criticise for a bad approach, I think this is a good thing here. It doesn’t want me. It has no interest in me, and it does not care about informing me about its world.

You have to admire the purity.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[lithopus]

For the ask game! 1! Who is your favorite character to write for and is this the character you find easiest to write for?

Thank you for the ask!

I guess for fanfiction, I pretty much only write Alhaitham and Kaveh’s POVs—although, actually, I’ve also written two (unposted, sfw) fics for my friends that contained Xingqiu’s POV, and he’s really fun to write for 😂 Now that I think about it, he’s probably the easiest perspective I’ve written. I enjoy his chivalrous and overdramatic way of speaking/narrating, and the guy is such a simp for Chongyun that it cracks me up. I definitely have a lot of fun writing him.

But, going back to Alhaitham and Kaveh…it’s difficult for me to choose! I like writing both of their perspectives for different reasons, and both of them are easy to write in some ways and challenging in others.

I’ll answer the question about whose POV is easiest first.

Technically, it’s Alhaitham’s—his way of thinking is a lot more accessible to me, whereas I sometimes struggle to relate to Kaveh’s perspective on things. It’s kind of similar to how Alhaitham “knows” Kaveh’s philosophies on a theoretical level, but doesn’t emotionally “understand” them the way that someone who personally shares Kaveh’s beliefs would. I more or less know how Kaveh’s mind works, but since I don’t usually approach things the way he does, his attitudes and ideals sometimes aren’t personally familiar to me. There are times when my brain has to work a bit harder to figure out how he views the world.

Because of that, though, I think that it might be easier—counterintuitively—for me to write stories from Kaveh’s perspective. Since I “understand” Alhaitham more, I can more easily convey what he’s thinking/feeling whenever I’m outside his head. Conversely, being inside Kaveh’s head allows me to get a closer look at how he’s processing things, which then makes it easier for me to work through his thoughts and figure out how to portray him.

So, Alhaitham’s POV is the easier perspective for me to write, in a vacuum…but if I’m writing a story about him and Kaveh, writing from Kaveh’s POV often makes things easier for me.

As for my favorite POV to write…if I had to choose a perspective to be stuck in, I think I’d choose Alhaitham’s. I love the unspoken depth of his love for Kaveh—like, his devotion is clear even from Kaveh’s POV, but being inside Alhaitham’s mind lets us see just how much he cares, even though he often hides it behind his sarcastic/detached attitude. I like being able to explore that side of him; it’s kind of like “looking behind the curtain” in the sense that we still see Alhaitham’s usual attitude with the way he speaks and acts, but we also see the contrasting tenderness he feels toward Kaveh (although, when I write him, Alhaitham’s narration does often try to bury that tenderness, lol).

That said, I do also like the idea of leaving Alhaitham’s unspoken affection…well, y’know, unspoken—so, being stuck in Alhaitham’s POV all the time wouldn’t be ideal for me.

It’s also interesting to get inside Alhaitham’s head and dismantle the “rational” barriers that he constructs around some things. That is, he’s clearly capable of caring deeply about certain things—like Kaveh—and I love writing about that kind of quiet intensity. And while I do believe that he’s the calm, logical person we see in canon, I also know that he can’t be invulnerable; he’s human, which means he’s capable of being hurt, and I like seeing how he processes those types of emotions.

But there are things that I enjoy about writing Kaveh’s perspective, too. For example, Kaveh’s artistry and ways of thinking give me more opportunities to be poetic with narration. When I’m writing Alhaitham’s POV, his analogies are usually more practical and functional; they tend to focus solely on explaining a concept, so while they might be creative sometimes, they won’t necessarily sound pretty. With Kaveh, though, I can let loose and be more indulgent with metaphors/imagery to explore a feeling or concept. I haven’t written poetry in a while, but his perspective gives me more room to flex those muscles, lol.

Kaveh’s perspective is also more straightforward, at least for me. Yes, he’s got a lot going on, and his psychology can get complicated at times—but he’s pretty much told us about all of his problems either through dialogue or his character stories, and we’ve seen him when he’s excited, happy, morose, angry, et cetera; he tends to acknowledge his feelings in a more “head-on” way, even when he’s trying to avoid his problems or downplay his emotions. So, I like that he’s a more “direct” kind of character, as opposed to the mental gymnastics Alhaitham performs in order to seem like An Incredibly Chill And Totally Unemotional Guy Who Is Never Bothered By Anything Ever.

(Now that I say that, it’s kind of funny that we joke about Kaveh’s mental acrobatics to misinterpret the things Alhaitham says, when Alhaitham is an Olympic gymnast in his own right 😂)

That’s my main answer, but I do have some additional thoughts about why writing Alhaitham’s POV can sometimes be a challenge for me. I’ll include those thoughts in a reblog, though, since I don’t want my response here to get too lengthy.

UPDATE: my additional thoughts are in this reblog

[amerricanartwork]

Y’know, I have a funny story with the ship between Innocence and Pebbles.

@eggobuggo , my sister, was playing The Sims and made the iterators in her own humanised forms, including her version of Innocence and Wind, along with Moon, Pebbles, NSH and Suns, all with their own personalities and stuff. She set up a generic apartment, put the gang in, and just had fun making them do silly shenanigans together, while I sit and watched her play.

In particular, we headcanon NSH, Pebbles and Innocence as Gen 3s, the newer modes, and so she made them into teenagers, which, with a DLC, have a whole new host of features that are not in the base game. This includes getting crushes (which weirdly enough, young adults and adults cannot get).

But anyway, one day, later into the game (the gang basically all were in the high end of the friendship scale with each other), the notif board popped up that Innocence had gotten a crush on Pebbles. Unfortunately for her, NSH and Pebs were already being all flirty with each other (Ragequit is where it’s at for us), making Pebble basically keep her in the friendzone. Ngl, my heart went out to her :,) Especially so, because they were all sharing a room. (space was tight)

After that, I began thinking about it in context of it in-universe, and ngl, I came to quite liking it as a ship, especially since I see Innocence to be less… asshole-ish (?), I guess, than what the general fandom makes her out to be (I mean it’s understandable, we only see her to leak the pic of Pebbles condition and that’s it.). To me and Eggo, she’s much nicer unless you really piss her off, which then, her more cynical and gossipy side of her comes out. She was actually more of on the friends side with Pebble before the shit went down.

At the time, I thought “dang, it’s a shame I won’t be seeing anything of it since she’s so obscure.”. This was a couple months before I began seeing art of them on the main tag.

Soooo… I guess I’m somewhat of an og Milkshake (as is the fandom name) shipper???

Just, seeing you and others make art about them is almost surreal in a way, since the only reason I really considered them as a ship was cuz of a random event in a life sim game lol.

Also @eggobuggo, I hope you don’t mind me sharing the story. :)

Wow, that seems like quite the story! And I do agree, after witnessing something like that in a totally different game it must be pretty surreal to see the ship gaining popularity in the actual RW fandom now too! It's nice to get another seal of approval from an original Milkshake shipper!

For me, it's also a bit strange because it's something I've considered for a really long time as a lingering "oh, wouldn't it be cool if I could make this work?" idea. The obscurity and lack of content for UI to draw inspiration from, both canon and fanon, definitely added to these feelings and the difficulty of imagining a working portrayal of the ship, hence I've only recently felt confident enough about the relationship and UI as a character to act on it. So after Pura coined the ship name and made a lot more art of it, then other artists started expressing approval and even drawing it themselves, it almost feels like I'm watching the ship enter the mainstream (Tumblr) fandom consciousness in real time, which is honestly pretty cool, especially since it feels like I had a hand in it with that initial ask! And even if I wasn't the very first to consider it, I'll definitely continue supporting this ship!

For some other thoughts though, I totally agree on Innocence not being mean in reality, though for me she's not mean or gossipy at all and more so has a kind-of opposite major flaw that tends to cause bad things unintentionally. As much as I can understand interpreting the character as a genuinely mean person, I thought it'd be interesting to imagine that her leaking the rot simply caused others to perceive her as mean, not that she's that way in reality. After all, I don't think we ever see direct dialogue from Innocence in canon, and the only evidence I can find of her being mean is Wind's speculation on her motivations. I also took inspiration from @shkika's Innocence, but I just wanted to see if I could take those ideas further to create my own unique interpretation.

Also, it's actually pretty coincidental you're telling me this too, because in regards to what I've come up for my Milkshake portrayal, Innocence having an unrequited crush on Pebbles for a really long time is actually really important for both plot and character arc reasons! I've been developing my own take on the classic worm-off-the-string iterator AU idea with @hail-strom for like the past week or so and the ship as of now plays a decent role in that, but the unrequited crush acts as subtle, yet major context for Innocence's actions throughout, which in turn slowly influence Pebbles especially as he starts to reciprocate those feelings (much to his alarm)!

Anyway, thanks for sharing that with me, and thanks for giving me a chance to ramble about this ship more! I'm honestly so happy to see it growing, and all support counts!