#I am very normal about my favourite character

[clouds-of-wings]

Because Spotify doesn't really know that much about my listening habits and because I enjoyed writing this kind of post last year I'll once more make a post about my ACTUAL musical favourites this year. So here goes! Album time!

Grendels Sÿster: Abstieg in die Traumkammer (2024, heavy/folk metal) -- This was by far my favourite album of the year. It came out this August. First album by the band, and what a debut! The album has an English version too (which you can also find if you click the link), but I vastly prefer the German one. The lyrics are really excellent and they fit so, so well with the character of the German language. Musically I would say they sound like "early Týr with a female punk singer", the lyrics feature retellings and re-imaginings of various mythologies and mythological themes of the world, ranging from Norse to Greek to (on their EP) Hinduism or even Tolkien's Valar. They once called their genre NWONOEM (New Wave of Nerd-Oriented Epic Metal).

Other albums I liked, in no specific order:

Kornalyn: Intemporel III (2024, folk) -- Kornalyn has been at this for a few years. He's a French anarchist and folk musician who records modernized versions of traditional leftist & worker songs. He's versatile, he's talented, he's got spirit and a great voice. Worth checking out whether you're a comrade, a history enthusiast or a folk fan.

Alice Longyu Gao: Let's Hope Heteros Fail, Learn and Retire (2023, hyperpop) -- Okay, I'm versatile too. Or at least not so set in my ways that I can't appreciate different genres than I normally listen to. Alice's hyperpop songs have a chaotic artistic spirit that I find charming. In a way, some of her songs are pretty metal-ish too - they remind me a little of old SOAD songs. She's funny, she's innovative, she's a delight.

Stonefield: The Light of Lies (1990, prog rock) -- Some awesome prog rock from the 90s. The singer sounds like DIO. If you like the hammond organ, CLIK TEH LINK! If not, click it anyway, you may start to! When I tried to find out which year the album was from, I found their EP The Eyes of the Dawn (1989), which is also so fun.

Alvader: Hereniging (2024, folk metal) -- Hey you! Do you like Heidevolk? If you found this post through the folk metal tag I bet you do. In this case definitely listen to this band. It's made up of ex-members of Heidevolk and sounds a lot like the "original".

HammerFall: Avenge the Fallen (2024, power/heavy metal) -- What can I say about this one. It's HammerFall. It rules by default. It sounds like all their other albums. HammerFall are one of the few bands where that's a compliment.

molllust: In Deep Waters (2015, symphonic metal) -- There is no music I like better than symphonic metal that takes the "symphonic" part really, really seriously. molllust are one of the few bands that do. Between Janika Groß's gorgeous orchestrations and her operatic voice, this is one of the bands that give me hope for the genre. At first I actually found their older stuff too inaccessible, but after I listened to the newer and more straight-forward Mother Universe album a lot last year, In Deep Waters became a lot more approachable to me.

Wintersun: TIME II (2024, Extremely Delayed Technically Complete Symphonic Death Wish Metal) -- I still can't believe my eyes, or ears. Am I dreaming? Is this the real life? It's really out! And Nuclear Blast didn't even give it a digibook edition (I have the one of TIME I and thought I might have a matched set one day). Is this because their corporate overlords don't care about physical media or are they just so DONE with the album, and Jari in general, that they didn't make more of an effort out of spite?

Norrsinnt: Djupt inni skoga (2024, folk metal) -- Somewhere between heavy folk and very folky metal. A collection of songs the artist released individually over the past years, but the album only came out a short while ago. He fortunately seems to have decided against using an AI image as cover art in the end, so I don't feel bad listing this album here. Oh, there are albums that I found this year and liked musically which I'm not listing for this reason, definitely! I'm glad this one isn't among them, because I've known all these songs for years and I'm quite fond of them, and of the power and originality of the vision behind this project.

Nightwish: Yesterwynde (2024, symphonic metal) -- I didn't expect too much from this album, but ended up really liking it! My favourite parts are, of course, the orchestral passages. I like how Nightwish are still capable of evolution, new paths, instead of being stuck in the 2000s. And, after all, what could be a more fitting topic for music that's as larger than life as symphonic metal than just the totality of existence, the universe, the human equation, the meaning of it all?

Romuvos: Spirits (2024, folk) -- Pagan Folk, immersive, meditative, dark. I don't have much to say about this, other than that I have listened to it a lot this year.

KAMIJO: ??? (????, symphonic power metal) -- I usually only have albums on this list because I'm old-fashioned like that, but that's really unfair to Kamijo, who's my top artist of the year on Spotify and whose greatest songs are spread out across a multitude of single bonus tracks and short EPs. So I will link his song TEMPLE and say doumo arigato gozaimasu, vampire prince rockstar-san, nay, -sama!

---

I also continued my exploration of the world of opera. Since I think I'm beginning to know my taste, there were a lot of works I started and didn't finish, but some I liked very much. My favourite was L'elisir d'amore (1832), which I watched in two different versions and listened to all summer. It's a rather light-hearted one, but the music is nevertheless dramatic, it's fast, it's powerful and... somehow rich. And it's just pretty, I'm not immune to the charms of the easily lovable Italian opera, or of Rolando Villazon and his musical and comedic talent. I'd definitely recommend this recording even to people who have never watched an opera before.

I also really liked Eugene Onegin (1879, can't find the recording now) - much more tragic than the one above, few operas I've watched had a better plot, I read the novel it's based on afterwards - as well as a whimsical 1979 recording of L'incoronazione di Poppea (1643) and a gorgeous staging of Atys (1676, only French subs here, sry). Baroque opera is superior to the later stuff according to me. The beautiful music, the melancholic observations on life in the libretto, the way the operas always seem to reach for the divine, beyond the limits of mundane human existence - it strives for perfection, and my ears think it comes close.

And that's my musical breakdown of the year :)

[letzgetsilly]

Goosebumps theory: Mr Wood timeline of events

Ok this may be a little bit insane and the formatting may be off because I’m copying and pasting all this from where I was rambling in a friend’s Minecraft server’s Discord chat. But anyway without further ado:

This is how I think Mr Wood/Wally's life went. The books I'm getting this info from (in the order they were published) are Night of the Living Dummy, Bride of the Living Dummy, Slappy's Nightmare, I am Slappy's Evil Twin, and Slappy: Beware. Warning, this is a long ol’ post and contains spoilers!

So in I am Slappy's Evil Twin we learn that Slappy, Snappy, and Mr Wood were made by a ventriloquist and puppet maker named Franz Mahar in Britain in the 1920s, all made out of wood from a stolen coffin. We can infer that Goldie was also made by Franz, though she isn't mentioned because she hadn't made an appearance yet. Things get tricky here because Mr Wood, Snappy, AND Goldie were all said to have been created 'side by side' with Slappy but that's kind of impossible lmao. Slappy and Snappy are the only 2 who are described as being completely identical, though Mr Wood does come close enough to Slappy's appearance that he's almost exclusively reffered to as 'Slappy's twin'. Goldie was probably created first because she has the most powerful magic, then it was either Slappy & Snappy or Mr Wood, or Mr Wood was created last. All we really know is that Mr Wood is Franz's least favourite because of how he treats him, but idk if he treats him this way because of what Mr Wood did to him or if he just doesn't care for him much because he was created after the others? Or maybe Slappy & Snappy were created last and they're his favourite because they're like his final ultimate creation? This could really go either way. They were brought to life by a magician named Kanduu who Franz worked with, but after Mr Wood attacked Franz on stage he found that Kanduu had used his magic to turn the dummies evil which like ok wow, dick move there bro. Franz then runs away and moves to an isolated town in America where he continues to make puppets on his own. Slappy 'n co. are absolutely mental and so just go around the town fucking shit up, so of course the locals are pissed at Franz. They end up catching Mr Wood and burning him on a bonfire, and Franz fakes being upset about this but when he goes back home he just laughs with Slappy because that's his favourite little boy and he is so pleased that the townsfolk think Mr Wood was behind everything and will now leave him and his guys alone.

^ There is a bit of a discrepancy with this backstory though. In Slappy: Beware, Slappy claims he was made by an evil sorcerer 200 years ago in an evil tower but I am 100% certain he is just making shit up to sound cool. Or he genuinely believes this because he literally has a peanut butter sandwich in his head.

Now we know Mr Wood obviously survives this fire because he appears in other books. Maybe being framed and falsely accused from Slappy is the reason he hates him so much, though maybe he always hated him because as seen by the 'beat down of 1920' he is just generally violent. Anyway so while the first book published to feature Mr Wood was Night of the Living Dummy, I think that the next book in the timeline is Slappy's Nightmare. Yeah that's right baby, I think Slappy's Nightmare is a PREQUEL!!! WHAAAAT!!!!!!!

For some context though we need to take a look at Bride of the Living Dummy. In this book, we see that Slappy now currently belongs to an enthusiastic young guy named Jimmy O'James, for some reason depicted as a spineless old man in the TV series but I digress. This book doesn't have Mr Wood in it but it is very relevant because of Jimmy! Our precious Jimmy! Puppeteering them blind! Jimmy and Slappy work together to entertain kids at the town's local theatre, and because Slappy is alive Jimmy is like "wow I really hit the jackpot with this guy I'll be the best ventriloquist ever and make so many people happy with my performance!" but SIKE Slappy is evil and abuses Jimmy behind the scenes. Jimmy ends up running away from home I think? Or something? But we do know that Slappy eventually finds his way back to Jimmy because they are performing together again in Slappy's Nightmare.

SO this is where Mr Wood makes a return, but under the name of Wally. On the Goosebumps Wiki they are listed as 2 separate characters, but it's pretty much unanimously agreed upon that Mr Wood and Wally are the same character because they are both described as looking similar to Slappy, both hold a grudge against him, both have even worse anger issues than Slappy does, and both have blue eyes. The ONE teeny tiiiiny issue is that 'Wally' is described as having brown hair, but there are several non-canon (I think it was on a backpack) and dubiously-canon (Enter HorrorLand, the French cover of Night of the Living Dummy) depictions of Mr Wood where he has brown hair. So idk. Maybe his hair was dirty or he put like temporary dye in it or something. All I know is it's pretty much unanimously agreed upon that Mr Wood and Wally are the same.

Anyway tangent aside, most of this book doesn't count because, as the title suggests, it's Slappy having a nightmare, but there is a lot of relevant info in the parts where he is awake. We know that Slappy is still performing with Jimmy and that Jimmy desperately wants to get away from Slappy while continuing his dream of being a ventriloquist but is scared of failure and that if he stops performing with a living dummy everyone will see his lips moving (bro thought he was gonna be Archie Andrews 2 <-- nerd reference for fellow puppet fans ONLY). But at the end of the book, he gets Mr Wood (Wally) and reads a spell that will put Slappy to sleep and wake Wally up. So Slappy is now 'dead' and Mr Wood is now 'alive'. And while this bothered me for quite some time because how would Slappy come back for the later books, I think it makes sense with this prequel theory, because this leads on PERFECTLY to Night of the Living Dummy.

Despite the most famous cover of this book, the original American cover, having only Slappy on it, and the modern cover also featuring only Slappy, Slappy is actually BARELY relevant in this book AT ALL. Most of the crazy stuff that happens is all because of Mr Wood. So the book starts with the Powell twins playing on a construction site because this was the 90s and nobody cared about children's safety, when they find a dumpster with Slappy in it. Lindy claims it and Kris gets jealous, so her parents go out and buy her a dummy that is just like the one her sister has, and it's Mr Wood baby!!! This was the first book published with these 2 in it. The birth of absolute legends. We'll get back to the Powell twins later but we need to figure out, what happened in between Slappy's Nightmare and the first Night of the Living Dummy if it really is a prequel? And this is where we go to Slappy: Beware for one crucial clue. I know I already disparaged this book because Slappy is as about as unreliable as an unreliable narrator can get, but he has zero reason to lie about this because it makes his brother, who he hates, seem more successful than him, so I believe it's reall. I also haven't read Slappy: Beware but I know this is in it as a major plot point.

In the Goosebumps universe, there is actually a line of mass-produced replicas of Mr Wood, and Slappy uses this to his advantage by disguising himself as Mr Wood and hiding in one of the boxes so he's bought and gifted to a kid.

Why would Mr Wood be famous?

Because, I think, after putting Slappy to sleep and waking Mr Wood up, Jimmy began touring with Mr Wood instead. People took notice of 'how good of a ventriloquist this Jimmy guy is' (I mean wow, it's almost like the dummy has it's own voice or something!) and he got on talent shows and even like TV and stuff. They get merch deals, including producing those replicas, which is a real thing that happens irl with famous ventriloquist dummies like this literally irl happened with Slappy. But it's not to last because just like his brother, Mr Wood is an evil little shit and is exceptionally violent. Perhaps they got into an argument over the fact Jimmy was profiting off of Mr Wood's likeness now, who knows, all we know for certain is that Mr Wood ends up in a charity shop and Slappy ends up in a dumpster.

Anyway, so in the first Night of the Living Dummy book it's actually Mr Wood who's going around fucking shit up and vomiting green slime on people, Slappy is just completely normal and does nothing throughout the entire book. Eventually though Mr Wood's head gets crushed by a steamroller. Bummer! And then one of the twins accidentally brings Slappy to life and boom, twist ending!

There is something else I'd like to briefly mention, Mr Wood was actually the protagonist of the 2008 online game Enter HorrorLand (which is why it's the piece of lost media that most desperately needs to be found). The canonicity of this game is a little dubious and peculiar as all the books in the HorrorLand series link to this game as if it's part of that same universe and the books all end with maps that match up exactly with Enter HorrorLand. So it's possible he somehow survived the steamroller? God I hope so. I really really hope so.

Anyway that was the story of undertale thanks for reading lol :P

[themintman]

I am filled with HATE and SORROW y'all know how like Nurm is my favourite character my number 1 guy out of any piexe of media ever I love him dearly which sucks cause he's pretty unpopular but whatever whatever. N I'm like "man I really want to see some new Nurm content but everything I find I've either seen before or I created ☹️" and then I. I go on tiktok and I KEEP seeing edits that start with a clip with Nurm in them and then haha surprise it's actually a Petra edit!! Cause it's ALWAYS PETRA GOD DAMN IT and I love her. I love Petra so much. She is a fabulous character but ohm y god I am tweaking. I genuinely started crying y'all I am not sane nor normal. I'm so normal about him. Oh my good god I am going insane I am 💥💥💥💥

[achilleasfury]

Qinyao👀

they're everything to me, sorry I dont make the rules

(theyre also aesthetically pleasing but i forgor to cross it whoops)

[starpros-sunshine]

seb. seb hes not smiling. and has a fatui background................

I knowwwwww he's still everything to me you do not know how smitten I am with Lyney as a character

[loveydoveylex]

I feel like a clown whenever I see people in my notifications that I recognize as friends and mutuals from my main blog, I am so sorry y'all have to see me like this lmao

[fragmentedblade]

.

[ichijokaoru]

im always like hi. this is my toku blog but then you scroll down and it's like 95% kuugaposting over any other show

[tsukii0002]

My demons' periods cycles. By Mc

Note: these are purely my headcanons at the moment, they are based on animal ethology and behaviours that I think would suit each character depending on their personality and Lore. I would love to read your headcanon in case you have them.

Warning: Long text. Possible grammatical errors. It's written as if Mc was writing for themself.

Hey, it me Mc, the best human. Here is a compilation of the behaviours of my demons during their periods, cycles, for practical day to day use. It wasn't easy but I sat them down and got to talk to them, with a little effort I now know what they need. So now I am ready to assist them during these complicated times and be prepared in case I find a dead goat on the porch as a tribute.

Lucifer, Mammon & Levi || Satan, Asmo, & Beel || Belphie, Barbatos & Diavolo || Simeon & Raphael

Belphie

It could be said that he is the one that best keeps his schedule.

During his period he still sleeps a lot, the only difference is that he has short periods of high activity.

He can stand the light well. In fact, he will often ask you for a spell that simulates sunlight to sleep under.

During his cycle, most of Belphie's body is covered with soft fur, although some parts of his body such as the end of his tail or chest is a denser fur (perfect for sleeping) where spotted patterns can be seen.

His horns and ‘claws” harden and his pupils become horizontal (Little cow boy).

He sheds a lot of hair and his claws grow, but he is too lazy to groom himself. So wherever he is there will be fur everywhere.

To get him to groom himself, you will have to tell him that you will help. Sometimes, he strokes you simulating the action of brushing the fur (so I think that if he wasn't the avatar of sloth he would groom his companion).

Belphie does not build a nest as such, but rather a kind of fort with all kinds of blankets, pillows or stuffed animals, he steals them from his siblings to feel safe, although he won't admit it.

He usually does it in the attic to be quiet, although your room is also one of his favourite options.

Belphie becomes possessive and somewhat capricious, he won't be shy about asking you to spoil and pamper him. Lucifer says he is always like this but it has gotten worse since you offered to help.

Before his period, Belphie will go a couple of days without sleep, which makes him very irritable. Is this the equivalent of hormones?

During his period Belphie's appetite neither increases nor decreases, but he needs to change his diet to high-energy items because of his periods of activity.

He will want you to feed him but he will not feed you.

Belphie can talk, although slower than normal. He will communicate most things to you with puppy calf eyes. He knows how to use his weapons, sly cow.

He produces pheromones and marks everything with them, without you noticing.

This pheromones are not very strong but have a unique scent. He is a bully and sometimes goes around the house spreading them to annoy his siblings.

Belphie likes you to always be rubbing him, in any moment, always looking after him. He gets very touchy.

One thing he will do a lot is lick and bite you gently. Sometimes he expects you to lick him back, my tongue is not ready for that Belphie.

Belphie's courtship consists of little taps to get your attention and release a special kind of pheromones, if you stay close to him he will consider the courtship a success and proceed to groom you insistently (so he can do it >:v)

You can be a bit naughty and get up, just to give it back to him, but come back quickly or he will cry.

The sense that develops the most during hir cycle is his smell, mostly to detect the presence of other people nearby.

His temperature rises a lot, but he won't give up blankets and other warm things. Prepare ice packs for you, not for him.

Belphie's purr is not very loud, it's more of a chest vibration, he's super cute when he purrs, but don't feed his ego.

He doesn't mind everyone knowing he's on his period and will make it everyone's problem.

Belphie: Mc… Mccccccc!

Mc: *worried* What's wrong?!

Belphie: *stretching his arms out* I'm on my periodooo, cuddle me.

Mc: *stifling laughter* Why should I?

Belphie: Eeeeh? *pouting* I'm on my period and you're not going to spoil me? How cruel.

Mc: *cuddling up next to him* You're such a spoiled brat.

Belphie: *cuddling up against them* Yeah, yeah, whatever you say *smiling*.

Belphie: *sleeping with hs shirt pulled up*

Mc: *observing the spots on his fur* Humm *drawing the shapes of the spots with their finger*

Belphie: *shrinking back*

Mc: Soft…

Belphie: *balling himself up into a ball* It tickles..

Mc: *smiling* A cute little cow with a cute little coat~

Belphie: *blushing still in his sleep* Stop…

Belphie: *courting Mc*

Mc: *getting up to go get something, without noticing it*

Belphie: …*his eyes fill up with tears*

Mc: Belphie??!!!

Belphie: Do you still love me?

Mc: Of course I love you,

Belphie: Then don't ever do that again… *biting their arm*

Mc: Ouch

Diavolo

Get ready to go underground. Diavolo nests in a cavern. There is a large underground cavern under the palace for this precise purpose.

Diavolo can go through his entire cycle without sleeping, but likes to do it, curled up in his nest just for the fun of it.

He can tolerate light, but only if strictly necessary.

You can find out a lot about Diavolos' period because the cycles of the royal are well documented.

Diavolo's scales harden and although black, they glow golden in the light and the golden scales double in size.

His pupils tear he's such a big lizar. And ornamental patterns are spread all over the skin.

Diavolo's grooming is complex and laborious, at first he didn't want to, but now he is the one asking for your help.

The scales on the wings, body and tail moult almost every day and it is advisable to keep his skin moisturised. If it gets too dry its can crack.

He needs to sharpen its claws and teeth, usually against rock walls.

Diavolo nests in its cavern, always high up, never close to the ground (you won't be able to get out of it without help).

This nest is surrounded by all kinds of treasures did you think the riches of the kings of Devildom were in the palace? No, most of it is in the cavern, accumulated generation after generation.

Very territorial, during his period almost all the employees of the palace must leave him. Also his sense of protection is increased, he will not leave you alone, he will not.

Diavolo's pre-heat consists of very constant feverish moments. But it is easy to detect that the cycle is approaching because of Barbatos.

During his period his appetite and voracity increase, he needs to hunt often, animals and beasts, but also souls trying to escape from the Devildom among other things (he takes the opportunity to go hunting when you sleep).

He will try to feed you, mouth to mouth, but seeing that it don't work, he will switch to giving you small pieces.

Diavolo in his demonic form can generate fire, not only with his magic. Because of your reluctance to eat raw food he started to ‘cook’ it with this fire.

Can speak on very specific occasions, the rest of the time he is non-verbal. His growls are literally demonic, sometimes it scares you and it is very sad to see his expression of guilt :(

As royalty, Diavolo has one of the strongest pheromones in Devildom, many demons are sickened by them (Ha, human insensitivity mode on), he consciously marks everything, especially his mate.

The only way to calm the dragon is direct physical contact, stroking its complex ornaments and wing membranes with your fingers It's like a game to be honest

Press on the muscles of its wings and neck and you will have it completely entranced. He has spent a lot of time alone during his periods and is in need of contact. Initiate physical contact and it will be pure happiness.

And most importantly, show reassurance, it makes him feel insecure to think that you are there against your will.

Diavolo's courtship is a ritual. First it will show off its grandeur by lighting up its scales and perform a nuptial flight where it will display its wings and ornaments.

After this he will look for the rarest prey to give them to you (the day he brought you a baby unicornia you almost fainted, thanks to Barbatos, you were able to get the baby out of there). Finally, he will try to dress you up with all kinds of treasures and jewels to ‘be a couple’.

All his senses are heightened, especially sight and smell.

There is a rumour that he sees everything that happens in Devildom. Which is a lie because you've seen him run into a wall when he's looking beyond it.

Diavolo's temperature increases a lot, despite the coldness of the cave (You slept on his chest because he's super warm? Yes, That from then on he always wanted you to sleep on top of him? Also).

Diavolo's purr is deep and loud. It will resonate throughout the cave, and will usually purr when you are paying attention to him.

Diavolo: *clearly worried*

Mc: *caressing his scales* What's wrong?

Diavolo: Mmmm *looking around*

Mc: *sighing* I'll tell you again, I'm here because I want to, because I want to take care of you, is that so hard to believe?

Diavolo: wrapping them in his wings Thank you…

Mc: *returning the hug* Anytime.

Diavolo: *placing a pearl necklace on their head*

Mc: *sitting on his lap* Dia...

Diavolo: *placing several precious stones on their chest *

Mc: Diavolo, dear.

Diavolo: *holding up a golden tiara to put on them*

Mc: *filled from head to toe with treasures* Diavolo, this is too heavy, it doesn't- stop, please.

Mc: *caressing a fairy that Diavolo has brought them as food*

Diavolo: *staring at the fairy*

Mc: Don't even think about it, if you burn the fairy, I'm out of here.

Diavolo: * indignant dragon sounds *

Mc: It's true... I can't leave here without you, but if you touch the fairy I'll get angry.

The fairy: *about to have a heart attack*

Barbatos

He doesn't sleep during his cycle, no matter how much you bowel, no matter how much you insist, he won't sleep. It is normal to wake up and find him watching you with his eyes wide open.

Light hurts him, during his period his skin becomes sensitive and burns very easily.

Barbatos' skin becomes very pale with a mucous covering. His tail elongates and ridges appear on his back, forearms and legs.

His horns also develop a membrane between their branches.

Its pupils lighten to the point of seeming to disappear, but then return to colour when it is alert. Sometimes you get the sensation that he stops blinking.

To groom himself, barbatos needs a lot of water. During his cycle he will create all kinds of water springs, (he is one of the few demons who can consciously use his powers).

 He's not a big fan of you helping him or watching him, he doesn't consider his appearance the most pleasant for a human.

He usually nests in his room, but sometimes opens portals to hidden parts of Devildom or even the human world, the latter more so since you started helping him. He creates a burrow, underground or among roots.

Although he occasionally goes out, he prefers to stay in his den.

Barbatos is dangerous, and possessive, he prefers loneliness with the sole exception of his mate, he is not territorial, I think because no one in their right mind would go near Barbatos during his period.

During his period Barbatos gets headaches, because he sometimes loses control of his powers and timelines overlap in his mind. The only thing you can do in these cases is stay by his side and comfort him :(.

Barbatos doesn't seem to need food. But for pleasure he sometimes devours curious prey (souls, blood of mystical creatures, cursed plants...).

He can talk without any problems, but he doesn't talk much. He prefers to attract attention with caresses or small bites. It is easy to interpret his silences.

During his period, Barbatos generates a lot of pheromones but does not mark. He has no sense of territory and prefers to stay close to his mate all day to avoid others approaching.

At the beginning of the period he will be reluctant to physical contact, he'll keep his distance, partly because of his appearance and partly because of fear of his behaviour. But little by little he will ask for more contact.

Don't touch him if he doesn't ask for it and make sure your hands are always wet or cold because even if he seeks your warmth, the normal temperature of a human could overwhelm him. Good thing we know magic, thanks Solomon.

Barbatos' courtship consists of a kind of lullaby, a humming, in which his skin glows slightly in a beautiful colour, quite frankly it is very mystical and magical. If it sees that you don't get disturbed it will hug you and swim with you for a long time (use magic, use it, or it will give you hypothermia).

Barbatos' senses are completely heightened, nothing escapes his awareness, but this is detrimental because very loud sounds, light or even physical contact can harm him. There are far more stimuli than millennia ago so this is yet another reason to isolate himself.

His temperature drops drastically, but he doesn't seem to have any problems with it.

Barbatos' purring is almost inaudible, you have to be very close to hear it. But it is quite easy for him to purr even though you won't notice it.

Barbatos is feeling quite vulnerable because he hasn't had his period for centuries so he is unfamiliar with his own reactions, and feels lost, although he will never admit it.

Give him confidence, by now, you are a master in demon periods.

Mc: Barbatos, my dear *peeling an apple*

Barbatos: *cuddling on Mc's lap* Hum?

Mc: Is there a reason why you chose one of the most remote places in the human world to spend your period?

Barbatos: … no

Mc: It's not so the brothers can't find me, is it?

Barbatos: … no…

Mc: *stifling laughter* Okay.

Mc: *gently stroking his back* How are you feeling?

Barbatos: *laying down next to them* It… hurts...

Mc: I'm sorry I can't help you *gently pouring water on his forehead.

Barbatos: You're here… that's more than well enough.

Mc: Give me some time and I'll find a way to calm those migraines.

Barbatos: *smiling* I'm sure you will….

Barbatos: I have to say I had forgotten what it was like to live ‘a period’.

Mc: I wonder why you've had them again after so long.

Barbatos: *smiling* It's because of you

Mc: Me?

Barbatos: *shrugging theur cheeks and rubbing their forehead against his * Yes, until you came there was no one who could be my potential mate, and my body knew it. Just like it knows you're here now.

Mc: *blushing* Those words count as courting? because they're working.

If you have made it this far, thank you very much 🩷

[fallingdownhell]

My first smut ask.

Gorou, Itto and Tighnari through a rut and you aren't there.

You got me.. I am SO down bad for this... and I won't elaborate on that more than I already have.

Characters Included: Gorou; Tighnari; Itto

Content: gender neutral reader; posessiveness; talk about animalistic features; talk of breeding; talk of overstimulation; semi-public; not proof read yet!

Word count: 1,6k words

Please tell me if I forgot to mention anything Content-wise!!

Minors do NOT interact!

Gorou

Whiny as FUCK

Like, Gorou is already a pretty clingy lover, but even more so when his rut is just around the corner

he is attached to you by the hip, never leaving you out of his sight, unless he absolutely HAS to. And even then, he makes it a point to return to your side as soon as the issue is taken care of

you know his rut is coming around when he starts acting like this, like you would disappear if he didn't keep a watchful eye on you

during this "Pre-rut" he growls at any other man that dares come close to you

he pulls you more into him, arms protectively around you as he growls and throws death glares at the other person

during his rut, he's not able to leave you alone for more than a minute. He is whiny as fuck, always demanding your attention to be on him. He always has to touch you

Normally, the sex with Gorou is pretty tame, he himself being a switch outside of his rut, but leaning more to the submissive side

during rut however, you can never find a way to overpower him. He pushes you down against the mattress, pushing his cock into you. He can't waist another second without feeling you spasming around him

He knows he should prepare you more for it, but he just can't be bothered

Now, you left Watatsumi Island two weeks ago for a mission. It was only supposed to last a few days, but some unforseen complications arose and you had to extend your leave, and an end was not in sight yet

a few day ago, Gorou has entered his rut and he is desperate

He is rutting his cock against your pillow, his head burried in your favourite blanket to get a smell of you

He whines and moans so loudly, not caring that the people outside his tent can hear him

He calls your name over and over again

He's lost count on how many times he came already, but it's never enough. Rutting against your pillow just didn't hold up to the feeling of your hole clenching around him, knotting you so that not a drop of his cum would be wasted

he reaches down to stroke his dick at the thought of this, wailing as he came yet another time, but his cock didn't grow soft. So, he put his cock on the mattress, placing the pillow above it and started thrusting like this, imagining that it was you laying underneath him

he hated how he was so desperate for you, how he kept calling your name and begging for you to finally come back to him so he can breed you. Yet his prayers were left unanswered and he was forced to continue this madness..

Archons, he swore he would make your legs shake and quiver from overstimulation once you came back to him...

Tighnari

He's a bit more composed and level-headed than Gorou is

After all, Tighnari is mated to you, so there was no reason for him to follow you around everywhere and fend of other people. He knows you're just as committed to him as he is to you

And yet, when the time for his rut comes around, all those thoughts and reason are thrown out the window

When this time comes around, he grows restless, more snappy than ususal and far more sarcastic. He also has a pretty hard time concentrating on stuff, since he's very easily overstimulated right now

he keeps smelling you everywhere, he is hyperaware of his surroundings and his ears pick up on every little sound

You know his rut is right around the corner when he starts nesting

Since you're no hybrid like him, you don't have these kinds of instincts. He does, although they aren't ususally this strong. But he thinks he has to make up for this, so he takes over the nesting part, filling up the bed equally with shirts and pillows both used by him and you.

because as much as he wants to be surrounded by your scent while he fucks you, he wants you to have the same experience with his scent

normally, Tighnari is a dominant lover in bed, yet he's still gentle with you, worshipping you and giving you the pleasure you deserve before he thinks about his own desires

however, when in rut, he has no controll over his urges. He just takes you every way he desires

100% bites you, everywhere he gets the chance to, but prefers to bite down on your neck, especially when he comes deep inside of you

during his rut, he has moments of clarity, where he takes care of you, feeding you and making you drink water, before his instincts take hold of him again and he begins ravishing you again

this rut however, you're not here. A family emergency came up and you had to travel back to Mondstadt to help out your parents. And while you stayed in contact with Tighnari via letters, it wasn't enough for him to get him through his rut

he required your physical presence to feel better, it was driving him and his brain crazy that you were not here, in his arms, where you belong

on top of that, this rut seemed to be especially bad, his instincts going more haywire than they normally do

yet, he can do nothing else than to grind his cock into his hands, the tight grip he has on himself trying to mimic the feeling of your hole when he's inside you

his knot swells at the thought, but only when he's about to come does he loosen his grip on his dick so that his knot is now also surrounded by his hands

he imagines how you would moan and scratch his back like you usually do when he knots you, pumping you full of his cum

that image is what drives him over the edge finally, but the feeling of satisfaction doesn't settle, like all the times before

he whines, feeling desperate, starting to beg the empty space of his hut that please, please, please, make you appear in front of him magically so he can fuck you

but for now.. he just has to figure out a way to survive this horror of a rut without you...

Itto

Itto, just like Gorou, is attached to you by the hip

he is never seen without you around, and you can never be seen without him following you around like a lost puppy

It's cute most of the time, but it can also get annoying, especially in times where you just need a break but he keeps following you around, trying to hide around corners or behind bushes, failing to notice that he is still perfectly visible to everyone around, especially you

Pre-rut Itto would also be more whiny, but he also grows very sensitive to what you say

you mention something you like? He's already on his way to get it!

You say something about him that he has taken in a negative way? He gets big puppy eyes and asks you if you're sick of him and if you don't love him anymore

It can get annoying, but it's also really adorable since he's just so desperate to make you happy, no matter what way

at some point, you started to wonder if that behaviour before his rut starts may be some kind of compensation for how he acts DURING them

because, without exaggeration, Itto becomes so selfish during that time

he doesn't waste too much time preparing you, even though his cock is huge and it always hurt when he puts it in, no matter how long he prepares you beforehand

his thrusts are also relentless, the only goal in his mind being his release. He does hit your good points, but that more or less happens on accident thanks to his size once again

He is so vocal, too. Screams and moans without care on who might hear the two of you, he really can't be bothered

He tries to stimulate you as well, but he just feels so good, thrusting his thick cock inside of you, that he forgets to move his hand. You have to grind your hips against him to get the stimulation you need to also be pushed over the edge

He always apologizes for his behaviour profusely after his rut is over, but it happens again every time after that

however, as Itto has started his rut yesterday, you were no where to be seen with him

A friend of yours invited you out on a vacation. You both have misscalculated the time his rut would arrive, thinking you would make it back before then, you agreed to the trip

so, here he was now, having to deal with this alone for the first time since he has met you, and he wasn't happy about it

Itto pumped his cock in frustration, moaning your name loudly, his eyes closed as he imagined you, above him, riding his cock like you needed it to survive

the mental image was amazing, but it just doesn't come close to having you actually on him

another grunt came out as he thrusted his hips upwards, pickung up the pace of his hand

he focused on his memories, recalling how it felt to be inside you, how your hole always struggles to take him fully, yet you always clamp down on him so nicely

He comes for the nth time in his hand, pumping himself through his climax and for the hundreth time now he moans your name and wishes you would be here with him...

[rirabeko]

Some of Baji's mischaracterization that gives me the ICK

It's 2024 and there are people out there who still can't understand Baji's character and mischaracterize him heavily, mostly because of the Bajifuyu ship.

DISCLAIMER: You can ship whoever you want. I'm just tired of seeing my favourite character constantly being mischaracterized because of toxic shippers. Also I'm not a shipper myself, I do not romanticize any of the relationships I mention below.

The biggest issue with Baji's character is the fact that Bajifuyu shippers (and sometimes just the fandom in general) constantly ignore Kazutora's role in Baji's life, meanwhile Kazutora made a huge impact on Baji's character. You can clearly see it not just in the anime or in the manga, but in the spin-off too.

Baji and Kazutora were that duo, they were a literal separated team within Toman. They met naturally, become friends instantly and spent most of their time together (many times without Toman). It's accepted by the fandom, that Kazutora's first real friend was Baji, but also Baji's first close friend was Kazutora.

Obviously Mikey and Baji were close as kids, but after Baji moved to a different place they weren't that close. I bet this is the reason why Baji didn't know about Shinichiro's bike shop, since when they met regularly Baji was a little kid and Shinichiro was a teenager without a bike shop. It also shows that Mikey and Baji aren't that close, they are more like childhood buddies than close friends.

I can talk about this for hours but now I only wrote it as a small disclaimer, before I get into my points, so let's go.

I am sick of it when:

they call Baji stupid (he literally outsmarted Kisaki, being smart not equals only book smart)

people headcanon him as a mean, aggressive, abusive bf (he is canonly no.1 best lover and he literally died because he has a heart of gold, let this bs go pls)

they can't understand the reason behind his suicide and make it a ship war (ICK)

people can't accept the fact Baji loves his friends differently, and not everyone is his bestie (it doesn't mean he does not love them, or prefers someone over the other but love can be different towards different people and it's absolutely normal!)

they make his character all about Bajifuyu (he is an individual, stop bringing up Chifuyu EVERYTIME when it comes to Baji. His character is much more than a guy in a dominant-submissive fanmade yaoi ship people like dragging him into!)

they make Chifuyu the good, perfect friend while constantly dragging Baji down and made him the bad guy in their relationship (I could write a whole essay just about this being a bullshit)

when they romanticize Bajifuyu (Baji canonly sees Chifuyu as a younger brother figure said by Baji's mom, but there are people out there who still believes unironically that they are in love... WHY?)

they ignore that Baji is very caring and affectionate not just towards Chifuyu, he is like this because these are his own personality traits. He behaves like this with everyone who's close to him. (Mikey, Kazutora, Ryuusei and just Toman in general)

people say Chifuyu was the only one who understood Baji's feelings and aims (the literal reason Baji died was because no one really understood his goals and behaviour, not even Chifuyu)

they romanticize Chifuyu's obsessiveness towards Baji (if Chifuyu was a girl, he would be cancelled for this behaviour immediately, but the double standard won again)

people make his death an opportunity to romanticize Bajifuyu (biggest ICK)

they say Baji is only distant with Chifuyu beacuse he is a tsundere (there are so many situations when Chifuyu truly annoys Baji, e.g. he said it many times that Chifuyu's infatuation really disturbs him and asked Chifuyu to stop)

Bajifuyu shippers ignore and hate Kazutora just because he disturbs their ship

they say Baji was a bad influence to Kazutora (Kazutora hung out with gangs even before he met Baji, he was already a part of the underworld. the reason Kazutora turned out that way was his abusive father and his horrible childhood in general. Baji literally saved him, and he could finally be himself around Baji without any judgement or harassment)

they ignore or even DENY Bajitora's bond because of Bajifuyu

they accept Bajifuyu, Kazufuyu or even the Bajitrio but HATE Bajitora (the biggest bullshit ever)

they can't recognise the fanservice of Bajifuyu and calls them canon because of the clear fanservice acts

people think Bajitora is one sided (more Baji sided) meanwhile Tora loves Baji more than his own life and shows it many times how much he loves Baji and how much Baji means to him

they accept that Chifuyu never changed his hairstyle after Baji made it for him (and obviously they romanticize it) but they are hating because Kazutora looked exactly like Baji in bad toman timeline

people ignore Bajitora and always forgets that they are very close to each other in every timeline. the new panels Wakui drew were also about Kazutora putting Chifuyu to his place after Chifuyu completly ignored Tora and disturbed his time with his best friend. (we all know Kazutora is very possessive with Baji for obvious reasons and does not tolerate being disrespected by someone)

The list could go on and on but these are the main problems I still see in this fandom when it comes to Baji's character.

I'm tired of seeing this amazingly well-written character turns into a boring, abusive, mean guy by the fandom who is only an abuser in a toxic fanmade yaoi ship.

SIDE NOTE:

To all the people who dislike him/call him mean and aggressive because he beat Chifuyu up:

This anime is based on a manga which takes place in the early 2000's gangster world in Japan. He is the captain of the 1st division, he is the leader, and his role is not just to be the strongest in the division but also to manage his team, bc this is also what a leader does. If someone is disrespectful, breaks the rules and shows a bad example to the others he has to punish them. In this world this is how things go. This won't make him a bad person, or an aggressive jerk. Baji can be very calm and collected when it comes to leading his division. He is a very good leader, who takes care of his teammates, so no surprise he is really loved by his division. 

Also when he beat Chifuyu up before joining Valhalla: he hated himself for doing that. But he had to, he had no other choice. And Chifuyu had every right to stand up against Baji and tell him he's not doing it. But since Chifuyu never questions Baji's decisions as the captain of the first division he agreed with this one too, and also because he wanted to help him. Chifuyu knew exactly what he was doing when he let Baji doing this to him, and he went along with it. Stop bringing this up everytime and use it against Baji.

[lisafication]

This post is uh, extremely normal I swear

So hello yes I am absolutely On My Bullshit regarding my new favourite game. 

That’s right, it’s the cannibal incest game, The Coffin of Andy and Leyley. And I’m here to shove five thousand words of pretentious analysis down your throat because, and I do not exaggerate, I think it is one of, if not the best written game I have ever played. And I have played a lot of games, including Baldur’s Gate 3, Final Fantasy XIV and Undertale, to name a few narrative luminaries to come to mind.

That wordcount is not an exaggeration. My brainworms are extremely powerful and now you can share them with me as I walk you through my insane skyscraper of inference-driven analysis.

Or you can click away. I really wouldn’t blame you, it’s quite a lot.

Content Warnings: …Yes?

(To drop the bit for a moment, The Coffin of Andy and Leyley covers extremely disturbing material and challenges you to examine aspects of living in this world that many have taken for granted all their life, it is not a comfortable game, this will cover similar topics and will often echo the game’s unremitting scepticism on basic principles of society and humanity and you should look after yourself first. My Content Warning is framed as a joke, but it’s also quite real in that the game is designed to make you uncomfortable and there’s no shame in that not being for you.)

This was originally posted on and formatted for Sufficient Velocity, and you can probably more easily read and discuss it with me here.

With that said, let’s dig in. I have had to split this into multiple posts because tumblr will only allow so many images. There will be spoilers for all endings.

She’s excited, are you?

It’s All About Ashley

It really is, isn’t it? I mean, for approximately eighty percent of the total game as currently released and the entirety of Episode 1, you’re in control of Ashley, just as she’s in control of her and Andrew’s relationship for 80% of the game, up until the various ending sequences where it begins to slip. The only other characters who really matter at all in and of themselves are Andrew and her mother — and the former is under her thumb, and she eats the latter. It’s all about Ashley. Even her obsession with Andrew is, ultimately, about Ashley.

But who is Ashley? What is Ashley? Why is Ashley, even? Let’s take a look.

Ashley as presented to us in Episode 1 is very straightforward, so let’s list off the traits we’re given — she is malicious, she is fearless, she lacks empathy, she doesn’t have anything resembling a conscience, she demands Andrew belong to her and her alone, she has him at her beck and call.

In Episode 2, we’re ostensibly shown how she has him at her beck and call— she leverages the threat of reporting Nina’s death over him and had him swear to be with her forever. We’re shown that even as a child she was “just, like that” — but as a child, she hadn’t learnt to live with it yet, to laugh at the farce of it all.

Yeah, exactly like that!

And she does this throughout Episode 1 — The Coffin of Andy and Leyley is a remarkably silly game much of the time, finding moments of absurdity and levity against a backdrop blacker than pitch — and most of the time, your internal narration is coming from Ashley and the jokes will not-infrequently come at her own expense.

She will later get negged by her human sacrifice for her poor ritual circle drawing

Her reaction to being told that her soul is as dark and viscous as tar is “You guess you already knew that” — it’s confirmation to her, not new information. Ashley knows who she is. But who taught her this? There’s layers to this, nothing in this game is as simple and straightforward as it appears at first sight, which is why I’ve been obsessing over it for days.

While it’s common in fiction, the truth of the matter is, most ‘bad people’ really do think they’re good people. But Ashley has never once thought of herself as a good person — or perhaps better put as a person worthy of love — as we learn across Episodes 1 & 2, with our flashbacks to Andy and Leyley and the VERY VERY QUIET!!!

I really wish I had space in this essay to talk about this, but I’d like to touch on these being traits usually more easily forgiven in young boys than young girls at some point.

If she removes all other options, only then can she expect him to like her.

This is something that is echoed in the modern day — her seeming self-assurance is easily shaken and she reaches out to the world — usually Andrew — to affirm and validate her, soothing her insecurities, using any tool she deems necessary. Even when her life is on the line when Andrew has her by the throat at the climax of Episode 1, the only ‘compelling reason’ she can give Andrew to not kill her is her ability to soothe his nightmares. When he tells her there are sleeping pills for that…

Most people would have a bit more to argue for their existence.

While she, unlike Andrew, acknowledges having had friends before the quarantine… you know she’s got a point that they didn’t even bother to answer her calls, that was clearly not something the state was interfering with given Andrew’s calls with his mother and his girlfriend, and given her general demeanour it’s not hard to imagine that… they weren’t ever very close. When we see her and Nina talk in the infamous ‘box scene’, it’s clear that Nina doesn’t like her very much, despite Andrew’s assessment of Nina as being one of Ashley’s friends.

We see further support for her general lack of companionship in her dream sequence in the Burial route — Leyley and Leyley Alone. No matter what you do, you can’t place the pink plushy at the family table, the flowers won’t bloom if you give the Julia and Nina plushies her own as a companion instead of Andrew’s — and if you’re bold enough to go for the ‘incest route’, in the ‘Love’ room you see that no one ever looks happy to be with her in the childlike depictions of her history, nor is she happy in turn, save for when she’s with Andrew. In a bit of heavy-handed metaphor, the player then overwrites all of these tense, upset, hard moments with Andrew, having him fill in for everyone else in life — and happy with her.

Once Upon A Lousy Life…

THE END

And that’s why she needs him to affirm her, because no one else ever has and no one else ever will. It’s even included in their comic beats — when the siblings are getting along well, they’ll often play a game where Andrew dramatically overpraises Ashley while she demands more; it’s a comedic bit but I mean — it really does matter to her!

For the record, she opened a door. She gets a little heart in a speech bubble after this exchange.

We have a great example of this dynamic, that of insecurity and affirmation, in Episode 1, after Andrew has killed for her, butchered for her, his girlfriend broke up with her, he’s seemingly thrown his entire life away for her… she’s still insecure over her relationship with him, she’s uncertain of her control and she needs him to reaffirm it for her.

This is her victory, surely?

Andrew affirms her once, with his usual dead-eyed look.

But she's still not so sure.

He actively reaches out to affirm her again with cheer.

Look how happy she is!

While it’s most obvious and clear cut here, it’s hardly the only case. Let’s look back to the aftermath of Andy and Leyley and the VERY VERY QUIET!!! (I’m not using the other name). Leyley is, after similarly extreme acts — he murdered a girl and hid her body for her — convinced Andy doesn’t like her and she needs this leverage to keep him around, to meet her basic needs for survival. Because that’s what this is — she receives no care of affection elsewhere, so she forces it out of the only source she sees available through the means she sees as necessary.

I really hope we see some of their earlier childhood in Episode 3

What exactly made her like this? Was it just neglect, or something more specific…

She needs this to be the case because otherwise she doesn’t believe he’d stay.

This pattern repeats throughout — Ashley’s insecurities are hit on and she reaches out to Andy to affirm that she is not alone, and she will use any and every tool to exploit her ostensible control over him and force him to be what she needs him to be — and as long as she has that, as long as she is everything to him and it’s not possible for him to leave, she’s happy. As long as she thinks he loves her in her very particular, very peculiar view of love, she’s content, come what may. As long as Andy and Leyley are together, they can take on the world.

Let’s talk about that view of love, because there’s always more layers to unpack here I’m only scratching the surface with this essay — Ashley consistently refers to anyone else Andrew may have befriended or spent time with as a whore, a slut, a bitch — highly gendered insults that bring to mind the idea that he’s cheating in some way. But it’s not even about sex — when Andrew mentions that their parents had friends, she accuses them of cheating on each other in the same way!

There’s a lot to unpack about Ashley’s view of femininity and the role the patriarchy plays in their relationship.

Any kind of emotional engagement, any kind of commitment, any kind of life outside of your significant other is, to Ashley, cheating. Because that’s what she needs from Andrew, a seeming complete and total commitment, secure in her place as the only thing in his life, because she cannot understand anyone picking her if they have a choice.

This insecurity she has in her relationship is what drives her to empower the trinket — he can’t leave her as long as she can protect him with prophetic dreams, after all. She needs every kind of leverage she can get because until she succeeds in being everything to him, in devouring him so completely she has him in her thrall mind, body and soul she can’t be sure of herself — hell, her dream sequence in Burial has you placing Andrew’s signature green plushy, ‘the best thing in the world’ in a cage far away from anything else.

Ultimately, it really is all about Ashley — even her seeming obsession with Andrew ultimately comes back to her own insecurities. If she is everything to ‘the best thing in the world’, some of that ‘best’ must surely reflect on her! 

But that’s enough about the more normal, straightforward and understandable sibling. 

That was not a joke.

Andrew’s Rank 100 Deception

The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he did not exist.

Let me explain.

You might have noticed that in the previous section I often use language such as ‘ostensibly’ or ‘seemingly’ to describe Andy and Leyley’s relationship, and there’s a good reason for that. From the beginning of the game through to its end, Andrew is lying to you, the player, without ever falsely representing or misinforming you about events that occurred.

The common, or obvious ‘initial take’ on Andrew as presented in Episode 1 is fairly straightforward. The game primes you to think this way, it frames things and strings reveals just right so as to make it very easy to overlook the incongruities it introduces in Episode 2. He’s a victim. Plain and simple, Ashley is his abuser and he is her victim and would be fine, a normal albeit kinda depressed guy without her.

It really is not a difficult conclusion to draw

You can go all the way through the game, have him try to accept his mother’s olive branch and enter the Decay route as a method for him to finally actualise his desire to get out from Ashley’s thumb and it makes sense, it’s a reasonable way for the story to go, given his character.

You see him this way because the game primes you in Episode 1 to view their relationship like Andrew does — he’s lying. He’s lying to himself, he’s lying to Ashley and he’s so good at it — Deception Rank 100 — he even lies to you. Without misrepresenting a single event or otherwise misleading you directly, the game gets you to buy into his preferred self-perception. Nina? Ashley. Julia? Ashley. The murders they commit in the course of the game? Ashley, Ashley, Ashley, it’s not his fault he’s not to blame he’s just a doormat at the beck and call of his demonic sister.

But he wants to be there. From the very outset, the very first puzzle, that’s made clear. Does anyone else remember this exchange, from right at the beginning of the game?

Ashley wants to investigate the music!

Andrew disapproves…

…Or does he?! 

Like. Listen. Okay. You do not frown when saying ‘Nope’ and then smile when saying that you’ll instead tag along if they do it if your heart is at all in the no. That’s not an objection, that’s using Ashley as his excuse. Especially if you immediately throw her the balcony key that she could not possibly have gotten from you by force (more on Andrew’s ability to use force later).

This is the very first time you control both characters together with Andrew following Ashley instead of off on his own, the first adventure, the first puzzle! 

But put a pin in that for now, let’s talk about his initial framing in Episode 2 first. Episode 1 has set us up to, generally speaking, believe the superficial framing of the siblings as portrayed in its promotional art:

The question that we then ask, right at the heart of it is… why is he a doormat? We explore this in his dream sequence in Episode 2, which does make it clear that the boy’s not okay but— it’s real easy, given the priming from Episode 1 to make you think that he’s the one with the originally functional moral compass, to think that that him being fucked up is damage done to him by Nina’s death and being bound to Ashley for his entire life. She corrupted him.

But, well, is that the case?

You're primed to ignore this as manipulation (which it is) but the best manipulation has some truth to it.

Precisely two things spur Andrew to action in the entire game, consistently — they are the fear of consequences and Ashley. And the first incident of that fear, the very first time we’re shown his seeming moral compass as a kid — the first time it’s really hammered home that it’s a fear of consequences rather than any true moral qualms is after Nina’s death. And why does he fear consequences here?

……

The ‘natural’ read that many take away from this sequence, particularly those who have only played Decay, is that Ashley browbeat him into doing this against his will, using emotional blackmail to overwhelm his objections, and then used the event itself to bind him to her forever as her personal doormat.

In a strict sense, this is true. But this doesn’t match up with the details, something the game uses shock to encourage you to overlook. That outburst is before any kind of threat has been made, and absolutely nothing either of them say anything about it being morally bad until Ashley weaponises ‘you’re a bad person’ against Andrew — morality didn’t seem to enter his mind or the equation at all until Ashley brought it up. More than that, his greatest fear and driving motivation even prior to that is, as shown above, being taken away from Ashley.

She, of course, recognises this and uses it against him. But she never needed to, it didn’t change anything about Andrew’s attachment to her, it was there to address her own insecurities.

Just like to touch on how a lot of his affirmations are preceded by him confirming her insecurities.

I adore this phrasing

There’s a second prong to this as well, to the question of ‘who really calls the shots here’ because — Andrew can, at any stage, apply an ‘ultimate veto’ of physical violence. The game is very clear to the player that that is on the table — even when they were children, when Andy swears their blood oath, he briefly considers killing her — and take note of how he ultimately got a ‘winning’ condition out of her by not specifying there wouldn’t be others and she is forced to accept that, there. Even outside of their most serious confrontations, Ashley is portrayed as having to convince, manipulate or otherwise coerce Andrew into going along with her schemes — she really can’t make him do anything, she doesn’t have the supremacy in violence and, to a lesser extent, capability that would allow her to. 

Andrew, you are like ten years old.

The truth of the matter is, Ashley can only make Andrew do anything because he lets her. I don’t mean in the sense that I’m saying abuse victims let their abusers emotionally abuse them, I mean in the sense that he is clearly considering his options on the table and choosing to discard those that could stop her, or bring an end to any of this. He needs her.

But it’s true that he hates her, too. He has to hate her, because if he doesn’t hate her, if he isn’t forced to have done this, that means… he’s responsible. And nothing, at the start of the story, is as important to Andrew as avoiding the consequences of his own actions, not even Ashley. By the midpoint, he loves her, he hates her, he can’t live without her, he wants to kill her — by the end… well, that depends if you’re on Decay or Burial, but more on that in a bit.

A great scene to study for this dynamic is the climax of Episode 1, when Andrew grabs Ashley by the throat and considers strangling her to death. She’s pushed him too far with hurtful words and assault, and he’s seemingly had enough.

It’s still framed as a question of risk, of consequences happening to him. 

Like, this is not the usual behaviour of someone who’s been pushed past their breaking point.

He tells Ashley that he wants to kill her, because she’s just going to throw another fit and that’s a risk to him. She is… not framed as being able to fight back (she does have a gun here, and more on that in a later essay, maybe). He’s so calculated in how he approaches his use of violence here, which isn’t at all what you’d expect of someone about to commit a crime of passion… but it’s very easy to overlook because of the abuser/victim narrative that the player fits his behaviour into the narrative that the game primes them to accept, brushing incongruities under the carpet.

At the start of Episode 2, we get to control Andrew for the first time, and the first obvious holes in his cover start to show. Some of this is optional — you only learn that he’s been faking having nightmares in order to share a bed with Ashley if you choose to go back into the motel room and check the bed, for example — but not all of it.

----(See reblogs for the second half)

[becausebuckley]

michelle's buddie fic recs: week 49!

oh, how time flies... i can't believe the end of the year is this close already! not a massive fan of that, not gonna lie, but i am a fan of all of these fics, so let's focus on that, shall we?

this is a mix of fics with all ratings, so some include NSFW content. please take a look at both the ratings and the fic tags before reading! some might also contain spoilers for season 8.

if you come across something you like in this list, remember to show some love to the author by leaving kudos and a comment!

built a house in the middle of your chest | LongConvolutedSimiles | 5.3k | M

Five times Buck and Eddie touch platonically plus one time they realise it's not platonic at all. i do love a good platonic-to-not-platonic-touching type fic and this hit the spot so perfectly <3

carpe diem | writingcap/@gibuckaroo | 2.6k | GA

Eddie rests his head on Buck’s shoulder and he lets himself follow. eddie's love language might be physical touch but my love language is reading about physical touch <3 so good!!

everything is fine (everything is perfect) | Kwills91/@kwills91| 4.1k | GA

Buck gets sick and Eddie takes care of him. Then Eddie bares his soul and Buck takes care of him. Because that's what they do. because that's what they do!! i love how they take care of each other here, written so perfectly <3

hen wilson's four part guide to making your stupid friends date | songbvrd/@songbvrd | 25k | M

When Buck and Eddie aren't speaking, Hen decides to take matters into her own hands. outsider pov!! hen wilson!! buddie being idiots in love!! what else could a girl (me) want (nothing) <3

i can tell just what you want (you don't want to be alone) | Talls/@tallsinspace | 12.6k | E

In which Eddie keeps secrets and Buck is incredibly normal and rational and even brave about his reaction to this. buck being so normal and rational and brave is my absolute favourite <3 love his inner dialogue here!

i don't swim and you're not in love | hattalove/@hattalove | 32.4k | T

eddie cooks, chris domesticates a slug, and buck tries to figure out why he hates his best friend's girlfriend. to everyone's immense shock and surprise, it goes badly. blanket rec for an author whose work i've really been loving this week <3 been making my way through hattalove's entire profile and having such a good time. this one in particular has such a delightful buck and such lovely buddie and all of the yearning!!

i have had enough of crime | lamardeuse/@lamardeuse | 8.1k | T

Josh's view of Eddie's journey in 8A and beyond through the gay Olympic sport of competitive brunching. this fic captures josh so so perfectly and the josh & eddie dynamic is just brilliant <3

i should be pushing daisies | 42hrb/@exhuastedpigeon | 5.5k | T

Eddie goes to Texas to fix things with Chris and Buck pines. pining buck <3 this is such a brilliant character study and i love it so very much!!

practice makes perfect | greenbergsays/@greenbergsays | 6.5k | E

When the subject of Buck 1.0 arises, Buck worries that the reminder will make Eddie rethink their relationship. Eddie reassures him. oh my this is such a perfect way of buck 1.0 coming up in buddie fics... genuinely unmatched i saw the ao3 email in my inbox and audibly gasped. so good!!

properly | EiraLloyd/@unlifeira | 3.9k | T

“’ve got it, Eds,” someone murmured close to his ear in a way that made him shiver, and oh, that was Buck’s voice. Eddie would know him anywhere. This time, his questioning noise sounded a little more like a hum. “‘ve got it,” Buck repeated, attempting to truly drive in the message. “Y’can sleep in.” this is the loveliest mutual pining/sharing a bed/misunderstandings fic ever <3 honestly everything this author writes is just incredible, i know i'm in good hands when i see her name pop up

somethings said (to turn you inside out) | taegyungie | 12.2k | E

Buck catches Eddie on Grindr and now he can't stop thinking about it. i need ALL of the buck and eddie on grindr fics honestly they always hit the spot <3 this is hot and perfect and so so good!!

the arms of the ocean | anatargmova/@anatargmova | 9.7k | T

after Christopher leaves with his grandparents, Buck notices just how much touch-starved Eddie is — and decides to fix it. listen okay we all know by now how much i love a fic about touch starvation. however what you might not know is that i especially love a fic about touch-starved eddie. and this one has exactly that, but is also buck POV, which is just incredibly well-written and so soft and lovely and feels like a hug <3

trade all my tomorrows | ipretendtobesane/@userbuddie | 74k | E

Buck’s the god of love and was cursed to never fall for anyone, Eddie’s just trying to explore his newfound queerness with someone he trusts, striking up a friends with benefits agreement is the perfect arrangement. this is hands down the most beautiful fic i've read in a long long time. it's so well-written, so fleshed-out, just so good! i'll be rereading this many many times, i just know it <3

[lisholoz]

What are some comic books you recommend that have Jason and Slade in them?

My favourite is Arkham Knight Genesis for them. The arts gorgeous! Slades like Jason's personal attack dog it's great. What's more romantic than building a militia together to destroy your dad's city 😔🙏.

Jason wearing Slades clothes? Check

Jason as Slades boss? Check

Slade who knows who Jason is and is his only confidant as the Arkham Knight, seriously NOBODY else knows that Jason is the Knight not even Scarecrow who he's cooking his big plan up with.

Slade sticking his fingers in Jason's mouth immediately after meeting him? Check. Also the art is STUNNINGGGG

I mean COME ONNNNNNNN

There's also Tony S. Daniels Deathstroke run which is about 20 issues and ran from 2014-2016. Issues #16 and #17 have really fun Red Hood and Deathstroke content and the art is lovely! Issue #16 has the cursed Red Hood lips mask just a heads-up!!!! #17 he looks normal tho. Jason takes a contract on Deathstroke to beat him up for fun then immediately after his contract ends starts HELPING Slade during a firefight to the point his employers are like

"RED HOOD WHAT THE FUCK WE'RE PAYING YOU TO FIGHT HIM!!!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬"

And Jason while shooting at them is like

"Oh but I completed that job already. This is my free time 🥰"

There is another comic where they interact but I just am NOT strong enough to ready it because the art is so fucking ugly . It's DCeased: Unkillables #2.

I'm sorry there's not more I'm just insane about them ahsjdjdjdjd.

In Gotham Knights at the start of the game whenever you go out driving as Red Hood when the people of Gotham don't really know who he is they go

"Was that Deathstroke?!?"

There's also Batman: The Adventure Continues #14 but I haven't gotten my hands on that yet!

Also theres a Funko pop that EVERY Sladejay fan I know has 😂😂

Lastly this isn't canon but here is my contributions from Lego DC supervillains photo mode!!

Also this isn't official but comics Slade always says

"My word is my bond."

So I read waaaaaaaay to into this when I read Red Hood vs Anarky

That's all I've got!!!! Honestly the way they wrote Slades character in Knight vs Dragons is very Red Hood esque so definitely check that out too!

[boopsiesdaisies]

As You Wish (Spencer Reid x Reader)

Spencer Reid x Reader | Halloween Fluff | 1,255 words

Masterlist

You talked Spencer into a couple's costume and it's the day of Halloween, but you still don't have any ideas.

Note: Reader wears a character costume that identifies as female. Spencer Reid has sensory issues.

Am I a few days early? Sure. Did this make me giggle and kick my feet? Absolutely.

Halloween. Your favourite day of the year and you finally had a day off. But even better you had finally talked your boyfriend into a couple's costume. Everything was going to be perfect. A few of your friends from college were hosting a very low-key adult-only Halloween costume party. All of you were going to sit around, have a few drinks and just catch-up. It was a perfect time for Spencer to finally meet your friends from outside the BAU and get to have a bit of normalcy. You and Spencer would then go home early and you would let him pick out a horror movie for you two to watch together. Which typically looked more like Spencer pointing out various facts and you listening to him talk and completely missing the point of the movie, but you could listen to him for hours. Spencer Reid’s tangents were your favourite part of him, the passion in his eyes everytime was what drew you to him in the first place and it never ceased to make you smile.

Unfortunately, due to the time commitment being in the BAU, you and Spencer had yet to actually buy a costume and the party started in about four hours. So there you stood in the almost empty Spirit Halloween trying to talk him into any couples’ costume that was left. 

“Okay we could do like Daphne and Fred from Scooby Doo! They solve mysteries, we solve crimes, it's perfect” You held up the bags to see the very disappointing look on Spencer’s face.

“No, I’m not blond,” Spencer replied without even looking up from the aisle, wiping it hands over and over on his pants. “Plus, they barely solve anything most of the time it’s handed to them or achieved through deus ex machina.” 

He didn’t make eye contact with you the entire time he spoke. Choosing to glance around the floor to the empty shelves and then back again; relaxing and tensing his jaw as he tried to focus on anything but the world around him. You knew this was a bit overwhelming for him. It was such a last minute ordeal, you completely screwed his schedule up as the vacation day was so last minute, and every Spirit Halloween insisted on never turning on the air conditioning making it far too warm. Not to mention the mother and son arguing in the background about Paw Patrol characters. You were grateful Spencer was even here, but he was really giving you nothing.

“Spence, it’s a costume! You don’t have to be blond to be Fred,” you explained, putting the costumes back, knowing that arguing wasn’t going to achieve what you needed. 

You needed two costumes and fast. Time was ticking and the selection of the store was dwindling fast. Plus, you knew your boyfriend was stubborn and sometimes it’s easiest to pick your battles. 

“Oh! Oh! We could be Barbie and Ken!” You run across the aisle finding the last two bags of the costumes and bring them back to Spencer. 

Spencer turned from the aisle to look at the costumes, “that’s an extra large Ken costume.”

You looked Spencer up and down and put the two costumes back on the shelf where you were standing. Normally, you would go out of your way to put things back in the proper place but considering there were 6 total costumes in this aisle the change of distance wasn’t going to change anyone’s life. So, there you stood looking at the last option, a sexy police officer and a prisoner. 

“Sexy Captain Miss Behaving and her latest catch,” you read of the label. 

You were terrified to turn to Spencer’s face as you felt the blush begin to spread on your cheeks. God, why was this Spirit Halloween so warm? 

“I could point out a plethora of misattributions in just the label alone,” Spencer goes to start reading off the label, but before he can you just put it back on the shelf.

“Spence, I really appreciate you going out of your comfort zone this year and agreeing to do a couple’s costume with me, but you’re not really giving me anything to work with,” you lightly touch his arm. 

“It’s just – These costumes don’t even make sense and even though polyester is apparently the fabric of the future, it’s extraordinarily coarse and unbreathable because of the shape of the molecular structure. Plus because it can’t absorb moisture for the same reasons, you’re just sitting in your sweat and then I can feel it and it’s awful. But also it can contain antimony oxide which can cause skin irritation to the point of mimicking burns, and long-term exposure can lead to chronic bronchitis or chronic emphysema.” Spencer rambled.

“Spencer, first off you’re not going to get chronic bronchitis just from one night in a Halloween costume, but I appreciate the concern. But why don’t we just try to find something else? I’ll just let my friends know that something came up for work and we can’t make it. They get it,” you understood that this was something that maybe you just wouldn’t get to do this year. 

It was so last minute anyways, you knew you probably weren’t going to get a costume anyways. Plus Spencer seemed to be dreading the idea of meeting your friends since you broached the topic this morning, but he seemed to be playing along for your sake.

“No, I want to go.” Spencer said.

“Spence, don’t force yourself to go just because I want to, you can just meet them all another time,” you smiled. 

“It’s not that I don’t want to go, I just…” He paused and then sighed. “I don’t want to make a bad impression and polyester isn’t the way to do that, and I don’t think these costumes suit us. I want to go to the party with you because I want to get to know the people that make you happy.”

The admission was so sweet you almost walked out of that Spirit Halloween and wept tears of joy, thanking every holy being for bringing you to him.

“Wait! I got it!” You yelled a bit too loud for being in public. “Stay right here, I saw the costume for me on the way in and then we will run home and make your’s!”

“How are we going to have time–” Spencer started, but you had run off before you had even let him start. 

Standing in the doorway of your friends’ house, you knew the costume was perfect. Spencer seemed so much more comfortable in his own clothes, a black button-down and black slacks – two items that he practically lived in at work. And there you stood in a long red dress; the two of you were Buttercup and Westley from The Princess Bride.

“I still don’t think that the costume really suits me,” Spencer looked over at you, wiping his hands on his pants again.

You grab his hand and hold it in your own hand hoping to help calm him down, “I think it suits you perfectly, you’re brave in the face of danger, who really believes in right and wrong, and you’re my hero.” 

Spencer smiles at you, “as you wish.” 

The grin that covered your face must have been ridiculous as you turned around to look at him and leaned in to kiss him. You let him close the space between the two of you, the silent confirmation of your affections towards each other always made your heart flutter. It was really going to be the best Halloween.

[yokohamapound]

If you have enough time, could you please write about Fyodor, Dazai, chuuya, and tecchou (You could add more if you want) reacting to their s/o pinching, squeezing, and kissing their both cheeks with a slight nibbling on them? If you don't mind, ty.

This request is so cute and sweet that Ranpo is going to try and steal it. For which I am also adding him to the headcanons~

Characters: Fyodor Dostoevsky, Dazai Osamu, Nakahara Chuuya, Suehiro Tetchou, Edogawa Ranpo

Contains: Smoochies

Fyodor Dostoevsky 

I imagine it takes a little while for you to gather the courage to do this. While Fyodor has a very pretty face, his aloof demeanour and sinister edge don’t encourage people to touch him casually. Obviously, as his partner you have much more freedom in this sense, but it was probably still a while before you reached out and pinched his cheek.

Fyodor’s surprise is fascinating to see. He lets out a small, throaty laugh, raising an eyebrow at you for your impulsive gesture. 

“What prompted that, may I ask?”

His amusement is only compounded when you follow your pinching up with kisses. He’ll allow you to get away with it for a moment or two before he takes your chin and asks if you’re so terribly in need of his attention. If you ask ever so sweetly, he might just give it to you. 

Dazai Osamu

No matter how gently you pinch his cheek, Dazai will overplay it. He’ll widen his eyes into big chocolate brown pools and pout, clutching his cheek (conveniently trapping your hand against the side of his face).

“You’re so cruel, bella!” he proclaims. 

He’ll require you to kiss it better, and will not stop at just one. It’ll take multiple kisses to stop “the pain”.

Despite all his whining, Dazai enjoys your soft, playful affection. Just be warned that he’ll repay you tenfold, and probably in public, too. He has no shame, (which is incredibly ironic when you consider the first line of No Longer Human). 

Nakahara Chuuya

Chuuya cleaves very tightly to his “tough guy” reputation. He’s slick, he’s cool, he’s a dangerous executive from the Port Mafia. He can’t be having you pinching his cheeks and cooing at him over how cute he is. Even if he is pretty cute. 

It’s a little bit hypocritical, since one of his favourite “cool guy” ways to greet you is to pinch your cheek and be like, “Hey, dollface.” 

If you do it, be prepared for him to sputter and turn his face away, his ears burning red and starting to blend in with his hair. 

“Tch, the hell was that for?!”

He’s a little mollified if you follow it up with a kiss, but only moderately. He frowns at you in that grumpy way of his and rolls his eyes. “Fine, you’re forgiven. Just don’t ever do that in front of the guys, you got it?”

Suehiro Tetchou

Tetchou’s face doesn’t show much reaction the first time you reach out and pinch his cheek, squishing the flesh of his face between your thumb and forefinger. His eyes slide toward you, but apart from a blink, he seems stoic.

“Are you testing the strength of my facial muscles?” he asks, quite serious. “I can make them stronger. I will.”

You have to explain to the dolt that it’s just an expression of affection. You’ve also developed a habit of kissing those three little markings under his left eye. He normally shuts that eye and lets you get away with it. 

Edogawa Ranpo 

I feel like this request was made for Ranpo. Amongst the right people, this young man inspires such a prodigious amount of cute aggression that you’re practically shaking with the need to pinch his cheeks. 

Depending on his mood and current snack level, Ranpo might placidly accept it as you tug on his cheek like it’s made of playdoh, or he might bat your hand away like a cat, or he might try to nip at your fingers. 

He might pout a little when you grab his face in your hands and start covering his cheeks in kisses, muttering that he is a grown man, you know. That said, he doesn’t mind being considered cute and adorable, so long as you recognise he’s the World’s Greatest Detective. 

“If I’m so cute, why aren’t you spoiling me more?”