#I genuinely forgot that the mc’s love interest used to be a guy who I later rewrote as a trans girl

[dannybobany]

Went to clean up my discord and stumbled upon years old messages with oc stuff I thought was lost to history (by which I mean that when I first started with the characters who I currently refer to as my main oc’s they were actually gacha life characters I was making a dumb little series which as since been deleted and I THOUGHT there was no real evidence of until I stumbled upon tones of stuff about I’d sent to a friend at the time)

Not to expose myself here but the stuff a younger me was coming up with was WILD, apparently there was an entire love triangle plot I completely forgot about and I found evidence of two characters I assumed were fully lost to history, also literally all of them are white which is genuinely shocking to me because like half of my current cast is poc I genuinely forgot they used to be white… there’s also just a lot of very weird characterization and several of these characters have since gone from teenage sidecast to adult characters deeply integral to the story

There’s just so many layers of “oh god I forgot about that” and I’m spiraling about it holy shit

[loveislandthegame]

thoughts on todays volume! in case you are unaware, android users got to play the volume very early, while ios users were given a late release. lmao. (i have both ios & android, but my phone is old & i didn’t want to add “slideshow frame rate” to a game that’s already glitchy af) somehow i managed to escape the horde of unmarked spoilers 🙏🏽

first off, felicity is stunning !!! i'm surprised she had an actual sprite rather than getting the zeph & cassius treatment . if she's not coming back that's such a waste of a really cool & pretty design

friend is really generous, jin . i get OG LI is trying to be nice or whatever but be so fr 😭 the only thing that sienna has been is a boring antagonist, she’s not shown not one single ounce of personality besides being delulu and coming at MC sideways (and it’s mainly because FB now struggles with writing multi-faceted characters…which is why they have AI allegations in the first place…)

speaking of delulu : theo , girl... how many times do i gotta tell you i'm all in on claudia unless they actually let us be poly at the end

MC somehow came out unscathed in movie night, plot armor for the win ! the guys pull MC for a chat before the boy's choice recoupling. the pit in my stomach when i read that.

theo flirts again, but this time our responses are flirty, rude af, or "you should focus on claudia." i didn't want to pick any of these but i picked the flirty one because at first i thought it could be "jokingly" said. interestingly enough, he says something among the lines of how he didn't expect MC to be interested in him because she's with claudia . i didn't want that to bite me in the ass later so i just replayed and picked the rude option (so it seems that it's "canon" for theo & claud to simultaneously crush on MC? at least if she's bi/pan etc.)

i saw this coming but still, this has to be a joke … 😭😭😭😭😭

there’s like what, three volumes left ? unless FB decides to drag this out with a “season 8.5,” this should’ve been a players choice recoupling (hell, it technically could've still been boys choice, with MC getting first pick for winning the heart rate challenge, or because she was selected by the viewers, literally anything lol)

it'd be one thing if OG LI was like, "i chose you because i wanted to keep you safe . even if we're not meant to be, i still care for you, i want you have a chance with the one you want," blah blah blah, but FB never lets us be in a friendship couple, he's just gonna keep pining for MC ... moving on

i forgot to screenshot the first part but it was basically claudia fantasizing about her and MC living in a huge house like the villa, MC was like "how are we gonna afford that"

my MC is a musician, so cuteee

i...what ? 😬 genuinely , what . i read this like 5 times and i still don't understand. unfortunately he did couple up with me, that's why i'm forced to hang out with claudia in the damn shower instead of being out in the open with her . somebody get this grandma to bed

i kinda love the cowgirl outfit. it's terrible, but i love it in a kitschy way . also i just kinda went with it because the mermaid outfit was clipping through MC's braids (as you can see the hat has some weird layering issue, but it's the lesser of two evils)

claudia's outfit wasn't paywalled, and i didn't get the gem option to give jin the viking outfit so he came out looking like this lmfaooooooo

okayyyyyy cowboy carter!

logan arrived way too late imo. again, unless FB plans on extending the season (or he's not romanceable ?) people who get with him are gonna get less time than oliver, angie, youcef romancers. you know how little time that is ???

as for the whole hazel and liam thing ... horrible. , she really deserves better, like me 💋 

[domokunrainbowkinz]

back by unpopular demand: me, with my manhwa posting :)

titles discussed:

the pawn' revenge (18+)

sign (18+)

dawn of the dragon (18+)

cold blooded beast / in cold love (18+, idk why manta and lezhin translated it differently...sidenote I prefer the manta tl, it was more smoothly translated imo)

necromancer survival

red limit (18+)

frenemies: thicker than blood (18+)

dead man's switch (18+)

in the doghouse (18+)

4 week lovers (18+ on lezhin, 15+ on manta)

the pawn's revenge (18+) - i love you crime thrillers i love you damaged manipulative protagonists and i love you ride-or-die ML's who will do anything for love. it's a pretty gritty story about being sold off as a prostitute to the red light district, and what you would do to escape that situation, even if that means teaming up with a kidnapper/serial killer to claw your way to the top. ofc it does develop beyond that, and especially in s3 i am really interested to see how je-oh will go against hee-seo, as well as how he's gonna go about addressing the fact he genuinely loves and cares about seong-rok, despite his better judgment. idk man i just really love je-oh as a character, i want to study him under a microscope. i'm always biased towards manipulative characters who are a little fucked in the head <3 i really liked this one, but i would proceed with caution because there is non-con/dub-con in this one (not between the MC and ML except for 1 instance in s3).

sign (18+) - god this shit was so cute i wanted to explode. it's a pretty low-stakes, feel-good, fluffy read with some pretty good smut. it's about a guy who works part-time at a cafe owned by a deaf person, and their relationship is so OUGH..........god they're so cute, they are so down bad for each other and at the very end i thought to myself "damnb...maybe love IS real.......". i'm not deaf so i can't fully speak on how well the story represents deaf people, but just from an outsider's perspective it doesn't feel like the story treated him as an object of pity nor does it erase his disability, and he also has a lot of agency with regards to his decisions, so he's definintly not depicted as helpless. i do want to say that the plot does dry up a bit in s3 and it mainly focuses on the side couple (which unfortunately i wasn't super interested in), but other than that i HIGHLY recommend this if you're looking for a light read!! i have this bookmarked as a comfort read and it's also one of my faves for now <3

dawn of the dragon (18+) - i'm always a sucker for reincarnation stories and clingy ML's, so this one got me hook line and sinker. the dragon ML is so cute, i want to tuck him in and give him some hot choccy <3 the MC is also such a funny asshole, and his relationship with the ML is such a delight to read. one thing i do wanna say tho is they used the amnesia plot device twice???? once for the ML and another time for the MC, which made me go "ok......but why......???" like idk i don't think it was necessary to give the MC amnesia, it almost just felt like an excuse to go back to the chasing phase rather than have them in an established relationship. just my opinion though eheh 🤪

cold blooded beast / in cold love (18+) - not sure why manta and lezhin translated the title differently, but i will say right now that i think the manta tl is better. for some reason the lezhin tl localized a lot of terms (they changed "imugi" to "basilisk" and "yeoju" to "magic stone (????)") which confused me like just add a tl note, i PROMISE it's not gonna kill you to keep the original terms. it's another reincarnation story involving dragons and tragic pasts and amnesia, and the ML has 2 (two) dicks babey!!!!!!!!!!! i did finish the entire story through a fan tl, and overall it's a pretty standard supernatural romance, i honestly have no strong feelings about this one.

necromancer survival - i read this one a while back and totally forgot about it....anyways i have a BONE to pick with this one, i've seen so many people rave about it but i ended up not liking it and i'm so mad about that!!!!!!!! on the surface it seems like something i'd like, but the way it was executed just made me go "meh.....", and i think a lot of that stems from me just straight up not liking the MC (i know these types of MC's are supposed to elicit a "protect him uwu" instinct from readers but instead he made me go "grow a spine!!!! fight back!!! FIGHT BACK!!!!!!!!!" anyways he made me want to tear my hair out) and the only reason i even finished all the available chapters is because of the ML and his undead squad. a lot of people did say the novel is better and more explicit with the horror and romance, but as of right now i don't think i will read the novel, since again, most of my dislike stems from the way the MC was written. also i felt like the romance just came outta nowhere, like the ML treats the MC like shit and then suddenly develops feelings out of nowhere 🥴

red limit (18+) - i ALSO have a bone to pick with this one, like it could've been so good but then the author had to throw in some UNNECESSARY BULLSHIT in the last 5 chapters that soured the entire ending and side stories for me i was so mad!!!!!!!! like you didn't have to do allat 😭 everything before that was just so beautifully depicted and written, with the way they slowly show the relationship deepening, the way the level of intimacy increases with each interaction, the insecurity, the careful breaking down of walls AUGH....but then for SOME REASON they threw in some half-assed, forced misunderstanding at the end that made me go "HELLO???? WHY???????" i'm so bitter >:( going back to positives though, the art in this is so unique. the use of a grayscale palette with splashes of red is so striking, and i LOVED the use of full colour in certain panels to signify where the MC is at emotionally. i do think this is still a good read, but you'll just have to ignore the Bullshit at the end.

frenemies: thicker than blood (18+) - OUUUGH this one slapped!!!!!!!!! a childhood rivals-to-lovers murim story that i absolutely blasted through, the MC and ML's relationship is so ouuuuuuuuughhhh like they are each others' ride or die. i thought the plot was also quite interesting as well, since we get to see the power struggle within the murim society, and at its core, the entire plot is really a revenge story. i really liked this one as a wuxia danmei enjoyer, so i think other danmei fans would enjoy this one as well!!! i have this bookmarked as a comfort read, and it's also one of my faves now <3

dead man's switch (18+) - a zombie apocalypse BL manhwa!!!!! it's about a university campus overrun with zombies, and the MC and ML are trying to survive and escape to get help. at first glance the ML is a total psycho and seems to be abnormally obsessed with the MC, but at the end of S1 you find out why, though there are hints dropped throughout the first season that make you guess (unfortunately i was spoiled by a summary i saw online 😔 but it didn't take away from the enjoyment). i think fans of zombie media would like this one, it does play out a lot like a zombie movie (humans dividing into groups, hoarding food, survival of the fittest etc), so it feels pretty familiar.

in the doghouse (18+) - i'm gonna be real i'm just reading this to see how freaky the FL and ML are gonna get. the ML is a total masochistic sub looking for his sadist dom, and i am excited to see the FL finally become the femdom of his dreams. besides that though, i do love how the FL is written, the struggles she goes through with her parasitic family really make her feel disempowered and you can FEEL her frustration through the panels. anyways i'm rooting for you courtney become the femdom of richard's dreams babygirl <3

4 week lovers (18+) - i'm actually baffled there's a 15+ version that omits the sex scenes bc babey that's like 90% of the story. gonna be real here and say i don't know if the 15+ version is worth reading, because I think the sex scenes are probably the best part about this manhwa lol. i do like the relationship and they do have a lot of cute moments, but there's not really a plot besides in the first season where they get together at the end, after that it's just them developing their relationship and having nasty borderline-kinky sex. that's not to say there's no depth to the characters though, the MC's backstory is very sad and explains a lot about his behaviour, and his issues don't magically disappear once he and the ML enter a relationship. i'm still continuing with this one though because i do want to see how far they go with regards to the MC and ML's obsession with each other, and also i want to see how freaky they will get :)

[siriuslysatorusimping]

HAVE U READ THE NEW JJK LEAKS

"(ง'̀-'́)ง

MY SWEET FIGHTING ANON, HOW ARE YOU??

I’ve seen a few lil snippets but I’d stopped really keeping up with the leaks. I will say I LOVE that some of you immediately messaged me upon seeing the leaks 🥹😂 it made my morning to see messages in my inbox 💕 (this is my not subtle nudge to everyone that I love hearing from you guys, even if it’s just life updates or random shit. Pls, I get lonely 🥺)

Side note for the other sweet anon who messaged, I can’t answer that ask rn bc of obvious reasons, but I SEE YOU AND THINK OF THIS AS MY RESPONSE TO YOU AS WELL!!! IT MADE ME SO HAPPY INSIDE THAT YOU CALLED ME 'LOVE,' BTW. MY HEART DID A LIL JUMPY. 🥹💕

As for the leaks?

Me @ everyone losing their shit:

Spoilers for JJK 260 and a huge fucking Kiko rant below the cut.

I’ll believe it when it’s really confirmed. From what I saw, it was the last panel and there’s speculation on whether it’s really him or if Sukuna is seeing shit as he dies or any of the crazy possibilities.

That being said, if Gojo really is back, WELCOME BACK, YOU WONDERFUL, TRAUMATIZED BLUE-EYED BEAN OF A MAN. WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH.

And now my rant begins…

I’m on the fence. In all honesty, I think I’d finally accepted his death tbh. Because I remembered something that’s actually really interesting: some of the very best stories have stakes. They have death because it’s unfortunately a part of life. Gojo isn’t the MC of JJK, even though he’s an incredible character and I adore him and I still hate how he went out.

But while I still hate how that played out, I was actually thinking recently about how much credit we really don’t give Akutami. Writing is hard. World-building is hard. And he’s created a universe that’s truly incredible. The countless number of cursed techniques he’s written into the story, the number of characters he’s given depth possible without even meaning to? Genuinely incredible. He’s done something amazing. I had a ‘come to Jesus’ moment of realization that he’s actually an incredible story-teller. The story he’s built in his mind is amazing and I’m so glad he’s decided to share it with us. We’ve questioned him because we didn’t have all the pieces he has, but he’s said time and time again that he has things planned and he’s had things planned since the beginning. The medium he’s using to tell the story necessitates it being a bit choppy because he can’t explain every little thing every single time. There will be holes and gaps and things he reveals over time for the sake of the story he’s planned, and I know I forgot that fact when I was angry and grieving. (I’ve also been just losing my shit lately at how stupid some people are saying Akutami hates anime fans just because he killed Choso off. The number of comments I’ve seen about ‘hot characters aren’t allowed to die’ is just… these characters are more than eye candy. They have a purpose and emotional value in the story, specifically Choso as a big brother figure for Yuuji.) okay, fun lil side rant over lol

I think we forget that this is a shonen manga. Shonen are notorious for killing characters. I think of Hunter x Hunter, which Akutami has said is a big inspiration for him, the Chimera Ant Arc seemingly killed over half the cast. I’ve also seen a lot of anger at Akutami for him saying that he doesn’t care how many characters die as long as it’s a good story, and I think people missed the point because they were angry their favorite character died. But the thing is, he has a point. If the character deaths push the story forward, then it works. Yuuji has clearly had a power up that wouldn’t have happened if Gojo hadn’t died. On top of that, we criticized the month-long time skip, but these big reveals couldn’t have happened without it. So while it felt jarring, and it still doesn’t sit quite right with me, I understand why Akutami’s logic now. Again, I think of Hunter x Hunter’s chimera arc and how Gon had to watch Kite die and then fight his puppet corpse. Talk about traumatizing a fucking twelve year old. And adding to that, Akutami has literally said that this is meant for adults. He’s writing with an adult, predominantly male, audience in mind because that’s been the primary demographic for shonen for decades. So no, he isn’t writing with the female audience, or the young female audience, in mind because that’s not the genre he’s targeting. It just so happens that there’s been a huge surge in American teenagers obsessively consuming Asian media in the past few years and now it’s wildly popular among that demographic.

Basically what I’m saying is that gen z has developed the female counterpart for the fedora-wearing weirdos with waifu pillows in the obsession with hot guys in manga/anime. The difference is that they’re raging about a story following its chosen genre. But this is me generalizing things a lot and it obviously doesn’t apply to the majority of fans. I’m pretty sure a large part of our lil corner here is on the older end of gen z or younger millennial, but I could be wrong. Actually, I’d love to know what that split is 🤔 maybe I’ll do a poll.

ANYWAY, SORRY FOR THE RANT. IT WAS ME WORD-VOMITING TO START THE DAY. I HOPE YOU HAVE A LOVELY DAY OR AFTERNOON OR NIGHT!

[swordshapedleaves]

Once again I have opinions on new seasonal anime no one asked for!

Thoughts on the 14 new shows I tried under the cut.

Shows I'm Excited About

My Happy Marriage

It's an arranged marriage romance with magic, though there wasn't any magic overtly present in the first episode. It has these relatively subtle references to fairy tales that I really like and the animation is really gorgeous. Looking forward to this one!

Zom 100

An office worker is so burnt out that the actual zombie apocalypse is a fresh change of pace. The energy is great and the animation is gorgeous. I love zombie media that's aware of zombie media. I also really like the OP, which is the same group that did the OP for Yamada 999 last season.

Shows I'm Optimistic About

Ayaka

This show looks like the anime adaptation is a fantasy BL visual novel but is apparently an original IP. I dunno why the MC's dead dad's will banished him to a childhood of trauma off island only to return when he's just old enough to start dating but I hope it's so he can end up smooching some of these color coded magical boys.

Dark Gathering

It's spooky! I feel sorry for any ghost fighting show that's going up against the second season of Jujustu Kaisen but this one seems way more of a creepy comedy than an action show so hopefully it finds its own niche and excels there.

The Gene of AI

As someone with memory problems this first episode made me super uncomfortable! It's doing what good science fiction should do, which is using future tech to tackle uncomfortable philosophical questions, but it remains to be seen if it addresses them thoughtfully. I will say though that the idea of someone who loves me crying uncontrollably because the fact I forgot a new recipe for scrambled eggs means I'm not really the person she knew really hurt. I have genuine fears about my memory problems ruining relationships and seeing it done so ham-handedly feels bad. Definitely gonna keep watching though because at least it's interesting.

Helck

This is a fantasy anime about a big strong muscle guy who is trying to become the King of Demons. Even the first episode couldn't pull off any visual appeal so I have low expectations but I'd like to have a fun time cheering on our Conan rip off who's going off script by trying to join the side of the demons.

Noble Farmer

This is a series of shorts by and about mangaka Hiromu Arakawa of Fullmetal Alchemist fame. She is the scion of Hokkaido dairy farmers and is passionate about her roots. The first episode felt like it was paid for by a dairy farmers association but Arakawa is so charming I don't even mind.

Undead Murder Farce

This show has great vibes and a fun premise. All the yokai and oni and such are being eradicated as part of the Meiji restoration. A couple of them are trying to survive and also solve a murder of sorts. The vibes are great but the animation is kinda mid.

Shows that Cater to my Bullshit Specifically

The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior

That name is awful but the Otome game villainess reincarnation micro genre is my jam. This villainess cries a lot and I'm hoping for a good time as all the people who were her enemies in the game fall in love with her.

Sweet Reincarnation

I love cooking shows and also fantasy stories so when they get smushed together I'm almost sure to have a good time. This feels like a less clever Ascendence of a Bookworm in a lot of ways. Person is killed by their specific interest falling on them, only to reincarnate into a world where the thing they love is very expensive and out of reach at their current status. So they simply use their knowledge of our technology to reorder society in a way that allows them to feed their special interest. This time it's a pastry chef who loves sweets instead of a librarian who loves books. His new name is Pastry.

Stuff I Tried That Didn't Make the Cut

Am I Actually the Strongest?

His sister is obviously the reincarnated Demon Lord. Looks boring.

The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today

It's like Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid without the charm or the sex appeal, plus the camera work is weirdly unsettling.

Reborn as a Vending Machine, Now I Wander the Dungeon

This one was also boring. It was one of the first shows we tried this season and I've already forgotten it for the most part.

Reign of the Seven Spellblades

Magic school with a 20% death rate, and one of the freshmen this season is a Samurai. I might watch a second episode if I have time to kill but there just wasn't anything really exciting in this first episode to get me past the Harry Potter but Edgier vibes.

[elsecrytt]

What are your thoughts on Diavolo/MC/Lucifer? It's probably the most popular sandwich in yandere fics, and I like it a lot, though I don't know if they would be as good at sharing as they are presented to be. I'm not caught up on the newer lessons where we get to know Diavolo more but I do know he and Lucifer have a complicated relationship, especially with the whole power imbalance thing, and putting a darling between them would be interesting, to say the least.

s;lkgjfsh I can already tell I'm going to ramble on about this for quite a while so like. would you believe i had this written out days ago and just forgot to post it? i can go on and ON without even realizing it lmao Other anons, take note. It's a LOT easier to get content out of me if you just give me a topic and have me yammer on bc I can textwall 24/7 without thinking about it if I'm not writing like, actual prose. Any direct spoilers, I'll put beneath a cut, but otherwise, just note that the opinions I express here are influenced by what I've seen of the characters in Seasons 2 and 3. SO. Dia/MC/Luci, huh? It's definitely the most common yandere sandwich (and possibly regular sandwich) besides the attic one, and it's one that I really do like! For various reasons, it makes sense for them to go yandere together - since, if one of them went yandere and the other one didn't, the other guy would be the first person you'd go to for help. Particularly in the context of yandere works, Dia/MC/Luci is interesting because of the power imbalances present everywhere, as well as the contingent parties' experiences with love. Dia has some significant attachment and interest in Lucifer, which is never really quite reciprocated. Diavolo adores Lucifer, and Luci certainly likes Dia, but never quite the way Dia likes him. I think this part of the dynamic is sorely underexplored in Luci/MC/Dia works, and it's a shame. (Side note: I know a particular work by a yandere blog that does have Diavolo being somewhat for Lucifer, who is yandere for the reader, but it's not quite a sandwich.) A work can still be very self-indulgent and reader-centric, focused on the character/reader pairing, while still having character/character. In fact, expanding the relationships between characters other than the reader can make the characters feel more three dimensional and compelling! Diavolo's feelings for Lucifer can enhance his feelings towards the reader. Diavolo, lonely and misunderstood, feeling like Lucifer will never see him as a true equal, and his feelings will never be returned. And here you are, an outsider to this relationship, without any baggage, someone who earned Lucifer's love and respect just by being who you are. No manipulation, no bargains, just genuine bonding and personal intimacy. How did you do it? How can he do it? What is it you have that he doesn't? And, deep down, in the core of his being - can he obtain for himself something that Lucifer wants - and possibly use it against him? Diavolo, approaching you for impure reasons, comparing you to Lucifer at every turn, comparing his relationship with you to the one he has with Lucifer, and re-evaluating his entire perspective on everything. (Lesson 16 Spoilers) -

Diavolo who is also losing control over Lucifer after the incident with Belphegor. Diavolo who is forced to face the fact that Lucifer cares more about his brothers, and always will, no matter his oath of loyalty. Diavolo who doesn't know it, but is desperate to have someone new to love. Diavolo who's never quite felt like he was loved back, not without him pressing the other party into it. His position and character flaws starve him of any genuine, personal connection. But he can get that with you, where things are different; there are no conflicting loyalties and no threats to his power. You don't even have a proper sense of Dia's position, not really, since you're an outsider, and that helps. Diavolo the manipulator, who effectively forced all his friends to become friends with him initially, falling in love with you because you decided to be friends with him, first. Because that's what you do, isn't it? In canon, you go around befriending all the demons around you without a care in the world. No matter how powerful or intimidating they are, you stand your ground, determined to build genuine friendships, on your own terms. And that's what Diavolo needs really, what he's too socially stunted to realize that he needs; he needs a friend who wouldn't leave him if he suddenly became a normal person. Diavolo needs someone he thinks wouldn't leave him, if he didn't keep them next to him. And while canon Dia is loooong past the point of forcing people to stay by his side, a yandere Dia - a Dia made desperate by the reality of Lucifer's loyalties, the loss of his one friend he always wanted but never could quite win over - may very well... lapse into old habits. And no one could stop him. That's it, the reason Diavolo is one of the most popular yanderes. Ultimately. Diavolo canonically kidnaps you and keeps you in the Devildom for a year. Sure, Lucifer picked you out, but him, Barbatos, and everyone else are ultimately just Diavolo's accomplices, and not even necessarily 100% willing ones. Diavolo who wonders if he can't have his cake and eat it, too; if Lucifer can't be made to cooperate, with the right incentive. And that's just on Diavolo's part - Lucifer would have many reasons to go along with it. It would tie into his being pursued by Diavolo; his immediate superior who he's sworn his loyalty to, who flirts with him even when Lucifer is clearly uncomfortable with it. If he gives in to this, can he keep Diavolo at a distance? Can he keep you close? Can he put you there as a buffer, and ensure your safety as one of the involved parties? Lucifer doesn't even necessarily have to be yandere to go along with this. He's a smart person. I love smart yanderes (and smart darlings!) If he fights Dia and loses - very likely - then you're left entirely at Dia's mercy. But by going along with it, Lucifer has some measure of power over your situation and living conditions. And yes, perhaps there is a little selfish love left in him. If Dia is going to steal you away, then why shouldn't he get as much of you as he can get? And isn't it better for you, too, to have choices? Moreover, if Diavolo has any lingering attachment to Lucifer, then he can become a buffer between you and Dia - the lesser of two evils, if you're determined to see them as such. And as manipulative as all of that sounds... it'll all be entirely true. This is what makes sense to him. Lucifer has never directly gone against Diavolo. His tactics are to surrender (do what Dia wants and live with the consequences), persuade (often it doesn't work), and if all else fails, deflect (hiding Belphie in the attic). Note that deflecting doesn't even work, not really. Diavolo has the ability to tell when someone is lying. Lucifer thinks, in early season 1, that he can get past this, but as Diavolo reveals later on - he never could. Diavolo knew how and why Belphie was imprisoned since the start. In the context of the sandwich, they don't even necessarily need to be into one another at the time (though it'd probably make

the sex scenes more fun). So yeah, I do think they would share nicely as yanderes, given that Diavolo likely feels some ownership over Lucifer himself, and Lucifer would 1000% use that to get what he wanted. There might be tensions - oh, there would be some delicious tension - but they're both probably vitally aware of that your best avenue of escape is to convince one of them to side against the other. Diavolo's probably not unhappy with the arrangement, either. He likes Lucifer, likes being around Lucifer. If Lucifer wanted to watch you have sex, or joined in, out of jealousy on his part, or concern for your safety/consent, Diavolo would probably be into it. Lucifer might be unhappy with it, depending on how yandere he went. But between Barbatos, and the fact that he has his six brothers to be looking out for, too, rebelling against Diavolo is just... not an option. So he'll tell himself he's doing a favor, he'll be understanding and respectful and preen and puff himself up internally over how he's the nice one, he's the good one, he's the better option. And perhaps, if he's feeling particularly vehement, he'll compete with Dia for your attention, for your affection, to be "chosen" for that night, inasmuch as you have a choice. When Lucifer competes... he tends to win. Even against Diavolo. Until, of course, Dia decides there isn't any competition anymore. Dia might take it well enough before he starts venting his frustrations on you, getting clingier, or more touchy, or more demanding of your time, perhaps giving Lucifer more work; ultimately, even if Lucifer is an option, you only really have a choice when Dia decides you do. And of course, Lucifer's own options become limited when Diavolo decide to restrict him, too. Least of all his ability to see you, spend time with you - and to receive your affection. If Diavolo prods Lucifer to get more actively involved in this "shared relationship", instead of just with you... that's really the only leverage Lucifer can get. The dynamics between Diavolo and Lucifer, even in canon, are complicated, and even more so when MC comes into the picture. Keep in mind, I'm almost exclusively interested in Reader/Character pairings! I want to self-insert and enjoy some good old self-indulgence like everyone else! But I think a lot can be gained by broadening the focus a bit. Especially concerning sandwiches and moresomes - I think that's sort of the point of most of those! Even between ships like say - Lucifer/MC/Mammon, where the other two characters aren't being shipped, a lot of the appeal for me is the idea of Lucifer and Mammon both desperately wanting their brother to be happy - and trusting that brother with the love of their life. I feel like a lot of writers want to keep the focus on the reader, "you", and they're afraid to add background or other relationships in there, in case readers feel threatened/jealous. I'm gonna go ahead and be absolutely savage here and say fuck that idea. Readers don't know what they want. I'm a writer and I barely know what I want a lot of the time! And readers who do know what they want can always just click away! That's what tags are for! Go nuts! Go CRAZY! Give them a little bitterness, a little sourness - these things can make the sweet parts better, not worse! Of course there's always a balancing act, but often times ideas like "Diavolo has feelings for Lucifer AND you" will take you to fun and exciting places, and you'll end up writing more, enjoying yourself more! (I do mean this in a hypothetical way, not speaking to anyone specifically. Sorry anon if this isn't what you wanted to hear about, but I just go nuts sometimes lmao)

[bookaddict24-7]

REVIEWS OF THE WEEK!

Books I’ve read so far in 2022!

Friend me on Goodreads here to follow my more up to date reading journey for the year!

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241. This is Why They Hate Us by Aaron H. Aceves--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Okay, I wasn't sure what to expect with this one because I went in fully blind, but omg, I LOVED it. It did such a beautiful job of talking about a teen boy's sexual identity and mental health and I think everyone should read it. The last time I felt like this about a book was with DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY. Both books deal with complicated feelings toward friends and with the struggle a family faces when they encounter one of their members experiences a mental health crisis. Also, this book was very sex positive (which I think is something that is important because the younger readers who might relate to the MC can see the gay sex or the allusion to it doesn't have to be a taboo subject.) The experiences of this MC can be relatable to many teenagers and I think that this is important, especially because with social media, teens aren't as naive about the topic of sex as they once were. I really, really loved this book and while it had moments that pulled at your heartstrings, it had genuinely funny moments, too. I found myself laughing a few times at the one-liners and the commentary about the people in the MC's life. I highly recommend this one, especially for any teenager that is currently trying to understand their changing lives, sexualities, identities, and mental health.

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242. Dragon’s Lair by Chantal Fernando--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Okay, so this book is on the audible plus catalogue and I downloaded it on a whim…holy crap. It wasn’t perfect, but I forgot what trash I was for motorcycle clubs. This is way sexier than it had any right to be and also…listen, I know a lot of people hate the surprise baby trope, but hi, I love it (not a spoiler). I loved seeing the MC come out of her shell as she gained more freedom from the chains of her life before her one night stand. This was quick, dirty, and dangerous. Also, I WILL add that if I ever met this kind of man in real life, I would run the other way. They’re just hot on the page 😉😝

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243. Arrow’s Hell by Chantal Fernando--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The ANGST. I loved this one because of that forbidden romance feel, the fact that the love interest is processing his grief, and that the MC is a badass who will absolutely not let him get away with his shit. The spice was also…like an arrow to the heart. 😏 Loved this one, even if the men have questionable ways of treating women. Like I said in the last review: never in real life, just in fiction. 💅🏽

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244. Tracker’s End by Chantal Fernando--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ah, Tracker. The one who was trying to steal our hearts from the very beginning. We could see this couple coming from a mile away, but I love that we actually get to see their growth. I do think that Tracker is probably the most eh guy of the three so far because he IS a reformed super player. (All of them are, but I feel like he was the one who took a while to let that lifestyle go). There’s a particular scene where I was yelling “are you SERIOUS, Tracker?!?” I wanted to slap him. I really liked this MC—especially because of her little secret that slowly starts seeping into her not-so-secret life. That was a fun twist. I also like how possessive she becomes because it goes so against her perceived nature. I want to read the next one but it’s not part of the Audible Plus catalogue 😭

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245. Son of Elsewhere by Elamin Abdelmahmoud--⭐️⭐️

I have read a few autobiographies this year, so I was excited to read this one—especially because it deals with an immigration experience. Unfortunately, while I enjoyed reading about the jarring realities of being one of the only BIPOC people in a white community and essentially erasing your race so you can fit in, I found that the book as a whole was a bit choppy. I get that this memoir is told in sections, but I think this really hurt the flow of the writing. The going back and forth in the timeline based on the theme of the chapter took me out of the experience many times, often leaving me wishing that we could continue one stream of his life rather than him chopping it up and starting from scratch in the next chapter. The plus side: he sounds and sort of writes like Simu Liu, which was a big plus because I both loved his autobiography and his voice when reading for the audiobook. I’d still recommend this one because the general experience and story is an important one. The style of writing and flow just didn’t match my interests.

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246. King of Wall Street by Louise Bay--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was in the mood to keep reading another spicy book, so I tried this one and while it wasn’t perfect, it delivered! I love a good smutty book about a single dad resisting that one woman who can change everything for him. I think the female MC was a little chaotic, but I don’t blame her because the male MC needed a little bit of chaos in his life (especially after he was such an asshole to her.) This one didn’t have a lot of depth to it, to be honest, but it’s a fun, quick, and dirty read.

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247. Key Player by Kelly Yang--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love Kelly Yang's writing. I think her books are incredibly important reads--not just for the younger readers in our world, but also for the adults who need more stories full of lessons that I think everyone should be reminded of every once in a while. I will say that this addition to the series gave me a little bit of anxiety because of the actions of one character and where their arc would go because of said actions. But I also knew that I needed to trust the process because the books in this series never let me down. It's wild to see how far the little family in this series has come! I was so happy for them when they succeeded at what they wanted, and so heartbroken when they weren't able to succeed in their goals. We were also shown how internalized racism can affect us and how grief and the fear of guilt can also change us. I did enjoy that this book focused so much on one particular character and their journey--it made the series feel more well-rounded. If this was the last book in the series, I would be content with that ending. I'll always recommend a Yang book--she's an incredible, empathetic, and gifted author. A definite must-read!

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248. Just A Bit Twisted by Alessandra Hazard--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Re-read October 2022 This was one of those books that I’ve been craving for the past year or so. Sometimes there are certain books that you just want to re-read and experience the wildness again. Just like the first time I read this, this was addicting and though some aspects of the relationship were a little on the darker side, I was loving it all over again. This series will forever hold a special place in my heart.

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249. Going Wild by Lisa McMann--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this one, even though it was slightly different than what I was expecting. It reminded me of all the Marvel origin movies I’ve loved because it’s this character actively figurine out what her powers are and the limits she faces in that journey. There was one instance with some new friends that threw me off because it felt random and like it came out of nowhere. But in the end, I loved it because it also gave me Shazam vibes (may be a spoiler if you know Shazam.) Will hopefully read the sequel one day!

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250. Home Field Advantage by Dahlia Adler--⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this one because it had that classic story of proving everyone wrong. I’m a sucker for characters being seen as weaker when they’re actually one of the best at what they do. And what made that even better? It’s that it’s a girl proving everyone wrong. It was super anxiety-inducing, however, how bad the sexism, misogyny, and bigotry was. I loved the character growth of both the MCs around this, but it was still nerve wracking. Loved the rep of these two girls falling for each other—it’s the classic tale of quarterback and cheerleader and I LOVED it. Will have to keep an eye out for the next title by this author 👀👀

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Have you read any of these books? Would you recommend them?

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Happy reading!

[sinsandwizards]

Obey Me: Lilith headcanons

Lilith is/was genuinely a weird angel. As the token girl character she mostly gets traits like “nice” and “caring” but Belphie at some point says she was “weird like MC”. Personally I see MC as a near feral entity so Lilith must have been fun. I won’t give her any traits too specific as only you understand how truly weird your MC is. Just give her your weirdest and worst traits and laugh about how they only remember her as nice.

- With how much they seemed to have gone to the human realm Lilith and Belphie had must have had the angle equivalent of a shitty low wage job. Like pick up a shift Celestial realm mail sorting room and then go hang out with the humans (Lilith reads other peoples mail like how MC spies in on other peoples chats). They spent their whole paycheck on angel weed and angel McDonald’s. Good thing the celestial realm is functionally communist for housing and stuff.

-Ultimately Lilith was a young angel who didn't know who she wanted to be or what made her happy. Her general lack of hobbies is probably why she want to the human realm so much. She just didn't due well under most authority, the celestial realm was her own hell. Consider it was last bit of revenge that their 'Father' let Lucifer go only to be forced to serve under Diavolo. Lilith sticks around like she does in the game because her brothers are not yet free.

-Lilith was kind of a rat girl. Asmo was the one to maintain her appearance, hair, nails. The elegant version of Lilith known by most angels and even Simeon is maintained only by constant attention and Asmos hard work. She doesn't know what 'business casual' is and she doesn't want to know.

- Angels in general do not care about gender. While they are a 'species' they do not reproduce that way. Lilith actively chose to be the 'sister' and only received ummm... human traits after she was reincarnated as the brother did when they fell

-Lilith being 'reincarnated' into a human did a bunch of weird stuff to her soul. When she died she kind of came under his jurisdiction? She probably could have appeared before him to be judged but didn't want to talk to the guy who muscled her brother into indentured servitude... If Lilith were a more active character she would have warned MC earlier of his nature. She's a very weak spirit that could only incarnate and 'haunt' solely MC.

-Also I feel she is humanities most recent common ancestor. Our Mitochondrial Eve, not edam and Eve. So she presents as an East African woman as the real mitochondrial eve would have been. As MC can be/ is all of us it only makes sense. (Also it would be funny if the boys were so blows away to see Lilith have a descendant but like… also humans are her descendants you demons are just dumb.)

- Meta wise Lilith should have been a more typical non datable NPC/ menu character for Obey me. Like she would provide exposition in MCs dreams or like MC is the only one that can see her. She would obscure her identity or maybe have trouble fully piecing together who she is or something like that. Honestly I would love to see a universe where the writers get to hard reboot the first season, particularly the chapter 16 situation…

Also I’m not sure where I’m stealing this from but the brothers leave a plate out for her at every meal, she has her own seat.

(Side note I feel the reason there is so much ‘drama’ about MC being Lilith's descendant is that they forgot to give her traits so it’s literally the only thing we can think about when her character is brought up… I almost guarantee you no one would have cared had she had like character traits and an actually interesting backstory)

[obeymefictionwriting]

How Strong Do Angels Love?

This morning was unusually busy and loud since all the Purgatory Hall residents decided to come over for breakfast. I was silently giggling as I watched Luke getting amused by Beel’s appetite and how Asmo was trying to feed Solomon some sweet pastry. Mammon was even louder than ever, Satan was becoming more and more frustrated, and Belphegor was simply napping on the table corner. I stole a glance at Lucifer and saw a tired look on his face. His brothers were really putting past his patience today.

He caught my eye and I blushed. He smiled a bit as if approving of me showing interest and then he got back to his coffee. Ugh. Why does he have to be so reserved all the time?

Suddenly, Simeon said something that made everyone go quiet:

“Oh, I completely forgot - Jolie was saying hi!”

This innocent retort caused a storm of different feelings across the table. Mammon screamed “Don’t you say it’s THAT Jolie!”. Levi dropped his game and just stared at Simeon, eyes wide open. Satan frowned and then raised his eyebrows, eyeing Lucifer with a hard stare. Beel didn’t seem to notice but Belphie opened an eye, smiled in a sneaky manner and got back to napping. But Asmo was the loudest and most excited:

“Ohhh, Lucifer’s ex-girlfriend was saying hi? Tell us more, Simeon! Does she miss him? Is she planning to come over? Is she…”

“ENOUGH”.

Lucifer stood up and I could feel his rage radiating. I could swear I saw a black diamond sparkling on his forehead and it seems that he’d spread his demonic wings any time.

“Ah, Lucifer, dear, why do you react like this? Isn’t it nice to hear from an old friend?” Simeon didn’t even seem to notice.

“Simeon, can you please join me in the study? Others - finish your food and go to school. NOW”.

He and Simeon left and an unusual silence fell on the room.

“Why did Lucifer become so angry?” Luke squealed. “Jolie is a really lovely angel and he certainly does not have to get so angry about her…”

Asmo was piercing Luke with a weird stare as if trying to tell him something. But then, seeing that Luke cannot take a hint, Asmo sighed and blurted:

“Lucifer did not want to talk about Jolie in front of MC!”

Everyone suddenly got really occupied. Levi was hitting the buttons on his gamepad as if his life depended on it, Satan got up and simply left, and Mammon looked at his watch, whistled and stormed out of the dining room.

“No way am I letting this happen!” I thought to myself, ran into the hall and managed to catch Mammon’s jacket right before he left the House of Lamentation.

“Oh no”, he moaned, seeing me. “Pleeeease don’t ask anything about that gal, okay? It’s Lucifer’s business and he’d kill me if I say a word. Just remember that it was in the past and it happened a super long time ago. Are we good?”

But then he saw the expression on my face, sighed again and hugged me.

“Hey, I swear you don’t have to worry. But he gotta tell you everything himself. I can’t imagine what this sick jerk would do if I said a word about…”

“Hey guys!” Simeon was right behind us. “Mind if I steal MC, Mammon?”

Mammon looked so relived as if he found a wallet with the neverending cash.

“See ya guys!” he shouted, speeding towards the school building.

I sighed and looked at Simeon. Luckily, he knew what I was thinking about.

“I need to apologize”, he said softly. “I should have thought before mentioning Jolie in front of Lucifer and you. But I was so eager to deliver the news I simply didn’t think about it.”

“So… what’s the deal with her?” I tried to sound like I didn’t care but oh boy was I worried.

Simeon studied me with his eyes, as if considering whether I should be informed and then he made a decision. We started walking slowly towards the school.

“Lucifer met Jolie when he was in the Celestial Realm. Are you surprised?” He saw the look on my face. “The beautiful Morning Star and the astonishing Evangeline. It was Lucifer who started calling her Jolie - it means “beautiful” in French. They were the most beautiful couple a Celestial Realm ever saw - but then Lucifer was sent to the Devildom. He chose his family over his love.”

“Did he really love her?”

“Yes he did.” Simeon did not intend to hide anything from me. “He loved her more than anything - or so I thought. But then he left. She was heart-broken, of course. At first, she wanted to follow him to the Devildom but Michael did not allow her. She then tried to contact Lucifer but he did not respond. And eventually, time healed her wounds.”

“But did time heal HIS wounds?” I thought but didn’t say a word.

The day passed by really quickly. The brothers tried to distract me from my thoughts and were doing their best to cheer me up. Beel brought a huge sundae to the cafeteria and made me finish it. Satan volunteered to be my project partnet and did most of the work by himself. Even Levi approached me with a shy smile and handed a manga that was supposed to brighten my mood.

Despite their attempts, I felt like the storm was coming. I knew I’d see Lucifer in the evening and to admit it, I was pretty damn nervous about that.

It’s been only a few weeks since we were officially dating and it was still wild to call him my boyfriend. When he gave me his usual cold glare I still felt like an unwanted exchange student on their first day in RAD. And even though he was growing warmer towards me, there was still one hell of a distance between us. And now I was scared it became even bigger.

Finally, the classes were over. I rushed to the House of Lamentation with an intent to take a bath and wash my troubles off but hard and strong knock on the door ruined my plans.

Lucifer entered my room and stared at me with a strange expression on his face. I wasn’t sure what it meant and I was standing in the middle of the room, half-naked, with a pile of clothes in my hands. He sighed and sit on the bed.

“Could you please sit down next to me?” He asked softly, still eyeing me. “I’d like to talk with you”.

I nodded and pulled my sweater on. This gave me some confidence. Lucifer giggled.

“You could have thrown it on the floor instead”, he suggested but then his smile faded. “Now, let’s get to our issue. Simeon told you about Jolie. Am I right?”

I nodded.

“Would you like to ask me anything?”

I hesitated. I couldn’t formulate my question - I was just feeling weird. But how can I say it to him?

“You can just tell me how you feel”, he suddenly said in a much softer manner. “I want to know what’s going through your mind right now. It’s important to me”.

“I feel worried and sad”, I admitted, trying not to look at him. He sighed and took my hands in his. This encouraged me to continue. “I am not sure how you really feel about me because you are always so reserved and so distant - and how can your feelings to me possible compare with your feelings to an angel? I just worry that I am not enough for you…”

That’s it. I admitted what has been on my mind since long time. I closed my eyes because I was scared I’d cry right in front of him.

Suddenly I felt his lips pressing gently against mine. He kissed me with such care and tenderness that I’d never expect from him. Then he took my chin and made me face him.

“Listen, you beautiful human being,” he started, wiping my tears off with his fingers and stroking my cheeks. “I did love Evangeline and it was easy to love her while being an angel. I didn’t hesitate though when choosing between her and my family. And…” he paused for a second, took a deep breath and blurted out “And I love you. Yes, I do love you. And do you know how hard it is to love someone so genuinely when you are a demon? My love for you is much deeper and stronger than it was for her. And I was a fool for not letting you know about it. Will you accept my apology?”

I looked into his eyes and was taken aback by how warm and tender his look was. For a second, it seemed to me that I was looking at Lucifer in his angelic form - but then I blinked, and there he was in front of me: strong, tall, confident, devilish.

And hundred percent mine.

[jamespotterthefirst]

Fake Husband (Ethan x F!MC)

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Lilac Allende) Word count: 1,800+ Warning: Some adult language Premise: When they run into her ex, Ethan pretends to be married to her to spite him. Author’s Note: A silly fake husband fluff piece because I’m a sucker for that trope.

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The appreciation dinner that was supposed to include the whole diagnostics team quickly dwindled down to only Ethan and Lilac. Baz had a date and only stayed for the first course, Naveen followed suit minutes after, claiming to be too old to stay up past nine thirty, and June hadn't even replied to the invite. 

Briefly, Ethan wondered if the old doctor had planned it that way. Especially considering the knowing smile he directed at Ethan before his departure. 

Lilac met his eye, a teasing smile of her own at the ready. 

“If you wanted to touch me that badly, you could've just asked,” she said in a low, tempting whisper that made his pulse quicken. 

In a moment of delayed reaction, Ethan forgot his foot had brushed against hers under the dinner table more times than he cared to admit. And of course she was going to call him out on it. 

“If I'd wanted to touch you as badly as you claim, we'd be elsewhere.”

“Where would that be?” she returned without a single moment's hesitation. “Your bedroom or mine?”

God, she was good. 

Typically, Ethan would not allow their banter to get this explicit, but something was different that night. Or perhaps all it took to vanquish his conviction was her coquettish smile, the tantalizing glimmer of her bright eyes, and the almost indecent dress clinging to her. 

They were a long way away from innocent hand holding. 

“Ambitious of you to think we'd make it that far.”

She looked impressed for a split second. Before she could reply, however, her eyes fell on something over his shoulder. Her expression went from incredulity, to recognition, and finally to something on the cusp of panic in seconds. 

“We have to go,” she said when her eyes returned to him. 

Ethan glanced over his shoulder, noting nothing out of the ordinary in the crowded restaurant. Then again, the pretentiously dim lighting made it difficult to see properly. "Why?" 

Lilac didn't respond immediately. She seemed to be considering whether to tell him or not. “There's someone here I'd much rather avoid,” she allowed.

That explanation was too meek to warrant such a reaction. Ethan kept his face impassive. “Who?”

Defeated, she finally admitted, “My ex.” 

A beat. 

Whatever he had been expecting, it was not that. 

“He's sitting by the exit at the bar. The one in the dark turquoise suit,” Lilac explained, absentminded. 

Ethan almost rolled his eyes derisively at the phrase “dark turquoise suit.” Only pompous, self-centered assholes with a lot to prove wore unconventional colors to dinner. 

Before he could help himself, Ethan looked over his shoulder to catch a glimpse. A young man around Lilac's age casually sat at the bar, deep in conversation with a group of his peers, all wearing equally obnoxious suits. Even from a distance, he could see the strong jaw, straight nose, and gleaming smile that might have drawn her in once upon a time. It was somewhat disappointing that he was not hideous, like Ethan had hoped. 

“A doctor?” he asked, retroactively wondering why it mattered. 

“Lawyer,” she replied.

Even worse, he thought. 

“Please, Ethan,” she implored quietly. “I don't want him to see me. Things…” she trailed off and he could see a flicker of pain in her expression. “It did not end well.”

Ethan tried to hide his curiosity to spare her any more embarrassment. He failed spectacularly because she noticed and added, “I dated him for two years while finishing my undergrad. We were really serious until… he cheated.”

His jaw clenched on instinct. “I see.” 

“With my best friend at the time,” she added in a small voice. 

“Jesus,” he said reflexively, aware the single-word reaction was not enough. 

Her gaze dropped to her plate, looking almost ashamed. The sight sent a surge of vindictive anger through him. Ethan wanted nothing more than to march across the restaurant, grab him the lapels of his ostentatious suit, and make him hurt worse than the pain she currently exhibited. 

“Fine,” he consented instead. “Let’s get out of here. He's too busy talking to his lawyer friends. If we go now, he probably won't see you.”

Lilac looked like she could kiss him. After being informed that Naveen had paid the bill, they rose from their seats in a rush and made a beeline toward the exit. 

“Stay close,” Ethan murmured in her ear as they walked, careful to use his body to cover her from his view. 

They were so close to the exit that he could see her visibly relax. 

“Thank goodness you’re so tall,” she teased, a few feet from the exit. Growing more confident, she quickened her step slightly. 

“Lilac—” he started, unable to keep up with her pace. But before he could say more, he was intercepted by someone who had been sitting at the bar. 

“Dr. Ramsey?” An older doctor who used to work at Edenbrook greeted him. 

Ethan halted, his eyes trained on her back as she continued walking, unaware he was no longer behind her. At the same time, Turquoise Suit looked over his shoulder as she passed, recognizing her at once. 

“Lilac?” he asked, getting to his feet. “Lilac Allende is that you?” 

She froze mid stride. 

Meanwhile, the older doctor ranted to Ethan about owning a private practice, blissfully unaware that Ethan neither listened nor cared. 

“How you’ve been?” he heard him ask her, pulling her in for a hug. Lilac, too stunned to react, stood limp in his embrace. It lasted far longer than was necessary, his hands sliding along her sides indulgently. Ethan had the sudden urge to punch him. 

“How's Edenbrook?” Dr. Rosetti asked Ethan after his incessant chatter. “Heard Naveen's the chief.”

“Fine,” Ethan replied absently, eyes trained on Lilac. She was saying something, finally having recovered from her shock. She was far too gracious to give that prick the time of day. 

Turquoise nodded attentively, flashing her a seemingly charming smile. The ambiance of the restaurant combined with Dr. Rosetti's droning voice made it difficult for Ethan to hear them. He caught only snippets of what was said. 

“...a doctor now?” Turquoise was asking her. His hands were still on Lilac, a remnant of his embrace. “I’m really proud of you.”

Ethan’s hands clenched at his sides. 

Lilac took a small but polite step back, freeing herself from his grip. She replied something Ethan couldn’t hear. Even from afar, he could tell her ex was not listening, instead he covertly scanned the plunge of Lilac’s neckline. “You look great,” Ethan heard him say. “Time’s been good to you.”

That was the last straw. 

The nerve of this fucking guy. 

Ears ringing, Ethan marched toward them, not even bothering with a goodbye to poor Dr. Rosetti. Maybe he was acting on the sudden spike of adrenaline coursing through his body, or maybe his judgement was shot the second Turquoise smugly uttered the words “...we should go out for coffee some time”, but Ethan had decided what to say in the seconds it took him to reach them. 

It was reckless, and Lilac might deny it instantly, but the urge to help her while simultaneously wiping the superior smirk off his face clouded his judgement. 

Turquoise looked up as he approached, furrowing his brow quizzically. Lilac turned to meet his eyes and the relief he saw there was further motivation for what he was about to do next. 

Without stopping to think or even breathe lest he lose his nerve, Ethan wrapped an arm around her waist and gently pulled her in to place a tender kiss on her temple.

“Ready to go, love?” Ethan murmured. 

Lilac paused briefly in surprise, looking up to study his face which he hoped conveyed his intentions. It must have because her lips quivered with the effort of fighting back a smile. She relaxed into his touch, sliding her hand up his jacket to rest on his chest.

“Yes, but only if you carry me out,” she replied, fingers toying with his tie. It was entirely too distracting. “I ate way too much bread.”

“You always want me to carry you,” Ethan returned, feeling his ears grow hot. “Is that the only reason you married me?”

Might as well go all out on this Oscar-worthy performance. Her eyes met his at the word "married," her smile so radiant that something tugged at his chest. 

“Among other things,” she replied with a coy smile, raising herself on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

Heart hammering against his chest, Ethan marveled at how easy it was for them. It was worth it, however, because Turquoise gaped at them, his expression comically dumbstruck. 

Lilac made a show of remembering he was there. “Oh, right," she said with a small shake of her head. "Ethan, this is Alex Rhodes. We went to UCLA together.” 

Her ex’s eyes darted to Lilac quickly, as if expecting her to add more of their history to the introduction. 

“Alex, this is Doctor Ethan Ramsey," she continued, gesturing towards Ethan. "My husband.”

Alex blinked repeatedly in astonishment. When he recovered, he looked at Ethan with renewed interest. “Ethan Ramsey?” he repeated. Looking at Lilac now, he added, “The author of that book you used to read so much?”

Lilac looked genuinely embarrassed at that. Her cheeks flushed in a way Ethan found too endearing. 

“Long time fan, Rookie?” he teased. 

"She would talk nonstop about you," Alex continued, still looking utterly bewildered. "You're the reason she worked so hard to go to med school." 

Ethan raised his eyebrows at her. She refused to meet his eye, blushing redder than he'd ever seen her. 

“I can't believe you met your idol,” Alex said, almost to himself. 

“Married him, too,” Ethan added. 

“We should really get going, babe,” Lilac interjected, shooting Ethan a pointed glare. 

He almost laughed.

Their mission was undeniably accomplished because by the time Lilac said a hasty goodbye to her ex, he looked unabashedly envious and ready to eat his heart out. 

Once in Ethan’s car, Lilac let out a loud snort of laughter. “That was the best thing that ever happened to me,” she professed, eyes bright with delight.

Ethan briefly glanced at her as he drove, a small smile of his own at his lips. The light from the passing street lamps rendered her face lovelier still. With a small ache, he wished it hadn’t been pretend. 

Lilac noticed his suddenly serious expression, a question already furrowing her brow.

Before she could ask, he forced a smile and taunted, “What did you ever see in that guy?”

It worked. Lilac rolled her eyes. “Shut up,” she said with another laugh. “Thanks for the save, by the way. I owe you.”

“The stupid look on his face was payment enough.”

“Do you think we fooled him?”

Ethan said nothing, keeping his eyes trained on the road ahead. He was convinced their fib has been successful, at least on his part. Much to his embarrassment, there was no concealing the utterly love struck way he felt when he looked at her in the restaurant, her hand resting on his chest as if it were second nature. There was no doubt it had been written all over his face for all of Boston to see.

Instead of incriminating himself, he said, “Lawyer boy looked angry, which means he bought it.” Ethan grimaced. “Again, you sure know how to pick 'em, Rookie.”

Lilac laughed, the sound almost giddy as a result of the adrenaline. Out of the corner of his eye, Ethan could see the way her gaze fixed on him. “My taste in men has gotten much more refined throughout the years, I assure you.”

________

Click Here for Part 2

________

Author’s Note: THANK YOU if you made it this far! Also, thank you for all the love and support on my last fics! 

 Sorry for the lack of originality in the title. I’ve been naming my fics after Billie Eilish or Harry Styles songs. I couldn’t think of one for this one so if you have something, let me know <3

Shout out to the people who helped me out with the pet name Ethan would used for MC, his wife! You guys are the best! 

Masterlist

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Tags: @openheart12​ | @ethandaddyramsey​ | @noboundariesplease​ | @silverlitskies​ | @the-soot-sprite | @infinitiestones | @emotionalswift2 | @flyawayboo |  @paulfwesley | @hatescapsicum​| @myusualnerdyself​ | @thatysn​ | @choicesyouplayandmore​ | @chasingrobbie​ | @trappedinfandoms​ |  @togetherwearerapture | @nooruleman​

(If I forgot anyone, please call me out)

[cestcirque]

HI OKAY SO I TOO ALSO WANT TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS AND THEORIES SO FAR SINCE WE ARE NEARING THE END OF THE CARDINAL SET AHHHHHHHHHHH 😦 (we’re in for a long message people 😳)

okay so ever since i saw you say these to other readers who have shared their theories and pointed out clues (continue underneath the three photos LOL):

i definitely thought at first that it’s a story of each yn ending up with each of the main setter (tl yn with semi, extrema yn with atsumu, screentone yn with akaashi) but now i feel that’s possibly not the case right? 😶

as of rn, i’m thinking that possibly atsumu ends up with screentone yn, semi ends up with extrema yn, and akaashi ends up with tl yn 🤔 BUT IDKKKKKKK AJXMSKXKSKXSI like I feel that their respective stories is really all about how both the setter and mc learn about love, relationships, what they REALLY want and need in a partner and the different stories just shows their pov of things??? they’re just constantly learning more about themselves and their potential love interest(s)

i also went back to read your psychoanalysis and clues for semi, atsumu, and akaashi that you released under aperture and seeing what kind of partner they NEED which also brought me back to this post that you released before and recently reblogged again:

i forgot to screenshot but someone else had the thought about how akaashi offers stability to tl yn since she can be volatile since akaashi does that to bokuto and the fact that tl yn has akaashi saved as le reve which translate to the dream compared to the name she has for semi which is le jouet which means the toy. tl yn has like a sexual tension relationship with semi but i know they’ve gotten closer after learning about each other’s ex. she also had “angry sex” with atsumu a few chapters ago but other than that, they don’t really interact so i don’t think they’d be interacting again any time soon. but when she’s with akaashi? idk what word to properly use but it’s like she softens up with him and kinda gives him adventure??? almost inspiring if you ask me and it seems like he offers her contentedness and companionship too

screentone yn has akaashi saved under as hopeless romantic and then i can’t remember what she has semi saved under but she has atsumu saved as like #11 right? and the fact that she sees atsumu on equal grounds and she doesn’t know too much about him other than his volleyball career kinda hits home? like that whole chapter of them talking and atsumu helping her realize what she really wants to do (career wise) was an endearing chapter and i felt that really connected them together. in your analysis, you said that atsumu needs someone who understands him because of his drive, i guess someone who will stand by him right? screentone yn is known to be hooked onto passions easily too so she can also understand atsumu on that level. when she interacts with semi, i don’t see any hope LMAOOOO like it’s not even in question other than their one night stand. when she’s with akaashi, she’s like very hesitant getting to know him personally vs talking to him about work. it seems like she wants nothing more but to keep it strictly a professional / friends only relationship 😗

finally extrema yn. i’m iffy about her the most LMAOOOOO like i’m sus especially since she’s a graduate of nohebi high 🐍🐍🐍. i can’t read her too well other than the fact i can clearly see how driven and ambitious??? she is, running too fast to care. i can also see how easy she makes it to truly be yourself around her. she easily did that with atsumu and semi. akaashi isn’t in question since they’re exes and she doesn’t want to talk to him at all LMAOOOOOO. since atsumu knows what her plans are, they work well in that sense but, i really like how she got to hear semi’s “real” voice, getting him to *mostly* be himself. after extrema chapter 16, idk how to feel about semi LMAOOOOOOOO. but it seems like she genuinely enjoys hanging out with him? compared to being with atsumu, she knows she’s doing it just for publicity because she wants to help atsumu with the relationship rule. and now she’s saying she doesn’t need anything else from atsumu? that definitely got me thinking she doesn’t actually care much about atsumu right now 😶

BUT ANYWAYS YEAH THIS MESSAGE IS HELLA LONG AND THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK LMAOOOOOOOO. I REALLY WENT OFF 🥴 I’D LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT MY THOUGHTS RN LOLOLOL. THIS IS SO FUN AND YOUR BRAIN FR WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS 😝

HI MY LOVE 😍 since this message is already long, I’ll put my answer under a cut ⤵️

A lot of people have been looking back to Aperture’s secret clues to find some kind of structure for these relationships, but remember The Cardinal Set already has its own structure: the full, cardinal set 😅

That is, the three points of a relationship—companionship, romance, and intimacy. Perhaps it might help to review Yukie’s insight from Layer 8 👀

Yukie also mentioned that Akaashi changed after his relationship w Aperture Y/N failed... perhaps the type of partner he needs would have changed too?

Anyway. All 6 of our main characters are lacking certain points of the cardinal set... but which ones?

And as for your feelings on Semi and Extrema Y/N, they certainly are the “least trustworthy” of the setters and Y/Ns, no? But do we remember what Aperture Y/N told Semi about trust??? It was mentioned again briefly in Trompe-l’œil. (This is really what I’ve been trying to nudge with my author’s notes about tRUSTING SEMI, I’m not trying to make you guys doubt him 🤣)

[zoey-wades]

Golden Boy

Characters: Carter Jackson x MC (Dionne Hughes

Rating: T

Summary: Dionne spends some quality time with a new friend and reevaluates her morals.

A/N: I have a type. And it’s jocks with a heart of gold.

——————————————————————

Dionne learned quickly that Carter Jackson didn’t have one malicious bone in his body.

When he knocked on the door of her room at 1 in the afternoon on a Saturday, she expected the worst. And, honestly, she kind of deserved it. Before her arrival to Belvoire, Carter probably had a very easy time with Poppy and his friends. All it took was a very public smooch and a dance routine to make it all come crumbling down.

She expected fireworks. Maybe even fire and brimstone.

Instead, she opened the door to find the 6’2 football star staring at his feet like a punished Dickensian orphan. The corners of his mouth were pulled into a deep frown, and his brows remained pinched as if he was in deep concentration. She couldn’t help but find the expression adorable, but kept her inappropriate opinion to herself.

“Carter?” She questioned, leaning against the door, “What’s going on?”

“Am I stupid?” He asked, finally looking up to meet Dionne’s eyes.

She instantly remembered an excerpt from a book she read as a child about how people with good thoughts had the loveliest faces. Carter was no exception. He radiated a softness in his eyes that made Dionne’s heart melt.

Not completely. But just enough to make her want to hug him. Instead, she mirrored his frown and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Of course you aren’t stupid. Why would you say that about yourself?”

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his letterman jacket, choosing to focus on his feet once again, “I don’t know. Poppy always said I was when she got mad at me. I know she was just mad, and she probably didn’t mean it. But she’s not the only one to ever say it. And...I don’t know, Di, this time I think I really fucked up.”

If Dionne was heartless, she would ask why he was coming to her with his existential crisis. If anything, she was the last person he should be seen with after Poppy’s post-game meltdown. But, against her better judgment, Dionne stepped back and allowed him a way to pass into her dorm room.

“Come sit with me, I’m about to make some lunch,” she offered him the warmest smile she could, letting Carter know that he was safe in her space. The minute he crossed the threshold, his eyes lit up.

“Hey, it smells good in here. Like sugar cookies.”

He looked around the decorated living room, searching for the source of the scent before Dionne pointed at the candle on the counter.

“It kind of reminds me of my grandmother’s house,” she explained, a more genuine smile gracing her features, “A nice scented candle makes any place feel a little more comfy.”

Carter eyed the large Yankee Candle with raised brows, “The Alphas could totally use that in the bathroom!” He paused, “I hope one of us doesn’t get fucked up and try to eat it though.”

At this, a giggle bubbled out of Dionne that she would be ashamed of under other circumstances. It was the kind of giggle you give when you’re 12 and the person you like makes a terrible joke. Was Carter’s comment that funny? No. Was he trying to be funny? Dionne wasn’t sure. But damn it she was going to giggle anyway. The sweet smile that spread across his face made the nauseating gesture worth it.

But it was time to get to the meat of the problem. She sat on the kitchen barstool and patted the seat across from her, “Let’s chat, Jackson.”

He blinked as if waking up from a daze, “Right, I did come here for that reason.”

Sitting across from Dionne, Carter shifted a bit uncomfortably and shoved his hands back in his pockets.

“Now,” Dionne crossed one leg over the other—not for any particular reason—and noticed his eyes flicker down to her thighs before focusing back on her face, “What makes you think you’re stupid? You do well in class don’t you?”

He sucked his teeth and shrugged, “I do alright. But what if they’re just passing me to keep me on the team?”

“Well, what if they’re not?” Dionne gently challenged. The look he shot her screamed “Are you kidding, Di?” and she continued on, “I’m serious. What if you’re actually doing well?”

Carter laughed bitterly, “Poppy has a point, sometimes. She talks about things—finances, social stuff—I don’t always understand it. I want to. But...” he drifts off, as if shuffling through his thoughts, “I’m used to being called stupid. But this time I think Poppy actually meant it. I know I sometimes get things wrong, but this time I thought I was doing the right thing.”

Dionne listened carefully as Carter sorted out his thoughts, and laid them out on the table for her. She was angry at the ways people made him feel mentally inferior, while banking on his body for social and financial gain. He concluded with a deep, tired sigh.

After some thought, Dionne finally responded in a gentle, measured tone, “Carter, there’s more than one way to be intelligent. What you’ve just expressed to me is a deep sense of emotional intelligence that most people take their whole lives to figure out. Your teammates love and respect you. Your brothers respect you. You’re a natural leader and an honest person.” She smiled at him, “Professor Kingsley even told me that they really enjoyed your time in their class.”

Carter’s eyes widened, “They said that?”

She nodded. It was half-true. Kingsley admired that Carter was so easy to get along with, and seemed to genuinely enjoy learning even if he found it difficult. He maintained a C-average in that class, but she wasn’t going to bring that up now.

There was a brief silence between them as Dionne daintily picked at her chicken salad. She wanted to devour it, but she kind of hated eating in front of people. She doubted Carter would really care, but...

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and suddenly much closer to her now than he was a few moments before. She fought the instinctual urge to raise a questioning brow, as he still seemed lost in his own thoughts and completely unaware of the action.

“I don’t know why Poppy doesn’t like you,” he said, locking eyes with her, “But you seem really cool. Like someone I could talk to. Zoey, too! But mostly you.” He twisted back and forth on the swivel chair, “Sometimes, it gets super hard being one of the few black people on this campus. Like, I love my bros. They’re the best. But it’s really nice having you around.”

“Well,” Dionne began, “Maybe I’m not as cool as you think I am. Maybe I’m just as bitchy as Poppy is, and you just don’t know it.”

She was half-joking, but he seemed surprised by the statement.

“Poppy really isn’t that bad,” he returned his hands to his pockets and leaned away from her. Back in defense mode, she guessed, “She might be kind of mean sometimes. And she yells a lot when she’s stressed. But when she’s chill and not mad, she’s actually really fun to be around. She just doesn’t really handle anger well.”

Understatement of the century.

Considering how much Poppy tore down this guy’s self esteem, it was wonder why he was so willing to jump to her defense. Would she do the same for him? Every time she saw them together, she was more focused on maintaining her dignity than enjoying the people she surrounded herself with. It had to be a lonely experience for both Poppy and Carter.

“Do you love her?” The question slipped out before Dionne could stop it, and she regretted it immediately when another frown pulled at Carter’s lips, “I’m sorry. That’s none of my business. You don’t have to answer that.”

He shrugged and fidgeted with something in his pocket, choosing to avoid eye contact, “I think I do...My parents do. Everyone says she’s good for me. I think I’m good for her too.”

Dionne was probably about to step onto a land mine, but it was a risk she was willing to take.

“Someone who makes you doubt your worth in the world isn’t someone who’s good for you,” she stated, slowly.

“But what if I’m not much better than she is?”

She smirked, “Copying my lines now?”

He returned another half-hearted chuckle, “I mean it, Dionne. If Poppy is as horrible as people say, and I love her anyway, what does that say about me?”

She considered this for a moment. If Carter could see the way Poppy spoke to people, and still chose her over and over, what did that say about him? Did he ignore it if it wasn’t directed at him? Did he make excuses?

“It says that you’re human, I guess,” she finally responded. She noticed his soft sigh of relief, and made a mental note for later, “Sometimes, when you love someone, you’re willing to overlook the flaws because you want to see the best in them. You know?”

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience?”

Dionne stiffened and avoided his gaze, which now seemed determined to burn a hole through the side of her face.

“No,” she quickly stated, “I’ve never loved anyone.”

“You’re telling me you can give me this advice without any experience,” he chided, “and I’m supposed to believe you?”

“I’ve never been in a relationship,” suddenly her salad was super interesting. She bit into a crisp cucumber slice as Carter considered her answer.

“Hmm...that’s surprising,” he reached up to scratch the back of his neck, “I mean, I think you’re really cute and really smart. It’s hard to believe you haven’t been with anyone at all.”

It was true. Dionne was cute. Anyone with eyes could see that. And she had her reasons for remaining single. But the gentle earnestness in Carter’s words and expression made the heat rise in her cheeks. He seemed completely oblivious to the effect he had on people, Dionne specifically. It made her feel...things.

She didn’t like it.

She cleared her throat and shrugged, casually, “I have standards.”

Just as Carter opened his mouth to respond, his phone vibrated dully in his pocket. He quickly glanced at the message, and his shoulders slumped, “Damn. I gotta head out, I forgot I had to meet with the coach before practice. Can we pick this up again, later?”

“Sure, of course,” Dionne nodded her understanding, “let me walk you out.”

As they walked side by side to her front door, she could admit to herself that this conversation made her feel something akin to guilt. Maybe. Here he was, being so sweet to her, after she used him just to get under his now ex-girlfriend’s skin. That wasn’t her initial intent. Kissing him and asking for his help was simply a means to an end, but she never considered how he’d become collateral damage. And she definitely didn’t factor in this slowly blossoming fondness for him.

As he passed through the doorway, she reached for his arm, “Wait.”

He raised a brow at her, “What’s up?”

“I just wanna say sorry,” she swallowed, “For everything that happened.”

“What happened?”

“You know...kissing you. Asking you to help. I’m sorry I dragged you into this. I’m sorry it ended up this way.”

He stared at her for what felt like an absurdly long period of time before opting to lean against the door frame, “Dionne, you have nothing to be sorry about. I may not be Professor Einstein or whatever, but I know that everything happened because I wanted it to. Do you understand?”

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

She studied the intensity of his face—that goddamn face—in complete silence. For once, she was at a loss for words. She nodded, latching her teeth into her lower lip. His eyes followed the action, and he grinned at her before pushing away from the door.

“I’ll see you around?” There he was again. Sweet Carter. Golden Boy Carter. Maybe he wasn’t entirely ignorant of the effect he had on her. That made him a problem.

“Yeah. See you around,” she mumbled back.

[danceworshipper]

Since it's pride month and a lot of people seem to be doing this, I thought I'd share my headcanons for the hphm characters' sexualities. Many people have views that differ from mine, so I'm interested to see if anyone agrees with me. (long post)

Merula was the first character that, upon meeting, I knew immediately. She's very clearly a lesbian to me, though after interacting with her more, I added on a demi aspect to her. She finds girls attractive and beautiful, but crushes are hard for her to have and sexual feelings toward them are even harder, though they do come eventually. Her supposed crush on Jacob in the game is stupid and I'm ignoring it entirely.

Rowan took longer to figure out, especially deciding that male and female would be different. In one of my universes, they exist at the same time, so I felt like they shouldn't be the same. In the end, I decided that male Rowan would be gay (the Bill attraction was very obvious) and female Rowan would be bi, because she was still attracted to Bill but her and a female mc had a lot of chemistry too.

Ben was easy for me. Ben I feel is straight, completely straight, never even questioned it. I know a lot of people feel differently, but he's never given me any sort of gay vibes, and during year six (my main mc is a girl) when he starts needing to be a "protector" he came off as one of those "nice guys" which made me decide that yes, he is straight and he sucks and I hate him.

Penny actually changed semi-recently when Quidditch dropped. I had always seen her as mostly straight with maybe a bicurious aspect, but then seeing her obvious crush on Skye zipped her into full bisexual territory. I do feel like she still has attraction to guys, and in one universe she ends up with my male mc, but the girl side became very apparent very quickly and I liked it.

Bill is bi to me. He was bi from the first moment he was introduced in the books - in fact, until Fleur came along, I was leaning towards gay for him. In the game he gives off more straight vibes, but even then I can see him trying to banish the gay thoughts before figuring out that he can be attracted to both. Bad taste though, I mean Emily Tyler? Really?

Charlie is not aroace to me, and he never has been. I know that's a widely accepted headcanon but I really can't see it. He seems more the type to bury his feelings away and never act on them unless the girl figures it out and acts for him, since I see him rather shy in that regard. I think he's straight but nervous, perhaps a late bloomer like me (I was never attracted to anyone until I was 12, much later than anyone I know).

Ismelda I feel is also straight. She was a pretty easy decision after the Crushed side quest, because I never thought about her very much before so I just accepted the straightness without question. It could have been cool for her to be lesbian and to have mc help her accept herself, but that's not the way the game went and I don't feel like coming up with an excuse as to why she would be so obsessed with Barnaby if she was gay.

Barnaby, likewise, is straight, though at one point he decided to figure out if guys were on the table too. They weren't, but he's glad he gave it a chance. Unlike Ben, even though Barnaby is tough and wants to protect people, he doesn't give me "nice guy" vibes, instead giving off "genuinely nice guy" vibes. He's a very strong ally and never judges anyone on who they love.

Andre is gay as hell. I know the whole gays into fashion thing is a stereotype, but Andre fits it so well that I have to roll with it. I also think that he tried to pretend he wasn't gay because he knew about the stereotype and hated it, but later on realized that it didn't matter if he was a stereotype or not. He was who he was and there was no point trying to change it.

Talbott, like Penny, had a change somewhere along the way. From his first appearance, I pinned him down as straight, but after interacting with him more, an asexualness became pretty apparent to me. He has romantic attraction toward girls, but he's pretty happy never doing anything sexual ever. Cuddles are wonderful, though. Poor touched starved boy.

Chiara I feel is pansexual. I wanted to keep her straight, but after she became an official friend and we got to see more of her, that just wasn't possible. She very clearly has a big heart and I can no longer see her as straight. Pansexuality seemed better than bi in her case because I can see her loving based on personality with the physical attraction not mattering as much.

Tulip is someone that I had a hard time deciding on. She gives off strong lesbian vibes but also very strong straight vibes. The obvious solution here would be to make her bi or pan, but those didn't feel right. I felt as though she was someone who had to be one or the other. In the end, I made her both - in some universes she's a lesbian, and in some she's straight. Either way, she's very vocal about who she likes so if she has a crush on you, you'll know.

Tonks was tough. I really wanted to make her anything other than straight, but nothing fit her. In the end, I gave in and made her "straight". The quotation marks are because she likes guys, but she ends up being pretty androgynous and doesn't care what pronouns anyone uses for her. Plenty of people she works with as an Auror use male pronouns, and Tonks is perfectly fine with it. Sometimes, she even changes her voice to sound more masculine.

Diego was very, very easy. The first two words that popped into my head when I met him were "horny bastard" and the feeling still sticks, which translates into him being pan. Girl? Boy? Neither? Both? Doesn't matter. He's single and desperate to mingle.

Jae was gay to me for a long time, but then when I created Quinn ( @pixiefreakquinn ) he was the only one I could see her having chemistry with. This was a very annoying little dilemma for a while, but in the end, he became very similar to myself, only inverted: he's bi, but he's way more into guys than girls. He's so much more into guys that it could be easy to mistake him for gay, and even he sometimes thinks he might be, but then there's a certain girl that he ends up being into and he's bi again.

Badeea struck me as someone that would be interesting to make gay, but as much as that could have been fun, I can't see her that way. Perhaps like Barnaby she gave it a chance, and it didn't work out. She likes guys, but she's comfortable in her sexuality and is able to recognize when a girl is attractive without worrying someone will think she's gay. She's someone who doesn't care what people think of her.

Liz is my aroace out of them all. She strikes me as someone who faked having crushes on boys to try and fit in, even though she never liked any of them. She wondered if maybe she was a lesbian, but she never had any crushes on any girls either. As she got older she cared less and less on why she never liked anyone like that and eventually she forgot attraction was supposed to be a thing she experienced. She's that cool aunt that brings weird gifts and tells stories from her various "vacations".

Orion feels pretty straight to me. Again, he's someone who could have been interesting to make gay, but he doesn't feel like he could be. He's an ally, and has been even before he really knew what gay meant. In his first years on the Quidditch team, one on the older kids was gay and when they got picked on for it, Orion defended them without hesitation, because his team is his family. He could figure out what gay was later.

Skye was going to be straight until I ended up shipping her with Penny despite hating her. However, I also love the idea of Penny having a huge crush but Skye just doesn't feel that way. So like Tulip, she's different in different universes. In some, she's a lesbian and with Penny, and in some, she's straight and stomps on Penny's heart.

Murphy I feel is bi. I love the idea of him and male Rowan pining for each other and being oblivious, but I can also see him with a girl. At first, he tried to ignore his attraction to boys because that would just be another way he would be different, but after he became the commentator and made some good friends his confidence grew and he stopped trying to fit in.

Erika is lesbian to me, though that might have been influenced partly from me thinking "yeah she could step on me". I tried to give her being straight a chance, but the big strong sports lesbian idea appealed to me way too much. Plus, it fits with her whole attitude of "defy me and get destroyed". Maybe that's why she and Andre end up being friends even if they're on different Quidditch teams - they recognized the gay in each other subconsciously.

And very quickly, my mcs:

Gracie Chiva: bi

Tessa Chiva: straight

Sarah Etsysa: lesbian

Oliver Adams: pan

Liam Disteel: straight

Quinn: bicurious, ends up straight

[astaroth1357]

The Brothers Dropping Hints to a Remarkably Oblivious MC

I liked this idea and wanted to flesh it out a bit before I bury my head in research for requests. Maybe I'll make a part two later? Who knows.

Intro:

Seven demon brothers, one human. All seven want their attention… So the family agrees to a challenge: Can they get their human to return their affections without actually confessing first? Perhaps… but there's a catch. The MC is denser than a bag of bricks in the love department...

Good luck, boys.

Lucifer

If it weren't for this silly challenge, he'd have considered hiring a sky-writer because he couldn't think of anything more obvious and unavoidable than that…

It honestly astounded him how utterly unaffected the MC seems to be by all of his flirtations. It'd be impressive if it weren't so frustrating.

He could praise their appearance and they'd seemingly forget the compliment.

He could offer them all manner of gifts or meals and they'd think he was just being nice.

He could probably straight up give them a diamond ring and they'd assume it was a late birthday present… 

He was so out of ideas he was considering just ripping off the bandage and asking them directly, brothers be damned, but then that'd be admitting defeat and that’s just not on the table for him.

No, no… He just had to be more patient… Maybe offer them a dance next time? He'll win this challenge yet... maybe…

Mammon

Of course the Great Mammon can get his human to notice his feelings! He's their first man, he knows them more than anybody else! This will be a piece of cake. Right?... right…??

It is not. It is not a piece of cake.

First off, Mammon's already shot himself in the foot because of his tsundere-ness. Turns out when he says, "It's not because I like you!" they actually believe him… 😰

Secondly, he's terrible at expressing his affection in ways that aren't material or possessive...

When he buys them things, they think he's acting sweet and just… pay him back or buy him something in return…

Like, he's not complaining (much) but that's not the point!!

Then when he tries to spend extra time with them they assume it's Mammon being Mammon and not, like, because he's trying to show them how crazy he is about them.

And now he can’t even be honest about his feelings if he wants to because of the damn challenge!! 😫

This seemed like a lost cause for him really… Looks like someone else is going to have to win…

Leviathan

He's been cursing their name to here and back for stealing his heart so thoroughly while still having no idea that they actually had it!!! He'd almost swear they were mocking him but eventually, he genuinely started to think they were just that clueless… 🤦‍♀️

At first he thought that he found a loophole because he could just act out a bunch of obvious anime tropes to not-so-subtly hint at his affections!

...but each time he tried to make a move, he lost his nerve and chickened out at the last minute…

"MC! I just bought some pocky off of Akuzon, do you want to try some?"

"Sure, Levi! 🙂"

"Oh u-uh… Great! H-here you go.. " *hands them the whole box...*

When these efforts failed, he went to plan B, which was again not-so-subtly throwing hints at how special they were to him.

"Hey MC, do you remember that game you were looking at? I got it for us! Come on, let's play together! I'll even let you use my favorite controller!"

"MC, why don't you sit over here? W-wait not that close…! No wait, don’t go!! Urgh!! 😫"

At first he thought it was working until he overheard them talking to Mammon, "Mm? Oh, of course Levi's been so nice to me! We're best friends!"

… Ouch, but not unwarranted. He'd have to try something else or just admit defeat…

Satan

He still truly can't get a good read on them. Are they interested? Just nice? A chronic sufferer of selective blindness?? What does he have to do here???

Satan took a page out of Levi's playbook at first, but replaced anime tropes with what you find in old romance novels.

He was on his best behavior whenever MC was around. Downright gentlemanly, right down to kissing their hand and putting his jacket over puddles for them to walk.

… Unfortunately, Lucifer refused to be outshined by his little brother in the princely courtship department and the two started butting heads (almost literally).

If Satan gave up his jacket for a puddle, then Lucifer would take their hand to "help" them across it. If Satan held a door for them, then Lucifer would hold it too and insist that he go in first. If the MC was cold they suddenly were covered by two coats… It was infuriating!

And you know what's even worse? It was counterproductive.

After a while the MC just thought that it was some kind of game or challenge between him and Lucifer and not him trying to express his actual affections…

Looks like he wasn't going to be winning this either…

Asmodeus 

On one hand, he kind of gets it because he's lovey and feely with everybody but, sweetheart, please take a hint every once in a while…

Asmo comes into the game with both an advantage and disadvantage. He's far more versed in the art of wooing than any of his brothers, but he was so close with them to begin with it's going to take a lot to get the point across…

Confident boi starts inviting them out more, lunch "dates," spa days, shopping sprees, any excuse to be alone with them really hoping they'd get the idea…

...but they didn't. It was just some fun time with Asmo and not any particular special treatment…

His compliments all seemed to bounce off of them too. They never seemed particularly touched and he wouldn't be surprised if they forgot about them within five minutes of hearing them…

Kicking it up to drastic measures, he tries to initiate even more cuddles and hugs than usual… But it feels like he could literally sew himself to their clothes and they'd think he's just being friendly! How do they not see what's going on here, are they just messing with him??

After a week of trying to monopolize the MC's time he had to throw in the towel, certain if he couldn't get through to them then no one could! 😣

Beelzebub 

Well, Beel's a little oblivious himself sometimes so it's not like he couldn't relate… He just wished he could be upfront and ask them because they really didn't seem to notice.

Chances are he was already cuddling with them, sharing his food, taking them places, and doing all the stuff he'd usually do when he likes a person... They probably just considered that to be his normal behavior by that point…

So. He just does what he normally does, but MORE.

Suddenly he's giving the MC half of his meals instead of a third. (Which is what? Enough for a family of four?)

His hugs have gone from just firm to full on bear-snuggles.

He's always offering to take them to a new restaurant or some other place he likes and showing them the best things on the menu (written or hidden).

But it's not exactly going anywhere… 😥

They seemed happy and liked spending time with him but if they were actually noticing feelings for them at all, he couldn't tell…

After a while he kind of gives up on getting them to notice and just starts to enjoy making them happy. Sure, he won't win the challenge, but for now a smiling MC is enough for him 😊

Belphegor 

Look. He may be the King of Mixed Signals, but he's considering just giving up his crown but nothing he's tried has been working...

Similar to Mammon, he’s starting at a disadvantage by regularly being more than a little cryptic about his feelings…

To be honest, it was sort of a reflex for him by this point which didn’t help matters at all. He’s not that used to being completely open with his emotions so he has to fight the urge to downplay things all the time...

Oh, the MC agreed to go with him to the botanical gardens? Cool.

Wait, no, not just cool. It’s great! Really great!! He’s really happy about it, MC, can you see his smile?? He’s smiling! That’s rare! Please notice!!

(They don’t seem to notice…)

Eventually he got even more frustrated than Satan or Mammon and nearly just asked them point blank, but he knew his brothers would flip if he tried…

By the end of the challenge he thought it was a dumb, stupid waste of time and energy and he regrets ever agreeing to it (and he’s not just being pissy because he couldn’t pull it off or anything......)

Bonus: 

After a couple weeks of zero progress for everybody, the brothers seemed to snap. The MC woke up one morning for breakfast only to find their seven demons waiting intently for them to walk into the dining room. What followed was a cartoon squabble of kicked up dust, flying limbs, and thrown objects as each desperately tried to climb over the other in order to get to their human first (even Lucifer nearly flung Satan across the table by the foot at one point). Poor MC was so confused that they had to shout at them just to break up the fighting…

When asked what's gotten into their demons so suddenly, the brothers have only one response:

"WE LOVE YOU!!!" 

…. Eh? 

*MC.exe has crashed*

Back to square one, guys...

[ladyelizabethraven]

Andromeda Six Episode 3 and a whirlwind of emotions (spoilers, I guess)

So.... when is episode 4 coming out? Hahahahaaha.... I was just left wanting more after that episode that I want to start the next immediately. I’m ready to take odd jobs this quarantine season so I can make donations to the devs!

No seriously, I’ve been waiting for ep3′s release the moment I opened my eyes this morning. I’ve been doing a lot of things while refreshing itch.io’s page to know if Ep3′s has already been released just yet. And the moment I saw the new files, I jumped right into it!

I went to the Traveler with June as the LI and boy.... It broke my heart. June seems to have the most beef against the royal family you’re part of. And I can’t blame him if he can’t separate the shit the government did to him and to his family from you.... his calm and composed demeanor melted away and revealed the hurting man inside. Honestly, I just want to hug him really tight.   

The fact that when you’re pursuing him as a Love Interest adds more to the drama... To think that the person you risked your life to save, became friends with, and eventually, a potential lover, is actually a part of the family who just practically destroyed your life and the lives of those around you, leaving you scarred for the rest of your life. You know that it’s not that person’s fault but you can’t help but see their shadow in that family. Damn, I really want to know how this pans out. I’m sensing one hell of a stormy romance here.

And I’m more than willing to take that dangerous ride with him.

And about the new guy...

Damnit... I need a new playthrough for him! I mean, I still love June... but my ghaaadddddd..... I think a romance with this guy will be dramatic.

I thought Vexx is a red-haired Damon, but no.... he’s in a different level of complicated. Damon can be catty (pun intended) at times but at least he’s genuine in his own way. But Vexx, I’m sniffing another angsty romance drama here as he, on the outside, just says that he’s just using the Traveler to know the secret passages in the palace, and he’s actually a part of the Big Bad’s (Zorvack? I forgot the name) faction. And yet when you pick the flirt options (especially the second one) there are hints that he actually cares about our MC. Another sign that maybe he cares more than he actually admits is instead of capturing the Traveler or just executing her, he just warns her to stay away from the A6 crew and live her new life away from him and them. 

I’m certainly looking forward seeing him in the future episodes!

Oh, speaking of Damon....

Ok, we’re definitely friends now. ;) Despite, you know, suggesting that they should just deliver the MC to the enemy just to clear the bounty on their heads. I don’t know what’s going on with that guy’s head... but his fondness for cats closes the deal for me. Although can I at least be a part of his cat-sneaking operation while having him as a Love Interest? Why do all the flirt options must be about the sexual tension? Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I just want to sneak a cat with him. 

  To my surprise, Cal is actually pretty calm about this.  I really expect him to be anal about this (well, he is kind of that way in the first part of the episode) but after his initial outburst, he’s supportive and understanding on what’s happening with the Traveler. He even apologized for treating your MC badly at first. He’s certainly a refreshing LI after being entangled with the previous LI’s with complicated personalities.

Honestly, I now see him as Steve Rogers with a temper. hehehehe....

Although I’m curious if this stable relationship is going to last in the future episodes or if something or someone will throw a monkey wrench in this smooth moving gear? (A part of me wishes that it happens because I thrive on dramatic chaos. Mwahahahahahahaha....)

All in all, waiting for this episode is worth the wait. There’s not much plot action since this tackles more on the A6 crew (and Vexx’s) backstory and character but I’m quite fine with it.

The other thing that I like about this episode is that you can somewhat alter the MC’s personality (Emotional, Aloof, and Strong) and that carries on in the future conversations. I hope that it also gets carried over in the future episodes. It adds to the roleplaying factor to the story.

I hope that the next one comes quickly... Damon’s excited to go back home to Cursa. XD.

[bonef0cker]

🛑⚠️Dragon Raja Spoilers/Trigger Warnings⚠️🛑

(So the events I will be talking about is a gold side quest, and an event happening when you hit level 85. (All from a male perspective as my MC is male)

✋Side Quest BTW is called 'The Innocents' if you don't want to face any Triggering material✋

(Just using a photo of my character to make it long. Some notes on this

° I have only played the store to level 86.

°Again some spoilers and Trigger Warning for a Gold side quest

°Also the level 85 spoiler was the only time I felt a different emotion then confusion (which isn't surprising tbh) and made me want to make this post. I may add more to it as I progress in the game.)

Can we talk about how mentally damaged the MC is? Like from the beginning your orphanage/everyone you know is perceived dead. Even before that you see someone who you can perceive is your father figure (Herzog) torture Anton. And like yeah he was a dick, but he didn't deserve the torture. Then you wake up in Cassell 20 years later. (Like wtf?) Not to mention when you hit level 85 you see Herzog (Ghost? Projection?) and learn the truth of why Black Swan Bay was destroyed and their intent of forcing the orphans to be dragons when they become strong enough. AND NO ONE FUCKING TALKED ABOUT IT AFTER?!?!!?? LIKE CHISEI GEN KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED AND YEAH I FEEL BAD THAT YOUR DAD DIED BUT MINE WAS GONNA MAKE ME BECOME A DRAGON AND POTENTIALLY KILLED MY CHILDHOOD FRIENDS/SIBLINGS. BUT HOW COME I HAVE TO COMFORT LUMINOUS WHEN HE AND ERII CANT BE TOGETHER OR HIS CONFUSING FEELINGS FOR NONO. WHAT ABOUT ME??? I'VE GOT NO FAMILY AND Y'ALL ARE MY NEW FAMILY! IM GOING THROUGH SOME REAL SHIT AND YOU AIN'T NO HOMIE HERE. LIKE WHAT THE FUCKING HELL AM I TO Y'ALL?? NOTHING?????? I KNOW Y'ALL DON'T KNOW ME FOR THAT LONG BUT HAVE SOME HUMAN DECENCY! SERIOUSLY I HAD TO MAKE MY CHARACTER STAND IN THE CORNER AND HAVE A CRY. LIKE I FELT GENUINE SADNESS THAT NO ONE CHECKED TO SEE IF MY CHARACTER WAS OK.

Oh and I completely forgot how your boss from the host club wanted you to kill Erii during the Love Tokyo Love Story. How can you just casually ask someone that? Or just in general force me to make Erii and Luminous fall in love? Like wtf??

Double OH! When you finish the under water scene and think everyone died but nah while I was searching for all y'all's asses you guys were just being hosts while I probably went through some relapse from the events ESPECIALLY SINCE IT ALL HAPPENED RIGHT AFTER I WAKE UP FROM A 20 YEAR FUCKING COMA! HELL EVEN THE FAKE DRAGON ATTACK MUST HAVE BEEN TERRIBLE FOR THE MC

⚠️Side Quest W/ Trigger Warning!!⚠️

Then the side quest holy fucking shit! So the side quest is called 'The Innocents' you see a girl get abused and have to solve an attempted murder. And in the end you see the cop kill the boyfriend and himself. AND ALL THE FUCKING COLLEGE AI SAYS IS THAT THE INCIDENT WILL BE PUT INTO THE DATA FILES. NO CHECKING THE MC IF THEY ARE OK. AND SHE MUST HAVE SOME PROGRAMMING TO CHECK STUDENTS HEALTH. SERIOUSLY AM I SUPPOSE TO BE AN EMOTIONLESS SACK OF MEAT?

⚠️ End of trigger Warning ⚠️

Don't get me wrong this game is very interesting, beautiful, and I will admit I'm intrigued to see how this will play out. But my God the MC must be going through some shit and the support system in the NPC's is shit. Like where is my comfort???

Sorry for the long ass rant (that may become longer in the future. Gotta see how this all plays out.) But I just really needed this off my chest. May even talk about more of the side quests that I see mental issues with. We will have to see.