#both in work and just general animation enjoyment)

[saiwestfield]

Been rewatching too much childhood anime and now all my ocs in my head speak Japanese

And when I try to imagine them speaking English they all speak in anime dub English😟

[cyazurai]

Medieval Name Default Replacement Mod

Version 1.0 current as of September 22nd, 2024

Sul sul, and hail, my fellow medieval gameplay enjoyers! Have you grown tired of scouring the internet for names appropriate for Ultimate Decades Challenge, or the History Challenge, or any other gameplay that includes a medieval time period? Because I sure did, and that's why I got the idea to create this mod for those of us who want to just leave it up to the game to name our sims. And now, I'm so so excited to present it to you now!

If you don't want to read about the mod and just want to skip straight to downloading it, scroll to the very bottom of this post (under the "keep reading")! But if you want to know, I have written up a bit about the mod below.

How does it work?

It's very simple. You download the mod, and put it into your mods folder. Once the mod is in your folder, load up the game. In both CAS, and randomly generated townies, the available names will only be selected from a pool of medieval names.

When in CAS, if you use the die to randomize a name, it will only give you medieval names, like so:

When a townie is randomly generated in town, they will no longer have modern names, like so:

When your sim gives birth to a baby, the random name options will all be appropriately medieval, like so:

Is it compatible only with English?

It should be compatible with every language the game can be installed in, because I made the language "Global," and Miss Chipsa confirmed for me that it worked on a Russian-installed game!

Any details on the names you can provide us?

Well, it would be far too long of a list for me to tell you all of the names, but here are the details I can share - (under the cut)

a little over 3500 female names

a little over 7200 male names

a little over 13,400 surnames/bynames

the date range that these names should be appropriate for is between 800 and 1500, because that is the range that I pulled names from

Indian names replaced by medieval German

Islander names replaced by medieval Dutch

Japanese names replaced by medieval French

Moroccan names replaced by medieval Scottish/Irish

Latin names replaced by medieval Spanish/Portuguese

Native American names replaced by medieval Lithuanian, Latvian, Hungarian, Russian, and Romanian (I wanted to add all of these languages separately but ran out of categories)

Southest Asian names replaced by medieval Italian

a little over 1400 pet names (cats, dogs, and horses)

in the future, I intend to add names for the farm animals as well

Where did you get your names?

All human names in this mod have been sourced from this website: HERE.

Any other details I should know?

base game compatible, but it might be a little glitchy if your game isn't up-to-date.

you may only have one name replacement mod in your game at a time

because it modifies the townie names, my mod also conflicts with Kuttoe's Townie Demographics mod

this mod is subject to change as I find more names, so check back occasionally to see if the version is new!

if you have any questions or suggestions for names, feel free to message me

works for every age

will not replace the names of sims that have already been created

DOWNLOADS

SimFileShare // MediaFire // Patreon

Like my CC? Consider buying me a coffee! 💜

@mmfinds @ts4medieval @alwaysfreecc

[quinnonimp]

some concept art of my qsmp map part ! didnt make much in general since it was quite simple, but the part still ended up nice . since the map's been in the works for a year, its fun looking back on my old choices & ideas ..

overall im glad i went with a lineless style, even if it looks a bit out of place in the grand scheme of the map (maybe the subtle outlines help it out a little ? i think theyre cute) . not only did i go for that style bc its what i usually animate with therefore easier (esp since i redraw every frame freehanded), i found the idea of doing a lineless colors -> "colorless" lines water transition really cool ! in a both a stylistic way & narrative/symbolic way . the colors themselves were enjoyable to work with too, though they ended up pretty different from my initial vision tbh, went for a softer tealer look in the end . it mightve been too much if i went for bolder colors ..

originally qjaiden was gonna be hiding in the background of shot 2 .. but well to be honest i just forgot to add that to the final version . imagine shes off camera 💔 there ended up being a lot of ideas i cut simply bc i either forgot or i wanted to keep the part really simple since this is my first map, & im so grateful i did, even if it couldve turned out better w the other ideas lmao

plus ! heres a really early concept test with my water transition . featuring quackitty

[sunmoon-starfactory]

Loads o' Laundry 2.0

2 years after the release of Loads o' Laundry, we now present: Loads o' Laundry 2.0: a much-improved version of the Laundry mod and system!

Several gameplay features have been improved and many annoyances bigger and smaller have been resolved! A large number of new objects have also been added for your enjoyment. Sims 3 and 4 players may see some familiar things... Overall, it represents a marked improvement over the original version.

Furthermore, the Laundry Mod now comes with full language support for Dutch, French and European Portuguese with more coming soon... Edit: Polish has been added!

Before proceeding further, make sure you have the following requirements installed:

Requirements

Easy Lot Check

Easy Inventory Check

Smarter EP Check

Money Globals

Time-out Controller

Fetch Water (water bucket)

Suds 'n Bubbles (for making your own detergent)

Flowing Fabrics (for the fresh outfit)

Various master meshes (see Manual)

A more detailed list of requirements as well as detailed instructions can be found in the Manual.

Gameplay overview and Download links below the cut

Gameplay Overview

Your Sims will now generate laundry if their hygiene is low enough. This requires the Laundry Global Mod (offered separately from the objects) as well as a Laundry-related object being present on the lot.

Sims may store their laundry in a hamper. Sometimes automatically if it's close enough and your Sim is inclined to be neat....

Wash and dry your clothes: a variety of both historic and modern, manual and mechanical ways to wash and dry your laundry are included.

Tired of the laundry piling up? Simply place a "Laundry-Begone-Box" on your lot and your Sims will no longer generate laundry!

Laundry Global Mod

The global mod is the backbone of the laundry system. You will need it in order to have your sims produce laundry. As it is a Global Mod, it is in its own rar. The Laundry Mod also has various trait-related features for you to enjoy:

Support for the Nevernude, Neat and Slob trait

Support for the following custom lifestates: Ghost, Mermaid & SkeleBro

NEW: Support for @anachronisims' Nudist trait

NEW: Hamper magic! If your sims are neat enough, they may automatically put their dirty laundry in the hamper (if there's one in the room)

MAC-compatible!

You need to have the file "SunMoon-Laundry_Hamper_Wicker_Round-REQUIRED" in your folder in order for the global mod to work!

Washers, Dryers, Tubs and Lines

Your Sims may wash their laundry using a wide variety of both manual tubs and modern washers. Both of these require detergent to use. Of course, after your laundry has been washed, you can dry them using either a dryer or a line. Just make sure not to hang your laundry outside on a rainy day. Just a small overview of the features offered:

Laundromat mode: run your own laundromat business at home or on a community lot! Sims will actually wash their dirty laundry! Of course, it works for visiting Sims too!

NEW: @anachronisims Big Spender Trait now effects the likelihood of a Sim using a laundromat machine

NEW: Stock your washer or tub with a detergent of your choice; no longer will you need an entire box of detergent for a small load, now one detergent will last multiple loads!

NEW: 2 extra detergents have been added. You can now choose between a Box or Bottle of detergent, Soap Solution or even a Baggy of Soap Nuts!

NEW: The fabulous @jellymeduza has created a fantastic little ceiling rack for drying your laundry

NEW: Many more washers and dryers straight from the Sims 3 and 4

NEW: Modern laundry detergent vendor. You can still access any laundry product still despite its looks.

Custom sounds and animations: not only does laundry come with custom (Sims 4) animations courtesy of @mortia, there are also some custom sounds!

Color Controller

This set also comes with a "Color Controller". This object allows you to choose the look of not only your newly-spawned laundry, but also how the fabric on your drying lines looks like! Use only ONE per lot.

Bonus

Another new feature is the (optional) support for @lazyduchess Laundry token: players with FT installed, have the option of downloading his laundry mod and getting the same slower motive decay for comfort when changing into different clothes using our fresh outfit object. Players without FT and/or this token will get a small bonus to the comfort motive instead. This is NOT available for MAC-users! You will need the following files from his mod should you want this feature:

ld_BecksLaundryMotiveDecayController

ld_BecksLaundryMotiveDecayToken

Download links

Now for what you have all been waiting for: the download links. REMOVE all old files before updating! File names have been changed!

Download Laundry Global Mod (Required) Download Loads o' Laundry (objects) View Manual

Localization

Added support for Dutch

Added support for European Portuguese - Obrigada @logansimmingwolverine!

Added support for French - Merci @helene2troie !

Partial language support for many other languages has been added in the form of catalog descriptions for Sims 3 and 4 conversions. (NOTE: 3t2 conversions have no Simplified Chinese, 4t2 conversions have no Hungarian. None of them have Thai)

Polish, Russian and Brazilian Portuguese support is currently in progress and should hopefully become available sometime in early 2024

Would you like to have this set fully translated into YOUR language? Don't hesistate to make a translation using the localization strings. Just send it over when you're done and we will add it to the set! (send it via or Discord or PM fireflowersims)

Special credits and thanks: @gayars, @2fingerswhiskey, @picknmixsims, @lazyduchess, @jellymeduza, @logansimmingwolverine, Gaby, @hodgekiss, @mustluvcatz-reloaded, CashCraft, ATS/Sandy, EAxis, all the people who helped to localize The Sims 3 and 4, all our many wonderful Beta testers

[anghraine]

Random thought before back to defense prep:

Something I find interesting and enjoyable about P&P is the way that Austen both foreshadows various revelations about Darcy and complicates them before they ever happen. This is typically done through subtle asides or quick interchanges that don't necessarily register as that significant at the time, but still gives the readers a chance to pick up on what's really going to happen.

Just a few examples:

1- Elizabeth and Charlotte briefly discuss how difficult it would be for an outsider, and perhaps Bingley himself, to detect Jane's true feelings:

It was generally evident, whenever they [Jane and Bingley] met, that he did admire her; and to her [Elizabeth] it was equally evident that Jane was yielding to the preference which she had begun to entertain for him from the first, and was in a way to be very much in love; but she [Elizabeth] considered with pleasure that it was not likely to be discovered by the world in general, since Jane united with great strength of feeling, a composure of temper and an uniform cheerfulness of manner, which would guard her from the suspicions of the impertinent. She mentioned this to her friend, Miss Lucas. “It may, perhaps, be pleasant,” replied Charlotte, “to be able to impose on the public in such a case; but it is sometimes a disadvantage to be so very guarded.”

2- Darcy tries to warn Elizabeth at the Netherfield Ball:

“I can readily believe,” answered he, gravely, “that reports may vary greatly with respect to me; and I could wish, Miss Bennet, that you were not to sketch my character at the present moment, as there is reason to fear that the performance would reflect no credit on either.”

3- Charlotte tries to "read" Darcy at Rosings:

He [Darcy] seldom appeared really animated. Mrs Collins knew not what to make of him. Colonel Fitzwilliam’s occasionally laughing at his stupidity proved that he was generally different, which her own knowledge of him could not have told her; and as she would have liked to believe this change the effect of love, and the object of that love her friend Eliza, she set herself seriously to work to find it out: she watched him whenever they were at Rosings, and whenever he came to Hunsford; but without much success.

4- literally the next chapter, one of the funnier miscommunications between Elizabeth and Darcy in Kent:

More than once did Elizabeth, in her ramble within the park, unexpectedly meet Mr Darcy. She felt all the perverseness of the mischance that should bring him where no one else was brought; and, to prevent its ever happening again, took care to inform him, at first, that it was a favourite haunt of hers. How it could occur a second time, therefore, was very odd! Yet it did, and even the third. It seemed like wilful ill-nature, or a voluntary penance; for on these occasions it was not merely a few formal inquiries and an awkward pause and then away, but he actually thought it necessary to turn back and walk with her. He never said a great deal, nor did she give herself the trouble of talking or of listening much; but it struck her in the course of their third rencontre that he was asking some odd unconnected questions—about her pleasure in being at Hunsford, her love of solitary walks, and her opinion of Mr and Mrs Collins’s happiness; and that in speaking of Rosings, and her not perfectly understanding the house, he seemed to expect that whenever she came into Kent again she would be staying there too. His words seemed to imply it.

Very mysterious!!!! Definitely none of their communications here could justifiably be misread!!

[ooihcnoiwlerh]

I have provided fresh meat, my Darlings!

The link to the entire fic as well as the new chapter is provided above.

@blazeflays @wo-ming-bai @richardslady121 Also please let me know if you would also liked to be tagged with updates!

CW: dubious consent; arranged marriage; forced marriage; forced pregnancy; rough sex; implied/referenced child abuse; blood kink; problematic smut; implied/referenced sexual abuse; implied/referenced torture

Chapter summary: Feyd-Rautha and the Reader look at each other and think, "They need work, but it's fine. I'm training them."

Chapter Notes:

-This chapter doesn't have quite as much plot or action and is generally more introspective/kind of shows a turning point and transition to both the Reader starting to learn to play the game and Feyd-Rautha seeking to challenge and unnerve her. Basically the Reader thinking, "I don't think I can reasonably make him better but I can make him treat me better" and Feyd thinking, "I can make her worse😈" -There have been a lot of interpretations of Feyd-Rautha's Darlings given that there's little information we're really given within the movie and I really like the theory that I've seen going around that they're effectively animals with human bodies that were experimented on by the Bene Tleilax.

CHAPTER SEVEN: YOU'RE LEARNING

You wake up early the next morning to your morning coffee and a reminder of your mother’s advice.  She dispensed it more than once over the years, enough that you were able to repeat it verbatim: sometimes a person isn’t a person, but an obstacle. Sometimes they’re obstacles that you need to face, problems that you need to solve. Find out what they need that you can use to get ahead.

So what does Feyd-Rautha want and how do you get it for him in order to temper him, make him more amenable to you?  He’s made clear at this point what he doesn’t want: compassion that he’s undoubtedly misconstrued as pity, any reminders of his childhood and adolescence, and any insinuations–intentional or otherwise–that he’s inadequate as a man.  

That leaves what he does want from you, and for the most part you think you know.  He wants you to have his children, and that’s in progress if not now, then soon.  He wants, well, other than last night, he’s been transparent that he wants you , carnally if for nothing else.

He also wants you to properly learn to fight at the level he wants, and there’s no way it’s just for your sake, or even wanting you to stay safe as the mother of his future children.  Those are a given.  

You can’t forget the way he’d gotten hard during your training and the way he spoke about it later.  You hadn’t seen it in the arena when he was slashing throats with theatricality and precision but little else, but this must be intimate for him.  It doesn’t surprise you once you think about it; a man who enjoys the taste of your blood would most certainly get off on getting a knife at your throat, even if he’s not allowed to cut it.

So how do you use that?  The Reverend Mother Mohiam all but stated that seduction was the key to tempering and subduing him into something you can handle but that’s easier said than done.  You’ve understood on some level for years now that you’d one day have to learn to use your sex as a tool, but it’s easier to implement in theory rather than practice.  The limited experience you’ve had before this–kisses both stolen and given freely at night when you’d slipped away unsupervised, fondling over the clothes, above the waist, and once grasping and sliding your hand over a boy you’d liked as he’d panted and moaned directions at you and you’d frantically tried to finish him off before either of you could get caught--weren’t for an agenda but for its own enjoyment.  Before your wedding night the only person who’d dared go beneath your skirts was you.  And then, of course, you’re reasonably certain that most men don’t keep an entire armoire of devices to use or have used on them while in bed, that most men aren’t eager to taste their wife’s blood, that most men don’t carry around the kind of shame and buried anger that your husband does wrapped in a deep-seated need to hurt and be hurt.

But that’s the hand that you’ve been dealt, and the only leverage you’ll be getting out of this marriage is by appealing to those desires and using your own body as a tool to keep him satiated and keep you in the best of his care.

By the time you’ve finished plaiting your hair you’ve decided that you’ve learned enough since your wedding night that you can try and use to your advantage.  You’ll keep adapting and if one of the ways to win him over is at knifepoint, then so be it.

And if he wants to banish everyone from the Training Halls so he can rut into you like an animal next to a rack of knives, then fine.  You can take him however he comes to you.

You try to keep all this in mind as you leave your chambers and take to the Training Halls for another lesson.

Feyd-Rautha already appears to have broken a sweat.  Drills, you assume, and done alongside his men if their matching sheens are anything to go by.

Korvo’s back to train you, he says.  He needed to have part of his jaw wired shut but otherwise he’s fine; he just won’t be able to talk much for a while.

And strangely enough it’s true; whatever Healer Korvo went to did an excellent job because there’s not a lot of bruising or swelling.  It occurs to you that he looks a few years older than Feyd, and you can’t help but wonder what Korvo thought about the hushed rumors about the Baron’s proclivities years ago.  About Feyd-Rautha, the boy who’s become the man he now serves.

As for your husband, it’s as if the past couple of nights never happened.  He seems indifferent as he hands you your shield device and a knife.  There’s not a trace of the quiet rage from early yesterday morning nor the cold domination of last night.  Not that you were ever going to ask him, especially not with other people around, but he gives you your answer to the silent question, When are we going to talk about yesterday? The answer?  Never .

He has Korvo start off slowly with you, a warm-up of sorts, movements guarded as you go over strikes and parries before taking over for the rest of your session.

You think you’re prepared for it this time as he starts to speed up, stops going through the motions and actually starts sparring with you.  You tell yourself that no one’s going to catch you unawares again, but well.  His training is a lot more extensive than yours.  You let out a yelp, realizing yet again that you weren’t focused enough on his footwork and he’s taken the opportunity to trip you.  You stumble, catching yourself just in time to avoid a fall.

“You’ve had a day to rest,” Feyd says.  “There’s no reason you can’t be pushed farther.”

To rest .  He was the one that told you not to come and train yesterday.  You clench your jaw and strike again.  If anything Feyd-Rautha seems amused by your irritation and sends you stumbling again with a swat on the backside with the flat of his knife.

You turn, incredulous and with an insult on the tip of your tongue.

“Don’t strike in anger,” he says, holding back a smirk.  You raise your chin and try to level your gaze at him as you try to collect yourself.

Hey, this is actually a good sign , a part of you realizes.  There’s something almost close to playful in the way he’s looking at you right now.  He’s already in a far better mood than he was yesterday .  This is working for him.

You roll your shoulders and take a defensive stance, silently gesturing for him to strike first, and this time he actually grins.

Breakfast afterwards is its own task.  You’ve gotten your appetite back this morning, but only when you forget everything except your own hunger and especially try your best to ignore the man at the head of the table.  You’ll try to bury what you know about the Baron for now, or at least try to act like he doesn’t disgust you.  Not that he’d care what you think of him, not like you can do anything about it.

Instead you wonder about what motherhood looks like on this planet.  You’ll not want for anything, you’re sure, in terms of space for the baby and help raising it, but you hope the Baron isn’t an indicator of how children are raised here.  You haven’t seen many children in the Fortress–the sons and daughters of captains and generals, you’re sure–and you haven’t interacted with any. Feyd-Rautha mentioned military and combat training for any sons you’ll have but what about general schooling?  

When the children come, surely you’ll be a part of their lives somehow?  You’ll make certain of it.  You have to; they’ll be raised in the Harkonnen culture but they’ll still be half you , and you’ll do everything to make sure they never forget that, where you come from and the half of them that you represent.

“Not too tired from your training session, are you?” Feyd-Rautha asks, and you realize that you’ve been drifting off, staring into the distance.  You hadn’t expected him to notice.

“Oh, no, husband,” you tell him.  “Just lost in thought.  Actually, I was curious about where one might put a nursery in the private quarters.”  Not that there would’ve been any use for them within the royal family in decades, but surely there must have been something installed before?

As soon as Feyd starts to answer, the Baron interrupts, “What are you training her for?”

“Just in the event of an emergency or ambush, I want her to be prepared to defend herself.  If the time ever comes that I’m not there to do it for her,” Feyd-Rautha adds.

The Baron looks at him with those beady blue eyes.  “You really think such a thing will ever happen, boy?” he asks, and there’s an undercurrent to his tone that makes you look away, never mind that they’ve started talking about you as if you aren’t there.

Boy .  As if not just Feyd’s title but his very manhood is a privilege his uncle bestows on him that he can revoke at a moment’s notice.

Feyd ignores the taunt.  “Just planning ahead,” he says.  It doesn’t come back up.  When you excuse yourself to use the bathroom the Baron doesn’t react when you come back.  He barely seems to notice you’re there.

To him, you are not family.  You are the orifice his handsome young nephew buries himself in and the birthing canal that will add to the Harkonnen lineage, but not a real person who’s earned any familiarity with him nor will you ever be.  That suits you just fine and you find that you’d rather he ignore you than pay any special attention to you, just so long as he never gets to sink his claws into your future children.  

Speaking of which, “The Fortress has everything you could need,” Feyd says.  “Our children will have their own quarters and plenty of staff to watch over them.”

And how about allowing me to watch over them? you want to ask, but won’t, especially since you’re not alone.  Or do ladies of leisure outsource all of that here?   Idrisa will know; you’ll save your real questions for her.

After breakfast Feyd-Rautha offers you his arm.  “I imagine you’re interested in the relaxation chambers now?” he asks.  “They provide massages.  Great for the joints.”

“I could be persuaded,” you tell him, feeling not just sore from earlier this morning but from two days ago.  You’d never considered yourself a lazy person but you’ve also never committed to any kind of daily training regimen and the nighttime and occasionally additional morning routines in the bedroom certainly haven’t helped.

“It’s interesting,” you tell him, ���training with you and seeing how you do it, even if I’m not there for all of it.”

“That wasn’t my last training session for the day,” he says.  “I’m going back soon.”

You blink.  “Why?” you ask him.  He’d clearly started early and gotten his heart pumping by the time you’d arrived.

“To be as physically prepared as I can for the arena showing on my birthday.  It’s less than three weeks away at this point,” he says.

You look over at him with your brows furrowed.  What does he really need extra preparation for?  He’s in no danger, there’s no real risk.

He seems to understand your confusion.  “It’s important that I look like I'm in top form,” he explains, which just presents further questions.

How will they even know what your body looks like?  If it’s anything like last time, you’ll be the only fighter in the arena that’s fully dressed .

“Well, alright,” you finally.  You look back at him.  “So you’re going to have to get changed again into training gear, and then shower again and change again after that?”

“Yes,” he says, voice curt.  “Appearance is important here.”

Yours is, certainly , you don’t tell him.  But you do realize that your uncle’s still the Baron and he floats around in his suspensor chair wearing a long nightgown?  If he’s ever cared about his appearance, he must’ve stopped years ago .  You suppose that it’s one of many ways that Feyd’s turned out differently from him, although not the most important.  It’s not for nothing that even though you have no idea how he’ll turn out as a parent–yet another thing that scares you about this–he still won’t be as bad of a parental figure as his uncle.

He looks at you for a moment and you realize that you haven’t spoken and have just enough sense to realize that giving a simpering compliment about his looks will come across as not only disingenuous but suspicious.  “My apologies,” you admit.  “I was just thinking about what expectations will be placed on our children.”

“Our son, although we’ll need more than one, will embody all Harkonnen core values: power, ambition, resilience, intellect.  I’ll accept no less and neither will anyone else on Geidi Prime,” he says. How long has he been thinking about fatherhood, you wonder?  Or is he repeating what he’s been told time and time again what the Baron wants out of him? 

“And if one of our children is a daughter?” you ask, hoping that doesn’t happen.  It’s bad enough to be a man on this planet.

“She’ll be expected to be gracious, discreet, and always careful and cognizant of her surroundings,” Feyd says.  “She’ll be composed even under pressure and adaptable.”

You try to absorb this, wondering how much he thinks you fit that mold yourself and assuming that you come up short.  “I thought the first word you were going to say was fertile ,” you tell him.

“That goes without saying,” he says.  “It’ll be her greatest contribution to the family to add to its lineage.”

I think you just described my responsibilities and expectations here, you think as he escorts you to the relaxation chambers.

Before he leaves he gives you a brief kiss–a little reward, perhaps, for minding yourself.  “You’re learning,” is all he says.

You’d expected the rooms to have the same austere black and gray background as the Dining Halls, the Throne Room, even the bedrooms, but whatever materials used for the doors and panels emulate the colors and patterns of cedar even though you doubt it’s real wood and the textured walls are painted a warm, pale cream.  It feels like a different environment entirely, reminiscent of the women’s bathhouses on your home planet.  The attendant inside recognizes you immediately, although you assume that it’s hardly a challenge.  “ You can’t mistake the Na-Baroness ,” you’re sure servants tell each other, “ she’s the only one in this Fortress with hair. ”

Most of the attendants are women, and again most of them seem young, hardly more than girls.

“Welcome, Na-Baroness.  We do so hope that you enjoy our accommodations,” the first attendant says, her head in a respectful decline as she curtsies.  “How may we be of service today?”

When you tell her that you were hoping for a simple massage because your joints have been feeling stiff she reacts as though you’ve told her that all your bones have shattered.

“I’m so sorry to hear you’ve been in discomfort, Na-Baroness,” she says.  “We’ll make sure to ease all aches and pains.”

As she guides you away and towards a private room you sense people looking at you and notice a couple of higher-ranking women in dressing robes, undoubtedly here for a bit of relaxation themselves.  As soon as you look over at them, they glance away, pretending that they’re looking off into the distance.  You want to stop, walk over, and introduce yourself to them ( they know who you are, though.  Everyone knows that the Na-Baron just married an arranged non-Harkonnen bride from another planet ) but you don’t get the chance.  Instead you tear your gaze away to follow the attendant to another room with what you must assume is a synthetic material that effectively mimics the appearance and grain pattern of wood, complete with a changing station, a table with oils and towels, and in the middle a covered massage table with a servant on either side who bow as soon as you enter.

It’s an interesting experience, to be sure.  The servants attending to you are quiet and gracious, but you’re made starkly aware again of your foreignness.

Your hair confuses them, for one thing.  They look at and touch it as if they’re not sure whether or not they think it’s attractive when you've spent your entire life before Geidi Prime being told that it’s beautiful.  They’re gentle with you, careful when undressing you and guiding you to a massage table.  When kneading oil into your sore muscles they treat you as if you’re delicate, even though they’re smaller than you are.  They work silently, your own muffled moans when they work out a particularly sore spot the only sounds other than the ambient mist coming from the next room.  

You wonder at first if it’s because they only speak Harkonnen and not the Imperial Standard, but as they’re getting finished one of the young women–probably not much older than you, although it’s still difficult to tell without any hair or eyebrows to better indicate her age–timidly asks, “Would the Na-Baroness like to be given stimulation as part of her massage?”

You blink, not sure you heard correctly, and raise yourself up on your elbows.  “Stimulation?” you repeat, brow furrowing.

“Some people enjoy other kinds of massage as a form of relief, Na-Baroness.  We’d be honored to indulge you if you prefer,” she says, looking down the moment you look up.

I’m still lost , you almost tell her before it sinks in.  “Oh!” you say, the single word slipping out.  The woman flinches, undoubtedly worried that she’s offended you.  It’s probably why she hasn’t said a word this entire time; she has no idea how to talk to you, what you would consider appropriate or not, and would rather not speak at all than risk saying the wrong thing.  You gape for a moment before managing, “No thank you.  A-a normal massage is plenty.”

She bows.  “Very well, Na-Baroness.  Is there anything else we can do in service to you?”  

You’d been curious about the other rooms but suddenly you wish for nothing more than to leave.  “No thank you, not today.  The massage was all I needed.”

“It was our pleasure, Na-Baroness.  We are at your disposal,” the woman says, words you’ve already heard multiple times.  “Let us help you redress.” 

They gently wipe off any excess oil with damp washcloths and dry you off before guiding you back into your clothes as if scared they’ll hurt you, or rather, scared that you’ll say something that gets them in trouble.  Even a foreign woman commands fear if she’s married to the right Harkonnen, even if she’s never going to be a true Harkonnen herself and whether they’re scared of you because of who you’re married to or also because of who you are, it makes no difference.

In spite of everything, when you get back to your quarters you realize that physically, you feel great ; better than you have since your wedding.  You feel pliant and loose-limbed, your skin soft and supple.  In theory it should give you all the energy you need to continue your studies of this planet and its language.

But your self-imposed Harkonnen lessons aren’t holding your attention; the grammar structure is fairly simple, and you’ve learned a few basic words and phrases (and obscenities, because you’re pretty sure that that’s most of what Feyd-Rautha grunts in your ear when he’s fucking you) and you can’t help your restlessness as you settle back in your chair.

You tap your fingertips against your desk, mind wandering to your husband, your body remembering with a throb how he feels inside you.  You’re getting used to it more and more, for the most part even learning to enjoy it.  

He might be coming back from his second training session soon.  Maybe he’s already come back and is taking his second shower or bath of the day.  Maybe you’ll ask him about his armoire, which he hasn’t opened for you since that first night, but, and you pause, thinking it over, picturing him sweaty from his training, and think, no.   The armoire can wait.  If you want to improve your seduction game, you can start by being the one to initiate your encounters.  You can start now.

You strip again, wondering how he’ll react to you entering his chambers.  Hopefully amenable to it; he probably won’t dismiss you if you come to him like this.  If nothing else he has an incentive to put a baby in you, you think as you wrap yourself up in one of your robes and pad over to your bathroom.

You press your ear to the door joining your bathroom to his.  The water’s running: he must be showering.  You wait, heart pounding, thinking, It will be fine.  Think about this morning; he seemed reasonably happy with you this morning.

You shut your eyes for a moment, take a breath, and open the door.

He’s standing in the middle of his shower, his eyes on you from the moment you step inside.  He turns the water off and watches you silently, eyes falling to your robe.  He must be fully aware of the fact that you’re wearing nothing underneath.

“Sorry to interrupt, husband,” you say, hoping that your intuition is correct.  “I was just…” bored? Interested in your company? Curious about how else you decompress after training? You swallow, fiddling with the sash of your robe.

Feyd says nothing at first as he steps out of the shower and onto the soft mat on the black granite floor.  Any words you have die before they can reach your lips as he steps in closer and the height difference between you feels vaster than it’s felt before.

His eyes flicker to your robe.  “Take that off,” he says.

You look him in the eye, raising your chin slightly as you unfasten the sash around your waist and brush the robe off your shoulders and onto the floor, presenting yourself for him as naked as the day you were born.  The two of you stand in silence for a moment; he’s dripping wet and you’re, well…you bite your lip and hesitate before reaching out, wrist turning as you wrap a hand around him.  You feel awkward in the ensuing silence, brushing your thumb over the tip of him and glancing between his face and his cock, breath catching in your throat as you see the way his gaze darkens.  You open your mouth to speak but find yourself at a loss for words.

It doesn’t occur to you that he might prefer this to any polished seduction or that he likes your nerves, your earnestness.  That you've come to him as if yesterday never happened and like he's a whole intact man with no buried shame.  He stiffens rapidly under your touch, silently daring you to keep fondling him.  You wonder if it would be worth it to sink to your knees and take him into your mouth–you’ve done it once before as a preamble to the act itself and remember every detail and lesson of it vividly–when Feyd-Rautha starts walking you backwards, backwards, until you reach his bathroom wall and you drop your hand in surprise.

“I…” you start and he silences you with a kiss, gripping the back of your head and tilting your head up to meet him.  Once he has you where he wants you, your arms wrapping around his shoulders, his hands slide down your sides, over your hips and ass, coming to the backs of your legs, nudging you forward.

“C’mon,” he says, his rasp quiet but commanding in the echoes of his bathroom.  You can’t help your nervous laugh as you hop up and he catches you, hands under your thighs that he quickly wraps around his hips, holding you in place as his cock brushes against your folds, your lower belly.  It’s filled out and ready and you bite your lip as you think: how to maneuver…?  

You glance back up at him and his expectant gaze.  Come on, pet, he seems to tell you.  You’re a clever little thing, you can figure it out, and so you grip his cock again and position it at your entrance, almost laughing at how two weeks ago you’d have been hard-pressed to know exactly where it is and how to properly penetrate it.

You gasp, head falling forward as you sink down onto him and cry out as he jerks his hips up, filling you the rest of the way.  It’s always such a deep ache and stretch when he buries himself in you and you’re never quite given enough time to adjust to the size of him before he starts moving and it feels like he’s so deep in you that can hardly breathe.  Every time he picks a new angle to fuck you in it almost shocks you how he seems to find another way to make as though there’s no part of your insides that he hasn’t touched, and you hold onto him, trying to rock back down on him, and finding you can only really cling to him.  He buries his face in your neck, breathing in the scent of your hair and the tonic you use for it, before pausing, shifting you further onto him, and moving away from the wall.  You yelp, tightening your thighs around his waist and wondering what he’ll do next, where he’ll take you.   

He carries you, then, out of the bathroom and to his bed where he drops you unceremoniously on your back and following you as you go.  You both grunt as he lands on top of you and pushes your legs further back towards your chest and he braces his arms on either side of your head.

It’s hard and rough and fast, your knees pushed back nearly to your shoulders that he spreads wide to make room for his own.  Your cries as he pounds into your open, vulnerable body spur him on and he drops his forehead to yours, panting against your mouth.  He speaks in the Imperial Standard this time when he says, “Like a little songbird, making pretty noises for me,” and brings his mouth to the juncture of your neck and jaw.

You let out a whine as he continues, his tongue flickering and then lapping at the sensitive skin like he’s done before to your cunt.  You gasp and readjust your grip on his shoulders, almost stunned at the visceral reactions he can pull from just that.  You’d known it was a sensitive area, had been kissed there before, but especially juxtaposed against the pounding of him inside of you it’s–it’s–

“A -aaah! ” you manage, clenching around him, barely holding on, your legs shaking as he speeds up, his mouth continuing the onslaught.  The whimpers that spill out of you escalate and turn to a sharp cry as he bares his teeth and bites down.

He grunts, hips pumping, as he comes inside of you, his teeth and lips on the sensitive skin of your neck and your arms wrapped around him.  He gives one final thrust for good measure before dropping his head to your neck, his breath harsh.  You hold onto him for a moment as he pauses and pulls out.

Will you let me hold you again?  I liked that.  I liked when you rested on me and I got to pet you as if you could ever be made docile .  You don’t ask, and don’t know how to.  He rolls over onto his back.

“I trust that training went well, husband?” you ask instead after you catch your breath and start to come down.

He grunts an affirmative and for a moment you think that’s the end of it.  He takes a breath, though, mulling over the silence between the two of you.  You wait, sensing his realization that you’d like to hear more.  That the two of you can have a normal conversation like a normal married couple.  “Sparred with a few of my men, then a couple of criminals in the dungeons.  They don’t provide as much of a challenge but it still keeps me alert to practice on someone who actually wants to kill me.”

“They weren’t sedated?” you ask.

He shakes his head, exhaling.  “Not these ones.  Didn’t want to contaminate their bloodstream,” he says.

You think back to over a week ago, and something Idrisa told you.  “So you could safely feed them to your Darlings afterwards?” you ask.

He turns his head to you and you do the same, mirroring him.  His full lips part as he mulls your words over.  “Now where’d you hear about them?” he asks, clearly trying to think back to a time when he’s mentioned them to you and coming up with nothing.

“Idrisa,” you add when you don’t see any recognition in his eyes at the name, “my personal attendant, mentioned that you had pets that you fed human remains.”

This piques his interest, it seems.  He rises up on one elbow, turning to his side, leaning over you.  “How did she describe them?” he asks.

You shrug, not sure how that makes a difference.  “She didn’t.  She just said that you feed human flesh to what you called your Darlings,” you say, not bothering to hide your distaste.  You’re not going to pretend to like or condone everything he does; not like it would stop him.

Feyd-Rautha’s eyes glint.  He breaks into a smile that is equal parts delighted and cruel.  “Is that really all she told you?” he says.  He doesn’t move a millimeter, but you can sense his growing excitement coiled tight within him like he’s ready to pounce.

“So…what are they?  Canine or feline?  Or aquatic?” you ask, not sure if you want to know or get a more specific image but asking all the same.

Feyd-Rautha looks at you as though you’ve given him the greatest gift he didn’t even have to ask for.  “Would you like to meet them?” he asks instead of answering your question.

No, of course not , you want to tell him.  I have no interest in meeting a bunch of animals who devour people whole .  “Sure.  Why not,” you say.

His black teeth and gums are unnerving against the pallor of the rest of him before his smile turns closed-mouthed again into a smirk.  

When you’ve both dressed and left his chambers, you assume that he’s going to lead you to a dungeon, but he instead starts walking down a corridor not far from the private wing.

“I’d keep them closer,” he says over his shoulder, “but they make such a mess.”

So a pool or a moat would be out of the question, but a shark tank is still feasible , you think.  

He reaches a door, and the first moment you step inside and see what’s on the padded platform in front of you, you want to roll your eyes and walk back out.

So he’s taken me on a detour first to meet his concubines , you think.  

Three naked, lithe, bald-headed women lie curled up sleeping, nestled against one another like a pile of kittens.  You raise your eyebrows, letting out an irritated huff.  You should’ve known that he keeps concubines; most leaders from Major Houses do.  It’s just that he’d seemed so preoccupied with you that you’d almost forgotten that very possibility.  These are the women he normally slakes his lust with and what he’ll go back to once you’ve confirmed that you’re carrying his seed.  You have a snide remark on the tip of your tongue about how nice it is to meet the other women he fucks.  

But then you notice that there’s blood drying on their hands, caking their sharp-nailed fingertips and you realize what the smell of the iron tang that permeated the air really is. Dread settles in the pit of your stomach.

“What’s going on?” you say aloud to no answer.

The women stir, and then they open their eyes.  They have neither pupils nor irises.  Pure ink black, stares, unthinking, back at you.

When you first met him you’d been quick to assume that Feyd-Rautha lacked all humanity beyond his physical form, but this is what it truly looks like when a person has no human essence.  You’re not sure what they’re seeing when they look at you but they perceive nothing except the sight of warm meat.

Abomination!  Abomination! you think, too frozen to scream it out loud, the sound of it only coming out of you in a pitiful squeak when they start to move, clambering towards you.

Oh, Great Mother, they move like animals, on all fours .  One of them opens her mouth, teeth and gums as black as her master’s but her teeth are sharpened into fangs she bares in what may be a smile, may be a snarl. 

Oh, fuck this.   

You turn and start to run when Feyd-Rautha holds his arm out to grab you around the chest and pull you to his side as he says something in Harkonnen that you try to grasp.

Something-something woman something-something food.  Okay, that was a negation.  He’s saying something like “she’s not food.”  You gasp and dig your nails into his forearm, unable to look away from them, the way they tilt their heads at you.

You can hear them hiss and chatter, put out that he hasn’t presented them with a meal, and you realize that they’re speaking in neither the Imperial Standard nor Harkonnen battle-language but a vague imitation of human speech.

“What the fuck?  What the fuck? ” you say aloud, struggling in Feyd-Rautha’s grip, watching as they scurry closer to the two of you, sniffing at you in particular.

You stare at the fathomless depths of their unblinking black eyes and how they tilt their heads, even their curiosity utterly fucking terrifying.

“You said you wanted to meet my Darlings,” Feyd-Rautha says in a satisfied tone.  “Don’t be rude.  They like you.” He says something in Harkonnen to the women that you can’t decipher, and their chattering ceases and demurs into near-purring.

One of them sniffs and nuzzles at your stomach and you flinch, wondering how quick she’d be to open her mouth and take a bite of your sensitive skin if her master allowed it.  Your stomach that within a few months will swell with Feyd-Rautha’s heir.  Does she understand what any of that means?  Do any of them?

How naive you were, thinking that he kept animals as his pets, normal women as his concubines.  How silly and childish to think that he wouldn’t be as much of a degenerate as you feared.  

Just when I think I’ve adjusted to this insane planet I see something even worse.    

Feyd-Rautha closes the door and directs his gaze up and down the length of your body, the tremors in your hands, your entire body shaking, in fact, and settles on your face.  He says nothing, waits for you to go first.

“What…” you bring a hand to your forehead, hoping that this is a nightmare, “ are they?”

He doesn’t smirk but you can sense his satisfaction.  He undoubtedly gets some entertainment out of each time he gets to introduce someone new to his Darlings, or rather, inflict his Darlings on them.  He probably doesn’t get the opportunity as often as he’d like.  “They’re a Bene Tleilax experiment,” he says.  “They thought we might enjoy them.”

“Why would they…” commit a crime against nature like this?  

“Because they can,” he says.  

“Then why have them?” you ask.

He looks at you as if you’re the unreasonable one.  “They already exist, and I’ve found some use for them.”

As his concubines .  “So you…” you feel nauseous at the idea, barely able to say it aloud, “...fuck them?”

Your shoulders sag with relief when you he says, “No, I don’t fuck them, Y/N.  They’re nice to look at but it would be akin to fucking a wild animal.  They can be entertaining, though.  And they’re a decent tool for intimidation.”

Entertaining .  You could use hundreds of words to describe what you just saw and the wretched nature of their existence and entertaining would not be one of them.

Still, you realize what he means.  His menagerie needs to eat to stay alive, and it provides incentive to stay on the Na-Baron’s good side.  No one wants to end up as food.  And how many men can honestly say, “ If you don’t do as I say I’m going to feed you to the trio of feral cannibal women I keep in my Fortress” ?  It’s a far more unique and memorable threat than any you’ve heard.

So they’re not his concubines; you don’t believe for one moment that he’d care enough to lie to you about that, which just makes you wonder where his real concubines are.  “Who were you fucking before I was assigned to you?  I wasn’t your first.”  

Feyd-Rautha’s lips quirk up for a moment in a brief almost-smile.  “There are times when people see me in the arena and want to know if I’m as much of a brute as I seem,” he says.  

“Are you?  With them?”  You haven’t forgotten that he’s expected to be better-behaved with you than he probably would be with someone else.  Someone potentially disposable.

His expression is carefully neutral as he seems to think on how much he wants to frighten you some more or how much he’ll let your own imagination do the work.  “I give them what they’re looking for,” he says after a moment.

You glance back over at the door.  How many people whisper about his trio of naked women the way they keep their head down about the Baron?  Does that not bother him, how people who know about this undoubtedly think, If he’s willing to stick his cock into them , what else is he capable of?

“You do know that calling them your Darlings, having them naked like this–it makes it seem like you have sex with them,” you tell him.

Feyd-Rautha looks unsurprised and unmoved.  “They can be sedated into being dressed sometimes.  It’s just too cumbersome to try and change them every day,” he says.  “Besides, people can think what they want,” he says.  “I don’t care, just as long as they fear my name.”

Very Harkonnen of you , you think.  “What are their names?” you ask instead.

He seems amused by the question.  “Didn’t bother.  They don’t need them,” he says.

You look back at the door.  They can’t always have been like this, could they?  “Did they not have names once?  Before…this?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he says.  “They won’t remember.”

You can’t help but stare at him when he says that.  These were people once , you don’t need to tell him because he doesn’t care.  You don’t know what to say to him; the words dry up in your throat.  Here you were trying to bring out the human side to him when you get a stark reminder that for many people that side of him doesn’t exist.  You try to remember how the Reverend Mother assured you that he has weaknesses that you can use, just like any other man.  How he has his own, albeit twisted, moral code and sense of honor.

Count yourself lucky that it extends to you, you think.

You don’t like yourself very much when you think about it, the palpable fear he instills in everyone he thinks he can readily discard, and the fact that you’ve already decided that you’ll do your best to overlook it, for now anyways.  You have yourself and your future child to look after first.

[oladthepancake]

HELLOOO EVERYONE!

✦ · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

HERE

LOOK

I put off publishing this post for a long time because I was too lazy to write all the information that I want to put here, but here I am, showing you my two models for vitubing, created entirely by myself with my own hands on my laptop!

✦ · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

but before that I think it’s worth starting with an idea! And the idea came mega spontaneously:

This handsome man and I watched a couple of videos with Neuro-Sama and suddenly this dialogue appears:

- How about we become VTubers?

- seriously?

- yeah

- Let's go.

✦ · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Even though this decision was mega harsh and rather profane, it charged me with motivation and allowed me to get out of the art block a little

After all, I REALLY love learning new programs and things for myself.

✦ · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Time:

• 5 days to draw both models

• A week to animate them

Programs:

Krita (drawing)

life2D + his brother (animation of models and adding additional emotions)

Vtube Studio (Launch models)

Obs (video filming)

Energy Source:

God knows

✦ · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

So who were my victims of this experiment?

As expected, my avatar was my alter ego Temmie, and for our mega partner/boyfriend we chose his alter ego Sans from Freedomtale!

Since the path is completely new and unfamiliar to me, I desperately searched on YouTube for all kinds of videos and tutorials, as a result of which I found the most understandable and enjoyable series of videos from Lazu-Tan, which I mainly relied on when making avatars

Next, having found it on the Internet and installed the necessary programs on the laptop, I scribbled sketches that would later grow into models:3

after this stage there is a boring process of drawing the models directly, grouping a bunch of layers (a separate layer was needed for each moving object, such as separate layers for each strand of hair and grouping into a common group with hair. This was an unusual thing and made me really strain my brain)

Having saved both files in .psd format, I put them into a new program called Life2D! I needed this program to create animations of the very layers that I had distributed and grouped earlier. head turns, hair physics, eye blinks, additional emotions - this is all the merit of the great Life2D and those 43 days of the trial of the full version, which he so kindly provided me with for creativity... in fact, I thank you for the conditional “deadline”, because without it, God knows when I would have finished this project under other circumstances

When working, there were a lot of problems due to insufficient knowledge about the operation of the application, which is why sometimes I felt like a would-be programmer who couldn’t find an error in his code for several days (I tried to program, I know what I’m talking about)

It would seem hurray, everything is ready! however, here the finishing touches await us.

Those additional emotions (like blush, stars, tears) that should be activated by assigned keys must first be configured through a separate program that is installed with Life2D

in general, the procedure is not complicated, and I even found it somewhat pleasant

After this, the models can be considered ready, they just need to be put into the files of an application such as Vitube Studio, after which you can play your character at the camera or use them for streaming or making videos!

I published videos demonstrating the capabilities of my models on my YouTube

It was an ultra-mega interesting experience, and I will not hesitate to say this, and I am proud of the results:3

for streaming, however, all that remains is to turn my little potato into a more or less tolerable laptop, but I think sooner or later I will be able to solve this issue

@thefreedomskeleton

✦ · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Thank you if you are reading this and wish you a wonderful time of day!

[elkkiel]

ST Holiday Gift Exchange 2024: Information & FAQ

Masterpost

General info

Q: Who can join this event?

Anybody who is a fan of Sleep Token and would like to create something for a fellow fan

Q: How do I sign up for this event?

You can register using the sign up form here

Q: What kind of content can I create?

Art, writing, video edits/video-based media, animation/animatic, playlists, and poetry are our current options. If you have a different idea, feel free to ask about it!

Q: How does the assignment system work?

When you sign up, your answers will be stored on a spreadsheet to compare with other participants. We will determine assignments based on your likes/dislikes for both creating and receiving gifts, as in an angst writer will likely be assigned to someone who likes angst.

Instead of partners, each assignment will be unique to make the gift as much of a surprise as possible. This means that the person you've been assigned to won't be assigned to you.

On October 19th, Nina and I will contact you via your preferred messaging method with your assignment. At this time, we'll provide all the information you need to complete your gift!

Q: When are submissions due?

You can give your gift from December 25th to January 5th. If you're done early, just hang on to it until the submission period begins.

Content guidelines

Q: What are the minimum requirements for gifts?

Art: One completed artwork (according to your level of "completeness," i.e. no sketches/doodles)

Writing: One completed fic of at least 600 words

Video edits/video-based media: One completed edit/video. If you are creating a video, please reach out to @elkkiel or @stellasplendens with your concept for review.

Animation: One completed video/GIF at least 3 seconds long (or shorter, if it loops). Frame-by-frame and tweening methods are accepted—do what works best for your style. If you're creating a "simple" animation (ex. looping walk cycle, sprite animation, etc.) please reach out to Elkkie or Nina with your concept for review.

Playlist: One playlist at least 1 hour long with a consistent theme. Spotify is preferred, but Youtube is an option if you don't have Spotify

Poetry: One completed poem, any style. If you are creating a poem, please reach out to Elkkie or Nina with your concept for review

Other: Please reach out to Elkkie or Nina with your concept/media type for review.

Q: Does my gift need to be holiday themed?

Not at all! If you want to include seasonal themes, go ahead. But it's definitely not required

Q: Do I need to include all of my recipient's ideas/preferences in my gift?

The ideas/preferences are just prompts, not a grocery list that you have to check off. Feel free to include as many ideas as you're comfortable with

Q: Is shipping allowed?

Shipping is allowed, and you will be assigned to someone with the same shipping preferences as you (ex. someone who loves shipping won't be paired with someone who won't create it)

Q: Is NSFW allowed?

Same as shipping content, you can do it so long as your recipient has said they're okay with it. In this case, please pay attention to any triggers, squicks, or preferences that your recipient specified—for safety and also enjoyment lol

Communication/submissions

Q: How do I submit my gift?

Please share your gift in a public Tumblr post with your recipient clearly tagged. You can also use the tag #st gift exchange 2024 !

Q: I'm an author, where do I share my writing?

You can share your fic directly on Tumblr as a text post, or you can post to a platform like AO3 and link to the fic in a Tumblr post.

Q: Can I contact my recipient for more information about their gift?

We ask that you don't reach out to your recipient to maintain the surprise aspect of the event. If absolutely necessary, you can contact Nina or I to get that info on your behalf.

Q: Is there a Discord for this event?

No, this is a Tumblr-based event only. Please give your gift on Tumblr to ensure that your recipient is able to receive your gift.

Q: Who do I contact for more information before/during the event?

You can reach out to @elkkiel or @stellasplendens via Tumblr, or send us an email at st.giftexchange@gmail.com

During the event, Nina and I will be dividing up contacts for organization purposes. So whoever sends you the assignment will be your "event rep" that you can reach out to specifically (ofc, if you can't get ahold of someone, please feel free to send an email or reach out to the other mod for help!)

Any more questions? Send an ask, reply to this post, send an email, idk like create smoke signals or something (responses will take 2-3 business days to account for acquiring fire-starting supplies)

[devildom-moss]

Ideal Threesomes headcanon (the demon brothers)

Who pairs best with each character in a threesome? Who brings the best out of them or shows them the most enjoyable time? (none of the brothers are paired with each other - or with Simeon)

(NSFW)

Lucifer

I’m sure I’m going to get shit for this, but Lucifer would pair best with Barbatos. Hear me out. I know a lot of people would choose Diavolo, but I think his pride and his obligation to Diavolo would leave him feeling restrained. He doesn’t have the same obligations to Barbatos, and their personalities meld together in a way that makes Lucifer perform better without pushing him too far.

A threesome with Lucifer and Barbatos is like the ocean shore – both of them pulling back and crashing down, teasing you and each other further every time. They blend so naturally. Although they are both incredibly possessive, they’re willing to get along if it means earning your attention and affection. Lucifer won’t admit it, but he likes Barbatos’s energy and finds him pretty at his worst and stunning at his best.

Barbatos is surprisingly comfortable teasing Lucifer. The two of you combined can leave Lucifer a muttering, blushing disaster. However, Barbatos is also perfectly content bottoming for you and Lucifer, and he’s so pretty that Lucifer works extra hard to impress you and steal some of the spotlight back. Both of them are incredibly versatile and will bend to suit your will.

The only problem is that, occasionally, after they’ve had sex, they get shy around each other in the following few days for brief moments – something small like a faint blush when they run into one another, a gentle biting of their lower lip at hearing the other’s voice say something in just the right way, or a soft gulp after accidentally brushing hands in a completely mundane setting. Lucifer can’t quite get the image of Barbatos biting your neck to stifle his moaning as you teased them both with your hands. He should have been jealous, but he was far too aroused to feel anything but lust for you both.

Mammon

Mammon is not generally a good candidate for a threesome. He wants you to himself, but if he’s going to share, he needs someone who can match his energy. Mephistopheles fits the bill pretty well.

Both of them tend to get loud and bring a lot of excitement. Mammon is pretty carefree and loving during sex, and Mephisto is one of the only people who can offer a laid-back atmosphere that complements Mammon’s – probably because they both have a hint of tsundere about them. Diavolo gets too intense, Solomon is too cocky, and Thirteen is too gentle – all three come close, but Mephisto and Mammon can understand and indulge each other more (physically and emotionally).  

Mammon doesn’t always get along with Mephisto, but they have a similar underlying mischievous personality and similar tastes, which makes them more compatible – with one enjoying whatever kinks and activities you may suggest because you know the other likes it. (For example, Mammon loves being collared, and Mephisto thinks Mammon is surprisingly cute with a collar around his neck. Mephisto isn’t opposed to you collaring him, either – so long as no one else finds out and you give him plenty of praise.)

Because they both adore being praised, they can get competitive, trying to become the best good boy for you while simultaneously convincing themselves that they are the best you’ve ever had. Sometimes, Mephisto gets swept up and will lavish Mammon with praise, which Mammon enjoys more than he expected to. He ends up feeling so spoiled and adored.

Leviathan

Levi is another poor candidate for a threesome – arguably the worst. He gets so jealous and self-conscious. Oddly enough, leaning into that inferiority complex can help him actually enjoy a threesome, which is why he would pair well with Diavolo. They’re on pretty friendly terms, but Levi thinks highly of the future king, and he often feels that other than gaming and anime trivia, Diavolo is better than him in every way. In his mind, Diavolo probably fucks you so much better than he ever could, too.

These two can get into a bit of cuckholding territory, and it goes both ways. Sometimes that means Levi is tied up or otherwise restrained while forced to watch you and Diavolo, his jealousy boiling up in him and causing hot tears to stain his cheeks and precum to stain his pants. Other times, Diavolo watches you and Levi. As powerful as he feels being able to touch you in front of Diavolo, it can make Levi incredibly self-conscious.

This is where Diavolo’s kind, open, and gentle personality can really help. Diavolo will encourage him and guide him without judgment – only being cruel or forceful in an attempt to turn Levi on. Diavolo will even offer to let Levi fuck him, which can give him an ego-boost.

Although their personalities can be at two extremes and might appear to clash, Diavolo’s optimistic and lighthearted disposition can rub off on Levi. Hearing that he’s doing a good job from both you and Diavolo is euphoric.  

Satan

Satan and Solomon have a lot in common (including many of their kinks), which eases them into threesome territory. Satan can’t have sex with someone he doesn’t respect to some degree (and probably leans towards being demisexual), so his close bond with Solomon is a necessity.

Pet play will inevitably come up if it’s not the instigating situation – which is to say that if all three of you are alone in a room and one of you so much as puts on a collar and cat ears, one of those two is going bring up sex. This is especially likely if Satan is the one dressed as a cat boy. Solomon, being extremely forward and flirty, would compliment Satan and admit that he didn’t expect Satan would be such a turn on.

You and Solomon offer Satan a chance to explore in a safe environment. Satan doesn’t have to be worried about hurting you or Solomon, and he trusts that neither of you would hurt him, either. Your safety is crucial, and Satan often worries about pushing too far and being too rough. With Solomon around, a lot of that worry is eased. (Satan will never admit to thinking Solomon is stronger than you, though – even though it’s true.)

Furthermore, Solomon has the strange ability to find obscure sex-magic items that Satan winds up adoring. As such, threesomes with these two can simultaneously be intense and exciting.

Satan is flattered when Solomon remembers things about him – including how best to pleasure him. This aspect of Solomon reduces any jealousy and possessiveness that Satan feels towards you.

Asmodeus

Asmo is a great pick for a threesome, but Barbatos brings the best out of him. Not only has Asmo been eager to have sex with Barbatos for centuries, but the two of them also make for a lovely experience (especially if you’re a dom).

Topic adjacent, but how gorgeous would Asmo and Barbatos be riding your thighs (with or without a thigh strap-on)? Imagine both of them moaning and panting in your ears, trying to get pleasure while quietly competing to turn you on the most and last the longest. Whenever one of them gets too cocky or handsy (Asmo), you’d tease him by stroking him and getting him closer. Asmo wouldn’t be able to resist touching Barbatos while he rides your thigh, and Barbatos – who doesn’t mind playing dirty – would use his tail to tease Asmo if he was in his demon form. Okay, I just had to put that out there.

Barbatos has the appearance of being so perfect that he can make Asmo self-conscious. However, one of the areas Asmo has the most confidence in regarding you is sex. A threesome makes Asmo feel like he has a slight upper hand, so his eagerness to make you fall even harder for him (and let’s face it, to also charm Barbatos) doesn’t get tainted by Asmo’s worries. He has the comfort to show you everything he has without restraint – unless we’re talking physical restraints because he’d be into it (they both would be).

Furthermore, Barbatos’s strict side can bring the obedient, submissive side out of Asmo. Asmo is naturally flirty and playful. Sometimes it takes two doms to reign him in, and Asmo appreciates the opportunity to display a new side for you both. Asmo and Barbatos can slip into a natural hierarchy during these sessions, often with Barbatos guiding Asmo towards obedience. “Come now, Asmodeus. Stop focusing on your own pleasure and service our master appropriately.” Sorry, y’all. I’m down bad.

Beelzebub

Beelzebub would be fine with Barbatos in a foodplay-based threesome, but overall, he’d pair best with Diavolo. Both of them bring big, loving puppy who’s eager to please energy to the table.

Threesomes with these two are hard but rewarding ordeals. They’re both deeply committed to prioritizing your pleasure, and they have the highest stamina out of everyone. As long as they schedule breaks (which they will) and provide enough food for Beel (which Diavolo and therefore Barbatos ensures), they’ll have you canceling your plans for the entire weekend. Sure, you’ll get a nice, warm bath (that leads to more sex), and Diavolo will ensure you have a clean bed to rest in at some point, but even that will be short-lived. The second you begin to stir from your rest, one of them will be there below your waist, eager to make you cum again. I wouldn’t put it past either of them to rest on your thighs so he can be the first one.

Other than using Diavolo’s resources to show you something new, the sexual dynamics between you and Beel don’t change much when Diavolo is involved. This makes Beel more comfortable about the situation because any hesitation he has about a threesome would be because he’s worried it would cause your relationship to change. Beel is so afraid of feeling like he needs to force a change and put on a performance for you and anyone else involved. Similarly, he’s nervous about seeing you act in a way he’d never expect – as if you were hiding parts of yourself from him that only someone else could bring out. With Diavolo, this never happens.

Diavolo indulges Beel’s desires a lot, like enabling him to incorporate elaborate dishes into food play. They’re also incredibly gentle with each other (small, sweet gestures: Diavolo caressing Beelzebub’s hair while he drifts off to sleep or Beelzebub lifting Diavolo’s chin and wiping the cum from the corner of Diavolo’s mouth so he can taste it.)

Belphegor

Belphegor can be such a pillow princess sometimes that threesomes are hit or miss for him. On the one hand, they can be so much work, but on the other hand, he has two people taking care of his needs. The more he gets spoiled, the more he enjoys the experience, which is why Thirteen works so well with him. It takes her a while to soften up to him, but once she does, she finds Belphie irresistibly adorable. As such, she loves to dote on him and doesn't mind his bratty side.

Thirteen brings just enough energy to stimulate Belphie without being excessive and ruining the mood. Her eagerness is soft, and she knows exactly when to pull back and be quiet, so Belphie doesn’t mind her joining in on his time with his favorite human. She brings a more playful element that you and Belphie can feed off of. He finds that when Thirteen is around, there’s more teasing and flirting and foreplay. When his energy dips, she can pick up the slack.

Most importantly, Thirteen doesn’t seem to get upset on days when Belphie can only focus on you – no matter how skillful her hands are. She understands that sometimes he gets clouded by his feelings for you, especially when he’s exhausted. As long as you give her enough attention, she’s perfectly content. There are other days when Belphie praises her between his precious moans, and those tend to make up for his occasional neglect in her mind. He’s so grateful he practically forgets the candle incident.

Both of them crave cuddles during aftercare. It’s a blissful feeling when all three of you can be tangled together in bed, drifting into a good night’s sleep. Thirteen is so surprised at how well-rested she feels when she wakes up after a threesome with you and Belphie that she asks if one of you enchanted the bed or something. Sometimes, when she has trouble sleeping, she asks if she can sleep with you two again – sex optional, but appreciated.

(the others version)

[loserlesbianlottie]

hey rosie!!! i was wondering if you could write some fluff cuddling with travnat and they’re just liek… “fighting” for reader’s attention? thank you and i admire your work too much! keep going <3

hey luiza!! of course, and thank you sm for your kind words ^^ if you end up not liking this lmk and i’ll write a new version!!

Cuddlebug

travis martinez x reader x natalie scatorccio, fluff and general silliness, i gave the teddybear the most stupid name possible im so sorry, established relationship, probably modern au?

You’ve been exhausted lately. Between studying for midterms and trying to keep up with your extracurriculars, you have a lot on your plate, so you’re super excited to hang out with your boyfriend and girlfriend. Being around them always rejuvenates you, filling you with happy energy and a warm, content heart. You’re roused from your sappy thoughts when you hear a small whisper argument. Calling it an argument is quite generous; you’re not sure what to call it other than plain stupid.

“Travis, stop hogging them,” Nat exclaims, trying (and failing) to keep her voice to a whisper.

“How the hell do you ‘hog’ a person?” Travis asks, voice similarly low.

“I don’t know,” Nat counters, “Tell me how you’re doing it.”

“Oh, haha,” Travis sarcastically says, although you’re sure that it's accompanied by his stupid smirk, the one that makes both yours and Nat’s hearts flutter. Nat must punch him in the shoulder playfully if his annoyed “Ow!” is anything to go by.

“Children,” you mumble, stifling a yawn, “Please stop fighting.”

They both pause, although you can tell they're laughing by how their chests rise and fall against your front and back. A dopey smile makes its way onto your face, and you snuggle further into whoever is holding you at the moment.

“See?” Travis asks, “They like being held by me. It's not my fault!”

Your eyes fluttered open with an annoyed grimace, and you untangled yourself from Travis' embrace, shifting into Nat's arms.

“Wha-!”

“No one likes a sore winner, Travis,” you mutter, rubbing blearily at your eyes.

“Ha! Take that, Martinez!”

You stare at Nat, completely deadpan, as you push yourself out of her arms and gently cuddle your childhood teddy bear very close. You make a show of sighing happily in the arms of someone who isn’t boasting. They both gasp in mock offense.

"Natalie," Travis says with a fake stony look on his face, his eyes narrowing in disbelief.

"Travis," Nat replies, a look of horror painting her features as she shakes her head in disbelief.

"We just lost to a stuffed animal," Travis mutters, his voice tinged with frustration and amusement.

"That we did... that we did," Nat responds, a wry smile playing at the corner of her lips as she tries to hide her subtle laughter.

You laugh silently while they mutter unhappily, cheeks flushed and face sore from smiling. They both pout, whining about how they’ve lost their partner to another man, which makes you laugh harder. They’re both chuckling, too, with silly smiles on their faces. You feel the urge to kiss them both senseless, but it’ll have to wait. You have a point to prove, after all.

“What can I say?” You ask with a smirk, “He has been in my life longer than both of you...”

Nat snorts at this while Travis throws his hand over his heart as if it’s just shattered.

“You know, Trav, I didn't take Mr. Snugglesworth to be such a homewrecker.”

“Me neither,” Travis agrees. “I fear there’s only one way to get our partner back…”

Nat nods sagely at this while you laugh airily. Honestly, you have no idea what they're about to do, but you know it'll be enjoyable, whatever it is. They take your moment of weakness as an opening, descending upon you and kissing all over your face, your neck, your shoulders…anywhere their lips can reach, really. Your smile grows wider with each kiss.

“Are we forgiven?” Travis asks with his best puppy-dog-eyes. Nat follows suit, giving you her best wounded-kitten look.

“I suppose,” you trail off and place Mr. Snugglesworth on the ground. “Sorry, buddy. I’ll hug you later.”

You catch Travis glaring at the bear and Nat mimicking a neck-slitting motion at it, which only makes you laugh more.

[giantisms]

Do you have a pet peeve in g/t?

oh boy do i

hm. i think one of the biggest ones would have to be like. some worldbuilding stuff? for example you have established mixed size society, but then no emphasis on different sizes besides characters interacting with each other. you have giants and humans, and yet both parties' environments are... perfectly sized for each other...? you go to the "giant side" and suddenly animals and plants are their size? they're not even like. completely new species and types of flora and fauna they're just things WE are familiar with just. bigger. it completely shatters my suspension of disbelief. if you're calling them giants i'd assume they're, well, giant compared to not only humans but everything else as well

and then there's some logistics involved that make me question some things. if the giants in question also use cars and other vehicles, where do the resources for something so massive even come from? how would that impact the environment? how are they even useful to a giant that can already travel far and fast by simply walking?

idk maybe it's easier for people to write the "giant" party living the exact same life as humans for relatability and familiarity but it just makes me scratch my head. as i've said several times before my enjoyment for g/t also comes from the world interactions that emphasize that size difference, taking that away is just... eh

and in general this only really applies to works that base the idea around OUR modern society. in fantasy works and some sci-fi ones it's not that big of a deal because you already establish a world different to ours with different rules (and they tend to have good reasonings for all the issues i have above!). but if you're making something set in OUR reality with size difference involved then i expect a bit more realism going into it. the earth is only so big and has only so little resources that WILL run out one day. we don't have that much space or a good environment for all the animals already existing but giant sized and so on. maybe you can call me nitpicky considering the genre of g/t kind of inherently relies on the suspension of disbelief - giants and tinies aren't exactly "realistic" things as we know it - but a little bit of realistic approach makes it more enjoyable to me. it feels more real

[intimidating-fettuccine]

Based on my ask last round, can we get more of the satyr demon s/o thing? Slender, Hobo, and Jane separately if you will :3

Have an amazing day our beloved scary noodle writer!!!!!

I hope you enjoy and also have an amazing day :)

Jane:

Thinks you're the cutest thing in existence. Honestly, I can see goats as being one of Jane's favorite animals in general, so the fact that you have goat-like characteristics absolutely helps win her over. Something that popped into my mind, while the fur on your lower legs and your hooves are able to withstand the cold to a decent extent, I totally see her trying to stitch you a pair of leg warmers specifically for you so you don't get too cold, and if you ever wear them she gets so giddy and excited about it. Speaking of hooves, she totally asks if she can paint your hooves with her nail polish. You might be hesitant about how much nail polish she'd need, even though you've only got one set of them, but she comes prepared and gets extra nail polish just so she can paint them. I would say to accept it, as it makes her so fucking happy and content to just relax with you late at night, both of you laying in bed while she paints away at the top of your hooves. She'll always try and do your favorite colors, or designs she thinks you'll like. She likes feeling like she can help and spoil her partner, so being able to do things like that for you makes her very happy, and she loves you so much she'd try and do just about anything for you. Also, she definitely knits you both multiple pairs of matching leg warmers so that the two of you can match when you go out together in the winter.

Hobo:

Like with Jane, thinks you are the most adorable thing in the entire world. Hobo absolutely adores animals, and so he's naturally prone to thinking you're the cutest. Your horns, your soft fur, your cute fluffy tail, and your fluffy satyr ears, what's not to love? Hobo has also probably cried at least a few times over how cute you are. He has a tendency to get really tired and emotional, and if he sees you curled up somewhere in contentment the tears are just gonna start coming out from how much he loves you and how adorable you are. I've said before a few times that a very enjoyable/pleasurable experience for Hobo is having his partner stroke and pet his wings, and I think his tradeoff with you would be allowing him to stroke and pet your fur. He just finds it so soft and fluffy and comforting, and after a long day of work just curling up with his head in your lap so he can stroke your legs in peace would be one of the most relaxing and enjoyable things he can do. I think he finds it nice to date a fellow demon as he feels a bit nervous about scaring humans with his more demonic qualities, so he feels much more at ease around you, knowing he doesn't have to be worried about scaring you off or making you nervous in any way. He feels so much more relaxed and content around you, and it makes him so happy to have a partner like you.

Slender:

Something about you just makes this man go weak in the knees and want to scoop you up and hug you. He isn't sure if it's for your goat characteristics, the fact that he just loves you so much, or a combination of both. He isn't used to finding people adorable or cute and yet he can't stop wanting to coddle you 24/7 because you're so cute. Slender is a very strong Eldritch being, and so with you being a little goat demon, he feels the need to be protective over you and watch over you. He knows you can take care of yourself (you've made it this far after all), but he just wants to protect you from any other demons that might have their eyes out for you. Also??? Totally gets you cute satyr slippers for you to wear inside. You had once confessed that you were nervous about scratching up his nice floors in the mansion, so he did a combination of getting more rugs and custom commissioning Trender for a pair of satyr slippers for you to wear around the house so you don't have to fret, and they're the softest fucking things you've ever walked on and he feels so proud to be able to get you a gift like that that you enjoy so much. If you ever want or need custom satyr-approved clothing, you can just feel free to ask him and he will get it for you, no matter what, as he loves spoiling you and getting you useful gifts.

[beetlewine-art]

I really love when Media based on Greek Mythology takes the time to explore the dynamics between the gods. Specialy the family interactions between them, even the little moments of affection between them make the series about greek gods munch more enjoyable to me. For example, in Blood of Zeus with Apollo's little interactions with Hermes and Dionysus, or the when Ares defended Hera from the other gods in the second season when she goes back to Olympus.

However, i just watched a short video on youtube, it was a combination of two clips from diferent series, one from an episode of Hercules: the Animated Series and the other from Justice League Unlimited. Both clips were interactions of Ares and Hephaesthus, it made me realise how little their possible dynamic and interactions are talked or explored outside of Aphrodite.

Meybe i need to consume (even) more greek mythology media, but i honestly can't think of any other series besides of those two clips (and Lore Olympus) that showed us some kind of dynamic between Ares and Heph, without mentioning the affair between Ares and Aphrodite. And i get it, because the affair is one, if not the most, popular myth for both gods.

But i think is such a missed oportunity that people don't talk munch about what kind of relationship could Hephaesthus have with Ares before the affair and how it affected their dynamic when he found out. Was their relationship non-existant before it? Or did Hephaesthus interacted a fair amount of times with Ares before he found out? Since Ares is the god of war and Hephaesthus is the Blacksmith of the gods, i imagine that they interacted at least a few times when Ares needed Hephaesthus to make or fix his weapons.

Both clips i mentioned have Ares talking to Hephaesthus while Heph works on a weapon for him and i really enjoy how their dialogs are written. The first clip, being from a Disney series, is munch more comedic and light-hearted but i honestly can see them interacting in a similar way before the affair incident. Hephaesthus looks so done and bored while Ares rants with enthusiasm about how he needs this cool and unique new weapon. When Heph finishes working, Ares grabs the bow before Hephaesthus can put it on water to cool it down, burning his hands and Heph just says "Careful, is a little bit hot".

Also, this dialog from The justice League clip is just so good:

Ares: You say "come back Thuesday, is Thuesday, i want my suit.

Hephaesthus: Patience brother, you know how much i care about the details.

Ares: It doesn't have to be pretty, Hephaesthus, where it's going, things aren't supposed to be pretty.

Hephaesthus: Present company excluded, of course.

Ares: Just hurry up!

This show is not even about Greek Mythology and it gave us one of the best interactions between them i've seen. And of course, i'm not trying to ignore or deminish Aphrodite's role or the effect she would have on their dynamic.

I just wish that more people would explore the dynamic between the two before the affair, i want more 1 on 1 interactions between this two because they have so much potential.

Or meybe i just want to see more of Hephaesthus interacting with other gods in general, that works too.

Tag list: @my-name-is-apollo @diioonysus @anniflamma

[new-tella-us]

Seduce Me Situations!

Cause I'm bored!

What are one of the boys' hobbies outside of their jobs?

James- Going to the library. Now this one seems obvious but it's not for the reason you think. James is a fast reader, he's probably finished off the local library in terms of new reading material however, lately, he's been going back through all the books he read after a particular book had so many double meanings the second time he read it. He now wonders how many books had other themes and meanings that he missed because he was too focused on understanding the literal and surface level takes. It makes his reading experience a lot more enjoyable.

Erik- Astrology/Astronomy. The stars have always interested this one as in the Abyssal Plains, the sky was always blank or cloudy. He likes studying the stars, both the science and the spiritual. He wants to know how they are created, what affects their lifespan, what they mean and what can they tell us about ourselves. He doesn't believe everything he's told but it's still interesting to see what impact stars have on humans.

Sam- Auto-repair and engineering. Sam really likes to fix things and put things together to make something that works. It's something he's liked from a young age but was never allowed to explore thanks to his father. But now he has all the tools needed to fix something. Even when on the clock as a policeman, you can never find him without his trusty belt and if you need something fixed, Sam is your guy to call.

Matthew- Okay cooking is too obvious. Literally all of Matthew's individual scenes in Seduce Me 1 and his unique episode happen in the kitchen. Let's try something else. And honestly? I would say zoology. Like some Casual (Not national) Geographic type stuff. Just random animal facts that he's gained from countless hours of research. He just REALLY likes animals. If he didn't have Simon Tabby as a constant menace in his house, he probably would have gotten a dog.

Damien- Video games. This is an odd one but I feel like Damien would be really good at video games. Like a wide variety of them too. From peaceful games like Stardew Valley to AAA games like Grant Theft Auto to the hundreds of thousands of RPGs. He's a completionist, he's a speedrunner, he finds every secret and every death because he hyperfixates on the game of choice so hard that he must find EVERYTHING. He also has countless packs and mods and saves on the Sims because of course he does.

Bonus Round!

Mika- Taekwondo! And just general body upkeep. This doesn't get talked about much but Mika knows taekwondo and I think she still takes classes. She might even teach classes. What started as training to learn how to defend herself turned into a fun hobby and a way to stay agile and active. Mika believes in self care but self care is more than just skincare and healthy eating. It's also exercise. I feel like she spends a good amount of time at the gym or in taekwondo class.

[damianbugs]

You need to tell us what you think of your favorite Bruce ships. Pls

i should preface by saying i usually prefer bruce (in my own works and others, including comics) to not be in a relationship at all because i can't think of a time he's like ever emotionally stable enough for that. like ever. THAT BEING SAID isn't that all the more reason to throw him into a ship? doomed tragic romance you will always be famous to me

and because i am insane, here are some comic recs to go with my fav bruce ships!!

>batcat

a classic favourite, batcat!!! i will admit i am not the biggest fan of their rebirth stories, and the whole wedding fiasco and most of what tom king wrote about them (and in general) was. not enjoyable. but pre crisis/golden age batcat? MY PARENTS. just. silver and bronze age batcat too. what a refreshing and entertaining couple. the thing that really makes them compelling is at the end of the day they have the same goal; protect the people of gotham. the ways they go about it can be different, and selina especially faces some serious mischaracterisation in order to make bruce look like the "hero" in the relationship, but at their core and simplest expression of love, they share the same dream, and they both know that. it's this selflessness that connects them deeply.

> "The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne" (Batman the Brave and the Bold #197) is, in my opinion, essential batcat reading. a very bittersweet story!

> for a more modern read, "Only Takes a Night" (Catwoman #32) is a delightful read about how hopelessly in love they are. bruce is such a devoted loser.

> ghostbat

every character needs that one irreparably damaging young adult tragic romance that changed their life forever and that is what ghostbat is. khoa is the perfect foil to bruce, in that ultimately, they are two ends of the same spectrum. fiercely stubborn and confident in their own moral code but in the opposite way. this ship is particularly fascinating because even now, the respect and love they have for each other years later is so deeply consuming that it is prevalent in how they interact now. i don't think bruce would have been the person he is without his relationship with khoa pre-batman, in both a good and bad ways. i also really love the hc that khoa is bruce's first heartbreak (refer to: the Snow and Gun incident).

> "Batman The Knight" is like ghostbat religious text. this is all you need. let it destroy you.

> batlantern

no long paragraph about this one because its my silly guilty pleasure. sometimes u need a ship in which they just don't get along except for the times they do. hal brings out such an irritating (said fondly) side to bruce and its even funnier because it works mutually. i think another really wonderful thing about this pairing is that they are really not so different from each other (nothing says romance than being consumed by your guilt and stubbornness), but they both think otherwise, so they knock heads while also begrudgingly respecting about one another in a colleague-friend-crush way. they want to make out so bad it makes them look stupid.

> "Batman: Universe" is a great and short silly story that shows their dynamic really well. amused me greatly. not ship focused though hal is there for like. a single issue unfortunately. but fun!!

> i usually never recommend any new 52 books to get INTO a character, but if you're interested in this pairing and its most 'popular' fanon interation, then "Jutice League (2011)" is the best place to start. you can get to their better stuff afterwards! (there's also an animated movie about it!)

> brutalia

AND BEST TILL LAST. THE BRUCE SHIP OF ALL TIME. ruined my life. CHANGED my life. i wish i could explain how insanely important this relationship is in words. i love my pairings tragic and there is quite literally no other ship quiet as dramatic or poetic than brutalia. talia is often seen as bruce's "one true love" with great reason, and him hers, and despite that they will probably never actually get back together. in a wider lense, the al ghuls and bruce have an insanely complicated dynamic, and this inherent conflict about missions bigger than themselves makes brutalia's forbidden love drama all the more compelling. talia brings out the best in bruce, and bruce respects and loves talia in a way i don't think he does anyone else in his life.

to complain for a moment, it's no wonder that because their relationship (since it's very first introduction) was so irrevocably pure and consensual (they were both so ridiculously obsessed with each other), that Certain Writers had to pull out the most out of character and disgusting stories to make it clear the tone of batman was changing. talia is always a victim to racism, misogyny and just unbelievable ooc writing — most evidently in her stories with bruce, unfortunately.

AND YET. recent comics have realised how truly ridiculous it is to write her as anything but kind and strong, and bruce being anything but hopelessly infatuated. i think my favourite thing about brutalia is that bruce and talia is a relationship that has been separated for actual Decades and so both their characters have been developed to have their own tragic stories and growth. then when we get small moments that bring them back together and letting that past show through the cracks in their carefully constructed walls, it's all the more romantic.

beautiful heartbreaking ship. the kind of relationship historians would cry over. would have the romantic period publishing fifteen books over.

> "Batman: Son of the Demon" is ESSENTIAL brutalia reading. also, if you are insane and delusional enough, it can be the true origin of damian.

> the comic moment that inspired all romance the moment of forever the blueprint even is in the famous "Batman (1940) #244"

> for a more modern take, very recently in fact, is her appearances in Ram V's run of detective comics, starting from #1062. its not brutalia focused, but a great take on how natural and yearning their relationship is now.

[mae-i-scribble]

I'm so so so happy that the anime is finally here!!!! I watched it as soon as I could even being exhausted after work and it was so worth it. Literally just a direct shot of happiness into my veins. I had a good feeling about the show after the trailers but as a long time manga fan I really am overjoyed that the show is doing it justice!! As a romantic comedy almost gag manga the show absolutely delivers. Some cuts feel a bit abrupt when they didn't need to be but there were also some perfectly timed shot cut aways that made everything so much better. I also really loved the little sound effects, like the beeps of confusion and the little angry noises in time to Hagi's angry expression signs dancing around him when Suo is revealed to be the "prince" of their school. Overall the animation is incredibly well drawn, with minimal motion in favor of putting emphasis on expressions. It can be a bit noticeable at times that they're def cutting down on production costs but overall it never took me out of the show or took away from the enjoyment of the comedy. It's more something I notice because I really love animation and will always keep an eye on it when watching any animated media. The voice acting in it is also fairly standard in regards to my expectations. From the initial trailers I wasn't too sure about Tokiwa's voice but watching this episode made me really appreciate it. I love the near constant underlying anxiety/confusion when it comes to him interacting with Suo, and in general his anxious noises are great fun. Kohaku's voice I was also pleasantly surprised by. From the trailers it sounded like they were going for a more stereotypical tsundere voice archetype for her. In the show itself though it's not nearly as aggressive and the inflection overall feels very true to her character. Everyone else's voices were excellently done! Those two are just the ones that surprised me in a good way. I also love love loved seeing the scene at the arcade that wasn't there in the manga. It just flowed so seamlessly and gave me more character moments with everyone which is exactly what I want. Anime please give me more of this in the future I will eat this up like candy. I want to do an anime/manga comparison sometime for fun but that's for another post. The opening/ending are both very fucking cute. I don't much care for the song choice but the animation for them both is perfect. I also love the way the two connect with the dancing aspect. In the opening in particular each pair is: Suo is as cool and collect as always while Tokiwa is high key embarrassed and having a time (tm)

Hagi and Kohaku who are both very bewildered (Hagi is definitely having another internal crisis) but doing their best

Asagi and Fuji who are just vibing together having fun

They also then do a really cool ending sequence with the girls in casual attire and the boys as plushies that also is just a great showing of their relationships. Kohaku choosing Hagi out via claw machine as a callback to that little dog he gives her during their first meeting and in the way that neither of them really appears to be the others type when it comes to attraction but are choosing to pursue something with each other for vairous reasons (spoilers but not so obvious with kohaku at this point but story definitely is leaning in that direction). In that regard Kohaku's nervousness is a really cute thing.

Then you get Fuji at the convention hall floor with Asagi sitting on her table when she pats his head. Really showing his dedication to helping her with her passion while showing Fuji's reserved way of expressing affection. For me it's also a fun way of showcasing his ignorance of what she actually draws XD

Notably, Suo is the only one of the girls still in drag- and spoilers ahead in this but that is most certainly with purpose. She's the one who changes her persona the most drastically between work and casual life with none of the struggle Kohaku has. As the manga goes on it's also incredibly clear that Suo keeps many walls up between herself and the people around her. And even when approaching Tokiwa, she is far more outgoing/pushy when masc presenting rather than fem presenting. Even in this shot, they're at the bar, her job, where she can be safe to express her interest under the disguise of her work persona coming on a little strong. But when left to her own devices, she just wants to watch Tokiwa fondly, not even reaching out to him or anything. (When are we getting the explanation for why Suo fell for Tokiwa so hard PLEASE i am on my hands and fucking knees)

Overall the anime is 11/10 I am so in love and am waiting eagerly for episode 2. I'm also so excited to see more fans who find this story via the anime because yes it deserves so much