#good grief ahahahaha

[askshivanulegacy]

PFFFT AHAHAHAHA

@dingoat IT'S THIRTEEN RIGHT UP UNTIL THE PUNCHLINE OMFG

except for the murder part

Okay but consider:

A male character who is cocky and nonchalant, a flippant chaotic neutral bastard, who never really starts beef with anyone but if someone else starts it first, he will not hesitate to go all out balls deep into making sure he'll finish it. Tricksy, clever and charismatic, treating every conflict as a fun rivalry even if the enemy he's faced with is literally just flat-out trying to fucking kill him. While personally never killing an opponent - he's clever enough to evade them in a way that leaves himself unharmed, and the antagonist frustrated and humiliated and looking stupid the whole time they're doing it.

Depicted as somewhat slim and lanky, distinctly male but not in a brutish, hypermasculine way. Not exactly coded genderfluid but jumps at every opportunity to cross dress just for the fun of it, in a campy and flamboyant way, which by all rational sense shouldn't be attractive but somehow the man manages to make himself fuckable with the way he walks in heels. Not romantically or sexually attracted to men, but can, will, and has seduced men just to fuck with their heads. Has broken hearts this way.

So what I'm saying here is that if he was depicted as human, Tumblr would 100% be horny for Bugs Bunny.

[comfort-character-central]

Craving warm soup, a visit from my f/o, and for them to pepper my face with kisses. I want them to hold me and take care of me, and I want them to giggle as I burn the soup on my tongue and then tell me they will kiss it better once I'm no longer sick.

[psink]

Translation of the interview with Kamiya Hiroshi (Kusuo's VA) and Nojima Kenji (Kuusuke's VA)

The TV anime "The Disastrous Life of Saiki K: The Final Chapter" will air as a year-end special program on the TV Tokyo network on (friday) December 28th from 7:35 to 8:30.

The January issue of PASH!, which is now on sale, features an interview with Kamiya Hiroshi-san, the voice actor of Saiki Kusuo, and Nojima Kenji-san, the voice actor of Kuusuke Saiki. We’re releasing a preview ahead of tomorrow’s broadcast. 

Amidst the busy end-of-year, good grief, a world-involving sibling fight…? We spoke to Nojima Kenji-san, who plays the older brother Kuusuke, and Kamiya Hiroshi-san, who plays the younger brother Kusuo, after they had just finished recording about the truth of the matter!

―― Please tell us how you felt when the decision to make the Final Chapter was made. Kamiya: I was very happy. Even if you want to adapt every episode from the original work, it’s not always possible to do so. But with this series, everything fell into place. I think the biggest reason we were able to adapt it all the way to the Final Chapter was because of the fans’ wishes, and for that, I’m incredibly grateful.

Nojima: I had heard that the Final Chapter would be made, but I was wondering about what form it would take, and it turned out to be a two-part year-end special. Could people really sit through an hour of this work?! What kind of focus would they need to watch it? I was a bit worried about that (laughs). But I’m sure that “The Disastrous Life of Saiki K” will deliver dense content that makes you lose track of time again, in the way only it can. 

―― Compared to other anime series, “Saiki” has about 2 or 3 times more dialogue per episode, right?

Kamiya: I had vaguely noticed that, but… Nojima: You didn’t want to know, did you? (laughs)

Kamiya: Certainly, for a 30-minute anime, it takes a lot of time to go over the script. Even when watching the DVD to check it, I thought “Hm? Is something wrong with the machine?”, because it felt like it was playing fast-forward (laughs).

Nojima:  I’ll be honest now, but on the day I first participated in the recording, I actually went into the recording without finishing all the checks.I checked the script at home and then immediately went to the studio. I was calculating in my mind the timing to start reading the script to record whilst still keeping my role preparation fresh. 

But, the amount of lines was beyond my imagination, so I couldn't finish the preparation… This was something that shouldn’t have happened, but honestly, I got through the latter half [of the recording] just with concentration (laughs). But, since I was able to maintain the momentum from the first half, I’m glad I was able to bring out a good sense of raw feelings. Kamiya-san, how was your first recording?

Kamiya: I already can’t remember, but when I re-watch Episode 1 now, I think the pace is still slow. It’s gotten gradually faster since entering season 2. In season 2, Director Sakurai was probably broken as the pacemaker (laughs). Nojima: Ahaha, I see. It's like a live band where the rhythm gradually speeds up, and you keep going without knowing the original pace.

Kamiya: Exactly. 

Nojima: Since you can’t keep up by just listening to the lines as words, you have to listen to the partner’s tone and match it. It might be similar to a music session.

―― In the Final Chapter, the relationship between Kusuo and Kuusuke seems to be a highlight. What do you both think about these brothers?

Nojima: The reason they can fight so much, do terrible things, and act recklessly is probably because, ultimately, they’re brothers. In a different case, it would have ended in a complete fallout, wouldn’t it?

Kamiya: That’s true. After all, what Kuusuke is doing is almost criminal. Nojima: Ahahahaha.

Kamiya: What I found especially dangerous about what Kuusuke did was the story of making the elderly villagers wear powered suits. The way he disguised it as caregiving while completely using them as his own puppets was seriously dangerous. Nojima: It’s surely his own sense of justice. I wonder if it’s an antithesis to how we should handle the aging society going forward (laughs).

―― Kuusuke’s obsession with Kusuo is also quite dangerous, isn’t it?

Nojima: Kuusuke has a very strong desire for approval, wanting to be recognized by Kusuo above all else. Challenging him to fights is, I think, a distorted expression of that. But I believe it is also an expression of his love and his desire to be loved back.

Kamiya: Kusuo probably thinks Kuusuke is a troublesome person, but Kusuo is also at fault. Although Kuusuke is a genius, he worked hard to create the control device for Kusuo to help him control his superpowers, didn’t he? Kusuo should be grateful, but he doesn’t express it. “Thanks, big brother. I can’t live without this” - it would’ve been nice if he could’ve said that, but Kusuo doesn’t understand the feelings of those without [superpowers], so that didn’t happen. There was also the sense of taking it for granted because they're family, but thinking how this resulted in that difficult brotherly relationship is quite sad.

―― That’s deep.

Kamiya: Although Kusuke knows he’ll lose, he keeps challenging Kusuo to fights and enjoys the process, which shows his malicious side. He’s also quite twisted. So they’re both equally to blame. From an outsider’s perspective, their relationship can be summed up with one phrase "they’re just just not honest with each other”.

Nojima: Despite that, there are also times when they rely on each other.

Kamiya: It’s complicated. That’s why even in the Final Chapter their relationship will likely be depicted. 

―― Finally, could you give a message to the readers who are waiting for the broadcast? Nojima: I was worried about how much Kuusuke would appear, but he ended up having a lot more screentime than I had expected, so I was satisfied. I have no doubts that the viewers will enjoy it as well!  Since the story’s pace is fast, please acquire the ability to not blink while watching (laughs), and surely, you will be moved to tears in the end. There are emotional parts, but more than anything, I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for cherishing and enjoying this series for so long!

Kamiya: The TV anime is finally reaching its conclusion. For those who are watching for the first time, it might be difficult, as the story keeps quickly progressing whilst you’re wondering “what is this?”. But there is a scene at the beginning that reviews past episodes and introduces the characters, so I think you’ll understand what this series is about. That said, since it’s a gag anime, I hope you can enjoy it without thinking too much.

As for the highlights for the Final Chapter, Kusuo finally moves [his mouth] and speaks for the first time. You might be wondering “What is this person saying?”, but it’s exactly as it sounds (laughs). Please watch the main story to uncover the truth behind it. I’m sure you’ll be surprised.

[dingoat]

SOME ASKS. For 5: alone, betrayal, bound, break, failure, fear, guilt, secret (but NOT his SISTER). 8)

Wow this is all going behind a read more because holy cow there's a lot. Five. How. How did you come to be like this. You were never meant to survive the first act.

alone: How does your OC deal with loneliness? Have they ever been completely alone before? How do they act when there’s no one around to see them?

Historically, Five has been very good at being alone, considering that was his preferred way to exist for much of his life. He withdrew completely from wanting or needing anyone else after losing his sister, and managed to thrive on his own. And during those years of his life, pretty much every moment he spent in public was an act of some sort; every bit of charm, everything polite and formal and proper, whether in the office reporting to Keeper or the latest Sith meddling in Intel, whether out actively winning over the Kaas public as Lord Highbridge, or working in any one of his numerous other cover identities, every interaction he had was carefully considered, fabricated, manipulated. Who he was beyond these acts was irrelevant, though he would definitely make sure to seek complete solitude for a couple of explicit purposes; to express his grief, and to engage in his preferred methods of target practice.

Nowadays his life is a little more full, a little more complicated, and finding himself alone for reasons not of his design is very unpalatable. He'll do almost anything to keep his mind busy to avoid spiralling into unwelcome emotions.

betrayal: Has your OC ever been betrayed by someone they thought they could trust? Has your OC ever betrayed someone who trusted them?

I'll start with the latter because that's easy. Yes, absolutely, all the time, a lot ahahahaha. Taking advantage and betraying the trust of people around him quite literally made him the success he was, both as a celebrity and an Imperial agent. Almost everyone who's ever crossed his path has likely been betrayed by him in some way or another, though he's also been pretty good about covering his tracks and never taking the blame for the repercussions. He did an absolute number on Blakk, but eventually pushed things so far that his hubris definitely got the better of him and that might still come back to bite him further one of these days.

And for the former? I think it could be said that Thirteen's amazing vanishing act the night Ahuska got away was a distinct act of betrayal. Good thing Five is a master of denial and quite a pro at not asking questions he'd rather not have to face the answers to.

bound: Has your OC ever been imprisoned or captured? What happened? How did they get out? Did the experience leave any scars?

The thing about the early part of Five's life is that it was designed to be the setup for a man who had always succeeded, who had always won at everything he put his mind to. He was built as the villain of the piece, the big bad, and I didn't want a shred of humility about him. So, up to the point that he's actually been fully written, no, he's certainly never been captured against his will, though I wouldn't rule out instances of manufacturing a 'capture' as part of a cover scenario in his early Intel days.

However, since Five did not in fact die during the dramatic culmination of many plot points, and he's been given the chance to start seeing some new perspectives, explore new ideas for the future, and step aside for fresh villains to start stirring the pot, there's a lot of room for things to go wrong for him now. And of course, there's the whole five years in carbonite in store for him, which he will be broken out of and is absolutely going to mess him up just that little bit more.

break: What would cause your OC to break down completely? What do they look like when that happens? Has anyone ever seen them at their lowest?

Well, his childhood trauma definitely broke him, and when the people who were supposed to support him through it gave him effectively nothing, he vowed to never allow anyone to see him that low ever again. And he was pretty much able to hold himself to that vow until he lost his arm to Ahuska's Force rend, which definitely broke him for the short term. I'm still not over the absolutely graceful, beautiful way Thirteen handled him through that period of being quietly shut down in his hospital bed.

Five is also going through a bit of something right now, where events have lead him to start studying mental health, therapy and treatment options. What he's learning is definitely causing him to crumble, but at this stage all of his ugly crying has been very private.

Something that is absolutely going to make him snap, though, and completely break in the semi-fleshed-out kotfe era, is when he attempts to reach out to Thirteen after a string of disagreements, and Thirteen shuts him down and walks away. This is going to cause a very brutal regression of so much character development and it's gonna hurt.

failure: What’s your OC’s greatest failure? Have they been able to move past it? Does anyone else know about it?

Currently, Five's greatest failure is definitely his total, abysmal failure to contain and tame 'his' werewolf. Had he not been of such a gloriously egotistical, infallible, bigoted mindset, had he actually made more of an effort to understand his team emotionally and to see Ahuska as a person, things might have gone very very differently. She might have even wound up a willing member of his squad. But as it was, all of those unsavoury qualities caught up with him in one fell swoop, and all his team knows that he was unable to hold things together. However, thanks in large to the combined efforts of Crow, Ulfran and even Thirteen to keep the rest of the galaxy off Ahuska and Blakk's backs, they were able to completely cover for the incident and have both escapees officially recorded as dead; Blakk heroically so, and Ahuska as ultimately out of control.

Five was forced to step away from his obsession and turn his focus to other things, otherwise he would have to own up to the lie and admit to a far more grave failure than Imperial records would believe. And so he did, and it has been very, very good for him, and the other Ciphers under his command.

fear: What is your OC’s greatest fear? What do they do when confronted with it? Are they open with their fear, or do they hide it away?

Once upon a time, Five's greatest fear would probably have been something along the lines as dying as a nobody, being unremarkable and forgotten to time.

Now, though? I think losing Thirteen is probably what strikes very real terror into him. He wouldn't be open about it, not something so very deep and real to him, though he may elude to it in gestures and roundabout whispers, in little romantic comments that don't at all feel like an admission of fear in the context they're given.

When truly faced with it, though, as mentioned above- it breaks him.

In another context, say if Thirteen's life were threatened rather than Thirteen himself choosing to walk away, I can see Five going into overdrive. Cold, ruthless, violently protective, and not even thinking about resting until every hint of that threat was obliterated.

guilt: What is your OC guilty about? How do they handle their guilt? Do they try to avoid guilt, or do they accept it?

Ha, Five does not handle guilt well. Of course there's survivor's guilt with regard to his sister, which he handled by growing up into a monster of a human being. There's the guilt he feels over 'the flagpole incident' which he deals with by refusing to ever actually acknowledge it aloud but allows himself to be completely wrapped around Thirteen's little finger to make up for it.

More recently and very gravely though, he's feeling a very intense, unpleasant guilt over his failure to properly address and help Thirteen through his phobia and related traumas, the repercussions of which recently got dragged through Intel's internal justice system in a very ugly fashion. Five has actually taken very heavy, serious responsibility for it and is actively working at bettering himself, determined not to let indulgence and denial get the better of him and Thirteen again.

secret: What’s one secret your OC never wants anyone to know about them?

I want to say something about how deeply emotional he really is... but honestly, he adores Thirteen and actually does want Thirteen to know the full extent of how loved he is.

So, failing that.... hmm, there's at least one cover identity he enjoys that he never wants anybody to link to him.

He also definitely doesn't want anyone to know his usernames in certain spaces of the holonet.

He also absolutely definitely very much never ever ever wants anyone to find the folder of commissioned artwork he keeps on his personal computer hahaha.

[rheaitis]

thoughts on a what if arjuna had been a girl scenario? i feel like she’d somehow still manage to outshine everyone else and end up gaining the attention of karna, however better or worse it may manifest in this world…

ahahahaha so MANY content warnings, you guys! (implied incest, assault, canonical levels of violence)

“Let me get the wheel out of this mire, and I’ll fight you,” Vasusen pleads, his eyes on the ground, his hands scrabbling to hold up the wheel. “I will duel with you, only wait.”

Almost, almost Anagha heeds… not his words but his voice, his desperate sunken eyes. He looks grimed, without the golden armour that had been so warm against her skin, when… He looks defeated already, mud and blood smeared on his arms, his scarred chest. That year before Krishn came for her, she had grown as adept in the use of a dagger as ever with a sword, but Vasusen had just laughed and wrapped her in his stifling embrace, had crooned comfort at her while she raged and wept and flew at him with knives, pins, nails.

Some other year, perhaps. Some other lifetime. But it is the seventeenth day of the Kurukshetra War, and all pity has long since bled out of Anagha. She scarcely needs Krishna’s hand tight on her hip, his voice urgent in her ear.

“You killed my nephew,” she tells him, quiet under the din of the battlefield. “That child, I held him in my hands when he came out of his mother, I wiped his nostrils clean for his first breath. I wrapped his corpse to put him on the pyre. Do you think you deserve mercy, a good death? Answer me!”

He looks up and his eyes catch on her face, recognition flooding in. “Princess,” he whispers, in the voice that followed her into and woke her from nightmares, so different in the crowded daylight. The sun is in his eyes, a benediction on his silvering hair when he closes them. “No. For the boy, and for what I did to you, I deserve whatever you mete out.”

It is so easy to kill him, in the end, kneeling in the mud with his throat bared. So easy Anagha is bewildered at first by Krishn taking Gandiv from her, easing her to a seat on the floor of their chariot, chafing warmth into her hands.

“If there is guilt in this, it is mine to bear,” he is saying when she can hear again, in the urgent tone that means he has said it before. “Mine for leaving you there, mine for leaving you in the forest with your brothers, mine for letting you shoulder many griefs. Not yours, never yours. My beloved friend, my brave one, your deeds will resound down the ages. Up, now. Up and to camp before the Kauravas scramble into order.”

Anagha retrieves Gandiv, stands alert as Krishn drives them back into the welcoming arms of the Pandav host. It is no great thing, to have slain Vasusen even with guile, when she has felled Bhishma already. There is no reason to feel bile rise in her throat, no place for the tears with which she had watered Prince Devavrat’s feet.

*

“You have,” says Shakuni, “other siblings, O King. The wise Sahadev, the wondrous Nakul, the valiant Anagha. Shall you not hazard them and win back your wealth, your legions, your brother Vrikodar?”

Yudhisthir, trapped, bets their younger brothers, loses them both, pales till the veins stand out on his shaking hands, his sweating brow. 

“I hazard,” he says, and stoppers his mouth, darting a glance at Bhim in his shackles, at the twins. “I hazard…”

“Anagha, daughter of Pandu, the unvanquished,” she says into the waiting silence, going to her knees at his back. “He hazards me. What do you put against it?”

Better her, for whatever cruelty their cousins can concoct, than Panchali. Better Anagha’s calloused hands and broad shoulders and habit of suffering, than Draupadi’s ferocious fragility, her beauty like a flame nestled in an eggshell.

Vasusen grins and whispers to Duryodhan, who laughs. “For a woman forty and unwed, lingering in her brother’s household with a barren womb? Only the chance to retrieve what he has already lost.”

Yudhisthir loses again; hazards Panchali; loses again. A servant returns rebuffed from the women’s quarters. Dushasan goes himself, returns with precious cargo, hauling her along with a cruel hand twisted into her hair.

Panchali wins. Bloody and battered, she shames their elders into three boons, frees herself and her husband and…

“Give me my sister-in-law,” she says. “Give me Pritha’s daughter and we will go quietly away.”

Vasusen scoffs. “Oh, where? To Panchal where your brothers will arm their men? To Dwaraka where the Yadavas will bristle at the insult? No, Yajnaseni, you cannot sail your husband’s kin safe across the rivers of misfortune. But you may rest assured, glorious one, that she will not be neglected.”

*

In the end it is Vasusen who catches them. Too late for it to affect the swayamvara, too early to not cause new chaos.

“A woman to wed a woman,” he laughs, “a new thing indeed is the King of Panchal showing us.”

The assembled princes and priests, already wounded, break into bemusement like a beehive swarming. On the dais Panchali’s eyes go wide and wounded, her brother’s hand tight on her arm.

“No, no,” Jarasandh scoffs, “you younglings have such short memories. He tricked Hiranyavarman ten years ago, brought in a wife for his eldest daughter. Ha! Is this a woman, truly? What an eye you have, boy.”

Anagha darkens under the sudden appraising gaze of so many men. Even the princes of Panchal, who should know better, even her mother’s nephew, who should know her, even… especially Vasusen, whom she had once foolishly thought of as her friend.

To the side Bhim stills into a predatory stance, willing to break their way out of this hall. Foolish of them, to have come at all, against their mother’s admonition, their brother’s advice.

Anagha laughs, head back and feet planted, her voice rising into the clear registers she forsook for her slight disguise. 

“So,” she says, still smiling, “I have won a bride for my brother. What of it? Is such a thing unknown in Aryavarta? Didn’t everyone hear at their mother’s knee the tale of Prince Bhishm’s great valour? Only us? Well then, O Kings, hear now that Pandu’s children have followed their forebear in this too, and tell it to your children.”

Everything moves after that almost too quickly for comprehension: the Yadavas at their back, and the delighted smile that almost hides the shadow in Panchali’s gaze, and the chariot driven by Prince Dhrishtadyumn himself that brings them to their little hut in its clearing.

“Come away now,” Krishn whispers after her mother has spent her first bout of rage and turned all-smiles to Princess Draupadi and her twin. “Let your brothers fend for themselves a little while; we have much to talk about, you and I.”

*

“A man such as this, to match valour with the heiress of Pandu? A man of no known antecedents, no proven deeds?”

The scorn in Acharya Kripam’s voice is deadly, thunderous amplified by the acoustics of the stadium. Anagha recognises in her own body the flinch that overtakes his, though these are not the words they use for her. 

Duryodhan shouts defiance, blusters and makes promises, sends servants running.

“I will battle him,” she says, overlapping Duryodhan, silencing him. “I will contend with him. What, shall I ask every stranger in a hunt or a fight their ancestry before I string my bow? I spent my childhood playing with the children of sages and scavengers alike, will you bar me now from testing my mettle against this man?”

“Princess Anagha is wilful,” Acharya Kripam says, and this time it is she who flinches. She could recite it with him, the litany of her deviations from docility that has only grown with her.

“Daylight’s wasting,” Bhim drawls, coming up to put his bulk behind her. “Let them fight or send them off the field, Acharya; the commoners are getting restive.”

“Let them fight,” Duryodhan urges, “he will be a prince by nightfall, whoever his parents might be. Come, Acharya Dron arranged such a spectacular show for his favourite, will you truly disappoint the spectators?”

*

Anagha is in the hayloft, nursing her wrist, hiding only a very little from the crowd out looking for her. If she is found before she can feign being free of pain nobody will let her pick up a sword for months and months, and a bow never. Acharya Kripam is already against it, and his comments make Mother purse her lips into a thin line and frown. She’ll fall behind everyone if she’s held back so long, and it’s just a little pain, after all, her wrist isn't even interesting colours like Duryodhan’s was last month when he fell out of the tree Bhim was shaking, just swollen and… probably a little purple? It’s difficult to see, in the dimness and against her dark skin.

“Princess,” someone calls up from the stable floor. “Come down, they’re gone to check the gardens near the Durga temple.”

Anagha crawls out from behind the hay bale and looks over the edge: a youth in the livery of the royal stables smiles at her, his hands full of cloth and little pots. As old as Yudhishtir at least, probably a few years older still. Almost a man grown; adults were variable in their priorities, and so many of them wanted to curry favour.

“No,” Anagha tells him, and sits where she can keep an eye on him. If he leaves to fetch someone she’ll have to scramble down the ladder and sprint up past the kitchens to the fishponds: Bhim has a blind there that nobody else knows about, not even Yudhishtir. It will be painful but she can manage.

“I have liniment,” the boy wheedles. “I heard you’ve hurt your hand in training.”

“Horse liniment?”

The boy laughs, as though that isn’t perfectly logical. “No, Princess. Liniment for humans; we get hurt sometimes working with the horses.”

He has a nice laugh, and—Anagha peers down at him again—his eyes are deep-set and kind, like Mother’s. And her wrist does rather hurt.

“What’s your name?”

“Vasu,” the boy says, “but I’m nobody, Princess.”

This is obviously a lie, even if he means, as they all mean, that he’s nobody she needs to bother about. But she’ll let him keep his secret if he’ll keep hers.

“I won’t come down,” she temporises, “but you can come up here.”

[papersparrows]

life lately 🌸

manifested a good change in my career and it came true hehe lilipat na ko ng work into something na mas gusto ko and mas fit sa capabilities ko~

tamang pacute lang here and there dahil bakit hindi!

my best friends surprised me with homemade brownies (the best i've ever tasted huhu unbiased opinion ko yan pramis) dahil lang namiss nila ako ???? may kasama pang sobrang heartwarming na letter. medyo naging MIA din kasi ako sa dami ng pinagdaanan lately pero grabe sila 🥺 can't wait to see them next week forda chismis and tea ahaha. kokonti lang friends ko pero lahat sila, sobrang totoo at for life talaga. tipong di pa ko nagsasalita, naiintindihan na nila agad ako. hay i'm so blessed.

wala na tapos na ang mga araw ng pagiging passenger princess ko jusko ahahahaha magaling na ko magdrive so ako na ang sunod na designated driver pero oks lang naman kahit nakakatamad minsan lalo na pag laging iisipin ang parking sa pupuntahan

preggers ang bebe gurl namin na si kitchi 🥺💞 ang lambing lambing at clingy niya lately laging puppy eyes nakakagigil huhu. nakakaexcite tuloy siguro by november siya manganganak kaya starting to prepare na kami dito 🌷💐

i'm really proud of myself for accomplishing so much lately. felt so stuck and was drowning in grief but i chose to use my energy to pull myself out of a dark place. i hope i'm doing my dad & my little angel kitty kikiam proud! 🤍

[anerdwithapen-blog]

Odyssey's Story Chapter 1 💜

( This story is Sfw, for the most part so read at your own will, but keep in mind this story is on the mature side of things, you have been warned ⚠️ )

Odyssey Starlett. What a name, too bad no one knows it. It's almost like she never existed, which is strange because she knew she was real. Or was she? Odyssey is not her name, but before she got the job as a backup singer for Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, she didn't go by anything else, well unless it's Kermit handing out checks; then she'll hear her "birth name." Things were good for Od; everyone got along with her. She even did a guest role on The Muppet Show back in the '70s when she was in her 20s. Things did change for her leaving, her family behind after seeing Kermit put out a flyer for "Groovy backup singers, Bring some soul and spirit to Muppets House band Dr. Teeth ATEM." She was so happy that she dropped everything and went; she would have never met Dr. Teeth and his lovers if it wasn't for her quick thinking well maybe still but it wouldn't have been in that lifetime. She could still picture the first time she met them.

1975 NYC, they needed someone to help sing backup for a skit. "I can't believe this is all you could find for the number?" Kermit belted out.Well, sorry boss, this is all on short notice," Scooter said defeated. "Good grief" was all that Kermit could get out before a purple-haired and felt puppet comes up to him almost towering, looks at him. Kermit looks up, trying not to gulp. "Sorry there Mr. Frog, but I wanted to try, I swear I won't let you down... please, I won't," Odyssey said, feeling her heart down to her ass. Kermit sighs and looks Od up and down; he smiles a bit and stands by Scooter. "Let's see what you got Ms. -" "Starlett, Odyssey Starlett, sir."

Kermit: Let's see what you got Ms. Star, let's see if that last name suits you.

Odyssey felt her heart stop, but she swallowed her fear and started to tap her high heels and snap her fingers. Kermit looks at her in amazement; he whispers to Scooter to grab the Electric Mayhem. Scooter says a quick "On it, boss" and dashes off. Odyssey starts to sing "Stairway to Heaven" but shorts it to where she skips a lot of the instrumental bits. Odyssey doesn't notice, but The Mayhem has set up behind her; Dr. Teeth gets ready on his keyboard, and Floyd and Janice already chimed in. Zoot waits for him to chime in, and Animal lets it loose on the beat drop. Kermit looks at the rest of the casting sheet, and he throws it away. Odyssey finishes up to her surprise; the band and her are drenched in sweat from feeling her energy. Animal startles Od with an "AGAIN AGAIN AHahahaha!!" Odyssey turns around and sees the Mayhem, and she faints. Luckily for her, Dr. Teeth stretches out his arms and catches her. "Woah there, ah-ahaha, someone got too excited," The doctor said with a belly laugh. The rest of the Mayhem was a bit more concerned for the purple puppet. "Oh, poor thing," Janice said in a soft voice. "I think someone got overwhelmed by the power of the Led Zep," Floyd said, leading him to wheeze laugh. Zoot stands there and looks at Od. "They look a bit purple." "I think they are always purple, Zoot." "Oh, then they look fine to me." After Floyd and Zoot's little back and forth, Od starts to wake up. " Look! Look! they're up! " Janice said trying to not startle odyssey. " W-what what happened " by this time Dr teeth put her closer to his chest while the mayhem surrounded her a bit and Kermit looked worried. " you blinked out for a few seconds there Purple hahaha " The Doc said in his cool and calm manner. Kermit dashes to them " oh good grief... you okay? "  " their fine now green stuff... " Floyd looks at him rolls his eyes. " oh did you eat today or drink water ? " Janice said pulling out some snack from their shared bag. " Oh haha... yeah i just forgot to eat breakfast no biggie haha... " Kermit calls over scooter " hey scoot order breakfast again Breakfast sandwiches from the deli down the road please " Scooter nodes his head " anything specific boss? " Kermit looks at Od " do you have any allergies ? " Od wipes her eyes " i-- don't eat pork so no pork bacon ill take a turkey and cheese with ketchup salt and pepper " scooter nodes at Odyssey and dashes off  //// 

Odyssey drafting off to space looking up at the ceiling. they're on the floor, filled with pillows they share with the Mayhem. Janice doesn't believe in mattresses so they all sleep on the floor, most of the time animal sleep on their own human size doggy like-bed. When Od is the only one at the house they sleep and nap in animal's bed. Od gets out of their thoughts by Dr Teeth walking in with some breakfast and their coffee." Hey there Afros haha " he grins showing his golden tooth. God Odyssey loves The Doc's features all of him up and down, Before Od could drool over one of their lovers Floyd pops in to treat Od. The three of them joke and laugh a bit than the landline rings.  Dr Teeth picks it up , his smile turns to a frown, he goes back to a small grin Floyd and Odyssey look at Teeth trying to figure out the news before it is said. Before they could get a guess out the Doc hangs up and looks at them. " we gotta go to the theater " Od and Teeth watch as Floyd groans and sighs as he gets back up " Nah, hell man today was our day off " " well Sarge now its our day back on, come one Janice and Zoot is already there "

_________< End of Chapter 1 >_________

If you made it this far and your reading this thank you so so much 💖 and thanks for putting up with my bad Grammer and sometimes spelling errors 💜

I write these at like 3 am and sometimes just don't feel like proofreading all the time 😕

Anyways thanks again for reading and i hope you read the rest of their story 💕

[justicerikai]

Charisma House - Superhuman Sharehouse Story “Charisma” - #46 Interview with Sarukawa

Please read alongside listening to the drama track on Youtube.

Iori: Ah, It’s Saru-chan’s turn today!

Fumiya: Yeah

Terra: This is gonna be annoying

Amahiko: You think so? I think it’ll be enjoyable.

Rikai: Saru,

Sarukawa: Stop with the Saru

Rikai: You better properly answer our questions.

Sarukawa: Hell no

Sarukawa: I ain’t gonna tell you guys shit, idiots

Rikai: Watch it Saru!

Terra: Sarukawa-kun, you absolutely can’t answer all the things we’ll be asking you, okay?

Sarukawa: ‘m answering! Ask me anything!

Sarukawa: Come at me!

Terra: He’s way too simple. I worry about him sometimes.

Amahiko: Please tell us your favorite food.

Sarukawa: Uuh-

Iori: Meat!

Sarukawa: Eh?

Fumiya: A food you hate?

Sarukawa: Uuh-

Iori: Leafy greens!

Sarukawa: Eh?

Rikai: Something you absolutely must do after waking up?

Sarukawa: Uuh-

Iori: Setting his bangs!

Sarukawa: IO—!! YER NOT THE ONE WHO GOTTA ANSWER!!

Terra: Eh, so he does set his bangs every morning?

Iori: Yes. And carefully.

Sarukawa: Hell if I do, they just stand up like this ‘cuz they wanna

Amahiko: I do think that Sarukawa-kun with his bangs down ought to be sexy.

Terra: I agree

Sarukawa: No way. I’ll die if I let my hair down

Amahiko & Terra: DIE!?

Rikai: Then let’s shave it all off

Rikai: We must take care of our appearance before anything else, Saru

Sarukawa: Fuck off Superintendent General

Rikai: WHAT NOW!?

Rikai: Although I don’t feel offended by being called a Superintendent General!!!

Fumiya: Can you put up a good fight?

Sarukawa: Why would I tell ya

Sarukawa: If you wanna find out then come at me

Iori: He’s very strong.

Sarukawa: I ALREADY SAID YOU AIN’T THE ONE THAT GOTTA ANSWER!

Amahiko: I’m under the impression that he’s always losing however

Iori: That’s because he bites off more than he can chew, it’s been like that forever

Iori: He’s always on his own, but I can say that I’ve never seen him lose an one-on-one fight

Amahiko & Fumiya: Huuuh~

Rikai: That’s not something to commend him for.

Terra: Ghost-kun, ask something too

Ohse: Have you ever killed anyone?

Terra: HUH!? WHAT QUESTION IS THAT!?

Ohse: If it sits well with you, would you consider taking the life of this shitty sore loser.

Rikai: OHSE-KUN! Ask a different question!

Ohse: …

Ohse: Do you have any weaknesses?

Sarukawa: Don’t got any. I’m strong as shit

Iori: He can’t stand scary stories

Sarukawa: STOP answering for me!

Iori: Spooky stuff and ghosts is out of the question

Sarukawa: Fufu, how cute.

Fumiya: Kei, you know this scary story? ‘Bout a lone taxi at night driving up the mountain road-

Sarukawa: UOOOOOHHHH!!!

Terra: Eeeh, he really can’t handle it

Sarukawa: I can!

Rikai: You’re scared, aren’t you

Sarukawa: I’m SUPER not scared!

Amahiko: How often do you pick fights?

Sarukawa: I fight every day

Fumiya: Everyday… Break a leg.

Rikai: Good grief not an ounce of order to be seen.

Sarukawa: As if I give a shit

Sarukawa: I just beat the shit outta things I can’t stand

Terra: What has you so riled up all the time?

Sarukawa: Everything

Terra: Eeeeverything!?

Sarukawa: Yep, I hate everything

Sarukawa: It’s pissing me off. Irritating me. Fuckin’ hate it

Sarukawa: I hate all of you too

Everyone: HUH!?

Amahiko: W-why do you hate me?

Sarukawa: You’re a weirdo

Terra: As for me?

Sarukawa: A weirdo

Rikai: And me?

Sarukawa: You’re cringe

Fumiya: Me?

Sarukawa: Lame

Iori: Me??

Sarukawa: Annoying

Amahiko: And Ohse-san?

Sarukawa: He’s an idiot

Ohse: Why do you live with everyone then?

Sarukawa: …..

Iori: Because he’s so, so, so lonely!~

Everyone: Ahahahaha!

Sarukawa: AaaaAAH—! FUCKING HATE IT HERE!!!!!!!!!

[ryukunkawaii]

akyr opening show

I: Suiseki Iori Z: Gaho Zen S: Ito Satsuki R: Maruyama Reo H: Masaki Hokusai

I: Hahahaha! Great, great! Keep goin’! Get ‘em! Z: Please stop laughing and do something, Young Master! Come on, you guys, we haven’t even crossed the bridge yet, don’t fight! R: Hahahaha! Satsuki-chan, you’re so cute! S: I’ve told you, don’t call me with -chan! You wanna die, huh!? H: Ah… A cat… Cute… Z: Geez! If only Reo didn’t say that kind of thing…

R: Waah! Amazing! So this is Club Paradox…! It’s soo big! Z: We finally got to perform in the legendary live house…! Young Master[1], this is also solely thanks to Young Master…! I: Aah… Zen, I’ve always told you to not cry all the time… You never change. R: Look! There’s sooooooo many people! H: Huh… there’s a bird… cute… R: Hokusai’s always like that wherever he is, huh. Girls are way cuter than birds, right!? Oii, everyone! Please look only at me today! S: O-oi, Reo! What the hell are you doing being all flirty!? R: Hee~? What’s wrong? Ah! I know! You’re embarrassed, aren’t you! Right!? S: Are you an idiot!? There’s no way I’m embarrassed! Even I am a competent rapper! There’s no way I’ll get bothered by women― R: If you say so, then try wave your hand to those girls there! And then, say “I love you!!”. S: I told you I…! Oi, Reo, what’s with your face, huh!? R: Nothing~? I just thought that maybe you’re shy or something~ Pupupu~ S: Fine, I’ll do it!! Watch me, shitty brat! I’ll make all of them fall for me!!

S: O-ooi!! Oi! Oi!! Oioioi! Oioi… oioi…! H: Oioi…? Satsuki, are you a monkey?[2] Ehe… Cute. R: Hahahaha! Look, aren’t you embarrassed!? S: Shut uuuuup!!

Z: Then, it turned out like this. Good grief. Young Master, can I? I: Yeah, sure… ah… it’s ending, huh… Z: Hey, all of you! I told you to stop, didn’t I!? S&R: Owch!! Z: For a team that’s about to perform to not be united, and is even fighting with each other… it’s not good! R: Even so, it’s not a reason to use your full strength… S: To hit us like that!! H: Two bumps… like a camel… ehehe. Z: I’m sorry for hitting you both. But, I want both of you to reflect on your behavior. Okay? S&R: Okay… Z: Admirable! Uuh… to be good friends is a good thing! It’s a precious big stage, let’s have fun performing with everyone! Right!? I: Yeah, yeah! It’s the long-awaited festival, we have to enjoy it! Seriously… we have to enjoy it to the fullest. [3] Z: Did you say something just now? I: No, I didn’t.

Z: Even so, as expected from the revival of the legendary club, everyone’s excited. S: Of course! There’s no other miracles like this. Z: The objective thought of by the Young Master is, as expected, large-scale! It has to be at least this excited. R: Uuuum! What’s the objective, again? I think I’ve forgotten because of that fist earlier. Z: I-I’m sorry… I: What a hopeless guy~ We’re participating in this event to let the world knows how good and merry Akan Yatsura’s stage is! Plus, the champion gets ten billion yen! Without having to slowly and uncoolly save money, we can reorganize the family! [4] If we do that, then Father would be able to drink delicious alcohol in the other world, am I right? Z: Our family would, once more…! I’m getting fired up! S: O-oi! Zen-bro! [5] Why’d you suddenly lift me up? Let me down! Z: S-sorry! I got too excited I unintentionally… I: To unintentionally lift up a person… even if they say the world is vast, it’s probably only you… Z: Satsuki-kun, to let out this excitement, would you do push ups with me? S: No way. Don’t just suddenly ask me to do weird stuff like that. Z: Ahahahaha! I’m just joking! S: Haah… R: Anyways, I just want to stand on stage and get lots of girls to scream “I love youuuuu!” at me! H: If we win… we’ll always stay together… I: That’s right. We’ll aaaaalways be together. If we do that, you’ll be happy, right, Hokusai? H: Yeah. I’ll do my best, too.

I: Good boy. Even so, as expected of Club Paradox… not only is the building grand, the scenery is also very full of life.

Z: Yes, indeed, it’s a magnificent mega-float. The only thing connecting it to land is a bridge, and around it is all sea. It’s the best facility to produce loud noises without anyone complaining!

S: What’s a mega-float? A drink?

Z: It means a very large human-made island.

S: O-of course I know that much!

Z: That sounds suspicious.

H: All of those… are people?

I: They’re people who wants to see the Paradox Live, I’m sure. If there’s this much people, then not even the performers can get in easily.

R: I’m happy that there’s sooo many people coming to watch us.

I: Well then, let’s just walk slooowly and leisurely towards the venue, shall we?

***

I: Oh! It seems that the other teams have arrived too. Whoaah, they’re so popular! Cheeky, they’re even getting interviewed.

R: Eeh… don’t tell me all of the teams competing gets interviewed…?

I: Well, that’s because Paradox Live’s a big event that took the attention of an outrageous amount of people.

H: There were various things written in the invitation.

Z: Show us!

S: Uhm… the opposing teams’ names are… Uh… Ba.. B… Ba.. wha? The cat… whi… su? It’s English, can’t read it. So our opponents are all foreigners, huh!

R: Aah, are you an idiot?

Z: Well, it’s true that there’s a foreigner in B.A.E.

S: Wha…! So you read it as ‘bei’!? So that means…

I: That’s right~ B.A.E is that Anne Faulkner’s team!

Z: What’s up? Is Satsuki-kun’s type that kind of person? Anne-kun is a ma―

R: Sshhhhh!!

Z: Mmmh…!!

R: Geez, read the mood!!

Z: What do you mean!?

I: Anne-chan has arrived, too, you know~? Inside that crowd!

S: Huh!? Eh!? Seriously!!?

Z: B.A.E’s three members are supposedly from an international school. I heard there’s a half- and a quarter-Japanese in there, too.

I: They’re such a high collar[6] people. I look forward to hearing what they have in store.

Z: The Cat’s Whiskers is…

I: Well, they’re the members of Seven-Four. Our patron’s[7] also there.

Z:Hah…! Finally, we can listen to Kanbayashi-san’s rap…!?

I: Lookin’ forward to it.

Z: Yes. If I’m not wrong, cozmez is twins’…?

I: Aah. So this is why he rejected my request. He’s unusually disobedient so I wondered what’s up, but I see.

Z: They’re all teams with accomplishments, aren’t they.

I: Well, if they’re our only opponents, I’d be at ease, though. [8]

Z: What do you mean by that…? Where’s Satsuki-kun and the others?

I: They went somewhere bringing Hokusai with them ‘cause he’s big and easy to find. [9]Hig Hahaha, they’re probably going to Anne-chan’s place~

Z: They’re such hopeless guys… let’s chase after them!

***

S: Oh! That back appearance… ain’t it Anne!? What’s up with her wearing such flashy clothing~!? Well… I don’t really hate it, though… I’ll become a cooler guy, and one day, with her…! Yeaaaahh! I’m gonna be BIG!!

R: I knew it~ If you really like her that much, should I call Anne here?

S: D-don’t do unnecessary things!! I-it’s not like I care about her.

Ry: Hahahahahaha!! Boss, Shiki looks like he’s seriously about to die!!

H: Ah…

R: Huh? What’s up? Did you find someone you know, too, Hokusai?

H: Yes. Ryuu’s here.

R: Isn’t he that strange guy in the bar? There’s quite a lot of people we know here, huh?

I: Ah, caught ‘em, caught ‘em.

Z: Oi, you three! Don’t go too far from us! You’ll get lost.

S: I won’t get lost, I’m not a kid!

M1: Um, excuse me, all of you are Akan Yatsura’s members, right? Can we talk a bit?

S: ‘Sup, suddenly?

I: Seems like they’re from a TV station. I guess it’s our turn for the interviews now.

R: Ah… ah… ah… television…

H: Not good.

M1: Well then, we’ll start from Reo-kun. Good afternoon!

R: STOP IT!! Don’t point the camera this way!!

***

M2: We are at the scene. This is the building reported to be the source of gunshot sounds and angry roars. A few moments ago, the police force has stormed- Ah! Someone came out! Is it a boy…? It seems they’re are still young. Some men came out! We can see blood on their clothes.

R: Everyone… hey… wake up… Wake up…!

Z: Reo-kun… it’s no use… they’re already…

R: No way! No way, no way!! This can’t be real…!

S: Shit, stop screwin’ around!!

I: I will… definitely make them pay for this. Absolutely…!

***

R: No… stop it…

M1: Um, are you alright?

I: Sorry about this, Sis. He’s really nervous! Zen, take him somewhere quiet, would ya?

Z: Understood. Well then, Young Master. We will meet you in the dressing room later.

M1: Um… may I continue the interview…?

I: Sure, we don’t mind! Ask anything you want.

M1: Yes! What’s this team’s determination for tonight?

S: That’s obvious. Of course it’s nothing but victory.

M1: O-of course! Then, can we ask you about this team’s strength?

H: Cat-patterned skirt… cute…

M1: Ah, uhm…

I: Our team’s strength is teamwork unique to a family! Call it a ‘bond’ – That’s our selling point!

M1: Which means it’s teamwork akin to a familyー

S: Not ‘akin’! We are family! Don’t take us lightly!

M1: Ah, I see…

I: Sis, I’ll tell you this. A family ain’t about blood. It’s about the thickness of the time you spent together.

M1: I see! Well then, lastly, please give a few words for the all the heads[10] paying attention to Paradox Live!

I: Everyone, please check out Akan Yatsura closely~! I’m countin’ on y’all~! Look everyone, stay happy!

M1: Thank you very much!

I: I wonder if they’re okay.

S: Zen-nii said to go to the dressing room, right? Let’s go!

***

I: Reo, are you okay?

R: Yeah. The memories from that time just…

Z: It seems that his emotions have calmed down, too. There’s no need to worry anymore.

H: Reo, it’s okay. Good boy, good boy.

R: Thanks, Hokusai.

I: Oi, Satsuki! What’s wrong? Even though you bought lots of drinks and stuff, whatcha waitin’ for?

R: Satsuki… for my sake, you…?

S: Stuuuuuuupid! It’s all for me to drink!!

R: What’s up with that? You can just be honest about worrying! That’s why Satsuki’s still a virginー

S: Shut up!!! If you say any more than that, I’ll sweep you!

Z: Sigh… these children are so…

I: Hahaha… Hahahaha!! That’s right! Akan Yatsura has to be this merry!! Anyways, Paradox Live starts today. You guys are all prepared, right?

ZSR: Yeah!

H: Mm!

I: Let’s show everyone how high our spirits are! Number, what number!?

ZSRH: Number 1! Akan Yatsura Underground!

I: That’s it! Come on, let’s go!

***

I: The mastermind is somewhere in this live house. I’ll definitely catch you, no matter what. Just wait. For Father’s sake, too.Notes: [1] Zen calls Iori ‘waka’. It’s how you call the son of people of a high social standing. [2] Hokusai says this in a cute way, like ‘o-saru-san’, with prefix and suffix, so he’s not by all means trashtalking Satsuki. [3] The implication in here is like… ‘we have to make sure they make us enjoy ourselves’ if that’s clear? [4] Kumi, as in a yakuza family. So, Iori is the son of the previous boss, most probably. [5] Zen-nii, nii from onii-san. So cute…!! [6] High collar （ハイカラ） means stylish, fashionable [7] Patron （旦那） there are so many ways to translate danna, but I can’t be sure which one is right because we still don’t know the ties between Yohei and Akan Yatsura… [8] Iori’s line imply that there are more than just the other teams they have to fight (in rap sense or not). [9] Literally, because he could be a sign/post/mark since he’s tall so the others could find them easily. [10] Heads means rap fan.

[askshivanulegacy]

Omg, Ad Astra is the worst movie I've seen in FOREVER ahahahaha wtf. This is an MST3K winner. Tried waaay too hard. Good grief it was terrible. The utter pointlessness of almost every scene. You all should watch it. 😂😂😂

[obeyme-sinners]

good job on the followers!! your writing is really good, so you deserve it!!

Thanks a lot, anon 💕 my writing might be slowing down here for a bit, just a couple hours after I made my giveaway announcement my family took a hit and, well. There's going to be a funeral, so things might be rather wonky for a bit. Seriously though, thanks to all of the wonderful people who have given me so much encouragement for my writing - it does mean a lot to me.

[dangermousie]

I think I am supposed to feel bad but all I am thinking is “you kidnap enough men thanks to your wannabe rapist tendencies, eventually one of them might turn out to be a bigger monster than you and you can enjoy being on a receiving end of mistreatment.”

This is an amazingly misbegotten drama. Like every wrong narrative step they could take, they did.

They are both awful, but her more so because she doesn’t even have the excuse of being non-human; not to mention he’s only found her because she kept trying to commit half a dozen felonies on him.

I did not realize kidnapping someone, wounding them, threatening and humiliating them, and repeatedly attempting sexual assault is good treatment. The makers of this drama are bathing in drugs and not the good kind.

ETA: I love that she’s raging and freaking out and there is grief and horror on his face - not about her whatsoever but because he failed to extract his OTP’s spirit since FL’s blood has the power to break formation and it did.

He does not give two fucks about her freakout, he’s all “my otp is trapped forever” ahahahah I kinda love this but how is this romance?

ETA: ahahahaha and now he’s wondering if she’s reincarnation of his otp which is like - he still has zero interest in her as her, if he only wants her once he figures out she’s reincarnation of his old love? ahahahah

[ticklygiggles]

Testing spots | The Fantastic Three

Diavolo, Lucifer & Barbatos

A/N: Due to... Certain circumstances my sweet girl @otomiya-tickles ended up supporting me ☕ and of course, I wrote something for her!

I hope you enjoy this, dear! And I hope it quenches your thirst for ticklish! Diavolo, because we have so much of that in this fic, hehe. Thank you for your support and help, dear! I will always love you 💕 (I also apologize for the wait!!!)

Summary: Diavolo is trying to relax as he drinks his tea, worried that he might end up drinking the whole thing before Lucifer arrives. What is taking him so long? He'll discover it first hand!

(A little shippy, if you squint)

Words: 4k (aaay)

“Today’s tea is my Lord’s favorite.“ Diavolo smiled brightly as Barbatos poured him a cup of Hellfire Rose tea, the liquid almost reaching the brim. “I hope you enjoy it to the fullest.”

Diavolo nodded before taking a deep breath. The appetizing aroma filled his lungs until they burned. “Thank you as always, Barbatos. Please take a seat as well.”

Barbatos smiled back at him and bowed his head deeply as he graciously poured himself a cup of tea and took a seat at Diavolo’s left. Diavolo nodded in approval and he looked down at his own cup; in other circumstances, he would normally wait for his guests to arrive to start drinking his own tea, but his guest was late and he could never resist a cup of Hellfire Rose tea, so might as well…

“Ah, wonderful,” he whispered after a sip, his tongue burning a little. “I hope Lucifer hurries here or else, I’ll have to drink the whole thing myself.”

“Suit yourself, My Lord,” Barbatos whispered and Diavolo chuckled behind his cup.

Tea parties were always a delight to Diavolo. It was his peaceful time. He didn’t have to worry about RAD nor any other matter that came with the responsibilities of being the Crown Prince of the Devildom.

Whether it was with Barbatos, Lucifer, or both, he could always enjoy this glorious leisure time and talk about things that wouldn’t cause his stress to rise to the Celestial Realm and make his heart feel lonely and heavy.

So, with a light heart, he started a conversation with Barbatos, flashing sincere smiles and letting out gentle chuckles that would make anyone’s heart flutter.

“I wonder what is happening with Lucifer,” Barbatos said, checking his watch. “He’s not usually late.”

“Yeah. Maybe I should send him a message-

“No need. I've arrived.”

Both Diavolo and Barbatos looked back to see Lucifer, and their reaction was the exact same: eyes slightly widening and an eyebrow raising in surprise.

“Lucifer? What happened?” Diavolo asked as Lucifer took a seat right in front of him, fixing his tie and vest and even his hair.

“It wasn’t nothing like that,” Lucifer answered, shooting a glare at Barbatos, who in return only chuckled behind his gloved hand. Diavolo bit his tongue to stop a chuckle of his own. “Unfortunately, I got engaged into a... mess before leaving the House of Lamentation with my brothers and that human of ours."

"Oh? Ours?" Diavolo chuckled, sharing a knowing smile with Barbatos before taking another sip of his tea, Lucifer's cheeks turned pink. "So what mess was it? Did you all get into a fight?"

"More like a battle. Mammon had the great idea of starting a... tickle fight with all of my brothers and the human. I wanted to-

“Ah, did you get caught?” Diavolo teased, smiling playfully at Lucifer.

Lucifer rolled his eyes shamelessly, “Of course not. I wouldn't let them touch me even if they tried. As you both can see, they did try, so I had to play their stupid game to get out of it.”

"You're no fun, Lucifer! What's the point of a tickle fight if you don't get tickled?"

"Tch. First of all, I didn't want to get involved, I was forced to. And what do you know about tickle fights?”

Diavolo laughed softly, drinking more of his tea. Well, Lucifer had a point there. Diavolo had never experienced tickling before, but he knew it was something beings do to create bonds with the people one cares for. He’s seen humans playing around in the Human World, even some demons here in the Devildom and, to his eyes at least, it seemed like something fun to do.

Was it that horrible?

"So,” Diavolo started, totally ignoring Lucifer. “In other words, if I force you, will you get involved into a tickle fight with me?” Diavolo laughed at Lucifer’s offended expression, he could hear Barbatos chuckling at his side. “Oh! Maybe we should do a contest!” Diavolo beamed.

Lucifer nearly choked on his tea. “Good grief, please no. If you want to be tickled that bad, I'm sure Barbatos will be happy to do so,” he said and Diavolo looked at Barbatos.

"I'll do whatever my Lord wants me to,” Barbatos answered with a smile and Diavolo laughed.

"Yes, thank you, Barbatos, but the fun part about a tickle fight, it's the fight! The name says it all!”

“I see. Then you’re welcome to join my stupid brothers and your favorite human, if you want.”

It was Diavolo’s turn to blush, but he continued talking as if he didn’t feel the heat gathering on his cheeks. “Now, Lucifer. You know I can’t do that! They wouldn’t dare to touch me.”

I am the Crown Prince. He wanted to say, not to brag about his title, but because he knew not many people dared to disrespect him… even when he wanted to be part of some unharmful fun.

Of course, he didn’t need to say anything else because Lucifer, (and he was sure even Barbatos), understood his words right away.

Lucifer took a sip of his tea and Barbatos, (his lips stretched into a playful smile), poured more tea into Diavolo's cup. Diavolo took one, two, three sips and the whole tea was gone again, but Barbatos served some more for him.

So that was the end of the conversation? Diavolo couldn’t help but feel… disappointed. He didn’t actually expect Lucifer to give up to his request that easily, but now he was feeling way more curious about this tickling thing.

Maybe the House of Lamentation was not a bad idea after all? He sipped in more tea, wondering if he was still in time to join the fun. If he hurried-

“Stop drinking so much tea, you’re going to wet yourself.”

Diavolo blinked in surprise. “Ex… cuse me?”

Lucifer stared at him, “what? Didn’t you say you wanted to have a tickle fight? We are having one. The three of us,” he said, looking at Barbatos, Diavolo also turning to look at his butler.

Barbatos laughed softly. “I am up to it if that makes my Lord happy.”

Diavolo looked at them both not knowing exactly what was going on, but as soon as Lucifer stood up, Diavolo followed suit, his shoulders a little tense and a funny bubbly feeling swirling in his chest.

Lucifer laughed, “what is it? Are you nervous already?”

Diavolo cleared his throat. “Are we really going to do this?”

Diavolo felt suddenly too aware of his two companions. Lucifer was smiling teasingly at him and Barbatos was still sitting down, watching with also a teasing smile on his lips.

“I… don’t know how to do it,” Diavolo confessed sheepishly. Perhaps this was a bad idea? How could he possibly do something like this when he hadn’t done it before?!

“It is easy. You just try not to get caught and if you catch us just wiggle your fingers against our torso, or something like that,” Lucifer explained awkwardly and, to be honest, Diavolo was as clueless as he was before that explanation, but he couldn’t help but feel excitement rushing through his body.

“I do not have much experience either,” Barbatos said with a gentle smile, finally standing up and making Diavolo flinch away without wanting to, Barbatos chuckled. “But I can definitely try.”

“Very well. At the count of three we’ll start. Ready.” Diavolo gulped, but nodded softly. “One… two… now!”

Diavolo’s first instinct was to launch at them, but to his big surprise, the other two demons launched right back at him and before he could react, the three of them were tumbling down onto the fresh grass of Diavolo’s garden.

“Wha- What are you- Ah! Wait! That’s- ahahahaha!”

He didn't know who it was, but one of them was rubbing deep, gentle circles against his lower ribs: thumb pressed right on top of his bones and the other four fingers pressing on the back.

He never felt something like this before. It felt as if the muscles around his ribs were being… electrocuted, and the sensation climbed from the lowest set of ribs to the highest.

His body jerked away from the touch and the laughter- oh my, it was so weird to feel the sudden urge to laugh. He knew the electrifying sensation was making him laugh so brightly, but he couldn’t just place the two things together, it felt- it just felt so weird, however, he couldn’t say he hated it.

Was this a common thing?

"Wai-ahahahaha! I d-doahahaha!" He couldn't talk! No matter how hard he tried, his always coherent speech was lost in waves of uncontrollable laughter.

Diavolo tried to move his hands to cover that tender spot at the bottom of his ribs because it seemed that, whoever was tickling him there, was going to abuse that spot to the fullest; but he found out that he couldn't move his hands- no, he couldn't move his whole arms at all!

"Oh? It seems that Diavolo is way more ticklish than I expected." He heard Lucifer saying over his laughter as he tried to pull his arms free.

Diavolo wasn't completely sure, but it looked like Barbatos and Lucifer had teamed against him and the reason why he couldn't move his arms was because they had them pinned up above his head.

"I knew Lord Diavolo was fairly… sensitive here because he sometimes flinches away when I help him dress up," Barbatos explained softly and Diavolo knew he was the one tickling his ribs.

Wait… did that mean that Lucifer was still not doing anything to him?! Oh no, if he-

"AHAHAHA! Wait! Wahahahahait!" Diavolo managed to say as he felt another tickly wave make his body jump as Lucifer used his nimble fingers on him, gently squeezing up and down one of Diavolo's sides.

"Also ticklish here? How are you even alive being this sensitive, Diavolo?" Lucifer teased and Diavolo could only shake his head as more laughs poured out of him.

"My Lord can hardly speak. Does it tickle that bad?" Barbatos asked and Diavolo suddenly realized that, it didn't matter how much time had passed, that spot Barbatos was tickling, just wouldn't stop causing him to laugh, and it was making Diavolo feel a little hysterical.

"Yeah, Diavolo. Is it too bad?" Lucifer purred back, lingering in a spot near Diavolo's waist that made him squeak.

Because of the overwhelming sensations, his body was simply taking it all, but he slowly started to squirm, trying to escape and attack back, but Diavolo never felt this uncoordinated before, his mind could only focus on the tickling against his ribs and side.

"Okay! Okahahahay! L-Let gohohoho!" Diavolo laughed, pulling at his trapped arms and arching his back a little.

Barbatos and Lucifer chuckled. "What? Now you're regretting getting involved in a tickle fight, Diavolo?"

Diavolo didn't dare to say yes. Not because he was stubborn, (that he was), but because he, in fact, didn't regret getting involved in this. Even if this was something his body wasn't used to, he couldn't say he wasn't having fun.

"Oh? My Lord didn't say no, could it be that he is having a good time?"

Diavolo felt his cheeks burning at hearing Barbatos saying so, and just to look a little strong, he tried to bite his lower lip to stop his laughter, but gentle fingers clawed at his ribs and he cackled, nodding quickly.

"It's- it's nahahahat th-thahahat bad!" He laughed out, thankful that he couldn't open his eyes at the moment because he could feel their teasing eyes burning holes on his face.

"It's not that bad, hm? Then we haven't found the right spot yet, Barbatos."

Barbatos laughed deeply at that and Diavolo felt his stomach fluttering as he kicked his legs.

"Thehehese spots ahahahare bahahahad already!" Diavolo said, pulling at his arms again. "Lehehehet gohohoho!" He repeated, still amazed that he couldn’t break free from such a weak hold.

"Not yet," Lucifer mumbled, getting a better hold of Diavolo's arm. "Let's find the right spot, hm?"

Diavolo heard Barbatos humming curiously and just as he was going a little breathless, the tickling stopped at once.

"Goohohohod grihihief! You suhuhuhuck!" He giggled, finally opening his eyes to look at his attackers.

He was not ready to find them looking down at him with bright smiles and playful eyes. Diavolo's cheeks turned pink and a wave of shyness rushed to him.

Was he being too much?

He never liked to impose himself if it wasn't necessary- did he force them to do this just to satisfy his own curiosity?

"Stop overthinking," Lucifer said, his smile turning into a scowl and a ping of sadness seated on the pit of Diavolo's stomach. "I'm just helping you see how terrible a tickle fight is."

Lucifer's disgusted face made Diavolo giggle, but he could tell he was not serious. He was sure that, deep down, and in his own way, Lucifer could see the fun in something like this.

But he knew Lucifer was letting him know that no one can ever force him to do something he didn't want to and that, in fact, he was also enjoying himself right now… even if Diavolo was the victim.

"Like I said," Diavolo said, already recovering from the last attack. "Where's the fun in a tickle fight if you don't get tickled?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and a teasing smile.

"If Lord Diavolo is enjoying himself," Barbatos suddenly said, ignoring what Diavolo had just said. "Then it cannot be that bad, can it?"

Diavolo felt happiness filling his chest once more. Giddiness made him squirm softly at the thought that, even someone as Lucifer and Barbatos, were having fun at this silly game.

However, Diavolo felt a soft blush creeping up to his ears at hearing Barbatos say that. "B-Barbatos!" He gasped.

"Hm, you're right," Lucifer nodded. "It seems that Diavolo is enjoying being tickled, so might as well keep going, right?"

Diavolo widened his eyes as the silliest of smiles pulled at the corner of his mouth. "W-Wahahait!"

Oh goodness, he was-

"Giggling already, my Lord? We're certainly not touching you right now," Barbatos teased, bringing Diavolo's arm even higher, causing Diavolo to squeak with yet another nervous giggle.

"H-Hohohold on! It's unfair that you guys-

"Ah, I have an idea," Lucifer said, completely ignoring Diavolo's giggly whining. "Maybe we could try all of my brothers' weak spots until we find the best one for Diavolo here."

Diavolo wanted to disappear. They were talking as if he weren't right there! Pinned to the ground and with tingling ribs.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Lucifer," Barbatos answered and he nodded softly. "Where could that be?"

"No! Lihihihisten!" Diavolo pulled at his trapped arms. "I… I think I won't-

"Oh? Are you admitting you're really ticklish?" Lucifer asked with a raised eyebrow and a dark smirk.

"N-No! It's j-just that-

"Both Mammon and Levi are horrendously ticklish on their hips and thighs, which one do you want to try first, Barbatos?"

"N-No! You're not-

"Hmm, hips," Barbatos said and he immediately placed his hand over one of Diavolo's hip bones.

Diavolo gasped and he twisted his hip away.

"Ah, this is going to be interesting," Lucifer purred and he also positioned his hand over Diavolo's other hip, making him squeak.

"Please! This is so unfair! You both a-AAAHAHAHA!"

Diavolo threw his head back with a loud cackle when Barbatos started pinching his hip. Diavolo choked on his laughter as he tried to free his hip from Barbatos' fingers.

“B-Bahahaharba-atos, wa-AHAHAHAIT! Lucifeheheher!”

Suddenly, Lucifer was also joining the fun: his thumb rubbing against his other hip. Diavolo shook his hips desperately, cackling wildy and kicking his legs behind the demons.

“Stop! Stahahahahap!” He laughed, thrusting his hips.

"Oh. This spot is good," Barbatos hummed and Diavolo could only shake his head.

"It’s ahahahawful!"

Both Barbatos and Lucifer laughed at that, but they didn’t stop their attack, instead, Diavolo felt that they speeded it up and he shrieked in response, his knees curling up in a futile attempt to protect his poor hips.

Lucifer chuckled, "Say, Diavolo. What's more ticklish? Ribs or hips?"

Diavolo could have said the first answer that came to mind, but instead, he thought it over carefully, even as he was laughing almost desperately.

His hips certainly tickled a lot, the pinches, rubbing and even scribbling over his skin made his hips jump and shake and do a little dance that embarrassed him, however, the thought of Barbatos' fingers pinching his lower ribs made him shiver heavily and he even let out a sudden hysterical laugh.

“Rihihihibs! They're m-mohohohore tihihicklish!” He admitted right away and they stopped immediately, letting him catch his breath. “Y-You ahahahahare awfuhuhul! Why ihihihis- is it o-only me?!”

Diavolo didn’t need an answer. He knew it was because these two demons wouldn’t let him find their weaknesses, at least not yet, and since Diavolo was the one insisting about having a tickle fight, of course they thought it was only fair to have him suffering the consequences.

Good thing Diavolo thought this was fun.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to try it out?” Lucifer teased.

“I- I did, but you- EEEEAHAHA!”

Diavolo flushed bright red as soon as he felt hands latching onto his inner thighs. His legs instantly closed, but that didn't stop the sudden assault of squeezes near his crotch and right above his knee, but on the inner side.

His reaction was wild. He pulled at his arms roughly, making Barbatos and Lucifer gasp when Diavolo managed to lower them up a little; his legs kicking, but since he was clamping them together, he looked rather silly and Barbatos and Lucifer couldn't help but laugh as Diavolo's cheeks turned bright pink.

It was a little embarrassing, but over all, it was so ticklish! It tickled really bad and Diavolo couldn't stop shrieking, his toes curling inside his shoes. It was definitely worse than his ribs.

"My Lord, what's more t-

"Thehehere! It's thehehere! Oh, nohohoho, plehehehease!"

Again, the tickling stopped at once and Daivolo went boneless against the damp grass- now that he thought about it, he was also getting a little damp. Sweat started to cover his forehead and made his shirt stick to his body, was this also normal?

"Gehehehet your hahahahands off!" Diavolo giggled, his legs clamped together because Barbatos and Lucifer still had their hands poised over Diavolo's inner thighs, ready to attack again.

The demons chuckled and slowly pulled their hands away, making Diavolo flinch and giggle nervously as they moved to hover over him.

"Thihihis- This is not a t-tickle fight!" He whined, a bright smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

Barbatos shook his head with a smile. "Well, it probably isn't, but we still have a few spots to try, My Lord. Unless you really want us to stop?"

Diavolo blinked- he was tired and sweaty and his body was tingling in anticipation, but he smirked back at them, a daring smile pulling at his lips.

"Nah, I don't think you'll do any better than this, so I'm alright, actually."

Lucifer laughed out loud at this declaration of war and he nodded. "I just want to remind you that I still have four brothers left, Diavolo. So let's continue."

Diavolo slightly widened his eyes and his smirk faltered a little. "Ah, w-wait. I didn't- ah! No! Not uhuhuhundeheher!"

He gasped when Lucifer pulled his shirt out of his pants and his cold hand sneaked under it to start clawing at his stomach.

Diavolo sucked on his belly and jerked softly to the side; he giggled as the cold fingertips vibrated against the tight muscles of his stomach, but be could feel he wasn't as ticklish there.

However, childish giggles kept pouring out of his mouth as Lucifer tried to find every possible overly sensitive spot on Diavolo's stomach, and he was embarrassed of such sound. Why did he sound like a kid?!

"This is Beel's spot," Lucifer explained, finally finding out that the sides of Diavolo's belly made cackle a little and kick his legs. "It seems effective, but not as much."

Diavolo nodded. "Ihihihit's n- nohohot that bahahaEEEK!"

Diavolo jumped with a shriek when a sudden naughty finger started to wiggle in his belly button. It definitely was Barbatos, Lucifer was too busy changing from vibrations to scribbles, jumping from one side to the other.

The tickling to his navel felt so weird, Diavolo couldn’t help but scrunch up his nose as those giggles kept coming out of him.

“Barbahahatos!" He gasped. "P-Puhuhuhull it out!” Diavolo squeaked, trying not to arch his back to prevent Barbatos' finger from going deeper into his navel.

But suddenly Lucifer was leaving quick pokes to the side of his stomach and Diavolo's body thought it was a good idea to arch up as he let out another frantic cackle.

He shrieked and then twisted to the side, trying to lay on his stomach and make Barbatos stop poking at his belly button.

"Oh! I just remembered Asmo has a very ticklish back, what about you?"

Diavolo didn't react much to the playful scribbles against his back, he merely chuckled and shivered as he tried to recover from the tickling to his stomach, if anything, his body started to relax… so tickling can also feel this relaxing?

"Not effective, Lord Diavolo?" Barbatos asked, and Diavolo hummed playful, still turned on his side.

"It feels… different," he answers, his eyes dropping a little.

"Not falling asleep, we're not done yet," Lucifer said and before Diavolo could react to his words, Lucifer's fingers were gently digging against the back of Diavolo's ribs, right against a pressure point that made Diavolo arch his back and throw his head back with wild laughter.

"NAHAHAT- Nohohot thehehere!" He said and quickly let himself fall back against the grass.

That was a mistake, now his whole rib cage was exposed to these demons. Cold hands sneaked under his shirt and started to tease his ribs. Both using different techniques that surely had Diavolo cackling his head off.

"This one's Satan spot," Lucifer explained as his fingers vibrated against each individual rib and in the spaces between them just as he would do to Satan. "It seems like you're very sensitive too, Diavolo."

Diavolo shrieked, "W-Wahahahait! F-Fuhuhuhuck!" Lucifer faked a gasp. "S-stahahahap! I s-sahahahaid not thehehere!" He laughed, his eyes tightly shut as he body shook with laughter.

"So, thighs, ribs and hips seem very sensitive to Lord Diavolo, is that right?" Barbatos asked while he rubbed those deep circles against Diavolo's ribs that even made him forget where he was.

"It seems like so, but…"

"N-No! Nohohoho! J-Juhuhuhust- d-dohohon't go h-hihihihigher!" Diavolo begged and, of course, Barbatos and Lucifer had noticed that, the more they neared his highest ribs, Diavolo's laughter turned louder and a bit high pitched.

His struggling increased and it became a little harder for Lucifer and Barbatos to keep his arms raised above his head.

Diavolo desperately tried to stop them from going to his upper ribs. He didn't know why, but the funny sensation was slowly spreading to his underarms and it was driving him a little crazy. Why was he feeling ticklish there?!

"I think," Lucifer started and Diavolo could hear the smirk on his mouth even over his own laughter. "We found the spot, Barbatos."

"I do believe so," Barbatos answered, also smirking.

"Plehehehease! I thihihink I'll- AHAHAHA! ST-AHAHAHA-"

Diavolo was positively howling right now. Laughing in hysterics as soon as he felt their fingers touching his armpits. He could feel how, with much effort, Lucifer and Barbatos raised his arms a little higher, leaving his armpits completely exposed to their curious fingers.

"OKAHAHAY! Okahahay! Plehehehease! Too b-bahahahad! It tihihihickles too bahahahad!" Diavolo begged, weakly pulling at his arms

This was maddening! He was going crazy! He couldn't focus on anything else besides those fingers driving him up the wall.

Barbatos, as teasing and devious as always, was using one single finger to scribble all around Diavolo's armpit, quickly finding the most tender of spots right in the middle of his underarm.

Lucifer, a little rougher and looking to really drive Diavolo crazy, kept vibrating his fingers also right in the middle of Diavolo's armpit, making him cry with laughter.

"Oh, Lord Diavolo Is crying, shall we stop?" Diavolo could hear that Barbatos really didn't want to stop.

Tears of laughter were really falling down the sides of Diavolo's face, his cheeks were bright red and his mouth was wide open ina big smile as the most glorious and boisterous laughter escaped through his lips.

Not only that, his body had completely gone limp. He was squirming weakly and not even trying to pull at his trapped arms anymore.

Diavolo still thought that this was so much fun.

"I don't know. What do you think, Diavolo?" Lucifer purred and Diavolo shook his head. "No? Shall we continue?"

It definitely was fun, but he was reaching his limit. "No! Nahahahaha! I gihihihive! I give uhuhuhup!" He said, noticing that his laughter was going a little breathless.

To his luck, the tickling stopped and his arms were free again. He quickly pulled them down and was just slightly worried because he couldn't stop laughing.

"Diavolo's got the giggles," Lucifer said, watching with tender amusement how Diavolo's laughter turned to bright giggles. "Isn't he adorable?"

Barbatos chuckled behind his gloved hand. "Certainly. My Lord can be extremely adorable."

"G-Gohohohoodness," Diavolo sighed, cleaning the corners of his eyes. "You both are… demons," he laughed at his own joke and then winced. "Oh, I'm sohore."

Lucifer chuckled. "I told you this is awful," he said as he grabbed one of Diavolo's hands, Barbatos holding the other as they both helped him get up.

Diavolo's legs were a little shaky and he literally flopped onto his chair, gently pushing his tea toward Barbatos, asking for more tea to relieve the dryness of his throat after having laughed so much.

He really laughed a lot. When was the last time he laughed this much? Actually, when was the last time he had this much fun? He couldn't remember. He usually didn't laugh this much nor had this much fun.

That was… a little sad.

"Now, are you having a low after being so hyped?" Lucifer asked. He was back on his seat as well, fixing his hair and clothes all over again and taking little sips to his tea, already cold.

He looked as serious as ever, but Diavolo could see the corners of Lucifer's lips curling slightly in a little smile. Looking at his left, Barbatos was also smiling, more deliberately, but also gently.

Diavolo chuckled softly, shaking his head. "I'm not. I just… was thinking that it was… kind of fun," he said, his sad smile turning a bit brighter as his cheeks heated up.

"Hm? I'm glad you think so because we forgot about Belphie's spot," Lucifer said, his little smile morphing into a smirk. Diavolo widened his eyes.

"Oh? Where could that be?" Barbatos asked curiously.

"Neck. Belphie snorts so much when he's tickled there, I wonder what will you do, Diavolo."

Diavolo gasped and he got up at once, ready to escape, but he suddenly had his back pressed against the grass, one more time, and those nimble fingers were back on him, wiggling against the sides of his neck and under his chin.

Diavolo was, in fact, snorting between bright, bubbly giggles. Arms pinned back above his head and his legs kicking madly.

"I s-sahahahaid I gihihihive uhuhuhup!"

"We couldn't just not try this, Diavolo. It's for your own good."

"Stahahahap!*

Yes… he usually didn't laugh like this, and he certainly didn't have fun like this as often as he would want to, but he knew these two demons, looking at him with silly smiles and gentle eyes, would be up to make him have a good time and remind him that, around them, he was just their tickle to- ahem… just Diavolo, no Crown Prince, no RAD founder.

Simple and unique Diavolo.

[takahero]

in honour of finishing inkspell, here are some basta observations I picked up along the way. also, inkspell spoilers warning! i also have MANY MANY thoughts so i’d love to hear what you guys think to some of the questions raised

“He hadn’t changed: the same thin face, the same way of narrowing his eyes, and there was an amulet dangling around his neck to ward off the bad luck that Basta thought lurked under every ladder, behind every bush.” — pg.138

“Basta’s left hand was bandaged, Elinor noticed when he took his fingers away from her mouth.” — pg.139

“‘I’d have been here much sooner, believe you me, but they put me in jail for a while on account of something that happened years ago. No sooner was Capricorn gone than all the people who’d been too scared to open their mouths suddenly felt very brave.’” — pg.140 (see they never tell us WHY he was in prison, do they? the possibilities are endless. we know he committed atrocious things, like arson, but imagine if he got put in jail for something completely different…LOL)

“‘You wouldn’t believe how often I’ve told him there’s nothing to be ashamed of in going to jail, particularly when your prisons here are so much more comfortable than our dungeons at home.’” — pg.140 (OHHHTMGOD MEME IDEA)

“Basta flung his arm so roughly round Orpheus’ neck that his glasses slipped down his nose.” — pg.141

“‘Hold your tongue, Basta!’ Mortola interrupted him abruptly. ‘You’ve always liked the sound of your own voice.’” — pg.141

“‘Well, Silvertongue, I’m sorry it’s taken some time,’ he said in his soft, cat-like voice.” — pg.180

“‘My son always said revenge was a dish best eaten cold,’ observed Mortola.” — pg.181 (question. did basta find out about mortola’s true identity between inkheart & inkspell? do u think he realised it when mortola cried when capricorn died?)

“Basta passed a finger over his throat and winked at him.” — pg.186 (wink 2 LMAO)

“Basta bent down and picked up a rusty helmet lying at his feet. ‘What do you expect me to say?’ he growled, throwing the helmet back into the grass with a gloomy expression, and giving it a kick that sent it clattering against the wall. ‘Of course it’s our castle. Didn’t you see the figure of the goat on the wall there? Even the carved devils are still standing, though they wear ivy crowns now — and look, there’s one of the eyes that Slasher liked to paint on the stones.’” — pg.190

“‘So Basta was right after all. He’s dead, here and in the other world too.’” — pg.191 (interesting….so Basta knew Mortola’s plan wouldn’t work? he just wanted a ride home?)

“‘I’d really like to know what happened!’ he muttered. ‘I always said Capricorn wasn’t here, but what about the others?…What are we going to do if they’re all gone?’ Basta sounded like a boy afraid of the dark. ‘Do you want us to live in a cave like brownies until the wolves find us? Have you forgotten the wolves? And the Night-Mares, the fire-elves, all the other creatures crawling around the place…I for one haven’t forgotten them, but you would come back to this accursed spot where there are ghosts lurking behind every tree!’ He reached for the amulet dangling around his neck, but Mortola did not deign to look at him.

“‘Oh, be quiet!’ she said, so sharply that Basta flinched.” — pg.192

“‘You’re going to leave them here?’ That was Basta’s voice.” — pg.193 (at first I was like oh so he has a heart….but then he was mean to resa straight after this 🙄)

“‘Sorry, but he must have overlooked me, shut up in that cage as I was,’ purred Basta in his catlike voice.” — pg.377

“‘Wasn’t it Mortola who had you put in the cage to be fed to the Shadow?’ Basta just shrugged his shoulders and flung back his silver-grey cloak. Of course, he had his knife. A brand new one, it seemed, finer than any he’d ever had in the other world, and undoubtedly just as sharp.

“‘Yes, not very nice of her,’ he said as his fingers caressed the handle of the knife. ‘But she’s really sorry.’” — pg.377 (okay so it SOUNDS like he threatened/made some kind of bargain with his knife, but I strongly doubt that considering how afraid he seems of her?? i know he’s technically working for the adderhead but even by the end of the book, it seems he is far closer to mortola than adderhead. what is their relationship? or does he sincerely think she’s sorry/has deluded himself into believing such? UGH SO MANY QUESTIONS)

“Basta had always liked describing his own and other people’s abominable deeds in detail.” — pg.378

“‘But we’re not going to shoot you.’ Basta came a little closer to Fenoglio, his face as intent as that of a stalking cat.” — pg.378 …. living for all the cat references tbh

“‘He wants you to crawl on your belly to him, that’s what our noble lord and master likes. But never mind, he pays well!’” — pg.378 (yes basta all abt getting that bread LMAOOOO)

“He slowly drew the knife from his belt. Its blade was long and slightly curved.” — pg.379

“‘Hey Basta, I know you like the sound of your own voice.’” — pg.379 (AHAHAHAHA HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE CALLED OUT BASTA ON THIS NOW? IVE LOST TRACK)

“With a regretful sigh, Basta put the knife back in his belt. ‘Yes, very well, you’re right,’ he said in surly tones. ‘I need to take my time with this sort of thing. Questioning people is an art, a real art.’” — pg.380 (LMAOOOOOOO HE IS SUCH A DRAMA QUEEN)

“Basta. The same thin face, the same twisted smile. Only the clothes were different. Basta was no longer wearing his white shirt and black suit with the flower in his buttonhole. No, Basta now wore the Adderhead’s silvery grey, and he had a sword at his side. With a knife in his belt too, of course. But he was holding a dead chicken in his left hand.” — pg. 455

“‘Yes, they are!’ purred Basta. ‘The little witch, and the fire-eater into the bargain. It was well worth the wait. Even though I’ll probably never get that damned flour out of my lungs again.’” — pg.455 (ok….so who’s gonna draw basta sitting amongst the flour AAHHAHA)

“‘Servant? Who’s a servant here? Just listen to him. As bold as if he’d never felt my knife! Have you forgotten how you screamed when it cut your face?’” — pg.457 … don’t call basta a servant…..noted

“‘Oh, don’t look so disbelieving, little witch, I still can’t read and I don’t intend to learn, but there are enough fools around the place who can, even in this world.’” —pg. 457 (i wonder how much capricorn influenced basta’s views on reading. because capricorn said that he learnt how to read from a maid, right? so basta certainly wouldn’t have trash-talked reading in front of him. and even after living in OUR world for nine years, I’m still surprised that he never attempted to learn, given how dependent we are on it. anyway my headcanon is that he secretly wants to, but doesn’t want to give others the satisfaction of knowing they have something he doesn’t. also nobody he knows would be willing to teach him (unless he threatened them) bc of his obviously violent and short-tempered nature…and learning requires so much patience. still, though, would love a fic of basta being taught how to read in secret and having some kind of positive interaction)

“‘You’re even more talkative than you used to be, Basta.’ Dustfinger’s voice sounded as if he found this tedious.” — pg.458 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH IM DYING. honestly the animosity between them was just. A+++

“Basta was in an even worse state. He was sitting close to Mortola, his face so red and swollen that Meggie almost failed to recognise him. But he had escaped death once again. Perhaps the good-luck charms he always wore worked after all.” — pg.526

“The sunlight falling into the room made Basta’s face look like a boiled lobster.” — pg.575 

“Basta put his hand to the amulet hanging around his neck. It was not a rabbit’s paw, as he had worn in Capricorn’s service, but something that looked suspiciously like a human finger-bone.” — pg.581 (THIS STILL IRKS ME SO MUCH)

“The Piper straightened his back, as ready to attack as the viper on his master’s coat of arms…He was a good head taller than Basta.” — pg.582 WHY DO I KEEP FORGETTING HES NOT TALL LMFAO

“The two men were standing so close that the blade of Basta’s knife wouldn’t have fitted between them.” — pg.582 HAHAHAJAHAAJAHAHHAAHAHAHAH PKESJENE I LOVE THIS SO MUCH … IMAGINE BASTA SQUARING UP W HIS NOSE JUST SMACK BANG IN THE MIDDLE OF PIPER’S CHEST OR SOMETHING

“The Piper struck Basta in the face so hard that his head hit the door frame. Blood ran down his burned cheek in a trail of red. He wiped it away with the back of his hand. ‘Take care to avoid dark corridors, Piper!’ he whispered. ‘You don’t have a nose any more, but one can always find something else to cut off.’” — pg.582-583 THIS SCENE WAS SIMPLY……CHEF’S KISS

are you serious is he dead??? WHAT. okay I knew dustfinger’s love for farid would be the end of him and basta being the instrument to rip that away from him was totally heartrending. i WISH it had been more climactic? like dustfinger unleashing his fury and fighting basta, blind with anger and grief. THE DIALOGUE POTENTIAL BETWEEN THEM AS THEY FINALLY TALK ONE-ON-ONE, and then some revisiting of the scene where dustfinger has the opportunity to kill basta but AGAIN withholds because killing is not in his nature….THEN MO IN SHINING ARMOUR SWOOPS IN TO DO THE JOB

now, off to inkdeath!

[borathae]

Ok I’m back and I’m 👁👄👁

YOONGI PLEASE COMEBACK STOP THE DRAMA YOU DO CARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU COME BACK TO WHERE YOU ARE LOVED, ACCEPTED AND NEEDED BABY PLEASE KOOKIE IS SAD AND IN DESPAIR AND HUNGRY AND OUR LADY IS GETTING HERSELF KILLED AGAIN COME BACK!!! WHERE DID YOU GO?????!!!!!

Ok with my general and strongest feelings about this chapter out of the way I continue… no but for real where is him? Is he okay??! MIN YOONGI COMEBACK 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Jungkook is back and being mean with oc and I get it she has been behaving like a brat and always fighting with Yoongi and using him (her intentions were good and girl was going through A LOT) but please cut her some slack Kook she’s trying hard now 😭

Not her describing her relationship with Yoongi as enemies to lovers 😭 so did she finally accept her feelings completely and consider him her lover? Cause 🥺🥺🥺

Also Jungkook pulling a twilight move? Love it sjksksksksjkssk

This sweet boy getting sad and not wanting her affection because she has Tae and then all shy when she tells him that she has him and Yoongi too and that it’s not only Tae anymore , my heart these three men deserve all the love and kisses in the world please 😩

And oc too, what the hell?! Like what kind of parent blames their 9 year old daughter of a fire?! She was child!!! They are the parents they should have made sure that the toy was actually off or whatever before leaving the house??? Not the child alone??? Also we know pretty little about oc’s past, will we get to know more about her in following chapters? I feel that there must be a reason hidden in her past as to why she got herself in all of this mess 👀 or maybe I’m reading too much into it 🤔

And… noooo the moment Kook started to get horny with her I knew that this was going to end badly, he hasn’t eaten in two weeks and the training sessions stopped, he’s been under constant stress due to loosing not only Hobi and Jin the closest to a family he has as a vampire but now his Yoongi too, he was most likely to loose control and she knew too but what can you do when Jeon Jungkook begs you to take him so needy like that 😫 so the final question here is, did he really loose control and attacked her? Will Yoongi comeback just in time to save her again? Was Taehyung able to hear her through the door of the cellar? If yes he must be so worried on top of everything else.

Well that’s everything I think , a wonderful pair of chapters as always Sibi, I’m excited to read more and I little bit sad considering that there are only 6 chapters left but eeekkkkkkk we are so close to the ending and to see how everything unfolds!

But that’s it for now Sibi, hope you have a great day/night!!! Love u 💜

-Shy anon

HAHHA I love you yelling at Yoongi to come back becAUSE SAME :(

Okay but like I love the general consesus that Kook acted unfair with heR HAHAHA you guys I love you for that hajaja

Not her describing her relationship with Yoongi as enemies to lovers 😭 so did she finally accept her feelings completely and consider him her lover? Cause 🥺🥺🥺

Perhaps she did 👀😭😭😭😭😭

Also Jungkook pulling a twilight move? Love it sjksksksksjkssk

LMOAOA LEGIT I WAS LIKE "I didn't just make him do that did I?" ahahahaha

Honestly though if OC's parents really blamed her than they are the poopiest parents ever like my dudes you were adults she was a child, don't blame her wtf :(

he hasn’t eaten in two weeks and the training sessions stopped, he’s been under constant stress due to loosing not only Hobi and Jin the closest to a family he has as a vampire but now his Yoongi too

*sobs* also "his Yoongi" *sobs aggressively*

Well that’s everything I think , a wonderful pair of chapters as always Sibi, I’m excited to read more and I little bit sad considering that there are only 6 chapters left

I'M ALSO SAD :( LEGIT I AM IN A STATE OF GRIEF AT THE THOUGHT THAT SANGUIS ALPHA IS GOING TO END SOON :( lowkey I am legit considering if I should write a part TWO AHAHAHAH I EVEN HAVE SOME PLOT IDEAS FOR IT HAHAHAFAHDSFH

I am honestly so happy though that you loved the chapter and I hope you are feeling better again! School can be so stressful, so I hope you found some time to relax and do things which make you happy 💜💜

[project-paranoia]

Live Watch: Thousand Autumns Episode One

Oh wow someone got the good... guzheng? Something in that family of instruments anyway. They got the good music for that. And the animation is beautiful and beautifully synchronised to the clip excerpts.

And the imagery! The opening with the symbol of the Dao, and then main character number 1, Shen Qiao, all in white, in a fantastically and subtly ornamented outfit - I love the textures of the cloth they put in on the animation here, cloth and clothes textures are so easy to get wrong and they’ve done it beautifully here. I think this is supposed to be Shen Qiao’s original sect leader/zhangjiao outfit and he looks properly leaderly in it.

And this, followed by a closeup of Yan Wushi’s hand holding the ring of contention, and then Yan Wushi himself, very handsomely rendered in 3d animation - and again I have to voice my appreciation of the cloth textures. That’s actual subtly 3d brocade textures they’re rendering there, with the correct flow for how cloth hangs on the body, and the correct variances of light on the areas with thicker brocade and it is, frankly, very impressive. And they didn’t lose colour saturation doing it either, making that purple robe look suitably luxurious. The shiny hair ornament and one sidebang in white is a nice touch as well. As are the hints they set right in the opening that Shen Qiao and Yan Wushi are ... opposites, and complements, linking them back to the Yin/Yang balance of the symbol of the Dao.

So much love for this opening song it’s so good. Also going to be a pain to translate accurately with a proper sense of the poetry of it, but so good.

Alright episode 1 proper, 风雨欲来. The coming of the wind and rain, literally, I think. Maybe even the foreboding or oncoming storm, if you’re going for the feel of the term instead of literal translation. Oh. Oh that opening montage with the bird’s eye view and the fog and the high mountains - I was so taken by this scenery I sketched and tried to paint it at least 3 times. It’s a very moving shot. Also very much in the grand tradition of xianxia/wuxia, and also, even without a word, hinting at the traditional stance of the Mt Xuandu sect - to 出世， to remove themselves from the world to cultivate in the seclusion and clarity of the literal peaks above the clouds and dust of the world.

Oh. Oh that opening shot. The challenge to combat by Kunye to Shen Qiao. The.. subtle and ornate embroidery and brocade and patterning on Shen Qiao’s sect leader robes is so awesome. The wave motifs repeated in the 3 layers of robes, even on the hair ornament/冠 in his hair, the resolute look on his face! The closeup shot of the 山河同悲 sword - and what a name for it. A sword named for, if I may be excused poetry in translation - compassion and pity and fellow feeling for the griefs and pains and trials of the world as encompassed by the mountains and rivers - what a blade, and what a name, and what a bearer that would be worthy of it. A very good hint, at the kind of person Shen Qiao is, even before they have him open his mouth.

The contrasting costuming decision for Kunye et al is also very nice, hinting at the cultural differences between, say, the peoples that live on the central plains and the more nomadic groups living on less kindly land, shown in the different materials available/preferred - leather, furs, etc  vs cloth, silk, cotton etc

And the fight choreography! So nice! The 3d animation works really well here,in that there’s no limitation to the capabilities of human bodies and it’s possible to really show in the visual medium the knock out drag down fight between 2 people whose martial - and quasi magical - capabilities are already at potentially mountain splitting levels. Not to mention also, showing that a Shen Qiao who isn’t being handicapped by sabotage... really can wipe the floor with Kunye if he wants to. And then, of course, once the fight gets to Half-step Peak and they’re out of sight of inconvenient witnesses, the signal for the ambush. And then the effects of the sabotage take hold.

Ah, flashback to 20 years ago, to provide the audience with the world info we need to understand the rest of the story. Not to mention also informing us why Hulugu would even bother. Or why Kunye coming in to challege Shen Qiao is so narratively important. And also introducing the ring that so many would fight over later.

Yan Wushi’s character introduction.. is quite something. As is Yu Shengyan’s. Ah, Shizun, congratulations on exiting your 10 year cultivation seclusion, would you like the highlights on the changes in the world in the past 10 years? But also a good show of character, because they have him not even looking at Yu Shengyan, but looking away in the distance, and telling him to only tell the most important bits, he’s not interested in useless words. Also serves as a nice introduction to some people who’ll be important later, and giving us a time marker for when Shen Qiao ascended to the sect leader post - 5 years ago, after the death of his shizun Qi Fengge. Ah Yan Wushi, your characteristically arrogant attitude - aside from Qi Fengge, who in life was worthy of being the first among all the wuxia world, the rest are not worth even mentioning. And here too a little hint that Yan Wushi might care a little bit in some way for those who are his, including his disciples - He tells Yu Shengyan that this location, this Half Step Peak that they’re at, because of its physical characteristics, is good for him to cultivate to the next level of understanding/enlightenment of the martial arts used by Huanyue Sect.

I love it whenever they hint that the more... developed characters whose martial arts are very good have improved senses. A little flow of blood in the water, Yu Shengyan notices something is wrong, looks at his shizun, and receives a nod of affirmation that he perceived correctly and should take action. And then after that, they come upon a body of one of the Mt Xuandu disciples, and Yan Wushi’s verbal remark that today, Mt Xuandu is troubled and not pure and clean. And then Shen Qiao literally falls from the cliff top - and the pan up makes it very clear that for most people, this is a lethal fall.

And then the surviving ambushers attempt to finish the job when Yu Shengyan checks whether Shen Qiao is still alive... and Yan Wushi takes the training opportunity when he sees it, and tells his disciple to use his strongest techniques to take on the remaining assassins. And then, when Yu Shengyan can't quite wipe the floor with them... criticizes his lack of growth, as might be expected of Yan Wushi, and steps in to really wipe the floor with the assassins, as might not be expected of Yan Wushi. Also doubles as a really nice display to the audience of his level of strength. In fact.. listening to the voice, I think one of those assassins appears, unhidden, in later episodes. Heh. Plot continuity, a nice one. As are the assassins having common sense, recognising Yan Wushi's infamous technique, and running before they're cut down.

Ahahahaha yes Yu Shengyan, your shizun really had you pick that fight for training, and he's really about to pick up Shen Qiao and have him rescued on a whim. Also nice to review, on rewatch for the details, that part of this whim is perhaps curiousity as to Shen Qiao's ability to survive and/or recover, as hinted by the thin thread of strength provided by the Zhuyang Ce, that Yan Wushi identifies as the thin strength keeping him alive, despite the aforementioned lethal fall.

Heh. Yu Shengyan – and maybe Huanyue Sect's other job – information gatherers aka spies.

Ah, Yan Wushi, you really are fascinated by people's reactions under stress, aren't you.

Shen Qiao awakens! Oof, the amount of damage – can't see, amnesia – damaged or even broken meridians – the donghua doesn't mention how much time passes, but given that Yu Shengyan mentions that Shen Qiao's broken bones have only just finished healing – could not have been a matter of days. Weeks, maybe even a month, minimum. Unless Yu Shengyan meant that the bones have only just been set – which could mean a few days. And then the mindscrew from Yan Wushi, telling poor amnesiac Shen Qiao that, yes, your name is Shen Qiao, oh, and you are one of my disciples from Huanyue Sect! Someone sure is hasty to put his poke the injured person plans into action! Ah Yan Wushi, if you could please give Shen Qiao a break, he just had a near death experience! But also – the scope of the injuries – yes, it benefits Yan Wushi's plotting but also – Shen Qiao was injured beyond the scope of ordinary medicine? Yu Shengyan has to be stationed to basically care for him until he is able to awaken – and presumably recover – appropriately!

Alright, time marker, 3 months after previous events.. okay. Shen Qiao can walk, some, though the animators were careful to make it a clearly pained walk, in comparison to how he was moving pre-Kunye fight. And then of course the blindness, which may also explain how they've animated him moving with more cautious steps. And the coughing, and the eyes that can't focus – all in all, a detailed and careful show of how badly injured Shen Qiao still is. Can't help sniggering at every 'shidi' I'm hearing him say though. And Yu Shengyan... yes, really, even though you and your shizun can't quite believe it, there really is a person this kind and considerate of other people.

The appearance of the weiqi board motif! Strategy, and planning, and part of the arts of the refined gentlemen..and the hint of how Shen Qiao is perceiving/visualising the input that he hears, since he can't see right now. And the hint that he might be using qi to help sort through what he hears – well enough that he can identify it's a weiqi board, and even the piece being placed. Very Awesome. Especially when they show Yan Wushi possibly testing Shen Qiao's capability to perceive the world around him by hesitating and purposely not putting down his piece.. and Shen Qiao very naturally picking up the piece – black, the correct colour and the one Yan Wushi was about to play – and putting it in the correct position on the board that Yan Wushi was about to place. Is it any wonder that the next thing Yan Wushi checks is the state of his recovery?

And then we have Yan Wushi's characteristic multipronged planning – creating trouble for Hehuan sect, training for Yu Shengyan, testing opportunity for Shen Qiao. Very excellent, any and every outcome has benefit to Yan Wushi.

Ah the encounter at the medicine shop. Hm. Okay, the sharing of the medicine is clearly a hint to Yan Ziwen of some kind that he and his should be especially cautious tonight, perhaps even to run for their lives tonight. Though it's maybe a hint in the actions, and not the words, because the words don't sound suspicious at all. Neither do the actions, if you were watching as a observer and didn't know Yan Ziwen's paranoid character – a blind person would unsurprisingly wish to be extra careful where they put their hands. And at night, on the attack... for all that Shen Qiao can't quite see, and is currently relying on the rest of his senses... he can tell that something's off about Yu Shengyan's actions. And then... Shen Qiao remembers... the sword, and what Qi Fengge taught him. And then the confrontation, and the near strangulation by Yan Wushi... Shen Qiao has such a nice literary register to his speech. Four word phrases even under severe near strangled stress, with the right philosophical meaning to make his point to Yan Wushi. And then the reveal of Yan Wushi's plotting. Very nicely done.

And now, the first of Yan Wushi's many many invitations to Shen Qiao to forsake his daoist path and join Yan Wushi's ... evil sect is not the right word. Demonic path is technically correct but has moral overtones that don't fit. Join Yan Wushi's cultivation path, maybe. Join and get bloody revenge on everyone who's wronged Shen Qiao – and already there are so many of them. And we the audience wonder for half a second – is he going to do it? Is this going to be a revenge story? And Shen Qiao flat out refuses in words, in the first of many times. And then Shen Qiao walks away from Yan Wushi. Here the animation is a delight again – the audience gets to see the little micro expressions that flit across – he's actually walking away?! And then Yan Wushi does his dramatic gifting of the bamboo stick. And too, a few seconds later, the reveal of their movements being spied on by Duan Wenyang, and Yu Shengyan's orders to continue searching for .. something. Ah, the plotting in Thousand Autumns. Always a delight.