#good lord that edit too. my brain will never be the same

[nyxypoo]

bokuto....

[actual-changeling]

I have written many meta posts and s3-theories, and read even more, but I got hit by an idea I have not seen before. (If there is another post, please link it!)

After vibrating for an hour and losing my mind in my dms, I have no scraped together enough brain cells to present what is probably my first actual 'main-plot meta'.

Welcome to another edition of Alex's unhinged meta corner, today with a title to honour Crowley's James Bond obsession and the possibility of another heaven heist.

I give you:

From Jesus with Love - You Will Live Twice

Now, let's get right into it.

I think Neil might have told us more about the main s3 plotline in the announcement article than we previously thought. We all got stuck on 'they're not talking'—for good reason—but it is the part before that which has been bugging me ever since then.

The plans are going wrong—and this time that is a problem for earth and humanity. Turning that around, it means that whatever that plan consists of would be the way to go and beneficial for everyone, the opposite of the main plot of s1.

"They need to prevent the Second Coming (SC)" is pretty much the only and most popular idea I have seen, hundreds of fics and metas and whatnot have been written about it, but I think there's a good chance we're wrong. If we're not, well, I will honestly just be happy to be watching season 3.

Whatever the Metatron is planning will have negative consequences for everyone, or as Michael puts it: "And so… it ends. Everything ends. Time and the world is over, and we begin Eternity… forever and ever."

It sounds very much like Apocalypse #1 - Same Old Plan, same expected result, yet if we look at different interpretations of scripture we find that the SC is not entirely about complete destruction and death for all of humanity—it is about creating a new world/migrating to the kingdom of God.

This is taken from the Wikipedia article about the SC

Resurrection and life in a world to come are a direct contradiction to the result Michael is explaining—total annihilation of humanity.

Now, I am neither religious in any way nor have I ever received any sort of biblical education. Luckily, Christians seem to love talking about the bible because there are dozens of bible website to wade through. If I get anything wrong, please point it out, I have never touched a bible in my life.

So, after reading many, many quotes by a bunch of different guys, I tried to create a somewhat coherent picture of what the SC might look like based on the assumption that the end result is positive. I will talk about how they can be interpreted more in-depth later, otherwise this would turn into a string-net very fast.

Additionally, we can also see where these points overlap with the statement Jimbriel gave in the bookshop in episode three.

What is Jesus' job description?

only God knows when and how exactly it will begin/happen, no one else does, including Jesus and the Metatron

a lot of different catastrophes are mentioned or quoted as something Jesus said, like earthquakes and storms -> Jimbriel mentioned a tempest and great storms

there is also the line "All these are the beginning of birth pains." Birth pains dictate that there will be a birth—birth of the world to come perhaps?

dead people will be resurrected/leave their graves so that they too can be judged (I'd say participate in it but that sounds like the Second Coming is a summer camp activity)

there are also mentions of stars and the heavens in general falling from the sky and the sun going dark -> Jimbriel also mentions darkness as one of the signs

great lamentations, as Jimbriel says, are also a part of many different passages, with humans mourning the world as it was

the Lord will descent with the voice of an Archangel and the sound of a trumpet/the trumpet of God; the grammatical structure of that sentence seems to be interpreted differently depending on who you ask, but the voices of angels/an Archangel and some sort of trumpet are common terms

once everyone is in heaven/wherever the 'main even' will take place, a judgement call will be made for every single person in relation to the book of life, which decides whether they will be punished forever or not (one passage talks about a lake of fire and mentions it several times in a row)

And this is where it gets tricky. To figure out what the SC looks like, we first need to understand a) what the Metatron's capabilities are, b) what he has to lose, and c) what exactly would be a threat to him.

If you ask me, all of this comes down to the Metatron wanting to stay and be in power for eternity with full control over angels so he can do as he please, aka keeping the system running as it is.

We know the book of life (bol) is a thing in the Good Omens universe, whether it does what Michael said is an entirely different question. So far, we have also only got confirmation that hell collects and tortures souls—in such large amounts that they are understaffed—while heaven looks completely empty.

The Metatron runs heaven as an institution, he seems to be the highest power any of the angels have access to and the one they defer to. He refers to himself as the voice of God and combines judge, jury and executioner, making him one great celestial dictator.

From what we know of hell, they do things a lot more democratically, having different councils, dukes, and ranks that are responsible for different levels of command.

We also know that that the Metatron wants the world to end, his goals can probably be summarized as the statement Michael makes, which would leave him in charge without any opposing forces.

We also also know that he sees Crowley and Aziraphale as a threat—why exactly remains a mystery for now—and that the success of his plan hinges on having a Supreme Archangel (SA) he can control. Gabriel decided to become princess of hell and Beez' sugar baby, so he was out of the equation, and after the Armageddon disaster, I don't think he wants to risk failing because of an unfamiliarity with earth (plus, y'know, getting our two idiots away from the plan).

It's interesting to me that right at the end, he says to Aziraphale "We call it the Second Coming"—call, not it is or it will be, CALL. We know that nothing Neil writes is a coincidence, definitely not with such an important line.

Just because you CALL something a specific name doesn't mean it IS what you call it, e.g. Aziraphale calls Crowley a foul fiend when we know he very much isn't.

The Metatron is selling his plan as part of the "Great/Ineffable Plan", so any questions can be blocked by saying it's God's will, it's ineffable. Whatever his plan is, he hides it behind the concept of the Second Coming, which angels know just enough about to understand the basics without having in-depth knowledge of what exactly it entails.

It is a good fucking strategy, I'll give him that, and it WORKS because angels—even if they have doubts—do not question. They simply don't; fear of punishment and millennia of conditioning have left them in a horrible place. When they encounter something unknown, their response is "I already knew that" as to not ask questions.

Crowley questions, we know that, and Aziraphale, ohhhhh, Aziraphale ALSO questions, but he does it in a less dangerous and obvious way. The Metatron is vastly underprepared for that.

(Side note: That alone would be its own meta post, but the gist is that he questions heaven's plans and then adjusts his assumptions of what God might want to what he WANTS God to want, e.g. Job, the Arch)

To summarize everything I just said, the Metatron wants to do what Armageddon failed to do—destroy earth and the universe—so he can be supreme dictator of all remaining celestial beings and gorge himself on power.

But instead of calling it his Big Evil Plan, he calls it the Second Coming, making everyone play along without resistance.

We cycle aaaaall the way back to the sentence I quoted—the ACTUAL plans are going wrong since the Metatron's would mean total destruction.

But what is the SC supposed to be if not the Apocalypse 2.0?

When I look at all the different aspects of the SC and assume a positive outcome, then the end result to me would be a new world that is pretty much like the old world, or maybe even literally the old world but with any destruction reversed. Heaven and hell get dissolved since now that everyone has been "judged", they as institutions are no longer needed, they have fulfilled their purpose.

No more judgement means there is no reason to keep track anymore, so why do you need to run celestial corporations whose only job is doing exactly that? You don't—and THAT is what I believe is the biggest perceived threat to the Metatron, losing full control over everyone and everything, losing his position, his title, and whatever else he has.

On top of that, Good Omens has told us again and again that God doesn't seem to give a fuck about good and evil anymore, and that without heaven and hell being all wrapped up in it, humanity would have 100% free will without any consequences.

Maybe the BoL is empty, maybe it isn't real, maybe Jesus stole it to straighten a wobbly table, who knows. There is a chance it is what Michael says, but I would admittedly find that a bit. too obvious and boring since it would boil the plot down to "they save their own asses again" and not "they save humanity at all cost".

Regarding Crowley and Aziraphale's role in this—I have Thoughts TM but those definitely need their own post. In short, they have to get the SC back on track, the real one.

-

If you have made it this far, thank you for working through what I hope are more or less coherent rambles. Any spelling or grammar mistakes are my own.

Questions? Thoughts? Corrections? Expansions and additions?

Feel free to add to this post however you like (and I can't believe I have to mentions this but if you clown on my post or behave like an asshole you will be blocked).

[darliings]

omg so cutes!!! 🍽️

thank you so much !!

"I Think There's an Issue With My Date. I Think Neither of Us Have Brain Cells?"

ೃ⁀➷✎ warnings: none! (afaik) ೃ⁀➷✎ pairing: lord kaira x frogivable (oc x canon) ೃ⁀➷✎ word count: 1,077 ೃ⁀➷✎ summary: frogivable and kaira are not ones who are well managed in their feelings. but surely, they can have a normal dinner date, right? ೃ⁀➷✎ a/n: i didn't edit this and i barely paid attention to if it made sense. but it was funny! i enjoyed writing it, i appreciate you sending an ask ^_^ ೃ⁀➷✎ divider credit: @/k1ssyoursister ೃ⁀➷✎ prompt: 🍽️ dinner date normally i have a song that actually fits the story. but i dont have anything. so i just listened to this.

If one could track down the aroma to a singular scent, they would fail in an instant. From sweet, to tangy, to sour, there were perhaps hundreds of smells that streamed and whirled around in the air in this singular room. Was it overwhelming? Without a doubt. The frog yo-kai stood at the door of the room as he took in the thousands of smells, but what he focused on the most was the well-dressed figure who stood at the edge of the table with a down-turned smile.

Frogivable could see the blue-haired man’s Adam’s apple bob down. Manicured nails dug into the padded cushion as he pulled the chair back, causing a loud screech against the wooden floors. Frogivable took a careful step forward, as Kaira nodded. “Take a seat?” Kaira whispered. His voice had a flutter in it that screamed for mercy. Frogivable knew of this, it wasn’t the tone of a king, but just his friend.

“I’m a little underdressed for this,” Frogivable answered with a laugh as he walked over. His cane clicking against the floor as he scooted himself onto the chair.

Kaira cleared his throat. “No, no. I think you…” A pinkish tint covered his face as he bashfully looked away from Frogivable, who tilted his head. “I think you look… adorable.” For a second, Frogivable said nothing. His own cheeks grew hot as a dry laugh slipped out. Him? Adorable? His hand raised and brushed against his quivering lips as he opened his mouth to respond.

“I don’t, well,” the shorter man laughed, and covered his cheek, “I mean thank you! But I’m not someone who’s… adorable!” He couldn’t stop laughing. Embarrassment swept over his body and words tumbled and fell down a never-ending hill. “No, no, you’re the adorable one! You got all dressed up and I look like I came out of a storm. Seriously, I mean look at you! Your suit is all -”

A finger pressed against his lips, which caused him to stop instantly. His green eyes met into the smoldering blue of his friend’s. “You’re adorable.” Kaira whispered again.

Frogivable slapped his hands over his face.

“You can’t be confident when I’m not emotionally ready! You say things that make me feel weird and I end up sounding like an idiot and now I’m going to ruin the entire dinner date now! Because I don’t know how to act normally about anything! It’s not fair!” Oh, how childish he sounded. The yo-kai knew he was a mess. He just didn’t know how to make sense of anything! How could someone as regal, fantastic, and remarkable as the king of yo-kai find anything good about him? He was just some lowlife yo-kai who woke up day and night lucky that he had connections when he was a child. It wasn’t fair. He was so…

The blue-haired man’s fingers brushed against the frog’s, which made him pause once more, and like a stream, his hands moved down and followed Kaira’s. “I’m happy you feel the same way that I do.” The king said.

They stayed there; the winds blowing in from open windows and cooled down the cuisine that was neglected on the dinner table. “Your face is all red,” the nervous man whispered. “It matches the rose clip thingy you’re wearing.”

“Frogivable.” Kaira chuckled, pressed his head against his, and clasped his hands over the shoulders. “You are aware I just confessed to you, correct?”

“Yeah and I’m hungry.”

“You are far too lucky how adorable you are. Mannerisms from that…Enma has sunk deep into how you act sometimes.” Kaira grabbed a chair from the side of the table, lifted it up, and placed it beside Frogivable as he scouted it closer to the table and pushed the Frogivable so they were close together. “I’m going to feed you now. We are going to do a task that most people would consider ‘romantic’, understood?”

He nodded. As Frogivable reached for a fork, his hand was pressed back down onto the table with a pale, icy finger, as Kaira grabbed the utensil before he had a chance. Right, Kaira was going to feed him. A hand turned his face back to Kaira, who had a forkful of spaghetti wrapped around the shiny silverware as the king commanded him once more. “Say, ‘ah’”

Was he going to die? He was going to die. There were thrashing emotions that were ready to explode into billions of pieces as they bubbled and boiled in his chest. How dare he be so pretty? How his blue hair fell against his perfect face, his dazzling eyes that stared at just him with adoration that no one could ever challenge, how his pink lips opened every so slightly to expose a sharp fang that he thought one too many times. He was going to die. He was going to die. He was going to -

“Aaahh…”

The fork was placed smoothly into his hanging mouth as he yanked the food off and it slid down and it against his chin. Red sauce covered him now as he slurped it back up. In an instant, Kaira leaned forward and pressed a thumb to his chin and wiped it off, but it only ended up falling onto the corner of the cloudy yo-kai’s gray shirt and stained it with tomato. “This isn’t going how I planned…” Kaira whispered as he squeezed the bridge of the nose. “You should have been… but…” Kaira rambled to himself under his breath as Frogivable tilted his head at him.

With a smile, he spoke, “well, I think you’re a handsome cook.” A loud THUMP hit against the table as Kaira made his head and the table acquaintances. Frogivable pressed a hand against Kaira’s back, ran his hand up and down, and patted him a few times. “I said, I think you’re a handsome cook!”

Kaira groaned once more. "If only I had met you first… then maybe things would have been easier for me…” Froggy patted his back again, hoping that it would help him out… maybe not today, but it was the thought that counted.

Another voice caught the attention of both of them as they froze. “What, you mean me?” A chuckle broke out mixed with a stuff face as the ex-king made himself far too comfortable gorged on three plates of curry.

Frogivable raised a hand and waved at his old friend! “Oh, hi Enma!”

[onegianthotmess]

Names for the Genderbent Ikevamp Suitors

Okay, because of a comment from @fang-and-feather on one of my posts, I decided to post a little itty bitty thingy on what I think the suitors’ names would be if they were women. A lot of these were really tricky, but I tried my best!

Napoleon Bonaparte - Nathalie Bonaparte

I was torn between Nathalie or Narcisse, which was right under the name Napoleon on the website I used

I just feel Nathalie was more of a fit than Narcisse

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Whiltierna Amadea Mozart

Holy fuck was this one hard-

Do you know how hard it is to find the female equivalent of the name “Wolfgang”???

So, the name Whiltierna actually means “wolf lord” and I thought it was pretty perfect

And for those of you who thought I was gonna do his full name, the answer is no and never

I’d have to go into naming history and look up names for each of his middle names, trying to get similar sounding names and similar meanings

It would just be a whole thing, okay???

Leonardo da Vinci - Leona da Vinci

Pretty straightforward

Same meaning, practically sounds the same

And for those of you who were wondering about his full last name, da Vinci’s full last name just means “son of Piero from Vinci”

And the genderbent equivalent of that would just be “daughter of Piero from Vinci”

And I’m too lazy for that so you get what you get!

Arthur Conan Doyle - Arthea Coralynne Doyle

And I thought Mozart was a hard one-

Many of the female versions of the name “Arthur” were just that name but with feminine suffixes

And then my brain was like “Wait, you’ve heard the name Arthea before. It’s pretty, but is it real?”

And, lo and behold, it is real-

And to think I was about to use Arielle

BUT DO NOT GET BE STARTED ON THIS BITCH’S MIDDLE NAME!!!

I couldn’t find a name with a similar meaning that sounded good or similar to the original, so I purely went for one that sounded good and similar to the original

And I immediately thought of the name Cora, but it didn’t sound right, so I looked up Coralynne to make sure it was a real name, and it is!

And it means “maiden”

Fitting for the best attention slut in the mansion!

Vincent van Gogh - Victoria van Gogh

Thank fuck this one was easy!

Also, I see woman!Vincent acting like Victoria from Corpse Bride

Soft-spoken and ladylike, but she also stands her ground and speaks her mind when she really needs it

God, I can’t wait to write some genderbent Vincent!!!

Theodorus van Gogh - Theodosia van Gogh

Wow, two easy ones in a row???

But seriously, ever since I thought about the genderbent suitors, I always knew I’d call genderbent Theo “Theodosia”

Not only is it a pretty name but it sounds so similar to the name he has!!

Dazai Osamu/Tsushima Shuuji - Dazai Osama/Tsushima Shuuya

Okay, I’m gonna be real, I did not expect this to be an actual name

But then I remember any Japanese name can be feminine or masculine if you change the suffix or last letter

For example, to make the name “Masaru” a girl’s name you just have to change the suffix so that the name reads “Masami”

Also, yes, I know Dazai’s name is just a pen name, but I’m too lazy to do a genderbend of his actual legal name

Edit: I just randomly decided to genderbend Dazai’s actual name and I came up with Tsushima Shuuya

Isaac Newton - Isadora Newton

I was expecting another hard one from Isaac, but I was surprised when I got names I liked and that would suit him if he was a woman immediately!!!

And I also love the name Isadora

I feel it’s perfect and gives off soft but intelligent vibes for some reason

You know how you can just get certain vibes from names??

Or is it just me???

Jean d’Arc - Jeanne d’Arc

I feel like this is an agreed upon name for genderbent Jean-

And for those of you saying “BuT jOaN iS aLrEaDy HiS gEnDeRbEnT nAmE-”

No, it isn’t, that is his name in history because people mistook him for a woman in the game because he was very young and very pretty!!!

Also, I don’t really like the name Joan, it’s just not very appealing to me and I feel like Jeanne is better suited to him if he was a woman like IRL history states-

William Shakespeare - Whilloe Shakespeare

I wanted a unique way to spell “Willow” okay?

And I was going to use “Whilloe” for Mozart, but I felt it better suited Will honestly

And we can actually still call genderbent Shakespeare “Will” if we wanted to-

Also Willow is the name of my cousin and I didn’t want to associate a dating sim character to someone I’m related to, so-

The unique spelling serves two purposes!

Le Comte de Saint-Germaine/Abel - La Comtesse de Saint-Germaine/Abella

His real name is Abel, right? I’m pretty sure it’s Abel-

Either way, it’s too late now, his genderbent real name is Abella!!!

And she is the prettiest sugar mommy on the block

Right next to genderbent Vlad-

Sebastian/Satou Akihiko - Sebastienne/Satou Akiko

Thank fuck my work husband/real husband’s name was easy-

Also I did not know that Sebastienne was a name!

Either way, it’s really pretty!

And why did I forget about the name Akiko until now??

Oh, yeah, I have a little wormy brain-

Vlad - Vladia

Okay, I headcanon that Vlad just goes by Vlad because his full name, Vladimir, is a mouthful to him and he just prefers the shortened version

And he hates it when people call him by his full name and when his wife calls him by his full name he gets scared because he’s in trouble!

Yeah, same thing with genderbent Vlad, only her full name is Vladimira and only her lover can call her “Mira” as a loving nickname

Johann Georg Faust - Johanna Georgann Faust

That went a lot smoother than I thought it would-

Also, yes, the name Georgann is actually a real name, go look it up

And it means “farmer” like Faust’s original middle name!

Charles-Henri Sanson - Charlotte-Henrietta Sanson

Again, surprisingly quite easy

I almost instantly found a source to help me with this one!

I feel like Charlotte would be a given for a genderbent Charles, but the second part of his given name stumped me a bit until I actually looked it up

And I feel that the name Charlotte is very soft and sweet, so it’s perfect, really!

And Henrietta is also a very beautiful name and compliments the name Charlotte really well, so it was also perfect for this!

For others reading this who’d like to write for the genderbent suitors, you are more than welcome to use these names for writing if you’d like, so long as I’m given credit!

[dukeofdelirium]

Let’s talk about something more positive: what are your top 10 gay ships?

Oh god idk if I have 10 but let’s see!

1) lawlight. 1000000000% LAWLIGHT lmao! I’m obsessed. OBSESSED with them. I’ve been obsessed with this ship for over 14 years. They make me actually rabid and crazy like nothing else. Everything about this ship and their dynamic drives me nutty. They are the only real “enemies to lovers” ship I’ve ever gaf about or probably ever will. There’s something sooooo Shakespearean tragedy coded about this pairing and they are genuinely so fun to analyze to me. I’ll never get bored of them!

2) byler! Definitely byler!!! I love this ship so much. Best friends to lovers is always gonna be my favorite overall trope (despite the lawlight obsession) because I just think it’s gahhhh so sweet!! Mike and Will being together will be the perfect conclusion to stranger things imo and I’m so excited for the final season!!

3) korrasami! I remember when they went canon. I was so shocked I didn’t even believe we actually WON with a gay ship. This pairing was groundbreaking for cartoons and is the reason we have gay rep in kids shows now too

4) zukaang! I am a multi shipper so I ship Aang with Katara and Zuko too. I love Zuko and Aang’s dynamic and I think there is a ton of canonical support for this ship, too. I guess they’re technically an “enemies to lovers” but I don’t rlly think of them that way. Anyway, I think they’re cute!

credit to Noquelle for the fanart!

5) patrochilles, obviously there’s the Iliad but there’s also a novel called The Song of Achilles which I highly recommend if you’ve never read it and want gay rep. It’s a beautifully written novel that is about Achilles and Patroclus and makes an argument for the interpretation of them being lovers (which was common in ancient times)

credit to awanqi on Twitter for the fanart

6) frowise??? Samfro???? Sam and Frodo from The Lord of the Rings! I’ve always loved these two. And if you think the films are gay, the books are gayer. They cuddle, hold hands, kiss and tell each other they love each other in the novels. They are precious and I love them soooo much

7) this one’s gonna sound silly but me and my friends ship quimbry (Quil and Embry) from Twilight lmao. We wanted gay rep and then it just kind of snowballed. I have like 7 fanfics on my ao3 written for them …. 😂😂😂 idgaf that they’re fanon either cuz they’re real to me and I’m obsessed with them. My ao3 is the same as my tumblr btw if you wanted to read my fics! it’s dukeofdelirium

8) (edit I can’t believe I forgot them!) WILMON from Young Royals! Such a sweet pairing and I was so obsessed with them when I watched this show. Such a good show too. Highly recommend and the actors had amazing chemistry

9) REDDIE? I remember this one breaking my heart a bit. I’m not a hugely active shipper of it but it’s cute and really sad

10) Jack and Ennis from Brokeback Mountain:(((( this movie really and truly ruined my life and did something to me when I watched it as a 10 yr old. Somethin about growing up in the south as a closeted gay boy…. Heath and Jake were insane in this film their chemistry was nuts

Hmmm I can’t think of anything else at the moment! I’m very particular about the stuff I ship, it rlly has to scratch a niche itch in my brain for me to be really and truly obsessed with it.

Thanks for bringing something positive to the ask box! :) what are your favorite gay ships, anon?

[diminuel]

I just read all chapters of The Lord of Amara in one sitting and WOW! I'm already so invested in this story. You're an incredible writer! As someone who struggles with writing (outlining, and actually *finishing* writing), I was wondering if you could share what your writing process looks like when you write fic? Do you use a certain app? What's your process like from idea to actually publishing it? Also, your english is superb, I can only dream of being as good. Thank you!! Have a lovely day :)

;A; Thank you so much! I'm glad you've enjoyed it and are invested! I'm invested too!! (Even though I'm locked in a battle of wills with chapter 9 *fight emoji*)

Also, for the last couple of months I felt so dumb. I can't get words out at all or explain a thought process that requires some explanation, especially not in English. I don't know if this is just long lasting plague brain fog but I'm glad that the fic doesn't read like a train wreck...!

I always use Microsoft Words to write, I have never tried anything else (well, some years ago I had open office, that worked too!)

As to my process. I have two different approaches to writing fic, depending on what my aim is. Usually, once I have a very vague idea or a concept I want to treat in a fic or even just a particular atmosphere I want to convey, I start writing. No outline, no goal. If a fic comes out of it, good! The issue with this sort of writing, for me, is that once I encounter an issue or don't know how to go on, I might leave that fic for years because I can't untangle the issues that block my writing.

The other way of doing it is to plan the majority (if not all) of the fic out, which I do when I know I am working with a deadline. That way I am working out a big chunk of potential issues and plot holes before I start writing. However, sometimes my bullet points I want to hit can be very detailed and sometime they can be very vague and then I can run into the same issue as above (hence my fighting with chapter 9 of Lord of Amara). I also have only plotted out part of the whole fic. I'm not sure how the fic will end and hope that reading reviews and how people will react to certain elements in the fic will lead me in a particular direction! :3

But one I have some writing ready, it's time for editing.

For one shots I tend to reread and edit a couple of times and then I post it, without having it beta read.

With chaptered WIPs I tend to post a chapter whenever a new one is done, but for Lord of Amara I want to be a bit ahead, so I try to post once a week.

I don't know if this was helpful and I probably forgot to mention some things... In any case thank you for your message!! :D

[kazehita]

oops its been a minute but wont worry i HAVE been keeping my devlogs.. see them below

9/19 first day of no code!!!! Only did visdev today. I noticed I had a harder time problem-solving my art after binging programming - I never really believed the left-brain-right-brain shtick as more than a mental model, but maybe there's something to it. 

Either way, I did finally settle on a visual style I think is iconic enough - If there is time, I will return to the gray portrait one for special events, but I'm otherwise going with the limited palette one. I wish I had more time to iterate more, but I think I just have to proceed.  Art was very slow today. Drew from 9-11, 12-5(?) 10-11? so 8 hours???

Final - still need to tweak yellow and blues

9/10 good lord finding a way to detect when my instantiated scene ends is ROUGH. I in fact did not find a way. I instead made it so that the end of the instantiated scene code changes a global variable, and the base file is always checking for changes in the process function. IT WORKS THOUGH and character events are implemented.  I thiiink i worked from 9-11, and 12:30- 3:30. 5 and a halfg hours total.

9/21

Make out of life ending Display currencies STRETCH: find a way to dynamically adjust randomization of random events (again) STRETCH: Make a system to force certain events STRETCH: create stat screen + replay

By 4:30 i have done everything but the stat screen!!!!! ANd i pretty much refactored my entire event code!!!! Now it's still unwieldy, but in a different way - I think it's easier to understand but harder to find bugs now.  The character event and random events now use the same script, and events without choices no longer need empty array placeholders to match the ones with choices. This is handled by sporadic if statements that check a boolean i put at the top instead. 

The other systems were not too bad to add - somehow my base file is pretty simple and easy to modify - but we’ll see how long that lasts. Worked from 9-11, 12-4:30 (if sporadically)

From about 5-8:30 made the stat screen!!! Replayy button was 2 hours of frustration ❤️‍🔥 10 hours total. 

9/22 OKAY. gonna pause on the replay button and do all my re-writing this morning. Fire emoji. 

Edit: i did not

9/23 OKAY WRITING DAY ALL WRITING H A S TO BE DONE TODAY and hopefully my design work too. Edit. i did indeed do these things. Writing though………………… :/

9/24 i drove a long way for an appointment and honestly it was all downhill from there

9/25 OKAY. REAL PROJECT TODAY OR BUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It will be okay if i dont get the climatic finish today, but i need all my basic events DONE !!!!

It will also be okay if i dont do UI design today.

Edit: i did not accomplish 😔

Worked from 10:00 - 1? 2-6:30? 8-10. 9.5 hours.

Did more refactor than anticipated,,, all for that dang resart button. Its good now though. Clean as i can make it with my current skill and time gate.

Drew 8 character images, finally properly sized the default bg and midground.

Implemented 4 “final” character events and they work perfectly. 

Due to how clunky my system is, implementing the lines takes a fair bit of time.

progging on this game challenge project!! its my first ever original programming project, so we'll see how far i make it

9/16 sECOND DAY!!!! Did indeed start over - very little code was reused. Resources for dialogue are completely abandoned. 

Worked from 8:30-1PM, 2:30 - 6:30. 8:45-9:35. 10 HOURS. 

The code for everything up to the dialogue choices is very neat and easy to read. Everything that has to do with the dialogue choices is painful to read - but it does work, and is bug-free.

It now has:

Randomly picked events

Additional events can be added without changing the main code

An advance button to proceed through dialogue

Events with and without dialogue choices

When a dialogue choice is present, the advance button is hidden/locked

Dialogue choices can have different ends to the event.

Main image changes depending on the choice picked

There can be as many dialogue choices as i want

Currency changes depending on the event

To-do:

Score changes for dialogue choices

Lock dialogue choices/visibility until text is finished

Weighted chance of events system 

Maybe separate SE’s from CR’s

A new main file that instantiates SE or CE

[istumpysk]

"That, and more."

"Where? When? Will I die in battle?" His good hand opened and closed. "If you lie to me, I will split your head open like a melon and let the monkeys eat your brains."

"Your death is with us now, my lord. Give me your hand."

"My hand. What do you know of my hand?"

"I have seen you in the nightfires, Victarion Greyjoy. You come striding through the flames stern and fierce, your great axe dripping blood, blind to the tentacles that grasp you at wrist and neck and ankle, the black strings that make you dance."

"Dance?" Victarion bristled. "Your nightfires lie. I was not made for dancing, and I am no man's puppet." He yanked off his glove and shoved his bad hand at the priest's face. "Here. Is this what you wanted?" The new linen was already discolored by blood and pus. "He had a rose on his shield, the man who gave this to me. I scratched my hand on a thorn."

"Even the smallest scratch can prove mortal, lord Captain, but if you will allow me, I will heal this. I will need a blade. Silver would be best, but iron will serve. A brazier as well. I must needs light a fire. There will be pain. Terrible pain, such as you have never known. But when we are done, your hand will be returned to you."

They are all the same, these magic men. The mouse warned me of pain as well. "I am ironborn, priest. I laugh at pain. You will have what you require … but if you fail, and my hand is not healed, I will cut your throat myself and give you to the sea."

Moqorro bowed, his dark eyes shining. "So be it."

...

The iron captain was not seen again that day, but as the hours passed the crew of his Iron Victory reported hearing the sound of wild laughter coming from the captain's cabin, laughter deep and dark and mad, and when Longwater Pyke and Wulfe One-Eye tried the cabin door they found it barred. Later singing was heard, a strange high wailing song in a tongue the maester said was High Valyrian. That was when the monkeys left the ship, screeching as they leapt into the water.

Come sunset, as the sea turned black as ink and the swollen sun tinted the sky a deep and bloody red, Victarion came back on deck. He was naked from the waist up, his left arm blood to the elbow. As his crew gathered, whispering and trading glances, he raised a charred and blackened hand. Wisps of dark smoke rose from his fingers as he pointed at the maester. "That one. Cut his throat and throw him in the sea, and the winds will favor us all the way to Meereen." Moqorro had seen that in his fires. He had seen the wench wed too, but what of it? She would not be the first woman Victarion Greyjoy had made a widow. (ADWD, The Iron Suitor)

It's just my theory, that Victarion is already a fire wight. And he's just too stupid to have realized that he died.

@fedonciadale walks into my mailbox, and casually drops the bombshell that I'm probably lusting over a wight.

Awesome theory. Thank you.

Edit: Wait, does the chapter change to third person perspective? Hang on, reading.

[thewritetofreespeech]

MC + Cursed Toddler-fied Boys

prompt: All the boys suffer the same fate as Satan by reading ‘The Forbidden Book of Toddlerization’

Lucifer

You have to wonder why they kept so many cursed books around, just out like this. You would think, like any normal person, with this continuing to happen, that they would keep them locked up or something. But no. They just leave them out for anyone to find….

“I’m going to the meeting!” Lucifer yelled, stamping his foot. His face twist in a petulant frown. It would be rather adorable, if you hadn’t been arguing with him for the past 20 minutes

“Lucifer, we talked about this. You can’t go to the meeting. You need to stay here.”

“No! I wanna go to the meeting! It’s very important and everyone is counting on me!” His arms are wailing now as he stamped his foot more.

Of course, you couldn’t let him go to the first of the month meeting like this. His pride would be wounded beyond compare if anyone else saw him like this. But reasoning with him wasn’t working. You had to resort to more, unsavory tactic to win. “But the meeting was cancelled. Lord Diavolo called earlier to let me know.”

Lucifer stopped stamping his feet and waving his arms to look at you with a vacant expression you didn’t know he could muster. “Really?”

Gods help you. “Yes, really.”

He seemed to think about this for a moment before he beamed, “ok!” His mood instantly brightening. “I believe you, because [Y/N] would never lie to me.” ‘Forgive me Lucifer’ You think to yourself. “What are we gonna do instead then?”

“Why don’t we play a game instead to pass the time? Would you like that?”

“I know chess!” He exclaimed loudly. “Let’s play that.”

Of course, knowing and being good at it were two different things. In this state you were actually able to beat Lucifer several times. When he retuned to normal the day was ‘conveniently’ put away for sometime after.

Mammon

“Mammon. Please. I’ll just be gone for a minute.”

“Nooooooo!” Mammon wailed when you tried to get up again. Clinging to your waist tightly to keep you on the couch. “Onii-chan said you had to stay with me! Stay with me! Stay with me!”

After reading The Forbidden Book of Toddlerization, Mammon had, of course, reverted to the personality of a small child. His brother made fun of him, say ‘what’s the difference’, but Lucifer knew that this could be a disaster if he was set to wander free in this state across the Devildom. So he sat you to babysit him.

“Mammon, I promise I’ll be right back. I’m just going to get us some snacks for our movie.”

“Then let me come with you!” He whined, still clinging to you. In this state it seemed he had also taken on the personality of a baby duck. Imprinting on you and following you around everywhere you went in his room. He hadn’t left you alone for 5 seconds since he got this way. “I promise I’ll be good!”

“It’s not a question of you being good or bad Mammon-chan.” He liked to be called Mammon-chan right now. “It’s that you need to stay here. If someone sees you like this well…they could use it to tease you.”

“No…I don’t want to be teased anymore….” His voice was low, and sad. His bright eyes looking on the verge of tears, like kids do when they’re said, before he buried his face into your side. “Mammon-chan doesn’t want to be made fun of anymore. Mammon-chan also doesn’t want to be alone anymore.”

You sigh. Unable to argue with him when he was like this. Your hand lifted to pet his head, which he seemed to appreciate, before you text Satan to bring you some snacks. He was always reliable and would do it for you.

Once the affects of the book had worn off, Mammon denied any of this happening. The mere mention would cause his face to turn red and yell about how, “that didn’t happen!” You almost wish you had taken a video of it to show him. Guess you would just have to keep Mammon-chan forever in your heart.

Levi

You went to Levi’s room after class to check on him in his….condition.

Since he did remote learning a lot of the time, being an otaku, it was pretty easy to keep him away from people so they did see him in the current state he was in. Apparently as a toddler he didn’t like being around people either.

So, you had set him up comfortably in his room before heading to class. Promising to come back that afternoon to be with him.

“Levi! I’m back! How are you—what are you doing?!?!”

“Playing with my toys.” Levi replied, with an obvious expression, as a sea of toys stretch out in front of him where he laid on his belly on the floor.

Your brain stopped. Completely at a loss for words. Levi was going to kill you when he returned to normal, because toddler-Levi, left unattended, had unboxed nearly all of his figurines from their packaging. Some of which were incredibly rare, and unable to get anymore.

“I just…I mean…Why?? Why would you do this??”

“They’re my toys.” Levi replied with a pout. Sitting up. “I can do what I want with them. What’s the point in having neat toys if you aren’t going to play with them??”

He did have a point there. But adult-Levi was going to be so mad!

“Do you want to play with me?” The demon asked with a hopeful expression. “You can even be blue Ruri-chan.” The limited edition, color swap Ruri-chan from 1999. He was gonna blow a gasket!

“Yeah. Ok.” But then again, when were you ever going to be able to touch them again.

As expected, Levi totally lost it when he came to his senses. Of course, there was no one to blame but himself, in the end, so he just had to be upset and mope alone. Thankfully, none of them were broken or beyond just out of their originally packaging. He bought them all clear showcase boxes for his ‘ruined’ figurines. Some of them he could rebuy to replace; which seemed to make him happy to have two.

Satan

It had been hours since the affects of the book had taken ahold of Satan. You were starting to wonder if they would ever wear off.

Lucifer had left in search of another book, one that might help speed the process along, and left his younger brother in your care. Of course you were happy to help, but you were getting nervous you would never see the old Satan again.

“[Y/N]-chan?” You look up from your phone, waiting for Lucifer to text you back, to see the blonde demon looking timidly at you from around the corner. 

“What is it Satan?”

“Would you….read to me?” His hands holding out the small children’s book he had some how found in the piles of books covering his room.

You smile softly at him. Your heart warmed by his request. “Of course,” you tell him, and the demon scampered over to sit on the bed beside you. His long legs and body tucked neatly into you as he waited for you to tell him the story of a little lost chicken and it’s journey back home. “[Y/N] tells the best stories!”

After 3 stories, he had fallen asleep. When he woke up, Satan was back to normal. He doesn’t answer your questions on where the children’s books had come from, but you spot the red & gold spines on his book shelves sometimes.

Asmo

There was no denying that Asmo was fascinated by art and all things beautiful. He went on and on about it any chance he got. So you shouldn’t have really been surprised when his toddlerfied self just wanted to draw all day.

“Look, look [Y/N]-chan! I finished another one!”

“That’s great Asmo.” You praise. Just like you had done with all the other ones he had handed to you. “Wow! This is really great! Is that a….chicken?”

“No, silly! That’s the white horse for our carriage when we get married!” The demon beamed, then shuffled over on his knees to instruct you on his picture properly. “That’s you, and that’s me. That’s the princess carriage that’s going to ride us off into the sunset. That’s Solomon and Simeon throwing flowers at us. That’s my brothers crying because I got to marry [Y/N]-chan and they didn’t.”

“You certainly seem to have all the parts here.” You praise. Giggling at his enthusiasm and picture.

“I want to have a perfect picture of when we get married. Because I love [Y/N]-chan! And we’re gonna get married and live happily ever after.” He replied, with certainty, with a smile.

“Well, I’ll be glad for that. Why don’t you draw me our perfect house for after we get married?” Asmo scampered off and did just that.

When Asmo came to, and back to his normal self, he took all the pictures he had drawn and framed them. Forcing his brothers and Solomon to take a tour of his mini-art gallery. The piece ‘Marriage of Two Bonded Souls’ was met with some controversy.

Beel

Beel, in his younger days, seemed to have boundless energy. Or you at least had to assume he did, because ever since he had read that stupid book he had been running around.

Lucifer had told you to take him outside. Irritated at hearing his large feet clump around the house, but trying not to show it since it wasn’t his fault. He even let you both take Cerberus outside to help run Beel out. It would be good for the pup too. Get some exercise, he said.

That had been sometime ago, and it seemed baby-Beel and Cerberus were an even match in energy. They had been running around, chasing each other, and play fighting in the back yard all afternoon. You were tired just watching them.

“Beel! Do you want to come in? I think it’s time for a break.”

Both Beel and Cerberus pop their heads up, in a comical and adorable unison head tilt, before jogging over to you. “Break time means snack time right?!”

You chuckle a little. Somethings never changed. “I brought some apple slices & peanut butter for you, for now. We can get you something bigger when we go inside.”

Beel grinned and sat in the grass with the container. “I like apple slices!”

“You do hn?” You don’t think you’ve seen Beel eat an actual fruit on its own. It was usually attached to, baked in, or covered in something, to get him to eat it.

“Yep! They’re crunchy and sweet. Just like you! Though, I guess you aren’t crunchy. Do you want one of my apple slices [Y/N]?”

You blush a little at Beel’s bright, unwavering expression. How could he look so innocent while still looking like that?

He finished his apple slices, minus one, before asking if he could go play again. You let him, but then all of a sudden he spotted playing with Cerberus and stood straight up. Seeming confused on how he got out here and what was going on. “Did I eat an apple? I haven’t had one since….do you think we have more in the kitchen?”

Belphie

It was honestly hard to tell if Belphie was under the spell of the forbidden book or not. He’d been asleep for most of the time; which was not uncommon for him. Then he would wake up and whine a little about something; again, not uncommon for him. Then he would take another nap.

You had figure out that he was still under it’s spell by the requests he was making when he woke up. Juice boxes. More plushies. His ‘blankie’. Eventually it would run its course though, and Belphie would be back to his own sleepy eyed, grown up self. “[Y/N]?”

You walk over to the bed when the demon called your name. The boy half sitting up, but still tucked under his covers. “What is it Belphie?”

“I can’t sleep.” He stated. Which seemed ridiculous since he had been sleeping most of the day. “I miss Lilli. And Be-be. Can you sleep with me?”

You blink at little at the request. You supposed it made since. Kids often wanted someone to sleep with them, so they didn’t have bad dreams or could keep them safe. Maybe that’s why he had been sleeping so much. Because he hadn’t been sleeping well, just sleep.

“Sure Belphie. I’ll lay down with you.” The demon smiled softly, sleepy, before he scooted over to give you some space to lay next to him.

He slept for a while this last time. Clinging onto you in his sleep, with a soft smile on his face. When he woke up, it seemed he was back to normal. “Gosh [Y/N]. If you wanted to sleep with me, all you had to do was ask. You didn’t have to trick me with that lame book.”

[jjuzoir]

Dating Suna Rintarou HCS

Word Count: 1388

A/N: i’m sick of the suna slander 😔 i wanted some soft sunrin hc’s because it’s always drug lord rin this or toxic suna that :’) i’m too soft for that i need me some 17 y/o meme nerd who’s socially awkward and still asks himself how he got a s/o. if no one else will i will 👺

- He may be good at reading volleyball moves but he’s definitely a little dense when it comes to emotions.

- He doesn’t really talk much about them with you, it’s not that he doesn’t feel anything - he just struggles expressing himself properly with words, so in turn he tends to express himself with actions.

- He’ll struggle a lot at the beginning, afraid to upset you or overstep some boundaries that haven’t been explained, but with time he’ll grow comfortable telling you things as they are.

- The type to walk over to you when he sees you’re not feeling too good and wrap his arms around you, he doesn’t say much as you slowly return the hug and sob. He won’t say anything, he’d let you pour it out now and later have a talk with you.

- He’d have a few snacks you like on his bag too just in case you get hungry or whatever, he says they’re for him but you know he doesn’t like that brand of chips but you do.

- Once you’re done, he takes your hand and leads you to a more private area and encourages you to talk. He may not be able to solve the issue but sometimes talking about how you feel… makes things better, even if it’s just slightly.

- He’s the type to remember anything you tell him even in passing, mention something like your parent’s birthday or an appointment and he’ll just store the information in his brain and spit it out at random times.

- That includes things such as food orders and allergies, what you like and don’t, the things that make you uncomfortable or that make you feel icky; he could write a book on you. Just text him over for some food and he’ll know what to order you even if it’s a place you’ve never been to together.

- He really likes having pictures and videos of you on his camera roll, he'll have super cute pictures of you on a date one moment and then a video of you falling on your ass after you went to pick up a pencil.

- Once you start being more serious about your relationship, he’ll dedicate every game and point he scores to you. If you’re there he’ll look over to your seat and nod, his eyes naturally gravitate towards yours, he’ll always smile at you whenever he scores a point.

- Won’t say it at first but he loves it when you wear his jacket, seeing you in the stands cheering for him with the rest of his classmates pumps him up. After he notices he does better when you do, he’d probably get an extra one for you with his number on it (when Atsumu heard him asking Kita for it he broke lung laughing).

- He hesitated a lot before asking you out, he’s the type of guy to watch over his crush for a while. Not in the creepy way more in the “wow this person is so cool I want to approach them but I’m too embarrassed”-way.

- He loves it when you wear his clothes, especially his hoodies. He isn’t subtle about it at all either, Suna will straight up throw you the hoodie and be like “wow it’s so cute you’re so cute too imagine you wearing that how cute that’d be lmao” while his ears are blushing red.

- Finds everything you do cute, you could be walking towards him in the corridor and he’d be blushing and smiling to himself. Atsumu and Osamu tease the fuck out of him once you’re gone.

- Will send you random posts that remind him of you, they can go from cute pictures of cats snuggling to a deep fried image of a chicken nugget.

- “Heh, look… it’s you.” He showed you a picture, he was lying down on your lap - his hair messy from deep sleep - with his cheeks squished in your thighs.

- “Babe that’s Patrick star.” You look at the screen in confusion and continue playing with your boyfriend’s hair, slightly concerned for his well being.

- “Same energy though.” He mumbles after saving the post, he’d make it your contact picture later.

- He loves falling asleep on your lap, it’s annoying. You know once he lays his head on your thighs he’s not moving until the next hour or so. Kind of like a cat in that regard because Suna will find the worst time to cuddle you like that and he’d refuse to leave unless you move, which you normally don’t because when you do he looks extremely betrayed much to your dismay.

- He’s so soft for you, you wouldn’t realize it unless you heard him ramble about how cute you are in the dressing room but oh my god is he ready to move the world around for you.

- When he messes around during practice, Aran will threaten to call you and it’s so embarrassing. Rintarou was so sure he wouldn’t, like that’s so petty you’re actually going to call my S/O? And then Aran did it and he had not only Aran and Kita scolding him (and the Miya twins) but you were there too looking so disappointed in him. He rarely gets out of line afterwards, the face you gave him haunts him in his dreams sometimes.

- You’re his home screen! It’s not even a cute picture of you, it’s probably one he took of you while you slept in class - you’re drooling and your uniform is all messed up - and he’s just standing there holding a peace sign up and white-boy-smiling.

- He has you saved under “Suna [Name]” and he got made fun of, he swears it was a joke but when he goes to call you his cheeks get all pretty and pink.

- He doesn’t say much, his love language is more of a “whenever you need me I’ll be there”. If there’s someone who you can count on to listen to your problems and help you it’s probably Rin. He jokes around and all but when it comes to you he’s surprisingly serious.

- He’ll also let you play with his hair. His favorite is when you put butterfly clips on them and make two uneven ponytails on the side of his head, he said he was Shrek and you were his Lord Farquaad (you asked him if you saw the same movie afterwards).

- When he’s really bored, he’ll edit pictures of you into memes and send them to you at 4AM.

- Sometimes when you cuddle, you can hear him mumble about how much he loves you and whenever you bring it up he gets so mad and shy and says he was probably thinking about chicken wings or Dolly Parton.

- He sees you as his best friend and s/o, he really values the input you have but that doesn’t mean he won’t tease the fuck out of you. He’s soft but he will absolutely obliterate you, he loves joking around with you and saying the dumbest shit for fun and seeing you go blank as you hear him talk about fucking Mort from Madagascar being a evil universe colonizer.

- His favorite dates with you would be the ones where you go somewhere very pretty and try taking the ugliest pictures of each other, it always ends up with you two laughing loudly as you show each other what you took.

- Rin can play the piano and he sometimes will serenade you, it can either be a very emotional song or Megalovania.

- Sometimes, Atsumu and Osamu will ruin your dates by bumping into you guys and not leaving either of you alone. It’s embarrassing because they will not stop teasing the two of you for being in love and shit, you always end up blushing when they start talking about how much Rin loves you and how he talks about you during practice.

- Overall, Sunrin is surprisingly a soft, caring boyfriend who’s way too whipped for his well-being and is absolutely getting bullied by the team because of it.

[mrstsung]

Comfort character asks: Raiden mk edition:

1. how long have i known about them: omg I've been a mk fan since baby nerd days. In my teens. Raiden was my go to man besides kung lao. They are THE BOIS ok? Like kung lao was my main dude,still is but lao was more of an all around i just love him ok?. But raiden was A HEARTTHROB CUTIE for me. But he also became my comfort too. (Shang was my fave og baddie and he will always be that one bih but this aint about him rn)

2. whether or not they’ve ever made me cry: ok several times. Like why can't y'all be nice to him? What did he ever do but help the best he could. The elder gods are assholes and none of y'all are grateful. That's why he turned dark in that one timeline. Because of Y'ALL! So if you want happy raiden? Put some respect on his name! Makes me cry. He needs a hug and a long ass vacation. Thats why fujin is here to help. Because y'all he broke his back for you. Ungrateful asses.

3. whether or not i have any merchandise/objects with them: i want some. But a bih is broke.

4. what about their personality i like: ok ok look we have so many interpretations of him. But for me? My take on raiden? His comforting presence,his wisdom,his compassion. Lord his PATIENCE! like damn

5. what about their backstory makes me emotional: his burdens. Omfg raiden plz let fujin help! Good lord raiden plz hunny sit down and relax in a hot spring! Raiden doesn't deserve this shit.

6. the moment of theirs that made me the saddest: any death or falling. Like i don't care for dark raiden (but i dont blame him either ya know) it's more just too sad for me to like this universe of raiden.

7. the moment of theirs that made me the happiest: when he finally gets a fucking break. Come here rai,i got you.

8. something about them that made me laugh: omg raiden pulling cheeky banter is the best. Because its so sassy but dry. Like how? Only he can pull this off.

9. my favorite canon outfit of theirs: honestly raiden looks cool in all his outfits. Do i have to pick?

10. my favorite moment with them in canon: ok look my brain isn't capable of retaining info like that well. But honestly any fight with him and shang is epic or him fighting shao khan (tho sadly they make him so weak sauce when fighting shao khan compared to shang tsung. And shangs pretty tough. And it doesn't feel fair and is bias af)

11. my favorite relationship they have with another character: eh i love his big brotherly vibe with his bro fujin. But his mentorship with kung lao and liu kang is wholesome too. Honestly him just being big bro to everyone is nice. 💖

12. what i like about the way the fandom portrays them: eh i guess i like it when the fans can actually write him domestic and do it without being boring or stiff. But i haven't seen many good portrayals yet. Only a few. But i will say. I loooooove when people talk about the temple and describe the interior. Like they do other things so well but people be lacking in the character development part.

13. what i dont like about the way the fandom portrays them: they make him too stiff. Now raiden is responsible,wise,and a bit more stern than his brother. But he isn't emotionless,monotonous or harsh. Is he a bit tsundere? A tiny bit,at first or for a small sec. But it never lasts long. He'll let loose more easier. Unlike a certain shirai ryu we all know n love. Raiden just gets flustered easy. But he welcomes it at the same time? Compassion and his connection with humanity is his #1 trait. Remember that. Him and fujin are similar but the key difference is,rai has a few more notches under his belt and had to take on more bullshit than his brother emotionally. Rai gets overburdened easy. So thats why fujin it there to help carry said burdens. They go hand n hand. Just like the mythos. Where there is thunder n lightning there is wind. And where they are. A storm brews. And after the storm? Peace,calm,and life giving energy n water. (Sorry to get all zen and philosophical on you guys)

14. what i liked about the way canon portrayed them: He did gets some oomf to him. But i dunno. Canon has been weird to raiden. Also unfair too. So i dunno really.

15. what i dont like about the way canon portrayed them: well i already mentioned above and in other posts i don't care for dark raiden. So other than that i got nothing else. Fans are more of an issue if anything. But even then its whatever.

💙⚡💙⚡💙⚡💙⚡💙⚡💙⚡💙⚡💙⚡💙

The op deactivated. So i found another source post/reblog. Apologies.

Linking because i wanna fill a blank one,but wanna credit too?

[mikyouknow]

Please! Rewatch the quiz! I need something to remind me that that actually happened.

I still vividly remember that day. Going out on a chill bike ride with my two best friends for the first time in months. Sitting in the cool grass. Having a picknick. Not too hot out, nice weather. AND THEN I GET HOME TO THE ABSOLUTEL SHITSHOW THAT HAPPENED THAT DAY! Because what the HELL even was that, I still haven't processed anything. My mind keeps erasing that memory until some days the it just hits me square in the face and knocks me out 😀

So yeah! I would love it if you talked more about it, might help to cope a bit xD

Okay anon you motivated me, you were my Final push, I’m Doing it ! 🗣

Also I love that story tho you really have a Vivid memory connected to this whole thing and I’m living for it 😂 you were just having a nice day and then Boom, all this mess 💀

But aight so I’m Watching it rn and will be taking notes Live as I watch Here we go:

My first thoughts is, when Dream decides to do the quiz, he seems so like, confident? And then as soon as he reads the description, his voice falters at ‘and now things are changing’ and I’m Dead 💀 his confidence from two seconds prior in that moment goes like 📉 then cue flustered laugh lmao

“Do you ever catch yourself staring at your bff?” Dream’s flustered laugh and being all like “these questions are gonna be so weird” uhhhhh dude what are you expecting you’re taking a are you in love with your best friend quiz 💀

HES SO DEFENSIVE ON THIS ONE LIKE- he keeps wanting to make excuses aww drema aww 😭 it’s okay !! George is pretty we Understand you staring king 😌

Like legit that’s the first question and he’s already so flustered and- MY GOD GEORGE HASNT SAID A THING I JUST REALIZED WAIT HOLD ON I NEED TO GO BACK-

Two scoffs. That’s it 🧍‍♀️

GEORGE JSJWNSOWNEEJEN HES NOT SAYING ANYTHING IM DYING WHAT

Even when Dream first goes ‘aight imma take the am I in love w my best friend test’ George is SILENT 💀

Listen- listen, I’m having a moment over this cause I don’t remember him being silent from the start I thought it was like a slow descent into him just going silent eventually, BUT NO he’s just Silent from the moment the quiz is brought up 💀 but gives like a slight scoff when Dream’s voice wavered at “changing” like he’s very much Listening, just being So silent.

I just can’t wrap my head around how he doesn’t answer any of Dream’s comments, Dream keeps being like ‘right? Like that’s normal, right? Like that’s not weird. Right?’ And George is just SILENT 💀

“Do you get jealous if he or she has a bf or gf” LMAO THIS QUESTION MY BELOVED

His answer is so weird I will die on this hill.

ALSO GEORGE S P E A K S for the first time in the quiz 😭🗣 but not much, he says ‘but’, cause, yk, they both know he do get jealous so.

Which, again. Weird as hell. Imma say it, I’ve never felt jealous of my best friend getting a partner like what ???? W h a t

But ofc when they’re so clingy on each other, like a partner would take the others place because they pretty much have each other in that spot already, so it makes sense huh

And that’s not platonic btw I wanna make that clear LMAO

I think the points of which George laughs are interesting. And there’s something interesting to his laugh too. I don’t see his face lighting up with it, if that makes sense. It’s like a, I wouldn’t say ‘nervous’ laugh but, I struggle to find a better word for it 🤔

AYO MY MANS DREAM SAYS I DONT KNOW TO IF HE GETS BUTTERFLIES FROM GEORGE I- 💀

THATS NOT AN I DONT KNOW QUESTION KING

EITHER YOU DO OR YOU DONT AND YOU KNOW IF YOU DO OR DONT LIKE W H A T

I have to sit with this one for a second like . What ? 🧍‍♀️

Butterflies.

I’ve never. In my life. Like.

That’s not- you can’t say you don’t know- THAT MEANS LIKE-

Dear lord.

Aight I’m moving on (not actually imma be awake thinking about this later. Not by choice, absolutely not. This just won’t leave my brain unfortunately.)

Hang on. George says something here when Dream says ‘I have no idea’ but I can’t tell what he’s saying ? Like he mumbles something whilst Dream starts talking at the same time and I can’t make it out and I wanna know what he says 💀🗣

I Think he says ‘what do you mean you have no idea?’ Which like, YEAH, you Should question him on that king 🧍‍♀️ but it’s interesting how quiet he is, like he barely pushes the question, and this is like the second ?? Time he’s spoken so far. 🧍‍♀️

Also Listen to how flustered Dream sounds my god💀

This quiz never should’ve happened what’s Wrong with him like is he this blind ?? Did he Really think taking this quiz was gonna end well ?? 💀

“TecHniCally🥴”

“My future is your future”

I feel like we’ve talked abt these LMAO such Romantic phrasing my god

Again him going ‘right?’ And George is Dead Silent 💀

It’s interesting, like I’ve reached the ‘dreams’ question now, and it’s hitting now and throughout this quiz how, Dream is Loudly deflective, but George is silently deflective. If that makes sense? Like he’s choosing not to speak so his words can’t be thrown back at him cause he Knows if he speaks it’ll be obvious. Whilst Dream over explains and fucks himself over p much lmao. They’re both just a mess around this subject 💀

“How would You be in my dream” is such a funny sentence from George LMAO he’s so defensive 💀 like even I have had dreams abt Dream, like you’re his Best Friend, ofc you have dreams abt him my guy 💀 deflecting it is so weird. So Weird

“I’ve never hugged you” Sad hours 😔

It’s interesting here. Cause they speak abt the whole ‘do you go out of your way for this person’ and Dream is stuck on if he should say ‘more than anyone else I know’ or not. Which, there’s ofc observations to be had here as well.

But ! What I found interesting here was how George goes onto say ‘you made me pay you’ when Dream says he edited his video for him. And how George keeps the ‘lie’ going for a very short bit before laughing slightly, by god he sounds so.. different? Like when he usually makes little lies to troll or stuff like that, he’s much more extra and keeps the bit going and- idk how to explain it but the tone of his voice is usually way different. Here he seems to, idk, struggle to keep that up. His laugh is also just like, somewhat toneless?

LMAO The MOMENT Dream got the question ‘what do you think abt their laugh’ George’s laugh Stops. 💀

“Do you ever think abt what it would be like to Kiss your best friend?”

THE SILENCE

Also,

how Dream read ‘kiss’ 🤝 how Dream read ‘changing’

Some words hit this man different huh LMAO

“Why did that take you so long” on the kiss question, CALL HIM OUT GEORGE 🗣

HRKEJEKEEJEKJEEIEJ HOW ARE THOSE- SORRY WHAT DREAM ??

“HOW ARE THOSE THE ONLY OPTIONS” ???

God, for real, I wish Dream would get to sit down with someone one day who just Listened to him speak and allowed him to slip up and just sound so in love with George like give himself away simply because nobody is saying how weird he’s-

Hold on.

Wait. A minute.

George.

George is doing that LMAOOOO

Him sitting there silently and not responding to all his small questions abt what he Should answer and such, he’s so smart🧍‍♀️

AIGHT MOVING ON

George’s laugh keeps sounding very, like, strange😅

Anyways the way Dream Had to have a ‘yes’ answer to the kiss one will forever keep me up at night. Now along with the butterflies one🧍‍♀️

I rly wonder what options it is Dream is looking for when he says ‘none of these options’ so often. What is it you wanna say king ?

WHY IS THE BUTTERFLIES QUESTION TWICE AND WHY IS HIS ANSWER NOW DIFFERENT LMAO - drema it’s okay it’s Safe Space 🗣 I feel like he probably saw chat responding to his first answer and realized ‘oop, that’s not platonic’ and changed his answer LMAO 💀 he’s- Ahh hard to find the right words for my Thoughts here, but he’s doing that thing where he looks for others what is ‘normal’ instead of seeing what he feels, cause what He feels is, uh, well we all know what results he got at the end there,,

I mean the kiss question is all u need really. The butterflies one puts icing on the whole cake.

“Do you compare this person to others you’ve dated? Noo...” AIGHT AND THERE WE HAVE THE CHERRY ON TOP OF THE WHOLE THING

This was the one of the Most sus ones imo from when I first watched it. It had my head spin, head in hands for Days.

What do you MEAN you compare him to others you’ve dated? Why does he tell George to shut up, why do they both Know there’s a story there- I have so many questions on this and- this isn’t platonic 💀😭 AT ALL - and there’s no excuse or explanations for this one, they just Move On 💀

The Speed at which they move on 💀

And then George goes So silent 🧍‍♀️

Dream is cruising through the questions and George is so silent now. He was Stunned into silence from that shut up LMAO

I like how Dream picked ‘absolutely’ on being able to tell George everything :’)

So.

Why does George not say anything on the ‘do you think your best friend is in love with you’ question? No joke, no protest, no- no nothing?

That leaves us to fill in the blanks king, just saying🧍‍♀️

Why does Dream sound sarcastic when he says it’s a tough question LMAO

“I have no idea” aight good answer ig LMAO let’s Pretend

George’s silence is for real very sus there. Very. 🥴

Dream putting ‘no’ on thinking he’s in love, is Very funny and shows just how blind he is to himself.

He rly put ‘I don’t know’ for the butterflies one and found the nearest ‘yes’ option for the kiss one and then still put ‘no’ at the end - he’s a lost cause and owns no mirrors I see how it is. (/j btw lmao I have hope in drema ofc, he too can become more self aware one day<3)

“You are a little in love with your best friend” cue both of them laughing in just the weirdest ways. George just sounds absolutely toneless like, I don’t think he’s even smiling with that laugh, gaze absolutely dazed at what he’s being witness to, not even knowing what to do with himself in that moment. And Dream’s laugh is also just, weird?

“You don’t wanna ruin it, Dream.” Followed by Dream’s immediate, “oh what? It says-“ like immediately moving on lmao 💀 that “oh what?” Sounded like “oh what’s that there oh that’s rly weird wow let’s move on from what you just said ahem wow really weird thing over there” LMAO

“There’s a two percent chance there” LMAO

OH NO THE SILENCE WHAT

I THOUGHT I ACCIDENTALLY PAUSED THE VIDEO BUT THE SILENCE IS SO LONG AND SO LOUD

Then Dream going onto pretending like he’s gonna do another test As If he’s not been planning his escape excuse from the very moment he got those test results LMAO

And the silent pauses are taking me out 💀

‘I think we’re done’ HOW COULD HE LEAVE AT THAT POINT 💀💀💀

“COOL PODCAST” IM DEAD ON THE FLOOR

“WHY ARE YOU SO NOSY” DREAM I- WHY U SO DEFENSIVE GEORGE ASKING WHERE YOU’RE GOING IS A NORMAL THING TO ASK 💀YOU’RE THE ONE WHO’S SUDDENLY LEAVING

NOT DREAM AWKWARDLY SINGING THE WIZARD OF OZ-

HE SOUNDS SO WEIRD-

The tone of his voice is so off my guy is so ready to leave and sit and stare at a wall whilst looping heatwaves for five hours 💀

:((((( drema my beloved :((((( it’s okay to be in love !!

Not him leaving- he full on ignored George’s ‘where are you going?’

He’s not going anywhere istg the moment he left that discord he put his head in his hands and just Stared 💀

Poor George 🥺

[kinetic-elaboration]

June 24: Finishing Jane Eyre

Finally finished Jane Eyre this week, though since I still have the book and it’s a critical edition, I’m keeping it a little longer to read some of the essays and stuff in the back. I feel like my brain is... not rotted, but way too stuffed full with fannish analysis, since that’s most of the media-response type stuff I read nowadays, post English-dgree, and while there’s nothing BAD about that and I’ve read some very smart things written by fans on the internet, it’s obviously not the SAME as critical essays. So I think this will be good for me. Also, while Jane Eyre didn’t leave me feeling confused, this was the first time I’ve read it and I was largely just fun reading. I wasn’t thinking too deep. I just want someone to explain the nuances and themes to me lol.

And it does kinda worry me that most of the analysis I was able to do, or did easily at least, was very...relationship-y, I suppose. I mean that is a lot of the book. But I felt like it was very inflected by the way I analyze relationships through fandom.

As I read the ending, and I got to the description of the fire and Rochester’s injuries and for some reason it upset me disproportionately. But I’ve had weird feelings recently, like a greater susceptibility to feeling just sad or melancholy, so it might be that. I just felt kind of sick but I don’t know why. It then became clearer to me that the injuries, especially the blindness, were ways of quickly fixing Rochester and Jane’s problems, just as much as Bertha’s death was necessary to allow them to marry legally. Blinded, he needs assistance; he can’t be the arrogant and controlling person he was during their first engagement; the negative traits he perhaps hasn’t fixed or worked through are at the very least harder to lean into or display.

The essay I was skimming was talking about the equality of Jane and Rochester: the initial implications of that equality, the underlying lie of it, and how it is necessary for their happy ending, and now I can’t remember my thoughts without this vocabulary. It is really helpful though!

I just felt like... this is such an I-Can-Fix-Him Fantasy. His power over her, stemming from his position and his wealth and his age but primarily from his sex, has to be taken away for him to be her happy ending husband. But that power is so deep rooted, it’s hard to think of anything that could upend it, even Jane’s new wealth. Rochester by the end is still appealing in his devotion but he can never force her into a life she isn’t interested in or lord his knowledge, secrets, wealth, or physical stature over her. A defanged man.

I did think that one of his glaring faults was that he relied too much on Jane to be a Savior for him; he saw her as nearly magical, the person who would solve all his problems including the problems of his own personality and moral dissolution. That’s not healthy, bro. That also wasn’t solved by the end really except, first, he did kinda find his religious faith without her (through his trials etc.) and, second, his reliance on her literally and physically was cast in a positive light. It’s good that he relies on her for everything! Because she wants to be helpful! Maybe his obsession with her was always part of the fantasy. I found it to be a bit of a red flag in and of itself.

The end of the penultimate chapter, where he “holds out his hand to be led” really got me. It distilled in one sentence the same sentiment as the “defeated eagle” passage, which also affected me a lot. What used to be a manic devotion and need for her that was creepily obsessive and unrealistic, that transformed her into an idealized object without recognizing her as a complete and flawed human, was transformed into a literal reliance on her, which is both softer and more objectively reasonable, and also more easily controlled--a submissive reliance, in a way.

I’ve had such a tough day and I’m 95% sure this is incoherent or, at least, really shallow as a book reaction. But I don’t care! Vacation time!

[dmsden]

Fatal, Not Final - What happens after a TPK?

Hullo, Gentle Readers. This week, I’m doing something just a little different in my Question from a Denizen article. Last week, you may remember, I did an article about embracing failure. This week, however, I thought I’d continue on that topic by discussing how to embrace the ultimate in failures - the Total Party Kill, also known as a TPK.

I’m going to start this article by saying that, while TPKs happen, I have never been one of those GM’s who relishes them or seeks them out. Even in the one shots I run, even when I’m running a horror game, I’m not looking for a TPK. I’m the DM - I can simply state that everyone’s character is dead, and they are. I don’t think of a TPK as winning or somehow being better at the game than the players. After all, it brings my carefully planned stories to a grinding halt. So really, what kind of win is that for me? I want to challenge my players and make them feel heroic, but I’m not against them. I want them to win, possibly while thinking I was out to kill them, and feel victorious...like they’ve earned something by winning.

So let’s say the latest session ended in a TPK. Am I going to tell the players to crumple up their character sheets and we’ll have another Session Zero next week? No, absolutely not. I have a better imagination than that, and, in a world of magic, anything is possible. But a lot of how I’ll proceed forward depends a great deal on how the characters died.

If they were fighting intelligent foes who were primarily using melee attacks, I could simply decide that their foes decided to knock them out rather than kill them. Intelligent foes might very well have better uses for them than simply killing them outright at the moment of the battle. The PCs might wake up in chains, having been defeated by drow who used a venom on their weapons that simulated death. They might be cast into an arena to fight a remorhaz for the frost giant jarl’s amusement. They might be held captive by mind flayers who intend to eat their brains or enthrall them and now have to plan a daring escape. They might wake up in a cage dangling over lava as a group of evil fire elemental cultists prepare to sacrifice them (assuming they were fighting evil fire elemental cultists, of course).

A word to the wise here: players seem to hate their characters being captured and having their stuff taken away even more than they hate their characters dying. If you go this route, don’t have it last too long. Give the PCs a chance to escape and recover their stuff quickly.

If you want a unique take on this, look at the old 1st edition module Escape from the Dungeon of the Slave Lords. The fight at the end of the previous module railroads the PCs into being captured. When they wake up at the beginning of the next module, they are wearing only loincloths and are in the dark in a dungeon that the Slave Lords created for their amusement. The module has threats they may have to face bare handed, but it also has ways for PCs to be inventive in order to arm themselves, including removing their loincloths to use them as slings or fill them with wet sand to make blackjacks.

As a variant on this, imagine that the PCs wake up in catacombs, having been buried. They have to battle low level undead with their bare hands, or improvise weapons, such as a femur from a foe they just defeated. And then, once they escape, they have the mystery of how they survived death or returned to life to contend with.

Which brings me to my next idea. Let’s assume that the PCs definitely have to have died - they all fell into lava, or something. So how to bring them back now? Mysteriously. Maybe they wake up in a whole new place, wearing strange clothing they’ve never seen before, or with odd arcane markings all over their bodies that glow brightly before slowly fading until they look completely normal. What happened? How did they return? Where are they now?

I have no idea.

I’m not saying this to be coy. If the PCs die right at the end of a session, then you’ve got until the next game to plan. But what if they get killed early? In this case, I would be ready with something weird and mysterious to tide the PCs over until the end of the session. You can always come up with the answer to the mystery at a later time, and even introduce whole new campaign elements and plots around the mysterious return.

Here are 5 mysterious ways for PCs to return after a TPK that you could use in your own campaign.

1. The PCs wake up on stone slabs deep in a dungeon, still fully armed and armored, as if they’d just finished a long rest. Judging by beard growth and such, a month has passed. When they emerge, everyone is terrified of them, including people they knew. What has happened in the last month?

2. Ask the PCs to roll initiative. They are beginning a battle in medias res with no knowledge of how they got where they are. After the battle, they realize that they are in the same geographic area, but years seem to have passed. No one knows them, although some old folks may remember being told stories of them as children. Is there a way to get back to their own time?

3. The PCs suddenly find themselves walking together in a town they know. People believe them to be people they know by different names. These same people are shocked when they demonstrate abilities that the people they knew didn’t have. Have their spirits suddenly reincarnated into new bodies, and why?

4. The group wakes up in a forest glen with a group of druids around them. The powerful druids heeded a prophecy about the world needing them and have all cast reincarnate. Have every player roll to see what their new race is. What is the prophecy, and are the druids good or ill in intent?

5. The PCs wake up on another plane, such as the Shadowfell, the Nine Hells, or Sigil, the City of Doors. They are prisoners of a powerful entity, such as an Archdevil or an Inevitable. They may be geased to fulfill a quest in order to earn their freedom. 

I hope this has shown you that death isn’t the end when it comes to D&D. Next week, I’ll get back to answering questions. Until then, may all your 20s be natural.

[obeymeluv]

Signs they Love You

Back for my 1 post a week to prove school hasn’t totally killed me! When I get a semester break, I’ll post more often. In the mean time, feel free to leave me chats or PMs for stuff you want to see! :) Something nice and sappy for an okay Saturday

These turned out really long so I only did Lucifer, Mammon, Levi, and Satan. I have to get back to studying :/. Maybe I’ll have part 2 next week?

Lucifer

You wouldn’t be able to notice it because his pride wouldn’t allow you to. One of the brothers (or, to Lucifer’s extreme mortification, Lord Diavolo) would have to tell you

He’s not sure if it’s just the appreciation of you not being as totally chaotic as his brothers or genuine human naivete that has somehow worn off on him, but he loves you

Will be outed by sappy, soft stares that last 2 seconds too long.

Asmo and Satan are the first to notice and he LOATHES that

If he’s tasked with waking you up that morning, his knock will be firm but his voice will be gentle. Almost persuasive or commiserating

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by school workload, he may have a private conference with the teacher and grant you a minor extension. Will you know it was him? No. Is he happy to see you brighten up and refill with hope just a bit? Definitely. Is it worth the teasing from Lord Diavolo? ...Sure.

If he responds to texts in the wee hours of the morning when he’s still pouring over paperwork, he likes you.

Anyone who knows him can see how his eyes soften when someone else talks about you. There’s a fond slowness to his actions, how he glides his hand imperceptibly over his chest as if to feel where that emotion is coming from. Boy is whipped.

Should Lord Diavolo invite him out for a meeting, he will bring you back something small. Something he thought you’d like. Beel is upset. Levi yells “SIMP!” from the second floor and prepares for Armageddon.

Actually reminds you about assignments if you’re not already up on it yourself. Your success is his joy.

Is very keen on if/when you burn the candle too long and has a sixth sense for bad sleeping habits. Will put you on a stricter schedule for your own health

It may take almost all of the brothers to do it (or just help from Diavolo) but if he gets drunk on Demonus you’re getting a whole BOOK about why he likes you. He almost charms your memory away but everyone practically dog-piles on him not to because he needs to deal with his feelings.

You’re the only one he won’t chase out of his study when he’s doing paperwork. He’ll even set up a little fire if you like the fireplace.

How he confesses: tries to take you on a fancy date to Ristorante Six. Does not know that Lord Diavolo and Barbatos know about this (damn time-travelling butler!) and basically crash the date just to encourage him. Just long enough to encourage him.

Kind of an, “So you chose this idea, Lucifer? Admirable! I’m sure your date will be amazing! Enjoy your evening!” as Diavolo walks back to his table.

Does Lucifer deny it? Look and see how red his face is. If you’re really not sure, ask Diavolo. He will gladly yell, “I cannot lie!” across the restaurant.

Mammon

For all his talk, when he really, really decides he likes you, he doesn’t know what to say.

He can console himself with how obvious it is and how you made the best choice, but he has to show it! What to do?

Mammon’s kind of confused about it because he doesn’t really change how he behaves. You didn’t catch on already?! C’mon, human!

What, does he have to spell it out for you? Do an interview with Majolish?

His first tactic is to just be around you. Be subtle, and maybe cuddle a bit more than usual. Things to show he’s kittenish and at your mercy. Comfortable with you.

You don’t seem to be getting the hint so he throws the net a little wider by trying to find things you like or that you’ve been talking about. They mysteriously show up at your door.

It sends the others on a gossip train about who your admire could be and when they list off everyone BUT him, he wants to slam his head on the table.

Feeling tired? Coffee! Backpack heavy? Silly human, the BEST man can help you with that, OBVIOUSLY! Mammon jumps at the chance to do any little thing for you because he cares. His actions always speak louder than words.

Feeling kind of defeated and embarrassed, Mammon will go talk to the flock of crows that meander around the House of Lamentation’s yard when he really needs them.

For the next few days you’re accosted in the nicest way, birds chirping at you and dropping off various shiny things

You collect them, finally showing them to Mammon and he’s embarrassed that his representative animal has taken to courting you on his behalf.

He calls them to him, embarrassed and ready to rant or fall into the ground never to be seen again, when they start talking. Repeating all the things he’s practiced saying.

“Hey baby,”, “Hey human,” “Love you!”, “Silly! Silly!”, “Dummy, no, dummy!”, “My human.”

It’s broken and confusing, six or seven bird children cawing in your face and bobbing, but you get it.  

Levi

Levi’s not the best at expressing himself but it counts, right? As much as he hates to admit he’s some kind of shy tsundere, you know what that is, right? He doesn’t have to say it?

Yes. Yes he does. His brothers are getting too chummy with you and you don’t understand his signals. Time for Plan B.

If you get invited to stand in line for a midnight release, he hopes you take it. Then it’s just you two hanging out in line? What’s this? He brought snacks? Totally not for the two of you BUT you an have some if you’re hungry. It’s whatever

When he’s not doing boss raids and playing with online friends, he’ll ask if you want to play something with him. A Player 1 needs a Player 2, you know?

I headcanon that Levi knows how to play some unusual instruments like the kalimba or a real ocarina. I could see him making you a song on one of those. Or just playing it because you inspire him. He’s very good with a harp and will play it when he’s in the mood.

Boy also likes to draw and paint. Especially loves watercolors. Would it be weird if he gave you a painting of you as a mermaid? Just you and the ocean. Beautiful.

Was there a really cute plush or knickknack you liked? Levi has his ways, regardless of how rare or limited edition it is. It will be yours. 

He has a hard time understanding a passing comment of interest versus a genuine want because he genuinely wants everything he’s interested in, so if you hear a whisper about him almost securing something, stop and look it up. Make sure it’s not super expensive!!

Probably outed by Belphegor, who feels like Levi’s broadcasting all of his stress, frustration, and hope through his dreams. (”His dreams are weird. Just different ways of asking them out, and if he messes up it restarts like a simulation. My brain hurts.” he says to Beel)

 You’re allowed to come into his super-restricted bedroom haven when everything’s too much. It’s very exclusive since the Mammon incident. Be happy.

Might go swimming in his big tank and pick a seashell or rock to make a necklace out of. He hopes you like it.

If he’s not outed by Belphie, some of his online friends made a game demo they wanted him to try. They specified it was two player so he asked you to join in. While he’s in the middle of bragging about how he knows people, knows developers, he totally misses the dating-sim like dialogue and the big reveal.

Doesn’t really kick in until he realize the characters look like you two. You’re busy saying ‘Yes’ to “Do you like me?” as Levi absolutely threatens to rip them apart six ways to Sunday. Almost in full demon mode, too.

Everything falls out of his brain and quiets in his throat when he realizes the characters are kissing and ‘THEY SAID YES!’ flashes on the screen.

“Y-You like me?”

“Yep.”

It was that easy all along. Levi thinks he’s going to faint.  

Satan

Becomes aware of it pretty quick but ignores it for a looong time

Is it rude or foolish of him to assume you would also like him back?

Run away into books. A solid plan. If you don’t think about it, it’s not an issue

Oh, but it is an issue when you fall asleep after a mutual day of reading, forced in by bad weather. He finds his heart fluttering in a painful squeeze as he quietly whispers all the things he dare not say when you’re awake

It’s nervous poetry, and it’s beautiful

Satan tries to get himself back on track, to focus on reading, and he gets frustrated when he’s stuck on the same page almost an hour later

When you’re on the brain he just can’t do anything else

How does one show their affection? He’s swimming in books for a new reason now, as voracious as ever

He brews you a pot of Melancholy Coffee and is a bit disappointed you don’t know the meaning behind the bitterness. Wants to break the pot when Lucifer jokes about how it tastes exceptionally bitter to him as well.

Okay, so coffee didn’t work. What else do people do when they show their affections?

Asmo suggests a ‘not a date’ date and Satan sighs inside. Sounds like a lot of work and effort. It’s not that you’re not worth it, but he has a feeling that everyone will know and look at him the whole time.

Tries anyways. You guys go to a beautiful nature conservatory and take a tour of the plants and some indigenous animals

You’re starting to realize it now, he can tell. Satan tries to answer your question without saying it while you’re at school. You walk together, he offers to carry some of your books, and always requests that he be your project partner

Nearly there. If there was a single defining moment for him, he’d want it to be classic. He shows up at your door with a rose and asks you to go on a moonlit walk.

Mammon’s poking fun about how cheesy and cliche it is, Asmo’s gearing up to shut Mammon’s stupid mouth, and Satan just whisks you out the door with an aggravated sigh.

No matter what side of the house you’re on, Asmo throws up the biggest, gaudiest handmade sign that’s like ‘CUTEST COUPLE! 10/10!’

[lady-divine-writes]

Good Omens - Taking the Cake (Rated G)

Summary: When Aziraphale decides to host Warlock and Adam's 12th birthday down at his shop, he tells Crowley they'll be doing it without magic. That's all well and good until Crowley is called upon to finish decorating the cake... (1551 words)

Read on AO3.

“Ho there! Mmph... angel? Ngk... ” Crowley grunts, stuffing himself through one door of Aziraphale’s bookshop, the other holding stubbornly to its frame. He barely makes it through, lugging copious bags bulging with party gear, his long fingers curled around handles strained thin by the weight.

"In here, dear," Aziraphale replies, giving no indication that he's coming to help. Crowley picks an aisle and starts walking, navigating the narrow expanse between late 18th century classics and Roman philosophy. 

“I got everything on your list," Crowley says when he spots his husband. "Goodie bags, balloons, streamers, poppers… “ He pauses inventorying when he comes up behind Aziraphale, deeply engaged in the creation of a buttercream rosette.

By hand, no less. 

Aziraphale insisted they throw together this entire party like natives, and that meant no magic whatsoever. Crowley couldn’t understand why. Miracling together a party is literally a snap. They'd done it hundreds of times over the years. It's how they hosted their wedding. 

With a snap.

That did, however, create a mountain of paperwork, which led to Gabriel and his henchmen finding out about their shindig and showing up uninvited. Surprisingly, they didn't cause much in the way of trouble. They snickered a little, made a few snide remarks, but they mostly spent their time "observing" from a table in a far corner, mingling with no one as if above it all. 

Crowley tensed when they arrived, but having a few party crashers didn't go too badly... until the karaoke began. 

“Is that the cake then?”

“Yes. I’m almost done.“ Aziraphale pinches his tongue between his teeth, steadying his hand as he adds a peony this time.

"It's gorgeous," Crowley says in awe. "Truly stunning."

"Thank you, my dear," Aziraphale says, glowing from his husband's praise.

"But... " 

Aziraphale's shoulders instantly go rigid. 

Crowley hates to do this to him. The cake really is a masterpiece of confectionary construction. But it needs to be said. "Warlock and Adam are turning twelve."

"And... ?" 

"Don't you think they might appreciate something a bit more... I don't know.... befitting of a pair of former antichrists? Like a zombie with bleeding eyes? Or a raven with sharp, pointy teeth?"

Aziraphale glares over his shoulder at Crowley as if insanity has finally set in. "Ravens don't have teeth!"

"I know! That's why it would be terrifying! Right up their alleys!"

Aziraphale shakes his head, going back to his peonies. "This is a birthday cake! Not a Halloween cake! Besides, I only know how to make flowers. Anything else would require magic, and you know how I feel about that. Besides, I'm certain they only care about the insides anyway, and it's crammed full of chocolate. I don't think they'll mind a crocus or two."

"Fair enough," Crowley concedes.

The clock in the corner chimes, and Aziraphale sighs. He looks over at it, then double-checks the time on his pocket watch. Crowley checks the time on his watch, too, although he doesn't know what for.

"Three o'clock," Aziraphale observes. "Damn."

"Wot's wrong?"

"I’m afraid I’m running a bit behind.”

“Anything I can do to help?” Crowley asks, piling his sacks on a nearby chair.

“As a matter of fact, I have to pop out for a few," Aziraphale says, handing Crowley the piping bag, "but this cake needs one final touch.”

“And that is?” Crowley holds the bag between his fingers the way he would a dead rat, wary that he might be called upon to construct the same delicate flowers Aziraphale has. Without his magic, Crowley doesn't have anything near Aziraphale's talent with icing. 

Warlock and Adam may just get a gruesome cake after all.  

“I just need it to say 'Happy Birthday Warlock and Adam'.” Aziraphale bustles about, grabbing his coat off the tree and throwing it on. “The handwriting doesn't need to be immaculate, just legible. Could you do that for me?”

“Pfft. No problem," Crowley says, secretly perceiving a problem. "Piece of… “ 

Aziraphale stops on his way out the door to give his husband an exasperated look. Crowley snickers. 

“Well, you know,” Crowley finishes, shooing Aziraphale out the door. "Ta-ta now. Mind how you go."

***

"Damned antique dealers and their damned negotiations! Ignorant bast---" Aziraphale stops short of cursing. It doesn't matter what happened, which was extremely upsetting. There is no need for bad language. He hurries down the crowded sidewalk, going over the details of the past hour-and-thirty in his head. "I was doing them a favor, and look how I'm repaid! I'm late to the party I'm hosting! There's a fine how-do-you-do! Ungrateful humans! See if I stop another Apocalypse for you, in your tacky grey suits and your cheap pointy shoes... "

Aziraphale stomps up to his door, keys in hand, but stops outside when he hears laughter on the other side. He peeks through the dusty glass, and his shoulders sag. 

The party is for the kids. He knows. But he was so looking forward to celebrating with everyone from start to finish. That and he didn't think he'd take this long, so he neglected to relocate his first editions somewhere secure. 

He fears for their safety.

Icing is notoriously difficult to get out of parchment and ligament, even through the use of miracles.

He should have never taken that stupid meeting to begin with. He had a feeling it wouldn't pan out.

Oh well. 

No need wasting any more time on that than already has, he thinks, bucking up and unlocking the door. Time to stop feeling sorry for myself and start celebrating while I still have the chance...

Aziraphale takes a step in, ready to announce his arrival, but stops dead when he hears jazzy scatting in a sonorous voice. 

A voice that doesn’t belong to anyone he knows.

Aziraphale walks in further, scanning those gathered, and makes a minor correction to his original assessment - doesn’t belong to any human that he knows. His eyes blow wide, his cheeks burn red, and his husband's name explodes off his tongue before he even opens his mouth.

"Anthony J. Crowley-Fell!"

Aziraphale doesn't say anything other than his name and Crowley starts apologizing. "I'm sorry, angel!" he says, running across the shop to greet him, but not looking the least bit sorry. 

"I gave you one task!" Aziraphale bellows, snapping his fingers and slamming the door shut, his no-magic edict flying out the window. "Just one little thing! And you couldn't do it!"

"I'm no good at writing!" Crowley defends with the shadows of an infuriating grin on his face. "My hand gets all wobbly! I didn't want to risk ruining any of your lovely flowers!"

Aziraphale, splotchy-faced and buggy-eyed, glowers. "You couldn't write a simple Happy Birthday, so you enchanted the entire cake!? That was your brilliant plan!?"

"I'm a demon! Of course, that was my plan!"

"Crowley!"

"They showed up right after you left! I had no time! I panicked!"

Aziraphale drops his head into his hands, shaking it slowly back and forth. Crowley reaches out to put a comforting hand on his husband's shoulder until he hears him counting backward from one hundred... in Akkadian. Then he creeps his hand to his side and quietly steps off. 

Aziraphale breathes in deep through his nose and out through his mouth, struggling to ground himself. He has no one to blame but himself. That's the painful part. In the back of his mind, he knew something like this might happen. 

He's impressed it isn't worse. 

He should have never left his husband alone.

Next time, he'll hire a sitter.

Aziraphale continues counting, continues breathing, and as he does, he pays more attention to the goings-on around him.

The cake singing is quite unsettling, but the children are gleeful, the adults joyful. Joking, teasing, and enthusiastic conversation fill the spaces in between. 

Much like their wedding reception, except there isn't an archangel in sight. 

And Crowley's magic was instrumental in making that day memorable.

Maybe Aziraphale overreacted with that 'no magic' rule. Crowley's face fell when Aziraphale told him they'd be hosting the boys' birthday at his bookshop sans magic, but he'd recovered quickly. The streamers and balloons Crowley managed to toss on the walls look plenty festive, but they don't compare to what could have been had Aziraphale allowed Crowley to tap into his imagination.

Their guests are having a grand time despite the modest decor, but it could have been so much more. They are an angel and a demon! Between the pair of them, they could have whipped up a true spectacle, if for no other reason than they still owe poor Warlock after last year's fiasco. 

What would have been the harm of calling upon a little divine intervention? 

An alarming thought pops into Aziraphale's brain, and his head snaps up. “They’re going to cut into that, you know. Is that when the enchantment ends?”

“Nope.” Crowley rubs his palms together. “That’s when the fun begins.”

"Uh... "Aziraphale's jaw drops. "Good Lord," he moans, Crowley cackling when Adam runs to fetch the cake cutter. Aziraphale's mind whirls with thoughts of what fun could imply, but there's no time to ask. While Crowley starts laying a drop cloth, Aziraphale puts his coat away and relocates his favorite books into his back room for safekeeping.