#i mean in the end it ends in the dame way but you can see by the way the english is already different in meaning the jaoanese might be too

[starpros-sunshine]

I will never forgive the English translation of the full "stay awhile you are so fair" quote because that is not the same meaning as in the original English and maybe I am wrong and maybe my English is not good enough for that or I'm interpreting this wrong but there is a difference between "bearing something", accepting your fate in a defeated way, even if you do not want to (idk bearing has a pretty negative connotation to be because it's more.... suffering adjacent? I suppose? To me at least) and accepting it in a way that reads like "if it comes to this then I am already beyond saving and I will gladly accept my impending ruin because I brought this upon myself and with that I will live" in German he uses the word "gerne" that means you accept something in a positive way and that you're fine with something and you have no problems with it and that got lost in the English interpretation and I know poetry is different and difficult because of metrics and wordflow and the having it sound right while not losing the intended meaning but it's such a shame to me because the people who don't know the original German can't go insane over Sanctuary the same way I do and that is just such a pity.

[sirfrogsworth]

Early voting to beat the lines... the best-laid schemes of mice and men often go awry.

So... yesterday was quite the day.

After being stuck in bed for the past 6 weeks with some mystery slump, I was finally feeling better. So I decided I would try to cram as many errands into my day as possible. That works better for me when I drive out into the world because I end up only having to do one big recovery instead of a bunch of little recoveries.

My to-do list...

Go to the doctor

Vote early

Return oxygen machine to FedEx store for scammy eBay guy

Return Amazon package to the UPS store

Get gasoline for my whip

Go to Discount Tire to get my tires filled for free

Drop a check off for my lawn guy

Mail a secret package to Katrina at the US Post Office

It would have been nice if I could have gone to just one shipping place instead of all three, but the universe has a sense of humor and likes to do shit like that to me on a regular basis.

So, I get my checkup, it goes quick, no long wait, I'm feeling good.

As I get in my car, it starts to rain. It was an ugly day and it actually has not stopped raining to this very moment a day later. Just gray, windy, chilly, and wet. I look up the voting place and start the GPS.

Wipers and music on full blast, it's time to get my vote on.

When I reach my destination, I realize early voting is at some kind of private golf club. And at the center is a recreation center—which is a public building.

So it's like this private/public turducken situation.

I was expecting this errand to take 20 minutes. Because early voting always seemed like a way to get in before the crowds of election day for a more convenient voting experience.

But the parking lot was packed and I feared my expectations were about to be subverted.

As I walk through the parking lot I see a bunch of signs in the ground.

And a particular one caught my eye.

This is bullshit.

Like, just a straight up lie. No truth to it whatsoever.

Amendment 3 in Missouri basically restores abortion rights in the state. And Republicans have taken issue with the following language...

"The Government shall not deny or infringe upon a person's fundamental right to reproductive freedom, which is the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions."

They claim the phrasing "but not limited to" means you can give an 8-year-old kid "sex change surgery."

This is how their online flyer puts it...

It could also include a free puppy.

Or a zillion bucks.

Or a clown will come to your house after the abortion and honk your nose.

It's ridiculous and desperate. I honestly don't know how it is legal for them to put a lie like that outside of a polling location, but here we are.

The organization "Missouri Stands with Women" is run by... a man.

It was set up by a lawyer named "Edward Greim" on behalf of the Federalist Society.

His law firm has a lovely biography about him. And a bunch of publicly available contact information. I say that for no reason whatsoever.

The Federalist Society funds all kinds of shit like this. Their main thing is installing conservative judges all over the country who will reinterpret or negate legislation. And they do it all to "stand with women" by taking away their reproductive rights.

Here is the board of directors of the Federalist Society.

Ya know, before I looked this up, I said to myself, "I bet it's going to be a sausage fest." I am psychic.

I think it would be more accurate to say they stand with A woman.

Just one.

And she sucks.

Nicole is a law professor at Notre Dame. She chose her Catholicism over her right to choose. The Catholic Church will fuck your rights and your children and Nicole will help them do it.

Anyway... back to my quick and easy voting experience...

So as I'm walking in to vote I keep passing a ton of these awful signs. I notice an older woman standing next to the aforementioned "child sex change" sign and she says, "Can I talk to you about Amendment 3?"

At this point, I'm pretty angry. I look her dead in the eyes and say with my most assholish tone, "NO." as I walk past her.

And then she finishes her sentence...

"...to protect the reproductive rights of women."

Ah, dammit.

I thought she was an old Karen but she was cool as heck. Standing out in the rain telling people the sign is bullshit. I wanted to turn around and apologize but I was stuck in full social anxiety mode so I just kept walking.

If that old lady happens to have a Tumblr and follows me and is willing to read this giant story... I just want to say I am sorry. I thought you were awful and I should have let you finish your sentence. You're super cool and I'm happy there are folks like you fighting for what is right.

I get inside and a young woman greets me. She tells me the line is in the next room and points. I still wasn't quite sure what the situation was. The parking lot being full gave me pause, but I was still hopeful I could have a swift early voting experience.

But I walk through the doors and into a huge gymnasium and my heart sinks.

It's hard to represent in pictures how long this line is.

It goes all the way to the end of the gym, loops around, and comes back. At first I was not too discouraged, because there was a nice gentle ramp at the start of the line.

But then I notice several sets of stairs at different stages of the line. And I'm just thinking how hard it would be to stand in this line and then also having to go up and down several sets of stairs.

So I go back to the young woman working there and ask what their accessible voting options are. And she told me I could do curbside voting and points outside. I then notice a line of cars wrapped around the parking lot. I don't know how I didn't see them walking in, but I guess I was too busy being a jerk to elderly progressive women.

My biggest concern was time.

The longer this takes, the more energy I use up, the longer my eventual recovery will be.

They tell me the car option is the slowest. And I could be in line for 2 to 3 hours. And then an old man who seemed to be in charge walks over and tells me the fastest option is to stand in line.

So I walk back out to my car and grab my cane and decide to try the long serpentine gynasium line.

I start walking up the ramp and some of the other folks see how slow and labored I'm walking and they start encouraging me. "You can do it! You got this!" Which I suppose was meant to be a positive helpful thing. But I found it to be embarrassing.

I get to the end of the line and notice most of the line has bleachers directly next to it. So I decide to sit down and rest and figure out how I am going to survive this experience.

It took me a while to recover from the long walk to this spot. I watched a bunch of people pass me by and the line was actually getting much longer as I rested. I was not really sure what to do. I was trying to problem-solve this situation but the answer that kept popping up in my mind was just... "go home."

But I felt this was too important and that wasn't really an option.

My best idea was to ask someone if they would hold my spot in line. Perhaps I could just sit in the bleachers and follow them around in the line, staying as close to them as I could. But my social anxiety was set to maximum and I was not finding the courage to ask someone.

After about 10 minutes of sitting, resting, and thinking, I basically say, "Fuck it, I'll try to stand in line."

I get up and start walking to the end of the line.

Then I hear a voice yell out to me.

"Hey, man! Come over here! This is your spot!"

A young man was waving at me. He was accompanied by his wife. Both of them were dressed in black and they had a sort of goth skater aesthetic going on. He had a competitively bushy beard, but with less gray. And she had very vivid purple hair.

I was a little confused and still processing what was happening. Then they both started waving at me to join them in line. They remembered I got there just before and told me I should be in front of them. I walk over and thank them. Then he suggests...

"Hey, why don't you just sit in the bleachers and follow us around the line."

He suggested my idea!

Without me asking!

I felt like he read my mind or something.

Can bearded people read each others' minds? Was this some beard skill I was unaware of?

"I got you, man. You just sit and we'll keep your place."

And his violet hair'd significant other agreed. "Yeah, we got you."

The kindness of strangers was more accessible than my polling place and I was just so thankful in that moment.

So I sat in the bleachers and watched them traverse the line. In the middle of the gym there were some teenagers playing basketball. And so I just rested and watched them play.

That young man in the red pants was like a goddamn Harlem Globetrotter. He was just embarrassing the others. He was bouncing the ball behind his back and through his legs and then he just danced around his opponents like a figure skater. It was such an unbalanced matchup. He might as well have been playing 4th graders. Not only was he significantly faster and more maneuverable, but he was consistently hitting 3-pointers.

And then during a break, he ran towards the hoop, jumped from the free throw line, flew all the way to the net, grabbed onto the rim, and proceeded to do several pull ups as if they were the easiest thing in the world. I don't think I've seen anyone jump that far and that high in real life and it was just a bonkers display of athleticism.

I spent the entire wait watching him humiliate the others—hoping he would get a full ride scholarship to some prestigious university.

And I hoped the other boys paid attention in school and got straight As, because basketball was not going to work out for them.

As my new goth skater friends progressed through the line, I would make sure to keep sight of them. Every once in a while I'd give them a head nod to acknowledge we were in this together. After an hour and a half they were at the final segment of the line, so I sat next to the wheelchair folks.

I probably could have argued to sit with them in the first place. But I really did not feel like making the case that I was just as disabled as them and needed that level of consideration. The old man running things seemed quite stressed and was putting out 8 fires at once. And my anxiety wasn't really cooperating enough to be assertive in my needs.

But it worked out in the end, so I'm not going to dwell on the lack of accommodation for people who weren't *visually* disabled.

My new bearded friend neared the end and waved me over. I thanked him and his wife profusely.

I joked, "Thank you for adopting a voter."

They seemed confused by my joke.

"No problem, man. Happy to help."

I told him and his wife they truly saved me. "I honestly don't think I would have made it through the line." And then I looked back...

I said, "As crazy as this is, I do find this kind of turnout encouraging." His wife agreed and said, "We were saying the same thing!" And then I thought, "Can the wives of bearded people absorb the mind reading ability? I hope she can't read my mind right now. Although, I'm mostly thinking that her hair is a really cool shade of purple, so she'd probably find that complimentary."

As I waited to get my ballot I could hear the happy couple behind me. They were very cute. They were making fun of each other in a very lovey-dovey fashion. I had high hopes they were going to grow old and gray and purple together based on their chemistry. And I was just so thankful they were able to recognize that I needed help without me asking. Because I probably would have just caved to my anxiety and not asked for help otherwise.

I got my ballot and sat down to fill in all of the appropriate squares. Thankfully I had prepared a cheat sheet on my phone.

It was an exact replica so I was able to copy it and finish quite rapidly.

Then I fed my votes into the vote-eating monster and they gave me a sticker.

My quick 20 minute adventure to vote early only took 2.5 hours!

And because I didn't want to buck tradition, I stood outside in the wind and the rain and took a voting selfie.

Yep, that seems about right.

Ah, crap... that was only the second thing on my to-do list.

Let's speedrun the rest of this story, shall we?

I drove to FedEx. I hauled a 40 pound box inside. I plopped it on the counter and said, "Man, this thing is heavy!" as I tried to catch my breath. The 20 year old working there then lifted it like it was a feather and I felt great about that.

I drove to the gas station because I was nearly on empty—that is both a metaphor and not a metaphor. I filled my ride with go juice.

I noticed I was a mile from the tire store and they fill up tires for free. So I did that and the guy was super nice and complimented my tires. I felt both weird and proud about having my tires complimented. Like, I had nothing to do with my tires being nice. But I accepted the praise on their behalf.

I drove to the UPS store. The last time I was there I made a scene. They refused to box up a return and I got upset and wasn't feeling well and they had to find a chair for me to sit in because I was going to faint. So I was hoping the same woman wasn't there, but she was. She didn't recognize me, so it was fine.

I drove to my lawn guy's house. He wasn't home. I dropped a check in his mailbox. My checks have corgis on them. My checks are cute.

I drove to the post office. I sent a secret package to my bestie, Katrina. I'd tell you what is in it, but it is an inside joke and you wouldn't get it. The woman noticed my voting sticker and I couldn't help thinking about what I just accomplished to get that sticker.

On my way out I noticed a miracle.

2 of the 4 doors were fixed!

I mean, I don't know why they couldn't fix all 4, but now the employees won't freeze in the winter. So I take that as a win. It only took a year and a half to accomplish and I'm sure all of my phone calls and emails did not help at all. But I'm going to pretend I saved the day regardless.

And then... I drove home.

5 hours of errands.

I was so fucking tired. My back was on fire with pain. I immediately collapsed into my bed. I passed out. And I slept for 14 hours.

The End

[rainbowpopeworld]

(So you don’t have to deal with all the annoying ads on The Mirror’s website, here’s the whole article interview)

EXCLUSIVE: David Tennant reveals his wife Georgia's role) in his 'huge' Rivals series decision

By Nicola Methven

“David Tennant says he jumped at the chance to star in Jilly Cooper’s 1980s bonkbuster Rivals - because his wife said it would be “sensational”.

The former Doctor Who star said she was thrilled when the first script arrived. “I told Georgia and she was convinced that this was something I had to be involved with,” he explains. “She said, ‘This series is going to be huge. This is going to be exactly what the country needs, exactly what the world needs.’

"She knew the books from her teenage years, as I understand, and knew that this was going to make sensational television.”

He duly accepted the role of Lord Tony Baddingham, one of the show’s main villains and was delighted when Georgia eventually got to watch the episodes, and loved them.

"Her reaction was so positive and so joyous," he says. "I know when she's being genuine."

Tony is a grammar school boy with a chip on his shoulder about not being a proper toff. His character runs a regional TV station facing franchise renewal and has a dependable upper-crust wife, played by Sherwood's Claire Rushbrook, but is also having a very steamy affair with the new TV executive he's lured over from New York (Nafessa Williams).

The actor, 53, argues that poor old Tony is just horribly misunderstood. "From the inside, no character believes they're a villain, do they? I think Tony's motivations are very clear. He's very easy to understand in many ways. Tony sees himself as hard done by and someone who's just struggling to survive and to win."

While he can remember the 80s quite clearly, Tenant says that filming Rivals felt very much like being on a period drama. "It's almost like being on the set of a Dickens novel," he muses.

"The 80s seems quite recent history to me, but once you start recreating that world, you realise it's actually very different. That's wonderful fun to film - to be on a time capsule of a set is glorious."

As the Doctor he got to time-travel all over the place in the TARDIS but Tenant says he loved spending time in the 80s, not least because of the music. When you're a teenager at the time, a lot of it, however good it is, is uncool, and therefore you're not really allowed to like it," he says. "Whereas now, as a jaded 53-year-old, I can just go, 'Oh, do you know what I loved? A-ha'."

And what else did he love? "I didn't have to ride a horse, which was a mercy, because I'm a little bit allergic."

Tenant admits that filming the incredibly saucy bedroom scenes was a bit awkward but he felt there was safety in numbers thanks to the huge number of them. Barely any of the cast don't end up getting involved in one way or another.

"| mean, sex scenes are never comfortable, you know? But again, because everyone was in the same boat, there was a lot of discussion about, 'When are you doing that scene?' and 'Have vou done that yet?'

He believes it's fine for Rivals to be labelled a “bonkbuster" - it's full of sex at the end of the day - but only if it's said with due respect for what Dame Jilly achieved with the Rutshire Chronicles. "There are a generation of readers who were so influenced by her, and for whom these novels meant so much, it means that that writing is obviously better than some would have you believe," he says. "The way she writes character is timeless, and people having sex is pretty timeless. So these books have been tenacious for a reason." The actor says an early scene where the pathologically competitive Tony leaps from his helicopter onto the croquet lawn is his favourite career moment so far.

"That hole-in-one, I would like you to know, was probably the greatest day of my professional life," he laughs. Instructed by the director to "whack it" from 30 feet away he was told the cameras would keep running until he managed it. "I thought the crew are gonna hate me by take 402," he remembers. "And I nailed it on take four. I've never felt more pleased with myself than that moment. I felt like a sporting God."”

[i-heart-hxh]

Does killua know gon loves him?

Hi anon! This is such a simple question, but not a simple one to answer. I'll do my best, though!

So, I think the answer is both yes and no, in different ways.

Yes, in the sense that Gon has directly expressed his appreciation of and admiration towards Killua multiple times, said he enjoys being with him and wants to stay with him, and even called him his best friend at the end of Greed Island (really BEST friend, 最高の友達, saikou no tomodachi--I think the translation of "best friend in the whole world" gets the emphasis of this phrase across pretty well).

He said it "Has to be Killua," (キルアじゃなきゃダメなんだ, Killua ja nakya dame nanda) in the dodgeball match, which has implications both during the match and outside of it, that Killua is the only one he fully trusts and the only one who can be by his side for something this pivotal. This phrase has romantic implications, essentially the subtextual meaning is "Killua is the only one for me," hence why Killua reacts as strongly as he does to it. Notice how much he hides his face on this page.

So, I think it's silly to say Killua has no idea Gon cares about him deeply and values him. There are so many moments where Gon says things like this. It's partly why Killua loves Gon so much, because Gon isn't afraid to express that level of love and care and appreciation towards him, as uncomfortable as he acts about it. He's just unused to that receiving kind of praise and attention simply for being himself, rather than being praised for his abilities.

With Killua's views of himself, it's hard for him to fully accept Gon's affection and take it to heart, but luckily Gon is straightforward and doesn't hold back, and keeps repeatedly telling Killua how much he means to him. As the series goes, they form a strong mutual bond and relatively good understanding of each other.

The problem is that multiple things happen in Chimera Ant Arc to disrupt Killua's sense of where he belongs in Gon's life.

He "fails" by fleeing from Pitou with Gon and "leaving Kite to die." While Gon doesn't blame Killua for the decision he made and neither does Kite, Killua nonetheless certainly blames himself for this to a degree. (Remember the scene with Morel and Knov mocking him?) It doesn't help that Bisky tells him that because of his inability to face opponents he sees as stronger than him, he'll eventually leave Gon to die. Then he watches the awful ramifications of what Kite's death does to Gon, knowing he had a role in what happened.

Gon goes on the date with Palm, and Killua variously misinterprets this whole situation to mean that Gon has been on real dates with women previously (I do not think he had been on any dates in an actual romantic sense), Gon actually might have romantic feelings towards Palm, and that they're in some degree of a relationship even after Gon tells her they can't be together and Palm quietly dumps Gon in favor of Knov after the date. This sends Killua spiraling into his whole "Are we friends? Or are we teammates?" concerns, in conjunction with the next factor.

Gon's "I swear... I'll take on that bastard myself," about Pitou, and the later "This has nothing to do with you," line. Remember how much Gon relied on Killua in the dodgeball match, and how much that meant to Killua? Remember how Killua very nearly died and his last thoughts were apologizing that he wasn't more useful to Gon? Killua stakes his whole sense of self on being useful to Gon, so when Gon makes taking down Pitou a solo mission, Killua doesn't know what role he has at Gon's side any more.

I'm sure there are plenty more factors I'm leaving out, but these are the main issues that lead to the gulf that develops between them during the course of Chimera Ant Arc.

Ever after all of this, they're still friends, they're on reasonably good terms when they part even though it's complex and fraught, but there's just so much they're not saying to each other about how they really feel.

I think Killua still knows Gon cares about him with the way they leave off--they agree to stay in touch, say they'll meet again, Killua even teases Gon about the way he treated him a few times and sees that Gon feels awful when he brings it up. I'm sure Gon apologized to Killua when they first saw each other again after all of that, no matter how non-comprehensive that apology may have been.

But, I do think Killua sees his feelings towards Gon as deeper and of a different nature than how he assumes Gon feels towards him. He may even feel a degree of guilt about the extent and nature of his feelings, with an assumption that, as much as Gon cares about him, Gon doesn't reciprocate Killua's romantic feelings. It may be one of many puzzle pieces contributing to the separation.

I think Killua has strong beliefs about Gon not returning his feelings in a romantic sense, which is part of what leads to how much pain he goes through in Chimera Ant Arc and beyond. But these beliefs are less about what Gon does or doesn't do--because *I* believe Gon has romantic feelings for Killua, even though he likely doesn't recognize them as such yet, and obviously in CAA his relationship with Killua is not at the forefront of his mind--but more about how Killua sees himself and how he projects that self-perception on Gon.

The thing is, Killua hasn't directly expressed his feelings (even on a friendship level) towards Gon either. and even hides how much he does for Gon, so Gon also doesn't fully understand the weight and degree of Killua's feelings for him either. He sees what Killua does for him and I'm sure he knows that's a way Killua expresses friendship to him, but at the same time, the reasons or feelings or depth behind those actions remain unspoken, so how is Gon supposed to know fully where Killua is coming from?

As much as he may have some inklings of Killua's feelings from reading his body language and all the time they spent together, it's not something that has been confirmed or stated the way Gon has expressed his feelings. So, it makes sense that these two boys might assume the other doesn't love them back the same way they love each other, because their own self-esteem is so low and they don't see themselves as deserving of the kind of love they have for each other.

So, in response to your question, both yes and no, and "It's complicated," too.

[ladybender]

Jesus oh my god...

Futurama's second episode of this season "Quids Game" was a punch in the guts. In a good way! It goes right on par with episodes like "Cold Warriors" and "Game of Tones": an exploration of Fry's childhood, this time through the lens of mean aliens making him relieve his 8th birthday party games - this time to the death!

I have a lot to say about this episode so buckle up!

Let's start off with some minor complains I have for this one, which are pacing, stakes, and Leela's characterization (in a particular scene).

The episode really flew by so fast, almost at a break-necking pace, and the games felt too short and jam-packed because of that. The emotional weight of the end of each game hits hard because with every one a beloved character dies. There managed to find the time to get the reaction for the major ones (Kif, Leela's parents and grandmother), which is great, but the episode moves so quickly and there is little more time to absorbed it all.

Though, about this issue, I wanna say that I often feel like episodes are either going by too fast or too slow the first time I watch them and it usually doesn't feel the same from a second watch onward. so this is really a minor one that might not even be an problem for me later on, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

moving on to stakes, with this I mean that I originally thought, before the episode aired, that the end goal of the death dame was that the winner would get a prize. A birthday gift for example, and it would have incentivized everyone to go on and even play dirty (which, in retrospect, seems like a really smart thing to put in! compare everyone trying to get an advantage to Fry absolutely refusing to cheat, and pack an even bigger punch with that ending). I suppose playing to survive is motivation enough, but I think it undermines the "wants" of most other characters, and since this was a big coral episode (which is absolutely a strength! I can only imagine how hard it must have been to put together, wow!) I would have loved to see them striving to win, guess what their “birthday wish” would have been, maybe even learn a few of them along the way.

The third iffy thing I want to mention is Leela in the scene in the kitchen. There are seven characters left in the competition and only four baseballs to find to win the round. Leela is panicking trying to find one and she begs fry to cheat and find it for her since he already played when he was a kid and knows the house. Now this conflict was SO good and ALMOST perfect, but whyyyy oh why was Leela so ready to leave Fry behind??? doesn't make sense to me??? I know she was scared and upset bc she had just lost her family and that probably pushed her to act irrationally, but I just can't see her only wanting to keep herself alive and not Fry, especially when an easier and stronger solution is RIGHT THERE.

Have Leela go to Fry already with one of the baseball (that she might have found in some crawled and ridiculous place, to show how desperate she is to win and survive. if you have the wish giving stakes it's even better because you can imagine she'd use her gift to bring her parents back). in the meantime, the other characters find two other balls so there is only one left, and NOW Leela begs Fry to cheat to find the last one and win with her. It's even more emotional, Leela tells him she doesn't want to lose him too but Fry categorically doesn't want to cheat, and in the end tells Leela to win without him, sacrificing himself for her. Bender finds the last ball in the fridge and the episode continues just like we saw (with Bender tossing the ball to someone else right before being pulverized lol. like I said, Bender should be cheating like MAD in these games, really drive home the concept).

I wanna make it clear that these complains don't really turn me off from the whole episode, they are just my free flow of thoughts on stuff that i thought could have been stronger.

But now for the meat. This episode was phenomenal!!! so much good Fry's family characterization and SO much to unpack for Fry as a character. Cody Ziglar has such a spot on take on Fry, it was so validating seeing this episode and putting together all the little pieces of Fry's psyche I’ve picking out for years now, converging into one.

It seems superficial at first glance, but this really runs deeper than it looks. Fry has always been earnest but insecure, proven and proven again in countless episodes. You expect a person goofy and easygoing like Fry to go ham at his birthday and celebrate with all the people he loves, but we find out Fry doesn't like his birthday and feels bad about being put at the center of attention, and it all goes deeper and more upsetting from there.

Adding to all of this and speaking about Fry’s parents, especially his mom, I wanna add that it’s such a realistic conflict it was painful to watch – she wanted to give her son the chance to be a winner, she had no idea how the situation would turn against him. Sometimes a good day of parenting could be the kid’s most terrible experience of his life, and that’s brutal but the parent meant well even if they ruined things for their kid. It’s so sad Fry never got to see how much his mom and dad did for him, and she wanted him to feel like a winner, but this isn’t a story with an easy resolution. It’s bittersweet and it's insane and this last scene ruined me fr, like just look at this what the hell

This exploration of Fry goes hand in hand with everything we know of him. it seamlessly adds another layer of understanding that I’m honestly not even sure I can unpack in a single post, because there is so much to say and draw conclusions from, starting from the very first episode and ending with Meanwhile. From his relationship with his parents and his brother, to his love life and friendships, from his view of himself as a loser to the way he's always striving to better himself while always staying true to himself, trying to achieve his goals the hard way instead of finding an easy way out. Think the why of Fry, Parasite Lost, TKOS, the sting, godfella, my three suns, BBS, cold warriors, and on and on and on. It’s building together a picture of Fry’s character that’s so complex and worth exploring.

With this episode we have a new fundamental facet of him, and for this alone it’s an amazing episode.

I’ll mail my therapy bill to the writers, thank you

And thank you for reading, let me know your thoughts and opinion, I wanna know what y’all thought about this episode

[oct0bra1ns]

Hello again! I really liked my other ask of yours, but I have another one.

How would the brothers individually react to a chronically ill reader? I feel like the Yandere behavior would go up a notch for most of them.

One would use all of his money to get you whatever you need even if he runs broke, he couldn't look after you when you were younger but now he can and he'll be damed if he doesn't do everything he can

He makes sure you have everything you need, he'll hire additional staff for the house, he'll keep doctor nearby the main house so that their available 24/7 and of he hears some bullshit like, "the scans are completely normal, there's no explaining" They're not making it to the next day.

His protectivness goes up way more, he'll not let you go out of the house unless you inform him when and where, with who, for how long etc, he'll keep people in disguise nearby the area in case anything happens and they have to report back to him, every hour.

In case you go missing, one will not let you out of sight for the next month, he'll be besides you 24/7 and it'll take a while before you can regain his trust to go out on your own.

Two, would use his influence to get colleagues to try to find a cure or temporary relief so that you don't have to go through a lot of pain.

Other than that two can't do much, when you were younger he was always the one to take care of you but nowadays he's become busy, of course, if you even ask him for help he won't deny and if he realises just how much you want him besides you, he won't mind taking a day off .

Two tries to make it a habit to unwind with you at the end of the day, taking care of your routine of you're too tired to do it yourself or just want him too.

He'll get you extensions for projects and extra classes if you never need them because all the staff at the college know better than to piss him off.

Two will constantly keep an eye on you through the day, making sure you aren't over exerting yourself and if you ever end up in the nurses office, Two will refuse to let you attend the rest or the day and the next, demanding that you rest.

Three is kind of horrible in dealing with these kinds of things because he wasn't really there to see the worst of it

But he learn, that too probably after seeing you go through it on a day where it was hellish. He isn't perfect at ot, but he's putting in the effort.

Making sure you eat, take your meds, making sure you get adequate rest.

Four being the one person who spent most of his time with you, knows everything you need. He got used to reminding you to take care of your needs, get your medicine if needed etc.

All this, he forced Two to teach him after he saw how much it affected youyou, telling him that he'd always be with you and it would make more sense for him to learn how to take care of you.

All this means he'll isolate you from your friends even more, using your sickness as an excuse to keep you with him at all times.

[that-starry-freak]

Okay, wow, uhm-

This is my rant about Eclipse x Solar x Nexus i keep saying ill do. Sooo- yeah. If you don't like it, just scroll. Or block me i don't give a shit- im just ranting about what I like *shrug* (btw this is 95% for/about my tol au, so-)

Cw i do mention abuse a few times, because of Solar's Moon, dark sun, etc.

God i love these three so much. There's just so much potential, both angst and fluff (and a bit of smut but that stays in my head that is NOT going on my blog)

Like Solar and Nexus are both such needs and idiots. They both stay up late working, and insist the other one goes to bed (Eclipse ends up having to drag them both to bed).

They love working on projects together. People arnt usually allowed int he workshop when their working together, because if they have each other they don't need anyone else to help or anything- but they let Eclipse in once, and he got to see how they danced around each other and worked together perfectly.

They're all nerds who love science and mechanics tbh, but they all like it in different ways. Solar likes the hard work, the mindlessly fixing things. He liked the manual labour, the more mechanics of it. Nexus loved the science. He loves asking questions and learning knew things. He loves questioning things and people. He likes building and creating and testing out code. Eclipse likes the results. He doesn't particularly enjoy coding and building, it makes him frustrated, but he loves the results. He likes having a job well done. And getting to enjoy whatever the product is, whether its a computer or a basic machine.

Eclipse and Nexus can also understand each other. They can understand the expectation of who you're supposed to be. To be a remake of someone dead, but not really being them. Yet everyone expects you too. They've spent long nights sharing a smoke and ranting about how unfair it is. About how they weren't v1 Eclipse, or Moon. That they were themselves, and it wasn't fair people pressured them into being their predecessors.

Solar and Eclipse can understand what its like to be an eclipse. To come into this world with Moons hating you. To be called vile, to have a Moon laugh in your face. They may not have always liked each other, but they understand each other, its one of the reasons they became close.

Nexus can also help them both heal from their trauma of Moons. Plus, he isn't really Moon. Sure, he is a moon, coming from he dame basic code. But he isn't an old Moon. He's kinder, he doesn't blow up as easily. Its reassuring to them both, being treated so kindly to someone who pretty much abused them both (Eclipse didn't deserve how Old moon treated him when he came into this world.)

Eclipse and Nexus also know what its like to be left behind. Eclispe knows what its like to be left behind by Moon, to be a piece of code that he doesn't care about. Nexus knows what its like to hurt people and lose them. Yes, its different, but that doesn't mean they can't empathize with each others pain, because it is similar in a way.

solar and Nexus can understand each other's pain of losing someone you care about deeply. Of blaming yourself for their death. Of course. They dealt with it much differently, but still-

Eclipse and Solar both knowing what its like to die, comforting each other, reassuring them that they're still here. That they're alive. That they're them.

Enough about what they have in common tho-

like oh my goddd. I have so many thoughts bro-

Eclipse smells like cigarettes and leather and faintly of the vanilla candles Puppet lights in their apartment. Solar smells like grease and oil and sometimes chemicals when he cleans himself off (and then is forced to take an actual shower by Eclipse because cleaning yourself with harsh chemicals every time cant be good for your casing). Nexus smells like lavender (because thats the scent of the detegerant Sun always washes their clothes with) and faintly of bleach (consequences of living in the same house as Sun) and grease a lot after he's been working. The other twos smells are comforting to all three of them, reminding them that they're safe and content. Nexus eccpecially loves wearing Solar's clothes, and loves being in his arms, reminding him that he's alive. Thats he's right here. That everything is going to be okay.

And oh my god don't get me started on the forbidden love. The fact that Eclipse and Solar can't be in the same dimension till Eclispe gets a new dimensional signal. Solar and Nexus both crushing on Eclipse, but Nexus is the only one that can actually see them both, having to pass messages between the two. Of course they do eventually get to see each other again, but for so long they won't be able to. Its just.. sad

And AUGH im always going to be insane over rmy true loves kiss idea. The idea of Solar kissing Nexus out of desperation, because nothing he says can get through to him and ohmygod he's panicking- and somehow the virus he has just disappearing. The kiss curing Nexus, and bringing him back to his senses. And oh my god, the chaos and angst that follows. Nexus sobbing becuase of what he's done, feeling so guilty. The family not wanting to accept him back, Moon being the worst one-

Solar and Eclipse being the first ones to accept him. Later being Sun, Earth, and then Lunar. Maybe one day Moon, but thats a day far in the future.

And auggh, Solar and Moon's friendship. Moon hating his boyfriends but midly tolerating them for Solar's sake. Solar aclimating him to Eclipses, and he starts tolerating him a bit more. Hearing him say so many good things about Nexus makes him hate him more, though, insecure about Nexus being back in the family. Afraid of being replace.

Sleaking of being replaced, Nexus feeling like he's replaceable. That he's disposable. That one wrong move and he'll be thrown out again. Solar reassuring him that even if he is hell go with him. That he refuses to let Nexus be completley abandoned and manipulated again.

And god, all three of them have such communication, trust, and attachment issues-

Solar feels like he has to be useful to be loved. That he has to prove himself. That he could also be thrown out of the family because he's not from this dimension. He's afraid of being a burden. He's afraid that if he complains he'll be seen as a nuisance. That he doesn't deserve help or to get anything, that he barely deserves the celestial family as it is even if he does so much for them.

Nexus also feels like he has to be useful. That if he isn't, what is he for? What was his purpose if he can't help? He compares himself to Moon a lot, feeling like he has to match up to his standards, even if they're impossible. Moon has years and years of experience on him- he also struggles to talk about his own feelings. He bottled them up so much because he felt like they were stupid that he just doesn't know how to talk about them. The only time he can is in the middle of the night, and is usually with Eclipse. Solar will try to comfort him and almost baby him when he tries to rant to him, Eclipse will just complain and rant right back though, and he prefers it.

Eclipse didn't really ever have any healthy relationships. He's used to pushing people away and bottling all his feelings up. To lashing out at people. Yes, this version is much calmer, but he still has the memories of the ones before him. Hes still used to that being what Eclipses in this dimension did. He doesn't know how to talk to people. Earth helped him open up though, and Solar and Nexus helped him more. He's a lot calmer now, and it helps that they both enjoy listening to him rant. Solar will listen to him and gives advice, while Nexus will just complain with him in the middle of the night. He loves both, though it depends on the situation for what he wants to do.

Their relationship isn't perfect, though. Nexus will still sometimes yell and freak Solar out, and he has to frantically apologize while Eclipse calms him down. Eclispe sometimes will push them away, and will sometimes use their insecurities and trauma against them when hes frustrated eith them. Solar refuses to talk about his own issues, and it worried the other two to no end. Nexus sometimes will hit himself or bite himself to the point of denting his casing when he's frustrated or having a breakdown, not wanting to lash out at anyone, and this worries the other two so much but there's nothing they can really do to stop it, just comforting Nexus the best they can and restraining him when they see him doing it. Eclipse will be rude to Nexus, treating him like Moon, and they'll get into fights about it that they both always regret later.

The hallucinations Nexus suffers from also doesn't end. He still sees Solar telling him he isn't proud of him. He sometimes gets vivid hallucinations that Solar is still dead.

They also all suffer from horrific nightmares

Solar dreaming that he's still in his original dimension. That he's still being abused by his Moon. That he still has no one to love him. He has nightmares that he's still dead, that Nexus never got better. He has nightmares that he ends up like Eclipse, that he hurts people. He has nightmares that the family shuns him and kicks him out. He has nightmares that old moon shows up at his dimension again and he can't stop him this time, and he hurts him and everyone he loves.

Nexus dreaming of Solar still dead. Nexus having nightmares that he actually killed his family. He has nightmares that he's still under Dark Sun's control. He has nightmares that he never was saved from space. He has nightmares of Eclipse betraying and killing him, never having truly gone good. He has nightmares that the family kicks him out for not living up to their expectation, for not being good as moon.

Eclipse dreaming of Moon. Nightmares of Bloodmoon torturing him, of Moon hurting him, of Lunar killing him again. Nightmares of him betraying everyone, even though that's the last thing he wants to do. Nightmare of Earth hating him, of Solar an Nexus hating him.

They often have to comfort each other from these night terrors, holding them close as cooing to the and rocking them.

Solar panics and sobs when he wakes up from one, but refuses to talk about it. He shuts down once when calms down, and often gets up in the middle of the night after to mindlessly do work to get his mind off of it.

Nexus wakes up screaming and crying and often hallucinating. He ususally has to be restrained so he doesn't accidentally hurthimself. He always feels bad about it after, and just wants to cuddle and feel loved, reminding himself that his partners are here and they're real.

Eclipse wakes up in a cold sweat, quiet. Hell just sit there for awhile, before getting up to take a cold shower to clear his mind.

they all overwork themselves, Solar and Nexus eccpecially-

solar because he needs to feel useful. Also because working helps him not think, it helps him "relax", even if it stresses him out more.

Nexus because he'll get so caught up in what he's doing. He'll start working at like noon and he'll zone out and suddenly its midnight and Eclipse and Solar are coming down to drag him away from his lab. Or Sun, sometimes sun has to come after him.

They're just so sad and gay and such a polycule i love them <3

Im so normal about them, clearly (im sorry this is too long im not going to go through this and edit rn- there probaly really a lot of grammar errors and typing errors and spelling errors but im tired soo-)

[val-in-the-underdark]

Grief, Pt. 2

I have a thread on Twitter talking about Astarion's grief that I will bring over here eventually, but it's something I thought of again while trying a new path last night.

I'm halfway through Act 3 with Val and I decided to see what would happen if I didn't take Astarion to Cazador's (I've done this quest like 8 times so I'm just doing separate saves to try things out).

It's a pretty rough path to go because Astarion is understandably upset. You robbed him of his choice to ascend or not, and his story is all about lack of free will (he and his siblings are enslaved after all), among several other things.

But if he doesn't break up with you, he tells you that Cazador held up a lot of space in his life and now he feels empty.

The quote before this is that Astarion thinks he would have felt differently if he had killed Cazador himself, but even if you take him with you, he says he feels numb and empty (said here if you defeat Cazador before dealing with Lorroakan).

Several characters in the game have this in common like Dame Aylin, Lae'zel, Shadowheart, Karlach, and Wyll, who are all in different stages of mourning a loss. Losing a future. Losing family. Losing freedom.

Grief can be a non-linear process and not the same for everyone. The five stages often quoted are never in a straight line like you would think. You might feel angry right away and hold that for so long that you cycle through everything else later.

Astarion is angry for a lot of the game in part because he's grieving; he was young and then enslaved for centuries with nothing to call his own. He has lost everything including his sense of self, something he will have to rebuild over again after the ending of his quest, The Pale Elf. How he does that is up to you, but with Cazador gone, it's no wonder he feels lost after two centuries.

Lastly, and I find this interesting, is the conversation that Tav/Durge can have when about to kill Cazador (again, if you decide not to take Astarion).

I think that all the evidence you encounter in the palace and in the dungeon isn't there to make you feel bad for Cazador (I mean, you could but you'd be a better person than me LOL). The purpose of Vellioth's lessons and this particular dialogue, etc. is to foreshadow Astarion's potential transformation into the Vampire Ascendant.

Ascended Astarion is a new kind of vampire, yes, but he's still a full vampire. He's not 100% outside of the mentality that full vampires have. For instance, when he first tells you about Cazador in Act 1, he says that vampires are scheming and power-hungry beasts.

This is evidenced by things you find in Cazador's Palace including the fact that he was hosting a final "feast" before the ascension ritual where he was gathering information (pretty sure this person said they worked at the Counting House).

Ascended Astarion is doing something similar in the epilogue when he tells you to bring any secrets right back to him - he's scheming and biding his time just like Cazador.

While we don't know exactly is going through Astarion's mind when he ascends, I sometimes wonder if there is a layer of him trapped like Cazador. I've argued in another thread that I don't think Ascended Astarion will fully deal with his past the way Spawn Astarion has to in order to move on, but maybe I'll re-post that or revise that for another time.

Anyway, while this path is interesting for lore reasons if you really love Astarion, it does feel hollow and anti-climatic because there's a lot of emotional payoff in the final confrontation.

[sorcerous-caress]

May I politely request how Isobel & Alyin that have to deal with a partner that keeps overworking themself.

Isobel & Dame Aylin dealing with an overworked partner

[ fluff, poly, nb!reader ]

Isobel would try to approach it in a more subtle way, gentle coaxing and reminders that the work will always be there in the morning. To come to bed and join your beloveds instead of over exerting yourself.

She can relate in a way, having stayed up countless nights in prayers to sustain the bubble of a safe haven back in the shadowlands. There wasn't even a second spared to herself during those times.

Which is why she is the more determined to get you to rest, she was in a war while you're willfully choosing this.

Patience is a virtue, she tells you.

Dame Aylin takes a more direct approach.

By direct it means she will literally pick you up and takes you to bed.

You can try to argue and plead with her about how important you work is all you want, it's akin to arguing to a stone wall after she's noticed the dark circles under your eyes.

You discover very quickly how stubborn aasimars are.

At the end of the day, both of them are just concerned for you and your wellbeing.

Life is priceless, Dame Aylin was forced to come to terms with the fragility of a mortal's life back when she lost Isobel before.

And you'd really pay with your own life? Trade your health for a few extra hours of work that might have cut days from your lifespan.

The thought is too grim for Dame Aylin to bare. How careless mortals can be with their lives.

You're something precious, someone who should be treasured. You deserve rest, food and love like any other person.

Even if it becomes too unbearable at times, the thought of leaving something unfinished or having a work unfulfilled. It's very hard for mortals to come to terms with their own imperfections.

That's why they'll be there for you to help you step back, to see the whole picture of life instead of focusing on the small flaws.

[willothewispwisteriadawn]

Bunny’s Moral Crisis and Julian being Anti Judeo-Christian

I was positive I got the impression, during my first read of TSH, that Bunny was truly morally bothered by the farmer-killing. Then I started wondering, post-reading, if I was being too generous, and Bunny legit was just worried for his life and was angry that the group was keeping secrets from him (that second one is what Henry told Richard).

But I got to the part in my on-and-off listening to the audiobook where Julian tells Richard he’s wondering what’s going on with Bunny. Julian says Bunny keeps approaching him and asking to talk about morality (particularly sin and forgiveness). Julian says he’s getting concerned that Bunny may convert to Marion’s religion. He asks Richard what denomination she is, and Richard says he thinks she’s Presbyterian. Julian is disappointed and says the only Christian denomination he can gracefully accept losing a student to is Roman Catholic.

Now this scene is interesting to me for a couple reasons. Firstly, it does indicate there may be more going on with Bunny internally than the Greek class gives him credit for. If Bunny is trying to approach Julian privately to talk about ethical dilemmas, this shows some level of genuineness in his questions (Julian also believes it to be earnest questioning). But secondly, Julian’s comment about only finding the Roman rite to be a worthy foe is so, so interesting to me.

The scene shows that something more is going on with Bunny, but it also reveals that Julian hates Judaism and Christianity— making exceptions for people like Dante and Giotto. The thing that’s fascinating to me about this detail is that Julian’s statements show the central theme of the whole book: that beauty is worth something if it’s backed by things of substance (Georges Laforgue says this, and the same thing is said by Theo in The Goldfinch. This is a concept important to Tartt’s writing).

Julian has a basic respect for Catholics, because Catholicism traditionally also has emphasis on art, philosophy, and classical aesthetic beauty. And, perhaps most importantly, Roman Catholics have kept Latin as the language of the Church and Vatican. The medieval Catholic Church was perhaps the biggest patron and commissioner of artists, and from the Catholic Church came Notre Dame, Aquinas, Dante, etc. Here, Julian mentions that the Catholics make “worthy foes” for the pagans, and what he means is that there’s all this aesthetic beauty and classical study within the Catholic Church. But it’s key here that Julian hates other branches of Christianity. The scene emphasizes that the only thing he enjoys about Catholics is their specifically classical history.

The thing I like about this detail is that it is a really specific bit of characterization to show that Julian does not care about morality or the search for truth that’s at the heart of all religions and mythologies. He’s different from people like Aquinas because he does not see human art and language as a means to articulate and pay homage one’s moral beliefs. He sees art/language as the highest good in and of itself. Once you remove the classics aspects of Catholicism, Julian does not care. And we see this because of his apparent disdain for Protestants and Jews. This also reminds me of Bunny saying Henry thinks Jamaicans have no culture. Obviously, they do, but it’s not the particular kind of culture and expression Julian and Henry find legitimate.

I guess I like how Donna Tartt understands her own theme and can show how it’s applicable so naturally just in the way her characters talk. We get a lot of hints about how closed-minded and shallow Julian actually is before we get to the end of the book where it’s confirmed.

[gay-dorito-dust]

This just popped into my head. please can i request headcandons of miles, Hobie, Pavitr (separately) and the reader wearing matching shirts like cute couples

Miles would probably either have those goofy couple shirts that you guys got as a joke but you now wear unironically. Ie: don’t go bacon my heart/ I couldn’t if I fried. (This is purely cuz I love shitty puns)

Or couple shirts where they have a matching small heart embroidered somewhere on the pocket of the shirt/hoodie.

Nothing overly drastic about your relationship, just small, minuscule things that you could incorporate in your every day wears. Kinda like this:

Miles is just an awkward dude who’s trying his best to show you how much he love you, and it definitely shows which never fails in making you smile because he does it so effortlessly that pretty sure he doesn’t know it.

Would he get playfully teased by his mates? Yeah, probably but does he care? Not fucking really because he loved the fact that you were matching in subtle ways. It’s just the way you like them because not everyone needs to know but they do due to how painfully obvious Miles was being.

so much so that it doesn’t take much for anyone to assume that you were together, with or without the matching shirts. They only add to what was already crystal clear to everyone.

Your love with Miles is goofy, clumsy as a newborn deer, subtle, sweet, caring, warm, protective and above all; loyal.

Pavitr is a grade a sucker for matching couple shirts that he probably buys them in bulk, so you’d have new ones to wear throughout the entire week.

One day it’ll be the cheesy ‘my head belongs to him/ my heart belongs to her/him/ them’ couple shirts and then the next day it’ll be the ‘I love’ shirts that he defiantly got personalised to add your names in conjunction to the phrase.

He’s also the type of couple shirts where you have to be stood together for the wording on it to make coherent sense to anyone wanting to read it.

Pavitr also has the couple shirts where they point to one another and say shit like ‘born to love her/him/them’ on it because he always tells you on a daily basis that the moment he met you, he felt as though he was born to love you.

He’s just got so much love for you and wants to show it in any way possible, not caring if it earns you the title of sappiest couple or most loved up couple because in all fairness, what they say was a hundred percent true. Pavitr is a sappy and loved up boy but that was because of you and he hoped that you felt the same towards him.

You do, stop denying it.

Pavitr is unashamed in wearing matching shirts with you. He takes great pride in it and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s got a fuck ton of pictures of you two doing cute couple shit in your matching couple T-shirts. One might’ve been made into his home/Lock Screen by the end of the day, but is subjective to change because he loved all of them equally and can’t choose between them.

Hobie isn’t the fondest of couple shirts, he probably finds them ridiculous and cringe inducing but if he were to wear to one, he’d probably only wear it as a pyjama set where less eyes can see.

This ain’t in due to any insecurity he might have because Hobie was the definition of what confident in your own skin looked like, he just doesn’t understand why you needed shirts to proclaim your love when he does that already by draping all his limbs over you, publicly kissing you, touching you and the like.

So he’d like to think he’s making it pretty loud and clear that you two were something to one another that transcends the need for labels but again he ain’t against verbally calling you his.

Even then the shirts you’d have would either be a little on the vulgar side because Hobie thought it funny or shirts that are like ‘I don’t do matching shirts’/ ‘but I do.’ Kind of thing.

An example of the aforementioned couple shirt:

However that don’t mean Hobie doesn’t like being called yours -constancy be damed- he’d just prefer it if it wasn’t so blatantly and unabashedly spread out across a marketable t-shirt that anyone can get and that provides no sentimental meaning for either of you.

Now let’s say you’re a wizard on a sewing machine and all things textiles and had made you both a matching couples t-shirt then that’s a completely different case entirely.

For those shirts held sentimental value because you were the one to go out of your way and make them for the both of you and who’s Hobie to reject the change of wearing something you made with your bare hands?

He’d wear it for you and he’d wear the shit out of it because he’s proud of everything you do and would be damned if he let you think otherwise.

A/n: now me, personally. I can not stand matching couple shirts…it rubs me the wrong way. Sure some are cute but you’d never catch me in one. Ever. I respect myself too much. Also I was probably projecting myself onto Hobie just a little.

[misc-obeyme]

I know most people of the fandom view and interpret Lucifer as some kind of sadistic ultra alfa male dom (1 of the things is true), but i swear to God if u say the minimal praise or show the tiny bit of affection to that man he will break apart!!!! That guy blushes hard and cries for affection!!! Such a loser!!! (I love him)

-🍵

NSFW MDNI (nothing explicit, but putting this because of the discussion of dom/sub dynamics)

Okay is the 1 thing that's true "male?" Because we've all seen dame Lucifer, right?? LOL!

Anyway, I have seen some discussion about this and I have to say it's really interesting to me and my personal relationship with Lucifer as a character.

Because initially, I was just like everybody else. In Season One of the OG, I read Lucifer as a sadistic ultra alpha male dom, absolutely. I was like yup this guy is super dom like wow. And I was into that for a little while, but then it got annoying. So I went from liking him to disliking him quite a bit.

Then as the seasons progressed, I realized that it's all an act.

Lucifer wants everyone to think he's some sadistic dom type. And to that end, I think he would take on that role for an MC who was into it. (Technically I think he's a switch.)

But the reality is that Lucifer wants to be a sub so bad. Underneath that stoic strict facade, you've got one overtired guy who would lose his whole mind if someone else took control of him for once.

You could go with the soft praise route and I think he'd melt. Exactly like you said, he'd break apart and blush like crazy. BUT only with someone he trusts. Someone he can let see the truth beneath that exterior he always puts up. He worries too much about his reputation to be careless about it. So this is something I think only MC (and maybe Diavolo) could successfully pull out of him.

I also think you could go hardcore with it and he'd be into that, too.

I mean, imagine being Lucifer. Imagine being one of the most powerful demons in the Devildom. Imagine having the reputation that he has, knowing that he could snap his fingers and obliterate everything if he really wanted to. Imagine being dangerous in a quiet and authoritative way. Imagine keeping other super powerful demons in line with only a few words. Imagine having to keep that up at all costs all the time. Imagine working so hard for so long to maintain that image.

And then imagine someone comes along with whom you can be who you really are. Someone with whom you can let your guard down. Someone you can finally be completely and totally honest with. Someone you trust.

Oh yes. I think Lucifer wants nothing more than to submit to the one he loves the most. And it's because he loves them that he's not only willing to, he craves it.

Well, anyway, I got a little carried away, but that's my opinion on it!

Also I just love thinking about the reaction Lucifer would have if MC called him a good boy. 😊

[weaselle]

Several years ago I started writing a book that was kind of an exploration of what the fey have become in modern times. I never wound up finishing because the plot sort of got away from me.

I've posted a couple of excerpts from it, particularly mutuals may remember seeing posts containing the Ix and the Ips, but recently i found like three chapters i thought i'd lost forever.

Here is one of those chapters, introducing Glimmer and Gleam, the looking glass twins, if anyone is interested in that sort of thing (Jinx switches dialects and accents all the time, it's a Thing about him; Helix runs into him while she is a tourist in London, and she has been trying to incorporate British slang into her vocabulary with limited success.)

...

As they hurried off the train and up a flight of stairs, Helix tried to make sense of the situation. “What was that you told him about me?” she demanded of Jinx after a few minutes of climbing.

“Nothing but a truth he won't believe hidden in the truth he knows I'm compelled to tell, in exchange for more than disbelief is worth; but less than he wanted to tell me- the proud bastard.”

Helix spent a while trying to work this out and gave up. Besides, she had more pressing questions “Um, do these stairs ever end?”

“Of course they do, silly me lass; surely you don't believe in sorcery” Jinx laughed, and winked.

“Well,” said Helix dryly “I'm still inclined to think that magic is just science I can't understand, only, if these stairs really do end, what are the chances there's a loo at the top?”

Jinx guffawed “No need to invoke the Dame, worried me lass; there's a priv near the top, sure enough.” And there was.

...

The library was grey stone, rug laden and plush inside, drapes and tapestries thick on the walls.

Nibs the Scribe turned out to be a very old and strange little man, about five feet tall, but stooped with age. He had an odd blunt face and a slopping forehead and stood before Helix, examining her like a shop keeper with new merchandise, while quizzing both she and Jinx “And it names her to the cover?” he asked Jinx.

“That it did, Nibs old friend, my own eyes told the tale.”

“And you have how many for years when it finds you?” the little man queried Helix

“I was nine,” said Helix, working her way through the grammar.

“And then you must be over here and we are see” the little man decided, and sat them down at a table while he got a trolley out and disappeared into the bookshelves.

“Jinx,” said Helix desperately, “you have to tell me what the shit, man; I am way out of my element here. Or my head” she muttered.

“Right y'are, I s'pose, “ sighed Jinx, “well.. it's the Book, innit? Ye ought never 'ave come by it Helix, lostling or no.”

“What? Dude, speak English.”

“Look you, there are many of your people that are compatible with the All Side, but have never woken up to it or found their way here. We call them Lostlings. Now that Book is from the All Side, and designed for a .. a strange Working, and fit for a specific mindset at a certain age. And you, lost me lass, come along at that age, all trimmed to suit it, and find the one that I mislaid.”

No pin dared drop as Helix sat looking at him.

“Yeah right,” she said, finally. “Jesus Christ, where are we even sitting right now? How can this really… really? I mean… really??” Helix looked around herself “did you like, y'know, put acid in my coffee?”

Jinx tilted his head, “Do yas truly not believe in spellcraft 'n' gods? Amazing.”

“Magic.” Helix said slowly, “Is just. Science. I don't. Understand.”

Jinx looked at her as if gauging her ability to reason. Finally he said “Then do you understand that each of the particles in The Book which you found is a Worked Creation, and each of those is its own limited consciousness? With a body and a will to direct it? And there are among us beings whose bodies have stopped aging, whose minds are redesigned? And can you understand that the One Side which you are from is .. is a spectrum out of the available rainbow? And that the Laws of Physics as you call them that you are just now grasping are only a ninth of the Laws that govern the Single-Yet-Multi-'Verse?”

Helix was quiet a minute, thinking. “Nnn… nano-bots, genetic manipulation, multidimensional string theory?” she ventured, and then was forced to sit for several minutes trying to tell Jinx everything she could remember understanding about nanotechnology and string theory.

Jinx looked at her for a minute, and burst out laughing. “That. Is. Amazing. I mean not really, no, but, you've gotten so much closer so quickly. I mean, yes, some of what you said are the things I said… in the way that a rubber ball is the same thing as it's surface area. I s'pose you might, if you were taught by a specialist for a few years, be able to understand the basics of even maybe most of it, given enough tutoring.. and perhaps a few modifications.” Jinx paused. “No, challenged me lass, you'd best stick to calling it magic,” he said, finally.

Helix sat as Too Good to Be True and Too Frightening to Be True and Too Real to Be Untrue fought a small tournament in her skull. She leaned back into the safe cushions of disbelief “Come on, Jinx, I gotta stop this nonsense and go back. Or maybe I wake up from this ricockulousness and go get my passport?”

“Passport! Shite! Thank you for reminding me. Stay here” and with that, Jinx got up and hurried off into the books.

Helix, hardly having slept in so long, put her head down on the table, trying to digest it all. "Oh no, it's not magic," she thought sarcastically, as her mind gently closed the shutters on her and took itself off for a nap, "it's just that they've figured out how to actually cut her in half."

Helix woke up face down on a wooden table surrounded by books, saw the time, and panicked. And when she finished panicking about the possibility of missing her passport appointment, and considered where she was and what she could be panicking about instead, she collapsed sideways off her chair in a fit of laughter.

Jinx poked his head out from around a huge pile of books, and said, “Well, laughter's rarely a dangerous or permanent affliction” and returned to being one of two stacks of books having a conversation. Helix subsided to giggles.

"I bet he really could so turn himself into a stack of books," she thought in delirious delight, "With science. And a wand." and she giggled some more. Gradually she remembered her appointment and wondered aloud, “Do I even need a passport anymore? Am I even in the real world anymore? HA!” she suddenly burst out, “LET'S SEE THE N.S.A. RECORD THIS CONVERSATION!” and she hopped up and did a little dance around the room, pumping her fists triumphantly.

Jinx and Nibs looked at her like a pair of dog-sitters worried the aged poodle they're watching might not live 'til the Mctaggarty's vacation ended. Concluding she wouldn't die of whatever was wrong with her, they turned back to their research.

Helix wound down like a top, coming to rest back on her chair. “Seriously though,” she said after a moment of quiet, “should I still be trying to get to my passport appointment?”

Jinx didn't look up from reading “Of course you should, only not yet, you've got a while still.”

“I think,” said Helix, “and I could be wrong here, but I think it's quite soon, actually. It's just, I worked so hard to get my appointment”

Now Jinx looked up. “What are you on about, confusing me lass? I made yer appointment. For tomorrow night. That is to say, at this point, much later this evening.”

“No, but, and I'm really fairly certain about this part, I made an appointment to get my passport for ten thirty this morning.”

“And more requirements for bring All Side License offices is having All Side provisional permit, One Side passport, and One Side birth certificate.” Nibs interjected, finger holding his place on the page. Jinx and Helix stared at each other in shared dawning of comprehension.

“Oh no,” moaned Helix. “Profusions of Paperwork Perfidy!” Jinx swore. Nibs caught on to the situation. “And how many time is between now and FIRST passport appointment?” he asked.

Jinx and Nibs (who turned out to be surprisingly spry) rushed around, filling Helix’s hands with a cascade of items and her head with a hopeless jumble of descriptions while they argued about some problem concerning dual transfers that escaped Helix entirely.

“Aye, Jinx, and if she is not making the return- Helix you, this is being 17b schedule of acquaintance and a new seeing eye, take- then she is open advantage to the twins and being a card in the hand of the Lord,” said Nibs, giving Helix a sheaf of papers and a small rectangular box.

“Yes and truly, Oh Nibs, therefore- Here, Helix, red is Unacknowledged blue is All-ignored, never wear both at once- therefore back she comes with them to cancel such, and that's an end to that!” said Jinx pressing two rings into Helix’s hand. “I don't see a more likely way, Oh my me no” Jinx concluded, apparently winning the argument. “Alright, dashing me lass, you're kitted up proper, if a touch old fashioned. Let's see if we can set up a meeting with the Looking Glass Twins.” He stood still and lifted his hat long enough to pull an eyepatch down into place. “let's see,” he said staring into space, “which one, which one, right… next scheduled location… damn. What about her sister… right, right…. no…still no… brilliant!” He raised the eyepatch, tucking it back under the edge of his hat. Then he held his wrist up to his mouth and said, “Jingo! Jingo! Heeeeeere Jingo!” and shook the belled bracelet he wore.

Jinx had a lot of bits and bobs about his outfit, but was very quiet when he moved. Helix had never heard any bells from Jinx yet, but this one tinkled now. Jinx paused a moment and winked at Helix “They never come on the first call, you know” and shook the bell again. “Jingo!”

There was an answering tinkling sound, which grew louder. All three of them turned towards the sound, and after a few seconds, a dust mote there seemed to rapidly grow until a small black cat wearing a slender spiked collar with a tiny silver bell appeared to leap into the room from somewhere that was simultaneously six feet from them and very far away.

She ignored Nibs completely, walked distrustfully around Helix, and wound between Jinx's legs. He leaned down and rubbed her ears and said, “There's a precious pretty, now. I've an errand for you, lady kitling” The cat stopped purring and sat with her back to him, tail lashing. “Now, don't be like that, Jingo me kit, it's even one you'll like, just like old times” The little cat put her nose in the air. “Easy and fun, I promises, sweetest, come along.” Jingo sniffed and ignored him for a second, then turned her head over her shoulder and looked at him. Jinx grinned “So, see my little lovely… I need you to break a bathroom mirror in the One Side.”

A minute later, they stood in front of a full length mirror in another room. Jinx, who was kneeling, finished giving Jingo some kind of complicated coordinates, and bumped foreheads with the diminutive feline. Jingo tamped down like a leopard seconds away from dinner, and did her entrance in reverse, simultaneously leaping six feet and a million miles away into nothingness.

Jinx stood. “And now to earn a smile from the Lady.” So saying, Jinx pinched a coin from the air and flipped it, calling “heads!” then, slapping it on his wrist, lifted his hand to reveal it tails. Before them, the mirror flashed, and the reflection of a woman stepped from the edge of the mirror into view. Helix looked around. There was no woman in the room with them. She looked back in the mirror. There was very definitely a woman standing there, in a white sun dress, with platinum hair. A tiny dragon of liquid silver hovered over her shoulder.

Spying Jinx, she laughed. “Oh Jinx, of course it's you, you silly thing; what happened to my scheduled mirror?”

“Ah, weell, I am ever loath to postulate, but I s'pose it could be that my Jingo may have crossed paths with it.”

“Clever Sir, and should I wonder the mirror I default into be shared by the Left Hand of the Lady? Oh well done, sir, good game!” and she laughed again. “And so?” she said, “I do have Work, you know.”

“A small boon of you and your sister, if you would be so kind?”

“Well enough, do you have the means?” she asked, petting her little dragon on the snout.

“Aye” Jinx held out his hand and Nibs gave him the small mirror he carried.

“Step forward, please,” the mirror lady said. Jinx did so, and pointed the mirror in his hand at the one on the wall. In the reflection, there was an infinite series of the woman in the wall mirror, who turned her back on them to face an image of her own back in the reflection of the hand mirror. Then she reached into the reflection of the hand mirror and laid her hand on her own shoulder.

Next to Jake, from the mirror Jinx held, a woman's hand reached out, and into the mirror on the wall. It grasped the refection of the woman by the shoulder and pulled her out of the wall mirror into the room with them, then withdrew back into the hand mirror with a shattering sound, as the lady in the room let go of the reflection she'd pulled from the image of the hand mirror and pulled her own hand of the mirror on the wall. It sort of looked like an infinite line of women with their hands on the shoulder of the woman in front all took a step backwards, and then there were only two: the woman now in the Library with them and her reflection where she had been. The woman turned around, so that both she and her reflection were facing Jinx.

The pair were identical in every way, except, Helix noticed, the little dragon actually in the room with them looked like it was made of living cut diamond instead of mercury.

Jinx swept his hat low in a bow, “Shimmering Ladies, I present a guest of mine, Helix the One Sider; Helix me lass, meet the Looking Glass Twins, Glimmer and Gleam,” he leaned over and said out of the side of his mouth, “Ye can tell 'em apart by their wee beasties, Flect and Fract”

“Uh, nice to meet you,” said Helix while Jinx grimaced at her uninspired phrasing. The twins giggled in unison.

“Now Ladies, I have a wee boon to ask: it seems young Helix has an appointment in the One Side that she cannot make, nor miss, if perhaps you would bless me with a favor and see her safely to her room in London, and let her pass back through on the return?”

“Oh Jinx, smuggling lostlings are you?” The lady in the mirror chimed in, “And you're sure you need both ways? One would be easier.”

“Oh my me yes, both ways, and no mistake.”

“What then for our troubles, Oh Jinx on High, the least not that we've missed an appointment of our own?” asked the lady in the room.

“Why, my gratitude, of course! Which is not so very inconsiderable, no?”

“Ah Jinx,” said the one in the mirror “We'll have need of better coin than that.”

“Well then, I could tell you something worth the trouble if you like, and call it even.”

“Hmm.” The sisters looked at each other, like one woman staring into her own reflection.

“Fair play,” said the one in the room, at last, “Share your news, Jinx of All, and we shall guide your lostling home and back, oath-unbroken.”

“Oath-unbroken, this there is: The Ix have waked, and threaten the calm of All and most; even the Dame's Right Hand fidgets.”

Twin platinum eyebrows quirked at once “That is news- and news within. Huh. Come along then Helix of the One Side, let us see you home.” Jinx nodded at her, so Helix took Gleam's offered hand, and was pulled with her as they both stepped from the room and into the mirror.

[safarigirlsp]

I was so excited to see the ask game going around. I hope it perks up around here again 💛

Do you any HCs to share for Flip, Kylo, Jacques, and Mills??

🍔

🍕

Hello!! Thank you for sending this in! Today feels like the good old days with this dumpster fire hopping and the bs flying! I love it!!

🍕What's your favorite comment you've received on a fic?

Omg @iamburdened absolutely kills me with her comments. I have re read them 100 times and I smile like a lunatic every time. She's so dark and hilarious and I love her!

Here is just one example of her awesomeness on my fic Sinners Welcome!

@vedavan leaves some of the most involved and thoughtful and incredible comments I've ever received and I am so beyond floored at the amount of thought she gives. I am so thankful for her encouragement and support!

This comment on Here There Be Monsters made me swoon

Ahhhh!! Your stories are always such a thrill, a joyride from beginning to end, and this one was no exception. I loved every word, and your gift for action scenes and gorgeous descriptions shone so brightly here. I loved all the side characters too: from the colorful ragtag assortment of pirates and whores, to Legris' trusted crew and of course the legendary Pierre; the elegantly villainous Talvington and the mysterious, bewitching Grey Lady. Even the ship herself, the Belle Dame, was a character in and of herself. And of course as always I appreciate Carroughes disgusting appearance and his inevitable demise. Your obvious love and passion for the subject matter and for the characters (no one writes a better, hotter, more delicious male MC than your Legris 🔥🔥🥵) made this such a joy to read, and I was almost sad when it ended. Action, romance, drama... your stories have it all and I'm completely addicted. Perfection! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

@reveluving inspires me to write more insanity by her support and beautiful comments on my stories!

This is so hard actually, but I have to shout out to my favorite people here and the most supportive and amazing people I know who always spur me to keep churning out my bs and do more!

You, of course! @queeniebee and all the other friends I have here who instantly come to mind when I think of support and wonderful people! @babbushka @lumberjack00fantasies Silky!! @gabesprincess @mrs-gucci @rynwritesstuff @mythrielofsolitude @reylokisses @queen-of-elves @srorgana1 @kyloremus

🍔What's a headcanon that hasn't made it into a published fic yet?

Kylo knew you were the one when he found he could fight with you and argue without losing his temper. He has a famously hot temper. He's a notoriously violent man. But of course, he could never hurt his girl. That doesn't mean that he wouldn't lose his temper with her, or so he thought. He thought it would be a challenge, that he would feel his blood pressure rise and his teeth grind when you angered him, because naturally you're going to. It can be a little thrilling to push his buttons. But he never has lost his tempter with you, despite your best efforts. He gets hot and bothered in other ways, ways he channels to improve both your moods.

It's true what they say, that Beauty tamed the Beast.

No one can debate that Jacques has a winning personality. He's fun, lively, exudes charm and charisma, and has no hesitation putting on a grand show for his girl. However, like so many highly charismatic people, his charm was hard-earned and developed for survival. A self-made man, he had no name or fortune and had to claw his way up the food chain until he became a man of power. He remembers going dirty and hungry and cold, sleeping on the ground, awaking to a muscles that ached from cold and a growling stomach that couldn't be sated. Charisma was another skill he learned along the way to survive. Just as necessary to gain power and fortune as being able to fight, red in tooth and claw, was the ability to mingle, to befriend, to charm to amuse. He had to make himself useful in all ways to his betters until he outstripped them all.

With you, he finds that he doesn't need to act at all and that it's all natural and second nature. It makes him swell with pride when he puts a smile on your lips. He realized you were the one when he realized that making you happy made him happier, giving you pleasure made his heart soar. He will also ensure his girl, his family, will never know the feeling going hungry or cold, nor of being shunned and kicked aside. His table will always be bountiful and his arms always warm and loving for his woman. When he smiles for you, when he laughs and entertains, its genuine and it makes him love you more.

Flip was raised outdoors and helping on his family's ranch, breaking horses, branding calves, cutting timber, chopping ice, hauling hay. All the things his size and rambunctious temper were good for.

His upbringing made him a die hard western movie fan. Clint Eastwood is his favorite with John Wayne a close runner up and he's watched their entire filmography at least five times over with his dad. He's ensured his girl has seen all of his favorites and plenty of others too. True Grit, The Outlaw Josey Wales, El Dorado, Unforgiven, to name a few.

Westerns are his favorite movie genre. However, he is also quite a bit of an ornery jackass. As such, his favorite genre to watch with you is horror. He loves setting the stage, making sure the house is nice and dim, the temperature a little cool, a fire crackling in the fireplace. The ambience is perfect for a movie night in, and all strategically geared to make you want to get nice and close to him, against his chest and inside his arms. He will tease you mercilessly and goose you during the jumpy parts. Then he will laugh - bray- like the jackass he is. He deals with killers and criminals in real life. Horror movies don't phase him. Some big ungainly bastard with half his vision obscured by a mask, coming at him swinging a chainsaw that's telegraphed a mile away is hardly a challenge. Flip would have fun taking your average slasher out in spectacularly ballsy fashion. Flip loves horror movies and chill. He chills while you get chills.

Mills is tenacious and hard working in all ways. He will go the extra mile and work harder and longer than anyone. Complaints aren't part of his vocabulary and he never shies from any quantity of blood, sweat, and tears it takes to see anything through once he sets his mind to it. He's determined to the point of self destruction and will push himself far past the bounds of comfort and even good sense.

The area in which he's happy to put in the effort and diligence is for his girl. Once he sets his sights on her, nothing will deter him. He will tilt windmills and make every overture, simple and grand, to win her heart. As a lovesick teenager who didn't know a damn thing about girls, this took the shape of embarrassing acts like clumsily strumming a guitar and singing off key below his intended's window at odd hours of the night until angry fathers ran him off. He considered it a badge of honor when one particularly enraged father took a shot at his feet with a .12 gauge.

Thankfully, he has learned a thing or two and now applies his tenacious enthusiasm in better ways. He will cook for you and rub your shoulders until his hands ache. He will bring you flowers and take you out for a picnic that entails a ride in his bush plane out to a mountain lake to spare you the hike. He will carry you to bed when you're tired and hold you all night. He considers it a personal failure when he doesn't make you cum before him, and is dauntless when it comes to making you moan and sigh. He is the ultimate Golden Retriever Boyfriend. He will work every day to make you smile and never let the new wear off.

[phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess]

Fun little Radiodust idea

For Sinsmas, normally something the Hellborn celebrate and not so much Sinners because the passing of eternity could get monotonous or distressing depending on where you landed in the afterlife...

Charlie, who Very Much has always celebrated it, decides that everyone should do a gift exchange!

To avoid everyone rushing out for multiple gifts, she chooses to have people draw names from a hat and made it clear that she would really hope that everyone tried their best to find or make something for their intended giftee that they actually thought the other would like.

'So', she cautions, 'that means nobody goes handing around anything that might be upsetting or tempt people to regress on their progress, or... uh, well...'

'Don't bring anything dead, decaying or dying.' Vaggie finishes, staring right at the oh so innocent Niffty/Alastor combo at the end of a nearby couch. Niffty pouts immediately and crosses her arms, sitting harshly on Alastor's lap.

"Come now Niffty, I am certain you can find a non-bug related item to provide your giftee in this..." the man can barely contain his derisive chuckle, but he clearly makes an attempt here even if only to show 'support' while the King is here. '...oh so charming little activity of dear Charlotte's, hmm? Why, you're a dab hand at sewing, remember? Why not make them a poppet of someone your giftee wants to torture? That could be QUITE the gift!"

"NO! NOPE! Noooooooooooooo not that, uh, please." Charlie interjects, not liking the excited sparkle thrumming through Niffty's eye. It dies immediately, and the little Sinner huffs in a way that pulls at several heartstrings.

"Fine."

"...maybe you can give us a list of ideas, princess?" Husk interjects, uncharacteristically, watching Niffty's fit of pique with a frown. "Avoid things getting..." he waves his hand around the room at various sinners. Explicit? Violent? Bloody? Uncomfortable? It encompasses them all.

"Oh, that's a great i-de-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Charlie squeal-sings, and Vaggie barely has time to brace before a full song about the dos and don't of gifting is shared to the captive audience. Lucifer excitedly (and Vaggie reluctantly) join in after the first verse, enthusiastic about sharing a fun holiday with the others.

Husker was generally unimpressed, but enjoying the way that everpresent grin drooped on boss's face as he was bombarded by merriment.

"...and that's how to share the joy of Sinsmas!" crashes the final line as confetti seemingly bursts from a number of locations, including mid-air, and coats them all.

Niffty immediately launching around to skewer pieces individually on her needles and gather them into her apron pocket. It has to have some sort of pocket dimension or something in there, or it would be overflowing by now.

"Oh, we made a uh, a mess Char-Char, let me just-..." Lucifer starts, raising his fingers to snap it away, before snarling as they are ensnared in a red tipped hand.

"Majesty, would you mind leaving it this once? It brings her joy to clean up intricate messes." Alastor says, not even attempting to antagonise the King, and it seemed the fact that it was a genuine request, that stopped Lucifer from setting the Sinner on fire.

Angel Dust, half-awake, couldn't help but grin as he saw the slight softening to that sharp grin and those blood-red eyes as they followed Niffty's frenetic movements across the room. He liked the tiny dame, of course, and sometimes it was nice to see that she had others in her corner... can't be easy being so small in a place like Hell.

Not that he ain't dead certain Smiles or Husk would eviscerate anyone who tried something with Niffty, if she didn't tear them apart first. Angel knew that she'd stopped more than a few Exorcists from getting a bead on him in that last extermination. Always someone thinking they could end one last sinner before they died; well, jokes on them, 'cause Angel was still here and Cannibal Town was hostin' a big angel wing bbq soon. So, Hell 1: Heaven 0.

The little dragon thing that followed Charlie everywhere, Razzle he thinks, hovers nearby and hands over a slip of paper. Well, okay then.

Hmmm, fuck... what do you even get the King'a Hell? The man can straight up snap anything he wanted into existence, right? He sizes the guy up, wondering if a coupon for one night with The Angel Dust would be good enough for his Majesty... and then has a momentary moment of panic wondering if he would even be good enough for an ex-angel. Which was stupid because really, he was amazing and could fake it anyway anyone wanted... but, could he compare to the Queen?

Nah, okay, what if he got the guy like... something a little fun and discreet? One of Lust's toys. Angel had connections, after all, and it's not like someone could order the Tentacular Spectacular 4.3 with vibrating actions under 'Lucifer', or to the Palace, without at least one of the succubi getting nosy. Heh, or that Sin guy, Asmodeus...

Using his tertiary eyes to check about the room, it took little deduction to work out who had who.

Husk was drinking out of a bottle but subtly using the motion to side-eye Vaggie, clearly wondering what he could even offer the ex-orcist. The lilac woman looking tense as she gazed over at Niffty, a thousand yard stare building as she imagined the bloody things she might have to provide.

Lucifer looked like he'd won the jackpot, and also like a man on the verge of a panic attack. So, he's just guessing but... the guy probably got Charlie.

The Princess was still smiling but appeared uncertain as she looked at her paper, eyes flickering to Alastor and back to the paper. Alright then, she's stumped but doesn't want to say anything because it might hurt the Strawberry Pimp's feelings. Angel's pretty sure the guy ain't gottem to start with...

Well, no, that wasn't right. More like, Smiles tried real hard to pretend he didn't, but they were there. If the overlord felt like breaking into acting, or Angel's kind of Acting, he might just be a natural given how well he plastered over his real feelings all the time. But when your life depnded on watching for the small tells in your bigger, more powerful opponent or scene partner to work out how to get away without too many bruises... you noticed this sort of shit.

There was a brief moment of considering what the Radio Demon would look like on one of Val's sets, before he physically shook the thought out, perturbed. For one, that was kinda hot... and on the other hand, really disturbing... might save that for later, though.

Anyways, he can't really tell what Al was thinking, he wasn't really looking at anyone specific. Maybe he hadn't bothered to look at his paper yet?

Niffty's sudden burst of near hysterical laughter sent chills up his spine, as she sat on Husk's lap, petting him excitedly. If she wasn't careful, Niffty was going to build up a sharp little shock of static.

In anycase, based on the whole... everything, it was clear that the maid had received the bartender. Good Luck to Husk on that front, because it was going to be freaky whatever she did.

She bounced on Husk's overly-patient leg once more before crawling across the room to climb atop Al's head, whispering directly into his hair tuft... wait, was that an ear? Had Angel not realised those were fuckin' fluffy goddamn ears this whole time?

Unholy shit, they were! The one Niffty giggled into twitched!

That was fuckin' adorable, that's what that was!

"Of course, my deer, as you wish." Alastor grinned, a flash of radio dial eyes as his stitches flared, manifesting a spool of fine green thread for the maid. "I'm certain that whatever you deem necessary will be fine."

Husk suddenly looked exceptionally nervous.

"Alright then, remember, you have the next few days to find or make something for your giftee and we'll hand them out out on Sinsmas. If anyone gets reaaaaaally stuck, let me or Vaggie know, okay? We can brainstorm together!" Charlie enthuses, injecting false cheer through the room.

Vaggie narrows her eye. "And again, nothing fucked up... or fuckable." The last nnit was aimed right at Angel, who good-naturedly rolled his eyes, struck a pose and purred at her.

"Aw baby, you know you want all this... I'll even give ya a discount coupon for Sinsmas, if ya want..."

"I can't. I just... can't." Vaggie growls, storming out. Under that swathe of hair, she's trying so hard not to grin at their banter. Took a whole ass extermination to find their dynamic, but the pair had manged to act like bickering siblings.

As Alastor dissolved into shadows, Lucifer poofed into red sparkles, and Husk sauntered back to the bar with a contemplative expression on his face, Angel approached Charlie.

"Heya toots, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Oh, Angel... are you okay? If you're stuck, I can give you a hand to-..."

"Oh, I'd love ya to-... wait, sorry, that one just came out. The wordplay was Right There, but it's not what I wanted to say." he halts himself, seeing her good natured grin grow strained at the innunedo. "I was gonna say, that I wanted to trade names with you."

"Is there... something wrong with who you got? Oh gosh, I forgot to check if anyone had anybody they didn't feel comfortable gifting! Oh noooooo..." it trails off in a soft moan of self-disgust as the Princess tugs her own hair. Angel immediately puts a stop to that mess by gently untangling her hands and taking them in his own primary pair.

"Nah, it ain't like that. It's just... I worked out who you got, and that you're kinda not sure how to go about gifting the guy, which is fine he's hard to read. But, I pulled your Dad..." he pauses, seeing her brace, "which ain't an innuendo, promise. Although..." he waggles his eyebrows so ludicrously she can't help but burst into laughter.

"Right? So anyways, I think that given how hard the Short King has been trying to show you he cares for ya, then perhaps it might be the best Sinsmas gift of all if maybe you surprised him with something. He fought adam and fixed the hotel, all because he wants to see you happy, Toots, that's the kind of dad any of us here in the pit would've killed for... and let's be real, he's a mess. The guy is the most powerful thing around here and he's terrified to even put a frown on your face," Angel's grin is soft and knowing. "So like I said, maybe you take my slip and I take yours, and you give your old man a big surprise he ain't expecting."

There's a pause as Charlie grabs him for a bone-crunching hug.

"Please don't say the thing you're thinking right now..." Charlie whispers in his ear.

"Oh Charlie," he whispers back, squeezing her tight. "You know I can't help myself. Cause if you say no I'm gonna give him my Big Surprise on Smismas eve... you guys don't do the mistletoe thing do you? Cause I can find some places to hang it that- oof!"

Laughing, the Princess had playfully hurled him across the room onto the sofa. Giggling through an admonishment about Never Saying that about her dad again.

"Okay, okay, stop waggling your eyebrows like that, I can't breathe!" she wheezes, holding out her giftee slip to transfer it to Angel. Looking up at the now furiously waggling eyebrows before losing it again, and having to sit down, turning bright pink with glee.

It makes Angel nostalgic, with a sudden pang, for his twin sister and the hours they'd spent making terrible jokes and puns up just to send the other into fits of laughter. Ending up messy with happy tears as they wheezed for breath.

He glances down to the slip in his hand.

Okay then, Smiles... what can I get you that you ain't got already?

----------

It took a few days of persistent observation to find something he could use. Angel was really starting to think about using a handmade One Night Deluxe Package coupon for his services, before he noticed a few little peculiarities that he might be able to make work.

The most obvious one was that the Radio Demon enjoyed cooking.

It became apparent how many of the more elaborate dinners that the hotel residents had were actually secretly made by Alastor. Or at least, under his direction.

Huh. How hadn't he cottoned on to that little number before? Maybe because he was always crawling through the door at who the fuck knows what hour and heading for the bar, where Husk'd have something set out for him if it was too late for the cat.

Soemtimes it was a shot of something strong, a bottle of water and a sandwich; other times he find a brief note about something in the fridge they'd saved for him. Always felt good to be wanted somewhere, you know?

No matter what Val did to him or had done to Angel, he could at least think about the fact that someone was waiting for him. Someone cared that he came 'home' of an evening... and that, if he needed it, he could have help from almost anyone in the weird fucked up little family at the hotel.

If he yelled, or smashed a glass, someone would be there to check in.

Niffty was always in the walls somewhere, and Spooky Lite (Alastor's Shade) tended to wander around the foyer at night when he was returning, keeping an eye on the place Angel assumed. Husk sometimes fell asleep at the bar waiting on him to get back...

And he knew sometimes Vaggie had to sit on Charlie to stop the bleeding heart of hers from keeping her rigidly upright in a chair in the foyer all night until Angel returned. It was... pretty awesome, really.

Actually, his mind skipped back to Spooky Lite, and he wondered how it was always around about that time. Until the night before when Angel had slipped into his room with the thing following, and then crept back out, to find that Alastor had materialised in the kitchen for some late-night cooking.

Music threading out quietly as dishes were done by overenthusiastic moppets. At one point, he'd seen Niffty come in, stumbling and shaken, only to be picked up wordlessly and curled into one of Alastor's arms as the music lulled her back to sleep. Poppets returning her to her room when he was certain she was deeply settled once more.

There was a pained, pinched expression on the Radio Demon's face as he watched Niffty go. It sent a shock through Angel, and he's not sure how to describe it, not really. Just, an awareness of real emotion, even behind the too-bright smile that never seemed to stop.

If the guy even could drop it, which Angel wasn't so sure given those stitches he'd seen, or maybe Al was just real committed to the bit. But the eyes said more than the mouth ever could.

The next morning, Charlie had found a well-cooked and marinated meal in the fridge with instructions on reheating. Vaggie was loudly sceptical about the origins of the meat, but Husk took a bite and said it was beef (or the closest Hell equivalent) not Sinner.

Vaggie side-eyed Husk for the rest of the day after that one. The bartender shrugging. "You could try it, what's the worst that could happen? We're already in hell."

She'd rolled her eye.

Behind all the dramatics around him, Angel was forming a plan that he hoped might lead to the best possible gift for the picky red Overlord. He had an idea, but... really hoped it wouldn't be seen as trying to scrimp on gifts.

Although, perhaps if the Overlord could scent the amount of fuckin' blood drops this thing was costing him, that alone would be enough of a gift. He swore so frequently while reusing old skills with new limbs, that Husk came in to check on him... and put a pair of ear mufflers on Fat Nuggets.

Hells, he was even taking to doing the needlework between shifts at the studio. What else was there to do when the scenes were hours apart, and Val was busy fucking another ten people in some side room somewhere, after all?

Just hoped it came together in time.

----

Talk about a fucking buzzer beater.

Angel's fingers were stiffer than that time he shot that bukkake gangbang film with those echidna and shark-based sinners. Lotta cocks in that film and Val wanted it all in one take.

He'd needed a scalding shower and several massages to get his hands settled again after that little lot. Vaggie had helpfully hosed him off out front with a minimally disgusted expression on her face, thankfully, that day.

"Happy Sinsmas everyone! Ooooh, I'm so pleased you all went out of your way to find a gift for your giftee!!!!" Charlie beamed, far too cheerful for 5am in the damned morning. However, she had woken them all with enthusiastic song, and well... when Charlie was Up the hotel was Up.

"Yaaay..." croaked a clearly half-awake Vaggie.

"It means so much to me that you're all here with us, celebrating like a real family this Sinsmas! I couldn't do this without you, any of you, so I hope you enjoy this part and then we'll get onto the Sinsmas breakfast, and the games, and watch some movies... or not... you don't have to Al. Promise!" Charlie adds, conceding as rather stilted static plays.

Alastor looks overtired, and clearly unimpressed at the early start to the day. Still, he pulls together some form of charade when the Princess glances at him and nods.

"So, how're we doing this Char-Char?" Lucifer asks, infuriatingly chipper as well. Ah, seems like the morning person power must be genetic... the lucky bastards.

"So, I was thinking we can all hand them out simultaneously to our giftee, so no one is trapped in the spotlight... if that's okay?"

"Sounds good to me." Husk shrugs and hauls himself off the couch, tail flicking as he moves to hand a pair of oddly shaped gifts to Vaggie. "Happy or Merry or whatever Sinsmas, chickadee, this one's for you. "

"Oh, uh, thanks Husk!" Vaggie says, taken aback by the gifts, and for a split second he wonders if exorcists were allowed to get gifts in Heaven, because she looks close to tears.

As Vaggie unwraps her gifts, Niffty tugs at the cat's claws, "Husk, I got you and I made you something! I-... I know I couldn't get anything as fancy as the things the others might have, but I made it special. Promise."

She bundles something into his arms that had been carefully wrapped in what appeared to be salvaged wallpaper from the previous hotel.

"Thanks Niff, appreciate it." Husk rumbles, moving back to the couch and pulling open the package with care and a small amount of trepidation. It very well might explode, after all.

"Oh, Niffty, before you run away, this is for you." Vaggie says, handing over a pretty box in a familiar dusk rose.

Niffty squealed and placed it on the ground, pulling it open with speed to reveal a brand new dress in a scintillating spill of red, white and yellow to match her favourite colours. There's even a petticoat.

"It's made by Overlord Rosie herself... she put a charm on the petticoat that'll keep it from getting any dirt on it, because I know you don't like that." Vaggie explained, not sure how to read the sudden statue Niffty's turned into... and then backing up as the maid begins to vibrate at great speed. She's slammed into by the maid, nearly being taken out at the knees with the force. "Ooof, I take that means you like it?"

"YES YES YES YES YES!"

"Cool, good, nice to know. There's one other thing but now I think about it, it's kind of silly..."

Niffty launches back to the box and reverently lifts out the second item. A feather duster with an extendable handle... made of Vaggie's discarded feathers. She screams in delight and launches over to pepper kiss on Vaggie's cheek, then hurls herself towards a cobweb on the ceiling.

"Nailed it, kid." Husk said, and Charlie's eyes are round and wet where they stare at Vaggie.

Blinking, the Exorcist realises she needs to open her own gifts, turning to do so. With care, she peels back the lavender wrapping to reveal a carefully framed and still covered in golden ichor... knife. An angelic blade, to be exact.

The one that killed Adam. Beside it, a smaller photo of Niffty plunging the dagger into the guy, clearly shot from HD drone footage, likely Voxtech. Her eye goes WIDE as she stares at the cat.

"How did-...? You-...! This is the best thing but how...?" she tries.

"I'd tell you, but I think Al will kill me if I mention what I had to trade for Vox to hand that picture over..." the bartender muttered. Vaggie glances at the Radio Demon, watching his ears twitch.

Angel cringes. Vox has it Down Bad, so whatever it took... was likely personal, like a bowtie or even a pair of panties. The sudden mental image of Al in fancy panties made him snort, and try to pass it off as a dry throat cough. Lucifer snaps him up a glass of water without even appearing to think about it.

"...Husker, if you did what I assume you did, then the idiot box is going to be Insufferable at the next Overlord meeting." Al sighs, dramatically.

"Sure, but on the other hand it's kinda funny when you think about how far he'll go just to pretend he could get your attention, right boss?" Husk counters, pulling out a crisp looking shirt and jacket combo from his own gift. Eyes going wide in surprise.

It was well-tailored, and if you looked at the right angle, there were impossibly small symbols adorning both garments. Sigils, familiar ones, that seemed to spell out some sort of protection...

"Niff, you made these on yer own?" the grizzled bartender huffs, genuinely touched. "That's amazing, is what it is."

"Well, Sir helped a little with some of the symbols, because I can't always get them to line up stright in my head... but we got the charm right!" Niffty said brightly, hovering over his shoulder. She just seemed to Appear in the most unnerving way. "Oooh, open the other bit!"

At first, Husk wasn't sure what he was looking at, until Angel Dust gasped and covered his grin with two hands. "No way."

"Niff, is this... Valnetino's collar fluff? The stuff you snagged at the club?"

"Yep, he was a not good bad boy and I didn't like him. I know you don't like him either, so you can have some of my trophy so we can not like him together!" She trills, delighted.

"Would it sweeten the pot if I told you it ain't grown back yet and he does this weird comb-over shit to hide the bald spot?" Angel Dust adds, not able to hold it in any longer.

Husk barks out a laugh, "Oh that's the best news I've had all day, Legs. Might get this framed, even. Put it over the bar so that nearsighted motherfucker can see it if he ever dares put a foot into this place... without one of us tearing it right off his body, that is."

Vaggie gasps in the background, opening her second gift, more cumbersome than the first. It's an ornate cherry-red picnic basket, with a red and yellow blanket atop, and clearly heavy with cutlery and crockery.

"You need to relax more, Vags... you and Charlie. That thing has a little zap from his Majesty that keeps anything inside at the right temperature, and stops it spoiling. You can go anywhere and it'll keep." Husk shrugs. Those two were wound so tight he was surprised neither had combusted yet... a prod in the right direction, from the friendly bartender, was hopefully the thing to change that.

Vaggie came over and awkwardly put her arms out, before deciding to just go for the hug. He grumbled, but allowed it for a few seconds before pulling back.

"O-Okay, who's next?" Vaggie stammers, turning to find that Lucifer and Charlie were in a world of their own.

Charlie was a sobbing mess of delight as she held a small dragon-duck-winged thing in a little dress. It was like, yet unlike, Razzle and Dazzle... same concept but more... duck. There was no better descriptor than that, really.

"Her name is Ella-Kazam, un-unless you wanted to make it something else... she's still new enough you can change it over." Lucifer shrugged, looking hopeful and awkward, stroking the creature's head as Razzle flew over to meet this new friend.

Not a replacement for Dazzle, never in a million aeons. but, a new friend and possibility.

"No, no she's perfect Dad!" Charlie sobs, rubbing her cheek against Ella-Kazam, and delighting in the squeaky quacks. She startles when the little protector drops a golden item in her palm. "Oh, what's this?"

"It's, um something I was holding onto for you until the right time..." Lucifer adds, wondering if perhaps he should have switched the order of the gifts.

Charlie rights the items, surveying the family crest on the necklace before something goes 'click' very quietly, opening to reveal it is a locket inside. Light rises up and shows a stately photos of the royal family, Charlie as a young child in their midst.

Charlie begins sobbing in delighted earnest, clearly frightening the king. Vaggie intervenes, having gotten quite good at this sort of thing. Alastor's shadow pokes at Lucifer's pocket until the ex-angel recalls that he has a handkerchief in there, which is swiftly offered to Charlie.

It takes several moments to settle the Princess, as she hands over a strangely wrapped thing, half as tall as the king and about the width of KeeKee. It has circus-themed wrapping paper, which he would assume was an insult from anyone else, but Charlie seems to be trembling with anxiety, as desperate for his approval as he was for hers.

The King of Hell cautiously opens the package, eyes widening to discover an ornate musical carousel inside, themed towards those at LuLu World. Small differently coloured and styled ducks took the spaces of the trasitional horses, and when he looked closer... he found himself, Charlie and Lillith were some of the riders.

"Oh Charlie, it's lovely, did you conjure this yourself...?"

"I... I had some help, I had an idea but I couldn't quite get it to do what I was hoping it would, so I asked... for assistance." She evades, pointing to two small toggles on the base of the carousel. "If you wind the key it will play until it's unwound itself, but if you click the yellow switch it will play on its own and-..."

She pauses as a different song begins, this one feels less tangible, and reaches inwards. Everyone in the room is flooded with a sense of overwhelming calm, of tranquility and safety as a pleasant memory is stirred from deep within and replayed against their mind's eye.

"...it will play a tune that brings up good memories, to help you sleep or feel better or... just make you happy." Charlie sighs softly. She then clicks that feature off and presses the Black switch.

Another not-sound fills the air, this one is like a hand reaching out to someone in the ocean, a spool of thread that leads out of a maze, a feeling of being found and drawn out of somewhere deep.

"And this one is to help when you get lost in your head or whatever you want to call it. It's a homing beacon. It took a few days to work out how to make it work, but Al helped me... he twisted some of the radiowaves and made them do... that." Charlie explained. She then paused to ad, "It can read your emotions... the switches are able to turn on by themselves if they sense someone needs it."

"Char-Char, this is amazing, honey. How did I ever make such a wonderful, thoughtful child?" Lucifer smiles, glowing with pride at his daughter, eyes filled with delighted tears. Lucifer gathers his not so little girl up in a big hug, swooping them up in the air and twirling to show his joy.

Alastor hummed in agreement, getting him a side-eye. Lucifer rolled his eyes. "Alright, this once I suppose you can also claim good parenting of 'our' daughter... that's a neat trick with the carousel and I have some questions around how, for later."

Quietly, because nothing he'd done held a candle to that of the other gifts, Angel moves to sit a tad close to Alastor and passes over his small package. Green wrapping paper carefully tied about them, as he'd noticed the sinner's preference for the colour, despite his red attire.

Alastor snaps his fingers and a pink sack landed on his legs, not heavy, but full of something. He flipped open the sack to find a smaller item wrapped atop the area, and decided to look into it first as Alastor carefulyl pulled free the green paper.

Angel's brows creased in confusion when he first looked at the item, it seemed like a choker but not oriented right and, well, a bit large for him...

Side-eying Alastor, the Radio Demon rolled his eyes and let out a low whistle that seemed to summon an unexpected party. Fat Nuggets trotted in happily, and suddenly it clicked for Angel.

"This is for Nuggsy? A collar that matches my choker?" he asks, surprised.

"Yes, and no. The fabric is imbued with a few different charms, my effeminate fellow... you will find that it can adjust size as your little friend grows, shift to match any choker you deign to wear, and..." he pauses, eyes widening at the item he unwrapped. "...and has a location tracking spell in it that can activate by thinking about your hellpig. Did you embroider this yourself?"

"Hmm? Uh, yeah... my fingers sure know about all the times I slipped with the damn needles. Haven't had to embroider since I was alive." Angel laughs, feeling kind of silly now, to gift something so tacky and homemade.

"Well, I must say it is a delightful gift, thank you Angel, I see you spent extra time getting the notes and antlers of the creatures embroidered with such detail. I can always make use of a new apron. Tell me... are you aware that the notes are-..."

"That one fuckin' tune you play when you're cooking at like ass o'clock in the morning when I get back? Yeah. Took me a bit to work it out, then put it down right, but between Charlie and I we got it."

Radio dials flashed, more out of panic than anything. "Ah, you were spying on my cooking hour, hmmm?"

"What? N-... well yeah, I was coming home late anyway, course I was curious who else was up." Angel shrugged. "Besides, that's not the only thing there, keep going."

"Likewise."

Alastor uncovers a thick stack of hand-written notes next.

He automatically discards the Coupon for One Night with Angel Dust, in a dramatic way that was expected of him, but it wasn't incinerated so that was positive. Underneath it, once the excess glitter was carefully brushed off... was pile of painstakingly recreated recipes.

"So, those were things my nonna and my ma liked to make at home. Loved cooking wth them but I think they held back some secrets for only my sister... you know how it is. Thought you might like trying something new when you were doing your cooking thing." Angel adds, not looking, worried he'd made a fool of himself. What kind of gift was a bunch of recipes to a Radio Demon anyway?

"What a remarkably apt and personal gift, Angel... here I was bracing for you to provide something as tall as you and vibrating hard enough to dent the floors. Colour me surprised..." Alastor's light hearted nonsense brushes his tension away as the arachnid begins to laugh.

"You want that sort of thing? I got connections to Ozzie's, through Fizzy, he can get us the tentacular spectacula-..."

A tendril slams about his mouth. "No, thank you, that will be quite enough with such a delightful gift as you have provided. If you are someone intrigued in cooking, I may be persuaded to share some of my own maman's recipes, particularly those for jambalaya. Though if I catch you seasoning with only half-spice, you will be turned INTO appropriately seasoned Jambalaya. Do you understand me?" Alastor grinned, and somehow Angel could tell this was playful banter, and not a threat.

"The spicy stew thing? Fuck yeah I'd love to know how to make that, oh and the powdered doughnuts things. Cherri loves them, and after Pentious died she's been real flat lately..."

"They do not take long, I will show you later in the morning if you are free. After all, your bombastic friend did help in the battle, it is the least we can offer in her time of distress." Alastor says, seemingly distracted by something, as if weighing up the pros and cons of something.

"Oh, do continue."

Angel cautiously opens the sack and pulls out skein after skein of dyed wool, all slight variations of his preferred pinks, with some other basic colour groups in there. He touches it, not daring to believe it but...

"This is sheep demon wool, isn't it?" he chokes, then narrows his eyes.

Alastor laughs, "Willingly given, why she has collected it for some time and twists it into yarn herself before overseeing the dying with several other sinners in her employ. I merely requested to have some for your gift, as I have seen you take an interest in knitting of late."

"When you say 'requested'..."

"Dearest Angel Dust, I assure you that if I had not stopped the woman she would have provided me every skein on the floor and refused payment if I was not firm with her. A persistent sinner, that one."

"Oh? Why's a sinner so generous then? You own her?" Angel tensed, surprised by the wrinkling of Alastor's nose in distaste.

"No, she does have a deal, primarily for protection, and that was at her insistance."

"Wait, sheep demon sinner? Yeah, Ange, don't worry about it. She's been hurling her soul at Alastor in thanks since he stopped... something pretty fucking bad happening at a butcher shop down the bad side of Pentagram city. It don't do business anymore, the boar that owned it went... missing." Husk interjects, side-eying Alastor.

"Hah, and the big bad Radio Demon is what, freaked out by someone throwing themselves at him? Smiles, ya hot, that kind of thing happens you need t'get used to it. S'why I always got a taser in one of my other-other arms, y'know?" He laughed, enjoying how one of those ears twitched down. "I do love the gift though, knitting helps me unwind and I 've never had anything but the fake acrylic stuff that gets weird and itchy after a bit. So, thanks... it's the best gift."

"What about the Other one, boss?" Husk needles, grinning and catching everyone's attention.

Alastor rolls his eyes, and snaps his fingers. "Spoilsport, I was leaving the best until last..."

The bloody, barely shuddering form of Valentino appeared on the rug before them, making Angel's eyes buldge in shock. The moth's wings looked to have been shredded methodically.

Alastor prodded the sack of flesh with his staff. "Well, the good news is that he was conscious enough to hand over this delightful little piece of paper..."

Angel's heart nearly falls out of his throat when his contract appears, sealed with a green band instead of deep pink, falling into his now-trembling hands.

"Tear it up as you wish, I have no need to possess the soul of one of our guests. I merely assumed you'd want to do it in the prescence of the one who trapped you in it, for closure... before I put him in the broadcast."

"How did-...?"

"For the price Vox asked, I negotiated the right to kill his little toy and take at least one of the contracts." Alastor said sharply, clearly not wanting to discuss it further. "Still, it does remove one nuisance..."

"Alastor, this wasn't what I meant..." Charlie sighs, trying to be disappointed but so pleased for Angel at the same time.

"Was this not a thoughtful, personalised gift of something that the giftee might cherish? Ownership of their own soul?" Alastor replied, gentling his approach. "I don't suppose you or your father would like to... have a word about the time he licked your arm?"

"He WHAT?!"

"Dad, it's fine!"

"Angel, do let me know if you would like to join me when I integrate this... creature... into my broadcast. If I dislike the man and his antics, I can only assume your feelings towards him are far stronger and of greater import. I plan to braodcast at 8pm sharp, don't be late and wear something that you aren't attached to, it gets... Messy."

Alastor prods Valentino until the moth looks up, scowling, and then passes out.

Angel's trembling fingers grasp the contract, heart thundering like it was some sort of sick game and he'd wake up any moment, and tears it in two. Immediately, his collar shatters and Valentino twitches in his stupor.

"...okay, I gotta know, what did he do that ticked you off so bad?" Angel asked, elbowing Alastor, who rolled his eyes.

"Numerous things, I always meant to get around to killing him for his treatment of his thralls... and free you, as Charlotte has always hoped to do. However, I believe I have hated the man from our first meeting, he is so exceptionally odious after all."

"Why, he lick your arm too?" Lucifer growls, looking like he was still contemplating immolating the beaten overlord for touching his Charlie.

"Hah no. Well, you could say our first meeting went rather badly as I bite off his tongue... he's still angry about that, but I feel quite justified in the action for you see, it ended up in my mouth without any warning. He's lucky Vox, who we were both accuainted with at the time, asked for mercy... in hindsight, I should have turned him into mincemeat."

Angel scowled as well. "Yeah... the bastard ain't one for consent."

There was a heavy moment marring the day, before Alastor snapped the Overlord away to who knows where and added cheerfully, "Well, no need to concern ourselves about that anymore... he'll be beyond deceased this evening, and I understand there is quite the day of festivities ahead. If everyone has unwrapped their gifts and found them satisfactory?"

Different statements of assent echoed from around the room as people tried on, tested out or played with their gifts. The Radio Demon was about to speak further when he was hugged to within an inch of his afterlife by a very tall arachnid who was half sobbing, half laughing in joy.

"Ya fucking nuts, Smiles, I like that in a man. This was the best Sinsmas gift ever!" He crowed enthusiastically, and the emotion flowed across the others in the room like a tide of joy. He dropepd his voice under the clamour to whisper, "You just keep hold'a that coupon and I'm going to give you the best night ever... even if that amounts to like, a neck massage and talking about baking tips, all the way to breaking the bed and eating sauteed pieces of Valentino. Whatever you want... I feel almost alive again, Smiles."

Patting the spider sinner gently on the arm and being relieved at the release with most bones still intact, Alastor grins. "I'm quite pleased that I seem to have found an acceptable gift. Now, if nobody minds, I think we could all do with some breakfast... I might even be convinced to try some of those deplorable sugary discus you call pancakes little Majesty."

"Why, ran out of juice after banging that television guy?" Lucifer snipes back, playfully.

"Hah, no, he's no challenge. Now, your wife on the other hand..." Alastor fades into shadow with a cackle as Charlie covers her face with her hands, deep breaths taken to fortify her for the rest of the day.

"Oh you fucker-..." The King exhales, throwing his hands up... and begins to laugh. "Get back here and help cook breakfast, deer, or I'm taking sole custody in the divorce."

With a dramatic gasp, Alastor fades back into view. "How dare you! No judge would side with such a scoundrel..."

Rolling their eyes at the back and forth, the hotel residents head for the kitchen to start off Sinsmas with good food, warm bellies and pleasant conversation. With a hint of competitive dadding in there.

Angel carried Fat Nuggets, in her new little collar, to the kitchen with them. His eyes firmly on Alastor's back, the gaze making those fluffy ears twitch as they sought out the observer.

"Hey Nuggsy... I might be going made from post-contract delirium, but I gotta ask... how would you feel about having a new daddy?"

For her part, Nuggsy just snuffled contentedly in his arms and fell asleep.

--------------

The end

Will write it better when its not 3fuckingam

this was meant to be a funny throwaway post and now look at it

I'll have to fix and format it so it makes sense and put it on AO3.

[bigfatlesbian]

Does Dame Aylin have mommy issues? An essay nobody asked for

Disclaimer: This is not what I 100% believe to be canon but rather a train of thought I've been having for some time now so I decided to share. Feel free to disagree or add to it. (Yes, part of it might as well be me projecting, lol).

And of course: spoiler warning for both the act 2 and act 3 nightsong quest.

So, Aasimars usually have a celestial ancestor a few generations removed. Even with faint divine heritage they function as champions of the gods (which we see with Aylin as well).

Now, Aylin's divine heritage is much more recent with her being a direct descendant of Selune. This suggests greater involvement from Selune as opposed to the 'usual' Aasimar family dynamic (which is most often laced with expectations of greatness anyway).

We don't know anything about Aylin's mortal parent so this is just me assuming but considering she's been 'blessed' with immortality along with everything her life's purpose is obvious: being Selune's sword.

So she would have to have been raised as exactly that. And for a long time (maybe even centuries bc afaik she doesn't have a canon age), she was very content in being just that, a weapon. She obviously enjoys fighting, especially for what she believes is right (and she obviously believes in her mother's cause).

Considering Selune is a very responsive and involved deity there's no way she has time to be an actual mother figure in Aylin's life. Especially with her war against Shar, I would assume there's more of a general/sovereign relationship going on.

My headcanon is that she's only ever learned how to interact with mortals by playing the role of the demigod (which is why her dialogue with Tav is so stiff and 'knightly'). That only ever changed for Isobel because Isobel actually sees the person and not just the legend or the idea. In turn, Isobel shows her that she's not just divine but has mortal blood running through her as well.

Now, assuming she was content in her role as sword before, meeting Isobel might have put some cracks into that as Aylin learns that she can connect with mortals instead of just being a beacon of her mother's religion.

So then Isobel dies and with her Aylin's newfound identity as something more than just a divine pawn. She has a century of being killed over and over again to realize what her mother is using her for.

While gods aren't supposed to meddle in mortal affairs, surely (an actually motherly) Selune would've led clerics/ other adventurers to the Nightsong in an attempt to free her daughter. As far as we know that never happened. Now that could be due to Shar's influence and the shadow curse, but Aylin wasn't exactly aware of what was happening on the surface during her time in the Shadowfell so I imagine her faith must've faltered somewhat. All that time in the soulcage, being killed and resurrected over and over again must've changed her outlook on her immortality (if seeing Isobel die hadn't done that already). Where everyone sees a gift/blessing from Selune Aylin knows what it really is: a tool to make her a means to an end and in turn (for her as an individual) a curse.

So while I can get behind the theories of her breaking her oath by killing Lorroakan without due cause, I think what she truly lost might've been her undying belief in Selune and Selune's cause. She's realized that all people see when they look at her is her immortality and her servitude to her mother. And while she still wants to serve her mother because her core beliefs still align with Selune's teachings, she might also want a little more. She might want to actually have a life for herself, especially one with an end. So in the end she might get a little more selfish and a little less perfect and I think that's beautiful.

TLDR:

What if your mom was a god and you felt indebted to her? And what if she still let you suffer through a century of pure hell?

Or: I believe Aylin has a ton of potential for character growth that goes beyond her being the standard Mary Sue DMPC some people on Steam/Reddit make her out to be and Isobel is the catalyst for it. (Bc she's exactly what Aylin has always needed, we're romantic lesbians in this household, ok?)