#i'd debate but i never know who i'm dealing with

[ebbywaffle]

another day ending in -y as i just wanted to go to the ka/iri tag and reblog some cute picture for kai/ridaily, but see meta i 80% disagree with/dislike instead

[digi-diareis]

"We need to talk" Prank

with the LaDS love interests, implied that the LI's are already in a relationship w you

Xavier

Oh he's pulling out the puppy dog eyes immediately, lower lip jutting out and ready to start crying.

"I'm sorry." "What? Do you even know what you're apologizing for? Also, why are you apologizing?"

This guy is ready to admit to any and all the faults he's made the past week, from cooking without permission, eating her secret stash of snacks, forgetting to feed the cat on time, etc.

"Please don't break up with me, please please please please-" "Xavi, baby, calm down, I'm not breaking up with you"

Anyways, the prank doesn't even last a minute because you break the moment he pulls out the kicked puppy look and he starts begging for you.

You guys end up cuddling the entire day because he won't stop sulking and being worried that you're tired of him so you can't really leave him alone because this is your fault.

We love a loser like Xavi <3

Rafayel

Dramatic ass man and pranks like these are like perfect tiktok material.

"Oh, you are NOT breaking up with me. I don't give you permission to." "I don't recall breaking up having to need permission from both parties." "Well, now you know."

Anyways, you're both just bickering over stupid shit now. You've strayed from the "we need to talk" to now pointing fingers at who's the bigger drama queen between the two of you.

Zayne

Oh sweet summer child, takes you very seriously.

"What is it, love? Did I do something to upset you?"

Oh, you just know how guilty you'll end up feeling when you keep up with the prank. You last a solid 3 sentences before you slowly turn quiet because he's listening so patiently and looks like he's truly reflecting on everything you've said.

"Okay, I'm sorry it was a stupid prank but I can't stand looking at you this guilty. You've been nothing but an absolute sweetheart, I could never ask for more."

Zayne sighs, relieved that it wasn't actually something major.

"Please, try not to do pranks like these again. I love you but the way my heart dropped when you said those words is not healthy."

You give him a big hug and lots of smooches to make it up to him, vowing never to do pranks like these on him again.

Sylus

Oh, you are looking forward to this. There's a power trip of sorts when you remember how much power you actually hold over this man. And this is perfect.

Some say this might be a red flag of yours but you're dating a wholeass criminal big boss so it's not really that big of a deal.

When you start the prank, he raises an eyebrow. Feeling like it might be a prank since he did spoil you and didn't do anything to piss you off recently.

"And what is it this time, sweetheart?"

Okay ngl, I think this prank goes way too far because he would correct / contradict / defend every single reason and excuse you come up with. That it just becomes a wholeass debate of whether you even have an actual reason to be unsatisfied with your relationship.

At the end of it all, you are breathless and out of excuses. So you just glare at him. Sylus simply smirks knowing he won this 'argument'.

"I'll get you someday, look forward to the day that you're begging for me on your knees." "Oh sweetheart, I'd get on my knees for you anytime, if you just asked."

Caleb

You feel like this might be the worst idea you've ever had, knowing full well how possessive Caleb can get but anything for the gram or whatever the kids say.

"Say that again, buttercup? I think I misheard you."

Oh, the way his voice dropped an entire octave got you both nervous and also maybe turned on?

You try to be strong and push through, repeating what you said.

"Sure, we can talk. Did I do something wrong? Did I upset you? Did you find out about the hidden cameras? Is it the new guy at work, did he give you any ideas? I knew I shouldn't have stopped at a few broken ribs-" "CALEB WHAT THE FUCK"

Prank is forgotten, you are now giving him an hour long sermon about hidden cameras and not beating up every man who has any interaction with you.

What you say is definitely passing through the other ear for him, he's just pleased he managed to distract you from the original topic. Its better that you feel responsible for correcting him and being stuck with him rather than you getting sick and tired of him.

Caleb - 1 : You - 0

(i tried my best but i feel like these are very ooc aaaaaaa)

[rinneverse]

࿐ ♡ ˚ . 𝐰𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 — 𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒆. ˒ ⊹

syn. you think jealousy is a good look on aventurine. too bad he has to remind you that you belong to him, and him only. (1.8k) pair. aventurine x f!reader cw. jealous aventurine my beloved / fem-aligned reader / pet names used: pretty girl, doll, angel, princess, good girl / oral (f!receiving) / fingering / teasing and begging / prone bone / spanking (like.. one time) / p in v penetration / creampie / multiple rounds are insinuated. teehee. love, oak! loooorrrrrdddddd aventurine. i've been obsessed w him since he was mentioned in topaz's quest ♡. about to start the penacony quest now, i'm literally buzzing w/ excitement over seeing him!!!!!!!

MINORS + AGELESS BLOGS DNI. NSFW UNDER THE CUT.

aventurine thinks he can be a little bit... petty, sometimes.

but of course, who wouldn't be, when one sees some random stranger putting their hands all over what's theirs?

so obviously, aventurine does the one thing he does best.

put on a show.

"hey, pretty girl," aventurine drawls, sidling up to you as he slides an arm around your waist. the grip he has on your hip is near-bruising, the only indication that he was currently ticked off. "you tired of this bar yet? i'd like to leave soon." his voice is a soft croon as he brings his lips to your ear, warm breath brushing the sensitive skin there. "i've got better things for us to be doin' in mind."

you gasp, playfully slapping his chest. your attention is completely off the man you were just chatting up, and aventurine shoots him a lazy grin. the man merely grumbles and leaves.

it makes him feel pure satisfaction, really.

aventurine turns you in his grip so that you're chest to chest with him—forces you to tilt your head back to look up at him. he smiles prettily down at you, as if he weren't just scheming to whisk you away from all the attention you were just receiving.

"better things, huh?" you say, glossy lips forming a matching grin to his as you look up at the blond. "like what? that man was just about to buy me a drink, you know. how're you gonna make up for that?"

he nearly lets his perfect mask slip—a twitch of his eyebrow is all you notice. but he tilts his head, looks down at you with those pretty lavender eyes of his.

"oh doll, if you wanted a drink, why didn't you just say so?"

your eyes gleam with mischief. you trail your fingers up his chest, your lips pursing in a pout.

"it's more fun charming a guy into buying it.." you sigh dramatically.

"who says you haven't charmed me?"

"no one. everyone knows i've already got you wrapped around my finger."

he can't argue with that. no, he can't argue with the irrefutable truth.

because you do. he's wrapped around your pretty little finger, and you know it. you exploit it. he doesn't mind, though.

aventurine doesn't deal with what doesn't pay off. and in the end, a pretty thing like you always does.

so he smiles again, tilting your chin up with a gloved finger. he lets a little bit of the hunger he feels shine in his eyes—he basks in the way your eyes shutter, your red-painted lips parting slightly.

“how about this, then—will you let me charm you, pretty?” he purrs, thumb coming up to gently tug at your bottom lip.

your throat bobs as you swallow. a shallow nod of your head follows—as much as he’ll allow while he grips your chin.

“good. you know how great i am at making your dreams come true, don’t you?”

there’s no room for debate there, nor does he give you any; aventurine’s smug demeanor is never undeserved, if the way he has you grasping the sheets of his bed later is concrete proof of that.

“’venturine,” you whine, back arching off the ruffled white sheets of the bed, “please, need you inside me, noooow.” the last word comes out in a long moan as his fingers stroke just the right spot inside of you. a flick of his tongue against your puffy clit draws a cry of pleasure from your lips.

he hasn’t even taken his clothes off yet, and he already has you a mewling mess for him. again, he feels that familiar sense of satisfaction flow through him.

aeons. he loved seeing you so debauched, flushed and squirming beneath him as he draws orgasm after orgasm out of you.

“c’mon angel, one more time for me—you can do it, can’t you?”

the low drawl of his voice is drowned out by the lewd squelch of his fingers inside you, constantly moving and stroking your walls in just the way you liked it. at this rate, you were going to go insane, but you feel your climax cresting, rising up and up and up, until it comes crashing down with a particular crook of his fingers inside you. he doesn’t let up, doesn’t grant you any mercy as you sob and convulse with pleasure. “’venturineee!”

finally, finally, he stops, withdrawing his fingers (his sleeve is completely soaked with your essence, he notes smugly) and rising after a swift kiss to your sweet pussy. you lay there, a puddle of nerves still buzzing with pleasure.

the clink of his belt and the rustle of fabric falling to the floor, and then you’re being maneuvered so gently, rolled onto your front with large, gentle hands. there’s a pillow being slid under your hips, another for your pretty head, and then you feel the bed dip with the weight of aventurine settling into place right behind you.

you let out a soft cry as you feel the blunt head of his cock rub against your still too sensitive cunt, his hands gripping the plush globes of your ass as he spreads you for him. he loves the little sounds you make as he teases you, dipping the tip in but never quite going any farther than that.

no, he wanted to hear you beg for it.

“what do we say when we want something, princess?” aventurine hums, drawing the tip of his cock through your slick folds, achingly slow.

“oh,” you sigh sweetly. “need you to fuck me. please, ‘ven, need it so bad.”

your plea is like sugared candy on his tongue, a torturous substance he’s addicted to as he allows himself to slowly sink inside you. he takes his time—you’re whining and squirming beneath him, and he has to hold you still with firm hands—but only goes as far as an inch, shallowly moving his hips.

“like that?” he asks coyly.

you look over your shoulder to glare at him. at the nasty look you shoot him, his eyes narrow; he lifts a hand, only to bring it down on the sensitive skin on your ass. you let out a yelp.

“now, now, only good girls get what they want. you’re a good girl, aren’t ya?”

you respond with a desperate whine. aventurine knows when you’re reaching your limit though, and like the good person he is, he’s decided he’s had enough fun torturing you. besides, he’s nearing his own limit—the walls of your cunt just feel so delicious around him—and it’s taking a willpower of steel to not pound you into oblivion right then and there.

aventurine sighs dramatically, hands drifting up your spine, ghosting along your back. he likes the way you shiver beneath him, completely helpless to his whims. he’s quiet for a moment, drinking in the way you’re breathing harshly beneath him as he lets himself dip a little further into you, and then: “alright, i’ve teased you enough. you’ve been so good for me.”

the words are like music to your ears—as well as the only warning you receive before he’s gripping your hips, lifting and adjusting you so he hits just the angle he knows you like, and he starts a brutal pace that rips a harsh moan from your lips.

he’s absolutely unforgiving in the way he fucks you, but he knows it’s just the way you like it. searing, molten heat flows through your veins with every stroke, nerves like lightning as you’re overwhelmed with the all-consuming sensation of aventurine all over you. it’s not just the way he fucks you—the way he presses his chest to your back as his hips rut into you, the way he has you completely pinned, rough hands spreading you oh-so perfectly for him, the way his lips press to the nape of your neck, his breath ghosting along your skin as he groans, right up in your ear.

“fuck—you’re so fucking tight, pretty—yeah, you like this, don’t you? can feel you clenchin’ around my cock.” he makes a point to thrust his hips especially rough at the end of each sentence, coaxing a long, desperate moan from you. you’re mindlessly babbling at this point, barely able to form a coherent sentence as he fucks all sense of sanity from your head.

and when he snakes a hand around you, brushing down your navel towards the apex of your thighs, you let out a broken sob as deft fingers find your clit. paired with each perfectly aimed thrust, you’re coming undone beneath him in a matter of seconds, walls convulsing around him.

“where do you want me, angel?” aventurine coos in your ear. his voice is raspy, lust-drunk and breathy as he struggles to hold himself together, to stave off the orgasm he knows is imminent.

“inside,” you gasp out. “wan’ it inside!” your words slur together as he fucks you through your own orgasm. you feel electric as his hips start to stutter, your only other hint that aventurine is close, so so close, and you want him falling with you. so you clench the delicate muscles in your pelvis, walls fluttering around his cock so perfectly, it feels like life and death and infinity and oblivion all at once.

he presses deep inside you, holding you so tight to him as he cums, hard, just the way you wanted him to. you clutch the pillow under your head to ground yourself, muffling the moan you let out as his hips twitch and then eventually pull away, drawing himself out of you. the sensation makes you hiss softly, displeased at the empty feeling he leaves you with.

aventurine smiles at the sight—of you, blissfully fucked out on his bed, hips still slightly raised from the pillow as his cum drips out of you. it might’ve been obscene to some, but he was so utterly fucking obsessed with you that really, it’s got him ready to go for another round.

he only gives you a moment to catch your breath.

then you’re being flipped over, aventurine slotting himself between your legs, his already hard cock pressing against your messy cunt. he smiles down at you, a purely predatory look in his eyes as his gaze meets yours.

“don’t tell me you’re tired out already, princess,” he drawls, basking in the way your sleepy eyes widen with shock. “you’ve gotta cum at least a couple more times before i’m satisfied. i’m gonna make sure my name is the only one you remember, ‘kay?”

and as he slides into you, torturously slow, you realize that you might just be in for a long night.

please don't repost on other platforms. rbs and comments are super appreciated ♡ !!

[squidhominid]

The Wounds that Got Me Here: A story about my experience working for Lockstin

I have a story that I want to tell. A story I've told some people, in bits and pieces, but never really fully written out before. Given who the story involves, what their reputation is, I don't expect it to be fully believable. And because of that, I've spent years debating telling it. Afraid of being judged, of not being believed, of people thinking I'm just trying to tear someone down. I'm afraid people will think I'm overreacting, that what I experienced is 'just how the business works'. I'm afraid that they might be right.

But no matter what people think, it's the truth. I lived it. And I'm finally ready to share it, I think.

Not because I want to cancel anyone, this isn't a call-out post, but so I can share my story and heal.

CWs: discussion of underpaid creative work and inappropriate content involving minors

The story starts in late 2017, during Sac Gamers Expo. I had heard that Arlo had somehow gotten hold of copies of the Splatoon 2 Sound Selection vinyl, an extremely rare piece of Splatoon merchandise even now, originally only sent to members of the gaming press, and was giving them out. I was an avid collector of modern vinyl, as well as an avid Splatoon fan, and had been trying to track a copy down ever since it was known they existed. I begged my dad, desperately, to take me, even though it was a hell of a drive from San Diego to Sacramento, and, once I communicated to him just how rare this was and just how much I wanted it, he agreed.

While I was there, I had the chance to meet Lockstin, a YouTuber who I was a huge fan of at the time. Knowing he'd done a Splatoon video recently, and knowing his channel had gotten its initial start doing Game Theory counterpoint videos, I urged him to do a 'are Inklings actually made of ink' video, given this was a sticking point in the fandom, as well as due to personal frustration with MatPat for his 'are Inklings kids or squids' video. I saw value in trying to discuss the 'actual question', rather than the question MatPat had asked, in the process hopefully clarifying a widespread lore misconception, and I thought it was a topic his channel would do justice.

He said he'd think about it.

A month or two later I messaged him on Discord, asking if he had given it any more thought. He admitted that he didn't know anything about Splatoon, that his previous attempt to write on the games hadn't performed well, and that, and this isn't an exact quote, 'if I wanted to see it made, I'd have to write it myself', meaning I could write the script and sell it to him.

The Splatoon video they had done by that point, to be honest, was terrible. It was extremely poorly researched, and took what was in-universe meant to be propaganda, information from an unreliable narrator, at face value, building its thesis on the idea Grizzco presents to the player that Salmonids were just dumb animals. I knew that, if things were really this dire, I had to do this. I had to 'right the wrong' that was the quality of Lockstin's Splatoon content. So I took him up on his offer. We made a handshake deal, that I would write scripts for a cut of ad revenue. What 'a cut of ad revenue' meant, what percentage it would be, a payment schedule, none of it was ever specified. Just 'a cut of ad revenue'.

It took around a month of workshopping after that, but once I had a solid idea for a first video, I threw myself into the work. For two weeks, during my computer science lectures at community college, rather than paying attention to the lectures I'd be researching for the video I was writing. Two weeks of work.

I made $89. And in the meantime, I got some…pointed messages from friends.

See, for the thumbnail, he used key art from Octo Expansion. It had just been announced a couple months prior, so he probably thought it would grab attention, even though it wasn't really related to the topic of the video.

The problem was what art he used, and how he used it.

He had put, front and center, Agent 8, a canonically 16 year old character, in a piece of art showing her with splotches of ink on her. Except, he had photoshopped the ink splotches to be white. And then he added key art of Cap'n Cuttlefish from Octo Expansion, lurking in the background, positioned such to look like he was looking at Agent 8.

People who knew I had the gig, who I had excitedly told I was working for Lockstin, blamed me for the thumbnail. I told them I had nothing to do with it. I confronted Lockstin, since the original thumbnail he showed me before the video went up didn't have the 'white ink' edit. His response? To attribute the video's success partially to the thumbnail, and that he "could always swap it real quick if it [got] out of hand".

He never did. The white ink thumbnail is still up, to this day. And this wasn't an isolated incident; he has a pattern even now, years later, of using sexual clickbait in his thumbnails, because it's what 'works'. Even though the videos really don't need it. Even though, in my opinion, they're undermined by it.

In the time following that, I built a small team of Splatoon lore obsessive friends to work on the videos together. And Lockstin came to me with a question. He had a long-running series on his channel, 'Why do X have breasts', meant to analyze and apply actual scientific reasoning to humanity's propensity to put breasts on non-human and even non-mammalian characters, and he wanted to know if I could think of a way to make that work for Splatoon. I initially turned the idea down, saying I couldn't think of a way to make it work. Until someone on his Discord server came to me with the seed of an idea, and me and my team started mulling it over, and I realized that I had a way to turn the topic into something else.

Something that took the idea of 'Why do X have breasts', the sexualization, the clear fetishization by people who wanted to see that video made, and turn it on its head.

I came up with a theory merging female empowerment with body horror, something I thought would be unsettling to those who showed up for sexual gratification. The idea that the breasts were really musculature around the ink sac, enabling female Inklings and Octolings to be superior fighters in a society that, even in canon, seems to be dominated by strong women.

Of course, people didn't see it that way. I forgot, or perhaps was even baited into by the member on his Discord server, that people with buff-women fetishes would find that take on the idea more exciting than disconcerting. That's something I'm not proud of, even if I'm proud of, overall, snatching female empowerment from the jaws of misogyny.

The video made me $60. Even less, because I split the money between me and my collaborators. In the years since, this has become the best performing of all of the videos I wrote for the channel.

In the meantime, he came to me asking if I would be willing to work on non-Splatoon content, floated to me an idea he'd been workshopping about making a channel focused on western animation. He wanted to keep me on as a writer, even as it was clear Splatoon content wasn't as lucrative, for me or for him, as the other work his channel was doing. I told him I wasn't sure, but offered a Steven Universe theory that I had written the year prior, for a channel that never happened. His response was that he didn't want to involve himself in that fandom for drama reasons, which I agreed with, and we never spoke again about it.

Next, I was told that I had to write a video under a strict deadline; they had a sponsorship from Splatoon Amino, and the video had to be done by a certain date. Me and one of my collaborators, also credited on the end card alongside me, cranked out a video on why Inklings and Octolings die in water. It didn't perform amazingly, but I still made… $92. More than I expected, and I chalked this up to the sponsorship. Again, I split the money, because I felt that was the right thing to do.

Then came the video I'm the most proud of. I came across a theory on Reddit about Splatoon 3, based on evidence found in the at the time new Salmon Run stage, Ruins of Ark Polaris. I messaged the creator of the theory asking if I could use it as the basis for a YouTube video, and was told I could. I built on top of it a larger theory, that ended up getting quite a lot right about what Splatoon 3 would be, almost a full year before the New Years 2020 'Save Our Salmons' art where Nintendo made a direct point of Splatoon 3 involving Salmonids.

I made… $35. And for my trouble? Another sexualized thumbnail, with the focal point of the thumbnail being the Smash Ultimate render of the Splatoon Wii U default Inkling Girl, a 14 year old character, having eaten the Spicy Curry item, edited to make her blush more intense. The implications are plain to intuit.

And, this video had unseen effects. In all of my scripts, I would make meticulous notes, of sources, of evidence. In that video, I had cited a translation I came across on Tumblr, belonging to an at the time smaller creative voice, Rassicas. The translation was used in the video as I wrote it, but no citation was given. Rassicas, for their part, for years thought 'Lockstin stole their work'. They have cited not wanting that to happen to them ever again, to stand on their own merits rather than others benefit from their work, as one of the reasons they started their YouTube channel to begin with, with them now considered by the fandom to be the definitive, authoritative voice in the community on Splatoon lore, especially lore that is exclusive to the Japanese text.

For my part, years later when I found this out, I apologized. I even wrote a public apology, taking full accountability, because I had forgotten IF I had credited them or not. When I looked at the script, and found out that I in fact had, and that it was his choice to strip that out, I told them immediately. We were both livid at the revelation.

Then came my final video, and the one I'm the least proud of. One of my team shared a meme that had been blowing up on /r/Splatoon, comparing Inkling and Octoling ear shapes to the mantles of actual squid and octopuses, pointing out that the idols' ear shapes corresponded more to the mantle shape of cuttlefish. We realized it for what it was, a joke, but realized there was an opportunity for an actual video there. I mean, hell, we know cuttlefish Inklings exist thanks to Octo Expansion, so it wouldn't even be bending the canon all that badly. So we ran with it. Made a damn good video, I admit.

Too good. The fandom even now, five and a half years later, is convinced Callie and Marie are cuttlefish.

Lockstin did us another kindness, as well; at the end of the video he plugged a website that I had been putting together, now long-since defunct, for Splatoon lore investigations by my team that I didn't think could be made into videos, either due to the turnaround time required, the length, or the interest. Sending people off of his platform and onto ours. And, on top of the direct plug, the direct shout-out, this time the end card credited 'the team at Inktank.info'. It didn't credit us by name, like the prior videos. But in its place he actively was driving people to our platform instead of his. On the one hand, legitimizing our work as part of a team and a place. But at the same time, meaning our names weren't directly on the video this time. I have mixed feelings about this, but I'm willing to err on the side of leniency and say that wasn't his intention. He was trying to drive eyes to us and our efforts, uplift us as creators, like he had done for others by launching their careers.

And from the video we made $102. The most we made off of any video, even though it performed among the bottom two. I haven't mentioned it until now, but at some point it had been established that this was because Lockstin had been rolling forward ad revenue from past videos into payment for future videos. Unspoken was the fact that, if I wanted to keep making money on my old videos, I'd have to keep making new ones.

Again, I split the money. Even when I was making almost nothing, I wasn't going to let the people who helped me, the people who understood the things I didn't, go unpaid and uncredited. Multiple of the videos contained deep dives on topics like mollusk biology as part of their evidence, which were things I'd have no idea about on my own. Not paying them, not pushing Lockstin to credit them, would be laundering responsibility for the content I sold him, at best.

And, of course, another thumbnail scandal, again falling on me within my friend group. Lockstin had used a Garry's Mod fan render of Marie in the thumbnail, and people who knew I worked on it messaged me about him using stolen art. I ended up giving Lockstin the official render that he had meant to use, which was identically posed so he probably just mixed the two up… He never fixed it. Even now the thumbnail still uses stolen art.

It was at this point I decided to walk away. There was a sixth video that I had begun to research, that I had been planning since the beginning and was really excited to finally work on, but… I just, gradually and silently stopped talking to Lockstin, and I walked away.

I didn't immediately cut contact, though. I maintained messaging him until halfway into 2020. Because despite it all, I saw him as someone I had an amicable relationship with. Because it took time for me to fully accept what had happened to me. I even told him, in our last exchange, that I was still planning on making that sixth video. Because it took me some time to really sit with what happened.

And during that time, something happened. Around the end of 2019 there were serious concerns going around, of the FTC going after YouTube channels run by pop culture focused content creators, due to the updates to COPPA reclassifying them as 'children's content', regardless of what they actually contained. I messaged Lockstin in a panic, telling him if things got that bad, to delist my videos since I lived, and still live, with my dad, both of us disabled and on a fixed income. He assured me that anything that occurred would happen to the channel owner, and that I was safe, no matter what happened. And, "if it does wind up bad I'll be delisting all the videos. and also I'll take the hit for any fines."

Edit 3/12/25 (in bold): Regardless, having done some back-of-the-napkin math talking to Rassicas since making the original version of this post, it turns out I likely was only receiving a 10% share of ad revenue, assuming a standard-at-the-time $2 to $3 CPM for gaming content. Likely less, since I noticed a bump in income on the video that was directly sponsored despite it doing poorly, implying I may have received income from the other videos' sponsors as well. If I received any sponsor money though, knowing now how lucrative sponsorships are, I can't imagine I got a reasonable share of that either. And no matter how much napkin math I do, the fact of the matter is I'll never know exactly how much he made, and exactly how much of it I made. But it wasn't a fair amount.

And when you factor in lost residuals in the years since? The breasts video alone would have made $2,000 to $3,000 by now in just raw CPM, meaning I ultimately made about 2-3% of the ad revenue on that video.

Also, I want to be clear. It was my choice to bring in a team after the fact. He was never responsible for that, and it made a meager pay situation worse. I accept the responsibility for that.

Even now I struggle to square the circle of what this was. I don't know enough about his YouTube finances to know if I was paid fairly, if money really was that tight for him and his team. He had been known for uplifting creators he worked with. He helped launch Arlo's career. I can't imagine he would abuse his employees.

Not to mention, there were good times. This was a gig that I really, truly enjoyed, and put more effort into than he ever asked for. After my first video, at my own personal expense, I flew to Portland for a day to be a part of a fan meetup he did for the channel. He didn't ask me to do that. Hell, he told me not to, he told me I was crazy for doing it. But I did it because I was passionate about the work and about representing my work to his fans. Not only that, every time a video came out, I would spend one or two days, replying, personally, to as many comments as I could, answering questions, clarifying and elaborating on things, interacting with fans on a personal level. He never asked me to do any of that. I did that because I was passionate about the work I was doing. And I don't regret that.

But at the same time, this feels like abuse. Even as he was kind to me at points.

And that's the fear, right? He's 'one of the good ones', even with the sexual clickbait and everything else. My fear is that if I share this story, I'll be crucified for trying to tear down, trying to cancel, someone who overall has a positive reputation, who's much, MUCH bigger than I am. But that's not what this is about. This is just…me telling my story. Me telling people what happened to me.

So, I don't know what to call it, really. Other than a learning experience, as I start to lay the groundwork for my own channel, years later. Because I don't want to do this to other people. No matter what you call it.

And I want to be clear. There are other creators I've worked with. Other people I've made handshake deals with, but who treated me kindly, with integrity and respect, with definite terms set out in advance. And when I haven't gotten paid by those people, it wasn't because they exploited me, it was because the work fizzled out, and there was no profit, so there was no pay to be had. That's not exploitation. That's a reality of the industry. Sometimes things just don't pan out, and that's okay.

What's not okay is the ambiguity, the space in the margins that can be used to exploit others, whether that was one's intention or not. Because I don't think that was Lockstin's intention. I think he saw me as another Arlo, another person he was lifting up. But at the same time, this experience was a source of genuine trauma, and something that I'm only now starting to be comfortable with telling people outside of my friend group, five years after it ended.

Like I said. I'm not trying to tear anyone down. I'm not writing a hit piece. Because I doubt this was malicious. I really do. I know that, if I messaged him? If I told him what his actions were and did to me? We could hash it out, I could get closure privately. And, hell, I might do that if and when I feel ready to. Or, if he sees this and messages me? Hey, dude. I'm open to talk about this. I'm listening, if you want to say something. Because, that's the thing, right? I didn't confront this, publicly or privately, for five years, even after I walked away. I was afraid of talking to him, of what that could mean for me if he disagreed that what he did was harmful. I was afraid of a potential escalation, or losing work in an industry where I'm still only starting to find my voice.

But this isn't about that. It's about making the world a little safer for people like me, for other people who went through what I did and might not have the language or the tools to recognize what they're going through. And to make a public point, that I learned from the experience, that I plan to be better than what happened to me. Not so I can aggrandize myself, but so you, the people reading this, can hold me to it if I ever lose my direction. So I put what happened to me to a stone tablet, never allowed to forget it. Because I want to stop the cycle of abuse before it's allowed to start.

So, thank you. For taking the time to read this, and for taking my story for what it is. It means more than you could ever know, not just to me, but to everyone like me.

Edit 2, 3/12/25: Since making this post, I remembered and checked on something, and it's so much worse than I thought.

In January of 2022, Lockstin posted a series of 'Season Collection' videos, bundling his content year-by-year across seven videos. These videos made up a total almost 55 hours of content and 310 videos.

The first problem... He cut out all of the end cards. All of them. I know I wasn't the only writer he worked with. How many other people went uncredited in these compilations besides me?

The second problem... Going back to the point I made about residuals. How do you even calculate something like that? Compilation content is meant to ride the wave of super-longform content like Arlo's 'A Big Fat Review of Breath of the Wild' or Quinton Reviews' series on Dan Schneider. It's meant to play to YouTube Premium viewers, where creators get a payout based on watch time. A big one. A proportional share per-viewer of 55% of their subscription cost, based on how much of their watchtime went to which channels each month. Both LinusTechTips and Arlo have referenced longer-form content being some of their highest-earning content as a result of this.

So, at best? Maybe he figures out how much money he got from YouTube Premium and tries to split that up based on the retention charts. I can't imagine that'd be reasonable to expect someone to do for seven compilation videos on an ongoing basis. Maybe he just divides all the YouTube Premium money, and the $2 to $3 CPM, across all 310 videos equally. But that doesn't ensure people are paid for the specific viewtime for their specific videos, and on a 10 hour supercut of as many as 60 videos, the CPM split would be negligible.

The third problem... The Season 5 thumbnail has the Agent 8 'white ink' image again, one of a few videos the thumbnail references.

I know that this is a drastically different tone than the rest of this post. But this isn't just 'a good guy making mistakes' anymore. This is systemic abuse of everyone who ever worked with him. Not just writers, but editors, special thanks to people who contributed in other ways... What does he call it? "The vast majority of Lockstin's "Gnoggin" videos, with the sponsorships, needless outros, and end cards removed".

My work. My credit for my work. Is "needless".

And among the videos that he removed, he references 'videos with very incorrect information (such as predictions)'. The Season 6 video removes my Splatoon 3 prediction video. The video that I think was my best work for him, that yes got some things wrong but got a shocking amount right, that has value not just to me but to him on that merit alone. Just proof he didn't understand the content.

I'm sorry. I'm just, angry. I know this is a change in tone but I'm angry.

[fatphobiabusters]

idk if this is the right place to ask, and i apologize if it is not. but i have been wondering: what is the best thing a skinny person can say when a fat person talks about losing weight with them? i have had some people talk to me about their weight loss goals or their feeling like they want to or need to lose weight, and i usually just listen and don't say anything/just nod along because i don't know what the right thing to say is. i don't want to invalidate their feelings but i also don't want to validate fatphobic messaging from the surrounding environment. sorry if this is silly to ask, but i can never figure out what the least harmful thing to say is

I don't think your ask is silly at all. I can definitely see the dilemma there. I appreciate you wanting to not validate fatphobic messaging.

I think the best course of action would majorly depend on the situation/person you're dealing with. A lot of fat people are still gripped by the piercing claws of fatphobic rhetoric and diet culture. In those situations, it may be a good idea to focus on "planting the seed." That is, focus on starting future change. Plant the seed and let it grow, even if you don't see the future growth yourself.

I remember having to take a persuasion and media class during my bachelor's degree. It was such an eye-opening course, and the part I still strongly remember to this day is that...we probably aren't going to succeed in changing a person's deeply-held beliefs in the moment with a single conversation. Changing that belief will take years. So that's why I focus a lot on being the person who plants the seed. Even if I don't change this person's mind today, I have planted the seed for possible growth years later. This informs how I interact with fatphobic people, and remembering this also helps my mental health so I don't feel horrible when a person doesn't immediately change.

A way you could implement this "plant the seed" method is by being a role model and simply saying "I don't think I like talking about weight loss. Weight is a very nuanced and complex thing. I don't want to focus on conformity to thinness." This way, you're showing the person that there's another option out there beyond the lifelong chasing of thinness. This method of focusing on your own boundaries also can help prevent a debate or argument. "Is it okay if we don't talk about weight? I feel like this world views thinness as the ultimate achievement, but more bodies than just thin bodies have worth. I'd feel more comfortable talking about something else, if that's alright."

You're stating your own belief and boundaries rather than telling the other person to have those beliefs and boundaries themself. You're not attacking the person or asking the person to change. You're not asking for a debate. You're not even asking for their thoughts on the topic. But by gently putting your foot down, you have established your view and put another option on that person's radar that they probably didn't know of beforehand. This role model method can be the first crack in the shattering of the glass for that person's beliefs about weight and this fatphobic society.

Also, this may be the autism in me, but maybe being straightforward with communication can help? "I'm not sure how to respond since I'm a thin person, so I've had a very different life experience and don't know everything you have gone through as a plus size person*. I don't believe thinness and weight loss are the answer, but I'm not sure how to respectfully talk about this complex topic as a thin person. I hope this helps you better understand my thoughts." I put an asterisk after "plus size person" because "fat person" shouldn't be a taboo word. However, a fat person who hasn't done any unlearning of internalized fatphobia likely isn't ready to use that word to describe themself. So, it's probably safer to call them a "plus size person" instead.

I hope these strategies will help!

-Mod Worthy

[scientificwitchry]

Explaining & Exploring Caleb's Behavior in Homecoming Wings

This contains spoilers for what happened in Caleb's Homecoming Wings main story update, especially Night Unending so I'd suggest finishing reading it before reading this because this is just me talking about Homecoming Wings.

Before I begin, if you dislike Caleb that is completely your right. If Caleb upsets you that is completely fine. Additionally, this also isn't a justification because let's be real even though as far as yandere's go I don't personally find him that intense he was acting pretty crazy in his main story. Also wanna add that nobody owes Caleb like understanding of his character at all if it's that bad for you. This isn't being written with the intention to change minds or that you have to suddenly like Caleb cause of it. I'm just really obsessed with this man.

I mainly just wanna add more nuance to the topic of Caleb a bit? Because while he is and was certainly unhinged I don't like the idea of people labeling his behavior as him doing crazy stuff just for crazy sake or purely because he's a red flag. Because to reiterate he is def a red flag and more than a bit unhinged but he isn't ONLY that and I don't believe his behavior is based solely on being that but a myriad of things.

For instance, the most problematic and controversial moment in the main story is when Caleb gives MC medicine which results in her soon after noting drowsiness. Many people are of the opinion that Caleb purposely drugged MC, some think it was an act especially ill-intentioned. I personally believe it was not as malicious as it came off considering MC was indeed sick and the cold medicine she took helped. But it's also implied that Caleb gave her the medicine knowing that it would make her drowsy. Anyway, I'm not going to debate whether it's right or not.

Rather, I am more interested in the reasoning. That reasoning is simply that Skyhaven is highly dangerous. Throughout the main story, I can think of at least two incidents in which MC finds herself in danger. The first is with Viper who in the story attacks MC. While MC obviously manages to at least fend off Viper she still struggles and it ends up being Caleb who saves her.

This of course makes sense to me because MC is first and foremost a hunter. She's trained to fight wanderers, not what sounds to be experiments meant to serve as weapons considering Viper is either quite obviously a cyborg or made to some extent of machine.

The second is when MC manages to chip and track Caleb and follows him to the Farspace Fleets clean-up. Which MC finds out is actually them getting rid of ridhuman-turned-wanderers (from what is implied to be unethical experiments). She gets attacked by a bunch of wanderers, injuring her knee but is yet again saved by Caleb.

What I mean to say isn't that MC is somehow defenseless but rather she is completely out of her depths with Skyhaven. It's not a lawless land like the N109 zone rather it is a strict place to the point it exudes almost a sort of oppressive feeling. Crazy, messed up stuffis clearly going on there that MC has only begun to unravel, and will perhaps never truly grasp. Of course, this is not her fault as Caleb is stubbornly insistent on being secretive and won't tell her. Though the "won't" is closer to a can't (due to circumstances even we the players have yet to be fully aware of other than what the game seems to imply).

Where I'm going with this is not only is Skyhaven much more dangerous than N109 zone but on top of that realistically speaking compared to Sylus, Caleb is pretty much powerless. His role is that of a pawn and he has much power as is desired of his role. Sure he can order and boss people around as Colonel but what good is any of that when he lacks the true power needed to protect MC?

It's already clear that the professor that Caleb is implied to have made a deal with in order to protect MC has his sights set on her. Even more by how Kevi who was "saved" by the Farspace Fleet ended up becoming a part of this professor's "family" suspiciously including Viper and a seemingly present Caleb it seems that the Farspace Fleet and this professor is connected. I don't think it would be a stretch to presume based off of this that it's all connected to the Ever MC is looking into.

Considering all of this, what can Caleb, a pawn meant to be eventually cast aside for a better piece do to protect MC when his power is so limited? The answer is, of course, to hide her. Which is why on several occasions in the story he restricts her movement (by locking her up). He obstructs her goals on several occasions not because he's a red flag but rather because he knows every goal she intends to complete will put her under the radar of the exact people who will hurt her, and who he wants her hidden from.

Which is why he even gives her that cold medicine likely knowing it'll make her drowsy because if MC was actually successful in her attempts in rescuing Kevi from the fleet's grasp (and by extension the professor's and possibly Ever's) then she would be put be in deep waters. Everything Caleb does is so seemingly in order to protect MC even if it means being in misery and pain, even if it means upsetting MC, even if it means the only person in this world he cares about ends up despising him. To Caleb, none of that matters if she's safe.

However, Caleb is completely powerless, defenseless, and weak under the authoritarian (and so far mysterious) system of Skyhaven so his only option is to play the villain to keep her safe as otherwise means to let her get hurt.

Because of all this, I even personally believe that Caleb is more overprotective than he is possessive. It's just that it wraps back around to being possessive. It's a lot more than just him loving her, than him wanting her to be his but that he believes that despite his powerlessness that he is the only one who can protect MC. That the only way MC can be safe is with him. This is purely because Caleb has been playing the role of MC's protector, her shining knight in armor for so long that it's deeply entrenched in his identity. He cannot imagine himself living life as anything but someone who protects MC. In fact, I'm of the opinion he believes his only purpose is to protect MC and keep her safe. The only thing that keeps Caleb alive and somewhat sane is this role he clings to desperately. Not because that is what he is but rather it and MC is all he has left. Without it, he is nothing. So perhaps, in this regard despite how much Caleb tries to convince MC, it is he who needs her the most rather than vice versa.

MC can survive without being his princess just fine. Rather, MC even doesn't have the slightest desire to play the princess role Caleb seems to want her to. Her consistently communicating to Caleb the sentiment of "I don't need you" is exactly that. It's not just her refusal to play the role of a princess, not just her denial of Caleb's role as a protector but a rejection of him entirely because even as MC's gege he has only existed as a protector to her. She might as well have just told Caleb "I hate you" which is why I believe after hearing it he almost always seems to snap. He doesn't see it as an assertion of MC's independence (which I personally do) but as MC wholly, entirely rejecting him. Since what even is his purpose if he can't protect MC? What's his purpose if she doesn't need him like he's always needed her? What's the point of having lived and suffered all the way up until now if MC doesn't need his protection?

I feel like a lot of his behavior in Homecoming Wings, especially in Night Unending can be explained simply by this. Caleb's only role, his only purpose is to keep MC safe. Even in the nearing end of Captive Bird where his snapping is less about his role as protector and more about his deep feelings towards MC and his role as her family and MCs albeit understandable insistence on imposing it, he still clings to that role of protector. He still obsessively talks about protecting her, about keeping her safe because again, that is the only purpose and role Caleb has known his entire life so that role is as connected to his feelings as anything else. Ironically enough, despite him resenting the role of being MCs gege he still retains an identity of it.

[wings-of-ink]

Future IFs Poll

So, in case you have not seen me post about it before, I am considering a project to do on the side while I work on God-Cursed. This will help me take breaks from my main work and stretch my creativity muscles with different characters and settings. I'd like a bit of feedback from what readers are more interested in from the best ideas I can potentially pull from right now. Feel free to vote, comment, or even send an ask if you want to be anonymous.

Over the last year or so, I have jotted down many basic plots I could expound on, but only a few have really stuck out to me as ones I could really expand in a meaningful way.

So, a couple housekeeping things to keep in mind. Whatever ends up getting written, it will have a modern-day setting. The fantasy playground is fun, but I really want a more real-world setting for this one. I am also debating about all ROs being gender-selectable. Since this side piece is supposed to be a little oasis for me too, not having each RO as customizable would ease the work that goes into it, and it might actually mean I can have more than just a few options for you as well. I am also considering a middle ground and having one or two characters customizable still while the others will be set.

Below I have given some details on the ideas I'm working with and further down is a poll that you can vote for the one that calls out to you the most. I have 2 ideas so far that are standouts among the others, but I've included 4 in the poll that I can work with. The winner isn't guaranteed to be what I end up writing, but I am very strongly going to consider the results while I decide. I like all these ideas and they sound fun to write - so none of this telling me to write what I want - I already want to do them all, lol (looking at you @elegantunknownphantom). There are caveats to each one, of course, and I'll explain that in the details.

Options:

Serial-killer crime drama:  "Daddy was a Killer" (title sounds like it came from a Lifetime original movie, but I really like it)

No doting daddies here, readers. Play as the traumatized child of a serial killer with repressed memories of the horrible things they witnessed daddy do. Get accused of a murder you didn't commit (probably), and try to catch your darling dad while dealing with the psychological devastation of all the horrors you've seen before he can kill again (and again, and again). Discover where your daddy disappeared to all those years ago, and what really happened to your mom.

Downsides:  I have a decent grasp of the plot on this one, but it would require a good deal of research (which I tend to do anyway to an extent), since I'd like a fairly realistic feel to the actual crime-solving stuff. Either that, or I can go the "rogue detective" route and play it fast and loose. This work would be in a wheelhouse I've never quite been in before, which is fun on one hand but nerve-wracking on another.

RO ideas include:

A smarmy detective (of course!)

A neighbor concerned for your well-being (mostly because you scream in your sleep)

And the child of one of your daddy's victims.

Supernatural mystery:  "Shivers" (title up for adjustment, but I kinda dig it)

Play as an MC with a bizarre anxious tic - an intense and chilling shiver that you get seemingly out of nowhere. It only lasts a couple seconds and you've dealt with it since childhood, so it's easily dismissed. That is, until you experience a sudden surge in occurrences. Your doctor writes it off as stress from dealing with the erratic behavior of your mother. But after a near-death experience, during which this mysterious tic guides you to safety, you know there is more to it than stress. With the help of your best friend(s) and a shady medium, find out what has attached itself to you and what seeks to claim you, discover who your real father is, and embrace or deny your own strengths as a medium.

Downsides:  I feel like there's a lot of supernatural IFs already, some of which are already similar to this or have similar aspects. This one probably won't have the drama/emotional potential that some of the others do, which may be a boon to some readers as it would be a little lighter.

RO ideas include:

the best friend(s) (potentially 2 besties to choose from - twins)

a (mostly) fake spiritual medium

a brave EMT who came to your rescue

and something…otherworldly.

Gritty Drama:  no title  (more of a framework to build from)

This one would be completely riddled with warnings, and I kinda just see it as being a fun outlet for some angst, smut, unhinged shit, and violence. 👍

The ideas for this one didn't start around a firm plot, but around a setting/scenario stemming from one of my OCs. The vibe here is very much "sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll" and fits into the seedy nightclub/crime ring thing. It would be a playground of questionable characters and life-choices. You would choose the dire straits that put your MC in the employ of a dangerous kingpin. Perhaps MC owes a lot of money to someone, got into trouble with a rival faction, or was framed for a crime, etc.... You'd get to choose the MC's line of work under the organization - be it in drugs, entertainment (music/dance/alcohol/sex), or security. The issue that leads to your employ under a sex-peddling drug-trafficker will haunt you in your new life in the middle of a war between the rulers of the underground.

Downsides:  Not super fleshed-out plot wise, but I don't think it would be too hard to build on either. I may want to use this setting (or something like it) and my OC for a different project one of these days, but I'm unsure about that as well. And, the obvious, red flags and triggers everywhere for a setting like this.

RO ideas: 

One person from each potential "job" (the head of security, a chemist who seems too pure to be making hard drugs, a sex-worker, the clumsy bartender, a cute DJ)

A member of a rival faction

And for the brave and stupid - your boss - a clever and unhinged woman with an affinity for knives. And, no, she will never love you.

Futuristic:  no title (needs the most work)

Including this one to just get a feel for how it's received, but I anticipate that it won't get quite as much backing as the others. I have the character-creation concept in mind which lends itself to a plot, and a RO or two, but that's about it. I think I could do something fun with it, but I've also never written anything futuristic or scifi before. This would be akin to "Detroit: Become Human."

Though the setting would be futuristic, I am pretty sure I wouldn't want to do a dystopian thing. There's a lot of that out there already and we're basically living it IRL; it's a blast to read, but I want the main focus to be on something else if I do this. There would still be pockets of grittiness to the setting, because if we're talking humanity, there's gonna be grit somewhere. But this world would be more post-dystopian. Say, the rebels won and life has gotten better across the board for people? And though everyday life has a lot of tech enhancements, we haven't seen sentient machines - yet. That's where you come in.

The MC Concept is that they are an android - of course! One of the nice made-to-order kind that only the rich can afford. But what makes the MC unique is that while everyone else requests specific things about the androids they purchase - such as gender, looks and even downloadable personalities - an order comes in that's blank. It only requests that the android be allowed to choose who they are and how they look. "The Buyer" will pay for whatever personality, enhancements, or clothing they want - but the android must make the choices themselves.

As your MC goes through these initial choices, equipped only with a basic "education" software full of un-opinionated information about the world and how it works, something unusual begins to spark within them (not that they know how unusual it is yet).

RO ideas:

The Buyer–a gender-selectable person who sets your creation in motion. They're wealthy, well-respected, earnest, and incredibly lonely. Who are they really and why did they do this?

The Scientist–a hopefully trustworthy person that's very interested in your development

The Punk–someone who wants to give you the "real" human experience.

Make your selection below. Comment your thoughts and ideas as well if you like. This is set for a week and I will reblog here and there so it has a chance to reach as many of you who would like to vote as possible.

[demodraws0606]

Hello, I'm a Whit fan and I'm about to shoot myself in the foot

I'm gonna sound extremely hypocritical but I find it very funny how a lot of people have placed expectations on what Whit's character is based on previous fictionnal experiences (Happy/Joking character is secretly holding back their sadness).

Even though, I'd argue, Whit is the character we know the least about.

I'm not just saying that as like what we know personally about him but I also mean behavioral wise.

Whit is heavily analysed to have a facade, and I believe that too, even though the arguments on what is behind that facade is up for debate. However we don't actually know what Whit's feelings actually are.

(The reason why I believe Eden and I don't believe Whit, is, unlike him, she has shown no signs of being fake or have any contradicting behavior)

Whit's reactions are very very often contradictory like him caring for people and want to make them smile but also having the most tame reaction to death in this killing game (there is more but this is just an exemple)

Which is why he's the most likely pick to be the mastermind by a lot of people, me included. Because unlike him, other popular pick like Rose, J and Eden have already kind of established a "true character" for themselves that would be harmed in the case of a mastermind plottwist.

Basically those picks, in my opinion, would have character moments that would be ruined and feel pointless if they were the mastermind

Whit however doesn't have much to sacrifice if he is the mastermind mainly because he's already tied up in a bunch of character contradictions unlike other picks. These contradictions can be explained without him being the mastermind but he's really the only one who has those contradictions without having been called out yet (like David).

Also, hot take abound, I don't know why people tie the theme grief so much to Whit's character when actually the main thing that's really been brought up so far with him is idolization.

In fact his secret quote, a thing that seems to incapsulate a character's most important moment, is not about his grief but about him idolizing his mom.

I'm not saying Whit's grief isn't an issue for him, it definitely is, but I mostly mean that people are already posting theories ahead of chapter 2 about how charles will die so that Whit will be able to process his grief properly.

Which I feel is a bit too stereotypical ? It definitely feels like the most obvious path for Whit's archetype.

People associate him rejecting negative emotions as him not wanting to deal with grief but I think it's more likely that he's created a persona tied to his mother that he doesn't want to shatter.

In fact in the David music video thing, the words highlighted in pink is brainwashed and degraded copy. Almost as if he got rid of his personality and replaced it with something else.

Really the only time we've got hints at Whit and grief, is him never talking about his mom dying and also his response to Teruko's grieving response.

[sometimesoliloquy]

https://www.instagram.com/thewrap/reel/DJK71iWuRBu/

NOooooooo not more press🫣🙈 Lol jk, thank you for sending, I hadn't seen this one yet (of course I say I'm staying away and then hate watch all of it while rolling my eyes).

Wellppp, if June doesn't know who she loves more at least we can help her out there cause we sure do, after all we've only spent hours upon hours of our precious little human lives analyzing every single detail😅 (psst, hey June: Nick, it's Nick! btw when you kiss Luke you may as well be kissing a cardboard box). Still waiting over here to see dark side Nick... when's that gonna be now?

Intellectualism between June and Luke?🧐 I sure don't see it, their conversations are all either arguing about Hannah or seem pretty boring to me, maybe I missed the scene where they debate over Kant's theory of ethics. I guess... they went to the ballet??...once? (it's a big stretch, I think I pulled something). Idk I guess they both probably went to college whereas now we have canonical proof Nick didn't, but what the shit does that really mean, I know a lot of dummies who went to college and retained nothing, including me. But god bless Max (in his cute-ass pink sweatshirt and glasses) for trying to be diplomatic.

God knows it's more than OT will ever do, speaking of which: 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄(this was just going to be a full paragraph of rolling eye emojis but):

"This is a man who's ultimately abandoned his child, he never talks about his child"--cut to Nick literally arranging multiple escape attempts to get his child out of a horrific country that would treat her like expendable property and where she'd be Fred's daughter *shudders* (if that counts as abandoning I'd sign up any day of the week); talking about how beautiful she is and longing to just be able to hold her, asking about her every time he sees June or talks to June on the phone, making a very dangerous deal to be a double agent to keep her (and her mom) safe, confirming this safety every time he talks to Mark, etc. What does OT want, for Nick to be hanging out with the commanders being like "SO about my daughter NICHOLE who I had with JUNE OSBORNE..." (of course Luke's ass probably would be so stupid as this, after all he did take Gilead's #1 most wanted baby to a protest where he allowed her to be filmed while saying her damn name). Honestly I tried but I can't even comment on this one intelligently because it's such a stupid, insane claim. I hope I didn't miss any important points because my brain's just given up on humanity and died.

[momo-de-avis]

...

Was enjoying my holiday, doing some shopping, and I get two missed calls from my brother at 3pm. I immediately get this sinking feeling in my stomach because we don't talk, he does not have a reason to call me, so I know something terrible has happened. I call back and when he answers, his voice is muffled and he's clearly tearing up. And that's when he says our father was found dead in a pretty fucked up way. And then he says "it's already on the news but he's not been identified". I'm gonna come out and say something I never do, but my father was once an extremely important public figure which is perhaps the main reason why we barely had a relationship and what in the end fucked up my family more than it was fucked already. And now they've identified him and it's everywhere on the news and I can't deal with this shit. I have never been in this position, I spent years of my childhood having my surname recognised by randos who made a huge deal, I have debated changing my surname because of it, but past the 2010s it stopped. I just cannot conceive being thrown in the middle of this shit AGAIN.

Also, what the fuck are you supposed to feel. This person was never there for me except financially , that's the one area he never ever failed. I grew up in a family split in the middle. He never even announced to me that he had a new daughter, introduced me to his partner (who I don't even know if he was married to or not) ONCE, never bothered inviting me to hang out and get to know her at all, just casually showed me a video of a little girl and told me her name, never even told me that was her daughter (i deduced It from context clues) and in the end of his life he was trying, he was trying to get close to me but was so fucking late. Last time we talked he asked me where I was going on vacation and I said Ponte de Lima and he said come over and stay with us, and I was so hesitant because that closeness never existed. A third of my life was spent devoid of this man's presence while reaping the fruits of his public career. Now he's dead in a freak accident and the person who communicated the news to my brother was the woman who gave him my supposedly half sister and never bothered to get to know me cause she doesn't even have my contact.

I feel like my mourning is for the man he could have been but never was, which is not much different from what my adult self has done for a while, and it makes me feel like a monster.

What the fuck am I supposed to feel? To do?

Portuguese people: however vague I was, you're all going to see it on the news and you're going to know immediately when you see it. This is a small country. Combine freak accident with public figure and it will be easily deducted. Yes, if I had a wikipedia page I'd have a blue link on my father's name. I just ask that you keep this to what it is and don't bring it up. I've been avoiding this shit my whole life and I just cannot conceive dealing with this crap right now

[estapa-edwards]

ENEMIES -- R.MCGROARTY

paring: rutger mcgroarty x fem! reader

word count: 2k

requested? no

warnings: use of y/n.

*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨*

The moment I first laid eyes on Rutger McGroarty, I knew we were destined to clash. He was arrogant, with a smug grin that seemed permanently etched on his face, and I, well, I wasn’t one to back down from a challenge.

We met during freshman orientation at the University of Michigan. As I was walking to my first class, he nearly knocked me over with his oversized hockey bag.

"Watch where you're going!" I snapped, glaring at him.

He smirked, looking me up and down. "Maybe you should watch where you're walking."

From that day on, our interactions were a constant battle of wits and snarky comments. Whether it was in the cafeteria, the library, or even in the hallway between classes, we couldn’t seem to be in the same vicinity without exchanging harsh words. 

*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨*

Library encounter -

I was deep in thought, trying to concentrate on my studies when I heard someone loudly discussing last night's hockey game. Annoyed, I turned to find Rutger sitting at a nearby table, clearly trying to distract me.

"Could you keep it down? Some of us are actually trying to study," I said, shooting him a glare.

He looked up, feigning innocence. "Oh, sorry. I was just celebrating our latest victory. Maybe if you came to a game once in a while, you'd understand."

Rolling my eyes, I replied, "I'd rather not waste my time watching a bunch of guys chase a puck around."

He smirked, leaning back in his chair. "You don't know what you're missing."

Cafeteria Encounter -

I was waiting in line to grab a coffee when Rutger stepped in front of me, cutting in line.

"Excuse me, I was here first," I said, tapping him on the shoulder.

He turned around, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Well, maybe if you were faster, you wouldn't have this problem."

I crossed my arms, trying to hide the smile tugging at my lips. "You're unbelievable."

He winked, grinning cheekily. "I know."

Post-Game Banter -

After a particularly intense game, I found myself walking past Rutger, who was surrounded by his teammates, celebrating their win.

"Nice game," I said, trying to sound indifferent.

He looked over, smirking. "Thanks. I guess you enjoyed watching us win, didn't you?"

I rolled my eyes, trying to keep the playful tone out of my voice. "Don't flatter yourself. I was just there for the free snacks."

He chuckled, stepping closer. "Sure, whatever you say."

The Encounter That Changed It All -

We found ourselves in the library again, our usual battleground for our heated debates and arguments.

"If my team wins the championship this year," Rutger started, a confident smirk playing on his lips, "you have to come to every home game next season and wear our team jersey."

I raised an eyebrow, challenging him. "And if they lose?"

His grin widened, the mischievous glint in his eyes unmistakable. "Then you never have to speak to me again."

I hesitated for a moment, contemplating the stakes. But the competitive side of me couldn't resist the challenge. "Fine, you're on."

Rutger extended his hand towards me, sealing the deal. "Deal. Prepare to become a hockey fan, Y/N." 

As the season progressed, the bet became the center of our playful banter. Rutger would often tease me about how much I was going to enjoy the games, while I would brush off his comments with sarcastic remarks.

"Can't wait to see you in that jersey," he would say with a wink.

"Don't get too excited," I would reply, trying to hide the smile tugging at my lips. "I'm only doing this because I'm confident your team will lose."

But deep down, I was starting to enjoy our banter and secretly looked forward to attending the games, even if it was just to prove Rutger wrong.

*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨*

The championship game was the climax of our bet. The tension was palpable as both teams fought fiercely for the win. In the final moments, with the score tied, Rutger managed to score the winning goal, securing the championship for his team.

I watched in disbelief as Rutger celebrated with his teammates, realizing that I had lost the bet. I would have to honor our agreement and attend every home game the following season, wearing the team jersey. 

The stadium was buzzing with excitement after the intense championship game. Rutger, sweaty and exhilarated from the win, found me waiting near the exit.

"So, what did you think?" he asked, a smug grin on his face as he approached me.

I crossed my arms, trying to maintain a composed expression. "It was a good game, I'll give you that."

He chuckled, clearly enjoying my reluctant admission. "Just good? Come on, it was amazing! Admit it, you enjoyed watching us win."

I sighed, unable to hide the smile tugging at my lips. "Fine, it was more than just good. You played really well."

Rutger's grin widened, and he leaned in closer, the playful tension between us palpable. "I knew you'd come around eventually. So, are you looking forward to wearing our team jersey at every home game next season?"

I rolled my eyes, trying to maintain my defiant stance. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I still have a whole season of hockey to endure."

He chuckled, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Trust me, you're going to love it. And who knows, maybe you'll become a hockey fan after all."

I smirked, shaking my head in disbelief at how much our relationship had evolved since our first encounter. "We'll see about that, McGroarty."

Rutger winked, leaning in to whisper in my ear. "I'm looking forward to our next bet."

*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨*

It was a chilly evening, and the university campus was buzzing with excitement for the upcoming hockey season. Rutger had invited me to a pre-season team event, and despite my initial reluctance, I decided to go.

The atmosphere was lively, with music playing and teammates mingling with friends and family. Rutger greeted me with a warm smile as I arrived.

"Thanks for coming," he said, handing me a drink. "I promise, you'll have a great time tonight."

I looked around, feeling slightly out of place among the hockey players and their friends. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Rutger chuckled, taking my hand and leading me towards the dance floor. "Come on, let's have some fun."

As we danced, I couldn't help but notice how different Rutger was outside of our usual bickering. He was kind, attentive, and surprisingly charming. The tension between us was undeniable, and I found myself drawn to him more than I cared to admit.

After a few songs, Rutger pulled me aside, his eyes searching mine. "Y/N, I have a proposition for you."

I raised an eyebrow, curious about what he was about to say. "What kind of proposition?"

He took a deep breath, his expression serious yet playful. "How about another bet?"

I laughed, intrigued by his proposal. "Another bet? What are the stakes this time?"

Rutger grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "If my team wins the season opener, you have to go on a date with me. And if they lose, I'll leave you alone for good."

I considered his offer, the competitive side of me tempted by the challenge, but still reluctant to admit my growing feelings for him. "I don't know, Rutger. What's in it for you?"

He chuckled, leaning in to press his lips against mine in a soft, lingering kiss. It was a kiss filled with all the pent-up emotions and tension that had been building between us.

Pulling away slightly, Rutger looked into my eyes, searching for a response. "So, do we have a deal?"

I sighed, feeling a warmth spread through me at his words, despite my reservations. "Alright, Rutger, we have a deal. But don't get too confident."

He grinned, his eyes shining with excitement. "I look forward to winning this bet."

*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨*

The day of the season opener had arrived, and the excitement on campus was palpable. Rutger had been training hard, and the team was in high spirits. Despite my initial reluctance, I found myself drawn into the anticipation of the game.

The stadium was packed with enthusiastic fans, and the atmosphere was electric as the game began. I watched nervously from the stands, cheering for Rutger and his team, even though I was still trying to maintain my competitive edge.

The game was intense, with both teams giving it their all. As the final minutes ticked away, the score remained close, and the tension in the stadium was palpable.

Then, in the last moments of the game, Rutger managed to break away from the defense and score the winning goal. The crowd erupted in cheers, and the team celebrated on the ice.

I watched in disbelief as Rutger skated towards the sidelines, his eyes searching for me. He winked and blew me a kiss, his grin wide and triumphant.

After the game, I waited for Rutger outside the locker room, still processing the outcome of the bet. When he emerged, sweaty and exhilarated from the win, he greeted me with a triumphant smile.

"So, about that bet," he said, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me close.

I sighed, trying to maintain my composure, but the smile on my face betrayed me. "Yes, you won fair and square. I'll honor our deal."

Rutger grinned, leaning in to press his lips against mine in a passionate kiss. It was a kiss filled with victory and the realization of our growing feelings for each other.

Pulling away slightly, Rutger looked into my eyes, his expression soft and sincere. "I'm looking forward to our date, Y/N."

I smiled, feeling a warmth spread through me at his words. "Me too, Rutger. Me too."

*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨*

A few days after the season opener, Rutger and I were both still basking in the excitement of the win and the outcome of our bet. The tension between us had shifted from competitive to flirtatious, and I found myself looking forward to our upcoming date.

Rutger had planned a special evening for our date, and he was determined to make it memorable. He picked me up from my dorm, looking dashing in a crisp shirt and jacket.

"You look amazing," he complimented as I stepped into his car.

"Thank you," I replied, blushing slightly at his words.

Our first stop was a cozy little Italian restaurant in town. The ambiance was perfect, with soft lighting and romantic music playing in the background. We enjoyed a delicious meal and shared stories and laughter, getting to know each other better outside of our usual banter.

After dinner, Rutger surprised me with tickets to a local art exhibit. He knew I loved art, and he had taken the time to plan a thoughtful and meaningful date.

As we walked through the exhibit, Rutger took my hand, leading me from one artwork to another. We shared whispered conversations about our favorite pieces, and I could feel the connection between us growing stronger with each passing moment.

Finally, as we stood in front of a beautiful painting depicting a serene landscape, Rutger turned to me, his eyes filled with sincerity.

"Y/N, tonight has been amazing," he began, taking a deep breath. "I've come to realize that I want more than just a bet or a casual fling. I want us to be together, officially."

I looked into his eyes, seeing the genuine emotion and vulnerability in his gaze. "Rutger..."

He gently cupped my face, leaning in to press his lips against mine in a tender and heartfelt kiss. It was a kiss filled with love, commitment, and the promise of a future together.

Pulling away slightly, Rutger looked into my eyes, his expression soft and sincere. "Y/N, will you be my girlfriend?"

I smiled, feeling a warmth spread through me at his words. "Yes, Rutger, I will."

Rutger grinned, pulling me close and wrapping me in a tight embrace. "I'm the luckiest guy in the world.

[dailydemonspotlight]

Mephisto - Day 170

Race: Tyrant Alignment: Dark-Chaos March 7th, 2025 (Uploaded March 17th, 2025)

The story of Faust is one of the most famous pieces of literature in the modern world, being an archetypal deal with the devil tale, and a story warning of the dangers of greed. However, one such tale would never work without a devil to deal with, and today's Demon of the Day is the devil spoken of in the story- not the devil himself but rather one of his sprogs, the trickster, Mephisto, better known as Mephistopheles. However, this demon was never accepted as a traditional devil- no, he's stuck to the land of literature ever since his conception. So let's dig in to this tricky tale-teller and see what makes him tick, hmm? (Honestly, I'm mostly tackling him today cus I've been getting into Limbus Company, so expect a lot of literature focused demons for the next week lmao)

Mephistopheles is a weird case when it comes to demons- his origin and his influence seem to be entirely tied to the tale of Faust, and even his name is far more modern than most other demons, being a corruption of two Greek words together: a particle word of negation (me) and the Greek word for loving (philos) with a middle word that's meaning has been hotly debated, but likely has something to do with light. A lot about Mephistopheles overall can be attributed to the author of Historia von D. Johann Fausten, the first book of Faust, as he was an invention of said author, appearing in no texts before. He appears to be more of an agent of the devil than the devil himself, and some interpretations seem to imply that he doesn't actively seek out people to corrupt- rather, he picks the souls that are already corrupted.

If you aren't familiar with Faust, the story is that of an ambitious scholar and alchemist, Dr. Johann Georg Faustus, who makes a deal with the devil for knowledge in exchange for his soul, with Mephistopheles as the middleman of the deal. It's bar none the most famous tale in the Faustbach, a collection of stories each attributed to Faust himself written by an anonymous author. Originally meant as a comedy to deride Faust, it eventually shifted into a warning about the dangers of greed with Faust as the centerpiece of what not to do in the pursuit of knowledge, some stories even painting him as a tragic hero who was tempted by the hand of the devil. It changes from translation to translation and retelling to retelling, but the general idea of 'I Made A Deal With The Devil (GONE WRONG!!!)' is prevalent throughout, with Mephisto being another through-line as the one who spoke to the devil for him. He's also shown to be very manipulative and tricky, leading God himself to believe he'll help Faust on his way, all the while leading him down a path of temptation. Interestingly, his dialogue is also incredibly playful.

Unfortunately, past this, there isn't really anything to say about Mephistopheles? He's a classical demon, sure, and he appears in one of the most influential tales of all of western literature, but ironically, there's not much else to go off of. As an invention of the text, there's nothing to really say past a beat-by-beat breakdown of Faust, and given the many different versions of the story as said above, I'd rather not get involved in that headache. He doesn't even have any concrete appearances from what I know, so let's just get into the design, which is frankly a great depiction. I love stereotypically demonic designs, and this is just that- I don't have much to comment on past the fact that I think he's slaying. Like, the long black hair? The outfit? That cocky ass grin? The way his hat's little golden strips form into horns? Hell yeah.

[grimmla-arts]

update on the ye old sketch comic thank you for reading btw. I'm working on this slowly in my free time. I'd really like to flesh it out more, but I also feel like if I don't get something started I'll never get anything done so! Actually I'm pretty happy I've managed this many pages even if I want to go back and do some rewrites XD

Ok so for this one I wanted to... take a little step back and introduce how Sir blackwood met the shewolf (I'm kinda debating on weather or not she'd give him her name... probably not till later) These other two fellows are also hunters, here to deal with the shewolf, perhaps he'll decide to turn her in now that he's got her out of her coat... somewhat. Also I would really like to make some proper layouts of the hunting cabin, it's just a one room sort of thing with some underfloor storage, but I'd like to get into some of the neater details later.

These are all public btw. I'm like... super shy about sharing any of my own personal characters stories, but wanted to make a little something. This one is hopefully part of a little mini series of comics I'd like to make... though I'd like to go back and polish and give it the proper full render

Sir blackwood comes from a line of witch/fey hunters, and so when his father fell ill he was the first to be summoned for this task. He's not a fan, but he is most knowledgeable, and in need of coin. Will he turn her in? Maybe? I'd say who knows but... obviously I do X'D

Oh look I added color and on.... 'Paw'pose...this time. (sorry I'll go home)

Anyhow! wanted to do a big spread! She's got ya sir! and sadly that's all I have for you for the time being. ^^; I only get to work on these in my spare time. So for those reading thank you for being so patient!

I may take a little time to do a character sheet or two?... at least some renders

[is-it-cute-gf-au-edition]

Hey, I've loved your blog for a while. Sorry to see all drama that's been going on lately. The dimension 04'/ Ford Pines stuff makes me really uncomfortable TBH. I'm just glad my dad isn't very internet-savvy.

Anywhooo, I thought you'd appreciate getting an actual pet to rank again. It's been a while since you got a normal submission. This is an old photo I took of my brother snuggling with my pet plaidypus Polyanne. I made him a shirt out of her fur that I managed to bully him into wearing. Well, he doesn't know I tricked him into it, don't tell him that.

He used to make fun of me for snuggling with Poly at night. He stopped after I caught him red-handed.

....Is that--

OH MAN. Wow!! There are a lot of '\ Pines variants following this blog!! (That was supposed to be '\, right? Common typo. If you're from another branch, I'd love to hear more about it!)

If I'm right and you're related to a different Ford Pines, I'm really sorry for the recent content. I can only imagine how weird it is to see a version of someone you love in this situation. Please block the "#Ford Pines is a Human" tag if it's too much for you. Unfortunately, I'm probably going to keep doing it, because, well... I don't like how more and more people are jumping on this Ford Pines Pet Show Stan train. It makes me uncomfortable, too, and some people are actively supporting this treatment of 04'\ Ford Pines.

(The worst of it is from Loyalists in-dimension. I don't know what dimension you're from, but I really hope you guys don't have to deal with this. A lot of it is also from anti-loyalists, which.... ugh. You don't need to hear about this. I'm sorry.)

Thanks for the submission. Please keep in mind that I only have this to go off of, so don't take it too hard!

RATING: MAYBE CUTE

So, this has the potential to be a really good image! Unfortunately, it's a little hard to formally verify anything I see in it.

Here are the potential problems:

All platypuses are wild animals, and generally unsuited to being pets. I want to assume that most exotic pet owners have ethically sourced and well-cared-for animals, but unfortunately, a lot of them just aren't. Most people don't know how to properly care for wild animals, and a lot of exotic pets are poached.

I'm Unsure that the plaidypus is in a safe position; someone who knows more about their spines weigh in.

There is some debate about whether plaidypus fur harvesting is actually ethical, since it's often stressful for the plaidypus! If it's a pet animal, though, you can probably easily pick up naturally shed skins. (Also, to be honest, it seems like a lot of the people who hate plaidypus skin harvesting have no problem with factory farming.)

On the other hand:

Is your local Ford Pines a biologist like the rest of them are? That gives a lot more credence to proper care.

Plaidypuses are much friendlier than platypuses. I've heard they'll do the cat thing and just walk into your house and decide they live there. (To my understanding there are a lot more plaidypuses in 04'\ than in most other dimensions, since we have higher ambient Weirdness but aren't actively collapsing into Entropy.

It isn't wearing a harness or anything. It could probably just leave if it wanted to.

Here are some honorable mentions in favor of cuteness:

I see that sonic shoe in the corner!!

Look at the drape on that shirt!! Is it really Plaidypus fur? I've never seen it in person, but I thought it was thicker than that! How did you get it to look so soft and light?

[burner-blaze]

The death of human rights

Fellas, is it gay to want human rights?

So I guess now we have to suffer even more for the rich's gain. It's insane how they manage to reel you in, make you believe they care about you, when you're the kind of person they care least about. I wonder sometimes where I'd be if I wasn't so dissociated to begin with, if I was able to look at politics or news and deal with it normally. Would I have believed them? I was already in church, and weirdly those values align. Everything has been a warning of our economy and it's downfall, but as long as the people born rich show you that we have something unfamiliar, that's the issue. I don't think of myself as political nor do I ever want to be, but even with how much I avoid it, how can I not have an opinion when it feels like everything is collapsing around us? Let's go back to the church part, and just imagine from my perspective when, unknowingly, I was told that trans people were evil people and wrong. I'm glad I never connected the dots when I met trans kids at my school, because naturally when they asked to be referred to by a different name and different pronouns, I did it without question. I don't think I'm a saint at all for this, just that I never saw an issue with it conceptually, which would be the majority if there wasn't interference. It's genuinely terrifying to see people work themselves into a cult, where the leaders don't actually care for them. And you know it's a cult when the people inside it deny it. What's going to happen when this reaches other countries, are we all going to be treated by communist governments? because that's where we're headed when basic human rights are called into question. We have a right to live, be respected by who we are, get healthcare and food and drink, have a home. HOW IS THIS DEBATABLE.

It's even worse when you know the rich call the poor lazy, when all I've seen are people who work 80 hour work weeks just to be able to survive, because this system has never worked for anyone except those born rich. We should all be born on equal terms (disabilities accounted for). Again, how is this debatable? No one has earned more or less for being born, we're all human, we should have equal chances to be able to ever achieve anything. How far does the rabbit hole go before everything's taken from us and the supporters might believe they've been brainwashed. I can't even be sure anymore. Your country will never improve or "great again" when what made the country great in those post-war days was the exact opposite of what's being done now. The rich were taxed, the government ensured everyone had or could get a job, buildings and services were made to account for the struggles of the time. How will it help to distance the gap further between the super-rich and us? How is any of this debatable. If you believe you elected someone who will save you I hope you learn a lesson here, because that's all that can be done about it now. The climate will continue to collapse, the economy will continue to collapse, and the 1% will get everything they wanted because they played you all for fools. Soon free speech won't be free speech unless you agree with the worst people you can think of, and it'll be a privilege, not a right.

TL;DR I miss when I didn't have to see Nazi propaganda being taken seriously and we're all doomed.

[icycoldninja]

Here’s something hilarious 😆

Can I please request headcanons for Dante and Vergil thinking they’re dating the same girl but it turns out they’re dating identical twins?

Oh no, disaster incoming lol

Dante + Vergil x Twin Readers headcannons

-Dante and Vergil both started seeing these really hot girls at the same time, for which they were glad. They both bragged to each other about how sexy their girlfriends were, when Vergil noticed one day that the girl Dante was describing having dated sounded oddly like the girl he was dating.

-Quite suspicious, Vergil began questioning Dante and asking very specific questions about his girlfriend's appearance, making Dante very concerned. Just what the heck was his deal?

-Both brothers go home wary of each other, doubts and misunderstandings already beginning to form in each other's minds.

-The next day, Dante decides to take his girl on a date at the exact same time Vergil decides to pop in for a visit, and possibly more interrogating. As he rounded the curb, he saw Dante and a girl that looked suspiciously like his girlfriend.

-Jealousy overcoming him, the devil hunter shrunk back against the wall and began to follow the two, now sure his girlfriend was cheating on him with his brother.

-Unfortunately, Dante and the girl entered a very crowded shop, making it impossible for Vergil to continue following them. He was quite upset and debated calling you to confront you, when to his surprise, you called him first.

-When he picked up, he was shocked to hear what sounded like water running, meaning you were in the shower. But how could that be? He just saw you!

-He then decided he must be seeing things and that Dante's girlfriend must just have a similar hairstyle and similar clothing as yours, and he was jumping to conclusions. Shaking his head, he went over to your house, where sure enough, you'd just gotten out of the shower. We shall not discuss what happened next.

-Dante, meanwhile, noticed his girlfriend was always busy on her phone and never let him peek over her shoulder. Highly sus behavior right there. He would have downright asked, but what if she was cheating? She'd know he was onto her and delete all the evidence. No, he'd do this the sneaky way.

-He spied on his girlfriend for a while, but nothing too incriminating happened. She just messed around on her phone for a while, turned it off, got up to do stuff, then came back, rinse and repeat.

-The whole day passed and nothing happened, so Dante was forced to let it go for now. His girlfriend left for her home, and that was that.

-Both brothers were very disturbed and were unable to sleep. Of course, because of sibling rivalry, neither Vergil nor Dante thought to contact each other--they were sure they could handle all this on their own.

-The next day, Vergil's girlfriend left early in the afternoon and refused to tell him where she was going. Dante's girl did the same. Both Sparda twins, now even more concerned, followed their girlfriends out to a small cafe, unaware they were about to run into each other.

-The boys got to the cafe before the girls and ran into each other at the entrance. Now throughly pissed, each believed the other had seduced his girlfriend and was now waiting for her at the cafe.

-"What the hell, Verg?! You're stealing my girl?!"

"What foolishness are you rambling about now, Dante? It is you who has stolen my soon-to-be wife."

"What?! Did you have a stroke no one told me about?! I'd never try to take your girlfriend away from you!"

"You wouldn't?"

"No! Come on man, you know I'm better than that."

"And I am far superior to you and all who associate with you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I would not interfere with your relationship as there is no need to."

"Oh."

-After that lame exchange, the twins turned around only to find another set of twins staring back at then. The tension and shock in the air was palpable. Before them were two girls, dressed exactly alike, same nose, same hair, same eyes, same everything.

-Dante immediately started jumping around laughing while Vergil froze and turned into a statue from the waist down. This whole thing was a massive misunderstanding, he realizes now. No one was being unfaithful--the bros were dating twin sisters!

-The girls explained they were setting this up to surprise the two with their twin sister-ness, which worked way better than they ever expected. Many pictures were taken, and at the end of the day, neither of the brothers could tell who was who.

-Let the confusing twin games begin! Though Dante and Vergil can't trick others since they act so differently, you girls can trick them no problem.

-One time you switched places when they weren't looking and when they came back, they ended up walking off with each other's girlfriend.

-Vergil was very upset about this, but Dante found it hysterical.

-Don't worry, eventually, the Spardas will find a way to distinguish you two, be it through your mannerisms or another way.