#i'm pretty rad now is what i'm saying lol

[giantkillerjack]

Ya know. I spent most of my life with horrible painful soul-crushing social anxiety.

And after about 25 years of continuous hard work, suddenly, people started pointing out - to my utter bafflement - that I had, in fact, achieved my lifelong dream of being charismatic. I'm 29 now; I feel comfortable in most social situations, and it is a very rare person whom I cannot make laugh.

I am, undoubtedly, finally, charismatic.

But do you know what I found?

I found that now that I have an understanding of which social rules serve which functions -- Now that I have an understanding of just how much damage my awkwardness was doing to people, well,

I found that, actually, my awkwardness never really hurt anyone at all. People were just judgmental dicks to me about it.

Now that I have the skill-level to (most of the time) creatively vocalize what is in my head as soon as I think it and without fear, I can confirm once and for all what I had always suspected:

I was worth talking to when I was quiet.

I was worth talking to when I was awkward, and when the words in my head took time and patience to hear, and when most of my jokes didn't land. I was worth talking to the whole time.

So I just... I hope that if you've ever wondered whether you are worth communicating with, the answer is yes. Absolutely yes. Each of us has a soul worth sharing - and if you and I were talking, I would happily wait for you to speak (or communicate in other ways) without condescending, and I would never shame you for that harmless awkwardness that so many people feel the need to violently stomp out.

You are worth talking to. You just are. And you deserve people who will speak to you with kindness, with patience, and with the basic immutable respect owed to all people.

(I talk about this with some frequency, both on tumblr and in real life. At some point, maybe I'll gather all my thoughts on the matter into one post. At some point, I wrote about my personal experience trying to build my social skill. But I felt the need to say at least a little bit tonight after seeing this other lovely post, and I'm glad I did. It will happen again.)

[buttercup-art]

hey

[misc-obeyme]

nightbringer lesson 41

Welp. That sure was a lesson. As always, my unfiltered thoughts and spoilers are below the cut. There will be screenshots, you have been warned.

Everybody still doesn't know we were gone. The only one who is aware of the fact that MC was in a different timeline is Solomon, as far as we know. It's possible that someone is hiding their knowledge, but I see no evidence of that currently.

HOWEVER. All the bros are SUPER clingy. Lucifer is constantly getting on their case about the fact that they can't leave MC alone. And at one point, he says he's feeling inexplicably giddy and he thinks that's what his brothers are feeling, too. So there is something that's changed and they can all kinda feel it... but nobody knows what it is and they all kinda just brush it off.

There's a lot of "huh we just saw each other but for some reason..." kinda stuff.

When Luke first sees us, that poor boy just bursts into tears. Simeon wants to pet our head, but we can also choose to hug him.

I have been known to have this affect on children, but still.

Overall, the brothers are being very much themselves. Beel is eating things and relating everything to food, Belphie is sleepy, Asmo loves pretty things, etc etc.

See what I mean? We did have some excellent one liners like this and I'll get to more of those lol.

My point is, nobody is acting off except for the thing where they all react a little weirdly to MC.

For a good chunk of the lesson, I was like... and where the HELL is Solomon after all this, huh?? But I'll get to him, too.

Because guess what? Diavolo has had another great idea and this time it's... the RAD Science Fair!!!

...

WHAT.

This feels very much like the usual thing they do where MC always has to have some kinda goal that requires them to spend time with each brother individually. I'm still not entirely sure how that's gonna shake out with this, though.

There are seven categories or "fields of study" as they're called. They all start with Devildom, so it's like Devildom math, Devildom geography, etc etc.

Diavolo tells them that the student council members are required to enter.

So they spend some time thinking about what category they want to go for.

There's this part where they're all heading home from RAD and MC starts to leave with Simeon and Luke. They tell you that not long ago, Simeon and Luke tried to go "home" to the HoL. Weird. All very weird. They all decide to go to a cafe instead.

They're talking about which category they're going to choose and then... Thirteen shows up!

Thirteen is so excited to see MC she has to give them a hug! Huh. How weird. (It's not weird, my love, you can throw your arms around me anytime.)

ANYWAY, they have a whole discussion and I loved how involved she was. Though we never have enough Thirteen content. And of course, she's still not dateable...

Then we find out that Lucifer has just chosen his brothers' categories for them anyway. MC gets to choose who they want to pair with. I chose Mammon, but I don't know if this actually matters or not. Usually I go back and try different options, but I decided to leave this one for now to see if it seems like it's going to make a difference in upcoming lessons. I'll report back if it seems to change anything later.

At this time, you also find out that Diavolo has decided to enter all seven categories, too. Barbatos is also entering, but only three categories. I almost lost my shit at this part but at least Barb gets to do only three. Diavolo is a crazy man who enjoys doing this sorta stuff, but Barb needs to take it easy he already works to much!

And that's basically it! There's this one cute part where you're finally at the HoL where you can choose to hang out with a set of brothers. No matter who you choose, it's a cute little scene and it always ends saying you had a lovely time together~ (Personally I thought the one with Asmo, Belphie, and Lucifer was the most entertaining lol.)

You talk to Solomon on the phone at some point too and he tells you...

Yeah. I was like ARE YOU KIDDING ME. GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW I NEED YOU.

And then he hits us with this:

And I was like, fine I forgive you.

BUT THEN. Spoilers here for the locked lesson (41-A, not the hard mode):

The locked lesson is of your very first night back. You're in your room at the HoL with Solomon. He tells you he's going to stay the night because the fact that the two of you suddenly appeared in this timeline might make things unstable. And if you're together, it'll be easier to tell if something's going wrong. Sounds like a feeble excuse to me, old man. I know what you really want.

But he also says this:

OH. Here I am like, it's a couple hundred, maybe a couple thousand? NOPE. SEVERAL MILLENNIA.

But then the brothers burst in and they're like we are not going to let you stay here alone with MC! So they have a gaming tournament in the common room.

Then when it's really time to go to bed, Lucifer stops you and Solomon before you get back to your room. He straight up kisses you on the forehead and says sweet dreams with a stupid smug grin before leaving and Solomon is like huh. That just happened.

YEAH WELL.

Solomon is back on his, you'll never be mine bullshit. (I'm not blaming him, it's not his fault, but it bothers me how often this narrative comes up because we never get the choice to resolve it. By telling him how much we love him.)

Of course if you tell him to cheer up, though...

Yeah, right after this we got a fade to black because you know he might've been talking about something innocent, like a kiss. But if I'm left to fill in the blank myself... well, let's just say I'm still in my smut mode.

Spoilers for the hard lesson now:

It's silly times with the Little Ds! I'm just glad we got more Dia and Barb content, to be real with you. They're pretty cute with the Little Ds.

Right after Barb says this, looking super aggrieved about it, Diavolo just laughs happily. Classic.

Extra stuff:

After the second story node, you get to see a chat between Raphael and Simeon. Raphael tells Simeon that Michael has summoned him, so he needs to go back to the CR for a few days. Simeon says okay and hopes that everything's all right. Then he tells Raphael to tell Diavolo. Raphael is like why? And Simeon says you're an exchange student from the CR, you have to get his permission to leave. And Raph is basically like okay, fiiiiiine lol.

Also, there is a very brief moment at the end of the last story node where we see Simeon acting odd. He's not really doing anything, he's just sorta grunting... like grh and frowning. If you ask him if he's okay, he says he's fine, he must not have gotten enough sleep. You get a chat between Luke and Simeon where Luke also asks him if he's okay and Simeon gives him the same excuse.

Sooooo what does any of this mean? I have no idea. Is it possible that the hard mode focusing on the Little Ds means there may be more to the Little Ds coming up? Is Simeon acting weird somehow related to Michael wanting to see Raphael? Does any of this Science Fair stuff mean anything or is it just another tactic to have MC spend time with their bro of choice? When is Solomon coming back? Why doesn't he have to enter the Science Fair? Simeon said that Diavolo wanted him and Luke to participate, so what about Solomon? Is he really out there gathering herbs? That feels like a weird thing to be doing at this particular moment.

And perhaps the most telling of all, what it does mean that this version of our characters remember things from the timeline we just left as if it only just happened to them?

All through the last two seasons, I have been trying to figure out why the characters from the past seemingly had memories of a future they haven't experienced yet. And now it's happening again. You could say they remember those past events, but they don't really seem to, do they? And even so, we now have confirmation that it would have been MILLENNIA ago for them. So this feels less like them remembering something that happened and more like they're just getting feelings that are related to the things that MC just experienced in the "past."

Ugh, okay, if I keep going I'm gonna make myself crazy. As always, we have not enough info and more questions than what we started with.

Onto my fave one liners:

Mammon's response to this is "Yikes!" And like... yeah, but damn Lucifer that's one hell of a threat lol.

Barbatos! Don't lump me in with them! :(

That was me in high school.

This part was just cute and wholesome in my opinion. This is the found family content that keeps me coming back to this game.

Anyway, after everything, I still just wanna know...

... where the FUCK is Nightbringer?

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[justin-chapmanswers]

Hey Justin, mod of oscconfessions here. I'd like to somewhat formally apologize for the mpreg thing- we don't know who sent it, but seeing as how it was a decently big joke (one that we have now banned, as it's gone way out of hand), we're pretty sure it was one of our askers or server members.

This should not have been sent to you, and I'm extremely sorry if it made you uncomfortable. It was out of line and EXTREMELY dumb. You didn't need to deal with that, it's our problem.

Also; you don't need to apologize. You're not at fault, this is on us. I hope you have a wonderful day and stop getting those asks. Good luck on II!!

- mod 💥

Hihi, mod! I do really appreciate you taking the time to write all of this out.

I will say, I very much did not expect that post to blow up with so many eyes on it. I should clarify what was going on there just because of the sheer intensity of the response to it. To be frank, I didn't think all that much of the ask. I saw it and thought immediately "of all things to be the first question sent in after I came back to Tumblr lol" - but it really isn't out of the ordinary haha. I get stuff like that allll the time, and in this case it was clearly formatted as a joke. But because of the comedic timing of it, I thought I'd write a post that carried that same comedic sensibility that I was feeling, ya'know?

So, while I do appreciate all those who are concerned, feel free to read that post less in a way that makes me sound annoyed and more in a way that's poking fun at the ridiculousness of the moment, in a post where I go out of my way to write "the Silver Pregnancy ask" three times. Probably could'a used a tone indicator, but oh well.

Thank you all for being rad, and for sending like 30 asks just since last night. :)

[thornsnvultures]

as you wish ♡

best friend!eddie munson x plus size!fem!reader

you're stressed and eddie's more than willing to help you feel better.

cw: 1.3k, smut, pregnancy/breeding mention, breeding kink but no one's getting knocked up here, period/ovulation mention, p in v sex, super self indulgent smut because this is where I'm at in my life lol

18+ only

"Hey, you okay?"

Eddie rubs his hand across your back. You're rolling a character for a new campaign he's running and all your rolls so far have been trash. It's not the only reason why you're having a bad day but it's not not making it worse.

"You seem kinda, and please don't get mad when I say this, but you seem kinda irritable."

You huff and slap your pencil down on the kitchen table. This can wait. You feel like you're crawling out of your skin and Eddie's patient hand making circles on your back isn't helping. 

"I'm ovulating."

Eddie's already big brown eyes grow even wider.

"Uh. What does that mean? Are you on your period? Are you,  do you need to see someone? Are you in pain?"

You wave your hand, dismissing his increasingly frantic concerns. He's such a good friend. A great friend who doesn't balk at period talk, just wants to take care of you, make sure you're okay.

"No, this happens before my period,"  you sigh and look at Eddie. He looks so unsure. He wants to help and doesn't know what in the world is going on.

You're a little out of your mind today it seems because the things you say next to your best friend can't be taken back.

"It means I want you to bend me over this table and stuff me full of your come," Eddie inhales sharply and you lean into his space.

Fuck it.

"My body is screaming at me to beg you to pump load after load of come deep inside me until I'm round with your baby. My pussy has been throbbing all day and all I can think about it pulling your cock out and riding you until I'm leaking your come all over the floor. Do you understand? I'm going haywire because of a biological need to get bred. So I'm sorry if I'm a little irritable. I need to come so bad, Eddie, but I know it won't be enough if I do it on my own and, god, I'm sorry but I want you so bad right now it hurts."

You're squirming in your seat almost to prove your point. Eddie sees it, sees you cover your face in shame, sees you hunch over in regret even as your thighs clench under your skirt.

"Jesus."

"I know."

His hand is still on your back, so you know he doesn't hate you for that little outburst. God, what is wrong with you?

"Does this happen every month?"

"Pretty much."

Eddie pulls your hands away from your heated face. He's smiling. Like it's funny. Like you didn't just go on a hysterical rampage about how you want him to breed you. Fuck, did you really say that out loud?

"Does the baby part have to happen?"

"What? Oh god no, I'm on birth control."

"Rad."

"Totally."

"So, how do you want to do this?"

Eddie's still holding your hands. The rings on his fingers feel cool on your warm skin and you don't know what he's taking about.

"I guess I'll leave," you try to pull away from his grip. "I'm sorry for dumping all that on you."

"Whoa, hey," Eddie tugs you back down when you try to stand and awkwardly shuffle away. He lets go of one hand to cup your cheek, tipping your face up to look at him again. "I asked you a question. How do you want to do this?"

"Eddie, you can't be serious. I'm sorry I went a little crazy there but-"

"Do you want me to fuck you? Want me to stuff your little pussy full until you can't take any more?"

Your usually goofy friend was using his DM voice on you, all low and serious. The voice he uses to create tension from behind his screen that always makes your toes curl.

"Yes. Please."

His thumb caresses your cheek as he moves in closer. He smells so good. A mix of his cologne, soap and something so distinctly Eddie.

Your stomach tightens and you feel a rush when his lips capture yours. It's slow, cautious at first and a little unsure, but you feel safe here in his hands. Eddie's your best friend. He won't hurt you. You trust him to make you feel good and when he asks you for a third time, "How do you want to do this?" You tell him, "Here. Now. Need you inside me."

Eddie quickly fumbles with his belt, pulling it open and off before dragging the zipper down on his jeans. Your hand sneaks inside and he groans, panting in your mouth when you find him and grip him tight.

His hands are on your hips then, tugging you into his lap as you pull him free from his boxers. Your hands are frantic. His are pushing your shirt up and over your bra, tugging the cups down so he can get at your tits. They spill over and he sucks a nipple into his mouth, sucking greedily on the sensitive bud.

"Fuck, Eddie!"

"Right, that's the plan."

You'd tell him to fuck off for being a smart ass but he's right. You need him inside you instead of holding him with a tight grip while he leaks all over your hand like you're currently doing.

You pull the gusset of your thong to one side and line Eddie up with your cunt. As soon as he feels your wet heat on his tip he's cursing into the swell of your breast, nipping and biting at your tender flesh.

"Use me, honey. Ride my cock. Want you to feel good. Wanna stuff you full of my come," Eddie rambles as he squeezes your tits. His hands and mouth feel so fucking good you swear you could come from that alone. Some other time maybe.

Right now you're slowly sinking down on his length. He's girthy and you have to focus and breathe, make yourself relax so you can take him. Because fuck you're determined to take all of him.

"So fucking tight, honey. Pussy's so wet for me. Be good for me and take it."

Eddie's hand is on your hip, gripping you tight and helping to guide you down. You cry out when he moves, tilting his hips to get a better angle.

"Oh fuck. Right there, huh? That feel good?"

You nod your head. You can't speak, all your thoughts zeroed in on finally bottoming out on his thick cock.

"Shit, honey, feel so fucking good. Ride me, baby. I've got you."

You grab Eddie's shoulders tight and bounce. It doesn't take long for your thighs to scream from exertion but you can't stop, you won't stop. The sound your cunt makes, your soaked thighs slapping against his is enough to push you to the edge, but you need more to push you over. He fills you and consumes you. Every ridge, every vein. You can feel all of it as you hold on to him for dear life.

Your tits are in his face, practically smothering him but Eddie doesn't seem to care one bit. His tongue and teeth worship your devour you like you're his last meal.

"Eddie, please."

"Please what?"

"Need to, need you to-"

"Need me to breed you? Fill this tight little cunt up?"

"Yes, fuck!"

"Take it then."

Eddie holds your hips still and you scream when he starts pistoning into you. He hits your walls just right and you gush around his thick length, soaking his boxers and thighs.

"Fuck, that's it, honey," Eddie wraps his arms around you waist and pulls you down, slumped on his chest while he uses and abuses your cunt. "Gonna come, gonna fill your pretty little cunt up. Everyone will know you're mine," he growls in your ear, "my pussy, all mine."

Eddie slams his hips a few more times before they stutter and grind into you, pushing into you to the root. You can feel him unload deep in your cunt. Hot splashes of come, as well as Eddie's pelvis griding against your clit, push you over the edge one more time and you scream into his sweaty neck.

You're both panting and sated, not caring for now that Eddie's come is slowly dripping from your stretched out cunt.

[project-sekai-facts]

What is your favorite commissioned song for each character? (Sorry if you've already answered this before)

this has been sitting in my inbox since december because I was waiting for all characters to get their 4th song... so minori has 5 songs now screw waiting it's not massively likely that Ena4 or Toya4 are gonna beat my top comms for them.

Ichika: either the WALL or Ryuusei no Pulse. I keep changing my mind on which one I like more. I don't really have much to say about them because I don't have either ranked particularly high, but Chiirurin is always a good vocalist, her high note in the WALL is really good.

Saki: Stella. This has been my favorite L/n song since I started playing. I'm not entirely sure why, it just really struck a chord with me. I love the lyrics as well. I'm actually listening to it while writing this lol.

Honami: STAGE OF SEKAI. I really love the emotion in this one, especially in the final chorus. The instrumental is really good too and you honestly can feel the emotion in the song through that alone. Regulus is really good too.

Shiho: Voices. It's just a total banger. The guitar solo is probably my favorite part of the song if I'm being honest. I hope they recommission yuyoyuppe at some point.

Minori: Tenshi no Clover. All her songs are really good, so this was hard to pick. I love energetic idol songs like that and it fits Minori really well. Zenshin zenrei MORE MORE JUMP!

Haruka: IF. rip haruka for not getting her 4th song. I'm not massive on any of her comms to be honest. I do like IF and Float Planner, they're just quite low on my ranking comparatively. Also I keep going back and forth on which one I like more but right now it's IF.

Airi: MORE! JUMP! MORE!. This was my original favorite MMJ song. It's super catchy and fun. Even if the lyrics are nothing to do with the event or Airi, I still think it's a great song.

Shizuku: Metamo Re:born. My favorite MMJ song! Really catchy and has a nice beat to it. I like how 'sparkly' it sounds as well.

Kohane: Hitsuji ga Ippiki. The instrumental is so good, and this is probably one of VBS' best songs vocally. Akina especially sounds amazing.

An: Awake Now. We had to wait so long for this but it was so worth it. Again the instrumental is great and Jiena sounds so good in this song, I love An's solo version. I have this ranked just above Hitsuji on my tierlist lol

Akito: CRaZY. This song made my change my top 5 songs for the first time since spring 2022. It's just so good and all of VBS sounds amazing as always. I also like how it reflects Akito's character development from the event. My favorite rotation 4 song so far.

Toya: RAD DOGS. My original #2 song and current #3. I love the combination between classical and EDM, and HachiojiP did such a good job considering he didn't have any experience with classical. Also the Bad Dogs rap section is so good.

Tsukasa: Mr. Showtime. If I'm being honest I don't usually like showtunes like this a whole lot, they can be very hit or miss for me, but this is very much a hit. Daichan did really well in this song. My favorite part though is the lyrics, I love how Yama used different meanings for certain phrases in parentheses.

Emu: Hoshizora Orchestra or Niccori Chousa-tai no Theme. Again I keep changing my mind and they're pretty much tied for me. I like them for completely different reasons as well; Hoshizora Orchestra is pretty melancholic despite it's cutesy tune, and Niccori is just really fun to listen to.

Nene: Hoshizora no Melody. Easy pick for me, I love the instrumental a whole lot and listened to the preview over and over at the time. Also the lyrics are so good, I love how they tell the entire story of Wandasho and show how much they mean to each other.

Rui: potato ni Natte iku. Still my favourite song in the game, I'm really never moving on from this one. I just really like the instrumental. Showtime Ruler is an incredibly close 2nd place though (really close. guitar solo at the end goes hard and also "I will never feel lonely ever again")

Kanade: Samsa. It's just an amazing song, but I also appreciate how teniwoha managed to connect the novella to Kanade and Mafuyu's story. Probably my favorite song from rotation 3.

Mafuyu: Bug. I know it's a boring choice but it's a good song, it's popular for a reason. Also RUIRUI'S SOLO VERSION. She's such a talented vocalist and is really good at conveying Mafuyu's emotions.

Ena: Kagirinaku Haiiro e. I've actually always liked the instrumental of this one. Also the lyrics fit Ena's story really well. However the final chorus totally steals the show, I loop that part of the song specifically a lot. Favourite Niigo song.

Mizuki: IDSMILE. I actually didn't like this song much at first because it's not the sort of thing I usually like. The lyrics are what got me to like it as much as they do. I've mentioned before that Mizuki is my favorite niigo member, so I'm slighly biased in that regard, but they really struck an emotional chord with me.

If anyone's interested my top 10 is potato ni Natte iku -> Showtime Ruler -> RAD DOGS -> CRaZY -> Beyond the way -> Cinema -> Kagirinaku Haiiro e -> CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY -> IDSMILE -> Gekkou

[beetlebug-bii]

Part 3 of feral mc but with Belphie being released from the attic. Just imagine Belphie trying to kill mc and they just bite him. Not even Barbatos could handle the child so I highly doubt Belphie could either lol.

Feral Child Mc (part three)

MC Gets Betrayed & Bombastically Side Eyed Their Way To Beating A Bitch.

A/N: I like my writing to be nothing short of silly goofy, i also wrote this at like 4am two weeks ago and was so surprised to see it in my drafts. Did i proof read it? No.

Enjoy anyways💕

Now, you have been a menace since you've arrived

Only truly unstoppable by Diavolo, Lucifer and Barbatos on a good day

Today

Was not one of those days

No

Not at all

You see

Late in the night after being very snuggly tucked in

And then duck taped to the bed

And then your pajamas stapled to the bed

And then tied to the bed

In their defense

Not a single brother has gotten a single decent night of sleep

Not since Mammon awoke one night to see your little face peeking out from the vents

You screamed at him and launched from the darkness, stealing his sun glasses before scrumbling deep into the walls

no one has ever heard Mammon scream so loudly

Needless to say they were pretty fucking done with your scrumbling

Besides, they tied Satan to the bed and look at him! A totally chill and normal member of society :D

Anyways you were built different and managed to escape

You had to check on your little friend in the attic after all, it had been a few days

Upon going in, you glared at eachother for exactly three minutes and fourteen seconds

Before he started the whole sweet act on you

"Awh hey, you can let me out now right? You can do that? Whose a good little human?"

Offense taken

You werent a dog

though you wont lie and say you havent growled back at Cerberus before...

No you know what

Who does this man think he is?

You are a child with 6 of the deadliest pacts in the world!

...

...

...

Wait a second

Who thought that was a good idea

Genuinely

You are feral

A monster

The other students at RAD cower before you

You made the Angel's cry

YOU CHOKED BARBATOS WITH A SHOE LACE

WHO IN THE 7 CIRCLES OF HELL THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO MAKE A PACT WITH YOU OF ALL PEOPLE

well whatever it's not like this is gonna come back and bite you

But you werent gonna release the bitch from his kennel

Not without a price

Mammon would be so so proud of you!

It took a lot of back and forth, but he promised 12 firecrackers, a new plushie, and a trip to the candy store

Hell yea candy

Open up oh magic lock

Oh he fucking kicked you across the room

Well that's not fucking candy

Lying prick

So this fucking incel loser started ranting about something or other

To be honest you didnt care

In fact you decided he didnt get a monologue

You were pissed off

You freed him

Were you the embodiment of capitalism while doing so?

Maybe

But that doesnt mean he can just hit you

Like

You have such a cute face

He's just mad that you're the baby of the family now

And that thought gave you a great idea!!

"I'm telling Lucifer"

Would have been your final words

Had you not been

Well

You.

Next thing you know he's chasing you down the stairs, grabbing you and choking you out

Which

Not gonna lie

Was a bitch move

So you kicked him square in the jaw and started screaming, just like papa lucifer taught

Stranger danger kids

Dont release strange men from the attic in exchange for candy

It's not worth it and they are lying

So obviously you pissed off what's his name

You're pretty sure its bitch boy

Anyways so you pissed off bitch boy and he started trying to stab you with a chair leg

Which was like

So rude

And the others were like bro stop

Except more panicked you're pretty sure but you werent a crybaby bitch like this loser so you know

You had to go for the knees

You slid around him, kicked him in the back of the knees

This wasnt your first rodeo

Apparently

Because you climbed on the demonic cow and grabbed the horns man

You were holding on for dear life before you just bit into his head

Like

I dont think he even knew what to do at that point

You ruined his WHOLE SPEECH

THEN FOR SOME REASON YOU GOT MAD AT HIM

gee I wonder why

THEN HIS BROTHERS SHOWED UP

THIS WASNT SUPPOSED TO BE HOW IT WENT AT ALL

PRICK

Recounting this tale now, a few months later, you'd like to think that he was just being the most frfr brother out of everyone

You two had to be torn apart like a pair of summer popsicles

You were kicking and screaming

He was kicking and screaming

Mammon was kicking and screaming, somehow his leg got caught in between you two

It was a warzone

The hallway was destroyed

Multiple bedrooms? Just gone

The brothers?

So

So tired...

None of that fake shit

Deep down you know you would've won though

You still call him bitch boy💕

[riririnnnn]

So, Hiiragi, Niko and Zantetsu lost.

And we all can correctly predict that it was Zantetsu that was chosen—it was a surprise for me to be honest. I mean, the Nagi trio already had Chigiri with them, so picking up another speed-based player confused me a bit. I have only read that Manga superficially, so I can't say much about Hiiragi but I do think that he was a real good player.

All in all, Niko seemed like a better choice, but I guess we'll get to know why Zantetsu got chosen. Maybe Nagi got nostalgic or something? Lol.

Now, there are 4 members in the Team, and in the match, we'll have Kiyora. Why? Because firstly, Nagi's team was the SECOND team in the second selection to have completed it, so it makes sense that they win again 'cause if they were to lose, then there would make THREE matches in total and that'll delay things, you know.

So now, who is going to be with Kiyora?

An easy prediction is: Karasu, Otoya and Yukimiya.

This prediction makes sense since this trio was the THIRD group to have completed the second selection.

BUT!

These three already have character developments further in the manga, you know. I think, Kaneshiro-san will use Nagi Spin-off as a chance to showcase other side characters like Hiiragi, low-key, came into the table seemingly out of nowhere.

I can't write ALL the possible teams because, haha, that's HELLA lot, so let's take a small dive individually:

1. Himizu Aiki

Team: Third with Karasu, Otoya, Yukimiya.

Bro looks so fucking rad! I mean, his character is too fucking pretty to just be a side character, so I think he could be with Kiyora because that way he'd be in the limelight. Honestly, I want more of him, he is just too gorgeous.

2. Yuzu Haruhiko

Team: Third with Karasu, Otoya, Yukimiya.

He looks like a cutie patootie! I remember one of my Fanfic's reader said that his hair looks like spring onions and I can't unsee, LMAO.

He had been near the focus in some panels during second selection. He, in fact, had a line too when Aryu was asking players to play against them and everybody was refusing, but Anime cut it out—I got a bit mad since he looked adorably funny in the panel.

He has also been seen hanging out with Hiiragi in the background (I'm not quite sure).

3. Tsunzaki Taiga

Team: Fourth with Nanase and Hiiragi.

A good design to be honest. I don't remember much of him, but yeah, he has been near the focus of panels too.

4. Endoji Akira

Team: Fourth with Nanase and Hiiragi.

A HELLA FREAKING COOL DESIGN!

He was present during the match where Shidou got electrocuted and he had some lines too. Idk why but he just seems like a character too good to be thrown out without any screentime.

5. Saramadara Kairu

Team: Fifth with Niko and Hiori.

He actually has a fair amount of details like he is a surfer and is considered pretty intimidating looking by his peers. He was against Isagi, Rin and Shidou during the tryouts too. Would love to see more of him.

6. Ishikari Yukio

Team: Fifth with Niko and Hiori.

Tall af—bro is like 2 metres tall. He was one of those characters about whom something was spoken in the JFU building by Isagi or Kira Idk I don't remember. He had lines too and gave a head pass in a match too.

Looks chill af tho.

7. Nishioka Hajime

Team: Fifth with Hiori and Niko.

He seems like the most probable option because Aomori's Messi, you know. Bro is low-key a meme material in the Fandom tbh.

It seems like the perfect time to showcase his talent which has been hyped up till now. Further, do you remember that Barou, Naruhaya and Nishioka had teamed up and they lost and then Nishi was chosen? What if the choosing team had Kiyora in it?

So it makes perfect sense for Barou to hold a grudge with Kiyora for choosing someone else over him. To add more spice, what if Kiyora had said some outrageous stuffs to Barou? Makes sense!

You getting me, right?

8. Shiguma Kyohei

Team: Sixth with Raichi, Gagamaru and Wanima.

He is canonically a reserved person—that additional time with Chigiri + Saramadara + him. A gentle giant. His character design doesn't stand out much tho. Also, mathematically, two person with that much Team number difference seems really taxing, but I can't say much since Kurona had a rank of 4 too and yet he was in the last team.

9. Tanaka Shingen

Team: Sixth with Raichi, Gagamaru and Wanima.

Appeared in an additional time and in that Blue Lock Bible or something, he was ranked as one of the least appealing boys to girls too.

He seems close to Gagamaru tho.

10. Sokura Tetsu

Team: Seventh with Shidou, Reo, Igarashi and Kurona.

Can't seem to be able to add his pic but he seems rather.. plain looking. That's all. I don't remember him in any panels at all too.

.

.

.

If my mathematics is correct then Niko played like 6-10 matches during second selection. Bro was DONE by the end of it.

[velvetvexations]

That sounds a lot like my interpretation of Boys Will Be Bugs~!

I bent over backwards and crafted an elaborate theory as to why Eminem's Abracadabra isn't too terribly transphobic, I can't judge anyone for making excuses for the media that's important to them.

I don't think characters just being heroic and sympathetic necessarily covers getting something like this badly wrong, but a lot of other Velveteers also chimed in, including this anon:

(Just realized this is pretty silly, feel free to ignore me/not answer this, I just saw One Piece mentioned and the hyperfixation jumped out.) But just to go to bat for One Piece a smidge as someone who is trans and read all of it, while yeah Okama(Queen Ivan) leaned very transmisognistc(which was made worse in the anime for some reason??) the intention for him, his subjects, and the other gender fluid character, Bon Clay, was meant to be good. It fell HELLA short, but there was an attempt at least. However!! I did want to add, the comic has been going on for a long time, and by one of the more recent arcs with two new, very clearly openly trans characters, things are MUCH better! The transfem one, Kiku, says outright when asked that she's a woman at heart which is accepted by everyone, and her story was really sweet and made me tear up(her anger is never treated as predatory or masculine, she's allowed to just be a woman who is also a samurai), and the other transmasc one, Yamato, is referred to as a boy by everyone despite him not changing his presentation at all, which is pretty rad imo given how hostile people can be to transmasc people with breasts, and both characters are allowed to bathe in the baths that match their genders at the end of the arc. They were still a little messy in the "yeah this wasn't written by a trans person" way, and certain misogynistic/transphobic parts of of the fandom on reddit get a little weird about Yamato, but I didn't see anything glaringly wrong with the way either of them was written like with Okama or Bon Clay. The vibe I got from the comic was that early on Oda meant well and included some characters who were intended to be positive rep but were messy and fell very short, but as time passed he figured it out and the more recent ones are genuinely phenomenal rep. Ofc that doesn't mean you need to read/watch OP(especially since again the transmisogny is worse in the anime?? still don't understand what happened there but Oda had no control over it) like god I would never tell anyone to do that lol, but I did want to just chime in and offer a perspective from someone who read it and felt like the more recent rep was really good and worth mentioning. Oda has his issues for sure, and has a lot to make up for, but based on what I've read he IS making up for it.

And, honestly, that makes me really happy! Oda always seemed like a cool guy and it's great to know he is in fact a real cool guy. According to @changelingfangs in the replies, he's friends with people in the subculture he based a lot of those characters on.

They're now just openly accusing me of not being a trans woman because trans women don't identify as AMAB and I'm apparently hostile to every trans woman that talks about transmisogyny.

...no?

It's a good theory and I think that plays a part in it for sure, but I think mostly it's just thinking it's the worse thing because it's their group's oppression. It again kinna goes back to that Lennon/Ono song with the n-word in the title, that's just how radical feminism works, trans/misogyny is the only thing that really matters.

Still, interesting thread to have spotted here and I think it's in that soup somewhere.

imagine thinking using a meme format is asserting a cultural claim to it

like seriously, has any Black person ever said that there was something wrong with "deracializing" either or even both characters in the Dis _ Look So Mad meme by substituting them with white characters?

[grapenehifics]

20 Question Fic Writer Tag

Hell yeah I'll play. Thanks @palfriendpatine66 :D

How many works do you have on ao3?

AO3 says ten, but one of those is a series continuation of another one, so I count it as nine...although tomorrow that will go up by one, after the reveals for the Ghost Window challenge go out.

2.) What's your ao3 word count? 

Oh god. 690,376. I honestly think I was happier not knowing that fact about myself.

3.) What fandoms do you write for? 

I don't multitask well. I can write Star Wars fics or I can write Star Wars fics. I haven't even ventured outside the Clone Wars era yet.

4.) What are your top five fics by kudos?

Some Technical Difficulties - big gap - Solsbury Hill - An Uncivil War - medium-sized gap - An Unlikely Duo - another gap-ish - Down by the Seaside.

5.) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yep. I like it when authors reply to me when I leave a comment, so I try to pay it forward. Also sometimes we get into fun little side chats.

6.) What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

At the moment, not one single damn one of them. They have angst in them, but none of them end on angst. However as of about twenty-four hours from now, my answer will be, Ghost Window AU.

7.) What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Literally all of them. I'm happy to read angst, but when it comes to writing I am firmly in the happy endings camp.

8.) Do you get hate on fics?

I had some people tell me they were dropping out of Solsbury Hill because it wasn't getting to the Obikin fast enough, but I wouldn't call that hate. So, no.

(Side note, though: you don't have to tell authors that. Just delete your subscription quietly.)

But, I am also very ready to delete any and all negative comments. This is my fun side project; good vibes only.

9.) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

...pretty vanilla kind, honestly. Again, I read much more adventurously than I write. (Although, as recently as two years ago I would have said I don't write smut at all, so hit me up two years from now and maybe I'll be writing hardcore d/s, I don't know.)

10.) Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

By the strict definition, no. If you're talking 'dump Star Wars characters into settings of other movies', then hell yeah, that's kind of my jam right now. Down by the Seaside is Obikin Overboard. Next year I'm planning to publish Obikin Jurassic Park, Obikin Parent Trap, and Obikin Princess Diaries II. And I have a couple more on my to-do list.

11.) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Is this a thing I need to worry about?? Shit.

12.) Have you ever had a fic translated?

@kittonafoxgirl did a podfic of Some Technical Difficulties and it is still like one of the top five most rad things that has ever happened to me; does that count?

13.) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

No but @fulcrum843 are currently mulling something over...

I do get a lot of help with my writing though. @piecesofeden11 basically wrote all the DnD stuff in An Unlikely Duo. I talk stuff out on Tumblr with folks all the time before I actually sit down to write it (or during, lol).

14.) What's your all time favorite ship?

I have no plans to write anything other than Obikin, and there's so much new good fic that it takes up most of my reading time as well.

15.) What's a WIP you'd like to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I wouldn't call it a WIP because there are no words on a page but I love the *idea* of a fic based on Jenn Barkley from Parks & Rec but have no idea what direction to take it and may never get to it. (If anyone wants to take this idea and run with it please do; it is very much up for grabs!)

16.) What are your writing strengths?

This is a weird thing to answer about myself but I hope I write with a sense of movement, propulsion, even a little suspense - as a reader I love to feel that I have to turn the page, I have to see what comes next, I don't want to put this fic/book down - and I try to work towards that goal in my own writing.

17.) What are your writing weaknesses?

Getting bogged down in details. It drives me crazy in movies when characters have these huge mansions but seemingly never go to work and somehow this has translated into me being incapable of just writing a smutty one-shot or whatever because what is everyone's job and how much is their mortgage payment and do they get paid on Fridays or Mondays and how many bedrooms does that apartment have.

18.) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

See answer above about over-complicating things: I came up with this whole system for An Uncivil War for whether I'm writing out the dialogue in a language other than Basic (I feel like we really only have enough information for me to be able to do this in Huttese and Mando'a, and even then only short conversations in certain subjects), or simply noting that a character is saying something in another language ("he said in Ryl" or whatever), or mixing Basic and a word/words in another language within the same sentence. It was important to me to capture that multilingualism, but it's also a lot of work, ngl.

19.) First fandom you wrote for?

Technically Johnlock but I never finished/published anything.

20.) Favorite fic you've ever written?

I love all my babies equally, she lied.

It's the Can't Stop the Suns series, which is An Uncivil War, Pick Up the Pieces (more than halfway completed), and Sometimes Fate Steps In (loosely outlined). Sometimes I'll just look over my notes and get giddy about how much good stuff I'm packing in there and how much *more* good stuff I haven't even gotten to yet. I'm throwing the kitchen sink of stuff I love at it. Even if the final version doesn't quite live up to the vision I see in my head (it rarely does), as long as I get close I'll be happy.

I tag @piecesofeden11, @underacalicosky, @fulcrum843, and, as usual, anyone else who feels up for it!

[starkfish]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @meduseld! Because while I haven't written in awhile, I sure do love *talking* about writing :D Under the cut

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

A nice round 50.

2. What's your total ao3 word count? 337,459

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Nowadays not really any, lmao, but BACK IN THE DAY I was obviously primarily an ASOIAF writer, but I've also written for Harry Potter, Law and Order SVU, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Taken, and American Horror Story. And I loooooove talking about those fandoms that I write less frequently about so feel free if anyone had any questions, I would lap that shit right up.

4. Top five fics by kudos:

we're men of snow (we melt one day)

Rivers and Roads

this house no longer feels like home

And Maybe Someday Love

to stand outside your virtue (this one is probably the biggest surprise in the top 5 for me)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I was/am good at responding when a fic is newly posted but I'm not very good at it now, which is a shame on me because I still read and love every comment and I think people who take the time to leave comments on fics that are years old are super super rad. Usually I see it and get all giddy and then forget to respond and then feel weird responding much later, which is silly of me. I don't get a ton of comments anymore but I'm going to try and be better about answering because I do appreciate them!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Definitely Measures, that one is just an angst fest in general. Or hmm, A Myth of Devotion is a close second.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Aahahaha this is just making me realize how death is involved in like...all of my fics? So maybe Rivers and Roads since Ned and Cat get to be together at the end, despite the DEATH AND WAR around them? Or maybe that my lips would build a castle which finds Jon and Sansa together in Winterfell despite all the DEATH AND WAR THAT WAS AROUND THEM. Or maybe Wedding Bell Blues which is a fun modern AU despite the fact that Lyanna is unhappy in it. What can I say, I enjoy my angst.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not a lot, although I did just recently get someone angry that I tagged Ned/Ashara in 'Wedding Bell Blues', and honestly they weren't completely wrong but they were so obnoxious about it that the tag is staying there out of spite. And of course I used to get the requisite Catelyn hate but even that was pretty few and far between. My stuff is usually what it says on the tin and AO3 is a little bit more self selecting than other sites of the past.

9. Do you write smut?

Awwwww yis especially SMUT WITH FEELINGS.

10. Craziest crossover:

I'm not really a crossover babe, alas.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes, someone took 'Measures' and basically rewrote it word-for-word as a Downton Abbey fic and someone recognized it as my work (...actually was it you, @meduseld??) and brought it to my attention. Lmao also back when I was on a Desperate Housewives livejournal (BACK IN THE DAYS) I had a couple of ESL writers take parts of my fics and use them in theirs and the mod of the LJ community got SO MAD at me when I was like "...hey please don't do that!" But the incident with 'Measures' was definitely the most blatant.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, and I think it's very cool! I would never attempt to translate it back though lol. But it is very touching to me that someone would like my work enough to want to take the time to translate it so others can enjoy it. I'm always fine with it as long as proper credit is given. I have also had a podfic done on a Lyanna comment fic and that was also extremely cool! The person who did that had a lovely reading voice. =)

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not a published fic but I've done roleplay-y writing with a few friends before which was always fun!

14. All time favorite ship?

I don't know if I've penned more words, thought more thoughts, spent more time for any other ship more than Ned/Cat. <3 A close second to Elliot/Olivia in Law and Order SVU for goddamn longevity though. Still dragging me along, twenty years later.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Sadly I doubt I'll ever finish 'these are hard times for dreamers' because back in 2019 I only had the vaguest idea of where I wanted to go next and that has only gotten worse with time. I have also had a Lynesse fic half-written on my computer for probably like...five years at this point, BUT I think that's more likely to get finished at SOME point just because it is already around 4k words. But who knows WHEN.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Character work, especially internal thoughts, setting a mood/scene, etc.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action scenes, getting from point A to point B to point C, especially concisely versus needing ten thousand words. I also think my dialogue is hit or miss, especially in a longer back-and-forth conversation.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I'll reference it if need be but usually try and avoid because I don't speak any other language fluently and don't want to make any foolish mistakes.

19. First fandom you wrote in?

Lmao SAILOR MOON (Geocities 5ever) and also I wrote some Pokemon stuff. I'm not even a little sorry.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I think it's 'we're men of snow (we melt one day)' which makes it especially gratifying that it is my most popular. There are still bits I would clean up if I were rewriting it but on the whole I'm so pleased with how it turned out and it was also really nice that it was a gift for a friend for FandomAid (@catelyngrant) who gave me pretty free reign to do whatever I wanted. So I'm glad I was able to deliver something that I'm very happy with because she deserves it! I am also very partial to my Lysa Heroine Big Bang fic, 'The Girl in the Mirror'. I love writing Lysa and this was the most complete thing I ever wrote about her, and I loved getting to flesh out her backstory. Much as it is super fun to play in the AU sandbox, it is also a ton of fun to examine a part of canon that is left uncovered in the source material. Tagging @catelyngrant, @apprenticemockingbird, and anyone else who may be interested!

[melverie]

Hi Melody! I hope you're having a lovely day/evening!

I am here because I want to know more about your OC Marchosias and to that end I have questions from your ask game! Hopefully these haven't already been sent to you lol but if so please ignore them.

02: Do they have a nickname? 12: What makes them soft? 08: Anything you heavily associate with them? A color, a word, a picture, or something else? 09: How close are they to falling? If they are a fallen angel, what made them fall? 08: Have they given anyone their grimoire?

I hope that's not too many but oh I am curious... also please take your time 💕

Heya CC! Today was a little stressful but overall it was nice. I hope your day is/was also great! 💚

So two of your questions have been asked by others as well, but I have a few more things to say about those, so I'll just answer them again >:)

Also, no amount of questions are too many if I get to talk about my girl Marchosias in return ♡ I'm suffering from brain rot, sent help

⸺ GENERAL INFO 02 ⸺ Do they have a nickname?

So I already answered it over here, but I have two more for her!

The first one is either 'Eden's Apple' or 'Arcadian Apple' (I'm not really sure which one to go with yet whoops). It's only really used in the Celestial Realm and the seraphs were the only ones that referred to Marchosias that way, though Lucifer and Simeon have put a conscious effort into not calling her that anymore. Raphael meanwhile is the only seraph that does not call her that at all

Also, we started calling her Mazey-baby in my friend group recently so uuhhh, yeah I guess that's another nickname of hers now lol

⸺ RELATIONSHIP & PERSONALITY 12 ⸺ What makes them soft?

Oh, there are a few things!

"""Kidnapping""" Mephisto's younger brother, taking him to Devil's Coast and seeing how his face lights up with pure joy every time. Cerberus's existence. When a friend of hers insisted on winning a zombie iguana plush for her from a crane game. Some of the silly little things humans do to show affection toward others (such as warming someone else's hands). First time seeing a firefly. Seeing Luke happy. That one time she and Mephisto wanted to get parfaits at their usual place and the owner rushed over to tell them they have created a new parfait in their honor. Staring at the stars for a while

⸺ CONCEPT AND DESIGN 08 ⸺ Anything you heavily associate with them? A color, a word, a picture, or something else?

One of things I associate with her is parfaits, because I one day randomly decided that she and Mephisto often get parfaits together and gossip talk about RAD News related stuff

The others are stars, because I decided pretty early on that I want her to be fascinated by the night sky which is also why star-related days have a little star on their banner over on @today-in-the-devildom >:) It's kind of ironic though. She is a wingless demon, so even when the stars shift close enough for demons to fly through them, all she can do is watch with longing in her eyes from the ground

⸺ ANGEL 09 ⸺ How close are they to falling? If they are a fallen angel, what made them fall?

Okay, this one is a little tricky to answer, because a) she didn't fall in the classic sense, and b) it requires a lot of background info about how I headcanon things to run in the Celestial Realm

But the short short version is that she was meant to be Raphael's first mission and therefore be killed by him, but he ultimately couldn't bring himself to go through with it and instead helped her escape. She obviously survived, and Raphael was able to avoid punishment

⸺ DEMON 08 ⸺ Have they given anyone their grimoire?

She tried to give it to Lucifer once shortly after the brothers fell, but Lucifer obviously refused to take it. I could explain the reason but it's....long 😭 Just know it's related to something that happened back in the Celestial Realm and she wasn't in the best headspace at the time

Anyway, Barbatos then took it to ensure she wouldn't do anything stupid with it or give it to the next best person and put herself in danger. It's been in his possession ever since and he'll continue to keep it safe until Marchosias decides she wants it back

Right now (aka in the OG timeline) she's considering giving it to my MC. But the idea of giving up so much control over herself is something she still struggles with immensely, despite knowing that my MC wouldn't ever really use it against her in the first place, so she's still debating if she should go through with it or not

-> to the ask game -> to all asks about Marchosias

[misc-obeyme]

I came across a "Reverse Trope Writing Prompt" list and had a merry time giggling at some of them. "Too many beds," and "Really nice guy who hates only you," got me in particular, but there are other ones that, I think, got good dramatic legs ("True hate's kiss," and "Soulmates fated to kill each other," are my faves).

Could I ask a snippet for "Instead of fake dating, everyone is convinced that you aren't actually dating," with the Barbs (or any of the prompts of your choice, they're all winners).

-🪿honk

Ah I saw that post too! I think I reblogged it? If I did, it was to my main. But I'm pretty sure I saw it at some point!

Too many beds lol that just sounds like a slumber party waiting to happen. Or maybe it's a room full of beds and MC ends up on one side and their love interest is on the other side and there are twenty beds in between them.

Anyway, here's MC & Barbatos with everyone being convinced they aren't actually dating! I had a little fun with it~

You were planning an upcoming dance with the student council for RAD. The seven demon brothers, Diavolo, and Barbatos were all present. You had discussed most of the details, ironing out things like who was in charge of decorations and who would provide the food.

Now the conversation had inevitably turned to who would be in attendance and if anyone planned to bring a date.

Asmo sighed. "I suppose you're not an option now, are you, MC?"

You blinked and looked at him. "Oh? Did you want to go with me? I don't see why not."

Asmo gasped excitedly, but Satan frowned. "Hang on, MC," Satan said. "Didn't you tell us you were dating Barbatos?"

You shrugged. "Barb doesn't mind. Right?"

You looked over at Barbatos who was sitting a ways down the table from you. "Of course not," he said mildly. "You're free to attend with whomever you choose. I suspect I will be busy with the food anyway."

You noted the raised eyebrows that some of the brothers exchanged.

"Are you sure you guys are dating?" Satan asked.

"Pretty sure, yeah," you said. "Anyway, you wanna go to the dance with me, Asmo?"

Asmo was delighted to take you, of course.

-

You found yourself in class with Beel and Belphie when Barbatos came in from the home economics class next door carrying a tray full of cookies.

He placed the tray down in front of Beel. "I'm afraid I made far too many of these," he said. "I thought perhaps you would enjoy them, Beelzebub."

Beel was already halfway through the large pile of cookies. "Mmnks," he said with his mouth full. Beel handed you and Belphie each a cookie.

"I'm surprised you didn't just bring all these to MC," Belphie said.

Barbatos looked around. "Ah, MC," he said. "I'm afraid I didn't see you there."

"Hey, Barbatos," you said. You gestured at him with the cookie. "Your cookies are delightful as always."

Barbatos bowed formally to you. "You flatter me," he said.

As he left the room, Belphie looked at you askance. "Aren't you guys dating?"

You finished the cookie. "Yeah, why?"

"Oh, nothing," Belphie said, though he clearly didn't believe you.

-

You were alone in your room at the House of Lamentation, laying on your bed and scrolling through your D.D.D.

You heard something and looked up to see Barbatos using a portal to enter your room.

You sat up a little. "Done working already?" you asked.

Barbatos made straight for you and you quickly found yourself being kissed silly. You laughed against his mouth.

He pulled away for a moment to look down at you, a slight frown on his face. "Are you quite finished with your little scheme?" he asked.

You wiped tears of laughter away from your eyes. "Aw, come on!" you said. "It's so funny to see their reactions. It's not my fault you're able to keep the perfect straight face no matter what I say."

Barbatos sighed. "MC, you really try my patience."

You smirked and wrapped your arms around his neck. "Isn't it all worth it when we're alone and you can let yourself go?"

Barbatos looked aggrieved. "You deserve a lecture, but I'm afraid I have other things on my mind."

Needless to say, Barbatos did not leave your room for some time.

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[jq37]

On the one hand, the Kids used up a lot of higher level spell slots and resources in this one, so skipping a boss battle was a very good thing. On the other hand, Final Form Baron looked pretty rad. Could've been fun. And I wish we could've gotten a better look at the mini for the Gilear-That-Never-Was. Anyway, great episder. I love these more elaborate Encounter episodes, where it's not just an arena, but also a dungeon or there's alternate win conditions other than kill everyone.

No recap this week because I was out of town (not that much happened plot-wise so I'll roll it into the recap for next episode) but I thought this episode was awesome! One of my favorite episodes of D20 and probably my fave battle episode ever. Like you said, it's great when a battle ep is more than just a slug fest. This had exploration and hidden roles and a fetch quest element. So fun! And everyone had such great moments! Since I'm not doing a full recap for this ep, I'll drop some highlights here:

-GORGUG!!!!! Or really, Zac with an assist from Emily. I had to replay his womping of Brennan like four more times before I continued the episode. What a legend. I totally forgot he had that ability so I was just as caught off guard as Brennan.

-Lou, king of commitment to the bit morphing into Baron to a horrified Adaine and outraged Siobhan was another easy episode highlight. I love Adaine insisting that she's SO nice to Riz and her, "What are you TALKING about????" It was such a fun moment and a great way to change the stakes and keep everyone on guard.

-Adaine was so cool this episode! Sure she got possessed (also very fun) but Kristen came in clutch yanking her out of it and then she immediately used a super sick spell (which according to the AP, she took specifically to get Kipperlilly, lol) and merced Baron before he could touch Riz (she *IS* so nice to Riz). Then, she one-shot fake-Zayn! Battle Wizard! Battle Wizard! Absolutely love that for her.

-This arena was totally made for Riz. It's so great when you're absolutely in your element and your build gets rewarded. This is the first time I've even considered playing a rogue. They're SO GOOD at high levels.

-Poor Fig but, "I would like to roll...a new character" was such a funny line. Also, girl why are you eating the cursed cottage cheese (or whatever it is)? You were JUST told not to do that and Adaine JUST broke the curse on you!!!

-There is something disturbingly endearing about Kalina snapping her own neck rather than attack the party--similar to how it's endearing that Cass tried her best to make a save haven for the group even though she was being corrupted and it came out wrong. Wrt Kalina only being able to say Ragh's name, there are some loose ends from Sophomore Year in the back of my mind that I haven't been able to check on because I've been AFK for the past few days but I wouldn't be surprised if they're related somehow.

-I also wish they'd showed us the thriving Gilear mini in the AP at least.

Anyway! Very fun episode and the Bad Kids have all this useful infernal energy to play with now. Stoked to see what they do with it!

[talkingtothetallman]

Swirls, adapters, film, and other stuff

Hi-ho! It's been awhile. Life has been busy to say the least! Christmas is here in the cold whirlwind that is December, and with it the icy windshields, low-hanging frigid mist, and the blasting of both the car heater and Christmas songs. But enough about what's been happening in life, let's talk about my newest hobby.

Vintage Lenses. Oh yeah, the good stuff.

Years ago in July of 2019, I purchased a Canon FD 50mm f/1.8 from a swap meet for $10-15. I looked up what it would take to use on my Sony a7iii, and turns out it was a little metal adapter that cost about the same. Pretty simple!

So that's where it started! I didn't really pursue anything else beyond it since, after all, they didn't have autofocus and weren't as convenient (or sharp) as modern glass. Just a fun little exploration into using old tech on the new stuff!

But a few months later, I watched a video about an infamous Russian lens, the Helios 44-2. Based on the Carl Zeiss Biotar lens design that they stole from the Germans during WWII, the Russians began pumping out their own version of the Biotar, the Helios 44 series, with the most recognizable one of the line being the aforementioned 44-2. Its signature? Producing a swirly effect to the bokeh (out of focus part of the image). And so being curious, I picked one up for under $50. And that swirl effect... yeah, it's pretty cool!

But still again, I didn't really pursue anything else beyond it. They were cool, no doubt about it, just not something that totally piqued my interest.

Flash forward nearly five years later, and it's safe to say that my interest has be piqued! I now have acquired eight lenses to my collection, and yes I most am certainly shopping of more, how nice you to ask!

Okay, so I know it’s not a lot at the moment. But that’s okay, because at the end of the day, they are just buckets of fun. Cliché as it may sound if you are a photographer like me, but having a more tactile experience while doing photography is really cool and rewarding. It isn't better, and it isn't somehow an elitist claim per say, but it’s still indeed pretty rad and adds an extra element to your photography, causing (or enabling, depending on how you want to look at it) you to slow down and take more time to make your images.

Speaking of taking more time, let's talk about good ol' 35mm film. For awhile now, I've had a hankering to at least try shooting a roll of film. It isn't a thing that a lot of my generation has experience with as digicams, point-and-shoots, and now smartphones, have been the photography experience for 95% of people my age. Nonetheless, film photography had this sense of mystery behind it, keeping your photos tucked away from you, often times for weeks, without you knowing how perfect that shot actually looks.... or more likely how you actually messed up and will be kicking yourself over it for the next few weeks! So naturally, when I had the opportunity to purchase a Minolta SRT-201 and a few lenses for $30 from a local on OfferUp, I went out and bought my first roll of film; some Kodak Portra 400, regarded by film enthusiasts as one of the great film stocks for about every kind of photography.

The next few weeks consisted of me filling up that roll and sending it off to Gelatin Labs in New Jersey to get developed and scanned into TIFFs for any further editing on my part. Not gonna lie, I was nervous for how they were going to turn out, especially since I was exposing the film based on a light meter app from iPhone (the one on the camera isn't functioning at the moment; would like to get it fixed). But they turned out beautiful! Aaaaaaand now I want to shoot more film lol

But yeah, this year has been a journey in terms of my photography career/passion! A lot of highlights (no pun intended) that I'm excited to reflect on as the weeks wind down in this year. My photo-a-day-lets-me-use-my-camera-okay?! challenge is going strong, and I've only missed a few days total this year. I'm looking forward to pouring over those photos, sharing them with you, and taking what learned this year into next year!

[atticsandwich]

nightbringer lesson 21 spoilers (ish) under the cut

new season time woooo 🥳 it's not too heavy just yet but there are some points worth noting that are pretty much setting the scene for what season 2 is gonna revolve around.

so it's basically establishing that s2 is gonna be about forging pacts with the brothers, before solomon and mc's "connection" with their current time cuts off, making them lose their powers

we open with diavolo finalizing preparations for the opening of RAD in two months, and ends with solomon saying we have to reforge our pacts with the brothers by then, as well.

at this point all we're given is that magic/magic power is intrinsically linked with time, so therefore we can hypothesize that severing your ties with your timeline results in the loss of magic, unless we reestablish that connection (in this case, pacts). this is a pretty shallow reading of it, so don't take it to heart too much lol

i think what else is interesting is what happens to mamon in this lesson. although he is greedy and has a penchance for underhanded tactics to get what he wants, in this one he basically lacks empathy for mc's injury and even lashes out at belphie for a simple accident. by this point we're led to think that something is off (lucifer especially notices) before mammom clicks to his senses and runs off back home.

i think that'll be another core point in the season - fully establishing the brothers with their sin. i think it makes sense, since by this point it's only been a year and a few months since the fall, and because they've fully accepted being demons now i think it'd be high time for their sin to kick into full gear before they learn how to control/repress it. i think satan is an outlier here though, as he was born a demon and has already had time to process his wrath, so i'm also thinking he'll be a central character in helping his brothers if the season DOES go that route.

ALSO we got to see mephisto planning out the newspaper club! which will hopefully mean more of him, please. hehe.

anyways i'm pretty hyped for this season! i feel like if it ends with getting pacts with all the brothers we'll eventually have to confess our origin to them and probably another revelation by nightbringer. truthfully i really hope they incorporate the "learning how to live with their sin" thing bc it'll be a nice insight of the brothers and in furthering their characters as we know them in the present.