#it takes the joy of cleaning away bro its just a chore

[ishizizzle]

The apartment hunt begins

[absolutepokemontrash]

happy 666! I really want to see some of the brothers arguing over how to 'properly' load the dishwasher / wash clothes / bag groceries / some other mundane thing that most people don't bother having an opinion about (but I do lol) if you're into it! if not, that's cool have a great day and congratulations anyway!! 🎉

👀 I love this- 

Lucifer

Lucifer knows he shouldn’t be getting into arguments with Levi about how to load the trunk of the car but this is getting ridiculous!

No Levi! You cannot just fit the bags in by size and shape, that bag has eggs it can’t be at the bottom- shit.

This argument happens every single time Lucifer gets the groceries and Levi is forced to come, all because Levi wants to play Tetris and doesn’t realize that Lucifer’s way of loading the car is 100% superior no questions asked.

MC needs to back him up. MC? MCCCC? He’s waiting.

Whatever. No one go near him when he’s stocking the fridge. He’ll kill someone if they put something in the wrong drawer or shelf.

What a drama king 🙄

Mammon

This man does not vacuum correctly according to Satan and it drives him insane.

Mammon’s obviously doing it right though because he’s vacuuming and… leaving.

All he needs to do is vacuum, alright?! He even went under the couch that time! What do ya mean he needs sweep before and then mop after?!

Apparently according to Satan, cleaning the entire living room does not just mean straightening some baubles and vacuuming. He needs to dust the surfaces too apparently.

He’s going to try and pawn off his duties on whatever poor sap next walks through the door- oh! Human! Hold this vacuum!

Only good thing about cleanin’ is that he might find some cool things to swipe- Ah shit hi Lucifer-

Leviathan:

With how meticulous Levi is when he cleans and sanitizes his figurines and other anime merch, one would expect him to be well versed in the side effects of improper air circulation when dealing with cleaning supplies.

But NOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

No no no no no, when Levi cleans the bathroom, the door stays closed. This really worries Beel.

Beel is constantly telling him, “the fumes of the cleaning supplies will make you sick :( keep the door open.” But Levi hates the idea of being perceived, so he keeps it closed.

To Beel, all the windows, vents, and doors need to be open during cleaning time. To Levi, he’d rather suffocate because he accidentally mixed chemicals and made chlorine gas.

He may die, but it’s whatever. The bathroom is still getting cleaned! Sure, some of the fumes got in his eyes and now his eyelids are grossly swelled up, but he’s not going to give Beel a victory.

Satan

Asmo is supposed to be separating the darks and the lights! What the hell is he doing?!

Satan is constantly nagging everyone to separate their clothes, but I guess everyone just wants their lights to get stained in the dryer or whatever the fuck happens when you don’t separate the colours!

Asmo makes a snide remark about how Lucifer said the same thing, and Satan seriously debates jumping ship and joining Team Don’t Separate.

He decides against it and continues to nag, he nags to the point of Asmo throwing up his hands and walking away, leaving the laundry to Satan.

Great… nagging wins him an extra chore… wooooooooooo…

Asmodeus

Everything has its own place and everything needs to be neat and tidy! Asmo’s attitude on cleanliness makes Mammon want to pitch over and hurl.

Asmo’s tried just everything to get his scummy big brother to keep his room clean, but Mammon claims that it is clean.

Ugh! News flash! Knowing where everything is does not make it clean!

Asmo’s tried the Marie Kondo thing, but apparently everything Mammon owns sparks joy, so nothing got tossed out.

Tsk, Asmo’s going to have an aneurism if he needs to take another look into Mammon’s stupid, smelly, gross, disorganized, disgusting, awful-

*several minutes later*

-Tasteless, brain dead, room!

Beelzebub

But Asmo… this is how Beel does dishes… he licks them clean… what do you mean that’s unsanitary?

Oh shit Beel just swallowed a fork- maybe Asmo has a point here.

Thing is, after hearing Asmo’s concerns about germs, Beel legitimately tries to not lick the plates but, there’s food residue on there! He can’t just let that go to waste!

Mmmm… food residue…

It gets to the point to where the entire house decided that Beel should not be trusted to do the dishes. The possibility of Beel getting everyone sick was just too strong…

Beel is sad to lose one of the chores he was really good at :( the rest of the house sure as wasn’t.

Belphegor

Bro TF? He doesn’t do things. And this gets everyone on his case.

“Belphie, why haven’t you done your chores?” “Belphie, why haven’t you unloaded the dishwasher?” “Belphie, why haven’t you vacuumed your bedroom?” “Belphie why haven’t you gotten off the couch in four days?”

You know, the usual shit.

Belphie is a necessary part of the household ecosystem because everyone needs to gang up on someone to feel like more of a team, and for once the scapegoat isn’t Mammon.

At least Mammon vacuums… Belphie just looks at the vacuum and tries to use the force.

It never works by the way.

With his little sibling privileges though, he rarely gets punished for shirking his duties… the little shit.

——————

This was actually super fun to do, thanks for requesting!!

[xb-squaredx]

Super Mario Odyssey Review: Over the Moon

Mario is a video game icon with an impressive resume. He’s done a game in just about every genre that exists, played nearly every sport and faced off with Nintendo’s other pantheon of characters (among other notable icons) in the Super Smash Bros. series. He’s jumped through magical paintings, cleaned up a tropical paradise and even been to space. So at a certain point you have to ask yourself…just what is left for Mario? What can he possibly do now? The answer to that is to possess a T-Rex and go on a rampage, apparently.

Super Mario Odyssey is very comparable to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Both games shake up the status quo of their series, while at the same time taking on a “back to basics” approach in their design. Both games emphasize freedom and exploration, rewarding players for checking every nook and cranny. Lastly, both games…are really amazing, and generated surprisingly strong reactions from me. Odyssey isn’t just another Super Mario game; it’s an experience that will stay with me for years to come and has become yet another benchmark for the series to surpass going forward.

Of course, at the outset, the game seems to be going through the motions. Bowser is once again kidnapping Peach and Mario sets out to stop him, but from there the game goes off the rails. Mario travels far outside the Mushroom Kingdom to the rest of the world as Bowser prepares a grand wedding for him and Peach. Joining in on the adventure is the spunky hat ghost Cappy, whose sister Tiara has also been kidnapped by Bowser. Cappy usually rests atop Mario’s head, taking the form of his iconic cap, however whenever Mario throws him, Cappy can allow Mario to possess, or Capture, whatever his target is. The Capture mechanic is the best feature to come out of a core Mario game in years, and by the end of my playthrough I was left questioning if I could stand it not appearing in every game going forward.

The list of what Mario can’t Capture is far shorter than the list of things he CAN take control of, so right away experimentation is key. Enemies, NPCs, a tree or a manhole cover…throw your hat on everything and you just might be surprised. When possessing certain creatures, Mario gets their own abilities at his disposal, helping him reach areas he couldn’t otherwise get to on his own, or giving him ample firepower when dealing with certain enemies or hazards. Particular favorites of mine are the Gushen enemies in the Seaside Kingdom, adorable starfish that surround themselves in spheres of water and then use it to propel themselves at high speeds and the Uproots in the Wooded Kingdom, little onions that can grow extremely tall with vines acting like stilts. One of the more infamous Capture targets is a realistic T-Rex of all things and as you go through the game, you’re bound to be surprised. It makes entering into a new kingdom all the more exciting, as you wonder what new abilities you’ll be granted.

Even outside of that, Mario is a joy to control. He has all his old moves back from the days of Super Mario 64, so the backflip, long jump, triple jump and so on all return, alongside a new rolling move that help him pick up speed. Add in being able to throw Cappy to extend airtime, even being able to jump off of him, and you get one of the most versatile movesets in a Mario game. The amount of tricks you can pull off together to reach areas you might not otherwise think you can reach are astounding and more often than not, the game rewards such behavior, be it through coins or the collectable Power Moons.

The plot trinkets of choice for this game, Power Moons, are doled out to players like candy. Ground pound a suspicious looking spot and BAM, Power Moon. Defeat a boss? Another Moon. Walk into a store? Guess what, you can buy a Moon there too! There are a truly staggering amount of Power Moon in the game, many of which are just out in the open, waiting for you to find a way to them. For those that fear finding them might be a chore, well…some can be. With hundreds of Moons in the game, not every challenge that awards one is gonna be a winner. I personally hate the sheep wrangling and RC Car missions, but thankfully the vast majority of these Moons are optional. You need only a fraction of the total amount of Moons to access new Kingdoms and the post-game, and there are other ways to inflate your Moon count…if you have the cash anyway. Unlike most “collect-a-thon” games however, the vast majority of the Moons are fun to obtain, either due to the platforming challenges you have to face to get them, or the feeling of pride you get when you discover one of the more cleverly hidden ones.

A byproduct of scouring for more Moons is getting to enjoy the diverse environments Mario will find himself in now. My favorite Kingdom by far is Metro Kingdom, being able to explore New Donk City to my heart’s delight. Seeing Mario in unfamiliar settings, to the point that he seems out of place, is interesting and hits on the game’s theme of travel. The maps for each Kingdom are laid out like travel brochures, filled with little tidbits about each one often pointing players towards more interesting areas, which was a small touch I loved. While certain staple platforming locales exist here, (beaches, ice levels, deserts, etc.) there’s often a little twist placed on the theme. The Sand Kingdom, for example, is blended with an ice level, the town of Tostarena besieged by unnatural cold. The Luncheon Kingdom is at once a kingdom made of food, but it also doubles as a lava level, just substitute lava for boiling soup. Certain late-game Kingdoms are particularly astounding, but for the sake of spoilers, I won’t stay any more. Odyssey has a fantastic world to explore that is sure to surprise you around every corner, and I get the feeling the developers set out specifically to subvert expectations.

Other parts of the game’s presentation continue to impress throughout, living up to Nintendo’s pedigree. The music perfectly fits every moment: from the laid back music in the Seaside Kingdom, to the jazzy notes throughout New Donk City, every piece of music delights. The standout, of course, would be the game’s theme song of sorts, “Jump Up, Super Star!” and the level it debuts in is undoubtedly my favorite moment in the entire game, and I’ll likely remember that for many years to come. I realize it is the epitome of hyperbole to admit that this moment was so good it brought me to tears, and yet it happened. A moment in which the game’s sense of fun and joy overwhelmed me and I didn’t realize how badly I needed it.

When I look back on this game years down the line, I’ll always remember that its mission statement was about making sure players had fun. Super Mario Odyssey does everything it can to put a smile on your face and make you happy. It didn’t obsess with making things challenging (though there’s plenty of it buried within), it didn’t let a story get in the way of the gameplay and it didn’t worry about taking risks as long as the end result was fun.

The sheer amount of hype this game has garnered might puzzle some, especially considering all of the other stellar games that have come out this year, but in my opinion Odyssey can stand tall among other “Game of the Year” candidates for being an engrossing, densely-packed and polished experience that is essentially joy in digital form. I “beat” the game in one session, but said session was about 15 hours, so that should tell you something. And of course, I was only just getting started.

Now in that time, the dust has settled and the honeymoon is over, so I can recognize that Odyssey isn’t a perfect game by any stretch, but the few problems I have are so minor they barely register. Probably the most contentious gameplay choice was the inclusion of motion controls in the game. Mario can toss Cappy and then have him hone in on enemies with a quick flick of the Joy Con, or perform a spin attack with a shake of both controllers. You can toss him up or down if you so desire, and when Capturing something, often shaking the controllers gains access to a different move. I think for the most part the controls are intuitive and responsive, but if you’re one who doesn’t want to use the motion controls you can turn them off, and while you lose out on those motion-control moves, they aren’t really all that required and often can still be done with buttons, just not as easily. Considering a few buttons go unused in the game, they could have easily assigned some of those moves to them I feel. And obviously it’s easier to shake the Joy Cons when separated than when they’re connected to the Switch or when using the Pro Controller, so there’s that to contend with, but it’s a minor annoyance.

The sheer number of Power Moons might be intimidating for some, and as the number winds down, it can definitely seem like a slog to hunt down the last few, though the “true” endgame of sorts doesn’t require getting EVERY single Moon, so I think that balances out and you can still feel like you’ve done just about everything the game’s offered without getting too burnt out. The various hint systems present in the game help a lot…though when it comes to purple coins scattered throughout kingdoms that are used to buy exclusive outfits for Mario…better hope you have a Bowser amiibo, or else you have no help in finding them all. They’re even more optional than the Moons though, so there’s that.

Super Mario Odyssey is the best way to cap off a fantastic year for video games. Things like Horizon Zero Dawn, Breath of the Wild, Nier: Automata, Yakuza 0, ARMS, Splatoon 2, Cuphead and probably dozens of other games I’ve missed reminds me of how great this medium can be, filled with passionate developers that craft unforgettable experiences that can stay with us for years. If you need a reason to own a Nintendo Switch, this is it right here. It’s really something special.

Until next time,

-B

[ripplestitchskein]

You put into words exactly what I feel about how they've written her. To me, all I keep thinking of is mid s4 where she's like "Here's you heart, now I've got to do shots with Regina because she needs me more." It's just bad storytelling. It also makes me hate Regina, because a lot of Emma dealing with these issues is siphoned off into propping up the "Regina and Emma are friends" plot they keep to feed us. I don't even know if they are aware of how Emma comes across to the audience. 1/2

And I'm right with you on the TL thing. If that's what they want to sell, they are not going about it the right way at all. And it's like you said, it doesn't matter what we infer when there is nothing implicitly said in canon. What exactly are we supposed to take away from their relationship at this point? That it's okay for one person to do all the heavy lifting because the other one has "issues"? It just leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. 

This brings up a really interesting point and since a lot of people have talked about Emma's reactions in the context of their own relationship I figured why not explain why I'm so uncomfortable with it in the context of mine. Maybe that will help people understand my personal reaction. In no way am I assigning this to the characters mind you. If they choose not to go this route that's fine, I'm just saying why it bothers me as an individual. Under a cut per king and rambling. Shit, can I go on. 

I always identified with CS and Emma and Killian as characters specifically because there are so many similarities to my own life. I've talked about my teenage years, how I moved out at 16, how I got arrested for a boy who then dropped me immediately afterwards while I was dealing with the consequences. Some of the crazy shit that goes along with being a moderately attractive teen girl on her own. Obviously me and Emma are bros. 

But I identify with CS as well. I loved that Killian was all in it for her. I've written meta after meta about it. But I also keep waiting for the reciprocity, and it just hasn't happened yet. S5 HELPED certainly, I mean homegirl went to the Underworld for him, but it was still very one sided and also implied in her conversation with Neal she would have done it regardless, for anyone, if she had the option not to lose them. 

And they have been so shaky in the True Love thing it's easy to see anti arguments sometimes because the show is so muddled now it's less than clear. 

So me. 

My boyfriend and I have been together for over a decade. He's a special case because I was almost exclusively into girls at the time after my failed marriage at the very wise age of 18 for lower car insurance rates. I was not feeling the menfolk. 

We have a very odd dynamic to most people and to our families. They comment and say stupid shit about it all the time. It's actually very similar to DS and Deckhand Hook in LoAL which might be why I find that fic so easy to write. It's not a Dom/Sub dynamic, but it's similar. That's also why I find the CS dynamic in general so easy to write. There is clearly a power imbalance that allows the characters, and me and my boyfriend, to compliment each other very well by forming up the missing pieces so to speak. 

A few people have commented, both positive and negative about the things I've shared here about my life. Asked how I have so much time to fuck around on fic and meta and twitter data analysis. Or been like "goals!" When I talk about something he said or did. 

And the truth is it's because my boyfriend treats me like a Queen. It's a running joke in our house "Because you're a goddamn queen". And not in a superficial way. His life is very much about taking care of our home and our children so my only responsibilities are my career and my school and playing with and enjoying the kids when I'm home because I don't get to see them all day or for several days, and our time together shouldn't be spent on doing chores. I also handle all outside of the house interactions excepting kid wellcheck or sick visits during my work day. (I handle all school meetings, parent teacher conferences, auto mechanics, appliance shopping etc). 

That's what he likes. He doesn't have career aspirations. He doesn't care about work. He has no desire to go to school. He is uncomfortable dealing with those things and making decisions about them. He's not lazy or unintelligent by any means, he just doesn't care about those things. His favorite job was a clerk at a gas station when he was a teen because he saw interesting people and it was low stress. He's not driven by the need to succeed and do well in a certain career field or academically. Those are not motivating factors in his life. He went to work because he had to, he never wanted to be in management or running anything. Nor would he have been particularly good at it. He's very chill and not very assertive. He genuinely enjoys cleaning and cooking and teaching the kids, and doing stuff to make my life easier so it was a no brainer to have him be a Stay At Home Parent when daycare for 3 children became ridiculous. 

It brings him joy to make food I want and bring me special treats and let me have lazy days in bed where he brings me everything I need. In fact how he asked me out and expressed his intentions was getting my favorite things from several different restaurants. He just likes to do stuff like that. We've had several conversations where I tell him he doesn't have to and he's like "You don't get this at all. I want to" 

To many people it looks like I order him around, like he's a servant, like he has no life of his own. In truth I do it because he genuinely doesn't know what's expected of him in family gathering or public situations. I know this. He usually asks me to beforehand. Those situations are scary for him, where to sit, when to eat, where to go to get certain things etc. 

But in exchange for all the things he does for me he pretty much gets to do whatever he wants, and the things he likes are his games and his streaming community. He likes that he doesn't have the burden of providing an income and worrying about social concerns anymore. He can make bread and clean the house, and play games with the kids and spend hours telling them about the solar system. 

We both have anxiety and issues of our own and they manifest in different ways. His are best served by me making decisions and him doing the "heavy lifting" when it comes to the easier to handle day to day. Mine are best served by having daily life minutiae taken care of because otherwise I get overwhelmed on top of higher level concerns that may be more complex, I'm also extremely flighty and live very much in my own head and forget things like lunch or taking my vitamins. 

It could very well seem to an outsider that I take advantage of him, or that he doesn't have a sense of self outside of our relationship and family. Which at the moment is how I feel about Killian. And why it rankles so much. 

Because the difference is that we've talked about it. I've offered him choices. I spent a whole year once trying to find him a hobby because I have 500 and he has like 2 and it was weird to me. At the end of it he was annoyed and was like "This IS what I like doing. Stop trying to force these things on me. I like this." 

Same thing with the house and the kids. I offer to help and it frustrates him because he wants to do it and because he likes it. We've had many many discussions where we check in with each other and make sure we're not assuming things are okay with the dynamic because it was before. Everything he's given up (job, career, etc) was very much his choice, and he wanted to and knew how important those things are to me. 

With Killian its not his choice, he didn't want to, circumstances forced it, but he was *willing* to for Emma. It's just, he's given up so much? Like all the things, and relationships he has are given up to be the best partner. 

And in my dynamic there are very clear benefits for each of us. I don't see the benefits right now for Killian, other than him have someone to love and a reason to be a a better man. Those are great but it also veers into "at the expense of himself" territory at times. We talked about him getting a family and a home, but he's also potentially losing the JR, he's stuck on land, and the family he's gaining don't ever seem to acknowledge him or outright dismiss him and the people who did support him leave.

 I just wish there was more equity. That he still got to retain some of the things he loves, the sea, his ship, his newfound brother, being a Captain, in addition to being all in for Emma and her family, and attentive to her needs. 

There is no reason he can't have both and I don't understand on a show that is very much about "We are Both" why they strip these elements of him away. 

It would be easier to take if it didn't appear like he was doing all the heavy lifting and changing while Emma gets to keep throwing up her walls the moment something gets tough to handle. If she tried to help him get back some of the things he gave up for her once things are settled. She still could. Season isn't over. But at the moment it's been a lot of Killian giving up and not a lot of Emma, and not a lot of being mindful of his feelings or issues and getting to revert back to her own without consequence. 

That's the difference for me. 

It's fine to have a partner who does more of the "heavy lifting" but only if that arrangement is equalized in other areas. Like clearly Killian is distraught and broken up over these things he's sacrificed, he very much reminds people he's still a pirate, just a good one now. And I'd like those facets of him get to remain. For his sacrifices and his effort to be acknowledged beyond "I give him happy kisses and let him hang around."

I dunno. It just bugs me. I need more from the other side to balance this shit out. Hopefully this clears up WHY it bugs me a bit better though. I know this type of dynamic can work, and what it takes to make it work, and not be somewhat unhealthy in terms of imbalance.