#this time on the second highest difficulty

[regwishesshehadmagic]

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

[rookinthecrownest]

screw, and i mean this with my whole chest, Razikale having three heads nothing needs that many heads

[mariyekos]

Got to Floor 71 of Bloody Palace with Nero tonight. GodDAMN I hate the Fury fights. The triple Fury one is so stressful... I barely survived, but I did, so tomorrow I'll probably keep going to see how far I can get. (I suspended after beating floor 70, so this run's still going.)

Not sure if I'll be able to beat Malphas even if I make it to level 80 (I think she's the level 80 boss and Cerberus is 90?) But we'll see. I'm pretty sure I SDT cheese'd the Triple Fury fight when I did it with Dante, and used it to help avoid Malphas' Super Chicken Rampage too. Man I hate the Malphas' Super Chicken Rampage. I'm so bad at dodging out of it when playing as Nero in Mission 15 anyway. Fighting Cavaliere Angelo with Nero was a lot of fun though. Would do it again!

[vonlipvig]

nfb timeloop dlc started with a bang because when i first started playing it, before time got all wacky and boseman's board popped up, i took one look at the interference machine and felt real fear in my soul because they're not gonna make me do interference, are they!?

[geniusphilester]

i'm a bit of a balatro nerd, so here's some notes on dan's screencap in his insta story

if you haven't played before, balatro is poker in its most core mechanics, with single-player roguelike (so you lose a lot and build from playing a lot) deck building (what it sounds like, you build your deck) mechanics to make poker Bigger. you can do some weird and wild things with it, but at its base, you're playing flushes and straights and pairs and trying to score chips.

if you want to see it in action, markiplier has a good video that seems like it'll be first in a series.

in balatro, you get a base level of hands per round depending on your deck/add-ons like vouchers or jokers. for checkered deck, which dan is playing, it's 4 hands/3 discards, so you have four hands to try to get enough chips to get to the next round. there are three rounds per ante, and the regular game ends at ante 8. you can also skip rounds to get stuff.

which is the long version of saying: dan has gotten to endless mode, which means he's beat the regular part of the game and is shooting for a ludicrously high score. he has to get 47 billion chips to win this round and get to the next one. for comparison, round 1 in ante 1 on white stake difficulty (which is the one dan's playing in) needs 300 chips to advance.

also for comparison: i have hundreds of hours on this game and i haven't cracked the 100 million chips achievement on steam

he's doing a flush build (which makes sense for checkered deck; it only has hearts and spades, unlike the normal four suits) and his flush is leveled to 24, which is really good/necessary to get this late in the game. he has a lot of money, he used all his discards for the round, and he has a bunch of face cards with modifications on them. it's good strategy just looking at this much, basically

and then all the jokers he has up top make this REALLY impressive. in order from left to right

gluttonous joker: played clubs get +3 multiplier. odd one for checkered deck (no clubs to start with) but a) maybe he added some and b) even if he didn't, it's a negative card, so it's not taking up room that any other joker could use. (for this set of circumstances, base slots for jokers would be five.)

sock and buskin: retrigger all played face cards, which means all the cards dan is playing in this hand will score a second time. two of his face cards have red seals, which means they'd play a third time, one of those red seals is a glass card that'll give him a higher multiplier...i could keep going, but doing a face-card flush build is a good way to score big.

photograph: first played face card gives x2 multiplier when scored. again, another great joker for a face-card build.

blueprint: copies the joker to the right. GREAT card if you have good jokers. it also has holographic, which means it add a +10 multiplier as well.

triboulet: highest tier of joker (legendary) where kings and queens give x2 multiplier when played. but imagine it twice, since he has blueprint as well.

the tribe: x2 multiplier if hand contains a flush. and he's obviously doing a flush build.

to add to all of this, his order is really good because the cards play left to right. times multipliers stack on each other, and since chips get exponential, you need that to really get anywhere.

tl;dr - while some of this is luck (the store doesn't always sell jokers this good at the right time), dan is good at balatro.

[maychorian]

Found Family Anime Recs

I recently reblogged a list of found family anime recs and was a bit surprised by how many reblogs and likes it got. I had really reblogged it just so I can find it later to watch the shows I hadn't already seen on the list, but apparently I have a lot of followers who are interested in this topic! Well, I've watched a lot of anime, so here are ten found family anime shows that I absolutely love. These are in no particular order.

Buddy Daddies

This show is similar enough to Spy X Family that you might be tempted to call it a rip-off. It's really quite different though. There's a lot less comedy (though there's still SOME comedy) and a lot more healing from past trauma. The animation is gorgeous, and the relationships really tug at my heart. It's more realistic than Spy X Family, in some ways, though it's still pretty ridiculous. The melodrama in the last couple of episodes did annoy me a bit, but it's still a very satisfying show. It's like a fanfiction I would write, which is really the highest recommendation I can give, haha, because that means it's exactly the kind of story I would like. 

2. Samurai Champloo

This show was made by much of the same team that created Cowboy Bebop, but for some reason it never got the same cult status, which is really too bad. I love Cowboy Bebop, but I love Samurai Champloo more. It's about two ronin and a teenage girl traveling through Edo-era Japan to find someone the girl is looking for. Throughout the series, the three form a very strong bond, despite all of their communication difficulties and past traumas. I've rewatched this show probably more than any other anime. It's brutal at times, but so very satisfying.

3. Natsume Yuujin-cho

Natsume lost his parents as a young child and was passed around from relative to relative, most of whom couldn't deal with him because his ability to see yokai (Japanese folk spirits) made him a freak in their eyes. As the series starts, he's finally taken in by an older couple in a rural village who actually want him, and he's finally able to start forming connections with other people and find a support system with his new caretakers, his peers, and the yokai he tries to help. It's a very sweet, sad series, much more sentimental than the first two entries on this list, but a very soothing and lovely watch when you are in need of some relaxation. Warning, though, the flashbacks to Natsume's past families can be truly gutwrenching. He was not treated well for a very long time, and it's hard to stomach.

4. Barakamon

Handa is a calligrapher who gets essentially exiled to a remote island after causing problems on purpose. He has a hard time connecting with people and is struggling with his art. Over the course of the story, he forms relationships with his neighbors, especially an adorable child with possibly the best child voice-acting I've ever heard, and slowly rediscovers his joy in creation again. It's cute and funny and beautiful, and it makes me want to live on a remote Japanese island.

5. My Roommate Is a Cat

Subaru is a young novelist who recently lost his parents, who were pretty much his only connection to humanity. While trying to recover from this massive loss, he adopts a stray cat who quickly becomes the most important creature in his life. Through the cat, he begins to form relationships with other people, as well. The show is unique in that the first half of each episode is from the human's POV and the second half is from the cat's POV. It's a very lovely and soothing show. Pets are family, too!

6. Haikyuu

Haikyuu was the show that opened my eyes to the aspect of found family in sports anime. I know a lot of tumblr enjoys Haikyuu for the shipping, but to me it's more satisfying to view it through the lens of found family. Each team is essentially their own found family, in their own unique way, and the relationships are particularly realistic and well-depicted by this mangaka. I love Tanaka being a big brother to the first years, Kuroo and Kenma's mutual protectiveness and support, all of it. 

7. Kuroko no Basuke

This is the silly basketball show, and in my opinion it's not as good as Haikyuu, but I love the relationships here as well. Especially between Kuroko and Kagami, of course. Their mutual protectiveness is just chef's kiss. But the whole Seirin team is really great. I love them so much. The teamy goodness is what makes the silliness watchable for me.

8. One Piece

What is there to say about One Piece? This is, like, the ultimate found family show. All of the pirate crews with any kind of goodness at their core are found families, but especially the Strawhats. Luffy is just going around looking at people and declaring, "Okay, you're in my family (on my crew) now." If you've never watched One Piece before, I'm going to make an unorthodox recommendation and suggest you watch the live action Netflix adaption first. It does a really good job of capturing the feel and aesthetic and just pure loveliness of this story in a much more compact and approachable way than the anime. However, if you like it, I do recommend that you watch the anime from the beginning, because there is a lot of expansion on the themes there, and the characterization is slightly different. Usopp in particular kinda got shorted in the live action, so you'll understand him a lot more if you watch his introduction arc in the anime. But honestly both versions are great. I'm on my third rewatch of the live action version already, and I will watch and rewatch the anime until I die, probably. One of my favorite stories of all time.

9. The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash

I found this one slightly annoying in how it was obviously carefully designed to tug at my heartstrings, but it's working, so I don't have much right to complain. It's about a little kid driven out of her home who gradually gathers a found family of both monsters she tames and adult adventurers and guardsmen who take one look at this lonely child and go, "Well, guess I have a baby now." The isekai element is very lowkey, in that she basically just has a voice in her head giving her advice, and I like that it's about fighting local corruption instead of a demon army or what have you. I want more shows like this and less shows like every other generic isekai, haha.

10. Dungeon Meshi

This show is blowing up tumblr right now, so you've probably already seen it a billion times, but I'm going to make one more appeal for you to watch/read this story. It is so, so so good. And in my opinion, it is much MUCH more about family, both born and found, than it is about shipping. I could write a whole essay about Marcille and Falin's relationship that has nothing to do with romance, as I could for any other two (or three or four) characters in the main party, plus those outside. There is a LOT going on. I've been playing RPGs and LARPs for twenty years, and one reason I love the hobby so much is for the joy of creating found families with my best friends in new and different worlds, over and over again. This is the first piece of fiction I've found that really captures that particular aspect of party-based fantasy stories, the relationships that form and grow, the tight-knit bonds that keep everyone moving forward despite the monsters you must face (and consume). 

[pictureinme]

Can we get Robert Fischer obsessed with a cam girl?

thank u so much for this idea omg ... i had so much fun w this !! also u have the honor of being my first fischer fic LOL

superstar

robert fischer x camgirl!reader word count: 1.2k tags: male masturbation, sex toys (vibrator), overstimulation, camming

(ao3)

Robert lets out a groan as he watches you through his monitor. You had just started streaming, still completely clothed, but he couldn’t resist how you teased at your hardening nipples through your top. Scantily clad, of course, you never were the type to dress modestly for these shows.

He had been watching you for about a month now, turning notifications on almost immediately. The way you would fit all these toys inside yourself with almost no difficulty, and yet still sound so authentic– Robert could be falling in love at this point. Don’t even get him started on your angelic face, he has never seen someone quite like you. If he had, he would’ve been married a long time ago.

“So many people already… and even some new faces!” You grin and begin to hike your pathetic excuse for a skirt up your thighs, revealing the tiniest of panties. “Of course, my favorite supporter is here too. Hi, fischbait!”

“Fuck…” Robert covers his mouth with his hand as his length twitches at you simply uttering his screen name. He knew it was unavoidable that you would notice him– every stream he would send you a minimum of 500 bucks. It didn’t matter if you did anal or anything out of the ordinary, Robert just loved seeing that look in your eyes when you hear that telltale notification sound.

Sometimes he would send messages along with the donations, telling you to buy a specific kind of toy or outfit. Most often, though, he was a silent supporter.

“I think you’re really gonna like what I have in store, you guys,” Robert watches as you move your panties to the side, revealing a vibrator already inside of you, “Whoever gives the biggest donation gets to control this little thing. How cute is that?”

He scrambles closer to his desk, making sure he heard that right. Messages flood in the chatbox:

come on, we all know who’s gonna control it

Just want to see you happy, pretty girl :)

do we even have a chance against that rich fuck lol

even if i control it for just one second, ill be so happy

Yeah, Robert heard you loud and clear. He knows no one will even come close to the amount he could donate, but he decided to keep it lower than what his dirty mind wanted. He watches as the donations pour in rapidly, only reaching a measly 300. Didn’t they realize you deserve so much more?

“Jesus, I always gotta step up to the plate, don’t I?” He chuckles to himself as he sends in his amount of cash, waiting for your reaction.

You’re already moaning halfheartedly due to the other donators’ actions, but your eyes widen in what seems like genuine shock when you see a notification you have never seen before:

fischbait donated 1,000 bucks!

“Holy fuck, thank you, f– ah!”

As soon as the control prompt showed up on his screen, Robert couldn’t resist making the vibe go to the highest setting, even if it was for just half a second. He bit his lip as he watched you recover from the sudden stimulation, your breathing ragged.

“Oh, thank you so much, fischbait,” you smile widely, opening your legs even further, “Treat me nicely, okay? Or don’t…”

Robert’s hand drops from his mouth to palm at his hardness. He wanted you to pay attention to him only, and he was finally gonna have that. He moves the vibrator’s settings to something more realistic and watches as you begin to grab at your chest.

“Feels so good, fuck," you pull down your top, revealing your tits to Robert– well, everyone, but he didn't want to think about that right now. "You're so good to me…"

"Yeah, just like that, (Y/N)," he takes his cock out from his increasingly uncomfortable slacks, quickly fisting it. "Show me your pretty tits, yeah…"

Robert waits for you to get comfortable with the speed he set, just to move it up by one. Your thighs tremble slightly, he could tell you were holding back. He sees you getting even wetter around the toy, glistening in the soft light of your room– it could be a studio, for all he knows. Robert's donations could certainly fund that. He acts like that idea didn't send a jolt through his body.

"Fuck, fuck," your head rolls back slightly, revealing your damp chest even further, "I think I'm gonna come already. God, don't stop!"

He couldn't care less that he was in his office and that his godforsaken secretary could walk in with some useless papers for him to sign at any given moment– he needed to make you come over and over again. Robert’s tip was leaking profusely, but his grip stopped him from doing anything prematurely. Maybe he wanted to be caught with his dick in his hand, what could anyone do about it?

Robert ups the setting again and watches you convulse around the tiny thing inside you. Uncontrollable moans and whimpers come out of his speakers at an embarrassing volume, but he’s only focused on keeping his pumps in time with your trembling. You babble nonsense as he brings the vibrations down somewhat, but not turning it off.

“Please, please, please… it’s so much!”

With his unoccupied hand, Robert quickly types into the chatbox:

Beg for me to stop if you want it so bad.

Your eyes glance at your own monitor, and you bite your lip before you respond, “Please, fischbait, don’t… don’t stop. Make me come again, okay? I want it so bad it hurts, please– fuck!”

He turns it to a pulsing setting, and you collapse back onto your plush duvet. Robert fists his length as you shake, the two of you practically moaning in sync. The wet sounds he was creating echo in his office as he chases his release, trying his best to time it with yours.

“I’m coming, God, I’m coming, please!”

Robert comes with a loud groan just as soon as you do, his release spilling all over his pristine desk. He continues to pump himself as you come down from your high, almost overstimulating himself to the point of incoherence.

You rise slowly from your bed, giggling tiredly, “Jesus fuck, thank you all so much for your… generous donations. I think I’m all tuckered out!”

He calmed his breathing only to hear your fucked out voice– which had him already preparing for another hard-on. “God, (Y/N)...”

“I’m gonna head out for the night,” you got closer to the camera, winking, “See you all next week, yeah?”

The camera clicks off, and he leans back in his chair, exhausted. Taking in the mess on his table, Robert realizes something. He never had a sense of clarity after orgasming with you, there were no regrets to be had. The things he’d do just to have you in his arms…

His reverie is interrupted by a ping! from his desktop, a message landed in his inbox.

today’s stream was perfect thanks to you, honey! you always treat me so well. i’d love to get to know you better ;)

Tonight was far from over.

[vertical-tacos]

HI GUYS IM FINALLY HERE WITH A NEW KILLER PAGE!!! NOOBIE MY BOY :D I will now relax for the night (I MIGHT post something, but I have literally no idea what- this is only if I get a sudden burst of motivation that spurs my fried brain to do smth).

info under cut as per usual

NOOB - KILLER CONCEPT

INFO

After being unable to help his friends time and time again, it all finally snapped. HE snapped. Now, nothing phases him anymore. I just hope you can say the same.

ABILITIES

PASSIVE: “SURVIVOR’S GUILT”. The fewer survivors standing, the higher the Cooldowns for all abilities, and the higher the Afraid debuff stack is (highest stack is five).

LMB: Noob does a simple punch forward. Rectangle hitbox. 3s cooldown.

ABILITY ONE: “OFF-BRAND”. Noob places down a soda with a different-than-normal logo (along with brief red text upon coming within range that quickly goes back to white like normal). Upon being picked up by a survivor, it will explode, dealing 15 damage and Slowness I, revealing the survivor’s location for 5s.

ABILITY TWO: “VANISHING ACT”. Noob eats a Ghost Burger and gains Undetectable II for 20 seconds, or until they hit a survivor. If a survivor is hit, they gain Afraid III and Bleeding I for 5s.

STATS

DIFFICULTY:★★☆☆☆

DAMAGE: 20

HEALTH: 1000

REGULAR SPEED: 2.5

SPRINT SPEED: 25

STAMINA: 120

STAMINA-LOSS: 5

STAMINA-GAIN: 15

VOICE LINES

IDLE

giggling

WHEN USING "OFF-BRAND"

"Are you HAPPY now? I can FINALLY SUPPORT!"

"TAKE THE OFFERING."

WHEN USING "VANISHING ACT"

"Nobody'll NOTICE."

"BACK INTO THE SHADOWS I GO!"

KILL LINES

When killing Jason

"They didn't trust ME, they'll NEVER trust YOU."

When killing John Doe

"Couldn't keep them SAFE, I see!"

"Call that wasted potential!"

When killing 1x1x1x1

"What's wrong? Not used to the PAIN?"

"He'll* hate me for this..."

*- Shedletsky

When killing C00LKIDD

"Be careful! wouldn't want THEM getting caught in this crossfire of yours!"

"I almost feel bad for you.."

When killing Azure

"You're not getting the same opportunity as HIM."

"Give it UP. You can't undo it."

When killing Guest 666

"I'd ask for you to say hi to HIM, but we both know you're not going there."

"All that foresight, and you still couldn't prevent it..What a shame."

*-false seraph.

Bonus facts:

Mentally unwell in the uh, not so manic way. almost permanent 1000-yard stare. Doesn't mean he's sympathetic or afraid, though, He's basically completely apathetic at this point in time.

He hates Jason and 666 the most. Unsure as to why, though. . .

[arvandus]

Love and Duty Chapter 2

Banner background made by me; do not copy or distribute without permission.

OVERALL FIC WARNINGS: cisfem!Reader; canon adjacent (i.e., loosely-based); 18+ (Minors and ageless blogs DNI!); NSFW in future chapters; violence in future chapters (not against MC); deceit/lying; fake relationship (one-sided); pining; angst with a happy ending.

Chapter 1

Love and Duty Chapter 2

For all of the drama of the previous night, the brothers were quick to apologize the next day, with Mammon practically groveling for forgiveness.

With your temper now cooled back to its usual low hum, you had accepted their apologies, and in a rare case of cooperation between them, Mammon and Asmo managed to put their funds together to replace the dress that they had ruined.

It was hard to stay mad at them after that...

But it was also hard to focus on much else besides the new development between you and Barbatos. It was a strange vortex of emotions that you found yourself in, caught in a tug-o-war between elation and anxiety.

On one end, you were thrilled that your night had done the one-eighty that it did, the impossible becoming your new reality.

Barbatos had kissed you. Not once, but twice.  The memory of it still sat on your lips, the soft flesh tingling while your heart did joyous somersaults in your chest.

But you were now also filled with uncertainty.  Yes, you’d kissed.  But he’d also made a point to ask you to keep your involvement with him private for the time being.  It’d lent the promise of more intimate moments to come, but it also brought to question how official the two of you really were.  You couldn’t help but feel the sharp tinge of disappointment; it made you feel like a dark secret, something to be hidden away rather than cherished, and it brought with it a sense of uncertainty and shame.

Deep down though, you had trouble believing such negativity, especially considering the kisses you’d shared, and the way that he’d comforted you that night.  Not to mention your lengthy friendship with him that you had both built over the years provided a strong foundation of trust and respect.

So instead, you focused on understanding the difficulty of his position.  There was no doubt that your involvement with him could cause quite the political scandal.  It was an unspoken fact in Devildom culture that there remained a very real bias against cross-species romance in any serious capacity.  Sure, sexual relations weren’t uncommon; demons were more than willing to utilize sex as a form of manipulation when they sought to corrupt a human for the sake of devouring their soul.  Sexual involvement also sometimes occurred as a way to solidify pacts between a demon and their human, a vow written into the body and soul via touch rather than verbal contract.

But romantic relations? True commitments? They were still frowned upon by demon society at large, and there was no greater emphasis on this than the persistent archaic ban on interspecies marriage.  Yes, it was a ban that Diavolo had every intention of abolishing when he felt the time was right, but who knew when that time would be. Years? Decades? Centuries?

So to not only become romantically involved with a demon, but Barbatos? Even you couldn’t ignore how such news could shake the entirety of the Devildom and compromise Diavolo’s reputation and public trust.  It didn’t matter how many times you’d helped the Devildom, whether it was the citizens, the lords of hell, or even the crown itself.  It didn’t matter that your approval rating amongst the student body was the highest it’d ever been. And it didn’t matter how popular you were amongst the citizens, a celebrity icon in your own right.

What did matter was that Barbatos was the oldest, most powerful demon in the Devildom, second only to Diavolo himself, and the one closest to the young prince. He was not only the master of time, who’s reputation preceded him in hushed whispers, but he was also the voice of reason, the one who tutored prince Diavolo for millennia and advised him in a multitude of affairs, big and small.

Anyone could excuse the brothers’ infatuations with you as an influence of their pacts or even their Sins.  And despite the strength of their Sins, their legal authority was limited by the Prince and the House of Lords, a vital arrangement of checks and balances within the Devildom government. 

Anyone could even excuse the infatuation of prince Diavolo, if he were so inclined, with the assurance that Barbatos would always be present to act as a voice of reason and boundary-setting, the invisible leash to a young demon prince with overly optimistic and grand ideas.

But to have Barbatos be the demon that was compromised in a love affair with a human? And not just any human, either; one who had the pact strength of the seven lords of hell, the Ring of Light, and was apprenticed under the most powerful human sorcerer? And not just any sorcerer, but one who’s untrustworthy reputation far preceded him and that Barbatos himself happened to have a pact with?

No doubt many demons would not only see Barbatos’s involvement with you as a conflict of interest, but as a full-on attack to their national security.

The weight of these realizations grew heavier and heavier the more you thought about them. They wormed themselves between what you wanted and what was possible.  All you wanted was to enjoy the comfort of Barbatos’s company; to flirt and date and be together without fear of repercussion.  Instead, you had to remain secretive, silent, putting a stopper on your joy even as it threatened to bubble over like an unwatched pot.  You had no one to talk to, no one to confide in. No one except Barbatos, of course... and his availability was already limited as it was.

The more you looked at it, the more it felt like a losing game, a temporary indulgence with no happy ending.  But hope was a funny thing, and the simple fact that Barbatos had seemingly chosen his feelings for you over whatever risks it would bring were enough to give you reason to stay, to take what you could get in whatever form he could provide it.

After all, at the end of the day, happiness was something you not only craved, but needed. And for better or worse, it was Barbatos, above all else, that made you happy.

Which was why you knew you’d have to tread carefully.  You were aware of the risks; you were aware of his position and the demands it placed on him.  He had made the first move, but you knew that, at least for now, he also had to make the second, and the third. You were in uncharted waters, and he would be your guide, weaving the both of you through any possible political pitfalls.

You opted to wait; give Barbatos time to come to you when he was ready.  You knew how busy he was, how heavy his plate of duties weighed upon him day in and day out.  And it was for the best, you told yourself. Your own plate wasn’t exactly light either.  You had plenty keeping you busy throughout the long Devildom hours.

It still didn’t stop you from checking your phone periodically, hoping for a text message.  But each time, you were only greeted with his most recent text, sent after the meeting with the Lords had ended.

‘Well done,’ he’d said.  ‘The young master was very pleased.’

The message was timestamped for three days ago. You’d received nothing since.

You worried your lip between your teeth.

Best not to look at it.  You stuffed the DDD into your back pocket.  But as soon as you did so, it vibrated.  You nearly threw it across the room as you clumsily yanked it from the denim at lightning speed.

False alarm. You stared at the brothers’ group chat with an annoyed glare.

But as you stared at your phone, a new text came through, Barbatos’s name flashing across the top of your screen.

Your heart immediately froze and you opened the message.

‘The young master would like to invite you to dinner at the castle this evening.’

You stared at it with a mixture of relief and annoyance.  Finally Barbatos messaged you... but certainly not for the reason you’d hoped.

Your fingers hovered over the keys briefly before you began typing.

‘Am I in trouble?’  you joked.

Barbatos responded immediately.

‘On the contrary, the young master was so pleased with your conduct with the Lords, that there’s a new matter he’d like to discuss with you in private.’

Private... you’d grown accustomed to the subtleties of Barbatos’s communication style to know that such a specific detail implied a request for secrecy.

You stared at the screen in annoyance and confusion.  The way he was so formal... it felt like you were in a weird alternate universe where the kisses had never happened.

You read the message over again and narrowed your eyes.

A new matter...

Ugh. That sounded like the impending doom of more responsibility... you had half a mind to decline the invitation.

But before you could reply, Barbatos continued.

‘I shall make you your favorite dessert.’

Warmth began to blossom like a morning sunrise in your chest.

‘Are you bribing me?’ you teased.

A pause and you could almost hear his chuckle in your mind. ‘Perhaps,’ he said.

‘You can be rather devious when you want to be,’ you replied.

Barbatos sent you a winking demon emoji and you rolled your eyes.

‘What time should I arrive?’ you asked.

‘Dinner will be hosted at 6.’

‘I will be there,’ you replied.

‘I look forward to it.’

You stared at his response, letting it soak into your bones and water you like a parched plant.

He was looking forward to seeing you.

He still liked you.

He didn’t regret kissing you.

The anxiety slowly faded away and you felt like a normal, functional human again.

---

You arrived precisely on time, as you knew Barbatos liked. It was a skill that you’d never quite mastered until you’d finally learned to teleport.  Turns out that removing the transportation aspect of travel made timeliness infinitely easier.

Barbatos opened the door just as you had raised your hand to knock, his body already dipping in a graceful bow.

“Welcome,” he said formally. His eyes lifted and met yours as he straightened, and heat flooded your veins at the very subtle undertone of warmth within their verdant depths.

“Thank you,” you replied in the same formality, a grin barely held back from your neutral lips.

Of course, your resolve didn’t last long.  Your joy around him was in constant bloom, and your lips curled into a smile as he beckoned you into the entry hall.

It was all so familiar, now... the stonework, the dancing flamed sconces that never died, the pictures that always watched but never blinked.  There was always something strange about the Demon Lord’s Castle, an awareness that seemed to lurk within its very walls.  It felt more alive than inanimate, the occasional Devildom wind passing through high open windows like the breaths of a great beast.  Even the rooms themselves seemed to change locations occasionally, particularly ones that didn’t like to be visited too frequently (as Barbatos put it).  It always unnerved you, inspiring a low hum of discomfort each time you stepped within its ancient magic-laden walls.  It made you subconsciously desire to treat the enchanted keep with respect lest it send you somewhere you didn’t want to go.

You never let your defenses down completely within the castle, but you had learned to grow more comfortable with it over time, in much the same way one might learn to befriend a wild beast.  It was familiar to you now, as each visit you learned and memorized more and more of its nuances.  In a strange sense, it felt like a second home, so long as you kept to the hallways and rooms that you knew you were allowed to venture.

Of course, your knowledge and the comfort it brought wouldn’t be nearly as complete without Barbatos’s help.  You’d had countless conversations shared over tea about the ins and outs of the castle; he was a wealth of knowledge, filled with history and memories. He told how some spaces were built by the power of the first Demon King, while other parts came later, of their own volition, manifesting within a night.  It was the spaces without origin, without ownership that were the most dangerous, where the magic was at its strongest, warping time and space, impacting the laws of physics in ways that were beyond your human comprehension.

Avoid the southeast tower.  And the fourth level of the basement on the west end.  Do not enter the room at the end of the long hall; the door only opens in, but not out. Never out. If you hear whispering behind the curtains within the gallery on the seventh level, do not open them.

On and on it went.

You catalogued each warning within your mind with an ease that could only be reinforced by the fear of death or worse.

Barbatos was always generous with answering your curious questions, although the answers he gave were at times cryptic or entirely evasive.  No doubt there were some questions that ventured too close to secrets, and in those moments, you knew better than to pursue it.

You followed behind Barbatos, allowing him to lead you, despite the urge to walk beside him where you could steal glances of his profile.  Typically, the entry hall led directly into the Great Hall, where most of the hosting and dining occurred when company was present.  However, this time, you were led to the right and up a set of stone stairs to the second floor which opened onto a mezzanine.

“Are we not dining in the usual place?” you asked curiously.

Barbatos glanced back at you briefly.  “Not this evening.  The young master wishes to have his meal in his private dining room. I discouraged the decision due to formality, but he insisted, stating that the smaller space will be better for private conversation.”

Your brow furrowed as he led you down a wide hallway along a row of closed doors before finally turning to face the second to last set of doors.  They were tall and ornately carved with etchings of Devildom fauna and wildlife arcing in intricate patterns upon its surface.

“Is anyone else coming this evening?” you asked as your eyes followed the height.

You had kept your invitation a secret from the brothers and provided a school-related excuse for Lucifer when he inquired about your dinner plans, but it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that others might still be present. Solomon, Simeon... even Mephisto on rare occasions had joined you and Lucifer at the prince’s dinner table in the past.

Barbatos paused as you joined him at his side, and he looked down at you with a small smile.  “No.  The young prince has requested to see only you.”

Your eyes widened and your posture stiffened slightly.  Barbatos gave a soft chuckle that traveled right up your spine.  His gloved hand took yours, his fingers intertwining to give a gentle squeeze. 

Such contact from anyone else would have been entirely normal and innocent.  But from Barbatos, it spoke volumes.

“Are you worried?” he asked quietly.

“Maybe a little...” you admitted.  “This feels very different from having a luncheon or teatime...”

“Hm, that is true.  However, you will soon find that the young master is much the same, regardless of the time of day or the number of people at his table.  You have nothing to fear.”

Your fingers tightened between his, allowing some of your anxiety to seep out of you and into his reassuring grip.

“It’s not Diavolo that I’m afraid of...” you muttered.

Barbatos’s gaze glazed over into an unreadable expression, the rich green darkening slightly and pupils dilating.  It held you captive and you felt far too seen in that moment, the weight of his endless knowledge and infinite secrets taking everything from you while giving nothing.

For the briefest of moments, you felt the reality of what he was... more immortal being of darkness than friend.

But then his gaze softened again. Time moved forward, the infinity of the moment vanishing, and he was once again the Barbatos that you knew and adored.  His hand released your grip to cup your cheek.  The intimate gesture made your breath hitch, your eyes locked with his.

“Do not worry,” he said gently.  “You will do fine. Besides, I will also be present.”

That did bring some relief, and the tightness in your chest lessened, finally allowing the breath you’d been holding to escape.  Barbatos’s hand left your cheek as he faced the doors. He put hands on the large, iron handles and pushed them open with ease, a detail that did not go unnoticed by you as you eyed their height and thickness.

The dim gloom of the gallery hall gave way to the warm, yellow glow of a dining space that was half the size of the great hall.  By comparison it was significantly smaller; however, that didn’t account for much. The room itself was still plenty large with a table long enough to seat ten individuals at its center.  Diavolo sat at the furthest end at the head of the table, with two place settings arranged on either side of him. His hand was outstretched to the array of food in front of him, no doubt to sneak a sample, but retracted as soon as he was within yours and Barbatos’s sights.

Barbatos’s eyes narrowed, and he loudly cleared his throat in disapproval.

Diavolo pretended not to notice as his face lit up at your arrival.  “Ah, there you are!”

“Here I am,” you smiled as you approached. 

You took the seat to his left and sat as Barbatos pushed in your chair for you.

Barbatos began to fill the prince’s plate for him, but Diavolo waved him away with a laugh.  “Sit, Barbatos.  You’ve waited on me enough today.”

Barbatos paused and stared at him as if he grew a second head.  “It is my pleasure to wait on you.”

“Yes, yes, I know... but I was hoping for something more casual this evening.”

You glanced at the array of delicacies on the table, the candlesticks and elaborate centerpieces... everything spoke of grandness.

Casual. This was casual for him?

Years you’d lived here in the Devildom, and you still couldn’t quite get use to situations like this.

Barbatos hesitated for the briefest of seconds and then nodded his head in defeat.  “Very well.”

He took the empty seat across from you and your eyes locked with his.  A flush of heat washed over you and you averted your eyes.  You grabbed your glass of water and took a gulp.

Barbatos clapped his hands twice and you watched as two little Ds came out and began serving your plates.  Just because he wasn’t serving the prince apparently did not mean that the prince was meant to serve himself.

“My apologies for not hosting you in the great hall,” Diavolo commented.  “I grow tired of that big room sometimes.  Especially after hosting a major event.”

“I totally get it,” you replied.  “It does feel a bit much when there’s only a few of us.”

Diavolo brightened.  “My thoughts exactly!”

You watched as your plate was loaded, and it was then that you realized... everything on it was something you loved.  Not that you didn’t love nearly all of Barbatos’s cooking to begin with, even with the odd ingredients that were native to the Devildom.  Still, you expected at least one dish that was a favorite of Diavolo’s since it was his dinner in his castle.

Suspicious.

Your eyes caught Barbatos’s again and for a moment you thought you saw a ghost of a smirk before it vanished.  You stared a moment longer, but his expression remained as placid as always.

Diavolo and Barbatos engaged in small talk with you as everyone began to eat.  How are studies at RAD going? How is your apprenticeship with Solomon?  How are Lucifer and the brothers?

The questions were kind and genuine but also predictable.  You were beginning to get the sense that Diavolo was nervous, procrastinating on bringing up the real reason he invited you here.

You did your best to keep your eyes on your plate or on Diavolo so as not to make your interest in Barbatos obvious, but the eye of your affection sat across from you and you couldn’t help but steal glances.  Sometimes he met your gaze, and other times he did not. He watched the young master speak, addressed the Little D next to him with a whisper, or paid particular attention to the food on his plate.

God, how you wished you could read his mind...

You could feel tension growing and you weren’t sure if it was something shared with those in the room, or if it was something purely within yourself as you waited and waited for the truth of your visit.

But waiting wasn’t your strong suit.

“You know...” you ventured, “I’m curious why I’m the only one here tonight?”

“Oh? Really?” Diavolo asked with a tilt of his head.  “Haven’t we often shared private meals between the three of us?”

You knew this tone; an invitation to engage in a careful dance of exchanges, a give and take of unspoken questions and answers.  It was a game of sorts that demons often enjoyed engaging in, and you’d grown accustomed to it, learning how to play along.

“Lunches or teas, usually...” you replied, “but I think this is the first time I’ve been the only one here for dinner.”

Diavolo put his chin in his hand and looked up thoughtfully.  “Hm, I guess I never noticed.”  He looked back down at you, his smile genuine, but his eyebrows scrunched slightly with worry.  “Does it bother you?”

‘Are you scared?’  Was what he was really asking.  It was a test of trust.

You smiled reassuringly.  “Not at all.  I live in a house with seven demons.  This is a very welcome reprieve, trust me.”

‘I am enjoying the game, let us continue’  was your unspoken reply.

A hearty laugh burst from Diavolo’s chest.  “Yes, I suppose that’s true.”

“But still...” you pressed. “I’m surprised you didn’t even invite Lucifer. I’m sure he would have been happy to escape his brothers for a night.”

‘What could you possibly want to share with me that you haven’t shared with him?’

Diavolo’s smiled turned into one of darker mischief as he rested his cheek against his fist. “I’m sure he would have.”

‘Something he would do better not to know.’

Now that was interesting...

You halted, your cutlery poised in your hands on either side of your plate. You narrowed your eyes and set them down, the game coming to an end as you swiftly cut to the point.

“Okay, what’s going on here? You have Barbatos prepare all of my favorite foods, you invite me and only me to dinner, and Barbatos said in his invite that there’s something you want to discuss with me. He even promised to make me my favorite dessert.”

Diavolo’s eyebrows raised beneath his auburn strands, the golden irises glinting with mirth.  “Did he, now?”

Barbatos froze briefly in the middle of drinking his tea, then slowly lowered the cup to the small saucer.  “I will admit, my lord, she did require a little... persuasion.”

You raised a curious eyebrow at the butler but said nothing.

Diavolo released a satisfied sigh. “I do love your ability to read the nuances of a situation, and your directness has always been a breath of fresh air.  Especially after a day spent with stuffy old demons whose words always carry three or four hidden meanings, at least.  You wouldn’t believe how long conversations can drag on for, especially in a group...

“Yes, I did invite you here to discuss something.  But I wanted to discuss it without Lucifer here. He can be a bit....”

“Overbearing?” you offered.

Barbatos smirked into his teacup.

Diavolo raised an eyebrow and grinned.  “I was going to say protective.”

You suppressed a knowing smirk of your own.

“So...” you continued, “is this meant to be a secret from Lucifer then?”

“No, not in the slightest. I just simply wanted you to be able to consider the information and make the decision for yourself without external pressure.”

“Decision about what?”

“Well...” Diavolo pushed his plate forward and interlocked his fingers on the table.  “That’s what I must talk about.  The House of Lords were pleased to meet with you at the celebratory ball a few days ago.  You left a good impression on many of them.”

“But not all of them,” you stated wryly.

Barbatos’s eyes glinted and Diavolo gave a half laugh with a crooked smile.  “No, not all of them.  There are still a few who are... resistant.”

“Because I’m human.”

“Because you’re not a demon,” he corrected.  “It’s less about what you are, and more about what you are not.”

Your heart began to beat heavier in your chest, your stomach coiling with the early signs of nausea.  “But I’ve been nothing but an ally to the Devildom, have I not?”

Diavolo nodded.  “You have.”

Your throat tightened,  and your words filled with more and more tension.  “I’ve tamed the Seven Deadly Sins, helped to navigate peace with the angels, and saved the Devildom more times than I can count... what more could they want?”

More importantly, what more could you give?  When would these endless tests finally end? How much more did you have to prove yourself before you could be left alone to live a happy life with those you cared about, without being scrutinized like a bug under a microscope?

You felt the hard tip of a shoe nudge gently against yours beneath the table, and your eyes caught Barbatos’s.  His eyes were soft with understanding, his lips curled into a mellow smile.

Relax.

You took a breath and let it out slowly.  “I’m sorry,” you muttered.  “It’s just been... a lot lately.”

Diavolo stared at you for a long moment, sympathy in his gaze.  “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” he reassured.  “If you decide this is not something you want to engage in, then I will smooth it over the lords. You only have to say the word.”

You sighed heavily.  “I don’t even know what ‘this’ is.”

“The lords have agreed by majority vote to expand the exchange program,” Diavolo said.

Pride swelled in your chest and your eyes widened. “Diavolo, that’s great news!”

Diavolo laughed. “Yes, it is.  However, it won’t come without restrictions.”

You narrowed your eyes suspiciously.  “What sort of restrictions?”

Diavolo sighed and leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed over his broad chest.  “That has yet to be decided.  But for now, it is enough to know that support for the program is growing.  Which presents us with our next dilemma... we must strengthen our position and prepare for who we will invite next.”

Ah, finally you were beginning to understand...

“You mean like... more humans?” you replied.

“...and angels,” Barbatos chimed in.

You fell silent for a moment as you pondered the significance.  Doubt crept along your spine, icy tendrils that warned of danger.

“Is this a good idea?” you finally asked.  “You just agreed that there are still some demons who don’t like even me and Solomon being here....  won’t this just anger them more?”

“A fair question,” he sighed.  “And one that I’ve been pondering as well.  But at no point have I ever waited for a one hundred percent approval rating before making a decision.  One of the many benefits of being the prince,” he winked.  “RAD was always meant to be more than just an experiment.  And progress is only progress if things continue to move forward.”

Dread soaked you from your head to your toes, dampening your appetite. “And how would you like me to help move it forward?” you asked.

“I would like to include you in the decision-making; to utilize your expertise of humans to make the exchange program more welcoming for your kind, help us select our next three candidates, and then provide guidance for them once they arrive.”

You choked on the water you were trying to sip and coughed. “Me??  I’m hardly an expert on humans...”

“You are more of an expert than any of us,” Diavolo replied.  “In fact, many demons haven’t visited the human realm for some time now, the House of Lords included.  Their understanding of humans is a bit... outdated.”

You could feel a headache begin to form behind your eyes and you rubbed the bridge of your nose with your thumb and forefinger.  “Diavolo... there are billions of humans. Trying to narrow it down to just three will be impossible.”

“You will not be doing this alone,” Barbatos offered.  “Myself, Diavolo, and Lucifer will be involved in the process as well.”

You raised your eyebrow in doubt.  “Yes, and how long did it take you three the first time?”

A silence lingered for three seconds too long before Diavolo finally spoke.

“Well, uh...”

“Yeah, my point exactly,” you huffed.  “I’ll be long dead before you even reach a decision, let alone provide guidance.”

“The first time,” Barbatos said, “The entire process was new for everyone. The second time will be quicker, we assure you. The young prince would not bestow this task to you if was outside of your realm of capabilities.”

“Well, why not ask Solomon?” you asked.  “At least he is immortal...”

“I have a different offer for him with regards to RAD,” Diavolo replied.

Curiosity made your eyebrow raise.  “Oh?”

“Yes, you see, I realized that it would help the exchange program if we expand our RAD staff to include human and angel faculty.”

Your eyes widened and you stifled a laugh.  “You... you want Solomon to teach? What on earth would the subject be?”

“I was thinking human world history.  After all, he’s been alive for such a long time, and was likely there to witness most of it... I’m rather excited to hear his personal recounting of events...”

Diavolo had that look again, the one that made him seem younger than he was, all excitement and wide-eyed wonder.

You had no doubt that Solomon’s penchant for mischief would lead to a rather biased and inflated account of even the most mundane of historic events.

“Solomon teaching history... that’ll be interesting...” you muttered.  “Has he accepted?”

“I haven’t asked him yet,” Diavolo confessed.  “But it’s more than that... you have a far better approval rating amongst the populace than Solomon does.  If we’re to allow a human to participate in the expansion of the program, then you are clearly the better candidate.”

A laugh escaped your lips and you clamped your hand over your mouth.  “I-I’m sorry,” you said. “It’s just... this is not what I expected. I thought you were going to need help for another event, or another trial I’d have to go through or something for the House of Lords... but this?”

You gulped your water, but it didn’t satisfy.  A million thoughts were flooding your head at once, pros and cons, unspoken implications and all the ways that you could clearly fail...

RAD studies, living with and managing the brothers, sorcerer apprenticeship, the student council, the judgment and scrutiny of an entire population...

It was too much, too much.

You could feel your heartbeat pounding against your sternum, and it felt harder and harder to breathe... and was the room warmer? Couldn’t someone open a window??

“Perhaps a short recess is in order before dessert?” Barbatos suggested.

His voice sounded distant, muted against the sound of your pulse rushing in your ears.  Your eyes were stuck to your plate, but you forced them up to look at him.  He stared back at you, but the panic was drowning out whatever it was that his gaze was trying to communicate.

“Yes,” Diavolo agreed. “A good idea, Barbatos.”

You hadn’t even realized that Barbatos had left his seat until you heard his voice next to you.

“Will you walk with me?”

You looked towards his voice to see his hand stretched out, palm up. You stared at it, before absently taking it with your own.  He gently tugged your arm and you stood slowly.

Barbatos looked at Diavolo and provided a bow.  “We shall return shortly, my lord.”

So much said in so little a statement, and Diavolo understood all of it.  He gave a nod.

“Yes. Thank you, Barbatos.”

And suddenly Barbatos’s hand was guiding you out of the dining room and into the quiet and dim gallery. The further you moved away from the room, the more your surroundings returned to clarity.

“Come,” he ordered gently.

You didn’t question him, and you didn’t take note of where he led you, trusting him implicitly to take you somewhere private, somewhere safe.

If you’d allowed yourself the mental wherewithal to think of where he’d take you, you would have assumed the gardens or observatory; a place where you could see the sky, where the vastness of the heavens above you would free the weight from your shoulders.

Instead, he took you to the piano room.

The same one he’d found you in days prior.

The same one where he’d kissed you.

Your heart froze in your throat, your skin prickling and tightening into goosebumps.

A single thought broke through the chaotic hum of your mind and you finally found your voice again.

“Why did you bring me here?” you asked.

“It seemed to be a place you like to come to for comfort,” Barbatos replied.  “Would you prefer a different place to gather yourself?”

 You turned to him and stared, only to be met by his neutral gaze. Your eyes searched and dug for a sign of something more, desperate for a rock to cling to in a churning sea, and finally you found it... the most subtle furrow of his brow, the ever so slight downward turn of his mouth. He was concerned for you.

It was small, but it was enough.

You crossed your arms over your chest protectively.  “No, no.... you’re right. I like it here.”

But instead of sitting and calming yourself, you paced, your feet moving you back and forth in front of the tall windows where starlight poured in. Barbatos watched, waiting, allowing you the space you needed to process and organize your thoughts.

“I don’t understand,” you muttered.  “Why me?  Why does he think I can do this?  Help pick out the next three humans to come here? And guide them?  What if they don’t even speak the same language as me? Do you know how many human languages there are? Thousands! Literally thousands! And how am I supposed to know what qualities to look for in a person?  Are they qualities that demons will respect or want?  Are we ruling out certain age groups? I mean, obviously no children, but that still leaves so many... and what about Solomon? That sly bastard... did he know about this? Why does he get to teach history while I have to be the one to search for three needles in a haystack...”

On and on your rambled, your words spilling from your mouth in a disorganized heap and you hated it, hated the way you were losing control of yourself.  Barbatos’s reserved nature was more painful than it was helpful, he’s own calm resilience put in stark contrast to your own emotional state.  Surely he was disgusted with you, found your emotional outburst unbecoming...

But then you felt his gloved hand grasp yours, heard your name spoken with gentle firmness on his lips.  The interruption halted your pacing, and you turned to look at him, your eyes wide.

His gaze was soft, his touch secure and warm, and it grounded you instantly. 

“Breathe,” he ordered, “before your damage your fragile human heart.”

You couldn’t help but smile and give a small laugh.  “I don’t break that easily...”

Barbatos smiled in amusement and gently pulled you closer to him. “One can never be too careful. Now talk to me.  What exactly is troubling you?”

You were inches apart now, and the closeness of him made your heart begin to race for a different reason.

“I already told you—” you started.

“No,” he replied, cutting you off.  “That was not talking a moment ago, that was panic. You scarcely even acknowledged my presence.”

You stared up at him for a moment, your mouth opening and closing as you struggled to organize your conglomeration of worries into something cohesive.

“Ah,” Barbatos noted.  “Perhaps I can assist.  Earlier you had stated it wasn’t the young master you were worried about.  What did you mean by that?”

You searched your memory for the moment outside the dining room doors as you stared at the details of Barbatos’s clothing.

“I... was worried about the House of Lords.”

“Why?”

“Because I know not all of them approve of me.  And I know they likely talked with Diavolo after I met them at the ball.”

“Hm,” he commented.

You shot him a playful glare. “Hm? What kind of response is that?”

Barbatos’s lip curled into a half smirk. “It is the kind that is appropriate for this moment.”  He gave your hand a reassuring squeeze. “Continue. What do you suspect they talked about?”

You stared off to the side as your thoughts returned to Diavolo’s request at the dinner table.  Your thoughts began falling rapidly into an organized pattern, a series of what ifs and consequences.

“I fail, then it’s going to give the opposition everything they want,” you said.

Your response didn’t answer his question, but Barbatos’s eyes glinted anyway, and his lips curled into a smile.  “Splendid. I see you are already three steps ahead.”

Your mind continued working.  “If I don’t participate in expanding RAD for more humans, then it’ll negatively impact the influence humans can have moving forward. What good is a human on the student council if they’re not even a part of selecting the future exchange students?  My position would be in title only and wouldn’t bear much weight. It would make me look either irresponsible, or too afraid to make major decisions.”

“A valid point,” Barbatos agreed.  “Your position as a student council officer was not given lightly and it would be a waste to not utilize it to its full potential.”

You fell silent for a moment, and Barbatos gave your hand another gentle squeeze.

“Continue,” he said.

“If I do participate in the selection process, then that will also carry its own risk.  If for any reason the candidates I help select end up being a poor fit for the program, then it will not only call into question my skills but will reflect poorly on humanity as a whole.”  Another realization came on the heels of the previous, and you looked up at Barbatos, your eyes wide. “The opposition will try to sabotage any new candidates that arrive here.  They’ll try to make them fail.”

Barbatos’s smile faded to neutrality.  “A likely possibility. Of course, we will do what we can to mitigate such attempts.”

Your brow furrowed for a moment.  “Why didn’t they try to sabotage me?”

Barbatos’s smile returned but it was entirely devoid of warmth.  “They did.  We stopped them before you fell into such traps.”

Your eyes widened in surprise. “Oh...”

“Although to be honest,” Barbatos added with a slight tilt of his head, “your celestial heritage makes you particularly resilient to demonic influence, which made our work infinitely easier.  Plus, we didn’t have to protect you for long... you managed formulate pacts with the brothers rather quickly, which only strengthened your resistance and deterred anyone with half of a brain.”

You flushed beneath his gaze and looked to the side again as you continued thinking.  “This will put more pressure on me with all of my other duties, which is what they want.  If I can’t handle it all, then they’ll call me incompetent. And if I give up anything, then it’ll lessen my impact and undo all that I’ve worked for.  I’m sure they’d love nothing more than to see me vanish into obscurity, bogged down for decades behind mountains of paperwork about human candidates.”

Barbatos nodded in agreement.  “There are those who would gladly take advantage of your short lifespan.”

“Of course they would....” you muttered. “Diavolo knows all of this too.  And he knows he has to offer me this responsibility or it will look poorly on both of us if he doesn’t.  That was why he didn’t inform Lucifer.  He knew Lucifer would try to talk me out of it.”

“The decision must be yours and yours alone,” Barbatos said. “The young prince did state that you can refuse.  It will not be the first roadblock he’s encountered, and I assure you he will overcome it as he’s done with all of the others.”

“No, no...” you muttered.  “He’s worked this hard already... who knows how long this will set back the program and humanity’s place amongst the three realms if I refuse.”

“And thus you understand that all of our hands are tied.” Barbatos said quietly.

A heavy silence fell for a moment before you finally spoke again.

“I have to be perfect...” you muttered.  “Anything less will be used against me, one way or another.”

Barbatos tilted your chin up to look at him.  He smiled down at you, a hint of mischief glinting in his timeless gaze.  “Luckily for you, you have me.  And I happen to be an expert at perfection.”

You stared into his eyes, and it felt like weightlessness and falling at the same time. 

“Do I?” you whispered.

“Hm?”

His stare made you so vulnerable it ached.  The burning sensation of impending tears itched behind your eyes, but you fought it down.

“Do I have you?”

There was a moment of silence as Barbatos’s smile faded and his gaze stretched like the infinite darkness. It terrified you and called to you, and the longer you held his gaze, the less ‘human’ he seemed.

Then he leaned in and kissed you, gentle and feather soft, and the ethereal demon was once again a man. It felt hesitant, as if he feared he’d break you, but his lips were warm and real, and you leaned into it, grateful for the contact.

It was over too soon, his back straightening and your eyes fluttered open.

He smiled at you tenderly.  “Of course,” he answered.

Relief pushed back the clouds of dread that your impending new responsibility had summoned forth and you smiled at him.  Barbatos’s pupils dilated slightly, his own lips curling into a smile of his own, and his thumb gently caressed the apple of your cheek before taking your other hand in his.

“So tell me, star of mine... what shall we tell the young prince?”

You let the love-haze linger for a few seconds as his pet name echoed through every crevasse in your body, mind, and soul.  One. Two. Three.  Then you closed your eyes and pushed it down, stashing it away to savor for later.

When you opened your eyes again, you were once again firmly seated into your position of power. Apprentice of Solomon. Keeper of the Deadly Sins.  RAD student council member.

And above all else, human.

“I will tell him that I will accept his offer,” you stated firmly.

Barbatos smiled fully, and it lit up his face in the most beautiful ways.  He took your chin in his thumb and forefinger and stared into your eyes as if he were checking for something.  “Ah,” he commented.  “There she is.  Welcome back.”

Chapter 3

[sunflower-salt]

Tell me about your disabled Wizzy OCs!

Reblog and infodump about your physically disabled, mentally ill, neurodivergent, chronically ill, and intellectually disabled characters!

Here are mine (under a cut ’cause this got long):

💀 Ophelia Starshroud is semiverbal autistic, has combined ADHD, and has a spinal cord injury! 🌱

Her autism and ADHD are both undiagnosed, as many of her neurodivergent quirks, tics, and symptoms are written off as an inherent strangeness or the result of her immense magical power making her “funny” in the head. She is very quiet most of the time and occasionally has nonverbal episodes, but in class, she’s quite talkative and engaged because magic is one of her special interests! Her other special interests are astronomy, botany, and spiders. She often reads nonfiction about her SpIns to learn as much as she can about them and has been known to infodump! She also frequently stims with her magic, producing little mana sparkles that change color depending on the emotion her stimming is trying to express. When she flaps her hands in excitement or joy, expect to see showers of sparkles! One of her most common stims is wringing her hair in both hands like a soaked dish towel; this typically makes an appearance when she is anxious, upset, or simply thinking very hard. She has a strong flat affect and is quite introverted. Due to her ADHD, she also struggles with impulsivity, which has caused some big-time problems—both in her personal life and as the Savior of the Spiral (cough freeing Spider from the Black Hole despite being warned away multiple times because “I have to know who’s calling me!!!” cough).

As for her spinal cord injury, she has a C-7 incomplete SCI. “C-7” indicates that the injury is located in her cervical spine, the highest portion of the spinal cord. “Incomplete” indicates that she still has some sensation and movement below the injury.

Ophelia acquired her SCI during her first battle with Jotun and would likely have died if not for being an embodiment of Death magic, which makes her very hardy. As a result of the injury, she can only walk with leg braces and fatigues from walking more easily than she used to, which sometimes means using a wheelchair. She also experiences orthostatic hypotension—dips in blood pressure when going from lying down to sitting/standing, which can result in dizziness, fainting, and nausea, among other things. She has only partial control of her bladder and bowels and often experiences tingling, numbness, and shooting pains in her arms and legs, which can negatively impact her ability to walk and use her hands. She gets frequent headaches and occasional migraines, some of them with an aura, because the injury is so close to the base of her neck. On occasion, she also struggles to breathe and cough productively, which can cause issues when she’s trying to fight or when she’s sick.

Ophelia had to adjust to becoming physically disabled. When it comes to her mental and emotional quirks as a result of AuDHD, she’s long been of the opinion that it’s other people who have the issue, not her. She doesn’t mind being different most of the time; she doesn't like most people anyway. But when it comes to her physical health, adjusting to being physically disabled and having many more limitations, triggers, and bad health days than she had before takes her quite a while. She experiences rage, grief, self-recrimination, and shame over her newfound difficulties, and she struggles to overcome many of the limiting, largely subconscious beliefs she once held about what it means to be physically disabled. At the same time as she must realize that she's still the same person she was before her injury, she must also acknowledge, accept, and respect her newfound limitations, honoring her body's signals when it's telling her she needs to slow down or stop doing something entirely. She still struggles mightily with that second one, having a bad tendency to forgo listening to her body's signals if said signals would get in the way of her performing her job as the Savior of the Spiral. In many ways, Ophelia prioritizes the continued health and safety of the Spiral and of other people over her own health and safety, and this sometimes has drastic consequences...

🔥 Abigail Soulpyre is nonverbal autistic and has anxiety! 🎲

Abigail was raised in a cellar by her abusive father, who saw her as a monster and an abomination of pure Azoth. He didn’t speak to her very much at all, and as such, she likely would not have acquired a first language anyway. However, even if he had spoken to her regularly, she would still have turned out mute due to her autism.

When Abigail finally escapes from her nightmarish existence in the cellar, she emerges into a world she knows absolutely nothing about. This experience, along with her preexisting trauma, contributed to the development of her anxiety disorder, which sometimes causes her to have panic attacks. Her panic attacks are often difficult to distinguish from her autistic meltdowns, with both types of episode manifesting as crying, rage, violence, overwhelm, and self-harm. Her meltdowns are typically triggered by unpleasant sensations, such as a bad texture or too-bright lights or a grating sound, while her panic attacks are more often triggered by reminders of her childhood trauma: the sound of raised voices and slamming doors, small spaces and total darkness, or someone raising their hand as if to hit her.

In order to communicate, Abigail learns Wizard City Sign Language, which is also learned by her older brother, Michael, who was also being held captive in the Soulpyre house. She’s surprisingly articulate and has a lot of observations and theories about the outside world, which she enthusiastically shares with anyone who can understand her. Her favorite sign is her own name—the letter A + the sign for curly hair—followed by Michael’s name (the letter M + “brother”) and the sign for “sun.”

🌙 Edie Moonbright has POTS and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome! 👩🏾‍🦽‍➡️

Edie has been disabled her entire life. She was born with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, specifically hypermobile EDS, which results in joint hypermobility and easy/frequent dislocation of her joints. She bruises very easily, frequently experiences muscle weakness and joint pain in her knees and hips, and lives with chronic fatigue. Due to her EDS, which negatively impacted her blood circulation and autonomic functions, she also developed postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) in her early adolescence. Her POTS exacerbated previous issues she had with fatigue and orthostatic hypotension, which causes her to become dizzy and sometimes faint upon moving from a lying position to sitting/standing up. It also came with a host of new symptoms, including brain fog (especially first thing in the morning), excessive sweating (especially at night, which makes it difficult for her to sleep), and a general feeling of malaise. Because of her disabilities, she is a part-time wheelchair user—the reasons range from severe fatigue to vertigo to dislocations or pain in the joints of her hips, knees, or ankles.

When Edie first developed POTS, she went through a grieving period; although she had lived with EDS her whole life, her development of POTS meant she now had even more limitations and more bad health days than before, and she grieved for the loss of what little health she'd had. Edie always bounces back, though, and once she felt ready to accept her new life, she ambitiously embarked on the creation of a youth disability support group for adolescents with a wide range of chronic health conditions, wanting to foster a sense of community, solidarity, and support for girls like herself. The group functions not only as a place to get advice, support, tips, and encouragement for dealing with disability, but also as a social group where disabled girls can meet each other and forge new friendships with others who can relate to their experiences and empathize with navigating a world that isn't always built for disabled people. The group frequently meets up for game nights, lunches, and other activities that serve to create and reinforce bonds and offer a sense of community where before there may have been only loneliness. And it’s all thanks to Edie!

🌸 Sumi Fallenblossom is Deaf! 🎸

Sumi was born with progressive hearing loss in both ears. By the time she was about four, she had 85% hearing loss in her right ear and 65% hearing loss in her left ear. As a teenager, she is entirely deaf in her right ear but still has some hearing in her left ear, which is enhanced somewhat by the use of a hearing aid. Having been raised by two Deaf parents, one of whom communicates primarily via speech and one of whom communicates primarily through Wizard City Sign Language, Sumi is fluent in both communication styles and changes how she communicates based on who she’s speaking to and what their style of communication is. The capital D in “Deaf” is important—Sumi is proud of her Deafness, her Deaf community, and the unique culture that surrounds them.

In terms of what Sumi can actually hear, she perceives low frequencies far better than high frequencies, and very loud sounds are usually perceived more by the vibrations they create than the actual sound itself. Sumi is a hardcore punk rocker, and there’s nothing she loves more than rocking out to the pounding rhythms and chest-shaking bass of her favorite songs! She shares her love of punk rock with her dad, who raised her on the stuff.

Sumi often struggles to differentiate words without some degree of lip reading; typically, she can accurately perceive every third word or so. As such, she’s gotten very good at synthesizing multiple pieces of information—gathered from what little she can hear, lip reading, and observation of the other person’s body language—in order to accurately guess what people are saying. Even so, there are many miscommunications, which Sumi takes in good humor!

[brucewaynehater101]

All of this is just so. Chefs kiss. I do have another layer of angst and a layer of comedy. After all, the angst stops hitting as hard if you don't have something light hearted to compare it to. After all, how can you know what darkness is if you have never seen light?

I said at the start that Tim gives discounts for secrets. He always seems to be able to tell when people lie and those that do tell him lies well. Bad things happen to them. Nothing can be directly traced back to Jane Doe, but everyone knows. Of course this does lead to some rouges and GCPD pigs trying to intimidate Jane into telling them what she knows. Everytime, Jane offers to play a game with them. 5 rounds, whoever does the rounds gets to ask the questions and no one else but others can listen. Should the challenger win a round, they get to ask one question and Jane promises to answer truthfully. If they win two, he will answer two and so on. They only get a 30 second break between each round and the Playlist is set to shuffle.

Tim lays out these rules and once the person agrees, thinking it's either a fight or sex, only then does Tim reveal they will be playing Dance Dance Revolution that Tim "upgraded" so it has the four diagonal pads too instead of the usual just 4 pads. He sets it to max difficulty for Rouges, second highest for everyone else. The most anyone has ever gotten is when Harley managed to ask Jane to questions.

Of course there are rules about the questions, like you can't ask Jane for any of their own personal details, and if Jane doesn't know the answer to a question you get one do over question. Joker has never threatened to hurt Jane over the way they sell secrets back with DDR because he thinks it's the funniest possible way to humiliate people who demand answers. Sometimes he has his henchmen challenge Jane knowing they'll lose just to laugh at them as they fail.

But on the flip side. Do you think any of the Rouges, before they knew Jane was Robin ever hired Jane? Tim would *hate* it but... those he goes on dates with are often very loose lipped about things and one time he got paid to just hang off a drug dealer's arm all night and look pretty while the guy drank. The guy was a *very* talkative drunk and after he passed out Tim was able to look through his shit with the potential excuse of "im just looking for the bathroom sweetheart~" of course none of the Rouges would ever hire Jane if they knew how old he was but Tim doesn't advertise that. Especially if he's been on the street for a few years at that point and has a reputation. He has to be at least 20, right? Right? Plus the mask and the fact it has a filter to obscure his voice he's just... there was no way for them to know, right? They can justify it to themselves all they want but if a Rouge did, they would definitely feel Really Gross.

Yeah! You've got to have some light-hearted or happy moments to really drive in that angst.

For Jane's age, it definitely depends on the Rogue and their characterization. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure Black Mask was a bit creepy to Steph when he was torturing here. So, whether or not they would feel gross/horrified depends on who it was.

I can see how they wouldn't have known (especially if Jane refused to answer questions about themself including age).

As far as the Dance Dance Revolution? That's a brilliant idea. I wonder if he's ever practiced that with YJ or Dick. I could definitely see then doing that. It would be a cute bonding activity (until they learn he used it as a form of protection).

[euripidestrousers]

What are your big wolfstar hc?

Ooh good question!

I tend to change my hcs based on the AU I'm writing, but i am not exaggerating when I say these little freaks are Always on My Mind so I have an ungodly amount of canon-themed hcs. Here we go:

- Remus is one of the only people Sirius cuts a fair amount of slack. Sirius has high standards and expectations of others but he has a huge Remus-shaped blind spot, so will find reasons to excuse Remus' sometimes shitty behaviour. He has heart shaped eyes for his gangly, sly, avoidant attachment style man.

- Remus sleeps like an absolute log, anywhere, anytime. Sirius has always been a light sleeper, wakes easily, and doesn't sleep much.

- They kept their casual fucking-turned relationship secret until well after graduating. The only ones who knew were James, Lily and Peter. Lily was the first one to figure it out because poor James had been in the trenches, so used to his friends' flirting that he didn't even clock it anymore. It brought Lily and Sirius together because he had someone to talk about it with, the first person he'd met who wasn't a casual homophobe about it, and was sympathetic.

- Second to this! James and Peter weren't always rainbow flag waving allies. They were teenage boys in the 70s - they'd drop casual homophobic comments all the time before finding out about their friends. Sirius joined in sometimes to hide it from James (he never cared what anyone else would think but he was secretly afraid of losing closeness with James), and Remus went very quiet whenever this happened. James was surprised at first when he found out but came around within minutes and apologised for being a thoughtless dick when he was younger.

- Peter most definitely used Remus and Sirius' tumultuous relationship against them. Remus was very avoidant about coming out and Sirius, while not his highest priority, resented having to hide. They bickered about it and Peter would often throw a spanner in to make their fighting worse.

- Sirius' hair is a good indicator of his mental health. While he's not vain he tends to keep it neat and out of the way when he's in a good place mentally. When he's fighting inner demons he lets it go and Remus knows this. He uses it as a Sirius-meter, and knows when it's starting to get long and unkempt to gently pry into what's going on with him.

- They do the crossword puzzles together most mornings (when Remus gets up in time)

- Sirius is fantastic at baking although he only did it once or twice for Lily's birthday (per her request). Remus is the cook for both of them, although when Sirius isn't there he sustains himself on tea, biscuits and deeply suppressed anxiety.

- Sirius is a singer when he's in a good mood. Remus adores coming home to hear his deep voice belting out a mix of muggle and wix songs because it means Sirius is in his happy place. Sirius is a serenader - it starts as a joke but there's a soft look in his eye when sings while he spins Remus around the kitchen. It's one of Remus' favourite Sirius-isms

- Sirius jokes about Remus' lycanthropy to make light of it. He can be a bit callous and insensitive about it at times, but his candour does make Remus feel less like a monster.

- They are god-awful at communicating as they're both rather private, skeptical people. While it's something they have in common and respect about each other, it makes for difficulties in a relationship.

- Sirius is a Nightmare when he's bored so Remus has a mental Rolodex of thought-provoking questions to stop him from wreaking havoc (or just being annoying). As soon as he sees the restlessness starting, he casually brings up that new law about to pass in the goblin senate, and how it might affect non-human creatures in the wizarding world. He still hasn't recovered from the time Sirius got bored and took apart his record player to see how it worked and he's not getting caught out again. This is also one of the reasons why Remus is in Sirius' top 3 favourite people - he always has something interesting to say and will happily debate for hours. Sirius is hardly ever bored around him.

- Neither of them are jealous lovers. Remus' self-worth is in the toilet, so if he sees someone flirting with Sirius he just feels miserable and spirals, thinking about how Sirius can do so much better than him. Sirius is a fiercely loyal person so he never flirts back and thinks Remus' self-image issues are ridiculous. On the odd occasion that someone flirts with Remus, Sirius rather enjoys it because a) it's ammunition for teasing and Remus will go bright red when he brings it up, and b) Watching Remus eventually realise he's being flirted with is prime entertainment - he fumbles and blushes so hard and almost takes out whoever's around in his haste to flee. It's priceless. Also - Sirius is extremely self-assured and knows his partner is hopelessly gone for him and would never cheat. Trust is extremely important to them both.

- Remus is extremely unpleasant around the full moon. He's got all sorts of aches and pains, has trouble sleeping properly, fatigue, and nausea issues. It makes him irritable and snappy. Sirius is incredibly patient with him and gives him space. He doesn't take Remus' mood to heart and occupies himself while Remus wallows. He's always there when Remus finally emerges from his misery to pitifully request a massage or a pain potion, and is uncharacteristically soft with him during the full moon period.

- Sirius. Cannot. Stand. the way Remus runs away from problems. It's his biggest pet peeve and it's a source of some of their biggest fights.

- Remus is mostly vanilla-aligned but is open to trying whatever new thing Sirius comes home with, smiling giddily and clutching a new toy or book with a spell he wants to try out. Occasionally Sirius will strike gold and find a kink Remus is wild for (ahem, praise kink), and is horribly smug about it

- Sirius is hopelessly gone for Remus' feigning innocence, lying through his teeth act. He doesn't understand it, but seeing Remus lie point blank to someone's face with those big, trustworthy brown eyes, sends him off-the chain, I-need-to-fuck-this-man-right-now-wild and he has no clue why. Remus is aware of this.

- They are mostly switchy but will go for months at a time with a preference for topping/bottoming. When Remus is feeling particularly insecure he tends to want to be fucked intimately, face-to-face, where he can see every twitch in Sirius' face, can catalogue the evidence of how much Sirius adores him. Sirius is just happy to be along for the ride because this way he can completely blanket Remus and grind slowly, swallowing every one of Remus' whimpers and broken moans as he fucks him slowly and thoroughly. Sirius can't get enough of taking him apart, finding his limits, anything that breaks Remus' finely tuned composure.

- Sirius is awful at apologies when they're younger. He has trouble admitting or even seeing his wrongs. After becoming an animagus he finds that it's much easier to apologise as Padfoot. After a fight he'll go for a rage-fuelled long walk or bike-ride, and cool down. When he's said or done something he regrets, he'll come home as Padfoot, tail drooping and wagging hopefully, big grey eyes fixed on Remus. He'll sidle up to him and just stare, wagging his tail. Remus knows exactly what he's doing but it's impossible to stay mad at him like this and he begrudgingly accepts that it's Sirius' way of apologising. It's not the healthiest communication tactic but they're not perfect. Once Sirius receives a begrudging head scratch, he changes back to his human form and acts like they never fought. It's annoyingly effective.

- Remus absolutely loathes flying on Sirius' motorbike. He begrudgingly admits it's hot to see Sirius dismounting, windswept, leather jacket donned, but god help him he'll do anything to avoid joining him on that death-trap. The only upside is that when he gets cajoled into riding, he can wrap around Sirius like a squid, burying his face in his back, and it's the only way it feels even slightly safe. Sirius secretly loves when Remus does this, and although he doesn't know what cute aggression is, it makes him want to squeeze Remus until his head pops off.

- Sirius is The Garbage Bin of the relationship. Oh you're not gonna finish your dinner? Pass it on over. Random assortment of treats Remus can't finish? Munches on them instead of meals. He often forgets to eat so he gets what he can when he can - ADHD eating style. Remus is the sick Victorian child, 'i can't eat too much dairy or I'll die'. Takes one bite of an apple and feels sick, Sirius, come get your snack, boy.

- Neither of them ever wanted kids but they both like children, which is a surprise to both of them. Given the chance, they are the Coolest Uncles, although Remus is cagey about their relationship and insists they're just best pals that live together until Harry is old enough to call bullshit, and Sirius just shrugs like 'yeah, he's weird about it. If you ask him about it he'll run away to Turkey. I'm working on it.'

Wowwww okay I have so many more but I have to stop somewhere. I hope you don't regret asking this question anon! You have opened Pandora's box

[ecargmura]

Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductions Episode 24 Review - The Man With The Crescent Moon Mark

If you drink, play a drinking game every time ‘Seventeen years ago’ is spoken in this episode. You’ll probably be hospitalized by the end. I don’t drink, so I’m being tormented by those three words with or without alcohol. Anyways, after watching this episode, I can see a very clear moral for this case: don’t trust people on the internet; you may one day be involved with a crime syndicate if you do. That’s why they always warn you to be wary of them.

Now with the reveal of a third murder, I think this case has the highest body count so far; please correct me if I’m wrong. It’s like a increase in difficulty level compared to the observatory case. I do see some similarities with that case with this one in that Ron is suspected of being the killer, but we all know he’s not. With the people in this case being involved with the Jim Gore murder case seventeen years ago, I do think that, if you narrow down the possible suspects, Tiger Dan is the definite culprit. Why I think is because he’s the one that started the cycle of how the murder start meaning that he’s the most unreliable. He says that he met the man with the crescent moon mark on the Internet, met Jim Gore and that’s how it all transpired, but he could easily be lying. Maybe he was working with the man. It’s like a game of telephone. Someone will always mess it up, and it’s usually the second person. If the man with the crescent moon mark is the one who talked to Tiger Dan, then Tiger Dan is the second person in the long line of murder telephone.

Like the observatory case, Ron gets into trouble and Toto has to step up. This time, Ron learns about his possible connection to the man with the crescent moon mark and it turns out to be his father Eliot Moriarty. Excuse me? Did you say Moriarty? Yes! Ron finally learns that half of his blood is from the Moriarty family. This shocks him so hard mentally that he becomes catatonic, so Toto has to lug him around and later stepping up to be the one to solve the case. Ron always believed Eliot died before his birth, but that’s not the case. There’s still a fragment of his memory that’s missing and Eliot revolves around it. All Ron can remember is that Eliot showed him many different methods of crimes. They all seem brutal, despite him using dummies. Did Eliot traumatize Ron in some way? I heard that the brain has a mysterious power to erase a memory that causes him pain, so I assume something revolving around Eliot traumatized him so much that it was wiped from his memories. That’s probably it. Poor Ron, though. Learning he’s half-Moriarty was definitely NOT in his bingo card.

Though, there is something I’m curious about. Why was Mia invited to the auberge and not her mother? Did her mom die before the story? I think it’s rather cruel to make Mia, a seventeen-year-old girl be a part of the murder case, but that’s how the M family is—they’re cruel and show no mercy even to the young people. Also, given she’s Italian, is she half-English or was her mom on vacation at the time? I feel like the pregnant lady portion of the flashback is a little weird, but that’s just me.

It’s crazy how we only have two episodes left. Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions/Deranged Detective will be showcased for the upcoming Jump Festa. I wonder if they’ll announce Season 3… What are your thoughts on this episode?

[josefavomjaaga]

Napoleon and the rivalry of the marshals

This is translated from the second volume of a book called "Etudes sur Napoléon" by Elie de Baudus, a former aide-de-camp of Marshal Bessières. I'm only browsing some parts of it, as I do most of the time, but I can already say that, while these are not truly memoirs, there are some interesting descriptions and details in it. Elie seems to have become a royalist by the time he publishes the book, usually referring to Napoléon as "the usurper" and in general very critical of him.

This is a rather long excerpt about the marshals unwillingness to cooperate - and Napoleon encouraging this attitude.

Who would not believe that in an army led by a hand as firm as Napoleon's there was complete obedience, from the second lieutenant to the officers of the highest rank, all the way up to him himself? It was generally so, except among the first chiefs. At the very moment when the hatred of Barclay was causing discord in the Russian camp, our affairs were also suffering from the lack of agreement between two of our generals. The operations of the advance guard were hampered for several days by Marshal Davoust's reluctance to support the cavalry with his infantry. On 29 August, things had even been pushed so far on the part of the Marshal that, when I was at Murat's headquarters in the evening, I learned that the prince's officers had had great difficulty preventing him from going to see the Marshal with the intention of asking him to explain his conduct, sword in hand.

Surely would have been a sight to see: One infuriated King of Naples, all the feathers on his hat ruffled with anger, bursting into Davout's tent. And then probably having to wait for Davout to find his glasses so he could recognize his illustrious visitor.

It may also be interesting insofar as, while I’ve not read much about the Russian campaign, I had the impression that modern historians rather tend to agree with Davout (?). But for Baudus, this is not so much about who was right but a matter of obedience:

No one will approve of the course taken by Marshal Davoust in this circumstance; he was under the King's orders for everything that the infantry had to do to support the movements of the cavalry; his duty was to obey. In all cases, a feeling of devotion to the glory of the army should always have prevented him from taking any action likely to compromise the success of operations; the Marshal therefore set an example that was all the more deplorable because he was higher up in the military hierarchy. These discussions ceased when Napoleon placed the division of Compans entirely at the disposal of the King of Naples.

Implied: without truly settling the matter and without declaring either that Murat was factually in the wrong and his orders had been so bad no commander in his right mind would follow them, or that Davout had overstepped his boundaries with his disobedience. For Elie, the matter is clear:

The King was in the right, Davoust was in the wrong; it was not appropriate to agree with them both. Here there was no question of discussions between people of equal rank. Murat was king; he owed this high fortune to his talents, his valour, and above all to the advantage of being the brother-in-law of the emperor; the latter had to ensure that in Murat the august title with which he had clothed him was respected; if he did not do so, it was because such quarrels between the chiefs of his army did not displease him.

… and above all to the advantage of being the brother-in-law of the emperor …

Murat: Arrgh! You’re not helping, Elie!

This was not the only occasion when it was easy to perceive this; he had already demonstrated it by not publicly showing any displeasure to Marshal Ney, with regard to the violent discussions which he had had with Marshals Soult and Masséna, in Spain and Portugal, when he was placed under their orders. It is easy to guess the reason for this: an intimate agreement between them would have given him cause for concern; there can therefore be no doubt that, as a matter of policy, he was opposed to the existence of such an understanding. An anecdote quoted by Mme de Staël in her book "Dix ans d'exil" gives a curious idea of Napoleon's views in this respect. After recounting a few details of her meeting and conversation with the emperor Alexander, this famous woman adds: "He also told me about the Machiavellian lessons that Napoleon had seen fit to give him. You see," he told her, "I take care to put my ministers and generals at odds with each other, so that they reveal to me the wrongs of each other. I maintain a continual jealousy around me through the way I treat people around me; one day one of them thinks he is preferred, the next day the other, and no one can ever be sure of my favour."

All this care had not been without result; the marshals almost all hated each other, especially those whose talents, high reputation and unquestionable ability placed them in the first rank. So whenever several of them found themselves together on the same point without being under the immediate orders of the master, their lack of understanding or their disobedience to the orders of the senior marshal often caused the most important and best combined operations to fail. Having adopted such a system, Napoleon should have carefully avoided creating embarrassments for himself on several points at once, as he had wisely done up until the time of his aggression against Spain. Moreover, this profound Italian finesse, used to divide the army leaders and applied to the French character, was a luxury; Napoleon could have relied on the satanic self-love on which it was based to bring about the state of affairs he desired in this respect; he could even, without inconvenience, have fought vigorously against this tendency to disobedience instead of encouraging it; there would always have been enough left to achieve his aim.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

By Dr. Sanchari Sinha Dutta, Ph.D.

A study published in the journal Communications Medicine reports the prevalence and consequences of post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms in children and young individuals up to 24 months post-infection.

Background A significant proportion of COVID-19 patients consistently experience a range of health complications even after months or years of the initial infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This condition is medically termed as long-COVID.

The Long COVID in Children and Young People (CLoCk) study has been designed to explore long-COVID symptoms in children and adolescents aged under 18 years. The study has reported findings on long-COVID in 20,202 children and adolescents living in England up to 12 months after their initial SARS-CoV-2 infection.

In the current study, scientists have analyzed the CLoCk study data to report long-COVID symptoms and their consequences in children and adolescents for up to 24 months post-SARS-CoV-2 infection. This extended follow-up is crucial for understanding the persistence of symptoms over time and their potential impact on quality of life.

Study Design The study included a total of 12,632 children and adolescents from the CLoCk study who were 11 to 17 years old at the time of their initial SARS-CoV-2 testing (between September 2020 and March 2021).

The participants were categorized into four groups according to their infection status over the period of 24 months. The first group included participants who never tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The second group included those who were initially test-negative but subsequently tested positive. The third group included those who were initially test-positive but did not have reinfection later on. The fourth group included those who were initially test-positive and also developed reinfection later on.

Participants reported long-COVID symptoms and their consequences, which were examined at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after the initial SARS-CoV-2 infection. To operationalize long-COVID in children, the study used the Delphi research definition, focusing on persistent symptoms and associated difficulties in daily functioning.

Important Observations All study participants reported experiencing some symptoms 24 months after their initial infection. The most frequently reported symptoms were tiredness, trouble sleeping, shortness of breath, and headaches.

A variation in symptom prevalence was observed between the study groups. While participants who never tested positive exhibited the lowest prevalence of symptoms, the highest prevalence was observed among participants who initially tested positive and later developed reinfection.

The study groups also observed a variation in the total number of reported symptoms. While 35% of participants who initially tested positive and subsequently developed reinfection reported no symptoms, 46% of participants who never tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 reported the same experience. However, even among the never-positive group, 14% experienced five or more symptoms, highlighting the non-specific nature of many symptoms reported.

Among participants who reported experiencing more than five symptoms, about 14% were from the never-positive group, and 21% were from the initial test-positive and subsequent reinfection group.

Despite significant variation in symptoms, only a slight variation in self-rated health, symptom severity, and symptom impact was observed between the study groups at a 24-month timepoint. This finding raises questions about whether self-perceived health metrics can fully capture the burden of long-COVID in children.

Considering the demographic characteristics of participants, the study found that long-COVID is more common among older participants, female participants, as well as socioeconomically deprived participants.

Participants who fulfilled the long-COVID Delphi research definition exhibited more difficulties, worse quality of life, and more tiredness than those who did not meet the long-COVID Delphi research definition.

Only 7.2% of the participants fulfilled the long-COVID Delphi research definition at 3-, 6-, 12-, and 24-month time points. These participants reported an average of five symptoms at 3 months, five at 6 months, six at 12 months, and five at 24 months post-infection. This consistent subgroup reflects a more severe and persistent burden of symptoms, emphasizing the need for targeted support.

Considering vaccination status, the study found no apparent trend in the number of reported symptoms, health status, quality of life, and symptom impact or severity between vaccinated and unvaccinated participants at 24 months.

Study Significance The study finds that a considerable proportion of children and adolescents (aged 11 to 17) consistently experience, on average, five symptoms over the period of 24 months post-SARS-CoV-2 infection, irrespective of their infection status during this period.

While the most commonly reported symptoms are tiredness, trouble sleeping, shortness of breath, and headaches, the participants less frequently report abdominal pain, concentration difficulties, and muscle pain. Although reported by a minority, these less frequent symptoms can still significantly affect daily activities and warrant further attention.

The study used the long-COVID Delphi research definition to analyze symptoms, which, in contrast to the World Health Organization (WHO) definition, does not require symptoms to have arisen within the first three months of infection. It is the only definition currently being used for children and adolescents and is considered to be more powerful in capturing long-COVID symptoms, particularly for those who remained asymptomatic or unaware of having an infection during the acute SARS-CoV-2 infection phase.

Crucially, the study emphasizes that many of the reported symptoms are common in adolescents irrespective of their SARS-CoV-2 infection status, suggesting a potential overlap between long-COVID and general adolescent health issues.

Notably, the study could not find any significant variation in self-rated health, symptom severity, or symptom impact among children and adolescents with varying infection and vaccination status. Furthermore, the symptoms reported by participants are non-specific and often commonly reported in adolescents, even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Considering the findings, scientists highlight the need for further studies to understand the pathophysiology, develop diagnostic tests, and identify effective interventions for long-COVID management in children and adolescents. In particular, longitudinal studies are essential to clarify the natural history of symptoms and their impact over time.

Journal reference: Stephenson, T., Pinto Pereira, S. M., Nugawela, M. D., Dalrymple, E., Harnden, A., Whittaker, E., Heyman, I., Ford, T., Segal, T., Chalder, T., Ladhani, S. N., McOwat, K., Simmons, R., Xu, L., & Shafran, R. (2024). A 24-month National Cohort Study examining long-term effects of COVID-19 in children and young people. Communications Medicine, 4(1), 1-12. DOI:10.1038/s43856-024-00657-x, www.nature.com/articles/s43856-024-00657-x

[astralarchilocus]

I’m not normally the type to go on lengthy rants about stuff, but this shit has been frustrating me for such a long period of time that I need to get it off my chest. Biology based misinformation has always been widespread and problematic, but we’re entering a new era of this shit that’s reaching a whole new level of awful. “Pandas and koalas are evolutionary failures!” this, “honey badgers are immortal gods that fight whole lion prides and win” that, it’s all the same bullshit with the exact same set of origins. Carnivora fuckos, TierZoo, NatureIsMetal, Quora, etc. They’re all vile awesomebros or awesomebro infested hellscapes that have managed to successfully misinform a legitimately terrifyingly high amount of people. It’s actually horrifying that you often can’t talk about a lot of these animals without people immediately regurgitating awesomebro tripe straight at your face.

“But is this even a problem, Comet? It just seems like something you’ve been overexposed to because of you being a biology person above all else.” Yes it is, and it’s an enormous one at that! Such a rapid circulation of misinformation like this on such a scale is going to have cascading impacts on the general knowledge around animals and a lot of public perception around biology. And it’s likely going to pose a very legitimate threat to the conservation of a lot of animals. Remember how Jaws worsened already present stigma and misinformation present around sharks, and added to something that became so intense that it actually became a very serious threat to them as a whole? And that Jaws is a fictional story at the end of the day, and still managed to cause such immense misinformation in spite of that? This is literally that situation but with a much wider impact on animals as a whole (given that this insanity applies to animals in general instead of just one specific group), and with the misinformation being much more widely believed to be correct due to it not originating directly from a fictional book and film. Bit of a gross oversimplification, but it’s extremely bad. A prominent example of why this is such a big problem is the situation with cheetahs, who are literally only struggling because of issues (habitat loss and the accompanying population fragmentation and inbreeding) we caused, but are constantly being lambasted as evolutionary failures essentially solely because of the “horribly low hunting success” misconception and the fact they can’t fight predators that either outweigh them considerably, are social, or both, and that cheetahs literally cope fine with kleptoparasitism and just up the amount of kills they make in response to it with pretty little difficulty, on top of generally having the second highest hunting success rate among large-ish African mammalian carnivores. Cheetahs are getting all of their value as a species determined by whether they can fight other carnivores or not, and people try to sneakily obscure that fact by using the actually legitimate inbreeding issue as a strawman to support the “cheetahs are getting outcompeted and would go extinct anyways” bullshit. And this is all going to make conservation efforts to try and protect or save them that much more troublesome, because few are going to bother paying funds for something they deem a useless evolutionary failure. And getting the funds for such conservation efforts is difficult enough as is even without that being considered. Combine that with the fact that said conservation efforts are effectively useless at stopping or at least weakening the actual problems without enough funding to properly financially support such things, and I think it’s abundantly clear how much of a cascading impact this has on everything. And as said earlier, this isn’t only applying to cheetahs, but to so many other animals as well. We are entering what could legitimately turn into a dark age regarding biology stuff, and it is terrifying how omnipresent this shit is becoming. The misinformation is so widespread and commonplace among people currently that it’s almost definitely impossible to properly reverse by now, but that doesn’t mean we should just give up. Now more than ever, we need to fight back against this shit and keep it from getting even worse.

Oh, and to add insult to injury, there is a very strong correlation between awesomebros and bigotry, and most of the stuff just talked about almost definitely has inherent roots in anthropocentrism, general human bias, the aforementioned bigotry, etc. And if fighting back against bigotry isn’t enough of an additional motivator to fight back against this shit, I don’t know what is at this point.