#you and me and the devil make three

[aleebeesplats]

giggles

OG

[activatebutterflyshield]

I was compelled last night and I’m quite honestly scared of whatever 11:59 PM me intended for those middle sections. At least I still know my colors when sleep deprived, and I’m sure someone else on here can fill the blank spots out better than I can on a full eight hours of shut-eye.

[cursemewithyourkiss]

We need to talk about the Old Hollywood throuple genre

[lazarushound]

old number seven, the devil makes three

[verilly]

Drunk Confessions

Angel Devil x Reader

•••|•••|•••|•••|•••

Part 2 {CURRENT} || Check for other parts on my MASTERLIST. (Pinned link)

What’s to come: OOC, himeno vomit scene, reader separates Himeno and Denji!! Reader curses once I think. Also barely proofread

Description: Accidentally getting drunk at a work party and letting yourself slip in front of someone you want to love oh so much. What could happen next?

•••|•••|•••|•••|•••

Three days. Three days spent in that hell hill of a hotel with barely any water and no food. You never got to eat after Power’s stunt of consuming all the food on the first day. It was annoying, but due to your contract, you had to keep a positive outlook. You pumped everyone up and told them to keep going, keep fighting! We’ll get out of this! But in reality, you had no clue on if it were to ever happen.

Everyone looked weak, Aki was in bed, Arai and Kobeni look like they only have a string connected to keeping their sanity, and the Blood Fiend kept talking to herself. Himeno was clenching onto the ledge of a deep hole watching the chainsaw kid fight the Eternity Devil. Maybe this is what you deserved? An eternal hell with no escape, the only way out being death. But you just had to return back home, you had to see Angel’s face again. You promised yourself that if you were to ever die, it would be with your trusted partner. You had no clue why you were the only one sent here without their actual partner, maybe Makima had something against you? You closed your eyes, maybe everything will end easily for you then.

-

You shot your eyes open when you head the chainsaw boy shout out about ending the Eternity Devil’s life. Everyone opened their once shut eyes to witness the glory of the outside world. With the snippet of energy you had left, you carried the kid named Denji’s unconscious body back to the Public Safety Headquarters.

You had never been happier to be home. Your apartment smelt nice, better than usual. You collapsed onto the floor, creating a loud thud noise. Angel quickly got out of the bedroom and came down to your side, he was concerned for you.

“[name]?! Are you okay? You’ve been gone for-“ Angel panicked, he couldn’t really do anything without wearing gloves

“…food. Please.” You murmured.

Makima allowed you to take one day off from working, which meant Angel had the day off as well. You were tired, you wished you could be in Angel’s arms, but that just wasn’t possible. That day was the only day Angel had ever cooked in the apartment. Maybe he felt bad for you? The food wasn’t anything good, but it had nutrients, so you had to eat it. You were thankful for Angel for being here with you, he barely spoke, but he was always someone close. He even wore gloves for most of the day just to be able to take care of you. Your heart felt content.

-

The day you went back to work was an uneventful one. Patrolling was nothing new, you found a small stray devil, it was taken care of accordingly. You and Angel sat in a comfortable silence with you filling out papers, which was soon broken when Himeno burst into the room.

“[name]! Oh, hi to you too” Himeno waved to you and Angel, “[name], we’re having a party with beers and all sorts of food at XXXXX. You know where that is, right?”

“Yeah, why are we having a party?” Your voice was somewhat sore from not speaking for the past few days

“Because we defeated the Eternity Devil! It’s a party for our victory! The entirety of Special Division 4 is invited, and you don’t have to worry about money, because Makima said she’d pay! Isn’t that cool? I don’t think she’s ever even been to a party before” Angel scrunched up next to you after hearing a certain someone’s name, you paid no mind.

“Uhm, sure. I’ll be there”

“Alright then! It starts at 7:45 PM! Make sure to be there~” With that, Himeno left the room.

The room was silent yet again, except it wasn’t comfortable. It felt like words were supposed to be spoken, but you didn’t know what. You felt Angel shift next to you, he was looking at you, you could feel his glare burn into your head.

“What’s up? Do you wanna go too?-“ You turn to look at him sweating

“I don’t want you to go” Angel’s mouth formed a pout, but his voice was serious

“Aw.. do you really like me that much?”

“No.”

“Oh, well. I’m still going, something else is paying! It’d be rude for me to turn it down, and it would be a great chance for me to been everyone else in our division. You don’t need to come…” Your heart felt sad, he didn’t like you like that, what were you thinking? But why was he so set on you not going to the party?

“Please, [name]. It’s because of M-“

“No, I’ve made up my mind. I’m going. Come on, put your gloves on. We’re leaving!” You stood up gleefully, but on the inside you felt horrible. Maybe if you listen to him he’d like you more? But you still wanted to go to that party, free food was the best. You slowly made your way out of the building with Angel a bit farther away for you than usual, he’s never this distant. What a terrible feeling.

-

You were home! It was somewhere close to 6 PM, you had bought take out for Angel so he could feast while you were gone. Was home really that lonely without you there? That could definitely be true, there isn’t much. Angel was in the bedroom, he was looking at an album you made when you were younger. Maybe you could talk about it later?

You skim your closet for something that would be fitting. If you were just going out to get beer with friends, you wouldn’t need to wear anything fancy… You stood there for a few minutes, analyzing.

“Just pick something” Angel complained, how long has he been watching you? You felt dumb.

“It’s harder than it looks! Lucky you, you don’t go outside other than for missions or patrol.” You groan and turn to look at him

“It really can’t be that hard.” Angel closed his eyes and shifted himself to sit properly on the bed.

“Fine! If you really think that way, how ‘bout you choose?” You joke, apparently he didn’t take it as one. Angel stood up from the bed and wandered next to you and examined your closet.

“What about that?” Angel pointed to a red shirt with a few frills on the sleeves, it was a childish shirt you bought as a joke. You don’t think you’ve ever worn that out in public ever.

“Hell no, what are you thinking?”

“This?” Angel then took your gaze to a purple top with a nice pattern, it was too casual for something like a party with co-workers.

“It’s cute, but maybe another time. Next!”

“You’re making this too hard for yourself” Angel mumbled. After a few minutes of searching, Angel actually something presentable for you to wear.

“Okay, what about this?” Angel held out a white button up shirt with short sleeves. It was comfortable and simple. A good choice, finally.

“Oh! That would work! Now, let’s see if it looks good on me now, it’s been a while since I-“ You say as you start taking your shirt off

“W-what are you- Don’t take your shirt off without warning! What the hell…” Angel‘s face flushed as he covered his eyes with his wings and turned around to face the wall. You chuckle a bit in response.

“Alright Angel, you can turn around now~ It’s on, no skin to see here!” When you finish your sentence, Angel turned around slowly, “You shouldn’t get so flustered about my naked body, in fact, you should probably get used to it” you laugh to yourself, Angel didn’t find it as amusing.

“It looks good.” Angel’s face still looked slightly red, maybe he did like you?

“Of course it does! Maybe it looks so good because you picked it out?” You giggle, “I’ll have to head out soon, I’ll bring some food back from the party if I can! Have fun being home alone!” You walk out the bedroom with Angel waving a small goodbye. Did it really take you that long to find something to wear?

-

You’d arrived to the bar a little later than everyone else, in fact, you met up with Kobeni on the walk there. The bar being not so far from your apartment was a life saver, no car had to be used! Maybe you did take 30 minutes to find something presentable.

“Oh, look who came! Kobeni and [name]! Welcome welcome! Come here, we’re at this table!” Himeno waved her hand to get your attentions, she must have already started drinking, because no normal person would shout out in the middle or a bar like that, right?

You and Kobeni had slowly made your way there. People complimented Kobeni’s cute dress, you included. Power hogged all the Sashimi and Fried Chicken, people were drinking and having fun. You were sat to Himeno’s right and right in front of Aki. Soon came time for the newbies to introduce themselves, which included you for some reason.

“[name]! You go introduce yourself first, since you’re not a newbie!” Himeno said, her voice was booming!

“Why? You said it, I’m not new-“

“Yeah, but you never come to parties with us… and you always take shifts that end earlier than everyone else, we never get to talk to you!”

“That’s right, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before” a girl with short brown hair said, you sighed and reluctantly introduced yourself.

“My name is [name] [last name], I’ve been working here for a few years already. And my devil contract is… hmm. It’s been awhile actually. Uh, I it’s-“

“Hey! It’s Makima!” Denji shouted out with Makima entering the booth, she was still in her work attire. What a life saver!

With that, the others introduced themselves. The night was fun, maybe you should hang around your colleagues more often. You didn’t order any beer, you had to keep an eye on the chainsaw kid, a request from Aki. Many things happened, one being a drinking competition between Makima and Aki for the information of Denji’s importance. After that, you started feeling woozy. Nauseous even. Almost like you had been drinking, but you explicitly remember never doing anything like that. You felt increasingly drunk, how was that possible? Maybe one of your drinks got swapped with Himeno or Makima’s you were sitting next to the heaviest drinkers of the party after all.

-

The end of the party was a wreck, Himeno and Denji had a kiss. A vomit filled one. Arai took Denji to the bathroom, meanwhile you took Himeno a different bathroom. You helped her clean up with her meshing herself onto you. She didn’t know how to handle yourself, you wanted to say something, but it’d be rude.

Returning back to your booth, the night soon calmed down. Aki was almost passed out, Makima looked fine, Himeno was on your lap muttering incomprehensible words with her eyes half shut, Denji looked depressed, and Power was trying her best to impress the entire unit with her “high” IQ.

The party died down at about midnight, people were waving goodbye. You were holding a box of take out fried chicken and sashimi, Makima left quickly, Power was carrying Aki out to get a taxi- what about Denji? Shouldn’t he be with Aki? You look around to see Himeno carrying Denji and walking away.

You quickly caught up to them, you too were somewhat lightheaded and drunk, but you still had enough sense to get Denji away from Himeno before she did something she could regret, Denji was still just a kid. Himeno whined and complained, but soon left you alone and skipped to her own apartment. You tried to find Aki and Power, but apparently they had already left. You couldn’t leave Denji on the streets, that would make you feel worse than you already did. You let out a dragged out sigh. With Denji on your back and the take out box being held by your mouth, you stumbled your way back home.

-

Denji was heavy, not big enough to crush you, but heavy enough for your back to start aching after you got home and slumped his body onto the couch. That was where you were supposed to sleep. Your jaw was also aching, the take out box wasn’t even that heavy. You placed it onto the kitchen’s counter and made your way to the bedroom.

You took off the clothes you were wearing for the party and tossed them onto the floor, you found one of your big old shirts on top of your desk and put that on. You were still pants-less, but at this point you could care less. Angel was in bed, sleeping. His snores were soft, but loud enough to be heard at the distance you were from him. You went to the bed and stole a few plushies laying around and made yourself a make-shift bed out of them in the corner of your room. It was uncomfortable. The worst feeling in the world.

Maybe it was because you were drunk. You weren’t thinking straight! Or maybe it was the yearning you felt for him, it was a bad decision either way. You made your way to the bed and lunged face first into the bed. Which definitely woke up Angel.

He flinched, and got out of bed to look at you. It felt like years had passed since you got to sleep in this bed, it smelt like Angel now. You grabbed his arm and looked back at him.

“What are you doing?! Do you have a death wish or something?” The room’s dark, but Angel’s halo makes his features glow. His face was beautiful, more beautiful that you had ever seen him.

“No, I just think you’re so pretty.” You pulled him back onto the bed.

“[name], you know I can’t- did you get drunk at that party?” Angel murmured

“No! Welllll, maybee?” You drag out your words on purpose, “Please, just stay here with me? Just let me have this..”

“No- you know even if I wanted to we can’t.” Angel shook his head and got out of your grip and shuffled to the bedroom’s door, “I’ll sleep on the couch tonight, good night.”

That didn’t last long though, Denji was on the couch so-

“[name].” Almost as quick as lightning, Angel came back to the room, “There’s a weird kid muttering and sleeping on our couch.”

“Haha, our couch… that’s uhm, the chainsaw kid I was telling you abouuut! He couldn’t go hooome, so he’s here noww!” Your head hurt like hell, you’re slurring your words, definitely drunk.

“So this is why you’re here. Whatever, you won’t remember any of this, will you?” Angel muttered those words y see his breath, maybe you weren’t supposed to hear that? Angel walked over to the desk and put on a few spare gloves.

“What are youuu dooooingg?”

“Something you’d wanna do apparently, but I wanna do it even more.” Angel sat next to you in the bed, you two were almost touching.

You almost immediately rushed onto him, Angel made sure no skin contact was made. Which was easy, since he was wearing long sleeves. You nuzzled yourself on his lap, he smiled, but you didn’t see that. Right?

“I don’t understand and you. Why do you feel the need to be so close to me?” Angel murmured, you look up at him and climb onto him slowly. He allows this.

“Because I like you soooo much…” You’re on his lap, looking at his face. His oh so beautiful face, you don’t think you’ve ever been this close to him before.

“W-what?”

“I like you so so so soooo much! I like your long hair, your wings are so pretty, you’re the perfect height…”

“Are these even your true feelings or is this the alcohol?-“

“These feelings are real! And I like you so so so much! If I could say the other word I would, but you know that I can’t.” You rest your head on his covered shoulder, his hands slowly reaches your back and starts stroking you softly, “I think you’re beautiful.”

“I… I wish we could do this more often.” Angel’s voice was softer than usual, his voice was almost… angelic?

“Angeeel~ Let’s play a gaaame!!” You laugh, a drunk laugh, but to you it was so real.

“…are you sure?”

“Yes yes yes!” You lift your hands to out onto his shoulders and lift your head back up. You look at him for just a moment before humming yourself a tune and getting up to put on some spare gloves that were lying on your desk. It was dark, you still made it safety, even if you didn’t, you were sure Angel would be next to you in a flash.

You rushed to put them on and sit next to Angel. His warmth was everything.

“Let’s play… ‘Will this hurt’!” You smile, a drunken smile, but to you if was real. You just had to hope Angel thought so too.

“What do you mean-“

“I’m gonna touch you, and you’re gonna tell me if it took away any of my life span!”

“What?! [name], that’s dangerous. You’re not-“

“Nooo! We haave toooo! Don’t you wanna knoooww? It’s okayy, I’m okay with iiit!”

“[name], no. I don’t want you to… I don’t want you to live a shorter life.”

“Fiiine, I’ll only touch for a second~ pleeease?” You pout. You could definitely see the effect of had on Angel.

“..fine.”

You take your gloves hand and slowly trace his wings with your fingers. Angel’s face shifts into pure bliss for a split second before fixing his composure. You make him look at you as you get closer to his feathers with your face and slowly kiss them for a second.

“Did you take anything? I didn’t feel anything-“

“I-I didn’t take anything.” His face was flushed, he was adorable. You yearned to see this side of him more often.

You crawled your way onto his lap yet again and lean next to his ear. You got a hold of one of his silky red locks of hair and kiss it with a nice smooch sound.

“What about that?”

“N-nothing.”

“Good… last round…” You shifted your body to make yourself face him again. You kiss your pointer and middle finger at the same time and gently place them onto Angel’s lips, “What about that..?”

“I-I think you already know t-the answer.” Angel’s face was beat red, he looked adorable. You wished you could kiss him for real.

“I think I’m gonna sleep here now… I…” You rest your head on his shoulder and wrap your arms around his body. This was your first time ever touching him this much, it felt amazing. He slowly accepted the fact you were indeed drifting to sleep, “I…I lo-“

“Shush, don’t say it. You don’t need to.” Angel leaned his head against yours and slowly whispered, this feeling was new to him. He wished it would stay like this forever. No more devil hunting, just close intimacy between two room mates. He would fight the world to stay like this with you, but he wouldn’t ever say it, right?

“I love you too, [name]. I hope you remember what happened today.” Angel whispered, but you were already asleep.

-

Denji woke up, he was dizzy. Himeno’s kiss was nothing he’d every experienced before. And it was definitely nothing he’d want to feel again. You took him to your house. That’s the only thing he remembers. He was laying on a couch, maybe he could talk to you?

He walked around, bumping in to many many of the furniture laid out, accompanied by many many curses. He soon made it to your bedroom door and slowly crept it open.

He saw an angel, an angel with red hair and large white wings. He was holding your unconscious corpse, is this a dream? Were you… dead? The answer was no, but Denji didn’t know that.

“H-Hey! What the hell are you doing-“ Denji shouted out

“Get out.” Angel quickly covered your half naked body with his wings and threatened Denji with his glare.

Denji decided he didn’t care that much, this was just a dream after all.

-

You woke up in your bed, you were only in your underwear. You remembered never putting pants back on, you laugh to yourself. You hear shouting from the outside of your room.

You sigh and rub your eyes to go check out what was going on. It was Denji and Angel.

“What were you doing with [name] you weirdo!”

“Who are you calling weirdo?! I’m-“

“What the fuck are you two doing.” You mutter, “It’s too early for this. My head hurts like hell. Oh, Denji go drink water.” Denji did as you instructed and left Angel alone for a bit.

“[name], do you remember-“

“Don’t worry Angel, I remember everything.” You smile, you lead him to the kitchen’s counter and grabbed a pen and a sticky note.

You wrote the four words you were dying to say to him, “I love you Angel”. You looked back at him and smiled, maybe it wasn’t a dream.

“I love you too…” Angel whispered, he spread out his wings slowly, only for you to trail kisses on them for the second time in your life. It made your heart flutter.

“Ew gross. Oh! [name], I had a horrible kiss yesterday, could you maybe-“ Denji spoke up with a cup of water in his hand

“Go to hell, kid” Angel muttered.

•••|•••|•••|•••|•••

a/N: my eyes hurt after writing this

I had a dream about this scenario at some point.

Maybe I’ll make a backstory for [name] for more story building if you guys would like that. You’d find out why [name] can’t say ily

I don’t know how to make a master list

Give me requests because I’m stupid and I might have officially run out of ideas for Angel!! (Not really but I’ll think of something)

Next fic might be about yoshida (csm pt.2)

-Yours truly, 💟

[deer-with-a-stick]

Literally screaming into a void right now but jesus christ why the hell do so many people hate Gale?? Is this because of Dragon Age??? He's my boy leave him alone

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Was listening to music last night and thought of some songs that could (possibly) fit laughingstock! the ones that came to mind were "Everybody loves somebody" by Dean Martin, "I've got a feeling I'm falling" by Annette Hanshaw and "I wanna be loved by you" by Marilyn Monroe (pretty random? yes) I was wondering your opinion about them and what songs do you think would fit them! :)

stunning wonderful i can Especially dig the second one in relation to them - i can very much see Howdy singing it to himself!

[tardis--dreams]

Yohan trying to learn how to talk with teenagers and subsequently trying to have a conversation with Elijah is probably one of my favorite scenes of all time. In like. Any kind of media

[imperatorrrrr]

Will you write Luke/Simon? I love their dynamic. You can keep it platonic if you prefer I just think it’s nice seeing two rookies lean on each other the way they have

Simon Nemec is on his couch.

Or. Well, Simon Nemec is on his and Jack's couch, but right now its his couch because Jack has made himself scarce, laughing at Luke as he left their apartment telling Luke to give him a heads up when it was all clear to come back.

Luke had lobbed one of their throw pillows at Jack, hit him square in the ass because he has good aim, thank you very much, and then had to retrieve said pillow as Jack continued to laugh and laugh and laugh.

Simon had told Luke a number of times that he didn't understand Luke's nickname, "Rusty", and Luke, without thinking, had volunteered to watch the Ocean's Trilogy with him.

He's already good at watching movies with a European; he does it with Holtzy no problem.

But this European. This one is a problem.

Because Nemo is different.

Every other guy on their team knew Jack first.

But Nemo met Jack and Luke at the same time. And that means something.

It means something that they're both rookies. They're both defensemen rookies. Coach has handed both of them massive responsibilities from the get go. Luke on the first unit of the power play; Simon on the second unit of the power play and the penalty kill. They're both given big minutes each game. And sometimes, they even get to play together on the same D pair.

It means something that their time on the Devils will always be tied together. They will always be connected. They're going to be the future and they're going to be the future together. They're going to be the backbone of the Devils lineup for years to come.

It means something that they've hit it off so effortlessly. That even a slight language barrier can't dampen the connection they've made so quickly. That Luke is so drawn to him, that they're so drawn to each other.

And now Simon is on his couch and Luke's having a little bit of a crisis about the whole thing.

Because they spend so much time together on the ice and on the bench and at practice and now there's no hockey, there's just Matt Damon on the screen in a black turtleneck and Simon on his couch smiling, looking so bright and warm.

Simon who's cheeks are just a little red, who's made himself comfortable, who's quiet confidence has spread from his gliding on the ice to his stretching out in Luke's home. Everything about him amplified for the one man audience that is Luke Hughes.

Well.

At least he knows for sure he's a Hughes because here he is with his very own Emotional Support European (Boy)Friend.

He's pretty sure he can hear Jack cackling somewhere.

[starcrossedjedis]

Zoro: "I'd be careful. Waiter Boy is already half in love with you."

Sun: "He'll get over it."

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Valicer In The Dark -- Fun With Special Abilities

We're back with my beloved Blades In The Dark trio again today, this time to discuss the fun special abilities they pick up during their time as scoundrels! I've touched upon this topic before, when I did the initial post on the group's playbooks, but I wanted to explore it in more detail now that I'm actually posting fic for the verse. Because there are a LOT of fun special abilities that these three can snag, both from their own playbooks and others. :D Here are the ones I've gotten locked down so far:

-->Alice: Alice, as per previous posts, actually starts with two special abilities -- Not To Be Trifled With, which allows her to perform superhuman feats of strength or take on a gang of up to six people on equal footing (like, say, a certain Bluecoat squad), and The Devil's Footsteps, which allows her to perform superhuman feats of agility (like a real-life double jump onto a carriage roof) or dance around her enemies so they attack each other. These two I think cover her Wonderland abilities in AMA and A:MR very well, and given that she starts with a trauma, Haunted, it felt only fair. As for the abilities she'll pick up as a member of the Three Pillars, we have --

A) Vigorous -- she heals faster from harm! In game-mechanical terms, this means she permanently fills in one quarter of her "healing clock" (a four-segment clock where you have to fill in all the segments to reduce all your accumulated harm down a level) and takes an extra die on healing rolls. This goes well with my headcanon that Alice heals exceptionally well (to explain how she survived a massive house fire with no visible burns on her character model) and just makes the whole process of healing easier for the person most likely to get in a fight (because it's fucking TOUGH in this game).

B) Bodyguard -- she's better at protecting her teammates from threats! She gets an extra die on resistance rolls (which allow her to avoid or reduce the consequences of an action) to protect Victor or Smiler from something or someone, and gets extra effect (aka better quality info) when she researches potential threats beforehand. This felt like a good one for Alice because I imagine she wants to make very sure that nothing horrible happens to Victor or Smiler during their time as scoundrels -- they're her new family, and she doesn't want to lose them! And it goes very well with a trauma I want to give her in the future -- but that's another post...

C) Ghost Fighter -- she can imbue her hands, melee weapons, or tools with electroplasmic power, giving her an edge against supernatural foes! Specifically, she gains potency against them (which improves the effect of her rolls against them) and can actually physically grapple with ghosts and other electroplasmic creatures to restrain them. This is just cool, and I think it would be something Alice would want, especially if and when they tangle against more supernatural creatures -- but this one actually comes with a prerequisite: Victor's gotta know the Ritual special ability first (see his section below the read-more). Because as Victor is the "magic guy" of the group, I feel like this is something they'd work on together. (Maybe after they turn Alice's knife into a electroplasmically-charged weapon by tying it to his lightning hook during their fight against the Jabberwock?)

D) Savage -- she is fucking scary when she unleashes the physical violence. Meaning she can frighten anyone who sees it, and gets a bonus die on rolls to then Command a terrified target. I see this as just a natural consequence of her getting better at real-world violence and the gang's reputation as a trio not to be messed with growing as time passes. Think of it as Alice basically entering real-life Ragebox Mode or Hysteria Mode -- that'd be pretty scary, wouldn't it? (And it also ties in well with that trauma I'll be talking about later...)

-->Victor: Victor starts with the Ghost Mind special ability -- he is always aware of any ghosts or other electroplasmic entities in his vicinity, and he also gets an extra die when he researches the supernatural. This felt the most appropriate for him given that I had him get dragged into the ghost field -- the supernatural echo of the city where ghosts actually live -- for an entire day as part of the process of adapting Corpse Bride for this setting. I mean, that would have to have some sort of side effect, right? As for what he gets as time goes on, we have --

A) Strange Methods -- he's better at inventing and making stuff that is a little arcane (like magical potions and odd spirit-related gadgets)! Game-mechanically, he gets a better result when he makes these kinds of things, and he automatically learns how to make one particular thing for free (instead of having to learn about it and figure out the process for making it during play). This special ability is going to cover Victor learning how to infuse insects (specifically moths and butterflies) with electroplasm to turn them into little radiant energy generators (radiant energy being the closest thing this setting gets to sunlight -- as you might imagine, it's pretty important for growing crops and thus important for making sure their greenhouse actually works!). It felt like the closest match for that project! Plus it might be fun to figure out what else he can make going forward...

B) Ritual -- he knows how to do ritual sorcery and can study or even invent his own rituals to call upon arcane powers! Much like Strange Methods above, he also gets one ritual that he knows for free when he takes this ability. This was another contender for the whole "how Victor figures out how to make radiant energy butterflies" thing above (though I obviously decided Strange Methods fit better), and I knew I wanted him to get this one regardless because come on, it's cool and dangerous magic. Who doesn't want cool and dangerous magic? XD And, as indicated above, it feels like a good prerequisite to some of the abilities he and his friends get, both as individuals and as a team -- I mean, Ghost Fighter feels like something you would need a ritual for, right? That being said, I'm not planning for every magical spell Victor gets through this ability being a straight-up ritual -- instead, this will also cover him learning the demonic language of sorcery, a concept briefly mentioned in the book that I found very cool and wanted to use more. Victor will still have to pay a stress cost to speak things into existence using the language, of course, and learn what various words mean and how to pronounce them, but he just has to say them to trigger the effect. I'm not sure what his first ritual or spell will actually be, mind, but I'm looking forward to finding out!

C) Warded -- he has special armor that allows him to deal better with supernatural nonsense! Specifically, he can "expend" the armor (check off the box on his playsheet) during a score to avoid supernatural consequences coming his way as a result of something he did, or to push himself (generally means picking up an extra die for your roll) when dealing with arcane forces, without having to take stress. I think this is a cool thing that Victor would very much like to have while dealing with the supernatural beasties he might encounter inside the city (as he can already tell that they're there) -- I picture his "special armor" as a coat he enchants with Elder Gutknecht's help, covering it in strange glyphs and suchlike to imbue it with arcane-busting power. (...actually, maybe he's inspired to make the coat after his ghost-busting score with Bonejangles. Must keep that in mind.)

D) Ghost Veil -- he can shift himself back into the ghost field for a few moments, becoming as shadowy and insubstantial as a ghost! In game terms, he takes two stress to do this, plus one extra stress if he wants to make it last longer, make himself fully invisible, and/or give himself the ability to float It's very cool, and it felt like the sort of thing that Victor would be able to do after his little trip into the ghost field courtesy of Emily -- it just takes him a bit to properly "unlock" the power. I was originally thinking that Ritual would have to be a prerequisite for it as a result (as Victor wouldn't figure it out until he got deeper into studying spellcraft and sorcery), but if it's something that's another side effect of his "ghost bride" adventures, maybe it's just something he stumbles on accidentally -- like, he does it on reflex during a fight, and the trick is figuring out how he triggered the effect so he can do it deliberately. I mean, it's probably still going to come after Ritual, simply because I plan for him to take that early, but -- yeah.

E) Tempest -- he can push himself to unleash a bolt of lighting as a weapon, or summon a storm (rain, fog, high winds, heavy snow) in his immediate area! Costs him two stress in game terms, but I think it's worth. This is just downright cool, and I love the idea of Victor being able to do something so powerful. He is more dangerous than he looks with this! This one definitely does have Ritual as a prerequisite, though, because I picture this ability as being tied to the demonic language of sorcery (hell, the book itself implies that it is). So Victor has to be able to use said language before he can fry people with lightning. Small price to pay!

-->Smiler: Smiler starts with the Alchemist special ability -- they're good at brewing up anything with alchemical features (drugs, non-magical potions, things like that), and get one formula that they already know for free. Since my concept for them in this verse is "cultist drug dealer," and I've always pictured them as an excellent chemist regardless of the universe they're currently occupying, this was a no-brainer as their starting ability. And as you might expect, their free formula is their signature Joy Serum -- after all, you can't be a drug dealer if you don't know how to make the drug. XD Anyway, as for what they get while running around with Victor and Alice, we have --

A) Physicker -- they gain enough medical knowledge to serve as the team doctor! Specifically, in game terms, this lets them Tinker with people's bodies to treat wounds and stabilize the gravely injured; Study maladies to see how to treat them and corpses to see how they died; and gives everyone in the crew an extra die when it comes to healing rolls. This is something that I think Smiler would like to pick up just to help keep their partners safe and healthy -- being a scoundrel is a dangerous job, after all, and hurt or sick friends are unhappy friends! Plus it's just good in practical terms, because, as I mentioned before, healing is tough in this game, and any advantage you can get is a good one!

B) A Little Something On The Side -- they get extra money after every score! In game terms, this means that at the end of every "downtime" phase (time after scores when characters work on projects and acquire assets and relieve stress and suchlike), they get two extra "stash" (how the game tracks each scoundrel's personal finances -- how much stash you have determines how good your character's lifestyle is and if your character ends up destitute on the street or in a halfway-decent home when they retire). I think this is a good one for Smiler simply because it feels like a good way to represent mechanically them still continuing to sell Joy Serum when they're not doing scores with Victor and Alice. They may not be living with the Advocates anymore, but that does not absolve them of their responsibility to bring chemical joy to the masses! Though, given that Smiler canonically sells their Joy Serum for cheap, maybe I'd reduce this to one extra stash. We'll see.

C) Mesmerism -- they have the ability to not only talk someone into something, but also make them forget that they were ever talked into it! Specifically, when they successfully Sway someone, they can also choose to have the person forget that it happened -- at least, until they next time they see Smiler, at which point they are like "HEY!" XD This one just feels like an appropriate one to me because it fits well with the actual rollercoaster's theme of hypnosis and mind control. And I did give Smiler a little hypno-wheel as one of their starting gadgets -- maybe they use that when they're using this ability? Or maybe this is an additional blessing from Mar-Mal that they get for helping the Advocates out with something...hmmm. I'll have to think about it. Point is, it's thematically appropriate, and could make for some interesting scenes.

D) Functioning Vice -- they're better at indulging their vice in a way that does not cause them to overindulge -- and can help Victor and Alice do the same! In game terms, this means whenever Smiler indulges their vice (which is how you reduce stress after scores -- you roll dice equal to your lowest attribute score and remove the highest number from your stress tracker), they can adjust the roll up or down by one or two to prevent overindulgence -- and any allies who indulge with them can do the same. I saw this in action in Oxventure Presents: Blades In The Dark with Johnny's character Kasimir in the second season, and holy fuck is it useful. Like, this is the ability to get if you want to make sure your scoundrels can reduce their stress quickly and safely. And Johnny was using it on a character whose vice was Obligation and involved Kasimir tending his busted knee -- Smiler's vice is Pleasure! Do you know how much easier that is to pair with another vice? Alice has an Obligation to keep an eye on the children of Houndsditch? Take 'em on a picnic! Victor has a taste for the Weird? Go on a shopping trip to a bookstore to look for occult books! Want to do something all together? Take the kids out and have Victor demonstrate some of the safer magic tricks he's learned! :D Seriously, this is going to be like their best special ability --

Which is why it's kind of a shame that I've already come up with a score revolving around them overindulging their vice at the Golden Plum restaurant and then having to help Chef Roselle there get ingredients for a new dish. XD So yeah, Smiler can only get this ability after that happens. Probably inspires them to be more careful when indulging their desires!

E) Trust In Me -- they're better at anything they may choose to do against a target who they already have an intimate relationship with! Basically, in any roll against someone whom they already know well, they get an extra die -- and no, it doesn't have to be a social roll, nor does the relationship have to be that kind of intimate -- they just have to be close. I think this one fits Smiler simply because they're the most extroverted of the three, and probably have all sorts of friends scattered around the city that could be convinced to help the Three Pillars on their various scores. I do picture them using this mainly to help Sway friends to their various causes -- Smiler's a lover, not a fighter, and wouldn't want to damage the friendship by doing something mean. Though if someone they like decides to be an ass to them first -- well, all bets are off. Smiler may not be good at throwing a punch, and not want to hit a friend, but if they have to...

Whew! Quite the lists, huh? And this isn't even getting into the special abilities the trio can pick up as a crew! Not to mention the upgrades I have planned for their lair... I think telling you all about that will have to be a separate post, though. This one's long enough already. XD

[napping-sapphic]

I think the worst part of this lingering cough is how fucking poorly it mixes with my chronic nosebleeds smh shit has me in these awful feedback loops where all the coughing triggers a nosebleed and then the lack of breathing from the nosebleed makes the coughing worse which makes the nosebleed worse and so on and so on

[nyankoizumi]

Can we bring back dad devil content please

[soupsandstars]

Devil Hulk request for @samgojigammacrow

[ambitiouslyher]

TAGS REDONE.

✦ ⫽ visuals ... wears a smile like a loaded gun ✦ ⫽ study ... no one wants a half-remembered tragedy. ✦ ⫽ muse ... it will stop your breath how cruel i can be. ✦ ⫽ aes ... red compels ̗ it stains. ✦ ⫽ lookbook ... anything can be a weapon if you wear it right. ✦ ⫽ desires ... we obsess ̗ it's in our nature. ✦ ⫽ main ... my touch is lethal ̗ my touch is power. ✦ ⫽ tmau ... how it ruined you ̗ name the organs it kissed. ✦ ⫽ marvel ... tastes like every dark thought you ever had. ✦ ⫽ double agent au ... a boxing ring where fools and devils put up their fists. ✦ ⫽ sxf au ... even with a bullet through your eye ̗ play your part and say your lines. ✦ ⫽ if i let him do this to me ̗ what else will i allow ? anything anything anything ... ninajason (spllledwlne). ✦ ⫽ we make each other alive ̗ does it matter if it hurts ... ninaloid (eleutheriya). ✦ ⫽ two strangers with each other's secrets ... nina and carol (danversiism). ✦ ⫽ nina and drucilla (spllledwlne). ✦ ⫽ nina and fujiko (eleutheriya). ✦ ⫽ my heart beats in the rhythm of threes ... NJLS.

✦ ⫽ ooc … my only coherent thought was: YIKES!

[deer-with-a-stick]

on one hand, if larian gave us raw rules for revivify/raise dead, you could do things like save Duke Ravengard without Mizora (ignore her, go to Iron Throne where he's going to be dead for some stupid reason, cast Raise Dead with a diamonds and boom. you can't tell me that he's been dead for more than 10 days when you find him) or just revive random NPCs for fun but on the other hand dear god the chaos