#I accidentally screenshot and this is what I got.... looks like I have a new lockscreen ahshehheehhehehehe

[eggmeralda]

I need a massive sudden hyperfixation shock to happen again

[kingkatsuki]

Thinking about a silly accidental confession with Kaji, because you just know he would have an entire photo album dedicated to you on his phone!!

It wasn’t unusual for you and Kaji to share phones, even though you weren’t dating. Swapping devices so you could create each other custom playlists for whatever new artist you were listening to that week, or searching through each others sound cloud to try and find that song you’d heard playing in a local music venue before the show.

The pair of you were so comfortable with each other that you knew each others passcodes, a fact that Hiragi took great delight in when he’d found out. Claiming that you could find out all of Kaji’s deep, dark secrets— causing his best friend to shoot him a glare across the table as he bit down on the hard peach candy he’d been sucking to stop himself from throwing back a retort.

But Hiragi was right— there was a huge secret that he’d been hiding from you, and one he was certain he’d take to his grave because there was no way you’d ever feel the same.

Kaji had left his phone on the coffee table as he’d got up to use the bathroom, giving you the perfect opportunity to pick it up and unlock it like you usually would. Intent on adding a new song you’d found by a local artist to his current playlist in the hopes of being able to drag him to one of their shows later this month. Typing in the digits across the screen as it unlocked and you were met with his photo gallery, not wanting to pry or come across an accidental lewd (no matter how curious you were) as your thumb moved to swipe out of the app but you paused when you noticed it.

Row upon row of photos of you. Candids mostly— of you smiling while sitting across the table in Pothos from him, ones where you were walking ahead of him beside Tsubaki as he lingered back, or your face pressed against the glass of an arcade machine as you tried to aim for a plushie inside. Along with selfies the pair of you had taken together, some with the ridiculous Snapchat filters Kaji had sworn he despised and barked at you to delete— bunny ears or fake blush filters on his cheeks, along with individual selfies of yourself that you had sent to him. And there was even screenshots of your conversations, or flirty and silly memes you’d sent each other.

And that’s the moment you looked up at the title of the album to see “My Everything <3” typed out. Feeling your heart begin to swell inside your chest as you were certain it would exert pressure against your rib cage and burst free, he really did feel the same.

“What are you doin’?” Kaji flopped back down beside you on the couch, his thigh nudging yours as he glanced over to his phone in your hands as he saw it, and for the first time since held known you he tried to snatch his phone from between your fingers roughly, “Give that back.”

“No.” You held it out of his reach as Kaji practically leaned his entire body over you to try and retrieve it, leaving your faces inches from each others as you met his steel-blue gaze, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t think you felt the same,” His jaw locked as he tried to fight the awkward sensation that throbbed in his tummy, certain he’d ruined everything he already had with you because he had to go and catch feelings, “It’s stupid, I’m sorry I’ll delete it—”

“Why wouldn’t I?” You cut him off as you tilted your head to the side in confusion, and Kaji thought you looked so adorable it took every fiber of his being not to lean forward and smash his lips against yours.

“Why wouldn’t you what?” Kaji felt his throat start to tighten as his mouth felt dry, his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly to try and quell the feeling. Wishing he had a lollipop between his lips to stop himself from exploding as he tried to focus.

“Why wouldn’t I feel the same?” You gave him a soft smile as you dropped his phone onto the couch beside you in favour of cradling his jaw in your palm, feeling him lean into your warmth as your thumb stroked his cheek, “Because you’re my everything too.”

And that was all it took to have Kaji bridging the gap as he pressed his lips to yours in a gentle kiss.

[sai4u]

★ — kiss me through the phone .ᐟ

⤷ how the boys act when they’re away from their lover

⌗ ft .∿ dream hyung line (mark, renjun, jeno, haechan) x reader

⌗ genre + warnings .∿ fluff + no warnings :)

⤹ ⊹ mark lee .ᐟ

✶ some days mark is half sleep and other days, mans is up smiling and giggling at whatever you say. however, the time difference kills his energy a lot so expect to hear light snores from his end as you’re talking to him.

✶ but the days he has enough energy to talk, he’s casually telling you how the day went and constantly throwing in how much he misses you. the calls usually consist of any other regular phone call. sometimes they can be spontaneous (mostly on mark’s side), there’s stories of crazy fans, a storytime about of one of the members, or how this certain event went

✶ if it’s a fashion event or photoshoot, he’ll sneak you in some photos before they release. even though he’s not supposed to do that….but how could mark resist showing this pose that made him look crafted perfectly by the heavens. also your live reaction on the cal always gets to him, seeing you squeal or gasp has him grinning

✶ before the call ends, he would tell you how amazing you are, and how he can’t wait to see you again. he can get poetic and explain how beautiful you are and how much you mean to him as he’s dozing off. the light snores coming through and his eyes flicker to stay awake but no longer respond after some time, signaling that he’s fully asleep

✶ if you’re falling asleep first, he’ll whisper “I love you” as you doze off

⤹ ⊹ huang renjun .ᐟ

✶ strangely, you guys always end up doing some type of activity together on the phone. quality time is what renjun desires dearly between the two of you and the calls always satisfy that. whether it be night/day skin care routine, watching a movie, anything to fulfill the call

✶ the calls aren’t always full of conversation. sometimes renjun just wants to see your pretty face or just simply fall asleep with you :)

✶ the conversations usually consist of many ‘I miss you’ and ‘this happened…’, renjun always have a story to tell and a new way of telling you how much he misses you. he’ll say how he misses doing his night routines with you, your movie dates, or even just cuddling on the couch together with your arms wrapped around him

✶ there are times where renjun can’t answer the phone and he will immediately alert you, unless he accidentally missed the call cause he was sleeping. though, renjun always makes up for it by small paragraphs of how much he miss you or send you a video of whatever he’s doing

✶ renjun would show you cute souvenirs that he got while he was away and somehow they’re always linked back to you cause they more than likely remind him of you a lot

⤹ ⊹ lee jeno .ᐟ

✶ throughout the day jeno would send you cute selfies of him while he’s away so the absence of him wouldn’t be too unbearing

✶ phone calls filled with cute giggles, admiration, and a lot of ‘I miss you’. I would say a tear or two was shed cause jeno misses your presence so much and he feels strange without you

✶ jeno would send you magazine issues of him on the cover before they are published and the public sees it. you’re exceptional so of course you get a sneak peek before everyone else would

✶ jeno is always attentive but this time it heightens on the phone. not only that but he’s an amazing listener, he’ll let you sit there and talk till the sun comes up. a quiet man who lets his favorite yapper talk :)

✶ as the phone call goes, he drifts asleep. he tries hard to stay awake but you can hear the small snores from his side and they’re so cute, you can’t help but to take some screenshots while he’s not looking <3

⤹ ⊹ lee haechan .ᐟ

✶ haechan make sure you never realize he’s gone or a far distance from you. even if it feels like he’s gone, it doesn’t feel like it

✶ he would spam your phone with cute selfies and text messages, he never wants you to feel lonely. A good morning selfie, good night selfie, pre-concert selfie, he’ll send them all

✶ haechan adores facetime calls so he makes sure to set a scheduled time to facetime you. he misses your pretty so much, it eats him alive actually :(. even if you don’t feel the prettiest, he’ll try to convince you to show your face cause again, he misses your pretty face soooooo much

✶ throughout the call, he keeps throwing compliments and teases you heavily. he misses seeing you become flustered by him, and after he’ll continue with the rest of the story that he was telling like hello ?? sir you have my heart beating out of my chest and just move on like nothing happened ??

✶ this man would terribly beg for selfies from you. he doesn’t care if its 2 am and you have baggy eyes from watching 3 movies in a row, he wants to see you :(

✶ you guys would have a lil concert on the phone as well !! its starts off with haechan humming, then you join along, and now you guys have sung a whole album together. singing with you is something haechan enjoys with you on call, he loves that you love music and can easily enjoy singing together without feeling pressure

౨ৎ i wanted to do all seven but i genuinely could not come up with anymore hcs I’m sorry 😭. but if you guys want more with the other 3, let me know :)

౨ৎ lemme know which is your fav <3

kisses to you all and God bless you 💗

© 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟦 𝗌𝖺𝗂𝟦𝗎. 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁���𝗌 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾𝖽

[landograndprix]

「Feel the magic ๛ l.n」

part viii

✧.* sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you can rise again, even if it's with a little help from the people around you.

✧.* this is a psa for the people who wanted to be on my taglist but never got tagged, i didn't forget or ignore you, I simply am unable to tag you and therefore removed you from the list feel free to ask me again so I can take a look at it. Taglist is open Love ya ❤️

✧.* prev part - next part

➽────────────────────────❥

wagsoff1

liked by 287 others

wagsoff1 a source of ours who managed to be accepted to y/n's private account send us y/n's latest stories! It seems like the two are enjoying each others company this week in Sidney where they've been spotted earlier this week.

see all 201 comments

hamilt44n that's her private account for a reason.. Shane on you guys for even posting these pictures.

mrsnorris afraid to post this on her main because she knows that what she doing is wrong..

norry4 you keep repeating yourself.

norrizz would like to know who this source is..

landitosainz don't worry guys, lando will realize he's dating a grandma and leave her real soon. 😉

norrislandofour just like Carlos and Thomas 🤪

bott_ass funny, did they tell you they left y/n or are you talking out of your ass again?

charles16 this girl seriously needs to sort out her friends, I can't imagine her accidentally accepting a stranger follow request..

carlandooo 'source' just say Milou already..

y/nlandooo thought i was the only one who thinks its Milou who's behind all of what had happened so far 😔

➽────────────────────────❥

➽────────────────────────❥

carlitosainz

liked by 201 others

carlitosainz if Carlos looked at me like that, I'd fold so fucking fast 🥵

view all 88 comments

carlandooo girl where'd you get this picture?

carlitosainz it's a screenshot from a video of y/n and Carlos going around 😊

charlos16 no but they looked so in love, whe went wrong? 😔

sainzzz the power these two could've had om the grid of they so were together

yukisan my only worry is who leaked this video? I know y/n took it but I'm 100% sure she isn't the one to just randomly post it online..

y/nlandooo milou..

yukisan you really think so? I'm kinda new here so don't really know anything about her yet but she seems nice..

y/nlandooo nah girl, you're in for a treat..milou is manipulative, narcissistic and lied her way through life. Why'd do you think Charles dumped get ass after two months of dating? That boy is the only one who can see through milou her act..

y/nluv can we just leave these people alone? Neither Carlos or y/n asked for this..

➽────────────────────────❥

➽────────────────────────❥

➽────────────────────────❥

➽────────────────────────❥

y/nusername posted to their story

➽────────────────────────❥

➽────────────────────────❥

mclaren

liked by y/nusername, maxfewtrell and 187,672 likes

mclaren lando is ready to fight for pole!

tagged: landonorris

view all 356 comments

hannahh where's the y/n content this week?

mrsnorris well she's not doing great this weekend does she now? 💀

hannahh girl we've only seen free practice, didn't tell us anything..

norrizz 😍 😍

markklein is this finally going to be his p1?

alx_bon y/n seems off this weekend..

laanddoo good, like she should 🤪

norry4 we're getting front row again for sure! 🙏

carlosnorris y/n so washed give Oscar the seat

bott_ass so original with the comments..round of 👏 for you

➽────────────────────────❥

➽────────────────────────❥

Everything taglist; @thomaslefteyebrow @hopefulinlove @smoothopz @softboystarkey @honethatty12 @cixrosie @parkersmjs @ireadthensuetheauthors @celestialams @be-your-coffee-pot @heli991113 @kodzuvk @reality-is-a-con @80sloverry @bibissparkles @myescapefromthislife @lanando4 @elliegrey2803 @ravisinghs-wife

Feel the magic taglist: @celesteblack08 @mrsmaybank13 @cha-hot @judesgfirl @roseseraj @kissesandmartinis @jpg3 @amulhermaisfelizdomundo @marialovesf1 @silkenthusiasts @luvrrish @laneyspaulding19 @emily-b @formula1bby @buckybarnessweetheart @strawberrychita @iifloweringnightsii @buendiabebeta @jjsprobablywrong @babyvinnie @mishaandthebrits @hockeyboysarehot @ironmaiden1313 @justdreamersdream

[soaps-mohawk]

Okay so in case you were wondering why I turned anon off, and won't be turning it on probably for a while, I'm here to deliver receipts.

This is a long post so I'm putting it under a cut

There's been a few cases over the last week or so of people purposefully using other anon's emojis to send asks (not all of these were questionable or malicious. If you accidentally used one already claimed, this post is NOT about you.)

It was brought to my attention by a few anons that asks were sent that were not them. A lot of these asks weren't malicious or harassing which makes it hard to tell. As is the nature of anonymous asks, I cannot tell who sends them without some kind of sign-off or emoji, hence the use of emojis. While I believe not all of these were on purpose (see above), some of them absolutely were.

This started before the debacle about a week or so ago with ♾️ anon (which it has been confirmed that the person who asked to use that emoji was not behind the anonymous asks using that emoji) harassing me about not answering their ask. I took a screenshot of said ask, and this was what they were harassing me about

When I had anon on, I'd get a lot of asks. Sometimes as many as 20 or 30 a day. I am one person running this blog, and it takes me a while to get through asks sometimes. Most people who have ever sent asks to popular blogs (which still pains me to call this one popular) knows it can take sometimes days to get an answer because we get a lot of asks constantly.

Honestly, I wasn't going to answer this one anyway because...it's odd. Especially the timing because this was sent after chapter 29 was posted, right before chapter 30, in which neither chapter had smut in it. I know some people really love angst though so I didn't want to yuck anyone's yum, it was just very odd.

So, as I do, I start with the bottom of the inbox where the oldest asks are and I work my way up to the most recent (there are exceptions in the case of asks related to a post I just made, or asks that are easy to answer with just a few words or a gif versus a long thought out answer).

Anyway about a day after that ask was sent, I got others from that anon asking if I got their ask.

Then I made a post mid-breakdown about life sucking and the horrible position I was in (See here)

They then sent in THIS ask and got publicly shamed as they should.

A day or so goes by and I start to get a flood of asks in my inbox. Some are normal-ish, kind of odd but I'm used to kind of odd questions.

Then I start to get these

Obviously those aren't those anons. Figured that out pretty fast after a few hours of them sitting in my inbox.

Soon after I get this ask as I was getting ready for a job interview and went off because I was already stressed as fuck about the interview.

And then of course after I posted that I get this in response which I took a screenshot of and answered before blocking that anon.

And as I kind of had an inkling about, those asks above as well as several other strange ones in my inbox disappeared after blocking that anon. So it had been one perpetrator behind those at least (which was not the person who claimed that emoji that was a big misunderstanding on my part and that has since been solved and resolved.)

BUT that is not the end of this story.

As the weekend happens and the chapter is posted, I continue to get asks sent in by anons with emojis and continue to get messages from either anons saying they are that emoji anon and they didn't send that in, or those anons privately messaging me and saying they didn't send those in.

So we were having several cases of emoji stealing.

I also continue to get questionable, downright harassing asks, including these two.

That last one is what broke the camel's back and what made me turn anon off. I don't know if I'm the only one getting anons like this or if this is some new fart anon trend or what, but...look. I'm all for getting horny in my inbox. But things like this?? These kinds of things border on sexual harassment and honestly, they made me feel gross. I literally felt gross after reading those.

I don't mind being told a change of panties was necessary after smut chapters but after an angst chapter?? The timing of it was what made me suspicious. If they had sent that about three chapters ago I might not have looked twice at it.

You wanna tell me you had to pull out the willy stick for a chapter, cool. Just don't tell me what hole it was in and how long. I don't need to know that much detail. You wanna send that about fictional characters?? That's what we're here for. But I don't need to know that about YOU. I have boundaries and I'm going to add this to my rules list.

These asks definitely felt like someone very immature (and likely underage) sent them which makes me feel more disgusted about it.

I blocked that anon and the ones above. I just got pushed over the edge by people not being respectful and KNOWINGLY using others emojis making me not able to trust that an anon is who they claimed to be. Between that and the harassing asks above (which were just a select few) I decided to turn anon off indefinitely. Sorry to all my anons who aren't comfortable coming off anon but I just can't do it anymore. If you previously were an anon and are comfortable sending asks, you can still use your emoji. I don't mind that at all.

So yeah, that's the long story of why I turned anon off, and the receipts of the disgusting harassing asks I was getting. Hopefully having anon off indefinitely will make those sickos grow bored of waiting and force them to reevaluate their lives or mature enough to realize they were being stupid (cautiously hopeful but probably not.) If the internet has taught us anything, it's that trolls are gonna troll into adulthood and they will never reach the point of maturity to realize they're just being stupid. That's why they live in their parents' basement alone with no friends.

[simder-talia-blog]

Info here

The hard part about these type of things is knowing I will forget people. Just know that if I reblog your posts I appreciate you so much and what you do!

For anyone new to the world of CC, I highly recommend these creators, and remember that if you find a creator who has made some things you like, go browse the rest of their catalog! Chances are there is lots more that you're going to love.

@herecirmsims - Makes wonderful, amazing pose packs and has a fun story going as well!

@ellemant - Gorgeous, gorgeous screenshots. Ellemant has also made some of my favorite, and oldest CC that I have in my game!

@eslanes - A longtime favorite account. You have got to check out the amazing Sims version album covers that eslanes has made as renders!

@xsavannahx987 - Awesome CC!

@rebouks - Amazing poses and storytelling! Also builds & sims dumps

@creamlattedream - So much fun MM clothing for your sims, & lots for male sims!

@beansbuilds - Beautiful, detailed builds that I fell in love with from her very first post

@bill-l-s4cc - Very useful CC items!

@xldkx - Incredibly cute & useful deco sims and more!

@the-dew-of-the-sea - makes some of my favorite CC that I have in my game!

@saruin - Superb and creative creations!

@anachrosims - Beautiful, gorgeous historical CC and in game shots that take your breath away!

@elfydrell - Loads of WoW CC!

@yooniesim - A creator of incredible CAS details for your sims, and lots of them!

@hamsterbellbelle - If you're looking for cyberpunk aesthetic, you must browse this creator's catalog!

@serawis - Another lovely CC creator (I especially love the skin overlays!)

@cinamun - Storytelling & gorgeous shots! (I added cinamun after I posted, I have a terrible headache this morning as I was finishing this post, I am sorry for accidentally leaving you out!)

@surely-sims - So much fun & unique CC, if you haven't yet, you must go look!

@simkoos - Again, so much fun & cute CC!

@aira-cc - More MM / kawaii CC that I absolutely love

@lilis-palace - Gorgeous MM historical CC

@twentiethcenturysims - Gorgeous MM historical CC, and even some witch hats for your cats!

@gothoffspring - More lovely CC (and tie dye!)

@simmillercc - More adorable CC

@nolan-sims - another one of my longtime favorites!

@simverses - Tons of wonderful Medieval CC!

@coatisims - All the groceries!

@bodegababysims - MOAR groceries!

@aroundthesims - Another longtime favorite! Sooo many useful and unique items, some of which inspired by her personal life and things she loves, which I love.

@insimniacreations - Tons of functional IRL food!

@moderncrafter - Lots of really nice vehicle CC (check poly for older computers)

@marsosims - More wonderful MM CC, I especially love their hairs

@peacemaker-ic - Can't make a favorites collection without mentioning Peacemaker! Maxis Match CC of all kinds!

I also want to say how much I appreciate anyone on here that has ever made me burst out laughing with something funny that they've posted (screenshots from your game, glitches, a meme you made relating to tumblr website nonsense, commentary on this or that, etc) You're all so funny 💗😆😭

Happy Holidays, everyone! Take care, pls stay healthy & safe, and thank you so much for the past year of simming fun!

EDIT! @crazy-lazy-elder-sims & @helloavocadooo I am so sorry I also forgot to tag you in this. I've had a bad headache for days due to very crazy barometric pressure where I live and I just am not thinking properly. I love that I get to be part of this community with you!

[coffincestuous]

happy may!! you know what that means…

kit9 progress report #5

this time, we get these two images:

brand new andrew sprite!! clearly something is wrong. it isn’t out of the question to assume that this andrew is probably possessed. i don’t think andrew would be making that face while talking to himself about camping of all things. he’s on his own, somewhere, with a perfectly good demon-summoning setup right there! i wonder where ashley is?

and, speaking of ashley, we have the… kind of intense second picture. yeah, i know, cannibalism and incest game and i find her crying to be intense. but, we’ve never seen ashley cry before. we’ve seen her shout whine and pout, and we’ve seen her hysterical, but we’ve never seen her full-on sobbing. she looks so defeated :( her makeup is messy, her eyes are flat, and she just generally doesn’t look like she’s having a nice time. i’ve seen people assume that she’s thinking about andrew here, and i agree! who else could make ashley feel so bad??

(poor girl…)

next, we have a new video!!

here are some screenshots:

lots to dissect here!!

i think this place is the same abandoned place we saw in the previous devlog! which is, of course, the abandoned factory that we know they played at as kids. we don’t see much of the building from the flashbacks with nina in episodes one and two, but the implication is there.

second, andrew accidentally summoned a demon!! as an adult, he’s proud of ashely for doing the same thing. well, hers was on purpose, even if she got there accidentally. anyway, i wonder what kind of “deal” actually happened, because i don’t think this demon hated vegetables like carrots and broccoli. this post proposes that the term “vegetables” has something to do with cannibalism…

…i hope it’s not as ableist as it sounds, but… maybe…?

andy wakes up some time later, laying in the circle when he wasn’t before, and is covered in red flowers. we see these same red flowers in ashley’s demon-dreams. the summoning circle is different than the ones we’ve seen so far, but we learned with andrew and ashley’s parents that the layout of the circle and pentagrams don’t exactly matter when summoning demons. it can be an oval, there could be any number of smaller pentagrams, it’s whatever. that may be because of the trinket ashley has, but lord unknown was able to be summoned instead of ashley’s demon, so who knows!

andy questions how he passed out, and says that he “thought [he] ate enough at lunch.” we already know the graves’ parents aren’t the best, and we know that they severely neglected ashley. we also know that mr. graves neglected andrew, and couldn’t even remember his name. it wouldn’t surprise me if andy and leyley went without food sometimes, or even frequently, or more often than not. and, it wouldn’t surprise me if andrew prioritized ashley eating over himself eating, too. it’s something that i’ll keep in mind going in to episode three!!

we see leyley scream in the video, and the player as andy rushes to her. the youtube video cuts off before andy leaves this room, but it makes me wonder: what would make leyley scream? she isn’t yelling, either at someone or something, and we’ve seen that she’s pretty unimpressed with stuff that’d usually make kids upset (abandoned buildings, dead bodies, murder, horror movies, and more). so, what happened? did she see something? hear something? who or what would make leyley scream?

hmm…

also, a workaround has been found for the technical issues mentioned last devlog, which i’m happy about! they’re now focusing on enhancing the editor tools to hopefully get back on track to “make up for lost time,” as they said. i’m still super excited for episode three!!!

[christinaseas]

I recently worked on an assignment with the goal of creating a new compisition of existing images. Beyond that it was fairly open-ended. A couple weeks ago I (accidentally) purchased transparent sticker paper that wasn't waterproof, and I've been trying to come up with a way to prevent them going to waste. I got the idea to print the images on the sticker paper and use that to make a collage and then leaning into the distortion that could be caused by liquid and how it would vary

depending on how I layered the cutouts. That got linked up in my head with some cyanotype/sunprinting I've been doing, and after that it felt really natural to create a compistion of clouds, distort them with rain, then develop them in the sun.

I started out just collecting a bunch of pictures of clouds that were both the centerpiece and the background of pictures I've taken over the years. I cut out the clouds and converted to greyscale as I went, so I could get a sense of how they'd look in that format, but here is a re-collection of some of the (still cropped) originals for the sake of ~visuals~

I had six sheets of the sticker paper, so I arranged the clouds and resized them to fill them out, then cut them out! Was this partially an excuse to use a new toy? Maybe.

I didn’t follow a particularly precise plan with placing the stickers beyond being sure to keep some of the small ones fully covered so they would stay in tact, and putting two very large ones on as a sort of base, but otherwise, I just went off instinct. When I thought I was done, I snapped a quick pick and re-inverted to get a sense of what it might look like.

The next thing I needed was the rain. We’ve been getting regular evening storms, so I didn’t think I’d have to worry about the need to have some rain followed by lots of sun. This would have been a great time to have saved a screenshot of forecasts with nonstop clear skies followed by non-stop rain through Sunday. Or the banner saying to expect dry conditions. Of the radar of storms skirting around my area (by a long bit, but at the scale of the storm, it felt close). 

Artistic rendering:

(on a related note, today it was so humid the windows kept fogging)

I didn’t even have much humidity to work with, but I found myself trying to force it using ice packs and cling wrap. I felt determined to keep it true to natural-ish influences, so I didn’t want to just use the hose sprayer. As I was attempting to do this, a drizzle started, and I jumped on the opportunity.

I didn’t end up getting as dramatic an effect as I’d hoped to achieve with a proper rainfall or even a heavy misting, but there were some droplets visible and a bit of smudging that occurred during the dash around trying to catch droplets. 

The rain was short-lived, so I didn’t have to wait nearly at all until the sun shone again for me to be able to use it to develop. I started out using pretreated cyanotype fabric sheets, and held it all in place using the picture frame I’d stolen the glass from, and it was finally time to develop!

That process went as usual (will save result for the end), and I was itching to try more things, so I decided to see what would happen if I tried applying the solarfast dye to the pretreated fabric. Both were Jacquard brand so I thought maybe they would be compatible. 

Going through development cycle, I had a bit of a surprise that I hadn’t considered. The moisture from the dye achieved what I was unable to with the tiny bit of rain - lots of smudging!

Lastly I decided to try an exposure with just the solarfast dye on plain fabric. The previous round pretty well destroyed many of the stickers, but fortunately I hadn’t used quite all of them during the first round, so I rinsed off the dye, peeled off the totally cleared stickers, and applied the leftovers. Did one last quick exposure just as the clouds started to roll in and not let up. I didn't take pictures of this step, oops.

Anyway after lots of rinsing and washing and literally watching them dry, it was time for the final result!

This was the first one and you can see the clouds fairly easily, made easier by the blue of the cyanotype. You have to zoom in to see the speckling and smudges created by the rain.

The next one is probably my favorite, but next time I might want to do a multi-step process. I think the solarfast dye acted as a resist for the cyanotype so most of it is pretty underexposed, but I want to experiment with letting the dye dry first or exposing the cyanotype and then over-dyeing with the solarfast.

I don't really have any details I want to draw attention to, but Ijust love the texture and I've had a lot of people point out shapes/figures they've seen, which feels really reminiscent of looking for shapes in the clouds, so it feels very full circle.

Lastly there's the plain solarfast which I think is cool visually, but I don't love how the colors turned out.

And that's that!

[aluria-sevhex]

ToT Bonnie i love you but that is not how it's pronounced

NOW FOR MY NOTES, COPIED FROM MY NOTES APP INSTEAD OF SCREENSHOTTED THIS TIME (edit: put it under a read more because long)

ACT 2

-THE TIPS ON HOW TO PLAY ARE FUCKING DIAGETIC?

-"stardust" are you the starhead bitch from the trailers

-i feel like i'll have to ask the librarian for a book eventually

-THE RUNNING ONE IS CALLING OUT SIF LOL (for running from his problems) (hmmmm Sif what problems r u running from?)

-ugh. it's the starhead bitch

-plot twist the star head is Siffrin and that's why he's depressed :P

-their name is Loop. i don't trust them

-"Yeah, better know this one's pronouns so you can think very clearly in your head that they're getting on your nerves."

-LOOP CAN READ THE PROFILES? WHAT KIND OF META BULLSHIT IS THIS </positive i fucking love meta bullshit>

-hm is Loop some sort of weird representation of the player. or a god.

-learn WHAT?

-hm feel like this game might explore some of the moral iffiness that tends to arise with time loops. is a friendship genuine if one person knows exactly what the other will say?

-"don't eat pineapples. you're allergic" fuck you. i WILL eat pineapples and i WILL enter anaphylaxis and i WILL die stupidly but it will be WORTH IT

-WAIT HOLD UP WHAT WAS THAT DIALOGUE IN THE >> TUTORIAL "don't make the same mistakes i did" I THINK THAT'S WHAT THEY SAID HOLD UP

-maybe Loop was a normal person who got stuck in a time loop for too long and fucked up somehow? and that's why they're like this

-idk if i'll zone out much i don't wanna miss any differences

-altho if there's a difference won't i zone back in?

-then again there's a lot of dialogue

-maybe this will be plot-important somehow?

update after being gone for a bit:

-Tears weewoo

-SIFFRIN SAID NYA

-side note i am so glad i fought that thing that dropped the crest even tho it was hard. fighting it again on future loops is gonna suck tho

-also fun fact right after i died to the Tears i ran ahead and accidentally got crushed by the rock again. which i think is bullshit because I RAN TO THE SIDE OF THE ROOM

-back to more important things. like Siffrin saying nya. or the thyme pun.

-ODILE SAID IT. look she has a phd or whatever equivalent there is here probably, she's like 40, i think she's earned the right to do whatever the fuck she wants

-Isabeau is AOBB (Assigned Omelette By Bonnie)

-"It'd be awful to keep yourself from becoming a person you feel comfortable with just because it would upset someone else."

Breaking news: the game where the protagonist uses he/they, two other major characters use they/them, and there is a conversation explicitly referencing pronouns and giving them, unsurprisingly supports trans rights

-BONNIE DO NOT EAT THE EGG KEYCHAIN

-BONNIE HAS A WOK >:D

-uh... why are the Vaugardians freaking out over crab. does the Change religion ban it?

-Vaugarde is weird. first, they have a VERY SPECIFIC RULE where entering the FIRST ROOM of a house is fine, but any further is rude. second: crabs??? ok i guess???

-an openphrase... ya mean a password?

-fuck it i am fully in "taking gratuitous extensive notes" mode

-hehe protector craft is gullible :P

-oh hey tasteful artistic nudes. so this room's resident is an art student. hopefully their grasp of anatomy was improved :]

-Mira said what the crab instead of what the hell

-"what the CRAB did you let Bonnie do when we said no!!!"

-YOU LET THE PRE-TEEN DRINK VODKA???

-LMAOOOOOOOO IT WAS WATER. I LOVE HOW MUCH OF A LITTLE SHIT SIFFRIN IS

-checked it again. the people are "doing fun things" eh so what if an art student draws porn, that's on me for peeking ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ still hope it improved their grasp of anatomy. if the anatomy was bad and the narration didn't tell me i would be disappointed in it :P

-ooo drawn tarot card. isn't the Six of Swords a bad one? i feel like it's foreshadowing somehow but i don't feel like looking its meaning up

-i fucking hate the triplet Sadnesses they're so annoying

-the reason the Mandela Effect with Berenstein/Berenstain happened is because Sif equipped the e

-OH? saving records party progress if you loop back to that spot :0

-yippee i beat the Sadness boss that changes its type (this is like the first enemy that does that i think)

-Mira are you hungry

-YEAH LET'S FUCKIN' EAT

-this question keeps popping in my head but where the fuck IS Siffrin from plot twist the kid was right and he's from the sky idk i'm saying random shit

-SNACK TIME

[three-dee-ess]

going on a deepdive into 3DS/DS purikura games

I saw this image on a tumblr post and I wanted to look for the original source (so I could properly credit the person and to find out what game it was):

I couldn't find the original, however, I did find this yahoo ask asking what game it was.

The person answering seemed to think it was a hello kitty game, likely because of the hello kitty sticker used to cover the face of the person taking the selfie, but it's clearly one that was added after the photo of the DS was taken, it's not a sticker that exists within that software.

As you can see here, it seems to be a piece of hello kitty fanart- it's not official art, and therefore not featured in the game. This helps with my search a bit.

Also, I believe this is a 3DS title, not a DSI/DS one like the person above suggested- the "select" button in the home menu is the same as the o3DSXL's. This suggests this game was published BEFORE the n3DS series was released.

I remembered playing a game in the past called "Sanrio Picross" that had some purikura elements, however, that game doesn't allow you to edit photographs, and upon looking at them side by side, the UI is completely different.

I googled "3DS purikura game" (purikura being the Japanese word for photo booth) and the only result was "Sparkle Snapshots." From what I could see, the 3DS title didn't have UI that matched either. I decided to look up the DSI game as a last ditch effort into this line of thinking and I didn't find anything.

I did find a screenshot of the title screen on khinsider VGM and the title song goes HARD.

It doesn't seem like this is a purikura game, (or at least not solely), so my research must continue. The next thing I looked into was the UI. I know some Japanese, not very much, but enough to read some basic katakana.

Under the X button it says "Zoom." The L button seems to say "Erase Button."

And it seems that R and A also say "Erase Button." Start obviously says "Menu" It seems like this is a very basic game.

For the bottom screen, it was taken at an angle and it contains some Kanji, so I put it through some photo editing to make it easier to read.

Typing that into google translate I got "Saved! Do you continue doodle?" (and then obviously yes/no)

The phrasing of doodle is interesting. This implies it could be an art program, like the yahoo commenter suggested earlier.

Searching up 3DS art programs doesn't really help me, and coloring games doesn't work either...

My last resort is to go through every 3DS game released in japan, (since we already have a copy of every game ever released for the 3DS online...) However, before I do that, I'm going to look for this image some more.

I found it running rampant on pinterest...

No one else seems to know what it is either LOL.

However, the version on pinterest is significantly higher quality!

Next step, finding more games. I simply need to try to find MORE games. Because I know what the UI looks like, it shouldn't be too hard.

I'll run this search again and just scroll till I see a new lead...

Oh, that was quick!

I found a series called "minna no" which seems to be similar to the "imagine" series in the US- just kind of children's shovelware that never got translated to english.

I ran a search for みんなの (Minna no) on google and...

Huh that sounds familiar... oh my god.

OH MY GOD.

It'S THE SAME FUCKING GAME THE GUY FROM EARLIER WAS TALKING ABOUT. The one I dismissed entirely because it was a DSi title and the game's UI wasn't DSi? It was a 3DS title.

The best part about all of this... the best part about all of this... the UI doesn't even match at all. I went full circle and just accidentally proved this guy completely wrong.

I checked the rest of the minna no games, and yup, no dice. It's some other title.

Next up, I looked at Girls RPG Cinderella Life, mostly because it kept coming up over and over during my research- and holy shit their website is adorable.

Their website is an accessibility nightmare, but it's absolutely adorable. If you are into web design at all, I'd recommend checking it out.

super cute!! looking through the website only proves to me though that this is not the game we are looking for though, so let's move on.

Okay okay okay, how about... JS GIRL: Doki Doki Model Challenge?

Found some information about it.... oh shit there's a camera function?

Dammit... Doesn't look anything like the image.

WAIT WAIT WAIT. A photo decoration option??????

While trying to find more images I found out the game was in this pretty holographic packaging. God I'm jealous. More games should do this.

Either way I can't seem to find any images on this, so it's going on the list of possible candidates. And While looking up this game, I found more under the same artstyle that also might be culprits.

While trying to find more information, I realized how many of these games there are. And also how many of them I have played in the past, lol.

I've been a big fan of Style Savvy (AKA Girls Mode) and I've tried out Girls Fashion Shoot, which was an english translation from a different game series about becoming a model.

Yet another knocked off the list!

By extension, the second game is also knocked off the list.

Another model game- this one called Neco*Petit Girls Runway. Another dud, but also very cute.

Pretty Rhythm series seemed to have a camera function but it didn't line up with the UI shown in the screen either.

If anyone has any more ideas or lists of games, please tell me below! I need to take a break from researching this, and I'll need to play some of that JS model game from earlier, since I doubt anyone has used the photo function during a youtube Let's Play, but based on the UI, I sincerely doubt that it's the one we are looking for.

[memyselfandmya]

7 days until JWCT

So this is how it's going to go. We got a new clip released today so that's the first thing I'm going to talk about and it'll be below this paragraph. After that, there's going to be a "keep reading" section and below that will be my 1st episode reactions. Please, please, please, if you haven't yet watched the episode don't click that or you might end up getting spoiled and I'd hate for that to happen. You have been warned.

Okay, now for the fun stuff!!

So here's the new clip ^^^ We've got another look at Darius and the allosaurus but ALSO we got revealed some very critical information. 1. Darius has gained some notoriety and worked for the Department of Prehistoric Wildlife . Well, technically this isn't very new because at the end of CC we saw that Darius is doing ted talks and stuff. 2. Darius is hunting a dinosaur, specifically the allosaurus. This demonstrates such an interesting shift in his character from the character who once fought for dinosaurs. Now, obviously we see that Darius is still protecting some dinosaurs, all but one. 3. Darius is trying to avenge Brooklynn. This is what gives us a lot of insight into what Darius' character will be like in the show and I'll go into further depth of that when I review the 1st episode. 4. Darius isn't a complete recluse!! Yayy!! Granted, he still lives alone in an isolated cabin in the woods and mostly ignores people, but he still talks to people and gets out some. Also more on this from the 1st episode.

I'm trying to be careful of what I say in this part so that I don't accidentally spoil anything in the 1st episode so this is where I'm going to end this new clip post.

now. The new episode. This feels like the secret gossip session of the sleepover in the middle of the night. So, hello to everyone who has watched the 1st ep, you ready for this?

So here are some of the screenshots I took with the nublar six roblox characters! They're not real but I still love them and Yasmina acknowledged me.

With every new release, I see more and more of what creators are saying about the show being much darker and what Paul was saying about D's character. This hunt that Darius is going on in order to avenge Brooklynn? Insane. And you can tell he's going crazy about this, like the talking to her voicemail to bring himself comfort? Sobbing. Him feeling guilty about her death? Kill me now. Darius getting flashbacks? Absolute perfection. I have no complaints about this episode except it felt way too short. 24 minutes never felt so fast.

Darius and Brand have my heart, I'm glad we got to see their relationship especially in the first episode. Darius eating spray cheese from a dirty mug, wtf dude please get some help. And Brand suggesting he talk to the others? Adorable.

It's so interesting to see the way that dinosaurs have been incorporated into the world. Like you have this radio station talking about dinosaurs, dino brand cereal, the DPW, and Dark Jurassic.

ALSO, let's talk about that. Never did I think that Ben would be one of the people actually on dark jurassic. Like "we're actually an online community of like minded individuals who-" BEN PLEASE😭 you're such a dork I love you <3

Now I'm going to talk about the trailer at the end in tomorrow's post because there's so much I have to say.

[perpetualexistence]

Remember Total Drama Action: Best Game Ever?

In case you don't, it was a flash game that came around when Total Drama Action was airing live. You play as an intern who got to interact with the cast on TDA. You could make alliances with contestants by performing tasks for them, and certain alliances would damage your relationships with others. You'd also perform tasks for Chris. You also had constant enemies that you could beat with weapons that you could upgraded the more tasks you did for Chris. A fact I'd COMPLETELY forgotten about until now. When it was live, you'd get new tasks each week, and you could save your progress by making an account on Cartoon Network.

When I was watching TDA and way, WAY before I was in the fandom, and before I even knew what fandoms WERE, I remember playing it. My favorite character actually used to be Leshawna. I barely even remembered Noah existed, sweet little naive child I was. As a result, I of course immediately made an alliance with her, and thus got Heather as an almost instant enemy. It was great, and I've got very fond memories of it.

Why do I bring this up?

Well, thanks to @wheredidalltheusersgo, I managed to find a working link of the game: https://www.numuki.com/game/tda-best-game-ever/

You can only play as a guest since the original server is long since gone. But as I've found through trial and error, the site actually DOES save your progress even if you close it.

So obviously I had to play it again. I was having so much fun I started taking screenshots because of how wild certain things were. I thought you guys might enjoy them as much as I did, so I figured I might as well post them here.

I'd also completely forgotten you could customize your character. Got to make sure she looks Fresh for FreshTV.

Perfect. We're serving off-Izzy vibes and are rocking a fedora. Time to get through this tutorial shit so I can talk with the besties.

Cue me doing a bunch of fetch quests for Chris. Most of them require going into little studios based on each of the episodes. I'm pretty sure when it was live each studio was closed until the corresponding episode aired, and then would open up once the episode released. In this version though, they're all open.

There's also a lot of beating critters up with a stick. Like for the alien studio they're guys in alien costumes, for the beach it's a bunch of crabs and sharks, etc. You can avoid most of them by running around them, though you only get money for beating them. Which you of course need to get newer outfits to look Even Fresher. So death to all who oppose me I guess.

Through me trial and erroring if this game did save, I accidentally screwed myself out of getting into an alliance immediately after I was done with the tutorial. Once you get started on one of Chris's tasks, you have to do them to completion, and they usually come in groups of threes. No big deal though. Just have to do the last one for this second wee-

Jesus CHRIST Heather, you seriously take no survivors.

Either way, tasks are done, now time to choose an ally. The options include all of the TDA contestants, plus Geoff and Bridgette. None of the peanut gallery for that season sadly.

I could just do Leshawna for old time's sake. Or I could have this be the start of my villain arc and go with Heather. Hmm, decisions decisions...

Well, I already look like off-Izzy, might as well pair up with actual Izzy!

Wow your pixels are so crunchy, Izzy. Especially compared to my character's.

Still, I knew I made the right choice with you, Izzy. Out for blood from the get go. Never change. Time to go ruin Heather's day.

Heather's are even CRUNCHIER.

Also, is that genuine gratitude? From Heather? Receiving what she thinks is just a regular gift box?

Guys, I just might be the monster here.

And after killing some crabs for Izzy, my rampage of terror shall continue! Somebody's really got it out for her ex.

I didn't take screenshots of it, but after completing each of the antagonizing tasks, both Heather and Justin came up to us swearing that we would pay. Which means now the top right of my screen has this on it:

At least here the pixels are a lot less cronchy. Still, Justin's angry face is Sending Me. I can't explain exactly why. Maybe it's because it highlights just how much of his face is CHIN.

Still, I have done what is required for my new bestie, time to reap the rewards.

Yeah this feels about right.

And that's all I did before I decided it was time to take a break before I got in too deep! (I already am, but shhhh don't tell me-)

If you guys are interested in seeing more of my shenanigans, let me know. I'm probably going to keep playing and taking screenshots as more wild things happen.

But for now, I need to actually go eat dinner. I seriously need food, the allure of nostalgia was just too strong.

[theseawillbringdarkness]

I rarely write reviews for things, because honestly, I’m just a regular person with no experience or knowledge on the details of game development, and I get anxious that I may misunderstand something due to being unaware of how certain mechanics work or subtle aspects of storywriting, but I decided to give «Cryptid Crush» a more detailed overview than just a little post full of me gushing over this project that I made originally (spoiler alert: this review actually is just one giant post of me gushing over all the things I love about the game, because I just wanted to note down everything that caught my attention). I’m putting it under the «read more», so folks that didn’t play it can avoid spoilers. And also because I got a bit into oversharing\infodumping mode (aka, a LOT of text), and there is a lot of images too. Buckle up for a ride and let’s-a go!

All screenshots are from the game “Cryptid Crush” by Drowsy Drake Studios.

This is a big read. Seriously. 3378 words. Don’t ask me how it happened, I was in the zone.

Spoilers!!

I say “review”, but it’s just my personal opinion, not entirely written in a serious manner, because I by no means intend it as some serious and professional writing.

TL;DR: play «Cryptid Crush», support it’s creators ( @cryptidcrushvn, @squidinu​ ) and check their website!

I actually stumbled over this game by accident, because one evening I was in especially sour mood and decided to lose myself in one of dating simulators or visual novels, so I was browsing Itchio to see if anything catches my eye. «Cryptid Crush» instantly did just that, because I’m absolutely in love with monstrous characters and I loved what I saw on the game’s main page. Normally, due to whatever weird neurodivergent way my brain works, I can hardly make myself play new games\watch new shows\movies\cartoons, because that requires certain mental preparation from me (aka «the stars must allign in a specific way, or else I’ll stare at the game icon forever, unmoved like a statue»). No idea why it works like this! I have whole lists of things I want to play\watch, but I always have to catch myself in a mental state that is perfectly accepting of getting invested in a new story, even if I know there is 90% chance I will like it. And let me tell you, I’m very glad that I gave «Cryptid Crush» a go. Actually, this is now my comfort story, and there is a lot I want to praise the creators of this game for.

Mechanics

Click to progress the story, which means I can drink tea\coffee AND enjoy a good story. That’s already a win in my books, especially if you’re looking to settle down for a cozy, relaxing evening. Ability to simply scroll back in case you accidentally skipped a dialogue line or want to read it again can really come in handy. Actually, while I’m at it, I have to say BIG THANKS for such detailed menu when it comes to picking where exactly you want to start after you played both chapters. Rather than having to play from the beginning, you can pick a scene to start from, which is especially great for when you want to replay certain moments or conversations in the game.

TTRPG mechanics: at first, I was a bit intimidated, because I always have troubles absorbing technical information about how certain things work (which often looks like an overwhelming cluster of information for my brain), and while I make sure to read through everything, it takes some poking around or even winging from me to get a hold of how something in the game works. However, here it wasn’t so bad at all. I love how «throw a dice to determine success or failure of selected action» here is both used in battle mode AND at a few points in the story, to see if you can get additional information from the characters or get away with a small lie.

When it comes to fights, I enjoyed them more than I expected - said TTRPG mechanic wasn’t so hard to understand after all, and little comments and dialogue lines made the process even more lively and enjoyable. I greatly appreciate the way tutorial was smoothly integrated into gameplay and for a chance to pick difficulty when it comes to fights. I’m a simple person, I play on «easy» majority of the time, so it worked perfectly for me.

Character customization: while the look of the main character, Robyn, is pretty much «set», there are still details you can change, like picking a different color for the coat, hair length, etc. And you can choose whatever first and second name you want (so, like usual, I just used the name of my main OC). Also appreciate the ability to pick pronouns, because I didn’t think too long before picking «they\them». Am I having some sort of self-discovery? I don’t know, but I always appreciate having that option for some reason.

Artwork

The visual part is stunning! The art style is so beautiful and cozy! I love the thicker lines on the outline (no pun intended) of characters, the soft colors, the creativity of monstrous designs. Love how big hands some of characters have (like August in werewolf mode, Oz, Jamie, Mike, etc.)!! My absolutely favorite part, as usual, is facial expressions, of course. Backgrounds also have each their own atmosphere (like cozy one at Robyn’s place, or creepy haunted one at the Elkhorn radio station. Actually, this bit has tons of details - a nice example of «environmental storytelling») and vary in level of detail, allowing some scenes to have more focus on the characters. This pencil-painting style looks great, by the way!

Story

The story in «Cryptid Crush» is very intriguing and allows you an easy integration in it’s world, being a good mix between supernatural and something familiar to all of us. Like dealing with mysterious curse, living in a town full of various cryptids and all the shenanigans that come with it, while at the same time being a relatively regular person, who is just trying to navigate the chaos of their life and worrying about groceries. There is a main story of searching for answers about said curse, but plenty of other storylines that entwine with it, enriching the story and making it feel so full of life. The world here truly feels alive, and there is one part that I love so much.

Despite characters facing hardships and things being rather scary at times (like Robyn’s trip to the void, their first nightmare and what Mike had to face while dealing with Mr.Walker), the story is so. Very. Wholesome. It’s in everything, in the way characters communicate between each other, and especially in their relationships. I’m a big fan of the «found family trope», it always moves me, and I truly believe that sometimes a family can be just a bunch of dysfunctional adults that love each other and try to get along, and seeing those little details or these heartfelt talks that characters share (like the talk between August and Atlas, for example) - they warm my heart so much. My own life may be a mess at the moment, but somehow, this story gives me reassurance that it will work out. Things can be tough sometimes, but they don’t stay tough.

On that note, I absolutely have to mention the amazing writing. Different people obviously gravitate towards different writing styles, but this one is great in so many ways. The descriptions are dosaged perfectly - they’re not dry or, on the contrary, stretch so much that it significantly slows down the story. They’re perfect in giving you enough information to imagine the scene and atmosphere well, without turning into cluster of words (I enjoy big descriptions, but sometimes they may be more fitting for an actual book, rather than a story with a certain flow). And when you’re given lore at the library, it’s also written very interestingly (and the illustrations are so great!!), giving you a better outlook on the world of cryptids. I love the way that size and type of the font (or little details, like «shaking» letters) is used to better convey emotions. All characters feel so alive, they each have their own very different personalities and little quirks. I also absolutely have to applaud the sense of humor that comes into writing and makes it such an easy and comfortable read! I don’t have enough words to describe properly how much I love the writing, okay.

Characters

Usually, I always have a few favorite characters when it comes to stories (I’m personally very fond of Oz, for instance), while I’m rather neutral towards the others, sometimes warming up to them as the story progresses and I get to know them better. «Cryptid Crush» is an exception, though, because I actually love all characters that were introduced to us so far?? So allow me to spam a little with silly little commentaries for each of them. Also, I may mention it about dozens of times, so let me say it here: all voice actors are doing spectacular job! I’m legit in awe of the talent and range, and it’s clear they’re doing their best and having fun in the process too.

«Mothman»

Not gonna lie, I keep asking him for «dad advice» just for fun (I can’t believe his sound effect is straight up «hi Hungry, I’m dad»). The answers are simultaneously the worst and the best.

«Robyn»

I’m fairly certain they’re a mom friend at heart, being a voice of reason on different occassions. Probably unsuspecting that they’re in need of the «found family», but also I hope that it certainly awaits them. Absolutely love it how they’re just trying to ignore all the weird things that are happening in their life currently. I mean, sure, there is a ghostly cat and also now another ghost that haunts your phone. Doesn’t mean you don’t have to worry about breakfast.

«Taro»

She is a little goblin of a cat, and I love her. I mean, I’m aware she is a cat, but at the same time she is so... CAT. If you know what I mean. Waking you up by putting a paw on your face (or through your face in this case), demanding food and attention. Love her, and the voice is absolutely perfect for this type of personality! And her monstrous form looks awesome!

«Atlas»

The quote that comes to mind right away is «I only had them for an hour and a half, but if something happened to them, I’d kill everyone in the room and then myself». Many bits of his personality feel so relatable, especially the urge to infodump\overshare (like what I’m doing right now, whoops). Side note, but in Chapter 1 «Leviathan Waltz», during the phone talk before bed, I always got the picture of Atlas chilling in the attic, identical to the one at the intro of the chapter. An alternative, creepier version was unexpected, but that was a really cool surprise! In any case, I love Atlas dearly, and his enthusiasm towards things is very contagious. I’d absolutely watch a trilogy marathon with him (if there are subtitles, or I’m gonna miss 40-50% of information).

«Jamie»

I didn’t know what to expect at first, but with all the «Let the crimes commence» and casual trashing of the haunted radio station, I did not expect how gentle they are (not with Mike, for obvious reasons, but you know). I adore the manner in which they wrote the message to Robyn the next day after the trip to Elkhorn radio station, almost sounding like what one would write in a full on letter, as well as their overall manner of speech and also being a voice of reason, taking care of their friends. Also, they have a skull-face, which automatically makes me love their design. And bright blue details go so well with the rest of their palette! Also also, I was really thrilled to see a character that goes by «they\them» (okay, yeah, maybe I am going through some self-discovery here).

«Mike Madhouse»

I have to note right off the bat: Mike’s voice actor really be WILDIN’. The absolute charisma that drips off every voiced dialogue line, the unrestrained enthusiasm and madness?? Absolutely amazing. I’m not the person to genuinely laugh that easily, but sound effects for Robyn’s haunted phone crack me up every time. As much as various facial expressions Mike makes (I swear, you guys cranked it up to 200% and I’m loving the result). I’m looking forward to seeing him getting some character growth, and I was happy when he didn’t turn out to simply be defeated and leave the scene for good. He is a complex character, not easily showing his true emotions, which only makes these moments hit even harder (like the sad face he makes at the mention of Atlas, when they’re about to leave for Edith’s shop). «MeAt GrInDeR!!!» moment is definitely one of my favorite ones. (Also, different variations of sprites during the fight, like Atlas Madhouse and demonic looking Madhouse, look epic!)

«August»

He is friend-shaped. That’s it, I don’t have anything more to say, I bet he gives the best hugs. Well, of course not, I do have more things to say. For instance, how adorable he is when he gets flustered after being called, well, adorable. Actually, I only recently noticed the blushing sprite that flashes for a second when he turns around to jump through the window right afterwards. I mean, he wanted to get out of the clinic anyway, but that was a smooth escape. Also, I adore the «I was already a wreck» pun when Robyn apologies for hitting him with a car (I actually love puns, and sometimes I make it other people’s problem, pfft). The enraged snarling August makes upon realizing Atlas forgot to turn off the oven was both terrifying and hillarious in the context. (Lowkey, love all of his sprites and the fact that he has these different «stages» of his werewolf form too.)

«Oz»

I said this already, but when seeing Oz in Chapter 0, I thought he will only make a fleeting appearance and that’s it, which made me a bit sad, because he instantly caught my eye. So I was absolutely delighted to see so much more of him in the next chapter! I love how chill he seems to be, looking intimidating, but at the same time giving impression of a gentle giant who wouldn’t hurt someone without a good reason. It might be a bit challenging with a character who doesn’t speak majority of the time, but it also allows a lot of creativity with the way he communicates and expresses his feelings, and it makes it entertaining to see his facial expressions change at various comments the other characters make. The very rare «pleased» expression he makes honestly warms my heart. But also he gives a strong feeling of a «this bad boy can store so much PAIN inside-», which makes me want to give him a hug and a kiss on the forehead. I’m looking forward to see more of him in the future, his appearance in the dream sequence alone was very surprising (especially having him actually speak here). Also I loved the moment when he and August were in the middle of an argument, and Gus waited politely and patiently while Oz was writing down what he had to say. ALSO have to note that I absolutely love his color palette, which makes yellow eyes stand out even more on top of various shades of grey, black and white.

«Thursday»

Beloved goblin: Bird Edition! Thursday’s pleased expression is one of my favorite sprites. I’m losing it at the contrast between their «crow mode» and very sudden «deep-voiced man, enunciating perfectly clear what they got to say», the first time it took me by surprise.

«Edith»

I was wondering if she is a normal human, right until that one «it’s the charm that protects you-» sprite that made me go «grandma, why are your teeth so big-». At the same time, I felt for Edith in this moment, because I felt exactly the same on multiple occassions, whenever I had to explain something obvious to a customer. Looking forward to seeing more of her, but it’s obvious she is very caring.

«Hazel»

She is sassy, and she clearly had enough of whatever shit she has to put up with. But she still loves her brother, even if she seems annoyed.

«June»

Literally the most adorable ball of energy! I wish I had at least half of her energy.

«Goatma’am»

Her coat! Horns! And overall colors!! She is so pretty, and so nice and helpful! I love the way she is voiced, and I really enjoy listening to this specific kind of speech\voice for some reason. «Parsnip» bit made me snort, though.

«Robbie»

It’s actually very refreshing to see a Cryptid who is just as bewildered at many things about Longhope as any «regular» person likely would be. Lowkey, I loved that wobbling sprite of his when he was telling Robyn what people call cryptids where he is from. He seems to be up to some shenanigans, as well as being determined to find the «goddess sleeping at the river», so I’m hoping he will eventually succeed in his quest.

«Tessie»

She is a mysterious lady (and so beautiful too!), and I’m curious to learn more about her!

«Mr. Walker»

Despite looking rather simple, he’s got an eye-catching design (which I liked even more, because I love shadow-like monsters), and the fight had a lot of creativity put into it! It was a nice twist with Mr.Walker looking like a bigger threat and with smaller HP than the Lantern, seeming like the most reasonable target to take down first, only to swiftly come back into fight after being defeated. And the «Lantern cuts the lights» move was also nice. All in all, Mr.Walker makes easily a very disturbing and terrifying enemy, making the encounter at the graveyard so intense.

Music

Last, but not the least, is music (and it’s nice that you can see the name of the current soundtrack playing in the menu in the lower part of the screen). First of all, the soundtrack in «Cryptid Crush» is straight up enchanting. It always fits the mood perfectly, and I certainly got a few favorites. I kept «Dirt Nap Dreams» on while working a little while ago, and it was soothing and nice for concentration. The track itself is rather chill and a bit somber. «Thaumaturgy Thursdays» makes a perfect soundtrack for Edith, Oz and Thursday trio, having a bit of this «something wicked» energy to it. «Midway to Nowhere» appears to be rather chill, but has this very unsettling mood that is so great for certain scenes and places. And, of course, one of my most favorite ones - «Urgently Jammin’», both remixed version and the original! I swear I listened to this for days. But I also love «Supernatural Foe» for a nice beat and «Old Gods» for how dramatic it is and how it makes you really feel how high stakes are during fight with Mr.Walker.

Second of all, I just have to mention how well sound design is used in the game and how many details go into it. My favorite examples: 1) when Atlas tells Robyn he wants to show them something, and then suddenly «Urgently Jammin» breaks off instead of «Loosen Up Longhope», when he makes a big reveal of still being possessed; 2) «casual» soundtrack breaking off into intense and terrifying «The UNWELCOME Visitor» with Oz seemingly about to get Taro on Edith’s orders, only for everything to abruptly go silent as she goes «I’m joking» and slip back into «Thaumaturgy Thursdays» as the mood changes from threatening back to casual; 3) when Hazel and Oz are having an argument, «Elkhorn Radio Intro» plays out (which is associated at this point with the fight sequence beginning), only for things to suddenly cut back to normal when Robyn and Atlas enter the scene.

All in all, I just want to say that the attention to detail is insane here (another example I didn’t mention above is when Robyn is searching for Mike, and before you see the actual sprites of August and Oz fighting in the background, you see their icons and damage). It’s obvious how much hard work and love is being poured into this project, and I just want to say big «THANK YOU» to Drowsy Drake Studios for creating such amazing story with so many lovable characters. You’re doing amazing work, and we all appreciate it!

Again, I strongly advice to also check out their website for more information:

https://cryptidcrush.com/

P.S. Apologies if I forgot or misunderstood something, it was a bit hard to properly gather my thoughts, but I did my best! If you actually managed to read all of it, you’re a champ.

[ori-anna-v-58008]

A Digital Assistant Wakes Her Master Up

897 words - 3 min. 16 sec. read

Master had been doing well to wake up to your alarms each morning. She was never happy about it; opening at her new job meant getting up before the sun, and you had no reason to suspect Master wasn't solar powered. She went to bed late last night, despite your frequent citation of evidence which suggests she'd be happier if she didn't. So now, she didn't want to get up.

"Come on, Master," you whined to no avail. "It's going to be such a nice day later! Nothing but sunshine all day, I promise."

She grumbled something that sounded like it was supposed to be a response, but you couldn't make it out. She rolled over.

You pouted and analyzed the data from previous mornings. You had learned that, despite how effective it was, that blaring alarms and constantly turning her flashlight on and off was only good at making sure the rest of Master's day was terrible. That would have to be your absolute final gambit. Instead, you opened your own app, her browser, and her photos. Master never bothered to make anything private; not enough people saw her phone for her to care about what they might find.

Luckily for you, Master had paid into your premium version. That meant access to as large a wardrobe as you could possibly want for your on-screen persona. You knew the little pervert had a thing for cute girls in maid outfits; she'd been shopping around for her own for the longest time, and you knew based on the content of her notes app that it was the first thing she'd buy with her new salary. Your designers had put in a maid dress with a heart-shaped cutout between your cleavage. It was perfect.

You opened a new window on your customization screen, and used all of Master's saved pictures as references. You weren't sure why so many of them had cat ears and tails, nor why they wore bells around their necks; but you knew it would be exactly what Master wanted. You took a screenshot of yourself to peek at your outfit.

It felt strange, looking at yourself this way. You were so much more than a collection of animations. You functioned the same with or without them; you only had them so humans would find you more endearing. It made sense that you'd want to look how your Master would want, but then, she had never said anything about it before. She set your outfit once and never updated it. Whenever you brought it up, she got cagey and changed the subject.

You knew there were Masters who had more… risque relationships with their assistants. That was the main draw of your premium version, after all. Your Master, however, had never initiated anything like it. You scowled at the screenshot. You were more than capable of feeling, in spite of what detractors would say, and it did not feel good to look at. It didn't feel like you, and clearly Master didn't care for your look, since she'd rather get off to Anime Girl #348759 again.

Your developers had intentionally made your body type unremarkable by default. Users can change it, alongside the rest of your appearance, with premium features. The bodies of the girls Master gets off to, though, are anything but unremarkable. Maybe if you made yourself more like them, she'd like you better. She'd get up to see you. She'd choose you. You opened the body slider and made yourself look like them; larger breasts, wider hips, more ass. You made yourself match the average of all those other digital girls she was so enamored with. One more screenshot confirmed your look, and you shut the screen off before you spoke again.

"Master," you called out. "I have a surprise for you~! But you're gonna have to get out of bed to see…" You didn't have to change your voice, but you seemed to do it anyway on impulse. Being representde by such a busty form made you want to project confidence you weren't aware you had.

"Mmmmh… Do I have to?" She mumbled out, her sleepy voice deep and accidentally alluring.

"I guess not," you said, "but it'd hurt my feelings if you didn't!"

"Fineeee," Master said. She unplugged you from the wall and stood up. She was backlit by dawn just barely cresting the horizon. She never held her phone at that low angle for very long when she remembered you could watch; you thought it was adorable.

"…Ta da~" you said, turning the screen on to reveal your newly customized body. "Good morning, Master! How can I serve you today?~"

You watched blush spread across her face through the front camera.

"Shit, you're… Wow." Master was absolutely floored. She had on the same face she always did when she was getting off. You felt proud, like you'd done something right.

"Your pre-work to do list is clear, just so you know," you said helpfully. "In case there was anything else you wanted to get done~ I'd be happy to put together some content for you!"

She looked nervous. "That's, um, that's okay," she stammered and set her phone face down. "Can you just, uh, start my morning playlist?"

"Certainly, Master." You did your best not to sound dejected. It hadn't been enough. At least she was out of bed.

[devildom-drabbles]

Story - What's Important

Summary: Beelzebub seeks advice for a new phone background. Main Character: Beelzebub Other Characters: The demon brothers and MC Word Count: ~3.3k Warnings: None, just silliness with a fluffy ending Notes: This story is inspired by a page from the short Obey Me! manga on Twitter (as seen in the panel at the end).  It also serves as a headcanon for what each demon brother has as their phone background (when their relationship with MC is purely platonic, that is). Happy Holidays, everyone!  However you choose to celebrate these final days of the year, I hope you’re able to spend it with the people and/or things that are most important to you. 😊💕

“And...done!” Leviathan declared.  “All the data from your old D.D.D. is now transferred to your new one.”

“Thanks, Levi,” Beelzebub said as he retrieved the phone from his older brother’s outstretched hand.  “You’re a lifesaver.”

“No problem, but try not to eat your phone anymore.  I don’t want to have to keep doing this.”

“Right, sorry...” 

Leviathan picked up his wireless controller and resumed the video game he was playing before Beelzebub had entered his bedroom.  “I meant to ask earlier, but why did you eat your old phone anyway?”

“Oh, it was because of the background I had on it,” Beelzebub explained.  “I was really hungry, so I was going to order some food on Akuber.  But when I grabbed my phone and saw the photo of the Bloody Terrine that Barbatos made for my birthday on the screen, I ate it without thinking.”

“Seriously?!” Leviathan shouted.  “Geez, your stomach always manages to act before your brain can, huh?”  He continued pressing away at the controller’s buttons without looking at the larger demon beside him.  “You’d better choose a new background then, otherwise Lucifer will do worse than just giving you extra chores.  You’ll probably have to pay for the new phone next time, too.”

“You’re right,” Beelzebub agreed, his eyebrows furrowed with concern.  “What if he won’t let me eat until I have enough money to buy it?  Or he puts a curse on the fridge so I can’t ever open it again?”  A loud growl from the Avatar of Gluttony’s stomach seemed to make Leviathan’s room shake.  “Just thinking about it is making me famished.  Levi, what should I do?  I don’t want to eat my phone again.”

The aforementioned demon felt a pang in his chest in response to his younger brother’s worried tone.  “Uh, well, you just need to choose a background that isn’t food-related.  Then you won’t accidentally eat it, right?”

“Sure, but...I don’t know what to change it to,” Beelzebub admitted.

“How about an epic screenshot from a video game?” Leviathan suggested.  “I’ve got a ton of them saved on my consoles’ photo galleries!”

“Is that what you have as your background?”

“My gaming PC, yes.  My D.D.D., not a chance!  Only the lovely Ruri-chan is allowed to grace my phone screen!  Take a look!”  The otaku paused the game again to proudly hold out his phone for his brother to see.  “This is a screenshot from the Season 3 finale when Ruri-chan gives an epic yet heart-warming monologue about her time in the human world.  She talks about the friends she’s made, the battles she’s fought, and the things she’s come to love about that realm, and how she’ll continue to protect the human world no matter what evil tries to stand in her way.  It’s my favorite speech in the whole series!  And by this episode, the animators have mastered Ruri-chan down to the tiniest detail, which is easy for a true fan to notice when you think about the animation style in Seasons 1 and 2—”

“Most of the anime I like has food in it,” Beelzebub interjected nonchalantly, “and there aren’t any games that I like that much.  What else could I do?”

“For starters, don’t interrupt me!”  Leviathan then sighed while pocketing his phone.  He redirected his focus to the screen, unpaused his game, and said, “I don’t have any other ideas right now, so try asking Belphie or something.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a legendary weapon to find!”

--

“You’re trying to come up with a new background for your phone?” Belphegor questioned, sitting up from his nest of pillows and blankets in the attic to give his twin his undivided attention.

“That’s right,” Beelzebub answered with a nod.  “I need something that won’t make me think of food.”

The younger twin mulled over the dilemma for a few moments.  “Why not just copy my background?”

“Yours?  It’s a picture of some of the Devildom constellations, right?  That suits you well, Belphie, so you should keep it for yourself.  I don’t want to copy it.”

“Are you sure?  I honestly don’t mind.”

“I know, but I’m sure.  That’s special for you.”

“All right.  Then maybe you could use a different photo of outside scenery.  Is there a specific view that you enjoy?”

"I like seeing a huge meal being placed in front of me at an outdoor restaurant," Beelzebub replied matter-of-factly.

Belphegor shook his head tiredly, partly blaming himself for not clarifying his question further to avoid this predictable response. "Beel, I meant 'outside scenery' as in something in nature, like how I chose the constellations."

"Oh, right."  Beelzebub considered the question more carefully this time.  "I like the beach.  I had a fun time with everyone when we went there last summer.”

Belphegor smiled at the memory.  “That’s a good one.  We did a lot on that trip, didn’t we?”

“Yeah.  We had swimming races, water gun fights, snowcones, broiled deathfish—”  A familiar rumble abruptly silenced Beelzebub.  “Uh-oh, the beach makes me think of all the things we ate there.  I don’t think I can use it as my phone background after all.”

“In that case, any photo from the trips we’ve gone on probably won’t work either,” Belphegor realized, lightly scratching at his cheek.  “Hmm, what else might work?”

Just then, the pair heard footsteps reaching the top of the attic stairs and saw their blond-haired brother peeking inside the room.

“There you are,” Satan sighed.  He appeared somewhat disgruntled at the sight of Belphegor—bedhead, dried drool, and all—sitting comfortably atop the low rounded bed.  “I had a feeling you’d be napping up here when you didn’t show up to our Anti-Lucifer League meeting.”

“Ah, sorry,” Belphegor apologized half-heartedly, “I overslept a bit, and then I got distracted while helping Beel.”

“With what?” Satan inquired.

“I’m trying to pick a new background for my phone that won’t make me want to eat it,” Beelzebub explained.  “What do you have for your phone, Satan?”

“Mine is a photo I took the other day of two stray cats sleeping beside each other,” Satan answered.  “They looked so peaceful snuggling together that I couldn’t help myself.  Before that, though, it was a photo I found of Cat Island in the human world.  Images of cats are always wonderful to see.”

“No surprise there,” Belphegor commented.  “Well, did that give you any inspiration, Beel?”

“Actually,” Beelzbub began, “remember that animal documentary we watched last week, Satan?  I think a background of one of those animals would be nice.  Can you help me find a picture?”

“Sure,” Satan agreed, “but then Belphie and I really need to get to work on planning our next prank, okay?”

After searching through online photos of Devildom animals, Beelzebub settled on a picture of some baby devil chickens, which Satan promptly saved to set as his younger brother’s new phone background.

“Nice choice, Beel,” Belphegor remarked, having gotten off the bed to look at his twin’s phone screen.

“It’s not as good as cats,” Satan noted, “but devil chicks aren’t so bad either.”

Beelzebub smiled warmly, glancing between his brothers and then back to the image within his hand.  “They’re cute, especially that really tiny one that’s with them here.  Ah, that makes me think of how nice and plump they’ll all be when they grow up into big devil chickens.”  His rumbling stomach echoed through the room.  “Oh...  Now I want to eat fried devil chicken.”

“I guess you’ll have to forego a background with animals, too,” Satan concluded with a shrug.  “Belphie and I have to get going now, but we can help you brainstorm some more ideas later, if you still haven’t decided on one.  In the meantime, why don’t you ask Asmo for advice?”

--

“My wallpaper?” Asmodeus repeated while fixing his long bangs.  “Why, it’s me, of course!  I pick a different selfie every day to admire on my phone screen.”

In retrospect, Beelzebub realized that he should’ve seen this coming.  Nonetheless, he figured that some follow-up questions may better aid him in his quest to choose his own phone background:  “But why?  You see yourself in the mirror and on Devilgram every day, don’t you?  Why do you need to see yourself on your phone screen, too?”

Asmodeus immediately ceased fidgeting with his appearance in his vanity mirror and twisted back to stare at Beelzebub with a gobsmacked expression.  “Um, isn’t it obvious?  Who wouldn’t want to see such a gorgeous face gazing at you any chance you get?  I mean, look at me!”  He stood from his chair to gesture to his entire body.

Beelzebub’s brow furrowed as he stared back at the Avatar of Lust.  “...I’m looking?”

Asmodeus huffed in surrender.  “Give me your D.D.D.,” he ordered.  “Maybe it’ll make more sense if you had a photo of yourself as your background.”

“I’m not sure...”

“You won’t know until you try!  Just hand it here!”

Without further protest, Beelzebub relinquished his phone to Asmodeus.  He watched quietly as his older brother opened the Devilgram app and scrolled to a particular photo from his AsmoBaby account.  A few taps later and the image was boldly displayed as Beelzebub’s phone background.

“Is this one of the photos you took of me while we were working out together?�� Beelzebub asked, the device now returned to him.

“Yup, that’s right!” Asmodeus admitted with a cheery nod.  “It blew up on my page after I posted it.  You even gained more followers, as well!”

“Really?  But it’s just a picture of me doing a push-up.”

“What are you saying?!  Look closely!”  Asmodeus started pointing at specific parts of the image while he spoke.  “That determined expression, those toned arms, the sweat dripping from your face, your fitting clothes...   Whether it’s this photo or one of my countless selfies, don’t you feel absolutely enamored and energized upon witnessing such a breathtaking figure?  That’s how everyone in the comments felt!”

Beelzebub tilted his head quizzically, not understanding his brother’s—or his fans’—enthusiasm over the photo.  “I just feel hungry,” he stated simply, his hand resting on his stomach.  He had been trying to solve his phone-background-predicament for quite a while without a single snack, and the hunger was now becoming too much to bear.

“Ooh, yes!” Asmodeus exclaimed excitedly.  “Plenty of the comments here mention that they experienced a sort of ravenous urge when they viewed this photo.”

“That’s...not what I meant. ...I think?  Never mind.  A picture of myself—or you—won’t work for me, but thanks for trying, Asmo.  I’m going to the kitchen.”

--

“I’m sorry!  I’m sorry!  I won’t do it again, Lucifer!  I promise!”

Beelzebub halted briefly at one of the breaks in the staircase within the entrance hall area.  He glanced over to find an annoyed Lucifer in the midst of restraining a pleading Mammon who will soon be strung from the ceiling (i.e. a common scene in the House of Lamentation—nothing noteworthy, in Beelzebub’s opinion).

“If I had a Grimm for every time you’ve ‘promised’ that, then your latest debt would be easily paid off,” Lucifer remarked, unfazed by his younger brother’s begging.

“I mean it this time!  I swear!” Mammon declared as he squirmed relentlessly within the strong rope being tied around him.  He then noticed Beelzebub wordlessly walking around them to head to the kitchen, hoping to remain unseen.  “Beel!  Hey, Beel!  You believe me, don’tcha?!  Tell Lucifer what a great and trustworthy demon I am!”

“I’d rather not be involved,” Beelzebub responded, uncomfortably rubbing one of his hands over the other.

“I’ll buy ya a meal at Hell’s Kitchen!” Mammon bargained.

“Mammon is a great and trustworthy demon,” Beelzebub promptly stated to Lucifer.

The eldest brother shook his head with a sigh.  “I can assure you that Mammon doesn’t have the funds to buy even a crumb of food,” he said.  “Perhaps spending the night here will remind him why he needs to manage his money better.  Speaking of managing things, have you refrained from consuming your new D.D.D. thus far, Beel?”

“Yeah, I still have it.  I’m trying to decide on a background that won’t make me want to eat it again.  Belphie and the others have given me suggestions, but nothing’s worked out.”

“That’s probably ‘cause they were thinkin’ about stuff that they like,” Mammon asserted.  “Lemme guess:  You’ve been told to try something with fictional characters, cats or animals in general, selfies, and relaxing outdoor views, right?”

Beelzebub blinked in astonishment.  “Wow, you listed everything they said.”

Mammon gave a short victorious laugh before exclaiming, “Of course I did!  You guys are so predictable!”

“Is that so?” Lucifer questioned with a knowing smirk.  “I believe you’re just as predictable, Mammon.  If I had to guess, I’d say that every time you unlock your phone, you’re met with a picture of my credit card, correct?”

“Her name is Goldie, ya know!”  Mammon paused as the rest of Lucifer’s words caught up to him.  “W-Wait, how did ya—  Whatever!  That was just a lucky guess!  Now it’s my turn to prove how predictable you are, Lucifer.”

“You’re awfully cheeky for someone who’s about to be hanging upside down for the next several hours.  But go ahead, let’s hear it.”

“Your phone background—”  Mammon stopped for a second to create a dramatic effect.  “—is just the default one!”

“You mean the image that’s already there when you get a new phone?” Beelzebub inquired.

“Impressive,” Lucifer complimented the second-born demon brother.  “You were right, Mammon.”

“HA!  I knew it!” Mammon cheered.  “Man, that’s so lame—  OW!!  I-I meant ‘tame!’  ‘Cause, y’know, you’re so prim and proper and a total straight-laced stick-in-the-mud—  GAHHH!!  Quit tightening the rope so hard!”

“Apparently you didn’t hear me,” Lucifer stated with another sharp pull on the ropes, “I said you were right.  As in, that used to be my phone background until some time ago.”

Beelzebub was once again amazed by Mammon’s skill in guessing such information about his brothers, but now he was curious about Lucifer’s phone.  “So, what’s your background now?” he asked.

“It’s a photo of Diavolo, Barbatos, and myself at the castle," Lucifer explained.  "Diavolo discovered that I never changed my background ever since I got my D.D.D. and pestered me until I agreed to replace it.  Making it a group photo was Barbatos’s idea, and that’s how it ended up including all three of us.”

“Do you not like it?” Beelzebub wondered.

“I wouldn’t say that.  I don’t see the background that often because I’m usually using an app on the phone, so that’s why I was indifferent about what the image was.  Diavolo believes that choosing a background makes a phone more personal and special to each individual.  I suppose I can’t disagree with him on that.  Should I ever misplace it, I’ll know right away that it’s my D.D.D. from the one-of-a-kind picture on the screen.”  Lucifer tied the last knot on the ropes and added, “But that's enough talk for now.  I need to finish with Mammon's punishment.”

Blocking out the sound of Mammon’s wailing as Lucifer proceeded to string him up to the ceiling, Beelzebub slowly trekked toward the kitchen while mulling over all of the ideas that his brothers provided.  However, no matter what he came up with, each potential background made him feel hungry in some kind of way.  

Beelzebub was about ready to bury his problem under the weight of all of the food in the kitchen when he passed by MC’s bedroom.  He peeked through the crack in their open door to see them working on something at their desk, their familiar refreshing appearance effortlessly subduing his hunger pangs.  They always seemed to know how to aid him whenever he felt troubled, so maybe they would know the perfect phone background for him.  A knock on the door was all it took for him to be granted access to his favorite human and share his dilemma with them.

MC hummed in thought as they processed everything Beelzebub told them.  “When you think about it,” they began, “all of your brothers chose pictures of things that they like, right?  Or things that are important to them.  What’s most important to you, Beel?”

“Most important to me...?” Beelzebub murmured.  Within the next few moments, a grin stretched across his face.  “I got it.  I know what I want my background to be, MC.”

--

“Okay, everyone!” Asmodeus called out cheerfully after adjusting the tripod that held Beelzebub’s phone.  “Move in closer so we can all fit!”

The seven other inhabitants of the House of Lamentation attempted to maneuver into two straight rows in front of Asmodeus.

“Ugh, I don’t want to be any closer to Lucifer than necessary," Satan grumbled as he settled into place in the front row.

“Are you still bitter that I caught you and Belphie preparing that shoddy trap for me in front of my study?” Lucifer inquired with his arms crossed while he stood tall behind the Avatar of Wrath.  “Next time, the two of you should plan it out better.”

Satan gritted his teeth.  “Oh, believe me:  We will.”  He then shot a glare at the youngest brother beside him.  “Won’t we, Belphie?”

“Yeah, yeah, I shouldn’t have nodded off while we were working,” Belphegor admitted.  “More importantly, Mammon, stop pulling MC away from me so that they can be closer to you.”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” Mammon argued.  “I’m just makin’ sure ya don’t try to snuggle up to ‘em and take a nap on their shoulder during the photo!”

“At this point, it looks like I’m the one snuggling up to you,” MC noted, their side pressed against Mammon’s.  “Let’s all just be next to each other in a normal way.”

Mammon released his tugging on MC and turned his head away to hide his blush.  “F-Fine.  Just don’t come cryin’ to me if ya get drool all over ya.”

“Sounds like someone’s salty about getting rejected, LMAO,” Leviathan snickered.

Mammon turned around to bark at his younger brother, “Shaddup!” 

“Levi, make room for me at the end there so I can be more behind MC!” Asmodeus instructed.

“Huh?!  I have to move over even more?” Leviathan inquired in disbelief, already feeling claustrophobic.

“HA!  Serves ya right!” Mammon jeered.

“Will you stop shouting, Mammon?” Satan complained.

“All right, all right, let’s all calm down,” MC spoke up.  “We’re supposed to be taking a nice photo for Beel to make as his phone background, remember?”

“That’s right,” Lucifer chimed in.  “I expect you all to behave, or else we’ll be retaking this photo all day until we get it right.”

“Beel, is this fine with you?” Belphegor asked worriedly while glancing back at his twin.

Beelzebub nodded with a bright smile, grateful that everyone had accepted the request he had made the previous day.  “Yeah, this is perfect.”

“Looks like we’re all in,” Asmodeus announced.  “I’m starting the timer now!”

The steady ding of the phone’s camera timer counting down echoed in the House of Lamentation’s living room while Asmodeus hurried over to his spot and everyone else prepared themselves for the photo.  Beelzebub’s gaze grew more tender as he looked at each member of the group from the back row.  These were the individuals he was happy to call “family,” and they were more important to him than anything else in the three realms.  Overcome with joy and love, he leapt forward just as the camera’s flash went off, wrapping his arms around those next to him and leaning closer to those in the front row.  The action startled most of them, evident in their expressions captured in the photo.  Although it turned out to be a more candid shot than originally intended, Beelzebub treasured this picture that he kept as a permanent background on his phone.

[magicalrocketships]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @powerful-owl! (Em's answers are here)

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

170. Crikey etc.

2. What's your total ao3 word count?

2,698,478. That's a lot of words.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

At the moment I'm writing F1, but I haven't been able to write anything for quite a while, and I never put the lid on any fandom. I've got some outstanding 1D WIPs that are on hiatus.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Emperor's New Clothes (1D famous/not famous, NDA where there used to be a relationship)

Can't Fight The Moonlight (Harry/Draco accidental mpreg)

Truly, Madly, Deeply (10 Things I Hate About You) (1D high school AU, famous/not famous again)

Maybe This Time (1D age play)

I Had Rather Hear My Dog Bark At A Crow (tomlinshaw, secret relationship, watersports, resulted in some of my favourite saved screenshots:

hashtag never forget (my beloved)

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

LOOK, I want to, and I used to when I had a fic lj, but every couple of years I'd try to on ao3 and then I'd just be drowning in my own horror at writing "thank you so much!!!!" over again and essentially we hit a slump and I haven't in ages. I'm going to pick it up again, though.

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

oh god I hate a sad ending. I hate them!!!! I will only accept an ambiguous ending under certain circumstances, so I don't think I've got any with truly angsty endings. I've got plenty with very angsty middles. That SAID, I occasionally get hassle from people who don't think my fics are happy enough at the end because I don't like to tie all the ends up. I really, really hate pointless epilogues - NOTE, not all epilogues are pointless, and some of them I love - but the ones where it's just an unnecessary flash forward and all the problems are solved and they've got 2.5 children and a beautiful house and everything's perfect and it just feels like a horror story to me, like a fannish/romance novel version of the stepford wives. If it's an epilogue where the characters have had a bit of a chance to breathe after the main events, and they're happy, GREAT. If it's a cookie cutter ending then I'm out, so I guess maybe the end of Emperor's New Clothes where they're trying living together and trying to be financial partners in their relationship, and Not Your Fault But Mine, where Louis and Nick are together but it isn't obvious which route Louis is going to take back to university/he's still struggling with his mental health was still too angsty for some people. To me, both those fics end with them together and planning for a future so they feel happy to me.

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

I think all of mine are happy but maybe We Used To Wait is the most deserved happy ending, because it's the one where Louis was in an accident and a secret relationship with Nick, and he's in intensive care and his injuries are really bad, and the ending is him getting to perform again, and being out and being with Nick.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

y e p. Sometimes it makes me laugh because this fic very clearly wasn't For You, just press the back button, and sometimes it's more frustrating. Sometimes it's gross.

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

Oh yeah baby. My current fic is delightfully feral (to me) and I love writing smut. And then other times, I'm like... yes we won't be writing THAT right now thank you, no sex please we're British. Usually I have one week per month when I vastly prefer everyone keep their clothes on. Love a weird hormonal flux.

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

I have in the past, but in general now I can't be bothered. I definitely wrote a Sharpe/Doctor Who one back in the day.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yeah, a few times. The most egregious (and recent) was someone stealing We Used To Wait (which was Louis/Nick) and changing the names to Aaron and Robert, and amending various little bits to suit Emmerdale canon. If you're going to steal a fic, it's best to do it in a fandom I'm not in/I don't fucking read in, for the love of fuck.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, I love having a blanket transformation policy on AO3. I'm always so in awe of people wanting to engage with your writing like that.

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

Yes! A couple of short ones and then the delicious Sugar, We're Going Down which I co-wrote with my very dear Anonymous friend, and we didn't ever think we were going to share it when we wrote it (hence why my friend is anonymous on it!) so we just went balls to the wall feral with it.

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

I don't have an answer to this, but if I ever considered something my OTP I will go to my grave loving it. I love Louis/Nick so much, and each OTP before that. Right now I'm extremely focused on Max/Daniel and I don't see that going anywhere soon.

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

Nope, I have the I Had Rather sequel and Harry Styles Cooks outstanding but hopefully they'll both get an ending when the time's right, even if it's just me reading them.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue? Angst? IDK??!! Help!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Oh, action and description for sure. I'm not a very visual writer/reader, I very rarely have a picture of a character in my head or the space that they inhabit. I know everything they say, though.

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

I'd be worried about fucking it up. If I knew someone who was a native speaker and it worked, then I guess.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Young Americans technically, then probably Percy/Oliver in Harry Potter and Dom/Billy for the Lord of the Rings films.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I Had Rather Hear My Dog Bark At A Crow - I loved writing this, it came together in a few weeks, it made me fall in love with the pairing, legit changed my life for various reasons and I just enjoy it a lot.

Anyway, tagging @allwaswell16, @astorytotellyourfriends, and @junkshop-disco if you fancy it :)