#I like the variety of music types too lol

[colorful-horses]

Been watching that new Hazbin Hotel show as it's coming out (🏴‍☠️) and I'm pretty disappointed with it. I'm not super familiar with the Everything about it, but I remember watching the pilot way back when and liking the premise.

I hadnt kept up with it after the pilot because I wanted to see it with fresh eyes. Now that the show is coming out, somehow I feel like an outsider watching it lol. It presents a lot of concepts, but it just assumes the watcher is already familiar with the characters, and it makes the pacing reeeeally odd. It's all payoff, no buildup (unless you count the years fans had to wait for it as 'build up'). I feel like I REALLY need to look for supplementary material to understand what's going on,, like.... why was there a whole emotional power ballad for a character who was only introduced 10 minutes prior?? Was I supposed to know who she was?😭 (her heels were cool though)

Tonally it's strange, too. It feels like an adult show written for teenagers a lot of the time, which is the BIGGEST disappointment. I was really hoping for more thoughtful explorations of the characters, but we really only get that for Angel Dust and like .... no one else lol. (Sir Pentious is the 👏FUCKING👏BEST👏)

Charlie and Vaggie feel ESPECIALLY underbaked. Considering how overtly sexual the show is, it's SHOCKING how little chemistry they have. Like, it's not there at all. I watched the show with a friend who had no knowledge about Hazbin Hotel whatsoever, and during episode 4, she asked me,"So why is Vaggie helping here?" which I feel is the best example I can give for how poorly developed their relationship is.

I like the music. The song transitions are usually really jarring (Respectless and Hell's Greatest Dad come to mind) but the songs themselves are usually bangers. I'm a big fan of Loser, Baby.

The designs are ..... not for me. But that's not necessarily a criticism. A lot of the character designs feel very dated, but I respect them for sticking so hard to the aesthetic they present, even if its not for me. I wish there was more outfit and body type variety in the characters, but literally EVERYONE says that, so I'll just leave that there lol.

Overall I think this show is a shining example of why """"filler"""" episodes are so important. If this were a 12 or even 24 episode season I think it'd be way better, but as it is, they're trying to cram like 15 different character arcs + a dramatic overarching story into 8 episodes, and it's really REALLY suffering for it.

[evilthotiana]

Yeah i love to chill and watch A24 movies… they’re craazy. I watched Good Time while high once and it was mad suspenseful bro but it was so good lol. Robert Pattinson is such a good actor man. One of the only quotes that actually seems cool in real life. Wait—yeah, look at this meme i saw on Twitter today, yeah, oh, it’s like, the guy on the left is listening to Godspeed You! Black Emperor, oh, like, they’re a band that, like, only weird guys on the internet like, oh, no I don’t listen to them personally, I just know about them, yeah, and the guy on the right is listening to total normie music like Juice WRLD—oh, no, i listen to a bunch of stuff, like I’ve gotten more into Radiohead lately—yeah, beyond Creep they’re actually really good. Creep is sick too tho lol. I listen to like a wide variety of shit though, like one of my favorite albums is House of Balloons. Yeah, yeah, you know, it just has that vibe to it, it’s different bro lol. Anyways you wanna smoke now and watch a movie or what. Oh, i totally found this crazy looking movie on Letterboxd today—wait, do you use Letterboxd? i’d totally follow you, like, yeah, your top 4 would be crazy i bet—yeah, so this movie, like, super freaky, and, uh, brutal, yeah, it’s called Oldboy, no, no, i haven’t seen it, but i read the plot and apparently it’s about this dude in South Korea who gets, like, held hostage and has to avenge his daughter or something. Yeah, lol, it seems intense but i told you i kinda like that type of stuff. So what do you say should i go roll real quick. i’ll go roll real quick and we can smoke and watch Oldboy lol. i’ll go roll. be right back.

[superfurytamago]

Every Japanese comedy reference in Jujutsu Kaisen chapters 240 and 241

EDIT: Added one more reference to Audrey that I completely missed out when I was writing this post. Putting my self-proclaimed Japanese comedy otaku title to shame!

I was a Japanese comedy otaku way before I got into manga and anime, which is why I get way too excited whenever I spot Japanese comedy references in other forms of media. Granted, the plot is totally coherent even without knowing the references, but please indulge me as I find myself a rare opportunity to talk about Japanese comedians. All English panels are sourced from Manga Plus and Japanese panels are my own digital copies.

Preface about Japanese comedians

Japanese comedians usually form duos called "combi" in Japanese. Some may form trios or even quartets, but duos make up the overwhelming majority. Solo comedians are becoming more common, but like Takaba, most if not all of them had started out as a duo that didn't work out over time.

Nabe Nabe Entertainment and Pony

Reference to Watanabe Entertainment, a major entertainment agency in Japan. The most famous comedian group under Watanabe's management will be the comedic trio Neptune, and the above panels reference them indirectly as well.

Another talent management agency mentioned is Pony, which is a reference to Sony Music Artists Inc (SMA). Yes, they manage comedians as well lol. Agencies have distinct styles of management, which eventually shows in the type of comedians they manage. Kenjaku assumes that Takaba is with Pony because SMA has managed to propel an impressive number of solo comedians to fame despite the comparatively smaller scale of management. They also lean more slapstick than the "cooler" forms like skits and monologues. In fact, Takaba reminds me of Koume Dayū:

Laughing Dog? Vocabula?

Both Laughing Dog (Warau Inu) and Vocabula (Vocabula Tengoku) were incredibly popular variety TV serial programmes that Neptune appeared in during the 1990s and early 2000s. Takaba admires Neptune, which is why he chooses to sign with Nabe Nabe rather than Pony, even if the latter may actually manage him better.

Kenjaku wondered for a second why Takaba didn't cite Vocabula as the reason he admires Neptune, because Vocabula was the one that gave Neptune their shot to fame, and they absolutely reached superstar levels of fame during the time. Laughing Dog came later, when they were already established as household names.

The reason why Kenjaku walked back on it with "I guess that's obvious enough" has to do with the nature of the two programmes. Laughing Dog was a sketch comedy programme like Chappelle's Show, while as the name may suggest, Vocabula focused on wordplays, puns, and parodies. Comedians were voted based on how they performed the jokes. Here's a short clip of Neptune on Vocabula:

While here's a sketch from Laughing Dog (the second, third, and fourth green leaves members are Neptune lol):

Of course Takaba was inspired by Laughing Dog, "I guess that's obvious enough".

Backbone! My backbone!

An actual short gag (ippatsu gag or lit. one-shot gag) by Haranishi from the duo FUJIWARA:

It's not the first time Akutami has referenced an actual short gag in the series. Perhaps you may remember Itadori's unfortunate reunion scene at the sister school goodwill event:

This is a gag from Kojima Yoshio:

You have my condolences, Itadori.

Comedians and auditions

Kenjaku is dressed like a stereotypical TV producer here. This dates back to Japan's asset price bubble; during which, tying a cardigan over the shoulders was a staple look among TV producers and directors. In this scene, Takaba is auditioning like he would for a part in a variety TV show. Struggling comedians like Takaba often audition for variety shows that showcase a series of comedic skits or manzai. Pass the audition and you get a spot to perform on national TV.

Comedians and theatre

Most comedians who don't get their big breaks on TV spend a large part of their careers in small theatres. A typical comedy show consists of several groups of comedians performing their skits or manzai, and the theatre will hand out feedback forms like the above. It seems like Takaba used to go by the stage name Pinchan.

P-1? C-1?

The fictional C-1 is a reference to an actual long-running competition M-1 Grand Prix, while the fictional P-1 which Takaba mentioned earlier is a reference to another competition R-1 Grand Prix. M-1 is restricted to manzai performed by two people or more, while R-1 is open to solo comedians only. There are several important annual comedy competitions in Japan. Winning these big-name competitions is usually the ticket to fame for many comedians, but even then it may not work out for everyone.

Idol shows

It has become customary to have established Japanese comedians host Japanese girl groups TV shows, and I pretty much agree with Takaba's take on why. If you're a fan of idol groups like Morning Musume, AKB48, Nogizaka46, or Idoling!!!, then you would be familiar with Japanese comedians like Ninety-Nine, Ariyoshi Hiroiki, Bananaman, and Bakarhythm.

By the way, Takaba was watching TV while eating cup noodles after the above panel. The lines are from a well-known manzai performed by comedy duo Audrey. This particular joke with them going "hehehe" at each other is a staple in their early manzai:

In fact, take a closer look at the apartment that Takaba lives in. It's based on the actual apartment Kasuga (pink vest guy on the right) used to live in, named Mutsumi-sō. His shabby apartment and extremely thrifty lifestyle had been featured in many variety TV shows in the past. He lived there for more than 20 years, and the apartment was actually quite a tourist spot for fans of Audrey. Kasuga's Japanese Wikipedia article even has a photo of it as seen below, which is what I think Akutami referenced from. The interior is largely based on Kasuga's apartment as well:

Bonus Japanese comedy!

Akutami has taken inspiration from actual Japanese comedians in the past. In chapter 153, two of the spectators look eerily like comedy duo Sandwichman:

And how can we forget Ken, the fellow comedian who gave Takaba advice in chapter 146:

He's based on Kendo Kobayashi, and if you've seen images/clips of Akutami dressed up as Mechamaru, that was when he went on Kenkoba's show:

Wow that was long. Thanks for indulging the squealing Japanese comedy fan in me!

[galedekarios]

whoa whoa whoa me who was occupied with other things (Gale's face) did not notice the piano. Do you think this means he can play?

oh yes, he has a piano!

you can see it when he shows the protag around the "center of his universe": his tower in waterdeep.

he has the following to say about it:

i think what he shows the protag here, his tower, his sanctuary really, echoes very much what he tells the protag about what magic and the weave is to him:

"music, poetry, physical all rolled into one and given expression through the senses"

we have it all here: the physical beauty, in this variety of beautiful things like sculptures, paintings, small trinkets here and there, dozens and dozens of books, the beautiful view of waterdeep on the balcony outside.

we know he writes poetry himself, as well:

so my headcanon is that gale likes to do things or take an interest in things that, in an abstract way, compose parts of what the weave, too, is to him.

i don't know if this makes sense to anyone else, but it made sense in my head lol.

(also as an aside and despite all characters of the some body type having the same model, i also very much headcanon that gale has this very beautiful, long-fingered pianist wizard hands.)

that was a lot of word salad to say that yes, i do think he can play the piano. 🖤

[an-annyeoing-writer]

vampire!Baekhyun x Reader: sweet bloody talk. [+18]

Word count: 7 479

Date of release: 5th November 2023

Warnings: s*xual content, mentions of blood.

Author's notes: @synthetickitsune I swear I had the entire draft ready before you posted yours, but I feel like we have one shared brain cell for some things LOL

The first thing you took note of upon entering the club was that the music was better than you expected from the mediocre and obscure premise. This type of music was not something you usually heard in dancing places – it was more on the heavy side, and it gave off the vibe of 80’s goths and black platform heels adorned with spikes. Not your regular music choice, but you couldn’t say that you were disappointed.

It was supposed to be just a few hours of relax. You felt a bit distraught recently, with books and other home entertainments feeling like you’re starting to drown in a routine. You needed a variety, even though your friends group consisted mostly of people who didn’t care for parties, and you yourself had no idea as to what people are supposed to do at one. Even the club was something you found online and not through a recommendation. You were shamelessly aware that you chose it just because the menu appeared cheaper than in others, and they would let ladies in for free if they wore heels. A bit sexist in your opinion, but free entry was free entry after all.

The place wasn’t too crowded, but the spots by the bar were all busy, and with the customers gathered around – a lot of them for such an early hour – you quickly came to a conclusion that you’d rather sit down somewhere else and look around to see if there’s anything for you to do.

You hated dancing.

It’s not that it was impossible to sway from one side to the other on repeat. But you were awfully aware how lame it must have looked while done by someone who didn’t represent excess of physical appeal, and so, since it didn’t bring you any joy either, you avoided it at all costs. For the same reason, the dancing floor was definitely not an interesting place to look at. And besides, everyone was still too sober for their dancing skills to become entertaining.

The spot you found, a bar chair by a tall, round table with the top made of glass, was a good lookout point. A row of tables like such was on a not so tall podium along the wall, so the heads of the people were a bit below and you could see the entire ground floor of the club very well. Guests were still coming in.

There was a part of the club, though, that, although in the range of your sight, didn’t appear reachable at all – the upper floor. A balcony with glass balustrade shined above the heads of all people gathered in the dancing floor. The VIP zone.

Your eyes, bored of looking down, traveled up automatically, trying to have a look at anyone there. You suspected that the VIP zone of such an average place was occupied by college students and corporates going at party nights. In fact, the only person that was looking out the balustrade at the moment, with his eyes fixated somewhere by the bar, was a tall and well-built boy who could as well be a basketball player, dressed in a simple t-shirt and sweatpants. You snorted quietly, realizing that in any of the books you read, he would be a multimillionaire, spotting an average girl in the crowd below, falling in love at the first sight…

“Whatcha looking at?”

You jumped and almost fell off your chair at the voice that sounded out next to you.

Your eyes shot to the person who was currently sitting in the chair next to yours, watching you with a polite, non-intrusive smile. Although the fact you didn’t notice him join in freaked you out, he didn’t appear ill-intended. Yet, you didn’t miss a small smirk in the corner of his lip at the sudden reaction that you graced his question with.

“Oh… Nothing, really, just people” you answered, composing yourself. A small part of you wanted to carry on some sort of conversation just to not stay completely alienated for the rest of the night. But the remaining part of you had no idea, how. “How’s your evening?” you asked out of no better choice.

The man leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, and smiled widely, acknowledging that you’re not against the interaction.

“A bit boring, to be honest. I came here with some friends, but they all already busied themselves with stuff. What about you? Who did you come with?”

His voice was tender and careful, and his face looked very soft. You took a moment to acknowledge a simple baseball cap on his head, pulled on a bit too low so that he had to tilt his head backwards to see what’s on his eye level. He also wore a black, plain bomber jacket that made you think he’s a part of some college team – but there were no logos or other signs anywhere that would hint to his affiliation. In fact, you quickly came to the conclusion that it’s just his fashion choice.

“I actually came here alone” you blabbered without a second thought. “I’m not really a party person, to be honest…”

“Oh. I can tell.”

“Huh?”

Should you feel offended? Your face must have betrayed the uncertainty, because the man’s eyes widened and he visibly panicked at the social mistake.

“No, wait, sorry. It’s just that… if a stranger asks you about who you came with, even if you come alone, you should lie. It’s dangerous to let people know that.” he elaborated.

That actually made sense, you realized. Heck, you must have really had no self-preservation skills if you didn’t think of that before.

“Oh… I, um, thank you? For letting me know?” You scratched your head awkwardly.

He pressed his lips together – you took note of how his cheeks looked sort of cute and squishable when he did that – and smoothly hopped off the seat.

“I think it’s the time for me. Thank you for the talk.” He nodded his head politely and turned around, disappearing in the crowd before you could react appropriately.

You let out a defeated sigh. You came to this party to have a relaxing evening, but you must have messed up your possibly only chance to have a conversation with someone sober and not a creep. People were starting to slowly get drunk and you had a feeling that anytime soon, the only people coming up for a talk would be drunk college boys that the club was at this time of the year full of.

You glanced hopefully up at the glass balustrade of the VIP zone, but this time there was no one in sight.

It must have been around midnight when you looked at yourself in the club’s bathroom mirror, taking note of the tiredness heaving down your features. You were bored out of your mind, the music was echoing in your skull way too loud at this point, and the little alcohol you had in the meantime only made you a bit distraught rather than relaxed. Those were signs that it was definitely the time to go home.

You wrapped your trench coat around yourself as you left the building and went into the dark street. Cold wind hit your ankles, clad in nothing but a thin layer of stockings that you wore underneath the dress.

You stood nearby the main entrance, reaching out to your phone. You still contemplated whether to order a ride or to seek a cheaper alternative, seeing as the travel by feet must have not been too far from there, and maybe even you could even catch the night bus?

“Hi, are you alone?”

You whipped your head to where the voice was coming from, way too close for your liking.

A man was approaching you at a pace you weren’t sure if you should be comfortable with. His eyes were shining from the amount of alcohol consumed. He swayed to the sides ever so slightly as he walked.

It took you a solid moment to realize you’ve seen him once before – on the balustrade. He must have been on his way home as well.

“Um… I’m going home” you replied a bit shakily when he approached you. With how much taller than you he was, he didn’t have to try hard to hover above you in a hopefully unwittingly threatening posture.

“Will you be okay? I can get you a ride” he spoke sluggishly.

You couldn’t tell just how wary of him you should be; although he didn’t seem ingenuine and it was just the alcohol that made him appear creepy, you reminded yourself that it’s still a stranger. You glanced towards the club – the entry was a bit too far for your liking, but unless he became physical, you should be able to get back and ask for someone to help you out, was he to become too pushy.

“Please let me get you home” he suddenly spoke, sensing your unease. “I won’t bite you, I promise” he added. “I’ve already had enough for today, they don’t taste any good when I’m this drunk” he kept on blabbering and you lifted your eyebrow at the peculiarity of his statement.

“Chanyeol? What the hell are you doing here?”

The two of you turned around to look at the man coming from the club. The silhouette was too dark with the lights in the background, so you couldn’t make out his features well.

“Nothing” the man answered, shaking his head. “I just met this girl and she’s alone and I told her I won’t bite her but I think she’s scared of me” he whined.

Only when the newcomer came close enough, you realized that he also is not an unfamiliar face. The baseball cap betrayed him even before his squishy cheeks did. He spared you a glance and tilted his head to the side, apparently also acknowledging that you’re not a complete stranger. His eyes fell on his friend again.

“Aish, how would you get her home when you’re this drunk? Come and join the rest, we’ll be going home soon.”

“Then you take her home. She’s alone, Baekhyun, girls shouldn’t be alone. What if someone bites her when she’s alone?”

You frowned deeply, having no idea about what was all this weird conversation about. The man – Baekhyun – glanced at you once every few seconds, as though checking your reactions, and he was clearly displeased with the way things were going. He finally sighed.

“You talk too much, Yeol. Come on, let’s go.”

The man named Chanyeol huffed, but finally gave up and started moving back towards the entrance.

Baekhyun stayed behind, only making sure that his friend has gone in the right direction, and then looked at you with his face unreadable.

“Sorry for that. He didn’t mean anything bad, he just doesn’t control his tongue when he’s drunk.”

“Yeah… I could tell… Sorry.”

He lifted his eyebrow.

“Don’t say sorry when you haven’t done anything bad.”

“Oh. Right.”

“Are you sure it’s just parties that you’re not into? It looks like you don’t have much human interaction at all” he commented with a smirk. You laughed awkwardly.

“I usually handle it better, really. Not like, very good, but I swear I’m not an alien.”

He laughed warmly.

“Thank God, I was starting to consider giving you a ride too, but what if I had to get you back on another planet? Don’t have enough gas for that” he joked. It was quite lame of a joke, but you couldn’t help but utter a small laugh. After a bit of alcohol and at this hour, it was hard not to go alone with the lame sense of humor.

“Was it your way of offering a ride?” you dared to ask.

Baekhyun grinned.

“Maybe. Would you like?”

“I…” You bit on your lip, suddenly realizing that the offer had probably more to it than a mere act of kindness. “…don’t want to give you hope for something I can’t give” you stated carefully.

The man’s smile fell.

“Don’t ever worry about things like that. It’s not your problem if someone gets hope for something you never offered yourself. I just felt like giving you a ride, you don’t need to think of ways to return a favor or anything.” He appeared satisfied with his speech, and hid hands in the pockets of his jacket, soft and reassuring smile returning to his face.

You released the breath you didn’t realize you were holding, a relief washing over you and a smile appearing on your own face as well.

“That’s… nice” you only answered. “In this case, I’d love to get home with you. I… I mean-” you realized your words were a bit ambiguous. “…You know what I mean.”

Baekhyun only laughed warmly.

“I know, I know. Come on, I parked nearby.” He pulled car keys out of his pocket and swung them in the air. “But, by the way, don’t just accept rides from strangers. It’s dangerous.”

Baekhyun’s car was more comfortable than the public transport you were used to, and also sitting in the front felt way nicer than the backseats of a taxi. The music was calmer and quieter than in the club, and although it also wasn’t the genre you were used to, it almost lulled you to sleep as the two of you sat in a pleasant silence for about half of the ride.

“Won’t your friends get worried that you didn’t come back to them?” you eventually spoke, trying to start a conversation. Your time together appeared to be limited, and you didn’t want to waste a chance to get to know the man better.

“I shot them a message” Baekhyun replied with his gaze fixated on the changing lights and the cars in the intersection. “I wasn’t drinking because I was supposed to be their ride but they also met some people at the party, so they’ll be fine” he elaborated.

“Ah, I see. Well. I’m lucky that you were supposed to be the ride anyway” you shrugged. Baekhyun smiled at that but didn’t continue the conversation.

You were still a few minutes away from your apartment and you really, really didn’t want the ride to end so quickly. Even silence in Baekhyun’s presence was just too comfortable. How was it possible that you felt so much ease with a man you barely met? Maybe it was because his comments regarding your safety seemed to be genuine, and you appreciated them. Maybe they were just his way of getting your trust, but you just didn’t seem to mind.

There were still other questions you could use to get him to talk to you.

“I just recalled, what were those things your friend was talking about? I know he was drunk, but he mentioned biting like two or three times. What’s up with that?”

Baekhyun’s eyes narrowed slightly. Slight tension in his jaw didn’t pass your attention either.

“Uh…” He shrugged after a moment of thought. “Consider it an inside joke in our group of friends.”

“An inside joke?” You genuinely laughed. “Maybe you’re the aliens? What if your car gets me on the Moon instead of home?”

The man laughed awkwardly.

“Well, we’re peculiar in our own ways. But I promise the car is earthly” he assured with a grin.

You knew the area pretty well and it didn’t take long before you arrived at your address, Baekhyun’s car coming to a stop almost opposite of the building entry. The man turned the engine off and got up, opening the door for you before you even prepared yourself to leave the vehicle. You got out hurriedly and quickly straightened your clothes.

“You good? You got everything?” he asked, glancing at the seat to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything. You nodded.

“Thank you. Really.”

“You’re welcome.” His voice was tender and calm, but you had a feeling that the unspoken question is there.

You cleared your throat.

“Um… Would you… like to come upstairs?”

“Hm?”

Because of what he said before, you were certain he did not want to make any assumptions or take things for granted. Yet, you didn’t want to leave him in the dark, and you were positive that for his honesty, he deserved some transparency from your side as well.

“Just…”

Yet, were you ready to offer more than you initially planned? What was there to lose, after all?

But how would you feel if he rejected you, or if you didn’t meet the expectations – that was so not like you to offer such a thing, and you never wanted to have short-term partners to begin with.

But Baekhyun clearly was a gentleman, and if he was to reject you, it would have to be out of care and not because you disappointed him. Or at least you desperately wanted to believe so.

And besides, why would he reject you if he went out of his way to give you a ride home? Even if he was mature enough not to expect anything, it’s not like he would offer it to someone who didn’t spike at least an ounce of his interest.

“[F/n]?”

You jumped at the sound of your name; you must have drowned in your thoughts instead of answering the question.

“Oh. Sorry. I um… It’s not a situation I’m usually in. But I just… don’t want this evening to end this fast.”

“You know you don’t owe me anything, right?” He announced calmly, but there was some shade of threat in the way he said it, as if there was something urging him to give you the last chance to take it back and part your ways.

“I know. That’s why I don’t promise anything. But I want to try. You’re… fun to be around.”

At that, his face instantly lightened, and he chuckled softly.

“Thank you. You’re fun to be around, too.”

The night was chilly, and so you welcomed with gratitude the warmth that surrounded you the moment you entered your apartment. The place was rather decent as for one person inhabiting it, and you rented it at a rather cheap price from an elderly lady who at some age decided to move in with her family. Although you were allowed to refurnish it, you actually enjoyed the old style of creaking floor and black-and-white pictures on the walls covered in an old wallpaper. Even the old TV remained in its place, although it wasn’t catching the signal anymore. Baekhyun looked around curiously.

“You live here alone?” he asked.

“Yeah. But it’s not mine, I’m renting for another few years” you elaborated while taking off your coat and shoes, motioning for Baekhyun to do the same. “I’d like to buy my own but it’s still a while before I can even afford a mortgage.” The man nodded slowly in acknowledgment, following you cautiously as you soon entered the kitchen, turning on all the small lights on the way, making sure that the whole apartment was at least partially lit. “Bathroom is over there if you need” you briefly waved in the right doors’ direction. “You want something to eat?”

Baekhyun’s metaphorical ears perked up. He saw you point at the fridge.

“Oh. Maybe later, thank you.”

“Later?” you grinned. “Just how long are you planning to stay in here?” you teased.

“Hm.” He smiled shyly. “As long as you let me” he purred. You were focused on checking the cabinet’s contents for some quick snack when you heard him shift right behind you, hands hovering around your waist, although not touching just yet.

Your breath hitched. A pack of chocolate chip cookies slipped out of your grasp and fell on the counter below.

“Dammit” you mumbled, reaching to pick it up.

When you turned around, Baekhyun was sitting at your small table, elbow resting on the tabletop and chin on his hand in a fairly confident, although charming – in a way – pose.

“You want some?” You asked mindlessly, putting the cookies on the table and sitting on the second chair awkwardly.

“Later, thank you” he repeated; you internally cringed, realizing it made it seem that you didn’t listen to him earlier.

“Want something to drink then? I imagine you must be at least a bit tired after the party” you offered, feeling a bit awkward about eating the cookies all alone and not providing him with any sort of entertainment in the meantime.

“Don’t worry. It’s nice to just rest in the quiet after all that loud music” Baekhyun said with a gentle smile.

“Is that really so? Or do you just avoid midnight snacking?” you teased, trying to at least carry on with a small-talk.

You caught him stare straight in your eyes, and you felt a shiver run down your spine at his unreadable face.

“I actually believe that a good snack is a good snack regardless of the time” he announced in a tone that made you wonder.

He stood up right as you finished your cookie and came up to you. You observed him curiously as he knelt down, slowly finding himself between your parted knees.

His eyes never left yours, watching out for any signs of discomfort or disagreement.

You felt taken aback by his boldness, feeling your face heat up at the unusual closeness, but you definitely weren’t about to refuse.

His hands finally touched your knees, leaning on them for stability. Your dress was riding up a bit, but not enough to show anything yet.

“May I?” His lips hovered over the skin of your thigh where it was already exposed.

You almost caught yourself nodding mindlessly, but the loud pounding of your heart brought you back to reality.

“W-what?” you stuttered.

“Kiss your leg” he specified with a small, warm laugh that both calmed you and embarrassed you even more at once. “May I?”

“Yes” you answered quickly before you could lose control over your voice again.

More serious again, Baekhyun leaned down and pressed a slow, chaste kiss into your heated skin. Then another, a bit higher, but still as if the edge of your dress was a border he wasn’t going to cross. His both hands massaged the outer sides of your knees.

“You’re so nervous” the man noted, at which your face got even redder.

“Well, uh…”

“Do I make you shy?” he teased. You stuttered incoherently in response.

Baekhyun let out a soft laughter, pushing himself up and extending his hand to help you up as well. You followed and fixed your dress in hurry.

“U-uh.”

You awkwardly wavered your hand towards the bedroom’s door, hoping the man gets the hint, knowing that your voice would betray you completely, were you to utter such a bold request.

But he didn’t even look in that direction, his hand reaching to your chin instead and he lifted your face up, placing a small kiss on your cheek.

“Oh. Thank you.”

At that, he laughed even louder.

“Thank you? Really?”

“What else was I supposed to answer…?” you huffed, not sure if he was trying to insult you with the mockery.

“No, no, don’t worry, it was actually quite a cute thing to say” he explained.

“Oh, well…”

His fingers gently brushed your lips, and all the thoughts left your mind as you let him maneuver your face towards his. Warm breath hit your nose as he looked down at you from up close, all small details of his face so sharp and clear, and his glistening eyes fixated on the way your face subtly changed in reaction to his doings.

He tilted his head to the side, smirk present on his soft-looking lips, and you felt as though at that exact moment, he had you right in his grasp – up to the heart of yours beating exactly as he conducted, you thought.

With another peck to your other cheek, he suddenly pulled away.

You swayed, feeling like you’re going to collapse the moment his fingers no longer kept your face in place. You were lightheaded. Baekhyun was proud of himself.

He stepped towards the corridor that led to your bedroom, and this time, it was you who followed.

He crossed the door, glancing over his shoulder as if to make sure you’re not lost on your way.

And right when you thought that at least this small part of your way will be peaceful and almost boring, this one, small thing came to your vision, turning everything upside down.

Right ahead of yourself, behind Baekhyun’s silhouette, on the wall. A mirror, adorned with an antique, golden frame, one you used every day to get ready, one that had been there ever since you remembered, and one that was the last thing in the world you’d expect to surprise you.

You looked closely; your eyes couldn’t be possibly playing tricks. It was just you with all the walls and furnishings that you knew.

But Baekhyun, standing there and glancing at you, did not reflect in that mirror.

You froze in place, staring in your own eyes of the reflection. The man’s smile fell, noting the sudden change of mood. Catching your gaze, he followed it, turning his back to you. His own eyes finally fell on the mirror and he gawked.

“Oh. Oh, wow.”

Without waiting for you to speak any of the thoughts currently hurling in your mind, he slowly walked over to the mirror as if just about as surprised as you were, but with genuine curiosity as well. His hand reached but stopped right before touching the smooth surface, and instead grazed the mirror’s frame, admiring the piece of fine furniture.

You stood in your place, still uncertain how to react. But he did not seem as confused, you realized – as if, although not expecting the phenomenon, he knew exactly what it was caused by.

“Fascinating…” he finally spoke in a soft voice. “Really, I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen one like this” he talked with childlike thrill. “It’s old, isn’t it?” He looked back at you, but his smile fell once again, noting you were nowhere close to sharing his excitement.

He let go of the mirror’s frame and took a step towards you, face tense and determined.

Something in you screamed, some sort of self-preservation instinct reminded you of its presence, calling out to you: this is a threat! This isn’t normal! It’s a sign, run!

Can’t move.

You stood there, completely stunned, as Baekhyun finally closed the proximity, finding himself right in front of you.

Was it some sort of manipulation, or was it just you – that the fear in your guts somehow mixed with arousal?

“What… is that?” you dared to ask in a tone as tough as you could make it.

He stepped that one step too close, making you stumble backwards. One step more, one more, and he had you leaning against the wall by the bedroom’s door, somewhat cornered, yet with enough room to flee if you so wished.

“If…” Hearing his voice this close made you flinch slightly, and he turned his tone down a bit. “If you tell me to leave, I’ll leave. I’m not going to hurt you.”

The last words made the heart thump in your chest.

“But… you could.”

“I could.”

“Were you going to?”

He didn’t reply for a moment, breathing in deeply.

“Not… much.”

You stared at him, still uncertain and confused.

“Who are you?”

He stepped back again. Your eyes moved between his silhouette and the mirror behind when he stood right next to it, giving you the best picture of his non-reflecting self.

“I’ll give you a fun fact instead” he announced, lips curling into a grin again. “Your mirror is very old. I actually don’t remember the last time I’ve had this happen to me. Because mirrors nowadays don’t do that. Do you know why?”

You had no clue what he was going at – you shook your head.

“Because mirrors nowadays are usually made of glass and aluminum. Or stuff like that, I’m not so sure, really” he shrugged, unbothered. You still weren’t able to finish the thought off, a small piece still lacking for you to understand it. Baekhyun sensed that, and he patiently continued – speaking the last few words to put all of the puzzle together for you. “What they used to be made of in the past?”

You gawked at him.

“…” The breath got caught in your throat. “Silver. They… They used to be made of silver.”

“Voila.” Baekhyun spread his arms, as if presenting himself to you. “And before you try to think of all the possible creatures that have silver allergy written into their lore, just know I’m not the only one you had a chance to meet tonight.”

You recalled the stranger you met at the bar, Baekhyun’s friend whose words had spiked your curiosity the moment they echoed in the dark street.

I won’t bite you, I promise.

What if someone bites her when she’s alone?”

His eyes sparkled as he watched all the small bits come together in your head. Slow enlightenment displayed within your facial expressions with hundreds of subtle emotions, and piece by piece, the deduction snowballed, becoming more and more apparent, bared for him to drink the sadistic satisfaction from.

That was when you recalled his own words.

A good snack is a good snack regardless of the time.

“You… were going to bite me?” you finally uttered, voice breaking with every syllable.

He let his arms fall to his sides, smile softening, head tilted slightly backwards – your eyes spotted his fangs, sharper and whiter than human teeth, exposed by him for you to admire.

“If you tell me to leave now, I’ll leave” he repeated, but his tone made it clear that he already knew you weren’t going to do that.

In fact, even you knew from a while ago that your curiosity was too strong to let him off the hook – you felt like you caught a sort of urban legend, and you’d hate yourself for letting him flee without getting a hold of all his secrets.

Ultimately, though, it was the sensation of getting preyed on by him that – you realized – lit a fire inside of your body, and made your insides burn with want.

“Stay, please” you uttered in a small voice, as if too shy to request something this impure. “I want to know… more” you whispered, convincing yourself to look back at him. Your eyes fell on his fangs again, so unnaturally sharp despite not appearing that much longer than in a human. You recalled when he kissed your thigh earlier, and shivered, realizing how close it was, how easily he could have…

“You’re thinking too much” he suddenly interrupted, noting that you were so endorsed in the chaotic train of thoughts that you were just hyping yourself into anxiety at this point.

He lifted his hand towards your face, slowly and carefully, as if to test the waters. You weren’t sure if you should let him. Maybe, in some twisted way, it would be easier if he didn’t ask – if he just grabbed you and forcefully bit into your neck, so you could experience that mysterious sensation of falling a prey to possibly the only creature on the earth that could realistically impose threat to the mankind. You felt a nervous, but exciting sensation in your gut.

You didn’t even manage to react before his fingers gently brushed your cheek. You were already a goner, leaning into his hand on instinct. The fear became thrill instead.

“Here you go, good girl” he whispered with content.

Not waiting any further, he leaned down and buried his face in the crook of your neck. You let out a small whimper when his lips touched your heated up skin. You felt his fangs graze the sensitive surface, but no pain followed, only the sweet feeling of a chaste, open-mouthed kiss.

“Oh…”

He kissed slowly down your cleavage, hands running down your silhouette along with his lips. He breathed into the space where the hem of your dress ended, not daring to go further. You were still stunned, still too shaken to invite him in, but you didn’t oppose even one bit when he put his hands below your thighs and lifted you up, your arms automatically anchoring around his neck.

He was so gentle with you when he carried you over to your bed and placed you down on your back with utmost care. The bed sheets were cold below your body, your dress doing close to nothing to soothe the sudden sensation. But Baekhyun’s – against what you would think – was impossibly warm against yours when he hovered above you for a few moments, your legs wrapped around his waist just a bit longer. He placed another kiss on your cheek.

“May I?” you whispered.

“Hm?”

“Kiss your lips.” You cupped his face with your hands. “May I?”

“Go ahead.”

It seemed like he did it on purpose, not leaning in to make it any easier for you, and you had to strain yourself to reach him. Your lips touched, the sensation – absolutely breathtaking. His fingers gently wrapped around your neck, pushing you down into the mattress, but following the motion with his own mouth, deepening the kiss with a sense of roughness, overpowering you in a way. He nibbled at your lower lip, letting you feel the sharp edge of his fangs.

“Will you bite me?

“I think I will.”

“Why haven’t you yet?”

He broke the kiss and smirked down at you.

“Are you impatient?”

“Do you want me to beg for it?” you uttered, trying to sound irritated, although at heart knowing that you were close to doing so anyway. You were, in fact, impatient.

“Maybe later. Will you?”

“I…”

He didn’t let you finish, his grip on your thighs suddenly strengthening and you yelped, feeling his nails dig hard into your flesh. Your breath instantly quickened, sensation quickly becoming unbearable.

Taking all the time in the world, he finally released the hold, stroking your abused skin in comfort instead.

“Easy, love. See?  It’s just my fingers. You wouldn’t take my fangs just yet.”

He knelt back between your legs. Your dress’ lower hem was almost at your underwear from being carried by him earlier, and Baekhyun’s hands traced up your bare thighs, once again taking note of any sign of discomfort or displeasure.

You felt nervous, more than ever. Not only because you weren’t used to such casual endeavors. Something in you felt stressed about disappointing such a superior creature, still feeling like it’s a one-in-the-lifetime chance that you got.

Baekhyun seemed to sense your worry perfectly, and he leaned down to ground you with a kiss to your knee.

“You’re beautiful” he spoke with no ounce of hesitation or doubt. “And you smell delicious�� he added. Such a peculiar thing to hear, you thought, yet your face heated up, as if the second compliment was much more meaningful than the first. “May I… taste you down here?” His hand slid down your inner thigh, stopping at your dress.

You opened your mouth, but, quickly realizing your voice won’t align with your intentions, you instead nodded – a bit too eagerly, involuntarily holding your breath.

He took all the time in the world, allowing you to get accustomed to his touch as he slowly lifted your dress, finally displaying your underwear, at which you let out a small, shy whimper. He pushed the fabric even higher, and you took the hint to sit up and take it off fully, now left in nothing but a black lingerie – a set you almost only wore to parties when you wanted to feel especially well put-together, and now you silently thanked yourself for this habit.

He now moved up and kissed the skin between your breasts, smoothly tracing his lips down to your stomach and stopping briefly above the hem of your panties, fingers hooking around the edge. With one last glance at your burning up face, Baekhyun slowly pulled your underwear down, taking his sweet time and enjoying the way you only squirmed quietly, held right at the edge of sanity with such a simple interaction.

“Breathe” he reminded you, discarding the fabric to the side, his own exhale hitting your private parts, now exposed for him to see.

He placed yet another comforting kiss on your mound.

“You’re okay, you’re safe” he whispered.

Although his words comforted you, he didn’t wait for you to calm down; quite the opposite, in fact, when he finally put his mouth around your pearl, overwhelming you with just the proximity. His eyes were fixated on yours in a predator-like way, drinking in your reactions and gaining sadistic pleasure from the way you could no longer control your body.

The room filled with wet noises that mixed with your own voice. Your moans slowly became more and more obscene as Baekhyun’s mouth worked shamelessly around your private parts with care, yet ease, as if he knew all bits of your body and didn’t even need to think twice, getting all the sensations, all the pressure, all the pace – perfectly right, pulling you further and further into the immense pleasure.

You were ready to relax and fall deep into the sensations, when he suddenly dug his nails into your thighs again, forcing you awake.

You yelped and tried to squirm away, but his hold only strengthened. Your breath hitched when you took the cue to stay still until the grasp once again dissipated.

“Don’t you feel too good?” he mocked. You glanced back at him – his eyes were shining red, face darker than just moments ago, threatening.

“B-Baekhyun…”

Should you feel scared at that moment? Should you understand that this man was a monster? Maybe. But it felt just too good to be in his hands, to be toyed with and hurt so sweetly. It was like a reward to know that out of all people, he chose you as his prey. There was some primal pleasure in being this little, naive girl that fell right into his trap, that allowed him to sweet-talk her into giving up her will of survival.

In a surge of confidence, you put your hand on top of his head, pushing him to resume what he was doing so well just moments ago. Baekhyun didn’t object, only letting out an amused huff when his lips wrapped around your clit once again, sucking on it gently and letting you once again melt in the sweet sensation. Your fingers clutched his hair, letting you release some of the tension, and when he hummed into your skin, you held it so tightly you for a second worried about causing him pain.

But he didn’t say a word and you quickly realized, it must have not bothered him in the slightest. His eyes slipped closed, now fully fixated on devouring you, hands holding your hips down to prevent you from squirming, hold just a bit too strong, just to cause you the slightest amount of pain, just to remind you what he was capable of.

Your whole body trembled, approaching the sweet release. Baekhyun’s mouth was relentless, and he read your reactions perfectly, his pace and movements perfectly designed to drive you insane.

With your thighs pressing together, you clutched his hair even harder. You were starting to convulse, letting out incoherent whimpers. Baekhyun’s fingers, dug into your thighs so strong you wouldn’t be surprised if they drew blood, no longer hurt – it was all mixing together, the proximity of his existence alone already overwhelming your senses, but the passion, the warmth, the textures, the sounds – it all sucked you in further and further, riding you off any remains of sanity that you may have had left.

Suddenly, right as you were about to reach the peak, everything stopped for less than a second; a void so sudden you didn’t even manage to register it.

And then, like a thunder through your body, Baekhyun’s fangs pierced the soft skin around your clit. He sucked hard on both your blood and your pearl, and you instantly came undone, crying out in pleasure and agony.

Your vision went white for what felt like ages and you felt like you were floating in the outer space; for those heavenly moments, you were not even sure if you’re still alive, but your thoughts mingled and dissipated too fast to formulate a coherent sentence. Whether Baekhyun was still there or not, you would not be able to tell; your mind was blank, and he could as well have left you moments ago – except the pain that was slowly starting to materialize again was an excellent proof that he was still present, and when your body finally came down from its high, you managed to register him down there, still between your thighs, with his arms wrapped around them in an almost loving-like manner.

You had absolutely no idea when did he bit into your thigh instead, letting your most fragile bits calm down from the overstimulation, but it looked like he was so endorsed in tasting your sweet blood that it took you a few long moments before he finally acknowledged you’re watching him. Your lower body was limp, small shivers running here and there, but any pain no longer present, your flesh too worn out to take note of it.

Sensing your gaze, Baekhyun slowly pulled his fangs out of your skin, carefully as to not damage it further, and then sent you a smug, bloody smile, hand caressing your hip.

“Welcome back” he spoke. “Took you a while.”

You tried to push yourself into the sitting position, but even your arms wouldn’t listen, and you fell back down in exhaustion.

Maybe it was merciful of him to climb up and hover above you, letting you look at his full figure even when you could no longer move to watch him yourself. A drop of your blood slipped from the corner of his lip, landing on your own. You curiously reached to it with your tongue, and Baekhyun didn’t wait a second, pressing his lips into your own, taking that sweet droplet back but giving you a taste of the metallic flavor in its full glory. A short, but rough nib to your lip made you let out a small, helpless whimper, tears emerging in the corners of your eyes – with the amount of overstimulation, even that much was already too much, and you were so worn out, so weak, so overdone.

“Just a bit more, love.”

His lips once again found themselves on your neck, kissing so tenderly that you barely felt it.

The prickling pain that followed no longer caused you to recoil; your body was growing weak, too weak to handle it anymore. You were getting drained beyond the stage of quick recovery, and you could tell, there was nothing you could do at this point to stop it.

Just a bit more, just a few more sips.

“You taste so good.”

Biting into the top of your breast now, closer to your heart. You didn’t feel it anymore, only phantom sensations somewhere far away.

You were at the brink of unconsciousness when he finally pulled away. A bit carelessly, he knelt up and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, dark burgundy-shining eyes fixated on your fading ones.

Although you still had it in yourself to look back at him, the world around you was gradually collapsing, and it was only those burgundy eyes that kept you right above the surface, but so about to drown.

“My… I may have overdone it. Are you still there?”

He sounded marginally worried, as if coming across a small incident, and not a human life that was on the line.

You blinked and moved your fingers ever so slightly, just to let him know you’re still conscious, although barely.

The man smiled at that softly, clear relief washing over his face.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be okay. I’ll make sure of that.”

He reached to your cheek, patting it gently. It felt a bit grotesque; his skin was so warm as opposed to yours, chill from the lack of blood and paler than ever.

But his touch felt nice, and, although you knew that the slumber you’d fall into would not be natural and the next hours would possibly decide your fate, it felt like you were falling into a dream instead; you were growing addicted to his presence, and you could do nothing to stop it. You were a goner.

“I’ll make sure of that, because I cannot possibly waste a fine snack like you. It’s just the beginning, love. Better recover fast.”

Ahh, I'm actually proud of this one, hope you guys enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing! Also don't hesitate to let me know your thoughts, and hopefully, more vampire content will be coming in the future!

[vvolfy]

The brothers + MC at the mall (in the human world)

Lol, these hc’s were also brainstormed by @absoluteyeet​ and @stardustursa​

American malls, for the win LOL

Divider credits to @rubystarraven​ (if its not okay I can take them down they’re just super cute!)

Lucifer:

Would spoil MC without hesitation, and especially of the risque variety.

   Reluctant to tag along because he would have to babysit his brothers (as usual)

   Would visit stores that specialize in formal wear, (appearances matter), expensive colognes.

   MC drags him into Bath & Body Works, but he doesn’t stay for more than 5 minutes before he loses his sense of smell and develops a headache.

   The type to stand outside of stores with his arms crossed, only to say he isn’t rushing anyone. (he is)

   He’s like a cranky old man. From complaining about the malls music choice to criticizing anyone that passes him.

   Any food vendors that sell fine chocolate would pique his interest.

   100% avoids mall vendors. You want to fix his D.D.D? Too bad so sad. Mammon already scams him. He doesn’t need another.

   Bookstores (Barnes & Noble) would be his go-to.

   As would antique shops. Those are his favorite.

   Would be the first to leave the mall. Honks at the rest to hurry up.

   A MC plushie from Build A Bear would perk him up, I think.

Mammon:

  Has a coin purse, despite being broke. Lucifer takes it and hits him with it when he makes bad choices.

   Obviously cannot be left unattended. (Do your job MC)

   Spoils MC unconditionally after stealing Goldie back. (Spoils himself as well.)

   The type to haggle prices.

   Has been kicked out of most stores for haggling/stealing.

   Food? Yeah. Like everything else, it goes on Lucifers tab please.

   Resorts to stealing and gets caught.

   Tries to steal cologne from Bath & Body Works while MC is shopping, only to spray himself in the eyes.

   Makes MC at Build A Bear, makes MC pay for it.

Leviathan:

   Only tagged along to go to Gamestop, Hot Topic, Spencers, and for the Asian food vendors. Otherwise he is being forced to go. Send help.

   On his phone and switch the whole time, headphones on full blast. (He’s a pro at playing and walking.)

   “I guess I’ll h-hold your hand MC. N-Not that I like you o-or anything-- y-you’re just so n-needy you’ll hold a filthy Otakus h-hand--”

   “Can we go now?”

   Talks MC’s ear off at his favorite stores. (Always listening ofc)

   Due to sensory reasons, he avoids Bath & Body Works, though he’ll wait outside for MC.

   Loves stim toys. Walks out of Hot Topic with a bag full of em.

   You can find him at the arcade! Claw machines are his favorites!

   He would share Dippin’ Dots with MC.

   Would go to the pet shop to see fish and snakes ofc

   Would go to Barnes & Noble for the mangas, duh

   He would spoil MC in his own way. “It’s not like I l-love you or anything! I just didn’t want y-you to feel left out! Ugh!”

   I think he would love Build A Bear. He would so build Lotan and Henry, and carry them everywhere. He would also love a plushie of MC.

Satan:

   In this for Barnes & Noble or any bookstore really.

   Actively avoids the others. (Except for MC)

   Loves the cafe in B&N, would eat croissants with the blackest coffee while reading.

   Lucifer physically curses Satan to follow him if he doesn’t leave w/ them.

   Accompanies MC where ever they go/want to go. (Spoils them too.)

   Would stop at the pet store to see the cats. Expect him to be there for a long while. Cats > you.

   Stops at Bath & Body Works for warm scented candles.

   Like Levi, Satan would LOVE stim toys.

   Starbucks 100%

   Would go to the movies with MC to watch movie adaptions of books.

   The last to leave the mall, by closing time. Lucifer is angry.

   Leaves with like, 50 new books.

   Loves a cat plushie from Build a Bear, though a MC plushie would be better.

Asmodeus:

   Would live in a mall for eternity if he could.

   Takes his sweet time in every single store.

   Manipulates a few human lackeys to carry his and MC’s bags. If he can’t find anyone, then Beel would suffice.

   Takes MC to Sephora or Ulta to spice up their vanity wardrobe.

   Would definitely take MC to Spencers for the risque stuff. ;)))

   Bath & Body Works spree. (He has a huge collection of their products, duh.)

   Would make MC at Build a Bear 100%, along with a bear of himself. (Rose bear for him!!!)

   Wouldn’t splurge at the food court tbh, he doesn’t want to get dirty.

   Would be the one to help MC choose fashionable clothing. (Lingerie, etc)

   Though he does his own nails, I think he would still go to the salon w/ MC to both get their nails done. Mani/pedis, duh.

   The type to try every. single. beauty. sample. in existence.

   If you thought Mammon was a heavy spender... lol

Beelzebub:

   “Hey MC, I’m hungry.”

   Pulls MC to every food vendor until they flood a table with various snacks and food (Onlookers are shocked)

   He would carry MC’s bags to exercise so long as MC feeds them.

   His way of spoiling MC would be sharing his food, but I think he’d also buy MC stuff, like what he sees them taking an interest in, you know?

   Would definitely hit the gym or martial arts training, whatever available in the mall at the time.

   For additional exercise, carry both Asmodeus and his bags.

   Would mistake soaps and candles at Bath & Body Works for food. Lord help us.

   Better dip with Mammon before Lucifer kills the three of you for embarrassing him. (And that shoplifting charge)

   Carries MC anytime they say their tired, or when MC wants a piggy back ride lol

   Would love any food related plushie MC gets him, though he eats it because it looks too realistic.

   Frequently checks on Belphegor who decides to sleep on a massage chair.

   Helps MC reach the taller shelves.

Belphegor:

Tired Edge Lord(TM) didn’t want to go until he was yoinked into Spencers by MC. More face jewelry for him. Plus some quality time with MC is always best. (Works at Hot Topic too)

Finds a massage chair, falls asleep instantly.

(If) Lucifer manages to get him out of the chair, it’s a team lift.

Will wake up to MC or food, or both. Both are nice.

If he’s awake enough he would love it if MC shared their Dippin’ Dots with him.

If he has enough energy he would gladly hold MC’s hand as they walk together.

He would definitely be a candle man, and would love the soft scent candles Bath & Body Works sells.

Would love Build A Bear like the others. Cow plushies, and a plushie of MC are ideal to snuggle with.

Loves stim toys like Levi and Satan do.

[nerdieforpedro]

🦴

🍓

🥤

Please!

🦴 = a piece of media that inspires my writing?

Not really one set piece. More like music in general does. I often listen to lofi beats when writing or my writing playlist to set the mood of what I’m trying to write. Or it could be music I’m listening to in the car or waiting somewhere could lead to some bullet points that become a fic. 😆

🍓= what led me to write fanfic in the first place?

Going deep here aren’t you Em? 👀 lol I’ve enjoyed writing since I was little as an extension of my love of reading. First with poems and the anime fanfiction when I actually watch more anime. Now I read more manga and don’t write fanfiction about it. If one squints on A03 - I may have dabbled in Marvel characters and actors for a short time. 🫢 The took a long pause as life happened. Sometime last year as my mental health improved so did my love of writing and I hyper focused on Pedro Pascal so here we are. 🤣 I write more the better my mood is. Maybe a bit too much background 😵

🥤= recommend and author or fic you love

Ugh just one? Dammit. 😒 I shall not! I’ll do eight because there are no favorites! Only peeps we support! And I can’t really call any of them number one I enjoy them all too much. 🥰

1. @morallyinept Pretty much anything you read of Jett’s will be beautiful, sensual, take you to a far away place or have needing to remove clothing - possibly from reading the same fic. 😆 She covers a wide variety of Pedro characters and is a wealth of knowledge on them. She also is just really talented and sweet.

2. @maggiemayhemnj Sure Ms. Payday doesn’t have a long Masterlist but every fic on there is worth reading for her turns of phases, vivid descriptions and her love of both Joel and Ezra. 💕

3. @megamindsecretlair One of my fellow black writers who keeps readers thirsty and eager for more with her Sam, Bucky and Loki series (all of which I need to catch up on or finish 👀) and is a hilarious person as she is kind.

4. @soft-girl-musings Another fellow black writer who’s “Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps” 1920’s or 40’s (I’m not great with telling time obviously 🙄 ) has me wondering what’s going to happen next, what is going on in that club and where else am I going to see curly haired Marcello is going to pop up at. 🤣

5. @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin The Mistress of Agnst. Her masterlist is for those who aren’t afraid to explore the darker side and stories that may not have happy endings but you’ll still feel satisfied that to finished it. To feel another type of satisfaction, you’ll need to read her smut and seek your other completion there. ☺️ You’ll be thankful for both rides.

6. @pedroshotwifey A newer moot to me who has equal parts smut, agnst and dabs of darkness in there. What can I say? I like dark fics if they’re just right. Like I like my crime dramas and cop procederals. 🤣 She and I have a good time supporting each other and exchanging thots. Her “To The Flame” series has set the reader up for what may be a spectacular fall or maybe she’ll find her way out? Only she knows.

7. @magpiepills Ezra’s second wife (because @morallyinept is his first wife and I think @maggiemayhemnj is the paramour - because it sounds fancy) The amount of filthy things she’s had him do both with one arm and two is something everyone should read twice. I also especially enjoyed her fic “Aquarius” which a whore version of Javier Peña that spoke strongly to me. Or maybe parts of me, let’s not split hairs. 🤭

8. @angelofsmalldeath-codeine She’ll say she’s not a writer. BUT as all writers know, we don’t do very well if someone isn’t reading stuff we toss out into the ether. Hemmy is as supportive as they come, reblogging and offering many a thot as both the High Chancellor of the Horny Delegation and as a friend. ❤️ Plus she supports my very soft bois Dieter and Javi G. 😆 She I think was one of the main reasons I wrote more of “Weddings 101 with Dieter.” She asked me something along the lines of, “is there more to this? This is a very cool or unique premise.” As she well knows, just tell me I did something well and I’m happy as a pearl in a clam. 🤣

Fanfic author ask game

Thanks for the ask Em! Just know I pretty much write paragraphs because I gotta explain. 🤭 I’m Nerdie and I’m wordy. 😚 I had to make one bad joke. You have to be able to tell it’s me.

[lynzishell]

List 5 facts about a favorite sim of yours, and send this to 10 simblrs whose sims you adore ♥♥♥

TYSM for sending me this ask @elderwisp and @igotsnothing 💖 I almost used this as an excuse to do two sims.... but it takes me so long to answer these things that I didn't want to risk it sitting in my inbox for too long lol!

But let's dive in, shall we? I chose my beloved...

✨Asher Goode✨

🩶Asher is a dog lover, and is very attached to his border collie, Jasper. He rescued Jasper as a six-month-old puppy when he was fifteen. The dog lives at his parents’ house because Asher doesn’t want him to be cooped up in an apartment. (He’s the main reason Asher visits his family so much.) If he does bring Jasper home to the city, it’s only for one night, and usually means he’s having a tough time and needs a little extra comfort.

🩶He is a very talented artist. One of his favorite hobbies is writing and illustrating comics. He’s been doing this since he was a kid, and it’s his creative outlet outside of work.  He completed his first story when he was fifteen. It was inspired by Jasper and is still in his old bedroom at his parents’ house. (I hope one day to share it, but I need to share it as a comic and I don’t know how to go about doing that yet, so I’m holding onto it for now.)

🩶He gets his creativity from his father, who is a musician. His dad had always hoped that his kids would share his love of music. While Asher appreciates a wide variety of genres, he’s not interested in playing any instruments. In fact, he hates the piano because it reminds him of how miserable lessons were as a kid. He’d much rather put on his headphones and draw. However, he does love dancing and going to concerts.

🩶He's not much into fitness or sports, but he does love to run on the beach with his dog. He’s also a very strong swimmer. Not because he enjoys swimming… quite the opposite really. When he was nine years old, he nearly drowned in the ocean when he was swept away by the undertow. He was saved by this mother, but he’s hated the water ever since. Rather than avoid it, though, he asked his parents to sign him up for swimming lessons. He’s not the type to avoid what scares him, he’d rather take control in any way he can.

🩶Asher is madly in love with Atlas... yes yes, we know this… but did you know that Asher’s love language is physical touch? He is very affectionate. The type to always greet you with a hug, put a hand on you while talking, lean against you while standing, drape his legs over you while sitting on the sofa, and snuggle you in bed (and he’s almost always the big spoon).  A lot of the time, he does this without thinking, so people who don’t like others in their personal space tend to not like being around him. But, for Atlas, the casual closeness and affection always put him at ease around Asher, even long before they started dating. (I could really dive into all that, but this isn’t about Atlas right now, so perhaps I’ll save it for another time 😉).

[tangerinequeen19]

Thank you @noraincsl for tagging me in this Louis-centric ask game!

when did you become a louie?

Sometime in 2021…I only vaguely knew who he was when I clicked on a random suggested youtube video ab Larry (what a fever dream), which then led to a life-altering rabbithole of Louis videos and thereby oh-so-casually shifted the space/time continuum.

your earliest fandom memory?

Let’s see, I remember being so excited ab listening to all of his solo stuff and feeling very hit-over-the-head by both Two of Us and Only the Brave. I watched lives for the ltwt22 opening show in Dallas, never having experienced fandom culture before or that type of guerilla livestreaming 😂 and I was SO EMOTIONAL AND SWEATING vicariously for him I was so nervous lol and eventually it was such a delight to be able to scream ab it on tumblr even though I didn't know many of you lovely ppl yet.

your favourite song (one off walls, one off fitf)?

Walls: Defenceless, Too Young, Always You

FITF: All This Time, HOTH, Paradise

[making the executive decision to change one song to three btw]

your favourite music video?

Two of Us

favourite gig?

CUYAHOGA FALLS 2023, A DAY THAT SHALL LIVE IN INFAMY!!! THE SCREAMS I SCRUMPT! THE STEAM MY KEYBOARD STUMPT!

favourite louis hair?

I love his variety--what an icon when you look back at the eras, truly. Usually my fav style is however he currently has it, although I do tend to love a lil oomphy floofy to it.

favourite louis interview?

The ladbible ones or any ones where he can just offer commentary/reactions are gold bc he is so naturally hilarious and engaging.

suit louis or tank top louis?

Tank top! (*echoes in the distance* tank top, tank top...) Now if the blessed day shall come that we get a mesh tank top you will either never hear from me again or you will never hear me talk ab anything else.

favourite louis tattoo?

The card-suits bracelet

favourite louis bodypart? (c'mon we all have one!)

His expressive eyes in all their glory as well as the snuffleupagus lashes.

Tagging ANYONE WHO SEES THIS & WANTS TO DO IT—tag me as asking you if you do it! Also @getawayheaven @goldcrumble @statementlou @weareonejazzhand @moon-sun-thyme @alloutforking @piccolotiranno @shinylights @himynameiszayn @throughtherest @keepmyeyesonthehorizon @crownkinglouis @thelastattempt @ahurricanebehindthedoor @apdlpz @fortheloveof-louis @buttercuphoney91 if you’d like to 😊

[dante-winning-archive]

DmC: Devil May Cry Thoughts

So I finally decided to experience the DmC Reboot, and my overall verdict is: Not As Bad As I Expected. 

I took notes, so let’s break it down. This is over 3 pages in a doc btw, so buckle up I guess. Hope it was worth the wait.

What I Liked

Level Design

This is probably the game’s biggest strength. Great amount of variety, and the atmosphere of each level was great. 

Limbo is a really cool concept. 

The twin’s special abilities (like Dante’s grappling hook type weapons) made for some really cool platforming. 

The typography really works in this game. Like, words and phrases appearing in the environment to taunt Dante or just provide additional flavor to whatever is happening. Very comic book. 

The Bob Barbas boss battle had a really cool neon techy aesthetic, which isn’t something I would have expected for this game. Neat!

The game show levels leading up to Lilith’s boss fight were cool too! 

The Succubus boss battle made really good use of the environment. 

Enemy Design

General demon mobs are automaton-like, which is pretty neat. I’m not a fan of that sort of aesthetic, but I respect the creative direction. 

All the bosses had decent variety in terms of design and battle mechanics.

Item/Weapon Design

I think this was another pretty strong point for this game

It’s a small thing, but the designs of the orbs were nice.

Rebellion’s shape shifting is neat. Rebellion doesn’t really have any cool powers like Yamato does in the mainline games, so it was nice to see it do something besides being a big sword. 

AQUILA IS SUCH A COOL WEAPON

Ebony and Ivory were pretty, but didn't seem particularly useful what with all the other weapons Dante had at his disposal.

Misc

Combat looks dynamic and satisfying, and I can see the influence it had on DMC5’s combat. 

The voice acting is good

Occasionally, it was genuinely funny

The Vergil gameplay at the end? INCREDIBLE. 

The music was good. Nothing really stood out to me, but it did enhance the game. 

What I Disliked

Lilith

I really hated her character design. And I’m not saying it wasn’t effective character design, or that it was bad. I just personally didn’t like it. 

Her weirdly pulled skin, the corset piercings, the way her skin bunches up around the tops of her gloves… ugh. 

And maybe that’s the point! I’m probably supposed to find it offputting! But I hated looking at her. 

Pregnancy is a really intense squick of mine, so all that was just no! No! No! No! 

I wish I could unsee her boss battle

Minor Design Complaints

Dante’s DT design was a little disappointing, especially considering how well designed everything else is. 

Yamato’s design was also lackluster. 

Misc

The fatphobia was disappointing but not surprising, especially considering the year this was released. 

Mundus sex scene… ew

The sniper abortion scene wasn’t as shocking as I expected it to be, but it sure was there

The way Vergil pronounces Yamato lol. Ya-MATT-o

Pronouncing Mundus differently was a little weird. The mundus amungus…. 

Mundus’ boss fight was uninspired. Wow, a giant statue trying to squash Dante on a platform. Never seen that one before.

A lot of this game has a ‘gross’ factor, which I’m not really into. That’s just personal preference, because I do think it mostly works in context. Just not my thing. 

Characters:

In general, I found the characters to be pretty one-dimensional. 

The Twins

The two of them working together in Mundus’ tower, one in each world, was really cool. If you’re going to have twins in a setting with two worlds overlapping, having one in each is (chefs kiss). Being able to play as both of them to achieve the goal would have made it even better. 

I really enjoyed the scenes they had together, but there just weren’t enough of them. 

It was nice seeing them share physical affection (in the form of a mutual shoulder pat)

But “I loved you, brother” just didn’t have the emotional impact I wanted it to have. 

And the issue is really… they’re strangers. They may be brothers, but they barely know each other. Their relationship just didn’t get as much attention and buildup as it should have. 

Vergil

He’s so friendly and helpful sounding at the beginning, it was kind of cute. 

But it is revealed he’s pretty cold and calculating, willing to sacrifice Kat because saving her wasn’t worth the risk to him. 

His mad hax lol 

give him his hat back, cowards

Even though he was carrying Yamato around, I wasn’t sure he could even fight until the very end. He just seemed so weak. The thing about the twins is that they’re equals on the physical level. IDK, it was just weird to see a Vergil that didn’t fight. 

honestly, a way more interesting character than Dante.

Dante

A devil-may-care character that learns to give a shit? Always a classic. 

As unnecessarily edgy as he seems, his poor coping mechanisms make sense for how he grew up. 

Kat

An assault survivor, because of course she is. It’s just disappointing. Was it necessary? Was it??

Overall, she’s fine. No real strong feelings about her. 

Despite having a ‘role’ (guiding Dante through Limbo and helping him escape it), her job could have been given to Vergil and the game would have worked fine. Maybe even better. 

Sparda and Eva 

Having Sparda outlive Eva and be responsible for hiding the twins was an interesting choice. I also like that we have confirmation for what happened to him (eternal torture). 

I would have expected an angel and demon to be a power couple, but they seemed to have been beaten pretty easily. For plot, I guess. 

The Story

I wasn’t really all that invested, tbh. There’s nothing wrong with the story, but at the same time there isn’t really anything notable about it (except Vergil’s bit). 

It’s a hack n’ slash, so I’m not expecting a masterpiece, but it was pretty one note.

WHY is there a war between demons and angels? Where did the Nephilim come from, how many were there, what role did they play? More importantly, why should I care about any of this? 

The twins avenging their parents should have felt like… like taking on a mantle to continue their cause, and I really didn’t get any of that. There wasn’t any weight of legacy. And the main games handle that so well. 

Overall, I just felt like there wasn’t enough emotional impact, especially between the brothers. There wasn’t enough time to really grow to care about the three protagonists, imo. 

Dante's character arc is... learning to give a shit, I guess, but even then, his decision to be the protector of humans feels really out there. Did he really show that much growth throughout the game for this declaration to really feel deserved? Rewarding?

Likewise, Vergil's shift from revolutionary to would-be king is equally abrupt. Like maybe the entire point of it was to be out of left field, but from a storytelling standpoint... an out-of-nowhere twist like that just doesn't feel rewarding. Having more time with Vergil as Dante throughout the course of the game, to have a subtle buildup so that when you look back and say 'the signs were all there and I missed them', that would have been really good. Like, disregarding the fact that any fan of DMC knows Vergil is going to abandon everything for power.

Vergil’s gameplay and story at the end was a lot more compelling than the rest of the game combined. It’s literally the only thing I’m interested in learning more about. 

Final Thoughts

The game was… alright. Not as bad as I expected it to be, but I’m not sure I would call it good, either. There were a lot of really interesting concepts that just didn’t reach their full potential. The ‘hard’ elements like design and combat were there, but the characters and story were lacking. Making a DMC game heavily influenced by the Divine Comedy is a great idea! 

I think that there are two things that really held this game back. 

Making it a DMC game. As its own thing, it could have been really good. Could they have told a story based on the Divine Comedy with twins named Dante and Vergil without stepping on DMC’s toes? Probably not. But with some changes, it could have worked.

The marketing. I didn’t see it in real time, but we’ve all heard of the weirdly homophobic marketing for this game. And I think that really soured people’s opinions of the game. Still does, tbh. ‘Dante is not a gay cowboy’ as if that isn’t his entire appeal….

Anyway, I don’t think it quite deserves the hate it gets. If you go in knowing you’re not getting a ‘real’ DMC game, it’s not bad. 

Rating: 5/10 

[cupofkey]

list of my tentative headcanons for nyo!vietnam, at least in how he’s similar to/different from his counterpart:

they’re both reserved, quiet, and a little intimidating, unless they really fw you. she is kinda like the older sister friend (caring/concerned, acts of service oriented) while he opens up to be a nice guy who isn’t afraid of taking it easy. if they care about something, it runs really deep, ride or die!!

she definitely has a “sharper” personality than him, a little more straightforward and serious. definitely a bit of a chip on her shoulder. they’re both very stubborn and refuse to quit

they both enjoy the little things. he’s a bit more showy and image oriented than her, she’s kinda miserly

I feel like she’s more inclined towards writing, poetry, philosophy etc, while he’s more inclined towards music and drama/storytelling. both categories have rich traditions and catalogues throughout viet history!

he’s more attached to gender/sexuality norms and roles. she doesn’t care much for them herself.

she’s more spiritual (always conscious of energy and balance and vibes and whatever), he’s more religious (enjoys going to mass lol). both of them are more superstitious than they’d like to admit.

they value family as a concept and their people immensely. she has a soft spot for the elderly, and he particularly loves children.

@/firstpetal reminded me of the lạc long quân/âu cơ myth which partially inspired this: but I feel like she’s very connected to the land (mountains, fields, valleys), while he’s connected to the water? (rivers, the ocean, lakes) like vibes-wise I feel she’s the type who plants roots, he’s more on the move. he also loves to swim and fish and all that

in a similar vein, I see her as kind of a country girl while he’s a city boy? they both like going out to their favorite spots and being surrounded by their people, as well as being out in the countryside and having that closer community. but she’s a bit more of an introvert; she loves to be outdoors and just be one with the land. he likes being a face in the crowd, blending with a wide variety of people, living a fast-paced life.

they’re great cooks!

he LOVES karaoke. also the viet pastime of drinking and eating with the lads just cuz (called nhậu) is his ultimate way to unwind. she joins him and quietly loves it just as much.

she has a really dry deadpan lowkey disturbing sense of humor. she would never say it but she rly doesn’t get why people don’t think she’s funny. meanwhile he’s funny in a basic smiley person way

she always wears this beat up old watch from the 90s (“it works just fine!”), meanwhile he is a Watch Guy TM (“so when are you removing that monstrosity.”)

they’re both light sleepers

she always ties up her hair haphazardly without a single fuck given, he has a whole hairstyling routine.

she’s pretty in her own way, although not particularly feminine. he definitely tries and succeeds at being handsome

he can be too confident at times, she is overly skeptical.

he’s more attuned to what’s contemporary than she is. music, fashion, news, etc. she is very practical and not about that

they’re both repressed closed off people who haven’t dealt with their baggage LOL

[sillylittleflower]

Thank you so much for the tag @lollygirlpops 💜!!! this is so interesting i really loved reading your answers!!

Get to Know Me Tag :)

do you make your bed?

making my bed when i wake up so it looks nice and neat during the day....hahahah i wish lmao.... i mean i do have a bedpread to put over everything but i really never make my bed unless i am really unusually motivated for some reason lol

what's your favourite number?

i don't really have a favourite number i think but i think there are certain numbers that i favour kind of, like idk while solving math numbers i always used to think oh pretty number! i think i prefer even numbers and i especially like 6 and 8 i think

what is your job?

i don't have one, i am a student, but i should maybe look for one

if you could go back to school, would you?

yes, overall i loved school, because you got to learn about such a broad variety of subjects and there was so much structure and i really loved my teachers and i miss some of my teachers

can you parallel park?

i don't have a driver's license, so no

a job you had that would surprise people?

i've never really had a job so there's that, i did an internship at a pharmacy but idk if that would surprise people

do you think aliens are real?

i mean the chances that there aren't any other beings around in the whole entire universe is pretty slim i would think

can you drive a manual car?

i don't have a driver's license, so no

what's your guilty pleasure?

hmmmmm if this refers to things i shouldn't be doing but do, then there are a lot, but i think that is not what this is referring to

tattoos?

no, i think i would be too scared to ever get one

favorite type of music?

i really just listen to everything and don't pay attention to genres at all, but i do think i tend to gravitate towards indie/ indie rock or in general emotional/ sad music

favorite color?

i don't really have one, it seems kind of impossible to choose, but i really like pastels and recently i've been having a soft spot for purple

do you like puzzles?

i think i neither particularly like nor dislike them, like if someone gave me one i would probably like doing it, but i woudn't actively seek it out and buy one or something

favorite childhood sport?

i really hated sports as a child most of the time, i think the one i hated the least as a child child was probably football/soccer until i finally started ballet at around 15

do you talk to yourself?

all the time, sometimes i thabout what people must think of me when i ride my bike while talking to myself sometimes even in english which isn't my first language

what movies do you adore?

whenever i think about movies i somehow always come up blank and forget every one i've ever seen

i really like the ones i remember from childhood like "The sound of music"

oh and recently i went to see "One life" and i really liked it

coffee or tea?

i like both, but i think in daily life i have tea more, not because i like it more than coffee though, it's just that at first i tried not drinking too much coffee to not get too used to it and then also making tea is a lot easier than making coffee

first thing you wanted to be growing up?

a doctor

Onward tagging: @hergrandplan @earlgrey-lateatnight @glimmeringdreams @chinitade @themarsbar @grapehyasynth @wilmonsfolklore @anonfromtheflight @margotdanslebois @alkalinetrios

and everyone who sees this and wants to have a go :)

[savnofilter]

what type of music do you think iida is into? 🐳🐳

               tenya iida

tw; sfw & different music genres!! 🙀

read more; masterlist | drabble masterlist | students masterlist

a/n; this one actually made me think,,, because we all think that iida is like some uptight right? but like let's be real, he definitely got some sneaks of what he listens to on his playlist! i kinda wanna do this for more characters:'). thank you, anon!

1 — classical

well...this one was obvious. mans needs stimulating music that can help him think, train and focus. if you think classical music dont go hard, YOU ARE WRONG! there is such a wide variety of what you can get whatever you are feeling for. he probably does poses in the mirror while he has earphones in his hero costume .. like yes it's that bomb. even calm music is what soothes him the most. you can not convince him otherwise. 🤷🏽‍♀️

☆ fave artist - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

✮ fave song - Waltz of the Flowers by Tchaikovsky

         ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

2 — asian pop (specifically j & kpop)

OH YEAH, HES A GIRL GROUP STAN IDC IDC IDC IDC IDCCCCCCCC. he love him some girly pop music. learns the dances too. does he go to meet n greets and shit? absolutely not. will go to a concert though. he definitely love the bubblegum pop music too. actually tbh, as long as the singer has a sweet voice in it, he'll love it. he's also a sucker for the more mature idols too—theres a lot of back n forth of what he prefers. he just appreciates the feminine art lol.

☆ fave artist - Babymetal (jpop) & TWICE (kpop)

✮ fave song - Black Cherry by KODA KUMI & Heart shaker by TWICE

         ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

3 — swing

okayyy bc you know this mans is smooth asf. he love him some swing, if classical music is to stimulate him, this genre brings more ease to himself. he be feelin' so shnazzy and free listening to it. swing/jazz is basically straight deep vibes. whenever he needs to just sway, swing is his go to.

☆ fave artist - Luis Armstrong

✮ fave song - What A Wonderful World by Luis Armstrong

         ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

4 — house/dance electronic

YEAH HE GOT HAPPY LIL FEET 💃🏽 he don't how to dance but he really wants to learn how to shuffle?! like he genuinely tries, and hes low-key kinda really good at it now! another genre where he feels carefree and light. just straight vibes and grooves. ugh he is so real for this.

☆ fave artist - Daft Punk

✮ fave song - Push The Feeling by Nightcrawlers & Latch by Disclosure ft. Sam Smith

         ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

5 — folk/city/café pop

tbh the songs under this has been categorized as pop, but like?? it sounds like folk to me. probably the other most personal music genre for him. similar artist that he may listen to to put it into perspective is like Laufey and maybe Phoebe Bridgers. that's the type of soothing vibe he needs when listening to this music. probably goes to the beach listens to this when he's by himself, or when hes alone and can really sit in his thoughts.

☆ fave artist - Lamp

✮ fave song - Sleep Among Endives by Ichiko Aoba

    all rights reserved © do NOT steal, alter or copy this work.

[just-a-carrot]

Yo yo yo Carrot.

I did do research on character design a bit ago. I was just wondering if there were any specific tips/things you kept in mind while designing any of your characters. I have a general idea of where I'm heading but I figured it couldn't hurt to try. No need to push yourself though.

(Orlam has a white shirt because he's basic :). It's perfect character design. )

hhhhh... i can try 💦

behind the cut because this got long

i think the problem is i never have any specific things in mind. for the life of me i can't even think back to how i came up with any of the characters i've ever come up with. usually they are like a mish-mash inspiration of various ideas tumbling around in my head, often influenced heavily by sheer vibes and/or music i'm listening to and/or media i've consumed or images i've seen

for me i think the biggest thing i've noticed is that i develop characters incredibly slowly lol. like i have a really hard time jumping into a new story with new characters that i haven't spent a long time thinking about (i.e., literal years). they all start from like a small random kernel of an idea or inspiration and then they grow and develop as the rest of the story starts slowly turning into random scenes into my mind, and i continue to learn new things about the characters even while actively writing (i think i've said before but some of the biggest themes and plot points in OW that feel like core parts of the story i didn't even come up with until i was actively in the midst of writing it, like, post writing arc 1 and even arc 2; arc 4 in particular like i had not planned 80% of what happened in that arc until i was writing it laksjdfa)

and i feel like a big part of this is because i'm actually really bad at designing/developing characters at the drop of a hat and can only figure them out through long periods of thinking and writing

2018 vs 2023

2018 vs 2023

i first drew the OW characters in 2018, but i'd had the idea for the general story (arc 1) even before that. from what i can remember when trying to come up with what they'd look like, i would try to think about their vibes from their role in the story. iggy is somewhat soft, awkward, and anxious, so i guess my mind developed a somewhat nerdy disalarming look for him with kinda muted colors (we don't talk about the fact that his shirt/overshirt combo makes no sense laksdjfads). orlam i knew i wanted a kinda scraggly little guy with greasy hair (sooper sekrit never-before-heard!ow lore: i actually did originally design him with a ponytail but it changed to a rattail while working on arc 1)

i'm quite bad when it comes to fashion design in general so i often come up with fairly plain-looking outfits. but some of the things i like playing around with the most are things like height dynamics and color variety (i always try to use a diverse range of hair colors for instance, as i feel like it's one of the big things that can instantly differentiate characters in a group)

you can see this in easter too i guess:

admittedly with easter it was a bit different in that tho i had some mental images in my head of generally what i wanted the chars to look like, some of the details and choices got limited because i had to use a sprite generator someone had made to create the sprites for the game (because it was an RPG maker game and i wasn't good/still am not good at creating animated sprites). so their final designs were a bit of a mix between my original ideas and my ideas translated into sprite generator options, hence some of the... odd design choices lakjdfsd

going back even further to characters i designed for other stuff like novels and stories, though my art style was different back then i feel like a lot of the same types of design choices can perhaps be seen LOL:

also please enjoy this old old old old OLD carrot!art from 2005 of three chars i created as a child that i thought were the coolest things ever...

i feel like i've lost the plot here a little bit LKAJDSFLKADSF

though i guess this is simply because i can't really explain what my head does when it comes up with characters. i don't have any sort of formal training in character or game design. i do have an art degree but that was more formal stuff (and i was often told that my personal cartoon-esque style of artwork and the stuff i drew in my sketchbooks was Not Creative). so i don't really have any set sort of guidelines or rules or even strategies that i use for coming up with characters. they tend to just kinda form over time in my mind according to my own aesthetics???? like i create characters that i would like to write and draw. i create groups of characters because i really really like group dynamics. i create characters with varying heights and body types and vibes. i create lots of short loud-mouth snarky asshole characters ldkajfsldkadlfafLDJFADFAD

if you have any more specific-type questions i can try to answer them but i think this might be the best i can do for just talking about my general mindset for characters... 💦

[fitzrove]

2, 9, 12 for the musical asks!

Tysm for asking!!!! Already did 9 hehe, but:

2. Who is your current favourite musical theatre actor, and does this differ from last year?

Omg this is so hard, it's like picking between your children...

2022 was 100% Máté Kamarás' year. It's a year I spent 61 euros altogether on his mediocre hiphop and musical music lol I couldn't not pick him... But this year I haven't had as much time for him!! Still think he's awesome obviously, but I've been on a major tdv kick (I always listen to his part attentively though) and then after that a whole variety of different shows.

I've seen many super awesome performers live this year (favourites: Aris Sas, Lisa-Anne Wood, Miiko Toiviainen, Vanessa Heinz, Milica Jovanovic), some of them multiple times, but I do think I have to say that my current favourite is Lukas Permanschlager... never saw him live but nobody screams like him in Vater.... why do I always like the people who are out to take my money and why do I always end up giving them the money too... I know why. It's the screaming and crawling. Or maybe Miiko Toiviainen, but I tend to hold him in a separate category because he's Finnish (and now that I've seen him in like 5 different things I feel like I'm getting biased hajdjgkg - like I end up liking him more because I've seen more of him and he's very charismatic live)

12. Did you get into any musicals for the first time this year? Did they meet your expectations?

Hmmm... 2022 was a big year for getting into new shows hajfjg (Thrill Me, kinda Chess, Rebecca, Eierwurf von Halle...) but this year it's been quieter :'D As a theatregoer I'm strongly a creature of habit, after being displeased by Something Rotten in 2019 I haven't gone to see a Broadway-type piece that I didn't already know I'd like xD (Usually it hinges on me liking the music enough to not get bored. I'm more flexible with "artsy" music+theatre and straight plays, but even then I will have to like the plot, music or musical style, or feel some sort of connection to the themes).

Ooh, I did listen to Sunday in the Park with George for the first time!!!!! Which I really enjoyed, contrary to my initial assumptions (= I've been scared of Sondheim because of his reputation aodhgkdkd and I was always afraid he'd be boring and stuffy because of how some people talk about his work online - I mean I liked Sweeney Todd from before already but I still had Reservations) xD It's very aesthetic and pleasant musically, and I really like the performances on the original album (which was the one I listened to). I would definitely go see a prod if one happens near me sometime :') Though one of the songs makes me a bit sad/wistful for personal reasons ahdfgjkdfgk

[rengokuswif3]

Demon Slayer Characters When Their S/O Has a Panic Attack

A/N: I suffer from panic attacks and have had a lot of them the past few days, so COMFORT CHARACTER TIME FOR ME

Warnings: Panic attacks, obviously. This is based off my own experience and others’ I’ve known

You cannot tell me this poor boy doesn’t have them too. If he starts thinking about his family, he can guilt himself into a panic attack. If he just survived a dangerous demon, he has them for the next couple days just getting over the shock

So when you have them, he knows exactly how to calm you down. He speaks very softly to you, and holds you to him and tells you to match his breathing. As soon as you calm down a bit more, he’ll ask you to list 3 things you see, 3 things you hear, and 3 things you physically feel to help ground you and help you focus

He understands panic attacks drain your energy like crazy, so he’ll take you to your room and lay with you to take a nap if you’d like. If you don’t want to sleep, then he’ll help you keep occupied by maybe playing some kind of board game

Okay, you’re gonna have to explain to him what a panic attack is and what NOT to do when you have one. Cause if you don’t, the first one you have around him is gonna be horrible. He’s gonna freak out too and not understand what’s happening and won’t know that his loudness and anger and chaos will make it even worse

He may not be known for being gentle and quiet, but he will learn for you cause he doesn’t ever want you to feel uncomfortable, scared or unsafe around him. So once he understands what these attacks are and how to help you, he will do it to the best of his ability. HE GETS YOU A WEIGHTED BOAR STUFFED ANIMAL THOUGH

When you do have one again, he’ll crouch down to your level and hold your hand, and he’ll ask you list 3 things you see, hear and feel which he learned from Tanjiro. Would have trouble taking it easy with you for the rest of the day just because he’s so restless, but would do it for you. Would also take you on hikes because exercise is actually really good to prevent them in the future

Immediately hushes his voice and speaks in a gentle tone as soon as he realizes what’s happening. He’s seen them before I’m scared civilians and traumatized swordsmen, he recognizes them easily and knows of them all too well. He probably used to deal with them himself when he was a bit younger until he learned to cope with them

He will boil you tea and sit with you quietly, saying sweet nothings to you to help you relax as you listen to his voice. He’s extremely warm to the touch, so cuddles with him totally help (lol sometimes a heating pad works for me for some reason?? Idk, I’ve personally never heard of someone else using them for panic attacks)

He’ll let you do his hair to keep your hands busy, and continue speaking with you to keep your mind busy. He’ll take you out for a peaceful scenic walk to clear your head, and the places he finds are beautiful so those walks help immensely. He also learns that telling you to focus on one item and list every possible thing about it helps you ground yourself, so he’ll grab any random thing next to him and go to you and tell you to do so

This man is PERFECT to help calm you down. He is all about being chill and relaxed and I can imagine his house just being really zen. Like he has those waterfall things, incense burning, maybe some candles, relaxing shamisen music, and a variety of teas on the counter

Is the type to kiss away your tears and hold you close. He may be a bit awkward but when it comes to your comfort, he will relax enough for it to be comfortable for you to hold onto him. You’ll slowly fall asleep in his arms, and he won’t move the whole time you’re asleep, just rubbing your back and kissing the top of your head as you rest

If you’re still shaken up and jittery when you wake up, he’ll bring the both of you chamomile or green tea to soothe your nerves, and he’ll do a guided meditation session with you as well. Then if you need to talk, he’ll silently listen attentively to everything you say and he never makes you feel bad about panicking over something, he only tries to help you put it in perspective so it doesn’t worry you so much

He’s pretty confused at first, he doesn’t sense any danger so he doesn’t understand why you’re so scared and sobbing all of a sudden. He comforts you nonetheless, he just is trying to figure out what’s happening as well

After you explain it to him, he still doesn’t fully understand cause he’s not the type to worry so much but he understands that you do and it affects you greatly

He is THE BEST SUBSTITUTE FOR A WEIGHTED BLANKET. HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN. HE IS PERFECT. Will take you to hot springs as well which always help him relax so he has you try it. The hot water plus being with your love plus the beautiful scenery usually helps a lot

Was probably the cause of your first one around him tbh. He didn’t know what was happening at first and probably got angry until he saw just how panicked and terrified you were, then he softened up and immediately felt guilty. He’d crouch down to your level and slowly go to you, not wanting to scare you more as he apologizes and brings you into his arms

He’s a LOT more mindful after that, he never forgave himself for being the cause of that kind of fear in your eyes. You just looked absolutely miserable and it hurt him to see. So he’s a lot softer with you and learns to stop yelling so much, cause that’s not healthy in the first place but even worse with your condition

When you do have one, he’ll ask you to count how many scars he has to help you focus, and he’ll let you trace them with your fingers as well while counting them.