#casino business model

[anti-dazai-blog]

[Spoilers for today’s chapter of BSD]

Sigma I love you but that’s very much not how casinos work

[astrojulia]

Tarot Cards as Professions

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Major Arcanas:

The Fool: Work with abroad, connections with imports, language teacher, multinationals, entrepreneur, intern, college student, art major.

The Magician: Entrepreneur, job that needs skill with the hands (acupuncture, hairdresser, artisan), actor, salesperson, influencer.

The High Priestess: Education, especially children, nutrition, psychology, cook, housewife, food engineering, toy factory, fortuneteller, spiritual advisor, librarian.

The Empress: Management, business administration, foreign trade, secretariat, translation, decoration, stay-at-home mom, model, cook, farmer.

The Emperor: Business administration, work related to areas of technological innovation, the military or sportsmen, CEO, tycoon.

The Hierophant: Philanthropic areas, ONGs, religious work, social work, diplomacy, and a degree, journalism, writer, editor, priest, spiritual guru, politician.

The Lovers: Sales area in any sector, tourism, theater, advertising, the arts in general, porn star, stripper, masseuse.

The Chariot: Activities related to transport, cars, the latest technology, chauffeur, mechanic, athlete.

Strength: Aesthetics, physical education and various body therapies, medicine, zoologist.

The Hermit: Teacher, writer, doctor, antique dealer, restorer, librarian, gardener.

Wheel of Fortune: Financial market, exchange offices, casinos, lottery houses, stock exchanges, and areas related to public relations, hospitality, game show host.

Justice: Public jobs, won through competitions, politics, police, with government positions, in the diplomatic area, law, insurance company worker.

The Hanged Man: Nurse, auditor, inspector, porter, secretariat, general assistants, yoga instructor, prison guard, philanthropist.

Death: Doctor, farmer, geologist, business administrator, gardener, accountant, assassin, death row executioner, surgeon.

Temperance: Working with liquids in general or with what is transported in liquid form such as alcoholic beverages, medicines, juices. chemist, chef, food critic, regional or even international traffic.

The Devil: Does not limit the individual to a professional wing, so he can also go to extremes for the desire he has, such as landlord, drug lord, sex trafficker.

The Tower: Social assistance, humanitarian aid, medicine, firefighter, police officer, construction worker.

The Star: Music, painting, sculpture, poetry, cinema, makeup artist, dressmaker, beautician, agent, promoter, sound artist, astronomer, harpist, dealer, meteorologist.

The Moon: Oceanographers, sailors, fishermen, owners of bars and restaurants or nightclubs, artists in general, medium, hypnotist, psychiatrist.

The Sun: Motivational speaker, entertainer, comedian, social relationships, work with the public, artist in general, member of society.

Judgment: Work done at home, connection with the law, lawyer, judge, work with disabled or people excluded from society, social assistance, board member, executive producer, director.

The World: Pharmacist, massage therapist, scientist, teacher, community leader, religious leader or priest, fashion designer, makeup artist, interior decorator.

Wands:

Creative industries such as advertising, marketing, and graphic design.

Entrepreneurship and starting your own business.

Athletics, sports coaching, or physical training.

Outdoor jobs like park ranger or tour guide.

Event planning or organizing.

Firefighters or rescue workers.

Ace of Wands: Entrepreneur, startup founder, motivational speaker, fitness coach, personal trainer.

Two of Wands: Business strategist, project manager, travel agent, international consultant, import/export specialist.

Three of Wands: Sales representative, marketing manager, e-commerce entrepreneur, market researcher, international trade coordinator.

Four of Wands: Event planner, wedding coordinator, party organizer, festival manager, hospitality industry professional.

Five of Wands: Conflict resolution specialist, mediator, lawyer, debate coach, competitive sports coach.

Six of Wands: Public relations manager, spokesperson, social media influencer, motivational speaker, winning athlete.

Seven of Wands: Defense attorney, human rights activist, political campaigner, advocate, civil liberties lawyer.

Eight of Wands: Courier, delivery driver, airline pilot, travel blogger, expedition guide.

Nine of Wands: Security guard, bodyguard, soldier, endurance athlete, self-defense instructor.

Ten of Wands: Overworked entrepreneur, project manager, event organizer, professional organizer, heavy equipment operator.

Page of Wands: Assistant in a creative field, aspiring artist, intern in a startup, social media coordinator, apprentice.

Knight of Wands: Travel journalist, adventure tour guide, professional athlete, race car driver, stunt performer.

Queen of Wands: CEO, business owner, charismatic leader, life coach, influential speaker.

King of Wands: Executive manager, entrepreneur, leadership coach, consultant, director of a creative agency.

Cups:

Counseling, therapy, or social work.

Hospitality industry, including restaurant management and bartending.

Wedding planner or event coordinator.

Artistic fields like poetry, writing, or acting.

Healing professions such as nursing or holistic therapy.

Psychologist or counselor specializing in emotions and relationships.

Ace of Cups: Therapist, counselor, social worker, holistic healer, emotional support specialist.

Two of Cups: Marriage counselor, matchmaker, relationship coach, wedding planner, love psychic.

Three of Cups: Event organizer, party planner, celebratory event coordinator, community organizer.

Four of Cups: Meditation teacher, mindfulness coach, spiritual counselor, psychologist, therapist.

Five of Cups: Grief counselor, trauma therapist, hospice worker, emotional healing practitioner, bereavement support.

Six of Cups: Child psychologist, teacher, daycare worker, children's book author, pediatric nurse.

Seven of Cups: Creative writer, fantasy novelist, imaginative artist, dream analyst, visionary.

Eight of Cups: Travel blogger, adventure seeker, spiritual pilgrim, explorer, wanderlust photographer.

Nine of Cups: Life coach, happiness consultant, gratitude coach, self-help author, wellness retreat organizer.

Ten of Cups: Family therapist, marriage and family counselor, foster care advocate, wedding planner, family mediator.

Page of Cups: Creative writer, artist in training, intuitive healer, aspiring therapist, dream interpreter.

Knight of Cups: Actor, romantic poet, musician, art therapist, love and relationship coach.

Queen of Cups: Psychic reader, intuitive healer, counselor, compassionate caregiver, therapist.

King of Cups: Therapist, counselor, intuitive mentor, emotional intelligence trainer, psychologist.

Swords:

Legal professions like lawyers, judges, or law enforcement officers.

Journalists, reporters, or investigators.

IT specialists, computer programmers, or hackers.

Teachers or professors specializing in critical thinking or philosophy.

Military or defense-related careers.

Strategic planners or analysts.

Ace of Swords: Lawyer, judge, legal consultant, investigative journalist, strategic planner.

Two of Swords: Mediator, conflict resolution specialist, negotiator, diplomat, relationship counselor.

Three of Swords: Divorce lawyer, grief counselor, trauma therapist, emotional healer, heart surgeon.

Four of Swords: Rest and relaxation specialist, meditation teacher, spiritual retreat organizer, yoga instructor.

Five of Swords: Military strategist, competitive sports coach, lawyer specializing in litigation, debate coach.

Six of Swords: Travel agent, relocation consultant, therapist specializing in transitions, boat captain.

Seven of Swords: Private investigator, spy, intelligence analyst, cybersecurity expert, undercover agent.

Eight of Swords: Social justice lawyer, human rights advocate, disability rights activist, therapist specializing in limiting beliefs.

Nine of Swords: Insomnia specialist, anxiety therapist, nightmare counselor, sleep coach, mental health counselor.

Ten of Swords: Surgeon, coroner, forensic scientist, mortician, grief counselor.

Page of Swords: Researcher, journalist, fact-checker, apprentice in a legal field, investigative reporter.

Knight of Swords: Military officer, police officer, attorney, competitive fencer, conflict resolution specialist.

Queen of Swords: Judge, lawyer, critic, journalist, literary agent.

King of Swords: Judge, attorney, CEO, strategist, military general.

Pentacles:

Financial advisors or investment bankers.

Real estate agents or property developers.

Agriculture, farming, or gardening.

Architects, builders, or construction workers.

Conservationists or environmentalists.

Accountants or bookkeepers.

Ace of Pentacles: Financial advisor, investment banker, wealth manager, entrepreneur, luxury goods retailer.

Two of Pentacles: Financial analyst, accountant, bookkeeper, event planner, stock trader.

Three of Pentacles: Architect, contractor, project manager, teamwork facilitator, craftsman.

Four of Pentacles: Wealth manager, investor, financial planner, asset protection specialist, treasurer.

Five of Pentacles: Social worker, philanthropist, charity organizer, financial counselor, volunteer.

Six of Pentacles: Philanthropist, humanitarian worker, non-profit manager, social worker, charitable fundraiser.

Seven of Pentacles: Gardener, farmer, agricultural consultant, sustainability expert, botanist.

Eight of Pentacles: Craftsperson, artisan, apprentice, skilled tradesperson, technical trainer.

Nine of Pentacles: Luxury brand manager, independent business owner, successful entrepreneur, vineyard owner, art collector.

Ten of Pentacles: Real estate developer, property investor, family business owner, generational wealth manager, financial advisor.

Page of Pentacles: Intern, student, apprentice in a practical field, aspiring entrepreneur, entry-level employee.

Knight of Pentacles: Accountant, financial planner, farmer, skilled tradesperson, meticulous worker.

Queen of Pentacles: CEO, business owner, property developer, hospitality industry entrepreneur, financial advisor.

King of Pentacles: CEO, business mogul, successful investor, high-level executive, financial consultant.

(CC) AstroJulia Some Rights Reserved

[mochatsin]

WHEN THE BROTHERS MAKE MC CRY

The brother’s worst fear eventually comes true when their bad days and temper make them snap at the person they care about the most.

This is a request on AO3! Thank you for reading!

------------

Lucifer

It’s as if the universe was testing him when another stack of reports came by his desk today. Mammon’s debt collectors, bills from Beel’s last famine rampage, and complaints about the other’s behaviors…

This doesn’t even compare to the paperwork Diavolo had him prepare since there was an upcoming event next week. Lucifer’s patience is running thin and the moment he hears something break from the hallway, he’s had enough. 

He swings the door open to find that you accidentally dropped a cup of tea on the floor. It was his favorite cup too as he recognized the patterns on the broken shards. 

You noticed how stressed he’s been lately and you planned on surprising him with his favorite blend of tea, though you tripped on the way and dropped the cup. Before you could apologize however, Lucifer is already stomping his way towards you, clearly upset with your clumsiness. 

His two hour lectures are nothing compared to the three minutes he yelled at you. You didn’t like how he talked down on you after one accident. The demon seems too busy in his sermon to even notice the tears pooling in your eyes. 

It felt like he was undermining all your efforts that you’ve done around the house after just one simple screw up. It was frustrating to be treated like this when all you wanted to do was to help him. You’re the first being in centuries who dared walk out of Lucifer while he’s talking. 

Seeing how you turned your back on him only made him frustrated. “Hey, I’m not done speaking with you–” He tries to grab your arm but you slap it away, looking at him with tears streaming down your cheeks. 

It was enough to bring him out of his anger and look at you. Suddenly he’s realizing all the weight of his words, all the awful things he’s said to you that he never meant. He’s not quite sure how to take it back, not when his Pride makes it hard for him to do so. He hates how his sin made him just stand back and let you walk away crying.

Lucifer tried drowning himself in paperwork to punish himself, but the weight in his heart is too much. He needs to see your smile again. So he walks in your room and peeks to see if you’re still awake at this hour. 

He finds you trying to fix the broken cup back together with magic, and his heart shatters more than the glassware when he notices the cut or two on your finger from all your attempts. Without a moment's hesitation, he moves in quickly to hug you from behind. 

“You’ve done so much for us. We’ve taken more than we give back and I was a fool to say such awful words… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said those to you. There’s no excuse.” 

Lucifer left the paperworks undone on his desk. Tonight, his goal is to make sure that he sees you smile again and make up for his previous behavior. He’s not leaving your room until he’s sure that you’re okay again, and he promises to make sure he doesn’t lash out on you like that again.

Mammon

Mammon recently got a big fat check from his modeling gig, and what better way to spoil himself by doing one of his favorite things? Gambling. The minute he gets the money, he’s already on his way to the casino with a spring in his step. 

Of course Lucifer is not too happy with it since Mammon skipped his duties to make dinner for all of them tonight just to go out and waste his money. So you volunteered to go fetch him since he usually listens to you out of everyone. 

He was too far gone in the fun by the time you got there. The winning, the Grimm, it’s all intoxicating. It’s hard to convince Mammon to let go of the cards and chips in his hands as soon as he has them, but you insisted anyway. 

You mean well of course, you just don’t want him to see him gamble away all his earnings and deal with the debt afterwards, added with Lucifer’s punishments for ditching his duties. But Mammon saw it as your attempt to cut his fun short.

“You’re only sayin’ that cuz you’ll think I’ll lose huh?!” Mammon snaps as he turns to you with a growl in his tone. “You don’t have to baby me all the damn time! If you’re just gonna be some killjoy like Lucifer then get lost!” He yells. And he immediately regrets it as soon as he sees the hurt in your eyes. 

You stomp out of the casino and Mammon took his time to process what he just said to you. He didn’t even have the energy to celebrate his earnings when they announced that he won the round this time. So he packed up and ran after you, hoping to catch up before he could even lose sight “MC! Wait!” 

None of the punishments he’s received in his life hurt as much as seeing you cry because of his own words the moment you turned around and he saw your tears. “I-i didn’t mean what I said back there MC… My life has been a hell of a ride ever since you came here and I can’t even begin to think what it’s like when you’re gone. Please don’t go…” 

Mammon drops all that defensiveness, not calling you any dumb nicknames like he usually does. These were the rare times that Mammon was being straightforward and genuine about his feelings. 

He has a grin bigger than when he wins a game of poker as soon as you wrap your arms around him, your way of saying that you forgive him. He hugs you back so tightly that he practically lifts you off your feet. 

“Come on! Let’s have some fun tonight. I’ll make it up to ya” He offers now that he has some Grimm in his pockets. You don’t really have a say in this because he wants to make you smile at the end of the night.

You did have to report back to the House. Lucifer is quite upset that Mammon forgot about his duties to cook for them so as punishment, he makes Mammon take them out to Ristorante Six. Beel’s appetite was enough to make the poor wallet empty again. 

Levi

Being a human exchange meant you had a lot on your plate to do. There’s events almost every week, you have to take part in a lot of important meetings and on top of that, you’re practically the babysitter for all the Avatars. 

Normally Levi is understanding when you had to cancel your anime marathon with him, but this is the 3rd time this week! Levi is starting to miss having you around. 

It was an important event that you needed to help organize whilst keeping up with your studies. You’re exhausted by the time you come home from RAD and you bump into Levi on your way to your room. 

He asked if you’d be free to watch the new season of an anime with such a ridiculously long title you can’t even remember half of it. You said that you’re tired and you were going to sleep, and Levi just scoffs since he’s clearly upset. 

Levi eventually starts complaining about how you never spare time for him anymore and it’s irritating, especially since you hang out more with his brothers and not him. Despite your attempts to explain that the brothers are helping you organize the event, jealousy can be quite irrational.

It eventually leads to a fight in the hallway of your bedroom and Levi just won't budge at all. You got so frustrated, angry tears started making their way down your cheeks. Levi was in the middle of ranting when he finally saw that you were crying and he stopped, his anger turning into panic. 

“I-i… MC? No no no wait i didn’t mean—” he tried to reach out to you but you slammed the door of your room by his face. Asmo stepped out of his room, ready to complain on why he’s hearing so much yelling it’s interrupting his skin care routine. But he stopped when he saw Levi crying outside in the hallways. 

Asmo tried to be comforting to his older brother, though when he said “if you don’t man up and apologize you might lose them!” He just made Levi cry harder. It stings, but Levi knows that Asmo has a point. 

Levi was waiting out your door for probably 20 minutes, struggling to even step closer. What if you don’t want to see him anymore? What if he just makes things worse? But he tries to fight through his fears for you and knocks quietly on it. 

All his self-depreciative thoughts went up tenfold when he saw the tear stained cheeks and red eyes as soon as you opened the door. He hates how he made you feel miserable and he wants to punch himself in the gut for it, but he tries to speak the words he’s been rehearsing in his head before he chickens out and cries in front of you. 

“I know you’ve b-been busy… I shouldn’t have made you f-feel worse than you already do. Even heroes need to rest at the checkpoint too…” Levi is wracked with guilt, but he did his best and faced his fear of confrontation. 

Levi just wants your company, it doesn’t have to be in his room watching anime or gaming. He can just stay by your side quietly while you rest on the bed, occasionally mumbling a small “sorry” from time to time as he watches over you while you sleep. 

Satan

As much as he wants to control his Wrath, there’s always days where his sin takes over his rationality and he’s too blind in his anger to even think straight. The brothers have warned you not to be near him when he’s angry, and maybe you should’ve heeded their warnings this time. 

He wants to be known for his intellect, not his anger. So sometimes he would correct other demons when they make a common mistake. Teachers may find that annoying when they get told they’re wrong in the middle of class discussion, though he is relentless in informing them. 

Satan normally doesn’t get ticked off that easily, but a teacher thought it would be a wonderful idea to push his buttons by calling him a derivative of Lucifer. Clearly it didn’t end well when you find the ceiling of your classroom collapses, with Satan in full demon form who’s too busy trying to strangle the life out of the teacher. 

Every student evacuated the classroom immediately while others went to inform Lucifer or Diavolo about the incident. You stayed behind because you were determined to help Satan however you can, you didn’t want to leave him behind like this. 

The problem with his Wrath is that when he reaches this level of anger, it’s hard to talk him out of it. You try to reassure him that he’s nothing like what the teacher said to him. You know how being called as such is a sore spot to Satan. But he snaps back at you, snarling through gritted teeth. 

His anger was blinding and he would lash out anyone, you’re not spared from his wrath. He yells at you about how you can never empathize with him. About how a mere human like you can never understand how frustrating it is to be compared to someone else all the time, much less be called the wrong name. 

Lucifer managed to barge in the classroom, in full demon form as well. His presence agitated the Avatar of Wrath, but Lucifer is the only one who can actually stop him. Just as Satan was about to pounce and claw his face, Lucifer grabs him by the wrist “Stop. You’re scaring MC” and it’s enough to make him snap out of his anger when Satan finally looked at you and saw the tears in your face. 

Satan of all people should’ve known how wrong he was. Ever since the brothers found out about your celestial ancestry, Satan could clearly see how it makes you uncomfortable whenever they accidentally call you Lilith. You both can confide in each other whenever these things happen, and now he regrets lashing out on you like that and used something so personal against you. 

Satan spent his time trying to think of how to apologize to you instead of listening to Lucifer’s lecture after his outburst. He wasn’t even spared from his brother’s yelling after they learned how Satan made you cry, but he knows well how he deserved it. 

Satan wanted to apologize to you and he had all his words ready in his head as he waited for the door of your room to open but as soon as it did, he saw the red puffy eyes on your face after crying so much. That well-prepared apology was thrown out the window and he’s at loss for words. Satan felt guilty and all he wants is to hug you right now, but he’s too afraid he might hurt you again. 

“I… I shouldn’t have said all of that. I, of all people, should have been more sensitive to you when it comes to this. My wrath is no excuse for my words… I just hope that you could forgive me. I promise, I’ll never lash out like that on you ever again.” He’s full of remorse as he apologizes.

Satan asks his brothers that if he should ever fall into a rampage like that again, they should always prioritize your safety over himself. He’d rather not let you get hurt like this again, and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep you happy.

Asmo

There was recently a poll on a website that lets the audience choose who’s more beautiful. Asmo was absolutely confident he would win this poll because as the most beautiful being in all realms, it should be a guarantee right? 

Surprisingly, the results showed that Asmo tied second place. The brothers were of course shocked when they considered the number of fans that Asmo has, but what was more concerning is how they haven’t heard from the demon ever since the results. 

In your search, you find him in the club drinking shots after shots in the bar. It’s clear that he’s very upset, when Asmo always expects himself to be the number one at these sorts of things. This is the one thing he’s confident in, so being second puts him in a bad mood.

You try to cheer him up and bring him home so he can sober up. You did your best to make him smile by singing all the praises he’d normally want to hear, but he’s too drunk and down with his own misery to even care. Your words fall on deaf ears.

To Asmo, you sound like you’re just trying to butter him up and it’s making him feel worse. So he turns at you and snaps. Normally he’s whiney when he’s upset, but it’s different when alcohol is added in the mix. 

The Demonus let his tongue loose and he spat out venom nonstop at your direction with his words. He may not be as physically aggressive as his brothers when agitated, but he knows where to hit it where it hurts when someone upsets him. 

All of his words hit the bullseye, and Asmo realized what he just said as soon as he saw the tears in your eyes pooling. “W-wait MC…” He tries to reach out for you, though the alcohol left him a bit disoriented and wobbly. He’s in no shape to run after you and watched helplessly as you left the bar. 

One of his brothers had to pick him up instead. Lucifer had half the mind to punish Asmo by dragging him by the foot all the way back to the house for making you cry, but once he saw how his brother was a sobbing mess after what he did, he decided that it’s already a punishment in itself and helped Asmo sober up. 

Asmo had to clean himself up and get all the alcohol out of his system before he faces you, though there’s not gonna be enough makeup that could hide the redness in his eyes from all the crying. 

He’s already on the verge of tears again by the time he faces you. “Darling… I don’t like seeing you sad like this. Let me make it up to you, I want to be the reason you’re smiling again.”

Asmo spends the night pampering you. No innuendos or anything of the sort. He wants to show you how much he appreciates you by doing what he does best by treating you like nobility. You spend the entire night in his room and you’re not leaving until Asmo is done spoiling you with all the affection he could possibly give. 

Beel

Beel is never usually one to snap at anyone, it’s rare to ever see him be angry about anything since he’s one of the sweetest brothers. The only exception to that is his uncontrollable hunger for food, that’s when it becomes a problem. 

His training didn’t go so well and his coach is trying to make him focus on the workout, though his growling stomach is making it very difficult for him to listen. 

On top of that, finding the fridge cursed by Lucifer as punishment for failing his last test so Beel can’t open the door and he’s going to have to wait until dinner is made. That just made his mood hit rock bottom. 

His mind is screaming to just eat, eat, eat because he’s starting to feel absolutely famished. He can’t wait for dinner anymore and he’s inches away from just consuming the contents of his bag when you walk in the living room.

You had a bag of chips that you recently got from the human realm, and whenever you started feeling a bit homesick you cope by eating something familiar. You missed the taste of food that didn’t have the words “Devil” or “Hell” in it that’s accompanied with crazy flavors. 

Beel wasn’t thinking when he suddenly made a beeline straight towards you and snatched the snack out of your hands. It’s only natural that you’d protest and eventually it leads to the both of you fighting. 

When you tried to snatch the snack back, Beel ended up shoving you with too much force than he intended. He watched in horror when you fell down and he expected that you’d yell back at him out of anger, but his heart broke when he saw that you started crying instead. 

Beel dropped the chips and lifted you up in his arms before you could even have a say, hugging you close and muttering several apologies as he buried his face by your shoulder. “No… no i didn’t mean to hurt you…”

He’s crying with you, ignoring the monstrous roaring of his stomach as he holds you, patting your back as gently as he could to comfort you. He’s not the best with words, but he’s a real good hugger. If you let him, he’ll kiss away your tears.

Beel waits until you’ve stopped crying before he puts your back down on the floor, picking up the snacks that he dropped and handing it over to you without hesitation. Even though he needs it more, he’d rather not upset you any further. “… i’m sorry, i was being selfish and took it from you. I know how human snacks are important to you after all…” 

You know how Beel loses his rationality whenever hunger takes the reel, and you can see it in his eyes that he regrets his actions whenever he starts to lose control from his sin. Beel has a smile back on his face as soon as you forgive him, and he promises to never lay a hand on you like that ever again. 

Luckily the curse on the fridge doesn’t apply to you as a loophole, so you grab him a few snacks that could help him last until dinner time. Though that meant he emptied the fridge, and Lucifer is struggling to understand how it’s come to this since the curse is still in effect. 

Belphie

Belphie can hardly remember what he was even upset about anymore. He just remembered waking up already quite pissed and the day was just getting worse. Maybe it’s just those days where he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed. 

His built up tardiness record in the student council meetings forced Barbatos to consider measures that would keep Belphie indoors, such as locking the room so he can’t sneak out like he normally does. If he tries to fall asleep on his pillow, it would immediately harden like cement.

Belphie’s mood is sour, he just wants to recharge himself on his comfortable bed but Lucifer partnered both of you for a task so he’s not free yet. As soon as the meeting is over, he immediately makes his way home but you try to stop him because there’s still some work to do. 

He ignores you and continues to walk, but you’re adamant on getting him to stay and work together because this isn’t something you can do all by yourself. It’s enough to irritate Belphie to the point that he lets all of today’s frustrations out on you. 

He doesn’t care what he says if it means he’ll finally be alone with some peace and quiet. When he gets irritated and fatigued, his words can be quite harsher than usual and he wouldn’t care how snippy he could get.

Beel is the one who spots you two fighting and he tries to make his twin stop before he says anything worse, though it seems he’s too late as soon as they both see the tears pooling down your face as you leave to do your work without Belphie.

Belphie felt awful and tried to pass it off as the fatigue just getting to him, ignoring his twin’s pleas in asking him to apologize to you. The youngest can be quite spoiled and stubborn after all. He wants to get some rest, even the gardens can do the trick as long as he gets some shut eye.

Though that sleep he wanted never came, he’s too restless with the guilt. Whenever he tries to close his eyes, he remembers the sad look on your face as you cried. It kept haunting him as it replayed over and over in his head. 

Normally he would give the other party the silent treatment, but he knows this time how wrong he is. He walks around the campus, hoping that you haven’t left yet. Belphie finds you alone in the classroom, doing the work he was supposed to be helping you in. The little sniffles echoing the empty walls is enough to break his heart.

You were so busy trying to distract yourself with work that you didn’t notice Belphie’s presence until you saw him lending you a hand with the work. The silence between you two was deafening until he spoke up, “I know I can be an asshole. You can be mad at me all you want but… let me make it up to you.” 

With his help, you two were able to complete your task despite the rough start. You were offering him a high five now that everything’s finished, but instead Belphie pulls you in for a hug before he mumbles countless of apologies under his breath. He never wants to make you cry again.

[honeypawsart]

"BUTTERFINGERS" AU, EARTH-0164

"Hi, my name is Dr. Johnny B. Ohnn. No, not the Ohnn you're thinking of. I'm from an alternate dimension (EARTH-0164). If Johnathon Ohnn didn’t become The Spot because of the supercollider explosion, but rather just accidentally dropped the dark matter capsule. Causing a slow spread of dark matter to corrupt his body over time. That's me."

Dr. Johnny B. Ohnn is an ex-Alchemax lead scientist who designed and began the creation of the Supercollider. On the day of the funding ceremony for his project, he accidentally dropped a canister of dark matter he extracted from a mini-collider test model, which he was to use as a demonstration for the presentation. The dark matter painfully spread to several portions of his body. However, instead of support after his accident, he was ridiculed by his respected friends and coworkers for being so clumsy and unprofessional. "Butterfingers" was a common yet silly thrown at him afterward. Johnny quit his job out of frustration, turning on the Alchemax company to make them pay for his deformities... using them to his advantage.

Johnny is generally very grumpy. This is due to his dark matter deformities being very uncomfortable. It feels like burning, itching, and chronically painful to deal with daily. The black spots feel void of sensation however, it's the white areas that hurt him the most. He uses cold water showers and drinks to help soothe the pain. The dark matter corruption on his body feels like jello, memory foam, or oobleck to the touch; it's solid at first but things can sink into the nothingness void.

The corruption is relatively slow, and by the time he's 41 years old, he's 80% corrupted. At this point in time, although he's still clumsy as ever, he's more confident in his ability to use his powers to his advantage. He adopts the nickname "Milky Way" then (based on another popular chocolate bar candy).

Johnny also has a pet shrimp named Shrimptin Beck. Later on in his isolation, he builds a functional Mysterio robot suit for Shrimptin to move around and help with his crimes. They sort of have a "Megamind & Minion" relationship haha

Johnny B. Ohnn is not a huge fan of his dimension's rendition of Spiderman. Her name is Lucky Charm, and is the exact polar opposite of Butterfingers. But you know what they say about "opposites attract" ;)

Earth-0164 Spider-Man, aka Lucky Charm! Works at the Trophy Bugle casino part-time! The rest of her time is spent saving their city using their very luck-driven superpowers! On their off days, Gwen Amber (lol yes that is my actual first and middle name, cringe is free) works as a regular employee at the Trophy Bugle Casino, owned and run by J. Jameson who HATES Lucky Charm for potentially ruining his business. Butterfingers ended up hitting up a casino after his accident- he always loses and gets frustrated with the hosts and that’s how he and Lucky Charm meet the first time, but she INSISTS on trying to make him better outside of work so they sort of get close as they teach him ya know?? Meanwhile, he doesn’t even realize that out of all the hosts at the casino, the one he happens to bump into is the hero he should hate for being against his motivations.

✮ ✮ ✮ That's all I have for now in the Earth-0164 canon!! I hope you guys enjoy this sort of long, info-dumpy post! He also has an official Spotify Playlist! Fan art is 100% welcome of Butterfingers. I also don't mind if you draw yourself/oc with him. Just please realize some boundaries with him. I will not tolerate any sort of "proship" art of him with any underage characters, since he is an old man (36-41 years old). He's very special to me, so please be respectful about that!

He's also my OC, so please tag me in any posts of him as well! He has a tag on all socials as #butterfingersohnn as well! All fan art is uploaded to his toyhou.se page.

That's the end!! Thanks for reading :D

[nectar-cellar]

i always love seeing your gameplay posts, they inspire me to play myself!! are there any mods you recommend to make the game more fun and/or realistic?

aw thank you so much!! knowing people like it also inspires me to play more :)

first of all i find a lot of gameplay mods through modthesims and creators here on tumblr: anitmb, twinsimming, olomaya, phoebejaysims, the sweet simmer @ mts, petalruesimblr, riverianepondsims (really want to try her tennis mod)

definitely check out those creators blogs to see all the gameplay mods they offer!!

nraas

nraas career + self-employed module: i am using this one mainly for the personal trainer career. your sim registers at city hall and then you can train other sims on any exercise equipment and earn $, it's kind of like a live career. with nraas careers you can also install more rabbithole careers for adults and teens from modthesims or missyhissy.

nraas relativity: i use this mod to slow down time so that my sims have more time during the day to do stuff. i set the speed to 19. you can edit the time speed by clicking on any clock or on city hall.

nraas register: i use this mod to disable paparazzi, tourists, and wild animals.

icarus_allsorts at modthesims

autonomous fun in the sun mod: makes sims do more stuff at beach

eat outside restaurants mod: makes restaurant rabbitholes more alive because sims are eating outside

lazyduchess lot population reduced mod: makes all lots more populated, more chances to socialize and get into drama. warning that lots can get really busy though!!

aroundthesims3

sandy has a lot of items that add gameplay. check out:

outdoor section

entertainment section

also the pets, kids, and downtown sections

EA Store - get these from blamseastore or free-sims3 archive

rim rockin basketball hoop: adds ability for sims to play basketball!! perfect for park/gym/university/community center lot

business as usual bistro: you can make your own restaurant for sims (also comes with a pre-built lot) to autonomously come in, sit down, order food, socialize. ani also has the "business as unusual" mod which is more in-depth.

deliciously indulgent bakery: adds more baking recipes and a pre-built cupcake shop lot you can place down

lucky simoleon casino: comes with lucky palms gold - you get a casino. the store also has a "double down poker and roulette bundle" for more gambling games you can add.

partaeus maximus statue: put it on any lot to make sims enjoy parties more.

DIY fitness career

you can make your own gym/exercise studio(s) around town and have your sim make a living by training others.

nraas careers self employed as trainer: train sims on the default gym equipment

twinsimming yoga mod + spin class mod: sims can teach yoga classes and lead spin classes using the cc yoga mat and cc exercise bike.

olomaya get pumped mod: sims can teach fitness classes using the cc exercise mats.

DIY twitch streamer career

ani simtube camera: your sim talks in front of a camera. improves social networking skill & adds blog posts to the blog app

twinsimming livestreaming mod: improves celeb level, social networking, video game skills

twinsimming level up video game skill mod: play video games, improvde video game skill, participate in tournaments to earn $ prizes

you can pair this with other jobs (modelling, singing, acting, etc.) for a sim who is trying to be a self-made social media star.

[danieyells]

. . .I could've sworn I did Ritsu's already. Apparently not. Yuri's one of my favorites and he's the one I chose in the beginning so I'm saving his for when I'm a little better rested(I have Monday off because of another doctor's appointment, so that's the lastest i'll post it)

RITSU IS SO. . .I LOVE HIM. I'll rag on him a lot because he's so tunnel visioned and just like. . .repressed. And he needs to touch grass(figuratively) but also. . .when you've been set from childhood to work and care only for your work and only know your work. . .it's understandable that he is the way he is. . . .

The way he changes as his affinity goes up is very repressed too. . .but you can still see the change at the end a little. He's a very stagnant character. . .but still interesting to look into the mannerisms of.

Hello: (the first time the game is opened after that character is set as home screen NPC. Only happens once per day, unless the character is switched out and back.)

"Any self-respecting inspector would stay comfortably ahead of schedule—I suggest you get into the habit. Let's go—there's no time to waste."

dude this is the 'you've logged in for the first time today' dialogue why are you assuming that i must be late! rude.

You've Got Mail: (whenever there's something in the inbox, usually Arena rewards)

"Did you check that notification yet? We could have a request from a client, so please do so right away."

Default: (requires no affinity, has no time constraints)

"I have been assigned to Sinostra, so I will not allow them to stand trial, no matter how villainous their actions. That is the Shinjo family policy."

"I shall ensure the Gala is held this year, and that Sinostra will wear the Laurel Crown. I have never made a promise I couldn't keep."

boy i can't wait for that to fall through--he, respectfully, needs the humbling.

"I've read the Compendium of Laws countless times since I was a child. Memorizing its contents is a rite of passage for the eldest son of the Shinjo family."

and somehow it ended up an artifact he can use as a weapon? I really wanna know what it does tbh.

"What business do you have with me? Please keep in mind that I charge 5500 yen per half hour for consultations, tax inclusive."

(roughly $35USD, although it's faster to just think of it as $55--) WE ARE BUSINESS PARTNERS. WHAT ARE YOU CHARGING A MFER FOR.

"As long as I have a notebook, my business cards, a binder, paper, and my voice recorder, I can handle the initial stages of any case."

i need my binder every day too ritsu.

Affinity 1: (between 5am and 11am)

"{PC}. Are you aware of the responsibility your position as inspector entails? I suggest you tidy your appearance and wipe that vacant look from your face."

they do not need to be aesthetically in order to be inspector. as long as they're paying attention it may even be better to look vacant. lure them into a false sense of security. also it's easier to pay attention if you're comfortable, in my experience. . . .

Affinity 2: (between 11am and 4pm)

"You've lost your notebook? Just a moment. ...At 9:04 AM, it was inside the photocopier. Yes, I do have that information recorded."

Affinity 3: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Have you seen Taiga Hoshibami? Strange... According to my behavioral model, he should be in the casino at this time..."

Affinity 4: (between 8pm and 5am)

"At the end of each day, I compile information about every person I encountered in my notebook. It always proves useful eventually."

yandere adjacent behavior, except it's for everyone and not just one person lolol

Affinity 5: (between 8pm and 5am)

"The vice-captain has asked me to organize some documents. Let's start by making copies of everything in case the originals become lost or damaged."

Romeo has a line that references this as well!

Affinity 6: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"I always have my business cards on hand. It should go without saying—any lawyer who fails to gain their client's trust during the first meeting is not worth their salt."

Affinity 7: (between 11am and 4pm)

"A post-meal coffee must be drunk black. Unnecessary additives only interfere with the natural flavor."

Affinity 8: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Until the age of three, I spent my days visiting the greatest sights the world has to offer with my mother, as from four my studies would prevent me from doing so."

is that child abuse? i think that's child abuse. you learn the source of ritsu's problems very early on in his affinity--he has had zero normal social interaction opportunities and no childhood. From birth until he stopped being a toddler he was just flying around the world looking at beautiful things, no stability in his location or world aside from the presence of his mother, and then he went home and probably basically got locked away to study law the moment he could sort of read. His whole existence was molding him to work. . .Subaru is similar, even down to what age they were forced to start preparing to work at. But Subaru is at least better adjusted, probably because acting awarded him better opportunities to try and think about how other people think.

Affinity 9: (between 8pm and 5am)

"According to my behavioral model, there is a 29% chance that Taiga Hoshibami is currently at the baccarat table."

Affinity 10: (between 10pm and midnight)

"I review the day's coursework for two hours then prepare for the next day's classes for three— no more, and no less. Six more minutes of silence, please."

WHERE DO THE RECORDINGS COME IN TO THIS. This mans somehow has 40 hour days. Maybe his artifact slows down time or something lol

Affinity 11: (between 5am and 11am)

"Good morning, {PC}. We have a meeting at 3 PM today, so please adjust your plans accordingly."

Affinity 12: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Darkwick Rulebook Article 183: "For the protection of anomalies, unnecessary running indoors is prohibited." This rule has been in place for over one hundred years."

wait how old is this school? how old is the Institute???

Affinity 13: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"All right. We need to organize our notes from today's investigation, so let's relocate to the diner. Our usual booth, of course."

Affinity 14: (between 5am and 11am)

"The content of our classes may be novel, but I topped the year in the scholastic ability test—they are nothing I can't handle."

so among the first years' scholastic ability tests, Ritsu was 1st, Leo was 2nd, Sho was 5th. Considering there are only four new first year ghouls then that must include the general students too. I wonder where Ren placed? Probably not very high. But still, Ritsu is a genius. . .or at least very very good at memorizing information. Lots of book smarts, minimal other smarts.

Affinity 15: (between 5am and 11am)

"As your business partner, I request that you improve your conduct. Please refrain from consenting to any further uncompensated labor."

Affinity 16: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Our Anomalous Law classes are truly fascinating. There is a long history well worth learning about— though of course, I have already mastered the basics."

Affinity 17: (between 10pm and midnight)

"I cannot afford to be complacent, even before bedtime. It's vital that I check the day's notes again to ensure nothing has been missed."

Affinity 18: (between 8pm and 5am)

"I set time aside in the evening to watch opera performances online. It allows me to get my thoughts in order, and provides a change of pace."

when??? what time??? because he has to review all of the audio recordings and notes from the whole day--what time does he have to do anything in???

Affinity 19: (between 10pm and midnight)

"I just finished checking my recordings from today. You sighed a total of four times— is something troubling you?"

i love the vibe of this. rather than silently nothing your sighing and potential exhaustion or scolding you for not caring for yourself, he expresses concern towards you. also, it's so soft yandere. like he already records everything you say and do, to confront you over it on top of that he shamelessly defends his recording and notetaking. . .if not for that he recorded everyone it would really be so yandere lolol. instead it's just his odd and overbearing way of showing he's beginning to care.

Affinity 20: (between 5am and 11am)

"You struggle to get up in the morning? I can contact you each day at a set time if you like, but I'll have to think about how much to charge..."

affinity 20 and my guy still wants to charge for his time. . .we're gonna have to teach him to have A Singular Normal Social Connection aren't we. and we're probably gonna fail.

Affinity 21: (between 11am and 4pm)

"You wish to have lunch with me? All right. We are business partners, so I will accompany you free of charge."

wait maybe i spoke too soon.

Affinity 22: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"This is for you, {PC}— it's the takeout coffee I often purchase. Your performance will decline if your mind isn't sharp."

his increased attachment is shown in the bare minimum of understanding normal human social interaction and caring for you by sharing his things and his time without charge. In trying to make you the best you(from his perspective) that you can be. Because that's what his parents did for him--so surely that's the best expression of love he has, aside from obsessive study and understanding.

Affinity 23: (between 8pm and 5am)

"I feel we made solid progress toward the reinstatement of the Gala today. Let's reconvene again tomorrow and continue working together to realize our goal."

Affinity 24: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Could I ask you to accompany me a little longer, {PC}? I realize it's outside of business hours, but...I would appreciate it if you could make a special exception."

He wants to spend time with you. And he's realizing he can just ask that. But he's so entrenched in legal and business mannerisms he doesn't know how to say "i want to be around you for longer". You're his business partner. It's bad form to request your attention outside of work, it has no value towards your goals and business efforts, but. . .that he's making a sort of formal appeal for your attention outside of work is as far as he can get in terms of expressing his affection right now.

Affinity 25(max): (no time constraints)

"It seems we make better business partners than I would have expected. I look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with you."

kind of comical that his max affinity line is still so formal after a more friendly 'please spend time with me late at night' 24th. . .but also, he wants you to be his business partner for longer. i think that counts towards something! It's a reason to stay with you! Maybe over the course of your business partnership he'll learn how to express deeper feelings. . .he's going to need an heir, after all--

Spring: (March-May) (between 5am and 11am)

"There has been a noticeable increase in reports of suspicious activity of late. More incidents means more business. Be prepared."

(between 11am and 4pm)

"You have a petal in your hair. A little more to the right. No, not there. Just let me remove it. Hold still."

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Indeed, the cherry blossoms are in bloom. Incidentally, Japan's oldest cherry blossom tree can be found in Yamanashi Prefecture and is estimated to be 2000 years old."

ritsu would probably kill at historical trivia night.

(between 8pm and 5am)

"I had tempura at the cafeteria today. It didn't come close to the tempura I would eat with my father at the historic soba restaurant we used to frequent though."

Summer: (June-August) (between 5am and 11am)

"This one is for my face, and this is for my body. I have six handkerchiefs with me— enough for morning, noon, and night. I cannot let my opponents see me sweat."

why's this giving me ace attorney prosecutor energy. . . . .

(between 11am and 4pm)

"I witnessed a half-naked man running around in this vicinity. Did you see him? He is risking a charge of indecent exposure."

but we saw Kaito in his underwear and you said that meant he wasn't at risk of indecent exposure. . . . . . . .

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"The warmer it gets, the more of a racket people make. Honestly, how were these people raised?"

to relax and have fun during the summer break. . .you should give it a try.

(between 8pm and 5am)

"You want to go and watch the fireworks? A rather childish request, but all right. So? Where would one go to view them?"

FIREWORKS DATE FIREWORKS DATE just don't touch him without getting his consent first that could be counted as sexual harassment and he'll Get Your Ass.

Autumn: (September-November) (between 5am and 11am)

"The weather is much more pleasant for going out on professional errands now. A first-rate lawyer keeps their boots on the ground. Now then, let's get going."

(between 11am and 4pm)

"I object to the cultural assumption that fall is the season of the arts. The arts should be enjoyed throughout the year, regardless of the season."

you and yuri would get along well i think. until you realize the guy is a medical malpractice suit waiting to happen. then you'd criticize him and he would take that so poorly.

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Once I've perused the relevant documents in the library, I plan on doing some reading. Please excuse me."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"The nights may grow longer in the fall, but daylight hours should not affect the time you rise and retire. I'll see you tomorrow."

Winter: (December-February) (between 5am and 11am)

"I have detected a change in how Taiga Hoshibami divides his time since the weather has taken a cold turn. It has created quite a quandary for me..."

yeah he doesn't like getting out of bed when it's cold. he also eats a lot more, like a bear about to hibernate. shockingly behavior patterns tend to change with the seasons.

(between 11am and 4pm)

"I've never experienced snowfall heavy enough to obstruct my movement, but I'd like to deepen my knowledge of the phenomenon for future reference."

to frostheim then! i'm sure that place is just awful for movement in winter.

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"I'm heading to the diner to fulfill a request from Ren Shiranami. Perhaps I shall enjoy a warm bowl of soup while I'm there."

. . .I wonder if this is an Obey Me!Raphael situation where he has no grasp of that the food is not good. . . .

(between 8pm and 5am)

"People say that hard work is the key to success, but it only took me a year to master German—as was the case with Italian and French."

His birthday: (January 13th)

"Indeed, today is my birthday. I've always celebrated this day by enjoying my mother's cooking, but from this year I am striving for a more self-reliant existence."

MAMA'S BOY MAMA'S BOY tbf up until he was 3 his mother was probably his only social connection and then he was locked away studying so. . .his mom is probably the only one he has like. . .personal feelings and attachment for. you'll be a tradwife too :) but also that he's trying to be more self-reliant at darkwick. . .that really does explain that he's like. not used to any sort of social interaction or doing things he hasn't been told to do by his parents. maybe in his time at darkwick he'll realize how good it feels to just. . .be a person. dedicate time to fun and relaxation. realize that work isn't everything. or maybe he'll be so judgemental towards the lifestyles of others he'll retreat even further into his current habits.

Your birthday:

"Happy birthday. A year older, a year wiser. I have high hopes for your performance in the coming year."

New Years: (January 1st)

"Happy New Year. Let's devote these next 365 days—or 8760 hours—to finding fitting solutions to the challenges that come our way."

what if it's a leap year. can we take the extra day off?

Valentine's Day: (February 14th)

"Thank you for the chocolates. Are you gifting them to me out of social obligation, or is this an expression of affection? Your answer will influence what you receive in return."

(for the uninitiated, that is very much a thing in Japan where on valentine's day a girl give some men in her life--like coworkers--obligation chocolates, which are generally not as nice and most likely store bought, although this practice is losing ground. friends get friendship chocolate and you give people you're actually attracted to or in a relationship more extravagant, expensive, or homemade chocolates to express your true feelings or a desire to be in a relationship with them. Ritsu is essentially asking 'is this because we're coworkers or are you asking me out' because White Day is the day for return gifts in response to given valentine's day gifts, and in the case of chocolates given to someone you wanna go out with they can act as a response to that proposal. presumably if you're asking him out he wants to give you chocolate to agree to get with you, since he's bothering to ask. . . .

White Day: (March 13th)

"White Day has its roots in Japan, having been invented by a certain historic confectionery shop. With that knowledge, please accept this."

'here's some trivia. and some chocolates. we are now in a relationship. should this be as fruitful as our business partnership, we can discuss marriage plans within the year.'

April Fool's Day: (April 1st)

"The spreading of false rumors is subject to strict punishment under Article 233 of the Penal Code. Do you still intend to continue this ruse?"

NO FUN ALLOWED.

Halloween: (October 31st)

"Coercing another party to choose between a "trick" or a "treat" could amount to intimidation. Engage in such festivities at your own risk."

NO FUN ALLOWED PART TWO: ILLEGAL BOOGALOO.

Christmas: (December 25th)

"Religious freedom is guaranteed by Article 20 of the Constitution. If this is a day that you wish to celebrate, then I will accept that."

he can't make you work on religious holidays you need off!!

Idle: (about 20 seconds without interacting with the game) (below 13 affinity)

"Five seconds have elapsed. Yes, that is how long you've kept me waiting."

(13 affinity and above)

"How long do you intend to keep me waiting? As always, I am on a tight schedule today. Please hurry up."

Absent: (logging in for the first time in 2 or more days?)

"I've been expecting you, {PC}. You weren't planning on breaking your promise to me, were you?"

SUCH A HARD-WORKING, SOCIALLY INEPT LAD. But Ritsu's a lot of fun, I give him a lot of shit and i desperately need him to touch some grass and get a reality check and learn about how others live and maybe experiment. . .but like i love him for being such a little shit. he's so. . .ignorant to the rest of the world and how other people are. . .i love seeing him try and dissect other people's behavior and intentions and coming to the conclusion that they must want the same things as him because he just. . .has no grasp of interests and intentions that aren't his own. . . . It makes me facepalm but also makes me laugh 8'D good boy. quality boy.

[tears0fsatan]

I have something in mind

Can brothers+ Simeon (If you can) react to a smutty fanfic with male mc written by some random succubus?

They're just randomly scrolling on devilgram (or any other platform) and they see this fanfic (if you know what I mean)

Sorry if it's a bit confusing.

✦ ⊹ ˚˖ warnings... nsfw??, below 16 do not interact u'll be blocked if u do, male!mc, mainly implied dom!mc, mainly implied top!mc, possessive language yeahhhh 🤘🤘🤟, praise, levi has two dicks lol (its canon atp yall source: trust me), implied blowjob lol (levi), lowkey exhibitionism (satan&beel), mention of somno (belphie), mention of body worship lol (simeon)

 :¨·.·¨ ♥︎  a.n... wait this is actually pretty cute??? HAHAHA had so many ideas for this thank you hon <3 (lol lets move past the fact that this req is almost a year old and it reminded me of svsss lowkey)

LUCIFER !

he doesn't really remember how things had gotten to this point, one moment he was busy doing his paperwork and the next he was reading this... obscene nonsense on his phone. it was horribly vulgar and terribly inappropriate, not to mention how it invaded his and MCs privacy.

yet for some reason, he couldn't look away.

lucifer was no teenage boy, he had the willpower to move mountains and never felt the urge to masturbate, especially to something as crass as smut of someone he knew personally.

he had no need to read horrible stuff like this since he could easily have the real thing, yet he had to admit, there was something rather enticing about someone's lewd fantasies between him and MC. it annoyed him to no end that someone thought of his MC in such a way but knowing that they knew it was lucifer that was the one making his human feel so good eased his jealousy.

it was comical almost, how the author depicted him fucking MC into the next day when in reality it was the opposite. it was lucifer who was under the mercy of the human, the one who would cry and beg for more, not that anyone outside of the two of them needed to know.

however, there was one commonality between the vulgar post and reality that made his pride flare, no one, not human, angel, or demon, could ever make his little human feel as good as he did. it was interesting to see how accurate yet inaccurate this succubus's fantasy was at the same time and only lucifer would know.

lucifer thought about leaving a comment correcting the author on what a satisfied MC really looked like, on how it was really he himself that trembled under the human's touch, and how MC managed to get the avatar of pride into such a state. yet, knowing that he was the only one who truly knew those little things pleased him greatly, and quickly dismissed the thought. some things were better left unsaid.

MAMMON !

during one of his nightly visits to his favourite casino, mammon couldn’t help but notice how some of the succubi keeping the gambling demons company were whispering amongst each other and giggling to themselves while occasionally throwing glances at him. at first, he thought nothing of it, he was a demon lord after all and the second oldest of all seven avatars of sins on top of being a model, it was no surprise people would recognise him.

throughout the night he caught wind of bits and pieces of the succubi’s whispering and immediately opened his D.D.D. to see exactly what the hell they were muttering about. what he found left him speechless and unable to focus on his bets the entire night, though he tried (and subsequently failed miserably) to not let it show.

there was a flare of anger at the thought of other people thinking of his MC in that way but the fact that they imagined him with MC had a different feeling flaring up in the pit of his stomach. a sense of smugness bubbled up from within, damn right it was him that was fucking MC, as if he would allow anyone else touch his treasure.

mammon's thoughts kept flitting back to the post despite himself, images of scenes the author described coming to haunt him through his bets and they had him shifting in his seat, eager to keep the money rolling in but also desperate to have MCs arms wrapped around him and make the dirty fantasies of a random succubus come to life.

he wanted to feel MCs desperation on his skin, he wanted the humans attention all on him, his eyes focused on the demon and him alone, but most of all, mammon wanted to hear the cascade of praises that the human sang his way, just like how the post had described. he needed all of it.

before he realised, his thoughts were no longer focused on the money he could've been earning and instead on his human. he'd deal with the perverted succubus and his increasing debt another day, what he needed right now was MC.

LEVIATHAN !

now, leviathan was no stranger to fan fiction, especially smut and x readers. he was what one could describe as an expert on internet culture, so how could he not know about something as infamous as fan fiction? they were his guilty pleasure, not that anyone knew.

he was also no stranger to searching MC up online, whether it was on devilgram to see the most recent photos captured of him or fabsnap to replay the videos of him doing a silly challenge with one of his brothers. while he knew that the real living human was merely a few steps away, leviathan wasn't sure if he wanted such a useless and gross otaku breathing down his neck.

so, when he was scrolling through devilgram to see updates on a new anime he was into and accidentally stumbled upon a once in a lifetime goldmine, how could he pass up the opportunity to read it? i mean, to think that some other basement dweller thought of him with MC in such an intimate way... that was pretty fucking awesome, wasn't it?! leviathan was divided between feeling like the luckiest demon in all three realms and feeling like he had tainted something he shouldn't have, as his eyes shakily scanned the blob of text with bated breath.

there were several moments that sent a shudder down his spine, the description of MC taking his cocks oh so sweetly had him running laps in his mind. even after he finished reading the entirety of the post, he had to go back again, as if to burn the text into his memory.

a whine made its way out of the demon's throat when the mental image of the human stroking his cocks with a lazy smirk on his lips and sharp eyes analysing his every move took reign over his thoughts, the image coming back despite how hard he tried to will it away and focus on the post again. his attempts proved futile, thoughts of MC on his knees in front of him with a cock in each hand, movement stopping completely just as he was about to come flashed in his mind with every breath⎯ leviathan couldn't get him out of his head.

hidden beneath the guilt that came with thinking of such lewd acts with MC lay a flare of envy⎯ how dare someone think of the revered human in such a manner? the more he thought about him and the post, the brighter the flare burned, and soon it consumed him, on top of the sinful thoughts of his human.

SATAN !

while waiting for a certain human to join him at the library for their promised tutoring session, satan decided to scroll through his devilgram, chuckling quietly to himself when he comes across a silly video of cats. however, his laughter soon died down when he scrolled onto the next recommended post and saw that it was about his study date and himself.

after a moment of pondering whether he should take the time to read the horny rambling of a random succubus or not, he ultimately decided, fuck it, why not? it was crude and quite poorly written, he noted, but the thought behind the post was made clear; satan took MC to the library under the guise of tutoring him when in reality it had only been a front to fuck the human in public.

a concoction of emotion bubbled underneath his skin and his mind ran rampant, the thought of someone naively believing that satan would be the one who would do something as ballsy as that nearly made him laugh, but he imagined a scenario where the dynamic flipped, and the chuckle died in his throat. various images of MC using him in a place he deemed to be his haven weaselled past his wall of self control and it became the only thing he could think of.

it wasn't something he hadn't thought of, it was just one that he tried not to acknowledge. after all, it was a public setting and satan had the reputation of a demon lord to keep up, he couldn't just do something indecent where lesser beings could see him and MC. yet, in a way, the vulgar musing of some unknown succubus brought an onslaught of unwarranted thoughts about him and the human doing uncouth things in places where someone could randomly stumble upon them that he didn't hate all that much.

the idea of the human covering his mouth with his hand to silence all the obscene noises so people wouldn't discover them had more of an effect on the demon than he thought and he had to stop himself from divulging in his horny daydreams further.

he was pulled out of his dirty fantasies by the sound of a chair scraping against the floor and satan looked up to see that the human had arrived, chest rising and falling faster than it would normally, giving him the idea that he had run to meet him. the demon put on a smile and continued with the date like he never read the post in the first place, but unbeknownst to MC, there were endless plans swirling around in his mind.

ASMODEUS !

there is no demon in devildom who is more active on devilgram and fabsnap than asmodeus, the avatar of lust himself. it was no surprise to find him scrolling through his phone whenever he wasn't checking himself out on the nearest reflective surface. he isn't ashamed to admit he often checks posts tagged with his name, he enjoyed seeing all the compliments random succubi and inccubi showered him in.

though as of late, there was another name he found himself searching up alongside his. there was no one else it could've been besides MC, the human had somehow managed to worm his way into asmodeus's self fulfilled heart, which shocked even asmodeus himself. the demon always read every caption and comment under a post with either his or MCs name in it, especially posts tagged with both of their names. he made sure to never miss a post, regardless of whether they had something good or bad to say (of course the negative ones all got mysteriously bombarded with death threats and soon after were taken down). it was how he found the random musing of one of his fans.

it was scrambled and all over the place, not to mention the number of inaccuracies woven into it, and yet it turned asmodeus on nevertheless. there was one thing they got right; how the demon absolutely adored milking the human dry. the way his spit coated lips would bleed from how hard he bit on them and the way the filthy, degrading names that made asmodeus tremble in all the right ways would tumble past his lips as he rode him, he loved it all.

he fed off of MC's grunts and delirious praises like they were his last lifeline, both in this fan's fantasy and in real life. he never thought that someone could look as beautiful as himself while orgasming but then the human came along and suddenly it was like he had found god again.

the demon found himself getting more and more worked up as he read the text, the detail in the writing of what the two did sent a delightful shiver down his spine, and asmodeus had a sudden urge to stalk the human down and jump his bones. who knew someone's horny rambling could make asmodeus, the avatar of lust, feel this heated? as he skipped off in the direction of MC, thoughts about commissioning the fan kinkier work in the future cycled through his mind.

BEELZEBUB !

the avatar of gluttony wasn't someone who was constantly glued to his D.D.D. like a certain brother of his, if not for communicating with his brothers and MC or using his food sleuthing skills to find new and upcoming food businesses, he hardly even glanced at his phone.

yet somehow, beelzebub found himself unable to take his eyes off of his phone after one particularly tiring fangol practice. while all the other players had finished washing up and changing, the avatar of gluttony was still seated on the bench, unaware of the world around him. the post that had the demon so entranced was one about MC and himself doing sinful things that he only thought asmodeus would indulge in inside the very room beelzebub was situated in at the moment.

a shiver went down his spine and goosebumps broke out all over his skin, both from sweat that clung to his skin and the cool air and the post on devilgram. he was already hungry from not being able to eat during practice, but the description of MCs equally sweaty chest pressed against his back while his hands roamed beelzebubs waist made him feel a different kind of hunger⎯ a different sort of want.

usually his sin felt like a neverending void that he couldn't fill no matter how much he stuffed himself, and he still felt that, but the constant buzzing was somehow not as strong as the ache in his chest and the fire in his lower belly. amidst the heavy racing of his heart and the adrenaline from practice was still pumping through his veins, the post didn't exactly help with his current predicament.

he knew he needed to shower, to go back home and see his family, to stuff his face with all the food he could imagine in hopes of one day being able to silence the ravenous hunger, but after reading the post, he didn't know if he could take a shower without his member getting hard at the thought of MC doing him there too.

to be pressed up against the wall with his hands bracing his weight, the feeling of lips leaving evidence of their activities and lingering on the spot that drew out all sorts of uncharacteristic noises from the demon for a beat too long, the rough yet gentle touch of the human, all the thoughts swirled around in beelzebub's mind and it overpowered his insatiable hunger.

BELPHEGOR !

he had just woken up from the perfect after school nap with nothing to do, MC wasn't around and beelzebub was most likely in the kitchen emptying out the fridge. all homework that needed to be completed was filled out, it wasn't his turn to make dinner and he had already finished all of his chores. with nothing better to do, belphegor slid his phone out from where it was tucked underneath his pillow and scrolled through devilgram with no real goal in mind.

all the posts that flooded his feed were of fellow RAD students he couldn't have been bothered to remember and random promotional shots of RAD from the student council account that he felt the sleepiness creep back into his mind. just as he was about to shut off his phone and continue his nap, a flash of MCs name caught his eye and he scrolled back up to the post.

it was a relatively long post and belphegor mentally groaned, not in the mood to read something so lengthy, but he caught a glimpse of a few rather enticing words along with the human's name thrown in between and he was suddenly filled with an overwhelming urge to read the entire thing.

the way the author had detailed how MC fell victim to late night wood and couldn't sleep it off no matter how many times he tried while cuddling the demon, resulting in him rutting in between belphegor's thighs until the demon stirred awake had him squirming underneath his blanket.

with the help of his sleep addled mind, he could feel the ghost of MCs touch on his skin and he had to suppress the whine that wanted to crawl out of his throat. his eyes continued to skim through the fat chunk of text, swallowing thickly when he read about how the human sucked on his neck to muffle the sound of his own groans, leaving marks in his wake.

belphegor could hardly finish reading the post due to the onslaught of vivid scenarios of MC being all over him and feeling him up in his sleep, to which he felt his half hard dick twitch in his sweats. content with the train of thought his mind was heading in, the demon shut his phone off with the perfect dream to indulge himself in.

SIMEON !

all he was looking for was a new recipe and yet somehow, he found himself entranced with the filthy, sinful words. simeon was by no means the perfect angel, he had done his fair share of dirty deeds in his time but nothing quite enough to make him fall like his former brothers.

temptation was, naturally, an angel's worst enemy and simeon was known to flout the rules every now and then, and this was of no exception. the words on his D.D.D. were familiar yet strewn in a way that was foreign to the angel. it wasn't as though he was completely ignorant of such activities, but his status as an angel certainly meant that he had limited understanding of it outside of reproduction purposes.

so when this post suddenly showed up on his feed, as an author himself, how could he pass up the opportunity to read such a miracle?

the writer described MC in such a way that left simeon feeling flustered, with how this written version of him became so pliable, like putty in the human's hands. he didn't consider himself submissive, but rather something in between. however, there was something about MC praising him for doing well that made the angel think corrupting himself for the human wasn't all too bad of an idea.

he particularly enjoyed the way the writer entailed that MC was gentle and didn't limit himself when it came to praises while he caressed simeon's body, worshipping his body like it deserved. the angel could practically hear the breathy whisper of his name on the tip of the human's tongue, could see the satisfaction on his face whenever simeon couldn't hold back a noise from how good the human was making him feel.

well, as long as he didn't actually act out what was written, he wasn't breaking any rules, now was he? then, it wouldn't hurt to indulge in a few more similar works, right?

© 2023 TEARS0FSATAN. please don’t translate, modify, repost or plagiarise my works anywhere.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

A link-clump demands a linkdump

Cometh the weekend, cometh the linkdump. My daily-ish newsletter includes a section called "Hey look at this," with three short links per day, but sometimes those links get backed up and I need to clean house. Here's the eight previous installments:

https://pluralistic.net/tag/linkdump/

The country code top level domain (ccTLD) for the Caribbean island nation of Anguilla is .ai, and that's turned into millions of dollars worth of royalties as "entrepreneurs" scramble to sprinkle some buzzword-compliant AI stuff on their businesses in the most superficial way possible:

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/08/ai-fever-turns-anguillas-ai-domain-into-a-digital-gold-mine/

All told, .ai domain royalties will account for about ten percent of the country's GDP.

It's actually kind of nice to see Anguilla finding some internet money at long last. Back in the 1990s, when I was a freelance web developer, I got hired to work on the investor website for a publicly traded internet casino based in Anguilla that was a scammy disaster in every conceivable way. The company had been conceived of by people who inherited a modestly successful chain of print-shops and decided to diversify by buying a dormant penny mining stock and relaunching it as an online casino.

But of course, online casinos were illegal nearly everywhere. Not in Anguilla – or at least, that's what the founders told us – which is why they located their servers there, despite the lack of broadband or, indeed, reliable electricity at their data-center. At a certain point, the whole thing started to whiff of a stock swindle, a pump-and-dump where they'd sell off shares in that ex-mining stock to people who knew even less about the internet than they did and skedaddle. I got out, and lost track of them, and a search for their names and business today turns up nothing so I assume that it flamed out before it could ruin any retail investors' lives.

Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory, one of those former British colonies that was drained and then given "independence" by paternalistic imperial administrators half a world away. The country's main industries are tourism and "finance" – which is to say, it's a pearl in the globe-spanning necklace of tax- and corporate-crime-havens the UK established around the world so its most vicious criminals – the hereditary aristocracy – can continue to use Britain's roads and exploit its educated workforce without paying any taxes.

This is the "finance curse," and there are tiny, struggling nations all around the world that live under it. Nick Shaxson dubbed them "Treasure Islands" in his outstanding book of the same name:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780230341722/treasureislands

I can't imagine that the AI bubble will last forever – anything that can't go on forever eventually stops – and when it does, those .ai domain royalties will dry up. But until then, I salute Anguilla, which has at last found the internet riches that I played a small part in bringing to it in the previous century.

The AI bubble is indeed overdue for a popping, but while the market remains gripped by irrational exuberance, there's lots of weird stuff happening around the edges. Take Inject My PDF, which embeds repeating blocks of invisible text into your resume:

https://kai-greshake.de/posts/inject-my-pdf/

The text is tuned to make resume-sorting Large Language Models identify you as the ideal candidate for the job. It'll even trick the summarizer function into spitting out text that does not appear in any human-readable form on your CV.

Embedding weird stuff into resumes is a hacker tradition. I first encountered it at the Chaos Communications Congress in 2012, when Ang Cui used it as an example in his stellar "Print Me If You Dare" talk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njVv7J2azY8

Cui figured out that one way to update the software of a printer was to embed an invisible Postscript instruction in a document that basically said, "everything after this is a firmware update." Then he came up with 100 lines of perl that he hid in documents with names like cv.pdf that would flash the printer when they ran, causing it to probe your LAN for vulnerable PCs and take them over, opening a reverse-shell to his command-and-control server in the cloud. Compromised printers would then refuse to apply future updates from their owners, but would pretend to install them and even update their version numbers to give verisimilitude to the ruse. The only way to exorcise these haunted printers was to send 'em to the landfill. Good times!

Printers are still a dumpster fire, and it's not solely about the intrinsic difficulty of computer security. After all, printer manufacturers have devoted enormous resources to hardening their products against their owners, making it progressively harder to use third-party ink. They're super perverse about it, too – they send "security updates" to your printer that update the printer's security against you – run these updates and your printer downgrades itself by refusing to use the ink you chose for it:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/ink-stained-wretches-battle-soul-digital-freedom-taking-place-inside-your-printer

It's a reminder that what a monopolist thinks of as "security" isn't what you think of as security. Oftentimes, their security is antithetical to your security. That was the case with Web Environment Integrity, a plan by Google to make your phone rat you out to advertisers' servers, revealing any adblocking modifications you might have installed so that ad-serving companies could refuse to talk to you:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/02/self-incrimination/#wei-bai-bai

WEI is now dead, thanks to a lot of hueing and crying by people like us:

https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/02/google_abandons_web_environment_integrity/

But the dream of securing Google against its own users lives on. Youtube has embarked on an aggressive campaign of refusing to show videos to people running ad-blockers, triggering an arms-race of ad-blocker-blockers and ad-blocker-blocker-blockers:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/where-will-the-ad-versus-ad-blocker-arms-race-end/

The folks behind Ublock Origin are racing to keep up with Google's engineers' countermeasures, and there's a single-serving website called "Is uBlock Origin updated to the last Anti-Adblocker YouTube script?" that will give you a realtime, one-word status update:

https://drhyperion451.github.io/does-uBO-bypass-yt/

One in four web users has an ad-blocker, a stat that Doc Searls pithily summarizes as "the biggest boycott in world history":

https://doc.searls.com/2015/09/28/beyond-ad-blocking-the-biggest-boycott-in-human-history/

Zero app users have ad-blockers. That's not because ad-blocking an app is harder than ad-blocking the web – it's because reverse-engineering an app triggers liability under IP laws like Section 1201 of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, which can put you away for 5 years for a first offense. That's what I mean when I say that "IP is anything that lets a company control its customers, critics or competitors:

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

I predicted that apps would open up all kinds of opportunities for abusive, monopolistic conduct back in 2010, and I'm experiencing a mix of sadness and smugness (I assume there's a German word for this emotion) at being so thoroughly vindicated by history:

https://memex.craphound.com/2010/04/01/why-i-wont-buy-an-ipad-and-think-you-shouldnt-either/

The more control a company can exert over its customers, the worse it will be tempted to treat them. These systems of control shift the balance of power within companies, making it harder for internal factions that defend product quality and customer interests to win against the enshittifiers:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/28/microincentives-and-enshittification/

The result has been a Great Enshittening, with platforms of all description shifting value from their customers and users to their shareholders, making everything palpably worse. The only bright side is that this has created the political will to do something about it, sparking a wave of bold, muscular antitrust action all over the world.

The Google antitrust case is certainly the most important corporate lawsuit of the century (so far), but Judge Amit Mehta's deference to Google's demands for secrecy has kept the case out of the headlines. I mean, Sam Bankman-Fried is a psychopathic thief, but even so, his trial does not deserve its vastly greater prominence, though, if you haven't heard yet, he's been convicted and will face decades in prison after he exhausts his appeals:

https://newsletter.mollywhite.net/p/sam-bankman-fried-guilty-on-all-charges

The secrecy around Google's trial has relaxed somewhat, and the trickle of revelations emerging from the cracks in the courthouse are fascinating. For the first time, we're able to get a concrete sense of which queries are the most lucrative for Google:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/1/23941766/google-antitrust-trial-search-queries-ad-money

The list comes from 2018, but it's still wild. As David Pierce writes in The Verge, the top twenty includes three iPhone-related terms, five insurance queries, and the rest are overshadowed by searches for customer service info for monopolistic services like Xfinity, Uber and Hulu.

All-in-all, we're living through a hell of a moment for piercing the corporate veil. Maybe it's the problem of maintaining secrecy within large companies, or maybe the the rampant mistreatment of even senior executives has led to more leaks and whistleblowing. Either way, we all owe a debt of gratitude to the anonymous leaker who revealed the unbelievable pettiness of former HBO president of programming Casey Bloys, who ordered his underlings to create an army of sock-puppet Twitter accounts to harass TV and movie critics who panned HBO's shows:

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/hbo-casey-bloys-secret-twitter-trolls-tv-critics-leaked-texts-lawsuit-the-idol-1234867722/

These trolling attempts were pathetic, even by the standards of thick-fingered corporate execs. Like, accusing critics who panned the shitty-ass Perry Mason reboot of disrespecting veterans because the fictional Mason's back-story had him storming the beach on D-Day.

The pushback against corporate bullying is everywhere, and of course, the vanguard is the labor movement. Did you hear that the UAW won their strike against the auto-makers, scoring raises for all workers based on the increases in the companies' CEO pay? The UAW isn't done, either! Their incredible new leader, Shawn Fain, has called for a general strike in 2028:

https://www.404media.co/uaw-calls-on-workers-to-line-up-massive-general-strike-for-2028-to-defeat-billionaire-class/

The massive victory for unionized auto-workers has thrown a spotlight on the terrible working conditions and pay for workers at Tesla, a criminal company that has no compunctions about violating labor law to prevent its workers from exercising their legal rights. Over in Sweden, union workers are teaching Tesla a lesson. After the company tried its illegal union-busting playbook on Tesla service centers, the unionized dock-workers issued an ultimatum: respect your workers or face a blockade at Sweden's ports that would block any Tesla from being unloaded into the EU's fifth largest Tesla market:

https://www.wired.com/story/tesla-sweden-strike/

Of course, the real solution to Teslas – and every other kind of car – is to redesign our cities for public transit, walking and cycling, making cars the exception for deliveries, accessibility and other necessities. Transitioning to EVs will make a big dent in the climate emergency, but it won't make our streets any safer – and they keep getting deadlier.

Last summer, my dear old pal Ted Kulczycky got in touch with me to tell me that Talking Heads were going to be all present in public for the first time since the band's breakup, as part of the debut of the newly remastered print of Stop Making Sense, the greatest concert movie of all time. Even better, the show would be in Toronto, my hometown, where Ted and I went to high-school together, at TIFF.

Ted is the only person I know who is more obsessed with Talking Heads than I am, and he started working on tickets for the show while I starting pricing plane tickets. And then, the unthinkable happened: Ted's wife, Serah, got in touch to say that Ted had been run over by a car while getting off of a streetcar, that he was severely injured, and would require multiple surgeries.

But this was Ted, so of course he was still planning to see the show. And he did, getting a day-pass from the hospital and showing up looking like someone from a Kids In The Hall sketch who'd been made up to look like someone who'd been run over by a car:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorow/53182440282/

In his Globe and Mail article about Ted's experience, Brad Wheeler describes how the whole hospital rallied around Ted to make it possible for him to get to the movie:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/article-how-a-talking-heads-superfan-found-healing-with-the-concert-film-stop/

He also mentions that Ted is working on a book and podcast about Stop Making Sense. I visited Ted in the hospital the day after the gig and we talked about the book and it sounds amazing. Also? The movie was incredible. See it in Imax.

That heartwarming tale of healing through big suits is a pretty good place to wrap up this linkdump, but I want to call your attention to just one more thing before I go: Robin Sloan's Snarkmarket piece about blogging and "stock and flow":

https://snarkmarket.com/2010/4890/

Sloan makes the excellent case that for writers, having a "flow" of short, quick posts builds the audience for a "stock" of longer, more synthetic pieces like books. This has certainly been my experience, but I think it's only part of the story – there are good, non-mercenary reasons for writers to do a lot of "flow." As I wrote in my 2021 essay, "The Memex Method," turning your commonplace book into a database – AKA "blogging" – makes you write better notes to yourself because you know others will see them:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/05/09/the-memex-method/

This, in turn, creates a supersaturated, subconscious solution of fragments that are just waiting to nucleate and crystallize into full-blown novels and nonfiction books and other "stock." That's how I came out of lockdown with nine new books. The next one is The Lost Cause, a hopepunk science fiction novel about the climate whose early fans include Naomi Klein, Rebecca Solnit, Bill McKibben and Kim Stanley Robinson. It's out on November 14:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865939/the-lost-cause

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/05/variegated/#nein

[voxxisms]

vague wishlist thread ideas sorted by character (types?) i have some thoughts sometimes about things i wanna do with vox, plots && ideas. some of these are vague or more specific, && some are just settings or aus. putting a cut for dashboard sake. might link in pinned, will tag appropriately. might add more later.

general interactions / with anyone

vox at the hotel in either seeking redemption or as an investor

vox being injured or your muse fighting him in some capacity

vox stepping in to protect your muse with the goal of taking advantage of the dynamic. soul contract / employment or even just general favor owing

redeemed vox in heaven?? hello?

overpowered au content. this post sorta explains the vibes. he's super paranoid, very powerful, but surprisingly easy to be chill with if you behave well.

role swap vox with anyone literally. the only real one ive considered is alastor, in depth. he's an old - fashioned box head, perfectly modern inside for efficiency but looks like he belongs in the decades he lived in. very gentle, very empathetic && sweet. contracted to lilith (mine unless someone else wants to contract him) && helps the hotel.

vox being contracted to someone else.

arranged marriages / marriages of convenience

human verse stuff!! from either when vox was alive (1898-1945) or i'm happy to play with timelines in aus

bridgerton au, vox is george taylor, a wildly sickly man with too much money && a rake mostly. a lord by blood.

hanahaki. unrequited love that gives them diseases, any ending.

his self - punishment room being discovered.

vox in therapy lmaoo

fake dating.

with valentino

valentino having to fix vox

their toxic / possibly sweet relationship when they're on

vox being jealous / possessive

a break up?? if they're on / off it feels like something that happens a lot, i find them fun to write

marry each other smh tax benefits or domestic, either

valentino saving vox / vox saving valentino

with velvette

vox saving her in any way

her having to fix him post a fight or something else

vox modeling for her

ship stuff is fine, just as like, qpr stuff or mentorships

vox being over protective even if he really shouldnt be

with charlie

vox investing in the hotel for any reason (be it her askance, his own idea, or someone else's, or even seeking redemption ). might be genuine, probably more for info gathering

vox offering to personally assist in repairing the hotel

vox saving charlie from danger for fun bc its always good to have someone owe him something

with husk

knowing husk in his overlord times ( pre show / au )

vox having invested in husk's casino

vox being husk's contract holder for some reason?? could be fun

vox n husk fake dating for any reason i saw art for it once listen

with lucifer

vox seeking lucifer's creation expertise in early years (he was an entrepreneur once)

vox doing work / helping with lulu world being created as resident like, electronics man

vox making a deal with lucifer in some capacity, not necessarily Big Deal but you know

with angel

vox protecting him

vox saving him from valentino's ire (on acccident or otherwise)

vox having to step in for valentino on set lmaooo

angel && vox bonding over their similar experiences with val

vox caring for angel post a valentino encounter

angel for some reason being under contract with vox (different work/different expectations)

with rosie

the two having been close during vox's active relationship with alastor?

vox doing business with rosie / i.e. providing her with bodies or people from his territory in exchange for allyship

him investing in cannibal town somehow. owning property / providing funds for rennovation

tea parties?? him cooking for her?? her teaching him how to make cannibal - based food??

with alastor

alastor having been a mentor to early - hell vox

au in which the two have always remained working together, i love the concept. very media husbands coded but also not necessary to be romantic.

all the backstory, their friendship pre - show, especially the event that actually led them to split. i like to hc that they several things that slowly pushed them apart until vox invited him to the vee's right before alastor disappeared (this is dependent of course on the alastor / those hcs but)

au where alastor actually joined the vee's

au where vox offered alastor his soul in exchange for them remaining "friends". does not have to be a very sweet dynamic ofc

vox cooking for alastor / other vaguely domestic things

generally reconciling bc yknow

vox dying!! in alastor's arms!! or the other way around!! (not necessarily permanent but yknow)

RadioStatic of all flavors, unrequited/unspoken/QPR/exes/anything.

the role swap from above.

with other vox's i love duplicate interactions

the girls are fighting

playing into the doubling && working together

vox trying to help the other vox get back home properly

other vox (or himself) being a clone on purpose

upgrading / fixing each other

protecting each other

left brain right brain vibes???

au swaps? a role reversal vox meeting a regular vox? timeline swaps? one vox is from the 70's one vox is from modern times? one vox who is still friends with alastor && the other who isn't?

[jessica-larson]

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[snezario]

Catch Me I'm Falling (Part 1); Vo/x

this is an adaptation of a vanilla fic i had been working on and there's definitely going to be some divergence from the original. i've been so hesistant to post this but i finally decided that i just don't care. i'm very much at rock-bottom and this ship manages to be the only thing that still provides me some happiness.

i know a majority of the fandom/shippers like one-sided radi/osta/tic, but i'm tired of acting like i wouldn't sell my soul for a ca/trado/ra ending for them. if you don't like it, don't read it :~)

it's supposed to be slow burn and there isn't a lot of Stuff yet but i'm throwing this out into our little community and maybe someone will enjoy it

part 2 / part 3

It all happened so fast. One minute he was preparing for tonight’s broadcast and the next Vox found himself struggling to pick himself up off the filthy streets of Pentagram City. Lightly pressing a hand to his throbbing head, he could see his reflection in a nearby puddle. He craned his neck to get a better view, doing his best to suppress a frown as he took in his appearance–he was sporting a crack that ran down the left side of his screen, a visibly torn suit, and a heavily bruised ego.

Vox staggered to his feet before brushing himself off. He self-consciously straightened his bowtie as sinners stared curiously at the VoxTek CEO, or ex-CEO now, but they didn’t need to know that just yet. He tried to keep his head high, shoulders square, and his attention forward as he plodded down the sidewalk, giving any passerby who looked at him for a millisecond too long a menacing glare.

It was more of a threat really, he couldn’t be bothered to use his hypnosis on anyone right now nor is he sure it would be successful.

As he marched further and further away from the tower, the television demon’s screen became clouded, a flurry of thoughts swirled in his mind. Sure the relationship with Val was never meant to last or turn into anything more than casual sex between business partners. But Vox did not see any of this coming, and in hindsight he really should have.

Valentino’s legendary temper had not shown any sign of letting up and if anything had gotten worse over the years, the fact that he tore up one of Velvette’s best models over Angel moving out should have set off the alarm bells in his head. He always thought he had been the glue that held the Vees together, the mastermind behind it all. Valentino was more conniving than he thought and Vox had been played like a fiddle.

It was all so textbook too. Valentino approached him after Alastor publicly humiliated him all those years ago. He was the one to suggest bringing Velvette on as a business partner. He was the one that initiated the volatile on-again-off-again relationship that they had shared for the better part of the past 7 years. Some nights Vox had wondered whether they could be just more than fuck buddies, but every time he brought it up Val would shoot him down.

And so Vox gave up on that idea and told himself he was happy to just have something between the two of them. A part of him was clinging onto the hope that Val would see reason and take him back. Maybe if he could just talk to Velvette, she’d get him to consider meeting with Vox, hearing his side of things.

Looking up he realized that he had been so lost in thought that he actually wound up further from the city than he would have anticipated and was now standing at the bottom of the hill to the Hazbin Hotel. His screen glitched and he ran a hand down the crack in his screen which came as a result of Val bashing his head into the wall. It was starting to interfere with his vision too, everything was a bit fuzzy. He looked longingly over his shoulder, back at V-Tower–despite how far away the hotel is, the neon sign could be seen twinkling in the distance.

Pulling a face, he trudged up the hill. Now standing directly in front of the hotel, he realized how gaudy it looks up close. Like a Vegas casino hotel, he snorted softly at the comparison. He moved towards the front door and stared at the stained glass windows. Vox hesitated, his raised fist precariously hovering an inch above the wooden door frame. Was he really about to stoop so low that he was going to his rival?

Long buried memories of Alastor started to resurface, as well as the burning hatred he had been harboring towards the radio demon flared in his chest. His screen chose that moment to glitch again, temporarily extinguishing his anger towards the smiling freak, as well as the pesky memories. He gritted his teeth and relented with a weary sigh. Vox raised his hand again before rapping three times on the door. What did he have to lose at this point, really?

He pulled out his phone to see if there was already any news on his spat with Valentino, he was almost certain that the moth demon was going to start a smear campaign against him. Before he could unlock his phone the door swung open to reveal Charlie, who was bouncing up and down slightly, clearly trying to keep her excitement contained. “Welcome to–” she began to say before her jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

While she had never met the other two Vees in person, she was familiar with them and what they looked like. This had to be the television Overlord, Vox. Although, he looked a little worse for wear, especially for an Overlord. She quickly reestablished her sunny demeanor and started again.

“Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel!”

It was almost too much for Vox when the Princess of Hell greets him at the door. He almost expected his knock to go unanswered, but now that he’s face to face with Charlie he has half a mind to turn on his heel and run back to V-Tower with his tail between his legs back to Val and beg forgiveness, not unlike the way Alastor escaped the fight with Adam.

Vox gave his head a slight shake as he pushed down the impulse, even though it was so very tempting, planted his feet to the ground. He looked Charlie up and down, taking in her appearance. She was almost his height, to his surprise, much taller than she seemed based on her interview with the news anchor Katie Killjoy some months back. Which was ever so slightly intimidating for him, but no matter.

“Your royal highness,” he bowed his head in reverence to her before raising it again, fixating a sharp grin on her, “I don’t believe we have been properly introduced. My name is Vox–” Charlie was unable to keep her enthusiasm in check and interrupted him with a squeal.

“Mr. Vox, I have heard of you and I am so excited to finally meet you! We haven’t gotten as many guests as I would have hoped. Please come in! Come in!”

Without another word, she grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him into the hotel. Despite his aversion to touch, especially when he didn’t initiate it, Vox allowed himself to be dragged past the threshold of the front door.

He gazed around, privately impressed–the interior was actually nicer than he would have expected. During this time he realized this was actually the first time he had stepped foot in the building, well the newly rebuilt version of it anyways. It was not nearly as hi-tech as his VoxTek building, but it was most likely due to that radio bastard’s influence.

He turned his attention back to Little Miss Bleeding Heart and continued, “Right, so I hear the hotel is still looking for recruits and what better way to sell your hotel than to have another Overlord’s endorsement?” The media mogul maintained his grin as he spoke but faltered when he felt an uncomfortable increase in static pressure around him, which signaled the arrival of a certain pompous old-timey prick of a demon.

“Endorsement from you? I hardly think that’s something we could use here,” Alastor’s staticky radio voice grated against Vox’s audio input sensors and he couldn’t help but flinch before making the necessary adjustments. The radio demon’s narrowed gaze pierced through him, and Vox knew that the former was silently taking in his appearance, judging him. His fanged grin remained steadfast as ever, although he raised a brow as his eyes lingered on the crack in Vox’s screen. Much to Vox’s surprise, he chose not to pass comment.

“Alastor,” Vox curtly acknowledged his rival, “I’m just here as a professional courtesy.”

Vox shifted his weight as his last statement hung in the air between the three of them. Why did he lie? Didn’t they take anyone here? After all, they accepted Pentious without batting an eye. With his cracked screen and disheveled appearance, it wasn’t like he even looked like the all-powerful Overlord image he was used to exuding. He was positively exhausted, but he just couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth yet, especially with Alastor hovering around.

It was bad enough that he showed up on the hotel doorstep looking like a kicked puppy. At this point, he doubted his ego could take anymore of a beating today. He hoped that at least Princess Morningstar would accept his pathetic attempt of an excuse and not ask any follow-up questions.

Just as Charlie opened her mouth to respond, Angel’s voice cut her off. They all turned their attention to the pink fluffy spider sinner lounging on the couch by the bar.

“Yo, get a LOAD of this! Val and Velvette kicked Vox out of the Vees and have started a smear campaign against him. I’ll bet Val’s going to have me working extra this weekend.”Angel trailed off as he noticed how silent the hotel had become. Alastor and Charlie both slowly turned to look at Vox, his pupils constricted but his eyes were now as large as dinner platters. The sheer horror on his screen was undeniable–well now he was royally fucked.

Vox felt a flush creeping up his screen as the hotel occupants’ eyes bore into him. Angel’s exclamation had invited the curiosity of a few other members of the hotel–the television demon now commanded the attention of the former exorcist angel and cat bartender. And normally he lived for attention, but not like this.

His gaze flitted over each of their faces, most of which seem to be of bemusement. Although there was genuine concern in Charlie’s eyes, which almost made Vox sick to his stomach. Alastor’s expression on the other hand hadn’t changed at all. However, he was the first to break the silence.

“Care to explain yourself, old pal?”

Vox’s mouth opened and his lips moved but no sound came out. His screen flickered as he tried to manually override his audio interface. He was slightly alarmed as his backup fans whirled loudly and liquid cooling kicked in. Hopefully his soundboard hadn’t short circuited. 

“Why don’t we sit down and talk?” Charlie suggested, seeing the distress on Vox’s face. She placed a steady hand on Vox’s shoulder and guided him towards the parlor.

“Mr. Vox, I know you just got here but you’re welcome to stay here while you sort things out. Everyone is wel–”

“HA! Him? Stay here?” Angel interjected, tossing his head back as he laughed. “Pentious was one thing but this is one of the Vees. I’ll bet this is all just another ploy to infiltrate the hotel.”

The pornstar’s mention of Val and the Vees sent a sharp pain in his chest. His claws dug into his palm, but other than that Vox maintained his composure.

Charlie looked contemplative as she considered Angel’s words. She spoke slowly as she worked to process everything.

“Even if he was trying to undermine our efforts… Why did he come here himself? What do the Vees hope to gain from sending the face of their trio to us?”

“Don’t ask me!” Angel threw up all four of his arms in exasperation. “It’s not like I try to understand anything that goes on in Val’s fucked up mind. I’m sure he’s not much different.”

Charlie opened her mouth to speak but promptly closed it, looking reminiscent of a goldfish when she did it.

“Plus did you see the look on Smiles’ face when this guy showed up?” Angel jabbed a thumb towards Alastor. “I’m sure he wouldn’t hesitate to go full demon mode and tear Vox limb from limb.”

Charlie frowned at the imagery. She turned her attention to Alastor leaning on his staff-microphone stand in the corner of the room. Despite his initial question, he’d been eerily silent. The radio demon met her gaze before looking down his hands. She looked between him and Vox. When neither party offered up anything, she pursed her lips together.

“Well the offer still stands, Mr. Vox.” Charlie said definitively. She momentarily put a hand on his shoulder and he could feel her compassion radiating off her. Her angelic girlfriend who also hadn’t said a word the entire time, still leaned up against the wall. As Vox makes eye contact with her she scowled, although her expression softened as Charlie approached her and took her hand in her own. 

She looked over her shoulder and addressed him one last time, “I’m sure Alastor or Niffty can show you to a vacant room, should you choose to stay. Have a good night!”

Angel stretched his arms above his head and yawned loudly.

“Well this has been all sorts’a fun ain’t it? Imma turn in as well. See ya later, Whiskers,” Angel waved genially at the bartender before disappearing down a hallway.

There was an uncomfortable silence now that only Alastor and Vox were left in the parlor. Again, Alastor was the first to break that silence, much to Vox’s chagrin.

“When you first showed up on our doorstep, I was ready to throw you out. You’re quite lucky Charlie intervened and is showing you a kindness that I could never possess,” Alastor tapped his gloved fingers along his chin thoughtfully as he paused, “You know, this actually might not be so bad. It’ll be like old times–”

Vox was lost in thought but managed to catch Alastor’s last sentence. Thankfully, it seemed like his audio issue had resolved itself. He rasped, “Yeah well, you can forget that. I’m not planning on hiding here for the rest of my existence.”

He winced when the radio demon looked at him keenly, he had hoped that Alastor hadn’t also picked up on the hoarseness in his voice. Pressing a couple fingers to his throat, he frowned. Perhaps the audio issue wasn’t as resolved as he thought. 

“Suit yourself.”

Alastor threw up his hands indifferently, adjusting his lapels as he stood to leave.

“Alastor, wait– I didn’t mean… I just–” Vox’s voice wavered as he struggled to find the words, burying his head in his hands when he didn’t quite get there. A couple of tense moments passed and he was sure that Alastor had probably just shadow teleported away by now. But when he peeked between his fingers, he could see a figure still by the fireplace. Although Alastor’s back was turned to him now.

Just as Vox opened his mouth to speak, Alastor’s head snapped around–a decidedly horrifying sound that made Vox cringe. The radio demon’s grin widened in a way that caused Vox’s stomach to churn with anxiety. That’s never a good sign is it? 

“Let’s take this conversation to my room, hmm?”

The heavy radio static in the space between them made Vox recoil. Oh how he hated when Alastor did that. It always made his systems go haywire or well, it used to at least–with his upgraded components he was less prone to Alastor’s radio interference. He watched as Alastor melted into the shadows, his yellow cheshire grin being the last bit of him to disappear into the darkness.

“Do I have much of a choice?” Vox muttered under his breath before focusing his mind to channel his electrical teleportation abilities and follow his rival. He stopped in front of Alastor’s door wondering what horrors awaited him inside. As he stared anxiously at the ornately decorated door, he noticed that it was cracked open. He pondered his next move… Alastor did invite him in.

With a deep inhale, he pushed open the door. The room was dimly lit and Vox had to adjust his screen’s brightness to see much of anything. In his peripheral vision he noticed Alastor sitting in an armchair on the far side of the room. 

“I’m sure you’re dying to snoop around. I will permit you a few minutes to get it out of your system before we begin.”

He looked around Alastor’s bedroom. Huh. Creepy. It appeared to be a hybrid of rustic 1930’s cabin and a Louisiana bayou that stretched past what Vox could presently see. Despite the swamp-like environment, it was surprisingly cool in the room, which was good for Vox because humid climates tended to mess with his components. He idly rubbed a hand down his cracked screen as a fleeting fuzzy sensation skittered through the circuitry in his head.

The radio demon stayed in his armchair, simply observing Vox’s movements. He strolled around the room, picking up various trinkets. Some of them appeared to be remnants of his human life, while the presence of some others puzzled him because of their seemingly ordinary nature. He never really considered Alastor to be a particularly sentimental person but the objects in his room indicated otherwise. Perhaps he didn’t know the other Overlord quite as well as he once thought.

As he turned away from one of the cabinets, his gaze caught a glint of a metal picture frame on a high shelf. Despite the multitude of items, he realized that there are no photographs, let alone framed ones. He reached up to grab it but Alastor’s shadow slid up from behind him and snatched the picture frame before he could get a better look. Startled, Vox spun around to look at the radio demon.

“I think that is quite enough,” Alastor said, motioning for Vox to sit in the armchair across from himself. He waited for the television demon to settle into the chair opposite of him before speaking.

“As you may know, the hotel is a bit lacking in residents following the extermination. I dismissed the idea before, but it could be useful to have the endorsement of other Overlords. Therefore, I have a proposition for you: I help you get back into good graces with your former colleagues and you–”

Vox snorted, before letting out a derisive laugh, “You really think I’m stupid enough to make a deal with you?”

Alastor’s ears flicked back irritably and he rolled his eyes, “Not for your soul, although it would be lovely to own another former Overlord’s soul,” his eyes briefly sparkled mischievously as the thought delighted him. Vox clenched his jaw when Alastor implied he might lose his coveted Overlord status.

“No, my dear. Just an itty-bitty favor. It’s nothing really.”

“Uh-huh… and what favor would that be?” Vox now had his arms crossed in front of his chest as he raised a skeptical brow at Alastor, unconvinced.

“I will reveal more in due time, old pal,” Alastor said cryptically. The finality of his tone indicated to Vox that pressing the issue wouldn’t be in his best interests. He retracted his hand as Vox continued to cast a doubtful gaze upon him.

“Oooor, you become the laughingstock of the Pride Ring, lose your Overlord status, and worst of all what you’ve always feared–”

“Okay! Okay, I get it…” Vox cut off Alastor, which earned him a glare from the other demon.

“So, do we have a deal?” The radio demon leaned towards him, extending his hand again and smiling all the while. What Vox wouldn’t give to wipe that infernal grin off his face.

Vox narrowed his eyes and searched the radio demon’s smile for a sign that he’s lying, going to double-cross him, or worse. The possibilities were endless. Damn, the bastard was always good at masking his true intentions and beyond his usual mischievous grin, it seemed like a relatively normal deal. Well, as normal as deals in Hell went. And with Alastor no less.

And yet, something in the radio demon’s voice tempted him.

Vox stared contemplatively at Alastor’s outstretched hand. As a fellow Overlord, he was no stranger to deals, nor does Alastor’s notoriety for being THE dealmaker go over his head. Sure, it’s not like he was bargaining with his soul but still, deals held a lot of weight in Hell.

This is a mistake. Every fiber in his being was screaming at him to turn back–hightail it out of the hotel and never look back, to grovel at Val’s feet to take him back, that he’s sorry for every argument, every disagreement they had ever had, no matter how small, even if he wasn’t to blame. Before today the thought of begging on his hands and knees would have disgusted him.

There was something that Alastor said earlier in the parlor that brought his spiraling thoughts to a full stop. It’ll be like old times.

Before he had a chance to overthink it, Vox clasped his hand around Alastor’s.

“Deal.”

Alastor’s smile broadened ever so slightly when their hands connected. A brilliant emerald light cloaked the entire room as the two demons shook hands, along with a shrill radio frequency that threatened to overload Vox’s motherboard. Not ominous at all. Alastor’s pupils transformed into radio dials and his antlers expanded both in height and length tenfold. Huh, it had been some time since Vox had seen Alastor’s demon form. This wasn’t even a full transformation–his full demon form was truly a sight to behold, lesser sinners would have cowered in its presence.

Vox shielded his face with his free hand until the light faded. The radio demon released his hand, which he let drop almost lifelessly to his side. His heart was pounding in his chest. What did he just do? Before he could dwell on his actions Alastor piped up.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's say we patch up your screen, shall we?" Alastor brushed off his coat as he stood, one hand clasping his staff as he waited for Vox to respond.

Vox frowned. His scree–? Oh! Raising a hand to trace the crack, he clenched his jaw as he’s reminded of Val’s parting gift to him. He had been so wound up that he’d nearly forgotten about the damage. His attention was momentarily diverted when he felt the unusual fuzzy sensation flit along his screen. Although, apparently that was just the beginning of his problems because as soon as the sensation passed, he completely lost vision on his left side.

“Fuck! Give me a sec, I’m just going to reinitialize my visual system.” Vox’s screen went dark briefly. Upon reboot his face reappeared, but not before it’s covered by an error code indicating that his visual I/O ports are damaged and a warning to cease usage until they are replaced or repaired. He manually overrode the warnings and to his luck, his vision was partially restored not to its usual 4K quality but it would do for now.

Alastor rifled through a cabinet drawer, returning to his chair with a small tube of fast-drying glue. He presented the tube to Vox. “Think this will help?”

“Couldn’t hurt, I suppose,” Vox responded with a half-shrug. He shifted his weight to take the glue from Alastor, but was surprised to see the other demon unscrewing the cap.

“Might be best if I apply it,” Alastor said quietly. Vox simply nodded, still a bit stunned that Alastor had not only offered to help but was actually initiating physical contact. He inched towards the radio demon so that the latter didn’t have to reach as far.

“You know, when you rejected my offer all those years ago I thought you were joking,” Vox paused, gazing at a point past the radio demon’s shoulders at the foreboding darkness of the swamp. It was so quiet the sounds of their breathing seemed to overpower the ambient noises of the bayou. Alastor remained quiet, focused on applying the glue to the crack in his screen but Vox can tell he’s captured the other’s attention with the way his ears twitched.

That was until the dull flickering in the back of his screen that he’d been trying to ignore, decided enough was enough. He only barely registered the sensation when his breath hitched urgently. He angled as far away from Alastor as possible as the tickle crested.

“ihh–ih’DZZTSSHhhuh!”

Alastor blinked at him in surprise. Vox’s screen felt unusually warm as he cleared his throat and tried to breeze over the interruption by continuing from his previous statement. “I thought you’d come around eventually. We both had the highest numbers either of us had ever seen and people’s tastes change so quickly here, I just felt that we needed to stay up with the times. But I guess some things never change, eh?”

Alastor opened his mouth to address the intrusion, only for his teeth to clamp down as he let out a pained hiss. He dropped the tube of glue as he jerked away from Vox to cradle his chest.

“Hey, are you okay?” Vox tilted his head. He couldn’t help but ask, even though he knows that Alastor would probably rather get his ass handed to him by Adam again than admit anything to him. Although he's not the only one to be loath to admit weakness of any kind, it seems like nearly everyone in Hell has the emotional intelligence of a teaspoon, barring a select few. Perhaps that was part of the “being in Hell” package, keep them at each other’s throats so they wouldn’t amount to anything.

Despite the minor incursion, Alastor’s smile hadn’t wavered in the slightest. He addressed Vox coolly, “I’m fine, don’t worry your noisy picture box of a head about it.”

However, the wince following his statement indicated he’s in more pain than he was letting on. Vox stretched a hand towards him but Alastor flinched away. He bristled, baring his teeth at the startled television Overlord, “It’s none your concern.”

“For once, will you stop being a pompous ass, and just let me take a look?” Vox snapped irritably at him.

As the lights flickered dangerously, Vox pressed up against the armchair fearing that he pushed too far. Alastor’s full demon form began to loom over him and Vox would be helpless to do anything. To his surprise, he shrank back down, his black eyes reverting to their usual crimson sclera, and his antlers returned to their normal size. He made a non-committal sound and motioned for Vox to move in closer.

Vox peeled back the soiled bandages and examined the wound, careful not to aggravate it. He’d never been the squeamish type but still had to swallow the urge to make a face. Not that he’d ever admit it, but he was surprised when he caught wind that Alastor had not been missing for that long and had already returned to the hotel. From what Vox had seen through his drones, the radio Overlord had taken much more pure angelic power to the face than most demons would be able to handle, let alone live to tell the tale.

“A parting gift from the first man,” Alastor said bitterly, jolting him from his musings. He felt a bit exposed, not having realized that the other demon had been watching for his reaction.

Turning his attention back to the injury, Vox inspected it further. He’s no doctor, quite far from it, but it seemed to be healing, albeit slowly. Probably would hurt like a bitch for a good long while, and no doubt would leave a nasty scar.

“You should probably change the dressings more often,” Vox advised, to which Alastor gave him a withering look. Typical. He rolled his eyes and shrugged, “Unless you want it to get infected.”

Alastor hummed, returning back to the cabinet that Vox saw him sifting through earlier. He pulled out a pack of gauze, ointment, and a roll of medical tape placing it on the table between them. If Vox had to guess, he’d probably been taking care of it himself, and was not being attentive enough from the looks of it. Before Alastor had a chance to object, Vox picked up all the items and removed the old bandages swiftly.

“Hold still,” Vox mumbled with the tube of antibiotic ointment between his teeth. He squeezed a thin but more than adequate layer on the gauze before pressing it against the wound, hesitating at the hiss that escaped Alastor clenched teeth. Powering through, he secured the dressing with medical tape, so that it was snug against the wound but breathable to encourage it to heal a bit faster. “There.”

The radio demon blinked at the fresh dressing but said nothing. Vox didn’t expect him to express any gratitude and just a little acknowledgement would have been nice, but he wasn’t about to hold his breath for it either. Against his better judgment, he circled back to their previous conversation.

“I know things weren’t always perfect between us but there were moments where I thought you genuinely enjoyed parts of it at least. And now, I just… Knowing that all this time you cared so little for our partnership,” Vox deflated into the armchair with the last sentence and dragged a hand down his screen. Behind the charismatic businessman persona he put on for the press, he’s tired of it all and being around Alastor again was messing with his head.

“That’s not entirely true,” Alastor murmured, staring pensively down at his hands folded over one another on his lap.

Vox did a double-take, did he hear that correctly? Alastor had spoken so quietly he had to turn up his volume to max, only to barely catch what he said. Did his audio system get fused together because he could have sworn that Alastor just debunked his theory. He alternated between letting the comment pass by or bringing attention to it. Fuck it. He decided to probe, just a little.

“Oh? Care to elaborate, old pal?” Vox smirked as he threw Alastor’s nickname back at him. He passed a hand along the back of his vents, which seemed to be a bit sensitive at the moment.

Alastor scoffed, looking up at the ceiling as he started to relay his thoughts, “We had a good thing going. When you first brought up the idea I wanted nothing to do with it, but you were persistent. You started to wear me down and I thought, maybe the idea wasn’t so far-fetched, maybe I was just being stubborn.” Vox was completely enraptured as Alastor recounted his version of the past.

“Ultimately, it felt like your proposal was inviting too many cooks to the kitchen. I have always worked best alone and our partnership was very much an outlier. After that last night, well…” Vox braced himself to relive the painful memory as the radio demon mentions the night, the night that everything fell apart. But Alastor merely trailed off.

His expression warped into something unrecognizable as he continued, “I thought about apologizing and the next morning I went to your apartment but you were already gone. Within the hour, your alliance with Velvette and Valentino was announced.”

Vox’s eyes widened, he had never heard about any of this before. “I-I had no idea. I–” His words got caught on the lump in his throat as he imagined Alastor at his doorstep.

Alastor shook his head, “Of course not. I left for my seven year “sabbatical” shortly after.” Vox angled his head slightly to see a wistful expression written on the radio demon’s features. Caught up in the moment, he asked the question that’s been on his mind since Valentino first alerted him to Alastor’s return.

“Where did you go all those years?” As soon as the words left Vox’s mouth, there was a sharp uptick in static interference around them.

“You never did know when to keep your nose out of matters that don’t concern you,” Alastor sneered. And just like that, the moment evaporated, gone. Alastor’s mask slid back up, shutting Vox out again. In turn, he shoved down whatever feelings had started to bubble up, back into the furthest recesses of his heart.

“The crack is sealed but I doubt it’s fixed. I’m no electronics expert,” Alastor’s tone was matter-of-fact and he pointedly avoided looking at Vox. Instead, he picked up a book left on the table and began to flip through it.

“Figured as much,” Vox sighed wearily. He craned his neck to examine the drying glue in a mirror on a nearby shelf–hmm, Alastor didn’t do half bad. “I’ll have to visit the electronics store tomoro–hihh’IZZZSHuhh!”

Vox barely managed to curl into his elbow as the sneeze sent him pitching forward. The unexpected outburst caused Alastor to jump and Vox was stunned as well. When he straightened up, Alastor was staring at him with an odd expression on his face.

“Uhh… sorry again,” Vox apologized, rubbing his arm sheepishly before turning to leave. With his hand on the doorknob, he tilted his head back slightly, “Thanks for… this I guess.”

Without another word, he slipped out of Alastor’s room. His screen is warm with embarrassment, having sneezed not once but twice in front of Alastor. As humiliating as it was to lay out his feelings in front of him, this was so much worse.

Wandering the halls aimlessly, Vox found himself thinking about the moth Overlord. Vox was never enough, he could never satisfy him. Reflecting their relationship made his chest ache and tears pricked at the edge of his screen. He stopped in his tracks, choking back a sob, as the emotions threatened to tumble out. Which turned out to be a mistake as he found himself leaning up against a wall when he doubled over with a harsh fit of dry, ticklish coughs.

When it finally subsided he heaved himself off the floor and went to find a place to curl up for the night. He was too humiliated to find the small cyclops maid demon and ask for a room so he settled for a chaise in the lobby. He shivered violently before laying his makeshift bed.  As Vox brought his knees to his chest, the events of the day replayed in his mind. How fast his whole world has come crashing down. One moment he had it all–a company with his name plastered on it, the status and title of being an Overlord with several hundred, if not thousands of souls to boot (he never really kept track), and a so-so situationship, the next he was at rock bottom–stuck at this tacky hotel for redemption, of all things. Redemption. The ridiculousness of it.

He squeezed his eyes shut as his head throbbed. God, he really needed to get his screen fixed.Although… the idea of righting one’s wrongs did have some appeal. His fingers grazed the patched up crack, the crack that Alastor helped patch up. They had a long way to go but maybe, just maybe, things between him and Alastor could follow suit.

[angelicsoka]

THE ABOUT PAGE!

everything you need to know about in between!

( angelicsoka, 2024 )

ADA "BUBBA" EVANS

✴ BUBBA'S BASICS!

NAME ada sylvie evans

NICK NAMES bubba, bubs, & A

BIRTHDAY 25th of january

ZODIAC aquarius

FACECLAIM mikey madison

CURRENT AGE 19 years old

PRONOUNS & SEXUALITY she/her & bisexual

HOMETOWN des moines, iowa

EDUCATION high school diploma

PIERCING & TATTOOS conch, lobes, helix & a cluster of sparkles on her right thigh

✴ BUBBA'S PERSONALITY!

QUALITIES bubba is pretty introverted when you first meet her. she tends to blossom into her extrovert-like personality over time. due to this, bubba is more of a loner. she'd rather keep to herself, spending her time reading and watching movies. she grew up an only child, so she is pretty use to the quiet life she is living. she yearns to be more confident and not care so much about pleasing people or having them like her.

LIKES & HOBBIES reading, watching movies and shows, listening to music, swimming, horseback riding, collecting funko pops & figurines, building legos, & traveling

DISLIKES spiders & wasps!!, loud places, driving in unfamiliar places, going somewhere unfamiliar, harassment

MENTAL HEALTH diagnosed with major depression disorder & generalized anxiety

✴ BUBBA'S FAVORITES & COMFORTS!

HER FAVORITES !

MOVIE revenge of the sith

TV SHOW psych

DISNEY PRINCESS elsa

FICTIONAL CHARACTERS louise belcher, ahsoka tano, & padmé amidala

SONG view between villages by noah kahan

VIDEO GAME resident evil 6 & red dead redemption 2

BOOK bird box by josh malerman

ARTISTS noah kahan & radio company

ANIMALS horses & deer

FOODS & DRINKS steak, red velvet cupcakes, & water, powerade, fruit punch

PEOPLE luke hughes, cole caufield, & her mother

HER COMFORTS !

MOVIE live action little mermaid & bambi II

TV SHOW bob's burgers

DISNEY PRINCESS ariel

FICTIONAL CHARACTERS ahsoka tano, okoye, & shawn spencer

SONG call your mom by noah kahan

VIDEO GAME red dead redemption 2

BOOK carrie by stephen king

ARTISTS we three & hozier

ANIMALS horses

FOODS & DRINKS ice cream & chocolate milk

PEOPLE quinn hughes and her father <3

✴ BUBBA'S FUN FACTS!

bubba's father helps open casinos all over the united states, her mother is best selling author.

luke coins her the nickname "bubba" as she chews hubba bubba gum all. the. time.

she lived in des moines, iowa until she was ten, because her father was promoted to the position he is in now.

she has lived in new york, san diego, tampa, and most recently, las vegas.

her mother is a stay at home mom, spending her free time writing mystery & horror novels.

although bubba is loved dearly by her parents, they weren't always around and when they were, they were busy with work or stressed out.

bubba took to horseback riding in her free time, which she had a lot of.

bubba wasn't the happiest about moving to michigan, but her mind quickly changed when she saw the house and the view.

bubba has one ex boyfriend named sebastian nicks.

bubba hates taking her antidepressants because they make her feel numb. she'd rather feel sad and hopeless than numb.

bubba's anxiety makes it hard for her to talk to people or do the things she really wants to do ( ie. concerts, dating, going to the movies )

bubba is OBSESSED with star wars because when she was little, her dad would sit with her to watch the movies

she has met ewan mcgregor, hayden christensen, mark hamill, and carrie fischer (rip 🕊️)

padmé amidala and leia organa have been her role models since she was kid. she even wrote a paper on them for her fifth grade english class.

whenever she is feeling down, bubba's father will try his best to find time to watch the movies with her. he will go buy all her favorite foods and they will stay up all night having movie marathons.

if her father can't, luke will step up and do it for him <3

IN BETWEEN INFORMATION

takes place in the summer of '23

people who will stay at the hughes' lake house during the duration of this fic will include: the hughes bros ( duh. ), trevor zegras, cole caufield, ethan edwards, mark estapa, luca & adam fantilli, elias pettersson, brock boeser, and possibly more!

other people to appear include: nico hischier, sebastian nicks ( oc ), curtis lazar, john marino, and possibly more!

luke honestly sucks at talking to girls in this fic... especially bubba.

more info set to come at a later date!

[gvfgal]

11. In Death We Give

Barbarian. Biker!Jake

18+ series. Minors DNI.

A/n: I’ll save all the blabbering this chapter 😂 All I have to say is feel free to leave your questions and comments wherever you see fit, and as always, enjoy. 🖤

Content Warnings: Gambling, drinking, smoking, negative thoughts of parenting, explicit sexual content, mentions of turbulent childhood.

Word Count: 3.7K

The Barbarians were scattered around Bobby’s bustling casino, deciding to partake in some leisure time since they’d already been there tending to business. It was a Saturday evening, and the place was packed, more so than Jake had ever seen.

The machines lining the walls had every seat filled, and every table had players rolling dice and slinging cards in hopes of striking it big. Some patrons seemed uneasy with the Barbarian’s presence, especially given their rowdy behavior fueled by the free-flowing drinks. But no one dared to say a word or throw them out—they practically owned the place.

Jake, though present, was seated alone at the bar. His mind raced with thoughts of you and the baby, making it impossible to fully engage in the revelry surrounding him.

Ace was busy at the blackjack table, but when he took a break, he found Jake sitting alone, clearly not in the best spirits. Ace had noticed his quietness all day but had chalked it up to a lack of sleep.

Crossing the large game room, Ace took a seat beside Jake, signaling the bartender for another round of drinks.

“What’s going on, kid?” Ace’s gruff voice pulled Jake from his racing thoughts. “I’ve hardly heard a peep out of you all day. Now you’re sitting over here moping at the bar.”

Jake chuckled, though it was devoid of humor. “I’m not moping, Ace,” he paused, wondering if this was a conversation he wanted to venture into at the moment, “It’s Cherry.”

Ace’s face contorted with concern, wondering if he and the club would need to handle something on your behalf.

“She’s pregnant.”

Ace’s reaction was animated, though he did his best to mask his surprise, taking a swig from his freshly prepared drink. Damn kids, he thought to himself, as if they’d never heard of a condom. Though he knew you and Jake were far from children, in his eyes, you were.

“She keepin’ it?”

Jake’s glare immediately answered his question, and Ace threw his hands up in defense. “Just thought I’d ask. You still don’t seem too thrilled, though.”

Jake took a sip from his drink and sighed, dropping his head before looking back at Ace. “I’m terrified, man. What the hell do I know about being someone’s dad?”

“Being a father ain’t easy, especially your first time around,” Ace agreed. “Never had any of my own, but I’ve done enough work helping raise some of you knuckleheads to know that fatherhood is one of the toughest jobs of them all. Tougher than being a Barbarian.”

“Yeah, well, other than you, we all know I didn’t have the best role model when it came to being a parent,” Jake scoffed, shaking his head bitterly. “What if I end up being a crappy dad like he was? What if years down the line my kid ends up hating me like I did Rex because I didn’t live up to the father I was supposed to be?”

Ace understood all of Jake’s worries; it was only natural for someone in his position. However, he knew most of Jake's fears were unfounded.

“I don’t see that happening.” Jake was gazing down into his empty glass, but when he heard Ace’s words, he looked up.

“I think you’d run laps around Rex when it comes to the father department, because you know what it’s like to have been in that position. I don’t see you repeating history,” Ace said, shaking his head. “You’ve got too much in you for that.”

Ace’s words were comforting, but they addressed only part of Jake’s concern.

“And what about all this, Ace?”

“All of what?”

“This,” Jake gestured between himself and Ace, “being a Barbarian. What kind of quality of life will my kid have if I bring them up around all of this? We’re knee-deep with a homicidal drug cartel leader, and God knows what else lies ahead. I can’t subject my kid to that.”

Ace shrugged. “Barbarians have been doing it since the beginning of time. I don’t see why you can’t.”

“Yeah, well, we see how that ended up for a lot of them. Some die and leave kids behind. Some run them and their mothers off before they even get a chance to know them. And if that doesn’t happen, one way or another, the life always finds a way to trickle down.”

The flirty bartender came over to top off Jake’s drink, sending him a wink. He rolled his eyes and snatched the glass off the counter. “I don’t know how I’m gonna do it, but I have to. Cherry needs me.”

“Mhmm,” Ace agreed, “that’s right. And with that being said, I’m confident that you’ll figure it out, no matter how you decide to go about it. You’re a smart kid, Jake, always have been,” he patted his young friend on the back. “I don’t see you not being a good dad, and that’s the honest truth.”

Jake was thankful for Ace’s words, and though he could’ve kept going, he decided to leave the conversation as it was.

“Now,” Ace said, brightening up, “will you please stop sitting over here throwing yourself a pity party and come have some fun? You’ve always been a wiz at blackjack.”

Jake smirked. “Fine. One game, though. Then I need to head back.”

Ace nodded, understanding Jake’s new responsibilities. “One game will satisfy me.”

Jake finished his drink, feeling a bit lighter. The future was uncertain, but with Ace's support and the determination to be there for you and your baby, he felt ready to take on whatever came next.

You sat on the sofa as an old sitcom hummed through the dilapidated speakers, though your attention was elsewhere. You glanced at the clock every so often, wondering when Jake would return, if he returned at all.

You had plenty of faith in him, but the uncertainty of your situation made you fear he might decide to leave. Truth be told, if you could, you might have considered the same.

Just as your thoughts began to sour, you heard the front door squeak open. Jake shuffled in with a large bouquet of red roses in one hand, his helmet tucked under the other arm.

“Jake,” you shot up from the couch, “you’re back.” The surprise in your voice was evident, and it made him feel even more empathetic towards you. He’d been distant the past couple of days, not intentionally, but it was enough to make you feel deserted and uncared for. This small gesture was his way of reassuring you.

“Of course I’m back,” he grinned, feeling a pang of guilt at your surprise.

“Are those for me?” You blushed, making your way over to him.

“What, these?” He joked, setting his helmet down. “No, actually they were a gift to me, from Nicky, of all people.”

You laughed and gave him a playful shove. “Shut up.” He handed the bouquet to you, and you admired them before smiling up at him. “Thank you, Jake.”

Even though you were smiling, he could still see the fear in your eyes. When recognition flashed across his face, your expression faltered and you couldn’t help but fall into his chest with a silent cry.

He wrapped his arms around you, holding you tight and rubbing a soothing hand over your head. “I know, baby. It’s okay.”

“I’m so scared, Jake,” you admitted, though he already understood. He was scared too, but his priority was ensuring you and the life you were nurturing were okay.

He gently pulled you away to look into your glossy eyes, his gaze sending silent assurances before he leaned in to kiss you softly.

You kissed him back, finding comfort in his embrace when you needed it most.

The kiss lingered before he pulled away, setting the bouquet of roses on the kitchen table. He grabbed your hand and led you toward your bedroom, and you followed wordlessly, feeling a little more at ease with each step.

Once you made it past the threshold, you began pulling your shirt over your head in anxious anticipation, dying to feel his calloused hands on your bare skin. But before you could get it off, Jake stopped you with a hand around your wrist.

You looked at him in confusion, wondering if you’d misread his actions, but he gave you a reassuring smile.

“Let me, Cherry. I wanna do it differently this time.”

Slowly, you lowered your hand and allowed him to take over undressing you. He picked up where you left off with your shirt, dragging it up your torso and over your head. You weren’t wearing a bra, and when your chest was exposed to him, a satisfactory sigh ghosted past his lips. You stood on display for him and let him marvel at you before he was cupping your breasts in each of his hands. He lapped at the left one first, small spurts of his tongue against your nipple before switching to the other.

You threw your head back with a breathy moan and savored the feeling. His mouth began to travel lower, sprinkling kisses along your abdomen and leaving one lingering just above your bellybutton before he was tugging gently at your shorts and panties. His breath was warm against your already flushed skin, and you felt your need for him growing with each agonizing second.

But you didn’t want to rush it; the care he was showing you was something you wanted and needed desperately. Jake had never been this tender when it came to sex, both of you behaving like a couple of savages due to the electric charge of your relationship. But as he trailed gentle kisses down your legs, taking his time showing attention to as much of your body as he could, you found yourself growing quickly addicted to the feeling.

Once you were standing naked before him and he was satisfied with his affections, Jake rose to his feet with a drunken, lopsided grin. He nodded his head towards the bed, signaling for you to lie down, and you did just that. You propped yourself up on your elbows to watch as he began undressing himself as well.

First his leather vest, then his white t-shirt, revealing to you once again his tattoos and battle scars that you grew to love so much. Next he stepped out of his pants, making a show out of the way his cock was pressed against his boxers and already staining the fabric.

When he finally removed them and was standing before you in all his naked glory, your mouth fell open without making a sound. You’d seen him naked more times than you could count, but there was something about this moment that felt so much different than the rest. It felt like an offering to you, his way of letting you know that he was entirely yours.

The Barbarian Prince all to yourself.

Unable to resist any more temptation, you reach a hand out to him, and he came over and took it in his own, kissing over your knuckles before completely joining you on the bed. His knee rested between your thighs, purposefully nudging against your clit and causing you to jerk forward. From that touch alone, he knew you were ready, his knee drew back slick, and you’d have felt slightly embarrassed if it were anyone else.

Jake gripped his cock in his hands, lowering his lips onto yours as he pumped himself a few times and lined up with your entrance. In one fluid movement, he sunk into you with a groan, and you instantly wrapped your arms and legs around his body, needing to feel him as close as possible.

You stayed like that for a moment, enjoying the velvet feeling of being connected like this. Usually by now Jake had a fistful of your hair in his hand and was plowing into you, but this wasn’t the time for it. Instead, he began gliding in and out of you at a leisurely pace, capturing every spurt of air that left your lips into his mouth.

“God, Jake,” you purred when he finally freed you to speak, “oh god yes.” The slow pace he was keeping was electrifying to your body, allowing you to feel every bit of what he had to offer filling you up over and over again. His head fell into the crook of your neck as he cradled you close, his breathing coming out more like shuddering grunts as he continued to rock his hips into you.

“I love you, Cherry,” he whispered into your ear, causing you to momentarily freeze. That was the first time those words had ever left his lips, and you thought for a moment you’d misheard him in your state of bliss.

Sensing your apprehension, Jake lifted his head and stared you directly in your eyes, picking up his pace ever so slightly.

“I love you. I know I don’t ever say it,” he paused as another groan left his mouth at the way you constricted around him, “but I do. I love you.”

You wanted to blame the good sex for his words, but by the way he gazed at you adoringly, you knew he meant exactly what he said. You leaned forward and pressed your forehead against his, not deterred by the light sheen of sweat that was forming in his hairline. “I love you, Jake,” you cooed, feeling tears welling in your ducts, “I love you.”

“You know I’ll take care of you. Of us.”

You nodded with a dazed sigh, feeling your release approaching slowly but surely.

“I know.”

Not another word was spoken after that, only the sounds of your breathing and the occasional sound of your bodies coming together could be heard in the trailer.

Jake continued with you slowly and sweetly, stopping every once in a while to plant firm kisses against the corner of your mouth. When you finally succumbed to his coaxing of your orgasm, a shiver ran through your body and leapt over to Jake’s, the hairs on his arms standing at attention at the feeling of your soaking him.

He wasn’t far behind you, spilling into you with a final pointed thrust and a long drawn out groan that sounded like sweet music to your ears. He took a moment to calm his breathing before rolling off of you onto his back.

You both stared at the ceiling as you fought to come back to earth, and once the intensity settled, Jake turned to look at you.

“You know I meant what I said, Cherry? That wasn’t just the sex talking.”

You giggled, “I know Jake. But it’d be nice to hear you say it again now that you aren’t balls deep inside me.”

Jake shook his head with a laugh, then planted a firm kiss on your cheek. “I love you,” he reiterated. “And for as long as you’ll let me, I promise I’ll take care of us.”

He brought his hand to your stomach and began rubbing it, fully acknowledging for the first time the life growing inside of you.

You smiled at him and placed your hand over his, your eyes meeting in a moment of silent confirmation. No matter what happened from here on out, you were in it together.

Once you had fallen into a comfortable slumber, Jake dressed and stepped out front to light a cigarette. As he stood there, his mind raced with plans for the future, brainstorming ways to ensure both your safety and security. But his thoughts were interrupted by the haunting presence of Rex’s trailer across the street, dominating his view and his mind.

Unable to shake the pull, he stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette on the railing and found himself walking towards the empty trailer. He hadn’t been back since he trashed the place days after Rex’s funeral, but something compelled him now.

Fishing out the spare key he had buried in an empty planter, Jake unlocked the front door and stepped inside, shutting it quietly behind him. The power had been shut off about a month ago, so he used his phone’s flashlight to navigate the dark, stuffy interior. Everything was exactly as he had left it, untouched and filled with memories.

An idea sparked as he remembered the small coat closet off to the left, where Rex and Vicky had stored many photo albums over the years. He retrieved an old office supply box from the top shelf and carried it to the dusty couch. Sitting down, he pulled out the album on top and opened it to the middle, inspecting the photos tucked behind the thin plastic covering.

The first photo he noticed was one of him sitting in his mother’s lap on a lounge chair out back. Both were dressed in swimsuits, his mother in a skimpy bikini and a one-year-old Jake in a pair of flamed swim trunks that looked a size too big. The photo next to it showed him splashing in a small plastic kiddie pool, water droplets frozen in mid-air by his chubby hands.

Jake grinned, flipping a few pages over. This set of photos showed one of Rex’s birthday parties. In one photo, Rex, Vicky, and Jake all smiled at the camera, and in another, cake was smeared across Jake’s face as his parents threw their heads back in laughter.

He scanned through more of the album before setting it aside and grabbing the next one. The photos in this album were from when Jake was a little older, maybe four or five. The first several pages were void of Vicky, leading him to believe they were taken during a time when she wasn’t around.

Most of the pictures showed Jake by himself or with the Barbarians. One picture particularly stood out: Jake sitting on a shiny black Harley, surrounded by Ace, Steeljaw, Madcap, and a few other men, all beaming with pride at seeing a young Jake already embracing Barbarian culture.

More photos revealed Jake’s life amongst the club, showing faces of men he once loved who were no longer around, either dead or serving serious time. It was bittersweet to see those familiar faces, reminders of a past both cherished and mourned.

As Jake browsed the photos, he realized that these seemingly happy fragments of his childhood were misleading. Each photo, each memory, no matter how joyous they appeared, was intertwined with some form of gloom.

There was a photo from his tenth birthday, where he smiled holding his Harley-themed cake, but he remembered the day being ruined by a blowout argument between Rex and Vicky, leading to Ace hauling Rex away. Another photo showed an adolescent Jake among a sea of leather jackets, a tiny figure among men. It looked like a good time, but it was the day of Tex’s funeral, a member Jake had been close to who died in a gunfight.

These memories were tainted, and Jake thought of his child years down the line, looking back at pictures of their childhood. Would they feel the same melancholy he did? Would he inadvertently tarnish their joy the way his father and environment had for him? It was a scary thought, one he tried not to entertain, vowing to make things different for his child.

Jake continued to flip through the albums until he froze at a picture of him and Jaxon. There weren’t many photos of Jaxon in this album; Jake had kept most of those closer to him, likely still under his old bed. He couldn’t face those memories yet.

This photo, however, was special to Rex. It was from the day after Jake and Jaxon had officially sworn in as Barbarians. They had their arms around each other’s shoulders, sporting their new Barbarian jackets and a few black eyes and scrapes from the initiation. The youth in their faces, the pride in their smiles, Jaxon’s tight sandy curls, and Jake’s darker, much longer tasseled hair. Best friends. Brothers. Torn apart by the very thing they were so proud to be a part of in that photo.

Jake decided he’d had enough reminiscing. He shut the album and began stacking it with the rest back into the box. When he moved to get up from the couch, the wall behind it caved with a crumble.

"Shit," Jake murmured. Another hole in the wall to add to the collection of others. The place was falling apart, likely beyond salvaging.

Setting the box on the coffee table, he pulled the couch off the wall and squatted down to inspect the hole. The mismatched paint around it suggested Rex had patched this spot before.

Something was odd, though. The wall hadn’t completely caved. There was something solid behind the drywall, preventing it from collapsing entirely.

Jake pushed in the loose piece of wall and felt something pushing back. He peered into the gap, catching a glimpse of something he couldn’t quite identify. Setting his phone down, he used both hands to pull the broken piece away from the rest. His vision was suddenly flooded with piles of cash.

Just from a glance, it had to be at least half a million dollars stuffed into the opening, maybe closer to seven hundred fifty thousand.

"What the fuck?" Jake mumbled, reaching in to pull out one of the stacks. He inspected it, and then another, halfway expecting it to be counterfeit. It was real.

“What the fuck?”

Where had all this money come from, and how long had Rex been hiding it here?

Jake stared in disbelief, unsure of his next move. Clearly, no one else knew about this money. If they did, there was no way in hell it would still be here.

But still, what was the money for? Who was it for? Or, who was it from?

A noise outside startled Jake. He quickly stuffed the stacks he’d pulled out back into the wall, fixing the hanging piece as best as he could and sliding the couch back into position. His heart raced as he looked around anxiously. It was late, and there was nothing more he could do at the moment.

He decided to leave his discovery as it was, leaving the box of photo albums on the table. Jake double-checked that all the windows were secured, and when he stepped out and locked the door behind him, he made sure his hidden treasure stayed secure.

As he crossed back to your trailer, his mind raced. He needed a plan, but for now, all he could do was keep this secret close and figure out what Rex had been up to.

Taglist: @edgingthedarkness @earthgrlsreasy @wetkleenex-gvf @hollyco @dannys-dream @slut4lando @josh-iamyour-mama @gretasfallingsky @takenbythemadness @scoreofinfantryvines

[sir-yeehaw-paws]

i keep thinking about ocelot takarazuka i dont really see the influence like he just looks like a middle age guy with masc features manner and fashion so what do you think the artist actually meant? there's nothing feminine about ocelot like how does the "is that a man or woman" thing play in here cause i don't see it. He's not like raiden or raikov. He's just a guy 🧍‍♂️so how does the all female theatre thing apply

Hello Anon! Full, immediate disclosure, this answer is messy and disjointed. I probably don't even answer the question your asking end of the day, but I'll try my best.

I believe this is the post you're wondering about?

As I said in this earlier post I'm not a Japanese speaker, so I have to go on interpretation, and what has been offered by the translations available. I can't help but think there is going to be some sort of nuance missing as a result, but I'll do my best.

To start, I think you and I might have a slightly different view on masculine and feminine-to me the two concepts are pretty interchangeable, but I do understand where you're (probably, I don't know you personally after all) are coming from and that, no, Ocelot doesn't have many traditional 'feminine' characteristics.

You'll note that in the original post, Shinkawa refers to getting inspiration from the idea of 'women in their 40's (the age Ocelot almost is in MGSV)' and 'long, flashing eyelashes'. (My interpretation here is that by this, he means in the way long eyelashes that are considered sexy have an eye-catching flow to them. Sort of like how we can say 'fluttering lashes'. Intended to draw a person's gaze in, and command their presence).

Doing some cursory research tells me that the Takarazuka Revue (because Takarazuka is also a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.) is an all-female musical troupe located within that same city. Started in 1913, by Ichizō Kobayashi.

(I also got distracted by this version that is a performance of Casino Royale, so there's that)

Anyway, ahem.

"Kobayashi believed that it was the ideal spot to open an attraction of some kind that would boost train ticket sales and draw more business to Takarazuka. Since Western song and dance shows were becoming more popular and Kobayashi considered the kabuki theater to be old and elitist."

Throughout the article, there is also this;

"Takarazuka has had a profound influence on the history of anime and manga, especially shōjo manga.[27][28] Osamu Tezuka, a highly influential manga creator, grew up in the town of Takarazuka. His mother knew many of the Takarazuka actresses, and as a child he knew them and watched many of their performances"

I can assume that the performances have a lot of influence on media, and it's not uncommon for MGS to take inspiration. There could be an entire article on the things MGS takes inspiration from, even outside the most obvious like Escape from New York, character model bases, etc.

Cycling back to the original point, (there is also a video that exact post comes from, but I don't have the link on hand, on YouTube *no translations). I think that it's entirely possible Shinkawa took 'loose' inspiration, or a little more. I can see why and how he might've based Ocelot's look on the idea. (Loose shirt, tight pants, scarf open neck). But there is also the element of which Takarazuka is a performance, more than anything.

It's acting. Playing. Something Ocelot does all the time. Half of his time on screen, he's putting on some kind of performance. While this is something he does the least in MGSV, that never fully changes 100%. (And after all, he's also hypnotized for most of the plot). So there's a counter argument to be had that this is one of his greatest performances pre-MGS4. But that's a different post.

Ocelot presents/is masculine. But, he has longer eyelashes, his clothes are a little more 'free' than the standard military garb when he's allowed to choose his own outfit. (Again this is specifically MGSV Ocelot, though there's something to be said about his chosen attire being such a sharp 3 piece later on).

At the end of the day, maybe a way you can look at it is to say that, Shinkawa looked to Takarazuka when designing MGSV Ocelot to give him a sort of 'flow' to his looks. He was attracted to the idea of taking elements from Takarazuka, because Ocelot is a performer, and he sees some possibility for feminine additions in his looks *or* might've thought it more 'fitting' than Kabuki.

But again, I don't know if we see fully masculine and feminine the same way, (and maybe Shinkawa personally associates long eyelashes with sexy women; or women made up to look like men but with longer lashes) I can't know for sure myself. I think you would need a native or very good Japanese speaker to interpret it fully.

If I was to offer you a personal opinion-I can see it. I can see where there's a draw that one might have with the look, and where Shinkawa might've gotten said inspiration. But I am not entirely certain how to put that into words either? My perspective isn't going to be 1-to-1 of yours either.

Maybe someone else can interpret all this better than me, I definitely feel as if I've not done this justice at all. Because at the end of the day, I don't see a hard divide in masculine and feminine in Ocelot, but I think that you, Anon, see him as 100% masculine. But again, I can't speak for you and I am not sure.

[misc-obeyme]

vigilant for mammon please! love ur writing btw!! ^w^

Hi there, anon! I'm so glad you're enjoying my writing!

Okay, this one got away from me a little. As always, I'm concerned about how I write Mammon. I love him, of course, but I think I tend to make him too sweet? Anyway...

It's my own fault for putting a vague prompt like vigilant on the list lol. So this ended up being kind of canon divergent, since I was trying to incorporate my own prompt effectively.

Hopefully it's not too terrible for all that!

Thanks for the request!

GN!MC x Mammon with prompt Vigilant

Warnings: none!

Mammon knew that everybody thought he was a slacker. And yeah, he didn't like to work, but if it was something he was doing for a good reason, he gave it everything he had.

And you were by far the most important reason he had.

You probably thought he didn't pay any extra attention to you. You likely just went through your days, too busy with his brothers and everybody else to realize. That was okay. He wasn't doing it so you would take notice. He was doing it because he cared too much not to.

Ever since that first day you had shown up in the Devildom, Mammon had been watching out for you. Yeah, he complained about it. He made it sound like he wasn't interested, that he didn't really care about what happened to a human like you.

But none of that was true. It was all a front. He tried to convince himself it wasn't, back then. But now that you had been in the Devildom for a while, he didn't even bother trying to pretend things were any different.

You were his human. He wanted to make sure he was always there to protect you, to be vigilant, to be your guardian demon.

So he did his best to be by your side whenever he could, no matter what anybody else had to say about it. He couldn't resist the tempting pull of the casino on some nights and other times he was out doing his part time modeling gig, but he knew it wasn't realistic to think he could be with you all the time.

He made up for it by always knowing what was going on with you. If you were sad, he knew about it. If you were happy or nervous or even just hungry, he could tell. Because he had been paying attention to you for so long that he knew by your expression or the way you tapped your fingers or by the look in your eyes.

Mammon knew all of this, so how did he miss something so important?

Just when he thought he knew you so well he could always tell what you were feeling, you went and surprised him, completely out of nowhere.

It happened one day when the two of you had gone out shopping after school. He needed a few things and you wanted to tag along. It started as it always did, both of you chatting and laughing, comfortable and casual in each other's company.

The two of you had stopped for a moment on the street where there was a balcony overlooking the Devildom. In the distance, the lights of the city twinkled. You leaned against the railing, looking out at the view.

Even though things were easy, Mammon was still paying close attention, watching you as he always did.

And he noticed the second you started acting a little shy. You wouldn't look directly at him, your eyes very deliberately on anything else. He noticed, but he didn't know what it meant. He felt himself start to panic, but managed to fight it down.

He leaned casually on the railing beside you, trying to seem as though he wasn't working hard to figure out what you were thinking. "Thanks for comin' with me today, MC."

You looked at him then and the bright smile you had across your face nearly made him fall over the railing. He saw the blush that sprang up on your cheeks as you moved a little closer to him. "I love spending time with you."

The momentum of this statement caused the heat to flood his own face and he closed his eyes, unable to look at you directly. "M-me too…"

When you kissed him, everything else seemed to fall away. His insecurities, his uncertainty, his concern over your well being, all put on hold while he turned into you, his hands reaching out for you, pulling you closer.

You pulled away just long enough to say against his lips, "I love you, Mammon."

Time stopped for Mammon. Here you were, pressed against him, telling him you loved him, and he hadn't even seen it coming. All that time he spent focused on your feelings and he hadn't even suspected this. He knew you liked him or whatever, but this?

Mammon pulled you even closer, needing to feel you there in his arms, where he knew you were his. "I love you too, MC," he said against your ear.

This changed nothing, of course. Mammon still remained your guardian demon and he would always be on the lookout for anything that might disturb his human. His vigilance would never waver. But now he knew what to expect when you got that little gleam in your eye, when you acted a little shy and started looking around at anything but him. When that happened, he found, the best thing to do was to kiss you.

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[blackswaneuroparedux]

The bikini is the most important thing since the atom bomb.

Diana Vreeland

The origins of contemporary bikini day may be traced back to a French engineer, a Parisian exotic dancer, a nuclear testing site in the United States, and a postwar fabric shortage.

In 1946, Western Europeans joyously greeted the first war-free summer in years, and French designers came up with fashions to match the liberated mood of the people. Two French designers, Jacques Heim and Louis Réard, developed competing prototypes of the bikini. Heim called his the “atom” and advertised it as “the world’s smallest bathing suit.”

French fashion designer Louis Reard was determined to create an even more scandalous swimsuit. Réard's swimsuit, which was basically a bra top and two inverted triangles of cloth connected by string, was in fact significantly smaller. Made out of a scant 30 inches of fabric, Réard promoted his creation as “smaller than the world’s smallest bathing suit.”

Réard claimed that the bikini was named for Bikini Atoll, the site of nuclear tests by the United States in the Pacific Ocean.

Louis Réard's bikini was so little that he couldn't find anyone brave enough to wear it. After being rejected by a number of fashion models, he came across Micheline Bernardini. She was a 19-year-old nudist at the Casino de Paris who consented to be the first to try on his daring bikini. Michelle Bernardini debuted this revealing costume at the Piscine Molitor in Paris during a poolside fashion show, and it revolutionised swimwear on 5 July 1946. The bikini was a hit, especially among men, and Bernardini received some 50,000 fan letters.

Before long, bold young women in bikinis were causing a sensation along the Mediterranean coast. Spain and Italy passed measures prohibiting bikinis on public beaches but later capitulated to the changing times when the swimsuit grew into a mainstay of European beaches in the 1950s. Réard's business soared, and in advertisements he kept the bikini mystique alive by declaring that a two-piece suit wasn’t a genuine bikini “unless it could be pulled through a wedding ring.”

But it really took when what we would call cultural influencers took to it. It was in 1953, thanks to Brigitte Bardot, that the bikini became a "must-have" and the history of the bikini became historic, when she was photographed wearing one on the Carlton beach at the Cannes Film Festival. She also wore one in 1956, in the film "Et Dieu… créa la femme".

The United States also caught on to the trend, as it was only two years later that Ursula Andress posed in a white bikini on the poster for the James Bond film, Dr. No. The poster created a considerable marketing coup, and women adopted the bikini. According to a study by Time, 65% of younger women adopted the bikini in 1967.

There is no question the bikini is hardly modern. Many think they date back to ancient Roman times because of the murals uncovered in excavated ruins in Sicily. This isn’t really true.

Despite the celebrated images from the mosaics in Piazza Armerina, of the ancient Roman girl wearing what looks like a bikini, the answer is, “not really”.  The ancient Roman girls weren’t even first to wear what to our eyes looks like a bikini. However, the fact that we seem to find “bikinis” in ancient depictions should make us rethink our hubristic bias that we in modern times have invented everything and that people in ancient times didn’t know how to live.

Archaeologists have found evidence of bikini-like garments that date to as far back as 5600 BC. That’s roughly 5000 years before the Romans did so. In the Chalcolithic era of around 5600 BC, the mother-goddess of Çatalhöyük, a large ancient settlement in southern Anatolia, was depicted astride two leopards while wearing a bikini-like costume.

Two-piece garments worn by women for athletic purposes are depicted on Greek urns and paintings dating back to 1400 BC. In fact, even just the notion that women participated in sports in the ancient world should make us sit up and take notice.

Today we tend to imagine women in the ancient world as being practically sequestered in their homes, spinning, weaving and having babies. But this is a gross oversimplification of their role.

Active women of ancient Greece wore a breast band called a mastodeton or an apodesmos, which continued to be used as an undergarment in the Middle Ages. While men in ancient Greece abandoned the perizoma, partly high-cut briefs and partly loincloth, women performers and acrobats continued to wear it.

In the famous mosaics to be found at Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina, the girls who seem to be wearing the “bikini” are Roman and the so-called bikini had already been around for at least 5,000 years by then. In the artwork “Coronation of the Winner” done in floor mosaic in the Chamber of the Ten Maidens (Sala delle Dieci Ragazze) in Sicily the bikini girls are depicted weight-lifting, discus throwing, and running.

The bikini was gradually done away as Christianity became more influential as the centuries wore on. Christian attitudes towards swimming restricted the clothing of women for centuries, the bikini disappeared from the historical record after the Romans until the early 20th century with Louis Beard’s re-invention of the two piece bathing suit as the ‘bikini’.

Photos: In 1956 Emilio Pucci designed this bikini inspired by the mosaics of the Villa Romana Del Casale in Sicily.