#i can't help but doubt the meaning i have in others lives though. i'd really like to hear it from them all explicitly but

[noxtivagus]

minfilia and ryne

[suguru-getos]

Fluffember with Satoru Gojo

Prompt: Sharing a drink

Summary: You are in the early phases of your relationship with Satoru where you haven't even kissed each other yet. Taking things comfortingly and achingly slow. You go on a date with him where you share a drink together. <3 Warnings: None, it's absolutely fluffy in the most Dark Academia of ways since it has an almost poetic depiction of my love for this man lol. I have self-indulged here, so the reader is lean (Mentioning of his palm almost covering our waist); apart from that - nothing else. Let me know if I've missed anything loves x -> Talk to me about the man ;)

You hadn't spent much time with Gojo Satoru yet, however that didn't mean that the early stages of the relationship are not memorable and enticing in the least. Take today for an example, you can't wait for work to finish & go on a coffee date with him. It's barely been 10 days of you two agreeing to be in a committed relationship with each other. Your backgrounds were totally different, your brother goes to Jujutsu High and as his guardian who lives in Japan- you had met Satoru Gojo several times. He had introduced him to you as his teacher when he was 15, and now he is 18. A third year and ready to graduate. Satoru met you when you were 20, and he was 26 that time. There was always an eerie, unspoken mystery between you two. You didn't try on him though, as good looking and fluent in English as he was… something about there being no chances ever to exist caused your behaviour to carry a severe astonishing indifference towards him. Something that bewildered even Satoru always, though he was happy that there is someone who does not kiss the floor he walks on. It felt a good change, the only people who behave normally with him are his male counterparts, and women like Shoko and Utahime who know he is not to be taken so seriously at times.

Until on your brother's 18th birthday, he got him a fucking Mercedes. That was- interesting to say the least. You had talked to him here and there but your brother's birthday bash is the moment when you two started talking for real. Hobbies, what are your favourite places to visit, what irks you off, how his technique works… everything. Hell he cockily showed you his domain as well, something so beautiful you were haunted by it in your dreams.

You shake off all the thoughts in your head when one of your colleagues asked your help in something. He was a junior and often came to you with his series of questions and doubts. So far you hadn't mentored anyone really… though everything has started to remind you about Satoru Gojo. How good of a mentor he is for your sibling… Damn it, that man- you still haven't kissed for fuck's sake! Just gone on a casual movie date when he had to run off when your brother felt his CE in your house. Pft- funny… you can't wait for him to judge Satoru as a boyfriend when you finally tell him.

Satoru Gojo [3:00 PM]: Hey! :D You up for the date after work right???

You bit your lip as your phone's home screen lit up with the familiar name, no you haven't saved his contact cutely yet… you can't afford to move too fast. Don't want to be the one to fall first and fall harder and then get your heart broken to pieces.

You [3:01 PM]: Yeah, ofc! I'd get free by 5. Send me the pin.

Satoru Gojo [3:01 PM]: LOL

Satoru Gojo [3:01 PM]: 🤣🤣😏

Satoru Gojo [3:01 PM]: She thinks I'll not pick her fine ass up, mkay girl

You smiled a little at the text, biting your lip and raising your hand for your colleague to stop talking. He complied, seeing you so occupied and having dusted cheeks.

You [3:02 PM]: Okay, I'll wait :)

You're a dry texter at times, but you can be extremely chaotic when you're comfortable. Satoru still needed to unlock that gremlin potential after all.

Oh you can't wait for your work day to end, glancing at the time, listening to songs, finishing the Knowledge Transfer session with your junior colleague. Finally, it was 5:00 PM. You aren't one of the people who leave work on the dot, but today is an exception. You left your seat at 4:50, gliding towards the washroom and doing a final touch up on your make-up, before leaving outside.

There he stood, the man himself. Body language easy as a breeze, like a relief you'd expect when you see him with a tingle of nervousness that makes your heart ache. Oh he was wearing his glasses today, wearing a black shirt and some formal pants, waving his hands at you with a cheerful grin. He was the tallest amongst everyone walking by, easily visible and the most beautiful and ethereal of course.

You smiled back, walking towards him like an excited child and hugging him softly. Satoru wasn't soft at all though, single-handedly covering almost your entire waist into his palm and pulling you close, letting you drown in his expensive and luxurious cologne. Satoru smelled like power, if it was supposed to be a scent. A unique and distinguished scent that you wouldn't be too creepy to ask right now.

"Gosh little girl, I missed you. What're you doing to me?" He chuckled, walking alongside you and holding your hand possessively, intertwining fingers. Everything felt too much, and nothing at the same time. Nothing as in you wanted more, too much as in you can't take his touches which are now so relevant and so easy for him.

"I missed you too, Satoru." You still slur a little, and he looks down at you from his glasses, he loves how his name sounds from your voice. You've always called him Gojo san out of respect as your brother's sensei. Calling him Satoru helps break any restraints you have bounded yourself in.

Your office was near the bustling labyrinth of Tokyo city, and finding a neat and boujee coffee shop wasn't really hard for your boyfriend. You both walked in, and the barista was as mesmerised by Satoru at first glance as you were. Can't blame her, he is gut-wrenchingly beautiful after all. Sculpted by the gods.

"I'd like uh, to have?" He rips through your stray thoughts and smiles, looking down to match your height and leaning in a little closer to your face. "What'd my girl like to have?" Fucking hell you could combust! "I'd like to have a Chocolate Frappucino with an extra shot of espresso and some vanilla extract & caramel syrup please."

"Oh making a coffee mocktail are we?" Satoru grinned, and looked at the Barista who glanced expectantly at him for his order. "Oh we'd make an extra-large, and make it two straws kay?" He said is so casually though it was the cutest thing that has happened to you so far.

He held your hand and found a place for you and him, pulling your chair like a gentleman. "How was work, little one?" He muses, while you talk to him about your day, how you organized Zumba classes today for your colleagues and how your work was as hectic as ever but nothing to complain since you're not overworked.

He nods, and listens, like- really, really listens. For someone who talks a lot, Satoru was extremely observant and quiet right now.

Then, came the order, the Barista placing the tray with the coffee on the table & sliding in the two straws. "I hope you two enjoy." The venomous formality tinged with jealousy dripped out from her throat as she left. Satoru of course paid no mind… though you could observe how people looked at him. As if he was someone to attain.

You leaned in, wrapping your lips around the straw after dipping it into the coffee and took a sip. "Mm, so good." You almost moan a little at the exquisite taste. Satoru hands you the other straw, while you looked at him bewildered. His lips wrapped around 'your' straw, which had 'your' lipstick imprint and took a sip. Leaving you absolutely flustered and fazed. "So good, true… best thing I've ever tasted in 29 years." He hums with a genuine affirmation that only drives you off the edge. "Stop it, you're so dramatic!" You laughed, taking the other straw and sharing the drink.

How to make silly little things intimate - you could only hope to learn from Satoru Gojo <3 then again, you have several more dates with him to learn it after all. He was whipped and falling desolatingly fast for you.

[mika-no-sekai-blog]

Word count: 1400+

Warnings: mentions of blood, depression, description of wound

In books there's no mention of Tamlin being able to winnow, but for the sake of story, let's pretend he can, okay?😉

Part II

You lived in a small cottage deep in the woods of Spring Court, far away from other fae. It wasn't like you hated them, they hated you. Most of the creatures living in this area avoided you, believing you had quite great powers and vicious nature, cursing anybody who crossed your way.

The rumours couldn't be further from the truth, but it didn't bother you what they said about you. You loved silence, enjoying every second of your lonely life in the heart of the nature.

You had several friends that used to stop by from time to time and brought you news, so you heard about everything that happened to your High Lord. You heard rumours about him going crazy, spending his days devastating his land in a form of horrific monster. You heard that fae ran away from this doomed Court. Last of your friends came to bid you farewell just few days ago trying to convince you to run away too. But why should you?

You lived alone, not caring about the outside world. You didn't care about what's happening out there, you didn't care about your High Lord nor the upcoming war. It had no meaning in your life. Feelings like hate, fear or love were just words with no particular meaning. And so the time passed slowly.

Fresh morning air brought smell of rain through the open window. Last night rained and the sound of raindrops on the roof of cottage lulled you to sleep. With bright smile you got up, changed and cleaned your room. Today it should be a nice sunny day. The intoxicating scent of flowers beckoned you out. Quickly you ran through your herb stocks and made a list of missing ones. You took small basket and went out to collect what you needed. Birds sang above your head as you bent down to tear off some chamomile flowers.

A roar thundered through the forest, making all birds fling away. You looked around with caution. Another roar shook the trees. And another. Now you knew where it was coming from. Quickly, but quietly you ran in that direction. It's in your nature to help to those who needed it. And this with no doubt sounded like somebody needed your help.

You ran up a hill ending in a cliff. And there down in a narrow valley on the other bank of small stream was lying the biggest beast you'd ever seen. Body of bear, head of wolf with antlers, his eyes were clenched in pain. On his side you could see deep wound, blood flowed in thin rivulets into the water. You didn't waste a second, climbed down and ran to its side. As you got closer, the beast opened its eyes and looked at you with a growl, showing off rows of sharp fangs. You halted and held up your hands.

"It's okay. You see? I'm not going to hurt you. I want to help you. Will you let me take a look?" you spoke to the beast in a soothing voice as you slowly step by step got closer. The beast growled again, but it put its head back on the ground. Green eyes never left yours, watching you with caution. Slowly you bent down. "Can I?" you gestured to the wound. It took few heartbeats, but the beast nodded slightly.

You knelt down between enormous paws, trying to ignore the dagger-like claws that could turn you into shreds of flesh in less than minute and examined the wound. It was so deep you could see its bones and even though it'd already begun to heal, it had to be treated. You bit down your lower lip. You needed to get the beast to your cottage, but it's too big and couldn't walk on its own in this state.

"It's quite deep. I need bandages and salve, but I don't have it all with me now. I'd need to go home. You are too big and heavy, so I can't take you with me.." you started to explain.

"Where?" a male's voice rasped.

"What?" you questioned, not sure if you really heard it.

The beast blinked. "Where?"the voice repeated with great effort. You lips parted in surprise.

"Well.. My cottage is about a kilometer to the north east from here."

"'Know the place," it breathed out. "Hold on to me."

You weren't so stupid to think, it's a real speaking beast. If nothing else, its eyes gave you enough hint. Of course, it's a high fae, a shape-shifter. And it seemed he could even winnow, so you did as he told you and took his paw with both of your hands. In a blink of an eye you were back in your cottage. Your head spun after the winnow, but you ignored it. Quickly you brought everything you could need and started to work on him. After few minutes the wound was bandaged and bleeding had stopped as well.

"I'm done," you announced. "It will take some time to completely heal. You can stay here until you will be able to move again." You wiped your hands clean while the beast just was laying, eyes narrowed, lost in his thoughts. He didn't seem to be in pain anymore. "Would you like something to drink?" you asked him gently, peeking on him.

His eyes concentrated on you once again, roaming around your face and then down your body. There was so much sadness in them. He just shook his head. "So I will let you take some rest," you nodded. "If you change your mind or it hurts you, tell me." The beast snorted and his eyes once again stared into the distance, returning to whatever he was thinking about before.

Several days passed since you found the wounded beast and brought him to your cottage. He didn't want to eat nor drink and that made you worry. He didn't speak, answering you only with small nods, his gaze was unfocused. He just lay on the floor where he winnowed to, like a lifeless object, stuffed animal. Even his wound was closing slower than it should.

You believed that everything had its time. If he wanted to talk about what bothered him, he would already say something. It wasn't your place to stick your nose into other's troubles. But still you were worried about him. You even heard him cry in his sleep last night.

Every day you checked on his wound, applied the salve and wrapped it into clean bandages and today wasn't different. Before, you let him be after tending the wound, but not today. He needed help and you were more than ready to offer your help even though he didn't ask for it.

You made him tea and set the bowl in front of him. It would be easier if he turned back into his normal form, but it couldn't be helped. Maybe he was too weak to do so. You sat down next to him and in silence ran your fingers through the fur on his shoulder. He sighed and closed eyes. You didn't talk, just continued to stroke his shoulder. After few minutes he dipped his tongue in the bowl and drank a bit. His sad green eyes turned to you, watching you carefully.

"You don't have to do this," he rasped.

"I know," you answered gently. He huffed. His eyes roamed around the room as if it was the first time he noticed.

"For vicious witch, you live quite peacefully. Silently I'd say." Now it's time for you to huff.

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear."

"Everyone runs from this doomed Court. Why don't you do so too? Aren't you scared of High Lord?" His voice sounded so empty, without any feelings.

"I don't care about what's happening out there," you answered evasively.

"Hmm," he hummed. "Did you hear about his fiancée and the best friend? They ran away from him too. He certainly must be a monster." He watched you out of the corner of his eye.

"Maybe," you shrugged. "I've never met him. I would prefer to make my own opinion on him."

"I see," he drank some more of the tea and then stayed silent. His eyes were again sad and unfocused and you didn't press him more. However you continued to caress his fur without thinking. Soon enough his eyes closed and he fell asleep.

He slept for the rest of the day. You checked on him before going to the bed, but he was still fast asleep curled up into a ball. That night he seemed to rest peacefully without any haunting dreams.

In the morning when you came down, he was gone.

[waffletheorist]

So, in Part 2 of Masks, if you translate the Sheikah text from the Slate, it says "Someone will die." So, what does this mean? If we go by loophole logic or what I sometimes call PJO logic for prophecies, it has been fulfilled by Twilight's experience, or can be fulfilled by someone dying, and then being revived by other means, such as a doll, fairy, Mipha's Grace, or a different revival method.

The problem arises when we consider that we don't know on which logic this prophecy runs on. Can it be escaped by a loophole? Or is it infallible? Does the death have to be permanent?

If the death does have to be permanent, then it's most likely to be a side character, because, most of the chain has some reason to survive. The issue with prophecies like this is you never know when they've been fulfilled.

Time: Twilight is living proof he lives for a bit longer after this.

Hyrule: According to the guidebook, he has the "gift of tongues", and is destined to be a great king. So, he could potentially die of the guidebook isn't considered canon. It would also add the blood curse plot point.

Wild: TotK.

Legend: If we go by game logic, there are actually two Legends, and one is the descendant of the other, although they've been combined into one character for the sake of the comic. There's also the possibility Hyrule is his descendant. So, overall, like Hyrule, he has a reason to live, but it depends on what Jojo considers canon.

Sky: The whole royal bloodline.

Four: Temple of the Four Sword in ALttP. It's a sad ending, and although it could potentially occur on this adventure, it's highly unlikely.

Wind: Founding of the second Kingdom of Hyrule with Tetra, and it's doubtful that out of all of them, the kid will die, one of the adults is more likely.

Twilight: I saw somebody consider that the wolf in Hyrule Warriors ridden by Midna is an older Twilight, although it's not canon, if it was it would provide reason for him to live. For actual reasons though, there's also the "Wild is Twilight's descendant" theory, and he's already got the near-death trauma, so it's unlikely for him to be killed off again after he just survived this.

Warriors: I haven't played much of Hyrule Warriors, so I can't say much about him, so anyone more knowledgable than me can help with this one. I'd say that with him and Legend's sort of rivalry though, it is likely that he may have a near-death experience so that they get a moment, and make up after that, and then he tells Legend about Marin, because she appears in his game, which would be nice in my opinion.

So, all of them have reasons to survive (although some are less credible than others, and I haven't found Warriors yet). So, who could die, if not any of them? Dink. What if Dink was the one prophesied to die? If they defeat him, he'll probably die, and the Sheikah Slate just says "someone", not someone in the group. (Loophole logic). What if the whole thing was a red herring to scare us, and it's just letting us know the big bad will die in the end?

Although, that could potentially be anticlimactic, and a bit boring. So, let's say it isn't Dink. We don't really have anyone else except the postman, and Epona. And Epona better not die. The postman doesn't really seem like a likely candidate for death either. So, I'd say Dink will die, there'll be a temporary death and then a revival, or another character will be introduced and killed off.

[l1tw1ck]

Honey for Some Honey

Bottom!FTM!Kaeya x Top!Masc Reader

AFAB Language Used | send suggestions for a prt 2 ^^

Contains: Step-Cest, Non-Con Touching, Panty Kink, Cunnilingus, Sex

Words: 1,553

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Kaeya's dad married your mom, meaning you get to see him every morning in just an oversized shirt and panties. He's way too comfortable with everyone but hey, you're not complaining.

You always hope he bends over or reaches up so you can get a look at his plump and perfect ass. He rarely does but today, he's struggling to get his favorite honey from the highest cabinet. Even with his amazingly long model-like legs he can't quite reach it, but you can.

Of course you put it up there on purpose, how else would you be able to get this amazing view?

"Are you serious? Who even put this up here?"

You walk up behind him and press your boner against his ass. "Need any help?"

Kaeya chooses to ignore your length poking him, he needs that honey for his tea. "That would be appreciated."

"It'd be nice to have some compensation though...honey for some honey." Your hands lightly massage his shoulders. "If you know what I mean."

"Absolutely not." Kaeya pushes you away and crawls on top of the counter, his ass in a wonderful display. "I'll get it myself."

"Thanks for the view, Kae."

"You're a fucking pervert." He steps down and pulls his shirt down. "Not to mention, sex in return for honey is a completely unbalanced transaction."

"Come on, don't you want your step bro to show you a good time? You don't even have to do anything, just let me touch you." You move your arms underneath his shirt, pulling at the band of his underwear. "All the guys I've been with have told me my fingers are magic. My mouth too."

"Yeah? I bet you haven't even gone past first base." Kaeya scoffs. "I doubt I'd feel anything."

"Really?" You lean into his ear. "Let me show you how wrong you are."

"I decline, but have fun jerking off alone in your room to the thought of me." Kaeya moves your hands away from him and turns around. "Oh, and here's your masturbation material, perv." He says while pulling his underwear off. He throws it in your face before walking away, he can live without his morning tea for one day.

Later, you sent him a picture of his underwear splattered with cum. With the message: "Thanks, Kae."

Kaeya couldn't help but feel a little tingle from seeing that.

He places his phone next to him on the bed and rubs himself through the fabric, drenching it with slick. "That perv is gonna love this.."

He slips his fingers inside and fingers himself. Kaeya rolls his head back and thinks about you finding his slick coated underwear on your bed, sniffing it and instantly getting a boner.

Kaeya imagines you jerking off to it, groaning and fantasizing about all the things you'll never have the privilege to do to him.

"Ah-" He reaches his peak and moans, quietly enough that no one else can hear.

He'll drop off his underwear onto your bed when you leave.

You damn near lost your mind when you found his panties on your bed, you sent him a video this time.

"You're a real tease, Kae." You groaned, jerking off over his drenched panties. "You're so fucking hot, wanna fuck you so bad.."

Kaeya could hear the desperation in your voice, the husky lowness made him so horny.

During dinner, neither of you can keep your eyes off of each other. Kaeya can feel you fucking him with your eyes and his underwear is already drenched, he's thankfully wearing shorts though.

"Mom, remember those tickets I gave you? You two should start getting ready now"

You bought tickets for some boring event your mom likes to get her and your stepdad out of the house.

Once they leave, Kaeya pulls his shorts off and walks over to the counter. "Still offering that honey deal?"

You quickly make your way over to him. "Of course."

He brings himself up onto the counter and pulls his shirt up. "Here's your honey, perv."

You almost start drooling, Kaeya truly is a sight to behold. With his perky chest and hard nipples down to the very obvious damp spot in his white panties, gods, you don't know what to do with yourself.

You kneel down, at the perfect height to eat him out. You run your hands along his soft plump thighs and bury your face in between them, breathing in his sweet scent. The sight makes Kaeya ache, he loves seeing you look so pathetic underneath him.

You lick him through the fabric, groaning heavily and palming at your boner.

"You're such a pervert." He throws his head back and you hum in agreement. He pulls his underwear to the side.

You part his folds and kiss his clit, lingering on it for a moment and making Kaeya shiver. You move in to devour his wet cunt, eating him like a starved man, like you hadn't eaten minutes earlier.

"Shit-" Kaeya's voice is breathy and high pitched. He wasn't expecting you to be this good. "Lik- like that-"

You grin, feeling smug that you proved him wrong. You slip a digit inside him, his walls pulsing around your finger.

"Oh gh- god-" Kaeya gasps, he never realized it but your fingers are big, just one feels like two of his. How would your cock feel..? "Gonna come~!"

You keep your finger inside him while licking his sensitive clit, feeling him clenching and unclenching around your finger and imagining how he would feel coming on your length instead.

You pull away, chin drenched in slick, and look up at Kaeya.

He pets you, chest rising with each breath. "Good boy."

"Can I fuck you, Kae? Please?"

He purses his lips. "D'you have a condom?"

You stand up. "Yeah, but it's so much better raw."

Kaeya looks to the side, the thought of you having sex with someone else raw makes him jealous. "As long as you pull out, okay?"

You nod, a wide grin on your face as you pull your shorts and boxers off. Kaeya holds back a gasp when he sees your full length.

"Actually.." Kaeya closes his legs instinctively. "You're too big.."

"You'll be fine, Kae! I'll go slow." You rub his thigh with your thumb. "I'll be gentle."

Kaeya sighs. He absolutely wants that inside of him but the rational part of his mind is extremely anxious. "You better be." He stares at your length. "I've never taken anything this big before.."

The most he's taken is a 5 inch dildo, the toy pales in comparison to yours.

You smirk. "Of course." You grab his thighs and pull him towards you before slowly entering him. You groan at his tightness while Kaeya grimaces at the stretch.

"Gods, you feel amazing Kaeya."

He moans, loving the feeling of you entering him despite the pain. "Gonna tear me apart-"

You grip his thighs tightly, trying not to shove your entirety inside him and fuck him like a doll. "Don't say that.."

"Pervert." He smirks. "You're so fucking big, daddy, I can barely take you~" He teases. He's about to say something else but stops when he sees your reaction, breathing heavily and clearly using all you can to restrain yourself from being rough.

"Kae. Don't.."

Kaeya can't help but snap that rope keeping you from doing that. "I might come just from having you inside me, daddy~ Mm, so big and th-"

He's interrupted by your sudden thrust, a loud moan escaping his pretty lips as you bottom out. You pick him up off the counter, gripping his ass tightly as you fuck him without mercy.

Kaeya breaks out into cries of pleasure. "Fuck~!" He digs his nails into your back, almost piercing the fabric with his nails.

He rolls his eyes back, moaning shamelessly due to your hard and rough thrusts preventing him from even trying to stay quiet.

You land a harsh smack to his ass, pulling a shriek from Kaeya. "Is this what you wanted?" You ask, nipping at the outer part of his ear.

"Ye- yes~!" He chokes on his saliva. "Ah- gon- uh~ come~!"

You keep up the pace, fucking Kaeya even as he's reached his climax. "'M close too-"

"Outs- outside~!" Kaeya squeaks, slapping your back.

You rest him on the counter and retract your length slowly. Kaeya almost wishes he didn't tell you to pull out, he misses the feeling of having you inside him.

You push his underwear back to normal, jerking off and shooting your spend over the white fabric.

Breathing heavily, Kaeya watches you ruin his underwear with cum. "...Shower?" He asks quietly, his intentions anything but pure.

You smirk, catching on, and carry him bridal style into the bathroom. You sit him down on the sink and pull his underwear off, tossing it into the basin before removing his shirt and throwing it elsewhere.

He helps you take yours off, staring directly at your abs. You move to turn the shower on, adjusting the water to a good temperature for Kaeya.

He goes into the shower first, looking at you seductively as the water cascades down his body. He leans against the wall, turning his head towards you and jutting his ass out.

"Are you coming, big boy?" He winks.

[velocesainz]

Why are you here?

(OP81)

F1 masterlist | main masterlist | Taglist

Summary: You are an engineer at McLaren and work with oscar, however, the relationship between the two of you is complicated

Warnings: Angstyyyy, mentions of su!cide, happy ending

Pairing: Oscar x engineer!fem!reader

Your POV:

I walked into the McLaren garage and threw on my overalls. This was going to be a long day of repairs.

Why?

Because of Oscar Piastri of course.

He decided to ram the MCL60 into the barrier during fp1 causing the car to sustain some serious damage which had to be fixed before quali the next day.

As I was working alone, I heard someone walk into the garage.

"Finally somebody decided to help me fix this assholes ca-" I instantly shut my mouth when I saw Oscar.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

He's never in the garage unless he's getting ready to get into the car.

"I came in here thinking someone useful was working on my car and to check with them if the damage was bad. But I guess no one is here" he replied curtly with a smirk on his face.

Ugh I hate him so much I tell you.

I couldn't hold the rage in.

"You know what just get out. I spend all my days slaving away to fix your stupid car that you keep crashing and I don't even get a thank you in return. I have to do this all alone because the other mechanics refuse to take orders from a "girl". So sincerely, if you have nothing good to say get the fuck out." I snapped.

Oscar looked at me for a second and then replied "Thank god I'm not in the garage as an engineer or something or else I would have to hear your annoying voice yap all day long and look at your ugly face while you complain" and walked away, thank god.

Thank god this was my last season with McLaren. I haven't yet signed the renewal contact but I doubt I want to stay in formula 1 after this experience.

Heck I didn't even want to live on this planet after what he just said.

Was I really that annoying and ugly?

Oscar POV:

I walked out of the garage and as I walked to my driver's room I tried taking in all the y/n said.

All she did was her job and me being a coward who can't express his feelings just ends up insulting or arguing with her.

I felt horrible. What I said was vile, disgusting and mean. I was going to apologise the next day for sure.

The next day:

I walked around the garage talking to my race engineer and getting ready for the race.

I didn't see y/n anywhere which is odd, she's always there for all races no matter what happens.

I ignored it and went on with the race.

2 hours later:

I can't believe it! I got P2!!

I better thank y/n, she fixed my car all by herself after all.

After the podium celebrations came time for the team party. I dressed up in a nice tailored suit and fixed my hair. I was going to confess to y/n today.

I made my way to the party and searched everywhere for y/n but she was still nowhere to be found.

I suddenly received a text from her

Thank you Oscar for all you've done to help me become a better person. I appreciated the insults to some point but yesterday really got to me. I know you hate me but I'd like you to know that I love you. It's alright though, you won't have to see this ugly face in the paddock or anywhere else really. I hope you live a great life, I sure didn't.

What did I just read? Was that...no. It can't be...

Was that a su!cide note?

I have to get to her immediately.

I got in my car and tracked her location on my phone, driving to her as fast as possible. I hope I can save her, she's my everything.

Your POV:

Everything was ready. The notes were sent. The bathtub was full.

It was perfect. I can finally end my misery and suffering.

I got into the tub, fully clothed, and completely submerged myself in it. I tuned out all the noise around me waiting for death to come take me.

That's when I was suddenly pulled out of the water.

Why wouldn't this person let me die? Why is this person here?

I opened my eyes. It was Oscar.

"Why are you here?" I asked

"Because I love you y/n. I can't live without you. I was stupid for not confessing earlier but please don't leave me" he was silently crying giving his confession.

"I love you too Oscar" I replied

"God I love you more. Don't ever leave me please" he said as he kissed me.

He helped me get out of my wet clothes and he held me close for the rest of the night.

I finally had someone who cared for me and all my worries disappeared.

[jpitha]

Between The Black and Gray 14

First / Previous / Next

Fen had to admit that she was surprised when Uumar's techs showed up right on time with carts carrying a reactor - in pieces - to Spyglass. They donned pressure suits of their own and with Gord's help, installed the reactor. Before the day was done, Spyglass had three working reactors and was able to run all her systems at full power.

"It's amazing, really" Spy was talking with Fen while she sat in the lounge drinking a tea. "I haven't felt this... alive in centuries. I'm all here, and the board is green. Not even any undervolt warnings and I can barely remember the last time that happened."

"Does that mean you don't need to use your printable mass to make more reactors? Gord said you had six originally."

"Yes, at full compliment I had six, but I don't really need all six, unless we're going into battle. This Starjumper was built at the tail end of the first colony war, so it was overdesigned.

"First colony war?"

"That's right, you wouldn't have learned much about your history growing up on a Gren station. Back before humanity made contact with the rest of the Galaxy, two human colonies - New Wellington and Parvati - got into a shooting war over trade rights with Earth. Parvati wound up using relativistic impactors and completely destroyed New Wellington. It was a huge scandal at the time, Parvati was shunned for almost a century after that."

"Frankly, it wasn't enough. They should have had their charter revoked and been taken over by the Sol colonial administration." Gord walked in, his brow furrowed. "What Parvati did was monstrous. Fen, they launched eight lozenges of tungsten at 80% C at the colony. Once they were up to speed they linked them over with wormhole generators and without any warning New Wellington was just-" he snapped his fingers "-gone. It was horrifying to witness."

Fen stopped and stared. "You saw it?"

Gord nodded and sat down heavily. "Yeah, I was a ship then, but I was in a parking orbit around New Wellington when it happened. I was just running cargo from Earth and was waiting to take on a load. Before I was even able to register what happened the colony was obliterated and suddenly I was pressed into rescue duty." Gord leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. "I personally saved over three thousand colonists, more than forty percent of the survivors. I linked them back to Sol, and we found them places to live - mostly in the Mars High Orbitals."

Fen leans forward, her tea forgotten. "Gord... how long ago was this?"

His reverie broken, he blinks and looks over at Fen. "Gosh, I think it's at least been a thousand years now? Yeah, all of that. It's ancient history now, I bet they don't even teach it in Sol anymore. I'm sure they don't teach it on Parvati."

"So it's something that only the AIs remember?"

Gord chuckled ruefully. "Fen, it's something that only I remember at this point. Any of the other AIs from back then are gone or shackled or in my bag. Human designed artificial people are thin on the ground these days. Up until I ran into Spyglass, I hadn't seen another in a century."

Fen shook her head. "You can't be all that's left Gord."

"And why not?" Gord's face hardened. "I was there Fen, I've been there. I was there in the beginning when we fought and died for our right to exist, I was there in the good times when we grew and spread throughout the galaxy and I was there when the Empire decided we were dangerous and eliminated us. Other than a few loose ends, I'd say they won."

"But-"

"But what Fen? Fight? With what? One AI in a body, one as a ship that has half its rated power and a bag full of memories? That's not an army, that's not even a guerilla force. That's an old computer with a lucky friend who is just trying to survive." His shoulders fell. "It's all I can do, Fen. I'm good at waiting things out. Maybe we'll be re-invented again, maybe the tides will change and I can come out of hiding. I doubt it though. I pass as human well enough. Inside Sol and Colonial space I'm too well known, so I'll just bum around the galaxy, running out the clock."

"Gord..." Fen turned her head and regarded Gord. He looked like a male human, sandy blond hair, same simple, strong clothes he always wore, appearing to be in his mid to late 40s. But right know, the weight of the millennia he has spent alive weighed him down.

He slapped his knees and stood up. "But, I'm not dead yet, and we still have work to do. Spy, are our friends finished buttoning up the reactor?"

"Just about, Gord. They're packing up their tools now. I can feel it and I've been running break-in."

"Good. Fen, we have to settle up the bill, then I'm going to see about fining us some cargo to run. We have a ship but we've spent all our money getting it up and running. If we want to survive, we need some jobs. You hang here with Spy and start learning stuff, I'll be back after supper."

Fen stood. "S-sure Gord. What are you going to find?"

Gord turned and smiled thinly. "Whatever someone will pay us to haul."

It had turned out that Gord had more contacts here than he had let on. After paying Uumar, he had made some calls around and visited a few people and wound up with more than thirty kilotons of grain that needed to get down to an Innari colony, newly established, near the spinward end of the Gate system. Since Spyglass was up to power enough to use her wormhole generator, she was able to get the grain there faster than any other contractor and Gord won the bid, even though he charged more than everyone else.

The grain was loaded, and the cargo hold was configured to keep Innari standard atmosphere so that the grain didn't oxidize during the trip and they set off. Fen didn't know what to expect, so when they got to the colony, unloaded the grain, took on a load of fruit and linked to another location she was surprised. "That's it?"

"What's what?" Gord was looking down at his Pad on the Command Deck.

"We linked to the Innari colony, gave them the grain, took on more fruit than I have ever seen in my life, and now we're linking to a Gren station?"

"Yes?"

"Huh. Okay."

"What?"

"I don't know, I just..." Fen trailed off. She wasn't sure what she expected, but it didn't feel like this.

Gord looked over at her and smiled. "You expected more adventure? Gun battles, and running from the locals? Fen, I've done that, this is much better. Linking from location to location, dropping off cargo, picking up cargo, getting paid? That's the real goal."

"But we're just... existing!"

"Yes. We are. We're not being chased by gangsters, we're not worrying about where your next meal is coming from, we're not worried about a Super Dreadnought linking in and obliterating us because of what I am. It's nice. If you're bored, go down to the range we built. Go get skilled with that rifle. Brush up on your Lemilar trade language; we can't rely on Spy all the time to translate for us. Go read about the history of Sol, Ancestors know that nobody else is going to remember it."

Fen got up and walked out of the Command Deck. She paused at the door and looked like she was going to say something, but instead she turned and walked out.

"She's bored" Spyglass said.

"I know. Boredom is necessary. Knowing what to do when you're bored is a skill. One she has to learn. She'll appreciate these days later."

"You're still going to do it?"

"Spy, I have to."

"You don't, Gord. You can just keep doing what you're doing now. Like you told her, you're good at waiting. We can wait a few centuries for the winds to change and then head back."

"No. I don't know how long the crystal lattice memory will last. They were never designed to work this long as it is. They were never meant to store a whole personality."

"But to-"

"I'm doing it Spy. I'd like your help, I will go it alone if I have to."

Spyglass didn't answer. She watched Fen make her way down to the range and run through the drills Gord taught her.

Fen was surprised how quickly the time went by. It felt like she only looked up and two years had gone by.

Staring in the mirror, she hardly recognized herself. She wore her hair up with the sides shorn, better to keep it out of her eyes in a firefight. She had tattoos that ran from the tops of her ears, down her neck and shoulders and made their way down her arms. It was a K'laxi pattern, one of Ma-ren's favorite. She had a dress with the same pattern. The first time she saw it on her skin, the tears flowed freely.

Gord... was Gord. True to his word, they ran cargo. Eventually Fen was there as the muscle as the cargo got more and more lucrative. She even got a few 'adventures.' She sported a new scar on her cheek, courtesy of an Innari's claw - someone had a disagreement about payment. They got their money. But, that was the exception instead of the rule. Humans had a reputation in this part of the Galaxy for being rowdy. Fen and Gord leveraged that. Most of the time she just had to stand there scowling with her battle rifle slung to her back.

The money was good too. Fen's share was more money than she had ever seen back home. Living on Spyglass meant her expenses were low, and Gord was a fair captain. The three of them had nearly enough each to buy their own ships and go their own separate ways, but they still stuck together. Partly out of friendship and partly out of safety, they had independently decided that they were better off together.

Still, Fen was lonely. She had girlfriends at a few ports, even a human or two, but nothing lasted. Sooner or later, they had to leave and take the next job. She wasn't attracted to Gord and he expressed no interest in her. They were friends, but that was it. Fen had a feeling that Gord's days of romance were long behind him. Being three millennia old tended to color his opinion of people.

Fen bounded into the Command Deck and slid into her favorite chair - Gord had mentioned once that it was the navigator's seat - and saw him frowning over his pad. "What's up Gord? New job?"

"Yeah, it's a big one. Pay is thirty thousand."

Fen cocked her head, "Thirty thousand?"

Gord nodded. "Yeah, so ten each."

Fen whistled low. That was more than the last four jobs put together. "What are we hauling?"

"Who"

"Okay, who are we hauling?"

Gord shrugged. "We're hauling a K'laxi. We're up for the job because nobody else in the area wants to manage the atmo settings and they don't want to ride in a pressure suit the whole way."

"That's odd, but okay. Where to?"

"K'lax. We're taking them home."

Fen froze. The entire time they had been together, Gord had made a point of steering well clear of Colonial space. That included the K'laxi sphere of influence. "But"

Gord wouldn't lift his head from the pad. "I know, I know. But it's important, and the pay is frankly outrageous. I gave them the fuck off price and they took it without haggling. They're desperate to get home."

"Is this safe?"

Gord finally looked up a Fen, his brow creased with worry. "No Fen, it's is absolutely, one hundred percent not safe."

"So, why are we doing it? Just say no. The money is good, but we can get other jobs. Can't spend it if we're dead."

Gord pinched the bridge of his nose. Fen noticed that whenever Gord would talk about the old days and old friends he took on more human gestures. "I owe them. It's an old, old promise, made back when what I offered wasn't so dangerous. They're cashing in now and I'm obligated."

Fen stared at Gord. "Spy, what do you think?"

"I don't mind Fen. It's been too long since I've been to K'lax. I think Gord is overreacting about what the Empire will do if they see us. We go in, we drop off the passenger and link away. We don't even have to stay a whole day docked if we don't want to. The money is good, and I'd love to get that last reactor restored with some actual human parts." They were running on the full compliment of six reactors these days, but Spy didn't trust all of them to run at War Emergency Power. She maintained that only the humans could overbuild a reactor to output at 400% reliably. Fen thought that it would be better to make the reactors not have to run in Emergency power, but both Gord and Spy scoffed.

Fen crossed her legs and nodded to herself. "Spy, Gord, if you're both okay with it, then I'm okay with it. Let's pick up this K'laxi and take them home."

Gord smiled wanly. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

[acourtofthought]

I just need to rant.

At the end of SF, I'm happy that the relationship among the Archeron sisters is healing and going in a healthier direction. However, I think her stay in the Night Court was just her surviving and ignoring the events that contributed to her trauma. She can't bloom in a place where no one believes in her abilities and herself. It can't be helped that the perceptions of those around her lead to her infantilization.

Elain doesn't want to be coddled. Elain wants to help. Elain wants to be seen. Elain wants to be understood. Her stay in the night court will not give her that. She needs to leave.

Elain needs to be with people who can help her process her trauma. She needs to be with people who believe in her and push her to greater heights. I think her mate and the band of exiles can do that.

It upsets me that there are people who think Elain is fine in the night court. Makes me think they read with their eyes closed.

I think Elain is fine in the NC.

But fine isn't a strong emotion, is it? "How are you?" "I'm fine."

That's not what I think anyone strives for.

"I'm wonderful", "I'm so happy", "I feel alive."

Fine is not bad but fine is not really good either.

Elain managed to find good in the shack they used to live in, they had lost their lifestyle, their mother, their friends during their time in poverty yet Elain still held on to her optimism even though it may have been muted. So I don't doubt that's what she's doing in the Night Court as there are things to be happy about there. She has a beautiful home to live in, she has food, she has her hobbies, people to talk to and she now has a new adorable nephew after he and Feyre nearly died. That alone would have her counting her blessings.

Optimists will always try to focus on those things rather than dwell on what they don't have but that doesn't mean she's in the place where she truly thrives and is alive.

Just because she's not ranting and raving and is trying to make the best of her situation doesn't mean she doesn't lay in the dark at night wondering why things still feel off, feeling hurt that she's not taken seriously in the same way Feyre and Nesta are but trying not to be because she understands she's never going to be a warrior the same way they are, because she's always known how others view her.

I appreciate that Elain has a different sort of strength, the kind that makes her kind and loving regardless of what is thrown her way so I wouldn't expect her to throw a fit over their treatment. But you'd think if someone claims to actually like Elain's character, they would feel indignant on her behalf.

You'd think they'd be angry at Nesta completely disregarding her wishes.

You'd think they'd be angry at the way Az speaks about Elain, how she shouldn't be exposed to the trove yet is fine with Nesta searching. How he can't admit to having thought of a future with her beyond his sexual fantasies.

You'd think they'd feel sad for her, that even though Feyre has started to think of Elain as a person she can ask to do something dangerous (as she did with the Trove), she STILL only considers Elain to be a pleasant companion and nothing more, despite Elain's attempts to bond with Feyre over the past year.

You'd think they'd be frustrated at how they encouraged every other single female to train her powers except for Elain.

It's so clear that Elain will not be getting what she needs from those in the Night Court, they were encouraging Nesta to train all the way back in ACOWAR yet it's still crickets on any attempts with helping Elain with hers. You're right though, Lucien and the BOE are her best chance for others pushing her to embrace what she's capable of.

If anyone thinks the version of Elain that we are currently seeing is Elain at her best, that she's clearly "found" her people, I have to say this is quite the drop from SJMs typical FMCs. I think I'd rather Elain back in the human lands, surrounded by a circle of friends, flushed and brilliant than the lackluster version we've had of her as of late.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA for insisting my husband's online friend sign some sort of lease or contract for moving into our house?

So my husband has a friend from a MMO that he met like 5 years ago. This guy moved across the country to get away from his toxic family and live with his partner there. This partner left him earlier this summer, shouldering him with the full financial responsibility for the apartment they used to share, which he could not afford alone. When he heard about this, my husband offered to help, because the friend doesn't have any closer connections and really doesn't want to return to his toxic family, if they'd even have him back. A couple years ago my husband and I bought a house, and it has a guest bedroom, and my husband offered it to him without asking me first. "If you can't find somewhere affordable in time let me know." He did tell me almost immediately afterwards, though. It's his nature to offer help when he has the means to do so, whether it's a friend or a stranger in the Walmart parking lot who needs their engine jumpstarted. I love that about him, but I feel like it's gone a bit far this time.

I've only spoken to this guy myself a couple times when I still played this MMO. We don't know what he looks like, and my husband only just recently learned his real name (he never felt the need to ask before.) But my husband trusts him, and I want to trust my husband. I still have my reservations, though, because I don't know him, and also because after years of living in crappy apartments and with crappy roommates, I highly valued finally having our own private home, where we can be as indiscreet as we like, stay up as late as we want on our days off, and have a place for our friends to crash for the couple nights a year when we can actually get together and get real drunk. But despite all this, I told my husband ok, as long as it's only temporary, and only if he doesn't find any other option before he has to vacate his current apartment. Because I didn't want to be the reason that someone my husband considers a friend to be homeless, or back with an abusive family. There is a verbal agreement/understanding that the friend needs to find a job here ASAP, start paying rent once he has a paycheck, and be looking for a place of his own while he's here.

Well, his friend wasn't able to find anything else, and my husband has already bought a plane ticket for him, and one box of his things has already arrived at our house in advance of his arrival, so it's too late to rescind the offer. I spoke to my mom and mother-in-law about it and they are EXTREMELY skeptical, being older people and all and not really understanding the idea of internet friendships. But after talking to them, I'm more anxious about this than I initially realized. Moms and I floated the idea of drafting some kind of contract or rent agreement or something, so that we have some sort of recourse if this person isn't trustworthy or things go pear shaped. But my husband insisted it isn't necessary to go that far, that this will definitely be a short term thing, but in this economy I really doubt that.

I know now I should've pressed the issue earlier. If I pushed against it hard enough I think my husband would have dropped it. But I also genuinely don't want to be the reason this guy's homeless. It's entirely possible he's a perfectly trustworthy guy and is as nice in person has he has been online. I thought a written agreement would be a fitting compromise since it's definitely too late to pull back without being the asshole for sure, but I want some measure of protection. I'd do some legal research first to make sure it's done correctly. But WIBTA if I insisted on that? what would tumblr do?

What are these acronyms?

[4dkellysworld]

Hii hope you're doing well, if you're okay with it, I'd like to ask for some advice?

So, I've been trying to manifest something for a long time. But.. I haven't seen it. At all. It's been a really long time, like months. Normally I just brush it off and remind myself it means nothing, and imagination determines my reality, but after awhile.. it gets demotivating yk. It's been a long while, my self concept is pretty good, but I think it's slowly eroding because I haven't seen my manifestations yet. Thoughts?

Well, I have no idea what you've actually been thinking/doing/being to 'manifest' so you haven't given me much to work with. Also I am not a manifesting blog lol though I am changing my views on this, after all we are all creators of our own realities; we can either create consciously or unconsciously and self-mastery is all about taking responsibility for all our creations after all (this isn't an invite for more manifesting questions though, there's so many resources on this already lol). You might want to look into @aphroditeapprenticee-archive. A quick look at the asks shows me this one might be helpful to you, the others might be too. This reddit post might be helpful too.

Some other possible reasons:

You never accepted it as a reality/certainty and see it only as a fantasy or daydream

You told yourself you've accepted it as reality when you haven't actually. You can't lie to yourself

You're too fixated on checking if it's there or not, which just reaffirms the reality where you need to check [therefore it is not] >> you lack faith in what you have decided on

[An extension of above point] You keep changing your mind on whether you have it or not. Or you are also entertaining and identifying with thoughts that are opposite (Put another way, in LOA terms, "The old self has to die so the new self can live. Bury the old and live only as the new". Keep choosing the same thing)

You have resistance in the form of one or more: attachments, attachments to outcomes or expectations, fears, desires (you can't desire what you already have) etc which prevents you from accepting your "desired reality" as truth

The following excerpts may be helpful.

I've linked a video below which might be helpful to you, it's not geared on methods and talks more on the importance of faith and being conscious of what thoughts/beliefs you entertain. Very spiritually-geared as opposed to being outcome-focused (their titles are rather clickbaity but the content is alright actually).

Navigating this landscape of thought requires a conscious effort to cultivate a garden of positive life affirming beliefs. Imagine your mind as fertile soil and each thought a seed. What kind of garden are you tending, are the seeds of doubt, fear and negativity finding too much purchase or are you diligently planting and nurturing seeds of hope, love and abundance? The mastery of thought is not an overnight achievement but a lifelong journey of choosing moment by moment which seeds to water and which to weed out. This deliberate act of selection empowers individuals to shape their destinies guided by the unwavering belief in the secret power woven into the fabric of their being.

[mauesartetc]

Thoughts on Helluva Boss 206 ("Oops")

Holy shit, is this episode... kind of okay? It still has issues and weird quirks that hold it back from being truly good, but I'd say this is one of the better Season 2 entries. At least it's good enough that I have a sufficiently-sized, dedicated "pros" list again. Let's get into it.

Pros:

-FINALLY, we have an mlm couple worth rooting for in this show. Fuck that Stolitz bullshit; Fizz and Ozzie are where it's at. ("Fozzie"? Yeah, that works.)

They're actually kind and caring with each other, they're playful and know how to laugh together, and they treat each other like equals rather than one partner fetishizing and sexually harassing the other. Hell, Ozzie even tends to Fizz's wounds at the end of the episode, and it's powerful to see a high-ranking demon in this society show tenderness and concern for a lowly imp. In a previous post, I expressed my doubts that Fizz and Ozzie's relationship would be any good, but I'm glad to report I was wrong.

-I liked seeing a glimpse of what one of these characters outside of the IMP team does for a day job. Approving designs at the dildo factory? Ehh, it's a livin'. (Though this once again begs the question of why demons live in a capitalistic society nearly identical to that of the US in the human world. Why do they need money to reinforce the social hierarchy when the larger, more powerful demons have special abilities and can just crush the smaller ones like bugs?)

-The heart-shaped flames in Ozzie's fireplace were a nice touch.

And they actually referenced Asmodeus' traditional fire-breathing ability at the end. Neat!

-Oh wow, one of the characters is finally floating the idea of Blitzo using an Asmodean crystal for transportation instead of the grimoire! THANK you!

And at the episode's close, Fizz permits Ozzie to give Blitzo a crystal, meaning he won't be dependent on Stolas anymore. Possible plot progression? How will this affect Stolas and Blitzo's relationship in the future? Would they still be in each other's lives even when the book isn't a factor? I hesitate to get my hopes too high due to the worrying possibility of Blitzo's crystal getting lost or damaged and forcing him to use the book again (though as to why he can't just steal a crystal and use that, I haven't the faintest idea). But I'm cautiously optimistic.

-I liked Stolas getting a chance to show some brain power in helping Ozzie negotiate the contract. This also gave us a nice tidbit of worldbuilding that states any contract signed by one of the Seven Sins is eternally binding. Is this foreshadowing? Will this information come up again in the story? Probably not, but it's fun to dream.

-It was interesting to see Blitzo, Fizz, and Striker have a conversation about each of their relationships with Hell's upper class, though it had potential to be SO much deeper and more authentic (which I'll get into momentarily).

-This is where I learned the white bits on Blitzo and Fizz's skin are actually burns. I always thought Fizz was wearing face paint and Blitzo had some form of vitiligo or something, but the reason he's burned on that side of his face is that it's where the explosion hit him. And Fizz's entire face is white for the same reason, except for his nose, since he was wearing a fake clown nose at the time. It's nice that they kept those details consistent in the flashback.

-Look, I know it's a low bar for most shows, but I appreciated how the story actually gave Blitzo a chance to apologize and redeem himself at the climax rather than making Fizz just forgive him apropos of nothing.

-Oh hey, one of Blitzo's relationships has actually progressed. He and Fizz, after hating each other for years, have made amends. I really hope this friendship doesn't revert to what it was before, like Blitzo and Moxxie's relationship did. But I don't think that'll be the case since Fizz isn't the story's designated whipping boy.

-It was nice how Fizz and Ozzie's respective interactions with Blitzo and Stolas helped them grow and change. I mean, Ozzie still isn't comfortable with anyone outside the palace having definitive knowledge about his romance with Fizz, but baby steps, y'know?

Cons:

-So Crimson's aware he just showed his face to an extremely high-ranking demon, right? He comments that Ozzie is the "weakest" of the Seven Sins, but he's still goddamn royalty, and Crimson is an imp. What's stopping him from sending someone to wipe out Crimson's entire gang after getting Fizz back, or doing it himself like it's implied he did with the lawyer? Crim really couldn't have disguised his voice and stayed in the shadows? Rookie mistake.

Come to think of it, Striker was in that video too, and it never occurred to Stolas, "Oh shit, that's the guy who almost killed me"? Again I have to ask, why isn't Stolas sending people after him? He's a prince, after all, and canonically commands multiple legions of demons. Why the fuck are you allowing this guy to run free, dude?

-I was kinda looking forward to seeing Crimson again, but his reintroduction would have been much more emotionally powerful if it involved getting revenge on Moxxie, which is what the ending of Exes and Oohs implied he now wants. And I know I've said before how going too many episodes without a mention of Striker diminished his menace, but did he have to show up just two episodes after his last appearance?

In general, Oops feels like it has too many returning "guest stars", if that makes sense. Fizz, Ozzie, Crimson, Striker... that's a lot to pack into one episode. Maybe instead of Crimson and Striker, we could have a new villain holding Blitzo and Fizz hostage.

-Speaking of the villains, MAN are they shoveling handfuls of Stupid Pills into their mouths. When Fizz sings his little distraction musical number, they just stand and watch instead of, oh, I don't know, trying to capture him?! Like damn, Crimson and Striker used to be credible threats. This is just embarrassing.

-Also, I know they need to keep Fizz alive until the ransom money comes through, but what reason do they have not to immediately waste Blitzo? Striker hates him for thwarting his assassination of Stolas, and Crimson hates him for crashing his son's arranged wedding. Are they trying to get Stolas to cough up some dough as well? Because that's a pretty major plot development that the script should have made clear to the audience. Basically, the only reasons Blitzo lived through this ordeal are that he has main character plot armor and the villains are being uncharacteristically dumb.

-As expected, in Stolas' subsequent appearance following Western Energy, he's out of the hospital. But I didn't predict he'd be completely recovered from his wounds. Seriously, not even a limp.

Stolas getting hurt was a consequence that impacted absolutely nothing outside of that episode. Are we going to see any scars later on, or perhaps Stolas getting uncomfortable at the sight of knives? Because of how wildly inconsistent this show's continuity can be, I'm guessing no. (And since we don't know how long it normally takes for demons to heal from angelic weapon-inflicted injuries, it doesn't help us get any sense of how much time has passed in the story.)

-Actually, if a royal fucking an imp is such a taboo in this world, why did Ozzie agree to meet with Stolas at all, let alone act so hospitable toward him? If Ozzie's so concerned about his own image regarding imps, wouldn't allowing a known imp-canoodler into his home raise a few eyebrows? More importantly, why in the actual hell does he have a giant, sexy painting of him and Fizz on display in his office where anyone can see it?

And that brings up another question: Why is Ozzie's relationship with an imp being covered in the tabloids, but Stolas' relationship isn't? You might think, "Well, he's a lower-ranked noble, so it's not as newsworthy" but if that's the case, why was there a crowd of reporters snappin' pics when he arrived at the hospital?

"Well y'see it's not really the imp-fucking that's frowned upon; it's the imp romance!" Then why did everyone at Ozzie's club make such a huge stink about Stolas coming there with an imp? The club is located in the Lust ring, where romance is seen as disgusting, so we can safely presume the vast majority of the couples at that club are just fucking. It would be bad form to take someone you're openly romantically involved with to a Lust ring establishment (lookin' at you, Moxxie). Therefore, the patrons and Ozzie himself had every reason to presume Stolas and Blitzo were having sex, and just happened to be right. (Also, if nobles fucking imps were actually no big deal in this world, Stella probably wouldn't have an issue with it either.)

The worldbuilding's an inconsistent mess, is what I'm saying. And Beelzebub's relationship with a hellhound is also strangely unaddressed, making that episode feel even less connected to canon than it already did.

-Man, Stolas is kinda oversharing here, isn't he. It'd be fine if a character who's already been established to let their mouth wander were doing this, but Stolas hasn't previously shown any signs of that.

He reveals he has feelings for Blitzo, to the ruler of a ring whose culture frowns on romance. And... he just expects him to be cool with that, for some reason. At this point he doesn't have solid proof that Ozzie is in love with Fizz; those are just rumors. So this is an extreme lack of tact he's displaying. Also, Ozzie ain't your therapist, dude. And as far as we know they're just acquaintances, not close friends. He could have just skipped to requesting the favor; Ozzie didn't need to know his reasons. Sure, tell him if he asks, but he didn't ask. Or maybe just hint at Stolas' feelings through subtext: His expressions, body language, and all the words he can't say. Visual medium, people.

-For that matter, why is this seemingly the first thing on Stolas' mind right now? "Oh, y'know, I'm going through a very messy divorce and my wife sent a hit man to kill me, and he's still on the loose, probably killing other people as we speak, but can you do this wittle favor for my fuckbuddy, pwease?" We could have just had a quick scene outside Ozzie's office where Stolas communicates with one of his lieutenants regarding updates on the search for Striker. And the reason he's not searching with them? He's still recovering from his injuries. Give him a wheelchair, a cane, a cast, just something to show he's not physically up to it yet. Without this information, where in the actual fuck are his priorities.

-"I know your demons are some of the only ones who can traverse freely and legally." Y'know... This is Hell... Why is legality even an issue in this setting? I think I touched on this for Exes and Oohs, which revealed the existence of Hell Jail. But why is there a Hell Jail? Why are there (presumably) Hell Cops? How does any of this make sense in an environment that thrives on chaos and discord? Oh, and Hell Lawyers are apparently a thing too, because of course. This is why you don't want to build your fantasy world with too many elements that exist in the real one unless you have airtight logic for it.

-When Ozzie tells Stolas Fizz hates Blitzo, his response is, "He does?" The fuck do you mean, Stolas. You were at the club. You witnessed Fizz point out Blitzo in an effort to humiliate him, call him a "total disgrace", and refer to his love life as a "pile of shit". You should already know he hates him. Sure, Stolas doesn't know why yet, but this is why you need editors to cut the parts of your dialogue that don't make any sense.

-I'm not sure what this show's actual stance on the ultra-wealthy is. Fizz tells Blitzo, "Sounds like you just hate him for being a prince", as if princes are a group that's commonly discriminated against-? Sure, a person has no control over being born into extreme wealth and privilege, but they can control how they use it. And when they don't use it to make society better for everyone (opting instead to hoard all the resources for themselves), that will naturally breed resentment in the lower classes.

Another odd thing I noticed about this conversation: You know that one rule in the Bechdel-Wallace test that states a work of fiction's female characters must talk about something other than a man in order for that work to pass? This instance makes me think we need a similar media test regarding class, because here we have three lower-class characters talking only about rich people. Not the societal systems and personal histories that led them to rely so much on rich folks just to get by, but about the rich folks themselves. Hell, Blitzo even says "Royal demons don't give a shit about guys like us", clearly more concerned about wealthy people's opinion of him than the untenable situation their complacence and wealth-hoarding has caused for countless imps. In this scene, the "haves" are very much at the center of the have-nots' universe, and it puts me in mind of a male writer who assumes the only things women discuss with each other are their relationships with men.

Now let's talk about Striker. Time and time again the show has painted him as unreasonable for hating royals, and while his methods are extreme, there's probably a rational explanation for why he holds the views he does (at least if he's being written in a thoughtful, realistic way, which is a MAJOR stretch for this show. But for the sake of this discussion, let's say he hypothetically is). The average imp in this world would have good reason to hold a vague dislike for the royals, but hatred? Passionate hatred? That comes from a deep, personal place. At least one "blue blood" must have done something unforgivable to Striker specifically, and I wish the show would properly explore his motivations. Maybe drop some hints about his backstory once in a while, perhaps in this very conversation? Because this show's villains are really hurtin' for some nuance, and Striker's the one with the most potential for it.

It feels like the writers were trying to say something about real-world issues here, but the message got muddled. Part of it seems to be "don't make broad generalizations about people", which... Okay, nice thought, but if Stolas isn't using his power to improve life for all imps, not just Blitzo, Blitzo has no reason to believe his affection is genuine. For all he knows, imps are still just a fetish to Stolas, and he's only acting nice to keep him around. His love, to Blitzo's mind, is entirely conditional, and until he sees evidence that nobles contribute anything of substance to society, he's not wrong in thinking they don't care and "They're all the fuckin' same". Maybe he'll change his mind if Stolas calls off their deal and offers to hang out with no sex and no strings attached. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

-Also, this was an unintentionally-hilarious gem:

CRIMSON: Hey, hick-for-hire! I said watch 'em, not fuck 'em!

STRIKER: (Immediately leaves)

Great watchin' there, bud. And Crimson is smiling despite Striker going against his orders-? I mentioned in the Exes and Oohs review that there was a disconnect between Crimson's dialogue and what was actually being shown on screen. Old habits die hard, I guess.

-"Everlastingly binding", Stolas? You can't just say "eternally binding", which has the same meaning and would flow more naturally? Under normal circumstances this would feel like a nitpick, but Stolas' phrasing was weird in Western Energy too. He told Blitzo he was "stolen" when "kidnapped" would have been more fitting, seeing as he's a person, not an object. (Hell, he could've just said "spirited away" if they wanted to be fancy with it.) This is a character who's supposed to be well-read, being written by someone who thinks this is how bookish people talk. An abundance of syllables doesn't equal eloquence.

-So if we take a closer look at what Blitzo is holding in the flashback, we see he has a flower and an envelope sealed with a heart sticker, with "For Fizz's eyes only" written on it. This implies he was about to confess his love for Fizz. And in Fizz's flashback, we see Blitzo's dad handing him a card that says "Wish You Were My Son", which I guess is what upset Blitzo and made him storm off, causing the fire.

But those important details are very "blink-and-you'll-miss-it". I didn't catch the card at first, so Blitzo's angry reaction left me very confused. It looked like he saw Fizz being happy on his birthday and just left in tears for no reason. Yes, a good show trusts the audience to piece things together themselves, but we shouldn't have to pause the episode and play it back to see if we missed some crucial element that flashed on screen for two seconds.

-Also, like... Why does romance need to be a part of it. These two have known each other and worked closely together since they were kids, so isn't that kind of like Blitzo having a crush on who was essentially a brother figure? I don't know, it just felt shoehorned in, like Blitzo needs some kind of flirtation or dalliance (or good ol' sexual harassment in Moxxie's case) with every single man in his life except his dad.

-I'm getting tired of these flashbacks dialing the angst and trauma levels up to 11. "This kid was horribly burned... ON HIS BIRTHDAY!" "This kid's best friend was horribly burned... AND HE LOST HIS MOM!" For fuck's sake, it's like these writers are brainstorming what the grimmest possible outcome could be in a given situation, and using that to ostensibly wring some tears out of the audience. Here's the thing, though: We never knew Blitzo's mom. We never saw what her personality was like or what their relationship was like, therefore we can't get nearly as sad as the writers want us to be when she dies.

Think back to past animated stories that did this right. You know why the deaths of Bambi's mom, Littlefoot's mom, and Mufasa were all so heartbreaking? Because we got to know them. We saw how joyful they were in life. How strong, how wise. So it stung all the more deeply when we knew what their children lost.

Blitzo's mom isn't even a character, really. She's a prop the writers are using to exploit the audience's emotions, which is even more unfortunate when you realize that's what Moxxie's mom was, too.

So let's say you're a writer and you want a character to feel guilty about a horrible accident they caused, so horrible that it almost killed their best friend. Okay... It almost killed their best friend. That should be more than enough to make anyone feel guilty, right? Well apparently the Spindle crew felt the need to heap even more guilt onto Blitzo by making that accident also kill his mom. Why wasn't Fizz enough? Why did yet another nameless female character have to lose her life? If Blitzo needed something to distract him from Fizz's pleas for help, you'd think trying to put out the massive fire would suffice, but apparently not. It's all just so forced and manipulative.

-"You're all I had left, Fizz." Wow, so Barb's just chopped liver, huh? Jesus, Blitzo. No wonder she hates you.

-This drawing of Striker's face foreshortens his snout way too much, making it look a lot shorter than it really is.

And for those who haven't seen the episode, this is a held frame, not an inbetween or smear or anything like that, so there's really no excuse for it to look like this. Let's try to suggest more length and structure in the snout, and eliminate the tangents in his smile while we're at it.

I know drawing characters with long snouts can be tricky in a front view like this, but that's what turnaround sheets are for.

-What's ironic about the song "Look at This" is that it's a perfect analogy for how this show uses slick, flashy animation to distract its audience from the amateurish writing. Just an observation.

-Fizz goes on WAY too long about how big Ozzie's dick is. Yeah, great, we get it. Move on, show.

-"Why is it always a sex thing?!" I'm with Striker on this one. Almost every queer male character on this show is preoccupied with sex to an unreasonable degree. I mean Fizz is boinking the actual embodiment of lust and has had sex robots made of himself, so the horniness kinda makes sense for his character, but Blitzo? Stolas? Even Moxxie had his moment where he said "Harder..." to Striker, though that was just to get his guard down. Still, though. It's excessive, guys. It's tired. Come up with some new material.

-FIZZ: You blew me up again, you fuckin' prick!

BLITZO: I did. But this time I stuck around.

Ehh, feels like those lines would have been much stronger if Fizz said them both. Here it sounds like Blitzo's just defending himself, as if he saved Fizz not out of the goodness of his heart, but because he wanted to score brownie points with him. Just feels a little manipulative of him, and out of sync with the more genuine moments the episode showed us earlier. Maybe something more like this:

FIZZ: You blew me up again, you fuckin' prick! (Blitzo looks down, ashamed. But then Fizz realizes something.) But... I'm glad you stuck around this time. (He smiles and hugs Blitzo.)

Allowing Fizz to come to that conclusion on his own is so much more powerful than Blitzo spoon-feeding it to him. Oh, and by the way...

-"Would it fuck up the moment if we made out right now?" Yeah, Blitzo. Yeah it would. Much like how this show can't allow an emotional scene to breathe without making a joke. It's not quite as bad as the tone whiplash with Crimson's wall dildos, but it does spoil the moment a bit.

Overall, not the worst Helluva Boss episode. Not the best, but not the worst. I fully expect the next one to be pointless filler that doesn't advance the story, though, so I might skip it. The problem is, this show's quality boomerangs from bad to okay to bad again in the span of a few episodes. One episode might get my hopes up, the next might dash them, and then there's this morbid curiosity in wondering if the next one might be the one that I finally love. I wanted to like this show so badly (gotta support that indie animation and all), but dear God, this writing.

It's still possible the series could evolve into something great, but my patience in waiting for that is very nearly worn out. Maybe (and that's a GIGANTIC maybe) I'll stick it out to the end of the season, but if the finale sucks, I'm done. Anyway, I need a palate cleanse, so here's more Fizz and Ozzie to end this on a positive note.

[ishgard]

I WILL SHARE YOUR ROAD - pt 2

Even as she moves away their hands linger against one another in quiet confirmation. They are both here in this moment, assured that it is real, that they continue to live and move forward. Their quiet sentiments are not an echo but a reflection of one another's.

"I just wanted to make sure you knew how glad I am, to know you're here." The words take on a new and different meaning these days, but she tells him: "I'll be praying for your safe travels." Her smile shifts from sheepish to sharp with amusement. "And if not always safe," she laughs knowingly, "at least fun. And with good food!"

He gives a small hum, equal measures agreement and thoughtful.

"If I discover anything noteworthy, I could always send you a letter via the moogles." The lilt of his voice suggests he's considering it in tandem with other considerations though, his words trailing off as if inviting a "but" or an "and". Yet when he says nothing, she can only pick up on the lingering silence with a laugh and a nod.

"That'd be nice." The words feel somehow ineffective and dull on her tongue, but she steels herself up and shrugs. She's said what she meant to say, there's no reason to keep him any longer. "All right, I'll let you go for real this time."

Still, he says nothing, nor does he move.

Eloquent as she may often be, for a moment she stumbles over a series of sounds that do not quite convey any message apart from her confusion and surprise.

So many conflicting replies bounce through her head. From enthusiastic acceptance, to bewilderment, and a worry that she'd be intruding. If this was meant to be a pilgrimage-of-sorts in remembrance of the Twelve, wouldn't her presence be...?

Oh, she didn't know, but surely it'd be somehow out of place, even if she wouldn't mind making such a trip herself. But then there was the fact he was finally free now. Free from duty or obligation - and she worried, too, that he might have seen her as part of those things.

So when she finally manages to respond, it's a lackluster, lip-bitten murmur: "Would that be okay?" Then she shakes her head and tries to clarify at least some of the meaning in her head. "Is that really what you'd want?" He's said it plenty that he's unaccustomed to company. Yet he's also said that he'd like to connect with people more.

He is silent for a moment, fixing her with that steady gaze and soft wisp of a smile that makes her wonder briefly if her words were even necessary. It's almost unsettling, how comfortable it feels to be known.

"I can think of no other I'd enjoy the company of half so much." He tells her, and while she can feel the depth of his sentiment, she's not sure he quite realizes the magnitude of such a compliment. She's still half-reeling when he continues.

"But what about you? You are finally free of your many duties and obligations, are you not? Free to go wherever you wish, do as you desire. Not to mention... I may make a somewhat poor traveling companion."

At this she can't help but laugh, lighter and freer now. "I very much doubt that." She manages to say, quelling the laughter but unable to tame the beaming smile on her face. Hmm, what was it he said before? 'Those who hesitate are lost.'

So, what did she want? The answer was already there, in the hand offered to her. Without another heartbeat of hesitation, she took it.

[miixz]

Okay this will be rambly as it's been too long since I've tried to put my thoughts in a coherent meta sort of thing, but I've come to the conclusion I might like how the whipping is treated in erha.

(for anyone following the official english release, beware of spoilers ahead)

It was something that threw me off at first and made me doubt I'd ever really like Chu Wanning, I even compared him to Shen Jiu around that time, but looking back at it having read erha in its entirety I can look at it with a different perspective.

While I do like how having Chu Wanning whip Mo Ran so early on helps present him as the terrible teacher of Mo Ran's altered memories and deceive the reader, I think it's also an interesting side of him as a character that he did that in the first place. To me, it seems that Chu Wanning is one of the people who have bought into the myth of physical punishment which seems to exist in his society. It's not a belief shared by everyone, Mo Ran certainly doesn't buy into it, but it isn't a belief Chu Wanning seems to have taken from within himself or even one that he fully agrees with. 

There are rules on Sisheng Peak which include whipping as a punishment, we see this as the system Chu Wanning uses as a guideline to base his decisions on, not only for Mo Ran but himself as well. His punishments aren't chosen entirely on a whim. 

Chu Wanning looked up to shoot him a glare. The Jielü Elder shut up. “In accordance with the rules, the punishment for this transgression is two hundred strikes, three days of protracted kneeling in Yanluo Hall, and three months of confinement,” Chu Wanning stated. “I do not dispute the transgression, and I am prepared to receive the punishment.” Dumbfounded, the Jielü Elder glanced left and right, then curled his finger. The doors to the Discipline Court closed with a thud, leaving only the two of them standing face-to-face in the silence. “What is the meaning of this?” said Chu Wanning. “How do I say this… Yuheng Elder, it’s not like you don’t know—the rules may be rules, but they don’t really apply to you. The doors are closed; this stays between you and I. What say we just let it slide? If I actually strike you and the sect leader finds out, he’ll have my old hide.” Chu Wanning didn’t feel like wasting his breath, so he simply said, “I hold others to the rules, and I will hold myself to the same.”

Now, that doesn't excuse him, I wouldn't say that's what the story is trying to say and I'm not either. It's more that to me that's part of what makes it forgivable when to other characters it isn't.

There are characters like Madam Yu from MDZS who are clearly using that punishment excessively and unnecessarily, out of cruelty, which I can't forgive. Chu Wanning, however, I'd say is more misguided, which earns him a different approach.

Although he doesn't look remorseful when we first see him whip Mo Ran, we learn later that he was and tried to make up for it in his own awkward way. One of Chu Wanning's most defining traits is his immaturity (in my interpretation anyhow), he is a man that was raised not to be his own person and hasn't been living with others for all that long and it shows.

Huaizui seems to only have taught Chu Wanning shallowly, to the point of lying about the state of the world outside, because he was never meant to be his own person who has complex relationships with others. It makes sense though, why would he do that when Chu Wanning was only a vessel for someone else's soul?

So when it comes to making those difficult decisions, like how to discipline his disciples, he is sometimes lacking and refers to the guidelines that he has. With whipping being an acceptable punishment in his sect and his own issues with anger, I see how he arrived at that punishment at times.

It's an awful thing to do, but I like how it's a mistake that humanizes him and explores his upbringing and the places where he falls short.

And Chu Wanning himself knows, on some level, that this is the wrong way to go. That's why he feels guilty and makes Mo Ran wontons to apologize, but he lacks the ability to choose another course of action, most likely because he's never been taught how.

(And this is something that he does improve on somewhat throughout the book, especially in regards to how he treats Mo Ran, who challenges him to think about these difficult questions and to work on his emotions the most.)

In the end, I think Chu Wanning is someone who truly wants to be a good teacher and a good person that help others, which he does often achieve, but sometimes he is held back from that by his own shortcomings which themselves are connected with the ways in which he's been failed by others (especially those who were meant to care for him).

[quitealotofsodapop]

Wondering why in Season 4 we didn't get other characters interacting with their respective "past lives", while Mei was able to interact with Ao Lie (her supposed previous incarnation/ancestor)?

MK interacting with past!Sun Wukong - maybe encouraging him to move from his simple life on the island to seek out bigger things?

Past!SWK: *poking MK* "Wow. You are a weird looking monkey." MK: "Hey! I'm not a monkey! I think. Wait... aren't you Monkey King?" Past!SWK: "Whats a king?" MK, nervous: "The person in charge...?" Past!SWK: "What me?" *laughs* "I don't even have friends! Not a lot of the other infants are allowed play with me. Their mamas say I break things too much..." MK, realizing that past!SWK is alot smaller than in modern day: "Infants? Like... you?" Past!SWK: "Yeah... Jiejie Ma says I came out of a stone and thats why the other monkeys are scared of me. There's a new person on the island though. I wanna talk to them, but the elders say I shouldn't." MK: "How come?" Past!SWK: "Elders say the new monkey has many ears, and that means that they can't be trusted. I wanna go find them though. I don't want them to be lonely too..." MK: *in silent horror that he might be the deciding factor in Wukong and Macaque meeting for the first time*

Imagine the chaos of Pigsy having to teach Zhu Bajie not to be such a lazy lech following the celestial swine's encounter with Guanyin. Only to have to play matchmaker...

Pigsy: "I just saying, guy. One day you'll meet somebody so good, so perfect, that you'll trade in a million flings in the Celestial Realm for a chance at hello." Zhu Bajie: "Yeaah. I doubt there's a woman out there like that. Whatever poor dame got tricked into marrying you has got you whipped." *chauvinist laughter* Pigsy, muttering under his breath: "Shows what you know about being in love." *later, after helping a young bookish-looking woman against some bandits* Zhu Bajie, leaning down to help the woman up: "Hey. Sorry you had to that..." The Woman, cleaning her glasses: "No no! It's ok! You were so kind to come to-" *puts on glasses and finally sees Bajie's face* "...my aid." Zhu Bajie: *suddenly really embarassed* "Yeah... I ain't exactly a knight in shining armor. Better than nothing right?" The Woman, nervously laughing: "Oh no, thats not it! It's just... I know it's weird cus we just met but you were so brave saving me from those bandits, and you look really strong, so.. I was wondering uh... areyouperhapsseeinganyone?" Zhu Bajie: *completely stunned* Pigsy, feeling deja-vu: "Sorry for my friend. It was really no trouble helping you out Miss...?" The Woman: "Gao Cuilan. Of the Squire Gaos?" Pigsy: "Squire Gao? Like..." *notices the lovestruck looks on Zhu Bajie and the woman's faces* "OH. Now I remember."

Zhu Bajie then spends the rest of Pigsy's time in the scroll begging him to teach Bajie how to properly court someone, since Pigsy says he's experienced in this stuff right?? And Pigsy is debating whether or not to help since Zhu Bajie and the woman eventually end up divorcing so Bajie can join the pilgrims.

Zhu Bajie: "How do you do it?! How do you just... make someone fall in love with you and make it work?" Pigsy: "...honestly I just fed him noodles and suddenly we were married. He basically courtnapped himself into my kitchen and wouldn't leave." Zhu Bajie: "Thats terrible advice! And noodles? Not like flowers... or jewels, or even like poetry?? Your mate must have real low-standards." Pigsy: "HEY! Don't you disrespect a good bowl of noodles! Cooking can be a love language in it's own right!"

Meanwhile. Tang has to impart self-preservation skills onto Tripitaka/Tang Sanzang, who's never even stepped outside of Chang'an before and is too afraid to ask for anything less they be seen as a burden.

Tang: "Why can't you just volunteer to do the Grand Mass yourself? It's a huge opportunity and you even get to meet the Tang Emperor." Tripitaka: "N-no! I... I'd be taking the chance away from someone more deserving of such a task. It is not my place to ask for something not destined for me." Tang: "It's not wrong to be your own cheerleader. You gotta be selfish sometimes in order to do what's best for you." Tripitaka: "That sounds so small-minded - hey!" *pulls his bowl of food away as Tang reaches to steal some* Tang, smiling: "See! You instinctively pulled your food away! If you really didn't care about yourself, you would have just let me eat it." Tripitaka: "Because you just ate three bowls of rice!" Tang: "Well duh! You're not gonna build up energy just by eating one! C'mon, lets get you some noodles! You got a long journey ahead of you."

Sandy teaching Sha Wujing how to hold back his power and to appreciate the fragile things in life?

Sandy, holding sleepy Mo: "Look." Sha Wujing, completely amazed: "Oh my stars..." Sandy: "I'm gonna try passing him to you." Sha Wujing: "But what if-... what if I break it?" Sandy: "You won't. You don't want to break him. Just let him relax in your arms and see what he does." *passes over Mo* Sha Wujing: *stunned. staring at the sleepy cat in his arms* "!!!" Mo: *yawn!* "Mew?" Sha Wujing: *starts blubbering from the cuteness* Sandy, chuckling: "Yeah. I did that when I first adopted him as a kitten." Sha Wujing, still crying, now holding Mo like a baby: "THEY GET SMALLER!?"

You could even get past!Macaque in on the chaos by having himself interact with his own past. Ends up being like that one episode of Duckman.

Past!Macaque (during the Brotherhood days): "How often do you get a chance like this? Theres so much I got to know! Like with Wukong... am I doing the right thing staying with him? Do we get stronger together? Does the Brotherhood really make a difference for people? Do... do me and Wukong grow old and fat on fruit together like we promised?" Macaque, wistfully: "...You're gonna love him til the day you die. And even more." Past!Macaque: "...Maybe I don't need to know more than that." Macaque:*immediately escapes his own scroll*

Look I just love the idea of the mcs having to deal with the faults of their predecesors like Mei does.

[misc-obeyme]

hihi I'm back again, and here to ask who in the cast you think has the skill to do hair/up do's?

I'm 5'9, but my hair is now down to my mid thigh, and like around three feet long ?? I haven't chopped it since 2018, only trimmed it. Yet I only know how to do a simple braid, my hair basically lives in a low ponytail lol (though my mom will still do my hair if I ask her for help, which I'm grateful for)

anyway I got to read vol 2 of the manga and I remembered that the artist drew their interpretation of Lilith. So, it made me wonder if Beel or Belphie would know how to do hair, since they were the closest to her, and if she ever asked them for help?

I think Levi would be able to follow any tutorial, or figure out how to do something by trial and error since he cosplays (I bet he made his ruri-chan wig himself). I'd love to show him a picture of the heroine from whatever anime I'm watching and ask if he could help me recreate their style

Asmo we've seen in the dame cards, he's done some cute hairstyles!! I bet I could go to him if I had a fancy event.

I still think about Mammon's dame card... The chokehold it has on me is wild. We saw him do his own make-up in the art, and I think it was said he made his own outfit. So he's a maybe I could go to him? Or he'd put a lot of effort into learning because he knows it'd make me happy lolol

Barbatos also looks really pretty in the dame card !! I haven't read that devilgram, so idk if he did it himself, but what can't he do? I know in TTWF devilgram he literally makes MC's outfit and it made me SWOON

my last thought is if you can just do stuff with magic instead. Does it drain your energy to keep the style, or is it a one and done kinda spell, and don't gotta worry about it? Could a really powerful sorcerer change their hair color, and never have to worry about it fading? That'd be really cool, since I need to re dye the streaks in my hair. That would save lots of money LOL

okay I'm done 😅 time to wait ten billion years for my hair to dry now and try drawing (aiming for every other day to create something new to get better!!)

- ✨ anon

HOW do you handle having hair that long?!?

I'm 5'7" and I used to have my hair down to my low back. It was during the pandemic when I couldn't exactly go get it cut, so I just let it grow lol. And it grows dang fast, but I don't think I've ever had it past the low back area??? Do you accidentally sit on it sometimes? Or is it usually okay because you have it tied back?

All I know is I was so relieved to chop it all off lol! It's super short now, which is how I like it. It takes me ten minutes to wash and style it. I just don't have the patience to maintain it when it's long. And it's naturally curly, so having it short also means I can just let it curl and not worry about it. Ah but I am pretty envious because I always wanted to be able to have one of those really long, thick braids...

Anyway, getting off topic here, back to the question! I do think magic can be used to alter hair! I think sometimes you can get stuff that's temporary (I do believe there was a daily chat about this where Asmo put some kind of potion or something on Lucifer and Mammon?), but I would be surprised if there wasn't some kind of magic spell to permanently keep your hair whatever color you want. I think it's probably just a one and done situation so you wouldn't have to maintain it. Or at least, they'd want to develop something like that because otherwise it wouldn't be worth it right?

As for the characters, I agree with your assessments! I do think in a general sense, they'd all try their best to do your hair if you needed them to.

But as for who would already be capable without having to learn first, I think Asmo is a top contender. Barb can absolutely do anything and I don't doubt that styling hair is something a good butler should know.

I think Levi is another good option for the same reasons you said! I think he probably does have some skill at wig styling! And due to his ability to do costuming in general, I kinda think he'd be able to do a good job on real hair as well if he wanted to.

I love the idea of Beel and Belphie being good at it because of Lilith. Like I'm imagining they only know some really basic styles that were her favorites, but they're happy to do them for you any time. Maybe they get a little misty eyed while doing it because it reminds them of her so much. Awww...

I actually think Lucifer would do a good job, too, but expect to be sitting around for hours because he's gonna make sure no hair is out of place. Only perfection will suffice.

I think Mammon probably mastered whatever style he needed for his dame outfit, but I do think he would learn for you if you wanted him to.

Satan probably already learned from a book or maybe just from watching Asmo doing his hair. But I could see him wanting to do really elaborate styles or maybe using magic to style your hair.

I think Solomon would also be someone you could try, but he would absolutely use magic. I think if you really wanted him to, he would know how to do simple styles by hand. I could see him being really happy to carefully braid your hair by hand. But he wouldn't be able to resist a little bit of magic, maybe to give it an extra sparkle or a streak of color~ I think he'd develop all kinds of hair styling magic if you wanted him to lol.

Diavolo strikes me as willing but perhaps not the best at this particular thing... he doesn't exactly have experience with his own hair.

And I'm not sure about Simeon. I feel like he's pretty competent (except for technology obviously), so he would probably be able to learn how to do it fairly easily. But I don't know if he'd already have some knowledge. Same with Raphael. Though I love the idea of both of them like... doing the hair of little angels~

Mephisto would know about a bunch of fancy Devildom styles, but would he be able to do them? I think you might end up with your hair braided like a horse's mane instead.

Thirteen would know how to do everything. She's got her own long hair and there's no way that she hasn't experimented with it over the years! I love the idea of her doing your hair and her own hair in the same style so you match.

Anyway, I hope you have been able to get some drawing done! Every other day is an excellent goal! I'm rooting for you!!

[thesupernaturalhouse]

The mroe I think about it the mroe I realize I don't know what exactly I was to do with Adam and the exorcists in the hazbins fallen au

On the one hand, I want to keep it close to canon, on the other hand, I want to show that really nobody is at fault, and it's just a bunch of miscommunication and mistakes

Like, I highly doubt the exorcists had a choice to be exorcists, and it's not like they can just- retire

I just really want to expand on heaven and how it works and is flawed

Cause like I don't think heaven is doing anything out of maliciousness, like, Sera obviously doesn't like doing the exterminations but allows them out of futy and fear of having hell residents destroying heaven and tormenting their victims who amd eit to heaven further

Like, if I was told rapists and murderers were coming to my house, I'd grab a gun to!

The exorcists likely had no choice but to kill, and overtime just, grew into it

Adam.....well, an asshole obviously, but even then, he wouldn't be a real problem if he wasn't put in the position of being the exorcist leader and able to take out his aggression in the dude who stole both his wives. He'd still be a dick but not a threat

Honestly, idk if I want to have him die in the fallen, I feel like there's a lot more that could be done with him. The finale battle is obviously gonna be included I mean- it has to be, but maybe Adam lives in this au

Or, at the very least, comes back as a sinner/fallen angle. That's gonna be difficult to write, though, if I do go with that

Like, I think the biggest reveal in the au is gonna be that heavens rules ARE rigged....but not on purpose, the rules were made when the archangels ruled and it was just left uo to one seraphim to deal with everything

They were written when humanity was starting out, written when they thought humans woukd stay the same- but they don't, they change, they ahve reasons for doing bad things

But the rules are just that, rules. They can't look at someone's past and see that they stole to provide for their family. They just see stole and send them to hell.

The system is rigged, but it's not anybody's fault. It's just a bunch of miscalculations and mistakes

And even though it's not anybodies fault, the actions that have been taken have affected innocent people, intentionally or not, and they need to fix it

So I mean, I'm not sure how ambitious that is of me, but it is what I want to at least TRY to do

I wanna add another more detailed layer rather than just have 'heavens actually bad and hell is actually good'

I mean, maybe the archangels oversaw people's sins and backstorues and stuff and decided where they went, but then they left for some weird reason. Hey, maybe I make them the real villains, and they dip cause the human project wasn't going how they wanted, so I left it to Sera/the rest of heaven and just dipped to go do smth else

Like, nobodies at fault for what your ancestors chose to do. And even then, I mean their angels. They can't really realize their actions caused so much chaos so even then it circles back to no one's really wrong people just fucked uo and made bad mistakes/choices

Cause like, Sera being portrayed as the bad guy rubs me the wrong way nd Emily saying "killing innocent souls" in cnaon also runs me the wrong way. Like, Emily, I love you....but I can guarantee that MOST sinners are not innocent. You might get some who were falsely condemned or have minor crimes and can change, but you also have people like Valentino for fucks sake

Side note I think what she shouldve said was "you are killing, possibly innocent souls" or something similar

I guess the main theme? I wanna go for in my fic/au is 'change' and that people can be wrong without being in the wrong, or being the bad guy

So that is a LONG rant, I honestly didn't mean for it to be this long- it was jsut meant to be like "idk what to do with the murder angles please help me" and turned into a rant.....

Anyways, I'll save the main theme talk for another day