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epicbuddieficrecs · 7 months ago

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Weekly Recap | November 4th-10th 2024

I think we can all agree that last week was a bit of a rollercoaster? 🙃 At least we still have our emotional support gay firefighter show ❤️

(as always, if you know someone who's not tagged, please tag them in the comments!)

Complete

Good Luck Babe by jesuisici33/ @jesuisici33 (Post-S8E6: Confessions Coda | 1K | Teen): Buck nods. His own face still has that kicked puppy look. But he manages a smile. Even sad, Buck’s smiles light his face up. Eddie thinks he could never get tired of Buck’s smiles. “Why did you shave it off? I need a distraction. A happy one.” “I’m working on no longer denying myself fruit juice.” It’s Buck’s turn to open and close his mouth in confusion. “O…kay? I don’t know what that means.”

watch you win, watch you cry by wenttoafortuneteller (Post-S8E6: Confessions Coda, Pre-Buddie | 1K | Teen): Buck lets out a long, tired sigh and admits: “Tommy broke up with me.” “Oh,” Eddie says. He makes a conscious effort not to smile.

your shoulders brush (no proof, one touch) by farfromthstars/ @doeeyeseddie (S8E6: Confessions Coda, Pre-Buddie | 1K | General): “It’s not funny,” Buck whines. “I just thought– we have– were having a good time together. And he’s been so great through the whole figuring myself out, he made me feel so, um, so secure in my sexuality, you know?” “Well, you’re not any less bisexual if you’re not dating him,” Eddie shrugs. “So I guess he didn’t feel the same way, then?” “Kind of?” Buck turns on the couch and pulls one of his legs up. His knee nudges Eddie’s thigh, and Eddie is suddenly very aware that he’s not wearing pants.

ode to a conversation by markofalover/ @markofalover (Post-S8E6: Confessions Coda, Getting Together 3K | Explicit): “He was right to break it off, because—Josh asked if I thought about him when he wasn’t around, and if his concerns and happiness were important to me, if I saw a future, and, Eddie, I—” “Buck,” Eddie cuts through again, and this time Buck listens. Closes his mouth and stares at him with big blue eyes, and Eddie. Eddie’s heart is in his mouth. It’s right in front of him. “Come here.”

It’s Always Been You by scarmaddiewrites (S8, Getting Together, PWP | 3K | Explicit): Buck and Eddie travel to Texas to pick up Chris and run into some issues, all leading to them finally getting together.

ode to joy by signetsealed/ @gayeddieagenda (Post-S8E6: Confessions Coda, PWP | 3K | Explicit): “Okay,” Buck says. "Let's do that.” Eddie frowns. “Do what? Dance?” “Sure,” Buck says. “That, or whatever else you were thinking of doing. We can…be joyful.”

i must confess, i’m in love with my own sins by inbetweenthestacks/ @organizedstardust (S8E6: Confessions Spec | 3K | Teen): “I just want it to be easy, you know? I don’t want to have to think about if I’m acting the right way or saying the right thing. I just want to have a-a person. I want someone that wants to stand next to me. I want to know someone is always gonna pick me, no matter what, they’ll have my back. Like how it is with—“ he stops short. Buck, he almost says. Like how it is with Buck. — Eddie goes to confession and has a few revelations.

lock me down tonight by lecornergirl/ @clusterbuck (PWP, Getting Together | 4K | Explicit): Buck grabs the bathroom door, but freezes before he can open it more than an inch. Because Eddie is in the shower, but he’s not crying. Eddie is standing with one arm braced against the tiled wall, turned away from the door. The shower spray cascades over his muscled back and the curve of his ass. His other hand is wrapped around his cock.

"What the fuck, make your move." by dylaesthetics (Post-S8E6: Confessions Coda, PWP | 4K | Explicit): When Buck smashes their mouths together, Eddie forgets how to breathe. Then, he isn’t all that interested in basic human necessities such as that. He thinks, at the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy of needs instead lie Kissing Buck, Making Buck moan, and Trying not to come in my briefs. ~ OR Eddie is Buck's last.

Thankful for You by scarmaddiewrites (S8, BT Break-Up, Pre-Buddie): The one where Buck plans Thanksgiving dinner at his place and then breaks up with his boyfriend.

Take The Bitter With The Sweet by fruitsdoesnotknow/ @tayf-ghost (Ravi POV, Gettign Together | 5K | Teen): No one thought to brief Ravi on the Buckley-Diaz situation when he finally joins the 118. Spoiler, it goes about as well as a car crash.

first and last by hispolestar (Post-S8E6: Confessions Coda | 6K | Explicit): And suddenly, like Eddie summoned him, Buck is standing in front of his door. Eddie’s not sure if this indicates that God is real, because He saw Eddie’s quest for joy, or if it’s just Evan Buckley. It’s probably the latter.

The Only Truth by phdmama/ @phdmama (Magic AU, Getting Together | 6K | Explicit): Eddie says, “I fucking hate you.” At least, that’s what Eddie intends to say, because he means it, in that moment he absolutely means it, having just watched Buck rappel four stories down a burning building and hit the ground eight seconds ahead of the roof caving in. What comes out instead is, “I fucking love you.” Luckily, just as he had opened his mouth, the roof had, in fact, collapsed, which caused a lot of commotion and noise and whatnot, and Eddie’s words, his very strange and unintended words, get lost in the mayhem. Huh, Eddie thinks as his body moves on autopilot, racing across the cracked asphalt of the parking lot. That was weird.

a night in early october by brewrosemilk/ @gayhoediaz (Post-S5, Getting Together | 6K | Mature): Buck comes home from an extra shift, and Eddie makes him dinner.

sweet talk with a hint of sin by justhockey (Post-S8E6: Confessions Coda, Getting Together, PWP | 7K | Explicit): He doesn’t want to stop; he doesn’t even want to slow down. He wants this, here, for the rest of his life. And he’s past wondering if he deserves it, past thinking he isn’t good enough for a man like Buck, past being scared of the love that lives inside of him. He wants Buck selfishly, wants him greedily, and if he’s willing to give himself over to Eddie, then Eddie isn’t a selfless enough man to say no. He isn’t strong enough to deny himself such joy. “Need you,” Eddie begs. “Please, Buck. Please.”

said that i was fine, said it from my coffin by justhockey (Post-S7, BT Break-Up, Getting Together | 7K | Teen): Buck leans in so close that Eddie can feel his breath on his cheek when he asks, “Hey, are you sure you’re alright?” “I’m fine,” Eddie lies. And it doesn’t matter that he feels like he’s dying. Like the version of himself that he’s always been is suddenly a stranger to him - just a mask he’d spent his entire life hiding behind, without ever even realising he was wearing it. It doesn’t matter that Eddie is…that he’s gay. Because he knows - as surely as he knows that the sun will rise again tomorrow - that the only person he has ever, and will ever, truly love is Buck. And Buck isn’t his to love.

don’t mention any other name (that doesn’t sound like mine) by bandshirts (Post-S7, Getting Together | 9K | Mature): Or, Eddie flirts with a man at a gay bar. Buck is totally normal about it. (Spoiler: he’s not.)

so only say my name (it will be held against you) by bandshirts (Post-7x04, Getting Together | 10K | Explicit): Or, Buck accidentally says Eddie’s name during sex, figures out some things about himself, and finally gets the right guy this time.

WIP

wicked dreams by hispolestar (Post-S7, BT Break-Up, Eddie Sexuality Crisis, Getting Together | 3/9 | 14K | Explicit): Eddie’s trouble starts with a dream. Well, it actually starts much earlier, when he runs into a woman who is the literal carbon copy of his dead wife. Or, alternatively it starts with a lightning bolt. Or a sniper. Or a firetruck. Or a car crash. Or, realistically, a grenade embedded in a seventh-grade teacher’s leg. It starts with blue eyes, broad shoulders and a tenacity that shocks Eddie to his very core. But right now, Eddie’s trouble starts with a dream. ~ Eddie, alone and confused, is navigating Christopher's extended stay in Texas, while also grappling with feelings he's been repressing for seven years. Buck, who misses Chris dearly, is struggling under Gerrard and his boyfriend's dismissive attitude. In the wreckage of their lives, they find each other.

I guess your mama didn't know the gift she got when she got you by disasterbuck/ @disasterbuck (Post-S7, Fake Relationship | 5/? | 10K | Teen): "He has someone else he can go to," Eddie said automatically, Buck's smiling face flashing into his mind. "Your friend Buck doesn't count," she said dismissively, and Eddie felt his hackles rising defensively. "I'm talking about a partner, Eddie. Someone who will commit to being with you and Christopher for the rest of your lives." "Buck is committed," Eddie said before he could think about what he was saying. "He's not going anywhere." There was a pause on the other end of the line. "When you say committed…" she asked hesitantly, voice trailing off. - Tired of his mom's nagging, Eddie tells a lie that spirals wildly out of control.

Gentle On My Mind by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon Divergent, Shannon Lives, Buck/Eddie/Shannon | 7/? | 44K | Explicit): In which Shannon lives, tells a lie, and sends hers, Eddie's, and Buck's lives down a very different path.

& such by colonoscopys/ @colonoscopys (81K | Teen): prompts and spec fics and codas and all the works jumbled mumbled into one place.

Chapter 20: GAY EDDIE REAL (1K)

Podfic

🔥[podfic] a night in early october by half_bakedboy/ @half-bakedboy // fic by brewrosemilk/ @gayhoediaz (Post-S5, Getting Together | 30-45min | Mature): Buck comes home from an extra shift, and Eddie makes him dinner.

Re-read

woke up the girl who looked just like you, i almost said your name by rarakiplin (gmontys)/ @hoediaz (S5, Out Eddie, Getting Together | 9K | Teen): Or, five times Eddie dates a guy a little too similar to Buck, and one time he dates the real deal.

#buddie #buddie fanfiction #buddie fic rec #epic buddie fic rec #buddie fanfic #buddie fic #i'm quickly approaching 300 writers/podficcers recced since the beginning of this blog!!!

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kazu-naito · 5 months ago

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deep diving into the angel hierarchy of heaven's secret:

disclaimers: a) most of what i'm writing here are my own thoughts and theories; b) i'm not yet caught up with the abh january update, so if there is anything missing from there i'll add it later on

in the original duology we never got much information about how the angels hierarchy work in this universe and only knew a few names, however we did get the full picture in hsr and the order goes: seraphims > cherubs > thrones > supremacy > authority > beginning > archangels > angels

so far into the hs we've only met representatives of 3 of these 'classes' (aside from regular angels ofc) and i put one for each here:

(moreover, keep in mind these rankings are not exclusively set by birth, as we've seen rebecca climbing from the very bottom to the very top)

now it differs a bit from most of the christianity angel rankings, in which supremacy and beginning don't exist, no alternate names that i found had these names but i don't think it matters. in this context they would be replaced by dominions and principalities, respectively. still going by these, there's an omission of virtues but they do what they gotta do (or maybe they belong to that empty spot in the middle)

going back to heaven's secret, the only visible difference between angels of different spheres is that those of the first sphere have yellow/golden wings, whereas everyone else has common white/fair wings. a good example is fencio, who lost his throne status and therefore - the colour of his wings as well

i also don't think they would've shown us the full ranking if it wasn't gonna be explored more, after all we went years without it with no issues. and it was only the angel's that was revealed, not the demons' as well

from the new characters we only know of mikael's ranking so far - archangel. which tbf makes it a bit hard to guess everyone else but here are some theories:

raphael: although he is not mikael's blood brother he could still also be an archangel. throughout the book we see he has a special connection to heaven and formidable power - he could be a regular angel with unusual abilities. i don't think he is higher ranking than mikael since he is his 'subordinate'

somnus/furius: higher ranking than mikael. i haven't seen the wings to put them amongst the actual big shots but if i had to guess i'd put them in the second sphere - they have enough power to be an archangel's superior but if they had actual power they'd be busy ruling heaven and not supervising earthly matters

anhea: regular angel. she has said it herself she fought the war against the mother of life on the outskirts while the big names were in the frontlines

edit feb/25: anhea confirmed she is a lower ranking angel

cain: everything about him is a mystery ngl. if we are to believe pileon's words about him going against his own family, the type of power he possesses, the easy superiority in fights/energy/strength against other immortals - i would say he is in the very least an archangel. the recent confirmation that his family is indeed dead (and he was very very likely responsible) made me think he either got a lenient punishment (which wouldn't happen if he wasn't 'important') or he got a punishment similar to fencio's and lost his original ranking. or maybe he's just old idk

#romance club #i read the bible for this #ps on cain: 6 wings are associated with seraphs although this hasn't been used in hs #just food for thought #rc hs 2 #rc heaven's secret #rc hsr #rc abh #theories

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faeriedaez · 2 months ago

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After the recent funny post about 4 inch tall fairies in @anim-ttrpgs's Eureka, I ended up sharing some of my "head canons" about fairyland within the Eureka universe, specifically as they related to little tiny fairies, (which henceforth I shall refer to as Garden Fairies.) The lead writer of Eureka, enjoyed my head canons well enough that he encouraged me to share them on tumblr! I'd like to emphasize, although these ARE "head canons" they are all informed by mechanics and flavor texts from the actual book, so if you like these vibes PLEASE check out Eureka, and I'll leave another link at the bottom of this post.

So in Eureka, it is emphasized that the only monsters which are available as player character options, are those which can passably disguise themselves as regular humans, so the Fairy Investigators have to be (relatively) regularly sized, right? But that however does NOT exclude the possibility for the more modern idea of a Garden Fairy as the sort of monster which CAN'T be ran as a player character.

My head canon is thus, an inconceivably long time ago, a Curse of Reduction was placed upon the Family Names of all the Families who were of sufficiently low strata within the incomprehensible hierarchy of fairy society. So even "to this day*," all fairies of low enough standing are tiny little Garden Fairies! I think many of them will often Remove the Curse from themselves in private, but they are expected to reapply it before appearing in "polite" society.

I think, due in part of their status and thusly being the constant butt of the jokes of regular fairies of standing above them, that (many, but not ALL) Garden Fairies would be kinder to Humans and Changelings. This fits rather well with the pop culture understanding of Tiny Fairies.

I think it is also important to note that I conceptualize ALL the stratification of Fairy society as a sort of compulsory play... It's all rules for the sake of rules. Norms for the sake of norms. Social Class for the sake of Social Class! The "lower class" fairies aren't actually expected to be performing any kind of LABOR. That's why the society can afford to have it's lowest class be tiny in the first place! It's stratification simply for it's own sake. It's a game, it's rules and roles and playing it right! It's who can play what way, whose jokes can be played on who. But if you don't play right, the consequences can be life or death regardless.

This is part of what makes changelings stand out so thoroughly; an inability to intuit the rules. This also thoroughly emphasizes changelings as specifically children from families of middling to higher standing. Which I think fits very neatly within the implications of Eureka's Fairies and Changelings to begin with.

This is all why I love Eureka's approach to Fairies and Fairyland. The implications of the flavor and mechanics are JUST enough to paint this picture to me, and its the same sort of picture that growing up reading so many fairy tales from disparate times and places painted to me. Which makes sense! Given how Eureka fairies were constructed.

I think this head canon also makes room for a lot more types of fairytale fairies! These little "Garden Fairies," families of lower standing... THESE are the sorts of fairies who would live in the walls of a cobblers house and come out at night to help repair the shoes.

Anyways, if you're reading this post and you aren't ALREADY a Eurekahead, check out the game, I promise you won't regret it!

*my head canons on the subjects of the incongruity of chronology between fairyland and the Human World are vague and obfuscative as everything we've discussed here, and probably best left for another post. But they can be summarized as one can summarize all of Eureka's Fairyland: It never QUITE makes sense and sounds closer to a bedtime story than "lore." Anyways, Check out my Eureka OC post about Briar, a lot of what I've talked about here is touched upon!

#ttrpg #Eureka #indie ttrpgs #ttrpgs #ttrpg community #rpgs #Fairy #fairytales #fairyposting #fairycore #fairysona #faewild #fairies #fair folk #faewilds #elf #elf posting

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unfortunate17 · 1 year ago

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i agree with you about being frustrated with how often this fandom has top/bottom discussions but its a pretty common talking point in most fandoms so YR isn’t special for that

No I totally agree with you that it’s a common topic of discussion in a lot of fandoms, but there’s a particular way we have it in this fandom that really grinds my gears.

And don’t get me wrong, I don’t care if you hc Wilmon to be vers or if you think Wille tops or Simon tops or whatever - it’s the justification and reasoning that I’m seeing behind these headcanons that I find deeply irritating and, frankly, insulting and kind of homophobic.

This is going to get long so forgive me.

1. I’ve seen so many posts talk about how the show is “brave” and “subversive” by having Wille go down on Simon or potentially bottom, but like - what the hell are we even talking about? In what world is it subversive to show a queer character having queer sex?? What are we subverting?? This show has never shown us anything with its intimate scenes other than two guys that are deeply in love and really horny for eachother and I hate that we keep bringing this shit up!!!

2. I’ve also seen people say that it was very important for us to see Wille moving to go down on Simon in the tape in S1 because it’s “more damning evidence that he’s queer” and otherwise Wille could’ve just said he was horny and desperate but he was actually imagining he was with a girl in his denial statement. But be so fucking forreal, in what world is that a thing he could argue in an official statement to the press? He’d be the laughing stock of the world.

Wilhelm isn’t more or less gay because he went down on Simon vs the other way around. He’d still be having queer sex because he’s having sex with another guy. Arguing that the framing here is for anything other than a plot device so Wille’s face wouldn’t be visible to set up the denial is actually kind of ridiculous.

As someone very smart on here said, “I’m sorry that you apparently have a tier list of sex acts ranging from “kinda straight” to “Gaylord” 😭😭 get well soon, couldn’t be me.”

Imagine for one second Simon was the one giving Wille head? Would you have criticized the show for that?? And WHY?!

3. Next: saying that Wilmon’s relationship is “equal” because you think they’re vers is…a take and a half lmao. What the fuck does being vers have to do with a relationship being equal?? Why are we assigning arbitrary hierarchies to sexual preferences??? Why are we implying that topping and bottoming are somehow not equal and you have to carefully balance both, when, ideally, it’s just whatever the fuck everyone is into???

Wille isn’t selfish for topping. Simon isn’t sacrificing anything by bottoming. They’re fucking because they’re in love and they want to 😭

TLDR: Wille doesn’t suck Simon’s dick for class liberation. Simon riding Wille isn’t a commentary on how he’s “girl-coded.” It’s just sex, leave them alone to have a good time and stop assigning agendas to queer sex.

#ask #this got long and crass and I’m NOT sorry #I stole this response from a convo I had with someone in the DMs so ty for your contributions to this post bestie you know who you are #but I could not bite my tongue for any longer #young royals

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diaryofageekgirl · 5 months ago

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Cross-posting my meta/ranting from the Helluva Boss subreddit. Originally posted June 22, 2024 (here):

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I love both Stolas and Blitzø. I'm super invested in this relationship. Both of them made mistakes, but both of them are also coming from places of trauma and previous fucked up interpersonal relationships. That being said, I don't really feel the need to point out how Blitzø fucked up, because so much of the fandom is so biased towards Stolas that everyone is already well aware of that part of the problem. I'm also very aware of the fact that Stolas has grown significantly as a character, but sometimes people in the audience forget the difference between what WE know, and what the CHARACTERS know. Now that that's out of the way...

Oh my god, THANK YOU. There was one particular line in Apology Tour that stuck out to me, especially because Blitzø's reaction wasn't what I hoped it would be.

Stolas: "I don't look down on you! How many times do I ha- when have I ever?!"

Oh, I don't know dude, maybe the entire first season?!

Episode 1: refers to Blitzø as "my little imp" during the phone call (using his bottom-of-the-hierarchy species as a cute pet name is..... bad. It's bad). Also just fully ignores the fact that Blitzø tells him that it's not a good time, that he doesn't understand what he's saying (more than once!) and clearly just agrees to the deal in order to deal with the more pressing issue of being shot at.

Episode 2: CONSTANTLY flirts with Blitzø using incredibly sexual language throughout the episode, even when Blitzø repeatedly tells him that he doesn't want to be flirted with while he's working. (That's not even going into how he completely ignores Octavia's emotions/reactions to what's going on around her and just focuses on himself and what he thinks is a good idea in the moment. That's two for two on episodes where his stunning lack of self-awareness shines through).

Isn't in episode 3 or 4. Though I will take a second to acknowledge one line in episode 3 - when Blitzø charges into the room and challenges Verosika and her crew, one of the succubi says "Is this little imp boy starting a demon duel?" Yet another example of imps being treated as lesser by other demons.

Episode 5: The constant heavy-handed flirting in public, again, even though Blitzø repeatedly tells him not to, again. On top of that, there's the "itty bitty imps like yourself" comment that he makes to Blitzø while in bed, and not even a minute later, tells him in cutesy UWU baby talk that he's "sowwy his cwients wiw have to wait" - not taking Blitzø or his work seriously. And, of course, we get Striker telling Blitzø that Stolas treats him like a plaything.....

Episode 6: ......aaaaaand the very next episode has Stolas literally calling Blitzø his "impish little plaything". Side note, but I feel like most discussions about Stolitz's dynamic and the imbalance present in it focuses on this line in particular, but not the rest of his behaviour throughout the whole first season. He is constantly making aggressively sexual comments, oftentimes right after being asked or told not to by Blitzø, sometimes after being told more than once.

Episode 7, he's actually fine. Hiding his face when Ozzie singles him out isn't great, but he had just been publicly embarrassed, and if you watch in the background, he does get up from the table (likely about to try to help Blitzø) right at the end of Verosika's bit, before he's interrupted by Asmodeus. And while I'm certain he really did just want to "talk, or watch a movie, or cuddle", I can also see how easy it would be for Blitzø to interpret that as him asking to Netflix and Chill, as it were.

(Also, not a major thing, but having a little plush imp doll as a kid (as seen in S2E1) feels.....really weird, to me? Like I know most posts on SocMed and reactions on YT just see it as cute, and I'm probably reading too much into it, and I know that IRL toy dolls and stuffed dolls of people are a common thing, but just the idea of a prince having a plush doll of a low-class citizen feels really bad. A literal plaything, if you will.)

Season 2, Episode 2: Not much, but even though they had a tiny bit of a fight (if you can even call it that) after Ozzie's, and even though they haven't been communicating super well, and even though he's concerned about finding Octavia, Stolas still finds an opportunity to make a sexual comment towards Blitzø.

Season 2, Episode 4: Ohhhhhhhhhh my god, I never even used to be mad about this, but the way that it got brought up in Apology Tour made me pissed. Stolas now getting upset about Blitzø not coming to rescue him when Striker kidnapped him? Telling him that he "couldn't even be bothered to come help me"? Fuck. Off. With. That. As a father of a daughter himself, you'd think that Stolas would be sympathetic to the fact that Blitzø was trying to help out his own daughter in that scene, especially considering that he had to wait 5 fucking years for a mandatory medical procedure. Of fucking course he's not going to skip out on that! And just the way he responds to that:

Stolas: Oh, ha, ha. Well, I do agree that is very important...But, I-

(and then he's cut off by Striker). I urge anyone and everyone to go rewatch that bit of the episode, because his tone of voice is just so dismissive. Like, "yes, yes, that's nice, now drop everything and come rescue me, which is more important". And that's before he even realizes that he's in serious danger!!!

Like, I'm sorry, but where the fuck does he get off getting mad at Blitzø for "always making it about sex"? Blitzø has only ever reacted to the sexual advances that Stolas was putting out - even from the very first hook-up, Stolas just assumed that Blitzø was there to seduce him, and Blitzø just went along with it as a way to distract him while he stole the book. He agreed to the transactional fucking in episode 1 while he was being shot at and was trying to get Stolas off his back. He's expressed annoyance towards Stolas' sexual advances in episodes 2 and 5 of season 1. And now suddenly it's Blitzø that makes it all about sex?!

And what do you mean, "How many times do I ha-" Have to what, buddy? Tell him that you see him as an equal? You haven't done that yet. Tell him that you love him? You did that whole conversation in pretty much the exact wrong order and shut down when he didn't react like you imagined in your head. Tell him that you think highly of him? You haven't done that. Not directly to him, not where he could hear, not before the end of that argument, right before forcibly teleporting him away from you, which, y'know, just reinforces Blitzø's earlier comment about treating him like one of his butlers, and how he "can't just dismiss [him]."

He may not have ever actively viewed Blitzø as inferior to him, but there's a LOT of internalized classism going on that I'm not sure he's even aware of.

(continued in a later comment):

One thing I'd like to add to all of 👆 that: I mentioned a bit about other people in Hell talking down to imps, but one thing I forgot to talk about is how Stolas himself views imps that aren't Blitzø. Quick list (entirely from memory):

Refers to Millie and Moxxie as "you littler ones" in Loo-Loo Land

Refers to I.M.P. collectively as "you little creatures" in Truth Seekers

The generally condescending and dismissive way he talks to the imps of the Wrath Ring in Harvest Moon Festival - if I'm remembering correctly, he also refers to them as little! Like I get it, he's crazy tall, but we all know that's not the only way to interpret that comment.

3.5 Since Stolas (and a big chunk of the fandom) went ahead and compared Blitzø's comments to Striker's, I'm gonna do the same to him! Those comments are so reminiscent of Striker saying "you little things ain't worth the clean-up" to Moxxie and Millie, also from Harvest Moon Festival.

4. Picking up, forcefully squeezing, and swinging around his imp butler while he was mad during his phone call with Stella in Seeing Stars. I'm not saying that he's abusive towards his staff, or anything like that - just that the very fact that he did it at all seemed to be totally subconscious, which in turn suggests that he doesn't realize how demeaning that is.

5. Actually, now that I think about it - the fact that he's so upset that specifically Blitzø didn't rescue him in Western Energy. The main reason he's alive and not bleeding out in the bottom of a mine shaft is because Millie and Moxxie showed up, and they only knew to go there and help him because Blitzø told them/they were there during the phone call. Like, does he even know their names? Is he even grateful that they helped? We don't know!

I saw someone in another thread say that he was essentially at the equivalent of the "I'm not racist, I don't even see colour!" stage of racism, and I completely agree. He doesn't realize all of these internalized prejudices he has, but they are ABSOLUTELY there.

(comment on another thread, building off of the comments I made about s2e4, originally posted July 7, 2024):

Also, a few other points to build off of this & respond to other comments on this thread:

"But he didn't tell Stolas about the first time, and the Carmine-crafted gun that Striker had that can kill royal demons" - You mean the one that Moxxie took from him and still has in his possession at the end of Harvest Moon Festival? The one that Moxxie was shocked that Striker even managed to get his hands on? Remember, I.M.P. didn't know that Striker was working for anyone; logically, that means they would have assumed that he got the weapon entirely on his own, and something like that is both rare and expensive - imps don't typically "make it big" in Hell, and I can't imagine a powerful Overlord would be thrilled to give a weapon that could kill them to someone so far below them in status. With them taking it from him and keeping it at the end of the episode, it means that they would assume that he's no longer a serious threat. They had no way of knowing he was being bankrolled by a royal, with access to three more angelic weapons (two pistols and a knife) (four if you count the rope as well).

"Stolas: You knew someone was trying to assassinate me?" Uhhhhh, yeah? You were there for Loo-Loo Land, dude, you know that people are trying to assassinate you, like all the time. This isn't news in any way - and yes, Striker is generally more dangerous than any of the assassins that we saw in that episode, it still doesn't change the fact that you're already well aware that being rich and royal puts a target on your back. This is really unfair to get upset with Blitzø for. (I'm aware that this is an argument and sometimes you bring up unfair accusations in arguments and both of them were very heated and I shouldn't have to plaster every comment about this episode and this relationship with disclaimers that I'm not hating anyone, just expressing frustration.)

#sorry for the long post i am incapable of being succinct #kat chats #helluva boss #meta #stolas #stolitz #blitzø #moxxie #millie #since i do bring them up at least a little bit #i actually have another post i want to make about re: M&M and my comments about s2e4 but i'll do that later #also reiterating my disclaimer that i love all of these characters - stolas is just currently at a very specifically frustrating point #in his character arc/growth #my meta

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jinxed-sinner · 10 months ago

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Am I the only one who thinks the demon hierarchy is made pretty clear in both Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss (although definitely more in Helluva Boss)? Like I see people make the claim that it isn't clear and it makes me wonder if we watched the same thing. The entire point of the conflicts in Stolas's interpersonal relationships is that there's a hierarchy and he's disregarding it by fucking Blitz, an imp.

Lucifer's at the top of it all, because why wouldn't he be (let's also throw Charlie here, since she's Lucifer's daughter)

The other six Sins are underneath Lucifer

The Goetias are underneath the Sins; Stolas mentions to Asmodeus that a deal with one of the Sins is "everlastingly binding" so they should be made carefully

Overlords are right below Goetias; they're incredibly powerful through soul deals and generally control specific aspects of the Pentagram (potentially the Pride Ring as a whole, depending on if other cities also have Overlords or if Overlords are exclusive to the Pentagram). Alastor is indicated to be the most powerful, but Viv has mentioned that he'd still get his ass beat by Stolas.

Sinners are below Overlords, and are more powerful than Hellborn demons.

Hellborn demons are at the bottom of the hierarchy, with succubi/incubi being above imps and hellhounds. It's unknown where other Hellborn demons (such as Chaz, Glitz, and Glam) fall on this mini-hierarchy.

This hierarchy seems to be based on natural power levels, where the higher your natural power is, the higher you are on the hierarchy (Lucifer, being a fallen angel and potentially one of the most powerful beings in Hell or Heaven, is at the top, while imps and hellhounds, who are indicated to have no natural power except certain immunities and being more durable than humans, are at the bottom of the hierarchy).

This hierarchy and the social implications that come with it are talked about all the time, it's a crucial plot point in Helluva Boss. It's implied hellhounds are essentially adopted into servitude of demons higher on the hierarchy (and the scene this information comes from would also imply that hellhounds are lower on the hierarchy than imps), Striker mentions that it's hard for imps to start their own independent business, and when Blitz is yelling at Stolas in Full Moon he berates him for viewing imps as "smaller and less important." Those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head, but there's a lot that makes the demon hierarchy abundantly clear.

Classism is a focus of Helluva Boss, and that can't fully be explored unless we know the social hierarchy of Hell. It's not talked about much in Hazbin, but it's talked about a lot in Helluva because how else are we supposed to know why Stolas fucking an imp is going to cause a scandal? Without the crucial piece of information that is Hell's hierarchy, the plot of Helluva Boss is completely lost on the viewer. Without knowing what the hierarchy is, we can't know why most of the plot points in Helluva Boss are so crucial. It's why there's as much discussion as there is as early as The Harvest Moon Festival about where imps are on the hierarchy, and the other demons' places on that hierarchy are made clear as the show continues, which is how stories work. Absolutely nothing that is fun content to consume starts the story off explaining every detail about the world's lore.

#hazbin hotel #helluva boss #hellaverse #anyway. i have something to do for my theater class thats due tomorrow so im gonna go take care of that

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dr-futbol-blog · 9 days ago

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No Man's Land, Pt. 6

Still in the cockpit of his F-302 outside one of the hives, Sheppard is preparing himself to strike. His oxygen is depleting, the hives may jump back into hyperspace at any moment, and he knows that he has to make a move. Sheppard seems to be going through the motions of a pre-flight check, flicking switches and checking gauges, something he has likely done so many times in his life that he is doing it by rote -- even if this is likely only the second time that he is behind the stick of their newest fighter-interceptor model. This is what he has been trained to do. The Sheppard that had perished in the bottom of the ocean 10,000 years ago in Before I Sleep (S01E15) had boasted that he would be able to fly anything, and in this the Sheppards are alike, likely due to his background as a test pilot once upon a time. The thing to note here is his hierarchy of concerns, of what the most important thing to him is: that McKay is going to be alright. He first wants to know that he is not accidentally going to hit McKay, to make sure that the hives do not get away (with McKay) second, and what ever else follows as a distant third. He explicitly asks Michael to assure him that he is not going to accidentally blast them.

Sheppard: Are you sure McKay and Ronon are nowhere near the area I'm about to light up? Michael: I'm certain. Good luck. Sheppard: Thanks!

Sheppard mentions McKay and Ronon, this time feeling comfortable enough to mention McKay first (or being compelled to mention him first because he needs to make sure that McKay is not anywhere near where he is going to shoot his load -- this time), seeming to double check that they will not be hurt by what he is attempting to do. Mentioning Ronon, the whole reason for Ronon to accompany McKay on the hive, serves to obscure the fact that it is McKay who is at the heart of everything that Sheppard decides to do or to keep from doing. Sheppard's whole reason for having hitched a ride with the hive had to do with McKay, needing to know what had happened to him and wanting to make sure he was alright. In fact, the whole reason that Ronon is even on the hive with McKay is because of Sheppard's concern for McKay.

Michael may or may not know of McKay's importance to Sheppard, especially since it seems like Sheppard had purposefully kept McKay away from him during Michael (S02E18), but he is choosing to trust Michael here, and he is trusting him with a lot. Of course Michael hardly has a reason to lie about this because if he wanted to kill McKay, there would be easier ways to do it than to trick Sheppard into blasting them from outside of the hive, but he still has no real reason to trust Michael. He takes this leap of faith likely because Michael had told him the answer to the question that had been eating him up before: McKay was still alive. Somewhere inside the hive, McKay was still breathing. Michael continues being polite and courteous, even wishing Sheppard good luck. This is also a time when we hear Sheppard say something that we rarely hear him say, which is "thanks" -- albeit he once more makes it sound sarcastic to get some emotional distance to the situation.

Sheppard: [It'll] be a walk in the park... a very scary park, filled with monsters who are trying to kill me. Michael: I don't understand. Sheppard: Never mind.

What we see here is indication of Sheppard being with the wrong person. Michael does not understand what he says and cannot appreciate it. He probably does not even know what a park is, let alone what the phrase "walk in the park" means. We cannot even be sure how the translation algorithm of the gate would have translated it.

What is curious is that momentarily McKay has the same experience with Ronon. He throws out a mildly amusing line only for it to fall flat because Ronon does not get the reference, he does not have the cultural framework to appreciate it. It is not that Sheppard would have necessarily (or even likely) thought that what McKay says is a riot either but he would have gotten the reference. These scenes together emphasize the shared cultural context of Sheppard and McKay, impress on the viewer how they are both with the wrong person when they belong together. If Sheppard was on the phone with McKay, he would understand exactly what Sheppard meant, what he was saying and what he was not saying, and what he was trying to imply besides.

In addition to being a turn of phrase indicating that something is very easy, a walk in the park is also frequently a romantic venture, something that couples do together -- both those who are freshly falling in love but also elderly married couples. Through this reference to a scary park filled with monsters, Sheppard is painting a distorted vision of something that is usually quaint and comforting. Taking flight with the aircraft, new though it is to him, is a walk in the park for Sheppard -- it is easy. But the context in which he is asked to do it here is strange, new and terrifying, and he knows that the bogies that will be coming for him are going to be literal monsters. By saying it out loud, Sheppard is once more using levity to make the situation seem lighter, to make it seem less serious to himself, trying to talk himself into doing it. In effect, Sheppard is ridiculing his own fear with the hopes of making it go away.

We had learned of Sheppard's love of Ferris wheels in Rising (S01E01), being a staple on fairgrounds. We had further learned of his fear of clowns -- something which he had been saying as a smartass remark but which appears to be true nonetheless based on what we see of his nightmares in Doppelganger (S04E04) -- in The Hive (S02E11), which is also a distortion of what is generally seen as amusing into something terrifying. In North American popular culture fairgrounds, carnivals, amusement parks and fairs are frequently used as fodder for horror and mayhem. While this may go back to the roots of Commedia dell'Arte, the Danse Macabre of the Middle Ages or even further to the Roman Saturnalia where social norms and roles were temporarily overturned as a vent for social tensions, most of the popular conceptions of scary carnivals owe specifically to Ray Bradbury's 1962 novel Something Wicked This Way Comes, and the film version of the book from 1983. The novel takes its name from Shakespeare's Macbeth, and we have noted that several titles of episodes on the show owe their origin to Shakespeare's writings -- something that the writers seem to have held in high regard. They are known to make intentional intertextual references.

What makes this novel relevant to Sheppard and McKay is that it features two boys who are best friends, one reserved and the other rebellious, with some seriously homoerotic undertones ("...is an unrecognized gay novel"; "They are quite obviously in love, with an instinctive, inevitable bond, as integral to their world as the rhythms of school and home and swimming-holes and rock-strewn lanes, accepted without question by children and adults alike"). The boys have to survive a traveling carnival come to their town, a very scary walk in the park, and in order to survive they have to learn how to combat their fear, which is also what Sheppard and McKay both have to do, to continue doing for the course of the show.

The monsters of the carnival in the novel feed off of the life force of the people in entraps, not unlike the wraith. It is entirely possible for Sheppard to have read this novel as a young boy, given his apparent love of literature, yearning for a bond such as these two boys had (not dissimilar to McKay apparently having watched Lassie on television, as we learned in Grace Under Pressure (S02E14), where a similar close friendship between two boys was featured). Obviously it is not Sheppard's intention to make a reference, and Michael would not get it even if he did, but he is obviously dipping into something in his subconscious to retrieve this imagery, and desiring now to save the boy that he loves from life-sucking aliens certainly may have reminded him of the book.

Sheppard: Operation "This Will Most Likely End Badly" is a go.

Having finished with his pre-flight check Sheppard reattaches his oxygen mask, which is meant to force air into his lungs to help him survive the "Gs" and to fight off hypoxia, and we may recall that Sheppard had explained to McKay in The Intruder (S02E02) that at these speeds, the pilot is going to feel the tight turns even with the inertial dampeners. While in the episode there was once more a comedic beat in McKay supposedly being a big wuss in contrast to Sheppard's big damn hero, experiencing flight in a fighter jet can easily feel like having a car parked on one's chest that McKay, unlike Sheppard, would have been completely unprepared to experience at the time. Regardless, Sheppard is alone this time, which is even emphasized by him giving himself a "go," not just for the take-off but for the whole endeavour.

Sheppard continues trying to make himself feel better by naming the operation "This Will Most Likely End Badly," which does not follow any actual USAF guidelines for naming military operations -- although some of the operation names used in Afghanistan by the Pakistani are similar to this (e.g., Operation "I Will Teach You a Lesson," translated from Pashto). USAF operations are usually no longer than two words, the first word describing the object of the mission and the second the means of achieving it. Regardless, Sheppard is not intending for this to be as an actual operation name, he is just being glib. He hopes for the best but prepares for the worst, and in this he is actually doing something very similar to what we have seen McKay do before -- it is better to say that something might fail and then succeed than it is to promise to do something and then fail. It takes the pressure off, and Sheppard may well have learned this from McKay. What is more, now that Ronon and McKay were roaming the hallways of the hive, McKay might just as easily have named what they were doing Operation "This Will Most Likely End Badly." Sheppard and McKay are on the same page even when they are not physically with each other.

Sheppard: Target is destroyed. Michael: Disable the second hive as quickly as possible. Their fighters will already be headed your way. Sheppard: OK, how about some of this help you were talking about? Michael: I told you to target the hyperdrive. Sheppard: I already knew that! Michael: There is nothing I can do.

Sheppard takes off and destroys one of the hyperdrives with a missile, disabling the hive that is housing McKay and Ronon from being able to get away. A swarm of darts descend on him, and it is obvious Sheppard had no contingency plan for what to do after he disabled the hyperdrive. Facing overwhelming odds Sheppard seems to panic enough to actually ask Michael for help, but where Sheppard and McKay are on the same page, Sheppard and Michael seem to be at cross purposes even when they are trying to work together. Michael thought that he had been helping Sheppard where Sheppard thought that Michael's help was yet to come.

Michael mentions that he did offer Sheppard advice but even though Michael giving him the same advice as what he had been planning on doing anyway had convinced him that Michael might be for real in wanting to help him, he now whines that Michael is telling him something he already knows. Complaining out loud probably serves to relieve some of the pressure Sheppard is feeling. What is especially jarring to Sheppard is that he is used to working with McKay and hence knows what he can expect from McKay. But their communication is exceptionally efficient and expecting other people to know how to deliver him information in the way that McKay has learned how to deliver it to him is setting the expectations way too high. Even if Sheppard and Michael were the same species, they would never be able to communicate as efficiently as Sheppard and McKay. Also, McKay is the how person. Sheppard is telling Michael that he already knows what to do, he wanted him to tell him how to do it. It is not even a question of Michael purposefully being unhelpful because he genuinely seems to want to help Sheppard in order to save his own bacon, he simply lacks understanding of both Sheppard and the capacity of the fighter-interceptors to be able to give him any advice.

Sheppard: Like hell there isn't! Call off the darts. Michael: They won't listen to me. Sheppard: This is not helpful, Michael!

Sheppard sounds indignant more than betrayed by Michael not being able to provide him with help, like it is him not even trying that offends him more than that he had actually expected some help to arrive. He had not been counting on Michael's help but it would have been nice to get some, especially as things seemed to be going fubar and fast.

Sheppard uses an expletive to emphasize his point, and while it is not unusual, and Sheppard is obviously not intending to make any references here, this might be in homage to Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises (1926) where not only is the word "hell" said an awful lot, probably in every possible configuration of the word, but he also uses the formulation "The hell there isn't!" specifically. In the book it is preceded by the line "There is no reason why because it is dark you should look at things differently from when it is light," which seems applicable not just to Sheppard's current predicament but may apply more generally to the narrative. This is ironic in the sense that the first two seasons adhered much more to Hemingway's "iceberg theory" of writing than this season where things are spelled out much more frequently. I had discussed Hemingway's description of bravery as "grace under pressure" in connection with Grace Under Pressure, and while Sheppard is not precisely graceful in this moment, he is retaining his composure despite running his mouth. Like with McKay, running his mouth seems to just serve to distract him from his own terror.

Sheppard's line to Michael telling him to call off the darts probably knowing full well that it is impossible for him to achieve it has a comedic beat to it, seeming the kind of wisecracking line that a too cool for school hero might say. His delivery of the line resembles Rick O'Connell's line in the beginning of The Mummy (1999), where he is facing execution and as his last wish tells the guard to let him go. It is the obvious thing to say while it being just as obvious that the other person is not going to and cannot comply with it, which is also what happens here. We are also again reminded of the fact that Michael is somewhere between a wraith and a human by him pointing out that the other wraith are not going to listen to him, both wraith and humans finding him suspicious.

And so there is nothing either Sheppard nor Michael can do, and Sheppard is blasted by one the darts that manages to clip his wing entirely off, and he is left hurtling uncontrollably in space while we see him likely lose consciousness when his head smashes against the dashboard of the F-302. Sheppard is a good pilot but he is not evading hundreds and hundreds of darts at the same time good. His fate remains open but we are left fearing for the worst -- again. With his wing clipped and the oxygen escaping in sparkling particles of pixie dust, Sheppard seems almost like the magic fairy come on the wings of imagination for their rescue -- but whether McKay gets his wish and is saved by him remains to be seen.

Continued in Pt. 7

#john sheppard #sga #sga meta #sheppard is bi #stargate atlantis #rodney mckay #rodney is gay #mcshep #ep. no man's land #ep. rising #ep. the intruder #ep. grace under pressure #ep. doppelganger #ep. the hive #ep. before I sleep #ep. michael

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charcoalowl · 28 days ago

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Fallen Juri: Valkyrie. Lesbian.

for my fren @baltears thank you for encouraging me 🧡

Me once again frothing over the mouth trying to talk about theological concepts in RGU. Celestial Hierarchy. Free Will. Divine Will. And how Juri's arc can be read as a fallen angel narrative.

Juri as Warrior Angel

That Juri is a warrior is a key part of her characterization. She is arguably the best swordsman at Ohtori and she doesn't shed a single drop if sweat during her entire first duel. The other most important thing about Juri off course is her fraught relationship with the idea of miracles. It is something that bears down on her perpetually. She claims to not want any part of the power of Dios but she can't let go of her position as duelist either.

I find the duel songs the best resource to analyze the duelists. The angel motif is present from the get go there and the angel being called by name is none other than Michael. Sword of Heaven. This is in keeping with her skill as a duelist but the most interesting dimension it adds is to her characteristics in regards to believing in miracles. Effectively this internal struggle of Juri translates into a struggle of Faith in the Divine.

☆*: .｡. Little aside .｡.:*☆ I call Juri a Valkyrie in the title even though Norse Valkyries don't really have anything much to do with the rest of what I'm about to say. I do believe that the title of Valkyrie is just as fitting for her as is Angel. Valkyries are most well known for carrying the souls of heroes to Valhalla so here's a couple instances of Juri acting as a Valkyrie. ^-^ I love her so much

☆*: .｡. ☆ .｡.:*☆

Juri playing the role of an angel actually places her in a triad with the two other characters who share her storyline

Shiori living in the shadow of Light Black Rose duelist. Bottom Feeder. I do hesitate because of this to call her a Luciferin figure but it honestly tracks. All her importance within the narrative comes from her opposition to and her efforts to antagonize Juri (who we have established as representing the Holy half of their dynamic).

Ruka, seeing the face of God. Of all the boys in Ohtori, Ruka is probably the most Dios adjacent figure he even dies from self sacrifice. Within their storyline he is a powerful but absent figure and when he returns his status is felt full force. Juri even defers to him as a subordinate and calls him Captain upon his return. Shiori of course he despises.

Staircase to Heaven: Queerness as Hamartia

This above Celestial Hierarchy that plays out between them was actually established back in the the very first flashback. Ruka is an obvious stand in for the boy that Shiori "stole" at that time. Even then Juri was the noble warrior. Even then Shiori was the conniving serpent. It was also from that time on that Juri's faith had been shaken.

For Juri to advance in the duels is for her to fulfill her celestial role and go closer to God. But she cannot advance because of her love for Shiori. Juri implicitly understands that the power of Dios cannot grant her this desire. The Castle in the Sky (which could be seen as the Kingdom of Heaven in this case) does not hold an eternity where she is allowed to be with Shiori.

Alongside the angelic motif this is the other concept that is featured heavily with Juri's symbols. The idea of duality, androgyny, within Juri is in explicit connection with her queer identity. She is in part the wielder of Celestial Light. She is in her other part in love with Shiori. Shiori down in the dredges. Shiori who is a girl.

But the stage that Juri is acting on has no place for that second aspect. That the arena does not favour Juri is made clear in her very first duel where despite being clearly superior in skill the Sword of Dios falls on her rose. She cannot go Heavenward until she forsakes that love altogether. Her queerness alienates her from her own myth.

It all comes to a head in the Apocalypse Saga after Ruka appears. His motivation from the moment of his arrival is to get Juri to duel again and thus restore her in her role. His end goal was to restore her faith. In order to push her to that brink he targets Shiori, first tempting her and then declaring her wicked to make an example of her. (I find it very interesting the way he publicly denounces her in order to humiliate Shiori i.e. being cast out by him is the worst possible punishment in and of itself. It really affirms the allegory for me)

Though Juri gives in I don't think anyone can argue that she had any notion of winning. If I were to pinpoint a specific moment when she becomes truly fallen however it would be the locket snapping. She knows that there is nothing for her in the duels. I think that really sinks in for her is when her locket is broken during her Apocalypse Saga duel. That love of hers is all she ever wants. An arena that will not even spare that locket will never grant her her true desire. She casts off her rose almost instantly. With that she concedes her place within the Celestial Hierarchy and ends her last duel in the series.

By the rules of the arena it is defeat but maybe the joy that cannot be had through the powers of a stage can be found in the freedom that exists outside of it.

If you read this far I love you go listen to some St. Hildegard

#revolutionary girl utena #shouji kakumei utena #whoo boy i actually wrote it down when i say it was eating me up #i'm probably going to come back to this over the future and cringe over whatever logical fallacies i can't discern now #whatever. if nothing else i hope this is an interesting new way for people to see the arc #like they're obviously a mini version of the prince princess witch dynamic #so this is just a different form of the same metaphor #*gasp* THE OWL CAN TALK??!

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somethingclevermahogony · 2 months ago

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🍽️ - What does a traditional meal look like in one of the cultures from your world (food, way of eating, and/or table manners)?

Happy WBW!

Hello! Thank you for the ask, and sorry for taking so long to answer it! I've decided to use this question as an excuse to make a sort of guide. Each post in this guide will introduce the "traveler" to a different aspect of visiting Labisa. This post will act as the first section and will include a poll at the end to select the next topic. For those of you that are new to my blog and have no idea what is going on, Labisa is an important city within the setting of my WIP. If you'd like to know more about my WIP, I'd suggest checking out these links here (Most of these are concerned with the Land of Kishetal, but some also address places like Korithia) : Intro, Language, Phrases, Food Pt1, Food Pt2, Maps, Magic, Status Symbols, Labisa Tour, MC intro.

Chapter 1: Food Section A: The (Average) Labisian Home

So, you’ve been invited to a Labisian home for dinner!

Part 1: Meeting Your Host and Accepting the Offer

Maybe you lent a hand in the market, perhaps you’re a relation, or they could even be considering you as a potential match for their child. Whatever the reason—congratulations! The Kishites have a reputation as a reserved and at times cold people, but once their doors are open to you, their hospitality is unmatched.

Through the use of a hypothetical dinner invitation, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know at each stage of the experience. With these insights, if you ever find yourself at a Labisian table, you’ll be able to fully enjoy the evening while also ensuring you’re on your best behavior.

For this hypothetical dinner, your host is a man by the name of Karush. Karush is a potter, and as such falls somewhere in the middle of the Kishite/Labisian Hierarchy. Just by his name (a commoner's name), and lack of a familial name, you can tell that he is not a noble.

Still, as an artisan in possession of his own home and shop (they are in fact the same place), he is far from the bottom rungs of Kishite society.

The offer to dine is simple enough: "I would be honored if you would dine with my family and me."

Of course well it is very tempting to immediately say "Oh yes, I would be delighted". Labisian customs and decorum dictate that you should refuse the offer at first, to not seem overly desperate. One or two refusals, with tactfully flimsy or non-specific excuses, should be more than sufficient. Not doing so is not necessarily insulting, but may come off as naïve or otherwise unappreciative.

When you do relent make sure to say thank you/thank you very much, Olda(a)b (Ohl-dahb) or Olda(a)b Dana!

REMEMBER: Body language and tone are important! While, it may be customary and polite to initially refuse the offer. You must convey with your body language and tone, that you are flattered and accept the offer. If your host actually believes that you don't want to come, they may be insulted or else retract the invitation, thus costing you a lovely experience.

Once this particular ritual has been completed, the time and place of the dinner will be arranged, in this instance at Karush's home just before sunset. Kishites tend to time their dinners in the twilight. As such, their evening meals can be rather late in the summer months, and quite early in winter.

While you may sometimes be guided directly to the home at the time of the invitation, particularly if the invitation is made shortly before dinner, more often it is expected that the invitee will take an hour or two to prepare before coming to the visit. It's only mid-afternoon. As such, you still have four hours before dinner. Karush, however, does walk you to his shop/home in Potter's district, though only to show you where it is, before he sends you on your way, eager to finish his own work for the day and to greet you later that evening.

Karush: Please, I would be very happy if we dined with my family (Pakida, Ekbirashawas dana ek ushkishanas li dulri ikir) YOU: I can't, I am very busy. Sorry. (Ik nahiwa, Ik wa jawura dana. Akdi.) Karush: You must! Our bowls are overfull! (Zazaya! Umrunuf ikirun kani jaburu!" You: I shouldn't... (Ik nat zaza...) Karush: I insist! (Japiwa!) You: Yes, I will come! Thank you very much! (Duda, ik uwwiwad! Oldab dana!)

Part 2: Preparing for Dinner

So, you have four hours to get ready, what all do you need to do?

Get some perfume! Kishites care greatly about hygiene, and particularly about how they smell. Perfumers and perfume shops are abundant. Just follow your nose and you should find a decent one. The Perfume District is a good place to start. There are certain scents/components you should avoid when picking out a perfume/scented oil for a simple dinner. 1) Peach Blossoms: Peaches are quite expensive and, as such, any perfume with peach blossoms will also cost you dearly. Save this for dinners with the nobility or royalty. Don't be a show off. 2) Fennel and/or Lotus: Both of these ingredients are associated with sex and are believed to act as aphrodisiacs. Only wear these scents if you have a very particular evening in mind. Karush does not seem to be seeking that sort of meal. 3) Jasmine and/or Myrrh: These scents are associated with death and grieving. Best to avoid these at the dinner table. Here are some scents you SHOULD wear: 1) Haasir: Always a popular choice, the floral yet somewhat citrusy scent of the haasir flower is welcome at any gathering. 2) Apple Blossoms, Violets, and/or Juniper: All of these scents are believed to stimulate the appetite and, in the case of juniper, to help with digestion. 3) "Woody Scents" : Woody scents are a welcome and pleasant choice, particularly when paired with something floral. One popular mixture consists primarily of a mixture of cedar, lavender, haasir, and rosemary. Ask for Miwi(i)r lu Dolhi (Perfume of Comfort.)

Bathe Yourself! While you're buying your perfume, ask where the nearest public bath is. There are three levels of bath, the highest of which, the royal bath (Dabiwi Lu Jakun), will be out of reach for you. The lowest rank, the common bath (Dabiwi Lu Nikun), is typically little more than a covered pool, with little sanitation and less than stellar amenities. Instead, ask for the artisan's bath (Dabiwi Lu Sikarikun), as here you will find a more pleasant and overall hygenic experience. While there, make sure that your hair is cleaned and tamed (braids are common) and that your teeth/breath have been seen too. A full rundown of the bathing experience will be covered in a different chapter of this guide. You: Excuse me, where is the nearest artisan's bath? (Akdi, lowa ga en jalittu dabiwi lu sikarikun?)

Pick an Outfit! Just as important, if not more so than a good scent, are the proper clothes (Note: These should also be perfumed. For those that are unused to Labisian preferences, this can be initially overwhelming. Smoke is a popular way to perfume clothes. Hang your clothes over a fragrant fire to pick up some of the scent. There are some stores/shops where you can pay to have this done. Just make sure they are reputable, lest you end up with signed clothes before your dinner.) Part of picking out an outfit comes with a level of tact, seasonal, and social awareness. What time of year is it? How well off is your host? What part of the city are you in? Karush is a man of moderate wealth, certainly able to afford some level of finery should the need arise. As such, your outfit should preferably match this expected level of class. Some jewelry, colorful dyes, perhaps even some body paint. These are all excellent choices. Silk and gold are best left for more extravagant company. It is spring (Labisa can get quite a bit of rain), and as such you will likely be eating indoors. As such, it is best to wear more covering clothes. It's not unheard of for both men and women to go topless in the warmer months, but that would not be particularly appropriate or sensible in this particular case. As this is a fairly casual affair, your normal street clothes should suffice, so long as they are clean. You may embellish them with some additional accessories if you so wish, though be careful not to come off as tacky. A future chapter in this guide will address clothing more fully. For this particular instance, we suggest the following: A plain besawi, or loincloth as the undergarments. Make sure your besawi is clean before attending. If necessary, the tusawi is the name given to the length of cloth used to support the chest. Unlike the besawi, the tusawi is not socially necessary, and its use will purely be based on the needs of the wearer. A tunic or sakulu. In this instance, a white or similarly lightly colored tunic, with perhaps some decorative elements or trim, should suffice. White with a yellow or blue trim is a classic choice. For a more masculine presentation, wear a sakulu ends around the knee. For more feminine presentations, instead pick a sakulu which ends around the mid-calf. For women, it is customary to also wear a scarf or shawl (lupu). Sandals (alugun) or slippers (rulugun). Simple leather footwear should suffice, so long as there are no holes and no offensive odors. Many people go barefoot. However, when treading in the potter's district, or really anywhere on the dirty streets of Labisa, it's best to have some protection on your feet. These are the basics, though you may also wear jewellery. Men and women alike adorn themselves with necklaces, bangles, rings, earrings, and other accessories. In this instance, we suggest avoiding gold. If you have it, silver may be a good choice. Northern amber and Apunian glass beads along with semi-precious stones are excellent choices. For a household of Karush's standing, five pieces of jewelry should suffice. If you have a personal seal, wear it as a necklace or ring. Karush will almost certainly have one of his own and there are few things that Kishite artisans/merchants enjoy more than comparing their seals. As with all things, when picking your accessories, ensure that you will not outshine your host. Body paint can be a welcome addition. Designs on the cheeks, necks, hands, and arms are ways of adding decorative flair to your person, without spending too much money. Geometric designs, suns, and letters (regardless of if they mean anything) are all popular choices. While you can do these yourself, it is better to have them done by a professional at one of the baths. See two examples of appropriate outfits for this particular dinner at the end of this section.

Get a Spoon! Odd as it may sound, it is customary in Kishite, and particularly in Labisian culture, to bring your own spoon when dining at someone's home. In this one instance, you can go all out. If you have a golden spoon, bring it! Regardless, find a spoon you are proud of. If you forget your spoon, that is fine, though you will almost certainly be teased about it. Some may even wear their spoon on a chain as a sort of necklace.

Pick a Gift While there is no specific law saying you must bring a gift, and not doing so will not cause great offense, it is typically considered good form to bring some sort of gift, typically one meant for either the spouse or the children of whoever invited you. What NOT to gift: As you may have noticed throughout this guide, the Labisian sense of pride is a major factor when it comes to proper etiquette. The same can be said of gift giving. DO NOT bring a gift which is out of reach financially for your host. So, in this case, do not give gifts of gold or other precious materials, or exotic materials which would be out of reach for the average potter. As a good rule of thumb, a gift should cost no more than an average day's work for your host's profession. It is thus important that you determine what your host does for their work, before you attend. In this case, as a fairly well-to-do potter, you can expect Karush to make the equivalent of 4 bronze (zubakip) in a day, which is equivalent to approximately 8 baskets of barley. This puts him far above the lowest paid laborers who may only earn the equivalent of 1/2 a zubakip each day. Do not bring prepared food items as a gift, as this may be taken as an indication that you believe your host is unable to supply enough food for the meal or that it will not be of good quality. Do not bring scrolls or books, as in all likelihood your host and his family are illiterate. What you SHOULD gift: The classic gift is alcohol. A jug (subi) of local wine or even a wine from elsewhere in Kishetal is almost always appreciated. Avoid foreign wines as these tend to be on the expensive side. The exception to this is Ikopeshi wine, which is not only renowned for its quality but also its relative affordability. Our personal suggestion is a mid-price Nalochian red wine, which should be available at any wine merchant. Alternatively and more affordably, beer is a good idea. The best in this case, would be a beer made in your own household. However, if this is not possible, go to your preferred beer hall and purchase a jug of either Wakishar: (Wawa- Sweet, Kisharu- Beer) or Olikishar/Olkishar: (Oli- Blood/Red, Kisharu- Beer.) If you do not wish to gift alcohol, other ideas include: local honey, sesame/olive oil, spices (black pepper/cinnamon/herbs), semi-precious stones (remember the price!), pottery (it might be best to avoid gifting pottery to a potter), clothing (a new shawl or tunic will be appreciated, though be careful to get the right size), clay or cloth toys, small pets (songbirds, lizards, etc.), and other small relatively affordable items. Now that you are prepared and have picked out your gift, you are ready to go!

Part 3: Domestic Etiquette aka How to Act Before Dinner is Served

Arriving

It is customary to arrive shortly before it's time to eat. We would suggest about 30–45 minutes before you believe the meal will begin. When you arrive, do not enter the house immediately, but rather knock and wait for a response. While most Labisian houses do have doors, some do not. Luckily, in this instance, Karush does have a door. Knocking on the door more than three times is considered to be obnoxious. If the door is open or there is no door, knock either on the door frame or on the nearest window still. With luck, your host will hear you and will come to welcome you in.

Coming in Before crossing the threshold, it is customary to go through the traditional greeting procedure. See below (note that while your host may use informal language during this greeting, you should always use formal language initially, unless you are already well acquainted with them): Karush: Hello friend! (Dusa Nipati!) YOU: Hello! Thank you for your hospitality! May I enter your home? (Dasuda! Uk sanipafi dar, olhab! Hiwa kipaliya en sayut dar?) Karush: Yes! Enjoy my home! (Duda! Dasupiwi en sayut ikir!) At this point, you should present your gift to the host, if you have one, and then enter. There is no need to remove your footwear upon entering the home, unlike some cultures where the need to remove your shoes is common practice. In fact, removing your shoes is seen as odd, unless you're living there.

Greeting other occupants of the house The correct way to greet someone is Ga dasu kugiwaz da(a)b (or Ga dasu kugiwaz da(a)bun if you are meeting multiple people at once. If you so choose, you can ask how they are doing, Mowa Da La? If they ask you this simply respond Wa dasi ash (I am very well). Introduce yourself. If you happen to be noble and thus have a familial name, it is best to keep it to yourself to not embarrass or else demean your hosts. "Kubit ikir wani..." is how you should introduce yourself. Shaking hands is not a custom within Kishite/Labisian culture, nor is bowing outside a noble context or to say thank you. Rather, when greeting another person, show them your palms (think of the classic shrugging pose, though without the inclusion of shoulder movement.) This shows that your hands are empty and that they are clean.

A Welcoming Drink

Upon first arriving, it is customary that you will be given something to drink. This will of course vary. Most often you will be given a small bowl (umru) of homemade beer and a reed straw or something similar to strain it. You may also receive a small bowl of wine or kisika. Thank your host or the person that gave you the drink (Olhab). After thanking them, take a small sip, and thank them again. Kisika is a drink, often enjoyed by children, composed of water, vinegar, honey, salt, and typically some sort of fruit juice. It can be found sold in markets across Kishetal. It is considered customary to finish this first drink and to hand the bowl back to whoever offered it to you before you take your seat at the table. You will typically be shown where to sit.

Part 4: The Labisian Home and Table

Most Labisian houses, or at least those of average size, have two areas meant for dining. The first is located in the home itself, typically near the hearth. The second is either outside in front of the house, or else is located on the roof and is accessible via a ladder. In warmer months, the outside is preferred. However, now, while it is still somewhat chilly, you dine inside.

The inside of a Labisian house, despite many windows and vents, can be, at times, a bit smokey. Additionally, don't be surprised to see a dog, pigs, or even horned rabbits wandering across the reed-covered floor. In this instance, as this building functions as both a pottery shop and a home, there are no animals, and it is slightly larger than the average home.

You walk through the pottery shop in to reach the house proper. You are greeted by a small and somewhat cramped room which functions as living room, kitchen, and dining room. The hearth is softly glowing, the smell of cooking food is thick in the air, drowning out any unpleasant aroma's from the outside. To one side of you is a doorway leading to the sleeping quarters and storage. Behind you is the washroom (little more than a closet with a pot, a window to dump your waste, and a basin of water to clean your hands). Karush's wife, Gelagi, introduces herself and tells you about her herb garden and the four geese and the horned rabbit which she has been tending on the roof. Most houses of this size will have such features. She also shows you her pithoi, one containing grain and another containing oil (for cooking and fuel). She notes that Karush made both of these pithoi as well as the rest of the ceramicware in the home. After this impromptu tour, you are finally shown your seat at the table. Only sit where you are told. Many customs and practices surrender sitting placement. Most important of all, the primary cook, in this case Gelagi, must sit closest to the hearth. Karush sits to your right, while the youngest child of the family, Saha, sits to your left. A chair is left empty for their second child, Gani, who is currently fighting in Makur. It is unusual that a family only has 2 children, as the average Labisian commoner household has between 3 and 8 children. It is best not to comment on this.

The table itself is made of wood, likely gathered by the family. You sit on small stools, everything is fairly low set, with the tabletop only slightly passing your knees when standing. Unlike in noble/royal settings, commoner tables can be rectangular. The exact reasoning as to why the table is never rectangular in noble settings has been lost to history. On the table you will find the following:

Two bowls, one of wood and one ceramic. The wooden bowl is meant to hold cold foods, such as olives and fruit, while the ceramic bowl is meant for holding soups and stews. Underneath these you will find a large flat disk, typically also made of ceramic (as is the case here). This is your plate. These will be decorated with various textures and paintings, typically of natural scenes. What you will not find are utensils. Within Labisian cuisine, regardless of status, it is expected that all items will either be served in bite-sized pieces or else will be easily broken apart with the hands (such as with bread), as such knives are not necessary. For liquid dishes, like soup, it is expected that you will bring your own spoon.

Alongside these you will find a drinking vessel, the exact nature of which will depend on what the primary drink of the evening is. For wine, this will most often be the double-handled olsagi. If the primary drink of the evening is beer, it is more likely that the bowl-like kishumri will be favored. There are no strict rules about what beverage goes in which vessel; this is just the most common configuration.

There are two communal basins or jamuru at the table. One is filled with a mixture of water and vinegar, typically slightly perfumed. This is meant for washing your hands and is used by all at the table. Before eating anything, make sure to give your hands a quick wash. Be careful not to let any of the washing liquid drip onto the table, and dry your hands on your sleeves/shoulders (as these are the furthest parts of your clothed person from the ground they are viewed as cleaner.) The other basin should be empty at the start of the meal. This is intended for any garbage, including spit or snot, that you or anyone else wishes to dispose of during the course of the meal. DO NOT CONFUSE THESE.

Part 5: The Meal

Finally! The moment of truth! Dinner time! Everything is placed on the table at once. Though you may feel inclined to do so, do not help with bringing food to the table or else setting the table, as this is considered to be somewhat uncouth. The meal that Gelagi and Karush have prepared is a relatively typical one for a family of their level in society.

The typical structure of a Labisian meal for a commoner is Bread, Beer, Meat/Stew, and Fruit/Cake. This is not the place to eat if you have an issue with carbs and fats. Labisians eat more meat on average than any other region in Kishetal, while simultaneously eating fewer vegetables and greens. Labisian's are famed for their love of and skill at producing fried foods. The food in Labisa is generally hearty and heavy.

In this particular instance, in addition to a small bowl of olives, the meal consists of the following:

Bread: Kipikiriki aka "Crunchy Bread" Kipikiriki is a variety of thick flatbread, primarily made from emmer wheat. It is somewhat similar to focaccia, and is partially leavened using yeast gathered during the brewing process. Flour is combined with this yeast as well as olive oil, and small amounts of honey and salt, all of which are subsequently placed into a ceramic pan which is then placed on the coals. The resultant loaf is thick and somewhat fluffy, often with a darkened or even blackened bottom. It is this overcooked bottom that gives the bread its name. Use this to mop up sauce and grease, or eat it on its own. It is not unheard of to dip the burnt parts in wine. This bread makes up the majority of the food for this meal.

Beer: Aruhakishar/Akishar aka "Dry Beer" Unadulterated, typically plain beer, this particular variety is the basis for all other kinds. This particular batch is one that Gelagi has made, and subsequently flavored herself. The brew is made from barley, wheat, water, and a small amount of honey, with the addition of black pepper, imported cardamom, and citrus peel to give it a more complex flavor. The beer is served at room temperature from a large bowl known as the kishija. Alongside the bowl you will find a pitcher of water called the bisayuli. If you so choose, you may water down your beer once you have poured it.

Meat/Stew: Olibiha aka "Hot blood water" and Abrichu You are in for a treat. The family recently slaughtered one of their rabbits, and along with some pork gifted to them by a neighbor, they have made an old Labisian comfort food, Olibiha. Olibiha is a stew consisting of meat (in this case rabbit and pork, including the livers and hearts), beets, onions, garlic, fat (in this instance a mixture of lard and olive oil), vinegar, salt, and various herbs and seasonings. The name comes from the deep red color imparted by the beets. Diverting from tradition, Gelagi has added chickpeas as well, to make the dish more hearty. In addition, Gelagi has used the remaining rabbit to make Abrichu, a variety of sausage made from minced meat, old bread, onions, mustard, rosemary, and dill. This is mashed into a patty which is subsequently fried in olive oil. In truth, this was mostly done as a way to use up the meat before it spoiled. You were a convenient excuse to make extra food.

Fruit/Cake: Figs and wine Aside from cakes like Kipisha, desserts are a relative rarity in the Labisa. Dessert tonight is a plate of figs, topped with honey and cracked black pepper. Gelagi apologizes profusely for not making some sort of cake or sweet, and instead offers you a cup of sweetened wine to go with your fruit.

Part 8: Manners

With the food laid out before you, it is tempting to immediately dig in. However, before doing so, make sure you are acquainted with Labisian traditions and table manners. While significantly less stringent than the complex rituals of noble banquets, there will be no need for hand signals or the like; the expectations of the common table are no less important.

Here is a list of the most important rules of etiquette to consider while dining at your average Labisian home:

The guest of the house must be served first. For your first helping of each item, whether it be drink or food. It is tradition that the host serves it to you before they serve themselves or anyone else. Attempting to serve yourself is seen as rude. wait to do so until after you have finished what your host has given you. Do not ask for a larger portion or anything like that; There is no taboo against serving yourself seconds. Though you may be the first served, you should not be the first to eat because...

The host takes the first bite Allow the host to take the first bite/sip of each item. This tradition stems from a show of trust, showing that the food is not poisoned. It is also a show of deference, acknowledging the host's place as the head of the household.

Never refuse food Expect the host and the cook to offer you prize morsels, even after the first initial serving. Never refuse these, as doing so is rude. If it is too much, simply place the food on your plate.

Allow all person's at the table to start eating before beginning a conversation Ensure that everyone at the table has been served and started eating before you begin to chat. Not doing so is considered obnoxious.

Wash your hands before serving yourself Before touching any ladles or picking up food from any communal tray or bowl, rinse your hands in the washing basin and dry them on your shoulders.

Never put food that has touched your mouth back on plate or table All bites should be complete. If a piece of food touches your mouth, it should never be placed back onto the plate, the table, or serving platter. If you find that you do not like a bite, or you find a piece of gristle or bone, you should spit it onto the Jamuru meant for waste. If a piece of food is too big, break it apart and eat it bit by bit, or else tear off the portion which touched your mouth and set the rest of the unsullied morsel on your plate.

Only your hands and forearms may touch the table. Never rest your head, feet, or any other body part on the table

Eat with your mouth closed, do not talk with a full mouth

Do not wash your face or anywhere besides your hands with the water in the washing basin

Finish what you have been served It is considered good manners to clear your plate of what the host has initially served you. There is no such expectation for the second serving, that which you serve yourself. However, you should explain to your host the reason why you can't/don't want to finish the remainder.

Do not suck on your fingers.

Do not bite on bones You may occasionally come across a bone in your food. Remove them and place them in the waste basin. Do not attempt to bite/crunch them and do not comment on them.

Do not pick your nose

If you need to sneeze do so into the waste basin and then apologize

Turn away from the table to cough

Burping is considered fine, even complimentary towards the cook, though only if it does not interrupt someone. The same can not be said of passing gas, if you need to do so, ask to be excused.

Do not scratch yourself Scratching, adjusting, or otherwise messing with your person is seen as rude. If you absolutely need to do so, ask to be excused and wash your hands upon returning to the table.

Do not talk about spirits or practice sagecraft at the table Labisians are deeply superstitious, and any action which may bring spirits into contact with their food is viewed as bad luck. If you are lucky enough to be a sage, save any demonstrations until after everyone is done eating.

Do not leave the table without asking for permission from the host

Slurping is fine, spilling or dribbling is not No one likes a messy guest. Speaking of which...

Drink responsibly Labisians, as you have seen, are lovers of wine and beer However, getting intoxicated during dinner, particularly as a guess, is considered quite rude.

To show that you are done eating, make a show of pushing your plate away from yourself or alternatively, place your plate on top of your bowl

Part 9: After Dinner

With the meal finished and cleared away, it becomes time for games, drinking, and more involved conversation. Expect to stay another 2–3 hours after the meal has ended.

It is usually now that your host will bring out wine, typically flavored and altered with various herbs in order to promote good digestion. Etiquette and manners become less stringent at this point and the jokes become more baudy.

A good sign that your host and family have appreciated your company, is when they begin to tease you and make somewhat raunchy or inappropriate jokes at your expense. It will almost feel like flirting, though in most cases it is not. The Labisians enjoy teasing their companions. If your host or their family makes fun of your clothing or some other minor thing, do not be insulted, but rather feel happy to be included. In these instances, they return the favor by teasing them back. As long as you are not overly offensive or crass, they will appreciate the gesture.

This after-dinner period is called Feparati, though in the case of Karush's home, this will be a far more tame experience than the raucous and often violent/sexual parties which follow royal/noble banquets.

Labisians have a love for word games, a particular favorite being "Ku Ku" aka "One man", a game of homophones or near homophones, in which two players list homophones in quick succession.

Riddles, rhyming games, insult slinging, and guessing games are similarly popular.

Part 10: Goodbyes

With the night growing late and work in the morning, Karush informs you that it is time to go home. Rather counterintuitively, Karush will offer you a bed for the night. Do not take it. Offering shelter for the night is merely a part of Labisian etiquette and tradition, and it is not expected that you will actually take him up on the offer.

As you are leaving, make sure to thank Karush for his hospitality. Now that you are no longer a stranger in his home, you may do so with informal language.

You will almost certainly be offered some sort of food or leftovers to take home with you. Do so gratefully.

Before leaving the home of your host, it is customary to kiss the door frame as this is seen as a sign of good luck and a promise of your return.

With this basic information you should have all the knowledge you need to make friends and to be a model guest at your next Labisian dinner party! See you in the next chapter!

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hellborn-bitch · 10 months ago

Text

First Impressions

A continuation of Zira meeting Alastor, including their deal-making. I’m gonna call this another one-shot kinda ? Cuz it’s not really a chapter ? Idk lol

Again, this is entirely self-indulgent and I’m just kinda writing to write I don’t really have a formal plan to make this into a fic. Yet… ?

Alastor believed first impressions were crucial. He’d understood the importance when he was alive, and certainly did so in Hell. He took great pride in the fact a single glance struck fear into the hearts of any demon who dared to cross his path.

But this demon, this succubus, was different. She couldn’t be bothered to even feign fear of him. He couldn’t decide if he found it brave and admirable, or naive and ignorant to hold eye contact with the infamous Radio Demon the way she had. She was either unaware or apparently unafraid of his ruthless reputation.

Looking at her, her face full of disgust with what he assumed was a permanent frown, he found himself slightly amused. There was something to be said about unrelenting defiance, that he could almost appreciate.

Almost. Certainly not when it was directed to him, however.

“You’re looking at her.” She hissed, her tail flicking aggressively to punctuate her words.

So bold. So stubborn. This kind of blatant disrespect he would expect from the Vees, but from a Hellborn succubus, of all demons? Nearly the bottom of the food chain in Hell’s hierarchy and yet here she stood, brazenly defiant before him.

It was an entirely foreign concept to him, to have a soul so obviously beneath him act as though they weren’t. And it was perfectly irritating.

Alastor hummed in contemplation, mulling over how to proceed with his newest acquisition. “I trust you’ve already signed the contract then?”

His gaze immediately flicked to Asmodeus, as he cleared his throat to speak, “Actually no, that was to be done today to complete the uh… transaction.”

Alastor watched him flinch as the word left his mouth, and looked curiously over to the subject of said transaction.

She rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms with a huff, “Well that’s one way to put it.”

The utterance under her breath had gone unnoticed by the embodiment of Lust, but Alastor had heard it. He couldn’t help the dark laugh that gathered in his throat as he basked in her clear hatred for her current situation.

“Well then! I am more than delighted to draft the deal myself.” Alastor’s grin stretched, his eyes darkening with malicious intent. “I do love making deals, after all.”

Azira watched as his red eyes flashed and the odd static from before seemed to creep back into the room like a suffocating fog. She instinctively backed away in disgust, her face contorting to match the sentiment. This freak was becoming more and more of a problem for her.

Her eyes widened in realization, a new wave of energy washing over her as she pointed an accusatory finger at Alastor.

“Wait- if I haven’t signed any contract, then I’ve not been sold to anyone! I can’t just be acquired! He didn’t own me yet, and neither do you.”

Alastor watched as her face shifted back to familiar defiance, her eyes challenging him to find the flaw in her logic. Which, he could, of course. But oh, how he was enjoying watching her false sense of victory over him.

His pulse quickened in anticipation just thinking about her inevitable fall into his clutches, how delicious her disappointment would be. Asmodeus suddenly spoke again, interrupting his predatory plans.

“I’m afraid that’s… not quite how it works, babe.” He reasoned with her gently.

“What the Hell are you talking about?” She threw her hands up exasperatedly and shifted her weight onto one hip.

“No contract, no Overlord, NO DEAL.” She locked eyes with the Radio Demon when delivering the last two words, yet another challenge.

Asmodeus laughed nervously, and spoke instead to Alastor, “Could you excuse us for a moment? I just… need to discuss a few things with her.”

Alastor waved a hand dismissively, before turning it around to examine his claws, feigning disinterest. He was sure to keep a well-tuned ear, in the direction of the two demons, listening.

He watched Asmodeus pull Azira to the other side of the room, a massive hand on each of her shoulders.It was evident there was a bond between the two, but he couldn’t quite place the nature of it.

“Look… when we were still alone, there was a chance I could play it off and explain the circumstances to get you off the hook.”

He took a deep sigh and ran a hand through his multi-colored plumage. “But now the Radio Demon knows about it, and he smells the blood in the water. He is the last person to drop a deal that’s already been made.”

“BUT HE CAN’T-“ Azira was cut off by Asmodeus shushing her softly, a hand coming to cup her cheek.

Alastor watched, fighting his curiosity from winning over the discretion he was attempting. He couldn’t understand the dynamic between the two of them. Were they friends? Lovers?

Surely not…

Then again, he wasn’t exactly the best at deciphering between social and romantic cues. Or social cues at all. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, refocusing himself on his task of subtle eavesdropping.

Asmodeus spoke to her with a firm certainty. “You know I would never steer you wrong. This is still the better option. We both know that.”

“I don’t know that!” Azira retorted, “I don’t know a damn thing about him, Ozz!”

“But you do know who else wants you.” He said ominously, a reminder and warning at the same time.

Azira sighed and let her eyes wander across the room to begrudgingly settle on Alastor. He matched and locked eyes with her again. This time he found himself searching, though he wasn’t entirely sure what for. He saw two irises, one red and one white, holding too many emotions for him to process at once.

He could see the heavy cloud of disappointment.

He could see hatred. Or was it self-hatred?

He saw disgust and disdain.

But what he didn’t, or perhaps couldn’t see… was fear. Quite peculiar, he thought. Most souls would be terrified at the thought of being owned by him. Why wasn’t she?

He wondered what she thought of him. Wondered what sort of impression he had made on her, seeing as the only reaction he’d expected and grown accustomed to, was missing. Truly, he was at a loss for what to make of her altogether. The only thing he was sure of, was the deep seated drive he had to break her.

Azira turned to look at Asmodeus one last time, as if pleading for him to fix this. To stop her from being sold to the Radio Demon.

The Lord of Lust only offered her a firm nod in return, before disappearing in a whirl of flames. She was now alone with Alastor, with her new master.

“Now then!” Alastor broke the heavy silence with a misplaced cheerful tone. “ Azira, you will officially belong to me, once this deal has been made. You will come and go, do and say… as I command, when I command.”

Azira bit back the growl that rose in her throat at the sheer audacity this prick had. As if, she would ever be caught dead playing someone’s house pet. She didn’t offer a response, only hardening the glare she kept fixed on him.

“In exchange, I can promise your safety, and offer you a place to stay where I can… keep an eye on you,” he said with a smirk.

Her blood was boiling. She couldn’t possibly agree to this. Death would be better, she thought.

Maybe she could chase Ozzie down, change her mind and choose the option that resulted in her being murdered, instead. At least then, she could keep some semblance of dignity as she accepted her mandated punishment.

“Do we have a deal?” Alastor reached towards her once again, his unnaturally large hand beckoning for an answer.

“Fine.” She huffed, and tentatively extended her hand out to meet his much larger one.

That was all he needed.

A wide sinister grin split his face, neon green stitches the only thing still keeping it together. His eyes flashed to blood red, ticking dials; his sclera now devoid of all color.

The screams of thousands of trapped souls swirled around them, sending shivers down her spine. She could not see them, but she felt hands. Hands all over her body, pulling at her, begging her to help.

There was nothing she could do. She was one of those trapped souls now.

She gasped as a neon green collar formed around her neck. Her eyes followed as chains of the same glowing material linked together one at a time, until they ended in the closed fist of the Radio Demon.

She instinctively brought both hands up to tug at the collar, a pointless effort, she quickly found. Alastor watched as panic set in, her breathing increasing and eyes going wide.

He found it positively delightful to watch her squirm under the sheer idea of belonging to him. He wondered how long it would take to break that rebellious spirit of hers. To reduce her to nothing but a submissive pet on her knees before him.

Azira squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to whatever forces she could summon, that when she opened them this would all have been nothing but a horrible nightmare.

She kept them closed as she heard her captor continued cackling like some deranged beast. She felt a mist overcome her body, and tendrils of some force that felt both human and nonexistent at the same time. They wrapped around her waist and legs, lifting her off the ground effortlessly.

Her eyes were still sealed shut as she felt her body descend into nothingness, feeling weightlessly heavy. She could still hear the Radio Demon laughing, but the sound was no longer directly in front of her. Every direction seemed to echo his laugh back then her, a cacophony of cruel mockery adding to her sense of helplessness.

She so desperately wanted this to be a nightmare. It had to be…

It wasn’t until her feet hit something solid that she agreed to finally peek them open. Blinking rapidly, her eyes struggled to adjust to the harsh change in light, especially her left eye.

She quickly took in her surroundings, her hand instinctively reaching for the multiple blades she kept in holsters on each thigh. To the left there was a tall iron gate, behind it some kind of massive building atop a steep hill. As her eyes panned to the right, she caught sight of a tall figure moving in her peripheral vision.

She unsheathed a large dagger in her right hand, and plucked two throwing knives in her left, lunging towards the figure. The dark mass itself jumped, somehow seeming startled, before dissipating into the sidewalk.

“Now, now dear,” she heard an unfortunately familiar voice start. Two shadowy hands clamped around her wrists, forcing the angelic steel blades to fall to the ground with a clang.

She yelped in both surprise and pain, “Hey! What the fuck-“

“You won’t be needing these anymore.” Alastor stood directly in front of her, that same stupid grin still on his face. She tried yanking her arms free from the fists holding her captive, turning to see they were made of a shadowy mist rather than flesh and blood. She turned back to him to glare directly through whatever soul he may have had.

Alastor tutted, “Oh come now dear, you didn’t think you were rid of me, did you?” His voice dripping in a fake sickly sweet tone that made her stomach turn.

Azira let out an exaggerated groan, rolling her eyes and turning her head away from him, “I could only hope so.”

He laughed darkly before grabbing her face with one hand, forcing her to look at him, “Unfortunately for you, my dear, that will never happen.”

With every word he grew closer to her face, until she was only inches away from his cold red irises. “You belong to me now.”

She heard a growl come from the shadow behind her, but was unable to turn to see it. She gave a tentative tug at her wrists again, to which the shadow responded by squeezing tighter. She attempted to kick behind her at the shadow, before two more appendages wrapped around her ankles.

Her heart was pounding in her chest, her pupils constricting as her body took hold in its familiar fight or flight response. “Good luck trying to tame me.”

His claws dug into the sides of her face, opening her mouth ever so slightly. She took the opportunity and spat at him, a few small droplets landing on his cheek, “You’re going to need it, demon.”

Bringing his free hand up to wipe the offended spot clean, he refused to break eye contact. She was waiting for the laugh she expected to follow, but it never came. He only hummed in contemplation, as he searched her face for something he could use against her. Anything.

He was eager to destroy her hopes of escaping him. She was so sure of herself, to a fault, evidently unconcerned about the consequences of her actions. He needed to break her of that little habit. He wanted to watch as that veil of cockiness fell around her.

He had a feeling she would be a difficult one to crack.

But Alastor hadn’t become the all powerful Radio Demon by backing away from a challenge.

“Darling there’s no need to be hateful. I am merely the consequences of your own actions,” he drawled, very clearly enjoying himself. “You’ve done this to yourself it seems.”

He watched as her glare hardened, before softening as she averted her gaze. She seemed to be dissociating before his eyes, no longer present before him as she let his words sink in.

Ah… so he’d found it…

He sighed and released her face. She opened her mouth to protest, or send off yet another spiteful remark, but was quickly cut off by a shadow hand taking the place of its master's holding her face.

Alastor snapped his fingers, as an ominous green glow began emanating from his index. He swiped his finger across her lips in a loose zig zag formation, leaving behind a trail of glowing green strings.

If she had been able to open her mouth, a frustrated “What the FUCK?!” would’ve tumbled from her lips.

But she couldn’t. Alastor had quite literally sewn her mouth shut, held together with sutures of neon green energy.

“I was hoping we wouldn’t have to resort to such extreme measures, but it seems you’ve left me no choice,” he explained with an exaggerated sense of disappointment.

She didn’t buy it for a second, she could tell he loved it. The power he was lording over her and quite literally silencing her with. He was a sick bastard, who got off on making others subservient to him. She was beyond furious, but all she could do was continue to glare at him.

“Now that you’ve been successfully muzzled…” Zira growled and attempted to lunge at him, but was still held captive by the Shadow.

“… I do hope you can behave yourself if we release you. Can you behave, like a good little dear?”

She huffed, and rolled her eyes. Every cell in her body wanted her to fight and continue to be as difficult as possible. But the voice of reason she normally tried to block out, warned her otherwise. This was already going to be a miserable fate, but she needed to play her cards carefully if she wanted to avoid making it harder for herself.

She let her shoulders slump forward and gave a curt nod to the demon.

“Delighted to hear it! Or rather, see it. Because… you know… you’re not exactly on speaking terms right now,” he joked with a sick wink.

She audibly groaned. She would’ve purposely vomited on his shoes at that sad excuse for humor, had her mouth not been sewn shut.

“Now then! I believe it’s time we introduce you to your new home, and the many…” he paused, waving his hand in an effort to find the right word, “…colorful residents that inhabit it.”

She nodded again, and was pleasantly surprised as her arms and legs were released. She rubbed at her red wrists, sending an icy glare at the offending creature and sending it shrieking away into the ground.

Alastor rolled his eyes at his Shadow’s cowardly behavior, and extended an arm towards Azira. She looked at it and then back up to his face as if to say, “What the fuck am I supposed to do with that?”

He sighed and lifted it to her yet again, pleading for her to take the hint and allow him to escort her. “You may think me a monster… and you’d be right… but I am still a gentleman.”

She hesitantly looped her arm around his, unsure what to make of his gesture. He had sewn her mouth shut while some strange Shadow restrained her, but now he was going to provide a gentlemanly escort up a hill?

He ignored her perplexed expression, and directed his attention to opening the iron gate in front of him. He began walking up the path, Zira reluctantly hanging on his arm, headed towards the looming building ahead of them.

“Come along now, there’s lots to be done, dear.”

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