#recap post

[ingravinoveritas]

Follow-up to this post and a point-by-point recap of last night's events:

- Definitely thought I would be nervous, but as soon as I saw Neil waiting backstage from the vantage of my fourth row seat, all that went away.

- The event was a tribute to Ray Bradbury, with Neil and several actors reading different short stories and Neil talking about them in between. He started off the night by talking about being a TikTok meme ("Neil Gaiman, why are you in my falafel?") and how his time as a meme was almost up.

- There was an after party in the bar following the show, and the ticket I had purchased allowed me to attend. I didn't even realize Neil was there yet because he was so low profile and just chilling while a line began to form at his table.

- When I went up to him, he was very smiley and kind and soft-spoken. I mentioned really enjoying the Bradbury story he read ("The Homecoming") because it felt like an allegory for autism, for an autistic person in a family full of neurotypicals, and it really resonated with me. So we talked Ray Bradbury and writing and it was lovely. - I also mentioned the tweets from a few years ago (here and here) that involved him commenting on a photo of me in a red bikini and me offering to cook him dinner if he came to New Jersey, and he remembered! Haha. He also still seemed very interested in the offer and said, "It's a date" and "We'll do dinner." Oh, Neil... - At the end, I somehow finally remembered to tell him my name and said "I'm Amy" as we shook hands. To which he replied, "It's lovely to meet you, Amy. I'm Neil." - After we took the picture, I wished Neil a good flight (the venue staff said they were trying to hurry up the queue because he had an early flight today) and safe travels, and he said "Thank you!" and was again so sweet and lovely and just a person. - Didn't talk to Neil about anything Good Omens, but I did end up chatting with a woman who knows Rob Wilkins (someone waiting in the queue asked Neil how to get in touch with Rob and he pointed to this woman, so that was how I first became aware of her). Later on in the evening, after Neil left, we were on the other side of the bar and struck up a conversation about all things GO, Terry Pratchett, fandoms, Michael and David's chemistry, and much more. She also told me to follow her on Instagram and message her if I ever needed tips for navigating the overwhelm that is NYCC. A totally unexpected and thoroughly enjoyable conversation overall. - Also got to talk with Yetide Badaki (who was in American Gods and one of the actors who performed last night) and she was beyond lovely. I complimented her performance and said how it was "like Siri, but less creepy" and she burst out laughing and asked if she could put that in her résumé. Haha. The topic of autism came up and she said how it was so important to her and how there needs to be more awareness. I mentioned being a professional speaker and that I've done a TED talk on autism, and she said she wanted to watch it. Again, completely unexpected interaction, but so delightful and so much fun.

My overall thoughts and takeaway from this is that real life is very, very much different and not the same thing at all as online fandom. It was incredibly refreshing to see Neil and talk to him in a non-fandom context, and to see how gracious he was with every person in line (adults, kids, couples, all of it). He signed books, took pictures with people, and hugged fans who seemed to be sharing particularly emotional moments. I feel like the fandom tends to treat Neil like some kind of god, but for me, I truly enjoyed seeing and getting to meet him as a person--charming, intelligent, funny, polite, and just a bit awkward...

[nolofinweanweek]

Save the date for Nolofinwëan Week 2024: Nov 10-16.

You can browse the wonderful submissions for Nolofinwëan Week 2023 below:

📚 Things to read 🎨 Things to see 💡 Things to think about 📷 Esthetics 🔖 Rec lists

Creations featuring Nolofinwëan characters are reblogged year-round, feel free to mention the blog @nolofinweanweek or tag #nolofinweans

[the-dog-watch]

The Wine-Dark Sea

As I referred to last time, this novel begins with a volcanic eruption in the middle of the ocean. It’s fucking cool, and also scary. But what the book is about is an even scarier natural phenomenon than that: growing apart gradually from someone you used to be close with.  That’s what happens to Stephen and his erstwhile pal Nathaniel Martin. This book is about FAKE FRIENDS. Don't you hate fake friends? Boy I sure do.

Because of the structure of these books I tend to take awhile to warm up to secondary characters. Not because I don’t like them but with Jack and Stephen sharing protagonist duties they kind of take up all the air in the room, so to speak, so that even I, a certified Minor Character Investor who has dreamt for years of being a Metal Gear Solid miniboss, tend to take awhile to warm up to the secondary and tertiary characters. Sometimes it takes a couple novels but then after that I’m like. I would die for you, Tom Pullings. He is 100% my fucking girlfriend. He’s everyone’s girlfriend. God we love Tom Pullings. 

One character I did warm up to right away when he was introduced, though, was Nathaniel Martin, who appeared for the first time back in The Ionian Mission. He starts as a chaplain and then when Jack starts privateering becomes the assistant surgeon to Stephen in the Surprise.

If I could once more compare our characters here to cartoons I watched in the 90s/early 00s: if Jack Aubrey is Bart Simpson (daring, occasionally foolish, troublemaker, bad boy) and Stephen is his BFF Milhouse Van Houten (nerd with deep seated psychological issues) then Nathaniel Martin is their Martin Prince: he exists to be a nerd AND a square, to give Stephen someone to talk to but also to stand near Stephen and make Stephen look cooler in comparison. Stephen is a nerd, of course, but he’s down with gay people, his views on women are more progressive than typical men of his time period, and he loves to get high; all of this contrasted with Martin, who’s a bit of a fuddy duddy with more traditional views on those sort of things. (Though, in his defense, he is sort of right to question Stephen on some things. Like the "loves to get high" stuff, for example.)

Like Stephen, he is a naturalist and he has one eye because he was observing an owl’s nest and the bird attacked him and gouged his eye out. Honestly, fuck all these soldiers and sailors with their battle scars, talk about an actual honorable wound in the line of duty. I’m also monocular and I like birds so this biographic detail was what endeared me to Martin from the very start.

Another thing I like about him is how his friendship with Stephen is contrasted with Stephen’s friendship with Jack. The thing is, Jack is sort of low-key loathes Martin a little bit?? They don’t outright hate each other, of course, but Jack finds him grating because of Jack’s habitual discomfort around clergymen, the fact that Martin’s a pretty poor musician whenever he tries to play with Stephen and Jack, and, most petty of all, the fact that Martin and Stephen get on so well. Jack is conscious that his dislike is unjust and at least partially fueled by jealousy; he’s aware that Stephen and Martin have a lot more in common than Jack and Stephen do. It’s a very middle school “my friend has another friend she likes more than me but GOD I hate her!!” type of dislike. A humanizing bit of frailty on Jack’s part.

Another thing about Martin that I like is that he does tend to call Stephen out on some of his shit, in a way Jack can’t or won’t. Martin is, I think, the only character we see who confronts Stephen about his laudanum use before the disaster in The Letter of Marque. Of course, a lot of good that does, since obviously Stephen was too self-deluded to actually listen to anyone at that point but, you know, it was nice that someone was there to stand in the background and be like uh. That’s a lot of laudanum dude. 

Honestly, Stephen could use that now! “Hey, that’s a lot of coca leaves, dude,” was literally my commentary through the entire second half of this novel, when Stephen gets to Peru and replenishes his stash finally. He sort of reminds me when an alcoholic quits drinking but they start smoking a lot instead. Call it harm reduction, I guess?? Friendship ended with DOWNERS, now UPPERS are my new best friend. Christ almighty.

Before the coca leaf binge, though, Martin is ejected from the book due to illness, just as the Surprise finally reaches Peru. It’s a very abrupt end to the character, if not to his friendship with Stephen; he’s not dead, but something about his exit has a very nail in the coffin feel to it. I’m of two minds about it; I’m somewhat disappointed that a character who has been around for so long, and was so important to Stephen, was just booted out of the novel with not much mention or ceremony afterwards. But I do like the realism how gradually the two of them drifted apart; Stephen starts to see that their interests and passions in life have diverged, but even in the previous novel, I think there was a clue that Martin wasn’t cut out for the seafaring life much longer:

“[Stephen said,] ‘Yet on the other hand I do not find that the turmoil of a ship prevents me reading: with a good clear candle in my lantern and balls of wax in my ears, I read with the utmost delight. The confinement of my cabin, the motion of my hanging cot, the distantly-heard orders and replies, the working of the ship – all these enhance my enjoyment.’

‘I have tried your wax balls,’ said Martin, ‘but they make me apprehensive. I am afraid that there will be the cry “She sinks, she sinks! All is lost. She cannot swim,” and I shall not hear.’

‘You were always rather apprehensive, Nathaniel,’ said Paulton, taking off his spectacles and looking at him kindly with his myopic gaze.” - 14-The Nutmeg of Consolation, ch.9, paragraph 94 

It’s funny; like Stephen, Martin is also constantly described by most of the sailors as a hopeless lubber, but Martin lacks Stephen’s occasionally troubling “if I die I die lmao” outlook on life that makes him weirdly suited to the naval life. Again: Martin’s a bit of a fuddy duddy. He’s no 100% perfect ride or die girlfriend like Tom Pullings. But then, who is?

Personal Ranking

The Far Side of the World (10) > HMS Surprise (3) > Desolation Island (5) > The Reverse of the Medal (11) > The Nutmeg of Consolation (14) > The Ionian Mission (8) > The Fortune of War (6) > The Wine-Dark Sea (16) > Clarissa Oakes/The Truelove (15) > Master & Commander (1) > The Surgeon’s Mate (7) > Treason's Harbour (9) > The Letter of Marque (12) > The Thirteen-Gun Salute (13) > Post Captain (2) > The Mauritius Command (4)

[badlydrawndavepeta]

Mod: Recap Blog

This BadlyDrawnDavepeta Recap covers the start of the blog on 9/19/2023 through 11/12/2023.

Highlights: that new blog smell, furries, fleas, detectives, and Halloween.

That New Blog Smell

Davepeta of the badly drawn variety came into existence. They proceeded to laze about in typical cat fashion, taking naps and drinking tea, before bragging about their status as a furry. They truly aspire to follow in the footsteps of the ultimate furry, Nyancat.

They celebrated several follower milestones, including the funny number and over 100 followers.

Controversy came up when Davepeta accused their followers of not getting laid, only to become the target of that same accusation. Truly, an exercise in putting out the energy you want to receive.

In entirely non-controversial moves, Davepeta confirmed their stance on Lord English, professed to murder crimes, and encouraged followers to be gay and do crimes. They also spent time suggesting that post-scratch Dave not only doesn't know how to drive, but also rides Maplehoof everywhere. No one has yet to argue with this assertion.

Davepeta showed off a lot, from cool weapons, including a sord^2 squared, their guns, and a really big sword, to their various skills in flying, swordship and teleporting, drawing, blind drawing, and reading comprehension. They also played Minecraft.

Davepeta indulged in some casual shipping before realizing that one of their ships got leaked. More importantly, the rumor mill also churned out the idea that Davepeta chirps at their reflection.

They reflected upon several topics, including Snoop Dogg, godtiers, really tall pants, angles, and more specifically triangles.

Davepeta also briefly got a mullet and an undercut.

Furry Friends and Family

Along the way, Davepeta met up with several friends, including fellow cat lovers, Fefetasprite and Meulin.

In an exclusive interview with Kanaya, Rose, and Jade, Davepeta leaked a sneak peek of SBAHJ Furry Edition: thinsgs just got furreal and exclusive premiere popcorn SBAHJ Furnanza buckets.

In a startling move, Davepeta briefly becomes a worm and is reaffirmed of MSPA Reader's love for them, even as a worm.

Davepeta goes catfishing with Eridan. Later, while Eridan was under the influence of being a cat person and high on catnip, they helped him through the munchies.

The Strilonde family has dinner at Rose's place. It goes about as well as expected. But at least there was really good pizza.

Davepeta also met another version of themself, which although seemingly paradoxical really is totally fine y'all I promise.

Erisolsprite came by just to nya with Davepeta. It was incredibly fun and now Erisolsprite is on record as calling Davepeta "pretty chiill"!

Davepeta Gets Fleas

Beginning a curious series of events, Davepeta was threatened with fleas. They initially responded in hostility, yet when confronted with the innocent life of a flea, they chose to instead invest in a flea circus. Davepeta gets accused of having fleas and cannot deny the allegations.

Growing closer, Davepeta defends their new flea friend from a dangerous shower, only to realize a much better strategy for keeping their friend safe from water via bath.

They embrace the flea lifestyle, only to come into contact with more fleas than they know what to do with. So of course they continue investing in their flea circus. There have been many interested parties, including folks interested in flea music.

Detective Davepeta

Among many badly drawn blogs, a mysterious trickster candy was passed around. Davepeta donned a detective hat and began questioning several people, including several Strilondes, as to the nature of this candy.

They narrowly avoided trickster mode after a close call with Meulin. Their trickster form is best left to speculation.

After putting together a bunch of clues, they eventually learned from Jade that an anonymous source gave John the trickster candy. John confirmed this in noir fashion.

They gained a sleuthing ally in MSPA Reader, who came through in bringing in evidence.

The mysteries began multiplying. Permanent tricksters started appearing and grim forces began influencing folks.

The Halloween Party

On Halloween, Davepeta received several treats, including Swedish Fish from MSPA Reader, assorted candy and a mouse toy from Erisolsprite, and a smuppet from some insufferable prick.

They originally dressed up first as one famous furry, GIR from Invader Zim, before pulling out their actual Halloween costume as a much scarier famous furry, Cat in the Hat from the Cat in the Hat 2003 movie. They accidentally scared Jaspers with how accurate their costume was.

They attended a fun party hosted by Nepeta and Sollux. Davepeta made a failed ashen pass at Eridan and Sollux and then filled Erisolsprite in on the relationship between the aforementioned trolls.

While noting the high rate of furries at the party, Davepeta gave Karkat a cat ear headband (thus propagating the furry agenda), accused Vriska of being a furry, and welcomed Jasprose to the party.

Davepeta also introduced Nepeta and Feferi to the terror that is the human mythological figure of Cat in the Hat. Unfortunately, they seemed not to understand the horror.

Davepeta entered the costume contest and produced propaganda for people to vote for them. Despite campaigning for scariest costume, they were beaten by a baby. But they did win funniest costume!

After the party ended, they promptly passed out.

[dentpx]

Round 2 Day 7 Recap

congrats to Harley Quinn, though again I was not rooting for her, I was rooting for Davy Jones. He took out my beloved crush The Phantom of the Opera in round 1 so I needed him to go all the way to make it worth it. and also Davy Jones had a dedicated fan in my beloved mutual davidrebooted so I was hoping for a win. But everyone likes Harley. i can't deny she's an iconic figure in comic book history as well. and again I did have a crush on her so she earned her way on this list. But I do not like her TV show. sorry girl.

category: i had a crush on you (generic edition) Davy Jones vs Harley Quinn category: you are a war criminal Rumplestiltskin vs Chris McClean <- this is sick and twisted. i blog about ouat so much here. you guys should know all about Rumple and his evil tricks. he's not just my silly rabbit, guys. he's OUR silly rabbit. and we let him down. and i'll never feel whole again. Kevin vs Bill Cipher Director Krennic vs Missy <- Missy almost lost this one which was pretty scary. I like Krennic too (clearly, he's on my polls) but who are all these other Krennic fans? i don't see a lot of people Krennicposting category: little guys Mimikyu vs Snoopy Winnie the Pooh vs Moomin K9 vs Piglet Grumpy Bear vs Garfield Angelina Ballerina vs Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner Bart Simpson vs the Little Caesar's Pizza Guy who says Pizza Pizza

Today's polls are up (and they posted out of order again) so go vote on characters who I Just Like and decide the fate of the 3 remaining characters that i had a crush on and had a little universe in my head about

[dnd-quotes-partynametbd]

It’s been a hot second

Recap time!!!

We’re facing off against the Order sect of the organization, composed of NPC’s who used to work with Kenaz before Kenaz lost their memory. 

Current “functional” party members: Kenaz, Beau/X, Winter, Azula

Players who will be controlling some friendly helpful NPC’s for the time being: Garaq, Pyotr/CDC

Characters who are out of commission but will be back: Bismuth, Annahael, Garaq, Pyotr/CDC

[crowleybigbang]

As much as everyone who watched Supernatural knows how unreliable it is to announce things like this...

The 2022 Crowley Big Bang is done!

It was a thrilling ride and a breathtaking showcase of talent, all neatly packaged in a massive dose of love for the one and only King of Hell.

Naturally, we are aware that there is always a dire need of Crowley content, so, for now, here is everything that might help you scratch that particular itch. Dry your eyes, quit sobbing and catch up on this reading list!

Each fanwork from this round will be reblogged individually with the fanart in the days ahead!

Looking to add a touch of magic, friendship and badassery into your daily life? Look no further. Fairy-oke is here, thanks to @additionaladdams. Stunning art from @droolovacoco and @sinister--potato here and here.

If you’re looking to find out what could make Crowley renegotiate a deal, then you should read A Dish Best Served Cold, because @hectatess knew. @wigglebox and @pimentogirl produced the incredible pieces for the story, here and here

Did you ever wonder why Crowley really wanted to sneak in the bunker? Zalil made a very plausible guess and wrote On The Efficacy Of Demons. The fantastic art from @samatedeansbroccoli and @dmsilvisart can be admired here and here.

You could also try to put a new spin on the canon, through a different point of view. Go ahead and read Better Be Home Soon, by @hobbitual-psychick-art-stuff​. Don’t miss out on this fic or the striking art from @kineticpassion and @ncdover1285. As always, story here and art here and here.

I’ll Help You Carry On, written by @ncdover1285 is another different spin on a story that might be familiar. You can read it here. The splendid art is from @vibe-howie and @hobbitual-psychick-art-stuff and you can enjoy it here and here.

Looking for yet another direction? We got you. And we got a compass, too. A magical compass. Go read For The Greater Good by @ichbinnurzugast, so you’ll believe us. @rauko-is-a-free-elf and @angelhannah created the wonderful for the story, don’t miss out! Art here and here.

Of course, we know that Crowley could also have his moments of kindness, be reasonable, and even grow fond of a lucky few - but maybe don’t say this aloud. Just go read  In The Shadow Of Wings here by @writingfromkitchenator The enchanting art came from @sirlsplaylandand @fruitmixtape and you don’t want to miss it. See it here and here.

Want to know about that time when Crowley and a thief robbed a freshly dead guy and what happened then? @walkingaline wrote about it in The Billionaire’s Vault. The spectacular art was created by @writingfromkitchenator and @demonologist-in-denim and you can gaze upon it here and here, and here!

And, of course, we closed with a spicy note, various demonic cameos and a whole lot of fun in @lucibae-is-dancing-in-hell story, Falling From God. It’s here! You’ll also want to check out the excellent art from @jenniferb-art and @hectatess​ which is here and here.

A thank you as deep as the core of Hell itself to everyone who joined us on this ride, to all the creators who helped us deliver these incredible pieces and kept the fandom going with passion and love. And thank you to our readers and followers, who helped us spread the word and enjoyed our efforts.

We’ll soon have news, but until then, don’t forget the Crowley Fanworks Bingo! Just tag us in your creations!

Remember: sharing these works on Tumblr and commenting on AO3 are the best ways to support these authors and artists.

Long live the King!

[littlelightfish]

This... this is a whole different kind of psychic damage here. When nightmares got Marcille, we get to knew that her's biggest fear is outliving her friends. This isn't even canon probably, but look at this. This isn't a "I don't want my friends to die" kind of dream. This is a "I'm terrified of loosing my daughters, of something killing them, and being incapable of stopping it" kind of dream. It's so simple yet it explains perfectly the whole of chilchucks character. He loves, he cares, deeply. But he, or doesn't acknowledges, or doesn't know what to do with that knowledge.

Besides that. Someone had to wake him up after this. Imagine the devastation in this man after he wakes up. He just saw his three little babys murdered corpses (or maybe he saw them die, wich isn't better). He would possibly not talk about it, and that would worry the hell out of the party, because we'll, they see him all down and only one of them knows what he saw. Imagine being the one to pull him from that nightmare. Seeing this man, usually so composed, fuking staring with tears and terror in his eyes to the composes of what you can only assume are his daughters. It would be heartwrenching.

Idk, I love this man so much...

[saradiation]

A recap of (almost) all of my Homestuck art :D

I made this one for instagram but I think it would fit here too, especially considering that tumblr was the first place I started to post my Homestuck art to :)

So here’s a recap of three years worth of Homestuck art from me!✨ …at least most of it because while making this I realized I couldn’t fit every single drawing, oops! If you remember some of the first ones omg thank you for being with me this long! ❤️ And once again Happy 413 everyone! 🎂✨

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Omg your little doodles for your asks are so sweet 🥺 do you take requests?

Well, you heard him!

[the-dog-watch]

The Reverse of the Medal

Stephen had met Jack's father -- a really dangerous parent -- and the wish that the General might choke to death on his next bite fleeted through his mind, but he passed the toasted cheese in silence... (p. 75)

I was really looking forward to the “Jack loses his badge naval commission” plot ever since I found out it was a thing but it was an unexpected gift that it hinges on two things I’ve always enjoyed in these books but have hitherto been mostly just jokes in the background: Jack’s absurd naivete on land, and his shitty awful dad.

It makes sense that this is the book where we see Jack's real dad throw him under the bus, because of course it's shortly followed by his surrogate daddy, the entire British navy, abandoning him too. Previously, Jack's shitty dad (somehow, miraculously, an even shittier parent than Jack himself) only showed up in letters, in the newspaper, and very briefly when Jack visits his childhood home in The Surgeon's Mate.

It’s also the first time (I think?) we get confirmation that General Aubrey and Stephen have met at least once, something I always wondered about. I so intensely wish we had seen the meeting (hell, I wish we had seen even a little bit of Jack's wedding, which is probably where it happened), even though I’m sure they're two characters who couldn’t have less to say to each other.

There's so much to like about this book (the pillory scene! Diana running off to Sweden with Lithuania's most eligible twink!! the sudden twist into a legal drama!!! what the hell!!!!) but that Stephen hates Jack's dad--not just dislikes, not just wincingly sympathizes with Jack for having a difficult relative, but actually wishes death upon--just makes me really fond of him.

This may seem like a random pull, but it reminds me very strongly of one of my favorite scenes in all of fiction: Peggy Hill talking to Hank's dad Cotton on his deathbed. A full clip doesn't seem to be online but, to give you the gist:

Peggy Hill: Enough! Your son has always loved you, despite your constant torture. You want to die alone? Fine. You want to keep coming back and never die? That's fine too. In fact, I hope you do go on living forever as the unhappy person you are in the hell you have created here on earth. I hope you live forever. I really do.

Cotton Hill: Do ya now?

[Cotton dies]

Personal Ranking:

The Far Side of the World (10) > HMS Surprise (3) > Desolation Island (5) > The Reverse of the Medal (11) > The Ionian Mission (8) > The Fortune of War (6) > Master & Commander (1) > The Surgeon’s Mate (7) > Treason's Harbour (9) > Post Captain (2) > The Mauritius Command (4)

[mlobsters]

supernatural s11e20 don't call me shurley (w. robbie thompson)

[dentpx]

Day Three Recap

category: i loved you to the point of creation (blog, playlist, fanfic, etc) Sans vs Doug Audrey vs Matsuoka Rin Gabe Lewis vs Colin Creevey Chad Charming vs Toby Flenderson Carlos de Vil vs Chara Godot vs Jay

category: i want to get you therapy and fix your life Goro Akechi vs Korekiyo Shinguji Dash Baxter vs Flash Thompson Ninth Doctor vs Simon Petrikov Anti-Tails vs Moe Szyslak Apollo Justice vs Marcus Flint Captain Jack Harkness vs John Hunger Harry Du Bois vs Mae Jinx vs Klavier Gavin Rantaro Amami vs Shinji Ikari

Biggest Sweep: Captain Jack Harkness beat John Hunger at 87% Closest Poll: Carlos de Vil beat Chara with 55% Most Votes: Ninth Doctor vs Simon Petrikov with 154 votes Fewest Votes: Apollo Justice vs Marcus Flint with 26 votes Last Minute Comeback: I went to bed and Audrey was winning but I woke up and Rin was by like so much it's messed up man

Vote on Day Four Here and if you vote against Monoma you're my mortal enemy from now on i'm sorry but things are looking bad for him

[vaxieth]

i miss you bells hells animated recaps please come home

[crowleybigbang]

Greetings, scrambling minions who thirst for power, murder and excellent stories, and welcome again to our recap.

We’d be surprised if you weren’t already bewitched by @additionaladdams​‘ piece Fairyoke, by now. The art from @droolovacoco​ and @sinister--potato​ made everything more magical, didn’t it? Why are you still here? Go read! Story here, art here and here.

Then we were shown how magnanimous our King can be, offering to renegotiate deals, for a teeny tiny fee that came in form of... well, you know what? Go see for yourself. Enjoy both @hectatess​‘ A Dish Best Served Cold and @wigglebox​ and @pimentogirl​, stunning art! You can find the story here, and the art here and here.

If you’re in the mood for some intriguing reflections on philosophy, wine, and a lot of inappropriate bahaviour, then On The Efficacy Of Demons is what you were looking for.The story from Zalil comes with gorgeous art from @samatedeansbroccoli and @dmsilvisart. Enjoy the read here, and gaze upon the art here and here.

You want to follow the tracks of another great story, and go through the world with a pair of fresh eyes?Then just know that @hobbitual-psychick-art-stuff offered us Better Be Home Soon. You’re gonna love her take. Don’t miss out on this fic or the striking art from @kineticpassion and @ncdover1285. As always, story here and art here and here.

Then it came I’ll Help You Carry On, written by @ncdover1285. A different take on a story we know well, with Crowley in a different role. The splendid art is from @vibe-howie and @hobbitual-psychick-art-stuff. Story here, and art here and here.

But of course, you think we ould stop just before spooky month? Wrong! We would have never made such a rookie mistake.

Which means that you’ll get a chance to enjoy another intriguing story about our favourite demon, and interesting shenanigans with Fea... Castiel. How? Easy peasy, just go and read For The Greater Good. Set before Jack’s birth, this piece from @ichbinnurzugast​ leads far, far way from canon, but don’t just take my word for it - and don’t forget to check the art by @angelhannah​ and @rauko-is-a-free-elf​. We’ll know if you don’t. Story here and art here and here.

And then, this Saturday, be ready for @writingfromkitchenator​‘s piece In The Shadow Of Wings that will come with some amazing art from @sirlsplayland​and @fruitmixtape​.

Stay tuned for more, because we still have three weeks of awesome stories and captivating art to go through October and make the absolute best of this long awaited fall!

[misc-obeyme]

Lesson 37 spoilers below - it's screenshot heavy again because OH BOY we had a lot going on this time too. I took almost 100 screenshots lol. But don't worry, I narrowed it down... uh but there are still a lot so I apologize for that.

I do believe I said in my last post that if they were going to go full Dante, they would bury Lucifer in ice.

I only said that because I WAS NOT EXPECTING THEM TO GO FULL DANTE.

Now listen, it's been a long time since I've read the Divine Comedy, so there may be a lot more references that I am missing. I can tell you that the four circles or sections or whatever that Simeon named for us are from Dante. That right there is straight from Dante's Inferno, along with their names and who they're supposed to punish. I don't really feel like any of this has much relevance except that they used it as a backdrop and to create reasons for us to lose most of the people who came to help us as we went.

And truly the lore was fascinating in general, but there are a couple of specific pieces about this that made me go EXCUSE YOU.

It's the Celestial Realm again, guys. Cocytus is part of their domain. And the last area is for those who betrayed "him" as they so eloquently put it lol. Both Mammon and Lucifer are considered traitors in this regard, but I kind of suspect that if the rest of the bros made it to that level, they would've had a similar experience.

Anyway, I was pissed. I was like Diavolo in the hard lesson.

Right, so let's talk Mephistopheles. I'm not familiar enough with the legend of Faust or its variations to know if the way they described his special power is based on that. However, I highly suspect it is at least somewhat inspired by it. Considering making a deal with the devil is what that story is all about.

But aside from all that - I LOVE HIM OH NO.

WHAT. This guy... all this time I thought he was really stuck up. And like I kinda get it, considering how he was supposed to be Diavolo's right hand man and everything. But he's straight up saying that he underestimated them. He seems to have no problem saying yeah, turns out I was wrong and you guys impressed me. So don't go around giving up now. AND he says they learned it from Lucifer? Like... he gets them. He understands them. And I was not expecting that at all. He keeps surprising me and I'm loving it.

Welcome to my life, Mephi.

It's pointless to resist.

I'm telling you, this is just how it always goes.

BUT OH! I'm not gonna lie, this made me feel something. All the brothers usually say such nice things to me, but this guy is basically like ARE YOU STUPID? And I love it?!?!? Augh I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance before, sir.

Okay, now let's talk Solomon being the hot old grandpa that he is. I SWEAR every time he shows up lately it's been making me more insane about him.

WE SUMMONED HIM. We needed him in Cocytus and he wasn't there, so we straight up SUMMONED HIM. We couldn't do it without Mammon giving us his power 'cause our magic is weak, but STILL!?!?

I think Simeon referred to it as teleporting, but really it was the same as summoning him. I think the words were even the summoning spell words.

If this was actually me we were talking about, I would start doing it ALL THE TIME. Consider yourself on call, old man.

And then we got this excellent exchange:

Not only am I always here for big bro Mammon getting protective, but Solomon bringing it right back was also great.

Okay, now let's talk about Raphael and Simeon.

Do you think we're dealing with Michael disguised as Raphael again? For some reason I don't think so, but... at this point, it's like how do you tell? I'm going to talk about it with the assumption that it's actually Raphael and not Michael.

Simeon during this part gave me chills. Because when Raphael showed up and spoke the punishment or whatever and Luke was about to protest, Simeon silenced him. Simeon wouldn't let Luke protest because he knew that wouldn't be good for our baby boy. Simeon was prepared to take the fall instead. And he wasn't about to just let things stand.

I can't accept it. I swear, Simeon's character is far more complex than anyone gives him credit for. He doesn't get anywhere near the amount of appreciation he deserves. I HAVE FEELINGS ABOUT IT.

Right, but back to Raphael.

Baby. He's crying. He was just delivering the ultimatum, the decision about the brothers' punishment, and he was crying. I was so surprised, it was so soft and sad and I wanted to hug him. And look at Simeon's frown. AND THEN

EVEN LUCIFER. This man is chained up in some ice and he still sees how Raphael is struggling and feels sorry for him. (Like maybe he's been there before himself...)

This is why I think it really is Raphael. Because this feels like such a significant revelation of his character, I think it'd be a disservice to him if we found out later it wasn't him at all. So I'm hoping it's still him.

Now. Let's talk about Diavolo. I'm pretty sure this was in the hard lesson, so be aware of that!

He is so pissed. I don't think I've ever seen Diavolo quite like this. Worried, sometimes serious, but angry? Like to the point where he thinks he might lose control? I don't think that's happened, has it?

AND BARB. His reaction is so interesting! At first he has this look of surprise, but then LOOK AT THAT SMILE. Here's Dia being like, I need you to stop me, but you can't tell me that smile on Barb's face belongs to anyone who's going to stop anyone. He looks like he's looking forward to it. I love him so much it's stupid. (Also I think Barbatos is just as much of a menace as Solomon is, he's just better at hiding it. Where do you think Sol gets it from??)

And of course the lesson ended with Lucifer BREAKING THROUGH HIS CHAINS. Ugh another cliffhanger.

In general, I really loved the brotherly affection that was running amok in this chapter. They were annoying each other and protecting each other and sacrificing for each other and it was all amazing. They banded together because they care so much about Lucifer, there's no way they would leave him to his fate.

And once again, the Celestial Realm is to blame. I think it makes sense that they're doing this. Before, they said that the seven brothers assuming positions of power in the Devildom meant that the power balance between the Devildom and the Celestial Realm was out of whack. That's why they wanted the brothers back. But the brothers wouldn't come back.

And while the Celestial Realm threatened war, they didn't do that, either.

Do you think perhaps the Celestial Realm collaborated with the House of Lords to get Lucifer trapped in Cocytus? The House of Lords controlled the train where everything went down. The Celestial Realm controls Cocytus. They probably knew that Lucifer's brothers would try to rescue him and counted on them getting trapped in the ice, too.

But perhaps they weren't expecting any interference from Mephisto or Simeon. They had to be expecting MC, I would think. Maybe they underestimated MC because they're human? And maybe they thought Diavolo would just accept it? (If so they are duuuuumb lol.)

Okay just a couple more screenshots because they made me laugh.

PLEASE. I love their dynamic SO MUCH.

Hmm. Is that a threat, Barb? 'Cause uh... you can casually threaten me with that slight smile any time I MEAN yeah, you tell 'em.

I cackled about what do you mean "ahaha" like I can't believe Levi actually said that out loud lol.

Cheer up, Belphie. Let Asmo live the otome dream, won't you?

Okay, okay, I'm done. Overall, I quite enjoyed this chapter, but I'm still sensing more drama, probably until the end of the season, honestly.

You think Nightbringer will make an appearance before it's over? It's almost like I forgot this whole new app was made to tell a story about him. He's just been mostly MIA. UNLESS someone else has been him in disguise all along...

Nope. No. I refuse to get into theorizing, this post is already too long.