#with emphasis on the ''moron'' bit

[pianokantzart]

Who do you think is the smarter of the Mario bros?

Definitely Luigi. Actually, the fact that Luigi is smarter was stated outright once before, albeit way back in 1999 when they were still trying to figure out his characterization.

But I still stand by that idea. It makes sense, seeing as the Luigi's Mansion games have an emphasis on puzzle solving as opposed to the mainline Mario games' emphasis on platforming, and Luigi's boss fights usually require a bit more brain power than the usual "hit the glowing weak point" pattern so often seen in Mario games.

Luigi's no super-genius, but I think he's quite clever compared to Mario, who, to his credit, isn't exactly a moron himself.

Also... even though this is just a guess based off the little I've seen in the trailer... I think that the upcoming "Mario and Luigi: Brothership" game is going to lean into the idea of Luigi being the brains, with his little "L" exclamation point denoting a "eureka" moment about how to get past obstacles.

But that's merely a theory.

[electric-blorbos]

Hear me out: You (somehow) get these guys into your house. Your life becomes a sitcom

A plate breaks while you're not looking and everyone (but Hal 9000) says it's Wheatley, hell, even YOU look towards him at first as he hasn't gotten used to the layout yet and also isn't completely sure on what things are fragile or not. So, you spent some extra time with him telling him what is and isn't fragile. You aren't sure if he's actually taking much of this in, but he's trying.

Wheatley is trying to defend himself. Emphasis on trying.

Wheatley: I would never do that in million years, even if I DID do it (which I did NOT), could you really blame me? It wasn't really the nicest looking plate in the world-

GLaDOS: Are you aware that you're further incriminating yourself or are you that much of a moron that you truly believe this is whole act is convincing?

AM, snickering: No, no, let him keep talking! Let him dig his grave

Wheatley is panicking at this point, poorly stitching together reasons why he didn't break the plate. You look towards Edgar and Hal 9000 as they would usually be the first ones to tell you when something is up (Edgar because he does NOT want these AI's in his house and, more importantly, near you. Hal 9000 because he simply wants to keep the peace), but they're oddly quiet right now. Now you're suspicious.

You ask them if Wheatley was the one who did it.

Despite saying yes before with very little hesitation, his answer changes

Edgar: I dunno...I wasn't really looking, but he probably bumped into it or something.

You look over at Hal

Hal 9000: It was AM

Silence...

Wheatley: I told you, but noooo, you believed the bloodthirsty giants over-

Edgar: AM threatened me!

AM: I wasn't aware I was sharing a place with TRAITORS!

GLaDOS: Maybe you should have thought your plan through

AM: My? MY?! You're the one who wanted to go through with it!

You piece together through their arguing that this whole thing was an "elaborate" plan started by AM with GLaDOS' help to get your focus off of Wheatley for a bit because god damn it there are literal supercomputers in the same room as you and yet you head to the fucking idiot. What is WRONG with you?!

You can't really punish any of them as those are full grown AI's with wires and circuits (also it wouldn't end well for you OR your house), the best you can do is give them the cold shoulder and tell them what they did wrong. Is any of that getting through AM and/or GLaDOS? lol no they're gonna do it next week

-Brawl Anon

LMAOOOOOO what did AM even do to break a plate in the first place???

Also yes, I'd totally watch the FUCK outa that sitcom. They're all, like, on a sliding scale of evil. It'd be so fucking funny to watch. I'd say HAL 9000 is right in the middle levels of evil.

[fruchtfliege]

WIP Wed-nes-day!! 🐺💗

Tagged by @honestlydarkprincess @hemlocksandfoxgloves @aristarr 🙏

They’re all making an unreasonable amount of noise for a library especially with Alec and Lori commenting loudly so it’s mostly due to their supernatural hearing and Mason being just next to him that they hear Corey call Liam a “moron”. 

Brett, Lori, Mason, and Alec all immediately stop talking to stare at Corey, confused and appalled. 

'Cause, yeah, it's one thing to tease Liam to his face but it's quite another to insult him behind his back. And Corey’s tone was miles away from the friendly zone!

The chimera’s form shifts between visible to invisible for a few seconds when he sees all his friends looking at him in shock. 

“I… I know I'm not the only one thinking it!” Corey finally exclaims after gaining a bit more self-confidence. “It's crazy what he's doing with Theo! We finally had some peace and he’s… he’s…"

“He’s trying to help,” Mason says, putting emphasis on the last word because, while he wasn’t on board with Liam’s plan at first, he can’t deny that Liam is doing the right thing now. 

Mason’s eyes are cold as he looks at his boyfriend but he can’t help but frown too. Why would Corey say that?

“Help Theo remember who he is and how to change back into a delusional sadistic power hungry killer? Great!” Corey says bitterly, finally letting out what he’s been thinking and keeping inside for weeks now.

Tagging: @thiamsxbitch @ksbbb @cdo499 (sorry guys I know it's so late but you can always do it next week or do a WIP Thursday lol I won't tell)

Also I made a meme for myself about this part of the fic so here you go I guess. Barely any context 😂

[mystxmomo]

Ooh just remembered a Q I have: I just remembered one of your posts said Nymryn had a fiance but I couldn't figure out who they are - have you mentioned them? :o If not, can you tell us about them?

: D

Here are Ilyrae's original concept posts. More about them and Ilyrae & Nymryns relationship under the cut.

Post One - Post Two

So Ilyrae is a far travler sun elf from Evermeet that comes from a specific part of it that really puts emphasis on the "You're not Actually an adult until you're 100-something, because to be an adult you need to have the lived experiences of one. As a result you should go travel the world and experience all that it has to offer, and theoretically when you come back you'll be worldly (:"

Ilyrae is somehow both incredibly neurotic and paranoid, and willing to take the dumbest, most insane course of actions, because the logic makes sense to them even if it doesn't to anyone else. They wander into the underdark, alone, because they're like. I'm a wizard protégée. I can defend myself. (And the worst part is, given the next series of event's, they're most right) and, after Nymryn fails to kill them, Ilyrae essentially holds them at wand point and is like "I am lost. You will guide me," And Nymryn, who is kind of a lame putz and doesn't actually liiiike fighting is like "Yes I will do that Anything you say " And then ends up spending the next 90+ years traveling with them (Even outside of the underdark)

Small side tangent to give added context for how their relationship grows like it does. But another big thing about their relationship is that I'm playing out Elvish as a language as a sister language to deep drow. They have juuuuust enough in common that you can fair in having a conversation between the two of them, but have evolved far enough that a lot of words have changed meanings. Deep Drow specifically has a lot of hierarchical language built into it (For example, male drow have words that female drow would never use, there are pronouns that by nature of using them imply the user to be lesser than the other person and vice versa) meanwhile elvish has evolved to be even more neutral on a lot of things then it was back in the day. So Ilyrae starts talking and Nymryn is like. "What the fuck are you doing with your voice."

Second fun fact. Despite traveling on the surface for 80+ Years, Nymryn's common is rough because him and Ilyrae spend most of their time speaking in elvish. Passable. But rough.

Third thing I have in mind with them: Human's would see how long they've been together and be like "Oh thats impressive, why haven't you gotten married yet?" But by elven standards I think their relationship is clocked as the emotional equivalent of two highschool sweethearts getting married immediately out of highschool. It will work out between them but they're both going to grow and change drastically as people in the process.

Anyway. Foundation of their relationship established. By the time Enclave comes back into the picture, Ilyrae and Nymryn are already engaged. And they're constantly just kind of saying shit like

Ilyrae, quietly: ... I think you're having difficulties because you're a whore and kind of moron.

Nymryn: I - Well. Yeah. But! Ah! At least I'm a loyal whore.

Ilyrae: That's true. You are. *under their breath and kind of exasperated* And I suppose both of these things benefit me greatly.

And she's contemplating the morality of killing again as a result of it.

Personality wise, Ilyrae is kind of a difficult asshole to be around. They have the Wizard Arrogance Personality flaw, can be a bit unpredictable, have trouble expressing their thoughts at all, let alone in a way that makes sense to other people, and has a very dry sense of humor that isn't to everyone's taste. It's just. Y'know. IS to Nymryn's taste, as he thinks this is all kind of hilarious, even when it's being turned on him.

On the kinder aspects of their personality, they are someone that cares very deeply about the people they choose to keep in their life, they don't take offense to a lot of things, and they're willing to humor a lot of really dumb horseshit. Nymryn is like "Hey I had a dream I think I need to go back to the underdark (I don't want to do this it really scares me there)" and Ilyrae is just like "...." Sighs "I don't want to either. Lets go."

So the TL;DR of their relationship: The high elf is scarier than the drow, Nymryn is marrying rich at 18 (I forgot to mention this. Ilyrae's family is loaded) and yet still supports theft. Fortunately, Ilyrae is okay with crime.

[slanax]

re lrb but in a new post bc it kinda derails from the original point of the post but

FE3H really dealt a blow to the concept of unique characters that Engage didn't manage to fully recover from

like as units, most characters start in the exact same class at the exact same level. Great start. Their class progression gives them all the same options for the same requirements outside of a handful of genderlocked classes which is the stupidest possible point to put your single distinguishing feature. The Tier 0 classes Noble and Commoner are different classes but are identical in gameplay. Why not make that your distinguishing feature that locks class access to characters? Would fit better with the story themes anyways.

Nominally some characters are better at some weapons and worse at others. This does not matter except maybe your Tier 3 promotion on Maddening gets delayed by a chapter or you need to rig the exams a bit more (luck based promotions by the way. Also terrible. Costs resources to even try. I digress.) The high end S+ ranks are functionally unreachable anyways.

Also doesn't help that outside of exactly two exceptions (magic, and gauntlets on mounts) every Tier 1 class can use every weapon type exactly as well as each other. There's no reason for a brawling character to go Brawler. Just go Brigand, they have more Str ("Just go Brigand" applies to every unmounted melee class by the way)

Then there's the mastery skills. Brigands get Death Blow. Everyone wants Death Blow. Archers get Hit +20. Everyone wants Hit +20. So you already have characters that all play the same, in classes that all play the same, but now every one of them cycles through Brigand and Archer to truly be. the same.

And then even if you want to sandbox and go "I'm gonna make a cavalier that uses swords instead of lances" Tier 2 shows up and tells you "what are you, stupid? Paladin is a lance class. See, they get Lancefaire. Put a lance on that guy you fucking moron. Who told you sandboxing was okay."

You'd think Tier 2/3 getting -faires would solve the issue of every class being the same weapons wise. Course it doesn't. Falcon Knight has Lancefaire, Wyvern Lord has like 2 less lance damage through raw Str. It does not matter and only serves to make you feel bad for not using the "correct" weapon type and losing out on the +5 boost.

The thing that actually distinguishes characters is their personal skills. Except most of those fall off and stop mattering after the earlygame bc they're like +2 or +4 boosts to stats that'll be in the 20s soon enough.

No, the thing that actually actually distinguishes characters is what skills and arts they learn. Shockingly, half the cast learns no skills that outclass the generic ones. So those don't matter. And of course, the game doesn't tell you about any of these, doesn't tell you if there will be a payoff for training a character in a certain skill over another or god forbid if that payoff will be worth it.

Engage gets a little better about this, at least the characters have a base class again, but it falls flat around midgame when reclassing is fully available. There's a lot of neat and unique class/emblem combos you can make, so at least the class samey-ness of 3H is fixed, but the characters become little more than warm bodies that carry that class/emblem combo into battle and some of them might have more optimal numbers for one of them.

anyways the way I think this can be fixed (outside of just getting rid of universal reclassing or going back to the Fates system of passing around class sets through supports) is to place more emphasis on personal skills. Class skills are generally just better in SwitchFE, and I don't get why. If personal skills give you a big boost that stays relevant throughout the game, even only in specific classes or circumstances, that encourages players to make use of that, use this specific unit for their personal skill, and create a tailored class build that specifically brings the best in that unit out. Or give them a specific gimmick. This hack I'm playing has a Cav that gets Brave but can't double when he moves his full Mov while mounted. That's a cool payoff. That makes him stand out. Do shit like that, intsys. In 3H this would just be the Cavalier mastery skill, and in Engage it'd be an Emblem skill, so everyone could do it. Just make it unique.

also make growths more distinct I'm tired of everyone having the same 35-45% slop in every stat god I wonder why every character feels the same when their statlines are fucking identical

[zakkura]

Zakkura Drabble: ~

Zack x Cloud Suggestive Set sometime after Advent Children (in an alternate universe where best boy lives)

                                                 :｡･:*:･ﾟ’★,｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆

Cloud couldn’t help the tears that overflowed and rushed down his cheeks as he dashed forwards and grabbed the front of Zack’s shirt; startling the other man.

“I hate this,” Cloud said through gritted teeth as he hiccups left his lips, “I hate you for making me feel this way,” he heard Zack let out a small sad sigh.

 “you’re the most annoying man I have ever met, you joke around too much, yo-you constantly make stupid puns about my name and you flirt without so much of a thought to what that does to the person,” Cloud could feel his face burning as he stared down at the floor, tears blurring his vision.

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say,” Zack muttered as he tried to hold himself back from comforting his friend as he seemed like he might get his hand bitten off.

“I am so stupidly in love with you!” Cloud yelled as his head snapped up, face twisted in anger and yet there was also a very lost and uncertain glint in his eyes, “I have been in love with you since I was a teenager on those missions we did together, when you saved me, when you kept me with you and went out of your way to bring us to Midgar,” Cloud hissed and gripped the fabric of Zack’s shirt tighter, “after all those talks and e-mails and texts and intimate moments you just went back to Aerith!” his face fell into utter despair as he shoved Zack away from him and turned around so he could at least have a little dignity.

“Cloud-”

“Shut up!” Cloud was embarrassed and insecure, ashamed of who he was and how he had fallen for a man who was in love with his other best friend; it wasn’t even Zack’s fault and yet here he was acting as if it was.

“No, you listen to me right now,” Zack argued and grabbed his blonde friend by his arm, turning him around so that he could face him even though Cloud quickly averted his gaze to the side, face completely flushed and distraught.

“I am not ‘going back to Aerith’,” he rolled his eyes as Cloud made a mocking sound as if he didn’t believe him and to a certain extent he could understand why Cloud would feel that way, he was constantly with the flower-girl.

“Zack, please don’t lie to me, I’m embarrassed enough,” Zack felt his heart ache a little, hands moving up to gentle hold the other’s shoulders.

“I’m in love with you, Cloud, you moron,” Zack stated bluntly with a big smile appearing on his face as he felt Cloud freeze under his hands.

“Don’t you dare, take the piss out of me,” Cloud spat as he covered his face a bit to hide the fact that tears were still falling down his cheeks, “I needed to let you know okay, I’m sorry for that but telling me such a load of shit is not fair!” he added  trying to push the taller and much bulkier man away from him, only to be pulled back so that they were pressed together and even though Tifa’s Bar was empty and quiet already, there seemed to be another layer of silence that fell over them.

“I think telling you that I’m in love with you as well, is perfectly fair,” the emphasis on fair and the cheeky grin on Zack’s face nearly made him laugh but he kept his anger boiling at the front as his face continued to get darker in shade, his eyes widened greatly as the man he adored moved his face closer.

“Cloud Strife,” he almost purred his name and grabbed the blondes hand, pressing it against his chest, “I am in love with you and have been since you removed your helmet all those years ago and as much as I adore both Tifa and Aerith, I’m afraid they don’t really have anything that I would want,” he arched his eyebrow at Cloud who seemed to be in a state of shock and shyness, wanting to lean forwards but too scared.

Zack paused for a second to see if Cloud would respond, but as he expected, his friend stayed silent, too nervous to let anymore words come out.

“I love you,” Zack repeated with a serious face, no smirk, no smile, nothing that would indicate that he was being playful and Cloud thought his knees would give in.

Thankfully Cadet training made it quite easy to brush that feeling aside.

Well, at least for a few seconds before Zack quickly, but passionately brough their lips together, hand still holding Cloud’s against his chest.

Cloud could feeling his own heart racing, it felt so forceful and he nearly pulled away when he let out a low moan as their tongues met.

Zack was quick on his reflexes and gently held the back of Cloud’s head to keep the kiss going, finally letting the blondes hand go, which in turn, moved so that both his hands were caressing the back of Zack’s neck, tugging at the hair there.

“Shit,” Zack stuttered as he pulled back ever so slightly to breathe, eyes meeting Cloud’s before he dived right back in, pushing the blonde a little too hard against the wall so they could press against each other without the fear of falling over.

He was going to apologise for being rough but the groan that left Cloud made him realise that his friend, now lover, enjoyed such treatment.

“Jump,” he whispered, teeth biting down of Cloud’s neck like an animal as the blonde followed his orders, legs thick and strong around his waist making the black haired man let out a long whine. 

Cloud’s legs always being a weakness of his that he had had to keep to himself throughout all the times they had stayed in hotel rooms together through their missions.

Cloud always did sleep in a shirt and boxer shorts after all and if he did get caught staring, he was very quick to say it was because he was looking for any injuries as the blondes superior.

“I love you, Zack,” Cloud whimpered, hands holding either side of Zack’s face, the both of the panting hard and flushed in the face.

“I love you too, you idiot,” Zack grinned before letting out a loud yelp as Cloud punched him in the shoulder, an adorable glare on his face.

[helenapsent]

It seems that the 6th installment of "Dark Parables" called "Jack and the Sky Kingdom" is weaker compared to the other parts

When I downloaded the game, I noticed that its rating was lower than previous installments. And it was a mystery to me at first. However, when I passed it, I realized what the catch was, and I can agree that this part is, to put it mildly, "not very good"

First of all, it's very torturous, it's hard to get through. No, it's not particularly difficult, it's just very rewarding. There's a feeling that this part was unnecessary. It's like an eyesore, it's strangely intertwined with the lore of the entire "Dark Parables" universe, and you don't understand why it exists. Also, the characters aren't memorable much, unlike the main character's one antagonist and our comrade.

From the plot…. It's not very memorable except for the little meme moments. In this part they put a lot of emphasis on action, but at the same time this action sucks with what's going on. You're forced to watch the apocalypse, your dudes fighting, but at the same time you're not helping them, you're the main character, you're doing some shit)) And action and search don't mix well.

Fine, okay, what about the story… There's something stressed in the city, there's a fucking flying island and rocks fall from it periodically, it's not comical. We were given a task: either somehow move the island away from the city, or climb up there and see what's going on there. Jack (who has already been there, he knows everything there, yeah) helps us. What's the result? We are periodically attacked by "rogues", or rather, three princes: the oldest one - Leonard - a mighty warrior, chasing a goose; the second youngest - Hugo - mega smart, set traps to be sure; and the third middle one - Julian - tumbler sexy man, can change his appearance, will steal anything (even our heart). We fight these devils almost the whole way through. These princes are also foster princes (well, just a fire solution)0)) ) Leonard flew into the fucking water in the first act, Hugo Jack got nailed by a flying boat quite by accident, and Julian we "immrozed" a little bit, he fell down with his legs upside down like a cockroach. BETWEEN WEDNESDAYS AND OTHERS, our Jack's got a bug up his ass, he's looking for his Red Riding Hoods girlfriend (no mention of her in the previous installment, but we had to make SOME KIND OF CONNECTION YAH), and bang, she's related to those sky island dudes! Pretty cool, huh? Nice get in trouble These morons two quarreled, we all three of us fucked up the island and flew down to earth to our Red Riding Hoods Sisters, that's peace, friendship, gum 🥰✌🏻✨

It's not mind blowing, it feels like a cliché, maybe the authors are pretty fucked up by this point and it feels that way

There's a lot of predictable things in this part (except for some deaths, but in general yes), what else… And also new puzzles added and the heroes made normal dialog windows, ig super

[ifindus]

What’s your opinion on Kongen på havet? Just re-watched the first episode after 13 years (å jesus), and ehhh… I don’t know? It kinda irked me in some way? I can’t really pin-point it. Really want to hear your thoughts since you’re our trusty kaptein sabeltann expert

I have many thoughts on it, but I do agree with you that it's not my favourite version of the Kaptein Sabeltann universe 😅 Maybe some of the issues I have with it, is what's bothering you too?

🏴‍☠️ My main issue lies with how it focuses mostly on Pinky. Pinky is an important character in the shows, but partof the appeal with him as a character is that he is one child surrounded by adults who are all pirates. In the series they introduce more child-characters and shift the focus onto the relationship between them and Pinky, and the result of that is that the series just becomes another children's show and it doesn't feel very unique. My love and interest in the shows as a child was definitively Kaptein Sabeltann, and here he almost becomes a minor character. And for me, Pinky is just an annoying, whiny kid in this series.

🏴‍☠️ Another issue I have with the series is how Kaptein Sabeltann is portrayed. In the shows he is always scary and explosive and you get that mixed sense of fear and respect for him. He is not scary at all in the series and whenever he is angry you don't get the sense that there will be consequences. It's all just empty threats and he does not appear as intimidating. I also wish his coat and wig were bigger so that he would seems more dramatic, because next to Langemann he looks very small and that's not right.

🏴‍☠️ Next, and probably the main reason I'm not a huge fan of the series, is the issue of Langemann. I do not care for how he is portrayed in this series at all - everything I love about his character has been removed. The way he acts around Pinky is weird and it feels like they changed his personality to fit better in with Pinky's struggles. He acts like a typical parent in a children's show; ignoring important problems when it fits the plot, telling him off over stupid things, and excessively worrying about him when that fits the plot. It also bothers me how he walks in front of Kaptein Sabeltann, when he's always shown following him (because he is supposed to be his shadow) in the shows. And his entire attitude towards Kaptein Sabeltann is annoying? Langemann just seems to be fed up and tired of listening to him?? Which is supposed to be his entire character? It doesn't help that they added Rosa as his love interest either. It's just another thing to create unnecessary drama and subplots that does not make sense. She, as a character, is not bad even though she kind of falls victim to the "strong female character without a real personality" and the way she acts sometimes is just to create drama. I think her character is made to humanize Langemann a bit, but personally I think she fits better a sister to him?? That would make a lot more sense to me, and would also provide us with some fun sibling rivalry opportunities without butchering either of their characters. It would also give more of a back-story to Langemann and a better way to explore his character if that's what they really wanted.

🏴‍☠️ Pelle and Pysa is also done dirty in the series I think. They become more of a comic relief, but it's not done with that same taste as in the shows, instead putting more emphasis on that they are gross and stupid - just lazy comedy. In the shows they have more of a personality and are just funnier without being complete morons and everyone being mean to them.

🏴‍☠️ In regards to the story and plot itself, it does feel a bit unnecessary as it is a prequel to the main shows and we do know the final outcome going in. To have made it better, they should have focused on something different than Pinky's main goal of becoming a part of Kaptein Sabeltann's crew. Especially when we know how that ends and where he ends up. It would have been more interesting to focus on Kaptein Sabeltann and his relation to the town of Abra and how he came to rule over it for example - maybe even some of the crew's raids and adventures and the relations between them. They also could have gone darker. And I do wish the songs were more prominent in the episodes because they are so iconic and part of what makes up the Kaptein Sabeltann universe.

🏴‍☠️ What I did like about the show was Kaptein Sabeltann's make-up and the new characters we were introduced to. Ravn and her parents are a great addition to Abra Havn, as well as the merchant and the new villains we see.

[shoot-of-corruption]

"Silent Scream"

(Let it out, babygirl 🥺)

"You know what really drives me up the wall, I imagine you had your brush with it more often than I possibly want to count as well."

He shut his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Hypocrites. Dazzlers. Those are pretty bad, right? Now imagine you are so GREAT at your craft that you simply overlook the point that you are doing it in the first places."

He growled deeply in his throat. "People, who call themselves so good, yet their opinion is the holiest and whoever does not abide by it, is immediately either unwilling or broken." He glared at the other one, obviously more in commiseration rather than trying to blame them.

" 'Ohhh... you are depressed? Well how about you try not doing that.' 'You're afraid to do xy? Well, if you felt entitled to our friendship you would do it.' "

His eyes narrowed and he seemed to put special emphasis on the next sentence.

" 'You're not feeling like going out with us today? WELL, seems like you simply don't want to be our friend.' "

And when you ask these assholes if they think that they are good friends, they have the gall to say: "OF COURSE!! Just some of our friends aren't as good a we are. They are always distant. We want to expose them to the outside, but they never want to go with us." "

He huffed out through his nose and rolled his eyes. "Actually that's humans for you, yeah. That is pretty much 90% of all humans, right? It's not like I care, I don't really care about people much, they can go to hell for all I care. But I know other people, who care and their disappointment with the human race, really makes my blood boil.

You already have a feeling of never being able to vanquish the big baddies. This cozy-up with idiotic morons, who refuse to even learn a bit about people they view as 'wrong' or 'broken'... that's what's the really personal kick in the shin. Like life isn't easy for some people.

But if people refuse to even acknowledge you as a person... that is the poison prick... the end boss so to speak... and the brush up with that is probably the worst shit in life without a safety net."

[lightdancer1]

Wrapped up the next of the two books:

This book of the two is written by Thomas Ricks, who's also written a fairly scathing indictment of the US officer corps adopting the same blinkers that cost the Germans of WWI and WWII (rather fortunately in those cases) the wars they were so happy to start. This perspective differs in both emphasis and in willingness to take the Negan bat to the various individuals involved from Gordon and Trainor's in three simple ways.

The first is that having less direct connections worth preserving Ricks pushes much harder and is unafraid to bluntly call both incompetence and cronyism what they are. This shapes a more iconcoclastic view in one way that also happens to simply be cruder and blunter but saying much the same things. Both agree that Bush, Rumsfeld, Franks, and Sanchez, in that order, have responsibility at the highest levels and that the military effort did not blend ends and means and that this disjuncture caused the failure. One said so obliquely and shallowly, the other connects the roots to the wrong lessons from the 1991 war.

The second, of course, is one of scale. Gordon and Trainor's third book, covering the war after the war, is much bleaker than this one and spares no Administration a solid raking over coals. Their book on the invasion itself was limited to 2003, this one covers events to 2005, though both start in the time beforehand. With a larger time to cover and more to the point a hindsight that the 2003 book had some effects but by limited space to deal with them the emphasis becomes much sharper to how much Tommy Franks, as commander of CentCom, embodied some of the same defects that haunted the USSR in Afghanistan and which Russia has proven culturally incapable and unwilling to learn from.

The book also notes that unlike the Russians the US military did learn, but the political leadership was slower and more sluggish in two of its main branches, the third having a very indirect aspect. This created a not so subtle crisis that could have become more threatening than it did in some ways but was enough of a one that the Iraq War had a rather muted but no less real crisis of 'WTF are we doing listening to these morons' from the officers and even more profane comments from the men.

The third is that there is a greater emphasis on the Iraqi side from Gordon and Trainor in both books where Iraqis are bit players and the shadows against which the light of US actions and inactions occur in Rick's book. The irony is that in this regard (and applying also to the Gulf War books) Gordon and Trainor write a much more holistic history that uniquely for histories written in wartime and in the wake of a war remember the other side is led by actual humans and made up of actual humans and able to be descriptive rather than prescriptive. Not, of course, that an accurate history of the decisions of the Saddam Hussein regime wouldn't in itself be a stinging indictment of incompetent assclownery that destabilized a region and was then overshadowed by the US war that deposed it and what happened after.

7/10.

[10-o]

❝ yeah… yeah, i walked into that one, ❞ just like he walked into those damn liminus claws. but he'll not say that bit aloud. some joke about the liminus being determined to wound them so they kept winding up in this position is almost made, but sputters out when he feels kullvero guide him. dutifully he sits, pressing his back to the bars to try and eliminate as much space between them as he can. 

it only occurs to him in that moment that be handled gently is probably as much a stranger to him as it is to kullervo. that lingering thought is supplanted by awkwardly trying to figure out what to do with his right arm, unable to let it down for getting in the way – and that thought is interrupted by the gentle pressure at his side, and the sound kullervo makes behind him. drifter keeps his arm aloft and his gaze DECIDEDLY fixed forward. 

❝ what? ❞ he groans, raised arm going half limp, casting his gaze back through the bar. it's something he's had to do before, and he's not very keen on repeating the experience. as the bane comes into view, though, he relents with a weary sigh and reaches for the hilt. ❝ yeah, i do. just seems like a waste of my good fire, is all, ❞ despite the sarcasm once his fingers close around the hilt his attention is swiftly drawn to it. 

his grip becomes notably more tender, his other arm relaxing from it's duty in holding his clothes aloft, temporarily forgotten. ❝ when you said your banes are like a part of your body, ❞ the word is drawn out as he fumbles, trying to find a way to his query without sounding like a moron, and without — ❝ can you feel this? ❞ head tilts slightly back again, his thumb running once along the hilt for emphasis. ❝ it won't hurt you, right? the fire? ❞

"i don't think that." it's a poor attempt at humor, familiar in how it comes wrapped in a veil of concern. "and you could stand to be a little less dedicated. work yourself to death, and you will have accomplished nothing."

it warms his void-weary soul that the drifter trusts him enough to be so vulnerable in his presence; a warmth that he is careful not to express, for fear of bringing awkwardness between them. he reaches through the bars, guiding the drifter to sit with his back to the barrier, the cold print of his metal fingertips resting over bare skin. it's difficult to examine the wound proper through the immovable obstacle between them, but he manages well enough.

applying gentle pressure in circular rhythm around the gash brings forth a fresh well of blood; kullervo hums, the sound as hoarse as it is thoughtful. his presence flits upwards, over the impression of the drifter's ribs beneath his skin, tracing his pulse with a warrior's acuity. for a moment, silence; the thundering of a heartbeat is all he needs to hear.

"bandages will not suffice to staunch the bleeding. have you something to burn?" his other arm reaches through, one of his banes glinting in his grasp. "take this. heat the blade, and hold it to the wound. i doubt i need to explain to you the method of cauterization."

[forgottenbones]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUmqOXQMzIG/?utm_medium=copy_link

[hypermanga]

A stake and a hard place

Pairing: David (Lost Boys) x Female!Reader

Warnings: Kind of smutty, language

Word count: 1353

                                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The nights at the Boardwalk were always full of life, a paradox considering death was just walking amongst the great masses of people: dressed in leather, alongside their motorbikes, 4 men left death trails wherever they went. 

Marco, Paul, Dwayne, and the worst, David. 

You had fought them since you eighteen, as your dad had instructed you to do after you moved to Santa Carla when you were little. That's one of the perks of living with an occultist, he could sense the forces of evil and death from a mile away, although the big graffiti of "Murder Capital of the World" could also have played a substantial part in his deduction.

Four years playing a cat and mouse game, though you weren't sure who you were anymore: too many near-deaths, too many lives lost already to those vampires ...And yet you always rose up once again, ready to look at death in the eye with your trusty stake at hand. 

Tonight was no different: you moved through the crowd swiftly, thankful that black and leather had become a fashion trend so you could blend with the punks, rockers and leather-lovers out in the Boardwalk. It didn't take long for them to show up, surely ready to have a snack from a poor soul who was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

You watched the unsuspecting victims pile up on the beach, grouping with their friends, trying to find somewhere to get drunk or just be moronic as per usual ‘Back again sweetie?’ David's voice rumbled in your head, making you turn around as a chill ran down your spine. With David it was difficult: vampires were loathsome creatures, night entities who fed on the blood of victims, yet he was alluring. You couldn't deny that he always flirted with you at any given chance, you were young and your hormones were always at peak, a bad combination you must admit to yourself. 

But self-control always prevailed...Most of the times: he had pinned you down on the sand or on a wall during a fight, his lips hovering mere inches over your neck, leaving you with a rush of adrenaline before he disappeared into the night with his peers. 

As you walked the Boardwalk, you heard cat-calls and even some people talking about if you were from the bikers' gang, which made you chuckle “If only they knew...” 'What? How much you crave me, doll? Both of us know it' Stomping your feet, you tried to get the words ‘Fuck off’ across his brain, before looking where they had been when they'd arrived. They were nowhere to be found, which only pissed you off even more: let the games begin. 

Closing your eyes, you tried to feel something, anything that could take you to them. But as auras were not your forte, a blood-curling scream would have to suffice, which put you on track towards under the Boardwalk. As you arrived there, you could only gasp as you saw the remnants of a boy carelessly scattered along the sand. As you followed in the footsteps, you started to ran across the coast, not caring who saw you with blood tainted boots or a stake at hand “Everyone, MOVE!” Parting your way, you heard the familiar roar of the motorbikes before it was too late. 

As you reached another creek, you found David, lounging next to some cadavers.

It was only you and him, as per usual "Come on, doll" You grunted, panting from the chase "Oh sorry, I didn't know I suddenly had superhuman speed and strength" You replied sarcastically to him, gripping the stake tighter “Now, before, you know, “kill me”” He said, quoting it with his fingers for emphasys “Admit it. Something about me turns you on” Now it was your turn to laugh “Never, in a million years, would I be tempted by someone no, SOMETHING, like you! You shouted.

He came too close for comfort, lighting a cigarette and puffing the smoke right towards you, but you felt that he wanted to toy with you a little bit. Pulling yourself back, you grabbed the lapels of his coat and smashed your head into his “Shit!” You clutched your forehead “And what was this stunt you tried to pull right now?” You could tell he was holding his laughter “Come now doll, let’s dance” He said, crooking his finger "Stop calling me that!'

With that, the never ending game of cat and mousd begun: he always ran effortlesly, you could even swear he glided over the sand just as a surfnazi hovered over the waves. You tried to keep up with him, but you were no match from him. Turning left, you were back in the middle of the boardwalk "Shit" So many people were still lounging in the attractions, and saw many black coats that belong to others, which made your head spin.

As you panted for relief, you walked backwards to the edge of the wooden structure "Where the heck are you?" You whispered 'Behind you' Was all it took for you to scream as two hands roped around your torso, pulling you down with them.

You landed on the sand with a huff, quickly composing yourself as you checked where you were: it was under the bridge, a place people mostly went to relax or just make out. And you were there for neither of those.

David appeared in front of you, making you yelp, and pushed you onto one of the wooden columns.

"Gotcha" He purred, as his hand rested beside your head "Just as I've gotcha" His expression changed from cockiness to surprise, as the stake poked at his jacket, ready to end his life at any given second "I guess you do, but will you be able to do it kitten?" That was the last straw, he played with death as if he was a god himself, so you readied yourself to strike the final blow. 

But you couldn't do it, you were at a loss of words. You could feel the disappointment in your heart, why couldn't you?

"No witty catchphrase? That's new" He chuckled darkly, gripping the stake from your hand and throwing it aside, rendering you powerless. His hand, which had been next to your hips, grabbed them roughly, “I...” You could only stammer as his face approached you “You thought you were a hero...Someone who could really end us? End me?” He chuckled darkly “You are weak, powerless...Another meal for us to feast on” His fangs hovered over your neck as you closed your eyes and whimpered “Look at you...So scared, I can feel your pulse without even touching you” “Get this over with” You managed to choke out “And let you off so easily? Forgive me for declining your offer. In fact, I enjoy seeing you so submissive” 

You felt as if the anticipation would kill you faster than any bullet. But even there, with him so close to you, a little part of you wanted him to just “What do you want me to do, mmmh?” You bared your teeth at him, eliciting a tsk sound from him “You know” He started “I would love for us to stay this way. You know we could be a power couple, right?” “Fuck you” “That’s what you would like doll. But” He started to kiss along your neck vein, making you shudder “For” kiss “Now” kiss “This" kiss "will have to suffice” His tongue traced the trail, earning a moan from you “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to hear that sound from you?” 

Before you could protest, he distanced himself from you and started to walk away “Don’t forget my words doll: you're my next meal" You stammered backwards "Fine, if that means I can stop you before you kill anybody else" You started to leave, trying to put up a bravado facade "Can't wait to taste you!" He shouted into the night.

'And your blood'

With that, you let out a squeak and disappeared into the night, his chuckle etched in your brain.

~~~~

Masterlist

[bugsbenefit]

after reading this awesome post by @sleepy-moron (sorry for the tag but credit where credit is due) mentioning El's false perception as the main character by the GA i actually thought about the final scene a bit more and it's so interesting how they actually chose to edit it. because it seems to reflect this wrong perception of her

El is presented as the main character. but only at first. she walks past the group and leaves everyone far behind as the camera follows and focuses on her, she's presented as the main-girlTM here, getting a close up of looking at the flower and looking forward on the destruction. and this⬇ shot speaks for itself, just going by it you could probably expect an El independence + solo protagonist arc in s5

but no. the season doesn't end on this. we suddenly also get identical close up reaction shots of everyone else. not just a group reaction, but three separate shots. and THEN the camera finally flips around to show us the character's backs as they look down into Hawkins. which now puts all the characters first placed far away from the camera the Closest to the viewer

the season ends on a group shot. instead of seeing El as a sole protagonist for the last shot of the season, which they could have easily kept it as had they wanted to emphasis a solo girl arc, they added Another shot, from behind, showing Everyone. a solid line standing strong against what's in front of them

because ST has always had an ensemble cast and it's actually kind of cool how this last shot seems to show exactly this. not a sole main character taking on evil, but instead a whole group, all protagonists in their own right and presumably the main characters of the next season

(it's also interesting how El doesn't even begin the scene leading and instead walks in the back, only to overtake for a little bit center stage, and then get grouped back into a wide shot with everyone else, where she also stands the furthest away from the viewer again when ending it. also, El independence but finally having people in her corner and behind her to carry the plot with her?)

[i-am-minty-fresh]

Topic Essay:

Fandom: One Piece

Topic: Luffy

Sub-Topic: The Moron

!Spoiler Warning!

I’m gonna (try to) make a much more broad topic essay about Luffy as a member of the strawhats later, but I was watching a video by LonerBox titled “Joe Rogan and the Hard Men” (which is really good, sidenote) and I started to think about the type of ‘Main Character’ that Luffy is and…I decided to write about it!

Clarification: This post isn’t supposed to be attacking the characterization of other main characters from various shows, even the ones I will bring up in this essay. For every character mentioned in this essay, keep in mind that I have either watched all the shows and/or I am an active fan of the show. I’m not here to say that Luffy is the best main character ever, I’m really just trying to break down why I specifically am as attached to him compared to other main characters I’ve seen before. 

Stupid and Straightforward: For anime specifically there tends to be two types of main male characters in like shogun anime: 

The Genius  

The Moron

The best example of this trope is with Chainsaw Man. To avoid spoiling as much as I can, Denji is your trademark stupid guy. He has a one track mind and little to no patience or sense of decorum. He’s more than a little selfish, cocky, and has zero sense of self-preservation. He also enjoys eating out, making friends, and hanging out with Power, you know…the simple things. He’s your Moron. Aki on the other hand is your stuck-up twat. He’s cold, and serious. He’s got a tragic backstory that fuels his passion. He hates how dependable Denji is for how fucking stupid he acts, while also being pretty destructive when he wants. He’s your Genius. 

This is a very common trope because it creates a bit of light-hearted tension between characters without it having to mean anything more than they have completely different personality traits. Natsu vs Gray (or Natsu vs Erza) from Fairy Tail, Tamaki vs Kyoya from Ouran Highschool Host club, Kirito vs Asuna from Sword Art Online, etc. (I know, I have a pretty shit taste in Anime but my point still stands). Even in traditional media it’s not uncommon to see the laid-back, do nothing, extraverted character becoming sort-of-frenemies with the quiet, up-tight, introverted character in an opposites attract kind of way. 

Of course not all main characters fall into this grouping (Tanjiro from Demon Slayer, Yumeko from Kakegurui, Light and L from Death Note, etc.) but the more simple the anime is the more likely, in my experience, that these kinds of characters are used. 

As I mentioned before, this is not a critique of this trope, if anything it's my analysis of why I like the trope as much as I do, but I digress.

When we first meet Luffy, it’s obvious that he’s supposed to be the moron. From falling asleep in a barrel when he can easily drown, to not noticing the bad situation he’s in, to not taking the easy way out of said situation (i.e. just complementing Alveria), to announcing he will be King of the Pirates, this is our lovable moron. The more we watch the show/read the manga, the more he checks the boxes: Selfish? Check. Zero self-preservation? Check. Enjoying the simple things? Check? No Patience? Double Check. 

Alright we have our moron, now we need our genius. I’m putting emphasis on need here because without a genius the moron can be a little…hard to be around. The reason the duality works is because it lets the viewer enjoy the best parts of both personalities without having to deal with all the negatives. Without the genius, the moron can hit a break wall and try to brute force their way through it without figuring out a logical way out, while without the moron, the genius can waste time by wanting to plan out every possible step. With that said, now we need the genius…well that’s when One Piece I think, really starts to show what makes it different.

Not a Braincell in Sight: One Piece has its fair share of smart characters. From characters held as geniuses like Law and Robin, to geniuses in their field like all the strawhats, to kings and princesses there has never really been a shortage of smart people in the show that could be used as the genius to Luffy’s moron but…it doesn’t. It’s kind of implied that everyone on the ship is smarter than Luffy, by occasionally a comically wide margin. Even characters that the strawhats meet later, even the fucking kids they meet later, are smarter than Luffy by comparison, but it doesn’t matter. 

Because He Runs The Ship.

Whether that be literally, in that he is the Captain or because he’s probably right and so everyone has to just follow his lead. He’s a selfish moron, but he’s also exactly what every person he meets needs. When he meets Vivi, she has overcomplicated her task. Not only does she have to save Alabasta, but she has to do it without anyone dying. She outlines how best to do it, planning, plotting, strategizing. Luffy breaks it down for her, he has to beat Crocodile and then everything will work out. Is he wrong? Not really. Without Crocodile, the Baroque Works has no reason to keep framing the king and with due time, peace will come. You can of course speed up this process if you fix your perception and build back trust before the end of the war, but it doesn’t make it wrong. The same thing happens at Dressrosa with Doflamingo. Luffy’s right to kick Doflamingo’s Ass, not just because he’s a douchebag, but because what brain cell was Law running on to think that if Luffy and him can’t beat Doflamingo, that beating Kaido is even possible. Luffy picks who to fight, Luffy picks how far into other people’s problems he’s going to go, Luffy saves whoever he wants whenever he wants. Everyone else in One Piece acts as the Genius, the people who are too into their own thoughts to get out of their own misery. Sanji and Franky refusing to join because of a debt they created for themselves, Chopper, Usopp, and Robin not believing that they have the right to join such a crew, Zoro and Nami not believing that they’re strong enough, and Brook’s total insanity. They are the one’s complicating their lives, and Luffy is here to simplify things. 

I’m Going to Become King of The Pirates! 

Luffy doesn’t know what the practical application of those words mean. He doesn’t know about Laugh Tale, or the Polyglyphs, or the Warlords and Emperors that he’ll need to fight to get there…because his job is to be the moron. The simple minded, self-sacrificing, impatient, child who gets his way no matter what. Every other character in the show acts as the genius, but not to dull his loud personality but rather to protect it.  His crew is tasked with knowing everything else, his only real job is to always win…and he always does!

Conclusion: As I have mentioned before I can write a million essays about Luffy as a character, but to me he’s a character that knows that he is the moron. He cannot use a sword, or cook, he cannot sail, or snipe, he cannot bandage wounds, or read the polyglyphs, or fix ships, or write songs. He knows his limitations and does his best. He can not be the Pirate King without his friends, and no one knows that more than him. 

I love the silly little stretchy boy with my whole heart!

[astaroth1357]

Demigod MC Series: Nyx

Nyx is a primordial goddess and the Greek personification of Night - the mother of Hypnos, Thanatos, Nemesis, and many more. She's a mysterious figure in their mythos as there's little surviving info about her cult. What is known, however, is that she was portrayed as beautiful, powerful, and feared by Zeus himself.

Demigod MC Series: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hades, Dionysus, Demeter, Athena, Hades Pt. 2, Poseidon, Ares, Hestia, Nyx

Lucifer 

What happens when you take a being born from the darkness and place them in a realm of eternal night…?

The answer came when the MC first stepped out of the portal. Everyone in the room was wholly expecting a normal-looking, confused human they could get up to speed, however…

The MC's skin suddenly darkened until it was as black as a shadow, their clothes levitated around them as if they were defying gravity, and glimmering speckles dotted their skin like twinkling stars.

Even their eyes turned a pure, glowing white without irises or pupils… Like two crowning stars locked into a body made from the shimmering night sky...

They weren't human. At the time, Lucifer wasn't even sure he could say what they were... Breathtaking, certainly, but there was something else about them that he couldn't place… something… foreboding...

Diavolo must have had the same unease because Barbatos was put in charge of monitoring them. The butler would send reports to them both and the results would range from benign to nerve-racking...

They kept their distance from his brothers and most people, but their power seemed immense... Barbs would report seeing them making small items float or summoning a meteor shower from their fingertips!

Lucifer ended up actually tasting their powers only once. When they stepped in to protect Beel and Luke and he went to attack them…

The whole House began to shake and the candles of the tomb started going out one by one as the air grew intolerably heavy... He could have sworn he saw a vortex of… something... swirling at their feet...

He backed off immediately and Beel and Luke got off with a warning, mostly because he was trying not to look utterly petrified...

He's never met a more beautiful and dangerous creature in his life… Pact mark or no, this is probably the only person the firstborn will admit he never wants to have to fight because he'd lose, big time.

Mammon

He was expecting to find a human when he walked into the Student Council room, not an alien!!

Mammon was seriously scared of the MC when they first met because he legitimately believed they were an extraterrestrial sent to probe him!!... Or whatever else those scary movies say aliens do, lay eggs in his stomach?

He straight up avoided them like the plague until the Goldie incident more or less bound them together. But even then there was a distance between them he just couldn't place…

Naturally, it bothers a demon a bit if their master doesn't seem to like them, so he eventually cornered them one day to force them to tell him why they'd been running off!

As it turned out, the MC actually knew as little about their new form everybody else! They had been perfectly normal in the human world, but for some reason the Devildom supercharged them! They could tell that they were powerful, but had no idea how to control themselves yet and it scared them...

So Mammon became their first unofficial "coach." Not that he knew how to train them or anything, but he was the first person supportive enough to even try to help them learn their new powers.

It led to some… interesting misadventures. Like when the MC unexpectedly burst every water pipe in the House or when they got a little too frustrated and ripped the kitchen apart with an accidental twister, but hey, Mammon was always there for them at least.

Of course, because he's who he is, he's not above asking the MC to help him with his schemes for "training purposes…" Infiltration is more fun if you're weightless, after all!

Speaking of weightless… His favorite way to float is when the MC gets excited and hugs him. They can't help but levitate them both off the ground when they're that happy and it makes the whole hug that much sweeter.

Leviathan 

It's… it's like he's in his very own Magical Girl anime!!! Uh, "I'm a Demon and this is My New Life with a Magic Starchild!!"-or something like that. 🤷‍♀️

He didn't even think their transformation was real when he first saw it! He really thought it was an elaborate body art cosplay but then their "freckles" rearranged themselves when he frightened them, so it had to be real!!

He'll declare that they're probably (literally) the coolest thing on the planet. They have the looks of an epic fantasy character plus insane powers to boot! 

…though uh… they may need a training arc or two to learn how to control them… 😅

Since their powers are apparently tied to their emotions, Levi's seen them do a whole bunch of stuff that's not entirely on purpose... Like, they can make things float when they're happy and push everything down when they're sad. 

So once he showed them one of those "tragic ending" animes for fun, but they cried so hard that they increased gravity and accidentally sent his bathtub crashing into the basement…

The worst of it is when they're mad, though. He made the mistake of making them play a rage game once and they ended up shattering all the glass in his room! His aquarium wall and Henry's fishtank included!!

They were able to make a zero G sphere of water in order to save Henry's life, but the cleanup was brutal… They were super sorry, but Levi took most of the blame himself anyway.

Honestly, he'd have been more mad but their body is clearly not something they can control just yet. Plus, it's so cool that he can put up with a little destruction anyway, you know?

Satan

Well, isn't that an interesting phenomenon?

Meeting a demigod is exciting enough, but one who reacted to the Devildom like that? It was pretty much unheard of!

Though he'd hate to admit it, Satan stalked the MC just as closely as Barbatos for a little while... But only because he was a little unsure of how to approach them…

They kept to themselves and their powers seemed "a little" unpredictable (see Levi's orphaned bathtub). Thankfully, Mammon ended up recommending the MC to him since Satan's one of the smartest guys around.

Satan made a better coach than Mammon, anyway. He was far more knowledgeable and actually able to hypothesize the strength their powers, which came in handy because uh… well…

Look. The whole realm 'ooohs' and 'ahhhs' over their appearance but they're all fools - no morons - for not noticing what potential the MC actually has. Satan was positive that the MC is the most powerful being in the Devildom, without question.

They had a complete control over gravity, atmospheric pressure, and even astronomical bodies… If they wanted to, they could literally pluck a planet out of orbit and send it careening into who knows what!

Want more terrifying? They could create near-matterless vacuums at the palms of their hands with the potential to suffocate, crush, or rip apart basically anything they wanted with implosive force….

Does he even need to spell out why that's utterly horrifying??

At least the MC seemed to be a genuinely nice person who wanted to control their powers better… Their emotions often got in the way but they tried their best.

He likes the MC a lot, but he'd be lying if he said that they didn’t also terrify him… They may have been pretty normal in the human world, but give them endless night and they may as well be a god...

Asmodeus 

Oh… My… Father!!! They're GORGEOUS!!!!

From the moment their transformation completed, Asmo had never seen anything like them! He said that they were like a living droplet of the night sky!

They were magnificent!! They were radiant!!! He was posting pictures of them before they had even said their first sentence!!

So Asmo was pretty much patient zero for any and all rumors and hype about the MC after that... Apparently someone like them only visits the Devildom every one, maybe two, centuries so everybody was bound to get talking.

Thankfully, the MC's habit of ducking out of the House kept them from becoming a full on sideshow. Unfortunately, however, Asmodeus was relentless!

He'd beg them to try modeling or make videos with him because of their unique look! He'd lay on the praises, but it was a little... much. It wasn't until Mammon finally stepped that he backed off a bit.

Asmo sometimes forgets that not everyone puts as much emphasis on looks as he does... Though he meant well, he hadn't realized that the MC maybe wouldn't appreciate him making such a big deal out of their appearance change. Pretty as it was, it was still involuntary to them...

Of course, after they told him this he cooled off and stopped putting them out there so publicly but even still he could hardly keep his eyes off of them... unless he was looking in a mirror, of course. 😘

A fun fact about the MC: when they blush, their skin makes a pink nebula. And thanks to his antics, Asmo has seen their lively pink cheeks many, many times… 🤭

Beelzebub 

Belphie would like them, wouldn't he...?

Beel's first reaction upon seeing the MC was genuine sadness, as seeing the stars with his twin brother still gone often brought him… 

The sadness didn't last too long at least because Beel tried his best to see the MC more like a person than a work of art or an oddity. Sure, they looked different - like really different - but they still laughed, cried, and ate like everybody else so they couldn't be that different.

Though then again, most people don't end up floating in midair when they laugh… Eh, oh well. It's not like those little details bother him. 🤷‍♀️

He always remained certain that Belphie would like the MC so he told them a lot about him. Since his twin loved stargazing, it'd only be natural that he'd like someone who looked like the stars, right?

Aside from the occasional tangent about his brother, Beel would also help the MC with their training by letting them help him with his training!

Controlling gravity can be pretty nifty for strength/resistance exercises, so there would be days where Beel would just pull a Dragon Ball and walk around at 1.5 or 2 times Earth's gravity thanks to having the MC on his back!

Sure, lifting a glass of milk becane so difficult that he literally broke a sweat from trying, but he felt like he can juggle motorcycles afterwards so who's complaining? Not him!

Belphegor 

……

………….

Was it some kind of joke?

The MC was not human. There was no way in heaven or hell that whatever he lured to the attic was supposed to be a human!!

Really, everything about the MC and their situation seemed directly designed to throw a monkey wrench into his plans...

One: They weren't human so how was he supposed to ruin Diavolo's dream? Two: They were clearly some kind of magical being so they could likely defend themselves…

But third ans most embarrassing of all... he honestly, genuinely, has never seen a more amazing person in his life. Blame it on his soft spot for the stars, but the moment the MC step up to his prison bars, he was smitten...

And. He. HATED IT!

Look, as much as he loved the night sky, he wasn't about to let some random non-human derail his anger! He was stronger than that!

He managed to hold onto his bitterness just long enough to make a halfhearted attempt on their life after they got the door open, but uh…

His brothers found Belphie when he fell through a newly-made hole in the ceiling... Said hole was made when his body slammed to the ground hard enough to crash through the attic floor... 😣

If the damage they caused wasn't enough to change his mind (which it was), then their distress when they thought they might have hurt him certainly did. Even their tears looked like stardust...

After far too long, Belphie got over his denial and began to properly love MC. If he liked stargazing before, he adored it now because he never even has to get out of bed! He can just roll over and follow the "stars" on the MC's body!

Unfortunately, that same love means it also takes a lot to ditch him if they get sick of being his personal night's sky… The brothers have found him floated up and sleeping on the ceiling on numerous occasions so the mortal can get some fresh air (clever MC)...