#I need characters that are familiar that I actually like to care about romance in media

[babybeel]

— just you is what i really need when you go home and come back earlier than expected ; title creds

lucifer is a busy man and even with your leave, he sticks to his usual routine without a moment’s break. (save for when one of his brother’s caused yet another form of trouble, of course.) but it’s late at night, when his head throbs and his body aches, that he misses you the most, sinking down into his chair. you’d chastise him for working so late, lucifer lets out a funny sort of half laugh as he thinks of you, scolding him for not taking better care of himself. then you’d sit with him, providing a helping hand to the burdens that rest heavy on his shoulders. something sharp pangs in lucifer’s chest and he knows he will have to bear uncomfortably with it, lodging itself in his being until you return. lucky for the demon, that was to come sooner than he expected. the hands in his hair make him stiffen at first, callous words simmering on his tongue, but he soon recognises the touch, melting at its familiarity. “you’re back early,” he comments, trying to keep his voice steady. and you hum amusedly at the attempt, “needed to look after you.” with your reply comes a promise - that you’re truly back, real, and for the avatar of pride no less - and lucifer lets the smile grace his expression as he tugs at one of your hands to press a kiss to your palm. “thank you.”

mammon had moped even before you left, the announcement that you’d be returning to the human world for a while enough to leave his spirits dampened. when you’d actually gone, he seemed to trod around the house of lamentation like a little puppy, lost on what exactly to do. and it was day five when he caved and whined down the phone to you, a loud cry of “i could’ve come with you! i’m supposed to be ya first man!” the responding laugh had warmed mammon’s core, despite the tinny receiver, but it does little to soothe the ache in his heart as he settles down for the night, your pillow between his arms to make up for your absence. you should’ve known mammon wouldn’t be in his room but yours when you went to surprise him, slipping through the halls. you find him tucked in your bed, face pressed against your sheets, though the creak of the door had him jumping upwards at the intrusion, half expecting someone to scold him for slinking into your room. instead he was met with a smile. your smile. in an instant, mammon’s launching himself at you, blankets catching at his waist as he holds you close. “you - you’re back!” he eventually splutters, words tumbling from curved lips. all it takes is a nod of your head for mammon to pull you closer and you grin, “couldn’t help it, i missed my first man.”

leviathan hadn’t left his room the entire time you had gone home, choosing instead to fixate on the video games that distracted him ever so slightly from just how much he missed you. but the inability to ramble to you once he finished would only send another wave of sullenness through him. his solution to this was - of course - digging himself in deeper, buying new games and constantly checking for new releases. that was how levi found himself in the midst of a cheesy romance game, sinking feeling in his chest hitting him full force as the love interest reminded him awfully of you. the little pixel character bore striking resemblance to you and as it giggled, levi couldn’t help but slump down in his chair with a deep sigh. “what do i do...” he murmured softly, words half hidden under his breath as he debated contacting you. what if you were occupied? or thought him bothersome? or didn’t want to-- “i think the second option sounds cute.” levi scrambles up in an instant, ignoring the clatter of his controller to the floor in favour of embracing you. and as he tucked his face into the crook of your neck, hiding the tears that pricked at his eyes, he swore there was nothing better than you - actual you - in his arms.

satan had tried his best to maintain his cool front. he’d continued to go about his day as normal - reading his books, annoying lucifer, the likes. but it came as no surprise that he was antsier, on edge. every miniscule thing adding to his pile of nerves and sending hot electricity through his veins. by the end of the school day, followed by a last-minute student council meeting, satan had snapped no less than twelve times, more than ready to return to the house of lamentation where he could hiss and spit and scowl in the privacy of his own room. but as he went to do so, he noticed how his door was ajar. and it was only the exhaustion in his bones that prevented the scream from bubbling up his throat, threatening to round up his brothers and curse them until he knew who had been in his room. with his claws poking out and digging into the skin of his palms, satan swung his door open with more force than necessary and found his answer. you. “oh,” the single syllable dropped into the air and satan feels his heart slow, calmed by the sight of you. it took one more second for reason to return to him, brain whirring into action now that his anger has subsided. he strides towards you with outstretched arms until you fit tight flush against his torso. “missed me?” you chuckle, daring to ask. and the smile pressed against your skin tells you all you need to know, “more than you could imagine.”

asmodeus misses you terribly, but with the way he texts you every tiny update, it’s like you’re still there - right? it becomes a common sight to see asmo tapping away at the screen of his DDD, charms swinging in the air. and more often than note, he makes the motion to fish out the device, even at the most inconsequential of happenings. nevertheless, you reply diligently to each message, sending back reactions that has asmo giggling in glee alongside details and pictures of your own day in hopes it would bridge some of the distance between you two. and in the evenings, as you both settle down the for the night, you and asmo make sure to videocall, even if you have little more to say, just content to gaze upon one another. except tonight you hadn’t picked up. twice. and asmo was getting all too jittery. you hadn’t responded to his last four texts either and-- something hadn’t happened, had it? no no, asmo dismissed the silly thought, you were probably just busy. but something sharp continued to stick in his throat. were you too busy for him? such thoughts are soon culled and forgotten when the demon’s door flies open, exuberant grin in your face as you barrel towards him and the touch you so missed. “you called?”

from afar, beelzebub didn’t seem so affected by your absence. but if the pangs in his chest and the random moments where his smile would falter were anything to go by, it was clear the truth was the exact opposite. still, the demon was sweet and chose not to utter a word when you’d call, content to listen to you gush about what you’d missed back in the human world. you finally found out about beel’s distress when belphie had snapped a subtle picture of his twin’s sullen face one day during dinner, quickly followed by a demand of “come back soon.” and though you had huffed at belphegor’s blunt words, clearly used to getting his way, you couldn’t help but do so, sad expression on beel’s face fuelling your actions. when beel slumps into his chair in the morning, his eyes are still bleary and sleep fogs his movements. it takes him a moment to realise he’d been shovelling human breakfast into his mouth and just like that he’s running to the kitchen, daze he had been in suddenly disappearing. a call of your name leaves his lips, echoed by the bang of the door as it rebounds against the wall, and beel already knows the image of you, eyes lit up as you grinned and declared you were home, would remain in his memories forever.

at first, belphegor had attempted to sleep away the days until your return, calendar in the attic keeping track of time. but one night, after so much sleep, belphie found himself restless. instead, he meandered to the planetarium as he so often did, gazing up at the sky. the stars in the devildom are far more vast than in the human world, yet still, he picked out the ones you’d be able to see with ease, silently hoping you were looking at them too. belphie was woken abruptly come morning, lucifer having invaded his brother’s space and placed a firm hand on his shoulder, demanding the youngest to go to school and keep up appearances. with no other choice, belphie agreed, spending the vast majority of the day waiting until he could go home. and it’s there that he sees you. truthfully, attending rad had drained the avatar of sloth of energy completely but finding you in his bed, peaceful and at ease, was enough of a shock to wake him, heartrate spiking as it so regularly did around you. still, belphie clambers into bed, making sure not to wake you and he tangles himself with you. for belphie knew there was little more he could want, so as long as you were by his side.

#obey me #obey me x reader #obey me x mc #om x reader #om x mc #lucifer x reader #lucifer x mc #mammon x reader #mammon x mc #leviathan x reader #leviathan x mc #satan x reader #satan x mc #asmodeus x reader #asmodeus x mc #beelzebub x reader #beelzebub x mc #belphegor x reader #belphegor x mc #obey me fluff #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me headcanons #om headcanons #obey me hcs

[makeitmingi]

Cause Baby You're My Muse [Chapter 48]

Genre: Romance, Idol!AU, Music, Slight angst

Pairing: Mingi x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Producer!Reader, IdolLyricist!Mingi, IdolProducer!Hongjoong, Idol!Seonghwa, Idol!Yunho, Idol!Wooyoung, Idol!San, Idol!Yeosang, Idol!Jongho, cameo(s) by other celebrities

Summary: You always preferred producing underground, having an unknown face and governed by your own rules. But when you start freelancing for idol groups, you say goodbye to your lone wolf lifestyle as you learn to work with idol producers and lyricists.

Word count: 3.3K

Two weeks passed really quickly with you going into the studio early in the morning and coming back late at night, juggling multiple projects at one go. Sometimes, you would work from your home studio just to be around Mingi. But he too would occasionally go to his studio to work and write lyrics.

Today, Mingi told you he would be coming home late since he was meeting some old friends for dinner. Lucky for you though because or else he would ask where you currently were.

Which was the police station.

"Miss (y/l/n)?" The familiar face of the officer came out. You stood up, pulling your hood tighter around your head.

"Your phone call sounded urgent. What's the matter?" She invited you to take a seat in the private room. You sat down and she sat adjacent from you.

"I-I..." You couldn't even form the words to begin to explain to her what happened.

"It's okay, take your time." She smiled softly, speaking patiently. She reached out to put her hand over your shaky, clamy one.

"I got this... I-it was delivered to my house... M-My new house..." You took a thick envelope out from your hoodie pocket and slid it over to her. She cast you a confused look and was about to open it when you stopped her.

"It's... from the person." You gulped. She immediately withdrew her hands. Standing up, she went to a cabinet to grab a pair of gloves. She wore the white gloves and opened the envelope.

Your bottom lip quivered as she flipped through the photos. Photos of you coming in and out of the building, different Ateez members as well. And the threatening letter.

"W-What should I do? Is there nothing that can be done?" You asked, fear and panic in your voice.

"I'll submit this to the evidence box. We'll try to get fingerprints off it." She said, putting the photos back into the envelope.

"I'll look at the footage in the building vicinity. But this person is careful, never actually doing the deliveries themselves." She sighed, giving you a pitiful look.

"Please, I don't want your pity. I just need something done about this, anything. The packages that have been coming into KQ, have been getting from bad to worse. Even the security guards are getting freaked out by the contents of it." You begged with deperation laced in your voice.

"I'm sorry, (y/n). There's just not much I can go off on now. I wish there was more I can do." She rubbed your arm.

"It could be a group, it could be an individual. But we've seen cases like this before, those crazed fans are relentless." She said. Was that supposed to make you feel better?

"I can't keep moving houses or keeping myself cooped up in my apartment. This isn't going to go away." You wiped your tears.

"Yes, it's not fair to you." She passed you a tissue box.

"Officer Yoon, this isn't just some crazed fan. All evidence points to an inside job, this person is inside KQ. Isn't that something you can use to launch an investigation?" You asked.

"I promise to keep working to launch an investigation as soon as possible." Her empty promise wasn't enough.

"Actually, another thing I wanted to ask you about. I saw that there was another case filed. Against a Mr Lee Seyoon? For assault. Can you tell me more about what happened?" She asked, pulling up the file on her iPad.

"Yes. He assaulted me while we went overseas for a film project. The company knows about that." You replied.

"Do you have any suspicions at all that he may be connected to the person or people that are threatening you?" She cleared her throat. You shook your head.

"He was too obsessed with himself or the fact that I wouldn't submit to him. Then he wanted to unmask me. Nothing to do with my relationship or what the threats have been about." You informed.

"Have you told your partner about this yet?"

"No. I don't want to drag him into this. Especially since we haven't got anything to go off on." You hung your head.

Of course, it hurt you to admit that you were deliberately hiding this from Mingi. It hurt you to imagine how it would be like if he knew that you were hiding this from him. You knew that it would break him and break your relationship. But you couldn't tell him, knowing the guilt and remorse you would cause him to feel.

"You shouldn't bottle this up, (y/n). You should tell him what's going on." She adviced. It was easy for her to say. You stood up and bowed before walking out.

"(y/n), wait." She called out but you were already out of the police station. You kept your head low as you rode the cab back.

"Hwa?" You whimpered on the phone.

"Indigo? What's wrong? What happened?" Seonghwa's voice indicated the sudden panic he felt when he heard how broken your voice was.

"Are you busy? Can I see you, please?" You tried to keep it together in the back of the cab.

"Of course. I'm not busy, I'm in the dorm. Are you home?" You heard some movement and shuffling on the other side of the call.

"No but I will be home soon..." You said and hung up. When the cab pulled up in the driveway, you paid the driver and got out. You rushed into the lobby, now worried that someone was always watching you wherever you were going.

When the lift door opened, Seonghwa was waiting outside your front door with a worried frown on his face. You tried to hold it together as you unlocked the door and invited him in.

"Hwa..." The moment the door closed, you let out a choked sob and hugged him.

"It's okay, it's okay. I got you. I'm here." He said, wrapping his arms around you securely, rubbing your back.

"It's okay, little star. It's alright." He whispered. You lost feeling in your legs, causing the both of you to sink to the ground. He kept his secure grip on you.

"Are you hurt?" That was what Seonghwa was worried about the most but he didn't get to check you for any injuries. When he felt you shake your head against his chest, he let out a sigh of relief. At least you weren't hurt. But he still didn't press you to tell him what happened, he wanted you to calm down first.

Seonghwa moved you to the couch, closing his eyes as you heard his wrecked sobs against his shoulder. He lifted your face and wiped your face with a tissue.

"Oh, Indigo..." His heart hurt seeing how distraught you were and the fact that he didn't know how to help you.

"What happened? Tell me, hmm?" He coaxed, tucking your hair behind your ear.

"I got these... these photos... They were sent here... To this address..." You said between sobs, continuing to wipe your tears with the ends of your sleeves.

"And this person...T-They... T-They threatened to hurt... A-All of you... Especially M-Mingi." You looked up at him with fearful eyes.

"Indigo." He hugged you again.

"We'll be okay, nothing will happen to us or Mingi." He assured. But you knew there wasn't a guarantee. Idols get hurt by crazy sasaengs all the time, there was never 100% guarantee of safety, no matter how many bodyguards or precautions there were.

"I don't care... If they hurt me... I'll take it... But I don't want them to hurt any of you... Oh God, I can't even imagine it." You heaved, feeling your stomach churn uncomfortably.

"No, don't say that. Don't think that. You think Mingi would want to see you hurt? Or any of us? Would I want to see you taking all this hurt on your own?" He frowned, holding your wrists in his hands.

"What should I do, Hwa?" You cried.

"What did the case officer say when you gave the photos and letter?" He asked, his tone soft and patient again.

"S-She said she'll try to p-push for an internal in-investigation. But that's all she can do now. T-There are no clues." Your breaths were shaky and wrecked.

"H-Hwa..." You gulped and looked back up at him. He raised his eyebrows slightly as he listened.

"T-There was something... That s-scared me... even more." You said.

"What's that?"

"There were pictures of Haneul." You told him. That was it, you burst into another round of sobs. Seonghwa reached over to gather you in his arms, as if trying to prevent you from falling apart even more but it was too late. He pressed his cheek to the top of your head as he rubbed your back to try and comfort you.

"I'm sorry, Indigo." That was all he could say. Seonghwa couldn't imagine the fear that you were feeling now. Haneul was your world, your treasure, your reason. Everyone knew that.

Now that a threat was directed at her, Seonghwa could only try to understand how you must feel so defeated and hopeless.

He couldn't even promise you that she would be safe. Because how could he make that promise? That nothing will happen to her when even he didn't know.

"Indigo, you should tell our CEO about this. He might know what to do or offer you some security protection until an investigation is launched." He said.

"I will... I informed Eden earlier..." You nodded glumly.

"Also, I know you don't want to but you should tell Mingi and Hongjoong at least. Hongjoong has more brains than me when it comes to giving advise like this." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"No... Hwa. You and Jongho have been helping me so much... Mingi's going to think that this is his fault, that he caused this to happen... He just finished his home leave after the incident, I don't want something similar to happen again." You shook your head.

"Alright, alright. You don't worry about that for now." He placed a hand on your head then tucked you under his arm.

You fell asleep like that, mentally and emotionally exhausted. Seonghwa only managed to move you so that you laid your head in his lap. He couldn't bear to leave you alone.

"Baby, I'm ho- Hyung?" Mingi stood there, shocked.

"Shh." Seonghwa put a finger to his lips to shush the taller male. Mingi blinked, wondering if he drank too much and was hallucinating. He only had two drinks.

"What are you doing here?" Mingi whispered, seeing how the older naturally stroked your hair like you were a cat.

"I came down to accompany her. We watched a movie and she fell asleep." He lied smoothly.

"I'm glad she wasn't alone then." Mingi bent down in front of you. His hand must have been cold because when it made contact with your cheek, you shivered in your sleep. He couldn't help but smile softly and leaned in to press a kiss to your forehead. That was when he noticed how puffy your eyes were.

"Did she cry?" He looked up at the older, eyebrows furrowing in worry as he caressed your cheek.

"She insisted on watching a sad movie..." Seonghwa acted exasperated, shaking his head to make it more convincing.

"Typical. Shall I move her to the room? Then you can go upstairs and sleep in your bed more comfortably." Mingi offered. To be honest, he wished you were sleeping in his lap now.

"Be careful." Seonghwa cautioned. He knew you would want comfort from Mingi now, even asleep.

"I will." Mingi carefully slipped his arms under you and lifted you up. Seonghwa trailed behind, watching Mingi lay you on the bed.

"Mings...?" You stirred, opening your eyes slightly.

"Hey, baby. Go back to sleep, hmm?" Mingi cooed, stroking your hair to coax you back to sleep. You leaned into his touch and fell back asleep. He tucked you in and walked out to see Seonghwa standing there, ready to head back.

"Thanks for accompanying her, hyung. I'll see you tomorrow?" Mingi bowed his head. Seonghwa nodded, offering a small smile and a pat on the shoulder before leaving.

Standing outside the closed door, Seonghwa let out a small sigh. Although he was concerned about leaving you, he couldn't do anything that would rouse Mingi's suspicion so he had to act and lie.

"Sorry, Mingi ah." He was riddled with guilt for lying to Mingi when he knew it wasn't right.

Meanwhile, Mingi went to take a quick shower and joined you in bed. He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you to him.

"I love you." He kissed the top of your head.

-

You left the house before Mingi woke up. You were not able to face him after what you went through yesterday, a part of you scared you might cry if he spoke to you.

"You can't avoid him forever, can't you?" You sighed to yourself, resting your head against your hand as you stared blankly at the screen in front of you. Since you came in, you haven't been able to get any work done. There was just too much going on now in your head now to do work.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"Coming." You pushed yourself to stand up, already knowing who was here. You opened the door to let Eden in while you walked to your desk to get your phone and coffee glass.

"What is that?" Eden asked as the odd coloured liquid you were drinking. It definitely wasn't just coffee.

"Coffee, energy drink and ginseng extract." You replied.

"Okay now I may not be a nutritionist or doctor but I know that can't be healthy." Eden took the glass from your hand and placed it back down on the coffee table.

"Just thought it would help me focus a little." You ran a hand through your hair, wearing your beanie.

"It'll be okay, Indigo. I'm glad you're doing this." He smiled softly. You nodded your head, not really saying anything. Was everything really going to be okay? Was this really the best option for you now? Your head was muddled with different thoughts.

"Let's go." That was all you could say. Eden nodded and walked out of your studio with you. While you took the lift up together, you closed your eyes for a brief second and took a deep breath.

"You can lower your mask to take a few breaths, I'll face the other way." Eden offered.

"It's fine." You shook your head. When the doors opened and you stepped out, you gulped. You looked at the all the offices.

"It's this way." Eden guided you. You wordlessly and thoughtlessly followed him. As you stopped in front of the door, Eden knocked and opened it.

"Indigo, Eden. Come in." The male stood up from his desk.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet me, I mean, us, on such short notice CEO Kim." You bowed as you walked in. Eden walked behind you and closed the door once the both of you were in. The suited male nodded with an understanding smile. He gestured for you and Eden to take a seat opposite him.

"So, what can I do for you?" CEO Kim leaned on his hands. From a expectant tone of his voice, you knew that he was hoping you were here to tell him that you would be staying on with KQ.

"It's not good news, I'm afraid." You said, setting his expectation. He hummed, nodding his head.

"Go on." He encouraged nonethless.

"I... There's no nice way to say this... So I'll just come out and say it." You gulped. You watched as his eyebrows raised slightly in interest as he leaned back in his chair.

"I've been in a relationship with Mingi for a few months now." You winced as you said it.

"I see..." Was all he said, his face void of any emotion.

"My deepest apologies, sir. For causing this much trouble. I'll take full responsibility on this, not Mingi." You stood up and formally bowed to him. He sighed.

"You're apologising for being in a relationship?" He asked. You were stunned by his question. Of anything and everything that he could ask, you were not expecting that. You thought he would tear your contract to shreds right in front of you.

"N-No, of course not. I love Mingi, I still do, with all my heart. I don't think I've ever loved someone like that before." You said firmly.

"Then? Yes, it is minorly inconvenient but the boys don't have a dating ban. It's been announced since Day 1 so I don't exactly see the issue here." He cleared his throat.

"That's not the issue per say, Mr Kim. Actually, Indigo's been getting harrassed by someone." Eden spoke.

You were still reeling from the shock of the CEO's reaction to you telling him that you were dating Mingi. Wa he truly okay with it?

"Harrassed? By fans?" That made him frown.

"No... I've been receiving threats. It started with harmless emails and server messages but I was followed home, I've received threatening packages and letters here. And yesterday, photos were sent to my new apartment. Photos of me, the Ateez boys and the child under my care." You nearly cracked at the last part.

"Alright, I see that that's an issue. Well, have you and Mingi been seen in public alone? Or gone on dates outside? Anywhere fans could have spotted you two?" He asked.

"No, sir. We're really careful." You said.

"The police have been informed, Mr Kim. The reason why we're bringing this up to you and not the legal team is that there's suspicions of this being an inside job." Eden informed.

"Wait, someone who works here is the culprit? A KQ employee?" CEO Kim was in shock and disbelief.

"Everyone hired goes through a rigorous screening process, Eden. Accusing a KQ employee is a big claim." He cautioned.

"We know. But evidence points to it. The only other place where people might have seen Mingi and Indigo together is here at the office." Eden reasoned.

"And this person knows I moved. The only people who have access to my new address would be someone with access to internal data since the KQ team was the one who found my new apartment for me." You added.

"Who else knows about this? Mingi, I'm assuming. And Hongjoong, given your close relationship with him." CEO Kim asked.

"They don't know. I haven't been able to tell them. Besides Eden, Jongho and Seonghwa know. Jongho guessed and Seonghwa saw one of the threatening emails." You told him.

"I see. Good that the news doesn't spread then. The media might catch wind of it." He thought out loud.

"Say that it is someone internal, what's the next course of action then?" CEO Kim asked.

"With enough evidence, the police want to launch an internal investigation." You chewed on your bottom lip. He nodded his head, knowing he would have to agree to the internal investigation.

"I'm not trying to scare you but I have to be honest with you. This can become very bad, very quickly if word gets out, which we all know it will. The media will have a field day spinning stories and tearing the company to shreds. And that also means your identity might also be leaked, Indigo." He sighed.

"I am aware. This could also cause the boys' comeback to be pushed back. Therefore, I've spoken with Eden. And the best option would be to leave KQ." You said, swallowing the lump in your throat.

~

Series Masterlist

#kpop #kpop scenarios #kpop series #ateez #ateez scenarios #ateez series #ateez mingi #mingi ateez #ateez x reader #idol!ateez #mingi #mingi scenarios #mingi series #mingi x you #mingi x reader #mingi x y/n #song mingi #song mingi series #song mingi scenarios #song mingi x reader

[karahalloway]

Devil May Care

Fandom: Heaven’s Secret (Book 1: Season 1)

Pairing: Lucifer x F!OC (Devon Hart)

Series: Oh, So Devilish

Chapter summary: Devon sneaks off to track down a lead on her death... But she's not alone.

Word count: 5,100

Warnings: M (swearing, angst, suicidal thoughts, aggro, toxic behaviour, references to death, physical violence)

Chapter theme song:

A/N1: So. This is not what I was supposed to be working on. At all. Not only is this not Intentions, but it’s not even TRR… or Choices, for that matter. However, a couple of weeks ago, @angelasscribbles convinced me to take the plunge with a Romance Club choices game called Heaven’s Secret and I became instantly hooked… especially on Lucifer’s character. I have a type; can’t you tell? 😆

A/N2: This first part of what turned into a two-parter (it just got too long, so I had to split it) focuses on the events that take place at the end of HS S1E5 and the second part focuses on the start of S1E6. Because while I love the character of Lucifer, I felt like that his characterisation missed the mark a bit (especially considering that he is the literal Son of Satan) so, I decided to make… adjustments 😏

A/N3: I appreciate that this is not what most people on my tag list signed up to read, but I have tagged my Permas anyway, in case anyone wants to indulge me. However, in the (highly likely) event that I end up writing more for this fandom, moving forward, I will only tag people who specifically request to be tagged. So if you want in on Part 2, let your preferences be known, or forever hold your peace.

A/N4: By way of context for people who decide to read, but are not familiar with canon for this story, here is some background (which I have also tried to incorporate as much as possible into the fic itself): MC (default name, Vicky Walker, but for various reasons, I decided to create an OC instead) is killed in a car crash. However, instead of ‘simply’ dying, she is offered the choice to become an immortal and join the Angels & Demons Academy (located in Heaven) and train to become either an angel or a demon (your choices in the game actually affect your path — prior to choosing an eventual side, you are referred to as an ‘Unclaimed’). As part of her training, MC is sent down to Earth to complete assignments that require her to influence humans into making various choices… however, MC is also secretly trying to investigate the circumstances of her (highly suspicious) death. Also, for the purposes of this universe, Lucifer is the demon son of Satan and Lilith (not a fallen angel as per Biblical canon). Dino, Sammy and Fencio are true-born angels (don’t ask about the names), Mimi and Adi are true-born demons. Both angels and demons (and Unclaimed) are anthropomorphic and have wings; however, when they go down to Earth, they disguise themselves in human form. Hope that helps! 🤗

Devil May Care

“Ah, there you are…”

Jerking my gaze away from Dino, I spot Sammy’s human form standing a few feet away.

“Sorry,” I say, quickly wiping the remnants of the wetness from my face. “I… I just needed a minute.”

Sammy nods in understanding. “If it’s any consolation, the fact that you care is a good thing. It shows you still have your humanity. No death should be treated lightly, yet most demons… and a fair number of angels have lost sight of that. But it’s a strength. Don’t let Adi or Mimi tell you otherwise.”

“Thanks, Sammy…” I say with a sniffle, forcing myself to stand.

“Any time,” he acknowledges with a lop-sided smirk. “But we should get going.”

“Yes. It is time to return,” confirms Dino, coming to stand beside me.

As if on cue, the air begins to thicken around us, and a familiar crackle of energy raises the hairs on my arms. Glancing up, I see the very fabric of the night sky stretch and strain as an otherworldly wind whips the now-familiar bridge between the dimensions into shape.

Dino steps into the centre of the maelstrom first, lifting into the air as the vortex sucks him back to the ethereal realm. 

“See you on the other side,” Sammy winks as he leaps after the other angel.

With a heavy exhale, I shove my hands into the pockets of my biker jacket, and force myself to move towards the epicentre of the storm.

Finding myself back on Earth in the wake of my death hadn’t been easy the first time, and it sure as hell hasn’t gotten any easier the second time either. Because even though everyone at the Academy keeps reminding me that my mortal life is well and truly over, and there is no going back, for whatever inexplicable reason I can’t seem to accept my new-found providence.

And coming back here — to the human realm — just feels like a massive kick in the gut each and every time… Like a kid being taunted with everything they can’t have from the other side of a toy store window. A cruel reminder of what that was wrenched away from me. My friends… My family… Even myself.

The undeniable force of the vortex tugs at my clothes, trying to lift me skywards, but I find myself fighting it.

Maybe because my death had been thrust upon me with such shocking suddenness… giving me no time to prepare, much less come to terms with it before I fell into the world of angels and demons. Maybe because the grief I saw etched into my father’s face has woven itself into the threads of my soul as well, reinforcing the harshness of the truth that we got cheated out of what could have been left of our precious, irretrievable time together. Or maybe it’s because I know that my killer is still out there, living it up despite the crime he committed against me, free from punishment, free from the scythe of justice.

The tip of my finger brushes against the folded letter buried in my pocket.

Since picking it up outside of my house a few days ago — though, to be fair, I have no idea how time converted between Earth and the angelic realm, so for all I know, it could’ve been years since my last visit – I’ve carried the piece of paper with me everywhere. In part because I don’t want anyone finding it and wondering how I managed to get my hands on it in the first place… As given that we aren’t supposed to interact with mortals outside of our given assignments, I am not particularly interested in the chewing out that is no doubt in store for me if someone decides to rat on me. But also, in part because I cannot let what happened to me go… and desperately crave answers.

Digging my heels in on the edge of the swirling whirlpool of energy, I pull the letter out…

…but as if by fate, the square of paper is ripped from my grasp by a particularly vicious gust of wind.

“No…!” I gasp, throwing myself heedlessly after my only lead.

The letter zooms around the circumference of the vortex — like a hapless butterfly riding the edge of a tornado — and begins to track upwards, ever further from my reach…

But just as it’s on the verge of vanishing into the void, it is suddenly snatched out of the air with inhuman speed and precision.

I stumble to stop, mouth agape and arm outstretched like some drunken ballerina as I lay eyes on the dark form on the other side of the vortex.

Crap…

Of all the possible ways this screw-up could’ve gone, this is — hands down — the worst.

As even in human skin… without the horned wings gathered around him like a dark halo, or the pulsing, ethereal tattoos that seem to constantly shift along the visible surface of his skin… there is no mistaking the raw power emanating from the being standing across from me.

Lucifer cocks a lazy brow in my direction as he holds the note up. “Lost something, have we?” 

His eyes meets mine, and in spite of the distance separating us, I feel the full heat of the fire that burns in his demonic gaze scorch into me like the blade of a hot knife.

And despite drawing upon every ounce of my willpower to prevent it from happening, I feel an incriminating blush rise up my cheeks.

A slow smile curves at his lips. “I thought so…”

“Give it back!” I snap, my momentary embarrassment morphing instantly into anger… even though I know in the back of my mind this is exactly the reaction he is probably looking to goad me into.

Because I am angry. Angry at myself for being stupid enough to arm someone like Lucifer with such potent ammunition to use against me. Angry with him for the fact that he managed to sneak up on me like this in the first place.

But most of all, my heart is still bleeding for that little girl who died a senseless death mere minutes ago… and the knowledge that I had been complicit in it. 

And I cannot keep a latch on the tidal wave of red rising over me. Nor do I really want to. 

I have already cried a river on the bench with Dino — commiserating not just for the fate of the girl, but for the fucked up situation I now find myself in as well — and I have no tears left. Just raw, frothing rage at the inherent unjustness of the world, at the flippant and uncaring attitude of my fellow immortals who see humans as mere pawns on their eternal chess board, and my own powerlessness in the face of forces and rules that I don’t yet fully understand, but which I’m being steered to blindly conform to anyway.

And the arrogant demon standing in front of me is just as good a scapegoat for my ire as any.

“Or what?” he taunts, sliding his thumb slowly across the paper… taunting me shamelessly with the missive he now holds in his hand.

Something inside of me snaps and I launch myself at him with a wordless yell.

But the vortex has apparently had enough of being kept on hold by my indecision, and before I’ve made it two steps, I find myself being sucked up to go careening through time and space like a discombobulated pinball.

“Damn it!” I cuss as I’m tugged through the shimmering funnel against my will.

I had one chance to make some much-needed progress on figuring out who killed me and why, and I’ve managed to blow it.

And who knows when I’ll have the opportunity to try again? Or even if I’ll be able to try again…

As knowing Lucifer — the literal Spawn of Satan — he’ll end up throwing me under the bus the moment we get back to the Academy… just for perverse kicks.

“Asshole…” I gripe under my breath as I feel the speed of the vortex slow, indicating that my unplanned trip is about to come to an end.

But as my feet touch down once more, it is not back at the Academy where I find myself. Instead, I’m standing outside of a building that looks very much like a police station… in my hometown.

“Huh…”

Dino had mentioned previously that destinations in the vortex are set by one’s intentions.

Since I had been so focused on the letter — which my father had received from the lead detective assigned to my case — the vortex must’ve thought this is where I had wanted to go.

And I’m not about to look an unexpected gift horse in the mouth.

Knowing that I didn’t have a lot of time before my classmates — and Fencio! — notice my absence back in the angelic realm, I hurry across the street.

Taking the steps two at a time, I shove myself through the revolving door and step into the station. Luckily, I have the contents of the letter memorised, given that I no longer have it in my possession, so I’m hoping that I’ll be able to blag my way through this with some semblance of grace.

The receptionist manning the counter looks up at my arrival. “Can I help you?”

“Erm… Yes,” I confirm, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear as I step forward. “I’m looking for DC Lawton. He was heading up the Hart case…?”

I cross my fingers behind my back, hoping against hope that it’s only been mere weeks and not decades since my death, and the police are still investigating.

The receptionist takes a moment to consult her computer. “Yes. He should still be in.”

A relieved breath bursts out of me. Another break!

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Not exactly…” I admit. “But… I do have some information relating to the case that he needs to hear.”

The woman behind the desk studies me for a long moment, no doubt wondering what a petite Korean girl wearing pink pigtails and spiked leather could possibly have to contribute to a homicide investigation… given that that is the mortal skin I am currently masquerading around in.

But she nevertheless seems to take me at my word. “Down the hall, second door on the left.”

“Thank you!” I blurt, already turning away.

Speedwalking past the desk and down the corridor, I locate the correct door and push down on the handle without knocking.

The lone man occupying the room barely glances up from his stack of papers at the sound of my arrival. “Yeah?”

“DC Lawton?” I ask, stepping into the room.

“That’s what it says on the name plaque,” he grunts, indicating the front of his desk.

“Great!” I exclaim, moving up to him. “I…”

I trail off, realising that I haven’t actually planned out what I was going to say when I got here. As I can’t exactly reveal that I am the dead victim from one of his case files, come to demand answers about the circumstances of the car crash that killed her.

The detective raises his head, waiting for a response..

I take a deep breath. “I hear you’re the lead investigator on the Hart case.”

He nods. “That’s right. And you are?”

“An interested party,” I admit. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either.

His brows furrow, no doubt in response to the same train of thought that chugged down the tracks of the receptionist’s mind earlier. “What kind of interested party?”

Shit…

I’m not sure exactly how I had expected this conversation to go, but it definitely wasn’t like this. 

But then I remember that I’m not a mere human anymore…

And I’m not willing to leave empty-handed.

Ditching any rational approach, I scrunch my face up in pretend grief as I flop dramatically into the chair at the side of the detective’s desk. “I didn’t want to say anything before because I didn’t want anyone to know… especially my parents… but I can’t keep it in anymore and I need to tell someone!”

DC Lawton startles slightly at my unexpected and borderline theatrical flip of composure. “Keep what in anymore?”

I slap an aggrieved hand onto his. “That Devon and I were in a relationship!”

The detective’s eyes widen in shock, and I use his momentary surprise to lock my gaze with his, just like we practiced back at the Academy.

The physical contact, combined with the suddenly unrestricted access to the window of his soul, allows me to breach the energetic wall encasing his body, and dive right into the hidden recesses of his mind.

Yes! It worked!

But I force myself to curtail my celebration, knowing that I need to focus all my attention on maintaining the delicate connection with the man sitting in front of me.

“You must help me, Detective,” I urge, tightening my hold on his hand.

DC Lawton looks somewhat dazed — like he’s been whacked over the back of the head — but at the sound of my voice, his pupils dilate eagerly. “How can I help?”

“The girl in the Hart case that you’re investigating… she was run off the road. Do you know by who?”

“No,” he intones, his voice slightly groggy. “The vehicle was a rental. A black minivan. I haven’t had a chance to talk to the rental company yet…”

“Which rental company?” I press.

“Global Drive,” he says. “The license plate is NYK 357.”

“Can you write that all down for me?”

He lifts his pen up with a nod to scribble onto a Post-It. “Your hand is so warm…”

“Thanks,” I say, snatching the note from him and breaking off the contact in the process.

He blinks up at me rapidly. “Any time…?”

Jumping up from the chair, I turn to dash out of the room…

…and nearly trip over my own feet when I come face to face with the glowering form leaning against the door jamb.

“What th—?”

Lucifer’s lips curl back to reveal teeth. “I should have you racked in the Pits.”

An involuntary shiver runs down my spine at his words. Not because of the sinister nature of the threat — I’ve been to Hell, and it certainly is no picnic! — but because I can see from the tight set of his jaw that he is actively considering carrying it out.

I force myself to meet his burning gaze head-on. “Well, unfortunately for you, I didn’t end up in Hell when I died. So, you don’t get to make that call.”

“No,” he growls back. “But your flagrant disregard for the rules makes you a liability, and I refuse to take the fall for you.”

“Well, maybe you should’ve thought of that before you decided to follow me,” I hit back, bumping him with my shoulder as I shove past him on my way out of the room.

His hand shoots out to latch around my arm with a vice-like grip, and suddenly I find myself nose-to-nose with him.

“I didn’t follow you,” he hisses into my face, his coal-black irises alight with the very fires of Hell. “The vortex brought me here because you can’t keep hold of your own fucking trash.”

“It’s not trash!” I spit back. “It’s—“

“Was it worth it?”

The question — and the sudden change in his tone — catches me off guard. 

I blink in confusion, wondering if I maybe misheard him. But while his piercing gaze is still locked onto me with the same degree of ferociousness as a moment ago, behind the raging inferno of irritation glimmers a genuine spark of curiosity.

“Maybe,” I concede tightly, trying to get a read on him.

As demons, I’ve learnt, are inherent wildcards. Unpredictable at the best of times, and downright diabolical at the worst. Which means their whims and whiles can change at the drop of a hat, and it is dangerous to get caught in a compromising position with them.

Which — unfortunately — is exactly where I have managed to find myself with Lucifer. Trapped in a corner, with him holding all the trumps. So, I don’t want to admit any more than I strictly have to.

He rakes his hot gaze over me one more time — as if trying to catch me out in a lie — before pulling back slightly.

“Hmm… Not a complete waste of wings then…”

I wrench my arm from his grasp. “Fuck you.”

I swear I hear a snort of amusement escape him as I stomp away… But I resist the urge to sucker punch him. He is not worth it, and I have better things to do with my limited time on Earth anyway.

Glancing down at the Post-It in my hand, I can see that DC Lawton has been kind enough to scrawl down the address of the rental centre… and that it is only a few blocks away.

Which is a blessing, given that I don’t have any money on me with which to hail a cab or jump on a bus, and our lessons at the Academy have yet to cover how to magically hotwire a car. 

So, walking it is. At least the physical exertion will give me a chance to blow off some steam.

Shoving the note into my pocket, I push through the revolving doors of the station, and back out onto the street. Pausing for a second to get my bearings – it’s been a while since I last frequented this part of town, having spent the preceding four years of my mortal life off at college – I quickly rake through my mental map of the neighbourhood before setting off to the right.

Except, I don’t even make it to the end of the block before I feel a tell-tale prick in the back of my neck. Glancing over my shoulder, my stomach drops as I catch sight of Lucifer a few yards behind me.

Gritting my teeth, I pick up my pace, hoping that it’s merely an unfortunate coincidence that he happens to be going in the same direction as me.

But it seems that I am in no such luck, as he’s still tailing me two blocks later, like an annoying black fly that I cannot seem to shake, no matter how hard I try.

With the result that by the time I get to the next crosswalk, my cool has evaporated completely, and instead of crossing the road in front of me, I end up rounding on him like a rabid pitbull.

“You’re such a fucking hypocrite!”

My outburst seems to catch him off-guard. But whatever jump I may have managed to get on him is fleeting at best, and in the next instant, he’s up in my face again, teeth bared and hackles raised. “Watch your tongue, Unclaimed. Before I rip it out of your mouth.”

“Oh, the truth hurts, does it?” I snip up at him.

“You don’t know the meaning of pain,” he grits, his hand snapping around the base of my throat.

My eyes narrow. “I know more than you think.”

“No. You don’t.” The flames in his eyes lick over me contemptuously. “And your arrogance will get you killed. Permanently.”

“Bet you’d love to be the one to do it, too,” I goad with a humourless smile. 

I know I’m playing with hellfire. But I don’t care. I didn’t ask for this life, and I’m still not convinced I want it. So, if Lucifer is willing to put me out of my misery, then so be it. Being who he is, I’m sure he has the means… and I’ve just handed him the opportunity on a silver platter.

The Prince of Darkness stares at me for what feels like an age, his hand wrapped around my throat, face a mere breath from mine, his gaze simmering as if trying to read my very soul.

“Unlike you, angel, I’m not that stupid,” he murmurs, his voice barely a whisper. His hand drops from my neck as he steps abruptly past me.

“Then why are you still here?” I demand, whirling around after him.

He stops a few feet away, shoulders tense. But when he looks back at me, rather than anger or annoyance, it’s that devilish grin playing at his lips again. “Maybe I’m just enjoying the show.”

“Eugh!” I grit, throwing my hands up in the air as I plow past him.

Conceited, egotistical, patronising bastard! Why can’t he fall back into the Seventh Circle of Hell, where he fucking—

I’m so incessed that I end up storming right by the rental centre… and have to retrace my steps from the other end of the block to correct my mistake.

So, by the time I arrive back at the correct entranceway, my mood is even more foul than when I left the police station.

“Save it,” I spit as I reach the still-smirking form of Lucifer, leaning against the metal fence post of the lot.

His brow arches. “Did you hear me—?”

I flip him off in no uncertain terms as I stride past without a backwards glance.

He wants to stick around? Fine. But that doesn’t mean I need to be nice to him. Hell will have to freeze over first.

Arriving at the first row of parked cars, I pull the Post-It out from my pocket and begin scanning the plates, looking for the black van.

“Good afternoon, miss. Can I help you find anything in particular?”

Looking up, I see a suited man with a combover and a name tag looking at me expectantly. The rental rep, by the looks of him.

“Yes, actually,” I affirm. “I’m looking for a black minivan.”

“You have come to the right place,” he tells me with an eager smile as he starts to lead me to the other side of the lot. “Global Drive stocks the largest selection of rental vans available for hire in the area, and we’re happy to accommodate both long- and short-term requirements. Are you moving, by any chance?”

“Huh?” I’d been too busy trying to match the van plates to the number on the Post-It that I totally missed the question.

The rep’s smile falters slightly. “Since your interest is in a minivan, am I correct to assume that y—?”

“No.”

Both mine and the rep’s gaze snap around to land on the hulking presence of Lucifer, who has managed to slither up behind us without either of us noticing.

“We’re not planning on renting it,” he adds, with what I can only deduce is his interpretation of an angelic smile.

My stomach drops. Oh, no…

The rep frowns. “Then why—?”

“Because this lovely young lady is of the belief that she may have left a rather intimate item in one of your vans following a recent excursion of ours. And she’s desperate to retrieve it.”

“Oh, well of course!" agrees the rep. “We pride ourselves on—"

“It’s lacy… And expensive…” Lucifer clarifies with a sly look. “And probably lodged between the—”

“The point is!” I interject loudly, my cheeks burning with mortification despite the fact that the entire story is a shameless lie. “We would like to take a look in the van. The plate number was NYK 357.”

The demeanour of the rep suddenly shifts. “Umm… Are you certain?”

“Yes,” I say, laying a hand on his arm to try and sway him like I did the detective. “Very—”

The rep snatches his arm away. “I’m going to need to see some ID. I cannot allow access to the vehicles without verifying that—”

I reach towards him again. “Surely that’s not necessary… We just want to take a quick peek, and—”

“He’s going to bolt…” breathes Lucifer in my ear.

I flick my head away irately. “Shut—”

But the rep has already turned tail and fled.

“Damn it!” I grit.

“Told you,” Lucifer smirks down at me.

I give him an annoyed shove. “He only did that because of you! If you hadn’t stuck your nose in it, I would’ve—”

“I did nothing,” he counters tersely, the coals of his eyes flaring in warning. “Your attempt to influence him was doomed from the start. But you were too obstinate to notice.”

“Obstinate!” I cry. “You were breathing in my ear!”

“And did you like it?” he purrs, suddenly all up in my space again as he flips the tables on me with diabolical speed.

“No,” I snort, turning pointedly away. 

Asshole…

He deliberately sabotaged my attempt to establish a connection with the rental rep. Whether for his own perverse enjoyment — like the Devil temping Eve in the Garden — or whether for some more sinister reason, it doesn’t matter. The end result is the same. And I have no clue how I’m going to be able to salvage this rapidly snowballing clusterfuck, given that I am already working on borrowed time.

But I know I have to try. I’ve somehow managed to make it this far, in spite of the successive obstacles Lucifer’s thrown in my way, and I refuse to give that bastard the satisfaction of believing that I’m going to let him win whatever one-sided game he’s playing.

“He is gay.”

I stumble to a stop. “Say what?”

Lucifer is standing in front of me, blocking the way to the door of the rental centre. “The rental rep. He is gay. That is why your feeble attempts to influence him didn’t work.”

“Yeah… Right…” I snap, trying to push past him. I’m not falling for whatever kind of trick this is supposed to be.

He grabs my arm. “Check that attitude before I check it for you, Unclaimed. Because you’re not going to like my methods…”

“Is that supposed to be a threat?” I hit back. “Because based on what I’ve seen of your ‘methods’, they are mediocre at best.”

His eyes flash in fury. “You’ve seen nothing, angel…”

“I’m not an angel,” I deride, wrenching my arm from his grasp.

He scoffs. “Well, you’re certainly no demon. The way you’re floundering around like—”

I catch sight of something through the window. “Oh, no…”

Lucifer jerks his gaze over his shoulder…

…and before I can blink, he’s vanished into the rental centre, the glass door flapping wildly in his wake.

Catching the handle on the out-swing, I dash after him as fast as my stiletto boots can carry me… and an involuntary gasp escapes me as I lay eyes on the scene in front of me.

The rental rep is pressed up against the wall, his feet dangling a good foot off the ground as Lucifer holds him suspended with the hand locked around his neck. The phone that I’d spotted the rep frantically trying to dial a moment ago lies shattered on the floor.

“Please…” begs the man, clawing desperately at the fingers that are squashing his trachea. “I—“

“Shut up,” growls Lucifer, shoving the rep higher. “You have exactly two seconds to tell us everything we need to know before I rip your throat out. And if you even think about lying… Well, you don’t even want to go there…”

The rep blanches visibly. “Anything! I’ll… I’ll tell you anything! Please, just—“

“Ask him,” Lucifer barks without even a glance in my direction.

I take a shaky step forward. “We… We’re looking for the driver who rented the black van. License plate—”

“I… I know…” croaks the rep, his face starting to redden from the lack of oxygen. “I worked the shift and… and remember him. He never bought the van back…”

My throat tightens painfully. Because he rammed me off the road…

“Who was he?” demands Lucifer.

“Not… local,” the man rasps, struggling for breath. “Gave a hotel as an address… Hotel… Hotel Aphrodite. And his name… His name sounded strange… almost French. But he didn’t speak—”

“To Hell with all that,” comes the short-tempered command. “Give us the fucking name.”

“Am-Amidi Laurent!”

Lucifer drops the rep like a sack of trash. “You got that?”

“Yeah…” I confirm tightly, watching the man wheeze on the floor.

“Good,” he grits. “Let’s go.”

Without giving me a say in the matter, he grabs my wrist to haul me out the door.

I stumble after him like a witless marionette, trying to process what I just witnessed.

Lucifer… Willing to kill… For me…?

The concept simply does not compute.

“Happy now?”

The sound of Lucifer’s voice wrenches me from the whirlpool of my thoughts…

…and looking up, I find that we’re back out on the street, just around the corner from the rental centre.

“I…” I glance back in the direction of Global Drive with a lump in my throat. “Why did you do that?”

“To save time,” he replies dispassionately. “And get the truth out of him.”

“Yeah… But…” A shiver courses through me at the ease with which he’d immobilised the rep… The ease with which he’d threatened him. “Why?”

Lucifer lets out an exasperated exhale. “Hell’s bells, you Unclaimed are dense sometimes… Because that’s what you wanted.”

I gape at him, stupefied. This must be some kind of fever dream…

“Don’t I get a thank you?”

The simplicity of his question knocks me off kilter completely.

My eyes lift to his almost on their own volition, and I find him gazing down at me silently, intently… like a cat waiting to see in which direction the mouse will jump.

Except there is no malice or mockery in his gaze. Just plain old curiosity once again.

And because my tongue has become stuck in my throat, and after everything that’s just happened, my mind is a non-functioning mess, I do the stupidest thing imaginable…

…and reach up to kiss him on the cheek.

He stiffens — probably just as shocked by what’s happening as I would be if I could think coherently right now. But for whatever reason, he doesn’t laugh or pull away. He simply stands, still as a statue, hardly even drawing breath.

I have no idea how long we stay there, frozen in time with my lips pressed against his jaw — the heat of his skin burning me even through the dampener of his mortal guise — before we finally break apart.

I turn quickly away, face flushed and heart hammering, not being able to bring myself to look him in the eye for fear of what I might find there.

Oh, Christ… What the hell did I just do?

The story continues in Devil You Know

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#heavens secret #lucifer #devon hart #lucifer x oc #Spotify

[violet-fire-cat]

👀

Been meaning to do another of these for a few days and finally got around to it! Another 👀 ask, another AU!

Let's see... Today I'm gonna go with ~

Prince and his Guard AU For lack of a better name, because I'm awful at names pfft. Royal aus are done a lot, I know, but this ones mine! Actually based on another AU I did for a different fandom ages ago, but then reworked for different characters pfft I hope you're ready for more Ethubs nonsense from me, because that's what this is. (There's Rendoc crumbs too, though it's only mentioned briefly here.)

Anyway! Bdubs is a prince of a small kingdom somewhere. He's not the heir to the throne or anything like that, but he's still pretty important. For the most part though he's not too fussed about royal duties. He'd much rather be caring for the horses at the stables or tending to or sketching the beautiful plants in the palace gardens.

Etho works for the royal guard and has done for quite some time. He's a skilled swordsman and well respected amongst his peers. One day, he's given a new assignment and is placed as Bdubs' personal guard. His job is to accompany Bdubs when he's out and about, and of course to keep him safe should anything happen. Not that he's in any immediete danger, but he is a prince so it's needed!

Bdubs has had personal guards before, some he's liked, others he hasn't. With Etho he's- not sure what he thinks at first. Etho is quiet and hiding half his face behind a mask. He's polite though, just- different. Bdubs tries to befriend him from early on, but that's easier said than done when the guy doesn't talk much.

Gradually though, as they become more familiar with each other they do start to become friends. They find that they have things in common (a love for horses and riding being one of them) and they get along well. It's not long before they're starting to like each other more than they probably should. But neither of them really acknowledge it yet.

Bdubs realises he's got a crush first. Etho is always hiding his face, but Bdubs still thinks he's beautiful. He's kind and nice to talk to as well, Bdubs likes being around him.

Etho comes to terms with it much slower, and refuses to accept it when he does have that realisation. He can't have a crush on the prince are you insane!! Beef, who works in the palace kitchens and is friends with Etho, tells him that falling for the prince is a bad idea. Etho says that yes, he knows, he didn't do it on purpose!

For a while they just sort of admire each other from a distance. A romance between them is not allowed. Their relationship must remain platonic. They would both get in so much trouble if they tried anything more.

Bdubs, however, decides one day that he doesn't care. Screw it! He really likes Etho! So he's gonna flirt with him! Subtly, of course, just in case. Etho doesn't notice it straight away, and when he does he tries to ignore it. But he's blushing at how sweet Bdubs is being. He should tell him to stop but he can't. And eventually he does recupricate. It can be their little secret ~

And that is preciesly what it is. What it must be. A secret. No one can know. It stays in the privacy of Bdubs' quarters. But they love each other. They're happy with their secret forbidden romance ~

Until things change, anyway. Bdubs is told that he has been betrothed to the prince of another kingdom. A man he's only met like, once, very briefly, years ago. Bdubs isn't happy. Mostly because he's in love with Etho but also just because he doesn't want to get married! Unfortunatly, though, there's not much he can do, and soon plans for him to meet his new fiance properly are made.

The new fiance is Doc, who doesn't particularly want to get married to some guy he barely knows either. Still, when he meets Bdubs he's polite and they chat. They get along fine, and are both able to admit to each other that getting married isn't exactly something they want to do. But their families are the ones in control here, so all they can do is make the most of it.

Etho, meanwhile, meets Ren, who is one of Doc's guards. And they talk idly between themselves whilst their respective princes meander through the gardens in conversation. Ren susses out Etho's affections for Bdubs pretty much straight away. Etho denies it, but as far as Ren is concerned it's very obvious.

With the engagement quickly becoming public knowledge and Bdubs' life suddenly becoming much busier, Etho pulls back from Bdubs a bit. He's still doing his work of course, but keeps outside interactions to a minimum. Bdubs is getting married. So that means that their romance needs to stop. At least, that's how Etho sees it. Bdubs notices, of course he does, and he hates the sadness in Etho's eyes, but he isn't sure how to address it.

The wedding is extravegant and beautiful. Bdubs looks stunning all dressed up. Etho wishes he was the one marrying Bdubs, but he knows it's not possible. Bdubs still doesn't really want to get married, he likes Doc just fine, they get along and have become friends, but there's no romance there, neither of them are interested in the other like that. He misses Etho. But he thinks he knows why Etho has pulled away, and he understands, he hates it, but he understands.

Bdubs and Doc basically spend their honeymoon hanging out as friends, but that suits them fine and they enjoy it. Ren and Etho are often close by. And one evening Ren admits that he knows it sucks, seeing the guy you like getting married to someone else. He's kinda in the same boat, he likes Doc a lot too, but you just kinda have to accept it. You know? Etho knows that Ren is right, but he wishes he wasn't.

It's only so long before Etho and Bdubs come together again. They both know it's stupid, reckless, could get them in so much trouble. But they love each other so much that they can't quite help themselves. It's their secret. But it won't stay secret. People will find out, it'll become the gossip of the palace staff and the royal family alike. Both Etho and Bdubs will be faced with accusations that they hate and that aren't even true. Doc doesn't know what he thinks of it all, but despite everything, when he learns the truth he stands by Bdubs' side throughout.

Everything does work out in the end, but there's some tricky times ahead before any of that can happen..

Oh, you wanted to know exactly how that all goes down? Sorry. I'm trying to limit myself to about 1000 words per au (because otherwise I will unintentionally write thousands and thousands of words) and it seems I've hit that limit here!

I'm a sucker for royalty aus, I don't know why. This one is very fun and another I would like to write some day. We'll have to wait and see though!

There's still a few more of these asks in my inbox, so I'll probably be typing up another one of these posts very soon. In the mean time, if you want to ask questions about my aus please do! Give me even more reason to talk about them pfft

But yeah, thank you for the excuse to ramble! I really want to draw some boys for this au now lol

#hermitcraft #ethoslab #bdoubleo100 #ethubs #hermitshipping #docm77 #rendog #hermitcraft au #violetanswers

[themushroomgoesyeet]

It's time ladies and gentlemen

Arcana characters as Disney's Hercules

I promise not all of these are gonna be Disney themed lol I'm just a Muriel simp (if you couldn't tell) and when I originally came up with the Disney princess idea Muriel as Hercules started rotting a hole through my brain so here we are! Also, we're gonna get some side character/familiar action here as well, yay!

Asra, Nadia, Julian, & Portia - the muses

Are there other characters that these four could fit? Probably

Am I going to fit them there? No

Someone needs to be the muses, and I choose these 4

From left to right (since none of the muses are named) Portia, Julian, Nadia, & the last two get subsumed into Asra

Idk I think they'd have fun jamming out & watching Muriel do his thing

Lucio - Hades

Oh god I can hear the Lucio simps screeching at me in the comments already

But consider: am I wrong tho

Let's face it bro is the villain in every route but his own and the cynical, "better than thou" personality that they both share just fits so well

Plus this version of Hades is a Satan analog who makes binding deals with others for his own benefit, and doesn't that sound like a certain devil we all know?

Not to mention both of them are trying to escape the realms they've been assigned & make themselves god king of everything

Two words: ✨anger issues✨

Morga - Phil

And now we get to the fun characters outside the M6

I will admit, Phil is a lot nicer than Morga, but jaded older mentor figure trying to make up for failed prodigies fits

Plus, Morga was Muriel's mentor in his route

I feel like both also fit into the role of proud parent figure by the end of their respective stories

And both are disapproving of their pupil's romances lol

Inanna - Pegasus

Admittedly Inanna is a bit more no-nonsense than Pegasus is, but she can still be goofy and fun when she wants to

Incredibly supportive of their human companions, important assets in battle, their appearance started the main character on a path for a better and more fulfilling life

Not much else to say here it just works

Vlastomil and Volta - Pain & Panic

Honestly idk if I can fit Vulgora and Valdemar into the Hercules narrative, but at least I could get these two in here

Vlastomil is Pain and Volta is Panic; I realize both could probably fit into Panic's role as they are the more timid and mild mannered courtiers, but I've chosen things this way because Volta is a little bit more flighty and afraid to commit crimes like Panic, where as Vlastomil is a bit more bold (when he's allowed to be) and better fits Pain

There's also the whole shape shifting deal they can all do

Khamgalai - Zeus

This one.....is a bit weird ngl, I'm still not quite sure about it

Honestly this is the ONLY time I will conflate someone so near & dear to my heart with Zeus

Mostly this all fits into the "detached/secret family member" archetype

And....I mean Zeus in this narrative at least is actually very kind & caring, as well as a proud dad which is similar enough to Khamgalai to work ok

Plus they both act as a guide for the main character when they're trying to find/drifting away from the plot a little bit

Merf (my MC) - Meg

Ok

I know what you're thinking

And I'm going to state once again that I am a huge Muriel simp

My MC is also a self insert, and for as long as I can remember I've always identified the most with Meg, more than any of the other Disney women

Anyone who has read my fic, seen the stuff I've posted about my character either on this blog or others, or even just talked to me on the arcana discord started by @iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia can probably see that our personalities are very similar

Meg is very special to me as a character and I'm literally writing a post about mashing together my beloved and one of my favorite Disney movies, I'm not apologizing for conflating her with myself

#the arcana #the arcana game #arcana #muriel of the kokhuri #arcana mc #count lucio #portia devorak #julian devorak #asra alnazar #nadia satrinava #arcana as _

[brekkie-e]

Me trying to explain why Wyll and a drow lady just hits different.

1. Messed up matriarchal society that values power and violence. Men are a subservient class. Wyll is a classic "heroic prince" type character who simply would not fit in to that society. A drow would have little exposure to a person like him, let alone one that is held in high regard by his culture at large like Wyll is. Plus the “masculine hero” role that he fulfills would be on par with Wonder Woman showing up in our world to fight in World War 1. He doesn’t fit in to what their culture accepts and values, but he’d hold his head high and know his worth which would confound them.

2. Wyll's approach to romance. He wants to be prince charming. He wants to court his love interest traditionally and sweep them off their feet. A drow would not have much experience with a relationship like that. One where they don't need to worry about a knife to their back every other day. One where their lover wants to woo them, give them flowers, dance with them, get married? Treat them like they’re a princess (regardless of gender)? But not because he’s bound to serve them? But because he wants to take care of them? It’s like taking a “traditional” Disney romance and then spinning it on it’s head to make it a culture shock. And if you’re playing a drow that is slowly being de-conditioned and getting nicer through the game, it would be such a lovely story for them to go from seeing him as lesser because he’s a human man to actually wanting to be in this silly little romance he’s worked so hard on. Enjoying the romantic that he is, and getting to experience that kind of relationship for the first time. Going from Lae’zel levels of “this is nonsense” at his heroics, to blushing like a maiden during the dance scene with him.

3. The emphasis on motherhood and female power in drow society vs. the fact Wyll is a male leader raised by a single dad who is a very important political figure in Faerûn. The drow character finding it unnerving or being insensitive when they learn that Wyll never knew his mom. Flipside, their inherent ties to matriarchy making it hard for Wyll to deflect discussing his mom. He has to explore his feelings about her absence in his life because he can’t put his head in the sand and avoid the topic.

4. One of the worst fates in drow society is to displease Lolth and be transformed into a drider as punishment. Forever being marked for your transgressions and bringing shame to your house. Sound familiar? I think that Wyll’s experience would be a very familiar concept to many drow, and it would be an interesting aspect to the dynamic. Maybe it would make the drow re-examine their view on driders after realizing that Wyll was strong to hold true to his convictions. The fact he does not regret his decision regardless of the consequence might baffle them. Flipside, they could initially be disgusted by it because theyre so conditioned to think such a thing is a mark of shame. And they have to have that world view worked out of them slowly.

It’s late and I have more thoughts but I needed to get these down.

#brekkie thoughts #wyll ravengard #the blade of frontiers #bg3 #drow

[ciaossu-imagines]

Again, loving up some underloved fandoms here on Ciaossu-Imagines, so throwing out some headcanons I have about The Mighty Ducks characters! I hope anyone familiar with these movies will enjoy them!

Starting with Averman, he’s definitely Jewish. I think he and Goldberg are really good friends because both of them are Jewish. They attended Hebrew school together, their parents are good friends, and honestly they really rely on each other around the holiday season. Neither boy is ashamed of being Jewish or anything, but especially around the time period those movies are set, Hannukah was not as popular or as talked about as Christmas was. And when all your friends are talking about Christmas and their plans and the gifts they’ll get and all the celebrations you hear about are Christianity based, it’s hard not to feel a little left out so both boys’ kind of really like having another friend they can talk to about their Hannukah plans who will get it. Bonus headcanon but I think Averman has a bigger love of hockey and was the one to get Goldberg into the sport.

Hot take on Adam – I don’t think he’s this abused kid trying desperately to please Daddy. I think that while his father might have high expectations for Adam, his father isn’t really abusive. I think a lot of the pressure that Adam feels – and boy, does he feel a lot – is pressure that Adam puts on himself. I do see Adam as having some issues with perfectionism, with being way too hard on himself, and he struggles with anxiety and a need to be perfect but it’s because Adam himself knows that he’s got a lot of talent and he doesn’t want to waste that talent.

Charlie’s actually got a few hidden skills but the one that ends up surprising most people is that, at one point in his life, Charlie got really into magic and he’s pretty good with a couple of tricks, mostly sleight of hand stuff.

Tammy did enjoy playing hockey, I won’t pretend that she didn’t. But I think when it came down to it, she enjoyed figure skating a lot more. There was more pageantry in that sport, more creativity and more glamour in her mind and I think she left the Ducks before the second movie because she really did want to focus on figure skating and competing in that area. She did win several medals, but I think she largely left the sport around the time she started college.

Julie reads…for fun. While she loves being active and has various hobbies and interests, she’s been a life-long bookworm. She learned to read early, and gobbles books up. She normally gets through at least a book a week and does read a wide variety of things, though she has guilty pleasure reading that she’d be embarrassed if anyone found out about, such as romance novels and the Hardy Boys books.

Guy hates carrying change around with him. There’s just something about the weight of it and the clinking sound it makes in his pocket as he walks that drives him insane. He prefers to carry bills for cash and usually lets the salespeople keep his change wherever he goes.

Surprising thing about Goldberg…the boy is not only gifted with a green thumb, but he genuinely likes taking care of his plants. He only got them because his parents wouldn’t let him get a pet…they didn’t think he was responsible enough for a pet so they bought him a rather high-maintenance houseplant to take care of first so that he could prove that he could be responsible for another living thing. Turns out that he enjoyed caring for the plant so much, even giving it a name, that he ended up wanting more plants instead of an actual pet.

Jesse has a tendency to argue just for the sake of arguing. He legitimately enjoys arguments and I have this headcanon that he found the debate club during high school and it’s the most at home he’s felt since playing with the Ducks. Like, those are his people, that’s where he belongs. He gets really involved with debate throughout his high school career and I think he wants to go to law school after graduating.

Terry Hall…still hasn’t gotten the grasp of gum honestly. Not saying the kid is stupid, because he certainly isn’t. It’s just that he cannot, for the life of him, remember that gum is for consistent chewing, not eating, especially if the gum in question is a really fruity, sweet flavour.

I really do think that Karp is someone who is really easy to take advantage of. He gets bullied a lot as a kid and he’s someone who just naturally is the kind of person who really wants to make others happy and to have others like him. He’s a very generous friend but the fact that he’s willing to do almost anything to have his ‘friends’ like him means that he gets put into some pretty brutal situations and gets used throughout his childhood and teen years.

I think Peter’s an army brat, or something along those lines. Something tells me that this kid is someone who moves around a lot throughout his life because of his parent’s careers. He’s used to never staying anywhere really long enough to form completely solid relationships. He’s used to always being the new kid and needing to impress and be tough enough to both make friends and avoid bullies. I also think that while he really would like to settle down in one spot long enough to make serious friendships, the idea of doing so kind of scares him.

Luis taught himself how to juggle when he was a kid. He’s also really skilled at hackeysack.

Connie has the habit of pacing around when she’s deep in thought. There’s just something about moving that helps her think better and if she really has something on her mind, she tends to go running or jogging. The tougher the problem is, the faster and further she tends to go as she loses track of where she is or how far she’s gone.

Dean can burp the alphabet. Forwards and backwards. He’s really quite proud of this.

Fulton’s worst habit? He’s really bad at sitting and staying still for long periods of time and he starts fidgeting when he has to do so. He’ll stretch, move around in his seat a bit, crack his knuckles, but the worst is his leg because he’s definitely one of those guys who bounces his leg when he’s bored or restless, almost aggressively so.

Dwayne really likes to sing. He’s not horrible at it by any means, though a little tone-deaf. He’s a huge fan, because of how he was raised, of any older country, with Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and Conway Twitty being favourites of his.

Russ has the tendency to get cold really easily. It can come out of nowhere too, with no real reason for him to have a chill or to be cold. He just is. He tends to always carry an extra layer with him as a just in case.

Ken has weird eating habits. He has to eat all of one thing before he can allow himself to eat the next thing on his plate. For example, if he has fries and a burger, he’ll have to eat all the burger before he’ll start eating the fries. He can’t bring himself to mix and match his food and not even he knows why.

#the mighty ducks #headcanons #charlie conway #lester averman #adam banks #tammy duncan #ken wu #russ tyler #dwayne robertson #julie gaffney #jesse hall #guy germaine #greg goldberg #terry hall #dave karp #peter mark #luis mendoza #dean portman #fulton reed #connie moreau

[rhiannons-bird]

okay so I‘M FINALLY READING SWORD CATCHER AND I HAVE THOUGHTS

I‘m only about halfway through but I need to rant

- it‘s incredible how well cassie manages to lend a unique voice to each of her characters every single time. she just doesn’t miss does she?

- lin caster is the awesomest girl. i just love her because she reminds me of other cc girls in the way that she is kind of a very typical heroine on the surface but you can actually feel her emotions and she’s very believable & flawed & human and you just can’t help rooting for her + i love her friendship with mariam

- everyone is bisexual & it’s completely normalised i love it here

- lin & conor??? apparently they are the flagship which I know because I took a peek at the tag after they had two scenes together because the ENERGY OMG

- ahh yes, conor 😌 another pretty man with issues who’s in a lot of trouble and likes to cover it up with sarcasm, pompous behaviour, fancy clothes & vanity- you just can’t help but love it

- but also he‘s the biggest prick and i want him to have some sense beat into him by everyone around him

- like he qualifies for a huge growth arc but it could also go downhill and turn into sth ugly

- anyone had a weird sense of déjà vu about him and lin after that one little excerpt about adessa and suleman? like, she’s an ashkar with probably immense magical potential let’s be real i see where this is going and he‘s a prince (future king) with marivent blood 🤔🤔🤔

- conor‘s frat boy posse make my blood boil- especially with the way they talked about antonetta in that one scene 🤢🤮

- falconet is the nicest one by far but he‘s sus as hell i know he’s up to sth 🤨 but i rly wanna like him 😭

- the ragpicker king is just a cool dude who dresses emo and has people murdered on the regular i guess i love him. he’s hot. - kaz energy but also very different at the same time. can‘t wait to see more of him. and there’s def more to him.

- also no, andreyen, i don‘t understand either what people mean about ji-an having an off putting manner i‘m pretty convinced she‘s never done anything wrong in her entire life 💗except for the murder what murder

- kel can only be described as a calmly unhinged cinnamon roll. he reminds me a little of james (especially with his „mask“) but if you orphaned him & janked up the loyalty & sluttiness by a hundred

- like fr he is so confused just running around threatening and/or kissing people wtf 😭✋🏼 he just has chemistry with everyone he interacts with lol

- kel & conor remind me of matthew & james but if there was a big power imbalance and a everything is a little more fucked up 🙃

- generally the way power & power dynamics are portrayed and handled is very interesting i like it

- antonetta has my entire heart ❤️

- I need more of her but as an individual not just through kel‘s pov, so far i’m not very big on whatever is being hinted at with her and kel

- I adore merren just like everyone else, he‘s kind of giving a weird mix of christopher/matthew/wylan and I‘m here for it. plus: autism coded character yeass

- also nice to see some jewish rep. (i did not know cassie was jewish before lol) the ashkar are really interesting (& as far as their treatment by the rest of the world goes at times infuriating😤) to read about and add a lot of depth to the world building.

- i love how we see the complexities of their culture portrayed through lin who on the one hand is deeply ingrained in it and holds/has received a lot of love & care for/from her own people while also having been wronged & ostracised by them and how both can be true simultaneously

- as someone who‘s very familiar with multiple romance languages the languages in this book are incredibly entertaining to me

- SO MANY SECRETS & political intrigue hehehe rubbing my little hands together can’t wait for all this to escalate (because it most certainly will) 😈

bottom line

I’m really glad i finally started reading this.

it took me a while to get into it & I’m still holding out on a final judgement since it seems very slow but i’m a patient reader and i appreciate a good setup.

also I want a creepy black crocodile pool in my house now.

#sword catcher #review #kind of #halfway through review #cassandra clare #lin caster #conor aurelian #kel saren #antonetta alleyne #merren asper #the ragpicker king

[justanotherhh]

aspec headcanons for some hazbin hotel characters (minus alastor, cos that's canon babey)

charlie: allo-ace and bi, potentially leaning on demi-ace in her sex neutrality, but overall really not that interested in sex, beyond how it functions as a partner bonding activity. hasn't actually had sex before vaggie, not because she hasn't had offers -- this is hell after all, sex negativity isn't necessarily the problem -- but because she hasn't been in a relationship she deeply cared about and felt that safe in

vaggie: romance favourable aroallo lesbian, however has to unlearn internal sex negativity after previous bad relationships + some of heaven's more hypocritical ideas about what sex constitutes, and so being with charlie is a good way to slowly explore her attraction. more kinky than she would admit to... yet....

on the whole both of them fit into gaps around each other, and their relationship simply works because they believe in one another -- vaggie becomes attached first, when charlie patches her up, and then charlie, especially when vaggie becomes the biggest fighter for the hotel. that's the structure of their relationship, and the rest can be talked about. vaggie knows how important romance is to charlie and doesn't mind that being a part of their dynamic in the same way she'll join in on the hotel bonding exercises even though they're not really "her thing," and the two of them have sex as a way of being close (and at some point maybe they'll open up their minds to the fact that there's no bond as strong as that forged in bondage...)

niffty: aroallo het. also very kinky, very much the domme in any situation. this wasn't necessarily true while she was alive in practice, but it was in her heart. unfortunately hasn't had much opportunity to put it into practice in hell either, yet, due to being, well, on the far end of the terrifying scale. one of the reasons she and alastor get on so well is that they understand that their ways of relating to people are so different to the norm that they end up somewhere next to each other, even though he's repulsed and she very much isn't. still, they're in hell, someone should get that girl sub, stat! (some kinda big, scary-lookin guy for her to punish ideally)

sir pentious: token allo straight ally ✌ reads all of the literature once he discovers it's a thing. knows more about this than any of the others, even though it doesn't apply to him

cherri bomb: aroallo bi, likes sex, and also likes being swept off her feet, it's just she's too used by now to nobody making a damn effort. she's not romance repulsed, but she's not about to embark on a monogamous romantic relationship with anyone. she likes that someone would be into her romantically, as long as they don't get weird about it. the rituals of romance are fun, someone taking her out for dinner, treating her like she's someone special, not just like a one-night stand, but she's not giving up the one-night stands either. or the orgies! still, nice to have a familiar couple of dicks to return to

husk: i believe the word of god says pan, so let's run with that. on the aspec front my guy has loooooooow sex drive on the whole, and sexual isn't the kind of attraction that he understands in general, but secretly longs for a deeply romantic relationship of some kind, something out of an austen book or a knight in shining armor type myth. you know the kind: he takes the hand of his suitor and almost kisses it, but not quite, wining and dining, perchance even... cuddles..... (if sex is involved he might get with the programme, but it's not something he needs or initiates. this has made it difficult for him to get into relationships in the past)

angel dust: gay and on a spectrum of aspec that is trauma-informed, but also complicated by being naturally hypersexual. doesn't connect sex to attraction, and doesn't feel sexual attraction, so much as sex is a means to an end (scratching an itch, entertainment, power, work, intimacy although it's been awhile since that's been put into practise, etc). not sexually monogamous, and has no idea if he'd be into monogamy romantically either. in fact, is not sure if he is alloromantic, because there's no precedence that isn't related to power and control. may need a whole new kind of language for whatever relationships he'd form (not just with husk, but generally with the hotel gang) that lie outside of the structures he knows

that being said, all he wants is someone treating him gently, whatever kind of relationship that relates to

valentino: aroallo pan, but youknow. evil about it. could just be fucking left right and centre without making it such a big hassle for everyone else, but noooooo he has to go and own their souls too and make things difficult for them, and it's not just because owning souls is good business, he likes the ownership itself. that's part of the kink. does have favourite types of dynamics, in particular likes weird powerplays, whether or not he's topping or bottoming in them

vox: allo grey-ace bi. but evil about it. falls desperately in love and then becomes obsessive and possessive forever over that person, whether or not it turns to hate along the way. val had better watch out he never gets on vox' bad side... angel is already on thin ice simply for being one of val's favourites (RIP). that being said vox isn't really in it for the sex. he's in it for the power. and then every once in awhile he's in it for the sex (but only if it's got power involved). gets deeply weird about it all in a way that signals to everyone that it's a "once in a blue moon vox really wants to fuck val" time, so they can get out of the building sharpish in case it involves disemboweling an employee as foreplay

all of this is why voxval aren't a couple, aren't friends, but a secret, third thing (evil about it)

velvette: aroace, and not evil about it. she's just evil in other ways. honestly think she and alastor could get on in a different afterlife. she's not repulsed, she's simply strongly disinterested and somewhat annoyed with how much space all of this seems to take in everyone's heads to one extent or another. sort of a classic aroace in the way people in the past might have said "she was simply too busy for Romance," and yeah, she is busy, but if she wasn't she'd do literally anything else than get involved with any of *waves hands* that whole thing, just because it does seem to remove everyone's braincells -- she does write most of the voxval smut though. sometimes watches back videos of them going at it. just those two though, that asexual study-like-a-bug fascination. does she get off to it? that's her secret. okay so maybe a little evil about it

carmilla: aroallo (i wanna say bi, considering her and vaggie's tension), but not practising RIP. zestial would in a heartbeat, but she is unfortunately too busy, and not in the "aroace" coding kind of way, she just is. she's got two kids and an arms-business and millions of souls and potential heavenly invasion to think about! but yeah, she might feel more relaxed if she were to read his signs...

lucifer: alloace (bi?), but like. in a "i fucked your ex-wives" bragging rights kind of way. like yeah, he did that, but that's because he'll simp for a beautiful woman, not because he's particularly looking for sex. he'd be happy doing literally anything for a hot woman. big sub praise kink energy. (and this is why lucifer and adam could never have sex without a third-party dom/me involved -- what're two subs gonna do RIP?)

adam: lol, ok idk what would be funnier. alloace? aroallo? aroace? grey? demi? whatever says "talks a big game, but actually wouldn't know what to do with the whole thing if he had the chance, and hasn't had sex since eve left him, and that was kind of a lot of pressure being the only two humans and all, and like, was god watching all that, anyway, yeah ive had sex ive had all the sex (with one woman, missionary style because god might have been watching), did i do a good job, was that okay, of course it was, im not self-conscious about that, i fuckn love vaginas, yeah i can spell that word, can you spell uh, deeznuts, because that's what humanity came from babey, and now i never have to do it again, wait i didn't mean that last bit, anyway... where was i? do you think lucifer was better at sex than me?" -- whatever that is

lute: aroallo lesbian (and evil about it, but she's been indoctrinated, maybe she can chill out one day, we'll see). no, whatever she and vaggie had going on, i feel like it was incredibly toxic, did they have sex? didn't they have sex? did they have whatever a homoerotic subtextual sexual scene would look like? like when you watch those macho soldier movies and one of them is bullying the other into submission and there's a veneer of sweat and shame over the whole thing and close-ups of writhing muscles, but they never appear to have actual sex onscreen... that but with lesbian angels. lute is not over vaggie not submitting to her/her choosing to be in a (spits) "romantic" relationship (with a demon)

#hazbin hotel #charlie morningstar #vaggie #angel dust #valentino #velvette #vox #niffty #husk #lute #cherri bomb #hazbin lucifer #hazbin adam #carmilla carmine #sir pentious #the vees #hazbin hotel meta #hh meta #didnt do zestial emily or sera... but this got long so #my meta

[missacidburn928s-heathenhideaway]

It's hard for me to say, I'm jealous of the way, you're happy without me... (Chapter 5)

Hunterverse AU

Sy, Walter, Curtis (Lumberjack & the 2 bears) x POC Reader "Havoc/TG"

Ex Dean x Reader

Platonic Sam x Reader

Numerous SPN Characters

Summary:

I know I keep it locked down, but all I want now Is somebody who can tell me how it's gonna turn out 'Cause I thought I'll be doing better by now

Warnings:

Angst and Fluff and Smut, Jealousy, Hunterverse AU, Polyamory, Humor, Fluff and Humor, Inappropriate Humor, Angst and Romance, Fluff and Angst, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Additional Tags to Be Added

Notes:

This chapter was heavily influenced by Sam Fischer's "Carry It Well" so please give it a listen.

Divider @firefly-graphics Banner @cafekitsune Happy Reading!

“Let’s do this out in the gym,” Curtis suggests. “Safest place to be in case tempers flare.”

“Afraid I’m going to knock you one.” Dean taunts.

“The opposite actually. Come on.”

He follows Curtis out to the barn, where the gym is located. He’s surprised to see how well put together it is.

“You guys really must love to work out.”

“It helps keep our heads on straight. PTSD is a bitch and sometimes the best way to battle it is with sweat and muscle fatigue.”

“She’s okay with that?”

“Which one? The PTSD or the random late night sparring sessions?”

“Both, I guess.” 

Curtis smiles softly to himself and nods his head.

“She fights demons of every kind. Even the ones in our heads. I’ve watched her pinned to the bed, Sy’s hands wrapped around her throat while he’s lost to the fog. And instead of panicking and thrashing about, she ran her fingers along his scalp in a familiar way and whispered to him to wake up and come back to her. A whisper was as loud as she could speak, but it was enough. She kept at it until his unfocused eyes returned to normal and he realized what was happening. He released her immediately with a swear and an apology.”

“Fuck.” Dean whispers out.

“It didn't end there. He took one look at the marks he left on her neck and her heaving chest, trying to bring more oxygen into her lungs and punched a hole in the wall. He apologized again. Upset with himself and stormed out. She wasn’t having any of that.”

“What’d she do?”

“Threw her boots on and chased after him into the barn. We followed suit of course. We could hear him hitting the heavy bag before reaching the doors. He was like a raging bull. That crazy woman walked right up to the front of him and grabbed the bag. Holding it firm so it wouldn’t swing back and hit him when he least expected it. And then she spurred him on. Telling him to hurry up and get it all out so that she could put all that muscle to better use. She even yelled at him. Telling him, she’s no damsel and he’s free to choke her whenever the mood strikes. Just be sure to follow it up with a good dicking.”

“Fucking Havoc.”

“Yup. She made him spar with her too. Which of course turned into an expending of energy in a far more enjoyable way. So yes, I’d say she’s okay with it all.”

“Was it just that one time with Sy?”

“I’d love to say that it was, but unfortunately, no. We’ve all had our moments. They’re less frequent now, thankfully. We have a system in place and it works for us.”

Dean just nods his head. “That’s good to hear.”

“If you’re done trying to distract me now.” Curtis raises an eyebrow. “Mind telling me how you’re feeling about her?”

“How I’ve always felt. In love with her but unworthy. Even more so now that she has you three.” He runs a hand through his hair. “The way you take care of her. She’s never truly alone. She always has someone there.”

“That’s on purpose.” Curtis imparts. “One of us is always at least nearby. She has demons in her head too and sometimes they get really loud and things can get dangerous. If she needs help she just has to shout and one of us will come running. No matter the issue.”

“It doesn't bother you that you have to share her.”

“It’s not a, have to, type of situation, Dean.” Curtis grits out. “We all decided to be together. Why make her choose when we each bring something different to the table. We’re hunters. It's not like we live conventional lives anyway with what we do. Why does it matter that we share?”

“Because I don’t get it. I haven't been with her for years and just seeing the way she looks at all of you drives me crazy.”

“I know all about your jealousy Dean.” 

“Thank you so much for all your help Professor Braxton. I was just so overwhelmed. You were far more informative than the info I found on the internet.” She leans forward on his desk, cleavage on full display. The asshole doesn’t even try to hide the fact he’s looking down her shirt. 

“It’s been my pleasure.” He smiles up at her and I’m about ready to deck him. “If you need help with anything else, be sure to give me a call.” 

He pulls out a business card and literally writes his cell number on the back and hands it to her. She takes it with a bright smile and tilts her head. “I know you need to be getting to your next class. Do you mind if we stay for a bit and double check your books.”

“By all means.” He stands to leave. “Turn the lock when you leave if I’m still in class.”

“Will do.” She walks with him to the door, running her fingers down his arm. He walks through the door and she softly closes it behind him, clicking the lock in place.

When she turns to head back to his desk, Dean blocks her path. “What was all that extra flirting about?” He seethes.

She rolls her eyes at his antics. “I’m doing what needs to be done. Just like every time you do it.”

That was the wrong button to push. As she goes to walk around him, he reaches out and wraps his hand around the base of her throat. She opens her mouth to speak but is cut off by his lips clashing with hers. 

The kiss is all dominance and anger. She can practically feel the jealousy and the need to put her in her place on Dean's tongue as he parts her lips to gain entry. 

When he pulls her head back by her hair, she watches as his eyes darken. “Hike your skirt up and bend over the desk.”

The command in his voice is deep and as if on autopilot she complies. Bunching her skirt around her waist and bending forward. 

Dean doesn't waste any time as he steps up behind her. Undoing his belt and zipper with one hand. He palms her left cheek with the other. Rearing back and smacking her ass to watch the blood rush to the surface. 

He then runs a finger down her soaked thong, teasing her folds before pulling the ruined fabric to the side.

“I’m too riled up to be gentle right now, sweetheart. So you better hold on tight.”

Before she can retort with her usual sass Dean pushes himself inside her silk walls to the hilt. Her gasp at the intrusion and stretch quickly turns to a moan, as he rears back and slams forward with all his power.

Every thrust he takes is brutal and hard. Slamming her hips into the desk edge. There is no doubt that she will have a reminder of this outing in the form of bruises. 

But right now, she could care less about that because he feels so damn good inside her.

He reaches forward and pulls her head up. Stretching out her neck so that he can latch his pillow soft lips to her delicate flesh. He gives her a nip before whispering in her ear. “Your tight little cunt has me ready to bust, baby girl. You better cum before I do or else your shit out of luck til we get back to the motel.”

“Please,” she whimpers.

He picks up the pace. Aiming to devastate them both. On a particularly hard stroke he bites down on her still extended neck. She can feel the suction of his mouth as he deigns to leave a noticeable love bite.

It’s too much and not enough all at once. The perfect combination to set her core ablaze and have her coming with a shout of his name. There is no way, no one heard that.

As her walls squeeze and throb around him, Dean succumbs to his own climax. Growling and grunting as he fills her up. Leaving yet another mark of his claim. 

He pulls outs. Righting her thong and pulling her skirt back down. He quickly gets himself resituated in his jeans and snatches the Pagan Mythology book off the desk. 

Without a second thought, he grabs her hand, unlocks the door and pulls her out into the hall. He turns to look at her as they walk toward the exit. “Now you won’t need to call him for anything.” 

“Yeah. I’m not proud of how I handled things in the past.” He shrugs. “How do you handle it? You can’t tell me you don’t get jealous.”

“Oh, we get jealous. And so does she.” He cracks a smile. “Man, I love it when that happens.” 

Curtis’ eyes sort of glaze over, as if he’s lost in a memory before he quickly snaps out of it. “When it happens we deal with it. Whether that’s with talking, sparring or sex. Depends on the situation.”

“Wait. You handle jealousy with sex?”

“We have before, yes. But it’s not how you probably think it is.”

“Okay. Then how?”

“Do you really wanna know how? I can spare you the details if you truly don't want to hear.”

“Well now I have to know.”

“She makes us all worship her, one by one, as the others watch. The jealous one going last. We aren't allowed to touch ourselves while we do it. Not until she deems we can work as a unit once again and take her apart together. Then we do just that. She usually sleeps cuddled up next to whoever was jealous and needed extra love that day.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. She’s pretty damn special.” Curtis looks towards the open barn doors. “Listen. I know your head is all types of messed up and me having this conversation with you is not helping.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“Don’t drive yourself too crazy. I may be open to the idea of you being a part of us. But it’s not up to me. It’s not even up to Walt and Sy. Her opinion is the only one that matters. Just know that us three...” He pauses, nodding towards the door that Walt and Sy just entered, “Don’t hold your past with her against you.”

“You don’t?”

“You were an utter idiot,” Walter chimes in. 

“But your fuck ups lead her to us. And gave us the opportunity to show her love doesn't have to be one sided. Or one particular way. It can be whatever we want it to be.” Sy finishes.

“Do you guys do that a lot?”

“Do what?” Sy asks.

“Finish each other's sentences?”

“Not very often.” Curtis answers. “Tends to mainly happen when we're talking about her.”

“Understandable.” Dean takes a deep breath. “Do you guys mind if I take some time to think about all of this?”

“Not at all.” Curtis tells him. “We need to have a talk with her ourselves and figure out where her head is at. No sense putting the cart before the horse and all that jazz.”

“We’ll leave you to it. Use the equipment if you feel so inclined.” Sy adds.

The three of them make their way out of the barn and back into the house. Where you are cuddled up with Jett on the couch, laughing with Sam about some past prank. 

Your head turns to look at them as they enter the living room. “Everything okay out there? Where’s Dean? Did Sy & I scare him off?”

“Scare him off?” Walter asks.

Sy turns to best friend. “He caught us with our pants down after our phone call. It’s all her fault.”

You just bat your eyes and smile sweetly.

“Figures.” Walter grunts. “Come on baby girl. We need to go chat.” He leans over the couch and scoops you up into his arms.

“Am I in trouble?”

“Not this time. Why? Should you be?” Walter teases.

“No!” You quickly state.

“Then you have nothing to worry about.” Walter states. “Curtis just has something he wants to discuss with you.”

You make it through the doorway and are placed gently on the bed. Curtis swaggers over and cages you in against the mattress, pressing his lips to yours in a toe tingling kiss. 

“But before we get there. I need to take care of something first.” He says as he kisses along your collarbone and moves down your prone frame.

When he reaches the waistband of your sweats, you lift your hips so that he may remove the barrier barring him from his intended destination. 

Lowering himself to the floor, he pulls your hips to the edge of the bed and spreads your thighs wide. “Keep them there. Understand?”

You nod your head. “Yes, Sir.”

He bites his lip as his eyes fixate on your glistening cunt. “As much as I would love to take you apart piece by piece right here. We have something to discuss. So for now, I’m just gonna get my fill of this sweet little pussy.”

He plunges two fingers into your entrance, as he leans forward and sucks your clit into his mouth. Not wasting any more time teasing you. He wants your come spilling over onto his tongue as soon as possible. 

The way he’s devouring your pussy is nothing short of spectacular. Everytime he groans from your taste, it hits your clit like a vibrator set to pulse.

All you can do is grab hold of his buzzed head and hold on tight. His thick digits zeroing in on that spongy sweet spot that makes you forget how to form words. You can only imagine what you must look like to your two bears.

“Come on baby. I can feel how close you are. Give it to me. Soak my fucking face.” Curtis growls.

Increasing the speed of his fingers, he sucks your clit back into his mouth and hums. 

With a twitch of his fingers against your g spot, he has you screaming as you come undone. Riding out your high along his scruffy face.

Removing his head from between your thighs, Curtis quickly pulls himself out of his jeans and pushes into your still quivering walls, setting you off once more.

“Fuck, Dew Drop. You feel so good squeezing my cock like that.” 

Without giving you much of a chance to adjust to his girth he sets a punishing pace. 

You are nothing more than a whimpering and moaning mess as he pounds you into the mattress. Your pussy clamping around him as another intense orgasm takes over your body. 

Being led by his instinctive need to breed you, he pulls you up by the back of your head, kissing you deeply as his cock thickens and he releases rope after rope of his creamy seed into your waiting womb.

As soon as he is spent, he collapses on top of you as you both try and catch your breath.

“Possessive bastard couldn’t even keep it in his pants before we had our talk.” Sy laughs, calling Curtis out as he walks towards the bed to join you both.

“Damn right I am. Even if I do share her with you two assholes.” You all laugh.

“Now that I’ve got you all nice and relaxed, I wanted to see where your head was at about something.” Curtis states.

“Mm. Okay.” You say with your eyes lidded. “What do you need to know, Axeman?”

He blows out a breath. “Do you remember me teasing you about still having feelings for Dean when they first got here?”

“Yes…” You answer skeptically.

“I’ve been watching him and it’s clear to me that he still has feelings for you too. Actually I know he does because I just had a talk with him about it after I saw the look of longing on his face when he caught you and Sy having a moment together.”

You sit straight up. “What?!” You look around at all three of your men. “Did you two know about this?”

“No, Sunshine.” Walt answers calmly.

“We found out when we walked into the barn and caught the tail end of the conversation.” Sy adds.

You ring your hands in your lap. “Of course you did.” Locking eyes, you address Curtis. “Care to enlighten me on how this conversation went?”

He smiles at you. Unphased by your glare. “It was simple.” He shrugs. “He was envious of our dynamic. But at the same time, he couldn’t quite understand how we’re able to ‘share’. Thought we didn’t get jealous and were somehow more worthy than him.”

“Idiot. I hope you set him straight on that C,” Sy interrupts.

“I did. That’s what you two came in on.” He grabs your hands. “I was just letting him know that for me, I’m not threatened if you wanted to give him another chance and add him to our mix.”

You open your mouth to speak and he places a finger to your lips to stop you. “That being said. I also told him that it doesn't matter what any of us think. Your opinion and feelings are the only ones that do.”

Walter cuts in. “I’m not the biggest fan of adding someone who hurt you so deeply into what we have here. But I’d do anything to make you happy and if adding him made you happy, we’d work through all the growing pains.”

“I second that.” Sy adds.

A beat passes in silence. “Oh, am I allowed to talk now?” You quip.

Curtis taps your inner thigh. “That’s one.” He quirks a brow and smiles wickedly at you. “And yes, please do tell us what you’re thinking.”

You look around the bed, meeting each of your lover's eyes. 

"Listen. I love Dean. Always have. Inevitably always will.” You begin, “But what I'm not going to do, is allow myself to tip toe along an edge that can send me into that dark abyss again. The temptation to let him back in is there, sure. But the life I have now with you all is too precious to me to expose to even an inkling of heartbreak that can be prevented. So while I love that you had a discussion and covered all the bases, wanting only what will make me happy in life even if it included Dean. I'm choosing us and only us." 

The mood in the room shifts. The tension releasing into the air as you watch each man's taut shoulders drop. Love and adoration filling their eyes as smiles light up their faces.

“I’m not even a little bit ashamed about how happy hearing you say that has made me.” Sy breaks the silence.

“Hear, hear.” Walter chimes in.

“You never fail to surprise me, Dew Drop.” Curtis chuckles.

“Well. How bout you all show me just how much you love and appreciate my decision, huh?”

Sy grips your neck and pulls you into a heated kiss. “Oh you’re in for it now, Sugar.”

He quickly divests himself of his clothing. Walter and Curtis follow suit. You slowly remove the oversized t-shirt, most likely one of theirs, from your body.

When all the barriers separating you from that blessed skin on skin contact you so desperately crave are gone, they strike.

They’re like a pack of wolves, working together to take down their intended prey, determined to satiate their hunger. 

The four of you end up in a hedonistic pile of limbs. Moans and growls of pleasure waft through the air as you reaffirm your commitment to each other in the most primal of ways. 

You're wrapped in a cocoon of heated flesh and sweat damp body hair. With Walter beneath you, Sy straddling your ass and Curtis deep down your throat, you lose yourself to the need to please and be pleased. 

As if a spell had been cast upon you, the four of you climax together. You're various walls milking them of every drop, until you are filled to the brim with their combined seed.

Disheveled and basking in the post orgasmic haze, surrounded by warmth and love, you allow your inner thoughts to make themselves known. 

"I need only you.” You smile, eyes closed and content. “The three of you is all my heart can handle anymore. Just us four. Our own little family. Our own little village."

And that’s the truth as you see it. Tomorrow you can deal with talking to Dean, confident in the fact that your men will be there for moral support if needed.

This flood of serotonin coursing through your system is just the medicine you needed and is far too precious to waste.

#poc reader #supernatural au #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester smut #captain syverson x reader #captain syverson smut #walter marshall x reader #walter marshall smut #curtis everett x reader #curtis everett smut

[lurkingshan]

Love Mate

When @bengiyo informed me that the creative team behind Our Dating Sim had released another show, I knew immediately I would have to check it out (attn: @troubled-mind). And I’m happy to report that I really loved Love Mate!

The basic premise: Yi Jun doesn’t believe in love and is determined to be single forever. Ha Ram is his new junior at work who has a crush on him and is determined to prove him wrong. Shenanigans ensue!

This is a really classic romance story and the show heavily deploys all your favorite tropes from romance, bl, and kdramas, but in a knowing way that lets you in on the fun. The leads are great and have really solid chemistry. And importantly, like ODS, this show has managed to calibrate its pacing and story ambitions appropriately to fit its short length. The narrative is complete and satisfying and it was a really delightful few hours of a binge.

Getting into spoiler territory here so only read on if you don’t mind!

I’ve seen a bit of chatter in the tags about whether Ha Ram went too far in his aggressive pursuit of Yi Jun and transgressed his boundaries inappropriately. I get why that conversation is happening but I didn’t feel that way and wanted to dig into why.

First, like I mentioned above, this is a really classic romance set up that is using very recognizable tropes, and the character types and dynamic between them is no exception. Yi Jun is claiming not to believe in love, but you can see almost immediately - and the show confirms over time - that he is actually a wounded baby bird who desperately wants love but is trying to protect himself from getting hurt again. Ha Ram is the love interest who sees through him - we find out later why he is so confident this isn’t really who Yi Jun is and why he is so determined about him - and takes it upon himself to give Yi Jun the attention and care he clearly needs. These archetypes are rooted in tradition and if you’re familiar with the genre you know the basic sketch of how this is going to go before the first episode ends.

Second, it was apparent right away that Yi Jun 1) liked Ha Ram; 2) wanted his attention; 3) was enjoying being pursued despite his protestations. In the first few episodes we saw him getting flustered, looking at and thinking about Ha Ram constantly, and intentionally putting himself in Ha Ram’s path even as he verbally claimed he wasn’t into it. Yi Jun even admits all of this explicitly once they’re dating, but to me it was clear just from his body language and reactions. After asking for some time to think before he decides if he wants to date him, Yi Jun cracks after literally one (1) day without Ha Ram’s attention. Once they start being “date mates” Yi Jun blooms right in front of our eyes. He is happy again, finding joy in life, relaxing quite naturally into this relationship even if he won’t call it that yet. And when his ex comes back and sends him back into a spiral and he starts avoiding Ha Ram, we see his spirit dim and the light go out of his eyes. Ha Ram is good for Yi Jun and the show makes it super clear. And it makes perfect sense, because for someone who was harshly dumped the way Yi Jun was in the past, someone pursuing him that relentlessly, and still wanting him even when he makes it difficult, would be a much needed balm for his ego, a boost to his confidence, and the assurance he would need before he’d be willing to risk getting hurt again.

Third, Ha Ram is an emotionally intelligent character that can tell the difference between Yi Jun “playing hard to get” while still seeking his attention, and Yi Jun actually being very upset and wanting time away from him. And when Ha Ram is faced with the latter, he backs off. He knows something is going on with the ex and he is upset about Yi Jun pushing him away, but ultimately he gives him space to wallow and only intervenes when he is being hurt. And in the end, he offers his support and care to bolster Yi Jun, and again gives Yi Jun the space to get the closure he needs on his own.

I could probably ramble on about this show and these characters all day (which is telling given when a short watch it is!) but I would rather just tell you to go watch it. It’s not perfect, but it’s truly a lovely story and worth your time.

#love mate #korean bl #kdrama #shan shouts into the void

[rimouskis]

every time someone talks about/links to fic (ANY fic, not just RPF!) in non-fandom spaces, I think about TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel, who deleted all 380 of their fics on AO3 because people won't stop linking to them from GoodReads. despite many entreaties over the years to not do so! but people still did it! and it makes me so mad because it's so easy to NOT post about fic and discuss fic on GoodReads, but NO, they HAD to use that platform and not, say, Tumblr or discord, or whatever. some people really don't know, or care to know, why it's a good idea to not discuss fic outside of fannish spaces actually 😤

eons ago I found some deleted pens fics recced on goodreads, with download links even though the author had clearly wanted to wipe their fics off the face of the earth. it's disheartening, and also ... strange ... to put fics on goodreads, of all places.

(I blame wattpad [I always blame wattpad] because it appears wattpad readers call fics "books," which is confusing to me! apparently some of the works on wattpad are original fiction, but nonetheless: a fic is not a book, and goodreads is for books, not fics)

my issue w/ the tiktoks abt HRPF is that it's exposing our #niche #fandom #interest to people outside of said niche fandom interest and blurs way too many lines.

we already have romance novel readers commenting "😍 BOOKTOK NEEDS TO FIND THIS!" under videos on the kraken's official account, where they're literally begging in public TO the organization that they want fictionalized smut about these players (as face-grabs or stand-ins for romance novel characters), which is (imo) crass !!

we do not need Everyday Random People (some of which are hockey fans, as the algorithm is feeding them content they like, and this nominally counts as hockey content) being introduced to HRPF, especially by a person who—while familiar with fandom—is not familiar with HRPF's struggles with the fourth wall over the years [READ THE FANLORE ARTICLE ON IT].

and man... we aren't a big fandom. we seriously aren't. like yes, we're the largest sports fandom [even though men's football RPF is coming in CLOSE with 30,061 fics and F1 is gaining on us with 22,504 fics] but look at us compared to actually big fandoms on ao3:

star wars: 230,985 fics sherlock: 147,728 fics marvel: 628,295 fics kpop: 584,096 fics spn: 277,618 fics minecraft: 106, 521 fics

in hockey we have a humble 32,180 fics.

we're not even cracking six digits! we're not even HALFWAY to six digits! I feel we punch above our weight when it comes to fic quality by-and-large, but we are not a big fandom. when we get 26,300+ people seeing a tiktok about it... it's weird. it feels exposing! I sure as fuck don't want my fics plastered over the roulette of the internet.

also the original poster of the tiktok said this, which is just... ok, pal.

anyways go be kind to people! since some people need the reminder

[jakesuit0]

Too Young Review

“Too Young” finally follows up on the newly deaged Princess Bubblegum, something fans were dying to see after no glimpses of her in the past four episodes. This would have been a more thematically appropriate season premiere, but I do like the building anticipation for the followup. The question of how this new dynamic would alter the status quo of the series going forward hung over our heads. Turns out: not at all. At least not in an obvious way.

Even putting aside the romance aspect, it’s just great to see Finn finally hanging out with someone his own age, something we never get enough of. He’s always hanging out with his older brother, and his other best friends are hundreds of years older than him. As Finn says at the beginning, he can just be himself. I like Finn stepping out to get moral support from Jake. His encouragement of Finn’s pursuit of Bubblegum is finally appropriate! Finn is a little nervous, this is probably his first ever date. But, he is overall pretty comfortable, as there’s still a strong familiarity between Finn and PB. There’s also no pussyfooting around between the two, they are very upfront with their feelings. PB already knows how Finn feels, and she basically tells Finn that he’s hot after he drinks her serum. He admits to not bathing, so it’s a good thing that BMO gets Finn on a bathing schedule by “Holly Jolly Secrets Part 1.” It’s interesting that Finn first asks if she’s trying to make herself 18 again. Part of him thinks this is all too good to be true.  

Not really sure how much I need to introduce him, but Lemongrab! He’s probably the tenth most prominent character in the series, and one of the most well known characters, period. He wasn’t given much of a personality in the outline. Tom Herpich and especially Jesse Monyihan, the storyboarders for this episode, really created Lemongrab. They succeeded in making such a distinct character, and with Justin Roiland bringing him to life with some of the best voice acting of the series so far, he was basically guaranteed to become a recurring character. (I know there’s a massive elephant in the room that I’m avoiding, but it’s just not pertinent to this review. It will be addressed when I get to “Prismo the Wishmaster” and morals will be condemned!) Lemongrab’s very screamy, but he does it in such an alien way that he’s not annoying. He’s introduced with his iconic “unacceptable” catchphrase, which is pretty great and has been memed to death. He was originally going to be PB’s uncle (I assume it would have straight up been Gumbald, albeit in a very different incarnation, since he was mentioned in “Susan Strong”). I’m very glad they didn’t go that direction. They were dangerously close to ruining much of the direction they’ll take PB’s character in. 

Lemongrab is now technically the rightful ruler due to PB’s deaging. I assume Bubblegum created Lemongrab with the intention of wanting an heir, and that stuck in Candy Kingdom law. Similarly to my take on “Hot Diggity Doom”, I don’t think Princess Bubblegum actually cares about the legal technicality, especially since she started creating the kingdom when she was a kid. She just wanted to delay the inevitable. She might also have more respect for the rules as a less jaded thirteen year old. 

The flashback establishes that she created Lemongrab. It’s the first hint that PB created all the candy people, but it could still just be assumed that Lemongrab was an exception. The implications of PB creating life aren’t explored here, but this establishes a trait for her that will be explored a ton. We don’t know exactly when she created him, but it’s implied that it happened a long time ago, possibly hundreds of years ago. My theory is it happened before the flashbacks seen in “The Vault”. PB was used to making candy people dumb on purpose, probably straight up using dum dum juice. It’d make sense to not want her heir to be incompetent, so she’d need a different formula, especially since she isn’t using parts of the mother gum like she did with Gumbald, Lolly, and Chicle. This caused the experiment to “go wrong”. The reason I think it’s before “The Vault”, is because we see a young Peppermint Butler in it, who I don’t think was created with dum dum juice. She must have perfected the formula by then. Pep wasn’t intended to be an heir, as she’s still trying in “Goliad”, but she’ll eventually realize he fits the bill. Calling Lemongrab her “first” experiment to go wrong, is a straight up continuity error due to the Uncle Gumbald backstory. It’s also hard to believe that she didn’t have any other experiments go wrong. I think my theory could recontextualize the line to mean it’s the first one of her experiments with her new formula to go wrong, but it’s a little handwavey. As if this flashback didn’t already have enough interesting implications, we see that PB still has her memories. This raises the question of if she still has the same experiences, is her relationship with Finn still problematic? I argue that it isn’t. She behaves like a child in her new state. Her brain, just like the rest of her body, has less candy biomass, and is the brain of a child. She’s seeing her memories through the lens of a kid. 

Finn and Bonnie try to solve their problems like kids would for once, with pranks. Their relationship is so pure and adorable. Bonnie cuddling up to Finn on the castle roof is one of the most wholesome moments ever in Adventure Time and Finn looks so incredibly happy. It really captures the innocence of a young child’s first romance, and it stands apart from the awkwardness that defines his relationship with Flame Princess and the maturity that comes with his dynamic with Huntress Wizard. At the same time, Lemongrab gets more defined as he tries to laugh and have fun with the pranks after Peppermint Butler’s explanation. He wants to fit in with others, but he just doesn’t see the world in a neurotypical way, so it comes off as forced and awkward, like his bobbing head laughter.

Peppermint Butler tells Lemongrab that food comes from Mars. It’s a weird lore detail that isn’t ever explained, but is referenced again. It’d make sense for a world of talking animals and talking food to get food from an outside source, but there’s plenty of examples of them eating food from Ooo. I’ll assume that industrialized food comes from Mars, and this is considered more civilized. Lemongrab eating the spiced food is a great sequence, and causes him too much pain for him to just laugh off.

Princess Bubblegum finally decides it's time to stop delaying what she knows is inevitable: becoming 18 again. Finn’s upset, but has the ability to recognize the greater good enough to swallow those feelings. This whole experience was more of a well needed break for PB, than a true commitment to a new permanent identity, just like a later arc she’ll have. But unlike later, she doesn’t change the way she conducts her life through learning from this ordeal. Many fans don’t think this episode works with PB’s portrayal in the rest of the series, but I disagree. She sacrifices her happiness for her people, which will be explored as a character flaw later down the line that ends up backfiring for her kingdom anyway. She views having fun as something mainly for children, and work as something that must consume adults. There is no middle ground for her. The pain this causes PB just makes her double down on work as a distraction. Some of that analysis is based on future episodes, but a lot of it can be taken away from just “Too Young”. It’s great to finally get an episode that focuses on fleshing out Princess Bubblegum’s deeper feelings and motivations. It’s really the only episode in the first three seasons with that accomplishment. 

Princess Bubblegum says she needs her lab equipment to engineer more candy flesh, an even bigger hint that she created the candy people. I love the scene of her citizens giving PB parts of themselves. They recognize how selfless Bubblegum is, and sacrifice pieces of themselves like she does for them. Finn uses the power of love to catalyze the re-aging process. He gets to return Princess Bubblegum’s favor in “Mortal Folly” with the like-like sweater! It’s cheesy but it’s such a perfect resolution. Princess Bubblegum’s goodbye to Finn is heartbreaking, and it’s really tragic, especially after seeing how happy they were together. They hug and Finn has his first kiss. It’s a really special moment, and it really should be his only kiss with Princess Bubblegum. Fuck you “Wizard Battle” for taking away a little bit of what makes this moment so special and tragic. 

Bubblegum turns back and is pretty cold to Finn, but I love the contrast of her just saying “‘scuse me Finn” and how much taller she is than Finn. She’s also cold to Lemongrab, calling him a butt, which is even more problematic given the fact she’s responsible for him. The next moment is soooo important. Finn comes on to PB, which I can’t even condemn him for this time given the circumstances, and PB immediately shuts him down. She takes the crush slightly more seriously than just innocent puppy love. I love how awkward Finn asking if she wants to hug more is, really highlighting how this relationship does not work with this age difference. She responds by not humoring him finally, saying “that was like 5 years ago” and “you really gotta move on.” People have criticized Bubblegum for being too cold to Finn. I do understand calling those comments, and her joking about the situation, insensitive. It comes across to Finn like the relationship they had means nothing to her now. I really don’t think it meant nothing to her, as we’ll see by her subtle changes in behavior and a line she has in “Burning Low.”  But, I’m sure it was hurtful and confusing for Finn. I still can’t really blame PB for how she responded. She definitely could have been more sensitive about it, while still clearly turning him down. But, it’s an awkward situation. She was still trying to be kind about it, even if the joking manner came off as hurtful, and she’s very clear in her rejection which is good. She still doesn’t know the true extent of Finn’s feelings.

Season two’s cliffhanger being immediately reversed in one episode is a controversial decision. It’s the first example of one of the biggest criticisms leveled against the series, not committing to interesting status quo changes. Turning Bonnie back to 18 is a decision I 100% support. Yes, it’s sad how much of a more entertaining character young PB is compared to the regular state of her character so far. But, essentially replacing the most boring character of the main cast with an entirely different character would feel like such a lame solution to a problem the series has. Working on making her a more engaging character is the correct path. The path they take Bubblegum on is my favorite aspect of the series, so I’m glad this didn’t stick. It’s just unfortunate that it takes another season for that to happen. It makes reversing back to the status quo more questionable. Also, we can’t lose Hynden Walch! To be fair, restoring the status quo after only one episode is the aspect of this that’s more contentious. I wouldn’t have been opposed to seeing young PB in a few more episodes, but I don’t really see what more could have been done. I think “Too Young” fully explores everything interesting that can come out of this plotline: her relationship with Finn and how Princess Bubblegum acts differently at this age. This also isn’t entirely a reset. Not only does this episode color Princess Bubblegum’s character moving forward, it also sets a clear new dynamic for Finn and Bubblegum. She stops humoring his advancements (except for “Wizard Battle”, but again, fuck that episode). It’s the first of many times “everything stays, but it still changes” is applicable. We’ll see how long that ends up being a good excuse moving forward though. 

Finn calls Jake and he gives Finn some pretty bad advice if you take it as him still telling Finn to keep pursuing PB! To be fair, he doesn’t yet know that Bubblegum is an adult again. But Finn tells him that he got dumped. You could also interpret Jake’s advice as being persistent in finding love in general, not necessarily referring to Bubblegum specifically. His speech was intended to be important and to foreshadow the rest of the series, but I’m not sure if this really panned out. He does defeat a demon lord (whether it refers to Hunson, Ke-Oth, The Lich, or evil in general). Finn definitely warps through several worlds (“Puhoy”, “Crossover”, “Beyond the Grotto”, etc). Walking up the wizard steps could foreshadow Huntress Wizard, even though it’s unclear if they ever get in a committed relationship. The magic key and water world don’t really come to pass, unless you wanna say “President Porpoise is Missing!” I’m probably taking it too literally. I think it’s true meaning is to just be persistent in finding love despite all the obstacles. I think that’s what Jake’s means, so I like the speech. The episode ends with Finn looking at Bubblegum up above. It seems like Finn takes it as advice to keep pursuing PB specifically, as we see in upcoming episodes. A lot of fans took it this way, thinking Finn will just have to wait until he becomes 18 to get with PB. With him aging throughout the series, that does seem like a plausible endgame. But there’s obviously problematic implications with that. The series ends up going in a different direction and doesn’t make romance a central part of Finn’s final arc, so this speech really doesn’t end up feeling as important as it was set out to be. 

This is a really iconic episode with a super memorable story and introduction of a major character, and it’s one of my favorites so far. It’s essentially a what if scenario, the one time we see what Finn and PB could be like as a couple. The one time Finn gets to live out his greatest desire. I’m not a Fubblegum shipper, but I’m glad the shippers get this episode. Shipping them outside this episode is weird, but I’m fully on board with their relationship here. I guess I’ll end with some controversy. You can’t tell me Princess Bubblegum didn’t have real feelings for Finn in this one. I totally interpret her as bi just because of this episode. 

Grade: A

#adventure time #too young #finn and jake #finn the human #jake the dog #princess bubblegum #lemongrab

[cherry-valentine]

Winter 2024 Anime Season

I didn’t do write ups for the Fall 2023 season because I was only watching two shows and they were just new seasons of shows I’ve written about multiple times before (Dr. Stone and Spy x Family) so I didn’t feel the need. Both were great. I’ll just leave it at that.

Mr. Villain’s Day Off is one of my favorites this season. Following a stereotypical Tokusatsu villain on his not so typical days off from villain work, the show is a tender hearted comedy without a single mean bone in its body. The humor here is more subtle and situational than the usual fast paced slapstick we often see in anime. As a result, the story actually has a heart. The main character, usually just called Shogun (reflecting his status in the villainous organization), spends his days at “work” fighting a team of Power Ranger-like heroes (each of whom actually get some decent characterization and cute moments, especially the perpetually lost Red) and plotting the destruction of humanity so that his race of aliens can take over the planet. But he spends his days off visiting the zoo to see the animals he’s come to adore: pandas. The charm of this extremely charming show is primarily in the contrast between the violent villain who wants to wipe out humanity and the quiet, good natured man who loves pandas and is genuinely enjoying learning about earth and human customs. The art is very nice, nothing too fancy but it serves the story well. The music is soothing. Overall it’s a very sweet and comforting series that wisely avoids going over the top with the comedy and never really drains its primary joke (villain who loves pandas) too much. Recommended (though you’ll definitely get more enjoyment out of this show if you’re at least vaguely familiar with Tokusatsu tropes).

A Sign of Affection is an incredibly sweet and gentle shoujo romance about a young deaf woman named Yuki and the relationship she forms with Itsuomi, a handsome guy from her college who knows several languages and decides to learn sign language after meeting her. There’s been a bit of a trend lately that I’m totally here for: shoujo romances that are wholesome and healthy. Though I definitely enjoy the drama of more spicy shows, it’s also very nice to relax and watch something that’s not going to piss me off. A Sign of Affection is very careful with its romance. Characters behave in more natural, mature ways. There are fewer misunderstandings and the ones we get are completely understandable. It’s just nice to see healthy, equal, consensual relationships. Because those are the ones I want to root for. Yuki’s disability is handled with delicacy and tact. We see her limitations and struggles but we also see her living a full and happy life. The art style is very typical for high quality shoujo. Lots of pastels and gentle, natural designs. The animation is fluid enough for a show like this, and the music fits it well. Recommended if you like romance.

Cherry Magic is a BL (Boys Love) series that continues the fairly recent trend of non toxic BL anime (that started with shows like Given and Sasaki and Miyano). Cherry Magic centers on Adachi, a shy man who discovers he has magical powers after hitting age 30 while still being a virgin. The power? To read the mind of anyone he touches. Out of curiosity he touches his handsome, popular coworker Kurosawa and finds out Kurosawa is in love with him. Once upon a time, nearly every BL anime that came out was full of toxic relationships and, I’ll call it a “strained relationship with consent”. There’s been a lot of discussion over the years about why that was and how people felt about it, but I for one (a straight cis woman, so take my opinion with a grain of salt) always found those aspects to be uncomfortable. Thankfully, like with shoujo romance, modern series have been moving away from abusive relationships with (very) dubious consent. Cherry Magic is refreshing, mainly in that the two leads are 30 and they actually form a very sweet and equal relationship. It’s a very slow burn romance, but it works well here. The art isn’t anything amazing. The character designs are rather generic and the animation quality dips noticeably after the first episode. But the music is nice and the writing is strong enough to carry the show. Recommended.

High Card season two is, so far, a bit of a letdown. Following a group of people using magic playing cards to give them special powers as they try to gather all the cards, the first season was a blast. The characters were fun and the plot, while occasionally getting a little dark, was overall upbeat and energetic. Season two is fine. I’m enjoying it and it’s had a few great episodes, but the pacing just feels off. Some episodes feel disjointed, and just when it seems like the plot is getting tense and urgent, things come to a screeching halt to have backstory or even side story episodes. To be clear, it’s still a very good anime, but so far the second season is failing to live up to the first. The art and animation are still great and the music is too (though the opening and ending themes just don’t compare to the absolute bangers of season one). Definitely still worth watching for the colorful, lively characters alone.

The Demon Prince of Momochi House is a very pretty supernatural shoujo series about an orphaned girl named Himari inheriting a house from a family she never knew, only to find it already occupied by a trio of handsome young men, two of whom are not actually human. It turns out Himari’s new house sits on the border between worlds, and one of the young men, Aoi, is tasked with guarding that border. The plot is fairly episodic, and the show’s main weakness is that it feels very familiar and predictable. The basic setup of “bright cheerful girl with no family moves in with supernatural hot guys” is not new. But it’s a common setup for a reason: it’s charming and fun. The art and design are very pretty. The music is a high point, with my favorite opening theme of the season. It’s a cute show. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s still a fun ride.

Sengoku Youko is a fantasy action series focusing a pair of traveling “siblings” (not related by blood) consisting of Tama (a fox spirit) and Jinka (a human who hates other humans and wants to become a spirit creature). Traveling with them is a young human man named Shinsuke who wants to be a swordsman. The plot is fairly episodic, with the siblings mostly wandering into dangerous situations involving spirit creatures. There’s an overarching plot about a human religious sect that’s been doing experiments to combine humans with spirit creatures, but that’s usually in the background of the other adventures and serves to provide villains. The characters are overall interesting and fun, and a few of them even avoid falling into the usual fantasy anime tropes, or flip those tropes around enough to be interesting. The fights are exciting, even if the powers and abilities aren’t always made clear. It’s nice that there are plenty of powerful lady characters as well. The art and animation are nice, and the music is great. The ending theme is hauntingly beautiful, and my favorite of the season by far.

#anime reviews #anime recommendations #winter 2024 anime #seasonal anime #text #mr villain's day off #a sign of affection #cherry magic

[powertaco]

How do you write so much? I'm like struggling man. My brain is just like...do the thing. What is your secret? What mines do you pick at to unveil the whiterose?

Howdy, and thanks for the ask. It's late so I'm probably gonna ramble. I promise to try and address the question at some point lol.

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

So when I first started it took me months to write and try to perfect a single one shot. (One Good Turn/Maiden crack outtakes) (This was back in September of like 2021)

My next story after that (Pizza Au) it would take weeks to even a month between chapters.

I would get horrible anxiety (being a perfectionist is hell). Sometimes there would be days I would just not write. I couldn't handle it. I'd play wow, or just do anything else. Anything to NOT BE writing.

What didn't do was stop thinking of ideas. Even if I didn't write for the story I had a little notepad with ideas I would scribble on them. This didn't bother me because it was something that only I saw and it was quick notes. If they weren't perfect it didn't matter because, well I took 5 seconds to write them so who was gonna judge me on that?

My brain could process and handle that sort of thing.

The truth is writing, and telling stories has been one of those things I've always wanted to do, and over time I've built up a habit of writing, and making sure to take breaks on certain days, or if I'm just not in the mood. I would love to eventually write an actual fantasy book some day, but for now I write fan-fiction as practice.

The mindset I helped by realizing I wasn't really getting paid to write so if people didn't like it? Well I mean who cared? Yeah my screen name is out there, and yeah I get plenty of people who don't like it, or send me some 'interestingly' worded reviews.

As for what gets me into the headspace for goobers? The easiest thing is to think of some media you like, and are passionate about.

What book, game, tv show, movie, etc do you really like? Now since most of the story is already done for you. How can you insert two characters into it to make it your desired pairing.

This helps because you're already very passionate about it, and when you're passionate it makes it easier for words to flow onto the page.

For example, if you're doing a WR legend of Zelda Au, and you know everything about Zelda then it's easy for you to just get really into it, and before you know it you have a 10k first chapter, and you're wondering how it got there.

You're just like wow Weiss would be a great Midna, and Ruby a wonderful Link, and bam you're good to go. (Although you might change the ending a wee bit for more fluff but hey)

At first this might take some time to think on, but eventually if you do it enough you'll get the brainrot and every bit of media you consume you'll be like 'i can totally think of a X au for this.

It might also help to find a genre you find more easy to relate to, to start with.

If you like humor, then make a funny little one shot. If you like coffee shop au's? Well loads of people do.

If you're stuck at the end of a sentence? Delete the sentence you just wrote and try again.

If the word isn't coming to you, and you need a break? Take one. Sometimes I write a few sentences then watch a youtube video, then get back to writing.

Just to give my brain some time to think in the background.

I would also advise that once you do a few stories in a genre you're familiar with try a few in different ones.

This helps you not get pigeon holed and stuck in a rut down the line, and gets you to think about them differently and explore different facets of your characters.

Do some comedy, crack, and then do an angst, follow that up with video game au, and then romance, etc.

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

Some early habits you can do are just set aside a set amount of time to try and write a day. Maybe even 30 minutes.

If you can't think of a story think of what you do know and make it all nice and written out for future you.

Like 'oh coffee shop au' Ruby is the barrista summer is alive in this au, and she's in college etc. Do it for characters you think will be important to the story, and even a background character you want to make an appearance. You're not writing the story, not really, but you are doing work that can help give your characters life, and a background/voice when you do write it.

All told I was in the same boat as you being told 'just write' and I would clam up.

You might try just writing random details for your au or something similar.

You can get prompt ideas from other people if you can't think of anything. You can bounce an idea back and forth on discord with a friend! Heck read a few books to get potential ideas!

You can and will make mistakes. It's inevitable. A sneaky comma you forgot, a word in the wrong tense, but you know what I learned?

Doesn't matter. The fact that you're writing and creating far outweighs any of that.

You don't even have to post or show it to anyone. I have a stack of notebooks with tons of notes in them (google docs is pretty easy to use too if you don't like writing in a notebook).

As trite as it might seem, as many times as it has been said really the secret is just writing.

One thing I will say is 'comparison is the thief of joy'. Do not compare your starting works, or even any of your work to someone else.

If you compare your writing to someone who's been writing for a lot longer then I mean /shrug.

If you do post on ao3 or another site my advice is to not look at stats at all.

What does it matter if your fic gets only 50 hits and 3 comments? Those are 3 people who looked at your story and loved it enough to say so, and 50 people who were drawn in to read it in the first place.

That's a loooot of people. Just write for fun, and not to look at the stats.

This one is more on me, but once a story has been finished? Don't go back and rewrite it to fix or update all the errors. They make valuable time capsules of your skill progression.

If all your work looks like your current work then it seems like you're not improving. (In maidens I can see many errors, and while there's still errors in my latest story I can tell you there are less of them).

You will at random points get hit with 'oh wow I'm not improving at all. This is actually a false feeling brought on by you getting better and realizing all the errors that are there. It actually means you're doing much better than you thought.

This is from auriee on tumblr

So I guess to sum it up.

1-Try to establish a habit of at least attempting to write each day. I find myself craving to write most days but it was a buildup to get there.

2-Use media you're passionate about to start with to get you into the creation mindset, and just make small tweaks to it to make it easier at the start.

3-Don't worry about it being perfect, or your stats. Just write for you.

4-It's less talent and more hard repetitive work to get good at writing just like any other skill. You will have to put in a fair/large amount of time.

5-If you skip some days because you aren't feeling it then that's fine. Take the time you need but just make sure to get back to it.

Tiny Samus believes in you.

And so do my goobers!

For real though feel free to drop an ask on here or discord if you have any specific questions, or if I totally screwed it up. (Sorry it's late so my IQ is currently room temp.

#writing #asks #taco's rambling hour #taco attempts to answer a question #gives writing advice #13 dead #rwby #death's whiterose #worked it in there #whiterose #plus young maria

[number5theboy]

you said in a previous ask that if s2 had built on s1 better than the show would have been better. have you ever posted what you think needed to be different in s2? if not would you be willing to?

Oof. So much. This is not like. a full plan of how I would've done s2 differently, but it's just some character things I would've done differently for the siblings. Don't take this too seriously, it's just me spitballing, and this isn't a full re-write, it should have more structure to be that.

But also, overall ground rules.

no amnesia

no romance

no paradox psychosis

no infinite switchboard

no Handler

Viktor does not cause the apocalypse. Diego does.

Let me elaborate by just going through the siblings and where I would've taken them to build on s1.

Luther & Viktor: Putting these two together because that's what I would've done. Keep them together. Luther was holding him going into the portal, I think it would've been really interesting to have these two end up together in the 60s. Viktor should've been unconscious when they arrived (for like. the first episode) because then Luther would have had to make the choice to either protect him or leave him, and the choice to keep him close, the only familiar person around, someone he just betrayed and who just tried to kill him. Someone who ended the world. It would've been interesting to see them work through everything instead of Luther's character development happening off-screen and his apology to Viktor losing meaning because Viktor did not remember anything, they should've worked things out together. Luther gets the time to reflect on his actions and Viktor wakes up to Luther, despite everything, caring for him. This should at some point evolve into a 'Viktor develops his powers'-montage where they use Luther's near-invincibility, he can be tossed around without hurting that much.

Klaus & Ben: Lose the cult, keep the Dave. I haven't thought that one through much, I just hated the cult storyline that went nowhere, but I did really like him trying to save Dave, it was a good storyline. I also think he should've developed his powers more there, because Klaus was sober through his stay in the 60s, so ghosts would have bothered him more, and he should've worked to keep them under control. I keep oscillating between 'this is how Reginald factors into the story, Klaus goes to him for help' and 'no way Klaus and Ben would go to Reginald, Ben becomes an impromptu teacher and that's how their relationship deteriorates'. This one needs workshopping, but I feel like trying to save Dave from dying + becoming more familiar with death as two cornerstones of Klaus' arc would be super fun to explore. Also he doesn't keep Ben away from everyone else, I reckon, but I would have to actually figure out how the season would go to figure out how and why. Something about Klaus getting better at controlling his powers and thus summoning Ben, him having the possibility to interact with the world for the first time in decades and wanting his independence but not being able to get it because he's been dead this entire time, he can never be away from Klaus...it'd be interesting.

Allison: Full disclosure, I really do love Ray, but I said no romances, so. I think it was a missed opportunity to not double down on Allison and sisterhood after s1 and have her form a meaningful relationship with Odessa and the other black women at the salon she worked at. Have her throw herself into community organising and resistance and build other women up after a lifetime of using her powers for selfish reasons. Have it hurt her too, because it makes her think about her daughter and how she will never be able to watch her grow into a strong woman, but at least she can try to build a better world for all of them, but especially for her. And there's the thing with the civil rights plotline either way, I just don't think that TUA as a show does not have the depth or the intelligence to do justice to this real movement, it will always kind of feel like a prop, so I don't think there truly is a way to do it justice, or if there is, someone please tell me. I do think they should've let her be angry at Viktor in s2 already, none of that forgive and forget crap, she was seriously injured, almost lost her life and then was thrust into an environment hostile to her mere existence as a black person, she should've been at least resentful by that point. I would've loved to see a confrontation between her and Viktor, she should've been allowed to express her hurt and it should've taken time for them to be buddy-buddy again. So at some point her storyline should flow into that of Luther and Viktor, but yeah. It'd need some more fleshing out but this is the general idea of where she'd start.

Diego: Alrighty. Instead of playing off Diego's hero complex and obsession with saving JFK as a joke, I think the show should've played it straight. Let him cut off Lee Harvey Oswald's trigger finger. Let him use his ability to deflect bullets to foil and attempts of assassination on the president and save the life of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. But not enough that they don't notice that there has been an attempt on the president's life. The FBI find a way to blame the Russians for this. Boom. Nuclear Armageddon. There's the apocalypse for the season. I wish s2 would have explored Diego's deep-seated need to prove himself, to leave his mark on history as someone who rights wrongs, who saves lives, more seriously, because him being a vigilante, rejecting his father but still trying to be a hero like he raised them to, was so integral to who he was in s1 and I wish they'd explored this in more depth. Also the story beat of trying to do something right that then has massive bad consequences would be on par for this show, I think it would have been really cool to explore. Especially since one of the main plot threads in that season would have been to stop Diego from fulfilling the destiny he set out for himself, make him defy that hero complex, which leads me to

Five: By god, they should have let him orchestrate the JFK assassination like he deserved to. Instead of pointlessly chasing after the apocalypse for a second time in a row and getting world's lamest made-up disease for no reason, they should've made it that he tries to figure out what causes the apocalypse this time around, only to be interrupted by AJ, who wants to recruit him. The thing is that someone keeps foiling the assassination of JFK and no matter how many snipers they sent there to take care of it, nothing helps (as we find out later, the certain someone responsible has bullet-redirecting abilities). And since there is no infinite switchboard in this, someone has to solve this the old way and figure out a foolproof way to kill the president. And so the Commission comes crawling back to Five, who realises that the assassination must happen to avert the apocalypse. So instead of making a deal to kill the Commission board in exchange for going back to 2019, he promises the orchestration of the JFK assassination - we get him trying to plan to foil what he doesn't know is his own brother, but once he does know, that throws another spanner into the works, because he doesn't want to kill Diego. We could have had some really good character exploration similar to the comics where he despises that the Commission has roped him back in, that he keeps having to do things he despises to have a chance at a normal life, and it would've made for some excellent interpersonal drama between him and Diego. I don't even know how this would resolve except for the fact that, you know, JFK bites it. Maybe Five ropes in his other siblings, or his old self. Maybe Reginald's real reason for unadopting them is that he wanted Kennedy alive, and they're the ones who killed him. I just think this would've been a much more interesting exploration of both Diego and Five.

And this is all just spitballing. This is not really a coherent re-write or adjustment. It doesn't take into account that there definitely should be other characters in this. I really did love Elliott, and Lila is a great addition to the cast and should be crow-barred into this somehow. How do all of these storylines converge? How much, if even, should Reginald factor into this? But those are the first ideas that I have to make s2 more coherent with the themes of s1.

#Replies #Anonymous