#lucifer season five spoilers

[thebellearchives]

hihi can i request fluff prompt 22 with mephisto??

𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐂𝐄

~ mephistopheles ; obey me

✧˚ · . S Y N O P S I S : Mephisto is a man who’s not easy to decipher, how many times do you have to break the ice for him to warm up to you?

‧₊˚ c o n t e n t s : gn!mc, fluff, a tiny little spoiler from the OG last season?

‧₊˚ a / n : omg i’m so happy i got a Mephisto req, i’m forever unfortunately in love with him 🖤 enjoy ~ (this one isn’t proofread either jsjd sorry)

Being part of the student council was draining to say the least, there was always something to do. Most of the chores related to dealing face to face with the students were usually given to Beel or Satan, but when it came to paperwork and similar tasks? Those were reserved for Lucifer, Diavolo and you. It was Friday afternoon, and the Newspaper club windows had been closed for a while. Still, the chill of the wind from outside somehow found it’s way into the room, it almost felt like someone had left the A/C on. And to be fair, you weren’t sure if the cold was due to the weather or it was just Mephistopheles’ presence next to you.

You had definitely talked to him a couple of times before, you had even shared some drinks with him at a party once, but he was such a complicated man. It just felt like no matter how many times you broke the ice with him it would just come back the next time your eyes met. You started shivering slightly, shifting in between newspaper pages and trying to use the silence in favour of your concentration. You weren’t successful, specially when you felt Mephisto’s eyes drilling into your frame from the side.

“Are you cold?” he scoffed.

“No”.

Silence. Your eyes scanned words as fast as you could, knowing you weren’t actually reading any of the words. He groaned loudly, you could almost see him rolling his eyes from the sound alone.

“This is completely unnecessary, I told Lord Diavolo I could do this on my own. Quite frankly it’s not like I need a human’s help” he desperately moved away the papers and grabbed new ones, never losing that classic prideful tone in his voice.

“Trust me, if I could I wouldn’t be here on a Friday afternoon” you mumbled in annoyance “specially not with this weather.”

“What was that?” his voice almost perked up, probably ready to jump into a five hour rant about how you couldn’t handle the cold.

“Nothing. I'm only here because you got demoted from your Leader position at the Newspaper Club.”

He scoffed once again.

“I don’t regret anything.”

“Really?” raising an eyebrow, you turned to him “you’re so into journalism I imagined getting demoted felt like a punch in the guts. Specially since it was Lucifer himself the one who downgraded you.”

“Well, I’m still here aren’t I?” his gloved hands made sure to fix the stack of papers neatly “that arrogant prick’s gonna need more than Lord Diavolo’s favour to get rid of me.”

You smiled, watching his almost glowy green eyes examine files thoroughly. There was something about Mephisto’s haughty perseverance that somehow seemed captivating to you. You watched as his fingers elegantly reordered the newspapers, he fixed a magenta hair strand away from his eyes before looking back to you.

“What are you all smiley for?”

You shrugged, smiling wider.

“Those stickers you made are awesome”

The compliment made him smile too. Smirking, he turned back to his papers.

“Of course they are. Every time I see people at RAD using them I know it was worth it. I just know it grays Lucifer’s hair each time someone sends that sticker.”

“Lucifer looks so happy riding that adorable unicorn” a hearty laugh left your lips, Mephisto started chuckling too, you went back to your papers as well.

“I specially like the unbothered expression in the unicorn’s face”

You snorted, both of you shaking in contained laughter. You sighed and switched the files, another shiver running down your neck and causing goosebumps on your skin.

Mephisto’s curious eyes studied you for a second, before grabbing your stack of papers and moving them over next to his.

“Hey!”

“You’re cold, come here” for someone so elegant, the way he dragged you closer to him had zero class. But when he placed an arm around you and rubbed your shoulder to warm you up you just couldn’t complain.

Blushing, you smiled and brought your papers closer to the table’s edge.

“Thank you”

#; fluffy belle #obey me #obey me nightbringer #obey me swd #obey me nb #obey me shall we date #obey me x mc #obey me x y/n #obey me x you #obey me x reader #obey me mephisto #obey me mephistopheles #mephisto obey me #mephistopheles obey me #mephistopheles x reader #mephisto x reader #mephisto x mc #mephisto x you #obey me mephisto x mc #gn!mc #gn!reader

[petitprincess1]

What critiques do you have of Hazbin? I'm wondering because I keep seeing a lot of criticism and hate towards it and I don't Wana get into something that's possible waste of time. Srry if thats rude

Dude, you're perfectly fine. I'm gonna keep it to like five points bc some things that I have problems with are mainly nitpicks. None of this, imo, is a dealbreaker for me. However, if it is for you, fair.

This is one that everyone has talked about and I fully agree with. The pacing is whiplash-inducing. I still do believe it's better than HB S1, but there is just so much information being thrown around that it's mind-boggling. The songs definitely help to slow things down a bit and introduce more info in an engaging, catchy way. However, I feel like there were some eps that either needed to come sooner or later in the series. I get they were fighting the clock, but still.

Lucifer and Charlie's relationship needed better explaining. Without going into spoilers, from what it felt like in the Pilot, it seemed like they were building up to something a bit more confrontational. I always figured Charlie possibly embellished Lucifer's words, but now it makes it feel like Charlie was talking to a completely different man. Someone that isn't even her father. Lu acts so much like Charlie, or vice versa, that it seems almost impossible to misinterpret his words.

NO FILLERS! The closest episode to a filler is the 3 ep, but even that brings up information and moves the plot along with key points. Now, that's not a bad thing entirely. It keeps you engaged. But this show very much lacks any breathing room. There's so much being thrown your way. Either things get overly talked about or not talked about enough. Which brings me to my next point-

The world-building is both fulfilling and empty. You do get a good sense of Heaven and Hell in this universe, especially Hell. You get an idea of the hierarchy and even some hypocrisy. However, we also don't really know how Heaven nor Hell operates. Like Lucifer appeared to be a shut-in. Yes, Lilith was the one inspiring demonkind, but what about when she disappeared? Is that why everything is garbage now? How much does Lucifer influence Hell? Where are the archangels? Was this conflict not important? Is there a "God" even in this show? What is Heaven's hierarchal system? There's so much being said, while also nothing being explained.

This one is the lowest for me bc I'm a bit torn on it. I've seen a few people complain about how the main characters are introduced as if you're supposed to know them. I didn't get this feeling, but I'm also a fan of Hazbin. I try to go in with a fairly "empty mind" so that I can view the material without rose-tinted glasses. However, it felt like some of the characters were given decent introductions at times. Idk. I'd like to know other's opinions on that.

Another one that I want to add is probably more diversity in the body sizes in the show. I'm not too worried about it bc Helluva Boss does a great job with body diversity, but Hazbin seems to be fairly stick and slender. But, again, I'm not too worried about it.

All in all, those are my biggest issues with the show. Like I said, none of these are dealbreakers, especially since we'll be getting a S2. Vivzie seems to listen to criticism, judging by the differences with HB S1 vs S2. So, I'm really hoping that we finally get to relax and actually get to know the characters more. Like, Adam shows the 7 Deadly Sins, while Charlie shows the 7 Virtues. I hope Adam isn't permanently dead bc I feel like this would be a good wake-up for him. He'll become the being that they were exterminating. But only time will tell.

Majority of this can be blamed on Prime and A24 for only giving them 8 episodes. I feel like either a longer run-time or more eps would've helped the show. Hopefully, they'll have learned from their mistakes in the next season.

#hazbin hotel #long post #hazbin hotel analysis #media criticism #vivziepop #ask answered #ok 2 rb

[ur-dad-satan]

Okay so I just watched the two new episodes of Hazbin Hotel and I have THOUGHTS

There will be spoilers below the line so read at your own risk

First of all, SIR PENTIOUSSSSSS!!! MY LOVEEEEE!!! They didn't have to kill you like that but I'm so sO FUCKING PROUD OF YOUR REDEMPTION!! YOU GOT THE ENDING YOU DESERVED!!! Easily one of the best character arcs in any of the shows I've recently watched.

2. Lucifer coming in and saving the day because Adam fucked with his daughter?? AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!???!?! I love him so much!! The fight scene was so funny and so good!!! Holy shit Lucifer is the best dad.

3. The way the Vees were watching the final battle and Vox just kept butting in was so funny. Especially since Valentino and Velvette just didn't give a fuck about anything going on. Of course, I think they're delusional and not at all going to be able to take over Hell.

4. I want what Vaggie and Charlie have.

5. Niffty is the realest MVP. She is the epitome of "no thoughts, head empty" Charlie told her to stab all the angels she saw and then went directly for Angel Dust like the insane little gremlin she is!! I'm glad they stopped her but omg!!

6. ALSO in that very same scene, Angel hops up on the light poll until Niffty goes away. I love the tiny detail of him flipping down the poll like the slutty little stripper boi he is and I ADORE THATTT!!

7. Husk is amazing. In my top 5 favorite characters. I never thought I's hear Dr. Facilier from The Princess and the Frog say "fuck" or actually kill people. Husk is sssooooo fine too?? Ugh

8. I'd fuck the shit out of Vox, Alastor, Angel, Husk, Lucifer, Cherri Bomb, and Lilith.

9. My top five characters are Alastor, Angel, Husk, Sir Pentious, and Niffty. Honorable mention to Vox (cause he's hot), and Vaggie (cause I adore her and her character development)

I want more but I wouldn't be mad if that was the end of the show/season

#shitpost #hazbin hotel #hazbin lucifer #hazbin sir pentious #hazbin alastor #hazbin angel dust #hazbin spoilers #hazbin vox #hazbin vaggie #hazbin husk #hazbin cherri bomb #hazbin niffty #hazbin lilith #hazbin charlie #i love this silly little show

[jeschalynn]

hand over the ship lore you have for yourself and barbatos and nobody gets hurt. 🔫 i want *all* the details on why you love that petty butler and the scenarios that come with it,,,, for science. - gifter cryptid

My selfship for him follows the canon story (from the original game) very loosely. It's a slow burn interspersed with moments of domestic affection and intimacy but also a lot of pining and angst. It takes him a long time to realize the depth of his feelings, and by the time he does, I've already tried to move on.

This is a more general timeline of how I picture things unfolding over the course of the og game's four seasons. The story ended abruptly and a lot of potential relationship moments haven't happened yet, so I went with what I thought might happen next.

(My poly!ship lore with him follows a different path entirely.)

Note: The content below includes vague spoilers for season four/hypothetical season five events.

My initial opinion of him was similar to most of the other demons I met after arriving in the Devildom: he was handsome and intimidating and totally unapproachable. He had a role of such high importance, serving a literal prince, and I assumed we had nothing in common.

I felt like a small, insignificant human in that place. The other demons treated him with respect and reverence. He was professional and polite and kind when we interacted, but it was hard to figure out what he was really like at first. We didn't see each other very much unless we were at RAD or at Diavolo's castle.

Mutual interests brought us together slowly throughout the course of the exchange program: the types of human world teas we both liked and how the Devildom blends compared; cooking and sharing recipes that took into account my limited tolerance for the Devildom's spicy cuisine; and he appreciated my interest in his world and my eagerness to learn new things with an open mind.

We spent more and more time in each other's company. He pointed out books in the RAD library he thought I might like, or he invited me and Luke to the castle to bake something, or Diavolo invited me to have lunch (he knew I found the House of Lamentation a bit suffocating at times).

Sometimes Barbatos invited me to accompany him when he visited one of the Devildom markets. He quickly learned which foods I liked or didn't like. When the demon brothers and I were guests at the castle, he prepared my dish with careful consideration.

When he traveled to the human world to run mundane tasks for Diavolo (or peruse his favourite tea vendors), he brought back something for me as well. He even took me with him on a few occasions; it was an excuse to show me places I mentioned in passing that I'd like to visit someday. (Those sorts of feats were easy for a demon of his status and power, but my excitement and earnest appreciation made it worthwhile.)

I attended parties at Diavolo's castle with Lucifer and his brothers. Asmo enjoyed dressing me up in the latest Devildom fashions and I felt self-conscious in whatever extravagant dress he picked out (or had made for me). Barbatos watched the other demons take turns leading me onto the dance floor, but he recognized the anxious look on my face when I got overwhelmed and needed a break from the crowd and the attention.

He usually led me somewhere quiet, an empty balcony or a sitting room nearby. He offered me a cold drink (knowing I don't like the taste of Demonus) and promised that I could always ask him if I needed space away from the festivities. He stayed with me the entire time and when I was ready, he rested a gloved hand gently on the small of my back as we walked together. He rejoined Diavolo and offered his apologies for an absence that couldn't be helped. He watched me as I made my way back to the demon brothers nearby.

(If Diavolo had any assumptions or thoughts about his butler's keen attention to my comfort or needs, he kept them to himself.)

Time passed and eventually I learned more about him. He wasn't simply the prince's butler anymore. I appreciated his expertise and attention to detail, and how he could be so kind and considerate. I enjoyed his company even if we spent it in comfortable silence. He smiled more often and found ways to tease delighted reactions from me. If I did or said something amusing - sometimes on purpose, sometimes not - his laughter was warm and genuine. I adored that sound.

It was hard to look him in the eyes sometimes because he was so beautiful, and I was afraid he'd read all my secrets like an open book. The thought of him finding out about my less-than-platonic feelings for him made me want to crawl into a hole and die. Unfortunately, I had a terrible poker face and couldn't lie to save my life. Despite my best efforts, it became painfully obvious when I started acting strangely around him.

It didn't take long for him to figure out why my voice trembled when he stood too close, or when our hands touched when we walked side by side. He noticed that my cheeks flushed pink when he complimented me. I avoided his gaze too - my eyes darted to his face quickly before looking away again, like I was trying to hide something from him (I was).

He thought whatever I was experiencing - simple attraction - was nothing more than a passing fancy. He thought ignoring it was kinder than bringing it up. When it started to affect our friendship, he realized things were changing and not in a way he liked.

I found excuses to avoid spending time alone with him and I refused some of his offers to visit the castle gardens with him, or the library, or new places in the Devildom he thought I'd like to see. It bothered him that I was nervous around him now, similar to how I was when I first arrived in his realm. He didn't demand an explanation and simply accepted my answers - refusals - with grace. Any dissatisfaction he felt was easily ignored.

Even if he did ask me what was wrong, what would I say? I have a crush on you but I like you too much as a friend to risk it all for nothing? I couldn't admit my feelings so easily. I was convinced someone like him wouldn't be interested in someone like me anyway. Romantic fantasies of him made me feel like such a fool.

I couldn't spend the rest of my year in the Devildom fretting over my feelings for someone who didn't feel the same for me. My genius plan was to try and stomp down those feelings instead. I needed to find other things to occupy my thoughts, other friends to spend my time with. I considered the possibility of trying to date someone else, should anyone else show an interest in me. (I wouldn't have the courage to ask them first.)

I spent more time at the House of Lamentation and got to know the demon brothers. Each of them grew to love me in their own ways. Some of them were like the brothers I had to leave behind in the human world. Some of them became my dearest friends. Some of them wanted to be more than that, but the end of the exchange program arrived and we were all out of time.

The last night of the Devildom was turbulent with so many conflicting emotions. I dreaded going home and I wondered where I truly belonged. I couldn't stay in this world, but the thought of leaving everyone behind was painful. I regretted so many missed opportunities and I wondered what might've happened if I were a bit braver, if I were more willing to share my feelings instead of guarding my heart from the burning sting of rejection.

I made my pact with Lucifer that final night, but spending the night in his bed was not what I expected. Perhaps we were both in need of a little comfort. Neither of us regretted it afterwards, and he never complained or asked for more than I was willing to give. I realized that maybe I could find someone else to love. Lucifer seemed to understand our night together was not likely to be repeated. I told him I still cared for him, and he cared for me too, and that was enough for both of us.

After I returned to the human world, Lucifer still missed me the way his brothers did. Maybe my sudden absence affected him more than anyone else thought it would. At times he was unusually distracted, but he perked up whenever my name was mentioned. His brothers noticed this, and Diavolo noticed, and inevitably Barbatos did too. He made his own assumptions about what would cause the Avatar of Pride to act this way, and part of him was...surprised when he considered all the possibilities. He ignored the thought and decided it wasn't any of his business. Why should he care?

No one expected my sudden return to the Devildom, or Solomon's slippery excuses for why he brought me with him. Most of the demons were just happy to see me again, and the ones that wanted more than our friendship were eager for a second chance to pursue me.

I missed the Devildom and the demons too - some more than others, and one above them all. Much-needed space helped me come to terms with my unrequited feelings, and we fell into our friendship easily as if I'd never left. I reminded myself that it was foolish to think about a future with him and I felt ready to move on. My feelings for him lingered, but I tried not to let that stop me from living.

I had relationships with some of the others I'd grown close to. They were fun distractions in an attempt to find someone who could love me in ways Barbatos never would.

Asmo was my first relationship when I returned to the Devildom. If he knew about my feelings for the prince's butler, he did his best to distract me from thinking about him - or anyone else - while we were together. I was with Solomon after that, a natural outcome after we spent so much time together during my sorcerer's apprenticeship trials. Later, Simeon and I found comfort in each other when he told me about his punishment for stealing the ring he gave me, the one I still wore. He soothed my guilt when I realized he risked his future to save me and smiled when he told me he'd do it all over again if he had to. I promised myself that I'd find a way to help him.

It wasn't until the incident with the dark crevasse that Barbatos had his own belated epiphany. In the windy chaos that ensued, something in him changed. Was it the fear in my eyes when I realized he could barely hold himself upright, or the way my voice cracked when I begged him to pull himself together for Diavolo's sake, or my arms wrapped around him to keep him from falling over and giving up?

Once the drama had ended and the castle guests retired for the night, he laid in his bed and started pulling apart all the tangled feelings he had when he thought of me. He recalled all those times he watched the other demons bicker for my attention at parties and sleepovers, how they elbowed each other out of the way so they could sit beside me at the table, how they bickered to have the first dance with me, to be partnered with me in class, anything that would let them be that much closer to their favourite human.

I was friends with all of them, but he knew I was intimate with some of them too. Asmo wasn't very subtle about his feelings and neither was Solomon. He feigned indifference when he overheard them speaking about me and believed it was no concern of his who I spent time with or invited to my bed. He snuck away quietly on the very rare occasions when he caught me and one of my lovers sharing a private moment away from prying eyes (or so we thought); he swallowed thickly and looked away when hands and mouths wandered too far, and he always wondered why those images plagued him with restless sleep the nights that happened.

Was it stubbornness that kept him from admitting what caused the bitter churning in his stomach - jealousy, regret, and the first stirrings of desire. The jealousy that others got to experience the most intimate parts of me, the desire to have what others were brave enough to take for themselves, the regret that it took him this long to admit he wanted me like he knew I wanted him.

Barbatos thought I would welcome his feelings. He woke up the next morning with new purpose and caught me off-guard with his affectionate touches and flirtatious words. He didn't expect the disbelief, the discomfort, or the anger that clouded my face when I confronted him about it later.

Why was he teasing me like this? Was this a joke to him? After all this time of trying to move on from him, he suddenly wants me when it's convenient and I'm supposed to just accept it? I couldn't imagine what would cause his opinion of me to change so drastically, because that's what it felt like. I couldn't risk getting my hopes up if his feelings weren't genuine. I thought about the fleeting moments in the past when he admitted he didn't want to get close to me, when he doubted what could possibly make me so special, how it wasn't long ago that he admitted that he still couldn't trust me. I doubted his sincerity.

Of course, the timing for his declaration was terrible. I promised to help Simeon from his precarious fate and some of the others thought appealing to Michael personally might be the best solution. Petitioning the Celestial Realm to allow me to negotiate on the Devildom's behalf was a convenient excuse to stop thinking about Barbatos, if only for a short while. I felt vulnerable and reckless in the Devildom with everything that had happened recently and I couldn't think straight with him so close.

When he learned what had been decided, he approached me in a rare moment of privacy and asked me not to go. He knew I had a habit of running away from things that made me uncomfortable. It hurt that I wanted to run away from him.

He knew his plea to stay would fall on deaf ears. Someone I cared for - a friend (and a lover, he thought bitterly) needed my help.

Don't light yourself on fire to keep others warm.

He couldn't refuse the wishes of his lord, even if that meant summoning the portal that would take me somewhere even he couldn't follow.

Once I was gone, he planned to use that time to find a way to fix what was broken between us. He turned to friends he trusted for guidance because they knew me as well as he did.

Asmo and Solomon were both willing to give their input on the subject, after they recovered from the initial shock to learn that I refused him.

Oh, hon. It couldn't have been that bad. You probably just surprised her.

You weren't there. You didn't see how she looked at me.

Look, once she gets back, you two can - Solomon, please stop laughing. It's not funny!

She ran off to another realm to avoid him. Barbatos, all you had to do was tell her that you loved her. How could you mess that up so badly?!

While I was in the Celestial Realm, he promised to give me the space I needed. He resisted the urge to text me or call me while I was gone.

After a couple days and many long lectures from his friends, he tentatively reached out to Luke to ask about me discreetly. Part of him regretted that choice.

He loathed the photos Luke sent him after that: angels standing far too close to me for his liking, or the beautiful clothes he assumed Michael had made for me to wear while I visited. He loved and hated how radiant I looked in the Celestial Realm's unending sunlight, as if I belonged there more than in the darkness with him.

Luke even sent him a photo of Michael and I walking through one of the vibrant gardens in full bloom. He wondered what Michael said that made me smile at him like that.

There was a time when I used to look at him like that too. During the early days of the exchange program, Barbatos showed me rows of night-blooming roses in the castle gardens. I leaned down and breathed in their delicate scent, admiring the sparkling petals while he watched nearby; he never told me about those fleeting moments when he thought I looked lovely.

Perhaps his feelings for me rooted in his heart even earlier than he realized.

All he needed was one chance to make amends for all the things he should've done differently. He vowed to himself that he'd show me what it was like to be romanced by a demon properly, if I was forgiving enough to accept his proposal.

When I returned, he presented me with a heartfelt apology and the promise that I wouldn't regret giving him that chance. No matter how hard I tried, my stubborn feelings for him burned defiantly and as strong as ever.

How could I possibly refuse him when he was the one I wanted all along?

Demon courtship? That sounds awfully formal.

It's a traditional way of proving love and fidelity for another. Most of the violent customs have been adapted for modern times, of course. I doubt there will be any need for bloodshed so long as the others respect my claim on you.

That’s very...intense.

It can be.

And a little possessive.

Mm, precisely.

I would never ask you to do all something like that for me. Being together is enough.

I know you wouldn't, but I promise you that the only thing I'll ever regret is not doing this sooner.

Read more: Jes x Barbatos Masterlist

#selfships #jes.selfships #jes.selfships: barbatos

[bern-the-bridge]

Eve is in Hell

(Hazbin Hotel Spoilers)

So looking back at the show, I kept thinking about the flashback we see in the fifth episode: Dad Beat Dad, during the song More Than Anything. We see this woman, who we assume is Lilith, taking Charlie from Lucifer’s arms. However, her face is obscured in shadows. Furthermore, when we see Lilith later on in the show, her silhouette is visibly different from the woman in the flashback.

And then I started thinking about Eve. Because Adam is such a big character in the first season, and is presumed to be a high ranking angel in heaven, yet we don’t know anything about Eve after the first five minutes of the first episode: Overture.

However, we see a silhouette of Eve in the first episode, and she looks eerily similar to the woman in the fifth episode.

And there is a throwaway line in the season finale: The Show Must Go On, wherein Lucifer alludes to Eve, as well. Adam calls him the most hated being in all of creation, but Lucifer tells him that his first wife (Lilith) didn’t hate what he had to offer, nor did his second (Eve). This may just be an implication of Lucifer tempting Eve with the forbidden fruit, but there could be more to it than that.

My first theory was that Eve was sent to hell while Adam was sent to heaven. Adam might have played the victim card, saying it was Eve’s fault for giving him the forbidden fruit. However, that might not be the case. It’s theorized that angels don’t remember sinners who are sent to hell, and Adam still remembers Eve. He gets insulted when Lucifer makes fun of him, and his favorite food is ribs, which Eve was made out of.

So, my theory is that Eve is a fallen angel, like Lucifer. It’s difficult to tell because she’s obscured in shadows, but she has a similar color scheme to Vaggie and the other exorcists. Maybe she pitied the sinners and wanted to help them, or maybe she was still blamed for unleashing evil to mankind. Adam could have even made exorcists after her image. However, I think that after she was sent to hell, similar to how Lilith struck a deal with Adam, Eve struck a deal with Lucifer.

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel lilith #hazbin hotel eve

[autisticandroids]

Have you read Apokteino's Bone Trilogy? What did you think of it?

i have! i've actually read all four of apokteino's big four darkfics. i like bone in that it's interesting and well written, but i really wouldn't recommend it or reread it, except in certain circumstances. this is because it's just like, a super miserable read. like it's not very fun and it's SUPER depressing.

however, it's a really interesting fic to compare to the rest of the big four because it has some unique elements, so i definitely recommend reading it if you're interested in it for that reason. all of the lesser triad can really be seen in various ways as dry runs for with understanding, though of course they also have their own merit outside that context.

i'm gonna try to rewrite the big comparison essay that tumblr ate on saturday. so, the following discussing will assume familiarity with the plot of with understanding, but not with the lesser triad of major apokteino darkfics, which are: hesitation, the when series (when all is lost/when the road is as dark as my fears), and the bone trilogy (bone/scarred/unbroken).

here are some various sources to read the now-deleted fics

also, before we start i'd like to thank @astermacguffin, who i've had a lot of conversations about all these fics with, and whose various posts on apokteino and darkfic and evil deancas i might not always agree with but have absolutely influenced me and my opinions on these fics. they're worth reading as background for this post. honestly i'd really just like to dedicate this post to aster because he's gonna love it.

anyway, four thousand words of discussion below. spoilers for all four fics, and obviously, trigger warnings for discussion of rape, abuse, and general violence under the cut.

so i'll start with plot summaries of the lesser triad.

hesitation

hesitation is a canon divergence from season four. in this fic, as part of his metaphorical seduction of dean to the angels' cause, cas is ordered under pain of death to literally seduce dean in order to ensure his loyalty. cas does not want to have sex with dean and is terrified, however, dean does not know this and thinks that cas is coming onto him of his own free will. dean is sweet and kind to cas during sex and works to ensure cas' pleasure, which kind of fucks with cas' head because the sex isn't actually consensual.

canon continues as in the show up through the beginning of season five, with the addition of dean and cas' sexual relationship (which continues consensually after cas rebels). however, cas has some obvious issues and trauma that dean doesn't understand, plus he gets slutshamed by some other angels, so dean eventually figures out something is up and gets cas to talk about what's going on. when dean finds out that he has been unknowingly raping cas, he freaks out, goes into a huge guilt spiral, and they break up.

however, eventually they work through their issues and get back together. happilyish ever after.

2. when

when is a canon divergence from swan song, the only difference being that instead of being resurrected as an angel at full power, cas is resurrected in the same state that lucifer exploded him, i.e., as a human/fallen angel. dean and cas continue hunting together instead of dean going to lisa.

dean resents the fact that cas was resurrected and sam (and to a lesser extent bobby) weren't, plus the fact that cas, now human and useless, cannot resurrect them. as a result, and for some other more complex reasons i will get to in the discussion, he channels his rage and grief about sam's death into beating and raping cas, which eventually evolves into just raping cas when he feels lonely and needs comfort.

cas accepts this because he is entirely alone in the world except for dean and basically trapped with him because he is cut off from heaven and has no human connections, but also because he feels on some level like he deserves it (as a representation of the heaven that has taken everything from dean), that he's useless and that to serve dean or be used by dean is his purpose. cas develops some extreme trauma responses to dean's treatment of him, most notably he blacks out whenever dean gets violent or makes moves to start raping him. cas also prays for mercy on sam's soul.

eventually, an angel comes down from heaven and informs dean that sam is no longer in hell and his soul is in heaven, because heaven heard cas' prayer. dean freaks out but doesn't really talk about it, and the violence against cas stops completely, but they don't discuss it. they continue hunting.

like in both canon and with understanding, law enforcement believe dean to be a serial killer. like in with understanding and unlike in canon, they are extremely motivated to catch him and a credible threat to his and cas' lives and freedom. dean makes a mistake that leads them to his and cas' temporary home base and cas is captured and arrested.

initially cas is treated as dean's accomplice, but once the police? fbi? i forget who catches him, i think it's the police, but who gives a shit, notice his extreme trauma responses and the signs of physical abuse on his body, they reconsider and classify him as a brainwashed victim. a police officer comes and talks to him and tries to get him to work through some stuff.

eventually dean turns himself in out of guilt for the shit he's done to cas and to save cas. he works through some stuff with police officers and eventually they let him see cas, who he apologizes to.

cas breaks out of protective custody and rescues dean, but forces dean to promise that cas will be in charge of everything from now on, and they go on the lam together. happilyish ever after.

3. bone

bone is the most extreme canon divergence. dean stays in hell much longer than in canon and becomes a hardened torturer. instead of season four happening, the angels decide to create their own apocalypse. dean is resurrected to a world where humans and angels are in open warfare against one another and angels are losing.

dean is a torturer for the human side, and tortures angels for information. but eventually he decides to try to brainwash and stockholm syndrome an angel instead, and he happens to pick castiel. it works, and castiel breaks and is taught to serve and obey dean.

however, once cas is broken, dean starts to develop affection for him, then sympathy, and then finally guilt for what he's done. they begin a sexual relationship. due to the brainwashing and stockholm syndrome, cas is intensely traumabonded to dean, but no one, including dean, knows how to undo that, and cas is given his own free choices, but he always chooses dean anyway. also, the tragic twist is that cas is the only angel this brainwashing could have worked on, because it turns out he is the one who raised dean from hell, which changed him, making him capable of emotion in a way other angels are not.

cas and dean exist in a society with other people who know their history, including anna and gabriel who are both unequivocally on cas' side, and their relationship is very much overseen by other people. everyone thinks it's fucked up, but there really isn't anything to be done about it. cas is brainwashed to a super extreme degree, and no one knows how to fix him, so they just let him stay with dean. happilyish ever after.

okay. now discussion.

so, hesitation is kind of the odd man out here, inasmuch as... it has the same basic premise as the other three, which is essentially that cas experiences sexual trauma that bonds him irrevocably to dean, despite the fact that dean was involved in creating that trauma, but in hesitation, it's not dean's fault. dean is in fact as much a victim as cas. i think hesitation is probably sort of... the furthest flung from the other three. there's definitely some stuff you can see that's connected to with understanding, particularly cas' self-victim-blaming and complicated relationship to his own desire for dean, but i think the nature of that difference puts hesitation in a really different category than the other three. because even if the traumabond was created with dean, it's still essentially the difference between a victim remaining involved with their abuser, and a victim of abuse getting involved with someone else and having to work through that. zachariah is the perpetrator in this case, not dean. and that's not to say hesitation is unrelated to the others! i used to think of hesitation as, well, rapefic for cowards, on account of the fact that it had all of the trauma of rapefic but dean's complicity was totally sidestepped. now that i know that it was part of this greater series, i like it a lot more. i would also definitely say that hesitation is the only one of apokteino's lesser triad i would genuinely recommend outside of the context of supplementary reading for with understanding. it's just a genuinely good fic and you should check it out. i recced it, actually.

when is kind of... well, when is definitely and fairly obviously the closest to an actual dry run for with understanding. and that makes it really frustrating because like... well, when isn't very good.

when basically has three major flaws, and one big virtue which makes the flaws even more frustrating.

the first flaw is that dean's characterization is just like. it's just nothing. like the justification given for him to be horrifically beating and raping cas is like. well, okay, in the first one, which is entirely cas pov, cas speculates about his motivation. the motivations he comes up with are that either 1) dean is punishing cas as a way of lashing out against heaven, since it's heaven's fault sam is in hell, or 2) dean is actively trying to send himself to hell to be with his brother. there may be more reasons that cas postulates, i forget, but those are two big ones, and they make sense. however, in the second one, we see dean explain himself:

Dean looks away. He's not sure if Fitz is acting like he wants to be convinced – or isn't convinced, and trying to prove it – to get Dean to talk, or because he actually isn't sure. Either way, Dean needs to the be the killer, for Cas's sake. "It's more like … more like long periods, where I'm out of my head. And I do things because that's what there is. Hanging on the rack or off of it." "The rack?" Dean makes an aborted attempt to wave a hand, cuffs pulling. "Tortured or torturer." "And you chose the latter." Pretty sick that he does – did – put Cas on the rack, instead of himself. "And I guess that's what makes me evil, isn't it?" He looks at Fitz.

and like, i'm sorry, but i'm not gonna mince words: that's dumb. it's essentially a semimystical answer to a psychological question. it just doesn't make much sense. and frankly it's out of character. i hate it.

the second flaw is that it's just too short. when you read when, you gain an instant comprehension of why with understanding needed to be four hundred thousand words, because in thirty thousand, when really can't quite cut it. the characters just don't have time to develop and change and learn in the same way.

the third flaw is the ending, and it's actually a flaw that when shares with with understanding, although in with understanding it's not quite as drastic. essentially, in the end, cas is back in the exact same position as he was at the beginning, with only dean's word standing between him and a resurgence of the abuse. dean's brutalization of cas, like in with understanding and unlike in bone and hesitation, is essentially domestic abuse behavior. dean isn't engaging with cas as an enemy, and he isn't engaging with cas under the influence of false beliefs. he's engaging with cas as his friend cas when he brutalizes him. while dean is no longer under the psychological stress of believing sam is in hell, and has had an epiphany about exactly how bad he fucked cas up, that doesn't necessarily mean things will change, or remain different. old habits die hard. nothing is stopping dean, once a new psychological stressor appears, from treating cas just the same as he had before, except his moral convictions, which didn't stop him the first time. he could easily find ways to justify himself. and on cas' end, he's just as totally dependent on dean materially as he was at the beginning of the fic, and while he's worked through some stuff and might run if dean started up again, he also might not, because it's not like a few conversations are enough to really teach new habits of mind.

and then like... the big virtue of when is that in concept it's soooooo good and juicy. the heavy emphasis on outsider pov, especially the law enforcement pov which is really a treat just like in with understanding, except i like it more in when because it's about canon cas rather than fbi agent cas who is a good protagonist for wu but way too comprehensible to his colleagues at the bau. the way that dean and cas escape and hide by depending on the kindness of someone dean's saved. the idea that dean is brutalizing cas because he's actively trying to go to hell to be closer to sam, which is just so juicy i can't stand it because it simultaneously gets at the horror of the brothers' codependency and also gets at dean's tendency to not care who he's hurting as long as he hurts himself worse. the fact that cas is like if you had asked i would have given you my body willingly!! the fact that cas was already in love with dean when the violations start!! that's so crazy to me!!

a version of when that's a hundred and fifty thousand words, where dean stays in prison for months while cas recovers and goes to therapy in some kind of group home but is also unable to really integrate into human society because he is genuinely alien. more emphasis, almost hesitation style, on the idea that cas already wanted dean, and cas having to pick apart what desire remains there from the horror of being repeatedly raped. like the most unsatisfying thing about with understanding, to me, is how cas isn't really cas, and how dean and cas have no prior relationship. and like i do like some of the stuff in with understanding that comes from that, such as the fact that cas kind of becomes canon cas via trauma in some ways, and the fact that with understanding is like a dark subversion of the soulmate trope, but it does kind of make me crave a version where cas is himself and deancas are themselves you know? and when could be that. a much more complex and comprehensive outsider pov where we dig into juicy elements that when leaves on the table, such as the speculation that cas may have been in a cult (and we dig into how the outsiders are obviously wrong but maybe on some level they were right). maybe also some outsider pov from hunters and/or people dean has saved such that we actually see outsider pov on the nature of dean and cas' relationship from people who understand more of the context, and also such that when cas breaks dean out and they go on the lam, they can at least partially integrate into a community that will keep their relationship stable. or perhaps, for a tragedy, we see their relationship begin to deteriorate again once cas is dependent on dean again. make dean's motivation be about going to hell with sam, and really dig into that, explore dean's willingness to hurt other people as long as he's also hurting himself. when could be the perfect fic. it literally could. just for me.

and then bone is like... the thing about bone is that most of my thoughts about it revolve around it being a kind of counterpoint to with understanding and when. like before i talk about it i'm gonna say a couple of the things i really like about it which don't have that much to do with that.

the experiential descriptions of cas' brainwashed state are so fabulous and chilling, and that is i think the thing from bone that really made it into with understanding, although in bone it's so much clearer and more visible, which, you know, on the one hand, feels less real, but on the other it's soooooo chilling, you're really forced to think about it, to consider cas' experience, plus it draws your attention to similar moments in with understanding and makes those much more unsettling.

the side character stuff is fabulous, i especially liked ellen and anna, but really all of it is good.

the thing where angels can't feel and therefore could never have been broken like cas was, but the fact that cas had saved dean from hell, had been changed by him, on some level already loved him, and that's what made him vulnerable to dean's brutality is like such a juicy little tragedy.

but like. now let's compare.

like, i already pointed this out, but when and with understanding both start from like, a kind of domestic abuse situation that is enabled by circumstances that don't really change. bone, on the other hand, is like... dean is originally engaging with cas as an enemy combatant, and this is enabled by the fact that they are on opposite sides of a war. but these circumstances do genuinely change. bone creates a situation almost more akin to hesitation, where the main conflict and question is: you end up with a cas who has this trauma bond created by trauma which is absolutely in the past, and it can't be gotten rid of, so how do you live with it? as opposed to with understanding and when where it's more like how do you keep dean and cas from backsliding into an already established abusive dynamic. and the thing is bone dean is still culpable, and the level of like... so traumatized he's barely a person anymore that cas is on in bone is unreal. but it's more a question of: dean is not going to backslide into traumatizing cas again, but how can dean be prevented from accidentally or on purpose taking advantage of cas' traumatized state? how can cas be helped to rebuild his sense of self, is that even possible? cas wants to stay with dean, but can that desire be taken seriously if it's a result of horrific damage inflicted on cas that must be recovered from? is cas' consent meaningful? what if cas can never recover, does that change the answers to the other questions? if he can never recover, is it alright to allow him to be happy with dean? these are all super crunchy questions and they're like a really fun alternate take on the same basic premise that hesitation, with understanding, and when are all taking on.

and like the thing about. okay i'm gonna talk about with understanding for a moment. the thing about with understanding is that it rests on all of this exceptionalism and individualism and psychologizing of dean's behavior. when actually a lot of it is circumstantial? like the thing about with understanding is that with understanding dean if he was in normal circumstances would probably be a manipulative, emotionally abusive person who would be likely to pressure people into things including sex, have absolutely zero boundaries, and might even be inclined towards some light stalking, but he wouldn't be kidnapping anyone. he would probably stay in the category of "super shitty boyfriend" rather than "fbi manhunt." but the thing is his circumstances aren't normal. like, if you are dean winchester in the world of with understanding, it's almost a sane thing to do to temporarily kidnap your soulmate just so you can meet once and then let him go. it's still really awful, but it makes circumstantial sense because you KNOW that that will allow you to meet in heaven, and otherwise he would arrest you. it's really bad, but it's not as insane a move as it would be if nearly anyone else did it. it makes sense. and then once you have your soulmate kidnapped temporarily, it's not that big of a leap to just... give into temptation and not let him go. add onto that the fact that dean is just used to kidnapping and torturing people (those people are usually demons, but still), has access to all of these sometimes magical tools and weapons and equipment and a bunker in the middle of nowhere, is totally outside society and has no external observers in his life to sanity check him and no one to really hide from, and is used to being on the wrong side of the law and totally confident that that won't be a problem for him, and it's like... yeah. like the thing is if wu dean had all the same personality traits but was a car mechanic, cas would never have been in that situation. and like, the way everyone reacts to dean like they're so shocked that he treated cas "well" and that he's so capable of a certain level of basic self-awareness it's like... well of course! most people who commit crimes like the one dean has are probably way more dysfunctional than dean is in various ways, because they need to get over more barriers like "fear of being caught" and "the realization that oh my god i'm planning a kidnapping" and "having to go to work and leave their victim at home" and other such trivialities that dean's lifestyle makes irrelevant. of course every crime is made possible by circumstance, but dean's situation is particularly unique.

but that doesn't mean that because wu dean is less dysfunctional than the average kidnapper, he's easier to fix with psychotherapeutic solutions. indeed, quite the opposite! the barriers to him committing horrific acts are inherently lower due to his circumstances, which means that he could be the healthiest guy in the world and he would still be a lot more dangerous than john q. average. to pull an example from canon: one time sam has a sexual fantasy about rowena and it freaks him out so bad that he yells at her and slaps her in manacles. this is a pretty horrifying and misogynistic act, but sam is like... he's a fairly regular guy. he has some hangups about sex, but not to an abnormal degree. but he does have a set of magic manacles, and an occupation that has desensitized him to violence and chaining people up, and a pre-bottled justification (she's evil!) that says it's okay to be violent to rowena, and so this happens. you get my meaning? so fixing wu dean with therapy is like... it's kind of the last thing i'd reach for, you know? it's cathartic for cas, but it's not effective.

and like wu dean's circumstances don't really change! hell, in the end, dean and cas are ONCE AGAIN isolated together in the wilderness. and sure, cas is kind of choosing to be there, but he's also trapped by the fact that he's a wanted fugitive. it's so much more effective than the cuff because there's no more soft landing waiting for him back in normal society, only a hard prison cot.

anyway the thing about bone is that in bone the change is almost all circumstantial. like yeah dean does have like a guilt epiphany and shit, and obviously the pathology of hell trauma does affect dean's actions as a torturer. but the problem and solution are not situated in that pathology. in the end, the main thing that happens to fix things is that cas is no longer considered an enemy, and he is integrated into a society which contains people who care about and can care for, keep an eye on, and sanity check both him and dean. there will never again be circumstances in which it is easy for dean to torture and brainwash him. you know? and that really highlights what's going on in when and with understanding.

#rape tw #abuse tw #spn #asks #anonymous

[moonhoneygrove]

THE 2 SONG LIST

Someone on reddit asked for a 2 song rec from every SHINee album, plus soloists.

Took me 3 hours.

Only 2 songs?? Might as well ask for the moon, too, ha!

KOREAN RELEASES:

SHINee WORLD: Love's Way, SHINee World!

ROMEO: Talk to Me, Hit Me

2009, YEAR OF US: Y.O.U., SHINee Girl!

AMIGO: - sorry, I can't remember which ones are the new ones on this repackage

LUCIFER: Quasimodo, Life

HELLO: Hello

SHERLOCK: Alarm Clock (the live is *chef's kiss*), Sherlock (Clue & Note)

MISCONCEPTIONS OF US: Spoiler, Dream Girl

MISCONCEPTIONS OF ME: Orgel, Dangerous

EVERYBODY: One Minute Back (live stage omfg), Close the Door,

ODD: Saviour, Hold You

MARRIED TO THE MUSIC: Odd Eye, Trigger

1 of 1: Feel Good, Shift

STORY OF LIGHT: I Say, Jump/Drive I'm sorry I couldn't decide)(

DON'T CALL ME/ATLANTIS: Kind, Kiss Kiss

HARD: 10X, The Feeling/Sweet Misery

JAPANESE RELEASES:

THE FIRST: Better, Start

BOYS MEET U: 1000 Year by Your Side, Keeping Love Again

FIVE: Kimi no Sei De, Melody

DXDXD: DxDxD, Sing Your Song

FROM NOW ON: Lucky Star, Winter Wonderland

SUPERSTAR: Superstar, Seasons

SOLOISTS:

ONEW:

VOICE: Blue

DICE: On the Way, In the Whale

CIRCLE: Circle, Anywhere/Paradise

COLLABS:

Onew + Punch/NINGNING: Way

JONGHYUN:

BASE: Neon, Deja Boo/Love Belt (sorry couldn't decide)

STORY OP #1: Happy Birthday, Diphylleia Grayi

SHE IS: all of it.

STORY OP #2: Just Chill, Our Season

SHININ': Shinin', Only One You Need - I've only listened to half of this. I'm sorry.

COLLABS:

SM THE BALLAD - Hot Times

JONGHYUN & HERITAGE: Your Voice

KEY:

FACE: Imagine, Easy to Love

HOLOGRAM: Hologram, City Girl

I WANNA BE: I Wanna Be (w/Soyeon)

BAD LOVE: Helium, Eighteen

GASOLINE: Ain't Gonna Dance, Another Life

KILLER: Killer, Easy

COLLABS:

Years & Years: If You're Over Me (remix)

AXODUS: Hold On

MINHO:

CHASE: Waterfall, Prove It

Falling Free (Japanese single)

TAEMIN:

ACE: Ace, Play Me

PRESS IT: One by One, Mystery Lover

SAYONARA HITORI: Sayonara Hitori,

FLAME OF LOVE: I'm Crying, Door

MOVE: Crazy 4 U, Back to You

MOVE-ING: Day and Night, Snow Flower

TAEMIN: Eclipse, Under My Skin, Better Man

WANT: Never Forever, Outro

FAMOUS: Exclusive, Colours

NEVER GONNA DANCE AGAIN PT 1: Strangers, Clockwork, Just Me and You

NEVER GONNA DANCE AGAIN PT 2: Heaven, Identity

ADVICE: Advice, Strings

#shinee

[danwhobrowses]

The Sandman - Quickfire Thoughts

So after a series of sporadic binges between Netflix tussles I've finished The Sandman. Having gone into the adaptation of Gaiman's comic fairly blind I had barely any expectations, but here's what I thought of it

Spoilers for the show of course, you were warned

As much as I don't want to invoke the wrath of Gaiman - who also frequents the tumblr - negative points for not fitting Enter Sandman in the entire show.

A strange observation but, is it me but ever since Game of Thrones Charles Dance seems to only do small or low-screentime roles now; Godzilla King of the Monsters, Dracula Untold and now Sandman, he's great but because he's great it's curious that he doesn't do many long-term roles

Dream's casting was great, and props to Tom Sturridge for carrying an aura of menace and power in the first episode while butt naked

One of the very few things I knew of The Sandman comics was ol' toothy eyes, The Corinthian, and boy howdy was Boyd Holbrook fantastic, he's one of the five characters, including Sturridge as Dream, I feel dominates every scene they're in, he's a great charismatic but manipulative villain

The Gregory stuff made me sad, the show did have a fair amount of moments where it's meant to be sad and uncomfortable, but at the same time I don't want to be that sad or that uncomfortable

Liked the river scene, it's super artsy and dark. I wish we had more of that from this series, stuff like in this gif where Dream is as chilling as any nightmare he created, would've liked to see more of the Fates too

I do love some Jenna Coleman, been a fan all the way back since she debuted on Emmerdale, but, it didn't feel like her role in her episode was enough to necessitate the Constantine nod. Jenna could've been a regular sorcerer, or even an immortal Johanna. I dunno I think I just kinda hoped to see Matt Ryan reprise as John, especially since DC is killing the Arrowverse. Maybe DC didn't wanna play ball or Neil has S2 plans for her, but we needed more of Jenna to establish Johanna.

Speaking of potential Season 2, Hell. The Hell Episode was great, mainly because of standout no.3: Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer. Tom Ellis' Lucifer series wasn't something I quite got into, I heard rumblings of it ending dumbly, but Christie's Lucifer is amazingly sinister but in a quiet way, they know who they are so they don't need to threaten, but there is that twinge of sadness and longing that Dream exploits in their Oldest Game

Though 'anti-life' felt like a cheat, I did like the Oldest Game. The wink nudge of Lucifer picking a direwolf but then, by my interpretation, Morpheus choosing hope to corner Lucifer into submitting rather than become something that would diminish their own hope. Matthew the raven gets props as well for giving Morpheus the inspirational pep talk

24/7 was one of those cases where it was a great episode but one I was greatly uncomfortable with, sometimes my own fault like forgetting that Bette's son is in college. But this does explore why John Dee's views on a perfect world is twisted and the Ruby is not safe in his hands, I did feel especially bad for Bette

Oh, John Dee is no.4, David Thewlis man. As much as Dee was unnerving, apathetic, and calculating, Thewlis did a great job in showing the childlike innocence that had been contorted by his sheltered life and manipulation, there is poetic irony that he wants a world of honesty but consistently deceives himself.

Episode 6 was perhaps my favourite, among my comic knowledge was the presentation of Death in Gaiman's story as a joyful punk rock girl who is full of life, Kirby Howell-Baptiste did a great job. I did of course feel extra sad when she approached the cradle, instant thoughts of 'no, not the baby!' in my mind, I don't know enough of her character to wonder if she still feels burdened by the abruptness of some people dying but there can be time for that later

What made it my favourite though was the Hob storyline, it was just nice and wholesome really and it explored more of Morpheus' ever-shrinking distance from humanity

The Vortex storyline I wasn't as sold on as the 'Morpheus reclaims his powers' storyline, it was still good but it did sit in the real world more than the fantasy

I enjoyed the whole house of people and Lyta, and how they all supported Rose in her search for her brother, plus the connection with Unity to merge the storylines together

Probably what made me not so connected to the Vortex storyline in spite of it having the Corinthian be the main villain is the nature of the Vortex, we're told very little about its nature and the 'I don't know' answer does feel weak, she is powerful just because

Morpheus also seems to take two steps back on his character development too, to go from Death telling him that they are not better than humans, should learn to take people's help and him accepting that he and Hob are friends to 'I will use this Vortex, a threat to the dreaming and waking world entirely just to bait some rogue nightmares' and also dismiss Gault's suggestion that even nightmares can change and want did feel like he was undoing his own work

Didn't quite like the Rumpelstiltskin vibe he was giving out with saying he'd come for Lyta's baby too, there could've been at least a bit more compassion or explanation, instead it served as a 'misunderstanding' trope to distance Rose from Morpheus

The ending was solid, albeit one which could've used a bit more explanation. Desire was a character we saw so little of - much like Cain and Abel, whose dynamic reminded me of Hilda and Zelda in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina - and even though we have them outright tell Despair that they are the mastermind of Morpheus' imprisonment and the Vortex arc, we don't actually see any of their actions, just an off-comment by Unity that clocks Morpheus in on the deception.

I feel like, while Gaiman may've intended to keep the audience out of loop, it may've served better to see Desire perform at least one action that guided the plot around, even if it was just to twirl a fake mustache, and explain how they intended to use the Vortex to be Morpheus' undoing, since there seems to be rules for not killing an endless' kin not established in the series (that I recall anyway) was the plan, but since I don't understand what that would lead to it's hard to understand the threat.

Overall I liked it, going in mainly blind I do have my questions but we had a great cast all doing really well, and I want to see more of it, so it laid some strong groundwork we can hopefully build towards.

#the sandman #sandman netflix #the sandman netflix #netflix #neil gaiman #morpheus #dream of the endless #tom sturridge #the corinthian #boyd holbrook #john dee #david thewlis #lucifer morningstar #gwendoline christie #jenna coleman #kirby howell-baptiste #hob gadling #death the endless #desire the endless #unity kincaid #rose walker #patton oswalt #matthew the raven

[with-love-from-hell]

5 Sides of Human

{Part Twenty-Five}

Genre: Mixed WC: ~3.5k CW: mentions of blood, swearing, Storm has a stutter but I am not depicting it with written word consistently, prolly lots of typos lol, spoilers for season 1&2, I'm skipping over/changing some things I didn't like in the main story so it will be a bit different from canon! Series Masterlist

"Whattaya mean, like someone cast a protection spell on us or somethin'? Couldn't they have at least made it so we didn't turn inta this?" Mammon huffed in frustration.

Solomon grinned, casting another sly glance toward Storm. "Well, I don't think it would have been that easy. Besides, I'm sure you'll figure out who the kind soul who decided your lives were worth protecting is soon enough."

"Regardless, we should keep the idle chit-chat to a minimum and continue going through the levels." Lucifer sighed, looking around the room for another message.

The others shrugged, breaking off into groups to search the room they now found themselves in. Beel, Lucifer, Mammon, and Storm began wandering off to where the room began to narrow, while the others remained in the larger open area. It was eerily quiet for a moment, before Asmo broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Solomon, tell us more about the reaper. I mean, living in a place like this and coming up with all these rules...The longer we stay here, the more curious I am!"

"Hmm..." Solomon shrugged, turning from the bookshelf he had been analyzing closely. "Well, In a nutshell, I'd say that my reaper friend is a little on the unusual side."

"Even more than these idiots?" Vivi tilted her head in a gesture toward where a few of the brothers searched under some furniture.

"Hahaha! Well, we've known each other for over a thousand years now, but there's still so many things about them that I don't know."

"Whoa whoa...wait a minute..." Heart snapped his attention toward the sorcerer. "Did you just say a thousand??"

"Yeah, how old are you, Solomon?" Sarah asked pointedly, eyeing him up and down.

"Easy now, haha! Long ago, there was a time when I devoted myself to researching new forms of magic, but one day I made a...small error, I suppose. And as a result, I can never grow old or die naturally." Solomon shrugged. "So, I've lived for thousands of years looking exactly as I do now."

"Hold up, so you're actually just some crusty old man!?" Fern scrunched up their face. "What the fuck, dude!"

"An old man?!" Solomon winced, insulted by their words. "I'd like to think I keep myself appearing very young..."

"Well all of this isn't news to us. I mean, me and Solomon have known each other for so long now, You should have realized that he wasn't just some ordinary human!" Asmo giggled, strolling over to Solomon and gripping his arm tightly. "But I guess it makes sense why y'all didn't know all this stuff. You just met him a few weeks ago."

"I would say Solomon is more than just an unusual human." Belphie shrugged. "He's much different than any of you guys, or Storm. And he has so many pacts that he's probably closer to a demon than a human at this point."

"Hey now." Solomon's eye twitched in what appeared to be annoyance. "I'm just as human as any of them. I'm just...unique."

"Will you all quit fooling around?" Lucifer's sudden harsh tone caused nearly everyone to jump.

"Yeah, we found the doorway to the next level, so if y'all're done gabbin' ya can come this way!" Mammon added, crossing hims arm's triumphantly.

"Alright, alright. We're coming." Heart rolled their eyes, taking Asmo's hands and following Mammon out of the room. Vivi knelt down briefly, noticing her shoes had been unlaced during the ruckus of the previous rooms. As she finished tightly tying the strings, she noticed Solomon also lagging behind the others. Quickly, he grabbed a book off of the shelf he had been hovering near and stuffed it in the pocket of his jacket.

"Hey, what did you just take?" Vivi stood, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Who, me?" Solomon smiled, shaking his head. "I didn't take anything. Maybe it just looked like I did from where you were standing."

Vivi sighed. "Whatever it was, it better not get us into any more trouble, or I'll be joining your 'friend' in beating your ass."

Solomon chuckled, walking straight past Vivi to catch up with the others. Vivi scoffed, following behind him to get though to the next room. She bumped into Fern as she walked through the door, already annoyed at the congested pileup at the entrance.

In large letters on the wall, scrawled out in blood, read "NO TALKING." The group looked amongst each other uncertainly, not knowing what the challenge of this room to try to get them to talk would be. The place they found themselves now appeared to be a long hallway, lined with suits of armor. Each figure held a long pole axe, as if in warning to those entering. Many doors lined the hall, and it would take hours to try to figure which lead out of this level and into the next.

Storm narrowed her eyes, assessing each of the doors in her field of vision. Each of them had a mark on them that almost looked like a scratch. Each was unique in color, size, and angle, but they all shared the same semi-straight formation. Well, all but one. Storm's eyes zeroed in on the distinguished door- one that had no markings at all near the end of the hall of doors. After a moment of pause, Storm turned to the puzzled group, gesturing with a tilt of her head to follow. The others hesitated for a moment, but followed after her to see what it was she was confidently chasing after.

"You know, I've been thinking..." Satan wondered aloud, glancing up to the cathedral-like ceiling above them. Before he could continue his statement, Levi wrapped his tail around Satan's pudgy head, muffling his words against the thick scales of his tail. Annoyed, Satan bit down, causing Levi to yelp loudly in pain.

"You realize the three of us have already been punished for breaking the rules, right? Even if we break another, we wont be penalized any more than we already have."

"So...that means we can talk?" Levi squeaked the words out, glancing around to the suits of armor nervously.

"I've already done it and nothing happened, so...yes."

"WOOOHOOO!" Mammon screeched loudly, barreling down the hallway past Storm.

Lucifer rolled his eyes. They seem to never shut up, even under consequences like this.

Mammon grinned as he began walking backwards, now facing Storm. "I bet your jealous, huh?"

Storm raised an eyebrow before shaking her head.

"I mean, I'd rather have the option to be quiet and stay looking like I did before than be a little D." Levi sighed, prancing up next to Storm's side. "So, are you thinking you know the way to the next level?"

Storm nodded with a smile, pointing to the unmarked door she was heading toward.

"Nah, that's clearly wrong." Mammon shook his head, bounding to a door just a few feet away from them. "Look at this one! The mark on it is big and yellow and more scraggly than the others! Clearly this is the right way to go!"

Before Storm could react, Mammon pushed the door open aggressively, revealing a ginormous boutique-looking room, covered wall-to-wall in clothing, bags, and accessories.

Satan's eyes widened. "Hey! Someone cover Asmo's mouth before he-"

"EEEEEEEEEEEE! Look at all these cute clothes!" Asmo squealed, stars in his eyes as he looked around the room.

"...Looks like I was too late."

"Oh my gosh, there's so much here that I like!!!" Asmo squawked, immediately shoving past Vivi to get to the clothing, sending her careening toward the ground.

"Asmo, You're gonna pay for that!!" Vivi roared, immediately rolling to her feet and bolting toward him. Before she could get to him, a bright light flashed from where both of them stood, blinding everyone else.

"Uh..oh..." Mammon gulped, backing out of the room slowly as the light dimmed and the figures that used to be Asmo and Vivi came into focus.

"Oh, this dress is so adorable!" The small pudgy demon gleefully smoothed the fabric between his spindly fingers. "It would look so cute on- AGUGh!"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you limb from limb, you narcissistic bimbo!" the small beast- who they all assumed to be Vivi- screamed, now having Asmo pinned against them in a headlock. Unlike the brothers, Vivi hadn't turned into a small, pudgy demon. Instead, they turned into a tiny purple and black sheep of the same size. Curled horns peaked out from her spongey coat, and the small muscles in her arms twitched as she tightened her hold on Asmo's neck.

"L-let go! My precious skin will be ruined if you sq-squeeze too tight!" Asmo choked, trying to wriggle his way out of her grip.

Satan pressed his lips together to try to stifle a laugh, but couldnt help the snort that released through his mouth. Vivi snapped her attention toward him, dropping Asmo to the ground instantly. She ran towards him, sliding backwards on the ground. With a buck of her back legs, she kicked him full-force with her hooves. Satan's tiny body flew out of the room with the force of her kick, causing the others to duck out of the way to avoid being hit.

Beel frowned, picking at his fingers nervously. As if able to hear his thoughts, Belphie came up beside him and patted his back in an attempt to comfort him. Vivi huffed, storming out of the room to diffuse her anger.

Storm glanced uncertainly toward Solomon, who covered his mouth to keep from laughing. She made a mental note to ask later about the cure for these curses, but now returned her focus to opening the correct door. The others followed as Lucifer attempted to wrangle Vivi, who was kicking around suits of armor and yelling at Satan.

As Storm predicted, the door lead to the next level. They all stepped into a hall with hundreds of stools sitting tucked under long tables. Another large message lined the walls above tapped barrels, which Storm assumed to be some sort of alcohol. The message was even larger than the last, and seemed to be more haphazardly scrawled out than the other messages they've seen:

DO NOT EAT.

"If we make it through level 4, we'll be at the chamber with the candles. Just a little further!"

Just as the words left Solomon's mouth, the room went dark. When the light to the room returned, the tables became lined with a plethora of different foods and drinks. It was as if the reaper was enticing the tired and hungry group to partake of the feast, though they all knew what the consequences of eating this food would be.

"Oh my lord...I can't believe we have to deal with this now!" Fern groaned as their stomach grumbled. "After we've come all this way!"

"Do not eat...it says Do not eat...that's what it says..." Beel stared between the message and the feast, drool forming heavily behind his lips.

"Beel...You can do this!" Storm tried to reassure him, rubbing his arm gently. He just stared on, completely transfixed on the buffet before him that he was being told to ignore.

"It's no use..." Belphie groaned.

"Hey, this reaper friend of yours...they don't have a cerberus-sized pet, right? I keep hearing this...growling?" Asmo glanced around, hopping to try to see over the tables.

"I'd say it sounds more like thunder." Heart looked toward the ceiling, trying to see if the chandeliers were shaking with the force of the noise.

"Nah, that's Beel's stomach growlin'..." Mammon shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "I have a bad feelin' about what's about to happen..."

Beel closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. After a short moment, he opened his eyes and turned away from the food. "Lets go."

Belphie blinked in utter disbelief. "wha- huh?"

"We're almost to the chamber with the candles, right?" Beel swallowed his saliva, trying to quell the growing hunger pains in his stomach. "So...lets get moving."

"I...I don't believe it..." Belphie's eyes were wide as he stared at his twin. "Beel...Y-you're actually resisting the temptation to eat...How..."

"He probably cant resist it for long, so lets go already!" Mammon pushed past them, moving in the direction of an archway in the back of the room. The others followed behind quickly, each glancing toward Beel nervously as they walked through the winding dining halls- each one displaying a more elaborate feast than the last.

Beel mumbled to himself as they moved, listing off the various foods he saw displayed on the plates before him. Storm and Belphie stood on either side of him, squeezing his hands to reassure him they were here.

"We need to get his mind off the food." Belphie nervously glanced toward Beel's line of sight, seeing his second favorite dish piled on top of a serving platter. Droll pooled out of his mouth as Beel tried to breathe deeply, dripping down his chin and onto his shirt.

"Uh...I...I'm pretty sure Solomon made all this food, Beel!" Sarah shouted suddenly, causing Belphie to feel a shudder run up his spine.

"Yeah, and I betcha Fern helped!" Mammon added with a snort.

"Hey! Fuck you!" Fern knitted their brows together as they kicked Mammon hard, square in the ass. He yelped and ran toward Storm's legs. He turned and scowled at them as he held onto her pant leg, trying to stay as far away from Fern as possible.

"Hey, look! There's a door!" Heart pointed to the right, where a large double door was situated. A big red arrow was painted on the door, as if to signal they were headed in the right direction.

Belphie sighed in relief and ran toward the door. "I bet the candles are right through-"

His words died on his tongue when the doors creaked open, displaying another dining room. This time though, the tables were lined with various types of burgers- what they all knew to be Beel's favorite food. They all turned to the second youngest, nervous to see how he would respond.

"B-beel, the color has drained from your face..." Storm commented, squeezing his overly-sweating hand to try to get him to look at her. "Are you okay?"

Beel stayed silent, eyes wide and staring at the steaming plates before him.

"I don't think I've ever seen Beel fight off the urge to eat like this before..." Belphie shook his head, squeezing Beel's other hand. "I have no idea how he's able to do this..."

"Well, if ya ask me, it's about damn time he learned to keep that stomach of his in check." Mammon rolled his eyes. "I mean, he's always eatin'. Like a giant pig!"

"Shut up, Mammon." Vivi hissed, mimicking a punch of one fist to an open palm with her hooves. Mammon gulped, now skirting his way between Storm's legs for extra protection.

"Pig...pig...pig roast." Beel moaned, suddenly snatching Mammon up into his hands.

"Whoa...What- HEY! OW!!" Mammon yelled as Beelzebub bit into his back. "Quit bitin' me! I ain't food, dammit!"

"Beel! Stop trying to eat Mammon!" Storm gasped, moving to pry Mammon out of Beel's hands.

Lucifer's eyes widened in fear and he quickly snatched Storm's arms away, just before Beel snapped his jaws toward her. "Don't try to get your hands in there, Storm."

She nodded nervously, watching Mammon writhe in Beels hands.

"D'AAAH! He's gonn a eat me alive!!! Do something!" Mammon screamed

"Actually, he's just gnawing on him a little. As long as he doesn't bite off actual chunks, it should be okay." Belphie shrugged.

"And it might help keep his mind off of eating the food here." Sarah added, giggling as Beel bit down harder on Mammon's pudgy back.

"AHHH! IT'S NOT OKAY!!" Mammon shouted, finally freeing himself from Beel's grasp and leaping into Storm's arms. She caught him roughly, only being held up by Lucifer's support. She felt him stumble slightly as her body backed into his, thankful that he was there to keep her from falling. Lucifer grunted as he tried to straighten himself, clearly in pain from the impact.

"I can't take this anymore!" Beel whimpered, clutching his stomach hard. "If I try to hold back any more, I might hurt one of you!"

"Might!?" Mammon whined, rubbing the spots on his back where Beel's fangs punctured the skin. "We're already there, pal!"

Beel squeezed his eyes shut, growling loudly. "I'm sorry, I have to-"

Suddenly, a bright flash of light erupted from behind him, causing everyone to freeze in shock. After the light faded, a small little D with a spiney tail with fluff-like tip, curled ram horns, and glistening violet eyes blinked at them from a chair near one of the tables. In his hand, he held a half-eaten burger.

"Huh...so this is what it feels like to be a little D?" Belphie shrugged, tossing the burger aside. "You know, it's not really as bad as I thought."

"Exactly! Now you're one of us, Belphie!" Levi laughed.

Belphie scrunched up his face. "Ugh. No thanks. I don't mind being a little D, but I've got no interest in being 'one of you,' Levi."

Levi let out a yell, mimicking the action of a sword being thrust through his chest. "Belphie scores a critical hit, Leviathan takes 4500 damage!"

"Cringy." Heart giggled, shaking their head.

"Bel...Belphie?" Beel blinked back his surprise, his lips down-turned in an intense frown. "Wh...why would you...This is all my fault."

"It's not your fault, Beel." Belphie hopped down off of the chair, stretching his back.

"You only ate that because it looked like I was about to give into the temptation and eat it myself though."

"Yeah, well...I understand how hard that is...Believe me. Which is why I didn't want to watch you having to endure it. Like, if I had to stave off the urge to sleep, I'm sure I would have felt the same."

"You hung in really well, Beel." Storm smiled sympathetically, patting his arm.

"Plus, the reaper already has an axe to grind with you. If you were to break one of the rules, who knows what would happen to you?" Fern shuddered, not wanting to think of the other potential outcomes.

"So...It's no big deal at all if I turn into a little D. We can figure out a fix for this later." Belphie hugged Beel's leg, smiling up at him.

Beel sniffled as tears began running down his face. He snatched Belphie up, hugging him as tight as he physically could.

"Ack! Beel...I-I appreciate the hug, but not so t-tight! You're suffocating me!" Belphie choked, trying hard to wriggle his way loose to get some air into his lungs.

"Something wrong, Lucifer?" Solomon tilted his head at the oldest brother, who seemed to be holding his balance against one of the chairs. "You're looking...well, you're looking sort of pale?"

"It's..." Lucifer's eyes fluttered closed for a moment before he sighed. "My head hurts."

Storm turned to him, concern painted all over her face. She set Mammon down gently and reached up toward Lucifer's brow, carefully smoothing over his temple. "Another migraine? They seem to be getting worse lately."

"They're usually triggered by the stress of dealing with the problems your brothers though, right?" Solomon smirked as Lucifer ceased waving away Storm's concerned doting, glaring at the sorcerer.

"How did you know that?"

"Well, what do you expect?" Solomon chuckled. "When there's a demon I'm hoping to make a pact with, I make an point to observe him at all times."

Lucifer grimaced. "Well, stop it."

Solomon smirked in response to Lucifers annoyance as he again swatted Storm's hands away.

"In any case, yes...this headache seems to be worse than the ones I usually have...but it's nothing to be concerned about since we're almost at the fifth level. I will just rest when we get home and all will be well. Let's just keep going."

"Are you sure?" Storm stared at him, eyes shimmering with worry. "Maybe you should sit down for-"

"I said I'm fine." Lucifer snapped, shaking his head and moving past her.

"Well, the candle room will hopefully be right through that door." Solomon shrugged at Storm, though the look on his face seemed satisfied with Lucifer's current state. "Lets continue on, shall we?"

#obey me! #obey me #shall we date: obey me #obey me fic #fic #OM! #OM! fic #om! shall we date #om! one master to rule them all #obey me: shall we date? #obey me: one master to rule them all #obey me mc: storm #obey me mc: fern #obey me mc: vivi #obey me mc: sarah #obey me mc: Heart #obey me mc #obey me mcs #my mc #my oc #obey me oc #OM! mc #OM! oc

[king-of-wrath]

Hazbin Hotel Season 1 Episode 1 Spoilers

Bullet points below

Lilith has spent the last seven years away from Charlie, working on something Charlie can only assume is important

"Hazbin Hotel" is the canon name (Alastor named it)

Alastor actually made a commercial for the Hotel (it wasn't just a promotional gag by the studio)

The Hotel has only been operating for five days now

Angel Dust is still the only guest at the Hotel

The events of the Hazbin Pilot took place one week prior, while this episode took place the day after the annual extermination

Alastor "hasn't been active in Hell for some time"

Angel Dust does not have actual breasts (it is only fluff)

Lucifer called Charlie, asking her to speak with the Exorcist leader (Adam) in his stead

Adam wasn't physically at the Heaven Embassy, appearing instead as a hologram (because he thinks Hell is gross)

Vaggie has the staff and Angel Dust try (and fail) to make a decent, non-sarcastic commercial for the Hotel

Angel Dust regularly flirts with Husker (it's not reciprocated), twisting his words to become sexual when possible

Adam has such an ego (yes, truly a shocking revelation) that he takes offense when other angels fan-girl over his bandmates rather than him

Oddly, Heaven seems to take no issue with the angels (or at least Adam) having recreational sex. Adam beds groupies in Heaven and complains about getting Herpes

Desperate to get a working commercial, Vaggie enters a deal with Alastor to produce one. Vaggie promises to never ask him to interact with television technology ever again

Adam sees no issue with the exterminations being the solution to Hell's overpopulation, reveling in the slaughter involved with it

At the end of the meeting, Adam announces that the Exorcists will return to perform the extermination in only six months

Back in Heaven, Lute informs Adam that a missing Exorcist's body had been found by a scanning drone. This is the first time a demon has ever killed an Exorcist, which Adam claims won't happen again after June

#ooc nonsense #hazbin spoilers #hazbin hotel spoilers

[stulili]

I Said OBEY ME!

Warning: Power hunger; Manipulation; Exploitation; Alcohol; Suggestive content; Evil Main Character; Humiliation; Choking

Spoiler: Season 3.

No pronouns mentioned.

A/N: I wanted to try out something new. So what if MC realized how much power a human can have over those demons, especially MC, and took advantage of it?...

You were the so popular exchange student in the Devildom. Everybody loved you, even when you were only chosen to this exchange program by some mysterious accident. And you loved them too, holding a special place for each one of the demons, angels and that one human in your heart.

It took a while to get to know them, make them trust you, make them love you. Because you were only a human, the race which they usually eat for breakfast, but you winded them around your finger like it was nothing. Maybe it was after they realized you were their dead younger sister’s descendant? Or they really loved you?...

The months passed, and you already had pacts with all of them, starting with Mammon.

-Make a pact with me, Mammon. -You said after Leviathan convinced you to make Mammon give his money back that he owed his younger brother. His precious credit card was the key to win this battle.

-UH-UH, NO WAY! NOT INTERESTED! I am the Great Mammon, Avatar of Greed, one of the seven rulers of the Devildom! Fool…do you think I’d let some human be the boss of me?

But it only took him a moment to rethink his sentence after hearing his threatening elder brother’s name. The pact was now done.

Leviathan was tricky, yet easy to force him into a pact with you. It only took a TSL quiz game. He tried to attack you, tried to humiliate you, treating you like a worm. Though, you saw he just wanted to look like a strong demon. You understand why he treated you that way, still, it could hurt, bringing sleepless nights.

Next was Beelzebub, the Avatar of Gluttony. You basically saved him from the eldest brother’s wrath by shielding him and the little angel beside him. He was grateful, and felt guilty because you got hurt by his recklessness. He wanted to make it up to you.

-I want you to make a pact with me.

-So you’ve made pacts with Mammon and Leviathan, and now you want to make one with me. Why are you so interested in making pacts with demons, huh? I want to know why you want to make a pact with me. Let’s hear it.

-I want Lucifer to respect me… -You said, thinking about what the man in the attic told you, not to let the brothers know about the plan.

-You want Lucifer to respect you? Why?

-So that he’ll let me help him make up with Belphegor. 

-So, by making pacts with us, you’re hoping to impress Lucifer? So that he’ll understand that you’re actually someone worth listening to, despite the fact that you’re a human? You want to do what even Solomon hasn’t been able to accomplish?... -His look pierced spikes through your chest, making your heart clench, feeling uneasy under his gaze, but after all, he gave in. He loved his twin, so he made a pact with you. 

Asmodeus seemed to be the most difficult to make a pact with so far, but he only needed a little performance, you just had to impress him with your magic power.

With Satan offering his pact to you in front of Lucifer was the most convenient and surprising.

-You heard what Grisella said: you have to accept the hand fate deals you no matter what. What matters is how you handle it…. So you want to make a pact with me, don’t you?

You nodded, barely hearing any of his words, you were lost in your thoughts. He would be the fifth demon you forge a pact with, and not just any demons, five of the Seven Rulers of the Realm of Demons, the Devildom.

-...I am Satan, Avatar of Wrath. I pledge myself to you…that we may be bound by an unbreakable pact. This I swear to you on both my name as well as the very blood that runs through my veins.

…

Belphegor… The hidden demon up in the attic. After he lied to you, tricked you, killed you… It took some time to get things right. On one night, he offered you his pact as well, but the slight distrust was still within you. Though, you couldn’t reject his offer, which left only one of the Seven Rulers of the Devildom. 

Lucifer, the Morning Star. You knew it won’t be easy, of course you knew. It happened to be the last day of your stay in the Devildom, and you sneaked in his study to find him relaxing there all alone. It was the perfect time for your plan.

-So then….have you done all you set out to do here in Devildom? No unfinished business? No loose ends?

All of his brothers were quite easy to force or trick them to forge pacts with you, considering the Avatar of Pride himself. Perhaps this was your chance to make the strongest demon your ally. What can you lose?

-I still haven’t made a pact with you. -You gathered all your courage.

-A pact, you say? -He cocked an eyebrow, but kept his composure. -I see. You’ve made pacts with all of my brothers, which just leaves me… Do you really want to make a pact with me? Truly?

He stepped closer, slowly started to lose his calm façade.

-I don’t know how my brothers felt about making a pact with you, but I am more than a name to be crossed off of your list. I can’t have you lumping me together with everyone else. That won’t do.

You shut your eyes by reflex when he suddenly turned into his demon form, stirring up the air with his wings. He was rather mad than happy, so you decided to leave immediately, you didn’t make the right choice, you can lose something, and that’s your life, if you mess with the strongest demon! He would never make a pact with you, he’s the Avatar of Pride after all.

Your legs were moving on their own, but he snapped his fingers, closing the door.

-There’s no escape now… Now listen, and listen well. I will not be your possession. I won’t belong to you. You will belong to me.

You nodded, and felt how the power flowed in your veins, now having pacts with all the demon brothers. You had time in the Human World to think about all the things that happened in the past few months in Devildom. They really treated you like superior beings would treat disposable smaller creatures. And still, even among humans were this hierarchy, you felt it was different, since you had now power over them.

You were back in the Devildom, and everybody missed you, loved you… Of course they did. You gave them a slight smile and they were already melting under your gaze. It didn’t take you long to get drunk with their love towards you. And that day when you could force them on their knees with your words especially boosted your ego. Even Solomon was amazed how it meant nothing to you, and you were fine after ordering them around. 

There were no evil intentions within you, even after you realized that you hold such great power that nearly destroys the three Realms. You were worried about that, but soon, the Ring of Light saved the day, and you could still have the pacts with your favorite demons. It felt good to have such power, ordering the strongest demons. You sighed, looking at the ring on your hand which had been on Lucifer’s finger back then. Time passed, and you became a great sorcerer, apprentice of Solomon. Right before you got your license, the demon brothers visited you in the Human World, and even the future Demon King himself, and his strong servant, Diavolo and Barbatos were there too.

You got to know what they fear the most, and you could see plenty of new sides of them. Diavolo even confessed his love towards you, the demon prince loved a mere human?!... Your eyes widened at his words, clearly surprised. 

One night, you couldn’t sleep and walked out to see the moon of your world which would be replaced by the sun soon, not like in their world. You sighed once again, thinking about when Diavolo rejected the pact with you. Of course, it was understandable, since it would somewhat ruin his reputation, but it would be so great to have a pact with him too…

That was the moment, when a little demon on your shoulder started whispering into your ear, making you smile, almost activating the seven sins within you. You had the Avatars of the Seven Sins in the hollow’s of your hand, you could rule the whole Devildom if not the three Realms at once. You took a deep breath, thinking about who you really are. A human, a descendant of a Fallen Angel, Master of the Seven Demon Brothers. An evil chuckle unconsciously rose up from your chest, hearing the little demon on your shoulder.

-What if…?

The last day of their stay in the Human World, and they threw a party. That was when you felt in the mood to fulfill your greedy desire. The Demon Lord seemed to be tipsy, all you had to do was make him drunk to the point you can get what you want.

You called him into a nore quiet roon, feeling a bit tipsy yourself, it wasn’t Demonus after all, it affected you too. You slowly kissed his lips, unsure whether you wanted to really do this or not… But the demon on your shoulder convinced you:

“Do it… You’ll have the greatest power, do it, you won’t regret it! Do it, do it, DO IT!...”

You felt the adrenaline flowing in your veins, the power that the brothers gave you, and now you were pulling down the Demon Prince clothes, exposing his well-built muscles.

-Here, why don’t you drink a little more? -You lifted up the glass of wine to his lips, and he flashed you a surprised look, but eventually gave in, and got more drunk, getting more and more vulnerable to you. His veins were throbbing of desire, and you sat right into his lap, crawling closer to him, whispering sweet nothings into his ear. -Why don’t you reconsider that pact with me, oh mighty Lord Diavolo? What could you lose, hm? No one has to know about it.

A lustful sigh, filled with desire escaped his lips as his beloved human was clearly seducing him, and he eventually gave in, putting your hand onto his bare chest.

-All right… You won. 

Diavolo kissed your lips, barely caring about what he just did, and you felt the Demon Prince’s power within you. He only wanted one thing in return, and you couldn’t care less whether to fulfill his wish or leave him there. You tricked him, and now only one demon was left.

Barbatos. You knew he was a difficult personality, yet you knew well what to do now. The last game with the brothers gave you an idea. Even if that Grimoire was fake, you knew there was a real one, and you knew if somehow you could get your hands on it, there would be no demon who could stop or say no to you. All you had to do was pretend to be drunk, and spend a night with Diavolo.

-Hey, hey… Do you know what would be funny?... If you could get the… you know, get that the... the Grimoire of Barbatos! -You laughed, and he only chuckled nervously. But eventually, he gave in again, since you used your pact, but he barely noticed that. Nobody knew about the pact that you made with the Prince, you had doubt about him remembering it at all.

The Grimoire was now in your hands, and you stood at the top of the Council Room, Barbatos in front of you, demon brothers and Diavolo behind him.

-...How… could you? -Barbatos asked in a shaky voice as you opened the book and forced him to make a pact with you.

-Stand back, and do as I say. -So did he, standing in the line, where the nine strongest demons were waiting for you… and your commands.

-What are you doing, human!? -Mammon shouted, the desperate face of theirs made you worried, yet it made you feel like a conqueror. After all, now you were the Master to rule them all. 

-I-I… thought we were friends!... -The small teardrops that could roll down on the Leviathan's cheeks almost made him look pathetic, but deep in your soul you felt bad for him… However, the feeling of ruling them made it disappear. You were now standing high above them, above the strongest beings, controlling them like it was nothing.

-You know, you won’t get away with this, do you!? -The wrath in the blond demon’s iris could easily tell, you were in danger, yet you couldn’t feel it, because they were now nothing, but mere puppets if you wished so.

-We trusted you…! -Beelzebub stepped forward, letting the anger go through his veins. And with that, everyone turned into his demon form, one by one.

-Put that Grimoire down. -Asmodeus looked into your eyes, but you only huffed at his pathetic command.

-Stand back. -You ordered again, and he did as you said, exhaling with a trembling throat. He did not like being ordered around like that.

-We are not your possession, human. Put an end to this before we do. -The eldest brother stepped forward, not caring about the command you gave him just now.

-We can forget what you just did-

-ENOUGH! -You yelled, putting them in place, and hit the desk in front of you with your fist. -Have you all forgotten that I am a human??! We possess all the sins within ourselves, and you trusted me? The most powerful human of them all? Look at you, the strongest demons on their knees before a pathetic human being…

They grunted at your words, wanting to move, but you didn’t let them, instead, they slowly dropped to their knees, except the four strongest demons: Diavolo, Lucifer, Barbatos and Beelzebub. They were trembling, but could resist the power of the pact.

-On. Your. Knees. -You whispered, grasping the desk, looking deep into the stubborn demons’s eyes. Slowly, but they did as you told them, panting, but looking at the ground, feeling ashamed of what you ordered. 

-...Why….? -They asked you, and you slowly walked down from the platform. Closing the Grimoire, you held it safely in your hand. Walking past the Demon Prince, his Servant, you stopped in front of Lucifer.

-Why? You ask?.... Let's see... Avatar of Pride… The eldest Demon Brother, you’re the strongest, smartest of them all, aren’t you? No wonder you represent the sin of Pride… And now… Who do you think has the most power? Hm? -You lifted up his chin with your finger, forcing him to look into your eyes. The look on his face was filled with anger, disgust, and deep inside, you saw how sad and disappointed he was. -I asked something, Lucifer.

-Hrrgh… -Your gaze pierced through his soul, making him drop his mighty pride into the dust. -Y…..y…hnrrgh….you…..

You grabbed his cheeks with anger, and leaned closer.

-Who?!!

-Lucifer… No!

-Silence!... Now say it right.

-You…. You, Your Majesty….

A satisfied devilish laugh left you, making the demon before you almost collapse, the shock on the other’s face was so desperate, craving freedom.

-I am the Master of all of you! Hear me! The pride that I bear within me will not let you fool me. -You quickly turned around and grabbed Barbatos’s sly hand, which was about to grab the Grimoire. -Pathetic.

You let him go, and opened the Grimoire, to put him back where he belongs. An easy spell, to make him do as you say. After that, you stepped in front of the second born:

-Avatar of Greed… Yes, the strongest sin within a human being, craving for money, power, and more and more… and more! It’s not you, who represents this sin anymore, Mammon! Watch me, and learn… Now tell me, who’s your favorite human? -You asked him while leaning close to his ear, slowly exhaling your breath onto his skin. He huffed, shutting his eyes closed.

-...You, human. -He grunted, and you gently grabbed his hair from behind, pulling his head backwards.

-What did you just call me?!

-Y…Your ma…majesty! -You sighed, and stepped in front of the next, trembling demon, who seemed to be in fear the most.

-Avatar of Envy… I feel like this sin might be a strong one within me. Wanting to be the only one who you care about, no one, NO ONE can have greater power than me! I won’t let anyone else have that… Now tell me, Leviathan, Grand Admiral of Hell's Navy… Who’s your best pal? -He could barely speak, avoiding eye contact as much as he could.

-Y-y-you, Y-y-your M-Majesty!... 

-Good boy…. Now let’s see, the next is you, Avatar of Wrath… Oh, I see you’re about to go for my neck and rip me in half, but you can’t do anything, now can you? Show me your teeth, and tell me, Satan… Who do you copy? -You grinned, as the pure madness ran through his veins, but you felt there was nothing he could do about it, he was shaking to kill you, but he was gyved with your words.

-F…Fuck you… 

-Now now, say his name right. Who is your father? -You grabbed his horn, to move his head as you wished.

-I don’t copy anyone… 

-Say it. -The dump in his throat slowly made him say out loud his greatest fear, which he thought was finally over after you and the other demon helped him through. -Say. It. Satan.

-L…Lu…Lucifer….. -His lips trembling, the fear slowly took over his anger, and after you let his horn go, he almost collapsed, barely holding himself on his knees. 

-Fear… That’s the answer if you can’t force someone to do as you say. -You chuckled and stepped in front of the fifth born, Asmodeus. -Avatar of Lust… Well, it’s just an essential human need for species maintenance, what would a demon with an extremely long lifespan know about this, right? You only crave it, because you want to feel it, you want to feel loved… Even though most humans are the same in this case, lust is what makes us stronger and greater with each generation. Do you get what I’m saying? So now tell me, who’s the best… Who’s better than YOU, Asmodeus?

You saw the small teardrops rolling down on his face, it wasn’t his greatest fear that there would be anyone who’s better than him, but to think that he has to admit it like this… His fear was too close to this. He sobbed, and inhaled the air, to calm himself down.

-You. Your Majesty. -He closed his eyes, keeping his composure.

-Very obedient, Asmodeus, very good. -Another step to be in front of Beelzebub, who closed his eyes, while exhaling.

-...Avatar of Gluttony. I think I don’t have to tell you more about this sin. It’s human nature to crave more and more than we already have. That’s why I’m standing here, in front of the mightiest demons, ordering them around. And it feels good… -You heard the grunting behind you, and you looked into their eyes with your cold gaze. -Beelzebub… Whose fault was…

You gulped, looking away. It was too much for you.

-Mine, You Majesty…It was my fault I couldn’t protect Lilith. I apologize. -You looked at him, with a worried face, how could he admit it so easily?...

-N…No… It wasn’t your fault. -You took a deep breath, and stroked his head. He turned his head away, he was ashamed. -Avatar of Sloth… I… Sloth is the reason I make you, demons do as I say, because…

Your heart could barely hold anymore, but the demon on your shoulder was too strong. You didn’t want this to happen, but it was too late now, you fed your sins, so there was no turning back now. Belphegor lifted his head, and spat in front of you.

-You won’t make me your servant, pathetic human.

Your eyes narrowed, and the anger within you suddenly came out of nowhere. You grabbed him by his throat, surprising all the brothers.

-Be quiet, you liar. Do you think I forgave for what you did?! Not even you lied clearly to my face, you attacked me, and killed me in front of your brothers! You wanted to destroy the whole humanity. You like humiliating others huh? Now how does it feel?... You can’t breathe under my touch. At least you could enjoy watching how I humiliate your brothers. Tell me, Belphegor, do you enjoy it? Do you enjoy watching others suffer?

-G…Gh… -He could barely speak as your nails almost dug under his skin.

-Say it.

-Stop it! Please! -Beelzebub looked at you with a desperate look, and you let his twin go. Belphegor tried to catch his breath, and you stepped back, watching him almost cry.

-Y…your Majesty… -Was all he said, and looked down.

You sighed, and walked up to stand on top of the platform, where the Ruler had to stand.

-You will do as I say from now on.

-You can’t control us for long. -Barbatos spoke up, and slowly, all of them stood up. You chuckled, and leaned down, to put something onto the table, pouring the little books in front of you. They turned pale, mouth left open, as they realized:

Those books were their Grimoires. 

-So now, what do you say you pledge your loyalty to me and go back on your knees? -They couldn’t say a word, how could they not realize that those books were in your hand? -Praise the Master who rules you all!

-N..No! -With a trembling voice, they tried to resist, so you opened one of the books.

-Obey me. -You deepened your voice, and they saw the threat in your eyes. They gulped, but still tried to remain standing, resisting the pact.

-We will not!

You closed the Grimoire, and laughed before putting it on top of the others. You stroked the books, making the demons shiver, and you looked at them with a serious face. Leading your gaze to see every one of them, their sorrow, desperate and shocked faces. You held out your arm, making a threatening gesture, and clenched your fist, yelling one sentence:

-I said OBEY ME!

With these words, they fell onto their knees, starting mumbling their pledge, elevating the new Ruler of the Realm.

#Obey me #Obey me Shall we date #Obey me x reader #Obey me headcanons #Obey me headcanon #Lucifer #Mammon #Leviathan #Satan #Asmodeus #Beelzebub #Belphegor #Obey me Lucifer #Obey me Mammon #Obey me Leviathan #Obey me Satan #Obey me Asmodeus #Obey me Beelzebub #Obey me Belphegor #Obey me Diavolo #Diavolo #Barbatos #Obey me Barbatos #om Lucifer #om Mammon #om Leviathan #om Asmodeus #om Satan #om Beelzebub #om Belphegor

[uozlulu]

season 2 spoilers

I was writing a post about how Crowley is probably Lucifer (I'm sure this has been done to death, so apologies) and the post axed itself, so I'm going to respect the universe's wishes and keep this short:

He was in charge of the Big Bang, which implies he was probably the first chief archangel

He tried to do a tiny miracle with Aziraphale and their power was off the charts

He seems to be the only fallen angel in Hell

He clearly seems to have gone through something similar to what Gabriel's going through in season 2

The Satan in universe doesn't really look like the angels

I don't think anyone's mentioned Lucifer (although I might have forgotten a season 1 something or other)

In mythology, Satan is not always Lucifer, Lucifer can be one of the proto-Satans like Azazel

Anyway, I'm five eps into season 2 and this is what I woke up thinking about and needed to empty my brain

#theory #ymmv #third tag #foruth tag #fifht tag #good omens spoilers #good omens amazon #i'm going to watch the final ep tonight

[raith-way]

🎬 and your last written OC

thank you for the ask!! the last oc that i wrote for is emma motley, so this is going to be a twisted supernatural mess. some spoilers for emma’s fic, but i’ll be sticking to the actual canon as closely as possible.

how they’d be introduced

in the first episode of season five, emma would bust in while meg and the demons had dean cornered and bobby possessed. she’d stop bobby from stabbing himself and instead exorcise the demon while dean and then a returned sam dealt with the other demons. once the commotion was over, bobby would thank emma for showing up so quickly after he called her. it would be revealed that she has a year left on her demon deal, and that she’ll tag along to john’s storage as backup. once there, zachariah would tell the winchesters that their sister won’t be needed for what’s coming. after castiel shows up and zachariah is gone, castiel is able to confirm that emma is john winchester’s daughter. despite the distrust and tension, it’s agreed that emma will help with the apocalypse because she doesn’t want the world to end and not because she suddenly has brothers.

who the fandom ships them with

michael. as the apocalypse winds down and before her deal comes due, emma says yes to michael to spare dean and sam. (because despite their rocky beginning, they do grow close over their year of getting to know each other.) michael and lucifer fight, and dean and sam open the hole into hell. emma takes control long enough to say goodbye to her brothers and then grabs lucifer to pull him into hell along with herself and michael. emma isn’t seen again until season fifteen, when her and michael are finally released from the cage. by that point, they’ve grown close and trust each other completely.

why the fandom loves them

emma’s only around for season five and isn’t seen again until season fifteen, but she is a fan favorite. she has a personality that’s similar to dean’s while having no problems with being emotional, and she can be equally fun and heartbreaking. it also helps that she isn’t shipped with any of the male leads.

why the fandom hates them

she tries too hard to be a female version of dean. she’s proof that john and mary didn’t have a perfect marriage like fans were led to believe. shoehorning in another sibling detracts from the sam and dean dynamic.

what the cast relationship would be like

zoey would absolutely love jensen, jared, and misha. would most likely refer to them as her boys. she would adore rob and richard, despite never sharing the screen with them, and would go all out for the singing parts of the cons. zoey and mark pellegrino would be the closest of the cast, and she would really look up to him and enjoy just spending time with him.

what was their audition scene

zoey’s audition scene would come from closer to the end of season five. after saying yes to michael, she would have to play two roles while the two of them had a conversation. basically, acting by herself and portraying two vastly different characters. very dialogue heavy and emotional on emma’s side.

dependent on the fandom, who they’d be on a press tour/at comic con with

zoey would occasionally be paired with jensen and jared, but she would usually be with mark pellegrino to play up the “michael vs lucifer” story.

if they spoil things

zoey is a locked box, especially after her descent into the cage at the end of season five. mostly because she has no idea what’s going to happen next and had no idea that she would ever return.

if the show/movie has ended, are they happy with their character’s ending and the ending at large

zoey, as both emma and michael, was able to appear several times throughout the last season. after emma is resurrected by jack and realizes that michael is truly gone, she leaves a note for sam and dean at the bunker explaining that she’s going to be on her own for a while. the last shot of emma is her driving away from the bunker. zoey doesn’t like her ending, that emma abandons her brothers after everything and that michael never got a chance to experience freedom. she also doesn’t like the overall ending. she always believed sam and dean would go out together, and don’t get her started on castiel’s death.

#asks i have answered #anon #supernatural #oc: emma motley #this was interesting to think about #but i prefer my version where everything is au after season five #thanks again for the ask!!

[gamer2002]

The Sandman (2022) – Review2002

The Sandman is a TV adaptation of a comic book series written by Neil Gaiman. The story focuses on the titular Sandman, also known as Morpheus, also known as Dream of the Endless – a supernatural being that rules over the dominion of dreams. The first season covers two first arcs of the series. The first one is about Dream being imprisoned by a wizard, and having to escape and reclaim his stolen magical tools, and the second is about a dangerous phenomenon known as a dream vortex.

The adaptation does make some bigger and smaller changes to the story. Some are really good, like the expanded role of the Corinthian – a homicidal rogue Nightmare, that originally was just a second arc only minor villain with an incredibly cool design, and not much else. Here, the Corinthian is the season’s overarching villain, that intelligently and proactively tries to sabotage his own creator, who can easily undo him in a direct confrontation. Other changes I like is making Rose Walker, arguably the protagonist of the second arc, a much more competent and aware of her situation. I also like changing comics Lucien into Lucienne. Lucien was a magical spin on Alfred Pennyworth type of character – an intelligent and loyal servant, which Lucienne is as well. But he was just only that, and pretty much just existed in the background. Lucienne is a more emotionally compelling character, as she is more conflicted over Dream’s flaws, and hopes for him to change, which is tied to the themes of the main story. All those changes add to the story, make it more focused, and allow you to care more about the characters.

Some other changes are understandable. DC comics characters got removed, due to legal reasons, and similarly Constantine got replaced by a female version of him. Lucifer is now a woman, played by Gwendoline Christie, who perfectly delivers a scary angelic being. Still, she is not the charismatic and guile comics Lucifer, that can get out of any situation, if he only can open his mouth. That characterization was more present later on in the series, and actually most of it was in Lucifer’s own, but it’s something Gwendoline will have to compete with. John Dee, a villain from the first arc, is also changed. His backstory had to be altered, due to him no longer being an Justice League villain that was locked in Arkham Asylum. This version of him is more sane and sympathetic, even if he is still a dangerous mad man that has to be stopped. I say he was a pretty good take on the character, with more expanded relationship with his mother - up until the episode that adapted his most iconic story from the comics. Adaptation of 24 Hour Diner is the most disappointing episode in the series, it’s outright bad. I will expand on this in the spoiler section, but for now I’ll tell just two things. TV John Dee is unable to be comics John Dee at his most unhinged, which turns original twisted horror into a snore fest. Second, the episode is a pinnacle of nasty, hypocritical, self-indulgent writing of petty LGBT-obsessed identarian hacks. A YouTube fan adaptation did that story much better.

And here we reach to the most controversial changes. Comparing to the original, a lot of race swaps have occurred. The most notable one is Death of the Endless being a Black woman, instead of a goth girl. One side of the camp calls this unnecessary pandering. The one, including Neil Gaiman himself, sums up the other side as bigoted white guys, that insist on the Sandman not needing properly sizable PoC representation. What about me? Well, I’m here to mock the original bigoted white guy that have insisted on the Sandman not needing properly sizable PoC representation – Neil Gaiman himself.

In the original comics, the most important recuring Black character was Nada, and the first season does cover one of hers about four-five appearances in the whole 75 issues spanning story, that has also spanned for 8 years, from 88 to 96. During and before that period, we had numerous films and comics that had PoC representation in prominent roles. X-men, Blade, Lethal Weapon, Police Academy, Texas Ranger, Captain Planet, A Team, Dungeons & Dragons cartoon (from 83!), Luke Cage (debuting in 72!), Jonny Quest (64!), and so forth. Various titles, that have ranged from more comedic to more serious, from more entertaining to more political, had at least one PoC character in a prominent role. But the left-wing darling known from being progressive in his writing, for 8 whole years, didn’t bother with anything more prominent than a one-shot wonder with couple of appearances here and there. Quite ironic. And while I understand Gaimain compensating now for his own past disregard of PoC representation, he should come clean about his reasons behind it, before bashing his fans for not seeing the importance of change. Speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye, plank in your own, and all that jazz.

Now, do those race changes are a big deal? They only affect the visually otherworldly design of the Endless, with them originally having colorless skin. Among all the Endless, only one of the two most human ones had a human skin*, and you could wonder if the other one wasn’t just wearing goth makeup. It’s a detail with significance, but a one I can live without. I would gladly have all the Endless be Black, if they just haven’t messed up with Dream’s characterization so much.

* And you can tell he is going to be Black in adaptation, because originally he was a ginger. Brits like Gaiman need their Irish erasure, nowadays they just call it woke. This is why Lucienne is Black.

Morpheus, played by Tom Sturridge, who does his best Twilight vampire impression, does not just lack his otherworldly star-eyed design. He not only lacks the original grim visage of a pale mysterious black haired man in black robes, that was contrasting with his status as a Lord of Dreams - it got replaced by an appearance of an emo graduate of Slytherin. But we’ve lost something even more crucial. The original story is also about Dream’s issue with being detached from humanity, despite his own role being so important for the human nature, and his inability to change that. Original Morpheus could be cruel, just like cruel and backward barbarian tribes of the past have imagined their gods to be. Here, his disproportional punishment of his captor’s son is toned down, his other cruel deed is undone later on (to show his character development), and he is overall nicer in the adaptation. If TV series is going to go same direction as the original, and it does set things up towards it, I’m not seeing how they’re going to sell the necessity of the original, drastic resolution. Original Dream was unable to change, that was his tragedy. Netflix Dream is just sometimes a petty stuck-up prick that learns his lesson, not tragically trapped in his own scary nature.

More than that, Netflix Morpheus is also dumbed down. As much I like the idea of Lucienne being a loyal servant that wants her master to change for better, as much I see that the more emphatic chancellor could better gain the trust of subjects of their scary and cold king, Dream has his competence reduced to make Lucienne needed to figure out the dream vortex related stuff for him. Again, Netflix turns a being that is older than humanity, that originally had the situation with the vortex under his control (excluding things that happened due to a third party’s meddling), into an arrogant, reckless fool. Comics Morpheus is not a fool, far from it, and this is strongly related to the conclusion of the story. Netflix Morpheus needs to eat a humble pie and see Lucienne as better at organizing things in his own kingdom.

Again, if Morpheus was more cruel, like the original, this could work due to Lucienne not horrifying his subjects. I could get behind his lack of empathy causing problems with Rose, which would’ve required an aid of Lucienne. And if Dream had trapped Alex Burgess in an endless nightmare, like he did in the comics, the Corinthian could’ve been able to call him out for this – for all the big talk about Nightmares having a duty towards their beneficial role for the mankind, Morpheus has used them for the sake of his own, personal revenge. That’s how the main issue of the story could be properly established as a serious deal, not as a material for a He-Man like moral we already have covered.

Overall, the show is a mixed bag. I really like some changes. I like more active and sympathetic Rose, I like the Corinthian being the cool villain his design deserves to be used for, I like the idea behind Lucienne being tied to the theme of change. But this Dream cannot sell his own original tragedy. His original tragic flaws were replaced with ones that are lame, and exist for the sake of giving Lucienne prominence - when the original ones could’ve allowed for that as well, without turning him into a moron. And the 24 Hours adaptation turned a great nightmarish horror into a boring wet dream of people that are clearly insecure with their own gayness. I say that, while overall the comics is an 9/10 story, the covered portion is 8/10, but the adaptation only gets 7/10 – it can be fun and engaging, it has its moments and good ideas, but it misses important points of the original. And, in case of 24 Hours, it drops the ball hard, for the most petty and awful reasons. In the spoiler section I will expand on this subject. Waring, I will be more explicit there with spoilers for the whole original story.

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Spoiler section warning

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Making a nightmare nightmarishly boring

The original 24 Hours is a horror story about a DC supervillain from Arkham Asylum becoming even more powerful and unhinged than he ever has been, so he uses his power to make the world go crazy, while personally terrorizing a bunch of civilians in a local 24/7 restaurant. Because he can, and nobody can save his victims. So, even when the world is saved, everybody in the restaurant ends up being murdered.

Original John Dee spends first couple of hours slowly using his power in more and more unsetting way. First, he just observes his prays. Then, he manipulates them into remaining in the restaurant. Then, he manipulates a children TV show, to tell kids to kill themselves. Then, he starts playing with the guests. During each hour, he changes the cruel madness he affects them with, doing more and more horrible stuff with each change. While trapped with him random civilians suffer torture, the world outside goes mad and starts collapsing. It was a truly scary display of damage that a mad supervillain can cause, both on a macro and micro scale. A true nightmare scenario.

But Netflix John Dee, while mad in his own way, is not a murderous and sadistic supervillain. Instead of causing creative tortures, he just stick to keeping civilians with him, while forcing them to be honest about their thoughts and feelings. Instead of creative and sick horror, where we jump from one mad scenario to another, we are stuck with a boring relationship drama of a throwaway horror characters, that are meant to die anyway. And sure, John at the end does finally force everyone to do horrifying stuff, so they all die (and nobody cares). But John doesn’t kill them in a cruel way because of being sadistically mad, but because he is senile and autistic, in the most uncharismatic way, about the point he wants to make. It felt to me like the writers just rolled with the original outline, where all the civilians die, despite not really building well towards it. Like the conclusion was afterthought, for the sake of obligation towards the original, without even showing much of the damage to the world that John has caused. In result, the world crisis story, that focuses on the people that will die horribly regardless of the crisis being averted, does not have much of the crisis, and just ends with Morpheus and Matthew doing their recreation of the SpongeBob has saved the city meme.

It really shows that the writers didn’t understand what made the original story so impactful. Can this be blamed on their decision to humanize John Dee? I don’t think it’s impossible to have 24 Hours be true to the original, while having more sympathetic John. He is unstable, under influence of a dangerous artifact, and has obsession with improving the world. Instead of having him torture civilians, he could’ve tried to help them in various ways, but have that all go wrong. A human with a power he is not meant to have, trying to use it for good, but that all getting corrupted due to his limits and the dangerous nature of the Rubin’s power. With time, John could grow more and more angry, making his actions more and more horrifying. He finally lashes out, kills the civilians, causes great damage, and becomes horrified of what he has done. Dream enters in, John lashes out at him, and blames him for how everything has turned out. Which is why John shatters the Rubin, in an attempt to destroy the power of dreams, that has brought suffering to him and his mother.

It could’ve been tied to Morpheus’ dilemma about being too cruel to be the Dream that humanity needs. A well meaning John Dee, that only ends up causing disasters with Dream’s power, would serve as the other side of the coin for Morpheus. Morpheus lacks empathy, but he is disciplined, and doesn’t lose his hold over the power of dreams. John is nicer, but his fragile human mind cannot be trusted with such enormous power. This is why Morpheus’ successor must be Damian, born human and turned immortal, to have both empathy and discipline. That’s how 24 Hours could’ve contributed to the main point of the story.

But writers weren’t interested in making this point. They wanted to make another one, and it was completely a hypocritical one.

Don’t write straight people wanting gay sex, if the lesbian won’t blow a guy

Netflix have taken two straight characters from the original, and decided to turn a nightmare story into their dream of gay conversion. Sure, the writers will say that gay conversion isn’t real, and Netflix versions of those characters always had gay in them – alongside other phrases of gaslighting. The truth is, had that those writers read a story about women, straight and lesbian alike, discovering their desire to have sex with an self-insert of the male writer, they would be repulsed. And they would lecture us that fictional women are robbed out of their agency, for the sake of a male fantasy of them being slutty. The reason why those characters became secretly gay, was because the story was turned into a fantasy of the people that are challenged about loving those that are fundamentally different due to having an opposing sex. So, alike to the Joker, they dream that straight people are one bad straight relationship away from becoming gay. But doesn’t that make gay people incels with more desperation to get laid? Go figure.

Anyway. Supposedly, questioning one’s sexuality is, at best, ignorant and insensitive, at worst, cruel and abusive. This is how the Netflix writers have presented it, when their lesbian got their sexuality questioned. This is how Gaiman has presented it, when that has happened in the original version of the story. Is it hypocritical to question straight sexuality, claim they are secretly gay but dishonest about it, without having your lesbian character being revealed to be dishonest about her not wanting to have sex with a man? Yes, but Netflix writers and Gaiman don’t care, apparently. Perhaps, they know their nasty and abusive audience will eat this up.

Perhaps, the reason why Gaiman didn’t originally think of making prominent PoC representation for Sandman, is that he was too wrapped up in his “change or die” progressive message, to think of PoC people. Perhaps, it never was about liberal values, empathy, and valuing other people. Perhaps, “change or die” was always just as abusive and hateful as it does sound. I do not change, I’m gay, there is nothing wrong with me, you are just dishonest about your own sexuality, and this is not abusive when I say it. So, kill yourself, if you cannot change to suit me. Oh crap, I’ve underrepresented PoCs I’m supposed to care about. Gotta have an adaptation where the white guy kills himself to be replaced by a brown guy, and also acknowledges a Black woman as better at his job, and has another Black woman lecturing him about it. That will make up for it.

I’m willing to take Gaiman for his word, if he explains why he has originally handled representation so badly, that he had to change it so drastically. Insisting that times were different back then is nonsense, plenty of titles from 60s and 70s were more progressive about their representation of PoCs than the Sandman. Gaiman did not even bother with a single prominent token, which is an abysmally low bar for an outspoken progressive. If he wants to say that the fans that criticize the change are wrong, he has to say why he was wrong himself first. It’s human to err, and that can be forgiven. What cannot be forgiven is judging others harsher for the same mistakes you have committed.

That won’t change the awfulness of the 24 Hours adaptation he has greenlighted. It’s an 3/10 episode. It’s boring, wastes time on throwaway characters, treats their deaths more like an forced occasion for a lecture than a tragedy, ruins the original concept, removes its creativity, has adapted moments that translate laughably bad on the television, and makes all its changes to push hypocritical and abusive message.

And that hypocritical and abusive message also includes telling people that have killed in self-defense that they did it only because they wanted to kill somebody. I wish all writers that preach such a set of values an occasion to live up to it.

#the sandman #sandman #netflix #netflix adaptation #review #neil gaiman #review2002 #tv review

[sanrio-gyal]

Hazbin hotel spoilers/rant

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Oh em geeeeee!!! The finale was so good!!! The first few episodes were a little rough but it all came out for the better. The animation was so good, the fighting scenes, the characters, everything was just so good. I think a lot of the criticisms that it gets are reaching hard. Especially the animation. Like dude who cares if the camera switches perspectives a lot. I didn’t even notice it until some YouTuber talked about it. One thing I do not like however…is the music 😭 I loved the last song in the finale. It’s giving Disney princess and it fits everything else? Um. I love the jazzy ones like stay gone, and Lucifer vs alastor. Everything else reminds me of gacha life. Heaven is forever and poison is catchy and fits, everything else was freaking annoying. Then again I hate musicals. Also unpopular opinion but I do not like the song loser baby. Yeah I said it

Charlie and Vaggie have to be my favorite couple in the entire series. At first I didn’t really care for Vaggie but dude I’m so happy we got some backstory and even character development. She’s probably my top five now. She’s still kind of “just Charlie’s girlfriend” but at the moment I think it kinda fits. I’m assuming she’ll become her own character next season. Still very proud of her!

Charlie is so amazing!!! I love her. I can’t even describe it! I love how she’s not just happy all the time but she worries, she’s angry, she’s sad, she’s insecure. She’s not one dimensional like some main characters. Her demon form is cool asf. I’m happy she actually realized she’s the princess of hell and went full demon mode. I still feel like she was holding back. Maybe that’s just me. Also wtf happened to the cute goat thingie???? Is he dead? He was so cute 😭 also I love her cat keekee. Just adorable.

Cherri bomb’s character was a little strange to me. Like why is giving drugs to Angel? I know she’s a sinner and stuff and doesn’t care about redemption but if she was a good friend she wouldn’t have done that: it’s not like her from what I’ve seen from the addict video but hey! Maybe we’ll get some understanding next season.

Alastor is ok. I don’t care for him but he’s cool.

The egg boys are top tier. Rip sir pentious or whatever his name was.

Angel dust is amazing. His character development is just 😭😭😭 dude I’m so glad he isn’t just the “haha sex joke” anymore but rather “haha sex joke” because that’s his personality rather than just to make the show funny. so my unpopular opinion is that episode 4 was not needed and should’ve waited till season 2. When I think back to it…it just feels like a filler episode? It went too deep for only episode 4 and like they don’t even talk about it after that? And it’s not because of the assault scene. I thought it was written very good it just wasn’t good for s1. I think it should’ve been saved. Him and husk are so cute but I’d like for them to stay friends for a while. I think Angel needs to learn about platonic love before romantic love and build on trust.

Nifty is so funny and adorable. 1000/10

The angels were super cool. the character design are freaking awesome. I love how the excoriates are all women lmao. I like how even heaven isn’t really sure about heaven either. Adam is annoying but he also kept the show interesting. Lute is so badass. The way she ripped off her arm??? 😍 I hate her but love her. And I just love how we have an evil female character. She’s evil because she wants to dammit! The aspects of Christianity was kinda eye opening. As someone who reads the Bible I understand where the angels are coming from but also the demons. Does anyone really know what it takes to get to heaven? Adam was technically right from a biblical point. Follow the commandments and you should get to heaven right? Well not really which is why heaven is kinda tricky. Again super cool. 🤭 I love biblical references in stories.

One thing I love about the show…is how good the female characters are written. Might be an unpopular opinion but I think they’re written amazingly. They have their morals, they’re not all chasing after a man or only living for a man, they have their motives, some are evil, some are good spirited, and some fall into that grey area. I think Vivi wrote them perfectly.

Anyways I rate the show 9/10. I honestly thought I wouldn’t have liked the show after first three episodes but everything else made up for it. I love the show!!! So sad it’s ended already but 😔

#not naruto #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel spoilers #vivziepop

[sage-nikolai]

Man.

I'm watching Hazbin Hotel and I have thoughts.

Episode 5 and 6 spoilers, a little

1) i watched the pilot when it came out and it feels good to watch a project unfold, especially watching an indie hit it big.

2) helluva boss has been fun, even with the...er...writing woes. All the songs from HB has been great, or at least fun!

3) Jeremy Jordan has me by the throat right now and when I heard he was playing Lucifer, I had to watch it.

And. Uh.

Man, the show is suffering with the 8 episode season huh?

I can feel it trying so hard to do more than the mandatory "we can't skip this" plot and character beats, but it just doesn't have time for anything else.

No time for us to really get to know the characters (and there is such an influx of them). I feel like I need to do deep dives, find what Vivienne and her team has posted in the past for this show which...sucks. I want to just watch this, not do homework, not watch essayists on YouTube so I can be hand delivered the info im lacking...

I feel like I know the V's better than I know the Hotel...

And the shows story is...suffering from the pace. We go from six months to extermination to one month in five episodes. And we find that out in one line I didn't catch my first watch through.

Everything that happened in episodes 1-5 could've all happened roughly in the same month, imo. We are missing so much time.

Yes, in episode 5, Charlie mentions that the last time she called her dad was five months ago, and that was in the pilot, but... there's just no sense of time in the show. Her saying that flew over my head the first time I watched it. Legitimately, episode 5 feels like it could've happened a few days after 4, and, uh, when does episode 4 take place? Cause, again 1-4 feels like they all could've happened in the same month.

Yes, Charlie is stressed at the start of 5, but?? Eh?? She's been shown to be very emotional?? It didn't read as "we have like four weeks to execute a plan and I've got shit" to me. First watch, I thought she was just...still upset about messing up with Angel and drowning herself in her work, looking for solutions and hitting a wall... but we still time, she's just stressed and sleep deprived, not that we had...less than a month before the angels come back?

But... between 5 and 6, I feel its implied a few weeks pass, maybe? Like...unless Lucifer got Charlie a meeting immediately. Which...it kinda felt like from watching the episodes back-to-back...

There's just no time in-between.

So, the story feels very fast, way too fast. There's no time to breathe.

This show would've benefited from even 12 episodes for the season, or maybe longer episodes?

We need the characters to breathe. We need to feel time pass.

We need goofy side-adventure episodes in this show, where we see shenanigans at the Hotel. We need more of the hotel characters just...living with each other; Angel's slow but steady improvement. Charlie maybe having more ideas for rehab then summer camp activities. More of Vaggie finding who she is.

And, going back, we...we needed more of Carmilla and her daughters? Like, I dont know them? And her song, though nice... it would've been better if I knew who she was.

It just...there is so much love poured into this, I can feel it, but the audience gets...a compromise.

#personal rambles #im...not tagging this