#|{ 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 ;; niffty (alice davis) }|

[staticintone]

What kind of insect is Niffty? Non-metaphorically, I mean (RAM)

Non-metaphorically?

The metaphors themselves were endless.

Once thought to be a tick, in life. Believed to be sent by her mother to leech money and fame from him like the blood from a deer.

In reality, in life she was a cockroach. Unable to be killed or destroyed despite being crushed under a heel.

A praying mantis fit as well. Killing the man who hurt her when he no longer served her needs.

In Hell, she became a wandering glider. Forever searching for peace; something she would never find. Meandering aimlessly until Alastor found her.

And then, of course, when he had his hands on her…

Literally, though?

“An Asian lady beetle, disguised as a ladybug. Meant to infiltrate, bite, and reflex bleed. It suits her well.”

A sincere compliment.

[staticintone]

Niffty—as his half-sister Alice Davis—tag drop ;;

[staticintone]

Family Headcanons!

Father:

Joseph Seymour (1868-1917)

Born to an upper class neighborhood and a sufficiently wealthy and privileged life. The man wanted for nothing and was spoiled to his heart’s content. Even without his family’s money, he thrived off of business arrangements and investments. He was overly proud and had a short fuse when things didn’t go his way. His wife and daughters were victims of his temper in small spurts, mostly when the man had a drink or two in his system.

He started an affair with his maid, Claudette, almost as soon as she was hired on. She was young and black and wouldn’t ever speak out against him. It would have been a great love story if it wasn’t completely insincere and a fuel for his ego. He treated her well until within a few months she revealed she was expecting. He immediately removed her from his staff, called her a whore, and disowned the child. He knew better, of course, which was why he continued to pursue her even after she was gone.

His drinking became weekly, as well as his visits to Claudette and their son, Alastor. Every single time, he would blame her for the boy’s existence and strike her when she would say a single word in protest. Often times he would leave her with bruises or cuts that he only seemed to regret after several more drinks, weeks later. He never touched his son, often saying that “if that beast wasn’t connected to me, he would already be dead”.

When Claudette died, he dragged his daughters to the funeral, citing that their only connection was that she was his former maid. This proved to be a mistake once everyone saw that Alastor looked so similar to him as a young man. He followed his son home afterwards, attempting to blame him for his own indiscretions. It was all in vain, as once the door closed behind the two of them, his fate was sealed. His son could fight back now, and he quickly bashed his skull into the corner of the table.

He met his only son in Hell. He didn’t recognize the smiling fiend, and died and regenerated without even fully understanding who had attacked him. When he met his son again, he knew him as the Radio Demon before realizing who was behind the smile. He died sixteen times and regenerated every time while his son made sure he would never forget.

After that, he made the taunt to Alastor that no matter what he did, he would always come back. Alastor rectified the mistake by tearing his limbs off and sewing them together wrong. His fingers in place of his eyes, one foot permanently lodged down his throat, his tongue where his genitals should be, etc. Alastor let him keep his ears, he wanted him to know when he was coming next.

He is suffering beyond reason in Hell.

Alastor’s last words to him:

“The alterations worked, this time. Shame. If you weren’t connected to me, you would already be dead.”

Mother:

Claudette Étienne (1880-1917)

Raised by a loving yet poor family, she was young when she first started working as a maid around town. She was wide-eyed and genuine and believed in fairytales as long as she lived. Her bright and sparkling nature caught the eye of one particular family and she began working there as a live in housekeeper.

She fell in love with the man of the house quickly and easily. His flirting was taken as gospel, even despite the racial and class differences between them. When she fell pregnant, she genuinely believed that the two of them would run away together. She was completely shocked and devastated when he condemned her and sent her away.

When her son was born, she gave him an untraditional name. She raised him with little to no help, with little to no money at times. It wasn’t until she turned to the church that she found some respite. Doing her best to raise her son with good morals, manners, and an appreciation for the arts. When he was rejected by other children, she became his best friend and confidant. The only time they fought was after a visit from his father, where she would berate him and tell him never to speak an ill word about his father. There would be a day, she was convinced, when Joseph would see the error of his ways and claim them as his true family. She said this even with black eyes and broken bones.

She fell ill during the Spanish Influenza, and because of their low status, was unable to be treated privately or publicly. She spent six months deteriorating to the point where she confused Alastor for Joseph multiple times. It was devastating to him, but not nearly as much as when she would scream and sob for Joseph to be by her side. When she finally passed, it was a relief and a comfort that her suffering was finally over.

He changed his voice and presentation after she passed. She would have told him to be proud of who he was and what he represented, and it would have bothered her greatly to see him pretend to be a white man. It would have bothered her still to find out just what kind of man he truly was.

She is being taken care of in Heaven.

Alastor’s last words to her:

“I know, mama. It’s all right. I’ll miss you, but you can go.”

“Step”mother:

Eleanor Seymour née Wood (1877-1942)

A simple woman, mostly of her time. She loved her husband, and was rightly humiliated when she found out he’d stepped outside their marriage. An attempt to confront him went so horribly wrong that she lost the baby she had been carrying at the time. The doctors told her that between the late miscarriage and the damage her husband had done to her body, she would never have any more children. It was a shock when she fell pregnant at thirty-one, with another baby girl. It was a disappointment, and she never was the same. Switching between long periods of depression and a perfect wifely persona, especially once her husband “ran away” from the scandals he caused.

She met Alastor exactly once. She met him as a radio host in New Orleans, rather than as her husband’s son. She treated him like any other fan would, until he told her blatantly who he was. She made an attempt to claim him as her family, and he shunned her. She ultimately won out in the end, as everything that was his went to her after he died. It took several months and several lawyers, but she managed it.

She is living comfortably in Heaven.

Alastor’s last words to her:

“What makes you think I want anything to do with you or your pitiful family? It’s been a pleasure, Mrs. Seymour. Let’s never do this again.”

Half-Sisters:

Marie Williams née Seymour (1896-1968)

Just like her mother in most ways, she found her way out when she was married. She stayed unreasonably close to her mother until the very last days, with a quiet worry when it came to her father. She fully believed that he abandoned her mother when he disappeared and voiced her disapproval for decades. Other than taking care of her mother, she lived happily and raised her family in peace.

She was unaware she had a brother until her father brought her to a funeral for a maid she barely remembered. Alastor frightened her from the second she saw him, not because of anything he did, but because she knew what kind of behavior her father would exhibit because of the confrontation. She never sought him out after their initial encounter, instead focusing on the people that actually mattered to her.

She is thriving in Heaven.

Alastor’s last words to her:

“My dear, can you please tell your father to leave me alone. He might actually listen to you.”

Alice Davis née Seymour (1908-1952)

An accident from the beginning, she was a messy and demanding child. Often neglected, she would find her own fun and friends in the animals and servants. Too young to relate to her sister, and being born into a changing time, she would sneak away from the house to do her best to make friends. She met a man who charmed her, but he turned out to be exactly like her father in the end.

At nine, she met her brother for the first time. She didn’t fully understand what was happening, but was overjoyed to meet him. As she grew older, and it was becoming obvious that her husband was a monster, she reached out for help. Her mother had told her to grin and bear it, while her sister had ignored her pleas. She hoped her brother was more amenable. But by then, Alastor had met her mother, and refused to trust a word she said. He shunned her entirely.

She took matters into her own hands. Her husband was dead, but she struggled with the mess he left behind. There were debts she didn’t understand, and the scars that her father and husband had inflicted weren’t going away. She eventually lost her mind, and was sent away to deteriorate further. She died afraid and alone, locked away in an asylum.

In verses where appropriate, she is now called Niffty.

She is currently running around in Hell.

Alastor’s last words to her:

“Oh, to understand your twisted little mind.”

“I don’t appreciate bugs in my space. Now, run back to your mother, and stay away from my life.”

[staticintone]

was niffty an overlord before alastor reunited with her in your take on RAM?

In RAM, yes. In main verse, sort of.

I have this picture in my head of Alice Davis running her life and afterlife in cycles, much like manic depression.

In main verse this develops into full blown psychosis in life. So her becoming an Overlord in Hell would have almost been an accident. Wildly tearing down or joining existing power structures without even realizing she was really doing it.

My fiancé referred to her as a cleaner, as like a janitor for the Mafia sort of thing. I think this makes a lot of sense for main verse.

In RAM, I see her as more keeping up those cycles. Going between bursts of energy and doing crazy things—resulting in collecting souls and major bloodbaths—and these periods where she was just lost and aimless.

I don’t think she would have gotten super powerful in either case, just enough to be noticeable.

RAM Alastor met her during one of her fits—the mania side of things—and she picked a (mostly verbal) fight. He apologized and told her he would fix things for her, and the rest is history.