#Hunter Inkwell

[hunterwritesstuff]

guh.(reblogs and fanart are highly appreciated <3)

[thehappiestgolucky]

they’re very silly to me

[cerastes]

What's your read on Andreanna's 'love at first sight' line? It could be fun to just take it as face value and just assume it's just her having a crush on Skadi and Spectre (making her utter lack of connection to them on the network very funny), but I feel like there's something else going on there. Is it seaborn stuff? Something to do with her being an abyssal hunter knockoff having some kind of innate admiration for the original?

It’s because she’s a Walmart Abyssal Hunter, yeah.

The line in question:

Andreana feels something completely and utterly puzzling and maybe even thrilling when see sees Specter and Skadi, so she says this. It’s further elaborated on in her Module lore:

In her Module, Andreana explains that she was making a joke with that comment, however, it is true that she felt weird and bothered, Felt A Ways, as some would say, when looking at them or in their immediate presence. Then she posits that this physiological reaction might have to do with That Weird Backstory Of Hers, but also, 1) she doesn’t really care too much about it, and 2) it sounds like a pain in the ass so she doesn’t want to find out.

As we all know (and if not, as you’ll learn now), Abyssal Hunters can sense each other on a level that other people can’t. They perceive each other as they would a wave, a sea current, the smell of the sea, even its temperature, if close enough to each other. In Under Tides, for example, Skadi immediately perks up when Gladiia breaks into Specter’s room to steal her away, because she immediately ‘smelled’ a cold, strong wave of seawater coming from her room. That’s how Gladiia ‘smells’ or ‘feels’. It is stated at various points that Hunters don’t even need words to communicate if they so choose, with Specter in particular feeling like land-dweller language is bothersome to a fault at first, and Skadi addressing that with “no yeah I hated it at first too, still can’t get used to it, but it’s got its virtues”. It also explains a little why Skadi is so stoic and laconic: She literally isn’t used to talking or needing to, but I digress.

It’s easy to extrapolate that this is precisely what Andreana is feeling when she sees the Hunters: She’s “feeling” them but has no earthly clue as to what the hell that is in the first place. Proper Aegir Hunters have an education — Gladiia taught Laurentina not just about the Hunter trade, but also about art in general, with a focus on dancing — that prepares them to be Hunters and have the information needed given to them. Andreana has memory issues and not a damn clue of what the dicken is going on when she “feels” a Hunter, no context, so her first assumption is “Huh. Love at first sight?” because why the hell is she feeling something as intimate as what kind of waves and breeze they are from just looking at them? Then, a while later, since Andreana is a pretty pragmatic, logical, no-nonsense person, she starts putting the legos together and thinking, oh, yeah, might have to do with my Mysterious Circumstances, on second thought. Then she shrugs it off and keeps fiddling with her crossbow.

In Kal’tsit’s own words Andreana 200 Trust Files), if Laurentina or Didi can be considered a proper inkwell, Andreana is a droplet of ink in a glass of water: A facsimile, an attempt at something, an aberration. Of course, this callous indictment isn’t directed at Andreana, it’s aimed at what was done to Andreana.

And since I know I’ll get an ask about it, I’ll take the liberty of plugging Andreana into Drimo’s patented Just A Guy spectrum. Is Andreana Just A Guy (gender neutral)? Not quite. Let’s compare and contrast with our favorite specimen, Shalem. Shalem is terrified of his backstory and runs from it at every turn, until it was impossible for him to refuse it any longer (IS2), Andreana, on the other hand, is aware that she has a backstory. She KNOWS there’s lore, but she doesn’t really want to meet it. The backstory ambushes her, but Andreana says “no thank you :)” and walks past it. It’s a pain in the ass. She’d rather play paintball. She’s not normal, is keenly aware of it, and doesn’t give a zalak’s ass about it. Can’t be bothered! Simply uninterested!

[vespaer77]

The Memory of Her Scent

Inspired by this post

A drop of ink fell from the tip of his quill. It landed on the parchment below, leaving a blot separate from the whole. A form without intention.

Solas cursed a sharp, old word under his breath.

How long had his mind gone wandering? Aimless, like the lost foal of a mother halla? What was it that had stilled his hand, leaving it paused, poised with potential?

He studied the symbols he'd been scribing. They now seemed foreign, their meaning nebulous like the images that had skirted his periphery just a moment before. Little figments of his imagination they were, plucked and placed with purpose by the Fade. Little ghosts of memory come to haunt his tired eyes.

He replaced the quill to his inkwell and sat back in his chair, gently massaging his temples and the bridge of his nose. Perhaps he was working too hard. Perhaps he feared the noise in his mind that screamed at him when he didn't. If he was asleep, he could indulge his meandering thoughts, as dreamtime was a time for contemplation and self-reflection. Introspection. Processing and gathering facts, investigation. Understanding and compartmentalization.

But the waking world was for focus. For drawing conclusions, and watching possibilities coalesce into clarity. Yet it was clarity that proved so elusive, like the fickle scent of a hare on a rainy day.

He peered down the length of the corridor before him, his eyes straining in the grey, joyless, dismal dim, lit only by veilfire - the memory of fire. And probably not a very good one. It was a pale imitation, like everything else in the Lighthouse. It performed a utility, and no other characteristic beyond that.

It gave no care for what he wanted. It was simply what it needed to be.

Yet even now, as his gaze poured endlessly through the wan light flickering down the long line of plaster frescos and the shadows that lie between them…

He could smell her.

Read the rest here on AO3 or

And not the smell she carried when she was sweating beneath the pounding sun, stumbling through the shifting sands west of Val Royeaux. Neither was it the smell of her when she was combing the char of dragon fire out of her hair, after a bath with sweet herbs and lye soap. It wasn't even the smell of her as she stalked the Emerald Graves, all moss and loamy earth, when the visage of the Inquisitor peeled away from her like old paint to reveal what lie beneath, the graceful and cunning Dalish hunter who slipped silently between trees and stepped lightly over stones. Though that one was close.

It was instead the smell of her when her armor was hung and her staff was stowed, her business concluded and the Anchor forgotten, and all that was left to her was herself. Her truest self. The self that he knew best.

The self that knew him best.

And if he let his eyes unfocus, let the Fade around him win and let his edges blur and soften, he could almost see it.

The red flutter of a leaf as it tumbled in lazy somersaults, falling slowly to the ground.

The soft swirl of steam rising from the teapot he'd brought to share, which wasn't full of tea.

The light rustle of pages, the book in his hands teased by a playful mountain breeze.

And her just there in her garden, in her castle, humming an ancient lullaby that he was too old to know. She'd cast a spell over him with it, a bubble of quiet, banishing the murmurs of other voices off into nothingness somewhere far, far away.

His eyes swam as he relived the memory, and he watched it play all around him, a perfect pantomime of the past. It was the only time in his life that he could recall having ever truly known a moment of peace, though there was likely much of his existence he could no longer remember. It filled him with an ache so big it left no room for breath. Yet even as the air left him, sucking him dry as the vacuous void in his heart, he could smell her.

Because she smelled like him. Like them. When they were together.

A blend of ingredients, harkening from a precious pinpoint in time, each one carrying its individual note of significance. A thread in a tapestry, a tile in a mosaic.

There was the sugary scent of qunari spiced chocolate, still bubbling in its little teapot. It was a recipe he enjoyed, so she'd learned it. And she'd taught him. And then there was the musk of the leather binding the storybook he'd brought to read to her while he kept her company. His words had danced with her melody, carried aloft by the intoxicating aroma of rotting leaves, overturned soil, and blooming flowers.

From her garden. Its fragrant bouquet was as heavy as the late afternoon sun, lush with embrium, crystal grace, and dawn lotus. Amrita vein and arbor blessing, and even simple, useful things like spindleweed, felandaris, and elfroot.

And then there was the buttery smell of warm bread when she took off her gloves and sat down beside him, spreading tart wild berry jam across two slices of toast.

And the dewy puff of breath that kissed his cheek when she'd laughed at something he'd said. He couldn't possibly conjure the words now. He likely didn't even know what he'd said then either, as ceaselessly dumbfounded in her presence as he'd often found himself. She'd bewitched him, mind and body, and a part of him remained her thrall even now.

And it pained him. Nearly to the point of capitulation, once. Even then, as he'd sat on that bench beside her, in her garden, in her castle, filling her cup with chocolate and watching the wind tickle her nose with her hair, he'd considered giving it all up. Placing his principles aside.

For a time.

Time enough for her to rally her troops and march against her enemy. Time enough for her to restore hope and peace to a broken world. Time enough for her to shape the legend that elven clans would tell of her to their children, one thousand years from now. And time enough for them to celebrate their success, and savor the serenity of a life well-earned. Together. In love, in their harmony. In their quiet home nestled within a quiet garden, that smelled of flowers and the wind in the trees, and of leather-bound tomes and freshly baked bread and qunari spiced chocolate.

And then, time enough to watch the first sheen of silver streak through her long, dark hair. To watch the first lines of laughter linger too long at the corners of her mouth.

Until one day she would wonder why she grew old and he…

And he was always old to begin with.

How long could he live the lie?

And it wasn't that he was never truly the man she knew. Quite the opposite. She'd freed from within him a man he'd done his best to lock away. And his love for her was a truth so fierce and so monstrous it threatened to devour the rest of him entirely. The lie was the preposterous notion that he could ever have afforded himself the luxury of love at all. That the man she knew could ever, at all, be given the chance to flourish.

For as long as Fen'Harel ignored his duty and strayed from the lonely path he walked, their People would continue to die.

She would continue to die.

And then one day… she would leave him, anyway. She would sigh her last and close her eyes, drift off and away like a leaf on the sea to make her journey across the Fade, leaving ripples of memory behind her that spirits like him could cling to as if they were somehow more real than veilfire. And then she'd disappear, no longer to wake from dreaming, off into that great mystery that lie on the other side, beyond. Forever. To join the others that had gone before her, all of the others that had left him, long ago.

To go where he could never follow, and leave him behind.

Alone.

No matter what he did, he was always destined to lose her.

So it was best he let her go. He was glad he did it, even. It was cruelty for them both. And he was glad he did it years ago, so that nights like these came fewer to him. Nights when the memory of her scent swelled on the tides of dreams to crash against his shore, in the crossroads between the waking world and the Fade. He was glad for every night he summoned strength from solitude and resisted the urge to prowl the edges of her dreamscape, like a drug that masks a pain. Because what had begun as surrendering to succor had started to shift into something that seemed more like… surveillance. And it stained the context of their shared history. So he was glad he no longer needed this touchstone of her scent, and that he no longer needed to worry over how he'd feel should he watch the warm spice of her dewy breath one day kiss the cheek of someone else.

He watched a teardrop fall onto the parchment, to dilute his little ink blot. It swirled in diaphanous little spirals as grey as the cold and empty hall he called his ho… his living space. His lips twisted into a bitter smile against his will and he laughed a sharp, sad sob. Even after all of these many, long, long years, he was still such a terrible liar. So he crumpled the parchment in his fists, fell back in his chair in defeat, and used a sleeve to dry his eyes.

There was time enough to continue wrenching his plans into fruition tomorrow. There was time enough to let his slow yet inexorable walk of death delay for just one day. He would not risk intruding upon her dreams tonight, though. The time had come and gone for that. Time moved differently for her anyway, he was probably a stranger to her now. At the very least a memory.

He would, however, make a pot of qunari spiced chocolate. Perhaps he'd read a book, to clear his head before turning in for the night. Perhaps he'd try to recall a lullaby, to sing himself to sleep.

And perhaps tonight he would dream about a castle with a garden.

And the kiss of her breath on his cheek.

[leahnardo-da-veggie]

The Tragedy of Love, Death and Maggots part 4

Part 1, part 2, part 3

Should I have run after her? Would it have changed anything? Damned if I knew. Perhaps the rot in her heart had begun long ago, when the cultists chained her in that dark room and did things to her. Perhaps the very first maggot had wriggled in far earlier, when she first wandered into this place. Perhaps it had always been there, a foul seed biding its time, waiting for the most fertile soil to sprout into a choking weed.

All I knew was that by the time we had drifted to sleep in that little huddle, she was long gone, toting that makeshift spear of hers into the flickering light that passed for night.

“Doc?” Brett shook my shoulder with the dogged determination of a boy who had finally noticed his girl was missing. “Doc, get up. Doc?” He might as well have passed for a particularly large alarm clock.

“Yeah, yeah, ‘thena ran off,” I muttered, more to shut him up than out of any true caring. “She’ll be fine. That girl can smash her way through an army of man-sized cockroaches, she'll be fine. Besides, she runs off all the time. She took her spear, didn't she?” 

“Sure she took her spear, but that's not enough! You have to get up. We have to go find her. I know something's wrong,” he insisted. “I just know it!”

That got me grudgingly getting up. Brett's instincts were never off, and it had saved us from trouble more than once. “Fine, fine. What's the trouble?”

“It's…” He frowned, trying to put it into words. His fingers, long and knobby, kneaded each other nervously. “It's dread, panic, terror. It's being in utter darkness, being left at the checkout counter while your mom goes off and grabs something she forgot, being stuck with your leg in a bear trap and the hunter approaching. It's bad.” The last word made my lips pucker with sourness.

Bad. God, how much that word could sum up. I rolled up my sheet and waved Mrin over. “We need to look for Athena,” I told her. “Brett had another premonition, and he says it's bad.”

“Yeah, well, I've got more bad news,” Mrin replied. “We’re out of food.”

“What? That's ridiculous, we had 10 cans last night,” Brett protested. 

“I'll bet your girlfriend took it. Who else could it have been? That damned girl is all instinct and no intellect.” I shook my head in disgust.

He glared at me, but did not dispute my conclusion. “We should hurry up and find her, then.”

Taglist: @coffeeangelinabox, @dorky-pals, @calliecwrites, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @shukei-jiwa

@thewingedbaron, @pluppsauthor, @cowboybrunch, @wylloblr, @possiblyeldritch

@tragedycoded, @finickyfelix, @urnumber1star, @ratedn, @ramwritblr

@vampirelover890, @possiblylisle, @illarian-rambling, @the-ellia-west, @differentnighttale

@evilgabe29, @glitched-dawn, @rivenantiqnerd, @dragonhoardesfandoms, @xenascribbles

@drchenquill, @everythingismadeofchaos, @owldwagitoutofyou, @dimitrakies, @beloveddawn-blog

@riveriafalll, @the-golden-comet, @rascaronii, @trippingpossum, @real-fragments

@unrepentantcheeseaddict, @the-inkwell-variable

(Anyone else who wants to get added can tell me in the comments, pm me, or send me an ask about it!)

[maplesyrupandgt]

Do you have any headcanons for pred Neuvillette?

Yesss I love pred Neuv so much. He deserves so many little treats and though I pred lean, I'd gladly offer myself to him

Neuvillette's canines are so sharp- like he's extra careful during noms so as not to let his prey come to harm

he's a little picky but if you ask nicely, he may let you sit in his water to be swallowed down along with it

prey almost always has to be willing and even overly so since he will rarely ask directly if he has a craving or need

He has little tells when having a preyfriend offer themself would he helpful to him

These include: condensation on his pen or inkwell- never the books or any documents, he may begin tapping his foot during work, or rain will start and stop in spurts of frustration among other things. Keep an eye on his body language and abilities to know when he needs a little extra love

Neuvillette doesn't eat as often and isn't very much food driven, but rubs from the inside can be incredibly relaxing for him

Prey with visions that can cool his internal temperature make him purr - which he's slightly flustered by

He'll only go after unwilling prey if he's eating them for their sake or as a punishment he's required to dole out

That means he might act as a holding cell, or he'll use noms to break up conflict or as something he deems necessary as management of mischievous tinies

It's rare but feisty unwilling prey moments are also the only times he might hunt a tiny down. He's direct with this and sometimes he locks a little too deeply into hunter mode and that can be very intimidating

Naturally wet in his tum, almost completely dark but there's a very very soft blue tint, just enough to make out shapes and as a tiny's gaze adjusts they can make out more

He sometimes would appreciate having a tiny in his mouth. He doesn't do candies or anything to busy his mouth typically, but just the weight on his tongue and tiny shifts as he works can be a good way for him to fidget

He salivates quite a bit when a tiny is in his mouth and they may have to remind him to swallow with little taps when he's distracted.

Sometimes he's so focused that he'll just gulp a tiny down this way

[elm-writes-stories]

Cuphead: Isle of Shadows (Rewrite)

*Hey, guys, I'm back with the first episode of Cuphead: Isle of Shadows rewrite. This is published on July 2, 2023. If you guys like this episode, don't be afraid to vote, reblog, and comment! That will always be appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read and have a good day/evening. Enjoy!*

Episode One: The Unhinged Tea Kettle

In the woods outside of Inkwell Isle City, the wind howled in the middle of the night and shook the branches violently. From the touch of the cold, the trees were covered in ice. The snow was deep enough to where one's foot would sink when walking through. Within the snow storm, a teapot house sheltered an old tea kettle. Elder Kettle, as many citizens called him, slept soundly in his bedroom with a snore coming from his long spout.

An abrupt knock came from his front door, waking Elder Kettle up with a groan.

“Huh?” Elder Kettle moaned while his eyes fluttered close.

Someone pounded on the door this time.

Elder Kettle snapped himself awake and got up from the bed. “Ugh, alright! Alright! I’m coming!” He put on his glasses to see the time and his slippers to walk out of his bedroom. “Who’s knockin’ at three in the morning in the middle of the storm?” Elder Kettle headed downstairs and opened the front door. To his surprise, no one was there. He looked both before looking down to see two baby cups crying in the basket on his porch.

“Oh my!!!” Elder Kettle picked the basket up and took them inside immediately before the cold could touch the babies. “Who left you guys in the middle of the snow storm?!”

The baby cups wailed while Elder Kettle hurried to place the basket on the couch and get the fire going in his fireplace. The babies continued to cry, shivering in the cold.

“It’s alright. It’s alright. I got you. I got you.”

The fire warmed up the room once it started to blaze. Elder Kettle noticed that the babies’ cries faded into sniffles. He sighed in relief and walked over to the basket. He searched for any notes that the parents might have left behind. He only found one in between the baby cups. Elder Kettle took the note and squinted at it through his square glasses.

“Dear old friend,” Elder Kettle read the letter. “Please take care of our boys, Cuphead and Mugman. They are our pride and joy that we must sadly give away for their safety. Do not be alarm when you see those two potions in the basket. These potions are our gift to the boys once they’ve grown old enough. The potions will protect the boys. Thank you, dear friend. We trust that they will be safer in your hands. Sincerely, Murray and Lily.”

Elder Kettle stopped and took a moment to register what was happening to his old friends. He looked out of the window and tried to find Murray and Lily. But he couldn’t see though. However, in the distance, he heard a gunshot. Elder Kettle gasped in fear and shook his head. It was not safe out there to check if it was actually his friends who got shot or some hunters hunting something.

“Oh no,” Elder Kettle uttered in shock. He clutched his chest and looked at the baby cups, who cried for food. He headed back to the boys and tucked them in. He hurried over to find food in his kitchen and was able to get some bottle of milk. Elder Kettle hurried back over to the kids with the bottles and sat on the couch next to the warm fire. He picked the boys up and fed them the bottle, cradling them both in his arms. He looked outside into the snow, seeing nothing but ice and cold.

With a deep breath, he looked down at the two baby cups. Then, he shifted his gaze over at the basket and peeked inside to find two blue bright potions kept in the small glass capsules. Elder Kettle didn’t know what was in those potions nor did he want to know. He held the baby boys closer to him.

“Well, Cuphead, Mugman,” The old tea kettle replied. “It looks like you boys will be staying here with me for a while. Maybe even permanent. I promise I’ll take care of you boys. I’ll take care of ya.”

The cups were done with their formula food.

“That’s better,” Elder Kettle said while watching the baby cups falling in sleep in his arms, safe in his hold. Elder Kettle smiled at the sight, but he lost the smile when he thought of their parents. How they met was too long of a story to tell the boys. Maybe someday, they will hear it. Someday.

~.~

Fifteen Years Later:

Cuphead couldn’t help but stare at the burned spot on the ground inches away from his feet. He was silent. His eyes and his porcelain face went pale. All he could do was stand there and hold the golden pitchfork in his small yellow-gloved grasp.

“Mugman?” Cuphead uttered.

There was no response.

“M-Mugman…?” The tears leaked from the corner of his eyes. His lips wobbled and there was nothing else he could say.

Cuphead collapsed on his knees, releasing the golden pitchfork. He shook his head and began digging his hands into the dirt. “No! No! No, Mugsy!!! NO!!!! GIVE ME BACK MY BRUDDA!!!!”

“Since you took something of great value to me, I will take something of great value to you.”

“Pfft, there’s nothing that you can take from me that I care about.”

Cuphead stopped digging the dirt, breathing heavily. The words he said about not caring about anything was only just a bark. He didn’t think the Devil was going to take Mugman. He didn’t think the Devil would fuss over about the stupid magical pitchfork. He didn’t think his brother would end up in Hell all because Cuphead was horsing around with Devil.

He didn’t think. He didn’t think. He didn’t think…

“Say goodbye to Cuphead.”

“Goodbye to Cuphead…”

Cuphead started to sob once he heard Mugman’s voice playing in his head. How frightened of the Devil they both were. Cuphead was more afraid of him than his brother. He shook his porcelain head and stood up on his feet. His vision was blurry from the tears streaming from his face. He picked up their conjoined bikes, something his brother built. Cuphead didn’t want to be reminded of what he lost today. He had to head back to Elder Kettle’s. He rode the bicycles throughout the woods, taking the Devil’s pitchfork with him. His vision getting more blurry from the tears. Cuphead wiped them away with his sleeves, whimpering.

Once he arrived at Elder Kettle’s house, Cuphead hid the pitchfork in the bushes, hoping that no one, including Elder Kettle, would see it. He hurried towards the front gate before leaning his head against it and sobbing as quietly as he could.

“Cuphead?”

Cuphead wiped the tears as fast as he could before Elder Kettle opened the gate to notice the cup’s red puffy eyes.

“What’s wrong, boy? Did you lose something?” Elder Kettle asked in a soft tone.

Cuphead couldn’t say a word without breaking down, so he covered his face and nodded his head.

“What could you possibly lose?” Elder Kettle probed in a softer voice.

“M-M-Mu-My pocket knife,” Cuphead lied.

“Oh, is that all?” Elder Kettle inquired. “Well, that can be easily replaced. It’s not like you lost Mugman—” Elder Kettle paused as soon as he noticed a missing seat on their bikes. “Cuphead…where’s your brother?”

“He’s—He’s—He’s—AAAAHH!!” Cuphead collapsed and cried into his guardian’s arms, hugging him.

“Whoa, whoa, Cuphead—” Elder Kettle soothed. “—hey now, take deep breaths. Deep breaths, son.” He took deep breaths to show Cuphead to repeat after him. Cuphead took deep breaths like he was instructed to do so. “Alright, here’s the deal. I’ll make you some breakfast and you will tell me everything that happened, okay? Do we have ourselves a deal?”

Cuphead whimpered and nodded his head.

“Good,” Elder Kettle said and noticed the snot coming out of Cuphead’s small red nose. “Eh…we’ll add some tissues while we are at it.”

Cuphead nodded his head in agreement. He made his way inside of the house. Before Elder Kettle could join him, he noticed something in the bushes. The old tea kettle walked towards the bushes and found the Devil’s pitchfork. A gasp of horror escaped his lips. He picked it up and looked at the bikes next to it. Did Cuphead have that the entire time? Was this the reason for his brother’s abduction? Cuphead owed him a lot of explanation.

Elder Kettle headed back in the house with the pitchfork in his grasp. 

~.~

Elder Kettle was making some pancakes with dread. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know what the boys were up to with the Devil’s pitchfork. But he knew he must know. He had to know for the boys’ safety. He shifted his gaze back over at Cuphead, who had been moping and staring at the table in front of him. The tissues were overfilled in the trash bin next to his feet. It was unlike of Cuphead to be this way. Elder Kettle flipped the pancakes over on the stove and tossed them up in the air. He flipped the last one over to his spout and blew smoke from his spout, sending the pancakes flying to Cuphead.

Cuphead lifted his plate weakly without looking up. The pancakes lined up and hit against the wall diagonally above his head. He turned his plate flat and moved it to the side slightly to still catch all the pancakes falling down. Once he caught all of the pancakes in his plate, Cuphead began to nibble on the pancake on top without butter and syrup.

Elder Kettle frowned at the sight and headed over to the table, sitting by him.

“Are you calming down?” the old tea kettle asked.

Cuphead nodded his head with his lips wobbling.

“Okay. Now, tell me everything that happened to you two,” Elder Kettle said softly.

Cuphead sniffled and looked up at his guardian. “W-We was just horsin’ around. We-We—I wasn’t thinkin’ that Mugsy was going to get kidnapped.”

“Were you boys horsing around with that pitchfork?”

“What pitchfork?”

Elder Kettle squinted at Cuphead. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.” He pointed at the pitchfork in the living room, leaning against the piano.

Cuphead gasped in shock.

“I found it in the bushes by your bikes,” Elder Kettle said lowly. “What were you boys doing with the Devil’s pitchfork?”

“Just messin’ around with it,” Cuphead answered, looking away from Elder Kettle.

“Uh-huh. And someone took Mugman…it wasn’t the Devil, was it?” Elder Kettle asked with the sense of hope it was anyone else other than the creature he feared the most.

Cuphead hugged his arms, trying to hold in his tears.

“Was it the Devil?” Elder Kettle probed.

Cuphead started to whimper. The red bent-strawed cup didn’t have to say anything.

The old tea kettle looked away from the cup and stared at the golden pitchfork. “How long have you had that pitchfork?”

“Since today.”

“Cuphead…”

“I’m bein’ honest,” Cuphead responded defensively.

Elder Kettle arched a brow. “Really? Because it was gettin’ hard to tell.”

Cuphead frowned and wiped the tears away.

“I’ve noticed you boys have been sneaking off at night. First, you both landed in jail for stealing in the cookie factory and now, Mugman is kidnapped by the Devil of all people. All because you both were horsin’ around with something that’s going to get you both killed. Do you not realize how dangerous the Devil is? He is the collector of souls for goodness sakes! He devours the innocent and preys on the prideful. Makin’ deals with him will cost you your soul!”

Cuphead was silent, staring at his food.

Elder Kettle sighed and looked away. “Maybe I should’ve done better to protect you boys. I should’ve known that you both would run into the Devil eventually. I should’ve told you to watch out for him. What was I thinkin’?”

Cuphead looked up at Elder Kettle. He softened his gaze at the old tea kettle and frowned. The cup looked back at his food, pondering on what to do.

Elder Kettle got up from his seat and walked away into the living room to go upstairs. Cuphead could assume that he was going to take a nap to think of all of this. An idea slowly formed into his head. He knew what he had to do to save his brother. He got up from his seat and reached to grab it. Before he could grab it, Elder Kettle’s hand grabbed the pitchfork.

Cuphead gasped and looked up at Elder Kettle, who had his military uniform on and a glare at the young cup.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Elder Kettle growled, snatching the pitchfork away from Cuphead’s grasp.

“I wanna rescue my brudda,” Cuphead answered with determination.

Elder Kettle softened his gaze and sighed. The old tea kettle grabbed Cuphead by the handle.

“E-Elder Kettle? What are you doin’?”

Elder Kettle didn’t respond except to carrying Cuphead upstairs. Cuphead began to struggle in his guardian’s hold.

“Elder Kettle? What are you doin’? Why won’t you answer me?”

Elder Kettle headed into the boys’ bedroom, locking the window. After he locked the window, he set Cuphead down on his bed.

“Stay here,” Elder Kettle commanded.

“What?! No way! I’m comin’ with you!” Cuphead argued.

“No! You are going to stay right here until I come back with your brother,” Elder Kettle demanded. “Don’t make this any harder than it has to be.”

Cuphead shook his head and tried to get up to get pass Elder Kettle, who grabbed Cuphead’s handle when he was an inch passed the old tea kettle. Cuphead struggled against Elder Kettle’s hold, throwing punches in mid-air. “Let me go! Let me go! I wanna help!”

“You’ve done enough,” Elder Kettle snarled at Cuphead, who froze in shock at his tone of voice. Elder Kettle softened his gaze and sighed. “I ain’t losing you today too.” He set Cuphead on the bed and hurried out of the bedroom. Before Cuphead could follow him, Elder Kettle closed the door and locked it.

“ELDER KETTLE!!!” Cuphead cried while zooming towards the door. He pounded his fists on it with heavy breaths and tears streaming down his white porcelain cheeks. “LET ME OUT!!! LET ME OUT!!!!” He could hear Elder Kettle walking away from the door.

Outside of the bedroom, Elder Kettle walked down the hallway. He stopped and took a step back, hesitating on leaving Cuphead in that room all by himself. His eyes watered at each step he took downstairs. Cuphead’s cries grew louder and louder, his words muffled by the wooden bedroom door. Elder Kettle gripped the pitchfork and headed out of the door. He shut it and locked it as well.

“HE’S GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!” Cuphead screamed from within his bedroom. He used his shoulder to pound against the door, breathing heavily in panic. “ELDER KETTLE!!!! PLEASE!!! LISTEN TO ME!!!! HE’S GOING TO KILL YOU!!!! LISTEN TO ME!!!! DON’T GO!!!! DON’T GO!!!!” He pounded on the door until his limbs got tired. He collapsed on his knees and sobbed uncontrollably, leaning his head against the door. “D-Don’t leave me here.”

Cuphead leaned his body against the door, finding himself falling asleep on it. 

~.~

The Devil watched with glee at the blue-nosed mug, tossing and turning in the cell bed down in Hell. He seemed to be having a nightmare here. Good. 

“D’aw, boss,” Henchman called from beside the Devil. “You know that this ain’t legal to bring the living down here.”

“Says who?” The Devil replied with a scoff. 

“Says Go—.”

“Don’t speak of His name down here,” The Devil growled at his henchman.

“You just asked,” Henchman pointed out. 

“Well, you know what, I don’t care what He thinks or says,” The Devil snarled with his arms crossed. “This is my realm. He doesn’t get to show up here and tell me what to do.” 

“D’uh, what about Stickler? You know, he’ll get onto ya about bringin’ him here,” Henchman replied. 

“Stickler can just kiss my—”

“Eh, excuse me?!” 

Henchman and The Devil turned to look at Stickler, the teal skinned demon with big round glasses and blue bowtie. Henchman glanced up at the Devil with the deadpan stare. 

“See?” Henchman said. 

“Ugh, what do you want, Stickler?” The Devil scoffed. 

“According to the contract with Go—”

The Devil glared at Stickler. 

“—The Most High. You and Him get to share the surface world. He controls the Heavens and you control what’s down here. You are not supposed to take the living down here,” Stickler informed. 

“I have a right to do so! They took my pitchfork!!!” The Devil barked, pointing at Mugman sleeping in the cell accusingly. 

Stickler glanced over at Mugman and then back at The Devil. “There’s only one person, sir.”

“AAAAAAH!!!” The Devil yelled, his fur set on fire. “I know that!!! The other one had my pitchfork!” 

“Then, why didn’t you get the pitchfork?” Stickler asked.

“BECAUSE IT ELECTROCUTED ME EVERY TIME I TOUCHED IT!!!!” The Devil yelled in frustration.

Stickler went silent for a moment. “You don’t happen to leave it anywhere.”

“Uh, yeah. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have found it,” The Devil grumbled.

“Are you familiar with the Finders Keepers?” Stickler asked. 

The Devil gasped in shock. “No, you don’t mean—.” 

“That pitchfork belongs to that cup now,” Stickler responded. “You need to make a trade for it in order to get it back.”

The Devil perked up and grinned wickedly while looking at Mugman. “Oh, I know what to do about that.” 

Mugman groaned awake in the cell, rubbing his ceramic head to ease his pounding headache. He looked up and saw them. 

Henchman waved at him in a friendly manner, earning a scolding nudge from The Devil. The Devil shifted his ruby eyes back at Mugman with an evil grin. 

“Ah, you’re finally awake,” The Devil replied. “Good. Good. It’s about time. You better get comfortable here, little mug. This…is your new home.” 

Mugman glared at the Devil, getting up from his cell bed. “My brother is coming to get me! And you’ll be sorry!” 

“Ha! Sorry?!” The Devil guffawed and nudged on Henchman’s arm. “You hear that, Henchman? He says I’m going to be sorry. As if Cuphead has any power over me, The King of Hell.” The Devil glanced back at Mugman with a cheeky smirk. “You better rethink your next words carefully, little mug.” 

“It’s Mugman,” Mugman growled, clenching his fists. 

“Ooh, getting tough now, are you?” The Devil taunted. “Alright, let’s see how tough you really are.” With a snap of his fingers, The Devil unlocked the cell door and opened it. 

Mugman’s glare faded into fear once he watched the Devil approaching him. Before Mugman could make a run for it, he was grabbed by the handle and lifted from the bed. He tried to get his feet to touch the ground, but he was yanked up in the air. 

“Hey! Where are you taking me?!” Mugman interrogated. The Devil carried the helpless mug out of the cell with Henchman and Stickler following close behind them. They went past the soul vault and turned to the right. With a stride, they reached the lava pit. Around the huge lava pit, it revealed to be a long ways down with demons worked around the pit whether that would be torturing their screaming victims or breaking every bone in the victims’ bodies. Mugman looked and watched with horror when the Devil held him over the edge. 

Mugman’s body began to shake in fear. “Please! Please! Don’t drop me!!” 

The Devil grinned. “Not so tough now, are you?” 

Mugman whimpered in fear. 

“You know, would’ve been better that way if I so happen to drop you. You won’t have to get in my way to obtain your brother’s soul.” The Devil released his grip on Mugman’s handle.

Mugman felt a drop with a gasp before his handle was grabbed again. He was soon lifted to face The Devil and stared deep into his fiery eyes. 

“But I need you alive just a little while longer, little mug. Who knows? Maybe…just maybe…you can be useful to me,” The Devil said while tossing Mugman aside. 

Mugman tumbled onto the ground and breathed heavily in fear, his limbs shaking from almost being dropped into the lava pit. The green giant imps approached the scene with their spears. 

The Devil turned to them. “Put him back in his cell. Maybe give him a good beating or two.” 

Mugman was lifted back up on his feet and held firmly by the arms. He was escorted away from the Devil, Henchman, and Stickler. 

“This is still unauthorized kidnapping. And now you’re beating him?” Stickler replied. “Torture as many souls as you like, but you’re forgetting that you’re not allowed to bring a mortal down here. Let alone torturing and hurting them. You should leave them to do that themselves.”

The Devil rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on, it’s not going to kill him. Besides, that brother of his will soon see what he put his dear brother through.” 

The Devil walked away, leaving Stickler and Henchman to exchange glances of concern to each other. 

Henchman took a breath. “Let’s go.”

Stickler nodded his head as they followed behind their ruler. 

~.~

Elder Kettle hurried through the woods and searched for something sacred that could help him rescue Mugman before the Devil could torture that poor boy more.

He held the Jawbreaker in his grasp and the pitchfork with his other hand. He soon found the sacred pond. He rushed towards it with heavy breaths and stared at the jawbreaker. Without hesitation, he tossed it in the water. The water fizzed and everything shook around him.

“Come one! Come all! Seek my wisdom and heed my words—!”

“Alright, alright, Quadratus, we get it,” Elder Kettle said with a drone.

Quadratus’s face appeared in the water, staring up at Elder Kettle. “Ah, Kettle. It has been a while since I’ve seen you. How are the boys? They come to me about their issue with the Devil.”

“What?”

“They didn’t tell you?”

“No…”

“Oh…” Quadratus shook his head. “Anyways, what is it that you seek?”

“I need your help, Quadratus,” Elder Kettle uttered, gripping the pitchfork. “The Devil has got my boy, Mugman, and—hey! What do you mean that they came to you about their issue with the Devil?!”

Quadratus sighed. “I’m afraid that I cannot lie to you. I suggested to Mugman to knit the invisible sweater that will keep the Devil at bay from his brother. I’m surprised they haven’t told you.”

“Did they tell you to keep this a secret from me?”

“I don’t think they knew that you and I know each other,” Quadratus answered. “Anyways, The Devil has Mugman now?”

“Yes, he’s got my boy. I need to get him out before something horrible happens to him. How do I get down to Hell?”

“The answer is in your hands.”

Elder Kettle glanced over at the pitchfork with a brow raised.

“It will take centuries to master it though,” Quadratus mentioned with a nervous chuckle.

“Is there another way to get down there?”

“Why yes. You can summon the Hellevator. However, it’s too risky. One, you don’t know how to master the pitchfork. Two, the Hellevator will lead you into the Devil’s throne room. There is a mortal out here that will be able to guide you into a secret passageway.”

Elder Kettle arched a brow. “Who?”

“His name is King Dice,” Quadratus said while the water transformed from his face to the reflection of a corner street of the city near where his radio show took place and the familiar die walking down the street, moping. “He is the gamest in the land. He is the Devil’s right-hand man…or should I say his ‘number-one’? Anyways, he knows the way down to Hell.”

“Wait, The Mr. King Dice?! I listened in on his radio shows every night!” Elder Kettle replied angrily. He gripped the pitchfork tighter. “This whole time, he’s been associated with the Devil?!”

The water shifted back to Quadratus’s face.

“Correct. The winners didn’t really get the grand prize. They just go into the room and have their souls sucked right out of their poor bodies. What a shame really,” Quadratus replied sadly. “He works for the Devil and his soul is tied to him. He is the only mortal who has access to Hell.”

Elder Kettle growled. “Looks like King Dice and I are going to have a nice chat.” The old tea kettle walked away with a pissed-off look on his face, leaving Quadratus by himself.

“Phew, giving out wisdom can be so draining. Time for some vacation,” Quadratus said while flipping his head to the side to put on a straw hat and sunglasses. Then he disappeared in the pond. 

~.~

King Dice failed…again. He could just hear his boss now. The disappointment in his voice. The look of disgust in his face. Oh, what more would Dice give to impress his boss? No matter what, even as his “number-one”, it was never enough. Dice walked by the building where his old gaming show used to be. A perfect gig to collect souls and send them straight to the Devil. The building was condemned and it appeared like no one had been in there for a while. Henchman probably didn’t keep the show alive long enough due to his…clumsiness if Dice had to put it nicely.

King Dice sighed heavily. “My show is over. I can’t go back to the boss. What am I going to do?” Before Dice could think of a proper answer to his question, the fireball crashed right in front of him. He stumbled back with a screech. He hurried down the alleyway in fear and approached the dead end. King Dice whirled around to watch a silhouette behind the gray smoke.

“Whoa! Boss! Don’t kill me! Give me another—” Dice squinted as soon as the figure came out of the smoke. It turned out to be an old pissed-off tea kettle in his military uniform. He held the pitchfork with a glare and a growl. “—chance. Uh, why are you disguised as an old war veteran?”

Elder Kettle cocked the pitchfork like a gun. “Who are you callin’ old, sonny?”

King Dice widened his eyes and stumbled back against the red bricked wall, raising his hands up and his palms facing the tea kettle. “Whoa, hey now, let’s settle down, okay?” A nervous smile cornered on his face. “Why don’t we put down the pitchfork, yeah? We can talk this out like gentleman.”

“Cut the baloney, Dice. You worked for the Devil,” Elder Kettle growled.

“Whaaat?! Psh, who? Me? In cahoots with the Devil? Clearly, you have heard false rumors,” Dice said with a fake grin.

“Oh, really?” Elder Kettle growled, raising the pitchfork up to have the longest tip barely touching Dice’s chest. “Then how come you called me boss when I held this pitchfork?”

Dice lost his fake grin. He knew he had been caught in his own lie. “Shoot.”

“I may be old, but I ain’t senile,” Elder Kettle snarled at Dice. “Now, since you’re the Devil’s advocate, I want you to take me to Hell.”

Dice blinked in confusion. “Wait…what? Why would you want to go down there?”

“Your ‘boss’ took my boy. You’re going to help me get my boy back. One way…or the other,” Elder Kettle threatened Dice, pressing the tip into his chest barely enough to make the gambler whimpered in fear.

“What’s in it for me?” Dice asked with a brow raised. “You know, if you want my help, you oughta—”

Elder Kettle pressed the tip harder against Dice’s chest, getting him to shut up. “Don’t forget who’s the one holding the pitchfork. I would choose your next words carefully if I were you, sonny, and maybe you’ll get out of this alive.”

A lump went down Dice’s throat as the gambler sighed to surrender.

“Fine. But the boss ain’t gonna like it.”

“I don’t care what your boss thinks. Just take me to my boy,” Elder Kettle ordered, stepping aside to let Dice go ahead of him.

King Dice sighed and walked ahead of him, feeling the tip on his back to remind him that the old tea kettle was behind him. 

~.~

Cuphead didn’t know how long he had been passed out from crying for hours. Once he opened his eyes, he realized that he had been lying against the bedroom door. He was too weak to move right now. It took every fiber in his body to stand up and wipe the tears away.

He sighed and looked up to find the window of the bedroom locked by Elder Kettle before he left. If Elder Kettle locked the window from the inside, who was to say that Cuphead couldn’t unlock it? The young cup was about to go towards the window.

“There’s nothing you can take from me that I care about.”

Those words haunted him, causing him to withdraw his hand away from the window. His lips wobbled at the thought of ever saying that as he backed into the bottom bunk bed and sat on it. Those words meant nothing more than just a bark to show Devil how tough he was. The joke was on him the moment Devil took his brother. His brother might have overheard those words. Maybe Elder Kettle was right in locking him up in this room. He already caused enough damage as it was.

Before his mind could go deeper into those dark thoughts, a ghost of the gold chalice appeared behind him with a mischievous grin.

“Boo!” Chalice shouted playfully, hoping to scare Cuphead.

Cuphead didn’t even respond. “Hey, Chalice.”

Chalice lost her grin and floated in front of him, reverting into her physical form. “What’s eatin’ ya? You’re not usually like this.” She looked around the bedroom. “Hey, have you seen Mugman? I want to give him a good scare and—hey, you okay?”

Chalice noticed Cuphead biting his bottom lip to hold in all of his emotions as soon as his brother was mentioned.

“Yeah…everything is fine,” Cuphead replied.

Chalice tilted her head and sat next to him. “Hey, what’s going on with you?”

Cuphead looked away. “It’s nothing.”

Chalice gave him a deadpan stare. “You know, if you are trying to act tough, you are doing a terrible job at it.”

“I ain’t tryin’ to act tough.”

“Well, you’re trying to hold in the tears. It’s not good to hold it all in,” Chalice replied. “You look like you’re going to collapse any moment.”

Cuphead started to whimper. She could tell he was trying too hard to hold it in. Chalice sighed and tapped on Cuphead’s shoulder. When he looked up at her, she noticed how red and puffy his eyes were becoming.

She opened her arms up and cornered a warm smile. “Wanna hug?”

Cuphead hesitated for a moment until he finally gave in and hugged Chalice. She embraced him and rubbed his back. It was then he started to sob. It was only little sobs at first until it became uncontrollable.

“I’m right here. I’m right here,” Chalice said softly while rubbing his back. “Oookay, now you’re gettin’ snot all over my shirt.”

Cuphead and Chalice broke away while Cuphead wiped the tears away.

“Sorry,” Cuphead said in a hoarse tone from the sobs.

“It’s alright. I did say that it ain’t good to hold it all in,” Chalice replied while rubbing his shoulder soothingly. “You mind telling me what’s going on?”

Cuphead wiped the tears away. “Mugsy…Mugsy got taken.”

“By golly! By who?” Chalice probed with a shocked gasp.

“The Devil,” Cuphead said while wiping away the tears.

“Oh golly, Cuphead…I didn’t know…Does Elder Kettle know about this?”

“Yeah, that’s why he locked me in here and went after Mugman…He’s going down into the Underworld.”

“Oh no, he’s going to get himself killed,” Chalice responded with fear in her tone.

“That’s what I was trying to tell him! But he ain’t listening to me!” Cuphead cried, hugging his legs. “It’s my fault! All of this is my fault! If it weren’t for the fact that I used to owe the Devil my soul, Mugman wouldn’t have to constantly worry about me. If it weren’t for me gettin’ the idea of messing around with that stupid pitchfork, Mugsy wouldn’t get kidnapped and Elder Kettle wouldn’t have gone down to the Underworld! All of this is my fault! And-And to think that I said that there ain’t nothing Devil can take from me that I care about! I was so wrong…all wrong! Mugman was all I care about in this world! Maybe I shouldn’t go down there after him. Maybe I’ve hurt him enough or I’ll make it worse…all I do is make everything worse.”

“Okay, Cuphead, listen to me,” Chalice replied with her hands on her hips, getting Cuphead’s attention. “First off, you and Mugman should never deal with the Devil in the first place. But that’s too late to rethink that decision. Second off, you’re his brother. He needs you and you need him. You both need each other. And at this moment, Mugman needs you more than anything. If you don’t go down there to rescue him, wouldn’t that reinforce those words that you didn’t mean by? I know that you cared about your brother. Mugman does too…but, Devil is a master liar and manipulator. He will lie to Mugman to say that you never cared about him when you said those words. He’ll use your words to hurt Mugman. If you don’t go down there to rescue Mugman, you’re showing Mugman that Devil is right about your lack of love for your brother. Do you want the Devil to be right about your relationship with your brother?”

Cuphead shook his head slowly.

“Then we oughta go down there and not only rescue your brother, but to help Elder Kettle as well. What d’ya say?” Chalice replied with a determined smile.

Cuphead sat there for a moment to ponder about what Chalice was saying. She was right. If he knew the Devil any better, he might use the words Cuphead said as manipulation against his brother. He had to get down there. He had to get his brother out of there. He didn’t have the pitchfork to trade Devil with…but there was something he was planning on doing instead.

He stood up from the bottom bunk bed and walked over to the window. With newfound determination in his eyes, Cuphead unlocked the window and opened it. He slid out of it and dropped to the ground. Chalice reverted back to her ghost form and phased through the wall. Cuphead hopped over the front fence and hurried to the bikes. He picked them up and looked back at Chalice.

Chalice tilted her head in confusion of the two bikes joined together. “What’s going on there?”

“It’s something Mugsy made for the both of us,” Cuphead said. “Hop on.”

“Oh, uh, okay,” Chalice replied while turning back to her physical form. She got on the bike behind Cuphead.

Cuphead stared ahead into the woods. “Hang on, bud, we’ll come get ya.” With that said, Cuphead made his way through the woods and towards the spot where Mugman was taken. 

~.~

Mugman groaned in pain. He could barely move his limbs. If it weren’t for the bruises on his ceramic face and body, he would’ve been able to move around his cell. His vision was a blur for a moment until it was clear. He…was in the Devil’s throne room? The cage felt small around him. That was why he could barely move. He looked up to see the Devil waiting patiently on his throne, his tail flicked side to side. Out of the corner of Devil’s ruby eyes, he noticed Mugman moving around in the small cage next to his red throne chair.

“Ah, you’re awake. I hope my imps didn’t hurt you badly,” The Devil said with a mischievous grin. “You know, I was just thinking of what your brother said back there. There wasn’t anything I could take he cared about. And it makes me curious…has he ever cared about your wants or needs?”

Mugman furrowed his brows at the Devil. “What kind of a question is that?! Of course he cared about me.”

“Cared enough to not owe me his soul all because he wanted to play Soul Ball?” the Devil responded. “You did all the saving if I recalled correctly. And that annoyed me.”

“I-It was an honest mistake…we didn’t know it was your carnival,” Mugman replied. “Besides, I messed up his aim—”

“Yes, but he owes me his soul until his soul contract was expired,” The Devil responded. “Do you think he cared enough about you to, oh, I don’t know, get another brother to replace you because he thinks you’re boring?”

“H-How did you—?”

“Do you think he cared enough about you that he always fights with you? Constantly…If I recalled correctly, that’s not brotherly love if you both were fighting constantly.”

“STOP!”

“Do you think he cared enough about you to steal your dreams to be a pianist all because of the money involved in it?”

Mugman grabbed his ceramic head and closed his eyes. “Stop it!”

“Do you think he cared enough about you that he would’ve left you behind in Sugarland if you hadn’t begged for him to come back? Do you think he cared enough about you that he would blow up wood for the winter when you and dear old Elder Kettle were trying to survive? Do you really think he cared enough about you to say those words that there was nothing he cared about that I could take from him?”

Mugman started to sob, shaking his head.

“Really think about it, little mug. He doesn’t care about you. He cares about himself. If I recall correctly, you did all the sacrificing when it came to your brother. You risked your own soul to save his. You are the one who knit the invisible sweater for him. You are the one who kept him from being taken by me. You are the one who helped him when he needed most. Is it selfish to dream things you want to dream? Is it selfish to think about yourself for a minute? All you do was help your brother. But guess what? Cuphead failed to prevent me from taking you. He failed to protect you. Wanna know why? Because he’s so used to you protecting him that when I took you away…he just froze.”

Mugman sobbed, breathing heavily.

“He doesn’t care about you, little mug. He left you behind to your own demise,” The Devil said. When he saw Mugman crying, he smirked for a moment before his face contorted to pretend to be sad. “I’m so sorry you had to find out this way, little mug. It is so unfair of what your brother did to you, huh?”

“HEY, DEVIL!!!!” Cuphead’s voice echoed into the throne room.

Mugman looked up and gasped when he saw his brother storming towards the throne with Chalice.

“Let my brudda go!” Cuphead demanded with angry tears in his eyes.

“Cuphead! Chalice!” Mugman called happily.

The Devil smirked at Cuphead. “Ah, I was just talking about you, Cuphead. Looks like you have proven me wrong this time. It’s too bad that you didn’t prove me wrong countless of other times.”

The cage opened with the snap of Devil’s finger and, with his telepathic powers, he raised Mugman up to show the torn black shirt and bruises on his ceramic body.

Cuphead gasped in horror at the sight of his brother being hurt everywhere. He drew his brows together in pure rage and leaped to attack the Devil before being reprimanded by the imps that came out of nowhere. Chalice reverted into her ghost form and dashed towards the Devil to attack him before the ghost chains wrapped around her wrists. She was pulled down on the ground with a gasp.

“What the—?!”

“You don’t think I noticed you, Ms. Chalice?” The Devil said with a conniving grin. “You better watch your step around here. You’re in my realm now.”

Cuphead struggled and looked to see Chalice chained up and Mugman held hostage by the Devil’s telepathic powers. The cup took a moment to calm down before looking up at the demon.

“So, Cuphead, where’s my pitchfork?” The Devil asked with a toothy smirk.

“I-I lost it,” Cuphead said sadly.

“Lost it. Oh, how irresponsible,” Devil replied with scoff.

“But I got something else to trade.”

The Devil perked his head up and smiled sadistically. “Do tell.”

Chalice gasped in fear. “Cuphead, what are you doing?!”

Cuphead took a deep breath and straightened up. “You can have my soul. In exchange, you release my brother and Chalice.”

“Don’t you dare, Cuphead!!!” Mugman shouted tearfully, struggling against the Devil’s telepathic hold.

The Devil smirked evilly. “Oh, this is turning out better than I thought. Alright, Cuphead, you got yourself a deal. I release your brother and Chalice in exchange for your soul.” The Devil put his hand out.

“CUPHEAD!!! DON’T DO THIS!!! PLEASE!!!” Mugman cried while trying to move, but he couldn’t.

“CUPHEAD!!! THIS ISN’T WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT!!” Chalice barked at Cuphead.

Cuphead took a deep breath again and reached his hand towards the Devil. Before Cuphead and Devil could shake hands on it, a fire ball flew between them. Cuphead winced back with a yelp while the Devil growled angrily.

“Release the kids—!”

The Devil and Cuphead looked to the side of the throne room to find King Dice being held hostage by Elder Kettle. King Dice had a sword against his neck while Elder Kettle had the pitchfork strapped to his back.

“—Or I’ll kill your right-hand man!” Elder Kettle threatened with rage in his eyes.

“Just do what he says, boss! The old tea kettle is unhinged!” King Dice shouted cowardly.

The Devil rolled his eyes. “Oh great. Look what you just—wait, my pitchfork!”

Elder Kettle gritted his teeth. “You want it? Then you release my kids.”

The Devil tapped his finger on the armrest of the throne chair. “It’s funny how Cuphead made a deal to sell his soul to me in exchange for his brother’s freedom. Now here you are…threatening to kill my good-for-nothing lackey, to which you should know I have no problem with, and making a deal of taking back my pitchfork in exchange of me releasing your ‘kids’…if they are really your kids that is. Now I’m debating which deal sounds more…enticing.” With that said, the Devil shifted his gaze at Cuphead.

Elder Kettle shifted his attention to Cuphead. “Cuphead, you should know better than sell your own soul to the Devil.” He glared at the Devil. “Have you ever heard of Lost and Found contract? This pitchfork is mine for now…unless you want to trade. If that’s the case, release my kids and I’ll give you back your pitchfork.”

“Ugh, fine, make it snappy,” The Devil groaned irritably.

However, Elder Kettle shook his head. “I ain’t givin’ you the pitchfork unless you release my kids first. That way I know you ain’t a liar and manipulator like you’ve always been.”

“Ugh, ouch!” The Devil said sarcastically. “Well, if you want to play it that way—” With his telepathic powers, he threw Mugman through the walls.

“MUGMAN!!!” Elder Kettle, Cuphead, and Chalice called for him.

Elder Kettle pushed the tip of the sword against Dice’s throat. “Release him or I’ll kill your number one!!”

The Devil smirked. “Go ahead. No one was stopping you.”

The color drained from Dice’s face, his life on the line. Elder Kettle glared into Dice’s eyes, ready to kill him until he could see fear in the gambler’s eyes. The old tea kettle softened his gaze and pulled his sword away from Dice’s throat. He shoved the gambler on his knees. Elder Kettle took the pitchfork off of his back with a sigh.

“That’s what I thought,” Devil said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Now, why don’t you hand over the pitchfork, hm? Just as promised.”

“Eh, excuse me?!”

Devil glanced down to see Stickler standing by his throne chair. He scoffed. “Ugh, Stickler, what do you want?”

“As much I hate to interrupt your fun, you are losing souls,” Stickler replied.

“WHAT?!”

Henchman bursted through the throne room, panting. “Boss! The Cat Burglar! He’s back!”

“WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?! AGAIN?!?!?!?!” The Devil growled aggressively. “FIND HIM AND BRING HIM TO ME!!!!”

“Yes, boss!” Henchman said while motioning a couple of imps with him. 

~.~

Mugman screamed until he finally crashed into his own cell. He groaned in pain and sat up to see the bars shut and locked. Mugman breathed heavily. Both his caretaker and his brother were willing to give up their souls for him.

Mugman had to get out of this cell and fast before he could lose both of the people he loved. The imps guard his cell to make sure he wouldn’t escape. He looked around the cell to try to find a way out of it without the imps noticing. However, he heard creaking. The imps turned their heads down the hallway. They took out their weapons, ready to fight anyone who dared come through the hallway.

Mugman heard creaking around the ceiling and looked up to see a pair of eyes looking down at the imps from the open ceiling. Should he make a sound or should he stay quiet? Mugman bit his lips and watched the mysterious shadow jumped onto one of the bigger imps. The imp screamed while the other one smacked him with a huge club. The mysterious hooded creature jumped onto the other imp, who hit himself with a club trying to get to the creature. The hooded creature jumped off and looked into Mugman’s cell.

Mugman waved his hand shyly, not sure who this creature was.

The creature unlocked the cell with claws and came towards him. The creature appeared to be a girl, her claws reaching to lock pick the chains around Mugman’s ankles.

Mugman was no longer fearful of this hooded creature as he reached for the brown hood to see who she was. However, before his fingers could touch the fabric, she snatched his wrist to stop him. She looked up at him, staring into his eyes. He could see red fur under the hood. Her mouth and her nose were covered by a bandana.

“Who are you?” he whispered, not sure why the question slipped out of his mouth. She released her grip on his wrist and continued to work with the chains. The chains released his ankles and she held a paw out for him to take. Mugman looked at her hand and then into her eyes. There was a bright smile hidden behind her bandana that he could see by the movement of the fabric. He exchanged a smile back and took her hand. She pulled him up on his feet before hearing heavy footsteps.

“There you are!” one of the larger imps barked and swung his club to hit both Mugman and her.

She pushed him out of the way and jumped back. The club hit the ground between the two of them. She ran out of the cell, but was grabbed by the other imp and slammed her against the wall.

“Where do you think you’re going?!” The other imp barked at her.

Mugman gasped to see her in trouble while hurrying out of the cell and hopped onto the imp’s back to get him off of her. The imp knocked Mugman back against the bars on the other side of the hall before watching the other imp stomping out of his original cell.

The creature clawed the imp’s hand and bit down on it with her sharp teeth. The imp cried in pain while letting go of her. She pounced on him and scratched up his face with a cat’s yowl. The other imp slapped her off of his partner. She tumbled onto the ground next to Mugman, who stared up in fear. The imp pulled out their club to make the killing blow.

“Finally, the boss doesn’t have to deal with you anymore,” the imp growled while raising his club high.

Mugman gasped and grabbed her by the shawl and pulled her out of harm’s way. The imp’s club pounded onto the ground again.

“Are you okay?” he asked her while helping her up on her feet.

“They’re a bit bigger than I remembered,” she finally answered.

Mugman gasped to find that she spoke. He looked up to find the imps coming towards them.

“Get the mug and kill the Cat Burglar,” the imp ordered.

“Cat Burglar?” Mugman questioned before noticing her throwing the ball of yarn at the imps. The imps looked down at the yarn with a confused expression on their faces and then laughed.

“Is that the best you can do—?!”

The ball of yarn exploded, the yarn strings tying up the imps. The imps couldn’t move a muscle until they tried to cut their way through the thick yarn strings.

The Cat Burglar took Mugman by the hand and hurried out of the hallway. Mugman gripped in her hand in fear that he wouldn’t be able to catch up with her. They hurried towards the lava pit as she got out a bow and attached the string to the arrow. She pulled the bowstring back and released the arrow, having it stick onto the ceiling.

“Hang on!” she warned before gripping her bow.

Mugman wrapped his arms around her sides once she jumped off of the ledge. They swung over the lava pit with Mugman screaming in terror. The arrow slipped from the ceiling once they landed on the other side of the lava pit. She hurried away from the cliff, but Mugman almost fell back into the lava pit. Before he could lose his footing on the edge, he felt his shirt being grabbed. He looked up to find the Cat Burglar pulling him away from the edge.

“Come on!” she urged him as she hurried into the dark caverns.

Mugman followed her. “Hey, wait!” He squeezed himself through the sharp rocks. The smell of brimstone infiltrated his nose. “Thank you for saving me back there.”

“Same to you,” she said.

“Oh…I, uh, didn’t do much.”

“I could’ve been crushed by the club if you weren’t there, so I thank you too for saving me back there.”

Mugman blushed for a moment. “Uh…it’s no problem. Wait, who are you?”

“It’s better if I tell you after we’re done here. You’ll never know who will hear us in here,” The Cat Burglar replied. “Let’s get out of here—”

“Wait, my family is at the Devil’s throne…The Devil will have both my brother’s and my caretaker’s if we don’t get them out of the throne room,” Mugman begged while reaching for her paw.

She stopped and turned to him. She gave a thought and nodded her head. “Then let’s get them out of here too.”

Mugman brightly smiled at her.

“Follow me,” she whispered while they made their way to the throne room. 

~.~

Henchman bursted into the Devil’s throne room.

“Boss! The Cat Burglar—He got the mug too!” Henchman announced while panting for breaths.

Cuphead, Chalice, and Elder Kettle sighed in relief that Mugman was somewhere safe.

Devil growled angrily. “Find the Cat Burglar and that mug! Bring them to me at once!”

“Yes, boss!” Henchman ran off to try and find them.

Stickler raised his finger. “And more souls were being free as we speak.”

“Ugh! Isn’t there a better day when that Cat Burglar could just come in and take them? I’m in the middle of obtaining souls!!!”

Cuphead noticed something above the throne room and looked up to see Mugman and a mysterious hooded creature sneaking through the ceiling. He smiled brightly to see his brother. Chalice and Elder Kettle joined in looking up and saw Mugman on the ceiling.

They both sighed in quiet relief while snapping their attention back at Devil.

King Dice was too stunned to speak after being called “good-for-nothing lackey” and almost killed by the old tea kettle.

The Devil shifted his stare back at Elder Kettle. “Now, about that deal, make it snappy. We don’t—”

Before Elder Kettle could give the pitchfork back, an arrow was shot between the Devil’s feet. It exploded, blinding The Devil, Stickler, King Dice, and the imps holding Cuphead hostage. Elder Kettle looked away before he could be blinded by it. Cuphead closed his eyes while feeling their grips loosened on him. He shrugged out of it and helped Chalice with the ghostly chains. However, the ghost chains disappeared as soon as the brightness started. Chalice smiled brightly and reverted back to her physical form.

Elder Kettle threw the pitchfork at the Devil’s feet and hurried towards the kids. He took their hands and rushed over to the secret exit that Dice showed him.

“Wait, Elder Kettle!” Cuphead said while hurrying over and grabbing the bikes.

“You had the bikes there the entire time?!” Elder Kettle pointed out.

“Just in case!” Cuphead said while looking around for his brother. “We gotta find Mugsy!”

He felt someone grabbing his arm as he looked to see Mugman.

“Mugsy!” Cuphead cried and hugged his brother. “I’m so sorry! I’m so so sorry!”

“Come on, Cuphead! Let’s get out of here!” Mugman determined while hopping onto the bikes with Cuphead. Cuphead nodded his head and rode their bikes towards the secret exit with Elder Kettle leading them. However, they noticed that the Cat Burglar was also running with them.

“Come on!” she urged the others as she ran ahead of them.

Elder Kettle was slowing down, panting for breath.

Chalice noticed this and looked behind her to find Devil recovered from the flash bomb with a glare at them. She clenched her teeth and turned into the ghost, possessing Elder Kettle. Chalice, as Elder Kettle, sprinted to catch up with the boys and the Cat Burglar.

The Cat Burglar took out her walkie-talkie. “Jerry! I need you to pick us up by the secret entrance! Hurry!”

“Jerry?!” Cuphead and Mugman shouted in question.

A sudden fireball was thrown at them and missed, scaring them. They looked back to see Devil running after them. The Cat Burglar shot an arrow onto the ceiling and they ran under it. After they were passed it, she pressed the button to detonate the bomb. The rocks started to collapse as they saw the woods in the late evening. They made it out of Hell.

Cuphead and Mugman saw a pair of headlights coming at them. Both of the brothers screamed and stopped their bikes. The car swerved to the side and they looked up to find a familiar face of black figure with red crooked nose. His face was hidden under the green large hat and his mouth was hidden by a green scarf. His body was also hidden by a green trench coat.

“Get in!” The strange figure shouted.

The Cat Burglar jumped in the vehicle. She looked at the rest of the group. “Get in! Hurry!”

Cuphead and Mugman got off of their bikes and threw them at the back of the car while hopping onto the backseat along with Elder Kettle.

The Cat Burglar looked around. “Wait, where’s the chalice girl?”

Elder Kettle’s mouth opened and Chalice popped out from her ghost form.

“Right here. NOW STEP ON IT!!!” Chalice shouted urgently.

The stranger pressed on the gas pedal and the car sped off.

Meanwhile, back in Hell, Devil saw that the secret exit was blocked off with an offended scoff.

“You don’t get to run away!” The Devil growled while Henchman, Stickler, and King Dice came up next to him.

“Geez, boss, the Cat Burglar took a lot more than we thought,” Henchman replied.

“Twenty thousands souls to be precise,” Stickler remarked.

The Devil growled angrily and stormed off back to his throne room. Henchman and Stickler exchanged glances and shrugged at each other before following their king. King Dice, however, stayed behind. Tonight was the night that he couldn’t process. First, Devil was okay with Elder Kettle killing him, but he didn’t kill Dice. Why? It didn’t take words to coax the old war veteran to not kill him. It didn’t take him groveling and begging to be spared. King Dice clutched his chest to feel his own beating heart.

“D’aw! Dice! Are ya comin’ or what?!” Henchman shouted from a distance.

Dice looked at the direction of the voice and then back at the blocked off exit. With a deep sigh, he walked away.

~.~

The car drove through the woods, letting the others process what happened. Chalice already phased out of Elder Kettle’s body and returned to her physical form, sitting next to Mugman.

“Thanks, Jerry,” the Cat Burglar said with a sigh in relief.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” Jerry asked, trying to examine her while driving.

She took off her hood and bandana to reveal a cat with red fur and short black hair. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She looked back at Cuphead, Mugman, Chalice, and Elder Kettle. “How are you guys doing? You guys doing okay?”

Mugman stared at her, not expecting to see beauty under the hood.

“Yep, we’re okay,” Elder Kettle answered for him and the kids. “I didn’t catch your names…”

“Oh, my name is Cassidy. I couldn’t reveal it earlier because…well, you never know who could hear,” Cassidy, the red feline cat, introduced herself. “And this is Jerry.”

Jerry nodded his head and kept driving forward.

“It’s very nice to meet you both,” Elder Kettle replied. He looked at the boys and noticed Mugman staring at her in some sort of fascination. “You know it’s rude to stare, Mugman.”

Mugman blinked and shook his head, snapping out of his trance. “Hm?”

“You heard me,” Elder Kettle replied.

Mugman blushed and looked down on the floor shyly.

“I’m Cuphead!” Cuphead introduced himself. “And this is Mugman!”

Mugman looked up at his brother and then at Cassidy with a small smile and wave.

“And I’m Chalice,” Chalice introduced herself.

“It’s nice to meet you guys too,” Cassidy said while shifting her gaze at Mugman. “Hey, I want to thank you again for helping me out back there.”

“Oh—uh, it’s nothing—.”

“No, it’s something. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been smashed with the club,” Cassidy said with a smile.

“Wait, you were almost smashed with the club?!” Jerry questioned, panicking.

“Yeah, but he saved me,” Cassidy replied.

“No, no, it’s really nothing,” Mugman responded with a blush spreading across his face.

Jerry arrived at Elder Kettle’s house. “Is this your house?”

“Yes, you can drop us off here,” Elder Kettle said once Jerry parked near the fence. The old tea kettle scooted out of the car with Chalice and the cup brothers following him. However, Mugman turned around to look up at Cassidy for one last time for the night.

“Uh…when can we see you again?” Mugman questioned.

Cassidy seemed shock by his question. However, she hid her shock with a small smile and a blush. “Soon, hopefully.”

Jerry noticed something between them with a smirk hidden under the scarf as he drove off into the woods with Cassidy in the passenger seat.

Mugman waved goodbye with a wistful sigh.

“Hey, Mugsy! Are ya comin’ or what?!” Cuphead shouted behind him.

“Coming!” Mugman yelled back and headed through the gate. He was definitely not going to be able to sleep tonight with his thoughts on her.

To Be Continued... 

[the-forests-blessing]

Chapter 10

Tiny orange leaves scatter all over the forest floor. Slim white trunks with black stripes of all shapes and sizes belong to the trees from which these leaves fall. Lukas can recognize the birch leaves easily, but he’s not in the mood to get excited about their presence, not when he’s just been brought to the attention of what horrific atrocities the hunters back in BeaconTown have done to this ancient woodland. 

     His anger, which had once boiled red hot, has now settled into a low simmer, his upset expression aimed in the direction of the forest floor he walks upon. He walks fast and focused, meanwhile the heavy and slow steps of the shadow that thrives here somehow manages to keep up with him. 

     “I can’t believe this,” Lukas groans again, reaching a hand up to hold his forehead as he continues to envision the scene. “I.. can’t believe this.” He knew those hunters were up to no good just from looks and suspicious behavior alone, but this is… “This is unbelievable!” He finally stops, turning on the Admin. The deity stops as well, keeping a comfortable distance between himself and the distraught blond. 

     “How? How can they be so careless?” Lukas asks the silent god, knowing he’s not going to get a response. “To destroy such a large space of forest. Do they have no idea how much damage they’ve caused!?” He crosses his arms over his muddy frontside, then scoffs as he looks away. “Trying to reach you? Could it be..” The ecologist stiffens, his expression souring at a horrid thought. “Are they trying to push you out so they can deforest? Use the land for resources?” Lukas goes silent again, taking a moment to think about it, then begins to pace whilst his mind runs rampant with ideas. 

     “Wait no.. No that wouldn’t make any sense. Why would they burn down those parts of the forest if they could just cut down the trees and replant them if they were in need of resources?” He sighs, holding himself with his arms. “I don’t understand..” 

     The Admin simply watches him, silent and unmoving. Lukas glances up at him, then away, biting the inside of his cheek as an idea takes form.. One he takes a moment to consider before taking his chances. “Okay, I–” he reaches into his satchel and grabs his journal and quill, then closes it up and begins to make an approach towards the deity, too distracted opening his journal to notice the Admin putting his guard up. “I need your help understanding this, so I was thinking maybe we could try this again? You know, the writing thing. You could just write down what hap-!”

     A sudden chill overwhelms him and his moving feet are planted firmly into the ground, rooting him to his spot. “-ened…” He looks up from his feet, watching the Admin’s tired expression strengthen into his tempered scowl, the god glaring him down as he himself chooses to close the distance and, to Lukas’ shock, yank the journal and quill from his hands. 

     The Admin retreats a few blocks back, then relents. Lukas releases a soft gasp as he becomes mobile once more, taking in a deep gulp of air after realizing he’d been holding his breath. Before he could even think to move, the deity holds out one large blue hand, gesturing ‘stop’, so Lukas does just that. He’s deeply enthralled as he watches the Admin turn his attention back and assess the journal with his own hands, even opening it and flipping through pages. Lukas’ heart hammers in his chest like an out of control piston, watching the man stop to examine freshly written passages, then finally come to a full stop and lift his quill. 

     Admin examines the quill as well and immediately Lukas feels like a fool for not offering him his inkwell. He’s about to open his mouth to let him know he’ll retrieve it for him, but the quill descending upon one of the journal's pages and the sound of its tapping assists in Lukas shutting his mouth once again. He watches the deity’s face.. How focused and stern he looks as he scowls into the book's pages. Lukas’ heart snags in his chest when the Admin snaps his gaze to him without moving, making the blond tense and look away.

    He takes to looking at the new surroundings. Taking in all the slim birch trees and how scrawny they look in comparison to the evergreens that tower over them, yet their bright orange and yellows look heavenly over the backdrop of dark greens and blues. Lukas watches a shivering leaf pluck itself from one of the birch's thin limbs, signaling the nearing of summer's end. The scribbling draws on for a bit longer than he expected, feeling antsy until the sound of the journal snapping shut just about makes Lukas shudder in anticipation for what’s been written. 

     …Only to find that pressure once again keeping his feet pinned to the ground as the deity approaches. The book is then promptly shoved back into Lukas’ hands, causing the blond to emit a soft sound of surprise and look up. His breath catches as he makes eye contact this close with the Admin. Just like back in the field, his own teal eyes gaze deep into glowing turquoise, finding the tiny white pupils boring into him. 

     The deity stares back for only a moment before his scarred nose scrunches up and his frown deepens in a look of disgust, then he continues walking past Lukas… Keeping the author pinned down like a tack in the earth until he’s a good distance away. Then he relents. 

     Lukas doesn’t wait a second. He practically throws his journal open and starts flipping the pages hurriedly, all until he finds one near the middle with ink spots that he most definitely did not create. He holds the journal open and with his held breath, reads:

      NO.

     “Wha-?” Lukas’ jaw drops, his expression a mix of disbelief and annoyance… then skepticism. The handwriting is… horrendous for what is only two single letters. The lines are disconnected and sloppy, even the O looks wobbly and deformed. He's at a momentary loss for words, looking almost offended at the response given. Not much of a writer, he assumes. He quickly picks himself up and hurries back towards the deity, making quite the ruckus almost tripping over some twisted tree roots on the way. 

     “W-wait! Admin, please!” Lukas pleads, catching up with the god, getting only a few feet away from the man’s mossy pelt before a heavy stomp and the deity turns on him. Lukas freezes in place as the Admin turns only his torso and lowers just a bit to emit a deep, guttural, and distorted growl. Like the ill-fated growl of an infuriated Ender Dragon. His dark nose scrunching up and his scarred lip curling slightly. The intimidating, downright creepy noise goes straight through the author’s core, causing what feels like ice to prick at his skin.  

     They hold eye contact and a charged silence comes between; the Admin asserting his displeasure for Lukas’ insistent disregard for more information and Lukas… His teal eyes widened, the sound made every hair on his body stand on end with chills.  He’s completely speechless while he watches the Admin slowly straighten his broad posture and his massive form expanding as he draws in a deep breath, then expels a long, heavy sigh. He then turns, leaving Lukas stunned and.. Intrigued. 

     “S-so you do have some kind of voice,” Lukas draws out in an almost winded, yet quiet tone. The author’s heart pounds in his chest after that moment. He quickly perks up and once again begins following the deity. Again, coming a bit too close and the Admin stamps a heavy foot down and turns sharply, dragging Lukas back away a couple feet. The author is stunned into silence watching the leaves and dirt get disturbed as he’s pulled along by an invisible force grabbing at the back of his adventure gear. Once again, he’s dropped about a seven blocks distance away. Awfully generous unbeknownst to Lukas. 

     The Admin straightens up again with a harrowing scowl, and with a deep huff, turns and begins walking away. Lukas doesn’t move immediately this time around, instead he draws in a soft breath and sighs, watching him go. Okay.. he’s not a fan of close contact. Got it. Lukas rubs his arm nervously, then picks his feet up to follow, allowing the distance between them both to increase, giving the bad-tempered god his space. But didn’t he put his hand on my shoulder? Lukas recalls the action, remembering how… large the palm of the Admin felt upon his shoulder.

      Maybe it’s a control thing… Lukas ponders, taking the actions into thoughtful regard. So far, the Admin always seems tense and wary of him whenever it's Lukas that’s moving, especially when he steps closer, at least from what he’s noticed. His demeanor seems calmer whenever Lukas is being held down by his powers, or even when he was being held up in that net trap. Must not be a fan of letting people close, the author concludes. Lukas can both understand and respect that. 

      From now on, I’ll keep my distance… And stop prying for information. If that’s what will help him trust me more.

     “Hmm..” Lukas hums, thinking of that with a glance down at his watch. The sundial is descending now with the shadow of nightfall ticking closer. “A-Admin?” Lukas calls out, stopping where he stands. The Admin, quite a distance ahead, stops and turns just his head slightly. From this distance, the most of what Lukas can see among the mix of birch and conifers is the deity’s shadowy build, as well as the glow of his eye looking back at him. “I was wondering if you could please teleport me home? And Dewey too, please. I’m worried about him..” 

     The Admin’s glare narrows on him, and before the inevitable happens, the blond continues with a stutter. “A-and I promise I won’t say anything about this to anyone. I respect your wishes and.. You can trust me.” Lukas speaks with his heart on his sleeve full of honesty. Whether the Admin believes him or not, he isn’t sure. A deafening silence fills the air and, before he knows it, he’s witnessing a single short nod from the man, then his vision turns white.

      In the blink of an eye, Lukas is standing out at the entrance of the forest and in front of him, only a field away, lies BeaconTown in all its unholy glory. He stands though.. no stumble or fall to recover from. It seems the Admin teleported him with that in mind this time, Lukas can only hope. 

     Teleportation.. That's so amazing, our author turns and gazes back into the tree line, wondering how on earth he does it. A flash of white brightens next to him, catching the human off guard and poof! 

      “Dewey!” Lukas exclaims with a relieved tone. The ocelot whips his head around, completely owl-eyed and covered in dried mud.. The writer leans down, grabbing his companion and pulling him into an affectionate hug. “Aw geez..” Lukas eases his hug, looking down at the jungle cat's filthy pelt. “Let’s get you home and cleaned up, buddy..” He continues to hold Dewey while he stands, exiting the shadow of the tree line and entering the sunlit field. 

     Dewey, still stunned at what just happened, stays ruffled and alert all the way back to the BeacInn. Once there, Lukas changes out of his dirty adventure clothes and into something more casual, his turtleneck and dark jeans. Dewey on the other hand has collapsed with exhaustion on the bed. After Lukas gave him a warm bath in the tub, he can hardly keep his eyes open long enough to feel Lukas pet his head and announce he's going out for a while. The ocelot merely groans, flicking the tip of his tail with defeat before descending into slumber.

     Exiting the BeacInn, Lukas is greeted with streets dimly lit by the setting sun. Golden hour, as some would call it. The man turns his head towards the clouds, noticing the faint stars of twilight beginning to twinkle their way into the sky. 

      I wonder what he's doing right now… Lukas’ mind returns to the Admin and everything that happened today. From that energetic chase following Dewey and the Allay, all the way to getting caught in that net trap. Lukas felt he was being watched. 

     The blond sighs out, tired and more than ready for bed, but he's got just one thing he wants to do. He enters Beacon’s streets walking casually, all while keeping an eye out for any of those damned hunters. Especially with that snake, Aiden, skulking around . Lukas scowls at the thought of that pathetic pale face and those green eyes full of hate. He’s never met someone so hostile in his life, and Lukas has had his fair share of run-ins with some nasty folk while he traveled. 

      Knock knock knock

      Lukas shoves his hands into his pockets and looks around while he waits. Thankfully the town seemed just as desolate as usual, so there was nothing to keep Lukas from getting to his destination on time. 

     The sound of steps coming to the door alerts Lukas to straighten up and look towards the door. When the door opens, he finds on the other side of it is a disheveled looking Radar, dressed in a yellow cardigan sweater and some dark pants. Radar looks taken aback by Lukas’ appearance on the other side, the scholar gawking with surprise, then smiling wide. “Lukas!” He greets cheerfully.

     “Uhh.. Hi,” a small awkward wave and suddenly the door is being held wide open in invitation. 

     “I’m so glad you’re here! Come on in!” Radar chirps and beckons the author with a waving hand. 

     “Oh.. Wait, you're glad?” Lukas steps in, once again taking in his surroundings, looking anywhere but at Radar as he eases out of the awkwardness. 

     “Yeah! I was hoping to see you again soon,” Radar closes the door softly, then hurries over to the couch where Nell sits criss-crossed holding what looks to be a slimeball. 

     “Sup, Lukas?” Nell asks. “What brings you into casa de Nelldar.” She squints, looking up at the ceiling as if confused by her own words. “Or would it be Radell?” 

     “Uhh.. Well to answer your ‘sup’ ,” Lukas clasps his hands together and points at the two friends sitting side by side on the couch. “I came over because.. well… I have more questions.” That made Radar and Nell both glance at each other with uncertain looks. Lukas quickly gestures for them to calm whatever comes to mind. “Okay hold on, I know what you’re thinking and no, it’s not Admin related.” Radar sighs audibly with relief while Nell just quirks a curious brow. “It’s about the New Order..” 

     Immediately Radar sucks in another sharp breath and Lukas has to restrain the urge to roll his eyes. “Don’t tell me it’s another ‘classified information’ kind of deal.” 

     “Well..” Nell starts, squeezing her slimeball and tossing it to her other hand. “It’s not classified , but it’s not something we BeaconTowner’s really talk about anymore either.” 

     “Is that so..?” Lukas draws out with a lower, skeptical tone. “Mind if I sit?” 

     “No.. go ahead,” Radar says, gesturing to the chair on the other side of the coffee table. 

     “Because I was told the Order basically fell apart. Is that true?” Lukas asks as he settles down into his seat.

     “Where did you hear that from?” Radar asks in return.

     “Petra told me, but she didn’t tell me why. The girl at the BeacInn told me it was because a team member died?” The author sits forward a little, eyeing two with attentive focus. 

     “P-Petra?” Radar stutters, looking rather shocked at the mention of her name. Lukas squints at the reaction but nods. “She actually said that to you?” 

     “Yeah, the other day. I had a run in with that Aiden guy,” that name seems to draw out a reaction from the two as well, both wincing at the mention of the aggressive hunter. “He saw me coming back from the forest and told me he was going to go tell the mayor. Next thing I know, morning comes and there’s these two hunters banging on my door. They escorted me up to that.. Tower thingy.. And brought me into her office. The whole interaction felt kind of weird, but she gave me permission to enter the forest from now on, as well as–” 

     “Woahwoahwoahwoah–” Radar motions with his hands for Lukas to stop. He then looks back at the blond, looking and sounding offended. “She gave you permission to go out there? That’s.. That’s unheard of!” Radar scoffs, crossing his arms. “What else did she say?”

     “Uhm, that if I were to travel too far in, I basically wouldn’t make it out alive. That, and she kind of said if I were to trespass deeper into that part of the woods, that she’d have to take a course of action she really doesn’t want to have to do.. Whatever that means.” Lukas shrugs. 

     “I don’t believe it..” Radar looks distraught where he sits, at quite the loss with this newfound information.

     “Yeah well, anyways, I asked why there weren't any history books here in town- no answer, but then I also asked what happened to the heroes that used to live here. I mean seriously, the town was built off of the foundation of the Witherstorm’s destruction. And that’s another thing, how are there heroes who supposedly saved the world, yet no books on them? It’s all just rumors. Sounds pretty suspicious if you ask me.” 

     Nell keeps her mouth shut during this conversation. She seems to be spacing out while she squeezes the slimeball, looking off into the direction of elsewhere within the small home. Radar uncrosses his arms by now and is leaned forward, keeping his cheek held in one hand while he gazes down at the floor and listens. When Lukas finishes speaking, it’s Radar’s turn to sigh.

     “They aren’t rumors , I swear it. It’s just that he could never find– we – could never find a person fit to tell the tales of the New Order. Everyone in BeaconTown was a builder, fighter, miner, or some other kind of creative. We never found any writers who could put enough passion from.. From his mouth onto the pages of paper, so nothing was ever published.” Radar shakes his head. “We really tried.”

     Lukas quirks a brow. “ We?” He repeats… “Who’s we and… who’s he?”  

     The unmistakable tap of rain hits the wooden roof, making each individual look up from where they sit. The tapping gets faster and harder as the seconds pass. Radar drops his gaze, lacing his fingers together. He looks focused in thought, then nods a few times before he finally stands and crosses his arms, looking elsewhere but the blond eyeing him. 

     “The New Order leader..” Radar says, then takes a deep breath and sighs heavily. “I was his intern.” 

     “You?” Lukas utters out, genuinely surprised to hear it. 

     “Yeah..” Radar nods. “A long time ago.” 

     “Huh.. Honestly, I wasn't expecting that one.” Lukas admits. 

     “Man.. Yeah, I sure do miss that guy.” Nell speaks up from the couch where she still sits. She at some point stopped playing with the slimeball to sit back on the cushion of the couch, gazing straight up at the ceiling. 

     “Ooookay. And does this guy have a name?” Lukas darts his gaze between the two. Nell sits up a bit and looks at Radar, while Radar keeps his back turned to them in what Lukas can’t tell is a defensive demeanor or not. There’s another pause where the only sound breaking the deafening silence in the room is the rain pattering against the roof. 

     “His name was Jesse…” The squeaky voice of the scholar cracks with emotion. Radar takes in a deep, grounding breath as he then straightens up and turns back towards Nell and Lukas. “But he’s gone now, and.. And there’s no chance of him ever coming back, so if you’re looking for information on the New Order, you best start looking in either BoomTown or Redstonia. B-because that’s where the other two members are.” 

      Jesse… The name echoes in his mind. He’ll make sure to write that down later.

     As for the other… two? “What? Hold on a minute, what do you mean two? I thought there were three surviving members of the New Order?” 

     “Don’t bother looking for the third.” Radar’s usually soft and excited expression sours as he speaks. “What’s left of who she once was is gone. You won’t find anything but trouble there.” 

      Won’t find anything but trouble, huh? That reminds Lukas of something else, enticing a new question to take form. “Well I really appreciate you telling me that stuff Radar. I can tell it’s not easy for you.” Lukas notices the way the younger male seems to brighten up, offering a small smile and a short nod. “I was curious by the faces you two made earlier though. In regards to me mentioning Aiden? Ring a bell?” 

     “Aughh.. Not that guy..” Nell throws herself back into the couch. “He’s a major pain in our-” 

     “He sucks! I hate that guy!” Radar shouts and throws his hands up, taking Lukas by surprise. “He’s always coming over here, pounding on our door whenever a new problem rises up! Blames us for everything! He even made us move our entire home over here! Tucked in between these buildings, we hardly have any space to build anymore!”

     “Let alone walk, talk, or live without him breathing down our necks.” 

     “BeaconTown has only gone downhill since he came here with his.. His goons.”

     “Goons?” Lukas repeats, a little perplexed by the word.

     “Maya and Gill.” Nell offers in short.

     “Yeah! A bunch of no good griefers, that’s all they are!” Radar collapses back onto the couch, sinking into it with a sigh. “Okay, I’m done yelling now.” 

     “Wow… uhh… So you guys hate him too, huh?” 

     “Totally.” 

     “Roger that, Lukas-dude.” 

     Lukas takes a moment to think about this. 

     So, from this encounter alone, he’s learned that Radar used to be the New Order’s intern, Aiden is hated amongst other BeaconTowner’s and that… The deceased leader of the New Order’s name is… Jesse. 

      Jesse… I’ve definitely heard that name before… 

     The sound of the rain draws Lukas back to his senses, willing the author up and onto his feet. “Well, thank you both for enlightening me. I really do appreciate you taking time out of your day to help me have a better understanding of what’s going on around here. I do want to talk more about this, but it’s late and today was… rough.” 

      “W-wait, Lukas, before you go.” Radar stands up and steps forward, closing the distance between himself and the author. The blond smiles awkwardly as the scholar takes his hand into both his own, giving it an.. Almost professional shake. “Thank you for what you did the other day.” Lukas squints at him, a bit confused. “The postcard I mean. You were right,” Radar steps back now, releasing Lukas’ hand which the author quickly tucks into the safety of his pants pocket. “I did need some inspiration. He-... Jesse… Wouldn't want to see BeaconTown this way. So I’m going to do my best to bring back some of the colors it once had, in honor of him.” 

     Lukas blinks, surprised yet heart warmed by the words Radar speaks. He had no idea his gift of the postcard would mean so much to him, but now more than ever does Lukas feel like he made the right decision in giving it to him. 

     “And in honor of you too.” 

     Lukas tilts his head, slightly taken aback by that statement. “In honor of me?” 

     “Yeah!” Radar chirps in a peppy tone. “You helped not only me, but Nell too. You helped us both find that drive to once again push for building rights in BeaconTown again. If you wouldn’t mind, we’d also really like a bit of your insight on the build we’re planning to commemorate BeaconTown's slow recovery.”

     “Insight? That’s.. Awfully kind of you Radar, but I don’t know a thing about building.” Lukas confesses.

     “That’s okay! Jesse always did say there’s creativity in everybody, no matter how new or how experienced they are.” 

     “Shhyeah, Radar’s right. Jesse, like, inspired me to build my first house here in town. Gave me some building material and said let your heart do the rest… or uh.. Something like that.” Nell shrugs.

     Radar reaches out and grasps Lukas’ shoulder, giving it a light shake. “Give it some thought, will you?” 

     “Hmm.. Well..” Lukas thinks it over a bit, and while he doesn't have a clue as to which blocks would be ideal for building projects, he does have at least one idea in mind. “How about something blue?” Lukas isn't sure what he was expecting with that response, but it certainly wasn't for Radar to start sniffling and get teary eyed. Lukas leans back a little bit, looking at Nell for help. “Uh.. Not a fan-?” 

     “B-blue was his.. favorite color.” Radar sniffles a bit more, then straightens up with another deep breath. “You're right, Lukas. Blue it is! I'll keep you updated on what ideas we come up with.”

     Coming back to BeacInn, Lukas enters his room and practically collapses onto the bed. Dewey opens his eyes, emitting a chirp to greet his face down owner before tucking his nose back under his tail and drifting off to sleep. Lukas turns over on the comforter, sprawling out and staring up at the ceiling. 

     After his brief talk with Nell and Radar, he felt a little bit better knowing there’s more people here in town who dislike Aiden as much as he does. Quite the trouble maker he seems to be.

     It’s.. nice having people to talk to. People who are interested in talking to him too. It’s nice knowing Radar was looking forward to seeing him just to give that small update of his newfound inspiration. It feels really nice to be responsible for that kind of positive impact on someone, and Lukas can tell that the folks here in BeaconTown need it. Whatever Radar and Nell have planned, he hopes it brings the town's spirit of creativity back. 

     Lukas turns on the bed, gazing past his dark room and out towards the windows. The arrival of rain is beginning to become something Lukas expects as summer draws closer to an end. 

     …He wonders if the Admin is okay. If the rain makes him feel as lonely as Lukas does right now. He can’t help but hope that the man is somewhere warm and dry, and that the Allay is safe with him, snuggled up in the fluffy moss of the Admin’s cloak. Lukas smiles at the thought, thinking of how cute the little blue spirit is, and how… sweet it is that it finds its sanctuary with something as massive and intimidating as the Admin. 

     And what of that poor forest? Lukas has never seen such purposeful destruction to such a harrowing degree. All that, and he’s still forced to wonder why? With everyone being so secretive, there’s still so much hurt and confusion squeezing his heart.

     As the moon rises up above the dark clouds shedding rain upon the landscape, the pattern in Lukas’ mind persists. He falls asleep thinking of him, as well as what the next day could possibly bring.

     ~

     And just like that– he’s gone. 

     Arms crossed, glare unwavering as he lingers for a few passing moments. While Lukas has still proven himself to be part of an invasive species, the words he speaks plead with Admin’s everlasting skepticism toward him. There is no deeper meaning behind his most recent actions in allowing Lukas to tread within his forest, and the parts of it that have burned down.

     A scare tactic that had turned on himself, instead of scaring off the scholar, he turned around and threw his hands up with an incredulous speech. A threatening promise to take a piece of his mind all the way back to..

     Petra..

     The name echoes within his mind, being caught with an unplanned wave of dread. There is nothing left in that field the same way there is nothing left in BeaconTown. He’s left it all to grow and bloom on its own accord, both are no longer home. 

     Admin flashes within a bright light and disappears within the following dark shadow just as the Allay itself comes floating by. The Admin’s strange omnipotence being a guide for the creature as soon as he reaches his own destination chunks away.

     The rain begins with its light droplets until it turns into a downpour. The leaves above do not offer shelter, which he can only thank the clouds above for. For the moss floor flourishes with each rain, just as the shawl does that rests along his shoulders and protects his back.

     He casts his gaze upward, looking straight to the sky as his mind sparks with the image of the scholar and his pet, if they got home before being soaked to the bone. 

     Deep within the darkness, he spies across another clearing. Though this one is made of mossy mounds and rare uncanny trees. Their knotted limbs and uncomfortable looking twisted trunks are that of nightmares. The glowing veins within their cold, dark colored bark let the Admin know that within this depth of the Forest.. he is truly alone.

     He slowly trudges forward, leaving no trailing steps behind him. The moss is healthy and reforms as each heavy step lifts away from its damp surface. It takes quite a bit of time before he centers himself within the cold biome, finding the perfect area to seat himself in the comfort of the thick moss.

     I won’t tell anyone about this. You can trust me..

     Two sides to this man. One is overly confident and selfish, while the other pleads for access to his innermost woods and for him to.. communicate. What exactly is this author after? 

     Admin shakes his head. To give this human what he wants is to put his entire life at risk, doesn't he know that yet? The past is nothing compared to what could possibly come in the future for him.. For them both.

     Lukas. 

     His name is Lukas..

     Lukas protected, played with, and then freed the Allay before thinking of freeing himself. His survival instincts tell him only that he’s been sheltered, to care more for others than for himself. 

     It's a dangerous heart to have.

     With a deep sigh, Admin retrieves the sweet berries he took from Lukas. Popping the latch off one of his many belt pockets and scooping out the little bundle that holds the red sweets. He splayed the wrap open and the berries spread atop his gloved hand, only letting one fall before he reached and plucked it from the mossy ground.

     The Deity holds it eye level with himself, losing himself in uncomfortable feelings the day had brought him back down into.

     Lukas has left him no choice but to trust him, now that he’s returned to town that is.. Whatever he may do, Admin doesn't want the ocelot harmed, nor its arrogant owner.

     Admin tosses the berry into his mouth, its sweet juices reminding him of the Allay. How scared it was to be captured so suddenly.. They're all lucky the snare wasn't equipped with an alert system. 

     That's two traps in a few days.. The hunters must be on edge now that Lukas is coming back home without well.. being horrified by Admin himself, let alone the darkness he brings. 

     She must be on edge.. 

     He’ll be on the lookout for more traps after he finishes his little snack. The rain has never stopped him before and it wouldn't stop him now, the changing colors of the leaves only remind him that it will be getting colder soon. More winds and harsh weather.. The droves of hunters that come find only weakness the longer they stay out. For the sake of the creatures that live in depths of his forest will be kept safer the more he brings the rain and cold. For the sake of Lukas’s own safety, Admins mind wanders beyond snares and pitfalls.. for the blond male is a walking weakness in itself. 

    The berries are gone, and so he stands. It’s time to get back to work. Nightfall officially comes, the rain falls with it.

[morgenlich]

a great order for polishes that don’t photograph well lmao. first pic order is: halogen glow, zyler the cat, head hunter, inkwell, secret society, menchie cat eye

on the swatch, every photo of head hunter looks black but it’s definitely green in person lol, even in low lighting it never reads as black.

i’d seen someone on reddit say their secret society looked green and yeahhh i see it, i think it’s an issue with the gray and gold shimmer combined it reads a bit greener. here it is next to menchie cat eye (a sage green) for comparison:

i’ll say in person from most angles it doesn’t read as quite green to me, but def smtg to consider lol

overall v happy with these (as i expected i’ve only had good experiences so far w the brand), and i’m also very happy to finally have gotten zyler the cat, a gorgeous orange glitter, because years and years ago, when i watched simplynailogical because i found cristine entertaining but didn’t care at all about nails and actually was specifically uninterested in glittery looks (😅 yes she’s a very funny channel to watch in that case), the collab she did to make a glittery orange zyler inspired polish stuck out to me as the first time i went “woah that’s beautiful” in response to a glitter polish. so it’s a bit of nostalgia to me even though it’s a polish i bought from her own brand (tho i def think it’s meant to replicate the og collab lol)

[camila0the0cat]

Vasudo expressions

Character description:

Vasudo, Cuphead and Mugman's younger cousin who they haven't seen in two years, has just moved to inkwell isle. He is a glass-headed boy, a bounty hunter, arrogant, self-centered and studious in history. Cuphead is excited to spend time with his cousin and show him what his daily life on the island is like. However, what the brothers do not know is that Vasudo has a mysterious super power that means he does not need to shoot from his fingers to defeat enemies unlike his cousins.

Don't ask me how a glass is the family of some cups, the important thing is to expand the family XD

[jazzy-flowerr]

GhostBlossom Headcanon Lore-Dumping Part 1

WARNING: MILD DESCRIPTIONS OF MURDER

Going in a kinda sorta chronological order (because OCD lol) so we're starting with Specter.

-

Before Specter's death, they were one of those cyclops creatures that are seen in the Rugged Ridges Run N' Gun and The Cuphead Show

(y'know one of these guys)

But one day they were brutally murdered by a hunter. A cyclops' eye and canines (the sharp teeth) sell for quite a lot in The Inkwell Isles, so the hunter took those out after killing the cyclops.

Due to having such an untimely and unwarranted death, the cyclops' soul was unable to be sent to Heaven or Hell. Their ghost ended up getting trapped in limbo, meaning that their ghost was just lingering around in the real world rather than the afterlife.

The only way they'd be able to get out of limbo is by getting revenge on the hunter who had ended their life. But due to their death involving blunt force trauma to the head, they did not remember anything from their life, nor who they were supposed to get revenge on.

They spent a couple of years just floating around the Isles and spooking people until they ended up running into The Phantom Express. The Head of the Train, seeing that the ghost wouldn't be going to the afterlife anytime soon, decided to assign the ghost a job as the brakeman of the train. The ghost agreed to the job since they didn't have anything better to do. T-Bone dubbed the ghost The Blind Specter, and the name stuck, so from that day forward The Blind Specter was their name.

-

Other notable headcanon things;

-They don't remember what sex they were when they were alive, they decided to identify as genderless and use they/them pronouns because they felt like that was what suited them best.

-Specter is also pansexual

-They have autism, ADHD and dyslexia

-T-Bone and The Head of the Train are father figures to Specter, and The Lollipop Ghouls are like older brothers to them.

-Specter gets bored VERY easily, and entartains themself by playing around with (or annoying for lack of a better term) the other workers and sometimes even the passengers.

-When The Phantom Express isn't driving dead souls to the afterlife, they used to occasionally stop by The Devil's Casino to do a quick bit of gambling (only Specter and The Lollipop Ghouls would actually go in)

-

Alright, that's it for part 1! Part 2 coming soon!

[vodka-and-ocs]

Dungeons & Inkwells 4: Wood elf blood hunter

[purplemang0z]

Can I ask exactly how wender died?

I've been wanting to explain this! 😈

Tw: Death, Dark themes

Ok so Wender was a dear person living in a forest with his mother. So the day started off normal but a group of stupid ass hunters went up to kill him and his mom. The hunter shot at his mom and Wender jumped in the way of the gun killing him. But Sadly he didn't save his mom because the bullet was so powerful that it shot through both of them. But... Wender's Ma moved on while Wender stayed in inkwell as a ghost.

So that's the story.

[dipstar1489]

Gacha Life 2 Designs Part 2

Characters to my new series Tales of the Demonic in order from left to right: Penny Inkwell, Rune Inkwell, Glitch Mendez, Logan Nightingale, Iris Sussex

Additional Information

Inkwell (she’s an older cartoon; make of it as you will, too focused on revenge for love, she’s a cartoon but her creator was Irish so yeah?) and Rune (he’s also an older cartoon and never talked about gender, loves all though maybe not the traditional sense, his creator was Irish though he is also a cartoon) are siblings from a former older cartoon called The Inkwell Family. Inkwell grew to be self aware after hearing laughter from the audience whenever she got heard and managed to escape the cartoon universe. Rune was left behind and since the show was over, he was stuck in reruns. They are some of the few creatures to be given life by a human’s imagination rather that reproduction. Both siblings are numquan realis.

For More Info:

Glitch (she/they, favorite cooking tool is a pan, Cuban human mother and demon father)was kidnapped and experimented on when she was younger, with her being able to control technology and the only reason why she survived and escape the experiments is because she’s part demon. She was her mother’s favorite.

Logan (he/him or he/they, either the token straight of his family or bi with an attraction to women, French human mother and demon father) is the youngest sibling of the Nightingale family, with him being born by a human and is trying to give Donovan a physical body once again. He is the “cool” guy who is actually the biggest nerd alive. His voice actor feels like Red Son from Monkie Kid or Robbie from Gravity Falls.

Iris (she/her or she/they, questioning if she’s a lesbian but never dated a girl, is of Irish and English descent on both parents) is a parietal who was killed as a young teenager due to her hyperfixation on eyes and her family line. She was raised to be a hunter by her father and has her mother’s looks, minus the third eye.

[demonangelgirl134]

El Diablo au

Chapter 2: The legend of the magic beans.

It was a quiet moonlit night in inkwell Mexico, and many bounty hunters were hanging out in the local bar when a mysterious figure came in through the door. Some of them seemed to recognize him from the wanted posters of him hung up all around town. The figure was no other than the Devilish never-been-caught-once outlaw known as El Diablo. Diablo walked up to the main bar counter with almost everyone in the bar staring at him and whispering, then sat down on a barstool and tossed a priceless ring he had just recently stole onto the counter top.

"So what brings you here, Seinor?" Asked the bartender while picking up the ring.

"I'll just have a medium leche, please." Diablo replied. Just then, the person next to him pulled his chair out from under him, causing him to almost clip his chin and fall flat on his face if he hadn't caught himself on the counter, and also causing everyone in the bar to start busting out laughing at him. He stood up angrily and grabbed a dagger sitting on the counter in front of him and threw it out into the crowd, but it didn't hit anyone. Instead, it stuck to a pillar with a wanted poster of him hung on it. Everyone noticed this and immediately realized who they were laughing at. They looked back in the direction of where Diablo was, only to find him no longer there.

"I'm not looking for trouble." Said Diablo

The bar people turned back around to find the demon now sitting at a table next to the wanted poster he had just thrown the dagger at.

"I'm just your average fallen angel looking to strike a bargain." Diablo added after taking a sip of his drink and setting the glass on the table. "Perhaps one of you gentlemen could help me find a simple... score?"

"Actually, Seinor El Diablo, but I'm afraid that the only thing you'll be finding tonight is trouble." Said one of the men closest to him, pointing to the wanted poster next to Diablo.

"Heheh, really now?" Diablo chuckled.

Just then, Diablo noticed a guard walking outside the front door and pulled his hat down over his face to avoid being noticed. The guard walked away without even looking inside, and Diablo uncovered his face and took another sip of his drink.

"You know, Diablo, if one of us were to tell the law that you were in town, we could split the reward."

Diablo then started to hear footsteps coming towards him from behind as the man said that and immediately whipped out his sword with rapid reflexes and swung it at everyone within reach, but not hitting anyone of course, and left his sword held against the person behind him's neck, who turned out to be holding a knife and was about to stab him. The people Diablo had just swung his sword at just sat there frozen in shock, especially the man whose neck Diablo was holding his sword to.

"Tsk tsk tsk, you boys should know better than to try and mess with a demon." Said Diablo smugly while wagging his finger at the men. "Now about the score."

"Wh-well the the Church in St Michael has just put up a new golden statue." Stuttered the bartender.

"I don't even go NEAR churches!" Snapped Diablo

"Wh-well the boys' orphanage was just donated tons of silver candlesticks, th-those would look lovely in your home." Stuttered one of the men he swung his sword at.

"Hey! I may be a demon, but I don't steal from orphans!" Diablo snapped again.

"Umm... what about Cagney and Hilda?" Asked the man whose neck Diablo was holding his sword to

"SHHH! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Scuffed one of the other men.

"The what??" Asked Diablo, lowering his sword.

The man closest to Diablo sighed. "The murderous couple Cagney Carnation and Hilda Burg have managed to get their hands on some magic beans."

"Oh please! I've spent half my life searching for those! They don't exist!" Diablo replied

"They do too exist. We've seen them." replied the man rolling up his sleeve and showing him a tattoo of three glowing green beans. "These are the magic beans of legend."

Diablo then put his sword away and listened carefully.

The other man at the table continued. "That's right, Legend has it they will transport you to a land of giants and the golden goose."

"Golden goose? Like the goose that layed the golden eggs?" Asked Diablo while leaning in.

"That's right, a heist like that could last you a lifetime. But only someone with a death wish would try and steal from Cagney and Hilda." Replied the man rolling his sleeve back down.

"The only wish I have is to pay off my debt, and I'm not bypassing that chance." Replied Diablo while standing up and putting his foot on the table. "So tell me; where do I find this Cagney and Hilda?"

Stay tuned for part 3.

@weirdgirl92 @fanoffandoms23 @fantasyfictionmaker @bubblegumlover99 @glitterdragonthegreatprotector @hey-imma-fangirl @flufflepops @marshmallow-biscuit-blog @vampireium

[itskinwell]

Hi! Im Inkwell, and you’ve found my kin blog!

This is where i’ll be posting all of my kin content, from blabbing about stupid stuff to memories that i recall. I typically use He/They and neopronouns unless stated otherwise. I’m genderfluid and abrosexual!

Important blog details under the cut!

Kinlist:

Out dated, probably gonna get an update soon

Technoblade

Dream smp+smp earth, Canon Divergence

Emoji tag 👑

Spy

Team Fortress 2, mildly canon divergent

Emoji tag 🚬

Knuckles

Sonic games, canon divergence

Emoji tag 🥊

Snotlout

Httyd 1, 2, rtte, heavy canon divergence

Emoji tag🔥

Sun Wukong

Lego Monkey Kid

Emoji tag ☀️

Raihan

Pokemon Shield, Canon Divergent

Emoji tag 🐉

Guzma

Pokemon Sun/Ultra Sun, Canon Divergent

Emoji tag 💀

Sans

Undertale [classic]

Emoji tag🦴

Seto Kaiba

Yu-Gi-Oh, Dark Dimensions, Canon Divergent

Emoji tag 💸

King Dice

Cuphead [Game]

Emoji tag 🎲

Crow

Therian

Emoji tag 🪶

Kukui

Pokemon Sun/Ultra Sun, Canon Divergent

Emoji tag🌈

Hunter

The Owl House, canon divergence

Emoji tag ⚜️

Herobrine

Minecraft

Emoji Tag ⛏

Kenny

The Walking Dead Games, Canon Divergent

Emoji Tag 🎣

Edward Richtofen

Call of Duty Zombies, canon divergent

Emoji tag 💉

Jamison “Junkrat” Fawkes

Overwatch, mild canon divergence

Emoji tag 💥

Maugaloa Maulosi

Overwatch, Mild canon divergence

Emoji tag 🌴

DNI!

Sp33d!ng bull3t shippers

Techza antis

S4nsc3st or Fr4ns shippers

Huntlow antis

Otherkin antis

Basic DNI criteria

Don’t like, don’t interact.

Basically just don’t be an asshole! Thanks :D!