#I kept rewriting this

[serial-serializednovelreader]

Nova’s Notes - DD - May 8th

That’s right, I’m deciding to give my thoughts a cheesy name because why not (also it’s late oops).

So this may be one of my favorite entires of the entire book. My first go-around it was for the mirror-yeet scene (because that’s iconic) and Dracula being The Housekeeper of all timeTM, but now it’s also one of my favorites because of how much we learn about Jonathan.

They say you learn the most about a person when they’re in crisis mode, and while I don’t always think that’s true, Stoker definitely wanted to let Jonathan’s personality shine through here.

From the first passage, he’s literally guessed that Dracula is undead. “I fear I am the only living soul here.” Sure, he might mean that he’s the only present soul, if Dracula’s left the building, but since he describes the mirror yeeting scene right after…idk, I’d like to think he knows way more than we ever gave him credit for. “Clueless Jonathan” who? Is the clueless in the room with us?

Also going back to the first sentence where he describes worrying he was getting too wordy, but now being glad he did…oof. I feel for him here. If my theory is correct that he was initially writing in a more detailed way for Mina so he could remember his travels for later…I’m sure it’s hitting him now that while it may be saving his life that he’s more detailed, it’s so twisted that something he did as a note of affection has soured. I wonder if he’s thinking about how he may never get out of this, or if that hasn’t fully hit him yet.

Moving on to everyone’s favorite mirror-yeet scene, think about how Jonathan reacts when he’s caught off guard by Dracula because he didn’t see his reflection. How would most protagonists react? Probably laugh nervously and brush it off. Attribute it to some mistake on his part, which is exactly what Jonathan does *at first*. But after, he looks at Dracula and then looks back at the mirror to confirm his suspicions are correct, which they are. It’s an interesting moment and not one I think we see often at the beginning of a horror story (I don’t consume much horror though, so correct me if I’m wrong!). Usually, a character won’t get to this level of observation until towards the middle/end, when more supernatural elements have occurred. Jonathan may have second guessed his instincts, but checking them again is what makes him more likely to survive Castle Dracula.

Plus, when Dracula makes a move to attack him, his first instinct is to dodge the attack, showing that he’s not just going to freeze up at the first sign of trouble (which I want to emphasize isn’t a problem normally, but he is dealing with a thousands-of-years-old vampire…so, he has to be quick on his feet to survive).

Afterwards, he says he is annoyed at losing his mirror rather than disturbed, but I saw another post saying he’s repressing his panic as annoying (I’ll link it if I find it again) and I definitely think that’s true!! I can totally see that as his coping mechanism. Plus, compared to the rest of what happens for him today, it really is more of an annoyance than anything else. Would you rather your host throw away your mirror or lock you in a castle?

So after that horrific scene of terror, Jonathan is proactive in searching the castle. After finding a beautiful — but slightly horrifying landscape (you know it’s bad when he doesn’t stop to describe the view) — he decides to explore further, which leads him to figure out almost every other door is locked, including the front one to find, yep you guessed it…he’s a prisoner in the castle.

As I imagine most people would, at first he reacts by frantically running around trying to open locked doors like “a rat does in a trap.” The fact that he admits this in his diary (and, by extension to Mina/us) is admirable because it already shows he’s not afraid to be open about his emotions, even if it makes him look weak (which — unfortunately, he would, considering the time period). Most heroes of this period were expected to accept their fates with stoic determination, but that’s not human and that’s not how Jonathan is, either. We’ve already seen that he’s more open-minded than most English men by accepting the crucifix even if he doesn’t understand it and of course the way he shows his love for Mina is atypical for Victorian men as well. Most men wouldn’t go to the trouble of writing down descriptive notes just to recount it for the benefit of his fiancée later. It’s sad, but true.

Once he’s able to regulate himself a bit, it’s time for thinking and strategy, determining that he needs all of his wits to get through this! Once he sees that the Count does the cooking AND the cleaning, though, is when my love for Jonathan reaches an all-time high. He comes to a series of conclusions most protagonists don’t figure out until the end of a novel after way more obvious clues have been laid out for him and it’s only his 3rd day of being in the castle!! They go as follows:

A) Dracula = servants

B) Dracula = driver

C) Dracula = control wolves

D) Villager’s concern/gifts = this is worse than I thought

E) Crucifix = actual help?

F) Get Dracula to talk about himself (not hard) = find more information, but not in an obvious way

I also love that he questions his own biases about the crucifix he was given!!!! When else do you see an Englishman do that in the 1890s of his own volition (aka without someone snarkily telling him to - see BBC’s Dracula if you want an example). I certainly haven’t!

He also noticed that Drac talked about his “ancestors” as if he had been present for their battles (hmm wonder why that is). Hasn’t quite figured it out yet, but there’s evidence that he doesn’t write something down as a fact until he knows it is a fact, so perhaps we’ll see him write more on this later.

Final thought - his reference to Arabian Nights and Hamlet is significant and tragic, but also relatable. I too like to relate my life to my favorite blorbos, Jonathan!

All in all, we learned that Jonathan is very good in a crisis. He’s not stoic like most protagonists of his time period, but he is instead strategic and observant, willing to play the part of oblivious to keep himself alive another day and keep Dracula’s trust. This is likely what’s keeping him alive right now, as an aggressive approach would get him killed. Dracula is all about playing with his prey and keeping the illusion of benevolent host and willing guest — it’s a game of control for him. Breaking this game would mean it’s no fun and no fun would mean Jonathan is no longer needed….

While I know how this story goes, I’m as excited as first time readers to see how Jonathan plays what is, essentially, 4D chess with Dracula!

[mo49ko]

(fengqing 🏹⚔️)

at first i just wanted to draw mq playing with fx's hair but somehow ended up like this

i love how post-canon fq relies on "forgiveness"... the idea that despite everything they stayed together the whole time, but that if they decided to actively make it a thing they could

also i hope u like the outfits i made up 👍👍👍👍👍

(japanese ver. on poipiku)

[inkprilled]

I drag this hope in hand

I pull it along

Shouldering past

all of my mistakes

I hold it up to the sunlight

I call it radience

I don't let go

[dreamweave01]

In your April meets the turtles post, you said the brothers' timlines were unnaturally tied to Mikey's. Does this mean he was supposed to find these Bad Ending versions of his brothers– who had no family left– so he could adopt them as his own brothers? And if so, what is the force behind the scenes orchestrating this 'reunion'? Ancestors? A cosmic being? The timelines having their own way of ordering themselves? Or is it just an anomaly?...How much does this matter to the overall story? Am I just being pedantic at this point?

This dives deep into how I personally interpret the multiverse and alternate timelines, my own headcanons and all that jazz, so allow me a moment to attempt to elaborate on this XD

To me, it seems reasonable to assume that the multiverse is a bit of a fragile thing. Powerful and tough in its own right, but it can only deal with so much stress before it just breaks.

So in my mind, I like to think that physically, this AU is a bit. . . weird. In comparison to other AU's mechanical structure that is.

Most other universes deal with just one timeline. There are certain instances of course where maybe two timelines cross over to one another, merging together to become one (ex. the whole Casey Jr situation in the movie.)

I would assume there would've been a few minor, hardly noticeable repercussions, but it wasn't enough to cause any serious issues to the overall universe.

My AU? It has four coexisting timelines, each with their own unique experiences and outcomes. They're so incredibly different that they should have branched off to become their own separate worlds; and yet they are so incredibly similar that the connection was never properly severed.

Hence the reason why Mikey was able to find them so quickly.

He pulled them all together, causing a multiversal anomaly.

Scientifically speaking, it shouldn't even be possible. That kind of strain would normally cause a cataclysmic collapsion that wouldn't just destroy all four timelines -

- It would essentially create a wormhole more powerful than space and time itself, leaving nothing left of this world.

But that never happened.

When Michelangelo returned home with his brothers, out of the three parents' reactions, Baron Draxum's was probably the most. . . explosive.

Not out of anger of course, but out of shock and maybe a bit of fear. Being the kind of guy that he is, he's done his fair share of research on the multiverse. He knows what should have happened when Mikey didn't, and has been searching for answers since the day the boys arrived.

Why hadn't everything completely fallen apart??

He found the answer when he decided to examine the timeline itself.

Draxum discovered the reason why the timeline hadn't completely collapsed was because an immense power source was stabilizing everything.

And not just a power source - a living, breathing, intelligent life form, channelling an unbelievable amount of mystic energy unlike anything he had ever come across before.

Any little information given in ancient writings about this unknown being was cryptic and impossible to make out.

But in one old Japanese scroll, worn by time, Draxum was able to find one key note:

神秘的な戦士。 (Shinpi tekina senshi.)

一族の末っ子。 (Ichizoku no suekko.)

最後の浪人。(Saigo no rōnin.)

You ask if Mikey was always meant to find these "bad endings," and I suppose it depends on whether the viewer believes in fate or not.

Do I believe Mikey was meant to?

Yes.

Yes I do.

[samcats]

Mike and Wills friendship vs everybody elses

I’m sick of people acting like Mike and Wills friendship is platonic when 1. One literally had a crush on the other and 2. None of the other friendships are treated the same way Mike and Will are throughout the seasons so let’s go over them!

(This is gonna be a long one!)

Season 2 & 1

First off, in season 1, the show focuses on how Will going missing effects Mike the most out of all his friends. Mike is the only one to notice Will isn’t at school the day he goes missing. Mike is the one to come up with the idea to go out looking for him. Mike only keeps El around when he realizes she can help find Will. Mike is the only one that’s focused on after they find Will’s “dead” body. Mike is the only one out of the party members that holds proper hope that Will may still be alive.

In season 2 he was the only one that went outside of the arcade to check where Will had gone. He was the only one that noticed Will was being extra quiet that day at school. He panicked when he couldn’t find Will, “Will what’s wrong? I couldn’t find you, are you hurt? I’m gonna get you home, okay? I’m gonna get you home”, He purposely volunteered himself to go check on Will and then proceed to stay with Will in the hospital for days afterwards. He was the only one out of his friends that stayed with Will in the shed when he was possessed.

Edit: also wanted to point out how in the crazy together scene when Will told Mike about the mindflayer he said “just please don’t tell the others okay? They wouldn’t understand.” Implying that Will trusts Mike the most and that he thinks only Mike would understand what he’s going through.

& Will only yelled Mike’s name when he was having an episode before the crazy together scene happened. He didn’t yell Lucas’s name or Dustin’s or even Jonathan or his mums, his first instinct was to call Mike for help. Both of these things furthermore prove my point that their friendship is different from the others and they’re much closer

Again, the show focuses on Will and Mikes friendship the most this season. Not their friendships with Lucas or Dustin or anybody else, just with eachother. None of the other friendships in the show have done anything like this. Hell none of the friendships in the show ever GET as much attention and focus as Mike and Will do throughout the seasons. They are treated so differently. Still don’t believe me?

Season 3

One of the most iconic Byler scenes is the rain fight scene. Now I'm not really gonna talk about how obviously romantic this scene is by itself. But how it contrasts Will and Lucas's apology scene. The contrast between these two scenes is such a huge piece of evidence to me and I'm surpsired I don't see it around more

(Thank you to this video for saving me while I was trying to find the scenes https://youtu.be/u-rLx10eROw?si=vdGoQNtnXU103iZt )

Here’s the two scenes mixed together for reference:

Byler’s fight

In the Byler scene, it has buildup. Will getting mad and then bursting out of the room, Mike follows him while Lucas stays behind. Once they get outside, the lighting is dark and blue. The music playing in the background is somber. The way both characters talk and act makes you know that this is a serious scene. The aftermaths of Will going to his house and crying as he destroys castle Byers. And Mike and Lucas biking out to find him in the rain. You could make the argument that Lucas being there makes this scene bad proof, but it focusing more on Mike then Lucas tells you otherwise.

Lucas’s apology

It’s super rushed, you barely even notice it. It’s super random and isn’t focused on at all, it just starts with Lucas saying he’s sorry and Will saying it doesn’t matter and it’s pretty much over. The lighting is bright, our minds are more focused on trying to get ready to trap Billy then the actual conversation they’re having. Neither Lucas or Will react to it afterwards. You could literally skip this scene and you wouldn’t miss anything.

So why have such a useless scene in the middle of nowhere?

The Byler rain fight is such an important scene to show how Mike and Wills friendship has gone downhill, to show the change between children and teenagers, and also to hint at Will's sexuality. The Lucas and Will scene is just so useless and random and could've been left out, but the way it contrasts the Byler fight scene makes me think that its only purpose was to show the difference between Mike and Wills friendship together vs anybody else's, and nothing else. Because why else have it there? If Mike and Wills scene wasn't meant to have a deeper meaning, then why make it as dramatic as it was? Why build it up the way they did?? If it was platonic the scene would've been more similar to the Lucas scene and/or toned down a LOT.

It's undeniable that the Duffers where trying to show us something with these two scenes

Season 4

You can tell there’s clearly tension between Mike and Will when they reunite in the airport, which is very odd. Mike and Will are best friends, and again, Mike wouldn’t act this way with any of his other friends. He didn’t even act this way with El

Mike then later admits that he was being an asshole to Will, and we get that beautiful “friends. Best friends.” Scene.

Now, I want you to rewatch that scene and pretend that Will is Max or Lucas or Dustin or Erica or Steve or Jonathan or anybody Mike is friends with. But you can’t. It just feels too wrong and too romantic, doesn’t it? It seems weird as well, because we know full well Mike wouldn’t say something like that to any of his other friends. He’s never had a conversation like that with any of his other friends, either. This is because they’re just that. Friends. So why should it be any different for Will and Mike?

This is the same for any scene with Mike and Will. Season 4 or not

And if you seriously cannot notice the difference between Mike and Wills friendship vs anybody else’s, you need to do a rewatch

Anyways, there’s probably more stuff I could add but I’m gonna leave it at that for now. If you have anything to add leave it in the comments! Thank you for reading

[poppy5991]

Just like your regular dreams and nightmares, PTSD nightmares are not going to be a straightforward recollection of events. It’s going to be fragments of what your brain is trying to process while you’re asleep.

[dunmeshistash]

Marvelous day to you, good sir/ma'am! I have a burning question in dire need of answering, and thus I have decided to turn to the one and only Monster Mashing Morbius Master John "Dunmeshi" Stash for help!

(Well, actually, I have multiple burning question but I'm saving those other questions for later since I'd like to do some research beforehand when I have the time before I resort to asking more questions.)

For a while now, I have been compiling my thoughts on all of Dungeon Meshi's characters and summing up different interpretations for myself, and this has been going swimmingly all things considered! However, one of these characters I have seen very little interpretations of aside from a handful of incredible fan fictions is the one and only "guy of all time"! Toshiro Nakamoto! Most people I talk to about the fella don't really have anything to say that I myself don't already think; that being that he's definitely the person of all time, a well-written character, understandably though no less dreadfully non-communicative, a poor team leader who could most definitely use some improvement, is complicit in Izutsumi's treatment—which, for the record, I think is good writing and makes sense, especially for the time, though that doesn't mean I won't hold it against him either way—and immensely patient for being able to put up with that little bell thing whatchamacallit. Overall he is just well-written, and his confrontation with Laios—not to mention the way Laios responds—is just... mwah! Chef's kiss! Both sides of that particular fight were also pretty relatable to me and taught me something valuable. It's just... a really good fight scene! Me likey! Life lessons with Dungeon Meshi, hahaha!

I get that there's likely not a whole lot else to go through since he doesn't appear all that often and really is just the person to ever exist, but before I wanted to move on to the next character, I decided to hop by and see if perhaps you'd be willing to share your opinion on him! Maybe you have something interesting I hadn't considered!

If you don't, though, that's perfectly understandable! Regardless, I hope you have a jolly good day! I hope this is not too silly of a question.

Hello! I'm happy to answer any questions so don't worry about sending them!

That said I'm maybe not the best person to ask opinions about Toshiro since I'm a known "not fan" of him, I have come to like him more compared to when I first finished dunmeshi but I probably still have some biases, I'll try not to lean too negative on this tho

With that in mind here's my thoughts

I think Toshiro is a great well written character too! His fight with Laios is amazing and I think on his side of the conflict is a culmination of his worst flaw: He's terrified of confrontation and just passively expects things to resolve themselves.

In the example of the Ogre extra he WANTS to do something about Tade being so thankfull to someone who enslaved her but he wont because he's afraid of challenging how things are/afraid of conflict/confrontation.

I don't think he's a bad person tho, I think he's just passively going thru the motions of life, Toshiro is constantly just thrown around by the people around him without resisting it, he didn't to go to the Island of his own accord: he's there because his father made him go, he didn't choose the retainers that went with him and he didn't even choose to join Laios' party, he just let it happen to him (which is also relatable unfortunately, get a grip man)

Even when having to speak up against Laios in their backstory comic Namari has to pull him to join them in the complaint, he wasn't gonna say anything even if it did bother him (unclear if it did)

Letting other people push and pull you around is also choice tho, he barely tries to resist them and never makes his boundaries clear. In a way him and Falin are similar actually, how both of them just go with what other people want instead of what they themselves want, their reasons are very different (Falin does it because it's what she thinks her loved ones want/need of her, Toshiro does it because he would rather not fight against it) but it is a harmful situation for both of them, you gotta live for yourselves guys.

The thing is that it's not like it doesn't bother him to be pushed around, in the Laios fight years of bottled up emotions finally burst out and he says everything he was holding in the worst way possible, instead of managing his frustrations and setting boundaries with Laios he held it all in until he couldn't anymore, my man is not good at communication or handling conflict.

In another example he gets pissed off at Maizuru for using the Hag to scare him as a kid but also decides not to say anything about it, his relationship with Maizuru is actually also based on repressed feelings that he would rather bottle up and not think about (maybe these too will burst out one day if he doesn't properly deal with it)

But the thing about Toshiro I like the most honestly it's his feelings towards Falin, I might have made fun of him for literally goin "I like her cause she's not like other girls" but honestly I get it, she's a mystery, someone who is always only doing things for other people, and he saw her showing genuine interest in something that wouldn't matter for most people, or most people would find disgusting, so he was interested in her.

People joke that Falin and Laios are the same so Toshiro should like Laios too but Falin isn't as open and bold as Laios, so I think Toshiro wants to actually get to know her, but as I understand for his culture being interested in a woman and wanting to be close to her means asking her in marriage? and so he did, and even then he was still not being clear about his feelings.

That's why I LOVE the extra where him and Falin are finally honest and direct to each other, they're both people who just accept what others push onto them, Falin herself never gave him a response for a year cause she similarly would rather avoid conflict, but here they finally start being honest and direct with each other. I'm pretty sure he knew what her response would be but he still clearly told her and accepted her answer, my man confronted something uncomfortable gracefully, good job.

I avoided speaking on the more negatives opinions I have cause I believe those are what most people talk about but even with the negatives I think Toshiro has room to grow and definitely seems to already be on that path, like Maizuru says he has potential to be a great leader, he just needs to finally take charge of his own life and not be afraid to disrupt how things are

Just as a final thought I wish (some) people realized he has power over his retainers and even Maizuru, who people think is the source of his trauma, is still just a subordinate that can't really do anything against him. The source of his trauma is his father who also has power over Maizuru and made her raise his son (while still having an affair with her) if you're gonna blame someone for how he is blame his father smh

[descendantofthesparrow]

Chloe Charming Casual outfit 2

So, for fun, i decided that-using the...weirdness/gag of Chloe's wig in the movie changing every shot, in rewrite-in every SCENE change her hair changes.

excerpt from rewrite draft 2

-Chloe enters her dorm and then re-emerges wearing a different outfit and her hair in a new style, she goes back down the hall, others are smiling and waving at her as she passes and she returns the greeting but again, no one initiates a longer moment of friendliness and neither does Chloe.

for context, she just came back from ROAR practice and had her hair in a Boxer braid style and came out with a totally different hair style, and I had a realization that-because of the way I'm writing her, her constant style change is the only spontaneous things she does, as its one of the few things she has complete control over.(she has OCD and is a major perfectionest/very anxious when things change, so she has a strict routine for everything and her hair is the only thing that is random about her.)

[theyapper0]

HAZBIN HOTEL ORIGINS REWRITE

(AKA a rewrite of Lucifer, Lilith, and Adam's (and Eve's) backstory with the Garden of Eden and stuff (and a slight change to Charlie as well :)

OKAY SO there’s Heaven, angels and God. 

God makes Humanity (I.E Adam and Lilith (both created from the dust/dirt of Earth)) and allows them to stay in The Garden of Eden so long as they do not eat the fruit barred from the Tree of Knowledge (they will die if they do). 

Lilith, not wanting to SIN but just wanting answers, questions WHY exactly God would even PUT the tree there if they would die if they eat from it.

God explains that in order for them to TRULY have free will and freedom, they must have to have the CHOICE to choose whether or not they eat from the tree, despite knowing it would kill them

Lilith thinks that’s STUPID, why give us a tree with fruit that is poisonous to us? Surely this God is not as omniscient and all-knowing as we believe he is! For what God would knowingly give his creations something to kill them? How foolish! It surely must have been a mistake on his part that he was sloppily trying to cover up!

Lilith decides she doesn’t want to follow, believe or even TRUST a God that would even CONSIDER putting a tree like that in their paradise! She says as much to Adam, he disagrees with her. God had given us the tree to give us the freedom of choice, had we not have it, we would be nothing but mindless robots.

But Lilith disagrees, she wants to leave and Adam refuses to go with her.

She leaves by herself, fleeing to the Red Sea.

Lilith stomps off. She looks back. Adam stays standing where he is, eyes looking down, sad

She keeps walking

Adam is depressed from her absence, a human with no one is a lonely one, they are meant to be with company. 

God sympathizes with him and creates Eve from his rib, a new companion for him

_________

Lucifer is God’s best angel. One of the smartest, most beautiful and trusted angels in all of Heaven. 

But also the most arrogant. 

He felt betrayed once God created humans, they were his children and voiced his beliefs on how they are above not only himself, but the angels as well- which included Lucifer. But the angel could not believe it! For, how could such a lowly thing, a human, be above a holy being such as himself? It wasn’t fair!

Lucifer rebels against God and is banished to Hell! Bitter and scorned, he transforms into a serpent and preys on Eve, egging her to bite from the cursed fruit that the Tree of Knowledge bears.

Eve realizes her mistake too late and tearfully confesses to Adam, who in turn, bites the apple as well. She is his companion and he her’s, they are humans and they love each other, he will always love her, he will love her IN SPITE of her sin, if they will die, then they shall die together. 

Successful in his mission, Lucifer returns back to Hell to rejoice with his other fallen brethren! Oh how his plan worked! That will show God how imperfect his humans truly are! They could not listen to him, not as dutifully and devoutly as an angel could! (Though, he does not follow God any longer, he cannot as he is no longer a TRUE angel, something that he so claimed was so far removed from a human, how different is he truly from them then?) 

But what Lucifer does not understand is that God does not love humanity because they trust him, because they follow him. No, he loves them because he gave them the freedom to choose, to live, to decide their own fate and their own lives. He loves them for their freewill, not because they are mindless drones.

God forgives Adam and Eve for he sees the love that humanity can hold for each other, how they are willing to die together, to sin and face death, face God’s wrath than to be alone, to be apart. He sentences them to Earth, alive but no longer able to communicate with God, no longer able to hear God’s word. 

One day, Lucifer stumbles upon the true first woman, Lilith, while slithering the Earth, full of humans and breeding ground for sin to which he found he flourishes on now, and they share their stories. He was curious about her rejection of God, about her doubt of his knowledge and power, not because he felt the same, but more so because he doubted his judgment. 

(Lilith doubts God’s knowledge. Lucifer doubts God’s judgment)

Nevertheless, they both have been, in their eyes, failed by God. 

Eventually their mutual comradely blossomed into love, though Lucifer would never say he fell in love with a human, Lilith was much more than that. In his eyes, she wasn’t. But whether the Devil viewed her as human or not, she was, undeniably, mortal and eventually died. 

Lucifer was there to greet her in Hell.

__

They ruled together but their reasons for even BEING there were rlly diff. Lucifer was doing this to just stick it to God bc he was just super fucking pissy and hurt that God loved humans more than he loved him (while Lillith though God was a stupid doo-doo head)

So after ruling over Hell for YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS, Lilith slowly began to take more control of Hell and Lucifer sorta took a back seat, it was a gradual thing. It wasn't like Lillith was like “GIMME THIS, YOU SUCK” No no no, it wasn’t like that all. IT WAS NATURAL!!!!!

(“Lilith thrived, empowering demonkind with her voice and her songs. And as the numbers of Hell grew, so did its power.”)

The more demons in Hell sorta put a strain on their relationship [CAUSE STILL UNKNOWN]

Hell was getting more and more demons everyday and Heaven, fearful of their growing numbers, issued a means of population control in Hell- yearly cleansing (exterminations).

==============

Lucifer hates humans (and Sinners in Hell), wants to rule like REALLY harshly. Torture and the whole 9 yards.

But because Lilith was human before and since she only doesn’t like GOD (not humans) she sorta wants to rule the ppl,,,,,  justly and stuff? Like the whole reason she doesn’t like God is because she didn’t think he was a good Lord of his creations, so she wants to make sure she isn’t being this AlL-kNoWiNg asshole.

**(Lucifer doesn’t hate God, hates humans

**Lillith doesn’t hate humans, hates God)

The Exterminations is the sorta the straw that broke the camel’s back in terms of Lucifer and Lilith’s relationship tbh. Bc Lucifer doesn’t care at ALL if Heaven kills the demons or whatever bc he hates their asses, he literally pulls out a lawn chair and just watches haha 

Meanwhile it’s literally the most STRESSFUL day of the year for Lillith bc those are her fucking PEOPLE 

(Not that she cares about them or anything, it’s mainly just a huge embarrassment for HER bc God is ordering this and it basically shows that he STILL has more power over her, despite everything)

Once Lucifer takes a back seat in ruling, the best thing I can compare it to is like when married couples on the verge of divorce don't sleep in the same bed together anymore

This is reflected in how they raise Charlie and her beliefs.

—

Charlie was created, not born. She was molded and shaped from the brimstone and ores of Hell. 

Lucifer and Lilith literally MADE a kid. Like a whole ass child-sized doll and brought it to life with satanic magic. (It took a couple tries haha)

Charlie grew up in a very belief clashing household (Lucifer wants her/made her kill and torture demons/humans. Lillith wanted her to rule sorta strictly and BETTER than God like how she does)

Lilith rules in a VERY specific and orderly way (seriously, it's almost NEUROTIC) and made sure to DRILL this into Charlie’s head growing up so she could rule in the same way but this unintentionally caused Charlie to care about the people of Hell as a result (bc she was constantly considering how her ruling/actions would affect the ppl) 

BUT bc of how Lucifer made her think (w being more powerful/stronger than the humans and demons and killing them and stuff all the time), Charlie does unknowingly see the people of Hell as below her and babies them. Doesn’t even realize she thinks that.

Charlie is like the worst parts of both of them LOL

(I'm not saying she's a bad person, I just think it'd be better if her flaws addd something more to the plot. I think Charlie unknowingly treating others as less than her not only helps reinforce her position as daughter of the Devil BUT ALSO can fit well with the fact that she would rather try to solve other peoples' problems instead of her own- she wants to help people!!!! But!!!! Goes about it in wrong ways and usually fails but keeps trying!!!!!

—

Charlie wants to reform Sinners so they can avoid the Exterminations because she cares about them (goes abt helping them in the wrong way tho (ex. Instead of talking out their problems and getting to the root of it, she’d just put them in a time-out haha))

Lucifer will HATE this fucking idea. Not only does Charlie wanna HELP HUMANS, she wants them to get to Heaven, THE PLACE HE IS BANISHED FROM

In the first season (as I've said before), Lucifer isn't gonna be seen at ALL, he'll be mentioned form time to time but other than that, he's not seen. He doesn't want anything to do with the hotel or with what Charlie is doing regarding it, he does love her and she loves him but their relationship is just.............. super strained, more so after Lilith disappeared

(But dw, they'll rekindle their relationship later on :)

[xenasaur]

have u ever been having a convo with someone and they drop something that drives u into a white-hot rage so deep u can literally fucking feel ur heart start to give out

[sumer-is-icumen-in]

blanket burrito achilles they could never make me hate you <3

[creamhoodie]

˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊ Trio ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊

synopsis: Nagi finds out you cheated on him with Reo and the three of you end up having a threesome. Tags: aged up, continuation to my other fic comfort

Nagi knew something had happened between you and Reo the morning he had picked you up. Reo’s call had only confirmed it. 

“Do you ever think about how good the both of us could make her feel?” Reo had asked. 

His best friend had pitched the idea of the two of them fucking his girl, though something told him Reo had already been in you. 

Maybe it had been the way you tasted different or the way Reo had held you a little longer than usual when saying goodbye with your breasts squished cozily into his chest. 

The thought of Reo touching you and making you feel good filled him with a jealousy he didn’t know he could possess. 

“Was that Reo on the phone?” you asked, opening the bathroom door, steam in the air and you were dressed in the bathrobe he had given you for Christmas. 

“Yeah,” he said, noting the worried tone you tried to conceal.

He knew you thought he didn’t notice these finer details because of the way he was captivated  with his video games but the truth is he had every part of you memorized from the way your eyes lit up to how your tears taste when you cried. 

“What’d he want?” you asked, raking your comb through your wet hair. 

Nagi took his time answering, going to hug you from behind and smelling your clean scent, nuzzling your neck. That’s one of the things he loved most about being with you: how your fragrance permeated the hot steamed air after you showered. To Nagi that would always be a comforting smell, the smell of home. 

“Reo suggested that the two of us could make you feel good,” he said, kissing your neck. 

“Oh,” you said, widening your eyes. 

But he knew you better and knew that was your ‘oh how surprising face.’ 

Little slut, had Reo trailed kisses down this very neck last night? 

“Is that something you’d be interested in?” He asked.

He undid your bathrobe and pulled the drape back a little so he could see your bare breasts in the mirror. 

“I’m not sure, Seishiro. Would something like that even be okay with you?” you asked, but he was not oblivious to how the question had made your breath hitch for a moment in anticipation and longing. 

Would he be okay with it? 

He wasn’t entirely sure. Part of him was still filled with jealousy at the thought of Reo touching you but there was another part of him at the corner of his ego that was aroused at the idea of Reo watching him fuck you. 

Sure he had been lazy with the sex lately, letting you ride him and not doing it as frequently but this new element of adding Reo to the mix was stoking flames he hadn’t known existed. 

“Seishiro?” you called his name to get his attention again. 

He turned you around so you were facing him, your hands instinctively placing themselves at his chest. In response, he pulled back the drape of the garment even more so your nipples were fully revealed. He placed his thumb on one and pressed down hard. 

“I think I’d be okay with it, especially if it makes you feel good,” he said as you winced a bit from his touch at both the pain and pleasure. 

“Seishiro, what's gotten into you?” you asked. 

He wasn’t entirely sure himself as he was still discovering this feeling of jealousy and arousal. 

That’s why he couldn’t turn down Reo’s offer, he had to chase down this feeling to the end to find that light at the end of the tunnel. 

— 

Nagi watched as Reo whispered something in your ear causing your face to go red. Though he didn’t know Reo had purred: “I told you, you’d feel me again, doll” into your ear, he had a pretty good idea. 

The three of you were the bed you shared with Nagi. 

From the moment Reo had come over and entered the room, Nagi could tell how you were salivating over him. 

Again that same feeling from before, both jealousy and arousal plagued him. 

You sat in the middle of the two men, each making you feel so small in comparison. 

“Why don’t you kiss her, first?” Nagi prompted Reo.

Besides, you’re practically eye fucking her already, he thought to himself. It was also for his benefit he wanted to see how the act would make him feel. 

Not one to be told twice, Reo kissed you passionately, his tongue intertwining with yours.

Nagi felt his pants tighten watching the two of you. Seeing Reo kiss you with such a familiarity and passion turned him on because it gave him a new point of view of you he wasn’t usually able to see. Yet it also made him jealous because he wanted that passion too.

He broke the two of you’s kisses by pulling you by your hair and making you face him and soon Reo’s tongue was replaced with his. Again you tasted different, a mixture of you and Reo. Now you were creating a new flavor with him added in. 

As the two of you made out, Reo began to leave kisses down your neck and the slope of your shoulder, this time he let himself go and didn’t hold back, gently biting at your skin to leave marks like he had so desperately wanted to last night. 

“You’re so lucky, Nagi. Her skin is so soft,” Reo moaned against your skin. 

His words filled Nagi with both pride and anger. Pride because you were his and belonged to him. Anger because Reo had looted and he knew he had felt your precious soft skin last night. 

“I know I am,” he said between tongue filled kisses. He was ready to take it further, explore this feeling further down the rabbit hole: why did his best friend fucking his girl make him mad and turn him on at the same time? 

He should be angry at the two of you and he was just not in the way he expected. 

“Seishiro please,” you pleaded as you felt your clit beginning to pulsate in yearning. 

“I know,” he cooed but he thought to himself: I know how much of a slut you are and how much you crave to be filled with both of us. 

If that’s what you wanted you’d get it and then some, but this time you wouldn’t feel Reo without feeling him as well. 

Two pairs of hands hurriedly undressed you. It all happened so fast with clothes being discarded. You were positioned on your knees and felt two tips lingering at your entrances: one at your ass and the other at your pussy. 

Nagi was at your ass while your back was turned to him and you faced Reo whose cock lingered before you. 

“Seishiro? What are you gonna do?” you asked apprehensively. 

He kissed your back before replying.

“I’m going to make you feel good, same as Reo. Don’t worry about anything,” he said. 

He knew this was unlike him, usually you would just ride him and he had never fucked your ass before but he intended to show you that he was more than a pillow princess and could make you feel just as good as Reo. 

“You heard him, baby. Don’t worry, we're gonna take really good care of you. Here let me help you,” Reo said to you as he kissed you to relax you. 

Again you were greeted with his soft tongue and his hands were massaging your breasts as he kissed you. You felt yourself pooling in arousal at his embrace and you were just beginning to relax when you felt a sharp pain in your ass. 

You yelped as Nagi attempted to make his way in, the two of you had never done this before and you were extremely sensitive back there. Luckily, Reo understood. 

“Shhh, don’t focus on him. Focus on me,” he whispered so only you could hear. You were next greeted by Nagi’s tongue and spit at your ass as he tried to lubricate you. “I think he needs you a little more wet, angel. Should I show him how wet you can get for me?” Reo asked. 

Not giving you a chance to answer, he stuffed two fingers inside of your pussy, fingers curling while he used his other hand to massage your clit. 

Your breathing hitched, he was just as skilled with his fingers as he had been with his tongue last night. 

All the while, Nagi continued to tongue at your ass, leaving a snail trail of moisture down your crack and at your entrance. Between him and Reo you felt yourself flooding to the point that it was almost embarrassing. The lubrication caused from Reo’s fingering dripping to the back of your pussy as well. 

“She’s ready now, Reo,” Nagi  said as a heads up. The two resumed their positions, tips lingering at entrances. 

You stared into Reo’s amethyst eyes bracing yourself as you simultaneously felt them both sink into you. 

You let out a blood curling moan as you felt Nagi sink himself all the way into your ass. The burning sensation you felt made you feel like he had taken your virginity all over again and you collapsed into Reo’s arms, feeling his cock  warm and familiar in your cunt. 

“Fuck, look at you all filled up,” Reo said astonished as his hands steadied you. 

But you didn’t have eyes for him right now, what you were curious about was the quiet menace that had just sunken his impressive length into your ass. 

You turned your head to meet Nagi’s gray eyes and winced at his expression.

He looked angry and his next words made your blood run cold.

“Did the two of you really think I wouldn’t be able to tell you had fucked last night?” He asked. 

This was it.

His trump card. 

He had intended to let the two of you know when he had you like this because then he intended to fuck you with his full force. If you wanted to be on Reo’s cock how you had been last night by all means go ahead but he’d fuck you so good every time you felt him in your pussy you’d be yearning for his cock in your ass.

“Seishiro I’m sorry I didn’t mean to-“ you tried to protest emotionally with tears now but he cut you off.

“Shut up. You wanna act like a whore you’re gonna be fucked like one,” he said. 

The three of you remained positioned like that, not speaking for a few moments. 

You stared at Reo, who gazed back at you with lust. 

He seemed calm, you wondered how he could be so collected when he had been wrong, he had told you Nagi wouldn’t get mad. 

“Go ahead and fuck her, Reo. What are you waiting for? Fuck her like you did last night,” Nagi said. 

Reo began to thrust in and out of you slowly and soon you were overwhelmed with bliss. 

It was then that Nagi decided to thrust as well, keeping in tune with Reo’s pace. 

Again his anger was turning to arousal seeing you on Reo’s cock and hearing the soft smacking sounds of skin on skin. Both of their balls smacked against your ass and pussy, making lewd noises. He used your hair as a handlebar pulling it back to steady himself as he watched his cock enter in and out of your round ass cheeks. 

Looking over your shoulder, he could also see Reo’s cock disappearing and entering your pussy, each time more soaked with your fluids than the last. 

“Fuck, you feel good,” Reo moaned. He didn’t even try to hide how much he enjoyed fucking you and feeling your warmth on his cock. 

Nagi be damned, you felt amazing the only regret he had was not fucking you sooner. The way you were making him feel now he was envisioning all the times he could have fucked you: when he gave you a ride back to Nagi’s, when the two of you had been alone in the locker room, and when the three of you had watched movies at his place, if only he had snuck his hand under your blanket into your warm folds… 

As Nagi watched this all unfold, the light at the end of the tunnel was coming closer, at last he almost understood why he was feeling the way he did.

Pounding into you still, Nagi watched with half lidded eyes as Reo’s cock entered you again, precum on the tip entering this time. 

He pulled your hair back this time to be able to speak right into your ear. 

“You little fucking slut, I bring you around my best friend and what do you? You go fuck him,” he snarled his pace increasing. 

You tried to stammer another apology but you couldn’t form coherent words too busy making animalistic moans. 

“You’re such a whore and you had the nerve to kiss me after sucking his cock,” Nagi continued. 

Tears were falling down your face both from his harsh words and from the combined pleasure the two of them were making you feel. 

You fell forward into Reo for support, wrapping your arms around his neck, tears free falling down from your skin onto his. 

To Nagi it was such an intimate sight it only aroused him more especially when you and Reo bumped noses from the thrusting and began to kiss again slowly without shame.

At last he understood.

Watching the two of you kiss with Reo’s cock sloppily going in and out of you, he understood where this anger and jealousy was coming from.  He had reached the light at the end of the tunnel.

It wasn’t that he was angry at what the two of you did, he was angry because the two of you hadn’t included him. The jealousy he felt was at the exclusion of not being included in this game where you were the trophy. After all, he and Reo were partners on and off the field. 

Understanding this, he was able to channel that anger and jealousy into making you feel good, he thrusted against you faster now not holding back. 

“Seishiro,” you moaned, breaking free of Reo’s mouth and turning back to look at him. His face was red and you looked down to his thick girth going in and out of you. “Seishiro, I’m sorry,” you finally were able to make out. 

Now he kissed you, savoring the new taste the three of you had created. There was a hint of Reo’s dark chocolate, his ocean breeze, and of course your warm scent from this morning’s shower. 

“Don’t be, this is fun,” he replied genuinely. You turned back to look at Reo who was watching the interaction with hungry eyes and a smug expression that said ‘I told you so.’ 

So it turns out he hadn’t been wrong. 

Reo had known all along, the two were voyeurist and egoists at their core, each gaining gratification from watching the other fuck you. Each gaining pleasure from wanting to outdo the other. 

Nagi’s hands went to your waist now, his fingers digging into the meat of your ass as he continued to thrust into you. 

“I think I’m gonna cum soon, angel,” he said softly into your ear. 

Reo seemed awfully close as well still offering you quick strokes but his furrowed brows and moans showed he was on edge. 

They each felt so good inside of you in their own ways. Nagi was ever so big and he could reach deeper than you had ever thought possible, and Reo was thick and his unique curvature hit your sweet spot perfectly. Both of their moans echoed in your ear. Nagi was more of a whimpering moan and Reo was a snarl. 

In sync you felt the two release in you, and the three of you fell like dominos into the other with you collapsing against Reo’s chest, and Nagi collapsing into your back. 

“Fuck, look at what you did, baby,” Reo panted as he looked down at your interconnected bodies. His cock was a mess with your fluids. Your pussy was leaking with his semen that he had shot into you. It was the first time Reo had ever finished inside of you since last night he had made you swallow it. 

You turned your head to meet Nagi’s dazed gaze, and similarly his cock dripped with leftover cum that he had shot into your ass. 

The three of you stayed there catching your breath. Nagi was the first to break the silence.

“That felt so good. I didn’t know it could be that good,” he said, still breathless. 

It was as if Reo was the missing piece the two of you had needed all along to spice up the sexual aspect of your relationship. Having discovered several things about himself during this whole ordeal he was different from the old Nagi who would have just wanted to lay up in bed after one round. 

He wanted more. 

“Reo, don’t you think we should make our little slut taste us?” He suggested. 

There was a twinkle in Reo’s eyes as he responded: “yes we should.” 

Still fucked out, you didn’t protest as they moved positions. Ironically enough, you felt like the soccer ball they often effortlessly maneuvered and passed between them. Soon you found yourself moved from the bed to the carpet on your knees as the two stood in front of you, this made you feel more like a soccer ball at their feet. 

“Suck,” Nagi commanded, pressing his leaking cock to your face. You were quick to obey him, opening your mouth and taking his big pink head in. You were soon greeted by the unique taste of bodily fluids. 

“Fuck, she looks so hot down there,” Reo whispered as he watched, the burning anticipation causing him to fist his own cock again. 

Nagi’s hands went to your head, forcing you closer and to take more of him in. Your head bobbing up and down on his cock as you continued to suck him off was making him feel so weak especially with Reo’s eyes watching.

 For Reo it was a wondrous sight seeing his best friend so completely at your mercy, Nagi’s knees practically shaking and his usually pale white skin flushing pink and red with his snowy hair matted with sweat to his forehead. 

“That’s it angel, suck me good. Give Reo a show,” Nagi said. 

Reo loved watching your mouth take all of Nagi’s big cock in, he couldn’t believe you could handle it and had been handling it this whole time you had been dating Nagi. Images of you riding Nagi filled his head and he was impressed with both what your pussy and mouth could do. 

You paused for a moment to lick Nagi’s tip and kiss it in the way you knew sent him over the edge, not breaking eye contact with him. At this, he forced your head down again and began thrusting his cock into you so it hit the back of your throat making you gag, the sound of making Reo leak.

Again Nagi came, but this time he finished in your mouth, his slickness flooding down your throat as you swallowed. 

No sooner had you wiped your mouth than Reo pushed you on your back so you were laying on the floor. 

“Reo careful with her,” Nagi warned, his protective tone sending a jolt of heat to your inner thighs. 

“You had your turn, now it’s mine,” Reo replied.

He placed his cock in between your breasts and cupped your tits with his hands, moving them up and down, using the massaging movement from the act to thrust his cock in between your tits.

“Reo…” you whispered in astonishment at the lewdness of the act but your eyes were locked with Nagi’s gray predatory ones. Your breasts were his and seeing Reo place his cock between where he had rested his head and sucked at your nipples many times before had him seething with rage. 

“I want you to use your mouth for other things while I do this. Tell him how good I felt last night,” Reo said. 

Your hands, which were gripping his back, slapped at him a little.

“Reo!” you scolded. Reo continued to thrust between your breasts as he mushed them up and down against his cock like pillows. As he did this while on top of you his golden chain dangled back and forth in tune with your breasts. 

“Tell him how you practically begged for me,” he gloated. 

“Reo stop,” you pleaded, scratching along his back now. 

That only made him chuckle. 

“Good girl, leave me marked up so next time I’m in the locker room our team mates ask about it.” 

You remained watching Nagi who had an expression you couldn’t place. These two were a mystery to you. Maybe this was part of Reo’s strategy. Maybe once again he knew something you didn’t about Nagi, he had been right before after all. 

You didn’t have long to contemplate though because within seconds he was finishing onto your mouth, his cock still in between your breasts as he leaked all over your lips. You licked your lips clean and watched the two closely. 

It was almost as if they were trying to outdo the other. 

That’s exactly what they were trying to do. 

They were, after all, competitive to a fault. Even if they were teammates and best friends they each sought to outdo the other, it would often make the other evolve and discover new talents they didn’t know they possessed. 

This was just part of the fun Nagi had been referring to earlier. 

“My turn again,” Nagi said now as Reo moved off you. 

He knew how to win. 

He had something Reo didn’t have, and that was your heart. 

Nagi placed your legs on his shoulders and his tongue tenderly lapped at your vagina for the first time.

“My baby tastes so good,” he praised against your pussy with emphasis on the ‘my.’ 

“Seishiro?” you asked softly, watching him between your parted legs. 

He had never done this before, and the act tugged at your heart, he was being much more interactive than he had ever been before. It was everything you had wanted and everything you had cried to Reo about wanting when you had sought his comfort. 

“So beautiful, tell me how much you love me,” he said, placing kisses in between your thighs while also continuing to tongue at you.

“I love you so much, Seishiro,” you moaned in bliss as his tongue lapped at your clit. 

Though he wasn’t as skilled as Reo was with his tongue, his tenderness and willingness to do something new to bring you pleasure meant much more. It also had been part of his plan all along that he would be the one who made you orgasm last.

“Who does this pussy belong to?” He asked. 

“You,” you replied. 

“Who’s? Reo Mikage’s? Say my name,” he commanded. 

“Seishiro Nagi. This pussy belongs to Seishiro Nagi,” you moaned your eyes closing but you saw him shoot Reo a smug expression. 

You didn’t care now about either of them as you felt yourself reaching your peak. You felt warmth and anticipation then all at once a sweet release. You laid there in euphoric pleasure feeling several pulses in your body at your temple, at your wrist, and at your clit.  Your eyes were still closed and you felt that you could go to sleep right then and there.

“I think we may have broken her,” Reo said, slightly concerned.

“Nah, she’s a strong girl, she'll bounce back,” Nagi replied, and you then felt him kissing your stomach. 

You heard movement then felt a soft towel between your legs, cleaning you up while another towel cleaned the edges of your mouth. 

“I’ll give you this Nagi, that girl of yours is insatiable,” Reo said, “she’s difficult to resist. I hope we’re okay.” 

You were dozing off to sleep but it still felt weird hearing the two of them talk about you like this but you’d be lying if you said you didn’t like the attention. Reo had been the first to see through you after all you wanted both of them to want you even if you belonged to Nagi. 

You felt Nagi’s familiar hands move your arms up and place an oversized shirt you knew to be his from the scent of it over your head. You then felt him pick you up and place you back in the bed. He then tucked you gently into the sheets.

“We’re fine, man. Honestly I wouldn’t be able to resist her in your position either,” he said, placing a kiss on your forehead before adding, “oh but Reo?” 

“Yeah?” He asked, his voice sounding closer to the door now so you figured Reo was making his leave.

“If you ever touch her while I’m not around again I’ll kill you.”

___

Tag list:

@wishiknewwhatiwasdoingwithmylife @ayanies @marilover69 @celestair

[ninja-knox-ur-sox-off]

I have been grinding working on this comic for TWO WEEKS and FINALLY I’m ALMOST DONE RAAAAAAA

[hyper-alice]

if I were good at writing narratives, I would write a oneshot about lautski getting infected as described on Saturdays final stream

I’m back on my lautski bullshit because of this (I never left my lautski bullshit)

[smartie-arties]

Do YOU 🫵 like AUs? Do you like Dadgil? Do you wanna know about the lady in red from DMC 4?

Then please take a look at this little fic I'm making called infinity in the palm of your hand! It's about a timeline where Vergil stays with the lady in red instead of leaving her :3

[mohntilyet]

i’m having illario dellamorte thoughts. what if instead of knowingly betraying lucanis he did it like, unknowingly. idk how this would work but i’m intrigued by what it gives us. illario ‘i accidentally caused my cousin’s death & can never tell anyone’ dellamorte. genuinely grieving. blaming himself. does he take advantage of the year before lucanis comes back?? does caterina still ignore him the whole time?? how different is the canon plotline once rook shows up with lucanis post-rescue…..

anyways i would love your thoughts!!

95% of what i do with illario operates on the idea that he is frighteningly competent so you can see why the way the crows plotline plays out in the game might frustrate me. it’s also this reason why i don’t actually think too much about “illario got lucanis killed, but didn’t mean to do it”, because i like the idea that everything illario does in his life is planned to the second and that he’s too well trained to mess up this badly, if that makes sense. with that being said. 5% of my brain power does sometimes go towards “and what if he just sucked actually” and it was a theory i enjoyed before the game even released. so i have in fact been thinking about this anyway LOL . maybe he tries to honeypot zara, accidentally actually reveals lucanis’ next assassination job, and zara gets rid of him as a ‘gift’. illario is horrified and that gets even worse when lucanis’ body shows up, and he assumes this must be because he spurned zara by leaving her and not having the guts to seize power.

i think we could make his inferiority complex worse. illario’s worst fear confirmed: he is as worthless as his grandmother believes he is, botching something so badly that he accidentally sentences his cousin to death when what he wanted was lucanis just… out of the way for a bit (maybe while he kills caterina. LOL. i still think his resentment of caterina trumps his jealousy for lucanis though those two things are very intertwined its hard for him to differentiate them). so incapable that he got the only person who actually supports him killed, and now he’s dreading the idea of becoming first talon. he doesn’t want first talon without lucanis backing him, and now the only person left is caterina which is suffocating and makes him even unhappier. at least he hadn’t lived through her alone, and now through consequences of his own decisions, illario has no choice but to.

i think that would affect his plans for talon because of how horribly he’d fucked up, and tries to mask it because if he suddenly actually doesn’t want to be talon that would be a red flag for everyone. lucanis coming back would delight him (talon is within his sights again if lucanis comes back!) and freak him out. i think the plotline would actually be pretty similar because of this freak out, so he still shows up to zara’s fight to cover his tracks. lucanis can never know, caterina can never know, because what little faith they have in him will be lost. like he committed fratricide and didn’t even MEAN to😭 ...corpse whispering still happens, and zara is like “ohhh that coward. he can never finish what he started, can he?” + “elaborate.” + “i gave him what he most wanted in the world and instead of being grateful, he ran away.” so lucanis finds out about what happened but feels a mix of “illario, you idiot” + pity because turns out he didn’t even mean for it to happen, and keeps his secret for now, otherwise he’d probably have to kill him.

i also think not meaning to kill lucanis would sour his feelings towards the venatori, who are a reminder of how badly he failed, so the alliance wouldn’t happen. this does mean if the story goes on as it does in canon, he has to take desperate measures another way and kidnap caterina for some other reason but i can’t think of why….. maybe a thing where illario is like “ok. lucanis is distracted by the elven gods. this time i just have to kill nonna for real and then nothing is in my way” and recruits disgraced houses or houses that don’t like caterina to do so? not sure tbh but i don’t believe caterina made it so far without making enemies lol. this would happen post bloodbath + corpse whispering— lucanis leaves his cousin unchecked because while he knows illario didn’t mean for him to die, he has no idea how far he would go to have caterina dead. teia could find out about this and send word to foil the kidnapping and assassination attempt

so ‘murder of crows’ is still about saving caterina, the illario-lucanis fight still happens, but it’s a little more hesitant and lots of “why won’t you just let me kill her? i’m doing this for the both of us”. he’s had to live with being the un-favorite, but never would have thought lucanis would actually pick caterina if it came down to it. with all of his missteps here, i think the final decision (and i think it should be like this in canon anyway) would be to imprison illario or kill him. imprisoning him is just a lot of “i can’t kill illario as much as he couldn’t kill me”, vs killing him as is expected from him as talon, and what he knew he would have to do after finding out about illario's failures. unlike canon, where illario is actually meaning to kill him and can be seen as a 'good crow' despite the sloppiness, here he's like. just bad at everything. the allied traitor houses that went against caterina would also have to be imprisoned or killed. no happy ending at all here, and lucanis still becomes first talon. now that i’ve written it out this is actually probably the worst ending LOL

the above sticks a lot to what is canon to the game (plot points, choices, etc) and i didn’t go very far away from it so it's like canon 3 inches to the left. tho my thoughts on this are not fleshed out* because i think illario works better as an antagonist character that sets things in motion !! not necessarily the villain in a cain-abel story, but a character who opposes lucanis while still not wanting to hurt him. that kind of discipline where he finds a way to get what he wants (first talon) without compromising what he also cares for (family) is so much more fun for me than a man who apparently just loses it and decides to enact a bad plan to get rid of his cousin. if he waited 20+ years to become talon i think he’d be more careful when it came down to it. if i had my way illario would be playing insane 5d chess to rival solas (insert black sails “i once thought that to lead, to be liked was just as good as feared. and that may very well be true. but to be both liked and feared all at once, is an entirely different state of being.”)