#and his mom's summon literally saved his life

[todds-rwby-liveblog]

Ruby really just fucking went into the Ever After finding out just how badly all of her plan with Amity and getting help fast failed on top of the knowledge that she will always be a target for Salem to Grimmify her or worse for the rest of her life and also the way she has NO idea whether her mom is dead or worse anymore and having it left up to her imagination. AND on top of finding out that Atlas fell and so many people died and in the end it was quite literally all for nothing. AND on top of that Penny died anyway despite the fact that everything that she’d ever wanted (finally being seen as more than just a war machine and making new friends) was finally coming true. Everything has well and truly gone to all shit possible in her mind, Penny dying wasn’t even a last straw for her it was like half the payload getting dropped on her at maximum velocity. I’m gonna go to bed <3

[redtippedfox]

Hi welcome to my page!

I'm a Miraculous obsessed fangirl who makes fanfiction and draws fan art and illustrations for my fanfictions. If you're looking for a certain fanfiction then down below are my works. Just read the summary and be on your way!

Updates can be slow sometimes but will eventually be updated in time.

Make sure to read the tags before you read! All Characters in these stories are aged up to adults, some stories have mature content so read at your own risk.

Have a good day!

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Timey Wimey... Uh Oh

After her whole team has been akumatized and now runs free from the Butterfly Miraculouses hold. Marinette down with only three miraculouses was sent tumbling through time thanks to Future Bunnix saving her from her team's clutches in a last-minute escape right before Chat Blanc got his hands on her. But seriously? Getting stuck in the past for a year, of course, everything goes wrong on the day of the Prime Queen interview. Now she’s stuck in the past and thanks to her team using akumatized Bunnix her identity has been revealed in the grandest way ever…on the Prime Interview by her Akumatized teammates.

With only the butterfly and peacock miraculouses as her aid, Marinette and past Marinette must fight to get her team back before they rip the timeline apart…literally. But first Marinette has to avoid her nosy past classmates, her worried past parents, younger Chat Noir, and a very curious public along with a desperate Chat Blanc who will stop at nothing to ensure his lady is safely back in his arms and his family is forever whole.

and in the end, no foul harm will come, the cure will erase the past changes…right?

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

Unlucky Ladybug Marionette

After being killed by an Akuma in battle, Marinette is reincarnated into the Royal Queen of France; Queen Marionette, who is married to King Adrien the first and mother of Princess Emma. The only problem is that Queen Marionette was a wicked woman and was executed by her husband! Now Marinette has to live as Marionette and survive! But her adorable daughter just wants to spend time with her mom and dad! Can Marinette survive being the Queen of France? Will she succumb to her daughter's adorableness? Can she survive her husband who suddenly seems to want her attention and to be around her?

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The Stage of Chrysalis

What if in Strike back, Felix didn’t use fetch on the yo-yo but used Fetch on Ladybug herself and later when he was confronting Gabriel he summoned Ladybug. Flairmidable along with Gabriel take the chance to attack her and take her miraculous. Gabriel finally has the Ladybug Miraculous along with Marinette herself. Gabriel has seen how smart and creative Marinette can be with the Miraculouses along with the fact she knows the zodiac kwamis well. Gabriel takes this chance to control the Miraculous Guardian to do his bidding as he forces Marinette to destroy the very city she vowed to protect.

All while Chat Noir is forced to stand alone against a very powerful Monarch.

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From a Model to an Emperor

Adriens life wasn't normal, he was a famous model and son of a famous fashion designer along with the hero of Paris. But he never expected his not so normal life to turn into something of a fairytale.

Forced to be the Emperor of the now no longer lost Miraculous Empire he faces being Crown Prince, Sneaky nobles, etiquette classes, proposals, planning his wedding, his coronation, attending parties, old traditional Guardians and being announced missing back in Paris.

On the bright side, he gets to marry Ladybug because she's his Crown Princess and soon-to-be Empress.

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[fictional-orphan-smackdown]

BABY ORPHAN SLAP FIGHT, GO!

All propaganda and what each competitor is from under the cut (Spoilers for Black Butler in Phantomhive's propaganda. Also tw for human sacrifice and child murder in there)

Cubone (Pokemon franchise)

Every single Cubone that exists has a dead mom and I think that's why they're more orphan than anyone else who could possibly be submitted

Cubone is iconic across the Pokémon franchise as being an orphan. It's mentioned that it wears the skull of its dead mother in almost every single one of its Pokédex entries. In Gen 1 games there is even a main plot point about going to Lavender Town's Pokémon Tower, where the ghost of a Cubone's mother haunts the top of the tower, and the player has to calm the ghost so she can move on. There's also an inherent tragedy in the fact that somehow, every single Cubone must lose its mother in order to be a Cubone. So many orphan Pokémon as a result…

Well, it wears the skull of its dead mom

Ciel Phantomhive (Black Butler)

ciel is a pathetic victorian child with a demon (that looks strangely like his dad btw) who sees him as nothing more than a big mac as well as losing his only motherly figure because of her toxic yuri relationship. he is the saddest little victorian orphan and i think that amount of bullshit that's happened in his life is what makes him viable to win this smackdown. he also has a gun! he would win if this was like a physical smackdown. not just because of his gun but because he is just a violent little shit. he also has his own toy company and the little funtom rabbits are so adorable. we love a tiny entrepreneur! literally the only thing that sucks is that he's british. he could change that.

The interesting thing about Ciel's being an orphan is that he is an orphan but he isn't Ciel. "Ciel" was his twin brother whose name the protagonist stole after he was brutally murdered by cultists and used as a sacrifice to summon the demon that would eventually become Ciel's butler, Sebastian Michaelis. "Ciel" was the older twin, making Ciel, the protagonist, the second born son of the noble family in Victorian England. Ciel was not heir to the Phantomhive Estate for this reason. His biggest childhood dream was to open a toy store in London. But, once the Phantomhive Estate was burned to the ground with the twins' parents inside, the two boys were kidnapped by a group of cultists who planned to defile their souls to sell them to the devil they were trying to summon. In the end, as stated above, "Ciel" was sacrified and it was Ciel who ended up making the demon deal, not the cultists, and with Sebastian's help, Ciel was able to become one of the most powerful nobles in England and take revenge on all those who wronged the Phantomhive name. Without Ciel's parents and twin brother dying and him effectively becoming an orphan (even under the care of his demon butler Sebastian and his regular butler Tanaka), he never might have accomplished the things he did throughout the series nor would he have the powers he comes to wield with Sebastian at his side. I mean, of course, not making a demon deal and having your soul eaten and living a dull life because of that is not a bad thing, but I think Ciel's claim to power is interesting.

Not only are his parents killed in a plot against his noble house, but Ciel himself is captured, enslaved and abused. He only manages to save himself by making a deal with a demon: complete power and servitude in exchange for his soul. So now he's on a revenge quest; fights crime at the behest of the monarchy; takes on aristocracy and grim reapers; joins the circus; all while having a will they/won't they power-play-flirt-fest with his hot demon butler that both loves him and wants to devour him.

[serialadoptersbracket]

Round 3, Match 27: Bruno Bucciarati vs. Abigail Pent and Magnus Quinn

(Once again, shout-out to @ancientannoyance for the lovely art! Find it here!)

Submitted kids:

Bruno Bucciarati: Giorno Giovanna, Pannacotta Fugo, Narancia Ghirga, Guido Mista, Trish Una

Abigail Pent and Magnus Quinn: Jeannemary Chatur, Isaac Tettares, They also end up as parental figures for Harrowhark Nonagesimus and Gideon Nav

Propaganda under the cut!

Bruno Bucciarati:

1. “uhhhh he keeps (unofficially / headcanonly) adopting kids into the mafia, wrt one of his headcanonly adopted kids (trish) he literally spent multiple days puppeting his own corpse around because of how determined he was to save trish from her murdery biodad. he's great. best mom.”

2. “ -Man was just BUILT to be a loving mother

-He's picking kids up off the street, from jail, rescuing them from unjust prison charges, he even goes against the organisation he's devoted his life to in order to save the daughter of his boss that's trying to kill her

-He tells his kids to stay in school, not do drugs and takes them out to olive garden

-Has a mom haircut”

3. “HE'S THE BEST TEAM MOM!! EVERYONE ON HIS TEAM HE HAS TAKEN IN FROM DESPERATE SITUATIONS AND FED THEM SPAGHETTI!!! IT'S THE INVITATION TO THE FAMILY!! I just love Bruno so so so much, he cares so much about his team, he cares about getting them the things they need, he does his best to protect his team.”

Abigail Pent and Magnus Quinn:

“Okay so that may not look like many kids but the thing is that they arrive at this cursed ass house with their too adopted-ish kids, Isaac and Jeannemary. then Magnus meets Gideon, and is like the only person actually trying to talk to her and show her (it might not look like much mut it's the biggest anyone's ever done for Gideon). Sadly she and Gideon actually never gwt to talk because Gideon has a vow of silence. Anyways then they have a wedding anniversary (nice) which unfortunately ends with both of them being pushed down a fuckass long ladder and dying.

BUT they come back in the next book! AS GHOSTS INSIDE HARROW'S MIND and then they adopt her in there before dying again (also they solve a mystery and are good at it)

YEAH AND ABIGAIL CAN SUMMON GHOSTS

manifesting for them to come back again in the fourth book so they can adopt more kids and die again”

[ep2nd]

MYCT PJ AU

The Big Three Children

Zeus. Poseidon. Hades.

Foolish- Golden boy. Summons lightning easily. Sparks fly when he's mad. Uses a Trident to spite his dad- pun intended. Youngest of the Little Four. Out here living his best Amnesia life. Puffy saw poor boy, took poor boy, now they sailing on the Seas avoiding death. Yes Foolish was born and Zeus broke his oath- only the second time. Came to camp after the 2nd Titan War.

Joel- Foolish’s older Half-brother. Everyone hates Zeus so he dated the daughter of Poseidon. Sword lover. Uses the winds more than lightning. Takes pottery lessons. 2nd oldest of the Little Four. But also kinda the oldest? Saved Grian and Jimmy- got turned into a Tree. (Like the Mezalea one but also Thalia) Chilling with his GF at college. Becoming an architect. Short L.

Lizzie- The chosen one. Literally. (Aka Percy but girl boss). Trident Supreme Threatener. Amazingly strong and powerful do not approach. Adopted Jimmy because yes. Can beat Pearl- sometimes. Visits Poseidon's palace monthly. Great with sea creatures. Almost died on the way to camp HAH imagine. Barely survived. Moms dead. Started hearing voices from the Mother tree so went on a quest so she could help the tree. Got a boyfriend in return, great deal. Hanging with no longer tree Joel at college. Rejected the Hunters.

Joe- Creepy Supreme. Best friends with Cleo and Kristin. Pops up randomly. Out here spitting poetry like he's Apollo. Yes he's met Apollo- gave him the idea to start on his Haiku phase- DARN IT JOE. Chills with the dead. Weirdly happy. Don't cross him, he will remember. Has a book- will hit you with book. No one really knows when he showed up, nor will anyone ask. Mysterious. Somehow alive. Actually great relationship with his dad.

[edgyandoverzealous]

Hot take(possibly??): most of the demigods in pjo/toa/hoo are villain coded. Not all but a lot of them and the best part of this is they're villain coded but they're known as untouchable heroes which is incredibly interesting for me.

For example, the cliche, the obvious, Percy. I love him don't get me wrong but that man's fatal flaw is canonically his loyalty, his personal loyalties specifically. The reason he went on his first quest initially was to bring his mom back from the underworld, essentially back from the dead because his mom is extremely important to him more so than his dad who was absent most his life, not retrieving the lightning bolt though he did end up doing that and Hades had Sally safe and well. The common saying is "a hero will sacrifice the one he loves to save the world. a villain will burn the world to keep the one he loves safe." You cannot look me dead in the eyes and tell me Percy Jackson, the man who while angry and bitter about his mother's "death" and this quest sent Medusa's head in a box to olympus, who after falling for Annabeth couldn't forget her even when Hera wiped his memory, would EVER let anything happen to her. He went to literal hell with her has killed monsters in brutal dark ways while in said hell and even before that jumped into siren infested waters to save Annabeth personal safety and quest be damned. He has turned down immortality for her. The gods could give him an ultimatum and he would choose Annabeth every time over anything, except his mortal family, but even then Percy would save everyone and then burn Olympus for daring to make him make that choice.

Additionally another one of my favorites who is increasingly more complex or at the very least somewhat the opposite to Percy in his villain coding is Nico Di Angelo.

For starters he's lost so much and has failed to save whoever was most important to him, twice. His fatal flaw is canonically, that he holds grudges, which is specifically noted to be dangerous for kids of Hades. Probably because demigods have shown on multiple occasions to have their powers connected to their emotions. IE: Percy through the entire first book and Nico in his first battle with Percy where he essentially summons an army in a panic. Or possibly because of their connection to death, the afterlife, and creatures from the underworld. Luckily this son of Hades is in control as he gets older so it's most likely the ladder in this case. Anyways after Percy got his sister, the only person Nico had left, killed Nico started running and using avoidance as a coping mechanism. Which in itself is a classic villain backstory set up because once someone has nothing they can be pushed to risk everything. However, my personal hypothesis is he spent that time running to avoid a violent outburst and act out on his grudge to cause Percy harm or put him into harms way, on top of the crushing guilt he must've felt for having a crush on the one who got his sister killed. To gain control over his emotions and come to terms with his new reality without his sister and with his new lineage and powers associated with. When he first comes back he is untrusting and distant. Then there was the whole "I have a friend who fully accepts me and I may be able to learn how to love again, trust again, and have friends" thing with Jason and then Rick killed him. That alone gives Nico more than a right to be angry and start fucking shit up tm. But he didn't and now he has Will. Classic case of the fooled me once shame on me fooled me twice shame on you imo. The set up for the same to happen again is underway as well. So at the very least three strikes you're out because I genuinely believe if anything happens to Will, Nico will no longer follow the heroes path. I believe the world would crumble and quake beneath his feet as the most guttural scream escapes his mouth. The dead will rise as he storms Olympus for giving him a story so cruel despite how hard he's fought and how good he's tried to be. I believe he would raise hell so intensely that the gods themselves would resurrect Will in fear of being overthrown by the wrath of the prince of darkness.

[bestygogirl]

BEST YGO GIRL: Round 2, Group D

Match 8

please use this as an opportunity to say why you like a character, not why you don't.

Propaganda under the cut!

Romin Kirishima

Sevens treats her so well. She can duel and is a successful musician. She gets her own song sung by her voice actor in the show. She is absolutely slay. She’s a rocker with pink hair and pronouns. And she also made a curry that was so bad that it was used as a bomb and to power a spaceship you guys HAVE to vote for Romin I know very little about her but she seems like a mix of girlfail and girlboss and that's extremely real of her. Also she has a guitar and guitars are very cool

Shizuka Kawai

Shizuka is obviously very sweet, supportive and positive, but she is also stubborn and brave as hell. There's the obvious ones: Ripped off her post-surgery bandages after being functionally blind in order to jump into deep water to save her brother without a second thought! Perfect win record, won her first ever duel despite having no clue how to play!

But there's a couple really great less obvious character moments as well:

First off, her message to Jounouchi before Duelist Kingdom: It's heavily implied they hadn't spoken in a long time since their parents' divorce. But Shizuka, a very sheltered pre-teen, was the first one to break the silence and reach out to her big brother - even though they were likely deliberately being kept apart by their mother, who seems to believe Jou is a bad influence on his sister. Jou and Shizuka's mom has likely been repeating this narrative to Shizuka growing up, too: "Your brother is no-good just like your dad. Your brother is dangerous. Your brother is a bad influence" etc, etc. But this doesn't stop her from secretly deciding to contact Jou. Shizuka had no idea when reaching out that he'd do something over-the-top like try and win money for her operation. She just wanted to talk to her estranged sibling and update him on her life, including her illness, which was probably really scary for her to talk about.

Second: This kid breaks out of a hospital, still blind and wearing post-surgical bandages after a major operation, to see her brother. She meets all of her brother's friends in one go and immediately is like "Whatever I'll get in your car strange woman, just get me to Katsuya!!" Then after the pier duel she's still so determined to offer what support she can that she gets on the giant aircraft of a well-known local maniac without hesitation. The first things she sees after years of declining eyesight are: her brother nearly drowning, literal gods being summoned, someone she clearly idolizes as a big sister getting Shadow Game'd, Honda getting dropped into a pit of lava, her brother ACTUALLY dying - and she remains kind, cheerful and brave throughout it all.

Third: Despite her clear idolization and respect of Jounouchi, she actually doesn't just thoughtlessly go along with what he says all the time! Several times in the anime, when she feels Jou is being impulsive, stubborn or unkind, she'll call him out on it. A notable example is in Virtual World when Jounouchi suggests they should just leave Kaiba and Mokuba to go off alone. Shizuka firmly tells him "No, that's not the right thing to do," and tries to go off after the Kaibros all by herself. This is really brave as hell, especially seeing as she's evidently prepared to go against ALL of her brother's cool older friends despite being young, a bit naive/inexperienced, and has seen a staggering amount of dangerous things happen to them all up to that point.

Fourth: Virtual World Duel. Yes she has a miniature crisis after seeing her brother's best friend get dropped into lava. But she recovers and wins the duel with a religious-iconography-power-lesbian card. Love that for her.

Fifth: Shizuka is the only character in the entire series to stand in front of Seto Kaiba and say to his face "human lives are more important than card games." And she's not even one of Yuugi's core friend group, who's seen Kaiba at his most vulnerable. From her perspective, this is not only a giant tall scary-looking older guy with the bitchiest resting face this side of the Pacific, he's also one of the most powerful individuals in Domino City (possibly in Japan.) Kaiba is a well-known public figure who Shizuka had previously probably only seen on the news for things like staggering wealth, general lunacy, and patricide. AND YET, she's the one who marches her little self up to him and tells him to land his damn blimp and get Bakura some medical care. (It kind of works, too! Kaiba is difficult and annoying to all of them and implies he doesn't care if Bakura dies, but after Shizuka makes her appeal, only THEN does he admit that KaibaCorp has excellent trained medical staff on board.)

Sixth: Pulls a truly disturbed prank with Mai and then laughs in the face of her brother's devastation. We love a weird kid with an extremely questionable sense of humor. She's definitely fine after all the Horrors(TM) she's witnessed. Probably.

Anyways vote Shizuka she's a fucking great character and the fandom has been SLEEPING on her!!!!

[avionvadion]

Part Three of "I have no self control so here ya go"

Warning: El isn’t affected by the song magic in Hell/Heaven so she ends up singing whatever songs she knows from her time on earth. In this chapter, it's "Two Birds On A Wire".

I've decided this takes place just before the Pilot episode. So Angel has not been recruited yet, and the hotel is still the "Happy Hotel".

This one is a LONG one.

Eleanora took a seat at the table while Lucifer got to work, the letter set beside her just so he wouldn’t toss it away after having second thoughts. One leg crossed over the other, she propped an elbow up with a hand against her cheek, and watched as the devil king stood at his desk, hyper-focused as he fiddled with magic and various materials that he summoned out of thin air, his back facing her. 

She didn’t want to bother him, seeing as he finally had motivation and was willingly doing something without panicking or trying to run away. Making rubber ducks really was something he seemed to be good at… which makes sense, seeing just how many he had. 

The brunette leaned to the side, staring at the ducks that were leaning against her legs and feet, before shifting so she was looking at Lucifer again. She observed his blond hair, eying his slender form closely. 

It was a little embarrassing to think, but…

Charlie really took after her daddy, huh? Not just in personality, but looks too. Her height is probably from her mom, though. 

Hot damn. 

Eleanora may not have ever dated anyone, actively going out of her way to avoid relationships, but she does admire a beauty when she sees one. It just so happens that said beauty is the father of the person who saved her life, and  also just so happens to be the literal King of Hell. 

Is he much shorter than she was expecting Lucifer fucking Morningstar to be? Absolutely. Is that because of the ridiculous beauty standards from the country she was raised in? Most definitely. Did it bother her at all? Hell no. 

If anything, it made him… cuter? While simultaneously more intimidating. Rather than looming over her, he could get right up in her face to threaten her- which he has done once already, as well as made a few rather intimidating faces, but also… just… 

Flustered her. 

Was the King of Hell supposed to be so touchy-feely? She can still vividly remember the feeling of his hand on her waist as he pulled her in close and danced around the magical lake he had created with his song. Eleanora was very much not good with eye contact for extended periods of time, but he made it so hard to look away. 

Gods, being in Hell has been a super bad influence on her. 

She’s only been here for the better half of a week and, after all those years she spent avoiding relationships like the plague- which she literally did have to do due to the recent pandemic, she's now checking out the literal devil, Lucifer Morningstar, while he makes a rubber freaking duck that’ll spit out rainbows and glitter. Sure, they’re technically in each other’s age range, but he was immortal, older than the earth itself, and she was a measly human. He’s literally the father of the person she made a pact with. 

Someone splash me with holy water, please. 

Her face is burning, the woman having made herself flustered due to her own indecent thoughts. 

Is this a fucking genetic thing? Her eldest sister definitely had a thing for single fathers, considering her recent track record of partners, but Eleanora didn’t realize she also had a thing for them. Perhaps this was just proof of their relation? Jesus, I’m in trouble. 

Their first meeting was bad enough- Eleanora had a nearly ten year difference with her eldest sister, and because Lucifer looked like he was in his thirties and Charlie in her very early twenties- like, barely past twenty-one- the woman fully believed he was the princess’ brother. 

Not that… Eleanora knew Charlie was the Princess of Hell at that time. 

Eleanora was fully convinced that he was Charlie’s brother, and was very confused because she knows Charlie said it was her dad coming over, but he sounded and looked so much younger than she had been expecting. 

And he was gorgeous. 

Did he look like a snake, with his big yellow eyes and red-slit pupils? Oh yeah. Even his skin was as white as snow, and if she hadn’t felt it herself by accident during the songs when he got a bit too close she would have believed it if his skin was actually scales. His teeth were admittedly a little terrifying, what with how large and sharp they were, but it wasn’t in a bad way? They were scary, in a… good way. 

Pleasant way. In a way she definitely shouldn’t be thinking about, since he was Charlie’s dad. 

Who the hell said the devil should be a short king that absolutely loves his daughter, is both terrifying and gorgeous, is kind of ridiculous, and has one hell of a singing voice? 

…God themself, probably. 

Damn it. 

Eleanora has been getting used to people bursting out into song- and by that, she means Charlie- but being dragged into the musical numbers was certainly a first. Who’d have thought she’d actually dance with the devil? Her life has gotten so out-of-hand. At least she can breathe now; that’s really the only good thing that’s happened since coming down to Hell. 

Well, untrue. 

I’d be dead if Charlie and Vaggie didn’t find me when they did… 

Everything had happened so fast that Eleanora doesn’t really remember everything, but one minute she had been drawing on her cintiq and the next she was falling, falling, falling down into darkness. Things went black and when she woke up, this creature covered head-to-toe in fur with shredded clothes, piercings, and horns was standing over her, knife in hand like he was about to sacrifice her. 

Probably was, too, since she was laying on a pentagram drawn of blood surrounded by dozens of lit wax candles. 

She barely lifted her head in time to see Vaggie, a woman with long silver hair and ashen purple skin, stab the demon through the chest, delivering unto it the very fate it had been trying to do unto her. Charlie was shrieking, absolutely losing her mind at the sight of Eleanora. 

The Princess of Hell scooped Eleanora up into her arms, muttering dozens of apologies and asking even more questions about how a human like her got here, while Vaggie went through the dead demon’s phone- because demons have phones in Hell- and discovered the bastard had tried to reverse engineer a summoning circle only to summon her, and then tried to sacrifice her while she was still unconscious in a second attempt of getting to Earth after his first scheme failed. 

It was… weird, and made very little sense to her, but Eleanora didn’t have any choice but to go along with it and let herself be carried to the Happy Hotel the two were attempting to run. 

Charlie asked Eleanora some questions, asked even more, panicked when she started to have an asthma attack, on the verge of falling unconscious, and frantically made a pact with her to save her life. The actual terms of the pact came after. 

A couple days later… Charlie called her father. 

He showed up immediately, teleporting to the front door, and Eleanora then embarrassed herself thinking he was Charlie’s brother. She then learned Charlie was a fucking princess and her dad was the King of Hell. 

Of all the people- she was saved by the heir to Hell’s throne? Holy shit. 

But, perhaps even more embarrassing, was Charlie trying to get Eleanora to sing to Lucifer about her situation and how she ended up under his daughter’s care. He was the same height as her, but his gaze had been fierce and intimidating, cane in his hands as he stood tall beside his much taller daughter, and practically ordered her to sing since that was what Charlie wanted. 

“It was… pitch black, I was laying on my back? I opened my eyes, saw a knife, knew things weren’t right? And… there was a demon, I was screamin’. A-And then Charlie… ooh, I can’t do this. This isn’t working. Charlie-!” 

“No, no, you’re doing great!” The princess had exclaimed. “Keep it up! I’ll be your backup vocals!” 

“I don’t think-” 

“It’s okay.” Lucifer had told Eleanora then, holding a hand up, looking very unimpressed by the whole thing. “Take your time. My daughter wants you to sing… so sing.” 

She felt like an utter clown. 

Thankfully, Charlie took over the majority of the song so Eleanora actually ended up as the backup vocals. Vaggie, unfortunately, wasn’t at the hotel at the time since she was out grocery shopping, so Eleanora had to face the King of Hell alone. 

After that horrible first meeting, Charlie made the two exchange numbers in case of an emergency. 

Eleanora should be fine since she has the pact with Charlie and merely has to summon her if she’s ever in danger, but Charlie was worried because the brunette was a live human in Hell and didn’t want to take any risks. Charlie was absolutely terrified for Eleanora’s safety. It was sweet of her, if not baffling, as Eleanora was unused to such heavy concern from anyone that wasn’t one of her siblings, and as a result found herself going along with it. 

Who’d have thought that would lead to Lucifer calling her frequently to ask after his daughter and her wellbeing? 

And now… here they are. 

Man, the back view of him with his tailcoat should not be as nice as it was. It was pure white, accented with only the slightest bit of red, two dots resembling an apple core embroidered in the curve of his lower back, and it fit him. Very, very well. Lucifer was giggling and muttering to himself, saying something about how these rubber ducks had to be perfect. He was incredibly excited now that he knew for sure his daughter would like the gifts. It was ridiculously attractive. 

Suddenly, a small yawn escaped Eleanora’s lips.

She blinked slowly, realizing just now how sleepy she was. It had been late at night when Lucifer called her, the woman having just been about to get ready for bed, but then he abducted her. 

“You’re calling… to ask about Charlie?” Eleanora remembered asking, baffled that he was doing this so late in the night. She had grown used to the frequent calls asking about his daughter, but this was definitely a first. “Why not just call her?” 

“Call her!? She’s- well… She’s busy! Probably. She might not pick up!” Yeah, because she’s asleep. “Just answer the question! Has anyone been bothering her? Give me names! W-Wait, no, has she been eating properly? She’s not wearing herself out with this hotel business, is she!?” 

Panicked. Concerned. 

Lucifer had sounded absolutely frantic. 

“Ah.” That explained the late night call. It was hard to imagine, but his anxiety must have gotten the better of him- and though she was tired, Eleanora tried her best to answer and calm him down. “Y-Yeah, she’s fine. And she’s not so busy that she’d ignore a call from you. I got so scared when your name popped up on my phone.”

Seriously- 

“Why not invite her over for some tea so you can catch up?” 

A pause, and then- “Invite… her over?” 

Eleanora had nodded, even though she knew he couldn’t see it, a sleepy smile on her lips. “Yeah, she’d love that! She once told me that she always wished she could get to know you better! If you aren’t comfortable calling her, why not write a letter? If you want, I could deliver it for you?” 

There was a long moment of silence.

“Y-Your… Majesty?” A surge of panic rushed through her. “F-Frick, was that out of line!? I’m sorry! Forget I said anything! I-“ 

Looking down at her phone screen, she blinked, realizing the call had ended. Lucifer had hung up on her. 

“Fuck.” 

Eleanora had begun to panic, fearing the worst and that he might kill her for her impertinence, when the devil himself appeared behind her several minutes later, grabbing her arm and flashing her a wicked grin. He told her she would only die if she “messed this up” and proceeded to envelope them in red mist, teleporting them to his castle. 

Thus, Lucifer kidnapped Eleanora… and demanded her assistance in writing a letter because all the ones he wrote in that short span of time had been horrible. 

“I don’t know what to write.” He stated bluntly. 

“…Ha?” The two of them ended up sitting on the floor, surrounded by crumpled papers and rubber ducks, and he had yet to let go of her arm. 

“What should I write in the letter?” 

Man, looking back on it, even though it’s only been a couple hours, it feels like an eternity since that conversation happened. What time is it now? It’s gotta be way past morning, 

A pact with the princess, a deal with the king… 

Her head fell from her hand to rest on her arm against the table, eyes sleepily watching the ever-focused back of the hardworking Lucifer before slowly closing, drifting off into sleep. 

Doubt I’m ever gettin’ into Heaven now. 

Her parents would literally cry. Well, not that she really cares. She was already a disappointment, anyways. 

…

The next time Eleanora opened her eyes, she wasn’t at the table anymore- instead finding herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling, a bright crimson blanket tossed over her resting form.

Blinking her eyes open and groggily looking down, she saw she was now sitting in a much larger chair, a pink-and-white striped pillow strategically placed between her head and the armrest. At first, she was very confused because she could have sworn she was at a table, but then crossed that out as a weird dream, before realizing she wasn’t exactly at the hotel either. 

Maybe that was also a dream, but… she didn’t recognize this chair and she especially did not recognize this blanket. 

“Huh?” Ah, whatever. She’s too tired for this. 

Her legs dangling off the other end, she yawned and closed her eyes again, about to doze off once more into sleep. Until it hit her… that the only way she could have moved was if someone had carried her. 

Eleanora also remembered that she wasn’t at the hotel right now, and since this wasn’t her house that meant the hotel wasn’t a dream, which meant this wasn’t a dream, which meant the only person who could have moved her was Lucifer. The King of Hell. 

She was still in his castle. 

The brunette immediately shot up into a sitting position, the pillow falling to the ground. “What!? Huh? How did-” 

The door to the room opened, and Lucifer came walking in, a tray holding a circus elephant-designed tea set in his hands. He jumped, eyes wide upon seeing Eleanora awake, and he let out an awkward laugh before rushing over to set the tray down on the table she had fallen asleep at. “O-Oh! You’re awake! Hi! Good morning! Kind of. It’s actually afternoon now. So sorry! I know I’m the one who brought you here and all, hehe, but, uh, yeah!” 

Lucifer stood up straight, clapping his hands together, looking very uncomfortable and like he’s forgotten how to talk to her during the time she’s been asleep. 

“Sooo….” The short king held up a finger, offering her a weak smile. “You hungry? I mean, it’s the least I can do, seeing as you stayed up all night to help me with the letter and even came up with the idea for the glitter-and-rainbow rubber ducks, and… all of that.” 

“Uh…” Eleanora stared at him blankly, then glanced at the tea tray he brought. She looked down at the pillow that had fallen and the blanket she was still using, before looking up at him again. She offered an equally awkward smile. “A little? Um, i-if… you really don’t mind. P-Please and thank you…” 

She really doesn’t want to intrude or overstep whatever boundaries and rules there are for this kind of thing. He was royalty after all, among other things. But she was really hungry. 

Lucifer practically jumped out of his boots in his excitement. “Yes! Of course! I mean, we’re basically friends now, right? Ahaha! A friend should offer a friend food! H-Here!” 

He rushed over to stand behind the chair she was on, grabbing the sides, and Eleanora let out a startled shout when he pushed it and her towards the table, knocking over several mountains of rubber ducks in the process. By the time the chair had stopped moving, Lucifer was already pouring her a cup of tea, setting it down in front of her and then snapping his fingers, several plates of breakfast food appearing in front of her- most of which were pancakes. 

Eleanora was frozen in place, eyes wide as could be. 

When she looked up at him, she saw Lucifer was rocking on his heels by the other side of the table, sharp teeth bared in a smile, one eye somewhat squinted. He nervously tapped his fingertips together. “D-Does it look alright?” 

“Y-Yeah!” She choked out, wondering if maybe this was the dream. “Uh, thank you! Really. I- uh, appreciate it.” 

“Good, good! Glad to hear it!” Lucifer laced his hands together, beaming, and stood there for a long minute, body completely stiff, before he reached out and tugged out a chair, several rubber ducks falling to the floor. He took a seat. Lucifer waved a hand at her. “G-Go ahead and eat! Don’t mind me.” 

Perhaps it was because her eyes reminded him so much of a doe, but she truly looked like a deer-in-the-headlights. “O-Okay…” 

Eleanora tentatively picked up a fork, poured some syrup onto what she prayed were normal eggs, pancakes, and bacon, cut herself a slice, and took a bite. She relaxed almost immediately, humming happily with the fork still in her mouth. 

Lucifer’s shoulders became noticeably less tense, his smile more relieved now. “Good, right?” 

“Mmhm!” Covering her hand with her mouth once she removed the fork, she chewed for a moment and swallowed, flashing him a grateful smile. “Thank you for the food!” 

He beamed. “Of course! Can’t have Charlie’s favorite human starve now can I? Haha, ha!” 

Well, that was a fake laugh if she ever heard one. 

“I’m actually rather fond of pancakes myself! The softer and fluffier, the better!” 

Lucifer shifted in his seat, starting to fiddle with his fingers before grabbing at a random non-deadly rubber duck and messing with it. 

“But th-that’s not- that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. We, uh, you and me-“ He coughed into a fist. “We made a deal! And… I-I think things with Charlie might actually go well?” 

Taking another bite of food and cutting one of the pancakes, Eleanora looked up at him with raised brows and curious eyes. 

“Charlie seemed- over the phone- she seemed really excited, a-and she said she liked all the things you thought she would, which means she might really like the letter and the gifts, and- well, y’know, I feel like I can- like I might actually be able to be a dad to her again!” 

Eleanora said nothing, merely letting him get his thoughts out. 

He ended up rambling the entire breakfast, and stopped only long enough to pour her another cup of tea with the elephant teapot when he saw she was about to do it herself. “You’re the guest! Don’t bother! Uh, where was I?” 

“...Charlie?” 

“Oh, yes!” Lucifer brightened immediately. He was squeezing the rubber duck like it was a stress ball. “So, I just- really, kind of- wanted to thank you? For… being so understanding and nice and not… getting upset… with me?” 

Finished with her plate, the brunette took a small sip of her tea before making a face. “The only thing I think I should be upset with is the kidnapping bit.” 

“Which is totally valid!” He exclaimed, standing up, the rubber duck being sent flying over his shoulder as he tossed it behind him. “I get it, really, I do! You were just minding your business and then the big boss of Hell came waltzin’ on in and stealing you away!” Lucifer waggled his eyebrows and let out another awkward laugh, holding his hands in the air. “Makes perfect sense. But I-” 

Seeing her quietly raising a hand, staring at him, waiting for a chance to speak, he cut himself off and blinked. 

“Yes?” 

“I… I said I think I should be upset with it- not that I am. Or was.” She made a face. Lucifer furrowed his brows. “You haven’t hurt me and you didn’t kidnap me with nefarious intent, so…” Eleanora gave a small shrug, lifting the cup up to her lips to take another sip of the tea. “It’s fine.” 

“...I see. G-Great! Wonderful.” 

He sat back down. 

Sitting completely still, Lucifer puffed out his cheeks, his eyes big as he stared into nothing, his thoughts running a hundred miles an hour. “Glad to… hear it.”

Outside, Eleanora was appearing calm. 

Inside, she was losing her absolute fucking mind. 

The King of Hell kidnapped her, then dragged her into a couple musical numbers. After giving him some advice and making sure he couldn’t back out of giving his daughter the letter he wrote, Eleanora fell asleep at the table. When she woke up, she realized he had carried her over to a much more comfortable chair so she could sleep, and then he pushed said chair with her still on it towards the table, and summoned pancakes for her to eat. 

Now he was apologizing… and thanking her? He was calling her a friend? 

No person has ever given her whiplash as much as this man has, because holy shit what is happening? Why is he being so nice to her all of a sudden? Is it really because they made the deal and because he truly believes the letter will go over well? He’s supposed to be the devil.

Honestly, she was a little worried… but overall Eleanora was convinced everything would go over well. 

Lucifer truly seemed to love his daughter- and Charlie said to her once before, on the day she introduced Lucifer and Eleanora to one another, a short while after the man left the hotel, that she always wanted to get to know her father better. So long as they communicate, it should be okay. 

They… do know how to communicate, right? 

Eleanora stared down at her empty teacup, purple-and-white stripes staring back at her. 

I think… I might be in trouble. 

She glanced up at Lucifer- only to freeze when she saw him just staring at her, smiling. 

“So!” He began, somehow looking both excited and terrified at the same time. “How… e-exactly are we gonna go about giving Charlie the letter? And… the rubber ducks?” 

Eleanora set the teacup down, doing her damndest to keep her breathing steady and to not panic. Something she likes to think she’s gotten good at after ending up in freaking Hell- where she could literally die if she took a wrong step upon leaving the hotel- even though she totally did panic earlier when Charlie called. “Well…”

Stay calm. Just breathe. 

Even if the King of Hell called her a friend, there’s no way he actually meant it. He might very well keep his promise to kill her if this goes wrong or if his relationship with his daughter worsens due to her interference. 

“I was thinking…” How can she say this without crossing the line? She fiddled with the teacup before slowly speaking with her hands, heart beating so fast she was scared it would burst out of her chest. Eleanora prayed- oh, the irony- that the devil king couldn’t hear it. “How about… after you take me back to the hotel…”

Lucifer leaned forward, nodding with each word, eager to hear her plan. “Uh-huh, uh-huh!” 

“I call Charlie, ask her to wait in the lounge, and…” 

“Give them to her!?”

She was thinking more along the lines that he gives the letter and gifts to Charlie with her acting as backup, but… okay. 

Maybe she can bring that up at the hotel. 

It’ll be fine. 

“Y-Yeah!” 

Lucifer jumped up, knocking his chair over as he threw his hands up into the air, laughing excitedly. “Great! Shall we go right now!? The sooner we get it to her the better!” 

“Huh? O-Oh! Uh, yeah! Sure!” 

Okay, no, Eleanora is starting to panic. This could go really bad. Maybe. She doesn’t actually know. 

This is the first time she’s getting involved in another family’s drama other than her own. She’s given advice plenty of times and that’s always seemed to work- it was the sole reason why the “friends” she had kept her around for so long before completely ditching and abandoning her after graduation- but she’s never been actively involved in the drama. 

Not to mention that her whole survival is sort of depending on this working out well…

“Alrighty! Let’s get going then!” Lucifer ran around the table to reach her, and Eleanora yelped when he snatched her hand and yanked her up onto her feet. The short king was practically vibrating in his excitement. “Whoa, can’t forget the gifts!” 

He snapped his fingers.

Eleanora didn’t know where the gift box and letter had been moved after she fell asleep, but wherever they used to be didn’t really matter since they suddenly appeared in front of her. With a small screech, she shot her arms to catch them, yanking her hand away from Lucifer’s. 

Cradling the items close, she gave the devil king an incredulous look. “W-Warning!? Please?” 

He just flashed her a beaming sharp-toothed smile, gently grabbing her shoulder, and as a look of confusion crossed her face they began teleporting. Eleanora’s vision was completely obscured by red mist, and as soon as it cleared and she could see again she saw that they were standing in her old dingy hotel room. 

Whoa. “That’s… some really smooth magic.” 

Lucifer grinned, chest puffing out a little proudly. “Well, I am the king. Or did you forget that I’m the Lucifer Morningstar?”

She pretended to think about it. “I meeeean…”

“Wha- oh, really!?” He looked deeply offended. “You actually forgot!?” 

“No!” Eleanora couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped her, and Lucifer blinked. “I just wasn’t expecting it! I was so scared the first time I didn’t really focus on the actual teleporting. I always figured it would be kinda like… I dunno…”

He watched her struggle to explain, curiosity in his gaze. 

Eleanora twisted a hand awkwardly in the air. “Being pulled apart on like… a molecular level? Disassembled and reassembled? Or maybe painless and whole, but really dizzying?” 

“That sounds awful.” Lucifer deadpanned. “And highly uncomfortable.” 

The face he made was so disturbed, Eleanora barked out a laugh, finding it hilarious. Lucifer startled at the reaction, eyebrows raised high on his forehead. “Y-Yeah, it really does! But that’s how everyone writes it as being! Which… makes sense? In a way? I guess it’s just us humans trying to “logic” it even though it’s just plain “magic” and “magic” is… magical! Ahaha!” 

“Hehe…” He let out a small chuckle, not looking nearly as disturbed as before. Lucifer’s features actually started to soften, and he began to lean forward- only to stop upon realizing he didn’t have his cane to support his weight. He settled for awkwardly resting his hands on his hips instead, tilting his head and grinning at her. “I suppose that’s true. You humans don’t exactly know how to accept a miracle as it is.” 

She nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. “T’is true, t’is true. I’m still trying to rationalize how Charlie managed to rescue me in time before that demon sacrificed me, buuuut there’s probably not much point in wondering about it.” 

Lucifer is actually questioning that himself, but he’s more curious why it was Eleanora that was summoned and not another filthy rotten Sinner. This definitely isn’t the time to be thinking about it, though. 

“…So…” 

Eleanora blinked, turning to face him. Lucifer flashed her a nervous smile. He moved so he was standing face-to-face with her, lifting his hands up to nervously press his index fingers together. 

“This is the part where you call Charlie, right?” 

Panic round three, here we go. “R-Right! Of course. Th-That’s the whole point of this, right? Haha… uh…” 

Nerves utterly wrecked, Eleanora carefully moved to set the gift box and letter down on a nearby dresser and pulled out her phone, tapping open her most recent contacts and hitting Charlie’s name. Lucifer hunched over, hands curled close to his face, biting his lower lip in anticipation as he listened to the phone ring. 

When Charlie picked up, he inhaled sharply through his dagger-like teeth, holding his breath. “El?”

“Heeeey! Um, are you at the hotel right now?”

“Yes! Is the surprise ready?”

Eleanora glanced at Lucifer, her smile a bit strained. “Just about~? Uh… c-can you go wait in the lounge for me? I’ll be there in… like, five minutes. And… close your eyes? Pretty please?” 

“O-Oh, of course! Absolutely! Eeeek, I’m so excited! Okay, okay! I’ll see you in five! Ooooh, I can’t wait!” 

Charlie hung up. 

Eleanora felt like she was standing on a tightrope, one that was wobbling and leaving her to dangle precariously as she struggled not to fall off the edge. Her stomach churned when she saw Lucifer looking up at her in confusion. 

“Eyes closed?” He echoed, brows furrowing. “Why would she need her eyes closed?”

Oh, gods, this was going to be hard. 

Careful not to drop her phone, Eleanora flashed the devil king as encouraging a smile she could muster, gesturing to the gifts and then to him. “I was thinking, maybe, just a suggestion, really, that the surprise would be even better… if you’re there as I give them to her?” 

Lucifer’s face immediately went blank. 

“O-Or!” She stammered, stepping back and holding a finger up. “Even better! You could give them to her, a-and I’m there for emotional support! Charlie would love that, y’know!? Sh-She’ll be so happy to see you, and combine your presence with the letter and the ducks- I mean…!” 

Eleanora let out an awkward laugh. 

“She’ll be bouncing off the walls!” 

“…You-“ Lucifer’s face seemed to recover some form of emotion, his brain finally catching up and processing everything she was saying. He pointed at himself, face a mixture of concern and confusion. “You want… me… to deliver the letter?” 

“I’ll go with you!” The brunette hurriedly exclaimed. “It’ll be good for you guys! R-Really, really good!” 

He looked hesitant, turning partially away from her as he brought his fingers up to his lips, starting to gnaw at his gloves again. “I-I dunno…” 

“It’ll be great!” Eleanora insisted, becoming a little pleading, as neither confrontation nor persuasion were her strong suits- but she really needed to convince him to do this. For both her sake, and theirs. “You… trusted me this far, so why not a little further? She’s waiting downstairs. I-I mean, sure, I haven’t known Charlie very long, but… she’s super honest! I know she’ll be happy to see you.” 

At her words, Lucifer fell silent and lowered his head, glancing over at the gift box and letter she had set down. His teeth were really starting to dig into his fingers, golden droplets of ichor starting to glimmer through the torn fabric. 

Eleanora could feel a slight frustration build up in the midst of her anxiety, but she tried to calm herself and think. She’s been able to get him to come this far, but now he’s trying to run away again. 

To give up. 

He was scared of the responsibility he’d have to take if he followed through with it. That’s why he always quit while he was ahead and settled for waiting. Yet waiting doesn’t do anything, except broaden the gap until the years fly by and an abyss has formed. If left on his own to deal with this, by the time he’ll figure out what’s happened… it’ll be too late. 

Eleanora could feel some of the strength leave her, gazing at the depressed wreck that was the King of Hell, only to squeeze her eyes shut and rip her gaze away to stare at the old wooden door, wracking her brain to try and figure out what she could say to get him to work with her. 

Does he need another song? What is even with Hell and its need for musical numbers? 

Eleanora loves a good musical and listened to music constantly every single day before coming down here, but she’s never had to sing to comfort someone or cheer them up or to make a deal or… anything of the sort. She only ever sang for the fun of it, but even that was limited due to her severe asthma. After she graduated and was ditched by her friends, and her health fell so downhill right before the pandemic, she even stopped socializing with people that weren’t her siblings. 

She doesn’t know how to comfort people. She’s amazed she’s even gotten this far. 

Encouraging Lucifer, convincing him to finish the letter and to make the rubber ducks… all of it had been so difficult for her. She was lucky she could even think of the right songs to sing. But what is she supposed to sing now? 

What would even resonate with him? 

The sun goes down, the stars come out, and all that counts is here and now; the universe will never be the same, I’m- 

No, that won’t work, even if she did change up the lyrics to make it sound like she was talking about Charlie. The middle part didn’t fit at all. 

History Maker? 

Eleanora dismissed that one, too- although she should probably keep it in mind in case he needs encouragement for something that doesn’t involve his daughter. If he has a big idea he wants to make but thinks it’ll go bad even though it’ll be fine, she can sing that then. Yeah. 

But what about right now!? 

In a moment of desperation, she unlocked her phone and flicked through one of her many playlists, nibbling at her bottom lip. Her heart was racing again, the woman feeling as though everything- her survival, Lucifer and Charlie’s father-and-daughter bond- was hinging on her finding the right song to sing. 

After a painfully suffocating moment of her stomach dropping into the pit of her stomach, Eleanora feeling the seconds tick on by like the end of the world was about to occur, she finally stopped scrolling, finding something that may just work. 

Googling the lyrics to refresh her memory, she pocketed the device and took a deep breath, mentally screeching at her heart to calm down. 

She can do this. 

How is she going to do this? No idea. But Lucifer is still biting his fingers and- 

Dude, stop, you’re hurting yourself! 

Eleanora had moved before she realized it, boldly snatching his wrist and tugging his hand away from his mouth. His red gaze shot up to meet hers, eyes wide as could be, and she swallowed down the lump that had caught in her throat. 

Lips parting, not knowing what to say, the lyrics came out.  “Two… birds… on a wire~!” 

Fuck, she’s gotta commit to the bit now. 

“One~ tries to fly… away, and the other… watches her close… from that wire.” 

It didn’t take Lucifer long to figure out where she was going with this. 

“He says he wants to, as well,” Lucifer curled his lips back at Eleanora’s words, seeing her narrow her eyes at him as she slid her hand down to grab his, squeezing his bleeding fingers, “but he is a liar.” 

“I’m not-“ 

“Aren’t you?” She questioned. Lucifer faltered. “Do you or do you not want to see your daughter?” 

So much pain crossed his face then, Eleanora felt like an absolute villain for this. Thankfully, the next few lyrics were exactly what she wanted to say. Loosening her grip, she let a small smile fall across her lips, and she stepped back towards the door, bravely grabbing and lifting his two hands up in an attempt to get her point across. 

“I’ll believe~ it all~!” Oh, ew, her voice cracked. “There’s nothing I won’t understand.” 

Lucifer lifted his head, yellow eyes growing wide as his red irises dilated. 

“I’ll believe~ it all~!” Giving his fingers a gentle squeeze, she tugged him towards her. Rather than pulling away or keeping his heels rooted in place, he found himself walking towards her, and she laced their fingers together as she rested their hands against her chest and over her heart. Eleanora gave him the gentlest smile she could muster, internally cursing herself as she could feel her eyes water. “I won’t~ let go~ of your hand.” 

She doesn’t know how to fight or survive in Hell without help, without relying on the princess or her kingly father, but she genuinely did want to help them. 

Charlie has been so kind to her, saving her without even knowing her name or how she got there until Vaggie figured it out. She made a pact with her just to keep her healthy. Eleanora owes Charlie so much. 

And Lucifer… 

Well, he could definitely be scary, but he’s clearly been through a lot and had a lot of anxiety on top of his fairly obvious depression. He’s probably been on his own for so long, and had been hurt so badly by his divorce, that he didn’t know how to show his emotions properly, or how to even act on them. He was so terrified of being rejected by his daughter that he’d rather reject himself so she wouldn’t have to. 

He wasn’t very friendly when they first met, but he hasn’t been mean to her. When she fell asleep watching him work, he carried her to a more comfortable chair and not only gave her a blanket, but also set a pillow under her head so the armrest wouldn’t mess up her neck. 

Lucifer was… kind, which is something she never expected from the King of Hell. But maybe that’s just because she never gave it or the old biblical stories much thought in the past. He was the devil, a fallen archangel, and yet- at the same time- he was so… human.

Fitting, considering it was he who gave humanity free-will in the first place. 

“Two birds… on a wire~!” The brunette sang softly. “One~ says “come on” and the other says “I’m tired”. The sky is overcast… and I’m sorry…” 

His eyes began to water, but when he tried to look away Eleanora moved to meet his gaze, careful not to let her smile fall. 

“One more or one less… nobody’s worried. I’ll believe~ it all~! There’s nothing I won’t understand.” The corners of her eyes crinkled sweetly, and the blond king bit his bottom lip, staring into her sincere eyes, his emotions threatening to spill out in the form of tears. “I’ll believe… it all~ I won’t let go of your hand.” 

She tugged him towards the dresser she set the gifts on and unlaced her fingers from his left hand, but didn’t let go as she lifted and rested that very same hand on the letter. Eleanora could feel his hand tense beneath hers, the man so deeply terrified of something that should be so simple. 

“Two… birds…  of a feather, say that they’re always~ gonna stay together.” Brown eyes glanced to the side to stare at the so-called devil king, and Lucifer lifted his head, desperation painting across his handsome reptilian features as he looked at her. “But one’s… never going~ to let go… of that wire. He says that he will, but…” 

Eleanora paused, and Lucifer’s hand twitched against the letter. 

She let her smile fall. “Is he just a liar?” 

“…No.” Lucifer’s expression hardened. When he turned to face Eleanora this time, his crimson eyes were burning with determination. “He’s not.” 

Picking up the box and letter, he took in a deep breath and then gripped Eleanora’s hand tight in his, surprising her when he began to march towards the door. His gloves sparked with magic, fixing the tears his teeth had made, hiding any and all blood that had been spilled. 

“Let’s go find my daughter!” 

Eleanora yelped as she had no choice but to take after him. “I-I wasn’t done with the song!” 

“Doesn’t matter, you did good! We’re doing this! No take-backs!” 

Well, that works out, she supposed. It’s a little… weird he’s still holding her hand, but... she doesn’t really want to bring it up. It was just a part of the song, but he seems to be taking it pretty seriously. If holding his hand is all it takes for him to actually talk to Charlie, then that’s fine with her. 

She’d actually kind of like to be friends with Lucifer- even if said friendship is just another lie in the end and she’s bound to be forgotten and left behind. 

Two birds… on a wire~! 

It’ll be nice in the moment, and that’s what she wants to focus on. 

One~ tries to fly away and the other~ watches him close from that wire! She says she wants to as well, but she~ is a liar… 

There were a lot of twists and turns, and after a little too long of running Eleanora had to dig in her heels and ask the devil king to slow down, wheezing and struggling to catch her breath. He was visibly startled by her exhausted state, having not realized how fast he was making her run, and flashed her an apologetic smile as he waited for her to recover. 

Two… birds… on a wire~! 

Lucifer made himself walk after that, the nervousness starting to show now that the hotel lounge was in sight. All that was left was for them to head down the staircase. He looked at the woman beside him nervously, the anxiety making itself known now that they were actually here. 

One tries to fly… away… and the other…

Eleanora gave him an encouraging smile, and giving his hand a small squeeze she gestured with her chin towards Charlie, who was sitting patiently in a chair, a large beaming smile on her round, very pretty face. Vaggie was standing beside her. 

Lowering her voice to a whisper, Eleanora said, “Trust me.”

Then, without further adieu, began to guide the King of Hell down the staircase. 

Hearing the footsteps, Vaggie looked up- only to gasp when she saw Lucifer beside the human woman. “What!? Why is-“ 

Eleanora was quick to hold a finger up over her lips, silently asking her to be quiet. Vaggie’s jaw dropped, and her expression only twisted more, brows furrowed in heavy confusion, when she saw the way Lucifer’s hand was entwined with hers. Charlie swayed in her seat, leaning towards her girlfriend excitedly. “What is it, Vaggie?” 

“Uh, n-nothing!” She stammered. “The surprise is just… very… surprising?” 

“Oooooh~! Does that mean I can open my eyes now!?” 

“Not yet!” Eleanora rushed over upon hearing the question, panicking, and once they were both standing in front of the two women she tapped Lucifer’s hand. 

The short king blinked, looking down with a befuddled face, only to jump, having not realized he was still holding onto her. He released the human, moving to hold onto the gift box and letter with both hands, and Eleanora grabbed Lucifer’s shoulders so he was in front and standing directly in front of his daughter. She gave Vaggie a thumbs up, and then directed it towards Lucifer, flashing him one last encouraging grin. 

He was completely frozen, a smile plastered on his face in his fright. 

“It’s okay.” Eleanora mouthed, “You got this. I’m here.” 

Swallowing thickly, Lucifer nodded, and they turned to look at the blonde who was doing her absolute damndest to stay still and not open her eyes. 

“Okay, Charlie…” Eleanora began, feeling her voice rise alongside the stress and excitement. “Open them!” 

Charlie’s eyes snapped open so fast, it took a second for her to process what she was seeing. She stood up, alarmed. “Dad!?” 

“Surpriiiise~!?” He made himself sing, while Eleanora threw her arms out from behind him, popping out to the side. 

“Tad~ah~!” 

“What… you…” She clearly did not know what to think, fumbling for words and pointing at the two adults. “Huh!?” 

Vaggie smacked a hand to her face. “I said it was surprising…” 

“Wait, hold on!” Charlie brought her hands to her face, looking at Lucifer and then Eleanora. “You… were with my dad? This whole time!?” 

“Maybe? Anyways, not important!” The brunette jumped sideways and gestured to Lucifer, trying to focus everyone’s attention on him and what he was holding. “What is important is what he has to say!” 

Charlie has never felt more lost, but turned her gaze back to her father anyway. He cringed a little as he smiled, lips spreading wide and his sharp teeth baring themselves to the world. “H-Hey, Charlie~! Sweetheart. We, uh, didn’t… r-really get to talk before, but, uh, hey! Hehe.” 

An awkward pause. 

Eleanora stepped closer as subtly as she could and tapped his boot with her shoe. He stiffened, and in an almost robotic fashion held the gifts out to his daughter. “H-Here! I… um… I-I was wondering, if… if… you aren’t… aren’t, um, y’know…” 

As he struggled to get the words out, Charlie shared a look with Vaggie before reaching out to take the gift box from him, the young blonde woman holding the envelope up and observing it with both curiosity and confusion. There were several cutesy looking doodles on the paper that Eleanora definitely did not remember being there before. She could make out rainbows, hearts, Charlie’s name, and a duck. 

“Busy? Uh… haha…” Lucifer was sweating.

Eleanora could feel the second-hand anxiety. 

Deciding it was now or never, she rested a hand on Lucifer’s shoulder, causing him to inhale sharply and go silent, the man freezing in place. Eleanora flashed Charlie the sweetest smile. “Your dad was wondering if you were free sometime soon! He wanted to invite you over for tea. Maybe hear more about what you’re trying to do with the hotel?” 

“Wait…” Her eyes widened, and she looked at her father in shock, unable to believe what she was hearing. Slowly, her features began to soften, her eyes welling up with tears. Charlie held the gift box close, pressing the unopened letter to her chest. “Really? You… actually want to spend time with me, Dad?” 

Lucifer snapped out of his daze, hearing his daughter call out to him. “Y-Yes! Of course! Charlie, I-“ 

Lips curling back, he stepped forward, and Eleanora moved to stand beside Vaggie, quietly watching the scene take place. 

“I always want to spend time with you. I just…” Lucifer hesitated, and after a moment looked away, ashamed of himself. “I didn’t… want to bother you.” 

“Dad…” Charlie was fully crying now. 

She practically threw herself on him, gift box in one hand and the letter in the other, as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tight. Lucifer wasn’t much better, tears stinging his eyes as he curled his arms around his daughter’s back. 

“I’d love to come over and talk! Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for you to ask!?” 

His lips curled back and he tightened his grip on her, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. “Charlie-!” 

“I’ve missed you~!”

“I’ve missed you~!”

“I always wanted to know you~ and now I have this chance!” She pulled back, arms resting on his shoulders, as they gazed tearily into each other’s eyes, smiles on their near identical happy  faces. “I won’t let it pass me by, so don’t you even try! Dad, I can’t wait to come over! I’ll have to start planning in advance~ what to tell you, of course, because there’s just so much to go over!” 

Charlie let out a squeal, and Lucifer laughed in both anxious relief and overwhelming delight. She pulled him into another hug. 

“I can’t wait!” 

They stood there hugging for quite some time, to the point where Vaggie raised a brow and turned to Eleanora, who blinked and stared up at her. “What?” 

Glancing at the father and daughter duo who were hugging and smiling through their tears, Vaggie grabbed the older human’s arm and dragged her over to the stairs so they could talk without disturbing them. Once there, she looked down at her with narrowed eyes. “How long have you two been planning this?” 

“Huh? Oh…” The brunette made a face, looking up at the dusty ceiling and thinking about it. “Since, like… three or four am? He called me before I went to bed and… yeah. I suggested he write Charlie a letter, but he was having trouble so he kinda… kidnapped me?” 

Vaggie no doubt was remembering them very specifically asking if she had been kidnapped, and looked at Eleanora in disbelief. “So… what? You were just at the King of Hell’s house… all night?” 

Eleanora shrugged, trying not to think about what Vaggie could potentially be implying. “He needed help- and I like Charlie. She’s a sweetie.” 

At that, Vaggie paused… then smiled and let out a soft chuckle, turning to gaze affectionately at her girlfriend who was now chatting happily with her father, opening the gift box and absolutely bouncing in excitement when she squeezed the rubber ducks just to see that they spat out rainbows and glitter confetti. They had adorable little ribbons tied around their necks. “Yeah… she is.” 

The silver-haired woman looked back at the awkwardly smiling brunette, who was definitely wondering if she was in trouble and about to be kicked out of the hotel. 

Thankfully, that was not what Vaggie was thinking. It was the furthest thing from it. “Thanks, El. I don’t know what you did to convince him to talk to her, but… you just made Charlie’s year.” 

She choked. “H-Her year?” 

“Charlie’s?” Vaggie laughed. “Ohhhh, yeah.” 

Suddenly, the Princess of Hell called out, waving a hand at the two of them, one of her arms wrapped loosely around her short dad’s shoulders. “Oooh! Vaggie, Vaggie, come here! I didn’t get to introduce you last time!” 

Now it was Vaggie’s turn to tense up and look awkward, having to face the most dangerous and deadly thing of all… the father-in-law. “O-Oh! Right! Of course. Um…” 

She walked over and gave Lucifer a timid wave, mustering up a smile. 

“Hi.”

Pulling away from Lucifer, Charlie set the rubber ducks and unopened letter down, moving to stand beside Vaggie and lift up one her hands, smiling down at her encouragingly before they both looked at the blond king, who was beaming brightly up at them. “This is~ Vaggie! She’s my girlfriend!” 

Lucifer’s eyes practically bugged out of his head, and Eleanora cringed, realizing just now that he had no idea his daughter was a lesbian. 

He seemed to take it fairly well, though… in the only way an awkward and formerly estranged father could. 

“Oho, my golly! You like girls!” Lucifer laughed, resting a hand over his chest- his poor heart nearly jumping out of his ribcage from the surprise that his daughter was dating someone. He brought a hand to his cheek, then fervently gestured from himself to Charlie and back to him again. “Yes- well, uh- so do I! We have so much in common!”

He tossed his arms out, his panic evident with how quickly he was speaking.

“You put ‘er there, Maggie!” Vaggie reached out to shake his hand, not at all seeming perturbed he got her name wrong, only to yelp when he tugged her into an abrupt hug. “Welcome to the family! Ahaha! Ha! Yeah…!” 

He released her and she stumbled back, laughing awkwardly herself. “L-Lovely to meet you! Uh, sir?”

“Call me Dad!”” Lucifer looked up at Charlie, praying she approved of him approving. “Sh-She’s so pretty! Hehe.” 

Charlie flashed him a smile, wrapping an arm around Vaggie and pulling her close. She pressed a kiss to her girlfriend’s forehead, her red eyes shimmering with what was most certainly the purest form of love as she gazed down at Vaggie, who was deeply touched by Charlie’s affection. “Isn’t she?”

Eleanora remained standing by the staircase, silent and forgotten. 

Okay, well… this looks like it’s going well. Eleanora nodded to herself, taking a step back up onto the staircase. They don’t… need me anymore, right? 

Lucifer seems like he’ll do just fine on his own. 

I’m just… gonna run away now. 

She’s not part of the family, and she’ll just feel uncomfortable if she hangs around, bound to stand in a corner silently the entire time the three talk. Eleanora has spent the majority of her life as an extra forgettable wheel in her old so-called friend groups; she’s not about to continue that in Hell. 

Besides, her job here is done. 

Charlie and Lucifer… can only go up from here. 

Seeing them, and Vaggie, happy was good enough for her. 

Taking a deep breath, she turned around and started to quietly sneak her way up the staircase, doing her best to avoid the creaky steps. She had gotten halfway up when she suddenly heard a loud, 

“Whoa! No, no, no! Where do you think you’re going!?” 

By the time she looked behind her, Lucifer had already snatched her hand, having run up the stairs with incredible speed. The brunette was frozen, eyes wide as could be, baffled by the look he was giving her. 

“No running out on me!” He exclaimed, voice a hushed growl. “You promised!” 

“B-But you-“ Eleanora was so confused. “You’re doing great! You got this!” 

Lucifer yanked her hand, and if he wasn’t right there to catch her, she might have fallen down the stairs. He lifted his face right up to hers, the brunette’s nose nearly touching where he should have one. “I do not got this! I am clearly panicking! I could say the wrong thing at any second! Please! Don’t…” His expression softened. “Don’t leave me on my own.” 

Brown eyes gazed into pleading red, and as she stared at him, observing his facial features and taking note of the sheer intensity of his emotions, trying to pinpoint what it all was she was seeing, Eleanora started to have the strangest feeling that this was about more than just being afraid of talking to his daughter by himself.

Unfortunately, before she could say anything else or ask him about it, she heard Charlie calling out from her spot in the lounge,

“Dad!? El? Is… everything okay?” The blonde couldn’t hear what either of them were saying. “What’s going on!?” 

Eleanora peered at the blond from over Lucifer’s shoulder, feeling his hand squeezing hers in a desperate search for encouragement, the devil king needing someone by his side. “Uh… nothing! Um…” 

Frick. This probably looks super weird, doesn’t it? 

“I, uh…” Should she bail or stay with him? It’s hard to run off when he looks so scared. “I was just-“

“Charlieeee~!” Lucifer sang, spinning on his heel and tugging the brunette down so she was standing beside him. “Sweetie! Sweetheart. I-I just didn’t want little Ellie here to sneak away before I could give credit where credit is due! Haha! Isn’t that right, Ellie!?” 

“Credit?” She echoed, befuddled by his declaration. “What… credit? Credit for what?” 

He didn’t answer, instead making his way down the staircase and taking her with him, his hand holding firmly onto hers. When they were in front of Charlie and Vaggie again, he tugged Eleanora close and held up the hand he was holding, flashing the human a wide grin. “You came up with the idea to gift Charlie the rubber duckies! I made them, but you came up with the idea!” 

“Awww, is that true!?” Charlie gushed, squishing her hands against her cheeks. “El~ that’s so sweet! I can’t believe you really worked with my dad just to surprise me!” 

“I-I was just- oof!” 

Eleanora was not prepared to be tackled by the Princess of Hell. “Thank you, thank you, thank you~! I don’t deserve a friend like you!” 

Wait, what? 

“I’m so glad it was you who ended up down here!” 

Charlie paused. 

Loosening her grip, she pulled back and gave the stunned human an apologetic look. “I mean, I’m not glad you were forcibly summoned against your will or anything like that and are kinda stuck down here in Hell until we figure something out, but like- I’m glad it was you that was summoned? Because you’re super nice? Not that I’m glad you’re down here, or that I’m glad you’re down here, but I’m glad that it was you who ended up down here? I mean-“ 

Realizing Charlie was about to ramble herself into a stupor, Eleanora snapped out her shock and held her hands- and Lucifer’s, since he still hasn’t let go, like he was afraid she’d run away- up to try and calm her. “I-It’s all good! I got it! I… know what you meant.”

“O-Oh! Good.” Charlie smiled awkwardly and stepped back, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I started to confuse myself a little, hehe. Uh…”

Her gaze landed on the hand Lucifer was holding. 

Charlie’s red eyes flickered over to her father, who was smiling, focused solely on his daughter, to Eleanora, who was also staring at the blonde. “Well! We don’t… have anything super fancy we can prepare for dinner, Dad, and we only just started working on the hotel so we still have a lot of work to do to make it more… presentable, but… if you’d like to join us…” She raised her arms up in a hopeful shrug. “The offer’s there?” 

“Abso~lutely!” Lucifer exclaimed, stepping forward and pumping the air with his free fist. He was grinning as wide as his face would allow, practically standing on his tiptoes. “I’d love to!” 

Charlie clapped her hands together, beaming. “Great! Vaggie?” 

The silver-haired woman was already heading up the steps, making her way to the kitchen to start cooking. “On it!” 

“I’ll show you around in the meantime, Dad! Come on!” She waved him over, gesturing for him to follow her, tactfully deciding not to question why her father and the human she recently made a pact with were holding hands. “We’ve got so many plans for this place, just you wait! When it’s ready, maybe you can come over and have another look!” 

In the end, Eleanora had accepted her fate, realizing she had somehow unintentionally become Lucifer’s emotional support human. But whether that was a good thing or bad… 

She didn’t really know. 

“Oooh,” Charlie squealed, waving her fists excitedly in the air, “I can’t wait until we get our first real resident! Today’s a great day! And I can just tell tomorrow is gonna be amazing, too!” 

Eleanora also didn’t really know why Lucifer’s hand felt as nice as it did. 

She just hoped no one would say anything weird about it.

[mischief-lies-and-stories]

I Rewatched Loki for Reasons

I rewatched the entirety of the Loki show, because I have a week of an unpaid break for Thanksgiving. I did this for a reason, and not just because I have no life (though that’s part of it). You will discover this (rather unhinged) reason tomorrow. Today, we’re gonna talk about things I missed, because I don’t know how to write a retrospective and Google didn’t help me, so this is the best I can do. So enjoy! (Spoilers for all of Loki)

Season 1, Episode 1

The very first time we see Mobius he stops a hunter from pruning a child. And then he’s kind to the child. We see his personality and we also see something that becomes a recurring theme in the series: he has a soft spot for children.

The “scared little boy shivering in the cold” line (which is actually the option of Mobius’s motivation Loki takes as the truth, and also the one I accept).

His sons (I have a problem with how he acts at work about them, but every other time he talks about them or interacts with them he does show he cares about them)

The boy at the Black Sea he couldn’t prune 

The fact that a Loki specialist is noticeably absent from an arrest of a Loki when his partner leads the charge, so he should have been there (Sylvie’s arrest)

Still annoyed Loki didn’t correct Mobius in the finale when Mobius credited Renslayer for getting Loki off. He tells Mobius in 2x05 that Mobius saved his life. I think even though it’s the end, even though Mobius isn’t gonna remember this interaction, it would’ve been important to Loki that he knows that he did that, not Renslayer. Loki remembers everything, Loki remembers how that went down, he knows it was Mobius and has already told Mobius so once. He would do it again. 

I think this changes in episode 2, but Mobius never uses pronouns for Sylvie. Other hunters and Loki assume he/him, but Mobius only refers to Sylvie as a Loki variant.

Season 1, Episode 2

Damn, okay, keep showing off that eidetic memory, Loki.

C’mon Mobius, why did you have to immediately start assuming male pronouns for Sylvie like everyone else? I liked that you didn’t do that in the last episode.

Loki talks about getting his magic back this episode, and then uses it twice: to dry himself and to summon something to use as a weapon: Weak.

Season 1, Episode 3

Loki and Sylvie have got such great sibling rivalry energy. I love every time they interact when I’m not scared they’re gonna kiss.

I maintain that the expression Loki makes and his noncommittal grunt in answer to Sylvie’s “real” implies that there was something, however brief, that felt real to him or that he wanted to be real. Given we never see any relationships in the movies, and that Where Mischief Lies is supposed to be a prequel to the MCU, I still think he thinks of Theo here (and maybe even Amora).

Why did Loki get drunk on the train? Sylvie makes him talk about his mom, whom he hasn’t seen in over a year. He remembers Mobius telling him that he causes her death, and that he can never see her again anyway. He was reminded of Theo, so he’s also got that centuries-old guilt rattling around in his brain again, and he’s starting to think he might be falling for himself which is insane for so many reasons. And he’s just got done being tortured for a year, so he’s not exactly in the best headspace to work through any emotions in a healthy manner.

Season 1, Episode 4

The hair flips are way more extensive than I remember them.

Season 1, Episode 5

Wait, so Renslayer doesn’t remember He Who Remains, she didn’t know the Timekeepers were fake, she doesn’t know she’s a variant, but she knows about the void? Did Mobius know about the void? So even though pruning hurt, he knew he wasn’t being killed?

Thunder rumbles in the void, and Loki looks up again. He’s still looking for Thor.

Kid Loki: “Whenever one of us dares try to fix themselves they’re sent here to die.” You didn’t kill Thor. Not a fucking chance. I was right!!

They literally said Loki knows enchantment magic when they enchant Alioth. “Because we’re the same,” Sylvie says. So why the fuck does Loki never have a chance to do it himself in season 2?

Season 1, Episode 6

Mobius was pruned before they found out the Timekeepers were fake (and I’m watching this episode about 18 hours after the last and I don’t have an eidetic memory like Loki, so forgive me if I’ve forgotten something), and we don’t see Mobius and Sylvie talk about that in the car, nor do Sylvie and Loki fill him in on that after so Mobius and Sylvie must have talked off screen. What else did they talk about???

The interaction between Renslayer and Mobius in this episode carries such a different weight knowing the mission that eventually took both of them off the beat cop path and more or less out of the field.

So no one told me to stop talking about biblical imagery, but for some reason I’m trying to resist. But sorry I can’t help myself, even though this was probably pointed out by countless analyzers when it came out two years ago. He Who Remains keeps tongue in cheek referring to himself as the devil, and then he first shows up eating a fucking apple, which has been primarily accepted as the Forbidden Fruit (it isn’t really. In the Bible it isn’t specified which fruit it is).

So Sylvie was right, in a way. He Who Remains is lying here. He knows this isn’t the end when she kills him, though he never actually plans for Timely to replace him like we speculated. Timely was just meant to be the tool to get Loki back to this moment, to (by He Who Remains’s hope) kill Sylvie and save him, so he can survive to control the timeline another day. He also manages to predict how the series ends, by proposing that Loki (and Sylvie) take over for him. He certainly doesn’t intend for Loki to go about it the way that he does, I don’t think, but he’s essentially not wrong. Loki does take over custodianship of the timeline(s) after He Who Remains.

At this point, I’m with Sylvie, I think the “threshold” is bullshit. I think what people figured out about it coinciding with WandaVision (and I don’t know if Marvel commented on that since) is legit, but I think he uses it as an excuse. He knows Sylvie is gonna try to kill him and Loki is gonna try to stop her and Sylvie is gonna use the TemPad to send him away. He places the TemPad in the perfect location for her to use, under the guise of doing it to symbolize offering them the mantle. But it’s a ruse. It’s where Sylvie can reach it to send Loki away. I think when she says he’s lying she’s also referring to him doing this to hold off his variants and another multiversal war, and in that respect I think she’s wrong. I mean, we’ve essentially gotten proof that she’s wrong. But he does know what’s happening.

And that’s the image and Mobius’s parting words they left us with for 2 fucking years.

Season 2, Episode 1

I still don’t understand why it never gets explained how OB remembers meeting Loki in the past but Mobius, Casey, and Verity (I will never let this Easter egg about B-15’s backstory go) don’t.

I’m coming off of season 1 (obviously) and before that, two watches of episode 6. I forgot how fucking painful the slipping is for him in this episode. Loki screams in agony every fucking time. Jesus.

Like, I know I’m a fool. But Mobius already thinks he’s into Sylvie, so he wouldn’t be that shocked to hear they kissed. So why does Loki just skip over that detail? Could it be that even in his frantic sense of panic, Loki knows that if he mentions a kiss it’ll completely derail Mobius and he’ll never let it go?

The end of this episode, with Loki almost being separated and Mobius being able to do nothing about it is such painful foreshadowing UGH.

Season 2, Episode 2

Why does Loki always insist on popping his collar? Mobius didn’t teach him that. Why does he think that’s cool/obnoxious? Did Mobius make an annoyed comment offscreen in season 1 and now he just does it to annoy him on purpose?

Season 2, Episode 3

I love this version of the show theme, slower and deeper.

Season 2, Episode 4

I want more clever teamwork with magic from Sylvie and Loki like when they jump Brad. Every time I watch it it makes me giddy. 

In episode 6, when Loki tells Timely what to do, he does all of OB’s gestures exactly the same. Can someone please just state outright that my boi has an eidetic memory already? 

Season 2, Episode 5

Loki steps into the door of Piranha Powersports (and he’s already seen Mobius/Don through the window, so he knows he’s here), takes one look at Mobius/Don, hears two words in his voice, and even though the camera is across the room, you can see the actual sigh of relief he lets out. Mobius is here, he’s finally back with Mobius, Mobius is okay, everything is all right now. 

OB wants to quit teaching and write full time. The! Dream! (I mean, I haven’t had an idea for original characters since I was in college and I don’t have the patience to write anything longer than 3k words most of the time, but still. Fucking ideal)

Me: I love how Loki is always so calm and patient with OB.

Meanwhile, Loki: *strongly considers zapping OB back after they do it to him to try to jumpstart the time slipping*

Also OB, Loki is used to getting electrocuted. I bet that barely hurt, like how getting shanked is just a Tuesday afternoon for Thor at this point.

Did I start crying when he said “I can rewrite the story,” even though I’ve seen this episode 3 times now? Maybe.

Season 2, Episode 6

No! Why the fuck is the next episode screen the shot of Mobius and Sylvie looking through the door in horror as Loki steps out towards the Loom?! That’s not fucking fair! It’s fucking upsetting is what it is.

Has anyone stopped to wonder why this launcher even exists at the end of the gangway? Or why there’s a gangway out to the loom to begin with? I’m not even talking about the fact that the loom was always meant to explode if it got overloaded and reset the TVA. I mean even before they learned that, there was never supposed to be more than one timeline passing through the loom anyway. The branches were always meant to be pruned well before it got to this point. 

Why yes, “Ascension” did make me cry again. I blame Hiddleston for introducing me to redemptive arcs in classical pieces. Because this track has it and that’s the moment I start sobbing. 

If you’re still here, thank you. I can’t believe I still have thoughts about this series. I will leave you with this.

Favorite Episodes

Season 1: Episode 5: Journey Into Mystery 

Season 2: Episode 3: 1893

And I will see you tomorrow for some unhinged shit which was the real reason I watched the whole show again. Maybe strap in now? 

[mermaidsirennikita]

Happy Valentine's Day.

To me, a lot of the best romances humiliate the heroes at some point. Like, I don't want these to be powerful bastions of dignity, I want them to be filled with SHAME. Almost finished rereading When the Duke Was Wicked, and Lovingdon, one of my favorite romance heroes of all time, as:

--admitted to himself that he's too drunk to perform

--kissed a sex worker that like, HE SUMMONED, only to be like "I'm sorry you're lovely but you don't smell like roses and lavender so I can't make it work"

--gotten scammed at cards

--gotten shot and fainted

--gotten all squirmy and panicky in a carriage while failing to figure out how hummingbirds hum because Grace is ~caressing him~ through his pants

--had his marriage proposal turned down by Grace while he's literally naked in bed, which results in him like struggling to put his clothes on in a HUFF like "I WAS JUST TRYING TO BE NICE!!!" when really he's dying inside

--had his request for her father's blessing turned down COLD, which results in him attempting and failing to huff out with dignity AGAIN, all "WELL. SOME PEOPLE WOULD BE THRILLED I ASKED." when really he's dying inside

--had his mOM call him a sad loser, basically

--spent the entire book being like "well Grace, if a man loved you, he'd do exactly what I'm currently doing, including risking his life to save yours... sadly, I am incapable of love"

[garretgentleman-art]

I must confess. I don't like Misty Fey. I see a parallel between Misty and Lana.

Lana hurt Ema to "protect" her.

But Lana did not leave Ema, Lana had an adequate reason, Lana tortured Ema for only 2 years, Lana did not enjoy life during this time, Lana admitted her mistake and returned to her family. Misty is not. Misty died without regrets. Her only conversation with her daughter goes like this:

:( All the characters describe Misty as a very good and kind person, but I see this as a sexist cliché of an idealized mom. I think Shu Takumi was just afraid to bring up the topic of leaving the family.

I have the headcanon.

- Mia told Maya to lock herself up and summon Dahlia. So Maya will save herself and others. - Misty summoned Dahlia without any preparation. Thus she saved Pearl, but endangered her own daughter. Why? I have an explanation. She knew that Diego would protect Maya. Moreover, she hoped that Diego would kill Dahlia.. Remember the scene where she showed Diego the sword

... You trust her too much

So she waited for the deadline to show you this...

What price? Kill Morgan??? Diego, Morgan is in jail! But then who is Misty going to kill? Pearl? Of course not! And why did she show this sword to Diego?????

I think she wanted Diego to know there was a sword inside the staff because she hoped he was using it. Misty knew that Diego hated Dahlia and couldn't resist. Diego knew that Misty could summon Dahlia into her body as a last resort, but was unaware of his role. If he knew that the plan was that he should become a killer, he would have this sword. But no. Diego was completely unarmed because, unlike Misty, he had no intention of killing anyone. I also have headcanon that Misty can make ghosts think about some things. As we know from the next games, the Kurain Master does not lose consciousness and can exorcise the ghost whenever they wants. So I think Misty inspire Dahlia to bring her staff. Well, or she risked and hoped that Dahlia would do it herself. Do you think Diego's plan was stupid? Look at this woman. Her plan B is a suicide. And by the way, Misty is much older than her accomplices, so I don't consider her to be Diego's subordinate. In fact, I think it was Misty who insisted that Pearl not know that her mother is a monster. I even think that Diego originally found Misty Fey in order to return her to the family and for her to explain everything to the girls. But then they decided together that Misty should distract Pearl so she wouldn't summon Dahlia. + Maya and Phoenix didn't tell Pearl why her mother is prisoner too, maybe that also affected.

In a week she could prepare a place to lock up Dahlia. She could take handcuffs and chain herself to a steel pipe.

She could even hide all the knives in the temple. Lock the kitchen and storeroom. Sister Iris and Sister Bikini are her subordinates, so Misty literally can do anything in this temple. But no. She took the sword. Because she prefers this plan. Perhaps she had regrets after all. And quite a serious depression. So yeah... I don't think Mia is angry at Diego because of her mother's death. I think Mia is angry at her mother for what she did to Diego. + she left her as a child.

[asterouslyaesthetic]

thinking about kiralfonse lovechild from a timeline where they get to grow up and be middle-aged together, only for their happy coexistence to shatter because of hel

the "war" lasts almost two years and for three-fourths of those two years, zach's family is mostly dead—his father, by líf on the battlefield; his sister, by an undead soldier when he stubbornly decides to go fight and she tags along, despite their mother begging them to stay put; his mother, by thrasir, in front of him, and what makes it worse is that she musters up the last of her strength to send him away with breidablik

only his aunt survives (ironic) and takes him to embla, which wasn't the initial target and so is mostly okay. he grows an attachment to his namesake and to veronica, and they also die to protect him because he's the only one who can make things right

he manages to get as far as finding the other breidablik, thanks to loki tipping him off after traumatizing him by masquerading as "his mom who he accidentally summoned", but líf figures this out and has to put him down

(oh, and also, this time around, eir recalls what happened and runs to warn the latest target about it, and since kiralfonse are middle-aged, while she's basically a teenager/young adult, they treat her like a second daughter while zach and his sister sol take up the role their father and aunt initially occupied

and zach refuses to let eir be taken away too, but fails miserably, with breidablik being his last ditch effort to save her)

and then he gets summoned to canon timeline askr, where they've beaten hel and his parents' murderers roam the halls like ghosts

even worse is that líf is basically kiran's bodyguard so he usually stalks her from afar, but he's gone on a mission when the kid's summoned. in the meantime, zach—a mama's boy who spent the last few months of her life depressed and convinced only his mother could save askr, only for her to choose to save him and the guilt of it is something he still has trouble coping with—also takes up that role, fearful of anything that might hurt her

(it becomes a running joke that whenever he sneaks up on her and hugs her, she's like "alfonse?"

at first, it bothers zach because he struggles with the insecurity that he's absolutely nothing like his parents, in true second gen lord fashion

but then she disappears for like six hours—and later, it turns out she was just accompanying his grandma for a trip to a town nearby, along with some other heroes, but forgot to mention it to someone—and he's like "oh")

and then líf comes back. and although thrasir warns him, because she remembers well what a wreck he was after killing his own son, who, in their timeline, died much younger and he couldn't even be there for his last moments, he still struggles with his curiosity and desire to see the mother and son duo safe

unfortunately, the first time they meet is when freyja decides to put kiran to sleep since now there isn't anyone to interfere with her plans. and zach left her for like five minutes, at which point she wandered off to the summoning grounds and fainted right before líf's eyes

líf has to walk ten feet behind them, even after alfonse assures him that yes, líf is perfectly harmless, only for things to get tense real quick when zach gets incredibly angry and ends up revealing something everyone's already guessed (after alfonse accidentally reveals who líf actually is).

things stay tense until kiran wakes up and works her magic. it's literally the first thing she does.

(thrasir also "helps", because she fills him in on what happened after he died, and since there's still a small part of him that can't help but care about líf since it's his dad, it affects him deeply)

he does reconcile with alfonse, though líf remains something they don't acknowledge

but he and líf manage a mostly peaceful coexistence.

sometimes, they'll even have conversations, mostly when they're stuck working together and líf's weapon ends up hurting zach so líf gets to be a bit fussy, and zach can't help but feel a bit jealous of the eight year old him who died, despite proclaiming he wants nothing to do with líf because that kid's dad loved him so much he was willing to murder another version of him for his sake—while líf is in this constant cycle of feeling unworthy and being grateful that zach is even willing to listen to him

[eradicatetehnormal]

I feel like when it comes to Sora and Kairi in particular, people will shut down any interpretation that attempts to add nuance to their characters. Even their biggest fans.

I remember talking about how I think CoM made Sora's precious person ambiguous and how that represents the parts of Sora's heart that's pulling him in different directions. The part of him who wants to give up, go home, and live the rest of his life in peace, and the part of him who wants to keep adventuring, helping others, and find Riku (and I guess Mickey).

And then someone responded to that and said "Oh actually, Kairi's a false light, and that "ambiguity" is actually just the darkness." Hey, we're both interpreting the story. They could be right. It'd be really lame if they were, though. What's the point of Sora and Kairi's relationship if the entire time Kairi is just a vampire that constantly leads him down the wrong direction? To represent how friends can unintentionally lead you astray despite their best efforts?

Why take so long to reveal that if that is the case? What has ever implied that Kairi has led Sora down the wrong path? The fact that her light "allegedly" saved Sora in 3, but that he had to sacrifice himself anyway? What makes you think Sora wouldn't have done that for any of his friends? You'd have to go through mountains of theories to even get to the point where you could entertain this thought.

Would Kairi being a false light serve as a subversion to the idea that boys have to always get the girl? That she was actually turning Sora's head from his true destiny in Riku? Okay, let's roll with that. Sora and Riku are destined for each other and Kairi confused poor little Sora. Now what? Where does this leave the relationship between Sora and Kairi now that he realizes where his heart truly is? If their entire relationship was just a commentary on heteronormativity, why does she have formative moments with Sora as shown in CoM? Why does Sora choose to spend the last of his time showing her around different worlds, how his allies are doing, and gazing into her eyes? I feel like this person would say they aren't implying that Kairi means nothing to Sora, but they totally are!

If the ambiguity of CoM is just the darkness fucking with Sora, then that means that in the end, Sora has no genuine strong feelings for Kairi that are comparable to his feelings for Riku, when he clearly does!

Interpreting Kairi in a false light removes the nuance of said ambiguity in favor of telling a straightforward story about heteronormativity. Here's the thing, even under my interpretation, the idea that Sora is suffering from heteronormativity still works to some extent as it can be argued that Sora is incapable of seeing how valuable Riku is to him despite the fact that he's going so far out of his way for him. It's through that lack of introspection that Org 13 sends in Namine, a lonely, vulnerable, girl to distract Sora. It's almost like the literal interpretation of the game is not only leagues more charitable to the characters but works perfectly fine all on its own as a queer narrative depending on how you want to read it.

People have a similar problem with throwing away interpretations of Kairi's nuance in favor of reducing her to some sort of pseudo-antagonist or a prize to be won. The most glaring example I can think of is the scene in MoM where Sora shows up.

Many people have theorized that this is Kairi's head summoning its own Sora as a coping mechanism to show how reliant she feels on him, but the most common interpretation is that Sora just showed up through the connection of their hearts. TBF, Xehanort does literally say that that's what happens, but this is all taking place inside her head, and that's not always reliable. Also, how come Sora hasn't been able to reach anyone else through their connection, Riku or "Stella"?

Once again, it's an idea that removes the nuances of her character to tell a straightforward love story between Sora and Kairi while ignoring the obvious similarity they're sharing in that scene if the former interpretation is true. That the two of them feel as though they're worthless without their friends.

Then again, 85% of KH theories are just thinly veiled ship fodder. That's not a bad thing, but it can get really irritating when you can't look past a certain perspective

[rwqv]

bro mahito was such a good villain like he was the first villain that genuinely pissed me off.,, his writing is soo good i love it so bad but like comeee ONNNN

DADDYJAKU IS CRAZY WORK but i sgree full heartedly

pls im doubling over in pain godd GODDD i luv jjk analyses especially with megumi. no matter how bad i love gojo, megumi will always be my favoeite with his writing. my brother was super annoyed that he kept summoning mahoraga, kept flashbacking to sukuna sayinf "thats kinda a waste of your talents right?" and kept flashbacking to gojo saying hes not using all his potential ... but thats the point!!!!!!!!! hes falling behind compared to yuji and he knows it ... and hes super depressed and hes willing to summon mahoraga so much because he literally does NOT care about his life in the slightest that man actively wants to kill himself... UGHHH AND HIM BEING CALLED POTENTIAL MAN LIKE DID U GUYS EVEN READ SLASH WATCH THE SHOW...... THATS THE POINT hes like a foil of yuji AND a parallel to geto.

yghhh yuji sarcrifuce would tear me apart like i literally gave birth to yuji hes my baby my sonnn ... but i cant lie that would be a great ending

plot twist gojo comes back talking about some "im for real real!" LMFAOOOOOO jk ... as mych as i truth him to come back i think his like character development and arc was at a good enough point for him to die. like nanami's character did seem fully fleshed oht when he died but nobara (at the time) didnt seem that developed when gege killed her. but shes back baby so maybe we'll see more of her (in the remaining 5 chapters ........)

YES OMG UGH the gojo 30 questions was like the smallest glimpse we had of the gojo clan. what do you MEAN his parents are still alive and everythint TELL ME MOREEEUHHH..

did u see getos mom was on the popularity list thing rven tho we've never seen him LMFAOOO i just know shes bad asf

oh my god imb so mad. i wrote up a full lengthy response but i crashed and everythkng got deleted. ill type up what i remember but its pretty bad 😭 i was cooking before it gor deleted

ANYWAYS

i never actually thought of megumi that way holy shit… esp with the fight between toji and him in shibuya… like father: 0 cursed energy, no weapon vs. son: the 10 shadows technique and all his shikigami and he still “lost”. megumi would probably win if he couldve apply himself better. he def feels left behind just like geto did when gojo surpassed him quickly thats horrible

i feel so much more sympathetic to megumi now i feel bad 😢

ALSO ABOUT HOW HES DEPRESSED AND EVERYTHING AND WANTS TO DIE BECAUSE OF SUKUNA INHABITING HIM AND USING MEGUMI AS A WEAPON

i do also think gojos character arc is pretty finished. like i want him to come back but also he feels completed. he was the strongest but he lost (mommyraga saved sukunas ass) . gojo finally did what no one thought could be done, and he could no longer be used as a weapon (not cool yuta 😡) and he died on the same day that geto did + on the most romantic day.. i think gojo should finally truely rest now (with his shitty ass sleeping schedule he needs it)

to add on, gojo killed his best friend and had to watch as his adopted son was used as a weapon to kill him he needs to lay down and sleep. his whole sense of family too is pretty messed up w the clan things and also riko (i think they have a sibling bond but also it seems like he doesnt fully like her but that might just be siblings) and everyone who came close to him died

more things about the clan workings would have been cool too!1 the story only sorta fleshed out zenin but what about kamo? or gojo? like what would gojos parents think about gojo dying and stuff like that? the clans are supposed to be like a big part of jujutsu society but i feel like they barely get any screentime. did he love his parents? did his parents love him? did anyone love him as a kid? how did the clans clash back then?? like PPPLLLEEASSE WHAT ABOUT NORITOSHI AND HIS CLAMMN WHY

my point is gege is leaving so much open like the merger€? more character interactions would definitely allow people to feel better… what about cursed tools backstories? cursed speech clan? international sorcerers? i know everyone was like jjk is dragging on and everything but 5 chapters could not resolve these plotppoints

10 spinoff series with all slice of life fluff now PLS

GETOS MOM WOULD DEF BE A BADDIE all of his genes are from her majestic ahh bro… that nurse kenjaku(geto) relly shows it

OOH MY GOD I THOUGHT I POSTED THIS EARLIER WJOOPS SORRY

[percontaion-points]

Can we fix it?! Maybe! Everlife series

Time for another instalment called “Can We Fix It?!” where I attempt to walk through what I’d to to make a series be not so terrible. 

I finished the Everlife series, so… Can we fix it?

The answer is maybe! Let’s take a crack at it. Buckle up guys, because this is going to be a long read...

First and foremost, the series’s biggest weakness is that there was never any actual reasoning for the wars. Heaven and Hell were fighting, and the readers were simply supposed to accept this and move on. I don’t think that I would even attempt to write anything without understanding the motive behind the actual plot. 

Right off the top of my head, I can’t exactly think of any reason. But I’m sure if you pressed me about the issue, I could summon up a few possible ideas. 

Next is the “holier than thou” level of hypocrisy from Troika. It didn’t really start kicking off until the second book, but it’s something that’s kind of been bugging me. 

See, in the beginning of the story, Ten is in a place specifically designed to torture literal children into compliance. Ten speaks of the guards and Dr. Vans himself raping the literal children prisoners, of torturing them in various ways…

If Troika is supposed to be this beacon of all that is holy, of stopping injustices that happen in the Harvest Lands (aka on earth, to the living)... Why was this torture and rape factory allowed to even function at all? 

Since Ten’s family are Myriad, and obviously have this huge contract that Ten would sign with them as soon as she was old enough to pick, I can see if the entire thing was some sort of underground Myriad human punishment thing. But it wasn’t. And the fact that Archer went in there to help protect Ten indicates that Troika 100% knew about it… But actively CHOSE not to do anything. 

And you know Ten wasn’t the first unsigned who was being tortured in there. Fuck those people, I guess. They don’t matter, because they aren’t THE CHOSEN ONES. 

Speaking of the Chosen One, I really hated that aspect of the story. Especially in the first book, and into the second. The reason why characters like Katness work so well is because there is 100% nothing special about her. She made a sacrifice to save her sister, and then kind of went “Well, since I’m here, I guess I’ll be the figurehead of this rebellion.” 

Ten was nothing more than a passive participant in her own life through a book and a half. Which is really saying a lot, considering that this was a fucking trilogy! She kind of went along with what whomever person in authority at any given time told her to do… And she kept doing this even after she was in Troika. The only reason why she even decided to try and stop things was mainly because she couldn’t have kissy times with Killian. 

In order to fix a lot of problems with the first book, I would have started off with Ten when she was a lot younger. Maybe a year or two before she reached the age of her decision, and built it up to be a big thing. This would give me time to establish the world, and to kind of explain to the reader through the Troikian and Myriad representatives why she should sign with them. 

But I would also interspice this with her going home after a day spent at the Troika learning centre, and her dad getting angry and saying that the only choice she has is Myriad. He doesn’t actually hit her, but he’ll say this in such a way that leaves no doubt in the minds of the readers that this is a man who is only holding himself back simply because you don’t hurt your golden goose. 

There would also be a heavy implication that he’s not holding himself back with his wife. Like I want everybody to understand that Ten’s mom is a broken shell of what she once was. Maybe mention abandoned art projects that were collecting dust or something. That she holes herself up most days, and has lost a lot of weight recently. 

When Ten turns… How old was it? Let’s say 18 is the age of choosing. I would paint it as this big cultural moment. You know, much in the same way that we have stuff like bar and bat mitzvahs and sweet 16 and such. Like maybe not so much of a huge blow-out party, but it’s this huge turning point in everybody’s life, where they must sign with one side or another. 

Any actual worldbuilding in this story was seriously lacking, especially from the human side of things. 

I would have also sprinkled in some hints about the anti-choice group. The people who are like “You both suck! We’re not joining you!” But on the morning of Ten’s 18th birthday, she wakes up before her father does, leaves the house, and goes to the address on some flyer she found. And it’s this headquarters of these people who are like “Down with the realms! They only see you as expandable! Why should you be expected to become a servant starting from your 18th birthday, slave away for them on earth, only to die and SLAVE AWAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR AFTERLIFE?!” As you can imagine, Ten would be like “You might be onto something here!”

She goes home after a couple of hours, where her father gets angry with her for having delayed her “choice”, despite the fact that it’s obvious he doesn’t want her to actually have one. At this junction, I’d want to highlight the idea that Ten puts her foot down against her father’s control over her for the first time in her life. But this causes him to physically harm her for the first time. I want it to be violent, and I want the reader to feel immensely uncomfortable over the entire thing. 

So Daddy-dearest ships Ten off to the Myriad-run torture and rape factory that I mentioned earlier. But it’s at this point that the mother snaps, and starts to pull some strings in an effort to try and save her child. 

At this point, the readers are finally introduced to Archer as he goes undercover at this place. I wouldn’t include the business with Bo, because that was the stupidest fucking shit, and it served no actual point. But as he’s talking with her, trying to figure out the series of events that landed her there, he’s like “Why are you so special? Why is your dad so set on ensuring that you end up in Myriad?” Like he is genuinely confused; she’s simply some girl. No CHOSEN ONE here. 

Killian would be there too, trying to seduce her and to be her friend. But none of that “candlelit dinner” bullshit; that was fucking derranged. Ten is quick to figure out that Archer is an angel, sent to help her out. But not with Killian until later. 

So they do the break-out scene, and that’s when Killian’s true colours start to show. Ten is obviously leaning more and more towards Troika, because like… They don’t have secret underground torture clubs. And Archer isn’t openly lying to her about his expectations. Killian doesn’t give a shit so long as he signs Ten, but Archer genuinely wants whatever is best for Ten… Even if at some point, she decides that she does want to sign with Myriad. 

But Ten refuses to sign with Troika, even after all that she’s gone through. Because despite Archer’s help in her escape, she’s been thinking a lot about what the anti-choice people had to say. That there’s no reason why people should be forced to give up literally their entire lives for shitfucks who don’t care about you. That you’d be forced to be another cog in the system… Forever and ever until the end of time, Amen. 

However, it’s her continuing refusal to sign that forces Ten to go on the run. Myriad sends more soldiers after her, to grab her and force her hand again. At this point, we can introduce side characters such as Clay and Sloan. 

From there, I think that they’d go on the run, like they had in the book. Except that instead of going to a safe house with some sort of “fallen angel” that was literally never talked about again… I’d really hammer in the entire “fallen angel” business. Some contact of Archer’s from like a thousand years earlier. Really hammer in the idea that these people are immortals, right?

Anyway, this guy is one of the contacts for the anti-choice people. Like he’s seen so much that he’s turned away from it all, and doesn’t even mind being kicked out of Heaven, if only because it’s all fucking bullshit anyway. And obviously this would be how Ten and the reader learn a lot of plot-relevant information. Whatever that might end up being. 

The fallen angel would send Ten from safe house to safe house. But in the end, I do like the idea that she ran off because somebody slipped her a message about her mom. 

Now, the subplot with the pregnancy and Jeremy was honestly kind of dumb and it never went anywhere. So instead, it would simply be the dad using mom as leverage in order to get one last shot at his wayward daughter. 

And I think that the big climax should be that it was actually the father who killed his own daughter, rather than Sloan. 

Now, the direction for the second book could possibly go in two different ways. I was thinking “if you wanted to fix it to be pretty similar to the first book”. But then as I was contemplating this, I was like “Wouldn’t it be fun if the reason why she was being hunted so desperately by Myriad was because Ambrosine coveted her for a bride?” 

Mainly because I refuse to believe that in the millions of years that Troika had been around, nobody had ever once figured out how to turn other people into conduits OR architects. That was so fucking dumb. 

Anyway, so springboarding off from the second idea, I think that it would be like a Persephone and Hades thing. Where no matter what happened with Ten, she would still somehow get dragged down to Myriad. Maybe Ambroisine ends up being the love interest, and both Killian and Archer were nothing but supporting characters. Maybe Killian is actually the real king of hell. That could be fun, too. 

However, choosing to not do that, and sending Ten to Troika instead, I feel like there wouldn’t necessarily be any reason not to have her hook up with Archer. Maybe the entire first book would be nothing but her waffling between the most important decision of her life… Not which afterlife she goes to, but which guy she wants to be with forever. Hey now, I never once said that my fix was going to turn this into high-brow literature. It’s still a YA dystopia. 

But, for my Killian-stans out there, I think that the Romeo and Juliet aspect is fine, too. That the reason why she wants to fight back so hard is because she simply wants to be with him. However, I would totally lean way more into the source material of the star crossed lovers aspect. Make so many Shakespear jokes. Not so much that she’d be obsessed with the play, but like… she’d be hanging out in a rose garden and be like “Even the scent of these roses reminds me of Killian. Do you think that he’s looking up at the sun right now, the same as I am?” Do better, authors. If I can come up with this analogy in five seconds without smacking you in the face with “Wherefore art thou, Romeo?”, then so can you. 

Moving forward into the actual plot of the second and even the third book is a lot harder to narrow down without proper worldbuilding. But no matter what, Ten would want to stop the war. 

The only thing that I can comment about how the book shouldn’t end, is that for sure “the power of love!!!!!!!!!!!” shouldn’t be the answer. I’m not saying that love isn’t a powerful emotion. But maybe don’t have it be the duex ex machina for the end of your series. 

However, I will make an accept to that statement if “love is a powerful magic” is something that’s already known in Troika. Like what if in order to charge up magic spells (fireball, heal, etc) you have to think about different people you love? That could be fun. Maybe Myriad magic revolves around hate. 

Anyway, these are simply some spitballed ideas on how I would personally fix mainly the first book and a little bit of the second book. 

I don’t have the time or emotional energy to actually write this series, however. But if reading through this sparked some sort of plot bunny in your head, by all means. You don’t have to message to ask for permission; you’re allowed to use any of these ideas! But you can message to bounce ideas off of me. And please, for the love of sanity, let me read when you’ve finished!

[bestygogirl]

BEST YGO GIRL: Round 3, Group D

Match 4

please use this as an opportunity to say why you like a character, not why you don't.

Propaganda under the cut!

Aki Izayoi

An abuse victim who isn't the perfect passive figure but gets to work through her complicated feelings about power, agency, and family. Even with Yusei's help, she is the star of the show when she learns to control her powers and reconciles with her father, it is so fun that a ygo heroine gets to take such an antagonistic role bu not be shamed for her anger

please vote for my main girl, aki izayoi. aki was led to believe she was a monster from a young age by her father, who treated her powers like it made her unworthy of love. as a result, divine was able to swoop in and take advantage of aki's low self esteem. for years, aki believed herself unworthy of love and was molded into a living weapon at the hands of authority figures in her life. she was taken advantage of, and thus when she finally comes face to face with yusei, she refuses to believe he could provide her with unconditional friendship. who would want to be around a monster, after all? aki also nearly beats yusei TWICE in a duel, bringing it down to a single turn difference. she comes toe to toe with him, and it truly is the result of who dueled better. she remains a fierce duelist, btw. the second season, aki gets her duel runner license, and immediately nearly beats the ass of a tournament winning turbo duelist - to the point where once again, a single card is the deciding factor. that's right: she nearly won. if not for a single trap card, aki izayoi would've won. a fierce duelist who was shaped into a loving, caring woman despite years of being beaten down by the world: aki izayoi. vote for her now on your phones.

Shizuka Kawai

Shizuka is obviously very sweet, supportive and positive, but she is also stubborn and brave as hell. There's the obvious ones: Ripped off her post-surgery bandages after being functionally blind in order to jump into deep water to save her brother without a second thought! Perfect win record, won her first ever duel despite having no clue how to play!

But there's a couple really great less obvious character moments as well:

First off, her message to Jounouchi before Duelist Kingdom: It's heavily implied they hadn't spoken in a long time since their parents' divorce. But Shizuka, a very sheltered pre-teen, was the first one to break the silence and reach out to her big brother - even though they were likely deliberately being kept apart by their mother, who seems to believe Jou is a bad influence on his sister. Jou and Shizuka's mom has likely been repeating this narrative to Shizuka growing up, too: "Your brother is no-good just like your dad. Your brother is dangerous. Your brother is a bad influence" etc, etc. But this doesn't stop her from secretly deciding to contact Jou. Shizuka had no idea when reaching out that he'd do something over-the-top like try and win money for her operation. She just wanted to talk to her estranged sibling and update him on her life, including her illness, which was probably really scary for her to talk about.

Second: This kid breaks out of a hospital, still blind and wearing post-surgical bandages after a major operation, to see her brother. She meets all of her brother's friends in one go and immediately is like "Whatever I'll get in your car strange woman, just get me to Katsuya!!" Then after the pier duel she's still so determined to offer what support she can that she gets on the giant aircraft of a well-known local maniac without hesitation. The first things she sees after years of declining eyesight are: her brother nearly drowning, literal gods being summoned, someone she clearly idolizes as a big sister getting Shadow Game'd, Honda getting dropped into a pit of lava, her brother ACTUALLY dying - and she remains kind, cheerful and brave throughout it all.

Third: Despite her clear idolization and respect of Jounouchi, she actually doesn't just thoughtlessly go along with what he says all the time! Several times in the anime, when she feels Jou is being impulsive, stubborn or unkind, she'll call him out on it. A notable example is in Virtual World when Jounouchi suggests they should just leave Kaiba and Mokuba to go off alone. Shizuka firmly tells him "No, that's not the right thing to do," and tries to go off after the Kaibros all by herself. This is really brave as hell, especially seeing as she's evidently prepared to go against ALL of her brother's cool older friends despite being young, a bit naive/inexperienced, and has seen a staggering amount of dangerous things happen to them all up to that point.

Fourth: Virtual World Duel. Yes she has a miniature crisis after seeing her brother's best friend get dropped into lava. But she recovers and wins the duel with a religious-iconography-power-lesbian card. Love that for her.

Fifth: Shizuka is the only character in the entire series to stand in front of Seto Kaiba and say to his face "human lives are more important than card games." And she's not even one of Yuugi's core friend group, who's seen Kaiba at his most vulnerable. From her perspective, this is not only a giant tall scary-looking older guy with the bitchiest resting face this side of the Pacific, he's also one of the most powerful individuals in Domino City (possibly in Japan.) Kaiba is a well-known public figure who Shizuka had previously probably only seen on the news for things like staggering wealth, general lunacy, and patricide. AND YET, she's the one who marches her little self up to him and tells him to land his damn blimp and get Bakura some medical care. (It kind of works, too! Kaiba is difficult and annoying to all of them and implies he doesn't care if Bakura dies, but after Shizuka makes her appeal, only THEN does he admit that KaibaCorp has excellent trained medical staff on board.)

Sixth: Pulls a truly disturbed prank with Mai and then laughs in the face of her brother's devastation. We love a weird kid with an extremely questionable sense of humor. She's definitely fine after all the Horrors(TM) she's witnessed. Probably.

Anyways vote Shizuka she's a fucking great character and the fandom has been SLEEPING on her!!!!