#and the pants are based on the ones mariachis wear!

[achinga]

hi thank you for talking about hyde im literally obsessed with her....so IS she not human? do u have any lore about the assassin you might want to drop perhaps? :0

OMG I DIDNT SEE I HAD ANOTHER ASK IM SORRY

but ouh... im glad to know you like her =] as to the question of is she human or not the answer is yes she is!....... for now.

funnily enough i DO have my assassin design pretty much ironed out now (thank you SO much to my buddies tourmy and mitch who helped me with the details!).

this is álveo(they/he/she), an assassin who takes their jobs from recently deceased people that want to get revenge/justice for their deaths in exchange for something of equal price. my main inspirations in designing her were xolo dogs, and for the mask ,of course, its the dia de los muertos catrina make-up

they're very focused on their job and duties,with absolutely zero room fro hobbies or personal time. recently, however, being surrounded by all that gloom and doom has made them feel exhausted and on the cusp of burning out, and being chased by those strange humans is certainly not helping matters

mini fun fact: they're actually quite a sloppy assassin, but it doesn't really matter since there's no flesh on their hands, and thus no fingerprints to be worried about. he likes to mainly use their sharp bones/claws to do the job, and sometimes forgets to take off her gloves, resulting in many, many ripped gloves that need replacing

also, if hyde is the "apartment "complex"? really, i find it quite simple" to mateo's "based? based on what?" then álveo is "you're telling me a shrimp fried this rice?" and thus completes them.

[hazbinbossbrainrot]

Striker

VOs:

Norman Reedus (1x05)

Edward Bosco (2x04 onwards)

Inspiration:

Basics:

Species: Demon (hybrid)

• Snake

• Crocodile

• Imp

Nationality: American 🇺🇸

Sexuality: Bisexual

Sex: Male

Likes:

• Himself

• Singing

• Violence

• Eating pate

Dislikes:

• Demons of high ranking

* The Ars Goetia

* Overlords

• The mariachi imp-oriented vocal quartet singing his ballad

• The weak and the helpless

• Sexual innuendos

Occupation(s):

• Farmhand at Rough n’ Tumbleweed Ranch (formerly)

• Assassin

AU:

Worker at I.M.P

Prince of Ars Goetia (via marriage with Stella)

_____________________________________

Family

N/A (CC)

AU:

Girlfriend: Stella

(illegitimate) Son: Runt

RP: 2#:

Fiancée: T.J. (In replacement of Asmodeus)

______________________

Appearance / personality

Striker is a fairly tall Imp, even rivaling Blitzo in height. He possesses a serpentine/lizard-like face with a large gold tooth in his sharp-toothed mouth. He has pale red skin, bright yellow eyes with green rings, a small black mustache, ivory white hair with a pair of black and white-striped horns.

Striker's horns point upward and, compared to other Imps, the stripe pattern is more jagged. His tail has four black stripes at the base, with eight spines lined up on them, and one on his tail fork.

Striker's attire resembles that of a southern cowboy, with a stereotypical large grey sun hat, cowboy boots, and a light red bandana around his neck.

He wears a black turtleneck shirt accompanied by a dark grey vest and a light gray jacket with dark gray cuffs and black tassels below. He wears black fingerless gloves and ivory white pants that are ripped by the thighs. Striker is also commonly seen holding a straw of wheat in his mouth.

How would you describe Striker’s personality?

• Hatred of nobility

• Arrogant

• Prideful

• Ruthless

• Violent

• Sadistic

• Superior

• Mocking

Other:

• Highly ambitious

• Socially smart

• Manipulative

• Cunning

• Fearless

_____________________________________

Relationships

Friends:

• Blitz Buckzo (temporarily)

Enemies:

• Employees of I.M.P

* Moxxie Knolastname (rival)

* Millie Knolastname

• Stolas (attempted target)

* also Striker’s former prisoner

Others:

• Lin & Joe (former employers)

• Bomproof (steed)

• Royal Family of Ars Goetia

* Andrealpus (acquainted)

* Octavia (familiar with)

* Stella (client)

• Crimson Knolastname (client)

• Asmodeus

• Fizzarolli (temporary hostage)

• Blitz Buckzo (temporary hostage)

_____________________________________

Abilities:

Natural:

• Closed and ranged combat

• Luminescent eyes

• Tail rattle

• Charisma:

- Charm & good looks

- Strength

- Skills

Skillset:

• Hand-to-hand combat

• Weaponry Mastery

• Rope Mastery

• Horse riding

• Musical talent:

- Guitar playing

- Singing

Unique:

• Enhanced durability (high pain tolerance)

• Enhanced strength

____________________________________

Nicknames:

• Blitz’s Cowbody Friend (by Stolas)

• Mangy Stray (by Andrealpus)

• Darling (by Stella)

• Mister (by Moxxie)

* Partner

[im-fairly-whitty]

Cecilia de Verde

A “No-Murder AU” Ernesto Love Story: Fanfic for Pixar’s “Coco”

[Part 1: Verde] [Part 2: The Name of the Enemy]

[Part 3: Trapped] [Part 4: An Interesting Evening]

[Part 5: Possibility] [Part 6: Seizing the Moment]

Part 7 - Genuine

“Ernesto, if you don’t stop staring at Ceci during this next song, I swear I’m going to pour the rest of my canteen on you during the chorus.” Hector whispered.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as they both paused for a drink before launching into their last song of the night. The Dia de los Muertos crowd around the plaza was still clapping and hollering in a colorful swirl of delight from the previous song.

“You should have told her to come after the performance, muchacho,” Hector continued with a grin, “I didn’t realize your brain would melt out of your ears when she showed up. Just now you tried singing the first verse three times.”

Ernesto took the canteen from Hector, playfully shoving his shoulder as he took a swig. As he screwed the cap back on his eyes found Ceci again. She was standing near the back of the crowd, wearing a beautiful forest-green ruffled dress he’d never seen before, her face was delicately painted in calaveras skull-makeup.

She was chatting and smiling with some of the other people in the crowd, but also stealing glances up at him whenever she could. There was no way Ernesto was going to chance missing even one of those glances, he didn’t care how much Hector teased him for it.

“Ernesto!” Hector said, snapping his fingers in his face.

“I’m fine, I’m good.” Ernesto said, blinking and scrambling to pick up his guitar, slinging the strap over his shoulder again.

“I was asking if you want me to solo.” Hector shook his head, gold tooth glinting as he laughed. “Get off the stage hermano, go to her, I’ll take the last song.”

Ernesto gripped his guitar. He’d never left a performance early before, but his eyes were pulled back to where Ceci was now leaning against a wall as the edge of the crowd, her head tilted to the side and her arms folded as she watched him from afar.

“Imelda.” Hector called, waving his wife over from where she was standing near the stage.

Imelda handed Coco to one of her brothers and took Hector’s hand, letting him pull her up onto the stage.

“Tell this love-sick idiota to get off our stage.” Hector said, taking Imelda’s hand and spinning her once before pulling her close, to the enthusiastic cheers of the crowd. “We’re taking the last song, mi amor.”

Imelda laughed and kissed him on the cheek, then looked at Ernesto, her expression mock-serious. “Go find your own dance partner Ernesto, Hector’s mine.”

Ernesto threw up his hands, “My apologies Señorita, he’s all yours.”

He couldn’t help grinning as he jumped down off the stage. Hector’s strummed the opening bars of an upbeat tune as he called out a loud grito, sparking an enthusiastic response from the already cheering crowd. Ernesto knew he should feel cheated to be missing out on the applause, but all he could see in the thick crowd was Ceci watching his with an amused smile.

“You escaped early.” She called as Ernesto struggled his way towards her.

“Imelda wanted the last song,” Ernesto said loudly over the noise of the tight crowd. He looked up to the stage where Imelda and Hector were now singing an energetic duet, she dancing while he played. “I’ve found that it’s dangerous to get between those two.”

“You’re smarter than you look.” Ceci teased, shocking him with a hug when he finally got close enough. She smelled like citrus and soap, and as far as he was concerned this night was already worth it.  

“Do you want to get away from here?” He asked as she pulled away from the hug. “The fireworks will be starting soon. I know the best place to watch them if you want, a hill in the cemetery, they’re my favorite part.”

“I haven’t seen fireworks in years!” Ceci said eagerly, shifting closer to him to be out of the way as a troupe of dancers moved past them. Ernesto offered her his arm and she took it, using her other hand to sweep her skirt out of the way. “If you can actually get us out that is.”

Ernesto scanned the crowd. Getting through the energetic crush of people at this point would be nearly impossible. He looked the other direction, back towards an alley that led away from the plaza.

“Do you think you could jump a fence in that much dress?” He asked, mostly joking.

But Ceci grinned and gathered up a handful of green fabric. “You’re the one in a mariachi suit, I’d say the first one to tear their clothing loses.”

Ernesto snorted grinning as he pulled her towards the alley. “Well I’m warning you now, I never lose.”

***

Ernesto lost.

It had been the second fence that had snagged his pant leg, tearing the white fabric all the way up to his knee before he’d been able to hoist himself down from the top of the fence. Ceci had been absolutely breathless, doubled over with tears of laughter by the time he’d finally freed himself, but had promised to mend it for him, saying the entertainment value had more than paid for it.

They were both still chuckling by the time they reached the cemetery, ducking in through the brightly lit gates with the steady flow of cheerful families going to and from graves of loved ones.

“I love seeing all the headstones decorated,” Ceci said, holding close to Ernesto’s arm as they passed by the colorfully festooned graves. Each one was draped with a collection of marigold wreaths, pan de muerto, photos, and cheerfully dancing candle flames. “I love feeling all the love in the air, that our ancestors get to visit us.”

“You really believe they visit?” Ernesto asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at her.

“Of course,” Ceci said, reaching out to trail her fingertips across the smooth marble of one of the headstones as they walked past it. “I can always feel my parents and brothers close on Dia de Muertos. It’s that warm, peaceful feeling I think, like you’re getting a hug. Don’t you feel it?”

Ernesto shrugged noncommittally. He couldn’t remember ever feeling anything like that, quite the opposite actually. The thought of his father perhaps being nearby at that moment only made a dark and cold feeling twist in his stomach.

He glanced briefly off to a darker corner of the cemetery that he’d never visited. With no candles, he couldn’t actually see it, but he knew that hidden there was a new headstone standing over a grave only a few months old. He’d refused to attend his father’s funeral, instead staying home while a cousin of his scraped up something half decent to say over the dead man as he was laid to rest.

Just that afternoon Ernesto had caught his mother putting his father’s picture on the family ofrenda.

You really want him to come back after all he put you through? He’d said, reaching for the photo.

But she’s whipped off her chancala and smacked his hand away. Family is family. She’d said, You don’t get to prune your family tree, only learn how to graft in better branches.

Which hadn’t made any sense, but he’d let the issue drop, letting her have the victory. He didn’t have to go into the ofrenda room if he didn’t want to.

“Do you have any family here you want to visit?” Ceci asked, smiling as two little boys in calavera face-paint ran past them on the path, chasing after a dog.

“No, just distant cousins and aunts in here I think, no one I was ever really close to.” He said, leading her off the path to climb up the small hill in the middle of the cemetery. The silver moonlight spilled over her more noticeably as they moved away from the warm glow of the man-made lights. “My Mamá put up my father’s photo on the ofrenda, I can stop by that if I want.”

“Oh, you’ve never told me about your father,” Ceci said, “has he been gone a long time then?”

“No, just a couple months back actually. That’s what brought Hector and I home from our music tour.” Ernesto said. He pointed to the large pine tree that stood at the top of the hill as they reached it. “This is the best view of the fireworks in town, no one else ever thinks to come up here.”

“I’m sorry about your father.” Ceci let go of his arm and spread her skirts around her as she sat on the ground at the base of the tree, leaning against its wide trunk.

“Don’t be sorry, we weren’t.” Ernesto said, pulling his guitar from off his back and sighing as he sat down beside her. Close enough that their knees would touch if she wanted, but without him making the first move.

“Why isn’t anyone buried up here? It’s a lovely view.” Ceci asked, somehow becoming even more beautiful just for having not pursued a conversation about his father.

“Not sure.” Ernesto said, looking out over the festive orange-lit cemetery below them. “Maybe they’re waiting for someone rich and famous to build a mausoleum here? It would be an impressive centerpiece for the cemetery.”

“A whole building to yourself?” Ceci scrunched up her nose, a strange sight with the combination of pale moonlight on her makeup, making her look like she really was a spirit come to life. “That sounds ridiculous, it’s not like you really get to enjoy it when you’re dead.”

“Well, it’s more like a monument to your legacy, not just a place to store your bones.” Ernesto said, idly twisting a peg on his guitar. He actually quite liked the idea of having a grand marble building erected in his honor. Something that would make sure everyone who passed by would remember him after he was gone.

“I don’t know,” Ceci said, looking out over the cemetery again. She pulled up her knees and wrapped her arms around them, making her look smaller. “I’d rather be wherever my family is.”

“Back in your hometown then?” Ernesto said, pulling his guitar into his lap and very softly strumming gentle cords. Not a real song, just something to fill the air.

Ceci smiled at the music, resting her head on her arms as she watched him play. “I suppose, that’s where my Mamá and Abelita are buried. We never got my brothers and Papá back. Who knows, maybe I’ll grow old here and have my own family and be buried with them instead. I don’t know. Besides, I’ve got enough living family to worry about for now while helping with my nieces and nephews.”

“I really admire how good you are with kids,” Ernesto said. “I never had siblings growing up, so kids are always a bit of a mystery to me.”

“I think that’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard you say. Thank you.” Ceci said, “You know you’re really not so bad when you’re being genuine. And I’d never have guessed, you’re so sweet with Coco.”

Ernesto ducked his head with a smile. He was remembering what she’d said earlier about happy peace and had just connected it with another memory. That was what he’d felt by the fire with her and Coco last Friday night.

His fingers shifted and the chords began organizing into the same tune he’d played for her that night, the melody now stronger with all the hours he’d practiced it since then. Her eyes widened a bit with recognition and she turned, repositioning herself so she was facing him as she leaned against the tree.

Ernesto’s heart pounded furiously in his chest as he rounded back to the beginning of the tune again. This was his chance, if he waited any longer he’d pass through the beginning of the melody again and sound stupid.

She’d said she liked him when he was genuine. He just had to remember that and hope to heaven that she was telling the truth, because he was about to be more genuine than he had been in years.

He took a deep breath as he played the opening cords of the song, but this time softly singing the words he had written for it. For her. A slow and lingering song that took its time to gently unspool the words.

A ribbon of green runs all through her hair

and is woven around my heart

oh, ribbon of green, as she turns to leave  

do not let us drift apart.

He paused to catch his breath through the butterflies in his stomach, plucking out the wordless chorus as he glanced up at Ceci just long enough to see that her smile had softened. Her head was tilted a little, attentive as she listened.

Hector had been over the moon when Ernesto had shyly asked him to look at his song notebook yesterday. Something he hadn’t done in a very long time. It had been the first time in years that a song had come easily, demanding to be written down.

Ernesto was pretty sure he’d finally discovered the reason why Hector’s best songs had all started coming to him during his courtship with Imelda.  

The butterflies in his stomach calmed as the music coaxed out something from inside him that was nothing if not genuine. It was something made of the same warm peace he’d felt by the fire, smoothing his way into the second verse without any trouble.

She never will see how she’s tangled me,

for she’s left me alone to pine,

with only a ribbon around my heart,

wishing that she would be mine.

He wound down the song with a soft flourish, letting the last cord hang in the air. As he set the guitar down in front of him, he noticed that their knees were touching.

“Did you write it?” Ceci asked.

“All by myself.” He said, tipping his head back against the pine bark and then turning it to see her beautiful face, looking positively spectral only inches away from his own. “And...what did you think?”

“I still think it’s very, very nice.” She said softly.

Their closeness was intoxicating, making it feel as though Ernesto was being pulled towards her. She didn’t turn away, only smiling gently, so he leaned in.

A booming crack with a flash of green and red light exploded overhead the moment their lips touched. They both jerked back in surprise, shocked for a moment, then laughing as they looked up to watch the first fireworks of the night shimmer and fade away above them.

Ernesto turned to look back at Ceci, worried their moment may have been ruined as the shimmering light of more fireworks painted the landscape around them. 

But his breath caught as he felt her fingers trace up his jawline and into his hair. She leaned in again, giving him a real kiss this time, and own hand rose to cradle the back of her head, feeling the silk of her hair ribbon.

It was different than any other kiss he’d had before, soft and sweet, and real.

Long enough for him to completely forget where he was.

Read Part 8

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Next chapter coming soon! There’s quite a bit in store for Ernesto and Ceci, so buckle your seatbelts. :)

- Wit