#lexx gets a little heavy

[thehoundwrites]

New beginnings

Summary: Part 1- Sevika rescues you from a vampire attack.

18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

CW: prey/predator, reader getting hunted, canabalism(?), Vampirism, blood, injury, fear, dying, descriptive and dark, werewolf Sevika, she rough but kinda tender

Tagging: @nora-xox @colourfulkidglitter @midnightsk13s @cassifictional @witxhy-lexx @dumbdoll-420 @biphrogg @thebleccbird @lucky13les @petitepersephone

Words: 2431

“Helloooo” the haunting voice echoed through the air, violating the silence that you drowned yourself in. Grating, and brittle as he chuckled, having fun hunting his prey. You.

Your heart felt as though it was going to leap through your chest and run away for you. Your body trembled, in spite of your sweaty palms covering your lips with feeble attempts to mask your fear. Your breath shook as you fought to control your breathing, your forehead drummed his voice reverberating through your skull. The pain that tugged at you behind your eyes, starting clawing it's way through your body. Stomach all of a sudden full, and tense.

While your sweaty palms covered your trembling lips, wiping away the drool that formed as your life flashed before your eyes.

The harsh copper smell of blood burned your nose, eyes watering slightly as you tried to keep yourself as quiet as possible in hopes of escaping it.

“What? Is there something in my teeth?” you heard a foot tap the pavement and then a few more slowly getting quieter as you could tell he'd lost his patience.

You heard the loud dripping of a pressurized liquid far enough away, and then a hollowing squelch and tearing of what you could only assume was meat.

“Fine, we can play after I finish.”

You tried to push open the door of the cabinet only to peer out, seeing if the monster was too close for comfort. He wasn't the shadow of his movements just far enough away to make your descent.

Your eyes wide with terror as the urge to survive boiled in your veins. Luckily that was enough, pushing through your fear you slid out of your hidey hole and tip toed away from the disturbing sound of eating.

Tiptoes turned into desperate fleeing. Heavy footsteps hit cement over and over, thudding almost as loud as your heart And with each thump of your chest white flashed through your vision. Head burning. Blood streaming from your scalp.

The sting on your knees reminded you of simpler times, when falling off your bike and getting a knee scratch was the worst possible thing you could have ever hoped to experience. Looking back at it now it was surreal that the pain you went through. The unbearable, excruciating pain was only just a scratch. Kinder times, when your family would tell you that the little sting on your skin was okay. That you’d be okay.

Now you couldn't even feel the scratches on your kneecaps, only the warm blood that slid down your shins, coating your leg red.

If not for the pounding in your heart and the fear coursing through your veins you would have crumpled to the ground and screamed as you so desperately craved. Your legs were so completely numb, the bones were beginning to crumble under the weight of your own quivering body.

You could hear that the predator was already in pursuit, his spine chilling whistles into the cold night air coaxing you out into the open, persistently failed. You knew he only wanted you to run. He was a predator, and he was enjoying the hunt.

Nevertheless, the fear that boiled red in your veins was the only thing that let you persevere despite the anguish in your lungs, Despite your injuries, despite the odds of you making it out alive you persisted.

Your eyes darted along the long dark road, glancing over every possible means of escape. These were once familiar paths, some to your friends, some to your grocery store and even to your own home. Now they felt small closing in on you, surrounding you. Trapping you.

“Sweetheart don't run, we can talk this through” there it was. The blood curdling sing song voice of the killer you once loved.

Run. Run. Run.

With each painful thump in your chest had your heart closer and closer to popping, and with each beat a painful white flash pierced your vision blinding you for a short moment. You gasped as your lungs fought to breathe the sharp night air.

Then. Your face hit cement and you fell to your knees letting out a long chilling sob as your body shook, hands fumbling for the phone hidden beneath the cloth in your pants.

“You're soooo close, I'm almost there my love! Don't wait up!"

“Noo” your voice screeched into the night, the way you'd only heard in the horror movies you loved. Your eyes shot open, tears falling from your eyes staring at the monster that stalked you like prey.

"Please please please" already on the wet pavement, your feet scooting you closer to the cement wall now freshly covered in your blood, back pressed firmly against the material.

Your fingers clumsily dialed your best friend's number. The same person to warn you, the same person you sought out for shelter, the same one you found safety in. They always promised with one call they'll pick you up and sweep you away from the horrors of your life.

You always thought those were just words of comfort, until you heard their phone buzz in the distance.

"There you are"

Your eyes widened with horror, as the silhouette of the man stalking you walked towards you. Only one dim street lamp flickering above his head lighting the alleyway between the two of you.

You thought this was it. Your body didn't fight anymore. You were actually kind of relieved for a moment. Your eyes shut as quick as they opened, his figure pounced towards you.

Feeling a coolness in your neck, before opening your eyes once again to snarling frothing monster teeth in your face. Your body went numb and limp falling to the ground. Your skull bounced off the pavement, rattling your brain.

Then all of a sudden everything went black.

You could've sworn you'd known your life or at least your family, your friends. The people you’d chosen to surround yourself with all of your life. It seemed like only yesterday your world was normal, your friends were human, and were happy. Well as happy as a bunch of emo freaks could be. But you stepped foot in the wrong place at the wrong time, you trusted the wrong people and now everything has changed. Your world was flipped underneath you like a rug and you were sure whoever did it was having a big fucking laugh.

You didn't want to believe that the people you loved could do any of this. That they were hungry, bloodthirsty killers. Animals. Monsters. Beasts. But now, you'll never be able to forget. You'll never be able to erase the memory of the way they looked at you. The way they hungered. This is a truth that you'd have to live with. A truth that you'd never forget. And now you can never go back.

Everything felt warm. The air was thick and humid as warm rain poured from the sky. Thick blood streaming down your scalp quickly washed away by the summer rain.

You struggled to breath through the humidity, lungs fighting for air as your eyes rolled back into your head. Waves of unbreathable air crashed into your lungs until your conscience faded away once again.

Eventually you woke up again. Unsure however whether it was a dream. Your brain was shaking from the fall, your vision throbbed through the new blurry view, you looked up at your savior? She seemed to be looking forward, focused on where she was going, wherever she was taking you. Although she must have noticed your consciousness, since her glowing grey eyes found yours making you feel uneasy. They seemed… familiar. Then you remembered your night, you remembered the eyes of the beast that rushed towards your limp body.

"W-who ar" you croaked barely able to choke out your words, warmth ran from the side of your lips you only assumed it was the blood that bubbled inside of your throat, that felt rough.

"Don't talk." Her voice was gruff and breathy, you noticed her blood soaked shirt, her large arms holding you into her chest that heaved against you, blood dripping on her neck, dark red smeared on her face dissolving away by the warm summer rain.

Your memories of then and now were foggy. You could've sworn you'd seen your friend, their familiar raven hair, and silver piercings shining in the light.

You woke up once again, feeling more comfortable all of a sudden, thinking it had only been a nightmare.

Your eyes opened and there was light creeping out of the curtains to your left, in the wrong place. Your sore body was covered by a comforter, a soft cushion beneath you. You'd been tucked in on a couch, you tried to sit up realizing that everything that happened wasn't just a dream, your neck stinged, it felt like it was about to give up on holding your head.

You couldn't get up completely however, pain shot through your bones and you hunched over the couch seeing a bucket, placed ever so conveniently as you emptied your guts into it.

However you were quickly distracted by the clinking of a glass across from you followed by a dry cough, your eyes filled with the sound of a human too close for comfort. Nervous from the sudden breach of the deafening silence. You faced a large silhouette, grey eyes glaring at you, a small lit but of a cigar hanging from her lips, where all you could see in the dark moon light of the dawn.

"Who are you?" You asked wincing as you sat up this time forcing your body up despite the pain that coursed across your sore frame. The cloth of the blanket that closed you off from the cold night air, fell from your shoulders, feeling an ace bandage wrap around your collarbone. You looked down trying to assess your wounds, instead you saw clean bandages and wraps covered by a very loosely fit grey tank top hanging off of your shoulders, no blood, and not your shirt. You took off the rest of the blanket and saw all your clothes were gone replaced by clean sweatpants not yours.

"Where's my clothes- did you?" You questioned, eyebrows furrowed a bit embarrassed but severely annoyed. Yea she helped you, but did she need to change your clothes for you?

"Not even a thank you, huh?" She retorted, she put the cigar down on the ashtray in front of her.

"What's going on?"

You didn't care enough to play her games. She seemed fine with that.

"What do you remember?"

That's a good question, none of this felt real. What did you remember?

"Not much, I was attacked and now I'm here"

She paused silently, thinking of her next words carefully.

"Do you remember what attacked you?"

An odd question, your heart started beating faster.

"He- he was drinking my blood" Your eyes widened remembering glancing at her as your hand moved to feel the sore spot on your neck.

"Yea his crew has been taken care of. You wont need to worry about that."

"That's not helpful."

"Excuse me?"

"Are you going to explain any of this? Or am I supposed to go off of blind faith?"

She sighed picking up her cigar and taking a long puff not inhaling letting the smoke rest in her mouth she shoved the but in her clear ashtray embers extinguishing into the glass. She stood up without a word, slowly blowing the smoke out of her nostrils like a bull, as she approached you.

She was extremely tall especially when you were huddled on her couch, shoulders were broad and she was built, still only a fuzzy silhouette with the light of her cigar gone. Her eyes somehow glowing and staring into yours intensely, your muscles tensed up and scooted away in response to the stranger creeping towards you. She was like a predator approaching prey and you'd had your full with that feeling for the year.

Her shoulders hunched forward a bit perhaps to seem smaller, as animals do to prove they are not a threat, you saw long muscled arms hanging by her sides as she squatted in front of you at the edge of the couch so that your face was level with hers only a few feet away.

Only a dim candle, and the morning light creeping through her black out curtains lit the room, Yet it was enough the see the scarring that covered her face a long with the snarl that looked as though it had been glued to her face.

Her hair was dark and black, thick grey roots peering from the bangs she tucked behind her ears. You'd be swooning if not for the terrifying situation that led you here. Her cut was short, only hanging right above her shoulders. The most peculiar thing about her however was not the glowing blue scars on her cheek, but the short pointy ears on the top of her head like an animal's. Sideburns on the sides of her cheeks, tufts of hair on the forearms that crossed on the cushion in front of you.

"He was a vampire." As she spoke you saw dark lips a bit crooked since her canines pointed out of them. Her eyes staring at yours as you sat in silence looking at her.

"And- you're a-"

She snorted. "A werewolf, sugar" she smirked at your dumbfounded look, her eyebrows raised, eyes wandering across your face. She sighed before getting up and turning her back to you.

Her grey eyes wandered your body, a thick hand ghosting the wraps.

You wouldn't have believed it if it weren't for last night, for her right here.

"Thank you" you gulped however she only let out a small grunt in acknowledgment.

"But why did you save me?"

Sevika had her reasons for everything. Always planning, strategizing, leading no matter what she did she had her reasons, however usually no one knew them.

"Eh, you're cute."

"That's it!?"

You heard the click of the lighter and a small light in front of her face with the filter of a cigarette pressed between her mauve lips. She mumbled "Sure kid" carelessly in response.

She went to go into the other room. "You'll be a target, since I killed a shit ton of people last night you smell like me. I'd suggest staying here but you ain't a hostage, leave if you want."

"Wait."

She paused in the doorway for a moment before walking away without another word.

[eliaswoodt]

Death Row

(Death Row)

(Death, mild gore/mentions of gore)

Oh god he really hates her.

“Hello~! Sorry to be tardy to the party—would you take my coat please?“ She gives the black article of clothing to one of the hooded people that stuffed themselves in the dark basement. A bunch of cultists…what the fuck is his life? “Oh, thank you doll—” One of them hands her a bottle of something (wine he assumes) and a red glass, “—and thank you again.”

She looks down and that turn of the lip widens as she looks at the man chained to the ground. Lexx opens her mouth but Sean interrupts whatever the British woman was about to say, “What are you doing here..?” He says faintly with a little rasp. He hadn’t talked much when any of them tried chatting with him. Not even Lee, who he used to be close to. Close to, and look at what he did to Lee, to his poor hand. He can feel the anger claw at his throat, heavy and burning. He wanted to hand him over to authorities, let them handle a crazy man like that, but Lee wanted to keep him there. Maybe if he was away from that monster long enough he’d break away from those delusions, he had said with a distrusting and hopeful expression. Kait was willing to do the same.

“—doin’ the electric slide, calm down.” He tunes back in the very moment her hand touches his shoulder. “Mo, can I call you Mo?” He shakes her hand off, hating the way it feels. He can feel the imprint of her hand wiggle its way under his skin even after she’s pulled away, a feeling he can’t shake and he feels that anger claw and scratch at his throat once again but he swallows it because he knows it won’t do anything.

He still spits in her face.

She makes a displeased noise.

Good, he thinks pettily.

“Well that’s rude.” Her eyes widened a little. She pinched his chin. “Oh! Love the beard!” The seemingly forever amused smile winds its way over her face once more, and his glare hardens. He never thought someone could sound so annoying. He remembers when he first met her, back then his patience didn’t wane from her saying one. single. sentence. He never knew before hell that hate could be so strong.

She suddenly turns back to Mo and pulls his black beanie over his head. A loud boop sound causes him to flinch and Mo thinks the laugh he heard meant she noticed. “Take him over there, please love!” He struggles far more than he had during this whole ordeal. He wasn’t all too familiar with the basement, he tried not to go down here much even before Sean unwillingly made his home on the concrete.

“Thanks handsome~” Mo focuses on struggling against the guy that had jumped him while he was watching TV. The guy was strong and when Mo gets out of this his wrists are definitely getting bruises, if the way the man’s grip is anything to go by.

He aims a kick to the shins but before it makes contact he gets shoved forward, and he gets kneed in the back leg instead. “Fuck you.” he spits. The man chuckles.

Oh god, his hands are starting to feel numb.

“So, I may be a sociopath and a murderer and you know, great.” It seems she’s as delusional as Sean is. If Lee was here he’d roll his eyes. “But! I do have a set of principles, and unfortunately today I’m going to have to break two of those principles.” She doesn’t sound even the slightest saddened by that. If anything, she seems apathetically disappointed. Okay, his hands really are starting to feel numb, this cannot be good. “—Because what’s really the point? I mean it leaves so much room for error. Or, you know, terrible puns, and rescue. But…at the end of the day, who’s really going to come rescue you? I mean, the only two people who know you’re down here have a combination of 19 fingers and are off doing Scooby Doo shit!” If he knew she and the Family were going to have a last chat with this bastard he would’ve tried harder to convince Lee.

He struggles some more, managing to elbow the guy in his side and the aforementioned guy retaliates by kicking him in the back. “Ow! Fuck!” He couldn’t help but shout.

She doesn’t stop talking but it seems she speeds up ever so slightly.

“Look at those loyal faces over there,” She said. “Such gorgeous women. Loyal! Well, they once were loyal to you. Maybe they aren’t anymore because I don’t treat them like henchmen.” He remembers the Dead Weight video, and the way he acted there was nothing like Lee had once described Sean to be and the few times he had met the guy. “Because they’re my elite.”

He’s tied up now, and that fire inside, that burning wick is getting all too close to the wax of the candle, about to be smothered out. He doesn’t know what else to do as the man steps on him, pushing him further into the ground and he’s never felt so helpless. So humiliated. Well actually that’s a lie he thinks as his treacherous mind shows him glimpses of forest and the starry sky, of being surrounded by cloaked people and Lee…fucking Lee shoving a book in his hands telling him to run. And that he’d follow. A promise of which he broke of course because life hates them and Lee does stupid shit.

“But!” He startles. “Unfortunately,” and this time she does sound saddened by the news. “I got a call from a higher up. And unlike you, I really am loyal. And the Speaker—“ she says the name with utmost importance of which makes him want to spew the leftover pizza he ate earlier. “—a word with you.” His heart was unsteady since he was manhandled by the nameless guy that even now has a foot on his back, keeping him in place, but now…now as he realizes what she just said and what that really means his heart hammers. Banging against his rib cage, banging against his ears so loudly that he thinks the man above could hear it.

“I’M HIS CHOSEN!” He hears Sean scream.

Lexx giggles.

“You see, you WERE the chosen. See? You don’t need to scream. I’m right here. But, you were the chosen.” She sighs, “Now you’re sad, broken—you know what, you put it so beautifully once. Oh what was it? Ah, yes. You. Are. Dead. Weight.” His thoughts become muddled. Thoughts containing feeble hope, a hope that Lee comes and saves his ass, a hope that Kaitlyn comes saves his ass, a hope that for whatever reason the Speaker doesn’t come and kill his ass. And then the regret comes to grace his panicked heart and ringing ears, the regret of not kicking Lexx when he had the chance, the regret of not coming with Lee to meet the elusive Linnie, the regret of not saying goodbye when he left, still upset that Lee was doing this by himself.

Selfish…

“Markmoo!” She yells and he doesn’t reply but the guy above does. “Here.”

He can hear the thing’s whispers, but they sound like rumbles and growls to his un-special ears.

“Well, it was fun while it lasted~” Her wretched laugh follows up, and upward as she steps up the stairs, creaks follow her until she’s well and truly gone. And the man leaves as well, more and more footsteps follow inline up, and upward on the staircase that leads out of the horrible basement until he and Sean are left by themselves. It’s quiet for a few breaths, nobody having the guts to say anything, anything at all. And then the bumps, and the thumps of something being much too wide for the staircase ring out. The scratches of claws scraping concrete floor and growls of something animal follow. And despite all this noise the steps of the beast are careful and calculated as it circles around Sean if his pleading is anything to go by. The way it clearly takes its time as it rips Sean apart says it is not an average animal by far.

And then Sean goes quiet.

And the thing goes quiet too.

The noiseless noise buzzes and fizzes in his ears, he could hear his heart ever so clearly as it beats loudly and rapidly in anticipation. He still doesn’t unblindfold himself, even though he could. He could ever so easily lift up his beanie by moving his head up and down until it slid right off and he would be able to see. At least a little bit in the dark. But he doesn’t. He doesn’t because he can’t move. He can’t move because he’s afraid. And he has never felt more like puking from the smell of something alone. The smell of guts and gore, the iron that fills the air, it’s a smell he would’ve liked to never know.

So as the thing that has tortured Lee, tortured himself, Sean, and many more stalkes towards him he instead imagines something else. Someone else, he imagines Lee’s face…and he says sorry.

He says sorry, as that monster rips him apart.

He says sorry, as he instinctively screams for help as that thing claws at him and screams at him.

He says I am so sorry Lee, as his consciousness dims and that candle lit fire goes out.

[lexxlikes]

Prepare for Trouble!

In Team Rocket's underground main base, the time of day lost all meaning. The artificial light and the constant comings and goings of various people made the time of day only an illusion and of pleasant insignificance. The windowless base stretched far below Celadon City's arcade and housed not only conference rooms and dormitories, but also a canteen, swimming pool and gym. That's exactly where Blake was headed. The twenty-year-old was brand new to the organization and currently had to deal with simple errands and master the operation of the coffee machine. So now he was making his way down the gray, branching hallways, and though he'd already spent a little time here, he kept threatening to get lost. Only small, abstract icons on the walls indicated where something was, and the image of the gym didn't appear until Blake had already given up hope. A glance at his watch revealed that it was approaching midnight, and even if time didn't matter here, he wondered who wanted to get physical now. Or had to.

When he stepped through the door, he was greeted by the typical smell of a gym. The smell of sweat was predominant and they tried to cover it up with disinfectant. Small spray bottles were distributed all over the studio and both mixed to form an unpleasant olfactory combination. The ventilation was running at full speed, but with the frequent use by so many people, even it eventually reached its limits. Acoustically, all that could be heard was the metallic clacking of weights coming from the room's sole user. On the weight bench was a tall man in a tank top and shorts, his face hidden from view. Behind the bench as a spotter stood a Machamp whose entire attention was on his trainer, who was currently pressing 165lbs away from his chest in smooth movements and slowly lowering the barbell again only to perform the movement again. Two of the Pokemon's total of four muscular arms took over the weight at the end of the movement and placed it back into its designated, secure holder as the man stood up. The wet glistening skin and heavy breathing indicated that the person had probably been training here at the studio for a long time. He was about mid-twenties, heavily trained and probably the most unusual thing was his blue hair. Normally Team Rocket agents tried to fly below the radar and not stand out - blue hair was the exact opposite. The initial screening confirmed the suspicion that the man named Lexx was a member of Cliff's team.

After there was an incident with a minor, which probably by accident caused chaos and a lot of damage, the internal structures were rearranged. There was still Giovanni. The one and only. The leader and founder of Team Rockets. But the competences were broadened. Sierra, one of the boss's closest confidants, had a focus on espionage and information gathering. No matter what a Silph Corp. was developing or who was the favorite in the Arena Challenge in Galar, Sierra knew about it. She coordinated the individual actions together with Giovanni. Arlo was responsible for technical development and had introduced the Crypto program some time ago. His focus was on internal digital security and cyber warfare. The last of the three leaders was Cliff. Muscular and intimidating, he was, like everyone on his team, confrontational. Trained thugs, he had his head through the wall. Often not with their own. All members of his departments were battle-hardened and responsible for the rough jobs. Thefts, assaults, or clearing precincts when another team felt they had to go overboard. It was all a job for the muscle-bound.

"What?" the blue-haired man asked the courier, who stood calmly in front of him. Blake handed him a piece of paper and Lexx let his blue eyes dart over the written lines. "Time to go," he declared, addressing his Pokemon, and only then did the newcomer notice. The Machamp was not shrouded in a purple mist, and its eyes were not dull or glowing red. Apparently, the powerhouse Pokemon was with him entirely of its own free will. „Thanks“, Lexx was replying as he rose from the bench, grabbed his towel and headed towards the showers. Blake's gaze still followed this man briefly, and in his mind he asked himself so many questions. No crypto smoke. A thank you. Who was this Lexx?

A short time later, Lexx, dressed in a similar suit to Cliff, entered the small office and his supervisor looked up. Team Rocket had become more bureaucratic over time, so he got his briefing on a Rotom pad. Sierra's agents had been able to learn that a private research vessel was arriving in Vermilion City harbor from Armor Islands the next evening, carrying dyna-mushrooms as cargo. These are to be brought to Pallet Town to Professor Oak for examination. The question of whether dynamaxation is genetically inherited and can be used in breeding was too theoretical and frankly too complicated for Lexx to continue reading this paragraph. He briefly studied the key data and then nodded. A short conversation with the supervisor clarified the last questions and so Lexx had time until the next evening at 9p.m.

Preparations were made quickly, as all members of Team Rocket had to be ready to go immediately. His Team Rocket outfit was in an inconspicuous sports bag, as was his equipment and his three Pokeballs. A larger suitcase he also carried should be able to hold enough Dyna Mushrooms. Dressed in a short sports jacket, he then left the catacombs and entered the Celadon City arcade. As on the lower floors, time was of no consequence. It was unclear whether people were sitting here "again" or "still" trying their luck. Of course, all the machines were rigged. Somehow Team Rocket had to finance itself. Nevertheless, you could hear the one-armed bandits rattling from time to time as a few coins were put back into circulation. When Lexx finally stepped outside the door, it was well past midnight. Much of the city was already asleep and only near the arcade was there still activity. Determined, he walked toward a black van in the parking lot. The drive to Vermilion City shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. He could drive past Saffron City, avoid the downtown traffic, and should be on site by early morning. That would be enough time to check out the location and get ready. After that, he could sleep a little more and should be sufficiently prepared.

With a coffee in hand, the blue-haired man strolled along the Vermilion City pier. The fishing boats from the morning had already been unloaded and Remoraids, Tentacool and Qwilfish were being shifted and further cooled at the dock. There was a bustle of activity and everyone was going about their day's work, so the stranger didn't stand out much. At some point, Lexx carelessly tossed the coffee aside, because with all the smell of fish, it was hard to drink it. The harbor itself was huge, and in addition to the merchant ships from Johto, Unova and Galar, there were also all sorts of private sailing ships. According to the information from Sierra's team, the ship with the Dyna Mushrooms was supposed to arrive at one of the southern piers, and after a few questions to locals, Lexx found said pier. It was quick and easy to get to, easy to see, and there were a few smaller covered areas nearby. These were intended for trading parties in bad weather and could be used by merchants and fishermen alike. From the roofs there was certainly a good view over the area and LightDive could take his observation post there unseen. There were three escape routes for a quick getaway. One led more or less directly into the city, the right one led back to the other piers and way No. 3 led into the forest. Of course, there were a few barriers to overcome. The chances were good and after another hour of observation, the blue-haired man found himself in his small hotel room. It was functional, without much luxury, but a comfortable bed. After making all the necessary preparations, he went to sleep for a few more hours. His advantage over overtired captains.

It was dawn when Lexx got out of his van in his black full-body armor suit and the significant "R" on his chest. He had parked the car in the woods, hoping to escape relatively unnoticed. The other options had too many, potential witnesses and the route through the city held too many unknowns. The blue-haired man once again checked the hold of his equipment. The two belt pouches on the back contained things like a knife, a small breathing apparatus, and a flashlight. His three Pokeballs were secured to his right thigh, and with a simple flick of his wrist, he removed the classic red and white ball and spoke softly to no one in particular, "Your turn, LightDive." A bright light from inside the mirrored ball manifested into a Magneton in no time, and the shrill, metallic sound of the Pokemon announced its joy at being free. The six magnets spun slowly and synchronously on their own axis, and while the three eyes gazed at Lexx, the Steel-Electric Pokemon floated toward its trainer. The Rocket bully, in turn, looked at his Pokemon and then gave clear instructions, "You take up position above the streetlight. Fire a warning shot directly on my signal. After that, fire at your own discretion. Once we have the goods, you secure us and then follow as quickly as possible. Got it?", again that shrill sound followed and LightDive did as he was ordered. The blue eyes briefly followed the trajectory of the steel Pokemon before it disappeared into the darkness of the night. Other bullies were working with Arlo's Crypto program. A mind-altering device that instantly made wild Pokemon docile, regardless of their level. Lexx was against it from the beginning, since the disadvantage of this tool was that a large part of the prisoners only knew the attack Frustration. Natural and understandable, but completely useless in combat. Steelix, Machamp and Magneton accompanied Lexx for a very long time and he was one of the few, successful bullies of Team Rocket. Not least because of his team. Next, he released BulkBrawl from his ball. The Machamp nicknamed BB was just 5'6", but was in no way inferior to his trainer in terms of muscle mass. Its four biceps were covered in thick veins and its broad shoulders made the Pokemon look just as menacing as Lexx. An implied grin accompanied the fist-bump the two exchanged. "As always. Big. Evil. Menacing." A double-biceps pose and a "Macho!" followed, after which the four-armed man took up position behind his trainer. Then there was a wait.

It was late evening, around 10 p.m., when the ship arrived from Galar. It was not a large transport cruiser, it seemed almost like a fishing boat paired with a research vessel. Disembarking after all the ropes were fastened were three people in white coats and the apparent captain. All appeared overtired and were packed with bags, and while the two port employees were still discussing berthing rights, fees and other formalities with the captain, the white coats headed toward the exit that led into the city. The day-bright flash of light that twitched through the night and hit the ground just ahead of the three people immediately made everyone stop moving. "We'll take it from here..." declared Lexx in a threatening, bassy voice as he stepped out of the shadows and was joined by a muscular Machamp who immediately cracked the bones of four fists. "The suitcase with the mushrooms, please, gentlemen," the bully declared curtly, sticking out his hand, "Then we can get this all over with quickly and start the end of the day. A good suggestion, isn't it?" From the reaction of the three people, Lexx could tell a few things. First, that they were scared but not ready for immediate cooperation and second, who owned the mushrooms. The man was estimated to be in his mid-thirties, had a half bald head, was slightly stocky and, according to the blue-haired, pressed his bag conspicuously close to him. "No way!" someone actually dared to say, and the next moment the two dockworkers were on the scene. Brave - Lexx had to admit that to them. A Pelipper and a Poliwrath appeared next to each of the two sailors. Secretly, the bully had hoped for a fight - because he loved it. BulkBrawl intuitively knew what to do and immediately ran at the Poliwrath. The melee attack might be at a disadvantage against an opposing fighting Pokemon, but the muscles and four arms elegantly compensated for that disadvantage. BB's punches were so fast that it seemed as if his arms completely blurred with the darkness around him. The Poliwrath still tried valiantly to fight back, but eventually the storm of fists was too much and after landing a hit, the defense completely collapsed. Lexx's blue eyes fixed on Poliwrath for a moment too long for him to notice the approaching Pelipper in time. After the initial power-boosting Agility, the wings began to glow and the attack Air Slash was imminent. Lexx still tried to dodge it with a jump, but at that moment the water bird Pokemon crashed into a crackling obstacle and fell to the ground unconscious. Magneton's Flame Burst not only defensively caught the impact, but also instantly knocked out the opponent with the electricity it built up. The Steel Pokemon barely noticed the collision itself, and when Lexx was back on his feet, both of his Pokemon positioned themselves next to him. Neither seemed to be really strained by this fight.

"I hate to repeat myself. But I am now taking over the mushrooms. Give them to me and you could move unmolested." Indeed, this brief show of force did not seem to have been enough, for the three explorers still looked frightened, but at the same time defiant. The two sailors attended to their Pokemon, and the captain remained standing quietly with his hands hidden in the pockets of his jacket. Too calm for Lexx's taste.

There was a moment of absolute silence and no one seemed to move. For the bully, this all took too long and he had to leave. He walked threateningly towards the group of three for this reason. "Give it to me," he commanded again, and with his accompaniment of BulkBrawl, it seemed that this threat was finally having an effect. The faces turned pale and the bearer of the goods began to tremble slightly. He started to extend his hand with the bag towards Lexx when the captain's voice rang out. "You don't do that, Eugene!" he thundered authoritatively. "The port police have already been notified and you're outnumbered, Rocket scum. What do you want with the mushrooms anyway?" the old man asked, clearly trying to stall for time.

"Get them," he commanded off his Machamp as he looked at the boatman. „Dynamic Punch," he ordered without really looking, and only the appearance of three bodies signaled to him that BB had taken care of the three people. Lexx had no idea - nor did he care much - if the attack had killed the individuals. He hadn't risen this far within Team Rocket if he had a conscience. The captain's wide eyes, however, allowed conclusions to be drawn.

"I'm not a simple bully who takes kids' pocket money by the wayside, old man," Lexx finished this argument for himself and turned around to the victims. All three were lying on the ground and the wet shiny surface did not allow any conclusions whether it was blood or water. He walked up to the researcher named Eugene and picked up his bag. After a quick look at the contents and confirming that it was the mushrooms, he turned back to the captain.

"Get out of here," he ordered and waited to see how he would react. Of course, he could identify him as a potential witness, but Lexx didn't care. He lived for and with Team Rocket. It wasn't like he could have been arrested while shopping. Speaking of arrests…

Even as the bully's blue eyes glared at the old man, he heard sirens in the distance. The harbor police were there sooner than he thought. The old man had to have a rotom phone. Annoying little beasts. Since escape was too dangerous at this point, he had to somehow take out the lawmen. Then he could make his escape in peace. Maybe it was all very risky, and Lexx was playing the poker too high - but the adrenaline of the fight was still coursing through his blood and probably diminishing objectivity. And who on Cliff's team shied away from a good fight? The boatman took to his heels and disappeared, as did LightDive, retreating back into the shelter of the shadows. BulkBrawl stopped at Lexx and he took his last Pokeball out of its holder.

A short time later, three vehicles turned the corner with squealing tires and the light of the headlights dazzled unpleasantly in the eyes of the bully. Protectively, he put his hand in front of his eyes and he heard rather than saw the police officers get out. "Hands over your head and don't move. Your Pokemon is to return to its ball," came the officers' routine orders.

"Yes... yes... please... it... all... a misunderstanding...", Lexx tried to stammer as intimidated as possible as he raised his arms above his head and with an unnoticeable movement dropped the Pokeball into BB's hand. The Pokemon reacted instantly, catching the ball, whirling around and throwing it far behind its opponents. "Please!!! Don't shoot. He doesn't like... his ball..." It seemed to work and the announcer from a moment ago said, "All right. Two police officers will now come to you and handcuff you. Behave calmly and no tricks." The scraping and squeaking sound of metal on metal in the distance was probably background noise not to be noticed by the policemen at a port with containers, but to Lexx it was the clear sign that his escape plan was in place. As the two cops approached him, guns pointed at him and secured to the car by two other officers, he took a deep breath and tried to harness the adrenaline in his blood. To Lexx, it seemed like everything was happening in slow motion, and while the law enforcement officers were still aiming at him, he shouted loudly, "Protect!" Instantly, in the darkness, Magneton's three eyes glowed and before the bully, hexagons manifested themselves, growing larger, their edges meeting and joining to form an impenetrable shield. At least for a short time - from the beginning of his call, to the annihilation of the police - this should protect him from bullets. As might be expected, the officers fired immediately, but the shield held. "Iron Tail!" roared Lexx again as he took cover behind the shield.

The roar that then filled the port area even made the ground shake slightly. All at once the officers seemed frightened and when they heard the renewed sound of moving metal and in the darkness a black silhouette rising to almost 30 feet high, it was too late. Seconds later, the back of Lexx's Steelix began to glow and the metal-coated skin glowed. The bulky head with the red eyes fixed the policemen calmly until the huge body whirled around its own axis with force and the glowing tail hit the car. The force of the impact coupled with the metallic energy of the attack dealt such a blow to the emergency vehicles that they flew with incomprehensible ease to the wall of the nearest port building. The two officers standing next to the vehicles lay lifeless on the ground, next to the piles of scrap metal from the former cars.

"Get us out of here!", Lexx immediately ordered and Chrome, his Steelix, obeyed. With sinuous movement and an ease one would not have expected from the 30-feet-long and nearly half-ton steel boa, he came at the bully. The two remaining officers could only jump out of the way, looking for help. Without slowing down, the Pokemon continued to move toward the blue-haired man. With a skillful movement, he clung to one of the elongated outgrowths on one side - and BulkBrawl on the other. Barely feeling the weight of the two muscle-bound, Chrome moved on unchanged.

"Flash Cannon as our glorious finale, LightDive!", Lexx gave his last order for the evening. While the other three made a run for it, the Magneton followed briefly, but then paused and the six magnets began to spin on their own axis, accelerating. Through the buildup of momentum and electrical energy, a glaring white sphere formed. The magnets stopped spinning and all at once the concentrated light energy was released in a destructive beam. This hit the boat irreparably and one the leaked tanks of the former police vehicles ignited. Enough distraction for Lexx, Chrome, Bulkbrawl and LightDive.

The fortified wire fence that separated the harbor from the adjacent forest was not really a serious opponent for Steelix. With an unsightly sound, it simply snapped as the broad head made its way through it with all its might. The Pokemon then came to a stop near the car and immediately curled up a bit to regain its balance. Machamp and Lexx now let off and landed back on their feet. LightDive joined the group, hovering for a short time.

"Well done!", Lexx praised his Pokemon and grinned over both cheeks. A successful evening. He got everyone back into their Pokeballs - there was a brand new one for Steelix - and then went into the van. He stowed the mushrooms in the designated box and, after another moment, started the engine. The adrenaline slowly subsided, but the euphoria remained. He had accomplished the mission, clearly demonstrated Team Rocket's point of view, and had a few good fights. A thoroughly satisfying night.

[sci-fiworlds]

A Sci Fi Worlds Interview with Lex Gigeroff: Lexx Co-Writer/Actor

Most of our readers have probably never heard of this very strange Canadian-German and later UK co-production, which is a shame, because Lexx has to be easily the most unique sci-fi series to hit our screens since the original (and best) Star Trek made its debut back in 1966. Not content to do yet another Gene Rodenberry rip-off series and bored by the endless (and often archaic) moralising of The Next Generation and Voyager, the Lexx writers (known as the Supreme Beans) created something totally different and very, very weird.

With its characteristically dark sets and black humour, and operating from the perspective "humans are a flawed species," Lexx was a revolutionary series. Its characters weren't on any spiritual quest to "better themselves" or "save the day," rather, they were motivated by the mundane things that motivate 99.9% of the human race: boredom, lust and hunger. Throw in "the Lexx," a Manhattan sized bioengineered insect craft and "the most powerful destructive force in the two universes" and you had something just as fun as the original Trek but just about as different as you can get too. I guess that's why Lexxicons lovingly still call it "Star Trek's evil twin."

Richard Thomas: First things first, thank you so much for giving the BoA readers the time to answer these questions. I'm a huge fan of Lexx and I'm sure that, after reading this, many of our readers will want to check it out too.

Lex Gigeroff: I had known Paul Donovan for a few years before Lexx, and he approached me about writing for the series after seeing a play I had written/performed in. Paul decided to go with a couple of virtually unknown writers (Jeff Hirschfeld & myself), because there was something in our approach that appealed to Paul's odd sense of humour.

Richard Thomas: In the DVD extras on the TV movie releases I heard you and the other writers say that Ridley Scott's Alien and John Carpenter's Dark Star were big influences. The longer story arcs and extensive CGI (not to mention the chief villain's name "His Shadow" ) might suggest Babylon 5 was at least a little influential too. Also Red Dwarf stars Craig Charles and Hattie Hayridge appeared in season four so I don't know if that series was a influence or not.

What were some of your other influences and are there any sci-fi shows you just hated and wanted to get away from? If so, why and what were you trying to do different with Lexx?

Lex Gigeroff: Dark Star and Alien were somewhat influential -- Dark Star for its anarchy, Alien for its production design. But I can categorically state that Babylon 5 had no influence whatsoever as we never watched it, and to this day I've never seen an episode. I liked Red Dwarf, but can't really say it was an influence. Monty Python had as much of a background influence as anything. We wanted to get away from the heavy, preachy, moralizing sci-fi of shows like Star Trek: TNG, which in my view took all the joie de vivre out of the original series. I've always been a big sci-fi fan - but I think my influences tend to come more from writers like Phillip K. Dick and the dystopian novels of J.G. Ballard, rather than the Heinlein-Clarke axis.

Richard Thomas: Lexx is often called Star Trek's evil twin. I can see why some fans might consider Lexx anti-Trek but personally I think in some ways Lexx is actually a lot closer to the 1960s series than any of Trek spin-offs are. I've heard Lexx creator Paul Donovan talk about being a fan of the original Star Trek so what are your thoughts on this? Were you trying to be a little like the original Star Trek or were you trying to be something completely different?

Also, are you a fan of the original series yourself and, if so, what are some of your favourite episodes?

Lex Gigeroff: There was a sense of fun in the original series, and I think we wanted to try and create three characters as distinctive as Kirk-Spock-McCoy with Kai-Stan-Xev (plus a robot head). I watched the show quite a bit when I was younger, and enjoyed some of its campier moments, i.e. The Squire of Gothos. I also liked the one with the weird head in the sky that turned out to be Clint Howard.

Richard Thomas: Back to Lexx. Given that the show and the ship were both named after you, did you have much input on developing the early mythology of the series, i.e. the Insect Wars, the two universes, cyclic time, proto blood, the Divine Order and, of course, love slaves?

Lex Gigeroff: I had a lot of input conceptually from the ground up, as the three of us really developed the concept and bible following Paul's general brushtrokes. A lot of the 'backstory' went in as a result of our collaboration with Showtime in the beginning, who seemed to want a lot of stuff about 'prophecies', etc. We were a little reluctant about going this route, as we feared it would lead down the rabbit hole of pretentiousness that we were trying to get away from.

I think looking back on it now the thing I'm proudest of is that Lexx wasn't really like anything else on television. Most shows are just rip-offs of other shows, but I think there was something different about what we were doing that made it hard to come up with a good comparison with others shows -- not that it isn't comparable in some aspects to other shows, it's just that we weren't following anyone else's model. So it was, I think, a little unique in that respect.

Richard Thomas: One of the things I love most about Lexx is that all four seasons look very different and distinct from each other, each introducing their own new chief villains: His Divine Shadow, Mantrid, Prince, Vlad, oh and Lyekka and her sisters. Where did the ideas for these head villains come from and do you have a personal favourite?

Lex Gigeroff: Who knows where ideas come from? I liked all our villains, but if I had to pick one I'd go with Mantrid, because there was something just otherworldly strange about Dieter Laser's performance.

Richard Thomas: Mantrid has to be my personal favourite too, the fact that there's so little left of him when we first meet him reminded me a little of my favourite Doctor Who villain, the crippled mad scientist and Dalek creator Davros.

Lex Gigeroff: I think we thought about bringing Dieter Laser back, but it wouldn't have been Mantrid exactly. As we liked to say, "death is never final", which was our excuse for bringing back actors we liked.

Richard Thomas: Lets take a step back a bit. I think out of the four two-hour TV movies the first one I Worship His Shadow is probably my favourite, I loved the holographic show trials and ridiculously severe penalties. What was your favourite of the TV movies and why?

Lex Gigeroff: Hmmm... I guess Eating Pattern for me, because it wasn't quite as burdened with having to deliver back story and setup. Plus I got to hang around as Rutger Hauer's sidekick. But I liked all four.

Richard Thomas: You actually made an appearance in I Worship His Shadow, playing the part of His Shadow's new host body. You appeared in a lot of other episodes too, the crazy surgeon in Tunnels and the sleazy porn director in Fluff Daddy were two of my favourites. What character did you enjoy playing the most in the series?

Lex Gigeroff: I was very happy to play the parts I did. I had the most fun with Dr. Rainbow in Tunnels, but I think my best performance, such as it was, came as the Bound Man in I Worship His Shadow.

Richard Thomas: Probably the most unique episode of Lexx has to be Brigadoom. I have to say I was really sceptical about the idea of a musical episode but it's become easily one of my favourites. Come to think of it there's an awful lot of singing in Lexx, the first episode even starts with the Brunnen-G battle song.

Where did the idea to have so much singing in the series come from and what did you think of it? Also, do you have a personal favourite Lexx song?

Lex Gigeroff: We knew from very early on that we wanted to do a musical, but we had to come up with a good angle on it, which in the end I think we did. I don't really have a favourite song. I sometimes sing Bog is the king of Pattern in the shower.

Richard Thomas: Season three's Battle and season four's The Game are another two of my favourites, I really enjoyed the competition between Kai and Prince in those episodes.

I could go on all day about the different episodes but other than the ones we've already discussed what do you think were some of the best episodes of Lexx?

Lex Gigeroff: I also really liked The Game, 769, Prime Ridge, Stan Down to name a couple. Twilight and Apocalexx Now have their moments as well.

Richard Thomas: A Midsummer's Nightmare is probably my least favourite episode, though, it's pretty funny. Are there any episodes you just dislike or wish you'd done differently in hindsight?

Lex Gigeroff: Sure. Lots of things could have been better if we'd had more time. But I don't have any regrets. Some episodes didn't work all that well, like the one you mentioned and, say, Patches in the Sky.

Richard Thomas: I think I'm right in saying Lexx ended the way you and the other writers always intended, the Lexx blowing up the Earth after four seasons, but not long after the final episode Yo Way Yo went out I remember hearing a rumour that a spin off series about Prince, Priest and Bunny was being planned. Was there any truth to this rumour at all or is this the first you've heard of it?

Lex Gigeroff: There was never any serious talk of a spin-off.

Richard Thomas: If Lexx ever did return for a fifth season or maybe even just a new TV movie, what do you think the story would be about? Would it still be set in the Dark Zone or would the Lexx crew find its way into the mysterious Other Zone? Would Kai be alive or dead? Would 790 fall in love with Stan? Would the bad carrots be back?

Lex Gigeroff: We could have gone back into the Insect Wars, I suppose. But on the whole we were satisfied with the way it ended. I'll leave it to Fan Fics to think up alternate story lines.

Richard Thomas: It's been nearly eight years now since the series ended, personally, I think Lexx has been a little underrated.

Lex Gigeroff: I don't think we had much influence, if any. I'll leave it up to others to suss out if we were ahead of our time or not.

Richard Thomas: Thanks again Lex, are you working on anything now and/or do you have any websites or anything else you'd like to plug?

Lex Gigeroff: My pleasure, Richard. It's always great to hear that folks enjoyed our strange little show. I've always got a couple of projects on the hop, and I'm trying to promote my new play, Conrad & Barbara - about Lord Conrad Black and his consort. I've also had a sports-comedy blog for some years which can be found at: www.theobgcommunique.blog.ca Cheers!

READ RICHARD THOMAS'S SCI-FI WORLDS COLUMN FOR BINNALL OF AMERICA

[spacevixenmusic]

Alright, let’s dig into Lexx season 3!

The show actually changes pace pretty heavily for this season, mainly by dropping the episodic format and focusing much narrower on a single, serial plot. After basically destroying the entire universe again in the last season, the crew goes into cryo and drifts for a long damn time, and when they are forcibly awakened, the Lexx is lost in space and out of fuel (the ship, being a living organism, is literally too hungry to go much of anywhere). The only hope is to let the ship drift into this dinky little binary system of two planets called Fire and Water, fly down and get some food for our human protags, and then let Lexx blow up the planets so it can eat and get back to roaming the universe.

Unfortunately, after landing, the crew discovers that the inhabitants of Fire and Water are a handful of seemingly immortal randos, with Fire raging a war for control over Water and somehow never quite succeeding, despite everyone on Water being mostly docile and harmless. I say seemingly immortal because any time someone “dies” on either world, they mysteriously “wake up” later, somewhat randomly on either planet, and life carries on. One such character goes by the name of Prince, and he seems to be working on a much bigger scheme once he can finally somehow get his plan to invade Water underway.

I don’t want to say this is a BAD season of Lexx, but it sure seems significantly less wacky compared to the misadventures of season 2. With the Lexx unable to take the crew planet-hopping, visiting the various “Towns” of both Fire and Water make up most of the episodic adventures this season, while a strong plot-heavy thread links them. It’s still got a fair bit of that trademark absurdity, but this season generally leans less chaotic and more straightforward as a sci-fi series. It does end up dictating the rest of the show’s tone, but again, it’s not BAD, just different. More on this down the road.

I do wish the show would tone down on the unnecessarily heterosexual overtones though. Really feels like they're ramming it down our throats. :/

[reallydumbdannyphantomaus]

hey im recently getting back into dp and im wondering if you have any fic recs? ive really on read switch so far lmao

sure! I should give you fair warning in case you weren’t aware: the phandom leans heavily into angst, especially the older works on ffn that we’re really popular back in the day. if that’s what you’re looking for, i might suggest some older classics like phantom of truth by haiju or pits by cordria, or something newer like everything was white by @lexosaurus but fair warning, these are not for the faint of heart. as much as i love lexx and think her writing is amazing, i generally can’t read her fic all at once because it is very very angsty and i tend to need a breather in between my angst. it’s not a knock on the writing, but just a notice that when i say heavy angst, i mean heavy

tbh, there’s a LOT of angsty dp fic, and i’ve seen a couple of other rec lists floating around that focus more on angst so i’ll try to reblog those so you can see them too, and instead i’m going to focus on less angsty (or at least less bad/not great/bittersweet end) fics

@realghostboy is a fic by @dotsz which hasn’t been updated in a while but is still super fun and not super plotted so its not like you’re left on a huge cliffhanger. it’s a fun social media fic, mostly twitter iirc

Social Networking by ChaosDragon (PlotWitch) on ao3 is also a personal fave featuring the popular kids finding out danny’s secret and then working to protect him

omnis immunde spiritus is a fun fic by @captainkirkk (aloneintherain on ao3) about danny being a spooky boi (with my boy KWAN THERE at least a little so i get excited)

Easy Target by WriterGurl128 on ao3 is a good one about dash finding out danny’s secret and realizing that bullying is wrong and helping him out

The Trouble With Ghosts by @ladylynse (Lynse on ao3) is another fun one about Mr. Lancer learning Danny’s secret and trying to be a Responsible Adult (that i haven’t read in a while and really need to catch up on....) and tbh @ladylynse has a lot of fun aus and reveal fics that are worth checking out if you go to her profile

the Danny The ViewTuber series by ZombieMerlin on ao3, where Danny just like. does parkour on “ViewTube” and also accidentally reveals his secret to the whole school? its a fun ride man

Dancing Around The Truth by @dannyphandump the incomparable tali, this fic is so fucking cute???? excellent paulina characterization, fun and cute valerie/danny, reveal and just very very sweet ok i love this fic

and yeah! like i said, i’ll also reblog some other rec lists focusing more on angst in case that’s your cup of tea. hope this helps!

[morathor]

Ladies of Darkness 23/?

"People are, are not going to know what hit them, metaphorically speaking.  Cause what will be hitting them, not literally, is flowers.  They will know, what would--unless they choose I guess to hit themselves with flowers, but I don't know why they would do that, I don't, I don't really understand humans all that much."

Guess what guess what!  If you guessed that I'm about to babble about the new Ladies of Darkness get out of my head this brainspace is private property.  Anyway if you want some context for my inane stream of words maybe check out this podcast @ladiesofdarkness, it is a hella sweet show full of adorkable demons and shit.  And the opening theme goes hard as hell you guys.  It's so good I know I keep saying this but I will stop saying it when it stops being a thing that is true.

So this episode is where.  The possessed mirror has trapped everyone in their own little dreamworld.  Which means that it's basically a series of solo sessions, with the DM sitting down with each player one-on-one and going through their deal.  And like, the players are super great together and their banter and chemistry is very much one of the highlights of the show, but a change of pace now and then is nice too.  I mean it's not like there has been any shortage of inter-player banter in previous episodes and it's not as though there is likely to be any shortage of it in future episodes.  So it's all good it's all good I'm liking this.

So we start with Charlie!  In Charlie's dream world she's living with her mom, who has ditched her stepdad (stepdad? I think that's it), and just like.  Being a normal teen.  And Steph and DMKat are trying to figure out what a normal teen in the seventies would have in her normal bedroom.  And Charlie has some good emotional bits with her mom, and then goes and Does A Sports with Mary-Margaret, who gets her flirt on pretty good.  It's an adorable bit.  And then Vahkiel comes in to ruin everything of course, gawd Vahkiel why are you such a killjoy, trying to break people out of illusions and shit.  Maybe you should learn to have a good time Vahkiel maybe you should not be the Ultimate Incendiary Buzzkill all of the time GAWD.  (Also, Steph missed a golden opportunity to invent "then perish" in 1973, get on the ball here.)  Actually this turned into a super good bit of character development for Vahkiel?  To be like.  "I can't let you toy with Charlie's heart this way, this fake happy life is crueler than reality."  It's really really good.  And then the demon points out that Vahkiel is, largely, the reason Charlie's real life is shitty soooooooooOOOOOOOOO that's a thing.  Look we have not gotten that deep into all of the backstories so.  I don't know all the deets on that.

Next up Arakieeeeeeeeel who is having a great time with plants.  Like, opening a garden store with a coupla other demons who definitely did not get lost in anger and declare war on humanity, nope, none of that, none of those things happened it was definitely all cool all good all groovy and now they're all having a nice shop to sell flowers, and seeds, and dirt.  And they're talking about their marketing strategy and having Azazel go around distributing flyers, like.  "Arakiel no offense but if you did it you would clam up and get scared." "Yeah that's fair."  Like legit this whole scene is just these three demons palling around and starting a business it's delightful.  Honestly tho?  Truly honestly?  It is amazing to see Arakiel this comfortable.  Like, you know, they're still kind of shy and awkward but there's not a lot of crying and apologizing and they're having a good time with friends and laughing and it's so precious.  Like even when they think they may have poisoned their host body they don't go into the small-voice cowering mood they often end up in, which I think speaks volumes about how at ease they are in this fantasy.  It just makes me so happy.  Anyway, Vahkiel needs to take notes because Arakiel does not need a second voice in their head pointing out that this isn't real.  They have a perfectly good crushing sense of inadequacy for that.  And now Arakiel also gets to step up and have a really good character moment, about how like... standing up for Eitan, who the other demon is preying on, and like the implication that if Eitan had agreed to have his faith drained that's his business but Arakiel was running the body at that time and Eitan didn't get a say so Arakiel needs to stand up for them.  And also this isn't about pamphlets.

Meanwhile Valoel is The Big Boss at a maor record company.  Got to encourage a singer who lacks confidence, ends up volunteering to do the song as a duet with her.  Gotta get ready for her meeting with Diana Ross--Valoel doesn't know Diana Ross.  Like... Valoel just kind of had a pervasive sense of "something's wrong" "I'm forgetting something" that built up until she started to understand what was going on?  So in Val's case the buildup to that realization was lighter, less emotional or character driven.  Instead the Heavy Character Moment is all on the other side of the realization and debating with the earthbound.  Talking about choices, about what they want and what they can't have and what they can do with what they do have.  (Kind of lighter than the other two, character-wise, but still some good stuff.  I enjoyed that scene.  Valoel's Determination Voice is.  It's just so good.)

Anyway that's all for this time!  Tune in in like, two weeks, to hear more Lexx babbles about a podcast!

PS Akinator now knows who Arakiel is.