#lucifer was some fancy sword of course

[gifti3]

Really into the concept of weilding your partner as a weapon

[daydream-cement]

Silly Questions About Gwen’s Characters Pt. 1

Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10

This was a team effort between @bri-sonat and I (of course with help from the wonderful babies in the gc @na-shoba, @booitsrue, @funky--lesbian, and @margot-the-lesbian-god). He will be posting the next part! We will go back and forth with these fun little questions.

If they were an animal, what would they be? What is the first thing they’d do when they learn they’re an animal?

Brienne: Dragon, maybe? A force of nature to be reckoned with in human form and animal form. She’d fly around Westeros, looking out over the mountain tops, enjoying the freedom. Maybe take a little stop in Dorne, who knows.

Larissa: A cat. Larissa would appreciate a day where she could wander around Nevermore unnoticed or greeted happily by her students. Most likely she would nap in a window somewhere and forget about work for a bit.

Lucifer: A snake because uhm duh?? Snake :)

Phasma: A Sarlac or an Exogorth. Two foul ass monsters who feasts on human flesh, just like Phasma for real, except she doesn’t feast on human flesh, she just burns and cuts it instead.

Miranda: She’d be a cat, because she’s all “look how small, and their little whiskers and their little paws” and that’s so Miranda core, she is a cat. She’d be off on the adventure of her life, or she’d take a cat nap.

Do they pick wildflowers?

Brienne: Yes. Lovestruck Brienne would do anything to see her partner smile, and that includes picking small wildflowers with the edge of her very big sword.

Larissa: She has been known to pick a wildflower or two on her walks between meetings. Some days it's always nice to have a vase of pretty wildflowers on your desk, right?

Lucifer: Kills wild flowers to make God upset

Phasma: What wildflowers? That thing is blasted, burnt, charred in a single laser shot. Hates the sentiment of giving flowers as a gift of any kind, saying “flowers are for weak people who need to give plants to express love.” And then she’ll scoff.

Miranda: ABSOLUTELY, softest girlfriend ever. If her partner tells her she likes a type of wildflower ONCE, you bet your ass she’d have a full on bouquet the next time she sees them.

How do they like their eggs? (Fried, poached, soft-boiled, etc.)

Brienne: Miss Girl needs her protein for those MUSCLES, so she’ll just eat them however they are presented. Easiest way is a hard-boiled egg, but if she’s feeling a little bit fancy she’ll fry one.

Larissa: Poached fs. Over toast. It makes a fabulous breakfast and is simple enough to make. She doesn’t really like to cook so this meal works perfectly for her culinary abilities.

Lucifer: Perfectly over easy- like plastic-looking over easy eggs fr.

Phasma: Our Captain enjoys things the classical way, the old-school way, so she prefers a soft-boiled egg, and if it isn’t to her liking (aka the exact way she wants it), she’ll throw a fit. “Shoot someone just for fun” fit.

Miranda: LOVES scrambled eggs. Adds a little cream in there just to spice things up a little and thinks she’s so crazy for doing so.

How do they see themselves in their head, and how is that image wrong?

Brienne: Well, where do we start with this one? Miss Ma’am has been told her entire life that she is ugly, unconventional, unattractive, a monster, a beast. She’s been mocked, humiliated, made fun of, etc etc. She thinks that she is “the ugliest girl alive” and she fully believes that. BUT SHE’S WRONG, CAUSE SHE’S SO SEXY AND HOT AND BEAUTIFUL AND GORGEOUS and all those things, but she can’t understand that because she has been told so many times that she’s not. But she’s wrong and people are dumb, and blind, and morons.

Larissa: She thinks of herself in a professional capacity more than anything, but ‘image is everything’ as she would say. She would consider herself attractive, but nothing more than that. Compliments that refer to her as anything more are usually met with a roll of the eyes.

Lucifer: Gods ex fav, self conscious about it, but knows they’re hot shit and are v sexy.

Phasma: Power does a lot to a person's confidence. Captain Girl knows that she’s hot, attractive, powerful and deadly. Knows that she’s the baddest bitch around and IT SHOWS!

Miranda: We all know what the deal is with Mirandy Baby. She’s treated like crap by her co-workers and even by her so-called “friend”, and with all those negative comments about her makes her doubt herself and her abilities, even if she tries her best to not internalize. For her looks, she would not call herself attractive, which is where the aspect of male validation comes into the picture. However, positive affirmations from others go a long way for her, ESPECIALLY if she finds them attractive herself.

If they talked in their sleep, what weird jumble of words would come out?

Brienne: Something really boring and honorable. Something around the lines of maybe “my sword is my vessel”, or something that makes no sense whatsoever, “I turned and then I was gone?” You just know her dreams are nuts.

Larissa: Something work related. Something about “I forgot the email”/“I’m late”, or something about a certain misbehaving student “Oh, god, what have you done?”. She doesn’t talk much in her sleep, however.

Lucifer: “You shouldn’t have done that” “I hate you” “God can’t save you” but like mumbled and sleepy so it’s more cute than scary.

Phasma: Phasma does not talk in her sleep, her stormtrooper training regiment made her become comfortable with sleeping on her back, and absolutely no sleep-talking or snoring. They got it rough over at the First Order, for real.

Miranda: Something really out of pocket. I’m thinking of that sleep walking scene in “Step Brothers”. I.e. “I'll kill you, Leonard Nimoy.”

(For good guys) If they were a villain, what would their evil dark lord name be?

Brienne: Probably a spin on her swords’ name, “Slayer of Oaths” or something that has to do with her mockful nickname, “Brienne the Beast” or “Merciless Brienne”. I don’t know, I can just see her killing everyone with no remorse if she were to be a villain.

Larissa: The Headmistress. She would be the hottest super villain. Holy Shit.

Lucifer: “Cute.” - Lucifer to this question.

Phasma: ….Captain Phasma

Miranda: This sweet bundle of joy couldn’t hurt a soul. With that said, she’d be a righteous and justice focused one. Only killing those that deserved to be killed. Earning her the evil dark lord name of “Angel of Judgement” cause she’s an angel of DEATH AND JUDGMENT.

Muffins or cupcakes? Explain

Brienne: Miss Gurl doesn’t even know what a baked good is. She had to make due with some dry ass bread made from water and flour during her time. HOWEVER, if she were to live in modern days, she’d love a gooey muffin.

Larissa: Ms. Sweet-tooth? She will take a cupcake of course. Larissa: “There is a proper way to eat these, you know?” She then proceeds to take the bottom off the cupcake and make herself a little cupcake sandwich.

Lucifer: Muffins. The frosting is too messy for them, they’re like: “dude what I can’t eat the frosting in one bite without this getting actually everywhere on my robe sleeves.”

Phasma: “Sugar is not in my strict diet, I must stay on top at all times. I can not allow myself a ‘cheat day’, as you call it”

Miranda: Cupcake, duh. BUT THE MINI ONES. bc she can just eat them in one bite like a giant!!!

Do they prefer arm day or leg day?

Brienne: Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh, we all know. She needs some big guns to hold that heavy and large sword of hers, so arm day all the way BABY. Also, for Brienne, arm day and shoulder day is every single day with the metal she’s carrying around, yeesh.

Larissa: Neither of these options are suitable. If you let her pick, she will choose cardio.

Lucifer: Leg day in stilettos

Phasma: You just know she has the most defined legs ever seen in the history of mankind and she loves maintaining them. Despite this she’s more of a shoulder-back day kinda gal, wanting to keep that back refined as hell, looking like a marble statue of a greek goddess.

Miranda: She has once chanted “Leg Day!” over and over again when Robin agreed to hit the gym with her once. Robin didn’t join her again, but her enthusiasm for leg day remains.

What is the longest they’ve ever slept in?

Brienne: 7 am. And when she did all hell broke loose. Panicking about how she’d slept for far too long, when she was actually on bedrest for getting harmed in battle and was told to sleep for as long as she needed.

Larissa: 10am. It was when she had the flu, but she did fall asleep around 9pm so she was impressed with herself. Otherwise she gives herself until 8am to get up in the summertime.

Lucifer: What’s sleep?

Phasma: What’s sleeping in? You know that she’s up and at ‘em hours before the space cock sings the song of its people. She has never overslept a day in her First Order life and will wake up at 5 am sharp every single morning.

Miranda: Miranda has slept multiple days in a row. After a 12+ hour shift, she can sleep forever and not bat an eye. But once she is well rested, she is go, go, go. There’s no stopping her.

They’re on their way to the hospital when they hit a parked car. They can’t stop, and don’t have paper for a note. They drive away without telling anyone what happened. How do they ease their conscience?

Brienne: By finding that person in some way, apologize a hundred times and ask if she can be of help in any way to repay the damages. But, if requested, will pull out her coin pouch and flex her wealth. Or, they’d see that she was a tall, strong and lean Lord Commander and not dare demand anything, shaking in their little boots and saying how it’s okay and that there is no need to pay them back.

Larissa: She will make an effort to find the person, but if the car looks banged up already…. She may shrug and not stress about it too much, especially if no one will notice. 

Lucifer: Have the person who’s car got hit killed by some horrible accident so that way they aren’t responsible for the minor accident because of the major accident overshadowing it 😋

Phasma: Conscience? What conscience? Nah, Phasma is a gaslighter all the way. “I didn’t hit your vehicle, you hit mine” *points blaster at them* “now give me the money to repair it”

Miranda: Takes a thousand pictures and calls a friend/coworker to find the car and exchange information. She will not allow her ‘crime’ to go unpunished. She must right her wrong otherwise she will be unable to sleep at night.

[write-nerdy-to-me]

Who’s Da New King of the Universe?

Ever since I saw the s5b trailer, I’ve been thinking some Thoughts™ about where the show is going, where these characters’ journeys of self-discovery will lead, so on and so forth. Putting aside my Deckerstar fears (which, hello theme of the season — “that’s all they are, fears”), I want to talk about the plot they’ve introduced with the return of God, and more specifically, who I believe will actually “become God.” (Though can an angel just assume this role…? I’m getting ahead of myself.)

For the first time in millennia (possibly ever), God has touched down to earth. This unexpected visit is fraught with tension and unease for a myriad of reasons: Why now? How come God hasn’t reached out before? What does this mean for everyone? What does this mean for Lucifer? Why did God do what he did? Why, why, why… 

Already, Lucifer is trying to navigate his new-and-fragile relationship with Chloe and deal with Michael, The First Fearmonger, who is still lingering about. There’s no doubt about the inevitable internal turmoil Lucifer will experience with facing the being he curses the most (besides himself). Then, to really top everything off, God announces his retirement. Like, holy shit, that’s a lot to deal with. 

So, what does Lucifer do? Well, in Peak Lucifer Fashion™ totally not avoiding the issues at hand — as there are no issues, obviously — he decides that he’s going to take his father’s place and become G-O-D (or Lod, if you’re feeling fresh. Please don’t call him Lod). He certainly can’t let Michael take their father’s place, that’s for damn sure. But, and this is important, is ruling the universe what Lucifer truly desires?

Lucifer has grown so much since his and Chloe’s first meeting, there’s no denying that. Of course, he’s not without slip-ups, just as anyone else isn’t, but he’s trying and that’s what matters. Before, everything he did was ultimately flipping the bird to his dad (but also to himself, but that’s some other shit), yet he willingly, selflessly returned to the place he vowed to never step foot in — just to protect Chloe, to protect humanity. He had no idea when he would be able to return, if he would even be able to. Would he ever get to see Chloe again? I’m sure the question haunted him for those thousands of years, as there’s no way he’d believe they’d reunite in hell.

Anyway, deeper Lucifer analysis aside, I just… don’t see him actually wanting the responsibility the role of God brings. Ruling hell, being a king, was always a job that was put on him and he met it great reluctance, if not outright hostility. “It was a job, Detective. Something I was forced to do.” Lucifer doesn’t have any desire to rule demons — he was all for the demons themselves to become the new king, just so he didn’t have to go back — but... Lucifer will be fine and dandy to rule... well, everything? Like, if he hates being the king of hell, what’s to say he’s even going to find fulfillment in being Master of the Universe? Lucifer wants to experience humanity, to help them to realize their deepest desires — and, hopefully, understand his own in the process. I believe that he’s latching onto this idea of entering Godhood because he’s avoiding the issues in front of him: Chloe asked him if he loves her back, and he never gave her an answer. He’s distracting himself, doing something dramatic as he’s wont to do — just to realize that he’s right where he’s supposed to be. (Chloe was just getting used to being in love with Thee Devil™, and now he’s... God? Mm, fancy that. The devil doth protest too much, methinks.) So, what does Lucifer want? Well, that’s a whole other convo, which I’m planning to get into later.

Now we have the question: Who is fit to be God?

It’s rather obvious when you think about it. Who is most often ought out, prayed to for help? For guidance?

Amenadiel is known for his strength, his unwavering loyalty, his compassion, and his love for humanity. He didn’t come by the last two easily by any means. Before, he held humanity at a distance by slowing down time and visiting earth without it knowing. It was after staying and experiencing humanity that he began to feel a change in himself. Since his journey of self-discovery, he’s learned that separating himself from people is not what he wants. He’s come to love humanity, and so, let go of the walls that kept him apart. “Look, I wasted so much time keeping them at bay, looking down on them for millennia when they have so much to offer. I’m only now just realizing how lucky that we are that we actually get a chance to connect with them. So I say put up your sign: ‘Open for business. Humanity, come on in.’”

The nuns felt God’s love stronger than ever reflected back at them in the presence of Amenadiel. This had never happened to him before and it couldn’t have happened because he wasn’t ready. After losing his wings, becoming human himself, experiencing loss, he’s closer to humanity than he’s ever been. He’s even a father now, and he finds fulfillment in just being there for Charlie; he doesn’t need anything else. Whereas Lucifer says he’s ~practicing his dad jokes, but has never been too terribly fond of offspring — with the Detective’s being the exception — and has shown no inclination for fatherhood, except, y’know, now that Godhood is dangling in front of his face like the shiny distraction it is. There are the few instances where he’s seen drinking out of the #1 Dad mug, which I think was foreshadowing for God’s arrival and this subsequent idea of Lucifer’s to be God, more than anything. There’s more to being a father than the puns, though. Between these two, I think it’s pretty self-evident who is more fit to carry the responsibility of the universe.

I think, perhaps, Amenadiel will take the universal throne, and Lucifer will continue as he has by guiding souls to their deepest desires. It will be another partnership, the brothers working together instead of against one another — just as they did to light the flaming sword. Someone for strength, someone for honesty. (Who knows, maybe Michael will be in charge of hell — it would either have to be something he’s bound to, or of his own free will. I mean, ~what do you truly fear~ definitely vibes more with the “you fuel your own hell experience with your guilt” thing.)

And now, some visuals and dialogue that make my brain go brrr. 

“Oh well, thanks for nothing.” “Listen, I really wish I could help you find Chloe, but I have faith in you, brother.”

“And what do you need?” “I think I just need someone to hold my hand and tell me everything’s going to be okay.” “I promise you, Linda. Everything is going to be okay.”

“You couldn’t wait to tell everyone up there how all of God’s children create their own fate, how we decide where we belong.”

“I don’t think it’s God’s job to stop the bad. I actually think he’s there to give us the strength to get through it.”

God, thy name is Amenadiel.

tl;dr

I believe s5b will not end with Lucifer as G-O-D, but with Amenadiel. If I haven't convinced you to come over to the Amenadiel as God side, what if I told you that the combined name is Godadiel. God -> Dad -> Amenadiel.

The dots? Connected. The code? Cracked. My sanity? Gone.

[sugargliderowl]

Thoughts on Janus’ Playlist...

Some of my first-time-hearing reactions to Janus’ playlist (sorry for the rambling parts):

Black Hole Sun: It’s apparently about depression according to Genius? Like it’s kinda like yearning for the depression to be sucked into the “black hole sun”... The snake references and heaven and hell is definitely Janus. Also, it sounds old-timey like a jazz song, so that sets up the mood of the entire playlist. I don’t really get this... but this feels like a mood setter for the entire thing, unless it means something else. What do you guys think?

It Seemed the Better Way: The strings? CHILLS. Leonard Cohen’s voice reminds me of Hades in Hadestown. “Sounded like the truth, seemed the better way... but it’s not the truth today” is just his motto is what I’m seeing. And then the “I better hold my tongue, I better take my place...” part feels like resignation to me. It’s either Janus is trying to help, but that didn’t work so he resigns to become the “villain” of the light sides. It could allude to the dark sides as a whole: they are all trying to help Thomas in their ways, but because being themselves doesn’t work, they need the villain, spooky facade.

Anywhere: Ooh, I’m seeing a vintage vibe from all of this... Back to the song. “It’s a beautiful / If you’ve been lied to” is a good callback to the whole “society is built on lies” from SvS from Jay Dee. “Let this be a call to arms / At the changing of the avante garde / Nothing in this world... is beautiful.” Is Janus a pessimist? If so, he’s a good juxtaposition to Patton, the optimist. Also, the vocals remind me of like a really old timey radio, semi-haunted... my instincts say that it feels like the singer is like Harrison Bergeron (Kurt Vonnegut; do read it; it’s a good short story) trying to tell the truth about this world that people think is a good place.

Talking at the Same Time: Someone please draw Janus as like a 1920s gentleman character swaggering... wait I can. This song reminds me of “Why don’t you do right” by Jessica Rabbit on “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” Jazz or blues? Either one. This song is really depressing? I don’t know why, but there is that feel of everything is hopeless. Pessimistic, again. “A tiny boy... made a sword from a stick and a gun from his hand” reminds me of Roman in a way? But then again, the “we bailed out all the millionaires / they’ve got the fruit / We’ve got the rind” doesn’t remind me of Roman.

all the good girls go to hell: “MY LUCIFER IS LOOONELYY”... sorry I love this song. Anyways, the lyrics really speak to Janus just because of the whole duality and Christian metaphors. Also, J is the side who would definitely “want the Devil on her team”. We love the whole duality motif. I just *chef’s kiss x3*.

Denial: OH MY GOSH THE SVS REDUX... J was denial. HE WAS DENIAL. “Just don’t shut your eyes closed / Not until I get it off my chest” is basically the blindfold metaphor that happened throughout SvS, so would this be the message he wants to send to Thomas and Patton... or maybe the entire light sides. “Have you turned a corner? / Do you think of leaving me behind?” Dark side acceptance arc? Also, “I know you’re looking for direction... I know where you wanna go / Oh I do, but do you?” is to Roman and Thomas for the callback because he knew they wanted to go “so bad.”

(click for more analysis and summary!)

Trust in Me: Of course, snek boi, I knew this could be something you’ll put in. But do we trust you? So this is his suave villainy song. This again shows how Bananaconda child operates; he wants Thomas to trust him and be selfish but excessively. That’s why balance is necessary for all of the sides!

Razzle Dazzle: *gasp* MUSICAL SONGS NOW? YASSS. Definition is “noisy, showy, and exciting activity and display designed to attract and impress,” so the whole facade of being fancy to hide the insecurities and “bad” parts. Sounds like someone we know (*cough* ROMAN *cough*). “What if your hinges all are rusting / What if, in fact, you’re just disgusting? / Razzle dazzle ‘em and they’ll never catch wise” is just a jab and a stab at Roman. Or maybe it’s him. He’s also the dramatic one. If so, we have angst arriving.

When the Chips are Down: HADESTOWN OH MY YES! STRINGS! AAAAA! Does Janus give me Fate vibes in a way? Yes, definitely. “Nobody’s righteous / Nobody’s proud / Nobody’s innocent / Now that the chips are down” Holy CRAPP. It’s the perfect response to Patton’s “Nobody’s perfect... except for Thomas, he loves his friends!” in SvS. Now that the “chips are down,” Thomas should take after himself... after all, the Fates were telling Eurydice to look after herself. Sounds like what Janus said to Thomas after the Redux.

Mandy Goes to Med School: Oh. Um. This sounds like the whole jazz/20′s theme. This song’s apparently about abortion? I’m kinda confused, so feel free to add on! But it’s quite the bop, just listening to it. Maybe the whole thought that society makes laws based on a false conception? Help.

I Put A Spell On You: Janus definitely goes to jazz clubs. “I can’t stand it ‘cause you put me down” and “I tell ya I ain’t lyin’” and “Because you’re mine” makes the whole villainesque feel. I don’t know where this was from, but this stands out to me just because it was on the “Friends on the Other Side Mashup”. 

Evil Night Together: Ominous, and then jazzy. Jay Dee’s flirting skills go to the max. This also gives the villain vibe by the lyrics referencing things that Remus would be fond about. Also, “Who’s gonna make you a hero” seems to be directed to Roman like he did in SvS. This is a very seductive song with really dark undertones about crime. Janus, that slimy snek boi is a lawful neutral to evil. 

Dont’ Tell Mama: Cabaret... a classic musical, eh? “Hush up, don’t tell mama / Shush up, don’t tell mama” goes to Janus’ power to silence people. “If you had a secret, you bet I would keep it / I would never tell on you...” Janus is definitely the one about lies and secrets, so that goes to that.

You’re a Cad: “What’s the point pretending that you could be a better man? / Just give in, since you always end up right back where you began” “You’re a rascal and a rogue, a villain and a crook” is the other sides viewing him, and “Still I tug at your line, I’m a fish on your hook” and “I should be better, but I’m worse” is hinting at some Janus angst. I think it’s going to be something about trust

As Far as I Can See: JANUS ANGST TRUCKING IN ON TO YA: “Nobody loves me / As far as I can tell.” Or even “Nobody’s listening as far as I can tell / And when I’m crying out / Nobody cries back for me.” Haha... I’m totally fine (*sobbing*). Also, the “we’re all going down / all down the staircase aboard” either hints at the Redux statement of pushing people off staircases... or maybe Virgil who went down the staircase and left the dark sides. Gosh, I thought this was gonna be a hype song by the beat, but I stand corrected.

Criminal: Oh, so the angst continues. Great. Totally great. This somehow links back to the bloopers of Thomas, as J, saying “I’m not bad; I’m just drawn that way.” This is peak sarcasm in a way, but I don’t really know. “I’ve done wrong and I wanna suffer for my sins / I’ve come to you cause I need guidance to be true / And I just don’t know where I can begin”... is this from Thomas to Janus or the other way? If it’s from Thomas, Janus is kinda mad and is using as much sass as he wants. If it’s from Janus, it’s either he’s lying or he genuinely wants a redemption arc like Virgil did... but in a not so righteous way with “And I need to be redeemed / To the one I’ve sinned against / Because he’s all I ever knew of love.” I don’t really know, but this is such a bop.

Change: “I’ve been thinking it’s just someone else’s job to care / Who am I to sympathize when no one gives a d-” and “” Wow. Janus has his similarities with Logan. He wants to be listened to the sides. I mean, there is a reason why he impersonates the light sides: to be listened without bias. “Change is a powerful thing / I feel it coming in me” foreshadows some good stuff with Janus! YES! Also, “Maybe by the time this song is done / I’ll be able / To be honest” and the rest of the lyrics just hit me like a truck? It hurts the soul in a way. Change is inevitable is the message, so would that mean Janus could have an upgrade? I mean, the change started when SvS Redux happened with him coming out and being accepted by the light sides, so maybe, maybe things will change from there in a good way.

Devil In The Details: “A house of cards / A supple heart / Is not a place to dwell”.... Patton? Oh no. “But know there’s no backing out / This is gonna be reality / You can never dream it out” is going to his reputation and relations with the sides and Thomas? He seemed to have hesitated to say his name and let his reputation down since that would change everything that he has known over the years. Would this mean the dark and light side thing will break in later episodes? Maybe. “I put the past into the ground / I saw the future as a cloud / If there’s still time to turn around / I’m going to” is a big oof. And then... “I am the first one I deceive / If I can make myself believe / The rest is easy” comes in. Is Janus lying to himself? He’s the manifestation of deceit, but is he also doing that to himself? Or it could be to Thomas. But then again...

Come Little Children: Spooky. Nice. This feels like a lullaby. “It must be this way / To weary of life and deceptions / Rest now my children...” and then “The time’s come to play / Here in my garden of shadows” make me think that Janus thinks that this life is quite... painful. I am not too sure about this, tell me what y’all think!

Into The Unknown: Oh it’s not that one. It’s the one from Over The Garden Wall (the animation if I remember it right). I don’t know why, but I saw Come Little Children and connected that to Into the Unknown as words, so that was cool. “Dancing in a swirl / Of golden memories / The loveliest lies / Of all” refers to nostalgia. This song is about nostalgia. Wait. OH WAIT. Patton’s room is all about that... so would that mean nostalgia is also part of Jay Dee too because of the mood around it that is distorted by emotions? That’s something really cool to think about. One more: “If dreams can’t come true / Then why not pretend?” I feel like this points to Virgil in a way because his dream is complete acceptance, but Janus knows V was a dark side, so maybe he’s hinting at Virgil pretending to compensate for the fact that he is a dark side.

Summary:

Janus’ aesthetic would be a 1920-40 vintage theme with jazz on the background, strings and piano used ominous effect, and being flashy and dramatic. He wants to be listened to the other sides, so he puts up different disguises (like to Pat and Lo), which includes his villain facade he put on for the past maybe 2 or 3 years. He strongly believes that society is built on lies, and like in SvS, he doesn’t want Thomas to be disadvantaged in the said society. He loves the whole duality and juxtapositions (I mean, his name is Janus for a good reason) because he embraces them both. He jabs at several sides for them faking themselves to hide their true feelings, but then again, he might also be lying to himself. He knows that change is inevitable after the whole name reveal, and we know that his acceptance arc is going to come. It could be about trust and facing the reality... just my thoughts. In other words, this playlist gave me a bunch of reasons on why Janus is a great morally gray character.

FEEL FREE TO ADD ON! I LOVE SHARING THOUGHTS! Especially with analysis, more people means more thoughts and new ideas and theories. Thank you! 

[concealeddarkness13]

WHG 15 Post-Games Imposter Syndrome Part 23

The day after part 22! Tagging: @sparkles-and-hens, @knmartinshouldbewriting, @maple-writes, @pen-of-roses, @thoughts-of-nora, and @ratracechronicler (also thanks for Hugo!)!

The next day, I snuck out after Hugo and the dumb Peacekeepers taking him. I didn’t show myself until the Peacekeepers had already dropped him off. I just slid in next to him and grinned and winked.

He stared at me for a few seconds before he just looked away, as if he was completely unsurprised. When we walked up to the captain, she frowned at us. “Another one?”

I nodded. “Yes, ma’am! They wanted to see how well I was, working on a ship.”

She just beckoned for us to follow her, and I followed with a grin. I already loved her. Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to punch her. The crew had gathered for a meal, and we went there. She looked back at me. “You got a name, swab?”

It couldn’t hurt to say my full name. I smiled. “Triel Reeves.”

She paused for a second with a frown, but then she just shrugged. Perfect! “Fresh blood, everyone.” I grinned wider. I hadn’t been just a crew member on a ship for a year. She lowered her voice and turned back to me, pointing out the cook and the quartermaster. “And that over there’s the other greenhorn we can’t get a name out of. You two’ll be working together tarring the ratlines.” Oh boy! “Hope you like heights. First things first, though.” She walked over to the quartermaster and talked with him for a second.

He yelled for everyone to get ready to set sail. And called for us to haul lines to help unfurl the sails. Perfect! I grinned as we climbed and got started. This was so familiar!

“Fancy meeting you here,” Hugo said quietly. Oh yeah. There was a reason I was here.

I shrugged and kept my voice too lighthearted. “Well, I guess the Capitol decided this would be good for me.” I paused and grinned again. “Anyway, I haven’t done this kind of work for a while. I love heights.”

He rolled his eyes at my first comment. Good. He got the lie. As we switched new lines to haul, he spoke up. “And how do you feel about tar?”

“Hey, I love everything to do with ships. And I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty.”

He didn’t respond. We finished up with our task and started with tarring the lines shortly after. We climbed up with brushes as the bosun hauled the tar bucket up with a pulley.

I just kept grinning. This was amazing! But the air felt hard to breathe. It wasn’t affecting my memory, like it did with Hugo, but something was going on. I felt a little more peaceful. Less willing to fight. As I started working, I nodded. “I can see what you mean about the air. It’s affecting my thoughts a little.”

“I try to breathe through my shirt sometimes, although I can’t say the smell is preferable.” He smirked, but it didn’t last. “Yeah. Just…try and remind yourself of things. Y’know, in the past. Hold onto memories you don’t want to lose. You shouldn’t’ve come out here and risked…I don’t know why you did this.”

Because you’re my friend, and I won’t let you be alone. I tried for humor first. “Like I could ever forget you.” But then I became serious again. “And I wasn’t going to leave you to suffer alone. I probably won’t be able to come every day, and the Capitol might realize what I did and not let me come at all after this. But I’m not going to leave you alone. It’s just an added bonus that I might be able to punch some bastards today.”

He perked up at the last sentence. “Well, I’m obligated to admit some of these salts’re okay, but the bastards’re fair game for punching. I will emphatically do nothing to stop you should you feel punchy.”

“Noted.” I looked around as I kept tarring. The question was: who were the salts and who were the bastards? “I must admit, they’ve done their homework. This is remarkably like the real thing.”

He nodded, and he sounded spiteful. “Yeah. But I bet it’s just like an old arena or—I think I already said that. Never mind. So, uh, you…but you have been with the real thing, though. The real ocean and everything. It’s…what’s different? Does the ship still pitch like this? And the jobs—do you…Do you think maybe I’d do good out there, with the real thing?” He sounded more hopeful now.

I watched him with a smile before I said anything. He was doing very well. He seemed to be at home here. “It pitches worse, sometimes. I’ve been through a couple of storms, and it’s an adventure. The air is saltier than this, and the wind blows a lot more most of the time. There are times when it’s completely still, and we have to row to move the ship. And you’re certainly promising. I’ll make sure you get your sea legs yet.”

He looked so excited, but before he could say anything else, the bosun yelled up at us. “HEY! WHICH ONE OF YOU IDIOTS JUST GOT TAR ON MY FUCKING UNIFORM?! These things don’t grow on trees, you know! Do I look like a ratline to you?”

I rolled my eyes. “Like hell we did,” I muttered. While Hugo mimed dumping the rest of the bucket on the bosun’s head.

We climbed down, and the stupid bosun was stomping around, muttering under his breath. But of course he made his words loud enough for us to hear when we got down. “Arena-saboteurs like that good-fer-nothing Carolee.”

Oh boy. So, he was certainly one of the bastards. He glanced over at us and threw the tar bucket at Hugo, who caught it, but the tar still got all over him. Shit. I whirled on the bosun and punched him straight in the face.

He fell down way too easily. Weak. I spit at his feet and stood over him crossing my arms. “You piece of shit. You’d already have been thrown overboard if you were on my ship.”

He lunged for me, but it was so weak, he just brushed past me. But Hugo lunged for the bosun and punched him in the gut. “Not to my friend, you don’t!”

I felt a twinge of happiness, and I grinned as bastards jumped from the quarterdeck or burst through a door. Perfect. I started grinning. This was going to be fun!

Okay, most of it was a blur, but I totally punched the woman with the bucket so that the bucket flew and hit one of the two people trying to corner Hugo. Someone decided to bring a mop, but I just ripped it out of his hands and snapped it, but I lost it when someone got a punch in. There were too many, and I kept getting hit, but when I stumbled Hugo was there, and he helped me out of the way of the bosun trying to get a good kick in. Loser.

When the quartermaster finally broke it up, Hugo was on the ground, and I helped him up with a grin. I bowed my head at the quartermaster. “I’m sorry about that fuss. I just had to defend my friend’s honor.” I gestured at Hugo, and he still had tar on him. And now blood. Nice.

“I don’t care about anyone’s honor—I care about who’s starting stupid fights on this ship. You’re lucky I saw it wasn’t you two.” He hauled the bosun to his feet and pointed at one of the others who had been part of the fight. “Help that one to the infirmary, and you don’t get to see the galley until tomorrow. I’ll see you all get double duty for this, and you’ll thank me to not break out the cat o’ nine.” He hesitated. “We don’t…actually have one, but still. Behave your damn selves. We’re not pirates, for heaven’s sake.” I made a face at him after he pointed us to a new task. Cleaning the toilets, of course.

Hugo smirked over at me at the pirates comment, and I shot him a middle finger back. I was still angry over the stupid bosun. I couldn’t believe he actually did that. “No, you are worse than pirates. We would never turn on one of our own like that. And if someone did, I would have gotten rid of them immediately.”

We started working, and Hugo glanced over at me. “So, are you not allowed to mess with each other? Well, I know that guy wasn’t just messing around…I think he knows something about what we did. I don’t think anyone else does. And now we pissed him off…” He frowned but shrugged. “Heh. He knows what’s coming to him if he tries crossing us, eh, hat lady?” He grinned.

I grinned back. “Yeah, if he even looks at us funny, I’m going to deck him again.” I paused. “And we do a lot of stupid shit to each other. One time, Tess put two-sided stickers on the way up to the crow’s nest, and it took ages for Lily to even notice she had stickers that said ‘fuck you’ on her palms. And Shine—” Shit. Not again. I forced myself to continue. “They always threw machine parts at everyone. I think they secretly had a stash of parts just for throwing.” I paused, swallowing hard and pushing the thoughts away. “And Nesri likes sparring, so we have fight nights, especially between her and Tauren.”

“Secret stash.” Hugo snickered to himself. But he didn’t say anything else.

I just kept working, trying to figure out what the air was doing. It wasn’t affecting my memory, so what else? Either way, it was starting to feel suffocating. I snarled. “I can’t believe you have to deal with this shit every day. This air is suffocating.”

“You shouldn’t have to deal with it too. You shouldn’t have come here.” He bristled, but then he calmed down again. “…But I’m kinda glad you did. But don’t come back.”

I scoffed. “I’ll decide if I come back or not.” I paused. It would be good to distract him. “So, you’ve heard all about my friends. Would you like to talk about yours?”

He nodded wearily to my first sentence, and then he coughed. “What? Why?” A little defensive, but understandable. “Uh. Well, I guess if we’re ever gonna be all on a ship together…”He mouthed something to himself before he started. “There’s Alex. He’s the popular one. Our resident hero.” He snickered. “Wants to be the guy with the sword, taking on demon pirates robbing us, i.e. normal pirates. Good guy. Mean cook too, though—galley’s probably where he’s headed, to be honest. And there’s Luc, stands for Lucifer, but they’ve got him cleaning up at the church! Met him out thieving, which should tell you how much of a saint he is. You’d like him. Always spoiling for a fight. He’ll be a gunner for sure. Wonder if he’s caught the guy he’s trying to reap vengeance on by now…Anyway, then there’s Tally. Do not pick on him. I will kick your ass. He’s a quiet kid, but he’s alright. Shy around people, but he can play a sharp guitar and spin a tale that’ll singe the hair off your brow. Big on animals and nature and stuff, good at building…okay, traps for hunters, so maybe he’ll be okay as a carpenter? I dunno what good’s a carpenter gonna do on a ship like yours. But we’ll be useful.”

I nodded. They sounded wonderful. “They’ll do very well on my ship. As will you.” I smiled over at him. “They sound like wonderful people. I’ll be happy to meet them. And what job would you like to do on my ship?” I cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Oh, I’ll be happy just to be there.” But it looked like he had something in mind.

I grinned. “Well, then I’ll make a new job: The Person Who’s Just Happy To Be Here. And you can walk around grinning the whole time.”

“We all know that’s exactly what sullen teenagers are for.” He gave me his best scowl.

I grinned back at him. And we kept working, until the ship landed back at the harbor. The Peacekeepers came and took Hugo, and I followed. They finally noticed me a little bit later and stopped and stared at me for a few seconds.

One of them pointed at me. “You! You’re not supposed—”

And I punched her too. Enough to make her fall unconscious, and then I whirled on the other Peacekeeper and did the same. I called for Hugo to run, and we both ran together.

When we got to the entrance, Hugo copied my bow with a grin, and he ran off. I grinned after him and ran off, back toward my prison.

[indiavolowetrust]

The Obey Me Boys as RPG Bosses: Frostheart

CHAPTERS: Prologue + Beelzebub and Belphegor, Asmodeus, Satan (YOU ARE HERE), Leviathan, Mammon, Lucifer, ???, ???, Endings

You are one of many hunters in a land cursed with everlasting winter. You yourself have become rime-touched after an attack by your fellow corrupted hunter, an incident that left you traumatized and lame. Even your hunter’s guild has resigned you to a life of mere cleaning and upkeep duties, and you have spent the last seven years in the depths of your guild’s archives.

Then the White Witch spirits your little brother away into her castle, taking with her the only family you have ever known. Armed with your trusty hunting knife and bow – and aided by your senior hunter, Simeon – you set off into the rime-cursed lands to find Luke and end the White Witch’s reign once and for all.

**Very loosely based on The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen.

Word Count: 1,207

TW: Blood, Violence, Gore

[SATAN, THE SHACKLED HOUND]

Despite the high mortality rate of those enlisted in the Frost Blades, the guild makes an effort to provide exceptionally well-made armor for all its members. It is a curious thing: the skin of a frostwyrm lined with the pelt of a direwolf, bows and arrow shafts carved from the wood unique to the rime-touched land, and all manner of blades created from the iron ingots stamped with the King Diavolo’s royal crest. An assurance of quality, you would presume. Aside from that, you yourself can attest to its strength. Had the Frost Blades not invested so much into their armor, you’re sure you would have lost more than an eye and the use of a single leg. Old Gytha would have had nothing left of you to stitch back together.

And so watching a rime-touched beast slice the armor into ribbons is nothing less than jarring. Simeon’s blood flies in an arc through the spilled moonlight, finally splattering on the ground before you. The drops that do reach your cheek are so very warm.

The attack is enough to force Simeon back, his boots scraping against the stone floor, but he manages to hold his ground. Sword held defensively before him with one hand, the other searching in his pockets for a bit of flint. Something to ignite an incendiary weapon. Yet you know before he does that he can’t use such a thing. He won’t. While the library is absolutely colossal in size, there’s no guarantee that you and Simeon would both be able to escape in time from the blaze. There’s no guarantee that the incendiary would simply fizzle out to uselessness either, considering the strange properties of the hinterlands.

Hide, Simeon had said. The dryad had left more than a few puncture wounds when his whip had struck you in the waking world, and Simeon’s thumb had grazed lightly over the bandages. Jaw set, an inscrutable expression. Hide and stay quiet until I come back for you. It won’t be that long. Promise me that you won’t leave this place until I come back.

The moment of hesitation is all the beast needs. The rime-touched creature -- a pitch-black dire wolf with a verdant, blazing gaze -- lunges forward once more, his massive jaws snapping shut. Simeon sidesteps the attack once more.

Except he doesn’t. The dire wolf’s massive jaws snap shut around his shoulder with a sickening crack. His sword clatters to the floor. You are privy to the sight of blood flowing freely down his helpless form, the strangled groan burbling from his throat, and the deafening silence thereafter. Simeon slumps in the dire wolf’s jaws, motionless and horribly, horribly still. A flick of the dire wolf’s head tosses Simeon’s body against one of the many bookcases in the library, his body crumpling into an insensate heap at the bottom. The beast begins to pad towards him once more.

You can’t keep your promise.

You don’t know how you get there -- or how fast, for that matter -- but in what feels like less than a moment, you find yourself strewn over his body. Legs burning, heart hammering in your chest. His sword is much too heavy for you to lift, but you hold onto it with a white-knuckled grip all the same. The dire wolf encroaches upon you with slow, deliberate steps, stalking forward. Your blood runs cold.

But Simeon’s body grows even colder behind you, his breaths labored and heavy. His blood pools around you.

If it will not let you pass, then you will carve out a path by yourself. If it knows what’s good for it, then it’ll stay away. You call it a monster, a fiend, a --

The dire wolf howls with laughter, throwing its head back.

“ME, A MONSTER? HOW PREPOSTEROUS! YOU HUMANS HAVEN’T CHANGED AT ALL!” He draws forward at that, his great teeth snapping inches away from your face. His verdant eyes blaze mirthlessly through the shadows. “I SEEK NOT GLORY. I SEEK NOT PLEASURE. YOU WOULD DO WELL TO KNOW THAT I AM NOTHING LIKE THAT LUSTFUL ROSE-KEEPER OR THOSE GLUTTONOUS, SLOTHFUL GOLEMS. I SEEK ONLY FREEDOM IN MY WRATH, BOUND AND SHACKLED AS I AM. TELL ME, DEAR HUMAN, WHAT DO YOU SEEK?”

You -- you only seek the path to the heart of the glacial rift. You stumble over nearly every word, prepared for the beast to bite off your head, but he gives no other sign of aggression. The White Witch has taken your dear brother, and you intend on retrieving him from her clutches. You know not how you’ve ended up here or why. One moment you had been in a garden, and the next moment you were in a library.

“I SEE SHE’S FOUND A NEW PLAYTHING. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO DRAW THAT ACCURSED WITCH’S ATTENTION?” The dire wolf huffs, the scent of ash and blood permeating the air, and begins to turn away. “‘IT MATTERS NOT, I SUPPOSE. COME, AND I WILL SHOW YOU THE PATH BACK TO YOUR REALM. CAST ASIDE THESE FANCIFUL DREAMS OF HEROISM, HUMAN. YOUR BROTHER IS LONG GONE.”

Wait! Your plea is louder than it should be, enough for him to pause. Simeon is -- he is --

“HALF-DEAD, AS HE SHOULD BE,” the beast growls. “THAT HALFWIT ATTACKED ME FIRST, AND I MERELY DEFENDED MYSELF. HE CANNOT BE SAVED.”

Defended himself? He nearly tore Simeon in half! And what does he mean he can’t be saved? You will not abandon him, and you will certainly not abandon him in such a state. He is the guardian of this library; certainly he knows some way to save him. Certainly he understands your plight.

“SO YOU DESIRE TO PROTECT HIM?”

Yes, you do.

“YOU BELIEVE THAT HALFWIT IS STRONG ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND THE CURSE?”

Of course, he is! He’s the greatest and most pure of his party in the Frost Blades. He cannot possibly fall to the curse.

“WHAT WILL YOU DO TO PROTECT HIM, HUMAN? WILL YOU SHED YOUR BLOOD AND SHATTER YOUR BONES? WILL YOU SACRIFICE YOURSELF TO THIS REALM, AS I HAVE? IN THE END, WHEN YOU HAVE REACHED THE HEART OF THE RIFT, WILL YOU HAVE THE STOMACH TO SEE WHAT YOUR ACTIONS HAVE WROUGHT?”

You’ll do anything to protect him. Anything. Even if the curse spreads across your body -- your flesh pierced by crystals, your heart turned into frost, your blood expelled from every orifice -- you will do anything to save the people you love. He cannot put doubt into your heart.

You do not even have the time to blink. The tips of his teeth pierce just the surface of your skin, the scent of ash and blood fills your nostrils once more, and the inside of his gaping mouth opens like a void before you. Yet you do not flinch. You do not dare move, even when your blood begins to run freely from the small wounds. He remains there for a few long moments, his teeth digging only an increment deeper into your flesh. Your vision begins to swim as you hold your breath.

His teeth rake long lines against your flesh when he pulls away. In the sliver of moonlight cast upon him, you see the glimmer of ice-like, illusory shackles on his legs. Old, wicked scars litter his body.

“YOU TRULY ARE FOOLISH. FOOLISH, BUT BRAVE.” Something is spat out at your feet. A tooth. The dire wolf begins to lumber back into the shadows, disappearing amongst the bookcases. “MY BLOOD WILL ACT AS A PANACEA. THE MAIN DOORS WILL TAKE YOU WHEREVER THE WHITE WITCH DECIDES YOU SHOULD GO. DO NOT LET ME CATCH YOU AGAIN.”

Tip: You have only three chances to properly administer the panacea. Make every second of the mini-game count.

[NEXT: LEVIATHAN, THE FIRST SERPENT]

[lady-divine-writes]

I don't know if this was on the original drabble list but can I get "That's all I ask" for GO please?

Hey nonnie! Thanks for the prompt! I hope you enjoy this one

Lucifer in the Garden of Eden (1743 words)

Lucifer lures Crowley out of Eden, using his favorite principality as incentive ...

(This is a pre-Fall fic, that assumes that Crowley was an Archangel - possibly Raphael - who fancied Aziraphale before he became a demon.)

“Hey. You. Angel.”

The angel addressed stands in the shadow of an obscenely large apple tree, staring up at the wall surrounding Eden. Eyes tilted towards the Heavens, they gaze upon the silvery stars shining bright amid a sea of deep purple infinite.

And sneer at being disturbed.

“What?”

“You’re Raphael, aren’t you?”

The angel shivers when he hears that voice inches from his left ear, though its owner stands more than a foot away. It’s a sonorous voice … a dangerous voice. But an intriguing voice, too, if the angel is being completely honest. He’s never heard it for himself - not directly from the source, always in recountings by other angels. Its existence dates a bit before his time. The stuff of legends. But he knows it nonetheless.

Mostly by the way it makes him feel.

Anxious.

Expectant.

And slightly angry.

“Depends,” the angel says, sighing subconsciously as the object of his wistful gazing finally comes into view. Dressed in a flowing gown of pure white with wings spread, hair the exact same shade forming a halo around his head, outshining the golden one hovering above him, he is the truest vision of an angel those hiding hazel eyes have ever seen. With the cosmos behind him - a cosmos that his secret admirer helped create - the angel on the wall cuts a dashing figure.

The brightest star in the sky.

“Uh … you busy right now?” the voice obnoxiously persists.

“Maybe. Why?”

“I wanted to talk to you. Perhaps over a drink?”

The angel glares over his shoulder, hoping to send the intruder away, but also to make absolutely sure the voice behind him belongs to whom he thinks.

Standing in a shadow darker than his own, a shadow this demon brought with him, the angel spots glowing yellow eyes; long black hair – raven black, a match to his glossy, well-groomed wings; pearly white teeth, his fangs in particular boasting an unsettling sharpness; and pale skin, smooth as cream.

Yup. The angel nods internally. That’s him.

Lucifer.

God, he is beautiful, the angel thinks. Of course that beauty is an illusion. It’s how Lucifer looked in Heaven before he fell. He chooses for others to see him that way now, uses his demonic power to achieve that look, cover up what he truly is, probably to lure angels out of Heaven.

But he’s not this angel’s type.

He turns back to the wall.

“No thanks,” he says, eyes following as the angel on high starts patrolling the Eastern Gate. “I’m good.”

And that’s the end of that. Or so it seems. The voice behind him goes silent while the angel continues to watch the guardian in private. For a moment, the angel forgets Lucifer was even standing there till he says softly, “You know, She won’t let you have him.”

“Hmm, what?”

“That angel you’re mooning over. God won’t let you have him.”

“What do you mean?” the angel asks, defensive of his God, but followed quickly by an insecure, “H-how do you know?”

Lucifer takes a step forward, his footfalls light, barely bending a blade of grass. “Because it’s one of Her rules. How She keeps you under Her thumb. You’re not allowed to love anyone but Her. And Her humans. The first man and the first woman?” The demon motions to where Adam and Eve lay beside a crystal clear body of water, regarding the stars. “She made them in Her image. She favors them over you, you know? You who made the stars in the sky. Heck, She’d probably let you have a human before She’d let you have him.”

The angel swallows those words hard as the Guardian of the Eastern Gate turns and starts walking back to his original post. The angel had always suspected as much, but to hear it out loud severs heart strings – ones that bound together tightly his deepest admiration of Her. But why should he believe it when it comes from the lips of a demon? This could be a trick!

What does he mean could? Of course, it’s a trick!

“Maybe She has Her reasons,” the angel says.

“Yeah.” Lucifer chuckles. “I just told you. She’s a huge narcissist.”

“Why should I trust you? How do I know you’re not lying?”

“Have I ever lied to you before?”

The angel scoffs. “You’ve never even spoken to me before. Besides, you’re a demon. That’s what you do.”

“You’ve got me there.” Lucifer’s voice comes closer, his body moving closer with it. “But answer me this – what about God?”

“What about Her?”

“Has She ever lied to you?”

“No!” the angel snaps.

“Honestly?”

“Yes!”

“Right.” Lucifer rolls his eyes. He knows blind obedience when he sees it. “Let me put it another way - does She answer your questions?”

The angel opens his mouth with another hasty response, but Lucifer jumps in before he gets a word out. “Really answers? Not that beating-around-the-bush backwards way She dodges answering, but truly answers? In a way that leaves you satisfied?”

The angel closes his mouth slowly, searching for an argument he can employ before his lips touch. He wants to defend Her, wants to find the logical spin to the way God does things. But he can’t. Because he doesn’t understand. She would say that he isn’t meant to understand, but that doesn’t make any sense. Her words have long since stopped filling him with confidence.

He’s beginning to linger in doubt.

The things God does defy logic, which infuriates him since She created logic! She has devised rules for all Her creations that She Herself does not follow. Of all the questions he’s asked, he’s never gotten a straight answer.

Not a single one.          

And he’s heard, he knows, She’s losing patience with him.

How much time does he have left in Paradise before he’s sent sauntering downstairs to join Lucifer’s ranks anyway?

Would it be better for him to fall willingly, make that choice for himself, then to have it thrust upon him?

“Why is She so opposed to us knowing the truth, hmm?” Lucifer presses. “Why this Tree of Knowledge no one’s allowed to touch? What is She hiding?”

The angel shakes his head – both in defiance and in response. But his defiance is growing weak. He doesn’t want what this demon is saying to make sense but it does. Shamefully, it’s something he’s thought himself more than once.

“If you come with me,” Lucifer whispers, sharp nails lightly brushing long hair from the angel’s shoulders, “you can have the best of both worlds. You’ll get your answers … and your chance.”

“My chance? At what?”

Lucifer snaps his fingers. The low branches pregnant with fruit that the angel has been hiding behind rise a few feet, revealing him to the moonlight … and to the angel on the wall. Frantically, he steps backwards into the darkness, but Lucifer’s body stops him.

“Him,” the demon says, forcing the angel out of hiding with a shove.

The angel on the wall startles at the disturbance. His attention turns to the garden, his pale blue eyes finding the tree, and its occupant, instantly. He peers down in alarm, raising a flaming sword in battle-ready position. But when he sees the Archangel loitering there, hands clasped in front of him, eyes darting nervously, the guardian angel smiles and gives him a wave.

His admirer gasps. That smile – it rivals the sun in its brilliance, takes his breath away. He waves back, heart fluttering in his chest like the beginning sparks of a new nebula, pulsing and stretching in its attempts to be birthed into the Heavens. The angel feels it just about burst through his chest, ready to join its brothers and sisters in the sky.

Lucifer puts a hand to the angel’s shoulder and squeezes. “Give it some thought. My offer will stand. I can wait an eternity. Can you?”

“You’re wrong,” the angel says, emboldened by that smile, that wave. “I don’t need your help to have a chance. I already have a chance.”

“Possibly,” Lucifer says, a shrug in his voice. “But consider this – he’s a principality. You’re an Archangel. He’ll get sent to oversee the humans as they evolve, guide them as they grow. You’ll get locked to Heaven, stuck creating stars till they crumble. Then, you’ll make some more. You’ll drift farther and farther apart as the Universe expands, and you might never see him again. Do you think God will care about your little crush? She’s wrathful. Vindictive. She might do everything in Her power to ensure the two of you stay apart. Do you really want to risk it?”

“And how will falling ensure that he and I get together?”

A grin of perfect deviance burns slow on the demon’s face. “Have that drink with me and I’ll tell you.”

Lucifer’s words weed their way into the angel’s ears like a thorny probiscus searching for blood, pricking his brain and bringing to light his fears and anxieties. During the time the angel has spent lurking beneath this tree, watching his guardian of the garden, he has never once found the courage to reveal himself, not even to speak a single word of greeting.

Because he’d been afraid of exactly that.

The Almighty would find out and send one of them away.

She seems to play favorites in the cruelest of ways. Being one among Her favored won’t necessarily protect you from Her judgement. On the contrary. It makes you more of a target. Perhaps because She expects so much of you. The angel doesn’t know.

She would never deign to tell him, and it’s sacrilege to assume.

And as She has begun to tire of him and his endless questions, the angel has begun to tire of walking on the edge of a knife between favor and disgust. He didn’t chose to be an Archangel, didn’t choose to create nebulas and galaxies. And where he is proud of the things he’s created, maybe it’s time he chose his own side for a change.

A side with the chance to have that guardian angel beside him.

“One drink,” the angel grumbles like a threat, stepping back into the shadows, keeping the angel on the wall ever in his sights.

Lucifer’s grin completes its journey across his face. He snaps his fingers, opening a portal underground, and thinks: This was almost too easy. “That’s all I ask.”

[kurtty-drabbles]

Pirate au Redone (part 3)

N/A: Ideas will be used here. I think. Kitty will pirate? Yes, and Maddy will show up as well. Going to be honest. I don´t think we need to see the talk between Emma and Kitty and I want to write this idea before it pops out of my mind.

@dannybagpipesarecalling @djinmer4 @bamfoftheundead @everykurt @muninandhugin

After a long discussion both Jean and Scott menage to council their differences and as Jean proclaims to a more relaxed Scott, they´ll try anew and this time no more Pheonix or Avengers or anything to come between them. And, Scott, still has his reservations about Krakoa - and Scott is one of the few people that seem to notice Kurt´s demeanor over a couple of days and is one of the few who confide with him about Krakoa- can at least, if nothing else, give the benefit of the doubt to the island.

Where are you, Rachel?

This thought lingers in his mind and took some time out of Scott´s initial agenda-not that he cares too much about it, but, he doesn´t like to be idle and Rachel is a grown-up woman and may want some time alone to figure out things...considering her sexuality and who she dated, Scott can safely say Rachel wants an alone time now- and once the man is fed up in pretending to do whatever chores he was supposed to do. Scott Summers leave his room.

Krakoa is a beauty as if your definition of beauty comes with vines, exotic plants-so exotic that Scott can sweat they don´t exist- and an oppressive tone of green. Paradise is another form of prison? Lucifer certainly thought so.

His thoughts on religion are skeevy at best - again, Scott does not care, and if Kurt Wagner shares some of this belief with him. Why he would feel ashamed?- and his thoughts on religion take an ironic twist when Scott halt and looks at the person in front of him and his teeth grith so tight he could swear he´ll break his teeth or jaws.

"Why are you doing here?" Scott asked directly to Mr.Sinister who is smiling all too pleasant. The man still has the same fashion sense and still have this smirk on his face.

"Ah, Scott...you thought you wouldn´t see me again? I was the closest thing of a father in your life...and when I heard you and Miss Jean Grey are trying again...It fuels my heart with joy...do you remember?" he asked with that creepy smile of his, showing more teeth than a human should, then again, is Mr.Sinister human? "do you remember those fun times in the orphanage? You cried but didn´t beg...and you even won in the end...it only proofs that I was right all the time" and Scott´s breath accelerate and he didn´t think twice before taking his visor and blast Mr.Sinister away.

However, the vines creepily climb on the floor and wrapped tightly around his legs and yank on the floor and the impact somehow makes the lasers stop-Scott closes his eyes and it took a minute for him to reconize the sensation and not enter in dispair believing his sight is gone- and his body is unable of moving.

"Scott Summers, you broke the law" the voice that belongs to Prof X answers, yet, Scott notices something off on his voice. "The punishment must be severe...especially as you´re one of my favorites" and Scott almost laughs at this.

Then I don´t want to know what you would do if I wasn´t the favorite.

If Prof X is ready to throw Scott in the dungeons or do something else, well, all Scott can do is gulp and not cry. But, someone intervenes. No, more than someone as he can still hear their voices.

"Prof...this is unfair...why you would punish Scott for wanting to be away from this creepy?" Jean shouts angrily and Scott can see, mentally of course, how her face must be twisted in anger-there´s a difference in an angry Jean and an angry Pheonix and Scott knows this very well- and Jean continues while Storm is helping Scott to stand on his feet.

"Can you open your eyes, Scott?" Storm asked in concern and Scott shakes his head. Nothing else needs to be said. Storm puts his visor back and asks again as Scott opens his eyes slowly.

Jean is not done. "How can you ask for a nazi scientist to be here? I thought this island was supposed to be a paradise for us...not for nazis scum" Jean shouts vexing and for a moment everyone gathers around thinking she would go Pheonix...

She gave up the Pheonix ...there´s no trace of the bird on her.

Prof X smiles and is not soothing in the slightest. "I believe everyone deserves a chance and it wasn´t thanks to Mr.Sinister´s machinations that Cable, your once beloved son or so you once claimed, came to be?" Prof X only walks ignoring Jean Grey as he concludes his thoughts in one final line. "Plus, you would are the one to give everyone a chance...everyone but your own daughter" and then Jean falls from the sky screaming in agony.

Scott goes to her and tries to use his power on Prof X to make him stop- Scott recalls that he did murder Prof X thanks to the Power of Pheonix and hopes he can kill the man again-yet, his power doesn´t work on the man who only shakes his head at this.

Storm tried to use her powers as well-summon a powerful lightning bolt to burn the man in one attack- yet, her powers are useless against Prof X, and Storm is knockdown.

"What a pity...but you two always disappointed me"

And the fates of Scott Summers and Jean Grey are sealed. There´s no more Mr.Sinister as Prof X leaves.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Logan is on the beach and is smoking one of his best cigars and is more than happy to see Jean Grey, and to his increased libido and satisfaction she´s wearing a bikini and no Scott Summers- and Logan knows this is meant to be. Knows this is all about making more babies and Logan promises to buy the best beer he can think to thank Kurt for such law- and the man is as seductive as his entire being can. "Jeanie. Fancy a swin?"

Jean shakes her head and holds him. Oh, Logan knew this would happen and smirks thinking he finally beat Slim. Finally, and even mention this out loud. "You finally going to be with a real man" and goes for a kiss.

The kiss is as passionate as his imagination provides, yet, she steps away and speaks in a soothing tone. "Oh, Logan...I never liked you but I thought you were smart than that" and her eyes are burning just like her hair. "You´ll know what is death and the most painfully one..." and Jean is no longer Jean...and Logan is no more.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

A cargo ship is traveling in the pacific ocean and the captain is giving the orders to make sure their precious containment is in order- mutants kids from non-develop countries and many labs and governments would pay anything to put their hands on those kids- and the captain is even dreaming with the huge sums of money he´ll gain thanks to those kids. And damn, he can even view himself in a large mansion.

"Captain...there´s a strange ship...yatch coming to our way" one of his first mates points to the said yacht and the captain rolls his eyes and order to fire at them-he has better things to worry than worry about stupid people- however when one of the crews of the yacht shots a fireball large enough to damage the ship and the other froze the ship preventing it from leaving...it proves how it in deep waters the captain is now.

A woman flies to the deck. The woman has a red vest and one sword. The men didn´t take long to shoot at her, yet, it was futile. "AHH GHOST!" one of them said and the woman smirks evilly.

"Yep, I´m a ghost and I´m a very pissed ghost" and she runs through them using her sword as if it was another limb attached to her body. The rest of the crew surrender and the children were rescued.

"Emma?" Kitty calls not wanting the damn woman in her mind. "The kids are safe...not alright after what they witness, but, alive...we´re taking them to a secure place"

"I trust in your judgment, Kate!"

"Stop calling me like that, Frost"

One of the kids looks at the woman wearing red and asks one of the mutants who is she. And Bobby follows their sight and smiles. "Well, that´s Captain Pryde" and the kids look in awe at the Captain who notices their smiles and makes a One Piece reference.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Betsy Braddock is not easily frightened and maybe this can make people have the wrong view about her. And maybe, Betsy used to like those wrong ideas people had over her- the fearsome woman who laughs in Death´s face- and Elisabeth´s smile can´t reach her eyes anymore nor be anything but an obvious fake. No pleasantries are enough to dissolve the situation between herself and... "Kwannon" Betsy exclaims noticing how their outfits have different color paletas.

Kwannon. The Japanese Psylocke as some used to call-Oh, Betsy knows what people used to call Kwannon´s body and know what they used to call Betsy´s mind as well- and the Japanese woman is putting one foot in front of the other...the motion would be almost funny, if it wasn´t painfully clear she´s not used to her own body.

"Betsy..." her tone is dry as her eyes are fixated on Betsy. "I want to talk with you, but...thinking back and seeing you now. I need you to shut up and listen..." she exhales and continues. "I don´t blame you for what happened to me..." she closes her eyes and touches her hand. "I´d blame you for how you treat my name and my own body. You wear little and suddenly your blade talks and demands blood...I´m not like that and I don´t like that now you´re a white woman...abruptly your blade doesn´t scream blood anymore and you don´t longer dress like a slut..." she completes having a neutral expression on her face.

Betsy can´t ignore her actions. "I thought in assume another identity for myself" is a good explanation for Betsy not for Kwannon.

"White woman. Do you know anything about me? I´m a ninja not because it was cool or sexy, but, because I had no option. I have no last name...I´m a Burakumin, yeah judge by your look you had no idea what this means" her tone is derisive as she continues. "I was an outcast in my own country. The Yakuza one day, saw my abilities and offer me a job...and that job became my life"

"I didn´t know..." Betsy speaks with a heavy tone. "I was..."

"Having fun in wearing my body as a sex toy? Yeah...I know" and Kwannon uses her kinetic blade- Kwannon is not sure if she wants to fight Betsy or to simply see if she still has her powers- and if a brawl was to happen, well, it won´t be now as Emma Frost shows up along with Kitty Pryde.

"Ladies...this is not time to catfight...we better things to do" Emma Frost replied in a regal way as always and Kitty rolls her eyes at such display but speaks again.

"I think we all agree Krakoa is bad"

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Scott and Jean are back to their cabin in the woods-money is not exactly an issue for Jean Grey as she died and resurrected so many times to the point the agency thinks she´s a meme now- and Jean is laid down on the canape still feeling pain. "I´m fine...no, I´m not...but I´ll be...Scott, when Prof X´s power increase like that?"

Scott has no answers. And someone knocks the door and Scott goes to answer and sees Madeline Pryor smiling at him. "Are you real or an illusion?" Scott asks and Madeline nods sagely and slaps his face with a grin.

"Still doubt am I not real?"

"No, is you!"

"I´m not here to fight...I´m here to talk and as much I hate to say this...I need the help of Jean Grey"

[kathyprior4200]

Hazbin Hotel: That’s Entertainment! (Remix)

ORIGINALLY OWNED BY VIVZIEPOP, NO COPYRIGHT INTENDED.

 Enter the royal Magne Family

In Heaven, perfection, order, fun, and peace are priorities. God is an elderly man with a similar appearance to Jesus. His Archangels serve has his guards and advisers. They make up a larger angel council, which discuss different matters. Some of the citizens are humans with white wings while others are animal-like. The majority of angels have white faces, red blushes on their cheeks and silky hair.

The dark creepy robotic angels of death are used to exterminate the citizens of Hell to not only reduce their population, but to also plant fear. They have silver weapons that can kill any demon, as well as humans. They were made creepy on purpose: to fight fear with fear. They are sent down once a year to purge the citizens at random.

The buildings in heaven are silver, gold, and some are embedded with precious gems. The citizens learn prayer, singing, dancing, and being kind of each other. The society is heavily bent on rules: honor thy father and mother, no smoking, drinking, lust, or gambling. Cussing isn’t allowed. The barrier separating the worlds is a Christian cross within a circle, similar to the pentagram in hell in the red sky.

  Heaven and Hell are actually two sides of the afterlife coin. Though they may be opposites, they also coexist together. The majority of inhabitants were originally humans from Earth (except the evil humans went to Hell, while heroic humans went to Heaven).

 Lucifer and Lilith both bonded, due to their experiences of being banished from Heaven and Eden respectfully. Lucifer was originally a light-bearing angel, and part of God’s inner circle. He looked very similar to his current appearance: white face, short white elegant hair, and pearly white teeth (not sharp fangs). Like the other archangels, he would make sure that everything was in order, that rules were followed, and that the formerly humans were having fun. He even helped make chains of flowers and daises (which now disgusts him).

Lucifer’s fall began one fateful day when God decided to give flawed humans a second chance. Now, instead of only heroic individuals granted access to Heaven, He welcomed ordinary people with open arms. What was even more bizarre, was the arrival of former humans now in animal-like forms and vivid colors: horses, dogs, lions, eagles, even mythical creatures. Appalled by the sudden changes, Lucifer claimed that those “inferior mortals” should not be granted access to paradise. God and the other archangels disagreed with him.

 Raphael was Lucifer’s opposite. Unlike him, Raphael was kindhearted and discouraged any form of pride. He took his role in service to God very seriously…and if that meant the creation of humanity, then he would still be loyal.

 It wasn’t long before Lucifer and the archangels Michael, Gabriel, etc. engaged in battle. Lucifer wasn’t alone: there was another angel named Azrael who was Lucifer’s friend and adviser. While Lucifer fought Raphael, Azarael clashed with Gabriel.

And of course, Michael battled Lucifer’s darker form, which had emerged from him after his anger was released. Michael used a flaming sword while the darker Lucifer used the same version of Lucifer’s weapon, the Morning Star. This darker Lucifer was quickly vanquished from Heaven and would later form Satan.

  Refusing to obey God, Lucifer, Azarael and the other rebel angels were cast from Heaven and banished to Hell as punishment. Azarael would later become a demon and a teacher of the dark arts in Hell.

 Lucifer is one of the few who knows the names of the robotic purge Angels of Death: Puriel, Kushiel, Teneluehus, Raguel, Wormwood, Jeheel, Zacheniel, Ababhar, and their leader, Abaddon. Originally regular angels sent to punish the souls of sinners, they were later modified into the ultimate killing machines. Sent down to Hell once every year, they slaughter the citizens at random to control the population and strike fear into those who oppose God. Lucifer, however, wasn’t afraid…he only wanted vengeance for his banishment.

 Instead of fearing his evil form…Lucifer embraced it. Testing out his newfound powers of destruction, he decided to take a position of power and rule as he saw fit. How did he do that? By murdering opponents and becoming the king of Hell. (However, he and Satan were different entities).

 The first king of Hell was Bael, who had the power to make himself and his army invisible. Paimon was the second king, teacher of science, the arts, and made great contributions in expanding Pentagram City. The third king, Beleth was ruthless and cruel to the lower class and even to his own subjects. He rode a black war horse made of dark flames. Beleth overthrew Paimon and Bael and became ruler before Lucifer arrived. Asnodi was a king of another circle of Hell, with the heads of a bull and a man. Vine was gender neutral and created storms using only their mind. Beleth defeated the seer kings Purson and Balam, the bull king Asnodi, and even Zagun, a ruler who could turn water into blood and oil. The remaining kings were under the authority of Beleth and Zagun.

 Eventually, Lucifer engaged in battle with Beleth and the kings…and won. He became the new ruler of Hell and the older kings were quickly forgotten. The apple was adapted into the architecture of the hotel and an apple was also prominently on Lucifer’s staff and white hat to show his status. This is reminiscent of the legend of Adam and Eve, and a way to remind both Lucifer and Lilith of their pasts. The couple also created purple snakes for decoration and defense, also related to the snake Satan, who had deceived Eve in the myth.

 Lucifer had fellow frenemies known as Astaroth (the dragon creator of self- doubt) and Beelzebub (a greedy wealthy Fly Lord). They made the Unholy Trinity and each agreed to rule different areas of Hell (though Lucifer was the most powerful of the three and was known by the majority of Hell).

 Lucifer then met the beautiful Lilith, with her long pale hair, graceful figure, and powers of her own. She had been Adam’s former wife and wanted to be equal to him instead of submissive. Lilith was kicked out of Eden and was given a choice: either reside in Hell or be forced to give birth to demonic offspring only for them to be killed each day. Lilith chose Hell and soon gave into her selfish ways.

 Her life changed when she met Lucifer. Here was an individual so similar to her. Emphasizing over their past lives, enjoying each other’s appearances, (add in a couple of drinks of heavy wine) and they soon gave birth to Princess Charlotte, also known simply as Charlie. Lilith and her husband were constantly busy with keeping up their status, interacting with other elite officials, etc. Lilith also worked as a model, becoming very influential.

  Charlie’s Childhood

 A loud screech echoed throughout the industrial hospital somewhere in Pentagram City. Lilith was lying down on a bed, shaking legs apart, sweat coating her forehead. Beside her was her husband Lucifer, who put a comforting clawed hand on her shoulder.

“Keep pushing, mon amour,” he encouraged. “It should be over very soon.”

“That’s what you said several hours ago,” Lilith countered, her face straining. “We were so close to making it back to our comfortable home, but then…”

She paused after catching her breath.

“…my water broke, and now we’re at this slum of a hospital instead. With these…things to keep us company.”

She looked at the busy imps nearby with disdain in her silvery eyes. One of them was busy administering medication into her lower back to ease the pain. Two others stood close to her legs, ready to deliver the child.

“My privacy invaded, just before my midnight photoshoot,” she muttered. “At least I haven’t changed into my nicest dress yet.”

She currently was wearing a crimson long red dress with black zebra-like stripes running diagonally down the front. Another dress was neatly folded in a nearby suitcase. She blew a strand of her long blonde hair away from her pale face. Her signature long red horns protruded from her head. Her black crown of thorns was nettled in her leather purse on a side chair.

Lucifer was wearing his traditional white and red dress suit with a black bow tie below his neck and fancy long white pants. A large white top hat nested over his blonde slicked back hair. A purple snake and a red apple were also on the hat. His cane had a matching red apple on the top. His skin was pale white, his eyes were yellow, and his cheeks were rosy off to the sides.

 Lilith sighed, already concerned with her upcoming tasks for the week. Besides modeling and negotiating with elite officials, she was a singer of a band called Resist. “When I’m done with this, I’m going to have to come up with another song for Resist. Maybe something called, “Angel Anarchy.” Or “Oppressive Heaven.” “Evil’ is ‘Live’, Backwards?” Should I do a haunting solo…or try for a metal scream?”

The contractions began again, and the demon mother wailed in pain for several minutes.

“Make it stop, make it stop, uuuughh…” she groaned.

Lucifer turned away slightly. He was used to hearing and seeing his opponents and victims writhe in pain, especially after his conquest of Hell many years ago.

But seeing his wife in pain like that…

“I’m going to be a father…I can’t believe it…”

“It is nice to have a greater purpose in life, besides just being rulers of Hell, don’t you think?” Lilith asked.

“I guess you’re right,” Lucifer answered. “When our child is old enough, he or she will be able to carry out our traditions and be a great ruler someday. I already picked out a boy name: Azarael, after my former friend in Heaven.”

“I don’t know,” Lilith countered. “It reminds me of those bastard angels too much.”

“Eldritch, then.” He suggested. “It means “old ruler.” Our last name means “fierce warrior.”

“Absolutely not,” Lilith argued. “What good would it be to have our child named after the last name of our rivals? How about a girl’s name instead? Something like…Vivienne! It means “alive.”

Lilith looked at him. “Have you looked into our ancestry books at the library again?”

“I have to find something to do when I’m bored,” he said. “Playing instruments is wonderful, but sometimes I need some ideas.”

Lucifer was still too embarrassed to admit that he was bad at playing the guitar and keyboard.

“Do these ideas involve rooms besides our grand library?”

Lucifer grinned and playfully winked. “Maybe they do.”

“Remember when we met at that concert for the first time?” Lilith asked, taking deep breaths, trying to ignore the lingering pain.

“Oh yes,” Lucifer said, nostalgia in his eyes. “I’ve never heard anyone sing as beautifully as you did that night.”

“And then we went to the Damnation Bar several days later after Krampus came along for the holidays?”

“Yep, I remember. Stupid old me got into a drinking contest with Beezelbub. You were drinking blood red wine and laughing your head off.”

“You did look pretty silly dancing on the countertop when you thought you had won the contest.” She let out a soft musical laugh.

Lucifer rolled his eyes. “But I did though! That Fly Lord cheated by flying around and gulping down several glasses in all six hands. I almost destroyed him, too, but the room was spinning too much.”

 Lilith smiled. “The best part was when you went through your drunken phase. You massacred a group of demons because you thought they worked for Jesus.”

“And we had tons of fun back at home,” he admitted.

“It was both pleasure-inducing and equal,” Lilith added. “Unlike my terrible first intimate encounter with that stubborn Adam. I did love being on top at the very end!”

“Ooookay,” said a nearby imp out loud. “I think I’ve heard enough for now. How about I check to see what’s going on in there…”

The imp male adjusted an emerging bald head and Lilith seethed. “You touch me like that again, and I’ll use your entrails for a necklace!”

“What’re you gonna do? Charge me for rape? I’m just lucky to have a job in general, but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it. Of all the snob patients I’ve worked with…”

A flick of Lucifer’s fingers caused the imp to explode in a mess of blood and organs. A dragon demon with a doctor’s coat peered in.

“Clean that up,” he mentioned to another imp with a mop and walked away. As the janitor imp did his work, a red-faced female imp arrived into the room. She peered over at the ultrasound.

 After half an hour, the contractions began again, this time, more intense.

  “NON, NON…MERDE!” she swore.  Lilith pushed long and hard, gripping onto the side of the bed.

Lucifer and the imps comforted her over her yells.

Then at last…the bald baby’s head emerged from between her legs, the head covered in blood. The placenta soon followed.

“It’s a girl!” announced the imp.

After the baby was cleaned, the imp placed the infant into Lilith’s arms. Lucifer and Lilith both cried with joy.

“She has your horns,” Lucifer said, watching as small red horns shot from her head, then retreated back in.

“And your face,” Lilith added.

Sure enough, the girl had the same rosy cheeks and pale face as her father. Stubs of white fangs were already peeking out from her gums.

“You know what?” Lilith asked. “I think I found the perfect name for her.”

“I think I do, too.”

“Charlotte,” they both said out loud.

“Congratulations, you too,” said the female imp, who began running some diagnostics. “Part angel, part demon,” she mentioned, after a DNA test.

“Very powerful indeed,” Lucifer said with satisfaction. “She will make a great Princess someday. Charlie the Great.”

 When the family got home, Lilith placed Charlie in a comfy crib in the upstairs room. Charlie wailed and cried, not wanting to go to sleep.

“I have an idea,” said Lucifer. He snapped his fingers.

Two small animated snakes soon hung above her crib. They spun in slow circles on a mobile. Charlie stared mesmerized, even reaching out a small hand to pet their lavender heads. Lilith opened a window where the screams of victims and the roars of fires could be heard. Lucifer’s haunting lullaby added to the dark ambience.

 “Rock-a-bye baby in the dark pit

When the corpses rot, the flames will be lit

Writhing in pain as life slips away

Never see again the bright light of day”

   Little Charlie was soon fast asleep.

Lilith gently kissed her daughter on her forehead. “Sweet nightmares, my darling.”

   Many years later, Lucifer was dragging a young Charlie over to a large room for her piano and music lessons.

“Daddy,” she cried, “I don’t wanna go!” The young girl was wearing a black skirt, a nice white shirt with a black bow tie and black tap dancing shoes. She clutched one of her demon dolls in her hand.

“It is important that you learn the proper techniques of playing and singing traditional songs.”

“But I wanna sing my own songs!” the child protested, her short curly blonde hair bouncing up and down.

“We can’t get what we want all the time,” said her father. “If you want to make a good impression on our people, then practice is the first step. Particularly at such a young age.

 Charlie pouted as she walked into an ornate room with a black grand piano in the center. Her music teacher was a plump woman with peacock feathers in her black hair, teal skin, and a dress of sequins.

 Her instructor led her through several songs. Charlie’s shaking fingers struggled to hit the right keys at the right time. She flinched every time she made a mistake.

 At one point, she got so frustrated, that she transformed into her demonic self and sang one of her songs in a fury. Standing up and spreading out her hands, she lifted up the grand piano and threw it into the air. The instrument landed on her music teacher with a large crash. The demon teacher gasped and then her body went still.

Charlie covered her mouth with her hands as a tense silence filled the space.

“Oh, I’m sorry…I didn’t mean it…I just didn’t want to play anymore…”

She glanced nervously at her father. But instead of anger, her father was crying tears of joy.

“Oh my dear Charlotte, I’m so proud of you! You did a splendid job.”

Feeling relieved, Charlie beamed and embraced her father.

 As the years went by, Charlie went through lessons on dining etiquette, manners, demonology history, music history, and politics.

   During one quiet day, a young Charlie frolicked in the brown grass, while bare trees reached for the beige polluted sky. She wore a dress of white and dull lavender, with a matching colored sunhat with a pink bow on her head. She smiled as she sat down on her knees. A bunch of small red daisies dotted the field and she picked them up one by one. She held a bundle of them in her hands and sniffed their sweet scent. She heard a familiar voice nearby.

“I never knew that natural beauty could exist in this place.”

Charlie turned to see her mother walk gracefully through the grass. Her corset-like dress was light brown down the front, with long white sleeves and a dark brown top covering her shoulders and neck. Black gloves covered her fidgeting hands. A brown sun hat with a black spider and web on top nestled over her long blonde hair.

Lilith knelt down beside her daughter in the grass.

“Isn’t it wonderful, Mommy?” the young girl asked. “A whole bunch of flowers here for us to enjoy. Most of the demons here don’t appreciate the small things in life.”

“That’s true,” Lilith replied.

A strange sadness appeared in her eyes, which were yellow with black sclera.

Charlie looked over. “What’s wrong, Mommy?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, Charlotte,” she replied.

“Do you think I’ll be able to make friends?” Charlie asked. “It seems like not many people want to be my friend. They don’t even care that I’m a so called princess.”

 Lilith tried to find a way to comfort her.

“Well, you’re always optimistic, positive in almost any situation. And you’re quite tough as well. No one has messed around with you.”

“Like Daddy, said, “don’t take any shit from demons.’ What shouldn’t I take from them, exactly?”

“Oh for Satan’s sake,” Lilith murmured.

“Huh?” Charlie asked.

“Nothing,” she said, waving a hand. “It just means be careful who you trust. Some may want to be your friend, but others are…wary. We’re the most influential family in Hell and we strive for chaotic order.”

“Meaning like having parties and singing songs and stuff?”

Lilith hesitated. “Well…yeah, if you wish.”

Charlie beamed. “Oh, that’s wonderful! I bet we will do a great job for our new friends. Thanks, mommy!”

Charlie embraced her mother and then ran around happily in the park.

There was no point in Lilith telling her what was really on her mind. That Hell was no place for happiness and innocent fun. That many demons feared their family and envied them.

That Charlie would always be powerful and different…

…being part angel and part demon…and never living a previous mortal life.  

 Souls Inside Monsters

“Charlotte, it’s almost time for the show to begin. Hurry on down!”

A young teen demon was sitting in front of a mirror decorated with yellow eyes with black pupils along the elegant rim. She put on a dash of red lipstick while her two goat dolls, Razzle and Dazzle fixed her hair.

 “Dad!” called the blond-haired princess from inside her room, “I told you to call me Charlie! Charlotte sounds too…strange.”

“Well that’s your name, you should be used to it by now.”

 Charlie rolled her eyes and stared at her reflection: golden yellow eyes, a ghost white face with red blushes off to the side of her cheeks, razor sharp fangs when she smiled. She was so excited, she could barely sit still.

 When her attendants were done, she stood up to admire herself and her outfit. A candy red pinstriped dress nearly touched the floor and felt slightly tight around her waist. An enchanted light purple snake was wrapped around her waistline, both serving as decoration and self-defense in case of grabby onlookers. It was very similar to the snake that her father Lucifer kept around his white top hat (though both were protective of their owners thanks to Lucifer’s magic). Spider web leggings covered her pale legs and on her feet were black tap-dancing shoes. One of her feet was already moving up and down slightly. Finally, Charlie wore a black spiked crown with a red apple gem in the center.

 “My 150th birthday!” she exclaimed, doing several happy jumps. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a while.”

Indeed, it had been 150 years since she had been born in Hell to the king and queen. Unlike humans, the demons hardly aged at all, or if they did, it was a very slow process. (Then again, they were already dead, so it didn’t really matter.)

 But Charlie had heard of the interesting human tradition they called “birthdays” on Earth. She insisted to her parents they had to celebrate hers once a year.

 While Lucifer had been reluctant, Lilith agreed.

“We can’t participate in that foolish human tradition,” Lucifer argued. “Especially since we aren’t alive and our people are supposed to be suffering twenty four, seven.”

“If it makes our daughter happy, then so be it,” she said. “Besides, no one else has to know. It’ll be one of our traditions.”

“Very well,” he said. “But since Charlie gets a special day of her own, why don’t we make some days special for us…if you know what I mean.”

He gave her a devilish wink and she grinned in return. “A special day for domination…I’m up for that.”

Charlie had then entered the room, asking “What’re you talking about?” and the topic was changed.

“So, about that meeting with the other overlords?” Lilith asked her husband.

“As usual, I warned them they needed to know their place.”

Rolling her eyes, Charlie had left to play the grand piano.

 “Are you coming or not?” Lucifer asked, snapping her back to reality.

“I’m ready!” she called, opening the door.

There was her father in front of her, smiling his nearly ever-present grin. Like her, he had (much shorter) blond hair, a white face, blushes on his cheeks, and yellow eyes. He wore his usual white and candy red suit, with his white top hap with a snake along the rim. A black staff appeared in his hand with the Forbidden Fruit on the top: a red apple. Lilith walked over to stand beside him, wearing an elegant red dress and her usual black crown between her red horns on her head. She had blond hair even longer than Charlie’s and was taller than Lucifer.

“Oh Charlie,” exclaimed her mother in a soft voice, “You look so beautiful! You remind me of me when I was your age.”

 Charlie embraced her mother in a happy hug. “Come on, now,” Lilith said, letting go and beckoning her to come forward. “Our guests are waiting.”

 The “guests” were actually some of Lucifer’s snakes which he reluctantly enchanted to take on the appearances of…

 “Disney Princesses and Harry Potter wizards,” Lucifer muttered in disgust. “It could’ve been wounded demons sprawling in pain on the ground like in the past…”

 Charlie walked down the curving staircase down to the lobby of her family’s mansion. The “princesses” smiled and waved at her and some threw flower petals to her (which were actually dried scales dyed pink.)

 “You know how much she doesn’t like that,” Lilith mentioned. Charlie took the stage and began to sing.

 “But those enchantments aren’t even real,” he said. “It’s one of the ways to prepare her for her future duties as Hell’s princess.”

“And what’s the other way?”

Lucifer whispered into his wife’s ear and her eyes widened in both delight and hesitation.

“Oh that’s right. Today is also that day.”

“Surely she will enjoy getting a glimpse of what happens out in the world,” Lucifer smiled.

“But…what if it’s too much for her?”

“Too, much?” Lucifer asked. “She’s 150 now. She has to be ready. It’s a growing up right of passage that cannot wait any longer.”

 They watched Charlie take a bow as her doll demons clapped.

 “Trust me,” said Lucifer. “She’ll be delighted to witness her first…”

 “Cake!” Charlie squealed. “Oh my Satan, that’s amazing!”

 A devil’s food cake was rolled and set on a table in front of her. It had chocolate frosting (per her request), spidery snakes on the top and a fat red apple candle.

 After singing to her in their deep hellish voices saved for certain occasions, Charlie pointed her clawed finger at the candle and the flame shot into the air, bursting into red apple fireworks. The noise spooked the apparitions and the regular snakes appeared once more.

For the first half of the private party, Charlie entertained her parents by demonstrating her dancing skills up on stage. For Charlie, dancing wasn’t just a hobby: it was a way of life and a method to express her deepest feelings that she couldn’t put into words. Razzle played the grand piano and Dazzle played a violin as Charlie sang.

 As the day neared its end, the clock outside rang out twelve times. In the past years, Charlie would head upstairs to her room to watch musicals while her parents went outside for some “entertainment.” Now this time, Charlie would get a chance to be with her parents.

 “It’s a special surprise, sweetie,” said Lucifer. “Since it’s a big day for you, I’d like you to follow us.”

 He said it as if it were an order. Feeling bewildered, but still very excited, Charlie let her parents led her up the elevator and toward the uppermost balcony. Razzle and Dazzle followed close behind.

Soon, the group walked onto the balcony that overlooked the crimson sky and dark clouds of hell.

 Charlie stared out into the distance as the clock tower rang one last time.

 “I don’t see anything,” she said. “Are we waiting for fireworks? Or a rainbow?”

“Silly Charlotte,” said her mother with a smile. “You’re about to witness something even better than those things.”

 “A spectacle that you’ll gladly remember for years into your rule,” her father added.

 Charlie smiled wide, until seeing a speck of something in the distance. It looked like a circle of white light that slowly grew larger into the shape of a portal.

 “Huh?” she asked.

 Lucifer smiled. “Charlotte, welcome to your first Extermination.”

 Then…a swarm of dark flying creatures burst out of the portal. The shadowy figures rained down on the city below. Charlie looked closer and could see they had black feathery wings, dark curved horns and glowing white halos on their heads. Each one carried variations of spears, harpoons and other weapons in their hands.

 “What are those things?” she asked.

“They’re angels,” said her mother.

“Angels?” she asked. “You mean like the ones in human myths?”

“No, dear,” said Lucifer, his grin wide. “These are no myths.”

 All of a sudden, one flew close by and Charlie reeled back in fright. The angel that glided past had an LED mask on with a large sinister grin and an x over its right eye. The angel threw the spear in his hand, and the weapon struck a large parrot-like demon in the heart. The bird let out a shrill squawk as it plummeted to the ground.

Charlie glanced down at the streets and let out a sharp gasp.

 Down below, demons of all shapes and sizes scattered from the onslaught of angels descending on them like hungry vultures. A demon with three heads was unfortunate enough to have a harpoon struck through all his heads, causing the creature to collapse. Two other angels were choking a red dragon demon, the creature’s eye bulging. Two hellhounds whined in pain as electricity from another spear struck them both in the backs. The bipedal canines crashed to the ground and did not move again.

Nothing but screams, robotic laughter, and carnage. The longer she watched, the more frightened Charlie became. Soon, the rotten stench of death filled her nostrils.

She glanced back at her parents casually watching the show from their chairs like it was a musical.

Tears sprang from Charlie’s eyes.

“What is all this?! Why are you showing me this?”

“It’s a yearly extermination to reduce the population of sinners once a year,” explained Lilith. It was like she was talking about the weather.

“Those are our people!” she cried. “And you’re just letting this happen?!”

“There’s no need to act so brash,” Lucifer scolded. “It’s just a natural way of ensuring that evil gets a through cleansing.”

“Cleansing? This is murder!”

“Sadly, it’s a necessary act,” Lilith added.

“As you know, I was once an angel,” said Lucifer. “I was banished down here and nearly killed myself. But then God, the angels and myself came to an agreement. The Exterminators could kill citizens in Hell once every year, while we, the royal family, would be left alone. It does make sense, considering we are the most powerful individuals here.”

Charlie took several ragged breaths. “What’s so special about us? What about them?!” She pointed down toward the fleeing demons rushing into cars, stores, and even dumpsters to try and get away. Down over at the poor section of Imp City, the imps were even less lucky. The one ones who could escape were ones with enough proficiency to create small portals or to shapeshift into Exterminators to trick them.

 “This is Hell, Charlotte,” Lucifer said, eyes narrowing in frustration. “Suffering is what those lowlife scum deserve to experience. Just be lucky that we don’t have to deal with that.”

 “Vaggie,” Charlie breathed almost in a whisper, already concerned about her friend.

 “Now stop fooling around and embrace this momentous occasion,” said Lucifer.

 “No,” Charlie said.

“Excuse me?” asked Lucifer, eyebrows raised.

“NO!” she cried, tears running down her face. Her eyes turned red and her long horns emerged from her head. “I’m not gonna sit here and let more of my people die. I can’t believe you hid this from me all these years!”

 Charlie summoned Razzle and Dazzle and the two goats lifted her up and carried her down to the streets.

 “GET BACK HERE AT ONCE!” Lucifer bellowed.

Ignoring her father, Charlie landed down on the cracked asphalt, nearly stepping on a severed horned demon head. Razzle and Dazzle hovered nearby.

She saw three angels corner a frightened cat demon with a spotted brown face who held her paws up. Spears pointed toward her head and heart, the feline gave one last sorrowful meow.

“HEY!” Charlie bellowed in her demonic voice. She was seeing red. Her black shoes clacked against the pavement. “STAY AWAY FROM MY PEOPLE!”

The three angels turned at the same time, their eyes glowing red and teeth spread out when spotting her. The cat demon scurried up the wall with her claws and leaped from roof to roof out of sight.

 Flames receding from her body, horns shrinking back, Charlie backed up in fear and gulped as the angels advanced, their weapons at the ready. Razzle and Dazzle shuddered and held on tightly to Charlie’s hands. Just as the angels threw the spears and Charlie closed her eyes…

 She heard a sickening thud.

The spears had struck a pair of black fiery wings. The spears vanished in flames before flaming swords materialized out of thin air. The angels were struck by the swords, causing them to back up.

Lucifer’s eyes were red, his temporary black wings made from his enchanted snakes merged together.

“LEAVE.”

His demonic voice could stop the heartbeats of an entire group.

 Charlie slowly stood up once the angels had retreated and stared into Lucifer’s glowing red eyes. He slowly turned his head toward her. Though he was furious with her, she could see a small tear roll down his cheek before being evaporated by the heat.

“IF YOU EVER DO SOMETHING FOOLISH LIKE THAT AGAIN, I’LL MAKE SURE YOU NEVER LEAVE OUR MANSION. YOU WILL BE GROUNDED UNTIL THIS PLACE FREEZES OVER. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

Charlie nodded with a whimper.

“YOU WILL ACCEPT YOUR ROLE WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.”

 Charlie glanced over toward a group of demons and gasped. As her father raised his hand toward her, something inside Charlie stirred. A peculiar feeling in her temple, just between her eyes began to tingle with warmth. It was almost as if time stood still.

 When Charlie stared hard at the three homeless demons from a distance, she could almost see their faces briefly morph into their formerly human ones from their past lives: a white skinned bearded man with a bottle of alcohol in his hand, a mother with a cut-up face in torn prostitute clothing, a sobbing blonde boy in the mother’s lap just learning how to use a gun…

 Before Charlie could say anything, a glowing magenta pentagram surrounded her and she was transported back to her room with Razzle and Dazzle.

  In high school, Charlie met Vaggie, a moth demon who would soon become her best friend, and girlfriend. Vaggie was frequently bullied by the other demon kids, but Charlie’s demon form was enough to get them to back off.

“Hi, I’m Charlie!” the princess said, bubbly.

“I’m Vaggie,” the young girl said shyly. Vaggie had long white hair and a pink ‘X’ over her left eye. Her overall appearance was goth-like. Her sclera was light pink and she wore a white mini-dress. Her left stocking had pink stripes while her right stocking was navy blue. There was even a pink bow in her hair. The two friends grew closer as time went on. Vaggie even gathered the courage to share how she died one Halloween night.

“It was back in 2014,” she said. “I was a regular Latino human who was fascinated by bugs and the supernatural. Punching asshole guys and slicing their nuts off was super fun. You know, black guys and white guys insulting my culture and all, I just wasn’t having it.”

She continued. “People thought I was weird, but I didn’t give a fuck. I was in love with this cute girl in my class, but this guy who claimed he was my boyfriend didn’t like that. He kept calling me a butch bitch and wouldn’t leave me alone. One night, on my way home from a punk rock concert, he appeared behind me and slammed me against the wall. He tore off my bra, pulled down my pants and…”

Her breath caught in her throat. Tears fell from her eyes. “His friends were standing there too…they just laughed at my naked form. He went into me over and over, and over again!”

She buried her face in her hands, as Charlie held her tightly.

“I’m so sorry, Vaggie,” she said quietly.

“Not only that,” she stuttered between sobs, “he stabbed me here…”

She pointed to her left eye,

“…and here…”

She mentioned to her breasts…

“…and finally set the rest of me on fire.”

 Charlie was crying too, sharing her friend’s pain. “I can’t imagine what’s that’s like. To go through that…and being a human…”

“Well, I’m not a human anymore,” she said, wiping away her tears. “I’m a demon stuck in this hellhole. There’s a good reason I don’t trust men…I never trusted them when I was alive. Don’t even get me started on my abusive father.”

Charlie sat and listened, providing a source of comfort for her friend.

   That’s Entertainment: present day

 Both of Charlie’s parents envisioned their daughter as an asset to the family business. She was the princess of a hotel and they hoped that by encouraging demons to remain in fear and respect of their family, that no conflicts would arise.

 But then, Charlie proposed something radical, unexpected…and even dangerous. She wanted to create the Happy Hotel as a place for sinners to redeem themselves. Lucifer thought it was a joke at first. Charlie had laughed and explained her plan.

 “Isn’t it brilliant?” she asked, a smile on her face. She stood in the living room of their elegant home. “This could be the solution we need that could benefit everyone.”

Her father was not amused and her mother was skeptical.

“How would running a hotel cause the demons to change so fast?” he asked. “Your plan is impractical and downright ridiculous.”

“What makes you think this idea will work?” asked Lilith.

“Glad you asked,” said Charlie. She cleared her throat, opened her mouth wide and stood on a table.

Lucifer held up a hand.

“No singing necessary.”

Charlie let out a sigh and hoped down. “If the demons could become good people who give up their bad habits, just think how much better this world would be. Heaven wouldn’t need to exterminate the population year after year. Crime rates would drop, gambling and drugs would become afterthoughts. Who knows? Maybe those reformed enough could leave to live better afterlives!”

“Leave?!” asked Lucifer. “You do realize that demons were sent here for a reason. If they were to change their ways, then our economy and society would crumble. Even worse, there would be revolts, riots.”

Charlie stared with curiosity. “What’s bad about that?”

“It’d put our family and legacy at risk!” Lucifer replied. “Our livelihood depends on preserving tradition and establishing a chaotic order, if you will.”

“Our legacy could change for the better,” Charlie countered. “No more killings and despair for everyone. You may not think that anyone cares about purges, but I know that there are families out there who have lost beloved members due to those purges.”

“Me and the other demons do care about the purges,” Lucifer stated. “Which is why it would only get worse if demons decided to change.”

Lilith put a comforting hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Charlotte, I understand that you’re trying hard to do what’s best for Hell. I, too, wish things could have been different. Unfortunately, things are the way they are. It can’t be helped. Why make matters worse to begin with?”

 Tears started to fall from Charlie’s’ golden eyes. “Why aren’t you guys listening to me?”

She pulled away. “If all of us want better lives here free from killings…”

She pointed to her drawing of the Happy Hotel on a piece of paper,

“…then this is the only way to make it happen.”

Lucifer crossed his arms, his eyes glowing red. “You will, under no circumstances, open that hotel.”

Charlie’s fangs grew slightly longer. “I have to try!”

Lilith sighed softly, looking back and forth as her family members argued.

Charlie took several deep breaths and placed her hand over her heart. “I know there’s good in every demon here. They just need to be reminded of their potentials, their purposes.”

“The purpose of demons,” said Lucifer with a glare, “is to suffer in damnation forever. None of them can be redeemed, that’s just who they are. The sooner you realize that, the better.”

Charlie groaned out loud in frustration. “I refuse to believe that!”

Lucifer sighed. “I know I can’t change your beliefs, but I’m still in charge. As king, I forbid you to…”

“La la la! Can’t hear you!” Charlie called, covering her ears.

“Now you’re just being childish,” said Lilith. “I’d send you to your room, but you’re 117 years old.”

“I feel like I’m 17 instead.”

“Age doesn’t matter,” said Lucifer. “Our legacy does, however. I will not allow you to drag it through the mud.”

“Then I’ll just create a new one!” said Charlie. Anger flooded her head and spread through her arms. Sparks of electricity danced around her clawed fingers. Charlie backed up from the living room and entered a long hallway. Her father followed.

Lilith stepped back and cussed under her breath. She knew a fight was coming on, and it was never pretty.

Charlie summoned balls of fire from her palms. Lucifer summoned his staff into his hand, a long black one with a red apple on top. The fireballs shot from Charlie’s hands but her father made them vanish on the spot with a wave of his hand. Charlie jumped into the air, ready to attack. Using his staff, Lucifer created a hole that dropped Charlie to a farther spot down the hall.

 “I hate portals,” Charlie muttered.

 Closing her eyes, Charlie conjured a flaming unicorn and hopped onto its back.

“For cupcakes and rainbows!” she shouted as she galloped forward toward her father.

“Enough of this!” he yelled. He shot a band of red energy at the unicorn, destroying it. Charlie tumbled to the ground, and then righted herself. Her entire body was then engulfed in flames, her black horns growing from her head. A volley of flames spread from her in every direction, breaking several windows and nearby vases. One painting depicting humans being thrown into a lake of lava crumbled to ash.

Lilith came into the room and gasped. “Charlotte!” she scolded. “That painting cost 240 souls to purchase!”

Ignoring her mother, Charlie danced around, avoiding her father’s attacks. “I’m sticking with my idea!”

Lucifer held out his hand, and a glowing red pentagram appeared on the floor under Charlie’s feet. Charlie jumped into the air, only for her to be surrounded by a web of neon red vines. Charlie’s fire from her body could not burn away the sharp vines restraining her.

“Father…let go!” she yelled.

Lucifer walled over to her, slowly. “Be grateful that you are my daughter,” he said. “If you were anyone else who had questioned me…”

“Lucifer,” warned Lilith from behind.

“Listen well, Charlotte, because I won’t say this again. If you know what’s good for you, you will give up on your idea and start behaving like an adult.”

“But I am an adult!” Charlie protested, no longer struggling. “And I’ve decided as princess to continue on with opening the hotel. It will be what’s best for us.”

The vines around her tightened.

Flames sparked in Lucifer’s eyes. “If you think causing a war is what’s best for us, then you are gravely mistaken. I had high hopes for you all these years. But now…you’re nothing but a failure.”

Charlie stared in newfound shock, eyes wide. She felt a stabbing pain inside her that had nothing to do with the vines.

 Failure.

Failure.

Failure.

That was all she ever seemed to be in her father’s eyes.

 She thought back to her rivals, Helsa and Katie Killjoy. Helsa was a woman with gray skin and octopus tentacles for hair. She had been Charlie’s rival since they were little.

“You and your family are an utter disgrace,” she had said, flaunting her pink fur jacket, dark skirt and high heeled boots. “You’re a naïve fool with such airheaded ideas. How I’d love to see you humiliated and my family reach the top.”

 And then there was Katie Killjoy, who was potentially even worse. Homophobic and self-centered, she cared only about her appearance and good ratings on the news.

“You call yourself a princess,” she had scoffed, blowing a cigarette, “but you’re scum, just like everyone else.”

 Charlie willed for her memories to go away. Since the beginning, Charlie had felt like an outsider. It wasn’t just because of her friendlier personality in comparison to those around her. It was also due to the fact that she was the only one born in Hell…everyone else had lived past lives on Earth or Heaven.

 Lilith stepped forward and destroyed the vines with a wave of her hand. Everyone took shaking breaths and became silent for a moment. Charlie’s horns retracted back into her head, and the flames dwindled and disappeared around her body. Charlie was free and she promptly stomped away, head lowered.

Lucifer spoke in a booming voice that echoed throughout the room. “We will come back to this!”

“Charlotte, do not go outside yet!” Lilith warned before Charlie was out of sight.

 Charlie stared out the window into the crimson sky of Hell. Lilith was right to be concerned about the outside world. To Charlie’s horror, the purge was underway. Robotic angels with sinister smiles and red Xs for eyes swooped down and stabbed any demon that they could find. They were immune to demonic magic, as shown when one green eel-like demon tried in vain to push back an angel with his magic. One stab to the eel’s chest brought the monster to the ground, lifeless. In the shadows, one demon with thick dark gray hair like a lion, plucked an abandoned spear from a fallen demon. Another demon in a lab coat took notes on a clipboard. The feline-demon walked with the weapon proudly, considering selling it on the black market for a huge price. Passerby ignored the imp demons who began feasting on the bodied body.

Charlie let out a yelp as something went flying toward her. A bat demon was thrown hard against the window and its body slid down the glass pane before falling. Dark blood was left behind, streams flowing down like thick raindrops.  An angel of death slowly turned its head toward Charlie. She gasped in fright, moving out of sight with her back against the wall.

 She wished that her girlfriend Vaggie were with her to comfort her. She had met the emo-like, misandrist woman back when they were very young. They were childhood friends whose friendship developed into something deeper. Complementary opposites, Vaggie’s no-nonsense personality kept Charlie grounded in reality…sometimes.  

 Charlie often wondered…could there be a better place for demons? Heaven was inaccessible and only for the elite and those who met strict qualifications. Hell was overpopulated with people…some were evil for sure…but others just made mistakes.

Those lucky enough to forego Heaven and Hell went to a limbo place where there was dark nothingness…at least that what her father claimed after eavesdropping on humans during his fall to Hell.

 Could that really be it? If the angels were to kill everyone, would the victims just cease to exist? Would those formerly lost humans serve no purpose other than suffering in their afterlives?

 She tried to imagine what mortals might be feeling. She didn’t know very much, but she figured that they had the same desires as herself.

 “Should I really keep going? Should I try to provide more opportunities for the people here? What if I really am a failure?”

 It seemed like forever, but eventually, a deathly silence announced that the purge had ended. The numbers below a clock tower read 365 days until the next purge. Charlie slowly walked outside onto a balcony. She couldn’t bring herself to look at the carnage down below.

Among the broken weapons and corpses, “fuck you, heaven!” was written in red on a nearby wall. “Cleanse!” was scribbled on posters of an angel of death. Up in the sky, a lone planet with a pentagram loomed overhead. More signs displayed advertisements, porn, drugs, and drinks. In one area, a figure of a demonic woman in promiscuous clothing posed next to a sign that read “Porn Studios.” In a shadier part of town, large red signs read “punishment,” and “your days are numbered.” A demon with the head of a bull picked up a fallen head from the ground and loaded it into his shopping cart of other heads. Casino signs flashed in the darkness and faint music pounded from strip clubs.

Tears fell freely from Charlie’s yellow eyes. Her long blond hair fluttered in the breeze. She wore a black bow tie, black suspenders, and a white shirt under her pink tuxedo.

Charlie lifted her finger into the air and colorful fireworks boomed in the sky.

Feeling free to express herself, the demon princess sang her lament.

 “At the end of the rainbow, there’s happiness

And to find it, how often I’ve tried

But my life is a race

Just a wild goose chase

And my dreams have all been denied”

 “A ray of hope in this world of black

I wish the world to be free of sin

But no matter hard I try

I can’t get by

I never seem to win”

  “Why have I always been a failure?

What can the reason be?

I wonder if the world’s to blame

I wonder if it could be me”

 “I’m always chasing rainbows

Watching clouds drifting by

My schemes are just like my dreams

Ending in the sky”

 “Some fellows look and find the sunshine

I always look and find the rain

Some fellows make a winning sometimes

I never even make the game

Believe me”

 “Will this world be a better place?

Or will loss never go away?

The choices I face, me, a disgrace

Loss of hope here to stay”

  “I’m always chasing rainbows

Watching clouds drifting by

My schemes are just like my dreams

Ending in the sky”

  “I’m always chasing rainbows

Waiting to find a little bluebird

In vain.”

   Not too far away from Charlie’s location, a slender female demon wearing a black dress, opened up red curtains and watched the fireworks in the sky. Toward the back was an overlord demon wearing a black top hat with a skull on it. His face was stormy gray and his four eyes were yellow. He casually sipped from a red goblet. Behind him was a shadowy figure of a cyclops woman…and Lucifer sitting on a chair, holding his cane.

 At Valentino’s Porn Studios, a demon named Vox with a TV head and a woman with dark violet hair posed for a selfie. The woman, Velvet, grinned and checked her phone. Valentino, the head of the company, was elaborately dressed in a fur coat with hearts, wore pink heart-shaped sunglasses and a dark pink top hat. He tapped his clawed finger impatiently as he glanced down at the messages.

 Valentino: Did you get my money, Angie baby?

Angel Dust: I’m wittha John now. I don’t get why this needed to happen so soon after the extermination tho. Boss.

Valentino: Just do it. No sass. K sugar.

Angel Dust: Yes, Val.

 Down below, a demon with a mane of hair proudly took a discarded weapon and left to sell it on the black market. An emotionless woman in a lab coat walked around with a clipboard, taking notes. Imps with top hats began to feast on the bloodied corpse in the street. Up above, a woman wearing a pink hat with feathers and skulls crossed out the word “Franklin” on the sign “Franklin and Rosie Emporium.”

  TURF WARS

 The time on the grand clock read 5:07, and down below, the next cleanse would occur in 365 days. A small blue demon fell down to the ground with a yell, a cloud of dust rising in the air. The demon had four arms and large red eyes. He touched his face and body, clearly relieved.

“Oh, I’m alive. I’m alive!” he exclaimed.

Immediately, he was run over by a speeding car, exploding in a flash of blood.

The car stopped on a road, where a Jackpot Hotel and Casino stood in the background.

A tall, white demon walked out of the car and rested his elbow on the top of the door. He slicked back the hair on his head with one of his pink gloved hands. Being a spider demon, he had multiple arms. He wore a black bow tie, tall stiletto boots, and a shirt with pink and white stripes. His irises were pink, the sclera in his left eye dark instead of white. Pink dots resembling small eyes were lined up below his eyes.

 “Thanks for the fun time, hot stuff,” said the driver.

The white demon closed the door. “Yeah, yeah, listen. Keep this discreet, hear me? I can’t let it get out I’m offering my services to randos on the street. It was a quick cash grab, ya got that?”

Travis, the dark owl demon scoffed. He wore a black hat and both his eyes were red. One eye had black sclera.

“Whatever you say, slut!” he mocked with a laugh.

The white demon cupped his face dramatically. “Ouch, ooh, such an insult!”

Travis stared nervously, a small heart in his left eye.

The white demon leaned in, showing a mouth full of fangs. “Let me know when you come up with something creative to call me, you sack of poorly packed horse shit.”

He poked Travis in the face with one hand, and grabbed his collar by one of his other hands.

“Tell the missus I said hi,” he added before giving Travis a quick kiss.

“Schnookums. She’s not coming back. Pack of poor…” Travis muttered, rolling up his window and speeding off. The car squealed and flipped over on its side in the air, falling with a loud crash.

 The white demon glanced over at a nearby store. A sign advertising a casino with a pack of cards on the front read, “Casino: just a few wins away.” Beside an elevator, was a fridge with an upside down cross on the front. A vending machine with the word “drugs” on it in white letters, caught the demon’s attention. Giddy with excitement, he walked over and glanced down at the options:

 Coke

Bojack

McWeedies420

Squip

Hero-in

Krunchy Krokodil

Angel Dust

  The demon pressed “Angel Dust” and a white sack fell to the bottom. With a greedy smile, he took it in his hand. Coincidentally, Angel Dust was also his name.

With a yoink, a small gray imp demon snatched the bag from Angel’s hands.

“Hey!” Angel called angrily.

“Up yours, drag show!” he taunted, before being crushed to death by a boulder.

“Oh my god!” Angel cried in terror, racing to the scene.

But it wasn’t the fallen thief he was concerned about.

“My drugs! Damn it!” he cursed, picking up a piece of the sack.

  Overhead were neon signs on top of buildings. One in yellow letters read “Begg Slut” and another one in teal: “I couldn’t think of a pun for our shop but we sell hard drugs!”

  Angel turned around and spotted a flying metal aircraft, which was firing lasers at buildings. It looked like an industrial rocket ship made with gears and a steampunk style to it. A metal hook hung from the bottom of it. The lasers struck the buildings, which caused bright pink explosions to fill the air.

From inside the ship, a serpent overlord stood high above over the controls, laughing manically. Down below, his deviled egg minions stood and watched. Each of them wore black top hats and pinstriped round clothing. They were called Egg Bois.

The room had deep purple walls, cabinets for the minions and decorations of their leader along the wall.

The overlord was Sir. Pentious. He wore a gray coat with yellow vertical stripes down the front. He had a black tail with yellow stripes and pink eyes all over. He wore a top hat with a moving pink eye and a grinning mouth of fangs. He sprouted a demonic grin of his own, his hood also full of several pink eyes.

 Up on the platform, he oriented two levers in his hands, the control button in the center displaying a pentagram design.

“Those other cowardly sinners dare not hinder my territorial takeover! A wise decision. The power of my machines are unmatched! No other demon can compare to the likes of I!”

One egg minion with #23 on his back added, “Gee that was pretty swell boss!”

“Yeah!” another chimed in: #666.

“You really showed them what for!” called a third.

Another minion teasingly ran his fingers up the overlord’s spine. “I like it when you shot them with your ray gun…”

Sir Pentious punched a minion out the window and whirled around in anger. The other minions backed up. “I wish he’d shoot me with his ray gun,” a minion whispered, head lowered.

Sir Pentious rolled his eyes at his masochist minions. He turned back to the controls and grinned. Pentagram circles revealed the areas he had taken over and the other territories ahead. “At this rate, I will seize control of the entire west side of the Pentagram by day’s end!”

He laughed and bragged some more. “And nothing, not a single beast in this inferno of suffering, will be able to take back this empire from my constrictive grasp!”

As to prove his point, he grabbed a minion in his tail and tightly squeezed him.

Another minion blew a noisemaker and then popped open a blue bottle of a brown drink. The overlord threw the minion across the room as the eggs celebrated down below.

“Hell will be mine,” he declared, “and everybody will know the name of Sir Pe…”

“Edgelord!” yelled a voice.

“Pardon?!” Sir Pentious shot back in shock. “Who said that?!”

He leaned in close to two of his minions, not pleased.

“What did you just say to me, you fried chicken fetuses?!”

The minions shook in fear.

“Speak up!” he hissed.

“It wasn’t us, mister boss man!” said a minion.

 Just then, an object shot through the glass at the front, creating a small hole. A small pink bomb with a black skull on the front, landed on the floor. Sir Pentious observed it for a moment…the bomb looked like a cherry…which could only mean…

The bomb exploded, covering the room in sparkles and thick red smoke.

Sir Pentious coughed and swiped some of the smoke away.

“You looking for a fight, old man?” a female voice challenged.

Sir Pentious spotted his rival standing proud and casually catching another bomb in her hand: Cherry Bomb.

Towering tall in pink high heel boots, ripped black jeans, a pink crop top with an x on the front, long strawberry blonde hair, a single pink eye with an x that took up most of her white face…a grin of sharp teeth…it was her alright.

“Why don’t you get that tinker toy bullshit off my turf before I smash it…” she declared before catching her bomb. A random barbell of metal crashed into the floor close to Cherri Bomb.

“…more.”

“Oh, you wanna go, missy?” Sir Pentious retorted. He flicked his hood back before opening it. Well, I’m happy to oblige!”

He let out another evil laugh as his minions closed in, holding stun guns, which crackled with yellow electricity.

But Cherri Bomb wasn’t scared. With graceful leaps, she avoided the blasts and threw down another bomb. She used the cover to escape, jumping down and swinging once from the anchor at the bottom of the flying craft. Landing gracefully on the ground, she continued her assault from below.

“Catch me if you can, snake man!”

“Get her!” he bellowed through the red smoke, the eggs quickly running around in a frenzy.

 The minions jumped to the ground after her, the overlord following suit. Cherri Bomb dodged a blast, grinned and picked up the minion egg. She spun around and threw the minion straight into Sir Pentious’ face. He threw the egg back at her, and she caught it with one hand.

“Thanks for the gift!” she called out, before cracking the egg open with an evil grin. She placed a bomb into it, then threw it back at him...straight to his face. Sir Pentious could only make a face of surprise before the egg blew up in pink smoke.

“Why you little…”

Cherri Bomb ducked as another egg sailed over her head.

 Just then, a familiar drug-addict white demon stomped on an egg minion and threw a grenade in the distance.

“Angel Dust!” called Cherri Bomb, happy to have her partner in crime arrive.

“Great to see you too, sweetie!” he teased.

Another pink explosion filled the air as the fight continued.

“Hey, thanks for the backup, Angie!” Cherri Bomb said as she fired a flaming red arrow with a large gun over toward Sir Pentious.

Angel Dust laughed, leaning against volcanic rock as cover. He threw a grenade over his head.

“You kiddin’? This is the best action I’ve seen in ages!”

A pink explosion rocked the streets.

“Where have you been anyway?” she asked. “I thought you up and died or some shit.”

“I wish,” he remarked as he lit another fuse and handed the bomb to his ally. She threw it forward, then ducked behind the rock next to Angel.

Angel continued, “I’ve been staying at this crappy hotel on the other side of town. Some boards are lettin’ me stay rent-free if I play nice.” They covered their ears.

A column of green smoke rose into the air with a fiery whoosh. The duo leaped over the rock and charged at the army of egg minions. Using four arms, Angel Dust fired rapidly from a gun at the minions, making some of them explode.

He sighed, and used one of his hands to gesture. “Y’know, no fights, no pranks, no “problematic language.” Her words, not mine.”

He tripped an unsuspecting minion, sending him into the air and exploding in a yellow yok mess. He waved a spiked club and continued firing his gun. A pot shop stood in the background, with marijuana leaves near the sign.

“These bitches are no fun!” Angel complained in frustration. Splatters of yok landed on his head and face. “I’ve been clean for two weeks!”

“Holy shit!” Cherri Bomb yelled after avoiding a green explosion and leaping into the air.

Angel scooped up yok with his finger. “Well, sorta clean.” He smashed apart another egg minion with his club. “As clean as you can get with a shitload of Bolivian marching powder.”

Angel’s shadowy silhouette displayed sharp fangs as Cherri posed in the background, one of her boots missing. A sign read “50% off meth” above a small super market.

A black chain wrapped tightly around Angel’s waist and chest, sending him flying backwards. Cherri Bomb gasped as her ally was pulled away. Sir Pentious threw the chained Angel Dust hard onto the ground a distance away. He landed with a thud against volcanic rock.

“Oh, harder daddy!” Angel teased with a wide smirk.

Sir Pentious gasped, eyes tearing up. “Son?!”

Angel Dust stared blankly, one eye raised, a look of disbelief on his face.

Cherri Bomb rushed into action, landing a sharp kick to Sir Pentious’ back. The villain landed on the ground, then hissed threateningly.

“You whores have no class!” he exclaimed. “In war, the side remembered is the side with the most…style.” He straightened his black bowtie with a spring.

Cherri Bomb broke open an egg and tossed the shells aside. Angel stood up, freeing himself from the chains.

“Or the side that ain’t dead,” she added.

“Speaking of style, is your hat like, alive or something’?

Sir Pentious hissed. “Oh, well, that’s none of your goddamn business, now is it?”

Angel continued, “Would that make your hat the top and you the bottom?”

He and Cherri burst into laughter. Even a pink “loser” sign pointed at the oblivious villain. “Ooooh,” said a minion near him. “One hellish burn.”

“I’m going to blow you to bits!” Sir Pentious yelled, pointing at them.

“Hmm! Kinky!” Angel teased.

An advertisement displaying a plate of, sausage, eggs and a tomato slice stood halfway buried in the ground. A glowing pink sign pointing down read “pussy.” Another yellow sign read, “Sex here.”

“I’m not like that! Pervert!” yelled the villain. Cherri Bomb and Angel Dust held in laughter.

Angel suddenly pushed Cherri Bomb out of the way, as an egg minion shot tendrils of claws from behind them. The claws had eyes in the center and grabbed onto Angel’s four wrists. He struggled to free himself, the cords stretching.

Sir Pentious chuckled. “Not so cocky now, are we?”

“Y’know, you really need to watch what’s coming out of your mouth,” Angel remarked. “Cocky…cumming, you get it?”

The villain didn’t respond.

Angel sighed. “I’ve been making these sex jokes the whole time!”

A drill poked out from the ground, Angel avoiding it. A minion held a drill in his small hands at Angel. Two extra arms popped out from Angel’s body, holding his rifle.

“And it’s obvious you ain’t catching on.”

He cocked his gun. “I mean, it’s just sad!”

He jumped into the air, freeing himself and firing the gun. The laser hit Sir Pentious, and his gray top hat fell off.

Cherri Bomb popped up next to Angel. “So, think you’re gonna get into a lot of trouble for this?”

“Eh, what’s one little brawl gonna cause?” He shrugged his shoulders and retracted his extra arms. Sir Pentious lay fuming on the ground.

More egg minions scrambled over to the edge of a high cliff, overlooking the scene. Egg shells and yok puddles littered the cracked street.

Cherri Bomb playfully elbowed Angel. “Glad ya haven’t changed. You know you’re my favorite guy to party with!”

“You know it, sugar tits,” Angel replied.

“You ready to finish this?” she asked. She rolled a bomb from one of her shoulders to her other shoulder, then into her hand.

Angel cocked his gun again. “Born ready, baby!”

The duo charged at Sir Pentious. Everyone yelled. More egg minions fell and Sir Pentious realized he was running out fast.

 After several more minutes of battle, Sir Pentious and his remaining minions retreated back to his ship. “This isn’t over, sluts!” he declared at his enemies. “I’ll have my revenge!” The ship hatch closed. The egg minions steered the ship and it rose into the air, almost sending the overlord flying out of the craft. He tossed out more minions in response before taking the controls and flying the craft away.

Angel and Cherri Bomb high-fived.

“See you around,” she said.

“Until the next brawl,” said Angel.

Cherri Bomb waved goodbye and blasted music from an Eye Pod (a device made from an actual moving eye. “Hello, daddy. Hello mom. I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb! Hello world! I’m your wild girl. I’m your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!” she sang out loud. Angel Dust laughed and continued on his way.

After buying some more amino and pot from the 666 Shop, Angel met with Charlie and Vaggie in a white monster limo. A great day indeed for the promiscuous demon.

  The Happy Hotel Interview

  Transcript during the 666 News:

“BREAKING NEWS: A LARGE SCALE TURF WAR IS UNDERWAY IN PENTAGRAM CITY BETWEEN SIR PENTIOUS AND CHERRI BOMB. THE SURROUNDING AREAS ARE COVERED IN DEBRIS, SO PLEASE AVOID DOWNTOWN ON YOUR COMMUTE TODAY. TRAFFIC IS “HELLA” BACKED UP. GET IT? “HELL” BUT WITH AN “A” AT THE END? THAT’S A WORD YOUNGER PEOPLE SEEM TO ENJOY USING. I DON’T REALLY LIKE IT, THOUGH. I WROTE IT BECAUSE IT SEEMED LIKE THE NATURAL KIND OF PUN TO MAKE FOR THIS SITUATION, BUT NOW THAT I SEE IT IN TEXT, I FEEL LIKE IT WAS A MISTAKE, A MISTAKE I CAN’T TAKE BACK…LIKE CHEATING ON MY WIFE. I’M SO SORRY, MARTHA. I SHOULDN’T HAVE DONE IT, BUT YOU DID GAIN A LOT OF WEIGHT AFTER THE BABY AND I REALLY NEEDED SOME SPACE. YOU KNOW, WHAT? NO, THAT WAS A GOOD CALL. I BANGED THE CLEANING LADY, AND THAT WAS A PRETTY NICE TIME, EVEN THOUGH SHE LAUGHED AT ME WHEN I TOLD HER I COULDN’T GET OFF UNLESS SHE LICKED MY FOOT FIRST. I DON’T SEE HOW THAT’S A WEIRD REQUEST. MAYBE IF I’D JUST GET A HOOKER, SHE WOULD’VE BEEN MORE AGREEABLE. THE POINT IS, MY WIFE IS A FUCKING BITCH. ONE TIME, WE WENT TO THE ZOO AND I GOT REALLY MAD BECAUSE I THOUGHT THE ORANGUTAN WAS MAKING FUN OF ME. HE KEPT DOING THAT STUPID DUCK LIP FACE? THEIR LIPS ALL PUCKERED? THEN IT STARTED SCREAMING, AND THAT REALLY PISSED ME OFF. MY WIFE TOLD ME IT WAS JUST A MONKEY, AND TO “CALM DOWN.”

 A neon logo appeared on the screen, displaying “666 News” in a circle with a neon eye underneath. The names of the news cast appeared on the bottom of the screen.

A skeletal demon woman with short blonde hair and a large toothy grin stood wearing a pink dress and a pearl necklace. Sitting at the other chair, dressed in a blue business suit was a demon with a gray gas mask for his face along with short white hair. They were live on the air.

 “Good afternoon!” said the woman. “I’m Katie Killjoy.”

“And I’m Tom Trench,” said the man. “Chaos at Pentagram City today as a turf war is raging on the west side between notable king Sir Pentious and self-proclaimed spunky powerhouse Cherri Bomb!”

Two pictures surrounded by flame borders showed Sir Pentious wearing a yellow “music band” shirt, doing a peace sign and wearing his top hat as a baseball cap with a dopey expression on his face. The other picture showed Cherri Bomb flipping the bird and standing under glittering spotlights.

“That’s right Tom!” Katie added. “After the recent extermination, many areas are now up for grabs! Demons all over Hell are already duking it out to gain new territory!”

The clips showed Sir Pentious fighting Cherri Bomb with his egg minions.

“Those two seem to really be going at it, huh? Looks like they’re fighting tooth and nail for that hot spot!” Katie popped a tooth and a nail into her mouth.

“And I’d sure like to nail her hot spot!” Tom Trench said with a chuckle.

Katie giggled forcefully. “You are a limp dick jackass, Tom. Or should I say…”

Adding insult and injury, she poured her hot coffee over his crotch…

“No dick!”

“Augh! Not again!” he groaned.

Another picture surrounded by a border of flames displayed Charlie with the letters “Princess of Hell” next to it.

Katie continued. “Coming up next, we have an exclusive interview with the daughter of Hell’s own head honcho, who’s here to discuss her brand new passion-project!”

Tom Trench winced in pain on the desk.

“All that and more after the break!”

She broke her mug in her hand, and turned to Tom Trench. “Suck it up you little bi…”

The TV went off air, displaying Katie’s mouth and eyes, colored bars and “off air” with a pentagram in the “O”.

  Inside the break room, Vaggie adjusted Charlie’s black bowtie. Nearby, a red tinted sign said that smoking was, indeed, allowed. Another sign read “on air,” in large letters.

“Okay, you remember what to say?” Vaggie asked.

Charlie took a deep breath, enthusiasm in her voice. “Yes! Let’s do this!”

Vaggie put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She signaled with two fingers for her to pay attention. “Just, look at me and I’ll mouth it to you.”

Charlie sighed. “Come on, Vaggie! I know what to say!”

She walked over to the pitcher of red punch. “I just feel like we need to…I don’t know, make things sound more exciting…”

She tossed a donut aside before gasping.

“Oh! What if I…”

“Sing a song about it?” Vaggie finished.

“You knew I was gonna say that.” She playfully tapped her friend on the nose.

Vaggie adjusted Charlie’s bowtie again and shook her shoulders. “Because I know you. But please don’t sing. This is serious.”

Charlie snapped her fingers and briefly winked. “Well, you know, I’m better at expressing myself through song!” She stood on the table and arched her arm dramatically. Down below, Charlie’s doll demons Razzle and Dazzle chewed on donuts.

“But life isn’t a musical, hon,” Vaggie reminded her.

“Fine,” Charlie said with a slump. Then she brightened again.

“But I do have these other ideas of what to say.”

She got off the table and pulled out a piece of paper, hopping excitedly. “The highlighted bits are my favorite parts!”

Vaggie took the paper and scanned it in disbelief. “Uh, it’s all highlighted. Is this a drawing?”

“Yes!” Charlie answered. She pointed to her picture. It showed a list that read: “4, unicorn kisses,” “5, dolphin high-fives?” and “6, sing show tunes = happy ending!” She drew stick figures of demons standing on clouds under a rainbow with a sun and red hearts with faces on them.

“That’s the happy ending, see? Everyone’s smiling and happy in Heaven!”

“I don’t think it’s that simple,” Vaggie stated. She then begged her: “Just please follow the talking points we went over.”

She pulled Charlie close and stared her directly in the eyes. “And do. Not. Sing.”

Charlie sighed exasperatedly. “Fine.” Then she trotted over and spoke in an accent. “I’ll just have to resort to my impeccable improve skills.” She gave a salute, several moves of her head and went outside.

Vaggie somehow knew that this would not be going well.

Charlie walked over to Katie Killjoy, who posed in her red dress, smoking a cigarette.

“Hi! I’m Charlie.”

She waved and held out her hand.

“Katie Killjoy,” the woman deadpanned before blowing out smoke and snapping her cigarette. “I’d say it’s a pleasure to meet you, but that would be a lie. You can put that away,” she regarded Charlie’s hand. “I don’t touch the gays. I have standards.”

“Yeah?” Charlie asked nervously, looking at a big flashing sign that read “Hell’s #1 News!” “How’s uh…how’s that working for ya?”

“Look, my time is money, so I’ll keep this short,” Katie cut in. She invasively tapped Charlie’s chest and nose with her finger. “We’re not here because we wanted you here. You’re here because Jeffry couldn’t make it for his cannibal cooking segment.”

Katie mentioned to a billboard that showed a tall man with glasses, short blonde hair with a white chef’s hat, a red apron, red suit, red horns, and a red devil’s tail. He held a platter of poop, skulls, and raw meat in his hands. Above it read “It’s Dahn Good! Cooking show: Guarantee Cannibalicious!” “Who approved this show?” was written on a sticky note tapped to the corner of the advertisement. Tom Trench shook his head in his seat. “Sex! Murder! Weather!” were displayed on a column three smaller signs.

Katie fluffed her hair, swayed her hips, and continued: “You might be some royal bigshot, but that doesn’t mean shit to me. I’m too rich and too influential to give a flying fuck about what some tux-wearing demon “princess” wants to advertise.”

“But I…” Charlie began.

“So don’t get cute with me, honey,” she warned, getting into Charlie’s face, “Or I will fucking bury you!”

“And we’re live!” said a voice.

Katie rushed back into her seat with a bony crack of her neck.

“Welcome back!”

Charlie sat in a chair next to her.

“So, Charlotte…”

“It’s Charlie,” she squeaked.

“Whatever,” Katie dismissed. She took a frustrated breath and clicked her red pen in her hand. “Tell us about this new passion project you’ve been insistently pestering our news station about!”

“Well…” Charlie cleared her throat. She looked nervously at the demonic crew in front of her. Vox, a demon with a TV head, had “words” flashed across the screen in angry red letters. There was a guy with a black top hat for a face, an Egyptian-like female with a white poodle, a woman with teal skin, a demon with glasses and green snake hair, a demon with two thin heads, several red horned demons and a few overlords. Another woman wore a hat with hanging beads and colorful Day of the Dead makeup on her face. Vaggie encouraged her to go on.

Charlie took a deep breath.

“As most of you know, I was born here in Hell, and growing up, I’ve always tried to see the good in everything around me.”

Katie clicked her pen impatiently. She spotted a green caterpillar and stabbed it with her pen with a predatory grin. Ink splattered on Charlie’s face and around the area.

Charlie continued, wiping off the dark pink ink from her face: “Hell is my home and you are my people. We…”

Vaggie gave her a thumbs up and a smile.

“…we just went through another extermination. We lost so many souls, and it breaks my heart to see my people being slaughtered every year. And no one is even given a chance!”

Charlie banged her fist on the desk, waking Katie from a bored drooling daze. A buff demon with horns and four eyes with a skull bull face wore a shirt with the word “crew” on it. An imp with a heart on his forehead stood nearby.

Charlie made her way forward. “I can’t stand idly by while the place I live is subjected to such violence! So, I’ve been thinking. Isn’t there a more humane way to hinder overpopulation here in Hell? Perhaps we can create an alternative way to change souls through…redemption?”

Charlie pulled the buff demon into a side hug. “Well, I think yes. So that’s what this project aims to achieve!” She ran back to the desk.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m opening the first of its kind! A hotel that rehabilitates sinners!”

 The audience stared in stunned silence. Not even the flesh-eating crickets were chirping through the awkward quiet.

 A bloodstained logo “Radio Hack” was displayed above a window which provided a stack of dozens of TVs inside. One demon watching had deer antlers and a flaming blue face, one of the many cruel overlords. Crymini, the 90’s hellhound, stood with a little demon wearing a jester hat upside down. Two hellhound twins stood nearby, one with dyed red hair, the other purple. A neon sign nearby read “Bar” “Klub Kanji,” and “used TVs.”

In a bar, dark demons wearing cowboy hats were playing pool, not even paying attention. The lead demon wore a cloth over his grinning face and had a large barrel gun for an arm. His friend looked like a demonic bug, and another looked like a mustached villain from an old film. Meanwhile in a bar, purple and blue dragon-like demons sat and drank while casually watching the TVs overhead.

Charlie stuttered, “Ya know…’Cause hotels are for people passing through…temporarily…”

A tattooed dark blue reptile demon stood up and let out a loud laugh.

“Is this girl for real? She thinks, you hear what she thinks? She…heh, heh, heh, oh she’s nuts.” The demon walked away with a small lavender creature and a tall maroon being wearing punk rock clothing and crazy neon hair.

Charlie added, “I figure it would serve a purpose…a place work toward redemption!” She weakly added, “Yay.”

 One demon leaped away as a tall shadowy figure stood in the background…

The figure stood right next to a ratted flier which read “Beware him! Do not fuck with him!” “The Radio Demon” was scrawled in white on demons screaming and fleeing from a monster with antlers overhead.

The man smiled and tilted his head a notch as he watched the TV with curiosity and amusement. His shadow next to him briefly morphed into a shadowy face with antlers on top. He spotted the fliers out of the corner of his red eyes, holding in a laugh.

“Who, me? ‘Obviously’ not! I’d never put on a show and make other demons flee to their graves.”

Just the thought of it got him excited.

 He had heard of the demon princess before, but he wasn’t expecting her to appear on TV. He certainly never heard of an idea so crazy before. Making sinners good people was even less likely than making pigs fly (which was one magic trick he could do on occasion).

When Charlie started to sing, the red eyed demon couldn’t help but tap his cloven feet and silently hum along.

“Haven’t been this entertained since I broadcasted my massacre of the ninth circle city. This pretty Charlie character is intriguing…”

 Befriending the princess, and doing something different seemed like a good idea. He glanced over at a faraway Happy Hotel building.

He knew where he would go next.

  Back at the news station, a cameraman with blue hair and a white face looked up and scoffed, “Stupid bitch.”

Vaggie punched him hard in the face in response, causing him to fall off the chair to the ground.

Charlie stared around her, concerned. “Look, every single one of you has something good deep down inside. I know you do.”

A light bulb went off into her head. “Maybe I’m not getting through to you…”

Vaggie face palmed, knowing what was coming next. “Oh no…”

Charlie snapped her fingers and her bodyguard demons appeared. One sat and began to play a grand piano.

 Summoning the Disney princess within her, Charlie belted out her song:

  “I have a dream

I’m here to tell

About a wonderful, fantastic new hotel

Yes, it’s one of a kind

Right here in Hell

Catering to a specific clientele”

 Razzle and Dazzle howled along…

The tempo rapidly picked up…

 “Inside of every demon is a rainbow

Inside every sinner is a shiny smile

Inside of every creepy hatchet-wielding maniac

Is a jolly, happy cupcake-loving child”

 “We can turn around

They’ll be heaven-bound!

With just a little time

Down at the Happy Hotel!”

 “So all you junkies, freaks and weirdos

Creepers, fuck-ups, crooks, and zeroes

And the fallen superheroes, help is here!

All of you cretins, sluts and losers

Sexual deviants and boozers

And prescription drug abusers

Need not fear

Forever again

We’ll cure your sin

We’ll make you well

You’ll feel so swell

Right here in Hell at the Happy Hotel!”

  “There’ll be no more fire

And no more screams

Just puppy dog kisses, and cotton candy dreams

And puffy-wuffy clouds

You’re gonna be like, wow!

Once you check in with me!”

 “So all your cartoon porn addictions

Vegan rants, psychic predictions

Ancient Roman crucifixions

End right here!”

 “All you monsters, thieves and crazies

Cannibals and crying babies

Frothing mouthers full of rabies

Fill with cheer!”

 “You’ll be complete!

It’ll be so neat!

Our service can’t be beat!

You’ll be on easy street! (Yes!)

Life will be sweet at the Happy Hotel!

Yeah!”

  Throughout the song, Charlie imagined giving a shiny cupcake to a masked killer, holding cotton candy and a brown puppy in her arms in the clouds…avoiding the attacks of every horror movie serial killer… (Music Logic)

She pictured throwing drugs into a bin of fire, giving shots to monsters, giving money to charity, disturbing porn additions with a bra…

Snatching a “My waifu” porn mag of out a demon’s hands…

Throwing away demon’s cell phones…

Knocking over crosses…

Avoiding a scary spider overlord with yellow bat wings and pink eyes all over his body…

Giving demons big hugs…

 Charlie emerging in her horned demon form from a flaming pentagram, and jumping with joy in a land full of candy, rainbows, and ice cream.

  Charlie finished with a pose on the table, arms in the air and panted.

The top hat demon smiled. “Wow! That was…shit!”

 The crowd burst into rancorous laughter and boos, including a blue demon made of fire in the boo section. Katie shrieked and banged her fist on the table.

“What in the nine circle of Hell makes you think a single denizen of Hell would give two shits about becoming a better person? You have no proof that this little experiment even works! You want people to be good just…because?”

Charlie lifted up her head. “Well, we have a patron already who believes in our cause, and he’s shown incredible progress!”

“Oh?” Katie asked, leaning in, “…and who might that be?”

“Oh just someone named…Angel Dust.”

“The porn star?” asked Tom Trench in disbelief. He subconsciously unzipped his zipper and Katie whirled on him; “You fucking would, Tom!” Her sharp nails left marks on the table.

Katie turned back to Charlie. “In any case, that’s not even an accomplishment. I’m sure you can get that hooker to do anything with enough booger sugar and lube.”

Someone wolf-whistled in the audience.

“Oh, I beg to differ,” Charlie argued, holding up her fingers. “He’s been behaved, clean, and out of trouble for two weeks now.”

 “Breaking news!” announced a voice as music came on. Excited, Katie pushed Charlie aside. “We are receiving word that a new player has entered the ongoing turf war! Let’s go to the live feed!”

To Charlie’s sheer horror, Angel Dust was seen on screen, crushing egg shells and fighting with Cherri Bomb.

“Oh shit,” she breathed.

“Oh shit indeed!” exclaimed Katie with a grin. “It looks like the one who has just joined the battle is none other than…”

She let out a dramatic gasp…”porn actor Angel Dust! What a juicy coincidence!”

The screen showed Angel Dust with the words “Angel Dust in ‘Well, Ok’: 18+.”

Satisfied, she turned back to Charlie. “You must feel really stupid right now.” Katie and Tom laughed again.

“Ratings!” Katie and Tom added with jazz hands.

“Don’t look at this!” Charlie called, waving her arms in vain from behind the screen.

“Well, it sure looks like your little project is dead on arrival. Tell us, how does it feel to be such a total failure?”

 Failure. Failure…Charlie could see her doubt reflected in Katie’s pink eyes and overbearing shadowy figure. Katie and everyone laughed some more, their jeers painful to Charlie’s ears.

“Yeah?” Charlie asked. She snatched up Katie’s red pen and held it triumphantly. “Well, how does it feel that I got your pen, huh? Bitch!”

Katie glared dangerously. Charlie dropped the pen with a nervous smile, “Oops.”

Katie grew taller, her form turning to shadow. Out sprouted claws, four extra sharp appendages, and four red eyes on her face like a spider. She launched herself at Charlie. Charlie pulled her hair and landed punches as the alarm went off in the news room. Katie crawled on the desk in all legs, baring her fangs before Charlie jumped at her and knocked her off the table. Tom Trench got so distressed that his entire body burst into flames.

Charlie ran out of the news room, Katie following her close behind, as everyone yelled.

“And stay out, you retarded dike!” Katie cussed as Charlie made a run for it down the sidewalk. Charlie was tempted to strangle the homophobic, news diva with her bare hands…but that would only contradict her goal…if she even had one anymore.

 Vaggie followed her and the two of them didn’t say a word as they waited for their ride. Soon enough, a white limo with a monster mouth on the front of the vehicle rolled to the curb. Vaggie and Charlie climbed in…and so did an ecstatic Angel Dust. The doors closed and they drove off toward the Happy Hotel.

 Car Ride to the Hotel

 Charlie had never felt so humiliated in her life. She sat in her seat and curled into herself. Once again, her ideas were dismissed, mocked, ridiculed. No one was willing to see the good in themselves. The demons were content to wallow in suffering, violence, and cruelty until the end of their afterlives. Tears were already threatening to spill from her yellow eyes, but she held them in.

Maybe her father was right. What if she really was a failure, like everyone said?

As if reading her mind, Vaggie gave her a small hug next to her. “You’re not a failure, Charlie. It’s just…no one understands your ideas. People think they’re…I don’t know…outlandish?”

She got a sad sigh from Charlie in response. “I just wanted to make things better for my people. I know I don’t feel much like a princess, but at the same time…I feel like it’s my duty…my destiny to being some cheer to this place.”

“Heh. No one can ever top your optimism,” Vaggie mentioned, with a playful roll of her eyes. “Your happiness can be spotted miles away.”

A small smile formed on Charlie’s face. “Well, at least I can pull myself up and keep going…”

Vaggie stared, hopeful…

“…But today isn’t one of those days.”

Vaggie slumped slightly. “I did warn you not to sing.”

“I couldn’t help it,” she countered. “How else was I supposed to get my message across?”

“Not everyone likes singing and music all the time.”

“My family does.”

“But the other demons aren’t your family.”

 Charlie stared out the window at the buildings whizzing by. “Sometimes I feel like my family is bigger than just my parents.” She turned to look at her girlfriend. “You’re my best friend, sorta like my older sister…and the only one who seems to get me. You’re part of my family already.”

Vaggie chuckled softly. “Without me, you wouldn’t have lasted very long out in the big world.”

“For once, I agree with you there,” Charlie replied.

During several minutes of silence, the two demon girls locked hands just out of sight. It was their habitual way of showing comfort, and it worked on the many days when Vaggie didn’t want any hugs.

“Don’t get too discouraged,” Vaggie said. “We’ll get back to the hotel and figure things out from there.”

“I kinda feel like singing another lament now.”

“Please don’t.”

“Fine.”

 The limo drove past the 666 Shop, the Nightmare Night Club, and an Evil Donuts store, complete with slime and worms displayed on the donut structure. Pink eyes decorated the ceiling of the car. Charlie curled into herself again, and took a puff of a breath. Even the painted eyes seemed to judge her every move. She glanced over at Vaggie, whose eye was twitching in annoyance.

Angel Dust was busy playing with the button, making the car window go up and down, up and down. He froze when he saw an angry Vaggie staring at him.

“What?” he asked with a shrug.

“What? What?!” Vaggie shouted, pulling out chunks of her long white hair. “What were you doing?!”

Angel sighed. “I owed my girl buddy a solid! Isn’t that a “redeeming quality?” Helping friends with stuff?”

“Not with turf wars that result in territorial genocide!”

“Eh, you win some, you lose a few hundred,” he said with a snicker. “It wasn’t that bad anyway.”

He propped up his long legs and pushed the window button again. Vaggie tossed a dagger at the button and it fizzed out in a shower of sparks. Angel stared, shocked and terrified. Vaggie growled in warning.

“Aw come on, I had to!” Angel protested. “My credibility was on the line!” He sighed. “I mean what kind of reputation would I have of people found out I was trying to go clean? It just throws out my entire persona.” He lifted up his furry chest.

“Your credibility?” Vaggie asked in anger. “What about the hotel? Your little stunt made us look like a fucking joke!”

“No, no no, babe. Jokes are funny! I made you look…uh, sad. And pathetic! Uh…oh with progeria!” Charlie covered her face with her hair as Angel blabbered on.

“Great! Now I’m bummed thinking about it! This thing have any liquor?” He bent down to the floor and tossed a bottle aside. He then flicked a wrapper away onto a seat.

Vaggie was fuming. “Can you please just try to take this seriously?”

“Fine, I’ll try. Just don’t get your taco in a twist, baby.”

“Was that you trying to be sexist or racist?”

“Whatever pisses you off more. Is there seriously no liquor in here?”

“I’m gonna kill him,” Vaggie swore, crossing her arms and sitting back down.

“Too, late, toots. Wait, would that make me double dead?” He laughed slowly and loudly. “And where exactly do I go to, double Hell?”

He laughed again. “Sorry, you’re stuck with me, bitch. Get used to it.”

Vaggie swore in Spanish (“Son of a rabies bitch”)

“Listen, who cares if some jagoffs got hurt?” Angel nonchalantly asked. “Most of them are ugly freaks. Look around! Got a bunch of fuckin’ harlequin babies down there.”

“You’re one to talk,” Vaggie muttered.

Angel laughed then yelled “Hey!” in protest. “This body is flawless! Everyone wants some of me and I’ve got the creepy fan letters to prove it!”

He pulled out a dirty piece of paper from his enlarged furry chest that read: “Show me your feet! Bryrin. #1 fan/critic.” There was a picture of a young angel in the lap of a naked man, licking Angel with his green tongue. He had a tattoo of Angel with a red crossed out sign.

This time, Charlie spoke up. “That was really uncool, y’know, Angel.”

Vaggie growled and turned to her friend. “Uncool?!” She mentioned to Angel. “After that train-wreck, there is no way anyone is gonna wanna stay at the hotel. All thanks to you and your selfish bullshit!”

Angel glanced at a discarded pile of ash and used cigarettes. “Does this mean I don’t get a free room anymore?”

Vaggie spread out her hands as if asking “Well, what do you think?”

He let out a mock sigh. “Ah, well, shucks.”

Charlie pulled off her dark pink shirt, revealing a white shirt with a black bowtie.

“Hey, come on, we don’t know if things are over yet. Try to relax, Vaggie. It’ll be okay!”

Now it was Vaggie’s turn to let out a small smile of thanks. Charlie placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and her friend calmed down.

“What would I do without you?” Vaggie asked. She and Charlie slowly leaned into each other, their heads gently touching.

“Get a room, girls!” Angel remarked, before receiving a “Shut up!” from both of them.

 Finally, the deviant crew arrived at the Happy Hotel. It was an elegant building fit for any demon who wanted to stay a few nights. Eye designs lined the border of a dark pink canopy at the front like a creepy mosaic. Branches jutted out from the roof as part of the structure. Old fashioned lanterns attached to the wall had flames flickering inside, nonstop. The double doors consisted of stained glass windows with red apples in the center. Little stained glass snake eyes peered unblinkingly at them from around the larger window in the door.

 Angel, Vaggie, and Charlie got out of the car and threw open the double doors. A random black bug scurried away from the incoming light. A yellow sign read “Concierge” behind a pink “welcome” banner. The check in table was decorated with colored flags leaning toward the floor and random balloons with small star shapes on them. A vase was decorated with yellow eyes along the sides. Another flower pot was in the shape of a human mouth…white flowers posed above. Vaggie sighed and plopped onto a red cushioned couch in the style of a monster’s mouth.

The red rug down the hallway was decorated with the same eyeball designs, apples on the end, plus shadow skulls of horned monsters in the center.

All around the room, were pictures of Charlie as a little girl with her father and mother on various trips.

 Angel Dust came across a red fridge leaning low against the wall. He opened the door and pulled out a purple box labeled “Popsies.” He shrugged at the dripping ruined box and took out a popsicle. He gave it a lick, talking with his mouth full.

“It’s prolly a good idea to get some actual food in this place. Y’know, to feed all the wayward souls ya got in here.” He laughed nervously, trying to cheer Charlie up. But Charlie just sat sadly on a wooden box in a darkened area of the room. Angel closed the fridge door, sucked on a popsicle and reached out one of his arms to her…then hesitated. He walked away, letting her have some alone time.

Charlie walked past the two posing elephant statues balancing balls on their trunks, and toward the front door. She opened the door and went outside. Holding out her purple cell phone, (or “Hell Phone, hah, get it?”) she pressed an icon with the word “Mom” decorated with a heart and horns on the m’s.

Charlie took a deep breath as a voicemail tone came through.

“Hey Mom. Um, I know I keep calling, and you must be busy. Really busy. But, um…the interview didn’t go well and…I don’t know if I’m going to make a difference. I don’t know what I’m doing. I could really use some advice, Mom.”

She slid down and sat on the stone ground, tears falling from her eyes. “I think Dad was right about me. A-anyway, I’ll stop talking before this gets long. Love you! Bye.”

She ended the call with a tap and rubbed her eyes with her hand. Standing back up, she opened the door, closed it, and leaned against the stained glass window, eyes closed.

  Enter Alastor (and Sir Pentious)

 A slow ominous knocking from outside interrupted Charlie’s thoughts. She opened her eyes. It was a rhythmic knock, sounding like “shave and a haircut.” (Or was it “skunks in a barnyard”, or “imps in a cauldron?” She wasn’t sure.

   An ice cold feeling of dread spread through her veins. No other demon would ever do that kind of knock.

 Unless…

 She tentatively reached out her hand to the door handle, and quickly pulled it open.

 Sure enough, the most feared demon in Hell was standing right outside her door.

He towered over her, wearing dark red dress pants, a red dress shirt along with a dark red pinstriped coat underneath. His shoes were black with red hoof prints on the sides. The two black lines in the center of his dress shirt looked like an upside down cross.

Charlie slowly looked up at his red knotted bowtie, then to his thin gray face. His beaming smile displayed yellow sharp teeth and took up much of his face. On his head were red and black tuffs of hair and fur that resembled deer ears. There were even two small black antlers coming from his head. His sclera and eyes were crimson red, with an oval shaped monocle over his right eye. He carried a magical cane which resembled a vintage microphone.

 Charlie’s face morphed into sheer terror, eyes wide as saucers.

Eyes glowing red, the man began to speak.

“Hell…”

She slammed the door in his face.

Opened the door…

“…o.”

Slammed it again.

  Alastor stood, shocked in front of the stained glass door, smile still plastered on his face, hand and curved claw in the air.

 “Well… that was…rude,” he thought. “Usually people are too sacred to answer when I come by. Or they rush to try and please me because they know I could slaughter them at any time. I’ll just wait here then…or maybe break this door down…”

  “Hey, Vaggie?” Charlie called.

“What?” Vaggie replied in annoyance.

Charlie flashed a nervous smile. “The Radio Demon is at the door!”

“What?!” she demanded.

“Uh, who?” Angel asked. He sucked erotically on his popsicle.

“What should I do?” she asked, pulling at her lower eyelids.

“Well, don’t let him in!” said Vaggie.

 Charlie was tempted to do just that. But she also had a duty to not leave any sinners behind. She took a breath and opened the door again.

“May I speak now?” the demon asked.

“You may…” Charlie replied.

  The man held out his gloved hand. “Alastor, pleasure to be meeting you, sweetheart, quite a pleasure.”

He eagerly grabbed her wrist and leaned his face close to hers before strutting inside. Charlie stood, dumbfounded, her hand still out.

“Excuse my sudden visit,” he went on, “but I saw your fiasco on a picture show and I just couldn’t resist. What a performance! Why I haven’t been that entertained since the stock market crash of 1929!”

He bobbed his head side to side and burst into laughter. “So many orphans!”

Vaggie suddenly pointed a spear weapon at him. “Stop right there!” She swore in Spanish under her breath: “Carbon hijo de perra! (Son of a bitch!) I know your game. And I’m not gonna let you hurt anyone here, you pompous, cheesy, talk show shitlord!”

Angel peeked around the corner to see what was going on.

Alastor merely laughed slightly and nudged the weapon away with his fingers.

“Dear, if I wanted to hurt anyone here…”

He added in a low creepy tone, “I would have done so already.”

His red eyes briefly turned to red radio dials and radio static filled the room. He tilted his head slightly, letting his chaotic magic roam. Vaggie and Charlie were frozen in fear as they caught glimpses of red Voodoo symbols, static, and warped reality.

Then just as quickly, the noise and magic ceased and Alastor shook his head, eyes back to full red.

“No, I’m here because I want to help!” He bowed.

Charlie was sure she hadn’t heard him right.

“Say what now?” she asked, eyebrows raised.

“Help!” he responded with another laugh. He held up his microphone staff. “Hello? Is this thing on? Testing, testing…”

He tapped it and a glowing red eye appeared in the center. “Well, I heard you loud and clear!” the microphone responded, eye shaking in fear.

“Um…you want to help?” Charlie asked.

 Alastor appeared behind the demon girls, hands on their backs, switching from a shadow to his regular self. Both Vaggie and Charlie flinched.

“With…” he mentioned in an imitation of Charlie’s voice,

“…this ridiculous thing you’re trying to do!” finishing in his normal voice. “This hotel!”

Charlie could hear the call bell ding twice on the table, even though no one was there to ring it.

“I want to help you run it.”

“Uh…why?” Charlie asked, confused.

Alastor laughed again. “Why does anyone do anything? Sheer absolute boredom! I’ve lacked inspiration for decades!”

He placed his elbow on an annoyed Vaggie’s head. Then shoved her aside.

“My work became mundane, lacking focus, aimless! I’ve come to crave a new form of entertainment!”

He laughed again.

Charlie looked downcast. “Does getting into a fist fight with a reporter count as entertainment?”

“It’s the purest kind, my dear! Reality! True passion! After all, the world is a stage! And the stage is a world of entertainment!”

Charlie brightened a bit. “So, does this mean that you think it’s possible to rehabilitate a demon?”

Alastor help up a hand and laughed. “Of course not. That’s wacky nonsense! Redemption, oh the non-existent humanity! Nononono, I don’t think there’s anything left that could save such loathsome sinners! The chance given was the life they lived before; the punishment is this! He spread out his arms. “There is no undoing what is done!”

“So then, why do you want to help me if you don’t believe in my cause?” Charlie asked.

Alastor smirked and looked at Charlie over his shoulder. “Consider it an investment in ongoing entertainment for myself!” He pulled her close to him with his arm and twirled her around in a quick dance. “I want to watch the scum of the world struggle to climb up the hill of betterment! Only to repeatedly trip and tumble down to the fiery pit of failure.”

“Right…” Charlie began, slowly removing his clawed hand from her shoulder.

Alastor took her aside for a walk. “Yes indeedy! I see big things coming your way, and who better to help than I.”

 “Ah, so uh, what’s the deal with Smiles over there?” Angel asked Vaggie.

“Wait, you’ve never heard of him before?” Vaggie asked. “You’ve been here longer than me!”

Angel shrugged his shoulders.

“The Radio Demon, one of the most powerful beings Hell has ever seen?”

“Eh, not big on politics,” he replied.

Vaggie, annoyed, leaned in close to explain.

“Decades ago, Alastor manifested in Hell, seemingly overnight. He began to topple overlords who had been dominant for centuries. That kind of raw power has never been harnessed by a mortal soul before. Then, he broadcast his carnage all throughout Hell, just so everyone could witness his ability. Sinners started calling him The Radio Demon. (As lazy as that is). Many have speculated what unimaginable force enabled him to rival our world’s most ancient and destructive evils. But one thing’s for sure: He’s an unpredictable source of danger, a wicked spirit of mystery, and a violent monster of chaos, the likes of which we can’t risk getting involved with unless we want to end up erased.”

“Ya done?” Angel asked with a snicker. “He looks like a strawberry pimp!”

“Well, I don’t trust him!” Vaggie argued.

To be fair, do you trust any man? Any men? Men?” Angel asked with a slight laugh.

Vaggie ignored him and walked up to her friend.

“Charlie, listen to me. You just can’t believe this creep! He isn’t just a happy face! He’s a dealmaker, pure evil! He can’t be redeemed! And is most likely looking for a way to destroy everything we’re trying to do.”

“I…” Charlie began. “…we don’t know that. Look…I know he’s bad, and I know he probably doesn’t wanna change, but the whole point of this is to give people a chance! To have faith things will be better! How can I turn someone away? I can’t. It goes against everything I’m trying to do. Everything I believe in.”

Alastor stared in fascination at a family picture on the wall. It showed Lucifer dressed in white, Lilith in a dark purple dress, and Charlie as a little girl wearing a brown and white dress in the middle. The picture border consisted of branches and yellow eyeballs and a dried rose in the upper right hand corner.

 “Such a lovely portrait! A picture of perfection! It’d be such a shame if something awful were to happen to them…”

 “Just trust me,” Charlie added placing comforting hands on her girlfriend’s shoulders, “I can take care of myself.”

Charlie,” warned Vaggie, “Whatever you do, do not make a deal with him!”

From a distance, Alastor opened up the palm of one hand, claws curled inward. Both girls glanced in his direction, worry on their faces.

 “I’ll have these two in the palm of my hand…”

 “Don’t worry, Charlie replied to Vaggie. “I picked up one thing from my Dad…” she spoke in a manly voice, “Ya don’t take shit from other demons!”

Gathering her courage, Charlie marched over to the Radio Demon.

“Ok, so…Al. You’re sketchy as fuck, and you clearly see what I’m trying to do here is a joke. But I don’t.”

Red Voodoo symbols appeared around Alastor, then vanished.

Charlie continued. “I think everyone deserves a chance to prove they can be better. So, I’m taking your offer to help. On the condition that there be no tricks or voodoo strings attached.”

Alastor twirled his cane and held out his hand. “So it’s a deal then?”

Flashes of eerie green light surrounded him, electricity snaking up the walls.

“Nope!” Charlie yelled, holding out her hands. The energy stopped. “No shaking! No deals! I…hmm…”

Charlie decided to try another approach.

“As princess of Hell, and heir to the throne, I uh, hereby order that you help with this hotel, for a long as you desire.”

A moment of pause…

“Sound fair?” she asked.

“Fair enough. Cool beans.” Alastor shrugged, walking on and making his cane disappear. Charlie breathed a sigh of relief and even did a thumbs up.

Alastor stopped and spotted Vaggie off to the side. He smirked in a way outside observers would describe as lecherous. He tickled her under her chin with a finger.

“Smile, my dear! You know you’re never fully dressed without one!”

Alastor hummed happily on his way, while Vaggie growled in disgust and rage.

“So…where is your hotel staff?” Alastor asked.

“Uh, well…” Charlie began. Alastor peered at Vaggie through his monocle. “Oh ho ho ho, you’re going to need more than that.”

He walked over towards Angel.

“And what can you do, my effeminate fellow?”

Angel grinned. “I can suck your dick!”

“Ha! No.” Alastor deadpanned.

“Your loss,” Angel said with a slight laugh. Alastor summoned his cane.

“Well, this just won’t do!” Alastor exclaimed. “I suppose I can cash in a few favors to liven things up!”

 The spell came easily in his mind: “dife sèvitè, reveye.”

  He snapped his fingers and a fire sparked to life in a small circular fireplace. Animal skeletons decorated either side of the wall.

A dark figure plopped down onto the chimney floor.

Alastor walked over and picked up the creature with his hand. A large single yellow eye was revealed. Angel, Vaggie, and Charlie peered at the creature. In a puff of smoke and a squeak, the creature revealed herself. A cute cyclops girl was wearing a pink dress with a poodle on the front, her short wide hair dark magenta with a streak of yellow.

“This little darling is Niffty!” Alastor introduced, before dropping her. She landed on her feet.

“Hi! I’m Niffty!” she greeted with a wave. “It’s nice to meet you! It’s been a while since I’ve made new friends!” She laughed slightly and her pupil grew smaller, darting in circles.

“Why are you all women?” she asked. “Have any men here?! I’m sorry, that’s rude.” She missed the fact that Angel was male, for obvious reasons.

She briefly picked up Charlie, while Vaggie held her spear defensively at her.

“Oh man, this place is filthy!” she exclaimed, running around and lifting up couch cushions. “It really needs a lady’s touch, which is weird, because you’re all ladies, no offence.” She chewed on a black spider she found, then rushed toward some stained glass windows.

She darted around, using a dust ruffle to clean them. “Oh my gosh, this is awful! No, no, no…Nope!”

She raced around, removing cobwebs, then poking at a piece of a voodoo doll. Well, it was actually a live blue beetle doll that Alastor had stabbed with a clothing pin for Niffty to play with. Alastor looked amused, while the others stared in disbelief.

 “So fortunate of me to have met her in Hell. A former chimney sweeper in the 20th century. Heard she died from too much smoke. Services are still good! Though, I didn’t give her much of an option to begin with…”

   Meanwhile, at a casino, a cat demon placed a joker, an ace, a 2, and a fourth card down on the table. He had black and white fur, wore a black top hat and had red wings with card suits decorated on them. He also had long red eyebrows and wore a red bow tie.

“Ha!” he declared in triumph. “Read ‘em and weep, boys!”

He suddenly felt himself being forcefully pulled out of the room through space and time.

“Full…whoa!”

 “Transpòte ganbadeur la.”

 He ducked as a curtain of red energy surrounded the existing space. Voodoo symbols flashed in the background along with eight yellow eyes, a creepy voodoo skull and a purple skeleton of a worm-like creature. Another voodoo skull with horns appeared for a moment not too far from tan ghost-like spirits with creepy faces and a row of jagged teeth.

 The cat demon figured he must have had too much booze to drink.

 “…the hell?”

 As the images faded, he soon found himself at the hotel bar, not in the previous room at the casino. A large “Come and play Blackjack” sign took up much of the wall behind him. Most peculiar, the gray wood walls were missing halfway up, replaced by the red themed décor of the hotel. Husk was sitting in a portion of the casino he was in. It felt like he was in a house with no roof surrounded by the outside world.

 “What the fuck is this?”

He saw Alastor and pointed an accusing claw.

“You.”

“Ah, Husker, my good friend!” Alastor cheerfully greeted. “Glad you could make it!”

Alastor’s head briefly had the appearance of large antlers sticking out from either side. When he moved it, it was revealed to be an antler skull with glowing green eyes hanging in the background. Snakes were wrapped around one of the white curtains supporting a bar stand. “Big Booze,” “Welcome” and “Big Soul” signs were placed overhead on the stand. Neon green card suits consisted of the designs at the bottom of the stand.

“Don’t you “Husker” me, you son of a bitch!” Husk spat, and swiped Alastor’s hand aside from his shoulder. “I was about to win the whole damn pot!”

Husk stared in anger as the stacks of money and chips on the table vanished in static.

“Good to see you too!” added Alastor.

Husk face palmed. “What the hell do you want with me this time?”

Alastor grabbed hold of him, startling him so much that cards fell from his hands.

“My friend, I am doing some charity work, so I took it upon myself to volunteer your services! I hope that’s okay.”

Husk was taken aback. “Are you shittin’ me?!”

“No, I don’t think so,” Alastor replied. He casually brushed off his sleeves.

Husk shoved the Radio Demon off him. “You thought it would be some kind of big fuckin’ riot just to pull me outta nowhere? You think I’m some kinda fuckin’ clown?”

“Maybe.”

Audience laughter emitted from the microphone.

“I ain’t doin’ no fuckin’ charity job,” Husk protested.

Alastor appeared next to him. “Will I figured you would be the perfect face to man the front desk of this fine establishment.”

He pointed toward the bar stand with the staff. The sound of audience clapping came from his radio staff.

“With your charming smile and welcoming energy…”

Alastor spread the corners of Husk’s mouth upward into a demonic smile of yellow teeth. Husk frowned seconds after he let go.

“…this job was made for you!”

Alastor strutted over toward the bar stand, the soles of his shoes revealing red hoof prints as he walked.

“Don’t worry, my friend,” Alastor continued, “I can make this more welcoming…if you wish.”

With a curve of his fingers, a green bottle of cheap booze appeared on the counter.

Husk stared with wide eyes, suddenly very thirsty. He swore he could hear the sound of a slot machine.

“What, you think you can buy me with a wink and some cheap booze?!” He took the bottle on anger. “Well you can!”

He immediately guzzled it down and walked away.

 “Too easy,” thought Alastor.

 By this time, Charlie, Vaggie and Angel Dust had arrived to see what the commotion was about. Vaggie rushed toward the bar, furious.

“Hey, hey, hey, hey!” yelled the moth demon. “No, no bar, no alcohol. This is supposed to be a place that discourages sin! Not some kind of…mouth, brothel, man-cave…”

Angel lunged himself into her, knocking her to the floor.

“Shut up! Shut! Up! We are keeping this.” He pointed at Husk with multiple gloved hands.

He slid up to Husk. “Hey,” he said in a flirtatious voice.

“Go fuck yourself,” Husk deadpanned, drinking his booze.

“Only if you watch me,” Angel retorted.

To make matters worse for Husk, Charlie leaned in close to him, excitement and red stars in her eyes.

“Oh my gosh! Welcome to the Happy Hotel! You are going to love it here!”

“I lost the ability to love years ago,” Husk replied, gulping down more booze.

Alastor walked in, an ever-present grin on his face.

“So, what do you think?”

Charlie ran over to him. “This is amazing!” she beamed.

“It’s okay,” Vaggie said from nearby, arms crossed.

 Alastor laughed and pulled the two girls close to him. “This is going to be very entertaining!”

  Alastor conjured fire in his hand…Charlie stared in wonder at the flames and the voodoo symbols. He pushed Vaggie aside and changed his attire. He now wore a fancy red suit with a white undershirt and a black bow tie. A red top hat appeared on his head, complete with small spikes along the black band and two needles sticking out from the top. He twirled Charlie around in a dance, the princess looking stunned. Pointing his finger over her head, he transformed Charlie’s outfit. Her blonde hair was now short and wavy. She wore an elegant black and red dress, black gloves, a pink hat with a small black bow and black heels. She looked like a dapper lady from the early 20th century.

 Charlie stared at her conjured clothing in amazement.

Vaggie was on the floor, fuming.

Alastor picked Charlie up and threw her into the air. She yelped in delight and landed gracefully next to him. Two glowing apples and a skull with deer horns flashed in the background.

Reality had been altered to the Radio Demon’s liking. The entire room was lit in psychedelic colors. Voodoo symbols and shapes were etched in every nook and cranny, including a pair of pink claws reaching for the door. Alastor and Charlie waltzed in the spotlight as electro swing music began to play in the distance. The all-encompassing noise, though, was the signature radio-static sound.

 Alastor sang his reprise to Charlie:

“You have a dream

You wish to tell

And it’s so laughable

But hey kid, what the hell! “

 Charlie found herself sliding down one of the apple-etched railings, Alastor leading the way. They landed on the lower floor as Alastor continued his reprise.

Deer statues and painted antlers were everywhere.

Back at the bar stand, Husk sat looking bored. Vaggie hissed at Angel grabbing onto her shoulder, while Niffty stared in wonder. Alastor snapped his fingers and their outfits changed as well.

Angel was wearing a neon pink suit, Husk a pink bow tie, Vaggie a dark dress, with her hair now smooth and long, and finally Niffty, with a cute top hat with small flowers.

 “‘Cause you’re one of a kind

A charming demon belle!

Now let’s give these burning fools a place to dwell

(Take it, boys!)”

 Alastor snapped his fingers once more and shadowy imps rose to life from a hole in the ground. The happy spirits played a trumpet, a tuba, and a drum set. Charlie snapped her fingers to the beat, while Vaggie watched with worry. She reached out to her friend but was pulled away by Alastor. He enveloped the group into a tight hug, followed by glowing images of dark spirits staring at them. Niffty watched in amazement, but not the other three.

Alastor pulled Husk and Angel close again. He rubbed Angel’s head with a white hat and went on his merry way. Husk gave him the bird as he left.

Vaggie stood, annoyed in the spotlight. Using his cane, Alastor added a feathered peacock hat and a white fox fur to her outfit. Then out of nowhere, he slapped her butt.

“Pompous pervert!” Vaggie thought in rage as he wondered away.

Alastor danced some more, kicking a horned skull to the side. In the background, Niffy happily swept up the bits of bone.

 “Inside of every demon is a lost cause

But we’ll dress ‘em up now with just a smile!

(With a smile!)

And we’ll chlorinate this cesspool

With some old redemption flair

And show these simpletons some proper class and style!

(What’s in style? Oh!)”

 He made his way to the circular fireplace, where he waved his staff. Shadows arrived to join the party, including a shadowy version of himself, with large antlers and fangs. He made it disappear in a poof, then snuck toward Charlie. He led her in an upbeat dance, spinning her around, helping her match her steps to his. Charlie blushed when toyed with her cheeks. As Charlie was led away, Vaggie stood in the background, horrified and disgusted. What was happening to her friend?

Charlie and Alastor laughed as they danced, the princess locked in a happy trance.

 “Here below the ground

I’m sure you’re plan is sound!

They’ll spend a little time

Down at this Hazbin Ho…”

  Alastor was about to finish his song, when an explosion burst apart a window behind him.

  Niffty stared in amazement, shouting “Whoo!” before she was blasted backwards, the door hitting her in the face.

 Alastor’s spell soon wore off and everyone was back in their regular clothes. Alastor, Husk (still drinking), Niffty, Charlie, Angel, and Vaggie, peered out of the hole to see what was going on. Vaggie had her weapon at the ready.

 Looking skyward, the group saw a cracked blimp in the air. It had a small random band aid with a sad face on it along the rim. A familiar snake villain popped out of his hideout.

“Ha!” Sir Pentious laughed. “Well, well, well, look who it is harboring the striped freak! We meet again, Alastor!”

Apparently, he was also rivals with Alastor.

But Alastor simply asked, “Do I know you?”

The snake boss looked disappointed. Then he said in anger, “Oh yes you do! And this time, I have the element of…surprise!”

The villain raced toward his pink velvet chair and pulled a lever. A metallic cannon lowered to the ground. The cannon fired up with pink energy as pink smoke appeared around them.

“He laughed manically. “I’m so evil!”

Then he added, “I have an Egg army!”

 “Well, we have an Alastor,” Charlie responded.

 Alastor snapped his fingers, red tendrils of smoke rising from his hand. The weapon froze in mid fire and a fiery portal opened up below the blimp.

 A horde of black tendrils rose from the hole, latching onto the ship. One tentacle ripped off the cannon and threw it into another smaller portal, causing it to explode in pink smoke. One of the tentacles had already smashed a hole in the large round window.

Sir Pentious looked on in shock as his Egg Bois slammed against the wall (one of them read #Ouch.) One of the eggs cracked open, spilling out yellowish brains and small organs among the stains of yok. Sir Pentious and another minion were thrown against the wall.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” he screamed before he was slammed against the ceiling by a black limb.

“Oh, that hurt!” he cried.

Sir Pentious screamed as he was dragged along the floor and lifted up slightly. He was held in place, surrounded by the wrapped up tendril. At once, the tendril shrunk and squeezed the helpless snake. The Egg Bois ran around screaming as black cracks appeared on the floor and walls.

From the outside, more black tendrils were closing in. Red voodoo symbols appeared around the blimp.

 “Ede m 'sèrviteur.”

Four horned shadowy spirits with red auras floated around, wearing toothy grins.

 The tendrils were now wrapped around the entire blimp, holding it in place like thick black vines.

 Red radio waves filled Alastor’s eyes as he circled his fingers and worked is magic. Voodoo symbols appeared all around him as he altered the state of reality. Radio static consumed the air.

The vines thickened and completely enclosed the blimp. The spirits swooped around it in excitement, with echoing shrieks. The aura around the tendrils glowed a fiery yellow, the same color as the portal rim.

 “Kalfu! Destriksyon pa bra nwa.”

 Alastor closed his four-fingered hand which began to glow. The tendrils proceeded to crush the blimp. Pink rays of light shot from the center and the blimp exploded in a loud BOOM!

Pink smoke spread everywhere as the spirits sped away. The tendrils broke into severed bloody pieces that rained down to the ground. Alastor smiled victoriously, while behind them, the group of five stared in utter terror and shock. (Save for Niffty who had a small smile on her face).

 “Well, I��m starved!” Alastor exclaimed, turning around to face the group. Who wants some jambalaya?” He spread his arms out. “My mother once showed me a wonderful recipe for jambalaya! In fact, it nearly killed her!”

He laughed as he led the way back to the hotel. The others followed.

“You could say the kick was right out of Hell!”

He added while laughing at his own joke, “Oh, I’m on a roll!”

Charlie and Niffty smiled while Husk, Angel, and Vaggie looked on with concern. Angel blew Husk a kiss, which earned the druggie demon a glare from the gambler. Charlie turned to Vaggie excitedly. Vaggie reluctantly went along with Charlie’s idea, even giving her a small supporting smile. As long as Charlie was happy, then she was alright, too.

From up above, the hotel looked like a mashed-up haunted house. An old dark train was perched on a balcony, with some monstrous faces carved in. A ship, reminiscent of the Titanic, was leaning upwards against the building as part of the structure. An old carousel served as part of the upper balcony and windows. Skull designs decorated the small windows in a row. Finally, on top of a giant yellow eye, was the sign “Happy Hotel” supported by pillars of worn wood.  

Alastor continued, “Yes, sir, this is the start of some real changes down here! The game is set! Now…”

 He glanced up and pointed his finger toward the sign. Pink electricity shot out and made contact with the sign.

The sign now read “Hazbin Hotel.”

 “Stay tuned,” he finished with a low sinister laugh.

 Back at the crater, smoke took the faces of demons and rose into the air. Broken egg minions littered the ground. One minion rubbed his head. With a shaking arm, Sir Pentious lifted himself up from the gaping hole, fangs shattered.

“Now will you shoot me with your ray gun?” asked the minion.

Sir Pentious face-planted on the ground in response.

[edream93]

I’m Hooked On All These Feelings (Harry of Auradon AU) Part 11

Hey everyone! Sorry that I haven’t updated since July. Grad school has been rough but I’m getting through it. Anyway, this is also posted on on AO3 or FF.net. Here’s the link for Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3, Part 4, Part 5,  Part 6 ,  Part 7, Part 8, Part 9 , and Part 10 of the story so far.

I hope you all like this chapter. It’s not 100% where I would like it to be but I didn’t want to keep it on my drive any longer without publishing it. I hope you’re still able to enjoy.

It would be a lie to say that he had expected Mal to go down without a fight. Mal’s stubbornness was as much of a fact as Jay’s own sticky fingers.

Mal was like Lady Tremaine’s grouchy old cat, Lucifer.

Grouchy. Standoffish. Untrusting.

A persistent little piece of shit with claws and fangs.

Even in the rare occasions that the odds were stacked against her, Mal wouldn’t go down without a little hissing and a little scratching and a whole lot of hell for anyone who dared to get in her way to pay. Therefore, he knew that Mal had been scheming before Harry had even been found unconscious, ever since Uma and Gil had ran off, and especially since Fairy Godmother’s tone deaf attempt at trying to connect them with their parents via video call just before the disaster that was Family Day. (Forty thieves. Jay still felt bad for Evie and wanted to punch Chad Charming in his pretty boy face.)

What Jay hadn’t expected was a glassy eyed Jane to grab her mother’s wand, wrestling it out of the shocked woman’s manicured hand just as Fairy Godmother was about to bless Ben and proclaim him the new King of Auradon.

Sparks of wild uncontrollable magic shot angrily from the wand and into the air, punching holes into the ceiling.

“This must be it,” Jay thought, instantly ushering Carlos and Evie through the stunned crowd to where Mal already stood, snatching the wand that Jane wordlessly handed her. A wide grin pulled at Mal’s lips, at Jane’s squeak of surprise as the spell broke.

“This is where I would say ‘Thank you’, isn't that right?” Mal chuckled briefly glancing over at Fairy Godmother who had pulled a fearful Jane protectively to her side, the crowd going from stunned silence to growing panic as Mal turned her attention to delicately caress the wand in her hands.

Finally. After months of laying low and kissing up to these heroes, they finally had the wand.

Jay was ecstatic.

Mostly...

Kinda....

Ugh, why did it feel like dread was settling into his stomach like heavy stones?

Maybe he shouldn’t have eaten Dude’s dog biscuits earlier. But he had unintentionally overslept so Jay missed breakfast and the last few nights he had spent tossing and turning, waiting for some ominous sign that the Auradon search team had found and imprisoned Uma and Gil. Or worst, the Mal had found the two.

But that sign never came and he mostly just wound up with a halfhearted pillow thrown vaguely in his direction by his pup of a roommate. (Let it be known that Carlos De Vil was even more uptight about his beauty sleep than even Evie was.)

Shoving his uncertainty away, Jay grabbed the back of Carlos’s jacket when the crowd became difficult to move through, only glancing back briefly to make sure that Evie had grabbed onto Carlos’s hand. He pushed against the crowd of princes and princesses and heroes that were already rushing in their fancy silks and skirts for the exits.

“This is it,” he kept telling himself, feeling his face twist into something that felt like a weak attempt at a grin as Mal made eye contact with him.

He opened his mouth to say something, but all the words seemed to struggle to come out, his silver tongue failing him.

An ominous cracking sound like glass shattering resounded from somewhere outside was the only herald of the Mistress’s of Evil arrival.

Jay choked on the thick cloud of dark energy that surrounded the older fairy, the scent of brimstone and hellfire settled thickly in his lungs. His skin burned with the razor sharp sensation of being surrounded by too much concentrated magic, like millions of needles placed into his skin.

“I’m back!” Maleficent cackled, her once torn robes of the Isle now pristine and dark and oozing with evil, in a way that even the almost wax life model in the museum never quite captured.

And she was truly terrifying. (Jay hoped she didn’t remember that one time he stole one of her horned hats for his father.)

“Where shall we begin?” Maleficent pondered, eyes filled with glee and venom.

Carlos squawked in fear hiding behind Jay, Evie gasped, and Jay bit his lip as they all watched Maleficent raise her scepter. It’s green ominous glow highlighted her too wide grin and the room once again filled with gasps and screams of fear of the unlucky ones who hadn’t escaped quick enough. The older generation remembered the dark fairy’s days of cruelty and the younger generation remembered the bedtime stories their parents would tell them of this wicked sorceress. With a dramatic flourish of her scepter, a spell was casted that froze everyone in the room except for herself, Mal, Jay, Carlos, and Evie. Though Jay had to wonder if he, Carlos, and Evie not being frozen was mostly thanks to an oversight.

“I see a little bit of a firm hand motivated you to focus,” Maleficent smirked at her daughter. And then her gaze was on Jay and it was like she was looking through him, breaking him down atom by atom until it felt like nothing remained of the insignificant little Isle street rat that he was. Like he was nothing, only granted to be in her presence because he was Mal’s (for now at least).

Jay held his breath, fighting the urge to throw Carlos and Evie over his shoulders and run away. Thankfully, Maleficent turned away, her attention caught by something else. (Jay doubted that he could have actually gotten away if he made a run for it.)

“I think I nearly peed my pants,” Carlos squeaked, his whole body shaking.

“I think,” Evie began softly, her eyes never leaving the sorceresses back, “I think I get why mother didn’t put up much of a fight when Maleficent exiled us to our castle.”

Jay merely grunted in response.

Mal turned towards them, a delighted look on her face. She let out an excited squeal that was very unnerving. “It’s happening!” she laughed, sounding slightly still in disbelief as she looked at the varying states of distress that were frozen on all the spelled guest as if she had stepped into a candy story. “All of Auradon will be forced to kneel before us. We’ll be the ones in charge.”

Jay clenched his jaw, unconsciously stepping further in front of Evie and Carlos. A part of him still didn’t want to admit that it was very clear that Mal wasn’t talking about the Rotten Four when she said “us” and “we”.

Everything felt wrong. He didn’t feel that expected thrill he thought he would feel at this moment. Just dread and fear.

“Hm...I recognize you.”

Jay looked to see Maleficent circling the unmoving figures of Ben and Harry with predatory grace. Harry had been frozen, stepping defensively in front of Ben, a move that Jay had become somewhat familiar with during their time on the Tourney team. A determined frown was frozen on his place, one hand on the hilt of a sword that had been concealed under his red leather jacket’s long length while the other hand was outstretched to the side to hold back Ben, concern frozen on the new king’s soft features.

But it wasn’t the boy king that had caught Maleficent’s attention, though she did briefly tip over his crown. No. The Mistress’s of Evil attention was fully on Harry.

“Ah yes! I do know that ratty old red jacket well. You wouldn’t happen to be the son of Hook and the Chosen Knight, would you?”

Maleficent reached out, a bruising grip on

Harry’s chin as she turned his face stiffly on his neck, inspecting it. A cruel smile crept onto her lips. “You are!” she cooed. “Oh how perfect this is! Mal! Look!” she called towards her daughter, eyes never leaving Harry’s. “Did I ever tell you the story of how I lost my wings?”

Caught off guard by the taboo topic, Mal’s brow wrinkled. She shifted anxiously on her feet, hand idly playing with the wand in a way that Jay recognized the uncertainty in her stance. After all, no one, unless they had a death wish, mentioned Maleficent’s wings. “Well y-”

Maleficent cut her off as if Mal hadn’t even spoken.

“I’d bet you’d like to hear it, wouldn’t you, dear?” she directed towards Harry. “Of course you would. I bet you love hearing stories about your heroic parents.”

The grip that Jay still maintained on Carlos’s jacket tightened further, as if he was the one being scrutinized by the most fearsome villain in history. He was only vaguely aware that Carlos had managed to slip out jacket, taking quiet steps backwards as Jay stood rooted to the spot. He wouldn’t blame the pup if he tried to take off running. Maleficent prowling around Harry was like a predator sizing up her prey.

“Your mother did it of course,” Maleficent addressed Harry casual, as if discussing the weather. “Came right up behind me in my own domain and sliced through my wings with an iron blade, leaving twisted and gnarled things to grow in their shadow. Did your daddy ever tell you that?” she asked conversationally. “About how it had been a nearly impossible task given to your mother just because of how impossible it should have been? How your father had hoped she would get the message that he wasn’t interested in a nameless orphan born that talked of worlds and people that didn’t exist but spoke so clearly to her in her dreams? About how in one life, in another world, they were each other's true love.”

Maleficent paused staring into his eyes.

“Ah," she sighed, feigning sadness. "They didn't. Oh you poor dear! And you have the dreams too, just like her.” She tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “Dreams that will slowly drag you into madness. Just like they did with her. The joy of being magically intolerant. Too much magic and your bound to lose your mind."

He couldn’t respond, but Jay could feel the waves of anger and rage that rolled off of Harry.

“Where was I dear?" she turned dramatically towards Mal, snapping her fingers before Mal could even open her mouth.

The dog biscuits in Jay's stomach felt like lead, watching the twisted motherly expression on Maleficent's face.

"Oh that's right. After my wings were taken, I escaped but not without the greatest lost of my life,” Maleficent continued as if she had never stopped her story, long held mourning in her stance as she briefly stared off to the side, “my beautiful, strong wings...Everything seemed to all go to hell. Perhaps that’s why that damn Sleeping Beauty’s prince was able to defeat me with the help of those scatterbrained pixies,” Maleficent’s eyes sparkled dangerously with barely contained rage as she faced him again. The smile that stretched her lips oozed with vengeance and promise of the worst kind of pain beyond imagine. “That day I made a promise to myself that if I could - if the opportunity should ever present itself in front of me - I would grab it and repay the Knighted Savior tenfold the pain she caused me. Sad how she’s not here to take the repayment,” she sighed, as if she were truly saddened, raising her scepter up towards Harry, its glow menacing. “I suppose you’ll just have to do.”

Of course Jay had known, to some extent what releasing the villains, what releasing Maleficent from the Isle, meant. He wasn’t innocent. None of them were. His hands were stained with blood from having to survive on the Isle but he always imagined the Auradonians would be fighting back. That though the villains would win in the end, it would be a fair fight, or at least fair in the sense that the Auradon folks would at least try to fight back.

He didn’t imagine...this

Jay’s traitorous stomach twisted again and he could no longer pretend to ignore how wrong this all felt as the shadow of the glow of the evil fairy’s scepter covered the room in an eerie green glow as it prepared to fire off a spell at its holder’s command.

And then an arrow whizzed through the air.

Maleficent spun and used her scepter to deflect it off its straight course towards her. The arrow embedded itself barely a breath away from the Queen Leah’s foot, the frozen queen’s eyes widened just a fraction to indicate that she was aware enough of what was going on.

“You,” Maleficent spat as her gaze fell onto the youngest son of Gaston. Gil raised his crossbow again, arrow loaded and aimed at her. “I thought I smelled vermin.”

“What the forty thieves?” Jay found himself swearing under his breath. Gil wasn’t supposed to be here! He was supposed to be wherever with Uma, hiding for as long as possible from Mal and her obsession. Jay hadn’t distracted Mal during the jailbreak just for them to come back and step right in the dragons’ den!

Were they idiots? Did they want to die?

“You!” Mal shoved past Jay, eyes frantically searching to see behind Gil. When she didn’t see what she wanted, her eyes glowed. Her hands, human shaped but unnaturally claw like, shook at her sides. “Where. Is. Uma?”

“Uh, I don’t think I’m supposed to say,” Gil frowned honestly though his crossbow never lowered from where it was aimed at Maleficent.

Maleficent rolled her eyes. She flicked her wrist, an invisible force ripping the crossbow out of the startled boy’s hand and crashing above some still frozen royals’ heads.

“Really?” the sorceress snorted unimpressed. “I knew you Gaston boys were bullheaded but even your father knew when to step down in my presence.” The long sleeves of her robes brushed against the floor as she curled her fingers towards her.

Gil let out a yelp as he was dragged down the hall by an invisible force. He let out a slight yelp when he stopped suddenly in front of Maleficent.

“Now, where’s Ursula’s unfortunate daughter?” Maleficent growled. “What does she have planned?”

“Ye know, I think the question ye should be asking is what do I have planned?”

Gil was dropped to the ground as Maleficent spun, using her scepter to block the swift swipe of a sword being wielded by one very moving Harry.

“HOW!?!” Maleficent fumed. Jay wanted to know that answer too.

Harry didn’t respond but Jay could see, could feel Uma’s shelled necklace glowing steadily with golden magic that rolled off it like soothing waves. A cool balm washing over and cleansing Maleficent’s needle prickly magic.

Maleficent must have also realized the shell’s effects because her frown turned murderous, the shadows near her turning dark and threatening like black flames.

“Ursula’s necklace. She was a fool for giving her little beast something so powerful! Should have killed that fishy welp a long time ago,” she hissed preparing to push back and strike at the boy.

With her and Mal’s and Jay’s attention on Harry, only Carlos and Evie noticed a small ball of light fly into the room, dropping a shield blessed with fairy magic from three particular fairies that matched Harry’s sword into Gil’s hands. Gil gave a bright “Thanks!” before the small ball of light flew back out one of the windows that Carlos not so coincidentally stood by. (It hadn’t been opened earlier and could only be opened from the inside…)

Even if Jay had been paying attention, there was no way he could ever describe the look of complete and utter shock on Maleficent’s face with any justice as Harry grunted, pushing with all his strength, and perhaps a little aid from the still glowing shell necklace, until Maleficent lost her balance and fell backwards. She flipped gracelessly over Gil who had been waiting behind her, newly acquired shield strapped to his arm.

Jay felt Mal violently tense next to him as Maleficent fell to the ground. Before she could reach for her dropped scepter, just out of reach, or before Mal could come to her senses, the sharp tip of the sword was pressed against Maleficent’s throat.

“Well, you may take after your father in looks,” the old fae growled up at him, “but you’re exactly like your mother.”

“I'll take that as a compliment. I hope you like the poetic-ness of using these specific weapons,” Harry grinned tilting his head in a mocking manner as Gil stepped next to him,  shield raised. “Gilly-boy here went through all the trouble of getting the same shield and sword that put you six feet under the first time. Just for you."

An inhuman hissed escaped Maleficent’s lips.

“Don’t worry,” Gil spoke up with a pleased grin. “It wasn’t that hard with the museum only having the one guard and all.” He paused thoughtfully before looking to gaze over at gawking Mal. “I think that sleeping spell you cast on him when we were there before gave him heartburn though. It’s been making it hard for him to sleep.”

He paused, frown deepening further in thought.

“Or that’s what I think he said. I had to tie him up because he kept wanting to play this game where he tried to stop me from taking the sword and shield. Wow, being a museum guard seems pretty cool!” He grinned at Harry who couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Aye perhaps,” Harry nodded, sword still pointed at Maleficent. “But a life on the waves is more for me.”

“Oh!” Gil grinned with excitement. “Wait until you see the sh-”

“ENOUGH!” Mal screamed, sending sparks of angry magic at Harry and Gil. Both boys dodged out of the way but the banners behind them burned quickly in flames. “Where is Uma? WHERE IS SHE!?!?!”

Whether Harry or Gil had a response, Jay wouldn’t know. In one moment’s time, Maleficent was engulfed by dark green smoke, reemerging as a large deadly dragon with smoke and hellfire escaping her giant snout. The two boys scrambled out of the way as the dragon roared before she huffed a large fireball at them.

The ball of flames narrowly missed where Audrey, Chad, and Lonnie stood frozen in various stages of shock. A single flame did attempt to catch the prince’s jacket on fire. Jay distractedly wondered if it would necessarily be so bad if all of Chad’s clothing went on fire but just as quickly as the fire began to grow the fire alarm and sprinklers went off.

“NO! My makeup! My hair!” Evie moaned, pulling Carlos’s discarded blazer out from Jay’s hands and covering her head with it.

“Shut up!” Mal hissed pushing wet bangs from her face, eyes searching through the spray frantically. Jay didn’t have to ask to know that she was looking for any sign of teal. “If you’re going to be useless then just get out of my way, princess.” She let out a curse as she gathered the inhibiting layers of her dress, stomping forward through quickly growing puddles to aid her mother.

Cries of horror and fear returned to the room, like someone had unpaused and unmuted the world around them as the once frozen bystanders gained movement once again, rushing towards the exits. Guards immediately swarmed around King Adam, Queen Belle, Fairy Godmother, and Jane, moving them towards a side exit.

“Enchanted lake water,” the menacing dragon’s voice echoed throughout the hall, water running down dark purple and black scales.

“It’s Uma!” Mal shouted, frustration growing every time she had to push her wet hair away from her face.

Maleficent roared. “Find her!”

Jay stood in the middle of it, slightly stunned and for once lacking his usual confidence as things seemed to spiral around him. A hand gripped his arm tightly, turning him around. He turned to see Evie, all worries about her water drenched hair and running makeup (though she still managed to look the “fairest of them all” even when disheveled) absent as she gave him an indescribable look from beneath the cover of Carlos’s blazer.

Jay felt like he was at the edge of something.

“Are you with us?” was all Evie said, voice firm. Waiting. Expectant.

A crossroad.

Pick left or right.

Choose a side.

Villain or hero.

(A memory of the smell of shrimp mixed with tears, expecting green eyes, and guilt that hurt worse than any hunger pains on the Isle.)

“Wh-what? Us?” he forced a laugh out of his mouth. Jay shook his head, reaching up to play with his beanie only to remember his hair was pulled up into a tight bun that Evie had done herself only hours earlier. (That felt like days ago.) “What are you talking about? Mal has the wand.”

Evie didn’t say anything but continued to stare at him expectantly. Jay glanced over at Carlos. The smaller boy was standing behind Evie and despite the way his frame seemed to shake, his eyes never left Jay’s as he watched the thief look from the remote like device Carlos was clutching in his hands up to the sprinklers that were still raining down magic lake water.

“I’m tired of being afraid of my mom,” Carlos explained with a sad smile. “This...this may not work but…” he trailed off, shrugging with a small smile at Jay’s shocked expression. “Gotta try.”

So many things ran through his Jay’s head. He wanted to pause everything and just run. Run away from Mal and her twisted obsession. Run away from his father and his expectations. Run until the energy that crackled under his skin burned him out until nothing was left. Run away from the question that seemed to take up all of the space in his mind: Could he live with what was to happen next?

Across the room, Harry narrowly rolled out of the way of long breath of dragon fire.

He gripped his sword, thrumming with fairy magic in his hand. It gave him a slight migraine but his movements were sharper and more wild. The sword was also slightly heavier than he was used to, but he had figured a dragon would be involved in some way (though admittedly he thought said dragon would be more Mal shaped than actual dragon) and what better way to fight a fae-dragon than with the same sword and shield that had initially slayed one?

But the shell necklace around his neck continued to steadily thrum, a tethering weight around his neck, pulling his thoughts back with a gentle but firm tug when they threatened to grow too chaotic. Keeping him focused. Keeping him anchored.

“Harry!”

He was suddenly tackled to the floor, said dragon slaying sword clattering several yards across the wet floor. The weight on his back quickly moved, pulling him to his feet.

Ben.

Oh Davey Jones.

“What are you still doing here?” Harry hissed, eyes already searching for a way out for the new king, his oldest friend, his brother in everything that mattered.

“Maybe we can talk to them,” Ben said with that damn spark of hopefulness and goodness in his eyes that Harry knew most of the people in this kingdom couldn’t even fake.  “To Mal and her mother. If we could just get them to listen, things can be different this time and-” the rest of Ben’s sentence was cut off, muffled noises coming from sealed lips. He also noticed that the sprinklers were smoldering and melted, the water no longer able to spray out.

“Evil, he never shuts up does he?”

Gil, who had just seconds ago been trying to distract Maleficent was tossed towards Harry and Ben. All three boys were knocked to the ground into an awkward pile of wet limbs. Mal stood over them, her hair wild and untamed and thick streaks of makeup ran down her face in a truly terrifying way as if all of it decided to just melt off. (And perhaps it did if the steam that rolled off her shoulders was any indication.)

“Now that I have your attention,” she grounded out, wand pointed dangerously at Ben, sparks of green threatening to jump from its tip. “Tell me where that little shrimp is.”

“Not telling ye, anything,”

Mal frowned. “Your death wish th-”. Mal abruptly stopped and Maleficent growled above them.

“Drop the wand, Mal.”

The half fae slowly turned, careful of the sword that was now pointing at her heart, glare deepening as angry glowing green eyes fell on Jay.

“Trying to play a knight now, Jay? Got tired of being a little street rat?”

“Just got tired of not even knowing if I could trust the person I was supposed to be following.”

Mal’s jaw dropped before quickly turning into a scowl. “I knew you were weak. Always looking for validation. From me. From your dad. From the stupid little team of princelings that you’ve joined. You’ve always needed someone to validate you Jay. To tell you that you’re valuable and precious,” she said with a mocking pout. “But you know what?” she snapped, ignoring the warning growl Maleficent directed towards her. “I bet you can’t even do it. I bet you can’t even slay the big bad dragons. That you aren’t good enough.”

Harry watched cautiously as Jay shrugged. The thief had always been a wild card for this plan but Evie and Carlos stood behind Jay and that was enough to tell Harry which side this wild card of a boy had finally fallen on.

“You’re right. I’m not good enough,” he lowered the sword. Mal smirked smugly reaching for the sword. “But maybe she is.” And then Jay threw the sword into the air.

Everything seemed to move slowly and yet all at once. A scene that had been building up for years finally coming into play.

Jay tackled Mal to the ground, the wand flying from her hand. Carlos used Jay’s back as leverage to jump into the air and catch the wand. He landed, feet slipping on the wet floor but Ben and Evie quickly helped him to his feet and off to the side.

Meanwhile, Maleficent quickly gained her bearings and seemingly without even a thought for her own daughter, breathed fire at them. Jay rolled Mal just barely out of the line of fire but Gil stepped in front of Harry, shield raised.

Gil grunted under the unrelenting force as Maleficent continued to breath fire, against the shield. But he kept his hold steady as Harry pressed his back against his, zipping up his jacket all the way up.

Seven seas, he hoped this worked.

“Now!” Evie shouted. She stepped forward, her magic mirror shining a blinding light into Maleficent’s eyes. The fire stopped as the dragon floundered back with a screeching yell.  

Harry felt his heart skip a beat. Now he thought, stomach fluttering with anticipation as he and Gil, with the skill only acquired when two people are desperate enough to do something crazy, spun and dropped to their knees so that Harry faced the dragon.

Blinking through the temporary blindness, Harry saw Maleficent prepare to spit another lung full of flames at him, wicked glee in her reptilian eyes. He hoped the stories of his mother’s jacket being dragon fire-proof were true...

The sea shell necklace around his neck thrummed with power and instead of focusing on Maleficent, he looked towards the puddles on the ground.

To an inattentive eye, it just looked like the puddles were shaking due to the vibrations caused by the fight. Anyone else would have missed the way that small droplets of water floated up from the floor’s puddles, hovering for a moment just above the ground. Harry was sure that if he squinted hard enough, he could see a reflection of grinning lips that he desperately wanted to reacquaint himself with.

The water droplets then shot up high into the air, merging together in long tentacle like tendrils that reached up and dragged Maleficent down. The dark sorceress fought against her watery bonds but she was forced to push her large body against the floor, pinned.

Maleficent roared. Maleficent fought but the water hardened, forming ice bonds. Most of the dragon was pinned down but she was able to raise her head just enough to see a large collection of water drops merge together, forming a humanoid shape that solidified into a familiar teal clad sea witch’s daughter, using a combo of the Gil’s propped and angled shield and his own strength as a jumping board.

Excess golden pixie dust surrounded her in an ethereal glow and the sword that Jay had thrown into the air now in her hands, Harry was certain that he would never see a more beautiful sight.  

“Uma,” he said, half encouragement, half praise, and all devotion tied all together in just one word.

“NO! MOTHER!” Mal screamed from where Jay was restraining her against the ground but it was too late.

The world seemed to stop breathing.

All eyes on Uma and the sword raised above her head.

And then...there was a crash like thunder and waves against the rocks, and then…

And then Maleficent was no more.

[atc74]

Good Intentions

Square(s) Filled: Iconic Quotes for @spnbromentbingo

Warnings: slight angst, mentions of death (come on, it’s the Winchesters!)

Summary: Dean sits down with his personal journal to tell us a little story about past digressions and why he wouldn’t change a thing.   

Pairing: NA

Word Count: 964 (just under the mark!)

Written for: @crispychrissy‘s Chrissy’s Gif it to Me Challenge, gif included below. Also written for @spnbromentbingo and I used the quote:  So screw destiny in the face

A/N: Thank you to @evansrogerskitten and @alleiradayne for looking this over! All mistakes are mine. This is written from Dean’s POV in a journal entry. 

May 24, 2019

What a fucking week. It’s been a while since I sat down and let it out, but I’ve got a little something to share with you, whoever you might be that decides to read what I’ve got to say. 

Chuck just unleashed the worst of the worst on us, undoing decades of good. And for what?

They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. They probably didn’t know anything about anything, but I do. I can tell you with absolute certainty that yes, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. How do I know? Because I’ve been to Hell. And Heaven and Purgatory. But this isn’t about the places I’ve been, it’s about the things I’ve done. And I’ve done a lot with good intentions. 

It started when my little brother died and I sold my soul to bring him back. I spent four months, the equivalent of forty years, down in the pit. I was sliced, diced and pulled apart, only to be put back together so it could start all over again. Then I got an offer to get off the rack, all I had to do was slice and dice the other poor souls that ended up there, just like me. Good Intentions, right? No, that was for purely selfish reasons. I couldn’t take another day. But unbeknownst to me or Sam, even Bobby, I started the Apocalypse without even knowing it. 

We saved the world, but Sam agreed to Lucifer’s meat suit and I was supposed to say yes to the archangel Michael. I’m his sword or whatever. It was destined for us to battle. Brother against brother, but I couldn’t. It didn’t matter, I lost Sam anyway. He found his way back, soulless, and I made a deal with Death to get that back, too. So screw destiny in the face, that’s what I said. 

Sammy tried to save the world and close the gates of Hell for good, but I stopped him because it was all one big lie. Sammy almost died. I almost lost the only person I ever lived for and for what? No, I couldn’t live with that, not again. So when the angels fell from Heaven and I prayed, one of ‘em answered. I tricked Sam into saying yes and then the son of a bitch tricked both of us. Cas became human and nearly died, too. 

I became frenemies with the King of Hell and met Cain. Yeah, that Cain. It’s how I ended up with the Mark of Cain on my arm. The curse to beat all curses. There’s that good intentions thing again. I needed it to kill a demon, a Knight of Hell, the baddest of the bad up to that point. It came with a hefty price and I am least proud of the things I did when I wore it. I died, again, but of course it didn’t stick, then the unthinkable happened. I became a demon. A Knight of Hell, the very thing I had taken on the Mark to kill. 

Even after my brother cured me from being a demon, I still had the Mark. It made me something I didn’t want to be. It was dark and evil and unforgiving. Do you know I even tried Confession? I went to a priest. A freakin’ priest. Sure it may have started off as a case, but most of what I confessed, it was real. 

Sammy, Cas and I, we spent the better part of a year looking for God. But he had left Heaven, turned his back on humanity. It’s not like I had a lot of faith in Him to begin with, but when I think back, that was when I lost what little I had left. We searched, we prayed, we bargained. But He never showed. 

The priest had asked me if I believed in God. Normally, I would have responded with some smart ass comment that would have made Sam kick me in the shins, but for the first time in a long time, I was honest. With the priest and with myself. I believe there is a God, but I am not sure He still believes in us. And that was the God’s honest truth. Ha! God’s honest truth. There’s an oxymoron for ya. 

Then about a year after that case, after we let the Darkness out of her prison. Out of the freakin’ blue, God showed his face. You wanna know why? Because the Darkness, her real name is Amara by the way, is God’s sister. He came for her, not for us. I’m still not sure if I bought his line of bullshit or not. He said he came to save us from her, but I really thought, still do, that he only came to save himself. I almost died in the process, again. Turned out Amara threw the biggest temper tantrum in the history of the universe and almost destroyed it. 

Life has a way of giving me the finger and I ended up saying yes to Michael anyway. He possessed me, made some fancy hybrid monsters and tried to take over the world just to burn it to the ground. 

Deals, spells, tricks and God, yeah, God, basically fucked us every step of the way, throwing an even bigger temper tantrum than his sister, like the dramatic little bitch he is. Bring on the monsters, Chuck. Bring it. Because the road to Hell may be paved with good intentions, but it was always gonna be me and Sammy till the wheels fall off and I’d take that any day and twice on Sunday. Not because He wrote it that way, but because that’s how we lived and that’s how we’ll die.

The Whole Enchilada: @iwantthedean @dolphincliffs @mrswhozeewhatsis @meganwinchester1999 @cherrycokegirls1 @closetspngirl  @roxyspearing @flamencodiva @blacktithe7 @sis-tafics @just-another-busyfangirl @evansrogerskitten @amanda-teaches @hannahindie @wotinspntarnation @winchesterprincessbride @winecatsandpizza @kickingitwithkirk  @wi-deangirl77 @hobby27 @mogaruke @gh0stgurl @paintrider13-blog  @alleiradayne @idreamofplaid

The Dean’s List: @jerkbitchidjitassbutt @dean-winchesters-bacon @maddiepants @thing-you-do-with-that-thing @adoptdontshoppets @mtngirlforever

[ralfstrashcan]

3x21 Reaction / Commentary

I was seriously wondering if this was Alec because Magnus loss = melt down = shaky fingers but Alec would never voluntarily drink something so pretentious. But uuhhh I had thought Jonathan angry-flapped through the rift to Edom? Why he now here still?

More seelie queen crown, yeah!!

Not buying that whole “your demon blood is burning away your humanity” because, again, he lived years without being bonded to Clary so what's taken that “transformation” so long? Also, will he become like, a raven? A harpy? Oh no, I saw the promo. He'll be blond. Makes sense.

He just showed that he's not interested, stop harassing him you sick cougar.

Uhhhhh, objection your honor. That fake blade only contained like three atoms of the original Glorious. But whatever, details amiright.

Also if they wanna tell me it's the blade that triggered the transformation then a) wtf why would a blade designed to break something evil make the evil actually MORE evil wtf for a shit equipment is that b) can we expect some ridic changes for Clary too, that make her even more Mary Sue? c) if Lucifer was so badass, where is he? Something killed him, maybe? Since Jonathan is declared most uniquest thing to ever unique?

“A splendid pet bird. And he died a few decades back so I'd like to recruit you as replacement,. Whatcha say? I'll even drop bird themed pick up lines around you all day.” God I'm making myself sick.

BS when you think about it, because every individual is unique. Good luck salvaging the climate change and what not, seelie queen, on your heroic quest to preserve all that is unique.

#rejected, take that you prowling predator. Can you believe she annoyed him so much he just abandoned his pretentious cream drink thingy? So rude. Also nice touch that they remembered that thing with the flowers and Jonathan making them poor flowers wilt. Btw would that have worked if they were plastic flowers?? Haha ok sorry.

Wtf I'm very much not on board with the seelie queen having a weird Jonathan fetish. Also, if the sole reason she has it is that Jonathan is “one of a kind” then I wonder why she wasn't ruthlessly hitting on Simon the same way? Or technically, before Simon became a daylighter, on Cain, getting him to leave the sewers and chill in the seelie realm instead?

1) Wow can you believe they managed to spare Malec's drama 3 seconds of consideration before getting absorbed in themselves again? Amazing. 2) Dude, you weren't in control of your actions while Clary was brainwashed and very much in control of her actions. That's not really comparable? But whatever.

Some great “love” you've got going on there, Maryse, writing Magnus off after, what? Half a day? Two days? Smh.

???????????????????? So they want to tell me Magnus plastered his magic like a bandaid over the rift but didn't really close it? Well, I am prepared with outrage to point out all the ways in which this is bullshit.

1) There clearly was no such thing to be seen from the other side.

Since Edom and Earth are two different dimensions and on Earth's side there was no rift in the dimension's fabric anymore that obviously means if the wraiths slipped through that Edom crack they'd either be lost in limbo or flapping around in some inter-dimesional space. But they couldn't reach Earth. So I fail to see how this is a problem.

2) How the hell do the NY Shadowhunters know about this? Since from their side the rift was well and truly closed? They don't know that Magnus has to keep his magical band-aid in place? The only thing they have to wonder about is why the hell Magnus hasn't returned yet since Magnus proved in 3x20 that apparently interdimensional travel works with normal warlock portals and those fancy pentagram things aren't necessary.

3) Uhhhh if Magnus has to stay there to keep up the magical band-aid (since exit options clearly aren't the issue here) wtf won't he tire at some point? Am I supposed to believe exhausting isn't a thing in Edom? What happens if he has to sleep? (Sidenote, what the hell do they eat in Edom anyway? Will he have to roast some shax demons? Disturbing.) Anyway back to the topic at hand, if I'm supposed to believe that Magnus is THAT strong he can keep up this magic (a magic that was so enormous he couldn't even achieve it from Earth) for eternity without taking a break, then I doubly don't get why he can't just SEAL the goddamn rift?! And don't tell me it's because band-aid magic is something he can do, and different from  rift sealing magic which is something he can't do. Because again, 2x20 is a thing where Magnus proves that he is capable of sealing a rift; so the only explanation of why he didn't do it in 3x20 is because the rift was too powerful. Now correct me if I'm wrong but to me Magnus + Enhanced Edom Powers equals He Closes The Rift, not Weird Band-Aid Magic. Wtf.

HAHAHAH I CAN'T!!!!! THANKS MAGNUS FOR POINTING THIS OUT!!! AND IN THE SASSIEST WAY POSSIBLE!!!!! IT'S BEEN BUGGING ME SINCE 3x10 XD XD XD

Love that shot.

1) Thanks, Lilith, for confirming that Magnus is in fact constantly supplying the band-aid with magic and thus exposing this whole plot line as completely frakkin illogical. 2) Wtf Lilith, why the heck did you go back to Edom in 3x16 if you wanted to murder Jonathan????? IT MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL WTF 3) Where tf is Cain?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA I CAN'T

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA I CAN'T

Wow that escalated quickly. I hate that even though Magnus knows it's just a trick to get into his head it still hurts him, because this is how he is: alwasy second-guessing his worth. He deserves better from all of them, deserves more from them, so he wouldn't feel this so keenly.

Ok, good save, I was just gearing up for a rage about why the hell Magnus is more powerful than the literal mother of demons who could defeat everyone, even with his Ddom-Edition-Powers because come on. However, Magnus must know that this is just a temporal solution because recovering means at some point she'll be recovered and, well.

Also, this shot haha.

Hahahaha I see he inherited the hell puns from Asmodeus along with the real estate XD

I mean, yeah, and then he acted like a total fool in his last few days. Great way to go, man. #stillbitter

“People mattered to Jordan. People, their troubles, their pain...”

That was sweet.

HAHAHAHA THAT WAS HILARIOUS

Probably off to do something to enrage me, so same as always.

Oh look, he's robbing a bakery because being jobless and needing food doesn't mix well.

OMG I SUDDENLY REMEMBER THIS FROM THE 3B TRAILER. You know, Luke being all creepy in the back of a car? Wtf, honestly I think I'll have even less patience for Human!Luke than I have Inapt!Werewolf!Luke. They're really testing me.

“....like Sizzy” Hahahah okay I'll try to behave myself. And I had time to prepare, it was obvious they'd use that inspirational thing Maia said for Sizzy purposes.

Yeah...... #irony #obviously me behaving myself isn't working out, who's surprised? I'm not.

Don't they have fire extinguishers in the Institute somewhere? I mean, there's regulations for that, right? Lemme guess, that's remnants of the Glorious fake sword that pierced her? And now she can't be with Simon without killing him, hahaha, all Sizzy problems solved XD

When I saw this (in the Sneak Peek, but still counts) my first thought was “Aha NOW he tries to find a solution but when Magnus first lost his magic he couldn't be bothered RUDE ALEC WTF” lol ahahahah

Question time: 1) Didn't he have plants in there last episode?

OH RIGHT HE HAD!!! What happened to them? *Sherlock Voice* Did he eat them??

2) Why didn't Alec wonder where the hell Lorenzo was? Sure, he's a little preoccupied atm with losing Magnus, but he should have realized Lorenzo was weirdly absent about five hours into his happy little loft occupation???

3) I fully expected the scratching to be Chameleon!Lorenzo vying for attention, but seeing it, omg my heart broke a little. Can you imagine the desperation?? Poor evil lizard baby.

You know, I find it inherently troubling that Alec assumes Magnus always had this lizard and has only now decided to relocate its terrarium into the loft's main room, instead of thinking Magnus got the lizard as, idk, a pick-me-up after the breakup. I mean, what kind of lousy pet holder does he take Magnus for? Not even mentioning he has one, never taking care of it? That's not Magnus. Alec should know better.

Als Bohemian so incisively pointed out, why would he have created a pet cobra that he calls “baby” if he hated reptiles? And while, granted, Alec might not know about this, I believe Cat should. So wtf.

.....................................they honestly felt the need to tell her this? In grave detail and that this was their first kiss? Why would they do that?? Or did she look at the tapes??? So many questions.

Lol okay I didn't even intend to be so spot on with the Sizzy prediction. More importantly though, she won't be able to shadowhunt anymore.

Why is anyone (except Magnus (and occasionally Alec)) left in charge of anything, ever. *sigh*

But I mean, at least there's this

Small mercies (aka comedic pockets in a vast sea of illogic shit) I guess XD

HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA I AM DEAD I CAN'T HAHAHAH HIS FACE!!!!!!!!!!

Jace is me, I am Jace

So.... many....... questions...............

Okay, so I'm severely confused. If this demon has info on what's happening in Edom right now, then either he left Edom after Lilith started gathering her army so there's a rift there somewhere, OR there's a way for news to travel between Edom and Earth, probably through, you guessed it, a tiny rift. So wtf, show, please explain because I don't understand.

..............................................................

The audacity. The fucking audacity. MAGNUS WILL BE DEAD, IS WHAT YOU SHOULD TAKE AWAY FROM THAT. NOT THAT THE RIFT REOPENS ARE YOU KIDDING ME WTF JACE I CAN'T BELIEVE IT I EVEN CURSED EXPLICITLY I NEVER DO THAT WTFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

Wow. Alec, can you please punch him?

Don't get me wrong. They're shadowhunters, of course it is their duty to prevent this to protect the mundanes. But, delivery?! Show some worry at the prospect of the love of your parabatai's life dying??? before continuing with business as usual?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SAME CLARY, BECAUSE WTF?! I REPEAT, WTF!!!! Didn't she listen to Helen at all? It's not going to protect her, it's going to blast her to frakking pieces. Wtf how dumb is she??? Hääääääääääää?????

lol Simon, you'd just stab yourself in the eye with it XD But I appreciate the sentiment XD

I AM THIS CLOSE TO JUST, RECORD MY LAUGHTER BECAUSE I'M DYYYYYING OVER HERE OKAY HAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHA Also he should call Maia, because life as a werewolf suxx way less than life as a vampire. Then again, IMMORTAL HUSBANDS SIGN ME THE F UP, IMMORTAL ALEC WAS ENDGAME ALL ALONG AHAHAHAHAHA YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Okay, on a more coherent note. I LOVE this line. I was so painfully deprived of Alec throwing himself into risk and action just to protect and help Magnus during 3B that it's not even funny. So this was really awesome. But, consider this: if he really wanted to go through with it he'd have to wait like a whole day before the transformation is completed, so uhhh impracitcal.

YES. YES. PLEASE MORE OF ENRAGED ALEC SCOLDING THEM LIKE THE KIDS THEY ARE. (But, uh, ragefully running away from his sire in spe wasn't the cleverest move if he wants to go through with it immediately ahaha XD)

I mean, nice of them to contriubute. All it took was Alec (!!!!!) flipping his shit. It seems they didn't have the idea to look into something themselves. Lol I'm inclined to be with Lilith on that one, are they even worth it??? Smh.

Full disclosure, for the longest time I was sure those were burning dog shit piles XD

Can we talk about how Jonathan is at a point where he doesn't really seem to care if he lives or dies because everything is pointless to him? (Btw if I manage to actually write the epic 3x21+22 rewrite I have in mind then it'd start here.)

I mean this was smooth and all, but......? Wasn't Meliorn like, totally over Izzy? I'm meaning this in a premonition-y way, not just this line. His rekindled feelings come pretty much out of nowhere.

I get that this is the alliance rune from the books. But why the hell would she do that in this situation instead of a rune that allows Shadowhunters to survive in Edom? In which universe is alliance rune your first thought instead of resiliance rune?? Or just a plain Accio Magnus rune, ffs!!!Makes no sense.

This is epic and all, but excuse me while I roll my eyes real hard.

Also ignoring the seelie queen and her weird fetish 2.0 because who cares.

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I CCCCCCCCCAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT LORENZO IS A FANBOY HAHAHAHA I BET YOU HE WILL CORNER SIMON AT SOME POINT AND BEG HIM FOR AN AUTOGRAPH HAHAHAHAHA

“As my first act on the Downworld Council...”

So you mean to tell me that from 3x02 til 3x21 actually only a week passed? Because the Downworld Council meetings are weekly scheduled??? Tf hahaha.

Hahahhahhaa I mean I totally get why he reacts that way. Also, may I ask the dreaded question: WHERE THE F IS CATARINA???????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No honestly, I give up. I just. I give up.

Hahahahaha

“The angels wouldn't have given me this power if they didn't want me to use it.”

Premonition!Ralf: Ha. Hahahhahaha. Ha.

THE COMEDY WE DESERVE HAHAHAHA

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA PERFECT!!!! Not least because it's immediately followed by

which makes it seem as if Lorenzo is complimenting Meliorn's prowess as a lover LOL

SIGH. So in 3x10 it was the portal that allowed Magnus to EASILY travel back to Earth, not Asmodeus kindly giving him a lift. So then let me ask why the hell he didn't make a portal like this in 3x20?! Did he already know he wouldn't be able to seal the rift but would have to keep it closed 24/7? Ridiculous. Also, why does Alec even ask this, since he saw Magnus use that exact same portal in 3x10.

I think you should have held frikkin hands.

HAHAHA ALEC, HONEY, WHAT WOULD YOU WRITE ANYWAY???? “We're right here, next to those withered trees. There's sand on the ground and wraiths in the sky. Everything looks red. And from here I can see that one ruin!!”

Weird Lorenzo & Alec bonding is intriguing. That's all I'm saying on the matter for now. I'm reserving judgement.

(Edit: After watching both 3x21 and 3x22 this clearly marks the point where Lorenzo's Instant Redemption Arc sets in and simultaneously comes to a close. Thanks, I hate it. Let antagonists be antagonists, dammit. At the end of the day not everyone is a goody two-shoes. That's life. UGH. Also, let me introduce my theory that while traveling between Earth and Edom Lorenzo's character was ripped from him in a severe Plot Convenience Turbulence. What a shame.)

But hell yeah to Alec's emotions running rampant and him being unable to control the magic. Another headcanon confirmed (that I didn't really knew I had, lol).

Hahahahha dude could you be any more pretentious XD XD XD

Hahahahahahaha this is the best day of my life.

Hahahaha Meliorn just got promoted to one of my favorites. Better late than never amiright.

I get this, this taking stock conversation, from a meta standpoint. But BITCH CAN YOU FOCUS ON MAGNUS FOR ONCE IN YOUR SELF-ABSORBED LIFE IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK WTF DAMMIT

Yeah, me too. Who knew demonic transformations came with a villain hairdo make over?? Nature truly is beautiful.

Me, watching: I might be totally oblivous, but did this crown always have a stripe thing on the top, too? Ralf, editing this reaction post: Yes. Yes it did. You're not as observant as you like to think. Me, reading that: .......harsh

..........do I have to understand why he isn't running away screaming? I get the instinct to wreak havoc because everything hurts and is pointless but wtf, the seelie queen is doing the exact same things Lilith did to him. Using him, only seeing him as a power source that has to be cultivated but has no feelings, no worth, and weirdly kissing him. He should, for all intents and purposes, be running for the hills. (But also, uh, neat nail polish and rings, seelie queen. You've got style.)

HAHAHAHA I mean, I already prepared two Jeliorn Dumb Comics, but this is reaching ridiculous levels XD XD XD I'm soooo here for it.

Hahahahaha XD XD XD

“Runes bubbling back, incredible” Yeah, no shit. I'm not buying. I could even largely argue my point, making references to the seelies that got “treated” in 3x17 that weren't rendered half-human-half-angel but mundane, meaning they lost their angelic part, too, meaning the serum removes angelic blood as well as demon blood. But since I couldn't care less about Luke (right now or in general? That's your guess to make) I'm not even getting worked up over it XD

Dude, you're aware this is like the perfect opening for getting a verbal diss, right?

Wow, three seconds a shadowhunter and here we are with the racist jokes again. That was quick.

Also, let me say how exceedingly ridiculous it is that Luke just walks out of there with a “No thank you” and Evil Praetor Guy does nothing against it literally because Luke said “But blackmailing me would mean you're evil ;__;”

bitch please

Look, can we appreciate this a little more? Like, a lot more??? Can I pause the episode here and stare at this for half an hour or something????? Alec saying he's willing to just, leave behind life as he knew it, very possibly never seeing anyone of his family again, just so he gets to stay with Magnus? I mean, that's some Major Immortal Alec Energy right there. Serve me more please.

..................wow instead I get Clary depriving me of a Malec Reunion Smooch wtf?! Uuuhhhh no thank you!!!!

AHAHAHA THAT SUFFERING FACE HAHAHAHAHA OMG AMAZING Kicked Pouting Suffering Puppy Jace <3<3<3

Btw what Jace said about Simon really gave me something to think about. I'm confused but intrigued. I like.

[javocjovian]

Exorcising Those Demons, SPN Bingo

Title: Exorcising Those Demons Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17444402/chapters/42482468 Square Filled: Fake Relationships Ship: Rowenazar (Rowena x Balthazar) Rating: M Tags: Flirting, mentions of sex, slight gore/violence, humor. Sam, Dean, and Crowley are 200% done. Summary: Rowena interrupts a demon interrogation led by Sam, Dean, and Balthazar with unexpected results. Word Count: 1378

Created for @spnkinkbingo​

No quote. This is complete crack. Sorry not sorry XD

x

Exorcising Those Demons

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii...".

"Tell us what you know!"

The demon chained to a chair cackled.

"Omnis legio! Omnis con potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii..."

"This isn't going to work," Balthazar sighed. "Can't we just kill him?"

"Trust me,” Dean ignored Balthazar and approached the devil’s trap, "sending you back to Crowley will be much worse than death."

The demon spat blood and laughed victoriously.

"Omnis legio!” Sam rose his voice. “Omnis congregatio et secta diabolica!"

The demon roared and began to shake violently.

"Tell us where it is!" Dean roared back.

"Ergo! Draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica..."

The demon's head fell back and his mouth opened wide...

BANG

Sam, Dean, Balthazar, and the demon turned their heads towards the door.

Rowena MacLeod, sopping wet from the storm and looked harassed, burst into the abandoned church.

"Hello boys! My what a party you all are having! Hope you don't mind one more." She sang, trotting right up to Sam.

Sam stared at her in disbelief, "Actually, we do-"

"Now now, Samuel," Rowena was already taking out a tiny mirror and fixing her hair, "if you'll let me, I have a wee spell to remove that stick from up your arse."

Balthazar rose a brow.

"Uh... Rowena," Dean turned on her, "we're kind of in the middle of something here."

The demon giggled.

BANG

The door burst open again, making the five of them jump. Rowena squeaked and hid behind Balthazar.

A handsome, older gentleman in a suit vest and slacks sauntered in. There was a scratch by his eye that was bleeding into his carefully sculpted beard.

"There! That's the man! Get him boys!" Rowena hollered.

The man exposed a fanged grin.

Sam and Dean raised their guns at once.

"What the hell, Rowena?" Dean said.

"What are you waiting for?" She yelled.

"Rowena..." the man simpered, walking towards them desperately, "please, can't we discuss this like adults?"

Sam shot him in the chest, but he waded right through it.

"Are you two daft? Kill him!" She shrieked.

"Rowena, love..." he begged, "we can make this work!"

Dean rolled his eyes, "this is ridiculous." He grabbed a sword from the table beside the demon and attacked. He tried to cut the vamp's head off, but the man dodged, grabbed Dean by the collar, and threw him like a rag doll across the warehouse.

Sam paled, "What the hell did you get us into, Rowena?"

Rowena snarled and stepped out from behind Balthazar, "It's over, Winston! Over! I don't want to see you anymore!"

"You can't get rid of me that easily," Winston warned.

"I... I'm seeing someone else…!" Rowena blinked, putting on a quick but nasty smile, "and you can't touch him. He's even more powerful than you," She sneered.

"Is that so?" He asked skeptically.

"Erm..." Rowena looked around desperately.

Balthazar looked half amused half annoyed at the unexpected conflict. He caught Rowena’s glance just in time to sputter a confused, "wha...?" before Rowena got on her tiptoes, swept her arms around Balthazar, and kissed him passionately.

Dean looked up from a pile of boxes. Sam lowered his gun. Winston looked crestfallen, and the demon was idly inspecting his fingernails.

The kiss lasted far too long. Sam coughed. Dean groaned. Finally, Rowena slid off of Balthazar who now had an arm around her waist. Balthazar shared a shocked look with Winston, who was paralyzed.

“You...” Winston rose a shaking finger at her and approached, “...trollop! You whore! You…!”

"Oh bloody hell... " Balthazar sighed. He flicked his wrist and the vampire exploded, spraying Sam with blood and viscera.

Rowena sighed in surprise, "Oh!"

Sam gagged.

"Rowena!" Dean shouted, clambering out of the ruined boxes. "What was that?"

"Tell me about it!" Rowena said. "What kind of apology was that?"

"No,” Sam helped Dean over, "he means... what was that." He pointed his gun at the bloody pile in the middle of the warehouse.

"Oh." Rowena deflated, "Winston,” She answered shortly, "the incredibly wealthy and tragically single heir to a large family estate that I was kind of courting. Turns out the family was head of the largest vampire nest in New Hampshire so..."

"So you led him here. To us!" Sam accused.

"Of course!" Rowena said, glancing flirtatiously up at Balthazar, "You boys usually have an angel up your sleeve. Although I must say I like this version much better..." She slid her palms up Balthazar’s chest.

Balthazar smirked.

"And... you're leaving," Dean said. “You've done enough damage here..."

"Oh, I dunno," Balthazar interjected, "I think she could do some more." He winked at her.

Rowena giggled and pressed herself against Balthazar.

"Really?" Sam sighed, "this is an exorcism, if you hadn’t noticed."

"An exorcism?" Rowena glanced at the demon dismissively, "Why don't you just kill him?"

Balthazar looked at them exasperatedly, "That's what I said!"

"You know what?" Dean picked up the sword and rounded on the demon. The demon gave a startled shout before Dean decapitated him. His fell to the floor with dull ‘thud’.

Sam sighed.

"There. Exorcism over." Dean threw the blade on the ground, "now, how many vampire-mobster-family hit lists are we on now?"

"Oh, goodness,” Rowena said, “All of them."

Balthazar chuckled darkly.

Crowley was having a terrible day in Hell. The contracts were never-ending, the demons were petty and insufferable, and there was never enough infant blood to go around. At four o clock Crowley fancied himself a kip and slipped away to his royal bed chambers. Except, he heard an odd noise coming from inside. It sounded like a woman dying in agony. He pushed the doors open, hoping it was his mother.

Fortunately, it was his mother. Unfortunately, she wasn’t dying in agony.

"Mother!"

"Fergus!"

"Oscar Wilde!"

Crowley and Rowena both looked at Balthazar.

“What, I thought we were just saying names...”

Rowena and Balthazar's shamelessly nude, intertwined bodies were draped in Crowley's expensive furs and silks, and Crowley's aged bottle of scotch was opened and half drunk.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Crowley snapped.

“What’s it look like, Fergus?” Rowena scoffed, “maybe you should try knocking next time!”

“It’s my room!” Crowley glared at the both of them, "Out! Both of you!”

"How rude...”

“...That’s your son, then?” Balthazar asked casually.

“Some son he is! You’d think the King o’ Hell would have enough on his plate to spend a whole day at work! For once!”

“While you screw Raphael in my bed?”

“It’s Balthazar,” Rowena corrected him.

"Oh, please," Balthazar turned to Crowley, "call me Daddy." He winked.

Rowena smirked.

"Out!"

“Okay, but, I am still inside your mother.”

“NOW!”

Sam and Dean spent the whole day looking for another demon to interrogate, this time without Balthazar’s help. But they had no luck. They returned to their motel room surly and exhausted.

“How are we going to find Lucifer’s crypt now, Dean?” Sam asked as Dean let them inside.

“You think I know?”

"Oh, you're looking for one of Lucifer's crypts?”

Sam and Dean raised their guns towards the intruder lounging on Dean’s bed. Crowley had a glass of Scotch and was flipping Dean’s porn magazines, wearing nothing but a motel robe.

“Why didn't you ask me sooner? It's on route 83 just past the diner."

Sam and Dean exchanged looks.

"Why are you here, Crowley?" Sam asked hotly.

"Because I can't stand one more minute around Mother.” Crowley threw the magazine aside.

Dean caught it gingerly. Sam gave him a look.

“Did you know she's brought an angel to my lair?” Crowley ranted. “My lair! An angel!"

Sam and Dean made uncomfortable sounds.

"That arrogant bastard," Crowley took a long sip and recrossed his legs.

"Uh Crowley... " Sam shielded his eyes painfully, “Could you uh, maybe put some more clothes on?”

“No,” Crowley replied immediately. “And I suggest one of you get another room. Unless you want to share.” His voice dropped to a sultry tone and he rose a brow at Dean.

Dean glared, “I’m sleeping in the car.”

Crowley shifted his gaze to Sam, “Works for me. Say, Samantha, why don’t we push the beds together tonight, hm?”

“I’ll join you,” Sam said stiffly as he followed Dean back outside.

Crowley shrugged and regally sipped his drink.

[ofcupidslove]

𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑡: 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑠

SUMMARY: Taking place during the time warp event, Cupid and Belgirel find Diligence on a pirate ship in the middle of the ocean. As they bring Dil back onto their ship, they are met by Aamon who’s been observing a pattern of escalating recklessness between Cupid and Belgirel.  TRIGGERS: Violence, Death Threats, Depression, PTSD, Suicidal Ideation  WRITTEN WITH: @cfdiligence, @ofhellsbells, @ofdivinerage​

DILIGENCE: Now if you asked Diligence if it was his fault he got kidnapped by pirates, he would struggle to answer. It wasn't in his nature to lie, but he also didn't enjoy the idea of admitting the truth. That perhaps the clothes he'd worn, while century appropriate, were a bit too regal in this area. That just maybe, when he encountered what he now knew as Pirates, he should have been more cautious. He didn't like to lie, but he wasn't super fond of the truth either. Now he was at sea, in an unknown land and time, and he really needed to figure out his best course of action. Reasoning with the pirates seemed to be a moot point.  They didn't seem to believe him when he said that he wasn't related to nobility. He was in the brig, though it technically wasn't called the brig yet. He was fairly sure it was 1705 when the term originated. Nonetheless, he needed to think of a plan to escape. Then he heard commotion above. He braced himself for whatever or whoever would enter below. Perhaps these new pirates would see less use of for him. Maybe he could fake his death and get back to land? Hmmm. "Hello?" He spoke politely, despite the situation (there was never a call for rudeness, after all), when the door creaked open.

CUPID: She knew there was someone aboard this ship who was from her timeline. She could feel them. So, she and Belgirel decided to commandeer the ship in search of these individuals. They docked their own pirate ship not too far away as Cupid swung in and landed on the deck of the ship they'd just commandeered. An opposing pirate came at her with their sword, but she blocked their hit before kicking them overboard. And with that it was on. Belgirel's crew came flying onto the ship. There was screaming, yelling, boots stomping, swords swinging left and right. Some more people were being thrown overboard in the commotion. Cupid followed the sensation of home until she reached the brig of the ship. "They're in here," she called out to Belgirel. The hello caught her attention and she whipped around to face the bolted door again. She was pretty sure she knew who was behind the door and Belgirel wasn't going to like it.

BELGIREL: Searching for Cupid's friends was a lot of fun. The pirate thing had mostly been Maze's fun for a long time, but she was off with the other Maze in Hell, talking to Lucifer. She'd left her pirate ship in their hands. Hopefully it would stay in one piece by the time they were done with it, but Belgirel made no such promises. Fighting another pirate ship was obviously bound to leave some damages, but they could all be fixed at some point. Not when Belgirel was around because they were not going to put in that kind of work. They only did this for Cupid. They were willing to do just about anything for Cupid, regardless of which Cupid she was and regardless of which universe she came from. They fought alongside Cupid once they boarded the other ship, easily winning fights against the pirates, even without their angelic strength. Once they finished defeating the pirates, they joined Cupid at the door. "Allow me," they offered with a grin as they kicked the door in. It flung off of its hinges onto the ground. They walked into the brig only to see who was in there. "Nope, there's nobody here." Belgirel shrugged and tried to lead Cupid back towards their ship.

DILIGENCE: Diligence wished it'd been a stranger behind the door. Or even his previous pirate captors. The only saving grace was the embodiment of love (well, the other embodiment of love that was not his sister). He would always consider himself lucky to be Cupid's friend, and perhaps with her here Belphegor would be a bit more bearable. (Though, Dil highly doubted it). He considered keeping quiet as Belphegor tried to deny his presence, perhaps it would have been for the best. But he disliked the way his eyes were adjusting to the darkness, and he missed the sight of the sky. It hadn't been that long admittedly, but the lack of freedom was daunting. It was funny how simple pleasures such as seeing the sky could mean so much when stolen. So, Diligence took the bullet and enforced his presence. "Ah, no. I'm here." He raised his voice a bit louder (not yelling though however, he wasn't rude and there was no call for it). "I'm a somebody." Not the 'nobody' that Belphegor proclaimed. Dil tried to remind himself that the presence of Belphegor probably wasn't as bad as those filthy and rude pirates. (He couldn't quite convince himself. )

CUPID: She stepped aside as Belgirel knocked the door off its hinges. Dust fluttered around the room and blocked her view but she knew someone was in there. She gave them a look that said oh really when they proclaimed otherwise and tried to leave. "Gears," she knew very well who was in the brig. "Unless your universe wants to keep him, you know he has to come with me," she pointed out as she tugged at their hand to pull them back when Dil made his presence known to them. "How the heaven did you get here, Daffodil?" she asked as she embraced him. She knew Belgirel wasn't thrilled to see them, but she was always glad to see a familiar face. "I mean not here, here...not the universe," she knew how they'd all ended up there. "I mean the pirate ship." He didn't strike her as the type to be slumming it with pirates. Based on his fancy coat and the fact that he was in the brig, the pirates weren't exactly calling him matie either. "How'd you end up with a bunch of pirates?"

BELGIREL: They knew Cupid wouldn't really fall for that, but they'd hoped for it anyways. They groaned when Cupid had to use facts and logic on them, and Diligence only made himself more known by calling out to them. "Okay, but consider. We weigh him down and throw him off the ship. He stays underwater forever, and neither universe has to deal with him. Boom. We save everyone the trouble." They let her pull them back anyways, but they weren't happy about it. "Doesn't look like a somebody," they grumbled, crossing their arms and looking away as Cupid hugged Diligence. "He probably tried to lecture them about trying harder, so they locked him up. And can you blame them really? I'd throw him in the brig too. In fact, let's leave him in this brig and sink the ship. I think that'd work out . . . swimmingly."

DILIGENCE: Daffodil, one of the only nicknames he didn't hold disdain for. Along with it came a person he greatly admired and respected. Then there was Belphegor. "The century or the ship?" He asked, he was fairly sure she meant the ship but it was good to be accurate. Asking questions never hurt, it just broadened the horizons of your learning. He hugged her back, finding comfort in the familiar face. Cupid was quick to classify her initial question, which was just as he suspected. "I came across the pirates, and they mentioned a ship. Then gave me the opportunity to board and observe it." Opportunity sounded a lot better then kidnapping. Then again, was it really a kidnapping if you could have stopped them if needed? He squared his gaze toward Belphegor. Swimmingly. Ha. "I do have to admit, your presence makes that idea more appealing than it has any right to be."

CUPID: It wasn't going to be easy to convince Belgirel to let Dil tag along (it also wasn't going to be easy to convince Dil to go with it), but it was for Diligence's own good that he stay close to Cupid. Cupid couldn't return home without the virtue. Chastity would be upset and Cupid wasn't the type to leave an angel behind. She left Belgirel on the battlefield after they defended her against one of the fallen and that was the last time she got a chance to see them. Up until now anyway. "The Michael from my universe will come looking for him," Cupid pointed out. "I don't think the world is ready for two Michaels." Cupid gave Dil a skeptical look when he explained how he got on the pirate ship. "They let you observe the ship...from the brig?" she gestured around them. "Gotta say, that's an interesting place to catch the full pirate experience." She didn't buy it for a second and neither did Belgirel. "You two argue like Maze and I do," she laughed. "Look, we've got a job to do and I need all hands on deck. So, Captain Belgirel and Commodore Diligence, I evoke the right to parlay."

BELGIREL: They didn't see how that would be any kind of problem for them. Belgirel doubted they would have to deal with that Michael. He would just come find Diligence and send him back. Belgirel wouldn't have to see either of them, so it sounded like a win-win. "Let Michael come for him then." They shrugged, but they made no actual action against the little virtue. "Horse shit." They coughed into their hands. Diligence was just like the one that Belgirel knew. He didn't like to admit he fucked up either. They didn't argue with Cupid about the fact that they argued like she and Maze did. She wasn't wrong, but they didn't find it that funny. They didn't like arguing with Diligence. They just wanted him gone. They'd been having a good time up until running across him, and just his presence was making their head hurt. "We have enough hands." They spread out their form. Thousands of arms waved fluidly behind them beneath their other set of wings. "We don't need his, and he's not a commodore." Commodores were ranked higher than captains, and there was no way Belgirel would be ranked anywhere beneath Diligence of all people. "He's a stowaway or a prisoner at best." They glared at Diligence. "See, he wants to. We ought to give him what he wants, Cupid."

DILIGENCE: Diligence was touched at the idea Michael would have come searching for him. Though he disagreed at the idea of two Michael's as a liability (He was the Lord Commander after all). "'Let' is the correct word." Just not in the context of the pirates 'letting' him observe the ship. It was more like Diligence 'let' himself get kidnapped for the sake of seeing a real life pirate ship and the ocean. Back in the day, when this past was present, he had dismissed so much of this for the sake of else. Now, thrust back into the chance, he wouldn't let the opportunity slide to see history at full capacity. Even if Belphegor called it horse shit, which it was not! It was a learning opportunity. Being compared to Cupid and Maze wasn't something Dil thought he'd ever hear. "I don't suppose that's a compliment." He noted with faint amusement. He grinned at the mention of parlay. "Code of the Pirate Brethren, set down by Morgan and Bartholomew, that allowed any person to invoke temporary protection and brought before the captain to "negotiate" without being attacked until the parley is complete." Diligence rattled off the definition with glee, happy to hear it used in its proper setting. "I'm good with parlay." He quirked his brow at the sight of Belphegor using their full form, it wasn't a common sight. Despite his dislike of the archangel, Diligence would admit it was impressive. Though, it was very different then what he'd come to expect from Belphegor, admittedly. "I'm capable of being a commodore." He was. Diligence was sure he was capable if he could put his mind to it. Nonetheless, Belphegor continued with a glare (it was very different from their usual look of annoyance). "Perhaps to the pirates, but I don't think Cupid would ever keep me prisoner." Belphegor, the way they were currently acting, perhaps.

CUPID: "Well, let's not let the pirates do anything else. They aren't known for their bedside manner, Dil." Some of them knew enough to be dangerous to even creatures like herself and Diligence. Cupid knew this because she'd also let herself get captured a time or two back in her universe. If curiosity was a sin she would've fallen a long time ago. "If we be pirates, we play by their rules, gentlemen. I've called for a truce and a truce we shall have. So, Belgirel put the wings away and Daffodil we aren't in Kansas anymore so please take caution and just...follow my lead." Dil hadn't had the opportunity to interact with Belgirel much in heaven or during the war and Cupid was thankful for that. It certainly would've ended with Diligence dying if they had met. But it also meant that Dil didn't know how much more serious threats from Belgirel were than from their twin. If after this Dil didn't consider himself lucky that their sloth variant was Belphegor, she'd be surprised. "Gears, put it away, come on..." she tugged at one of their hands to put some distance between them and Dil. "Look," she lowered her voice to a whisper so that only Belgirel could hear her. "If he gets annoying, you can put him to sleep in a safe space on the Morningstar. But he has to come back with me. He's Chastity's brother and I can't just leave him behind," she gave Gears her best pleading eyes and hoped that they would listen.

BELGIREL: The more Diligence opened his mouth, the more Belgirel really considered putting him six feet under. They hadn't yet because they were being as civilized for Cupid as they could be. They'd mainly just tried to talk her into being okay with getting rid of him, but she didn't seem to be budging on the matter. They did as she asked, grumbling as their form went back to looking more human. “Not on my ship, you're not.” Technically, it was Mazikeen's ship, but they were in charge of it now, and she wouldn't be happy about some virtue being in control of any part of it. She probably wouldn't have been happy about Cupid either, but she was mostly accustomed to Cupid's presence at least, even if it was a different Cupid. “If it keeps you alive, she might, and you are very close to being alive no longer if you continue arguing with me,” they threatened as they allowed Cupid to pull them away. “He's already annoying,” they pointed out, not bothering to whisper as they insulted him. It didn't matter if he heard that or not, but they whispered for the rest of what they said to her. “But fine,” they sighed. “I'm not going to kill him,” they agreed. “I won't make you lose anyone else, but I won't promise not to punch him if he really gets on my nerves. There's more than one way to put him to sleep.”

DILIGENCE: He couldn't argue with that one. Pirates were tricky, and sometimes dangerous. It was better not to have risked it at all. Not to say he regretted his choice, he enjoyed the first hand account, but still. Caution was well deserved in this situation. Before, Dil had convinced it was a trick of the ears. Perhaps he had wrong over the ocean waves, or misheard entirely. Maybe it was even a pet name or nickname. But no, this time he heard with clarity, Belgirel. Not Belphegor. He still remembered the day Belgirel was killed, the ruin in the wake of their demise. Could this truly be them?? Gears. Yes, that couldn't be a nickname for Belphegor at all. This was not Belphegor. Even that threat, was decidedly not Belphegor. It was different than anything Diligence had come to know from that particular sin. There was more to edge to it, more air of caution that he shouldn't cross. The two of them spoke amongst themselves for a moment, and Diligence couldn't help but be sure it was about him (why else whisper?). He used the moment to take account of his situation. He needed to be more cautious, not just around the pirates. Once they seemed to be settled on their discussion, Diligence spoke up somewhat eager to change the subject at hand (especially now that he knew he was playing with fire more than sparks). "How did you two end up on the seas?"

CUPID: She was relieved when Belgirel relented and allowed for a truce. "I can live with that," she agreed. Dil at least knew how to take a punch. This one would likely hurt a lot more given that it was coming from an archangel, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that. It appeared Diligence was coming to the realization that he needed to tread lightly. Belgirel had a much shorter fuse than Belphegor. "Oh, you know, the usual," Cupid smiled when Dil asked how she'd gotten to this point. "Apparently, the universe isn't really fond of having two Cupids in one place. It's sort of...throwing things off." As if to prove her point, one of the pirates flailed off the ship screaming something about being able to fly before dropping down into the depths below like a cement block. "Anyway, I tried to get away from the village so I didn't hurt people, ended up getting into an argument with Maze as one does, then we got kidnapped by a Pirate Maze, then Belgirel showed up. Long story short, I've got a week, maybe a week and a half to collected as many of our people as I can before the Archangels send us back to our timeline. Do you want to help or do you want to nap until it's done?" she asked Dil. She knew which answer Gears was hoping Diligence would give but then again, she wasn't asking them.

BELGIREL: They didn't imagine that they would actually do much damage to Diligence. Although Diligence was an extreme annoyance, he was Cupid's friend, and they wouldn't do anything to make her go through more trauma by making her lose her friend. Belgirel also knew Chastity well, and they liked her. They wouldn't make her lose her brother, even if he deserved it. They were surprised that he seemed to change his tune when they came back to him, but they didn't trust it. It seemed to have come out of nowhere, but Belgirel was being civil for now. “I saw you all arriving, and I just followed Cupid to see what she was getting up to.” They shrugged. “I've been blocking the other archangels from being able to sense her since she got here.” They quirked a brow at Cupid when she blatantly asked Diligence if he wanted to help or nap. They didn't expect her to actually ask him, but they didn't say anything about it.

DILIGENCE: Diligence nodded, instantly taking her word for it. It made sense after all. "It senses something off balance and tries to correct it, I assume." He grimaced. "Nothing awfully bad has happened though, right? You're okay?" She seemed well adjusted, but then again Cupid always did. She just told him the universe was throwing her around and had a smile on her face. So yeah, Diligence worried a little bit. He blinked at the pirate, then looked back to the duo. "As one does." He teased her gently, understanding all too well. One day they would have to compare notes, perhaps figure out together how to avoid the arguments. Logic and experience dictated, however, they would fail. Not that Diligence would ever stop trying even if he did fail, and he believed Cupid would do the same. "Pirate Maze?" He didn't know Mazikeen well, but somehow the idea of her as a pirate was fitting. "That was good thinking." He complimented Belgirel regarding masking Cupid from the archangels, surprising even himself. He did mean it though, Diligence would always compliment good thinking when he saw it, even if it was someone he had animosity with. Diligence nodded, taking in her information with the utmost seriousness. He refrained from saying I'm not one for napping, on the basis the sin of Sloth itself might take it as a jab (it wasn't, he just didn't nap in general). "I'd like to help in anyway I could."

CUPID: "Yeah the natural order has an...interesting way of correcting things," she grimaced. She didn't directly answer Dil's question when they asked her if she was okay. She wasn't and hadn't been for a long time, but she was holding it together. "I'll be okay," she promised. She wasn't okay now but she had to believe one day she would be. "Pirate Maze is somehow an even bigger ass than the actual Maze, so I'd watch out for her if you run into her on the ship." Belgirel wouldn't let Pirate Maze kill Cupid, but they wouldn't extend the same protection to Diligence. She was surprised when Dil complimented Belgirel's forward thinking and even Dil seemed to be surprised by it too, but she elected not to stir the waters between these two entities. "Good," she smiled when Dil said he wanted to help them with their quest. "Come on, let's get back on the Morningstar." Cupid made her way up to the main deck of the pirate ship they'd commandeered. The demon crew had already rounded up all the pirates and was now shifting loot from that ship onto the Morningstar. Cupid didn't mind them doing so as long as her people got collected and placed safely aboard. On this particular ship, Dil was the only one who belonged to her timeline. Cupid crossed the narrow plank that connected the two ships and made her way back onto the Morningstar. As soon as she was on the ship, she felt a familiar presence...on that wasn't Belgirel's alone. "Ah fuck..." she sighed, she turned on her heels and was face to face with Aamon.

AAMON: Aamon had heard rumors about what was going on on Earth. He'd even seen two Mazikeen's in hell which he was sure Lucifer was thrilled about. The one rumor that Aamon didn't like was that there was now an additional Cupid in his universe. One Cupid did enough damage on her own. And wherever there was a Cupid, there was at least one twin willing to do something stupid to keep her safe. So, his first instinct was to check in on Belgirel. Lo and behold, the other Cupid was the first person he ran into when looking for Belgirel. He raised an eyebrow when the Cupid noticed him. My, my...this little dove was more than damaged. He could feel the rage deep blow the surface that wasn't present in the Cupid that belonged to his timeline. Interesting. "Cupid," he greeted. Belgirel followed closely after her. "Gears. I see you've been busy."

BELGIREL: “Some way of correcting things,” they grumbled. All that really did was hurt people, Cupid included. “She's not bad,” Belgirel defended. They liked their universe's Maze. She was always fun to have around, and she made their brother happy. “She's just cautious about us causing problems for Lucifer, and she's used to eliminating threats.” They shrugged. “But yeah she'd definitely kill you.” That was mainly because Belgirel would let her and maybe encourage her a little. They didn't look like they thought much of Diligence's compliment, but it did surprise them. It was just a matter of fact, but they still hadn't expected him to say something positive about them.  Belgirel followed Cupid up onto the deck, ignoring Diligence saying he wanted to help. He could help clean the ship at least.

They sensed the presence of another archangel as they came out of the ship, and they grinned as they recognized it as Aamon. They quickly controlled their expression, turning it into an angry glare as they stormed over to him. “It's better than being bored. I heard you've been causing trouble in Salem.” They put a hand on his shoulder and punched Aamon in his gut.

DILIGENCE: "Noted." Regular Maze hardly liked him (that was more of a guess, he avoided direct contact on account of her many knives), he would stand far out of the way of Pirate Maze. "The Morningstar?" This time his voice was filled with loose amusement. Perhaps he should have been more insulted at the ship being named after the devil, but he couldn't blame Cupid (or Belgirel, especially Belgirel) in their affection toward Lucifer. Family was family. It was simple as that. Being left alone with Belgirel was not, and never would, be on Diligence's to-do list. There was danger in it. Danger that being alone with Belphegor lacked. So when Cupi stepped away, Diligence was on her tracks. Of course, Belgirel was too, but he basked in the silence. He was grateful that they cared for Cupid enough to appease to her wishes of a lack of a fight. He was a bit behind of Belgirel on account of maintaining a safe distance. But all thoughts of the threat Belgirel held ceased upon seeing Aamon. It had been a long time since he'd seen any violence between the archangels, Diligence knew better then to interfere. He would keep his voice down, observe with caution, and if things got heated, he'd try and minimalize the damage. Not that there was much he could do when it came down to it.

CUPID: She side eyed Begirel as they defended Maze. "This is a cosmic punishment because I defended Dil two minutes ago, isn't it?" she joked. She could hear the amusement in Dil's voice when they told him the name of the ship. "I didn't name her, that was all Maze," she replied as they made their way onto the ship in question. She felt tense and rigid as Aamon addressed her. Her eyes turned to Belgirel and she allowed them to take the lead in this. But their reaction was even more confusing than she expected. Their features turned angry and they came storming in on Aamon. Cupid's flight or fight response activated and she manifested her quiver, ready to use her arrows if she needed to back Belgirel up. But then she got a good look at them. Cupid knew Belgirel well. This wasn't intentional, out to harm you violence. There was a playful look on their face. This was comradery. The angel slung her quiver across herself and eyed the two from a distance.

AAMON: The archangel grunted when punched before laughing and returning the favor by punching Belgirel all the same. "You know," he chuckled once Gears caught their breath. "I can't take all the credit. Your--" he glanced over at Cupid and then back at Gears. "What do you even call an alternate version of your own wife? Your mistress?" he questioned. "Anyway, the energy she's creating contributed to that as much as I did," he teased. He noticed Diligence come into view just behind Cupid. The Archangel shook his head. "I thought we talked about your questionable choice in friends, Gears," he replied with feigned disappointment. He observed Cupid for a moment as she slung her quiver across herself. She'd really been gearing up to actually fight him if she needed to. Now that was new. Belgirel's own Cupid was annoying but harmless. This Cupid though. Oh, she was broken. Belgirel might've been in tune with her sadness, but Aamon was in tune with her rage and there was a lot of it.

BELGIREL: "Maybe." They shrugged. They did actually believe those things about Mazikeen, and at the very least, she was much better to spend time with than Diligence. "Maze just let us borrow her ship for the time being, so we can have a place to put Cupid's friends until we send them all home." It was only right that the ship was named after someone you loved. If Belgirel had their own ship, they would've named it after Belphegor.

Belgirel clutched their stomach after Aamon punched them, but they were laughing as they righted themself, using Aamon's shoulder as support. "She's actually Belphegor's girlfriend in her universe. Well, . . . they're not officially together because Figs still hasn't figured out that they're in love with each other, and they're already in the year . . . 2021 I think was what you said?" They looked to Cupid for confirmation. "Apparently, they're alive there, and I'm the one who died." They squeezed his shoulder as Aamon started talking about Cupid's contributions towards Salem. "Wow, look at you sharing the credit. That's so nice," they teased. "But I know you've been at this since last year when she wasn't here." She was definitely adding to the problem, but there was no doubting that Aamon started this. Belgirel looked back at Diligence and grimaced. "That one's not my friend. He's more like a parasite that apparently tagged along. "If you want to kill him, you can." They shrugged. They'd said they wouldn't do anything to Diligence, but they wouldn't stop Aamon if he wanted to.

DILIGENCE: Being equated with Maze wasn't something Diligence had ever considered the bounds of reality. He wasn't sure what he thought of it. "Oh?" He knew Mazikeen was loyal to Lucifer, but he hadn't known the depths of such devotion. Wife. In all fairness, if Cupid and Belgirel shared the same relationship as Belphegor and Cupid than it was hardly surprising they were actually married in this world. Remarkably, Diligence found himself happy for them. To feel that kind of love after living for a eternity, choosing to spend your eternity with someone, it was wonderful. There wasn't much disagreement to the 'not my friend' part, but there was an undeniable bitch face at the parasite part. Diligence held his tongue, on account of Aamon. He couldn't afford to be insolent in the face of someone who would kill him, though that might also include Belgirel in this world. The invite to kill him was insulting though. He wasn't much of a runner, and he wasn't much of a coward, so Diligence didn't flee. He did move though, slighting away from Cupid's side in case Aamon did take Belgirel up on the suggestion. He knew she would try to protect him. Belgirel would protect Cupid at all costs, but Diligence still didn't want her in the line of fire. Even in the growing-more-likely situation of him becoming a corpse at the bottom of the ocean, Cupid ws his friend. He wouldn't use her as a shield.

CUPID: Cupid flinched when Aamon punched Belgirel back, but Gears took it in stride. This seemed to be a customary greeting for the two and somehow Cupid wasn't surprised. Belgirel and Aamon had always been close. She gathered that he was here to talk Belgirel into sending her home. It didn't matter what fucking universe they were in, Aamon would never trust her. The feeling's mutual, she thought. Some of the tension in her shoulders eased as she felt Diligence's happiness for the love that Belgirel and their Cupid had. Dil's belief in love was strong and really it was sweet. She nodded when Gears asked her to confirm the year she'd come from. "Yeah, I'm about the oldest thing in your universe right now," she confirmed. The tension returned when Aamon brought up the way her powers were contributing to the havoc he was causing but Belgirel was quick to shut him down. "If we wanna talk about hobbies you should really get some better one's Aamon. You don't change at all between now and 2021. Boring," she yawned. She gave Belgirel an exasperated look when they told Aamon he could kill Diligence if he wanted. As if to prepare himself for some sort of dramatic death, Dil stepped away from her. "Oh for the love of love itself...Do we need to go over the rules of parley? No, you may not kill my friend. In fact," she whistled to get the crews attention. They quieted down and stopped what they were doing. "If anyone tries to harm Diligence in any way, I will do much worse than make you walk the plank. Are we understood?" she glared down each and every crew member until they have an Aye in understanding. She turned to look at Belgirel, matching their false sense of confidence with her own. "Are we savvy, Captain?"

AAMON: He quirked an eyebrow when Belgirel mentioned that this Cupid was actually Belphegor's Cupid. Interesting. "Still hasn't figured it out?" Aamon wasn't surprised but he was a little disappointed. It was the most obvious thing in the world and somehow Belphegor missed it. "That explains why she's so frustrated." She wasn't wrong that she was the oldest thing in this universe at the moment. Her features were youthful but the eyes were a dead giveaway. She'd seen some things in her long life, things that couldn't be changed. He felt Belgirel squeeze his shoulder when Salem came up. So that was a sensitive topic for this Cupid. "You know me, I'm always happy to share the credit when it's due," he grinned. The grin only widened when Cupid called him boring. He kind of liked this Cupid. There was a fierceness to her, she was a wild fire of conflicting emotions. "Well, if you've got some ideas I'm all ears, darling," he smirked. Now, killing Diligence was quite the hobby. It wasn't his universe's Diligence so it's not like his death would have an impact. Aamon could make it as fast or as slow as he wanted. Diligence knew this and almost seemed resigned to it, but Cupid wasn't. That fire inside her flared as she reprimanded Belgirel for even suggesting it. Aamon watched with amused satisfaction as Cupid gathered the attention of the crew. She was relentless in a way that Belgirel's Cupid wasn't. Aamon grinned as she squared up to Belgirel. She was using their own boastful confidence against them. Atta girl. "Oh, I'm sure Belgirel wants to see just how much worse you can make their punishment. Gotta admit, it's a tempting offer."

BELGIREL: "I know, right?" Belgirel said incredulously. "I knew they were slow at understanding love, but that's a bit excessive isn't it. I don't know what they can even do for Figs at this point." They shrugged and then laughed as Aamon commented on Cupid's frustrations. "Among other things, yes. Our siblings in her universe haven't exactly been helping with her frustrations either." They didn't give Aamon details about it just yet. Cupid had told them a lot in confidence, and they weren't going to spill out everything she said, even to their trusted family. They watched with amusement as Diligence stepped away from Cupid as if trying to make sure she didn't caught in the middle of Aamon killing him. He should've stayed close to her. At least then he might've had a chance at survival because Aamon knew that Belgirel wouldn't let anything happen to Cupid, but things only got more interesting as Cupid threatened the crew." They couldn't help smiling as she did it, and they glanced over at Diligence as they thought about pushing her to uphold her threats. They weren't going to hurt Diligence, but that was sure more tempting now. They gave Cupid a once over, picturing what kinds of things she might've tried to do. They let a hand casually point to Aamon, approving what he was saying about them. "It is." They chuckled. "You should let me know what kinds of worse things you'd do to me if I don't comply." They smirked, meeting her eyes.

DILIGENCE: It always amazed him how Cupid had no trouble standing eye to eye with the archangels, especially the ones who became the seven deadly sins. Aamon especially was dangerous, and that appeared to be the case for Belgirel too. Cupid was fearless. Diligence almost envied such a feeling, if he didn't fear it that is (he couldn't let feelings, including courage, blind him. he needed to be able to think with clarity. fear granted you that). He could see her exasperation with his own actions as well, but that had been something Dil was prepared for. It was an unavoidable casualty of trying to make sure she wasn't harmed on his behalf. A folly effort, he now saw, given her explicit threat for anyone who harmed him. "Cupid..." He spoke softly, lacking intent on continuing into a sentence but undeniably touchedby her declaration of protection for his sake. Though the crew were quick to resign to Cupid's threat, the archangels were less convinced (not that that in itself was shocking given who they were). Though, Diligence would admit, Aamon and Belgirel's reaction the threat weren't something he would have guessed. His eyes widened almost comically at the challenge to Cupid, and the look in Belgirel's eyes. Briefly he wondered if this was Hell. Though, in that moment of Belgirel's reaction, Diligence couldn't help think of how different they were compared to the sin of Sloth in his own universe, Belphegor. Identical faces, and the same in some ways, but like night and day in others. Then again, perhaps Diligence was wrong. He didn't know either of them like Cupid did. Yet, he found himself unconvinced at the idea Belphegor was capable of the reaction Belgirel gave.

CUPID: Color rushed to her cheeks as Aamon and Gears talked around her regarding her own relationship with Belphegor. She gave Gears a warning look when he mentioned their siblings from her universe. Cupid didn't trust Aamon with that information. She knew how Aamon handled situations and as fun as it would be to watch Aamon tear into Bells family, she didn't trust he wouldn't take it too far. Especially since he could just go home to his actual siblings in this universe at the end of the day. She calmed only slightly when she heard Diligence calling to her softly after she reamed out the crew. Dil was trying to pull her from the edge of her storm, but it was too late for that.

Her eyes met Belgirel's and she watched his aura change. Passionate lavender shifted to lustful red. Her whole body felt hot and gooseflesh arose on her skin when she realized he was turned on by this. He wanted her to punish him. She broke eye contact and looked away to try to collect herself before she did anything stupid, but it was too late for that too. She spotted a piece of rope hanging loosely off the ship's mast and already had an idea formulating in her head. "Alright, Gears, you wanna know what I'd do to you?" Cupid twirled her finger like she was twirling vine and the rope came to life. It coiled around Belgirel's ankles like a snake and hoisted him upside in the air. She took a step forward and grinned at him as if she'd won the game. "You should really learn to respect your elders, Belgirel. Or maybe just learn to shut your mouth."

She could see his archangel blade secured to a sheath at their side. Cupid pulled the blade out of the sheath. "You can have this back when you apologize to Dil," she empathized as she pocketed the blade. Besides, if Aamon was going to stay on this ship, she needed a way to defend herself and Dil if need be. "Come on, Dil," Cupid took Dil's hand. "Belgirel has some thinking he needs to do and Aamon needs to say goodbye before he goes back to hell." She walked away with Dil and made her way to the Captain's Quarters just behind Aamon and Gears. Here, she would be able to at least eavesdrop on whatever Aamon was going to talk to Gears about.

AAMON: He noticed the sharp look this Cupid gave Belgirel when the topic of their siblings from the other universe came up. There was an air of distrust. Something about the information was sensitive. He'd have to remember to get the details from Gears later. He rolled his eyes when Belgirel pushed forward, asking this Cupid what she'd do to him. He could feel tension radiating from both of them. Aamon, the crew, hell even the ship were invisible to the pair in this moment. Normally Aamon would've supported this, but not from these two. Not when there was a void in play. They were playing with each other's chaos.

Belgirel's own Cupid would've backed down, but this one did something neither Aamon nor Belgriel anticipated. Rope sprung to life and a moment later, Belgirel was hanging by their ankles looking like he was having the time of his life. Aamon didn't make a move to free him. If Belgirel really wanted to, he could get down. He could stop Cupid in her tracks. But he didn't want to stop her; he wanted her to keep going and going and going. She was winding him up, making him manic. She wasn't expanding her power onto him, but just the sheer nature of who she was was driving Belgirel's own chaos. Aamon quirked an eyebrow when Cupid took Belgirel's blade. He thought for a moment that he saw Cupid glance in his direction. He had. She was taking the blade to protect herself from him. A scarier thought arose in his head when he realized this small entity believed she could actually take down a being of Aamon's power on her own. For Belgirel's sake, Aamon wouldn't lay a hand on her, but someone who was just as strong might. And Belgirel would step in to defend her and likely get himself killed.

Aamon watched the fiery Cupid disappear into the Captain's Quarters. He was quite as he leaned against the edge of the ship and observed his brother. "Belgirel..." he kicked at his brother until the rope spun him in a way that allowed him to face Aamon. "You're playing a dangerous game here so I'm only going to ask once. What are you doing?"

BELGIREL: He just smiled more when Cupid averted her gaze. There was something victorious about it that thrilled him. All of this thrilled him really. Between the piracy and the fire this Cupid tended to have in her eyes, it all amped him up. He probably should've been more careful. The void always liked to encourage his chaotic behavior to the point that it was dangerous, but Belgirel could never see anything with Cupid as something dangerous. She was just fun. That was all.

"Oh, I do," he assured her. At this moment, there was nothing he wanted more than to see what kind of punishment she had in store for him. He watched as the rope started to come to life. He was quick enough that he was sure he could've avoided it if he'd wanted to, but he'd been honest before. He'd wanted to see what she would do with this. He laughed as the rope pulled him up into the air. "Bondage? I was kind of expecting more. You really . . .  left me hanging." He giggled. "Aw, come on, Cue. You know me. When do I ever respect my elders? Besides, there's other ways to get me to shut my mouth." He winked at her jokingly. He threw his arms down when she took his blade. "Hey, that's not fair. He doesn't deserve an apology." He rolled his eyes but blew Cupid a kiss as she left. "Love you!" he teased.

He could've just gotten down once she was out of sight, but that was the coward's way out. He'd stay hanging for now. He grinned when Aamon spun him around. "Dangerous? It's Cupid. She's not really going to use that thing to stab anyone, and if she does, I'll just get between her and whoever she's considering stabbing." He shrugged as best he could while upside down.

DILIGENCE: Diligence would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed by Cupid's display. Hoisting Belgirel in the air with such ease and grace, Diligence would also be lying if he said he wasn't amused. Though he didn't often find comedy in actions such as these, this moment was an exception. He blinked his eyes at Cupid's request. "Ah... they don't- it's okay, it's a thing- it happens." There was a connotation, that if Belgirel apologized, Dil would have to as well. It was the respectable thing to do after all, the noble thing, He'd rather not. Plus, though Belgirel took it to sharper extremes then Belphegor, Dil was used to their rumble. Diligence and Sloth were fated not to get along, trading snipes with Belphegor was just like saying hello, hows your day. It was normal. It was Belgirel's more lingering and deadly threats that made snaps in the otherwise safe scenery. There was also something very often putting in the face he assosiated with Belphegor acting as Belgirel did. Almost unnerving. Diligence in his life never thought it'd be possible to miss Belphegor. Of course, he was such he'd regret it soon enough. But alas, in this moment, Diligence missed them. Cupid took his hand and there was safety in it, in her. She was a friend, true and true. So when she led him away, he didn't hesitate to follow.

AAMON: He sighed deeply and rubbed his temples. Belgirel was chaotic to the point that he allowed himself to be blind to the danger before him. The Archangel slipped out his blade and in one rapid motion, he cut the rope holding Belgirel and watched his brother slam into the ground. "You're being manipulated," he replied point blankly. Deep down, he knew Belgirel knew this, but it would take some convincing to bring that to the surface. "It is Cupid, but she is not your Cupid," he looked toward the Captain's Quarters where he was sure Cupid was listening in. "I don't know what happened to this one, but she's broken in a way you can't fix." She was broken in the same way he and Belgirel were broken. It was a fundamental component inside of them that couldn't be fixed. "You feel her sadness..." Aamon pulled his brother to his feet. "I feel her rage and her frustration." He made sure Belgirel was looking him in the eyes now as he spoke. "She would absolutely use your blade to defend herself. You always liked your angels a little free spirited but she isn't a free spirit, Gears. She is a wild fire that will consume everything in its path, including you. You need to send her home. Tonight."

BELGIREL: He tried to prepare himself once Aamon brought out his blade. He knew his brother wasn't going to use it to stab him or anything. It was fairly obvious he was going for the rope. Apparently he had more problems with them hanging upside down than Belgirel did. They landed on the ground with a thud and a grunt. “I could've gotten down on my own, you know?” they pointed out as they dusted themself off. “Cupid wouldn't manipulate me,” not intentionally anyways. No, she'd only manipulate your twin and lie to them their whole life about me, but she'd never do it to you. Belgirel grimaced, but they also knew that it wasn't just Cupid that Aamon was referring to manipulating them. The Void was always trying to do that. Belgirel tried not to listen to it most of the time, but they couldn't help that it hyped them up sometimes. Having Cupid around only hyped them up more, but they refused to see it as a bad thing because it was Cupid. There was nothing truly bad about her. “I'm not saying she is my Cupid, but does it really make a difference?” They didn't think so, but they knew Aamon was right. They knew some of the things that had happened to her, at least what she'd told him. “I'm not trying to fix her. I'm just trying to be there for her. I can at least help, can't I?” They took Aamon's hand as he helped them up. “She's got a lot to be sad and angry about,” they defended, meeting Aamon's eyes. “And if someone is attacking her in a way that she needs to defend herself, maybe she should be able to stab them.” They didn't want her defenseless. “She isn't anything like that. I'll be fine. I'm not sending her home yet. We need to find more of her friends first, and Lucifer said we could have two weeks before we send her home. I'm going to use all of that time.”

AAMON: "No, to her testament she's not doing it intentionally." That was somehow worse. She was doing all of this by the sheer nature of who she was. She was as blind to the danger as Belgirel. Aamon would make her see it too. "Yes, Belgirel, it does make a difference. Your Cupid pulls you back when you get a little out of hand. She grounds you. This one..." he shook his head. "She feeds that fire which feeds your void. She doesn't realizes she's doing it, it's just who she is. She'll hold your hand and drag you onto the battlefield like either of you stand a fighting chance against what's out there." It was harsh and he knew Cupid was listening, but he didn't care. It was a truth that they both needed to hear if they were going to survive the next two weeks together. "She can't be helped, Belgirel. Not by you. I'm sure she's got a lot to be sad and angry about. She's in love with one of two idiots no matter what universe she's in," he sighed. His brothers really were the dumbest sometimes. "But whatever's happened to this Cupid has put her in a place where her flight or fight response is always active." Aamon could feel it. She was always on edge. "Everything is a perceived threat even when it isn't. And her response to threats isn't to run, it's to fight." That was Belgirel's response to threats too, real or imagined. Neither of them would hesitate or take a minute to even think about what was happening, they would just leap to defense. "The only reason she's probably survived this long is because Belphegor's response was usually to run, to get them both out of the situation. Except the one time they didn't and I don't need to remind you of the price they paid for that." Aamon had already lost one brother to their stupid need to defend Cupid. He wasn't going to lose another.

CUPID: She'd sent Dil out to help the crew members. She knew they weren't going to hurt him after the threat she issued. But Cupid herself stayed in the Captain's Quarters. She was, naturally, eavesdropping. It wasn't easy to hear everything, so she quietly opened one of the windows facing the side where Aamon and Gears were talking. She could hear their voices better that way. She caught the conversation just as Gears started to defend her by telling Aamon she wouldn't manipulate him. He was right, Cupid would never intentionally hurt him. The display back there was done because he literally asked for it and he wasn't listening to her. Besides, she hadn't really hurt him in any way. He was able to get out of the bindings if he wanted to. What she hadn't expected were the harsh words that came next. It was Aamon's voice telling Belgirel that she was feeding his void. That she couldn't be helped. Not by him. She was broken in a fundamental way that made her dangerous to someone she loved more than life itself. She was always keyed up, always ready for the worst, always ready to fight something. And Belgirel would always be there to join in the fight with her. If this universe's Michael came to collect her, Cupid knew what she would do. She would put up a fight. Belgirel would come to her aid because he always came to her aid. She would feed the fire and the void would push him deeper into it.

She felt the wind get knocked out of her when Aamon remarked that the price Belphegor paid in this universe was their life for hers. It was clear Aamon didn't want Belgirel paying the same price. She couldn't blame him. He was right. If they kept going like this, Belgirel would be lost too. Cupid quietly slid against the wall and covered her mouth to contain the sobs as tears slid down her cheek. Her form kept phasing and she felt like she was burning on the inside. She tried to self-regulate, tried to calm down but she couldn't. She was losing control fast. This must've been what Belphegor felt like when they couldn't control themself. She felt so helpless to stop any of this. Unknown to her, below deck all of those whom Belgirel had put to sleep were starting to stir. They didn't awaken, not fully. No, instead they sat up, moving about the cabin as if they were re-enacting their dreams. Dreams that were increasingly becoming more and more manic with each second.

BELGIREL: Aamon was right, and Belgirel hated it. Their own Cupid always pulled them back from the ledges that they were ready to throw themself off of. They weren't always suicidal, but their actions often were. They often needed reminded of what was going too far, and this was no exception. They just didn't like to think Cupid had anything to do with making it worse. It weighed on their heart, and the Void tried to egg them on to fight Aamon over it. Fortunately, they didn't listen. "She can be helped," they disagreed. They wanted desperately to help her. They felt like they could do it. They could understand what she was going through more, the anger she felt, the inner panic. Why couldn't they help? "Belphegor isn't an idiot," they spoke defensively, the fire in them building as their own void expanded. They hated this conversation. They wanted it over. "They might be slow in understanding their feelings, but they're not stupid. If they were still here, they'd help her too." Thunder rumbled in the clouds overhead as a storm brewed inside Belgirel, but not a drop of rain fell yet as Belgirel tried to keep their emotions contained. When Aamon mentioned the reason for Belphegor's death, the clouds broke, pouring out their contents onto everyone outside the ship. The Void was loud with its reminders of everything they'd done wrong with that, filling their head with descriptions and imagery of what it was doing to their twin because they hadn't been able to prevent their death. You should've been the one to protect Cupid. Then Belphegor wouldn't be dead, and now you're going to send her away, when you're the best at protecting her? "No, shut up, stop," they whispered to the Void, but they were talking to Aamon too. "What am I supposed to do?" they sighed, and the rain stopped. "I'm not going to just send her home now. She still needs to find some of her friends. I can get my blade back from her before she does anything with it?" Maybe that would be enough

AAMON: "Not by you," he repeated. "And here I thought Lucifer's sin was pride," he scoffed. "You and I both know this has less to do with Cupid and more to do with you. What exactly was your plan here? She is the oldest being in existence right now. It's going to take more than two weeks in your cave of wonders to undo what's been done to her, Gears. You can't save the princess this time, but there is someone else who can. They're back home, in her universe, probably waiting for her just like your Cupid is waiting for you." Just because Gears couldn't save this princess didn't mean he couldn't save himself. He just needed to be less fucking stupid about it or he'd doom both himself, the princess, and the world. Aamon didn't react at Belgirel's outburst. He was quick to anger much like Aamon himself, but the anger usually lasted in sort bursts. Belphegor was always a trigger point for him. He had to stop himself from scoffing again when Belgirel remarked that Belphegor would've helped this Cupid. Helping Cupid was what got Belphegor killed to begin with. It wasn't exactly a shining example of what one should do, but love tended to make the twins blind to these things. He could see Gears fighting some sort of internal battle with himself until the storm settled and he resigned himself to the truth. "You're gonna have to do more than just get your blade b--" he was cut off by the sound of a body dropping into the waters blow. Aamon leaned over the side of the ship to get a better look and could see one of the individuals Belgirel put to sleep was in the water now. He leaned a little further and could see a couple more individuals standing on the edge of the ship, getting ready to jump. "It looks like you have bigger problems for the moment," he glanced over at his brother as another individual jumped into the water. "Stay here. Don't get involved," he ordered and began making his way toward the Captain's Quarters to find Cupid.

CUPID: The conversation was still going on outside between Aamon and Gears, but Cupid could no longer hear it. She was still reeling in her own guilt over the role she'd played in all of this. Her own flight or fight responses were feeding the void. It wasn't the first time her actions had fed one of the twins voids. It was never a voluntary action on her part, but every time it happened she felt violated and grossly used. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard a splash just below. It sounded like a body hitting the water. Cupid peered out of the open window and saw one of the individuals Gears put to sleep in the water. He was drowning. A second body shortly followed, dropping into the water like a log without a thought.

"Shit," she whispered. She knew she was causing this. Her emotions were making them manic even in their sleep. She needed to stop this. She needed to save them. She sprung to her feet and pulled the cabin door open. She stepped back momentarily when she came face-to-face with Aamon. He had a determined look on his face. She knew what he was here to do. He was going to send her home. She couldn't let him do that. Not until she at least had a chance to fix this and make it right. She matched his determined expression with her own. "Move," she ordered as she pushed past him. She held out her hand and performed the same spell she'd used to tie Belgirel up earlier. Ropes shot through the air and coiled themselves around the remaining manic individuals, tying them to the ship and preventing them from jumping overboard. Cupid ran to the edge of the ship to get a better look at the waters below. There were still several individuals down there. No matter how hard she tried, the rope wasn't long enough to reach them and the waters were now dangerous due to the storm Belgirel created earlier. The current kept sweeping the individuals under. "Gears!" her tear stained eyes looked up at them. "Please, we have to help them!"

BELGIREL: They scowled as Aamon talked to them, only upset at the fact that he was right about all of it, and they didn't want to admit it. "Maybe I can't fix all of it, but I could still help some. I died in her universe. It's gotta do something for her if I'm living here. Maybe I can give her some kind of closure at least. Haven't you ever wished you could have more time Belphegor, even if it was only a little while? That's what she's getting here with me. Maybe I'm not fixing her, but I'd like to think I'm at least helping." They had to think they were helping or else what was the point? They were sure Aamon didn't want them to see a point in her being here at all. He wanted her gone. They would've argued more if it weren't for the sound of dropping bodies. They felt panicked by the look in Aamon's eyes as he told them to not get involved. Like hell would they listen to that order. They ran at him, grabbing his arm to pull him away. "Stop! Leave her alone! It's not her fault!" They started biting his arm as Cupid came out of the cabin, only releasing their teeth from his arm once Cupid addressed them specifically. They wanted to make it all better for her, so she'd stop looking so sad. The easiest solution to that was just doing what she said. Without a second thought, they jumped off of the boat into the water. The water was violently pushing people around, but Belgirel navigated through it easily. They grabbed everyone they could and hauled them all back onto the ship. "There, they're all safe," they sighed, laying down on the ship. They held them all down with their wings while they rested for a moment. "Let's just all take a nice, nonmoving nice, yeah? Wouldn't that be nice?"

AAMON: Aamon took a step toward his brother and leveled with him for a moment. "What you call kindness and closure is cruelty," he replied in an even tone. "I should know." He'd seen a lot of cruelty and he'd contributed to a lot of it himself. Wrath was rarely kind. Even now his words were biting and cutting, but they came from a good place. He needed to protect Belgirel so he didn't end up dead like Belphegor. "She'll grow attached to you and you to her. Two weeks will pass in the blink of an eye and it'll be time for her to go. Maybe you'll drop her off in her universe, maybe someone else will...but the point is at the end of these two weeks she loses you again. That wound opens right back up again. You don't get to come back and neither does her Belgirel. And even though you have your own Cupid, you'll come back home and you'll find yourself missing the other one. It'll almost feel like she died too." He would be mourning her loss almost as much as she would be mourning his.

They were playing a dangerous game allowing each other to get attached, to build affection, to miss each other. She needed to go home whether Belgirel wanted her to or not. Aamon reached the Captain's Quarters just as Cupid opened the door. Their eyes met and it didn't take long for her to figure out he was here to send her back. He watched as she steeled herself, bumping roughly into his shoulder as she pushed passed him. For a moment, he stared at her trying to process whether this was actually happening. It was. A moment later, Belgirel was biting down on his arm, trying to prevent Aamon from reaching Cupid.

Aamon swatted his brother, but the jackass didn't let go until Cupid addressed him again. Fucking hell. The eyes. Belgirel always fell for those sad eyes that Cupid gave him. Aamon rolled his own eyes as Cupid pleaded with Belgirel. Naturally, Belgirel didn't even think twice as they jumped into the waters below and pulled everyone back onto the ship. It was almost as if the entire conversation about being careful had gone over his fucking head. As Belgirel began to put the others into a deeper sleep, Aamon turned his attention back to Cupid. Her back was turned to him and she was surveying the waters below in case there were still more people down there.

In two strides, Aamon made his way over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and gripping onto it so he could fly her back to her universe. In a swift motion, she wheeled around to face him. He expected that much, but what he didn't expect was the feeling of a sharp dagger a few inches above his chest. It was Belgirel's archangel blade. If he moved any closer toward Cupid or if she moved any closer to him, the blade would penetrate his skin. All intentions of sending her home were gone now, he didn't spare a second thought as he reached for his own blade.

CUPID: She felt both relief and guilt as Belgirel jumped into the waters below. Aamon was right. She shouldn't have put Belgirel in this position. She was constantly dragging them into one thing or another. These were adventures to them and fuck ups to everyone else. If they continued like this one of her fuck ups would get them killed. The last time she felt this helpless was when she found out about Belphegor's void. Back then it had a hairpin trigger that she had no idea how to navigate. It took her a long time to figure out the right things to say or do, but she and Bells figured it out eventually. Maybe there was still hope that she could figure out how to navigate around Belgirl's void. Maybe...maybe...she just had to try. She helped Gears back onto the ship and was a flood of I'm sorrys and promises that she could and would do better. She wanted to be the person they needed right now just as much as they wanted to be the person she needed.

As Gears worked to calm down the individuals they'd collected from the waters, Cupid leaned over the ships edge to get a better look at the depths below in case there were more bodies they might have missed. That's when she felt it. A hand on her shoulders, rough and heavy like hands from the Empty. Panic filled her chest and she wanted to scream for Belphegor like she had inside that dark realm but no sound came out. She wheeled around to face the unknown but when she did, she didn't see Aamon. What she saw instead was the void. She didn't know what happened. Her body's fight or fight responses simply worked on their own to defend her. And her first line of defense was the Archangel blade. She'd grabbed it without much of a thought and held it out to defend herself.

But when she looked up from the blade a second time, the void was gone and Aamon was there, plain a day. There was a cold, sharp look in his eyes that she'd never seen before. It only took moments to recognize what it was. "A-Aamon..." she breathed and tried to back away, but there was no where to go. She could fly but he was faster and stronger. He would get to her in no time at all. "I-I..." she stammered. She had no words. This stuff only happened in her nightmares, it never happened when she was awake. She thought she had it under control. Why did this happen? There is something fundamentally fucked up inside you, Cupid. He'd be doing you a service just ending it. She was trembling now. "Please..." she whispered. She didn't know if she was begging him to back off or do it. She just knew she'd fucked up.

BELGIREL: Despite Aamon being the sin of Wrath, Belgirel had never considered him cruel. They looked up to him and aspired to be like him. Most of the time, when he was mean to someone, they either deserved it, or he was just doing what no one else was willing to do. With Belgirel, that usually translated to Aamon telling Belgirel what he didn't want to hear, but that he needed to be told. They had to take a moment to accept what he was saying. They already had attached to Cupid a little, and the thought of her leaving did make them sad, even when they had their own Cupid to return to. She felt like a remaining connection to Belphegor. Even though she told them what their twin was struggling through, it still helped to think of them in some other way than what the void liked to show them. "And what if we're already attached? What difference does a few weeks make? At least she'll get more good times to remember, and at least she'll get to go home after finding more of her friends." It was her choice in the end too, at least they wanted it to be, which was part of why they fought so hard for her when she asked for help.

"It's okay. You're okay," Belgirel assured Cupid as she apologized. They didn't blame her. They couldn't. They finished making sure everyone was down for the count while Cupid checked to make sure no one else was in the water. They were pretty sure they'd gotten everyone, but there was no harm in checking. When they glanced up again. Cupid was holding a blade, their blade, towards Aamon. Aamon was starting to reach for his own blade, and Belgirel sprinted forward in a panic. They stepped between both of them and took their blade back from Cupid. They spun around towards Aamon and held their blade pointed towards their own heart. "If you do anything to her, then I bring us all down," they threatened. "I think you need to leave. I can handle this from here. I'll be more careful. Just leave her alone. Please."

AAMON: "You always did like running into black holes even though you were warned it would hurt," Aamon sighed. He could warn Belgirel time and time again that this was a bad idea, but that wouldn't change a single thing. The kid needed to experience the pain in order to learn. And even then, Aamon doubted Gears would've done anything different. He was dead set in allowing Cupid to stay. He and Cupid were both creatures of the present, rarely thinking about how their current actions will affect the future. Aamon knew once this Cupid left, to Belgirel it would feel like losing another part of Belphegor again. There would be clean up to do and heartache to resolve. But the kid was a glutton for punishment in that way.

Aamon watched as clarity dawned on Cupid's face when he grabbed his own blade. Her pleaded whispered carried both a prayer for mercy and a call to end whatever she was going through. Broken little dove...what have they done to you? he wondered to himself. Before he could act, Belgirel was in between them. He tore the Archangel blade out of Cupid's hands and...oh for fucks sake. "Someone ought to raise Shakespeare back from hell. He'd be proud of your dramatics, Belgirel," he sighed as he drew back is blade and placed it in its sheath.

"I'll be more careful he says, in the same breath that he threatens self-destruction," Aamon rolled his eyes at his brother before gazing at Cupid. Belgirel was a lost cause, but the reality of the situation was dawning on her at least. "If were looking to find yourself, to heal yourself from whatever hurt your world has caused you, you won't find it here, Cupid. You know how this story ends. He can't save you, but that doesn't mean you can't save yourself. You are not a shattered porcelain doll that needs to be put back together. Truth be told, you're stronger than he is." Sure, he could've told this to her telepathically but that would be the cowards way of doing things.

"You know what you need to do." She needed to put the cap back on the bottle. Was it fair to her that the burden of control fell upon her shoulders? No, it wasn't. Aamon got the sense that it was this kind of burden alone that had broken her to begin with. The demand that she always be strong no matter how broken she felt. He was sorry that both of his siblings failed her in this way, but at least one person needed to be in control of this flame or they would all light the world on fire. In this moment, that person needed to be her. "So do it."

CUPID: She was about to die again. Aamon was going to kill her and whether she wanted to admit it or not, he had every right to. She was a threat in more ways than one. He was doing what he felt he needed to do to protect someone he loved. Cupid herself had been put in that position before. She knew she would've done the same to protect Belphegor. Even though Aamon was angry with Belgirel right now, his aura shone strong with familial love. When he looked at her, it shone with distrust.

Cupid felt Belgirel's hands on hers and in a flash, he took his blade back from her. She didn't fight him on it, not until he wheeled around and pointed the thing at his own heart. "Belgirel!" she jumped forward to face him. She placed one hand over his chest, just where the blade was hovering, and cupped his face with her other hand. "Gears, please..." her voice shaky and tears ran down her cheeks. "I love you. I love you so much, please don't make me lose you again like this." She moved her hands down to cup his hands. "Please, put it down, Gears."

Her back was turned to Aamon and she couldn't see what he was doing. It didn't matter. She never took her eyes off Belgirel. Not even for a moment as Aamon spoke. He was right. She came here looking for all the wrong things and she allowed herself to forget the danger. She knew what she had to do, both for her sake and for Belgirel's. "Hey don't look at him, look at me," she whispered, trying to keep Belgirel grounded. "I need to go," she replied gently. She tried to keep the sadness at bay because she knew he could feel it. "Just for the night. I need to get off the ship and I need to be alone." She needed to figure out how to put everything back in the bottle again. "I can keep myself warded from the other Archangels for the night. Please...I need you to trust me," she brought his hand to her lips and placed a kiss upon it. "Don't follow me. I'll be back in the morning, okay?"

BELGIREL: Belgirel might've laughed at that in other circumstances. They had liked doing that. It had been fun and exciting at the time, but this situation was getting a lot less fun. "He's always been proud of my dramatics. It's why I inspired him so much." Maybe not all of the plays that Shakespeare wrote about Belgirel said anything good about them, but they didn't particularly mind either. Belgirel didn't care how dramatic they had to be as long as it was protecting Cupid from Aamon.

They ignored Aamon's insults as Cupid drew their attention to her. Belgirel might've been threatening self-destruction, but they only did it because they knew it would make Aamon back off. He cared both about Belgirel and about keeping the Void at bay, so they knew he wouldn't have risked it, especially when he considered Belgirel crazed because of Cupid's presence. Belgirel didn't consider there actually being any risk there. They sheathed their own blade. "I wasn't going to," they told her. "I just needed to make sure you were safe." Keeping her safe wasn't just for their own sake. They knew enough to know that if anything happened to her, it would destroy Belphegor, and that was what they couldn't live with.

"Are you sure?" they asked her, both trying to gauge whether she should really be alone and whether it was actually safe for her to not have them with her. If any of the other archangels found her, she could be sent back, and without any of her people here. They sighed as she kissed their hand. They couldn't tell her no, even now. "Okay, but if anything happens, just call for me."

AAMON: "Oh, I'll be sure to give him an update. Can't wait to see what sort of story this one inspires," he rolled his eyes. While Belgirel knew Aamon would back down, if he pulled this trick with someone else, he couldn't be sure they'd do the same. Not everyone was aware of the danger that came with Belgirel and not everyone cared either.

He watched as Cupid talked Belgirel down. They were older now, her more so than him, but they were still as dramatic as they had been when they were young and in Heaven. While Aamon didn't understand the love those two shared, he understood Belgirel's desire to protect her. Gears fought long and hard to keep Belphegor and Cupid out of trouble when they were in Heaven. He covered for them more than once and took the fault on more than a few occasions. He carried guilt for not being able to protect Belphegor in battle as he had in Heaven. Saving Cupid, keeping her safe, was a way to make amends. It wouldn't work though. It wouldn't bring Belphegor back and it wouldn't assuage the guilt. It would just get him killed in the process.

Cupid for her part seemed to understand what Belgirel was doing and why it was reckless. Aamon could see her even now trying to bottle it all back up. She was asking for space, telling Gears not to follow her. These were all dangerous statements to make in front of Aamon. The little dove was flying away from the safety of the nest. Aamon could easily follow her, corner her, and end her. He wondered if that's what she wanted. He knew better than to give it to her. Sure, if he killed the dove he could lie to Belgirel and say Michael found her and took her back home. But she was an angel, and upon death she would end up in the Empty. One master manipulator to another, Aamon knew how the void operated. It would torture Cupid and it would show Belgirel everything. Aamon couldn't risk that so he drew himself back, leaned against one of the masts, and observed.

CUPID: She was relieved as he put his blade back in the sheath. She tried to push back memories from the roadhouse and the moment Belphegor handed her their blade and asked her to kill them. I wasn't going to, Gears promised. She nodded. She wanted to believe them but she knew this was proving Aamon's point exactly. Aamon was backing down, but that didn't mean the next person would. Belgirel was gambling with his life in order to keep her safe and he would continue to do it if she didn't gain control of the situation. "I'm safe," she nodded. She was trying to assure herself of this fact too. Despite the fact that every part of her screamed that she was in danger and she needed to fight back, she had to keep telling herself that she was safe. "I'll be safe," she promised.

"I'm sure," she lied. She didn't want to be alone, but she needed to be. She needed to sort herself out. She needed to scream, to cry, to storm. And then she needed to put all the pieces back together again. She could do it. She'd done it plenty of times before. "I will," she promised, but deep down they both knew if she ran into trouble, she'd try to solve it on her own. "I'll see you at sunrise," she placed a kiss on his cheek. "I love you," she reminded him as she always had when it was time to leave.

And with that she turned away from him. Her eyes met Aamon's for the first time and there was an understanding. I'm sorry and I won't do it again. I don't want to die, but if you follow me, I won't fight you. Cupid released her wings and pushed off the ground. She flew into the air with the grace of a dancer and began putting distance between herself and the Morningstar as she made her way to the nearby islands to glue the broken pieces of herself back together again.

BELGIREL: She was shaken by all of this, and they hated how much she was hurting. There was so much they couldn't do for her, but she was safe for now. Aamon had backed down and wasn't going to do anything to her, especially if he was worried about how they would react to it. The Void tried to reinforce the idea that they shouldn't let her go off on her own, but that was more of a sign that they shouldn't do that. She needed her time alone, and so did they, even if they didn't want to admit it. "I love you too," they told her after she kissed their cheek. They turned away as she flew off,  walking back towards the cabin. They didn't spare a glance towards Aamon as they went inside. He'd gotten what he wanted, so Belgirel was sure he'd just fuck off to whatever the hell he'd been doing before coming here.

AAMON: He watched Cupid lie to them and tell them that she was sure this was what she wanted. Neither of them wanted space from each other, but they needed to take it. Whether Cupid knew it or not, she was doing the right thing. And the right thing was never an easy thing to do. His eyes met hers as she turned to face him. Her eyes didn’t carry a challenge to follow her, but rather an apology for the damage she’d caused. He nodded in acknowledgement. He would not follow her, and he would not harm her. Aamon stepped out of her way as she kicked off the ground and flew in the direction of the island. His eyes turned to Belgirel, but his brother paid him no mind. Aamon could feel the anger vibrating off of Gears, but it would blow over. The kid had a short fuse, and he knew deep down Aamon was right about this. “Sweet dreams, Gears,” he called out to him as Belgirel slammed the door to the cabin shut. Aamon chuckled to himself and shook his head. With that, he pushed off the ground and flew in the direction opposite of Cupid, and back toward town. / END

[discord-of-laughter]

The OC challenge! - Phase 1

The sideblog isn’t ready, I [melody-of-scream] am not ready and the challange isn’t finished, but I just can’t hold back any longer, so I’ll just start by posting phase 1 only until I got phase 2 finished. Which takes forever with that many OCs.

The wonderful @cantankerousintrovertedpumpkin 💋 made this challenge up and tagge me. And how could I have resisted! 💛

Phase 1 – Introduction

How many are there?

21 – 5 male & 16 female – that are currently in use or in any way still present in my mind and used in my thoughts. There are more… trust me… Some are kind of @steverogershield’s fault because she keeps encouraging me instead of stopping me… fine Jason and Lou are just two but that’s 9.5% that could have been avoided! Just kidding dude ~

What are their names? [+ in my case which fandom are they from]

Allete “Alouette” Toupine [Man from U.N.C.L.E.], Belial “Bel” [Lucifer], Cardia Rose [Disney Descendants], Johanna “Jo” Jayne aka “Counter” [X-Men], Damian ? [Marvel’s Defenders], Deicida [Young Justice], Gabriele Hoffmann aka “Blueprint” [X-Men], Guinevere aka “Jennifer Elisabeth Kross” [Kingsman], Ophelia [...] Shilazar aka “Gust” [DCEU/Legends of Tomorrow], Aquila Pace [The Librarians], Kayleigh Fortuna Porter aka “Lady Luck” [Dr. Strange], Loreley [American Gods], Lucius “Lou” Kadin Perez Bowman aka “Voiceover” [DCEU/Flash], Phionee Esteria Usmin [Guardians of the Galaxy], Rachel Woods aka “Roads” & Daniel Weston aka “Danton” [Supernatural], Skandra Thorn aka “Skadi” [Thor/Avengers], Mariana Josefa Moraes Cardoso aka “Somnia” [X-Men], Jason Tiberius Green [Suicide Squad], Vanessa Lind [Harry Potter] and last but not least Cain Goldfin [Shadowhunters].  

What’s one word you’d use to describe them?

Allete: determined

Bel: demonic

Cardia: burdened

Jo: restless

Damian: lying

Deicida: emotional

Gabriele: torn

Jennifer: loyal

Ophelia: fiercely

Aquila: sly

Kayleigh: cordial

Loreley: wary

Lou: controlled/sweet

Phionee: lost [formerly reasonable]

Rachel: unyielding

Daniel: bossy [formerly protective]

Skadi: sore/persistent

Mariana: disappointed

Jason: stubborn

Vanessa: kind

Cain: angry/proud

What do they look like?

Allete: A lot like Eva Green, light skin colour, dark hair, blue-green eyes, tall, slender, full lips, from France.

Bel: A lot like Mariette Valsan, middle dark brown/Indian skin tone, brown eyes, under the right circumstances insanely beautiful… but her appearance changes based on the attitude of people towards her or humanity in general, she’s missing the little finger of her left hand though. Originally from heaven, then hell.

Cardia: Pale, red and black dyed hair, very dark eyes, short, stocky, curvy (on her belly too!), small hands, scars on her arms. From the Isle of the Lost.

Jo: Slightly tanned, light brown eyes that seem to glow slightly, very long brown hair, small nose, chubby cheeks, short, with a bad posture, from the US.  

Damian: Slightly ashen skin tone with a hint of olive hidden beneath it and a hint of yellow over it since he smokes quite a bit, black, short hair, blue eyes, not exactly tall for a guy, rather thin due to a certain lack of physical activity, leads a pretty unhealthy lifestyle in general, dark rings under the eyes, thin lips… despite everything he’s still kind of attractive though, from the US of unknown heritage.

Deicida: Grey skin… like really silvery-grey skin, looking like metal, dark grey lips, white hair and golden eyes, much heavier than she looks. Middle tall for a teenage girl, slender… the back of her legs is pointed like a blade and as sharp – yes blade legs and grey skin, she is weapon forged by Hephaestus and given a soul and can turn back into her original sword from if needed. From… well Hephaestus’s forge.

Gabriele: A lot like Sonja Gerhard. Short, blond, slightly curly hair, grey-blue eyes, like a perfect little white skinned angel. From East Germany (DDR) when the country was still divided into DDR and BRD.

Jennifer: Naturally red, curly hair, deep green eyes, rather tall for a woman, comparably skinny, small chest, prominent cheekbones, slightly bigger nose, in her late forties, early fifties, still considerably pretty. Of Irish descent.

Ophelia: Dark, Arabic skin tone. Long dark brown hair, with three green dyed strands of hair, eyes so green they seemed to glow and strange green marks running down from the middle of her lower lid to half of her cheek. Naturally rather red lips, but even brighter lipstick, hourglass figure, slender fingers, unfortunately creepy laughter but sweet smile, freckles on her chest, 6’7, in her end twenties. Of Iranian descent.    

Aquila: Think of Kat Dennings dressed fancy. Brown wavy hair, blue eyes, large chest, 5’3… the whole package. Usually dressed unassuming but tidy. Wears glasses to read. From… that would be too much of a spoiler, so let’s say the UK. Also her names a made-up fake as well.

Kayleigh: Assumed the form of black girl, rather dark skin tone, attentive eyes so dark brown they appear black, long, really long bright orange hair – says it’s natural, no one believes her, sly smirk, surprisingly pinkish lips, not very tall with little curves but not petit. Looks nothing like either of her sisters. From a place that is too much of a spoiler.

Loreley: Like Diane Kruger, straight, thin light blond hair, light blue eyes, pale lips, would be considered petit if she wasn’t a bit too tall for it. So pale and thin it’s close to making people worry. Often either dark rings under her eyes or red, slightly swollen eyes. She has lost quite some of the beauty (and weight) songs sing about. From Germany but that was a long, long time ago.  

Lou: Very mixed heritage reflected in his skin colour – Latin-Arabic and a bit of white. Black hair but buzz cut, grey eyes, unassuming, sweetest and brightest, toothy smile and perfectly straight teeth, slightly crooked toes, moderate height and weight. Tries to stay fit… but music and Aunt Isabella’s food are not helping. Long, slender fingers. Born in the US.

Phionee: White skin, not like a human white skin tone but white-white. Humanoid Alien. Dark pink, sharp eyes, slightly pointy ears and a long, slender tail that ends in a sharp point [kind of similar to Nightcrawler’s], feet that are a bit more claw like, white, straight hair usually worn in a pinned updo. Eyebrows that give her a snarky expression, light pink lipstick and pink eyeshadow, very cold skin and since she’s from an ice planet it’s usually to warm everywhere for her, so she wears short shorts and cropped tank tops when others are about to freeze off some parts. Still manages to make a point by wearing Ravenger red. Thin but athletic build. From the Usmin planet Sikon.  

Rachel: A lot like Natalina Maggio. Caucasian but likely with a southern European heritage. Green eyes with golden speckles. Thin, straight, dark brown hair. Unassuming figure but well-trained and a bit muscular for a woman. Thin face, thin lips, piercing gaze. Always seems to show a slight frown. Huge ban tattoo on her left side since she was a baby. Not very tall. Often dark fingertips from old ink and such. Found on the doorstep of a hunter family – Westons – when she was still a baby.  

Daniel: Light skinned but with a bit of a tan, short, curly, brown hair. Light blue eyes. Full lips, stubbles all the time. Tall, obviously well-toned and thoroughly fit body but a bunch of scares hidden beneath his clothes. Always seems to have an amused expression and sparkling eyes. Rachel sometimes calls him “Disney Prince” because he’s the pretty of the two of them. Youthful looks even though he is in his late thirties. From an hunter family which has been doing their job in the US for generations.  

Skadi: A Jotun goddess and born frost giant. Very tall with a swirling intricate pattern on her skin. Pure white eyes and hair and whitish lips. Strong and sturdy but athletic build. Full lips… and with a human form magic and living among the gods of Asgard allowed her to take on. Still kind of tall, very pale with a bluish touch with slightly bluish lips, pale blue eyes and a lot of long, full-bodied, wavy hair that she dyes black to not stand out so much. There is something rough and wild about here that tends to draw people in and push them away at the same time. From Thrymheimr and/or Asgard.

Mariana: A lot like a slightly younger Morena Baccarin with half-short hair. Black hair, warm brown eyes, rather light skin tone but still noticeably a Latina. Thin lips, a bit bigger ears, 32 years old, with surprisingly long legs. Has a nice smile but a tendency to frown due to bad decision-making. From Brazil currently living in the US with a work visa.

Jason: Like Seth Green – just google him, like that. 5’3 short, green eyes, ginger hair and beard, mole under his left eye, the best and worst smirk, more buff than Seth Green though. Small/Short power package. From the US and of Scottish and Polish heritage.

Vanessa: Kind of shortish, with a pale skin with a golden undertone, slightly prominent nose and chin, small ears, bilious green eyes and ash brown hair. Kind eyes. Hints of being a bit stout but working against it constantly. Very small feet and rather small hands. An unsuitable mean smirk. Inside and outside of the school day she can usually been found barefooted. From Wales.  

Cain: Soft facial features – a bit of a baby face – broad nose, narrow eyes the lightest blue imaginable. Round face, slightly tanned skin, short dark hair, full lips. Well-built but not very tall… in the form he got from one half of his parents. The other one granted him golden and black scales and rough golden and black skin, gills on the side of his cheeks, the same broad nose and narrow eyes of the lightest blue imaginable, but his features seem less soft like this. Oh and of course a golden fish tail. Lavish and to show off, he’s considered too flashy to be pretty by his mother’s people where he grew up.    

 Any illnesses/disorders/disabilities…?

Cain has BPD. Vanessa has a well-hidden but not specified anxiety disorder. Mariana is rather emotionally instable without an explanation so far… don’t know if that counts. Damian has a heart condition. Skadi is dyslexic but you can bet the goddess won’t tell anyone. Rachel has ADD and so has Lou. Bel is missing the little finger of her left hand. Cardia has gotten past self-harming tendencies and Mariana was thought to have narcolepsy for the longest time… until they found out it has to do with her mutation and an inability to control her power. And do Deicida’s blade legs count and the fact that human emotions confuse her? Not like on the autistic spectrum though just because she hasn’t had to do much with them before and is still learning.

 Who’s your favourite?

That’s not fair *whines*, they are all my kids!! Skadi and Ophelia are always high on the list but always rivalled by the OC or one of the OCs from the fandom I’m just in the most.

 Who is most like you?

??? There is a bit of me in every OC I make… but I try it to never be too much. However… Vanessa maybe? She’s probably the oldest of them and the most like I’m when it comes to looks. But personality vice… I’d like to think Jo maybe or Cardia.

 Do you ship any of the characters you’re talking about here?

Yes. Some but very few with canon characters mostly it’s just a thought though nothing I would insist or necessarily talk about. And I ship Rachel and Daniel with each other ~ it’s difficult though.  

[quiddy-writes]

Star Cross’d - Part 4

Can I just say that I love reading everyone’s reactions? Like y’all are hitting on things I never even thought of when I was writing it, it’s fascinating and I love it. Hope I don’t disappoint! xD

Also, also, ALSO: I totally stole the idea for the beginning of this chapter from Saxxy and her The Blessed and the Cursed series, so all the credit ro her! And go check out her series! It’s fantastical!

Fandom: Supernatural Pairing: Alpha!Dean x Omega!Reader Words: 1110ish Summary: Some shit is revealed Warnings: Swearing Other Parts: Masterlist

Dean’s breath was long since gone. He was down by the river, gathering more water for the camp. Which he had done several minutes prior.

But, damn, after his realization and being around her with her being all her and smelling like heaven—he was only a man.

So, he had volunteered to go down to the nearby river and refill their waterskins, desperate for a moment alone. He had filled them up as soon as he knelt by the river, then placed them all on the bank to allow the river water to try and cool the water inside them.

Then he was free to do as he wished.

He had pulled himself free of his pants within moments, stroking himself to completion to images of her begging for his knot. It was the fastest he’d ever come, imagining the heat from his hand wrapped around his cock was her heat.

He stared down at the white spot on the ground as he tried to catch his breath, finally pushing himself back into his pants. He washed his hands in the river and grabbed the waterskins and head back to camp.

Y/N was asleep, curled up by the fire, facing him, whereas Sam was sitting against a tree with his back facing his brother.

Dean walked up, announcing his presence with a simple, “Heya Sammy. Sleeping Beauty out already?”

Sam nodded. “She tried to wait up for you, but you took a long time.”

“Guess I was daydreaming and lost track of time,” the elder Winchester shrugged.

Sam rolled his eyes. “Dean,” he sighed heavily. “You couldn't wait until we were done with this job?”

The elder Winchester frowned. “Leave me alone, Sammy.”

“Seriously?! You spend some time around an Omega and you need to go off and pop your knot?!”

“Leave me alone, Sammy.”

“Dean, you know we need this money. This is more important than you laying with the first Omega to cross your path!”

“Damn it, Sam,” Dean growled out, shocking his brother. “It's not like that!”

Sam threw a glance towards Y/N as she lay stock still, unperturbed by their slowly rising voices. “What do you mean?”

Dean was breathing heavily, the faintest trace of her on the wind, and he was trying to drink it all in like it was water and he was a man dying of thirst. “She's…” he began. “She's mine, Sam.”

Hazel eyes widened, and Sam's breath caught in his throat. “She's yours? Your true mate?”

Dean’s whole body sagged with his sigh. “Yeah,” he confessed.

Sam smiled. “That's...that's wonderful, Dean!”

That surprised the oldest brother. “What? How?”

“If she's really your true mate, then everything will be fine,” Sam grinned. “They cannot harm you or her if you claim her.”

Dean shakes his head. “No, I refuse to claim her.”

Sam frowned. “What is wrong with you? Why not?”

Green eyes focused on the bear skin wrapped around the taller Winchester. “We couldn’t protect Jess,” he says.

Sam’s face turned stony. “Do not use her as an argument. My…my failure is not yours.”

“‘M sorry, Sammy, I—”

He waved Dean off, obviously upset and trying to hide it. “Dean…she was mine. And I would never, ever have given her up.”

Dean sighed heavily. “She’ll be happier in her fancy palace than in our home, living hand to mouth and bein’ feared by everyone.”

“No she won’t, and you know it.”

“She’ll be safe. People hate us, and I’m not putting a fucking target on her back.”

Sam frowned, “You have three more days to stop being a fool.” With that, he crawled onto his bed roll and turned his back on his brother.

Dean felt the frustration fill him and had to fight the urge to kick something. Instead, he curled up on his own and bundled his cloak into a pillow. He even studiously ignored the fact that her scent was already fading and that that made falling asleep that much harder.

Even during summer, Y/N was much too hot.

She was once again on Pala, riding the beautiful mare as the brothers walked beside her. The sun was beating down on them, and the men were sweating lightly, compared to her sweating buckets.

She, however, was curled up on the horse, resting her head on Pala’s neck as they walked along. Her stomach felt queasy, which was her only saving grace. As long as she felt queasy and not crampy, everything was fine. And everything had to be fine. She couldn’t go into her heat when she’s alone with two Alphas in the middle of an nigh-impenetrable forest.

She was breathing heavily, but trying to ignore the brother’s scents on the wind. Sam smelled like sandalwood and earth and it was great and all, but Dean’s scent, ever since that first night, had been plaguing her mind, slowly blocking out every thought.

And he had been acting strange too.

He’d been acting like he had to protective.

Sam was trying to keep her safe, of course, and that showed every time an unfamiliar sound broke the silence and his hand was suddenly gripping his sword. He was kind and sweet and she was forming a deep friendship with the man.

But Dean took it a step further.

He seemed to always be touching her and she was sure that she’d caught him trying to scent her on the wind at least once. He even acted strangely when Sam tried to talk to her, as though that was somehow an affront.

As she rested her head against Pala’s thick neck and watched Dean and his brother chat, she smiled. Just the sound of his voice was making her feel better already. She watched his thick legs, bowed by the same horse she rode herself, carry the confident ranger, the crossbow slung over his shoulder.

She noticed Sam had caught her staring at his brother and she flushed at being caught. He simply smiled and even winked at her, which made her confused. He didn’t seem worried or angry like he had been when he found them huddling for warmth. Why would he even encourage her crush?

Y/N felt her face flush even more and she sighed heavily. It was just a crush and she was soon to be married…to a Beta. Not the stupidly handsome Alpha who smelled better than anything and made her feel like the most beautiful creature in the world with just a glance and made her laugh without trying.

Her crush didn’t need encouragement, she realized, because it was already too late. She was in love with Dean Winchester.

Everything Tags: @carrollmomx3 @kayteonline @leatherwhiskeycoffeeplaid @raylin19 @samwinjarpad @saxxxology @spnhybrid @thinkwritexpress-official @wayward-marvel-and-more @writingbeautifulmen @xfanqirlinq

Dean Tags: @akshi8278 @captainemwinchester @feelmyroarrrr @gallxntdean @loveissupernatural @weasleywinchester

Star Cross’d Tags: @4401lnc @ayeeitsemry @butiaintgonnaloveem @fallen-castiel @fandoms-who @imaginesletmesurvive @jazzzybee @justanotherreaderr @lovexxxkittyxxxblog @nightlyinsomnious @onlygodcanjudgeme-sh @technicallypurplesalad

Pond Tags: @aprofoundbondwithdean @manawhaat @thing-you-do-with-that-thing @nichelle-my-belle @notnaturalanahi @bkwrm523 @salvachester @whispersandwhiskerburn @roxy-davenport @impala-dreamer @deathtonormalcy56 @samsgoddess @frenchybell @scorpiongirl1 @for-the-love-of-dean @mysupernaturalfics @spn-fan-girl-173 @deandoesthingstome @jelly-beans-and-gstrings @fiveleaf @deansleather @curliesallovertheplace @whywhydoyouwantmetosaymyname @waywardjoy @imadeangirl-butimsamcurious @supernatural-jackles @wevegotworktodo @ilovedean-spn2 @babypieandwhiskey @wi-deangirl77 @deantbh @supermoonpanda @sinceriouslyamellpadalecki @deanwinchesterforpromqueen @chaos-and-the-calm67 @memariana91 @plaidstiel-wormstache @teamfreewill-imagine @chelsea-winchester @fandommaniacx @revwinchester @lucibae-is-dancing-in-hell @castieltrash1 @supernaturalyobessed @ohwritever @ruined-by-destiel @inmysparetime0 @winchester-writes @deals-with-demons @maraisabellegrey @faith-in-dean @winchestersmolder @bennyyh @clueless-gold @deanwinchesterxreader @melbelle45 @winchester-family-business

@mrswhozeewhatsis Tags: @vintagevalentinexx @bowtiesandapplepie @itsemmyb @ezauraemmaline @matteson-crazed @castielspahdehrah @charliesbackbitches @crzcorgi @ellen-reincarnated1967 @gryffindorable713 @deerlululucy @walkingencyclopediaoffandom @MrsJohnSmith @growleytria @thegleegeneration @samtomydeanwinchester @i-never-said-a-pilot @thewinchestielboys @sis-tafics @amaranthinecastiel @meganwinchester1999 @kittenofdoomage @samanddeanwinchester67 @prettyxwickedxthings @ferferelli @lilyoflothlorien @myfand0msandm0re @olitzisbae @iridianuniverse @the-morning-star-falls  @shortandlongstories @strange-inhumanity @ackleslaugh @noisilyyoungpuppy @fangirling-instead-of-working @eyes-of-a-disney-princess @chrisatplay @spnsimpleman @kreborn17 @mamaimpala @winchesterfiesta @zanthiasplace @sleep-silent-angel @gadreelsforbiddenfruit @trenchcoats-and-bees @jencharlan @not-so-natural-spn @skybinx-blog @thebunkerismyhome @beachy2014 @fandom-book-nerd @tia58 @sams-little-toy @faegal04 @sunriserose1023 @saving-things-hunting-family @winchesterswoonathon @jotink78 @lucifer-in-leather @i-dont-know-how-to-write @everyday-supernatural-af @howmanytuesdaysdidyouhave @avasmommy224 @angelwingsandsupernaturalthings @mysaintsasinner @besslincoln-bruh @wheresthekillswitch @shelovesallthethings @klaineaholic @supernaturalismalife @pinknerdpanda @hexparker @atwistoffate