#not with clara's ending coming not from grace

[stories-and-chaos]

Shrike: The House Always…Loses? Pt 1

[Hazbin Hotel reader insert as Alastor’s “darling life and death partner” Ace x ace relationship, both parties are moderately sex favorable. This was supposed to be a one shot about how Husk sold his soul, but I couldn’t help myself.]

[Part 1/2 Word count 3142 CW: alcohol consumption, gambling, mentions of sex.]

——————

The house always…loses?!

The 1970’s. You could tell there was some crazy shit going on in the world of the living. Mostly because the new arrivals in Hell had some particularly messed up forms. Tom Trench, 666 News’ anchor, had ended every broadcast for the past three years in an orgy after reporting on the war on Earth as well as the local conflicts.

“Complete lack of class,” Alastor shook his head as the two of you passed a large television screen in one of Pentagram City’s plazas. It was tuned to Tom’s nightly sign off; the camera off kilter and focused on the desk at a bizarre angle. Evidently the camera operator was part of the group on top of the desk. You could hear Tom saying, “oh fuck yeah I’m gonna invade all your landmasses baby,” followed by “here comes the firebombiiiiiiiiingggguh.”

“Zut alors, he’s turned into such a disgrace.” You scowled. “He might as well just work for that uncouth moth bastard at this point.” As you described Valentino, your voice gained a rough edge and wind started to swirl around you.

Your husband gave your hand a soothing squeeze. “Now now dear, you’ll muss your hair before I even get you on the dance floor if you keep it up. Besides cher, we’ll likely encounter him and the fad chaser at this party. If we all give into our emotions we’re likely to level the whole place.”

You breathed deeply. “And I’d hate to demolish a new establishment before even giving it a chance. Zestial requested a few songs as well, I can’t ruin my voice before granting him that.”

The two of you were attending a gala of Overlords and favored subordinates. One of the newest Overlords was providing the venue at his casino. These sort of get togethers were uncommon as more than one of the Pride Ring’s leaders in the same place often resulted in considerable property damage. So this newcomer was either extremely confident or foolhardy. Typical of a gambler.

At the entrance, you and your husband gave each other a final check; you straightened his bowtie, he smoothed back an errant lock of hair for you. Inside the casino was bustling with activity. It was set up into quadrants, each designated by a card suit. One section had slot machines designed to drain money from the poor saps who fell prey to their lights and false hopes. Deeper in were tables for more sophisticated ways to lose money. An elegant bar and well stocked buffet with dining tables nearby took up another section. The last quadrant had a stage for performers, lounge chairs for audience members and a dance floor. There was currently a band playing something forgettable on stage.

There was activity mostly at the gaming tables and bar. Not many Overlords were interested in the machines, the stakes weren’t high enough to care. And while the band was good, there wasn’t a headliner on stage at the moment. Food, alcohol, and barbed conversation was a bigger draw.

“Alastor, Y/N. Good to see you both.” The voice was sultry and professional all around once. “Ah, Carmilla, always a pleasure seeing you dear. You and your daughters,” you husband replied to the graceful Overlord.

“It’s been too long, Carmilla. Odette, Clara, you both look lovely cheres.” You glanced around the opulent venue. “So was this little fais do do your idea Carmilla?”

The tall woman shrugged elegantly. “In part. The owner of this establishment wanted to garner some attention and I owed him a small favor. I merely arranged the guest list. He took care of the rest.” She gestured to one of the card tables. “He’s entertaining guests with games of chance if you’d like to meet him.”

Alastor looked to you, “Well my dear, shall we meet our newest contemporary or mingle first?”

You spotted a tall figure draped in tacky fuschia leering in your direction from the bar, along with a shorter boxy headed demon boring holes into Alastor’s back. “Looks as if there are some unsavories around the liquor. I’m always interested in making new acquaintances.”

Arm in arm, you and your husband headed to the tables, Carmilla and her girls with you. You looked at them questioningly. “Ostensibly, as the hostess, I should introduce guests to each other.”

A demon about your height was dominating at the blackjack table. He had feline features in addition to a set of wings. Whereas your wings mimicked a natural bird’s coloration, his were more fantastical, vibrantly red and black with bars and dots all over. His hair was elegantly slicked back and his crisp tuxedo completed the air of a high roller.

He spotted Carmilla and after he won the current hand excused himself from the table, saying “duty calls friends.” He tucked his cane under his arm; the body was gold and topped with a sphere containing suit symbols, dice, and chips rotating like an orrery within.

“Husk, I’d like you to meet some of our colleagues.” Carmilla began as he approached. “This is Alastor, the Radio Demon, and his wife Y/N, the Singing Shrike. Alastor, Y/N, this is Husk, proprietor of this establishment and our newest sovereign Overlord.”

Alastor released your hand to shake Husk’s. “A pleasure to meet you my good man, truly a pleasure.” You followed up with your own pleasantries adding, “A lovely venue you have here. If the food and drink are up to the decor we may need to come around again, cher.”

“Pleased to meet you both,” his voice was rough but not unwelcoming. More like someone who had smoked excessively for years. “I don’t do things by halves, so I’m sure the refreshments are up to snuff. You’re both welcome to try the tables as well, if you can buy into the pot.” He stated a number that was high, but not exclusionary. No doubt he wanted to hook his patrons to get more value later. “We’re not betting souls tonight, that’s business and tonight’s for pleasure.” He gave you both a toothy smile before heading back to the cards.

You mingled both with Alastor and on your own. Waiters weaved through pockets of activity, serving drinks and hors d'oeuvres. There wasn’t really a crowd, which was smart considering how many Overlords could barely stand to be under the same roof, much less rubbing elbows.

It was somewhat inevitable though. A couple of hotheads, one you recognized and one you didn’t, started bickering, then yelling, then throwing punches. Any longer and they might have started bringing out some powers. Except they were stopped by a barrage of black playing cards. Off balance, they were crashed to the ground when a pair of giant dice rolled snake eyes onto them. Pinned, the two could only wait as Husk stalked over, the top of his cane glowing red.

“Didn’t your mamas ever teach you dumbasses any manners?” He slammed the butt of his cane down between their heads, sending a ripple of power out. “This is my house, my rules, so I’m going to teach you instead.” His gold pupils shined as he grinned down at them. “You wanna fight? You take it outside or I make you. You wanna settle things in here? We got plenty of ways to settle matters at the tables. Now what’s it gonna be bitches?” The two remained silent and continued to glare at each other. “Outside it is.”

The dice vanished but before the hapless combatants could do more than gasp a wave of poker chips carried them out the door with bone breaking force. Husk followed the wave calmly. From the other side, you could hear thuds, explosions, and screams. It only lasted a moment. Husk returned alone. One of the casino employees brought a new tuxedo jacket; there was dust and a bit of blood on the one he was wearing. He combed his hair back and returned to the game he’d been playing.

You sipped your whiskey, amused. Confidence it was then. “It seems our new friend can hold his own,” Alastor mused as he smoothly came up beside you. He held out a morsel of food for you, speared on a tiny skewer. “These are delightful, cher.” You pulled it off with your teeth. Shrimp in a spiced breading. “Mmm, that is lovely darling, thank you. And yes, he seems quite capable…for now.”

Anything else you would have said was derailed by a tall dark form appearing next to you and your husband. “If the two of thee have formed such an opinion of yon grimalkin, his potential is indeed of note.”

“My lord Zestial!” A light shiver sent your feathers rustling but that was expected around a demon as old and powerful as Zestial. Even Alastor tensed, a bit of strain around his lips and eyes. You curtsied as Alastor gave a slight bow. “You are as perceptive as ever. He has a great deal of power and potential. If his luck continues…”

Zestial chuckled. “Thou speaketh truth Shrike. One must make thine own luck. But ‘tis far too pleasant an occasion for such musings. Will thou grace the assemblage with thy voice tonight Shrike?”

“Of course cher!” As if you’d say no. Not to such a simple request from someone like Zestial. “I don’t suppose you have any requests? Or if there’s anything you’d like to hear darling?” you asked your husband.

Zestial shook his head. “Thy voice is a gift alone, I shall not presume to dictate its flow.”

“Hmm, I’m afraid I can’t help but dictate a little ma cher. Rosie requested a dance, so something she would enjoy?”

“I’d be glad to.” Alastor kissed your hand before seeing you off. You let Carmilla and Husk both know that you were ready to take the stage; you’d arranged everything ahead of time so the band was ready for you. Spotlights highlighted your mark as the lights dimmed slightly in the rest of the casino.

There was still a tremor of nervousness in your core as you took the stage. You were glad of it; if you didn’t feel nervous, you didn’t care about the performance or the audience. So you let it fuel the passion in your voice. You started with something that would grab attention, tap some toes. The big numbers would come later. For now you wanted them to listen to you more than the alcohol roaring in their skulls.

Once you had a gathering and you could feel the upbeat vibe in the room, you went into some dance numbers. The first one was for Alastor and Rosie. Seeing those two dancing together made your heart soar. Some might have expected you to be jealous, another woman dancing with your husband right in front of you. But how could you be jealous of your partner and your friend being so joyful together?

Not to mention that after your deaths, Alastor had gotten taller while you…embarrassingly you were the same height. He could still escort you comfortably but there were some dance moves that you couldn’t do together. Rosie was the perfect height, light on her feet, and a delight to watch in her own right. Why deny her and Alastor the pleasure? Or yourself the pleasure of watching.

You sang a mix of eras, which kept the band on their toes. But you loved music from different times and hearing what you could do with various songs. Alastor and Rosie danced for most of the songs, you could see Carmilla’s daughters find partners, and Zestial with his eyes closed, head bobbing to the music. Not even glimpses of Valentino and Vox could spoil the mood.

As people got tired, you slowed things down. There was more swaying on the dance floor now; there weren’t a lot of overt couples among Overlords (at least not established permanent ones) but there were many that shared intimacy for a time. Some had followers they were particularly close to and the rest of their followers often had a special someone. So there were plenty of pairs swaying to your voice.

Your last song of the night was Alastor’s song. It was your routine to finish with that one; carried over from when you were alive. Any demons that had seen you perform before knew it was your finale and worth paying attention to. The applause after the last note felt like champagne bubbling in your glass: delightful. You had a policy of not taking encores or requests after Alastor’s song, no matter how much anyone offered.

Alastor was there as you descended, hand ready for you. “As ever, you make me glad you married me, cher. Shall we get something to eat, I’m starved.” He knew you were likely to be as well, you tended to be ravenous after a performance.

To your surprise, there was clapping still near you; Husk, pulled away from the gaming tables. “I haven’t heard a performance like that in years. I’ve got a proposition for you, Y/N. Can I have some of your time after your meal?”

You and Alastor exchanged a glance. “Why not join us? As you said, it’s a night for pleasure, so presumably it’s not too serious,” you said as Alastor nestled your hand in his arm.

“If you’re both alright with that, don’t mind if I do.” You took a seat at an empty table while Alastor prepared a plate for you. You didn’t always let him, but you had put a lot into that performance, with so many people to impress. Fortunately, neither he nor Husk took long. Vox was starting to eye you from across the room. You would have hated to get wires and grease all over Husk’s new floor.

Alastor presented your plate as smoothly as any waiter, earning a throaty chuckle from you. There were more of those lovely shrimp, prime rib, salad, a baked potato and a slice of peach pie. You ate like a bird, which meant voraciously. You had to eat close to half your body weight in a day, much like the little bird you resembled. Fortunately you weren’t a pure carnivore and the peach pie was wonderfully nostalgic.

“Well, cher,” you said while stabbing a forkful of greens, “what’s this proposition?”

Husk swallowed, wiped his lips, and leveled a golden stare at you and Alastor. “I’d like to hire you of course,” he replied, expectedly. “I don’t have a headliner here yet and watching you made me realize how much this place needs one.” He sipped his wine. “So what do you say to a couple shows a week? I’ll give top billing to an Overlord, especially with pipes like yours.”

You smirked and raised your glass in admiration. Most assumed that Alastor was the only one with power in your relationship. Despite there being multiple female Overlords, once they found out you were married they acted as if you were little more than your husband’s hanger-on. While that granted you a number of opportunities (and demons chained to you with deals) you appreciated any that had a better grasp on your marital dynamic.

“What kind of compensation are we looking at? I don’t sing for free, cher.” Not even tonight had been free; Carmilla had paid your rate. There was one being in all existence that got to hear you for free.

Husk immediately named a figure. A gambler he might be, but he was a businessman too. He gave a number higher than your usual fee. Not high enough to make him seem desperate, but enough that he respected your talent and to entice from other engagements. “Obviously any tips are yours and you both will get perks of casino employees.” Evidently he noticed your shared enjoyment of the food and drink and wanted to sweeten the deal by including Alastor.

You pretended to mull it over while chewing your prime rib. “Quite the generous offer, ma petite chat. Why not, say three nights a week?” Husk readily agreed verbally. Neither of you moved to shake hands or sign papers; you could never be too careful with Overlords, especially when you were one.

The three of you chatted lightly as you ate. Alastor and you had experience with the old guard while Husk knew a lot of the young bucks. Neither side was about to give away more than the minimum information, but you got the impression he could be a decent ally.

Or pawn.

After the meal Husk asked you for a dance. You readily agreed, looking forward to seeing how he was on his feet. Not to mention a dance partner your size would be a nice change. He wasn’t as good as Alastor (who was?) but he was quite good. He seemed surprised by a couple maneuvers that incorporated your wings, evidently he hadn’t experimented much with his.

He actually got three songs with you before thanking you and heading back to the card tables. You were just feeling warmed up and went to retrieve your husband. Only to be intercepted by none other than Vox.

“Hey there sweetheart. How about you let me show you moves?” He gave you a grin and moved to take your hand in his.

You raked him up and down with your eyes. “Oh Vox, I’ve seen all your moves. They’re not impressive.” You pinched his wandering hand between two of your talons, making sure to draw pinpricks of blood before releasing him. “Allons’y cher, best you find a partner who can slow down for you.” Alastor had arrived at your side and added, “My darling wife makes an excellent point, although I’m not sure there’s anyone who can. Better luck next time ol’ pal!”

Without further ado he swept you onto the dance floor. He gleefully kept you dancing the majority of the night. You changed up partners a couple times, him with Rosie and you with Husk. At the end of the last song of the night, a slow dance, he lifted you into a bridal carry. Your wings cupped around his shoulders as he swayed with you.

Back at home, he and you exchanged notes on the evening while going through your nightly routines. “Cher, are you certain you don’t want me to deal with Vox?” he offered yet again.

“I can handle him darling. It seems I’ll need to be more direct however. More importantly, what do you think of my new employer?”

“Hmm.” His staticky hum filled the room as he climbed under the bedcovers. “An interesting fellow, we’ll need to see how he does. And you being there so often will give us plenty of opportunities,” he chuckled darkly.

You matched his laugh. As you settled next to his lean form you replied, “Agreed. This should be entertaining.”

A/N: part two may take a couple days, I’m finding pre-deal Husk’s voice hard to pin down. I hope you all like my head canon for his stronger abilities. Also, let me know if you’d like to be tagged for future Shrike snippets, she’s just fun to write. 💜🤍🩶🖤

@edgyboi10000 @clearly-awkward @badatpunz @deafsignifcantother @whitewolfsoldat @ch3sire-blu3 @bengewatch

[colourstreakgryffin]

Heyyy! May I request headcanons for Carmila CarminexReader who has similar mannerisms to Obanai? (Both live rent free in my head) Have a good day/night!!!

Haha. Awww, that’s cute and I can absolutely see it! I am not sure how it’d go personally but let’s try it out for fun. Shall we! God, I struggled with this so much so I’m sorry if it blows

Carmilla Carmine- Bandy-Bandy

You’re a unique one, that’s for sure. Thats what Carmilla tells herself when her beloved daughters, Clara and Odette, brought you as a brand new potential employee for them. A lonely quiet determined sinner with a connection to all kinds of snakes

Carmilla watches you, at first, to test how good you are at the job her precious daughters give you and she is pleased with the results. You’re quite good at your job but you’re also kinda isolated and don’t talk to anybody but your hyper-intelligent ‘scarf-snake’ friend

But then Carmilla’s watching becomes one of interest… you’re interesting, your behaviour is a lot less than what she suspected from a Sinner worker and how antisocial and distance you are is intriguing for anybody, even her

Carmilla does end up approaching you and she gives you a lunch… despite the fact you already have a lunch and whilst you’re kinda blunt and quiet and uninterested with her, you’re polite and respectful to her and let her accompany you

So, this became routine. Everyday, Carmilla comes over to you during lunch and presents you with a fancy lunch she has made for you and enjoys a lunch break with you. She is more of the talker whilst you listen to her quietly, surprisingly

Carmilla took a while but she’s been relatively open, talking about her beloved daughters, about other Overlords annoying her during meetings, about a number of things about herself. It’s shocking for a strong mature woman like her to even speak on these things with her new employee

It took quite some time but throughout all the sessions Carmilla has befriended and talking to you and having dinner with you, you grew to have quite the big crush on her to the point you get jealous and furious at others being around her… except Zestial, to a degree

Carmilla doesn’t really notice how protective you are to him and aggressive you are to others over her. She just believes you and her are friends but you don’t feel that way, you love her dearly, so much that she is basically your everything… even after you feared women due to your awfully tragic past

You don’t really eat unless Carmilla is and since Carmilla is a kind graceful yet powerful woman, even as a mighty Overlord, she’ll eat with you since she notices how dependent you are… on her? She suspects it’s something to do with comfort so doesn’t question it as much

Carmilla is your starlight, the sugary yet tough mochi that has truly changed your life from a bland hell of self-deprecation and loathing to something much worth it. Now, you can actually express emotions better and you want to give yourself to Carmilla as to express how much you adore her

Carmilla is seemingly oblivious to your intense love for her as she has grown to view you, as she acts, like a surrogate child of hers. She doesn’t notice your affections and favouritism and much more, she just believes you’re a enthusiastic employee of the business that wishes to please it

Carmilla does, in general, absolutely appreciate and likes you. It’s why she still approaches and tries to bond with you to this day. You’re a mysterious, quiet but fearless and strong and willing to rip people a new one. She respects that and it’s a reason she likes you

“Hello once more, dear friend. It’s been quite the rough day. My girls have had the hardest hours for quite a few years recently. Would you like to hear it?”

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Alternate Doctor Who Companion Endings

The Hartnell Years

Barbara: becomes an Aztec queen

Ian: Stabbed by a TARDIS-possessed Susan running with scissors

Susan: Eaten by a normal-sized Earth woodlouse while shrunk

Vicky: Conscripted into a civil war between large-sized non-Earth moths and ants

Steven: arrested for mugging a man for his Rolex in 1066

Katerina: journeys with the Doctor for eight multi-part serials before falling in love with a Samurai and staying in Edo period Japan

Sara Kingdom: becomes a Golden Era Hollywood stunt actor

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The Troughton Years

Polly: Becomes a fish person

Ben: Conscripted into being a Highlander

Jamie: New face new man

Victoria: Killed by a Cybermat

Zoe: vanishes in Foam

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The Pertwee Years

Liz Shaw: falls in love with a Silurian

Jo: accidentally drops the Doctor's tupperware box of anti-matter

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The Baker Years v1

Sarah-Jane: stays on Peladon to pioneer feminism

Harry Sullivan: accidentally replaced by a Zygon

Leela: steamed

Romana 1: a Mishap with a giant squid on a methane refinery. Regenerates.

Romana 2: becomes a vampire

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The Davison Years

Nyssa: stays on Earth to become a paleontologist

Tegan: goes home with the wrong Doctor (it was a choice of 5, whoops)

Adric: gets lost in an Escher building. Left behind.

Turlough: succeeds in killing the Doctor. Sent home by the Black Guardian with an extremely silly hat

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The Baker Years v2

Peri: turned into a bird by a slug

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The McCoy Years

Mel: stays and joins a rebel punk roller derby team and takes on alien!Thatcherite non-Britain

Ace: becomes a Time Lord (with a baseball bat)

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The McGann Years

Grace: stays dead

Chang Lee: stays dead

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The Eccleston Years

Adam: promoted and eaten by a gelatinous ceiling

Captain Jack: is so successful on Trinny and Suzannah that he gets and stars in his own future!TV show, How to Look Good Naked. Becomes a celebrity. Stays.

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The Tennant Years

Rose: possessed by Cassandra

Martha: blows up Earth with the Oster Haagen key

Donna: refinds her real life husband from Silence in the Library after being downloaded

Mickey: becomes parts in a clockwork spaceship

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The Smith Years

Amy: becomes an Angel

Rory: finds out his fiance sexually assaulted another man the night before their wedding and leaves to build a better life

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The Capaldi Years

Clara: genuinely leaves and never comes back after that moon bullshit because she's fed up with his abuse

Bill: stays on the Cyber-infested spaceship to lead the colonists as they start a new society

Nardole: Cyber-converted, but is the quirky comic relief robot. The Doctor leaves him with Bill, in case he's useful.

------

The Whittaker Years

Yaz: joins Zheng Yi Sao, is now starring in Our Flag Means Death s3

Graham: stays in the frog universe with his dead frog wife

Ryan: seduced by King James VI and I, becomes prince consort

Dan: goes to space with his grumpy dog friend on new adventures

[ak319]

Yan G!P Princess x fem reader

(Your name is Deniz in the story)

PART V ➺ PART IV

(YOUR POV)

"Princess here!"

"Princess Kade , here!"

"Where did you both first meet?!"

"Is our new princess in the castle?!"

"How long I’ve waited to hear these questions, to see the desperate anticipation in every man, woman, and child’s eyes about my marriage with you. The day they would be dying to know about you, about us."

That’s what she said. She released the article, just as I expected. So, I lost. I finally lost. And I would have lost no matter what.

It’s been two weeks since... I can’t even bear to say or think about what happened. But yes, two weeks, and I’m still stuck in this damn room, watching her answer questions with such delight. The lies she’s telling, as if she’s trying to craft a fairy tale. And she’s done it. She told them how she first saw me playing and was captivated by everything—my sportsmanship, my personality, my beauty. Then, when someone asked about her previous failed engagement with Juniper, she outright denied even knowing her and excused herself, slamming the car door. That means she’s coming back to the palace—probably to spend more time with me here.

I would just sit in the corner, ignoring her as best I could while she tried to talk to me. But she still remained, informing me about the commencement of the arrangement and how she had spoken to her assistant to arrange some classes for me—ranging from media etiquette to royal protocol. At first, I cursed at the mere idea of it, but when she said I wouldn’t be allowed to use my phone, I had no choice but to comply. But I’ll make sure to make those classes as miserable as possible. Let’s see how long the teachers last.

My parents went back home and will be invited back for the wedding. I video-call them daily now that I have the strength to. Ever since the incident, I had been blaming them, even though I knew it wasn’t their fault. I just needed time. Clara and Leo finally picked up my calls, but not from my phone--from the palace’s telephone. Yes, apparently, Kade ordered this too, and I had no choice since the calls from my phone are still blocked. It’s just another way of monitoring me because Kade knows Clara could help me somehow. But I also know that if I tried to ask for help, it would only create problems for Clara. So, in the end, I could only cry during the calls while she cursed Kade and her family non-stop.

The door opened after a subtle knock, one I knew all too well. Why is she even bothering to knock? It’s locked from the outside. Kade entered the room with her usual air of authority, her tall, statuesque figure clad in a form-fitting black turtleneck that highlighted her regal bearing. Her hazel eyes, sharp and observant, flickered with a mixture of contentment, control and...concern?

"Good morning, love. Hazel informed me you skipped breakfast again. You shouldn't skip meals like this. I don't want you to faint when you're walking down the aisle. I care for you, alright? For your health. And I know you definitely don't want me to force feed you." Yep. I'd rather kill myself.

"Well forgive me Your Grace, for not eating due to getting literally , kidnapped."

"I am not having this conversation again." She slumped against the couch.

"Ever thought about how I don’t want any of this either?" I watched her jaw tighten as she turned on her laptop and started working on her project, as if my words meant nothing. She always sits in this room to study, turning it into her own workspace. She even had the nerve to ‘introduce’ me to her friends on a Zoom call once, pretending everything was perfectly fine.

Ignoring my complaint entirely, she announced, "The wedding is in August, so you’ve got one month to adjust. Your classes start next Monday."

I decided to play her game and ignore her right back.

"Kade, what will happen if I kill you right now?"

"Death sentence, love." She responded nonchalantly, flashing me a quick, almost amused smile. I scoffed and leaned back into the sofa, staring out the window. "In a way, we’d be reunited," she added with an unsettling calm. God, this woman is next-level delusional.

"If you could be even a tiny bit positive about this, I might consider taking you outside."

"I’m perfectly fine here," she sighed, her eyes still glued to the screen. "Are you sure, love?"

"Yes. Very." I stood up and headed to the bathroom, seeking a brief escape from her presence. When I returned, she was still there, now on a group call with her legs propped up on the table. She gave me a quick wink before turning her attention back to her work.

I decided to use my phone while she was occupied. When she finally left, I knew she'd be back for supper and then dinner. I groaned into the pillow. The door couldn’t be locked from the inside, there was no LOCK! It was clear she’d planned this meticulously, which only made it even more stomach-turning.

As I settled in with a book, a knock at the door interrupted me, distinctly different from Kade’s.

"Can I come in?"

Who the hell--wait a minute. Is that... Princess Romana?! My future sister-in-law. NO! EW! Stop thinking that way! How did I even think of that-?!. I quickly shook off the unsettling thought and answered with a hurried "yes." I had no idea if she’d be as crazy as the rest of this family, but something in my gut told me she was different. I only knew a little about her from the media, she lived in Windsor with her own family, not here in Buckingham.

The door clicked open, and she walked in, looking just as confused as I was.

"Seriously? Whose idea was this?" Before I could even register her question, she muttered to herself, "Who am I kidding—of course it was that sister of mine." She turned to me, her expression softening. "Anyway, um, Deniz. Nice to meet you. I’m Romana, if you-"

"I know, Princess Romana... hi." Damn it, why did I interrupt her? Forget it. Why does it even matter?

"Can we have a talk, if you’re comfortable with that?" She folded her arms and gave me a polite smile, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, I felt a sense of warmth. She felt like... home. Maybe because she was the first person I’d interacted with besides Kade.

"I-y-yes." I cleared my throat , trying my best to hold back my tears.

"Thank you. Please, have a seat." I moved to the edge of the bed, facing her, still wary of her unexpected appearance.

"I'll be honest with you, okay? And don’t be scared of me. Be as open as you want to be." She paused, her gaze fixed on her folded hands in her lap. "I read the article and was shocked at first, but then I was happy and decided to call Father about this sudden news because my dear sister wasn’t picking up. Then I got a call from someone here, someone loyal to me, who filled me in on the whole-" She licked her lips, searching for the right word-"situation."

That was the final trigger for me, and I let my tears flow.

"God, I am so sorry for what they did to you. What my sister did. I just can’t wrap my head around all of this. It’s bloody diabolical." She gave me a moment to collect myself, her eyes brimming with sympathy and regret.

"Look, Deniz, the situation between Kade and me has been complicated. We started off with a strained relationship, but as we grew older, things improved significantly. We eventually became quite close. I am thoroughly aware that she has a tendency for being stubborn. My father, as you might expect, has always had a special fondness for Kade, which has influenced many of his decisions. I wish I had known about this earlier, I would have done everything I could to intervene. Though, given his position as King, it might not have made a difference."

"It’s not your fault... it was mine."

"No. Don’t blame yourself. This is what I’m trying to explain. Kade has a habit of getting what she wants, and this time she’s gone too far. I had a huge argument with her when I arrived. She shouldn’t have done any of this. But now-" She sighed, her expression heavy with regret. "The articles are out, the press is all over it, the situation has spiraled out of control. As much as it pains me to say this, the marriage is going to happen."

It felt as though my heart was being slashed once again, and all I could do was absorb her words, powerless and numb.

"I wish I could make this better for you. Right now, all I can offer is the small comfort that Kade has failed as a person, but there’s a slim chance she might be a good partner." I shook my head violently and stood up, pacing in front of the window.

"God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. The reality is, you will have to leave this room eventually and confront the world she’s created outside. I’m not trying to manipulate you or play some sort of Stockholm syndrome game, I’m just stating the facts."

"You don’t have to keep reminding me," I snapped, frustration seeping into my voice. "She comes here every day to make sure I know just how much she’s made my life a nightmare!"

She ran a hand through her sleek black hair and nodded. "I understand. But Deniz, I’m here for you. My wife, Adelyn, is too. We’re both with you. You can call on us anytime, we’re staying here for the time being." She approached me with a somber look. "I’m your sister, okay? You can trust me. Now, come on. Let’s go outside."

Her words sounded reassuring, so I nodded in agreement.

"Can you gimme me a few minutes?"

"Of course. I’ll wait outside." She offered a comforting smile before stepping out. I sighed and wiped away my tears as I sat down to gather my emotions. I felt a bit better than before. The fact that I cried not only from my own situation but also because her presence reminded me of my family touched me deeply. She seemed genuinely honest, a stark contrast to the insufferable Kade. God, why did my stalker have to be a fucking princess? At least a normal person might have faced arrest.

(Kade's POV)

"So, you met my sister?" I was relieved to see you finally eating. It pained me to think of you outside walking with Romana and my sister-in-law as I came back from the gym, but at least you had opened up to someone here. Still, I hated it.

"What did you two talk about, love?"

"Nothing. Nothing that concerns you." It should fucking concern me. But I’ll let it slide for now, I don’t want you to go silent again. I need to keep you talking. I trust Romana to some extent, but I hope she didn’t poison your mind against me. My fists clenched under the table as I thought about how Romana seemed to have it so easy. She married the love of her life without the struggles I had to endure to be with you. But then again, what kind of love is it if you didn’t have to fight for it? It was such a bittersweet feeling.

"Look, it’s not like I’m keeping you a prisoner here. You could have gone out into the gardens any time."

"Well, I don’t think the lock on my door agrees with that statement." You slammed your spoon down on your plate, your frustration evident.

"Deniz, love, that lock isn’t meant to imprison you. You’re volatile, okay? I can’t have you breaking everything in the palace like—like you did in our room."

"Oh, how marvelous," you retorted, sarcasm dripping from every word. "Are you still not over that? Must be so, so hurtful, right? Even more painful than being forced into a marriage? Tsk. God, one can never fathom the daily struggles of Princess Kade."

I couldn’t help but chortle at your biting sarcasm. "God, Deniz. You’re still the same."

"And you’re even worse," you shot back, your voice laden with exasperation

"I wonder what or who made me like this, hm~..."

"Yourself, Kade." I shook my head, catching a glimpse of Julian returning from his jog over Deniz’s shoulder.

"Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you’re free to do whatever you want here, except vandalism. Also, I need to discuss our honeymoon trip-"

"Fuck no, Kade." I grabbed your wrist as you tried to head back inside, my frustration evident.

"No, Deniz, we are having this conversation. It’s important."

"NO! EW! How can you even suggest I go with YOU—"

"DENIZ!" I sighed in exasperation, seeing you flinch. God, this is tougher than I thought it would be. "Deniz, love, I just want you to read the schedule. Nothing more, nothing less. You can make changes if you want. I won’t say a word. I promise."

"Well, then cancel it altogether! That is what I WANT!"

"You know that’s not possible. Now please—" You swatted my hand away from your wrist and flopped back down into the chair. "Thank you. Richard." I grabbed the file from him and slid it towards you, which you snatched with your usual resentment. "Don’t ever touch me like that."

I swallowed another wave of pain and annoyance. 'No, no, no. Kade, you have to endure this. I know it’s painful, but it will get better over time. Just focus on how cute she looks reading it and how you can’t wait to take her as your wife'.

(YOUR POV)

The days began to blend into one another, thanks to the interminable classes I was subjected to. I did my best to irritate the teachers, but they remained astonishingly patient. I had never encountered such patience before. Clearly, Kade had trained them well.

Gradually, and unfortunately, I was also taken by Kade to spend time with her family. Thankfully, Romana and her wife, Adelyn, provided a calming presence, along with their adorable 4-year-old son, Idris. I knew I was, in a sense, surrendering, but what choice did I have? I was still aware, as evidenced by my panic attacks. I would never forget what Kade had done to me, no matter how loving she appeared now. I only wished she could understand that.

As my headache returned, I stumbled to the bed, desperately hoping to awaken from this nightmare the next morning. Instead, my mind replayed memories of my previous life, Kade's conversations, Romana’s reassuring words, the King's disapproving glances, and the Queen’s pitying looks. The upcoming interviews and the wedding itself loomed over me. I turned the pillow to the dry side, though it was already damp with tears.

"Just rest, Deniz. Close your eyes. It will be okay. Shhh...just call your parents first thing in the morning."

The earlier walk with Romana replayed in my mind.

"Can you get me divorced from her in the future, then?"

Romana stopped and turned to face me. "That would be possible when I become Queen. I could grant you permission. But that time seems far off, and..." She sighed. "There are other factors to consider, including Kade’s own consent."

"Fuck everything."

"Indeed." Adelyn gently patted my back in sympathy.

Part VI

(AN: Kade be like - but still loving it.)

(Meanwhile the reader)

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🌈 Queer Books Coming Out in March 2024 🌈

🌈 Good afternoon, my bookish bats! Struggling to keep up with all the amazing queer books coming out this month? Here are a FEW of the stunning, diverse queer books you can add to your TBR before the year is over. Remember to #readqueerallyear! Happy reading!

[ Release dates may have changed. ]

❤️ Shift: A Memoir of Identity and Other Illusions - Penny Guisinger 🧡 Tempting Olivia - Clare Ashton 💛 Monilinia - Free Mints 💚 Guillaume - Aurora Dimitre 💙 The Marble Queen - Anna Kopp & Gabrielle Kari 💜 The Baker & the Bard - Fern Haught ❤️ Rainbow! - Sunny & Gloom 🧡 The Safe Zone - Amy Marsden 💛 The Weavers of Alamaxa - Hadeer Elsbai 💙 The No-Girlfriend Rule - Christen Randall 💜 A Different Kind of Brave by Lee Wind 🌈 Cirque du Slay - Rob Osler ❤️ Wizard’s Debt - Niranjan 🧡 One Last Breath - Ginny Myers Sain 💛 Nothing Special - Katie Cook 💚 I Feel Awful, Thanks - Lara Pickle 💙 The Tower - Flora Carr 💜 Be the Sea - Clara Ward ❤️ What Grows in the Dark - Jaq Evans 🧡 Heirs of Bone and Sea - Kay Adams 💛 The Haunting of Velkwood - Gwendolyn Kiste 💙 Thunder Song - Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe 💜 Mona of the Manor - Armistead Maupin 🌈 Like Happiness - Ursula Villarreal-Moura

❤️ Ellipses - Vanessa Lawrence 🧡 Saint, Sorrow, Sinner - Freydís Moon 💛 Blood & Brujas - Mikayla D. Hornedo 💚 Infinity Kings - Adam Silvera 💙 Really Cute People - Markus Harwood-Jones 💜 How You Were Born - Kate Cayley ❤️ These Bodies Between Us - Sarah Van Name 🧡 Icarus - K. Ancrum 💛 The Emperor and the Endless Palace - Justinian Huang 💙 How Not to Date an Angel - Lana Kole 💜 Enemy Colours - R.M. Olson 🌈 Broken Parts Included - Alyson Root

❤️ Who's Afraid of Gender? - Judith Butler 🧡 The Duke’s Cowboy - Andrew Grey 💛 The Secret Something - Emily Wright 💚 Colstead & Andie - Olivia Janae 💙 Play It Again, Ma’am - Sienna Waters 💜 Love Is…? - K.J. Wrights ❤️ Welcome to Forever - Nathan Tavares 🧡 Just Another Epic Love Poem - Parisa Akhbari 💛 The Phoenix Bride - Natasha Siegel 💙 These Letters End in Tears - Musih Tedji Xaviere 💜 Truly Home - J.J. Hale 🌈 Monster Mixer - Robin Jo Margaret

❤️ The House of Hidden Meanings - RuPaul 🧡 Promised to the Queen - Barbara Winkes 💛 A Conclave of Crimson - Nicole Eigener & Beverley Lee 💚 A Hunt of Blood and Iron - Cara Nox 💙 The Fealty of Monsters - Ladz 💜 Ariel Crashes a Train - Olivia A. Cole ❤️ Those Beyond the Wall - Micaiah Johnson 🧡 Dancing Toward Stardust - Julia Underwood 💛 Heir to Dreams & Darkness - Ben Alderson 💙 Comet Cruise - Niska Morrow 💜 Dead Girls Walking - Sami Ellis 🌈 Blackout - Carlos E. Rivera

❤️ Monster Crush - Erin Ellie Franey 🧡 Blessed Water - Margot Douaihy 💛 These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart - Izzy Wasserstein 💚 Kiss of Seduction - Rawnie Sabor 💙 Sunbringer - Hannah Kaner 💜 Evacuation to Love - C.A. Popovich ❤️ Sin - Brooke Matthews 🧡 Falls from Grace - Ruby Landers 💛 Lean in to Love - Catherine Lane 💙 A Small Apocalypse - Laura Chow Reeve 💜 Cascade Failure - L.M. Sagas 🌈 The Mars House - Natasha Pulley

❤️ All This Time - Sage Donnell 🧡 The Romance Lovers Book Club - MA Binfield 💛 View from the Top - Morgan Adams 💚 Number Call - Nagisa Furuya 💙 Crossing Bridges - Chelsey Lynford 💜 The Boyfriend Subscription - Steven Salvatore ❤️ Love the World or Get Killed Trying - Alvina Chamberland 🧡 Synthetic Sea - Franklyn S. Newton 💛 The Prince & His Stolen Groom - J.E. Ridge 💙 Chrysalis and Requiem - Quinton Li 💜 Where Sleeping Girls Lie - Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé 🌈 A Botanical Daughter - Noah Medlock

❤️ Wednesday Nights - by Donna Jay 🧡 The Woods All Black - Lee Mandelo 💛 Song of the Huntress - Lucy Holland 💚 Rainbow Black - Maggie Thrash 💙 Spirits & Sunflowers - A.D. Armistead & Austin Daniel 💜 Floating Hotel - Grace Curtis ❤️ Far From Camelot - Rylee Hale 🧡 This Way to Change - Jezz Chung 💛 Mexican Bird - Luis Lopez-Maldonado 💙 Android Affection: Unveiling - Beau Van Dalen 💜 Welcome to the Damned - Astraea Long 🌈 She Came for Blood - Darva Green

❤️ Cover Story - Rachel Lacey 🧡 The Poisons We Drink - Bethany Baptiste 💛 The Perfect Guy Doesn't Exist - Sophie Gonzales 💚 In Walked Trouble - Dana Hawkins 💙 Never Leave, Never Lie - Thea Verdone 💜 Guardian: Zhen Hun - Priest ❤️ All the World Beside - Garrard Conley 🧡 Rainbows, Unicorns, and Triangles - Jessica Kingsley Publishers 💛 The Feast Makers - H.A. Clarke 💙 Synthetic Sea - Franklyn S. Newton 💜 All the Painted Stars - Emma Denny 🌈 A Hard Sell - Jennifer Moffatt

[wlw-imagines]

In The Name of Love - Clara Oswald/Reader (Doctor Who)

prompt: "you have some awesome writing friend, anyways may i request an imagine with Clara Oswald from Doctor Who? an unrequited love type of imagine?" - anon

a/n: these are from my old tumblr thefandomwritings from back in 2018 ! re-vamped and re-purposed!! hope u enjoy and forgive the 2018 me style writing + the drama lmao   

The Doctor and you had been travelling together for a while. You'd always remember travelling the universe with Amy and Rory, River even joining in every now and then. You were like a family, the five of you together.

When Amy and Rory left things fell somewhat apart on the Tardis. River disappeared off somewhere and the Doctor fell into a silent mood, moping around his ship for hours on end.

But it hadn't taken long before another adventure was underway, and you were the first invited to join the team again. Of course you had said yes, life back on Earth was nothing compared to the stars and there were still creatures of hundreds and thousands of planets to meet.

The adventure this time? An apparent wild goose chase to find a woman who had died two times, an act that you were quite impressed with so when Clara was finally found you happily invited her with open arms onto the Tardis.

And you had practically watched yourself fall in love with the woman.

You had also watched Clara fall in love with the Doctor.

There had always been something between the two, something you couldn't place a finger on. You just wished you had some time to think it all through. However, by time you didn't mean you wanted to be stranded on an abandoned planet for weeks on end. That just seemed to be the universe's misinterpretation of your wish.

The weeks had passed by slowly. It had only happened because you had somehow been taken off course when trying to return to London, 1888 in an attempt to return Madame Vastra, Jenny and Strax back home. How it had ended this badly was difficult to understand and something you simply decided to blame on the Doctor, besides you had been persuaded that it was good fun to hang around on an empty planet.

Until you found out it was infested with Cybermen. That wasn't fun. It also wasn't fun to find out they were planning on transporting down to Earth once their upgrade had finalised and kill everyone and take over and make humans a part of their army.

Obviously the only saving grace was the old bomb the Doctor had found that seemed to have been built as a failsafe many years ago, something which greatly excited the Doctor.

"So we have a bomb!" The Doctor smiled, clapping his hand together and rubbing them happily. After 4 long weeks on this planet, that might have been the best thing you had heard so far... and you had been told that Vastra all but cried when Jenny had told her she had loved her. "Big bomb on a small planet infested with Cybermen. Sounds like a recipe for fun." He straightened his bow tie and ran off down a corridor, "Wait there, I'll be back." He yelled over his shoulder as everyone shared confused glances but stayed put anyway - apart from Clara who insisted on running after him. You knew the pair too well and so made no attempt to stop either of them, knowing your efforts would be futile.

You stayed where you were on the floor, watching as Clara ran the opposite direction and just hoping she would stay safe and not do something too stupid like sacrificing herself for any of you.

You were too caught up in your thoughts that you didn't see Jenny approaching before speaking to you, "You love her." Jenny said simply, shooting you a sympathetic smile as she slid down next to you.

You let out an emotionless laugh, "Is it that obvious?"

"I like to think I come a'customed to seeing those kinda feelings." She smiled, sparing a glance to Vastra who was in deep conversation with Strax.

You were about to respond before the Doctor came bursting through the door with Clara close behind him. He clapped his hands and hopped up on a slight step. "Okay so I have good news and bad news, which one first?"

You smiled and answered for the group. "Good news."

"Oh, okay, well... funny thing, there really is no good news."

Raising an eyebrow you sighed and answered again. "Right... Bad news then?"

"Yes, so, the bomb can only be detonated by hand and from in this room and the cybermen are closing in."

"Which means...?"

"Someone has to push this big red button - I love big red buttons-" He grinned before going straight back to being serious, "and, uh, well... boom." He rubbed his hands together and suddenly looked almost guilty as well as serious, if that was even possible for the Doctor.

"Brilliant. There you go, we're sorted! We can leave and save the world by just pressing that big red button." Clara, being the ever optimist, smiled and approached the button. You, having been carefully watching the Doctor, stepped forward to intercept her.

"So the person who presses the button...?" You asked slowly.

"Yes, well there is that. Once the big red button has been pressed then there won't be time to escape," He admitted as he raked his hand through his hair. "Before the... boom."

Everyone stayed silent as the information sunk in. You took a moment to look around the room. The Doctor couldn't do it, too important. How could you let Clara sacrifice herself? Vastra and Jenny were married and you weren't in any hurry to force them to split up and Strax was just an innocent bystander in this whole shebang. You sighed and stepped forward, clearing your throat.

"Doctor, you always hog the fun of pushing big red buttons." You smiled, looking straight at him and watching as he immediately realised what you were planning. "I think it might be my turn to have a go."

Jenny gasped lightly and shook her head, "Well, no, there must be-"

"Vastra, take Jenny back to the Tardis." You gave apologetic eyes to your new found friend who struggled against her wife's grip.

"No, Y/N, I-"

"As you wish." The lizard bowed her head to you in respect before walking briskly to the Tardis, Jenny's cries of frustration muffling as they left. Strax, looked up to you and gave you his formal goodbye, soldier to soldier before walking solemnly after his mistress. Clara watched them leave with a confused look on her face, having not caught on to what you were planning.

"What-?"

"Clara, you need to go." You held her shoulders making sure she was looking at you. "You need to go." You repeated, becoming more and more wary of the clanging footsteps approaching from behind you as the Cyberman upgrade date loomed closer. She licked her lips and nodded, preparing herself to leave.

"Wait, what about you?" She asked

"I can try and slow them down." You held your head high in order to convey confidence that you were severely lacking right about now. "No need for all of us to die." You turned away, facing the direction the Cybermen were walking from. You glanced at the bomb - a weapon that frightened you to no ends but you had made a promise and you were going to save the world.

The feeling of Clara grabbing your arm and turning you around made your heart skip a beat but you stayed steady, refusing to let her get hurt.

"I'm not letting you do this Y/L/N." She shook her head, preparing her own weapon and coming to stand next to you. 'Not on your own."

You looked desperately behind you to see the Doctor standing still. "We can all get out, don't be silly. All three of us." The Doctor put on a brave face, one you had seen plenty of times before.

After walking up to him and taking him to the side you whispered, looking back at Clara. "We can't Doctor and the longer we wait then the less time you'll have to escape." You lowered your voice even more, "You know the bomb can only be detonated from on the planet. Take Clara and run." You insisted on staying, not wanting to let anyone else risk themselves for the cause. The Doctor stayed still, just looking at you for a while before taking your head in his hands and kissing your forehead gently.

"Say hello to Amy for me." He smiled and blinked a few times as you saw his eyes get slightly glossy. That was the only emotion you got from him as he swiftly turned around, grabbing Clara's hands and walking out much to her protests. "Clara, let’s go!" He shouted, using his sonic screwdriver to open a door in front of him.

He paused before nodding his head in recognition of your sacrifice. You smiled in response, sending him a mock salute before positioning yourself by the bomb again and turning around. You could faintly hear the sonic screwdriver locking you in before you met your fate.

You gingerly looked over the small box with wires - an old machine that had rusted over with age. Gripping onto the edge of the table, you closed your eyes and held your breath, praying that the Doctor was correct in saying that the bomb would definitely work. You also quickly reminded yourself that if you didn't do this then the thousands upon millions of cyberman on the other side of the door would otherwise infest the world that you had come to grow with and love, along with your friends and family. You had seen what those monsters could do and you weren't prepared to ever see it happen again.

There was hesitation in your movements as you placed your shaky hand on the button. The clanks, noises and voices of the cybermen could be heard coming closer. You knew you had to give the Tardis as much time as you could before you pressed down, as they had to have time to escape but the threat was looming nearer and nearer.

You could feel a bead of sweat drip down your temple as thoughts of your family and friends started to flood your mind, events and adventures you had forgotten about were becoming fresh and brought tears to your eyes. The heat in the room was suffocating as the door began to creak and crack under the pressure of an army of metal and you knew it was time.

"Good luck." You whispered, just having to hope that the Tardis had escaped, as you put pressure down on the button and took one last breath.

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

"She'll be alright, won't she?" Clara asked, the pair finally joining everyone else in the time machine. The comment made the Doctor stop abruptly so he was facing the controls. He ran his hands through his hair a few times leaving the group in silence.

"We need to leave before this place blows up." He mumbled almost incoherently as he flipped a few switches. Vastra took a deep breath and took place next to the Doctor. "i should have done something. I shouldn't let her do this."

"On the contrary Doctor. I believe you'll find that the fault of Y/N's actions should be sought elsewhere." She sent a pointed look towards Clara who frowned and advanced on her. The move caused Vastra to grasp the hilt of her swords and hiss slightly.

"What are you accusing me of?" Clara's brow furrowed and she took another step closer to Vastra who hissed again but louder.

"I think what my dearest means," Jenny stepped in, always acting as the pacifier when her wife lost touch with human emotions, "is that people do strange things in the name of love." She gave Vastra a pointed look, still sour about being dragged away before looking at Clara more carefully, knowing she was completely unaware of any feelings you may have had for her.

Clara's head snapped up at the word and her lips parted. "Love?" She shook her head, "No, Y/N never... She didn't..." Clara trailed off as everything clicked into place. "What's she done? Doctor?" She dashed towards the doors and tried to open them but too late as the Tardis powered up.

"It's too late, I'm sorry." He pulled down a final lever which sent the Tardis flying. The noise of a bomb drowned out any other words and left a deep silence for a long period after. The impact of the planet, and everything on it, being blown apart caused the Tardis to rock and everyone inside to stumble slightly.

And it wasn't Clara falling over that hurt the most but rather the pain of losing a friend, the pain of a sacrifice that she didn't even know was happening under her name. Clara could never speak to her, joke with her, laugh or sleep alongside her like she had many an adventure.

Y/N had died for Clara in the name of love.

[meirimerens]

oooh im a bit late to the party but….top 5 patho kids?

you're never too late because the party never stops... someone started it out of nowhere you can pop back in anytime.

also i'm not counting Clara in the Kids because while she's 14 she's also technically one of healers/protags so i'm counting "kids" as the NPC ones.

numero one: MISHKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

no competition for her. i understand her on a deep level especially with her grief. except i'm not 8 anymore. i also love the fact that she's basically the same model-wise in P1 & P2 because truly Why change something that's already perfect.

numero two: LASKA Grace. i love her dearly. i love her ethereality and in general i really love children characters who are close to death (interpersonally/death as a subject or object, not "to close death" as in dying), this mix of utter morbidity and the brightness of youth. i think it's especially visible for her in her models where her face and eyes are very light compared to the [pictured] darkness of death, she'd be like... a candlelight... or a ghostly apparition. i also love her situation in P2 where she knows farkhad['s corpse] and she ends up being adopted by peter. sitcomesque in nature.

numero three: i've already mentioned capella in the "top 5 patho characters" ask i've gotten so putting her back here + reiterating. in equal place Notkin which i've also mentioned in that ask. many plans for him.

numero four: TAYA. i see her so powerfully. many things for her to come. she's in such a situation... she's the moonbearer she's the bull-écuyère. she's 5.

numero 5: cheating combo of equal parts sticky and catnip&dandy. these last two come as a bundle do not separate. or rather the Thought i have of them in my head. sticky has so much to live up to but at the same time Poor thang. many things for him to come. also i bundle these 3 up together due to the

[from here]

[gremlinaristocrat]

Things I got from playing Patho Classic HD that I didn't get from the sequel or from watching videos about it

As the Bachelor:

Thinking I'm being clever buying/trading-for alpha-tablets over the course of Day 1 only to find out at the end that they're effectively useless.

Hearing my boots go squish-squish-squish as I walk through a pile of [???] in a plague district, and continue to make that noise for several steps afterwards.

Wandering around late at night after a long day in Daniil's head, noticing changes to houses' windows: "Are these absolute barbarians setting their houses on fire while they're still inside!? Oh wait, that's just the glow from their hearths keeping them warm at night, and what I thought were embers were leaves falling . . . that's kinda cute actually."

Realizing the logic puzzle with the three Watchers is solvable even if everyone plays their roles perfectly, solving the harder version, and then seeing the Earth Watcher blatantly contradict himself & make all my cleverness redundant.

The weirdness of the empty plagueless Day 12 streets.

Georgiy appearing to straight-up admit in his last conversation that there's no magic soul-preserving trick and he's just LARPing as Simon.

As the Haruspex:

The sheer surreality of Big Vlad being helpful and straightforward with you after seeing how he acts in the Bachelor's route.

You can insult the weirdly-dressed dudes in the Stone Yard in exactly the same way as the Bachelor (as if we needed more evidence that they're soulmates . . .)

Daniil is a lot more reasonable early in this route than tumblr and hbomberguy led me to believe, he really is trying his best.

[Completes Day 4's main quest before noon] [Knows what's in rough terms what's coming next] [Wakes up in a cell after being beaten to death and getting all my weapons stolen] . . . oh hey it's only late afternoon, that's not so bad . . . WAIT IT'S LATE AFTERNOON OF THE NEXT DAY!?

Slowly realizing what the Worms want the organs for after noticing that A) they also trade for fresh food and B) they value the non-organ-ic food a lot more highly.

The weird anticlimax associated with making the panacea (especially contrasted with how it goes in P2).

The feeling of utter horror when I realized what the potions Oyun gave me did.

The insane corkscrew trail I needed to follow to get Grace's opinion so I could relay it to that one Worm.

The fact that EVERYONE seemed to know that Oyun killed Isidor the ENTIRE time and NO-ONE tells Artemy (Vlad alludes to it on day 1! My Haruspex found out from ****ing Dankovsky of all people!)

"Hah! I got to save everyone and meet the Makers in the Theater without killing a single child!"

As the Changeling:

"Welp, guess I'm killing a child now."

Her mad leaps of logic during Day 1 which only make sense when you realize she's laundering OOC knowledge.

The arc of my understanding of P1 Artemy over the three playthroughs: "Seems like a scary weirdo"->"Okay now I'm playing as him his actions make a lot of sense"->"Okay now I'm getting to meet him a lot from another perspective I realize he actually is a scary weirdo without my mediating influence".

Nina's grave having slightly different stuff on it, for no obvious reason.

"I killed those muggers and they dropped . . . jewellery? I know what muggers drop, that's not it." "What are you talking about, Player? You did kill those muggers, this isn't Clara coming up with an excuse for you, she definitely didn't break into people's houses and take their valuables."

Realizing Clara doesn't have to buy maps, and what that implies.

[hb-writes]

Update re: Requests/ WIPS

Hi y'all! I'm changing the way I do requests. Unless otherwise specified, they'll be open anytime with the caveat that I'm a human being with real thoughts, feelings, opinions, and responsibilities, meaning that I may not have the interest/ ability/ motivation/ time to write everything received, and requests may take an exorbitant amount of time (think, literal years) to be written because that's just how it is. 🥲

Please just indicate in some way that the ask is a request. Sometimes people send a string of dialogue or a random quote with no other info attached and I’m not quite sure what it’s supposed to be for.

Upcoming:

Fifty (Em & El)

Twilight

TBD

September - LLB Anniversary month & A Discovery of Witches (maybe)

I'm including a list below the cut of everything I have on my request radar and will try to update as new requests are received (I usually only respond to the ask once I complete/ post the request)—updated as of Aug 25, 2024.

Masterlist

Pending Requests:

Peaky Blinders:

Part 2 to Gestures of fairness? Where perhaps Tommy is doing something which warrants Clara to utilize her ‘discovery’. For some reason I’m imagining tipsy, fun Tommy for this, with the other brothers there too, just a sweet family moment in the garrison or the house or something, before everything goes to shit

46 and 32 from the parental writing prompts with Tommy saying them! I just want some soft Tommy with a very scared Clara (note: this one is already written, but is actually going to be included in an upcoming chapter of LLB).

Part 2 for pretty in pink

For an angst one shot could you please do one where clara and grace has a huge fight and it ends up with clara wanting to leave the arrow house but tommy doesn't allow her and it will be a situation where he has to choose between clara and grace

could you write something about tommy and clara having an argument?

clara having huge fight with her family or getting into trouble and getting hurt something along the way

one shot with tommy and clara like a huge fight and fallout.

One-shot where Clara is a teenager and gets called into Tommy’s office to be scolded and she gets punished and it evolves into an angsty fight between Tommy and Clara but with comfort in the end? Like maybe she really pushed his buttons, he’s decided to punish her, she gets upset, they fight, she runs up to his room, he comes up and they talk it out and hugs in the end?

Suits:

Reader is married to Harvey and is also a lawyer and maybe during a big important case the reader gets shot in the middle of court and Harvey has to try to keep her alive and begs her to not leave him and their new little Boy at home. But thankfully the reader survives! 💗

"That's why I didn't tell you in the first place. I knew you'd react like this.", for Charlie and Harvey

Darvey? but like with charlie? maybe they're having a date at home or something & charlie promised to hide away in her room all evening but she goes out of her way to purposefully ruin it (why? for the giggles ofc, & because she loves messing with her big brother)

“I can’t smile at you, I’m mad.” & “It was just a joke!” For Suits

teenage charlie and Harvey notices she hasn’t really been eating breakfast or dinner with him as often and it turns out that she was upset about what someone said to her

teenage charlie (14-15) and mike and harvey are going to meet a client and they catch her skipping school on the street! not really like in a angsty way yk like in a funny way if that makes sense?

I would love one where she has a boyfriend and protective Harvey

Charlie: Marcus said I was his favourite

Can I request a Charlie specter where she gets caught at home with a boy like she skipped school or something and Harvey catches them together!?

Twilight:

"I'm very lucky to know you." For twilight

“I didn’t know they were drugs!” and “Oh my god, it’s so pretty!” With Twilight?

“I prefer not to be disturbed.” & “I don’t feel like it today.” For Twilight

Mia and needing her appendix out? And then after when they’re all taking care of her! A lot of fluff!!

some sort of part two for drifting (but it can also be a new ff) where Mia maybe has depression or a depressed phase (maybe because the family is drifting apart like in your last Carlisle fan fiction) And Carlisle and/or Esme help her through (maybe she dosen’t even has the energy to brush her hair or get out of bed)

mia cullen in eclipse when she and jacob finally meet again

Mia drank Alcohol and used marijuana in new moon

Mia Cullen just doing stupid stuff and (accidentally) pushing Carlisle to his limits, like he’s not angry but more like because it’s stupid?

Fifty Shades:

Elliot & Emma : "You can't lie to me. I can tell when you're lying."

One Tree Hill:

“All I wanted was your honesty.”

The Punisher:

“Something is wrong.” & “Get down on the floor!” For The Punisher

Sherlock:

"Can you shut up for once in your life?" Watson sister with Sherlock? Perhaps during the season 3 premiere where John is kidnapped and they try to think of a way to save him.

Bridgerton:

None

The Family Stone:

None

Marvel:

None

Supernatural:

None

True Blood:

None

White Collar:

None

A Discovery of Witches:

None

[taylorswiftandx]

Taylor Swift and Myth/Legend/Fantasy

Note: huge thank you to @meandmypagancrew who collaborated with me on this post! This one is very subjective - I ultimately chose to include references specifically relating to the story elements of religion/myth/legend/fantasy/tales, in order to determine what to include here versus what appears on TS and Religious Words/References. TS and Literary References may also be of interest.

'Taylor Swift'

Picture to Burn: State the obvious, I didn’t get my perfect fantasy

'Fearless (Taylor's Version)'

White Horse: I’m not a princess, this ain’t a fairytale

The Best Day: Don’t know if Snow White’s house is near or far away

The Best Day: It’s the age of princesses and pirate ships and the seven dwarves

Today Was A Fairytale: Today was a fairytale

'Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’'

Long Live: I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you

Superman: I watch superman fly away

'Red (Taylor's Version)'

State Of Grace: These are the hands of fate, you’re my Achilles heel

'1989 (Taylor’s Version)'

You Are In Love: You understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars

Now That We Don’t Talk: You part the crowd like the Red Sea, don’t even get me started

Suburban Legends: I didn’t come here to make friends, we were born to be suburban legends

Suburban Legends: I had the fantasy that our mismatched star signs would surprise the whole school

'reputation'

I Did Something Bad: They’re burning all the witches even if you aren’t one

'Lover'

(no myths/legends)

'folklore'

invisible string: Isn’t it just so pretty to think all along there was some invisible string tying you to me?

invisible string: A string that pulled me out of all the wrong arms right into that dive bar

mad woman: And women like hunting witches too

'evermore'

willow: As if you were a mythical thing

champagne problems: Your Midas touch on the Chevy door

gold rush: My mind turns your life into folklore

ivy: I wish to know the fatal flaw that makes you long to be magnificently cursed

cowboy like me: Now you hang from my lips like the Gardens of Babylon

'Midnights'

Anti-Hero: Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby and I’m a monster on the hill

Labyrinth: Lost in the labyrinth of my mind

Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve: I would’ve stayed on my knees and I damn sure would’ve never danced with the devil at nineteen

Dear Reader: When you aim at the devil, make sure you don’t miss

You’re Losing Me: I’m getting tired, even for a phoenix

'The Tortured Poets Department'

So Long, London: I saw in my mind fairy lights through the mist

But Daddy I Love Him: Screaming, "But, daddy, I love him"

Guilty as Sin?: These fatal fantasies giving way to labored breath

Guilty as Sin?: If it's make believe, why does it feel like a vow we'll both uphold somehow?

Guilty as Sin?: What if I roll the stone away? They're gonna crucify me anyway

Clara Bow: Beauty is a beast that roars down on all fours demanding more

The Albatross: Locked me up in towers, but I'd visit in your dreams

How Did It End?: My beloved ghost and me, sitting in a tree, D-Y-I-N-G

I Hate It Here: And in my fantasies I rise above it

thanK you aIMee: I pushed each boulder up the hill

thanK you aIMee: So I pushed each boulder up that hill

The Prophecy: Cards on the table, mine play out like fools in a fable, oh, it was sinking in

The Prophecy: Poison blood from the wound of the pricked hand

Cassandra: So, they killed Cassandra first 'cause she feared the worst and tried to tell the town

Cassandra: I was in my tower weaving nightmares

Peter: Forgive me, Peter, my lost fearless leader

Peter: And the shelf life of those fantasies has expired

Peter: Lost to the Lost Boys chapter of your life

The Bolter: But none if it is changing that the chariot is waiting

The Manuscript: He said, "No, just a good samaritan"

Other Songs written by Taylor

Beautiful Ghosts: Is this hope just a mystical dream?

Crazier: I was trying to fly but I couldn’t find wings

Official Alternate Releases

Cassandra (Clean Version): When it's "Burn the witch" they're shrieking

[capybaraonabicycle]

I just thought of the worst possible combination of characters :D

[ID: left image: Grace Chastity clutching a folder and holding a sign that says "Cancel Homec*mming! Don't dance with temptation!". Right image: Clara Oswald standing in a door saying "Who asks for homework? Amateur." end ID]

I honestly don't know who would win in a fight just that there would be a fight. They would annoy each other SO much. From day one. Please let them be teacher and student. I know Clara doesn't teach older students but please. Her and the Doctor could be investigating the deaths Grace's rampage brings about or something.

Clara would crack jokes in class about making out with Jane Austen and Grace would try to jump her (violently. with the intent to kill.) Grace would pester Clara consistently. About homecoming. About homework. About people cheating in class. All things Clara would NOT care about and hate that she has to take care of it anyway. Grace would try to kill her after a week and when that doesn't work (plot armour TM) she would try to get her fired. Clara would stop calling on her in class, no matter how much she raised her hand.

Clara would be so lost with how to handle her (and also would NOT want to bother, she has a murder case to solve for heaven's sake), to the point that Grace is completely convinced she is absolutely incompetent. And then they would come face to face for real, trying to stop Grace from committing the murders - and probably exorcising the Lords in Black from Grace or something - and Clara would get to be her badass clever self. And Grace would be like 'damn THAT was behind all that carelessness? Why didn't I get that in class?!' finally having the respect for Clara she deserves.

They're just so similar yet so different. They are both control freaks who don't have their life under control AT ALL. They are both SO ready to throw hands and do extreme stuff at the drop of a hat. They're also very prone to lying to try to keep in control. They're both incredibly selfish and self obsessed.

But Grace is a prude (with an agenda) and Clara is sex-positive. Clara is generally trying to be a good person, Grace does NOT care. Clara needs to be hero, Grace is very happy being the antihero as long as she gets to decide and doesn't have to feel the repercussions.

They would clash so beautifully. Someone please write that fic <3

[shmowder]

Termites + Clara and getting a toy with their meal

Sticky would pretend he's above it, that he doesn't care about kiddie toys. He'll order whatever Artemy orders to try and feel included with the adults. Except that his tastebuds are still of a 12y overdosing on nuggets daily, and he can not handle anything more spicy than ketchup. He managea three bites before his eyes start watering as he battles the spiciness while Artemy watches unimpressed.

Capella actually doesn't want a toy, but she still orders a meal with one anyway. It was to take home with her and keep as a souvenir of this outing. She's the one being addressed by the waiters and the person who goes to the cashier to correct an error in the order if Artemy wasn't around. While the fast food meal isn't what she usually eats, she finds herself intrigued by the simplicity of the flavours. She enjoys the sugary soda more than she'll ever like to admit, although Notkin clearly shares the sentiment and offers her his cup later as they leave.

Notkin immediately orders a toy meal along with Clara. The both of them end up having a blast using their mini figure toys to stage a fight on the table, using ketchup as fake blood and doing sound effects with their own voices. It's a theatrics show, and they use stale fries as woobly swords for their toys. He doesn't end up eating much but takes advantage of the free soda refills to stock up on 4 or 5 cups when no one in the staff is looking. He ends up "winning" the mini figure fight after tricking Clara into a trap with a paper crown. Taya is over the moon impressed. He soaks up her praise like a sponge and retells her the fight she just watched when they leave the diner... but more dramatically.

Khan actually enjoys the "grown-up" food courtesy to his family's eccentric tastes. His taste buds pretty much got used to most things other kids wouldn't even try. He tries not to say anything when he feels Sticky glaring at him from the other side of the table, half finished glass milk in hand. He absolutely hates the soda and can't understand why anyone would like something so sugary. He orders an average meal and splits it with Grace, insisting she's doing him a favour. Ends up criticising the food within earshot of the waiter multiple times. Makes everyone–Clara and Notkin especially– Clean the food mess they threw on the floor while playing around before leaving.

Taya didn't just ask for a toy. She asked for all the toys there in the whole diner! Although with Haruspex's current lack of stable income, she was content with just one toy and a meal. Immediately giving her toy a name and showing it off to everyone who would make eye contact with her for a split second, even telling the strangers sitting on the other tables about her beloved awesome toy... Only to become bored of it midway through the meal and move on to observe the entertaining fight show that Clara and Notkin are improvising. Her happiness is contagious and other adults ends up giving her some of their desserts just for being adorable. Artemy has to run after her and take her back to their original table after she enhaled half the cake from a stranger kid's birthday table.

Murky clearly wanted a meal with a toy. Not only was it blatantly obvious, but she was very bad at hiding it. Shaking her head when asked about it by the cashier and hiding between Artemy's legs. She didn't budge when questioned and refused to admit that she wanted a toy. At least Sticky was there to pick her food order for her, pancakes with syrup and strawberries. Even if the restaurant stopped serving the breakfast menu by this hour, him and Capella made a valid argument for an exception. Thankfully, it did work, and Clara's plan B of breaking into the kitchen and using her magic on the cook didn't have to come into action... today. Before leaving, Taya entrusted her toy to Murky and told her to keep it and take care of it, especially after Murky gave her one of the strawberries.

Clara immediately goes for the dollar kids menu, absolute zero shame. She briefly glances over the laminated paper menu to look at Artemy and make sure that he is the one paying, correct? Before picking the most expensive dish on the kids' menu, Behold! a three dollars meal, with a complimentary toy. She's the one having the most fun out of the rest of the kids during this outing and being playful in general. Making Grace throw M&M at her to see how many can she catch midair with just her mouth. Turns out... 25 out of 56. Not bad, not bad. She ends up leaving the diner with the paper crown still atop her head.

Grace didn't want to burden the haruspex. She was already grateful for just being invited, really. So she picked the cheapest thing on the menu, small fries. Smiling at Artemy's concerned gaze as he decided to just let her be. She sat content on her side of the table, watching Clara and Notkin playing together. She indulged Clara's games and was pleasantly surprised by how delicious the M&Ms were when Clara insisted that they switch roles and Grace should try catching them instead. Then the M&Ms turned into fries, salad pieces, and finally, chicken nuggets as it became clear that Clara just started the game as an excuse to share her food with Grace. Which counterproductivly ended up with two-thirds of it on the ground instead, courtesy to both of their bad aims.

[companion-showdown]

Okay so, I've been trying to come up with a new system for the tournaments vefore the head to head rounds. Even thouh its still a while off, we will be getting a new companion, I would guess, some time in the next year. Currently to accomodate a new companion one of the regulars would have to go, I just about managed to find a good pick for Ruby's introduction but there is just nobody I think should go this time around.

So new system, my current proposal is to make the regulars list subject to elimination in the group stage. But, I still want to guarantee particular numbers of slots for classic, new, and eu companions which would let most of the regulars through, and then whatever is left over is for nominees.

What this lets me do is expand the list of regulars somewhat. I'll put the full list im currently thinking of under the cut, as there's no such thing as too many. Don't take the list as final, I'm open to adding a couple more, although I will say they should either be undisputably companions or some very special case where they are as well known as a companion from the same era/medium, additionally they should be someone who you think is likely to nominated in most tournaments. This is going to be a lower bar for eu companions but whatever.

currently I am thinking 27 slots for classic companions, 16 for nu, 13 for eu and 8 for nominations, but I will put the specific numbers up to a vote later in the week

sorry if this is confusing, I promise it will be simple once it gets going, but yeah

I'm only going to set this to a day because if you guys are happy with this as a plan I want to implement it in time for the next tournament and that's going to take time on my end

finally, the proposed new regulars list

Classic

Ian Chesterton

Barbara Wright

Susan Foreman

Sara Kingdom

Katarina

Vicki Pallister

Steven Taylor

Dodo Chaplet

Ben Jackson

Polly Wright

Jamie McCrimmon

Victoria Waterfield

Zoe Heriot

The Brigadier

Sergeant Benton

Liz Shaw

Mike Yates

Jo Grant

Sarah-Jane Smith

Harry

Leela

K9

Romana I

Romana II

Adric

Nyssa

Tegan Jovanka

Vislor Turlough

Kamelion

Peri Brown

Mel Bush

Ace McShane

Grace Holloway

Chang Lee

nu

Rose Tyler

Mickey Smith

Adam Mitchell

Jack Harkness

Martha Jones

Wilfred Mott

Donna Noble

River Song

Amy Pond

Rory Williams

Kate Stewart

Clara Oswald

Handles

Bill Nardole

Nardole

Yazmin Khan

Graham O'Brien

Ryan Sinclair

Dan Lewis

Ruby Sunday

EU

Charley Pollard

Evelyn Smythe

Lucie Miller

Liv Chenka

Bernice Summerfield

Fitz Kreiner

Frobisher

Iris Wildthyme

Sam Jones

C'rizz

Alison Cheney

Compassion

Chris Cwej

Izzy SInclair

Helen Sinclair

Hex Schofield

[reigningqueenofwords]

Yet

Pairing: past Dean x Reader, past Dean x Allie (OC), past Benny x Reader, Sam x Jess Word count: 2,255

Read on AO3

Final Part of Unholy

Mary knew Holland, and had for years. So, she offered to speak with her that night while Dean worked on your car. You honestly felt that was the best way to go about things. You truly hoped that Mary could get through to her. 

Once you locked up, you went to ask Dean what he would like for dinner. “Hey.” You greeted him. He was by your car, getting it on to the lift. 

“Hey.” He glanced at you for a moment. 

“I’m gonna order dinner so we can eat before you deal with my tires.” You told him. “Any requests? Subs? Pizza? Chinese?” 

He thought for a minute. “How’s subs sound? Haven’t had those in a bit. I’ll get their pizza one.” 

Smiling, you nodded. “Sounds good.” You turned to go get those ordered. 

“I’ll run down the street to get us drinks. What would you like?” He asked, wiping his hands. 

“Can you get me a Sprite and an OJ? I like to mix them.” You chuckled. 

“Sprite and OJ coming up.” He agreed, going to clean up. He’d leave his coveralls on, not seeing the point in taking them off, just to put them back on. He hoped that the two of you could get to a point where you were friends. 

Smiling, you went to go relax at the counter. You’d work on getting things ahead for the following day until the subs arrived. Then you’d be done for the day. 

You had just finished eating when Dean got a text. You couldn’t tell who it was from by the look on his face. “Mom talked to Holland.” He told you. “She said that she told her how Allie talked to her about everything that happened, and how Allie was your friend. She also told her that Allie would be very disappointed in Holland’s actions towards you.” He went on, then chuckled. “She ended with the mom voice and telling her she needed to behave before my mom went to speak with Holland’s mom because this would affect the kids.” 

That made you laugh. “Yeah, don’t get other mom’s involved.” You shook your head. 

“Thankfully all that worked. Holland promised to back off. That she’s still not happy with everything, but the last thing she wants is to upset the kids.” 

“I owe your mom some flowers and a thank you card!” You smiled. “Maybe tomorrow after work I’ll go get my car washed and then stop to get her one.” 

“I’m gonna powerwash that side of your car. That should take care of that spray paint.” He didn’t want you driving home with your car like that. “Won’t take too long.” He assured you, knowing you’d likely try to refuse. 

You nodded. “Alright.” You agreed. That would be one less thing on your mind, at least. 

After a few minutes of silence, Dean spoke up. “Did you want to talk names before I go back to working on your tires?” He offered, taking the last bite of his sub. 

“How about we each make a list, and then tomorrow after the kids are in bed we can call and talk about them? Unless you already have a list.”

He looked a bit bashful. “I have a couple in mind, actually.” He admitted. 

You were a bit surprised. “Yeah? Can I hear them?” 

He pulled up his notes app where he’d been putting them as they came to mind. “Clara, Jane, Daisy, and Alice.” He looked to you. 

“Those are really cute names!” You grinned. “Not gonna lie…Clara Jane sounds like a good name.” You said truthfully. “The names I like are Grace, Sophia, Penelope…Yes, like from my favorite show. You cannot fault me. She’s amazing.” You chuckled. “And then Emma.” 

Dean thought those names over, putting different name combinations together. “Isn’t Penelope from that serial killer show you watched with Allie?” He asked after a moment. You nodded. “Penny is a cute nickname for that.” He mused. “I’m digging either the Clara Jane or maybe Penelope Grace. Those right now are the top two.” 

You pulled out your phone to write those down. “I think both would sound good with ‘Winchester’, too. Only reason I avoided ‘w’ names.” You chuckled. Seeing the shocked look on his face, you tilted your head. “What’s wrong?” 

“She’s gonna be a Winchester?” He asked, voice quiet. 

“Of course. I can tell you’re a great dad, and you didn’t run for the hills when you found out I’m pregnant.” It was easy for you to decide that. 

He looked emotional. “Thank you. I’d been wondering, honestly.” He downed the last of his soda. 

You gave him a soft smile. “Of course.” 

After that night, you were invited to weekly dinners at the Winchester’s house, feeling more and more welcome as time went on. You’d even had Dean and the kids over a couple times to have pizza and a movie night at your apartment. Layla looked more and more like Allie as time went on, as well. She loved to ask you to brush her hair when she saw you, and you had no objections. 

You and Dean were friends, and nothing more. If you were honest with yourself, he was your best friend. Garth and Cas become like your family, as well. When you were 8 months pregnant, Mary threw you a baby shower at their house. The guys were there, and so was your mom. It was the first time your mother was meeting the rest of them. You were nervous as all hell. She knew the truth of what had happened, and you didn’t know how she’d be with Dean. 

Everyone was having a good time and you realized that you couldn’t see you mom…or Dean. “Great.” You groaned. Hopefully your mom hadn’t dragged him off to yell at him or something. Just as you were about to go check the backyard, you saw them coming back. Your mother patted his cheek lovingly and you chuckled. Clearly, your mother liked Dean. You went over to your mother when Dean went to talk to John who was refilling the cooler. “Mom, please tell me you were nice to Dean.” 

“I just wanted to make sure he was going to keep up the whole ‘being sweet’ thing for you.” She smiled. “And I approve.” 

You raised an eyebrow at her. “You approve of him being my friend?” You chuckled. 

She dramatically rolled her eyes. “That boy loves you, and I know it.” She shrugged, sipping her drink. 

“Please don’t, mom.” You sighed. “It’s only been three months since Allie and Benny passed, and do you forget that he cheated on her with me? What’s to say that wouldn’t happen again?” Your voice was low. “So please, don’t meddle.” You asked her, clearly ending the conversation. “Just enjoy the baby shower.” 

You worked until you were 38 weeks pregnant, and then you opted to take some time off. Thankfully you still got paid, which was a huge help. It was one less thing for you to worry about. It did mean you felt somewhat bored most days. Not having to go into work left your days wide open. You hoped you had her on time because that would mean you had her to look after.

However, come 41 weeks pregnant, you were still very much pregnant. And very much over it. Every day you took a walk after dinner, having been told that could help. You also continued to go to the weekly dinners at the Winchesters. You adored the kids, and played cards or board games with them whenever they asked. 

“Are you okay?” David asked you as he sat next to you at dinner. “You made a funny face.” 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” You assured him. Until you made a face a few minutes later. “Okay, maybe I’m not.” You breathed. “I think I’m going into labor.” You looked at Dean, scared. You’d never done this before!

“Alright, Dean, bring Y/N to her apartment. Relax there until contractions are about 5 minutes apart.” Mary spoke up. “The kids can stay here.” She added. Although she knew Dean had done all this with Allie, his mind was likely in a very different place. The last time he brought her to the hospital…she didn’t make it out. 

Dean nodded, quickly getting up to help you up. “We’ll drive your car, okay?” He told you. 

“Yeah.” You agreed. “Bye, guys.” You waved at the kids. 

“Bye!” They waved. Did they know they were getting another sister? 

Once back at your place, you went to sit on the couch and paused. “Can you get me a folded towel to sit on? Just in case?” You asked him, watching him rush to find one. “Thank you.” You watched him get it set up for you and then helped you sit. 

“Do you have a hospital bag packed and a diaper bag?” He asked, wanting things ready to go when you told him it was time. He was doing his best not to let panic take over, wanting to remain calm for you. 

“They’re both in my room in her crib.” You told him. “Sit down. Relax. There’s nothing you can do for me right now.” You said gently as he paced the living room. “She’ll let us know when it’s time to go to the hospital.” Holding out your hand for him, you also wanted to remain calm for him. Four months ago he was in the same spot with Allie, and he didn’t know that he’d lose her. You couldn’t fathom what was going through his head at the moment. 

Mary was plating up breakfast the next morning for the kids when she got a text. Putting down the pan that held the cheesy scrambled eggs, she quickly looked. It was a group text from Dean. “Penelope Grace Winchester. 8:01am, 21 inches long, 7 lbs 3 oz.” He sent with a picture of her sleeping. 

She instantly replied, gushing over how cute she was. Hearing Ethan fuss, she went to scoop him up. He instantly quieted, making her chuckle to herself. He just really wanted to be held. She kissed his forehead and finished serving breakfast one handed. She loved her grandkids, and looked forward to being there for Penelope, too. 

It was a whirlwind when you brought her home. Mary had surprised you with some freezer meals so you didn’t really have to cook, which was a massive help. She also told you if you’d like, she could bring Ethan and Layla over some days to keep you company. Those days, she cuddled Penny as much as she could. 

Before you knew it, it was time for you to go back to work. Penny was three months old, and you were all but pouting. Dean was over with Ethan while John and Mary took the older kids to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner. You couldn’t wait for Xander and David to tell you all about it. “I’m so used to being around her that I don’t know how I’m gonna last all day without seeing that little face.” You told him as he fed her. You were holding Ethan who was contently watching you. 

“I actually thought about that…” He smiled at you. 

“I can’t stay home any more.” You chuckled. “I need to work.” You reminded him. “And she needs to eat.” 

He stuck his tongue out at you. “Bring her to work. You have that baby carry Cas got you, right?” You simply nodded. “She’s not mobile just yet, and it’s not like the shop is all that loud. Just bring her carrier, diaper bag, and swing.” He suggested. “I happen to know the owner would be totally okay with that being the solution.” 

You looked down at Ethan and made a face at him before looking back to Dean. “And plan to find a daycare when she’s more mobile?” That seemed a bit more feasible. 

“Oh, no.” He didn’t like that idea. “That’s when we get a playpen for behind the counter and give her some toys.” He said like it was the easiest thing in the world. “We’ll make it work.” He promised. 

And you had made it work. Penny was a fixture in the shop most days of the week. Some days Mary and John wanted time with all their grandkids and would come get her. You never argued. You’d met Sam, Jess, and their two kids early that summer. You’d been beyond nervous, but it soon occurred to you that you had no reason to be. Sam took to both Ethan and Penny, easily carrying both infants around the yard as the older kids all played. 

You and Jess hit it off right away, as well. In many ways, she reminded you of Allie. While the guys played with the kids, you and her sat with the babies in the shade. She told you a bunch of stories about Dean, about Allie, and the group as a whole. 

When they left, you and Jess exchanged numbers, wanting to stay in touch. “I was a bit worried how awkward things would be…when Sam explained the entire situation about you and Dean.” Jess told you softly. “But there was none. You two are great together. I’m still upset about him being a dick, but doesn’t mean I don’t want him happy in the long run.” 

You blushed. “We’re not together.” You corrected her. 

She smirked. “Yet.” She teased before hugging you. 

[zaebeecee]

Blitzø’s 13 ••

Written by @fletchingbrilliant and ZaeBeeCee

Chapter 2: The Bruiser & the Pickpocket

First chapter | Next chapter

Read on AO3

•••

Mild CW for canon-typical Crimson homophobia.

•••

“Give me the rundown of the current situation.”

“Yessir.” He was so much taller than she was. It was hard for her to keep up as he strode along the long hallway, not even gracing her with a downward glance. She practically had to jog to keep up with him, tablet balanced on her arm and eyes divided in focus between the words on the screen and where she was walking. At least people always cleared a path for him wherever he went, and she could take advantage of that herself.

It was exactly the same here as it was at VoxTek: nobody with a working brain cell wanted to get in Vox’s way, because that was a sure way to get his left eye turned on you. In many ways, Millie respected the drip, not that she would ever tell him that.

“Invitations have gone out t’all of th’ Princes,” Millie said, scrolling through the details and glancing over them. “Positive responses have already come back from Asmodeus, Mammon, Satan, and Beelzebub. His Majesty warned us that Belphegor probably won’t respond at all, but she’ll still show up, and that Leviathan won’t respond until we send three more assurances. Also, selective invitations have been sent t’ th’ Houses of the Ars Goetia, namely House Paimon, House Vinea, and House Belial, with a special inclusion for House Beleth, which recently passed t’ Prince Vassago. We have left an openin’ for House Zagan if he, y’know, finds out they weren’t in th’ first round.”

She could hear Vox roll his eyes. “Of course,” he said. “Well, if President Zagan does attend, we may be able to convince him to turn whatever spilled blood we have into wine.” He opened the door to his office and she followed him inside, closing the door behind herself and standing in front of his desk as he settled in his chair. Millie kept her eyes on either her tablet or the screen that was her boss’s face, keeping her gaze off of the bank of screens behind him and the glass aquarium wall to her left, where she knew several hellsharks were silently swimming back and forth as a threat to anyone who questioned the head of security at Lucifer’s Palace.

Millie cleared her throat as Vox watched her expectantly. “Th’ only affirmative response we’ve gotten from the Ars Goetia is from House Paimon, specifically Prince Stolas, his family, and his contingent, including the arctic marquis. But we’re expectin’ all of them and have accounted for a total of two hundred and fifty hellborn for the event.”

Vox nodded in vague approval. “What about the sinners?”

Millie swallowed. This was the part she wasn’t looking forward to in the slightest. “Well, invitations have been limited t’ th’ overlords at His Majesty’s request. Miss Rosie has agreed to provide caterin’ for us, and requested a finalized menu by th’ end of th’ week. Miss Carmine has agreed t’ send Odette and Clara a month in advance t’ collaborate with your engineers on th’ heavier side of th’ security systems. Mister Zestial sent a real ominous message back that we’re almost positive was a yes. And, of course, Mister Valentino and Miss Velvette are makin’ arrangements for VoxTek’s management while they’re at the event. Mister Valentino asked you t’ call him when you’ve got a minute.”

“Regarding?”

Millie shrugged. “He didn’t say.”

Vox rolled his eyes, grimacing and waving his hand. “Alright, I’ll deal with it. What about the other overlords?”

Millie hesitated. “…there was, um, insistence that invites go out to every active overlord.”

Silence greeted that statement. Vox stared at her, his left eye twitching. “Every… overlord?”

“Yessir.”

“Do you mean to tell me that an invitation has been issued to the Radio Demon, and I was not informed of this immediately?!” Vox snarled, his voice getting louder as he spoke; he rose to his feet, digging his claws along his desktop.

Millie squeaked, raising her tablet as an ineffectual shield between the two of them. “P-Princess Charlotte is a big fan of Mister Alastor’s radio program,” she said quickly; no matter how physically strong she was, she didn’t stand a chance against the television overlord. “She named him specifically when giving her own invitation requests! But he hasn’t responded and we aren’t even sure he’ll receive it at all, much less actually show up!”

Vox narrowed his eyes, then closed them, sinking back down into his chair. When he opened his eyes once more, his expression had been schooled; he was only missing his public relations smile, which he almost never wore without an audience anyway. “If the princess wishes,” he said, and Millie knew that statement had to cause him physical pain. “But you will inform me the moment any message comes back from him.”

“Of course, sir,” Millie said, feeling like she had just narrowly escaped with her head on her shoulders.

“Send me the guest room plans,” Vox instructed. “I want to see to the arrangements myself. I don’t want another situation of Mammon and Asmodeus being placed on the same floor.” He sighed. “There will be sinners among the hired entertainment, correct?” Millie nodded. “Then we’ll have enough to deal with as far as mixed company goes without also dealing with inter-Ring feuds.”

“Yessir.” Millie looked down at the tablet again and tapped a few buttons to send a file to her boss. “I have most of th’ entertainment lined up, it just requires your finalization. Mister Valentino was, um, very involved in the selection process.”

Vox rolled his eyes again. “Fuck’s sake,” he muttered. “Is it that fucking stripper again?”

“He’s… on the request list, yes.”

“I do not understand his obsession with that queer little prostitute,” Vox said, glancing down the list Millie had sent. “But if it gets Val off my back, I don’t care.”

Millie nodded. “Mammon also sent back confirmation for Fizzarolli t’ give at least one performance, so the largest entertainment slot’s booked. Everything else isn’t in our court right now. We’re waitin’ for responses on most of it.”

“Very well. Go ahead and check on the progress of the pavilion and let me know if there have been any delays.”

“Yessir.”

Getting out of that office was a relief, and Millie let out a massive sigh, catching her breath for just a second before heading away from Vox’s office as quickly as dignity would let her move. Without the television overlord leading the path, people didn’t just part the seas for her anymore, but Millie was small enough that flitting around their legs wasn’t too complicated.

Lucifer’s Palace was enormous, more so than she had been led to believe just seeing it from the outside. It was a misleading name; while it sounded like a residence, Lucifer’s Palace was much more like a Hell resort, and one very worthy of the Pride ring. It contained dining halls, ballrooms, a large game room, and floors and floors of deluxe suites. The Morningstar family didn’t actually live within its walls, and as a matter of fact, it had been a very long time since anyone had seen the King of Hell in any capacity whatsoever.

However, Millie couldn’t help but wonder if this would be the time that Lucifer finally entered back into the blood red sun and reinstated his position.

When Millie had first heard about this job, she hadn’t known where it would be or what exactly it was for, simply that it was a security position at VoxTek. Once she’d been accepted, however, she’d been given the details, and she had never felt more in over her head than she did right now.

It was no secret that VoxTek had recently accepted a security contract at Lucifer’s Palace, one that Vox himself was personally overseeing. It also wasn’t much of a secret that, in two months, the Palace would be hosting a large party that would be attended by the most elite entities across all the rings of Hell. Millie had been placed as the head of floor security for said event, which also made her the event coordinator working right beneath Vox.

Then she had discovered what it was: a seven day and seven night soirée for Princess Charlotte’s official debut into Hell society. There were murmurs among the staff of what this meant. Was Lucifer returning? Was he abdicating his throne to his daughter? Was he even still around? Nobody knew anything… except, of course, that it had to be perfect.

The pavilion was coming along fine, and with nothing for her to do, Millie was ecstatic about finally clocking out and getting the Heaven out of there. She didn’t want to hear anything else about parties or catering or strippers or construction for the next eight hours; she just wanted her cozy little apartment, some takeout, and a terrible horror movie before she crashed. It was already almost ten, after all, and she hadn’t even started her unwinding process yet, so she was feeling grumpy.

Despite that, Millie didn’t turn her work phone off, aware that Vox might need to get ahold of her at any time. Reluctantly, she turned the ringer on, then slipped it into her bag and pulled out her own personal phone to turn it back on. It sang a happy little tune as it powered up, followed by a tiny ding to tell her she had a voice mail. She stopped and looked at the screen, but it wasn’t a number she had in her contacts. Frowning, she tapped the message, pleading with any higher demons that might be listening that it wasn’t Chaz needing to be picked up from somewhere yet again.

Immediately, a very familiar voice filled her ears. “What up, bitch. You know who it is. Gimme a call when you get this, I’ve got something that will interest you.”

Squealing, Millie tapped the number and bounced on the balls of her feet as it rang. After a few seconds, she heard the click. “Hey, Millie-Billie!”

“Blitzø!” Millie said happily, shouldering her bag and continuing to the nearest noodle shop. “Holy shit, it’s been forever, hi!”

Blitzø laughed. “It must have been if you’ve forgotten enough about me to be excited to hear from me.”

“Oh, shut up, you negative little whore.” Millie grinned as he laughed again. “What’s up? You causin’ trouble again?”

“Not yet. Just planning it. You still living it up in Wrath?”

“Nah. I got a job in Pentagram City so I moved my ass out here. You still in Imp City?”

“Living out there, yeah, but I’m gonna be in Pentagram City tonight. You busy? I don’t really want to get into this over the phone.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Millie said, filling out a takeout card. “…wait. I mean, no, I’m not busy. This yer permanent number?”

“Nah. Still got the old one. Text me your address and I’ll stop by.”

Millie really wanted to ask why he was calling her from a different number, but she just shrugged. “Okie-dokie. I’m pickin’ up dinner and then I’ll be home. Y’want anything? It’s noodles.”

“Spring roll me, bitch.”

She grinned. “Gotcha. I’ll see you in a bit.”

•

Millie had only been home for about fifteen minutes when she heard the knock, and she launched herself over her couch, wrenching the door open and tackling Blitzø into a hug right in the hallway. “Hi!!”

“Holy fuck—!” Blitzø stumbled under the sudden affection, but he patted her head. “Okay, okay, it’s good to see you too, stop touching me.”

Millie smiled and refused to apologize as she released him. “C’mon in.” She stood out of his way and closed the door once he had passed, taking a moment to look him over. He hadn’t changed much in the year since they’d seen each other, but he looked… different, somehow, in a way she couldn’t put her finger on. “You look good,” she ventured, motioning for him to follow as she headed to the couch and sat down again.

“Do I?” Blitzø asked, sitting near her and accepting the pack of spring rolls she handed him. “Guess prison’s good for me.”

“Oh, fuck’s sake, you got arrested again?” Millie asked with a frown.

Blitzø shrugged, unconcerned. “Got out this morning. Just got back from Greed, actually.”

Her eyes widened. “You were in a Greed prison??”

“What? No. I was in Pride, I just went to Greed for a while. Visiting someone about the same thing I contacted you about, actually,” he said evasively, tossing one of the spring rolls up and snapping it whole out of the air with his tongue.

Millie frowned at him. “…you’ve been out for, like, a handful of hours and you’re already plannin’ a job.”

Blitzø frowned, licking crumbs off of his claws and speaking around the food in his mouth. “When the fuck did I get so predictable?”

“What in th’ seven rings is wrong with you?” Millie asked, exasperated. “Ain’t you got enough goin’ against you without tryin’ t’ get yourself in trouble?”

“Apparently not,” Blitzø said, giving her a bright grin. “But I have a great plan! And I think this is right up your alley.”

“Why’s that?” Millie asked suspiciously.

“I know about your new employment~”

They stared at each other for a few moments before Millie held up her index finger in his face. “No.”

“I didn’t even tell you what it is yet!”

“You don’t hafta tell me more’n you just did. No. If you know my job, you know my boss, and ain’t nobody crossin’ the Vees without endin’ up dead.” Blitzø smacked her hand out of his face and her frown deepened. “Whatever you’re doin’s gotta be dangerous. Can’t you just, I dunno, get a normal job for a while or somethin’?”

“Boring,” Blitzø said dismissively. “Come on, at least hear me out.”

Millie sighed. “…ten minutes. Go.”

Nine and a half minutes later, Millie was halfway through her dinner and listening, enraptured, as Blitzø finished his spiel. “…and we could probably get away with more than just that,” he concluded.

“You’re nuts,” Millie said, awe-struck. “Of everyone you could be robbin’, you wanna knock over Lucifer’s resort.”

“I do.”

“Knowin’ that VoxTek has set up shop there.”

“Yes.”

“And knowin’ that the place is gonna be filled with Hell’s elites while you’re tryin’ t’ pull this off.”

“Absolutely.”

Millie looked down at her half-full container of noodles, spinning some onto her fork and then continuing the rotation without lifting it. Her mind was spinning in much the same way as she considered the implications, the problems, the threats… and also how much she hated her boss and didn’t want to have to kiss anyone’s ass for a living anymore. She was an imp, so it was either a lifetime of being a sycophant… or…

“…what do you need from me?”

Immediately, Blitzø grabbed her shoulders and kissed her cheek roughly. “You are my favorite.”

Despite herself, Millie felt herself blush and giggled, shoving him away. “I damn well better be.”

“Right now, I need basics,” he said. “Guest list. Floor plans. Schedule. Anything you can tell me about the security arrangements. Things like that.”

Millie nodded, thinking. “Most of that’ll be easy to get you. I’ve got access to it, anyway. The hardest part will be figurin’ out how to keep Vox from finding out that I’m makin’ copies of ‘em.”

“You’re precious and perfect and I can’t believe you’re still single.”

Millie snorted. “I ain’t, actually. You gonna tell me who else you’ve got in on this?”

Blitzø stared at her, and she realized that changing the subject had definitely tipped him off. “You’re not.”

She groaned. “Blitzø—”

“You are not dating fucking sexual harassment shark boy again!”

“It ain’t like that! It’s fine, Chaz is better, it… it’s good, it’s fine! Really!” Millie cringed at the disbelieving look he was giving her. “…I barely see him. He ain’t exactly a taxation on my time, iffin you catch my meanin’, and this means I don’t have t’ try an’ muddle my way through a breakup that I ain’t got the time or the emotional capacity t’ handle right now. Besides, I’m serious, it really ain’t that bad.”

“Why did you start dating him again?”

“Look, you ain’t never met him. He’s very persuasive, okay? Now, enough about my love life before I start grillin’ you about—”

“Other recruits, right, got it. Fizzarolli, so far.”

Her eyes widened. “The clown?” Blitzø nodded. “Which is why you were in Greed. …you talked t’ Fizzarolli. How the actual fuck didja swing that? He ain’t exactly overburdened with free time, from what I hear, and he’s Fizzarolli.”

“We’re old friends,” Blitzø said with a loose shrug, like it wasn’t a big deal that he was on speaking (and plotting) terms with one of the biggest celebrities Hell had ever seen. “I won’t be telling everyone everything, but you’re a coordinator, so you’re going to have to know… most of it.”

Millie sighed, setting her food down. “This is heavy. Way bigger than anything else you and I did back in the day.”

“Isn’t it great?” Blitzø grinned.

She laughed. “I gotta be off my rocker if I’m agreein’ with you on that.” When she turned to him, her expression was serious again. “You ain’t just goin’ in with three of us, right?”

“Absolutely not,” Blitzø said. “I’m currently figuring out what all we’re going to need on a team.”

Millie thought. “…I’m in charge of floor security,” she said. “I don’t have authorization for a bunch of the back areas. You’re gonna need cards for that, and if you want cards, you’re gonna need a better pickpocket than you.”

Blitzø raised his finger. “First of all, that’s fucking rude. Second, I’ve got a line on that. Someone low profile by both effort and nature, don’t worry.”

She snorted. “Good, because so far you’ve got the coordinator of the event you’re crashin’ and the most famous clown Greed ever turned out besides Mammon himself. And you ain’t exactly low key yourself,” she said.

“Don’t worry. Let me handle it,” Blitzø said. “He’s a good thief that’ll probably be hard up enough to take any offer I give him.”

Millie raised an eyebrow. “You sure he’s good?”

Blitzø wiggled his own eyebrows at her. “He’s good with his hands, at least, and we love an impressionable and neurotic little twink who’s paranoid enough to keep his eyes out for any threats.”

“Shit,” she said, laughing. “Okay, fine, you have fun with that. What else do you need?”

Blitzø shrugged. “At the moment, to get the rest of my shit together.”

“Blitzø…” Millie frowned at him, but she couldn’t glare. “You sure you’re okay?”

Blitzø’s smile was as cocksure as she had seen it. “As always.”

Millie didn’t push, because it wasn’t her business, but really… that was what she was afraid of.

•••

“You wanted to see me… sir.”

Moxxie stood straight, firm, and utterly defeated in the large and imposing room. No matter how many years he was trapped in this terrible place, it never stopped having a crushing effect on him. And the imp he stood in front of, seated at his huge desk in his huge chair… Moxxie never stopped feeling so small and frightened by him, no matter how far into adulthood he got.

After a bold string of attempts to make things work—both with and without a certain jackass of a boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend, depending—Moxxie had no choice but to go crawling back to his father.

Had no choice. That was a laugh. He would have had a choice, if he had ever grown a spine.

The firelight behind the desk cast Moxxie’s father into deep relief as he sat forward, elbows on his desk, hands folded together just below his chin. “That I did, boy,” Crimson said in his most loaded business voice, the one that either meant Moxxie was about to be treated like a real son or that he was about to find his own horns mounted on his father’s wall. “We had a visitor earlier this evening. I’m sure you’re aware; eavesdropping has always been a speciality of yours, hasn’t it?”

He felt a stab; not of guilt, but embarrassment. “...Yes sir,” he admitted. It was better than trying to lie to the man.

Crimson’s expression didn’t change. “I’ll get to the point. There’s going to be a party in the Pride ring a couple of months from now, at Lucifer’s Palace. All of Hell society will be attending. Mammon extended an invitation to our family as part of the representation for Greed. You’ll be coming.”

That wasn't what Moxxie was expecting. He smacked his chest with his hand. “M-me? But sir, I… I thought I was too much of a–” don't say it, don't give it power “–of an embarrassment to be seen at public functions.”

“Why do you think I’m telling you this far in advance?” Crimson asked, raising an eyebrow at him. “Ever since Chazwick’s… departure, I’ve been considering how you can best mend your previous mistakes. We need more cash flow through the family. And you—” he pointed at Moxxie for emphasis, “—are going to make that happen.”

It was way too obvious what Crimson was saying, and Moxxie paled, blurting out a retort before he could stop himself. “You're trying to marry me off?!”

“No shit,” his father said, clearly communicating that he thought Moxxie was a complete moron without having to give voice to the opinion yet again. Crimson leaned back in his chair, watching Moxxie over steepled fingers. “This place will be swarming with nobles, princes, overlords, all manner of worthwhile targets. And there’s bound to be a hundred rich homos there; always is at soirées like this, and a gaudy place like that palace is bound to attract the queers.” The dig at Lucifer was clear, but left unacknowledged. “I don’t care what guy you bait, Moxxie, so long as he has money and you finish out the week at least solidly engaged.”

He felt a tightness in his throat. It was pointless to try and explain to his father what bisexual actually meant; he'd made attempts before. It never ended well. And he knew he didn't have a leg to stand on now, either. But that didn't make him any less bitter.

“Are we that hard up for cash, father?”

“Irrelevant. You haven’t been doing your part since that unfortunate incarceration of yours,” Crimson said, his face unchanged. “It seems that the only way you’re capable of providing a meaningful contribution is as a piece of ass that can bring in someone else who’ll do that job for you. And if that’s all you’re good for, it’s what you’ll do, capisce?”

Moxxie turned his face as though Crimson had physically struck him. He gritted his teeth, but even harder he gripped his palms with his clawed fingertips. They popped the leather in his fingerless gloves and pierced his skin.

“...Yes. Sir.”

“Good,” Crimson said, narrowing his eyes sharply. “Get back to your room. Look at your wardrobe. You’ll need proper clothes for seven days and seven nights of events, so figure out what you need made.” Apparently, that was the only thing he felt Moxxie needed to be concerned with.

Once, Moxxie’s room had felt like a kind of escape. There was a time he could get away with having things in it that he actually liked. When his mother was trying desperately to give him something, anything all, that brought some shred of happiness. Now, it was a stark and cold place, with only the trappings and decor Crimson approved of. Fine and expensive paintings of beautiful (female) demons, one of an overtly sexualized (male) demon was his attempt to accept Moxxie’s sexuality – for his own purposes, not for his son’s sake of course. And then there were the plaques. Many, many plaques, all empty and awaiting trophies. All, that was, but one.

Above his door was a plaque bearing a pair of imp’s horns. They didn't belong to anyone Moxxie knew, and the nameplate was left without an engraving. But he knew why they were there. The poor demon was killed for one reason and one reason only. Their horns had a familiar shape and pattern about them. Moxxie couldn't remove it. He'd tried. It was sealed there. So instead it tortured him every moment he spent in this room.

He stoked the fireplace, wincing as it sparked to life. Green hellfire was too hot, but it was the only thing that would ignite properly in the Greed Ring. The green light was so sickly and wrong. Moxxie sometimes wondered if it would burn more happily if they had a prince who actually gave a shit about any of them.

He sat on the edge of his bed, feeling the heat of the small fire even here, his hands stuffed between his knees and his hooved feet kicking sadly.

Get married. He had to get married. This was what it had come down to. Crimson had finally given up on trying to make anything tangible of his weak sad sack of a son. And what was so sickening about it all was that if he failed to find someone, to actually woo someone to marry him in just seven days, that would be it. His father would have no use for him at all.

But to imagine those who would actually want this, in such a short span of time… they were the last sort of people Moxxie wanted touching him.

His shoulders trembled. His clenched jaw couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears fell from his eyes, and once there was one, the others poured forth that much more easily.

As Moxxie cried in the only thing he could even remotely call a sanctuary, his breath caught strangely. It sounded like a distant rattling, oddly inorganic for a sob. But when he heard it again, he realized it wasn’t him; rather, it sounded like it was coming from outside the window on the other side of his room. Moxxie heard something clatter—maybe there was an animal on the trellis, it wouldn’t have been the first time—before suddenly his window was hauled open and a shadow fell through it with a heavy thud and an “Ow, fuck…!”

“What in Hell?!” Moxxie hopped to his feet, sure that Crimson had decided not to wait for the party and just have him killed now. He backed slowly to the fireplace and retrieved his rifle from where it sat snugly in a compartment beside the mantle. Hands shaking, he switched off the safety, pulled the bolt, and raised it.

“I'm armed!” he called out, careful not to raise his voice too much. “So… so don't try anything!”

“Oh, fuck my throat by way of my entire ass,” the shadow said in distinct aggravation, in a voice that was suddenly… very familiar. Moxxie could see the figure standing, and it looked distinctly imp-like, if taller than he would expect. “I’m not armed, Moxx, take a fucking benzo or something.”

The figure moved into the light, and Moxxie found himself looking at Blitzø, complete with his characteristically ‘sarcastic and unimpressed’ expression, his hands loosely held up in a perfunctory and unthreatened compliance with Moxxie’s stance. He stopped immediately out of the ring of Hellfirelight, and he stayed there.

Moxxie lowered the rifle, staring in total shock. “Blitzø? What the… why are you… what are you… how do you know where I live??”

“I got connections,” Blitzø said, giving Moxxie a lazy grin and lowering his hands. “Didn’t know this was your bedroom, but hey, looks like my intuition makes me cooler than I thought. I came to talk to you, and since I don’t have your fucking number anymore, you get me breaking in.”

Moxxie didn't set his gun down, but let it hang in one hand as he crossed the room to face his former cellmate. “Well I don't know what you want, but breaking in here is kind of really fucking stupid. Do you have any idea whose house this is?!”

“Uh, yeah,” Blitzø said, giving Moxxie a look that said ‘are you a fucking moron or something’. “It kinda came with getting the address in the first fucking place. Why do you think I didn’t knock?”

“Right. How silly of me,” Moxxie said with a flat expression, narrowing his eyes when Blitzø immediately grinned. “So what do you want to talk to me about? Make it quick or Alessio will notice something's not right.”

“Would you believe me if I said I have a desperate need for your extremely talented fingers?” Blitzø’s smile had taken on an undeniably lecherous edge as he leaned forward, just a little.

Moxxie could feel the heat in his cheeks as he hopped backward. His teeth gritted, and he tried not to freak out. And after the evening I've just had! “Th- the fuck are you talking about? I'm not– we're not–”

“Oh, fucking Heaven, your face,” Blitzø cackled, and to his very minor credit, he at least appeared to be trying to keep his voice down. “Chill the fuck out, Moxx, I wanna hire you for a job. Not for a sex thing.”

“Oh. Yeah. Right.” His cheeks were glowing now, that soft bluish color that his father hated so much. “What… what kind of job?”

“Y’know, standard shit. I’m planning a heist and I need someone who can lift. Specifically, and don’t let this go to your head, I need someone who can lift like you can.”

Moxxie finally stashed his rifle, folding his arms and frowning. Nothing good had ever come from his brief time spent with Blitzø. He reminded himself of that very firmly. He had to. Otherwise… it really was hard to want to say no to him. Not that I'll ever—EVER—admit that to him or anyone else.

“You're either trying to butter me up with that compliment, or it's actually not standard shit and is something that's probably going to get us both killed.”

Blitzø let out a long breath, looking upwards in that ‘okay hold up lemme think’ way that he did. “Okay. No. It’s not standard. But your part wouldn’t be anything you’ve never done before! You know, security keycards, codes, that’s all!”

Moxxie sagged his shoulders and rolled his eyes. “Okay, just… When is this job supposed to go down? Because I've got kind of a… busy schedule coming up.”

“We have a while to prepare,” Blitzø said, looking at him sharply, calculating, clearly immediately interested in prying. “Couple of months.”

Immediately the math played out in his mind and Moxxie frowned, growing evasive. Somehow whatever nonsense Blitzø had in mind sounded way better than what his father was forcing him to do. “Not sure I’m gonna be of any help. I’ve got a… a pretty big commitment in two months. No getting out of it either.”

“Oh yeah?” Blitzø tilted his head, one hand on his waist. “Your dad throwing your debutante ball finally?”

He glared at the taller imp. “Cute. No, my dad’s making me–… he's gotten an invitation to an event. It's a big deal, you've probably heard about it. At Lucifer's Palace. He's demanded that I be in attendance as well. It's a weeklong thing, real fancy.”

“…no shit,” Blitzø said, his eyes widening. The next moment, one of his more manic grins cracked his face and he was suddenly in Moxxie’s space, his hands on the other imp’s cheeks and squishing his face. “Oh, fucking yes, Moxxie, that is perfect! You have an in!”

“I hav a wut now?” Moxxie said, his voice distorted into a nasally mush. His eyes widened. “Yoor wobbin Woosifur’s Bawiss??”

Blitzø made a weird, long snort-laugh low in his throat and chest. “Oh my fuck I wanna keep your face like this forever if it makes you talk like that.” Despite the fact that it really did sound like a threat, Blitzø released him. “And keep your voice down. See? It’s not a conflict at all! It might even make your whole obligation bullshit a lot more bearable!”

Despite his growing hysteria, Moxxie did lower his voice (while internally cursing Blitzø for his hypocrisy). “You are not going to rob Lucifer’s Palace, and I am certainly not going to help you get an invite!”

“Oh, I am robbing Lucifer’s palace,” Blitzø countered with a grin, putting his hands on his knees to get eye level with Moxxie. “I’ve already got people signed on, and I’ve got a meeting scheduled with a potential backer! But I can get my own invite, I’ve got plans in that regard. So come on, you’re going to be there anyway, why not have a little fun and also possibly get a massive fucking payout?”

“Because…” He crossed his arms and looked away, his expression darkening. “...Because I'm going to be… busy. My father's going to be on my ass all week.”

“Busy,” Blitzø repeated, leaning back and folding his arms. “You’re gonna be at a seven-day hedonism orgy, how ‘on your ass’ could he possibly be?”

This is a nightmare. I’m dreaming, it's just a nightmare… a nightmare from which I can never awaken. Moxxie gave his former cellmate as severe a warning look as he could. “If I agree to help you as much as I can, will you agree not to pry into my personal business?”

“…mmmmmnnnnnnrrrrrrfhghfine,” Blitzø groaned, closing one eye and rolling his head. “Fine, fine, I’ll respect your personal boundaries so hard they’ll feel like we’ve been married long enough for all the passion to go out of our relationship. That good enough for you, Moxx?”

“Ugggh you are the worst,” Moxxie snapped back. But then he sighed. There would never be a good way to describe Blitzø. Never a good way to define what nebulous thing existed between them. Not one that he'd be able to cope with contemplating. “Yeah, we're good, Blitzø. Now… now get out here before Alessio makes the late rounds.”

“Perfect.” Blitzø grinned deviously and grabbed Moxxie by the shoulders, dropping his voice into a near-comedic gravel. “Don’t worry, baby, Daddy’ll call you soon,” he said, right before he kissed Moxxie on the cheek. He then released him and hopped away to the sill before the other imp could retaliate, swinging his legs out the window. He cast Moxxie a grin over his shoulder, saluted with two fingers, and then vanished into the darkness.

Moxxie watched Blitzø’s tail whip around the glass panel, then waited several more minutes to make sure he was really gone before crossing to the window.

What the fuck am I thinking? Why did I say yes?? There's no way he's gonna pull this off, and even if he does, it's not going to make my position any easier. And if Crimson figures out I'm doing anything other than whoring myself out to some rich asshole…

His fingers curled around the windowsill so tightly they dug into the wood. Blood pushed against the tiny wounds he'd stuck into his palms and threatened to break the clot.

“I'm such an idiot!”

Moxxie growled and slammed a closed fist into the window frame, grimacing in pain at the same moment an alarm began to blare.

How the fuck did Blitzø get in without setting it off???

In moments his door flew open and Alessio charged in, tommy gun raised.

“Where's the intruder, sir?”

Moxxie sighed and slumped against the wall, too tired to freak out. “It was just me, Alessio. I ah, I bumped into the window frame.”

The familiar bodyguard shark paused, blinked a few times, then lowered his gun. “Oh. Well, that's fine, Mister Moxxie. But you gotta keep that window closed. You know how much it worries yer pop.”

“Right.”

Moxxie pulled the window shut while Alessio left him alone. He'd gone out this window a few times throughout his life, seeking an escape. That was why Crimson put such sensitive security sensors in his window. He was just a commodity, and his value was teetering on the edge of a plummet, and after that, he wouldn't be a commodity anymore. And to Crimson, anything that wasn't a commodity was a liability. His mother had become a liability. The display above his door was meant to always remind him of that.

Mom… I don't wanna do this anymore.

•••

Fizzarolli. Millie. Moxxie.

That isn’t anywhere near enough for this. Even if I can get the Radio Demon on board, there is way too much to cover.

Fuck. Who do I even know who isn’t mad at me? …or, at least, not mad at me enough to agree to talk to me?

Blitzø had always prided himself on being the kind of guy who could get what he wanted. It was a unique skill that he had—disgustingly, unfortunately—inherited from his father. Cash Buckzo was a thousand detestable things (Blitzø assumed, anyway, since he had no reason to expect the universe had done him a favor and his dad was dead), but he was also a fantastically persuasive speaker, and Blitzø had apparently taken after him in that regard.

Looking at his criminal and interpersonal record, probably in more ways than just that.

Blitzø’s sigh was labored as he trudged up the stairs towards his apartment, his mind still on how heavy Moxxie’s expression had been the entire time they’d talked. He’d known the younger imp had some home difficulties, particularly regarding family expectations and their mysterious ‘business’, but fuck, he made it sound like his father didn’t care what happened to him as long as it meant money for the family.

But what could Blitzø even say to something like that? That he was sorry Moxxie was going through something so hard? That it was bullshit, abusive, manipulative? That he knew how Moxxie felt, at least to a point? None of those things were him, not anymore.

I could offer to shoot Crimson for him. That’s pretty in character for me.

It was almost two in the morning, the trip from Greed back to Pride always feeling longer than going to Greed in the first place, but Blitzø wasn’t even positive he would be able to sleep. His mind went back to the letter that was stashed away in his desk, along with two of Stolas’ feathers and that… photograph. Whenever Blitzø found out who the fuck had sent it to him, he was going to gnaw their face off. He pressed his forehead against the wood of the door as he dug out his keys, unlocked the apartment, and let himself in. He was hungry again. There were frozen meat-of-some-kind nuggets in the kitchen. Did he have to cook them first? Would he die if he didn’t?

He was contemplating the potential consequences of putting mystery frozen meat lumps in his face hole when the front lock clicked again, and the door opened. Blitzø heard a familiar low feminine sigh, and the even more familiar sound of large paws padding over hardwood.

The door swung closed, then the walking stopped.

“Holy fuck. You're home.”

Blitzø turned around and found himself staring up at Loona. It had been optimistic of him to hope she was already asleep, he supposed. “…yeah. Hi, Loonie.”

She looked largely the same. Her huge swoop of silver hair was a bit less well kept than he remembered, and she looked really… really tired. She had a take out bag in her hand, and her old messenger bag over her shoulder. “...Hey.”

This is awkward.

Blitzø clapped his hands together once, which was supposed to alleviate the tension but just served to underscore that awkwardness. He cleared his throat. “Got released today. Er… yesterday, I guess, at this point. I thought you might be sleeping or something.”

“Oh. Yeah. I'm not.” She looked at her feet, scratched the floor a little with one claw. Then she raised her bag. “You, ah, you hungry? I got meat.”

“That’s a lot better than frozen something nuggets, yeah.”

Their apartment didn’t have a dining table of any sort—never had, mostly because they didn’t have the space, but partly because they wouldn’t have used it for anything but stacking and ignoring mail—so they ended up on the couch. Blitzø brought two beers over from the fridge and used his claw to pry the caps off. “So…” He offered one out to Loona. “How’ve you been, sweetie?”

She raised an eyebrow at him while she accepted the beer. It was definitely about the ‘sweetie’ thing. But then she just shrugged, taking a swig. “It's been whatever. Been hanging around. Working.” Her eyes darted to and from his when she said that.

“Working, huh?” Blitzø raised an eyebrow at her, putting his elbow on his knee and his chin on his fist. “Please tell me you’re not charging less than a hundred fifty an hour, these assholes’ll try to rip you off at every opportunity.”

“I'm not a prostitute, Dad,” Loona growled, tossing a styrofoam container at him. It smelled like spiced meat that was definitely only lightly cooked.

Blitzø gasped as he caught the container with both hands, holding it to his chest. “You called me Dad!” he said with all the enthusiasm he could muster on such short notice, even as he felt a pang of guilt and unsuitability, the same as he did every time.

“You're getting meat juice on your jacket,” she said in lieu of any further complaint, opening another container as he cursed and put the container on the coffee table, using his blanket to wipe his jacket clean. Loona started picking chunks of roast out with her fingers and cramming them into her mouth. “What are you planning to do now that you're out?”

“Oh, y’know, the usual,” Blitzø said in a way he hoped wasn’t obviously evasive, opening his own container and skewering a piece of meat with his claw. “Gonna pick up some jobs here and there. Keep the cash flowing and all that fun, capitalistic shit.”

He could feel Loona squinting at him. “You already have something planned. Something… something fucking stupid.”

“What? No,” Blitzø said immediately, not making eye contact. “Come on, I haven’t even been out for twenty four hours, why would I do something stupid?”

“Because you are stupid.”

Blitzø gasped dramatically, looking at her. “That is so unfair. I have done at least four smart things in my life.”

“That so?” She smirked then, the expression unexpected and almost… soft. “Must've all been before you adopted me then, huh?”

“Adopting you was the fourth one,” Blitzø said, dropping back into his casual tone as he smirked at her. “Think the effort ate my last brain cells. So,” he skewered another piece of meat, hoping his demeanor had avoided further emotional burdening for Loona’s sake, “you gonna tell me what this sketchy work of yours is, or do I get to keep guessing? I can make it pretty outlandish, believe me.”

She sighed, but the tension was lifting. “It's not a big deal. Just playing guard dog for some courier setup. It's kinda inconsistent but it pays well… I upgraded our internet.”

“Oh yeah? That’s pretty sweet. You get to knock some heads around, protect important packages and that shit?”

“You're real good at making shit sound more fun than it actually is… So what's your big idea that's gonna get you thrown right back in prison?”

“I’m not gonna get thrown in prison, Loonie,” Blitzø said. If I fail, I’m definitely not going to live long enough to see prison. “…It’s just a basic smash and grab, and I won’t be alone. Okay? It’s nothing to stress over.”

She leaned in right up to his face, eyes glowing, and she flared her nostrils and sniffed. “I smell bullshit.”

“Buy better takeout, then?”

Her free hand—covered in sauce—was grabbing his lapel. She pulled him forward so that their noses were crushed together. “Tell me what you're doing or I'm gonna be on your ass every second of every day until I find out.”

“Whoa whoa whoa!” Blitzø tried his best to lean away from her, but god damn she was strong. “Okay! Okay, you win! Just— just take a couple of breaths, Loona, I’ll tell you.”

Once she sat back, still glaring daggers at him and looking ready to launch herself at him again, he began cleaning his lapel off. Gross. Meat product.

“I just got a line on someone who’s looking to pay a pretty high price on a well-protected artifact. It’s not for a couple of months, I’ve got a great plan, and it’s… just kind of a thing at Lucifer’s Palace,” he added in a quick mutter, looking up and away as he prepared to launch himself away from her if she attacked.

“What, for real?” Loona didn’t attack, she didn’t move outside of blinking her wide eyes, but then she barked out a laugh and she grinned. “Dude, you are so totally dead.”

“I’ve been doing a great job not dying so far,” Blitzø said. “Besides, I wasn’t lying about not going in alone, I’ve already got some people convinced and I’ve got a line on finances. But it’s so sweet that my widdle Woonie-Woo is so worried about me~”

She growled, but it was without heat. “I won’t have to worry about you if you let me in on it.”

“Oh. Ohoho,” Blitzø said, and it was his turn to laugh, though it was more disbelieving than her bark of dark mirth. “Oh, fuck no. You’re not coming.”

Immediately she fell into her typical teenage complaining mode, the one she still hadn’t quite grown out of. “Oh come on, I handled myself just fine in all the time you were gone! All on my own! And I wasn’t beaten or kidnapped or murdered or anything!”

“Uh-huh, you weren’t, and I’m very proud,” Blitzø said sincerely. “And at no point, when I was gone, did you attempt to rob the King of Hell. Look, Loonie,” he said, hoping to cut off any further protest (even though he knew it wouldn’t), “you want in on a job sometime… fine. You’re right, you can handle yourself, you’re old enough, but I wouldn’t start you out on this job if Asmodeus gave me his entire harem for it. Absolutely fucking not.”

“I'm so much not a kid anymore, Blitzø,” she said, punching the couch in just the way a kid would do. “You implied that you're gonna need all the help you can get, how many people do you really think you're gonna find who are actually willing to go along with this?”

“At the very least, people who’ve done more than lift a candy bar at a corner store and immediately feel a nagging sense of guilt because they think the count will be off and the cashier will get in trouble.” Blitzø sighed, putting his head in his hand. He knew he was being too harsh. He knew. “Fuck. Loona, I just— you’ve never done anything like this before, and I’m not going to be able to keep an eye on you. Nobody is. I can’t drag you into Lucifer’s Palace. I won’t drag you into Lucifer’s Palace.”

“Tch.” Loona folded her arms and looked away. She wasn't acting out, or hitting him. She looked… pensive. “...If you die I'm never forgiving you.”

“I’m not gonna die, Loonie. I promise.” Blitzø rubbed his hands together as he looked at her. “And like I said, it’s not going to be for a couple of months, okay? I also promise that I will get into minimal trouble until then.”

“You better.” Loona set the food aside. “...You, ah… you hear from anybody since you got out? Like, besides your cohorts, I mean.”

“Talked to Fizz yesterday,” Blitzø said, looking away. He opened his mouth, hesitated, then blew out a breath. How did he say ‘I wasn’t expecting anything else’ in a flippant way? “Got some pretty familiar robo-calls from Greed trying to sell us tickets to an event they had six years ago.”

Loona nodded, appearing to accept what Blitzø offered, a silent agreement to take it at face value that there were no feelings attached to anything. “Cool, cool.”

Then there was silence. Neither of them ate anymore, but neither seemed able to come up with anything else to say. The pattern settled in, the one he and Loona had been forming since he first adopted her: both of them having a multitude of thoughts and no justification to let themselves open a single one of them to the outside world, let alone to each other.

But this time, it was his daughter who broke the silence.

“...You wanna watch a movie?”

Blitzø felt that warm bubble inflate in his chest, the one that emerged out of a box labeled ‘Loona wants to spend time with you’, and he always had to metaphorically shove it down before he got too enthusiastic and she changed her mind. “Hell yeah! Whatever you’re feeling is good with me.”

She actually smiled, her lip curling in that way it did when she wasn't too self conscious, showing off her back teeth (that she always complained were too big and bulky). “Get ready to cringe then, Dad, cuz this is gonna be the lamest flick you ever saw.” She turned on the TV.

“Oh, you’re gonna have to go a long way to find something more cringe than I can handle,” Blitzø said with an excited grin, only bolstered by the fact that she called him ‘Dad’ with no sarcasm or immediate retraction. He wouldn’t point it out. It needed to stay exactly like it was: somewhere that he could remember it, and where he could never touch it, because touching it would lead to nothing but ruining it.

I’m sorry, Loona. I really am. I know how you feel, but this thing is dangerous. And I already might… He could—…

Fuck. I can’t risk losing you, too. I just can’t.

•••

Next chapter

[headcanonandburn]

Fran Bow Theory from Reddit

"I'd like to preface this by saying that I am by no means experienced in coming up with theories on my own. However, Fran Bow is a game that I really like, and I figured that for fun I might actually try and figure out what was going on. So I tried to pay as much attention to detail as possible and take notes. And what better place to share what I think than with you? I don't know if anyone out there even still thinks about this game, but if there is anyone, I'd love to hear your opinions. This isn't a complete theory in itself. Fran Bow is such a dense game in terms of lore and in terms of symbolism versus reality that I think the best way to approach decoding the game is to try and examine parts of it at a time. For this post, I thought I'd pitch one idea: could Fran be a twin? Some evidence that might support this:

1.Twin imagery in this game is everywhere. The most obvious example is Clara and Mia, the attached twins that Fran encounters, but Fran's mother and aunt are also very important to the story.

2.It is also later revealed that much of Oswald's research centers around twins. Gemini symbols in the twins' house, pictures of apparently the same twins over and over in different places, attached and separated. Different ages, different times. Multiple Frans. We see Fran's body several times (doctor's office in Chapter 1, being eaten by kamalas in Chapter 4), and also are confronted by several Ultrareality versions of Fran. The "Young Fran" we see at the end of the game.

3.This one takes more explaining. To start, when Fran wakes up chained in her bedroom in Chapter 5, she decides that to escape she needs to contact herself in "the same place, but a different time" (paraphrasing, but that's the idea).

4.Also worth mentioning that when this does happen and we see what we think is a past version of Fran, the room changes very little outside of some aesthetics being removed. Same wardrobe, same bed with chains, same door placement. So is what we think of as Fran's room actually in the asylum?

5.Next, young Fran herself. Young Fran knows who Itward and Palontras are. She talks about traveling to Ithersta, as if she has done it many times. Our Fran in the beginning of the game acts as if she has lived a normal life up until her parents were murdered. Young Fran, on the other hand, acts as if she has lived in the asylum her whole life, and has always known about the many realities. Which one is the real Fran?

6.Aunt Grace tells us at the end of the game that Lucia Dagenhart, Fran's mother, tried to hide Fran from the asylum, but they discovered her betrayal and killed Fran's parents because of it. The timeline doesn't add up here. Oswald and Grace knew that Fran was going to be born and were very much anticipating it. How could Lucia have kept Fran hidden for so long? Or, if they did find out earlier and Young Fran really is her in the asylum, then what happened to Fran's parents? And why would the game start with a completely different storyline?

With all of that in mind, here is my take. Everything we hear about Oswald is true as we hear it. He was very invested in his studies of twins. He experimented first with Lucia and Grace, and later Clara and Mia. Years and years went by. Oswald ran some sort of experiment on Lucia, hoping that she would give birth to a child with some kind of special significance or ability. When he found out that Lucia was pregnant, he was eager to begin experimentation on the child. Lucia, however, did not want to give up her child. Maybe she knew that she would have twins, or she found out after giving birth. (It was the 40's, they didn't have ultrasounds yet.) Either way, Lucia gave birth to twins, and decided to give only one of them to Oswald, while hiding the second. The girl that we think is Young Fran in Chapter 5 is actually a different person altogether. Raised in the asylum her whole life, already knowledgeable of the many realities. Our Fran, on the other hand, was raised in a loving home by her parents, until Oswald and Grace learned of her existence and came for her. The rest is explained in-game: Remor manipulates Fran into murdering her parents, and she runs into the woods, where she is finally retrieved by the asylum and reported dead in the news." (Game Theorists on Reddit