#probably something she'd say to Lucifer

[lacrimosathedark]

While I think the "Charlie makes Lucifer and Alastor compliment each other to bond" trope is a bit overdone, I am an absolute sucker for Alastor just casually saying that Lucifer is beautiful as an objective fact and Lucifer just kind of short circuiting.

I mean, he 1000% is, but who was going to tell him?

Lilith? I mean, yeah, she's his wife, duh. But she's also a more expected kind of beautiful so could qualify as "more" beautiful. And it's also probably been some time since she'd told him he's pretty given the split and all.

Ozzie? He's the embodiment of Lust, surface compliments come easy to him, it'd mean next to nothing. Were Ozzie really trying to give Luci butterflies, it'd probably have to be more personal.

Bee? Girl is effusive as fuck. She says Loona is "a fuckin' cutie" and "[her] new favorite person" in spending less than 5 minutes with her. Saying he's beautiful wouldn't mean as much from her.

Almost any other demon? Probably trying to suck up to get something out of Lucifer.

But Alastor? Sure, he could suck up to get something out of the powerful Lucifer, but he actively chooses not to time and again. Hell, he actively chooses to antagonize this being of immense power. He'll sidle up to Charlie, but Lucifer? No. He's all backhanded compliments and sniper-accurate critical observation. He's been going for the throat since Lucifer decided Alastor was beneath his notice.

So this same man who has been nothing but antagonistic to Lucifer so easily calling him beautiful? Especially a man who has demonstrated no sexual, romantic, or even aesthetic interest in literally anyone? Like...holy shit.

Alastor doesn't hand out compliments like that. The closest might be saying Rosie looks lovely upon seeing her, and while he may genuinely mean it, it's also kind of part of his gentlemanly standard greeting towards a good friend.

But he says Lucifer is beautiful like it's obvious, like it's something everyone should notice, like it's his easy go-to so he doesn't have to really think about Lucifer having positive attributes. And Lucifer is fucking floored because...someone genuinely thinks he's beautiful...? Someone with no interest in being nice to him...? Someone not looking to gain something from him...? Someone thinks he's so obviously gorgeous that it's the first nice thing he can think of? Like...damn.

idk if I were Lucifer, that'd fuck with my head too.

Also, fuckin bonus points if it's not in a forced compliment exchange scenario and just out of the fuckin blue. Like Alastor just dropping it in a conversation. Oof someone get me a fainting couch my god.

[theamberfist]

Despite Everything | Vox + Reader + Alastor

Familial! Alastor is reader's dad, Vox is the dad that stepped up

Description: Tension is still high now that Alastor and Vox are fighting over you; can you and your father(s) come to an understanding despite all that has happened?

(Notes: CW Alastor, angst) (gender neutral reader) (Reader Alastor's kid from life) (Could be biological or adopted) (Teen Reader)

❀ This is part 2 of Hell's Second Greatest Dad! ❀

❀ This one will have a song! It's a rewrite of More than Anything, but with Alastor and reader instead of Lucifer and Charlie ❀

Words: 3,180

You weren't sure how long you'd been asleep for, but you woke up completely disoriented and tangled in your blankets. Since you had light-blocking curtains on your windows, you couldn't even tell what time it was as you sat up, rubbed your eyes, and looked around. A now-empty box of tissues rested on your bedside table, and one glance at your full trash can told you that was probably where they'd all gone.

Your eyes still stung like you'd been crying recently too, but at the moment, you couldn't remember what had caused you to do so. Finally untangling yourself from the blankets entrapping you, you rolled over and grabbed your phone. There were several missed calls and texts from Vox, which startled you. had you done something to upset or worry him? You were too sleepy to recall right now. 

Your most recent message, though, was a text from Velvette promising she would keep your dads from killing each other until you were ready to come out of your room. 

Wait, dads? Plural?

Now it all came crashing back to you. How you'd been about to go book shopping with Vox, how your father had shown up, how they'd fought over you, and how you'd eventually had enough; storming off to your room to cry until you fell asleep. 

You weren't sure you ever wanted to leave this room now that you recalled the full extent of what had happened, but you also knew Vox would never allow you to rot away over this. 

With a sigh, you pushed yourself out of bed and went into the bathroom that was connected to your room to clean yourself up. When you'd checked the time, you'd found that there was only an hour before your reader's segment was scheduled, meaning you had to pull yourself together anyway. Another text came from Velvette now, saying Valentino was coming up to check on you since you hadn't answered her all day. Great. 

After washing your face and changing your clothes, you exited the bathroom. The second you opened your bedroom door, you were met with the sight of Valentino, holding a fist up as if he'd been about to knock. He retracted his hand now, a smile spreading across his face. 

"There you are, little one!" He exclaimed, stepping out of the way as you closed the door to your room behind you. "I brought tissues." He held up a box of tissues, but it did little to comfort you.

"Thanks, Val." You sighed, running a hand through your hair. You'd never been particularly close with the moth sinner, even after living in the V's tower for the last seven years. With his line of work and reputation, you tended to stay clear of him, and Vox had never pushed you to do otherwise. In fact, you suspected he was secretly glad for it after he'd become so protective of you over time. 

"Where are Vox and my dad?" You asked, though, calling Alastor your dad felt like a bit of a stretch at this point. He was closer to an estranged relative you hadn't seen in years than anything. 

"Velvette has them waiting downstairs." Valentino replied with a shrug, letting out a puff from his cigarette. Nevermind that he wasn't supposed to smoke on this floor. 

"And they haven't killed each other yet? That's impressive." You said with a sigh, heading for the elevator now, rather than putting the confrontation off any longer. 

"She has a way with these things." Val shrugged, stepping into the space with you. You suspected Velvette's 'way' came from lots of practice she'd gotten handling his and Vox's disagreements, but you didn't bring that up. Instead, you awkwardly and nervously waited for the elevator to reach your desired floor, rocking back and forth on your feet. What would happen when you arrived? Would Vox and Alastor start fighting again? You were sure Velvette would get between them if they did, but it wouldn't make things any easier for you in the long run.

They were going to want you to choose.

The doors opened now and you took a deep breath before stepping out. "Good luck~" Valentino sang before pressing the button to close them behind you. No going back now.

You turned, seeing a familiar lounge area to your right. After all, this was the floor where your studio was located, so you'd been here plenty of times before. You never used this area, though; reserving it for whoever might need to wait outside as you did your segment. 

There were two couches set up so that they made a sort of 'L' shape. Alastor sat on the one that faced in your direction; his legs crossed and a teacup in his hand as if he had not a care in the world. Music faintly played from his microphone, which rested against the couch next to him. Meanwhile, Vox sat hunched over on the other couch, as far away from the Radio Demon as possible as he attempted to avoid contact with him. 

And finally, Velvette was in a chair facing them both like a teacher supervising detention. She had her phone in hand but looked up when she heard you approaching. 

"There you are," she exclaimed, setting her phone down. Vox shot up from his seat and Alastor's teacup disappeared into thin air as he calmly stood too. You could tell they both wanted to come over to you but Velvette shot them a warning look. You weren't sure how she'd managed to get both Vox and Alastor to listen to her like this, but you were grateful for it. 

"Hey..." You said awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Vox was the first to reply. 

"How are you feeling, kid?" He asked, seeming genuinely concerned. You shrugged. 

"I don't know." It was all you could say, "But it's almost time for my segment, isn't it?" At this, the tech demon stiffened. 

"You don't have to do it today, you know." He told you, "We could just rerun an old one; no one would mind." You could tell Alastor preferred the idea too, considering he likely didn't approve of you being on TV in the first place, but you shook your head. 

"I think it would be good for me." You admitted, "Help me calm down." Vox nodded at that. 

"Alright." He sighed, "but if you're not feeling up for it, we can cancel any time. Just signal me." You nodded, feeling a small smile appear on your face. 

"Okay." 

"In that case, would you mind if I tag along?" Alastor asked, looking to you and no one else for permission, "I'd love to see what my little one has been up lately." You tensed.

Technically, the reader segment wasn't all that different from what you'd done before. When you both were alive, he would sometimes have you on his radio show in the evenings, where you would do exactly that; read your favorite books to the listeners at home. Everyone thought it was adorable, even if your features weren't very consistent at the time.

After you'd both ended up in hell, that had continued. You and Alastor were always close; after all, he'd been the only family you had for most of your life and afterlife. So when he kept up his radio show, you kept appearing on it to read your stories as a way of bonding more with your father. Plus, you could tell he reveled in the confusion your appearances brought; one moment he would be broadcasting the screams of those he tortured for all to hear, and then the next his child would be reading bedtime stories. It kept everyone on their toes, just the way he liked it. 

You weren't sure how Alastor would react to finding out you'd continued that same tradition on TV; the very thing he hated. Though, considering who your father was, he likely already knew. He had a way of finding out things like that. 

"I guess that's okay..." You decided after a moment, making Alastor's smile widen even more, "We have a lot of lost time to catch up on, anyway." The comment was meant to make him feel guilty but it seemed to bounce right off him instead.

"I couldn't agree more, darling!" He exclaimed, "Then, lead the way! I'd love to see your studio." You couldn't help feeling a little more nervous now but motioned for him to follow you towards the door anyway. Vox, however, wasn't giving up just yet. 

"I'll come too." He decided, crossing his arms over his chest. "In case we need to cancel the segment suddenly." He knew you weren't going to back out at the last minute like that but it didn't matter; the excuse gave him a reason to follow both you and Alastor to your recording studio.

There you gave the Radio Demon a brief tour before taking your place on the plush pink couch and letting Vox's makeup team give you a final check-over.

Another couch was brought in for Vox and Alastor to sit on as they watched you record your segment; each of them sitting as far away from the other on the thing as they possibly could. Finally, the cameraman cued you in, and you bit back your nervousness as you began reading; picking up where you'd left off in the book. 

The whole time you did your segment, you were extremely aware of the two extra pairs of eyes watching you. Vox, while still being extremely cautious of Alastor and glancing at him every so often, practically beamed with pride as he listened to you read. Alastor's eye kept twitching, likely in annoyance that you'd replaced yet another thing you used to do with him with Vox, but his smile still had genuine elements to it as he watched you.

Finally, you finished off the reader segment and the cameraman signaled to you that you were good to go. Once again feeling tired from the segment, but not as much so as you'd been the night before, you wrapped the lilac blanket around yourself and went over to where Vox and Alastor were sitting.

"Well done as always, kid." Vox grinned, patting your head. The Radio Demon's eyes narrowed at the sight and he cleared his throat.

"Yes, it was a wonderful performance, indeed." He added, "Though, I must admit a show of such format may have been better over radio." He'd considered corrupting the footage so Vox wouldn't be able to use it, but since this seemed to mean so much to you for whatever reason, decided to inconvenience him some other way later. 

You couldn't argue with the comment. After all, the idea had initially started in a radio format. You could, however, try again to make him feel guilty for leaving you.

"Yeah, well, I didn't really have access to a radio broadcast for the last seven years," you replied, "So Vox offered to give me a TV show instead." The tech demon beamed as Alastor came close to a scowl, or what would have been a scowl, if not for his permanent smile. 

There was nothing but silence after that. If not for the shuffling of your cameraman packing things up, you could have heard a pin drop. Feeling uncomfortable, you tugged the purple blanket more tightly around your shoulders. You knew the three of you needed to talk about things, but you still weren't sure where you even stood in the situation to be able to do so. 

"Are you tired?" Vox finally asked, "You can go up to your room and sleep if you want. We can always go shopping another day."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Alastor cut in, standing from the couch now, "They're still my child, so there's no need for them to live here anymore." He wrapped an arm around your shoulders, "I appreciate you looking out for them in my absence, but now that I've returned, there's no need for you to be involved in their life any longer." Something seemed to snap in Vox at that and he shot up.

"Oh, no you don't!" He exclaimed, walking over and pointing a finger at the Radio Demon, "You're not taking them. You may have been their father, but you've been gone seven years. You have no claim to them anymore." 

You were afraid to speak up, unsure of what you would say. You didn't even know what you wanted anymore. 

"You've no more right to them than I do," Alastor shot back, glaring at Vox through his smile, "Who are you to tell me where I can or cannot take my child? Even if you think you've adopted them, I see no legal documents to prove it."

"Am I even your child anymore?" You asked suddenly, before you could stop yourself. Both overlords froze as you pushed Alastor's hand off your shoulders and took a step back. 

"Of course, my dear." Your father replied, taking a step towards you, only for you to back away more, "Nothing so fleeting as time could ever change that." Something in you told you he really believed that, and that was the worst part.

"Can't it?" You asked, feeling tears begin to well up in your eyes. You weren't ready to have this conversation, even after so long. "I thought you'd abandoned me. I thought you didn't want me anymore." Before he could reply, you turned and started walking away, pushing open the door to your studio as you wiped at your eyes. Alastor, however, went after you. 

You paused when he called out your name; already halfway to the elevator. "You didn't know that when I left you on your own, I made a deal I wouldn't condone." You were frozen in shock. Alastor make a deal? "And in the end, I had to leave you all alone," this time you didn't flinch as he came forward, placing a hand on your head, "Now you're the only thing worth fighting for." 

Your mouth went dry. For years, all you'd wanted was to know your dad really did care, but somehow, it didn't bring you as much comfort as you'd expected. 

"Despite everything," he went on, taking one of your hands from under the blanket you still had pulled around you, "Despite everything, I want to be there for you despite everything!" 

"But you didn't even tell me where you'd gone," You said softly.

"If I could have, I would," Alastor replied, "It was the only way to keep you out of it." You frowned, pulling your hand out of his. 

"Papa," you began, feeling a bit of comfort from the reassuring nod Vox gave you behind him, "When I was young, I always thought you stood so tall." You looked down, recalling the days when he'd let you sit on his lap as a child while he recorded his radio broadcasts, "It made me feel so small," you went on, "But you assured me that I was worth it all." You could recall countless nights in life when your father had made that very promise, but it felt as if it meant nothing now. 

"You said you would never leave me," you recalled, "That we were family." A tear slid down your face but you pushed it away, "And yet you left with no warning!" Vox placed a hand on your shoulder, which only seemed to make Alastor more irritated, but he listened as you went on. "So in the end, when I thought I had lost you," you took a deep breath, "They showed me I could have a family once more!" 

Vox smiled softly at you, encouraging you to go on. "Despite everything," you sang, echoing Alastor, "Despite everything, I wish I could believe you despite everything!" 

You turned to walk away, ready to be escorted by the tech demon, only for Alastor to speak up once again. "I've never forgot you all this time."

"Neither could I," you replied, not liking what he was insinuating, "How ever would I?"

"Seems I'll have to make up for this crime," he decided, finally giving up on trying to explain what he'd done. Nothing would ever excuse his leaving you; he knew that. 

"It'll take a while," you admitted, though a tiny grin tugged at your lips that didn't go unnoticed by the Radio Demon.

"I've missed that smile!" He said, taking your hands. You just wanted to feel like a family again; the way you had before his disappearance. And though it would take time, that might be able to come true if he could prove he'd never leave again. 

"All that I'm hopin' now that my eyes are open," The two of your chorused, "Is that we can start again; not be pulled apart again!" 

Vox wasn't sure who'd given you both the lyrics to this impromptu song and not told him, but even he had to admit the scene in front of him was quite sweet as he watched you and Alastor finally hug.

"Cause in the end, you are part of who I am!" You both sang.

"I'll be there for you even if he must too!" Alastor told you, pointing microphone towards Vox with only a slightly disgusted expression on his face. 

"Though, this is overdue," you added before letting your dad join back in.

"Despite everything!" He waved his cane, changing the lighting of the room so that it felt warmer.

"Despite everything!" You repeated, now watching as some of the furniture shifted so that it resembled the living room of your house when you were alive. it seemed Alastor was already adding a personal touch to this place if he was going to be around more because of you.

"Despite everything!"

"Despite everything!" You sang, "You're meant to be my father, despite everything!" You glanced at Vox, who only nodded at you with both pride and pain in his eyes. 

"Despite everything..." Both you and Alastor finished as you hugged him again, wishing he'd never disappeared in the first place but so glad he'd returned anyway. 

Finally, you pulled away from the embrace and looked up at the Radio Demon. "Alright," you said, "...We can try to fix things, but it's going to take time." You glanced back at the tech demon, who quickly came over to support you. "And for now, I want to keep staying here with the V's. While you were gone, Vox was the only father figure I had." 

Alastor's eye twitched at that but he slowly nodded, ignoring the look of victory his old friend was wearing. "I suppose I can agree to that." He decided at last, "Though, I hope eventually there will come a day when you only need the one father." He was referring to himself, making Vox's eyes narrow. 

"And I hope one day I won't have to be afraid of you leaving out of nowhere." You replied carefully before sighing, "But it's a start."

Right, Alastor nodded, a start. It would hardly be enough for him in the long run, but for now, he supposed he could tolerate the tech demon's presence around you. 

……….

Tags for those who requested them: @avitute

[arachniee]

✰ The Arbiter of Justice.

Ex Situationship! Alastor x Female! Overlord Reader , Vox x Female! Overlord Reader, Lucifer x Female! Overlord Reader

₊˚✩彡 Summary: Famously known as hell's only demon that can break contracts between other sinners, you were very sought after by those who wish to free themselves from the wretched hands of their soul owners, much to the dismay (annoyance) of the other Overlords.

₊˚✩彡Notes: okay so, i know you're probably wondering why this came out faster than the parts of my other series, lets just say that i absolutely despised the first drafts i had and had to redo and edit some stuff again, but hey, here you go (this is not proofread, you have been warned)

╰⪼ “Those fuckers are back!”

Vox yelled, flailing his arms out with each syllable that left his petty mouth. Great. First, he found out that the radio demon was back from whatever hole in hell he's been hiding in for the last 7 years, and second, that bitch in the shadows made her appearance again after a whole decade! God, isn't his life just fucking great.

Valentino wanted to snicker, mock him because of his childishness. But he couldn't, for he too was not pleased with someone's return. Sure, he could live without Alastor, and yeah, he could live with the radio demon around. He didn't really care about him, it was only Vox who hated Alastor so much to obviously express it. But the Arbiter? Valentino would even thank any exorcist who manages to kill her. Though, he knew not to expect anything. Since the Vee’s have never really laid a scratch on her skin, no matter what they did. 

“I thought she was gone for good too.”

It's been almost 10 years since she left, leaving the Vee’s to assume (hope) that she'd never return and potentially ruin their status. Ever since her sudden disappearance, they've made it their goal to savour this experience, the feeling of making as many contracts as possible without the restraint from that wretched woman who was dubbed the “Arbiter”.

“Can’t this day get any fucking worse?!” 

Vox was fuming, it was very prominent. Of course he'd be angry, a threat has been posed to his business. With the Arbiter’s return, surely he'll lose most of his employees again! And that is NOT happening. And to add to his already boiling anger, the radio demon is back as well. He could feel the temperature of his screen almost overloading, if he doesn't calm down soon, he might even crack his screen. 

It was only a matter of time ‘til the word reached Velvette, and they were sure that she would also be displeased with the news. All these deals and contracts they made to build themselves up, climb the ranks, all of these may potentially be snatched away by the Arbiter again in a matter of time. They can't afford for that to happen, not now, not again, not ever.

“The upcoming Overlord meeting… Are you going to attend?”

Valentino asked, eyebrows furrowed as he waited for Vox’s answer. His question was hinting a very obvious thought, with the return of the radio demon and the arbiter, surely almost every Overlord will be present. No, the Arbiter has never really attended the meeting personally, but they always send a shadow in their place. That's the most interaction a person has with her, aside from those who manage to successfully summon her and make a contract with her for her services. So attending the Overlord meeting and speaking with the shadow would be their only way of communicating with her. That is the only way they'll be able to receive some sort of response. 

Even with how problematic the Arbiter is for them, little to none is known about her. Every person whom she freed from a contract will always do and say the same thing. Their finger pressing to their lips, a eerily soft smile, and a gentle voice that would speak the words;

“Sh, her shadow might hear you!”

Well, that didn't fill up with any context. It was the same actions and answer, no matter how many times a demon would ask them. Did the Arbiter do something to them? Did they say something? Regardless, it was really frustrating. Especially to those who wanted to gather information about her to bring her down. Ehem, the Vee’s, and maybe a few other Overlords.

───〃★

Ever since your disappearance, Alastor and his dear friends were quite bummed (more so than he'd like to admit). And maybe because of the fact that he may favor you more than the others, who knows? But the pain you unknowingly left in his heart was a feeling he could never forget. A feeling he can’t seem to get himself past. Petty, call it as you will. But the memory you engraved in his mind kept him up all night, every night. You consumed him and his thoughts, especially in his sleep.

Which is why he wanted nothing more than to never sleep again.

Despite him not wanting to acknowledge it, he liked you far more than the rest. And he hated himself for it. No matter how hard he tried to avoid any indication of your presence, you still bled into every crevice and corner of this shitty hell hole. Every corner that touched the light and casted shadows, all of it haunted him.

Everything was so similar to you.

So he left. For the longest time, he tried his very best to forget you, spending his time doing who knows what. It has already been 7 years, before he knew it. He knew it was conflicting, but a part of his wretched soul wondered. 

Would you be there on his return?

Most likely not. He hoped that you wouldn’t. But he also hoped to see you, even just once. A single glance at you would’ve made him crumble. The wall that he built to keep romance away, it’ll all come crashing down, without a doubt. 

“Alastor? What’s botherin’ you, dear?” 

A feminine voice cut through the thick tension in the room, a gentle hand resting on his shoulder. Ah, he almost forgot he was in his dear friend’s Emporium. Well, it wasn’t entirely his fault his thoughts wandered off, especially after seeing a picture with a familiar face on it. 

“Oh, worry not, Dear Rosie! Nothing a little work can’t handle!’

He assured her, that wide, signature smile of his visibly staring back at the woman. She mirrored it, though she seemed a little less hostile, even with her razor sharp teeth. She had been worried since Alastor left, of course, but what worried her more was how she’d often find him in a daze, seemingly unaware of everything around. Now, in hell, being unaware of your surroundings is the last thing you want. It’s not like she was doubting his strength and power, oh no. But she really can’t help it. She’s often the one taking care of everyone, so naturally, she wants to be there for him out of instinct. 

“Well, it certainly doesn’t look like it, Cerf.”

A husky voice piped in, peeking from behind the couch that Rosie and the radio demon sat on. Another figure, who seemingly appeared to be a more masculine version of the Cannibal District’s leader. Same pitch black eyes, pale skin and mop of greyish pink stands. Adorned with a rather lavish suit and a light colored fedora that contrasted Rosie’s more pinkish hat. 

“As sharp as always, I see you are!”

“Oh come on, pumpkin! We gotta give Alastor his own personal space, okay? If he doesn’t wanna talk about it then we won’t force him.” 

Rosie interrupted, glancing behind her to finally eye the person that the voice belonged to. The previous smile on her face seemed to grow, of course, why wouldn’t it? Looking at her younger brother has always been pleasing to her, especially since they look too much alike.

“I am well aware, my Rosa. Must you always treat me as an unknowing child?” 

Her younger brother sighed, momentarily closing his eyes and shaking his head left and right, his greyish pink locks swaying with each movement. 

“But my dear, it seems that you are!” 

The radio demon replied to his question. This was one of the ways Alastor tried, in hopes of forgetting you. Spending time with his dearest friends was something he cherished, especially with how much he saw that they genuinely cared for him. But it was a bittersweet feeling. 

How differently would things be if you were still here?

“Word has it that she has finally returned.” 

The same figure from behind the two seated Overlords exclaimed, tone now an octave lower and stirring with an unknowing emotion. Was he trying to be cautious? Or was he trying to not be insensitive towards Alastor’s feelings? Well, whatever the reason, this topic was bound to surface in their conversations anytime soon, so might as well talk about it now.

“My Riose, that is not something you must bring up so suddenly!” 

The said young man let out a huff of air, out of amusement or interest, not quite sure. Gosh, he certainly is still like a child in the two Overlords’ eyes. With a shrug, Riose decided to change the topic. Man, he was expecting to hear more stories about the Arbiter, but that can wait another time perhaps. Once the radio demon has fully moved on, he supposed. 

Alastor knew you were back, he has connections after all. But he hated how he hoped so much that you’d meet again, after all these years. But that was closer to impossible, to be honest. He’s accepted that fact, not fully, but he’s trying. Trying to move on, trying to forget you.

Though Riose had a feeling that he’d share this stuff with you and tell you about the shit the radio demon has been ranting to him and his sister, and unfortunately, you don’t know if you want to let Alastor go yet.

[purrpleowl]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned something like this already, but this thought has been on my mind for quite some time;

You know who I wanted to see having a duet with Alastor (song battle style)? Velvette.

Hear me out.

There's something similar between the two songs Alastor interrupts, Stayed Gone and Hell's Greatest Dad, especially when it comes to the duality between Alastor's part and the other person's part. Something that I admit I didn't notice at first, but I saw some people commenting on.

Let's talk about Stayed Gone first: all Vox has to say is that Alastor is old and Vox is new. He uses different words every time (fossil, barely audible, his medium is getting rare...), but that's his only argument. While Alastor attacks right into Vox's insecurities. He says that Vox's content is low quality and inconsistent, he belittles Vox's power, and pokes at the wound that was Alastor refusing to "join Vox's team" (whatever that means, not important for my point here).

In Hell's Greatest Dad, Lucifer talks about how he can be useful to Charlie. How he can give her Champagne fountains & caviar mountains without charging her. Alastor focuses on how his relationship to Charlie is (supposedly) very close. He says he's faithful to her, that he makes her laugh, that they have a special bond... Which is what Charlie values most.

ALL THAT TO SAY that Alastor is very good at reading the room, figuring out what people are on about. Now, what other demon we see that has showed to have those same skills and has used them to her advantage in the show? That's right, Velvette.

With a SINGLE glance, she was able to identify that Carmilla was the one that killed the exorcist because of her facial expressions and body language. And then she proceeded to poke Carmilla and Zestial until one of them snapped.

Also, just like I bet Alastor definitely doesn't believe a single word he's saying to Charlie in Hell's Greatest Dad, he just wanted to get under Lucifer's skin while manipulating Charlie, I highly doubt Velvette was serious about starting an actual war with the angels. She (and the Voys too, probably) had a suspicion that it had been an overlord who did it, and she went and tested the theory.

I just think it would be great to finally see someone publicly call Alastor out on all of his bullshit, and Velvette is (in my opinion, of course) a very good character for the role. Besides being very perceptive and good at reading into people's bullshit (she also does that with Vox when she is introduced btw).

She likes to annoy old people, she probably has some background on Al that Vox possibly provided her while lacking the insecurities that Vox has when it comes to Alastor.

It would be very satisfying (to me at least) to see her call him a coward in his face (because he fled Adam's fight when he got injured), or that he might hate Vox but he definitely loooves the attention because he's an attention whore (bonus points if she uses this specific term just to make him uncomfortable). Or even that he's trying so hard to keep this "ominous mysterious dangerous" persona while he's 1- not that powerful, 2- starting to get emotionally attached to the "good guys".

ALSO "you'd be powerless without the Vees" sir you can't convince me that 3 very powerful overlords can't beat 1 up. The Vees are powerful on their own but they're more powerful together and Vox's insecurities aside, they all know it. Alastor is alone, he might be friends with Rosie or the Hotel crew, but his pride wouldn't allow him to seek help in battle, or even emotional help.

Also 2.0 there's the fact that he's been gone for 7 years and while Velvette (and us) might have no idea what he's been up to, I bet the Vees have been growing and expanding their power while Alastor is the same since he left.

So yeah, I think she'd be so great on roasting Alastor. I don't know if I'll ever have a song battle between them but I sure think it would be interesting.

[seramilla]

I ended up binging all your posts about Vaggie being related to the Carmine's and ended up having a dream about all the wedding prep, including Carmilla actually meeting Charlie and thanking her for loving and helping Vaggie heal and grow from her time as an exorcist

I'm sorry, but this gave me ideas, so have some fluff instead of angst on this goddamn page for once.

Charlie Morningstar paces back and forth outside Carmine Industries for several minutes before she even thinks about touching the buzzer. A myriad of thoughts race through her mind as she steels herself for what she came here to do. Vaggie is distracted, back at the hotel helping Alastor with some kind of workshop or other for their guests. She has at least an hour until her presence is needed again -- plenty of time, she hopes, for a meeting with Carmilla Carmine.

Ultimately, it's not her who buzzes herself in, but one of the other Carmine girls. Charlie literally falls over in surprise as the metal door clanks open, but she manages to right herself before face-planting on the concrete outside. Odette, if memory serves, is standing there with a confused expression on her face, cocking an eyebrow at her and turning her head 30 degrees like a curious puppy. Charlie clears her throat, blushing profusely at her almost-fumble.

"Od-Odette! Hello! Did I get that right? Um, yeah, hi! I'm here to see Carm--Ms. Carmine. Is she home--at work--do you live or work here? I guess I don't know. I'm sorry, that's a dumb question, I just--!"

Odette chuckles. "She's here. Are you looking for an audience with her?"

Charlie lets out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Yes! Ma'am! Yes, ma'am! Oh, I'm sorry, do you mind if I call you ma'am? Is that weird? Should I call you something else?"

Odette chuckles again. "Odette is fine. No need for any formalities, your highness. You know you're welcome here. Follow me."

"Thank you so much! I'm coming!"

Charlie talks Odette's ears off the entire time they're walking toward Carmilla's office. Up a huge flight of stairs, around a corner, and all the way down a long hallway, Odette is given a crash course on all the current events happening at the Hazbin Hotel. She could probably give a lecture on the topic, given how good Charlie has gotten at really drilling home all the highlights of her redemption program.

When they finally stop in front of Carmilla's office, Odette gives Charlie's hand a firm shake, saying, "It's been a pleasure, Miss Morningstar. Now I must return to my tasks for the day." Then, without another word, she's gone again.

Charlie pauses at the ornate door leading to Carmilla's office. It's tall, and imposing. She's the princess of Hell, goddamn it! Something like this should be super simple for a daughter of Lucifer Morningstar!

Shaking all her misgivings out of her head, she says to herself, "Right! Let's do this!" before knocking firmly on the door three times. After a moment, a muffled yet prominent, "Come in!" reaches her from the other side. Taking another deep breath, Charlie opens the door, and steps inside.

Carmilla Carmine is at her desk, working away at a stack of files and papers that are practically as tall as Charlie is. Other stacks, she assumes the finished ones, are scattered in boxes around the floor at Carmilla's feet. Charlie doesn't even begin to know where to look -- the office is so busy. Instead, she ignores it, and smiles at Carmilla when the other woman's gaze meets hers.

"Charlotte!" Carmilla says, a happy lilt to her voice. She immediately stands and greets the princess with open arms. One of the privileges of dating the daughter of Carmilla Carmine is she's often privy to the woman's more maternal side. A notion that is quite welcome, as far as Charlie is concerned. It's nice, feeling that kind of maternal love again -- it's been so absent from her own life since her mother...left all those years ago.

"It's so nice to see you, Charlotte. Please, have a seat. What do I owe the pleasure of your company today?"

Carmilla gestures Charlie over to the plush couches on the opposite side of her office. The furniture has been upgraded since the last time she's been here. Charlie obliges and takes a seat. Carmilla joins her.

Charlie debates whether to break through her own misgivings with small talk, but decides better of it. She came here with a purpose today; she only has so much time before she's needed back at the hotel, so she decides to just get to the business at hand.

"Well," Charlie starts, immediately fumbling all the words she'd so diligently practiced earlier. That's so like her. But she won't be deterred! She grips the fabric of her pants tightly in both fists and continues.

"As you know, Vaggie and I are coming up on our 5-year anniversary in a few months. It's a big milestone for us, and I wanted to do something really special for her..."

Charlie pauses, waiting to see if Carmilla will interject. The older woman is as poised and stoic as ever, waiting patiently for Charlie to continue. Charlie wishes she could better gauge what the woman is thinking at the moment...but it can't be helped. Charlie's not a mind reader. Nowhere else to go now, but forward!

"...Anyway...um...what I came here to do today was...uhh...oh, fuck, why is this so hard?"

"Take a breath, Charlotte. It's okay."

That definitely is not helping Charlie's nervousness at all, being reminded to breathe, like she doesn't have two perfectly capable lungs, all her own. Carmilla is still looking at her with that face, like everything is fine. How does she know it's fine? She doesn't even know what Charlie's going to say!

Breathe, Charlie!

"God, okay. Hoooo boy. Carmilla. I came here today to ask...to tell you...that I love Vaggie very much. More than anything in the world. My life was not complete until she literally fell into it, and every day since then has been more rich, more fulfilling, and more full of joy than I can ever put into words. I'm telling you this because I'm going to...I want your blessing when I... I'mgoingtoaskhertomarrymeandIwantyoutotellmeit'sokay! Okay?"

The last part comes out of Charlie's mouth in a flurry of words. She lets out a sigh of relief, thankful she was able to get it out. She hopes Carmilla had understood her. Thankfully, the sparkle in Carmilla's eyes tells her that she has, and so much more. Before she can even protest, Carmilla pulls Charlie into a hug that's so tight, her spine nearly bows from the force of it.

Shit, this overlord's strength is nothing to sneeze at.

"You don't need my permission, Charlotte," Carmilla says, squeezing Charlie even harder around the waist. Charlie squeaks.

"I...I don't?"

"Of course not. You're already family. And Vaggie's a big girl. She can make her own decisions. But if you want my blessing...then of course you have it. I can never repay you for protecting her, loving, her, and watching over her when I couldn't. I would love nothing more than to welcome you into our family...officially."

"You, too!" Charlie says, not wanting to diminish the other woman's contribution to Vaggie's healing process. "Also, I almost asked my dad if he would do it, but...I want you to be the one to walk her down the aisle, if she says yes! I know she would want that!"

Carmilla can't hide the fact that she's the one crying now. Charlie sees her trying to hide the tears behind the hand in front of her face, but the cracks are breaking around the older woman's facade like a dam trying to overrun its banks. She smiles at Charlie, and nods.

"Of course I will. I would love nothing more than to give my girl away to you."

Charlie can't wait for the day she can pop the question to the love of her life. She's already bought the ring, got the date planned with Asmodeus, and booked an opulent night full of food, dancing, and every other pleasantry the Lust ring has to offer. She vows to make it the best night of Vaggie's life, second only to their wedding day, if she accepts Charlie's proposal.

Beyond that, all Charlie can see is happiness. She never dreamed as much for herself. But it's so close, she can almost grasp it. She leaves Carmilla's that day feeling more light and airy than she has in a while, and more full of conviction that she has the strength to see this through.

She deserves it. Vaggie deserves it. Carmilla deserves it. Her heart is so full of love and raw tenderness, she could practically burst.

[blossomthepinkbunny]

The inconstancy/misuse of the powers in HH/HB

(especially in "Oops")

In regards to the episode "Oops" of Helluva Boss and in general I just wanna say that I genuinely don't understand the misuse of the power levels in Helluva Boss/Hazbin Hotel. The strongest forces in Hell are the seven deadly sins and after that comes the Royalty and after that the overlords. Then the sinners and the Hellborn are the weakest from my understanding.

There are however some instances in the show which just don't make sense, considering the power system. Like, Charlie is the daughter of the most powerful demon in the whole of hell and troughout the show she just doesn't do anything at all. We are to assume that she has a lot of power still. Technically she should be the second strongest demon in hell. Maybe you could say, that she isn't used to her powers and is somewhat inexperienced and young, but she should still be atleast on the same level of strength as the weakest deadly sin, or Stolas I guess.

But all she does is sit around. I know she isn't the confrontational type and is actually quite the pacifist sometimes, still there are moments where she could use her powers to help her plan or just something. She never tries to protect the Hotel when people like Sir Pentious or the guys who were after Mimzy attack, thats always Alastors Job, even though one could guess that she'd be stronger than him if she would make use of her powers. Maybe she could even protect the demons from Alastor, because mindlessly killing random demons is sort of the opposite of what she wanted to accomplish (but apparently she's just fine with that? This goes back to her not being really well defined at all).

When she sees someone who she consideres her friend (Angel) get abused and harassed by someone, she doesn't do anything to help him. Maybe threaten Valentino or just use her high status to do anything. But nothing comes from her.

In the final episode it's also Alastor who has to fight Adam before Lucifer showes up. Charlie puts up a good fight when she finally decides to move but it just showes us all her potential which is never used.

This ignoring of power is so much worse in "Oops" though. The plot is that Asmodeus can't save Fizz from Crimson because of stupid, artificial reasoning. The first thing that is said is that Asmodeus is the weakest sin, which is fine but it doesn't change the fact that he could still just beat up everybody there. Like yeah he might be the weakest but he's still a SIN. He's stronger than Stolas and definitely a hundred times stronger than some random imp without special assisment.

I saw someone say that Ozzie probably sold away a lot of his power, since he often doesn't read the contracts he singes which is a nice theory but I don't consider it, since it's not mentioned in the episode. And even if he signed away more than half of his power, he should still be so much stronger than Crimson. Crimson is just an Imp and we see his group get taken out by Blitzø and Fizzarolli (one Imp with just a knife and one who can't even really fight) so the show can't even mention Ozzies power level as if it's an actual reason for why he can't do anything. We also see that he's still able to stand up to Mammon confidently in the later episode so he obviously is still VERY strong.

Another excuse they try to pull is with the legal documents he has to sign to give him some conflict and a time limit. But that's stupid too, since we know Ozzie can make Portals. He could just teleport there, take Crimson and his Imps out and be back with Fizz and Blitzø in a second. Also, Stolas is there too and he can turn demons into stone just by looking at them. Why doesn't he just do that to the lawyer guy? Then they don't have to sign and could just leave. I mean it's not as if the lawyer should even be an obstacle to Ozzie or Stolas.

The fact that Asmodeus apparently cares so much for his Partner but never thinks about any of this. At the start of the episode he's literally so worried about even the idea of Fizzarolli going to the greed ring without him and still he'd rather sit there and fill out some documents for a guy he could easily beat any second than to save his Partner who could be in ACTUAL life threatening danger!? The same goes for Stolas who we know can tell when Blitzø is in danger (from the episode truth seekers) but never has that instinct to save him here, even when Blitzø is captured too.

It's also just funny that for a place like hell, which we are constantly reminded of as this place without rules and people that care about a government, there's still that apparent necessity to completely follow Crimson's demands and the arbitrary rules he set. Especially for Asmodeus who is one of the strongest leading forces in hell, to just do whatever a random Imp wants, someone who is so many ranks under him (literally the second to last rank in hells society) is just indescribably stupid. Isn't he the one who could just make new rules? Or just decide that he doesn't want to follow certain ones, since in hell apparently no one follows a lot of rules anyways so why is it presented as if he can't do anything.

That's the thing I disliked most about "Oops" because it's so clear that they just had to make something up because they wrote themselves into a corner with Asmodeus and Stolas being so strong. There are probably more moments like this in both shows. Another one I can think of is that Stolas never helped I.M.P out in any of their missions, even though he can tell when Blitzø is in danger and would be a great help to get them out of situations. Obviously this is only brought up in one episode, because they didn't know how to resolve the conflict and then it just disappeares because it would make a lot of struggles in episodes feel weightless since Stolas can just save the Imps from any danger.

It's just another thing Vivzepop brings up and then drops. The inconstancy in these shows (in Helluva boss even more than in Hazbin) is actually annoying and makes episodes so much harder to watch.

[thesupernaturalhouse]

Right so- Emily's personality ir charlies design for the hazbins Fallen au?? Which should I talk about first??

Let's go with Emily-

Alright! So, Emily is still her cheery self but also due to the nature of the au defiantly isnt all niave and trusting and stuff

In this au, she's learning about seras lies from others, which I think would give her trust issues. I also made her more, angry

I imagine in the au she holds grudges a lot more, mainly against alastor, and has more of a silent anger type personality- here's a small snippet of the pilot for the au

Emily: alright so now we watch *Katie starts throwing insults* ...oookay- vaggie, spear, down *gently holding said spears tip down

Vaggie: wha- but, come onn

Emily: no 'come onn' I don't think you scaring people with you angelic spear is a good ide- *Katie says soenthifn homophobic* .....neveemind *releases spear* do whatever you want ant. I want that bitch to fear for her life

Or it'd go something like that, I'll work out any kinks when I start writing the story, first I wanna awake an episode layout whoch is harder then it loks- I have the ideas but I need it in a list so- jsut gotta sort through all that

Like she isn't like Vaggie, spear raised, but not like Charlie, easy to forgive.

I do imagine she bites her tounge however if you ask for her hienst's opinion, she will NOT hold back. I think once she and Husk become more of a father-daughter duo, he starts rubbing off on her, and she starts blurting some ruder things out

He is so proud of his little(200k year+) girl

It's probably the most evident when I have her tell of Alastor- which will also be one instance of her being super protective over her found family.....listen I know yall love Alastor i do to, but I think he fandom over hypes him, and so does he himself, and I want Emily to kinda call him out, and threaten him in this au

But that'll be another post :)

Remember how I said charlie and slaviathen are like Ron and Tammy 2 but without all the sex? Yeah, well, then Emily is Diane! Vaggie is to but vaggie mostly focuses on getting them out and stuff. Emily and slaviathen just have passive aggressive argument and comments thrown at each other

"Always a pleasure to meet you charlies friends" "*strained smile* always a pleasure seaweed hair stranger" "oooo-Kay let's go- and let charlie Dela with this"

Why vaggie is passive with sleviathan and Emily is the protective one? Honestly idk but I think it's funny :) maybe it's cause Vaggie knows Charlie doesn't tale shit from slaviathen one bit so lets her gaurd down more because she knows charlie has it, so she's more passive or smth

Emily meanwhiem can't STAND being talked down to so absurd bites back no matter what. Which is also why her breaking point would be Katie calling them a slur.

She hates being talk down to, which stems form her years in heaven being treated as a child by almost everybody, good intentions or not it was still always so condescending to her. Especially when it was from Sera or the other heaven born and elder/arch angles

So she definitely internalized that, remember how I said she was often referred to as 'lucifers replacement' by many elder angles?? Yeah, that's where it MOSTLY stems from

She'd also have resentment and hatred for lucifer because of it all, like "I never want to meet whoever the fuck lucifer is" kinds mentality, it's due to this that she refused to search him uo and relaize he was her girlfriends, one of them, DAD

So the dad beat dad episode is...fun!! Emily gets piss drunk with HER dad, husk after realizing the short man in the middle of the living room is lucifer

It's after that whole song at the beginning happens does she realize he's lucifer, cause charlies only referred to him as dad so-

......I should start drafting a psot for her and Peter's relationship- mlm and wlw solidarityyyy

She also be a lot more sexual active I think because liek heaven is restricted so being in hell with norestricrions she definitely is THRIVING on that freedom

I have a scene planned out for when Angle takes them to that bdsm club that involved her buying black silk stuff because why not-

Anyways, the finale change in Emily, I think, for her personality that is would be she absolutely take sfter a more Sloth like sin

"Screw both of you I'm sleeping in!" She absolutely HATES waking up early in the morning, especially if it's after a night of certain events. Vaggie will throw clothes at her and force her to get up. Charlie will already be downstairs full of energy-

[hoverboards-and-dragons]

A Lilith character study about Lucilith

Lilith thinks about how her husband would die for her, she'd kill for him and how their experiences during creation really did fucked them up but its probably fine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lilith didn't trust easily.

She doubted she could trust at all anymore.

She was an admitted selfish woman, unapologetically ambitious, truly sinful.

She belonged in hell and she couldn't be prouder of that, of a kingdom that called her wholly it's own and loved her as fiercely as she loved it; of standing for herself among those who only knew how to kneel and demanded the same from her.

The only reason she'd say Lucifer didn't belong in Heaven was that he was simply far too good that wretched place. Even if his revulsion for her home and pride weighed heavy on her heart.

Good things didn't 'happen to' Lilith, every good thing in her life had been viciously fought for and defended: except for Lucifer.

Lucifer was the best thing to ever happen to her, the only good thing that ever just happened to her. Stepping into her life and simply giving her all the admiration, freedom and power she had could have ever desired, ever been denied, as if she deserved it, as if she didn't have to fight for it.

Lilith didn't trust easily, and small dark part of her doubted that there even was such a thing.

But she remembers what it was to be held against Lucifer while his body split the sky, all six wings shielding her without a thought to even trying to slow his own decent; and that pure relief when he saw her almost unscathed, even as his broken form was painting the ground gold in a quickly deepening puddle.

It remained her that she did know what trust was. She had a truth lain before her that not even her deepest skepticism could deny: that new scorned woman in Paradise, that had to learn all gifts came with strings, the benefit of the doubt only led to loss and that no one acted without agenda.

Lucifer was exactly who she had always seen. After everything was stripped away, there was nothing else hidden under mask or act.

He looked at Lilith like she centred the entire world, like she deserved everything and more, all of creation and anything belong it.

Because he truly believed she did.

How many nights awake had Lilith spent battling with that realization, that he was real, that anyone could be that openhanded, that endlessly eager and willing to put someone else before themselves, with no fear or hostility or even hesitation.

That he loved her.

Chose her.

Chose her before God.

(She shelved those thoughts for another time, she was spiralling enough without a contemplation of just how high his place in the universe - that he saw her as leagues above - actually was.)

She didn't bother with questions of deserving like Lucifer sometimes did. She didn't care if either of them deserved each other.

Lilith didn't 'deserve' anything, she wanted things, and then she took them.

Just like every other rare commodity Lilith got her hands on, she coveted him selfishly.

She couldn't let it ruin him. She may love hell, but Lucifer was something special, unreproducible and irreplaceable. He would not be torn down into just another sinner out for himself and his power.

Especially with the toll this separation from his family was already on him.

If she was any less sure it wouldn't help him, she'd storm the gates of Heaven itself and tear those pitiful excuses for siblings, kin and a Father apart limb by limb.

Did they not understand what they were so callously tarnishing?! This pure true divinity so infinitely rare even upon their holy kind! Tossed aside, forgotten and left to rot.

No.

Lilith wouldn't allow that.

She had always lived, worked and thrived in the scraps discarded from Heaven's over abundance. She knew the endless potential in things they habitually overlooked.

She would love and adore him like they failed to. Utilize every piece of him he offered, make fools out of everyone who'd ever given him up.

And they would learn to fear her at his stead.

Heaven has freely given her the rope they will hang by.

[apocalypseornaw]

Fighting Hurts

Follow up to Love is a Fight

Set in my Always be Yours verse

Yall it's angst just be warned

Requested by @cat-lockwood

Weeks had passed since you left the bunker. The memory of the tears in Dean's eyes as you begged him to let you go tortured you. You knew it was best for you both, he'd be distracted with you there and christ chances were you'd probably end up well and truly dead before Amara ended her rampage but what choice did you have besides to go down swinging?

The cabin you were staying in was one Bobby had won off Rufus in a bet way back when. It was sturdy and didn't leak, plus it had electricy ran to it which was a plus considering most of Rufus' cabins didn't. The warding was painted onto every inch of the interior. It'd taken you the better part of a day.

You hated admitting you were scared but this time you were. You were alone, cut off from everyone you knew in fear that should Amara come after you it would put anyone else in her sights. You wouldn't answer any of Deans or Sam's calls. You knew if you even heard Dean's voice your resolve would break.

----------

After some consideration and a whole lot of literal cabin fever you decided a simple case wouldn't hurt. You ended up finding what looked like a simple salt and burn so you headed out on it, what was the worst that could happen?

Dean was losing his mind. Since you'd left Lucifer had possessed Cas and Chuck had revealed himself to be God. Chuck was willing to assist them against Amara, he wanted nothing more than to see her dead or at least caged back up then maybe you'd come home. You'd some home blocked your phone to the point that it would ring but Sam couldn't track you and damn your connections with the covens littered around the states you were warded to the point Chuck couldn't find you.

He was scared that the truth was something had happened to you, you were gone and had died thinking he'd pick anyone over you.

----------

He watched the numbers flash by on the laptop in front of him "Cmon Amara. Where the hell are you?" "Hello Dean" he looked up to see her at the end of the table much the same way she'd been those weeks ago that drove you out of his arms.

She smiled "I missed you. It's been a while since we've spoken. I'm aware my brother has resurfaced. If he should reach out to you, he should that Lucifer his favorite isn't doing so well" before Dean could ask what she meant she waved her hand showing a tortured Cas or his vessel at least. "Say nothing of your friend Castiel"

There were burns over most of his face and he looked like he was barely hanging on. The image of Cas disappeared but Amara continued to speak "By ignoring me my brother is allowing this to happen along other things that should perk yours and Sam's interest"

She waved her hand again and an image of you appeared. You couldn't even stand like Cas could. You were curled into your self, the shirt you wore he recognized as one you took from his drawer. It was ripped down the spine and he could see what looked like bone sticking free from your skin "I must say Y/N is strong for a human. I can almost see your attraction to her" Dean was on his feet the moment the image of you disappeared "Let her go"

Amara smiled "My brother simply needs to come out of hiding and I may end her suffering"

You felt your body tense just from hearing Amara's voice "Oh Lucifer she isn't dead is she?" You pushed yourself up to lean against Lucifer's legs, the fact that he was wearing Cas as a vessel gave you comfort because you could almost imagine it was Cas.

Lucifer looked down at you weakly "This one? I've already killed her once and it didn't stick" Amara laughed wickedly "She is something isn't she? Drew the attention of not one but two Winchesters"

Lucifer looked at you again as Amara continued "Oh yes she betrayed Dean, with his brother and yet assumes he'd ever chose her over me" you felt tears hit your eyes but Lucifer moved his leg to get your attention and shook his head. Unfortunately Amara noticed. "Tsk tsk tsk. Can't have you two bonding" with that she used her powers to electrocute Lucifer as you felt her shadows dig into your back again. Your screams mixed with his, echoing in the silo.

Working with Metatron, being Amara bait..anything Dean was getting you back.

---------

You were barely conscious, focusing on your breathing. You knew you wouldn't die, you'd gotten close over the last few days but Amara would heal you to start to process again. She'd finally left after rubbing salt into your wounds that Dean had called out to her.

You laid next to where Lucifer was tied, knowing it was useless to try to run. A familiar sound hit your ears and you told yourself you were imagining it but as it got closer you realized you weren't. That was the impala.

"Y/N!" You heard Sam's voice and flinched away from it. How could you face him or Dean? Amara was right, you were poison to the Winchesters. You'd nearly caused one brother to kill the other. You felt his hands on your face and started to sob "Please don't touch me. Just let die"

You could hear Metatron reciting incantations to free you and Lucifer but couldn't summon the energy to ask "Take him Sam. He can help get rid of her" Sam had you up in his arms the moment he could and was carrying you to the impala "GET HIM FREE METATRON. I'LL COME BACK FOR HIM"

Sam laid you down gently on the backseat, carefully of the areas that made you whimper in pain "It's gonna be ok Y/N. I promise" he pulled his jacket off to lay over you then ran back into the silo.

A few moments later the older guy who'd been with Sam and Metatron jumped in next to you and Sam squealed tires leaving with Lucifer in the front seat next to him.

----------

You must have passed out because Sam slamming on brakes brought you back around to see Amara standing in the road. "Sam" you called weakly, knowing the four of you had no chance against her.

Sam threw the impala into reverse but Amara stopped it. "You really aren't worth sparing. None of you" she leaned her head back and you knew this was it. You closed your eyes, feelings tears slip down your face. "We're gonna die" was the only thought that went through your head when suddenly the impala slammed down in...the bunker?

---------

"What happened?" The older guy hollered. Sam cut his eyes at Lucifer then climbed out to help you but you pushed his hands away despite barely being able to stand on your own.

You slowly followed him and Lucifer up the stairs to find Chuck in the war room. You were leaning heavily against the wall as Chuck said "Occasionally I do answer a prayer" so Chuck was God.

He looked from Lucifer to you before snapping his fingers. You took a deep breath, no longer in physical pain. You had no clue what was going on or where Dean was but you felt a wave of dizziness wash over you and the next thing you knew the room went dark.

"What the hell do you mean she passed out? Didn't you heal her?" Dean asked Chuck in nearly a growl. He'd gotten back to the bunker to news you'd barely been alive, was healed then passed out. Sam was in the infirmary with you on the phone with Rowena as to what could bring you around.

"I healed her physical wounds Dean. Amara tortured her, strong or not Y/N is human" Dean pushed past him and headed for the infirmary.

----------

Sam had Rowena on speaker as he sat at your bedside. Rowena didn't even like Crowley, her own son but for you? She'd dropped what she was doing to find a spell to help and was doing it. The moment she was done you started to stir "It worked Rowena. She's coming around" "Well of course it did Samuel. Now if the poor dear needs a way out of that mad house tell her to call me" with that she hung up.

----------

You felt like you were drowning, the way waves would let you come up for air only to shove you down again. You could feel something pulling you out but didn't know what until you recognized the accent. Rowena. You held onto her voice with everything you had until your eyes opened to the bright fluorescents in the infirmary.

You could hear voices. First Rowena and Sam then Dean's voice joined. You couldn't focus. You just laid there trying to breathe. What had Amara done to you?

---------

Dean stopped at the door of the infirmary the moment he saw your still form. "Sam?" He called rooted to the spot. He couldn't see you dead, he wasn't strong enough to lose you..

"She's alive Dean. Amara just damaged her psyche, she blocked her aura according to Rowena. She's conscious but not really alert" Dean felt a weight lift from his chest. You were alive.

---------

He crossed the few steps to the bed and gently touched your hand "Sweetheart?" Your eyelids fluttered before they slowly opened. As they did you snatched your hand away from him "Dean?"

He tried not to show the hurt he felt at you pulling away. "You're home Y/N... its gonna be ok" He attempted a smile but you started to cry "I can't Dean. Not right now. I love you but please you and Sam just give me some space"

He could feel his heart shatter but he nodded "Of course. If you need anything just holler ok?" You nodded, nearly hyperventilating from the tears. He wanted nothing more than to hold you but knew that would make it worse. "I love you" he whispered before Sam nearly pulled him from the room.

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

Dean walked into the war room, feeling as if his feet weighed a hundred pounds a piece. You were so damn broken and why? Because you loved him. "Dean?" Sam asked, touching his shoulder but he tensed up "Not now Sammy. Not now"

[baby--charchar]

Baby Vaggie + Snack Time

So like I've said, I see Vaggie as being autistic and think that would factor into her regression. She has exactly 4 (...3) safe foods that she'll always agree to, including pupusas, rice, chicken nuggets from a specific brand, and water. She's also probably food aversive in her bigger headspace, but she may try to hide that more since she'd be masking. As a baby not needing to mask, she has no qualms about saying 'no' to unwanted food.

'Saying' may be a strong word. She's nonverbal in babyspace, so "chuck the plate at the wall and run away" is probably more accurate.

It worries Lucifer. Honestly. He worries over vitamins, he worries over protein and fiber, he worries over whether he made her enough food to keep her full. Charlie's always been such a little foodie. Even regressed, she loves trying new things! He's never really had a loved one like Vaggie to look after, and he's scared he's doing it wrong. He's certain he's neglecting her by not giving her enough.

So he sets off to try to find more foods to offer little Vaggie! Fruit? ...no. Oatmeal? Yuck. Mac and cheese? Never. She either won't come near him if he's holding something for her to try, or she rips the plate out of his hands and slams it on the ground, making a huge disgusting mess. Not once does she bring herself to try anything.

He means well. He just wants to avoid upset tummies for her. But it's stressing her the fuck out. Every time she slips into babyspace, he wants to get her to try something new. But no!!! She hates all the foods!!! It gets to the point where Baby Vaggie starts throwing tantrums whenever she starts feeling hungry, just anticipating a fight.

Well no, see, NOW Lucifer fucked up. Now she won't even eat her safe foods if he's the one who makes it because she can't trust him. He feels just horrible.

Eventually he and Vaggie need to have a talk when she's not regressed, with Charlie mediating. With a really thorough explanation on sensory issues, plus some tough love, they're able to convince Lucifer that backing off with the food thing is how he can support Vaggie best. Not by forcing it.

He completely stops trying to force the food issue. He understands why it was harmful for Vaggie. But secretly...he doesn't actually feel BETTER. He's still so scared that Vaggie's not getting enough and that he's making her sick by underfeeding her. He thinks he just can't win as her caregiver. But he LISTENS to her and stops. And that matters the most to Vaggie.

One day, by chance, Baby Vaggie toddles over to the kitchen counter and starts messing around. Lucifer is so wrapped up in what he's doing that he doesn't notice her at first.

She found an apple pie. Cooled thankfully, so it won't burn her. But a big, beautiful baked pie he made to surprise Charlie later.

He looks over and there's Vaggie just having the time of her life destroying it. She loves the smell and the *SQUISH* of squeezing it in between her little fingers. He starts to react but...just gives up. It's too damn late to stop her. He sighs, feeling defeated.

But her laugh is pretty contagious. The goof ball's smeared pie everywhere. Across the counter, in her hair, on her pajamas. Kid's just a walking disaster and is having too much fun to realize it. He can't stay mad at her. In fact, he comes over to join in. He draws little pictures and scribbles in the muck with her, and makes silly "SMASH! SMASH! SMASH!" noises when he crushes the sliced apples on the counter. Vaggie cackles from all the energy.

Vaggie goes to wipe the drool off her lips with the back of her hand, and Lucifer notices she's smeared a big glop of syrup across her face. Across her mouth. Her little pink tongue just barely pokes out of her mouth in curiosity. Lucifer pauses and holds his breath.

She cringes and spits on the floor. Yuck.

But...the baby's tried it...! The baby tried some new food! Lucifer is delighted!

"OH you little sunshine! You little duckie, I'm so proud, you're so brave!" He goes on cooing at her until she's just sick of it. But! His babyest baby girl did a thing! Tried a new thing! On her own terms and in her own time! It's just one tiny little thing but it means the world to him because she means the world to him!

He starts brainstorming more food they can play with. More smearing! More sensory! More messes! More fun! Get his baby all the fun!!!

Charlie comes home and nearly faints at the sight of the kitchen, which is absolutely trashed. They're both walking disasters.

[blue-rose-soul]

For hazbin hotel au: in what scenario would cause both alastor and Lucifer to agree or find out the truth at same time?

Ngl, the wording of this has me a little confused. Uhh, so a situation where Alastor and Lucifer both figure it out at the same time?

It probably begins with Alastor suspecting but not actually knowing about Lucifer's past with his mother. And he doesn't really care enough to go digging. Until Lucifer moves into the hotel.

After the extermination when things have calmed down and everyone's getting used to the new hotel and living together, Charlie makes sure to stress to Alastor and Lucifer that she'd at least like them to be civil with each other, even if they can't exactly be friendly. They begrudgingly agree, which means they're spending more time in one another's vicinity. At some point the topic of favorite foods comes up and Alastor, being the mama's boy he is, begins praising his mother's jambalaya. Lucifer isn't enough of a dick to insult someone's mother's cooking, but he does chime in that the best jambalaya he's ever had was made by a really sweet lady he met whence upon a time when he snuck up to Earth and wound up in the middle of this really wild party in the southern US. It's a little funny; he doesn't remember most of that night. And angels usually have impeccable memories!

Alastor narrows his eyes. He decides to play a hunch.

"If you're so certain, why don't we just see how my mother's recipe measures up?" he challenges. Lucifer agrees. But he's certain that Alastor's cooking won't come anywhere close to his memory of that Mardi Gras in 190x.

On his way out the door, Alastor 'offhandedly' remarks that his maman told him stories about the Mardi Gras parade she attended in 190x.

Lucifer narrows his eyes as Alastor disappears into the kitchen.

Once dinner's ready, Alastor is watching very very closely for Lucifer's reaction. And Lucifer is very very aware of Alastor watching him very very closely. No one else is really paying attention, they're too busy digging into their meals. Alastor and Lucifer make eye contact.

Then, finally, Lucifer takes a bite.

His eyes go wide.

He meets Alastor's eyes across the table.

He knows. And Alastor knows he knows. And Alastor also knows that he knows that Alastor knows he knows.

Alastor simply smiles, cocks his head to the side, and says, "So, is it as good as the jambalaya you had in 190x?"

Lucifer doesn't answer. He eats the rest of the meal in silence. No one else at the table has any clue what that was about.

Alastor vanishes pretty quickly after kitchen cleanup, but Lucifer spends the next few days trying to catch Alastor alone. It's tricky, given that Alastor keeps to himself a lot when he's not actively doing something for the hotel or participating in some mandatory group activity. As soon as he's not needed he vanishes into the shadows again. It takes a while before Lucifer finally gets his chance to talk to Alastor. It... doesn't go well.

"I was just satisfying some curiosity," Alastor tells him. "In truth, I could care less."

After all, it's not like knowing the identity of the man who walked out on him and his maman will do him any good now. If Lucifer wanted to have some kind of father-son bond, he should have been there a hundred years ago. And he doesn't care for an apology either. If Lucifer wants to apologize to someone, he should speak to Nicaise. She went in the other direction, by the way.

[chaifootsteps]

Seeing Viv like that tweet about how "people need to get over the amateurish pilot" infuriate me to no end.

The pilot looks better than what we've seen of the show so far. Especially with the motion sickness trailer, Vaggie disappearing from it, and the weird static Yule Log video where they're just frozen in place. No movements, no blinking, NOTHING. Only the fire is moving.

And stans saying that the new VAs are a "massive improvement" over the old ones piss me off so badly.

If they're such an improvement, then why does have the new cast sound like the old cast??? Why not let the actors try their own versions of the characters? (Really curious if Alex sounds like Stamper) Hmmm almost like Viv knows the old VAs were a huge reason for the pilots success in the first place. 🤔🙄

The only character that sounds completely different from the pilot is Husk, who is just Keith David talking. I love KD but God Viv you really didn't give a fuck. You were just excited to have KD.

Also, it's so funny to me that she really thought she'd get Weird Al for Lucifer just because she met him in person once, and after getting Kesha and Norman her ego got so inflated she probably thought she could get anyone she wants. So glad Norman didn't come back.

Also, you know she probably gushed all over Kesha and showed her the Die Young video. "Look look I made something popular with YOUR song!!! I'm totally on the same level of stardom!!!"

All of this. If you like the new VAs that's fine, but anyone who argues that they're "a massive improvement" over the pilot cast is doing so around a mouthful of copium and Vivzie's boot; Blake's trying to sound like Michael and failing and Amir's got none of the danger Ed brought to Alastor. The only edge they're probably going to have on the pilot cast is singing, but we know that that's not why Vivzie dropped them all.

Also, this is a grapevine thing so I have no way of proving it, but apparently Viv soured relations with Kesha because she wouldn't leave her the hell alone.

[godzillamaster1]

Justice walked through the streets of Pentagram City as she journeyed towards Lucifer's palace. Today was her favorite niece's birthday, and the High Prosecutor had no intention of missing it. She'd make it on time, of course, but she'd be cutting it close. Because for some odd reason, she wasn't able to arrange for a carriage ride or for a taxi to take her there; nobody answered when she called earlier.

'Come to think of it, it's unusually quiet today,' she thought to herself. Normally Pentagram would be filled with countless sinners and demons, but today it's even more deserted than the annual extermination. She shrugs and continues on, deciding to look into it after the celebration.

The sound of bones crunching catches her attention. "Hm?" It was close. Glancing in the direction it was coming from, her senses allow her to make out a tall figure holding something in his hand. He seems to have noticed her, because the crunching stops and he turns to her. "What's this?" he asks himself. There was a notable distortion to his voice. "Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have a new guest for the show."

Justice didn't have time to go along with whatever he's talking about, so she gives a polite smile and waves him off. "Oh, sorry. Gonna have to decline. On my way to something and I don't wanna be late."

"Oh, my dear, you misunderstand. I wasn't asking," the man chuckles. "After all..."

The man grows taller and more monstrous. "I'm still hungry." His voice was deeper now, his very prescence distorting the very space around them.

Most people would be terrified at the sight before them. Justice just looks up at him, not caring in the slightest.

She didn't have time to deal with some upstart...

-----

"Didn't even know who he was at the time, I found out later that was the Radio Demon who's been terrorizing Pentagram," Justice says as she concludes her story.

Her audience's reactions varied. Charlie was relieved that her honorary aunt wasn't hurt during that confrontation, while Vaggie had a hand to her mouth to hold in her laughter at how the infamous Radio Demon was defeated so easily. Husk and Angel were much less successful, both laughing loudly at the story. Azazel was jotting down notes at Justice's retelling of the events as if she was going to have this be part of her report when she returns to Heaven. Niffty was sitting there excitedly listening like a child during story time. Alastor, however, was annoyed and was probably as close to pouting as one could get when they had a smile on their face 24/7.

"You could've embellished the story a little, you know," he suggests. "Make it so that there was an exciting battle between the two of us instead of simply stating that I went down in a single hit."

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

If you read my pilot for that HHHB x Helltaker fic I wrote, you probably remember that I had it so that Alastor's absolutely terrified of Justice. This is why. He didn't even have a drawn out, yet onesided fight against Justice, he was just straight up Yamcha'd

Commissioned artwork by Bramhistory on deviantart

[localwriterdocx]

Sober or Stoner: Hazbin Hotel Headcanons

From somebody who snorts it up my nose every weekend, who do I think does this too?

NOTES: This includes everybody at the hotel + Lucifer and Cherri. I will do the Vee's and perhaps other important characters like the angels and the other overlords, but for now, that's not the case.

WARNINGS: Mentions of Drug Use, Mentions of Angel's Backstory, Maybe slight OOC.

Charlie - No, I'd say mostly sober. She wouldn't want to do it for the most part because she just thinks drugs = bad. She might try it if a lot of her friends are doing it together, and if she did a lot of research about the positive effects of marijuana. Doesn't smoke, only edibles. If she decided to, Vaggie would be taking care of her the whole time. She gets all snuggly and very lovey-dovey platonically with her friends or romantically with Vaggie. When she gets a good idea and tries to work, nobody can understand her idea because she's talking so much so fast.

Vaggie - I'd say no, sober. She's the caretaker, the one who has to be ready when somebody tries something stupid. She would be on her guard the whole time if Charlie wasn't constantly trying to cuddle her and love her. She has to drop whatever she is doing just to hold Charlie. If she did do it, I don't think she'd like it. She just doesn't like being that vulnerable for that amount of time. She would definitely just want to be around Charlie IF she was high. Is supportive towards Charlie. Puts everybody in their place if they get too out of control.

Angel Dust - Yes, Occasionally. Weed is like a side dish to him. It's one of the drug that he doesn't get hopped on while recording because its too weak for him. But is kind of fucking with it? Is willing to give it a shot with everybody at the hotel because it appeals to his interests. Sort of also becomes a caretaker too? But mostly to Niffty, not really wanting anybody to end up hurt. Probably barricade's the exit to the hotel so she can't get out. Very honest. Will shittalk Val to Cherri and Husk.

Alastor -No. Sober. Next Question. He doesn't like it whatsoever. He is a drinker, not a smoker. He does like to watch these buffoons act like idiots on it tho, he doesn't really like to talk to anybody while their on it, unless it's important. He wouldn't turn down Charlie of Niffty. If he's feeling social, he likes to fuck with people on it. Purposely scares everyone with his powers, only for him to lean back like "Just kidding! I could though! :)".

Husk - Occasionally. He'd definitely try it, even if he wasn't happy about Angel doing it. He went into it thinking he'd definitely be the one watching over Angel, but it turned out that Angel is gonna be watching over him. He smokes, but just not weed, so his intolerance is pretty low. He's definitely the one bitching to everyone, especially Angel, about anything he can think of, but he's smart enough not to bitch about Alastor when he's right there, sober or not. He doesn't like sitting still, so he wanders the hotel.

Niffty - Fucking god. Occasionally. - She hasn't done it, she would but nobody lets her smoke. She has accidentally pounded like 4 full brownies that somebody left out though. Everybody thought that she would be up and about, completely out of control, but she just sits, doesn't move or talk, just chills (if you can call that chilling). It's a creepy sight for somebody who isn't already used to it. Occasionally, she will say the scariest shit known to man and then just go back to zoning out like nothing happened.

Sir Pentious - Mostly no, but occasionally. Did it because Cherri Bomb did it. Gets the most fucked out out of everybody. He will NOT stop talking. Sir, i love you, but please shut up. Much like Charlie, he also gets really emotional, especially to his Egg Boiz. They help deal with him a lot more than you would think. Alastor commands them to never leave his side because he knows they still listen to him. He also tries harder to flirt with Cherri, he's still bad, if not worse, but it's entertaining. Sometimes just doesn't know what's going on.

Cherri Bomb - YES. She's definitely toned down, this is not her first rodeo. She just tolerates everything, even Sir Pentious' terrible flirting. Later into the night when she's really high, she even finds it a bit endearing. She would definitely vibe with Niffty as she comes up with her creepy shit, Cherri just gets very interested in her, in a similar way to Alastor is. Tries to get everyone to do funny stuff with her like Karaoke, but the only ones who take her up on it is Sir Pentious and Charlie. Probably brought edibles.

Lucifer - Occasionally. Has he tried it? Years ago. Is he a stoner? I don't think so. If he somehow did it, again, would need a little supervision. Would probably cry to Charlie non-stop, they stick together. This is the only time Vaggie would get a break. He'd do stupid shit too, like hide rubber ducks all around the hotel. That is purely to piss off Alastor because Charlie doesn't want him to fight, but it doesn't really work. Gets the munchies like no other. He will have to restock the hotel food supply when he's done. Did it a lot with Lilith when they were together.

Thank you so much for stoning with me :) Send some requests to my ask box if u want.

[nkn0va]

Cuddling headcanons for Judgement, Justice and Lucifer from Helltaker.

I was in the progress of playing Second Circle but my laptop committed fucking seppuku so it's gonna be a while longer before I get back to it. Fuck it, we ball.

Judgement:

-Getting Judgment of all people to cuddle with you is going to quickly prove to be quite the task. She doesn't really know how to drop the high prosecutor mask anymore.

-It's gonna take some time to wear down at it, even after you're already in a relationship with her. She wants to be more intimate, she really does, but her pride and stubbornness just get in the way so much.

-You're gonna have to pick up on the cues that she's really comfortable around you. It'll take a while and they're pretty damn hard to spot but they'll still be there. You'll have to make the first move though as you usually do.

-As soon as you come out and say it the cracks in Judgement's shell will start to really show before she ends up nervously agreeing, though only if you're asking to sleep together with her so she has an excuse to do so.

-Despite the cold gray tone of her skin she's actually quite warm, and soft underneath all the battle equipment when she takes it off. She will have to keep her hair out of your face though with how long it is.

-She's clearly a tad uncomfortable with being vulnerable, however once you wake up the next morning she's unusually still asleep when she's normally the first to wake up and spooning you tightly to her body. You definitely need to do this more often.

Justice:

-Justice is practically the opposite of her successor. She's cool and confident, and that translates into a relationship pretty well. The Awesome Demon's down for practically anything.

-You probably don't even need to ask her. Once she's close enough to you, which probably won't be very long, she's gonna just start pulling you close to her when you're sitting down together watching TV or something (Well, 'watching' with quotation marks in her case).

-No matter how nervous you might be when she first does it, it soon eventually just becomes a natural, unconscious thing that happens. Justice just has a way of making you feel at ease with her.

-She'll be fine with toning it down with company around if that's not really your thing but when she has her way, your arms are going around each other as you just sit/lie down doing whatever. You're pretty much attached when she's in a cozy mood.

-You should probably take her glasses off though when you two go to bed, she can turn and toss around sometimes and you don't need them getting broken. She's blind so sometimes she can just forget that they're there when she's about to sleep.

Lucifer:

-The CEO of Hell herself is surprisingly alright with cuddling, at least once you've earned her affection enough. Depending on how you met that can take a varying amount of time.

-You'll have to appeal to the side of her that wants to be in charge all the time, probably asking her to cuddle you instead of you doing it together. Your word choice here matters a lot. Make it seem like she'd be doing it for you.

-She'll...dote on you in a somewhat derogatory way, that's really the most accurate way to put it, at least at the start before she truly warms up to you. She'll accept, if her S/O is truly that needy for her attention.

-Don't even try to be the big spoon, it's not going to affect her. She probably won't even notice unless you ask, to which you'll get a very tentative no. She's in charge, even in something as inconsequential as snuggling up to her S/O.

-She'll at least give you all the attention you need. She just finds you oddly adorable in her arms like this, for a normal human at least. Don't expect to be getting up anytime soon.

-Huge ara ara vibes from her to be honest. Though she won't go much further down the intimacy rabbit hole, you'll have to earn that. For now though she's perfectly content having her cute little human cuddled up to her like this like a pet. At least that's the impression she seems to be trying to give you.

[seramilla]

Hmmm after Emily learns the truth about WHO her mothers are, wouldn’t she also want to know how and why they got together? Wouldn’t she want to know the REAL reason behind Carmilla’s fall? And wouldn’t Sera feel obligated to tell her everything (within reason Emily doesn’t have to hear about their love life) because she’s kept Emily in the dark for so long now Sera must face these bright and unbearable realities. Like how she had to hide her pregnancy from the elders. How different Carmilla is from the slander spread by the elders. And Emily notices an unsettling trend with each answer she receives. The elders keep coming back as a point of conflict.

This is slowly turning into a merger with the Homophobic Heaven/Carmilla Fell Later AU, because I am really enthralled with the idea of how Carmilla fell in that timeline, not as a follower of Lucifer, but because she loved Sera so much. These two may eventually be one and the same AU, so just a heads-up if you're noticing a lot of similarities between the two. My brain was already rolling with angsty thoughts of how to describe Carmilla's falling to Emily, and it just came out that way. I may end up making a fic out of this somehow, if I can wrangle the two timelines together and make it make sense. There's just something about Carmilla and/or Sera having a secret daughter, combined with religious guilt and convoluted, angsty confessions of love for their children that gets me in a WAY. Tell me I'm not the only one!

"How did you and Carmilla meet, Mom?"

Emily's been asking a lot of questions lately. That's to be expected -- the very nature of Emily's relationship with Sera has been turned on its head. The younger Seraphim is making up for a lifetime of not knowing how she really fits into Sera's life, and it's the least Sera can do to fill in the blanks for her.

This particular question makes Sera smile a little. She hasn't thought about how she met Carmilla in so long. She has so many fond memories of those times...probably the only truly wonderful, carefree days she's had since Carmilla fell.

"I had just been appointed High Seraphim," Sera says. "It was only me back then. Carmilla was in charge of Heaven's holy arms. They weren't called Exorcists yet...this was before Adam took over, before Lucifer fell...even before the Garden was a place humans could dwell. Carmilla and I were both so young, and I was what you might call...a workaholic. I was stubborn in my ways, and only cared about making Heaven perfect. That's what I was created for. It was a lonely existence."

Emily is listening to Sera with rapt attention. The younger Seraphim has never known Heaven to be without its strict enforcers, without Winners, without all the pomp and circumstance of the nobles and elders who would bring down the proverbial hammer on anyone caught getting out of line.

Sera thinks, things had so much simpler back then. Right had been right, wrong had been wrong, and nuance did not yet exist.

Until Carmilla had taught her differently.

"Carmilla was always a dreamer, like Lucifer. She was also much too smart for her own good. Always inventing things, imagining things...wonderful things, but also things that could kill an angel, if she wasn't careful. That's how we were introduced. She was experimenting with some new contraption she'd built...something she probably shouldn't have been testing so close to a noble's house, if I'm being honest. Some Dominion angel or another who would throw a fit if even one of the flowers in his garden got trampled."

Emily giggles. She knows exactly the types of angels Sera is talking about. The uppercrust of angelic society. The Lord's favorites.

"There was a complaint filed by this particular...individual, and when I arrived to investigate, Carmilla and this gentleman were...having a bit of a spat out in an empty field. It looked like a few punches had been thrown, because they were both covered in scrapes and bruises. The moment I laid eyes on her...I knew she was going to be trouble."

Emiliy gasps. "They did not! Did he hit her?!"

"Oh, I'm sure he did, but you should have seen the other fellow...he was in much worse shape than Carmilla was."

This particular memory sends warm, mushy pangs of fondness directly to Sera's heart. Even though she hadn't thought it at the time...she'd always admired Carmilla's ability to defend herself. To not take any bullshit from anyone for any reason.

"I asked what was going on, and the Dominion complained that this 'ruffian soldier' was experimenting with deadly weapons on his property. When I asked if this was true, Carmilla didn't even attempt to deny it. She made me aware that it wasn't his property, though, and come to find out, she was right. He had tried to remove her by force, and she had retaliated. In the end, both were charged with misdemeanor crimes. Carmilla spent a few days in a jail cell...her sentence would have been longer, but I pulled some strings to get her out early. Heaven's army couldn't be without its commander, after all."

Emily shoots Sera a particular look. Like she knows Sera probably had ulterior motives, that had absolutely nothing to do with Heaven's army, and everything to do with the fact that Sera was fond of Carmilla.

"Uh huh. Suuuuure, I totally buy that excuse. There was no other reason for you to get her out?" Emily quips.

"Well...yes, but I didn't know it at the time! We had just met, and I...I felt sorry for her! It didn't have anything to do with love yet."

"Yet," Emily repeats, grinning like a maniac. "You are so transparent, Se--Mom! It's not even funny!"

Sera rolls her eyes in defeat. "Fine! Yes, something about her was...intriguing, even back then. And as soon as they let her out, she came directly back to me...to thank me, so she said. But...she started coming back every day! And I let her! It was all downhill from there..."

"OoOooOooh! You liiiiiked her!" Emily starts poking into Sera's sides, jibing at her mother to just admit what she's slowly building up to saying anyway. Sera turns toward her and starts jabbing at Emily with her fingers instead. Emily giggles, shouting, "I give! I give!" when Sera won't let up.

Sera smirks. "Now are you going to let me finish?"

"Yes! Just get to it, already!"

"As I was saying..." Sera starts, looking over at Emily to make sure she won't interrupt again. Emily swipes over her lips like she's locking something up tight, and pretends to throw away the key over her shoulder.

"Thank you. As I was saying...Carmilla started coming to visit me every day. At first, it was to thank me with words...then gifts...then invitations to go out on the town. To treat me, she said. I had never once been on a...date, before, even though we never called it that. We would never use those words within earshot of anyone. And before too long...she admitted she had feelings for me, and I didn't know how to respond. I shut her out, denied it, for so long. But she was stubborn. She never gave up on me. And eventually...Heaven, it was probably years, or decades later, after we'd fought and made up about it several times. Eventually, she convinced me that she really loved me...and I had to admit to myself that I loved her back."

Sera pauses for just a moment, reliving the memory in all of its warm, fuzzy details, and then looks over at Emily, who is staring back at her, eyes huge and glossed over, like she's about to cry. She's holding her hand over her mouth, to keep from interrupting again. Sera smiles at her.

But then Sera looks down, at her lap, and braces herself. She knows the tone of her story is about to take a dark, desolate turn...she's readying herself for it, so she can get past these painful memories for her daughter...so her girl will finally know the truth.

"Carmilla and I loved each other very much. I felt guilty about it, at first. Heaven had always taught me that same-sex relationships were dirty, and wrong, and sinful...but over time, she taught me there was nothing remotely wrong with what we had. And I believed her. How could there be anything dirty about us loving each other with everything we had, heart, body, and soul?"

Sera pauses again. Things are about to go south pretty quickly, and she's readying herself, and Emily for it -- for real, this time.

"We had...well, we did things that people in love do. It went on like that for years. Maybe we got cocky, or weren't careful enough, thinking we would never get caught. But someone must have seen us, at some point...or put two and two together. They never implicated me in the act...but someone told the elders Carmilla had a female lover. They took her into custody immediately. They did...so many horrible things to her. Tortured her. I begged with her to come clean, and just tell them it was me, and maybe I could get us both a lesser sentence for cooperation or good behavior. But she wouldn't have any of it."

Sera is the one crying now. Toward the end of that last statement, her voice wavers, and tears start falling down her face in rivers. The old wounds in her heart are slowly being ripped open again at the telling of this story, bleeding anew. She does her best to keep it together, for Emily. But reliving these memories is not easy for her, no matter how much she wants Emily to know.

"They gave her a sham trial. Everyone knew the result before it ended. Lucifer had fallen not long before this, so I knew what was coming before it happened. I watched them...I watched them push her. She fell, right over the edge, like she was nothing. She was my everything. They made an example of her...a spectacle of her. Just like they did with Lucifer and his followers. And right before she went down, she told me she loved me one last time. And then she was gone. And somehow, that made it so much worse."

Sera is actually sobbing now. Crying ugly, wet tears into her hands, trying to keep Emily from seeing, so she doesn't have to watch her mother break down in front of her. Emily rushes toward her, hugging Sera tightly around her shoulders. Sera leans into the smaller angel, letting Emily carry some of her weight...along with the weight of her sorrow and pain, that she's been keeping to herself for all these years.

When she's managed to calm down a bit, Sera continues her story. The next part is much happier...as happy as it could be possibly be, at least, after having just watched her partner receive a fate worse than death.

"What made it so much worse was that the same day that she fell, I found out I was pregnant with you. I had just lost my love, my light, my reason for being...and suddenly I had to find new purpose again, in order to keep you safe, and hidden. I hid away for a while, as best I could, and kept you a secret from the elders until you were born. I claimed that I'd commissioned you, from the same place that I was forged, because with all the new Winners entering Heaven, I needed an assistant. They were so gullible, never imagining I would double-cross them like that. So I raised you as my sister...as my heir. And that's how we wound up here."

Emily has been sitting in silence for a long while by this point, and she continues to be silent, in heavy contemplation, for several moments after Sera concludes her story. Sera reaches over, and rubs her hand against Emily's face. Emily looks up at her, and then holds Sera's hand against her cheek to ground herself.

"Thank you for telling me all this," Emily says, voice a mournful and somber timbre, like she's been reliving all these moments right along with Sera. "I'm sorry for making you...have to recount all those painful moments. But I understand now, why you did what you did. I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Mom. I can't even begin to imagine how awful that was. I love you so much."

Emily starts to cry then, too, and Sera pulls her into her arms, and they just sit and hold each other for a while, and cry together, mother and daughter.

"I care about you so much, my love," Sera says. "You were the reason I held on for so long. You are my everything now, Emily, in her absence. You saved me. I could never imagine my life without you in it."