#some sort of electromagnetic thing

[the-amazing-spider-man]

The natural webbing is really cool, ngl. But how do you explain sticking to things if not by finger hairs? Some kind of molecular force? Psht.

I actually just stick to walls with sheer will power.

[tanadrin]

And God said, "Behold! I have created the fourth primordial force: the weak interaction!"

And the angels all clapped and nodded politely, and there was a long silence; and finally Verchiel, the Angel of Grace, spoke up and asked, "Er, what exactly does it do, O Fashioner?"

And God said, "What do you mean, 'what does it do?' It's the fourth fundamental force of the universe."

And Verchiel said, "You mentioned that. Um. But it's just that the other three sort of have a brand, you know? Gravity helps build large-scale structures, acts over vast cosmic distances, shapes time and space. The strong force is secret, hidden, binding together quarks and all that. Electromagnetism, very cool stuff, somewhere in between. We're all big fans of the whole magnetic monopole double bluff, very clever. But, er. What does this 'weak interaction' do?"

And God said, "It mediates radioactive decay. Sort of."

And Verchiel said, "Radioactive decay? All radioactive decay?"

And God said, "No. Just some kinds."

And Zephaniel, the Chief of the Ishim spoke, and he said, "A whole independent force just to mediate some kinds of radioactive decay?"

And God said, "Well. Not totally independent. Technically it's related to electromagnetism."

And Zephaniel said, "Wait, it's not even a real force?"

And God said, "It's totally a real force. It's just that it's one aspect of a combined electromagnetic and weak force. An electro-weak force, if you will."

And Metatron, the Celestial Scribe, scratched his head at this, but said nothing.

And Cambiel, the Angel of Transformation, said, "Maybe you can walk us through it from the top."

And God Sighed an immense Sigh, and said, "All right, fine.

"So the way it works is that all of space and time is permeated by a field that has imaginary mass."

And Cambiel said, "Imaginary mass, O Generous Provider?"

And God said, "Yes, imaginary mass. It's tachyonic, d'you see?"

And Sarathiel, the Angel of Discipline, said, "Wait a minute, I thought we agreed nothing was going to travel faster than light? All that 'c' business and the whole Lorentz transformation thing. What's happening with that?"

And God said, "Let me finish. The field is tachyonic. The particles in the field all move slower than light."

And Sarathiel had to think about this for a second.

And God said, "The point is, a field with imaginary mass has a non-zero vacuum expectation value."

And this really gave Sarathiel trouble, since he had never been very good at math.

And God, seeing this, went back to explain. "Most fields, like the electromagnetic field, have no effect when they are at their lowest energy state. It's like they're not there at all. If you give a field imaginary mass, then it vanishes only when it's at a very high energy state, and at a low energy state, it has a nonzero value everywhere."

And Sarathiel nodded, but he was confused, because he didn't understand why God would create such a thing.

But Verchiel thought he saw where God was going with this, and he was amazed.

"Truly, you are cunning beyond measure, O Only One Certainly Sound and Genuine in Truth! Only now do I understand your design! For in order to make the universe homogenous and isotropic, it is necessary that all large-scale fluctuations in temperature and mass must be evened out early in the history of the cosmos; and therefore, you have designed a field which will rapidly expand space after the Big Bang, many orders of magnitude in brief moments, and then swiftly and spontaneously decay as it gives up the energy it began with, giving rise to radiation and particles of all kinds as it does, which will condense into the material universe! It is a wonder to behold."

And God said, "What? No. I mean I did, but this isn't the inflaton field I'm talking about. This is something else."

And Verchiel said, "Wait, it's not?"

And God said, "No, I'm going to use a different field to drive cosmic inflation. The properties of this field are totally different."

And now Verchiel was also confused, and lapsed into silence.

And God said, "Like I was saying, this field is a scalar field with imaginary mass, and it does spontaneously decay to a ground state with a non-zero value. But it's not the inflaton field. Instead it combines with the W1, W2, W3, and B bosons."

And Metatron began to flip back through the pages of the Heavenly Record trying to figure out where he'd lost the thread.

And Zephaniel said, "The what bosons?"

And God said, "The W1, W2, W3, and B bosons. I'm sure I mentioned them. You know, the massless bosons?"

And Zephaniel said, "I'm pretty sure we only talked about the W+, W-, and Z0 bosons. All of which you said were going to have mass, O Owner of All Sovereignty."

And God said, "Yes, but this is how they get them, you see. Once this field acquires a nonzero value everywhere, the massless bosons interact with it and get mass. Well, some of them do. They turn into the W+, W-, and Z0 boson. And the photon."

And Zephaniel said, "…and the photon, O Accepter of Invocation?"

And God said, "Well, I did say I was going to unify the electromagnetic force and the weak interaction, didn't I? This is how. Above the critical temperature--right now I'm thinking 10^15 K, but I'm open to feedback on that one--electromagnetism and the weak force act as a single unifying force. Below that temperature, the field gets a nonzero value, you get three massive bosons to mediate the weak interaction, and the photon pops out seperately."

And Zephaniel said, "That seems… a bit overly complicated, doesn't it, O Reinstater Who Brings Back All?"

And God said, "No, it's exactly what we need. Look, that way the W and Z bosons have something to do, but the weak interaction still only travels short distances. Gravity is still the star of the show on cosmic scales, as it were. But now quarks and leptons can swap their flavor!"

And Zephaniel said, rather weakly, "Their… flavor, O Source of Good?"

And God said, "It's this new quantum number I'm trying out, to give the three generations of matter more unique identities."

And Cambiel said, "Three generations of matter? Now I'm really confused."

And God said, "I'm sure I mentioned this. You've got the lightest quarks and leptons, and then two heavier versions of each that can decay into the lighter versions."

And Cambiel said, "What do they do? New kinds of chemistry, is it?"

And God said, "Well, no. Mostly they just decay in a couple microseconds. Or even faster."

And Zephaniel began to rub his temples, and Cambiel sniffed.

And Cambiel said, "This all seems a bit ad hoc to me. Not really the stuff of an elegant and obviously ordered Creation. Why not have four generations of matter? Why not a trillion?"

And God began to grow irritable, and said, "Well, that's not really up to you, now is it? We're going to have three generations of matter, and the electroweak force, and that's that!"

And Zephaniel said, "As long as we are unifying fundamental forces, perhaps we could somehow also unify the electroweak interaction with the strong interaction, or even gravity."

And God hesitated saying, "Well, I haven't decided about that yet. I'm not sure I want gravity to be quantized, you know? Seems to take some of the geometric elegance out of general relativity."

And now it was Zephaniel's turn to sigh, and he bowed his head. "As you wish, O Possessor of Authority of Decisions and Judgement."

[mechncheese]

Science Cont Yapping

Character Concepts, Ideas, Possible things, oh my ! Mostly putting this out here to discuss my thought process, you can have a look into my mind if you'd like and lmk what you think !

OK ! So I think I've sorted how I'm going to go about the science continuity ! I'm thinking that I'll split it into two (like how IDW Robots in Disguise and MTMTE take place during the same time but follow two different storylines and eventually fit back together). So we have Science AU Ambition - following Jetfire, Wheeljack, Ratchet, and Perceptor stuck on the moon of Ambition trying to accomplish their mission (finding a way to restore Cybertron + returning home)

Science AU Cybertron - an anthology following various different characters as they struggle to fight a war on a dying Cybertron

Brainstorm and Prowl start out on Cybertron but eventually make their way to where Jetfire and the others are.

I'm still trying to keep this on a small scale but omg it's so hard when I want to do so much and there's so many characters and moving parts.

But here are some fun stuffs; character concepts !

Women have arrived ! I heavily changed Lifeline from her G1 version.

Design wise; I drastically changed her, I wanted to give her a bigger build, I think I could've definitely pushed it a bit more but I want Quickslinger to have a vastly different and heavier build compared to her.

here's what I have in mind for Lifeline;

She works with her bodyguard and assistant Quickslinger and their job is to stabilize critically injured bots on the battlefield so they can be brought back to the base's Medbay, First Aid and Red Alert can handle the rest.

Lifeline is their superior while Ratchet is away and she's more experienced than First and Red. First Aid wants to be a field medic as well but Lifeline keeps telling him no, mostly because he's too inexperienced and she's low-key scared something is going to happen to him because well. They lost Pharma and Ambulon.

In terms of personality, Lifeline is more serious and exhaustion from working has drained her. Fighting is not her forte nor is it something she wishes to participate in, but if push comes to shove she'll immobilize her opponents with the electromagnetic pulse in her palms or she'll just sick Quickslinger on them. She's desensitized to a lot of the horrors on the battlefield and someone needs to give her a paid vacation asap.

Oh also Minerva will be here eventually she's another medic, she mostly works with making the medicine.

Of course, Miss Arcee is here too, she goes on scouting patrols with Bumblebee and Hotrod and they're besties. I imagine they all have a more sibling dynamic with one another.

Arcee I imagine is a mix of Cyberverse and Earthspark in terms of personality, she's chipper, fun to be around, and shows her affection through punching. Arcee has a big heart and that is both a strength and weakness, she would not hesitate to throw herself in recklessly into combat if it meant protecting her allies. She's more a melee type of fighter and uses her speed to her advantage. I kept her design relatively simple and kept her pinks light since I wanted Elita-1 to have darker pinks.

Hear me out guys,, what if Thundercracker was an Autobot ? I'm biased but PLEASE !! THUNDERCRACKER !!

I changed his outlier ability to be more electrical based. As for his defection from the Decepticons.. I imagine he was nonaligned for a while but realized he can't survive alone, then Bumblebee's scouting team found him on a patrol and brought him in. His place on the Elite Trine has been replaced by Slipstream, so it's now Starscream, Skywarp and Slipstream. Haven't worked out the details but I'll cross that bridge when I get there, but they're pissed about Thundercracker, trust.

Thundercracker works with Windblade and Cosmos as Autobot Air Support.

EDIT: changing a lot of Thundercracker's role after some big ol thinking

moving forward I do want to try and push bot body types more I FEEL LIKE I SUFFER A LOT FROM SAME BOT SYNDROME I have to change that-- I'm better about it when I'm working with organic characters but something about mechas is just such a different learning curve

[chocodile]

Amaranthine Magic System PART I: Remedial Magic For Beginners

This is Part III of a three-part worldbuilding set.

Part I (you are here) - Part II - Part III

Okay so… weird starting point, but do you remember these jerks from middle school math class? Function graphs! (I hated these things so much) The simplest possible function is a basic straight line, but by modifying the function, the graphed line can distort and take on all sorts of new shapes.

Magic is a lot like that.

The best way to describe spellcasting would be “filtering waves of energy”. Imagine a sine wave, oscillating up and down in a simple, predictable pattern. That is magical energy in its default state. It exists as background radiation throughout the whole world and permeates all living things… though some things conduct magic better or worse than others. (Magic has a lot in common with the electromagnetic spectrum in the real world)

What wizards do when they cast magic is that they amplify and tweak this ambient background energy in just the right way to contort it into a new form (lightning, a shockwave, fire, etc). The core nature of the energy doesn’t really change, but by exaggerating, filtering, and suppressing that oscillating wave in just the right amounts, in just the right places, in just the right order, it can be transformed into something very different than its base form. You could also think of it a bit like a musician playing a wind instrument, modulating the tone by covering and uncovering holes, or a puppetmaster pulling strings of a marionette—you need to deeply understand the physics at play and give each string just the right amount of slack and pull to make it do what you want.

The most common type of magical energy is magic in a neutral, passive state, just sort of existing passively as background radiation. Like the electromagnetic spectrum and gravity, it is deeply intertwined with how life evolved in this world, but also is so innate as to be largely unnoticeable. It is energy without a physical form. However, it can be harnessed and stored, given the right conduit. Under these circumstances it behaves similar to electricity.

Certain types of physical material are better at holding and manipulating magic than others. Substances that hold or amplify magic work because something about their physical molecular structure bends and filters the magic “waves” in a way that “traps” that energy inside of them, or amplifies the frequency of the waves. Nearly all crystalline structures and precious gems have some sort of magic-amplifying capability, with the best ones being highly prized and fetching crazy prices for large, pure specimens. Skilled Old Kingdom wizards could engineer such gemstones into Catalyst Stones, a special type of battery/amplifier that wizards could use to cast spells beyond their normal limits. Gemstones and crystals have been traditionally associated with wizards for this reason. However, they are far from the only material with a magical affinity—just one of the most easily recognizable.

…Additionally, other materials might have the opposite effect. Iron is well-known for its wizard-subduing properties. Simply being in a room with a large piece of iron makes a wizard feel ill and weakens their powers. Iron manacles and chains are commonly used to imprison criminal wizards. Not only do they aggressively drain magic from the air, matter, and flesh around them, they prevent the hand gestures that might allow a weakened mage to do any magical manipulation at all.

Magical energy is distributed throughout the world unevenly. Occasionally, the concentration of magic in an area is so high that the environment itself becomes effectively enchanted. A certain range of mountains might be rich in magical ores that have a subtle effect on how water in the region behaves, causing strangely shaped caves and ridges to form in the region. A woodland might be home to a large number of mushrooms that have adapted to make use of magic as a defense mechanism, causing the glen to disorient travelers who walk through it. Magic is infamous for distorting compass readings, too, forcing travelers to carry protective charms to keep their tools usable.

There are all sorts of weird subtle little things like that that can be caused by high concentrations of magic, and magically concentrated areas often have very unique biodiversity that evolved to make use of that specific environment. Discovering, exploring, studying, and documenting these regions is of great interest to many magical scholars (as well as the state interests sometimes backing them, of course).

Magic can do a lot of weird stuff in Amaranthine, but it isn’t as open-ended as most other types of fantasy magic. Things like turning oneself into a dragon are no more possible than they are in real life (unfortunately for some who may wish otherwise). You can get pretty creative with it, and there are surely techniques yet undiscovered that even Hyden doesn’t know about, but no matter how fancy your spellcasting gets, it’ll always just be “manipulating waves of energy”.

[jewelsli]

Lantern Corps Language Au

I’ve been thinking more about my Lantern Corps Language Au and started getting the basic idea more together then it was in my one post where hall gets doused with truth pollen or something.

Okay basically all the different Lantern Corps share the same language (just to clear that up) and this language is a mix of a bunch of alien languages in part due to how many cultures mix in the corps. Since humans have barely ever been in the corps there’s very little earthen influence so far but with how many lanterns are coming from earth… Anyway!

So each corp has different accents that they tend to speak Lantern in, and the language sounds sorta similar to earth music? Each accent sounds like a music style (haven’t completely decided but think angry music=red and stuff like that?) and changing corps doesn’t change the accent directly (if you moved from America to Italy would you gain an Italian accent? Probably not immediately!).

Unlike most alien languages where they speak their normal language and it translates to the one they intend lantern is actually spoken (for beings that have vocal capabilities), and has to be learned, but new lanterns do automatically understand it even if they have a bit of trouble with telling the tone.

Logically humans shouldn’t be able to speak lantern because some of the required sounds to speak it aren’t possible for humans but depending on what you like you can either say that A: the ring helps with any impossible sounds or B: you also headcannon that joining a lantern corp leaves permanent changes (which is another headcannon I have but that’s not important for this post-) that allow for this

Tone is REALLY important for Lantern, the same direct translation can mean wildly different things based on the emotion behind it. In the written version this is represented by differently colored ink (and if I’m not lazy for the vocalization as well). Also the tone isn’t only verbally communicated but also sort of projected? This ties in with one of my other head cannons that being so entangled with the emotional electromagnetic spectrum allows lanterns to vaguely feel the emotions of those around them and project their own-

Along with a verbal version, a mental ish version, and a written language, Lantern is also spoken in several other ways because not every species is gonna communicate in the same way as humans. The most prominent of these is a ‘visual’ version that utilizes the lights on their suit to create different colors and brightnesses (almost a sort of Morse code/sign since limbs are sparingly used to further the meaning).

Anyway the last point I have for now is that because there are so many requirements and details with Lantern it’s extremely hard for a non lantern to learn (if they even know about it, which most don’t) let alone speak. The only species I can think of that would be able to speak lantern semi easily would be Martians…

Oh also if anyone likes this I’ll expand on it someday with my headcannoned culture that lanterns have developed lol.

Enjoy a doodle page~

[clockyclockyclockwork]

Asset Recovery

~2800 words

CW for: neglect

The knocking on Handler Amelia’s door was regular, insistent, loud, and perfectly suited the man standing outside her door. She had been expecting it ever since she’d scrubbed the mission two hours ago, in the middle of its secondary objectives.

“Come in, Colonel.”

The Colonel opened the door and stepped aside to allow two grunts in full combat gear to throw the naked, shaking pilot onto the floor in her quarters.

“Your toy broke, clean up the mess and have it ready to go by the time we get the hardware fixed.”

Amelia continued to sit in the chair by her desk, glaring dismissively at the door until it closed, and the heavy footsteps had faded down the hall. As soon as she knew it was safe, she shot from her chair and rushed to the downed pilot. Its skin was still wet, almost dripping with the various fluids that cockpits are filled with: sweat, TLV fluid, and other things that had leaked out of the mech, and the pilot, during the operation. Amelia was relieved to see that there was a negligible amount of blood, seemingly just a nosebleed that someone, probably on the decoupling crew, had bothered to shove a cotton ball into.

Amelia got her arms underneath her counterpart and lifted. She was entering middle age, but the military routine kept her fit, and it wasn’t difficult to lift a pilot anyways. She hadn’t been keen on letting the Colonel see her wearing anything but a professional suit and heels, but she’d known her pilot probably wouldn’t be able to stand, so she suffered the indignity of a tank top and sweats. She carried the slim-covered thing to the couch, which she had already covered with towels. She could make out her pilot’s mumbling as she held it in her arms.

“it’s gone, it’s gone, it’s gone, it’s gone,” over and over, just barely above a whisper. Its eyes were focused on the middle distance, and its whole body trembled. Amelia set it down on the couch and took a moment to try to assess the damage that had been done to her pilot.

Physically, Pilot R5 was unharmed, but that was hardly surprising. However, its mech had taken catastrophic damage and been forced into emergency shutdown, and the shaking, muttering, and unresponsiveness all pointed to a severe shock reaction. Amelia crouched down and connected her tablet to R5’s diagnostic port. All its limbs were responding to neural inputs, implant systems came back green nearly across the board, however, R5’s combat reaction systems had caught in a loop sending the same signals as immediately before the mech had shut down. She manually shut down the implants, and R5 went still. Amelia sat down on the edge of the couch cushion, next to her pilot. She reached out and gently ran her fingers through its short, still-wet hair, and prepared to help it through the reboot.

“what… where is this one? handler?” R5 spoke softly, and Amelia saw its eyes refocus on her.

“You were ambushed, and your implants malfunctioned. You’re on base now and your implants are rebooting. Disorientation is normal, your memories will become accessible again over the next few minutes. You’re safe, pilot, I’ve got you.”

“handler… Miss… permission to…” R5 trailed off.

“Stay still, pilot, and don’t be so formal. You’re in my quarters, and we have days before Rainfall will be in flyable condition again.”

“Rainfall… this one’s… what happened?”

Amelia sighed and braced herself for the reaction.

“You were ambushed en route between secondary objectives. An MT squad hidden in an abandoned building, equipped with weapons that overloaded and blocked your sensors. While they distracted you, a sniper hit you with a railcannon, followed by an unknown projectile weapon. As best we can tell, the railcannon fired an explosive magnetic payload which destroyed Rainfall’s left arm and created a burst of electromagnetic shrapnel which damaged, or disabled all its redundant systems, and most of the primary ones. The unknown projectile contained some sort of drone which, on impact, began to take control of the remaining systems. We aren’t sure what its goal was; it seems as though it was disabled when Rainfall activated its emergency shutdown. We scrubbed the mission, and Sunrise was able to intercept the enemy mech and recover your wreckage before you left the mission area.” Amelia had rehearsed this conversation in her head the entire time R5 was in transit back to base, and she knew what was coming next.

“wreckage? will this one- is it- will they- what’s going to… no no no, can’t, can’t can’t let th- can’t let this one… Miss please, you…” R5’s face fell and its eyes started looking around wildly as it imagined different possibilities, combat implants firing a thousand more worst-case scenarios per second into its head. Amelia began to lean in to comfort it when the diagnostic tablet began chirping an alert. The handler looked over, but her augmented pilot reacted much quicker. R5 bolted upright, nearly bashing its head into Amelia’s. The jerking movement pulled the tablet off the table and caused it to clatter to the floor, which made R5 scramble towards the other end of the couch, still pulling the tablet. Luckily, as the pilot pulled itself off the couch, the tablet caught against Amelia’s hip and disconnected from its cable, sliding down to rest on the couch cushion where R5 had just been. The alert read “Warning: Pilot may be panicking. Please take immediate action to calm pilot.” R5’s reaction would have been hilarious if it hadn’t been experiencing enough stress to stop a normal human heart. Pilots, however, had their hearts replaced with synthetic ones, so it remained standing in a combat-ready position, looking around desperately for a target.

Amelia turned around slowly to face her pilot, and in the most calm, even voice she could manage she said “It’s okay, pilot. You’re safe. There’s nobody here but us. You can stand down. It’s okay, you’re safe.”

R5 locked its eyes on its handler, processed her words, and collapsed. Amelia, for a second time, rushed to her pilot on the floor. It was curled into a ball, pressing itself into the corner where the couch met the wall, and sobbing. Amelia sat down next to it, pulled it to her chest, and started speaking to it in a soft voice.

“It’s alright, R5. It’s okay. Everything’s gonna be okay. I’ve got you, you’re safe, just listen to my voice.” Amelia rubbed the pilot’s back with one hand and gently squeezed it to her body with the other. Eventually, it stopped shaking enough to speak.

“will… what’s going to happen to this one? are they… are… are they going to de-sniff-decommission this one?”

“Oh, little one… oh, no, no. No, R5, you’re okay, they’re not going to do anything to you, okay? I won’t let them. You’re mine, and I’m going to keep you safe, okay?”

R5 nodded its head and leaned against its handler. She sat and let it get all its tears out, hugging it as it lay still for a moment. After most of the crying was over, it reached up and tried to wipe its face off, then realized its arm was still covered in slime from its deployment. Amelia smiled and ruffled its hair.

“How about we get you cleaned up, okay?”

R5 nodded again, and didn’t make a sound. Amelia stood up and pulled her pilot to its feet, then guided it the few steps back to the couch, letting it sit down.

“One second, little one.” Amelia stepped towards the bed and picked up the plushie resting there; a soft, squishy, egg-shaped thing the size of R5’s torso, with wings, horns, and embroidered features added to make it look like a dragon. It was already wrapped in a towel with its face peeking out, ready to be given to the soaked pilot. R5 reached out for the plushie as soon as it saw it, and hugged it tight, breathing a sigh of relief and closing its eyes.

“Good girl, now you stay put while I get the shower ready, okay?”

R5 nodded its head, face still buried in its plushie. Amelia walked over to the bathroom and began getting everything ready for their shower, humming a tune the whole time so that R5 would know she was still there. Amelia didn’t know the name of the song, and R5 never gave any sign that it recognized it, but sometimes, when it wasn’t having nightmares, the pilot hummed the same song in its sleep.

Amelia didn’t know if R5 had a name. The military had fully transitioned to vat-grown pilots a decade ago, but R5 was much older than that. On the other hand, vat-growns had never been uncommon. Maybe R5 had lived the first few years of its life like a real person, albeit not under the best conditions. People who could take care of their children didn’t get them seized by the government and marked “psychologically fit for piloting.” Maybe it had been born in a lab and never known anything but bases, surgeons, and purpose. Either way, nobody would ever tell Amelia, and R5 itself probably didn’t even know anymore.

Her previous pilot, C18, had definitely been born naturally. It definitely had a name. Even after working as a handler for over twenty years, it was one of the oldest pilots Amelia had ever heard of, it must have been almost too old to be accepted into the program. And Amelia had pushed it hard. As hard as protocol required, and harder. She had been ruthless with it, and truly saw it as a weapon to be used, maintained to the bare minimum of function, and discarded.

Nobody blamed Amelia for what C18 did, but she blamed herself. She couldn’t bear to look at whatever poor thing was chosen to be C19, so she had requested a transfer to a different mech, was assigned to Rainfall, and she promised herself that however tough she had to be in front of her superiors, her next pilot would know what it meant to her.

Amelia laid out towels on the floor leading from the bathroom to the couch, opened all the cabinets and removed the laundry hamper so that R5 would have a clear view of any potential enemy hiding spaces. She started the water running so it could warm up, and finally stripped her fluid-stained clothes off.

Amelia gently touched her pilot’s hand, slowly moved its arms for it, and set its plushie down beside it. Then, she took its hand and led it into the bathroom, closed the door, and let R5 lock it. She guided her charge into the shower and set it down on the shower seat she’d gotten for this exact situation. R5 winced as its back touched the cold tile wall, and then relaxed as the warm water washed over its body. Amelia washed herself off first while the pilot enjoyed the streams hitting its breasts and running down its body. Once she was done with herself, she moved on to R5, gently cleaning and rubbing down its body. She started by washing its arms, then its torso, and then she gently placed a hand on its head and leaned it forwards to wash its hair and face. As she crouched down to wash the pilot’s legs, she couldn’t help noticing its girldick poking up above its thighs. She pretended not to, even as her hand brushed against it. Eventually, R5 started whimpering as it realized that it was almost done being cleaned and the touching was about to end. Amelia smiled and stood up.

“What’s wrong, pilot?” She couldn’t hide the teasing tone from her voice.

“nothing ma’am!” R5 sat up straight and pressed its legs together, visibly trying not to squirm.

“You wouldn’t be wanting your reward now, would you? You want it right now?”

R5 looked away and didn’t answer. Amelia squatted back down and turned its head with her hand to face at her.

“What’s wrong pilot?” This time her voice was serious, but not forceful. R5 hesitated.

“this one hasn’t earned a reward, Miss.”

“Nonsense. You completed your primary objective and one of your secondaries. You sustained damage well within projected limits.”

“but, Miss, the ambush.”

Amelia softened, putting her hand on her pilot’s cheek. “You did your best, and that was enough. You’ve earned your reward if you want it.”

R5 let its eyes meet Amelia’s. It nodded once.

“Good girl. Can you stand?”

Another nod.

“Good girl.” Amelia turned around to get her magic wand, and when she turned back R5 was at attention, water spraying directly onto its erection. Its handler couldn’t help a stifled laugh.

“Come here, doll.”

R5 rushed into Amelia’s arms, and began humping her thigh. She hugged her pilot, using one hand to guide its head to her chest, and moaned as it obediently began sucking on her nipple. She pressed her thigh into R5’s crotch and its hands went to her waist, pressing itself as close as it could. Amelia took her hand off R5’s head and turned on her vibrator. She ran it down her subordinate’s spine, which was rewarded by a muffled whimper into her tits, and she pressed the wand between her legs. They stayed like that a while, R5’s whimpering and Amelia’s moaning filled the bathroom, until the pilot started to slow down.

“Losing steam, doll? Turn around.” Amelia pulled her leg from between R5’s thighs and turned it around herself. She put the still-buzzing wand in its hand. “Hold this to your clit, and don’t cum until I tell you to, okay?”

R5 nodded drunkenly. “yes, Miss, thank you, Miss.” It placed the tip of the wand right below the head of its cock and slumped back into its handler’s waiting grasp.

Amelia felt the tiny weight of her pilot lean on her as she started fingering herself, putting her other arm around R5’s chest and roughly grabbing its tit.

“Nice rack, little pilot, you’re really starting to fill out. Glad to see the estrogen we put you on is working.” R5 was in the middle of saying “thank you, Miss” when it yelped as she dug her nails into its tender breast. Amelia felt its knees get weaker, and weaker still when she bit into the soft flesh where R5’s neck met its shoulder. Not hard enough to break skin, but only barely. She held it in her teeth for a moment, sucking on it, before releasing her toy and running her tongue along the teeth marks. By now R5 was barely standing, and judging by the noises it was making, the magic wand was doing just as much to torture it as its handler.

“One more thing for me, doll.” Amelia pushed the pilot onto its knees and sat down on the seat in front of it, legs spread. “Make me cum.”

Her pilot eagerly got to work, exploring her with its tongue and searching for the right spot. She put both hands on its head, and as soon as its tongue hit the target she squeezed its head between her thighs, moaning as the water ran down her tits and her pilot brought her to orgasm. R5 didn’t stop licking, even when she gave it the order to cum. It said something, probably “thank you,” that was barely audible and completely indecipherable from between its handler’s legs, and its body shook underneath her. She felt a string or two of something warm and wet hit the backs if her thighs. She relaxed her legs and R5 slumped to the ground, still holding the vibrator against itself.

“thank you, Miss.”

Amelia picked up her pilot before it drowned in the mix of shower water, cum, and bliss. She propped it up on the seat and gave them both a final rinsing off. She shut off the water and tapped the back of R5’s hand to make sure it was awake before handing it a towel. After drying herself off, she noticed R5 had fallen asleep again. She woke it up, again, and helped it dry off. Amelia steered the barely-conscious pilot towards the bed. It flopped down face-first onto the mattress and slowly climbed under the covers while Amelia picked up its plushie, still clean underneath the towel, and brought it over to R5. She climbed in behind it, pushing it from the middle of the bed to the side so there was room for them both. It scooted back over to press itself into her, still holding its plushie to its chest. She turned and hugged it, kissing it on the forehead and let herself drift off to sleep, smiling as she remembered that she had days before it would leave her again.

[five-rivers]

Prompt: Danny’s birth was an accident.

A lab accident, to be precise.

The problem with researching something as esoteric as ghosts was that you had to source all your own materials. If you wanted to know how high ectoplasm concentrations affected human cells, you either had to buy from ethically dubious medical supply companies or use your own.

Maddie used her own. Or Jack's. They worked together, and he was fine with it, so it was essentially the same thing, ethically, if not biologically.

Either way, they kept a whole variety of tissue samples, sourced from themselves. Cheek swabs, bone marrow samples, skin, hair, a tooth Jack had to get pulled, blood, serum and whole, a couple biopsies from different organs, spinal fluid, sperm, a collection of egg cells.

If they were going to market their inventions as family friendly and safe, they needed to know it wasn't going to render anyone sterile. They had Jazz already, and one child was quite enough, but other people might want more. Or assurances it wasn't going to mutate their children, before or after birth. Although in Maddie's opinion, that was quite ridiculous. Ectoradiation was quite different from electromagnetic radiation, or alpha radiation, or other traditional types.

So, that was what Maddie was researching now. Eggs and sperm. She wasn't about to do anything fertilized, of course. Too many ethical problems. But she would put a different concentration of ectoplasm in each test tube for one set, then duplicate those concentrations for the second set, then set up some eggs in one set of vessels, and a sample of sperm in the other, then run them for the same amount of time. Fourteen with eggs, fourteen with sperm. A bit of an odd number, but that's what happened in independent labs. Test tubes broke, and then if you wanted to control your experiments, and keep everything the same, you had to do things in odd numbers. Or buy new test tubes. But the more time you spent shopping, the less time you spent experimenting.

She started with the eggs. One by one, putting them into the the test tubes. One... two... three... four... bottom of the column... five... six... seven... eight... bottom of the column... nine... ten... eleven... twel--

"Maddie! I'm taking Jazz out to see you know who for you know what!"

"Dad!" said Jazz, her two-year-old voice squeaky with outrage. "I know we're going to the doctor!"

"Oh, right!" she called back. "That was today, thanks you for remembering, hun!" Usually, she was the one of them to remember important dates, but Jack was really on top of things for Jazz. It was nice.

"No problem, Mads! Good luck with the mutation experiment!"

"Thanks!" She turned back to the rack of test tubes. Now, where was she? She'd just finished that row... She had sorted them by row, hadn't she? Of course she had. So, she should start with the sperm. Right

She picked up the pipette and started from the top of the column. One.. two... three... four... She kept going, until she hit fourteen, and still had two test tubes left.

Well. That wasn't good. She must have-- Had she overlapped? Or had she just not finished filling the egg test tubes? If the latter, she could just put the last two eggs in the last two test tubes. And label them a little more carefully. She rearranged her worktable and peered into the container she'd carried the thawed eggs over in.

One. One unopened egg.

Hands shaking slightly, Maddie counted back to the thirteenth test tube. The one with the second-highest concentration of ectoplasm. The one that she had almost certainly put both an egg cell and sperm into. She pulled it out of the rack and set it in an empty one, then sat and stared.

This was a serious mistake.

Oh, she knew she could just dump it out in the sink or in the biological waste box, or any number of other things. Even moving at their fastest, sperm took a while to get into an egg. It might not have gotten there yet. And even if it had... Few people would consider a single cell a human being. But... Maddie had been raised Irish Catholic. She couldn't...

She sighed. Before she got carried away, she needed to check to see if it had even... taken, she supposed she should call it. If there was any life there. The ectoplasm could very well have acted as an inhibitor.

She licked her lips and reached for a microscope. First, find out what had happened, then talk to Jack, and then... then they would decide what to do. Together.

[conflictofthemind]

TL;DR: HNL was studying how to give human subjects electromagnetic, most specifically visible light based, powers in order to bend space-time for their needs.

I’m going to try and condense this as much as I can because considering electromagnetism as a major force in ST (pun intended) opens up so many potential areas of analysis that can only be a brief cover of without turning into multiple essays.

Let’s go over the electromagnetic spectrum:

I hope you might already be recognizing some symbols we see often in Stranger Things, especially if you’ve been following the BTS and some location and set leaks from Season 5.

The electromagnetic spectrum encompasses the different frequencies of electromagnetic radiation - waves of energy that travel at the speed of light (and produce visible light to us at certain frequencies). You’ve probably heard of most of these, including cancer-causing gamma rays and x-rays, the visible light spectrum (the rainbow), microwaves, and radio waves.

In S5, we have the radio station as a main location for the characters. They’re also driving around in the radio station’s van, which has an image of a hawk emitting a rainbow (visible light radiation). Steve’s car also has a massive antenna on top of it. My first thoughts were that the team was trying to keep in contact with Max in hopes of her being able to hear them in her coma, considering she has a radio near her bedside. While that still may be a reason, I think the characters may have come to realize how important electromagnetic fields could be in their fight against Vecna (this where leader of the AV Club also focused on electromagnetic objects Scott Clarke may make his triumphant return).

Now to pivot onto why electromagnetism is so important to the lore of ST:

What the scientists in Hawkins Lab are likely studying is a way for human brains to produce or manipulate certain types of electromagnetic waves through telepathy. Most obviously this is seen by them having the kids try to manipulate and turn on a circle of light bulbs. Our brains actually already produce electromagnetic waves, but at a very slow frequency. The scientists are constantly measuring brain waves while conducting these experiments. We even get full shots of El’s brain waves during NINA, for example. We also see similar shots in S2 while Will is in the HNL.

You can also observe that the Hawkins National Laboratory has absolutely massive satellite dishes on it’s rooftop; ones that do not exist on the real life building but are added in post because they pose some sort of significance. Nudge, it’s because they are transmitting and receiving massive amounts of electromagnetic waves.

Why are they studying electromagnetic waves then?

They are studying electromagnetic waves because they are a method in which time travel can theoretically be achieved - the focus of the Montauk Project in which Stranger Things is based on. The military likely is investigating time travel as another war tactic against Russia.

Let us take a look at the first chapter of the Montauk Project: Experiments in Time book (they are seriously plagiarizing the living hell out of this thing):

Also, did you catch the whole 'attaching a massive antenna on the hood of my car to pick up a secret signal' thing? That's suspiciously similar to the state of Steve's car! Anyway...

The story of Stranger Things starts chronologically, as does Montauk, with the disappearance of the USS Eldridge and Project Rainbow (named after the bending of the visible light spectrum). Brenner’s father was revealed to have captained the boat in TFS, which disappeared for 12 hours into Dimension X and when it came back, the crew was killed or driven mad (except for Brenner Sr). This inspires Brenner to continue onto the Nevada project, and eventually, Hawkins National Lab’s studies. The USS Eldridge / Philadelphia Project conspiracy from real life went as follows:

They were studying electromagnetism, specifically the bending of light, to make objects invisible. This was only the first step in the experiments. Once Henry got involved and came back from his trip to Dimension X with powers, Brenner must have realized he could potentially use human subjects to manipulate electromagnetic fields themselves. Human subjects didn’t require machinery or set up and could bend space-time wherever they pleased, as long as they were able to learn the ability.

The more conspiratiorial side of Theoretical Physics proposes using circulating light beams to warp time-space, creating a wormhole in which one can literally walk through time. This is pop-science, likely not true but interesting for fiction purposes. This method of time travel being used is heavily implied due to the fact that the USS Eldridge was already able to disappear into another dimension by the bending of light.

This is how it worked in the Montauk Project book (absolutely ridiculous how much they took from this honestly):

My guess is that in the Stranger Things universe, they have not yet managed to time travel, only to create portals into this alien Dimension X. Previously, said portals were only made twice by highly advanced technological equipment. El demonstrated that she was able to open a portal all by herself - another step to achieving time travel with singular human subjects. Season five is when we will see the beginning of the time travel plot line, though it like in Montauk is likely already in a loop.

That’s where we get the name for the Rainbow Room, named after this Project Rainbow. The rainbow represents the full spectrum of visible light, and the goals of the project to bend said light into portals and eventually time travel wormholes.

Implications?:

-Well, first of all it seems very obvious by this point that we are going for a time travel plot line, and this is how it will be achieved.

-Will is heavily connected to light in general, the sun, and of course… the rainbow. He is also implied be the one involved in the time travel plot line. This will be very relevant going forward and deserves it’s own post. Potential funniness of defeating Vecna with the power of the rainbow afoot.

-Coma patients are known to have odd, barely detectable brain waves. The kids will be able to communicate with Max in her coma using the electromagnetic spectrum somehow, probably through the radio waves.

-On the farthest end of the spectrum, we have ionizing gamma ray radiation, which is known to cause cancer in humans. Expect Hopper’s daughter Sara to connect to this plot line (and perhaps Sam Owens’ dead son). There is a whole theory on this site already called radiationgate. I have not managed to look into it yet but I think they are probably onto something there. The original al pitch mentions the UD leakage into the real world causing cancer as well.

[gallifreyanhotfive]

I once tried to make a list of every single major injury the Doctor had ever gotten in every story I've watched/listened to/read, and I was immediately overwhelmed by the amount of shit this wet paper bag of a Time Lord went through.

Like guys I tried so hard, and the list got so long! But damn it, the amount of injuries/illnesses/possessions/etc this guy has gone through is too immense.

Like he got possessed? Again? By whom?

He's been infected with some sort of pathogen? Which one?

He's been tied up again? Regular manacles or in strappado?

He's been shot? Normal gun or time reaver or whatever horrible thing you can think of?

Stabbed? How many times this time?

He lost a limb? Which one? Was it his legs again this time? Or another hand?

Is one of his hearts poisoning him?

Has he been drugged and abducted again?

How many times have they been burned for witchcraft?

How many times have they been put on the rack?

Was he put through so much pain that he fell unconscious again?

Don't even talk about that one time he got beheaded; that audio sucked ass.

Did his brain get fried by an electromagnetic pulse?

Was he exposed to the full rays of the sun without SPF?

Has he been stuck in a time bubble for so long that he's forgotten who he is?

Does he have nerve damage again?

Did they have a heart attack?

Did they experience regenerative collapse?

Is he suffering through his symbiotic link to a a weak and dead TARDIS?

Was he stuck in his TARDIS for 10 years after being irradiated, unable to get to the console and about to regenerate?

I need to just end this post here, or I'll be adding things to the list for hours.

[spiritedstars]

Spirit Meets the Bones XXX

Genre: Angst/Romance/Drama Warnings: Mentions of physical abuse. Author’s Note: In case you missed it, here’s a little art I commissioned of my darlings <3

shoutout to @divinerivals for being on this journey with me <3

Tagging: @climb-the-mountian / @vanserrass / @zenkindoflove / @animezinglife / @readthelastpaage / @teddyhoneybear / @positivewitch / @clockwork-ashes / @carnythian / @secret-third-thing / @runningwiththeoceans / @readychilledwine / @goldenmagnolias / @that-golden-lyre / @thedarkinmansfield / @mali22 / @maidr-00 / @electromagnetic-waves / @eastofatlanta / @moobell55 / @bibliophiliaxvignette / @devilsfoodcake22 / @weesablackbeak / @ladywhilemia / @alohaangels / @feysandfeels / @corcracrow / @dawneternal / @gracie-rosee / @mage-neve / @queenoftheworld1998 / @wolvesnravens / @illyrianvalkyrie / @rainbowsnowflake

Find it all here.

For once, Iris was awake before her husband. 

The last few days had been a whirlwind of movement and this was the first time he’d gotten a chance to actually rest. He slumbered next to her and she couldn’t help but watch him, her chest tightening at how exhausted he seemed. Iris hadn’t slept too well either given the impending ball and all that was to come from it. It had awoken a new set of worries in her and what should’ve been a joyous event of some sort, was now going to end in a bloodbath. 

Whose blood they would be drowning in remained to be seen. 

Aside from the chain of events that would be taking place, whatever else Eris wanted to discuss with her made her nervous. Her husband had always been straightforward with her, even when he was hesitant to discuss something. Eris avoiding the discussion altogether had Iris wondering just how unpleasant it would be. 

There was so much to be done and so much to worry about and as she watched him sleep, an ache unfurled in her chest. 

She had basically confessed that she was falling in love with him. While Iris was sure it was obvious and he could probably sense it, this was the moment she was finally admitting it to herself. Which was incredibly silly given they were married and mates. And yet…words between them held a certain weight. She wanted to wait until he was ready to hear it. Until it felt right. 

Even if they seemed to be running out of time. 

Iris brushed her hair from her face then curled back into him and immediately, Eris’s arm wrapped around her. He slept on his side and she gazed at his face, still so serious in his slumber. Iris couldn’t help but brush the back of her hand across his cheek and as Eris sleepily nuzzled into her hand, she felt her cheeks heat. She loved being touched by him but she loved touching him even more and watching him shudder, knowing he had never been this relaxed with anyone else. Knowing only his mate could bring him this level of ease.

It never ceased to make her heart flutter the way they touched so easily and openly. 

And gods, she didn’t know when the two of them had become such blubbering messes with each other…anytime she thought back how prickly they had been together, it seemed a lifetime away. 

Now, Iris felt addicted. It was a chasm of all her wants and desires and she dived in headfirst. And it really was these little things - the touch of his hand and how it lit a fuse in her heart, how it made her ache in the best way. 

Leaning in, she couldn’t help but place a small kiss against his lips. And while yes, she was worried about whatever else he had yet to share, Iris trusted him. He’d tell her when he was ready. 

In the meantime, she could ease some of his stress, right? They could…play with each other, right? Especially when in three weeks they…they could be separated. 

Iris forced herself to take a breath, wiggling the prickle of anxiety from her fingers, and instead, focused on cataloging every inch of his face. He would be alright. They would be alright together. 

Lightly, she let a finger trace the scattering of freckles on his shoulder – freckles she had thought about kissing embarrassingly often. She wondered if he could tell.

Biting her lip, Iris watched him for a breath then — feeling bold, she leaned forward and planted a feather-like kiss on those exposed freckles that she was just tracing before moving again to plant another soft kiss on his collarbone and then one more on his neck. 

She would’ve kept going, that invisible string between them urging her to keep close and do more but Iris felt him shift and pulled back. She blushed furiously at his sleepy smirk.

“Well. Good morning, wife.”

“Hi.” 

Her response sounded too demure to her own ears and when he chuckled, she couldn’t help but hide away in the crook of his neck, hating that he brought out this side of her. This stupid shyness.

His chest rumbled with another chuckle beneath her and Iris felt goosebumps erupt across her body when his hand slid down her back and up. She was still in her silk robe from yesterday. Eris had begged her to keep it on so he wouldn’t lose his sanity and the way it felt beneath his fingers now as he soothingly rubbed her back – it was testing Iris’s own sanity.

“If you’re trying to take advantage of me, I can pretend to be sleeping again.” he murmured in her ear. “You have my permission to do whatever you want, little gazelle.” 

“You’d love that, wouldn’t you,” she said, pulling back to meet his gaze and the knowing grin on his face.

“You having your way with me? I’m dying to see how creative your mind can be.”

Iris tsked and pursed her lips, her finger back to tracing his collarbone, and she avoided his gaze. “I’m not sure what kind of dirty mind you think I have but I doubt it’s as filthy as yours.”

Eris’s hand slid until it was under her chin and forced her to look at him, his smile wicked. “I hope it’s the filthiest.”

“I don’t think anyone could take that top spot from you.”

“You’re right,” he whispered, his gaze darkening as he watched her. “My mind is absolutely, wholeheartedly, and unapologetically disgusting when it comes to you.”  

Heat surged between them and their mingled scents of arousal filled the room. The evidence of Eris’s desire was already pressed against her and Iris wondered if he knew just how tempted she was to climb him like a tree. She wondered how many mornings could they have like this, waking up and wanting to be skin-to-skin. Where they could wake up and be all over each other. Iris wondered if he could sense the slickness gathering between her legs. 

She licked her lips and whispered, “Tell me.” 

Eris closed his eyes and Iris had to bite back a smile when he took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. 

“Wife.” he said tightly and squeezed her against him.

“Mate.” she whispered again and Eris made a noise of distress, burying his nose into her hair and Iris couldn’t help the giggle that slipped from her lips.

“Menace,” he choked out, pulling back to narrow his eyes at her.

“I think you mean delight.” she replied sweetly and Eris felt his heart nearly beat out of his chest. 

He kept telling himself to be patient but gods, waking up like this with her — with her lips on him and lovely soft body pressed up against him, the scent of her desire all over him. How was he supposed to resist? How was he not supposed to devour her? 

Iris watched his mind work but for once, she didn’t want him to think. She didn’t want either of them to worry about anything – to hold back. The bond between them was a living thing and it was begging the two of them to touch. 

“Do you want me to start?” she asked and watched as her husband’s eyes darkened with desire. 

“Start what?” he rasped.

“Telling you how often I think about you touching me.” she continued in her hushed voice and Eris groaned.

“Yes – no – wait –”

“I barely said anything.” she teased. “Should I keep going?”

“No.” he almost begged. 

“But…” she started and had to swallow before having the courage to continue, “I didn’t get to tell you about how often I – I think about your cock. How good I know it’ll make me feel.”

“Oh fuck.” Eris breathed and squeezed his eyes shut. He had to force himself to count to ten slowly so he didn’t embarrass himself and fucken come right then. His wife was supposed to be shy when it came to sex. Despite his teasing, he always approached it carefully so he didn’t push her away from it. So he didn’t overwhelm her. So he didn’t fucken tackle her in his haste to taste her. 

Yet here she was confessing something so simple and he was about to crumble. Like an imbecile.

“It’s too early for me to be able to handle the word cock coming out of your mouth.” he said tightly. 

Iris flushed deeply, thoroughly enjoying his pain, and said, “I think about tasting you. Taking you in my mouth.” she confessed and Eris wasn’t embarrassed to admit he almost whimpered. “I don’t have experience doing that but – but I’ve read enough romance novels to manage.”

“I’ll teach you,” he said and squeezed her against him. “I’ll teach everything while I show you everything I’ve been wanting to do to you.” 

“Do you want to know what else I’ve thought about?” she whispered and Eris’s eyes were almost glazed over as they shared a look.

“Yes.” he breathed then, “No.”

Iris’s chuckle was a little breathless as she said, “I think about how experienced you are and how that’ll work in my favor.”

“You have no idea how depraved I want to be when it comes to you.” he said, his voice guttural.  

“Then tell me.” she whispered, pressing herself against him even further, knowing that being chest to chest would be something he couldn’t resist. Eris couldn’t take his eyes off her as she stared up at him with those rose-colored cheeks, her eyes filled with as much desire as his own. 

Licking his lips, he finally spoke. “I think about us fucking almost too much for my own good,” he said. “It’s a sickness. An illness. An addiction. You’d never be the same after.”

Iris bit her lip and shifted, squeezing her thighs together. “That’s – that’s a big promise.” 

“Mmm.” Eris hummed and couldn’t stop himself from saying more. “I think about how I’d lock us in this room and have my way with you. Fuck you in every position possible until you’re so overstimulated you can’t move. Until the only thing you can do is whimper my name and I’d just fuck you again to keep hearing your whimpers.” Iris shuddered against him and Eris’s hand slid down her back and squeezed her backside, kneading as he continued, “I’d have you covered in my come with more of it dripping out of you. I’d fill you up every chance I had. Wake up with my cock inside you and go to bed with my cock inside you, keeping it warm for me.”

Iris had to take a shaky breath, arching into his touch as he squeezed her ass, her nipples hard beneath the robe and she knew he felt it, pressed up against him like this. 

“That sounds like a lot of work.” she rasped and Eris’s grin was wicked. 

“As long as you’re willing to keep these lovely legs spread for me, I’d be delighted to have you sit back and let me do all the work,” he said, his voice low. “You can be my pretty princess.” 

Iris licked her lips and squeezed her thighs together again, feeling her core throb with each word he said. “And what if I wanted you on your back, where I think you belong?” she asked. “What then?”

“I’d lay back and let you decide if you want to ride my cock or ride my face. As long as I can have your pretty cunt on me.”

Iris didn’t know if it was possible for her face to heat further but her whole body was on fire. The silk of her robe was a cage, a curse when she desperately wanted him to touch her.

“Eris.”

“Yes?”

“If you don’t touch me right now –”

She didn’t finish the sentence before her husband was upon her and immediately, her legs wrapped around his waist, her robe falling open, and his hardened cock lined against the spot she was craving for him to touch. Their kiss was a clash of teeth, messy, desperate, and asd Eris thrust his hips into her hard enough that Iris was sure she would come any minute. 

Touch. Taste. Claim.

Eris rolled his hips into her again, relishing in the feeling of her cunt against him through the sorry excuse of lace covering, and feeling her wetness only made him want to taste it, made him want to dive between her legs and never come out. His hands touched and squeezed every inch of her and the sounds she was making only spurred him on as he nearly ripped that fucken robe off her. The straps of her nightgown fell off her shoulders in his haste, and her breasts were pushed up by the way he was hovering over her and Eris was almost sure he was going to black out. His tongue found its way to hers and their desperate kiss became even more eager as she dug her nails into his shoulder, rocking her hips to meet his.

It would take him seconds to rip the scrapes she wore off. Even less if he burned them off and as Eris’s mouth devoured hers, the mating bond between them shone bright, the gold thread wrapping its way around them and Eris – he would embarrass himself and come like this, nearly fully clothed – especially when Iris whimpered, clamping her legs around him – he would embarrass himself and their scents together would threaten to kill him —

Their scents — the scent of their mating bond threatened to — 

And it was like a bucket of cold water was thrown over him and Eris froze. The scent of their mating bond — How could he forget?

Iris stilled beneath him, her brows furrowed at him in confusion as he abruptly pulled away. Their labored breaths were the only sound throughout the room and Iris would’ve died of embarrassment of being so disheveled had Eris not been right there, struggling with her. 

But he’d pulled away –

“Eris…?” Her tone was tentative as she glanced at him, still hovering over her. 

“We should stop.” he said hoarsely and Iris blinked. 

“What?”

“We need to stop.” 

The words had barely left his mouth when he pulled away completely and Iris shifted, slowly and carefully fixing her nightgown, suddenly feeling exposed in a way she didn’t like. She watched as Eris stumbled out of their bed, running a hand through his hair, his expression shutting down.

Swallowing, she sat up on her knees, observing him standing at the foot of the bed, his back to her, and immediately, whatever worries she had tried to keep at bay came flooding back. A moment of silence passed before she finally asked, “What’s wrong?”

Eris winced but kept his back to her, trying to calm the raging beat of his heart, trying to ignore the thread of gold that tied them together currently choking him. 

A risk. It was a risk to become more intimate than this. With everything that was to come, having anyone, especially his father scent their bond now would be a very foolish move. He couldn’t risk it. He couldn’t make it worse for her.

A wife could always leave. A bonded mate? A bonded mate would always be linked back to him. 

“Did I do something wrong?” 

And her question was in a tone so quiet and troubled, Eris almost threw himself out the window.

He turned back to find her sitting, her robe back on her and her fingers nervously fidgeting in her lap but it was the way she looked at him that struck a nerve. She hadn’t looked so deflated since he’d met her and he had caused that.

“Of course not.” he breathed and as quickly as he had shot away from her, Eris closed the distance between them again and kissed her furiously. “You’re – you’re perfect. You’ve done nothing wrong.” he whispered before pulling away again and Iris blinked rapidly at the quickness of his movement.

“Then…what just happened? I thought – I thought we —”

Eris shook his head, giving her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes then turned away from her again, and Iris’s brows furrowed as he walked towards their shared closet and started rummaging. “As much as I would love to keep going in the direction our morning started, we – we can’t.” 

“Alright…” she said slowly and slid off the bed, edging closer to him. “It’s alright if you changed your mind.” Smoothing down her hair, she attempted some humor, “I won’t make fun of you too much if it turns out you’re all talk with no follow through.” 

Eris tensed and squeezed his eyes shut, misery choking him. “It’ll be a busy day and I’m already running late,” he said and Iris flinched when he slammed the closet door shut. “I’ll try to meet you for lunch but if I can’t, I’ll send word and you can continue with your day. Keep a hound on you at all times.”

Iris frowned, her hands fisting at her sides. “You’re making it very hard for me to believe that I didn’t do something to piss you off,” she said. “You – I’m feeling pretty rejected right now.” 

Forcing himself to take a breath, trying not to inhale her scent too deeply, Eris turned to face her. “I’m – We have to be extra careful these next few days. I expect you to be on high alert every minute you’re outside of this room,” he said and Iris blinked. “I think it’ll be safest if we aren’t seen together as often. Let them believe we’ve gotten into some sort of fight.”

Iris stared at him in disbelief then huffed out an incredulous laugh. “Eris. What the hell are you talking about?”

“Haven’t you been listening?”

“Oh, I’m listening,” she said and her expression flattened. “I’m just waiting for you to start making some sense.” 

Eris scowled and felt his ears turn red. This was stupid. He was being stupid but he couldn’t get into this with her right now. He couldn’t let himself get sucked into her orbit again, forgetting what was at stake. She was already a target for being his wife. The moment anyone scented their mating bond, it would be the end and he knew with how big these events usually went, his Father would already have something up his sleeve for the ball.

Finally, he sighed. “I’m sorry. Again, you didn’t do anything wrong. I will explain later when I’m not – when it’s better timing.”

“I have nowhere else to be right now,” she said curtly. “And the world won’t end if you take five minutes to explain what the fuck is going on in that overthinking head of yours.”

His mouth thinned and Iris felt anger surge through her body. She was angry and embarrassed but she sure as fuck was not going to let him leave without explaining. 

“This is getting worse for you by the second, Eris,” she said. “I trust you but trust has to go both ways and I’ve been nervous about whatever you’re holding back on since the other night.” She moved until she stood right in front of him and pointed a finger to his chest. “Until you explain, I will not make it easy for you to leave this room.” 

Eris watched her beautiful face and hated that he knew the pink of her cheeks was in anger – in discomfort that he was putting her through. That he had embarrassed her. But if he hadn’t stopped himself, it would’ve – he wouldn’t have been able to resist. And what kind of a husband, what kind of a mate would he be if he didn’t weigh the cost of his lust?

“Every mating bond has a scent,” he finally said and reached up to take her hand on his chest in his own. “Depending on how long the couple has been together, it either simmers down or becomes more potent. Couples who are freshly mated…the scent of their mating bond is very potent. Not to mention the craze of the mating frenzy that takes place.”

Iris blinked. “Oh.”

“Yes.”

“So you don’t want us to –”

“Yes.”

“Because you don’t want others to –”

“Yes.”

Her expression flattened. “And you didn’t think to take a moment and calmly explain this to me instead of pulling that little stunt?”

“I don’t explain things. I just do them.” he retorted and knew he sounded like an insolent child but he couldn’t help it and – he blinked and then scowled. Eris hadn’t even taken into account what the mating frenzy would be like and how he’d handle that amidst all that was happening. 

Iris’s annoyance was evident on her face, especially when she pulled her hand away. “That may have worked for you before but clearly and obviously now, it doesn’t,” she said and tried with all her might not to snap at him. “This feels like an odd regression on your part given all that’s been happening between us.” 

“I’m not –”

She held up a hand. “If you’re worried about people scenting our mating bond, you say that. We can find a solution. If you don’t want us to go further because you find yourself not wanting to, which is perfectly acceptable, you say that –”

“I always want to –”

But Iris waved her hand. “You use your words. I know that’s been difficult for you in the past and I am happy to be patient as you figure it out but what I don’t have patience for is being made to feel like this. Like I made a mistake and wasn’t dignified with a moment of your time for an explanation.” 

Eris scowled. “I already said you didn’t do anything. I apologized.” he snapped. 

Iris’s scowl was as mean as his own. “I do not care for that tone, Eris.” 

“I do not care for yours either, Iris. I said I will explain later.” 

A beat of tense silence passed before Iris scoffed and shook her head, taking a step back. “Of course, Your Highness,” she said curtly and Eris struggled not to let his expression fall when she backed away further and then turned from him, tightening her robe around her. “You did say you were running late and who am I to add to your plate? Don’t let me and my logical demands stand in your way.”

“Iris –”

“I’m too annoyed with you to continue this conversation. You can get what you asked for and we’ll discuss it later,” she called over her shoulder. “Don’t bother finding me for lunch either. I wouldn’t want you to accidentally have time to explain your thought process to me.”

“Will you please –” 

But his wife had walked off into their bathroom, slamming the door behind her and Eris had to hold back a groan, left standing, like the idiot that he was, scowling in the aftermath of his own stupidity.

~~~

“Stupid bastard. Thinking I’m some mind reader…It’s not like I’m a daemati and can figure out what he’s thinking!” Iris grumbled and the pups turned as one to watch her pace around their kennel. “I know whatever it was he was thinking, was idiotic. He’s an overthinking machine and I’m certain it was a stupid reason that if we had just talked it out, it would’ve been fine.”

Iris paused and glanced down at the hounds, Lyra closest to her. With a sigh, she lowered herself to pet the hound, scratching behind her ear. “I suppose I could’ve let him start explaining but it would’ve been like pulling teeth and he was already running late.” Glancing at Lyra, she tilted her head and the hound followed the movement. “Plus I was annoyed. So. I think he needs to stew for a bit. He made me feel terrible this morning.” 

And true to her word, Iris had ignored his message for lunch and avoided wherever he was. Was it childish? Yes. Did she feel silly doing so given everything between them and what was to come? Also yes.

But she couldn’t help it. When he pulled away from her after she had initiated their…hot and heavy morning, she was mortified. To have all that skin on display and be in such a vulnerable position, after saying all those things he said and all the things she had said – for him to pull away? 

“Good luck getting my hands or mouth near your cock now, asshole,” she mumbled and slowly stood with another sigh, glancing down at Lyra. “Fancy a trip with me to the stables?”

“I’d love to go.”

Iris whirled around, her heart jumping to her throat and hand already at the dagger hidden in the folds of her dress but froze when she saw who the unexpected guest leaning casually against the door was. She straightened, six of the twelve hounds surrounding her. 

“Finn.”

Her brother-in-law gave her a roguish smile and then bowed at the waist. “Sister-in-law.”

“How long have you been standing there? Wait – how did you get in?” she asked quickly, flustered that he may have been watching her and she hadn’t been aware. Judging by the smirk that graced his face, too similar to his brother’s, Iris had a feeling he’d heard more than she wanted.

“I also have access to their kennel though they’ll never like me as much as they love Eris,” he said and his smirk widened. “I heard something about hands and mouths near a cock? I could be mistaken, of course.”  

Iris flushed and then scowled. “Sneaking up on me will not warm me up to your presence.” 

“Ah, apologies, my lady. I didn’t want to interrupt such a riveting discussion.” Finn said with a grin. “If it helps, touching cocks is an enjoyable pastime of mine as well so nothing to be embarrassed about.” 

He had the audacity to wink and Iris wished for the ground to swallow her whole. 

“It does not help.” she tried to snap but only sounded even more flustered. “That – is — inappropriate.”

“Of course, of course,” he said, his mouth twitching before he glanced at the hounds still surrounding her. “I come in peace. Only to accompany your mother to her next destination. You can stand down.” 

Surprisingly, the hounds listened to him but Lyra remained on high alert at Iris’s side. Glancing at the hounds, she knew Eris must’ve trained the hounds to trust Finn enough to get this kind of reaction from them. 

“Accompany me?” she asked and met her brother-in-law’s gaze as he straightened, giving her a nod.

“Yes. I was told you’re sick of my brother’s face so I volunteered my own handsome face instead.” 

Iris narrowed her eyes slightly. “He told you that?”

Finn chuckled. “Through clenched teeth and threatened me about sixty-five times before he actually allowed me to come.”

So Eris knew she was avoiding him and yet, couldn’t stop himself from sending someone to look after her. She wanted to be annoyed with him for this little antic but sending Finn was extending an olive branch; Iris knew exactly how much he liked his brothers being anywhere near her. For him to send Finn…at least he was respecting her request for space. 

She couldn’t help but sigh and saw Finn try to fight back a smile. “I’m on my way to take Axel for a ride. I suppose you can join me.”

“Thrilled by your enthusiasm,” was Finn’s retort. “Do lead the way.”

Watching him warily, Iris bid the puppies goodbye and exited the kennel with Lyra in tow, Finn following her. 

“So, Iris.”

“So, Finn.”

And the two watched each other as they walked, highly aware of their surroundings. Iris maintained the demur stance she always did with Eris in public and Finn seemed to walk with a menacing gait that Iris wasn’t sure he was faking. Their first interaction had been brief and though Eris had filled her in more about his personality, it was different being alone with him.

She tried not to be too intimidated by his height. 

“Are we going to talk about how you have my brother by the balls?” he said and Iris snorted before remembering herself and clearing her throat.

“I don’t know what you mean. My husband is responsible for himself.” 

“Ah, don’t want to ruin his image, I see,” Finn said with an exaggerated nod. “If it helps –”

“I don’t think you realize that whenever you say if it helps, you’re not actually being helpful.”

“I didn’t even get to finish my sentence.”

“Judging by all the other sentences you’ve said before, I deemed it necessary to cut you off.” 

Finn snorted and gave her a sidelong glance. “I like you.”

Iris’s lips twitched. “The jury is still out on how I feel about you but I suggest not to get too comfortable.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“I won’t be responsible for how Eris reacts to your behavior.” 

“Pfft. He can be mad all he wants that we’re best friends.”

“Oh, we’re best friends now?” Iris asked with a raised brow and Finn grinned at her in such a devilish way that she knew almost instantly, that no male or female stood a chance against his charm. 

“The absolute best of friends,” he confirmed. “Any female that my brother has allowed to touch him in front of me is my new friend.”

“Is that so? And how many new friends have you had?” she asked, her cheeks heating at his knowing gaze and Iris could tell from these few minutes alone with him, that this brother-in-law of hers was a riot to be around. 

“Just the one, sister.” 

The two had reached the stables and Iris paused by the door, her curiosity winning out. “Why are you really here, Finn?”

Finn’s gaze seemed to catalog her every breath as they stood before he shrugged. “He was worried and distracted enough that he sent me to make sure you’re alright. I’m assuming he did something stupid?”

“Did you ask him that?”

“I did and when he looked about ready to light a fire under my ass, I assumed the answer was yes,” he said and Iris’s lips twitched before she turned away, walking into the stables. She waved to the stable worker who bowed and upon seeing Finn, immediately exited. Finn had followed her in, a respectful distance away with Lyra between them, and as she stopped in front of Eris’s horse, she allowed herself another glance at her brother-in-law who watched her with too much glee on his face.

“You’re being odd.”

“I’m only excited to be spending time with my new best friend.” 

Iris’s amusement rose by the second. “Has anyone told you, you’re a little too friendly?”

“All the time but it’s usually in a different setting,” he said with another wink. Iris rolled her eyes and turned to Axel, smiling at the horse and petting him gently as Lyra paced the stables.

“Aside from being distracted, is your brother fine?” she asked carefully and Finn’s smile was too smug.

“Are you worried about him?”

“Not particularly.” 

“Ah, you’re a liar too,” Finn said and settled himself against Axel’s stall. “No wonder you fit right in.” 

“I am not a liar,” she muttered with a scowl. “If you’re only here to escort me, I’ve arrived. You may go now.”

Finn tsked. “I thought we were going on a ride? Don’t withdraw your invitation now when we haven’t even gotten to Eris and his disappointing behavior as a husband.”

Her brows lowered, her expression betraying how incredulous she found him. “Don’t go putting words in my mouth about my husband.” 

“Given what I heard you say you’d rather have in your mouth, I would never do that.”

Iris blinked, a breath of silence passing between them as he smirked down at her, and in the next breath, Iris’s knife was unsheathed and pressed to her brother-in-law’s throat.

Finn had the nerve to look delighted as he raised his hands by his head. 

“I know you’re my brother’s wife and he would skin me alive if he heard me but I think I’m in love with you.”

“Finn.”

“Yes?”

“You’re too comfortable,” she said sweetly. 

“But we’re best friends.” 

“No, no we’re not. Especially if you keep this up.”

“If it helps —”

“It doesn’t.”

“ — I can tell you embarrassing things about Eris as a child?” he offered with a smile. “I’m his favorite brother. I have so much ammunition.”

Iris snorted and lifted the tip of her dagger to his cheek, tapping gently. “It’s sweet you think you’re his favorite,” she said, and giving him a warning look, she backed away, hiding her dagger again. That delighted expression of his remained and Iris wondered if he’d been dropped on his head as a child. 

Granted, Finn Vanserra was called The Sword for a reason and Iris holding a knife to his neck had to be comical to him.

“You look so damn soft. Didn’t think you’d have it in you to knife me.”

“I look how I have to,” she merely replied and Finn watched her, a curious smile gracing his face.

Iris let him watch her, feeling like this was some sort of test she hadn’t signed up for and it made her wonder how often Eris had ever mentioned significant others around his brothers. Given his history and the nature of the Vanserra household, she couldn’t exactly be too surprised at how interested Finn seemed. Without a word, he moved past her and Iris backed away as he opened Axel’s gate and began to prepare the horse for her. 

Iris watched him silently, suddenly feeling awkward as he worked; she didn’t think Finn was ever the type to be quiet and now Iris wondered if she was being rude to him. He was only here at Eris’s request; it wasn’t like he was trying to make her uncomfortable. Eris had told her he had a loud personality despite being under Beron’s thumb and it made her realize this loud personality was probably Finn’s act of rebellion against his father. Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Iris pursed her lips wondering if she also just sucked at realizing how friendships were formed. 

Elain and Lucien had been different. Eris had prepared her for that but given how he’d originally warned her of his brothers, Iris wasn’t sure which side of them she would be getting.

She reached out, tapping his shoulder softly before dropping her hand as Finn paused and looked at her. “You don’t have to do that, you know. I can do it myself.” 

“I’m not sure if your husband is just an idiot and he hadn’t made you realize this but you are much too pretty to do anything yourself, especially when you have a big strong handsome male around to do it for you,” he said, the corner of his mouth lifting and Iris couldn’t fight back a small smile.

“He would not take the words coming out of your mouth very well,” she said and Finn laughed softly.

“Getting on Eris’s nerves is an art I’ve perfected. Him marrying you only gave me more to work with,” he said and finally, led Axel out of his stall, handing the reins to Iris. “Despite the reservations I see you have about me, I’m genuinely curious about you. I know the way things are don’t allow much room to…do that comfortably but the offer is there.”

“To be my obnoxious best friend?” she asked with a raised brow, her lips twitching at his offended expression. 

“I’m a delight.” 

“Your brother thinks that too about himself but all he actually is, is annoying.” Iris replied and Finn snorted. “You two are cut from the same cloth.”

“I disagree but you are married to him. You can’t exactly call him out for the troll that he is.”

Iris shot him such a reproachful look, that her brother-in-law couldn’t help but laugh heartily. “If you’re jealous of him, Finn, you can just say so. Don’t go around saying ridiculous things.” 

“Aw, you think my brother is handsome?”

Iris rolled her eyes then schooled her expression and said primly, “He’s alright.” 

Finn grinned. “Not a troll then?”

“The only troll I’ve had contact with so far is the one standing in front of me.” she said dryly and Finn snorted.

“We both know that’s far from true,” he said and gave her a Cheshire cat smile. “I won’t tell Eris you think I’m more handsome than he is. It’ll be our little secret.” 

“Wow,” Iris said and fought back a laugh. “You are certainly as delusional as he is about his looks.” 

Finn chuckled and she watched him prepare his own horse, wondering if indeed, she could have a friend in him. Despite the circumstances, she knew Eris trusted him to an extent. With the ball coming up…she knew how deep that trust had to run for them to accomplish what they planned. 

Her expression turned serious and when he met her gaze with a quirked brow, Iris straightened. “Finn.”

“Yes?”

“You’ll…you’ll have his back, right?” she asked quietly then swallowed. “He’ll be alright.”

Iris watched as emotions shifted across his face and a muscle flexed in his jaw before he put a hand over his heart and bowed. Iris blinked in surprise.

“None of us know what that night will bring,” he said softly and straightened, his expression the most solemn she’d seen from him. “But whatever it is – whatever happens, we’ll make sure he’s alright. You have my word on that.” 

She bit the inside of her cheek and then nodded. “You – you didn’t have to bow.” 

Finn’s expression softened into that roguish smile. “You’re the future Lady of Autumn. If I don’t pay my respects now, how else will I stay in your good graces to cause chaos later on?”

Iris shook her head, a small smile blooming on her face. “As if Eris would let you get away with anything.”

“With you distracting him? It’ll be a breeze.” Finn said, waving a hand. 

“You overestimate how distracting I can be.”

Finn cackled. “You underestimate yourself, sister. I have never seen my brother like this before,” he said and gave her an approving nod. “It’s good for him.” 

A blush spread across her cheeks and Iris pursed her lips, pulling Axel forward to give Finn space to bring out his own horse, Lyra wagging her tail in front of them. “I see the sweet talking has already begun.”

“I’m an excellent ass kisser, my lady.”

Iris tried to fight back her laugh but failed miserably when he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her. Shaking her head again, she gave him a warning look. “Let’s get this ride over with so I can be free of your inappropriateness.”

But as they stepped out of the stables, Finn’s body snapped to attention and Iris’s brows furrowed as his expression changed. He shot her a warning look before they turned and were stopped by none other than the High Lord himself, the curious gleam in his eyes immediately setting Iris on edge.

“Well. Interesting to find the two of you here.” he drawled and Iris felt her pulse quicken. Her run-ins with her father-in-law had been far and few but Eris had always been with her, shielding her from it. This was her first run-in with him after what he did to Eris and she had to swallow the surge of anger that coursed through her. 

Now the High Lord stood across from them and Iris already knew it would be as unpleasant as every interaction with him was. Two of his advisors stood behind him, glancing at her and Finn in curiosity but saying nothing as Beron took a step forward. The High Lord waved his hand carelessly behind him for them to leave and as he took a step forward, Lyra immediately straightened in front of Iris. 

The High Lord’s brow lifted as he stared down at the hound then back at Iris. “If that hound doesn’t move in the next breath, I’ll kill it where it stands.”

Iris’s heart dropped and she quickly tapped her leg. “Lyra,” she called and the hound stood her ground until Iris repeated her name in a sharper tone. After a tense breath, Lyra shifted to Iris’s side, the hound’s gaze never leaving the High Lord despite how he sneered down at her.  

“Father,” Finn said, shifting himself slightly in Iris’s space with his horse. “This is an unexpected surprise. I thought you were surveying the fields for our new crops.”

Beron shifted his gaze to his son and Iris swallowed hard at the way the High Lord’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I am where I wish to be.”

Finn nodded graciously. “Of course.” 

Beron’s mouth shifted in disgust the longer he stared at Finn and Iris’s body tensed further when his gaze shifted back to her. She lowered her eyes, knowing it was what he wanted to see, her fingers tightening in the folds of her dress, and tried not to imagine the scars on Eris’s back. The scars Beron so happily gave him, still healing. 

“Daughter-in-law,” he said and his tone had her hackles rising. Iris lifted her head as he took a few steps closer to her and met his sneer. “I see you’re venturing out without your husband.”

“He gave me permission, my lord.”  

“Did he?” 

Iris managed a nod and tried to keep her expression even as Beron’s gaze skated down her body, even if the way he looked at her made Iris want to claw his eyes out; she was wearing a fitted riding set but the way he watched her made it seem like she was standing in one of her nightgowns. His eyes lingered long enough that it made Iris fidget and the High Lord’s smirk was vile as he shifted to his son.

“Does your brother know you’re sniffing around his wife?” he asked and Finn tensed. “If you plan to share her, that’ll get messy.”

“Father.” Finn snapped with a scowl and Iris flushed deeply, rage lighting her body as the High Lord gave a nasty laugh. “This is not what —”

But Beron waved his hand, cutting Finn off, his magic forcibly pushing him back out of Iris’s space as the High Lord edged closer. “Are you preparing yourself for the first ball as a princess, Iris?”

“Yes.” she said tightly. “Of course.”

“I do wonder how your husband will fare given how all eyes will be on you,” Beron said slowly, again, watching Iris’s every breath with too much interest. “You may be required to dance with others.” 

“I will do my duty as Eris wishes,” she said carefully and his snide smile made bile rise in her throat. 

“You may be required to dance with me as well.”

Iris schooled her expression to remain as blank as possible. “It would be an honor, my lord.” 

Beron lifted a brow. “Will it?”

Iris blinked. “Of course. I will do what is expected of me.”

“To please your husband?”

And Iris hated the way he said it – that tone he always used whenever she was unfortunate enough to be in his presence. The way he watched her every breath, trying to get a reaction from her. She desperately tried to fight back the heat rising to her cheeks at his choice of words. 

“As I said, my lord,” she began quietly. “I will do my duty as Eris wishes.” 

“Such loyalty,” he said lowly, a hand reaching out to tug sharply on one of Iris’s loose curls and Iris tried not to wince, taking a careful breath. The High Lord’s head tilted to the side, his nostrils flaring as he watched her before his gaze flickered to his son in distaste then back to Iris. “You do well to remain loyal.”

Iris had to swallow the insult as she flushed. “Of course, my lord.”

His eyes narrowed again and Iris didn’t know what exactly he was seeing or sensing other than her discomfort and the raging beat of her heart. She wondered if Eris could sense something was amiss. She hoped for his sake that he didn’t. Iris didn’t want him coming anywhere near his father right now, especially when Beron added, “Do note your father will be in attendance. I assured him you’d be on your best behavior. It will not end well if you are not.”

Iris tried to keep her expression from falling, to not give the High Lord the satisfaction of impacting her but immediately, she felt ringing in her ears, and a slow panic began to simmer in her stomach at the idea of seeing her father again. At an event that was already going to be incredibly stressful. 

She didn’t like the gleam in her father-in-law’s eyes as he watched her reaction. This fucker knew exactly what he was doing by telling her this. It was a cheap shot at her but also at Eris, knowing Eris would never want her father in the same place as either of them.

“Will you be on your best behavior, Iris?” the High Lord almost purred and she had to fight back a gag as she answered him in the way she knew he wanted.

“Of course, High Lord.”

Beron tapped her cheek rather roughly and Iris tensed. “My High Lord.” he spat and she forced her jaw not to clench. It was all a power play – she could not get angry. It would only be worse for Eris.

And again, thinking of her husband and his scars. Thinking of the state he had returned to her that night after the High Lord had finished with him — Iris forced herself to take another quiet breath. 

“Of course, my High Lord.” 

That nasty smirk returned to his face and finally, after a tense silence, Beron stepped back. He glanced at Finn, his mouth frowning in distaste once more. 

“What are you doing here?”

“I was asked to escort Iris.” 

Beron snorted. “Why? Is she blind or stupid?”

Iris’s flush deepened and before she could open her mouth, Finn replied rather curtly, “We’re family, Father. We’re spending time together.” 

Beron gave a nasty laugh. “Well then,” he said and glanced again between the two of them before adding, “Be sure you don’t cause a scene. If you’re going to fuck her, at least do it privately.” 

“You have got to be fucken kidding me.” Finn particularly snarled and Iris had barely blinked when Finn stumbled back, holding his face.

The High Lord had backhanded him so quickly, Iris had missed it. Her pulse spiked as Beron glanced at Iris once more before his condescending gaze flickered back to Finn.

“Do not give me that kind of an attitude.” Beron spat. “You all have mouths on you that speak without being asked to. You act as you like and think there aren’t consequences for it.” The High Lord glanced at them both with disgust. “The Mother gave me all of you and you’ve been nothing but disappointments. Maybe one of these days, I’ll have you all whipped into better shape.” 

And with a final noise of disapproval, Beron walked off, leaving Iris and Finn where they stood. 

Moments that felt like hours passed before Iris let out a breath and Finn finally glanced at her with a tight expression, the right side of his face still marred with red. “Are you alright?”

Iris managed a nod, blinking rapidly. “A-are you? He backhanded you hard.” 

Finn shrugged but Iris saw it for what it was, knew he was embarrassed and hated that he was. “Wasn’t the first time and certainly not his hardest hit.”

“I can look at it if you’d like?” she offered carefully but Finn shook his head. 

“It’ll go away on its own,” he muttered and worked his jaw before glancing at her, his carefree demeanor from earlier gone. “I want to be perfectly clear that despite the jokes I made earlier, I truly mean no harm and would never cross that boundary with you. I truly do welcome you as my sister and a friend if you’ll have me.”

Iris flushed lightly and her expression softened. “Of – of course. I know you meant it all jokingly. Don’t – don’t let him sour things between us with those disgusting accusations.” she said, her expression firm, and carefully, she touched his shoulder. “I could use all the friends I can get.”

Finn nodded, letting out a breath as his shoulders dropped. “I don’t know about you but I don’t think I’m up for a ride after all.” 

Iris shook her head, a boulder sitting on her chest. “Neither do I. This felt like a warning.” 

“I have to tell the others,” Finn muttered. “I don’t know what he’s planning or if he meant anything else by it but…”

“My father being invited despite knowing how Eris feels about it is deliberate,” she replied, her fists clenching. “I wouldn’t put anything past him to rile Eris and cause additional problems.”

“I’d have to agree,” he said and rolled his shoulders back. “Let’s get these horses back and find my brother. It seems additional planning needs to be done.”

~~~

Eris had found them shortly after they entered The Forest House and without saying a word, had walked them back to his study, reinforcing the shield with Finn’s as they sat down to discuss. Finn had taken the lead in retelling their interaction with the High Lord and Iris couldn’t help but watch Eris and his body language. The white knuckles, his rigid stance, his blank expression.

“I want to know exactly what he said and did. No detail is too small,” he ordered them both. “Tell me everything.” 

His expression had darkened the more they explained and when they finally retired to their bedroom, his demeanor hadn’t changed. He didn’t speak as they changed for bed and Iris felt herself deflating the more they sat in silence, watching him carefully through the mirror in her vanity as she brushed her hair.

He was seated on the edge of their bed, his back to her, and Iris frowned as she turned to face him. Cautiously, she tugged on that gold thread between them and Eris finally shifted, glancing over his shoulder at her. 

“Yes?”

“Don’t let him get to you this much. He did it on purpose,” she said quietly. “You know that better than I do.” 

Eris shook his head and looked away but didn’t reply and Iris’s frown deepened. 

“He’s said worse before,” she added. 

“You said when he leaned close to you, he seemed to be…sensing something,” he said, his back still to her.

“Yes,” she said carefully. “I am assuming it was my discomfort. He does enjoy that.” 

Eris scoffed and leaned forward, his head dropping in his hands. “That he does,” he said quietly. “He enjoys making everyone uncomfortable and now he’s put us on edge.”

“Do you really think the interaction was that out of the ordinary for him?” 

“I don’t know.” Eris said, his tone curt and Iris felt her shoulder drop. 

“Eris.”

“What.”

Iris tried not to scowl at his snippy tone and forced herself to take a breath through her nose and then stand, walking over to his side. She crossed her arms across her chest. “If he knew anything, Finn and I wouldn’t have been able to walk away from that interaction,” she said and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t let this add to your stress. You have enough on your plate.” 

Eris snorted and sat up, meeting her gaze. “Easier said than done when I felt your damn panic,” he said. “I thought he –”

“But he didn’t. I am fine. Finn is fine.”

“I hate that fucken word.” he spat and stood, moving past her to start pacing. “Nothing about this is fine.”

Iris frowned. “Eris –” 

“Every time I think things are stable, he does something that triggers me and I start to —” he started then growled in frustration. “We’re so fucken close. I don’t know what I’d do if we don’t – if he isn’t —”

And as Iris watched him pace, she found it harder to picture leaving him when the ball came. Yes, he would have his brothers but the thought of him going through all this in his head – where he couldn’t even have her to bear it with him – made her rethink her agreement. 

“What do you need right now?” she asked softly. “Tell me how I can help.” 

“I need a — a break. A distraction,” he muttered. “I need to close my eyes and forget about everything.” 

“I would’ve thought what I was wearing could’ve worked,” she said, hoping he could read the humor in her words. “You’re distracted enough that you didn’t even comment about the robe I’m wearing.” 

And indeed, she’d picked this white silk robe with feather trimming on purpose. She’d chosen what was underneath it for the same purpose. Since he’d heard about the interaction with Beron, he’d shut down and all Iris could sense was anger. She wanted any other reaction to get him out of this funk. 

Eris paused and his gaze narrowed on her, standing with her hands folded in front of her. Of course, he’d noticed what she’d decided to wear. He always noticed and Eris hated that the first moment he’d had her to himself all day, they were spending it like this – dealing with his moods. But he couldn’t stand to even think about touching her. He had a feeling his father’s observation skills had given the High Lord more than Eris had wanted about his relationship with his wife. 

What if he had sensed their bond? How could Eris jeopardize things now?

“Given how silent you are, I’m getting a strong sense of deja vu from this morning with how embarrassed you left me.” Iris said dryly and Eris blinked himself back into reality. 

“I’m not trying to embarrass you,” he said quietly. “I’m trying to protect you.”

Iris blinked then quirked a brow. “I’ll need you to explain this one,” she said.

A muscle flexed in Eris’s jaw as he gazed at her, trying to organize the many thoughts going through his head but when Iris took a step towards him and extended her hand, he scowled and then sighed, allowing her to lead him back to their bed, forcing him to sit. 

“The floor is yours,” she said with a wave of her hand. “You said you would explain later. We are now at ‘later’.”

“I would’ve explained earlier had you not avoided me all day,” he mumbled and Iris gave him a pointed look.

“Are you sure about that?” she asked and his scowl returned. “You look even less inclined to explain things now than you did this morning.” 

Eris crossed his arms and Iris did the same, standing opposite him. The last time he had seen her in white was their wedding; it had looked lovely on her. Now, standing in this rather extravagant robe, she looked as beautiful as ever. Downright edible. It made his shoulders slump and he ran a hand over his face. How was he to avoid touching her when she looked like that?

“Again, I wasn’t trying to embarrass you. I am – struggling with how to phrase this.” he finally said and Iris nodded patiently which only made the tip of his ears heat. 

When a few moments passed and he didn’t elaborate, Iris sighed. 

“Let me assist you with this.” she said and Eris lifted a brow.

“...Alright.”

“I am assuming you’re still attracted to me, yes?”

Eris rolled his eyes. “How much more obvious does my cock need to be for you to know that?” he said and Iris flushed, pointing a finger.

“Check yourself,” she warned and Eris held his hand up in surrender. “And I am also assuming you do want us to be intimate at some point?”

“Yes.” 

“So why are you hesitating?” she asked, curling a strand of hair behind her ear. “Is it because I have hesitated in the past?”

Eris shook his head slowly and struggled to let the words leave his mouth. He looked at his wife – really looked at her. He watched the slant of her full mouth, frowning slightly as she waited, felt the weight of her hooded hazel eyes on him, standing there like a gift he was more than ready to unwrap. But…she was already condemned to be his wife and mate. Did he need to condemn her to stay tied to his memory should something happen to him? 

He didn’t trust his father one bit and the way the High Lord kept sniffing around her made him uncomfortably tense – like his father’s slimy ways were seeping into him – onto her. It made him anxious, anticipating the worst. More than usual and that was saying something. 

He glanced at Iris once then looked down at his hands. He knew she was nervous about what he’d say and the last thing Eris ever wanted was for her to feel any kind of discomfort with him but…he didn’t trust his father. Eris did not want to consider what Beron would do to her. She needed to have a plan. 

“This morning when I stopped us, it wasn’t because of anything you did. It was because I was trying not to be selfish with you.” he said quietly and her brows furrowed.

“Selfish?”

Eris ran a hand over his mouth and sighed softly. “I want you so badly that I was – am willing to keep you with me forever.” he said. “But I also know that I can’t do that to you and would rather have you prepared for the worst-case scenario.” 

Iris forced herself to take a breath, her fingers tightening in the folds of her gown. “The worst-case scenario being…”

“My untimely death when my father hangs my body on the flagpole for the court to see an example of what he does to traitors.”

She felt the blood drain from her face and quickly shook her head, refusing to let the image of what he just said take root in her brain. Her grip tightened on her gown and forced herself to take a breath. 

“And how will we be ready for that, dare I ask?” Her voice was tight and Iris refused to believe in such an option, refusing to even consider that Eris wouldn’t be fine and whole by the end of all this.

Eris ran his tongue over his teeth, trying to word it in a way that didn’t cause him additional strain when he finally forced himself to say, “I want you to prepare for a longer stay in the Day Court.”

She let a heartbeat of silence pass before she asked, “How long?”

His expression turned stoic and he met her gaze as he spoke, “In the event our worst-case scenario plays out, I want you to have an out.” he said firmly. “You would be long gone by then and if we don’t – if the mating bond isn’t fully accepted, you have an out to never return or be tied to this court again.” A muscle flexed in his jaw and he felt himself choke on the words as he continued, “You would be free of me, the bond, and all that it entails.” 

“Free because you’d be dead.”

“Yes.”

He watched her expression as she blinked rapidly, silence stretching between them and Eris could only clench his hands in his lap as she opened then closed her mouth, her expression shifting through her emotions until eventually settling on disbelief. 

“Is that what you think?” she asked incredulously. 

Eris only straightened. “You won’t have to live with too hard of a loss. With any kind of guilt or lingering feelings. I’m sure it won’t be easy and will take some adjusting to but I’d rather you lived and dealt with the loss of an unfilled mating bond than die or be tortured enough to wish for death at the hands of my father when I can’t be there to protect you.” He said and his expression hardened as he repeated firmly, “I want you to have an out.”

And Iris could only stare at him in stunned silence, her battered heart cracking at the seams. 

[sparklingjay]

Here is the whole Sonic X Shadow Sonic channel translation for you just in case you haven't read it before or if you want to read it again:

I got the translation from here:

Beneath the light of the full moon stood the trendy business and shopping district of Mission Street. Sonic perched atop a storefront that overlooked the block, stargazing.

He came here tonight to witness a celestial event.

As usual, Sonic arrived with time to spare, so he turned to watch the hustle and bustle of the city below — when he spotted a black hedgehog engaged in fierce combat behind a back alley… Shadow.

Shadow was one of Sonic's most formidable foes, rivaling his abilities in every way.

He didn’t always choose the dark side, but his ruthless “ends-justify-the-means” attitude had a dangerous unpredictability that sometimes put him at odds with Sonic and his friends…

What was Shadow doing here?

Curious, Sonic dropped to Shadow's side.

Before them lay the wreckage of several G.U.N. Beetle surveillance drones, spewing black smoke and sparks. This was serious.

With an accusatory tone, Sonic asked:

"Yo, Shadow. Looks like you're having a fun night?"

"This is none of your business. Stay out of my way."

Shadow responded curtly, then disappeared into the darkness — but Sonic wasn't one to be left behind. A high-speed chase ensued as they weaved through the twists and turns of Mission Street.

They ran along walls and leaped between buildings, coming to blows as they sped through the rumbling highway into the tunnel… After some time, Shadow kicked out his heel with fearsome agility, but Sonic caught it with both hands.

I'm ending this…

I couldn't dodge it…

They paused in blade lock until Shadow jumped aside, seething in frustration.

"Why are you following me?"

"I don't want anybody pinning your crimes on me again."

"Ha, aren't you paranoid? I'm busy. Farewell!"

Shadow pointed at Sonic, a flickering stone in his hand… A Chaos Emerald.

"Wait! Hold up!"

"Chaos — Control!"

There was a brief flash of blinding light! And when it cleared, Shadow had vanished.

Chaos Control… This was Shadow's signature move, wielding the power of the Chaos Emerald to warp time and space.

To perform this technique with a weakened Chaos Emerald, after exhausting his own power in the previous battle, was an impressive feat for Shadow. Left alone, Sonic could only stare up at the night sky.

"Shadow…"

☆ ★ ☆

Later…

A few blocks away, Shadow had silently infiltrated a suspiciously large bank. The wreckage of a newly-destroyed Beetle rolled at his feet.

"Here. I'm sure of it."

He dispatched another armed Beetle that emerged from the back and proceeded to the second-floor vault, incapacitating the guards who dared fire upon him. As he reached the reinforced vault door, he saw —

Sonic, standing with a smirk, twirling the key card between his fingers.

Using the energy detector he borrowed from Tails, he tracked Shadow’s location and snuck into the bank through an alternate route.

The fact that there were military Beetles all over town, that not one of them sounded an alarm after being destroyed, that they open-fired without warning…

Well, Sonic thought there was something unusual about the whole thing.

"So, what are you willing to exchange for that key card? …No, stupid question. You want the full story of this situation."

With a dour sigh, Shadow lifted his head and recounted the evening’s events.

"This place looks like a bank, but it's a fake… It's actually some sort of a G.U.N. research facility. They're conducting experiments on a mysterious electromagnetic capsule seized from the Doctor's base after our last battle. Now I fear they're using this place as a front to develop even deadlier weapons within the city."

Shadow slowly approached Sonic, continuing:

"I received intel that this capsule is a disguised time bomb set to explode at midnight tonight. If true, it has enough power to obliterate half the city. I tried to send a warning, but they failed to heed it. That's why I came here. What do you believe?"

Shadow paused in front of Sonic, glaring at him interrogatively. Several seconds passed.

"I don't know what to say."

It was a lot to take in. As Sonic worked out his reply, the detector picked up a sudden energy spike and sounded a loud BEEP! Whatever it detected was inside the vault.

"But I know I trust Tails' device."

Sonic grinned at Shadow as he slid the key card through the card reader on the vault. A heavy metallic clanging echoed from within.

Undeterred, Shadow placed his hand on the vault when…!

BANG!

The vault door swung open from the inside, and a group of researchers frantically rushed out.

"Get out of here!" "It's about to explode!"

Emergency sirens wailed as people fled the scene. The whole facility was in a frenzy.

When Sonic and Shadow burst into the lab, they found that it was much larger than they expected, and at the center was a glass-encased capsule about 6 feet tall, protected by an electromagnetic barrier, emitting intense light.

A swarm of armed Beetles spotted them and unleashed a barrage of bullets, despite the imminent countdown.

"Talk about a work ethic! Shadow, you get the bomb!"

“…!”

Sonic easily cleared out the three guard robots before him. Shadow leaped through the ensuing blast toward the capsule. The electromagnetic barrier sensed his approach and emitted an electric charge — then deactivated just before Shadow touched it. At that exact moment, Sonic found and destroyed the barrier generator. And then…

"Chaos — Control!"

A halo of light erupted from Shadow's Chaos Emerald, enveloping the surrounding area. And when the light subsided… There was no trace of Shadow or the bomb. Then, seconds later…

A massive explosion filled the sky above Mission Street.

The fireball was so huge that it eclipsed the moon. The soundwaves that followed shook the surface of the earth. Sonic saw it as he leaped from the bank and gave a cheerful thumbs up.

Meanwhile, Shadow, already outside via Chaos Control, looked on with frustration. He had intended to teleport the bomb into space. However, he could only do so much with a malfunctioning Chaos Emerald.

Shadow pulled out the Chaos Emerald and tossed it to Sonic.

"Shadow…?"

"This is no better than a fake emerald. If I give it to you, maybe your soft nature will restore it."

Sonic shrugged as he caught the Chaos Emerald with one hand.

"I was gonna say thanks, but I take it back…"

☆ ★ ☆

"Why are you still following me?"

Shadow asked without turning back as Sonic trailed him down a deserted road outside Mission Street. Sonic wrapped his hands behind his head and gazed into the night sky.

"I'm the one who should be asking the questions. Since when did you become such a guardian of peace?"

"I don't care about peace. I don't care about these people. What I can't stand are the fools of this planet who believe they can get away with whatever they want — whether that's the Doctor or anyone else, including you. So don't misunderstand me."

A few seconds of silence followed. Shadow scowled, but Sonic kept grinning.

"Okay. I getcha. I'll do my best. But I think some people out there would wanna thank you for what you did today."

"Nonsense. Who would —"

Fed up with Sonic, Shadow stopped cold and finally turned back to shut him up…

"…!?"

Sonic stood with his arm outstretched, the lights of the distant city behind him, pointing up at the full moon shimmering out in space — and floating just above that, staring down at them, was the Space Colony ARK.

The sight of this spectacle left Shadow speechless, the ARK appearing otherworldly in the glow of the moonlight.

The ARK… An ark of hope and pain. The place where Shadow was born, where he gained and lost so many precious things and so much time. A tomb lost in the void with nothing left to sacrifice for this planet.

Once a year, there was a night when the orbits aligned, and the ARK was visible directly above the full moon.

Mission Street was one of the best spots to see it, and Sonic loved the view of the two cold, majestic “moons” against the sea of warm city lights.

Shadow silently watched the ARK.

Nobody knew how many memories or secrets of the past remained in his heart or how he felt about them to this day. But to Sonic, his silence seemed like an answer.

As if in response, Sonic slowly lowered his pointed finger.

Shadow traced Sonic’s gesture downward with his eyes —

— until it landed on Sonic’s own smirking face.

"Enough…!"

Shadow dismissed, then straddled a hidden motorcycle in the bushes at the side of the road. It was a heavy G.U.N. bike. He must have prepared it there ahead of time.

The engine revved to life, drowning out any further comments from Sonic…

"It looks better on its own anyway."

Shadow sped away at full throttle. Sonic didn't chase him this time, but as he turned away, there was a hint of disappointment behind his smile.

☆ ★ ☆

Beneath the light of the full moon stood the trendy business and shopping district of Mission Street.

Beyond the peaceful glow of the city, a lone shadow drifted away as if it was exiled.

The shadow was indistinguishable from the darkness — except to the moon, hanging over the bustling metropolis, watching the shadow from above, always… ★

[script-a-world]

Submitted via Google Form:

How can I physically create a species that can see/detect all light wavelengths? I'm very willing to handwave why evolution would do such a thing. The important reason would be these species are seen as supers or godlike sorts. The only thing is that the species needs be is look fairly humanoid and around our height and the main eyes look fairly like human ones do.

Tex: If you’re handwaving evolution, then use technology. This wouldn’t be inherently part of a species, since it wouldn’t be something that could be reproduced in children's naturally, but if others are ignorant as to the exact technologies being used by that species, that could easily come across as something superpowered or godlike.

Feral: I wonder what you mean by “all light wavelengths.” The electromagnetic spectrum is quite vast with wavelengths ranging from “smaller than an atomic nucleus” to thousands of kilometers in length. In physics, microwaves, radio waves, and gamma rays are all considered light, but seeing that range would make for some very weird eyes and a very crowded visual world. You use the phrase “see/detect,” and I would definitely say that “detect” would be a better idea and broaden the scope of how someone might detect, physically sense, the full spectrum. For example, humans can in fact detect infrared light through touch sensation as radiant heat. This is why incandescent light sources (fire, tungsten-filament bulbs, etc) create “heat.”

[fidogo]

Thinking about… professor!Reader x gaz lolol

You’re an expert in your field, the number one authority on experimental electromagnetic technology. You’re at the forefront of fringe theory research and have dabbled in even assisting the government as an asset. It’s laborious but rewarding and leaves you with practically no social life.

You’re lamenting this at lunch one day. The quiet of your office is a blessing the majority of the time, providing a safe haven to think and theorize before you head to the lab, with nearly no interruptions (unless it’s office hours of course). But right now, the silence is unwelcome, and it leaves an itching feeling on your skin. 

You’re toying with a cup of pomegranate seeds, dragging a spoon through the gem colored drops. 

It’s amazing Persephone only ate six of them.

To be fair, you muse, she probably was picking them out of the actual fruit and not a cup full of them.

You maneuver your spoon, collecting six shiny seeds. The exact amount that condemned her life to be split into two.

Well, condemned or blessed depending on who you ask. The myth has morphed over the millennia, taking shape into something new and different over time. New meanings, versions, and interpretations overlapping and creating a mythos from a myth.

Nonetheless, what never changes are these seeds. She eats them and is whisked away to the Underworld for half of the year. To a break from the mundaneness of ordinary life. 

You swallow the seeds in a single bite, and pause. Waiting. The silence lingers on. 

Your spoon clatters to the table, and you try to ignore the flames of embarrassment taking root in your chest. It’s not like you actually thought something would happen. After all this is real life. 

A knock on your open door echoes in the room, and you tense.

He’s handsome, is the first thing you notice rather shallowly. He’s lean and muscular, wearing khakis and some sort of tactical shirt. You clock him as military almost immediately. 

“I’m Kyle Garrick, and I was told I could find you here. I’m afraid I might need your help.” You stare at him, not sure what to make of him.

Hades was never this polite in the stories.

You shake your head, offering him a warm smile.

“Well, Kyle, I’m happy to be of assistance.”

[cilil]

The honest to Eru reason why I've currently shelved my Angbang/Melkor/Mairon related projects in particular (and arguably Ainur in general, unless you count the 25% in Dior lolol) is that I'm... not quite content yet. Like, make no mistake, I don't hate my old works or anything; it's just that for the big future projects I never got around to thus far I'm missing a few final sparks, if you will. Some fine tuning. Some "back to the drawing board", reworking, refining. Also nobody take this as shade (somehow?), this is just me and a me problem and my issues with perfectionism that keep me from writing.

So I'm currently thinking about Ainur designs during the Almaren era, Melkor and Mairon in particular (this is not a serious headcanon post, btw, this is a brain dump that I feel like sharing with the besties on here). Anyway, I would like to try out some "weirder" designs, reason being that at this point Ainur haven't seen humanoids and are going with what they remember from the music and copy from one another. Adding various supernatural and/or animal features is a good start, but what I'm playing with right now in my head is also this angle of them looking kind of... proto-humanoid? Like basically "humanoid according to Eru's description, artist's rendition".

In Mairon's case, I've always liked the idea that his first forms while studying under Aulë looked like a statue of sorts. He made his first fána because he had need of it for work reasons, and while some of his peers may have kept it simple and others added their own flair (see above), he went about it like a craftsman would. Again: Artist's rendition of a humanoid body. And since Mairon is an ambitious artist and craftsman, he carefully crafted and sculpted a lovely shape for himself. The Ainurin version of Michelangelo's David, if you will. I also imagine Mairon's forms (all of them) as androgynously beautiful, the kind that's just absolutely gorgeous and stunning and inspires gender envy in all genders (nobody is safe).

Other ideas I had include making his skin either golden or marble with golden patterns and his hair being kind of... heavy? Like he shaped it into artistic curls and waves, but they would barely move in the wind, if at all; reason being that, at this point, he's a fire spirit working with rocks and metal, so flammable organic material is not his forte (to the chagrin of Yavanna. I like to think that, ironically, Melkor taught him about such material in depth later. But those are stories for another time).

As for Melkor, I want him to look the most human out of all the Ainur, funnily enough. I know this might sound odd considering he was barely even listening to the third theme, but he did have the greatest insight into the vision and it's a big theme that he's the most human out of all the Valar. Nevertheless, his fána would still have its "odd" and "unique" properties, just due to the fact that a) he's Melkor and b) he's weird and extra. Since he's still in a state where he can match all the other Valar and their Maiar on his own, his skin is pretty much impervious to any and all harm, to name just one example.

The main design elements I've been rotating in my head for his earlier forms revolve around his hair. I like to imagine it being pitch black at the roots, like the darkness of outer space, but becoming luminous at the tips. He's rocking the anglerfish ombré. Also depending on the angle and lighting and his mood the lights are constantly shifting in wavelength, and you see all colors of the electromagnetic spectrum flickering in and out of existence. Another thing I've been picturing for Melkor's hair in general is that it's constantly in motion, similar to Manwë who always has his wind around him. The difference is that there is no wind around Melkor. His hair just does that. If there's no wind at all, it's moving, and if there is wind, it's still moving, but not as it should. It's not super noticeable, rather subtle, but if you were to look at it for a long time, you would wonder if his hair is alive and has its own chaotic agenda. Also I'm fond of the idea that he likes to use it as additional arms, think Midna from Twilight Princess (either one big hand or smaller tendril hands, depending on what he uses it for).

...alright, I think that's all I got for now. Thank you for coming to my brain dump, I'll file this one away for future reference aka the inevitable return of acute brainrot

[the-tardis-is-blue]

It's definitely not an X-ray. So what is it?

You know this thing from The Robot Revolution?

You know how it's a blanket but also a screen but also an imaging device of some sort?

And you know how I have free will, a basic knowledge of medical imaging devices, and an internet connection?

Yeah I'm going to try and work out what on Earth is up with this thing.

So this device seems to have several different bits of technology that go into it, some more confusing than others. We've got:

Imaging of soft tissue

Imaging of bones

Colour-coding and labelling

Patient information

User interaction (it turns on when pulled over the patient, and later off when the Doctor flicks it)

Flexibility / warmth (since I would assume it also functions like a blanket, otherwise what's the point)

Let's start with the weirdest and also most important thing: real-time imaging of bones and soft tissue. There are several different techniques/technologies used for medical imaging, so here's a few possibilities.

Option 1 - X-rays, which are what the Doctor says is being used. His exact words are, "X-ray blankets! Radiation-free." Which... means worse than nothing because it's categorically untrue lol. X-rays are a type of electromagnetic (e-m) radiation - a label which includes visible light! What the Doctor probably actually means is that the blankets are 'non-ionising', meaning that the 'X-rays' don't have enough energy to remove electrons from atoms within the body (which is what causes all those negative side-effects such as increased risk of cancer).

Unfortunately, non-ionising X-rays just... aren't a thing. X-rays are defined by their wavelength, a property which directly corresponds to their energy, so a non-ionising X-ray isn't an X-ray at all: it'd be a different, less energetic wave on the e-m spectrum such as visible light or a radiowave.

There are also more reasons why this definitely isn't an X-ray machine, so for the sake of a complete argument here they are:

Current X-ray machines are far too large to fit in that blanket (presumably most of the technology fits in the hem). But this is a more advanced civilisation with more advanced technology, so we can pass this off by assuming they've worked out some other way of producing X-rays that takes up less room.

With X-rays being ionising, there is no way you'd want to use them more often than you had to. If this was using X-rays, having the blanket turn on automatically when moved over a patient would be hugely irresponsible. I could forgive the Doctor using it casually on himself because he's 1) an 'evolved lifeform' and 2) stupid (affectionate).

X-ray imaging works by essentially pointing a load of X-rays at the material (aka the section of the body being imaged), and then seeing how many of them get absorbed by something along the way instead of making it all the way through. To know this, you need something on the other side - which there isn't - to see where X-rays made it through the body and where they didn't.

X-rays are really rubbish at imaging soft tissue (such as the heart). The reason they're so great at imaging bones is because bones are fairly dense, so a lot of the X-rays get absorbed; but soft tissue isn't as dense, so most of the X-rays pass through and end up appearing as dark areas on the final image.

Side note: if it wasn't an X-ray, why did the Doctor say it was? Answer: he's probably not used to other people knowing what he's on about, so automatically dumbed it down to something that everybody would recognise as 'thing that makes pictures of the inside of the body'. Which probably didn't help for Belinda trusting him.

Option 2 - PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scanning. PET scans can do real-time imaging, which is a point in their favour, but are still ruled out. This is because PET scans requires the use of tracers, which are put into the body (may be through injection, breathing it in, or just eating it) before taking the image. They also make use of gamma radiation, which is another type of ionising e-m wave.

Option 3 - MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). This uses bursts of radiowaves (still radiation, but non-ionising!) to essentially give a load of energy to the protons in the patient's body. It then measures how long it takes for the protons to get rid of that energy by releasing it in the form of more radiowaves. MRI imaging actually does have a load of properties which would make it a good candidate here!

The radiation used is non-ionising, so there are no known side effects.

Good-resolution images of soft tissue.

You can change the timings of the pulses of radiowaves in order to control contrast, so you can look at lots of different things. They're not great at imaging bones, but they can do it.

Currently, MRI scans are very noisy and take ages (around 45 minutes!), but we can wave that off by saying this is an advanced civilisation and they must have found some way to speed that up.

Unfortunately, MRI scans fall down on one very major point: it's called Magnetic Resonance Imaging. In order for any of this to work, the protons in the body have to be put in a very strong magnetic field that makes sure they're all in alignment - which means that you can't do it in a room with a load of magnetic stuff. Like the Assorted Metal Things in the background here (not all metals are magnetic, but there's gotta be some iron in here somewhere):

And anyway, in order to measure those radiowaves that the protons are giving off, you need to set up detectors everywhere around the area you're trying to measure. Hence why MRI scanners look like this:

(Note: PET scanners look similar, which is another mark against them, as do CT scanners, which use X-rays to image slices of the body.)

Option 4 (last but not least) - ultrasound. Three cheers for ultrasound because I actually think this is the most likely! In ultrasound imaging, you have a transducer (there's a load of them in this thing:)

which produces ultrasound waves. When these waves encounter a medium (thing) that's got a greater acoustic impedence (density multiplied by the speed of sound within the medium) than the medium they're currently travelling through, some of them get reflected. Ultrasound imaging works by sending out a short pulse of ultrasound, then measuring how much is reflected. The greater the difference in acoustic impedence between the two mediums, the more ultrasound can be reflected.

Cool things about ultrasound:

Very good at imaging soft tissue, which is the main focus here.

Even current equipment for ultrasound imaging is fairly small and portable.

Non-ionising! So no known hazards to the patient or operator (current ultrasound imaging does require a skilled operator)

Measures with the same device that creates the ultrasound wave

Can do real-time imaging

Can produce 3D images

Problems:

Can't see through bone. The difference in acoustic impedence between soft tissue and bone is just too great - all of the ultrasound gets reflected.

Really, you need to put the transducer directly on the skin. In fact, a 'coupling gel' is used between the transducer and the skin to remove all air between the them and ensure that no ultrasound is reflected at the air/skin (well, gel/skin) boundary. Let's just assume that they've found some way of getting past this.

Normally, you'd have a load of transducers in the probe (the white plastic thing from the picture) and you'd rock the probe back and forth to cover as much area as possible. In this case, the transudcers are presumably just dotted around the blanket and there's so many of them that you wouldn't need to move it around for more angles.

Images tend to look like this. There's got to be a pretty powerful computer chip inside that blanket to reorder all the data and get it looking like it does.

There are probably more things it could be! There's a chance it's a mixture of several different technologies, or (more likely) something completely different to anything we have that can be hand-waved away with "it's a sci-fi show". But I am nothing if not an overthinker, and I've already put far too much time into attempting to categorise this thing, so I lose nothing by continuing.

Colour-coding and labelling. Computer chip. That's it. There'll be some really powerful computer in there (probably the result of a machine learning algorithm) that can recognise different parts of the body and colour-code them. Which is pretty cool.

Patient information. Now the really funny thing about this is that the computer seems to have no clue who the Doctor is.

It's probably attempting to work most of this out from the readings it's taking, but things like patient name it'd have to be told beforehand. This means that each patient (probably every missbelindachandrakind) will have their own profile in a database somewhere that the blanket is connecting to.

Yup, that's right, the blanket has WiFi. How's that for the Internet of Things?

User interaction. Like how mobile phones can turn the screen on when you pick them up for example, there'll be an accelerometer in there somewhere to detect if and how the blanket is moving. It's probably that a sharp movement turns the blanket on or off.

Flexibility. This screen is really cool because it looks like it's built directly into the material of the blanket? Flexible screens do exist but I've only ever seen them as smooth plastic: the idea of the screen being a part of fabric somehow is so cool and I wish I had any clue of how it could be done. Tiny LEDs woven into the fabric or something? Who knows. Sci-fi magic.

Warmth. It's fleece. Probably polyester unless they have a surplus of missbelindachandrasheep. Bias bound (most of the computer stuff is probably hidden within the binding) and probably double-layered to hide more computer stuff in the main body of the blanket.

Alright, I'm done now. Final answer: I don't know what it is but it's definitely not an X-ray. Thank you for coming to my TED talk. It's past midnight and I am going to sleep.

[phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess]

Mildly emotionally devastating concept, that I haven't found anyway to put into a fic or idea yet so here goes:

--------

The echoing chords of 'Happy Day In Hell' are ringing across the hotel grounds. Cannibals and bettes are carefully hacking away at the different corpses; some angelic, some sinner, some cannibal.

After all, the best way to honour a fallen cannibal was to ensure they lived on inside you... funerary rights in Cannibal Town could cause some distress if you weren't aware of why the mourning would bring their own condiments along...

Several members of the hotel are pointedly Not Looking at the way the angels are being dissected and broken down into a number of tupperware containers that apparently the cannibals just happened to have on themselves. Which was... alarming, buut practical.

Susan was easily visible haranguing the best cuts of wing meat from at least a half-dozen other cannibals and bettes within a four metre radius. That walking stick was a bit charred but it still packed a wallop.

"Should I... maybe go stop her?" Charlie asks, half-joking, because even despite her great power that woman terrified her. It was the aura of disapproval and scrutiny, she thinks, it's like Susan assumed you did something wrong and she was waiting for you to confess.

"Oh I wouldn't think so, it'd be a shame to have you survive that bore of a First Man only to be ended by her wrath, Charlie dear!" Rosie interjects, looping her arm with Charlie's as they turn towards the refurbished hotel. "Why, between you and me, I think she'd even have the audacity to wallop your father over the head with that stick if he tried to get her to stop... she's quite the... I believe the term is 'Karen'?"

Angel lets out a spluttering honk. "Holy shit, she's right! Careful Short King, you get too close and she'll leave you a 1 star Velp review..."

Husk grumbles, hiding his smirk behind a hand. His eyes keep snapping over to where Niffty was running free with The Blade in her hand, yelling excitedly. These little bouts of mania never last, after all.

His ears twitch at the annoying buzz of drones above them. That fuckin' television too cowardly to come help but always interested in watching, recording, putting some twist on reality for his own gain. Hated the schmooze on the guy even back when Husk was an overlord in his own right, you knew he was hanging around and paling it up in search of something.

The cat is pretty sure that Vox is part shark, which makes the anaolgy both better and worse. Sharks like to circle their prey, by the time you've seen them the damn thing has already made up its mind if you're Dinner... and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. Huh, actually they also use electromagnetic waves to sense prey, so, it kind of fits with the tv thing too...

Not for the first time, he wonders who chooses sinner forms and how that determination is made. Some of them are scary creative and yet entirely accurate... like Husk, he'd been a bit lazy and quick to lash out, always darting from place to place. Now he was a cat with fuckin' wings. Ain't fully sure about Angel's spider thing but the guy did always seem to be amidst a web of chaos, tangled in the threads.

And Al? Well, fuck, the guy was a not-deer. Sure, he looked the part of the stag, but it made more sense that he was one of those creepy cryptid Not-Deers that seemed all innocent til you got up close and bambi took a bite of you. He's also wondered if the guy was part voodoo doll, on more than one occasion... all those threads. But he's never had proof. Just some sort of cannibalistic deer.

Pretty sure it was a fucked up joke about how the Overlord died, and that he used to hunt down victims. But eh, who was he to figure it out? Maybe one day Husk'd get Lucifer drunk at his bar and ask how this whole shitshow worked.

He recalled meeting a jellyfish/cactus sinner once, and always wondered how in the 7 rings that'd come about.

"Husk? You good?" Angel elbows him, and he blinks back into the moment to see a cautious Vaggie trying to wrangle the Knife from Niffty.

"Zoned out. Wondering about why we drop down here like this... then went down a mental rabbit hole." he replied, easily. Information, but not enough to pin down his thought process. The trick with a good poker face was also a great poker mouth, but he refrained from sharing that analogy with Angel, because the demon would absolutely make a pun about poking things in mouths. And Husk had had a Loooooong Day so far.

"Char-char, why are there so many little winged camera things around?" Lucifer asks, jabbing upwards with his cane. "They've been everywhere all day, the exorcists seemed to just ignore them, but they don't seem Heaven-made. Actually, I don't think most of those stuck up fuckers would be aware of what the upper councils decided to do down here..."

"Hmmm? Oh, that's just Vox, ya majesty. He's got a little obsession with... well, someone else here. There's normally wards keeping him out but I think they fell with the old hotel... might want to get onto that unless you wanna risk your next shower being pay per view." Rosie tosses back, carelessly, stiffling a laugh. "No manners, that television... ugh, he used to be such a sweet little thing but then he met that moth..."

Her tone dripped with derision.

"Why, the other day he was waltzing into my town demanding an audience and I just about set Susan on him, because for some reason she's immune to his little eye trick, and I tell you! If I wasn't brought up to be a gracious hostess, I would've called Al over to help me figure out which bits of the smug bastard were edible, I've always assumed it's like trying to find the non-toxic bits of a blowfish when you really get in there. Flesh and circuitry for days!"

"Oh? Why would he deign to go anywhere in person, isn't that what those expendable and often delicious little interns of his are for?" Alastor asks, ears aimed right at Rosie now, a sparkle in his eyes at the schadenfreude being offered.

"Quite! The last one was some sort of octopi sinner, tasted fantastic with a fine white wine, I believe I still have some in the fridge if you have time later, deer. In any case, he'd gotten wind that Princess Charlotte had inspired my people to fight." Her expression soured momentarily. "Felt that he might be able to counter the offer with his new 'Angelic Security' devices, let us be something called a beta tester... still not sure what that means. Anyway, the poor fool was so out of sorts that he was even willing to make a rather significant deal between our two territories, wherein he would provide any employees or former employees who were... waiting to reform. All we needed to do was step back from the fight."

Lucifer felt hellfire escape his mouth with each exhalation. "Some upstart overlord thought he could try to usurp the allies from my daughter? On the eve of battle?"

"Now, now your majesty, in all fairness it was only Vox. This is what he does. I'm certain he also made an attempt at a Deal with Carmine once he saw the shipments coming in, and likely used all two braincells to work out why..." Alastor counters, grinning. He was never not grinning, of course, but this felt... genuinely delighted at the overlord's failures. "He failed, so why not simply allow it to go unpunished for now? His drones have seen us discuss this, he knows we know... let him grow paranoid and jump at shadows in that little tower of his."

Lucifer... blinked, and felt his horns fade out. "Heh, that's actually a good idea there, Bambi. Didn't think someone as outdated as you could get those anymore... not enough bandwidth. But you are, as painful as it is to say, right. Let him know the King of Hell knows his name and his sins... and he has all eternity to ensure that Vox will atone for them."

"...I do hope we all get front row seats to the performance, then. Unless you feel the need to designate on this task, in which case I would be more than happy to offer my services in this regard!"

"Awwww, Vaggie, they're getting along!" Charlie stage-whispers, looking simultaneously delighted and perturbed at the subject matter. She was angry at the idea someone had been trying to undo all their work around managing the incoming threat... but, maybe they could try verbal conflict resolution before jumping to beating them up or say, eating people?

"Well that's just fucking terrifying. We need to put a stop to that." Vaggie deadpans back, finally getting hold of the Blade. "Uh, can we put this somewhere she can't get it for now?"

"What? Oh, yeah... we can put it in a frame later on, but for now, just toss it through the portal, 'kay?" Lucifer glances over, swirling a portal open behind her revealing a dusty room filled with ducks. Vaggie dropped it through and it snapped shut before Niffty could dive after it.

"Nooooooo, that was my shiny! I got the angel!" Niffty protested.

"Come now, Niffty, that's no way for you to act now is it?" Alastor admonishes, taking the small sinner from Vagatha and letting her curl into his chest. He pets her on the back with a practiced ease that spoke of more than a few incidents of this very situation. "Do remain calm, if you can, and we shall see if perhaps an angelic needle might be procured so you can ensure those bugs never come back again, hmmm? Would you like that as a reward?"

Carmilla would likely be confused by such a request, but... for the right price, anything was available. And money meant nothing at the Sovereign rank, it just Was.

For some Sovereigns, that meant security and not having to fight every moment; that their souls were cared for and given the means to serve as healthy and well as possible. For others, who had forgotten how it was to suffer, it meant dragging every dollar earned from the filthy, desperate claws of their souls.

Husk may never admit it, but Alastor kept a standard for his souls, and ensured their needs were met. A starving, half-mad creature would be an unlikely helper; but a sinner who was fed, clothed and lived in an alright apartment where they had access to electicity and water and radios? They would be a good bet to back up the person who kept the lights on.

Husk was one of the few who didn't get an allowance... outside of certain matters. Mostly because everything was provided, and he had an unfortunate habit of gambling it away and accruing further debts. Really, Charlie needed to add in some sort of Gambling Addiction group or something... it was getting tedious eating loan sharks for Huk and Mimzy.

Ah, perhaps that was why Husk disliked her so deeply... the fact that they were, to a degree, a mirror for one another. But where Mimzy revelled in her chaos; Husk felt shame and self-loathing, both fine and entertaining qualities but ultimately unhelpful.

"Yeah, it's all good Niff. Besides, you took out the big bad guy, or the not good bad guy, not sure how ya classify it... but Adma was an ass and he had it coming. There's no more not-me angels to stab right now." Angel soothes, hovering a hand as if not quite sure if Alastor would bite him for breaching their space.

"See? Nothing is as bad as it seems, dear. Remember, you're never fully dressed without a smile... and you are a beacon of hellfire when you do, so why not buck up and tell Angel about how much fun you had with the winged pests today?" Alastor coaxes, handing the maid over to a slightly stunned Angel.

"Er, yeah... tell me about how ya got all the not-me angels, Niff."

"Oooh, well, there were so many of them and then you were shooting them and Husk was throwing booming things at them, and your yelling friend threw bombs at them and I liked how they made crackle boom noises, and then the angels fell on the-..."

"Don't panic, she has quite the lung capacity for someone her size. She'll breathe when she needs to." Alastor laughs, assuaging the dawning expression of horror on Angel's face as Niffty just kept talking in a massive run on sentence. He seemed to be waiting for her lips to go blue or the little thing to pass out or something.

"Terrifying to know. Thanks."

"Right, so... pancakes?" Lucifer hedges, turning to the gathered sinners at large and mainly aiming the question at Charlie. "I think everyone worked hard and could use something to eat, then maybe a nap. Or three. Anyone who doesn't want to participate in group naptime can always... shut up and lay down anyway because otherwise I will knock you out. Got it? Excellent. Now who wants chocolate chip? I can also do strawberry, chocolate, banana, pineapple, maple syrup, and ugh... even blood flavoured if anyone here is into that. Whipped cream straight from Gluttony ring, you'll kill for more!"

There was a pause.

"No one is allowed to kill for more. I've decided."

Charlie can't block the little snort that erupts at how ridiculous her Dad was. She wipes at her eyes, heart feeling full and tender at the strangeness of her old and new family coming together under the new hotel roof to celebrate their victory.

Her eyes do rest on the portrait of Pentious, and her throat constricts momentarily... but there's no time for that! Vaggie squeezes her shoulder, somehow knowing as she always does, when Charlie's thoughts have grown heavy. No, Pentious would want them to celebrate victory... not mourn. Not tonight.

That's what tomorrow was for. She could clear the schedule and having morning calisthenics and cathartic sobbing from 10am - 11am, then maybe some art therapy and scrapbooking or drafting letters to Pentious until lunch. Maybe an art class for free expression afterwards? No, too similar. Oooh, what about some primal screaming? That might be good!

"Whatever the Princess is thinking, I want to volunteer to not be part of it." Husk says, concerned about the face journey they were witnessing. It felt very... therapeutic. Which was alarming, in its own way.

"Aw c'mon kitty, I'm sure it'll be fun..." Angel coaxes, shifting Niffty to his left arms, waving at the approaching Cherri through the open front doors. He points up at the drones, and she frowns as she follows the movement.

A few little bombs take care of the technoflock.

Angel can't help but relax knowing the boss of his boss wasn't keeping tabs anymore.

"Pancakes sound good right about now, so let's get t'cooking. Then I'm taking you up on that nap business, for as long as Val will hold off on callin' me inta work."

"Why, my dear fellow, if he calls you into that Studio then perhaps it would be best for the hotel if you were escorted. Someone could... renegotiate your terms, by tearing the moth's head off, for example..."

Angel's breath caught in his throat. "Ya'd do that? Why, whatta ya want in return? Cause I already offered ta suck ya-..."

Rosie burst into laughter at the mildly offended expression on Alastor's face. "Oh, you are a delight Mr Angel Dust! Make no mistake!"

"...I have been meaning to remove the moth for a while, it was merely a matter of identifying a convenient time. All this extermination nonsense and all..." Alastor waved off the inquiry.

Angel felt a flare of resentment, because that waiting had cost him a lot... but he could see what was being offered, what was not being said directly. If it wasn't a service specifically for Angel, there was no debt accrued. Heck the wording sounded like Angel might get a favour out of it for getting him into the Studio.

Well, fuck, the Radio Demon was trying to make friends without actually saying it. Angel could work with that.

"Well, if you want to see where the magic happens... sure, I have the right to do Studio Tours." he shrugs, feigning nonchalance. The whole exchange has gone under the Royals notice. They might've tried to... help. And that hadn't gone over so well last time.

"Yeah, yeah, come on, let's get something to eat so I can sleep for a week..." interjects Husk, rolling his eyes at all these ridiculous theatrics. Ugh, theatre kids. You put em in the same room and it becomes unbearable being in the midst of their cryptic charades and subterfuge bullshit.

He might have a soft spot for Angel, and a weird bruised place for Al, but these two needed to knock it off. "How about we deal with all of Hell tomorrow and just have a day we put our feet up, huh? Won't even get wasted... might teach Legs here how to play poker properly. Which means the pants stay on, I'm warning you in advance, before you get any ideas."

"Awww, kitty scared to see what I got ta offer?"

There's a record scratch noise. "My good man, most of Hell is fully aware of what you have to offer, and so is everyone at this establishment after your very... creative... decisions around show and tell night presentations."

Rosie has tears beading at the corners of her dark eyes, she's laughing so hard behind her hand. "I'm sorry, Al, but the mental imagery that evokes is truly something... was that a... hah... was that a group therapeutic activity?"

"Well, it coulda been a group something, but no one was interested... shame, really. I rarely do things for free, it's a professional standards thing. But, I'm always down to give out a coupon if that'll help..." Angel waggles his eyebrows.

There's a rather pointed 'whump-whomp' sound effect as Alastor levels a truly unimpressed gaze at him. "Do not take it personally if I decline, dear chap, but that sounds like a lot of unnecessary workplace fraternisation... we'd have to run it by the Manager, unless you envision Charlotte also being involved? In which case, I expect his shortness would immolate us on sight."

Angel cracks up. Something about the idea of a wild bangsesh with the hotel staff being tidied up under the title of 'workplace fraternisation' absolutely sent the spider.

Husk, on the other hand, shuddered. "No thanks. Not even for you, Legs. You ain't seen some of the stuff in Niffty's notebooks... you let that side of her loose and none of us'll ever walk again."

"Ah, she is a darling girl with quite the imagination... I noted that her more recent drawings are getting quite good." Rosie agrees, studiously ignoring the wide eyed glare she got from Alastor, whose neck did a full 180 to stare her way. "Oh hush now, you... you know she loves to show me her achievements as much as she does to you. Why, she's our delightful murderous not-child after all..."

Angel pauses on the cusp of the kitchen, from which a number of concerning bangs and crashes were echoing, to stare between the overlords. "Wait, are you two a thing? I got a discount for couples and-..."

His next words are cut off by a dark tendril covering his mouth as Alastor reached his breaking point. The eyebrow waggle suggested that if the Overlord released the man's mouth, something truly and devastatingly lewd might slip out.

Rosie was no help, laughing uproariously to the point Lucifer peeked his head out of the kitchen to check all was well. He seemed to be wearing several egg yolks and flour... and his apron was singed. What on earth were they doing in there?

"You guys uh, good out here?"

"Of course, Sire, of course! Just fixing a little misconception, that's all... and then this charming starlet here made Quite the Suggestion! Oh dear, I haven't laughed this hard since I saw that upstart Velvette walk into a pole, too enamoured in her phone to notice, hah!"

"Why that sounds like a blessed event." Alastor agreed.

"What? You know what, you're all alive and I'm going to check on Char-Char... Vaggie's running out of extinguishers." Lucifer says, and disappears.

"Hmmm, she doesn't seem to have gotten your talent for cooking, my dear. You should rectify that soon, before this lovely establishment burns to ashes after all the effort put into gussying it up again."

"Believe me, I have tried, Rosie... our Princess can't seem to crack the fundamentals of even the most basic dishes. Even Angel tried, and between us we have managed to teach her to boil water without melting the pot. Truly an enigma."

Angel taps the tendril, and he is allowed free. "Whew, okay, yeah that was something and I will make a statement about tentacles later on. BUT, Smiles is right... dunno what it is about our all-powerful ball f optimism... but she can't cook to save herself. We're lucky it was a battle and not a bake-off or we'd be screwed."

Alastor can't help but laugh at that, Rosie's own curling around his tone. "Oh, now that would have been a delightful disaster to spectate..."

Rosie whaps him lightly on the arm. "Come off it now, deer, you know you would have found a way to help her or at least give her the answers... a poppet under the table, perhaps. I know you quite like the little powderpuff, don't go denying it!"

He flicks his ears at her, in a fit of pique, and she laughs harder.

"Yeah, I think she likes ya too, Smiles... and Charlie don't seem like the type to just let go of an attachment. So we're all stuck with her, in the best way possible. Good luck with that. I'm enjoying watching you get dragged, kickin' and screamin' into this weird family at the hotel." Angel grins, all teeth, the smug bastard.

"Husker, do remind me why I have refrained from eating your paramour so far?" Alastor asks, jovially, as a shrill scream echoes from the kitchen and the too familiar blast of an extinguisher in use.

"Cause he's a good source of entertainment, and gossip about the Vees..." Husk answers automatically. He's got a few answers on the backburner, just in case Al ever asked or needed to be talked down after another... Sinsmas lapdance incident. It'd been as funny as it was terrifying.

"Hmm, I suppose..."

The kitchen doors swung open and a rather dishevelled trio stumbled out with smoke trailing behind. Lucifer's magic was combating whatevver was happening in there, and the King's eyes were wide with disbelief as he stared at his daughter.

"Okay then, I'll just conjure up some pancakes then... while that fixes itself up. And then we ban my darling duckling from ever stepping foot in there again." Lucifer says, shooing everyone towards the dining area. "Well that was... informative."

"Mmm, that's why Angel or myself tends to run the cooking classes, whenever Charlotte here schedules them." Alastor adds, unhelpfully. "Rather safer that way..."

"Hey asshole, she's trying!" Vaggie snaps.

"And it's appreciated, but wouldn't you agree that if all members of staff work to their strengths it is... safer and more equitable overall, dear Vagatha?"

"I-... okay, that's a fair point, but back off Charlie. You know she really wants to get better at cooking..."

"And she will, in time, I assure you. But for now... I undderstand there may be pancakes on offer that would suit even Rosie's refined tastes, so if his Majesty could get to conjuring...?"

Lucifer whacks Alastor with one of his wings, shoving him out of the way with a sharp blow to the chest. Not anticipating wings appearing from nowhere, only Rosie's sure footing keeps him upright as she grabs him.

With a laugh, she twirls and dips him, leaving the pair chortling at the whole situation and utterly ticking off Lucifer, whose malicious grin dropped to something rather frustrated.

Alastor rights himself easily. "Why Rosie, old gal, I just realised we haven't danced in a while. Would you have any of the charming little Balls or Soirees coming up?"

"Not officially no, but I was thinking of putting some of the angelic meat on ice and setting up a festival in the next few weeks to celebrate our victory today." She replies, clapping her hands and crinkling the corners of her not-eyes. It would be a grand affair, as every event Cannibal Town hosted was purported to be.

"Well, the hotel staff and guests will naturally attend, though I do believe we may need some substitutions to be made... apparently even dear Angel Dust, who is no stranger to Sinner meat, isn't a fan of digesting it for some reason." Alastor responds, expression nonchalant as if he didn't just make a joke so blatant Angel nearly inhales a whole pancake in shock.

Cherri saves the day as she triumphantly bursts in to whack him on the back hard enough to dislodge the offending food. It hurtles across the room and is caught in Niffty's dustpan tray.

Angel wheezes, "Did I go insane or did Smiles just make the joke I think I heard?"

Rosie looks scandalised. "Why Alastor, are you not using your impeccably worded ill humour here? For shame, young man! For shame! Why, I still remember the time you made that statement about electical ports that made Vox short-circuit and explode a jukebox... oh, his smoking screen was delightful!"

"I have no idea what you refer to, madam."

"You stop that rot or I'll pull your tail in front of everyone, Al... just like you're pulling my leg with this faux innocence nonsense." Rosie chuckles. "Oh deer, you're lucky I'm Fawn'd of you... the things I Doe for you. I really should stag for it."

"That last one was a reach and you know it, Rosie." Alastor shot back and side-stepped her playful attempt at mauling.

"There's some kinda chemistry here, but I'm getting the feeling its less romantic and more like... whatcha gotta do to make a bomb." Angel says, narrowing his eyes at the pair. Starling a laugh out of both overlords.

"Oh, speaking of bombs, there's a few out amongst the wreckage I can't seem to find. They're gonna go off in a bit, timed the little buggers cause I wasn't sure if we'd need to put a little surprise on our corpses and all. So, don't go digging through the rubble for a bit, alright?" Cherri says, hoiking a thumb over her shoulder.

"Er, maybe we go see if Dad can find them before an ally gets blasted into chunks, huh?" Charlie says, nervously.

"Probs for the best, princess. Vox still has his little spy eyes floatin' about outside... might not be good to let the idiot box get a pic of you blowin someone sky high after the battle." She shrugs. "No skin off my nose either way a'course."

"Persistent today, isn't he deer?" Rosie says, rolling her dark voids and bumping their shoulders together as the late breakfast of a thousand pancakes is abandoned in favour of finding explosives to prevent future disasters. Or watch them first hand. Given the audience.

Lucifer was practically dragged by the wrist towards the front doors by his frantic daughter; Vaggie trapped by the other hand. Angel had his phone out, curious to see where this went as Cherri came along for shits'n'giggles.

"Come along, Husker..." Alastor said, pointing out the door and putting a too-companionable arm about the cat's shoulder as he dragged him out. "Well, my good fellow, let us see what chaos the rest of the day brings..."

There was some deep mumbling of almost insults, but the cat capitulated easily enough. His ears flicked in interest as someone outside shrieked and something let out a deep muted boom.

"Oho, the fun is just beginning!" Alastor grinned, and released an array of poppets from his shadows to help scour the field. Rosie also grinned, noting how much her foolish friend clearly cared, and how devastated he was going to be when he actually realised it. Why, that was going to be hilarious to weather!

"...-veryone could just stop digging for a minute while we, AHH! Oh, they're just helping look... could use more warning next time, Al!" Charlie called as they broached the front doors behind her. "As I was saying, anyone digging, step back we're looking for explosives!"

Vaggie added to the command with a more authoratative tone.

Lucifer was above them all, hovering with eyes a blood red scanning the area about them. He pointed to different devices and tossed them into the sky to detonate. A few of the poppets found devices and piled on them until they triggered.

Those damnable drones watched them the whole time. No matter how many were blasted by accident, ahem, during detonations... another two would turn up. The proverbial hydra indeed.

There was an interminable beeping coming through the airwaves aw well, rather pissing off the Radio Demon, because it seemed only he and possibly the King and Princess were aware of it. Although Vagatha was rubbing at her temple and glancing about.

"If anyone is interested in the source of that noise, I suspect the drones are emitting it. Not certain why, though. Possibly just to annoy." He informs, glaring at the cameras and feeling his distortion field flare persistently.

"Oh is that what that is? Going to have a word to Socks about his meddling, it's annoying." Lucifer mumbles, batting a few drones to pieces with a flex of his wings.

Vox, in retaliation, ramped up the sound. Everyone was now able to hear this incessant beeping rhythm; and of course, the blasted thing was just out of synch enough that one couldn't possibly try to ignore it. It was like someone had forced morse code, a dying furby and an old dial up modem to procreate and then they fed the child through a blender.

It took up residence in your brain and shook the foundations.

"This fucker is going the right way for a Royal Fucking!" Lucifer growled, and then paused. "Of the ass-kicking kind. Just to clarify!"

Vaggie was covering her ears, "Ugh, can we make him stop?!"

Alastor was directing his shadows and tendrils to start destroying anything hovering above them, and definitely being sure to only land glancing blows on the king...

"What a sloppy little tantrum this is, I can't fathom what he thinks he'll gain by ticking off the royal family and most of cannibal town. You may get your wish to try butchering his vile corpse, my de-..." the jovial tone cut off with a choked exhalation of surprise. Followed by a rather confused, "...Rosie?"

Alastor collapsed as her bloody hand pulled free of his back, clutching the struggling heart in one fist, expression devastated as she bit her lip to shreds.

Charlie whirled around and screamed.

"S-sorry deer, Vox... came to visit..." Rosie mumbled, disgusted at how she couldn't make her own body stop, how she couldn't drop the heart. How his eyes locked onto hers, hazy with pain and betrayal before they fell blank.

Husk snarled as the chain and collar appeared, her dusky pink subsuming the mystic green all the way to his throat. Niffty's agonised cry came from inside the hotel and she burst outside in a panic.

Rosie couldn't stop it. She couldn't...

And Niffty's expression was as devastatingly accusatory as Husk's was infuriated. Charlie was shaking the deceased overlord at her feet, begging him to get up, for her father to help them.

And those damnable drones watching, recording, likely streaming to millions of souls the sudden betrayal of Sovereign Overlord Rosie to Sovereign Overlord Alastor. She would be reviled, if allowed to live. Vox had broken both of them.

"Please, Dad... can you... can you fix this?" Charlie sobbed. Not another one, not today, they couldn't even bury Pentious... and now this?

"I... he's a sinner, ducky, he'll reform once he grows his heart back." Lucifer assures, and snaps up an obscuring barrier when he feels too many eyes intruding upon the moment.

Vaggie has her spear pointed at Rosie. "Give. us. his. heart. back. BITCH."

"I don't... think I can..." she manages, through clenched teeth. "Said... to eat... it..."

"Who?"

Husk's eyes went wide. "Vox. That motherfucker came to visit you and put a little trigger in your head so you'd betray Al... cause you two together are a threat to his little Vees." There's a pause. "And he always thought Al liked you... that way, but didn't like him. Jealous fucking prick. Shit... never thought I'd hate the day he didn't own my chain anymore but... this ain't right."

"H-he'll be fine, he'll reform soon enough." Angel asserted. "I've seen some fucked up shit in Hell, but in one of the Studios there's a whole gore and vore section, they... they pull out stuff and eat it and it just takes a bit of time and a boost down the chain to get 'em back up and running. Not sure about time frames, though."

Niffty is biting Rosie's arm and it hurts, but even now she can't drop the heart. He'll regen faster with it, but her brain wants her to eat it, like she was ordered to.

With a wet thunk, her hand drops to the ground and finally the fingers release the organ. Niffty scoops it up and hands it to a horrified Charlie... which is intercepted by the more practical Vaggie, and she searches the wound for the best way to get it back in in position.

"Sir, can you... do anything? About this? I'd hate to drop it in upside down and-... are you okay? Your wing... there's blood on it."

"What? Oh, not mine... that's Sinner blood, still got the golden ichor thing going on. Wonder where it-... oh." Lucifer's expression tightens as he turns the deceased sinner gently onto his back, mindful not to let the wound touch the cement. Because it would stain. Not because little bits of debris in the wound would be irritating as hell to the healing process. Definitely the first reason.

Okay, this is fine. It's not Terrible. But... oh, Char-Char is not gonna like this. Lucifer makes sure the barrier is transparent before he snaps open the overlord's ridiculous amount of shirts to reveal a rather messy line of stitches on a wound that sang with angelic grace.

"Well, okay, that could be a problem... Char, do we know how he got hit with an angelic weapon?" Lucifer asked, trying to ascertain if this would count as something fixable, or if he'd have to have the same talk with Char he had when her last pony had 'gone back to the earth'.

"He faced Adam on the roof, and then disappeared." Vaggie adds in, helpfully, and it makes the king cringe. "I didn't think it would be this bad. I felt some residual but... they'd been snacking on angel bits after the battle, so..."

"Yeah, okay. Char, I know you liked the annoying deer, but I need you to understand that the fact he was already severely injured by fucking Adam..."

There was a pause. "Okay no, I heard it that time. I meant that he was hurt, while fighting adam, who is a motherfucker. Slightly more literal in the case of you, Charlie, but to be fair, I also-... not the time! Got it! Okay, let's fix your overlord... if I can. Because what I was trying to say is that there's a chance that... it might be permanent."

"Did Vox know, when he set this all up? He's been obsessed with Al for decades... no way he'd risk killing him for good, right?" Husk says, ears flat.

Angel and Cherri are flipping through their phones, expressions darkening with each post.

"He knew. There's a video taken of Al's fight with Adam, he's kicking the guy's ass up until his staff gets snapped in half by that axe thing... looks like the light from it blinded him for a sec, and then Adam did that. Vox's got it on every news channel, right beside a video of Niffty stabbing the guy and his majesty over here letting Adam go. Got his own spin on it already..." Angel grounds out.

"The fucker's also already got the video of the creepy hottie over there killing the hot psycho up on Vitter and Sinstagram." Cherri reports. Velvette was a fucking nightmare when it came to spreading information online. No one in hell would be ignorant by this time tonight.

"And even if he does live, Rosie gets his soul or she frees him and his souls are forfeit. The fact she killed him without a challenge is going to be more against him than her." husk explained. "You can take a soul in a challenge, like Al did to me, or a battle... but this? This is gonna tank her reputation as well."

"Would a statement from the Royal family, who witnessed it, help?" Angel asked, jerking his head at the pair. His Majesty was doing something with oddly burnt-looking golden light, hauling it hand over hand into a ball that Vaggie was holding with the enthusiasm of someone handed a well-used nappy.

"Maybe... but he was associated with the hotel, the princess's hotel... they could see it as saving face." Husk mused, trying not to think about the fact that the body beside him was getting cold. "On the other hand, if Vox is forced to admit the truth... that might save it. But that depends on if what the King is doing is gonna work."

"Not. Helping." Lucifer snarls. The gold light is finally coming to an end, and he's hoping that the lack of it might get the body to recognise it wasn't, in fact, double-dead from an angelic wound but instead a regular sinner death. So it might trigger the reanimation magicks saturating the Ring.

He prodded the Overlord's chest, realigning the heart to the correct position with a gentle nudge. Vaggie had been pretty spot on, actually. Good head in a crisis, gorgeous, first aid skills and a warriror to boot... he can't wait to welcome her into the family!

Wait, focus on the now.

"Okay, come on you smug fucker, I need to win one of these weird dad-offs against you, I can't have the score be 1-0 due to a death-based technicality. Oooh, I';'m gonna make you eat so many sugary snacks after this, little mister i-don't-do-sweets, until you puke..."

Charlie is distraught, but also verging on worried. She's hoping that's just the sound of her dad letting his mouth move to keep it busy so his brain could think, because otherwise she might need to do an emotional check in around the hostility between Al and her Dad.

Rosie just stares, her blood is plip-plip-plopping on the ground in a growing puddle that Niffty is ignoring in her worry. Her Overlord powers are boosted from the influx of new souls, so the wound is scabbing over. Why, by tonight she'll have a new hand... but at what cost?

Even if he lives, will he ever trust her fully enough to turn his back to her, as he had done today? How many decades of trust had that taken?

He used to turn his back on Vox, too... before the fallout. And now Vox, in his pique, had seen fit to remove Rosie from the very brief list of people Al trusted absolutely.

Would he allow Husk to dip him like she had? Possibly, in certain circumstances.

He would let Niffty climb him, and dance with him. She was even sighted curled against him when she'd had a nightmare, and he held her back without his skin crawling.

The little Princess, perhaps he would let her close enough... but something else held them apart. She hadn't yet guessed at it.

Angel Dust, surprisingly she could picture Alastor allowing the other within 5 feet. As long as the spider kept his hands and mouth appropriate... there was a lot she sensed from that sinner, he didn't seem a terrible sort. But... he was also a toy for a Vee.

And that would put him high on the list of suspicion.

All these thoughts hinged on if Alastor lived.

And right now... he seemed unresponsive to the best of the King's efforts, to the growing awareness of those around them.

She reached for his chain, perhaps a boost would help? That always gave her cannibals and bettes a better chance of avoiding certain demise.

...and she gasped.

That drew attention to her again.

"What?" snaps Husk, his tail lashes. He wants to be angry at her, but he's restraining it, given he knows this wasn't her choice. "I mean... look, I didn't mean to be short with you, it's just-... ya covered in his blood and Vox is too far away to turn into a scratching post."

"I can't find his chain to give him a boost. Even if he was... there'd be a broken chain there, whipping in the ethereal wind." she says, voce quieter than she's used to.

Husk's pupils turn to slits. He knows something.

"Husk...?" she hedges.

"If he lives, he's gonna kill me for this, powers or no powers... you know he was a fucking nightmare from the minute he landed, and the Overlord status, the souls, they only boosted it to the next level."

"He won't, if it's important enough, he'll understand after a bit of a rampage. Now spill it, mister!"

"Look, I dunno who it is... but he has a deal. Reckon it's why he went missing for 7 years or so without warning. His soul doesn't belong to him, anymore... but all his souls do. I don't understand how that works, so don't ask. But it would've had to be someone extremely powerful or the most fucked up situation to force him into a Soul Deal."

Lucifer spared a hand to resonate with whatever was sitting about the Sinner's throat, and made a rather disgusted sound at the ludicrously tight manacle that started to manifest now he was paying attention.

"Yeah, Hunk's right... someone very powerful put their mark on this. Obscured it a bit, but I'm the fucking king of hell, so... one sec." Lucifer concentrates, and then jerks back with a hiss like a scalded cat. "I must have read that wrong because... that felt like Lillith's magic all over, and she's been gone for-... oh."

"He knows where mum is?" Charlie's eyes are wide with longing and betrayal. "Why didn't he-... do you think she told him not to say anything?"

"Oooooh yeaaaaaah, there's a lot of clauses on that bad boy he's locked in. A gag order wasn't even close to the most fucked on the list... but there is something we can use. Two of the clauses I can make out deal with only dying in defence of the hotel, and not dying until his task is complete or otherwise negotiated."

"Well he did. Die I mean. And sort of for the hotel." Vaggie adds, haltingly.

"But, the chain isn't gone." Lucifer counters. "Meaning the deal considers him alive and able to regenerate because he didn't meet the criteria!"

"Sir is going to be okay?" Niffty near shrieks in his ear. And wow, when did she get there?

"Er, seems like it..." Lucifer said, applying another little pulse of his own magic to the body, sealing up the torn arteries and ventricles to give it a headstart on the healing. "I-...oop, there we go, I felt a heartbeat. And there's another... and another. Excellent. Your pet is going to be okay!"

She throws him A LookTM that is all Lillith.

"Daaaaaaaaad..."

He laughs, the sound cathartic. "Okay, okay I'm KIDDING char-char. He's an asshole that I'd love to pound... er, like as in fighting... but he still fought for you and so far none of his weird shennanigans have actually hurt you. And if he's here on behalf of your mother then I want the chance to ask about it."

"Should we move him?" Vaggie asks.

"Can't stay here forever, unless you think he might like to regenerate with a tan?" Lucifer jests. "Alright, rock paper scissoring for who wants to carry the fucker inside?"

Angel and Cherri look interested in that version of the game, but husk steps in. "I got it... wouldn't be the first time. Not as heavy as you think, but also not as light as someone that thin suggests. C'mon you antagonistic deer, let's get out of lens range. Pretty sure you'll rip it off when you wake up, but we don't need to make Vox's cock any harder than it is..."

"What the FUCK could you possibly mean by that?" Vaggie looks like she might throw up. That could also be the adrenaline crash coming on.

"Er, well even I know that Vox has a... thing, a kink or a fetish or something like that, for hurting the strawberry pimp here. Seein' him hurt and brought low. Got something to do with their breakup or whatever, sometimes Val bitches about it but never gives clear answers on that." shrugs Angel, looking uncomfortable. "I've seen some specific shit in my time, but the guy... he's obsessed. There were a few times Val had me play with him and Vox, and there were... there's a whole closet of body pillows with Smiles on em. He usually tears them to shreds... but it was the wig and the cosplay that really made my skin crawl."

There's a pause.

"He ain't the only infamous person here who Val has outfits for, for the studio... but if the King of Hell wants to deal with the fact there's a film coming out called Prince-yes of Anal: The Cummination, with a weirdly accurate casting for the main characters... you didn't hear it from me." Angel adds, making pointed eye contact.

Lucifer has already passed all five stages of grief the humans know of, experienced the other seven, and has passed into a sea of pure calm fury. "I'll take that under advisement... I'll be tearing your boss limb from limb in the next 3 to 5 business days!" He says too cheerfully.

"For that, I'll let ya have the Deluxe Package for ya own pac-..."

"Please stop. Today's been a lot so far... and we still have to undo whatever this mess is." Lucifer silences the porn star. "I mean, thanks for the consideration, but boy howdy do I want to kill your boss and setting you free is a bonus. No price necessary."

"What do we do about Rosie?" Vaggie asks, eyeing the Overlord.

"Well, first we go inside then I'll see if I can pick out the exact magical frequency Vox uses and erase it from her completely. Then, we''ll see about that hand... and then... I have no idea how we fix the optics or whatever its called. The fallout?"

"The moment he's awake and well enough, I will return Alastor's souls and contracts to him. That's what we're going to do, my good man!" Rosie interjects, allowing the King to lead her inside with a frm grasp on her upper arm.

Husk has laid Alastor down on a couch, and Charlie was sitting as close as she could in an armchair, staring intently at every faint inhalation. Angel was carefully trying to alternate between wiping off the excess blood from teh healing wound with a wet cloth, and keep Niffty from 'helping' with her cleaning rags.

Didn't need an infection on top of unanticipated heart amputation, now did we?

"Say Niff, can you help Al by going and getting him some new clothes? These'll need washing and repairing."

"Yes! YES I CAN!" She's gone in a blink and back almost as fast with abundle of everything that is placed reverently by the couch.

Rosie is led to a chair further away from the group, and the King stares right into her eyes the second she's seated. It's like having your brain x-rayed, its the only way to describe it.

His eyes are red, and things shift around in her mind before something is tugged, dragged and snuffed out. He blinks. "Alright, that should do it. Any compulsions to murder the deer again?"

"Not at all."

"Great. Don't do it again. Charlie was very upset."

"I promise."

"Cool, excellent, let me fix your hand." He waggles fingers and the appendage starts to regrow in a golden light. "This might feel odd... I've been told it's like when you sleep on your hand and it goes tingly for a bit but then it's fine."

Angel's wrangled some of the shirt off and Charlie is valiantly not looking to allow Alastor maximum privacy. Cherri, on the other hand, is clearly getting a sticky beak in and committing it too memory as one of the few people alive to see the great Radio Demon half starkers.

"Fluffier than I thought..." she tosses out, testing Charlie's resolve, and the Princess peers through her fingers. "Hah, caught you snooping, just look... can't be too picky when you're half torn apart. Looks like it's pulling together though, s'all good."

"Oh, it does seem to be healing pretty fast. That's good right? Wait... doesn't reforming need a lot of energy - should we get him something to eat for when he wakes?"

"Oh I think you can scrounge somene up from outside. See if they haven't wrapped up all of Ignatious and Berthilda, those two were kind souls who wouldn't mind if we used their remains to help a friend heal properly." Rosie pauses to think. "Unless of course you find Susan deceased out there, in which case she would be the ideal candidate for us both to share."

She laughs.

Charlie give a nervous, uncomfortable laugh and Niffty lets out an unhinged gale. She doesn't know why they're laughing but likes being part of things.

In a move that gave at least three occupants of a room a rather ironic heart attack, Alastor sits upright, startling everyone in four feet.

"...she would be far too tough to bite through, have you gone mad, old girl?" echoes from somewhere around Alastor's head, but distinctly not from his mouth. He tenses, hand going up to his half-dressed front, and snarls. "What...?"

"What do you remember?" Charlie hedges.

"Dealing with explosives, and then seeing Rosie's hand erupt from my chest like the creature from Alien..." Alastor realises, too late, that perhaps he shouldn't have shared that he knew that particular cultural phenomenon. "I mean, to say, that I have read a book about the-..."

"You've seen a movie? I thought you'd rather die than-..." Angel cuts himself off.

Alastor lets out a strained laugh that does emanate from his mouth this time. "Quite. The picture box was insistent I see things he deemed cult classics... some were more fun than others. That is neither here nor there."

Rosie stepped towards Alastor and noted, crestfallen, the small flinch he can't suppress in time. Several bodies move between her and the overlord she'd been practically family to for nigh on a century.

"Deer, I am so sorry for this... Vox, he seems to have left a nasty little surprise when he visited Cannibal Town the other day. I didn't realise or I would never have been so close to you... I promise." She says, sincere as possible as the words dodged between a number of bodies to reach her fawndest friend. "Do lay back down, you'll only tear things further, I'm afraid that was not my best kill... you know I value precision, normally but this was haphazard."

A sigh. "I suppose that this has spiralled out of control and he's already gloating about it on his little machines?"

"Afraid so. Everyone is painting this is an opportunistic ambush... we shall need to work hard to correct it. But between your network and mine, I think we can turn the tide back." She pauses. "Speaking of back... I'm afraid I need to return some things to you that I accidentally acquired. Would you let me close enough for that?"

"It's not me keeping you away." The radio voice said over the airwaves. Several people shifted, letting her closer, but staying pointedly nearby just in case.

Rosie knelt beside her best friend, and put out her hand. The one barely regrown, of all things, the skin not quite the right shade but it would fade as the magic settled.

"I, Sovereign Overlord Rosetta of Cannibal Town return to you, Radio Demon Alastor, the souls which belong to you through contract, combat or otherwise made deals as they were unfairly obtained. This will return your status as Sovereign Overlord, and I will speak up to advise the truth of the matter to the public to thwart the current rumours of your demise."

Without hesitation, he took her hand. The magical backlash took several of the assembled off their feet as ducky pink and blinding green writhed through the air. Faint screams echoed and chains clanked.

Niffty and Husk felt their collars activate, the chaisn changing colour once more. It was a relief as much as it wasn't.

The rush of power seems to have gone straight to work aiming for the injuries, just as she'd hoped.

"Bit soon, wasn't it? The guy was dead a minute ago." Angel questions, still holding a spare shirt for Alastor.

"Well, yes... but holding onto souls you didn't earn is like... ah, like food poisoning. It's fighting you back the whole time. And to the Overlord they belong to, soul bonds and the power they bring can be enough to seal even normally fatal wounds with the right application."

"It's fine Angel, though I do understand your apprehension, I did somewhat promise to deal with your pest problem and then had the audacity to go and dide on you. The height of rudeness!" Alastor laughs. "Never you worry though, I will deal with him shortly when I no longer have a window through my torso."

"Okay for one, I was genuinely worried ya died it wasn't about the promise or nothin, cause you're a spooky fucker but the minute I can get a clear photo of ya, guess who's going on the wall with my other friend pics? That's right, and you can't stop me!" Angel says, glaring down, hands moving a mile a miinute. "And two, don't you go worrying about Val... Short King is gonna kill him first for the porn parody of Charlie he's got in the works."

"A picture can be... negotiated. If that is what you wish for, though the sentiment is hardly necessary." Alastor says, and Rosie fight the snort at his nonsense. "And secondly, no I don't think so. How can you trust in a man who can't recall the day of the week to carefully deconstruct your owner until he is a bundle of sobbing nerves? No, no, I shall go and do it this instant! Can't leave it to chance... and the Vees need to Pay For This Insult..."

Shadows rise up from the couch amidst much horrified yelling... and then Lucifer snaps his fingers, vanishing them in the same instant golden tethers appear around Alastor's wrists.

"Oh no you don't, bellhop. I spent way too much time putting you back together like the proverbial kings horses did to humpty dumpty, so we're NOT going to fuck that up again by dying on me again. Got it?"

"It seems I have little choice but to obey... a rather common trait amongst the royal family." Alastor snarls.

"Oho wow, okay. Also, how the FUCK do you know my wife? We;ve got time now, while you sit there and let healing happen, so come on and spill it."

He appeared alarmed, then covered it.

"If you know of it, then you know I cannot possibly share than information. And I do believe that I would much prefer to be in my room-..." the stubborn man tried to dissolve into shadows again, and when that failed, he started to get up despite some very vocal protests. The hands reaching for him paused and jerked back when they noted how stiff he'd gone at their approach.

Angel remained still as stone, knowing he was standing behind a man who had just had a Bad Day involving a literal backstabbing.

Lucifer, annoyed and perhaps slightly a small amount a little not at all if you checked on a cosmic scale concerned... was having none of it. He didn't relish the way the other twitched back as he flew over, getting in the Overlord's face, not like he would have under other circumstances, but he needed to get the point across.

"No, we're not doing this. You straight up died today, and it was pretty fucking awful for us too, the others moreso because I was already working out what kind of pet memorial I'd need to rig up in the palace garden for you. Like all of Char's other pets..."

The indignity was radiating off Alastor now.

"But this whole blustering thing has to stop. I know you're prbably hurting and don't feel able to trust anyone, heck that was my first three thousand years in hell after we fell because boy does it take a while to reform after burning to ash after your family betrays you. But anyway, what I'm trying to say is that everyone here helped bring you back and keep you safe. No one's gonna waste that effort just to off you while you take a nap to finish sealing up those jagged nightmares in your torso."

Alastor's ears are pinned flat in some kind of negative response but honestly lucifer is beyond caring. The guy has to hear it.

"For some reason, they like you, and I know it's hard to trust because your weird psycho-ex stalker got your bestie to kill you publically or whatever... but these guys won't do anything right now. They might beat the shit out of the picture box if he comes within four feet of here, though."

"No, it's about optics, Rosie and I need to be seen together acting as if it was merely an elaborate prank... we can't let Vox win."

"Why not? He's gonna be dead in 48hours, let him enjoy his hate boner for a bit." Lucifer shrugged.

"His wha-... ? I don't want to know. Rosie, you understand what I'm saying, surely?"

"Well, yes, but we can allow it time to fester. How deeply disgraced would he be if you appear fine and hale in a few hours time and throw his information under suspicion. So many assume the news is doctored as is."

"Rosie... you have betrayed me a second time in one day..."

"Ouch, that wasnt really called for, was it Bambi?" Lucifer winced. "Sounds like you could use a timeout... goodnight."

He taps the sinner dead centre of his chest, and a golden burst of power drains the consciousness from the Overlord. Several hands manage to catch the lanky form before it crumples, and he's laid back on the couch with care.

"Well, now that's sorted, who wants me to reheat the pancakes while we plot how best to destroy these Pees I've heard so much about today?" Lucifer grins, clapping his hands.

"Oooh, me me memememememememeeeeeee!" Niffty yells, and then stills. Eye going horrifyingly wide. "I want to pour Vox's blue blood on my choc chip pancakes until they go soggy..."

"Love the enthusiasm, but I can only offer whipped cream or maple syrup today. Maybe blood if there's some uncoagulated around here." Lucifer replies.

"Oh, okay... I'll have whipped cream and sprinkles please!"

"Coming right up, little lady! Now, Charlie I-... oh, I see you've brought in a whiteboard for this. Excellent. Who has an idea how we can ruin the Gees? No idea is too silly... let's get creative. I have an excellent idea involving a giant wooden duck..."

Husk tucks the blanket back around Alastor, holding a disgruntled expression taut on his face as best he could. But secretly relieved things had at least gone back to the status quo.

He watched idly as Angel added an idea involving something that couldn't possibly fit in any orifice in Hell, and explained why he was justified in requiring three large shark sinners wiedling chainsaws. That was noted down as Plan K by a mildly bemused, mostly horrified Charlie.

He nudges the sleeping Overlord. "Hey fucker, turns out more people care than I think you'd even imagine... so it's gonna be amusing to watch you fumble through that incoming affection. Might be worth keeping my chain. But you know what the best bit is?"

He craned in right next to that fluffy ear. "See, I think you also like 'em back a bit and that scares the hell out of you... so I'll be sticking around to keep your ass alive long enough to see you have a meltdown over this unconditional affection. So you rest up now, Al... we've got all eternity ahead of us."

--------

No real end, its 2am fml ive written what was meant to be a brief concept for several hours and it has no conclusive end

mostly it was meant to be 'how fucked would it be if Vox got to Rosie and she, the only one alastor trusts, was the instrument of his death in a betrayal so strong he'd never trust again?'

My thinking is either Al dies, or he's so shaken that Vox thinks he could step back in with open arms and get what he wants.