#this is what i mean by angel path but chance of demon/evil path

[herequeerexitentialfear]

a conversation in the caverns between wenduag and alaunius[my commander] a missing conversation that would have happened if alaun was 5% less lawful good and voiced to wenduag exactly why they were short with cameillas father. still not 100% on the stoic-ness level of alaun so this is semi cannon. also i finished the maze but that was a few hours ago, this is more script than fully fleshed out prose and ive only played 4.5 hours so eh on characterization.

-

wenduag: "your one of the soft uplanders, thinking holy powers will save everyone. takeing hits for us poor poor lower dwellers. as if we dont know how to take them"

alaunius: "the young ones shouldent need to. take hits, that is"

"…"

"why are you saying this wenduag?"

"you seemed short with the posh guy. i havent known you long but i know your type. i though everyone deserved kindness."

Alunius's long paces slowed. "nobels.." they sighed. "well, they tend to be on the wrong end of things"

"your happy having the rich girl along though" hands demonstrating crudely why she though they wanted cameilla along.

"shes skilled. her father on the other hand…" a glance to check the others were out of earshot "…is the type to throw gold at all his problems"

"and you took that gold. should i call up your goddess and tell her you broke your stupid rules??"

"we already needed to get out. those 'stupid rules' of mine dictate that i would need to help him indirectly anyway so what should i do. let us all rot down here to spite him? the fact that coin will be used to help people and not stashed away in his coin-purse is enough spite for me"

"your a rather bad paladin if your being spiteful."

"he has enough money that attacks on character and nonphysical comfort arn't part of the holy care package"

"they sure taught you long words in the mountains"

"… in essence as long as hes alive i dont care. he can deal with discomfort"

"you know i think your not so bad. for a paladin"

alaunius kept his eyes on the path ahead "of course. for a paladin"

[laismoura-art]

Heya, folks! Who's ready for a new AU?👀

Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel, founded 5 days ago by Cetrion's ✨️delusional✨️ daughter, Harumi Shirai :D

Now, this is a Scorpion!Harumi AU... AU! So I'll be using the Scorpion!Harumi Crew and their dynamics as reference to parallel the characters. With that in mind, let's meet the hotel staff!👀

THE PRINCESS, HARUMI SHIRAI:

She has a dream! She wishes to tell! It's certainly laughable, but hey kid, what the hell? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Harumi is heir to the throne of hell, but she doesn't think much of it. Her focus lately has been solely towards this one thing:

The Hazbin Hotel!✨️🌈🌸💕 Where she will guide Sinner towards a path to salvation and away from Heaven's annual Extermination!

Hopefully...

THE BODYGUARD (AND GF), LISA LIANG:

At first glance, Lisa Liang may seem rather scary, but when you get to know her... she's still pretty scary!

But underneath all that anger (obvious unresolved trauma), mean attitude and secrets beats a lovingly and devoted heart!

Devoted to Harumi and Harumi only!

Seriously, DON'T mess with Harumi!

After being terribly injured during an Extermination, Lisa was rescued by Harumi, and from that day on, Lisa made it her life mission to protect that beautiful soul at all cost, do everything in her power to assure her dreams were fulfilled!

Even the seemingly impossible ones...

THE (ONLY) PATRON, KUAI LIANG:

The Hazbin Hotel's first (and only) guest. Don't mind him. He's only staying here for the free rent!

Or is he?

Kuai may not seem much at first glance, but stick around, and the demon will certainly surprise you!

Take the information as you will...

THE BARTENDER, HANZO HASASHI:

Need to vent? Then talk to the bartender! He may look like he's not interested, but trust me, he is the shoulder to lean on!

But don't push your luck! He's not here because he wants to be. He's here because his damned boss decided to play hotel manager and needed a doll to play with (ugh! Such an insufferable guy)!

But despite his boss's antics, Harumi's incessant singing, Lisa's constant scolding, and Kuai's insistent flirting. They weren't the worst lot to be around.

He could get used to it. Yeah... he could.

THE MAID, FROST:

She kills bugs!

That's all you need to know.

Seriously.

Move on. (ಠ_ಠ)

THE MANAGER, (DARK) RAIDEN:

The damned boss.

He's been here since day... he's been here a week. But is faithful as a nun! Or something...

And he wants to help!

Why, you ask?

SHEER. ABSOLUTE. BOREDOM :D

Probably... ig... who knows? I don't!

And neither do you :)

THE QUEEN OF HELL, CETRION:

Absent awkward, mother. She's trying, but she's usually busy.

She was once an angel, you know? Helped create stars and gardens!

That cool plant you like? She probably made that one!

Nowadays, she makes plants mostly for herself...

She has a garden of her own and all! She grows her very own flowers, unlike anything heaven's limitated ass could ever think of!

I mean, could heaven ever make

✨️The Magi-tastic Backwards Lily Flower?✨️

✨️THAT SPITS F I R E??✨️

Yeah, didn't think so😌

THE FIRST (SECOND) GUEST, BI-HAN:

Pretty sure he once had a big army, maybe he was even a leader or something. But nowadays? He's just a bit silly!

He came to the hotel as a spy, sent to keep an eye on Raiden.

But the "super villain" started to grow a bit too comfortable in the hotel and too accustomed to the compliments.

He got sloppy and was caught embarrassingly fast!

But with a simple sorry spoken straight from his core, he was given a second chance! Not that it will mean much-- H*LY SHIT HE [MAJOR SPOILERS]!!

THE HEAD SERAPHIM, ASHRAH:

Look, she's not evil! Just misguided...

She wants to protect her home and her sister and is willing to do whatever it takes!

But maybe she will calm down once she meets Heaven's newest resident...

THE OTHER SERAPHIM, SAREENA:

You can call her Sareena, Reen, Sa, Ena, whatever!

She's usually very sweet and bubbly, but she's not feeling particularly bubbly at the moment. She's learned some stuff, you know?

Maybe a new friend may help her raise her spirits?

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

BONUS CHARACTERS:

THE LEADER OF CANNIBAL TOWN, DELIA:

I want to start including Delia in more on my stories, she seems like an interesting character who totally deserves more attention! Plus, I like the idea of her and Raiden bonding as (not elder) gods!

Plus imagine Delia using a big hat like Rosie's to cover her eyes!👀

THE WEAPONS' DEALER, SINDEL:

Fierce mom of two girls who would do whatever it takes to protect them.

We all know I don't need to elaborate

KUAI LIANG'S TWIN, TOMAS VRBADA:

Congratulations to Tomas for being the only one of Kuai's siblings who managed to remain his sibling on this AU, lol!

THE YET TO BE RESIDENT, CYRAX:

As Kuai's friend, I think she would fit as Cherry Bomb! It's not like Cyrax is not familiar with bombs, am I right?👀

Now, there are a couple characters that I'm still figuring out, Adam and Lute for once, have been particularly tricking!

I'm also still pondering The Vees and Lilith...

Regarding who I already choose, I know some of the choices may seem odd (Raiden, Cetrion and Bi-Han most likely) but I had my reasons for them, if you're interested in hearing them, feel free to ask, I'll gladly elaborate!

Also, please, if you have ideas to who may be the other characters, do share! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

A bit of a disclaimer before I wrap this all up!

Crimson Shadow (Bireena) is one of my main ships and is a thing in here, too! So Angel!Bi-Han will date Seraphim!Sareena. But that DOES NOT mean I ship Emily and Sir Pentious! This ship is for the AU ONLY!

That's all folks! Hope you enjoy my crazy AU!

Tagging the AU Squad:

@mikka-minns @madamealtruist (fellow Hazbin girlies)

@thedragonholder (cause you like AUs)

@running-with-the-feels (my not so discreet way of tempting you into watching Hazbin Hotel, lol)

[ultrainfinitepit]

For your spider-sona, what do you think their canon event looks like? Or who is their uncle Ben figure?

That's a good question Anon! I've been thinking about this a little. My first Spidersona was Spider Knight, so in my head Spiderphim is the same character continuing on their character arc.

Spider Knight never knew their parents, all they knew was the knight who took them in and trained them to be his squire. This knight was Sir Benegar, whose pennant bore a spider that Spider Knight would ultimately take as their symbol. Sir Benegar served Lady Maybelle, who Spider Knight became close with and saw as their own mother just as Benegar was like a father.

Spider Knight lives in a medieval world where magic is real, demons plague humanity, and angels fight them but are rarely seen.

When Spider Knight was only sixteen, Benegar was killed in a battle with a formidable evil, a fly demon named Beelzebub. After that Spider Knight took up his shield and title. To protect themself against demons, who can consume the true names of mortals to gain control over them, Spider Knight hid their name and true identity, and went only as "Spider Knight."

For a while Spider Knight dealt with other threats: demons are far too powerful for a single knight to handle, especially one so inexperienced. They battled a fellow knight who had turned to evil, the Green Goblin Knight; a sinister Plague Doctor Oc; and even crossed paths with a mischievous swordsman named Deadpoole. Eventually Spider Knight grew strong enough to try and take revenge on the demon Beelzebub. They tracked him down, armed with a sword blazing with holy fire - and they failed catastrophically and died.

As Spider Knight stepped into the river of death, ready to drink the waters and forget their life, an angel appeared to them as a reflection in the water. Somehow Spider Knight knew this reflection was who they always were, who they were going to be, and yet someone else entirely. The angel asked for another chance, and Spider Knight agreed to give it. But a toll had to be paid first. Spider Knight sank into the water, whispered their true name and removed their mask. Their shield and broken sword disappeared into the depths. Everything went dark as they drowned.

When Spiderphim awoke on the funeral pyre, she brought the sunrise with her. Her new form was strange yet exciting, and very warm. By this time Beelzebub was long gone, but Spiderphim didn't mind too much, the chase would mean she could see the world through her new eyes, which were plentiful. And she could help so many people along the way!

So to answer your question Anon, it is Sir Benegar who is Spiderphim's Uncle Ben, and Spider Knight's own death is their canon event.

While I consider Spider Knight and Spiderphim to be the same person, it is less clear to Spiderphim who will surely go through some angst about if they are the same; or possessed by an angel who ate their name; or that same angel, who just has the memories of a person who burned away on the funeral pyre. I also envision some plot point where other angels show up because I like angels, and I think Spiderphim is very annoying and would like to see her annoy them.

[rustandruin]

I love that we’re getting to see Crowley and Aziraphale’s journeys in terms of rejecting Heaven and Hell and choosing their own side.

Crowley was a literal angel who questioned the system and saw flaws and wanted to make things better and give creation a chance. They found beauty and meaning and joy in the act of creation and just wanted all they made to exist and thrive as best it could. But being censured for all this was enough to make them “saunter ‘vaguely’ downwards.” And their questioning was enough to make everyone in Heaven brand them as a demon/Evil. Even though they’ve expressed the most concern we’ve seen regarding the fairness of how humans are treated than anyone else on the series. They know there’s a better system out there, while navigating the wishes and whims of God and Satan because they’re the ones living here on Earth and seeing all the hues and nuances of our existence down here. It’s why they and Aziraphale used to trade miracles and maladies back in their old roles. It’s also why they were so painfully lonely until Aziraphale came along.

Meanwhile Aziraphale is less further along on his path. He’s been living here and he’s familiar with humanity but only because he’s been enjoying and partaking in the best parts of it and so, sees nothing too wrong with the system. And why would he? He’s on the side of “Good,” as far as he knows. He never has to worry about money, race, gender, or any of the many factors that affect our existence as humankind. Even his bookshop doesn’t actually have to sell books to remain “in business.” He believes in the ideology his side espouses, but as far as he knows he has no reason to go against God’s word. And as we see in the case of Job’s children, even if he does disagree with an order, he probably won’t take action. No, that’s Crowley’s job, because they are a demon and so can. He can’t see how constrained he is by the side he is on, or how there are multiple grains of truth to what Crowley is saying. If anything, this season marks the start of his own “fall.”

Because he needs to wake up and realise how fucked the system is, before he finally forsakes it and truly chooses their side.

[euterpessi]

Romance Manhwa/Manga Recommendations:

Historical Manhwa/Manga:

Death Is The Only Ending For The Villainess

I’ve reincarnated as the reverse harem game’s villainess, the one and only adopted daughter of the ducal Eckart family.

But the difficulty just has to be the worst!

Everything I do will only lead me to death.

I must be paired with one of the main male characters from the heroine’s harem before the ‘real daughter’ of the duke family appears!

Two older brothers who always pick a fight with me on every little thing.

The insane crown prince whose route will always lead to my death.

‘I only see the heroine and no one else’s wizard, and also her loyal slave knight, too!

‘First, let’s take some of them which I see no hope in, out of the list!’

“I didn’t know my place up until now. From now on, I’ll live as quiet as a mouse so you wouldn’t care the slightest bit!

But why do their interests in me keep on rising every time I draw the line?!

The Villainess is a Marionette

Cayena, the Imperial Princess, was known as the most beautiful woman in the Empire. She was a woman who knew nothing but evil and luxury.

However, she was destined for ruin: she would be used as a chess piece by her younger brother to secure his throne and killed by her crazy husband.

“I’ll make you the Emperor.”

“… Sister, are you referring to me?”

“In exchange, give me freedom.”

She had to change things before she became that Cayena.

The Reason Why Raeliana Ended Up At The Duke’S Mansion

Poisoned to death by her own betrothed?! Eunha didn’t wake up in a novel’s story just to get killed off again as an unfortunate extra! To change her story she needs a cover… 6 months pretending to be the fake fiancée of the novel’s male protagonist, Duke Noah Wynknight. But will this cold-hearted, angel-faced demon of a man really help her avoid another ill-fated ending?!

Your Throne / I Want to Be You, Just For A Day

The story follows main characters Medea Solon and Psyche Callista, who become archenemies after competing for the position of crown princess of the Vasilios Empire. On the day of the Yearly Prayer, Medea and Psyche accidentally switch bodies.

The Remarried Empress

Navier was the perfect empress, however, the Emperor wanted a wife, not a colleague. And so, the Emperor abandoned Empress Navier and placed an enslaved girl beside him. That was fine until Navier heard the Emperor promise the slave the Empress’ position. After many ups and downs, Navier decided she would accept being the Queen of the neighbouring country and remarry.

Kill The Villainess

Eris Mizerian was the villainess of a novel. The only daughter of a marquis, she got executed after scheming against the pure and lovely protagonist, Helena. My only goal, after possessing her, is simply to leave this world and go home. I am prepared to face even death, but the laws of this world keep stopping me.

A changed Eris begins to draw the attention of three men who once loathed her; the Crown Prince, the High Priest, and the Knight.

"It doesn't matter. I will never be able to love this world."

Even if the only way out is death,

even if the only way out is make a deal with a witch...

I will absolutely leave this world!

This is the story of the villainess who defies fate, Eris, and her escape from this world!

The Way To Protect The Female Lead's Older Brother

I accidentally took possession of someone in a 19+ reverse harem novel.

The problem is that I became Roxana Agriche, the older sister of the sub-villain. My damn father kidnapped the heroine’s brother. Now, is the only thing left to meet a terrible end from the vengeance of the heroine?

But what if I can avoid that horrible development?

“I’m also interested in this toy.”

“I’ll protect you until you can get out of here safely.”

The heroine’s brother, Cassis Pedalian, will definitely be able to pay me back later.

Shadow Queen

“Can you be my daughter for me?”

By his offer, Elena became Duke of Franceschi’s fake daughter.

She became the queen and gave birth to Crown Prince’s son.

Then suddenly, Princess Veronica who was assumed dead came back.

She was only just a toy.

But eventually, Elena gets her son taken and is murdered.

However, she went back to the past.

“I’ll destroy all of you.”

I’ll never live as a toy again.

Elena decides to seeks revenge.

Under the Oak Tree

The daughter of a duke, the stuttering Maximilian, married a knight of lowly status at her father’s coercion.

After their first night, her husband departed for an expedition without another word.

He comes back three years later, this time as a famous knight in the whole continent.

How would Maximilian face him on his return?

"The more I think of you, the more lonely and lonely I become. I don't know why I can't quit even though it's so painful."

I'm Stanning The Prince

Angela’s fanfic became such a sensation that it even reached the Imperial Family, leading her to get arrested on charges of treason. Nevertheless, her fanfic improved the First Prince’s image, and his sister, the Princess, decides to take political advantage of this and keep Angela by their side. 

The heroine who can now fangirl to her heart’s content, and the Prince who doesn’t know how to act around her. As they bicker back and forth, they start growing closer…

Miss Not-So Sidekick

Hyejung loved to read to escape her daily stress. But that’s before she woke up inside the bizarre world of her favorite novel! Instead of the main heroine who courts three eligible men, she is now Latte Ectrie – a minor villain that everyone hates?! One way or another, it’s a chance to live out her most beloved storyline, with popcorn in hand to watch all the drama! Taking charge of the narrative takes on a whole new meaning!

Even Though I’M The Villainess, I’ll Become The Heroine!

I wasn’t able to overcome the harassment and took my life, but I was reincarnated with the perpetrator? The perpetrator is the heroine, Florre, and I am the villainess, Dahlia, who’s going to die horribly.

“They said you are a villain with neither blood nor tears, but unlike the rumors, you often shed tears.”

“Your Highness must believe all the nonsense the idiots are talking about, huh?”

Grand Duke of Cervian, the half brother of the Male lead and who will be punished for treason afterwards. He approached me. I can’t lose the man who will be my greatest ally.

“Your Highness, would you marry me?”

“Now…… what did you say?”

“And take revenge together.”

A similar situation, a fixed ending. The heroine is not the only one who knows the ending of the novel. I took a long and arduous path of revenge.

Who Made Me A Princess

The beautiful Athanasia was killed at the hands of her own biological father, Claude de Alger Obelia, the cold-blooded emperor! It’s just a silly bedtime story… until one woman wakes up to suddenly find she’s become that unfortunate princess! She needs a plan to survive her doomed fate, and time is running out. Will she go with Plan A, live as quietly as possible without being noticed by the infamous emperor? Plan B, collect enough money to escape the palace? Or will she be stuck with Plan C, sweet-talking her way into her father’s good graces?!

The Villainess Reverses the Hourglass

With the marriage of her prostitute mother to the Count, Aria’s status in society skyrocketed immediately. After leading a life of luxury, Aria unfairly meets death because of her sister Mielle’s schemes. And right before she dies, she sees an hourglass fall as if it were a fantasy. And just like that, she was miraculously brought back to the past.

“I want to become a very elegant person, just like my sister, Mielle.”

In order to face the villainess, she must become an even more wicked villainess. This was the new path Aria chose to take revenge on Mielle who murdered both her and her mother.

The Evil Lady's Hero

Junipe Magnolia, a villainess friend of the heroine in this novel called Rael Cania.

The Junipe inside the novel has always loved the male lead, Iseed. To the point where she harassed Rael out of jealousy because she's loved by Iseed.

And thus, Junipe is destinied to die in the hands of the male lead of this novel.

But one day.

"Why did I become Junipe?!"

But let's think about it, it's still one year away from the time Junipe is going to get killed by Iseed. So, I have to meet Iseed and Rael first, I'll be able to find a way out of my death if I do so.

Yeah, let's meet them first!

But, this man is just so tender-hearted and kind. Would Junipe be able to escape from this man?!

I Tamed a Tyrant and Ran Away

God gave me a chance to relive my life. Before the rebirth, I had been used for the past 400 years as the empire's sword. And so, I swore to destroy the empire. I found the young prince of the country and became his teacher. I taught him how to become a tyrant and asked for the country.

"I will do the lady's will."

He conquered the whole empire for me, and I ran away.

"I came to take you, Charlize Ronan." Dylan became a perfect tyrant and searched the entire empire for me.

"You tamed me, so why did you run away?"

Untouchable Lady

“Please, Hilise. Please die in place of Gabrielle.” My always dignified brother begged me for the first time. He wants me to die for our stepsister, whom we don't even share a drop of blood with. “For the first and last time, I ask you this.” I've always been miserable, and there is no exception this time. The seventh time that I was betrayed and killed, I was completely free of lingering feelings. “I'm glad that you're a scumbag until the end.” I won't be swayed by love anymore. It's my turn to abandon them first.

I’ll Live On As A Villainess

I reincarnated as the villainess in a book!

The one who dared to commit attempted murder on the heroine is the owner of this body?

Let's just live in a quiet place where we have fun and eat! That's what I thought for a while.

It was so, so, so cold here in the north, where I was kicked out as a punishment.

Before I froze to death, I called the Great Demon of Fire and set fire to the fireplace but...

Why isn't he going back? If you've done the job, shouldn't you go back?!

I was flustered to find out that I had signed a life contract with a demon just to start a fire but to think that I'd be responsible for relieving his desires!

The bickering romance between a big puppy demon and a small villainess lady!

It Looks Like I’Ve Fallen Into The World Of A Reverse Harem Game

When I opened my eyes, I was in a different world. I had become the game’s villainous princess who was feared by all. Not to mention… Completely naked men I didn’t even know were approaching me left and right! “Are you cold? Shall I warm you up with a hug?” “Oh? Have you not had enough yet?” Seriously, what’s up with this situation? And just how the hell am I going to get out of this freaking game?!

Father, I Don't Want to Get Married!

I’m Jubelian? The daughter of the duke and the villainess of this novel?

I managed to avoid my death with some previous knowledge about my life, as this was my second time at it. Now, I should be able to live a peaceful life!

“I’m not going to marry a man unless he has everything. I want the most wealthy, famous, and competent man there is.”

I dreamt of a glamorous life as the daughter of the duke, but my father tells me the Crown Prince who is known to be a lunatic is to be my husband! As an extraordinary measure, I couldn’t help but start a contract relationship. That is, with a handsome side character that looks better than the main one.

“Why are you trying to avoid being engaged to the prince?”

“He’s scary. I heard that he even kills his own entourage if he doesn’t like them.”

A few days later, the prince sent a terrible letter to me.

“I will not kill you.”

Oh no, did I set up another death trap for myself?

Like A Wind On A Dry Branch

"Hi, You."

Count Casarius fell victim to a plague and died suddenly, leaving behind a will stating that Rietta, his beautiful young widow of the manor, whom he tried to use as a concubine, be buried alive alongside him. Just before Rietta is buried, Archduke Axias, rumored to be a cruel tyrant, arrives at the funeral to collect the enormous debt Count Casarius still owes him.

“Everyone here seems to feel sorry for her, and I still have a debt to collect from Casarius… If I take her instead of debt, I think all of you here should be happy," he smiled.

"Hello, Temptress."

Everything was a Mistake

Roa Valrose reincarnated as villainess in the book. In order to avoid the fate of being burned at the stake, she approaches the hero, Nocton Edgar.

It hurts every time she gets closer to him. Nevertheless, for her survival, she does everything he wants her to do.

“Come again, Valrose.”

The mysterious Nocton unexpectedly sought her out every day.

Then one day, her friend for 10 years says something unknown to her.

“Actually, I have a dream. The Duke of Edgar is a terrible villain!”

He is not the hero, but the villain?

As soon as she realized that she had misinterpreted the role, she decided to get away from Nocton.

“Let’s not meet anymore.”

But the villain’s reaction was strange.

“Don’t go. You’ve always been special to me.”

She was suspicious of his sudden change of attitude.

Will she able to get rid of Nocton safely?

I Became the Tyrant's Secretary

I became the secretary of a tyrant in place of my clumsy brother to survive.

But I have so much potential for it. I’m so darn good at my job. Because I served the tyrant so well, ‘Everyone has a happy ending’.

Well then, shall I quit being a secretary and live a leisurely life now?

“Rosaline, tell me what you want.” He asked as he stepped down from his chair.

“I want to quit.”

His eyebrows twitched slightly.

“Do you want to die?”

Your highness, you never hold on to people who want to leave, so why’re you being like this to me?

Seduce the Villainess Father

After being in a bus crash, I woke up to the world of my favourite web novel.

Not only that, It was before the protagonists were born, to their parents’ world!

To stop the incoming multiple bad events.

I tried to prevent the kidnapping of the sister who is pregnant with the female lead!

But I got kidnapped instead?!

It's depressing to be kidnapped, but my body couldn't handle the mana and became a sunfish-like state

But... if I am next to the emperor who kidnapped me, my body becomes normal!

Right! The way to save that man from marrying a witch and getting killed by his son, and for someone who is vulnerable to mana such as myself to live, is for us to get married!

The Villains Savior

Set on a path to tragedy and misfortune from a young age, Aseph Randell is doomed to die a villain. That is, until the mysterious Elzay Tiathe appears in his life with a promise: "I can save you." After having vivid visions of him for so long, can Elzay untangle the twisted fate tied to Aseph... or will they both be dragged down together?

Contemporary Manhwa/Manga:

Night Crying Crow

This woman; who is she?

If something was action, it'd be action. If something was romance, it’d be romance. The A-list actor Cheon Woo Kang, who's great at every (genre), had his heart stolen away by an unknown woman who’d broken into his house!

“We'll meet again.~"

Woo Kang contracted an over imaginative illness as he drew the woman, whose name he didn't even know. In front of Woo Kang, she reappeared as the police officer Park Tae... Could the shadow of the crisis that appeared in front of them be a coincidence?

Raise wa Tanin ga Ii

Yoshino Somei would have been a normal high-schooler if not for the fact that she is the granddaughter of the leader of the Osaka-based Somei Group, the Kansai region's largest yakuza organization. One day, Yoshino hurries home after hearing of the news about the unification of Kansai and Kanto's biggest syndicates, the Somei and the Miyama groups. This, according to the article, will result in a marriage of the leaders' grandchildren—one of whom is Yoshino herself! Despite her best efforts to annul the arrangement, Yoshino has to go to Tokyo to visit her fiancé, Kirishima Miyama, who is unexpectedly nice and charming.

During their first meeting, Yoshino is swept up in various events and becomes unable to refuse moving to Tokyo, which is why, half a year later, she now lives with the Miyama group. At school, she soon realizes that Kirishima is very popular, so her relationship with him garners the hate of his fangirls and subsequently results in bullying. To make matters worse, Kirishima could not be further away from her prince charming since he, after all, was born to be a yakuza member.

Raise wa Tanin ga Ii follows Yoshino and her new life in Tokyo that is filled with nothing but troubles connected to the underworld. However, though she wishes to be as far from it as possible, this isn't Yoshino's first time dealing with the world of the Yakuza...

Positively Yours

To Hee-won’s dismay, the BFF she crushed on and her other BFF are now dating! Seriously bummed, Hee-won decides to go wild just one time, and find solace with a handsome stranger. A very satisfying one night affair has now turned into more — she’s pregnant! Fate brings them together again, and now the regimented Doo-joon is determined to do the right thing and marry her. But they’re basically strangers! Except... their bodies have been very intimately acquainted. What’s this mother-to-be to do?

True Beauty

After binge-watching beauty videos online, a shy comic book fan masters the art of makeup and sees her social standing skyrocket as she becomes her school’s prettiest pretty girl overnight. But will her elite status be short-lived? How long can she keep her real self a secret? And what about that cute boy who knows her secret?

Cheese In the Trap

Hong Sul is a ordinary college student. Yoo Jung is the school's most popular upperclass man. He's good looking, rich, smart, and even nice. However, Hong Sul thinks there's more to Yoo Jung than what meets the eye…

SPY x FAMILY

The master spy codenamed has spent his days on undercover missions, all for the dream of a better world. But one day, he receives a particularly difficult new order from command. For his mission, he must form a temporary family and start a new life?! A Spy/Action/Comedy about a one-of-a-kind family!

Doppio Senso (18+)

“What are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking about a guy.”

KyungHyun stopped in the middle of a deep kiss and sighed. His lips began to form a smile, but his fierce glare said otherwise. Possessiveness and jealousy spread across his sculpted face.

“Will you tell me his name?”

His easygoing and languid voice reached her ears.

“Why?”

“So that I can shoot him down.”

[starlightshore]

barring the no mercy route being an influence in this case, how would you describe chara's personality? I cannot describe them well at all despite them being my favorite character. they're too complex lol. all of the meta i can find at this time as them described at both extremes of innocent & evil but i don't think that's accurate

TW: discussions of canon dark topics such as abuse , death and suicide

i love talking about chara, i've talked about them at length before lmao. thank u for giving me a chance to talk about my beloved child.

you can actually read a character exploration i'm doing in a mini-arc for Askfallenroyalty. actually, if you want one condensed post, this comic sums up chara's motives

My interpretation:

chara is an abused kid and suicidal kid*(1) who ran to mount ebott to die.*(2) upon learning that monsters are made of love and humans aren't*(3), chara began to hate humanity. the deltarune prophecy*(4) makes them to be The Angel despite being a human. Feeling undeserving of this title and obligated to fulfill it, Chara wanted to be a good kid more than anything.

But then the buttercup pie incident happened. They've accidentally*(5) poisoned asgore and came up with a plan to ensure the prophecy could be fulfilled and take a hit against humanity. Two birds with one stone -who cares if it's also a personal win too? then obviously the plan goes up in flames and they and asriel are murdered. then asgore wants to kill of all humanity.

your influence*(6) gets Chara onto a path of redemption or a path of destruction, mirroring the deltarune prophecy's two main interpretations.*(7)

in summery: chara is a scared kid trying to fit into a world that demands violence by the past actions of the previous generations. The war massacred monsters and locked them up with a kill-solution -ensuring that further violence would be needed to be free, thus continuing the cycle of violence.

chara is just a kid. they knit, they make macaroni art, they loved their family and had a best friend forever.* (8) but they're also vengeful, they cared so deeply for monsterkind they were ready to die and had no idea they'd be awake as a soul, they were prepared for death. they're complicated, you can't have one side without the other. while i’ve never wanted to murder anyone, i can still relate deeply to chara and see myself in them a lot. the tragedy of them -the fact they never really got a “happy ending” like everyone else just haunts me and it’s why I spend so much time making AFR. I just... love this character so much, i want this kid to be happy. (not that it could ever be easy to get there, happy endings aren’t free.)

And frankly, seeing this hurt kid get demonized just rubs me the wrong way, and it feels completely against the morals Undertale tries to tell with it’s story. I see it as a cautionary tale against violence and dehumanizing others for the sake of hate and violence. how kids can be influenced by the violence -or kindness around them. you don’t need to forgive the ones who hurt you, but killing them is not always the solution -though sometimes necessary as framed in the Undyne the Undying fight.

People get both Undertale’s themes and chara wrong the most, and for the game that’s meant the world to me it bothers me more than it should lol. It’s a Good Story, and I don’t mean to frame my interpretation of the character or themes as 100% canon and I know Mr.Fox’s brain to confirm it kinda deal, but with all the time I’ve spent analyzing and thinking it over I do think it’s not off in the general direction of it lol. And besides the author’s intent isn’t really the end-all-to-be-all. It’s what you get out of the story and the themes that matter and stick with you. No one can take that away from you.

Sources and evidence:

"* If you're cuter, monsters won't hit you as hard." -faded ribbion flavor text * "The ends of the tools have been filed down to make them safer." -gardening tools in New Home (and iirc Toriel's home as well, too lazy to double check rn) * Where are the knives. -no mercy chara (this and paired with the previous imply there are no sharp objects in reach of chara's home because chara can't be trusted with sharp objects out of self harm. This doesn't necessarily mean abuse but paired with them hating humanity so deeply, being suicidal and a child it paints a picture of abuse.

"* I know why (chara) climbed the mountain.* It wasn't for a very happy reason." -asriel post pacifist epilogue dialogue

"* Love, hope, compassion... * This is what people say monster SOULs are made of. * But the absolute nature of "SOUL" is unknown. * After all, humans have proven their SOULs don't need these things to exist." -Library book on monster souls)

* Legend has it, an 'angel' who has seen the surface will descend from above and bring us freedom. - gerson

"* It takes at least a human soul... * And a monster soul. * ...* If you want to go home... * You'll have to take his soul. * You'll have to kill ASGORE." -Alphys. Because boss monster souls are the exception and can persist after death for a short period of time, Chara could of killed any of the family members to escape the underground. this implies escaping wasn't the goal -it was to die (considering they already attempted suicide to fall underground the first time, this is explicitly suicide.) the plaque doesn't mention or speak like monster/human fusion's consumed soul would be aware. chara had no way of knowing they'd be awake. also the whole thing with the pie is a prank. cups of butter. -> buttercups. putting flowers in a pie is a joke to do, we see Chara is similar to Toriel (they mimic her speech in the no mercy monologue, they say “greetings” as she does like how Asriel says “howdy” like Flowey does. Chara makes puns and jokes in the flavor text all the time.

https://imgur.com/a/zP18P -dog food bag at different LV. "When the protagonist first encounters Mad Dummy, they are given the option to beat it up. Choosing to beat it up prompts one of three responses depending on the protagonist's LOVE." (source: undertale wiki)

If the protagonist’s LV is 1, the response becomes "(You tap the dummy with your fist.) (You feel bad.)"

If the protagonist's LV is between 2 and 4, the response becomes "(You hit the dummy lightly.) (You don't feel like you learned anything.)"

If the protagonist’s LV is between 5 and 7, the response becomes "(You sock the dummy.) (Who cares?)"

If the protagonist’s LV is 8 or higher, the response becomes "(You punch the dummy at full force.) (Feels good.)"" This implies Chara (who is the narrator) will feel different about the dog food -which references the classic phrase of "glass half empty/full" showing your out look in life. Then hitting the dummy show's Frisk's out look on violence depending on LV. Note that by the end of it, it's no longer "you feel..." but "feels good" This is Chara.

      7. “* Lately, the people have been  taking a bleaker outlook...* Callin' that winged circle the  'Angel of Death.' “ -gerson “* Only the fearless may proceed. * Brave ones, foolish ones. * Both walk not the middle road. “ -the first plaque in the first puzzle room with Toriel. The idea is to walk on both the left and right sides -you can’t go half way in the middle. this mirrors the “true” endings are only accomplished if you stick to no mercy or pacifist only.

     8. literally their home in New Home is a treasure trove of pre-game chara characterization.

[tarysande]

S6 Thoughts: A Tale of Two Brothers

But wait! There’s more. Thoughts on the overall arc of the series, Heaven and Hell edition:

In S1, Lucifer is “vacationing” on Earth but doesn’t plan to return to Hell. Amenadiel spends that season trying so hard to force Lucifer back to Hell, where he “belongs,” that he himself Falls. We’ve got this role reversal of an angel doing evil things to return the devil (doing ... good things, like solving crimes) to Hell. It’s all very “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” 

In S2, Lucifer still has no plans to return permanently to Hell, but he’s willing to face it to save Chloe. Of course, this then leads to him experiencing his own forced hell-loop. Amenadiel is also conflicted. Though he’s changed enough that he no longer wants to force Lucifer back to Hell, he’s still uncertain where that leaves either of them. In fact, even when Lucifer pleads with Amenadiel to return him to Hell, Amenadiel refuses. However, when Mum plants the idea of returning to Heaven as a family, Amenadiel clings to that. He’s looking for a purpose. Lucifer, on the other hand, is still very much aboard the Heaven nope train. Here, we also get the foreshadowing of celestial war, and Lucifer’s rejection of Mum’s plan because “In war, there are always casualties.” He would rather sacrifice one--Mum, Uriel--for the many. But it hurts him. If he belongs anywhere, he thinks, it’s Earth ... but, ultimately, that’s shortsighted because we know he doesn’t actually want to be on an Earth that doesn’t have the people he’s coming to care about on it.

S3 is, as we all know, a bit of a mess. But, hey, it’s actually thematically appropriate! Lucifer’s having an identity crisis (wings) that just keeps giving (or taking), and even though subconsciously (we later realize) he gave himself the wings because he was, in fact, making progress reconciling his past and present, his conscious is backsliding like (pun not intended) hell. Much as he wants Earth to be home, he’s got these non-stop reminders of both Heaven and Hell. It makes complete narrative sense that this season reaches the point where he can no longer hide from himself--or from Chloe. 

In this season, we also see Amenadiel really start to settle into the idea of staying on Earth, of embracing humanity. He’s shedding the aloofness he once had. He’s learning (we later realize) how to be the kind of God who sheds mysterious ways in favor of boots on the ground. I mean, he doesn’t realize this. But Dad ... well, he has a Plan. Lucifer begins the season with sudden wings. Amenadiel ends it with his wings’ very deliberate return. 

In many ways, this season is about Hell on Earth and torture at the hands of an entity far more intentionally and deliberately evil than the actual devil. This is why the catalyst of Cain is so important. He is all the things Lucifer has been accused of being, only he embraces it in ways we’ve seen Lucifer reject and recoil from again and again. This season is torture (lol). It’s Hell. It’s every ugly thing lies beget. And much as we love Lucifer, we’re given an extreme close-up of how his omission of truth is very nearly as devastating as Cain’s outright lies. Of course, this nearly results in Chloe’s death (in more ways than one; you can’t tell me that godforsaken marriage wouldn’t have been like dying), and the devil’s vengeance results in the removal of Lucifer’s choice about the where and when to reveal his true nature to Chloe. 

Which brings us to S4, aka The Season of Angst. For Lucifer (and Chloe), anyway. Not so much for Amenadiel, who is set on the path of fatherhood, of responsibility, of partnership and not just commands he expects to be followed. In case we’ve forgotten how much Amenadiel has changed, Remiel “mini-Amen” shows up to remind us. In Linda’s “When angels fall, they also rise” of it, Amenadiel is rising again. He’s not the same as he was, no, but ... we didn’t like old Amenadiel very much, did we? Like Lucifer, Amenadiel is on a journey of learning who he is, the good and the ugly, so he can choose the parts he wants to keep with both eyes open. 

Of course, while Amenadiel is rising, Lucifer is falling. In having to deal with Chloe’s reaction to his devil face, Lucifer is put in the uncomfortable position of either growing enough to face his own darkness and self-loathing or retreating, very literally, into who he used to be because it’s comfortable and less frightening than the prospect of change and the unknown. Until it isn’t, right? The more he becomes the devil Eve remembers, the more uncomfortable he becomes. And the more frightening he becomes. Not to Chloe, as he fears, but to himself--though it takes a while to recognize it. If nothing else, we have to hand this to Lucifer’s subconscious: when it wants him to PAY ATTENTION DUMMY, it’s pretty good at getting its point across. If S3 was Hell on Earth starring Cain as the devil, S4 is Hell on Earth starring, well, the devil as the devil with bonus demons. It’s Lucifer’s earthbound iteration of a guilt-induced hell-loop. And at the tragic end, he chooses to return to the place he swore he’d never return, losing everything good in the process, but doing it for selfless reasons. So, that’s new. And it’s why there was still a sliver of hope even when things looked impossibly dark.

S5 begins with Lucifer in Hell--farther from the things he cares about than he has ever been, but also closer to his true calling. Not that he realizes it; this is Lucifer we’re talking about. So, of course it makes sense that as the season goes on, he’ll end up confused by suddenly having everything he always thought he wanted within his grasp. The Lucifer who led a rebellion against his father because he thought he could do better than God? Of course that part of him wants to be handed the job now. No--he wants to earn it. And while some of his reasons are not great, others are. His heartbreak about the injustice and unfairness of life, well ... who hasn’t felt that way? Who hasn’t wanted the power to unilaterally make things better? But that’s not how free will works. That’s not how choice works. While Lucifer wrestles with the necessity of becoming God, Amenadiel recoils from what his S1 self would have seen as his right and his calling. S1 Amenadiel would have made a terrifying and inflexible and absolute and judgmental God. Perhaps even a God closer to our imaginings of Evil than Good.

S6 is about how sometimes personal growth means we grow out of old dreams and acquire new ones. Sometimes, it’s about reimagining those old dreams, rebuilding them with new information. For Amenadiel, that means recognizing that the person he is now is the best man for the Big Job. It means recognizing that Heaven can be (a place) on Earth if he wants it to be. It means he sets aside the pride of “If God wants something done, he sends ME” in favor of delegation and accepting help--and in doing so, helping others (his siblings) discover their callings too. He learns to lead by example, tempered with love and humility.

In Paradise Lost, Milton’s Lucifer famously declares that it is better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven. But our Lucifer ... his calling isn’t ruling in Heaven. That’s the old dream of a person who no longer exists. Ironically, Lucifer’s calling is to serve in Hell. Not to serve a distant, ineffable, unfathomable being’s mysterious ways, mind you, but to tangibly serve the humans he has come to love, and who have taught him so much about himself. Who have taught him about love and sacrifice and light and darkness and second chances and hope and faith. When Lucifer chooses to return to Hell, he does so with his eyes open, just as Chloe returns to the LAPD with her eyes open. It’s a lesson that revisits the first episode of the season: Truth and wonder don’t have to be at odds. They can go hand in hand. The mysteries at the heart of pain and suffering and trauma--those are the ones Lucifer wants to solve. Because solving them isn’t about trusting to a higher power (aka the justice system, which is flawed) or designing the perfect torture. It’s about quite literally helping others set themselves free. Finding release. It’s about being a guide, not a judge. And it’s about fulfilling not the temporary desire that merely scratches the itch, but offering the tools necessary to help others determine--choose--their path to the desire they may not even realize is buried beneath the layers of scar tissue within them. And what could be more wonderous than that? Especially when you have a partner who makes you better at your calling, even as you make them better at theirs.

In the end, Heaven and Hell are what we make of them. One person’s Heaven is another person’s Hell. Love is what matters. In all its many, many forms.

[fvrxdrm]

Through the Valley

Pairing: Jesse McCree x F!Reader

Warning(s): Mentions of violence, angst

Setting: Deadlock/Pre-Blackwatch/Pre-recall

Song: Through the Valley (Ellie’s cover)

*****

When the universe was formed, the world was sculpted with rocks, and when the world was sculpted with rocks, strange beings were brought down to earth, and when strange beings were brought down to earth, sins were born, and when sins were born, dissensions were brought to light, and when dissensions were brought to light, war had clouded the visions of many beings and humanity teared itself down, one by one, with metal blades and flying arrows, and evolving into something much more minacious and powerful…

…like a gun.

So much vigor, so much anger, so much power. With one pull of a trigger, one life could be led towards heaven or hell, with no chance of escaping a baneful bullet; piercing through the skin and tearing the flesh, embedding itself deep till the person dies losing blood or be lucky enough to survive such fatal shot.

An excellent marksman’s the only one capable of doing that.

Specifically, those who know their guns by heart.

They are precise. They are rigorous. And they make every shot count. They make sure the target receives the end of their blazing weapons, and they’ll do it again and again till they’re satisfied with the bloodshed they’ve created. Their eyes would gleam with red, and blood would boil deep within their veins.

Even with one shot, those who feel agony could be standing right in front of death’s door.

There’s this marksman though, a gunslinger who seems to have held a gun since his mother gave birth to him. His accuracy cannot be matched even by those whose experiences have passed through the roof. Even with a blindfold on he still knew where to point his revolver at. He was a shit-hot at what he was doing, as they say.

Deadeye is what they call him.

People believe that the Deadeye was a curse that was passed from his ancestors to their descendants, and he happens to be their newest successor, which means he was to hold the malediction whether he liked it or not.

Truth is, it isn’t a curse.

Born by pain and abandonment, he was forced to teach himself how to survive on his own at such a young age. He worked hard to feed himself with enough food to desist from dying from an empty stomach, he rode by rivers and looked out for cacti to give himself something to drink, and most importantly, he taught himself how to pull a trigger and defend himself from nasty foes with the use of a gun he likes to call…the Peacekeeper.

After so many years of living and surviving on his own, a gang who called themselves the Deadlock Rebels took him with them and dinned him on how to rob banks and stir up ruckus in villages and towns. He was happy to have found a family who he could rely himself on even with their twisted intentions, and for the first time in his entire life, he felt rapturous.

Every blood he spilled was a trophy to be held in his hands, every eye that widened in fear had the hunger lurking beneath consume him until he became the monster that he was, every bullet that flew with the speed of light had his teeth grinding together, and every word that spread around town had him grinning with sharpened fangs.

People see him as the devil himself, only softening what was left of his heart when a kiss was pressed against his vulgar lips.

His lover was pristine and innocent, an angel in contrast to the demon he turned himself into. She had bright eyes and a scintillating smile, a touch so gentle and feather-like, a voice so small and warm, and a forgiving heart nobody deserved to earn unless she allowed it to.

Folks have wondered how on earth had she given a killer a chance and had asked the same question over and over again, but she always replied with the same answer as well;

“He was orphaned by evil and war; always have, always will be. Someone as broken as him may not be fixed, but they deserve love just as much as those who have found their place in order to help find their purpose on earth again. There are paths in front of them to help guide them in life, and what surrounds them will give them a reason to stay in the path they’ve chosen.”

Some people agree, some people don’t. But at the end of the day, it’s her belief and children look up to her and admire the goodwill she possesses even though her trust was something to be worried about. She claims she knows what she’s doing and all the world hopes that she truly does.

The heart of his lover would burn at every bruise and every wound the young man would come home with, and every word of what his gang had done would send her heart palpitating in an almost irregular speed. She feared of what was to come, and she hoped and prayed that he wouldn’t end up like the folks who have met the end of Peacekeeper’s barrel.

Years have passed and the man grew into a more ruthless killer. He had a heart of stone but it never forgot the woman who have given him an aspiration better than what they had then. He was going to be head and shoulders above, he promised. Just not now. The devil on his shoulder was still pulling him underneath. And when the day the voices in his head have stopped screaming comes, he’ll find a better home for the two of them; one where they could raise a few children of their own and make love until the sun rises in the east.

But alas, the dreams he had hoped for came to an unfortunate close…

The Deadlocks had been ambushed by soldiers of Overwatch, slowly killing the only family he’s had and taking him and his lover in to probably rot for the rest of their lives. Blue had befogged his vision, but red had risen flames inside of him.

Bullets flew from his tongue the moment he was thrown into a room flooded in black with only a poor excuse of a light hanging above him. He sat impatient, fists clenching and unclenching in fear of what they might’ve done to his girl. She could’ve been suffering from a harrowing death and nobody gave him one last chance to say what must be said before her final moments, and that was enough to untether something wilder inside of him.

He was given two options: he would be thrown into jail and be left there to rot or be given a chance to walk in the right path and leave the wrong, change himself and the world for the better.

The commander had seen something in him: a potential. The woman was right when she said he was forced into a void full of nothing but anguish at such a young age, and pity was what he felt for the gunslinger.

The power he had with his gun was nothing Reyes had ever seen. He was one with Peacekeeper; both thriving to reach the heights with ardor and strength. It would a shame if his talent was just going to be thrown into waste. So, what better way to use it than with noble purpose?

He was right. The offer was better than to slowly sink into the fires of hell. But what’s the point of throwing his hat into the ring if the woman he loves was in the opposite side of the wall? What’s the point of it all if she wasn’t going to be the shoulder he could cry on? What made it even worse was the fact that he was just going to be stuck in a goddamn loop.

Maybe dreams were only meant to be dreams…

It seemed like the world gave him a certain fate; a fate where death was something that would haunt him like a ghost whenever he was in the firing line, a fate where shadows were to be seen in his line of sight, and possibly a fate where he becomes a weapon himself and shoot down those he cared for dearly. And it scared him. But, what choice did he have? He’d rather see the world again and again, even in its darkest times, than die pathetically in his cage.

“Good choice, kid. I think you both know why you were brought here on earth in the first place.”

'Cause I walk through the valley of the shadow of death And I fear no evil because I'm blind Oh, and I walk beside the still waters and they restore my soul But I know when I die my soul is damned

Jesse sang with shaky breath, fingers trembling against tattered wood, before his hands rested loosely against his guitar and sighed into the warm night air.

“We’ll be alright,” his lover said. Her calloused fingers gently grasped his metallic one and smiled sadly at him.

They both wore rings, a symbol of the love they’ve treasured and every trial they’ve come across along the way. The vows they’ve exchanged gave them a reason to stay, a reason to fight again. It was a bittersweet surrender, but it was worth it.

“Yeah, we’ll be alright.”

[prose-for-hire]

So wrong it’s right

Part 2 // Part 3

Pairing: Angel x vamp!reader

Request: (Sorry if I make a mistake, English is my second language) Will you make a story with a somewhat villain reader (but shes not exactly evil) that keeps helping Angel out because she likes him and in the start he wont trust her but one day they kiss and Angel becomes confused about how he feels? I hope that makes sense. If I didn’t explain it well please don't feel you need to write it you can ignore this.

Requested by: Anon

Warning: Violence/fighting. Swearing.

A/N: This is the kind of fic I LOVE to write. I enjoyed myself with this one !! 💜

You weren’t well-liked in LA. The ‘good guys’ hated you, trying to stake you at any second and the ‘bad guys’ despised you. Both felt this for the way that you made decisions based on how you felt. No allegiance to good or evil. No atonement or evil plotting. You served neither the powers or dark forces. This was a fluid and extremely ambiguous way to live, which brought suspicion with you wherever you went. But you were nothing if not authentic to your beliefs. You just weren’t really sure what those beliefs were yet.

In any case, you didn’t much care for world domination nor did you hang out in particularly damp underground hovels that you wouldn’t even bury your dog in, let alone spend precious years of your un-life.

LA had a certain draw to you, it was a hub. A beating heart of life that helped you thrive in a way you had only dreamed of when you really were alive. But most importantly, it wasn’t a backwater little town. The type that always seemed to harbour Hellmouths. They seemed a little boring to you anyway.

Yeah, it holds all the supernatural power hotspots you could wish for, but at what cost? Everyone knew everyone’s business and there was such a large amount of demons concentrated in one area it was hard to navigate without bumping into several ex-lovers. Not to mention there was a higher chance of a Slayer on your back.

Now, just because you weren’t ‘evil’, that wasn’t to say you lived in the light. For one, you couldn’t. You would die… again. But also, you weren’t exactly chafing at the bit to do as the powers said. They couldn’t simultaneously damn you to hell when you got dusted whilst enticing you with some long-winded and ultimately unnecessary prophecy that gave you the one thing you were scared of. Hope.

You didn’t have a soul, and you didn’t care for gaining one. Not through a curse and even less through fighting for one yourself. This is why one vampire didn’t like you. He didn’t trust you and definitely never cut you a break.

The fact was, he barely looked your way. Unless you were stood in his path. And you had, a few times. He was convinced you had some ulterior motive but had little time for you until you turned into a bigger threat.

That was, up until the last few months. You had started to catch his attention more and more. You had been fighting, again. In the back room of some seedy bar. Trading blows, neither of you holding back. The real threat long since dusted. It was just gone three in the morning, a time you liked to be home. Just in case of a freak early sunrise (you had heard horrible things of whole towns of vampires wiped out suddenly).

You were fighting, hard. He never left it. He just couldn’t walk away. You were after the same stupid vampire. Yes, you had been after him because he owed you a large sum of money and around five Siamese cats, but the end was the same. You twisted from his firm grasp, throwing him over your head. He landed but didn’t stay down. He ran at you, pushing you back and slamming you against the door. Almost through it. He grabbed a stake and flipped it up in the air before expertly catching it, looking back in your eyes.

There was almost a flicker of danger. A flicker of all the stories you had heard of Angelus. There was something there, some kind of feeling and it got you excited. Up until this point, his face had been pretty unmoving every time you saw him. The stake dug into your chest, directly over your unbeating heart. You couldn’t help but enjoy the way his eyes scanned your face. Moving from your lips to your eyes and back again. He was so close you could just lean in and… no. Eye on the prize, you tell yourself. You would settle for a quip charged with at least a little sexual tension. On your end, at least.

“You gonna keep waving that thing around or are you going to actually do something with it?” You bite, breathing heavily a smile on your face. You didn’t need to breathe but it was still a habit.

“Why’re you here, huh? Why are you always around when something bad happens?”

“I could ask you the same thing. Now I’m never getting those fucking Siamese” You muttered as he scowled at you. You were going to threaten him one more time before staking him. He rolled his eyes, you were worse than spike. At least he had a soul. Wanted one. You were content with your lot and it bugged him to no end.

“You know, I think I might enjoy this” Angel said stoically.

“Watch out, you don’t want to get too happy” You teased with a smile, everyone knew about Angel – word travels fast even here, “Or maybe you do. You might be more fun, to be honest”

These was the last words he expected to hear from you, you were younger than him by a mile. He was used to vampires pretty easily going down. He moved his arm back, directing the wooden stake straight for your heart. In the same second, you changed into your vamp face and propelled your head forwards. Your hand twisted his wrist trying to knock the stake from his hand as you propelled your ridged forehead towards him. Headbutting him with all of your strength.

The stake pierced your skin, but luckily (or unluckily it still hurt like anything) it was stabbed into your left arm which made you yelp. You yelped almost as much as Angel in his surprise as his nose started to bleed. It was enough to stun him, letting you run off with the stake still sticking out of your arm as you took a short cut to your destination.

Angel walked back to the hotel slowly, pinching his nose and wiping the blood on his sleeve. He took the long route back, not wanting to have to tell the others that he had lost in a fight with a vampire who was probably half his age. When he returned Cordelia rushed over to him, helping him to sit down. The entire team was there, waiting up for him. Fantastic, now he would have to tell them.

“Oh, uh, Angel?” Fred asked softly, “This was left for you – on your desk”

He turned and there it was. The stake that had been embedded in your arm the last he saw you. You must have travelled fast to get there before he did. He took it as an act of aggression, especially when he read the note attached.

‘Until we meet again, sweet Angel’

“Is this your slayer friend?” Fred asked, looking down at the floor. She had taken somewhat of a shine to Angel and may have been a little jealous. She had just learned what a slayer was.

“She’s a little more dramatic, a little less with the subtle” Cordelia stated, knowing for sure that the person that brought it was not Buffy. Not at all.

“Yes, I recall the young woman is about as subtle as a brick” Wes chuckled softly, reminiscing over his brief stint as a watcher.

“No. it wasn’t her” Angel confirmed, turning and scowling, “Wes, I need everything you can find on a vamp. Name’s y/n”

“Y/n? Are you sure it is wise to, um, shake the hornets nest so to speak. They’ve done little to actively harm-” Wesley said quickly. A slightly sheepish look on his face. You had met him and helped him out several times. You often crossed paths late night at the occult book store. You weren’t afraid of losing your credibility over a little light reading.

Your intelligence was often what gave you the upper hand over many demons you came up against. Wesley was strangely fond of you, although he knew from word on the street you could be mean if something was in the way of what you wanted. He was pleasant enough although spending too long with him gave you an Englishman-induced headache. He does prattle on so. And, that phrase had been unfortunately transferred into your brain from listening to him for too long.

“Apart from, that they’re a vampire who brutally kills to eat and always seems to be in every bad situation we’ve been in recently” Angel snapped, “I want everything. By tomorrow night”

“What are you going to do?”

“Kill them”

It had been several more months and Angel had seen you several times in that period. He had yet to make good on his promise. The tension mounted, peaking every time you became close. Your back and forth riling you up, making you begin to pine for his attention.

He had noted that you had common goals, evil tended to get mowed down in your wake. Which, he couldn’t exactly complain about except that your personality was simultaneously infuriating and intriguing.

But he maintained that he didn’t like you. The way you danced through life, with no guilt. Very little self-reflection. You wouldn’t join him and that was enough, in his eyes for you to be against him.

This evening finds you on the hunt for a backstreet dealer, one that could find you an item that was particularly hard to find. Especially now Angel had a snitch on the inside, the deliveries were starting to slow. Dust couldn’t drive trucks.

You arrived at the meeting place, a dingy alleyway despite you specifically asking to meet somewhere that didn’t smell like something had died there. You had a very sensitive sense of smell.

“You got the stuff?” You asked, gesturing with your head for the demon to open the briefcase. But he snatched it from your grasp and the boss stepped from the shadows. This meant something more sinister.

“You helped him. We saw you” The scaly man with an impressively tailored suit accused.

“What?”

“Angel” He confirmed. Bad things happened to people who didn’t side with the boss. You knew this.

“I don’t pick allegiances, I told you. I’m just me” You assured them, eyes on the briefcase.

“You’re with us or you’re with him. Choose.”

“Fine.” You shrugged, the man nodded approvingly. It had been easier than he thought.

“Good, glad that you’re-” You spun into a kick, hitting his jaw which made him shut up. You hated people who gave you an ultimatum. You, for this very moment only, were on Angel’s side. Fists flying, feet connecting with hard bodies. You fought against them, hard.

More of them started to turn up. As if there had been a call. They started to surround you. You were strong, but not that strong. Your un-life flashed before your eyes. There was so much you had left to do. I mean, you had never even been to a virgin sacrifice. Never properly feasted on St Vigeous. You hadn’t even found your anti-soulmate.

You were almost ready to give up. And then he turned up. Your guardian angel.

Angel assessed the fight, realising you had been caught up. Not realising why it broke out. You fought beside each other, but traded insults with your ally. You found yourself waiting for these interactions with him. It made you smirk. This was the way you flirted.

You enjoyed this back and forth. He was starting to make you feel alive again. Begin to… hope.

The fight was finished and now all you both were was surrounded by dust. You took a breath. In name, not in action, recovering from the fight.

But he grabbed you by your shoulders, you had taken your guard down. He slammed you into the brick wall. The contact almost made you shiver as you smiled wide. You opened your mouth to speak, he was expecting it and spoke first.

“Don’t” He warned, frustrated at the way your eyes danced despite his threat.

“I’ve been waiting for this for months” You smirked, leaning closer to his face. There was barely an inch between you.

“Huh. Your death?”

“We’re already dead, baby, I’m looking more for the spice of life” You teased before leaning in and finally catching your lips with his. This had been all you had been thinking since you had first met him. The tension had reached its crescendo and you had to act.

It was an urgent kiss, you were willing him to reciprocate. His action beforehand made the adrenaline pump around your body harder. Want him more. There was danger harboured deep below the soul he cared for so deeply and it called to you like a moth to a flame.

You wanted him. You enjoyed every side you had seen so far. You didn’t understand why he was so reluctant to admit the tension in the air when you were around each other.

His lips didn’t move at first for those agonising moments. And then they did. All at once. His lips moving and fiery against yours, now fighting you for dominance. You tasted so good to him. A hand gripping your upper arm tightly with the other sliding up the curvature of your neck.

You slid your hands between the fabric of his shirt and his leather jacket, grasping at him. Your fingers snaked around him, exploring unchartered territory. He felt so good, you wanted him closer.

You found yourself almost preferring the feel of this more amiable touch to the harsh blows you had exchanged previously. He pressed you further into the wall, wanting more.

But all too quickly, his lips started to falter and you felt him start to pull away. He started to think too much into it. Comprehending the implications. You felt too good to him. You were a distraction, a sinful figure that strayed him from the power’s path. You almost whined as he pulled himself from where he had been pressed flush against you. He had to fight himself to remove his hands from you.

Your hands slid sadly from where they had been exploring his lean form. You felt yourself pouting slightly, which is a feat when you have fangs like you did.

His face had changed during your kiss, as had yours. Your vampire forms released as the tension did. Your more animalistic forms finding each other so appealing. The kiss a revelation, in some sense a curse. But again, he was used to that.

He pulled back, his face the picture of shock. It was the most emotion he had allowed you to see. So many contradictory emotions flashing behind his eyes. It had felt wrong, but oh so right to kiss you that way. He wanted more. He wanted to get as far away from you as possible.

You watched him in his turmoil, not able to hide the way you enjoyed seeing his face this way. You reached with your hand to trail along the distinctive bumps of his forehead. You couldn’t help it, you had suddenly begun to soften for him. Against your will. You wanted him to want you deeper than you had realised.

He realised that his vampire face was showing. He winced away from you, and you scanned over his face. He switched back immediately. Masking it.

He was ashamed. You frowned, your own vamp face still there. You embraced all that you were. You scanned his face, trying to show him that he could be himself with you. But he didn’t read that from your face.

He stepped back, all contact with him now gone. His eyes still trapped in yours for a moment. Your back was still pressed against the rough brick, your arm still outstretched for him.

But he just ran, jacket whipping around him as he kicked up his dust on way out of the alleyway. As if a magician through a puff of smoke, he was gone.

You eventually moved yourself from the wall, leaning to take the briefcase. You shrugged, dusting it off from the ash that had been left from the fight.

You walked slowly with your items, thoughts beginning to spin. Finding yourself lacking something deep inside that you had not realised you had been missing for so long.

[yusuke96universe]

In need of more Turles content

Why I want more 'Turles' Dragon Ball content.

Background: TURLES' RETURN | ZtoS | Off-The-Cuff and MasakoX's "What If Turles Turned Good" series are both great

Both provide interesting avenues to reboot ideas that a modernized Turles could have.

One links Turles to both retconned Bardock as his estranged brother that unlocked the False SSJ form missed out on a chance at redemption when Planet Vegeta was destroyed. So this can provide Goku a direct connection to his family lineage again.

The other links Turles up with the Heaters organization that competes with the Frieza Empire. This actually provides a method to connect a lot of the contradictory backstories within supplemental materials.

I am a fan of MasakoX's DBZ 'What If' series. I don't always agree with his takes on certain concepts, but through a lot of the community, I can cherry-pick what I like and make my own take on certain subjects like I did with his What If Nappa or Cell turned Good series for example. I often make super long, well-crafted comments that hardly ever get attention, and here is one I made

The comment was about how interesting a character is in the Dragon World

I think Turles should best be used as a means to complicate a plot or storyline. He can fit in many types of stories. He easily can fall under the Magnificient Bastard trope (a.k.a. the Charismaniac), a potential ally, antagonist or something else entirely that makes things difficult for all involved. He can best be used like how Law was introduced in Sabaody Archipelago, a seductive danger that pulls you in. You know he is probably going to stab you in the back or you're being played, but you just can't say "No" to his offers for one reason or another. Either he is charismatic enough to win you over or he's got something you want, bad.

Any character from any alignment good, evil, divine, or even Demonic should have something interesting to say about Turles because he is such an outlier to the rest of the characters. He just offers so much potential fun dynamics and storytelling.

A smart and methodical Saiyan, who still loves to fight and isn't a coward? In fact, he is willing to take on just about anyone, he was introduced while he was preparing to take on Frieza of all people. As smart as he is, he has to know how outmatched he is compared to Frieza's Empire, but he was going to do it. In their interactions within games and such, Turles isn't even nervous, on the contrary. He's pumped!

A fighter who prides himself on his strength, but isn't totally blinded by it to overlook the forest for the trees. He has been shown to have foresight determine his actions. He does get arrogant and that makes him vulnerable, but he can quickly recover by allowing his pragmatism to take over.

A Dragon Ball villain that can respect his enemies? He is open to potential partnerships and underlings joining his side, in fact that is how he recruited his Crusher Corps. (so he could potentially be written to have his own Power of Friendship moments) And he may be willing to ally with the good guys if their goals ever align. He also knows how to be a team player as shown in Xenoverse 2, where he is quick to play mediator with the villains.

A deserter that still has pride in his race, but felt wronged by the caste system that discredited him which acts as a motive for his current actions. So a political plot can be on the table. (he fits a usurper plot to a T)

A drifter whose experiences have led him to blaspheme against the established Divine hierarchy because his Tree of Might that he is known for, is the property of the Gods.

He's pure evil so other pure evil creatures like Devils and Demons who directly oppose the Angels and the Gods could recruit him to be direct counters that contrast the good Saiyans.

While Turles is known for being an 'Evil Goku clone' meant to contrast his characteristics, in doing so, he has contrasted a lot of his own Saiyan race's characteristics as well which puts him in the same boat as Goku who he is meant to contrast. They are both outliers of their race in one way or another.

Anime Goku Black is a sophisticated and elegant Kai on a Multiverse level Crusade compared to Goku's outdoorsman simplicity.

Manga Goku Black contrasted Goku's gentleness and innate goodness by being one of the most vicious villains the series ever had. Zamasu was being taken over by the Saiyan body's base instincts for destruction and violence transforming him in to a ferocious monster.

Turles on the other hand can display traits of both the smart and elegant Zamasu and the Saiyan's natural savageness and societal cruelty while being similar to Goku in that he is an outlier of their race because he reels those traits in opening himself to many more options and avenues to potentially walk down.

I am not even getting into the fact that Turles looks just like the main character so he could be a surviving relative. A cousin, an uncle, half-brother, even a Grandfather with how Saiyans age. Heck a straight up counterpart isn’t even out of the question. 

Personally, I am a bigger fan of him being his own person, and his shared looks are only used to highlight how he contrasts with Goku, but also how they gain similar things like leading a group of strong loyal misfits who admire his power. It’s like the two take their own paths, but arrive at practically the same destination and that is what fascinates me about Turles the most when compared to Goku.

My point is that Turles has a lot of storytelling potential for involvement within What Ifs and even the future of the Dragon Ball Super, but what do you guys think? Do you want to hear my thoughts on how I would reboot Lord Slug as well because I can do that next?My take is a bit different from others but I think it's really interesting. Also, wouldn’t a False Super Saiyan line of forms for Turles be really interesting?

[milasartblog]

New place

Despite that angels don’t really need to work as they can use powers to do their job good, the psychological support is still important for most of them. Her job was not the easiest one, but she chose it for herself. And yet, if with angels she has great experience, she had zero experience with demons. Nicole’s experience with King of Hell is a separate one as it was Michael’s request.

Nicole: It’s almost time for our session. Ugh, why do I have a feeling that he will use this trick again on me? Well, guess this is my price for accepting such request. Still, not every specialist has a chance to gain such experience, talking with King of Hell himself. Not even mentioning that he can be...someone else than just a "demon". I’m still surprised that no one besides Noel knows about it. Maybe it’s for the best.....I wish I could interact with more demons.

She looked at the clock, then felt an energy flowing in the room. It was a sign that he will appear soon. Nicole prepared her papers and pen as turned around to see that her client was already here.

Nicole: You're not late this time, sir Lucifer.

Lucifer: And you're still being formal as usual~

Nicole: You know that it's a neccessity for my job. Therapist and clients should have neutral-

She couldn't finish her sentence as she looked at Lucifer, who was wearing the lingerie, then she looked at herself. Her face got stunned as she covered herself.

Nicole: Are you kidding me??! Not again!!

Lucifer: What? It's more comfortable like this~ Plus, I thought that you got used to it~

Nicole: Ugh, you're impossible.

She snapped her fingers and both Lucifer and her were in casual clothes. The demon made cute upset face.

Lucifer: Awww, again these boring clothes. Well, guess I have to stay like this for an hour.

Nicole: As it should be. Now, shall we start?

Lucifer nodded as they both took a sit and they began the session. It was another usual session, just topics vary from time to time. But most of them were about the confidence. It's surprisingly how King of Hell himself can't be confident sometimes. Well, when you have to guard the nephilim from someone who tried to lure him to their side and then almost kill him, then your confidence sure will stagger. Lucifer didn't tell about Ghemora and Nazeel to Nicole, tho about the last one she could have some guesses. Still, coming to her for help was one of the best suggessions that his beloved made.

Nicole: Well, i can only suggest to sort the problems and situations.

Lucifer: Sort? Like trash?

Nicole: Well, that's not the best comparison, but something like this, dividing them. For example, those that you can handle yourself better solve now. Those that require a help from the closest people can vary from not neccessary to very neccessary. The key point here is communication.

Lucifer: Do i have to talk to myself if i'm solving things alone?~

Nicole:....*sighs* If it helps boosting your confidence, then sure. Comments can organize your thoughts and steps.

They kept talking untill the time of their session was coming to its end. Time flies fast as mortals tend to say, but when it's about Heaven, Purgatory or Hell, it's almost like if the time wasn't actually here.

Nicole: Well, it's time to finish our session.

Lucifer: Seems like it.

Nicole: Hope this conversation helps you, sir Lucifer.

Lucifer: Again with formalities~ Just Lucifer is enough, really~

Nicole: If you say so, Lucifer.

He smiled as looked down for a moment before getting up and getting ready to leave. Suddenly, he stopped and looked at Nicole.

Lucifer: Look, Nicole.

Nicole: Yes?

Lucifer: I was thinking about something recently. Would you like to work in Purgatory as a therapist both for angels and demons?

Such suggestion made Nicole stunned, but also curious as she tried to stay professional.

Nicole: In Purgatory?

Lucifer: Yep. There angels and demons come across quite often and most of them will be glad to have a psychological support like you. Well, at least I think so. Plus, it can be quite an experience for you as a therapist.

The angel thought for a moment, trying to find any trick behind it. But surprisingly, he was looking right into her eyes, nor she could sence any demonic energy. Still, she couldn't help, but wonder.

Nicole: Why do you suggest me such thing?

Lucifer: Are you doubting me?~ Hehe, no surprise, I'm a demon after all~ But my intention was to thank you for the support you gave to me for such long time. Maybe it's strange for divinity to ask for help a therapist, as, you know, we are so poweful and so. But reality sure gave a huge slap to my face, showing how brutal it is and how things can be for real.

Nicole: I would actually replace slap onto punch. It sounds more brutal.

Lucifer: Hehe, yeah. Anyways, I thought that maybe with new place you can accomplish your goal: to help everyone, not only angels. And maybe learn something new.

Nicole looked down in a thought. It was a great opportunity for her to understand the angel and demon psychology, how they can be different from each other, or even have something in common, and maybe how they can co-work with each other. Plus, it was a chance for her to see Purgatory herself.

Nicole: Alright, as a thank you, I will accept such suggestion. But as far as I remember, lady Lilith is in charge of Purgatory. Will she accept me as a therapist of Purgatory?

Lucifer: I'm sure she will~ We can even go and talk to her right now~

Nicole: Wait, now?? But-

She couldn't finish the sentence as they both were teleported to Purgatory, to the meeting room, where right now was Jikan. He jumped a bit from the surprise, but seeing that it was Lucifer, sighed with relief.

Jikan: My King, it's surprising to see you here. Did something happen?

Lucifer: Oh, not really, Jikan~ I just wanted to chat with my Queen. Is Lilith here?

Jikan: Yes, she is. Let me tell her that you're here.

And he went quickly towards the way Lilith was. Nicole stood still, a bit stunned by sudden teleportation. The waiting was not destined to be long as Queen of Hell came to the duo.

Lilith: Oh, Lucifer, i didn't expect to see you here~ Are things going well? And who is it with you?

Lucifer: Things are doing like they usually do~ And this is Nicole, angel therapist that helps angels psychologically and is interested in demon psychology. And also a therapist who helped me during some...tought times.

Lilith: Oh, I think you have told me about her once. That's surprisingly nice of her~

Nicole was frozen for a moment, fixing her glasses and looking at Lilith. Unlike Lucifer, queen was more dressed and polite, which surprised her more. She bowed.

Nicole: It's honor to meet you, lady Lilith.

Lilith: No need such formalities, Nicole~ I don't bite~ It's first time I hear that such angel like you is curious about us demons, not to mention helping Lucifer mentally.

Nicole: Umm, it's more for gaining experience. Plus, a personal request from sir Michael.

Lilith: Right~ So, let me guess, you suggested her to work in Purgatory and you want to ask my approval?

Lucifer: Yep.

Lilith: I see. Well, I'm fine with such idea~

Nicole: Wait, r-really?

Lilith: Of course~ People here will be glad to have such mental support like you~ Plus, you can gain more experience here~ Tho, some demons don't neccessary need it, but to give it a try is never bad.

Nicole took a moment to think of everything. Doubts crowled on her back. Won't it make her relationship with her sister conflicted? And what Noel will think of her? It was a chance for her to understand demons more, and she couldn't let it go like this. Her face looked upset for a moment, but quickly shifted to the working one.

Nicole: I'm so sorry if I sound selfish, but if I accept this offer, will my workplace in Heaven still be active?

Lilith: It's up to you. You can have both cabinets here and in Heaven. Maybe even one in Hell if you want~

Nicole: I see. Well, then I accept this offer, but under one condition. Everyone, who comes to my place should wear clothes.

Lucifer: Aww, really? Even in Purgatory?

Lilith: I can agree to it~

Lucifer: You too?? Man, you women are evil sometimes.

Lilith: Sorry not~ Anyways, want to talk about it at my office? We can discuss the time and place and other stuff that is required for you.

Nicole: Sure. But before we go, I want to express my thank you for the suggestion, sir Lucifer.

Lucifer: It's fine. Just doing what is the best. Tho i'm still not glad for the condition.

He made an irritated face as Nicole and Lilith giggled. They said goodbyes to each other before going to their own paths. Who would've known that such opportunity will knock on Nicole's door. She wasn't expecting it either, but if it means to achieve her goals, then this chance should not be missed. And Nicole will sure not let it go away.

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

And that's another story for the universe^^ So sorry for not writing anything with Okaria et Feria for a long time X'D Hope you will like it^^

Nicole and Lucifer belong to @wildstarfan and @milasartblog (both me)

Lilith belongs to @captainthane and @wildstarfan

Jikan belongs to @captainthane

Okaria et Feria belongs to @wildstarfan and @captainthane

[mwolf0epsilon]

If you could remake batim into an outlast/resident evil type survival horror game, what would be your ambitions for the characters/creatures?

Someone's been studying my taste in horror games, good call Anon.

Honestly if I could remake Bendy and the Ink Machine into a more intense horror game I'd definitely take aspects from resident evil, but would keep the shock value to a minimum.

I consider BATIM as more of a subtle horror deal. With exposition being a little more Bioshock-y in terms of piecing together the story through audio logs and exploring the environment. Visual horror is good stuff for giving your mind space to piece stuff together, and fill in the general gaps to our own ability. I like exploring nooks and crannies, so imagining the horrors of Joey Drew Studios through bits and pieces I caught in my peripherals would absolutely make me embelish it more than what we're actually given in canon, so scenery and storytelling visual cues are a must to allow for a good theorizing experience!

Of course no horror game is without some good scares and tense moments, which I can easily offer right here through a few easy picks of my favourite rouster of horror elements that could be applied to certain characters:

The Ink Demon - The Demon itself has this missed opportunity of being a bigger threat. It pops up occasionally but you end up easily overcoming your fear of it by simply knowing where the nearest miracle station is (even it's Beast form is easy to deal with by exploiting the map layout). I say make the demon more like RE2make's Mr.X with just a hint of RE3make's Nemesis, and you'd have something worthy of being feared by the whole studio. Couple that with limiting the miracle station's placement in certain zones, and increasing encounters, and you get an enemy that forces you to think quick on your feet.

The Projectionist - Remember Half-Life: Alyx's distillery? Oh yeah baby, I'm going there! Make the Projectionist as tangible a threat as Jeff. Force the player to be in close quarters with the hulking beast that is the Projectionist, without a way to fight back. Tense stealth zones can do wonders if you know where to place them in a game. Eliminate the Butcher Gang stealth mechanic in favour of actually trying to navigate a zone where you need to be spacially aware, otherwise you'll get a very angry Projector man on your case. And for the love of god give us options on how to deal with him besides a Tommy gun that we might not be able to unlock.

Twisted Alice - Less protagunism on her part in one singular zone. Make her more mysterious, have her appear earlier as this unknown force that may or may not help you out at first (Think Ada Wong in RE2make or Atlas in Bioshock). Have her manipulation skills actually explored in more than a bunch of fetch quests. Make the Demon and Angel path choices more impactful (give us a way to save Buddy Boris after so much effort but maybe increase difficulty if we do so? Make it worth our time).

Sammy Lawrence - Multiple stage encounters. I don't mean just drop him in as is to fight Henry, I mean, degradated him further and further with each fight as a means to show his wavering faith and stability. The final encounter could end with him actually becoming a proper horrifying ink monster? Give him a form that fits his distorted voice in chapter 5. Look at any instalment of Resident Evil transformation sequences for reference. Don't rob Sammy of a better fight than getting his mask yeeted off and then a cheap shot from behind.

Allison and Tom - Introduce them earlier. Have them as a presence that you want to seek out to get help from. Don't just throw them in without context because, while the studio is confusing, there should be hints that they're around and surviving. Give them presence and maybe some quests to earn their trust. Trust systems can be very helpful in certain horror scenarios! It also gives room for more choices.

Bertrum Piedmont and Lacie Benton - You know what would make Bertrum's boss battle better? More stages to it! You know what could make that possible? Lacie helping her boss out for old times sakes. I've already pointed out multiple stage battles could work well, so rather than stretching them out like I suggested with Sammy, why not make Bertrum's a real amusement park experience?

Brute Boris - Provided we'd get a chance to save Buddy Boris, make the good route fight harder by having Alice construct a much more threatening version of Brute Boris out of multiple Boris clone corpses. Otherwise in the bad path you'd just need to tweak a few things, like item accessibility and environmental advantages to complete the fight.

Joey Drew - Give us the option to fight him, regardless of if we can or cannot beat him. Let us get a taste of revenge if only just briefly before being thrown back over and over again. Depending on choices the fight could be more menacing or not.

That's about it in terms of mechanics I'd employ for a reimagining of Bendy and the Ink Machine. As you can tell it's less on the Outlast front and more on the horror survival/adventure survival spectrumthat Resident Evil and Bioshock are known for.

Here's hoping BATDR is as spooky and intense as TheMeatly keeps telling us! Might make these ideas seem like child's play... Or not. We'll have to see won't we?

[destieltropecollection]

Destiel Trope Collection 2020 Day 10: Enemies to Lovers

It's a Match! | @suckerfordeansfreckles

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 2015 Main Tags/Warnings: pining, online dating, getting together Summary: Dean has seen the guy a handful of times, mostly at Charlie’s parties or when out and about with her — it’s only been six times that Dean is aware of, actually. Not that he counted. Well. He did, maybe, count a little. But that’s only because the guy is seriously gorgeous, and also seems to seriously hate Dean. Like, frowns and dark stares and leaving the room when Dean enters it. And that is most definitely the only reason why Dean keeps track of their meetings. It has nothing to do with the fact that, for whatever stupid reason, Dean feels all fuzzy and happy and warm around this stupid, scruffy, handsome, dark-haired and blue-eyed Cas-guy. Something about him just… does things to Dean’s head.

In The Ballroom | @gii-heylittleangel

Rating: General Word Count: 2594 Main Tags/Warnings: lovers to enemies to lovers, broken relationship, getting back together, false mentions of cheating Summary: The high school dance was useless in Castiel's opinion; there was nothing to do, people were incredibly annoying, and he would be alone. But, having Charlie Bradbury as his best friend, he had no choice but to go; after all, there was a tiny chance he would get tacos after the party. Castiel did not get tacos but he got something a lot better.

Ring a Bell for the Righteous Man | @pray4jensen

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 3003 Main Tags/Warnings: Enemies to Lovers, Royalty/Fantasy AU, Soul Bond, Marriage, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dubious Consent Summary: An hour passes and the prince doesn't bed him. Dean thinks that maybe the prince doesn't have any intention of doing it at all, and if that's the case, it'll be Dean who'll face the consequences. So, thumbing a finger down the length of Cas' wings, Dean taunts, ""I thought you promised Lord Alastair that I wouldn't be able to walk, your highness."" Dean pauses. ""Are you doubting yourself, my lord?""

Addicted | @verobatto-angelxhunter

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 3671 Main Tags/Warnings: Season 4/5 canon divergent, Destiel, slow burn, Badass! Castiel, first kiss, first time, explicit sexual content, canon typical violence. Summary: Dean can't get Castiel out of his mind. Everytime the angel is in front of him, is hypnotizing. He needs to know what is going on with him. Why Castiel is so irresistible? And why he feels that empty everytime the angel isn't near him.

the light of falling stars | @procasdeanating

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 4980 Main Tags/Warnings: Alien!Cas, wing fic, inspired by a movie (enemy mine) Summary: … when Lieutenant Dean Winchester and the two ships under his command engaged in combat with a Seraph squadron. Two army ships were destroyed, while one fighter, presumably Lt. Winchester’s, made a forced landing on a nearby uninhabited class D planet after triggering the emergency protocol. The ongoing search has not produced conclusive results. Lt. Winchester is classified as missing in action…

First Impressions | @suckerfordeansfreckles

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 7254 Main Tags/Warnings: hospital AU, ftm trans Cas, top surgery, mentions of medical stuff, sharing a room Summary: When Cas wakes for the first time after his surgery, there’s sunlight tentatively streaming through the window to his right. It takes him a while of uncoordinated blinking and thinking until he realizes where he is, why he’s here. And then the giddiness comes, sudden and overwhelming, when he looks down at his chest and there is none. The reality is almost too much to grasp and his hands shake a little when he tries to raise them to touch. He's happy, and giddy, and so thankful. And then a nurse wheels in his new roommate, one very obnoxious and flirty Mr. Winchester. Cas just... cannot wait to watch all of this play out.

The Galaxy's Most Wanted | @saltnhalo

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 10160 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Space Pirates, Enemies to Lovers, Blow Jobs, Frottage, Angry Sex, Sexual Tension Summary: Dean had been the one always up to mischief, running around with his father’s broken laser pistol and constantly getting into places he shouldn’t have been. Sam, in comparison, always seemed to be the smart, studious one – until he reprogrammed the AI in their neighbours’ house to play ‘Happy Birthday’ at the loudest possible volume while keeping all the doors and windows firmly locked. It had taken two experts seven hours to undo the coding that Sam had managed to integrate into the house’s programming. So, yes. They had been exceptional even from the beginning. And when John Winchester crossed one too many people, his sons inherited his beloved ship, and took to the cosmos doing what they knew best: stealing. And they were damn good at it too. Almost unrivalled, across their own galaxy and even those neighbouring. Almost.

Love Thy Enemy | @gii-heylittleangel

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 11887 Main Tags/Warnings: revenge planning, use of guns, major characters injury Summary: After being betrayed by the Men of Letters, Dean makes the most stupid, idiotic, and best decision of his life: ask Castiel Novak, his long time enemy, for help.

The Quest for the Demon King's Heart | @cr-noble-writes

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 12500 Main Tags/Warnings: fantasy au, demon king!dean, wood elf!cas, enemies to lovers, mutual pining, minor character death, major character injury, angry sex, angst with a happy ending Summary: In a fantasy land, Dean, the Demon King, goes to a distant guild to take a break from evil, where he meets a young adventurer, Castiel, on a quest to slay the Demon King. For fun, Dean helps and protects the adventurer, and affection grows between them. Then, they arrive at the gates of his castle.

A Virgin to Redeem the Billionaire | @notfunnydean

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 16660 Main Tags/Warnings: Manipulation, Emotional Manipulation, blackmailing someone into a relationship, Mentions of drug selling (not Destiel), Mentions of cheating (not Destiel), virgin!cas Summary: When Castiel meets Dean Winchester, the other man seems to be a real asshole. So it doesn’t surprise him, when Dean shows up again and this time blackmails Castiel in a horrible way. Castiel agrees to be his boyfriend, only to protect his family, but along the way he actually falls for Dean.

The Bakery | @dates-with-cas

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 41075 Main Tags/Warnings: angst with a happy ending, offscreen character death, enemies to lovers, workplace sex, semi-public sex, attempted rape/non-con, mentions of past sexual abuse, alcohol as a coping mechanism, sex as a coping mechanism, sex in a kitchen, unresolved past trauma, top!Cas, bottom!Dean Summary: Dean Winchester loves his job, and he's thrilled to have his boss' brother coming in to work over the holidays, that is until he meets Castiel Novak for himself. The man is picky, grouchy, and absolutely fucking gorgeous.

The Path Between the Stars | zaphodsgirl (AO3)

Rating: Mature Word Count: 53111 Main Tags/Warnings: AU - Labyrinth Fusion, Angst with a Happy Ending, Minor Character Death Summary: It's been almost fifteen years since Dean met the enigmatic goblin king, Castiel. After failing to complete the labyrinth with Sam to save baby Adam, Dean is forced to make a deal to secure their freedom. Five years ago he finally gave in to the feelings he’d been keeping at bay for some time, only for Castiel to disappear from his life completely without a word. When Dean relays the story of the labyrinth to Sam's girlfriend Eileen, an opportunity presents itself for him to get some answers...and maybe have a second chance at something he hadn't dared to believe was real.

Of Twists and Turns | @kitmistry

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 75080 Main Tags/Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Pirate AU, Implied Drug Use, Minor Character Death, Amputation, Sea Monsters, Hunter Dean Summary: When naval surgeon Castiel Novak is captured by the Black Impala pirates, he has no choice but to agree to their terms: He is to serve on their ship for a whole year before they release him. That doesn’t mean he is going to like it, though. Especially when their captain is the embodiment of everything Castiel despises. Determined to earn his freedom, Castiel settles into the life of an outlaw. When the pirates’ true goal is revealed, though, he can no longer deny that things are not as black and white as he thought they were. And he can’t deny how drawn he is to Captain Winchester either.

Sovereign | @pomegranatedaffodil

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 87974 Main Tags/Warnings: Arranged Marriage, Hate to Love, Fantasy AU, Royalty AU, Virgin Castiel, Switching, Slow Burn, Minor Injuries Summary: When his brother embarks on a risky venture, Prince Dean of Pellia’s only choice is to enter into a marriage with the king of Arxelle in order to save Sam’s life as well as his own. King Castiel is severe, aloof, and no more happy about their hasty wedding than Dean. Marital bliss is the last state either of them expects to reach, but as Dean spends more time in his new home, he and Castiel slowly begin to settle into a partnership that allows them to put the needs of their kingdom before their own feelings. The longer they spend together, though, the more those feelings develop, daring them both to wonder if they might ever be husbands in more than just name.

Shot Through The Heart | @peanutbutterjelly-pie

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 156327 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe, Men of Letters, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Humor, Case Fic, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Bottom Dean Summary: As a hunter Dean finds himself more often than not relying on the help of the Men of Letters. Most of the time that's not much of a problem - if it wasn't for Castiel, the smartass bookworm with the piercing blue eyes, the messy hair and the rude attitude. He's been an annoying thorn in Dean's side since day one - and the hunter doesn't see that change anytime soon.

[dreaming-of-assclass]

Oooooo if 3-E were supernatural creatures who would be what 👀👀👀

Oooohh this is interesting to think about! I’m sorry, I don’t know a lot haha so I did some research to have more options!!

Karma: Demon

I feel like I don’t need to elaborate on this too much lmao. The boy is mischievous, LOVES to mess with mortals for no reason. When he’s feeling a particularly strong emotion, usually rage, excitement, etc, his eyes glow a shade of yellow-gold (like what canon showed)

Isogai: Demi-God

His crazy perfection in everything has to come from somewhere. His father was a God who left his realm and lost his immortality to be with Isogai’s mother, a mortal. Isogai only became aware of his heritage after his father’s passing.

Okajima: Half-Angel

LMAO I mostly picked this for the irony, but it kinda fits ngl. He’s generally a good, loyal, kind person and a very good friend. His perverted nature is his one big flaw and comes from the influence of his mortal father, who was his main guardian since his mother remained on Heaven.

Okano: Werewolf

I’m gonna credit this one to @greengargouille haha. They made a wonderful post about this idea that I still adore with my whole heart. But yeah, Okano being a badass werewolf with crazy athleticism and defying femininity expectations? Yes please.

Okuda: Witch

She excels in potion-making, of course. She comes from a long line of witches and magic-users in her family. So she feels quite a bit of pressure to be successful. She’s very talented but needs a tad bit more of control in her magic.

Kataoka: Mermaid

This one shouldn’t be a surprise haha. She’s a very strong and powerful swimmer...but where does all that raw talent come from? Surprise, Megu is a mermaid and she can transform between her physical forms at will. She loves the water because it’s her home and what she knows best.

Kayano: Part-Phoenix

I don’t know how this works and how someone can be part-Phoenix lmao, but it fits her way too well. A being that goes out in flames and starts a new life...isn’t that basically what Kayano did after her reveal? Her new life is her going by Akari again and showing her true colors to the class.

Kanzaki: Goddess

She’s apart of a very royal family of gods...all with ridiculously high standards and little respect for her. Kanzaki is very powerful and has so much raw potential but she’s never been able to show it. Her best skills are teleportation, invisibility, and a strong grasp on aerokinesis.

Kimura: Centaur

I’m serious about this one lmao. He’s a very fast runner and impresses everyone, and it’s thanks to his strong physique and raw energy in centaur form. Don’t worry, he can shape-shift back to a human form, but he hates it because he loses his height and is back to being 160 cm.

Kurahashi: Fairy

Of course, this bright, sunny, cheerful sweet girl could only be a fairy. She has a very strong connection to nature and wildlife, to the point that if they’re harmed, she feels the pain. Her wings are very tiny at age 14 can easily hide underneath her clothes. But by adulthood, they’re grown and able to use for flight.

Nagisa: Half-Ghoul

Surprise...this soft boy is actually half-evil :’). His father is actually a ghoul, and Nagisa was very much unaware of it for all his life. Hiromi kept it a secret and tried to suppress that part of him too. Basically I imagine what it means for Nagisa is that death draws him, and his physiology is why he has such a high bloodlust. When he’s pushed to his limits, he’s terrifying... (cough Takaoka cough)

Sugaya: Wizard

He comes from a relatively average line of wizards, who all moved to the mortal realm and own artisan businesses. Sugaya wishes to do something similar and follow his passion for art. He mostly uses his magic for that, levitating his brushes, enhancing his work, creating new things. He’s quite talented at conjuring.

Sugino: Angel

Yes, I’m serious about this. Sugino is a very good person and always strives to lead others down the right path. He’s good at guiding, but even he wants to live for himself for once. So he learns what baseball is and grows a strong love for it.

Takebayashi: Wizard

Unlike Sugaya, he comes from a super prestigious line of successful and powerful wizards. His family is one of the top ones. He feels immense pressure to live up to them. His talents lie in fire magic, particularly creating explosions. And he’s a very skilled healer.

Chiba: Half-Dragon

Fitting considering his name 💜 He has the ability to change between his human and dragon form, but it’s very shaky for now. His eyes are a bright, terrifying shade of red, and it exposes his dragon heritage so he must hide it.

Terasaka: Half-Titan

His Titan physiology is the reason for his raw strength and physical prowess. He’s incredibly strong and has a high endurance, durability, stamina... He’s a talented fighter and will always use his advantage to protect his loved ones.

Nakamura: Siren

She hates being a siren so much. She has to deal with boring mortal guys all the time, who for some reason, love her voice. She gets a real kick out of fooling them though, and the pranks are always chaotic. Since she’s been having to sing and use her voice, she’s gotten the chance to learn many languages. She has an affinity for them, and wants to continue learning more.

Hazama: Witch

I know this is a little cliche. But in contrast to the potion-centered Okuda, Hazama excels in linguistic spells. She keeps a journal of every new one she learns, as well as images of herbs and such. She’s very interested in dark arts, but will only indulge in it with the presence of someone else, to make sure she doesn’t fall too deep.

Hayami: Witch

Wow I’m really repeating so many. Hayami is a very hardworking, talented witch. But she’s so focused on helping others, she tends to get taken advantage of unfortunately. She’s best at transfigurations, altering things to her (and others) liking. Her favorite test subject is Okajima. She’s quite talented in hand-to-hand combat and having kinetic vision, which helps in magic. She wants a cat as a familiar so badly.

Hara: Fairy

Hara says “fuck you” to the idea that fairies are traditionally small and frail. She’s proud of her physique and strength, and her interest in fighting. She’s still the sweetest fairy there could be, always looking after everyone and all of nature. She loves cooking and sharing it with as many people as she can find.

Fuwa: Ghost

Yep our crazy, lively Fuwa is a ghost! Specifically, she’s a poltergeist, the kind who try to create mischief in some way and move things around. The reason why Fuwa is kinda wild and open about her passions is so she can be noticed by people...if her presence isn’t being acknowledged, she loses her physical form and goes back to being a transparent spirit. It isn’t all bad though. Her favorite thing to do is read mangas in ghost form, so all people see is a floating copy of One Piece.

Maehara: Vampire

This one is a little cliche lmao, but he’s a vampire playboy who always ends up accidentally turning his girlfriends into vampires too with his bites. No one ever suspects him of being a vampire since he looks like sunshine incarnate. He’s quite reckless and has come close to being exposed multiple times, and Isogai always scolds him.

Mimura: Elf

Poor boy is a little insecure about being an Elf...he tries his best not to stand out, especially given his dad’s love for the spotlight. He is good at basic magic, slightly above average. His best talent and what he excels at is photokinesis. He uses it on his filming hobby, to change what’s on camera, adjust lighting, etc. He can go as far as even completely remove shadows from the sunlight.

Muramatsu: Alchemist

He comes from a relatively average family of alchemists that used their abilities for culinary purposes. He enjoys it a lot, and is very talented. He prefers to rely on physical prowess when it comes to fights, but is able to use his alchemy additionally.

Yada: Vampire

Yada is the hot vampire girlfriend we all wish we had 😔 Just kidding haha. But yes, she’s a vampire and no one would ever expect it with how good she is at hiding. She plans out her life and days to specifically avoid sunlight, garlic, etc. She’s a very busy member of the school community and has tons of friends and connections. She and Maehara, her fellow vampire, constantly compete to see who can get more dates.

Yoshida: Werewolf

This is slightly cliche since he’s the resident bad boy, but it fits. He tries to keep a tough image even in human form partly since his family taught him to do so, and because it is comfortable for him. But he’s a softie deep down, and is nowhere near as ruthless as he’s believed to be.

Ritsu: Magic Mirror?

Hmm this is kind of the only option I see fitting for her as it correlates to her role in canon. One classmate has to carry the mirror around for her to communicate, but she’s very powerful and helpful.

Itona: Mummy

Ok so storyline here: he was abandoned to die by his family centuries ago, and his 13 body was mummified against his will. In present time, Shiro awakens him, revives him, and uses him as a tool. He goes through a lot...but is able to live a peaceful life with 3-E once all that is over. He wears bandages almost everywhere, only exposing his eyes which glow yellow when he’s using his power.

Bonus:

Gakushuu is a Demi-God, of course. He’s pretty annoyed that his elemental magic only extends to hydrokinesis and cryokinesis, but he’s still amazingly talented.

Ren is a Merman who flirts with girls at the beach with sappy poetry. He’s gotten caught in a fisher net too many times.

Seo is an Ogre.

[treeni]

Sanders Sides Orange Side Predictions

Theories Masterpost

If you haven’t read @averykedavra‘s post on the idea then you absolutely should. It is extremely well thought out and considers a lot of possibilities about the Orange side, even though there are some specific thoughts that I personally disagree with, it is absolutely worth reading through.

First, I want to say I agree with them pointing out @dragonsaphirareads character Otto, aka “Obsession” as being a brilliant take on what the Orange character could be from a conceptual basis. I also think @candied-peach / Peachsneaker’s character Wrath is another brilliant take on the opposite side of the spectrum of the potential of what the orange side could be. Honestly, if you haven’t, you should check out these two creators' works immediately as they are both completely fantastic writers and have a lot of great Sanders Sides stories, both with and without romance.

My only gripe is that I think both characters are too inherently good in their depictions. Personally, I think both authors are right, to a point. I think the Orange character would be someone who cares too much and takes things too far. What’s interesting about DragonSapphiraRead’s character, is that he was once Passion and gave up parts of himself to the others. It’s interesting, but I personally don’t think that’s how it’s going to go.

Instead I think Passion is exactly the trait that the darkside character is going to embody and this is where I most agree with averykedavra’s take. I think the Orange side is going to come in as someone who appears “good,” “right,” and even “helpful” at first glance, and yet, you gradually start to realize the problems further on. 

If you look at the progression of the darksides so far, you may notice that  they have followed the rule of three in establishing a pattern. Virgil showed up and scared the others until his point got across until he was listened to, so really was it any surprise when both Janus and Remus immediately did the same upon their introductions? Given the divide, it took time and understanding to start being open to the good that Virgil brings. Janus has only just started to really prove to Thomas that he is well intentioned and Remus hasn’t even begun that part of the journey yet. However, you can see the three characters all in various states of the pattern that Virgil set. Virgil is at acceptance, Janus is at tolerance (or at least close to it) and Remus is still at distrust, but past the introduction and initial scare.Their actions have all followed the rule of three behavior that establishes a pattern for the audience to recognize. We inherently know Janus and Remus as being on the same “track” as Virgil was on a subconscious level.

Which is why I think the Orange side will absolutely destroy that expectation by diverting from that path and all current expectations of darksides. After a pattern of accepting the darksides, I think they will decide to immediately give the Orange side a chance because by then they will also have multiple examples of their shortsightedness about the darksides potential in helping Thomas.

 I also think Orange will absolutely come in and appear good at first glance. This will probably happen after Janus is really, truly accepted by the other sides and Remus is at least on his way to being accepted. I also really liked averykedavra’s idea that the orange side gives his name immediately, but I disagree on the idea that he can hide his role. The roles are something that others have been shown to bring up to the group and be generally aware of. No side has had to introduce their role as far as I can remember.

However I actually think of this as further evidence for the side having the role of Passion instead of Wrath or Obsession. Because Passion seems good at baseline and is absolutely good if controlled. However, Passion also encapsulates things like Wrath, Obsession, Procrastination, and Spite.

Imagine if you will, a side that comes in dressed as seemingly innocuous in fandom gear and tee shirts with big smiles and excitement. He quickly and easily proclaims his excitement of all of the others’ work and is extremely supportive at the beginning. I could see CharacterThomas becoming quickly and easily attached to someone who seems so positive and relatable. I think he’d be a little like Patton at first glance, but more childish. There would be none of the “fatherly” care in him for example. He would seem interested in what the others would say and generally only make quiet additions to the conversation. In the beginning it seems as if he brings out the good in the other sides with his small bits of help and encouragement. Except, he doesn’t stop at small. Instead as the sides start to become used to his presence he starts pushing things further and further. 

This side never lies, he doesn’t need to. He can manipulate the truth to do his bidding. He gently reminds Roman of all of the things he hasn’t yet achieved of his dreams. As a friend he pulls Patton aside to remind him of some of the bad things happening recently in the world, just to warn him of course. He asks for Logan’s help in clarifying  some facts that might be a little uncomfortable, but definitely important. He gently nudges Virgil about some of the dangerous things that could have happened to Thomas and really? Isn’t he just lucky to have come out okay so far? And self-preservation? No, not even he’s safe as the side reminds him of the rocky state of his “supposed acceptance” until Janus’ doubts overtake him.

You think Thomas struggles in dealing with one of them acting in extremes? Just wait until they all are. Logan becoming obsessive, Roman becoming unfocused, Virgil becoming paranoid, Patton becoming hysterical, and even Janus literally walling himself away because he devolves into extreme self-defense. (Also possibly trying to hastily wall just him and Thomas away. Because defensive rationality.)

The vast differences between the caring Patton and this side become increasingly clear to the audience, but by this point it’s too late. The sides are (almost) all hanging on his every word.

Logan can’t outmaneuver manipulative honesty, Virgil can’t caution against it, Roman’s too restricted to find a creative solution for it. Even Patton and Janus are ineffective because not only does it sound and feel right, it also seems akin to some of Janus’ behavior of revealing “uncomfortable” truths that Thomas doesn’t want to hear. 

I think this side is going to slowly drive the others into their own extreme biases until their own behaviors are so chaotic and restless they become literally unable to contribute to the conversation.

I also think that will be what makes this particular side terrifying. Instead of scaring the others into listening to him, he simply feeds into their own biases until they are so divided there is no longer a conversation. 

You see, this side wouldn’t simply want to be a voice to be heard. He would want to be the only voice.

Okay, now for my justification as to why. 

1. As I already mentioned before, we as humans like threes, comedians will list three things to establish a pattern and then add a fourth in a “one of these is not like the others” to make a joke. The best way to break a pattern is to flip expectation on its head. This side is already breaking that ideology simply by existing as a fourth darkside. He isn’t there to follow the others paths.

2. Janus and Remus’ religious dialogue that is telling of their own negative views of their lack of “inherent goodness” because they consistently use their own existences as proof of Thomas’ “inherent evilness.” While being revealing of their thought processes, I also believe it is a hint to the last side’s state as a Lucifer-like character in the classical sense of his intended perception. Not a demon, but an angel. Someone who believes they have done no wrong and tempts you on a personal level.

3. Also consider some of the things orange as a color symbolizes: encouragement, enthusiasm, and motivation, yes, but also ambition, domination, temptation, and warning.

It’s still loose evidence as we haven’t even met the side yet, but we as an audience can still derive a lot about him from the other characters.

Now that I’m here shoving all my opinions in your faces, I might as well go all out. 

I am currently two for three on darkside names so I’m going to throw my hat in and tell you my guess on that too. 

If the new Orange side follows my predictions I also think he will be named Aiden. 

Why? First, it means “fiery one” which is a perfect association for both passion and the color orange. It also mimics a “light side” name without quite fitting in with the “en” ending. Additionally, like most names, it is a modernization of older names and this particular one has derivative connections to both the Celtic god of sun and fire “Aodh” and the Greek god “Aidoneus” otherwise known as Hades. (Also keep in mind that Lucifer’s name means Morningstar, aka the sun.) Finally, the word “Aid” is literally in the name to give the impression of innocence. 

And that is my TED talk.

[elai-okonma]

Chapter 8. What’s Done Is Done

To the few people who still give a shit about my story, I just wanted to say thank you so much! 

Word count: 1,933

Devildom

  Lucifer combs his fingers through his hair and sighs. He hadn’t been able to find out where Satan had gone to. It’d been days but he hadn't stopped his search for his brother, even though he kept coming up empty handed. Today he had a plan that would hopefully get him the whereabouts of the Avatar of Wrath. 

  As he stands up from his chair the doorbell rings. Ah, they’re finally here. 

  Luci opens the door and Lord Diavolo steps in, with Barbatos right behind him. 

  “My Lord, Barbatos, thank you so much for coming.’

  “Of course”, the Demon Lord responds, and Barbatos gives a small smile.

  “My apologies for bothering you and Barb, I know how busy you both are.”   

  “Nonsense! This is important to you, and after what you told me about what Beelzebub had been doing for his brothers, I couldn’t deny you this request.” Diavolo puts a hand on Lucifer’s shoulder and gives him a genuine smile. 

  “Still, thank you. I really appreciate it. I appreciate you, and you as well, Barbatos.”

  The butler nods and also smiles at Luci. He was more than willing to help out, anything to get the brothers and his Lord back to some type of normalcy. With Beel doing what he did for Mammon, he could easily notice the change of energy in the house. It was still a house filled with mourning Demons, but now at least the air was much lighter. The brothers were really trying and Barb couldn’t ask for more.

  The three men were headed for Lucifer’s study to start their search when they see Leviathan running up to them. 

  “I JUST GOT BEELZ NOTE, IS IT TRUE ABOUT MAMMON?!” the otaku looked mortified.

  Lucifer speaks up and confirms the answer to his brother's question. “It is. He already talked with Amso about it, and we’re trying to find Satan so that we can also let him know.”

  Levi balls his fists, and nods. He couldn’t believe what he had read, and to hear Luci confirm it broke his heart. He felt like garbage, how could he have let this happen?? Of course all the brothers weren’t all that close, but they could always talk about what really mattered. 

  “I’m going to see Mammon, but I’ll come back and help you in any way I can!” He says as he runs off toward Mammon’s room.

_______________________________________________________

  Mammon is sitting on his bed listening to Asmo talk to him about nothing in particular when Levi bursts in.

  “Mammon!” 

  “Levi--?!” He’s cut off when his brother hugs him tight. 

  “O-oi?! What’s wrong??”

  “What’s wrong?? WHAT’S WRONG?! I SHOULD FUCKING SLAP YOU!”

  Asmodeus’ hand flies up to his mouth at his brother’s vulgar language. Levi wasn’t the type to swear. Levi speaks softly as he drops his head:

  “Why would you do that...why would you want to leave us...MC being gone is already too much...we...I can’t lose you, too…”

  Mammon looks to Asmo, who looks away teary eyed. Talking about this again is making him emotional. It was still so fresh in everyone’s minds. He takes a deep breath and gets up from the bed, pacing around the room, he hears the door creak open. They all look over to see Beel.

  “I saw Levi run in here, and I had to see for myself, to make sure I wasn’t seeing things!”

  Beelzebub runs to them, pulling both of the smaller brothers into a hug. He looks over at Asmodeus and reaches out to him. 

  Asmo sucks in a breath, wiping the tear that fell from his eye, and runs to his brothers. When was the last time we were like this?? Before the Fall?? When things were simple and life wasn’t cruel… They’re all crying now, a pile of weeping Demons all thinking the same thing: how much they truly love each other. 

________________________________________________

  Back in Lucifer’s study, they were thinking of places that Satan would have gone. It wouldn’t be in an obvious place like a library, Satan was devastated by your passing and was following his wrath blindly. The three had every map of the Devildom opened as they were looking for any places that might be a suitable hiding place for a Demon in mourning. Woodlands, forests, deserts, anyplace they could think of. A secluded place from this world was easy to find, considering the Devildom was endless. Hell, they didn’t even know if Satan was even still in the Devildom. With his endless knowledge and power, he could’ve opened portals. He could possibly be in an entirely different world or dimension, for all they knew!  

  “We have to be missing something… where could he have gone??” says Lucifer.

  “Satan is smart, he wouldn’t be someplace he could easily be found.” replies Diavolo.

  Barbatos speaks up now, “We have to remember the state of mind he’s in. Heartbreak, fury, hatred, disgust, and every other negative feeling that’s consumed him, driving him.” 

  Leviathan walks in, disrupting their thoughts. Luci looks up and sees Levi along with his other brothers. 

  “I brought back up!” the otaku beams. 

  “The more help we have, the better chance we have of finding Satan!” Asmo chimes in. “With that being said, I’ve called Simeon, and Solomon.”

  Lucifer was about to scold his brother for getting those two involved, but he knows that finding Satan is more important than letting his pride get in the way. With his brothers and close friends helping to look for Satan, he feels happy for the first time since MC’s death. His thoughts quickly flash to Belphegor, none of them had seen the youngest brother since that day, Lord Diavolo had made sure of that. The eldest brother decides to speak up:

  “My Lord, what...what has become of Belphegor??”

  The room becomes eerily still at the name. Some of them look to Beelzeub, the others look to Lucifer, wide eyes darting back and forth like they were watching a tennis match. No one dare say anything, as they all hold their breaths. 

  “I would also like to know…” It was Beel who broke the silence. 

  With a heavy sigh, Diavolo puts one of the maps down and turns to the brothers. 

  “Are you sure you really want to know??” He’s addressing all the brothers, but looking right at Beelzebub.

  “Yes…”

  Another sigh, followed by a deep breath as their Lord says:

  “I’ve exiled him from the Devildom.”

___________________________________________________________

  Satan had made himself at home in his newfound place. He knew his brothers were going to eventually get worried when he failed to return, but he didn’t want them in the way as his wrath consumed him. He had wandered around for a few days after your funeral, traversing between dimensions and other places. He tore through anything and everything in his path, taking his emotions out on anyone who was in his path. 

  FUCK YOU BELPHEGOR, FUCK YOU FOR TAKING MC AWAY FROM ME!!

  Just thinking about his name ignites the fire within him all over again. Honestly, what did you do to deserve what happened to you?? Did you care too much?? All you ever did was love them, was that a reason to die?? Even though you hadn’t been in our lives long, we all felt the same way about you...we loved you MC… 

  Maybe they should have shown it more, or at least told you more, about how they felt. About how he felt. You never judged him, or thought any less of him for any reason. You accepted him for who he was. A Demon, sin incarnate, a being who was never an Angel like his brothers. A creature born out of anger and hatred, and despite all of that, you looked at him like he was perfect. Like he wasn't a Demon at all. You respected, loved, and cared for him, and all of his brothers. 

  Whatever Belphie gets is too good for him. I want him to suffer, just as he made MC suffer. If I ever see him again, I’ll make sure of it. I’ll make him suffer a fate 1,000 times worse than what he made her suffer…

  Satan looks around the room he’s in. Don’t you worry MC, I’ll make sure you’re never forgotten. He walked over to the wall where he had stacked his books, and picked out the one he knew you loved. Walking back over to where he was seated, he begins to read it. It wasn't his type of book, but he knew it was one of your favorites. He almost never read books that weren’t informational, none of his books really have a storyline. This wasn’t a tome or a gremory, or some ancient text. It was just a simple novel. 

  After a few chapters, he sets the book down. I have a headache… I wonder if there’s any tea here. He gets up and heads to the kitchen. There wasn't much of anything in the kitchen when he arrived here, and considering Demons don’t particularly need to eat, he hadn’t bought any food. All of us except Beel… It must be horrible to have the only sin that can’t be helped... I can control my wrath. Lucifer his pride, and even Mammon with his greed, but Gluttony?? A hunger that was so much more than just hunger. An endless void, to which there was no satisfying. An appetite that could never be sated... I wonder if MC could stifle my brother's gluttony, just as she had stifled my wrath…

  He cut his thoughts off when he found the tea in the cupboard. Thinking about all of this was just going to make him upset again, and seeing as how he loved the place he was in, he didn’t want to get too emotional and accidentally destroy it. MC would be upset if I did that…

___________________________________________

  Back at the House of Lamentation, there were questions that needed answers.

  “What do you mean you exiled Belphie??”

  “I mean exactly that. After Barbatos finished preparing MC’s body for the funeral, I had him open a door to a past reality, in which to exile Belphegor.” Lord Diavolo explains.

  Barbatos adds on, “It was Lord Diavolo’s wish to have me send Belphegor to a specific timeline, where he would be forced to live in purgatory.”

  Everyone is looking at the butler and his master before Beelzebub asks:

  “...which timeline…”

  The others were also curious, because now, the look on Diavolos face is one you never want to see from the Demon Lord. It was beyond evil, a look that couldn’t be described with just words. 

  “Lord Diavolo! WHICH TIMELINE.” Beel repeats, eyes never leaving the man.

  Barb looks over to his Lord, who slowly but firmly answers the question.

  “The Great Celestial War...”

  Beel’s eyes widen with fear, “N-no...No you DIDN’T SEND HIM THERE!”

  Diavolo continues, “Belphegor will spend the rest of his eternity re-living the moment Lilith was-”

  “NO YOU DIDN’T SEND HIM THERE!!” Beel roared, shaking the house. His brothers had to grab a hold of him, to keep him from snapping. 

  “It is a punishment that suits him. I understand why you’re upset, and I’m sorry that I brought up Lilith’s death, but I’m not sorry for giving him what he deserves.” 

  It was then that Simeon and Solomon arrived, seeing the scene unfold in front of them. They weren’t sure what had happened or what was said, but what they did know, was that whatever was said, had stirred up something in Beelzebub that they’d never seen in any other Demon before. 

  Simeon’s ears perked up at something, as he looked up to the ceiling. This sound… 

  “Please excuse me.” the Angel says before bolting out of the house.