#we don't know if Lilith ever killed anyone herself

[drachenfalter]

Just had a disturbing thought.

The reason that Lilith Clawthorne is accepted back into society so easily after everything is that her victims* usually didn't survive.

(*victim meaning the people most hurt by Lilith's actions as a member and eventual leader of the Emperor's coven. Almost exclusively so called "wild witches", like the people we see at the beginning of Agony of a witch.) (Also, Eda is the exception to that rule, but only because she's Lilith's sister. We have every indication that Lilith did not treat any other wild witch like that.)

[sepublic]

People -and this did include myself at one point- really don't want to engage with the fact that Belos is modeled after white supremacy by trying to bury this under the lens of "Oh he's actually a lonely weirdo like Luz!!!" when Belos' superiority complex is the most important part of him and it's where all analyses inevitably must stem from. I think the problem is that people are too attached to their speculative fanon version of Belos and instead of letting go of that to rebuild their understanding of him from the ground up (since he's a mysterious character who is only gradually revealed bit by bit), they keep clinging to this sympathetic tragic villain as the core behind their interpretation of him. 

Everything about Belos makes so much more sense when you explore him as someone akin to a lot of right-wing 4channers; A lonely young boy who was radicalized because white supremacy promised to rescue him from his isolation, and after buying into it wholesale, he very much chose to cling onto the need to be superior to the "NPCs" even when someone close to him actually unlearns and deconstructs for him why this is harmful. He sees firsthand how someone just like him is happier for leaving this mindset, and then kills them to eliminate that contradiction threatening his world belief; At which point it’s inaccurate to infantilize him as just a lonely and misguided kid, because he’s no longer a kid and he made a very cognizant and informed choice to double down and commit actual violence.

And everyone knows that by this point, such people are not actually being sincere; They’re not secretly misguided, you can’t simply attribute their harm to not knowing better because this is what their religion says or whatever. These people know they’re committing harm, but rather than help on “lesser” people’s terms, they ‘help’ the way THEY see fit, in the way that strokes their ego. That’s what separates Philip from someone like Gwen, who humbled herself to focus on what Eda was saying she really needed. So the Titan’s summarization of Belos as someone who only cares about being the hero in his own delusion, and fears what he can’t control is… hardly an oversimplification, it really gets to the core of Belos as a character, and the narrative he embodies. It captures the difference between wanting to help and having a savior complex, and is what ends up delineating the two at the crucial crossroads. 

And I find it a little concerning to joke about how this type of character is “just a silly guy” when people exactly like him are on the rise and committing very real violence right now. It’s also why I don’t buy the justification behind a lot of salt about how villains need to be humanized in order to show kids how THEY can become villains, because the show is fairly outright about how Belos rationalizes atrocities under the guise of the ‘greater good’ and refuses to self-reflect, and it’s not as if we don’t have Luz learning to understand characters like Amity or Lilith, the Collector and even Kikimora (whom she DID relate to personally, yet Kiki still doubled down with or without Belos), while still having the show emphasize that they need to get their act together and can’t just depend on people to save them. 

There’s also the very obvious theme of Luz realizing she doesn’t owe her oppressor anything, especially not when he won’t ever meet her or anyone else on their terms, but idk some people just seem to hate Luz for having boundaries I guess, even though she already put in the effort to be kind and understanding to Belos and she got hurt for it. Hell the Collector made that effort after being inspired by Luz, and Luz was murdered protecting them from that mistake!!! There are some very obvious stories and lessons being told here with the actual protagonists being the heart of those narratives, but the problem I’ve noticed is that a lot of the people complaining on Belos’ behalf are those who hyperfixated almost exclusively on the Wittebane aspect of the lore, going over it with a fine tooth comb and microscope to extrapolate an entire fanon from the littlest of details… only to just ignore the actual show and narrative and themes happening on-screen. 

And that leads to many not understanding various narrative decisions because they weren’t really paying attention to the actual point they’re in service to, and then they blame the writers for their own chosen ignorance, and how the story wasn’t about their part specifically so everything else doesn’t count and the whole show is wasted potential, really. The way so many of said fans immediately turned on Luz after the finale and tried to drag her down to Belos’ level by acting like she wasn’t any better for also wanting things and 'demonizing enemies', claiming Luz had unaddressed ‘flaws’ while Belos deserved more sympathy, and framing Belos as a ‘better’ character who ‘worked harder’ while claiming Luz was retconned into an arrogant chosen one who never grew, is actually baffling.

A lot of them are just upset that Belos didn’t play the role in Luz’s arc that they wanted him to play, so they’ve opted to dismiss Luz’s overall storyline as badly written and even a reflection of Dana's 'Catholic complex' (which is a tasteless jab to make) because they neglected the nuance behind every other aspect of Luz that wasn’t directly tied to Belos, that didn’t set her up as the one person who understands him or whatever because that’s more important to them than addressing the sheer trauma and pain that Belos willingly inflicted upon Luz. Because god forbid this brown girl be angry against her white abuser, huh? God forbid the white guy be used to set up the brown main character, rather than the other way around right????? It’s really just a jealous complaint about the show’s choice of priorities and celebration, hidden under the false guise of ever caring about Luz’s arc for Luz’s sake.

And that’s how you get insincere arguments about how Belos should’ve been able to survive, that’s how you get AUs that undermine the lessons of canon to egregiously relegate Luz to being Belos’ sidekick, or even present her as an obstacle to him getting his much-needed redemption, as if that last part hinges on all of Belos’ victims getting over their pain to help him, because obviously he needs it more than they do! Because we gotta spare Belos’ feelings by giving him friends instead of consequences!!! Unbelievable. He is not Amity, not Lilith, and definitely not Hunter, and the people who forgave them had actual reason to do so. And even Lilith had to move in with her mother so she could be given reparations by someone who actually owed it to her, rather than her younger sister and two kids.

And there’s definitely a major difference between Lilith and Gwen’s dynamic and Philip and Caleb’s, especially since Caleb was also a child when he moved into Gravesfield. Even if you think Belos' bigotry was radicalized due to 'grief' over losing his brother to witches, that's just entitlement and control because it's not as if Caleb can't have more than one positive relationship in his life; Philip is no better than people who blame minorities for some incident in their life and use that as justification to become white supremacists, and there's nothing sympathetic or 'tragic' about that.

But the point is that Caleb ultimately wasn’t THAT important to Belos because he’d always be secondary to witch-hunting, Belos clearly chose his white supremacy over his brother, and any ‘takebacks’ that come in the form of the Grimwalkers are insincere given Belos does nothing to actually repent or regret his violence committed on the people of the isles; It’d have been one thing if he DID try to undo his mistake by choosing differently, by cloning Caleb and giving up witch hunting, but he still doesn’t (Note that Belos does not hallucinate the ghosts of the witches he killed; He still feels no remorse over them, because his fear of being wrong comes from a selfish place). And unlike Luz, Belos can’t have it both ways because one option explicitly calls for the extermination of the other; It’s the Paradox of Tolerance that Luz struggled with, except contrary to what Belos claims, humanity’s existence does not require the eradication of others.

Because yes there IS a meaningful moral distinction between Luz and Belos -don’t forget they’re not just parallels but explicit opposites- that occurs even before you get into the genocide, not that you should neglect that other part either because it’s incredibly important, being the starting point for this entire rant. Society already has a bias towards devil’s advocating bigotry as some big misunderstanding, and prioritizing the angst of white dudes who commit it over the victims of color; Can we avoid applying that to fiction?!??!? I literally saw someone complain that the show didn’t portray Belos’ grief from murdering Luz, and that Luz’s “glory moment” took away from a Wittebane backstory!!! At this point, people are just being racist.

[serialadoptersbracket]

Full Propaganda: Edalyn “Eda” Clawthorne

1. “she starts the series dead set on the fact that this arrangement with this random human kid is just so that the kid doesn't get killed and ends the series being the unofficial parent of somewhere between 3-8 kids, depending on how you define it”

2. “Eda Clawthorne is the best adoptive mother to ever mother. She starts out season 1 being reluctant to take on a maternal role towards Luz when she first comes to the Boiling Isles, which we later learn is from fear of getting attached. And get attached, she does. Eda is willing to sacrifice herself for Luz by the end of season one and is captured by Lilith for the kid she met (canon time is kinda funky) around a couple weeks ago. Even if it meant death, she was willing. She also took in King, which we later learn is the last Titan, but Eda didn’t know this. All Eda knew is that he was a cute little scruffy guy who needed a family. Eventually, she kind of took in Hunter, as well as the rest of their friend group, and was a safe person to go to no matter what. I might be confusing headcanon with canon here, but I definitely headcanon that Eda took in the Blight kids during the Blight parents’ divorce. Personally, I just love her because she’s hot and as a queer kid, I’d feel safe with her. And who doesn’t want that?”

3. “i love her sm”

4. “First of all, Eda wasn't granted a lot of good things: She was cursed (by someone she loved) with an ever worsening illness, she was outcasted and prosecuted from society for not blindly following the rules and conforming. Lots of baggage and trauma. Still when Luz stumbled into human world, she took her in. She taught her magic and how to navigate this world.

She gave her advice and hugged her and reprimanded her. She wasn't an adoptive mom from the start, she grew into the role. She made mistakes, but she was willing to listen to Luz and overthink her behavior. Think of the beginning, when Luz wanted to go to school and Eda didn't want her. In the end she let her go and gave her her full support. She genuinely cared for her even when she was new in her life, and rescued her out of a lot of sticky situations, never left her behind, always ready to risk her life for those she loved.

Also King- She adopted him out of a cave and cared for him like a child even before Luz came. And the cared A LOT. For example, when his crown was took from him, she went on a dangerous mission (plus luz she just met and "used" for that) to retrieve it. Turns out, it was a "burger king" crown, but she did all that because see knew that was important to him. And even though she fears loosing him so much, she still helps him in his search for his real sad.

In conclusion: Outcast who still uses all her resources to give their kids a happy life, an education and a future. She fully supports them (but like a mother also draws a line here and there). She visits school meetings and does paperwork for Luz, she reads stories for them to fall asleep, she goes to Luz' prom, she hides her pain to be strong for them.”

5. “eda “rock, rock, maternal gesture” clawthorne sees a lost child and goes “is anyone gonna take that?” everyone loves a sexy harpy milf whose storyline revolves around living with a disability right. did i mention she’s canon bi and her partner is canon nonbinary do it for them!!”

6. “To Luz:

- She's the first one to take care of Luz on the Boiling Isles, even though for the first episodes she seemed disinterested in her.

- She encouraged Luz to keep finding the glyphs that let her use magic without having a witch's heart gland.

- She did many tasks for Hexside to pay for her childhood pranks just for the principal to let Luz keep studying there after she was expelled.

- She saved Luz's life multiple times, even letting herself be captured by Emperor Belos and almost turned to stone so she could be safe.

(that's just season 1 and start of season 2 because I don't remember anything else)

To King:

- The first episode is them three recovering King's crown, that is just a cardboard "Burger Queen" crown, but Eda still wanted to get it back just because it's important for him.

- There's a flashback to when she found King as a baby in an abandoned tower with a monster that attacks her (that we later discover was just protecting King, love you Jean Luc), and her first reaction is getting him outta there and she went on to raise him by herself.

- There's an episode of King giving her adoption papers and IT'S SO CUTE!!!!”

7. “shes THE accidental mother”

8. “Eda Clawthorne always said she was a terrible influence and took the word “maternal” as an insult. She then proceeded to accidently adopt a sentient demon beast thing, raise him, adopt some human that tripped into her dimension, mentor her, all while being on the run from the tyrannical government. She canonically adopts King in the second season and King and Luz call each other siblings. She also calls them “her kids.” Eda attempts to sacrifice herself for them at many times and tries her best to keep them safe, and is really sad about the fact that they’ll one day leave her to go back to their own families. She puts away her own biases against the school system so that Luz can lead magic. The maternal instincts basically kick her out of nowhere and she goes from a badass, absolute menace to society to badass, absolute menace to society who happens to have two chaos gremlins.”

9. “-King and Luz are very much her children but some people even see her adopting other characters in the show

-She got one child because she found him all alone and was like "guess I have a son now" and got the other one by kinda sorta kidnapping her (she's here of her own free will but she is not supposed to be there and her mom does not know she's there, also in the first episode Eda wouldn't let her go home until she did something for her (the something was actually for King))

-She's a really cool older woman who has a curse that's essentially a chronic illness and a complicated relationship with all her family members

-One time she was going to sacrifice herself but then her ex/future partner stops her because they see a picture of her kids

-In the same episode she thinks that King is going to leave her once he finds his dad but really he wanted to tell her he's changing his name to King Clawthorne”

10. “She's a powerful, funny and badass middle aged witch (a WILF, if you will) and loves her kids so much. She's trying her best to raise King well and basically adopts Luz too after she falls into the Boiling Isles world and can't go back for a long while. Refers to both as her kids & they adore her as well. Best mom 💞”

11. “she is a Mom”

12. “A cursed middle aged witch adopts two children, neither of which are her species. Only one of them was on purpose. She thought the other one was a dog.”

13. “She's hot and awesome”

14. “Her being an adoptive parent wasn't even on her plan, she just likes to defy the government. Oops, now we're a family. Fuck you Emperor Belos!”

15. “She is one of those cool aunt's that act like they don't care much and that sort of hide their emotions, but in reality she really cares. She had adopted like a million children during the show emotionally, and one of them legally. She's had so many children warm up to her quickly and more importantly she's had so many children SHE warmed up to. She's protective of all of them. I love er so much <3”

16. “This champion of a woman, this legend of a lady, continuously and effortlessly picks up children to care for as if her own. Before the events of the main storyline, she has already adopted the *King of Demons* himself. She takes Luz under her wing (ha), much like she takes in numerous other children with the intent of letting them prosper and grow away from responsibilities and duties placed on them by their previous parental figures. She is thirty and flirty and DANG she is a good mother. She casually picks up three more children whilst aiding in a rebellion with the (NON-BINARY) love of her life. Upon meeting the wonderful biological mother of Luz (Camila Noceda), you can see her VISIBLY SWEATING with the insurmountable pressure she feels to make a good first impression after a whopping three seasons of having raised Camila's kid herself. She cares very deeply for these kids and the people they love, and thus I argue she is one of the best serial adopters in history, if not THE best ever. boom mic drop the crowd goes wild”

[androgynousblackbox]

Either Lilith is a piece of shit who is only looking out for herself OR OR!!!!!!!!! She was held hostage in Eden as a form of agreement for Adam and the exterminators to not touch the hellborn people, which would include both Charlie and her husband. For a while it has been bothering me how the hell did Lucifer even got that deal at all, when it's pretty obvious that heaven doesn't have any reason to listen to him about anything. How did he ever manage to spare anyone? Because Lilith told them "I will stay with you if you do that one thing for us." And Lucifer obviously knows this and hasn't told anyone, so Charlie and everyone just assumes that they "split". He wouldn't want Charlie to think that her own mom abandoned her or that she is on any danger, so he just... say nothing at all about what happened to her. Even thought it's all for the safety of their family. Because this is the thing. The extermination was cancelled for that one ocassion. Lute can very well lick her wounds and come back to do the same shit, but now that Adam is fucking dead she has no reason to stop at sinners. All of hell can be up for grabs. There is nothing stopping her from destroying people even inside of their own houses, to drag people out if she just wants to. So Lute coming back to Lilith being "the deal is done UNLESS you do something about your fucking brat" is her saying "we are going to try to kill her again and again and again if you don't do something to control her." Until I am drastically contradicted by canon or something else comes out, this is what I choose to believe in. So my prediction as to where the show is going to go with her is that she will go to the hotel and try to destroy people's redemption, to try to make the go the "wrong" path so nobody else goes to heaven, in an attempt to discourage Charlie from achieving her dreams. This is all misterious and shit and it LOOKS like she is a villain, but really she is fucking terrified for her family and is trying her fucking best to not tempt fate any longer. Lucifer is the only one who knows and it breaks his heart because he understands, he knows, but also believes in Charlie so it's angst hours for everyone, folks! And when Lilith sees how strong Charlie is and how capable she becomes, that when she decides that the deal is off and decides to stay with Charlie to help her defend her dreams.

[stellacaerulea]

Paper announced a new Nikki figurine, and I'd like to make a not-so-short rant on the subject - feel free to state your views on the matter afterwards

Disclaimer: this entire text is my opinion on the matter and in no way an irrefutable statement

This week another SN figurine was announced, with Nikki in an unknown Cloud-style outfit. I mentioned that before in other occasions in the community at large, but why is it that only Nikki gets anything outside of the game?

People constantly come to the quick conclusion that, well, Nikki is the protagonist and all so it's only natural that she gets most of the attention, but there's a noticeable difference between getting most of the attention and getting all of it. The only character to get anything at all outside the game - applies to both Love Nikki and Shining Nikki - is Nikki and, by proxy, Momo.

Earlier I heard in my server that "she is the protagonist, so she's the game's selling point" - fact is, Nikki alone isn't strong enough of a selling point. Anyone somewhat familiar with long-running gacha RPGs knows the other characters are often just as, if not more, important as the protagonist and appropriately, they get a share of the spotlight outside their games.

Think about other games in this segment I know which one you're gonna think about. While the protagonist's story is the driving motor of the game, what we actually hear/read most is the stories of the people surrounding the protagonist, and as a result the game becomes more of a collection of stories of interesting people, and said interesting people gets just as much attention as part of the game as a product as the protagonist does, to the point that often the protagonist is ignored.

Of course we don't want Nikki to be ignored, even though I personally have been finding her a bit flat as a character as of late. But consider: when was the last time we saw artwork of other characters in their birthdays or other big events outside the game (say, holidays) that weren't reflection arts or concepts? To be honest I've seen it around 5 times ever since TW SN was released - April 2019.

Likewise, I made that survey a few months ago, asking if you were interested in merchandise from anyone other than Nikki, to which the crushing majority said yes. And I know for a fact, half the community would be fighting tooth and nail for a Lilith figurine with a sparkly silver dress, or maybe Loen in some action pose [edit: my gf arrived as I was typing and added she'd kill for a figurine of the Goddess of Desire]. We could have gotten a short animation (even if it was live2D mostly) of Ashley's past which is a very popular story and honestly how most people even heard of Shining Nikki to begin with or some slice of life about Aeon and Marina taking care of the personality mirrors in the Ark. But instead, anything that isn't Nikki herself is neglected and treated as secondary even if in practice they are most of what makes the game.

In short, my point with all this is to express my disappointment with how a world meant to be rich and attractive is neglected and the game is treated as if it were only pretty clothes on a silly (affectionate) pink-haired girl. Of course the game would decline as it has been lately. We can have a dress-up with pretty clothes anywhere. Just ask Archosaur.

[raphaellight]

It's so easy to hurt angels

"F*@king weak, dude"

Is it, tho? I think it's not as much of a plothole as it seems to be. There are potential plotholes, yet nothing that can't be pitched with later explenations. I rewatched the show already and this one thing stucked out to me. It does seems in first viewing that the hole "Angelic weapons can hurt angels" is really stretched out as to how noone really figured it out.

Gonna play the devil's advocate here, connecting phew small details form Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss.

"Angelic steel is rare and noone was really eager to test it out on angels." Carmilla said (I quote from memory, don't kill me)

Let's look at just HOW RARE it is. It isn't there to mine in hell, it does not grow nor it falls from the sky. Well, it does in a sense. The ONLY confirmed source of angelic steel is that which Exorcist bring to kill demons. Literally. And from what we saw, they all use melee weapons and before noone even thought you can defeat an angel, we can assume not many people succesfully won over angelic spear or stole it from angel. So the only way angelic steel come to be in hell is when Exorcist doesn't bother taking it away after impaling a sinner.

That's it. We saw a frame with a small forest of left over spears, but even if we assume it's like that every time, spear has a bit more steel than a typical knife. So I would take it as maybe dozens of kilograms of actual steel every year.

We also know Carmilla is the main angelic weapon dealer in hell. But I want you to consider, who is she selling it too? That's where Helluva Boss goes into play.

Lucifer rules over a Pride Ring. And he is an angel, whom right to the events of Hazbin Hotel finale, is considered unharmable by general public. There were also Lilith and Charlie in Pentagram City, but Lilith was absent for a moment and preety liked when present. Charlie is, well, Charlie. Not respected, but noone would like to hurt her, both in fear of Lucifer wrath and because Charlie rarely interferes with anyones business, she is to nice to make enemies (and to get anyone to respect her). And simple sinners can be taken down with regular weaponary. Who can we kill with agelic steel however? Stolas and other Goethia. Possibly seven sins. You don't need it to kill an Imp or Hell Hound, but it was an important part of hell wars, as Moxy mentions when trying to make conversation with his in-laws.

So angelic steel sourse is the Pride Ring, more specificly, weapons left behind by Exorcists. That already leaves us with very little resource to work with, but then, all the evidence points towards the idea that it doesn't even have the reason to stay there. There is no real use for it in Pentagram City, unless for street creed to flex your shiny weapon.

Account to the fact that Carmilla is quite pacifist for weapons dealer and doesn't want sinners to kill eachother with angelic weapons on top of angels hunting them down, I'm preety sure pride ring had very little angelic steel before every exorcist attack, because she sold it outside the pride ring, leaving a little for herself and those who she trusted not to go on a rampage AND that payed better than those from outside the Pride Ring.

That's why noone ever "tried" to use angelic steel against an angels. There was just none when they arrived, sold to hellborns, as they had more use of it. To end it, when Carmilla actually learned angelic steel kills angels, she might have stopped selling it, as she was against ever going to war. That's why her magazines were full when Vaggie asked for it.

I just wanted to tackle the "how in hundreds of years noone figured out angels can be harmed" part of the issue. There is still the "How the hell Vaggie could think she was invincible when she was clearly injured as an angel", but you know what? People can be morons. Really. And among many great traits she possesses, intelect is not her most notable (she isn't the "dumb character", just average among everyone else). I can accept she didn't really question it to the very logical end and left it at "I am no longer an angel, so I can be hurt" or something.

We are yet to get an explanation for where those angels that had to see Carmilla killing exorcist went and why they didn't say anything to Adam or Lute. We also need more detailed explenation of how exacly angelic bodies work, as Lute could rip of her arm without Angelic steel and make Vaggie bleed by hitting her head onto the table, but as I said, nothing that can't be elegantly explained.

Follow for more theories, discussion and headcanons.

[neppednep]

Yandere Black Alice HCs

Content warning: Mentions of struggle snuggles, murder, and PROFANITY.

》 You've got baited! Probably by her Alicetroemeria disguise at first. But the time you realize who she really is, it's already far too late. It would be fairly hard not to fall for a beautiful and powerful mage such as herself. Unless you're just down bad for crazy, which is probably why you're here to begin with.

》 Black Alice is unpredictable. While she does have that playful side, feigning innocence, it makes her all the more dangerous. She doesn't see what she's doing as bad, and even if she does, she just doesn't care. She thinks it makes it all the more entertaining.

》 Bend over, put your head between your legs, and kiss your ass goodbye. Whoever you were before she set her sights on you is irrelevant. If the psychotic monster that rules the world wants you, she's going to have you. If she has to slaughter an entire city's worth of people to get to you, so be it.

》 Ever since Alice was born, she's had an endless lust for power, not really knowing much else. She's pretty much as far as one can be from being in tune with their emotions. The line between things like love or just being entertained by someone is foggy at best. One minute, she can be hopelessly in love with you, and the next, she is making you do unspeakable things with Beary you're just there to entertain her. Stable is not a word anyone would use to describe her.

》 On the bright side, if you behave, you'll be living the good life. Most other monsters are smart enough to stay away from you. If you want something, she'll quite literally have no issue tearing an entire continent to pieces to get it got you. She takes good care of her toys and you're no exception.

》 Alice can be... surprisingly wholesome? Nothing shouts scary world ending terror like a tea party with a stuffed bear and her 'friends.' You're invited too, of course! Alice doesn't care much for rules, letting anyone do practically anything they want, as long as it doesn't bother her. She does have two specific rules everyone has to follow, though.

- You and Beary are off limits.

- Do not interrupt her tea parties.

She's killed for much less, so if some random bozo breaks those rules, it won't end well.

》 Speaking of punishments, she probably wouldn't kill you. You'll be wishing for it if you ever do get punished. She isn't known as the most cruel monster lord in history for no reason. You'll get really familiar with all the things she can do with her body. While that may sound good and all... you're probably a degenerate if you're here, so I'm sure you'll be fine.

》 Try not to look at any other girls. It won't really be too hard if you've seen some of their designs, but she will just kill them. No questions asked. Unless it's someone relatively important to her, like the Lilith sisters. In that case, you'll at least have someone to get tentacle'd with.

》 You won't be touching grass anytime soon. Good luck leaving the Monster Lord's castle with a bunch of girls who can move faster than light and manhandle you like you're a child. There's always the prison in there if it gets too bad.

》 If some terrorist doesn't try and succeed to end her life, kids will probably come into the equation eventually. She's getting them whether you like it or not. The world will improve greatly with having a bunch of mini Alices running around.

》 In the end, you're pretty screwed. Just behave, and you'll be taken care of. If you don't, she has no problem just using critical ecstacy or some other sort of mind manipulation against you. She sees the world as her wonderland, and she'll treat it as such.

》 If we take her Goddess of Chaos form into account, just take everything here and multiply it by batshit insane. Isn't much you can do against an omniscient goddess who stands above creation itself. There isn't much she can't do with you either.

[cordycep-creations]

Hello Tumblr! Come listen to me rant about my beta owl au? Ive been working on it in my head for a while. Here's some details on the main cast-

Part one: Hexside Crew

Luz/Lucía Noceda

Now 17 ish, Luz never found the boiling isles as a child. Instead she stayed in Gravesfield, unable to move on from her father's death. Her mother has been able to move on though, leaving Luz very uncomfortable with her mother's new boyfriend, as well as her own much younger step-brother-to-be. But the boiling isles are still coming for her- and a lot sooner than she could ever expect.

Amity/Amelia Blight

With the twins now outcast from the family, Amity is under intense pressure as the last Blight still welcome in the manor. With her parents' pressure for her to join the emperor's coven or the family business, she's begun to absorb a lot of their stiff, perfectionist attitude. She's also been very involved in The Emperor's Coven, tightly knit with her mentor Lilith.

Augustus Porter

Inspired by a couple of other fics I've read, Augustus is an agent of chaos. Actor, shape-shifter, artist and illusionist. They become closely connected to the illusionist graveyard, finding connection to the undead magic and spirits. He also has a very complicated history with Skara, who we will get to after...

Willow Park

She's still best friends with Augustus, of course. She found her own way to the plant track and has given herself a very different reputation over the years. Harder, not taking anyone's shit but still more than willing to kill or die to protect her friends. Assigned male at birth, but with she/her pronouns and some gender fuckery she doesn't feel like she needs to explain to anyone. Her plant magic has become scarily powerful at times, and she has a mysterious ability to cast spells without using a circle....

Skara Dubal

Skara gets a lot more attention in this AU, just for being one of my favorite little blorbos lol. She's about 17 like the rest of the cast (though Augustus is still a year younger.) She's a performer, constantly needing all eyes on her as much as possible. She's running around trying to see everything, to know everyone and to do it all at once. Shes trying to find her way through her art and her music, as well as her tumultuous, on/off relationship with Boscha Barron.

Again, shoutout to another au writer for the last name, though I don't remember specifically where I got it :(

One more bonus character under the cut, but he comes with some massive spoilers for the AU. It is....

Hunter Belos

At 18 years old, one year above the rest of the rest of the cast, we now have a very different version of Hunter Belos Whittebane. With mysteriously much longer hair... a mask of a Goldfinch instead of an owl..... and a strange British accent that seems very out of place in the boiling isles.

Hunter is no longer a grimwalker of Caleb's dead brother Philip. Now he's a clone of Philip himself, with Caleb sitting under the throne and name of Emperor Belos.

[desmondkane-of-ao3-fame]

you think hunter got off to easy but not lilith?

NOTE: This is a long, rambly, very unedited post. A post I made that I've completely rewriten three times. At this point, I just want to finish this. It starts off simple enough, then dovetails into a rant about Any Sport, then sorta gets back on track. I'm tired, and just want to put this question to rest. TLDR, yes I do. Want more? Please read on.

I have gotten three variations of this qustion since I wrote the post about my thoughts on Hunter, which you can read here if you haven't. In short, I don't care for Hunter or Huntlow, and the line this specific bit is reffering to is this: His redemption arc, despite supposedly taking up about 5 episodes, is the biggest mess the show’s ever had, filled with Hunter doing actions that would make Agony of a Witch Lilith call overkill and yet facing 0 pushback. And, to be honest, I stand by this position.

For starters, Hunter is presented as much more of a genuine threat from the very start. Lilith is more of a nuisance to Eda throughout the first season, trying to bring Eda to the EC so she can both be healed of her curse and prove herself the superior sister in the most petty ways possible. As a high-ranking member of the EC, it's likely she's commited more blatently evil acts off-screen, and I do wish the show explored that, but from all we see on-screen, Lilith isn't really 'evil' so much as 'pathetic'.

But what about Agony, when Lilith DOES do evil stuff?

Well, in Lilith's fifth apperance, she kidnaps Luz, almost gets her killed by dangling Luz over dangerous terrain, and, in the next episode is indirectly the reason Luz loses the portal when she blows it up to keep it out of Belos's hands.

The thing is... Hunter does all of that.

In his first voiced appearance, he threatens Luz, Eda, and King by dangling the first two over dangerous terrain. In his third appearance, he captures Luz. And in his fourth appearance, he is directly responsible for Luz being unable to go home when he takes the portal key from Amity. He also attacks Amity when she offers him help, uses Luz's life as a bargaining chip thus betraying any friendship they may have gained in 'Hunting,' and later kidnaps four children that he plans to take rip away from their families so that he brand them (his words) and force into becoming peons for a fascistic cult, which, ya know, bit dicey, not very PC I'd argue.

But what about cursing Eda?

Here's where I talk about the part where Lilith doesn't actually get off as easy as people like to make out. Because here, things happen to Lilith that never happen to Hunter: characters acknowledge her shit, and Lilith directly accepts a fitting punishment for her crime.

During her rescue mission to the Emperor's Castle, Luz is more then happy to try and at least incredibly hurt Lilith during their fight. It isn't until Lilith not only admits she deserves Eda's fate, not only explains what happened, but also reveals she saved Owlbert, that Luz is willing to side with Lilith. And later, when Lilith is about to be petrified alongside Eda, the latter would have gladly torn her to shreds without even asking why she's there if King hadn't stopped her. And when the group escapes, Lilith decides to take on half the curse herself so that she can save Eda, suffering the same fate as her sister. It's not going to make Dante Basco jelous he couldn't play such a deep and complex redemption, but honestly, I think it works for a single episode arc, and does satisfy my need to see Lulu face justice.

Hunter, meanwhile, doesn't really have that.

After 'Eclipse' you'd think 'Oh, Hunter's really in for it now!' Like, the Hexside crew would treat him as an 'Attack on Sight' threat. Especially Luz, given he betrayed her trust, threatened her girlfriend, and stole her best chance of getting home. 'Eclipse' should have served as Hunter's 'Agony,' the episode Hunter has to redeem himself from before anyone in the Hexsquad is willing to trust him.

Instead, we get 'Any Sport,' the episode where he, again, kidnaps a team of kids he's known only for an afternoon to force them into the EC. And in fairness, both Skara and Gus are at least a little peeved off about the whole afair. Except then Hunter turns to Willow to see her explain the other Entrails should be cool with this and...*

A brief reminder that Willow got Clover from saying she wanted to defend her friends, is arguably the most powerful of the Hexkids in terms of raw magical strength, knows about what Hunter's done to her friends, and has been shown as deeply hurt and angry when it comes to sudden betrayal by 'friends' before, to the point it becomes a magic power amplifier. Willow should by all accounts be so livid about all of this that she at least tells Hunter 'Actually, you're a prick and I don't really get why you think I would be down for any of this.'

Instead, she just crawls into corner and blames herself. Literally. Saying that Hunter kidnapping them all is her fault because she 'made a bad call.'

Which... is a thing that could, potentially, maybe, make some form of sense from both a character and story perspective. If I, ya know, bash my head into the concrete a little and squint until I go blind.

That tangent aside, Hunter then decides to let them go because Steve mentions their Palismen will be used for medecine for Belos*, and once he helps the Entrails not die at the hands of Darius,** Willow is so cool with him that she later proudly shows off the fact she's now friends with Hunter despite knowing that both Amity and Luz are clearly mortified by this.

And then... nothing.

No on-screen discussion about how Luz or Amity feels about Hunter, or scene where the show acknowledges maybe he did some bad stuff in the past unless it's just there to make you feel bad for him. Luz is now just completely cool with the guy who threatened Amity because he kidnapped Willow but also let her go later so-

See, that's what I mean. The show takes it that Hunter's redemption should just be a given to the audiance by now to the point Luz doesn't seem to care about the fact he's the same dude who stole her one way home. Instead, she want's to redeem him. No internal conflict about how to feel or justified anger about anything Hunter did to her or Amity, just the show deciding that letting a few kids go after kidnapping them is enough justification for Luz to not be upset by that.

Lilith actually faced consequences in losing her magic and taking on half the curse to save the one she cursed, and had the extra help of major characters actually being upset about what she did to them. Hunter, meanwhile, doesn't face anything after 'Eclipse' aside from Gus and Skara's condemnation for 2 seconds, and never has to even apologize for the whole 'assaulting Amity' or 'stealing the key' bit on screen.

And that, THAT, is why I say that Hunter did, in fact, get off lighter then Lilith.

*Also, if Hunter knew enough about friendship in 'Hunting' to know taking Luz in would be not friendly, why does he now believe that backstabbing people is the highest sign of friendship? Because Coven Heads do it? That doesn't ever actually get shown on screen, and the one time the Coven Heads DO betray each other is when Raine tries to kill Darius and Ebberwolf in 'Requiem,' which did not seem to be taken by Kikimora as a friendly jesture.

**Also also, this never made sense to me: Why doesn't Darius just... let them escape on the ship? Pretend he's so invested in Pensta that he doesn't notice Skara stealing the Palismen, letting them fly away, and just acting like it's not worth tracking them down? And when they later escape, was he just... gonna kill a bunch of children? You can say he wasn't but he seems pretty intent on doing so, and there's literally no reason to not just pretend you were too injured to fight? Why make a giant Abomination and cut down massive vines, seeming to be pretty invested in the idea of gutting Willow alive?

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

Superheroes with Secrets: Balls and Baubles (Fic Part 165. Set in 2001)

Around 2000 Words. 18+ in places. Please inform me if you wish to be tagged/untagged from posts.

Tags: @tantamount-treason @piratewithvigor

Reference Posts: ‘Giantess’/'Blacklight Bandit’ Kirby Roussimoff x Shane ’Hurricane’ Helms (Circa 2001)

"I'm your beast."

"You are like a species all to yourself… a hurricane of a human being, fast and strong but only when you need to be… god, I love you so much."

"I love you too, my sweet. I love you so much."

"Shane, I'm close… so close… oh, mon amour."

"Cum for me."

Kirby moans his name as she cums, breathing heavily but managing to stay awake.

"That's my good girl."

"brain is soup, but need to make the food for dinner." Kirby mumbles.

"I can handle that."

"But, me making it is tradition, I have done it every year since I was seventeen."

"Out of necessity. You don't have to anymore."

"Want to… I would feel useless if I didn't at least help…"

"We can do it together."

"Love you." Kirby whispers.

"I love you too."

"Baby Daddy…"

"Baby Mama."

"I love you so much… and right now I don't have the words to say anything."

"You don't have to say a thing."

Kirby sighs deeply before sorting herself out and kissing Helms gently.

"That's my girl."

"Me and you, mon mari… we can do anything… we are all powerful when together, no?"

"Powerful beyond anyone else."

"Like real life superheroes." Kirby smirks.

"Exactly."

"If we were superheroes… and you couldn't choose to be the Green Lantern, which superhero would you be?"

"Is the Hurricane an option?"

"Technically yes." Kirby nods, struggling slightly as she gets up.

"He's the one I'd pick. He's cool, sexy, and his wife is hot as fuck."

Kirby blushes as a deep red, stumbling over his words slightly, unable to say more than 'um' and 'well, I'.

He kisses her deeply, "I could never ask for a greater gift than having you as my family."

"Shane, I love you, mon mari… you vampiric sex god…"

"I love you too, my Gothic princess."

"Uhm, Shane, you remember when I woke up screaming your name a couple nights ago… and how I put if off as just a stupid nightmare?" Kirby asks gently, unlocking the door as Helms gets dressed.

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well… can I ask you to promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Shane… Gregory, can you promise me that if you ever, ever feel even the slightest bit in danger in the ring, you will walk to the back, grab me and leave the arena?"

"Of course, but… what's brought this fear on?"

"In that nightmare, you were wrestling someone and something went wrong and you hit your head on the ramp and cracked your skull open." Kirby explains, not looking at Helms.

"Jesus…" he whispers.

"And I don't want to lose you or have you get hurt that badly, but I didn't know how to explain it then, so I shrugged it off and then the fear got worse, and… Shane, I don't wanna lose you."

"Sweetheart, you won't lose me. The people we work with are safe and careful. Anyone who isn't doesn't get to wrestle the Hurricane."

"I know, but I still get scared, Shane… you're my husband, I can't risk losing you, mon mari… you aren't just my husband anymore either, you're gonna be a dad too… and I don't want Lilith growing up without her big strong daddy to protect her."

"Lilith isn't going to lose her daddy. Not ever. And you won't lose your husband."

"Shane, I'm just scared, okay… I haven't been married before, nor have I had a child before, so things like the possibility of you getting hurt makes me a little afraid."

"I know. I understand, sweetheart. Losing your partner and the parent of your child is a scary, awful thing. But I won't get hurt. Way too tough for that." He smiles encouragingly.

Kirby's about to say something when Shannon and Jeff crash through the tv room door, obviously play fighting but trying their hardest to insult each other into a real fight.

"Oy vey." Kirby sighs.

"Of course, we get practice being parents to these lunatics first."

"Shannon, buddy… Byddaf yn ffucin eich lladd, or as you say in Saesneg, I will fucking kill you." Kirby murmurs as she pulls Shannon off of Jeff.

"He started it." Shannon pouts.

"Jeffrey Nero Hardy, did you start this fight? Must I kill you in Shannon's stead, brawd bach gwallgof?"

"All I did was make him laugh when Matt bet him he couldn't chug a whole gallon of milk!"

"Pam mae Americanwyr mor dwp, pam roedd yn rhaid i arglwydd yn y nefoedd leihau eu hymennydd?" Kirby murmurs to herself.

"Take it easy on them, sweetheart, they're cruiserweights; they've got brain damage." Helms chuckles.

"You're the only intelligent one, it's partly why I'm married to ya." Kirby scoffs as she puts Shannon down and heads to the kitchen.

"Would you clowns shape up before she makes you sit outside to eat dinner?" Helms asks, giving Shannon a light smack in the back of the head.

"Sorry Shane." Shannon murmurs, blushing a light pink.

"I promise I won't hit him for the next hour." Jeff chuckles.

"Ninety minutes, or I'll bribe your girl to do something mean to you and she will."

"Fine, next hour and a half." Jeff whines.

"Wise lad."

"Shane, come help me cook, mon mari… having troubles with keeping weight off my bad leg… need a hug, too." Kirby murmurs as she stands in the kitchen doorway.

"Anything you need, sweetheart."

"Hug, please… maybe a squeeze, too."

"Sure thing." He smiles, hugging her tightly.

Kirby snuggles into Helms, kissing his temple and holding him close.

"I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you you too, mon ange… I love you so much."

"I love you even more. And I need you to sit down so you can keep resting your leg."

"I know, gimme a sec, mon ange." Kirby whispers, pulling away to grab her cookbook and sit down at the breakfast bar.

"Consider me your hands. Work through me."

"I'm tryin' to find the page… which is stuck together because of coffee, I think… gimme a moment."

"Sure thing, sweetheart."

"Right… there we go, there's your recipe." Kirby murmurs as she hands Helms the book.

"Looks simple enough."

"Dad bought me this book while he was in France in Eighty-six, waited for my seventeenth birthday to give it to me."

"That's really sweet of him."

"Christmas was never exactly one of our traditions… we had a feast and presents but, after that… nothing really, then dad died and I… I stopped celebrating any holidays." Kirby murmurs, playing with the sleeves of her shirt.

"That's what a new family is for. New traditions."

"New reasons to actually celebrate things… just wish my birthday wasn't so close to Christmas."

"I'll make both days special in their own right."

"Thank you, mon mari."

"It's my pleasure."

"Why do Americans make such a big deal about Christmas, I know the whole praise Jebus or whatever thing, but why do you guys start selling decorations for Christmas before Halloween… it seems slightly, derogatory towards those who prefer Halloween or don't celebrate Christmas."

"Because it's a holiday designed to buy things. A lot of things. Expensive things. The faster people buy these things, the better for companies."

"So… capita- cap- the word I can't say but you know what I mean." Kirby blushes.

"Capitalism, yeah. Root of all evil."

"I can't say that word, but then again I can say 'Grianghrafadóireachta', which is Irish for photography."

"Which I can't. We've got our strengths."

"Just be thankful I was born in Usk, and not in Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch." Kirby smirks.

"Longest place name in wales. And you'll be pleased to know I've been to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch for the joke." He grins, pronouncing it perfectly on the first try.

"I love you, mon ange… you and your perfect pronunciation of Welsh, puts everyone else to shame, especially the other Americans."

"Well, they should be shamed anyway." He chuckles.

"Why do you say that, my love, is it purely because they don't bother to learn to speak to others in their native tongue, or is it another reason?" Kirby aske, leaning over the breakfast bar slightly and unintentionally showing Helms a lot of cleavage.

"That, and they're the main purveyors of capitalism, unnecessary wars and the murder of millions of innocents." He shrugs.

"Why do you think everyone hates the British so much, they built concentration camps during the Boer war, and for years kept the Irish as slaves."

"Yeah, they ain't exactly adored."

"Shane, is it just me or is my shirt tighter than normal, cause it feels a bit stuffy in here."

"Well, I mean, you're lactating now…"

"Yeah, still need to get a fuckin', what's the word… oh god, my brain's just soup, I can't remember the word for the thing."

"Pump?"

"Yes, that fucker." Kirby nods.

"Yeah, it's starting to get necessary."

"Feel like a cow… need to be milked."

"Very sexy." He winks.

"You wanna milk me, ya perv?" Kirby chuckles.

"A little bit."

"You actually want to… I can go check if we have a pump if you want to milk me."

"Where's the fun in a pump when I have my mouth and hands?" He smirks.

"I'll only let you do it if you rip my shirt off." She smirks.

"Maybe in a little bit. Before bed."

"Way to keep the tension up, mon sauvage, I'm gonna be bouncing with excitement all evening."

"Hoping so."

"You hoping that so you can watch my tits bounce?" Kirby teases.

"Of course."

"I swear you get so perverted… why does that turn me on… why am I like this?"

"Because you're just as sexy and weird as me." He winks.

"I prefer being sexy and weird to boring and normal."

"Me too. Especially if I get to see your tits as a result."

"You like these jugs, Shaney baby?"

"Love them."

"Do I distract you, mon amour?"

"Sometimes, for sure."

"Would you like me to pull my shirt down so you can get a better look at them?"

"Think if you do that, I may pounce."

Kirby chuckles softly, "Well, mon mari…" she slowly puts her hands on the collar of her shirt, "… you better stop me…" she pulls down her shirt, fully exposing her breasts, "… oops, too late, guess I better be punished?" She teases.

"Guess you better be."

"You gonna punish me Daddy?"

"That depends. What's babygirl think her punishment should be?"

"I think you should hold me down and make a meal out of my body all for yourself, if you get what I mean."

"Oh I know what you mean."

Kirby smiles at Helms, wiggling her chest to tease him.

"Guess the Hardys have to wait. Duty calls." He grins.

"C'mere sexy husband." She whispers.

He practically knocks her off her stool as he pulls her in for a hard kiss. Kirby moans against his lips, melting into the kiss.

"Bedroom?" He whispers.

"Must we hide our love, it's our home is it not?" Kirby teases.

"Well, no, we don't need to hide, but we need to cook in here at some point tonight with sharp knives. And you get… juicy, my love. Could be a safety hazard. Not to mention, probably against some kind of health code." He chuckles.

"Well, I suppose we should head upstairs, but you may have to carry me upstairs, mon mari."

"That, I can do."

"I love you, mon sauvage."

"I love you too, fy anwylaf."

"Which pagan god did you pray to to be so good at pronouncing Welsh words?"

"Is there one to pray to for that?"

"Well, I don't actually know, I haven't researched into the gods of my countries of heritage, but I do know not to trust the Fae how to look out for them."

"Met any fae?"

"Unless you or your friends are secretly fae, nope."

"Us weirdos with our colourful hair and our ability to fly? Didn't think we were being secretive." He grins.

"Ah, so I have sold my soul to the fae and have a changeling in my womb… how wonderful." Kirby murmurs, clearly not pleased by the idea.

[clockworkbee]

Chain of Iron spoilers!

unpopular opinions (I guess)

I've seen a lot of people say that

Lucie kept secrets from Cordelia, and it's because of her that they're growing apart which could partly be the reason they might not become parabatai at all

and I just want to ask you one thing:

did Cordelia not keep any secrets from Lucie ?

[ this might turn into a rant and I'm open to any and all discussion on the topic but if anyone starts a fight, I'm simply ignoring.]

I'm not taking any sides btw. I'm simply asking people to keep their eyes open and see everything. [read under the cut.]

While Lucie kept the secret of raising Jesse with the one girl who's been wrecking her own brother's life, (which btw she has no clue about) she didn't lose herself in it and make that the only thing she cared about. Unlike most YA female characters who think that keeping a secret is important because of whatever reason they have, it's mentioned a few times that Lucie hated it. She didn't justify keeping her secret to herself, she felt guilty about it. At one point she even told Grace that she'd have to trust her because Lucie didn't want to tell her anything before first telling Cordelia or her family & friends.

As for Cordelia, I understand she kept her love for James a secret because it would have been so hard for Lucie to know and see her future parabatai loving her brother and having a fake marriage and all but it does not justify why Cordelia didn't share the burning she felt while wielding Cortana. Okay, that's a small thing, but she didn't even care to share why and where she had gone with Matthew, she kept her oath to Wayland the Smith, a secret.

Also, in my opinion, James didn't keep any secrets throughout the book. He discussed his doubts with his friends and when he suspected himself, the first person he could think of telling it to was Cordelia. tho I admit it was very frustrating reading his miscommunication esp. after reading that he was thinking about asking her to marry him the proper way.

Moving on to Matthew, the only secret my boy ever kept was about having killed his sibling. I get that he told it to Cordelia coz he loves her and didn't want to hide esp. after hearing her say that he seemed so sad to her, that she saw through his cover, but what I don't get is that he also loves James, his parabatai. I don't get why he could never tell it to James but told Cordelia very simply, and was even ready for her to tell others. I mean if he was so okay with others knowing (and by others, I mean I'm focusing on James) then why couldn't he just tell it to James first? It just felt weird. If there's a valid reason he's stated in books that I've forgotten, please remind me.

Now, Jesse. I've seen some people theorize that he could become more of an anti-hero or villain and would use Lucie or harm her and just, two things. 1) I don't see where this is coming from coz I didn't get any vibe about him hiding anything from Lucie. If anything, I think he'll be angry at Lucie or would stand by her and face consequences together resulting in a tragic ending to their love story. 2) we haven't gotten Jesse's pov yet so I am a tiny bit doubtful about some secret but it feels highly unlikely to me that he'd side with Tatiana and become a villain when like, Tatiana herself as well as Belial are already there, not to mention the fact that Lilith has some influence over Cordelia's weapon wielding and we all know she can't just stop fighting.

Like Matthew told his secret to Cordelia when he should have first told it to James, Lucie told Anna & Ariadne about helping Grace but even after that, didn't tell Cordelia. Grace never told Jesse what Tatiana had and kept making her do when we all know having even one person know is better than no one ever knowing. Thomas kept his night patrols a secret, ofc. his sexuality as well as Alastair too, when being friends, he should have at least told someone. Anna keeps her love for Ariadne a secret (imo) because she isn't ready to be hurt/heartbroken again. Cordelia kept her secrets from Lucie (leave everything, just talk about love) and instead of sharing when she could, she came at Lucie saying Lucie should have told her because she wouldn't have judged her.

Like EVERYONE kept secrets and those who didn't couldn't communicate well so why am I only seeing ppl talk about Lucie being reckless and choosing to keep a secret and making her life and character all about Jesse, when it isn't even true? She met her friends, she wrote still, she went to Anna's, she did all her normal life stuff, resurrecting Jesse was only one more focus.

and if it's so bad, then people who love Ty (spoilers for the dark artifices) how do still love and understand him when he's the better example of someone who lost themselves in their focus to resurrect someone?

[ I'm saying this based on what I've read most people say about Lucie in Goodreads reviews, btw. ]

[job-the-prosperous]

have you met anyone else in the basement?

((really long post, sorry in advance))

My favorite person here is Bethany. She's always super nice and helpful! We even both have the same quirk where we tend to see angel deals more often. Apparently that's weird according to everyone else. Bethany's is, calming to talk with. We haven't completely lost faith in God. I think most down here have at this point. I... don't think I have. Hard to tell anymore. Sometimes I wonder if I should be following something that has deemed me unworthy.

Um. Anyhow.

The two of us are the only ones who haven't completely given up yet. Except for maybe Isaac.

On the topic of Isaac, he's alright. I have no idea what he thinks of me cause he's always so quiet. I'd say he's shy, but I have a feeling there's something more to it. Isaac is super smart. Always planning ahead and knows just what to do at the nick of time. Very selfless, to a point were I worry about him. Though no one can exactly help him when he refuses to speak.

Magdalene! Would it be wrong of me to say she gives off bad vibes? I can't put my finger on it, cause I don't think she's a bad person. But something just, freaks me out a bit when I'm with her. Other than that she's also a joy to be around. She tells me that one day when we all get out of here she wants to invite us all to her house and make a whole buffet of pastries for us. She never sounds like she believes in her words though.

I have little to say on Lazarus. I've only had one run with him so far, and it wasn't exactly the best first impression. Very jittery and nervous even when we weren't in any danger. Pretty sure as soon as I woke up he had asked me if he wanted me to kill himself so he can get some power boost. Didn't even know his name. The others must pester him a lot about it, poor guy. It's easy to tell how much he hates it. Looking at your own dead body can't be very comforting.

The Forgotten is actually a young girl. Hard to tell given her appearance, but from what she has told me she's only 6 years old. I feel simply awful for her, I can only image how overwhelming this is for them. I mean geez, I can barely handle it and I'm around 4 years older. Still, she's more cheerful than I could ever dream of in our position. Reminds me a lot of my baby sister.

If it wasn't for all of those demons she carries around with her, I'd probably get along better with Lilith. They pick on me all the time and I don't know why. Lilith herself is chill with me. I don't know how she gets around so well with her blindfolds on, but it doesn't seem to affect her any. Okay, so sometimes she'll bump into something but we all do that.

The Lost reminds me a lot of Isaac. Quiet, reserved, all that fun stuff. Unlike Isaac, The Lost is a big ol' meanie sometimes. He's some cranky old man always spewing on about how life is unfair and that I made a mistake on coming here. As if I choose to do this. I can complain all day but in the end I don't blame him for being like this. He has this morbid theory that if he doesn't get out of here soon he'll end up completely consumed and gone forever. Not quite sure what he's referring too, but it's pretty scary. I hope I don't end up like him.

Judas is mean and I hate him. All he does is bully me and complain about how I'm dead weight. If he's not doing that, he's preaching up a storm about how great the devil is and all this weird occult stuff. Swear he does it purposefully to make me upset. So bitter and disconnected. I wouldn't be surprised if he had no friends to speak of. Don't know who would want such negativity in their lives. He loves to act tough but I know for a fact that he's just a big baby. Couldn't care less for him.

Cain and I don't mesh. We are always fighting over supplies, especially coins. You'd think I'd be better off holding them so we'll get more later on, but I guess if he can't have it no one will. Cain cares a lot about people. Unlike Judas he won't throw me into the mouth of a monster for an opening. Something about our personalities make us more prone to being mad at one another.

I suppose I am a bit mean when I call Eve a jerk. She's not nearly as bad as Judas. More so pushy. A her way or the highway type of attitude. At least she's willing to make a few compromises. Even if we don't get along, I always get the farthest on runs when I'm with her. So that's a plus.

Azazel freaks me out a bit, being a demon and all. Loves to pull pranks at all the wrong times. Not a favorable sight but not one I'll despise seeing every time I do. He is funny, I'll give him that much.

Samson is a new breed of uncomfortable. He's like a ticking time bomb seconds away from exploding. If you're lucky he'll go for the monsters. If not, let's just say I've heard lots of rumors of Samson killing the other people just for saying something he didn't like. He may just be blood lusty, always going after a new target. He can be pretty nice to be around when he's not upset, unfortunately its all to uncommon.

Okay, Jacob and Esau are strange. Cause they aren't scary in the way Samson is. Not even the lack of skin on one them is particularly what my problem is. I think Jacob may he purposefully hurting Esau. Like, a lot. They always get into some sort of fight about something. At first it's just a lot of arguing and screaming. Which I get, I did that with my family. But then theirs a point were I'll lose tract of them and I'll never see them again. I never go looking for them. If the entrance to the next floor is open I'm taking it. I, get really scared of what I might see if I did. I hope Esau is okay... I'm sure if I am feeling that extremely malicious vibe from Jacob than Esau must be too. I might just be thinking to deep into it. When you're always on edge, anything can seem like a threat.

I wish I could say more about these guys, but can't speak much on something you don't know. I have heard some rumors about them.

Isaac has muttered about a person named Eden before. A few people had said some things about them. Mostly on how they are way to happy to be here. Admittedly that does sound odd.

Apollyon I have met briefly. I had one run with them, but I died on the first floor. What can I say? They were the first person I met and I had no idea what I was doing. They had helped me with teaching me the basics, so they can't be that bad.

All I've heard about the last person is that I can trust them sometimes and other times I should take them out as soon as possible. Not what I'd call that helpful information. Don't even know who they are talking about.

Job stuffed the key ring back into his pocket. Phew, he had enough spare keys to check out the next item room. He hadn't had the best luck so far, but his angel room had given him some optimism.

More bones?! Really?!? Fine, I guess I'll take it. If I remember correctly this is Bone Spurs. I can't seem to figure out what it does, but I know for sure it doesn't do what the last one does.

He picked up the item, observing the splintered bone for any clue as to what it may do. Job couldn't get anything from a glance alone. Guess he had to put it on for a test ride. The bone had disappeared from his hands, as he felt a slight bit of pressure on the back of his neck. Feeling around a bit, he found one small spot on the middle of his neck where a sharp, jagged piece of bone stuck out. He couldn't feel any noticeable pain from it, which is appreciated. Still, it didn't tell him much on what it did.

Either way, with the new item in tow, he walked back into the catacombs to find this floor's exit.

[mistwraiths]

2 stars

This is the third and final book in the Cursebreaker series. I'm not going to do a quickly summary.

Two stars felt REALLY generous here. I am about to SCREAM.

I felt like I'm in one of those Am I The Asshole? Reddit boards reading this book because it sure felt like EVERYBODY SUCKS HERE.

I will get the good things out of the way first. Brigid's writing is quick and easy enough for me to keep me reading and engaged. And she definitely kills people and I like when there's actual deaths and stakes. That's all Iiked about this book unfortunately.

I'm honestly baffled how this could be a good conclusion to a series because it feels like two characters get more than they deserve for absolutely no reason other than the author likes them maybe?? Also the ending didn't feel resolved? After all this tension and conflict, they're trading jokes in a few weeks?? I'm jumping ahead though.

It's weird to me how this series turned from a really interesting Beauty and the Beast retelling with a great female lead who had cerebral palsy to pretty much Grey is the GREATEST CHARACTER EVER series. I've never been a fan of Grey mostly because he's never had much of a personality for me. I'm told he's kind and loyal, but I have heavy grievances when this guy used to bring women to Rhen forever and sometimes be able to protect him (I let it slide because whatever) and then when he's free and learns something crucial, he flees? But readers, that's second book nonsense that still comes up every few pages.

One of the worst things is that nothing really ever happens in AVSBAD until the end. These guys are just waiting for sixty days to get to war and... THAT'S IT! Pretty much everything that happens in this book is introspection and retrospection, and everyone literally being like: oh I forgot we make mistakes or are forced to do some things and I completely forgot that you who I have known for awhile now are capable of doing good things or have done good things!!!

Folks, I was almost looking forward to Lilith showing up because at least there was some god damn excitement. Almost. I still hate her though.

I absolutely cannot stand how my boy, Rhen, was treated through this book. This man who slept consensually with a woman who then turned him into a monster and TORTURED him relentlessly for an eternity, whose only bad fortune was being cursed and really didn't have the opportunity to be the King properly, who put Emberfall first EVERY SINGLE TIME, who took torture onto himself to spare others from harm, WAS ABLE TO SAVE THE DAY and made ONE (1) bad choice means he should be vilified for most of the entire book and then NOT GET TO HAVE A HAPPY ENDING OR AT LEAST BE KING???

You're telling me that Grey who got the fuck out of dodge and didn't tell anyone through the truth after we're told he's so LOYAL and allows a kid to be whipped with him even though he had LOTS of opportunity to come clean (wow so kind), who ran away and allied up with the people who hate his own brother, who um... is a  bastard and by MOST EVERY BOOK/KNOWLEDGE/SHOW INVOLVING ROYALTY MEANS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING bastards don't have a right to the throne and in no way is this cleared up (I would have dropped this easily if it was mentioned!!), who has no training or again loyalty to his people or Emberfall because he literally didn't think about them once lol, gets to be King? UGH. Also why does everyone love him and want him? What has he done for them to do that?? Why isn't other leaders (lords?? Grand Marshals?) vying for the throne instead? That makes more sense.

On top of that, we don't really get much depth of Grey's magic which is sad. His whole these soldiers need to respect me storyline is boring.

I really loved Lia Mara in the second book. I found her unassuming and smart. She knew how to handle herself. What the hell happened? Suddenly, all she does is sit and sigh and worry. She's crippled by her insecurity and inaction. And then we are continually reminded that's she is going to rule with kindness and compassion,and not violence or fear to the point where I felt like that boy being forced to eat cake in Matilda. I get it!! Honestly, she doesn't do much of anything. Except, barf, get pregnant. The part where she did NOTHING when someone spit at her was ridiculous. You can rule without violence or fear and not accept that behavior.

Harper feels sidelined again in this book,  and it's honestly tragic that the two main female characters are just THERE. The relationship between her and Rhen felt incredibly fraught with tension and while they had hard conversations, it didn't feel great.

I honestly hated every character's hot takes and opinions about stuff. It always really felt like everyone just thinks the worst of everyone, and then wants to harp about the things done in the past. And of course, focus only on Rhen's bad choice than Grey's betrayal or how awful Syhl Shallow was to Emberfall from before.

The ending just felt slapped together. Rhen is literally floundering and acting morose because he doesn't know what to do or move forward, but Grey has a drink with him, has some jokes, and says oh I need your help reading people and being my advisor. And that's it. Grey and Lia Mara get too GOOD of a happy ending. It feels like Harper and Rhen have to figure out what happens next.

I loved the first book, but I think I could have lived without the other two books.

[lemonjamdraws]

what about vicouryn for the ask meme? I think she's neat

thank u all for enabling me so hard

WHO IS VICOURYN (rightmost character)

vicouryn is an NPC from my longest dungeons & dragons game. she is the queen of the kingdom of Mevaden. our party had to protect her during a 3-day celebration. at one point, someone made an assassination attempt on her and we learned she was a vampire. my character Weiren (a nonbinary paladin of light) offered blood to help keep her strong until we found the assassin and dealt with them. an IRL year passed and then i was like WTF THE POTENTIAL FOR STORY AND RELATIONSHIP

illustration of the crime

FAVE THINGS

vicouryn is from a special line of vampires that trains to control their hunger. consequently they drink blood only ONCE a year via a ritual known as the BLOOD VOW (the last day of the 3-day celebration) where citizens of the kingdom cut their hands and drip a little blood into these big stone bowls. she absorbs magically via magical ritual nonsense, meaning she is NOT a typical vamp

she is IMMEASURABLY stoic in order to hide her vampirism

cool goth fashion (wow like lilith!)

very powerful sorceress (wow like lilith!)

does not tolerate any bullshit

RE being in a relationship with my paladin: sun/moon, life/death dynamics incredibly tasty

spurred me to write the longest piece of fiction ive ever written in my entire life (18+ only)

LEAST FAVE THINGs

my entire story of my paladin and this lady falling in love is non canon

i am 100% certain that Canon Vicouryn probably differs incredibly from what i have crafted in my head

but you know what that means i can call her OC

i Cant credit my DM for this character because he banned me from ever finding his social media

FAVE LINE (word for word from DM i cant credit)

“I wonder, if maybe you weren’t listening to some bad advice from someone, if some vermin didn’t slip its way even deeper into my court than I imagined."

RE: a party member getting brainwashed by an enemy vampire

BROTP

Vicouryn & her Head Assistant Nahlia

Vicouryn & Lynne (another party member)

OTP

WEICOURYN

NOTP

everything else

HEADCANON

due to having secret vampirism, she holds everyone at a distance to protect herself and her secret

this means she Does Not Confide in like anyone about any of her feelings or problems

because she never lets anyone close, she does not believe she will ever find love, but love is unnecessary because her Only purpose is to Rule Mevaden Well. her desires mean nothing

despite her control over her hunger she views herself as a Monster

UNPOPULAR OPINION

she simply is the coolest vampire in the world

SONG(s)

PAPER CROWN by KEVIN KRUST (i cant select text from this page RIP)

vicouryn doesn't need SAVING from a KING btw but there is a point where her kingdom is in peril

I KNOW I'M A WOLF by YOUNG HERETICS

Dear rabbit, my legs are getting weak chasing you The snow fields wouldn't seem so big if you knew That this blood on my teeth it is far beyond dry And I've captured you once but I wasn't quite right So I'm telling you that you'll be safe with me.

Oh rabbit, my claws are dull now so don't be afraid I could keep you warm as long as you can just try to be brave

Yes I know I'm a wolf and I've been known to bite But the rest of my pack, I have left them behind And my teeth may be sharp and I've been raised to kill But the thought of fresh meat, it is making me ill So I'm telling you that you'll be safe with me.

So rabbit please stop looking the other way It's cold out there so why not stay here Under my tail.

FAVE PIC(s)