amusingmusie

[amusingmusie]

I have a need for Nel and Fat Nuggets content. Like she spoils him rotten and Alastor gets jealous. Like she's buying him gifts, making him snacks, and putting him in cute outfits. And Alastor is there seething with jealousy, over a pig.

Nel is that person who's like HNNNGGGG I DON'T LIKE ANIMALS while actively feeding said animal a treat. And no she didn't buy that bowtie for HIM it just happened to fit and she didn't want to waste it. No she didn't invite him to sit in her lap, it just HAPPENED!!!! Stop looking at her like that.

Alastor does not like that. That's HIS source of attention, thank you!!!

[amusingmusie]

Bro “Ma Meilleure Ennemie” from arcane s2 reminds me sm of yours truly

It’s in French but it translates in English to

You’re the best thing to ever happen to me

But also the worst thing to ever happen to me

On that day when I met you, maybe I would rather

That it never happened to me

The worst of all blessings

The best of all curses

I should stray away from you

But as the saying goes

Better to be alone, is to be in bad company

You know what they say

Stay close to your dearest friends

But also even closer to your enemies

But my best enemy is you

Flee from me, the worst is you and I

Why does hearing your name hurt me

When it hides right there in the vicinity?

What kind of emotion, is it hatred

Or pure sweetness when I hear your name?

YYYEEEEESSSSSS WHEN I HEARD THIS SONG I WAS LIKE OH MY GOD THEM!!! (also don't get me started on the whole "glimpses of another life" trope with Yours Truly). They are best worst enemies <3

[amusingmusie]

Very, very much loved seeing the "how dare they" attitude from Nel about his death being at the hands of some guy breaking the law. Even when she's actively processing Al being the murderer, she has space to be simultaneously possessive of his fate and disgusted at the unlawful irony of it all.

Though she had no plans to murder him, Alastor's downfall was always hers to control in her mind </3. Her enemy, her pest, her lover, hers. Not in a possessive way, but, well, like someone who was always meant to be at her side somehow- hers!

[amusingmusie]

For the playlist, perhaps I Want You To Love Me by Fiona Apple, specifically for following Al's denial and Nel's perspective on it - why he's doing it, her being frustrated that she thought it might work in her favor, frustration at his amgibuity, yeeeeeesh

I will absolutely give it a listen! I have "Under the Table" by Fiona on there already in Nel's section so I'd love to add more of her!

[amusingmusie]

Another song- Vampire reference in a minor key by will wood. It fits even more perfectly now that he's dead and all

I LOVE WILL WOOD! His "Main Character" song is something I listen to sometimes for Alastor's chapters. I will give this one a listen!

[amusingmusie]

just read your newest chapter and GODDDD, i could feel the emotion through the text. yours truly is so so so well written and i can't wait to see what you have planned next

nel's grief is so beautifully portrayed; i could never imagine having a pain in the ass like Alastor present in her life to the point where she grows incredibly fond of him (whether she likes it or not), only for him to suddenly be gone, leaving no breath behind. the guilt/saddness she feels is so intense and so well written. alastor forcefully engraving an a-him-shaped hole in her heart, only to suddenly leave nel alone in a place where she cannot reach him is CRIMINAL. the emptiness in her heart must be utterly heartbreaking

OUUUGH THANK YOU!!! Chapter 34 really touches on the fallout of how life is without him and all of her complicated feelings now that he was just ripped away from her while leaving a mess behind. It's taking a minute to write because it really is heavy (though I swear things look up after this one for my more sensitive readers). I don't wanna make Yours Truly an angst fest, but like you said, Alastor left behind a big hole in her heart that HAS to be acknowledged <3

[amusingmusie]

the canon character death tag is right there and i knew damn well about it but it still took me by surprise. especially ch 33 god damn. im secretly hoping nel finds the engagement ring and wears it on a necklace

The engagement ring is not gone for good! Trust me, it will very much be back :D

[amusingmusie]

Alright Muse I'm a fast fucken reader dude, new chapter... WHEW. Damn. That last bit? WOWZA

That chapter gave me grey hairs, man. I actually had different parts of it written out for a long time (specifically the morgue scene) and yet I still felt so drained but in a good way? Eh?

[amusingmusie]

Musie we need more Grace lore

You gotta tell me what you wanna know! She will have some lore drops later in the fic but first we gotta- (I am sniped through the window)

[amusingmusie]

IT IS OMMMGGG. He cooks these up for his letters at 3am instead of sleeping 🤭

my esteemed rival,

[amusingmusie]

immediately reminded me of nel and al 💀💀💀

I'M IN TEARS 😭 Knowing Alastor he'd probably set his coffee cup down on her head while they argue too.

[amusingmusie]

Alastor and Nel after she learns Husk got into his situation with Alastor by being an irresponsible soul owning overlord .5 seconds after yelling at Alastor for keeping him in a soul contract

No genuinely I've pictured the argument MANY times in my head and that's it right there. Nel is defending Husk's rights whereas Alastor is quick to tell her that the cat had plenty of people on his own chain back in the day. Black and white morality doesn't work well in Hell.

Please keep in mind I am not an Alastor apologist lmao I wanted to rip his head off for what he did to Husk in Episode 5. I always have to say that.

[amusingmusie]

Been saying this for YEARS!

(thank you Silly!!! <3)

[amusingmusie]

Hi, I really hope you're faring well. Just wanted to say that I love your writing and yours truly, and I thought about something.

In hell, Alastor is a lot more durable and unkillable, so I imagine that's a lot more of a headache for Nel. She's walking behind him, ready to bash his skull and all of a sudden his head does a 180 and she's like >:0.

Also demon Al's hygiene must be HORRIBLE. So she's probably going to have to chase him around the hotel with a toothbrush and soap to no evail because he's a slippery motherfucker now that he's a demon.

Thank you so much for writing this masterpiece, and have a wonderful day <3

Fresh As Hell

Content warning for the Hazbin cast being themselves.

You're running out of ideas.

This has gone on far too long. The smell of an old shoe here, a hint of halitosis there, even a whiff of swamp water wafting your way if you get too close: it's all evidence that you can't ignore any longer.

Alastor kind of fucking stinks.

Sure, you've told him since your human days that his swampass stench is overwhelming, but that was a dig to piss him off, not the actual truth (usually, as long as his mother pressured him to scrub his tail). Nowadays? Well, if the demonic stop sign admitted that he bathes in his bedroom's wetlands, you'd be less than shocked. Shit, you'd actually be relieved if that were the case, because then you could fill the bog with soap and perfume to mask whatever funk perpetually lives on Alastor's grey skin. It's never overwhelming enough to knock you out; it's maddening subtle, the musk of his hair and the bite to his breath.

Maybe you could survive the Great Stink of '24 if he didn't insist on being on top of you at all times. Every time you turn around, you're assaulted by crimson, static, and Alastor's personal brand of miasma that wafts off of him since he insists on being no less than three atoms away from you.

Sure, it's possible you've got beef with his aroma since back in the day, the shitter smelled like freshly cut wood with notes of amber and his teeth sparkled like diamonds. You've seen his hygiene at its peak, which is why you cannot cosign this rank tomfoolery. Unfortunately, all of your attempts to rally the idiots at this hotel to agree with you that this is an issue have ended in disaster, leaving you without any allies in this fight.

"I haven't really noticed much, and hey, here at the Happy Hotel, we're receptive to more, um, eccentric lifestyles! As long as Alastor is being a team player and helping out with our mission, there's no reason to make him uncomfortable by bringing up his personal choices!"

"I don't get close enough to that pendejo to catch a whiff of whatever you're talking about."

"I dunno, tootz, I like a man with a little musk to 'em."

"Fuck off and fuck you."

"I like man stink~"

You're very much on your own here. The war on Alastor's subpar hygiene will be fought by you and you alone, and you won't be deterred- you've had worse battles before.

When you're once again yanked into Alastor's side and exposed to a faceful of his armpit in the lobby for the upteenth time, you vow to take action against him, more for your sake than his.

Game on.

---

Your strategy calls for small, stealthy actions in the beginning.

Positioning yourself in plain sight at the hotel bar with two cups of coffee, you wait for your target to appear. It's the perfect scene: you, alone (save for the bar cat, but he's passed out with his head down on the counter), with coffee. Alastor can't resist this. Hardly more than three seconds pass before a rush of static and a chill wash over you. A gentle pop sounds off to your left, and then you're greeted by your least favorite radio host smelling stale as ever.

"Good morning, sweetheart!" he cries, purposely shouting too loudly into your ear. "You're looking especially horrid this morning. Did you happen to catch a glance of your reflection in the mirror before it cracked?"

"No, I was too busy imagining all the ways I could skin you alive before eleven."

"Well, it is eight already, so hop to it, you need all the time that you can get to brainstorm!"

As his invisible audience laughs alongside him, you flick a handful of mints into his unguarded coffee cup. The jackass is too busy chortling at his tired jokes to realize that you've done anything at all. Perfect. Holding back your smirk is a damn hard move when Alastor finally lifts his red mug to his full lips and swallows down a mouthful of minty coffee.

Success.

Until-

"Hm..." Alastor hums, blinking his red eyes plainly. Then he promptly turns, spits out a stream of dark liquid onto Husk's bowed head, and snatches up your cup of coffee. After sipping down your drink, he sighs contently. "There, much better! Ah, that was a juvenile play, dear. You're losing your touch."

The deer motherfucker teleports away while you're left with a pissed off cat and determination to win this war.

---

Next comes the idea to douse Alastor in whatever perfume oils you can find as a direct plan of attack. Instead of using your precious concoction that you paid out the ass for from Rosie's Emporium, you decide that these other assholes living around here could stand to help out for five seconds. You're not asking for their support- just their cologne.

Angel is the unlucky winner that you approach since whatever he wears is pungent enough that it has your eyes watering on a good day. The spider leans up against his doorway, legs in your face and fluff looming above your head as you make your case.

"Listen." You crane your head back and fix him with what you hope is an amicable stare. "I'll shoot straight with you. I need a favor."

"Oh?" he asks, raising a perfect brow and examining his gloved fingers. "I don't do girls, sorry not sorry."

"No," you grumble at him. "Not that kind of favor. I need to borrow your perfume- whatever shit you wear is strong enough to be smelled across the Pentagram. All I need is to borrow the bottle for five minutes and I'll have it back to you good as new."

"HA! You think I'm letting you make off with my smell-good for free? No no no, nobody gets to borrow what I wear, not even Cherri. It's custom! You're out of luck."

"You're here at the hotel to redeem yourself- part of redemption is being selfless."

"Actually, I'm at this shitshack so I don't have to pay rent, and redemption don't mean you get a spritz of my good shit. Go ask some other shmuck." Angel laughs in your face one final time, then spins around to shut his door.

"I'll owe you," you spit out. That has the fluffy demon pausing and you fear that you've either royally fucked up or royally succeeded.

"...Owe me what?"

"One favor equal to borrowing your perfume that doesn't involve me getting my ass kicked or double dead."

Angel grins delightedly, retreats into his den, then sticks one spindly arm out with his perfume sitting pretty in his palm.

"Have at it!"

And you do, with fear of Hell's #1 pornstar in your heart.

Alastor comes in to kick your legs under the table during dinner and you immediately whip out Angel's perfume to soak the son of a bastard down. There's an ear-ringing screech before Alastor pops away, leaving you with a table full of coughing, gassed-out hotel inhabitants that are very, very pissed off.

Once Vaggie is done chewing you out, Angel Dust leans over and whispers, "You still owe me for my draining my fucking reserves, dollface."

Fuck.

---

After weeks of attempted baths, desperate tooth-brushing sessions, dirty bribery, and numerous double-death threats, you've decided that you have no choice but to go completely nuclear. Clearly, your rotten plague of a deer demon is determined to resist all attempts to freshen him the fuck up, so you are prepared to pull the dirtiest trick in your book. Forget screaming or cussing; you'll have his ass eating out of the palm of your hand in no time with this.

"Hello, my rotten peach!"

Ahah, it's time- you're about to win this little game no problem. You take one look at Alastor in all his awful glory here in the parlor, steady your face into an uninterested expression, and then you. look. away.

Alastor stares.

"I said, hello, my rotten peach! My fetid fruit! My most crusty crop!" he announces slightly louder as if you didn't hear him.

Nothing. No reaction. You refuse to engage with someone that smells of fragrant toes and has gums darker than his coffee; you'll have him suffering from your silence if those are the dumbass choices he'd like to make.

Just barely concealing his panic at the sudden lack of your attention, Alastor clomps closer, then pokes at your side with his staff. The thing winces from the contact. You, on the other hand, are not weak and will not relent, so you continue to watch the parlor wall with great interest.

All according to plan.

Charlie passes by, humming a happy tune. When she spots you lounging on the couch with Alastor hovering over you, she smiles at the familiar sight, and offers a happy, "Good morning!"

"Morning, Princess," you greet her. Then you return to wall watching.

Alastor wilts.

You smile.

And you play the winning game.

For days, you refuse to acknowledge anything having to do with your favorite least favorite parasite. If he materializes in front of you when you're reading a novel? You don't even flinch. If you awake to him standing over your bed and staring with glowing eyes? Well, there's no need to do anything but roll over, that's just Tuesday. You hardly bat an eye when a black shadow warbles over your shoulder as you brush your teeth; no, you simply show it the brush and toothpaste for a proper tutorial on how to avoid ripe ass breath. You're enjoying the power you hold over Alastor, and you especially enjoy the way his stupid tufts flatten against his head when you deny him any attention for a whole week.

You believe that victory is yours.

---

As you trudge downstairs for another miserable day at the Asscrack Motel or whatever they're calling this place nowadays, you're overwhelmed by a new scent permeating throughout the lobby- freshly cut cedar, something slightly floral and musky, hints of amber, and immaculately washed manass.

Shit.

You know that smell. You know that smell very well. It can only mean one thing.

Then you spot him in all of his glory; Alastor is leaning his spindly body against the hotel bar with a freshly patched suit, styled hair slicked back across his head, and shining teeth. Oh God, he smells and looks like Heaven, and suddenly you decide that maybe you don't give two shits about that white speck in the sky when you've got this presented to you on a metaphorical platter.

With a little grunt, you move closer, appraising Alastor with an indifferent expression. His static is whirring sweetly in the background while he simpers down at you- yeah, he's proud and peacocking a bit, you can tell from the manner in which his lips curl and the way his chest puffs out. Goddammit...he knows that he's got you hooked like a fucking sucker.

"Yeeeeees?" he sings when you stare for a second too long. "Something on your dreadfully empty mind?"

"..." Hm. You could shoot him for being annoying, but he did do all of this dolling up for you.

Ugh. You hate him so much.

So you yank him down by his lapel so you can kiss him square on the mouth. For the first time in a long time, he tastes of mint and sunshine instead of rot and coffee, utterly intoxicating you in the worst of ways. You drag your lips against his and feel that they've been moisturized, and when he bites down on your tongue, there's no slippery plaque to offend your senses.

All of this effort just to get you to look his way.

Good.

Then you release him with a pop, flip him the bird, and walk off with your head held high.

Alastor just hums in satisfaction from his place at the bar, idly commenting, "I've still got it," to a very disgusted Husk and Vaggie who are doing their damndest to ignore the scene.

You'll call this one even.

(Loosely based on a very old conversation with @gemrocknerd).

[amusingmusie]

drop the playlist musie!!! 🗣️‼️‼️‼️‼️

Sadly it's full of spoilers bookie :(( but when all is said and done I WILL post the playlist so maybe it can inspire others

[amusingmusie]

I distantly remember someone asking u abt the ballad of Lucy gray a while ago but I was listening to it and after the most recent chapter and some parts fit Nel and Al so well it’s crazy like

“When I was a girl I fell into your arms

We fell on hard times and we lost our bright color

You went to the dogs and I lived by my charms

Then one day you left, saying I was no good

Well, all right, I'm bad (not good!), but then, you're no prize either

All right, I'm bad, but then, that's nothing new

You say you won't love me, I won't love you neither

Just let me remind you what I am to you

I am the one who you let see you weeping

I know the soul that you struggled to save

Too bad I'm the bet that you lost in the reaping (ie too bad ur stuck to me forever)

Now what will you do when I go to my grave?”

YES!!!! Man I love finding songs that remind me of them, I have a huge ass writing playlist that's been around since I was writing Chapter 1. It keeps growing 😭

[amusingmusie]

i really believe and think that most of the people who read such a beatiful fic and follow such a good author-oh yes you are!- are qualified and fun people just by looking at the things they write, like i'm still find the ask that wrote Nel+gumbo+blood trilogy hilarious and is living rent free in my mind, are there any asks or comments that haunt you too lol

There are so many. SO, SO MANY. But one...one in particular tickled me so bad I posted it on twitter. This one. I think of daily and no I'm not kidding.

That's it. That's the fic. Pack it up.