#... or out of a guilty sense of obligation to Barb

[jonathanbyersphd]

Nancy really was ready to kill that man in s3 no hesitation whatsoever

[oodlyenough]

I'm curious as to what you liked less about Tess' portrayal, since you mentioned it in your TLOU show reblog! I thought the actress was good, but wasn't a fan of how the show softened her way up and seemingly made her romantic feelings for Joel her primary motivator. I kind of get the sense the show wasn't willing to commit to her and Joel actually being very shitty people lol, which is why we got the concerned-for-Tommy plotline and most of the Robert stuff was cut.

Yeah, you pretty much nailed it. I think the role they wrote for Show Tess was much more um... archetypal Woman than her game source, which grated on me, and then culminated in the rework of her death scene + the infected kiss which I simply do not think is a scene they would've put a man in 🤷🏼‍♀️. I understand needing to change some things -- I don't care that she died fighting infected rather than FEDRA for eg -- and I can even accept that we get to see Tess alone and scared whereas game Tess's actual death is off screen...

But "I never asked you to love me 🥺" VS "there's enough here that you must feel some sort of obligation to me" -- vastly prefer the latter. And I prefer the idea the game gives you, that Tess and Joel have this ambiguous relationship where they're attached but probably neither has ever said it, to "Tess has pined for the emotionally unavailable man for 20 years".

The rest kinda has spoilers for the games/rest of s1 so I'll use a cut:

"The show wasn't willing to commit to her and Joel actually being very shitty people": yeah this is really the crux of it. The Robert fetch quest was a tutorial for gunplay, so like, in that sense I don't mind it being cut. But changing Joel and Tess's initial motivation from "all our guns that we're illegally smuggling bc we're illegal arms dealers" to "Joel needs a car battery to go save his beloved baby brother and Tess just wants to do whatever Joel is doing" is a significant change that makes Tess' later line about being shitty people ring totally hollow. Game Joel used to be a raider ffs and had a falling out with Tommy over how awful he was being lol. Show Joel smuggles barbed wire to his gay friends to reinforce their lil paradise.

The shittiest things we've seen Joel do are 1. the shitty job the military forces people to do (burn that corpse), 2. sell drugs (? who cares....), 3. kill someone who was about to kill him and Ellie (self defense? who cares). And Tess doesn't even do any of that! In game people in the QZ defer to Tess rather than Joel, Tess kills the two guys who jumped her (rather than convenient Firefly bomb), Tess point blank shoots some people who are making her impatient lol. I get lowering the general amount of action to make it more realistic for TV, but as you said I felt they removed most of Tess' edge to make her more of a guilty sticking point for Joel.

I mentioned in the post about Ellie that I think they're changing Joel too, but this is what I mean. If your starting point for Joel and Ellie has Joel who is still basically a good guy and Ellie the adorable kitten who dreams of nothing but murder all day, their general growth trajectory is already off, and I think you're taking some wind out of your sails for stuff like David (Ellie is traumatized and horrified by what she had to do) and also the ending... Would show Ellie even give a shit that Joel killed the Fireflies? It seems like she'd just find it flattering. So then where does s2 go?

Next week is the start of the raider storyline, so I suppose we'll see for sure if they're giving Joel any actual skeletons in his closet or if he's just grumpy and sad lol.

[simps-loudly]

Crossposted on my AO3! Here it is <3

What It Feels Like To Be Loved

Ship: Diavolo/Lucifer/Barbatos

- Fluff - More fluff - Just generally very soft, even if there are some tears. They're all love though <3

The warm night of the Devildom currently felt like a heavy, stifling blanket on the oldest demon brother's shoulders. He sat, slumped over his paperwork at the table and sighed heavily before rubbing his dry eyes. Lucifer threw his head back to move his neck around. Some joints cracked satisfyingly and he sighed yet again, silence falling over his office.

Night was the only time of the day the House of Lamentation was quiet.

The past two weeks turned out to be more rough than… in quite a long while. His brothers felt more mischievous and devious than normal, and the time with his lovers had been cut short. Meaning, he hadn't seen either Lord Diavolo or Barbatos anywhere but in brief passing in RAD's hallways or in meetings which were always kept brief and professional before sending everyone away to do their jobs again. 

To put it frankly, Lucifer was tired.

Very tired, even. Looking down at his papers, the words blurred together which was a clear sign for him to finally wrap up for the night. Right as Lucifer stood up, his DDD pinged, making him sigh. Who could be so persistent as to text him at that time?

“Hello, love. Do you have a minute?”

Diavolo.

“Good evening. What is it you wish to talk to me about?” Lucifer replied, a small smile forming on his face that he would never let anybody see or ever admit to making. Despite how formal his messages always sounded, his lovers both understood that that was the only way he could communicate well.

“Oh, nothing overly demanding, I assure you. Barb and I have been noticing how tired you have been. Would it be okay for us to summon you? We promise that it is nothing work-related. Just us three.”

The red-eyed demon’s finger lingers over the keyboard. Should he agree? Should he decline? He really hated letting other people see him in a state he currently was in - it was just his prideful nature. However, it felt like an all too tempting opportunity, so with that he began typing away.

“I agree.”

* * *

Appearing in Diavolo’s castle became normal and very much welcome for Lucifer at this point. It was his safe place, somewhere, even if it was very formal, where there was a place for him in which he was loved and cared for. His pride got in the way quite often, but both Diavolo and Barbatos understood. They always did.

So, as soon as Lucifer sent the last message, he had been summoned to the Lord's castle. The entrance hall was bright in contrast to the dark outside and in Lucifer's dim office, so he closed his eyes for a second, adjusting to the light. He much preferred darkness - it gave him a sense of calm. 

Before him stood both of his lovers - one with a barely contained happy smile, fiery personality basically rolling off of him in waves, his vitiligo visible and so, so beautiful in the orange light, and the other a more calming presence, with a small, but brighter than usual smile adorning his facial features, which were framed by his green-tipped hair.

"Welcome back, love," Diavolo breathed out happily, his smile becoming even warmer if that was even possible. That alone made the prideful demon before him smile too.

"Hello. I…" he hesitated, before mumbling, "I must say that I quite missed the both of you." 

At that, Diavolo let out a delighted, soft laugh, Barbatos chuckling along. Diavolo walked up closer to Lucifer, opening his arms for a hug.

"Come here, my Morning Star."

Lucifer obliged, carefully accepting the warm embrace.

"And you come here too, Barbatos," said the Prince with a soft smile.

The butler nodded shortly, approaching both of them, who had opened their arms for their third lover and accepting him into their collective hug. 

Lucifer leaned into the two demons, absentmindedly rubbing his face against Diavolo's shoulder and Barbatos' top of his head (due to their different heights). The soft and familiar scents of his two beloved people calmed the tired firstborn down, his eyelids already drooping. That would've made him startle in any other circumstance - hell, he probably wouldn't have even accepted that long of a hug from anybody - but this moment was comfort and, most of all, familiarity. 

"Hey," Diavolo mumbled softly, petting Lucifer's hair, "Both of us have prepared something for you. So, please don't fall asleep just yet." He chuckled, Barbatos joining him.

"Come with us, dear." Barbatos stepped out of the hug and took Lucifer's hand, Diavolo staying at his other side and squeezing his hand too. So, Lucifer let himself be led away towards the prince's quarters.

The lights in the spacious room were dimmed down. Big chairs with burgundy red cushions in front of a fireplace, a gigantic bed with the same colored bed sheets, bookshelves lining the walls - all furniture out of dark wood and so, so familiar to Lucifer. Even the smell of the burning wood and cinnamon, the scent that always lingered on the prince, were not persistent but rather welcoming and homely. 

The two demons led their tired lover to a side bathroom with one of the biggest bathtubs Lucifer had ever seen. It wasn't even a bathtub - it was more like a mini pool, and, to be fair, it was quite a good decision considering how much space the demon forms of the three could take up. The tub was filled with rose-scented water, bubbles atop, and steam coming off of it. It was clear it was held up by magic and none of them could have it any other way.

Lucifer, up until then wordlessly led around, quietly mumbled with a chuckle, "Haven't seen this kind of view in a long time." That made his lovers chuckle too.

"We couldn't help but see how exhausted you seemed lately. Consider this… a thank you for your hard work. And a gift from us," Barbatos said earnestly, letting go of his hand and wrapping an arm around the raven-haired demon's waist.

Lucifer could feel tears welling up in his eyes and blinked them away as fast as he could. He really didn't want to let his feelings show.

"I… really appreciate this. Thank you." It took him a lot of strength to admit that, his pride getting in the way as always. Diavolo leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his temple. 

"Nothing to thank us for. You mean a lot to both of us, even if we don't say it enough. And we know you feel the same. You always assure us of such through all of your work. And little gestures. And every Good Morning. And Goodnight. And just by being you." The prince accentuated every reason with kisses all over Lucifer's face and his hands on the other's waist.

The eldest brother had to turn away at that. Not that he wanted to, he just… couldn't not. It didn't feel right to him that he would get all that attention, all that love and care. And the two demons understood his struggle. Barbatos wrapped his arms around Lucifer's waist.

For a few moments, they all stood like that in silence, the soft light pink-yellowish lights around them comforting to the eye.

"Let us take care of you, Lucifer," Diavolo finally broke the silence. Lucifer nodded slightly.

Diavolo and Barbatos stepped away, only for the butler to take off Lucifer's fur-lined coat and for the prince to unbutton his red vest. They were meticulous and careful, folding his clothes on a bench nearby to collect later. As Diavolo was about to help the other with his dress shirt, Lucifer put a hand over the other's. With a nod, he assured the other wordlessly that he'll be able to get out of the clothes himself. None of them really needed words, having known each other that long. So, Lucifer undressed himself, the two remaining demons doing so as well.

Having gotten rid of their outfits, they could finally let out their demon forms in peace. Not that they couldn't earlier, with the clothes, of course - it was just easier this way. They all let out a collective sigh, chuckling at how they exhaled in unison.

Every time, getting into the huge tub was infinitely easier than into any other shower - Diavolo's and Lucifer's wings were huge and Barbatos's tail was quite long and not always easy to weild. Lucifer was the first one to sit down on the underwater seat, having been pushed carefully towards the tub by his lovers. His wings shuddered a little at the feeling of water on their tips and, with a sigh, he closed his eyes. 

Behind him, Barbatos kneeled on the tiled floor with a vial full of ointment for their horns, which was always kept in the bathroom. Taking care of those was quite necessary, but due to having had so much to do, Lucifer had no time for it - and it showed, the surface of his horns dry and, in some places, even flakey. The butler smiled to himself softly and took a small brush from beside himself, starting to clean Lucifer's horns gently. The demon inhaled sharply but then sighed in defeat. His lovers were the only two to ever be allowed to touch his precious horns and wings.

Speaking of wings, Diavolo sat on his left side, softly brushing at the other's wings with his fingers. He plucked away any old and loose feathers, his touches measured and gentle so as to not hurt. Drowsiness took over Lucifer, only to have been awoken by a soft kiss to his horn from Barbatos.

"We're almost done, love." And, true to his word, the ointment had almost been applied and the prince moved to the wings on his right side to give them the same treatment as before.

Barbatos sunk into the water next to him, petting his hair. The former archangel gazed into the water, unable to look at either of the two. He still felt guilty, even after millenia of living together - love and care was not something he thought he deserved, but these particular demons did their best to assure him. He didn't even notice tears streak his cheeks, until Diavolo had leaned in and kissed them away.

"You are doing so well, my Morning Star. We are so, so proud of you."

"You are safe here."

The tears continued, a small sob escaping Lucifer. Two pairs of arms wrapped themselves around him, silent, but not uncomfortable. A big leathery wing and a scaled two-tipped tail were added into the mix as well, his own feathery wings fluttering slightly above the water. 

After a while, the sobs subsided gradually, silence once again taking over the inside of the room. The water didn't get any colder, if anything, it felt like it was warmer now. Whether it was more magic or just the way he felt inside, Lucifer didn't know - however, it didn't even matter. The only thing that mattered to him then and there were the two bodies pressed to him from both sides. 

"I'll help you wash your hair," whispered Barbatos, reaching over to yet another vial next to the tub, pouring some of the soap onto his palm and rubbing it before applying to Lucifer's hair. The latter groaned softly. It made Diavolo chuckle. 

Before Lucifer could ask anything, the prince dove under the water only to surface back again, shaking his hair and sending droplets flying like a wet dog shaking off after a rain. He was smiling brightly, which in turn made the other two smile as well.

After they all washed up and dried themselves off, they all got dressed in matching differently colored robes. They didn't even need to leave their demon forms, the robes accommodating themselves with magic. Diavolo's bed could easily fit them all with their horns and wings and tail, so they easily laid down together. Lucifer and Diavolo folded their wings so they could all lay by each other, the Avatar of Pride in the middle again. So, they all fell asleep tangled up in each other. It felt right, it felt calm, it felt…

...like home.

[astaroth1357]

*me imagining someone else in the attic/locked up/hates humans*

Me talking to a friend who does not know the game: so imagine if it was someone else in the attic-

Friend: what?

*Switches to Tumblr*

How in character do you think this would be

Please don't feel obligated to answer or even read this if you don't want to. I just typed this up and wanted to share is all

So imagine if someone else hates humans

Lucifer ignoring certain things as long as the human is not visually hurt or if it could be played of as MC being a drama queen, subtly pushing more work to stress out MC to make them go home, any 'negative' traits of theirs is used as a reason on how humans and demons not being compatible(he would either be ignoring the lilith situation/not knowing about the bloodline) overall just trying to make their experience as horrible as possible without there being anything that would portray the devildom as being at fault, assuming MC is related to Lilith and he finds out he... Doesn't feel bad per say but regrets how distant MC is

Mammon, assuming he's in charge of them would conveniently forget to give them stuff or remind them of literally anything. He would steal their stuff as well as maybe even planting stuff on them and try to blame them for something he clearly did, maybe some quips on how if they can't handle it they should just go home or something, Lilith reveal had him feeling so bad he pampers the heck out of MC or if MC gone home and it's his fault while he knows, well everyone is mad at him now including himself

Leviathan would probably just ignore them and if forced to interact call them rude anime terms and become a otome game villain(ironic right?) Perhaps he may end up being one of the easier ones to turn around as certain traits would endear MC to him, probably wouldn't make them make a pact with Mammon and instead use a cliche plan from something he watched that kind of worked but didn't? Post Lilith reveal he's now MC's best friend

Satan would definitely be on house arrest somewhere, he did NOT act pleasantly at the fact there were going to be humans in the devildom after calming down he does something similar to what belphie did with more success or he ruins it by raging at them, the lilith reveal doesn't cause any change for him

Asmodeus would be like a popular girl from a movie, insult upon insults with masterful crowd control with cronies at every corner ready to pounce, MC would not have a good school life with him around(the lilith reveal, assuming MC is related to her) his actions cause literal whiplash in the school as everyone's trying to figure out why he's acting like this and blames MC(lilith is not allowed to be public knowledge) actual attempts on MC's life

Beelzebub isn't really that bad, he just ignores you and does his best to prevent the brothers from getting to close to you, maybe some mention of him eating a person around you now and then or how tasty you look. Lilith reveal makes him really guilty and sad and even sadder when he realizes MC isn't very comfortable around him

Everyone knows how Belphegor reacts

Why would Solomon hates other humans?

Simeon wouldn't be here if he hates humans but here we go. Any vaguely sinful act done either in his presence of that he hears about incites lectures and sermons that end up talking about completely different sins MC probably didn't do. Constantly there to 'correct' MC. If he has to stay near a human may as well make them as angelic as possible. Post Lilith reveal either has them laying off on the lectures(Angel blood) or he gets even 'harsher' on them as they may as well be a demon themselves

Luke. Why would he hate them??? This is not allowed Luke stays Luke and would instead defend MC religiously against whoever hates humans and gain an even worse view of demons. Simeon's lectures confuse him like a bag full of salt labeled sugar you can tell there's something wrong but it doesn't look wrong

Barbatos is the symbol of subtly. Take that as you will

Diavolo. Does not make sense he would start this exchange program if he hates humans. Would either not have humans there or they would be there as... Well it wouldn't end pretty

Oh my, this is a doozy...

I think your reactions would hold pretty true, given how they reacted to the Lilith reveal before (minus Satan, but there's a lot of weirdness around him and the Lilith thing anyway).

I think if any of them were to hate humans like Belphie, most likely candidates would be:

Lucifer, for kind of the same reasons

Beelzebub, ditto but to a lesser extent

Levi, but more out of jealousy (humans hog all the good anime merch and release dates after all)

And Satan, I dunno. Just cause. I mean he's the most demonic out of all of them, in a way he has the LEAST reason to like them. Corrupting humans is kind of in his DNA.

Simeon hating humans (or at least being more critical of them) is an interesting idea to me, but I think the game is kind of staging Raphael to be that kind of angel.

And a weird part of me would love the irony of Barbs hating humans, but "helping" Dia with his outreach program anyway. With his time powers, he could sabotage it in all sorts of ways... Damn, I still wish this game had a villain... Oh well. I like sweet Barbs anyway. 😊

[pollylynn]

Title Foregone WC: 900 Episode: Probable Cause (5 x 05)

It was easy from the very beginning to believe he could not have killed Tessa Horton. Whatever the fingerprints, the financials, the timeline might have said, she did not entertain the idea that he had killed Tessa Horton for even the briefest flicker of an instant. 

It’s a curious thing in so many ways—from so many angles. 

But she had known every second that he did not kill Tessa Horton. He could not have killed Tessa Horton, and she just knows that. She could write that off to Tyson overplaying his hand. The gruesome staging, the bloody, meaningless symbol, the obviously leisurely nature of it—the man she has known for almost half a decade could not have done any of that. 

But that’s the entire point. If he had killed Tessa Horton, if he had methodically snipped barbed wire, carved that symbol into her forehead, lashed her to the ceiling, it would mean she had never known him. It would mean he was a different man entirely, and that’s Tyson playing on painfully recent history—on Roy Montgomery, on Sophia Turner. On Mike Royce and Damian Westlake. It’s not Tyson overplaying his hand, it’s him flaunting the depth of his knowledge about every aspect of their lives.

Now that all of this is as over as it can be—as over as it will be for the foreseeable future, given that she thinks Tyson is dead and he’s certain Tyson is not dead—the fact that she had known that he could not have killed Tessa Horton makes her the kind of gotcha mad at him where she’s not really mad at him. It puts him in her  maybe three people she can say with certainty are not capable of the heinous things that come across her desk every day. It makes her want to kick his shins, because she is not supposed to be in the Unshakeable Faith Club. Detectives are not supposed to be in the Unshakeable Faith Club, and yet here they are. Here she is, knowing that she is not herself without him and he couldn’t have killed Tessa Horton. 

It’s not really the Unshakeable Faith Club, though. She knows that it’s not just that she’s a card-carrying member now. She is able to believe—she is able to not let pain and her knee-jerk tendency to go to the worst possible place—because she has been working on this. She has been digging deep into what it means to trust and what it means to know. She has been pulling some trauma-fed mental and emotional weeds up by the roots, and really, this is a victory born of that work. She has been able to see the cracks in Tyson’s scheme right from the beginning, not because it’s some rinky-dink affair, but because she has worked hard on trust. 

And in that light, believing him innocent of the murder is almost unremarkable. In the grand scheme of this bizarre and incredibly fucked up case, it  seems a trivial that that she would know he was not guilty. 

What is remarkable is the realization that se never believed he was having an affair with Tessa, either. Even when her cop sense and her obligation to the job forced her hand—even with Ryan holding thick folder supposedly full of their back-and-forth love story on the down low—she simply did not doubt his faithfulness, his commitment, his profound love for her. 

It’s not that she is a jealous person. She has, in fact, a track record of perhaps not being jealous enough—of engaging in after-the-fact Don’t care, didn’t need to know, all as part of her one foot out the door approach. She has, in fact, shaken the dust from her feet with studied lack of give-a-shit. And it’s not that that wasn’t her. It’s not the case that she was merely writing her own history on the fly. Simply put, she’d authentically not given a shit. 

But she does now. And she is not that person any more. He has the power to wound her. She has given it to him. She’s given it willingly to the people she non-negotiably wants in her life, and that’s part of the work, too. 

It’s another thing that she could write off to a shoddy narrative. If he’d been enough of a Lothario to go after Tessa while the two of them were together, then he’d surely have been Lothario enough to simply laugh in her face if he’d gotten caught. It doesn’t, as he would say, make sense on a character level that he’d have been so committed to having his cake and eating it, too, that he’d have murdered one of the slices.

She could poke holes in Tyson’s scheme all day long. She could play up her investigative prowess and say that her dogged pursuit of the whole story behind the evidence is what led her to say that he couldn’t have killed Tessa Horton, he couldn’t have ben the Prince Charming in her fairytale romance. 

But that’s not it at all. She just knew he didn’t kill Tess Horton, because he’s not capable of it. She just knows that he didn’t cheat on her, because he is a man worthy of the faith she has in him. She just knows. 

A/N: So late, so thinky, so without morphousness. 

Images via homeofthenutty

[oh-theatre]

Objection!: Chapter 26

Chapter title: When Youre Home

A/n: Sorry it took awhile and im sorry its shorter!! Ive been really busy but I still wanted to get a chapter out! And ofc cant tell you what happens just yet also gotta let ya suffer. Sorry its bad but enjoy!! PLEASE LEAVE ME COMMENTS YALL! PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS AND IF ITS CONFUSING OR YOU HAVE QUESTIONS IM HERE TO ANSWER THEM OK?

First | Previous | Next

words: 2356

summary: The world freezes as the gang follows the events of the previous night

pairings: Eventual logicality, prinxiety, platonic demus, romantic remile

warnings: Murder mention, child murder, Law and Courtroom, swearing, blood, hospital, crime scene,  murder, gun mention, guns, swearing, abuse, graphic descriptions, alcohol, shooting, crying

Ao3 Link  

“Dada!” No, Logan couldn't. His throat closes tightly hearing the sound of frantic children racing toward him. Wiping away his nervous tears he stands, the twins waste no time as Logan kneels to nuzzle themselves into him. Emile and Remy, somber faces, approach from behind. “Where's Papa?” Valerie shakes, her fears from the night only arising.

“Um...Patton is…” Logan cant speak, the words catch in his throat, stuck at some border keeping them down. “He’s…” He doesn't wish to beg for assistance, but his eyes beg  to anyone. Everyone avoids him, except…

“Why don't we go get some food?” Emile offers, the twins attention, tired and worn out, and focuses on the doctor. “We can get something for your dad” Emile and Remy work in sync, taking the pair from Logan. Nothing changes but the smallest glint shows his thankfulness. They set off and just as soon as they appeared, they fade into the rush of the midnight hour at the hospital. Cold and dark, Logan wants them back, the aching his body feels as he no longer can feel their presence.

He could see the crowd move, he could hear their mumblings and the world continue on. But he felt numb, like static surrounding him, nothing was there. Silence in this noisy void. Even when Virgil places his hand on the lawyers shoulder it takes a moment to register, then his face only sends him back.

“Hey we he- Patton” It takes almost no time to identify the ooze of blood and the frozen terror in the center of the courtroom. Virgil steps back, a moment of hesitation, Roman rushing by him sparks him back alive. He had never seen a puzzle so broken, so many pieces lost. Logan couldn't speak, but he held so tightly. But to what? Virgil hated it but it didnt look like Patton.

“Hel..help” Logan manages, something in him however was gone. Virgil couldn't look anymore, the pale face, he longed to see the bright smile, promising love as it flashed to all it passed. The sparkle of his eyes, a smart shine closed as they looked empty. Nothing was there, no one was there….

“Uhm Roman Reial, I need an ambulance… the courthouse on Preise Boulevard” He rushes, his breaths short and scared. “A-a gunshot wound...please just hurry” He pleads, Logan continues staring towards the door. The icy blue that sparked with wisdom and his unsuspected and treasured love had melted. They were empty, devoid of purpose to shine.

“We...we’re engaged” He mumbles, Virgil looks to Pattons hands instantly. The scuffed skin didn't distract from the stunning glimmer of the ring around his finger.

“C-come on” Virgil tries “We have to get him out of here...or apply pressure...or stop the bleeding or-”

“Virge breathe” Roman takes his hand, squeezing it gently. Their eyes meet and the dangerous storm dies down in Virgil, finding a light rain should suffice. “He’ll be ok”

“Don't make promises you can't keep” Virgil whispers, listening to a silent Logan crying ever so gently over a fallen love. Roman cups his cheek, the movement feeling natural.

“I'm not” He takes Virgil to the side, calming him as medics and cops file in. The pair are guilty as they ignore Logan's desperate cries, shunning away while Patton, if you can call his lifeless body that was hauled away. Logan sinks again, unable to move, no one makes a sound, the room falls quiet once more. “Logan…” Roman begins, his caution at a high point. The lawyer shakes his head, searching for the words, any words. A simple croak.

“Hes-”

“Dead” Logan mutters “He's dead” He slumps into his chair, Roman and Virgil share uneasy glances.

“What happened?!” The three look up, their eyes landing in unison. A fiery path alight as Barbara marched towards them, Marcy following her footsteps trying to put out the dark. Logan stands, not expecting the rough descent to the physical world. “What did you do?” She spits, desperate as everything falls apart.

“Barb!” Marcy calls, gently removing her from a distant Logan. “Bubbles take a breath, it's not Logan's fault” Marcy assures, stroking ever so delicately to her wife. Barbara tries to conjure an argument but shatters, falling into Marcys arms as she cries.

Shouldn't Logan be doing the same?

Why couldn't he feel the pain?

Had he succumbed...to the dark?

Not too long ago his confusion was riddled with unbearable pain, the sadness too much to feel as it coursed through his veins, practically pumping his breath. He needed Patton, that took something out of him. The name, even the mere thought was too much, a break in his step. Turning rapidly away from this scene, too much of a mirror of his inner turmoil, he walks to the door, and kept going. Ignore, he told himself, ignore the shouts and the concern.

“Patton Hart” He demands, the woman perks up, a note of sympathy accompanies her sweet smile. She dials the phone, hushed whispers before she returns to Logan, the man no doubt seemed insane.

“I'm sorry sir, mister Hart is still in surgery” She informs. “We will send someone out with updates, but please return to the waiting room” She requests, her politeness and formality wasn't something Logan could argue. And it made sense, what was he thinking. Resigned with shame he returns to the group, the moment his sweaty back hits the chair he gives in. The tears just come, you'd think dehydration might be a risk as he sobs with no filter. No one dared move, not even a breath escaped but Barbara's face morphs, she takes his side, clutching hard. If he needed pressure, he was getting it.

Everyone loved him, but these two...it was different. The pain, the absolute grief they felt, couldn't be matched, only sprouted from their passionate love. Even if there's differences between each other, it was intense...and it hurt. And they shared that, how awful…

~~~

“I hear kids” Patton chuckles into the pillow, Logans arms remain around the smaller of the pair. It was true, the feet moved rapidly through the house, the wooden floors revealing their location with coy creaks. Logan groans, nuzzling into Patton not wishing to lose this warmth. “C’mon” Patton giggles, a gentle kiss on Logan's cheek before he sits up. His hair falling perfectly into a fluffed cloud. The pair reach for their glasses, preparing for the wave that approaches them.

“Papa! Dada!” The door bursts and the twins spare no one, jumping into the bed as they pounce on the fathers. Both lawyers fall back, laughing through muffled embraces. The twins had grown immensely, and yet they insisted on Sunday morning hugs.

“Where do you attain all this energy?” Logan wonders, adjusting Remus in front of him, the boy bounces excited. “It's eight in the morning” Logan yawns, Valerie follows suit sitting next to her brother.

“Lo they've only been alive for ten years, they have all the energy in the world” Patton teases, resting his head on Logan's accepting shoulder. “Why don't we give your father some space, come on Ill make you breakfast” Patton takes his time, slipping on his slippers as he leads the eager twins to the kitchen. The skip behind him, humming sweetly as they clutch to his hands.

“Cartoons?” Remus proposes, Patton nods and allows them to set up in front of the couch. The shows blare loud but nothing Patton didn't enjoy or was used to, he begins his work diligently in the kitchen. Never could he gain tired of the sweet bouts of laughter from the children.

“Good morning pop!” Patton turns, a giant grin spreads. Terrence stands idle, his cup tight in his small hands, his smile reflects brightly.

“Well good morning sweetness” Patton greets, kneeling slightly to face the young boy. “What can I do for you?” He offers, Terrence holds out his cup, shaking it gladly. “Juice or water?”

“Juice please! Jamahl sleeping still” He replies, Patton obliges, securing the drink into his hands once more. “Thank you kindly!” He beams, Patton hides a sweet chuckle, his vocabulary increasing everyday. “Hello papa” He waves to a slumbering Logan, hugging his legs before racing off to join his siblings, Logan ruffles his hair watching him go. Patton giggles turning back to his work, the stove ready for the delectable delight.

“Mmm” Logan hums, his arms wrapping gently around Patton's waist. His head falls perfectly on the mans shoulder, burrowing with ease. Patton giggles, the tickles certainly help to awake the man. Logan grows impatient spinning Patton towards him, leaning into a gentle kiss, a nice satisfaction as he pulls away.

“What was that for?” Patton laughs, Logan shrugs returning to his position. He enjoys watching his husband work, the careful manner as he prepares food, the unconscious humming that carries a tune. He places yet another kiss on Patton's cheek, wanting to remain as such forever. They both take a moment to turn to the children, each excited as the animation dances across the stage. Patton takes Logans hands in his own, interlacing their fingers as they watch.

“I want another” Logan yawns, Patton continues his cooking. He shakes his head stirring the coffee pouring two even cups.

“Another kiss?” He jokes, obliging by his own manner. Logan pouts and pulls Patton back to him. “Yes dearest?” He wonders

“Another kid” Logan presses, Pattons amused smile remains but falters a tad. “I mean look at them, they're perfect” Logan smiles, his glasses drooping. Patton adjusts them for him but bites his tongue. “Come on...I was looking and talking to Lia and-” Patton interjects quickly

“Lo I don't want another kid” He admits, his brows furrowed with concern. Logan takes a step back, their hands remain connected.

“I….what?” Logan mutters “I mean...you love kids. And you're wonderful with them. I don't understand…” Patton strokes his cheek, calming the anxiety he can see forming.

“I do love kids. I love Virgils son, I adore Thomas and the twins and Terrence are my life” Patton promises, yet something is off. “I just...I don't want another kid” He restates. “Divine, we are both full time lawyers and I'm on the city counsel. We already have trouble balancing our schedules with them. Adopting a child, no matter the age would be difficult. And it wouldn't be fair on them” Patton explains.

“What about Terrence? And Jamahl?” Logan marvels, scouring his brain. “That was even more dire, you were just out of the hospital a-and you were just starting. I was just beginning to learn what it meant to be a father-”

“And you are amazing at it” Patton smiles, Logan can't find the same urge.

“Terrence was a baby, I mean we could take in a grown child...like Jamahl. Statistics show that they are less likely to be taken in and it would save us the trouble of a newborn and it would be easier to help them adjust and understand” Logan rushes, desperate. “We can do it” He assures, Pattons usual determination, his need to please Logan just couldn't conjure itself.

“I-im sorry Lo, I don't want another kid” Patton laments, finally it seems their hands find their way apart.

“Ok maybe not now, I mean maybe in the future we could-” Logan tries. Pattons hands clutch to the table, the spatula could sink into the counter.

“No Logan you're not hearing me” He whispers, wishing to keep this to themselves. “I don't want another kid, We’ve got two ten year olds. Both who have been through more than any ten year old should. Both also very familiar to a broken home, and wishing for nothing more than to keep what stability they have. We've got a little five year old who despite being just a baby was thrown through system and system and didn't know a stable and safe home until he took his first steps on that carpet over there and his over-protective brother finally trusted us” Patton takes a frustrated breath “We have full careers and If I know you, which I pride myself on, you want it go further and advance” He watches the once expression he hated so much, Logans eyes fall hopeless. He takes his cheeks, aweing so gently. “Logan, my starlight, I love you so much. I love you, and the kids and my job and my friends. I like our life. But I don't want another kid, Jamahls about to go off to college, the twins are going to be in highschool in no time and Terrence is beginning school” Patton serves the now saddened breakfast, moving to the table as he sets it. Molly whines at his feet for food, he wishes to coo but his heart feels heavy.

“Patton I-” Logan begins

“I have to go wake up Jamahl, he has SAT prep and Thomas is coming over soon to play with Terrence” Patton gives another look before disappearing behind the wall. Both take shuddered breaths fearing their own ability to stop tears. The house felt tense, hard to move through, hard to breath. Hard to stay still, why was it shaking?

“Logan” The softest voice cuts through, the lawyer sputters awake, his eyes flutter open. Virgil kneels in front of him, his hands gentle as he places a hold on the man. “He's out of surgery” Virgil informs, Logan nods before fully comprehending Virgil's words. He jumps up, rushing to the doctor who was seemingly reporting to Barbara.

“...he hasn't awoken yet but his vitals are stable for now” The man finishes, thats all Logan needed. “As you are immediate family you can see him, the rest of you will have to wait” Logans heart drops, falling below his knees. Barbara rings her hands but takes Logan.

“This is his husband” The doctor checks his chart, skeptical as to who is listed. “Its recent so he hasn't had time to update it” Barbara adds, Logan would be eternally grateful to her later. Especially as they walk through the forbidden doors and straight down to the room…

His room.  

[stonefangs]

what’re your top two favorite cats of each clan (excluding your own), as of right now? :3c

how could you……………….make me pick…………………… ((cracks my knuckles)) 

Keep in mind that my favorites change with the tide, these are just the cats I’m especially vibing with atm! For the sake of Everyone’s dashboard, I’m putting my answers under a Read More,

NettleClan:

Squirrelwhisker! I am absolutely biased because I have Daisytooth, his brother, but I never fail to have a lot of fun rping with Squirrelwhisker! I’m always laughing my ass off with him because he gives me an excuse to do the absolute most ridiculous things using Daisytooth, but that’s not the only reason! I feel like he’s a really consistent character, and despite how he tends to have thoughts of heroism and idealism when it comes to presenting himself, he feels grounded and realistic! He’s just a good guy who’s trying to make the best of the hands dealt to him/his family/his Clan. 

And Badgerstep! I really do have a soft spot for boys that are just…. good. Badgerstep has always been a sweet man with a big heart and lots of love to share, I feel like he should really be a good role model for the young cats of NettleClan! He’s been going through really tough times recently, but he lets his friends and family help him. He’s always been a feel-good character for me, even from the beginning of FogClan! 

CreekClan:

ohhh man this was hard to narrow down to just two… I’ll go with 

Currentstar! At least from what I’ve seen of ThreeClan’s leaders since I’ve joined, this mans provides a fresh new perspective and feel to the role! Though I love lenient leaders, modern leaders, it’s super interesting to see a cat who is clinging hard to old traditions that he grew up abiding by– especially in such tumultuous times as the generations of the Clans that are growing after The Great Journey. When tradition has never been more challenged and questioned, he’s trying his best to find a sense of normalcy. But all the while, he’s a very sympathetic character who has been thrust into leadership very quickly and struggled to settle down and feel right in his own skin. He’s developed a lot so far, it shows that he’s getting more confident in himself with a few bumps in the road, but I respect him immensely! I also have a crush on him 

Aaaaand Carpfang! I’ll be honest, i NEVER expected to enjoy Carpfang near as much as I do now. Rough and cold characters are really not my favorite type by far, and I tend to get frustrated with them and their attitudes, but Carpfang has always been so much more than that. She’s hard on the outside, but she has true depth to her character beyond her reputation (and Marigoldpaw ((who is my third favorite)) has done amazing at helping her develop!). She’s not incapable of having trusting and intimate relationships, even if it takes a minute to get through to her, she has really realistic (imo) motives for feeling and acting the way she does, given her family history… She’s real, she’s relatable, she’s well-meaning for much of what matters, and she’s a real bad ass. I love a gal 

JaggedClan: 

MANTISSTAR MANTISSTAR MANTISSTAR MANTISSTAR MANTISSTAR!!!! She is my WIFE, my LOVE. I really don’t think that I’ve met another character who embodies literally all of my weaknesses, everything that I personally love to see in an OC. Mantisstar comes from a more than troubled origin, where she’d been coerced into an ugly side of history, a victim of circumstance but one who knew that being a victim didn’t excuse her from a certain responsibility of wrongdoing. She rose above the sum of her parts, helped to make right what bad things had been done despite her, a hero from humble origins– and from that, she developed this heroic complex, a NEED to do right, terrified of hurting others despite her intentions. It’s so interesting to see her struggle with making the right choices when things are never so perfectly black and white, even if it breaks my heart when she finds herself getting lost. She is a genuinely good person, she’s wise and kind- forgiving, but just. But she isn’t untouchable. She’s so tangible and real, she reminds me of real people that I’ve idolized in my own life, and I LOVE her. Not only is she my favorite JaggedClan cat, but she is my favorite ThreeClans character! 

Then there’s Magpiestorm. Honestly, I feel a Bit similar to her as I do about Carpfang. Though Magpiestorm is arguably more antagonistic and… unstable? than Carpfang is, she’s a whole different take on the hardass girl with troubled family and trust issues, and I honestly took a long while to warm up to her. Again, like I need to feel about all of my favorite characters, she feels developed and truer than just the tropes she happens to fit into. She’s really complex! Though she puts up these barbed wire laden walls all around her, feels obligated to no one but her sister, she has this clear struggle with an innate need for connection. She doesn’t enjoy the way that she acts, she wants to be able to do more, be better, but stubbornness and pride keeps her from letting go of her demons. For a little while she might begin to let those walls down, she might begin to seek out other cats and let other cats in closer to her, but then something will happen that pushes her right back into her own headspace in a cyclical internal struggle… It leaves me guessing, leaves me wanting more, makes me want to see which path she finally makes a commitment to! 

FogClan: 

By all means, Duskfang. I am so happy that the OC who shares my name is THIS FUCKING GOOD. Duskfang is probably one of the most complex and meticulously developed characters that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing from their conception to their present. She had this ambiguous, mysterious origin that has been perfectly pieced together over time, not near so much from OOC talk, but through revelation and parallels set up almost Too perfectly for her in the ongoing plot line. She, herself, started off mysterious and ambiguous– which, I’ll be honest, turned me off at first. I was expecting an almost… stereotypical secondary-antagonist role to come out of the Fang and Flicker duo, but we got so much more than that. Duskfang has struggled and struggled hard in every aspect of her existence since she’s joined FogClan. She’s had dilemmas and choices that no other cat could hardly dream of having to face, and she has made some very horrible decisions along the way… and I’ve never felt more sympathetic for someone else who’s done the equivalent of what she has? Because I’ve never been able to see exactly what a character is thinking, and exactly why they’re having the thoughts that they are, and how they could be made to feel such raw and powerful emotion that has been brewing and bubbling since the very first day they were ever written. Duskfang’s entire character just feels perfectly planned and perfectly executed, and I couldn’t have ever expected to get what she gives us! 

Another popular choice, I’m sure- but Foxflame! Another biased choice? Perhaps! Bramblefang loves him, so I’m just obligated to feel the same…. No, but really, Foxflame is another character that has given me a very pleasant surprise! I’ll be honest, he had my attention from the get-go because bubbly characters really are my guilty pleasure… I would have been satisfied if he just stayed a bubbly guy, a sweet person. No, but then we had to be introduced to the reasons Why they try so hard to make others smile, to make others happy. We had to get into the nitty gritty, his fears, his shortcomings, a need to protect his loved ones even at his own sacrifice. They can definitely be a bit of an airhead, too caught up in the strings of their own heart to listen to their head when they might need to, but that just makes them who they are! They’ve made some really questionable calls for the sake of their heart- he’s gone through the motions of a well-rounded character with beyond two dimensional motivations, and it’s always a pleasure to see him written in the good and bad moments! 

Tribe of Twisted Tunnels: 

Hehe these might be some interesting answers, if I can talk without giving too much away…. I’m gonna start off with: Aspen Snow. Man, tough girls really have been more my type than I was ever prepared to admit, but I’m not ashamed of it! I’m NOT! I’ve always watched Aspen Snow with a healthy intrigue from afar from when she was a to-be, but it wasn’t until the Tribe’s suffering was coming to a close that she really began to catch my attention. She was a scrappy to-be, full of spunk and a very, very unhealthy dose of youthful hubris. She was fun to read! But after her brother left the Tribe with Raven, it started off an arc that I really wasn’t prepared to see her through- in a good way! The pure hurt that she felt caught me by surprise. I wasn’t prepared to see just how much losing her brother, feeling betrayed by him, abandoned, would break her down. Nor was I expecting the way in which she pieced herself right back together, with fangs and claws and all. She grew bitter, became resentful of not only her brother, but much of the Tribe, its leaders. She needed others to blame, and she clung hard onto that. But then, with Spark Feather’s companionship, she began to ground herself more again. She coped better, she moved on for the sake of herself and others’ betterment instead of just pure spite…. And now? Ohoh. Now. There’s a lot going on with her now, like a relapse into those horrible moons passed, and I’m as scared as I am excited to see where it leads her! And now, the reason that this might be an interesting answer to insiders– Patched Petal. I am going to be straight up, at the same moment that she occupies my top two favorite’s spot, I resent her in her entirety. I am mad at Patched Petal. I am hurt by her and indignant completely on Aspen Snow’s behalf for what Patched Petal has done and is doing to her, things that she’s said to and felt about her own daughter. I resent her, but I’ll be damned if I’m not enraptured by it. Patched Petal has always been a difficult character for me to place– she’s never been very pleasant, but she’s also not been entirely disagreeable- before now. She was a stubborn mother with a fire in her heart that could only be tamed by her children, and after losing her son? It was all downhill from there. I feel like she has made every wrong decision that she could have made in regards to her remaining daughter, after Maple/Flickerclaw left. She’s closed herself away from Aspen Snow, she’s pined for her son to the point of ignoring her daughter, and she’s grown more and more resentful because Aspen Snow has decided that she doesn’t want to wait up for her any more. And now, her most recent development? I could strangle the woman, but it’s such an engrossing conflict that I can’t take my eyes off of this trainwreck…. Patched Petal, you are Something Else. And thus concludes my 2 top favorite cats in each group! My fingers hurt!

@squirrelwhiskr @nicks-cats @currentfangs @crowfalled @swanface @cinderstar @boulderstep

[katsidhe]

fic: law of contagion

Written for the 2019 spnspringfling, for harplesscastiel!

Summary: Sam needs to find Dean. Or, what's the difference between a tool and an ally? Or, Sam and company, post-13.23. 

AO3

The week after Lucifer’s death doesn’t feel like Sam thought it would.

To be fair, it’s not like he had a template, or anything specific in mind. Still, if he’d ever paused to consider it—not that he really had—he’d have guessed that something fundamental would shift. Maybe the sun would go out, or the sky would fall, or maybe he’d feel a little safer.

He did lose Dean to Michael, so maybe that counts as his super-special paradigm shift. Losing Dean has happened lots of times, though. That’s a problem he can tackle—a problem he and Cas are tackling, along with a thousand other day-to-day tasks; the new denizens of the bunker need everything from new identities to a laundry roster to library catalog numbers. Then there’s Nick, a shell of a man whose life Lucifer ruined just as indelibly as Sam’s. Sam checks on him every day. He tries not to examine his reasons for doing so too closely.

He and Cas spend the lion’s share of their time looking for any sign of Michael, mostly hitting roadblocks and dead-ends. Which means that when Rowena finally returns his third call and agrees to come to Kansas, Sam keeps his cautious optimism banked.

“We’ve been trying to scry him,” says Sam, a little weakly. Rowena paces around the spell circle—it’s a week of their best efforts, Cas’s geometrical precision and Sam’s cobbled improvisations. He feels its inadequacy in his bones, a heavy guilty weight in his stomach.

She produces a tiny jeweled purse—from where, Sam didn’t see—and throws a tiny pinch of white powder at the circle. It vaporizes instantly in a pitch-black cloud that smells of burnt meat.

“Ah,” she sighs. She watches the oily plume of smoke coil upward and flatten itself against the library ceiling.

Cas clears his throat. “Care to elaborate?”

She glances at him, then turns back to Sam. “The circle is fine work, but it’s simply not strong enough. What have you used as a focus?”

“Dean’s blood and hair,” Sam says. “Recent samples.”

Rowena nods. “Like calls to like. It’s a good effort. Sympathetic magic is powerful, but an archangel is more powerful still.”

“Can you make it work?” asks Sam.

She hesitates. “No,” she says flatly. “I can give it an extra kick, but it won’t be enough. Not on its own.”

“Then this is a waste,” says Cas.

“Not necessarily,” Rowena says. “A stronger focus might suffice—you’ve called upon the vessel, but not upon Michael himself. Now, if we have any archangel grace remaining—?”

Sam and Cas exchange a glance. “We used all we had for the rift,” says Cas.

Rowena hmm's delicately. “Not to put too fine a point on it, but, sometimes angels leave behind, ah, traces, in the vessels they’ve taken.” She gives Sam a meaningful, apologetic look full of something too close to pity.

Sam swallows and turns to Cas instead. “It’s been a decade,” he says, voice lifting at the end without meaning to, almost a question. He’s not sure why he’s asking—if he's asking—if he wants Cas to confirm or deny what he suspects. He’s not sure if it’s hope or something darker, a sinking feeling, crawling, sick.

Cas’s eyes flicker from Sam’s down to his chest and back up. “Any trace of Lucifer remaining in Sam would be so deeply buried as to make removal impossible,” he says. Decisive, brooking no argument. “Like trying to fish a piece of barbed wire from his heart without breaking the skin.”

Sam takes a deep breath to brace himself through the wave of—he should want this to work—relief, nausea. It’s relief, it’s guilt. He should want to have been carrying the solution to this latest quasi-apocalyptic dilemma within his soul all along. A living container for any spell ingredient—convenient one stop shop for blood, bone, grace.

“I see,” says Rowena. She gives Sam one more look—this one with thankfully more assessment than pity. “Then I’m afraid I can’t recommend a better option.”

Cas stares her down. “It’s not an option. We will not attempt it, and if you suggest so again—”

Options. “Wait,” says Sam. Options, vessels, spells. “I’ve got a better idea.”

_______

Sam trusts Rowena, but he’s not sure he trusts her to abstain from hexing Nick on sight. So she stays in the hallway.

Nick takes very little convincing. When Sam lays out the situation, he eyes the needle in Cas’s hands. Glances between the two of them standing over his cot. “And I’ll be fine?” he asks.

“Yes,” says Sam. "But it will hurt.” A lot, he thinks.

The man’s a virtual prisoner, Sam reminds himself. He’s hardly in a position to bargain or argue with the people providing him food and medical care and security; they have an obligation, they must be careful not to pressure or harm him.

Nick licks his lips and nods. “Let’s have it, then.”

Even so, Sam can’t fully quash a wrong, curling sense of satisfaction. Nick screams while Cas extracts the tattered remains of Lucifer.

_______

Rowena throws her head back, white eyes lighting up with purple fire. “Now, Samuel,” she purrs.

Sam grasps Rowena’s arms. Her skin is coal-hot. He braces his fingers against instinct and grips harder, until his knuckles go white.

Cas adds the vial of grace, begins to chant, sonorous and implacable. His power coils in and around them, binding, lifting.

Sam sees—

A church full of blood, broken bodies in a pile, Dean wearing an unfamiliar smile and an unfamiliar suit, elbow deep in the chest of a young woman. Her mouth opens in a scream—a glimpse of inhuman teeth.

He pauses, drops the girl aside, lets cringe and moan. His neck tilts on an unnatural angle, and he stares directly into Sam’s eyes.

“It’s rude to eavesdrop. But since you’re here, I can give you a taste of what you came for.” He makes no move, just looks, and Sam is fixed to the spot. “Don’t you want to know what I’m planning?”

A burning pain, he’s burning, but Sam’s felt worse, he wants to know, he grits his teeth and stares right back, and Michael’s faint, beatific smile does not change—

—“SAM!”

He smells smoke. Cas’s face snaps into focus, worried and pale and wide- eyed.

"I saw him,” Sam gasps. “He was—why did you stop, why did you end it—”

“You were burning—” Rowena, gripping his shoulder.

Sam wrenches away. “We were CLOSE, if you’d just waited another moment—”

Cas seizes him. His eyes are glittering, fury or grief. “I will not lose you. And I certainly will not lose you to your own self-destruction.”

Sometimes Cas’s attention is too sharp. Sometimes it feels too razor-honed, too intent, too much to bear. But sometimes it feels like it’s all Sam wants—to be seen, to be heard.

“We will try something else,” Cas growls. He yanks Sam into a rough embrace.

“We—we’ll try something else,” Sam stutters.

His fingers catch in the canvas of Cas’s trenchcoat.

“In case anyone was wondering, I’m fine,” says Rowena.

_______

“I never did thank you, did I.” Rowena’s staring at the burnt remains of the herbs in the bowl. “You’ve done me a great service, Sam Winchester.”

His name rings with more power than it ought. The echo lingers unnaturally.

Sam has to swallow before he can speak. “I didn’t do anything. Dean was the one who killed him.”

Rowena shakes her head. “Not Dean alone, and not Michael alone. He was the instrument. You were the catalyst. You cast Lucifer down, you foiled him, you brought him to ruin. These things matter, in magic.”

She pauses and finally meets his eyes. Sam finds he can’t look away. She’s not smiling—she’s as solemn as Sam’s ever seen her. For a moment he thinks he sees something ancient.

“You have the talent,” she says. “It’s been a long time since I took a student, but I wouldn’t be opposed—”

“No,” Sam says firmly.

She shrugs elegantly. The jewels on her dress shift in the light. “If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me.”

[recentanimenews]

Little Witch Academia – 19

In a move that initially feels like she’s been underutilized in the show thus far, Diana makes the decision to drop out of Luna Nova Academy, effective immediately. The Cavendish family is in dire straits, she is the only one who can right the ship, and the window to assume the mantle of family leadership is closing, and won’t open again until the stars literally align years from now.

In true form, Akko either rejects whatever reasons Diana has or doesn’t bother to ask what they are: she’s only concerned with whether this is really what Diana wants. It’s clear Diana isn’t happy about leaving. But pride in her once-great family, and love and obligation to fulfill her now-deceased mother’s wishes outweighs her desire to stay in school.

Akko doesn’t make Diana’s departure any easier, so she throws Akko’s own main goal—the Words, and her inability to find them as quickly as she claimed she would—back in her face. There’s a nice meta nature to this: Akko has futzed around with Amanda and Cons but has yet to find the fifth, “history and tradition”-related Word.

There’s also the fact that Diana always thought she would be the one entrusted to the task of unsealing the words and opening the gate. But she ruefully accepts that Akko is the “chosen one”, and not her.

When Diana arrives at a huge but increasingly deteriorating Cavendish estate, we’re officially in Magic Falling Aristocrat Land, complete with Diana’s drunk aunt, Daryl. She and Diana exchange hollow pleasantries, barely bothering to hide their mutual disdain.

The sense is immediate that not only would Diana not have to deal with the collapse of her family before she finishes school, but that Daryl, the proxy head, has no desire whatsoever for Diana to come in and start mucking about the lifestyle she and her daughters cling to: sucking up what’s left of the Cavendish fortune and grinding its name into dust.

Naturally, Akko isn’t taking Diana’s goodbye lying down, and she’s clearly unconsciously drawn by the possibility the fifth word will lie in her interactions with Diana and her family. But whether it’s too slow, out of magical range, or the writers simply forgot, she doesn’t take the broom Cons made for her last week.

When she’s had her fill of travelling by foot, she thumbs a lift, and is reluctantly picked up by none other than Andrew and his father, who happen to be on their way to the Cavendish Manor. An initially tense, awkward backseat scene is lightened when Andrew refutes his father’s claim Akko “ruined” his party, while Akko tells Andrew the reason for their “fated” encounter: she’s going to bring Diana back.

Akko’s arrival with Andrew and his father certainly surprises Diana (Andrew’s line about finding her by the side of the road is at once cruel, hilarious, and true), but in this nest of vipers, it’s Diana who does what she can to keep Akko safe, claiming her as a guest (and as much a witch as she is), and getting her dolled up for dinner, after which she’ll go straight to bed and leave first thing in the morning. (Diana also hides her pried Shiny Chariot card from Akko…we know she was a big fan too!)

Akko holds her own in deflecting barbs from one of the few Cavendish maids left (her communist tendencies were well-documented from the faerie strike episode), but Akko also learns from the maid that Diana’s parents died when she was little, and she immediately feels guilty for all the awful things she’s said to her. Diana is also known within her family as being “kind” like her mother, in keeping with the Cavendish motto: “Affection.”

Akko also proves again that she cleans up nice, but her questionable dining etiquette earns her a simple wordless glare from Diana, one of my favorite moments of the episode.

The classiness and elegance of the evening starts to erode when Aunt Daryl reveals her reason for inviting the Hanbridges: she would like to sell them some prized, priceless Cavendish heirlooms, including the tapestry of Beatrix, one of the Nine Olde Witches who founded the family and was involved in the Grand Triskelion business.

It’s a very distasteful business, especially when Daryl all but begs a departing Hanbridge for money, offering a discount. This is what has become of the Cavendish family, other than Diana: a collection of people who have abandoned pride for greed. Daryl is only interested in maintaining her fancy quality of life, even though it’s unsustainable, considering there’s only a finite amount of Cavendish treasures she can monetize.

For her part, Daryl blames the sorry state of the family to her all-too-kind sister, Diana’s mother, and her insistence on helping others for free, as befits the Cavendish motto. But even if Daryl isn’t responsible for getting the family in this mess, she certainly has done nothing to get out of it.

That’s why Diana believes she must perform the ritual and become family head as soon as possible. Akko almost gets lost int he midst of this family drama, but there’s no way she won’t play a role in resolving it, no doubt unsealing a word and maybe even bringing Diana back to school in the process.

By: magicalchurlsukui

[unicornsandcharlie2]

1. What is one thing that brings a smile to your face, no matter the time of day?

David playing around, my baby cousins.

2. What’s is one thing that you’re proud of?

Being a good sister, a communicative daughter and keeping a diary for 11 years.

3. What makes you laugh?

My best friend Marina, she’s hilarious. The Receipts podcast, stan twitter, Real Housewives fight compilations, Dance Moms 

4. When you’re feeling super lazy, what’s your guilty-pleasure Netflix show?

I’ve only begun watching it recently, The Thick Of It, but I haven’t watched it enough for it to be my go to.

5. What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done?

Telling my parents I was sexually abused as a child and who had done it.

6. What is one memory you have from childhood?

Going to the toilet in my kindergarten in Kenya and wearing the blue uniform.

7. What’s the best thing about your life right now?

Not sure. My health maybe.

8. What is one thing that you’re thankful for?

A loving and supportive family.

9. What’s one thing that you fear?

Losing my friends.

10. If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

11. Can you tell me one thing, big or small, that you’ve never told anyone else?

I get blisters on my feet

12. If you were forced to leave your home and move to a county you’ve never been before, what are three things that you’d take with you?

My diary, laptop and my bank card. 

13. What’s a favorite memory with a pet/animal?

Walking ralph and stroking him to sleep.

14. Who are you closest to in your family?

My brothers. But my mum knows the  most about me.

15. What’s your family like?

Loving, invasive, safe, ever growing, loud and Eritrean

16. What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Salted Caramel but I love a cheeky chocolate cornetto 

17. What’s your favorite joke?

The Gregg joke

18. What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done?

Stapled my finger 

19. If you could rewrite your past, what’s one thing you’d change?

I would kiss him back.

20. What do you think your best physical feature is?

My smile

21. What’s one thing about yourself, personality-wise, that you like?

I am an Optimist

22. When you’re feeling down, who or what is your biggest go-to person or activity?

Listening to my favourite podcasts, and talking to my best mates.

23. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Old me would have said chocolate digestives, but I am trying to be healthy so no idea mate.

24. What’s one thing you’re super passionate about?

Reading.

25. If you had to lose one of your five senses, which would you give up and why?

Sense of smell, everything else is essential.

26. What’s the hardest thing, physically, you’ve ever done?

Surviving Masawa heat in a car with 6 other people, sitting on leather seats 

27. What’s the hardest thing, mentally, you’ve ever done or been through?

Coming to terms with my childhood trauma, and the latent issues it caused and manifested itself in destructive behavioural patterns.

28. What’s the best part about your job?

I do not work currently.

29. What’s one thing that defines who you are?

Reading and being a big sister.

30. If tomorrow was your last day on earth, what would you do in your last 24 hours?

Spending time with all my family, kissing my cousins incessantly, calling back to Eritrea, eating my favourite foods, swimming, go for a run, see my best friends .

31. What do you believe in, generally or faith-wise?

I believe in myself, I believe in being kind to people, I believe in being critical when necessary. I haven’t quite figured the rest out yet.

32. If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?

I’m a Sagittarius. 

33. Where’s the coolest place you’ve ever been/traveled to?

Eritrea

34. What’s one thing people would never know about you just by looking at you?

I love X men and used to read the comics a lot.

35. What’s one thing about the opposite sex that you’re attracted to?

Their backs.

36. What are three qualities you look for in a potential date?

Communicative

Compatible

Beautiful

37. What’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for a girl?

I got the bus all the way to the practical outskirts of London when I was like 12 to give her a lock in the shape of a heart to let her know she was still my best friends even though we went to different schools.

38. How would others describe you?

Smart, funny a little bit crazy.

39. What’s your all-time favorite memory?

Floating in a river in Turkey looking up at the sky, waking up in the morning to have breakfast with my family in Eritrea, when David says my name, my brothers giving me a hug and a kiss everytime we say goodnight.

40. What are your parents/step-parents/guardians/people who raised you like?

Eritrean, one is a Libra, the other a Scorpio. Nuff said.

41. What’s your go-to alcoholic drink?

Disarrano and coke

42. What would be your ideal first date?

Bonfire night, huddled up together to get warm, in our cute but warm winter clothes. I am drinking dairyfree hot chocolate, November has just begun, the air is crisp and cool. We look at each other, our faces illuminated by the fireworks above us, amongst all these people I know I will be safe with them. We kiss.

43. If you could have three wishes, what would they be?

1) Return back to 2016 and start life again

2)Redistribute wealth and resources to the global south and reparations to the colonised countries

3) Protect all my cousins and brothers from ever being abused.

44. If you could a full 24 hours without any work or obligations, a day to just do whatever you wanted, what would you do?

I did try this and fell into a depressive episode so..

45. What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?

When Ali told me he liked my smile.

46. What is something you’re talented at?

Finding books when I have forgotten the name of the book, name of the author and really only know the obscure details of it.

47. What’s your favourite college memory?

Did not enjoy it enough to have a favourite experience.

48. What is your best friend like?

Funny, a Pisces, irreverent, kind, intelligent, athletic, adaptable, mysterious.

49. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

North London.

50. What’s one thing you want to do before you die?

Go to Antarctica.

51. If someone gave you a million dollars right now, what would you spend it on?

Put it all in savings and buy plane tickets for my WHOLE family to visit Eritrea one year so we can all see each other before my grandparents die.

52. Have you ever made a decision that changed your entire life? If so, what was it?

Telling my teachers I was having suicidal thoughts.

53. What’s your favourite thing to do on the weekends?

Read and drink tea

54. What’s your zodiac sign? And do you think it describes you?

Sag sun, Cap moon and Venus, Gemini rising. To a T.

55. What’s your biggest regret?

Too many to count.

56. What can always put you in a good mood?

A good cup of tea and Beyonce.

57. What’s your guilty pleasure snack, drink, or junk food?

Being a Barb and Chocolate digestives.

58. If you were forced to eat fast food for your every meal, what would be your top two places?

Five Guys.

59. What’s one thing you wish you could change about yourself?

I wish I was better being focused and also a billionaire. And to stop dwelling on the past.

60. If you had the option to hit restart and begin life all over again, would you?

YES

61. Have you ever lost someone close to you? What were they like?

In regards to death, yes my Grandfather. He loved me a lot but I couldn’t tell you anything about his personality, stoic I guess. In a broader sense of course I went to 4 different schools, so I have lost friends that way.

62. What’s your favorite social media profile?

My secret twitter, I am very wholesome on there.

63. What’s one thing that totally relaxes you when you’re stressed?

That one day everybody is going to be dead and none of this will matter eventually because our bodies are temporary things which will decay.

64. What’s a random hobby you’ve always wanted to try but never have?

Ballet.

65. When was the last time you cried, and why did you?

Cannot remember, probably a few days ago because of my academic obligations.

66. What scares you the most about the future?

Climate change and my career and my family’s health.

67. Do you want to have children someday?

Yes.

68. What do you imagine your future family will be like?

Healthy and Eritrean.

69. Have you ever done or accomplished something you never thought you could? What was it?

Yes.Telling people about my abuse.

70. What’s one thing you could never live without?

Pen and paper

71. Who is one person you could never live without?

Myself, literally.

72. What’s your favourite vacation place?

Eritrea.

73. Would you rather go out or stay in on a Saturday night?

Go out ( but I don’t very often )

74. What’s your favourite quote, line of poetry, or sentence?

“You don’t have to change, you just have to learn how to live with yourself”

75. What’s your favorite family memory?

I don’t know.

76. What’s one thing that helps you decide you can trust someone?

If they are measured, if I can relax around them.

77. Have you been in love before?

No.

78. How would you explain what ‘love’ is?

Still loving them and wanting the best for them when you are extremely angry.

79. Have you ever gotten your heart broken?

Yes.

80. What’s one thing you’ve learned about yourself from a past relationship?

I am not as slick as I think I am and physical affection makes me feel nervous.

81. What’s your biggest pet peeve?

People moving my shit and not telling me where it is,

82. What’s one thing that’s a total turn off?

Ignorance.

83. What’s one thing that’s a total turn on?

A nice voice.

84. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done for a girl?

I don’t fucking know?!

85. What’s your go-to drink/food/activity when you’re sick and in bed?

Tea and biscuits and spicy noodles.

86. What’s the scariest thing that ever happened to you as a kid?

Watching Taken and having very vivid nightmares about it afterward.

87. Who in your family, immediate or extended, are you the most similar to?

Henok.

88. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Happy, and thriving.

89. What’s your favorite song or artist?

Fast Car- Tracy Chapman.

90. What would be your dream job?

Getting paid to read the books I want.

91. If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?

I don’t know what’s going on either

92. What’s your favorite word?

Sefanit. It used to be unrealistic.

93. What keeps you up at night?

My academic obligations, trauma, the idea of never being happy and the internet.

94. What’s your go-to phrase?

Good for her.

95. What’s one silly, little-kid item that you still have somewhere hidden in your room?

My unicorn pet pillow, Hayley.

96. Who is someone that’s impacted your life or helped you become who you are?

Myrto- my therapist.

97. What’s one thing you want to achieve before you die?

Go to Antarctica.

98. What’s your favorite book?

This book will save your life by AM Homes.

99. What’s one thing, silly or serious, that you’re guilty of?

Swearing a lot.

100. What makes you blissfully, completely, smile-from-ear-to-ear happy?

Reading, a good cup of tea with chocolate digestives, my best friends jokes, when David says my name, having fun with my mum, my dad calling me sweetie, hearing the right playlist at the right time and clean sheets