#Christmas Crown Summons

[sonsofks]

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[marvelmusing]

In Another Life

Masterlist

Pairing: Aleksander Morozova x Alternate Universe!Reader

Summary: When the making at the heart of the world steals you from your own universe and drops you into the fictional country of Ravka you’re thoroughly bewildered. But this is an opportunity for you to right every wrong - and hopefully save one life in particular.

Word Count: 60.5K - COMPLETED

My Masterlist • Series Playlist

Read on AO3 HERE

Part One

One moment you’re going about your usual day, the next you’re in Ravka - the fictional country in a fictional universe. When you realise that the story you know by heart hasn’t even begun, there’s only one person you can think of going to.

Part Two

After a restless night of sleep, you wake with too many thoughts in your mind. The contents of the General’s war table provide an ample distraction, and soon the man himself joins you.

Part Three

You and Aleksander journey to Kribirsk, where everything starts to become real for you, as your plan is finally set in motion.

Part Four

Accompanied by your new recruits, you and Aleksander return to the Little Palace, and soon settle into a comfortable routine. But nothing ever stays the same for long.

Part Five

Alina is presented to the king as the sun summoner, and from that point onwards you and Aleksander become increasing busy - and apart.

Part Six

An unexpected visitor arrives with some good news, and Aleksander makes a earth-shattering discovery.

Bonus Scene

As your first interaction with Baghra occurs, a wounded Aleksander returns from a mission, and you have no chance to ponder over her opinion of you.

Part Seven

The search for the stag takes your group north into Fjerda, but it’s after you return to Os Alta that a surprising event occurs.

Part Eight

The Winter Fete goes smoothly, a perfect evening followed by a foiled assassination. A few days later, you and Aleksander journey into the Fold.

Part Nine

After a dramatic arrival into West Ravka, your group travels to Os Kervo, and you recruit a pirate privateer to join you in the search for the sea whip.

Part Ten

The hunt for the sea whip has begun, but a number of obstacles stand in your way, demanding more from you than you ever thought possible.

Part Eleven

Your near death experience has taken a toll on you, which forces Aleksander to come to a realisation.

Part Twelve

A successful return to Ravka prompts you to share warnings of the future with Aleksander, and a new (but not unfamiliar) character invites himself into your schemes.

Part Thirteen

Slowly the pieces of your plan for the Fold come into place, but thoughts and fears of the future continue to haunt you.

Part Fourteen

Ravka’s seat of power changes, and Aleksander makes a discovery that sends you both north in search of his sister.

Part Fifteen

As Alina is about to bring down the Fold, Aleksander suggests a theory that lifts your hopes.

Part Sixteen

Together, you and Aleksander journey to the monastery of Sankt Feliks. To mend the tear at the making, a sacrifice from one of you is required.

Part Seventeen

With the remains of the Fold vanquished, the people celebrate. Together, you and Aleksander work to establish peace in Ravka and a safe haven for your Grisha.

Bonus Scene

Alternate Ending

Until I Found You - IAL (Aleksander’s Version)

Aleksander isn’t expecting to find love in this lifetime, that is until you arrive. - A collection of scenes from In Another Life from Aleksander’s perspective, as well as a bonus scene.

-

Post-In Another Life

Future Uncertainty

Lingering insecurities rear their head now that everything has been resolved, and Aleksander encourages you to share your fears. (set mid-part seventeen)

The General’s Crown

In an attempt to escape the attention of being a living saint, you retreat into the fields and create flowers for the local children. It isn’t long before your husband finds you.

Christmas Eve

Its your second Christmas in Ravka, your first with the country at peace and Aleksander as your husband. Together, you have the perfect Christmas Eve.

The New Year

It’s New Years Eve, and the first time you’re celebrating with Aleksander as your husband.

What the Future Holds

Immortality suits you well, and your new life with Aleksander is better than you ever could have imagined.

[bunnylovesani]

Miss Congeniality

Chapter 1

Content warnings: suggestive and derogative language, reader being humiliated, mentions of panties and arousal

WC: 2.4k

You stared at the clock and huffed, it was 10 minutes past midnight. Your older brother Jaden and his best friend Anakin should’ve come home by now.

“Good night honey, don’t stay up too late, you need your beauty sleep for the pageant tomorrow!” your mother cooed as she walked past your door, peering into your admittedly childishly decorated bedroom.

You had turned 19 last month but still hadn’t gotten over your fixation for all things pink and frilly, your walls adored with posters of your favourite singers and your bedsheets decorated with petite lace bows on every corner. You wrapped your satin bedrobe tight around yourself as you got up and headed downstairs to the lounge, where you’d spent many nights staring at the door waiting for your favourite boys to come home from their escapades.

Your gaze settled on a large framed photo of you resting on the mantlepiece, wearing a pageant crown and smiling gracefully. Sure, you were mommy and daddy’s pride and joy, the most beautiful girl in the county and latest winner of the teen Miss Naboo competition, but you were bored. A whole lifetime of always being the good girl had taken its toll and left you with a feeling of discontenment and envy. You saw the way other girls had fun, sneaking out at night and going to parties with handsome boys- Anakin always had a crowd of women swarming him and you hated that you felt jealous at the attention he gave them.

You knew ultimately you were above all that, you knew that you were saving yourself for a worthy man, one who would appreciate the efforts you made to keep yourself pure. But sometimes, when you saw the veins snaking their way down Ani’s arms, with his black band tees rolled up to his muscular elbows and his plump lips playing with his tongue piercing, you feared you might not be able to hold back much longer. As if your thoughts summoned him, the door swung open and the raucous laughter of the boys filled the stately family home.

“Did you see the way that chick was giving me fuck-me eyes? She totally wants it, I’ve got half a mind to - oh. Sis, what are you doing still up?” Jaden’s face fell as he hung his coat up.

“I was just making myself a cup of cocoa, trying to soothe my nerves for the competition tomorrow.” You lied. You couldn’t care less about the pageant and you didn’t even really like cocoa. You just wanted to be there to catch a glimpse of your favourite emo boy.

“Oh yeah, forgot that shit was tomorrow. Do I still have to drive you?” Jaden rolled his eyes, he never did understand the appeal of being paraded around like a prized pig.

“No, I presumed you’d be too inebriated from the night before so I asked daddy already.” You happily chittered, unconsciously raising your nightie just a little so that your brother’s friend might catch a better glimpse of your freshly moisturised, strawberry scented thighs. He didn’t pay it any notice as per usual, not that it stopped you from trying.

“Ah you know me too well.” Jaden chuckled “Good luck with that, let’s go Anakin.”

“Wait, wait! How was your night? Did you guys have fun?” You pouted, big doe eyes staring at them in disappointment to have not been filled in on their nighttime adventures.

“Oh you don’t wanna hear about that sweetheart” Ani finally spoke, smirking. “Your brother is quite the Cassanova.”

“That’s enough of that, off to bed with you” Jaden interrupted him, motioning for you to leave before slipping into the kitchen to help himself to the pot of fresh cocoa you’d made.

“You know, you look really creepy when you’re sat there like that right in front of the door. At least turn on a lamp or some shit.” Anakin uttered harshly, making your cheeks burn up with embarassment.

“Um, I, I’m sorry? I’ll make sure the place is lit up like a christmas tree next time.” You muttered, staring at the ground and silently cursing your obedient nature. God, he had a way of making you feel small. The slight smirk that creeped up on his face made you suspect that he liked that.

“Now that I think about it, why is it that you happen to be in the living room every time I come through the door? Do you wanna hang out with us that bad?” Anakin sniggered in that signature cocky way only he knows how.

“Oh shut up, I have better things to do than to sit around smoking joints with 2 college dropouts.” You rolled your eyes, was it that obvious? Clearly you would have to find a better cover than drinking hot chocolate.

“Goddamn, this cocoa tastes like shit. Are you sure you didn’t make it with mud?!” Jaden emerged from the kitchen sipping from his mug and scowling, eliciting a cackle from Anakin. “Don’t ever try cooking sis, stick to looking pretty in dresses.” he tousled your hair as he walked past you and up the stairs to his room. Anakin gave you one last look, subtly dropping his glare down to your legs before smiling ever so slightly as he followed his friend. The second of eye contact made your heart pound with a worrying intensity and you had to calm your racing mind before the inappropriate thoughts started forming again.

It had been a week since the last time the boys hung out, and in this moment you wished it’d been longer as you sat in bed, enveloped in your pink fluffy blanket - huffing at the sounds of Anakin and Jaden howling with laughter next door. What could possibly be so funny that it induces such animalistic noise? Once the guffawing was so loud that you could no longer hear your movie over it, you resolutely climbed out of bed, slid your slippers on and marched over to your brother’s room across the hallway. As soon as you opened the door, the pungent smell of their sweet, earthy joint hit you.

“Ah, so that’s why you’re laughing so hard.” You cross your arms at the sight of them convulsing with giggles. “Can you cretins keep it down?”

“Apologies, are we disturbing your Barbie movie marathon?” A very dishevelled looking Jaden grinned. “Or are you watching Enchanted again? How many times have I told you, stop dreaming about Prince Charming, he’s not coming.” You furrow your brows, about to launch a tirade on your brother when Anakin interjects.

“Oh my God, what are those?” he points at your slippers. “Are you wearing fluffy pink bunnies on your feet? Seriously?” He covers his mouth with his hand to stop the giggles that threaten to burst through. You stare down at the dopey faces of the little bunnies sticking out of your shoes.

“No! I mean yes but these are old, mom bought them for me, they were just lying around and I’m kinda cold.” The excuses started flowing out as Anakin glared at you endearingly.

“Oh my God, why are you lying? They’re her favourite ones, she wears them every day.” Jaden sniggers and you wonder why you even tried to lie with your brother there.

“Aw, you don’t have to lie sweetie, I think it’s cute. Pretty little pageant princess in her pink slippers.” Anakin smiles and you’re unsure whether he’s mocking you.

Feeling mortified, you run out and slam your bedroom door closed- a resounding bang being heard as the bedrobe and nightie that hung on the back fell off the hook and spilled onto the floor. For their information, you were watching a documentary. You know he dismissed you as nothing other than his friend’s childish little sister, just a brat who couldn’t ever keep up with him- he was 4 years older than you after all.

But you’re not a little girl anymore. Sure, your favourite colour was pink and you pranced around on stage in ballgowns, but you were a woman now. You had come into your own this year and you saw the whole world differently. You had never usually paid any mind to the boys that circulated around the house with your brother- but now they piqued your interest immensely, one in particular. You’ll never forget the first day you really noticed him.

It was last winter, you had gone to support your big brother at one of his hockey matches as you often loved doing. It was the semi-finals and he had led his team to a resounding victory as captain, rushing the barricades towards you and your parents, arms raised and fists curled in a triumphant dance that you mirrored. He engulfed you in a callous bear hug, easily enveloping you before clambering over to your parents. Over the broad shoulders of the players, you caught a glimpse of him.

His dark hair swooped messily over his forehead, thick eyebrows furrowed over his piercing blue eyes as he hung back from the rest of the team, choosing to avoid the adoring crowd and slip away into the changing rooms. You experienced a visceral response to seeing him in that oversized hockey jersey, so much so that you saw it in your dreams for the next month.

Suddenly, the unobtrusive guy who hung around your brother and occasionally teased you for the way you dressed became so much more than that. You felt on edge every time he came over, rushing over to your room to put on some lipgloss or change into a cuter dress before casually walking past the hallway a suspicious amount of times, hoping he would get a glimpse of you through the open crack in Jaden’s door. Luckily for you, your oaf of a brother never caught on, and if Anakin did, he never made it known.

Whilst reminiscing, you heard a knock on the door.

“Hey, it’s just me.” Ani’s sweet voice sounded. “I didn’t mean to upset you, we were just playing around.” You got up from your wallowing position in bed and straightened up like an arrow.

“Oh no, it’s fine, I wasn’t upset. I’m used to it.” You smiled sheepishly, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “But thanks anyway.”

“I meant what I said. It’s good you have a strong identity, it’s what makes you you. You shouldn’t pay any mind to what others say, least of all me. I mean I’ve had plenty of choice comments about my look but I wouldn’t be Anakin without the piercings or the headphones or the bad attitude now, would I?” He leans on the doorframe and looks at you curiously. You have to take a deep breath to suppress a full body shiver, you don’t think you can take much longer of him staring at you like you’re his next meal.

“What’s all this- oh my“ he spots your nightie on the floor and picks it up. “Who are you trying to impress wearing this missy?” he closely inspects the white satin dress adorned with a lace trim, rubbing the rough pads of his fingers over the smooth fabric.

“And this?” He picks up the scandalous red panties sprawled out next to his feet and observes them as they dangle off his finger.

“Anakin! Put those down!” You jolt up towards him in an attempt to frantically snatch them out of his hand but he simply holds them up in the air so that you can’t reach. You weren’t a short girl by any means but you felt like one next to Ani’s staggering height.

“Oh this is priceless, are you telling me you actually wear these around the house? Or is it to your pageants, do you have some kind of boyfriend we don’t know about?” He laughs, clearly enjoying this abuse of power.

“No I don’t, not that it’s any of your business!” You huffed, slapping his chest in indignant frustration. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look pretty for yourself.”

“Oh sweetheart, I don’t believe you. Because these aren’t pretty panties, this is a very slutty thong. One that someone would only wear if they were expecting to get laid.” His raspy voice dropped in tone, like he was saying something he didn’t want anyone else to hear. “Are you trying to get laid?”

A whimper almost escaped your lips at the unexpected question. Suddenly you were aware of how close your face was to his and that both your hands were resting on his chest.

“I won’t even dignify that with a response.” You muttered quietly, maintaining eye contact.

“Ah, who would’ve thought Jaden’s little sister would be such a slut. I bet daddy wouldn’t be happy to find out his little girl wears these.” He wraps his hand around the panties and subtly pockets them into his baggy black jeans.

“If I were really a slut then you’d be the first to know about it.” The words slipped out as you turned away from him.

“What?” He grabbed you by the wrist and turned you back around. “What do you mean by that?”

“I’ve never even been with one guy, let alone enough to make me a slut.” You admitted coyly, regretting the words as soon as they came out.

“You really are a good girl, aren’t you?” His gaze is so intense you worry your knees might buckle. “Something’s gonna have to be done about that.”

His fingers trace your collarbone as he takes one last look into your helpless eyes before turning around, smirking to himself as he leaves the room. You sigh a breath of relief at his absence, trying not to pay too much attention to the growing wetness between your thighs. This was not going to bode well for your vow of chastity.

Wait a minute, did he take your panties?

Next Chapter

[marypickfords]

The Stalls of Barchester (Lawrence Gordon Clark, 1971)

“James had a genius for imbuing objects from the past with implacable malignity. The bronze whistle in “Whistle and I’ll Come to You”, the Saxon Crown in “A Warning to the Curious”, the Mappa Mundi in “Mr. Humphry’s Inheritance” and so on. Hitchcock claimed that his “Macguffin” could be anything or nothing so long as people were prepared to kill for it, and perhaps that’s why some of his films are compelling but ultimately empty constructs. James’ objects are truly frightening because they resonate with our deepest and oldest fears about what lurks in the darkness outside the comfort and light of the tribal campfire. A whistle blown could summon who knows what fears, or perhaps a terrifying storm, a crown buried in a coastal barrow was a sacred guardian against invasion and to remove it earns the ultimate punishment, and when Haynes sits in the Archdeacon’s throne in the choir stalls for the first time he puts his hand on the carved figure of a crouching cat that adorns his armrest, and his fate is sealed.” — Lawrence Gordon Clark, quoted in Yuletide Terror: Christmas Horror on Film and Television (2017), edited by Kier-La Janisse.

[nolhann]

Bleach Brave Soul Christmas Special 2023 : Christmas Crown Summons | Artworks

Merry Christmas ! 🎄

[desultory-novice]

"...Anybody there?"

I really liked this thought that crossed my feed a little bit ago...

It can be a hard to characterize Marx because we don't see him on screen doing all that much. But if you stop and consider what he's like during the Marx Soul battle (vicious, crazy, frightening...given the graphical limitations of the times) and realize what we're seeing there is the WORST Marx can ever be and work backwards from that...

...you realize maybe he really IS just a little guy. Just a funny little fellow who likes his japes and jests. Quite possibly he never was a threat to anyone before he got on that idea of summoning a Nova.

This whole train of thought stemmed from the Christmas pic where he is dutifully (dizzyingly) making cakes on Christmas to make up for the prank he and Magolor attempted. Like, Marx, paying for his actions? Without trying to fight his way out of it?

You know me: I believe evidence suggests that all Ancient Artifacts have some kind of powerful mental sway on everyone that isn't implied to be a member of Kirby's species and I'm just wondering if Marx's true nature is and always was to be a harmless prankster when he's not under the corruptive sway of the power cosmic.

The reason we never heard of him before Milky Way Wishes is he'd never done anything that bad or noteworthy to gain a negative reputation for himself. As to why he's much more of a gremlin after the fact? Well, I'd argue that if you look at Magolor, that kind of experience seems to have lingering mental effects on you. Unless Magolor wanted to uh, take over the world with Deadly Needles even before he came in contact with the Master Crown?

(Who am I to judge?!)

[The Japanese is phrased less like he wants to use it for terraforming for his park and more like he just really wants to fill the land with spikes. Again, not judging!]

...But yes, in addition to being able to imagine all the wonderful, long-lasting psychological damage contact with an Ancient Artifact did to Marx, you could also use this potential characterization avenue to make Mark Soul something really, truly frightening!

(Again, I'm very fond of the interpretation of Marx Soul's birth - and stop worrying about "canon," we have canon alternate timelines now!! - having a lasting affect on Marx in the form of becoming his negative intrusive thoughts made manifest; whispering in his ear, a voice that no one can hear, a face that no one can see...)

[thecreaturecodex]

Rakshasa Immortal, Korittunni

“The Mouse King” © deviantArt user MalakiaLaGatta, accessed at her gallery here

[”The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by ETA Hoffmann is much darker and weirder than the more famous ballet it inspired. It’s mostly to do with the machinations between rival magical kingdoms and the Mouse King’s extortion racket for Christmas presents. As opposed to the ballet, which is fully half plotless dances based on ethnic stereotypes. I do enjoy Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, but let’s be honest. The Mouse King in the story is much more monstrous, having seven heads. For practical reasons, this is usually dropped from adaptations. A Soviet animated version compromised with three heads, and designs with that number are much more common than the full set.

The character has no name in the original story, just a title. We do get his mother’s name: Mouserinks. She’s the one who cursed the prince into being a nutcracker in the first place, and the Mouse King is hunting him to prevent him from turning back. My name for the character is derived from a Tamil word meaning rat or mouse. Since I’m making him a rakshasa, and different adaptations vary in what species he’s supposed to be, I figured that it was appropriate. The flavor text may draw some inspiration from the recent OGL unpleasantness.]

Rakshasa Immortal, Korittunni The Mouse King, The Rat King Concerns greed, gluttony, rodents Domains Animal, Evil, Law, Trickery Subdomains Fear, Fur, Greed, Tyranny Worshipers evil ratfolk, extortionists, misers, wererats Minions rakshasas, rat kings, swarms Unholy Symbol seven crowns stacked in a triangle Favored Weapon rapier Obedience gorge yourself on fine food and drink for 1 hour. Despoil any leftovers so no one else may benefit from them. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saves against disease Boons 1: summon swarm 2/day; 2: hunger for flesh 2/day; 3: heroes’ feast 2/day

Rakshasa Immortal, Korittunni CR 21 LE Outsider (native) This humanoid stands smaller than a human and has seven rodent heads, arrayed facing in all directions. They are clad in a fancy military dress uniform, carry a fine saber, and wear a crown on each of their heads.

Korittunni the Mouse King is one of the least of the rakshasa immortals, but that does not make him any less dangerous or destructive. He is obsessed with things: taking them from other people and destroying them if he cannot take them. No object is below his acquisitiveness; he enjoys stealing toys and candy from children as much as he does jewels or magical items from the wealthy and powerful. He rarely works alone, and surrounds himself with sycophantic ratfolk, ver, wererats and other rodent-like humanoids. Most of his elite agents are other rakshasas, typically with rodent features in their natural form.

Korittunni often is the one to initiate hostilities, but if he can take what he wants through intimidation, trickery or mind-controlling magic, he does so before fighting. His teeth are strong and powerful, but he usually fights with a dueling sword. He is a master of bardic magic, weaving spells and magical dance together in order to augment his own abilities and those of any of his minions. Korittunni often leaves his victims alive but humiliated, cursed or polymorphed, as a warning to others who would cross him.

The Mouse King’s kingdom is a vast subterranean city, from which he plots robbery and extortion. Many criminal gangs pay him protection money, and in turn he helps to supply them with tools and talent from his own reserves. And doesn’t just wipe them out and steal from them. Korittunni is a dangerous partner, however, as he will often make the terms and conditions of his deals more and more restrictive, until his allies are little more than slaves. He can be charming when he wants to, but his default mode of expression is to threaten and bully. He is something of a mama’s boy and speaks fondly of his own mother, although whether she actually literally existed as he describes, or is a composite character based on dozens of reincarnations, is mysterious.

Korittunni is only two feet tall, but no less dangerous for his size. He always carries a magic rapier capable of stealing magical defenses and a rod of splendor.

Korittunni           CR 21 XP 409,600 LE Small outsider (native, rakshasa) Init +14; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +29, scent Defense AC 38, touch 22, flat-footed 27 (+1 size, +10 Dex, +1 dodge, +14 natural) hp 420 (29d10+261) Fort +17, Ref +26, Will +22 DR 20/epic and piercing; Immune death effects, disease, petrifaction, poison, polymorph; Resist acid 20, cold 20, electricity 20, fire 20, sonic 20; SR 36 Defensive Abilities all-around vision, evasion Offense Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft. Melee +3 spellstealing rapier +43/+38/+33/+28 (1d4+9/15-20), 7 bites +35 (1d4+3) or 7 bites +40 (1d4+6) Special Attacks bardic performance (59 rounds/day, swift action, countersong, deadly performance, dirge of doom, distraction, fascinate, frightening tune, inspire competence +6, inspire courage +4, inspire greatness, inspire heroics, soothing performance, suggestion), detect thoughts (DC 35), voracious Spell-like Abilities CL 20th, concentration +31 (+35 casting defensively) At will—bestow curse (DC 25), contagion (DC 25) 3/day—greater command (DC 26), greater teleport, nightmare (DC 26), quickened phobia (DC 27), ravenous rodents 1/day—demand (DC 29), mass hunger for flesh (DC 28), polymorph any object (DC 29), prediction of failure (DC 29) Spells CL 20th, concentration +31 (+35 casting defensively) 6th (7/day)—mass cat’s grace, mass cure moderate wounds (DC 27), greater scrying (DC 27), irresistible dance (DC 29), pied piping (DC 29) 5th (7/day)—cloak of dreams (DC 28), greater dispel magic, mind fog (DC 28), nightmare (DC 28), seeming (DC 26) 4th (7/day)—dominate person (DC 27), freedom of movement, hold monster (DC 27), legend lore, pessimism (DC 27), sleepwalking suggestion (DC 27) 3rd (7/day)—cure serious wounds (DC 24), fear (DC 24), glibness, haste, mass feather step, sculpt sound 2nd (8/day)—blur, gallant inspiration, heroism, invisibility, quick change, silence (DC 22) 1st (8/day)— charm person (DC 24), comprehend languages, cure light wounds (DC 22), identify, saving finale, undetectable alignment 0th—detect magic, ghost sound (DC 21), light, lullaby (DC 23), prestidigitation, read magic Statistics Str 23, Dex 31, Con 28, Int 25, Wis 22, Cha 32 Base Atk +29; CMB +34; CMD 55 Feats Combat Casting, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Extra Performance, Greater Spell Focus (enchantment), Improved Critical (rapier), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Mobility, Quicken SLA (phobia), Spell Focus (enchantment), Spring Attack, Step Up, Whirlwind Attack Skills Acrobatics +31, Appraise +25, Bluff +36, Climb +32, Diplomacy +18, Disguise +40, Escape Artist +31, Intimidate +29, Knowledge (arcana, engineering, dungeoneering, local) +25,  Knowledge (planes) +27, Perception +29, Perform (act, dance) +32, Sense Motive +27, Spellcraft +25, Stealth +35, Swim +24, Use Magic Device +29; Racial Modifiers +4 Bluff, +8 Disguise, +2 Perception Languages Common, Goblin, Infernal, Senzar, telepathy 300 ft. SQ change shape (humanoid or rodent, polymorph), rakshasa lord traits Ecology Environment urban and underground Organization unique Treasure triple standard (rod of splendor, +3 spellstealing rapier, other treasure) Special Abilities Bardic Performance (Su/Sp) Korittunni can use bardic performances as a 20th level bard. Rakshasa Immortal Trait (Ex/Su) Korittunni is a rakshasa immortal, a powerful unique outsider capable of granting spells. This also grants him the following abilities

Immunity to death effects, disease and poison

Resist acid, cold, electricity, fire and sonic 20

DR/epic

Telepathy 300 ft.

Korittunni’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons he wields, are treated as epic, lawful and evil for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

Ravenous Rodents (Sp) This spell functions as a creeping doom spell, except that the swarms summoned appear as rats and mice. The swarms have the animal type instead of the vermin type, and do not have the poison special attack. Instead, they gain the voracious ability (see below) and deal damage to unattended objects in their area as well. This is the equivalent of a 7th level spell. Spells Korittunni casts spells as a 20th level bard. Voracious (Ex) Korittunni’s bite attacks deal double damage to creatures with the plant subtype, and to objects made out of plant materials such as paper, wood and most cloth.

[merymoonbeam]

The Morrigan Part II.

This is a continuation of my post The Morrigan. In that post I talked about how Mor could be the High Queen. In this post we are gonna talk about her connection to Wild Hunt.

I went to look a the Morrigan's wiki page and found this.

It has also been suggested that she was closely linked to the fianna, and that these groups may have been in some way dedicated to her. These were "bands of youthful warrior-hunters, living on the borders of civilized society and indulging in lawless activities for a time before inheriting property and taking their places as members of settled, landed communities." If true, her worship may have resembled that of Perchta groups in Germanic areas.

we are gonna talk about two things in here -- Fianna and Perchta.

Fianna:

while I was writing my Wild Hunt post I found out that Fionn and Fianna are the wild hunt in Ireland.

and We have a Fionn in Acotar.

Rhys’s eyes flicked to Ataraxia, then to Cassian. “Some strains of the mythology claim that one of the Fae heroes who rose up to overthrow them was Fionn, who was given the great sword Gwydion by the High Priestess Oleanna, who had dipped it into the Cauldron itself. Fionn and Gwydion overthrew the Daglan. A millennium of peace followed, and the lands were divided into rough territories that were the precursors to the courts—but at the end of those thousand years, they were at each other’s throats, on the brink of war.” His face tightened. “Fionn unified them and set himself above them as High King. The first and only High King this land has ever had.”

So the Morrigan is linked to Fianna which is the wild hunt and we have a Fionn in acotar who has the same name of the leader of wild hunt.

now onto...

Perchta:

Perchta or Berchta (English: Bertha), also commonly known as Percht and other variations, was once known as a goddess in Alpine paganism in the Upper German and Austrian regions of the Alps. Her name may mean "the bright one" (Old High German: beraht, bereht, from Proto-Germanic *berhtaz) and is probably related to the name Berchtentag, meaning the feast of the Epiphany. Eugen Mogk provides an alternative etymology, attributing the origin of the name Perchta to the Old High German verb pergan, meaning "hidden" or "covered". Perchta is often identified as stemming from the same Germanic goddess as Holda and other female figures of Germanic folklore (see Frija-Frigg). According to Jacob Grimm and Lotte Motz, Perchta is Holda's southern cousin or equivalent, as they both share the role of "guardian of the beasts" and appear during the Twelve Days of Christmas, when they oversee spinning.

so she is connected to Holda(keep the red highlighted Frija/Frigg part in mind we are gonna talk about that) and with that they both share the role of "guardian of the beasts"

We have beasts in acotar, in Wild Hunt actually.

“Oh, I do not think so,” Lanthys seethed. “I rode in the Wild Hunt before you were even a scrap of existence, witch from Oorid. I summoned the hounds and the world cowered at their baying. I galloped at the head of the Hunt, and Fae and beast bowed before us.”

“We shall rebuild to what we were before the golden legions of the Fae cast off their chains and overthrew us. We shall resurrect the Wild Hunt and ride rampant through the night. We shall build palaces of ice and flame, palaces of darkness and starlight. Magic shall flow untethered again.” Nesta could see the portrait Lanthys wove into the air around them. She saw herself on a black throne, a matching crown in her unbound hair. Enormous onyx beasts—scaled, like those she’d seen on the Hewn City’s pillars—lay at the foot of the dais. Ataraxia leaned against her throne, and on her other side … Lanthys sat there, his hand laced through hers. Their kingdom was endless; their palace built of pure magic that lived and thrived around them. The Harp sat behind them on an altar, the Mask, too, but the golden Crown wasn’t there.

“The Daglan delighted in terrorizing the Fae and humans under their control. The Wild Hunt was a way to keep all of us in line. They’d gather a host of their fiercest, most merciless warriors and grant them free rein to kill as they pleased. The Daglan possessed mighty, monstrous beasts—hounds, they called them, though they didn’t look like the hounds we know—that they used to run prey to ground before they tortured and killed them. It’s a terrible history, and much of it might be elaborated myths.” “The hounds looked like the beasts in the Hewn City,” Nesta said quietly.

so Hounds/beasts= The Wild Hunt and through Pertcha The Morrigan is connected to the "guardian of the beasts"

moving on...

This next part is interesting.

In some descriptions, Perchta has two forms; she may appear either as beautiful and white as snow like her name, or as elderly and haggard. In many old descriptions, Perchta had one large foot, sometimes called a goose foot or swan foot. Grimm thought the strange foot symbolized her being a higher being who could shapeshift to animal form. He noticed that Bertha with a strange foot exists in many languages (Middle German "Berhte mit dem fuoze", French "Berthe au grand pied", Latin "Berhta cum magno pede", Italian " Berta dai gran piè", title of a medieval epic poem of Italian area): "It is apparently a swan maiden's foot, which as a mark of her higher nature she cannot lay aside...and at the same time the spinning-woman's splayfoot that worked the treadle".In the Tyrol she appears as little old woman with a very wrinkled face, bright lively eyes, and a long hooked nose; her hair is disheveled, her garments tattered and torn.

I talked about Swan maiden in my Seidr post.

In myths Frejya/Frigg(remember the red highlighted part) has seidr magic and Freyja also has:

Freyja is the owner of the necklace Brísingamen, rides a chariot pulled by two cats, is accompanied by the boar Hildisvíni, and possesses a cloak of falcon feathers.

And swan maidens:

The swan maiden is a mythical creature who shapeshifts from human form to swan form. The key to the transformation is usually a swan skin, or a garment with swan feathers attached. In folktales of this type, the male character spies the maiden, typically by some body of water (usually bathing), then snatches away the feather garment (or some other article of clothing), which prevents her from flying away (or swimming away, or renders her helpless in some other manner), forcing her to become his wife.

So they have a "swan skin" with swan feathers which helps them shapeshift.

The question is...is Mor going to turn into a bird like the girls in Koschei's lake? Is she connected to Vassa? And more interesting thing is that in myths The Morrigan can shapeshift--into a crow.

The Morrígan is described as the envious wife of The Dagda and a shape-shifting goddess, while Badb and Nemain are said to be the wives of Neit. She is associated with the banshee of later folklore.

The Dagda...The Daglan in acotar who has the hounds and they had the Wild Hunt....

The Morrígan is mainly associated with war and fate, especially with foretelling doom, death, or victory in battle. In this role she often appears as a crow, the badb.

and lastly from Pertcha's page.

According to Jacob Grimm (1882), Perchta was spoken of in Old High German in the 10th century as Frau Berchta and thought to be a white-robed goddess who oversaw spinning and weaving, like the myths of Holda. He believed she was the feminine equivalent of Berchtold, and was sometimes the leader of the Wild Hunt.

Now I'm gonna talk more about Mor connection to Wild Hunt in acotar and some connections.

While talking about the hounds I took Lanthys's quotes. He was a part of the Wild Hunt.

“Oh, I do not think so,” Lanthys seethed. “I rode in the Wild Hunt before you were even a scrap of existence, witch from Oorid. I summoned the hounds and the world cowered at their baying. I galloped at the head of the Hunt, and Fae and beast bowed before us.”

But what is Lanyths actually? Cassian gives us this information. He is a First God.

Cassian took a bite of food. A good sign that this, at least, was acceptable territory. “When you lived in the human world, you had legends of the dread beasts and faeries who would slaughter you if they ever breached the wall, didn’t you? Things that slithered through open windows to drink the blood of children? Things that were so wicked, so cruel there was no hope against their evil?” The hair on her neck rose. “Yes.” Those stories had always unnerved and petrified her. “They were based on truth. Based on ancient, near-primordial beings who existed here before the High Fae split into courts, before the High Lords. Some call them the First Gods. They were beings with almost no physical form, but a keen, vicious intelligence. Humans and Fae alike were their prey. Most were hunted and driven into hiding or imprisonment ages ago. But some remained, lurking in forgotten corners of the land.” He swallowed another mouthful. “When I was nearing three hundred years old, one of them appeared again, crawling out of the roots of a mountain. Before he went into the Prison and confinement weakened him, Lanthys could turn into wind and rip the air from your lungs, or turn into rain and drown you on dry land; he could peel your skin from your body with a few movements. He never revealed his true form, but when I faced him, he chose to appear as swirling mist. He fathered a race of faeries that still plague us, who thrived under Amarantha’s reign—the Bogge. But the Bogge are lesser, mere shadows compared to Lanthys. If there is such a thing as evil incarnate, it is him. He has no mercy, no sense of right or wrong. There is him, and there is everyone else, and we are all his prey. His methods of killing are creative and slow. He feasts on fear and pain as much as the flesh itself.”(acosf)

So we learn quiet a few things from this quote.

Lantys is a first god.

First gods were near-primordial beings who existed before the High Fae split into courts, before the high lords.

They were beings with almost no physical form, but a keen, vicious intelligence.

But some First gods remained, lurking in forgotten corners of the land.”

Now how this connects to Mor? The Mor's acofas chapter.

In Mor's chapter we have this:

But Mor scented nothing, saw nothing. The tendril of power she speared toward the woods revealed only the usual birds and small beasts. A hart drinking from a hole in an iced-over stream. Nothing, except—.There, between a snarl of thorns. A patch of darkness. It did not move, did not seem to do anything but linger. And watch. Familiar and yet foreign. Something in her power whispered not to touch it, not to go near it. Even from this distance. Mor obeyed. But she still watched that darkness in the thorns, as if a shadow had fallen asleep amongst them. Not like Azriel’s shadows, twining and whispering. Something different. Something that stared back, watching her in turn. Best left undisturbed. Especially with the promise of a crackling fire and glass of wine at home. “Let’s take the short route back,” she murmured to Ellia, patting her neck. The horse needed no further encouragement before launching into a gallop, turning them from the woods and its shadowy watcher. Over and between the hills they rode, until the woods were hidden in the mists behind them. What else might she see, witness, in lands where none in the Night Court had ventured for millennia?(acofas)

She sees a shadows... and what we know about the first gods? with almost no physical form.

It stares back at her, watching her...and what we know about the first gods? but a keen, vicious intelligence.

She was in the lands where none in the Night Courth had ventured for Millennia... what we know about the first gods? lurking in forgotten corners of the land.

Did she saw a First God? Are there more like it? Why mor was the one to see it? This is where her connection to Wild Hunt comes from? She is connected to Wild Hunt? Maybe she is going to be the leader of the Wild Hunt?

Let's not forget that in Wild Hunt myth there are valkyries.

The Wild Hunt is a folklore motif occurring across various northern European cultures. Wild Hunts typically involve a chase led by a mythological figure escorted by a ghostly or supernatural group of hunters engaged in pursuit. The leader of the hunt is often a named figure associated with Odin in Germanic legends, but may variously be a historical or legendary figure like Theodoric the Great, the Danish king Valdemar Atterdag, the dragon slayer Sigurd, the WelshpsychopompGwyn ap Nudd, biblical figures such as Herod, Cain, Gabriel, or the Devil, or an unidentified lost soul or spirit either male or female. The hunters are generally the souls of the dead or ghostly dogs, sometimes fairies, valkyries, or elves.

and Mor in acosf suggested that she might join them.

Mor’s brows bunched. “So you really are learning Valkyrie techniques.” Nesta nodded. They’d been so busy during their dancing lessons that the details of training hadn’t come up. Mor grinned. “You mind if I start joining you once this business with Vallahan is over? I never got to train with the Valkyries before the first War, and after it, they were all gone.”

So Mor as the leader of the Wild Hunt?

[libertyreads]

September 2024 TBR--

I am DETERMINED to make September a good month. Just a good month in my life (I need it). And that's starting with the books. I'm having to roll over my reread of Catching Fire from last month due to life but I'm also so excited for all of the romance reads coming to me soon. (Also, a non-hockey sports romance? Let's all take a moment to reign in our surprise.)

The Hunting Moon by Susan Dennard (Reread)--I'm prepping for the final book in the trilogy to come out this Fall. The general synopsis for the series is this: Hemlock Falls has a forest that fills with monsters every night when the sun sets and the mists rise. Which is why the town is full of hunters. But Winnie and her family are outsiders due to her father being outed as a witch and a traitor ten years ago. Until she creates a plan to be welcomed back with open arms.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Reread)--This is my other reread for the month. I’m planning on reading all of the books in the series this year. We follow Katniss and Peeta as they complete the district tour following their win of the games. But then they’re forced to go back into the arena when the Quarter Quell is announced.

First Down by Grace Reilly--A sports romance that isn't hockey? Who is she? In honor of football starting up, I'm reading this football romance I found in the Chicago airport a few months back. This follows Bex as she struggles to make her ex realize she doesn't want to get back together and James as he struggles with a writing class he needs to graduate. They decide to trade: tutoring for fake dates. But what happens when the dates don't feel so fake after all?

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland--The king of Yusan must die and the five most dangerous liars in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together in order to kill him. Each of the five blades will come for him. They can agree on murder. They can agree on treachery. But for these five killers it's not enough to forge an alliance. To survive, they must find a way to trust each other, but only one can take the crown.

Happy Place by Emily Henry--This is my first attempt at Emily Henry and I'm not sure how I want this to go. This one has fake dating so I'm excited to give it a shot. A couple broke up 6 months ago but never told their friends and now they're all going on vacation together. And this will be their final year to vacation at this cottage so they think it'll be easier to pretend they're still together. That will be easier, won't it?

Blindsided by Victoria Denault (Kindle)--This is an enemies to lovers hockey romance. I'm keeping my streak of reading one hockey romance a month going with this one. I read book one in this series a while back and decided to pick up the next one. It seems like this series is written by a bunch of different authors so I'm not sure how this will stack up with the first but I'm ready to give it a shot. (Pun intended.)

The Bitter End by Alexa Donne(NetGalley)--A winter storm traps eight students of LA's elite Warner Prep in a remote ski cabin. They're stranded with a killer--who may just be one of their own. I've never read from Alexa Donne before, but I've heard of them so I'm excited to try out one of their books. I'm always down for a locked room mystery. One that deals with snooty rich kids? Let's go.

Christmas Sweater Weather by Jaqueline Snowe(NetGalley)--While at a snowy ski resort for her brother's festive bachelor party, Charlotte is thrown together with her bother's best friend Hayden--the same best friend who rejected her long ago. She can tell herself to get over Hayden, but holiday cheer is turning to holiday lust every time they're within ten feet of each other.

I'm hoping the romance helps lift my spirts this month. I'm also really hoping to enjoy the fantasy and mystery novels that are coming to my eyeballs soon.

[impernious]

Good morning everyone, and Merry Christmas.

As a little treat, I've prepared a preview of one of my sovereign daemons for At the Gates. Daemons come in two flavors, lesser and sovereign. Lesser daemons are not necessarily smaller, but less powerful entities that show up when summoned and stick around for a scene. They give you access to unique abilities, and act on their own accord. Sovereigns are much more powerful, and show up for only a few rounds and while they are there they convey a static benefit to you and your allies and a penalty to your enemies. Additionally, When they arrive, and ever few rounds they have what is called an Outburst attack, that attacks all your enemies at once. These extremely powerful entities can quickly change the tide of battle, so summoning them is costly both in terms of expenditure and the risk of effect they have on the world when they enter.

Without further ado, here's a sovereign daemon:

Vodalak, the Absolute Zero

A powerful blizzard blinds the world. Once the white-out recedes enough to see again, the presence of a cyclopean ice pillar demands to be acknowledged: The pillar emanates a dreadful aura where cruelty joins hatred. An echoing like muffled thunder precedes a scream like a choked lament. The ice explodes and shatters in all directions. Where it once stood, a horrible warlock, gaunt and distorted by resentment, floats midair. Rime dots his long pale beard, while a horned crown of frozen iron fuses with his very own frostbitten flesh. After a moment spent examining those beneath him, judging them worthy of his spiteful disdain, the entity snaps his gnarled fingers, and cold devastation follows. 

Hateful Vodalak wishes nothing more than to wallow in bitter solitude, something he’d gladly reduce the world to a frozen wasteland for.

Effects: Encased in ice armor, Vodalak’s allies gain one additional Injury box and the Ice tag on all their attacks. Combat Tricks against them require 1 additional hit, while they need only 2 hits to purchase the Critical Trick against enemies subjected to the Petrification status effect. Vodalak imposes the Extreme Temperature (Cold) and Extreme Weather area effects on the scene. Additionally, antagonists who don’t take a physical action during their turn suffer a Moderate Complication, gaining the Petrification status effect if not purchased off.

Outburst Tags: Brutal, Ice

[fateinthestars]

Star Crossed Myth Advent Calendar Fanfic: Day Twenty - Christmas Meal for Two (Teorus/MC)

(Twenty-Four days of Star Crossed Myth Flash Fics using this prompt list)

Title: Day Twenty - Christmas Meal for Two

Pairing: Teorus/MC (MC's name left blank so you can fill it in with whatever you wish in your head)

Word Count: 790

Rating: T

Prompt: "A quick kiss on the crown of their hair"

Summary: A power outage sees MC and Teorus having to change their Christmas plans slightly.

A/N: Warning: Minor spoiler for Teo's 'Secret Blessings from the Gods' special story.

Day Twenty: Christmas Meal for Two (Teorus/MC)

___ greeted Teorus with a smile as she came out of the planetarium. She rushed over to the other, sighing a little at the expression on the other’s face. “Have you been waiting long? I did say this event might overrun slightly...”

“I know,” Teorus muttered, still pouting, “I’ve not been here that long I don’t think but it always seems like forever when we’re apart.”

“Well I’m here now… shouldn’t we hurry to make our reservation?” ___ asked, glancing at her watch and realising that it was actually even later than she had thought it was.

Seeing her concern, Teorus finally smiled. He snapped his fingers and everything around them suddenly stopped. He wrapped an arm around her waist. “We can make up a bit of time like this.”

“Teo, I’m not sure we needed to stop time for something minor like this. If we were really going to be too late, wouldn’t teleporting have been the thing to fix it?”

Teorus smirked at ___ and squeezed her waist. “I want to walk with you and have you all to myself before we’re in a crowded restaurant. And this way, no one can bother us.”

Laughing a little, and deciding that talking about this was only wasting time anyway, ___ moved out of his arm and instead took his hand in her own, before leading him toward the restaurant they had both picked out a few weeks previously.

***

When they got to the restaurant, they were both in a very happy mood. Teorus was always very happy to try out new Earth food and ___ had been looking forward to this ever since he had suggested this as what they’d do for Christmas this year, though she’d been careful to select a restaurant where there was unlikely to be many children.

However, something seemed off as ___ approached the door of the restaurant. It was eerily quiet. Frowning, she glanced around and noticed that none of the shops in this area appeared to have any lights on. 

“___, what’s going on? Where is everyone?” Teorus asked, frowning in puzzlement.

Swallowing, ___ shakily got her phone out of her bag and checked to see whether she had missed any messages. She sighed heavily as she saw there was one and what it contained. “... I’m sorry, Teo. Apparently the power has been off in this area most of the day and the restaurant had to cancel all service for this evening.”

Teorus smiled kindly at her. “Oh well, it can’t be helped.”

“...You’re not disappointed?”

“... I wouldn’t say that,” Teorus admitted, though he was still smiling. “But we are still going to spend this evening together, right?”

“Yes of course!”

Teorus beamed at her. “Then it doesn’t matter where we are!” He snapped his fingers.

Finding herself suddenly transported to Teorus’ room in the Mansion, ___ sat down on the edge of the bed with a sigh. “This isn’t quite what we planned, is it?”

“We planned to have Christmas dinner together tonight,” Teorus murmured, “and we don’t need a restaurant for that.” He snapped his fingers again, this time summoning food onto the table in his room.

___ smiled as she sat down at the table instead, looking at the typically Teorus spread of food with a lot of milk based items, though she then noticed that the main dish was hamburger steak. 

As she was looking down at this, Teorus moved over to her and quickly placed a kiss to the crown of her hair. He smiled as ___ looked up at him. “We never have got back to that restaurant we went to before, so I’ve tried to replicate what I tasted there…”

Recalling why she hadn’t had the steak at that time, ___ swallowed a little. She looked up as Teorus sat down opposite her, feeling touched. “Teo… we’ll have to go back there like we said before. Thank you for this.”

Teorus smiled gently at her. “In a way, this is better than the restaurant, we get to spend more time alone.”

___ laughed a little at that. Whilst she knew Teorus genuinely meant that, she also knew he had been looking forward to trying some new food. Although, being in the mansion did make her worry about something else. “I’m guessing you teleported us straight to your room so we wouldn’t be disturbed, but… are the others here right now?”

Picking up his glass of milk, Teorus drank a little of it before looking at her with a bright grin. “Oh I wouldn’t worry about that. They were already on a second bottle of Hue’s wine before I even left. We won’t be disturbed.”

Smiling brightly at each other, they settled down to their meal.

[dinosaurnostalgia]

The Crazy Pachy Lady

If someone asked me what my favourite dinosaur is (...and not what my favourite prehistoric animal is, therefore forcing me to choose from just Dinosauria...), I'd have to say it's probably Pachycephalosaurus.

After taking the group shot I realized I had forgotten to include my De Agostini Pachy. She's made of such a cheap and flimsy rubber that she can't stand on her own.

Pachys weren't that popular among dino toy producers when I was a kid. Well, there were many dinosaurs that I saw plenty of pics of in my dinosaur books but saw in toy form rarely. Crested hadrosaurs (with the exception of Paras that you did see occasionally). Orhithomimids. Small noodly carnivores like Compys. And Pachys. I've always loved their dragon-like skulls, there's just something majestic about them and I find them more interesting than the Big Four that you see most often in dino toys (the Big Four being large carnivores, sauropods, Trikes and Stegos). It wasn't until the Jurassic Park sequel introduced Pachys in Lost World, that Pachy toys started to become more popular.

These two were the only Pachy toys I had as a kid. I was very disappointed with the green one, because it looked nothing like the pictures in my books, it's bald head has barely any crown of spikes around it and in general, it looked pretty awful. But for the longest time it was the only Pachy in my toy box. Then one christmas I received the brown toy on the left. I call her Patchouli.

Dino Riders were an big part of my childhood and I will be eventually writing more about them, both about the toy line and the series. But for now, I want to talk about Patchouli. I loved Dino Rider toys, with their beautiful glass eyes the animals looked more lifelike and less "monstrous" than many of the dinosaur toys in my toy box. The second series of toys introduced the Pachy and I wished it for christmas. I have forgotten about many toys I received as gifts but few stand out and I remember so vividly teh moment of opening the box with Patchouli and seeing her through the clear plastic window of her packaging.

Patchouli remains to this day my favourite Pachy toy. I love her colours, her noble-looking golden eyes, her beautiful stubby horns, I love how much she resembles the illustrations in my childhood books, the pictures that I admired but could never have in toy form until that christmas. I also like that unlike many newer Pachy toys, her feet are pretty small and she still balances just fine even when lowered into a headbutting pose. There are way too many new Pachy toys out there with enormous clown feet just to make them stand. The only thing that seems a bit odd about Patchouli is her tail, which is flat like a beaver's. I think it must be designed so in order to balance the weight so that she can stand in balance even when she's wearing her armor.

Now, after talking about the most beautiful Pachy toy I own, I must also talk about the ugliest one.

Demon Pachy will eat your soul!

I call her Glasya-Labolas, after my favourite Goetic demon. I don't usually buy large dino toys, I prefer the smaller ones that are easier to scale with one another and store. But when I saw Glasya-Labolas for sale on eBay, I had to get her.

Who designed this thing? Why are her eyes blood-red? Why is her throat covered in blood? Why does she remind my wife of E.T.? I don't know. But in all of her hideousness I can't help but like her. I imagine my Pachy herd summoning this demonic Pachy in the dark of the night, praying for protection against carnivores.

[reyson-needs-an-alt]

A Gift for a Flower

A/N: This my Nagamas gift for Twitter user caeli_adenium. I hope you enjoy it. I do hope Knoll and your Oc are not to ooc. I also tried my hand attempting humor. Happy Holidays!  @nagamas

Summary: Christmas Envoy Knoll gives his gift to his favorite summoner.

Word count: 1179

Today was absolutely freezing, probably one of the coldest that Askr has had since the winter season started. The sky was covered inch by inch with clouds colored gray and the chilly air was enough to make anyone want to stay inside. Not everyone did though- with it being Christmas and all. Most if not all of the heroes were currently out in about enjoying the holiday festivities. It was quite a sight to behold. A sight that was indeed filled with nothing but joyous splendor.

Knoll watched as heroes from all ages and walks of life went about their day-interacting with one another as if they've been friends their whole life. It was beautiful really. So beautiful that it filled him with a warmth that not even the frigid air could sap through. With a smile on his face he continued on his way, passing by a few of the heroes playing in the snow. Well more like pelting each other with snowballs.

To him it appeared to be a friendly competition, but he soon came to the sudden realization that maybe it was a one-sided friendly game. Having come to a stop, Knoll let his eyes wander across the snow covered battle field. On his left he could see Prince Innes and his sister with a few other heroes on one team, and on his right he could make out Prince Ephraim and Princess Eirika and to his surprise Prince Lyon as the other team.

“I wonder how they got Prince Lyon to join?” He thought to himself as he continued to observe the snowball fight. Ephraim and the others seemed like they were all having a good time. Full of smiles and boisterous laughter. Even his prince was having a good time. Innes's team seemed like they to were having a good time to. Filled with the same joyous bout of excitement as the others, except for Innes himself. He might have been having fun, but you really couldn't tell. He looked to have been concentrating on trying to pelt Ephraim with as many snowballs as he could.

It wasn't working out for him to much. Innes arch rival was indeed making things hard for him. Ephraim was dodging more than the crowned prince of Frelia could hit him with. A frustrated prince started to bombard Ephraim with bigger and a lot more snowballs, turning this once friendly game into a full on war. The prince of Renais being the way he is was able dodge the onslaught of snow yet again, only for it to slam into the face of Grado's unsuspecting prince. Lyon went down hard.

Knoll being surprised and oddly amused at the sudden turn of events took that as his sign to hurry along his merry way. With a flourish of his cape, he pulled his furred hood down, to hide his chuckle as he resumed his journey. The sound of snow crunching underneath boots filled the air of the silent night. Every now and then Knoll would hum to himself, occasionally waving at his fellow Christmas Envoy's, as they too passed out their gifts.

He only had one more gift to give, one that he saved for last. A special gift for a special someone- his summoner. Just thinking about the summoner was enough to bring another smile to his face. If it wasn’t for Lorraine, Knoll probably never would have known or experienced what true love felt like. She was his every thing, his world even. The moon,the sun, the stars that guided his path and his very own personal flower. Lorraine felt the same about him.

With that last thought in mind, Knoll gripped his gift basket a little tighter and with a spring in his step continued down the corridor towards the Summoner's bedroom. Having made it to her door, a nervous sigh could be heard , before the knocking of a door echoed throughout the empty hallway. Not to long after, shuffling could be heard on the other side of the closed door, and a soft voice saying, “Hold on, I'm coming.”

Knoll waited with baited anticipation, as the creaking of an opening door filled his eardrums. Soon after a pair of eyes the color of a tawny brown could be seen through the slight crack of the door.

“Oh Knoll, what a pleasant surprise! Why don't you come on in!?” Lorraine said excitedly, as she opened the door a little wider for him to enter.

“Thank you Lorraine , I would very much like too.” he answered as he stepped into the room.

“What brings you here?

“Oh I just so happened to bring by your Christmas gift.” Raising his arm out, Knoll handed over his gift basket, to a very happy looking summoner. “I hope you like it. I spent extra time picking out your gift. Happy Holidays Lorraine.”

The summoner took the then outstretched gift from Knolls hold. Setting it down gently on her nightstand, she began to unwrap he gift. One by one she pulled out each individual gift. Each gift she pulled out, the sentiment behind each one became apparent. The gifts ranged from a floral arrangement of her favorite flowers, a new book she hasn't read, to a few seeds of plants she's never seen before, as well as a few other little trinkets.

The one that caught her eye the most so happened to be a little black box wrapped in a dark purple ribbon. Opening up the lid to the box Lorraine let out a gasp as her eyes came in contact with her gift. In the box was a pendant, one that was obviously made by hand. The pendent was made out of sterling silver. It was in the shape of a lotus flower and colored in a very outstanding shade of lilac purple, and in the very middle was a medium sized round amethyst stone. But that’s not all on the very back of the necklace was a heartfelt message that said:

“To my dearest Lorraine,

Thank you for being my flower and light of my life. I may not say it all that often but I am very grateful to have met you. The love and support you have provided me has made my life a lot more brighter. I'm so happy to have been summoned to Askr. So here are to many more days to together.

Love you forever more my Moon, my sun, and most of all my heart. “

Love Knoll

Lorraine x Knoll forever

“Thank you so much Knoll! I really really love my gifts!” with tears in her eyes Lorraine then proceed to embrace Knoll. He happily excepted the hug and even wiped her eyes dry. “I'm glad you enjoyed them.” The two then met half way to share a kiss full of love.

“By the way Knoll did you see Lyon get pelted in the face awhile go? He totally got wiped out, he might be dead.”

The End

[reinemichele]

A lot of the torchwood characters may be [redacted] but big finish has a huge range of audio stories with the Torchwood cast, some stories that continue from after the show ended, and some one-shots with individual characters that serve as character studies that flesh out the world and characterization more than they could do in the show, in short bites (like 40 minute), but sometimes there's 2 or 3 characters together, like there's one where Rhys and Ianto have a barbecue together (I haven't listened to it yet but from the description they have a No Good Very Bad Terrible Barbecue)

Here's the download links to the post-canon series, Torchwood specials (includes a series with John Hart, if you like him <3), and the one-shots ✨

And I haven't listened to all of them, but some I recommend:

Zone 10 - Tosh - Tosh decodes a message hidden in a radio signal and travels to Russia to investigate. Really fun and also sad. I love Tosh send post

Moving Target - Suzie - Aliens hunt Suzie and another woman, the last 2 humans alive. Listening to this ruined my life, slash positive. I super recommend it, especially if you find Suzie to be a compelling little meow meow.

The Office of Never Was - Ianto - An empty building is haunted and freaking out the locals, who request Torchwood to look into it. This one really fucked me up (slash positive), as soon as I finished it I wanted to listen to it again from the beginning.

Deadbeat Escape - Bilis Manger - I don't even know how to describe this one. Uh, haunted Hotel California that absorbs life energy? It's really emotionally charged. If you like Bilis or existential horror I recommend it.

Sync - Suzie - Suzie is stuck, bound by an alien tracking bracelet, working together with a slitheen. There's an awkward hitch-hiking truck ride!

The Hope - Owen - I haven't listened to this one yet, but it's about a woman who ran a home for "troubled children", where the children wound up missing. She kept her silence on the issue for years, but now that she's dying, she agreed to go back and reveal the horrible secrets. Again, haven't listened, but it sounds really dark, and in the cover Owen is being buried alive, which is nice.

Dissected - Gwen & Martha - Another one I haven't listened to, but it's Gwen and Martha together! Gwen shows up on Martha's doorstep with a dead body, and questions about why their friendship ended.

Tropical Beach Sounds and Other Relaxing Seascapes #4 - The Narrator - Another one I haven't listened to, but it's described as a self-help tape about Torchwood. What a hilarious combination of words.

Rhys and Ianto's Excellent Barbecue - Rhys & Ianto - Still haven't listened. Rhys plans a barbecue but the only one who shows up is Ianto, and "something goes wrong. The two of them could be trapped together for eternity at a barbecue where the sausages never cook, and worse, the brewskis remain forever out of reach." (Per the official description)

The Crown - Queen Victoria (?) - I haven't listened to this yet but it seems spooky. It's Christmas eve, and Dr. Gideon Parr is summoned to an asylum to check on a patient. This patient claims to haunted by a terrible curse of The Ferryman, and also claims to be Queen Victoria.

Ex-Machina - Ianto - I haven't listened to this yet, so here's the official description: "Ianto Jones is Torchwood. Ianto Jones is the defender of a deserted city, a lone crusader who keeps the empty streets safe. One day he meets one of the few survivors. She needs his help – because she's being chased by a darkness. A darkness which says it loves her." Yayyyy dark eldritch entities saying they love you <333

Drive - Tosh - Tosh wakes up, wounded and desperate, in the back of a cab. She and this taxi driver have just one night to save the city of Cardiff. Honestly very heart-warming, I Loved the taxi driver.

Lease of Life - Owen - Haven't listened to yet, but from the description it seems like Owen is called in to investigate an apartment with a spreading mould issue. Tfw you can't die so they expose you to mould 😭

Curios - Bilis Manger - Bilis Manger is trapped in a Welsh coal mine during WWII, and Jill has been sent down to catalogue what's down there. There's something hunting them in the dark. 10/10, really fun and honestly sweet at parts despite the horror. Be warned there's an attempted rape scene, but it isn't explicit and doesn't go anywhere.

The Great Sontaran War - Ianto - I haven't listened to this yet, but it's Ianto with a Sontaran and a cat.

The Grey Mare - Ianto - Haven't listened yet but you had me at ghost horse. I'd never heard of the tradition of Mari Wyld before (as I am a nasty american) but the folklore itself sounds really sweet and communal, but in this story Ianto is visited by Mari Wyld, and she's real. I hope this one is spooky!

Dead Plates - Bilis Manger - I don't know how to describe this one either. Murder mystery whodunit hosted by Bilis Manger, who has been murdered. Very trippy and fun.

Torchwood: SUV - Ianto & Tosh - Haven't listened to this, but it's Tosh and Ianto trapped in the Torchwood SUV with a monster trying to get in.

The Last Love Song of Suzie Costello - Suzie - Still haven't listened to this one. An island appears in the North Atlantic Ocean, and while Suzie comes to investigate, she finds a crashed spaceship on the seabed. In it is a mystery, and "also something Suzie has never dreamed of..."

There's a trio of ood-themed stories that just came out, but they're so recent that I haven't found DL links to them. I do plan on buying them though so I can provide those eventually!

While I'm at it, the main folder of this google drive folder is this Gigantic compilation of every DW media in existence. Classic Who, magazines, comics, novels, spinoffs like Torchwood & SJA, audiobooks, big finish audios, promotional clips, ads, a role-playing game; literally everything. It's a lot so you should probably set aside a few days to look through everything, that's what I did because it's so overwhelming. But I wanted the resource available to anyone who wants it!

I wanted to share that these exist and that the Torchwood actors reprised their roles for audio stories with Will and Lee, but I didn't want to post this in the tag and get yelled at / lectured for 🏴‍☠️.

I just think it'd be unrealistic, not to mention kinda mean to point people in the direction of the audios, and then be like "Okay! Now go spend $75 on 3 stories!" I buy a lot of big finish releases but I know not a lot of people have the money to spare for silly scifi, especially with the economy being so fucked. So I want to help make these more accessible, plus people can always listen to one of these and decide to buy it if they like it enough.

Okay I want to make a torched wood post but I don't want it to show up in the search results so I'm going to reblog and add it to this

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“BLACKMAIL CHARGE SEQUELS ARRESTS,” Toronto Globe. March 25, 1933. Page 12. ---- Men Accused of Fake Hold-Up Allege Extortion by Threats ---- JITNEY DRIVER IS FINED ---- (Staff Correspondence of The Globe) Hamilton, March 24 - Albert Andrews, 076 King Street East, was arrested this afternoon by Detectives Witthun and Barrets on a charge of extorting money by threats from Robert Bates, Holmes Avenue, and James Mahoney, 423 King William Street, who were arrested earlier to day in connection with an allegedly fake hold-up and robbery last Christmas Eve. 

Andrews is alleged to have obtained Information in connection with the hold-up, and gone to Bates and Mahoney and demanded money from them on the threat that, if they refused, he would go to the police and expose them. Andrews is alleged to have extorted $6 from the other two men on three occasions, and they told police they paid him $3 one time, $2 another time, and $1 when the third threat was made.

Long Inquiry Bears Fruit. Three months of quiet but persistent investigation on the part of Detectives Witthun and Barrell were crowned today with the arrest of Bates and Mahoney, who are allege to have conspired in the commission of an armed holdup in the north end of the city on Christmas Eve, in which $75.74 In cash and several cheques were stolen.

Last Christmas Eve, police stated, Bates was employed by a local departmental store as driver of a delivery truck. Accompanying him helpers were Stuart Campbell, 50 Cedar Avenue, and Fred Hutchinson, 47 Paisley Avenue, who, police stated, were involved in no way and believed the hold-up was genuine.

When the truck was halted near Picton and Wellington Streets, and one of the helpers was taking parcels into a house, a young gunman, alleged to have been Mahoney, leaped upon the running-board of the vehicle, levelled the weapon at Bates, and demanded that he drive the truck to Clark Avenue and Ferrie Street. There the gunman further demanded the driver's money, and the latter handed over his collections. The gunman then fled.

Police allege that Bates and Mahoney planned the robbery in concert and that Bates owned the revolver which Mahoney used in the robbery. It is further alleged that Mahoney and Bates divided the loot later.

Seventy employers of the boarding and finishing departments of the Mercury Mills Limited, went on strike to day because a foreman had been dismissed, and another official was said to have insulted a number of the employees. They demanded that the foreman be reinstated and that the official be discharged. R. H. Hommell. General Manager, stated that neither demand could be entertained by the company. He conferred with the employees and slated tonight that an amicable adjustment was reached and all employees went back to work.

Fire Chief James Issued a statement today in which he denied rumors that John Murphy and Norman King former firemen, had been "railroaded out of the department." Chief James said he had dismissed the two men for a flagrant breach of discipline and took full responsibility for his action, and also for his subsequent action in urging a subcommittee of the Fire and Jail Committee in appointing two men to fill the places of King and Murphy.

Jitney-Driver Fined $2. Ninely jitney-drivers were summoned to appear in Traffic Court this afternoon, bus only one case was proceeded with. Arthur Wilkes, of 76 Newlands Avenue, was convicted of operating a jitney without a license and was fined $3 by Deputy Magistrate McKay, Wilkes was defended by William Schwenger, who said the case would be appeared. The remainder of the prosecutions will be proceeded with next week, as it is the intention of the court to hear several of the cases each day.

A group of students of McMaster University, but not the student body. held an anti-war conference there this afternoon, and were given permission to hold it, provided it was closed to the press. A statement was issued after the meeting, in which the students were said to have discussed the question of whether, In the event of war, they should volunteer their services. No resolutions were passed and the meeting was free of radical utterances. It was stated. Officials declined to my what attitude on the question was taken by the students.

[absolutepokemontrash]

Diavolo’s Food Cake

Diavolo is feeling nostalgic, and would like a taste of chocolate cake from his childhood, but his desires have left Barbatos feeling glum.

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: mentions of poison

Masterlist

*******************************************

It wasn’t a rare sight to see the future king of hell eating one of Barbatos’ freshly prepared desserts. Diavolo had a sweet tooth, he loved tarts, cheesecakes, brownies, parfaits, sherbets, the list went on. What was rare was the sight of Diavolo glumly picking at a piece of chocolate cake.

Ah, devil’s food cake… sheer, rich, chocolatey bliss…

Lucifer happily indulged in his cake, the frosting was perfectly smooth and not too sweet, the cake itself perfectly spongy, soft and flavourful. Nothing in the world brought the Avatar of Pride more peace than eating something sweet, drinking some tea, and sitting on one of the plush sitting room couches.

Though, Lucifer was being interrupted and couldn’t quite relax.

Diavolo loudly sighed, causing Lucifer to look up from his piece of cake.

“Diavolo,” Lucifer put his plate down on the table in front of him and tilted his head. “Is something wrong?”

“Is the cake not to your satisfaction?” Barbatos asked, the slightest tinge of panic on the edge of his voice as he turned to look at the crown prince sitting next to him.

“No, it’s wonderful…” Diavolo said, before he sighed again. “It’s just… not the cake I wanted…”

“You asked for chocolate cake.” Lucifer raised an eyebrow. Lucifer had dealt with enough picky eaters to remember exactly what Diavolo had asked for.

“Yes, and Barbatos made it wonderfully… it’s just not the chocolate cake of my childhood.”

At the edge of Lucifer’s vision, he saw Barbatos almost roll his eyes. “My lord, we can’t just summon her to make you a cake.”

“But why not?” Diavolo asked, his brows creased in thought. “Is she busy?”

“Hold on,” Lucifer put up a hand to stop them. “Who is this ‘she’ you’re speaking of?”

Diavolo’s face lit up like a Christmas tree, Barbatos on the other hand, stared down the hallway with the most unimpressed glare.

“Before Barbatos became my butler, I had a live-in governess as a child. She’s since left, but I could never forget the taste of her chocolate cake, it was a recipe she made just for me…”

The sound of a teacup being harshly slammed back onto a plate made Lucifer almost jump in his seat. Christ, what was up with Barbatos?

“Yes, yes,” Barbatos said, quickly gathering up the empty teacups. “Her cake making skills are truly incomparable.”

“Don’t be upset, Barbatos,” Diavolo said gently. “Your skills are second to none, but the recipe she used was just unlike anything I’ve ever tasted since…”

“So… you want to call your former governess over to make you some chocolate cake?” Lucifer asked, his voice laced with exasperation and a hint of confusion.

“Yes!” Diavolo snapped his fingers, he stood up abruptly and pointed at Lucifer. “Send out a Royal Summons, prepare the castle for her arrival!”

********

“Sooooooo,” MC lay flat on their bed. The brothers (sans Lucifer, who decided to do his paperwork with the chocolate cake he came home with and refused to share) were scattered around the room. Beel was eating some chips, Mammon was desperately trying to nab some, and Levi was tapping away on his Switch next to Asmo and Satan, who were scrolling through Devilgram. “Who’s this lady Diavolo’s inviting over?”

“His old nanny or something,” Asmo shrugged, not looking up from his phone. “We’ve never met her.”

“So, is she hot?” MC asked, that perked Asmo right up.

“We can hope~.”

“You two horndogs have a one track mind…” Belphie muttered from a mountain of pillows on the floor.

“You know you love it.” MC said with a smirk.

“So when’s she comin’?” Mammon asked, finally giving up on trying to snag a chip from Beel and deciding to watch Levi play Animal Crossing.

“They just sent out the Royal Summons.” Satan snapped. “Be patient-”

“EVERYONE.”

“AAAAAAAAAA-“

Lucifer stood in the doorway, his arms crossed, and a few crumbs of chocolate cake scattered around his mouth.

“Get up, all of you.” Lucifer growled. “She’s here.”

*********

“Lady Aynaet!”

“Lord Diavolo, my sweet boy,”

MC’s jaw hit the floor when they saw exactly what was walking down the hall towards the bouncing demon prince.

All the brothers were having similar reactions, Asmo’s eyes were as wide as saucers, while Mammon kept blinking like he was trying to reboot his vision.

A little old lady, hunched over and leaning on a simple curved wooden cane hobbled forward. She had warm, dark skin with eyes as black as the Devildom sky outside. Wrapped in a bright green knitted shawl, with a beige sweater and a long black skirt underneath, she looked like anyone’s grandma, not a demoness who helped raise the future king of Hell.

She and Diavolo met in the centre of the throne room, the demon prince bending over slightly so the lady could inspect him. She gripped his chin, turned his face a bit, then pinched his cheek.

“Well, haven't you grown up to be a handsome young man?” She said, her voice crackled slightly, but for such an old looking woman her voice contained a semblance of youthful sweetness. “And so tall too.”

“Thank you, Aynaet.” Diavolo said with a bow of his head, before standing up straight. “It’s such a pleasure to have you visit.”

MC, mouth still agape, leaned over and whispered to Lucifer. “She’s a demon..?”

“Yes, and a very old one at that.” Lucifer whispered back. “Be careful.”

The old woman turned, her deep black eyes carefully running over each and every demon, angel, and human in attendance. After a moment, her face broke out into a warm smile.

“Oh Diavolo, it’s so nice that you finally got that exchange program together, it’s going well, I assume?”

Diavolo nodded enthusiastically. “Very well!”

“Yeah I only almost died four times in the first week,” MC leaned over and whispered to Solomon, who quietly snickered.

“So well, I only had to help Simeon pull Luke out of the lake twice in the past month.”

“Alright!” With a resounding clap of his hands, Diavolo snapped MC and Solomon back to attention. “Lady Aynaet and I will be in the parlour if any of you would like to stop and chat!”

“Oh this and that with the ‘lady’ talk. I remember when your grandfather bestowed that title on me when I watched your father. Oh that boy never smiled…”

Everyone took a breath of air as Aynaet and Diavolo disappeared down the hallway together. MC locked eyes with Asmo, who looked disappointed to say the least.

“Sooooo,” Luke said, twiddling his thumbs. “What now?”

“Now,” Barbatos said with a grin, lightly pulling Luke and Simeon towards his kitchen. “We make the best damn chocolate cake ever to grace the nine circles of hell.”

***********

“Oh Diavolo, what have I told you about sitting up straight?”

“Ah! Right.” Diavolo straightened his posture on the plush red sofa. “My apologies, Lady Aynaet.”

“Oh phah,” Aynaet waved her hand and took a sip of her tea. “Don’t apologize, mercy knows all that paperwork can’t be good for your back.”

“You have no idea…”

The prince took a sip of his tea and grinned. “So, Lady Aynaet, about-“

“Oh my!” The woman gasped, Diavolo turned to the entryway to see Lucifer standing in the doorway. “Is that Lucifer? The one you told me about over the phone?”

Surprisingly quickly for a little old lady, Aynaet rushed out of her armchair and within seconds she had Lucifer’s face in her hands.

“Oh, so handsome. You have a lovely friend, Diavolo.”

“Damn, I guess I can’t even be the pretty face of the group anymore.”

MC appeared behind Lucifer, a teasing grin on their face. “I guess I never was, not with Asmo around.”

“My oh my, a human in the Devildom, I haven’t seen that in centuries.” Aynaet narrowed her eyes slightly behind her little round spectacles, gave MC a few cursory prods with her cane, then the smile returned to her face. “But strutting in here so confidently, and being so cute as well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, little human.”

“Lady Aynaet, this is MC, Solomon’s apprentice.”

“Very impressive, a young human studying magic at such a young age. Why, when I was about your age I was barely out of the throes of childhood.”

“Well,” Lucifer cleared his throat. “Demon and Angel lifespans are quite different.”

“Uhhhh, thanks.” MC said with a nervous smile. “So um… what’s up?”

“Indeed,” Lucifer looked over at Diavolo with an eyebrow raised expectantly. “What is up?”

“Ah! Right! Lady Aynaet!” Diavolo sprung up from his seat, nearly spilling his still scalding hot tea all over his pants. “I have a request to ask of you.”

“What could a little old woman possibly do for the future king of hell?” Aynaet asked, easing herself back into the armchair.

“It’s your chocolate cake,” Diavolo explained. “To this day it is the best thing I have ever had the privilege of tasting, please please make it for me again?”

Aynaet blinked a few times in surprise, then nodded. “Oh is that all? Of course I will, my sweet boy, since you’ve finally mastered the art of saying please.”

She then turned to MC, and jabbed her cane at the hallway to the kitchen. “Come along, little human, I need assistance in the kitchen.”

Turning back to Diavolo as she began to hobble down the hall, Aynaet cooed: “Do spend some time with your handsome friend, Diavolo. I’m sure he’d look lovely in one of the crowns.”

Lucifer made a noise that sounded halfway between choking and a sneeze while Diavolo let out a laugh as the door to the parlour swung shut.

The moment MC and Aynaet reached the kitchen, the doors swung open, and Barbatos was on the other side holding a massive triple layer chocolate cake. The decorating was extravagant, the cut fruit placed on the top looked juicy and delicious, and MC couldn’t help but openly drool.

“…cake…” the human whispered.

“Oh dear, pardon me.” Barbatos said with a tight smile. “I have to get this to Lord Diavolo.”

“Ah ah ah,” Faster than the snap of a finger, Aynaet had the bottom of her cane levelled at Barbatos’s nose. “Diavolo asked me to make him a cake, and it’s almost dinner, I won’t have you spoiling it.”

“Barbatos…” MC began, his eyebrows creasing in confusion. “How did you make that so fast..? It’s been less than an hour.”

“Oh, I started baking this when the summons went out yesterday.”

“Uh… how about you put that in the fridge, and then after dinner, Aynaet and you can both give Diavolo your cakes. The man’s got a sweet tooth, so I think he’d enjoy it!” MC said with a light clap of their hands.

Barbatos narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, but Aynaet nodded enthusiastically. “That sounds lovely, dear human. Now since your cake is done, Barbatos, do you mind if I make use of the kitchen?”

It was less of a question, and more of a politely worded command as Aynaet brushed past Barbatos and walked into the kitchen like she ran the place.

“You, angels, do you mind lending a poor old woman a hand?”

“B-but we just finished helping decorate a-“

“Of course, we’d love to help.” Simeon cut Luke off with a pat to the little angel’s head.

“Wonderful, MC I’m going to need your help as well,”

“On it!”

*************

MC cast a worried glance at the clock, it was past six and yet, Barbatos hadn’t come in to tell everyone to get ready for dinner in an hour. The human knew that he prided himself on always being on time with every meal in order to make sure that Diavolo never went hungry for even a moment. Biting the inside of their cheek, MC turned back to their mixing bowl.

“It looks wonderful, MC.” Aynaet said as she looked over into MC’s bowl of frosting. “I’ll take over here, do you mind going over to help the angels?”

“No problem!” MC gave the old demoness a two-fingered salute and walked over to Luke and Simeon, who were busily putting all of the cake scraps into a bowl.

“It’s weird…” Luke whispered to MC and Simeon, he cast a worried glance over at Aynaet. “I thought such an old demon would be more… adverse towards angels.”

“Now that you mention it…” MC pursed their lips and creased their forehead. “Yeah…”

“All the older angels I know are still bitter about wars that were fought when I was barely older than Luke.” Simeon whispered. “But then again… we don’t exactly know how old she is either.”

“Would it make a difference?” Luke asked.

“I’d sure hope so.”

“AAAAAAAAAA-“

The trio spun around to see Aynaet standing behind them, leaning on her cane.

“You don’t get to be my age without hopefully learning a great deal.” Aynaet waved her hand to signal for the three to make space for her at the counter. “And if you must know, I myself have no quarrel with angels nor humans.”

“You… really don’t?” Luke asked, tilting his head.

“No, this whole conflict between the angels and demons may have been going on for too many years to count, but it wasn’t always like this.”

“It… it wasn’t?” MC raised their eyebrows as they watched Aynaet assemble the cake with laser focus.

“While things weren’t always harmonious, between the three worlds, there wasn’t all out war.” Aynaet explained. “…then the fighting started. Petty squabbles turning to battles between the angels and demons with the humans caught in the middle. I can only hope what Diavolo is trying to do here can put a stop to it.”

“Well…” Simeon chuckled, casting a glance at MC “The brothers have certainly improved their behaviour at least.”

“Damn right.” MC smirked. “I’ve been straightening them out these past couple of years.”

“What a wonderful relief.” Aynaet sighed. “There’s nothing worse than a bunch of boys that are too caught up in their own legend to see reason.”

MC felt their eyes dart for the clock in the corner of the room again. Still no Barbatos…

Creasing their forehead, MC turned to Aynaet and inclined their head towards the clock. “Do you mind if I go and check on Barbatos in the other kitchen? I’m kind of… worried about him.”

Waving her hand like she was swatting a fly, Aynaet nodded. “Go on, off with you, go check on your friend, little human.”

******************

“Barbie?”

MC poked their head into the other kitchen, all the cupboards were open, and dozens of recipe books were scattered around the sleek grey countertops, all open on various food splattered pages. There was no sign of the butler, so MC took a hesitant step forward into the room.

“Barbatos..?”

“Ah!” The butler shot out from a crouched position behind the centre counter island. “MC! What are you doing here, I’m in the middle of preparing dinner.”

“Uh…” MC looked around, despite all the cookbooks lying around, no actual ingredients were out on the table. “Are you though?”

MC watched as Barbatos visibly sagged and dropped another book down on one of the countertops. “No…”

“Aw, Barbatos,” MC rushed forward, nearly tripping over one of the scattered books that had ended up on the floor. “Don’t be upset, what’s wrong?”

“I’m a very old demon, MC,”

“And you look great for your age.”

“Thank you, but that’s not what I’m concerned about.” Barbatos explained with an exasperated smile. “Since I’ve been alive for so long, I’ve had plenty of time to perfect my cooking and baking techniques, I’ve been hailed as the greatest cook in the three realms. But… but after all this time I’m still yet to best Lady Aynaet at making a chocolate cake that Diavolo could enjoy…”

“Oh Barb, come here,” MC gently placed their hands on the butler’s slightly slumped shoulders. “It’s not a failure on your part, if I had to guess, it’s just because Lady Aynaet has nostalgia on her side. Her chocolate cake is only special to Diavolo because he had it as a child and he associates good memories with it. Now come on, at least one of these books has to have something Diavolo would like for dinner.”

Barbatos straightened his back, then harshly nodded. “You’re right. This little outburst of mine was extremely unbecoming of me, I’ll get to work.”

*************

After everyone sat down for dinner in the dining room and began to eat, Barbatos didn’t touch his food until Diavolo took a bite.

“Mmmmm, Barbatos you’ve outdone yourself yet again! This is delicious!”

Nearly drooping with relief, Barbatos nodded in thanks.

“Yeah! Your food is always great, Barbatos.” MC gave the butler an encouraging nudge.

“Yes yes, it is quite excellently made.” Aynaet added as she handed Beelzebub another plate.

“It was a little late though,” Diavolo said with a tilt of his head. “Is everything alright, Barbatos?”

The butler stiffened, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. “M-my apologies, my lord, the lateness of supper was unbecoming of me.”

“Hey! Uh… at least after dinner we can get some chocolate cake, am I right?” MC quickly interjected with a quick nervous laugh.

“Hell yeah!” Mammon said with a fistpump. “Cake! Cake! Cake! Cake!”

“Quit your moronic chanting, Mammon,” Lucifer grumbled while he massaged his temples. “And if you’d please, Barbatos. It appears most of us are almost done, anyway.”

“Right. I’ll be back with the cakes.”

*******************

Everyone waited with bated breath as two plates of nearly identical looking slices of chocolate cake were placed in front of Diavolo. Barbatos kept his face as blank as possible, but he cast a quick glare at the elderly demon, who didn’t seem to notice.

“Mine is the one on the left.” Barbatos piped up as he watched Diavolo look from plate to plate.

“Yes, yes, I’m just wondering which one to try first…”

“Ugggggghhhhhhhh!” Mammon whined. “Just try one so we can have dessert!”

The Avatar of Greed was quickly silenced by a thwack on the back of the head by Lucifer.

“Quiet, Mammon.”

“I’m hungry.”

“I know, Beel,” Lucifer sighed. “I know.”

“Why doesn’t Beel get a thwack?!”

Finally, Diavolo dug his fork into Barbatos’ cake, and popped the morsel into his mouth. A smile came across his face as he gave a thankful nod to Barbatos.

“It’s near flawless, Barbatos. It’s delicious.”

“Thank you, my lord.” Barbatos said with a nod and a satisfied little smile.

Then, Diavolo took a swig of his drink, then took a bite of Aynaet’s cake. A look of childlike glee spread across his face, causing his eyes to sparkle and seemingly water as well.

“Lady Aynaet, it tastes just as amazing as it did all those years ago. Thank you so much for coming all this way to make this for me.”

Aynaet softly laughed and shook her head. “You’re a sweetheart, Dia.”

“So…” Belphie rested his elbow on the table and waved his hand. “Which one’s better?”

“I couldn’t possibly decide!” Diavolo put his hands up and gave Aynaet and Barbatos a diplomatic smile. “Barbatos’ technique when it comes to baking is pure perfection, and Aynaet has skill and nostalgic power. Both cakes are amazing in their own right, just as amazing as their bakers.”

“Shmoozer.”

“Shut up, Mammon.” Lucifer growled.

“Can we eat the cakes now?” Beel asked, already grabbing himself a slice of Aynaet’s cake and plopping it onto his plate.

“Of course, of course, eat up, children, eat up!”

“Lady Aynaet?” Diavolo looked over at Aynaet with a stunning display of puppydog eyes. “Do you think you could possibly share your secret ingredients with us?”

Putting a hand over her mouth and giggling, Aynaet shook her head. “No… I don’t think I can.”

“Why?” Luke asked with a mouthful of Barbatos’ cake.

“Is it because it’s love?” Asmo asked, resting his head on his open palm.

“No…” Aynaet said as everyone gleefully shovelled their desserts into their mouths. “It’s because the secret ingredient is four different types of demonic poisons.”

The room went deathly silent, no one dared to move a muscle as the old woman’s words slowly sunk in… then the table erupted into a complete panic.

Simeon spat out his cake, Lucifer pushed himself away from the table so quickly his chair screeched against the floor, and Mammon chugged his entire drink while blubbering about being poisoned.

“MC SPIT IT OUT!” Asmo shrieked.

“But this is Barbatos’ ca-“

“OUT!” Asmo slammed his fist right into the human’s gut and caused them to nearly upchuck dinner, but it succeeded in getting the cake out of their mouth.

“…Ow…”

“Calm yourselves down, I didn’t put enough in to be lethal.”

“WHAT IN THE DEVILDOM POSSESSED YOU TO TRY AND POISON THE RULERS OF HELL?!” Lucifer shouted, his wings and horns fully on display and bright blue magic crackling between his fingers.

“The same reason I’ve been feeding this cake to Diavolo since he was a boy. To make him immune to poison.” Aynaet said with a casual shrug, she took another bite out of her piece of cake.

“Lucifer, calm down,” Diavolo raised his hand, then turned to Aynaet. “You’ve been… poisoning my food in very small doses in order to build up a poison immunity..?”

“Of course.” Aynaet replied. “I did the same with your father. As of right now, you’re immune to practically every commonly used poison in the entire Devildom.”

“I’ve been feeling unworthy to be the young master’s butler because… of poison.” Barbatos sat shellshocked in his chair, staring dead ahead.

“Holy shit…” Belphie murmured.

After a beat of silence, everyone turned to Beel, who had continued to shovel cake into his mouth.

“It’s still good, guys.”

———————————

Author’s note

I’ve had this in my drafts forever lmao, I like to think that after Aynaet leaves, Barbatos makes a solemn vow to vet any ingredients that end up a part of Diavolo’s meals 🤣