#I might do the villains soon that'd be fun

[thefreelanceangel]

(Count)Down to Dawntrail: FREE DAY

July of 2019, I downloaded the trial for FFXIV.

Up until then, I'd been in GW2 for over seven years. It'd given me a roommate (ilu Rory) and helped me reconnect with the man who I ended up marrying (ilu honeybun). It'd also become a game I couldn't even look at without sighing heavily.

(That fucking map currency grind... UGH.)

I wanted to try something else, see if I could find a game that'd be fun to play. And as both my "screamy baby brother" (ilu Chaos) and one of the people I'd admired most in GW2 (ilu @mirugaidoesthings) were in FFXIV, well...

I made a catgirl, named her after an old tabletop NPC (RIP the OG Callie...) and started poking around.

I very quickly slid over to Mateus (because up until FFXIV, I was an RPer first, content later... maybe sort of person) and ... well, I fell in love. With C'allie, with Eorzea, with the gameplay and mechanics, and definitely with GPose. (July 10, 2019 is when Chaos told me about the GPose feature and... well I never quite stopped.) And as I dragged my then-boyfriend into playing, he fell in love with Eorzea, too.

It's hard to really explain just how much time, energy, fun, frustration, and enjoyment we've gotten from FFXIV in the years since. Or how much the story of Eorzea came to mean to us. (The Ceremony of Eternal Bonding music was playing at our RL wedding.) We've met some amazing people--the players of Thravnar, Zale, and Targur for instance--and it's given me the chance to reconnect with old friends. (@mirugaidoesthings & @rylen-ooc <3)

Shadowbringers might as well have just been written specifically for me. Monstrous angels, a complex villain, a story with such resonating themes... I'd enjoyed A Realm Reborn and I'd cried over Heavensward (yes, over Haurchefant... who I ended up naming my cat after) but Shadowbringers might as well have been marketed with my name on it.

And then in late November-early December of 2021, Endwalker's release coincided with my soon-became-husband's cancer diagnosis. I played through the first section of the MSQ while he slept off his first round of chemo. I was scared and emotional and trying my best to deal with the stress of keeping our finances together while visiting him during his hospitalizations and juggling everything that such things require.

Endwalker hugged me. It told me that life is scary, that life is a struggle, but we do it because we have each other. And I desperately needed that. Endwalker was the story I needed right then and right there. Facing down the Endsinger felt so cathartic, as if I was able to beat my husband's cancer and my own stress and fear with my WHM staff.

And Endwalker is the expansion where I had to make a Warrior of Light, I couldn't separate myself from the story long enough to just experience it anymore. I needed to create a character who changed in relation to the story, who lived it, who could have the same emotions I did about it.

I've met lovely people through FFXIV--a lot of them here on Tumblr--and I've found a creative outlet I'd never imagined possible. (Thank you *coughcrimetoolscough*) I've created characters, written stories, built friendships, and found deep, personal comfort in Eorzea. I cry when I hear "Answers" now and I can list the Scions off without pausing. I've baked Norvrandt's cookie biscuits, hung FFXIV art in my house, and can recognize more of the music than I've EVER listened to for ANY other game.

Dawntrail is the next step in a journey I'm eager to continue with all of you. May we ever walk in the light of the Crystal.

[krys-in-the-playhouse]

OC Brainrots #5 - In Another World

Welcome back to OC Brain Rots, where I go off about an OC of mine and whatever it is that caused them to tickle my brain at the moment.

For this rot, I've decided to play around with all the girlies and their respective universes. Basically, if they were to be put into a different otome universe, how would things be different and (if applicable), who would they get along best with, maybe even be their suitor of choice in that universe (since this is the point of the majority of dating sim games)?

For simplicity sake, I'm only going to be focusing on Cybird's IkeSeries games and Obey Me since those are where my current OCs come from. My girlies in other otomes (Hakouki, Collar x Malice, SLBP, and various others) I've played can be for another post.

For previous brainrot posts, check out the OC masterlist!

Everyone is also welcome to reblog with their OCs and/or self-inserts going to different places than their home universes. I think that'd be a fun idea!

-----------

Houki

Home Universe: Ikemen Sengoku In the World of: Ikemen Prince

Her and Ophelia are both MCs from a different dating sim game that was heavy on the political drama, so I think, for Houki, I'm gonna put her in with the IkePri universe. She's already a noble lady back home and both IkePri and her home game have a major focus on political drama, so I think she'd fit in just fine. She could be a noble lady sent to Rhodolite to scope out for her home country, to see if they want to be allies with the tiny Kingdom of Roses.

Suitor I think she'd most get along with: Chevalier

Both are avid book lovers and like quiet places. Both would probably think positively of the other's no nonsense way of thinking. Houki, despite being weaker and having no combat experience, will stand up for others and uses the talents she does have for the betterment of her nation, something I think Chevalier will look positively on. Chevalier, cold and stoic, Houki admires his ability to see the bigger picture, to think at least 50 steps ahead of his opponent and still has his kingdom's best interests at heart despite his… methods.

Ophelia

Home Universe: Ikemen Sengoku In the World of: Ikemen Villains

Above section mentioned Ophelia being from a game about the political drama, and while I thought about putting her in the IkePri universe as well (Obsidianite Lady Ophelia sounds delicious, tbh), I think I'm gonna put her in the Villains universe instead as I think it might fit slightly better for her. She grew up as a poor noble, was married off as soon as possible to keep her family afloat until her husband mysteriously dies. Did she do it? Was it orchestrated by someone else? Was it an accident? Was is an 'accident'? Ophelia certainly isn't telling anyone, letting the dark rumors surround her. Perfect for a villain origin story, no?

Suitor I think she'd most get along with: William, but not at first.

See, Will has this bad habit of pushing and pulling at social boundaries. If Crown ever does come into contact with her (via if she has a fairy tale curse or just by coincidence like with MC) Will would be naturally curious about his noblewoman who was rumored to have killed her late husband. He'd want to figure out why she would be hiding this information as it could save her reputation in noble circles, but she refuses to tell her side of the story. Over time, Will would help her come out of her shell and reveal the truth. They also have similar color palettes, but that's more self-indulgent on my part.

Thea

Home Universe: Ikemen Vampire In the World of: Ikemen Sengoku

A seamstress about to start her dream job that crosses time and space to meet some famous (infamous?) historical figures? Thea could be Mai! The only difference is that Thea knows even less about Japanese history as her specialty mainly focused on European/Western history, so she might be a little lost (by coincidence, she did buy a helpful guide before being wormholed into the past) but I think she'd fit in soon enough, being adopted into the Oda forces after saving Nobunaga.

Suitor I think she'd most get along with: Yukimura.

Sasuke was also a likely candidate for getting along (plus the added connection of being future people), but I think she might be more drawn to Yuki's grounded personality. Thea is spunky and has a good sense of humor, so Yuki likes her and thinks she's cute. Not that he'd ever say that part out loud… willingly.

Abby

Home Universe: Ikemen Vampire In the World of: Ikemen Revolution

Following a mysterious gentlemen to return a lost trinket again, Abbygail? We just don't learn, do we?

No, but given her nervous personality, it was hard to fit her into the other universes without a complete mental meltdown and given a few routes in IkeRev tend to focus on making sure Alice has a good, safe time before returning to the Land of Reason, I think this is good choice for Abby. The Black Army will take care of her like family until she inevitably has to return.

Suitor I think she'd most get along with: Luka

Nervous bean does best around calm personality types and I think Luka fits that bill. He doesn't have the high energy as some of the others do and while he tends to be quieter and stoic, he's not as intimidating as Ray or Sirius (at least according to Abbygail). He also likes cooking and she would like to learn from him when she catches him in the kitchen. For Luka, he sees someone that's lost her way and while she stays in Cradle, he'll do what he can to protect her and makes sure she gets back home safely. They'd be adorable cooking together, tbh 🥺

Maddie

Home Universe: Ikemen Revolution In the World of: Obey Me

Maddie's upbeat personality and her having magic, I think, makes her a good fit for Obey Me. When she figures out that she's capable of magic back in Cradle, the magical environment of Devildom no doubt would fill her curiosity, wanting to know more about this place of demons. 

Suitor I think she'd most get along with: Diavolo

You know who would be curious about humans, especially this new exchange student that always seems to be humming a tune whenever he sees her? I bet Diavolo would be. Both are extroverts that love talking to people and I can see the two having long conversations over tea, talking about absolutely anything that came to mind.

Clara

Home Universe: Ikemen Prince In the World of: Midnight Cinderella

Hey, you know how there were rumors about IkePri being a remake of MidCin, or was ripping it off in some way? Well, turned out Midcin was a novel series in IkePri (as a nice nod, I think), so I think it's only fair that Clara gets to live out her favorite novel series. So, she gets to be the Princess Elect of Wysteria, to make her dreams come true. Clara, in the MidCin series, still works at a bookstore, and is then suddenly caught up in the Princess Elect system as she was retrieving something a friend left behind in the palace (as she had tried to get in, but wasn't chosen). Clara catches the eyes of the staff, specifically Giles, who decides that she's going to be the perfect candidate and the rest is history

Suitor I think she'd most get along with: Alyn

Alyn is serious and a bit rough around the edges, a lot of his focus being towards protecting what he cares for. Actions matter more to him that words do. They'll likely butt heads in the beginning as Clara gets her footing as a new Princess, but they'll both see eventually how much the other cares for their beloved kingdom, to want the best for their people, thus how a friendship (maybe more if we're going all the way with this AU?)

Miri

Home Universe: Obey Me In the World of: Ikemen Revolution

Miri was a wild card in choosing in that she's not a IkeSeries OC, so she has a wide range of places she could go. But I think the best place for her was Ikemen Revolution. She can keep her sorcerer powers and the tone is somewhat lighthearted compared to the other Cybird games. She'd get along great with the Black Army as they are a tight-knit family that would welcome her warmly.

Suitor I think she'd most get along with: Fenrir

Fenrir's upbeat personality would feed into Miri's energy, both undoubtedly having trouble stopping their smiles and laughter. They would be insta-buddies, just clicking like they've been friends for forever. He'd show her all the wonders that Cradle has to offer, telling her what he knows about magic crystals, and going on walks with his dog with her. Just the fastest of friends, I think. 

And that about wraps it up for this brain rot. Thanks for coming along on this thought journey with me!

Have fun, lovelies~

[mad-hunts]

🚢

shipping meme!

do i ship our characters together?: yes | no | not yet but maybe soon

would i like to ship with you?: yes | maybe, i'm willing to try | no

type of relationship i could see: childhood or high school sweethearts | exes | engaged | married | long-term relationship | crushes | unrequited love | fling | long distance | online relationship | just dating | new relationship | toxic lovers | friends with benefits

tropes i'd enjoy writing for them: friends to lovers | enemies to lovers | exes to lovers | fake relationship / dating | forbidden love | grumpy and sunshine | star-crossed lovers | surprise pregnancy | second chance | soulmates | amnesia / mistaken identity | forced proximity | secret relationship | slow burn relationship

would i rather plot first or jump right in and see where it goes?: develop their relationship first | jump right in | something in between: i think that it would be interesting to do a blend between these two, where we could maybe lay some groundwork down regarding their dynamic / a possible ship between them that would detail what each of us might like to see out of it and/or how we could envision them either becoming an item (sorry, i just love that term for two people who're each other's significant other LOL), or becoming one once again if you'd like to go with the exes route or the second chance one. but then we would kind of wing it from there... however, with having a general idea as to where we want to go with their dynamic, if that makes any sense. though IDK,, perhaps it's because i've been seeing so many edits for ships who were exes but rekindled their relationship with each other that i feel like that'd have potential to be a kind of fun dynamic for wanda and barton, but also sad at the same time (,:

what now?: let's plot something | send me shippy memes | i'll send you shippy memes | write me a random starter | i'll write you a random starter

anything else i want you to know about me / my character / my shipping habits: ( AHHH, hiii, itzel! thank you so much for sending this in and possibly being interested in shipping with barton :D it honestly made me so happy to see this pop up in my inbox, because i absolutely ADORE your account and your portrayal of wanda!! but yeah. with all of that said, i just wanted to let you know that two of barton's most negative traits are ones that i have pictured possibly interfering with his romantic relationships before, and this is that he can be closed-minded in a way / stubborn.

and i say in a way for closed-minded because he is kinddd of selective (okay, he can be REALLY selective, ngl haha) whenever it comes to accepting other people's opinions of things. so i could imagine that it could take him a bit to actually believe that a hero and a villain could be together since... well, they would more likely than not have a conflict of ideology going on there + i could NOT imagine that wanda would agree with a lot of things that barton does if she learned just how terrible of a person he really is (,: and that's honestly completely understandable so i'm not trying to like say she'd be bad for not agreeing with it.

i just think that they would probably have to come to a solution where barton either doesn't bring his 'work' up around her, and/or maybe depending on how attached he is to her, he could make an effort to cut all of the bad things he does down. but yeah,,, i think it could be interesting, like i said before, if you'd be interested in doing something with an ex like dynamic with them as we could make up like a whole history for them and stuff! but you don't have to, of course. so TOTALLY feel free to hmu in IM's here and ask for my disc if you want, or just talk to me there or in the comments here as to what kind of things you'd maybe want to explore between them yourself.

i like to think that i'm pretty open whenever it comes to potential dynamics, so if there is one here that i didn't check as a 'definitely' (in bold) or a maybe (in italics), then feel free to tell me and we could talk about it! but i am honestly very excited to roleplay with you more and i just want to let you know that although barton can ABSOLUTELY be an arsehole and hard to deal with: whenever it comes to romance, it tends to bring out the best version of him, though i have to say that things probably would be a little rocky at least on his end in the beginning because of the reasons i stated above. )

[floof-ghostie]

More Bnha Characters x Blk Hairstyles (Pro Hero edition)

Mt. Lady: Silk presses

Hair type: 3c/4a

It's canon that she has a haircare line. The products really work for curlier hair textures.

The haircare line includes a really good heat protectant, straightening brushes, and flat irons.

Her hair is bleached. I don't know how she keeps it so healthy, but good on her.

She and Miruko go to the same salon, and they actually get along pretty well.

Ryukyu: Fingerwaves

Hair type: 3b

I don't know why, but this makes sense.

The waves are perfectly laid all the time.

Ryukyu has shorter hair, and the waves are kind of a staple for her.

Does them herself, doesn't really want to go through all the trouble of hiring a stylist, unless she's doing a photoshoot.

Hawks: Loose fro

Hair type: 3b/3c

*sigh* this is gonna be longer for no reason but I digress.

The commission obviously didn't know how to handle his hair for the longest time, until he became a pro and needed to look good for the media.

He's done deals with a lot of hair care brands.

We all know that Hawks got the undercut after the fight with Dabi, and tbh he doesn't mind the change too much.

Miruko: Wigs, and protective styles

Hair type: 4c

You thought I was gonna do one of these without including Miruko?

If "I gotta switch up my hair every day" was a person, it'd be her.

She loves her hair, but the upkeep takes a while, so she mainly does a bunch of crochet styles and such.

She prefers her long wigs, and box braids, those are her signature look.

But she'll switch things up and do bantu knots, fulani braids, or cornrows.

Her natural hair is hella healthy under the wigs. It bounces when she walks.

Tagging:

@ozepica @calciumcryptid @insomniac-jay

[sixknight]

Taking the Villains out for a motorcycle ride

Hisame

He won't show it but he's a bit nervous about this, this thing hardly seems safe, especially compared to those metal carriages you'll be riding alongside.

He has a bit of a problem with the helmet. You end up having to give him a hair tie so he can tie his hair in a bun so it won't get in his face. He also complains about the helmet being too stuffy but when you tell him the alternative is having bugs hit his face at high speed and the possibility of instant death in a crash he quiets down.

He is... awkward for the whole ride. Mostly because he has to hold onto you. He's very stiff at first, trying not to hold on too tightly, but the moment you make a turn and have to lean you feel his arms wrap around you more, he isn't even sure if it's because he's nervous if you'll fall off or if he's nervous that he will. He will ignore any comments on him hanging on tighter as his cheeks dust pink under the helmet.

You try to keep to slower, less busy roads so he can relax a bit. Once you make it home is when he truly relaxes though. While he can see why you'd enjoy riding around like that he'd prefer a different form of travel. Although being that close was rather nice.

Hook

He's ecstatic that'd you want to take him out on a drive with you! Especially since it'll be just the two of you. ;)

Oh? What's that? He has to hold on to you the entire time? "Don't mind if I do!" he'll say wrapping both arms firmly around your waist with a wide grin. If you're taller than him he'll lean his head against your back during the ride, if you're shorter then he'll lean it on your shoulder.

He is having an absolute ball on this ride! He's amazed at how fast you two can go and finds the whole drive to be fun. And it helps that he gets to hold you the entire time.

Once you two get home he asks if you can take him for a ride on it again. He might even ask if you can show him how the contraption works so he can drive and have you hold onto him next time. ;) This is a bad idea do not teach him he will try to show off for you and possibly get hurt.

Grimm

Grimm is a little cautious of this machine you call a "motorcycle", it doesn't look very safe. Wait? That helmet is the only protecting you? Yeah this definitely isn't safe. Still, he'll give it a try, you obviously know what you're doing on it.

Absolutely flustered the moment you tell him he's going to have to hold onto you while you drive. He hesitantly wraps his arms around your waist. At least this helmet hides his face so you can't see how much he's blushing.

Once you actually get out on the road he has a great time! He's enthralled by absolutely everything around you two, from the trucks to the buildings you pass, and he's amazed at the speed of this thing! He sees why you ride around for fun now!

Once you get back home he asks if you two could go for another ride again soon! He'll also have a ton of questions about how the motorcycle actually works. And you can teach him to drive it if you want to, he'd be a safer driver than Hook.

[shall-we-imagine]

Exceptions. (Doctor!Serge DurandalxReader)

Summary: Sometimes you just need to avoid apples at all costs. Think about it.

Genre: Fluff.

A/N: Aahhhh sorry I haven't been feeling very well lately so this isn't very good TT~TT and it's sort of short too :")

(Second Person Point of View)

"Amelia, I'm not going in there!" You try to escape hell -also known as the hospital-, but your friend uses all her might to drag you inside. "You told me we were going to the mall!" You silently accuse her of betrayal.

"We are!" She defends then mutters in a barely audible voice, "after you're done with the vaccine.."

"I told you I can't do it!" You struggle against her grip around your wrist, but the frail-looking girl was actually stronger than you expected. If there was something out there you hated more than anything, that'd be shots. Some may say you're scared, but that's not the case. Not at all. You're not scared. You merely prefer to avoid being within 20 kg radius of any needle. Simple as. It wasn't like you felt like passing out just viewing the sharp, thin, malicious tip or anything. Nope.

Amelia places her hands on each side of your shoulder, giving you a few, light shakes, as she gives her everything but motivational speech, "Listen; if you don't want to spend what's left of your life suffering in bed because of that disease then die looking like a failed attempt at DIY from Pinterest, you have to gather the courage and do this!"

"Die looking like a what now?" You give her a look.

"I had some free time, but it just didn't go very well, even though I followed the tutoria-hey! Don't distract me!" She cuts off her own babbling to scold you. "Now, come on; it's your turn already!" She pulls you towards the reception desk.

"What do you mean it's my turn?! We just got here!" You could feel your heartbeat speeding up, fear taking control of all your senses. You didn't want to embarrass yourself in front of everyone, but you were truly terrified to the core. Your friend just didn't understand the way you feel at the moment.

While you were busy planning your escape from hell, a tall figure approached you. "Miss (Y/N), isn't it?" The male smiled, eyes staring at you with such glee. It almost looked as if he were meeting a friend of his or something.

"Uh, y-yes." You allowed yourself to take in his features; he was so beautiful that it would be a shame not to do so. His fluffy pink hair gave him an innocent adorable look, yet it certainly wouldn't hold him back from looking hot either. You were worried you'd get carried away and look like a creep, but it was physically difficult to look away from the handsome stranger in the white coat. White coat. Is he your doctor? You silently prayed for it. However, the reminder of what you supposedly came here for slapped you back into reality.

"Oh, Doctor Durandal! Yes, that's her; I told you about her!" Amelia interjects. You look at the brunette, told you about her? She dismissed your obvious question, keeping her conversation with the doctor going. "She's such a baby! I had to trick her into coming here!" Your friend continues to ignore your existence.

Embarrassed by her speech, you nudge her, urging her to keep her mouth shut before she decides to humiliate you further. The doctor notices your actions, resulting in the cutest chuckle you'd ever witnessed. He was so adorable for a person about to shove a deathly, nightmare-infusing tool into your arm. You shiver at the thought. You had to leave as soon as possible.

"Well, uh, you two have fun; I'm just gonna go have a look at something. Outside." You give a nervous laugh, trying to rush away from them, but to your dismay, a hand wraps around your wrist, pulling you backwards.

"You can have a look at that something when we're done. It won't take a second." He smiles. Dammit, why does the villain here look so precious?!

An innocent smile spread across her face, Amelia tilts her head and waves at you, as the doctor drags you away and into his office.

I'm going to chop your head off. You glare, ensuring your telepathic message reaches your friend, who seems extremely unfazed.

"Listen, I can't do this; I-" you try to object while the doctor seats you on a chair and a nurse rushes around you to prepare for the shot.

You could feel your heart beat quicken out of pure terror. This was it. There was no way out of it.

Your breath hitched, as the doctor brought himself closer to you. Your eyes squeezed shut in preparation for the worst. But it never came. Instead, a gentle touch sent warmth, seeping through your tensed shoulder.

"Are you okay?" A quiet, concern-induced voice asked.

Upon fluttering your eyes open, you were met with a pair of hazel eyes staring down at you. Your cheeks flushed at the distance, or the lack thereof, between your faces. "Um..I.." You attempt to piece together a sentence, but only incoherent speech comes out of your mouth.

"Hey, calm down." He gives you another one of his sweet smiles, "it's gonna be fine."

Fine my ass, you wanted to say, but something about the softness in his voice made it near impossible to snap at him. He seemed to genuinely try to comfort you.

You felt a cold sensation rub at an area in your arm on the opposite side of the doctor. You turn your head, attempting to take a look at the source of that touch, but before you can fully turn your head, the doctor reaches to touch your cheek and turns your head back to him.

"Um?" You give the male a questioning look. That's not what doctors usually do, is it?

"Ah, s-sorry!" He pulls his hand back, "I just wanted to..um.." his eyes flicker back and forth as if searching for the correct words. "Your eyes!" He exclaims, causing you to jump a little.

"What about my eyes..?"

He freezes a bit before resuming his odd explanation, "um..they're..they're pretty."

"Thanks?" You tilt your head, confused. Yeah, sure, being complimented by the cute doctor feels good, but something was definitely strange here.

"And we're all done!" The nurse cheers, directing your attention to her. She was placing a bandaid on your arm. What?

Your head quickly snaps back to the doctor. He was trying to distract you while the nurse does the work.

"Sorry." He laughs nervously, scratching the back of his neck, "I figured the only way we could do it is if you aren't aware we're doing it."

A sense of betrayal dawning upon you, you frown. How come you didn't feel it?

A sudden reminder of how close he was to you and the amount of effort he put to distract you allowed warmth to settle into your chest. Without thinking, you chuckle lightly.

"You're not mad?" His eyes widen. You sort of wondered why he'd care if you're mad, considering he was just your doctor, but the cute expression he showed was enough to make you overlook it.

"Ah, no." You smile, "thank you."

"Thank..you?" Was the shocked expression now permanently etched on his face?

"Yeah?"

"I had prepared myself that you'd just storm out after you know." He laughs lightly.

"I mean I could still do that if you want." You joke.

His hands immediately shooting into the air to show refusal, "No!" Realizing his reaction was a little too much, he clears his throat and straightens up, trying to hide his embarassment.

The grin wouldn't leave your face, as you watch his reactions. He was too adorable.

Let's just say..you hated doctors a little less now. Well, at least a specific doctor was certainly one you could never hate.

Whether you were still planning to kill Amelia or not was debatable, though.

[elizabethrobertajones]

i was thinking, maybe after they sort of explore where cas goes when he dies, they'll kill lucifer and somehow send him there,, do you think that'd work?

Oh! I have been sitting on this for absolutely *ages* and not answered (I am so sorry)… but between the new episode titles coming out (13x04 is ”the big empty”) and watching 11x17 last night, I remembered this ask since it’s been vaguely prodding the back of my head for however long it’s been since you sent this. (Again… sorry >.>)

I think in the simplest terms, yes, it would work. Because if we see the Empty, that means main characters are going to look in and get back out, although I suspect at least to START with it’s going to be the best cosmic lockbox ever since Hell or the Cage or Purgatory or whatever were actually HARD to get in and out of. Even if our heroes get Cas out of the Empty (which, at this point, we’re going to just assume he’s in and wait for plot twists that he’s not, but occam’s razor and all) I ASSUME it’s going to be a one off “holy crap we did that” kind of thing and now all the previous impenetrable realms have lost their shine and anyone can jailbreak the cage or wander through the back door Sam left open in Purgatory or whatever, the Empty will remain at least threatening if not now totally unimaginable or unassailable, but, you know, not an easy bit of work…

I’m not really a fan of Lucifer hanging around on the show at all but they seem determined to have him for fanservice, to the great detriment of everything that comes into contact with him just for him still existing. Their problem is, though, that they see great big bags of money where Lucifer is, and they don���t want to kill him off for good, because they lose what they *think* is a core part of the show. (I mean never mind that every second he’s on screen he’s losing huge chunks of what ever made him a scary or effective villain in season 5 or spoken of in whispers in season 4… Actively devaluing the gold standard…) 

(I hope you don’t like Lucifer but honestly, I would like him much better if he wasn’t around… even if it was a bit corny in the start of season 11, he was effectively threatening in the first half of the season for *not being free*… If he had to be in the story, finding ways to have him threatening but at arm’s length and rarely seen would be so much better than them contracting an actor to regularly appear on screen for long stretches of time >.>)

Anyway, proving the Empty is a real place, which has some sort of rules and way of showing it on screen that makes some sense, and that it’s where angels and demons go when they die, and who knows, maybe the answer to the question about where monsters go when they die in monster heaven, and all the consumed souls and anything that was previously killed in such a way to *end* it rather than move it on… If that’s the place, and we can be sure Lucifer will end up there by his nature, and you *can* access and retrieve it, without it being as fallible and breakable as the cage apparently is, or easy to day-trip in as Purgatory is, then you have a place you can shove Lucifer to get him off the map but still tease the possibility of him enacting a resurrection as Cas will do, but, like… At least at the writers’ discretion, whenever they feel they need him back but giving the story a breather.

I would hope that shoving him in an AU is already doing that for the main world’s story to let them enjoy a Lucifer-free life and again, having punted him into an AU which is already terrible, like, what more damage can he even do there, is putting him somewhere hard to access and letting the main world have a breather from the stress of working out wtf to do with Lucifer week in week out. I *hope* it means they’re getting tired of weaving threads about him and after the fun of rockstar!Lucifer there isn’t really anywhere interesting to go, and now he’s a parent it’s the curse of the story that he should probably die… I would *hope* it’s his last season.

But if the Empty is accessible and not entirely 100% impervious to things entering and leaving, then sending Lucifer there means the writers aren’t going to feel like they’ve thrown away a cash cow/way to drum up drama by killing Lucifer off. Once we know angels can come back from traditional boring old angel deaths without God intervening, that leaves the way open for them to at least feel like they can stash Lucifer for a season and only bring him back if they have to…

The way there was a brief flurry of “the show will end soon!” PR followed by “the show is going to keep going indefinitely!!” PR makes me think that killing Lucifer and stashing him in the Empty is probably the best tactic they have for not getting rid of him permanently, and using Cas to clear the way to have it not be 100% guaranteed permadeath might leave them some options to seemingly kill off Lucifer for good, at least for a while.

Because at the end of the day, I think the main factor here is they’re *scared* to kill off Lucifer, and despite all the evidence to the contrary in season 12 that he’s a boring drain on the story and in absolutely no way did they need him to show up on screen once between 12x08 and 12x23 if they really hadn’t wanted to throw money at the actor and hope it paid back from fans and casual viewers who still think Lucifer is interesting and scary, they felt they needed to have Lucifer around. Making the Empty no longer the end answers that insecurity about if the story can function without Lucifer, because it means they can still bring him back whenever they like.

(I assume it’s similar to Doctor Who and the Master, because they got written out of the story like 3 times just since I was watching the New Who stuff, in *pretty definitive deaths* and each time the Master/Missy just pops right back up again, sometimes without even a flimsy excuse of being resurrected by followers or something. I’m fairly certain that Missy’s end in the last episode so far was really just a “challenge accepted” for the new showrunner should he choose to bring them back…)