#as another demon once said YOU'RE SO CLEVER HOW CAN SOMEONE AS CLEVER AS YOU BE SO STUPID

[androgynouspenguinexpert]

hello hello! i love your character analysis(?) posts, and i would love to hear your thoughts on Avior 👀 /nf

alright im on the train home from uni so its rantin' time - this'll probably be a long one, so strap in theydies and gentlethems!

avior! avior. his first arc was incredibly interesting to me, as i'm a big fan of moral quandries. the idea of keeping a massive secret from a loved one for their safety is super compelling, doubly so if that secrecy is justified (looking at you, blake).

this guy is smart, which is refreshing. avior might be highly emotional (pin this for later), but he's a strategist by nature. unlike a lot of other characters (looking at you again, blake), avior is able (to a certain point) to put his own feelings and goals aside for the sake of others. however - as we'll get to later, avior also has a tendency to decide what people want for them, rather than asking. admittedly, he's usually right, but his execution almost always ends up making someone upset with him.

avior has a lot of flaws, but that's what makes him so interesting! i'd argue avior's biggest character flaw is his immaturity, with selfishness as a close second. he can be shockingly inconsiderate at times, especially if he believes he's doing it for the greater good. avior often hides behind his intellect as an excuse to be detached from things he deems unimportant. obviously he dials it up on purpose to keep starlight at arm's length, but his real feelings towards some of their less good ideas do start to show through from time to time.

on the other side of that coin, avior is very reactionary when it comes to things he does care about. he's a passionate person who regularly has to handle very strong emotions, and it shows. watching avior torture himself by keeping someone he loves at a distance by being a dick is - well, not fun, but it's very strong and entertaining character work.

i think these two things come to a head in the imperium. avior's desire to keep everything running smoothy clashes with his (for lack of a better term) humanity. we can see this in the way he is distrustful (and rightfully so) of the vampire hoardes showing up on the academy's doorstep, yet he goes ballistic at vega for suggesting that they're disposable soldiers who can be killed for resisting orders. i think it's pretty clear in both the prime and imperium timelines that avior is a pacifist, but is often forced into violence either directly or by proxy. imperium!avior has a lot of people relying on him, and he really wasn't built for that pressure.

as an aside, i think it's interesting to see how each character reacts to extreme stress. it was perfectly put in that one heritage tumblr post - your characters are geodes. to see what they're really made of, you need to break them. avior is very reactionary, so you might expect him to snap, but he crumbles. avior's prime universe breakdown is super interesting (which i know is a wild statement, but i'm making it through a purely analytical lens, so hear me out). he's 36 at time of writing, but that is staggeringly young compared to daemons who have been around since before the beginning of time. he doesn't know who he is yet. avior might resist it when questioned, but he wants - needs - guidance, and he knows that. i think avior struggles with impostor syndrome, especially in the imperium. he's nervous to move away from the security blanket that is the older daemons, and getting booted into a pocket dimension by blake has forced his hand.

let's talk about the finale, and start of arc 2! avior and starlight are dumped out on the street by ancient deathless gods. cool. the inversion starts. less cool. avior's first instinct is to investigate and report back to the chorus - his curiosity is back after being beaten out of him by spending 2 years completely isolated. he's horrified by the carnage, which is completely expected, but i also think speaks to how sheltered he is. obviously, everyone in the general area is caught off guard by what is essentially shades shooting fish in a barrel, but avior's revulsion is unique. he hasn't spent enough time in elegy to learn real damage control, let alone for a large number of people. david is a good contrast here - of course he wants to help individuals, but he recognises that his first priority should be the safety of as many people as possible. granted, it's his job, but even sam starts to coordinate muster points once he's caught onto the situation (and, admittedly, made sure vincent hasn't torn through a wall looking for lovely).

avior then presents his (*) memories of e'laetum and min'ara to the chorus, as well as calling them for backup at the inversion point, but they're unconvinced. we'll be here all day if i got into chorus politics here - but i think their hesitancy is, among other reasons, caused by avior's presentation of the information. he's panicking. insistant. desperate to get the chorus involved as quickly as possible to stop people from suffering. this is another of avior's flaws - he's a lot more human than he thinks.

you could chalk that up to his age and inexperience, but avior displays a level of empathy (ironically) and care for humans that a lot of other daemons do not. that's definitely not a bad thing, but avior seems to be completely unaware of this fact and thus leaves it unmeasured. i think avior might have had a chance of at least swaying the chorus if he had presented his evidence with logic and detachment. here's a screen recording of meeting e'laetum and min'ara and the information they gave, be it true or not. you can all feel mass casualties in the spellsong. shades are involved, and a lot of them, so the sovereigns are definitely up to something. avior is far too smart to not put the pieces together that this display of raw power by the sovereigns is a sign that their strength is returning. but, unfortunately, the chorus (specifically circinus) only see avior's emotions clouding his judgement, and dismiss him.

i'm worried that an extended period of being completely alone has stunted avior's emotional development, especially considering he never spent much time interacting with elegy in the first place. even someone like gavin (who chose to stay in elegy after years of mistreatment) responded to the inversion fairly rationally, considering he spent the entire time being agonisingly ripped apart at the seams. yes, they're different people, but gavin's exposure to people from fairly early in his life is definitely a contributing factor.

avior has a lot of potential directions for his character to go in, but i think the most likely one is his emotional regulation. he's too focused on the immediate future, which is a microscopic amount of time for a daemon that lives for an indefinite amount of time. he's childish. again, not a bad thing - but avior's inexperience and lack of emotional development have a strong effect on his behaviour. i hope he learns to recognise that before it bites him in the ass.

[ofpineapplesanddawns]

prompt: crowley telling aziraphale he loves him for the first time

You mean the last fifteen minutes of- *gun cocks*

Right!

Alrighty, let's do something... different! Something less soul crushing!

Think of this as something possible for the hypothetical season three, with vague stuff related to what we know about the plot.

On with the fic!

--

"This is... familiar." Aziraphale spoke as he took the bottle from Crowley, sitting on the tarmac, feeling completely and utterly drained from the events of the past... well...

"Yep." Crowley replied and leaned back on his hands, his shades gone, his hair a mess, probably feelings just like Aziraphale did.

"The world, the universe, is safe once more. Everything is over, and we can go back to normal." Aziraphale drank from the bottle, oh, how he missed wine. Heaven was so annoying about it.

Crowley didn't reply for a moment, then his sighed out his next words. "Yeah. Normal." He moved to stand on unsteady feet. "Guess you'll be goin' back, eh?"

"Back to where?"

"Heaven." Crowley said, the word said in such a way that Aziraphale could taste the bitterness on his own tongue. "Supreme Archangel and all, eh? Still gotta go up there and sort everythin' out."

Aziraphale licked his bottom lip, looking at the bottle in his hand. "I don't think that title suits me."

"Why not? Not fussy enough for you?" Aziraphale deserved that bite, but he glowered at Crowley anyway.

"Crowley, I think it's very clear that I am no longer anything to Heaven other than a traitor and a fired angel!" He was on his feet and now in the demon's face. "I gave up Heaven when all of this started, when He finally arrived in that stupid plane, and all this... this... malarkey happened!"

Crowley mouthed the word 'malarkey', but Aziraphale pressed on. "I am no longer with Heaven, I stopped when I realized that they were going to get that blasted war one way or another! That they were going to use their last resort and take out the whole universe! And in doing so, that obviously gave them the upper hand by cheating!

I didn't want that! Any of that, no wonder Gabriel ran away, it's horrible, it's the worst possible option! I thought humans made that all up for the Bible, but apparently Heaven loved the idea just as much as Hell really got into Dante's ideas of nine levels of, well, Hell!"

Aziraphale inhaled sharply and then breathed out slowly. "I came back, Crowley. I came back to save Earth, to save the universe, and..."

"And?" Crowley asked, voice quiet.

"And I came back to apologize." Aziraphale closed his eyes, head bowed. "I hurt you, I know I did. I kept tabs on you all this time because I worried about you so much. Muriel would tell me things, and you... I should have come to see you, at least, in person. Or at least when you were awake."

Crowley's breath hitched. "You came to see me?"

"A few times, when Heaven didn't have me doing so much paperwork and wasn't breathing down my neck." Aziraphale shifted, his hands wringing. "I had to see you, but only when you didn't see me. Crowley, oh, I missed you so much, I was such a fool! You were right."

"Right about what?"

"When we had that fight, before the bookshop burned. You said I was someone who is so clever and yet so stupid. I made a huge mistake when I chose Heaven over you."

Aziraphale looked up and Crowley was staring, his eyes wide. "I understand if you can't forgive me, for leaving you, hurting you, and... for rejecting our side. You're right, it had always been us, and I tried to see if I could make it work... in a way to fix Heaven. Which was wrong, it can't be fixed. And you don't need to be an angel again! You're still you, angel, demon, you're Crowley, and damnit! I should have thought of that the moment you confessed!"

Crowley was silent, but he swallowed. "And you're still you, Principality, Archangel, even frumpy bookseller, you're still Aziraphale and you're still my best friend."

There was a tightness in Aziraphale's chest as he looked into those golden eyes. "Crowley...?"

"I should be angry and bitter and furious and full of hate, but Aziraphale, I could never hate you. I was hurt, yes, but you and I have been through so much together, and you just... you fighting alongside me to save everything. When you took my hand as we thought it was all coming to and end..."

He reached out and took Aziraphale's hands. "I forgave you."

Aziraphale took the other hand, and stepped closer. "You do?"

"Course I do. I always do, and you always forgive me." Crowley mumbled, his cheeks a bit pink. "I can't hate you, Aziraphale. I never have, even through all our darker times. And this was a really dark time. The crazy things you do when you love someone, yeah?"

They both stopped and stared right at one another. "Love?" Aziraphale asked, his voice just barely a whisper.

"Don't make me say it..." Crowley grumbled. "I thought I made it clear when we-"

"Please." Aziraphale squeezed his hands, taking another step closer. "Please, just... just stay it."

Crowley swallowed, nodding. "Aziraphale, angel, I... I love you. And I have for a very, very long time."

"Since when?"

"Eden. When you gave away your sword."

Aziraphale smiled softly. "I knew I felt a wave a love then."

Crowley snorted and leaned forward, his face hidden in Aziraphale's shoulder and neck. "Don't say that, that's embarrassing!"

"It's sweet!" Aziraphale laughed, even though tears were coming down his cheeks. He felt lighter than he had in ages and so full of joy. "Oh, oh Crowley, I love you too. You have no idea how long I've wanted to tell you!"

Crowley twitched against him, face still hidden as he asked "You really love me?"

"I have for ages, for... oh, I have no idea how long."

Since you were that beautiful, smiling angel talking about the stars, since you slithered up on the Wall to chat after the apple ordeal.

They held each other, standing right there together as the world continued on without the risk of a holy and unholy war.

--

Hand holding and hugs, those are good.

[thesoftboiledegg]

The "nerdy" store at the bigger mall never has Rick and Morty merchandise--I found a DVD there once, but that's it--and yesterday was no exception. I did find a cardboard cutout of Sersi, my favorite Eternal:

Am I the only one who liked Eternals? I think Marvel just marketed it badly.

I usually don't have much luck at Hot Topic, either. They sell bags of tiny figurines from other shows, and I always wondered why Rick and Morty didn't get in on that. Turns out, Adult Swim finally discovered that market!

When I first saw the characters on the back, I thought "Oh, cool, we're finally catching up to season five." Then I found a surprise: Crow Witch Rick!!

I wanted that little guy so badly, but the figurines are packaged so that you don't know what you get until you open one. I thought "He has a pointy hat, so maybe I'll be able to feel that inside the bag." I've heard of people using a similar method to find rare hockey cards.

But nope...no luck. Maybe I'll be able to find an opened one on eBay.

Also, it's funny how they're making "Rickdependence Spray" merchandise like that isn't the worst episode in the series. Admittedly, I did laugh at Morty's "dirty little doggy" line. But it wasn't worth it!

Hopefully, this means that more Crow Witch Rick merchandise is on the way because I would buy all of it.

Hot Topic also had another underutilized character: Philip J. Fry.

Futurama is weirdly under-marketed. The series has enough of a cult following that it seems like a cash cow, but merchandise is rare. I've always thought that Futurama is strangely underrated in general even though it's aired on two major networks and has one of the most famous cartoonists in the world behind it.

On to Spencer's. They didn't have Pickle Rick OR the Rick and Morty cube. Pathetic! But they did have a new wallet that looked like an old TV set, which is pretty clever.

GIF of the changing image:

Today, it was time for a trip to the other mall. As always, I gave Box Lunch a little tip. Someone else requested the "will to live!" I don't think the mall can help them with that one.

In the food court, I spotted a man wearing a Rick and Morty shirt. I said "Hey, your shirt is awesome! Can I get a picture?" He said "Yeah, sure." When I asked him where he got it, he said "Burlington."

So Burlington sells demonic Rick and Morty merchandise now? That's news to me.

The pile of Rick and Morty Funko Pops greeted me at one of the "nerdy" stores, but they're still slowly thinning out. I guess nobody wants the huge Snowball.

Similarly, I posted about this poor Froopyland Beth months ago, and she's still here. Nobody wants her!

And to make matters worse, there's an identical Froopyland Beth in a different part of the store who's lived there for months, too. They even lowered the price!

The store also has two identical King of Shit Rick Funko Pops, each with a different location and price.

Don't want either of those? You can buy Rick in his ship if you're willing to reach to the top shelf.

Look at him go!

THIS Spencer's location didn't let me down. Pickle Rick and the Rick and Morty cube were squeezed onto a shelf, albeit with a bat blocking the view.

They also had a couple of new shirts. I love the vibrant colors.

And a handful of comics in a different "nerdy" store.

No comics for me, thanks. Not unless they release a Crow Witch Rick one--and how has that not happened yet? Seems like an obvious way to expand on plotlines from the series.

Anyway, it'll probably never happen, but my dream is to get a Crow Rick figurine in this style. Maybe I'll hire someone to design and 3D print one.

[charliedawn]

How would they react to the new arrival ?

" Hi everybody. My name is Y/N and I am the head nurse around here. If you have any questions, you can ask them to me. I see here that two of you are transfers from St John's, so you'll be assigned to miss Harrison's department..However, I see here that mister Wendell Crumb has just been released from prison ? Who is mister Wendell Crumb ?"

A close cut man raises his hand with a slight smile.

" That would be me."

You smile back before checking something on your file.

" Fine. You'll be transferred to my department. However, I see here that you've got many names..May I ask who I am talking to ?"

Wendell Crumb suddely straightens up and stares right at you with a very unsettling smile.

" I'm Barry. Nice to meet you.."

You raise an eyebrow suspiciously before looking down at his file. Creepy smile. Judgy stare. Feminine stand..Yeah, definitely not Barry..

" I'm sorry, but in order for us to get along, honesty is the key..Now, could you please tell me who you really are ?"

The man's smile only widens as he congratulates you.

" Clever girl. I'm Patricia. Nice to meet you."

He then claps with both hands and you narrow your eyes, trying to figure the new patient out. He seems harmless enough, even though his file seems to suggest the contrary. A great pretender. After all the effort you had put in getting the patients to trust you, this one would surely bring chaos. You could already tell by just looking at him in the eyes: he wasn't here to get better.

You sigh before closing the file and signaling to the patient to follow you as Harrison enters. Wendell Crumb is almost too eager to follow you. You can feel his stare on you, as if he was sizing you up and down.

" The patients are eating, I suppose it is a good time to get acquainted with them and make some new friends. What do you think ?"

You smile and try to be nice to him, but he doesn't answer. He only huffs before looking away. You open the door to the cafeteria and feel the stare of all the slashers on you and the new arrival. Patricia seems to be doing a quick assessment of each slasher before finally landing on you.

" By what I heard, I thought I would be meeting fearless and bloodthirsty demons..But all I can see is a bunch of old-timers."

Your eyes widen in shock at his words and you can see some of the slashers tense. However, far from being intimidated, Kevin widely grins and seems to slouch slightly, taking another personality you guess.

" Hi guys ! I'm Hedwig ! I'm soooo excited to meet all of you ! Patricia said you were like us ! That's like, totally cool !"

To that, Freddy is the first to answer with a mocking smirk.

" Great. Another kid..Me who thought we would finally be enough to play poker. What a disappointment..Can he at least change his own grown-up diapers ?"

Suddenly, Hedwig's joyful expression shifts to a much serious one that glares daggers at Freddy.

" What did you say, steak face ?"

Oh oh. Freddy's expression darkens and he stands up to face Kevin that only arks an eyebrow at him, a silent challenge. One that Freddy is eager to respond to.

" What did you call me, baldie ?"

But, far from feeling intimidated, Kevin only stares down at him with a little smirk.

" You heard me, midget.."

You can feel the tension rising and put yourself between the two of them promptly.

" Hey ! That's enough ! Be nice ! And you.."

You turn towards Freddy with furrowed eyebrows, clearly displeased.

"..I told you to hold your tongue with them."

Freddy only humphs unhappily before getting out of your grip and glaring at Kevin that only grins defiantly at him.

" What ? That's it ? This is the infamous Freddy Krueger ? The bringer of nightmares and slayer of children ? I must admit that I am deeply disappointed.."

Patricia, she wants to rile him up. You quickly get another nurse to get Freddy to sit back down before he gives in to his violent impulses. You then glare at Kevin before taking him by the arm for him to follow you outside of the room.

" What are you trying to do exactly ?! Get killed ?!"

But, far from feeling guilty, Kevin's grin only widens as he stares directly back at you for several seconds, as if looking deep inside your soul..At the end, he pretends to be apologetic by raising his hands in surrender and finally giving some kind of explanation for his behavior.

" I'm sorry. I'm just feeling overwhelmed, garden variety issue..You understand. We mustn't let the bad seeds take roots, or we may end up with bad weed issues.."

At this, Pennywise that had followed you discreetly gets out of his hiding spot to growl menacingly at Kevin.

" Bad weed ?! Who are you calling bad weed, pal ?! I'll show you bad weed."

But one stern look from you, and Pennywise reconsiders. But, he is still glaring daggers at Kevin that only giggles maniacally while you get him back inside. However, he doesn't miss the way you instinctively hold on to the pendent hanging around your neck..What a strange necklace..? He turns his head towards the slashers that all seem on edge now, like a pack of wolves ready to attack. However, it's even worse when he suddenly takes you by the shoulders to smell you behind your ear, his gaze still fixed on the gang that seems ready to jump into action at any moment..Even Pennywise doesn't notice that he is munching on his spoon instead 9f his actual food. You try to get out of his grip, but he only tightens his grip on you as a response.

" What ? Are you all her lapdogs now ? I see the appeal..But still, to think she managed to have you all around her little finger..The strongest men on Earth, all submitting to that small bite."

As if to prove his point, he starts nibbling on the top of your ear, waiting for a reaction. However, before anyone could do anything, Kevin feels something piercing his skin and turns around to see a smirking Five with a needle in his hand.

" Nighty night."

Kevin collapses and you quickly kneel by his side to take his pulse. Thankfully, he's alive and you ask some nurses to bring him back to his room. You had agreed with the hospital not to use the collars unless it was a case of extreme emergency, looks like this could be one..

" Thank you, Five. But, dont use medical supplies without my permission again, okay ?"

He doesn't lose his smile before replying casually, hands in his pockets.

" Can't promise anything.."

The slashers are still staring at Kevin that is dragged out of the room. It takes you a while to reassure them that you're fine, even longer to convince yourself. However, Five seems even more suspicious than usual, he seems to be eager to return to his bedroom, and he was late for lunch..But, you don't have the time to worry about him. You finally manage to get them all to return to their bedrooms and walk inside your own. There, you let the mask fall and collapse on your bed, burying your face in a nearby pillow in order to muffle your tears and screams. Each time, you try to contain your own fear for the safety of the patients and yourself, but just with one touch, this new individual had made all of your walls crumble. However, you have to get it together, you couldn't let the other patients see you like this..You get up and cough a bit before cleaning yourself up. You then open the door, not expecting all the patients tumbling inside as they were listening in..You sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose.

" What did I say about listening on doors ?"

They all stand up and look at everything but your face or simply try to justify themselves.

" Look, hon..We were only worried..Kinda ?"

Freddy tries to explain, but you take a big inspiration before stepping out. This is just what you needed: serial killers worrying about you.

" It's the hour of your medication. How about Michael and Five come to help me in the kitchen while you wait in the your rooms ?"

You finally decide to ignore Freddy and are surprised when Arthur takes you gently by the arm so you can look up at them.

"Hey, don't shut us down. Freddy is right, we were only worried."

You eyes soften at their genuine concern, but you quickly shake the feeling away. You had faced far worse, but this patient scared you the most..because he had attacked you as if he already knew, as if he knew who you were before you even introduced yourself. You will have to keep a close eye on that one, that's for sure. Fortunately, the patients hadn't reacted too extremely, or it would have turned bad, very very bad..You don't know why the hospital had suddenly decided to add another patient, but one thing is for sure, this new patient wasn't transferred here, he was sent here with a purpose. Now, your goal is to discover whatever purpose that is. You are on your way to his room when you realize something..You hadn't seen Jason all morning. He wasn't there for lunch either. You feel cold sweat running down your back when you suddenly hear some fighting noises. You run in the direction of the sounds and are shocked to see Jason, Five and, surprisingly, Klaus in Kevin's room. You don't have the time to ask what the last one is here that Jason takes Kevin by his shirt and throws him through the window.

You look at Five for an explanation, but he doesn't look at you and looks at the broken window instead.

" Did he just..?"

" Yup. He just did.."

Klaus confirms before turning towards you with a small awkward smile.

" Can someone please explain to me why a civilian is here and why Jason just threw Kevin out of the damn window ?!"

You exclaim and for once, Five is speechless and it's his brother that decides to step up to explain the situation to you.

" Hi. I'm Klaus, Five's older brother and I was about to help him escape until we heard noises of a fight outside. We got out and saw a bold man talking and fighting our dear sweet Jason that threw said man flying through the window. Literally."

Your eyes widen at the news of his planned escape and then look at Five with a confused frown. The idea of escaping wasn't what surprised you the most, but why would he want to leave now ? However, before you could ask, Jason, who is clearly upset, pushes right past you with angry groans and an uneven breathing. You give a stern look at Five, clearly signifying that this discussion isn't over before running after Jason before he could murder Kevin. When you get out, you see that all of the slashers had encircled Kevin that seems angrier than ever.

" I'll kill you all !"

He shouts, but Freddy only cackles while leaning against the wall, with the sunglasses you had given him sitting on his nose, and Pennywise that has a bowl of popcorn in his hands.

" Come on, Jason ! We'll enjoy the massacre..There are no witnesses. Just show that clown who's the boss ! No offense.."

He quickly adds at the end to Pennywise that only smirks before fist-bumping him.

" None taken."

You run to stand between the two huge men that don't seem to even notice you. You look at Michael for help, but he only crosses his arms, clearly implying that he wouldn't interfere. Great..You think before turning towards the devil you know, your hands outstretched towards him.

" Stop, Jason. Please. This is not you. Whatever he told you, it is not worth this. You will be punished, severely. They will maybe not kill you, but they will lock you away, somewhere nobody will ever find you again.."

Jason seems to finally snap out of it and you smile when he takes your hand and yanks you forward with his supernatural strength. You chuckle, relieved while he hugs you. But then, you hear a loud sound behind you and turn around swiftly to see..Brahms ?! Brahms just took Kevin by the throat to crash the back of his head against the concrete and his hands are now around his throat, squeezing painfully tight. You run towards them and try to get Brahms to let go, but he only tightens his grip on him as you yell.

" Let go, Brahms ! What are you doing ?! I said let go !"

But he doesn't listen to you, even worse, he gives you a hard blow to the stomach with his elbow that knocks all air out of your lungs. However, you still find the strength to get up and this is when Brahms finally shouts furiously.

" He took my doll !"

You are surprised how he managed to form a whole sentence without stammering and also horrified by the news. Brahms' doll is Brahms' most precious possession, no wonder he wants to kill Kevin. But then, Kevin laughs and spits blood on Brahms' mask.

" Idiot. You kill me, you won't get the doll and they'll throw you in the darkest deepest hole they can find.."

You know that he is telling the truth and look at Brahms that doesn't seem to be willing to stop. You take a big breath before finally taking out the pendent they had offered you. You hold it tightly in your hand before ordering Brahms to stop.

" Stop, Brahms ! Let him go ! Now !"

Suddenly, as if under some kind of transe, Brahms straightens up and finally releases Kevin. Brahms then slowly turns towards you and walks to you until he is barely a few inches away from you and leans in so close you can hear his hectic breathing. You almost fear for your life and hold on to the pendent even tighter.

However, he only humphs and walks away. You look up and, for once, see the disappointment in the different slashers' eyes. They all saw what happened, what you used to control Brahms.

" I..I didn't want to.."

But it's too late, the damage is done. The Joker, that had stayed silent so far, suddenly bursts our laughing, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes as he tells you bitterly.

" You know why Jason attacked Kevin ? Because he said that you were using us..Looks like he wasn't so wrong after all.."

He walks past you, not even giving you a second glance. You turn towards the rest of the slashers that seem either angry or even fearful of you.

" P..Penny..?"

You try to extend your hand towards Penny that is eyeing you warily and who growls warningly at you when your hand is too close. Suddenly, a hand snatches yours to yank you backwards.

" Back off, lady !"

Pennywise cautions you, his eyes glowing yellow in the dark. However, suddenly, some armed forces enter the yard and get out tazers to restrain the patients. You see one of the guards tackle Pennywise to the ground. To your horror, Penny bites the guard's shoulder that screams loudly in pain. Before you could say anything, another guard shoots some tranquilizers at the Penny that collapses.

" No..No !"

You run towards Penny and cradle his face with tears in your eyes. It wasn't supposed to go this way. What had gone wrong ? You look up at Pennywise that is now restrained and muzzled. He tries to break free to reach Penny, but the guards won't let him.

" Pennywise..I'm..I'm so s.."

But he glares at you and cuts you off harshly.

" Nah. Save your breath, princess.."

Pennywise says while eyeing you up and down with new-found disdain, even Freddy is not smiling anymore. The slashers are brought back inside with shackles and you feel your lower lip quivering. You didn't want to use the pendent, but he was going to kill Kevin and..You look back to see that Kevin is smiling. He even dares giggles when some guards come to take him away.

" Rejoice ! You are of the worthy ! You are broken !"

You don't understand and frown in confusion, but he doesn't add anything. You sigh deeply before getting back inside as well, you had to make it up to them..somehow.

" You really think it's a good idea ? We aren't even sure that Kevin will be able to accomplish his mission."

But the woman, far from being worried, only puffs out a cloud of smoke and replies with a confident smile.

" Believe me, John. It will work..Soon, we'll have the slashers at our mercy. They'll be our little tin soldiers. And nothing will be able to stop us, brother.."

[onomonopetabread]

Declawing the Cat- Chapter 2

“ Can you believe that nerve of that jerk?”

Marinette was absolutely furious. Tikki watched her from the bed as she paced from wall to wall. It was really getting concerning; she’s been ranting for the past three hours. School ended about five hours ago, but Marinette’s little encounter with Felix never left her mind.

“What, did he think that a few thoughtless compliments would get me to trust him? Who does he think he is, the MaYOR?”

That last part was a particularly loud shriek, and if Tikki had eardrums, they would be completely shattered by now. It was time to stop this madness.

“Mari, I know that you’re upset, and trust me, I am too. But… don’t you think that you should calm down? You’ve been at this for a really long time.”

Marinette hardly heard her. “I really tried. I tried to just leave it alone. But nooo, he just had to go and rock the boat! Can’t the guy take a hint? I mean, if someone didn’t talk to ME after giving the third fakest apology given ever, I would know that they hated MY guts.”

“Why should we trust anything he has to say? He hasn’t exactly given us any reason to like him.”

“Yeah, how can you expect us to just become friends with us after what he did? He’s a liar!”

The group gathered around Felix. He’d just been introduced to the class by Adrien, and it didn’t seem as though they were very happy to see him. They were making so much noise that no one had noticed the lack of a certain blue-eyed class president. Unbeknownst to them, Marinette was crouched behind a pillar near the courtyard, watching and listening to the entire thing.

She had been uncharacteristically early to school and was chatting with Tikki in the locker room when she heard Adrien’s voice outside. Naturally, she'd begun to walk outside to greet him. The fact that she had decided to try to get over him out of respect for Kagami doesn’t make it illegal for her to talk to him; he is her friend.

When Marinette first stepped out of the room, her first thought was that there were somehow two Adriens. Then she realized that one Adrien looked like...Adrien, and the other looked like a sad old man somehow ended up in a teen’s body. In about 0.2 seconds, she was absolutely seething. What was he doing here? Why wasn’t he at his comfortable home in the ninth circle of hell?

“Guys, this is my cousin Felix. He’s going to be attending school with us for now on. I know you guys will take him in with open arms.”

Open arms? This clown? Marinette scoffed. She’d sooner swallow a cup of tacks than let that prick into her life. Her classmates however, aren’t as strong-minded as she was. It’d probably be better if she stayed silent and invisible for this and let them make up their own minds about this, just to see what they would do.

“Why should we trust anything he has to say? He hasn’t exactly given us any reason to like him.”

“Yeah, how can you expect us to just become friends with us after what he did? He’s a liar!”

Okay, so far so good. Maybe this time around, she wouldn’t be (almost) the only person that didn’t trust a liar. Oh, how great it will be to openly loathe for once! One by one, more and more voices were protesting letting the rat into their friend group. The entirety of the class was hanging Formally-Dressed Draco to dry, and Marinette was in ecstasy.

‘Yes,’ she thought. ‘Tear him to pieces!’

Just when things were really starting to escalate, the sound of someone clearing their throats cut through the noise.

“Hello, everyone. As Adrien just told you, my name is Felix Graham de Vanily. To answer your question, Mr. Le Chein, yes, I’m the cousin of Adrien’s that impersonated him and sent you a cruel response to your heartfelt videos. For that, I am deeply sorry. I have no excuse for wha-”

What. In. The. World. If Marinette was furious before, she was positively incandescent now. He really was another Lila! Not to mention the fact that he didn’t even have the decency to make the apology seem even slightly convincing. Anyone with an EQ of 3 could see that those puppy-eyes were rehearsed and don’t even get Mari STARTED on that pout. There was no way that her class would buy this, but by the looks on their faces…

“If you’re really sorry...”

…Of course. Of-freaking-course they would believe him. Marinette sighed and walked into the classroom. Once again, she was left to hold the class’ single brain cell, by herself this time since there was no chance in Adrien distrusting his own cousin. Now how was she going to go about this was the question. If he really is Lila 2.0, then her initial plan to outright hate him will boomerang her right in the eye. No, it’s better to just avoid him at all costs; you can’t hate what you never come into contact with.

“Are you really sure that’s going to work, Marinette?” Tikki asked once they were safe inside the room. “You can’t stay away from him forever, you know. He may be a nuthead, but he’s smart enough to notice when you aren’t fawning over him like the others.”

“I know Tikki, but I think I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. For now, I’m going to go above and beyond to make sure our paths never cross.”

“That’s a relief. I thought for a moment there that you were going to do the rational thing for once.”

“Really, Tikki? Sarcasm? That’s beneath you.”

“If you’re looking for a finger to point, blame Plagg. You pick it up after being with him for a few thousand years.”

Marinette stayed true to her word and made it her mission to never be in the same room as the Great Disturbance unless it was class time. Even then, she kept a compact with her so that she could see if he was coming up behind her. Whenever someone began to bring him up into a conversation, she would quickly but subtly change the subject.

After a few days of this, she seemed to really be getting the hang of it. Avoiding him was becoming second nature to Mari. It actually would have been way easier for her if the demon hadn’t kept trying to collect her soul. Like always, Tikki had been right. The little son-of-a caught on to her really quickly and didn’t hesitate to try to reach out to her. In fact, the other classmates would often tell her that he had been looking for her, and she’d had to act as though she didn’t have a clue what they were talking about. That part hadn’t been so easy.

“So, what are you going to make for the big competition, Mari? A dress maybe?” asked Alya.

“Actually, I was thinking about sewing up a pair of suits. I’m not sure what they’ll look like yet, but I really want to try something new this time.”

“Well, I know whatever you’ll make will blow their socks off, girl. Speaking of designers, Felix told me to ask you to meet him after school . He said he wants to talk to you.”

“Is that so?” Marinette asked, feigning surprise (see bane-of-existence, you’re not the only person who can act here).

“Yeah, he really seemed to have taken an interest in you. All he ever asks us is what you're up to. It’s almost an obsession. Do I sense a little romance here? Another blond-haired green-eyed love interest?”

“Not very likely, Alya. Anyways, I guess I’ll have to talk to him later. So, are you going to tell me about your new reporting piece or what?”

What? Don’t give me that face, it’s technically not a lie; Mari did end up talking to him later, didn’t she? Though, to be fair, she wasn’t planning on actually interacting with him until they both passed. No, not passing class. The other pass.

One thing that she had learned about the knock-off Five Hargreeves was that she had greatly overestimated him. For the love, the kid wasn’t fit to kiss Lila’s feet. At least her schemes were clever and thought-through; this amaetur just existed and everything was handed to him on a silver platter. The rest of the class has spoiled him into thinking that it would be easy to capture her attention with a tense grimace of a smile and two ounces of ‘charm’. Unfortunately for him, Marinette Dupain-Cheng wasn’t so easily bought.

So, that’s the way it went for a few weeks; a classic game of cat and mouse. He would try to catch her, and she would slip out of reach at the last minute. If she had to admit it, it was very fun, especially sneaking peeks at the frustrated faces the devil makes when he thinks no one is looking; the coward can’t be emotionally vulnerable for a second.

That’s why she felt so sure that he wouldn’t follow her to the park; the place was way too open for a stand-offish guy like him. She was very safe in the great outdoors with nothing but her sketchpad, a sharpened pencil, and a sleeping Tikki in her purse. She had been working on that design that she was talking about with Alya. Marinette really needed this design to be perfect. Perhaps a double-breasted suit would work? How many buttons would she have to buy? If she was any deeper into her work, she might not have noticed the distinct smell of leather and the tears of the innocents approaching her. She just barely retained her composure.

‘What is he doing here? Whatever, perhaps if I just stay completely still, he’ll go away.”

“Ah, Ms. Dupain-Cheng! How lovely it is to see you. We never seem to talk, do we? It is quite a shame really.”

‘It would also be a shame if you were to get punched where the sun doesn’t shine, Mr. Pied Piper’, Marinette thought. Alas, no matter how much she wanted to move her hand like so, she couldn’t let him win this fight. No, just silent-treatment it out and pray he either leaves or gets struck with a lightning bolt.

“I must say, that is a lovely suit you’re designing there. I love the use of gold thread on the pants. If I may make a few suggestions-”

Him? Give fashion advice? Marinette would rather NOT learn how to dress like an off-brand Crowly, thank you very much. Good grief, he really wasn’t going to stop trying, was he? Alright, no more Nice Marinette.

That’s when she finally snapped and, well, you know how that went. Had it been ANYbody else, she probably would feel guilty for talking to someone so blatantly, but it turns out that she left that situation with zero regrets. If she didn’t put a stop to this whole ordeal, she’ll probably have to carry around a tiny halberd with her for the rest of her life, and as much as she would like to use it, he really wasn’t worth the trouble. Ugh, he makes her absolutely Sick. He’s so slimy, terrible, arrogant, deceitful-

“MARINETTE JOSEPHINE DUPAIN-CHENG BE QUIET!!!!”

Marinette was so startled she tripped over her chaise and fell onto her bed.

“Geez, Tikki! Couldn’t give a girl a warning before you scream like that?”

“You’re one to talk, Ms. The Mayor. And for the record, I did give you a warning; I’ve been calling your name since for the past hour. Are you really going to get all worked up over this, Mari? You said it yourself, he’s just another Lila.”

“I know Tikki, and I’m sorry I’ve been rambling on for so long. It’s just- yeah, he’s a liar, a fake, and way too stoic to be real, but he’s different from Lila. I don't know what it is about him, but I can’t help but wholeheartedly loathe him. Just the thought of him makes a shiver run down my spine.”

“Loathing. Right. That’s it, totally. Is that why you haven’t said his name this entire time.”

“As a matter of fact, yes. I’m very happy you noticed, Tikki. I spent a lot of time thinking up all of those insult names.”

“I’m sure you did, Marinette,” Tikki sighed. “You really don’t like this kid, do you?”

“No, I definitely do not, and not a fiber of my being will ever so much as be happy in his presence for as long as I live.”

@ceres-zephyr here u go!

Chapter 3’s up!

https://qualityladybread.tumblr.com/post/632447827994411008/declawing-the-cat-chapter-3

[biromantic-nerd]

what is the untamed about? i realize i could google it but you post about it a lot and i'm intrigued and I think it's nice to hear synopses and stuff like this from someone who loves it :)

oh thank you! Yeah for sure, I'd love to answer!

I have way too many thoughts bc you're right I DO love it, so you're going to get a long answer sorry

• The main character Wei Wuxian practices his cultivation skills (it's pretty hand wavy of what cultivators can do but it's like being mildly magic but you have to have trained for it and developed it) along with his peers, and goes through hardships. Wei Wuxian believes strongly in his protecting his two siblings and in justice, which guides all of his actions.

• The show starts off with his death - yes you read that right - then his resurrection, and character introductions you don't yet understand. And then it launches into a series of continuous flashback episodes about 16yo old Wei Wuxian and by the time you remember that you watched him die (and get resurrected) you WILL cry about it. The flashback episodes catch up to the early episodes again then carry on in a normal linear manner. Sounds confusing but believe me - I am very bad with nonlinear timelines and I understood and loved this show.

• I don't know how much you know about "cultivators" (I knew Zero amounts beforehand) but it's an AU thing. Cultivators basically have cool powers and use them to battle forces that regular people can't deal with. (Like spirits.) But so there's groupings of cultivators based of families (Sects) but you don't have to be family to learn from them. But the families run the Sects. So it gets a little political of certain Sects do things one way and some do it another way. Which ties into the theme of morality and one of the other major themes of trying to do better by the next generation than what the previous generations did for you. It's actually pretty easy to follow along with bc the plot carries you regardless. At first you don't know what really makes up cultivation but it's kinda just like mild magic + fighting. Even if you don't understand cultivation, the plot can be understood.

• One major theme of The Untamed is that the opinion of society can make or break you. But also that it should be more important to do the right thing - even if the consequences are severe. Another major theme is that it's hard to know what is the right thing and that sometimes you're forced to reevaluate your priorities and morals. And that there's a lot of people who can't be so easily defined as good or evil. So it has a really cool nuance.

• The novel and show differ in the extent but it's gay. The novel is canon gay while the show is extremely clever in hinting at gay. Not to mention all the actors do amazing imo. But it's not just gay. It's just a genuinely great romance that overcomes time, morality, and even death. Knowing that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are in love definitely are an appealing factor, but the plot has a lot of platonic relationships to also draw you in.

• So this has been said before but somehow the show starts off and it's like just okay. And then there comes a point - I think like episode four or five? idk exactly - where suddenly you cannot stop and cannot remember why you didn't instantly love it. Once you reach that point, you're hooked. Part of it is bc of the pacing: at first you don't know what is going on. It's like a mystery! And then you reach the part of the flashback episodes where before you know it get drawn in.

shorter answer: Basically it's about gay 'demon' fighters and sword fights. and coming back from the dead. and loving your siblings but never being able to tell them only show them and trying to do better but at what cost - but no the cost isn't too great, how can it be, it's such a clear choice that we must try to do better and make this world better. It's about sacrifice. It's about love. It's about justice. It's about - and I cannot stress this enough - 'unrequited' love by two very intelligent people who are in love with each other but too dumb to realize it until they do. it's about love language in actions, even for some characters who appear to not love someone but then their actions reveal their heart as you get to know them better

[iconoclast-infidels]

"Maaaaaaayyybe." Nico just shook his head.

He watched Dmitry fiddle with the coins as tried to not intercept and reply till he'd completely finished.

But why did he ask? "Well, I don't know? I'm just trying to get a clear picture here. How cool you are when fuckers are bullshitting you, I guess. You know? A clear picture? Like if you were gunslinging clever quips and sassy remarks at every turn or if you were in silent, ignoring, all stealthy terminator, or fucking with their heads and having any fun with it at all? Trying to figure out if the high was in the kill, the chase, or the knocking them down a few pegs when you mentally took them out? Just curious. You're always doing this stuff, and I just don't really know what's going on, that's all. Just trying to learn."

Nico didn't always simply translate the words. He interpreted his partner's body language, tone, and more to point when he'd take moments to distract himself.

What Nico found though was Dmitry wasn't trying to be deceptive, not to him anyway. That was the beautiful thing about mental gymnastics. Most people didn't do it maliciously. They did it in order to feel better about themselves or even excuse someone they loved who let them down. But always people want to feel like they have good intentions. Nico could hear it in how he said the word satisfying.

He could hear not only the answer, but Dmitry judging himself. That's where Nico and he may agree to disagree. If Dmitry was judging himself on this, it was based on a morality that had nothing to do with the ethics Nico carried inside. Nico tried very hard his whole life not to judge himself on others' ethics. It didn't mean he always accomplished, but damn if he didn't always try to stay true to his own, what felt right in his gut.

Good intentions. Justice. Wrath. Revenge. Who had the right to judge, serve, and carry out those sentences? Those differing opinions were in Nico's very blood. He embodied it and couldn't help but explore all contrasts the moment he detected them. His father Murmur is a demon of philosophy. He teaches it as a demon. That's literally his spiritual gift. The manner in which Nico can't stop himself thinking from and that might be noted as either philosophical, or a person that plays devil's advocate, or always trying to figure out how things work at the core, pulling back for the bigger picture, it's part of his manifestation. It can seem a little contrary and gets under people's skin. But, with Nico he's never trying to be. He has to open up the cuckoo clock so to speak and figure out the design of contradiction. The same way another demon's might be pestilence, daddy issues, or stealing horses, or bunions. That little piece of Nico was always thinking three side conversations while his mouth spoke something completely different. He always had to get to the bottom of anything contradictory. The difference in Nico and his father was Nico didn't instantly feel the need to exploit it once he singled it out.

So, what he gathered from Dmitry was that at least on some teeny tiny level he regretted shooting his father so easily because that meant he never got the answer he keeps searching for in every kill ever since. He also maybe even wishes he would have done more to him because even though he was dead, and wanted him dead, it didn't feel over.

Why did it have to happen to him? Why did Daddy do this?

If he can answer it for someone else, then maybe he could fathom some kind of rational thinking around completely irrational behavior. It made sense to Nico. Dmitry wanted to understand evil. Nico knew right then there would never be an end to this because that was an answer Dmitry would never be satisfied with even if he got it because no matter what, it hurt him, an innocent. He sees the other victims as himself.

The deeper philosophies of such right now would be pointless because Nico saw these as greater evils. These weren't just hurt people doing bad things Dmitry was going after. These were people with evil behavior, original evil, not reactive abuse. Nico knew the difference. At least, he thought he did. Maybe that was up for debate?

Still, something about Dmitry's finger gun at his temple was heightening to his senses, erotic even. Nico couldn't help but start to grin and grin a little much considering the topic. It turned him on to think of being murdered by Dmitry. Those old fantasies of wanting to die injected straight back into his brain at full volume in the softest whisper.

Kink activated.

It took him a second to start breathing again. "Um...."

Dmitry started to describe a lot of torture techniques and normally no plan, like a wannabe disorganized Dexter. That's what Nico's mind brought to the forefront. It was his impulsivity that caused his loss of target this time. He didn't have the attack mapped like Dexter did ready to follow the rules of how to commit the perfect crime. That's what else was in Nico's head. Angel or not, he ran around in the same avatar, Dmitry's body basically being a vigilante serial killer. At some point the human world would catch up to that. Nico was wondering about body disposal. That was why he was asking about where Dmitry took his prey. Nico's mind was more on what evidence was Dmitry leaving behind? At what point was it going to catch up and affect Nico to where he'd have to walk through the veil and bust him out of prison? Get different aliases? Live in another country? He didn't care, but the details had always been a serious curiosity whether he'd been super respectful of not asking anyhow. He always just figured he'd deal with it as it came. He was very come what may in his head about Dmitry.

By the time Nico breathed again all he could manage though was a ditzy sounding Paris Hilton line, "That's so hot."

Sue him. An off the rails' avenging Dmitry was far hotter than a lecturing one or one whimpering in an alley. It was implanting a picture, okay? The sort of image Nico liked to keep for his spank bank.

Help? Distract?

"Maybe distracting is helping?" He suggested with a sudden hoist of his slim body. This booth was about to get tight. Good thing he was so lanky because he shifted to straddle over Dmitry. His legs were so tall though so even with his knees spread wide on either side of Dmitry's legs he still wasn't actually touching the other, attempting not to hurt his battered body. He shimmied off his leather jacket with a bit of a fuss because it nearly knocked over a drink a little close on the table behind him and rattled the plate as he moved it off his arm as a sleeve caught the edge of the cheese stick sauce. He'd set the jacket on the open right side of the booth just next to Dmitry, so it was still in his reach.

Then he bowed over and kissed that busted lip. "That jacket's a gift, baby. You may have given me a raincheck, but just so you know, all you have to do is put that jacket on your lap at any point and I'm right under this table taking your mind off this pain." There was a saucy mischief in his face that would hopefully tell Dmitry he wasn't playing. He meant every naughty word of that idea.

"Or you could keep telling me about tonight?" Nico would certainly come up with more to ask, but this was Dmitry's out. Nico was giving him a what do you need from me moment. An ear to vent to? Someone to sympathize or help be angry? What he noticed was Dmitry coming in with wanting to be distracted when the very conversation he promised to have started to get too real. Nico knew if he kept on too much it'd only make it more real. He was a tell it like is person, but he knew timing mattered. Did Dmitry really need that or want a distraction? Because Nico was on the case.

"If I say something, do I get to see something?" He joked, but nodded. "I'll let you know if anything."

Dmitry took the coins, stacking and unstacking them, rearranging them just to keep his hands busy while Nico asked his questions. He noticed how Nico kept touching him in some way or another and scooted closer so there was less space between the two of them. His own energy compounded with Nico's anxious worrying, and Dmitry found himself flagging Jeff down for refills and to order that cocktail he'd wanted earlier. Jeff did his job and promptly left the two alone again, not forgetting that they had asked for privacy.

"I know you can shoot without killing," he whispered, queuing Bad Medicine by Bon Jovi, followed by a few other songs from his usual 80s rotation. "You should teach me, or Nova can teach me, whatever," he ate another mozzarella stick, "but that's not the point. I know you can do that, it just wouldn't have been—" Satisfying. It wouldn't have been satisfying. It really was the heart of what Nico was asking, wasn't it? What were you after? What satisfies you? What went wrong? These were not easy questions to answer, though the answers themselves were simple. He looked at Nico's chilly-blue eyes, remembering that one poem:

I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.

If there was one thing Dmitry knew how to do, other than love, it was to hate — despite his reluctance to admit it. Both emotions came from the same intense passion with which he viewed the world. They were simply flipsides. It wasn't that love and hate were opposites; he did not believe that. But love and hate were the same thing, approached differently. Dmitry knew, as quiet as he held onto it, how to hate. He knew how to deal in ice.

Still in a whisper, only for Nico to hear, and for Nico to hear it better, he continued. "Anyway, it depends." He kissed Nico with a giggle, emotions all over the place, erratic. "I didn't really think shit through, I think, I didn't, like, not like I shoulda done anyway, that's why— I'm really not sure what I thought I was gonna do but normally I'm a lot less like that about it, I mean the only reason you know is cause I told you and no one's caught me, I'm careful. Sometimes I talk to them, sometimes I don't bother, but if they realize they're in trouble, they always start saying shit. Why do you ask?"

Still, he didn't wait for an answer to that. "None of them ever answer why, like... The one question, and yeah I can think of any number of reasons, starting with they obviously like the fact that someone's suffering at their expense, but still, I don't... I don't get it. I guess I just wanna understand why. Some of them, I ask. Others, I don't even bother, not everyone's got useful answers and I don't always feel like talking to them anyway. I either get rid of them, or sometimes I just want— They deserve to suffer, they deserve every second of it. They deserve more than I'm willing to do, even I have lines I won't cross, even I have things I won't do, but they deserve what they get, and worse. Sometimes, I just. Shoot." He held a finger gun to Nico's temple, looking at him intensely and with his lips pulling into a grin. "That's how I killed my father."

He dropped the finger gun and looked around at the other tables, assessing how many people had come and gone since they'd arrived at Jeff's bar. Then he kept talking.

"Other times I make them beg. Take them away somewhere they can scream without being heard, somewhere they won't be found in this century, and take my sweet time. I like knives, but... I've tried different things. It's strange how much you can get away with before it's actually deadly. This one deserved something more like that, long and slow, and painful. I can't do it like this, though, it's gonna have to wait, and that's worse. I might have to just shoot him, after all."

He was angry. Nico's unspoken guess was right, too. Dmitry was avoiding retelling the words because the words had triggered the PTSD and that had been what caught him off-guard. It made his blood boil that something so simple could fuck shit up that bad. That's what he had been stewing about before calling Nico.

It was personal, too. The general idea he'd been conveying without saying it in such exact words was that it was personal, and it was revenge. He could give any number of excuses, and it could fulfill any number of purposes —even God-give ones, as Sammy had suggested previously— but ultimately, it was very personal. This was his way of getting the upper hand and trying to reclaim something he couldn't quite put a word to, something he'd felt had been forcefully ripped away from him and never returned. In speaking, he had said a lot of nothing, sparing details because he felt so intensely the actual emotions behind what he was trying to describe he'd do. Nico was right, Dmitry still had fight mode in his veins, and he wasn't able to filter much through that. He was also bitten by the intensity. Half of him wanted nothing more than to ditch the conversation and tend to the seemingly more urgent need for fucking Nico and expending all that energy that was keeping him uncomfortable with sitting still for so long. The other half wanted to screw it all, find the asshole that had gotten away, and make him pay. He was willing to die for it.

"So it depends. You could help me," he offered. "Or you could distract me. You're good at that too," he pointed out.

[fifteenskies15]

Kanae's Precious Doll

(Yandere! Kanae Kochō x Reader)

Summary: Kanae Kochō had never developed a romantical interest to her fellow pillars, but when (name) joined the ranks, it all changed... Kanae tend to get whatever she wants and she'll most definitely do anything to keep you herself.

Trigger warning: mention of necrophiliac, disturbing themes, sadistic Kanae, and mention of reader committing suicide by drowning.

Note: Mention of Sanemi and Mitsuri having a crush on reader

Admin's note: Oh my, oh my, a first fic of Kanae, this is all for you my fellow Kanae stans, fair warning that this fic consist a lot of disturbing themes and not compatible for you who had fragile soul, so please tread lightly and also this is rushed also it's long, I'm so sorry if you don't like it.

----

Oh what a good day today! Yes it is indeed a good day!

Kanae hummed a happy song as she make her way to Butterfly estate, the other slayers look at her slender and slim figure along with her long, beautiful black hair swayed by the wind in awe of her beauty.

"She looks awfully happy today"

"Well she's just succeeded in her mission of course she's happy"

"She's beautiful when she smiled like that"

"Whoever her lover is, they must be very lucky to have a beautiful lady like her"

Kanae overheard what they said, her smile goes more sweeter, of course, they were right, a certain person is extremely lucky to have faithful, loyal and loving girl like her.

Yes, you're very lucky indeed...

"Shinobu, Kanao! I'm home!" Her melodious voice said as she took off her zori sandal, Shinobu then greet her and bow her head respectfully at her "Welcome back, Nee-san, I hope your mission goes well today"

"It is~ How's Kanao doing?"

Shinobu shrugs and sighed wearily "Still same as ever... She hasn't eat her food yet"

"Oh my~ well, I'm sure she'll get used to it soon, have a patience, Shinobu~" she said as she affectionately ruffled Shinobu's hair, "Speaking of which, how's my beloved (name) doing?"

There's a smallest gleam of fear in Shinobu's face, but she immediately regained her composure "She's/He's doing well, nee-san" Kanae beam happily and clapped her hands "Waah~ that's good to hear! Excuse me, Shinobu, I must see her/him at once" Shinobu nods and step aside as she just watch her sister's back with a sigh.

"... Nee-san..."

"(Name), my darling! I'm back! Today's mission is a great success!" She said as she took off her haori and put her sword away "I managed to kill the demon and everyone is so very happy! It warms me to see them smile, don't you think it's great to see them so Happy, (name)?"

You were just sitting there in your (F/C) kimono and your hair done, your blank (E/C) eyes just staring at the ground, Kanae giggled and hugged you "Oh, I know you're happy too, my little butterfly! After all people smile shows that our efforts are worth it!" Kanae sighed happily as she settles herself on your lap.

Her nimble fingers traced around your neck and collarbone, smiling as she could feel your porcelain like skin against her fingertips "I'm elated that I could spend my time with you again, I have missed you! And now I'm happy that I can be in your arms again"

She sighed once more and snuggled closer "My love, doesn't it feels like yesterday we met?"

...

...

Two years ago...

"(Last name) (name) we're happy to know that you're enjoying our rank as a pillar! I look forward to work with you!! The flame pillar Rengoku Kyojuro said with a beaming smile on his face as you smile gently at him.

"Thank you, Rengoku sama, I'll look forward to work with everyone of you" a woman with long pink hair smiled and hugged you "AHH! You're so beautiful/handsome! And also you're nice! I hope we can be friends!"

You chuckled warmly "I'm sure we will, miss...?"

"Kanroji Mitsuri! It's great to meet you!"

"Likewise, Kanroji sama"

You then spot beautiful woman next to wind pillar eyeing you like she's looking at the most beautiful thing she's ever seen, you smiled warmly at her "May I help you with something?"

The woman blushed lightly and smiled "Ah, no, I think I'm just flustered to see such a beautiful woman/handsome man in front of my eyes"

Oh my! Did I just said it out loud?!

You stare at her unbelievably before you laughed warmly, the pillars thought your laugh is melodious so they stare at you with a slight blush on their faces, "A bold one aren't you, miss...?"

"Kanae, Kochō Kanae"

"Nice to meet you, Kochō sama"

Kanae smiled and blushed and tucked the strand of her hair behind her ear "Oi! I'm still standing here, (breathing style) pillar!" The wind pillar Shinazugawa Sanemi said, you looked up at him with a smile "I'm fully aware, Shinazugawa sama, are you jealous that Kochō sama got more attention than you did?"

You could hear Uzui letting out a whoop, Sanemi sputtered as he blushed and looked away "It's nothing like that!!"

You just chuckled at him and patted his arm and turn your attention to Kanae "I'll look forward to see more of you, Kochō sama"

Kanae's heart beating so fast as you smiled at her and she felt her face getting warmer, she never felt such things as this.

"I sure hope you will"

Kanae had never felt something like this to someone else before, is this how it feels to be in love? Her heart beating so fast, her beautiful face were streaked with nice shades of red and she felt like she's smiling like an idiot.

(Last name) (name) is a delightful pillar...

Lovely, kind, clever and compassionate...

Kanae loves (Name)

And (Name) must love Kanae too.

A surge of possessiveness and obsessiveness blooms in Kanae, she watched as you were smiling and laughing with Kanroji and Shinazugawa, why, her heart feel stings...

...

Her light purple eyes glared maliciously at the two pillars who just made you smile, the usual gentle Kanae suddenly replaced by a possessive and violent Kanae...

"Kochō sama, Kanroji sama and I are going to get some sweets, you want to join us?" You offered her with a smile on your face, Kanae counted in her mind as she smiled to both of you and Kanroji

"Why, of course!"

...

...

...

...

It's been a months since (name) joined the rank as pillar...

At night, Kanae can't keep (name) off her mind, she was wide awake and looking at the ceiling as she hallucinating your warm and gentle smile, and your melodious voice.

"Ah, (name) you're such a beauty"

Her mind wander about the thought of you and her living together as married couples, wives/husband and wife slaying demons together, side by side... Encouraging each other... Morning kisses...

Ah, what a wonderful thought.

Kanae sighed dreamily as she hugged her pillow, imagining you laying next to her

"Hmm, hmm (Last name) Kanae or Kochō (name)? Or combined? Kochō-(Last name) (name)... It sounds beautiful too"

She giggled as she thought of you had her last name or yours with her name.

Kanae sat up from her futon and looked at the full moon.

Luna...

Luna equals Lunatic...

Kanae's usual warm eyes turned empty with a streak of craziness and obsessiveness as a twisted smile cracked on her beautiful face.

"Ohh (name), how I long to hold you in my arms"

She giggled and looked at the moon again

"My love, one day soon, I will... Make. You. Mine..."

...

...

...

...

Awry and anxious that's what you feel recently, you don't know why, but you could feel a pair of eyes are always watching you, you were just sitting under the birch tree to relax after today's mission, but sometimes you still can't get rid of the feeling of being watched.

"What on Earth..." You mumbled as you look around and to see no one was there, you just lay down and close your eyes for a while until two familiar voices call out to you

"(name)-san!!~" you sat up and to see Kanroji and Shinazugawa approaching you, you smiled as she hugged you "Hello to you too, Kanroji sama" the pink haired girl just smiled and grab your hand, you looked up at Shinazugawa who just saying a simple "Yo" at you, you smiled at him in response "So what's up, you two?"

"Hmm, nothing much~ but we would like to take you to a nice teahouse in the city! How about it?? You, us, a cup of tea and plenty of delicious sweet? Besides you deserve a treat after today's mission!"

"And we won't take no as an answer" Shinazugawa said looking away with a slight blush on his scar face, Kanroji huffed and glare at the wind pillar "Don't force her/him, Shinazugawa San!" You giggled at both of them as you dusted off your uniform "Well, I don't have anything much to do, so why not?"

Kanroji squealed and take both of your and Shinazugawa's hand "Brilliant!! Now let's all be off!" You share a look with Shinazugawa and just chuckled at each other

Somewhere, Kanae watched as you and Shinazugawa share a warm smile together, she clenched her fist and glared at the wind pillar begrudgingly.

He shouldn't be the one to be smiled at....

Her knuckles turn white as she saw Kanroji hugged your arm with a smile on her face

Just because she's the love pillar doesn't mean she had rights to love you...

A warm tears threaten to spill out of Kanae's beautiful eyes, she couldn't breathe as she saw you and Shinazugawa being "friendly" to each other, her heart breaks as she saw you and Kanroji smiling and giggling to each other, she can't take it any longer so she ran back to butterfly estate.

Once she came back, she locked herself and cried, even when her sister asked her if she was okay, it's as if her ears turned deaf, when she run pass the butterfly sisters, it's as if she was blind because all she can see is you and only you and even the ugly picture of either Shinazugawa or Kanroji or worse, BOTH of them manage to win your heart, which was supposed to be hers.

"Nee-san! Nee-san!! What happened?! Please open the door!"

But Shinobu's concerned voice were replaced with other voice.

"I'm so sorry Kochō-sama, my heart belongs to another..."

Please, Don't go!

"She/he belongs to me, Kanae-chan..."

No, no!! She's/he's mine!

"Face it, Kochō, there's no way you can win, (Name)'s heart, try harder"

SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!

"...Goodbye, Kochō-sama"

"NOOO!!!" she collapsed and sobbed as she clenched her heart "No..no..." Slowly but surely Kanae's eyes flutter close and fell asleep due to exhaustion

...

Only a half of hour later, Kanae woke up, slightly haunted, she had bad dream of you left her for Shinazugawa and Kanroji and the sick smile on their faces...

Kanae clenched her fist, her eyes looked at her sword, she unsheath it and see the reflection of her empty purple eyes, she closed her eyes and take a deep breath.

One of the rule in demon slaying corps; never use sword against each other...

Kanae always obeyed the rule, she always has, but this time it's different "Forgive me Oyakata-sama, but I'm doing this for love..."

"thanks for hanging out with me! It was really fun to spend time with you two!" You said smiling brightly at the two pillars, Kanroji smiled and blushed as she played with her hair "Ehehe, We love spending time with you too"

Shinazugawa just looked away a blush on his face "You're okay, I guess..." You smiled at them and hugged him "You're okay too, Shinazugawa"

Shinazugawa malfunctioned.

"Eep! I want hugs too!" She said as she hugged both of you, you giggled at them and parted the hug "Alright, it's time I call it a day, good night, you two!" You said as you walk back to your estate.

Kanroji sighed dreamily "(name)-san is such a darling..." Shinazugawa just scoffed "She's/He's nice I guess..."

"She/he is, does she/he not?" The two pillars jumped as they saw Kanae with her usual smile "Damn it, Kochō, are you trying to give us heart attack?!" Kanae just raised her eyebrows, feigning innocence, "I apologise, Shinazugawa-san I tried to call both of you but you and Kanroji-san did not hear me"

"Oh! Sorry Kanae-chan, we don't know!"

Kanae just smiled as in understanding that, while Shinazugawa, knows the flower pillar didn't even call after him and the love pillar, he eyed Kanae suspiciously.

"So what is it do you want?"

"Oh, I was wondering if we all could talk, in somewhere secluded"

The two pillars looked at her, perplexed "Well, anything for you, Kanae-chan!" Kanroji said as she start to walk along with Kanae, meanwhile, Shinazugawa just follow them with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Once they're arrived at a field...

"So what is it you want us to..." Before Kanroji continued, Kanae unsheath her sword and point it at Kanroji's throat "K-Kanae-chan...? What...what are you doing..."

"Oh, it's nothing~ just to warn you both to not get too friendly with my lovely (name)"

"Wh...what do you mean??" Shinazugawa immediately get Kanroji behind him and glared at the other female "Your lovely (name)? What the hell, Kochō?! Are you threaten to kill us because of (name)?!"

"Shinazugawa, I ask that you don't say her/his name, what gives you right to do that?" Shinazugawa recoil as Kanae pressed the tip of her blade on his throat "Kochō, you seriously violated the rule of demon Slayer corps just because of (name)?! You're sick!"

Kanae pulled her sword away and laughed, but she didn't laugh sweetly like she always did, it sounded... unnerving.

"I'm sick?! I AM SICK?! Tsk, tsk, that's rich, coming from you" she put her sword back in her sheath, "Anyone would do anything for love do they not? And what I did is a prove of my undying love for her/him! Violating the rules for (name)? I would do that with no hesitation! Killing you both and the rest of the pillars? It would be my pleasure! And turning into a demon?? Yes! I would do that for (name)!"

"Kanae-chan, please snap out of it!! That's not how loves works!!" Kanroji said with tear in her eyes, Kanae glared at her causing her to wince "You don't know anything about love, Kanroji-san, an this is your last warning both of you... Get close to (name)... I will not hesitate to hurt you or hurt someone you love"

Kanroji said what seems to be "Not Iguro!" Under her breath, Shinazugawa even know she had capability to hurt Masachika, gritting his teeth and hating the thought of Kanae hurt his best friend irked him a lot he almost do something he'll regret.

With heavy heart, Shinazugawa cast a withering glare at the woman "Fine...we won't...we won't go near (name) again as long as you keep your word..."

Kanae smiled brightly and clapped her hands "I knew you would understand! Of course I wouldn't hurt those who you care about!" She then struts away purposely bumping her shoulder with them and whispered "Unless you disobey, then say goodbye to your loved ones" she giggled as she head back to butterfly estate.

Kanroji then burst into tears, Kanae's threat had impact on her and that goes for Shinazugawa too, the man had his heart broken when he thought that someone he had feelings on is going to fall on the hand of a lovesick pillar, he also hate the thought Kanae hurt his only friend, he clenched his heart and grit his teeth.

"(Name)..."

"Forgive us..."

...

...

Today, you're in gloomy mood, it's almost a month since you hang out with Kanroji and Shinazugawa, and all of a sudden they give you a cold shoulders, you don't understand, why? Why would they avoid you? Did you do something?

"(Name)-san? Hello? Is everything okay?" You looked up at Kanae, she's have always been around you lately, she's been there when you're sad and down, you just sigh and shook your head "I'm okay, Kanae, just...still sad with the fact that Kanroji and Shinazugawa have been avoid me lately" you say as you walk along with her, tonight you and Kanae are having a nightly stroll which is a thing you do everytime you need to clear your mind, and you invite Kanae since her presence comforts you.

Or so you thought, sometimes there's something bizzare about her, you couldn't just put a head or tails about it.

Kanae place a comforting hand on your arm before she leans in and hugged your arm "Everything is going to be okay, (Name), you have me don't you?"

"Well, I know but..." You sighed for umpteenth time "I just miss them, you know?" Kanae stayed silent when you said you missed the wind and love pillar, all that and you still miss them?

"Oh but, (name) I'm here for you" she said looking up to you with a smile.

Now you know what's wrong with her...

Her smile...

It's not warm nor genuinely sweet, it was sickly sweet... it's unsettling and unnerving.

"K-Kanae, I think that's enough for tonight, how about we call it a day?" Kanae raised her eyebrows and tilted her head "Why? We've been here only for a minute"

"I just...um..." You don't know why your instincts told you to run, somehow you can hear Kanroji and Shinazugawa voice saying "Run!" Inside your head, out of reflex, you yank your arm off her and start to bolt off.

"(Name)? What's wrong? Why are you running from me?"

You ignore her as you keep on running aimlessly with Kanae tailing you, now that you think about it, she always acting odd, she's always too close to you, and seem to always cling on you everytime and too much that it nearly invade your personal space.

Also the feeling of you being watched by someone? You realized that Kanae has been watching you all the time, she seems always around you with no reason and now...

Lastly...she always looked uncomfortable everytime you're with the other pillars and drag you away from them, could she be the reason why Kanroji and Shinazugawa avoiding you?

"(Name)?~ (Name)? Why are you running, dear? Are we playing hide and seek in this forest now? Fufufu"

Her voice calling out to you runs a chill down your spine, by the Gods, she lost her mind...

You didn't respond and just keep running, panting and your heart beating like crazy, you never feel this scared, what happened to that graceful and elegant flower pillar you knew?

"(Name), dear (name)~ I really wanted to hug you now~ where oh where could you be hiding?" She giggled as you could hear her rapid footsteps, she's hot on your heels "Don't be scared, my love, your darling Kanae just want your arms around her"

"She's obsessed of me, Gods, I can't believe this..." You thought as you run, your mind wander over Kanroji and Shinazugawa, hoping that they would save you now, but it's impossible.

You realized that you're nowhere to run, ahead of you, there's a big lake, you gulped as you hear Kanae's voice getting louder"

"(Name)~ please be a dear and come back to me, you know you can't hide forever, right? Hehehe"

You looked at the lake, the thought of you drowning in the suffocating cold water scared you but...

Death is better than spending a miserable life with someone obsessive and lovesick like Kanae...

With that you drown yourself in the lake, it hurts, it really hurts as water fill your lungs, your vision start to fade away and it's hard to breathe...

And the last thing you see is the smiling faces of two pillars you care about.

Kanae arrived at the lake and looked around as she hums "(Name)~ I know you're hiding somewhere" she looked around the trees and bush while constantly said "not here" and "where could you be?"

Her eyes then caught a lifeless body floating on the lake, her eyes widen when she realized it's you.

"(NAME)!!" She run towards the lake and dragged your lifeless body to the dry land, you were already a goner... The color of your skin has disappeared and there's no more sign of life, Kanae wailed and embraced your dead body "Why? Why would you do this?!" She cried against your chest, mourning over your death.

She looked at your face with tears in her eyes, but then her sadness replaced by something close to admiration, she then traced your face with her fingers, feeling your cold skin as a smile slowly spread on her face.

"Beautiful..." She then cupped your face and smiled "My Gods, even though you're no longer alive, you're beautiful, (name)..."

You're too beautiful to let go.

So Kanae decided to do something to keep you and your beauty stays forever, "(Name), I will make your beauty last longer, and not only that we're going to be together forever too!" She giggled happily as she carried your body to butterfly estate.

Needless to say, she secretly preserve your body along with Shinobu's help, the girl was surprised and don't know what to say when she came with your lifeless body and ask her to help her sister to do her job and keep her secret.

And to keep it, the flower pillar lied to the others by saying you were gone missing so that no one's suspicious of her.

"Ah, those were the days" Kanae said playing with your hair "And now, I'm just happy that you and I are going to be together till the end of the time" she said sighing happily and look at your blank, empty (E/C) eyes "Oh now! Don't be sad, I won't go anywhere! I will be by your side today... tommorow and..."

She giggled and hugged you.

"...Forever!"

And this is your fate now, whether you're dead or alive, You belong to Kanae and only Kanae.

Because you're her precious doll...

----

Admin 15: Whooo, I'm glad I managed to finish this after I abandoned this for like, idk, weeks, I guess, and I still had unfinished Mist route draft to finish, anyways, thanks so much for reading, I apologise for the errors in the story here!

[etlunainmorte]

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❄ Three Wishes ❄

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VI

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" ... so, if you choose this option, it will allow you to change her language. I programmed about a hundred!" The Artisan proudly explained as she excitedly pointed at the screen.

"Why do ya wanna change her language?" Griffon questioned as he contentedly perched on top of V's bookshelf.

"It's just how it works." Nico answered as she raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. Then, she looked back at V, who was still staring confusedly at the cellphone in his hand. She pointed a finger at one of the options and spoke once more. "You also have complete control over the type of voice, accent,... basically the way she speaks!"

"What does it mean?" 

The poor poet felt like he was back at the department store where he had to listen to the Sales Representative for two hours straight as the cheerful employee explained, in full, excruciating detail, how a coffee maker works. Luckily, though, he didn't have to pay anything this time around. The cellphone was a gift from Nico, herself. He honestly appreciated the gift, he just didn't expect it to be rigged in such a way. During the first month that he owned it, he found out that it has an x - ray function ( he accidentally saw Griffon's insides, to his utter horror and regret, when he experimented with its camera ), a laser option for the flashlight ( which actually made a hole through the wall in the kitchen ), an intruder alarm ( which was a recording of Nero's songs on loop ), and a very accurate tracking device of every person he knew ( the last time he checked, he found out the exact whereabouts of his brother Dante, from his frequent travels to the ice cream and pizza parlor to his nightly sojourns to the nearby club houses ).

And now, it seemed that his wonder cellphone has another hidden function, and that was to give Shadow her very own voice with the use of the state - of - the - art bell that was dangling from her red ribbon, which was cutely tied around her neck. Apparently, the said bell was a gadget made by Nico, herself, to channel a demon's thoughts and translate them into coherent words with just a push of a button from the Kitty Cat Voice app that was programmed and installed by the same woman who gave him the cellphone.

And honestly? It amazed, unnerved, and confused the hell out of the poet, who was only beginning to live a life of his own in the modern society, away from his bickering brothers and close to the woman he loved.

"Here, let me show you." Nico took the cellphone from V's hands and typed something. She, then, looked at Shadow, who was obediently sitting on her usual spot on the floor, and spoke, "Say something, girl."

V and Griffon waited in silence as they looked at Shadow, and a few moments later, the demonic feline did speak!

"Bonjour!" The familiar said in a deep and overly sensual male voice that almost made Griffon fall from the shelf. "Je m'appelle Shadow. Ravie de vous rencontrer!"

"EURGH!" Griffon howled in disgust at what Shadow just said. "What kinda erotic sound is that?!"

"Seductive French Singer." Nico answered as she proudly nodded at the cellphone in her hand. Humming in satisfaction, she scrolled through the app once more and spoke, "Hmm, let's try something else. Okay, girl! Try greetin' our Mr. poetry here."

V's eyes narrowed cautiously as he instinctively drew back a bit, feeling a little nervous and unnerved of what the familiar might say to him. With threatening and glowing red eyes, the huge black cat padded towards her master, and when she was mere inches from him, she sat and raised her head obediently. Then, she spoke.

"Kon'nichiwa, V - sama!" Shadow greeted the poet in a very small and very childish voice of a young girl that made Griffon laugh so hard. "Anata ga watashi no koe no oto ga sukidearu koto o negatte imasu!"

"What did she just say?" V, looking horrified at what his familiar just said, questioned Nico, who was laughing along with Griffon and clutching her mid - section. She was clearly making fun of his confusion, the clever woman!

"Anata wa watashi no koe no oto ga sukide wa arimasendeshita ka? Nante zankokuda, V - sama!" Shadow whined in her creepy little voice, making V even more uncomfortable. "Daikirai! DAIKIRAI!"

"Please, make it stop,..." V pleaded quietly as he bowed his head down low and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Aww, don't like Nasally Japanese Moe?" The Artisan teased. After receiving a glare from the poet as a threat, the woman laughed nervously and scratched her head. "Alright, alright! I'll put it back to its default mode."

"Which is?" The demonic bird asked, his curiosity getting the better of him as he flew towards the woman to see how she was operating the app she invented.

"Gentle English Babushcat. The voice you all heard durin' the play." Nico answered dejectedly as she made one last click on the screen before giving the cellphone back to V. "It's pretty simple, man. You open the app, no password needed, and you can select the - "

"No need."

"Okay! Okay! Just explainin',..." Nico shrugged her shoulders and shook her head on the way to the door, a defeated smile on her lips upon knowing that her precious work of art was not appreciated. "Well, then, goo - 

" ... hold yer panties! I almost forgot!"

To Griffon's utter surprise, the woman turned back and strode towards V, almost knocking the poor bird on her way, and began looking for something in her large and greasy - looking yellow bag.

"What now?" V, almost feeling annoyed, questioned her as he watched her ransack through her messy backpack.

"Ah, I'm pretty sure I put it somewhere here. I just don't know if - AH! There we go!"

"What is that?" Shadow, who now sounded like the gentle, motherly middle - aged aunt from earlier during the party, asked, her tail waving from left to right in mild curiosity at the thing on Nico's hand.

"I got lots of invites to Old Fleminger's Annual New Year's Ball." The Artisan explained. "So, I'm giving you some."

"New Year's Ball?" V took the pair of golden envelopes from Nico's hand and studied it with much curiosity. He looked up from the fancy things in his hand and raised an eyebrow in question. "And who is this Fleminger? A Demon that has to be killed?"

"Oh, no, no, no! Old Fleminger is a gentle old soul who still likes to party really hard at the age of sixty. He throws this massive, fancy annual spectacle where he expects people to dress up the way he wants them to. Just so you know, last year, when Nero and Kyrie were lucky enough to get some invites, they were made to dress up as characters from famous movies. Nero dressed up as James Bond and Kyrie dressed up as a hot Bond girl. They won King and Queen of the Ball."

"Ohoho, that sounds interesting! Yes!" Griffon declared as he joined V on the sofa, his golden eyes glistening with devilish intent. "So, uh, V, who are ya gonna dress up as? The penniless poet from Moulin - aghk!" But, even before the demonic bird could finish his sentence, Shadow's tail hastily covered his beak to stop him from speaking any further, making the poor bird muffle helplessly.

"STOP IT! YOU'RE EMBARRASSING OUR MASTER!" Shadow scolded as a loud growl escaped her throat and frightened the demonic bird. "Yes, Miss Nico, please continue."

"Oh, yeah, as I was saying," Nico went on, ignoring the conflicted look on V's already stressed features. " ... you are required to dress up to match the theme of the Ball. And it's vintage this time."

"Vintage? Like," The poet asked, some tasteless thoughts of himself indulging in such a party already plaguing his overworked mind. " ... old?"

"Yeah. Kinda like how grandma Adelaide probably used to dress up when she was still a teenager." Nico nodded as she crossed her arms and tapped her chin with her fingers. Suddenly, her eyes widened. Looking once more at V and pointing a finger at him, she said, "And don't forget to ask (Y/N) out as your date, okay? It's a requirement!"

Me,... asking her out as my date to a strange Ball?! "I'm afraid to say that I' am not certain as to - "

"Aww, come on, man!" Nico pleaded as she collapsed next to V on the sofa and grabbed his shoulders, shaking them to somehow make the man come to his senses. "We all know that ya like the girl, if it isn't too obvious enough already!"

"But,... I don't even,... like her,..." V quietly said as he tried to get the woman's hands off his shoulders.

"Yeah, 'cause Shakespeare fuckin' loves her - AGHK!" Griffon used his momentary freedom from Shadow's tail to speak but, he was abruptly grabbed by one of Shadow's huge morphed hands.

"SHUT YOUR BEAK AND LET MASTER SPEAK, OR I'LL TEAR YOUR LIMBS APART!" The feline threatened.

"Don't! Please! Squawk! I beg ya! Aghk!"

"Anyway, confess to her already!" Nico went on. "Use this Ball as a chance. Dress up nicely like someone's hip and swell grandpa and woo her!"

"Hip and,… swell? And,… woo,... (Y/N)?"

"Yeah! And while ye're at it, learn some Elvis Presley moves that ol' geriatrics love and ask her to boogie with ya on the dancefloor! Be a tiger and impress her! Do everythin' ya can to sweep her off her dainty feet!"

"I'm not sure if I can do this kind of thing,..."

"Ya can do it! Just believe in yerself!" Nico smiled and stood, patting V on the shoulder. "Okay? Ye must make her say yes as soon as ya can. The Ball is in a week."

And with those not - so - encouraging words, V was left with more questions than answers, and with more problems than solutions. First of all, Shadow can speak very well now, thanks to the wonder gadget and app that Nico created. Well, Griffon was already too much on his ears but, to actually hear his two familiars bickering for real? Second, who was this old Fleminger and how did the Artisan get some invites to his prestigious event? The invitations looked really fancy and expensive, after all.

And thirdly, how could he possibly ask her out? The trip to the mall and the cinema was one thing but,...

... Nico was expecting him to confess to her.

That, and the fact that he has to dress up vintage - style for the event and dance like this Elvis Presley that Nico was talking about ( who was Elvis Presley, anyway? ). Wouldn't he become a laughingstock, then? Would he be making a complete fool of himself, then? And if that happens, would you even accept his love? Would you laugh at him and tell him he's not worthy?

These crippling thoughts were still on V's mind when he entered his dark, cold, and lonely bedroom later that evening. With the sparkling golden invites on his hand, he made his way towards the window, sat on the chair next to it, and parted the heavy curtains. And with one simple look, he saw the window to your bedroom. The curtains were, of course, closed but, he could clearly see that your lights were still on, indicating that, at the very late ( or early ) hour of two in the morning, you were still awake. You did mention to him that you could not sleep well,...

V's eyes widened a bit when he finally saw the lights being turned off in your room.

Ah, she must be feeling sleepy now, he thought.

However, not even a minute has passed when the lights turned on again. It stayed like that for about twenty more minutes, then it went dark once more.

The poet sighed. It must be so hard for her, he thought.

And then, an idea struck his mind. He did promise that he will fulfill her three wishes. The first wish didn't work out too well because of Lancaster but, what if,...?

The man left his window and went towards his bedside table where some of his poetry books were. Then, he looked at the invites in his hand.

This,... might actually work,...

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❄ @la-vita , @clevermentalitybeliever , @v-vic , and @birdgirl69 . ❄

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[glitchcrows]

Through the Heavens' Grand Plan [A GO Fic]

Okay. This fic I'm finally going to publish here? It.... it's been sitting inside a Google Doc for the better part of a month. I've fought with myself over the endless what-if's but now, I suppose it's time to let it be seen, to be read by any who want.

That said, I want to give thanks to a few people who gave me hope and the encouragement in the process: @single-man-tear, you get top billing for providing, nudging the ideas while I was on an exhausting road trip. @softangelofsoho, you beautiful, wonderful PDX Dandy, thank you for your support and dealing with me babbling. For to my @codename-nightmare-pet , you really have lit up my world when it's been so hard at times lately. I love you and am so grateful for you. Lastly and certainly NOT least, thank you to @drawlight .... Your support amidst me reading, devouring your own work really got me thinking that hey, maybe I can do this.

Thank you to each of you and thanks to the ineffable boys and their creators themselves for this.

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Through the Heavens' Grand Plan

The gramophone was old, almost a hundred, if not a bit more than that. It stayed hidden from the public view and more in the quiet confines of what would be considered to be the living quarters within the angel's business. Crowley enjoyed switching up the record choices or changed the album to fit his needs. One did not anticipate to hear Mama Cass singing "Don't Stop Me Now," but surprises often found themselves in the bookshop when Crowley wanted to be mischievous. 

Aziraphale tolerated it at best, but Crowley also knew there were records that he wasn't allowed to mess up. One in particular the demon knew fully well he wasn't EVER to temper with at any given time. Beethoven's 9th Symphony, 1947, Bruno Walter as the conductor. Beethoven was someone that Aziraphale had admired for ever so long, had possibly tried to even be a guardian angel towards.

Aziraphale pulled the record from its sleeve once afternoon when taking his extended lunch break and started the gramophone, moving the record to the fourth movement as he took a seat next to the device, sandwich in hand, tea in tow.

The strings came to life, the familiar musical strains plucking at his own heartstrings, the faint hiss of the old record there. Aziraphale began to eat his lunch, foot tapping in time with the masterpiece....

---

"Was die Mode streng geteilt;

Alle Menschen werden Brüder!"

(What convention strictly divided;

All people become brothers!)

-Winter 1822-

"Please, Crowley. This isn't me asking you to make Goethe popular. This is me, your...." A hesitation to say 'friend' there, considering their discussions with one another could continue to have raised eyebrows from both Heaven and Hell. Crowley gave an unamused look towards the hesitancy. "Say it, angel. Friends, unless you feel acquaintances wouldn't go amiss. My side wants him, you realise. He's the perfect one for the pits. He and Wolfgang would get along swimmingly." Aziraphale felt disgust by the insinuation, the idea of it all. Ludwig von Beethoven, in Hell. 

A small whimper.

"Please, Crowley. I.... I...." the angel stammered, Crowley's lips curling into a smirk. "Say it, angel. Say it." Aziraphale felt himself hesitating more but knew how much this was to him. Hell didn't deserve him, God knew that. "I'm begging you. Please. Please let me have him. You can have Brahms, Schubert, Schumann. Let me have Beethoven. Please..."

Crowley's smirk never left his face.

Anything for his angel.

---

"und der Cherub steht vor Gott..."

(And the cherub stands before God.)

---

-Spring 1823-

"Let me help him, your Majesty. Let me work with him. One last piece. One magnum opus. Let me be his guiding force. If....if you'll let me. I won't let you down."

The archangels watched Aziraphale standing in the heavenly courts. Uriel and Gabriel eyed him suspiciously about the idea of interference while Michael sat there, looking as though the idea wasn't completely a stupid waste. God contemplated long enough before giving a blessing, warning Aziraphale to keep a low profile, to do right.

"Thank you, Lord. I promise I won't let you down."

---

Ludwig was difficult, he soon learned. Old age and bitterness did not make for good work between the pair when he was annoyed, angry. That said, the pair were able to bond over fond thoughts of delicious schnitzel, apfelstrudel, sacher torte, often indulging in the sweets when they had made some progress. 

People had wondered who the incomer was, often having Ludwig shout that it wasn't any of their damn business, to be frank.

Yes, he was aging and dying, but Aziraphale refused to let him go without finishing. He recalled how well that had gone for the other side and the Requiem Mass for Mozart. 

"Herr Fell?" Beethoven had said between bites of their strudel purchase on a particularly long day. "Why me? Why pick me?" Aziraphale's fork hesitated to place another piece into his mouth. Oh, there were so many reasons, the angel knew, but he supposed the composer deserved a chance to be remembered for all time wasn't all a bad idea either. Grabbing a piece and an ink quill, he scribbled his response:

"Everyone deserves a second chance. Including you, Herr Beethoven."

Beethoven's eyes misted with wet tears.

---

"Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt?"

(Do you sense the creator, world?)

-May 1824-

Aziraphale sat where Ludwig wouldn't see him, opting to be practically invisible until he felt a hand to his shoulder. A small yelp was followed by a pointed look when it became apparent the tapper was Crowley. "Easy, angel. Who'd you think I was? The guillotine squad?" Aziraphale squinted. "Clever remark, honestly. Did you think that up on the spot?" came his snippy reply as Crowley took a seat next to him. "Testy, testy! Take it easy...." Aziraphale seemed unconvinced. "Really now, angel. I'm here to see how good this magnum opus is. Word is that it's going to blow minds."

Aziraphale gave a sigh.

"Uh... that it's going to be his crowning achievement," Crowley corrected. "Yes... I do believe you're right," he whispered as the lights dimmed and the symphony began. 

An angel and demon both found tears that night by the end of it all.

---

"Such' ihn über'm Sternenzelt!

Über Sternen muß er wohnen."

(Seek him above the starry canopy!

Above stars must He dwell.)

"Aziraphale? ..... Aziraphale!"

He was being shaken and soon was snapping back to the present by Crowley. The record scratched at the edge, giving indication that the number was over. "You've been crying. Is everything all right, angel?" he asked in genuine concern for his angel, friend. Az moved a hand and felt the wetness to his eyes. 

"Aziraphale? What in the bonny, bloody blue blazes- -" Crowley began to growl before taking note of what the record was. The demon blinked, realising that perhaps, in this moment, tenderness was warranted. "Oh, Aziraphale." The angel gently began nodding his head. "I....couldn't help myself. Would....would you like to hear it? With me?" 

Crowley gave a wistful smile, sitting on the empty space on the loveseat as Aziraphale started the section all over again, settling in the hold of his demon.

And again, many, many years later, an angel and his demon bonded over their love for Beethoven.