#black butler briar

[blackbutlerfandomnerddomain]

Angel Belladonna Cake

Many years have changed.

Many years people have changed.

Many years the world has change.

Ever since the closing curtain call of the century's end, many things has change. The outfits, the food, the way people live, everything big or small was slowly change for a new book cover shade.

People of London walk in groups, chatting their morning away as they work as busy bees as always, the daily gossip fresh on the lips of the maidens dressed so fine in dresses and hair built up and tight. "Lady Elizabeth's husband is back from a trip I hear." "Does this mean we'll finally see him, the mystery husband of the Midford name?" "I due hope so. I bet he's handsome thanks to that lovely angel they birthed."

Indeed, the topic is even different than years before. Before it was who the beautiful and talented Lady Elizabeth Midford was going to wed after the chaotic reveal of two fiances, whom she'll pick base on statues of love in her heart. However, that quickly change upon sudden news within her 18th birthday nearer of a mysterious noble waltz in and the two fell instantly for each other and quickly wed. The mystery groom, Sir Lord Banishes Calamities, however is never seen in public besides their wedding day and a few hosted parties.

Many assumed he wasn't real until the birth of the Midford Family's heir of the next generation and beauty of her parents, Bella.

The very same Bella that across the ways of London's street to a large home just by the countryside who dances across polish marble floors so elegantly and smooth, a silver sword in hand as her partner.

Much like the gossips, Bella Midford is indeed a beauty. Long raven black hair in wisps and curls that reach down her back like a elegant cape, skin as smooth and perfect as a fine statue of Ancient Greece in the flesh color of a light beige and almond, a strong thin nose with a natural pink flush many would envy years ahead of time, large dark emerald eyes of a natural glimmering glow, and natural pale red lips fill as a rose petal. She also happens to have grown quiet tall after the setting sun of her 9th birthday with a lanky thin build lots of women in the Era would kill to have in a healthy way without the works of corsets or many pounds of powder.

The man she fights fall to the ground in a hard echoing thud as the girl stands perfect still with a grin of victory. A clap catches both their heads as a beautiful woman with blonde longs done up in a bun dressed so beautifully in blacks and greens walking to them. "Wonderful work Bella, you're getting better everyday." Said she, her voice sweet and comforting like honey. Bella smiles bright and turns a heel as she speaks, her voice similar but a slightly deeper pitch, "I learn from the best teachers after all mama."

As the sun reached it's full peek the scent of floral heaven sweeps up into the warm summer air to any nose and lung living around the recent edges of two large manors beside each other with a creek and small patch of forest splitting between their large lands just the outskirts of London's busy life style. Blue bells and white roses of many colors and size grow along the walls and ground of the manors in beautiful harmony as a morning bird chirps and chirps and chirps.

A man dressed in black walks down the halls as the morning light seeps in through the windows of dark blue lace curtains creating a beautiful design dark blue hue shade of shadows, in front of him he wheels a cart of tea cups and plates of soft sweet treats. He stops at a door and enters after gentle knocks, walking into a room painted white with flares of blue shades of many and silver threaded twinkles across and dangle across the ceiling and walls like frozen dew drops of the morning rain of April, against the wall center farthest away from the door sat a bed of soft comfort with a figure of two lay comfortably within each other's warmth.

The gent in black pulls the curtains open letting the sun come in fully, "Young master, Lady Doll, it is time to wake up."

At the same time as them, a figure of dark skin and light lavender waves of a short mop of hair dressed in a white ruffled blouse and black pants with brown boots to match walks into a large room filled with lavender and bluebells with a bundle of blankets rests in the large bed center of the room. With gentle hands and a soft they spoke, "Wake up little one. The morning is awaiting your play." The small figure under the bundle of blankets squirm in circles and groan, "Untie...Leave me be..."

"Untie can't let that happy star-shine." They giggles and shook the body more.

As the figures snug in their bed arose, figures of three and six others that follow suit helps get the day started with laundry, food, and garden work in clockwork until things were ready within a lovely greenhouse sat built in between the lands.

A grown man with dark hair and a eyepatch walks in along side a lovely brunette both holding the hands of children who seem extra tired, one ten the other eight, one boy and one girl. After the four seated the other doors opened and a handsome blonde lad waltz in holding a very sleepy light brown curls of a boy in his arms. "Good morning loves." "Good morning Alois."

The two new comers sat down as the man dressed in black and a beautiful maid with her long light hair tied in a braid down her back and dark skin got the breakfast tea and foods ready while everyone talk among themselves back and forth.

Over the years Ciel and Alois have change quite a lot. No long are their bodies and faces soften clay but have no sharpened or bold themselves, no longer do they wear shorts and high heeled boots to try and fit the statue cue of height and status wealth but now reached the desired height they longed for with Alois, much to Ciel's dismay, still peeks over the dark haired man by a few inches. Doll, much like the boys, have changed very much as well. Her body is no longer covered in her gender but now shaped and curved as a proper woman's body with her brown hair long and always tucked away in a stylish up-do that shows her new found status as Lady Phantomhive.

Ah yes, yet another thing so different than before.

Before, the two would simply hide away in their teenage curiosity and yell at each other almost every second they see each other. But over time, much like their bodies, their minds and feelings have shifted to a more different shade of things such as now always cuddling close to each other and bore three children they adore. Yes, three. Another thing different since then again was also the relationship of Ciel and Alois. Much like Doll's and his relationship, they never got along despite the many run ins and things they have in common with one another. However, over time those feelings faded to a nice even ground where Alois also comes to accepting Doll as someone close to him. Though sometimes they bicker and playfully argue over Ciel.

The three children are just perfect copies of their parents; The first born son, Albert, and the little only daughter, Rachel, tend to look much like their father at his young age but with the nose and freckles from their mother though some argue Albert as more of Doll's blue eyes than Ciel's. The youngest son, middle child Anthony, has the brown locks and nose and eye color of his mother but the eye shape and lips of his father Alois as well as the curly hair gene but still share hand in hand the two types of freckles both parents share. To everyone the three children are Phantomhives, but of course behind close doors and the walls of both manors they are known as Trancy's and Kelvin's though Doll had a long road of using that title since her youth.

But one thing more different than the rest still scratches even the other servants' heads-

"Untie didn't let me sleep in..." Whined tired little Anthony as he rubbed his tied blues of marble orbs. His awakening friend pouts at the sudden drag of mud on their name. The three adults around the table chuckle as Alois rubs both Anthony's and their hairs, "Brair simply wanted to see you star-shine."

They, Brair, smiles at the words and stands beside the maid and another woman who's dressed in a dark purple gown with pale white skin smooth and unaffected by anything and beautiful violet eyes under her light light short lashes that goes well with her soft curly white hair tied tightly in a braided bun behind her head.

Another thing different than before that many can't believe is a demon madam from Hell, most feared even by a Lord of Hell himself, has taken a shunned broken angel as her wife.

Over the time since taking effect the contract of Alois Trancy, Hannah Annafellows has found and taken cared of Angela, a once well known maid of Lord Henry Barrymore and was once a enemy of Ciel for trying to arrange his demise. Despite everything, the two simply found home together. Angela has long since lost her connection of Ash, her male counterpart, and began working between the households and over time that love and acceptance grew a child between them. Their sweet little Brair Rose of the dawn.

Brair glanced to their left to the butler who speaks with a smile and smiles softly in measure, "Are you excited for the party Mr Sebastian?" They asked. The butler in black's smile grew wider by ten inches, a happy glow glimmering within his red eyes. "Indeed I am."

Sebastian still recalls the feeling of holding such a tiny life form for the first time. She was so small red face and crying from the cold, her little fists were clutch tight. He has held babies many times before and after was no break, hell he was there for all the births to come, but nothing quite match the feeling of awe he felt upon holding just that one baby girl.

Domestic life was never once a lifestyle he desired even thinking about having but of course a certain human has to ruin that idea when he became that boy's butler, for without him he would never dare meet the lady who captured his heart freely and gifted him such a wonderful baby. She's a perfect mix of him and Elizabeth it drove poor Sebastian nuts on how that can be.

Sebastian blinks out his thoughts when he heard a crow caw above his head, bringing back to the now as he drives the carriage down the road to the manor he sees in his view, a smile coming to his face as he softly rubs the ring around his finger under his gloves.

This is dedicated to @sebalizzie and @annoyinglyshinycherryblossom and honestly @nullb1rdbones cause they have helped me accept a lot more ships than I would assume

[thistletisle]

Men who whimper when you tease them, sucking on the tip of their cock, he begs for you to make him cum and that he needs it so bad.

You find this quite adorable and finally end up giving him what he wants, slowly, you sink onto his cock while he lets out a moan and grabs your hips.

“F-fuck h-ha…! O-oh my god.. I love you- I love your pussy s-so much..!”

Armin Arlert, KUNIKIDA DOPPO, Atsushi Nakajima, OTHELLO, Yuri Briar, Rimuru Tempest, Giyuu Tomioka, Laios Touden, CHILCHUCK TIMS, Balam Shichiro, Ronald Knox, SANJI. Ranpo Edogawa, Serizawa Katsuya, SIGMA, And your favs <3

[rdkennith]

Black hair anime characters' headshots drawing

[shinigami-mistress]

Briar Rose Ciel

[filosof-art]

Ok but I have a theory 🤓☝️ (Ironically)

What if…Joanne is the loving child of this two?

[lxstfuck]

Y'ALL IMMA MAKE SOMETHING!

i have two prompts in mind

“You look so pretty on your knees for me”

Or

“You're such a pain slut”

And i wanna write for one of those but help me decide plz. The characters I wanna do are these:

Loki (yes, he is versatile)

Yuri briar (i don't even wanna hear it, he is just so pretty and no one appreciates him)

Chisiniya (We have to talk Abt him honestly)

Rin (the swimmer y'all, the swimmer)

Ken Kaneki (there's just something Abt the mask-)

And lastly; Sebastian Michaelis (he's so fine istg)

Have in mind this is a Dom reader x Sub character.

[spiritualseer]

Anime characters that I would use to represent each Zodiac sign

I’m a chronic nerd and watch a lot anime- so here’s some characters that I think embody each zodiac- some actually are those signs but some are not, so I added them to other signs because I know better than the author😃☝️

Aries

Eren Yeger- Attack on Titan

Yor Briar- Spy x Family

Ryomen Sukuna- Jujutsu Kaisen

Katsuki Bakugo- My Hero Academia

Haruka Sakura- Wind Breaker

Taurus

Momose Narumi - Wotakoi: love is hard for otaku

Gon Freecs- Hunter x Hunter

Monkey D. Luffy - One Piece

Gemini

Hisoka Morrow- Hunter x Hunter

Claude Faustus- Black Butler

Osamu Dazai- Bungo Stray Dogs

Ainosuke Shindo/Adam- Sk8 the Infinity

Sanji Vinsmoke- One Piece

Cancer

Nanami Kento- Jujutsu Kaisen

Nami- One Piece

Kojiro Nanjo/Joe- Sk8 the Infinity

Tanjiro Kamado- Demon Slayer

Izuku Midoriya/Deku- My Hero Academia

Leo

Nobara Kugisaki- Jujutsu Kaisen

Teruhashi Kokomi- Saiki K

Reki Kyan- Sk8 the Infinity

Grell Sutcliff- Black Butler

Endeavor/Enji Todoroki- My Hero Academia (undeveloped Leo men representation lol)

Korra- The Legend of Korra

Taiga Kagami- Kuroko's Basket

Virgo

Doppo Kunikida- Bungo Stray Dogs

Aren Kuboyasu- Saiki K

Tobio Kageyama- Haikyuu

Tenya Iida- My Hero Academia

Kaoru Sakurayashiki/Cherry- Sk8 the Infinity

William T Spears- Black Butler

Libra

Ranpo Edogawa- Bungo Stray Dogs

Miya Atsumu- Haikyuu

Yu Nishinoya- Hakyuu

Ronald Knox- Black Butler

Hayato Suo- Wind Breaker

Scorpio

Shouta Aizawa- My Hero Academia

Shoko Ieiri- Jujutsu Kaisen

Kyuoka Izumi- Bungo Stray Doga

Taro Sakamoto- Sakamoto Days (I know the anime isn't out yet but this is developed and committed Scorpio men rep.)

Sagittarius

Gojo Satoru- Jujutsu Kaisen (almost offensively Sagittarius like LOOK AT HIM),

Akiko Yosano- Bungo Stray Dogs

Tengen Uzui- Demon Slayer

Shinazugawa Sanemi- Demon Slayer

Capricorn

Yukichi Fukuzawa- Bungo Stray Dogs

Megumi Fushiguro- Jujutsu Kaisen

Maki Zenin- Jujutsu Kaisen

Levi Ackerman- Attack on Titan

Asahi Azumane- Haikyuu

Aquarius

Geto Suguru- Jujutsu Kaisen

Mikasa Ackerman- Attack on Titan

Langa Hasegawa- Sk8 the Infinity

Sebestian Michaelis- Black Butler

Tetsuya Kuroko- Kuroko's Basket

Hajime Umemiya- Wind breaker (a developed Aquarius man lol)

Loid Forger- Spy x Family

Pisces

Yuji Itadori- Jujutsu Kaisen

Shinobu Kochou- Demon Slayer

Snake- Black Butler

Nifuji Hirotaka- Wotakoi: love is hard for otaku

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright Disclaimer ©️ All works are owned by me and I do not allow reposting or translations- only reblogging

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

The First Fairy Tale

ahdbalidbaidf I'M SUCH A SUCKER FOR UNREQUITED KNIGHT X PRINCESS STUFF (even if it's not clear whether or not Lilia's crush persisted beyond childhood in canon) SO. I'M WRITING THIS… 😭This fic is purposefully ambiguous about the type of love Lilia feels in the end for Meleanor. It’s up to the reader to interpret it as they please. This piece was inspired the story of Madame Red from Black Butler. You don't need to know either to enjoy, but if you do happen to know them then I think you'll appreciate it more. There’s also some references to a few Disney films besides Sleeping Beauty—can you find which ones? I also purposefully repeated some phrases and blended a few references together to give the fic a “dream-like”/deja vu feeling. There was going to be a wedding scene opening with “There wasn’t a cloud in the sky” in reference to We Don’t Talk About Bruno, but I had to cut that since the fic was getting long. Even without that and some other cut scenes, I think this is the longest fic I’ve written before. It’s almost 8k words!!

... Do you remember? I told my first fairy tale to you, my most beloved. ***Spoilers for book 7 part 5 of the main story!***

Imagine this...

In a castle forgotten by time, a lone figure walked among the creeping thorns. The plants swallowed the grounds, yet he moved swiftly and stealthily, passing over briar as easily as water over stone. Not a single movement was wasted as he traversed the brambled floors.

His ponytail—black streaked with red—fell in his path, the slight whip of it the only trace of his presence. He had traded his battle armor of old for plainclothes long ago, but still hadn’t filled into them yet. To shed the life of a general for that of a civilian was no simple task.

The small, doughy creature pressed against his shoulder sleepily lifted its head. Upon the infant’s crown was a cap of shockingly silver hair, the same color as moonlight. The boy thrusted a pudgy hand into his cheek, delivering a soft pap to the hardened veteran.

“Tch…!” Lilia pulled away brusquely. “Troublesome little creature, aren’t you? Hold still. We’d have made it out of here by now if only you weren’t so…”

Weak, defenseless, frail, vulnerable.

An array of potential words rose to fill in the gap. He settled on the least abrasive one he could muster.

Something cute.

Children like cute, right…? Right.

“… squishy.”

The infant—no, Silver, he corrected himself—seemed curious about the response, staring up with sudden interest. Lilia’s skin prickled at the sensation. He averted his eyes to an interior that had seen better days.

Once a shining jewel to house the crown princess, Wild Rose Castle was abandoned now. The thorns had invaded, climbing the walls and digging themselves into every nook and crevice. Furniture and weapons devoured, flags and tapestries consumed, meeting a similar fate as the nation that had once proudly flew them.

Ruins entombing stolen time.

What had once been a palace teeming with history, with life, was left a barren wasteland. All that remained were shadows of the past which clung thickly to the thorns. One misstep, and they would cut into him, bringing both pain and searing hot memories.

Funny, that: how the natural forces were unrelenting and indiscriminate. Yet the trace of an enchantment in the air suggested otherwise, its telltale tingle palpable. He knew the bramble had come from magical means.

A fairy's spell lingered. Some bygone blessing or curse, told in the tattered remains of a hazy vision and a wish for more halcyon days. Parents wanting to spare their child from the horrors of war.

Lilia's grip on Silver subconsciously tightened.

What rotten luck. I return after all this time to pay my respects, only to find Wild Rose Castle in this sorry state. How the mighty fall.

Silver fidgeted in his arms, as if sensing that something was off. A bit of saliva dribbling from the corner of his mouth, a soft whine gurgling up.

“You’re fussing again already?” Lilia frowned. He awkwardly laid a hand on the infant’s back. Are all infants this incorrigible? "The journey will be a long one if you aren't able to settle."

The infant turned its head, his cheek fitting neatly into Lilia's palm. There was a coo, then a sigh of contentment.

Still shaking off the sleepiness.

"... You're so needy," Lilia grumbled, noting the drool wetting his skin. Silver blinked at him with large, iridescent orbs. "I don't understand. Do people actually find this endearing? To find such joy in raising their young is..."

He hesitated to finish his sentence.

What did a man like him have to say on the matter? Long-lived as he was, that kind of love was something he had ever experienced for himself.

A gentle, warm hand to guide him through the darkness. The love of a parent.

Yet here I am, a loveless fae robbing a baby from its cradle. Just as the humans believe we do.

What irony.

Sadness nipped at Lilia as his thoughts turned to Silver. If anything, the little one had more power to shape the world around it than he ever could.

It was for this sort of creature that the Dawn Knight made a prayer for the future. It was for this sort of creature that Baul's rigid heart shifted. It was for this sort of creature that she...!!

Lilia's fingers had clenched into a vice grip on Silver. The infant cried out, squirming uncomfortably in his new guardian's grasp.

"Shoot...!! Er... there, there. It will be alright."

He clumsily rocked the baby back and forth. It was too vigorous, for Silver bursted into tears. His wails echoed off the desolate walls of the castle, piercing loud in Lilia's ears.

The fae jerked back, holding Silver at a safe distance from him. His grasp, precarious.

This is proving to be much more challenging than I initially thought... H-How do I silence it?!

Lilia glanced around helplessly at his surroundings. Everything was encased in a cage of thorns: antiques, drapes, even the axes mounted for decoration—to liven up the room. They were impossible for him to reach, else he could swing them around to amuse the boy.

Pieces of the past far out of his reach.

It’s not an option. A human babe is not like a fae babe. Lilia’s head swarmed with stress, Silver’s sobs only multiplying his worries. What do I do? What… would she do?

Meleanor…

The name of his princess emerged. Along with it, a scene blossoming in sepia shades.

Her, in a regal black gown and dripping in green gemstones and finery. Him, in a general's armor. A princess and her knight, straight out of a fairy tale.

She was humming while caressing a large egg, a marbled violet flecked with green, dark webbing laced the shell. It conformed perfectly to her chest, pulsating with a strange warmth as she ran taloned fingers over it. Another role she had adopted: mother.

A low chuckle rose from the back of her throat. "Fufufu Look, Malleus. Our dear Lilia has taken the time out of his busy schedule to come pay us a visit."

"It's been quite some time since I last heard you giggle like a schoolgirl. Nice to know that you remain in good spirits." He arched an eyebrow. "... But since when did you decide to name the child? I thought the medical mages hadn't even determined a gender for your heir yet."

"Oh, some time ago," she replied flippantly. Meleanor was always like a storm, unpredictable and acting on her own whims. "I don't need anyone to tell me what my child will be. I already know... my Malleus will grow up to be an upstanding, beautiful man just like my Raverne."

She had a dreamy, faraway look on her face. A slight blush to her high cheeks, a shine to her eyes, a kind smile at her lips. Completely unlike her, the tomboy who snuck out of the castle unsupervised and caused trouble for all the servants.

So utterly smitten.

For that moment and that moment alone, Lilia would have believed her a patient princess awaiting a knight in shining armor's rescue. Not him, but her beloved.

Raverne.

He had to bite back a terse laugh, mask it with a joke. "Your Raverne? Hold on now, you've got to share him with the rest of us. We'd simply crumble without his wisdom."

"I don't intend to share what's rightfully mine.” A teasing smirk he knew well had found its way onto her pert mouth again. “I'm a very possessive woman.”

"As I’m well aware. Alas, I serve such a cruel mistress of evil.”

She chuckled, resting a hand on her egg. "... When Raverne returns, we shall arrange for tea. The two of you can regale me with the stories of your journeys. It gets to be so dull trapped in these castle walls. Oh, and of course, Malleus will be joining us. He has yet to experience our cozy little get-togethers.”

Their group. Their trio. The three of them. And now a new member. An expansion of the family unit—no, rather, the realization that something didn’t belong among them.

His heartbeat quickened.

"There you go again, making rash requests of me. You really ought to be more considerate of others. I came all this way out of the goodness of my heart, only for you to bark more orders at me. Don't I get to take a break?"

"I am being considerate," she insisted. "I'm considering Malleus. He is invited. You cannot uninvite him."

"That's not the point. Agh, what am I going to do with you?" Lilia ran a hand through his hair. The frustration was familiar—but so was the fondness that chased it.

“My, my. Such insolence. I’m afraid you’ll be stuck with me for a long, looong time. You should be less stubborn and more kind to your princess,” she purred, her words touched with dry sarcasm. “Isn’t that right, Malleus?”

“I’m too kind to you. Too patient as well,” Lilia sighed. “… It’s you who is headstrong.”

“I must be. I have a country and now a family behind me. A scorned mother’s rage is insurmountable, you know.”

He should have said something back. Played into their usual banter. But he didn’t—couldn’t bring himself to. Lilia looked away quickly, but not quite quickly enough.

“Oh? What nerve you have to avoid the gaze of your princess.” She dropped her playful tone. “Something weighs heavy on your mind.”

“… I can never hide anything from you, can I?”

“You will inform me at once.”

“So you can obliterate what ails me?”

“So that I may put you at ease." She lifted a hand, gesturing toward him. "That is the duty of a queen to her people… and, more importantly, of a friend to another."

Friend.

It stung right down to his bones, hurting more than a blast of righteous lightning. A reminder of what he was: a footnote, a supporting cast member in her grand story. Without that, he was nothing.

An outcast.

His stomach clenched. He forced down a bitter pill and spoke.

"I was just wondering what it must feel like to be in your position, Meleanor-sama," Lilia whispered. "Mother to a nation, and to a child. To wholly devote oneself to the service of others... I will never know what that is like."

At this, she laughed darkly. "I am strong. I have to be, because I have people to protect. You have that strength as well. You wouldn't be able to serve as one of my generals without it. There are just some things in this world worth risking your life for, hmm?"

"I don't understand. My loyalty will always lie with you, with Briar Country... but for a child, I cannot...!!" Lilia stopped himself, reining his emotions back to calm. "I've never known how that kind of love feels. I'm not capable of it."

Meleanor narrowed her eyes as she listened to his woes. Unwise men would think her contemplative. He knew better—she was scheming.

"... Let me tell you a secret, Lilia," she said at last. "A dragon's egg needs its parents' love to hatch. However, true love is a special spell. It's more powerful than any magic, and able to be cast by anyone. If you are able to protect me, then that alone is proof enough that you are capable of 'true love'."

"You make it sound so simple, but is it really like that? The children of man say that fae cannot tell an untruth, yet you so expertly reassure me with lies."

"You're questioning me? Laughable. I am a woman of my honor, unlike you with all your tall tales."

"They're not tall tales. They're real stories of the danger I was in. Danger that, mind you, I got in half the time on behalf of your demands."

"Is that so?" Meleanor had smiled at him then, her teeth gleaming in the dim candlelight. Long lashes fluttering against the emeralds of her eyes. "Then you wouldn't mind sharing a story or two with Malleus."

Lilia bristled at the thought, an old wound reopened. There was a burst of relief that accompanied the dull pain.

I can't sing her lullabies. I don't have her strength either. No partner to speak of, no family to look to. What I do have is...

He pressed Silver into him, keeping a hand rested reassuringly on the infant's upper back. Muffled cries and a warm wetness pooled on Lilia's shoulder. His steps slowed, coming to a steady pace.

The first words were the most difficult to get out.

"... Once upon a time, there was a princess living in this castle." His voice was slow and deep and sorrowful. Not a song, but a longing croon for days he could never return to.

They entered a corridor lined with paintings. The sound of Silver's sobbing funneled into the passage, a greeting to the dour faces of important officials portrayed in each frame. Horned, with raven hair and reptilian eyes, obsidian scales dotting their skin, milky and smooth as wax.

Lilia lowered his head to one as they passed--a woman upon a throne, scepter in hand, her pointed features dappled by moonlight.

"She was many things. Selfish, impetuous, and stubborn… but also brave, strong, and beautiful."

So beautiful.

That had been his first impression of her. A single pale rose amid a garden of thorns.

She was tiny in those days, still trotting about in small, polished heels that clicked with each step, her black dress swishing about. A scaled tail—fluffy at the end--poked out from under there, proof of dragonic heritage. Her long hair was slicked back, proudly displaying a pair of horns and the scales that crowned her forehead.

When she wailed, the skies turned stormy. When she beamed, the sun came out. Her expressions so lively as she spun around in her skirts, the fabric unfurling like the petals of a blossoming flower.

A princess both adored and feared by her people.

"She befriended an unruly ragamuffin.” Lilia's lips quirked, unable to fight them from tugging up. “He was without loved ones, so the princess extended a hand to him."

Lilia had stolen glances at her when he was convinced she was distracted. During royal processions, tending to the horses, when they crossed paths in the halls.

He never let himself stare for too long. To do so was nearly a death sentence. The guards would be upon him in an instant—or worse, she would.

But without doubt, she did.

She would look back, letting a telltale grin take shape when their gazes met.

Him, the nobody picked up by the royal family on a whim. A hopeless squire boy, a knight-in-training, a ward.

Him.

She noticed him.

Picking up her skirts, she'd made a beeline over. Grinning like a gremlin, she would inevitably set a tragedy into motion.

"Lilia, I'm sick of studying! Let's play instead."

"What? I don't want to. Besides, I have training to tend to."

"Oh, don't be such a spoilsport. That's an order from your princess, so you can't refuse!"

“And that's the way the story always goes, a princess and her knight." He passed a glance at Silver. The infant's crying had quieted, and he returned the look, eyes wet with wonder.

Lilia sighed. "... I guess you wouldn't know that, would you? Well, it’s not as though she were your average girl.

"A wicked princess, that’s what she was. There was not a day when she wasn't making mischief and pulling the knight into it with her."

She had had many games, not all of them clearly defined or with rules. Sometimes she changed them on the fly. Sometimes she played without guidelines at all.

Pretend escalated into full-scale magical duels. Scavenger hunts spanned the entire castle grounds. They’d race to see who could relieve the gallery of the most apples in the least amount of time, dig through the treasury for the biggest gems.

On particularly lazy days, a roll across the lawn was enough to amuse them. Petals were plucked, sugary honeysuckle trapped between their teeth.

"You have something stuck in your hair," she'd tease him, picking loose petals out. "Let me get that for you, my most loyal retainer."

He'd hold still, as commanded, let her take as long as she wanted tidying him up.

When the guards combed the garden for them, they’d squish into shrubbery and lay low until the coast was clear. Sometimes their lids would grow heavy and collapse—and when they roused, stars had spilled into the sky, and they’d count constellations until the morning.

Starlight dappling her noble face, her fiery spirit ablaze.

How many diplomatic meetings had they crashed? How many ancient items had they broken? How many headaches had they collectively caused?

Lilia chuckled faintly.

… Those were the good old days.

He continued down the path laid before him, the paintings seemingly chugging along in slow succession. Both people and time passing him by.

"There was another as well. A clever, kind-hearted duke who also warmed up to the knight. The three of them formed a most formidable group.”

“Are you two at it again? You never stop, do you?”

The voice came from the top of the stairwell.

"Raverne. So good of you to join us," Meleanor said breathlessly—she had been running about. She slicked back a strand of glossy raven hair and beamed toothily. It wasn't the smile of a princess, but of a dragon yet to be tamed.

He quirked a brow. "Am I joining you? Whoever said that?"

“If you’re jealous, no need to play coy," she teased as the Dragon Duke descended the stairs. "You’re welcome to join us anytime.”

"The princess has already roped me into her antics," Lilia sighed. "Why not make it a party of three? We can all get scolded together later. Misery loves company."

"A tempting offer." Raverne lazily tilted his head to one side. He always had a languid way of moving, like a curtain of night veiling the day. "I think you've got me convinced."

"Why did you agree when Lilia asked and not when your princess did?" Meleanor demanded, stomping a foot.

Raverne shrugged. Effortless, defiant. "Perhaps you're not as charming as you think you are."

Any other person would have faced her wrath. Anyone else would have been forced to tango with lightning.

Not Raverne. He was too hard to stay mad at, and too easy to forgive. His presence alone smoothed over tensions, settled storms.

“He’s a dreamer,” the dusty old court advisors would remark with disdain.

“He’s a dreamer,” Lilia would say, eyebrows raised in surprise.

“He’s a dreamer,” Meleanor would sigh, the stars in her eyes.

Now, she just smirked at him. "I'll have to demonstrate to you just how charming I can be."

She had looked at Raverne differently in that instant. Her eyes did not glint at the sight of new prey to toy with, but with keen interest. There was something else too, an undercurrent of some tender feeling Lilia couldn't quite place.

Meleanor had never looked at Lilia like that.

Only Raverne.

He shook his head.

I should have known then... I was fighting a losing battle.

"With time, they grew ever closer. Unexpected feelings arose. The knight came to love the princess.” Lilia's feet came down upon the bramble that knitted over the floor. He could not feel it through his boots, but it felt as though he was still being pierced in the chest.

Silver blinked as Lilia plodded along. The gentle rise and fall drying his tears.

It had been a heady spring day, another escapade dodging servants and sneaking beyond the gardens. The flowers had blossomed, the same as the princess. She had grown lovelier by the day, her spitfire attitude untempered.

His flower of evil.

They were crossing a brook then, Meleanor lifting up her skirts to float to the other side, Lilia hopping on rocks to cross. He could have flown with her if he tried, but he was feeling cocky, had wanted to shown off the fruits of his training.

One misstep, and Lilia went flying forward, crashing into her. Their bodies collapsed against one another's as they roll, roll, rolled into a field, blades of grass and stray petals collecting on them. When they at last came to a stop, they laid on their lacks and laughed until their lungs hurt.

Lilia had stared at her again. Her smile, a powerful spell. She caught him in the act, demanded what he was looking at.

"You have something stuck in your hair," Lilia told her as they sat up. "Let me get that for you, my most benevolent princess."

"Stop stealing my lines," she giggled back.

Only if you stop stealing my heart first, he thought. But Meleanor was selfish, and once she had claimed something as her own, she refused to return her new treasure.

Lilia reached--and produced a single white daisy between his fingers. Kneeling, he offered the token to her. "Here. For you."

"Prankster. You planted that so you could appear impressive," Meleanor chuckled, accepting it. "... However, the gesture is sweet, so I thank you for it."

She held the flower to her nose and inhaled its scent. Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks, lips brushing the velvet-soft petals of the daisy. Wind weaving its hands through jet back hair, spots of sunshine dancing across her.

The entire universe was conspiring against him, it seemed.

He remained kneeling, remembering his place. Him, the knight. Her, the princess. But if that was the case, then weren't they perfectly suited for a fairy tale?

Lilia steeled his courage and let the words he had been holding in all that time loose. "M-Meleanor-sama! I... I like you. Not just as a friend. More than that. P-Please accept my feelings!"

Rare surprise dashed her beauty. A crack of light, dawn chasing away the darkness. “Lilia...?"

Here was his weakness, more terrifying than any enemy their country had faced. One young lady, and he folded like a paper crane. His heart in her hands.

And she squeezed.

"I'm not sure if I enjoy this joke. What we had before... I liked that."

More delicate than he had ever heard her speak. Like she was afraid of breaking this.

"This isn't a joke. I'm... I'm serious about you! Please answer me!!" he pleaded. "Will you be mine?"

At once, her face fell. The daisy, and his heart, slipped from her grasp.

"Oh, Lilia," she whispered, a hand clamped over her mouth. "I'm sorry. So, so, sorry."

A resounding rejection, chased by a dreadful loneliness. It had been nothing like the storybooks had promised. Lilia almost wanted to weep at his juvenile naivete.

He hushed, the awareness of it all consuming him.

So this is love.

Love, and the lack of it. How it hurt him so, as it had from had the start. He was always alone, no matter how many people he surrounded himself with.

Was that really love then?

The thought struck him like a fist to the gut.

I thought I loved you. But maybe that wasn’t true love. Maybe I was desperate to be loved back. To have someone to call my own, when I had no one at all before. Maybe I clung to the first person that showed the slightest bit of attention to me.

Even so, my heart ached for you. Longed for you. Believed it was meant to be. Dreamt of you. I wanted to give you my everything.

Lilia tucked the infant’s cheek to his chest. Felt the child’s warmth, his physical presence. The steady drum of something buried deep in him.

There was a wobbly yawn in the silence. Silver, tuckered out from crying, awaited the next part of the story.

The breath Lilia held released. The words, painful as they dropped from his lips.

“But she had eyes for another: the duke. The knight watched as his two best friends fell in love.” Lilia’s nails dug into the cloth that swaddled Silver. “The princess and the duke were happy, so the knight, too, was happy. And why wouldn’t he be? The woman he loved the most was going to marry the man he loved the most. It was a happy ending for the trio."

He had been summoned by the princess that fateful day. Returning triumphant from the battlefield, adrenaline running high, he hadn’t even bothered to make himself presentable first. His hair was a mess, his armor stained with the remains of slain foes.

She waited for him beyond the door.

“Melea… Oh.”

His princess was seated beside Raverne. She clung to his arm like a vine on a trellis, beaming like the moon on a cloudless night. Meleanor was drunk on the Dragon Duke.

He had never seen her so happy.

“Lilia! You’re here at last,” she called, waving him over. “Just in time.”

He glanced from her to Raverne. “In time for what?”

“For our exciting announcement.” Meleanor wasn’t looking at him. Instead, she gazed adoringly at the man beside her. Somewhat shy. “Would you like to tell him? Or should I? Ooh, this is quite exciting."

Raverne smiled softly—but Lilia could sense the slight discomfort in his eyes, the way they darted to his. Guilty acknowledgement, an awareness of betrayal.

I'm sorry, he seemed to say.

Lilia’s blood ran cold.

“I think you ought to tell him,” Raverne suggested. His voice was gentle, but they felt like a slash to the throat, cutting deep.

Then Meleanor announced it, unable to contain the secret any longer. "We're getting married!!"

She showed her left hand. The flash of the silver band upon her fourth finger was unmistakable. A ring, binding them with a promise.

Together forever, those two.

Lilia’s world violently tilted. The castle crumbling, the sky collapsing around him. Yet he, the trained soldier, dug his feet in and stood his ground.

You've been bested. Admit it. Admit defeat...!!

He said the only word he could.

"Congratulations."

Lilia could make out the light at the other end of the tunnel now. The world beyond the walls and castle corridors. He knew the end of the story was fast approaching, and how it would sap his strength, his will to fight on.

Still, he continued.

“The new couple were soon expecting a baby. Someone much like yourself.” Lilia prodded at Silver’s flabby chin. “You’ll be graced with his presence soon enough. The princess’s legacy, Malleus Draconia… My responsibility these past 160 years.”

Silver gurgled.

“So enthusiastic. You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into,” Lilia softly chided. “We fae and humans…”

… can never hope to understand each other.

"We fae and humans can understand each other," Raverne would have countered him. "We can make it a reality."

Tiny hands wrapped around Lilia’s finger. His touch, fragile.

You can afford to be hopeful. It drew a bitter chuckle from his handler. Brief reprieve before the plummet into something deeper and darker than the night that guarded them.

“… In a period of great unrest, the duke went missing. The princess was beside herself with worry—yet she remained stalwart for her people, and for their child. She wished every night for her husband to come home safely.”

They had magical might, but the humans had numbers. Each battle, an exchange of hard blows, casualties high on both sides. Reports rolled in as frequently as bodies did.

The people grew concerned, and so she had donned her mask to reassure them. Stoney faced and strong atop her tower.

“We will recover the missing couriers. We will secure our land and resources. We will beat back the outsiders. Briar Country will rise victorious in the war. Man will rue the day they came upon our shores. This, I swear to you as your princess!!”

Uproarious cheering and applause for her, their sovereign. A goddess of victory.

But he, watching from the shadows, knew better than that. All those years roughhousing with her, and he knew.

The face she showed the public and the face she made in private were two sides of the same card. Princess, mother, wife, friend. So many roles, all of them she played with such strength.

Meleanor only slipped when she thought no eyes were on her. When the servants had all retired for the night, and the moon and its stars came out.

Pressing his back to the wall, Lilia shielded his candle’s small circle of light from view. The hallway was drenched in darkness again.

A few paces away, her chambers to which she retreated every evening with her egg. With her dear little Malleus.

He listened.

Soft whimpers sounded from the abyss. Sounds and sights she would not dare show her people.

A leader such as she could not afford to be weak. The same leader who clutched her child to her and furiously prayed for a happy ending.

“Raverne, where are you? Come home… Come home, you idiotic, idealistic man!!”

CRASH!! BANG!! BOOM!!

Lightning lit up the sky. Lilia's flame trembled before righting itself.

Her voice dropped to a devious coo. "... I'm sorry, Malleus. Did that scare you? There, there. It's alright, your mother is here. Your father will be too... and when he does, I shall give him an earful for being away for so long!!"

He listened, for he was the only one who could. He listened until his lids began to droops. He listened until he had to tear himself away.

Before he knocked upon her door. Before he could tell her he was here, to please let him in. Before he could confess, “I miss him too.”

Hold her. Cry with her. Dream with her.

Ask for Raverne back.

“I will never wish for anything more than this. Please. Please…!!”

He had listened then, but no one had listened to him in return. Not even the stars.

Cruel celestial beings, he cursed—if they would not grant his wish, then he would take matters into his own hands.

Raverne…!!

Lilia swallowed thickly. His footfalls had grown heavy, as if weighed down by cinder blocks.

Silver sleepily gummed his finger. Oblivious as to what was to come.

“The conflict escalated.”

It had all happened so fast. Flying by, a blur. Time was not a concern to most fae—a year was barely the blink of an eye. Everything blending together into an indiscernible mush, taken down with ease.

But war never became more palatable. He had simply trained to become numb to it all. The strong smell of iron, the corpses piled high. It was sensory overload, the taste of too many things at once.

A crimson-eyed demon stood at the boundary of a burning village. Inhaled the fumes, smoke and flesh wrapped in fire. Witnessed the leaping flames stretching to the sky.

Who had lived here? Who had died here? Lilia thought of neither.

Had to, or he would fall to his knees and wail.

He held a small cloth doll, long black hair and red dress. Somehow it had survived the carnage. The lone survivor of a massacre. The rest had been slaughtered or evacuated from the area.

Abandoned, just as he had been.

His gaze lidded, fingers closing around the doll. "… As if it were a day. Everywhere I go, it will be in a blink of an eye. Far Cry Cradle.”

Memories arose, pulled by the strings of magic. They exploded across his vision like fireworks. Tinted green and blue and pink.

There was a ghostly child walking among the ruins, smiling as they clung to their mother, doll in their other hand. Daily life making the rounds in the village, helping with chores and playing games. Story events on fast forward.

Then came the knights stomping in their silver suits, masked fae cloaked in black. Buildings caving in, bodies falling, the clang of weapons colliding.

Screams.

Red, red, so much red.

The child horrified, dropping the doll. Staggering steps backward.

He barely cast an eye at them. Surveying the scene straight out of a hellish dream, he sought out a familiar shadow. Had he walked among them, seen the same things he had?

To no avail.

Lilia blinked, and it was the end.

He had not treaded along this path.

“… Damn it, Raverne.” He gripped the doll harder—as if to squeeze out its secrets. Making me hunt you down like this...

“General Vanrouge.”

Lilia did not turn. “Baul.”

“Sir.” He saluted to his superior. “The troops are rested. We are prepared for the final march to the Eastern Fortress.”

“… Yes, I understand. Let’s move out.”

He let the doll fall to the ground. His hands now freed, he pulled his hood up.

“General?” Baul called tentatively.

“The weather is chilly today, don’t you think?” The question, dismissive. Lilia slipped his mask back on—a beastly bat, glaring, teeth protruding.

His tears hidden from view.

Baul nodded. “… Yes, it is. I will remind the men to bundle up, sir.”

He looked away. “Good.”

Lilia firmly set his jaw. “War came knocking at their door, claiming many lives… and threatening to take the princess and her child too.”

There was something automatically off about the fortress when they slipped in. The infiltration too smooth, the corridors too quiet.

Combing the building yielded few results. There was no Raverne, no Dawn Knight. Only cowering staff and scattered humans in iron armor piloting sputtering metal monstrosities.

He cut them down the same as the rest. A mad boar, seeking a true challenge.

"Where are you?! Show yourself...!!" Lilia's demands were hollow in the empty hallways.

A demon snarling for sacrifice, the humans called him. A heartbroken dreamer, seeking the love that he had lost, his troops would whisper amongst themselves.

They found him at the end of a trail of carnage. Panting, sweating, hoarse. The lines between man and monster converged in Lilia Vanrouge.

Then the message was delivered, striking fear into the fearless fae.

"... What?"

The weapon in his hand faltered as realization ripped through him.

“Wild Rose Castle is under siege?!”

"She summoned her knight to her side.” Lilia’s voice quivered, growing small. You’re weak, he snarled at himself, so very, very weak.

Silver, too, seemed to sense the shift in him. He rubbed his cheek against the fae’s finger. Was he trying to comfort himself, or his newfound caretaker?

“The princess asked of him to take her child to safety somewhere far, far away. To forget her. It was her final selfish request for him.”

He had found her seated upon her throne, one arm curled around her precious egg, the other grasping her scepter. It was a sight so familiar, so safe, his chest lifted with relief. Lilia ran to her, calling her name.

"Meleanor-sama!!"

Her arm swept out in an arc, face twisted with fury. On command, a bolt of lightning crashed down in his path.

"Tch...!"

Tucking and rolling, Lilia darted off to the side, narrowly dodging the strike. Where he had once been was a massive scorch mark on the tiled floor.

“You’re LATE, Lilia!!” Meleanor roared. "What if something had happened to me or Malleus before you had arrived?!"

"Hah. As though you would allow that to happen," he scoffed. "You would kill the Silver Owls dead if I weren't here to stop you."

It was their usual game, a playful chase, the exchange of pokes and prods. Today, Meleanor had no such humor. Her expression turned from rage to one of eerie calm.

Lilia shivered.

"They've come for us," she whispered, hugging her egg tightly.

They had always known this day was a possibility. Now it was here, so palpable it was unreal.

From the bridge that ran to the castle came ugly chants twisted with hatred. Hot, oppressive, heavy. The sound like smoke snuffing out the daylight.

“Kill the witch!”

“Seize the castle!”

“Bring me the spoils!”

Horror raced through him.

“Let’s get you to safety, princess. Quickly, before they breach the drawbridge. My men can only hold them off for so long—”

She rose from her throne, descending from her dais. Her stride was not urgent, not eager to flee—the pace closer to the kind one might set for a garden stroll.

Meleanor faced her knight with a small smile. The same one she offered right before suggesting some sort of mischief.

“Lilia.”

“Princess…?”

“I refuse to run.” Her eyes flickered like green fire. “I will stand and fight.”

Panic pulsed in his ears.

“What?! Of all the foolish, hard-headed decisions you’ve made… This is absolutely the most foolish and the most hard-headed one!! I won’t let you go out there. I can’t. You’ll be…!”

A fist closed around his throat. The word died there, half-formed.

“What is it that you wish to say? That I will be hurt? Killed?” Meleanor challenged. So steadfast, so brazen. “You think so little of your princess.”

“This is NOT the time to argue the technicalities!! We need you safe and well, Meleanor-sama. Think of your people! Think of Raverne, your child...!"

Think of me.

She bared her teeth. “What is my power for, if not to protect those I love?”

Her gaze lowered to her egg, then to Lilia. “... You must flee to Black Scale Castle. They will not be able to follow you that deep into the mountain range.”

"I won’t abandon you. If you will stay, then let me fight alongside you as your sword and shield!"

"You have already done plenty for me. Do not mean to play the role of martyr too." Meleanor straightened, looking the part of a regal ruler. “You must go. I have guests to receive.”

"Argh, you stubborn princess!! How will you fight by yourself when you have your child to consider?"

"That," she laughed softly, "is a simple riddle."

His eyes sharpened with recognition of her next scheme. Meleanor wordlessly deposited the egg into Lilia’s arms. It was warm, humming from within the shell.

A life yet to be born, wishes yet to come true.

“I am entrusting you with Malleus,” she murmured sadly. “Please take care of him in his parents' absence."

“Don’t speak that way!!" Lilia snapped.

Don't speak as though we will never meet again, as though this is the final page of our story.

“In the first place, I could never… I can’t raise this child. I don’t know what it is like to love—not the way you and Raverne do. I’ve never had parents. I can’t be one, not when I don’t understand that kind of love!”

Meleanor’s face softened. “But you love me, don’t you? And you love Raverne too.”

He nodded. Slow, hesitant. “We were young. It was a long time ago,” Lilia mumbled.

“You love us,” she grinned, “so surely you are capable of loving our child, the product of our love—and Malleus will feel that. He will respond to you.”

“I’m not…”

“You are deserving of love, Lilia.” This, Meleanor spoke firmly. “Do not let yourself believe otherwise. I shall never forgive you if you do.”

The shouts were growing louder. The castle shuddered, stopped, and shuddered again. Doors being rammed at, forced open.

“Go,” Meleanor hisses. “This is an order from your princess. You cannot refuse.”

She had told that to him many times before. In dreams, in their games. Now, it hurt to hear more than any blow he had taken from battle.

Something in him gave, and instead of stepping away, he stepped forward. Inching closer to the woman out of his reach, but never touching her.

“I’m scared,” Lilia confessed, quiet as snowfall. “What if I lose you like we lost Raverne?”

Then I will be alone again.

“Be not afraid,” she reassured him. Meleanor did not meet him in the eyes.

“Do you promise we will meet again?” he pressed. The egg felt as molten as magma against his armor. “Do you swear?”

BAM!!

The grounds shook—the Silver Owls had successfully taken down a set of barricaded doors.

The cries had reached a fever pitch. Boots trampling upon the sacred grounds. Louder than ever.

Meleanor’s expression darkened, turning grave. It was the look of men at midnight, alone in the woods. Hollow, haunted, unsure of their fate.

No.

“No…!!”

He launched himself at his princess, a hand outstretched for hers. She made no effort to reach for his.

Did not have to.

Lilia fell short, his foot snagging on something. He instinctively twisted his body, shielding the egg in his arms from the floor. His gaze tore to his ankle, where bramble has sprouted up and tangled itself with him.

More thorns crept up around him, swallowing the ceiling, the walls. They latched onto his limbs, dragging him away, away from her. He grunted, struggling against them, against his fate.

Her doing, her magic.

"... Farewell, Lilia."

Tears prickled. His voice raised, pleading with her.

"Meleanor-sama, don't do this.”

She walked past him and ahead, forever out of his grasp.

"Farewell, Malleus."

He tried again, even knowing it was futile.

The bramble was weaving together, forming a tough wall between him and her.

"Meleanor-sama...!"

Through the last opening, a perfect circular window, she uttered her final words to him. That knowing, daring grin. Eyes beholding a gleam brighter than starlight.

"May the Night bless you."

And then she was lost to him forever.

"MELEANOR!!!"

Lilia laid a hand upon the ajar doors to the fallen castle. Fingers curled. At last, he had made it to the frame separating the inside from out.

“... That was the last time the princess was ever heard of. The end to her tragedy.”

He summoned his strength and broke free, entering the waiting night.

The moon, a spotlight for the two.

Silver bristled as he felt his first cool breeze. Still, he did not fully burrow into his blanket—for his glimpse of the stars stilled that instinct. That's right, Lilia thought, of course he would be enchanted. It's his first sky.

Many firsts.

"If you like that, you'll be excited to know that it's always changing. There are a number of new skies to see. It follows us wherever we go."

So we will never be alone.

The sky, so sprawling, so grand. So accustomed to everything and anything.

His small, lonely, insignificant existence was nothing compared to it.

Ah.

A single tear rolled down his cheek, landing on Silver's nose. The infant stilled, feeling the wetness upon his skin.

Lilia furiously wiped it away, then rubbed at his traitorous eyes. The sadness failed to recede, the memories welling. Promises, hopes, dreams dredged up. Yesterdays calling out to him.

"... You lied, Meleanor,” Lilia rasped into the night. “You told me I would be stuck with you for a long time. So why… Why did you have to leave us so soon?”

A thousand swords stabbed into his chest. The pain radiated outward, a bloody bloom.

"It’s not fair," he sobbed, hanging his head. "It’s not fair at all. Meleanor, Raverne… You’ve gone off together to a place I cannot reach, a place I cannot run to. You’ve left me behind. How am I meant to go on like this?”

I'm scared. I’m scared of the dawn and the tomorrows it will bring. Tomorrows without her and him in them. Tomorrows I must face alone.

More tears, plip, plip. A light drizzle upon Silver's face.

The infant stared up through aurora eyes. Not understanding, not knowing anything.

"How could I...”

Lilia’s voice caught on something sharp. He took a trembling gulp.

How could I learn to love you? When your kind, your very father, has taken nearly everything from me?

"... Hey, Silver."

The child cooed, as if in recognition of his own name. More likely, just responding to the sound of Lilia's voice.

Silver, the color of his hair. Silver, the shine of cloud linings. Silver, the start of something new.

"Tell me. What should I do?" Lilia's forehead and his touched.

Silver kicked his bendy little legs at the contact. Flailed his arms.

“Please guide me. I’m lost." He choked up. "I’m… so lost.”

Be the moonlight that guides me in the darkness. When all hope is lost and the stars have gone out, there will always be a silver light illuminating the path out of the black forest.

Show me the way, Silver.

“Show me if I can truly love you from the bottom of my heart.”

Lilia hugged the child to him. Felt his heartbeat, the same throbbing warmth that had radiated from Malleus’s egg.

After all that time alone amid the bramble… He was here. He was alive.

Up until her final moments, she had been thinking of them. Of this. The people she cared for, a baby not yet born.

The love he had let go, the love he had lost, the love he was he had to learn… It slipped away from him so easily, like grains of sand sifting between his fingers.

Lilia sighed with his entire body. The wind, drying his tears. He looked again at the child he had taken.

Silver giggled when he saw Lilia’s face. The boy’s eyes were clear. An unclouded, colorful aurora.

A weight in his chest lifted.

“… Did you enjoy that sad story?”

No answer, but a bop on his nose. Unintentional, he was sure.

Lilia rubbed at the place where he had been struck. There was no wound, no mark. Just a rapidly fading warmth where Silver's small fist had connected.

“… Silly thing,” he groused. In spite of himself, a stuttering chuckle rose from his throat. “If it will keep you from making needless noise, then I will tell you as many stories as you like. You need only promise to not laugh if I shed another tear.”

Silver squealed—close enough of a confirmation for him.

Lilia tried smiling. The corners of his mouth quiver before giving up.

Meleanor’s parting words floated to him. “May the Night bless you.” With that, it was the end of her tale.

The very same words uttered anew, a blessing for the boy once blonde. A fresh chance, the beginning of a new story.

Lilia looked to the horizon.

The first rays of sun were peering through the darkness. Gold streaking black in small slivers. Dawn had arrived.

A new chapter to their fairy tale.

[bezierballad]

Maleficent (2014) but it's a Black Butler Dadbastian AU

(please bear with me I haven’t watched the film since I was in like, sixth grade lmao)

okay where to start uhhhhh

Okay right off the bat, Sebastian is Maleficent

Like, it can’t get anymore simple than that really.

He’s got the vibe (somewhat), he’s got the style (sorta), he’s got the raven/crow thing (kinda)

Just replace Maleficent’s dragon form with Sebastian’s true demon form

And the sleeping curse cast by Maleficent saying that Aurora would prick her finger on the spinning wheel when she turns sixteen and stuff?

That can also be somewhat paralleled to Sebastian’s contract to steal and consume Ciel’s soul in Black Butler canon

(Idk if that part is gonna be in this AU or not but just an observation)

ok anyway-

the role of Aurora is gonna be played by Ciel

And his false name (like how Aurora was called “Briar Rose”) would probably be whatever his real name in canon probably was

Probably something like “Sirius” or “Astre” or something. “Sirius Astre” maybe?

I talked about this AU concept with my good buddy @eemoo1o-animoo and they suggested that Ciel liked playing “lord” as a child (since he was cursed by Sebastian he was raised as a peasant by three incompetent servants–I mean, fairies.)

By the way, yes, the fairies are being played by the Phantomhive servants (Finny, Mey-Rin, and Baldroy) because there's literally no reason why they shouldn't be. It's too perfect of a role for them to not be casted in.

And so when Ciel finds Sebastian in the woods he makes him go along with it, maybe having Sebastian call him “my lord” and stuff.

I’d imagine he’d get annoyed with following his incompetent guardians’ parental orders, so he’d want to be the one giving orders for once, even if it’s just a little pretend game.

And who the prince is gonna be you may be wondering?

No one other than my girl Lizzy of course

I mean, she’s not only got a sword in canon, but she’s also engaged to him

Just like how Philip is betrothed to Aurora in the source material

(Did you hear that seb@ciel shippers? This is NOT a seb@ciel work. This is not your territory. Go away.)

This is one of those AUs that writes itself I swear to god

I still have no idea who the role of Diaval/the raven is gonna be played by

Or who's gonna be King Stefan (aka the person who chops off Maleficent/Sebastian’s wings).

Though I'm kinda leaning towards either Ash/Angela or Vincent Phantomhive.

But anyway, that’s all I have for now

[dilatorywriting]

Bonjour! It’s been a bit, hope you’re doing well. Uhhh depending on where you are this might be different but uhh, 🪄🎊HAPPY NEW YEAR✨🎏 Dilatory—!

Hope this new year will serve you better than last year, sincerely hope the fics continue too but knowing the horror stories of veterinary schools… I’ll just hope you’ll survive though it 😇😇😇

On another note, I wasn’t really into Black butler, but damn that new season has me in a choke hold— Any thoughts for the new Malleus chapter…? (I’m in shambles, I mean, we’re all in shambles :)) Depending on which server you play on the story, you may or may not know what went down in good old’ briar valley. But I think the wails and screeches of the JP server sums up everything 🧎‍♀️

-🍄

Henlo henlo! It has indeed been awhile!

And thank thank! We are Almost There *cheers* The Last Year! Last Four Months! Which is also a bit, aha... ha... panik. I have, fingers crossed, a very lovely job lined up for when I graduate (vets are in very short supply all over the place, as it would be), which is reassuring at least.

I have actually been doing a lot of writing lately! Just... with my OC specifically. I forgot what it was like to write for a specific, longstanding character rather than as a Reader, and man, I did miss it. And I adore my bean. Spicy lil monster. But I know OC things aren't always quite to people's tastes, so I tend to just keep it on my computer for myself and the friends who also partake in OC goodies. But alas. Hopefully the Reader bug will bite again soon. I am just very, very in love with my spicy, angry, rat lady and her adventures for the moment.

The new Diasomnia book stuff has me in a chokehold. Lilia, you wreck of a man. Let us save you. But yes yes, hope all is going well for you too!~ And a very merry new year!

[blackbutlerfandomnerddomain]

Oh, I wanted to ask another question for your au how were Angela and Hannah able to have a child when they're both women, or is it because they're not human so human stuff like that doesn't affect them?

Since demons and angels canonically don't have a true gender that should be my answer but upon making this AU I more thought of it in a way of this: Angela and Ash. Despite in the AU Angela separated herself from Ash when starting a relationship with Hannah, there's still some sort of traits of Ash still there. Such as when she's mad her hair turns more his hair color, she has some traits of one of the ripped wings from the past, etc.

It would be like if Ash was alive and had a kid with a male he would most likely carry it despite being depicted as male, Angela would be the opposite by helping Hannah have the child despite her being depicted as female to others.

Does that sound confusing? Well yes, but that's how demons and angels work especially in a series like Black Butler.

[naquey]

I figured I might as well start a masterlist while I'm at it because I never really had one before, and don't exactly know how to write one. No better way to whack at it, am I right?

Hi! You an call me Naqe or N. I'm aspiring to be an author and have loved writing since I was in fifth grade. It has been my passion for as long as I've known. I write fanfiction as a hobby, and am in college! Surprisingly, I'm fairly new to tumblr despite writing fanfiction for a long time. I started out on Quotev and just recently moved to AO3 under the same name Naqe. I deeply enjoy the fandoms that I am in and the fandoms that I discover.

Basic request and ask ethics:

minors DNI (if you see the above banner on anything nsfw that i've written and you still interact. I will block you)

dms are open to anyone 18+ (im 20 an DO NOT want to be talking to a child for any reason)

don't be an asshole: INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO PROSHIPPING, BATCEST, OR INCEST (if i see you come to my page i will block your ass)

i will not write anything 18+ if asked {(only on my own accord) and even if I do, I use a place holder. No x readers}

no zenophobia, transphobia, homophobia

nothing pertaining to religions (think: religious themes) outside of black butler

i only write for male/gender neutral reader

nothing with yandere or mental illness (even if it isn't glorifying it)

Avatar The Last Airbender Batman Black Butler Ever After High Five Nights At Freddy's Genshin Impact Gravity Falls Harry Potter Marvel Monster High My Hero Academia Twisted Wonderland Nanbaka

[Atla]

-Sokka -Aang -Zukko -Toph -Katara -Uncle Iroh -Mai

[Batman]

-Bruce Wayne/Batman -Dick Grayson/Nightwing -Jason Todd/Red Hood -Tim Drake/Red Robin -Damian Wayne/Robin -Stephanie Brown/Spoiler -Cassandra Cain/Batgirl -Barbara Gordon/Oracle -Helena Wayne/Huntress -Ed Nygma/Riddler -Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin -Harley Quinn -Selena Kyle/Catwoman -Harvey Dent/ Two Face -Turner Haynes -Harper Row/Bluebird -Cullen Row -Duela Dent

[Black Butler]

-Sebastian Michaelis -Ciel Phantomhive -Grell Sutcliff -William T. Spears -Ronald Knox -Undertaker -Madame Red -Bardroy -Finny -Mey-Rin -Gregory Violet -Lawrence Bluer -Herman Greenhill -Edgar Redmond -Vincent Phantomhive -Blavat Sky -Joker -Dagger -Snake

[Ever After High]

-Raven Queen -Madeline Hatter -Lizzie Hearts -Cerise Hood -Darling Charming -Apple White -Daring Charming -Dexter Charming -Hopper Croakington -Hunter Huntsman -Ashlynn Ella -Briar Beauty -Chase Redmond -Sparrow Hood -Duchess Swan -Humphrey Dumpty

[FNAF]

-Mike Schmidt -William Afton -Ness

[Genshin Impact]

-Raiden Shogun -Tighnari -Kuki Shinobu -Neuvillette -Kamisato Ayaka -Kamisato Ayato -Thoma -Kaveh -Kaeya -Alberich -Lisa -Amber -Lumine -Aether -Zhongli -Furina -Venti -Diluc -Rosaria -Keqing -Itto -Kaedhara Kazuha -Shikanoin Heizou -Layla

[Gravity Falls]

-Dipper Pines -Mabel Pines -Bill Cipher -Stanley Pines -Stanford Pines -Robbie Valentino -Thompkins -Soos Ramirez

[Harry Potter]

-Neville Longbottom -Harry Potter -Ron Weasley -Fred Weasley -George Weasley -Hermione Granger -Luna Lovegood -Remus -Lupin -Sirius Black -James Potter -Severus Snape -Regulus Black

[Marvel]

-Spiderman -Doc Ock -Silver Surfer -Loki -Thor -Deadpool

[Monster High]

-Frankie Stein -Deuce Gorgon -Clawd Wolf -Cleo DeNile -Draculara -Clawdeen Wolf -Abbey Bominable -Twyla Boogeyman -Torelai Stripe -Ghoulia Yelps -Holt Hyde -Jackson Jekyll -Manny Taur -Venus McFlytrap -Rochell Goyle -Garrot DuRoque -Robecca Steam -Sparky -Hexiciah Steam

[My Hero Academia]

-Izuku Midoriya -Iida Tenya -Uraraka Ochaco -Bakugou Katsuki -Shinsou Hitoshi -Touya Todoroki -Twice -Mr. Compress -Toga Himiko -Magne -Shigaraki Tomura -Spinner -Overhaul -Hawks -Takeshita

[Twisted Wonderland]

-Cater Diamond -Riddle Rosenheart -Ace Trappola -Deuce Spade -Trey Clover -Idia Shroud -Malleus Draconia -Lilia Vanrouge

[Nanbaka]

-Hajime Sugoroku -Samon Gokuu -Enki Gokuu -Kenshirou Yozakura -Mitsuru Hitokoe -Rorotto -Kiji Mitsuba -Damian -Nijimasu Nanairo -Yamada Orochi -Koisuke Kyuubi -Uno -Rock -Nico -Jyuugo -Honey -Trois -Aki -Haru -Musashi -Liang -Qi -Upa -Hakushaku -Tengu Murakami -Tsukumo -Fuji-san -Kusatsu -Ikkaku -Kojiro -Isou -Kujaku -Mei Yomidou -Ido Yomidou -Chimney -Hell -Tauro Twister -Taura Twister

[ATLA]

[Batman]

Eddie Baby (Rose Corvid/Ed Nygma)

Gotham Frights (Rose Corvid/Ed Nygma)

[Black Butler]

[Ever After High]

[Five Nights At Freddy's]

[Genshin Impact]

Sickness is Green (Kaveh x reader)

Business (Diluc/Li Jing)

[Gravity Falls]

[Harry Potter]

Did You Hear About That Mother (Roan Goldfinch & Walburga Black)

The Eagle and Her Prey (Roan Goldfinch/Regulus Black)

One Last Night (Roan Goldfinch/Regulus Black)

One Kiss (Roan Goldfinch/Regulus Black)

A Thousand Years (Remus Lupin/Cassander Lyall)

[Marvel]

[Monster High]

[My Hero Academia]

[Twisted Wonderland]

[ATLA]

[Batman]

Crime Down 10 (Ed Nygma and Oswald Cobblepot x reader)

[Black Butler]

One Of A Kind (Ocs x reader)

[Ever After High]

[Five Nights At Freddy's]

[Genshin Impact]

[Gravity Falls]

[Harry Potter]

[Marvel]

[Monster High]

[My Hero Academia]

[Twisted Wonderland]

[ATLA]

[Batman]

[Black Butler]

[Ever After High]

[Five Nights At Freddy's]

[Genshin Impact]

[Gravity Falls]

[Harry Potter]

The Black Family (personal fanon)

[Marvel]

[Monster High]

[My Hero Academia]

[Twisted Wonderland]

[Misc]

Semi-Personal Drake Parker Headcanons

Entrusted To You [Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji]

Meet the Character [about ocs]

Star Wars; Purged [Star Wars]

Fame [Drake & Josh]

source: cafekitsune

[fancyfeathers]

Okay the song Still/The Neva Flows (reprise) from Anastasia is the definition of a final confrontation song and it came up while I was writing something for the Black Butler AU about the Moriarty children and I got reminded of one scene I have pictured with Eloise, her fiancé who is based on Vincent Phantomhive (who I think I am going to name Nathanial Briar), and some enemy Eloise made after she becomes a detective.

Then I pictured it in the Black Butler AU

So just imagine Ciel is given a job by the queen and is told some detective who Scotland Yard works with time to time is also looking into it so he may run into them and their partner. It would be during the timeskip, around when Eloise is seventeen or eighteen so her father’s identity as the Lord of Crime has already been revealed to all of England, and since then Ciel has not seen anything of the Moriarty children except Andrei who had taken his father’s place and title, and he has been quite busy with patching up the damage that has been done by their family.

Ciel finds out along the way that the people behind what he is investigating all have a deep hatred for what the Lord of Crime has done but how far would they take that hatred is the question.

Ciel never expected in the end to find Eloise is backed into a corner, bleeding from her shoulder, her assailant standing before her, knife in hand. Ciel would have sent Sebastian to catch the culprit they are after right then and there if it was not for the sound of the drawback of a gun coming from behind him, but not aimed at him…

“Aww, well if it isn’t her little guard dog, coming to save your master?”

Ciel thinks the criminal is speaking to him but then her turns his head to sees a finely dressed man with his gun drawn and aimed at the attacker’s head, absolutely ready to pull the trigger. The man reminds Ciel far too much of someone he once knew, that look in his eyes, it is just like his late father.

“Why let her live when you know all the things her family has done, she deserves to die just like her father-“

Before Ciel can even react the man pulls the trigger multiple times until the gun is empty and Eloise’s attacker is dead before he hits the ground. Then when Ciel is about to say something the man who pulled the trigger runs to Eloise’s side to make sure she is okay and Ciel just watches the two before clearing his throat to catch their attention.

“So you are the detective I was told about?”

(Then also imagine if the case was also connected to the reanimations that the Undertaker is doing and Eloise and her fiancé is dragged into that mess as well)

[shinigami-mistress]

Current WIP: Rose Briar Ciel.

[tcringetourney]

here is the official tcringe tourney bracket! the first wave of polls will go up tomorrow. since this is such a large bracket, i’ll be rolling out polls in waves of 8. the first round will be open for a week, with waves dropped on a one-day delay! and under the readmore, you’ll find a transcribed list of the bracket. be warned, there are 128 characters here!

Left side:

Scout (Team Fortress 2) vs Maximus (Tangled)

Crona Gorgon (Soul Eater) vs Kevin (Up)

Dirk Strider (Homestuck) vs Raine Whispers (The Owl House)

Harrowhark Nonagesimus (The Locked Tomb) vs Dismas (Darkest Dungeon)

Harrier DuBois (Disco Elysium) vs Ellzor Umberspore (Not Another D&D Podcast)

Shiver (Splatoon) vs Miss Frizzle (Magic School Bus)

Marik Ishtar (Yugioh) vs Tumblr Anon Profile Picture (Real Life)

Asa Mitaka (Chainsaw Man) vs Tadashi Yamaguchi (Haikyuu!)

Penny (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet) vs Vriska Serket (Homestuck)

Link (Legend of Zelda) vs Kaname Date (AI: The Somnium Files)

The Collector (The Owl House) vs Venti (Genshin Impact)

Luz Noceda (The Owl House) vs Magne (My Hero Academia)

Yes-Man (Fallout New Vegas) vs Apollo Justice (Ace Attorney)

Reigen Araraka (Mob Psycho 100) vs Kuina Hikari (Alice in Borderland)

Doug Eiffel (Wolf 359) vs Jesus (The Bible)

Me (Real Life) vs Leorio Paradinight (Hunter x Hunter)

Fabian Seacaster (Dimension 20) vs Briar (Branching Out)

Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls) vs Alex Fierro (Riordanverse)

Castiel (Supernatural) vs Waluigi (Mario)

Ivankov (One Piece) vs June Egbert (Homestuck)

Mr. 2 Bon Clay (One Piece) vs Sokka (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Ur mom (Real Life) vs Leo Valdez (Riordanverse)

Pyro (Team Fortress 2) vs The Dragon (Jane and the Dragon)

Crowley (Good Omens) vs Eddy (Duolingo)

Emperor Belos (The Owl House) vs Peter Parker (Toby Maguire’s Spiderman)

Sweetheart (Omori) vs Nick Danforth-Evans (Julie and the Phantoms)

Jerma (Real Life) vs M&Ms (Real Life)

Kajiyama Fuuta (Milgram) vs Jeremy Heere (Be More Chill)

Shin Tsukimi (Your Turn to Die) vs Ena (Ena)

Isaac (The Binding of Isaac) vs Allied Mastercomputer/A.M. (I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream)

Ranma (Ranma 1/2) vs Klaus Hargreeves (The Umbrella Academy)

Fred Grant (Hamster & Gretel) vs Benrey (Half Life VR AI)

Right Side:

Spy (Team Fortress 2) vs Varian (Tangled)

Sanji (One Piece) vs Milhouse (The Simpsons)

Gonzo (The Muppets) vs Hero (Omori)

Cecil Gershwin Palmer (Welcome to Night Vale) vs Makoto Naegi (Danganronpa)

Hardwon Surefoot (Not Another D&D Podcast) vs Mina Zarei (Paranatural)

Bugs Bunny (Looney Tunes) vs Sabine Wren (Star Wars Rebels)

Deuu Dino (CNP) vs Nightblood (The Cosmere)

Benny (Fallout New Vegas) vs Klavier Gavin (Ace Attorney)

Alphys (Undertale) vs Angel Devil (Chainsaw Man)

Dave Strider (Homestuck) vs Elliot Dunkel (El Goonish Shive)

The Onceler (The Lorax) vs Chuck E. Cheese (Real Life)

Buggy the Clown (One Piece) vs Hinata Tachibana (Fabiniku)

Jake English (Homestuck) vs Kris Dreemurr (Deltarune)

You (Real Life) vs Tsukishima Kei (Haikyuu!)

Tome Kurata (Mob Psycho 100) vs Neptune (RWBY)

Ianthe Tridentarius (The Locked Tomb) vs Osiris (Destiny)

Vash the Stampede (Trigun) vs Fox Mulder (The X-Files)

Evan Kelmp (Dimension 20) vs Paracelsus (Darkest Dungeons)

Bocchi (Bocchi the Rock) vs Terezi Pyrope (Homestuck)

Haruhi Fujioka (Ouran High School Host Club) vs Bakugo (My Hero Academia)

Nagito Komaeda (Danganronpa) vs Luther (The Umbrella Academy)

Fujisaki Chihiro (Danganronpa) vs Dean Winchester (Supernatural)

Sniper (Team Fortress 2) vs Fujimoto (Ponyo)

Space Boyfriend (Omori) vs Zirk Vervain (Not Another D&D Podcast)

Rouxls Kaard (Deltarune) vs Robbie Rotten (Lazytown)

Ranboo (Minecraft Youtube) vs Arthur Dent (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)

Sakurai Haruka (Milgram) vs Luke Patterson (Julie and the Phantoms)

Hunter (The Owl House) vs Dib (Invader Zim)

Jesse Pinkman (Breaking Bad) vs Wheatley (Portal)

Grell (Black Butler) vs Viktor Hargreeves (The Umbrella Academy)

Shut (Go Princess Precure) vs Kakashi Hatake (Naruto)

Wonderlands x Showtime (Project SEKAI) vs Rodney Copperbottom (Robots)

[free-for-all-fics]

Obscure Characters List - Male Edition

Obscure Characters I love for some reason. (By obscure I mean characters that have little to no fanfic written about them. Not necessarily characters nobody’s ever heard of.) Don’t ask me to explain why.

A

Abraham Alastor/Anthony Clarke (Dark Pictures Little Hope)

Adam (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter)

Adam (Hallmark Frankenstein 2004)

Al Capone (Night at the Museum)

Alan McMichael (Crimson Peak)

Alec Fell (Nancy Drew, The Silent Spy)

AM (I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream)

Amphibian Man/The Asset (Shape of Water)

Anthony Walsh (Blood Fest)

Anton Herzen (Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box)

Ardeth Bay (Mummy series)

Armand (Queen of the Damned 2002)

Armando Salazar (Pirates of the Caribbean 5)

B

Barnaby (Sabrina Down Under)

Baron Humbert von Gikkingen (The Cat Returns)

Baron Meinster (Brides of Dracula)

Beast/Hank McCoy (X-Men, Kelsey Grammer version)

Beast/Prince (Beauty and the Beast 2014)

Ben Willis (I Know What You Did Last Summer)

Bernard the elf (Santa Clause series)

Black Phillip (The VVitch)

Blade (Puppetmaster series)

Bughuul (Sinister 1 and 2)

C

Caliban/John Clare (Penny Dreadful)

Captain Frederick Wentworth (Persuasion)

Captain James Hook (Peter Pan 2003)

Cedric Brown (Nanny McPhee)

Christian Thompson (Devil Wears Prada)

Colonel William Tavington (The Patriot)

Cornelis Sandvoort (Tulip Fever)

Crown Prince Ryand'r/Darkfire (DC comics/Teen Titans)

D

Daniel Le Domas (Ready Or Not)

Death (Final Destination series)

Dimitri Allen (Professor Layton and the Unwound Future)

Dimitri Denatos (Mom’s Got a Date With a Vampire)

Dustfinger (Inkheart)

Dr. Alexander Sweet/Dracula (Penny Dreadful)

Dr. Gregory Butler (Happy Death Day 1 & 2)

Dr. Manhattan (Watchmen)

Driller Killer (Slumber Party Massacre 2)

E

Edward Gracey (Haunted Mansion 2003) 

Edward Mordrake (Urban Legend/American Horror Story Asylum)

Edward/Eddie “Tex” Sawyer (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3)

Elemer of the Briar (Elden Ring)

Erik Carriere (Phantom of the Opera 1990)

Ethan (Pilgrim 2019)

F

Father Gascoigne (Bloodborne)

Faustus Blackwood (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina)

Fegan Floop (Spy Kids trilogy)

Fox Mask/Tom (You’re next)

G

George Knightley (Emma)

Ghost/Mitch (Haunt 2019)

Godskin Apostle (Elden Ring)

Godwyn the Golden (Elden Ring)

Gold Watchers (Dark Deception)

Greg (Bodies, Bodies, Bodies)

Grim Matchstick (Cuphead)

Gurranq Beast Clergyman (Elden Ring)

H

Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde (Broadway, Rob Evan version)

Henry Sturges (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter)

Hugh Crain (Haunting of Hill House, the book and 1963 film. Not the Flanagan show or 1999 movie remake)

Hugo Butterly (Nancy Drew, Danger by Design)

I

Ingemar (Midsommar)

J

Jack Ferriman (Ghost Ship)

Jack Worthing/Uncle Jack (We Happy Few)

Jafar (Once Upon a Time, not the Wonderland spin-off)

Jan Valek (John Carpenter’s Vampires)

Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough/Alex (Jumanji 2 and 3)

Jervis Tetch/Mad Hatter (Arkhamverse! Video Games)

Jester (Puppetmaster series)

John (He’s Out There)

Joseph “Joey” Mallone (Blackwell series)

Juan (The Forever Purge)

Juno Hoslow, Knight of Blood (Elden Ring)

K

Kalabar (Halloweentown)

Kenneth Haight (Elden Ring)

Killer Moth/Drury Walker (Teen Titans)

King Paimon (Hereditary)

L

Lamb Mask/Craig (You’re next)

Lamplighter (The Boys)

Launder Man (Crypt TV)

Lawrence “Larry” Gordon (Saw series)

Loki (Apsulov: End of Gods)

Lucifer (Devil’s Carnival 1 & 2)

M

Magic Mirror (Snow White 1937/Shrek)

Man in the Mask (The Strangers)

Manon (The Craft)

Man-Thing (Marvel’s Werewolf By Night)

Marco Polo/Merman (Crypt TV)

Marcus Corvinus (Underworld series)

Markus Boehm (Nancy Drew, the Captive Curse)

Mephistopheles (Faust’s Albtraum)

Micolash, Host of the Nightmare (Bloodborne)

Miquella (Elden Ring)

Mirror Man (Snow White and the Huntsman)

Mr. Crow/Aldous Vanderboom (Rusty Lake series)

Mr. Le Bail (Ready Or Not)

Mr. Slausen (Tourist Trap)

N

Nigel Billingsley (Jumanji 2 and 3)

Night’s Cavalry (Elden Ring)

Nothing (The Night House)

P

Pazuzu (The Exorcist)

Pierre Despereaux (Psych)

Prince Anton Voytek (Vampire 1974)

Prince Escalus (Romeo and Juliet, no particular adaptation)

Prince Quartus (Stardust)

Prince Septimus (Stardust)

Professor Petrie/Phantom of the Opera (Phantom of the Opera 1962)

Peter Quint (Turn of the Screw, the book and maybe some other adaptations. Not the Bly Manor Flanagan show.)

R

Reese Kelly (Scarlet Hollow)

Rene Belloq (Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark)

Roland Voight (Hellraiser 2022)

Ronin (Star Trek)

Rorschach (Watchmen)

Rupert Giles (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Rusty Nail (Joyride trilogy)

S

Salem Saberhagen (Sabrina the Teenage Witch)

Sam Wayne (Scarlet Hollow)

Silver Surfer/Norrin Radd (Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer)

Simon Jarrett (SOMA)

Sir Lancelot (Night at the Museum 3)

Sportacus (LazyTown)

Starscourge Radahn (Elden Ring)

STEM (Upgrade)

Sutter Cane (In the Mouth of Madness)

T

Thantos DuBaer (Twitches 1 and 2)

The Auditor (Hellraiser: Judgment)

The Babadook (The Babadook)

The Black Knight Ghost (Scooby Doo 2 Monsters Unleashed)

The Curator (Dark Pictures Anthology)

The Designer (Devil’s Carnival 2)

The Djinn/Nathaniel Demerest/Professor Joel Barash/Steven Verdel (Wishmaster series)

The Faun (Pan’s Labyrinth)

The Fox (The Little Prince 1974)

The Jester (The Jester, A Short Horror Film series)

The Kinderfänger (Crypt TV)

The Knight/Tarhos Kovács (Dead by Daylight)

The Look-See (Crypt TV)

The Man (Carnival of Souls)

The Merman (Cabin In The Woods)

The Metal Killer (Stage Fright 2014)

The Mirror (Oculus)

The Narrator (Stanley Parable)

The Other (Hellfest)

The Phantom (Phantom Manor)

The Projectionist (Pearl)

The T-1000/Cop (Terminator 2, Terminator Genisys)

The Tall Man/The Entity (It Follows)

The Thing (The Thing 1982)

The Torn Prince/Royce Clayton (Thirteen Ghosts remake)

The Torso/James “Jimmy” Gambino (Thirteen Ghosts remake)

Thomas Alexander “Alex” Upton (TAU)

Tiger Mask/Dave (You’re Next)

Tommy Ross (Carrie, 1976)

V

Valak (The Conjuring)

Valdack and his real world counterpart (Black Mirror)

Van Pelt (Jumanji 2)

Venable (Wrong Turn 2021)

Viktor (Underworld series)

Viktor Frankenstein/Dr. Whale (Once Upon a Time)

Vladislaus Dracula (Van Helsing 2004)

W

Wade Thornton (Nancy Drew, Ghost of Thornton Hall)

Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Westley/Dread Pirate Roberts (The Princess Bride)

Wildwind/Dark Skull, Stormy Weathers, and Lightning Strikes (Scooby Doo and the Legend of the Vampire)

“William”/The Headless Figure (Crypt TV)

William "Billy" Butcherson (Hocus Pocus 1 and 2)

X

Xenan the Centaur (Xena Warrior Princess)