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nb-octopus-writes · 5 months ago

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once you're in the hive, the other bees assume you're supposed to be there

[Masterpost]

Summary:

Virgil accidentally gets absorbed by his best friend's brother's polycule.

In his defense, they keep feeding him every time they see him, and Patton's cooking is really good.

Chapter 1: Halloween Party

Wordcount: 1.9K

There are a lot of people Virgil doesn't know at this party. Remus is here, somewhere, and Virgil needs to find him again before the party ends, because Remus was his ride and he doesn't want to get left here. Janus is here too though, and Virgil doesn't think Janus would let Remus leave without him, and he's sure Remus wouldn't desert Janus, so he's trying not to worry too much about the fact that he doesn't currently know where Remus is.

But that's it for people Virgil knows, and Remus didn't even bother to introduce him to anyone before fucking off to who knows where, and Virgil’s certainly not going to walk up to a random stranger and introduce himself, so he's currently appreciating the snack table. If he's eating or deliberating on what to eat next, he can't be expected to talk to anybody, right?

“’Scuse me, itsy bitsy,” someone says from behind him, and Virgil turns to see a vaguely familiar man in a dazzling prince costume holding a fresh plate of deviled eggs.

Virgil moves so that the prince dude can set the plate down on a clear spot on the table, and frowns. “I'm taller than you, Princey.”

Prince dude shrugs, plucks one of the eggs up, and takes a large bite. “Lucky you, or we'd've had to ask you to vacate the premises,” he says. “No little spiders allowed, real or fake.”

Which, yeah, now that he's mentioned it, Virgil had noted an extreme lack of spider-themed decorations, which is unusual for Halloween. Usually there'd at least be spiderweb cupcakes, but the cupcakes at this party are mostly cute ghosts.

There's probably a good reason for that, Virgil realizes with a sinking feeling. “Should I change?”

“You got another costume handy, or were you planning on spinning a spider-silk cocoon and metamorphosing into a butterfly?”

Virgil grimaces. “No,” he admits.

Prince Dude considers him. “It's not very realistic,” he says, which is true. Virgil hadn't been going for realism, he'd been going for passable costume I can make on short notice. He's wearing black jeans and a black hoodie, and he'd cut some pool noodles in half and wrapped them in more black cloth and stuck them to his back for the other four legs. It had been a pain to get them to stay in place properly, actually, and he'd ended up sewing their wrappings to the back of his hoodie in order to keep them where he wanted them. He'd been pretty proud of it, given that Remus had dropped “we're going to a costume party at my brother's house” on him like an hour beforehand, but now he's wishing he'd come up with any other idea. He could have put a sheet over his head and been a ghost, or something. Granted, that would have required him to have a sheet that was both white and that he was willing to cut holes in, which he didn't, but still.

Prince Dude continues to quietly scrutinize Virgil, and he wants to squirm under his gaze. Eventually, the guy shrugs and says, “Might be best to ask the scaredy-cat himself. Wait here, I'll be back.” And he saunters off before Virgil can answer.

For lack of anything better to do, Virgil picks up a deviled egg and shoves the whole thing in his mouth. It's really tasty, actually, and now he's wishing he'd taken smaller bites rather than horking it down in one.

Virgil had thought that Princey was just being mean with the “scaredy-cat” thing, but the guy he's talking to now actually is dressed as a calico cat. Prince Dude points back at Virgil, and Mister Calico Cat glances in his direction, then turns back to Princey. Virgil can't hear what they're saying, but he supposes Prince Dude must've asked Calico if Virgil’s costume was too creepy crawly scary.

They talk for way longer than Virgil had expected, and he can't tell if Calico's response was more like “No, he's fine,” or more along the lines of “Yes, that's terrifying, please have him removed immediately from my sight and also my home.”

He occupies himself with another deviled egg. If he's going to get kicked out, he might as well enjoy some more of this tasty food first.

Oh, fuck. Remus.

Remus isn't going to want to leave early just to take Virgil home, and Virgil still doesn't know where he even is! Fuck!

Well, Remus could have warned him not to be a spider, so if Virgil gets kicked out of the party it'll be at least partly Remus's fault. Virgil doesn't know anybody here, but Remus knows at least half these people, and if Calico’s spider aversion is enough that there are no spider-themed decorations in the house on Halloween, that sounds like the kind of thing Remus would know about.

Granted, Remus revels in being gross and annoying, but still! He's not a total dick. He should have told Virgil.

Fucker.

Calico vanishes into the other room, and Prince Dude comes back over to Virgil. He doesn't look like he's about to kick Virgil to the curb, at least. Virgil braces himself anyway.

“Good news!” Princey says with a grin. “Li’l Mister Muffet says you don't look like a creepy crawly death dealer and he doesn't have the urge to remove you with arson!”

Virgil blinks. “...gooood?” he says slowly. He hadn't even considered kill it with fire being a potential response to his costume. That would have been worse than just getting kicked out of the party, actually.

“Honestly you're much more Doc Ock in silhouette, Spider-Man,” Princey continues. “That helps a lot.”

Virgil glances back at where Prince Dude and Calico had been chatting. “So he didn't leave the room because he can't stand the sight of me?” he asks anyway.

“Nah, he wanted to make another plate of horse devours,” Princey says, reaching past Virgil to grab a cupcake off the table. This one has a little frosting bat.

“A plate of what?” Virgil says, because surely he didn't hear that right.

“Little snacks,” Prince Dude clarifies instead of repeating himself. “Our fridge is crammed with delicious bits and bobs. It's been so hard to resist the temptation to eat them before the party.” He bites appreciatively into his cupcake, then adds with his mouth full, “You'd think he wouldn't notice what with how much he made, but nooo, sneak one chocolate covered cherry before party time and it's a lengthy scolding for you!” Princey sighs dramatically, then cheerfully devours the rest of his cupcake.

“...hors d'oeuvres?” Virgil says hesitantly.

“Yeah, a couple ordervs of deviled eggs, cheese and crackers, and those scrumptious little pinwheel things,” Princey says. Virgil’s not sure if Princey actually doesn't know how hors d'oeuvres is pronounced, or if he's messing with him, but then Princey gives him a mischievous grin that one, confirms that yes, Princey does know what he's doing, and two, is so familiar that it freezes Virgil in place as the pieces click together in his brain.

The lack of a mustache makes Prince Dude's face look different, and so does the way he did his makeup, and he carries himself differently, but it's undeniable all the same: Virgil knows that grin.

This is Remus's twin brother.

Now that he's connected the dots (you haven't connected shit) the family resemblance is clear even to Virgil’s honestly rather faceblind eyes.

This is Remus's brother, and it's his house they're partying at.

… Virgil doesn't remember the guy's name.

Fuck, he should've made sure he at least knew who the party hosts were, especially the one related to his mischief goblin of a best friend.

Well he can't exactly ask now, can he?

“Also like, five types of cupcakes,” Princey continues, oblivious to Virgil’s inner turmoil. “Seriously, have you tried the cupcakes? Chef Boiardelightful made multiple separate batches of different flavors, from scratch. And they're all delicious!”

Virgil smirks. “And did you try to snitch them before the party too?”

Princey gasps theatrically, pressing a hand to his chest. “How could you accuse me of such a thing!?” he protests with exactly as much dramatic emotion as Virgil would expect from Remus's twin. “For your information, I did not! I merely sampled a portion of the batter left on the spatula after the cupcakes had gone into the oven. Also some of the frosting.”

“He means that he licked the bowls clean,” says a new voice, and Virgil does not jump out of his skin, thank you very much. And even if he did jolt a little, it's nothing to the startled squawk Princey emits.

Calico's back, holding a platter of little finger sandwiches on toothpicks. He offers them up to Virgil, who takes one. “Thanks.”

“No worries, kiddo!” Calico says cheerfully, and puts the rest of the platter down on the snack table. Princey plucks up two sandwiches by their toothpicks, and gets a stern look in response. “Make sure to leave some for the guests,” Calico scolds.

“My delightful and beloved Patissier,” Princey says, cupping Calico's face gently with his free hand. “I assure you that each of our guests could have a heaping plateful of food and we would still have leftovers until next Tuesday. No-one will be going home hungry.”

It really is an impressive spread. Everything Virgil’s tried has been really good. Remus really could have played up the ‘free food’ angle more when trying to convince Virgil to come. If he'd known the food would be this good, then overriding his usual party-related reservations—it's gonna be loud, there will be a lot of people, I don't know anybody, etc—would have been a lot easier. Then again, Virgil probably wouldn't have believed him. He'd mostly been expecting pizza and cheap beer, honestly, not– not homemade delicacies.

The tiny sandwich Calico gave him is lightly toasted, with some kind of sliced-meat-and-cream-cheese filling, and a little green leafy garnish on top. It definitely looks much fancier than most things Virgil eats, and he can understand why Calico doesn't want Princey to eat them all. That probably took a decent amount of effort. He almost feels bad eating it himself, except that Calico had offered it to him specifically, and it would probably be more rude at this point to not eat it.

“Are you sure my costume is okay?” Virgil asks, interrupting the minor squabble Princey and Calico had fallen into.

“Oh, yes, you're fine,” Calico assures him. “Trust me, if you were pinging my brain as an actual spider I wouldn't be in the room right now, let alone standing next to you.”

“Really, cause most cats I know would eat a spider soon as look at it,” Virgil quips, and is rewarded with Calico laughing.

“That wouldn't be very good host-ly of me, now would it?” he says. “I would never eat a guest!”

“Not unless they're a reptile with scallions,” Princey teases, and Calico flushes.

“Hey!” he protests, swatting Princey's shoulder with one hand and trying to cover his extremely red face with the other. Virgil wonders what the reference was, exactly, but doesn't think it's his place to ask. It seems rather personal, from how hard Calico is blushing.

…maybe he'll ask Remus later if he knows what the story there is.

~~~~

Chapter 2: The Morning After

#nb octopus writes #Accidental Polycule Infiltration Fic #sanders sides #creativitwins #Virgil POV #multichapter #1 #royality #mociet #(implied)#polysanders

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lu-is-not-ok · 6 days ago

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quick question, how we feeling about hong Lu's new id after the trailer? I am personally so fucking hyped

Oh there's a lot I am feeling. Not just about Hong Lu's new id, but I am feeling things about them regardless.

I don't usually do full analysis on walpurgy trailers, but I want to at the very least plop down some observations I noted.

One - THERE IS A NEW TRACK IN THE SECOND HALF??? I can tell it's not originally from Ruina. They added. A wholeass new track. For the Church of Broken Gears fight. Fucking Incredible Honestly.

Two - Nothing too interesting going on with the Full Stop Heathcliff voice lines we got. It's mostly reiteration of the ammo-preserving ideas we got from Ruina's Full Stop Office reception, but we do get a little bit of lore through the full name of one of the ammo we see being used - Atelier Logic-made high velocity pulverisation round.

Three - Gameplay trailer for Full Stop Heathcliff. Three-coin Skill 1. One-coin Skill 2. One-coin Skill 3. Special Skill 3/Skill 4 that uses a cinematic as fuck animation of a unique bullet, my guess is that this Skill is used for either the last Ammo or through some other unique conditional. Evade that causes a followup attack from Full Stop Hong Lu. Retreat mechanic similar to Devyat IDs, but in this case upon running out of Ammo. Upon return, Heathcliff uses another Skill 1 - I'm guessing this is to showcase that this retreat is a Reload mechanic.

Four - Full Stop Hong Lu voice lines. So can we talk about the middle line? "I don't think the Head wants people to die anti-climactically. But what is an anticlimatic death anyway? We can put all kinds of meaningful labels on deaths, but it's still death at the end of the day." Hey. Hey Hong Lu. What the fuck are you talking about? This is terrifying because this could have two equally as likely explanations. This could be a Baoyuism, a musing about Daiyu's death being meaningless. OR. This could be a Daiyuism, a musing on the nature of death not unlike that of the flower burial scene. And the fact that both fit scares me.

Five - Gameplay trailer for Full Stop Hong Lu. Two-or-three-coin Skill 1. Four-or-five-coin Skill 2. Maybe four-coin Skill 3. Hard to tell if every gunshot is one coin or not. Then, we get something that I fucking called - Full Stop Hong Lu has an alternate Skillset for when he runs out of Ammo. Three-coin Skill 1. Three-coin Skill 2. Three-coin Skill 3. Next up, clashable Counter with two coins and what seems like a Reload. Then, a similar followup attack, in this case Full Stop Heathcliff shooting as a followup to Hong Lu's attack. And another followup attack mechanic, except in this case while Heathcliff has retreated - he can snipe enemies from afar.

Six - Quick note on Magic Bullet Outis E.G.O animation: I don't think what we're seeing is one continuous cinematic of one E.G.O use. I think this E.G.O will display different animations and have different effects depending on the amount of uses, aka depending on the amount of Magic Bullet Ammo. Similar to how Magic Bullet Outis ID's Skill 3 changes depending on the amount of Magic Bullet Ammo.

Seven - Magic Bullet Outis E.G.O Voice lines. Cause holy shit there's a lot of them.

Awakening:

"It really is as you say; this is a magic bullet that will never miss." - This is obviously a reflection of how the bullet is given through a deal with the devil... which then makes me think. Was Outis's role in the war also a deal with the devil? Was there someone in her life who willingly gave her the position of commander?

"There's no going back when I've already come this far by firing the bullet. Even if this road I walk is an inevitable path to inferno." - A reflection of Outis's own feelings. She feels like after what she's done, she can't turn back and change, even if she knows that continuing down this path will spell her doom. It's an insecurity we see be partially unearthed in Canto 7.

"The despairing heart is burnt black, never to fade away. Only its shearing cold floods within." - Perhaps a hint to her deeper feelings. Despair is what led her to taking the deal, and in the process she had to burn her heart and leave it with nothing but cold within.

"Though it was despair that I sought, the bullet's trajectory... is predetermined!" - Something something this flow cannot be stopped. Outis feeling like no matter her motivations she can't change what she's doing because she's in far too deep.

Corrosion:

"A bullet was fired, a magic bullet that will never miss." - Interesting how in these she completely dissociates herself from the bullet firing. Perhaps it's a reflection of how she deals with the crimes she's committed. Detaching herself from them, seeing them as just something that happened

"No justice, no malice. Only a finger that pulls the trigger." - Not just personal dissociation, but a dissociation from any emotions. Trying to say there is No real motivation for the bullet, it's just something that happens regardless. There's no malicious intent, but no righteous justice either. Just calculated violence.

"I'll be left alone in this inferno at the end of the road." - Girl you are so abandonment issues. This could be a reflection of both how she's worried about whether anyone is waiting for her to come back, but also an insecurity about whether anyone will accept her for knowing what she's done.

"Though I may lack the will to move forward... ...the bullet's forward-momentum cannot be stopped." - Reflection of how Outis, despite not wanting to continue down this path, feels like she has no choice. This flow cannot be stopped. Unable to change, she continues on.

To me, the awakening is a reflection of Outis when it all began. When she took the deal at the start of the war. The corrosion on the other hand is a reflection of Outis how she is now. One who is distant from the past, and yet unable to move on from it.

#ask #anon #lu speaketh #limbus company #5th walpurgisnacht #hong lu #hong lu lcb #heathcliff lcb #outis lcb

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scoobydoodean · 1 year ago

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omg i just finished your emma vs amy takes and the subsequent discourse about it (which was so refreshing to see btw!! love it when adults can be Adults and argue about the topic without insulting the other person) and I might get fried for this but that incident aside, do you have any other scene/episode in mind where sam reacts the same way or does the same thing?

(im sorry if this isn't your cup of tea for asks! your takes have been Enlightening)

You mean another situation where Sam shoots a person with supernatural abilities who hasn't shed blood and has a sympathetic backstory without giving them a chance? Not as overtly—Benny in season 8's "Citizen Fang" certainly comes to mind, but even Benny, Sam at least made a show of giving a chance by assigning Martin to keep tabs on him and make sure he didn't do anything wrong before trying to kill him. (Though whether there was conscious or subconscious sabotage involved when Sam chose Martin specifically—someone he knew to be mentally unstable—is certainly a good question given Sam had already made death threats about Benny before then.)

The fact that Sam's behavior in 7.13 "Slice Girls" is pretty unique is really what I want to point out about this episode in the first place—that Sam's actions in "Slice Girls" are inconsistent with his previous behavior and future behavior as far as "good" monster episodes. We can turn to examples such as:

1.14 where Sam insists they try and talk Max down instead of killing him, because Max's murders are a result of extensive abuse.

Lenore and her nest in SPN's seminal "monsters can be good" episode (2.03)

Sam thinking Andy is responsible for the killings in 2.05 but still waiting for proof before acting.

2.09 where Sam insists they not kill someone they think might be infected with Croatoan virus before he turns and tries to kill them because that doesn't give him a chance.

Two episodes where Sam faces off against Gordon because Gordon wants to kill him before Sam kills someone (2.10, 3.07)

2.17 where Sam and Dean search for a cure for Madison, who is not aware that she has been killing people.

4.04 Metamorphosis where Sam is the one who takes the initiative to research Rugarus, learns that they can survive without giving into their urges, and insist they go and talk to him about how his body is changing (lol) so he has the chance to fight the urge to kill and eat people.

5.06 where Sam and Dean oppose Cas who wants to kill Jesse, who is a child who is not aware that he has powers and is hurting people.

6.02 where Sam, even soulless, recognizes the innocence of a shifter baby.

Then we have Amy and Emma in 7.03 and 7.13 respectively.

8.04 where the brothers let Kate the Werewolf go because she was turned against her will and killed the man who turned her in self-defense.

8.09 Citizen Fang (already discussed)

I'm getting lazy but then we also have Magda and Jack Kline—both children with powers, one severely abused, the other the son of the devil with uncontrolled explosive powers that could end the world, both of whom Sam attempts to help work with their abilities.

Dean has a more structured series of personal "rules"—a litmus test we see from the very beginning—one Sam often follows as well, but I'm not sure Sam ever really fully grasps that Dean thinks this way.

Has this person hurt or killed anyone?

Was it on purpose or was it outside of their awareness?

If it wasn't on purpose, are they capable of learning to control their urges?

We see this code as early as 1.12 "Faith":

SAM Wait, what the hell are you talking about Dean, we can't kill Roy. DEAN Sam the guys playing God, he's deciding who lives and who dies. That's a monster in my book. SAM No. We're not going to kill a human being Dean. We do that we're no better than he is.

Dean applies the same reasoning in 1.14 with Max:

SAM These visions, this whole time -- I wasn't connecting to the Millers, I was connecting to Max! The thing is I don't get why, man. I guess -- because we're so alike? DEAN What are you talking about. The dude's nothing like you. SAM Well. We both have psychic abilities, we both... DEAN Both what? Sam, Max is a monster, he's already killed two people, now he's gunning for a third.

Despite the exact opposite being the typical fandom perception, early on we learn that Sam tends to define a monster by their features/abilities, while Dean defines a monster by their actions. We see the same with Amy—she is "a monster who killed four people" (7.07) . She isn't a monster because of what she is but because of what she did. This again—is also why Dean doesn't even consider killing her son right after her kid swears to kill him one day. We see Dean, in the rare cases where it comes up, is also perfectly fine with taking out human serial killers they stumble across (ex: Thin Man).

Sam will also kill a human serial killer at times (and murderous witches by 3.09), but he reserves the word "monster" to describe individuals with supernatural features/abilities... and I think the fact that Sam's definition of the term differs from Dean's is something neither brother ever fully realizes about the other, leading at several points to arguments where they are talking past each other and do not understand one another. Sam hears "monster" and thinks "Dean is talking about me", when Dean is operating under a completely different definition of the term that is based on the actions of a person.

When Sam is in a headspace where he is thinking of himself as one of those monsters, he shows increased or lessened sympathy in turns. For example, he assumes Andy's guilt in 2.05 because he is panicked about becoming evil himself and is comparing the two of them (but again—still waits for confirmation) but his sympathy for Max in 1.14 comes from the same comparison with himself. Sam completely misrepresents Amy in 7.03 as an addict who relapsed but more generally is "managing", as a way to compare her with himself... when Amy didn't feed on anyone herself and her actions have absolutely nothing to do with addiction or battling "monstrous urges".

I've been bitching and moaning a lot, but I will reemphasize that there is a more sympathetic reason that Sam shoots Emma—Sam and Dean are both crowding up to the diving board at the deep end of the pool in season 7. Dean's grieving and is drinking extremely heavily to cope and Sam is hallucinating. They are both unraveling at the seams. Neither of them is in a place where they trust the other's judgement because they both know themselves and each other to be unstable. So if we imagine a reality where Sam and Dean give Emma a chance, and it doesn't take, Sam assesses himself and Dean to be in no mental state to cope with a potential surprise attack. It's just that Sam also erroneously compares Amy and Emma when they are not the same, and by doing so, frames Dean wanting to spare Emma but killing Amy as hypocrisy (because they are both "monsters") when Dean's actions are perfectly consistent with his personal ethical code and his definition of a "monster"... and Sam's actions aren't.

#sams moral compass #deans moral compass #mail #7.13 #1.14 #2.03 #2.05 #2.09 #2.10 #3.07 #2.17 #4.04 #5.06 #6.02 #8.04 #8.09 #7.07 #7.03 #emma #amy #max miller #jack montgomery #andy

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idiotsonlyevent · 7 months ago

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so i've been thinking about risu. "personality defines one's magic" lives in my mind rent free, and i've been trying to pin down how magic reflects the personalities of sorcerers we know. risu's curse magic is especially interesting due to its rarity and the nature of curse itself. so, what can curse tell us about risu, and what role does risu play in dorohedoro? (spoilers through the end of the manga under the cut.)

who is risu?

risu is a low-level sorcerer and a member of the cross-eyes. not much is known about his past, besides for the fact that he used to go to the zagan magic school, he was friends with aikawa, and he had an apartment where he lived alone and grew cacti. but what else do we know about him? what's he like?

i want to start this discussion based on asu's perceptions of risu in extra evil 16, since we, as the readers - and risu himself - get to be explicitly told what asu thinks of him. risu's interactions with asu and nikaido are particularly important because, unlike with the cross-eyes or en's family, risu isn't really putting on a front here. and since asu is genuinely trying to help by offering risu advice, we know this is what he really thinks - even if his devil traits are getting in the way of his delivery.

to summarize: asu characterizes risu as neurotic, high-strung, and repressed. these evaluations seem to be at least partially correct; asu is the catalyst for both moments in the manga where risu grows to better understand his magic - the first in spell 84 and the second in 122 - and he wouldn't have been able to do this if he truly didn't understand risu. and risu agrees with him!

this is interesting when contrasted with what we see of risu in one of the first flashbacks of the series.

we know that risu has a lot of doubts about the boss and the cross-eyes, but what he's saying here is really . . . idealistic? even in spite of any doubts or worries, risu says this to aikawa - and given how earnest risu is with him, i don't think this is a lie. on top of that, risu was pretty loyal to the cross-eyes and to aikawa. this is not to imply that pessimism and loyalty are inherently at odds with one another, but the way risu talks about aikawa and his own death really doesn't scream 'i see the worst in every situation'. i don't think risu's pessimism is the whole story. so, how does curse fit into all of this? why does risu have curse magic?

what is curse?

curse magic is considered rare. it's not well-understood by any characters, and especially early on, only asu and dokuga seem to have any understanding of how it works at all. curse is activated after risu is killed and remains active until the curse is 'complete.' after curse merges with risu after his revival, when someone tries to kill or harm risu, curse will activate, taking over risu's body and reflecting all attacks.

curse is angry and violent, and it is so overwhelming that risu has no control over it at all. faced with this, risu rejects the idea outright; this is all he knows. he's gotten so used to being controlled by his anger for so long that he can't comprehend any other options. he assigns everything to his anger. he's angry at everything, and he only acts because he is angry.

something that really stuck out to me is when risu says he's 'pissed off for making [him] kill.' it's unclear if he's angry at the cross-eyes or at curse, but it's really indicative that he doesn't want to be violent - he's been forced into it due to the circumstances of this world and his place in it. curse is not a representation of some inner desire to hurt or harm others; there's something else going on here.

(a brief aside, but this is the only time we're shown anything from risu's life before the cross-eyes, the magic school, and aikawa. he's younger - he looks about shin's age from his backstory ten years ago? so, let's tentatively call risu 18-ish here, placing this about 6 years ago, which should comply with canon. he's injured and alone - there's no mention of parents or any other caretakers. with how vague this information is, it's difficult to draw any definitive conclusions. one possibility is that risu was abandoned by his parents. i say this because a flashback of risu alone is paired with the the thought that others, specifically powerful sorcerers like the en family, look down on him, and there are multiple severed heads in the same shot, who are clearly not en family members or other cross-eyes. it could be that his family were powerful sorcerers who left him alone due to his 'weak' magic, and perhaps he himself killed them, which is why their heads are floating and detached. but i digress.)

asu says it best: curse is only part of risu. curse protects risu. it is not just risu's anger, but also what that anger is hiding - perhaps feelings of hopelessness, isolation, betrayal, etc. curse is a literal and physical obfuscation and reflection of risu's identity and feelings. risu needs to learn to control curse not because anger - or any of his other negative feelings - are bad. it's because he doesn't understand where they come from or why, and as a result they consume him. this is why risu's realization has him literally being freed from a physical trap, because risu is now the one in control, even if he lacks mastery. risu is angry, but that is not all he is; risu is angry, and that is okay.

so, what does risu do? why is he important?

risu actually has strong thematic ties with both caiman (the protagonist) and nikaido (the deuteragonist):

risu and curse's relationship parallels aikawa and hole's: a magic user with low/no smoke output possessed by a violent entity that is controlled by strong negative feelings and obfuscates their past.

curse foils nikaido's time magic: risu is controlled by dangerous magic that he has no control over while nikaido refuses to use time magic because she perceives it as dangerous and uncontrollable; both have realizations about their relationships with magic (with asu's help), and learn how to use their magic as part of their character arcs.

curse is a physically painful, like aikawa's headaches and nikaido's devil transformation.

risu, nikaido, and caiman all struggle with their identity: both how society perceives them and how the see themselves. all of them have complicated relationships with their magic, and they feel like they do not 'truly exist,' at least in part due to this.

also, risu is a big player early on in the story, if not arguably the most important one, especially when it comes to the mystery of derohedoro. risu's curse is the means through which caiman and nikaido can hunt sorcerers and is also the en family's first major lead in their investigation. risu is what brings caiman and the cross-eyes together. risu goes back in time with nikaido to learn the truth of caiman's past. risu is the one that kills aikawa. risu offers to restore caiman's original face at the end of the series. (i could go on!)

risu isn't rich or extremely powerful or a genius, but he feels important because he was aikawa's partner; their partnership is what gave aikawa's existence as a sorcerer legitimacy, and their bond persists through the entire series. risu may be a 'nobody' when compared to characters like en and nikaido, but he was somebody to aikawa, and that identity is consistently given the weight it deserves.

#L.txt #dorohedoro #risu #curse #dorohedoro analysis #this just Risu Is The Most Important Character In Dorohedoro: The Post /j #tldr: L + ratio + fake pessimist i saw you have hope for a better future

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mask131 · 1 year ago

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I wanted to make this post last year but I got caught up in events (plus I couldn't find back my sources). But given the recent international events have completely turned away most media's attention from the Russian war on Ukraine, I thought it was finally time to make this post.

Because I want to talk about something truly crazy. Something that shows how deep Russia's distortion, warping and twisting of the Christian religion went - and how back there, we're back to the times of holy inquisitions.

Many people have covered the fact that the propaganda of Putin over Russia isn't just mediatic and politic but also religious. There were many viral reports and TV reports and investigations about how the higher-ups of the Russian Orthodox Church were in Putin's pocket, openly shared Putinist propaganda during their religious offices, declared that the war against Ukraine was a "holy war" that God wanted, that Putin was merely the agent and arm of God - there was this whole thing about the Patriarch blessing the weapons of the Russian soldiers sent to the front, and about him explicitely saying that the Devil and/or the Antichrist was in Ukraine.

But there is something that is even bigger and more shocking than that, and that shows how in Russia war = religion. It is a building: the Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces.

The building of this cathedral started in 2018, but it was only completed in 2020. The cathedral is technically a religious building, but the main reason of its existence is to celebrated the "various military feats of Russia", chief among which - the Russian victory over the Nazis during World War II. The completion of the cathedral was done on the Victory Day celebrating the Soviet Union crushing the Nazis ; and it was opened on the "Day of Remembrance and Sorrow" (a commemoration of when the Nazis turned against the Soviet Union and tried to march over it). There's something about "the resurrection of Christ" in there, but let's be honest, this was built exclusively for and around war.

This building is absolutely grandiose, without a doubt - and its beauty and enormity is a proof of Russia's dedication to its unique mix of religion and military matters. In fact it was considered one of the great monuments of Russia... until the Ukrainian attacks made people reconsider what this symbol ACTUALLY meant.

And the thing with this building is that it was FILLED with carefully-thought war symbolism. For example, take the main dome's diameter: 19,45 meters... To symbolize the year when World War II stopped (1945). [Another source rather claims that the dome's diameter is 22,43 meters but it doesn't change the symbol: the Nazi capitulation was signed at 22h43]. There is a small dome that is 14,18 meters in height - because the conflict between the Nazis and the Soviet Union lasted 1 418 days and nights. And the belfry is 75 meters tall... because 75 years had passed between 2020 and the end of World War II. By the way, did you know that when Russians talk of the end of World War II and how they helped defeat the Nazis, they do not speak of the "World War"? No, they rather speak of "the end of the Great Patriotic War". Because the conflict between the USSR and the Nazis wasn't part of any world conflict, oh no! It was just one specific war against the patry - aka Russia. The total height of the Church is a reference to Saint Vladimir's (the one who Christianized the Rus lands) birth date, etc etc...

Things get better - the steps and floors of the cathedral are made of metal. Metal made from the melted war trophies taken from the Nazis - their weapons an their tanks for example. As such, the Russians will forever walk on the remains of their old ennemies. The church's saints are carefully chosen as the patron-saints of the Russian military: saint Elijah the Prophet, saint Barbara, saint Fyodor Ushakov... All organized in the four sections of the church, each dedicated to a different branch of the army; ground forces, navy, aerospace military and strategic missile forces. There's a lot of depictions of Jesus wielding a sword too.

And then we go to the mosaics... Ah, the mosaics! These mosaics are not about the history of Christianity, but about the military history of Russia, each one depicting a great battle or a great Russian victory. You have several depictions of the orders of the Red Army overthrowing the Imperial forces in Russia, you also have depictions of the Soviet (or Communist) successes during World War II of course - there's the Battle of Stalingrad, there's the Reichstag fire... You also have more recent depictions of soldiers, with a kalashnikov in their hands... And of course, the latest mosaic depicting the latest "Russian military success" at the date of the Cathedral's fundation: the annexation of Crimea.

This mosaic was in fact part of a dual scandal, before while the Cathedral was built, two images were leaked of two intended mosaics - one for the Crimea annexation and one for the (exclusively Soviet of course) victory over the Nazis in World War II (sorry, "The Great Patriotic War"). And the scandal was because on the latter Stalin was depicted, and on the former it was Putin who was on the mosaic. There was a big outcry, and ultimately the artists of the cathedral decided to remove the faces of Putin and Stalin... But not before asking for Putin's opinion first, and then - this is very symbolic - their faces were replaced by icons.

Yeah all of this is kind of overwhelming - but one has to remember that in Russia, the Orthodox Church is on the same level as the various ministeries of Putin. The Patriarch Kirill, who consecrated the cathedral, has as such openly supported Putin's war and politics - invited and present at all of Putin's government meetings alongside his various ministers, the Patiarch has also placed in his sermons the exact same slogans and words used by the televisual Russian propaganda. In spring 2022, he held a whole sermon about how the Russian people had to stand together as brothers again the treacherous and wicked West - and added that the reason the Donbas distrusted the Russian Orthodox Church was because of the "vile phenomenon" of the Gay Pride - and added that it was against the corruption of the West, and the anti-religious "gay propaganda", that Russia was fighting - that it was to eliminate THIS that they threw bombs over Ukraine.

Speaking of that I almost forgot! Very recently the cathedral added a new stained glass to its windows... One made with broken glass shards from Mariupol, collected during the Russian attack.

And let's not forget how the Patriarch promised to absolve all the Russians sent to the front who would die on the battlefield against the Ukrainians (the SAME kind of words that were used in the Middle-Ages for the crusades!) - because, and I quote, "such a sacrifice will cleanse you of all human sin". And at the beginning of 2023 (if I recall well), the Patriarch went as far as to say that if Russia didn't win this war, "someone" (he didn't specify who) but SOMEONE would appear "with the intentions of dominating, and then destroying the world" (aka, the Antichrist). This was later backed up by Dmitry Medvedev, who added that the real goal of the war against Ukrainian was to "stop the supreme leader of Hell" (and this time he dropped names, but several at once - Satan, Lucifer, Iblis).

We are literaly back to medieval crusades and to the crazy witch-hunts. Russian propagandists will stop at nothing to convince people that everything is evil outside of Russia.

"But..." you're going to say, "Not all Orthodox Russian priests can be falling for this crap!". And indeed you are right, there are priests in the Russian Orthodox Church that called out the fact Christianity was about peace, not war. The problem is that the higher-ups of the Church have started a hunt for all priests that advocate for peace rather than war - and they simply kick them out of the Church and revoke their status as priests. The Orthodox priests who refuse to see their faith turned into political propaganda are forced to flee into other Orthodox countries to maintain their status as priests.

#russia #putin's russia #ukraine #war on ukraine #russian propaganda #russian orthodox church #cathedral of russian armed forces #war horrors #religious horror #patriarch kirill #ukrainian war #the dark side of christianity #religious propaganda #i don't even know how to tag this

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sapphic-agent · 8 months ago

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Is Mitsuki Bakugou Abusive?

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I mean, you all already know my answer. I've spoken about this before. But some Bakugou stans feel the need to turn everyone who doesn't worship the ground Bakugou walks on into the devil, so let's talk about it.

(Yes, I just got into an argument with one of said stans. Yes, I'm salty about it)

The conclusions people draw from this scene are so interesting. Bakugou stans are of course always up in arms about it. But as we know, they have zero media literacy. So let's examine the facts:

1. Mitsuki is smiling the first time she "hits" Bakugou. Her demeanor is playful if anything, and it's clear her intention is not to hurt him. She isn't even angry at or scolding him.

2. Bakugou's immediate response is anger. He isn't afraid or in pain. He's not afraid to stand up to her. Now, I don't mean to generalize abuse victims, but I'm assuming a child who's "beaten regularly" (this particular stan's exact words, despite there being zero evidence for it) usually wouldn't boldly threaten to kill their abusive parent. In his mind, she isn't a legitimate threat to his safety, or else he wouldn't feel so comfortable speaking to her like that.

3. It's only when Bakugou literally threatens her with violence that Mitsuki gets harsh with him. And understandably so. My mother has never hurt me in my life and I wouldn't dare speak to her that way no matter how angry I was. There is a little more force put into this snack, but even then it's not meant to actually hurt him. It's also interesting that none of his stans feel it necessary to criticize Bakugou's threat and immediately harp on her response to it.

4. He continues arguing with her after the hit. So the smack didn't seem to deter him at all. Almost like he's completely unfazed by the thought of her hitting him again.

5. Aizawa and All Might don't speak up about it at all. If Aizawa is really such a protective teacher, you think he'd let so-called abuse go on in front of his face?

6. Masaru isn't afraid to speak up against her. People assume that he rolls over and lets Mitsuki abuse Bakugou, but clearly he doesn't if he's fine intervening when he feels either one of them is out of line. He's calm, but he clearly isn't as passive as the fandom makes him out to be.

7. Mitsuki actually shows concern for him and wants him to improve. She's actively supporting him and believing in him. It's so funny how this part of this scene is completely overlooked. Almost like Bakugou stans cherry pick whichever aspects of her fit their narrative.

Now, am I saying that there's zero chance a parent like Mitsuki is abusive? No, of course not. But Bakugou is fictional. What we're being shown is meant to be the entire picture. Anything past what we've been given is purely fanon. Mitsuki "regularly abusing and beating" Bakugou isn't canon and cannot be used to defend his character

#anti bakugou katsuki #anti bakugou stans #mitsuki bakugou #tw child abuse #mentions of child abuse

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nalyra-dreaming · 10 months ago

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Hello! Hope it’s okay to message. I saw your post about Marius and the paintings in the series/trailer but I’m dumb and don’t understand them. Can you explain them screenshots of when they’re in the trailer and series? Thank you so much

Hey!

Of course!

So in episode 2 we see Daniel in front of a painting.

Armand: "It's Venetian. A contemporary of Tintoretto's." Daniel: ""Marius de Romanus." Never heard of him." Armand: "Little of his work survives. Mr. de Pointe du Lac covets the rare."

Now. it's probably important to know here that Marius is Armand's maker, and he painted him quite a few times. (Armand also was an icon painter in his mortal life, in the book, we'll see how they'll spin it here, though the art in that one shot in the trailer is very interesting.)

Supposedly Armand thought Marius dead for long periods of time. However, given that we're in a mixed timeline, and that there are indisputable elements of the last trilogy in the show (Fareed, for example.) I believe that we are looking at the show's version of "Trinity Gate". And in the Trinity Gate era Armand was more than aware that Marius was indeed not dead. In fact there had been reconciliation. For me the painting on the wall of that apartment indicates that a certain reconciliation between must have happened already. I cannot see Armand look at his maker's painting when he still harbors the negative feelings he must have felt after it all came down.

In the trailer we see this guy, played by Justin Kirk, who I think will be/is Marius. He says: "You should fear the other one."

And right afterwards there is a shot of Louis hurling his glass with blood at a painting.

However, that is not the painting by Marius (that would be behind Louis there). This is "Rembrandt's "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee" (something which Assad Zaman cheekily posted ages ago^^).

Here you probably need to know that after the "chase" of the Devil's Minion arc (so when Armand hunted Daniel across the globe and eventually fell in love with him) there was a phase, where they hunted down art thieves. And kept the art.

That is stolen art from Daniel's and Armand's time together on the wall.

Edit: @cbrownjc pointed out that the timeframe of the theft doesn’t match the likely DM timeframe. So the painting might be from after DM! (But still stolen art^^)

And Louis throws blood at it in obvious frustration.

In the story referenced through the painting Christ calms the storm after his disciples panic, and he admonishes them: "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?"

Given that (I'll just call him that until proven otherwise) Marius just talked about who Daniel needs to fear in the previous scene? Definitely not a coincidence :)

I also do not think the "presence" of Marius behind Louis on the wall there is any coincidence. (But it cannot be seen, and that is definitely no coincidence either, imho.)

Marius has been foreshadowed, and quite heavily, imho. He is also necessary for both Armand's and Lestat's backstories.

It's... too early I think to fully analyze what it means. It could mean Daniel has fully remembered and he and Armand are in their own little bubble (after all Louis seems to be alone there). We'll see.

Last but not least:

This - there's paintings.

Has Armand started to paint again? Has he shown Louis his paintings? Does he make himself vulnerable there for Louis, and Louis... accepts the invitation? Bites him there? Turns him to kiss him?

I would actually love that.

Because that would be a huge step for Armand. Huge. Cannot be overstated. Because Armand, too, carries lots of trauma. (They all do.)

#Anonymous #asks #ask nalyra #amc iwtv #iwtv #amc interview with the vampire #interview with the vampire amc #iwtv amc #iwtv 2022 #interview with the vampire #louis de pointe du lac #armand #loumand #the devil's minion #daniel molloy #devil's minion #marius de romanus #iwtv marius

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marshmallowprotection · 3 months ago

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Mystictober Day 17

Mystictober 2024 | Day 17: Vampire/Elixir

"I'm sorry I left you without blood," Saeran's gentle voice was sincere as he spoke to you underneath the warm glow of the cabin's fireplace. "I know you can't go long without it to keep your strength up. But, the fact is... Saeran... he... that me... he was so afraid his blood was filled with something that could hurt you, like garlic or silver... or whatever it is you're vulnerable to. He didn't trust Rika not to taint his blood in the basement. He figured it was better to give you nothing instead of something that kill you."

"I began to understand his reasoning when I smelt the iron in your throat," you nuzzled your noise against his pulse point. "It wasn't a danger to feed me at that point. But, it would've been dangerous to take your blood when you needed it more. Your body was too weak for me to feast from, my dear. I would never take your blood if that blood was the only thing keeping you safe."

Saeran sighed. He cupped the back of your head and ran his fingers through your hair to ease his woes. He was taking a break from trying to lead the security team. The team was working fast, searching for the answers they needed from the documentation Jihyun had given them, but they could only move so fast. These things took time, even with only a few hours to spare.

Even with Saeran telling the team what to do and how to do it, so much of their hacking was a waiting game to see what to do next. The real challenge would come in the morning when they would have no choice but to dismantle the entire internet at large to get out their message as soon as possible. He was prepared for that, knowing the articles would spread like wildfire in the right places, but for now, he needed rest.

He needed to steel himself before the storm came for everyone. Frankly, if you could've found the strength to face the devil on your own, you certainly would have protected him and everyone else without too much trouble... forgoing this problem in the first place with teeth. However, you were in no place to fight like that with how weak you were. You hadn't been in perfect shape since Ray went into... that damned basement.

Saeran was truly no better off than you were, either!

"You need my blood," his embrace tightened and he held you much closer than before. "You won't be able to make it long without human blood, and once we're trapped in the city, you won't have easy access to it. Please, I'm stronger now... There's no need for you to hold back. My blood is yours."

And yet, he was thinking about you when he needed to be thinking about himself.

You purposefully sought out a few animals to feast upon in the forest while he was working with the RFA to satisfy your blood lust... and while animal blood was never enough to fill you up, it was enough to tide you over until you could breathe again. It did the job. You wouldn't feel great for a while, but you could maintain your composure. You didn't want to hurt him or the RFA because you were just too weak to be around humans... that would destroy the hard work they had put into this stand against Saejoong Choi. A frenzy from you would destroy all this good.

"Saeran, you know I can't... you're already exhausted. I can talk Jumin into giving me blood from a blood bank. He loves vampires, he made me invite one of my kind to the party. I'm sure he'll help me out once I'm honest with him."

And he...

His breath quivered. You felt his body come to a standstill. He gently pulled you away so he could meet your eyes. They sparkled with need and want. He needed you as much as you needed him. He wanted to give you his blood. He knew it might make him weaker, but he loved it. You could see that. You could see what nobody else could see. He loved the feeling of sharing his blood with you. There weren't too many people who were willing to sacrifice themselves for a vampire, and yet, he was the rare one in a million.

Ray and Saeran had both wanted it, too. They had wanted to help you survive the only way they knew how. Even if they'd gone about it in different ways, they did what they could to take care of your needs.

This man was no different than they were.

Tears began to brew in the corners of his eyes. "Please, I can feel it burning... I can feel your heart burning... you're so thirsty. I've felt it since I woke up this morning. I thought it was me... I thought it was the pain from the elixir catching up with me, but it's you. I know it's you."

You cupped his face in your hands. "Do you truly want to give your blood to me, my moonlight? Is it agonizing to go days without my fangs on your throat? Forgive me, dearest. I forgot... just how hard things can be for a vampire's mate. I don't want you to gift blood to me because you feel the sting of my appetite just as strongly as I... feel your exhaustion. We may feel each other's aches and pains intimately, but we can't spurn each other to hurt because of it. I won't die from a day or two without blood."

"I never want you to hurt," he whispered.

"Nor I, you."

"Can you take just enough to ease your pain...? You don't have to take it all. My pain is your pain. Isn't that what we agreed to when you promised Ray your fangs for eternity? That we would know the pain we shared alongside the joy?"

"Do you trust me?"

"I trust you with my life itself, [Y/N]."

"I'll only take enough to survive until I can speak to Jumin then, my moonlight... not a drop more than that. I don't want you to feel sick in the morning when you need to keep a brave face. Be a good boy for me, okay? Don't try and trick me into taking more so I feel better... I'll drink you down in a week once you've regained your strength... that's a promise."

His eyes fluttered close in relief as you did as you promised.

You drank your fill.

#MM_mystictober2024 #mystic messenger #mysticmessenger #mysme #mm #saeran choi #choi saeran #saeran #ge saeran #saeran mystic messenger #saeran mysme #saeran mm #mm saeran #mysme saeran #mystic messenger saeran

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utilitycaster · 8 months ago

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A less talked-about but no less interesting part of God Discourse I've noticed is that amongst the There Is Nuance Here crowd there's a weirdly pro-Betrayer God attitude; like there's examples of gods being bad right here (see: The Actual Devil in Literal Hell), but we're choosing to focus on Melora for some reason? Fascinating levels of dissonance here.

So here's the thing. I've found that this has also been an evolving position.

I think during EXU Calamity, the main argument was pro-Betrayer God. Some was that Asmodeus was in fact played masterfully; Zerxus, after all, fell for it. The rest seemed to be to me the usual dull "but I wanted it to be subversive" argument, upon which the motivations of that desire I can only speculate (and such speculation, while entertaining, is not productive). I would argue, Calamity was not lacking in subversion, notably with the portrayal of Vespin Chloras and the fact that this was ultimately an immensely hopeful, if also deeply tragic story of an averted annihilation.

I think currently? It's the Wild West, at best. I don't have much to add other than what I've said already, and unfortunately it does require either familiarity with the posts I'm thinking about or me doing something as tacky as publicly posting screenshots to get the full context. Suffice it to say I've rarely seen such unformed and unsupported arguments. They are phrased in apery of a coherent argument, but, crucially, lacking the evidence.

Getting back to your point I think the focus is more on the Prime Deities because those are the gods whom past characters (and FCG) were affiliated with. I honestly don't think most of them have the lore knowledge to recall deities who have not come up as directly in game; they're focusing on Melora because they know who she is. Possibly because she was Bor'Dor's deity; possibly because she was the deity who reached out to Orym and was insufficiently clear in her communication to Fearne to satisfy them (and yet we stan Liliana, queen of clear responses, amirite?); possibly because it's edgily rewarding to them to fantasize about upending and destroying Caduceus, Fjord, and Fy'ra Rai's lives. Similar arguments can be made for Pelor and the Raven Queen; one can point to the genuine harm mortals have done in Pelor's name and the fact that the Raven Queen collected on a deal, willingly made, from Vax, and you get to weakly and cringingly tell yourself you are dunking on people who like Vax, or Vex, or Morrighan. It is interesting to me that people are not focusing more on Lolth given her appearance and the fact that Opal's choice, while technically willing, was much more manipulated than anything the Raven Queen has every done. Lolth behaves in canon as idiots believe the Raven Queen to have done in fanon. I've found a significant number of the arguments against the gods rely on a profound misattribution or at best deliberate avoidance of what is voluntary vs. what is coercive or done without consent (eg: comparisons between Judicators and Ruidusborn).

Basically: they bring in the Betrayers when it's convenient for the argument and cherrypick around them when it's not; they do the same with the Primes. There's just a lot more to pick from with the Primes.

#answered #siravia #cr tag

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discretocincel · 7 months ago

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When skies are black

The last time I finished a story was so fucking long ago and I was starting to think I'd never do it again, but then I found a little guy with anxiety and depression and an asexual serial killer and my writer's block was cured (not really, but we're getting there!)

Anyway, I made something for RadioApple Week 2024! Today's prompt was Late Night/Early Morning, go check it out on AO3:

00:44

After long shootings, it had become a habit for Angel Dust to go sit at the bar with Husk, no matter how exhausted he was. It helped him feel like himself again, not only distracted but centered him, having the other’s eyes on him, listening to ruthless remarks in that raggedy low voice of his, forcing down some water to try to recover a tenth of the fluids he lost in the long filming hours. The man had become his sanctuary, and Angel wasn’t ashamed to admit it. In fact, he did it often, hoping to get the message across even when the barkeep refused to acknowledge the truth behind it. Angel didn’t mind much. He was in for the long run, so he would enjoy the chase while it lasted—he knew it would only make the catch all the more satisfying.

That Thursday evening, however, his sanctuary was already occupied when he made it to the hotel. Angel kept the disappointment off his face; he didn’t want to make the intruder feel bad, not if he could help it. He’d been surprised at first, to realize that their sovereign was just as volatile and emotional as his daughter, but it only made the little guy more endearing in his eyes. He genuinely didn’t want to see him upset, and not because he feared for his life in his anger (although after the extermination, he was reminded that Lucifer Morningstar truly was on another level, and perhaps he should be, if only a little, afraid for his life).

“Your Majesty, hey! I wasn’t expecting to see you up so late! Can’t sleep?”

“Angel! Welcome back!” Lucifer replied with a nervous grin, and he bashfully rubbed the back of his neck as he angled himself towards the sinner in a way he didn’t turn his back on Husk. “Is it really that late?”

“Well, no, it’s not that late, but don’t you usually go to bed quite early? You’re the first one to leave after dinner!”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess…” The king avoided his eye, downing what was left of his drink before elaborating. “I like to read before falling asleep, so it’s not that I fall asleep as soon as I go to my room, you know.”

“Ah, that makes sense,” Angel conceded, repressing the urge to make a dirty joke at the king’s expense. “Then what happened tonight? Did ya run out of books or something?”

“I just wasn’t in the mood to start anything new, is all.”

“Understandable,” Husk grumbled as he slipped a delicious looking mocktail towards Angel. “People underestimate the energy required to get to know new characters in fiction. Can I get you another one, Your Highness?” He nodded at the king’s empty tumbler.

“Please.”

“Now Husky, baby, got any fun tidbits about the new residents?” Angel asked, wiggling his eyebrows as he sipped on the pink straw of his sugary drink. Just because they weren’t alone didn’t mean they couldn’t talk like they usually would, especially considering their company. He didn’t know what had the monarch in such a jumpy state, not that he normally was calm personified, but he was kicking his feet in the air and fidgeting in his chair more than usual. Angel needed to unwind, and apparently so did The Devil, and he knew that good gossip about souls they couldn’t care less about always helped lighten the mood.

The bartender immediately caught his drift, his perceptiveness being just another trait of his that had the spider head over heels, and he placed his forearm on the bar to lean closer towards them, giving them an air of confidentiality that was hardly needed given the time and place, but was appreciated nevertheless. Husk’s insight to the newcomers’ vices, fears and desires was always delightfully detailed and usually right, no matter how farfetched it seemed. Not long ago on that very bar he had revealed what he believed of their king, though he had yet to relieve anything about the demon that owned his soul. Angel was madly curious, but also too terrified to press for information on that front. Some secrets were best left untold.

Without truly noticing, Angel finished off his third mocktail of the night, preceded by two full glasses of water, while Husk opened up a brand-new bottle of whisky for the king, when the familiar goosebumps warned him of yet another intruder to their evening. It was a small mercy that Husk hadn’t given him a drop of alcohol, otherwise, he just knew he would’ve made something crazy when the Radio Demon materialized from the shadows right behind Lucifer like the creepy motherfucker he was. Angel wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or he was just that immutable, but the king didn’t even flinch when a bony hand came to rest on his shoulder. Whether he was foolish or brave, Angel still had to admire the guy for his lack of a response.

Except, it wasn’t that he didn’t react, he would soon realize with the violence of an unexpected bucket of cold water falling on him. He just didn’t react the right way. Because who the fuck would smile in delight at having the fucking Radio Demon lean against them?!

“Good evening, gentlemen! What a pleasant surprise to find you all here this late in the night.”

“Yeah, wish I could say the same to you,” Husk grumbled. “What are you doing here so late, anyway?”

“He was at a party!” Lucifer revealed with exaggerated enthusiasm.

“Just a small gathering. It would’ve been far nicer without some of the guests, sadly.”

Angel forgot how to breathe for a moment when he saw Lucifer pout and send the Radio Demon a dejected look as he said: “Then why did you stay so long?”

Alastor blinked a few times, and Angel expected to see his eyes turn into radio dials at any moment, but it didn’t happen. The sinner simply appeared amused, if only a little tense.

“How much did you drink, Your Majesty?”

“You’re not answering my question.”

“No, I’m not. It is a dumb question. You should go to bed, Your Majesty. I shall go, too. I’m rather tired. Sleep tight, gentlemen.”

Alastor sank back into the shadows, and the king stood up abruptly not a second later, the angry scratch of the wooden floor making Angel Dust jump slightly in his own stool.

“Well. He’s right. I guess it is time for me to go to bed. Sweet dreams, Angel. Husker. Thanks for the lovely night. I’m sorry if I bothered you…”

“No way, I had fun!” Angel said, a bit awkward, thoughts reeling with distant possibilities, each one more insane than the last, but not insincerely. “We should do it again.”

“I’d like that,” Lucifer agreed, his own forced smile softening into a more genuine, gentle thing. “Good night.”

“So… that was weird, right?” Angel asked in a nearly hysterical whisper to the bartender as soon as they were alone.

“I am not acknowledging that, and neither should you. You had a long day. Go to sleep.”

Angel frowned. “You’re no fun!”

Husk sighed, but the lines around his eyes were kind, even if his mouth fought a smile.

“Maybe I’ll entertain you at a different time. I don’t think you’re ready to hear it, Legs.”

Angel’s heart skipped a beat, focusing on all the wrong parts of that sentence. He wanted to ask more; he knew whatever juicy story Husk was keeping from him was bound to make life at the hotel a hundred times more exciting, but when a gentle hand rested softly on top of his, a thumb delicately brushing over his knuckles, Angel’s knees went weak, his feet slipped from the stool’s cross stretcher and he nearly stomped his face on the bar like an idiot. He wasn’t even drunk! He was a master of seduction! How was it possible that the other man never failed to make him lose his cool and mind with the most innocent gestures?

“Go to bed, Angie. It’s late, and you’re tired. I won’t stay much longer either.”

“Okay,” he replied softly, slightly out of breath. It was the perfect time to ask the bartender to keep him company, to share his bed with him, to become more than what they were. But he couldn’t. The words just wouldn’t form on his tongue, stuck to the roof of his mouth as it was.

But that was okay. He knew he would have another chance, maybe on another night like that. Maybe after having some alcohol himself, with their king as company. And if the Radio Demon joined them at some point, well, maybe then Husk would finally give in and reveal all those secrets he kept, some even about himself, if he was lucky.

♪

03:33

“You’re drunk,” Alastor repeated as soon as Lucifer materialized in the sinner’s bedroom. “I didn’t even know that you could get drunk.”

“I wanted to be up when you returned,” Lucifer confessed, still pouting. The insufferable king had no right to be that adorable. It did unspeakable things to Alastor’s heart.

“I told you I’d be late.”

“I know. I didn’t care.”

“Clearly, you did. You’re upset.”

“No! But you said it was boring, and yet you stayed all this time! It’s suspicious!”

Alastor frowned in disbelief. “Suspicious? How, exactly? What are you accusing me of?”

“I’m not accusing you of anything. I just…” Lucifer sighed, and his shoulders sagged, as if all anger and tension was physically abandoning him. “I’m sorry. I know I’m being ridiculous. How was the gathering? How was Rosie?”

“It was exactly what I expected. Nothing more and nothing less. Rosie was alright. She sent you her regards.”

“Were the Vees there? All three of them?”

“Yes. As expected.”

Lucifer nodded his head weakly, still standing in the middle of the room, where he’d appeared, with his boots, coat and hat on.

Alastor narrowed his eyes, studying the man in front of him like he had just located the missing pieces that made sense of the picture in the puzzle.

“Did you have fun talking with Angel Dust and Husk?” He asked conversationally, walking towards the cabinet that stored his liquor as he undid the buttons of his coat. His ears moved to show that he was listening as Lucifer mumbled an answer, some story about a newcomer named ‘Steven’ or ‘Stephen’ or something like that, but Alastor wasn’t paying attention to the meaning of the words as much as he was focusing on the way they were spoken. His bowtie came next, pulling it off with one hand as he poured himself a finger of whisky. Then, after savoring his first long sip, he continued with the buttons of his shirt. His smirk widened as Lucifer’s tone went higher and higher the more skin Alastor revealed.

“What, what about you? Did you have fun? Did you speak with Vox?”

Finally. All Alastor had to do was take off his shirt, and the King of Hell easily revealed all that was troubling his mind and heart.

“I didn’t,” he said.

Lucifer frowned. “What, like nothing at all? Didn’t you at least say hi? You said it was a small gathering, no more than twelve people. You couldn’t possibly have avoided him all night. You were there for hours!”

“I didn’t avoid him as much as I ignored him, my dear. After a couple of laughable attempts, he stopped trying altogether.”

“Oh.”

Alastor hummed as he went to sit on the foot of his bed. Once there, he extended one arm in invitation, to which the other responded by flying to his side, wrapping his arms around Alastor’s middle and pushing him back on the bed. With his face pressed against Alastor’s bare chest, Lucifer mumbled:

“Good. I don’t want you talking to him. At all. Never again.”

“Even if it is to tell him that my heart belongs to another?”

Lucifer’s breath hitched, the hold he had on the sinner tightened before relaxing, and he slowly lifted his head to look up at him with eyes shiny with tears.

“You can tell him that. But I want to be there when you do.”

Alastor’s grin widened even further, while his own arms circled the shorter man, awkwardly pulling to bring their faces closer.

“Deal,” he said, and they sealed it with a kiss.

#fanfic #writing #hazbin hotel #ao3 #appleradio #radioapple #radioapple week #lucifer morningstar #angel dust #huskerdust #alastor

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beneathstarryskies · 2 years ago

Note

If you are still taking requests could I please ask for some headcanons of Dante and reader but they're both too stubborn afraid to admit their very strong feelings for each other.

And maybe some for Vergil too if you don't mind? It's hard for me to pick between the two 😔

Warnings: slight angst, GN!reader, mentions of alcohol/going to the bar...that's about it.

A/N: Sorry this took me so damn long! I hope you like it! <3

Dante

Dante has been crushing on you for a while. Despite his cool-guy persona, he actually develops feelings pretty quickly. He just insists on keeping them to himself for the most part.

There are many reasons he does this, but mostly genuinely is out of fear.

If he gives in to his feelings and lets himself hope there can really be something special with you, he's scared it will just get taken away from him.

You misread these signs, because who wouldn't? He flirts playfully with you, just as he does nearly everyone, but always backs off if things become too real.

The push and pull are absolutely frustrating. At times it makes you wish you could just walk away from him, and forget about him. You can't truly imagine that though.

Not to mention every time you genuinely give that a thought, he randomly shows up at your apartment to hang out or he calls you to go to the bar and shoot pool. Then, you really can't imagine walking away.

Dante would need something to motivate him to finally confess, but make no mistake he will definitely be the one to cave.

Most likely it happens when he sees someone flirting with you, and it really hits him that if he doesn't tell you how he feels he's going to lose you forever. He doesn't make a huge scene or anything.

In fact, he doesn't say anything. As soon as you're coming back to him with your drinks, he pulls you close and kisses you without explanation. The fact that you eagerly kiss him back tells him everything he needs to know.

Vergil

If we're talking about DMC3!Vergil, then feels ashamed of developing feelings for you. Not because there's anything wrong with you. Quite the contrary, if he's this interested in you then you must be nearly perfect in his eyes even with your flaws.

For Vergil, at least at this point, the stubbornness is motivated completely by thinking these feelings for you show weakness within him.

He will begin to avoid you completely. He's already given into weakness before, and he won't do it again. You won't ever know how Vergil feels about you.

He'll keep it to himself, and then one day he just disappears. You never knew how he felt, nor did you ever find out what happened to your beloved blue devil.

Now, if we're talking about DMC5!Vergil, then things will play out very differently.

He's had some time to mature and really does some introspection. He doesn't see these feelings as weakness anymore, but he does feel like he doesn't deserve you.

If you know all of the things he's done in the past, he'll convince himself there's no way you could ever share his feelings. If you don't know, and he senses that you like him too, he'll decide it's best that you never really get to know him.

That being said, he can't bring himself to avoid you. In fact he's downright drawn to you. It's the same phenomenon as owning a cat who is always in the same room as you, but acts offended if you offer it affection.

With the way Vergil lingers close to you at all times, you'll catch on pretty quickly. Please, please just confess to him. He'll melt.

#vergil x reader #dante x reader #devil may cry x reader #devil may cry fanfiction #vergil devil may cry #devil may cry dante #🌟written in the stars

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atamascolily · 1 year ago

Text

Going back to the imagery and symbolism of the doppelganger and Gothic Double, I was reminded that not only does PMMM already has a name for a magical girl's shadow self (witch), it also has one specifically for Homura's as well. To be honest, I'm kind of surprised that Homulilly's name hasn't come up more often in the speculation of who the "other" Homura might be, given their established connection.

This might seem like a stretch because the last time we saw Homulilly, she was a giant suicidal skeleton, but hear me out.

Rebellion gives us two examples of magical girls who are also witches: Sayaka and Nagisa. As a general rule, Sayaka and Oktavia appear as two separate entities, allowing Sayaka to fight on her own and have emotional moments with Kyouko while Oktavia clashes directly with Homulilly.

Meanwhile, Nagisa does the complete opposite: she embodies her witch Charlotte (both doll and worm forms), appearing as one or the other instead of both at the same time. In a scene that lives rent-free in my brain, she pulls the witch's clown mask over her face while in magical girl form, thus becoming both at once--but I don't think we ever see her split in the same way that Sayaka does with Oktavia.

Taken together, these examples imply that there are different ways magical girls and their witches can relate to each other. Though we have not yet seen a witch split from the original magical girl and take on her form at the same time, Homura, being the Devil, might have other abilities that Nagisa and Sayaka lack, or might be an exception to the general rule. (There is also the weirdness that Homulilly has dramatically different forms, depending on whether we're talking about the PSP game/Magia Records vs. Rebellion, which is unusual in and of itself.)

Homura may be the Devil, but she is also unquestionably still a witch. Not only does she still have her Clara Doll familiars, but her earcuff--her equivalent to a soul gem--says "HOMULILLY" now.

Well, actually, it says HOMUL, but you get the point. Props to the animators for hiding an important detail from the ending in the opening credits.

Rebellion makes a big deal of the fact that soul gems in ring form are marked with the magical girl's name in witch runes--and that magical girls ARE their soul gems--so the fact that Devil!Homura appears to identify on some level as "Homulilly" is fascinating. It's unclear if Devil!Homura has the same relationship to her "Dark Orb" (a name I cannot say with a straight face) that a magical girl has to her soul gem, or if it's merely a device or a tool she created to channel for her powers, but either way, Homulilly is still around.

All this could potentially explain why Homulilly would take on Homura's form in Walpurgis no Kaiten--because on some level, they are the same. Homulilly-as-Homura's double/shadow self would also help retroactively explain why their names are so similar--unusually so for a magical girl and witch pair.

And if Homulilly is the doppelganger, then her motive for messing with Homura (whether that entails infiltrating her life, manipulating Madoka and/or destroying the world) is obvious. Because nobody hates Homura as much as Homura hates herself. Nobody would understand how best to get under Homura's skin than she would. Nobody would be able to anticipate and counter everything Homura does than her own reflection. And it would take all of the suicidal imagery from Rebellion and dial it up to eleven.

Because Homulilly is never directly mentioned by name in Rebellion (only getting a brief title card in witch runes), even if I'm right and this other Homura is Homulilly, I'm not sure that any of the characters in Walpurgis no Kaiten would ever refer to her by this name directly. She herself, if pressed, might say some variation on "I'm you" to Homura, where her identity becomes clear in context. Alternately, that name might appear again in runes (anything in runes is for the audience's benefit, not the characters).

But I'd be very surprised if Homulilly didn't turn up in some fashion in Walpurgis no Kaiten--and this other Homura seems like an obvious candidate given what we know thus far.

#puella magi madoka magica #pmmm analysis #homulilly #walpurgis no kaiten #walpurgisnacht rising #homura akemi

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phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess · 19 days ago

Text

CONCEPT

Show us Alastor and Mimzy making up by getting into deeply drunken and destructive shenannigans that result in at least two major explosions, a fire, several levelled blocks and more dead sinners than you can imagine

Neither of them could legally drive when alive, and never bothered to learn when they arrived in hell, so that's also extremely dangerous

Husk is initially sent to try and stop them, but he's bribed with The Good Drinks and ends up whooping in the backseat of a car whose windscreen is more blood and viscera than it is glass now

Show us Angel talking Vaggie down from going to deal with them, because Charlie is horrified at the carnage as Voxtech has cottoned on to the situation and is pretending this is some sort of rampage

Vox is trying to use the right angles, but its obvious the overlord involved is just having a good time

Still, they're heading a tad too close to the territories of the few overlords they have good standing with (Zestial, Carmilla, hells, they knocked over Susan's mailbox in Cannibal Town and only hers so Rosie is Not Pleased because the woman is ComplainingTM to her about her Red Haired Pet)

Angel asks the Short King, aka Royal Daddy to drop him and Cherri close to the chaotic trio, because he's also the only one who might be able to safely stop the car without being splatted. Because he can see that the trajectory was heading right at Vee Tower, and given how that could piss off Val, Angel wasn't gonna risk it.

Also, he's been that shitfaced before and knows you just don't make great choices like that and Vox seems to be countin' on it. You don't work in Angel's profession without being able to clock a creeper... might not be able to do nothin' if they pay the right price, but you could just Tell.

Drones frizzle as a lensflare, the kind of which hasn't been seen since the recent Star Trek Movies, sears their optical wires. Losing signals and providing barely there distorted imagery.

"Not being a very good parental figure, here, bellhop..." Lucifer grins, hand on the front of the vehicle as the wheels spin a few seconds longer. It strains and sputters before he presses a tad more firmly on the metal, and the whole thing dies with an angry 'kra-bang'.

"Why... your shhhhhortness, to what do we..." a truly devastating insult trails off mid-sentence, as the Overlord notices his shadow is making faces at the king, which is far funnier and easier to focus on. "Hmmm? Oh yes... decided to work on Hell's transportation concerns... personally...? Or is it angel-ally? Devilally? What do you fall under, hmmm?"

"He c-can fall undah me any-hic-time..." Mimzy mumbled, crawling over Alastor to get out of the vehicle and rolling onto the pavement, giggling. "Whoo!"

"Ah, looks like we're at Defcon Whoo..." Angel mutters to Cherri, who howls with laughter. She manages to calm down enough to grab hold of the shorter sinner, pulling her upright without much preamble. This ain't her fourth rodeo and all that.

Angel peers in the backseat to find a jovial Husk tryinng to catch his own tail as it wiggles past his eyes. He's flat on his back, swiping at it, and Angel's heart just about pounds out of his chest because fuck that's cute... he tries to get a covert video with his fourth hand.

"Hey Whiskers, you wanna come outta the car for a minute? We got some stuff you might like at the hotel..." he coos, catching Husk's attention.

The Stuff is water, painkillers for the inevitable headache and a soft couch to sleep on with The Bucket next to it. In fact, all three of them are likely to get the royal treatment if they can just contain them before any pissed off overlords came alooking for who was causing the distruction.

But Husk didn't need to know that, let his blissed out kitty self assume there was more booze. Angel and Cherri were the downright experts at motivating blissed out friends to safety. Noone left behind and all that.

The cat-like mrrrph? the grugff bartender makes nearly takes Angel out, he has to clutch at his chest for a second. He wants this old ass cat so damn bad, sunsets and heart eyes and all that shit... fuck, he thought that was just stuff romantasy authors made up for sales. But now he wanted to get this idiot home, and safe, and maybe see if he'd make that noise again when sober.

Did he purr? Angel needs to know So Bad.

"You uh you good there, Cocaine?"

"Coca-... oh, it's Angel Dust, Short King. Close but no pinata that time, hah!" he wavves the angel's worried tone away. "Just got struck by how cute Husk here is when he's super blitzed... did you hear that noise? Like Keekee when she's lookin' for pets!"

The King's attention fell on Husk, as Cherri is heard physically being hurled around in the background by a flapper who decided it was Dance Time!

"He did? When was that?"

Husk, confused by the attention and not really using his BrainTM at the moment, repeats the noise instead of what the sinner clearly thought was a query with actual words.

Lucifer's eyes go roundn and shiny, and yeah, now Angel can see exactly where Charlie got it. "HE DOES!"

"You should... hear the other sounds... he can make... if you get one of the red dots..." Alastor helpfully advised, climbing out of the car to drape over the open door. He summons the item with a flourish and it smacks the king in the forehead.

"Oh you fucke-..."

"Hey, hang on ya highness, I don't actually think he was being a dick..." Angel says, holding out a free hand as he watched Alastor's confused expression fall into a frown at his empty hand. "Just couldn't aim like this... how the heck they managed to do this much damage while this outta it, I'm not sure."

Gunfire blasted from a sidestreet. "There's the slut!"

Mimzy and Angel both snapped back a sharp, "Hey!"

The ragtag group pauses, a mix of saurian sinners and a handful of what must be owned imps, as they glance between them. /Several flush and look elsewhere as they realise that's The Angel Dust.

"Er, the short whore, not you, sir..." says a rifle-wielding imp in a smart suit, appearing torn between fury at Mimzy and mild awe at Angel. "We came to get her for the boss... she ain't getting away with her shit again. Lost too many of our guys to her nonsense."

"Well, thank you but, I can't letcha do that. She's a.... friend of a friend. And that friend might eatcha in the least sexy way possible, unless you're into vore." Angel says, subtly warding them off.

But it's too late, Mimzy's noticed the interlopers. So has the Radio Demon.

"Al... c'n you help lil ol' me? I mighta... devoured a guy... or six... but he had it comin'!"

"Ah Mimzy my dear... you really know... how to pick them." Said the swaying eldritch horror as it unfolded from the everyday portable form, tendrils wildly lashing out and taking out both thugs, nearby cars and several buildings. "Do stand still..."

They were. Fear held them fast.

"Oh for fuck's sake..." Lucifer groaned, clearly over this whole situation. He might like Hunk and sure technically Missy was under the Get Them Home Safe Plan from Charlie, but dealing with a drunken overlord like this was... ridiculous. Why was this his afterlife? Had Father sent the bellhop specifically to remind Lucifer he was meant to be suffering?

He snaps his fingers and sends the few assailants not being dragged into shaows by chittering poppet things with big teeth, to the distant corners of Pentagram City. Separated like naughty kids on time out (thank you Belphagor for teaching Lilly and Lucifer about that one or Charlie would have turned out MUCH worse).

Angry red eyes waver over Lucifer and a few tendrils try to swat him, or at least, possibly the several Lucifers he's seeing.

"Okay big guy, look at the pretty shiny angel... over here... we're going to calm down because if you don't it would be a Shame if I had to beat your smug ass into next week to make sure you didn't go do anything else stupid." Lucifer sing-songed, really hoping that the sinner would choose Violence. Please let him choose Violence. Char would forgive him.

"Oi, you can't goad him into a drunken fist fight, that's cheatin' and I'm telling Charlie!" Angel calls up to him, and Lucifer's expression falls into a furious little pout.

"Well.... fine. What do you suggest, oh wrangler of the drunken?"

Angel tries so hard not to laugh openly at the childish frustration on the King's face. Yeah, Charlie was like 90% her dad, from what Angel could see.

"Well, you got his attention... see if he'll like, shrink down or whatever that's called, if not you might have to just portal us back to the hotel supersized!" angel yells up at the former angel.

Lucifer was annoyed. He could have been finishing off the replacement helper for Charlie, now that Dazzle was... well, Razzle was so lonely. It wasn't a Replacement of course, but the little creature might help fill the void left.

Shaking his head he decided to try, for Charlie. "Alright, let's try this..."

He levitates one of the shadow-mauled corpses up to them. "Hey Al... if I let you have a snack, would you calm down enough to shrink for us? All the sinners who came for, er, Misty, are gone. I poofed them away. No need to be all... big."

He notes that the cannnibal's eyes followed after the corpse, and he moves it slightly just to confirm. "You promise to settle down if I let you have a snack? We gotta get back to the hotel, bud... Charlie's not big on..." Something explodes a street over from the direction the trio had come from. "...hijinks like this."

Something like a rumble rippled between them, and Lucifer took that as capitulation. He tossed the semi-corpse and turned away, avoiding seeing whatever level of chewing involved those wet pops and snaps.

He felt the moment Alastor let go of the larger form, it was like a shift in the electromagnetic and magical fields, something he was unfortunately sensitive to based on the fact he'd had a hand in crafting those (along with a LOT of other things in the universe).

Angel was there immediately, slinging an arm around Alastor's shoulders in an effort to both steer the other and ensure he didn't sneakily resize himself just to spite the king. It was a testament to their growing companionship that Alastor didn't rip that arm right off... however, the true icing on the cake was the fact that the unexpected contact startled a soft, confused bleat out of the Overlord.

Dual waves of 'aw that's super cute' and 'I am holding this over his head for the rest of eternity' struck the King. Finally, he had something on the red motherfucker!

Angel looked slightly stunned, and squeezed Al tightly for a second, just to hear the repeated but slightly angrier sound. He turns to Lucifer with wide eyes. "Didja know he could do that? Holy fuck, these two are gonna be the second death of me..."

Cherri has a giggling Mimzy under one arm and is carefully hurling cherry bombs at the few sputtering drones still valiantly attempting to spy on them despite the damage angelic light had caused.

"They're pretty fuckin' cute, I'll give you that!" She calls out. "So what's the plan? If I let this sheila go, she'll be flat out like a lizard drinking... but getting this lot back to the Hotel will be a hard yakka if we try by foot."

"True... unless you wanna conjure a limo or somethin', ya Majesty?"

"Huh? Oh, no. No I'm just going to portal us all back to the hotel." Lucifer said, blinking back into the moment.

A blast of radio warble made them cringe from proximity. "No-...nonsense... let's take my shadows... thy're so... reliabl-... reliab-... we'll get there somewhat intact!" Alastor grins, grabbing hold of Angel and sending shadow tendrils out towards Cherri, Mimzy and Lucifer.

"Wait, no! No drunk driving in my kingdom!" Lucifer shouts, as he's pulled into a soupy black nothingness and left to tumble aimlessly in all directions. Well, not quite. There's a tether there, linking him back to the other screaming voices and giggling flapper he knows are there but can't quite see.

Lucifer rolls back into reality dazed and bruised as he falls from the ceiling of the lobby. Cherri and Mimzy fall sideways from a wall, and then Angel lands face-first on the nearby couch next to a startled Charlie.

Husk is not so lucky, the cat reappears at the bar, shooting upwards from out of the void in the floor as if thrown. He lands on all fours with claws out and tail fluffed, seconds from hissing, next to a wildly confused Vaggie.

"Wait, shit, we've lost Al..." Angel says, looking around.

"Hang on, now I've gotten a feel for the shadowy bullshit I think I can grab him. He's probably not able to remanifest a physical form while that drunk..." Lucifer sighs, hauling himself upright and heading to one of the wiggling shadow portals on the wall.

He jams himself in to about mid-torso and holds out a ball of light in his hand, searching for-... yeah, that'd be the idiot. There's a pair of hazy red eyes above a taut stitched smile... nothing else though.

"Alright, come over here, bellhop and touch my hand. I can pull you back into your physical body, if you want... unless this is easier... but then yo umight get lost in here if you're drunk soooooo..."

His rambling made the patch of sentient darkness drift close enough for Lucifer to snag and pull back through. He forgot about the reality of having another person land on you, and that they might be an angular motherfucker whose bony self could puncture holes in a bouncy castle if he landed wrong.

The wind left him all at once as they hit the floor. Still, the fact it seemed to startle another deer sound out of the other felt like payment enough. This was too good not to bring up in their next verbal spat...

Charlie looked intrigued but not surprised at the noise. "Oooh, thanks for that, Dad! And ohmygosh, is that a TAIL?!"

The end of that sentence went near hypersonic, and the glassware around them rattled ominously.

Vaggie looked perturbed. "What the fuck was that?"

"Oh, oh, oh! It's this little bleat, he made it when Rosie gave him a hug the other day in Cannibal Town, you'd think he weighed nothing the way she picked him up!"

"Oh, is that so...?" Angel said, filing that one away for later. "By the way, guess who makes cute little kitty noises when he's super drunk?" He gestures like a magician's assistant to Husk.

Charlie's eyes are going to roll out of her head if they get any rounder. "He does?!" A glass shatters behind them.

Lucifer shoves Alastor off him and rolls upright far too fluidly for someone with a proper bonestructure. He notices the other's form spilling into shadow at the edges, and hastily grabbed Alastor's wrist again to pulse his power aroud the sinner. Wouldn't want him to accidentally discorporate a leg or something and bleed to death on the nice new carpets.

He barely even thinks about it before deciding to just run with the first idea that comes to mind... snapping up a band that definitely didn't look like something a kid at summer camp would make as a friendship bracelet for another, and imbuing it with with a charm to hold the other physically present. If the bellhop hated it, they could fight when he was sober.

Cherri has deposited a snoring Mimzy facedown on a nearby armchair, and Niffty was studiously poking her with a featherduster and giggling at the mumbled swearing.

"Well, they're riproaring drunk, but we gottem back here. What's the plan now?" the spunky powerhouse asks.

"Er... well... they're not destroying the city so we just make them comfortable and change the bucket if anyone pukes?" Lucifer shrugged. How did sinners deal with alcohol? He couldn't get drunk and it never really did anything more than make him tingly for a few hours, and Lillith never felt the need to try to push her limits that far.

From what he understood from seeing several Goetia post-ball, it could feel like a rather persistent headache and sometimes you felt like throwing up. Or you did. He really should have checked in on that... what if Charlie was susceptible? He should have had that talk.

The other Talk was taken by Ozzie, thankfully, because the Sin was bombproof when it came to questions of that nature, and Belphagor covered biology in every possible way. Actually, he should ask Beezelbub, she would have an idea what this would look like...

The King whips out his phone and shoots off a text. Then panics internally about it it was weird that this was his first text in half a year to her. She blew up his messages seconds later, and suggested he just let them stay drunk... alongside several helpful suggestions about greasy food and hydration and some pills she would go bother Belphy to portal over. He sent back it was for several sinners, not him, and she replied that of course it was and she'd tell Belph to drop the dosage.

She then asked who it was for, and he decided to just tell her the whole shituation from the moment Charlie called to the very moment he was watching Angel Dust and Charlie deposit the gangly overlord atop a loveseat with minimal resistance.

She sent back a nnumber of emojis he couldn't identify, and a 'lol love to meet them, sound like a riot!'

A pause. 'Wait did you say he dropped a piano on you?'

'Yeah, he's an ass like that. But I think I won the dad-off. Still, I've got sooooo much blackmail material, the guy has a big fluffy deer tail and he makes these super cute bleats when he's drunk or startled... totally the opposite of the big bad scary overlord he's trying to project. Finally have something on him, to rival his jibes at my duck-making.'

That dinged something in his brain, and he swirled a finger, sending off a very belated gift to Bee and her new boyfriend (Hex? Tex Mex? Checks?).

'OMFG U DID NOT MAKE A DUCK FOR ME AND TEX!!!!!' she shoots back, and he panic declines her incoming call. Texting was a lot for the king at this time. 'THANK U!!! LUV U LUCI BABES!!!'

'Anytime.'

There's a swirl of magic, purple and smelling faintly of candlewax, as a paper bag appeared with a list of instructions on the side. That'd be the pills from Belphagor.

"Good news, we have something to make sure they live through their hangingover or whatever you sinners get, so that's taken care of." He announces, noting Niffty has already procured additional buckets for the other two. "Do we need to... do anything else for them?"

"I mean, normally I'd want to put them in their own rooms and make sure they weren't so... on display... but I also kind of feel like we need them to be in line of sight so we can help if they need it." Charlie says, looking sheepish. Husk is almost as secreticce as Alastor, she doesn't like intruding on their privacy but... well, necessary evils and all that.

"It's easier to make sure no one chokes on their own vomit or ends up stumbling out to start a fight with another overlord if we have eyes on." Vaggie says, practical to the core of her being. "Besides, two of them are staff and we need to make sure they don't die for... I don't know, team work reasons or something?"

"Just admit ya love us Vagatha!" Angel croons, ducking the bar coaster she hurled his way at the exaggerated kiss blown towards the exorcist.

"Ugh, come on man, it's bad enough we can't make the radio deer stop calling me that and now YOU?!" she groans, covering her face in her hands.

"I can go back to pronouncing your name how the First Guy did, if you want Va-..."

"It would be the last thing you do." She snaps back, shoulders unclenching. He may taunt, but since learning that little tidbit, Angel hadn't actually used the name. "Still, this is going to be a setback for the hotel... I mean, we got good enough press after the battle, but this? This is going to piss off a lot of people."

"Nah, Overlords get a weird sort of pass, you know? They do strange crap all the time, and get away with it, because who's gonna stop em?" Angel waves her worries off. "Like, Val does... what Val does all over Pride and do you see anyone up in arms about it? Velvette punched models off the runway the other week and no one said shit. And when that big gal, Zeezi I think? Flattened a district during an argument with the skull guy, not an actual fight apparently just a disagreement with a lotta property damage, no one did fuck all."

"Okay... but they were in their own territories, this was... all over. And he's one of the front-runners for the hotel... it was bad enough when his weird trouble magnet friend came around the first time. But we could call that a one-off. This was... blatant." She counters.

Husk grumbles, pulling his face off the bar. "M...zy has a pass... Al'n'Rsie like her." He managed.

"And that would be enough of an excuse to protect us from fallout?"

"Vox's gunna always be... problem... b'sessed... but... Mim getsa pass. Cause they was 'live t'gether..."

"Ooookay, so, we'll just deal with this when everyone is sober and I can talk about better choices in the future. After all, we're all about second chances here!" Charlie said, smile strained and tone bordering on upset. The hotel hadn't boomed since the battle, but... a few of the more interested applicants had dribbled away in the last few days. It had been disheartening.

"We could get a marching band here in less than 45 minutes, if you need to make a point, duckling?" Lucifer suggests, his grin rather demonic. He backtracks at the mild disappointment on her face. "Kidding! Daddy's kidding! I just meant that sometimes consequences are important... they help you learn lessons that are sometimes painful, but necessary. Like say, not getting wasted and ruining reputations across the entire Pride ring while a tv televises it."

"Ooooh shiiiiit, I forgot about the drones... ugh, how bad is it?" She aims that at Angel, Cherri and Vaggie who are scrolling their phones and wincing. "That's not encouraging."

"Well, I mean he ain't managed to get a shot of the strawberry pimp, not a good one, he's more blur than body in most of 'em... but it's clear he's involved. Husk and the short broad are pretty distinct." Angel replies.

"Hah, how the bloody hell did they get the car on top of the Embassy? Fuckin' legends!" Cherri whoops, showing a truly perplexing picture, which was circling Sinstagram and Veddit for varying reasons.

"Yeah, so we got attention... just not the kind we were after." Vaggie ends, succinctly. "That's a whole problem unto itself. But we'll have to deal with it, cause it's done already. Selfish fucker..."

"Yhooo'd be... more lenient... if'n the one..." Husk paused, almost asleep and staring at a point on the ceiling with intense concentration. He purrs when Angel reaches over to pet his head, an apparently unconscious action, despite the soft gasp the spider lets out. Angel appears to be having a religious experience of his own.

"Can you tell us what you mean, Whiskers?" Angels whispers.

"...las' time... said no... t'Mim she got... got. Couldn' hide from... conse-... cons-... what she did. Died. Bad." Husk explained, leaning into Angel's hand, and starting to drift off in his warm cocoon of inebriation. "S'why he puts... up wi'her shit... more'n mine... not s'muchas Niff... s'the favourite."

"Okay, that was some interesting backstory, but still... this can't keep happening. The last place got physically damaged by her nonsense, and now it's the reputation on the line. At some point, the debt gets repaid, and enough is enough." Lucifer intones, he's aware that today's events could easily lead sinners chasing the little Millie sinner to come here and put Charlie or her dream in danger again.

Of course, he's also the worst at putting up boundaries, so that's a bit hypocritical. The Sins had all been on his shitlist over the millenia, but wormed their way off it... except Mammon, that guy had better never ever EVER suggest a robo version of Charlie again, or Lucifer was going to turn the guy into a public portapotty at the next multiday musical festival on earth.

And yeah, he'd shut them out for a while there too, but those were barriers not boundaries.

Briefly, everyone muses on how they'd handle the requests from a friend they'd known in life... a friend who brought trouble to them, constantly, and the one time they asserted a boundary... that friend paid the ultimate price for their actions. Yeah, that'd be complicated to unravel and it wouldn't be hard to imagine they'd probably go out of their individual ways to help above and beyond.

Ooof, that's some guilt to consider.

"I'm sure we can find a comfortable compromise with Mimzy, through some talk therapy..." Charlie suggests, the optimism fading out halfway. "Yeah, no, I don't know how we could stop her from being... herself. Husk mentioned this was her pattern, when she was here last... and even when Alastor asserted a boundary to make her leave, she still managed to erode it today. Or yesterday, because I think they'd been drinking for a while now..."

"We don't have to fix it, though. What if you just... make it a rule she can't come here, and that if she's having trouble she has to submit a help request in writing to the hotel for you AND Alastor to review?" Vaggie suggests. "That way you can both make a decision on how to respond in the best interests of the hotel?"

Charlie grabs her girlfriend and kisses her, then peppers her beautiful face with kisses. "Ooooh, I love you and your amazing brain!"

Niffty, giggling, appears with a pair of blankets that seem to be stitched together from scraps of everyone's clothing, which she places over the slumbering Husk and Alastor respectively. They didn't really react, but the couches were plush and the sinners seemed to have been awake for longer than would normally be safe, so perhaps that was fine.

Niffty seemed disinclined to provide anything for Mimzy.

"Niff, can you grab one a the blankets for our uest?" Angel prompts, gesturing at the flapper.

Her eye narrows, anger gleaming in the pupil the likes of which not even angels had managed to ignite. "No, she's a Nasty Bad Girl and I don't like how she is always wanting things from Sir. She is a bug he won't let me exterminate."

"Okay, of course, valid!" Angel says, raising his hands up in surrender. "We let the uh, the pesty bitch go cold, yeah?"

"YES!"

Lucifer watches Niffty disappear into the wall through a vent he didn't recall adding. "Have you... gotten that angelic dagger off of her, yet?"

Charlie went wide eyed and so pale you could just about see through her. "Uh oh..."

A maniacal giggle echoed through the wall, and fell into silence too swiftly for anyone to feel safe.

Lucifer's magic pulsed, a miniscule flex really, like being aware that there were muscles involved you weren't consciously moving when you smiled or frowned or yawned. The bracelet was holding the Overlord's physical form together as intended, but it was concerning that it seemed to be happening in the man's sleep. Was this normal for him?

Actually, maybe it was. Sinners were odd like that. Came in all forms and defied every law of physics you can imagine.

Either way, he's glad he thought ahead to binding the idiot into his body; having to restore someone from incoporeal atoms spread about an undefined area like, say, a shadowy void, would be a tedious task. He'd done something similar maybe twice in his long life, and it took ages... he's not willing to lose a decade of Charlie's life to that boring little project. Even if she likes the deer.

Actually, what the fuck is that?

Like a radar pinging an object in sonar range, something is bouncing back and tickling at his brain. That's an unpleasant sensation. Like a itch you can't quite scratch without removing parts of your flesh... which always stressed out beings used to being tied perpetually in these coporeal prisons. Er, bodies.

He moves to the couch with the deer on it and waves aside the blanket. The King startles as he finds Angel's hand grabbing his wrist rather pointedly as Lucifer starts undoing buttons.

"Hold up, Short King... we need to talk consent? Cause I sure as fuck don't mind lecturing an angel on the topic." As the poster child for being manhandled against his will, Angel would naturally be the one to step in, even in this instance. Hells, he'd put himself on the line to keep Charlie safe when she fucked up at his work.

That pulls Lucifer up short. Ah, well, from the outside this would look... not great...

"Whoa, okay, I can explain. Just got caught up in the mystery... er, my bad." He cringes at the tangled explanation. His words don't get easier from there, and Angel doesn't let go of him. "I-I mean, uh, the tether I put on him, it's kind of holding him in his body right now? Cause if he falls into shadows when he's not paying attention bits might get... lost... forever. Or your pet overlord mifght not be able to reform... had a weirdly similar experience when I got depressed enough I dropped the physical body for a bit and then got too distracted and had to pull bits of me back from distant Rings... but I didn't slip into an alternate pocket dimension like the deer can. So he could take ages to put right and-..."

"Dad, breathe!" Charlie interjects, looking flustered. Angel switches his grip to allow him to shake the king slightly.

"I'm breathing, it's fine! I just wanted to make sure he kept all his arms and legs and fleshy bits in the same part of existence. And just a second ago he started to turn to shadows, so the bracelet used a bit of my magic to contain him... but it pinged."

"Pinged what?" Vaggie frowned, suspicious.

"Not sure... felt... too similar to be a conincidence, and I just went to find out what it was without thinking about it. Felt... corrupted."

"Okay, look it sounds logical but ya gotta remember you can't just go about takin' clothes off people, specially when they're not able to stop you!" Angel admonishes, and the King of Hell shrinks back a little. "Look, is it worrying enough you can't wait 'til he's awake or d'you think that it can be left alone until tomorrow? He's uh, he's pretty specific about touch. Not sure why Smiles didn't fucking incinerate me for that hug earlier, even if he and the others were obliterated."

"Er, well... one sec..." Lucifer pulses the magic once more and frowns at the resistence. "Okay, so I think we Need to See it, unfortunately. He can't actually hurt me, you know... yeah he's powerful but... it'd take all the Sins teaming up with the right weapons to take me on with a chance of winning."

Wait, they weren't worried about Alastor hurting Lucifer. That was a given. He hastily added, "And I won't touch him more than necessary. Promise."

Did Alastor know he was defended like this? That these odd sinners liked the fucker enough to admonish the king of hell for him?

Angel slowly released his grip. They both knew Lucifer could have freed himself, but... it was the principle.

Using his powers instead, Lucifer gently opened the coat and undershirt, pushing aside the odd black straps that seemed to provide compression as well as hold the outfit in place.

He winces. "Ah, fuck, that's... well, it's healing, but I think what caught the attention of my powers was the residual angelic grace. It was muffled by whatever enchantment's on his coat, or I'd have noticed it sooner, given how close we've been for the last few weeks, and the whole... landing on me earlier thing."

"Do we-... how do we fix it?" Charlie asks, looking determined. "We have a first aid kit, and I know Rosie from Cannibal Town is apparently super good with magical afflictions and they're friends so she might help for a Favour..."

He cracks his fingers. "No, I got this... it's not hard to remove normally, but this has festered for a bit. Gonna assume an angel got him with one of their spears at some point... surprised it hasn't healed though. Enough power and you can live with a bit of angelic grace under the skin until it dissipates..."

Vaggie has a thousand yard stare going. "And what if it... came from someone a bit more powerful than an exorcist, Sir?"

"Like who? the only one there with even the vaguest hint of Heavenly endowment was Adam, and most of it was in his stupid guitax or whatever he called it. Must have been forged by one of the other archangels, he definitely didn't have the imagination or power to make it himself." Lucifer laughed, mind whirling through different ideas on who must have helped the first man with his little toy. Maybe Uriel, who was full of compassion but never made sturdy weapons, he just lacked interest. Might be why it broke so easily.

"...and if a sinner took on the first man and was hit by it? How bad would that be?" Vaggie prodded again, looking at the wound. It had been stitched, but all the movement of the last few hours had frayed patches, snapped other areas and generally bruised the already upset skin to either side. Not to mention the length of it was concerning.

Lucifer sucks air through his teeth. "Then this will suck... mostly for me, because it's going to taste awful... from a magical perspective. Not sure if Sinners can get the flavour of other magics, or scent? Or... look, it's a sense that I tried to let humans have but Heaven said No so it's hard to explain. Imagine trying to tell an alien race that didn't develop sight how that works and what it's like?"

"Okay, so... we need anything for this?" Angel asks, practically.

"Just help to unlatch his jaw if he wakes up mad for me touching him?" Lucifer half-jokes, but he really hopes it doesn't come to that. He flexes his fingers before touching the area, and yep, that's adam's borrowed Grace alright... it's like running your tongue through a garbage bin with a faint hint of the First Man's original clean, oceanic 'scent'. Or soul taste?

Ugh, humans and sinners and winners... they really needed to expand their vocabulary so it wasn't so hard to explain fundamentals!

It's not hard to coax out, but boy does it make the King want to throw up something fierce. If Alastor had just said something to start with, it'd be a breeze... literally, it would have tasted of gentle ozone and maybe a bit of gore, or whatever Alastor's soul-taste was, but nothing this bad...

This was why you didn't let angelic injuries fester. not only could they kill you but it was absolutely the Worst to heal them. He pulls back, finally, and reaches for one of the handy dandy buckets which is quickly provided to him by someone helpful who he was going to give a medal to in future.

When he finished throwing up, and had felt able to sip some of the cool fruit juice provided, Lucifer blinked back to the present. Charlie was hovering, and the Bucket had been removed by someone.

Angel had covered Alastor up again, at least with the blanket over the healing injury the Overlord wouldn't feel so exposed. With the angelic grace removed, there should be no issues for the wound to just... close up on its own. Soon, if there was enough energy left not currently stopping the overlord from dying of alcohol poisoning.

Charlie moved Lucifer to a seat and helped him rest.

"Are you okay, Dad? You kind of... threw up for a while there. Can I get you something gentle, like toast or... or crackers?" She offers.

"Yeah, maybe some toast would help." He agrees, feeling exhausted. He hadn't thrown up in centuries, it was a wildly unwelcome return of such an old experience.

"No one in the hotel is allowed to get hurt with angelic weaponry for the next century... I'm going to make it a law." Lucifer groans, finally feeling his own innate healing ability settle his stomach. "Especially if any of you try to hide it like that... it's like chugging the sludge at the bottom of a dumpster. Never again. He is going to owe me so much for this..."

He felt Charlie freeze slightly, trying to decide if this was a jest or not.

Lucifer cracks open an eye. "I mean metaphorically, duckling, I don't do Deals with anyone and I'm not going to tally it up. But if I can get him to like... help sort through that fucking mess that used to be my office in the Palace at some point, that'd be great. Not that he has to, but I;ve seen how he collated your paperwork and now I want to borrow him."

He saw a few shoulders release unconscious tension.

Was everyone really so scared of obligations? Of tit for tat? Or was it because everyone here was owned, or had been owned at some point, excepting Charlie? Vaggie had been in a Heavenly form of servitude to Adam after all.

He shrugs, "Well you can't ask for what's not there either... hah, you can't share a soul unless the contract is excruciatingly specifically worded. Oof, yeah, I've seen those go down... but no, Bambi is safe from indentured servitude from me. Wouldn't kill him to be nicer, though." Lucifer pauses. "Actually, I'm starting to suspect that if he tries to compliment me he might just start bleeding from the eyes out of sheer spite."

"Wait so how're the Vees sharing souls then?" Cherri cuts in, scrolling her phone and half-aware of the conversation from where she's laying on the floor, legs against Husk's couch.

Lucifer had been wondering actually.

"Far as I can figure, they either each have individually held contracts but an overarching three-way deal between them that allows a small percentage of ownership across all deals with the Vees... or they have subclauses in their deals to allow multiple owners."

"Gotta be the first one, I recall my contract and it wasn't well written or full of subclauses... I've seen the ones Vox makes up. Surprised that any of his employees can pee without needing to ask permission, his are thorough to the point of no loopholes, whereas Val's are more to the point. He puts down what ya gonna do for him and when, where, how, what the kickback is and then you sign it. Not sure about Velvette, never seen one'a her contracts." Angel shrugs.

"Interesting. Well, like I said, you can't jointly own a soul without everyone agreeing to it... although, it has to be said that it doesn't matter if it was signed willing or under duress. Seen that happen too. Some of the older overlords used that tactic a lot, it was infuriating but the Laws prevent me getting involved between sinner to sinner deals." Lucifer says, then adds. "Of course, you catch a sinner and goetia making a deal, it comes before me for review. Or, you know, Lillith... because of the inherent power imbalance. And with a Sin? Royalty has to be a third party for that one, it's mandatory."

"That's... a lot to handle. You never told me about all the paperwork you and mum had to do, Dad. Is there some way I can help you?"

Not for the first time, did Lucifer wonder how he'd made something so wonderfully caring and earnest as Charlie.

"No, it's fine... happens so rarely these days that it's only a blip in the ocean of things we need to pay attention to. You have your hotel as well, and I'd hate to distract you... plus, I can always ask Alberta here if he'll give me a hand. Just subtly mention the whole healing business... you know Overlords, they hate to be in debt."

"Mmm, maybe try asking as a friend first so it's not weighted against him?" Charlie coaxes. And he holds back an eyeroll, she really is something so optimistic it almost hurts sometimes.

"Sure, Char-Char. I'll ask the deer if he's willing to help." Lucifer can't help but stare at the Overlord a minute longer, his own words echoing in his head. Lilli always took care of the big deals... so why, then, had her own deal with this sinner before him not triggered magic to drop it on his desk? There were safeguards to avoid this very situation.

Royalty couldn't make soul deals with Sinners, well... they could, they just shouldn't. It was just slavery with extra steps at that point. Sure, sinners could own other sinners, and there were FUCKED terms for some contracts but... most had a way out. Your deal holder could die or be overthrown, you could have the contract terminated or finish when the task / time limit ceased, there were dozens of ways to end one. But not if the person holding your leash was an immortal all powerful being.

Goetia rarely died except by political assassinations. The Sins weren't going anywhere. And the Royal Family? Forget about it.

That was why it was never fully balanced.

Now he desperately wanted to know what it was that Lillith had offered, what she had provided. Was it power? Was it protection? Was the deal offered honestly out of care, or... sought under duress? Before she left there had been a lot of rage in his Queen, some of it aimed at him for his failings and poor mental presence... and a lot of it directed at Heaven for their stipulations around Charlie.

He could withstand that anger, he was almost invulnerable. But a Sin? A Goetia? Maybe. A Sinner? They were breakable... but then, that was the best thing about Sinners, they could regenerate as many times as you wanted with only the mental trauma to contend with. Bodies healed as minds broke.

"Dad? You went quiet and kept staring at Al... is everything okay? Like, did you get all the poison out?"

"What? Oh, yeah... just... wondering what your mother could have offered... that's all. She didn't like doing Deals all that much but..."

"...what?" the smallness of the query made him snap back to reality and his eyes locked on Charlotte's face. She seemed to be coming around to a conclusion, and for he first time Lucifer recognised that perhaps this was also something being concealed by the red fucker, like his injury.

It was just... the others at the hotel were so open about their status, wasn't the bellhop?

"Uh... well, first things first I'm going to need you to find all the angelic steel around the place and hide it at the Palace. It can't kill me, but it does hurt and I don't want him getting his hands on it when they all wake up tomorrow." He says, trying to distract and diffuse. "Then, we're all going to pretend I said nothing because I don't think he wanted to share that and I'm still talking, why am I talking? I need to stop doing that..."

He yelps as Angel picks him up and brings him over to the couch Husk is sleeping on, putting the King close enough to both feel and hear the rumbling purr. Oh... oh that was nice. Soothing.

"And now we're gonna breathe in for four... and then out for four, yeah? Good, c'mon now, Short King." Angel coaxed, clearly experienced in managing these situations. That was disheartening.

When he finally had control of himself again, Lucifer buried his face in his hands. "I'm getting tired of being tired and stressed out. That hasn't happened in a long time, either... it was getting better."

"Look, it's true you fucked up a bit and shared something that y'weren't aware was a secret. But we've all done that before, like the time I mentioned to P-... to a friend who ain't around anymore that Cherri would love to take both'a his cute little cocks for a spin, if he'd just ask her to her face for a date. She made me eat one of her bombs, and then bang him myself to give a review..."

That caught Lucifer's attention. "Well...?"

"Huh? Oh, 4.5 stars, he's pretty good at using everything he's got. Just needs a bit more confidence in asking for things, that's all." Angel grins, winking at Vaggie who looked furious that Angel had been banging other guests. "Oh unclench babes, it was outside the hotel."

"...as riveting as this conversation is, could we perhaps hold it elsewhere?" Interjects a decidely startling voice, as the Overlord sits up to glare at them all. Ah, well, fuck... seems the drainage process has siphoned off some other things too. There's a nearly sober, angry overlord glaring at the King.

"Whoa, Smiles you might wanna stay horizontal, you guys went at it hard and I dunno if it's all through your systems yet." Angel cautions, moving to hover. "Just saying, you either feel a bit shitty right now or you're about to."

"I assure you I am perfectly fine, and will remain so for as long as it takes to retire to my own rooms." Alastor replies, there's no heat in the tone. Merely acceptance of the situation. His eyes automatically identify that Mimzy and Husker are alive and cared for, before returning to the miniature monrach. "And now, you are going to explain yourself and why you never learned to keep a secret in your many millenia of existence."

"Ex-cuuuuuse ME?!" Lucifer shoots back. "I didn't know it was a hush hush secret topic, asshole! And I'm sorry, but don't get your damn tail in a twist over it!"

A record scratch filled the air, as red fluffy ears fought not to pin back. Ah, perhaps the tail was also meant to be a little secret?

Shit. Good Job Lucifer.

"Look it ain't a big deal, or it won't be because it's just us here, Smiles... we've all been trapped at some point or other. Heck, you've got Husk and Niffty right now on ya own leash... they're okay enough about it. You think I'd judge you? Me? I'm stuck with someone who treats me like a pre-warmed fleshlite most'a the time, I'm not casting stones in this glass hotel." Angel says, trying to validate the other.

"I... appreciate your candor here, Angel. When there is time, I'm certain I will find space in my schedule to manage the outrageous nonsense those Vees are up to." A well-worded promise without an actual promise. Alastor wanted the trio gone, and if that meant Angel was freed... so be it. "However, you are at liberty to talk about your contract... without reprisal. The fact that not only is someone aware but it happens to involve both royals, breaches two separate clauses. It will be unlikely to go under the radar."

"You know where she is?" Charlie asked, confused, furious and lost in in one big ball.

"Yes. She went... up."

"U-...? OH. Why would she...?"

"I could not say why she made that choice. Just that it was. You were never intended to know this."

"Are you here because of the Deal?" Lucifer asked.

"...perhaps."

"To help or hinder?"

"Both."

"To keep Charlie safe?"

"Yes."

"To keep the hotel safe?"

"Not quite."

"To... sabotage the hotel?"

"...also, not quite."

"To stop anyone from being redeemed?"

Instead of an answer there was a dinging, like someone getting a jackpot on a slot machine.

"How?"

"Unclear, nothing concrete was advised. I merely have to... be here."

"Okay... anything else?"

"Nothing I can discuss."

"What do you get out of it? Seems like a lot of work."

"...nothing. A service was already rendered."

That caught Lucifer off-guard. "What?"

"I can't tell you."

"Okay, okay, uh... did you get power?"

A whump-whump noise played.

"Protection?"

A sad slide whistle.

"Money? Fame?"

An audience booing.

"Hey you try playing 400 questions with no help from the other team, jerk! I'm thinking..."

"Don't strain yourself too hard, we need you alive."

"Oh you fucker..." Lucifer burst into laughter. "Alright, so she did something for you... and now you are stuck o babysitting duty?"

"I-... suppose you could put it that way."

"Did she kill someone for you?"

"No."

"Did you sleep with one another?"

There was a tyre screech sound as Alastor wrinkled his nose at the repugnance of such a question. "Wherever do you get such vile thoughts from, Majesty? No, we have never even been close to intimate."

Okay, ouch. That was His Wife there pal. Maybe ease up on the judgement, huh? Lucifer thought she was fucking gorgeous.

"Did she provide you or someone important to you with something material?"

"No."

"What about... I don't know, it's hard to think of this stuff on the fly. What about..." Lucifer glances at Alastor's chest. "Healing? Did she heal you for some reason?"

"...in a manner of speaking?"

"Oh? Okay, did she heal you after a fight with another Overlord?"

"Technically yes, but it was not the main reason."

"An angelic wound?"

"Also technically yes."

"Did she help with a poison, pysical or magical?"

"You might call it that, but it was also only tangentially involved."

"You are NOT making this easy. So, you fought an Overlord and that did something but wasn't the main reason you needed her help. You were also injured with angelic steel but that wasn't the main reason either. And somehow there was a poison or poisoning essence involved?"

"All true, to some degree."

Lucifer could feel his stomach churning, like his mind had made a conclusion that he didn't want to imagine.

"Was... was Lillith the cause of any of the potential injuries that required healing?"

There was a weighted silence. "Yes."

"Did you start a fight with her?"

"No."

"Did you have a pre-existing relationship?"

"Also no. I had never seen her in person prior to her seeking me out."

"Can you tell me who you were fighting before she arrived?"

"Of course."

Lucifer waited, then rolled his eyes. "Finish the sentence, jackass."

Alastor seemed smug. "Be more specific in your asking. Yes, I can tell you I had been fighting with Vox, but he had decided to include both his new compatriots without any warning that they were there. Three on one can be managed if you know the odds in advance and strategise. An ambush, however, puts you on the backfoot from the beginning of the encounter."

"Was there angelic steel involved in this fight?"

"No."

"The poison?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes. I consider it poison, but the wielder does not."

Angel is frowning, "Wait... are you talking about Val's weird spit stuff?"

"The very same. He's quite clever at applying it in person and also to bladed weaponry, when the mood strikes."

Angel cringes. "Yeah, I can see why you consider that poison... specially when it takes your control away. Fuckin' nasty stuff if ya not prepared for it."

"Why, what does it...?" Lucifer asks, and his eyes widen in disgust as Angel bends to whisper in his ear. Cherri looks ready to kill. "I didn't realise anyone could do that up here or I would have ended him some time ago."

"It's on my To Do list as well." Alastor hums.

"Okay, alright, so facts on the table... fightingg someone, one becomes three and one of them has a venom type ability that can do all sorts of whacky shit... somehow you either get free or Lilli turned up to help?"

"My shadow made the decision that we would leave the encounter. They can act according to their own will as needed. Very useful."

"Okay, so you went somewhere... and my wife found you?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"My radio tower. The old one I had affixed to the hotel before the battle. There are wards all through it that prevent Vox from following."

"And Lilli just... turned up?"

"Yes. I don't know how she knew or why."

"The angelic injury, did it happen before you left the battle or... after?"

"After. Deliberately."

Lucifer swallowed. He'd guessed, but... now it was confirmed he felt sick again. "And the healing happened after that?"

"Technically yes."

"Was it offered freely?"

"Technically yes. I was free to take up the opportunity or she could-..." Alastor's voice clicked off. Clearly a forbidden topic. "There was no other option."

"She forced you into a Deal then?"

"Hmmm... perhaps."

"And the like 7 ish years you were gone?"

"Making a point abotu disobedience."

"You, being difficult to work with? How unusual!" Lucifer enacted a shocked gasp.

"Are you satisfied with the information provided or would you like something else deeply personal presented in a group setting before I retire, your Shortness? I can always strip for you, since you seem to want to know All..."

"YES!" Angel and Cherri called excitedly, clashing with the rapid-fire "NO!" from Charlie and Vaggie.

Lucifer relents. "No, no that's fine I just... was trying to find a loophole. So you don't get anything from all of this?"

"Correct."

"Any stipulations we can know about? See if we can make it easier for you to weather this?"

Alastor tests a few thoughts and nothing seems to stop him so he proceeds. "I was not supposed to raise arms against HEaven... she was insistent on that. And I did not."

"You... faced the First Man UNARMED are you INSANE?!" Lucifer just about shrieked. "Okay, forget it, I've decided you're too mad to stay around my daughter."

"Hardly, I'm at least 40% sane."

"Beg to differ. Okay, what else?"

"Redemption must not be possible, if it is it must be stopped. Charlotte is not to be harmed where possible, unless it is in conflict with the previous requirement."

"She wanted you to potentially hurt Charlie?"

"As a last resort... but yes. The hotel's defence is mine, but seeking conflict outside of this is not permitted unless in self-defence."

"And...? I feel like there's something you missed out on."

"And... where possible, Lucifer Morningstar is to be kept away from Charlotte, even if it means breaking him psychologically to the point where he is no longer fit to rule. She was insistent on that latter point and suggested where best to press to make you flinch."

"Oh, that explains the Dad-Off..."

"Somewhat. You were also an arrogant bastard who thought himself better than everyone here and needed to be taken down a peg or three."

"I was NOT-..."

"Afraid so, good chap. However, now you're here, I can't technically do anything about it."

"Alright, can she summon you from the hotel?"

"Yes."

"Bugger, I'll put up more wards."

"No. If she realises you know she may enact whatever plan it is that keeps her in Heaven. She has something going on she refuses to speak about."

"Okay. Well my little bracelet there should bounce back any summoning attempts, and I command you to wear it."

"...okay. And what will you do now you know of this matter?"

"...same as I intende to do for everyone here, Bambi... break it, legally."

"You would go against Lillith for such a thing?"

"Yes. This... is against what we agreed on, no soul deals for the royal family and here I find out she's trapping Overlords in deals through force and violence. You may not be the only one. Just the one I know of."

"That is a concerning thought."

"Isn't it just?"

-------

More ideas but its 330am

>Angel asks how he can lose a soul but retain his chains. Lillith was specific in her Deal.

>Mimzy wakes up hungover and angry.

?Cherri was using her phone without the hotel warding on it, so Vox heard everything

>Big confrontation with everyone.

>Lillith has a Plan.

Etc.

#hazbin hotel #alastor #imzy #lucifer #lillith #angel dust #cherri bmb #husker #husk #niffty #phoenixwrites

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