#jtta au

[journey-to-the-attic]

Now I'm curious about Solphisto in the RPG AU... so if Mephisto going missing was a catalyst for Solomon's downfall, but he presumably appears again during Ik's adventure. Would that be before or after Solomon reincarnates himself?

ok so!!! it goes like this

solomon is an aspiring sorcerer learning all kinds of arcane arts. barbatos and mephisto are both allies who are both teaching/learning alongside him

solomon becomes more ambitious. he starts going for forbidden rituals, cursed spellbooks, etc, etc. barbatos feels he is going too far; when solomon refuses his warnings, he leaves and cuts off all contact

mephisto sticks with solomon for about a year, during which he just kind of makes him worse (despite attempting to be supportive - he indulges him too much)

mephisto goes looking for a very powerful ancient tome that they've had their eye on for a while; upon touching it, he 'goes mad' - it's a sort of time-leakage that completely messes up his perception of the world

royal guards find him on the outskirts of the kingdom, muttering nonsense to himself, casting spells at random - occasionally bursting into fits of hysterical laughter and lunging for the nearest person's throat

the king (sonno) spares him execution (mostly for his own designs) and instead locks him up in a remote cave

solomon does not know any of this. from his point of view, mephisto left for the tome and just never came back

in an attempt to rationalise his grief, presumes that mephisto ran off with the tome, and starts rapidly getting even worse - going too far, causing too much damage

at some point he manages to tempt asmo (a brother from a once-noble family whose bloodline comes with the ability to turn into powerful weapons) into allying with him

however, asmo very quickly grows uneasy with the nature of solomon's methods, and leaves

and so he gets even worse, now becoming the tormentor of the people that he will forever be known as

however, sonno doesn't actively try to stop him - after all, if everyone's worried about this sorcerer, no one will have the time to stop him from enacting his increasingly sinister royal policies

then sonno dies (possibly because of a curse set by solomon himself) and diavolo comes to power. he is much less tolerant of solomon's deeds and declares that the sorcerer is to be found and punished

now with the whole nation rallying against him, solomon decides it's too risky to stay around, and so uses his arcane knowledge to 'reincarnate' himself as a hapless adventurer

(he didn't choose this personality, it just turns out that that's what he's like once all the trauma and developing evilness is removed)

the sorcerer disappears, and isn't seen for two whole years. most think he's been secretly killed by some vigilante, or else slain himself to avoid persecution

during those two years, diavolo, now able to focus on things other than that blight on his people, learns of what happened to mephisto and travels to his cave-dungeon to investigate

it turns out that mephisto's ostensibly back to normal; he behaves cordially and cracks jokes (though if one looks him in the eye for long enough, one can see that his gaze is never quite focused)

so diavolo releases him

mephisto has mostly forgotten what his life was before the dungeon. after spending some time re-visiting all the places he's been, though, he does start unearthing memories - of a sorcerer he was fond of, and of a mutual want for knowledge and power that they were both willing to watch each other be corrupted for

and then he hears that said sorcerer has been dead for two years, and really isn't sure what to do after that

he meets astaroth soon after being freed, who sort of takes him in and shows him the ropes of living a normal life again, over time they (plus wiz and alecto) become an inseparable little group, and thus their little robin hood-style gang is born

some time after that, ik the travelling hero finds solomon the hapless adventurer trapped in a well and rescues him

we know the rest - they get arrested upon entering a nearby village, etc, etc.

mephisto doesn't quite remember what his sorcerer looked like, so he doesn't recognise this solomon upon meeting him - and of course this solomon has no memory of his past life

nevertheless they find each other strangely familiar

solomon only figures out why once he's touched that artifact and starts regaining his old life's memories, while mephisto only does so once he's heard that solomon has confessed to who he used to be, and that the news wasn't received too well

eventually, once everything's calmed down and solomon's reconciled with his old life and is making amends, they find time to talk about what's happened over the years

then they kiss or something idk

[eldritcmor]

Is there any particular order I should read your fics in? I've been slowly going down the list but I'm honestly just confused 🥺

Interesting question anon. ^.^ For the one shots, incorrect quotes, and blurbs, not particularly. they're kinda just get it down and out before it leaves your heads writings.

Series is where order comes into play a little bit. Jason Todd Their Ass (JTTA, cause i really couldn't think of a better name) is Clue 1 draft, Clue 1, and then Clue 2.

Demigods and 141 is like one shots, blurbs, and incorrect quotes. There's no concrete story there yet, just brain soup.

Rainbow Six Siege (R6S) and Modern warfare is again where order comes into play. Idea, Impressions, Tournament of Champions, and then Observations.

Storm Au (aka the stitched universe as its been so lovingly called) is another order comes into play but it more like a Zelda timeline. Some of the stuff is just for kicks and some tells a story. Grave mistake, snippet #2, an old friend, and Independent sources are just for kicks. They're more little experiments.

the order is loosely as follows. The callsign, You knew it was coming, training, An off day, Snippet #1, Training (Rewritten), crash, and The jade incident.

I'm still kinda working on storm's so these are just loose events but they do tell an over all story. Honesty the storm Au/Stitched universe has grown to massive proportions, but storm is still my favorite blorbo.

[archived-kin]

totally spies (reuploaded to the RIGHT BLOG THIS TIME)

note from kin: i’ve watched totally spies before but i barely remember anything about it

anyway this is part three in this sort of series! this is set in the same modern au (here’s a quick guide to it) as the xiao and zhongli pieces (see masterlist if you want to read them!)   ^^

i put this on my jtta blog by accident first time whoops

fandom: genshin impact

character(s): gn!reader, yanfei, xiao, zhongli, diluc, diona

pairing(s): yanfei/reader

warning(s): not really a warning but if you’re here for romance, you probably aren’t going to get it… i ended up writing more about the character dynamics than i did about the romantic interaction whoops

genre: i’m not entirely sure actually?? fluff?? crack??? gen????

“You’ve got the fancy skirt out today,” Xiao comments as Yanfei hops into the living room, struggling to pull her thigh-high socks all the way up as she goes. “What’re you getting all dressed up for?”

“I’ve got a date,” She says. “Have you seen my hat?”

“Still in the wash,” He answers inattentatively, swinging his legs up onto the sofa beneath him and looking back down at his book. “Dad forgot to turn the— wait, a date?!”

“Yeah.” She turns to him, patting down her skirt. Xiao’s book has fallen out of his limp hands, and he looks pretty close to falling off the sofa himself. “Is it really that surprising?”

“No, I...” He misjudges his inhale and chokes, thumping himself on the chest as he attempts to speak. His face has drained of colour. “I mean… you’ve got a… partner?”

“That’s what they call it when you’re in a relationship, yes,” She sighs, sitting beside him. His right hand instinctively moves to throw a blanket over her lap, but Xiao himself doesn’t seem to be processing anything around him. He seems completely shell-shocked.

“You’ve got a date,” He mumbles, slumping backwards. “And a partner.”

Yanfei sighs again and shakes her head, leaning back against the cushions behind her. “Xiao, this is why I didn’t tell you I was seeing someone in the first place.”

“You’re seeing someone,” He repeats numbly. “And you’ve got a date with them.”

“Oh, come on,” She punches him in the arm, but he doesn’t protest or retaliate like usual. He doesn’t even look like he feels it. “I knew you’d freak out like this—”

“Who’s ‘freaking out’ about what?” asks Zhongli, walking in with his sixth cup of tea that afternoon. He smiles as his two children turn around to look at him, apparently not realising how sickly his son suddenly looks. “Are you going out, A-Fei? You look lovely.”

“She’s got a date,” Xiao says dully.

A beat.

Zhongli drops his cup.

He continues to smile, but his eyes are completely blank. As the steaming puddle of his tea spreads across the hardwood floor and starts seeping into the ornamental rug, he finally opens his mouth.

“What?”

“She’s got a date,” Xiao repeats robotically. He still doesn’t look like he’s quite processed the entire situation. “And a partner. That she’s seeing.”

“Oh, you’re both being ridiculous,” Yanfei says with a huff as her father continues to stare emptily at her. “Is it really that ground-breaking? Did you think I was too ugly to get a date or something?”

“What? Of course not!” That seems to shake Xiao out of his trance, and he frowns at her, looking almost offended. “Why would I think that?!”

“...it isn’t any fault of your own, A-Fei,” Zhongli says after a long while, sitting down heavily on the armchair across the room. He ignores the shattered teacup and the still spreading puddle of tea, looking as if he’s aged about fifty years in less than five minutes. “We… well, I suppose we aren’t ready for you to… venture into that world.”

He trails off, staring at the dark stain in the rug without really seeming to see it. Yanfei shakes her head in disbelief. “I’m nineteen, Dad. And, in case you’ve forgotten, I have ‘ventured into that world’ before.”

“I know, but...” He inclines his head slowly, frowning at the memory. “...A-Fei, I have faith in you, you know that… but I can’t help but be cautious.”

“I’m not a little girl anymore,” She mutters. “[Name]’s not like Hu Tao, anyway.”

“Hu Tao didn’t seem to be like Hu Tao before,” Xiao points out, folding his arms and tapping his fingers agitatedly against the sleeve of his jacket. “And then it turned out that she was the shadiest person in the entire world. She got arrested a month ago, you know.”

“This is different!” Yanfei snaps, and Xiao reels back slightly, surprised by her sudden aggression. “Just because one person turned out to be a bad egg doesn’t mean the whole batch is rotten!”

“A-Fei—” Zhongli tries, but she clearly isn’t listening. She gets to her feet, tossing the blanket that had been covering her up directly over Xiao’s head.

“I’m going now,” She says flatly, making a point out of checking her watch. “I’m late.”

She strides out into the hallway, beginning to tug on her boots with much more aggression than usual. Zhongli silently emerges from the living room as she's fastening the laces a moment later, and while she allows him to wrap her favourite scarf around her neck, she staunchy refuses to say anything to him.

Zhongli returns to the living room and takes a seat beside his son. The front door slams.

“...I think she’s angry at us,” Xiao says after about five minutes of dead silence.

Zhongli sighs. “It would seem so.”

They both go quiet for another minute or so. Xiao fiddles restlessly with the edge of the blanket that Yanfei had thrown at him earlier.

“It was an overreaction on our parts,” Zhongli murmurs. “A-Fei is mature enough to know what she’s doing.”

“But— it’s dating,” Xiao replies, gesturing at nothing in particular. “And dating’s a— it’s a dangerous thing, Dad!”

“I know that,” His father replies with a nod. Xiao waits for a reply, but gets none.

“Is that all?” He asks a little incredulously. “No ‘but’?”

Zhongli shakes his head silently. Xiao hasn’t seen him look this serious in a long while.

“...well, it’s broad daylight,” He mumbles after a long while, flopping back and trying his hardest to relax. “No one in their right mind would try anything, right?”

His father makes a low sound of agreement. They both settle back, staring off in their own respective directions, attempting to get comfortable.

Finally, after what feels like a lifetime of shifting and rustling, Xiao sits up again.

He turns to his father. “Fei’s walking, right?”

Zhongli looks at him, raising an eyebrow. “Probably. Why?”

Xiao gets to his feet, brushing imaginary dust from his pants. “That means they’re probably meeting up at the party. If we leave now, we should be able to catch up.”

It takes him a moment or two, but his father does realise what he’s implying. “...A-Xiao, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Sure it is,” Xiao says, scooping up his jacket and tugging it on roughly. “It’ll just be this once - just to check. If Fei’s date’s alright, then we’ll leave them alone from now on.”

His father shakes his head, but he’s getting up as well, clearly already on board with the idea. “A-Fei is going to be furious with us.”

“I know.” Xiao replies. They both nod at each other in solidarity, then move out into the hallway to put on their shoes.

They opt to take Zhongli’s car rather than walk or use Xiao’s motorbike - walking would mean it’d be far easier for them to be spotted, and Xiao’s bike is loud and distinctive enough that Yanfei would notice them almost immediately. The car, on the other hand, is of a nondescript and fairly common black variety, and as long as they keep the windows up and don’t do anything too attention-catching, they should be able to remain fairly undercover.

The streets are relatively busy, but Xiao manages to catch Yanfei’s distinctive pink hair bobbing along the pavement ahead after they turn a corner or two, and, sure enough, she’s heading in the direction of their local park. Zhongli quickly spins the wheel as they come to a roundabout, taking the second exit rather than the third - it’s more prudent to just take the long way round rather than go along the same road that Yanfei’s taking and risk being spotted.

Per Xiao’s suggestion, Zhongli takes the car in several circles (just to make sure they don’t get there first and end up being recognised) around the streets before finally pulling up near the park’s main entrance. Sure enough, when they creep out of the car and peek over the hedge, they can see Yanfei sitting on a bench less than ten metres away, with someone they’ve never seen beside her.

You’re not exactly the sort of person they’d been expecting. Yanfei hasn’t dated nearly enough people for her father and brother to have a clear idea of what her type is, but whatever it is, you aren’t really what they had in mind. It’s clear that you’re a little rough around the edges, with a large plaster slapped on your left cheek and various tatters in your far too large coat, and though it’s hard to tell for sure from this distance, it looks as if you’re missing a tooth.

“...that isn’t a criminal or anything, right?” Xiao hisses, crouching slightly to stay as hidden behind the hedge as possible.

Zhongli imitates his position, though it’s a lot less effective for him. Sometimes having such long legs is a curse. “I can’t tell just yet…”

“...just an absolute legend, and then the first thing he does once he’s back in court is start trying to get an orca to testify over video call,” Yanfei’s saying, hands moving about animatedly. “I really hope I can meet him one day - he sounds like the coolest guy ever!”

You laugh. “Well, if Fei wants it, then the universe is gonna have to give it.”

Xiao immediately bristles. Zhongli glances over at him. His son doesn’t say a word, but he can read what his expression is saying perfectly: that’s MY nickname! You don’t get to use it!

“I heard from one of the other interns that he’s actually going to be visiting soon,” Yanfei says happily, unaware of the two men glowering at her companion over the hedge. “Apparently his husband works as a prosecutor in our district.”

“See, what did I say?” You chuckle, leaning over and knocking her gently in the shoulder. “What Fei wants, Fei gets.”

Shut up, shut up, shut up, Xiao chants in his head, so intensely that he’s half-sure that everyone in a two mile radius can hear him telepathically. He’s seen you for less than five minutes and already decided that he doesn’t like you - you’re too suave, too confident. You’re just the type of ‘cool kid’ that he’s always feared would swoop in and sweep his little sister off her feet, then drop her in the dust as soon as it suits them.

Zhongli, on the other hand, still seems to be open to giving you a chance. He’s never liked judging people based on appearances, after all, and he’s seen plenty of ‘rough’-looking students and teachers who were perfectly lovely people come and go throughout his years as a history professor. Still, he is a dad, after all, and he can’t say he likes the way you and his daughter keep inching closer together.

He shakes his head and gives himself a pinch on the arm. He can’t keep acting like the overprotective father forever - Yanfei’s grown up. She isn’t the little girl who needs his protection anymore, and it’d do everyone good if Zhongli could just remember that.

“What on earth are you two doing?”

Xiao and Zhongli jump so hard that they nearly fall face first into the hedge they’d been peeking over. Turning around like a pair of deer caught in headlights, they turn to see a red-haired man watching them with an unimpressed expression on his face.

“...Mr Diluc,” Xiao says after a moment.

Diluc frowns, but the usually intimidating effect of his face is a little diminished by the little girl clinging to his left hand. Zhongli looks down at her, and she immediately narrows her eyes at him in an expression that very much mirrors the man beside her. She steps behind Diluc and tugs on his coat, and he absent-mindedly turns and scoops her up, resting her on his left hip as he continues to scrutinise the two men still partially crouching to avoid being seen over the top of the edge.

“...is this your daughter?” Zhongli asks after a long and awkward silence. Diluc raises an eyebrow, then nods.

“Say hello, Diona,” He says softly to the little girl now firmly smushing her face into his shoulder. When she doesn’t respond for a moment, he gives her a little shake. “Like we practised, remember?”

She finally pulls away from him and turns to look at Zhongli and Xiao. Xiao’s face remains unreadable, but Zhongli’s expression softens, and he smiles; Diona reminds him almost uncannily of Yanfei when he’d first adopted her. Maybe it’s the pink hair?

“Hello,” She says finally, staring at him with unblinking eyes. “I like cats.”

Zhongli can’t help but chuckle. It makes sense - her hat has little cat ears attached to it. “I like cats, too.”

She looks at him for a moment, then turns around and smushes her face into her father’s shoulder again.

“She doesn’t like strangers,” Diluc says after a split second, bouncing her slightly. “Anyway - what exactly are you doing?”

When neither reply, he sighs and goes up on his tip-toes briefly to look at what they were watching so intently. “...were you watching Yanfei and [Name]’s date?”

Again, neither say a word, but Diluc can see the answer clear enough on their faces. He sighs. “I know [Name] looks a little suspicious, but you don’t need to spy on them.”

Xiao glances briefly over at where Yanfei is happily leaning into your side as you show her something on her phone. He feels a muscle pop in his cheek. “...you know them?”

“I’ve got them taking the afternoon shifts at the cafe on weekends,” He replies, adjusting Diona on his hip. “Just helping them make ends meet. They’re a good kid.”

Zhongli thinks back to the plaster he’d seen on your cheek. “...do they get in a lot of fights?”

“Every now and then,” Diluc says after a moment. “They have a bit of a temper, so they punch before they think a lot of the time.”

He catches the way that both Xiao and Zhongli immediately exchange tense looks, and quickly adds, “But that’s only if they’re provoked. Actually, the only fights they’ve been getting in recently are because someone’s insulted or threatened your daughter.”

“If they’re capable of physical violence, it only follows that they’re capable of directing it at anyone eventually,” Zhongli murmurs, frowning. He’s beginning to look close to storming right into the park and beating you off his daughter like a grandma with a flyswatter.

Diluc sighs in clear irritation. “Aren’t we all capable of directing physical violence at anyone at the end of the day? You both seem to be determined to suffocate Yanfei out of a potential relationship. Forgive me, but that seems a little unnecessary.”

“You have a daughter yourself, Master Diluc,” Zhongli says, suddenly sounding a lot colder. “Surely you know how we feel?”

“Of course I do,” He replies, unfazed, “I’d boil anyone who approaches my daughter with romantic intentions alive. But that’s only because anyone capable of having legitimately romantic intentions would already be relatively grown, and Diona’s only seven. Your daughter, if I’m not mistaken, is already an adult, and so is [Name].”

He’s making a lot of sense, but neither Zhongli nor Xiao are particularly happy about it.

“You barely even know us,” Xiao says after a moment, poorly disguising a glare. “So I don’t think it’s any of your business.”

“I know [Name], and it’s my business if you’re thinking of obstructing their relationship,” Diluc replies equally firmly. “And Yanfei comes by the cafe enough that I know her relatively well now. Take my word for it: they’re both happy. Trying to interfere with that would only make you a bad father and brother.”

Xiao practically growls at him, looking as if he’s just been been mortally offended, but Zhongli silently sets a hand on his shoulder, and he settles, though his glare remains poisonous enough to kill a man.

“...your rationality does you credit,” Zhongli says after a long moment, shaking his head. “I’m aware that our behaviour is unnecessary… but it’s difficult to let it go just like that.”

“I can understand that,” Diluc says with a sigh. “I’ll probably be the same once Diona’s old enough to start thinking about serious relationships. But there’s a difference between feeling cautious and downright spoiling a relationship before it can really start. I’m just warning you now - your daughter will probably never forgive you if you do.”

Zhongli nods absently, turning to look back over the hedge, only to see that both Yanfei and you are looking directly at him.

His daughter looks half-betrayed, half-annoyed, while you simply stare at him with an unreadable expression. He’s not sure whether Yanfei’s told you of his relation to her, but you’re looking as if you’re contemplating hopping over the hedge and slamming him into the curb for interrupting your date.

He ignores you for a moment, focusing on Yanfei. She looks steadfastly back at him, her face set, and reaches down to take your hand.

The message she sends is loud and clear. You can’t stop me from being with who I love.

Several seconds pass. A million thoughts seem to pass through Zhongli’s mind at once, but in the end, only a few stay clear.

He wants his daughter to be happy. His daughter is happy with you. Who is he to interfere with that? Even if he’s cautious now, he can learn to be trusting; he barely knows you, after all.

Zhongli smiles, and sends his own message right back. I won’t.

[journey-to-the-attic]

the rest of the cast got their new song covers, so i wanted to try putting the others in a band :>

i did want to make it look a bit like an album cover but i have no idea how those are designed so eh?? i also couldn't think of any band or album/song names so. if anyone has any ideas...

[journey-to-the-attic]

the new nightmare is cool but i think not putting them in hanfu was an missed opportunity

(+ long hair version that i wasn't as sure about)

[journey-to-the-attic]

barbatos's villain outfit reminded me of doc ock and i've been wanting to try designing ik's spiderkid costume for a while, so here!

[journey-to-the-attic]

let it be known that solomon isn't holding ik's hand to protect her; ik is holding solomon's hand to comfort him

(this is that comic idea i had that ended up becoming the rpg au)

[journey-to-the-attic]

i just think it'd be funny if gabriel ultrakill was inexplicably also a member of the celestial realm, and also he was massive

[journey-to-the-attic]

au where this was how ik and diavolo met for the first time when she was like seven

[journey-to-the-attic]

in the actor au they film all the scenes where the characters are in demon form in one block for convenience, but this means that the demons have to spend hours in make-up and special effects at a time because the production is using real life sfx for nearly everything, so in the final dvd release of the whole show there's a special reel called "ik's interviews" where she just goes around bothering everyone while they're sitting there getting their horns grafted on

[journey-to-the-attic]

the divorcee chronicles: part 1 of ???

this was meant to be a comic but for some reason i decided I'm going to do this ace attorney style... and then the official localisation of aai got announced so?! i'm prophetic in one way or another, is all i'm saying

[journey-to-the-attic]

THE DRAWING WITH DIA WAS SO CUTE!!! Could you do one with Asmo but she asks him to play dress up??

(If you have time and motivation ofc!!! Not forcing!!)

((ALSO ILYSM AHHHH YOU'RE MY FAV CREATOR))

normally it'd take me longer to do an extended art reply but inspiration struck with this one

(alternate final panel where the dress-up outfits are mulan and mushu instead):

[journey-to-the-attic]

Suggestion that someone at school told her Santa wasn't real, and she argued that she had his contact information (or however she'd say it) and the kid told her to prove it.

IK marches home and summons 'Santa', who is looking a bit green and more interested in cats and their toys then human toys, but by the end of it she still gets 'proof'.

satan gets into trouble for going along with it, but it's not HIS fault that probably giving this other child supernatural paranoia for the rest of their life was really funny

[journey-to-the-attic]

3rd anni req 19: [INFERNAL FRIENDS] barbatos / tea party

ao3 link

note: requested by "average robot enjoyer"! i'm fairly sure i do know which tumblr user this belongs to, but since you didn't specify your handle i've refrained from tagging you, just in case - hopefully you see this! (this takes place prior to the other two infernal friends requests)

∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎

There isn’t a precedent for what happens when a servant of the prince erupts into flames mid-way through a gathering. To be honest, Barbatos hadn’t thought it would ever be necessary.

Satan eyes him with impressive serenity. “...are you feeling alright?”

He looks down at the crimson flames dancing around his feet. To be fair, there isn’t any heat. “I feel well, yes.”

“I’m going to make a call,” Lucifer announces, then pulls out his phone. “Diavolo, your butler is on fire.”

Perhaps it’s a good thing that the Young Master is running late to this particular occasion, Barbatos thinks placidly as Lucifer listens to his response with a small grimace. Then the flames climb rapidly up his legs, and his surroundings fold in on themselves.

The world compresses to a sharp point in a crunch of indiscernible colours and sound, then expands again into the shape of a living room with peeling wallpaper. Barbatos takes in a shallow breath, then looks down and makes eye contact with IK - the Young Master’s new human friend.

Now it makes sense. Barbatos has only met her once, and she spent most of that time hiding behind Diavolo’s wings, but he vaguely recalls being told that she’d been given his summoning ritual. Still, he hadn’t expected her to ever use it.

“Hello,” He says pleasantly. “Did you mean to summon me? Or were you perhaps seeking the Young Master?”

IK shakes her head.

“You wanted to see me, then?”

A nod.

“Why?”

IK gestures at him, turns around, and very purposefully walks out of the room. Barbatos, understanding quickly, follows - pausing to extinguish the candles on the carpet with his tail.

She’s waiting for him at the end of the hallway. As soon as she spots him emerging, she darts quickly into the next room. (Barbatos allows himself a private smile - though she isn’t nearly as chatty, IK reminds him quite uncannily of a particular young demon. Nevertheless, he resolves himself to his usual brand of distant attentiveness.)

“Would you like to show me something?” He asks, glancing around the kitchen. Hmm. Well-maintained, but a little messy.

IK points up. Barbatos opens the cupboard, as directed, and finds a tissue-wrapped teapot.

He turns around. The child gazes hopefully up at him.

“I see,” He says after a moment. “You would like me to make you some tea. Is that it?”

IK’s eyes light up as she nods. After a moment, very quietly, she adds, “Please.”

Well... clearly he hadn’t been needed at that gathering, if the threat of him being reduced to a pile of ash had been so unremarkable to the others. Making tea is hardly a heavy task for him, anyway. He supposes he has the time to spare for a companion of the Young Master.

There isn’t anything nearly as fine as the castle’s crockery in this kitchen, and it takes a while for him to navigate around all the clutter - but, finally, he has everything laid out prettily on the table, without so much as a speck of a stain on his gloves. A job well done, he should think.

IK stands blankly in the middle of the kitchen - where she’d remained, unmoving, while Barbatos worked. He dusts off his hands, clears his throat delicately, and pulls out a chair.

“Please, young miss - sit,” He says, as courteously as he can.

A beat passes. IK slowly approaches the chair and clambers up, looking entirely bewildered.

“Very good.” He sets a cup in front of her, then pours out a careful measure of tea. Lightly floral, a lovely rosy colour - quite acceptable. He takes the liberty of pouring himself a cup as well.

IK watches him, wide-eyed, as he seats himself on the opposite side of the table, and blows delicately on his cup before taking a sip. He sets it down, then quirks an eyebrow at her, and she stiffens a little.

Then, eyes steeling, she attempts to copy him. The cup and saucer clatter together rather unelegantly, and she puffs like an angry little bird, but Barbatos feels something about his resolve soften nevertheless.

“How is it?” He asks after a moment.

IK blinks at him over the rim of her cup, then sets it down again. He glances into it. It’s empty?

To be able to completely drain a teacup, without looking as if you’re doing so, is something of a feat. Barbatos tries not to look too impressed. “...well done. Was it not hot?”

IK looks him dead in the eye. Then her face scrunches up.

“Do you need some ice?” He asks patiently. A head shake. “Is it not to your taste?”

She looks a little shamed, then nods. He sighs lightly, but smiles. “Not to worry. You are young - your palate will refine with time. For now, shall we add a little sugar?”

He stands up to retrieve the jar from the cupboard. As he touches the handle, IK suddenly says from behind him, “Don’t you add milk?”

Barbatos pauses, then turns around. “Pardon?”

IK looks at the tea set, then back at him. “You… add milk. To the tea. And— and when the girls play, the tea isn’t real…”

She trails off. Barbatos stands there for a moment, then finally realises why she’d looked so perplexed as soon as he started actually filling the pot.

“I see,” He concludes after a moment. “You only wanted to play.”

IK nods slowly.

“My apologies. I'm accustomed to acting in my capacity as a—” He cuts himself off, realising that IK probably understands his sentences about as much as he understands Leviathan’s slang, and instead says, “—well, I’m afraid that I am not used to this sort of thing. I could call…”

Then he pauses to think about it. If IK had wanted to play tea parties with Diavolo, she would’ve summoned him in the first place. She’s obviously picked Barbatos for a reason, even if it isn’t for his actual tea-brewing skills, and he’d hate to let her down now.

"Perhaps you should teach me,” He suggests instead, returning to the table with the sugar jar in hand.

IK stares hard at it, then admits, “I don’t know how to play either.”

“You don’t?”

“I don’t play with the girls…” She blinks, then adds, very fast, “I want to. But I don’t.”

“Why not?”

“They’ll think I’m stupid because I don’t talk.”

“You’re talking to me, are you not?”

“That’s different.” IK goes quiet for a moment. “...you’re supposed to say clink.”

“Clink?” He repeats.

“Like this.” IK picks her cup up, then reaches it across the table and knocks it against his. “Clink.”

“Clink,” Barbatos repeats again, returning the gesture this time. “And what else do you do?”

“You pretend to eat things,” She says slowly, then mimics taking a bite out of something with surprising accuracy. “Mm. Wow. Tasty.”

It comes out so completely monotone that Barbatos has to press his lips together to prevent a chuckle. IK seems to notice anyway.

“I don’t get that part either.” She looks at the tea set again, then adds, “I just wanted to try. It’s lots of pretending. And lots of talking.”

“You don’t have to play exactly as they do,” Barbatos tells her, beginning to pour her another cup, this time with a half-spoon of sugar added. “You don’t have to talk to me if you’d rather not, either.”

IK thinks about it for a moment. “...no, I like talking to you. You say big words like you mean them.”

“I’d rather think that’s because I do,” He replies, disguising a surprised (and rather pleased) smile. “You will learn to use big words with time, as well.”

“Your name is a big word.”

“It is,” He acknowledges. “You’d be surprised how often even other demons spell it incorrectly.”

IK squints at him, as if asking if that’s a challenge, then starts, “B-A-R-B-E—”

“A.”

“—I— what?”

“B-A-R-B-A,” He corrects.

“B-A…” IK stumbles, then finally settles on, “Toss.”

“B-A-R-B-A-toss,” He agrees, nodding. “Very good.”

IK nods as well, then picks up her teacup. She copies him once more: blowing lightly, then taking a careful sip. She’s already doing it with much more poise than the first time.

She looks thoughtful when she lowers the cup - she’s refrained from drinking it all at once this time. Barbatos holds his own cup out again, and IK quickly reaches over to knock hers against it.

“Clink,” She says, happily this time. “This is fun.”

“What sort of games do you play with the Young Master?” Barbatos asks after a moment. Both of them are rather easily amused, it seems. “Ah - Diavolo, I mean.”

“Young Master,” IK repeats a little sceptically. “Um… he reads to me. I have to teach him games, as well.”

“And you talk to him?”

“Sometimes. When I feel like it.” IK taps her little fingers on her saucer. “...talking is hard.”

“I think you are doing a superb job,” Barbatos tells her, and means it. IK gives him a smile more warming than the tea. “The Young Master speaks very highly of you, as well.”

“Why do you call him that?” She asks, scrunching her nose.

“As his servant, it would be discourteous to address him too familiarly.”

“You’re a servant?” IK leans across the table with wide eyes. “...how much does he pay you?”

“Pardon?” He didn’t know a child of this age knew to consider wages. “Well— it isn’t often monetary—”

“He doesn’t give you any money?”

“I receive payment enough,” He says, and decides to leave it at that.

IK’s eyes are owlishly wide, but she doesn’t question him further. Instead, she asks quietly, “What does dis-court-us mean?”

Barbatos explains it, and a great many other things - talking for long enough for the remaining tea in the pot to go stone cold, so absorbed that he doesn’t realise that the front door has opened until IK’s father walks into the kitchen. He barely flinches upon seeing him, and Barbatos gets the feeling from his loose handshake and absent introduction that the man’s mind is utterly elsewhere.

Though his weary eyes brighten when IK hurries to greet him - she's gone quiet again, but in a way that Barbatos takes to mean that no words need to be said. He decides to excuse himself soon after that, wary of intruding, but offers IK a warm smile and deep bow when she enthusiastically waves goodbye.

He steps seamlessly through one of his own doors, back to the Devildom and emerges in the castle's entrance hall. A moment later, Diavolo is already upon him.

“So?” He asks eagerly. “How did it go?”

“Young Master,” Barbatos greets with an incline of his head. After a moment’s thought, he admits, “I do believe everything you have told me is true.”

[journey-to-the-attic]

3rd anni req 9: [DRAGON AU] lucifer / bonding

ao3 link

note: quick note/clarification just in case: ik has nicknamed lucifer and mammon "boss" and "goldie" respectively, so those are the dragons she's referring to in her narration!

∎ ∎ ∎ ∎ ∎

“I’m not having any part in this,” Lucifer had said. “This is to be your responsibility only,” He’d said.

He’s… not entirely sure how this happened in the first place. At some point over the last few weeks, he’s gone from disapproving overseer of Mammon’s inexplicable adoption of a human child, to that same child’s primary caretaker.

Mammon is usually in charge of finding her a spot to sleep, but it’s Lucifer who makes sure she eats at the same times as them, or escorts her to the stream every morning so she can wash her face. Occasionally, he brings her strangely-shaped rocks, or sticks and flowers from the forest, so that she has something to play with.

He’s not sure why he feels the need to intervene. He’ll blame Mammon’s incompetence - and the child’s rather unhappy habit of walking straight into mortal danger.

The latest in her series of mishaps involves fish, a river, and a very panicked Levi. Lucifer is - as usual - surveying the territory when his brother comes racing up the hill, and dumps the human in a soggy heap at his feet.

“What now?” He asks, mildly aggravated, then pauses. This isn’t the first time she’s taken a tumble, but this is the sorriest state he’s seen her in so far.

“It’s not moving!” wails Levi, bounding in distressed circles and getting water all over the rocks. “I think— I think I killed it, Lucifer!”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” He replies, a little distracted by his running. “What hap— will you stop that?!”

Levi skids to a stop. His barbels twitch anxiously.

Lucifer ducks down and nudges the child with his snout. When she doesn’t respond, he puffs a cloud of smoke into her face, then tries again. This time, she makes a bubbly sound.

“Is it alive?” Levi asks anxiously.

“Stop calling her an it, Levi,” He grumbles, then straightens up. “She’s fine.”

“Oh. Okay.” Levi relaxes. He regards the little human for a moment - nose twitching - then flicks his tail and bounds off again.

Lucifer watches him go and heaves a silent sigh. He’s been seeing a new, fickle side to his younger brothers as of late. They can’t seem to decide whether or not they enjoy their new ward’s company.

Well, except Mammon. Perhaps this is the upside of being simple-minded - he doesn’t seem to care about everything that comes attached to the word ‘human’ for dragons like them.

Lucifer isn’t so naive, but it’s hard to look at this half-drowned little creature and think ‘dangerous’. It’s even harder to think ‘cruel’, ‘murderer’, or anything else in between. Still - best not get too attached.

“Up you get.” He attempts to nudge her to her feet. She just coughs pitifully and slumps back onto the ground. “We can find you a sunny spot to dry off in.”

The child - predictably, considering she can’t understand him - doesn’t move. She looks rather ill, actually.

Lucifer thinks for a while. The child blinks up at him with far-too-large eyes as he clicks, ignites the fire in his chest, then settles down beside her.

“Don’t get used to this,” He warns her, which is completely futile, and he knows it. “It’ll be a hassle if you get sick.”

The human doesn’t respond, of course, but manages to prop herself up enough to huddle closer to his side. He finds himself blowing idle smoke rings as he waits for the heat to dry her off.

“Be more careful next time,” He says after a while. “Leave the fishing to Levi.”

The child looks up at him cluelessly, then makes a series of chirpy noises. This is, in particular, is something new to him - he’s used to hearing human language from a distance, in gruff shouts from steel-clad giants, or shrill shrieks from beige-clothed merchants.

The way the child talks is almost musical, lilting from one register to another. The strangest part is that, sometimes, he feels like he might understand.

He supposes he’s a little glad that she doesn’t seem frightened by the growls of dragon-speak. He’s found himself unconsciously making adjustments, anyway - speaking softer, trying not to make the sounds too harsh, as if trying to imitate a human register.

He’s almost dozed off by the time he remembers why he lay down in the first place. He looks down. The child’s gone and fallen asleep, still curled against his side. For some reason, the sight makes him think of baby ducks.

Lucifer contemplates this for a while. Well, he supposes there’s no helping it. Humans must get their rest, especially small ones - otherwise they won’t grow properly.

Which means he might as well stay here. If he’s needed for something, surely it can wait.

-

Boss definitely seems like the most frightening dragon of the lot, but he’s actually pretty easy to get along with - as long as you follow the rules. If he starts rumbling, proceed with caution. If he’s blowing smoke rings, you could start hitting him and he won’t even care.

At least, that’s the impression I have. My fists are of inconsequential force to a dragon with near-impenetrable scales, though, so he might not have even noticed.

Living with dragons is a lot more ordinary than I thought. I had images in my head of them smashing mountains and eating boulders for fun, but mostly they just hang around and play - just like people do.

Apart from Boss. He seems to spend most of his free time standing silently on the mountain peak, staring out into the horizon. Sometimes he goes out hunting, and sometimes he goes for a fly around the forest, but mostly he just… watches.

He’s much more considerate than he looks at first glance. Less brutal killer, more affable-but-irritated caretaker. I knew all the dragon horror stories couldn’t possibly be true, but it’s nice to be vindicated.

I want to try returning the favour, but I’m not sure there’s anything I have - or can get - that a dragon would want. So I pay a little extra attention to what he gets up to the next day, and I note something useful.

Sometimes, while he’s land-watching, the wind whistles through the mountain ridges in just the right way to produce a little song. When that happens, he closes his eyes, and puffs out contented little smoke rings until he notices someone looking. So…

Goldie has a lot of shiny things in his cave. I don’t quite dare touch his main hoard, but he leaves a lot of the less precious-looking things unorganised by the walls - which means there might be something I can use there.

He’s clinking happily through his coin collection when I slip into his cave. He grunts in greeting, then goes back to organising them by colour.

“Hi, Goldie.” I stoop and squint at something small and bony-looking. “Do you think you have a flute or something around here?”

He tilts his head to the side. “Rhh?”

“It’s— ah, don’t worry. I’ll figure it out.” I set aside something that looks like a watch face. “...oh!”

A pan-flute - it’s a little dusty, but not damp at all. I try blowing an experimental little melody. I’m no maestro, but I still think it sounds lovely.

Goldie makes a chittering sound. His spines flatten back as I test just how high the pipes can go.

“Oh— sorry!” He makes a show of ducking down and covering his head with his wings. “Did I hurt your ears?”

He peeks a single blue eye out and trills. It’s funny - neither of us really know what the other’s saying, but we always seem to get the message across anyway.

The next day, as soon as I notice him flapping off to find a vantage point as usual, I scramble after him. I don’t know if I’m imagining it, but I feel like his spot today is a lot easier to navigate up to than usual - less vertical rock faces, less jagged edges.

I sit down on the ledge beside him. He’s radiating heat, as always - his crimson eyes flick down to me, and stay there.

“I’ve got something to show you,” I announce, then pull out the pan-flute. “Listen.”

His tail flicks cautiously. I bring the flute to my mouth - slowly, so as not to alarm him - and play him a little tune.

Just as he does when the mountains whistle, he closes his eyes and relaxes. The smoke rings come soon after that.

I play through all the tunes I can think of, then improvise a few new ones. Some time after I lapse into silence, Boss opens his eyes again.

Something about him seems to have shifted. A little nervously, I give his dark scales a pat. He snorts (there’s another puff of smoke), but doesn’t look irritated at all.

“Do dragons have names?” I ask him. He just looks at me.

I tilt my head to the side, as if listening to something, then point up at him. He stares for a little while longer, then makes a rough, crackling sound, and looks off into the distance again.

Then he looks at me. Then to the sky. It takes several more tries before I realise he’s trying to draw my attention to something.

“Sun?” I muse. “Is that your name?”

He doesn’t react. I try again. “Sunny?”

Nothing again. What else do you call the sun that’d make a good name for a dragon? “Hmm… Morning-star?”

Or something that means the same thing?

“Lu…cifer?” I try.

He blinks. Then his wings flick up, and he exhales - blowing what I can only assume is a pleased puff of smoke into my face.

I beam up at him. “Do you wanna hear another song?”

I don’t know how much of the question he understands, but his eyes light up when I pick up the pan-flute again. He settles down in that way that so reminds me of a cat, and lifts a wing to shield the bright morning sun from my face.

Lucifer likes music. That’s good to know.

[journey-to-the-attic]

I've been playing a game called Rain World (a game I have a love-hate relationship with, because it's Rain World) and I think it would be really funny if IK was a slugcat, or more specifically, a slugpup, which is what the babies/children are called.

The demons are expecting a human to show up but instead get a tiny creature that's (most likely) about 1/4-1/3 their size, if not smaller. Bonus points if they could somehow understand her when she "talks" because I feel like that would be funnier than them not understanding her at all.

Feel free to ignore this ask, just wanted to send this because I really am a fan of your story and aus and IK, to the point where it's starting to leak into my other hyperfixations.

i hadn't heard of rain world before this but oh my GOODNESS the slugcats and slugpups are so CUTE... and i love getting to turn ik into a Creature so i had to draw it

i think i've made her a lot rounder than they look in game art but NEVERTHELESS

also i'm not 100% sure what the slugpups 'talking' sounds like, but i saw a short of one going 'WAAAAAAA' with this sort of electronic beat in the background so that's what i'm going with. i reckon it'd be funny if only some of them can understand her in the beginning, and the others have to learn to translate for themselves

diavolo, barbatos, belphie and solomon specifically just KNOW what she's saying somehow. little creature pops up in the rad assembly hall and immediately starts going 'waaaa', and while lucifer is staring in bewilderment, diavolo is carrying a full fluent conversation with it