#thorn valentino

[flovoid]

"I, Thorn Valentino, named you after a historical figure, a mighty father to all of us, and yet... mere disappointment, Vladamir"

[castoffyourcrown]

((Tag dump~))

[pickingupmymercedes]

Of thorns and blooms - Lewis Hamilton

request: "Can I request a Journalist reader, who lewis has his eye on and she interviews him and smexy antics ensue after the gathering. She wears a light up floral crown which lewis finds so cute and when they they celebrate an anniversary, he gives her an actual crown." - @omgsuperstarg

pairing: Lewis Hamilton x Fashion Journalist! Reader!

wordcount: +3K

a/n: It took me sooo long to get the tone to this one right, but I hope it was worth the wait.

As always, I'm open for feedback, come say hi!

______________________________________________________________

Y/n adjusted her dress for the hundredth time as she waited for the next person she would interview, the humidity in the air boiling them all in the enclosed paradise the famous steps of the MET. The buzz of the Gala was like a living entity. And tonight, she wasn't just a fashion journalist, she was a guest, courtesy of a hand-delivered invitation from Anna Wintour herself.

A small proud smile played on her lips. It had been a long road, from the early days working in college fashion blogs to the owner of her own digital media platform. She had conquered every step on the ladder the had envisaged for her career, and the MET Gala was the cherry on top.

Her gaze swept the red carpet, catching a flash of black that snagged on her breath. Lewis.

They'd met a few times before, most notably for his iconic Vanity Fair cover in 2022. Shot in pink, in none other than Valentino, it had been a bold choice, and she had made it justice in the interview. I was a peek into the soul of a man who rarely had let himself be seen that way. It was raw, honest, and had garnered her more praise than any piece she'd ever written.

On the human level there had also been something else, a connection beyond the professional aura, but it had remained just that – a spark.

Over the years, they'd stayed in loose contact. She would congratulate him on a good race, he would message whenever he read one of her articles, a selfie once, holding her printed fashion annual he'd found at an airport in Dubai.

It felt like a secret language, a shared appreciation in their vastly different worlds.

And that night, he looked…untouchable.

A vision in a custom Burberry creation. Although not far from the usual black, his overcoat was anything but ordinary, adorned with hand-embroidered floral motifs that shimmered under the camera flashes, the thorns in his necklace a powerful statement. Heritage and resilience.

As Lewis neared her corner of the press pen, a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. His eyes scanned the crowd, and when they landed on her, a flicker shone within them. He diverted his path slightly, heading straight for her.

"Y/n!" he boomed, his voice surprisingly warm for someone who always tried to maintain his stoicism.

"Sir Lewis Hamilton" she replied, offering a professional smile. "Looking sharp."

He chuckled, a low rumble that sent a shiver down her spine. "You clean up nice yourself, Voltaire."

"Voltaire?" she raised an eyebrow, amusement dancing in her eyes.

“Your floral crown. You quoted Voltaire on gardens being the only art that imitated nature in your preview of the met" He gestured towards her head, where a crown of intricately woven white flowers sat, each petal tipped with tiny LED lights that cast a soft glow. "It looks incredible by the way."

Her smile widened. "Maria Grazia Chiuri and I had a blast designing this piece. We wanted to honor the history of the floral crown, worn for centuries, but with a modern twist."

Lewis leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "You always manage to find the hidden meaning, don't you?"

She met his gaze, the intensity surely not lost to her. "Fashion is all about meaning, Lewis. It's a language, a way to express ourselves." His gaze holding on to hers as she continued “Your statement in this Burberry. It's a powerful one”

He tilted his head, a playful glint in his eyes, but just as he was about to answer back a microphone was thrust in front of them. A reporter, eager to get a quote looking impatient.

"Mr. Hamilton," the reporter began, "your outfit is quite…unexpected. Can you tell us the inspiration behind it?"

Lewis straightened his shoulders, slipping back into his professional persona. He launched into a detailed explanation of the Burberry design, his voice smooth and practiced. Y/n listened, captivated by his words and by the way his gaze flickered back to her every few seconds, a silent promise of something.

When the interview ended, the reporter scurried away. Lewis turned back to her; his smile warm. "They only gave me a few minutes," he said with mock disappointment.

"Well," she teased, "perhaps you could tell me the "real" story later," she finished, mirroring his playful tone.

A slow grin spread across Lewis's face. "Perhaps" he replied winking, a gesture that would have sent a lesser woman reeling. "I’ll find you later." He gestured towards the throng of celebrities and socialites milling about.

As Y/n wandered into the museum, she navigated the wave of guests with small talks and greetings alike. Her platform had gained traction over the past months, and her presence was becoming increasingly sought-after. But tonight, the glamor felt secondary as the show stoppers stood behind glasses of exhibitions.

As she stood and admired one of Balmain’s first collections, a familiar figure caught her eye. Lewis, leaning casually against a pillar, a glass of champagne in his hand. He was alone, just observing her, a smile breaking across his face as he saw she had noticed him, he made his way towards her, his movements graceful.

"There you are," a low rumble in his chest. "I thought I'd lost you."

"Hardly," she replied, a playful glint in her eyes.

"So," he began, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "tell me about this secret language of fashion."

"Where do I even begin?" she laughed, a genuine, carefree sound. "Every stitch, every embellishment, every cut – it all tells a story. A story of who you are, where you come from and how you want to be perceived."

The conversation flowed easily, a back-and-forth about the art of fashion, their contrasting worlds, and the subtle messages woven into every outfit. Lewis, she discovered, was surprisingly well-versed in fashion history, his knowledge going beyond the surface. He spoke of iconic designers, groundbreaking trends, and the evolution of style through the ages, his voice filled with genuine passion as he recounted how he had learned so much from her own words.

"You know," Lewis said, his voice softer now, "you're not like anyone else I've ever met."

" This one is not gonna cut it" she asked, her heart skipping a beat.

"Right…" he said, his gaze locking on hers. "But I meant it though. You look at the story behind people. That’s rare."

His words hit her like a sucker punch, laying bare a truth she hadn't dared to public admit. She had always craved for connection with people, and fashion, she had discovered, was her way to reach for those who held their stories and dreams in their eyes and heart.

Heat rose to her cheeks, and she looked away, breaking the intense eye contact. "Perhaps you see the same," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

He leaned closer; his breath warm on her ear. "Tell me about your dreams, Y/n. What stories are you trying to tell?"

And then, when she couldn’t avoid his gaze on her anymore, when the silence of his question had almost drowned her, a booming voice cut through the air. "Lewis! There you are. We have to get going."

Lewis sighed, pushing himself away from the wall. "Right" he said, a touch of regret in his voice before he turned abruptly to Y/n, as if he had just decided to take a jump "I have a proposition for you."

Intrigued, Y/n raised an eyebrow. "A proposition? Do elaborate, Hamilton."

He leaned in again, close enough for his lips to brush against her ear. “Are you, by any chance, willing to pass on those other after parties and come to mine?”

Y/n seemed to be taken aback, but just like before, when she was about to answer him, he shot her a look “I’ll text you the details. I’d love to know your stories.”  And with a final lingering look at her, Lewis offered a charming smile. "Until later."

The afterparty held a low-key energy, a contrast to the frenzy of the Met. Y/n found herself at Lewis's expansive New York City apartment, surprised by the choice of venue. It wasn't the club she'd thought of, but a tastefully decorated space that felt more like a home than a celebrity crash pad.

Lewis had introduced her to a motley crew of people. Some of his friends, but mostly, a mix of young, up-and-coming designers, photographers Y/n knew by reputation, and even a couple of journalists she had came across an article or two. The air buzzed with conversations, a refreshing change from the interactions of the Met.

As the night wore on, the crowd thinned. Y/n found herself gravitating towards a corner where Lewis stood, deep in conversation with someone she remembered to have seen at some shooting before.

"That's Kelly," Lewis said, noticing Y/n's approach. "A design prodigy. Just landed a gig with Channel"

Kelly's smile widened as Lewis introduced them. "It's an honor to meet you, Y/n," she said, her voice brimming with excitement. "I've been a huge fan for a while now."

They chatted for a while, the struggles and triumphs of breaking into the fashion world. Looking at the young woman's vibrant energy, Y/n couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in the platform she'd created.

But as Kelly was whisked away by another group, a comfortable silence settled between Y/n and Lewis.

He gestured towards an empty stool beside him. "Mind if I steal you for a bit?"

Y/n accepted the invitation, a playful glint in her eyes. "Only if you answer a question for me first."

"Shoot," he said, taking a swig from his drink.

"This isn't exactly the afterparty I expected," she said, gesturing to the relaxed setting. "Why here?"

Lewis chuckled, a low rumble that made her feel inadequately naïve "Maybe this is the real me," he said. "The part that doesn't crave the constant spotlight."

He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conversational whisper. "I thought you'd like this kind of party. I like to distance myself from the buzz when I can"

Y/n nodded, a smile playing on her lips. "A safe space."

"Something like that," he replied, his gaze lingering on her for a beat too long.

"So," Lewis began, breaking the building tension "I’m still waiting to hear about your dreams"

And so, for some ungodly pull, at a rather uncomfortable stool, she opened up to a man she had never really expected to create any kind of connection. Maybe, exactly because she never so that coming, it felt so easy to tell him her most guarded hopes.

She spoke of her platform as a way to democratize fashion, to give a voice to those who felt unseen, unheard. She spoke of empowering individuals to express themselves through who they really were, regardless of social status or bank balance.

As Y/n talked, she noticed Lewis's eyes gleaming with genuine interest. He wasn't just listening politely, he interest genuine, his questions insightful and thought-provoking. And she wondered if it was really that unexpected to find this depth hidden beneath him.

"That's incredible" Lewis said, his voice filled with admiration. “You’re giving people the tools for them to tell their stories."

"Exactly" Y/n said, a sense of understanding as he smiled with her. "It's about self-expression, about telling the world who you are."

A thoughtful frown etched itself onto Lewis's face as she leaned into the counter. "You know," he said, pausing mid-sentence, "you're quite a puzzle, Y/n."

Y/n raised an eyebrow, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Me? A puzzle?”

"There's this incredible fire in you" he continued, his voice low and husky, "a passion for giving others a voice. But then there's this… " he trailed off, gesturing vaguely.

"What?" she scoffed playfully. "I always thought I such was an open book."

Lewis chuckled; a dark, sexy sound that surely didn’t go unnoticed. "You talk about empowering others, yet I get the feeling there's a whole story you haven't shared of where that desire comes from"

Their connection had been simmering throughout the night, unspoken words hanging heavy in the air. Now, with Lewis's gaze holding hers captive, it threatened to tip over.

The conversation around them seemed to fade away, swallowed by the growing awareness between them. Y/n felt his unspoken questions echoing in her mind, a challenge she couldn't ignore.

As the night wore on, the guests gradually dwindled. One by one, they bid farewell to Lewis, leaving him and Y/n alone amidst the empty bottles and scattered laughter.

Y/n found her gaze drawn to him again. He stood by the window, bathed in the soft glow of the city lights, his profile sharp and captivating. The urge to break the silence, to bridge the growing gap between them, became overwhelming.

She rose from the stool, her movements deliberate, and walked towards him. He turned, his surprise evident in his eyes.

"Everyone's gone, I should go" she said softly, her voice barely a whisper.

"Don’t. Please" he replied, his gaze still locked on hers. "I’d love if you could stay and"

He didn't get to finish his sentence. Y/n cut him off, stopping just inches away from him. The air crackled with electricity, the unspoken desire a tangible force between them.

She glanced at the faint outline of his abdomen in the fabric of his Dior shirt, her fingers tracing invisible circles on the soft fabric. Then, in a bold move, she let her nails lightly scratch across his chest, sending a jolt of heat through him.

Lewis's breath hitched. He pulled her closer by her waist, his eyes burning into hers.

Their lips met in a heated kiss, a clash of urgency and teeth. Lewis's hands roamed freely over her back, his touch numbing her to the surroundings. He was hungry for all of her.

Y/n found herself caught in the current, her own desire rising to meet his. His lips traveled down her neck, leaving a trail of hot kisses.

A dark part of her, a voice fueled by the intoxicating aura of him, entertained the idea of becoming just another name on his long list of conquests.

But then, as his hand reached for her thigh, a wave of clarity put an end to the haze. This wasn't a one-night stand she craved. This connection, potent and undeniable, deserved more.

Y/n broke the kiss, her breath coming out in ragged gasps. "Lewis," she whispered, her voice husky.

He stared at her, confusion, concern and desire evident in his eyes.

"Dinner first," she said, a playful smirk gracing her lips. "Then maybe we can explore this mystery you see in me."

A slow smile spread across Lewis's face, the heat in his eyes softening to amusement. "Dinner it is," he agreed, his voice raspy. "But consider this a warning. I don't give up easily."

Sunlight danced across the Aegean Sea, glowing through the large round window of the yacht's cabin. Y/n stood before the vanity, applying a final touch of lipstick, her reflection a picture of contentment.

Five years. Five years since that MET and Lewis's afterparty, a whirlwind that had swept them off their feet and turned their world upside down.

A soft knock at the door startled her. "Come in," she called out, her voice filled with a hint of anticipation.

The door creaked open, and Lewis stepped inside. He was a vision in his crisp white linens, his hair free from the braids.

But it was the velvety box in his hand that held her attention.

"There you are," he said, a playful glint in his eyes as he walked towards her.

Y/n watched him through the mirror, her heart still skipping a beat whenever he was around. He stopped behind her, his warmth radiating through her back.

"What's that?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"A little something for my favorite fashion journalist" he replied, his breath tickling her ear as he leaned close.

He opened the box, inside, nestled on a bed of white satin, lay a breathtaking piece of jewelry – a floral crown crafted from delicate diamonds. Each petal was meticulously designed, some adorned with tiny thorns, others bursting into bloom.

It was both graceful and powerful. And it wasn’t quite a necklace, nor quite a tiara. It was a piece of art.

"Lewis," she breathed, her voice filled with awe. "It's…incredible."

He took the crown from the box, his touch gentle as he held it up to the light. "Anne Wintour helped me design it," he admitted, a hint of pride in his voice. "She said it reminded her of your outfit at the Met Gala, all those years ago."

Y/n held her breath as she looked at the jewelry. The floral crown, a memory of their initial spark, now reimagined with diamonds. The strength and beauty of their love that had blossomed despite adversity.

"The thorns," he said, her voice barely a whisper, "they represent the challenges we've faced, the distance, the different worlds..."

"And the flowers," he finished after clasping it to her neck, his voice husky with emotion, "represent our love, always blooming, even in the face of those challenges."

He adjust it to her skin, his touch gentle. "It's meant to be worn by someone who sees the world differently, who tells stories with every thread" he said, his gaze holding hers.

He cupped her hand in his, his eyes brimming with love. "Someone who wears her heart on her sleeve," he continued, his voice low and husky.

She turned and their lips met slowly, a lingering kiss that spoke volumes of their love and shared journey.

"Happy anniversary, Y/n," he whispered, pulling away but not letting go, his eyes shining brighter than any star.

"Happy anniversary, Lewis" she replied, the diamond floral piece catching the sunlight and reflecting a thousand tiny rainbows in their eyes.

______________________________________________________________

TAGLIST - @saturnssunflower @xoscar03 @chocolatediplomatdreamerzonk @happy-golden-hour @vicurious28

@0710khj @thecubanator2 @neilakk @bigratbitchsworld @adriswrld

@fearfam69691 @cmleitora @goldenroutledge @timmychalametsstuff @jpgnsf @priopp123

If you’d like to be added to my taglist you can leave a comment or send me a dm/ask.

[rubra-wav]

I had this interesting scenario where Vox one day becomes exhausted from his rivalry with Alastor after realizing that the one-sided interactions were becoming old. He later meets the reader (who can also be a part of the hotel) who starts hacking into Voxtech's database to troll the company for shits and giggles. This catches Vox's attention and he's pissed about it. You can do what you want for the rest but they continue to have this rivalry to the point where it's very well known around hell. From an outside perspective, there is just back-and-forth angry banter but there are moments where they're just;

Reader: *appears on screen* Hey Box head, guess who found some good blackmail with your name on it- Vox: *Is so close to having a breakdown, he had a bad week.* Reader: Oh shit- did something happen, are you okay? 😰

They hate each other but they don't hate hate each other. This can be taken as platonic or romantic. I sent this request to someone else but I wanted to share anyway.

Vox x troll/hacker reader: Why So Blue? (Oneshot/concept version)

Why So Blue fic Masterlist

A/N me when I get to write Vox getting utterly humiliated by a troll-y hacker demon 🫶

I changed about the order of stuff as things happen a bit and took creative liberties with this one - sorry if it's really different then the thought you originally had.

(REQUESTS ARE CLOSED, THIS WAS FROM THE LAST TIME THEY WERE OPEN)

Update: This was really well-received, and several people have requested a part 2. I've decided that I will be writing it properly from the start in a proper chapter kind of way rather than in this format so it makes continuity kind of work better rather then the drabbl-y format used here.

Cw: SFW, romantic, enemy's to lovers type beat, references to one-sided radiostatic, also references to staticmoth, mildly suggestive in one part 💀, gn reader, mostly light-hearted - idk if it qualifies as quite hurt/comfort lmao

- It was just a normal morning for Vox when you first showed up.

- As usual, he booted up for the day, got changed out of his casual clothes, and made his morning coffee.

- As he walked into his computer room, absentmindedly sipping his coffee while looking at his phone, he sits down in his desk.

- Then promptly spits out his mouthful.

- When he finally looks up at the screens around him, he's mortified to see a muted video of himself passionately (and very drunkly) singing and dancing horribly from last night while he was out with Valentino and Velvette.

- Posted on Sinstagram from his own account.

- Hundreds of comments flooded in underneath it; laughing, saying it's cute, complimenting his singing, and talking about the caption underneath with curiosity.

- The caption reads; 'For someone who talks so big about being ahead technologically, it was awfully easy to hack old Boxy here LMAO'

- Vox flips out instantly.

- It doesn't take long to take down the post, change all of his details, and post an official apology for his lack of professionalism with a hypnotising message to forget the whole incident occurred at all. He also does a massive comb over for any other breaches and changes all of his systems to be even more impenetrable to a potional attack.

- He calms down, and the incident fades away to the back of his mind.

- But then it happens again.

- Another morning, an employee is rushing into his studio as he wakes up properly, telling him this time that someone is somehow broadcasting Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up' to the entirety of hell at 6 am, interrupting every one of the scheduled programs.

- There's a message in big letters on the bottom of every screen in hell, under the god forsaken video and song playing, saying, "What is love~? - U" Underneath them.

- And that's how it starts, the infuriating thorn in Vox's side that is 'U'. No matter how hard he tries, you're constantly undermining his efforts to keep you out of the system and tormenting him in ways that aren't necessarily malignant but are extremely damaging to his image as the overlord of technology.

- For some reason, he's the only Vee you seem hellbent on coming after as well. Vel finds your pranks funny or cute when they don't inconvenience her, and Valentino just likes to prod Vox into getting angrier further.

- He just cannot work out what your motivations are at all. Is it truly that you just want to piss him off? He doesn't understand why someone with such clear skills would simply use them to taunt him and leave him messages to unveil as he undoes whatever you do.

- It vexes him even farther when these messages from you that you leave for him to decode start to sound borderline flirtatious, which makes him feel all the more humiliated.

- He is a grown demon, skilled businessman and entrepreneur, an overlord, and yet you insist upon calling him things like Box, Boxbabe, Boxbitch, and even babygirl of all things for some goddamn reason.

- The back and forth goes on for months, and 'U' quickly becomes a long lasting meme, several people, much to Vox's horror, shipping you two together and even partaking in ship wars as to whether Vox x 'U' is better then Vox x Val.

- Theres one day where Vox quickly puts his phone down after reading a rather concerning expert from what is certainly explicit fanfiction between the two of you, even him deciding that that's enough internet for today while just sitting staring off into space silently for a solid 10 seconds.

- Vox's sleepless nights pouring over his code to try and keep out your attacks, him glitching out whenever he finds infuriating messages left by you, etc. Begin to become routine and he just anticipates the consistent blows to his pride you give him at every turn.

- A weird, unconscious part of him deep down begins to enjoy your rivalry, almost wanting to see what punches you pull out next to disarm his constant losing battle to keep you out, but it gets squashed down the second he becomes aware of it.

- The rivalry is always at arms length, but sometimes he has to stop himself from replying with the same vaguely flirtatious tone you take on whenever he experiences a small win against you.

- He fights to make sure he doesn't have any potential of getting too into it.

- Things take a different turn, though, with the double blow of Alastor coming back and his on-off relationship with Valentino once again going up in flames.

- After stopping his usual monitoring of all things going on in hell online and in real life as picked up by his cameras, he presses his face into his hands with a long, exhausted groan as he fights crying.

- All the people he was actually interested in were as unrequited as per usual. He always tried so hard with Alastor, but as always, he never got anything but met with the clear reminder they would never be anything more.

- And, of course, any potential of anything more happening with Val was completely off the table. It would be stupid to even think about anything real with him.

- He shut his eyes, putting his screen on the desk in front of him.

- Was he just not worth it? Was that it?

- He startled when he heard the familiar crackle of the speakers coming to life around him. It was rare he ever heard your voice coming through his speakers, you usually preferring to just leave messages, however you decided to surprise him tonight apparently.

- Your blurred out face appears on the screens, only showing the lower half of your grinning face.

- "Oh Boooooxybooooy! I found some world-shattering cringey shit you did 2 months back, i-" You begin singing out, before stopping, seeing by his expression.

- Vox was trembling, looking as if he was about fall apart at any second. His monitor was dulled, red eyes half lidded with pixelated bags forming under them, his bottom lip slightly quivering around his sharp teeth.

- "What the- fuck- ....are you alright?" You asked unsurely.

- Vox finally snapped out of it, realising that you were here witnessing him in a way that was very much not something he wanted you of all people to see him in. His mask slid back on, but it was hardly convincing.

- "Of course it is. What the fuck do you wa-ant. I've got shit to do." He inwardly cursed as his voice glitched slightly. God fucking dammit why did you have to show up.

- He watched your lips on your mostly blurred out face slightly curl as you hummed, clearly not buying it.

- "You wanna stop with the lying bullshit and tell me the truth, Boxhead?" You somewhat chided him, your hand coming into sight as you leaned your cheek onto it. Vox let out a growling sound, going to spit some vitriol at you, but was cut off as you absentmindedly made your next comment.

"Felt you once again have a fit about the radio demon going online. Lights in my house and the houses out my windows started flashing and shit. Is it hi-" your brows shot up and eyes widened, this hidden behind the censorship as you watched Vox, leader of the Vees, your rival, let out a shuddering breath and actually start crying comically pixilated tears right before your eyes.

- Vox's claws gripped into his desk as he grit his teeth as he let out a gasping breath he fought to stifle. He was so goddamn exhausted that he just couldn't be assed to keep it all up anymore. It wasn't like you hadn't seen rather unsavoury things he'd been trying to hide anyways.

- "No shit it's about Alastor. It's always about him. Does it get you off knowing I can't get with the guy I have always wanted no matter how hard I try? There. Are you fucking happy now?" His voice cracks as he snarls the words out at you.

- You let out a long humming sound, as if thinking. "I mean, not really. I'd only be happy if you were this upset over me, not some old hazbin radio announcer who fell off years ago." You shrug with a slightly sad smile.

- Vox squinted at you, confused.

- "I mean, come on, I'm your rival too. Why neglect me so much in all this?" You press your bottom lip out in mock sadness, tone mocking again. Your words are true despite the joking tone however, it did bother you that he always seemed so much more ready to go running after the most obviously aroace man you think you had seen in your entire fucking life.

- Vox couldn't believe what he was hearing, hot embarrassment caused his monitor to start heating up a bit, painting animated flush over his cheeks. "Oh, stop taking the piss, U. Fuck off." He scoffed, rolling his eyes, looking to the side in irritation.

- You chuckle at him, shaking your head and causing the thing blurring your face to shake with it. "Is it really that hard to believe I'm into what we have going on here?" Your voice is still lined with the usual tone you take on with him, but much less so.

- Vox looks back at your blurred, smiling face incredulously. "Yes." He growled, blinking his tears away as he regained his composure a bit.

- You sigh heavily, rolling your eyes. "Ooookay, well, once you're done riding the coattails of a man who will never want you, come hit me up, Boxhead." You say through smiling lips, before abruptly pressing 'hang up' on the call so he didn't have time to actually respond.

- Vox sat in bewildered silence, not able to react properly as his brain felt as if it was working on low resolution comprehending what you just said.

- His face heated up the more he thought about it, heart beginning to hammer in his chest as he laughed in disbelief. No way. No fucking way.

- But you had said it.

- Despite his usual pessimistic nature, he allowed himself to actually believe it, chuckling.

- He looked over to his phone as a notification sound rang out to see a photo of himself presumably just now; flustered, eyes wide in disbelief and unfocused while staring off into space, a crooked grin on his face.

- It was captioned as follows; 'POV: local pathetic radio simp finds out other rival actually wants him'

- "FUCK." He yelled out in embarrassment, knocking out several of his monitors with a surge of electricity.

I loved writing this sm omfggg.

There's definitely part 2 potential to this one, but it would have to be in a while w all the other stuff I'm gonna get to first.

Masterlist

[zep-zep-blog]

If I had a nickel for each time I made a oneshot based off a prompt from @timeslugarts I would have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird it happened twice.🧍🏼‍♂️

Vox x gn!reader

Genre: Fluff, hurt/comfort

Cw: Talk of sex, mentions of feeling not good enough

The last red rose🌹

Reader feels like Vox is ashamed or embarrassed by their relationship and a drunk Valentino only solidifies those thoughts.

≣≣≣≣≣✿≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣

You were Vox's prized diamond, a rose surrounded by thorns, the last unicorn in his eyes. You were kind, thoughtful, funny, tons of stuff the average sinner wasn't. He went to several lengths to make sure your beauty was safe and protected from the several news channels and overlords that were looking in. Unfortunately, his actions came off as him being ashamed of your relationship with you. It made you feel like you would never be enough to be seen with him in public.

Valentino had made another borderline porn film and Vox chose to go to the red carpet premiere with Velvette to support his friend and fellow overlord. You sat in your shared bed, wanting to stay in and not watch the smutty movie Val produced. The silk sheets rubbed comfortably against your skin as you settled into a more comfy position. Watching as the camera panned over other famous demons, hellborn, and overlords. The camera then focuses on Vox, bringing a subconscious smile to your face as you see him answer questions and look into the camera.

"Are you seeing anyone?" The journalist asks, shoving the mic into his face. Before he could answer a drunk Valentino takes it and giggles, "We are like rabbits." This made you sit up, shocked as he went on and on about different bedroom acts. This felt like a red, hot iron strike your heart. How dare he just let him speak like that when he knows you're watching. All for an image to sinners that he said were less important, less worthy of his time, less worthy of him.

His laugh was what broke you, that nonchalant chuckle he made when he tried to escape awkward situations. Warm tears started to roll, muffled sobs escaping your mouth as you covered it with your hand. You were angry. The man you loved, cherished, and planned on marrying one day just betrayed you after his actions made you think you were nothing more than some toy he could play house with.

When he comes home he's shit-faced drunk, removing his jacket and throwing it to the floor, expecting to cuddle with you. Unfortunately, he was only met with a cold bed and messy sheets, a clear sign you were here, but you were nowhere to be seen. This sobered him up a bit, he did everything to protect you, but he failed. That is until he found the note, at first he thought it was a ransom note or something, but it was your handwriting. He read the scribbled ink;

'I went somewhere else. As I know you're probably embarrassed by me, so I hope you're happy with Valentino'

This shook him to his core, he tried everything to keep you out of the public eye for your safety only to be the reason you left. He crumpled the note, cursing under his breath. He did this and now he has to fix it. He collected all the photos he had and wrote a script up for his nightly talk show.

≣≣≣≣≣✿≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣

He addressed the journalist's question and Valentino's response. Stating that his relationship with Val was only friendly and platonic and that he was very much in love with someone else. Pictures of your first date, birthdays, holidays, even one of Vox sleeping faded in and out slowly on the screen as he talked about his genuine feelings and how he felt about your relationship, and his reasons to keep you hidden.

He talked about how your nose scrunched when you giggled and how you held his hand when you felt nervous.

"I fucked up. I tried so hard to keep you out of the camera that I pushed you away. I know words can't fix actions, but please come back to me so I can make things up to you. Please." He said while looking directly into the camera.

This was broadcasted all over hell, even on the radio in hopes you would hear it and hear it you did. You had went to Charlie for advice and help, sobbing on her couch when the broadcast came on. You were touched, hell genuinely thinking about fully forgiving him, but a small part of you was still angry. It took you to leave for him to wake up to address the rumors of his and Val's relationship that spread months ago and finally speak the truth about your role in his life. You ultimately decided to go back, apologizing for leaving. "Darling, don't apologize. If anyone should apologize, it should be me. I made you feel like nothing, but you're everything to me." He stated, hugging you tightly when you walked into his office.

≣≣≣≣≣✿≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣

Cameras clicked as the limo rolled up, shouts of questions and excitement started up as the door opened and Vox got out, giving the cameras his signature smile before turning back and holding out his hand towards you. You grab his hand nervously, stepping out and giving a shy smile to the crowd. Finally, you both felt like you were his only thought.

≣≣≣≣≣✿≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣≣

Carpal tunnel core <3 /j Hope yall enjoy (^^)

[helpallthenamesaretaken]

My Head Canons on the Pjo Character's Middle Names (bc every one of these is so fun to read) [Part 1]

Percy: HEAR ME OUT. I feel like Sally was kind of obliged by her love for Poseidon to name Percy a Greek name. But I feel like otherwise, she would have named him after a famous name in literature, since she loves lit so much. So I feel like his middle name would def be something related to literature. A character, an author, anything. Here are some random examples of names I have so far: Perseus Woolf Jackson, Percy Conan Jackson (bc of Arthur conan doyle AND conan gray cuz she's a livie)

Annabeth: I'm sorry. I can't get Annabeth Rose Chase out of my head. Rose is such a pretty yet such a strong name. It stands for strong feminity, cuz a rose has thorns too!

Hazel: The first thing that came to mind was Hazel Lorelai Levesque. Partly because I liked the name after listening to somebody talk about a show I didn't know about called gilmore girls. BUT it's very her imo. It sounds right

Grover: This was easy in terms of themes. After narrowing it down, I present to you; Grover Rowan Underwood

Leo: Leonidas Valentino Valdez has a nice flow to it ngl, but if someone has better names, please tell me because im not 100% on this

[le-chevalier-au-lion]

#FF0000: rosquez [t]

Valentino had been—thinking. He is having fun, really, this season despite Jorge’s general existence a few meters away. And he likes races in the US, its plastic artificiality, people’s way, way, way too white teeth and loud laughs and exaggerated sports passion. Bringing home a podium is always good.

A little less now, sure, because he knows he can win again. Knows he’s going to, eventually; it isn’t like he can do anything else with Yamaha. But Valentino won’t forget Ducati kicking his legs from under him—wishing that the bike would just fucking work for one weekend over two fucking years.

So, he’s happy. Enjoying himself, even if the club is gritty and cheap and stuffed, sweat sticking to his throat and dripping down his back to his underwear, his beer lukewarm.

Until he catches Marc weaving through the crowd, that is.

Getting up is a split-second decision. One moment, Valentino is sitting with his mechanics, ignoring them shouting over the music. The next, he’s prowling, drink abandoned, his crew calling after him.

He ends up catching Marc close to the bar. Grabs him by the wrist. Marc’s skin is fever hot, and he sways in place when he swings around to look at him.

“Honda is being stingy with you. This place is shit,” Valentino says, flashing a smirk.

Marc—honest to God—cackles, and the pulsing lights wash over his face, over the ugly openness of his honking laugh. Like this, Valentino can see him, really see him. The fritz of champagne and beer sizzles in his stomach, heavy out of nowhere.

Marc had been with a girl, is the thing. Maybe more than one. It’s there, on his bottom lip, on his chin—smeared lipstick. Red and very bright. Bit waxy.

Cheap, probably.

“No, no, it is fine,” Marc leans in to shout into his ear. “We’re barhopping!”

He says it in English, clumsy, his accent rolling each r hard, cutting sharp on the ing. It’s, frankly, ridiculous.

And his breath is hot, damp. Reeks with alcohol where it brushes against his cheek. Marc is swinging with the beat of whatever shitty synth pop they’re playing, so Valentino needs to steady him, a hand on the small of his back, fingers hooked on his belt loops. He feels mean, though—suddenly. Not a pleasant sensation.

His smile turns harsh. It’s like holding a knife between his teeth.

“Are you even old enough to drink here?”

Valentino wants Marc wrong-footed, wants to prod at him until he winces or—well. But Marc only shakes his head, beaming, crucially still covered in lipstick. There’s some on his collar too. And another drippy, blurred mark on his throat.

“Nope! But Honda, ah—” He makes an exaggerated gesture for passing money around, almost trips over himself.

Marc ends up knocking into Valentino, all wild-eyed, sloppy with drink. Their chests are brushing. Valentino—it hasn’t moved an inch, that prickly, unkind feeling, thorns going down his throat when he swallows.

This close, he can smell Marc—sweat, champagne, something sticky and too sweet and overly feminine. It’s cloying. Nauseating along the stench of way too many people packed together, writhing or dancing

It grates on Valentino’s nerves for the first time in his life, that there are so many people out on a Sunday night—Monday morning, whatever, it’s even worse if it’s already Monday. He has no idea why.

“Ah, ah, underage drinking, bribery?” Valentino waggles his eyebrows in mock reproach, counting on his fingers. Marc immediately straightens—tries to, at least. Christ, alright. “You’re being bad. Very naughty.”

There’s something about Marc, in his too shiny eyes, in the stubborn way he juts out his jaw. His bottom lip wobbles, though. “It’s my first win.”

“First time going out without your dad too, I guess.”

He mouths along Valentino’s words before they dawn on him. Blinks. Scowls.

Valentino doesn’t give him time to answer. It’s easy now, to try and make him squirm. “Allora, did you sneak out of your hotel room? Told your dad you’d stay with your brother—what’s his name—and play video games?”

Marc ducks his head to the side, lips pressed together. It’s hard to say for sure, but Valentino thinks he’s flustered. Blushing. A nice, girlish pink—a lot more proper than the red on his mouth. Goes along with his tanned skin better.

It needles under Valentino’s skin. Everything does—Marc, and lipstick, and the club, and the girl, maybe girls, and Marc again. He can feel his hands prickling.

“Can’t miss out, hm?” He slides his tongue over his teeth, watches Marc watch him with his usual shamelessness. “When will you get the chance to get sucked off in a dirty restroom again, right? The smell of piss is, ah, an experience.”

Marc warbles in a breath. “It isn’t like that,” he protests weakly.

Valentino raises an eyebrow. It is very much like that—he remembers Donington Park well enough, in 2000, how he’d crawled back to his hotel room at 8 in the morning horribly, horribly smug.

He reaches down between them. Marc jolts, sucks in his stomach on an instinct, his eyes huge, like a baby deer’s. His belt is done all wrong, crooked, too loose, the lip hanging out. The button of his jeans is open. At least, he thinks, less amused than he makes himself look, he remembered to zipper up.

Valentino tsks. “I think it is,” he says, shaking his head, pretending to be oh so disappointed. “You’re being reckless. What will the journalists say when they catch you like this? You don’t want a scandal.”

Marc is frozen in place. Valentino catches his throat bobbing when he plays his button hole, threading his finger into it.

“You’re making fun of me,” he manages to say. It’s a reedy, sullen thing.

He barks out a laugh. “Not too much, you’re still here.”

Maybe it’s the waste of it all getting to him, scratching under his skin. Marc is heavier than him, already more muscular. With the right bra, he might look like he has a nice pair of tits. And there’re his eyes, almost demure, long lashes fanning over his cheeks. And his mouth, too—pretty, insolent. Stained with some random girl’s lipstick.

So Valentino thought about it. Only a bit, in his defense. Hard to not, when you have something so eager one step lower than you on the podium. All that adoration…

The cut of his jaw is too sharp, and his voice too deep, but if you look at him right, or gag him with something, it’s just like fucking a woman in the ass.

Valentino clicks his tongue. Taps low on Marc’s stomach, feeling it jump under his touch. “Am I making too much fun of you?”

He speaks slowly, almost thoughtfully. Whiplash hits Marc like a slap on the face, and he hesitates for a moment, scrambling for words. His gaze keeps sliding down, to where Valentino is touching him. It’s not hard, to figure out what he wants.

“No, it’s—I’m having fun,” he says, almost too quiet to hear.

The words are scorching against the side of Valentino’s face.

“Odd idea of fun.”

Marc laughs again, like Valentino is absolutely hilarious. Or like he’s drunk. Valentino isn’t—drunk, that is—but he isn’t thinking, either.

He licks his thumb, then has do it again—his mouth tastes dry, like something has died inside it. Marc stops laughing. It’s the easiest thing in the world, to brush away the sloppy kiss mark on the hollow of his throat. Straighten his collar. Rub at his chin until it’s clean too.

The lipstick was cheap. It comes off just like that.

“What are you doing?” He asks, breathlessly, in a rattle of Spanish.

Doesn’t move one inch away, of course. Valentino grins.

“You had a little something on your face,” he shrugs, “I’m looking out for you.”

“Thanks,” Marc manages to croak out.

But there’s still—on his mouth proper. He wonders, idly, out of his own body, how easy it would be to wipe that off too. With his tongue, maybe. How easy it would be to go from that to getting his hand inside Marc’s jeans right there.

He doesn’t want to. In this light, now that it isn’t so smudged, Marc could be in makeup. Really. The waxy red glints.

“There.” Marc is trembling in his hold, like a live wire. Valentino trails his finger over his lips, too light. “You don’t want to meet Honda looking like a whore, do you?”

Marc makes a strangled noise—Valentino thinks he does. He can barely hear anything through the pound of blood of in his ears, over the thrumming line of heat between the pad of his thumb and his cock.

“I—”

“You should go. Enjoy your night,” Valentino cuts him off, very magnanimously. “It is your first win, no?”

Marc nods, dazed. Maybe—maybe when he wins again.

[fletchingbrilliant]

Well, hello there, nasty little bitches! Your favorite EVERYTHING is back, Katie Killjoy, and boy do I have a juicy update for you!

After the inital bloodbath - which could have used a LOT MORE BLOOD if you ask me! - all the teams have branched off to gather their bearings, but it's not going as smoothly as they'd like...

The day got off to a great start for King Lucifer and the admittedly ambitious imp Blitzø, but things soon unraveled as soon as Blitzø started setting up camp, while Lucifer learned that basic labor might be beyond his royal smallness, as a single thorn on a berry bush has stricken him crippled.

Meanwhile, the hardass angel Lute attemped to encroach upon the Cornucopia, only to be discovered by Valentino, who scared the shit out of the divine destroyer. And Niffty has managed to construct a slingshot, and appears to have aims to build up an entire arsenal.

And Lute's partner, Velvette, received a huge donation of supplies from an unknown sponsor, which she is more eager to show off than to share with the angel, who was frightened right down a steep hill by the porn mogul.

Vox has successfully erected his impressive camp, but Angel Dust made a daring theft. Vox was only left confused, but not as confused as Adam, who somehow found a map but seems utterly incapable of understanding it.

Loona found cover for herself and Vaggie in a hollowed out tree, for some reason eager to defend the woman who appears to actually BE AN ANGEL PEOPLE AM I GOING CRAZY.

Sir Pentious managed to find a clean water supply, and the tiny angel thing decided to try its hand at fishing... Looks like Mammon has managed to extend his advertising to this competition in spite of having no official affiliation.

Fizzarolli fled from the Radio Demon and managed to find a cave... but it looks like Alastor beat him to the punch.... and picked some flowers.....

Good question, Fizz.

It appears that Cherri Bomb survived her encounter with an explosive at the bloodbath! But her partner Octavia has taken to higher ground in an attempt to track down wherever she was blasted to.

Husk is being TEDIOUSLY responsible, cooking a meal and putting out his fire before any of their enemies can track them down. The pampered Prince Stolas is no help, and their twee little exchange is nothing short of fucking nauseating.

As evening continued to set in, Vox and Moxxie went hunting, and found a pair of potential targets...

Ooooh, are they going to finally give us our first kill? I'm SALIVATING!

They did not know they were overheard by our idiot of a Princess. Looks like she's finally figuring out how stupid this is. Too bad we're not gonna let her shut it down until it's done, are we, bitches????

Who knew the King of Lust was such a pansy?

Let's see how everybody's holding up!

That's all for now, my lovelies!

When morning comes, I hope we finally see some bodies hit the floor! Katie Killjoy, signing off!

**special thanks to @zaebeecee for concept and writing assistance**

[dnpanimationstudioclone]

Meet Valentino🦋☠️

Meet my take on Valentino! This one took the longest for me to get around to.

Made him a Monarch Butterfly!🦋 I love the whole reverse Predator and Prey thing going on with him and Angel so what if he was a creature that would normally be considered Prey, if it didn’t have its own trick up its sleeve. Poison! ☠️ plus butterflies are often depicted as sweet and pretty, which would really lean into how he puts on a sweet face to hide his true colors.😈Though who’s to say he even is that(wink😉). Made his wings a warm gradient, added some sparkle ✨ and allude subtly to a split heart with the lines and dots💔 @the-burd-lord also pointed out they give off tears💧😢

Gave him a more bug like head, mouth, eyes and only has three fingers.

Gave him heart bent stripes like Angel Dust(@a-sterling-rose shared a cool idea that an overlord can change their contracted souls) wanted it to allude to bee stripes(bees love flowers and make sweet things) and other…striped insects.

Leaned with 70’s, DISCO !!!!!!!🕺🪩💃 Bell bottoms, matching top, PLATFORMS! The whole works! I figure it fits with his timeline a lot and with what he’s usually wearing. Plus he’s def into the club scene.

Replaced his top hat with a heart shaped fedora hat! Adorned it with all kinds of different flowers!!!!! Stuff like roses, Bleeding hearts, milkweed and the big flower he’s wearing is meant to allude to the Cattleya Orchid(Colombias national flower and symbolizes fertility and virility) roses are also very popular there! They even have a holiday around flowers called the “festival of the flowers”!🌼🌹.

For his sleeves wanted to allude to another Colombia flower “devils breath” highly toxic flower and in the same toxic family as the “Angels Trumpet”. Also a street term for the dangerous drug, scopolamine which is derived from the seeds of Borrachero trees, primarily found in South America like Colombia! 🇨🇴

Kept the heart buckle belt his og had but made it hollow. Hollow heart.

Gave him a cane that’s also a disco heart 🪩❤️which may not be able to squeeze out toxic gas and other tricks.

For his color scheme, @the-burd-lord suggested I'd go with RGB theme, colors on display screen(Vox is the leader and a screen) Ngl I was conflicted what colors to go with for the vees(Primary, Red blue purple etc). But then I realized when u mix those colors u get those other colors and then I decided to give the Vees two main color themes for each. One for show, the other their true colors! Val likes to use tropical warm welcoming colors(gold luxury), def still uses red for its sensual vibes….but those kinda colors are also color of many dangerous insects…warning colors⚠️‼️☣️☢️☠️☠️☠️

Made his Heart shades butterfly wing shaped like @lovesart23 did with her Val! Seriously LOVE IT!!!!!!!.

Added a heart on his chain with his initial. Was a gift from Angel Dust💔

Also wears black and white since he’s already very colorful and to appear clean with the white…the darkness often hiding under. Has some green for the leaves and thorns(every rose has its thorns) like how Velvette still wears gold colors for accesory!🍃🌿

My Valentino’s Colombian 🇨🇴 back in the 70’s a lot was happening with Drug trade(Cocaine trade) plus it’s in the warmer area of South America, where many butterflies can be found🦋🦋🦋Monarchs migrate to the south! Also great place for flowers🌹🪻🌸🌺🌷🌻🌼💐🪷

with the flowers also lowkey trying to allude with 60’s-70’s Flower power(he def likes to seem all peace and love) was also the time of the psychedelic era😵‍💫U know he def got that stuff.

Rewrite🦋☠️

Compared to OG he’s def more sly and smooth talking, often Make him ironically the more level headed of the V’s. Have him be able to keep a cool head more, try to covert his true nature, keep things under control. Play into how he likes to try a more pragmatic approach, relying on manipulation and pacifying first before getting violent if he feels like he’s not in control. They say u attract more flies with honey than vinegar afterall. he’s able to put on the charm and sweetness well enough. You do NOT want to get on his scary side…He relies a lot on manipulation but when push comes to shove, he can mess you UP☠️!!!!!!!

Leaning with the poison theme way more!☠️💊🧪.

He doesn’t just do Adult Entertainment, but also a huge drug supplier for Hell, especially for Angel💊. It’s been implied and supposed scrapped ideas and concepts have shown him feeding Angels drug addiction.

Have him be Angels main supplier and often uses his addiction to keep him under his wings, depend on him, likes to feed into it despite how much harm it does for him. He’s basically the embodiment of toxicity/addiction, things that can poison people, can become dangerous addictions and mess people up. He’s basically one of Angel’s most dangerous addictions, the toxic abusive boss/partner☠️

I honestly want him to want NOTHING with Vox’s whole revenge plan with Alastor and his new project…until he also realizes the Princess not only actually wants to help Angel but that Angel ACTUALLY might want to try to QUIT! Than he gets more involved with Vox’s schemes.

Gets his main poison from a special flower from Hell. Similar to how Monarchs get their poison from a certain plant(milkweed) as well as play into how Butterflies feed on nectar🌺🌸 perhaps has the flowers growing all throughout his studio…especially around and maybe even in Angel’s dressing room…

What do u think? How would u redesign Val if u wanted to? I’d love to know💖 I’ve also made the 🌈Hazbin Gang🌈 and his fellow VV’s, Vox & Velvette📺🧶

Oh one more thing…He’s not actually a monarch butterfly. Here’s some totally unrelated pics of wasps(one like the executioner wasp that can be found in warm places, like monarchs, spider wasps(not friendly to spiders) and….some more parasitic types)Warnign scary wasp pics) @the-burd-lord suggested the mandibles for his face(broken heart 💔)

[rascalentertainments]

🌟Wish Granted AU🌟 👩🏾🌟🐐✨

(Wish Rewrite Currently in Progress, so this'll be updated casually)

Official Story Synopsis

Chapters: 📖

Chapter 1: Once Upon a Time... 🏰

Chapter 2: Into the Woods 🏞

Chapter 3: This Wish ⭐

Chapter 4: You're a Star?! 🌠🎵

Chapter 5: Welcome to Rosas 🌹🏙

Chapter 6: Welcome to Rosas (Part 2) 🌹🔥

Chapter 7: Royal Pains 👑⚡

Chapter 8: Trouble A-Brewin' 🌩🌟

Chapter 9: In the Dark of the Night 🌘

Chapter 10: Hellfire 🔥🌳

Chapter 11: (Not So) Jolly Holiday 🐮🐎🐔

Chapter 12 (Coming Soon)

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Ao3

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Characters Bios/Desgins 👥

Asha/Family/Valentino

Star

Magnifico, Amaya and Sabor

The 7 Teens

Gabo (Individual)

Flazino: The Sorcerers' Apprentice

Sakina and Tomas (Coming Soon)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Locations: 🌎

Star's Home: The Startopshere 🌌

Asha's Home: The Hamlet (Coming Soon) 🏞

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Bonus Features:

How Asha got Valentino (Short)

How Star Came To Earth (Short)

Wish Granted Ship Dynamics

Magic System of Wish Granted

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Fan Art Gallery (Coming Soon)🎨

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Wish Granted Askbox!: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Here's some more Wish rewrites created by awesome writers if you want some more Wish content!

"Kingdom of Wishes" by @annymation

"The Fallen Star" by @signed-sapphire

"Reach for the Stars!" by @oh-shtars

"The Assistant and The Star" by @tumblingdownthefoxden

"The Wishing Kingdom" by @chillwildwave

"The Girl and the Star" by @mythartist21

"Wish: Rewrite the Stars" by @gracebethartacc

"A Home in the Stars" by @ahomeinthestars-wishrewrite

"The Kingdom of Thorns and Roses" by @your-ne1ghbor

"Upon a Star" by @snackara

"Kingdom of the Stars" by @thisnameisnotspokenfor

"The Last Star" by @yurikalonesome

[flovoid]

‘tied by blood and yet, you are my greatest nemesis…’

[oh-shtars]

✨Reach for the Stars! AU✨

(Title Post)

Synopsis:

After discovering a hidden and horrid truth about their ruler, King Magnifico, an ordinary servant girl named Asha, must take a great leap of faith to save Rosas from his clutches before time runs out for everyone she cares about.

Her fate is sealed once she stumbles upon another of the royal’s secrets. A celestial being held captive, believed by many to only be from myth: A Wishing Star.

With the star’s magical aid on her side, the duo discover new dangers, old friends, hidden secrets, and most importantly: The true power of a wish when one chooses to believe with all their might….

(I’m eventually going to change the above into a proper thumbnail. For now, this will do.)

………………

Story: 📖

(To be added. This rewrite is still in its outlining stage.😅)

Character References:

Asha: [1] [2]

Star/Sueño: [1] [2] [3]

Magnifico: [1] [2] [3]

Amaya: [1] [2]

Valentino: [1] [2]

(More under the cut ⬇️)

…………….

🌟 RFTS!Au AskBox

🌟 RFTS!Fanart Gallery! <3

…………….

Miscellaneous: 🔮

Flicker’s Sona Design (Aka Me~): [1] [2]

“This Wish” Rewrite

‘Celestial,’ The Language of the Stars: [1] [2] [3]

Colour References for the 2 Main Couples (+ Some Fun Analyses ^^) (<— Will update soon)

Magic System Basics

RFTS!Starsha Dynamic :D

RFTS!Cast Dynamics

The Roles of the 7 Teens

Random Things that I’m excited to explore in the RFTS!Au

The Astral Realm

Dark AU >:3

………………….

Wish Rewrite Discord Server:💡

For any of you who wants a place to chat to other Wish rewriters to your heart’s content! You don’t even need to have an AU at all, this is a place you can really just chill and talk to people. ^^

……………….

If you’re looking for anything in particular, try using the search option on the top right. I always try to tag my posts appropriately. ^^

Note: I want to say that some of my older posts may or may not be canon to my rewrite anymore. I did start this side blog when the RFTS!Au was still in its brainstorming stage. So try to keep in mind that some minor details might change and update as I go along.

………………..

May I present to y’all some recommended Wish Rewrites on Tumblr if you’re lurking around Tumblr for more ;))

- Kingdom of Wishes: @annymation

- The Fallen Star: @signed-sapphire

- Wish Granted: @rascalentertainments

- The Wishing Kingdom: @chillwildwave

- A Home in the Stars: @ahomeinthestars-wishrewrite

- The Girl and the Star: @mythartist21

- Wish: Rewrite the Stars: @gracebethartacc

- The Assistant and the Star: @tumblingdownthefoxden

- The Kingdom of Roses and Thorns: @your-ne1ghbor

- Upon a Star: @snackara

[leoisstillalive]

not by big thief is a rosquez song thank you lesbians.

"not the hunger revealing" valentino's hunger. his hunger for marc. his hunger for that tenth title. all hunger- so much of it.

hunger is what shaped his career, it brought him to great heights, never before seen. that passion, the raw need to win and make such a spectacle about it, it was moreish.

and the hunger to leave something behind- to not be forgotten. that is why he made the academy, that's why he loved marc so much from the go. he loved that there was a rider where, even when it wasn't valentino winning first-hand, he could still take credit for it because marc grew up idolising him. and he liked that when marc was winning, valentino wasn't really in contention for the championship- so it was a substitute and didn't hurt so bad. a situation where vale could still dominate, even by proxy, while not losing anything.

and the hunger for marc, which came after the hunger to be remembered. something thick and familiar- metallic, magnetic like flesh and blood. beyond that picket fence of mentor and mentee because marc did not need mentorship, didn't want it. beyond a metre's distance of friendship- never too far to reach and touch one another. far beyond love. beyond obsession? perhaps. maybe so far, even, that they toppled over the other side. missed the landing pad and soared into the ocean below. a two year free fall. but it was fucking good, whatever it was.

and that hunger revealed far more about him than i believe he ever wanted it to.

particularly in the fallout of it. when the disaster struck, valentino showed such fucking. brutal, cutting ferocity as he had never shown before. it was far beyond humiliating marc on track, it was beyond jerez 2005, laguna seca 2008, catalunya 2009. it wasn't punching max biaggi in the face.

it was a show of utter, brash cruelty. wherein he wanted to destroy marc personally. he wanted to ruin him.

that hunger ate itself- a fucking zoochosis where vale chewed his own leg off. maybe not leg. maybe arm. marc was valentino's arm. to fight and to hold.

but the hunger revealed that, for all vale's show at NOTHING- at absolute ease and effortlessness- he cared. he cared so much that it destroyed everything snagged on his bristled spines.

shrike by hozier is also a rosquez song. shrikes skewer their prey on thorns and pick their bodies apart with sharp, precise beaks. do you think the prey fights to the last breath? or does it find some comfort in knowing where it stands in the food chain? did marc?

[hiemaldesirae]

Thorn again:

Vox, knowing he can still manipulate Alastor even though they've been rivals for years and they hate each other (or at least Vox does. He has no idea WTF Alastor's feelings are. He just knows the deer pays WAY too much Attention to him, and always touches him whenever he sees Vox.) So, when the Vees lose a battle against another battle against a sinner that has been causing issues for everyone and Valentino and Velvette are killed (not permanently but their deaths are so violent that it'll be weeks before they reform.)

Vox, himself is wounded and bleeding--missing one arm, he's had to switch his T.V screen out for his actual real face, (and by the shocked/wanting looks everyone is sending him, apparently he's hotter with his actual face? Go figure.)

But he bursts into Alastor's room, thanks to Charlie installing T.Vs in the hallways, and calls out with his frequency, his antenna sparking, cyan blood leaking from his amputated arm, he hears Alastor.

"Vox, my dear what have I--" there's a screech of static, then Alastor is hands are on him, bringing him close, his frequency gently twinning into Vox's own even as his voice fills with rage.

"Who did this, Vox?" He snarls, nose gently nuzzling Vox's cheek as he looks over Vox's actual face.

Vox sucks in a breath, before beginning his highly embellished story. Later, when he's safely wrapped up in Alastor's bed (Alastor himself behind him, holding him close his hand across his stomach thumb gently moving in circles,) heavily bandaged while Lucifer himself grows him a new arm, drowsily resting his head on Alastor's shoulder he'll smile.

As for the sinner who attacked Vox...Alastor has him waiting until Vox is healthy enough to watch. After all, his beloved muse deserves a treat. Fir now, Niffty and his pissed off Shadow are keeping him company in the Radio tower.

you know thorn. i thought about this ask a lot last night and i have a feeling i know where you got the idea from but god am i glad you sent this in. ive been very close to losing it all day because this ask was stuck in my head and trust me if i had any more brain juice left with me id write a drabble for this too

text under the cut incase its hard to read

panel1- vox: ffuck.... bastard split me up so much i cant even use this face

panel4- vox: vel and val won't be back for at least a while...

panel5- vox: oh. i have an idea.

panel7- alastor: vox, my dear, what is it that--

panel9- vox: i didn't- i didn't know where else to go...

[scenteddelusion5]

"Two households, both unalike in dignity, In our unsightly hell, where we lay our scene," PART 2

Vox x gn reader (Alastor's child)

Note: I learned how to do ť̷̛̠̝͐̀͗̈̎̐h̵̢͎̥͙̳͚͉̮̊̿̋͑̃͜͝ị̵͖͉̈́͂̾̽s̷̮͖͕̞͉̲̝̿̈́͗̿̏́̚͜͠

Also this is definitly going to be a 4 or 5 parter.

Word count: 3385

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Y/n was sitting on their bed, looking at the surprisingly tin device in their hand. These smart phones looked so different compared to the phones in their time. Turning the thing on was a bit of a struggle, but thanks to Vox choosing the settings were easy and his phone number was already saved.

Hello Vox, this is Y/n. I hope you get this message.

The man on the receiving end hadn't read it yet, which they learned they could see bases on colour of the checkmarks, so instead they started exploring the unfamiliar tech a bit, mainly the internet. It wasn't invented yet when they were alive but with the amount of books they read, they were familiar with how it worked.

Y/n was looking up pictures of the TV Demon when a knock came from their door. "Little fawn, we need to talk." They swiftly hid the smartphone under their pillow.

Y/n sighed, "come in."

Alastor walked in and sat on the edge of the bed. "Fawn, I would first like to apologize for the way that I acted yesterday, it was unbecoming, however, I need you to understand that you can't trust Vox." His shadow grabbed one of their romance books and brought it to him. "He only wants to get close to you, to get to me and I don't want you to get hurt. Not only does he already have such a relation with his colleague Valentino but me and him have been in a long feud. You see..." Their father proceeded the tell them the same story Vox had.

"So that's why, I'm sorry this wasn't the novel worthy romance you hoped it was, but if you wished to meet new people, I would gladly take you out of the house sometime."

"Thanks for telling me dad." They put their head on his shoulder. "I forgive you... So where would we be going?"

"Hmm, that's a surprise. Put on something decent and come down for breakfast." Alastor stood up and left the room.

As soon as the door closed, Y/n reached for the phone. A message popped up from the screen.

God, I got to teach you how to text Anyway I was thinking There's this new restaurant opening up, want to go?

I see, Y/n thought, texting is very casual.

I would love too but my father is taking me out today to make up for yesterday. We could go tomorrow

Sure I'll see you at the edge of the forest

Y/n was casually dressed, their phone hidden in their jacket. Alastor and them were walking down a familiar street. "I've already been to Cannibal Town, you know that."

"Yes, yes, I know, little fawn. That isn't the surprise." Alastor waved them off.

The two made their way to Rosie's Emporium. Rosie was standing outside with a younger looking man standing next to her. He wore a brown waistcoat, matching pants and a bowtie. His eyes were pitch black like Rosie's.

"Alastor! You really kept us waiting!" Rosie laughed. "And here I thought you were a gentleman."

"Yes, yes, we took a bit longer. Anyway speaking of gentleman, Y/n, meet Paris." Alastor pushed the man in front of them. "He's a young, stand-up, cannibal demon. I thought that you surely didn't want to explore the rest of hell with your old man, so I asked Paris here to go instead."

"It's an honour to meet you." Paris kissed Y/n on the hand. "I would love to show you around the rest of hell."

"Uhm... I..." Y/n looked between him and their father. "Sure, let's go," they sighed.

Alastor and Rosie watched the two leave. "Once they've spend their day with him, Y/n'll forget all about Vox. Now come inside. I've got a new shipment of livers." Rosie invited her old friend inside.

Vox was still removing the thorns and branches from his favourite suit when Velvette entered his room.

"Wait, so you did go after them?!" She pulled one of the branches out of his hat. "You're sooo whipped. Did you find some dirt on Alastor?"

"No, I didn't." Vox stood up and straightened his suit. "But I do need to prepare for tomorrow."

"No-" Velvette jumped onto him and held his screen between her hands. "- you have a DATE!!! OMG, you two should totally get married, could you imagine the Radio Demon's face. Hahaha." She pulled up her phone and started typing something in google. "So where are you taking them? What are you wearing?"

"We're going to that new restaurant and I'm wearing my usual suit." He pulled away from the other Vee.

"You're not wearing your work clothes. Follow me, we're going shopping."

"So yeah that was the first time I had ever eaten a human heart, it was quite experience, hahaha." Paris was rambling on and on. "Rosie had introduced me to your father, he seemed have approved of me. I, mean, that's crazy, he is THE Radio Demon and all... Oh, have I already told you about my cooking? I-"

The whole time this demon had been talking about himself, oh and the Radio Demon of course. Paris seemed to idolize him, which only put Y/n off more. At least they got to see the rest of hell. The two were walking down the road, a unfamiliar city standing in the distance.

"We should go the other direction." Paris was about to walk the other way.

"Why?

"Oh that's like, uhm, the three Vees territory. It's not a place to take a fair maiden to."

"Dad told you to show me around hell and I want to go there." They continued to walk to the city and it's flashy lights. "Are you coming or am I going alone?"

The two were heading towards the shopping centre. The whole way Paris was trying to convince them to go back. But Y/n was stubborn.

"This really isn't a place for civilized people as you can see, I can show you around another circle in hell." As Paris was talking, they walked up to a window.

The shop window showed a total of ten TV's. Vox 2 Night was on. He looked so handsome in his suit talking about VoxTech's newest invention. They were immediately pulled away from their conversation with the cannibal and lovingly stared at the demon on the broadcast.

"Hey, Y/n." That wasn't Paris' voice.

"Velvette, why are we going to the mall when you can just conjure an outfit for me?" Vox asked.

Velvette pulled up her Sinstagram and showed it to Vox. "Because it's part of the EXPERIANCE, just look. Shopping pics are all over everyone's for-you-page and if we say we're preparing you for a date, we'll totally go viral."

"That's no, we're not telling anyone I'm going on a date." Vox grabbed her phone out of her hands. "Who knows how Val will do when he finds out. No, nope."

"But-"

"No!" Vox's screen zoomed in on his left eye, black circles spiralled in it. As he was using his hypnotising powers, he caught sight of a familiar figure standing in the distance.

"Fine," Velvette sighed, "but at lea-"

But Vox wasn't paying attention to his colleague again. He was walking to the person standing in front of one of his techshops. They were intently watching his night show. Their eyes sparkled.

"Hey, Y/n," he greeted them.

"Vox! What are you doing here?" Y/n's face immediately brightened seeing the TV Demon.

"Hello, I'm Paris." The demon stepped in between the two lovebirds. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes, you can fuck off." Vox pushed past him.

Y/n, me and Vox were just about to go shopping. Do you want to come with?" Velvette asked.

"I would love to." They pushed a hairlock behind their ear.

"Another time, I was showing Y/n around and we were just on our way to doomsday district." Paris butted in again. "Besides, aren't you and the Radio Demon rivals? It's highly inappropriate for someone who has not been approved by their father to be around them."

"And I don't think a wannabe, cannibal who doesn't know his place is worthy of being seen with them." Vox retorted. "So Y/n, what do you think?"

"I would love to go shopping with you!" They turned to the other cannibal. "I'm going to hang out with them, you can either come with or leave us alone."

"But-" Before Paris could make another objection, Y/n dragged the overlord by the arm to the shopping centre.

"So what's up with hollow eyes over there?" Velvette asked as Vox and Paris were fighting about a suit or something.

"Oh yeah," Y/n's nervous laugh filled the room, "dad wanted him to come with me while going out, I've never been here before. I didn't really get a choice in the matter."

"Hmm, don't worry. I got ya!!" Velvette walked up to the bickering boys. "Hey, Paris! I saw this polo that would suit you. Come on." She winked at her colleague while pulling him away.

"I never realised Velvette's taste is stuck-up bitchass," Vox murmured.

Y/n linked their arm around the TV's. "It isn't, that's why we should make a run for it now before she gets sick of him."

The mall was giant, every corner held a store a different store. The two were looking around a souvenir store.

"How about this?" Y/n asked as they held up a keychain of a hung rat.

"That's disgusting, wh- HEY HEY!!" Vox screamed as they held the dead animal close to his face. "Stop it!"

"Fine..." Y/n took a step back. "Hey, how do your hypnosis powers work? I know you use them for your shows, but I didn't sense anything at all."

"Indirect hypnosis isn't as strong as direct. My shows only work on lowly denizens, so you have nothing to worry about in that regard." Vox looked at the snow globes decorated with death animals.

"And direct."

Vox looked away from them. "I could make you do anything I wanted but I'm not going to do that. I like you just the way you are."

His words shot straight through their heart. "Stop saying corny stuff like that." A red blush decorated their face.

"But I love your reactions, sweetie."

"Stop."

"Sweetheart."

"Vox..."

"My love~"

"VOX!" Their face was brighter than Alastor's hair. "S̴̹͎͗̈́͂̏͛̈̿͝͝T̸̡̛̼̥͓͖͂͛́̒̈́̄̀͛̏̔͒̎̌̕͝͝O̵̧̖̖͍͕͔͈͂̈́͑̅P̸̢̥̝̦͎̂̌̽ Ȉ̴̟̗̗̗̖̟̞͍̙͊͑̐̋̂̀̆̋T̵̺͉͔̮̺̩̔͌̽͊̔̍̆̿́̔̇̇͘." Their ears fell back, eyes glowed and their teeth got sharper.

Vox was stunned by this reaction, they were terrifying yes, but they were also kind of cute? Pixel hearts floated across his screen. "Wow, you're so hot."

"I, I- uhm, you're handsome too." They twirled a hairlock around their finger.

...

...

"So." Vox broke the awkward silence. "How is that phone suiting you?"

"Oh." They pulled the little device out of their pocket. "Yeah, I'm still figuring out what the apps are all about but I think I understand the chatting and goulgle." They opened their phone and showed it to him

"You still have the standard VoxTech background?" Vox asked.

"You can change it?"

"Yes." Vox grabbed their phone and posed for a selfie. Y/n, not completely understanding what's going on, copied him. "Wait," the overlord said as he was focused on their phone, "here."

He showed them their new background; a picture of the both of them smiling, Y/n looking straight into the camera and Vox glancing lovingly to them, a edited in, glowing heart surrounding the both of them.

"That's so cute!" They stared at the picture now decorating the background of their little picture device.

"I also downloaded 666+ for you along with a free account. you can watch any 666 show on there."

"Even your shows?" Their eyes sparkled.

"Of course." Vox was definitely going to download that image of them to his hard drive once he got home. "Anyway, let's leave. I don't think we're going to buy something here."

"Velvette? Where did Y/n go?" Paris asked.

"I don't know," she answered, "oh look at this shirt." She held up a striped polo.

"I promised their dad I would look after them. Oh, if the Radio Demon finds out I lost them, he's going to hate me!" The cannibal started to panic. "No, I should go to him, if I tell him in time maybe he won't kill me."

"Relax." She rolled her eyes. "Let's go find them, they couldn't have gone far. Besides what would the Radio Demon say if you left them lost and alone now?"

"Right, yeah right." Paris started searching throughout the entire shopping mall.

Vox! I can't keep distracting this guy He's dead set on finding them

We'll come Meet you at the restrooms on the Westside

"Hey! Paris, I know where they are!" She yelled at the still freaked out man.

"Right, lead the way!"

When they arrived, Vox and Y/n were already there.

Paris rushed up to them. "Y/n are you alright? You're not hurt are you? What would your father say if he knew you ran off?"

"I don't care what he would say. I'm my own person." They retorted and then turned to Velvette. "Are you hungry too? Me and Vox wanted to go get some food."

"Sure, I could use a snack."

Paris' face brightened. "I know this great restaurant close by that I just know you would love." He tried to hide his smirk when they agreed to go there.

The restaurant looked nice enough but there didn't seem many people inside. But that also meant they got a table of four immediately. The inside was decorated with abstract paintings and decorative, animal skeletons.

"I've never been in this place. It's rather nice." Vox studied a squirl skull. He couldn't understand why Paris was looking so smug. The waiter passed around the menu and left again. Even the staff was polite, what was going on? But when he opened the menu, it clicked...

It was a cannibal restaurant.

Vox was about to protest when Y/n spoke up. "Oehhh, I didn't think they had places like this outside of Cannibal Town. They even have my favourite!"

He looked over the menu again, looking for anything he could possibly stomach. There weren't any vegan options... shit. This was going to be a loooong lunch.

Velvette shot a concerned look at Vox, when the waiter came back. "Have you made a decision?"

"Yes, I'll have the legbeef, medium rare, and the lady will have the smoked heart." Paris ordered for the two of them.

"Uhm-" Vox glitched, hastily trying to make a decision. I'll have the smoked heart too." It was their favourite dish, he should've at least tried it once.

Velvette was still in utter shock that her colleague was going along with this. "I'll have the uhm... Liver bolognaise." She quickly chose the least horrible sounding dish, at least there would be a shit ton of cheese and sauce on it. The girl still couldn’t believe she was doing this and for Vox of all people!!!

The dinner went fairly well all things considered. Velvette barely touched her dish, while Vox did take a full bite and it didn't taste as bad as he'd expected, actually it tasted great! But knowing he was eating an actual demon spoiled the dish for him. Still, he finished it.

After lunch the group split up again, Paris and Y/n going back to Cannibal Town while Vox and Velvette went back to the V-tower.

Alastor had brought some of his daughters romance books to Rosie, one of them laying open on the table. He wanted to at least try to understand what got Y/n so hung up about Vox and romance.

"So, they basically get threatened and stalked by this vampire and they fall in love with him? I can't believe Y/n has been reading this nonsense." Alastor rolled his eyes and reached out for the next novel. "And this one, to get over her heartbreak, a young demoness writes heartfelt letters, confessing her love for the sinners, never intending to send them. However, when she opens her box one morning she finds all her letters gone, send out. How will she deal with the 5 denizens she accidentally confessed to? Is this supposed to be interesting, I don't get it."

"Come on, Alastor. You want to bond more with her, right? This is part of it." Rosie picked up one of the books to and reads the back. "This one doesn't seem too bad, it's about the love between two demons who look back on their living years as young champs."

"Ugh," the Radio Demon complained. "Luckily I don't need to worry about them and Vox anymore. I must say that Paris boy is quite the charming man, a perfect addition to our home, tell me how did you find him?"

"Oh, Paris is a BIG fan of yours and came to Cannibal Town in the hopes to meet you. For the last few months he has been admired by ALL the ladies in town. Dapper, charming, smart, looks, he got it all as they say, " Rosie laughed, "so when I heard your little conundrum I just knew he was going to be perfect for them."

"Yes, he would make quite the son-in-law but we'll have to see how the date went first." Alastor almost spit out his coffee when he read the backside of the next book; an older Cannibal and younger tech demon falling in love despite being from rivalling families. Was this were Y/n got the idea of falling in love with vox? "Seems like I'll have to have a talk with y/n about fiction and reality."

When Velvette and Vox got back, the last Vee was waiting on them. "Did you two go out without me? You're hurting my feelings."

"Oh, fuck off Val, we just went out for a new suit." She held up her middle finger as she left for her department.

"Oh really?" Val asked, "you went out for a new suit? And you weren't with that whore?" He held up his phone showing Sinstagram. A blurry picture of Vox and Y/n could be seen.

"Yes, I was buying a new suit Valentino, we just ran into them is all." Vox tried to keep back his blush. "Besides, what do you care?"

His colleague's answer infuriated him. "What do I care? Since you met that useless whore, you've kept me dry."

"Not everything is about sex and I highly doubt you're dry, you've got enough playthings." Vox walked towards the elevator. "You don't need me, get over it."

The elevator doors closed again, leaving Valentino all alone. "That fucking doe-eyed BITCH!! I'm going to kill them! Kill their whole fucking family!!!" He grabbed a glass from his assistant and threw it against de wall. "But I'm going to start with them..."

"It's unfortunate our date was interrupted by those two, but no matter we could always meet again," Paris spoke as the two of them were on their way back to Cannibal Town. "I am free this wee-"

"Wait!" They yelled. "This was supposed to be a date?"

"Well, yes."

"No, not happening! Listen up, I am in no way shape or form, interested in you that way!"

"Hmm, I see, what a shame." Paris put on a seemingly fake frown. "You know I was going to keep quiet about Vox and you but it seems like I'm more devoted to the Radio Demon. I wonder how he is going to react... What he'll do to that bastard... Oh well."

"What? I... Please don't tell dad!" Y/n begged.

"Hmm, how about this, I keep quiet about your little rendezvous, your affair, and you become my girlfriend."

"I... Uhmm..."

"How about this I'll give you two days to think about it." The cannibal put on an atrocious smile. "Choose wisely, or you might never see Vox ever again."

"There is my favourite demon." Alastor patted their head. "Did you have a good time, little fawn?"

"Yes, I did. It was great." Y/n smiled widely, doing their absolute best to hide their nervousness.

"That's amazing dear." Their father turned to Paris. "Thank you, I hope you will show them around some more another time."

"I would love to sir!"

Part 3

I'm an unoriginal ass. I know, I know, <3

JK here's part 3

Masterlist/request guidelines

[zaebeecee]

Drowning in Stardust

🦌 RadioDustTober: Short Story Edition 🕷️

Day 07: Reach Out

Canon-compliant (queerplatonic/romantic)

CWs: None

Alastor has never been the best at making unprompted romantic overtures, nor recognizing when one should be made. However, whenever Angel Dust ends up stuck at VoxTek overnight, Alastor always makes sure to let him know that he’s on his mind.

Word count: 636

•••

“That fine little ditty was It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) by Duke Ellington and his eponymous orchestra, such an instant success when it first rolled out of Harlem in 1932 that the Mills Brothers, the Boswell Sisters, and Roger Wolfe Kahn all had their own versions slapped on a platter before the year was even out!”

The screams of the radio chorus howled and cried beneath Alastor’s words as he leaned back in his chair, feet kicked up on his desk and microphone staff in hand. Every radio in Hell was on, whether their owners wanted them to be or not, and Alastor’s smile widened as he imagined Sinners and Hellborn all across the Ring either reveling in the music he played or desperately covering their ears in an attempt to block out the wails of those more damned than they were themselves.

Behind him, he heard the tiny patter of feet rushing about, and he turned a little to watch as Niffty dusted off one of his tables. She had insisted she needed occasional access to his tower to clean, and no matter how many times he said he didn’t need it, he had known from the start it was a losing battle. She had, at least, agreed to only come up here while he was working. “Ah, Niffty, darling!” Alastor chirped into the microphone; she turned to him with one wide eye and scurried over. “The Hazbin Hotel’s delightful hospitality manager is here in the studio with me. Anything you’d care to say to the listeners at home and abroad?”

Niffty nodded, grinning, and leaned up as Alastor put the microphone near to her. “Kono bangumi wa, goran no sponsa no teikyou de okurishimasu!” she chirped.

Alastor pulled his microphone back up. “I have no idea what that means, folks, but judging by her expression, I’m sure it’s hilarious!” Cackling, Niffty ran off again, returning to her cleaning.

Alastor reached out to remove the record from the turntable and replace it, his eyes moving to the window, where he could see the far distant lights of VoxTek Tower glowing against the bloody darkness of the night sky. He could imagine Angel Dust now: possibly between takes or even on a rest between films, back in his dressing room and touching up his appearance. Angel had once told him that he kept a radio in his dressing room specifically for nights when he worked during Alastor’s show.

“I like still gettin’ to hear a bit of your show even at work,” Angel had said one evening while they were curled up together listening to Cab Calloway and drinking the rest of the wine from the dinner the spider had made. Alastor had reminded him that he’d said, once, he didn’t even listen to the radio. “I didn’t. I do now.”

Alastor smiled as he put another record on the turntable, poising the needle and raising his microphone. “And now, let’s have a change of pace, shall we? This one goes out to a sweet little daisy in a garden of thorns; remember, my dear, that it will all end soon, and I’m waiting for you to come home. This is April Showers by B.G. DeSylva and Louis Silvers, recorded by Al Jolson almost a decade after his performance in Bombo.”

Alastor dropped the needle and sat back as music filled the studio again, his eyes drifting shut for a moment. He let his head fall back and imagined Angel dancing to the tune, wondering if it would help him get through his shift under Valentino’s heel. He sincerely hoped it would.

I’m going to break that contract for you, sha… but until that day comes, I will always have music in my soul that sings just for you.

•••

Niffty’s line is the phrase “this program is brought to you by the following sponsors” that starts so many Japanese television programs (like every single anime). It’s basically the Japanese equivalent of the “and viewers like you” PBS line.