#val enjoys any forms of art

[savingsallow]

— The Face of Horror

[val appreciating arts: sucker for arts series]

'is that...what i think it is?'

'poor creature'

'interesting choice for a facial expression'

*cressida proceeds to chomp in peace*

'that face will haunt me in my nightmares'

[hiemaldesirae]

i have less than 24 hours left before i have to go through one of the most stressful days of my life so. heres a list of my fav radiostatic fic recs in no particular order

clarification: by radiostatic i mean fics where vox is 100% not the dom in the relationship. most of these dont contain explicit sex though, and im not recommending any straight porn fics here because you can easily find those with a click and search through the bottom vox tag lmao

most of these fics are unfinished, so be warned that i will not take accountability if you get attached to these without them being finished properly. in fact ill just laugh at you because then we'll be suffering together

now, that aside- starting off strong with some of the more popular fics:

RHTVS / Radio Healed the Video Star by Aspiring_Forest_Witch

notes: LONG fucking fic. like this guys almost 700k words long fic. one of the best things ive ever read in my life though and it has a plotline thats frankly more engaging than the actual showing of hazbin on amazon. so. you know. if you have the time to read it Please do you wont regret it

Unraveling Emotions by Xaelei

notes: one of my favourite fics ever on god. started my brainrot for dad!husk, portrays one of the most scrumptious radiostatic dynamics and is generally so very well written that i might end up trying to recreate one of the scenes in comic form. genuinely in love with this fic and im so glad i can say i was the first comment on this fic because my God its such a treat to see new chapters drop for this. unfortunately i havent had the time to write out a detailed comment as of now but if someone wants to let the author know that im still in love with their fic and will continue supporting it until i drop dead go ahead for me

Safe with Me by rillyrillo

notes: the prequel and main fic of this series is human radiostatic, though the sequel is set in hell. it comes with gorgeous gorgeous art and frankly one of the most exhilirating endings ive ever had the pleasure of witnessing play out. i recommend you guys check out their other fics too, the art continues in them + their radiostatic is written wonderfully across all universes!

A Month of Rut by Vylad

notes: this fic is very self indulgent to me. i love the way radiostatic is written in this one because theyre very soft and sweet, but others may not prefer it if theyre looking for freak4freak radiostatic. if you just want something to indulge in and relax with at the end of a heavy day though this is my #1 rec. i read this sometimes when i find myself crying at night lmao

Down, Up, and Back Down by CowboyEnthusiast

notes: made me sob like a baby. 10/10 no notes whatsoever read it for yourself because you WILL not regret it. i genuinely am always at a loss for words whenever i reread this because it is among the most gutwrenching but beautiful and poetic works that ive ever read and i think it deserves some recognition

Mind the Gap by ZLynn

notes: again, to reiterate, i do very much dislike the abusive!staticmoth portrayal i see in a lot of fics. but in this one... it's written so perfectly, i can definitely see it actually happening. i enjoy the way that val does still seem to care about vox, albeit in his own twisted way that eventually breaks and fractures their love and trust, and its just. Ugh. So fucking good

+ with the less popular but still wonderful depictions of radiostatic that i love to indulge in:

i'll give you a show (cause it helps fill the seats) by dead_and_dreaming

notes: absolutely shameless plug from me for my dear mk's work because i cant stop thinking about the way that she's portrayed al here. its actually insane how fucked up that stupid little deer is and i just. i really fucking love the way that their alastor is written, it's genuinely probably my Number One depiction of alastor ever. i demand more of this stupid little freak RIGHT NOW!!!!

Any of the fics by Rachello344 in the Hazbin Hotel Fandom Tag on their profile

notes: so remember when i told you guys i wouldnt be linking straight porn. looks away... okay in my defense though i read the smut for the characterization and their unique dynamics. its sooo interesting to see how their radiostatic is explored here and im honestly refreshed by the depiction of their relationship. im here for it !!!

The Read 'Em and Weep Series by TooManyPseudonyms

notes: so from what i was able to piece together (everything flies over my head when im reading, forgive me for my low media literacy) this is an au set before the hotel where (in the first work) al and vox are in a qpr relationship. in the second work this evolves into a romantic relationship, and the exploration of their dynamic through this is just... Yeah. please read it its 100% worth your time and so underrated it hurts my heart

Uneasy by Saezs

notes: this fic is one of the first radiostatic fics i read (the others being RHTVS and... i think i tried the 666 series, but it didnt appeal to me lol) and its actually just wonderful. i really love saezs's genderfluid vox and how supportive the other vees are of them <3 their portrayl of the characters puts a smile on my face whenever i reread their work

Heat Waves by HappyPRAWN

notes: i'll be fr dsmptsd hit me like a truck when i read the title but it is such an interesting debut! only at one chapter as of me making this post but the way the author wrote this is so engaging and it really makes me wonder what they have next in store for the fic

Do I have your attention now? by Chi_Chi25

notes: wow no way we have the same name... anyway ahem. ill be completely honest this ones a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. this fic is a bit fragmented and short, so for people who click off fics when they see imperfect grammar this one may not be for you. however if you can look past that, it has an engaging storyline and quite the juicy concept :)

Killer Ex by FanGirl48

notes: gorgeous, gorgeous little human! radiostatic oneshot. i love the relationship that vox and al have here... the reasons why they both stayed away from each other even though theyre still so very clearly down bad for each other... anyway. i think about this one a lot and i still go back to reread it sometimes lol

Negotiations by FanGirl48

notes: i didnt realize until i started making this list that this fic was also written by fangirl48.... go off queen keep feeding us (me). this one was a fic recommended to me initially by link nonny, and i can 100% vouch for how good it is. its got appletv interactions, radiostatic plus lucifer trying to navigate heaven, angels... basically everything needed for a very varied and well packed with flavour story

The diary of a Serial Killer by ShippersCave

notes: okay im running out of brain juice at this point but. yeah this fic is soooo self indulgent to me. this ones another human au, with al as a serial killer and vox as the journalist trying to conduct interviews with him. its got SUCH a good dynamic between al and vox, i encourage you guys to check it out and give it a chance even if youre not really into human aus.

My heart's been pierced by Cupid by ShippersCave

notes: pirate/siren au !!!!!!!!! RAAHH !!!!! i dont have to say anything else for this if thats not enough to get you to click then i dont know what is

System Shutdown by Swoolie

notes: i cant believe i nearly forgot about this one LMAO... vox goes onto a temporary hiatus and everyone goes crazy about it. im not really sure if this counts as radiostatic frankly because of the way its tagged but its so good i think you should give it a read anyway

Together in Radio Static by Anonymous

notes: QPR media husbands radiostatic au !!!! i love this one especially because it opens off with vox slapping alastor across the face for leaving him LMAOO (deserved)

What Has Been by Tianren

notes: another human au (YEAH YEAH I KNOW. JUST HEAR ME OUT OKAY i swear im cooking) look, as someone with religious trauma deeper than i can properly express and the worlds fifteenth worst parental issues, the depiction of vox in this fic just really hits home. i really adore the exploration of voxs past and how the themes of religious guilt and cults are woven in so far- and it blends very seamlessly with their human au, despite the characters eccentricities

you're too sweet for me by awestruck_atrophy and moonbeanies

notes: basically, vox and al make a deal where vox tries to help him out of the shackles or whatever that are bound to him because of his stupid dumbass lusting for power. its very intriguing so far and i love the setup and worldbuilding the authors have done, so you should check it out if you want a unique perspective on radiostatics relationship

candlelight by curtailed

notes: the best way i can think of to describe this one is like... fake marriage but instead of fake marriage its. fake roommates??? the author probably puts it better than me tbh. its super interesting so far, i cant wait to see where this one is headed especially with how unique its premise is!

Zero Day by Anonymous

notes: this one is like those time regression manhwas. you know, the ones where the protag goes back in time and proceeds to try and avoid everyone who made their life miserable- only to fail because for some reason now they're paying attention to them more than they would have had they stayed the same person. its certainly very promising, though! i do love indulging in time regression stories, especially when the mc is someone i love like vox. i really cant wait to see which direction this one is headed in :)

Never as Good as the First Time by IComeForFanficsNowin403

notes: okay. so, uh. um. so- this one is in spanish. HOWEVER its premise (serial killer alastor meets television star (?? i think. its not quite clear) at a party hosted by rosie, moves into his neighborhood to keep an eye on the pretty prey) is just so unique i honestly think its worth the experience to pull out google translate and try living the machine translated life. really. give it a chance. also its got beautiful art to go along with, so.. you know. thats just a bonus!

+ honorary staticmoth and one-sided/past radiostatic fic rec:

Freak-A-Zoid by Femalefonzie

notes: this fic deserves every single piece of praise its ever gotten because good lord. its SO good. i was not seeing the radiostatic twist come in, but it *is* mostly staticmoth. and also a/b/o but i mean. who *hasnt* indulged in a little bit of a/b/o before honestly

there are other fics that i personally like to indulge in, but i frankly wouldnt recommend to anyone else because they're either the kinds of fics that i myself can only bring myself to read after ive spent 8 hours at work crying into my pillow and need to look at something entertaining, or when im starved of content and cant be bothered to cook myself so i pull out the translator and start going at it. (technically i should know how to read french by now but. urgh. anywway..)

[spacetime1969]

Danny Fenton’s Field Trip to the Ghost Zone!

I have had the wonderful opportunity to write a fic inspired by the art of the wonderful @arisu-artnfics as part of @ecto-implosion. I ended up thinking it would be fun to bring in a trope from a completely different fandom, and write a Peter Parker Field Trip fic for Danny Fenton. This is the final part of that fic. Enjoy!

Epilogue

Ao3 | First | Previous

Danny woke slowly at first. He snuggled into the warmth of his blanket, pulling it closer.

Then his memories of what had happened rushed to the front of his mind.

Dan! He threw his covers off with a yell, looking around panicked. Still not entirely awake, he searched the room for his alternate self.

“Danny!”

Who was that? Where was Dan!

“Whoa there Danny, calm down.”

What? Danny looked over at the other side of the room. Sam and Val were standing there. Val had her net gun out and pointed at him.

“Dan's gone, we're in Frostbite's clinic,” Sam said.

Danny took a look around the room. Sure enough he was standing, well technically floating, in one of the medical rooms in the Far Frozen.

Realizing that he had instinctively charged his fists he took a deep breath and relaxed, letting the gathered ectoplasm disperse.

He floated down to the ground and transformed back to his human form, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Sorry guys.”

Val chuckled, lowering her gun and letting it phase away. “All good Danny. No harm no foul and all that.” She smiled at him.

The door to the room opened and Danny turned to look to see who was coming through.

“Danny!” Danny barely managed to brace himself as Tucker tackled him in a hug. The two almost went spilling onto the ground. The other two came over and turned it into a group hug. Danny let himself fall into it, holding his friends close, just happy they were all alright.

Eventually the group pulled apart. “So is everyone alright? What happened with Dan?” Danny asked.

“Val sucked him up with the thermos,” Sam said. “We'll probably have to think of something more permanent eventually, since he managed to escape the last one, but he's taken care of for now.”

Danny slumped in relief. “Good. That's good. Is everyone else alright?”

Val shrugged. “Other than you? Everyone is fine. Dash got a minor concussion when the bus got hit, but he’ll be alright.”

Danny gave another sigh of relief. That was good to hear. “Thanks guys. I appreciate your help.”

“Any time dude.” Tucker said with a smile.

Danny pulled his friends back into another hug. There was still plenty to do, at some point he would have to face his classmates, and deal with the fact that they knew both Danny’s and Val’s secrets now. He would also have to talk to Frostbite about actually getting them home, and eventually figure out what to do about Dan.

Right now though he was just going to celebrate another fight won with his friends.

Danny laughed as a thought came to him.

“What’s so funny Danny?” Sam asked.

“Can you believe that all this started with a field trip to the Planetarium?”

His friends started laughing with him.

“What even is our lives man?” Tucker laughed.

“Hey! I didn’t get into nearly as much trouble before I joined you guys,” Val said. Her accusation didn’t really have any teeth with how she said it through her laughter.

“And yet you joined us anyway,” Sam said, laughing just as hard as the other two.

Danny couldn’t help the smile on his face. Yeah it had been a crazy trip, but hey, here they were, all laughing and in one piece. Still, Danny would love to hear a field trip story that could top theirs.

[dragonshoardofworks]

Ecto-Implosion Time! (3/3)

Take The Stars And Show Them How To Glow by @ikiracake

The only thing that came to my mind to comment this post was this meme (sorry not sorry 🤣):

At long last, everyone at full power!!

...or are they?

Spoilers/Trivia under the cut!

At long last, Val my gal at Full Powaaaaaa!

(๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ

The initial reasoning for Val taking so long to reach her full potential came from a brainstorming sesh on the EI server with the other artists, because I had no Idea how to design the Final Form.

Everyone had their interests and quirks fitted in their outfits and designs, but Val was just in an alt version of her Huntress suit! ( ≧Д≦)

Due to poor show planning choices, canon Valerie Gray has no interests, hobby or little details to make her a well-rounded character other than a martial art expert who could kick your ass into the next week and used to be a snob/A-Lister.

Yes, that made her a blank slate to paint in any way I desired, but it was completely unfair to her!

But then @faerynova gave me the nudge I needed to think deeper into her character:

consider: valerie herself doesn't know because she painted her entire identity around being an a-lister and fitting in and then around revenge and by god does she need to sit down and figure out what she enjoys and how to enjoy things for herself

That made me think back of a past fic of mine, where Val's Grandma was from New Orleans (thus the jacket and the tignon headwrap).

AND THEN!

Valerie Gray is a Pro with her Hoverboard. It wouldn't be too much of a leap for her to start skateboarding for a challenge, since the laws of physics are more pressing with "analogic" tools instead of "cheating" with ghost-related ones.

So, Skater Girl Val! 🙌

As for Tucker, like I said in the previous post, this was his original-do, because my man deserves his past power-ups to be recognized!

(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

And last, but not least, Jazz!

She's a teenager, she deserves to act and look like it!

Thus Ember-style makover, still retaining her science roots and interest, but not chained by them.

(◡̀_◡́)

I think that this is all, for now.

This @ecto-implosion was a blast, I had so much fun working with Ikira (thank you again for choosing me! 😊) and I cannot wait to see what next year has in store!

Happy Imploding Everyone!

(ﾉΦωΦ)ﾉ*.✧

[mollymauk-teafleak]

oh the times that we believed

More of the fantastic @minky-for-short's human Huskerdust painter and muse au! A bit of plot motived hurt/comfort!

Please reblog and comment over on Ao3 if you enjoyed this!

cw: abuse, sex work, it's Angel Dust working for Valentino and all that implies in canon

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

Angel wondered when he’d start believing the things Husker told him. 

Some things he didn’t believe and wasn’t supposed to. Husk’s stories from his ragged upbringing on the Strip were clearly bright, shiny pearls formed around small grains of some truth, given to be admired and enjoyed, even if it was artificial. Husk would launch into tales of impossible, artful cons, victories snatched at the last moment thanks to a card up the sleeve, run-ins with the mob where Husk’s life hinged on a dice roll and a mad dash on stage to blend into a big band. 

When he told Angel these stories with obvious delight when the younger man laughed until he cried, gasped at just the right moments, hung on his every word, it was like sitting with a younger version of Husk. He’d see the great showman his lover could have been if he’d had quieter demons and more certain luck, the dreams he’d once had that still clung to him, a jacket he’d outgrown a long time ago. Angel couldn’t quite believe any of those stories but that wasn’t the point of a magic show, was it? 

It wasn’t those stories that Angel struggled to believe. It wasn’t anything big, really. All the languages Husker could speak, the achingly beautiful art he made, the places he’d been that Angel only knew as names in a book. All that he could swallow easily, he didn’t doubt that he’d found something special in Husk, a man made of dizzying highs and crashing lows and interesting stories, like an antique store in paint-stained shirtsleeves. 

The problem wasn’t the big things. It was the little things Husk said that Angel didn’t know how to believe, small handfuls of words he whispered gently or scattered like handfuls of seeds, almost unaware of the blooms they’d grow into inside Angel’s mind. 

 I remembered those were your favorite flowers. I just worried you might be cold. I wanted to let you sleep, I know how tired you are. We can take a break. I’ve got you. I’m here. I won’t leave. 

I love you. 

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to?”

Angel sighed internally and added it to the list, wishing Husk’s love was as easy to believe in as his lies. 

“What do you mean?” he murmured, the question he really wanted to ask but shrunk down small. 

“Well…” Husk’s gaze was knowing, though he didn’t mean that as an attack the way most people in Angel’s life did, he didn’t want to know so he could hurt, “You’ve been sitting in that robe for half an hour now, Legs?”

It was news to Angel, though he wasn’t surprised. Time had always been something slippery to him, running through his fingers like water when other people could grasp it and be sure of it. He’d been prone to black outs when he was a child, snatches of time he wouldn’t be able to recall afterwards, only bruises in the shape of his father’s fists and his sister’s fruitless tears to show him what had happened while he was gone. He’d started escaping into them as a young man, using chemicals to open the doors to oblivion, again relying on souvenirs to piece together the story afterwards when it was safe. When it could almost be something that happened to someone else. 

And now, brain still slick and foggy from the night before, he wasn’t surprised that he slipped away, not wanting to think about what was going to happen when he took off the robe, when Husk saw what was underneath. 

What did surprise him was Husk’s offer. 

“But I’m supposed to sit for you today,” Angel’s fingers toyed with the cheap fake fur that edges his robe, worn flat and matted from how long he’d clung to it as his comfort blanket, “Val ain’t paying you to paint me with my clothes on.”

“And if I gave a rat’s ass what Valentino thought, you wouldn’t spend more time in my bed than you do in front of my easel,” Husk pointed out with a wry smile, coming to sit beside him on the sagging old couch in the corner of the studio.

“I’m coming,” Angel insisted, though his voice was wearing so thin the lie showed through, “I’m just tired. Had a late night, that’s all.”

Angel didn’t know who he was kidding, trying to fool a man who’d grown up on the Strip speaking fluent bullshit, who could see the way his hands were trembling, the way he only pulled his robe tighter around him. But Husk didn’t seem angry or even irritated by the feeble attempt, just studying Angel with a careful, warm gaze. 

“There doesn’t need to be a reason,” his voice was gentle too, light, willing to play along and pretend this was just going to be a regular day, “If you don’t feel like it, you don’t feel like it.”

“You know what my job is, right?” Angel gave a bitter laugh, staring at his hands, trying to force them to relax and not look so desperate, “You know what my life is?”

“Baby,” that broke Husk’s voice a little, the sadness welling up in the cracks, “You ain’t at the club right now. You’re with me, you’re safe here.”

Another thing Angel didn’t know how to believe, another thing to toss into the chasm between what he wanted and what he could do.

“When are you gonna get sick of trying to convince me?” the words slipped out of Angel, past his better judgment, taking advantage of his bone deep exhaustion and clouded mind, “When are you gonna get tired of saying this shit to me and it not making a difference?”

There was a moment of quiet or at least as quiet as this part of the city got, down to just the riot of horns and curses from the street outside. Angel’s stomach went into a sickening freefall, leaving him burning with self hatred. He never could have anything good in his life without bending it to see when it would break, so he could cut his hands on the jagged edges and tell himself the pain had been inevitable, that he’d been right to expect the worst, that he didn’t have to change because the outcome would always be the same. 

“Can I touch you, baby? That okay?”

Angel jumped like a gun had gone off by his ear, the nod shaken out of him before he could think whether it was smart to be honest right now. 

Words were hollow at best and weapons at worst but something about the solid presence of Husk’s hand on his shoulder was more certain, something he could trust in. It hurt, of course it did, there was nowhere under his robe where it wouldn’t, but Angel kept it off his face. He knew it would hurt far worse if Husk took it away. 

“Short answer, Angel? Never,” each word came slowly, like he was checking it over to make sure it was right before putting it in place on the end of his tongue, “Do I wish things were different, yeah, of course I do. I wish you’d never been hurt the way you have, I wish the idea of me loving you and caring about you wasn’t new. But, fuck, I don’t blame you for that, how could I? It ain’t your fault.”

“It isn’t my fault that Valentino has a contract with my name on it?” Angel took a sharp, ragged breath, whipping around to face him, “I was a junkie long before I met him, Husk. My life was well and truly fucked before he decided to make a profit off it. I signed my body over to him and I meant it, how is that not my fault?”

“Because you trusted him back then,” Husk’s voice grew firm, roots digging deep and refusing to bend under Angel’s attempt to wrench it up, “And I know I’m asking you to do the same for me, telling you I won’t hurt you when that’s all anyone’s ever done. Believe me, the asking don’t come easy either. Before you walked into my studio, I was ready to just drink my way to hell and be done with it. Believing I deserve you, that I got any right to tell you I love you���it’s hard.”

For a wild moment, Angel wished he had two sets of arms, one for the part of himself that burned to shove Husk away, one for the part that ached to pull him close, “So why do it? Why try when it’s so hard it feels…impossible?”

“Because you’re worth it.”

Husk said it so plainly, without hesitation, like he was telling Angel the sky was blue, that water was wet. Like he just knew. 

Angel had never had any use for faith, his nonna and his sister had tried to convince him but when he looked at the stained glass, his eyes were always drawn to the snake coiled around the tree, the twisted shapes with horns and claws more than the pure, perfect saints with their palms upturned to the light. Even when he’d been too young to know himself, he had known that when the priest spoke about temptation and deviance and sin, he was talking about Angel. Those were the first words he learned to describe himself and that kind of shame never fully went away. 

But when Angel looked at Husk, he saw something in his eyes that could only be faith. Belief for its own sake, belief because it filled a space inside him, because it felt good when so many other things felt bad. 

“So I’ll never get tired of telling you I love you, baby,” Husk murmured, “I’ll never get tired of telling you you’re safe here. Whether you believe me or not, it’s true and it’ll always be true.”

“Husk…” tears blurred his vision but he still felt that gaze, anchoring him in place. 

He didn’t have the words to finish that sentence, he didn’t know what to call the emotions thrumming in his chest, scared that if he looked too closely they’d crack and fall away. Instead he shrugged out of the robe, letting it turn into a faux silk puddle around his hips, letting Husk see what he’d been hiding from him, why he hadn’t been able to imagine showing him before. 

Husk’s voice was strangled, like something was gripping his throat, something not outside but inside, “Angel. Fuck, what did he do to you…”

The bruises had looked bad that morning when he’d dragged himself upright, showering and dressing quickly so he didn’t have to see them, only feel them, but Angel knew they’d look worse now. Husk’s expression, the tremor in his voice, told him enough. 

“Apparently some big shot was in the club last night,” Angel’s voice was flat, distant, echoing oddly in his ears like it was someone else speaking, “Someone Valentino wanted to impress. I was headlining like usual but I fell, went down hard. No way to recover.” 

He lifted one shoulder, a more misshapen, more natural bruise throbbing like it knew he was talking about it. 

“Val was furious,” he closed his eyes against the memory of flashing eyes and bared teeth, smoke pouring out with every curse and cutting word like there was a fire inside his mouth, “I was in for a beating anyway but then…then I made it worse. I told him I’d slipped because my hands were shaking. I wasn’t gonna tell him why, I’d said too damn much already but…but he made me tell him.”

“Tell him what?” Husk prompted gently, not demanding, just giving him permission to say it. Just promising him he’d be heard. 

“That it was the shakes. That it was because I ain’t had a hit in…a week?”

It sounded such a small thing to say it out loud, a pathetic, scrambling first step up a mountain that stretched into the clouds. Seven days, seven hard, painful, blinding days, felt like nothing to boast about, a child holding up a shiny candy wrapper and calling it treasure. Sitting here, all Angel could think was how seven days wasn’t worth a beating, not when he was just going to fall off the wagon at any moment. 

But Husk’s voice was awed, a tone that would make Angel think of the colorful prayer candles and brightly painted wooden rosary beads in his nonna’s little closet, the place where she carefully tucked her faith and her home away, keeping it safe from their family’s darkness. 

“That’s incredible, baby,” he murmured, finding Angel’s hand and holding tight, “I mean, I’m sorry that asshole flew off the handle but, fuck, I’m proud of you.”

Angel gave a dry, bitter laugh but he held on just as tight, “Don’t get used to it, can’t promise it’s gonna last.”

“Don’t matter,” Husk’s voice was as firm as his grip, keeping Angel anchored, “I’m proud of you either way. For doing it and for telling me, for letting me see. I know what it costs you.”

The smile came easily, easier than it had any right to when he was sitting here wearing nothing but the streaks of tears and blooming bruises, “No more than you’re worth, Husk…sorry, I ain’t gonna make a pretty picture today.”

Husk paused a moment before a light flickered in his eyes, a light that took years off him, that turned him into the main character from those impossible bullshit stories. 

“Well…I’m sure as fuck not lifting a finger for Valentino today, except to give him a taste of his own medicine,” his eyes slid over to his cluttered workbench, deeply stained with turpentine and oil paints, old whiskey jugs and jam jars filled with water in half a hundred swirling colours, “But I still feel like painting. Work with me here, Legs…”

Angel watched in bemusement as Husk began loading the coffee table with half crushed tubes of paint, watercolor palettes that had wept half of their pigments away, his most delicate brushes. He navigated the chaos of his studio almost without thinking, always knowing what he needed and where to find it, even if he never put it down in the same place twice. 

“The hell are you doing, handsome?” Angel tilted his head, putting his arm out when Husk gestured, without even thinking because he just didn’t need to. 

“Trying something new,” Husk sat beside him, dipping a feather light brush into water, then pressing it to a square of dusty pink paint until the horsehair drank the color, until it looked like a flower bud, “Call it inspiration.”

“Like I’m your muse?” Angel flashed him a grin, knowing Husk thought his gold tooth was hot.

“Like you’re the love of my life,” Husk gently touched the tip of the brush to his skin, “Let me know if it hurts…”

It didn’t, the brush was as delicate and gentle as Husk’s own fingers, like it really was an extension of him. A few strokes and that bud bloomed into an orchid on Angel’s skin, with a burn scar in the center. Suddenly it wasn’t where Valentino had pressed the smoldering end of his cigarette to wrench the confession out of him, it was something beautiful. 

“It won’t last forever,” Husk murmured, eyes holding Angel’s, “But neither will the hurt. Either way you’re beautiful and either way, I love you.” 

“I love you too,” Angel’s voice trembled along with his hands, making the orchid dance as if in some breeze, “Can you do more of them?”

Husk raised his knuckles to his lips, “Fields of flowers. A galaxy’s worth of stars. Moons and suns and whatever the hell else you want, baby. I can’t give you much but I can paint you the universe.”

“I’ll take whatever you’ve got,” Angel laid his head against Husk’s shoulder. 

He said it wasn't much but to Angel, it felt like everything.

Every scar, every bite, every bruise was given something beautiful. Some got flowers until Angel was wearing a necklace of them, some became clouds in a sky that began as daylight at his fingertips and ended at night by his shoulder, with every color in between. Dragons curled around some, guarding them fiercely, planets orbited around others and made them the core of distant solar systems. 

Husk painted almost without thinking, like he was letting whatever he felt for Angel spill out through his brush, giving him a hundred other stories than the ones the bruises told. He made him a fae prince with garters of wisteria on his thighs and serpents curled around his wrists, a young god with the world in his palm, a literal angel with a folded pair of gorgeous wings on his back. He was right, they wouldn’t last, but Angel knew he’d always remember. Nothing was going to take this from him. 

And while he painted, almost as great a gift as the escapes he was offering, Husk listened. He seemed to know which scars to ask about and which to let lie, which ones to frame and which ones to cover. Angel told him about the jagged slash on his back, the bullet that had whizzed overhead while he crouched behind a bar in France, after the drag show he’d been performing in went to shit when an enemy soldier felt the knife strapped to his thigh. He told Husk about the pinhole scar on his ear from his very first, very stupid attempt to pierce them, the one that had ended with his sister bending him over the sink and holding her favorite scarf to his ear until the bleeding stopped. He showed him the bump in his nose, where he’d fallen on his face, smack bang into the sidewalk, right off his very first pair of high heels. 

Husk might have been a showman once upon a time but he’d clearly spent a lot of time in audiences too. His laugh was a smoky wheeze, like an accordion with a hole in the bellows, and he used it at just the right moments. He asked the right questions, he groaned and gasped and chortled and made Angel feel as though he was standing on a stage, bringing the house down. And all while he wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing, with Husk crawling all over him to paint his chest, his back, down to his ass and between his thighs. It tasted like relief, to be naked but not offered up, to be exposed but not sexualised, touched but not grabbed. He loved when Husk fucked him, of course he did, but it was nice to know it didn’t have to be an inevitability, something to make him feel more powerful rather than powerless. 

Angel didn’t think there was an end to his scars but, by the time the sky outside was bleeding orange, he was standing in front of Husk’s dusty mirror, a completed work of art. Every mark on his skin, from his childhood to last night, was decorated and adorned and loved. He would cry but he didn’t want his tears to ruin the sets of bright, golden eyes Husk had painted on his cheeks. 

Instead he choked out, “Thank you…fuck, Husk, thank you so much…”

Husk wiped smudges in half a hundred colors off his hands, eyes warm and admiring, “Should be me thanking you, baby. You let me help.”

“Now that I don’t believe,” Angel reached out and snagged his collar, pulling him into the frame of the mirror so he could look at himself and Husk at the same time. 

“Listen…there was something else I wanted to give you, not that you need to take it,” Husk’s voice softened, eyes ducking and an honest to God blush darkening his cheeks, “You tell me if I’m being an old fool here…”

Angel paused, watching his lover’s expression in the mirror, struck with the sudden sense that the ground was about to shift beneath his feet. 

“Ever since you introduced me to your friend, Charlie?” Husk cleared his throat, suddenly sounding like he was reading from a prepared speech, “She commissioned me for a couple paintings of her girl, the mean eyed one.”

“Vaggie?” Angel chuckled, “Yeah, she said she was going to. She’s a generous girl, huh? A toff but she’s nice about it.”

“Real fucking generous. I ain’t had pricetags like that since before I blew it all,” Husk admitted with a small, almost disbelieving laugh, “But…it got me thinking. Between what I’m getting from that asshole Valentino and your friend…well, your contract with the club has to have a price attached, right?”

Angel’s heart sank with the bitter, shameful taste of a dream he’d been a fool to believe in, “Yeah. It was a fortune when I first signed it and it’s only gotten bigger every year. Val finds any excuse to add to it, room and board, make up, costumes, the fucking drugs. When I was younger, I thought maybe one day…but it’s impossible.”

“Not for me.” 

The reflection wasn’t enough anymore, Angel turned and looked at Husk, jaw slack, eyes wide, “What?”

“I could give you the money to buy your contract out from under that creep,” Husk’s voice steeled, a fierce determination bolstering it, “Then you wouldn’t have to live with him, you wouldn’t have to work at his whorehouse calling itself a nightclub. You’d be able to get clean, you could find a new job or, hell, you could still strip but it would be on your terms. And he wouldn’t be able to say shit. And…you could leave the city. Get away from all this.”

Husk’s voice stumbled at the end, the words clearly paining him but he said them anyway, not flinching from Angel’s gaze. 

It was a fantasy, an impossibility, like the things he’d painted on Angel’s skin. And in spite of himself and the life he’d lived, in spite of every second that had come before this one, all Angel could do was ask for more. 

“Or?” he prompted, his voice a whisper like it was scared to be heard. 

Dawn broke in Husk’s smile, “Or…I buy the apartment above my tiny, shitty studio. It’s also tiny and shitty but it’s got enough room for two people. You move in, I succeed in pulling my career out of the gutter and give you the chance to build a life you actually like. I make you coffee and flapjacks every morning, you make me your nonna’s recipes, we go out dancing, I drag you to art museums, you make me go to the ball game. And…and I guess we live happily ever after?”

“I guess,” Angel smiled, feeling his heart crack open, all the hope he’d been so scared of rushing in, “I want that, Husk. God, that’s all I want.”

“Then let’s go get it, baby,” Husk drew him close, his embrace smudging the paint but it didn’t matter, this dream meant more. 

Maybe it was just a daydream. Maybe it was one of those stories too fantastical to really believe, the work of a Vegas showman, a beautiful con, the throw of a dice. Maybe it was another escape into oblivion, an idea that would melt away like a high. Maybe it would fade into a scar or blur like paint under a thumb. 

But Angel didn’t care. If it did fall apart, the way everything had before, he’d still say this feeling had been worth it. 

Angel realized now, he didn’t have to wait until he started believing the things Husk told him. He had to choose to believe in them. 

That's what made it faith. 

[gabrielsbubblegumbitch]

Hello again! Currently attempting at fanart for childhood era human Vee's and was wondering whether you have any personal interpretations regarding them during said time period? (Though admittedly also curious to know if you have any head canons about their general appearance as well. Having some serious struggles with hair color at the moment lol)

(Love love loved every second of panaceum as a rare character deep dive static moth fic btw! Tysm for the amazing food and have a nice day.)

Aww thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed my writing <33 I love diving into twisted minds of these two.

When it comes to human Vox and Valentino, everytime I think about them I see Laura's art. I think in case of Vox it's the most common headcanon? I see it all over twitter drawn by different artists. And I love Val's hair here, they add that extra factor that is often missing without fluff, four arms and red eyes of his demon form. Velvette I think looked rather similar to her hell-ish vershion, just without doll features.

Vox: As a kid, Vox was on the chubbier side, thanks to an endless supply of treats. He had a pale, almost ghostly complexion from way too much time indoors. Decked out in over-the-top, fancy-kid clothes by his mom, he looked like a tiny, overly serious businessboy, especially with his black hair slicked back. And he always had menace in his blue eyes.

Val: Val was taller than most kids his age, and quite skinny, which made his big brown eyes stand out even more. He had this warm bronze skin and always sported a buzz cut - a practical choice, cause it was easier to maintain than his wild curls. His wardrobe was as basic as it gets: a plain t-shirt paired with shorts because, you know, his family was poor.

Velvette: Velvette was shorter than most, with deep brown skin and almond-shaped brown eyes. Her hair varied day by day, thanks to her father's efforts with braids and twists, which was their way of connecting (he was shitty but he tried). Her clothes often featured something handmade, like a pin or a bracelet, because she's always been crazily creative with her looks and tried to stand out.

(lmao I suck at writing physical appearance descriptions, sorry. Good luck with your fanart though! <3)

[kitcat-void]

Welcome to my blog! (My other acc is @indigo-val, so if that acc follows you its me!)

You can call me Kitcat, Foxcat, or Void, and I use any pronouns (they/them leaning) I am 18

I'm Polyamorous (I currently have one partner (@tiger-puppy)), Genderfluid, and Sapphic

I'm pretty new to the therian and otherkin community. I really wanted to get involved more with the community, I like seeing others like me!

I'm a black cat, silver fox and snow leopard therian and an angelkin/celestialkin/divinekin/deitykin. I'm still figuring out what looks/feels the most 'me', but I'm getting there!

My other interests include games like hollow knight, neon white, 8:11, and rain world, as well as music. I play guitar and sing frequently and may even post some on here

Some media I enjoy includes Hilda, MLP, Dungeon Meshi, Trigun, and Ghibli movies :] Also I draw both digitally and traditionally

⬇️--Theriotypes--⬇️

- Black Cat -

Even though I say black cat, there is some grey/white spotting! I really like fish, bones, and collars to go along with this :3 makes me feel very connected with being cat-like

BIG fluffy tail, a little less fluffy everywhere else. Fur length is like the cat on the top left, but my tail is a bit more like the top right

- Silver Fox -

While I resonate with other fox types like red, arctic, and grey, silver especially resonates with me

- Snow Leopard -

This one is more prevalent during winter months, being all bundled up and fluffy feeling helps me connect with this one

Fluffy fur (big coats) are great for playing in the snow :]

- Angel Otherkin -

I am angelkin (nonspecific), deitykin, celestialkin, and divinekin, with a very strong connection to stars/space. I also have connections to honey, moths, and oceans. Iridescence, bioluminescence, and ultraviolet are all things that resonate with me in an abstract hard to explain way. I'm sure other angelkin get it though

I am a deity of the stars and welcome worshippers. I cant offer much in this form but comfort under the love of the milky way

DM's and Asks are always open! I love talking

[credit to: Mellowshaymin, Soleil Radiotrophic, and Amy on blinkies.cafe]

tags I use (so i can find stuff I've rebloged later): #foxposting #catposting #snowposting # angelposting #how i look #therian gear #my art

[madaboutmunson]

Again - Part 24 - The End

Part 1 | Part 23 | Full list of Again series links inc AO3 Link

Steddie fic where Steve and Eddie are in their mid 30's and everyone has sort of drifted apart

Notes: We made it! All the way to the end. A big thank you to everyone that makes it this far. I know there are thousands of other fics you could be reading, and I am honored you take the time out to read mine. This is the longest fic I've ever written, and I'm gonna miss writing these versions of the characters. I hope youve enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it and reading your thoughts on it :)

Taglist: @adaed5 @grtwdsmwhr @swimmingbirdrunningrock @mightbeasleep, @jewellthebooknerd, @fentiibratzz @rvllybllply2014

================================================

The next few weeks, they fall into a happy routine. Every day starts with a breakfast tray with two oat shakes and half of Steve’s meds. Eddie hated it at first, but the novelty of toppings made him grow to love them.

Depending on the day, Eddie either goes through the exercise routine with Steve or if he has to go to work, Wayne coaches him through it, occasionally taking part himself. 

Then Steve checks in with the builders to see how Wayne’s mini ranch house is coming along further out on the land. Wayne never complains if anything is wrong or not to his original requests, but Steve has been busy deciphering the eyebrow and sigh slash grumble code with Eddie’s expert knowledge, and he’s almost got it down to a fine art.

The kids were to stay at Jenny and Val’s for a few more weeks, but Steve called them every day once they were home from school. 

Their evenings always end the same way. Wayne bids them goodnight and goes back to the RV, then Eddie and Steve build their living room fort together, and Steve got the front seat tonight. So that means Eddie has TV control. He selects a music DVD and talks through the meanings behind the songs or some random factoids that Steve probably wouldn’t remember. Still, he could watch Eddie talk enthusiastically about mostly anything. The way his eyes widen and sparkle, they either stare intensely at the screen or Steve, his one hand always at Steve's chest, the other wildly gesticulating around. Maybe a cushion falls victim to it on occasion.

“You got any plans tomorrow, babe?” Eddie asks happily.

“Other than beating my exercise personal bests and kissing you….hmmm….nope,” Steve answers.

“Awww, Steve, do you have a lil’ crush on me?” Eddie jokes, fluttering his eyelashes and grabbing one of Steve’s hands in each of his own.

“I guess you could say that. I think you’re alright, you know? Kinda cute. Tolerable,” Steve teases and is immediately jostled from side to side by Eddie's knees.

“Kinda cute? Tolerable? Ooof, am I losing my charm? Do I need to revert to my nerdy ways and grow my hair out?” Eddie pretends to be devastated and flops forward on Steve’s shoulder in mock defeat.

“I love you, you stupid ass.” Steve laughs, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek and snuggling backwards into him more.

"You sure about that? Like one hundred per cent, sure? No take backsies? If destroyed still true forever?" Eddie mutters softly as he nuzzles against his cheek and ear. Steve turns slightly to look into his eyes.

"Yes." Steve answers with a gentle smile of adoration, "Of course. Without a shadow of a doubt. To the end of the universe and back. Three hundred and sixty-five days a year, twenty-four hours a day. I absolutely, one hundred per cent adore you. I love you." Steve kisses him softly to seal his declaration, and this is where Eddie normally bundles him up in his arms somehow, and they kiss and melt into one another for hours until it's time to sleep. 

But not tonight.

Tonight Eddie gets up and changes the DVD he puts on The Breakfast Club. Steve admires his tattooed topless form as he moves. He looks stronger still these days. Steve wonders if that is to do with Eddie falling into his exercise and eating regime. His jeans still slouch a little around his tiny waist, which Steve has also noted has developed a slight squidginess of content. Eddie complains about it, but Steve loves it. It means he's happy here. Eddie returns and sits back behind Steve as the film starts.

"It's good, you know," Eddie says happily as he reaches for his hands again, leans forward and wraps both sets of their arms around Steve again.

"What is? the movie?" Steve asks, a little confused.

Eddie laughs, "Well, like, everything, but specifically that you love me so much."

"Eddie, did you eat some special brownies today? You're talking in riddles. I love you every day. You love me every day. Why is it any different tonight?"

"Because otherwise, this would be silly of me" Their joined hands that had been draped around him go to Eddie's jeans pocket, and Steve can feel something gripped in their joined fingers, and it's lifted in front of his eyes a black box. Eddie's thumb flicks open the lid, and inside are two silver rings. 

At first glance, they look like two plain silver bands, which is beautiful enough, but as Eddie twists the box for him, he begins to see their hammered texture. Steve uses his hand to lift the box when he notices the same word engraved on the inside of each "Aeternum".

"Hey, calm down, love. I don't want heart-monitor-Max’s spidey sense setting off wherever she is, bursting in here and kicking my ass," Eddie says with a smile in his voice, tapping their joined hands against the centre of Steve's chest delicately. Steve is so surprised he hasn't realised his heart rate has picked up, but he feels the deep thuds now. He feels Eddie's chest rise and fall against his back, and he attempts to match it to calm himself. "Don't worry. This isn't my proposal. You know, I'd never do something like that as quietly as this. This is…uh…a just-the-facts ring" Eddie lets out a soft laugh next to Steve's ear. 

Steve wishes it was just the surprise making his heart pound, but it wasn't. It was fear. He's afraid he doesn't deserve this, not after what he did. "You're awful quiet with your words there, sweetheart," Eddie says with a hint of worry, and Steve shuts his eyes for a moment. Trying to compose himself.

"After what I did?" Steve asks, afraid to use too many words in case he ruins everything with another tearful display.

"Steve, please, not tonight," Eddie pleads glumly."We're done with all that. We're doing all the things we need to."

Steve deflates in Eddie's arms momentarily, "I'm sorry, Eddie. I'm trying."

Eddie clears his throat. "Well, technically, I got these before any of that happened. So, uh, I wanted to give you this before and after." Steve can hear the smile in his voice, and it's causing a twisted pain in him. He knows Eddie means well and wants to play pretend like it hadn't happened. Steve remembers Eddie sitting opposite him in the kitchen, how he told him he didn't deserve Steve's love, and if this was what he felt like at the time, Steve regrets not being more patient, but Eddie had tried for Steve, and so he must do the same now.

"Why didn't you get ones like your other rings?" Steve asks, and he feels Eddie snuggle up to him a little more, happy for his effort.

"I wanted something special. I wanted them to be like us. A mixture of moments of perfection and imperfection, but it's glaringly obvious they belong together," Eddie says with a hint of excitement. Steve untangles their fingers on both hands, leaving Eddie holding the box in his eye line, and finds the one finger of Eddie's that has no ring adorning it. 

Steve carefully takes a ring out of the box and slides the ring onto Eddie's finger, then kisses the back of his hand. As he reaches for the other ring, Eddie softly bumps his fingers out of the way, takes Steve's hand in his, and puts the ring on for him. He kisses the back of Steve's hand and then his temple, "I'll love you for all eternity," Eddie whispers as he casts aside the box, weaves their fingers back together, and moves their hands back where they were.

"And I, you," Steve replies softly, unable to take his eyes off him. He amazed him. How could something that made so much sense right now have at one time seemed entirely impossible? At one time, he thought there was no way Eddie could love him back, and yet here they are wrapped up together, shacked up together, making promises until the end of time together, "So much, honey." He pauses, taking a few breaths, "I'm sorry, Eddie."

"How many times, Steve! Stop saying sorry." Eddie kisses him as if to swallow up his unwanted apologies.

"Oh, I'm not apologising for that," Steve says, getting to his feet and hoisting Eddie up with him, who looks puzzled but smiles all the same, especially when he finds himself wrapped up in Steve's arms, being gently swayed to some non-existent music, as Steve's gentle eyes gaze sleepily into his.

"No? Then what are you apologising for?" Eddie inquires. Though his voice is soft, his words trail away, completely distracted by what is happening between them.

"Because I'm impatient, honey, and because if I love you any more, I'm certain my heart would explode," Steve's eyes swim with fondness as they trail over Eddie's features, as he tilts his head to the side in adorable confusion, "Eddie?" Steve says softly.

"Yeah?" Eddie mutters as he leans against his love, their bodies pressed together so no glimmer of light can get between them.

"Eddie Munson. That's a nice name. You like it?" Steve asks softly, his mouth barely an inch for Eddie's. Their eyes have yet to glance away from one another.

Eddie laughs softly, "I don't mind it, I guess. You like yours, Steve Harrington?"

"I guess," Steve replies dreamily, a smile creeping over his face, "Edward Munson?" Steve asks again, making Eddie's smile stretch into a grin and giggle.

"Yes, Steven Harrington," he says, looking a little confused but happy regardless. Steve readjusts his arms so one wraps around Eddie's back, pulling him in close, and the other reaches up to cradle the back of his neck.

"Will you marry me?" Steve asks in a whisper. Even with knowing how deeply Eddie adores him, it is still a genuine question. Eddie's eyes sparkle as they well up, but they crease at the corners as his smile widens and he nods his head a few times.

"Yeah." Eddie answers, his voice cracking, "Yeah, I think I will." He beams and kisses Steve tenderly. Eddie tucks some of Steve's hair behind his ear as they part, "I love this for us, baby, but you know I can't let this be it, though, right?"

"I know." Steve smiles with understanding.

Over the next few weeks, it was a competition of who could propose to who in the grandest way, and each time they'd pretend to be nervous, even though they already knew the answer.

Eddie calls up a national radio station and gets them to prank Steve with a competition win just so he can propose to him live on air.

Steve hires a skywriter to propose to Eddie when he brings him his lunch at work.

Eddie interrupts a parent-teacher meeting and proposes to Steve playing his BC Rich Warlock through a portable amp, singing "Will you marry me?" to the tune of We Will Rock You. He even gets everyone else in the room to do the stomps and claps.

Steve buys a page in Rolling Stone magazine to propose to Eddie.

Eddie proposes right at the end of an elaborate scavenger hunt they put on after a massive party that everyone is invited to at their house. Steve declares him the winner after that one. Eddie claims his super secret prize when everyone else has gone home later that night.

With same-sex marriage still not legal in the state, they decided there was little point organising anything, but as far as they, their loved ones and anyone bothered enough to ask knew, They were as good as married, and they never referred to one another in conversation as anything less than Husband. If either of them got a hint that it bothered anyone they were talking to, they just talked about their husband more.

***************************************************************

Their first Halloween together is a full-blown production. With a blank cheque at his disposal, Eddie goes hog wild with the kids, making the whole place into a house of horrors. Eddie told everyone to keep it on the cartoony side of things and expressly forbade any jump scares or smoke machines in the house. He said it was tacky, and everyone did that. He didn't want their house to be the same as the next. But Steve knew he'd done it for him so he could enjoy everything without fear of flashbacks. Eddie even hooked up his guitar to play the theme tunes of the trick-or-treater's costumes. Steve dressed as Dr Van Helsing, and Eddie as the infamous Count Dracula. Morgan and Mackenzie opt for Princess Fiona and Shrek (sporting his prize-winning pie rosette), and after much aggressive and whiny persuasion from Corey, Wayne agrees to Agent Smith from The Matrix to complement his Neo outfit. 

That night Steve mainly watches. He converses with other parents from the neighbourhood about school topics, but his eyes fall back to the same thing. Eddie. But a specific Eddie. An Eddie with his heart full of unbridled joy. Whether he was running around chasing after kids Corey's age with his fake plastic fangs bared, regaling a group of teens around a small fire pit with a story so terrifying an occasional audible squeal would ring out, or handing out the gift bags of full-size treats and toys with the hugest toothy smile on his face. But what absolutely kills Steve is the little witch, crying her eyes out in the middle of the lawn. 

She must be around two or three, Steve guesses, clinging onto a little bucket full of candy, but she's looking around like she's lost something. She tugs on the back of Eddie's cape, and as he turns, he kneels. She takes a step back in fright. He takes out his fangs and shows her he is nothing to fear. He even wipes a finger across his makeup, showing her it's all pretend. She mimics him swiping her on her own finger across his face, and Eddie smiles gently at her, listening and nodding intently as the little girl talks. He asks her something, she nods, and he hoists her up onto his hip, cradling her to his side, and pointing and turning around, constantly checking in with her, making her giggle as she twists the curled ends of his hair in her fingers until a flustered woman runs up and thanks Eddie profusely. He just shrugs, waves them goodbye and pops his teeth back in.

"Everythin' ok, Sunny?" Wayne's deep drawl breaks Steve's focus.

"Yeah, just I dunno." Steve looks at the ground. His voice is a little sad, "Doesn't seem fair." he sighs, looking back at Eddie. Wayne's eyes follow his line of sight, and his mouth parts slightly, maybe in surprise. Perhaps his own sadness presents itself silently this way because Wayne doesn't have the right words for a change, "I just think he would have been great at it."

There is a beat of silence, "You asked him?"

Steve shakes his head, "No. Wanted to a bunch of times. Just can never quite figure out how." Wayne hums in understanding and pats Steve on the back, leaving him to look longingly at his husband as he thumbs at the only ring on his fingers. Eddie senses him as always, turns and gives him a gigantic grin, gesturing at the festivities around him, before blowing Steve a kiss, which he catches out of the air and puts in his pocket, making Eddie roll his eyes and laugh, before heading back to the next lot of trick or treaters.

***************************************************************

A month later, the house's energy is at a fever pitch. Tonight Steve had taken Eddie out. First, to the local premiere of The Fellowship of the Ring so that Eddie could watch it with a room full of people, but then surprises him when he asks if he wants to stay behind and watch it one more time, just the two of them. Of course, Eddie nearly spontaneously combusted on the spot, having no idea Steve had arranged a second surprise viewing for him. Steve doesn't think he'll ever forget how happy Eddie looked in that moment or how many times he'd clench his fists with excitement and then turn and kiss Steve, babbling happily about something he didn't quite catch the first time around. 

He was so easy to fall for. Steve could do that every day over and over. Like breathing. Like he was built to do this. To love Eddie. Forever.

Steve doesn't usually make it through a standard-length film, let alone one of this length. Twice. Not without yawning or nearly falling asleep. But the second time around, he only partially watches the screen. Most of the time, he's watching his own blockbuster, a cast of one, Eddie. He watched his eyes with wrinkles at the corners, full to the brim with childlike wonder. Tapping Steve's hand when something comes up that is slightly different in the book, whispering the secret information to him. Even after it's over, Eddie is still full of energy, gushing about how things on screen were like they fell out of his mind, and that's when he sees it. Amid the chill winter wind, a family is dressed up like some of the characters in the movie. A wizard, an elf and held by both of them in the middle, as someone snaps a picture is a baby in a waistcoat and trousers, curls falling around their face, and for the first time tonight, Eddie's smile falls for a second, as he looks over at them, but as soon as he turns to Steve the smile is back again. He twists his ring around his finger, feeling over its texture.

Tonight, Steve was going to ask him.

***************************************************************

Steve turns over and opens his eyes. His bed covers have long since been thrown off in the heat. He runs his hand over the empty bed beside him, sighs, rolls over to stare at the ceiling, and checks the time. It's just gone three in the morning. He swings his legs over the side of the bed, steps into his slippers, decides it's much too hot to put on his robe, and picks up his water. He quietly pads downstairs, walks into a kitchen strewn with bottles, adds his water bottle to the mix, and smiles. He tip-toes to the lounge. The lights are set to their lowest dim, and he can hear a faint voice. He moves closer towards it, staying as silent as he possibly can. Steve's eyes find their target in the low light, Eddie’s topless form pacing around the living room, still softly muttering. He is oblivious to his presence, focusing on something else entirely. Unfortunately, Steve is so entranced by the scene he accidentally bumps into an end table, sending a plush bat rattling to the floor.

Eddie turns to him, whispering, "Not a ninja, Sweetheart". With his cover blown, Steve freely approaches, sweetly scoops in behind him, arms around his waist as he gently nuzzles into the side of his hair, but Eddie's hands don't find his. 

"You gonna be much longer? Need anything?" Steve quietly asks next to his ear.

"Nah, I'm good, babe. Just had to find the right song. Seems to have settled things down." Eddie yawns, and Steve looks at his tired but unmistakably happy face. For a second, his eyes look up into Steve's, "Didn't think I'd ever be here, babe. I know things are a little different these days, but I love you just as much," he chuckles and looks down, "Even more some days, you know that, right?"

"Of course," Steve says, leaning over Eddie's shoulder to look down too. In his arms, a beautiful baby girl, a short set of dark ringlet curls adorn her head, her sweet round cheeks rosy from the heat, her long eyelashes rest on her skin as she slumbers sweetly against Eddie's chest, "I'll just bide my time and make her life hell when she's old enough to want to sleep in." Steve jokes and presses a soft sleepy kiss to Eddie's cheek, "What song was it tonight?"

"Through the Never," Eddie beams at Eowyn, "Are you collecting these songs or something?" 

"Right now, she's stealing your sleep and my time with you, which I don't blame her for, but that doesn't mean when she hits, I dunno, thirteen and sleep becomes precious to her that her old Dads aren't gonna wake her up blaring a mix CD of all the songs that stole their own." Steve smiles.

"Wow, what happened to sweet old dad Steve?" Eddie jokes.

"I'm still as sweet as ever," Steve kisses Eddie's shoulder, "I'm just trying to arm myself. Wayne's been telling me all about what a cakewalk you were when you hit puberty," he says sarcastically. "And also…" Steve plants a trail of kisses along Eddie's shoulder and up his neck to his ear, "It's pretty lonely up there for sweet old dad Steve, you know?" He whispers playfully, squeezing Eddie's hips gently. "What do you say l go wash up the bottles, prep the next one, and tidy up here? You can get this little one back in her own very expensive custom-made upcycled Fender guitar cot that her Daddy absolutely had to have, and then you can get your sweet self back in ours, huh?" Steve pecks a kiss on his cheek, "And then I'm gonna slide in next to you, and we're gonna pass out on one another with exhaustion until her Royal Highness calls for us again."

"My god, Steve. You say the sexiest, most accurate things." Eddie laughs and kisses him on the cheek, "I love you."

"Love you too, honey." 

***************************************************************

The house is chaos.

"Well, WHERE THE HELL IS IT???" Eddie screeches, jogging from room to room before he's stopped abruptly by the sudden appearance of the twins in the doorway.

"Daddy, which one of us do you think is taller?" Ozzy asks, scrunching up his freckled nose.

"Neither of you. You're the same height!" He pauses to look, "Almost exactly, in fact, now, if you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I have a vital ancient artefact to find."

"Can we help? We're good at finding things!" Ronnie looks up at him with his wide hazel eyes. Eddie eyes them suspiciously, crouches down and ruffles their hair.

"No, what I really need you to do is get your hats and sunglasses and the things you want to play with in the RV. Then use the bathroom and line up next to the door. Maybe help Beans get her things together, too,' Kay?" He smiles, gets back to his feet, and runs to the foot of the stairs, almost going flying over a suitcase that slides into his path, but he hurdles it at the last moment.

"Almost, Damn it!" Is a whispered voice, "Sorry, Eddie!" Corey calls out much louder with a slight laugh.

"You gotta be quicker than that, buddy. Line up in ten Cor’,'" Eddie says, shaking his head and laughing, before reaching the foot of the stairs and yelling up them through cupped hands, "Wyn, Morgan and Zee, line up in…nine minutes, and if you see my old iPod bring that with you, please!" He drops his hands, "Nearly there." He whispers to himself.

The front door swings open and in bursts, a Bermuda-shorted, Hawaiian-shirted, wayfarer-sporting Steve. "RV check all done, full tank of gas, road snacks stocked, we're good to go!" He grins.

"And the map?" Eddie looks at him wide-eyed.

"What map?" Steve tilts his head, and just before Mount Eddie erupts, he pulls it from his back pocket and wiggles it at him, "All ready for your plotting, my love. Oh, Jenny, Val, and Mariella are gonna meet us at the first scheduled stop, so if you find something before that, drop them a message way in advance. Jen is already gonna be sweltering in his heat in the third trimester, so please, no last-minute changes because otherwise, she might lose it entirely."

Eddie's tense shoulders drop, and he takes a minute to rush over, fling his arms around him for a kiss, and mutters into his collar, "This place is hell, babe. Full chaotic evil!"

"Wanna switch for a bit?" Steve offers, rubbing his hands over Eddie's back.

"I wanna say yes, but too much has happened in the thirty minutes you were gone, and I'm not sure I have the energy or time to go over the new storylines, babe," Eddie pouts.

"How about this? You sit here." Steve pulls a chair to the front door and guides him to it, "You supervise. Ok? That way, you get to take a breath and make sure I don't miss anything at the same time?" Eddie nods sweetly.

Steve picks up his megaphone from the doorway, and Eddie covers his ears, ready for the inevitable feedback when Steve switches it on, "Kids, cases, journey items at the door in…" he releases the button and looks at Eddie who checks his watch and holds up four fingers. Steve presses the button again and bellows through it. "Four minutes! Don't forget chargers, and to use the bathroom, we won't be making a stop for…" he turns to Eddie, who holds up two fingers, "Two hours. And may I remind you all that Uncle Dustin and Aunt Erica will eat all the ice cream if they get there before us. Uncle Jonathan wants to take a big group photo this year, so please make sure you have something suitable for that. I mean it, Corey! One non-heavy metal or unoffensive t-shirt wouldn't kill you." He clicks off the megaphone again, turns to Eddie excitedly grinning from ear to ear, and starts singing and dancing to his rendition of Madonna's Holiday.

Eddie smiles and shakes his head with a chuckle, "Why do we do this to ourselves every year?"

"Ah, I know this one…Because we love our friends and family?" Steve says with a grin, which immediately drops from his face into panic, and Eddie is out of his chair.

"Oh, what, Steve?! What is it? Dear gods, just one year where we leave on time," Eddie says, hands in his hair.

Steve looks horrified, "I um…I think…I kinda…yeah…I forgot Wayne at the gas station."

Eddie's eyes widen, "How did you even do that, Steve?!" He gasps frantically, pulling his phone from his pocket.

"He's just so quiet sometimes! I didn't mean to leave him. I was thinking about all the other hundred things I needed to check, honey!" Steve complains.

"You lost a full-grown man, babe. This is a new low for you." Eddie says, pacing as he holds the phone up to his ear.

The All along the Watchtower ringtone is coming from somewhere nearby, and they both frantically look around for it before Wayne's head appears around the door frame, "Bumped into Ms Monterello, she gave me a ride back, Sunny." He chuckles deeply, and Steve practically throws his arms around him.

"Oh, you've saved my bacon there, Pops" Steve smiles with relief, patting Wayne on the back.

Morgan and Zee appear at the door first, as always, "Do we have to do this every year?" Morgan complains with his much deeper voice, Zee hanging off his arm.

"Yeah, yeah, we do, actually, Mister fancy college pants, we do. Steve here has already lost a whole human, and we watch Home Alone every Christmas as a warning. This is why we do the lineup."

The kids fall in line, the count is correct, the humongous RV gets packed with people and luggage, and Morgan and Zee get in her car with the excess and Beans.

Steve does the final lock checks around the house with Eddie, and finally, they get into the front seats. Eddie opens the map in front of him, his little packet of different colour stars and flag stickers resting gently on top.

"Ok, guys, who got first dibs?" Eddie shouts, not looking up from his map but raising a hand with one finger extended upwards to retrieve the incoming CD from Corey. Eddie looks at it, "Ohhh, a classic from Cyborg. Nice!" And places it into the stereo.

"Everyone buckled in?" Steve shouts back and receives a chorus of Yeses. He picks up the walkie-talkie and presses the button, "Caboose! You all buckled up, tunes at the ready? Over."

"Yes! Let's go already!" Zee's impatient voice crackles out of the speaker.

“You didn’t say over. Over.” Steve says, confused.

“Dad, I swear….” there is a little whispering which Steve smugly knows is Morgan encouraging her to get on board, “Yes, we’re ready to go. Over!”

"Alright then, let's do this!" Steve says way too enthusiastically for the slow, gradual speed this great hulking vehicle leaves the driveway at.

Despite how crazy it is to organise and how far they have to drive to find a midpoint in the country to meet up with all their old friends from Hawkins that were now spread all over. Steve's heart is packed to the brim. He reaches one hand out to Eddie, who gives him his pinky finger as the rest of his hand is busy with stickers, as the heavy metal screams throughout the RV. He sighs happily to himself.

So yeah, Steve still loved being a Dad, but he also loved being a husband, an easy-going ex-husband, a best friend, a son-in-law, a future father-in-law, and a godfather. But more than anything, he loved the people around him that made him all those things.

[aneldritchfootnote]

Housekeeping announcements!

Alright, time for some Hazbin and general housekeeping announcements so we’re all on the same page 🖤 I realised I hadn’t done one of these yet to convey where I stand and now is as good a time as any, so let’s go!

This page is a safe-space. You can ship and enjoy whatever in peace. Fandom spaces should, in their essence, be fun and collaborative. If there are things you do not enjoy; scroll on, block, unfollow, and let people just have their thing.

Ships I like + explanations where needed:

Speaking of ‘their thing’, these are mine concerning Hazbin (which is my main focus atm both in posting and in writing): Angel, Husk, Vox, Valentino, and Sir Pentious are my boisTM and will be featured in most of what I post here and write about.

Ship wise I love Huskerdust, Staticmoth, ValAngel* (see below for an explanation on this one, before people gut me), and one-sided Radiostatic (i.e. RadioSilence)

about ValAngel: Please know that I don't ship them in the sense that I think they’re good for each other or should be together. What they have is not healthy or something to be desired, it's abusive.

However, I love to dive into all of Angel's complexities. Valentino is a huge part of that. I am a strong believer that Angel used to be, and probably still is to some extent, in love with Val. The relationship between them is as multi-faceted and complex as they are.

Any other ships I feel ambivalent about, don't know of, or don’t enjoy at all, though I might still like or even share art if I just really like the way the artist did the piece.

Ship hate & justifications:

You don’t ever have to explain to me why you like a certain ship or character and, even more so, you won’t have to justify it with your own traumatic history.

And I get it, I was a traumatized kid once too, feeling like I had to gatekeep certain experiences and force people to justify to me why they were allowed to do or like certain things.

It gives you a sense of control and it’s hard to make peace with that inner turmoil but understand that, by forcing people to talk about their histories, you are just re-traumatizing them and for what? For a fictional character that hasn’t harmed any real-life people?

Forcing people to out themselves, in whatever form, is never okay, especially not if it’s because you feel you’re owed something. On top of that, trauma is not an entry ticket that people need to be allowed to find comfort or enjoyment in certain things.

You don’t know someone’s inner world and, in the end, we’re all still strangers on the internet. Just treat each other with compassion and if someone or something isn’t your cup of tea, don’t engage. Just live and let live.

A message to the minors:

Now, to the minors that have snuck in here, by lying about their age or not: I get it. We’ve all been young, engaging in spaces that might not be entirely made for us, out of curiosity or just because we liked something that was, technically, made for an older audience.

I won’t block you. I don't even know how many of you are here. I’m just asking you to be careful. This isn’t about me. It’s about you and your own safety.

Engaging with certain material can be damaging and fandoms like these, with mostly adult fans, can be difficult places to navigate. So, do what you want, bc there’s really no stopping you, but do so sensibly.

Try not to directly engage with other fans that are outside of your own age bracket and whom you don't know irl. If you do, do so publicly and while maintaining a sensible distance.

Any adult that tries to gain access to you privately is fucking weird and you are smart enough to know that that is iffy and very likely predatory in nature.

And for the love of Satan, if you cosplay, be so, so careful about what you do with those photos. You might be sensible but trust that a lot of people out there are not and by posting stuff like that you’re putting yourself in a very vulnerable position.

I’m sorry if I’m sounding like I’m trying to parent you here. I know you guys just want to exist in the fandom and have fun. I just urge you to be safe. There is a reason so many creators are asking minors to stay away and it’s not for their own comfort but your safety.

I think that’s everything for now. It turned into quite the epos but I’d rather be super clear about everything so everyone can see if this page is for them or not and act accordingly.

To those who will stick around, super glad to have you here! 🖤

[tvkissercentral]

Chaotic Speaker Dog & His Lovers

╭───────────────────.🎧.───────────────────╮ Profile pic picrew here.

Hi! This is my selfship blog for shipping with H/azbin H/otel characters, My main is @silver-heller for reference.

I mostly ship with Alastor, Vox, and Lucifer here though I'll develop my S/I's relationship with the other characters overtime! I am okay sharing F/Os!

I do not participate in fandom discourse and will block accordingly. If you headcanon any of my F/Os as abusers you are not welcome here!

DNI if...You are a minor or pro/shipper. This includes shipping with literal animals (not furry characters). If you are a bigot, an exclusionist, or not plural friendly. If you hate H/azbin H/otel. Vox/Val makes me very uncomfy, don't bring it here. Val shippers are not welcome!

Keep in mind I like H/azbin H/otel because it's a mature show with mature themes, and some of those themes may appear here (all properly tagged). I also enjoy it's criticism of religion and find it healing to explore my religious trauma through the show. Therefore, religious takes on the show frankly make me uncomfy, especially ones that glorify Heaven too much. Don't bring that here please.

I have grown quite protective of V/ox and A/dam, so I may be wary of interacting with other shippers or fans of them. I won't stop you from following me though.

I will block you if your F/Os are from these sources: SAO (sword-art-online), R/ayman, J/ekyll and H/yde, and H/arry P/otter. (These make me uncomfortable for one reason or another. Please respect that even if you don't understand).

Note: If you or someone you know that might see my posts isn't comfortable with sharing any of my F/Os, please just block me.

╰───────────────────.🎧.───────────────────╯

S/I Info Below

╭───────────────────.🎧.───────────────────╮

Name: Lee

Ansley (real name)

Dollop (Alastor)

My good Fellow (Alastor)

Height: 5'4 Age: Mid 20s (23) Pronouns: He/him Sexual/romantic orientation: Asexual biromantic polymerous Scent: Apples

Personality

Can be quite sharp and sardonic when he wants to be. But, usually, he is quite skittish and soft spoken. He tends to dissociate and can be quite sensitive. He adores music, as it helps calm him down, and listens to it or something audible more often than not.

Description

Pink plush dog speaker demon (based on idog speaker) that wears hoodies and skirts.

Powers

His powers are connected to the music he plays from his back. As the song goes on, colorful dots appear on the ground and, during the bass drops, the ground shakes and moves. He is also good at sensing upcoming storms, literally or figuratively.

Relationships

#lee🐶🔌 - Tag for my oc Ansley!

#radiolove📻 - Alastor (romantic, I headcanon him as demiromantic asexual)

#appleduck🍎 - Lucifer (romantic, bisexual biromantic)

#turnthetvon📺 - Vox (romantic, demisexual bisexual biromantic)

#getintoit🎸 - Adam (platonic)

#evilhugsgood🤗💚 - Vox & Adam platonic friendship

#inthistogether💞 - Vox x Angel

#appleontheradio - Poly ship with Alastor, Lucifer, and Vox

#steelangel⚔ - Lute (romantic, Bisexual biromantic)

#bartenderbuddy♠ - Husker (close friend)

#cherryontop🍧 - Angel Dust (queerplatonic/best friends)

#insideisarainbow🌈 - Charlie Magne (found family daughter)

#roseontop🌹 - Rosie (good friend)

╰───────────────────.🎧.───────────────────╯

Main AU

╭───────────────────.🎧.───────────────────╮

Lee was originally found by Angel Dust on the streets, absolutely panicked when he first entered Hell and looking for a safe place to stay. Angel Dust brought Lee to the hotel, Husk and Charlie helping to calm him down. The three have been protective of him ever since. Alastor formed a connection to Lee through being nosy, and one of the few, outside of Angel Dust, who visited Lee in his room. Unlike others, Lee finds Alastor more charming than intimidating. They bond over their love of music and verbal passions. Alastor is very accepting of Lee being plural. Slowly, Alastor coaxes Lee out of his room more and more often. On one of these occasions, Lucifer was visiting to keep an eye on the hotel and help out Charlie. Lee quickly formed a bond with the lovable and just as accepting dork, developing a crush Alastor is reluctant to accept. However, with Lee gently forming the bridge between the two, they glow closer and closer. Eventually, Lucifer cuts to the chase, asking about Lee's feelings. Lee admits to liking them both and, eventually, the three come to an arrangement. An arrangement Lucifer and Alastor are quite happy with, despite struggling to let it slip how much they enjoy the other's company. As for Vox, Lee accidentally bumped into him on the street after seeing him on TV. This made Lee feel extremely shy and panic, Vox panicking about being uncertain how to comfort Lee. Vox eventually offers to take Lee out for coffee and Lee eventually agrees. Lee is quite shocked to find a connection with Vox, relating to his need for validation, the fact he's more sensitive than he lets on, and his dry attitude. The two are on the same wavelength to the point they can finish each other's sentences, causing them to become fast friends.

TW: Physical abuse mention

After Val nearly breaks Vox's screen beyond repair, Vox finally leaves the Vees and flees to the hotel at Lee's recommendation. There, Vox meets the others, and becomes even closer to Lee and the polycule.

╰───────────────────.🎧.──���────────────────╯

[kunaigirl]

I really really don't want to be an asshole and Im not gonna demand your personal trauma history because I agree that you and other Hazbin fans dont owe anyone that information.

But can you at least consider that there are SA/abuse survivors that are deeply uncomfortable with how they handled Angel's character especially since the storyboard artist for the Poison song has been proven to have cnc and rape kink.

I really enjoy your art and youre allowed to like whatever media you like. But please acknowledge that there is a polarizing opinion on how Angel's hypersexuality is portrayed and that people are rightfully uncomfortable with how Valentino is a "problematic fave" to some Hazbin fans.

I never said that people aren't allowed to be uncomfortable. I also never said that this show was perfect, or that I refuse to acknowledge that it does have a chunk of fucked flaws behind the scenes, and yes there are parts that made me very deeply uncomfortable too. Those are usually the parts that you're supposed to be upset by, and I was. I know other people were too. When I learned that the board artist for that scene had a secret fetish, I was deeply upset by it. That's fucked up, I never said it wasn't. (I skip that scene on re-watches btw)

I also already stated very clearly in previous posts that everyone is allowed to have their own feelings about it, and they have every right to. Implying that I "didn't consider" that others are uncomfortable by forming my own opinions and finding things to like about it still is just completely incorrect. If someone is deeply upset or triggered by the content, THAT'S VERY VALID. I never said, at any point, that it wasn't.

As for Valentino's character, I just want him flat out DEAD. You're supposed to want him flat out dead. TONS of fans I see want him flat out dead. If I see a fan who really likes his character to a point it gets uncomfortable for me, I just block and move on because that shit's creepy. EVERYTHING about Val makes me extremely uncomfortable. The block button is magical. I'm in full control of my online experience.

As for Angel, if someone is uncomfortable with his character as a victim themselves, that's fine. I get that too. This show is DARK. Like, one of the darkest I've seen in years. Every single trigger warning is VERY earned. But I still find so many things to enjoy about it, all the other characters to root for! I find comfort in them. To me, Angel's character is wonderful. AND CHARLIE??? OMG I LOVE HER! People find comfort in different places, and that's ok.

If you're uncomfortable with the content and characters, that's valid. If you're uncomfortable with some of the other fans, that's valid too. I never said it wasn't, and I never said I spoke for anyone besides myself. It's not a perfect show by any means, but I'll always be glad I gave it a shot.

[savingsallow]

CHARACTER ASKS WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! #14 for Val and #20 for Ale, pretty please? :)

YOOOOO CORINNE HELLOOOO :D

— thank you for the ask 🤭❤️‍🔥

(14) Do you have any quotes tied to the character, either from the story itself or from another source that fits them?

I have found a few quotes from Pinterest that screams Val and here they are:

This kid of mine used to be a people-pleaser. However, she eventually got tired of being one and decided to be unapologetically herself. Naturally, it wasn't an overnight thing, but to sum it up, that's what practically happened 🤫

Most of the time, Val treats people how she wants to be treated; not that she expects it, but it's something she'd be thankful for if the energy of the exchange is reciprocated.

(20) Bonus question: share any additional thoughts, art, favourite scenes, anything you've been waiting for a chance to ramble about.

Hehe, did someone say 'ramble'? 👀

Will gladly do so! 😁✨

Well, I've been wanting to share more of canon Ale since I realized he has more AU contents than canon 🤣 As much I as enjoy the meddling pathetic lover boy that he is in AUs but Ale might sulk that I'm not defending him 🤣🫂

So here we go:

Fun fact! I actually have a more detailed lore for Ale than for Val. But for some reason, I haven't shared much of his lore yet XD

Let's talk about Ale regarding romantic love.

Ale is definitely romantic. He knows all the words to say, the gestures to do, and how to make his partner feel like they're literally the best. He's the human form of the word 'romantic' if I'm being dramatic.

Ever since his first year in Hogwarts, the ladies really fancies him (even the lads aren't safe from his charm). His energy naturally draws people towards him.

If I had to describe Ale in 5 words it would be: charming, classy, suave, playful, and gentleman. From those words itself, you can already tell why the ladies like him so much XD

To add on, he is a huge flirt. He can literally flirt his way out of almost anything. Despite that, Ale usually just flirts for fun or just because it comes so naturally to him that he forgets he comes off as flirting.

But underneath that flirty exterior is just a boy wishing to have a real connection with someone someday. It's safe to say that he daydreams about finding the one and even makes poems about it sometimes.

The funny thing is that once he meets his 'the one', suddenly he turns into a clumsy and stuttering mess. Meeting Val during his fifth year is something he isn't prepared for at all.

For instance, there's this narrative he keeps telling himself that there's no way he's gonna meet the love of his life in school since he already met everyone (boy is sociable af it's not even funny 🤣). Sure, he had like a few crushes back then but he knows that there's nothing really more to it than admiration. But meeting Val, that really caught him off guard.

Luckily, they eventually became best friends since they have a lot in common in their core values and their traits are complementary so it's fun and enriching.

There was actually a point in their 6th year when he got so sure that he and Val actually had a chance (he wasn't wrong tho 🤫). But teenage love is messy, so some things happened that were out of his control and out of his perspective as well that changed the course.

Now here's the fun part 😈

Then in the 7th year, here's when Valreth became a thing.

On the contrary to the AUs (which I love btw 🤭), Ale never meddled in Val's relationship with Garreth. WOW surprising 🤣 but yes, he never did.

He supported them because in his defense, "if she's happy and safe, then that's all I need to know."

Although, he actually dislikes Garreth even before meeting Val. But I'll try not to drop spoilers too much 🤫 (it's just an academic-related thing 🤣).

For that whole year, Ale focused more on his studies and spent an unholy amount of time on his poems instead. As much as he's content with the friendship he has with Val, he decides to just listen to his heart shatter into pieces in silence and with nature.

I'll leave a few quotes I have found on Pinterest as well to give a hint of what his poems sounded like while being heartbroken:

He's very cheesy, yes.

That's all for my Ale's Ted Talk for today!

Thank you for attending (I mean reading)! 🫂❤️‍🔥

���

I hope you enjoyed reading this! ❤️‍🔥

[askuemki]

Ai to an extent could be fun/ useful (like separating music tracks from voices for animations and stuff, mainly from personal experience), as long as it isn’t commercialized

I’m not planning on making money from animatics any time soon, I’m just here chasing 9-13 yr old me’s dreams lol

She wrote novels???

I tried using Blender (3D modeling program) and that’s an art form all in its own.. 3D models are kinda cool, but they’re a hell to make and rig :(

But there was this one artist who said “I prefer a computer assisted reality over a generated one” and I completely agree with that

I have these two married male characters with a fuck ton of marital issues, they’re fun to imagine abt from time to time, but idk if I’d write abt em

And yeah!!! Glad you enjoyed it ^^

How bad does it get when Valeria is OOC? It’s a bit hard to tell myself since I have preference for a more softer mushy Val (romance wise)

procrastinating here!! Don't mind me if i bug your inbox random confession, I had my hair cut for like a few months now (it's in a boyish type of cut) It's kind of rare but I always enjoy when people go like "wtf is that a guy??" and then they're like "oh shit no, it's a woman" I don't think Ill ever go back to long hair man, it's too hard to take care of (props to the people who can and do)

It's six in the afternoon and I just woke up and I'm shaking like a crackhead because it's been too many hours without drinking water or eating, helppppp.

I love when I see very androgynous people and I don't know if they are women, men or neither <33333 I think it's cool

And yessss, my hair goes past my hips and I love it but it is a job to take care of it and it's especially uncomfortable because it is very hot in my country.

[mochie85]

The Ruler and The Killer

Chapter 23 of my Mayari series.

Mayari Masterlist | Complete Masterlist

Summary: You and Loki navigate your way through your recovery. Loki and Thor deal with events happening at New Asgard A/N: This entire series is inspired by songs. The complete playlist can be found here on Spotify. Word Count: Over 4.1k Warnings: Cursing, light action sequence. Dividers by: @firefly-graphics Art by: Julia Fedorkova, "Talking To The Moon" Soluda

It had been four weeks. Four, long, sexually charged, but abstinent weeks. When you woke up at the compound, you had to learn how to walk with crutches and your cast. Loki was impatient, however, and he just decided that it would be faster, and easier, for him to just carry you around everywhere.

That was mistake number one. Having constant contact with you, and having your arms around him, just fed his obsession with you more. Not to mention that he developed this hero/damsel-in-distress complex that he enjoyed too much.

Mistake number two was temporarily moving into his bedroom at the tower.

At his insistence.

He claims that it’s so he can be at your beck and call. “It would be easier if you were just there already in my bed…room, darling.” You rolled your eyes at that argument. You gave in eventually, even so much as letting him help you with your baths. Your favorite time of the day, you had to admit. But stopped him when he offered to help with your other private bathroom issues. Which led to mistake number three.

Mistake number three came in the form of privacy. There wasn’t much you could hide, good or bad when Loki was around you constantly. There were times when you felt so low at not having made progress with your transformation. You didn’t want him to see that. You still donned the black absent eyes and the black absent hair. Nothing you did could change you back. Not even sunlight. It made you turn hopeless and depressed. It felt like that’s all Loki saw of you. It was a constant reminder of how weak you were and how you constantly needed his help.

It was a regular thought in the back of your mind. Your father was right! You aren’t strong enough. You can’t protect yourself. You should’ve stayed on the island. Disobeying Steve’s orders about staying on the jet. Having injured yourself and now paying the consequences of your actions. These thoughts would send you down a dark spiral of self-loathing and hate. You felt like everything that had happened in your life up to this point was because you weren’t capable. You weren’t enough.

When Loki would notice he would always hold you a little bit tighter. He would turn it into “an inside” day. He would sit you in front of the fireplace with your favorite album on the record player and a constant supply of snacks. He would then sit next to you reading his books with your legs on top of his lap until you were ready to talk.

You tried to hide those days. You tried to limit those days as much as possible. You didn’t want to worry Loki. He shouldn’t have to deal with your problems too. He was already taking care of you physically. He didn’t need the burden of your mental and emotional baggage as well.

Today was one of those days. Loki and Thor were traveling to New Asgard. You were worried about what you would do without Loki to be your support. Physically and emotionally. But he had to go, so you put on a brave face for him.

Loki tried to back out and insisted on staying on your behalf. But Thor demanded. The encampments have gotten worse. The local government would not listen to Val alone anymore. They insisted on speaking with ‘the rightful person in charge.’ Whatever that means. So Thor made plans to visit, along with Loki, to finally settle the matter once and for all. Ironman would join, as well as The Falcon, to stop any uprisings that might occur.

“Darling, I would only be gone for a couple of days. A week at the most.” He said, packing an extra shirt in his duffel bag. “I promised that I would take care of you and protect you. And these imbeciles are making me break that promise.”

“But you have taken care of me. You always take care of me. It’s time for you to take care of your people. Go, love, and be careful. I’ll be here waiting for you.” He bent down to kiss you as you sat on your shared bed. You kissed him once, twice, on the third time he deepened the kiss and trapped you in between his arms on the bed. You pulled his collar getting him to hover over you. You wanted to remember the way he tastes. The way he smells. The noises he makes when his lips are on yours.

“Darling, we can’t,” he said in a low gravelly voice. “Not until you’re fully healed.” He laid his hand gently on your cast.

“I’m going to make you pay for denying me.” You said, slightly teasing.

“Oh, kitten. I wish you would.” He closed his eyes, imagining the thought. His hands slowly graze up your thighs. “Do you know how much I yearn for you? How often I’ve thought of our moments together? Having you so close in my arms and not being able to do anything about it?”

You wrapped your arms around him. Running your lips up and down his neck. “Whose decision was it to carry me everywhere again? Or to have me every night in your bed?”

“Don’t rile me, kitten!”

“Or what? You’ll fuck me?” you said playfully. Loki growled and pushed your shoulders down on the bed, forcing you to lie down.

“Such foul words coming from such exquisite lips.” He towered over you, careful not to put his entire weight on you or your leg. His hands were feral as they traveled under your shirt feeling your soft skin. His kiss was deep and sensual, not letting you up for air till he was satisfied himself. His now full lips journeyed down to the crook of your neck, just below the ear. He gave you a lick, tasting the sweet salt of your skin. He gave you a ticklish kiss as he sucked that one spot that always made you moan. This time would be no different. You gasped, involuntarily, as he continued that savory burn on your neck. “Hmm. A better use for that mouth of yours.”

“I could think of a few more uses.” You said mewling.

“I bet you could, you vixen.”

A knock on the door made him stop quickly. You whined at the sudden intrusion, vowing retribution at whoever knocked. Loki looked down at you and smirked. He got off the bed and held his hand out to you to help you stand up. “Come in.” He said aloud.

Thor opened the door and walked through the threshold. “Milady. Brother, are you ready? Everyone is waiting upstairs.” Loki waved his hand and his duffel disappeared, into the void, as you had called it. You pressed your heart twice, and your armor formed around you in a puff of smoke. Small black scales, like a chain, with your signature blue-silver sarong wrapped around you. Your cast still covering your right leg. Loki looked at you confused.

“Mayari, I hope you don’t think you’re coming with us?” Loki asked. You untied your blue sash. The one that wrapped around your chest piece, and wrapped it around his neck.

“Something to remember me by.” You said pulling him closer to you for one last kiss. Loki wrapped his arms around you. Committing to memory the way your body feels pressed against his. The way his hands curved at your lower back. The way you mold into each other.

“Alright. Alright. We’ll only be gone for a couple of days. The sooner we leave, the sooner you can go back to this. Come on.” Thor grabbed Loki by the scruff of his neck and dragged him out of the room. Loki’s face was a slideshow of emotions. First lust, then shock at being pulled away, then anger.

“Unhand me, you dolt!” Fighting his way out of Thor’s grasp. Loki came running back to you and picked you up. You wrapped your arms around him, giggling like you did numerous times the past couple of weeks. He carried you with him, following Thor up to the tarmac.

“Is there any way you can hide me in your void and take me with you?” you whispered in his ear.

“Absolutely not. Your job is to heal…” and in a lot quieter, deeper voice, he continued, “…so that we can finish what we started earlier.” A quick peck on your cheek and he walked out onto the tarmac.

Tony and Sam were already waiting in the Bifrost circle. Bucky and Steve were waiting just outside it. Loki placed you gently down next to Bucky as he teased Sam not to throw up on his travels through the enchanted bridge. Loki tilted your chin up and looked at his mark on your neck. “I left something for you to remember me too,” he whispered in your ear. You turned red, remembering the kiss he gave you just moments earlier.

He turned to Bucky, “Barnes. I trust that you’ll look after her in my stead?”

“Don’t worry, I got this.” Bucky was the only other man, besides Thor, that Loki would trust with you. It took a lot of time and understanding, but Loki finally realized that the two of you had nothing more than sibling affection for each other.

“I thank you,” Loki said to him holding your hand over his own heart. He gave you one last kiss on your hand and stepped into the sigil. Thor raised Stormbreaker into the air and called out for Heimdall. A bright flash of colors and light plummeted down the sky, engulfing the four men. Within seconds, the plume vanished back into the air, taking the four Avengers with it.

“So, what do you want to do?” Bucky asked you as he wrapped his arm around your waist. You started hopping on your good leg back towards the elevator. Steve held on to your other side for support.

“Well, I still have one working leg…and both arms. We can do anything!” you said sarcastically. The walk was slow and steady. Trying the patience of both men.

“Geez, this is a pain. I can see why Loki decided to carry you everywhere now.” Bucky took his metal arm and wrapped it under your waist and carried you up over his shoulder. “First stop, med bay. So you can get crutches.”

New Asgard sits on a prominent bluff surrounded on three sides by the Byfjorden, a small channel of water that connects The North Sea to itself. The city sits on what was a wildlife preserve located west of the city of Tønsberg. The wildlife didn’t care either way for their new neighbors. The Asgardians have taken it upon themselves to not disturb their peace as much as possible, building around wild homes or abandoning projects altogether for fear of disrupting the animals’ natural way of life.

If not by boat, or by air, the only access to the city was through the main road that was secured by Heimdall’s Temple. The temple was a barricade, for it stood tall and wide. For its grand size, it only had a narrow opening for a gateway. It was a portal between New Asgard and the rest of the world, while simultaneously a fence to set boundaries. Heimdall stood on a circular platform, Hofund, his sword key, in hand as he watches and protects the people of New Asgard.

As soon as the four Avengers arrived at the temple’s platform, they were met with screams and agitation. Val had run up the steps leading to Heimdall’s dais, seeing the Bifrost come in.

“What is that racket?” Loki asked aloud.

“Perfect timing,” Val said running up to Thor. She threw his helmet crown at him, and he put it on. All at once, it signaled for the other three to be prepared and ready. “Some of the crowd has turned into a mob wanting access to the city. They felt they are owed a chance to see their god. The other half – just wants us gone.”

“Showtime,” Tony said as his suit assembled around him. Sam’s EXO wings flared out, as Loki’s armor appeared in a puff of smoke, including his horned helmet crown. Val led the team out towards the gate, her sword, Dragonfang, in hand. The two brothers walked out together, Thor nodding his gratitude towards Heimdall, with The Falcon and Iron Man behind them.

Val stopped halfway down the steps. Loki looked out into a hefty crowd. All of them were pushing and screaming, demanding to be let in. The only things stopping them were the Einherjar soldiers and local law enforcement. Thor raised Stormbreaker, calling forth his lightning and thunder. Dark clouds began to hover above the entire city. The sight of Thor only made them more fanatic. With him being so close, they could almost touch him.

“Oh to be blessed by the Allfather. Please. Please let us in.” Cries of anguish and fervor could be heard throughout the mob.

“Get out of here! We don’t want you here! You’re a sacrilege. A desecration.” Other shouts were of hate and prejudice. Thor had the lightning hover close above everyone’s head. The bright light was accentuated by the constant winter night. “Wow, I thought this would quiet them down,” Thor said.

“ENOUGH!” Loki yelled with a clash of his staff on the ground. His voice echoed throughout the hillside. Electricity was felt within the words, a command that reverberated within everyone.

“Nice one,” Sam complimented.

“Thank you. Mayari taught me that trick.” Loki said smiling back at him.

“Do you think she could teach me to compel Steve to finish my mission reports?” Tony asked. Loki rolled his eyes but gave him a smirk.

“Sam, please patrol around the area and see if anyone has gotten through or requires help. Tony, please work your charm on the local law enforcement and see why they couldn’t stop this sooner.” Thor assigned. “Brother, do you think you could do your magic?” Thor gestured his hand to look as if he were projecting his voice. Loki placed his hand on Thor’s shoulder and hit the ground once again with his staff. Thor began to speak, calm and direct. He wasn’t yelling. Yet, Loki’s seidr made it possible for everyone to hear him as if he were speaking to them face to face.

“My friends. For the safety of our people, and yours, we do not open these gates lightly. There is nothing we want more than to open our hearth to you and share stories or anecdotes of life here on Earth. However, unlike my brother and I, who have frequented your wonderful planet and are humbled by your hospitality, the Asgardian people have not had enough time to acclimate to these changes. We are a careful race, an unhurried race. A trait that comes from centuries of living. We are still mourning our loss. Ragnarök is still fresh in our minds. I understand the burn for knowledge and curiosity. Yet, you do not need to go through such measures. Innocent people are getting hurt.

“We have met with delegates from your ministries on numerous occasions. The people of this country have bestowed upon us a great gift. A home. We are grateful to all of you. Being given such a magnanimous gift, we are honored to cherish and take care of it. I promise you that we take into consideration the inhabitants and the wildlife that had come before us. We are not here to change anyone’s mind. We just simply want to exist. I am confident that we can work out a means where both sides benefit. Until then, please be kind and patient to each other and to anyone else you might see in and out of the city. Thank you.” With that, Loki took his hand off Thor and his voice had stopped echoing.

An object came flying straight at Thor’s head. Val caught it, inches away from Thor’s face. She turned her hand over to reveal a jagged rock. Loki turned, looking at where the object came from, and grew angry at the disrespect being shown to them.

“If you will not be swayed by kind words then tremble with fear at my actions,” Loki said, his voice booming towards the crowd.

“Loki…” Val warned.

“…Careful brother,” Thor finished.

A large pillar of green smoke appeared behind Loki, a face forming in the mist. Two large glowing eyes, a muzzle with sharp teeth, and ears pointed like a wolf. It growled, baring its teeth, and ran towards the crowd. People started scrambling to get away. The wolf-cloud ran, sniffing each person it passed by until it found the one who threw the object. The wolf pounced on him. His teeth sank into his shoulder. He did not feel pain, nor see the blood that he expected from such a bite. Yet, he felt the force and pressure of teeth sinking into his body. He was dragged past the screaming mob and onto the three Asgardians on the step. With a wave of his hand, Loki had dismissed the wolf. Its form dissipating into the air. Val had grabbed the assailant by his neck and stood him up. A group of Einherjar enclosed around them, pointing their weapons his way.

“Trying to assassinate a foreign dignitary. A member of the royal family. A king! I say that calls for a beheading.” Loki said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Sam landed back down next to them. His wings still spread out. “Most of the crowd dispersed north. No intruders, no one hurt. Everything was fine till Loki unleashed the Big Bad Wolf. I told most of the supporters to head back for their tents.”

Tony came up with two local law enforcement. Thor greeted the two with a handshake. “That’s not going to be good PR. You want these people’s support, not to fear you,” Tony rebuked.

“They need to know that we are not without defenses or fortitude.” Loki retorted. Thor grabbed the arm of the assailant and brought him over to the two officers.

“You had witnessed what happened. Our law states that a beheading befits such a crime.” The suspect looked up pleading for his life. Loki hid his smirk. “However, these are new times in a new home. What say, you brother? Sister?” Thor asked Loki and Val.

“We must uphold our traditions, brother. Otherwise, we might lose our sense of self in this new world.” Loki said with an evil smirk.

“If not for tradition, then a sense of pride. He tried to hurt you, Thor, a king of New Asgard.” Val said.

“You both make valid points.” Thor agreed. Tony and Sam shared a glance wondering if they should intervene. They knew that Thor wouldn’t hold such a grudge against someone. But did they though? Did they really know Thor?  

Thor looked at the assailant, but addressed everybody else, “However, if we want the people of this world to accept us, we must learn to accept all of their misdeeds as well.” He then spoke directly to the two law officers. “If we were people of your world and nothing more, and this man had done what he did, what would you have done with him? I turn him over to you. He is of your ilk. Do with him as you wish.”

Thor turned around and headed up the steps. Loki followed him with Sam and Tony behind him. Val was last, watching the offender get taken away by the police. She wanted to make sure nothing else happened.

“Well, that was, entertaining,” Tony said.

“You really wouldn’t have done anything, right Thor?” Sam questioned.

“It was Loki’s idea. To make me more likable in front of the non-believers to gain their favor. What do you Midgardians call it in your media…good cop/bad cop?” Thor clapped his hand on Loki’s shoulder.

“I’m used to getting the side glances and the hateful stares. I don’t mind it if it means I get to use my seidr every once in a while.”

“Yes, neat trick with the wolf.” Val finally joined them. “Come. There’s much to do and not much time to do it.” She said as she passed them on her way into the inner city.

While Sam and Tony retired to the large house built for the royal brothers, the three Asgardians attended meetings and discussions inside a great longhouse. The Langhus structure was used as a public space for large gatherings. It was the first structure built for the Asgardian refugees when Norway had bequeathed the land to them. In the beginning, it housed all of New Asgard’s citizens till they were able to build and secure their own homes. Now, it’s a meeting hall for all of the town’s citizens to gather to make decisions and discuss community affairs. Currently, most of the city’s citizens are in attendance in regards to the encampment outside the borders, as well as to air other grievances.

The Asgardians had gone through so much in a span of a decade. Their homes were ravaged by Hela and Surtur. Their loved ones missing or gone. Now, as refugees on an unfamiliar planet, they needed undivided leadership. Someone to guide them constantly. Thor and Loki both knew what had to be done. One of them must stay and become the rightful Allfather. The question is…which one.

If you had asked Loki a long time ago, his younger self wouldn’t have let you finish the question. He would’ve seized the opportunity to become the ruler. He would’ve wasted no time in trying to prove his rightful place. But where is his rightful place?

Presently, he has reservations. What would that mean for his work with The Avengers? What would that mean for you? His Sigyn.

“What do you think, Loki?” Thor asked, pulling Loki from his thoughts.

“Pardon?” Loki asked confused.

“I said, ‘we might need to stay a couple more days.’ Possibly another week. There are a lot more projects and problems that have arisen. The people need a boost in morale. We need to be more involved with the lives of our people.” Loki just nodded his head at Thor. Still lost in thought. Disappointed that he will not get to see you sooner.

He sat there to Thor’s right; legs spread apart listening to the everyday troubles of life in New Asgard. With each new problem, Loki sank deeper into his chair. The weight of it all crushing his resolve.

Whilst two fishermen were fighting over a broken anchor, Loki got up frustrated. With a growl, he waved his hand. From a puff of green smoke in front of the two fishermen, another anchor materialized. Similar to the broken one, but whole. He could faintly hear one of the men voice their gratitude for the new anchor as Loki stormed outside the doors, seeking fresh air.

The mist in the air cooled his face. It was the start of winter and the sun had set hours ago. Looking up he saw the bright glow of the crescent moon. He smiled warmly as he held out a hand to reach for it. Unable to grasp anything but mist and dew, he held his hand back to his heart.

“Why don’t you ask her to come?” Loki turned to see Val approaching from the great hall.

“I would like that, but I am afraid of the conversation that we would have once she gets here.”

“What do you mean?”

“We both know that Thor is not going to take the throne. He didn’t want it in the first place. He abdicated for his love of Jane and the chance to be with his friends. Being a hero. Saving the world. I thought he was an idiot when he made that decision. Now, not so much.”

“So?”

“So, if I become king, what will happen to Mayari and I? I will not ask her to give up her life. A life she enjoys. Just to be trapped here with people whose not even her own.”

“Hey! I live here. It’s not a bad place to be trapped. Besides, isn’t she Vanir? We are her people. She can belong here, with us.” Val said with a smile. Loki thought about her words. He forgot about your long-lost lineage. He recalled when he first met you how Thor mentioned that your ancestors traveled to Midgard with his great grandfather Buri.

Loki looked around himself. He could see you walk the streets of New Asgard feeling at home.  Helping those who needed it, protecting the strong, emboldening the weak. He instantly felt better at the prospect of sharing this life with you. However, the constant night during winter meant constant sun during summer too. You would miss the moon. He would not want to put you through that longing if he could prevent it.

“Thank you, søster.”

“Come, let’s get Thor and have a break. Then maybe you can call on your kjærlighet.”

⬅️Chapter 22: The Darkside of The Moon | Chapter 24: Local God➡️

Taglist: @user13cabs @alexs1200 @lokiprompts @huntress-artemiss

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Robotic Workers to Soldiers

( Don’t forget to come see my on my new patreon and support me for early access to stories and personal story requests :D https://www.patreon.com/NiqhtLord )

Taken from the biography “The Fall of Dijballer” written by Uguntus Val

 Breaking a human is easy.

They have no armored exoskeleton, no reinforced scaled skin, not even an enhanced healing metabolism; it is an amazing feat that they have been able to survive on their own planet let alone survive the rigors of space travel.

They are weak and frail creatures of flesh and blood.  One could push them down a simple slope and there was a high chance they could break their arm.

We expected a war with them to be swift and merciless.

Our forces would descend upon their worlds like the waves a ravaging storm and sweep them clean away as we added their colonies to our domain, and continue the glorious expansion of our race. Yet for all our knowledge of human biology we failed to grasp the critical flaw in our plans and strategies until it was too late. The simple truth that could have changed the fate of the war in our favor had we learned it earlier on.

Humans were well aware of their frailty, and they adapted accordingly.

On the colony world of Dijballer we made our first strike. It was a temperate world perfectly designed for year-long farming and capable of sustaining a constant stream of crops to feed a dozen empires when fully developed.

The colony had only been on the planet for ten years and was centered around the initial landing site of the colony ship. A compact industrial center had formed to support the growing colony and several companies had established facilities to support the colony, including several robotics factories that supplied a majority of the work force. What made it even more tempting of a target was that by all accounts it lacked a sufficient military presence, only housing a token police force to maintain order.  

When the war began three legions were dispatched to secure the planet. The twelfth, the third, and the honored first legion that had been present at the beginning of every major war our people had ever fought.

They made planet fall just outside of the main settlement and began steadily advancing through the fields of crops, passing dozens of robotic workers mindlessly going about their work as if the thousands of alien soldiers marching passed was a normal occurrence. The machines were humanoid in shape with two arms and legs, often either using farming tools or manning heavy equipment.

Roughly ten miles outside of the city did we first encounter resistance. We were now in the center of the fields when the rear of the column reported they were under attack. A massive harvester had diverted its course and rammed a troop transport flipping it over. The surrounding infantry opened fire on the vehicle as it attempted to ram a second vehicle. Not being built for military use the vehicle quickly broke down and exploded in a shower of shrapnel and fire, setting several stalks of nearby crops on fire. It was here that the order to halt was given and the column began to reorganize. It was as the Privants were giving orders that the second attack began.

Thousands of farming units sprang out of the stalks on either side of the column like predators of old. In their hands were nothing but farming tools and yet they moved with unnatural swiftness. Before anyone could fire a shot they were among our ranks hacking and slashing us to pieces.

I’ve hear over the years how our soldiers were mocked. How pundits and politicians question how a fully armored legionnaire could be brought down by nothing but farming tools.

Were any of them to say that to my face I would smash their face in; for none of them were there to see what those machines could do.    

They dove and shifted to either side like a blade of grass in the wind. I saw my captain unload an entire clip on full auto at one and it casually darted to either side as if it was nothing but rain as it closed the distance.

When it was within arm’s reach it grabbed it’s scythe and drove it deep into the neck joints of the captain’s armor. The captain barely had time to swat away the metal scythe but the robot merely took its fingered hand and drove it into the unarmored joint itself.

I could hear the captain gurgling blood over the communications net as the robotic monster pulled its hand out of his throat, covered in blood and gore, and stabbed it in again and again and again.

While it was distracted goring my captain I brought my rifle up and brought the monster down with a single shot to the chest. The robot sparked and fizzled as it toppled over, its hand still embedded in the captain as it dragged his lifeless body down with him. I had little time to grieve for my captains death as another trio of farmer units rushed from the stalks at me.

All around me was sheer chaos as the robots swarmed over us like insects. Their fragile bodies meant nothing when their speed and enhanced reflexes made them near impossible to hit.

They knew were the weak spots in our armor were, they were capable of calculating the angle of fire from our weapons, they even somehow knew our ranking system and made sure to target our officers first.

The three that came at me lunged for me to close the distance and that was the only was the only thing that saved me that day. On the ground they could easily dodge side to side but midair they were cut off from that level of maneuverability.

I easily trained my gun and sprayed the machines with a full mag from my repeater rifle. The white fragments of their shells harmlessly bounced off my armor as their broken bodies crumpled before me. I barely had a moment to enjoy my victory before another massive harvester machine drove through our column.

Several of my comrades weren’t fast enough to get out of the way and were swallowed by those rotating blades of death. I heard their screams echoing on the communications net just as I had the captain and then they were cut off in an instant by a blood curdling crunch.

After that it was chaos.

Soldiers fought in tight circles or back to back with comrades as they fought off waves of robots. This went on for hours but to me, in those panic filled moments of terror, it felt like an eternity.

By nightfall the entire field was ablaze with fire just as the robots ceased their attacks. We gathered what remained of our dead and wounded and took stock of the situation.

Thousands of broken robot bodies lay strewn across the ground like discarded dolls, and the burning husks of the larger harvesters cast gloomy shadows dancing in the firelight. We had been out numbered a 3-1 and still managed to survive, and yet the victory was hollow to the core.

The twelfth legion was cut in half and lost the majority of their vehicles during the opening attacks, the third was at a quarter strength and had lost all of their officers, but worst yet was the honored first legion. The pride of several centuries of warfare, the first legion had been entirely wiped out at the front of the column. Their pride denying them anything other than a death on the battlefield as they refused to regroup with the other legions.

What remained of the officers of the twelfth legion was split between retreating to the initial landing zones or to continue with the assault. Only after the fighting had stopped was communication with orbital command reestablished, and the commanders in orbit almost couldn’t believe what had happened.

The twelfth officers requested an additional five legions be deployed to the planet and that the authorization of aerial bombardments. Debate between the twelfth and orbital lasted about an hour before the robots returned.

First signs of danger were the screams and weapons fire of sentries posted around the surviving column. Robots that had been laying on the ground thought destroyed rose back to their feet and attacked wandering soldiers.

The fear and terror spread throughout the survivors as everyone capable grabbed a weapon and began firing at the robots once more. In the confusion several soldiers fell to friendly fire as several panic stricken legionnaires opened fire on full auto blindly.

At the end of that night the third legion was almost entirely wiped out and the new rule of fully destroying the head and body of all machines became mandatory.

The war pressed on for another four months before we finally claimed the world.

All it had cost us was nearly four entire legions against an army of farming units.

The disgrace felt by the military was overwhelming and morale never recovered for the remained of the conflict. What’s worse was that throughout those four months the primary factories nestled beneath the primary settlement had been continuously producing more and more robots. What should have been a simple easy victory devolved into a grueling war of attrition.

When we finally stormed the office of the robotic factories we were able to download files from their mainframe and the horrid truth was realized.

Embedded into every robot humanity produced, regardless of their function, was a sub routine dictating military tactics, strategies, and combat methods. A maid unit designed for cleaning could be switched over in an instant to become a skilled sniper marksman with years of training with a kill count of triple digits.

For all of their frailty the humans had not lost the ability for death and destruction. They had imparted it into every machine in their service effectively creating an army of billions skilled in the art of death.

After the war was over I went out of my way to order one such unit to tend to me in my home.

I often wonder, as it goes about its cleaning work, that if I activated its military mode if I would be capable of taking it; though I doubt I can in my age now.

Instead it serves as a constant remind that one should never underestimate the nature of a being. No matter how delicate and frail it may appear, it may be hiding a dagger aimed straight at your throat.

[rottenheartedchild]

Finally finished this piece, it's Val's grandson and his future pact demoness. Full bio is under the cut. Durante is next after I made Angelo and his pact.

Madama Olympia

A demoness who took the form of an enchantress who died under tragic circumstances before being reincarnated in Hell. Refined and joyful, it's nothing more than a facade that conceals a much more sinister nature underneath her colorful persona.

Should a witch decides to form a pact and forfeits their soul, they are blessed with immense power and outstanding knowledge.

Zahir D'Aramitz-Tornincasa

A young man who was born with an innate gift for the dark arts, both he and his twin brother were trained to hone their blessings while trying to balance their chaotic schedule.

Charismatic and playful, he dreams of becoming an actor like his uncle.

More information

🦋Zahir owns 3 pet snakes, 2 pied ball pythons named Katya & Trixie and a garter snake called Dolly.

🦋Favorite things to eat are katsu curry, apple pie, kofta, insects, French pastries and sour candies.

🦋Loves puppets, doll, and any of its kind due to being exposed to Muppets and Sesame Street, courtesy of Isidore.

🦋Olympia sees Zahir like a son since he reminded her of one in her past life. One of the very few she genuinely cares about.

🦋Total frenemies with Angelo's pact demon, Monsieur Pyotr. Most of the time she likes to pester him in his studies, much to his chagrin.

🦋Themed after Queen Alexandra's Birdwing butterfly, from her headgear to the color choices.

🦋Her abilities are based on Barbatos, the Great Duke of Hell and her official alias is 'Diva of Deceit'

🦋Zahir is cambion like his father and grandfather.

🦋His Animal Withins are: Land-Ocelot

Water-Narwhal

Air- Secretary bird

Dodge- Queen Alexandra Birdwing

🦋When asked if he has any favorite uncles, Zahir bluntly says no though he's partial with Caesar's stories.

🦋Is said to resemble his dad the most in terms of personality, if said personality wasn't tempered from years of trauma.

🦋Rarely gets angry but when he does, people genuinely find him terrifying. Doesn't help that he enjoys messing with people's head for fun.

🦋Owns signed posters of every movie he went, including ones from Broadway.

🦋Loves watching cartoons and binge watches them every weekend.

🦋Whenever he's doing anything, he'll always him a song or two to keep himself entertained.

🦋A total sap for romance, a shared trait he inherited from his grandmothers and papa.