#I guess the 'Disposable Demon' was kind of a normal guy too | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

yandere-sins · 4 years

Note

Supernatural prompt 28 and maybe also 10 with Lord Diavolo please! Maybe a loose continuation of the pact one you did before (I've read that three times it's my favorite)?

I am super glad that you enjoyed it so much! :3 Thanks for requesting a continuation!

“Your contract is, by far, my favorite, Dearest.” & “I’ve been watching you longer than you realize.”

»»———————— ♡ ————————««

The ribbons around your wrist, trailing up your arms and to your neck, were, if you had to put it in one word, exquisite.

“Only the finest for you,” Barbatos assured you, casually, as if this was normal. Perhaps, to him or Diavolo, it was. How many poor souls must have suffered like this before you? Not like you wanted to know the exact number. You dreaded the answer to this question, meaning you’d also know how many survived the tortures deal you made.

Tearing a ribbon, you had assumed, must be easy. The fabric was never as tight as a rope or a mere belt, so it should have been child’s play. “Done,” Barbatos' calm voice announced, and you didn’t waste one breath before you pulled your arms away from each other, as if they were rejecting magnets.

That it would quite literally cut off your air supply wasn’t something you calculated in the ‘easy’ plan you hatched just seconds ago.

The amused laugh that resounded from in front of you added the weight of despair on top of your shoulders, your eyes instinctively, yet begrudgingly focusing ahead. “Splendid work, Barbatos,” Diavolo praised his butler, who brought his hand to his chin thoughtfully, nodding slowly as he accepted the compliment.

“The best one I did so far, if I may say so.”

“Absolutely!” More laughter fell of the future King's lips while you pursed your own around the ribbon placed in your mouth, cutting off the words you so much liked to throw around the room. Only then did Diavolo’s eyes find yours directly, no lingering glances around your strapped up body, no polite glances towards Barbatos. His hand lifted, waving dismissively. “You might leave now.”

There was no hesitation, no question, not even a weird look into your direction as Barbatos bowed, moving quickly to disappear from his master’s sight. For as long as you could, did you look after him, frustrated, angry about him seemingly not giving the least amount of concern to what was happening before him. He’d always seem like a nice guy; you couldn’t believe he turned out to be just another bad showcase of a devil too.

Barbatos wasn’t out of the door yet that your and Diavolo’s eyes fell back onto each other, staring each other down as if you had a chance to actually make him see reason by fighting this quiet war. When you still had so much freedom to talk, you had shared your worries with him, asked what exactly this was leading to, but that was impossible now, with you tied up like a freaky birthday present.

“Why are you doing this? That’s what you are thinking, right?”

Were you surprised that he knew what you wanted to ask? No. Did it disappoint you nonetheless? Yes.

“Well, see, “ he sat both feet on the ground again, having previously crossed his left over his right leg, excitedly bobbing the foot in the air. “I’ve been watching you longer than you realize. And the thing is...”

Diavolo stood up. Something inside of you tensed at the sight of his tall body approaching while you were tied to a pole in the middle of what seemed to be his bedroom. Or maybe, his room for all sorts of other fun activities, you weren’t sure if he actually slept in this monstrosity of silk and leather, with the occasional fur laying around and various monster trophy’s on the wall. It was an absurd replica of what you imagined wealthy people liked to decorate with, except, turn it all demonic, and you were good to go.

No matter how much he put on a performance for you, gesturing wildly as he told you his reasoning, you never missed that utterly disgusting, blood-freezing shine in his eyes. A possessive, relived, happy shine that only ever appeared when he looked at you now. “You are such a special, delicate soul! Beings like you are rare, and you would be wasted on just any devil! Your services will have a much more significant reason if you are by my side, and you will only be able to learn about the real Devildom with me. You understand that?”

Shaking your head, he was finally close enough to caress your cheek, your skin smacking into his palm as you only grew more agitated to get rid of the feeling of his touch. “I knew you would~” he cooed, blissfully ignoring the negativity of your gesture in favor of his own thoughts. All you could hear from them were lies, lies, lies, hiding what he actually wanted to say to you.

You’re a new, shiny toy in my eternal boredom to bend and break at my will.

“I did not say that,” Diavolo spluttered firmly, a rare case of being offended in his expression. The realization rained down on you that he wasn’t just guessing your thoughts. He actually could hear them. Only for a moment, your eyes fell to the sigil on your chest as far as you could see it, shining brightly behind the white dress-shirt you had been allowed to wear, presumably, one of his. And as expected, despite it not giving off any feeling at all, it shone brighter than the sun, which was never to be seen in the Devildom, magic imbedded in it that could make everything possible.

“Not everything, but a lot, yes.”

Repulsed by what you just learned, you merely leaned away, even if he tried to make his palm follow your face. You were tempted to think up the worst things you knew about, but his everlasting smile never withered, never changed, while you made yourself even more miserable thinking about gruesome things. It was almost unfair how much he was able to keep his composure while you made yourself sick just from your own memory and imagination.

A pitying sigh rolled off his lips as he hooked his pointer underneath the ribbon strapped over your mouth, pulling it out from its uncomfortable cut-in at the corners of your lips. It took a bit of pulling and tightening around the rest of the ribbon, making your arms come closer together, neck straining to accommodate the pull, before Diavolo made it rest around your throat additionally, everything falling back into a more comfortable hold.

“Your contract is, by far, my favorite, Dearest. I’ll admit that time can be a lonely thing. But when I saw you, I experienced these new emotions, the ones I long lost in the passing of said time, do you understand that?”

“Bullshit, you said you’d make me stronger! You wanted to lend me strength! You’d... you’d help me...” you sputtered. It was hard not to cry from frustration with all of this being your fault, after all. Had you not been lured in with pretty words and empty promises, naive as you were, this wouldn’t have been the result.

“Shh, there’s no use throwing blame back and forth. Even if you can’t see it yet, I am helping you. I am here to help, and you will be thankful for my efforts, you’ll see.”

Diavolo leaned in for - what you assumed was - a kiss that was supposed to bring you two closer together and reassure you. As if he deserved any kind of affection for you after those shallow words. You hadn’t noticed his free hand snaking behind your back, ready to pull at the string that you detested so much for all the pain it caused you with its sharp edges and breathtaking tightness.

No one could blame you for giving in to his first lesson for you to learn, even if the kiss was beyond anything pleasant that you could imagine. The pain and fear of not being able to breathe again simply complied your body to turn to him and accept the caress. But compliance was the most important thing for him, and it also suited Diavolo that he could tug you into submission if he so desired.

Too bad you couldn’t read his thoughts in return, the plans, and the visions he had for you. As per contract, he’d fulfill his promise of making you stronger, but until then, you were his to decide how he was going to do it. If he wanted you to be his toy, you'd be his toy. His pet, you'd be his pet. There was no telling if you could ever be an actual partner, or if you two could ever make this deal anything close to platonic with these raging desires and joy he felt having you at his disposal. But he'd make you work for your contract.

More than you could have ever anticipated.

#Diavolo #Diavolo Obey Me #obey me!#obey me #obey me! shall we date #yandere obey me #yandere!obey me #yandere #yandere imagines #yandere headcanons #yandere scenarios #yandere fanfiction #yandere writing #yandere x reader #yandere x darling #Yandere TW #Supernatural prompts #sadboielijahkelly

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beelzebubisbestwaifu · 4 years

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Okay, so can I request for Belphegor and Beelzebub being soft yanderes? Like I love those bois so much- Also I wanted to ask, how do you have any tips for someone that's planing to start to write?

Can do bby.

Personally I didn’t really get seriously into writing until I started my creepypasta blog (like 2-3 years ago) and before then I didn’t do too much writing. But the best tips I have are:

Write what you love to read! It really helps with motivation to write.

Read read read read read read read. It helps with finding the right words and descriptions for your own writing. It also helps with developing the kinds of writing styles you enjoy.

If you can’t FEEL yourself in the scene while reading it then try re-writing or heavily editing. If you cant feel it your audience wont either.

Time often helps with writers block. Take a moment, make something to drink, and then sit down to look over your work. I’ve sometimes had to delete works I’ve spent ages on bc I realized I was forcing a concept that didn’t work at all.

Change the font/color/highlight of what you’re writing. Your brain often overlooks errors it sees a million times so by tricking it into thinking you’re reading something new you’re tricking it to actually proofread.

Good luck!!

Sharing is Caring

Beelzebub x reader x Belphegor - Soft!Yandere: Some smutty stuff but mostly fluffy stuff.

“Isn’t it kinda weird you guys share everything?” I hum, carefully sorting a comically huge pile of socks. The room smells of fast food and laundry detergent, perfectly matching the stupid amount of clothes needing to be folded.

“Yeah but we don’t mind,” Belphie hums, sorting his shirts from his brother’s, “We’ve been sharing everything since we were angels, after all.” I nod, setting a lonesome sock into the single pringle pile. Beel carefully folds some pants, his stoneset features unmoving as he sorts.

“Even lovers?” My eyes squint as I giggle at my own joke. The intent of course being to cause Beel to react in any way shape or form. The serious second youngest looks up, his tone smooth and calm.

“Why? Are you applying?” I honestly can’t tell if he’s being serious and that makes my blush even worse.

“What??” stammering, I search for a matching purple sock to go with the one in my hand, “I was just joking, guys...” Belphie lets out a lazy little snicker, stringing a shirt onto a hanger. Embarrassment blossoms in my chest like an overexcited squirrel in a pillowcase. Being around demons should teach me to not be so sensitive. After all, it’s not like they’d actually genuinely want to be with me in that way, right? I’m human??

“How cute,” Belphegor mumbles, one eye peeking out from his mop of messy bluish hair. I huff, glaring down at the socks like I’m about to avenge my family and complete my sock-based revenge anime arc. Having finished with the pants, Beel comes over and plops down by my side to assist in the sock avalanche.

“C’mon now Belphie,” Beelzebub huffs, delicately folding together two socks and tossing them into his own little pile, “Teasing them isn’t nice. They were kind enough to assist with our little laundry issue, after all.” How grateful can one be for a muscular demon who eats an ungodly amount? He is right, though. After Mammon’s little “get rich quick” scheme messed up and basically wrecked all of Beel and Belph’s clothes, nobody was willing to actually help them with the cleaning. Mammon is still suffering in Lucifer’s room listening to the lecture, Leviathan hid in his room, Asmo is off being Asmo, and Satan....was actually fairly helpful in collecting the soiled clothes. I couldn’t leave my boys to deal with this nonsense alone, I just can’t be that cruel.

“I understand, Beel,” The sloth avatar nods, moving from shirts to dress clothes, “But you must admit, it is cute when (y/n) gets all flustered.” I cannot bring myself to look up and acknowledge what Beel’s reaction is, but judging by the pleased hum it wasn’t something I agree with. “Hey, that reminds me,” Belphegor’s sly little tone strikes a chord deep in my lungs, the feeling of a love unconfessed I suppose, “Do you have anything you’re going to do when you get back to the human world?” The question actually kinda melts my resolve a little, shoulders drooping as I focus on the task at hand. At first going home seemed like such an excitable event, but now I kinda don’t want to leave.

“Well,” I sigh, “I’m probably going to enjoy some non-strange human foods. No offence but it’s odd being in a culture where you can just buy some brains at the supermarket.” Beel nods in understanding, the food in Devildom is quite bizarre when placed beside human food. “Then I’m probably going to cuddle up and sleep in my own bed. There’s nothing quite like the mattress at home yknow? Even if it kinda sucks. It’s just nice because it’s yours and it smells familiar.” Belphie gives a shy smile, watching me with his one looming eye. “Then maybe I’ll get around to the stuff I’d been putting off for so long.”

“Oh?” The sleepy youngest hums, sitting down next to Beel and I to take a break, “What do you mean by that?” I hum, letting my guard down and focusing on the socks.

“I was kinda putting it off,” I admit, blush creeping onto my cheeks, “But I think I’m gonna hop back into the dating game. I never really took it seriously, but being around immortal demons kinda puts the perspective on the shortness of human life.” at this point my companions have stopped sorting and are staring at me like I’ve murdered someone. “I was approached by an old friend of mine, someone I had once had feelings for, and asked on a date. And I think I’m gonna say yes. Could lead into something amazing for all I know.” I grin at the twins. “You never know unless you take the leap!” The boys stare, serious expressions painted onto their, in my opinion, perfect faces.

“Huh,” Beel hums, “I guess you’ve got quite the to-do list. But I think your advice is sound. Sometimes in life you need to take the leap.” Belphie grins up at his brother, the two sharing a warm glance before Belphie clears his throat.

“(y/n), you must be exhausted,” He hums, “You should go take a nap. Beel and I can finish up here.”

“Are you guys sure?”

“Positive.” Beel gives me one of his patented too-adorable-for-words-closed-eyes-smiles and I nod, standing up and giving my favorite set of twins a wave goodbye before leaving.

The hallways are silent as could be, the chaos surely taking place in one of the boys’ various rooms within the house. But despite the eerie calm over everything, my chest remains warm and full. Helping the twins out always puts me in a ridiculously good mood. A sleepy, slightly peckish mood though. I walk off and grab a cookie from the kitchen before slipping into the serene blue-hued room I’ve come to call home.

I know I’ll miss this bed. I’ll miss the mattress and the smell of the pillow. Even now as I wake up from my nap I still find joy in it’s warmth. The way the covers wrap around me so tightly, the way the warmth creeps up my neck, the way the pillow’s heartbeat pounds in my ear...

“hMm?” I grumble, opening my eye in utter confusion. Of course my pillow doesn’t have a heartbeat. It also doesn’t have arms and also doesn’t smell like fast food and laundry detergent.

“Shhh,” whispers a voice from right by my ear, “let’s not cause a ruckus, cute little snugglebug.” Belphegor’s chest shakes from his contained chuckle as he holds me closer.

“Your hair smells so good, (y/n),” Beel hums, burying his nose in my hair and humming, “Like a snack.” The weightlifting demon keeps me pinned between him and his younger smaller twin with one arm.

“G-Guys?” I whisper, squirming and letting out soft little noises of struggle, “What’s going on?”

“We’re taking a leap,” Belphie chuckles, “Taking advantage of things we’ve been putting off, so to speak...And I would stop squirming if I were you.” Of course, being a human being with an ounce of common sense, I begin to squirm harder between them.

That is until I hear Beelzebub let out a deep rumbling groan.

It’s at that point that I realize I have one leg wrapped around the gluttonous demon’s hip, a hot bulging something being pressed into my crotch through the fabric of the large male’s sweatpants.

“Warned ya,” Belphegor hums, pressing something into my already sensitive being from behind. The sloth avatar lets out a pleased hum, peppering my neck in kisses as I squirm.

“(y/n),” Beelzebub pants, gripping my hip in his large hand, “Please...You’re making it so hard to be composed.” I squeak as Belphie nips at the nape of my neck, my hands wringing Beel’s shirt as I wiggle.

“Why are you...doing this?” my voice is barely more than a whisper as I feel the throbbing half-arousal of my handsome demons press up close to me.

“Simple,” Belph coos, snuggling up closer somehow, “We want you to be ours. At first we didn’t think you’d choose a demon we couldn’t dispose of....but when you mentioned a human we became rather...concerned.”

“We don’t want to hurt anyone you love in the human world, (y/n),” Beel’s sweet voice adds in.

“Yes yes! How could we make you cry? The thought alone kills us, (y/n). The only tears should be from happiness.”

“happiness caused by us of course.”

“of course!”

My silence is so thick I’ve almost forgotten how to speak.

“So you don’t care that I’m human?...” An offended gasp comes from Belphie’s lips, a small bite being delivered to my earlobe soon after.

“How could you say that?” his voice is laced with offense as Beel nuzzles my head, “We love you for who you are, dear (y/n). We love YOU.” a soft squeak exits my lips as Beel moves back a bit to cup my chin and stare deep into my eyes. Normally I’d be scared of prolonged intense eye contact with a demon but this? This is saddening. Beel’s deep purple eyes are laced with concern and heartbreak, as though I’d already rejected them.

“You don’t have to accept our feelings,” Beel whispers, his voice a mere rumble like thunder in the distance, “We just want you to know we have them an-” his sentence, while touching, is cut off by my lips on his. Pained warmth consumes my core as I try to pour out my feelings in a kiss to the lovable giant. Beel’s hand comes up to caress the back of my head. Belphegor gasps softly in surprise as I press my butt into his hips, hoping to express some sort of positive feeling to the youngest brother.

“I think they accept,” Belphie purrs, nuzzling between my shoulder blades and grinding up against me. I blush, feeling Beelzebub grip me tighter and push himself closer towards me, his tongue lapping at my lips hungrily. Excited sparks of joy and arousal rocket through my body as I realize my deepest hopes were coming true: that my beloved demons love me back...

And they’re willing to share.

#obey me #obey me x reader #swd #shall we date #beelzebub x reader x belphegor #belphegor x reader #beelzebub x reader #beelzebub swd #beelzebub obey me #belphegor obey me #belphegor swd #Yandere #soft yandere #obey me yandere #yandere obey me

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stray-tori · 3 years

Text

TPN S02E09 - Initial Thoughts (anime-only)

[ Reaction video w/ captions/subs ] we collectively have a breakdown about the pen, please enjoy it pff-

... hmmm... yeah I... ain’t feeling it. I think my tpn feelings overall are carrying this more than anything pff. I didn’t hate it, it was just...... mediocre... like if this wasn’t tpn, I probably would have dropped it at this point.

BUT IT IS TPN SO LET’S GIVE SOME THOUGHTS.

. Random thoughts I don’t want to re-arrange

when Emma was like “share your pain with us!!”, I liked how Norman turned to Ray like “Ray. help. tell her I’m right” kind of like Ray did in s1 pfff-

Norman cried the words he didn’t allow himself to say in s1 :( I’M EMOTIONAL. it might not be the icing on the cake execution wise but GOD MY HEART. And knowing he’s going to die to it’s just- (well not if the pen has something to say about it but more about that later)

where- wheres my trio hug :((( RAY HUG THE CHILD NOW

it’s interesting that while Emma got the entire emotional speech spotlight, only Ray got a reaction shot to “I won’t live long”?? equivalent.... exchange...?

I thought Norman had a seizure when he broke down in front of Emma and Ray and I kinda wish he had because while it’s good to have him say it outright (a win for communicationnn), imagine THE ANGST. “I want to live with yo- *coughs up fountains of blood*”.

So. yknow that hideout Cislo or Vincent referenced when talking to Emma and Ray. Yknow where Norman hid the children they stole from farms, making it look like demons did it? ... w-what about them? will we see them? Are they getting left behind? it would have worked for Norman’s plan, since all they had to do was stay put and wait for demons to be yeeted. But now... he’d have to take them all too. But... I doubt we’re gonna introduce a bunch of new designs and characters? Or are we? Who knows. I don’t. I have unreasonably amount of protecc feelings for those children I’ve never even seen haha- WHERE ARE THEY. I mean... the plan rn is to immediately use the gate right? or is the plan to eradicte the GF farm staff and higher ups? I guess if thats the plan it might work. Or I guess the plan is to save Phil for now???

the idea of Sonju just... slicing his arm and throwing it at demons in a loop sounds so funny to me please someone make that.

I liked that Mujika turned to the lambda kids after giving a cup to the demon children but then we didn’t see their reaction or anything and then it cuts to the temple??? that was weird. was there sth missing there? confusion.

I also like Isabella remarking "[a radio] was supposed to be there" regarding the shelter, because it further heavily implies they know of the shelters and just let them be. Which further confirms that they should have just reframed the shelter and had the kids escape from it quickly but oH WELL.

I really liked demon Emma apologizing and Norman's reaction to that. it was a sweet little moment and like, the realization of apologizing for something that she didn't do but is aware of and all that. Cycle of hatred and all that shiz hell ye. Ik the anime won't rly delve into that but I kind of relish in the angst potential of the village - sure it was undone but some were still eaten and died and transforming people back won't bring those back. So, that’s some hella terrifying implications for families; and I'm assuming Norman is aware of those so. guilt time! not that he wasn't aware it was bad but yeah- I teared up at that moment :<<

I feel like this season really does its best when it’s doing the whole two worlds/species angle. Mujika and Sonju, the village, demon and human Emma... all that stuff.

I wish we had gotten more time (god this is really the season’s downfall) thought to see Vylk talk to the GF kids more often. it’s implied he told them not to hang out there before but I would have liked to have him show up a few more times before that but yeah. Runtime very RIP.

I also feel like CW is bending over backwards to put cliffhangers at the end of episodes. that was already a problem in s1 when they had Phil come in when Don and Gilda were in Isabella's room. it was obvious it'd be a copout but they still did it. I'm just wondering why we had to have Vincent disagree with the group to this extend (and if the shock value might play a part in that). we have 2 more episodes, why are they introducing more plot threads? Just streamline it you dofuses. I just don't know what good can come of it unless it's like an ultra big brain move to help them?? (and then we're back with the forcing cliffhangers thing) - if it's actual conflict, this'll just make things more confusing and clustered, and we don't have time for that right now imo. But who knows maybe it plays into something I just don't understand yet and it'll work out somehow

. Animation flow kinda dead.

I felt like this episode was kind of... awkwardly executed whenever something that was a slightly dynamic movement happened?

The whole bit while Emma is walking up to Norman could have been better, but it’s passable, except that a lot is spelled out for us.

But then she takes his hand really weirdly in a far away shot with bad inbetween timing?? what is that haha-

Or him collapsing is cut really weirdly. you barely really see it, you just kinda piece it together from Emma’s reaction and her catching him.

Most facial expressions are good though, which is arguably the more important part in this scene. I feel like a better execution just would have elevated it even more.

The only one I felt was really awkward in its entirety is Barbara’s scene with the children demons. I felt like that was in particular kind of stiff and the cut between the child and her was too sudden and felt jarring. TPN anime doesn’t really do that sort of stuff a lot, so imo it’s kind of “??” when they do it. With Norman it was too, but that at least had a good transition over to it (with bg and fg panning) and nice animation. Barbara’s just kind of switched. Tbh don’t switch it out, and as the child screams, switch over to her facial expression as her own voice fades into the scream? I think that would have done it too and also be low effort.

I think it’s moreso the flow of the shots than the actual shots though? it’s a bit too fast paced and sometimes missing inbetweens (like the wild demon eating sonju’s hand is literally just 2 frames) - it’s very weird. It’s jarring, but I can’t really explain why.

I’m sorry for the staff, I’m sure the production hasn’t been easy. maybe with the bluray release we’ll get some updated animations/inbetweens.

Some appreciation though:

as mentioned, most of the facial expressions, even if the body language was a bit stiff.

the cut from the trio talking to the eye-transition of the demon and the following breath animation looked nice. Also his arm regenerating!

Sonju smirking as he cuts his arm off, what a bastard

they didn’t have to show Vylk’s arm regenerating casually while they’re talking but they did.

. the lambda crew

If only I cared about you guys. Hahhh it’s just... introducing characters so close to the end is just. A mess. A recipe for disaster.

Where has the anime’s “show off the younger kids” angle gone? I thought they were always pretty good at that. but they haven’t really contributed anything since the whole tidbit about the older children always eating less for them. And even then it was just Lani and Thoma.

Potentially, what segments we saw in the shelter will come back for the GF raid thematically but I’m just... EH?

. the cure pen

at this point, just stick a syringe part at the end of the stick and just inject it and it’s gonna solve everything probably.

I just don’t understand why that needed to happen. Assuming they go to the human world, it’d be perfectly acceptable for me for medicine to be so advanced that it’d be able to like, lessen their symptoms and significantly improve their lifespan.

Don’t just... REMOVE their struggles. It’s okay to not be normal and cured. it’s okay for their lives to be impacted by it going forward. In fact, I’d much prefer that.

(added in later) OH wait they literally spell out why the cure being in the pen is meaningful - because it opens up a path where they can live through not having annihilated all the demons - it's essentially the moral "reward" for not killing them. Since they probably wouldn't have gotten it if they did that. I still think it wasn't needed and the blueprint on its own would suffice for another pen-convinience moment but I kind of get what they're going for, I just don't think it's worth it . In their case, going to the human world (while they don't know it) means having more medical expertise at their disposal which they can then use to survive. UNLESS they're actually not welcome over there and have to hide or something, in that case... that might be hard, true. I guess I'll come back to think about this once it's over. For now, it feels kind of unearned and it wouldn’t even have to be this way in my eyes which makes it somewhat worse.

But good, let’s say in-universe you need it NOW, then at least don’t put??? the medicine??? recipe??? INTO the hologram.

What if they just checked the GF blueprint and Norman goes “hey, Vincent... do you think this [database/archive room] could have some data on our experiments?” - Norman said he tried to develop a drug to help them but the supporters who had that data were purged. but... they had Smee to help them too. But SOMEHOW, a dude from 15 years ago just HAS the cure??? (at least let Norman develop it himself and have the data be just THE DATA and not the recipe).

It might still check out somewhat??

15+ years ago, James Ratri was assumingly still the gatekeeper since the switch to Peter seems somewhat recent considering his big "era of James has ended" speech.

I guess the implication is that just like Smee => Krone => Norman, a supporter all that time ago gave random person the pen when they escaped.

When Vylk found him, he also had just the data medium of the pen (not the entire pen), so maybe the farm thought they eliminated it and that’s why they didn’t change their methods to not work with those drugs anymore? It's still a bit curious that their experimentation hasn't changed at all in 15 years but maybe that's because they keep killing the smart people instead of making them scientists to research for them :D

Somewhere since those 15 years, Smee gave Krone the pen (probably a few years before she got to GF?), which means that at that point the gate the keyword "future" sent them to, was still in tact when Smee gave Krone the pen. Maybe WM wasn't discovered yet at that point?

then WM got discovered, James was chased. He made that phonecall update and was probably eventually killed, along with the human location (and likely bunkers since they knew a radio was supposed to be there, begs the question why they didn't remove it) being discovered (the one with the future keyword) and the gate there being destroyed.

The problem is just that it can make sense when you think about it for way too long and assume things in good-faith, but it still feels unearned.

Maybe I would care more or this would feel a little more earned if we knew ANYTHING about that person? They seemed fairly young, so it’s probably not Minerva/James Ratri. The “hope” talk reminded me of the book in the shelter, but I’m not sure if that checks out either? The cookies were rotten but not completely. I know cookies hold out relatively long, but would they rly not be completely rotten after 15 years? I MEAN. Maybe not. Who knows. I tried to google it but didn’t find anything.

But anyway. That tidbit is going into my “shelter kids OC project” I guess.

But even if the worldbuilding makes sense, I think the data set in itself makes little sense?? How did they find that pen part? Did a supporter give it to them? Why do they have the cure? Clearly their group of escapees wasn’t doing too hot (#help) and they seemed relatively young too so they probably couldn’t have worked in the farm.

Were the shelter escapees lambda escapees? but if that was the case, wouldn’t the WM group have secured the cure information more properly than in just one pen (maybe it was and those were just destroyed, to be fair) - it’s just WEIRD to put the cure for Lambda experiments on the same blueprint as the GF layout??? that makes so little sense.

Plus, why would you send them to GF, when it’s so secured and all that, and not just send them to the human support place our GF kids were sent with the “future” keyword, which had a gate. Maybe it didn’t exist 15 years ago (that the humans had control over it, that is), but even then it seems weird to me to imply to send them to GF instead of one of the other gates that existed. I mean. The “future” location’s gate wasn’t destroyed when Krone got the pen right?

I’m guessing maybe it was meant as help for escaping? But then again, why the cure? I guess if they met lambda experiments? I’m just confused.

Also: do we just accept that the layout of GUARDS and SECURITY MEASURES has not changed in 15 years???

*sigh* welp. Still looking forward to seeing some stuff with Isabella hopefully. Time... is not on their side and it shows. Neither run-time wise nor production wise.

#tpn anime #tpn s2 #tpn anime-only #tpn #tori talks #tori has opinions

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tinalbion · 4 years

Note

May I humbly request some Freddy hurt/comfort? With him finally realizing that his s/o genuinely loves him and that he’s finally loved

Oh man, you guys have such fun Freddy stuff and I am NOT gonna complain! We do love a little bit of hurt and comfort, it adds to the flavor, doesn’t it? You know how I feel about this damn man, oh, so weak!

“Son of A Hundred Maniacs”

Warnings: Mentioned verbal and physical abuse

Length: 2k

Son of a hundred maniacs! Son of a hundred maniacs!”

“You freak!”

“Nutcase!”

It was always neverending for Freddy, even with Mr. Underwood, it was just unbearable sometimes when he would drink and take out everything on him, that’s why he took that pain and used it, Freddy wielded that power now and he used it to show that he would no longer be walked over and treated like he was unworthy of the life that was given to him.

He proved himself over and over again, he would walk in people’s nightmares and take them out one by one. He allowed no one and nothing to come between him and his work.

Until you came along.

He hated it, despised it so much to the point he didn’t even want to face you any longer, but he was always drawn back and would somehow find himself in your dreams, watching from afar as you imagined pathetic and innocent things. He even tried his best to scare you, to feed off your fear to give him enough gut to do what needed to be done and leave the boiler room with your soul.

But that all began to change when he appeared in another dream of yours, and before he even knew the details of it, he was about to execute his plan to pull you back into his playing grounds until he saw what it was you had been thinking about. He was there, not as the dream demon you had been so uncomfortably familiar with, but him in his human days. The tousled hair, the disturbing smoke-hued eyes that stared off into nothingness, it was definitely him back when he was only sixteen. Freddy seemed more confused than anything, but he decided as much as he wanted to put a stop to this, he needed to know why you’d be dreaming about him in such an intimate way.

He scoffed at the idea. Intimate, yeah, sure. That’s not really the way he’d describe anything about him, not now and not ever. But when he watched you approach the old him, it was almost like he was the one dreaming. You had been careful with your steps and your words, you sat next to him on the bench outside of the local park, where he had been a good couple of feet away from the rest of anyone else.

Your eyes were on him as you watched the way he reacted to your presence, which gave off the notion that he wasn’t too keen on having company. He shrugged and scooted further away from you, his eyes averted from you and kept to the ground, his shoes digging into the ground as he twitched under your questioning gaze.

“Hey, I’m Y/N,” you greeted calmly, “what’s your name?” You leaned forward slightly, your hands gripping the edge of the bench as your head was turned toward him.

The younger Fred was defensive and terrified, cursed to think that everyone would immediately lunge for him with the hurled insults of being a freak, a bastard, whatever it was the kids were calling him these days. You were gonna be no different, he was sure of it, they all ended up being harsh and cruel to him. Nothing made you special.

But that’s where he was wrong, you were so very special, you were kind and understanding, that beaming light he needed as a child when no one else wanted anything to do with him. Mr. Underwood would beat him, the kids would haunt him for the rest of his miserable mortal life. But there was some odd sense of hope as you spoke so kindly to him in your dream.

Funny thing is, you weren’t even sure why you were dreaming of him, but you were amazed just how normal he seemed in his teen years, it was almost refreshing to see. The dream demon watched you still, his mind torn in several different directions. You exhausted him in so many ways and he was more inclined to kill you to rid himself of the headache you caused, but there was something that he buried deep within himself that he never wanted to resurface for anyone to see ever again. The pain he felt. He controlled it and used it to his advantage, he wouldn’t feel it anymore, he’d never feel the way he used to, but there you were, bringing his deepest and darkest emotions out from within him. It was rather funny, he wanted to kill you slowly, to watch you suffer, but he was slowly realizing that there was so much more to it now, it was never something for Fred to second guess.

After a long and uncomfortable silence, dream Freddy tilted his head slightly to the side, your hand in his sight. “Fred,” was all he managed before avoiding eye contact once again.

You smiled, happy to just get an answer from him. It was not spoken aloud at any point, but you knew that this was him, the version of the Springwood Slasher everyone had tried to bury in the secrets of Springwood, but you wouldn’t explain to him that you knew what was to come, you knew he was already being led down a path that he wouldn’t be able to come back from, but there was always a chance to shed just a small beam of light into him, to show him that he wasn’t entirely alone. It was incredible that no one had tried to do this for him, and if they did, why hadn’t they tried harder to help him? He was only a child, innocent, and in need of help. Whatever the case, it was said and done, but you couldn’t help look at him with such affection, your eyes reflecting just how much of a love-sick puppy you had become.

The way you looked at him; had you dreamt about him before? You must have, there was no other reason to explain why you had looked at him like that, but whatever it was, Freddy was feeling confliction like he never had before. He stepped closer to you and continued to watch you carefully, his claws at the ready if he needed to dispose of you quick enough, but if you knew about all of this and you knew he was there watching you, you didn’t give him any indication that you had an idea.

Your face suddenly turned to see him standing several yards away, hiding in those familiar shadows as a predator normally did, and your face softened as he stepped out slightly from his hiding spot. The teen Fred slowly vanished from your view and the real one walked closer to you, wordless and intimidating like he always was, his eyes glaring down at you while you reached out for the teen Fred. Your hand went through mist where he sat, your face now solemn as you were faced with the real thing.

“What the hell are you doin’, huh?” Freddy snapped as he slide-stepped in front of you, forcing you to face him.

“Whatever do you mean?” you replied quickly. “You and I both know that I can’t control my dreams.” You tilted your head down and looked at your hands as you picked at the little pieces of skin that were around your nails. “This started without me prompting it, okay?”

Freddy knew you were being truthful with him, he had seen into your dreams and they were sometimes a bit obscene at times, and others they were docile and uneventful. Now though, it was different, maybe it was his fault and something that was out of his power happened, pulling you into it since you had been the most recent victim of his. Whatever the case, you were able to see into his memories, which were leaked somehow into your subconscious.

“I just want to say that I get it,” you started again as you grabbed onto his non-gloved hand and squeezed it, “you can kill me after but I want you to know that I get it, I see why you’ve felt the way you have for so long and I can only say I’m sorry.”

Freddy’s anger only bubbled and he wanted nothing more than to cut you down and enjoy taking your soul as the color from your face would drain right before him, but he couldn’t find it within him to do so. Why, he couldn’t say exactly, he only knew that you had seen his past and were here in the present, and you had apologized to him. Why would you do that? It was unnecessary and yet so very needed, he had no idea how much it would mean to him when you spoke again.

You scoffed and shook your head. “It doesn’t make up for anything, really, but it’s evident that you had no one, and I want you to know that I would have loved you even then, guess I always would.” Your revelation had surprised even you when you came to the realization, but you were at peace with it and needed him to know before he would kill you.

Freddy then realized he hadn’t snatched his hand from yours; he was enjoying the touch and the contrasting temperature your body gave off, it was such a conflicting feeling and he hated the fact that he liked it so much. But you sounded so genuine and kind, this wasn’t a ruse to try and get away from him, you stopped doing so a few visits ago, he took notice.

His eyes flickered from your hand to your face, a small smile plastered there as you stared up at him, tired and exhausted. “I have to admit that I think I love you.”

That’s when it hit him, that’s when he felt everything hit him at once and he was so terrified of this new feeling that he left soon after your confession. You understood though, it was a lot to handle and you knew he would come back when he was ready. And that’s exactly what he did a week later. A week of uninterrupted sleep and silence from the dream demon you had become accustomed to seeing.

When he did show up, he was skittish and hesitant, to say the least, but he did end up showing himself and you couldn’t have been more unsure of where your life stood. You decided that it would be completely up to him and you wanted to show him that he had that option, but what he did was more surprising than what you initially expected; he took several bold steps toward you and pulled you into one of the tightest hugs you’ve ever had. A relieved hum escaped your lips and you couldn’t have asked for a better response to your startling confession, and you returned to hug immediately.

This was the most interaction you had gotten from him and then it had gone a bit silent again, though he would visit more often than not, his anger now subdued as he stalked you, mainly out of curiosity. He would visit your dreams and allow you to do as you pleased unless you directly asked for him to show up, which he would oblige your wishes if he were having a decent day.

It was a slow process, something completely out of both of your comfort zones, but it was a curve that you both decided to try, even if it meant that there would be complications. So long as you kept that amazing open mind present, Freddy was more than willing to see where things would lead.

All he knew was that he deserved nothing less than hatred, but now, there was a spark that would gradually grow with each passing day. And just maybe there would be a day where he could return those words to you, but you both had all the time in the world.

#tinalbion writings #slashers x reader #slashers imagines #slashers headcanons #slasher requests #freddy krueger #freddy krueger imagine #freddy krueger x reader #freddy krueger headcanons #anoes #a nightmare on elm street #dream demon freddy #angst #hurt/ comfort

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zeravmeta · 4 years

Text

fuck it. soma cruz fgo servant profile bc i make my own content

Servant: / Servant Class: Soma Cruz / Alter Ego

Origin: / Region: Castlevania Series / Japan, 2035

Alignment: Lawful Neutral(?) “Yeah, not sure how I classify as Lawful given my past life, but whatever.”

Aliases: The Dark Lord, Dracula, Soma Cruz

Parameters: STR (B) / END (A+) / AGL (B+) / MP (EX) / LUK (A) / NP (???)

Class Skills: Authority of Beasts (Fake), Core of Chaos (A), One Who Severs Fate (A)

Character Info: “In order for God to be perfectly Good, there must always exist an embodiment of Chaos, a Dark Lord to emerge from the evil of humanity’s hearts.”

For one thousand years, the Belmont bloodline had opposed the terrible night that Count Dracula would bring with his powers. After generations of suffering, the Belmont’s latest mantle bearer, Julius Belmont, along with their generational allies, the Belnades clan and a nameless soldier, had managed to permanently defeat Dracula with the help of the Hakuba Clan’s shrine magics. Severing his connection to his power and sealing Castlevania, the embodiment of his power, within a solar eclipse, Dracula had finally faced his demise in 1999, prophesied by Nostradamus one millennium ago. Thus, the strongest Dark Lord had fallen, his throne empty and awaiting a new master.

In 2035, Soma Cruz had visited the Hakuba Shrine to meet with his childhood friend Mina, unaware of the birthright he would claim.

Skills:

Chaos Ring A: An extremely powerful construct that channels the very essence of Chaos. It can only be found by the one who can traverse and control the Chaos Realm, the Dark Lords personal right. Wearing it grants the unlimited magical power of the Chaos Realm, but actual output depends on the user. If the Demon King’s Ring is the symbol of Dracula and his reign, then the Chaos Ring could be considered the symbol of Soma and his new beginning.

Thematic narratives aside, it’s a very convenient tool for Soma.

“It’s weird, but it feels like…it was made for me. Almost like a welcome gift.”

[5->3 Turns] [Charge NP (20%->30%), Increase NP Gain (10%->25%) (3 Turns), Gain a Delayed buff 1 turn after skill use (Unremovable): [Charge NP (20->30%)]

Armament Master D: Soma is extremely proficient at using any and all forms of weaponry. Due to Dracula’s vast reach, Soma has a vast number of different modern and mythical weapons and gear at his disposal, notable weapons including Excalibur (sealed in the stone), Hrunting, Caladbolg, Mjolnir, and even a Positron Rifle, to name a few. However, one weapon unique to Soma is the Claimh Solais, an Irish sword of light mentioned in many legends and defining the archetype of “Sword of Light.” It provides a great boost to parameters and is surprisingly light weight despite its size. Another unique weapon he wields is the Valmanway, the “Blessed Wind” that is always ‘cutting’ even when still.

(The rank is D because despite his proficiency, Soma has never had any formal training.)

“I mean, it’s just a sword, right? How complex is it? You can just swing it and things die. Though…considering I have ol’ Drac’s memories…sorta, maybe I’m just remembering it?”

[8->6 Turns] [Increase Atk (10%->20%) (3 Turns), Gain Critical Stars (5->15), Increase Critical Star Absorption (3000%) (3 Turns), Increase Critical Damage (10%->20%) (3 Turns), Apply Special Attack against Sky, Star and Beast attribute enemies (20%->40%) (3 Turns)]

Power of Dominance (EX): Soma’s inheritance from Dracula, or more fittingly, the Chaos Entity opposite to God. The Power of Dominance is a unique ability that grants a complete mastery over the abilities of any and all souls Soma can acquire from the enemies he defeats. All the monsters that Dracula unleashed in his crusade against humanity are the countless souls under his domain, even that of Death itself, and their powers rightly belong to him.

Soma can differentiate between the types of Soul Arts he uses, and this reflects accordingly in his Noble Phantasm.

“I never wanted this power, but I guess I’m stuck with it. I’ll always carry the target on my back, but at least I can look awesome as hell while doing it, I suppose.”

[5->3 Turns] [Decrease Enemy Charge by 1 (20%->50%), Select own NP Command Card’s type between Quick, Arts or Buster for 3 Turns. Effect of NP changes depending on which Command Card Type is selected. This skill is immune to debuff effects (such as Skill Seal)]

Noble Phantasm:

Advent of Sorrow – He Who Severed His Fate Against Chaos and God / Anti-Divine, Anti-Self / Rank (???)

A manifestation of Soma’s power truly made his own, separate from the title of Dark Lord and Dracula. Having defeated the Chaos Entity, he managed to sever its connection to his soul, and be saved from his Fate. Even so, he carries the Power of Dominance with him always, and the countless souls and followers of Chaos always wait and offer themselves unto Soma to lead and command them. In his own imperfect way, neither holy nor demonic.

After all, he’s only human.

(Note: If used by the true Count Dracula, this would be considered an Anti-Humanity NP)

[Type: Buster] – [Deals massive damage to a single enemy (1200%->2400%), Chance to Decrease Charge by 1 (80%->100%). Overcharge: Increases own Buster Card Effectiveness (20%) (1 Turn) and NP Damage (1 Turn) (20%) (Activates First)]

[Type: Arts] – [Deals heavy damage to all enemies (400%->800%), Chance to decrease Atk (15%->25%) and Critical Chance (20%->30%). Overcharge: Inflict Curse (5 Turns).]

[Type: Quick] – [Apply Debuff Immune (1 Time), and Restore HP each turn for self (3 Turns) (1000->1500), and Increase NP Gauge each turn for self (3 Turns) (5%). Overcharge: Apply Def Up for all allies (3 Turns) (25%->50%).]

Bond Lines:

Bond 1: “Heh, thanks for having me! I’m still not too sure about how all this stuff works here, but if you need a monster taken down, I’m your guy.”

Bond 2: “So the rest of those dudes call you ‘Master’? Kind of awkward, but I guess they’re magical familiars at the end of the day. What? So am I? Sorry but, vampiric powers aside, I’m just a normal guy. I was even in University before I got dragged here. I’ll just call you [name] for now.”

Bond 3: “Do you like curry? Arikado said I shouldn’t be using these monster souls for dumb stuff, but they don’t mind. They always talk to me and really want to help me out wherever I am. Except Death, that guy sucks. He’s always breaking into my home and trying to convince me to become the next Dark Lord and to ‘accept my throne’ and stuff.”

Bond 4: “…It scares me, sometimes. Knowing not only what I am, but what I’m very capable of.”

Bond 5: “Y’know…you could always come back with me to my world, if you want to escape. I’ll take you to meet Mina, and Hammer and Yoko and Julius and Arikado and…Hm. Sorry. I know you can’t abandon this world, it’s where you grew up. There’s…a lot of people here who love you. You should always remember that and hold it close. It saved my life when I thought I couldn’t go on, and I know it will also save yours.”

Voice Lines:

(1): “I’m glad this place is a lot simpler than the castle. That place had so many hidden rooms and puzzles that I felt like I was going insane…No, as a matter of fact, DON’T tell me about all the secret workshops here.”

(2): “Hm? What’s up? I’m just relaxing here. Sorry if I’m taking up space. It’s nice to just take a moment.”

(3): “No, no, don’t worry. Even if I could, I’m not the type of guy to just go around stealing souls. I only do that to monsters, and even then, they become complacent once they return to me. I could show you some of the fun ones, like the Skeleton Gardener, if you’d like.”

Likes: “What I like? Curry! Oh, and Mina. She’s been with me for my whole life. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

Dislikes: “This is gonna sound cliché, but garlic. It just tastes bad.”

Event: “Whoa, a party! Let’s go, I’m super bored cooped up in here.”

About The Holy Grail: “Wish granting? No thanks, I’ve read a ton of comics and things always go wrong. What? Of course, it’s a valuable source!”

Summon Quote: “Yo! My name is Soma Cruz. I’m just a regular high school student. Um…Where am I, exactly?”

Happy Birthday: “Happy Birthday, [name]! I’m so gonna throw you the coolest party ever! I’ll even invite Mina…If, uh, if that’s cool with you?”

(King Hassan): “D-Death!? Why are you…Oh. Uh, sorry about that. You reminded me of...someone. I’m sure you’re a cool guy underneath all that armor.”

(Vlad/Vlad III (EXTRA)): “Huh. So, in this world, the legend of Dracula is just that? A legend? Well, that’s a huge relief. I’m not exactly the kingly type.”

(Gilgamesh/Gilgamesh (Caster)): “Hey [name], could you give me a hand? This gold idiot keeps saying I stole his weapons, but they’re mine! …Hey! Stay back with those portal things! Someone, help!!!”

(Scathach): “Jeez, I bet Arikado will get along with that slave driver. Seriously, Arikado’s method of teaching me my powers amounted to locking me in a room with monsters and a pocketknife. Huh? She’s stomping over here!? [name], help me!”

(Marie Antionette): “I don’t know why, but…Looking at you makes me sad. I’m sorry.”

(Sessyoin Kiara): “Master, this lady is coming onto me WAY too hard. She keeps telling me to ‘embrace what I am’ and junk. I already get enough of that crap from cultists back home.”

(Sakata Kintoki/Astolfo/Romulus/Romulus-Quirinus/Ashwatthama): “Hey, you’re a pretty cool dude, huh? Finally, someone with some style!”

(Amakusa Shirou): “Ugh, you remind me of Fortner. And stop using rosaries around me, I’m not Satan, you jerk!”

(Mephistopheles): “Please, leave me alone. I’m not evil, nor will I ever be the Dark Lord. Just because I have those powers doesn’t mean I’m defined by them. Also, the alarm clock you gave me exploded, so I don’t think you’re all that trustworthy anyways.”

(Beni Enma): “Aww, you’re so cute...Wait, from the Underworld? A yokai? Guess you’re one of mine, then. If you want, I can loan you some Skeleton Waiters for your chain.”

(Any Avenger-Class Servant): “Hey, you guys are kinda like me! Everyone says you’re evil, but you’re actually really nice!”

(Arcueid Brunestud): “Master, that girl is shooting me some pretty weird looks....Huh? Reincarnating vampire? Oh, I guess I’d look pretty weird in that case. That’s not her fault, though. Maybe I’ll go say hi.”

QQABB Deck:

Buster Card: 2 Hit / -Soma raises Excalibur (still in the stone) and smashes it into the enemy-

Quick Card: 5 Hit / -Soma holds Valmanway in front of him, turns around, and multiple slashes envelop the enemy-

Art Card: 3 Hit / -Soma does two horizontal strikes, then a third overhead strike with Claimh Solais-

Extra Card: 6 Hit / -Soma punches twice, does a spin-attack with Claimh Solais, then jumps back and fires his Positron Rifle-

Level Up: “Whew…I feel so powerful.”

Ascension 1: “Whoo! Good job, [name].”

Ascension 2: “This…This is just like then…[name], maybe don’t do this anymore.”

Ascension 3: “Please…stop. I don’t know if I can pull myself back this time…”

Ascension 4: “I see. Well…as long as you’re by my side, I’ll never succumb. So please…don’t die.”

Battle Start ½: “Just how many monsters out there!? In any case, let’s do this thing!” / “I’ll carry the mantle and defeat this terrible night!”

Skill ½: “Bullet, set…Enchanted, set…Guardian, set…” / “How about some of this!”

Attack Selection ½/3: “Hmm.” / “Seriously!?” / “Nice.”

Attack ½/3: “Hraagh!” / “Take this!” / “You’re going down!”

Extra Attack: “Let’s see you handle THIS!”

Noble Phantasm Selection ½: “Are…Are you sure?” / “I’ll trust you on this.”

Noble Phantasm: “I will never be the Dark Lord…You, God, and The World will just have to deal with it!”

Noble Phantasm Damage: “I won’t…Submit...!”

Regular Damage: “Gah!”

Defeated ½: “Mina….” / “Julius…our promise…”

Battle Finish ½: “That was a close one…” / “Anyone need some healing? I have some spare spoiled milk…Oh wait, none of you have a Ghoul soul, huh?”

#fgo #fgo fanservant #soma cruz #castlevania #read this and catch my disease #fucking LOVE this funky little pimp coat lad #'but zerav this is way too op'- shut up i deserve this my cock is huge and yours can be to if you let go of such foolish notions and go ham

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anistarrose · 4 years

Text

The Liching Hour (TAZ Balance AU)

AO3: archiveofourown.org/works/22963831

Summary: Taako is a lich, but he doesn’t die alongside Barry when his memories start to fade. In fact, he doesn’t die for another whole decade… until he arrives in Refuge, and first hears the clock strike noon.

Characters: Taako, Lup, Barry Bluejeans, Kravitz, Magnus Burnsides, Merle Highchurch

Relationships: Lup & Taako, Kravitz/Taako, Barry Bluejeans/Lup

Additional tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Major Character Undeath, Angst with a Happy Ending, relationships listed in order of focus

“Taako is a lich too” is definitely an AU that’s been done before, but I couldn’t resist giving it my own unique twist! I actually started writing this fic exactly eleven months ago, when I was still fairly new to TAZ, but I forgot all about it until a few weeks ago when I came back to dust it off and finish the last few scenes.

(if you want an accompanying soundtrack for this fic, then I strongly recommend Lifetime Achievement Award by Lemon Demon! the song has big lich energy)

***

The set of planar systems traversed by our IPRE was indescribably vast, but far from the only one of its kind. Over eons, countless other universes are forged and then left to their own devices by elusory, non-interventionist creators — and in more than one of those universes, a ship called the Starblaster takes flight, propelled between planar systems by the strength of the bonds between its crew. In more than one of those universes, members of the IPRE put enough faith in those bonds to undertake a great risk — fusing their life forces with their magic and becoming liches, constructing a failsafe to protect their family from the Hunger that pursues them.

In one of those universes, Taako joins Lup and Barry in taking that risk. The ceremony goes as smoothly as the transformation into a lich can go, and the three of are all able to hold themselves together, thanks to their love for each other and their crewmates...

But when Lucretia feeds her records of their journey to the Voidfish, when Lup is already trapped in the Umbra Staff and Barry cleverly cheats amnesia by falling to his death off the deck of the Starblaster, Taako stays in his living form. Being undead isn’t the first thing he forgets — no, it’s Lup that he loses first, for Taako’s bonds with his twin are more carefully documented in Lucretia’s journals than anything else he’s done or cared about over the century — but the second that awareness of lichdom vanishes from his mind, the second he forgets the safety net he has in place in case of death, a self-preservation instinct kicks in again after nearly two decades of lying dormant. No need to go charging into uncharted and potentially deadly territory — Taako’s good out here.

For over a decade, he avoids death, and he never remembers what happens to him when he dies. Sometimes animals will shy away from him for no apparent reason, and maybe that faint burning sensation that fills his chest whenever Merle channels Pan to cast a healing spell on him is a little weird — but there’s no dogs on the moon and Merle hardly ever casts healing spells in the first place, so Taako just... tries to forget about it when he can, and convince himself it’s normal when he can’t.

He has a vague suspicion that he hasn’t been like this forever, but he can’t remember a clear date of onset for these symptoms, so he just brushes them off and keeps them to himself. It’s no one’s else’s business, anyways.

Or so he thinks, until he meets the Grim Reaper one fateful Candlenights.

***

There are two presents left under the shrub, both in similar silver-wrapped boxes — but one is addressed to all three Reclaimers, and the other is specifically labeled for Taako. Neither indicates the name of the sender.

Magnus and Merle don’t even attempt to hide the jealousy in their stares as they watch Taako pick up his gift, but something compels them to all stay silent and open the boxes as subtly as possibly while the Director makes conversation with Johann on the other side of the room. There’s nothing inherently suspicious about them other than the lack of a “from” name, though the handwriting on the tags is extremely familiar, but Taako still positions his arm to shield the box from the view of the others before he opens it and sees the contents…

The interior is plush purple velvet, cushioning two items: a coin and a note. The coin is golden and about as big as the circle made by Taako’s index finger and thumb when curled to meet at the tip, and it’s engraved with runes he doesn’t recognize — but he can read the accompanying note, though he has no idea what to make of what it says.

Keep this to yourself. If you ever encounter a situation in which you need it, you’ll know what to do with it when the time comes.

A quick use of Detect Magic reveals that the box and note are completely mundane, but the coin is enchanted. Nothing feels inherently volatile or dangerous about the complex divination spell it’s imbued with, but it still gives Taako a sinking feeling, like it’s something he should be forbidden from possessing.

So he casually slips the coin into his pocket and pops the note into his mouth, chewing and swallowing as he peers over Merle’s shoulder to examine the other gift — an identical box, this one holding three circular blue patches with twelve smaller circles embroidered around the circumference and an unreadable acronym word lying in the center. There’s another accompanying note here too, this one simply reading: “For your eyes only.”

Then, three different noises happen in very quick succession: Magnus turns to Taako and whispers “What was in yours?” and a second later, the Director echoes “What is that? What did you guys get?”

But before any of the boys can blurt out some lie despite not knowing why they feel so compelled to hide the gifts, the Director’s necklace unexpectedly interrupts the conversation, glowing faintly as a staticy, panicked voice yells “Lucretia!” The Director instantly whirls away from the boys, angrily whispering into her pendant which replies with words that are hard to make out from a distance.

Almost on reflex, Taako slips one of the patches into the same pocket as the coin and disposes of the second note with the same method he’d used for the first, cleansing his palate with an elderflower macaron immediately afterwards. He doesn’t think about the patches or the coin for a long time after that — but then again, he ends up getting distracted by a lot over the course of the next few hours. With the impeding crystal apocalypse, and the floating lab, and the death crimes and all.

***

“Well, that’s weird,” Noelle says. Her satellite dish is blinking green as it rotates, scanning the perimeter of the Cosmoscope two, three, four times. “At first, I thought it musta just been interference, but… one of you guys isn’t a lich, are you?”

“A what?” Magnus asks.

“A lich. The signal was real faint at first, but it just got stronger, and now it’s fluctuating a whole lot…”

“Nope, not me!” Magnus declares, with surprising confidence considering that he doesn’t appear to have any understanding of what being a lich means.

“Well, not that I’m aware of,” Taako answers slowly. “But I think even ya boy here would know if he was a lich. Right?”

“I’m friends with a few liches!” Merle adds. “They’re fun at parties.”

Noelle sighs at Merle’s comment, and then continues: “Yeah, Taako, I guess you’d hafta know if you were one. Guess my scanner’s just on the fritz.”

***

“Now Taako, Taako, Taako,” Kravitz mutters from within the sapphire mirror, and the pure exasperation on his face is almost adorable. “Care to take a guess what your bounty is for? I would really hope that you, at least, would know.”

Taako has a feeling he’s been saved for last because his crimes are the worst, but he’s got no clue why — there’s no way he’s died more than fifty-seven times, right?

“I dunno, is it about that tentacle thing? 'Cause don’t worry, my dude, this is a safe and non-judgmental environment where you don’t need to be afraid of being yourself —”

Kravitz's eyebrows raise and he looks aghast for a moment, but recovers quickly. “Taako, you've died twelve times — but alone, that makes you practically a law abiding citizen, compared to the company you keep! I never thought I’d see the day that I’d thought Magnus, with his 19 deaths, would be the least of the evils present, but — but —”

He sputters. “But you three all seem determined to make your crimes as unprecedented as possible —”

“Unprecedented, that’s me!” Taako laughs, and tries to ignore the half static-drowned screams of all his instincts, telling him to run as far away from Kravitz or any portal to the Astral Plane as he can get. “But uh, what is the deal with my bounty if —”

“Playing dumb about dying is one thing,” Kravitz growls, “but you’re really playing dumb about being a lich?”

“But I am dumb,” Taako blurts out, before the accusation really sinks in. “I’m just a humble idiot wizard!”

Kravitz bursts into bitter laughter. “An idiot necromancer, more like. Do you really —”

“There’s no way,” Magnus cuts in. “If Taako was a lich, we would have to know!”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that you would, given how long the three of you have been cheating death together!” Kravitz replies.

“Okay, first of all — how do you know we’ve actually been cheating death for that long?” interrupts Merle. “We could’ve just died all those times in the span of, I don’t know, a month or two! We’re really incompetent.”

Magnus and Taako nod in enthusiastic agreement as Kravitz sighs.

“And second of all?”

“Uh... I forgot what I was going to say second.”

“Of course you did! What won’t you three conveniently forget — GAH!”

A giant skeletal hand reaches out of the Eternal Stockade and grabs Kravitz by the robe, dragging him inside the Eternal Stockade. It slams the door of the prison with a force that Taako winces at, all the way on the other side of the sapphire mirror.

“Did we solve the lich puzzle?” Merle asks. “Are we free to go?”

“Gonna be honest — just personally, I’m not too worried about the lich puzzle!” Taako shouts back, as a high-pitched hum emanates from the crystals around them and the room begins to shake. “Mostly just thinking about how much I don’t want to remember what dying feels like!”

“You know, that’s fair,” Merle agrees as he watches a complete skeleton materialize behind the hand, wading through the Astral Sea and towards the mirror. “That’s pretty fair.”

***

“Look, you saved my bacon back there,” Kravitz tells them after Legion is defeated. “Not just my career, but the world too. Things would have gotten very, very nasty, in a way that I wouldn’t have exactly wanted to put on my résumé…”

He sighs. “And Merle, Magnus… I would be willing to let you off with a warning, because you’ve technically never escaped the Astral Plane, and that leaves a convenient little loophole in the law for you two to slip through. Even Lucas — he’s learned his lesson with necromancy, it looks like. But Maureen, Noelle, and especially you, Taako — you’re all going to have to come with me. I can’t make exceptions for those of you who have succeeded in a jailbreak — nor can I do so for a lich.”

This time, he doesn’t spit the word lich with any of the disgust or outrage that were in his voice before, but rather speaks slowly and solemnly — and if Taako didn’t know better, he might think Kravitz actually felt bad about having to lock him up.

“Look, Ghost Rider.” Taako’s heart is racing just a little bit faster than he’s comfortable with, and the worst part is he doesn’t know why. It’s tempting to blame it on the slight crush may or may not be developing, but his crushes — although few and far-between — definitely never send his pulse up this fast this early in the relationship.

“You seem like an okay fellow who’s just trying to do your job, so I’ll be honest with you — I can’t remember ever touching necromancy with a ten-foot pole. Look, I used to make my living as a chef, and when you’re cooking the last thing you want is your meal coming back to life in front of you. I’ve got no motive!”

“Does your book with the bounties say anything else about the charges against him?” Magnus asks. “The charges against any of us, actually?”

“Not a single thing, I’m afraid. The bar’s not very high, but you are some of the… less unsavory bounties I’ve hunted, which is why I genuinely hate to say this, but —”

“Oh, so it’s savory you like? Let me take you out for an evening at Taako’s Bar and Café, and I’ll cook you up as many savory dishes as you like —”

“The — the bar,” Kravitz stammers, slipping out of his Cockney accent, “is so not high —”

“He just wants to help you broaden your horizons!” Merle chimes in. “You must not get out of the — the, uh, whatever your plane is called very often, do you?”

Kravitz sighs. “It’s the Astral Plane, and — and look, we just… we need to get going, alright? Taako, I… I could give you the benefit of the doubt, I suppose, and let you stay here until you die and return to your lich form, but I still need those two souls in the robots to come with me —”

“Wait!” Magnus interrupts. “Gambling with death is a trope for a reason, right? Can we play cards for their souls?”

Kravitz shrugs. “You know what? Sure! This day can’t get any wilder!”

***

Boyland’s rites of remembrance aren’t until tomorrow, but Taako is down in the Voidfish’s chambers ahead of time, Umbra Staff clutched tight as he stares at the twinkling galaxy pattern within the jellyfish’s bell.

“Uh… do you need something?” Johann asks after Taako’s stands there silently for about a minute.

Taako twirls his umbrella and shifts it from hand to hand, half expecting it to fire on its own again like it had when talking to Angus, but it stays dormant.

“Can your jellyfish pal, like… I dunno, choose what it innoculates you for?”

“Uh… no? At least, I think we woulda noticed if it could… why are you asking?”

“I was bored.” Taako turns to leave, but before he can get back in the elevator, he hears the Voidfish sing a short tune — not quite as loud as when Magnus had touched its tank, but definitely the same three notes.

***

Taako dies a few times in Refuge before he notices anything weird about it — well, not that dying and being revived continuously isn’t weird albeit familiar, but at first he’s just immediately whisked off to the white space alongside Merle and Magnus. No special treatment for him — until the first time that they die before the hour ends, and everything starts unraveling.

Magnus leans away from locker as he opens it, but it proves to be a futile precaution as the sound of an explosion blows out their eardrums and shockwaves tear through the room, sending the floor beneath their feet blasting towards the ceiling at the same time that massive boulders rain down from above, crushing the cave’s occupants before there’s even a chance process what happened.

As the dust settles and the roar of the explosives and falling rocks dies out, Taako blinks — except it feels strange, like it’s not his physical eyelids moving as much as it is his vision shifting into another spectrum, as if someone had just cast True Seeing on him.

Huh, he thinks. Thought that would’ve killed me.

And then: Of course it killed me. I’m a lich.

(Well, there goes any chance I had with Kravitz —)

I’m a lich like the Red Robe — no, like Barry. And like —

Like Lup.

How could I forget Lup?!

The sensation of incorporeality hits him on a delay and doesn’t stop hitting him, harder and harder until he feels like he’s about to disintegrate. His red-tinged skeletal hand drifts through the air, catching the silver threads that hang lazily like cobwebs in the space all around him as his spectral fingers curl into a fist. He clutches those bonds with every ounce of strength he has but they’re unraveling now, just like his robe, like his magically deformed essence…

He’s ready to disintegrate, to unravel, to crumble into ash just like Lup’s skeleton in Wave Echo Cave, because of course it was her, it was all that was left of her —

I found her but she was gone — everything was gone, except for her robe and —

“Taako?”

Lying just a few feet away from the hem of his robe is Lup’s Umbra Staff, pulverized into a dozen smoldering fragments — and above it floats another red-cloaked figure, eyes blazing red like miniature versions of the explosion that freed her.

“Taako, I’m here!” she assures him, and her echoing voice is a chorus of too many simultaneous emotions to count — it’s worried, and desperate, but joyous and relieved and comforting all at once. “Don’t break down on me now, Taako! It’s okay!”

Something solidifies in Taako, a grounding sensation so powerful he feels almost corporeal again, but words are failing him, motion is failing him. He stays frozen as the bonds he’d clung to wind back into place, stretching from his arms to Lup’s and pulling them together into the closest thing to a hug that liches can achieve, and he feels warm.

“You idiot,” he finally chokes out. “You didn’t think that absorbing magic shit would make a bad combo with being a fucking lich?”

Lup is literally beaming with happiness, emitting beams of light that would blind someone with physical eyes. “You didn’t exactly realize either, you dingus!”

They stay in the embrace for a few more minutes — and Taako may or may not let out an ugly, messy sob or two, complete with tears and snot made of pure magical energy that crackles like lightning when it strikes the rubble below — before he finally feels stable, and Lup quietly asks:

“How much time do we have? Forty minutes? Thirty-five?”

“What?” Her words don’t sink in immediately, but the second they do, Taako immediately feels like the victim of a sick joke. “Oh, shit. The Umbra Staff’s gonna get fixed next loop, and — and I’m not gonna remember you’re in there —”

“It’ll be okay,” Lup assures him. Taako can tell from the tone of her voice that she’s just as frustrated as he is with the irony of the paradox, except trying to redirect that anger into stubborn optimism. It’s a lifesaving skill for liches of their particular breed, that ability to channel destabilizing negative emotions into sustaining positive ones — a skill Taako hasn’t had much practice with, lately.

“There’s got to be some way to cheat the loops — you know, a loophole.” Lup laughs — a rasping, echoing noise that would probably be terrifying to anyone who didn’t know her, but is a massive relief for Taako to hear. “It’s practically in the name. We’ll figure something out — we always do. Let’s just think — and besides, I’m sure Magnus will get you blown up at least another two or three times, so we’ve technically got even more than forty minutes.”

“Right, right, okay. Physical objects are a no-go, Magnus figured that out after his bank robbing stunt —”

“Yeah, I think I caught that. So we’ll have to try something magical —”

“Wait.” A thousand different realizations are slowly coalescing together all at once in Taako’s mind, and he struggles to find words to articulate any of them. “How much could you, like — how much could you see from in there? You helped me out fighting the vine monster, right, and — and ruined Ango’s cookies, so… you musta been pretty aware to do all that —”

Lup looks down at the remains of the Umbra Staff, now reduced to mostly ash.

“I could see and do plenty, if I put enough effort into it,” she explains, “but it wore me out quickly, especially casting spells. After I spelled my name, I was just… clinging to consciousness for the next few weeks. That stunt might not have been the best idea, since I’d figured out by then that you couldn’t remember, but… I had to try.”

“Did you see Barry, in… let’s see, Goldcliff and the Cosmoscope? He, uh… wasn’t doing so great that second time…”

“He’ll be able to hold it together,” Lup declares confidently. “He’s stubborn like that.”

“Do you think he realized… your situation? He was pretty stable until he saw you —”

“He would have done something about it by now if he’d known, though…”

“Yeah, of course, you’re right. But he definitely seemed like he had some kinda plan — wait, I think I got it! Where’s my body?”

“Wait, got what?”

Taako levitates a few boulders out of place, and summons two Mage Hands to rifle through the pockets of his corporeal form. “Our way out of this time paradox shit, courtesy of Barold himself! As long as it didn’t get crushed — ah, here we go!”

One of the Mage Hands procures a familiar golden coin, imbued with a divination spell of Barry’s own engineering that Taako finally recognizes. “Well, I guess I don’t know for sure that Barry sent it to me, but it’s his spell and came alongside some IPRE patches, so I’m gonna say it sure wasn’t from Lucretia.”

“Is that — is that the spell he made when Magnus was worrying about the Temporal Chalice overwriting things without us knowing?”

“Yeah, storing info across timelines is its whole gimmick! He knew we were going to go after the Chalice eventually, and musta realized that I would forget anything I did as a lich if a time loop like this revived me —”

“Gods, I love him!” Lup shouts, laughing and lighting up with joy all over again. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s send Amnesiac Taako a message!”

***

Taako faceplants in the dirt alongside Merle and Magnus, alive again and holding an unbroken Umbra Staff. As always, Roswell stands guard outside the gate, and Taako and Magnus immediately start running through their explanation.

“Great job, Maggie!” Merle mutters under his breath. “Now we’ve gotta go through this whole shebang again.”

“We’ll be able to make a great speedrun video on Fantasy Youtube by the end of it, though!” Taako whispers back, and Roswell tilts their bird head in confusion.

“What? What’s a speedrun?”

Taako opens his mouth to reply, but a slightly muffled yet incredibly familiar voice from within the pocket of his skirt beats him to it.

Yo, Taako! T to the double A-K-O! I’m you from half an hour ago now, so listen up!

“What the fuck?” he blurts out, digging out the coin. “That’s — that’s not me! I never said —”

I know you don’t remember recording this, but there’s something you’ve really gotta do, the coin goes on, still in Taako’s voice, and he drops it to the ground and stares at it in horror. It’ll make sense later — well, maybe a long time later. Eventually, I hope!

“I don’t trust you!” Taako shouts, not sure if he’s expecting the coin to respond or not. “I don’t know who’s behind this, but I know a trick when I hear —”

You need to break the Umbra Staff, Taako, a second speaker explains, and Taako goes stiff at the sound of her voice. And you need to break it again in every new cycle — or every loop, I should say, until you get out of here. Please, Taako, trust us. We’ll explain as soon as we can, I promise.

Magnus kneels on the ground and pokes the coin gingerly, as if expecting it to explode. “Taako, where did you get this? Do you know what triggered it to —”

Taako snaps the Umbra Staff with his bare hands, and a column of fire erupts around him.

As his vision turns into an orange blur, he can just barely hear Merle yelp in shock and Magnus shout in concern over the roar of the flames, but he doesn’t feel afraid — which is itself a deeply unsettling feeling, because he should really be terrified out of his mind — but he just can’t fear this fire no matter how hard he tries. The warmth of the flames that weave so deftly around him is not harsh, but rather, comforting — almost fiercely comforting, in a way Taako wasn’t prepared to be comforted, a way that makes his heart seize up just like the woman’s voice that he couldn’t help but trust.

The blaze consolidates into a spectral figure in red who floats in front of him and nods, face obscured by the cowl of her robe but a smile manifesting clearly in her voice nevertheless.

“Thank you so much, Taako. I knew you’d come through.”

Then Magnus swings Railsplitter through her — harmlessly, of course — and she turns to face him.

“What do you want from this town, Red Robe?” Magnus yells. “Why did you bring Jack and June here?”

“Magnus, calm down! Really, I should be asking you about Jack and —”

She pauses, noticing Magnus’s disoriented expression. “Shit, was that static? You know, that’s probably for the best. Let’s start over: Magnus, Merle, Taako, earth elemental who’s name I missed —”

“I’m Roswell. Could you please identify yourself?”

“Magnus, Merle, Taako, Roswell — but mostly you Tres Horny Bois, or whatever you call yourselves these days — first things first, I’m not the Red Robe you met before. Second and on a related note, yes, I’ve been in Taako’s umbrella this whole time. Yes, it sucked. And third…”

She sighs. “You’re just going to have to take my word on this one, but I literally can’t explain who I am or why I’m on your side. It might seriously damage your minds, but I should be able to tell you my name, which is Lup.”

“Lup, why do I trust you?” The name feels strange in Taako’s mouth — familiar, except it shouldn’t be, except it is, except it couldn’t be, except…

The contradiction just spirals on forever, boring a hole in his mind that aches like hell and makes his stomach churn.

“Taako — oh, Taako, you’re not thinking about it too hard, are you? You can’t think about it too hard — you see why I can’t try and explain anything else. I would if I could…”

Slowly, with help from Lup’s Mage Hand, Taako stands up. He can’t even remember when he fell to his knees, but… he tries not to think too hard about it. Just take things one step at a time.

“Lup can help get us out of here,” he tells Magnus and Merle. “I don’t know why, but I’d trust her with my life even outside of a time loop, so… we’re doing what she says now.”

Magnus shrugged. “You know, I guess we could do a lot worse than putting a competent woman in charge, even if she’s undead. Lup, whatever your plan is, I’m down for it.”

***

By the time the purple worm dives back down beneath the earth with her children, Taako’s just about ready to collapse. Physically, he’s uninjured — he had a lich and an earth elemental watching his back, after all — but mentally, he’s a wreck. The persistent roar of static in the back of his mind has taken its toll, especially since the loop where he died before anyone else, and woke up to find Magnus and Merle giving him the two most confused and concerned looks he’d ever seen on their faces.

So when Avi freezes, glowing red, and everyone’s Stones of Farspeech go dark, Taako barely has the energy to wonder why until another robed figure materializes, holding a finger to his lips —

“DID YOU RETRIEVE THE…”

Every fold of fabric freezes in place, as lightning washes over the Red Robe’s form.

“LUP?!”

“Hey, babe,” Lup whispers, unfazed by the lightning bolts as she floats forward to wrap her arms around the other lich. “Thanks for the coin.”

“But — but how?” the Red Robe stammers. “How are you finally —”

Several curls of hair, made up of ghostly orange fire, escape from under Lup’s hood as she explains, and the Red Robe gently twirls a coil of flames around one of his skeletal fingers. “How are you really here?”

“You’re not gonna believe this,” Lup explains, “but it turns out that magic-absorbing staffs and beings made of pure magic aren’t actually the best combo.”

“Oh my god, we’re idiots,” the Red Robe gasps. “We’re magical undead idiots.”

“Love you too, Barry,” Lup murmurs.“God, I missed you so fucking much.”

“Wait, like Barry Bluejeans?” Magnus asks, at exactly the same time that Taako mutters: “Ugh, get a room.”

Barry whispers something to Lup that Taako doesn’t catch, and then both liches turn around.

“So, slight change of plans,” Lup announces. “It looks like the bubble isn’t quite down yet, but once we get that taken care of… anyone else up for a moonbase infiltration?”

“I’ve got one condition,” Taako immediately announces.

“What’s up?”

“If we run into the Grim Reaper, neither of you crimson lovebirds know me.”

#taz #taz balance #taako taaco #lup taaco #kravitz taz #taakitz #barry bluejeans #blupjeans #magnus burnsides #merle highchurch #taz balance spoilers #rosalia writes fic

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ironemrys · 4 years

Text

Here Be Rejects and Weirdos

pairings/relationships: familial DRLAMP, background Logicality I guess.

tw: blood and gore I guess. cursing. that's pretty much it.

notes: no context. just a random thought. is this a super hero AU? idk. probably not.

What's hard about being a mutant? Is it the creepy scientists who wants to experiment on you? Is it the political unrest caused by people who are pro mutant and anti mutant? Is it the judging look people give you once they realize you're not human?

For Logan, it wasn't necessarily those things mentioned above. Nope. It's not even the fact that most people see his kind as weirdos and rejects. Those without a place in the world because they're different.

He was used to being told that he was different so it didn't matter to him. No. What's hard about being a mutant is adopting and raising mutant children.

Or in his case, four chaotic teenage mutants. God if Splinter could see him now. But let's not dive into that side of the universe.

Anyway, despite the fact that the teenagers can sometimes drive him crazy, Logan didn't mind. In fact, he loved the idea that these teenagers rely on him and look to him as a mother figure.

He says mother because the father role is taken up by his partner, Patton.

Now Patton, at first glance, doesn't look like he's different from normal human beings unlike the other mutants who you could obviously tell. His mutation enables him to cure injuries both minor and major. The only thing different about him is that his hair tends to change their colors whenever he's using his powers. They're naturally brown but they would turn white when he's healing someone else and they would turn golden when he's healing himself. It's weird, he knows. But whatever, he's a mutant.

Logan also at first glance looked more human than the rest of the mutants. The only distinct feature he has is when a series of coded tattoos would start to appear on his forehead down to his eyelids whenever he's using his power.

It has been a while since he last used his abilities. Mentoring and training four teenagers didn't really require much from his mutation.

Logan's mutation allows him to see and feel another mutant's presence. He could tell just by looking at them how strong they are, how powerful they could get and what their weaknesses are. With this vast knowledge on other mutants, Logan uses his degree in engineering to create weapons that could protect him and his family from other mutants who would want to harm them.

Because let's face it, there are those out there who would dare.

Anyway, Logan sat in his workshop and mumbled incoherent Tagalog to himself as he continued to work on the modifications on one of the teen's suits because of course he would create protective suits for his boys. They are mutants but they're children, they're his children.

It was well past ten in the evening but he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep if he didn't finish his work. He's not one to put off a project that he knows he can finish sooner rather than later.

The sliding door on his right caught his attention when it opened with a bang and three teenagers ran inside followed by Patton.

"Logan! Someone's captured Remus!" a red eyed red haired teenager yelled in alarm.

"how is that possible?" Logan asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Him and Roman were on their way back from patrol and me and Janus were supposed to meet them when we were attacked! They were from the opposition, I recognized their badges! What do we do!?" a purple haired teenager replied frantically as tendrils of shadows started to form by his feet.

Of course, not everyone is for the idea of mutants coexisting with the humans. So aside from the usual villain mutants, Logan and his family also had to deal with the human dictators who only had one thing in their mind: to purge and cleanse the world by removing the anomaly. The anomaly being them, the mutants.

"Virgil, honey…" Patton said and soothed his back.

"Virgil, calm down." Logan reminds him and the teen took a deep breath, shuddering.

"But why would they only take Remus?" Patton then asked once Virgil relaxed. He fixed his round eyeglasses on his face and looked warily at his partner.

"I mean if they were from the opposition then shouldn't they have captured all of them? And even if they were only interested in the wolves, why didn't they take Roman as well?" he added, gesturing to the red head.

"Roman hasn't fully shifted, Patton. The opposition has hunters and hunters could tell if you're a fully grown werewolf or not. Besides, Remus is an Alpha. An Alpha has high value in the black market. Roman has yet to know his standing since his transition is incomplete." Logan concludes.

"so they're gonna sell him?!" A brown haired teen with green scales on one side of his face hissed in disgust.

"probably." Logan replied and turned to his computer. "where did you last see him?" he asked before putting up a map of the city.

"we were attacked a few blocks away from the usual post." Virgil replied. He was trying his best to calm down. The last time he had a panic attack the entire mansion got covered in darkness and it was not a happy memory.

But how can he calm down when one of them has been captured. Sure, they all had these different abilities that will give them the upper hand against the opposition but they were also teenagers, they are still in training and they are young. Obviously, they had a lot to learn.

Also, they were outrageously outnumbered when they were attacked.

"Did you try finding him using your magic, Janus?" Patton asked the scaly teen.

"I did but the hunters had magic users with them when they attacked us and I could tell that they're blocking my magic right now." Janus answered.

"They had magic users? Now that's new." Patton commented. Indeed it was, the opposition usually housed humans, so why would they have mutant magic users at their disposal?

"I can't trace him with the shadows too. Either they're in a very well lit area or my range is just too short." Virgil responds.

"His scent was gone as soon as I woke up." Roman added as he bit his fingers in anxiousness.

He didn't like being separated from his twin. No matter how much they get on each other's nerves, they love and care for one another. To be honest, if Roman was to be asked, he would've hunted down the assholes who took his brother the moment the three of them woke up from being knocked out.

However, since Janus was the eldest foster kid, the decision on what to do next had to come from him.

"Roman, there is no need to worry. Remus is very capable in taking care of himself." Logan then says when an incoming video call pops up on the monitor.

"hello, mutant scum." A man Logan recognized as a hunter from the opposition greeted him as soon as he answered.

"Hunter." Logan acknowledged as he fixed his glasses on his face. He could hear Janus and Virgil hiss from behind him.

"Hey you asshole! Where's Remus?! Where's my brother!?" Roman yelled in distress and Patton had to hold him back. The red head was baring his fangs and his fingers were turning into claws.

"He's right here, cub." the man replied with a grin and turned the camera to show Remus.

The green haired teenager was bound to a chair with silver chains. He was banged up and gagged. His hair was disheveled and his eyes were glaring daggers at his captor.

"what do you want with him?" Patton asks.

"well at first we were going to kill him in front of a lot of people, you know, for kicks." The hunter sneered and Roman growled in anger.

"Then we thought why not sell his body parts to the black market? This one's an Alpha and that's really rare nowadays. And there are a lot who would pay good money just to see you burn." The man added while playing with the white streak on Remus' hair.

"BASTARD!!" Janus yelled angrily as he took a step forward but Logan held on his shoulder to calm him down.

"But then we figured, hey we can make more money if we hold him for ransom since isn't he under the protection of the famous Guardian? The same Guardian who proposed the coexisting of humans and mutants?" the man said and they could hear laughter from other people in the background.

"yeah. We know all about you and your foster kids. You really think that you guys joining together will create a family? You're no family. You're what's wrong with this world.." the man said and smirked at Logan who surprisingly didn't care about what the hunter was saying. Instead, he turned his attention to Remus.

"Remus, are you alright?" He asked and Remus made eye contact with him through the monitor.

"He can't answer you right now. He's busy trying not to die." The hunter replied.

"it's a shame we didn't take the puppy too. We could've made more money with two werewolves." He laughed maniacally and they heard Remus mumble something through the gag in his mouth.

"What?" The hunter asked and pulled away the gag.

"I said," Remus coughed but then he glared at the hunter, "you fuckers better leave my brother alone."

"Ha! We could have your brother if we wanted to, you imbecile! He's weaker and easier to kill. Add that half snake and winged demon and we can have dough that could last us for years. Although they're not really worth much unlike your kind." the men around them laughed loudly that they missed the growl rising from Remus' throat.

"Please don't kill him." Logan sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose but the men only laughed harder at his words.

"You think you can beg for the life of this monster? You are disgusting. You're rejects. You're abnormal, you're experiments gone wrong. Listen, you don't get to make demands here, Guardian. You failed watching over your so called band of misfits and-"

"I wasn't talking to you." Logan cuts him off when they hear the breaking of chains followed by a ferocious growl.

The hunters turn around as Remus shakes off the silver chains. He raises his head and flashes them a toothy, albeit scary, smile.

"You see, what you hunters don't know is that Remus and Roman aren't ordinary werewolf mutants. They're mutant hybrids." Logan starts, fixing his glasses again, "which means that those silver chains? they're pretty much like chew toys for the likes of him."

Remus transformed. His pale skin turned a darker color, his hair grew longer and down to his waist, his usually green eyes were brighter and his fingernails were the shape of claws. He got on all fours and once he growled, the hunters eyes went wide.

There was a scream and the tearing sounds of flesh as Remus destroyed everything and everyone in the room. The laptop where the call was still ongoing got turned over right next to a severed head.

"subdue him!" they heard someone yell and they could see more people from the opposition appear and attack Remus.

"it's the magic users." Janus hissed.

"we have to help him!" Roman yelled then there was a beep in one of the monitors. A red dot blinked rapidly at the map in front of them.

Apparently, Logan had started tracing the call, the minute the hunters called them.

"Go." He then said and gave a nod to Janus who materialized a black staff out of nowhere. He chanted in an ancient language as his eyes turned yellow. There was a flash of light and then the three teenagers were gone.

Remus dodged a magic spell thrown at him by one of the hunter's peers. He growled lowly and was cornered to a wall when the lights went out.

"About damn fucking time!" He yelled when the people around him started yelling profanities at something that was attacking them in the dark.

"MONSTER!" someone yelled and raised a knife to stab Remus from behind but there came another growl on the right and the assailant was immediately tackled to the ground.

The lights then came back on and Remus saw that most of the hunters and their magician friends were down on the ground. He licks the blood off his fingers as he transforms back to his normal form.

"good job." Janus comments as his staff dematerializes. He brushes off his cloak and turns to Virgil who was still clouded by his shadows.

"Vee? We're all good." He called and the shadows immediately disappear to reveal their youngest.

"god fuck. These assholes ruined my day." Remus then says.

"well, you got them back so I guess you're even." Janus replies.

"let's go home. I'm hungry." Remus says as he watches Roman revert back to his human form.

"I'll do it." Virgil says and his eyes turn a dark shade of purple before they all get consumed by the shadows.

"well that was fun." Remus grins, his teeth yellow and bloody because of the fight.

"yes, I could tell." Logan replies as the teenagers step out of Virgil's shadows.

"ugh. You stink, Remus." Roman then comments.

"not as stinky as your breath!" Remus retorts and smothers Roman's face with his bloodied hands.

"GROSS! YOU'RE A DISGUSTING HUMAN BEING!!!" Roman whines.

"We're not human, you genius!" Remus cackles, "You, for instance, are a bitch!" he adds and dodges the clawed hand of his brother.

"you take that back!" Roman demands but before they could get in another fight, Patton stepped in to stop them.

"Alright now kiddos. Now that we have Remus back, it's time you all get some rest. Remus, I'm glad you're okay." He smiles in relief.

"Of course pop. I was just caught off guard. Won't happen again. Unless of course some hunter is dumb enough to cross hybrids again." the teen shrugs.

"Right. Now go and take a bath. And off to bed. All of you." Patton replies and the rest of the teenagers pile out but not before Remus makes another off hand comment.

"besides I think now they'll be too scared since Roman showed his ugly face."

"UGLY?? I'M UGLY?! WE'RE TWINS YOU STUPID GENIUS!"

"god shut up!" Janus yells at both of them before flicking his wrist, causing the twins to be bound tightly in ropes.

"Why is this my family?" Virgil sighs but there was a soft smile on his face as he watches Janus levitate the twins to their rooms.

Patton then turns to Logan who shuts off his workstation as well.

"I was wondering why you were so calm. Usually you would've been just as bad as me if one of the boys went missing." He says and Logan lets a grin form on his mouth.

"I know their potential, Patton. I am The Guardian after all."

meh. this is the thought process of someone who's been indulging themselves in superhero shit along with Sanders Sides.

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daydreaming-jessi · 4 years

Text

Henlo I am buzzing with energy, so I decided to go ahead a conclude the whole cliffhanger in the Beej and shoggoth au I left last time lmao. This is gonna be a monster I feel so um I’m so sorry

SO! one night Lydia and Beej were hanging out, watching horror movies. Delia and Charles went out on a date, and the maitlands were having a quiet night in up in the attic.

The cats were acting weird all day. Shoggoth kept walking the house, checking every window, barely stopping to eat. Azazel was actually keeping still, seeming to keep vigil in the sitting room seemingly, watching the wall that still had marks on it from months before. Circe seemed to be on edge, actually hissing at anyone that petted her out of nowhere, and patchie and Beef kept hiding under the sofa.

Lyds and Beej tried to walk them, but they weren’t having a good time. Beej was worried, but lyds suspected a mouse had gotten into the house or they’d seen a stray outside and tried to appease beej’s worries with Friday the thirteenth.

So the two were sitting on the couch cuddling under the knitted blanket barb had managed to make, making jokes at cheesy acting and props, eating popcorn and just having a good time all around.

Suddenly there’s a shout upstairs, and a series of bangs and shuffles. Lydia and Beej share a concerned look. Suddenly shoggoth let out a very haunting yowl and charges upstairs, with Azazel close after. Lyds and Beej decide they should investigate.

Up they went, to the attic, coming up to a chilling sight. Green light filled the attic, Adam and Barb were suspended in air, looking very similar to a sight seen months before.

“Barb, Adam!” Lydia cries, rushing forward. Beej remained at the stairs, frozen, as a familiar energy hits him, holding him frozen in place.

“You.”

Lydia turned to see a familiar sneer, familiar red glasses and pearls. Juno.

“I should’ve known it was you harboring these fugitives,” Juno sneered.

“How... how are you back?!”

“You think a simple sandworm can stop me? My son is an idiot, kid. They only stop ghosts, not millennia old demons that keep order of the netherworld.”

Barbara lets out a pained scream at that moment.

“Let them go! They didn’t do anything!” Lydia sounded hysterical now. When barb was being exorcised before, it didn’t sound half as painful as it does now. She got the feeling Beej had been holding the power of the exorcism back, months before.

“These ghosts are fugitives, punk. They should’ve gone to the netherworld the day they passed. No exceptions. If they wanted to be in the living world, they should’ve gotten a pass. But now they have to be punished,” Juno huffed. Both ghosts let out pained cries.

“No! Wait, please, you can’t! They-they didn’t know-“ Lydia tried.

“Oh please. They have the book. They knew they were breaking the rules.” Juno interrupted.

Lydia was panicking now, and she quickly sucked in a deep breath. “Beetlejuice!” She cried.

“Don’t bother.”

Lydia turned to see Beej standing rigid, frozen with his eyes rolled into the back of his head, hair black. A skeleton stood beside him, chattering and clicking.

“I should’ve known he’d stay around here, bumming off a bunch of breathers. He grows a spine for once and then doesn’t even try to take over. Why do I even keep him around?” Juno brushes past Lydia, moving to circle Beej, like patchie eyeing up a squirrel he’s about to pounce on.

“Why do I keep him around? After everything I’ve done for him, and he drives me to drink my sorrows away! I’ve given him all I could and he just disappoints me over and over again... I believe I’ve had enough. Keep those two in place. It’s time I start over with this mess,” Juno smiled, sending a chill down lydia’s spine.

“No!” Lydia cries, leaping forward to stop the demon. But Juno flicks her wrist, and Lydia freezes in place, lifting off the floor.

“Well well Lawrence. Do you remember that little curse I cooked up for you? Wasn’t there a little clause about your true name? What was it, Betelgeuse?”

The room becomes cold. The green light becomes mixed with black shadows. Lydia feels tears springing into the corner of her eyes without thought.

“Ah. Now I remember. Oh foul son o’ mine, never shall you be seen lest named times three. But, beware. Should your true name be uttered thrice, bid farewell to any life. Such a shame, isn’t it? You had such potential. But you wasted it all and wasted me away with them. Remember, everything I do, I do for you. Maybe now you’ll learn your lesson,” Juno hissed.

Lydia wants to scream, fight, do anything. Her family is about to vanish before her, and there’s nothing she can do. Charles and Delia weren’t here to help, barb and Adam were going to be gone, Beej was about to be gone, and who knows what Juno was going to do to lyds. I’m so sorry Dead Mom.....

“Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse. Betel-“

A yowl fills the air, and suddenly Juno has a face full of black fur, white slashing the air. Juno screams, and the skeleton is bowled over by four other balls of fur, scattering it’s bones across the attic floor. Adam and barb fall to their knees, gasping and sweaty. Beej gasps, stumbling back. Lydia crashes to the ground. She can hear the door opening downstairs, the panicked shouts of her parents starting to come closer.

“Argh! What a horrible little creature! Ah, Jesus! How on earth did it touch me.... ? what did you do Lawrence?” Juno stares down the panting green haired demon. Beej glares back, hair a mixture of white and red.

“Can’t handle a little cat scratch ma?” He growls.

The door slams open, Charles and Delia enters looking ready to fight. They see Juno, sees their family collapsed to the floor, shoggoth lay unmoving as her kids slowly move to protect her, and both are ready to act.

“Get away from our family!” Charles nearly roars. Juno looks unimpressed, and tries to flick her hand again. “Dad!” Lydia cries, but nothing happens. Juno’s eyes widen. She tries again. Again.

Adam and barb have managed to stand and pull Lydia up to her feet as well, standing close to the door outside, ready to run if need be.

“What did you do Lawrence?”

“What was that thing about names again, Mom? How they are powerful enough to control an entire being if you know it right? Well, I’ve learned a lot these past few months, more than I ever learned from you. And one of the things I learned is that cats are smarter than anyone I’ve ever met, and mom cats are a helluva lot better than you ever were,” Beej smiles, remembering all the rants Delia and lyds gave when they heard just how well Juno raised him.

A hellish growl fills the air. Juno looks back to see the black shag she threw standing up, a neon green eye zeroed in on her.

“Ma, meet shoggoth and her kids patchie, Azazel, Circe, and beef. They don’t like it when our family is disturbed.”

A rumble fills the room, a chorus of hellish growls echo through the air, and Juno screams.

“NoNONO! How could you do such a stupid thing?! How could you?! I’ve given everything, everything! You idiot, you awful bastard! NooooOOOOOOOOOO-“

Juno seems to crumble in on herself, her screams filling the air. Barb and Adam clutch Lydia tighter. Charles and Delia rush forward, and grab Beej, pulling him away from the shrieking demon slowly spewing out smoke that reeks of cigarettes. The ghosts hurry to them, everyone holding each other close.

Shoggoth throws her head back and yowls, and the roof cracks open like a maw, and black and white stripes descend.

“NO, NO MY POWER! NO, STOP! I CAN’T BE STOPPED LIKE THIS NO!”

A sandworm wraps Juno up tight, the roof closes, and Shoggoth stalks closer, shadow leaking behind her, and overtaking the room. It’s like all those times shoggoth lays on a sleeping face, blocking the world out.

Slowly the light comes back. The bones are gone, all that’s left of Juno is her red candy glasses.

Sandy is lounged around the attic, seeming to purr at the black lump in the middle of its coils.

“Shoggoth!”

Lydia and Beej rush forward, closely followed by the others.

The kittens are pacing worriedly, mewling and gently butting at their mother’s body. Beej reaches out, like he did three months ago, gently scooping up the giant, black cat and cradling her close to his body.

“Is she...?” Lydia feel liquid start to drip down her face, her throat aches, all she’s able to think is that despite everything she’s lost another person.

A small purr sounds off from beej’s arms.

“Oh thank god!” “Shoggoth!” “How is she?” “She okay??” “It’s ok, lil guys, Mom’s gonna be okay.”

The kind vet that checked up on shoggoth all those weeks ago, performs a late night home visit.

Shoggoth now has a limp that may not go away, her tail is even more crooked, but she’s purring and grooming everyone like she didn’t just eviscerate a millennias old demon. The kittens just can’t decide what to do with themselves. They’re cuddling their mom, they’re cuddling their humans, they’re play fighting with Sandy.

Speaking of...

Sandy refuses to leave. No matter how much Beej tries to cajole her, the sandworm shakes her head stubbornly. “You’re too smart for your own good!” Beej grouches. But he is scratching her chins.

Delia: How on earth is she gonna fit in this house?

Sandy: *shrinks herself down to a more typical snake size to better match her environment*

Delia: *exhasperatedly clutching a crystal now* well I guess this is just what the universe planned for us I guess!

Adam: *happy snake nerd noises*

Lydia now teases Charles for the whole “our family” thing for a minute, but then he’s like “lyds I knew the instant that demon showed back up in our house that we’d adopted a family of ghosts.” She just smiles and hugs him. He’s certainly not wrong.

So things return to normal, just with the addition of a garbage disposal of a snake slithering around, randomly picking a human or ghost or demon or cat to be a new perch. Sandy certainly doesn’t have a favorite perch. She loves all the Adams and non-Adams equally, what are you talking about?

She has her own heating rock she retires to every night that Adam built for her. No kitty dare bother her lounging time, except for shoggoth, because sandy’s a pushover for shoggoth. But then again, who isn’t?

And Beej? He can’t complain. He’s not invisible or alone anymore. His mom won’t bother him again as he recovers from her years of abuse, he is constantly inundated with the cutest lil kitties and snake, has a punking lil sister, pseudo parents, and a cute couple of ghosts that call him sweet. All because of a girl who lost her mom, a widower, a life coach, two white middle class ghosts, and a ragged black cat, all of whom that he loves freely, and dearly.

Oh, there is one thing that’s new. Beef learned how to turn on the stereo. And somehow, Jump in the Line plays every time. Yeah, Lydia knows for certain Dead Mom is proud of their new family. She loves it a lot too.

PHEW! That be it for that. I may draw things for this au more, especially since they now have a pet sandworm snake lol. I’m so glad so many people like this au, I love it a lot. All because i just thought to myself “what if Beej found a cat?” and just started tapping at my phone. It’s dumb and cute and probably tropey and a lil ooc, but hey. That’s the fun of fandom. Lemme know if you’re curious about something, I love chatting about this stuff

beetleb@bes, pls dni

#beetlejuice broadway #beetlejuice the broadway musical #beetlejuice #shoggoth au #lawrence beetlejuice shoggoth #delia deetz #charles deetz #lydia deetz #adam maitland #barbara maitland #beetlelands #space noises #lololol i hope i did ok i felt the pressure when writing this aha #juno shoggoth

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solaroceans · 4 years

Note

No pressure, but how about some fluffy headcanons with Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke with a reader who's excessively smart? They often start ranting about things no one understands, listing off scientific facts like it's common knowledge; it's easy to see how passionate they are.

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Hi there! Thanks for requesting 💕 I had so much fun writing this! It’s really interesting looking at scientific facts that the reader may have known in the 1900’s.

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HC: Main Three x Smart!Reader

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Tanjiro Kamado

When you two met- woah.

he really admired the way you spoke? instead of speaking what most people would consider normal at that time, you spoke in big words that the main three would really only be able to figure out what the words meant out of context.

also not to mention the way you presented yourself, it was obvious that when you did open your mouth it’s not something that should be talked over.

so tanjiro, even when he first met you, felt obligated to listen to what you have to say. he usually doesn’t cut people off, but with you he just really made sure he didn’t. you just radiated intelligence, and amazing skills at your disposal that could be used if need be.

you also were really happy someone listened, someone cared and didn’t cut you off. you were used to being talked over, as most people sometimes didn’t understand you, or needed to take a step back to process what you said- in their language this time. but you also didn’t want to dumb yourself down.

I believe that’s what would make you attracted to tanjiro- because he listened. he didn’t just care about your looks like zenitsu immediately pointed out as soon as you met him. he also wasn’t all muscle and no brains like inosuke, he genuinely cared and wanted to know more.

I believe he would get attracted to the reader when they start taking to nezuko. it’s an extremely rare case, so I believe when you start taking a closer look at the little demon girl and not having had immediately judged her from the start, it’ll radiate a warm and fuzzy feeling within him.

when you treat her kindly and not like some freak of nature, oh woah, did he actually really feel so happy to have you around. not only were you smart, but you were kind. you were so intelligent, but you weren’t going to treat someone like a science experiment. you were genuinely interested in both nezuko’s case, and her as a person.

when you two are alone, omfg. you feel so comfy around him, he purposely asks you questions, daily fun facts, your predictions on scientific experiments or poisons, but also ask you how your day went. (since I’m guessing that reader likes science, they might be close to shinobu in producing poison.)

when you guys are dating, and you got confessions out the way, he’ll always make sure to have a lot of time to sit and listen to you. he might drift off and not understand a single word you’re saying, but just the way you sound and the way you get so excited and passionate, it warms him up. he could listen to your cute voice for hours.

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Zenitsu Agatsuma

When you met him- maN DID HE PISS YOU OFF.

Not only do I think you two would’ve been on a mission when you met, he probably would’ve been such a chicken the entire time and clinging onto you for dear life when he saw how tough you were.

And right when you were at your low, kinda injured, did he PASS OUT. The gods must’ve been mad at you and gave you the unfortunate luck of being stuck with a whimp who somehow survived being in the demon slayer corps.

But when he suddenly switched in the blink of an eye, and pull off an amazing move, and told you he’d protect you, did you actually think he could be redeemed. He killed the demon, and you were at such awe at his swordsmanship. He was so fast- so quick- so-

nope, wait fuck, there he goes.

When he switched back he freaked out and asked to stay by you and to marry him so you could protect him.

“Y/N PLEASE- YOU’RE MY ONLY CHANCE AT SURVIVAL , WITHOUT YOU I WONT LAST LONG.”

And man did you actually believe that last part.

When you two were back at the estate to heal, only then did you guys actually casually converse, with a lot of one sided flirting that I bet you can guess what side it was on. Although, something about how when he switched. You had it engraved into your mind.

Being the smarty pants you are, you were intrigued by this other side of zenitsu. Just for research. Just to see why he did that, how could he do that? Was it a disorder? Was it just sleepwalking? These theories all lead you to hanging around the blonde big baby.

Not only did you begin to get attached to Zenitsu, you began to worry about him and make sure he’s alright. You calmed him when he cried, listened to his worries, you were his shoulder to lean on. At first it was research, but it developed into a beautiful friendship where no matter what even if he was cowardly, you entrusted him with your life.

You saw other sides of him, signs of logic that sometimes surpasses that of Tanjiro’s. Signs of reasoning that inosuke could never have, and that just intrigued you even more. He wasn’t what you first thought he was. You saw that Zenitsu did in fact have a brain, and you saw that he’s really trying his best.

Then you started to fall for him- I mean what? Nah, it’s just research, totally, right? Yeah- no you were totally wrapped around his finger now.

Don’t fret though, because the more you listened and cared for him, the more you showed him you’d always be there, and the more he fell for you too.

95% of the time he had no idea what you were talking about. He had no idea what some words meant at first, but the more he listened, the more he started to learn and genuinely become interested. You expanded his own vocabulary. Sometimes he’d use words and phrases you use on accident.

What he did know though, is he could stare into your amazing eyes and sit there for hours. Your voice on its own gave him comfort, and that was enough for him.

Once you two confessed and began being in a relationship, he didn’t stop either. When in battle, he’d ask what you think, and maybe got a tiny bit more courageous. Especially when it came to you did he actually fall asleep a bit more and become a better version of himself, and on rare occasions act like that when he’s not asleep.

He also sometimes in the middle of your talking would give you little pecks on your lips and tell you how cute you are when you get all excited and passionate.

You’d blush but pout slightly that he interrupted your train of thought, because now you’re all jumbled up and flustered.

I guess the gods did decide to bless you with fortune, huh?

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Inosuke Hashibira

When you first met Inosuke, let’s say you were pretty indifferent. He was all muscle, no brains, you’ve met a lot of guys like him. All they wanted were to be the best of the best, and pretty reckless.

Except, when you snuck up on him due to your zero intent in wanting to harm him, it really startled him. It freaked him out a little. Although, when you offered to treat his wounds, speaking to him as you would anybody else, he looked at you blankly.

You sighed, just doing it anyway, and when you did he jumped. “THAT HURTS” He’ll yelp, trying to snatch his arm back.

“STOP MOVING, YOU’LL REOPEN IT.”

After much struggle, he’ll feel a little warm and fuzzy feeling for you being kind to him. When you spoke, he didn’t understand you since you spoke in big words and he’s never heard them before. Although, he did pay attention to your actions. They were all full of meaning, you didn’t do something just to do them. You were full of kindness, and confidence.

After that, he felt a little need to not be mean to you and challenge you. He did steal your food still, he did sometimes bother you. While you were taking notes, doing science experiments, testing methods, working with poison, he’d sometimes mess something up.

Imma be honest- when you were trying to write your letters he sometimes messed around with your pen like a cat and he wouldn’t shut up with questions.

When you realized he didn’t know how to read or write, that’s when you began actually acknowledging him. You held some sort of pity with him. Especially after hearing his backstory, you wanted to expand his brain a little more.

He didn’t really like it at first, he hated learning. He’d doze off, he’d forget so easily. That is, until-

“Seriously? You can’t even do this? There’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to.”

That’s when he took up the challenge. He wanted to be the best of the best, and he began trying his best to learn to read or write.

When he learned to write his own name, that’s when you celebrated. You hugged him tightly, praised him, and that really boosted his ego.

You were so smart, and him knowing you were the most intellectual above most people, it drove him to do his best. Seeing how proud something so small made you, it made him want to make you even happier.

After every mission he’d make sure to spend sometime learning from you, small math equations, small science facts. When he realized everything was made of atoms- it blew his mind.

You began finding him attractive. His little success made you want to make him better, spend even more time with him, have him. Eventually, when he came to you asking why he felt the way he did, you explained to him what he was feeling was love.

Inosuke and you began having a relationship after that.

Now, you two spend some time reading children books with him cuddling up to you. You reminded him a bit of his elder guardian, you always gave him such an explosion of happy emotions.

When you went off on your tangent about science, complex math, screaming your cute little rants about literature, he got so happy to see you happy. He wanted to see you do those rants more.

Now he was working to make you happier than anyone else could.

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wanderingalicewrites · 4 years

Text

So Much Discounted - Chapter 5

(Also on AO3)

Descent

I fled to the city with so much discounted

Ah, but I'm flying like a bird to you now

Back to the hedgerows where bodies are mounted

Ah, but I'm flying like a bird to you now

***

Adam, it turned out, had kept a back way into Hell after the apocalypse was over. Compared to the grand escalators Aziraphale knew Crowley usually used to report to his head office, it wasn’t much. It was just a hole in the base of a long-dead tree out in the middle of Hogback Woods, with a misspelled-sign in childish lettering that read “Enterance To Hell”. Aziraphale didn’t mind. He could feel the stink of hell rising from the hole. Whatever it looked like, it was a way in. And that was all he needed.

“It’s alright,” Adam reassured them. “I know it doesn’t look like much. It used to be just a hole we’d pretend was the way to Hell. But then when I changed things, it kind of became real.” He tossed a rock into the hole, and, instead of the expected dull thump they heard what sounded like a series of bangs as it bounced down a set of stairs. “I was going to put it back to normal with everything else, but I sort of figured I should keep it. You know, just in case something happened and we had to go down there to stop them starting another war.”

“Adam…” Newt frowned at a smaller sign tacked to a pole beside the tree that read “Keepe OUt”. “What if someone found this?”

The former Antichrist grinned at him, completely unconcerned. “They can’t, that’s the best part! See that?” He pointed to a ring of stones that encircled the small clearing around the dead tree. “I had the rest of the Them help me put it up. Nobody can get in here without my help.”

“And what if something from… down there,” Aziraphale pointed at the ground beneath his feet, “came out here?” He couldn’t sense any demonic presence outside of the hole, but that didn’t mean nothing had ever made it’s way out into the light. Just that if something had, it hadn’t been recently.

“Oh.” Adam stared at the hole, absently chewing on his lower lip. “I guess I didn’t think about that.” He shrugged. “I suppose, I could close it… after we get Mr. Crowley back, of course.”

Aziraphale nodded, frustrated with himself. “Yes, of course. We can continue this discussion after we get Crowley back.” Crowley needed him. Crowley needed him now. He didn’t have time to stand here arguing about the safety of an entrance to Hell in Tadfield. He should have gone right in the moment they arrived, instead of letting himself get distracted like this. He adjusted his bowtie and started toward the tree.

“Wait,” Adam called. “Anathema, Newt, you guys should stay here. I don’t think Hell is a good place for regular humans.”

Anathema scowled, possibly offended at being called a ‘regular human’. “I don’t like the idea of you two going down there on your own,” she said. “What if you need us?”

“I think,” Aziraphale said, shifting impatiently at another delay. “That if we get into that much trouble, your presence will not make that much of a difference either way, I’m afraid.” There was not much a human, even one so talented as Anathema, could do against a demon in its home territory, after all.

Newt placed a hand on Anathema’s shoulder, turning her to look at him. “They’re right. You and I won’t be much help down there.”

“You should stand guard,” Adam said brightly. “Make sure nothing gets out while we’re down there.”

“I don’t like it…” Anathema sighed, but Aziraphale could tell she was considering their words. He looked from her to the entrance to Hell, wanting badly to just go and leave all three humans behind.

“Fine,” Anathema said, just as he was about to start out. “But you’d better come back. Or we’re going in after you.”

“We will,” Aziraphale promised. “With Crowley.” He would not consider any other option.

Adam led the way down into the old tree, which quickly turned into a long, dark stairway. It was slow going, making their way down the steep steps without a single light to see by. The boy tried to use the flashlight from his phone, but found that no matter how bright a light he made, it illuminated nothing. Eventually, after what felt like hours of climbing, they spilled out into an almost as dark, dirty hallway. It smelled of sewage, and when Aziraphale accidentally let his hand brush the wall it came away coated in a slime of a disturbing greenish-brown color. They had reached Hell.

“This is Hell?” Adam asked, wrinkling his nose at a poster reading “DO NOT LICK THE WALLS”.

“I suppose it must be.” Aziraphale could feel a low-grade level of malevolence filling the air around them, distributing an indescribable feeling of vague unease and a dull spreading horror that he remembered all too well from the first time he’d been here, when he’d been wearing Crowley’s body. He’d been disgusted by it then, unable to bear the thought of Crowley, his bright, vibrant demon, ever having to return to this dark, depressing place. To think that Crowley would allow himself to be locked up here for eternity… well. He simply would not allow it.

“You said the cells are nearest the center?” Adam turned his frown on the hallway, looking in first one direction, and then the other. Behind them, the doorway into the secret tunnel closed. A sign affixed to it read “Out of Order - Forever”. Aziraphale made a note of it, and tried to memorize its position so they could find it when they needed to return. It was very likely that they would have to leave in a hurry, after all.

“I did. Just above Tartarus, if the book is to be believed.” Aziraphale checked the copy of the map he had made from Crowley’s book. The cells they wanted were somewhere very close to the lowest circle of Hell. He paused then, reaching out with his senses, trying to find the source of the malevolence in the air. There, slightly more to the left than the hallway went, it felt… thicker. More terrible. He tried to sense Crowley too, but encountered only the faintest, faded echo.

“This way,” he said, and led Adam deeper into Hell. Each step they took brought them closer to the center, deeper into the thick miasma of despair that emanated from the source. The young boy bravely matched pace with the angel, though Aziraphale could see that he struggled at times with the nature of this place. Sometimes they passed demons walking the halls, looking lost or frightened. None paid them any attention. Perhaps they just didn’t notice Aziraphale was an angel, or perhaps Adam’s infernal aura was enough to shield them both from detection. Whatever the reason, Aziraphale was grateful. Hell itself was bad enough, without having to deal with any of its denizens.

Their luck ran out about halfway down. They came to the end of a hall, and found one of the ‘disposable’ demons guarding a door. He looked bored, lounging against the filthy wall and polishing his nails on his dark shirt, squarely in the way of where Aziraphale needed to go. Both his senses and his map told him the way forward was through that door, and the demon did not seem inclined to move. They could wait, he supposed, and see if the demon left. But Crowley needed him now.

“Ahem.” Aziraphale coughed as they approached, drawing the demon’s attention. “Excuse me. Is this the way to Tartarus?”

The demon blinked up at him, scowling, before his eyes widened in surprise and not an insubstantial amount of fear. “You’re not demons!”

Internally, Aziraphale winced. Part of him had hoped that whatever had kept other demons from noticing them would work on this one as well. He should have known they would not be that lucky. Outwardly, he tugged on his jacked to straighten it and glared at the disposable demon. “No. We are not. I am an angel. And this boy is the former Antichrist, the son of Satan. We are, as I said, looking for Tartarus. Would you be son kind as to point us in the right direction?”

The demon looked at them both, eyes darting from one to the other as he pressed his back against the door. “I- uh, I really don’t think I can do that. I- I should… should call someone. Beelzebub. Oh, no, they don’t like to be bothered. Uh. Dagon, then. I should- I should call Dagon.” He reached for a phone that was embedded in the wall beside him.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Adam said quietly.

“What?” the demon asked, hand hovering in the air above the receiver.

“No, I really wouldn’t,” the boy went on. “You see, I’m the son of Satan, your leader, right?”

“I- um. Ah, yes. I can see that.” The demon’s gaze flickered over Adam, who had done… something with his aura, making it writhe with dark power.

“And you wouldn’t want me to tell my father you made me unhappy, would you?” he asked calmly.

The demon considered it. “Um. No. No, I really wouldn’t. But, see, I’m not supposed to let anyone through this door, son of Satan or no. So- so if it’s all the same to you, if you could just… turn around, we could forget this ever happened?”

Adam shook his head. “No. I don’t think so. My friend and I need to get to Tartarus. I assume the way down is through that door. If you don’t let us in, I am going to be very unhappy with you.”

“I’d listen to him, if I were you,” Aziraphale added. “You really don’t want to see what happened to the last person who didn’t do what he wanted.”

The demon gulped, glancing at Adam, then Aziraphale, and then to the phone as if weighing his options. Aziraphale glared at the phone and it fell, breaking into pieces at his feet.

“You’re going to let us through,” Adam said, taking a step forward. The disposable demon squeaked and tried to press himself further against the wall. “And you’re going to take us to Mr. Crowley. Now.”

“I- I- I- really can’t do that,” the demon stuttered. “I have or- orders. From Lord Dagon herself. No one gets through to the- the cells. Es- especially not nosy angels.”

Adam glared at him. “And I’m ordering you to take us down. If you do that, I won’t tell my dad. Whose orders are more important? Some Lord? Or the son of your King?”

The guard hesitated still, frozen with indecision. And the last of Aziraphale’s patience evaporated.

“I’m afraid we really don’t have time for this,” he said, pulling a flask from an inner pocket in his jacket. It was empty, but the demon did not have to know that. “Adam, stand back please. Can’t have you getting splashed.”

“Splashed?” the demon’s voice shot up several octaves, and he stared in fear at the flask in Aziraphale’s hands.

“Holy Water,” the angel told him. “Right from the source. I am sorry, but we really can’t be delayed any longer, you see. If you won’t let us through, then I really only have one other option.” He began to unscrew the cap.

“Wait!” the demon cried. “Wait, just- just wait.”

Aziraphale removed his hand from the cap and waited, ready at any moment to continue removing the cap.

“You could just take us down,” Adam suggested. “That way you’re not technically letting us through unguarded, but we still get what we want. And when we’re done, Mr. Aziraphale will even fix your phone for you. It’ll be like nothing ever happened. And Dagon never even needs to know.”

“If I do… you won’t let the angel use that Holy Water?” the demon asked the boy hopefully.

“I won’t,” Adam agreed. “Mr. Aziraphale, please put it away for now.”

“Fine, but I’m keeping it where I can reach it,” Aziraphale told them, tucking the flask back into its pocket. “If you so much as think about changing your mind…” he let the threat go unsaid. With it safely out of sight, the disposable demon visibly relaxed.

“Alright,” he agreed. “I’ll take you down. But Dagon doesn’t hear about this.”

“Not a word from us,” Adam promised. Aziraphale nodded. And the disposable demon removed a large ring of keys from his belt, and with it, opened the door.

He led them down further even than Aziraphale had expected they would have to go. Down one long, empty hallway. It had no branches. They saw no other entrances or exits. It was just one endless corridor of slimy brick, slowly descending down into the darkest pits of Hell. It took longer, even, than the first half of their trip before they reached the first doorway. A thick metal thing at least six inches thick, and reinforced with steel bars. Something behind it screamed as they passed, bashing against the walls of its cell. Their guide slunk a little closer to the furthest wall, doing his best to keep well away from the creatures imprisoned in this place.

After that, they passed more doors. Far more than Aziraphale had been expecting, given the illustrations in Crowley’s book. Each one was thick and wide, barred tight to keep whatever was behind it inside. He scanned each one, noting the sigil embossed into the steel, hoping each time to see the familiar serpentine lines of Crowley’s name.

Eventually, they reached the end of the hall. Beyond it the floor dropped off into nothing. Into the darkness of Tartarus, the deepest pit of Hell. They could feel the icy wind that rose from it, wafting down the corridor carrying waves of helplessness and despair. The very last door, made of new, shiny metal. Burned into the steel, Aziraphale finally found the sigil he had been searching for.

“And here we are,” their guide said. “Serpent of Eden. The last of the Great Ones to give in after their Fall.” He gestured to the final door, standing as far back from it as it was possible to get.

The door itself was thicker, even, than the doors they had passed down the hall, held in place by six huge metal bars. Something inside slammed against it, and foot-thick steel buckled. From beyond the door, there came a feral howl.

The demon gestured to a view slit, set just at eye level within the door. “I don’t know what you want to see,” he said. “But have a look. Faster you’re done, the faster we’re gone.” Under his breath he muttered “I really fucking hate this place.” He was sweating, though the hallway was ice cold.

Cautiously, Aziraphale approached the door. It buckled again, huge dents appearing in the metal. The malevolence rolling out from behind it was nearly overwhelming, but there was something else there, something he could almost feel… Aziraphale hesitated only a second before reaching out and swiftly lifting the flap above the view slit.

Inside was… beyond description. A nightmare incarnate. To a human mind - one that did not break on sight - it would look like nothing so much as a roiling mass of flames and inky black darkness, studded with thousands upon thousands of eyes. Each serpentine eye was red-rimmed gold, slit pupiled, blinking and moving independently of its fellows. Mouths appeared and disappeared within the mass, bearing sharp teeth that snapped at nothing. The thing in the cell resembled Crowley about as well as a slug resembles the sun - which is to say, not at all. But still there was that something. A feeling. Familiarity. A tiny shred of a connection that pulled at the core of Aziraphale.

“Crowley?” Aziraphale whispered, and each one of those thousands of eyes turned to focus on the door. The fire flared at the sound of the angel’s voice, rising higher with a crackling roar. The whole mass of it surged forward, flattening against the door until tendrils of dark matter pushed out through the slot, reaching for Aziraphale. One brushed against his face, and the angel bit back a scream as HURT/HEARTBREAK/PAIN/LOVE/AGONY washed over him. The creature recoiled, keening as if burned from a thousand mouths. It flowed back from the door, washing up against the far wall and leaving feet of clear space within the cell.

It’s scared, Aziraphale realized, watching all of those eyes staring, unblinking, at the door. It was hard to reconcile his bright, beautiful demon with this insane, infernal thing. But he could feel it, when the creature had touched him. He could feel it in his bones. Crowley was somewhere in there, under the madness and the chaotic infernal power pulsing through the creature that was all that remained of his friend. All he had to do was gather the pieces, and rebuild his broken foundation.

“Open the door,” Aziraphale ordered, pressing a hand to the cold metal.

“Are you crazy?” their guide demanded, turning pale at the thought. “No! I’m in enough trouble as it is!”

“Open. The. Door.” The angel repeated, unable to look away from the mass of flames and eyes inside. If he squinted he could almost make out rings, like the interlocking circles of fire that made up the bodies of the thrones.

Adam went to a wheel set in the wall. With a great deal of rusty screeching, it slowly began to turn. One by one, the bars started to slide back from their place across the door.

“No!” the disposable demon protested, but he was too frozen by fear to make a move. Adam and Aziraphale both ignored him.

“Close the door after me,” the angel told the boy. “Don’t let anyone else in.”

Adam nodded. “I won’t.”

The last of the bars slid free. The creature howled. The door creaked open. And Aziraphale stepped inside.

#aziraphale/crowley #Ineffable Husbands #so much discounted #My writing

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spac3bar7end3r · 4 years

Text

Maybe I Don't Want Heaven?

Ineffable Bureaucracy / Post Armageddont / 1915 words

prompt: “Yes, I admit it, you were right.”

read on Ao3

“Archangel Gabriel, I believe you have gone local.” One of the agents of Heaven says while Gabriel is sitting at his desk, reading humans’ newspaper.

“What? Gone local? Me? No way.” Gabriel’s voice gets higher. He puts down the newspaper and looks at the angel in front of him. “I know I have too much human knowledge but no need to fear, there’s no way I’ve gone local like Aziraphale.” Gabriel shudders. What even is Aziraphale at this point? He doesn’t know and doesn’t care to know.

“Really? Then what’s that?” The angel squints their eyes at the newspaper and Gabriel just shrugs, putting it down on his desk. “I want to keep up with humans. We don’t have a reliable intel down there anymore,” Gabriel complains, thinking of Aziraphale again. He knows that that guy is staying with the demon Crowley now. Romantically.

What the fuck is romantic anyway? Gabriel doesn’t understand.

“Lord Beelzebub, what’s the occasion?” Some angel at the door says while Gabriel is trying to look busy doing nothing. He looks up and sees Beelzebub, Lord of The Flies, Prince of Hell, Crush of Gabriel, standing behind the door, looking grumpy.

Well, okay. Gabriel understands a romantic a little bit when he looks at Beelzebub’s annoyed face.

“I heard you have my boy.”

Gabriel perks up. Beelzebub stares at Gabriel and turns their head away as if to say, No, not you.

What a shame. Gabriel could easily be Beelzebub’s boy. If they want.

Wait. Where’s that thought come from?

“The Disposable one.”

“They were named Disposable, so just let us have them.” Gabriel shrugs, glancing at the poor demon who sits far in the corner. He constantly looks at Gabriel and then at Beelzebub like a lost child. “What’s the fucking point of the demon being up here? We’re meant to be down there.”

Beelzebub waves their hand and the Disposable Demon’s ears perk up. He stands up and slowly jogging his way to the prince of hell.

Gabriel understands what Beelzebub means. They fell, so they have to stay down there. Although he doesn’t mind one demon or two to stay up here and entertain him. Heaven is boring. If it’s not because of his responsibility, Gabriel might take a break on earth like what Aziraphale did. Well, anything but eating gross matter.

“You know that humans don’t really read that, right?” Beelzebub uses their index finger and thumb to pick up the newspaper on Gabriel’s desk.

“What? They do read it. It’s a newspaper.” Gabriel sees it with his own eyes when he was briefly visiting the earth not long ago.

“It’s a fucking leaflet from a supermarket.”

“Really? Hm, I guess that's why I couldn’t see many humans in the paper. I thought they’re just really really interested in ham.” The archangel throws the leaflet on the floor. Beelzebub looks at it for a semi-second before it engulfs in flames.

Gabriel smiles. He stares at Beelzebub’s face. He really likes the contrast between the demon and the whitewashed floor. Beelzebub’s entire being looks so gloomy compared to the bright decorations of heaven. Their hair looks strikingly black which is so different from Gabriel’s pale one. He’s always liked looking at Beelzebub’s hair, even when it was long.

Even before the Fall.

“Sod off, stop looking at me.” Beelzebub frowns. They turn their back to Gabriel. Disposable Demon follows them like a lost puppy. Heaven doesn’t have one. Every puppy in heaven is not lost, they know where they are going. Nevertheless, Gabriel imagines that’s what lost dog looks like on earth. He’s been imagining what things will look like on earth lately. Sandalphon’s knowledge does not suffice.

Gabriel looks at Beelzebub’s back. What a ridiculous costume. He wonders what would they look like if they let Gabriel introduces them to the world of human’s fashion, the only thing he thinks humans have done right. Their attire is so ridiculous Gabriel wants to peel them off.

Gabriel looks at those two figures until they are gone.

“Yes, I admit it, you were right.” Gabriel sighs, leaning back on his chair and looking at his colleague who’s sitting not far from him. “I’ve gone local.”

Fucking humans and their stupid feelings. Is this contagious? Is Aziraphale the source of this?

- - -

“No, I am not!” Aziraphale crosses his arms, looking so offended that Gabriel has the audacity to come to his bookstore and accuse him of spreading humans’ feelings.

“Are you saying you have...feelings?” Aziraphale gapes.

“I don’t know what they are...This is not my territory.” Gabriel mumbles, “Some angels thought I’ve gone local, so maybe, maybe this happens because of the Anti-Christ or because the Armageddon didn’t happen like it's supposed to be!”

Aziraphale raises his eyebrows and says, “I assure you, it doesn’t work that way. What are these feelings you were talking about anyway?”

“I don’t know, but these feelings tend to bubble out of me when Lord Beelzebub appears.” Gabriel throws himself on the sofa, thinking about what happened earlier while looking through Aziraphale’s books collection.

Aziraphale looks Gabriel up and down. He hums lightly. Ah, of course, of course. It is barely there, almost hesitant to bare its wings outside of Gabriel’s body but it was there nevertheless; a feeling of love.

But Aziraphale doesn’t work for heaven or Gabriel anymore. He decides to be mean about it, just because he can. Crowley must be proud (Yes, he is).

“Archangel Gabriel, I think, well, From the time I am living and observing here on earth, I suppose you’re suffering a human condition called--” The angel gulps, trying to think of some credible name, “Evol.” Aziraphale spreads both of hands and says it dramatically. If it was some clever humans or playful demons, they might snicker at the stupid name and let it go. However, this is Archangel Gabriel we’re talking about.

“What? Why didn’t I know that? Is it serious?”

“It won’t get you discorporated, if that is what you’re asking.” Aziraphale feigns seriousness then resumes talking, “You didn’t know it because it happens recently and...we were busy with the Antichrist.”

“Oh.” Gabriel nods. “Then what will happen to me?”

“You will have to stay on earth.”

“WHaT.” Gabriel widens his eyes.

“Oh, yes.” Aziraphale grins. “Normally the feelings will dissipate by itself for humans, so I guess you have to do it human’s way.”

Gabriel’s face twists with disgust then he sighs.

“Alright. I’m going to do the paperwork first then I’m coming back...on earth.” He gags and stands up, walking out of the store.

Aziraphale laughs giddily. This is better than telling Michael to miracle a duck!

- - -

“Doesn’t that poor sod hate living like a human?” Beelzebub looks at Gabriel from afar. He looks kind of rough. Guess that is what happens when the clueless archangel stays on earth for too long.

“I don’t know.” Disposable demon tilts his head. “Might be.” He shrugs.

Beelzebub has heard from one of the flies that Archangel Gabriel decided to stay on earth for whatever reason. Beelzebub came here to see why or how. They cannot imagine how Gabriel can stay on earth with that limited human knowledge.

No, they are not worried about the Archangel. They just want to know.

“Hey,” Beelzebub walks over to where Gabriel is. He is sitting on a bench, looking at nothing in particular.

When Gabriel sees Beelzebub, he looks happy before he’s kind of deflated. After a month of living on earth and he was beginning to think he won’t feel anything anymore, and here they are, making Gabriel feel things again.

“Why doesn’t it help?” Why Gabriel still feels things?

“What doesn’t help?” Beelzebub squints their eyes.

“Aziraphale told me I have Evol.”

“And what the fuck izzz that?” Beelzebub says grumpily. The buzzing sound slips from their mouth.

“A human condition that shows symptoms of...having feelings. It’s getting worse when I saw you last time. I suspected it was the Antichrist’s doing.”

Beelzebub stops. “What did you say?”

“I said it’s a human condition--”

“No, not that part. You have feelings when you saw me?” Beelzebub looks at Gabriel’s confused eyes.

“Yes?”

Beelzebub’s wheel slowly turns in their head. They think of what Gabriel says earlier and the mention of Aziraphale. Of fucking course, it’s Aziraphale. that weird angel is living with Crowley. Their devious and annoying personalities definitely rub off on each other.

“You stupid fuck. That was just ‘Love’ spelt backwards.”

“What.” Gabriel tilts his head, still not understand.

Aziraphale is lying? Gabriel gapes. Aziraphale is lying.

“You love me, you idiot,” Beelzebub says exasperatedly and walks out without looking back. Gabriel just stands there, trying to process what that means.

- - -

“You’re still here?” Beelzebub asks. It’s been months.

“I am still here.” Gabriel sighs.

“Now that you know that condition is not real, why don’t you go back?”

“I don’t want to go back.”

“Oh.” Beelzebub grins. This is new. Does the Archangel like living like humans now? “Don’t tell me you consume ‘gross matter’ now.” Beelzebub does the air quotes.

“No, I don’t.” Gabriel twists his face. “Now that I know about my feelings for you I just...I’m tired of this stupid sides. Heaven, Hell--”

“Humans suck. Angels suck.” It seems like Beelzebub wants to continue to say Demons suck, but they stop themselves before it happens.

“I don’t want you to think that I only care about you after the Armageddon,” Gabriel says after they fell in silence. “Remember Egypt?”

“Before shit went down? Yeah.” Beelzebub nods. They think of the time when people worshipped them. That was a long time ago. They don’t think about that anymore. Sometimes they do remind themselves of the time when Gabriel came to talk to them. That time everything was bearable, even the ugly place like earth.

Beelzebub sighs. The past is the past. There was no more Lord of the High Place. Now they are the Prince of Hell. Lord of the Flies. They are content with that.

“You just have to return to heaven and do your stupid job as usual. The feelings will go away soon enough.” Beelzebub says and frowns simultaneously, thinking of what they say, suggesting the Archangel to go back and forget about his feelings for them.

Gabriel stares at Beelzebub. “I don’t want to go back. I don’t want to be alone up there.”

Beelzebub sighs in relief. It seems like Gabriel ignores the part where they told Gabriel to move on, but they still don’t know what the Archangel wants.

“If you think, even just a tiny bit, that I will go up there with you then you’re wrong.”

“I...did not ask you to go. I ask you to stay.”

“Stay? Stay where? Here? Gabriel, you’re an archangel. Your place is heaven.”

“Maybe I don’t want heaven?” Gabriel asks to no one in particular, but he still stares at the Prince of Hell. “Maybe I don’t want the earth. And God Almighty, I definitely don’t want hell.”

“Then What do you want?” Beelzebub looks up, staring straight to Gabriel’s eyes and anticipating the Archangel’s answer.

“I want you.”

Gabriel doesn’t know where would be the best place for both of them, but he believes that he could find one. He doesn’t care about earth much, but if it means he can stay with them then so be it.

#ineffable bureaucracy #good omens #good omens fic #my fic #sbfictober2019 #archangel gabriel #beelzebub #spacebartenderfic

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jeidafei · 5 years

Text

D.Gray-Man Vol.26: Komui’s Lounge (Extended) 1/5

Featuring: Marie, Bak, Lavi, Wisely, Allen, Link

(T/N: We got 31 questions this time. It really is extended! I’ve broken it up into five parts for convenience of translating and scrolling.

Let’s start with the onslaught of the usual Kanda questions...)

Lavi: G’afternoon y’all! As always, welcome to the Komui’s-Lounge-where-Komui-doesn’t-show-up-again-this-time! And first up is...ME~~! (Pull crackers)

Link: Keep it down, Bookman Jr.

Bak: And now, the time is ripe. At long last, my debut has come! And I made it on the page before Komui, too! MUHAHAHAHAHA!!

Marie: I’m not very good at this kind of thing...but I’ll do my best.

Wisely: And here comes the Noah of the Demon Eye, Wisely~~!! Back for his second session! (Holds up two victory signs).

Allen: Wait a moment. There seems to be two deceased among us?

Lavi: Hey, I’m not even confirmed deceased yet!!!

Allen: Nobody’s saying it’s you, Lavi. Well, it’s actually you, anyway.

Lavi: Allen, you were just calling for me back in Vol.24′s lounge, didn’t you? What’s with all this darkness right from the get-go, meanie!?

Allen: I haven’t been able to eat at all, and I’m irritated.

Link: (lays a hand on Allen’s shoulder) Just forget about everything in the main narrative for now, Walker. The freshness of this discussion lounge is fading quick, and now the author’s already using trial and error.

Allen: Reckless move on the author’s part.

Wisely: Even so, it seems the author didn’t intend to bring out Bookman Jr. at first, though. Just that there was a truly unsolvable issue...

Lavi: Damn you, Hoshino...But yes, that’s what happened! The thing is, this time the most questions are directed at me! The fans are calling out to me! I heard their voices! How can I not be here for them! (heart)

Allen: Even though I can answer questions about you just fine.

Lavi: With messed-up answers, more like.

Link: Walker, here are some doughnuts, so would you cheer up already? And you, Bookman Jr, don’t get too carried away. We went over the word-count limit last two times, and both the editor and designer sent an e-mail to warn us to stay within the limit this time. All pointless talk is prohibited from all of you!

Allen, Lavi, Wisely: Roger~~

Marie: Haha...(wry grin) Having the Inspector here really is a help.

Bak: Oi, haven’t you lot been forgetting about me from the start......!?

Question 1: Kanda had a little pouch hanging from his neck when he returned to Marie and Lenalee. What was in that pouch?

Allen: You can always count on a question for Kanda, huh.

Lavi: Yeah, ain’t Yu gettin’ a little too popular? By the way, ain’t this supposed to start off with a question for me?

Wisely: Well, it’s because there’s also a wagonload of questions for Yu Kanda as ever. What a sinful lad...

Link: You there! No pointless chatter!

Bak: Huh...? He had a pouch? We disposed of those clothes Kanda was wearing after he swapped it in for the Order uniform at the Asian Branch, but there wasn’t any pouch.

Marie: Ah, that’s because I’m keeping it for him. The little drawstring pouch, right? Seems to be silver coins in there.

Allen: Money?!!! (clatter)

Lavi: Calm down, Allen!

Marie: There was this old lady who took care of Kanda’s every need back then, and she gave it to him, said it’s for travel expenses....sorry, that’s all I know.

Lavi: ........That so?

Allen: Kanda will definitely turn out like Master someday. (hmph!)

Marie: Looks like he barely used any of it, though.

(T/N: aight guys, now we know the true reason Allen decided to tag along with Kanda, right? right?)

Question 2: Is Kanda right-handed or left-handed?

Lavi: Yu agaaain?

Link: He’s ambidextrous, isn’t he?

Allen: Eh? Is that so?

Link: It’s something you’d notice right away.

Lavi: After all the time you spent fighting with him and you still didn’t know, Allen? Yu’s punches hurt like freakin’ hell no matter which fist he used, right?

Allen: Makes me sick just thinking about it.

Marie: Exactly, Kanda’s ambidextrous.

Bak: By the way, Alma was also ambidextrous, you know.

(T/N: damn, that stab in the heart when I have to go back and correct is into was...)

Wisely: By the way, over to the Noahs, the Millennium Count is ambidextrous.

Question 3: After the Second Exorcist sigil’s power deteriorated, Kanda now has hangover. Will he also be more vulnerable to illnesses like the cold?

Lavi: Yu again...? Now I’m starting to think Hoshino is trolling behind this!

Allen: He’s an idiot, and idiots don’t catch colds! NEXT!

Wisely: Well, if he does catch colds more easily then it’s good news for us Noahs. But if he’s such an idiot, guess it can’t be helped.

Marie: Hey, watch it. (sweat)

Link: Stop fooling about and answer properly!

Bak: Allow me, current patriarch of the Chang clan, to enlighten you. Just because the sigil’s power has weakened, doesn’t mean Kanda’s body will become very weak as a result. Though his extraordinary regenerative ability will be impaired, the bodies of Second Exorcists are also designed for battle, so he’d probably still be far more sturdy than normal people. Even so, unless he keeps a balanced diet from now on, there’s a possibility he might fall ill. He eats nothing but soba, doesn’t he? That won’t do!

Question 4: Those...flying needles?...that Howard Link was throwing about? What are they for? The Crows have had them in the past too, and I’m curious.

Link: Those are called Shibari (嘴針 lit. Beak Needle. T/N: “shibari” also sounds the same as “Shibari-bane”, the Crow’s binding feathers, but uses a different Kanji). Even amongst Crows, it’s a weapon reserved for the elite members. A single needle can unleash power equal to a hundred feathers (those binding feathers, flame feathers, confining feathers, etc. that Crows frequently use). The Shibari I have are the ones Master Zu used back in the day, so they’re an old model, but even now they still work very well. Though they can be a little unwieldy to carry about, in times you run out of feathers you can still fight just using Shibari. And for me right now, in particular, it’s also a way to save up on feathers, so it’s a very handy weapon.

Allen: Huh? What do you mean by “for me right now”?

Link: I have chocolate doughnuts, too, Walker.

Allen: WEE-HEE! (chomp!)

Wisely: Careful, boy...he’s tricking you with those doughnuts...

Link: Would you like some, too?

Wisely: WEE-HEE! (chomp!)

Lavi: I heard from Gramps, though. Looks like the Crows’ abilities are developed by the Chang Clan, right?

Bak: Aha. The Crow Unit was established by Grandfather Zu in his younger days. Even now, the Chang Clan is still responsible for manufacturing all the feathers, needles and other weapons the Crows use.

Marie: I see. So this is why the Asian Branch Supervisor position is passed down the Chang bloodline. The Chang Clan must have been indispensable for the Central, right?

Bak: Well, I guess.

Allen: I’ve been wondering for a long time. Why are the Changs able to use such awesome magic?

Wisely: It will be a long story, so we’d better drop it for the sake of the word count.

Link: If it’s going to eat up precious space, then let’s leave it for now.

Question 5: Do Lavi and Bookman still remember their original names?

Lavi: YAAAAAAAAAY~~ ! Finally~~! The answer’s Nooooooooooo-peeeeee! From the time I became Gramp’s heir, my name was erased!

Allen: Hey Lavi, why must Bookmen discard their real names? Isn’t it painful?

Marie: You’re one who cherishes his name, huh, Allen.

Bak: Do you really have to go that far in order to be a recorder of alternate history?

Link: Now that you mention it, we’ve received many questions on the Bookmen’s fake aliases.

Lavi: While we’re a Junior, we have to change our names every time we change the place of our log. Because those names will become the title of our logs. Thus, the log for this Holy War will be titled “Lavi”. Makes it easy to search for logs this way. As for whether it’s painful to lose my real name...hmmm, well...frankly, I don’t really know. Since me becoming a Bookman was something that can’t be helped, too. By the way, Gramps is the one who named all the logs.

Wisely: Uh-hmmm. Come to think of it, the name Lavi seems to be...

Lavi: What?

Wisely: Nah, nuffink. (munch munch). Blimey, these doughnuts sure are delicious.

Allen: Hey! You’re eating too many!

Question 6: How did Lavi and Bookman earn money for expenses during travels? The Allen way?

Allen: What do you mean by my way?

Lavi: Means gambling, of course. Ain’t it?

Wisely: Swindling Mafia bosses then fleeing with winnings and the like?

Bak: Mafia!? (falsetto)

Marie: So that’s what you’ve been up to, Allen!? That’s no good! You’re still a kid, aren’t you? Lenalee would wail if she ever hears you’ve been doing such dangerous things.

Allen: Please, please don’t tell Lenalee! I beg you, Marie! (googly eyes).

Link: No matter how adorable a face you manage to make, Noise Marie won’t be able to see it, Walker. We’ll have you tell us all about this later in detail, so for now let’s return to Bookman Jr.

Allen: Eeehhh!?

Lavi: Where were we? Oh, travel expenses, right? Well, members of the Bookman clan are everywhere and they help us out, so both me and Gramps don’t have to work for money.

Marie: You mean you have relatives all over the world?

Lavi: Yup! The whole clan comes together to support the Bookman as the clan’s leader, so Bookman can focus on his logs.

Bak: I never knew the Bookman Clan is such a large-scale thing.

Lavi: Well, since everyone conceals their Bookman lineage and outwardly leads normal lives, it’s no surprise nobody knows.

Allen: Why do they have to hide?

Lavi: Hm? It’s a secret!

>> Part 2 <<

#dgm #d gray man #dgm vol 26

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duhragonball · 5 years

Text

Dragon Ball 123

King Piccolo is dead! He exploded in the sky over what used to be King’s Castle, but Yamcha, Bulma, and Launch don’t know that yet. So they move quietly through the rubble to get a better look, until they find...

Another Launch! No, wait, they find Tien, and this is Launch reacting to that. Sorry.

She’s super happy an relieved to see him, and she starts bandaging him up. This is cute and all, but I can’t help but notice that this is the first time Blue Launch has really spent any time with Tien. She watched Tien break Yamcha’s leg, but I’m pretty sure she was in Blonde mode through every episode until they separated to deal with the Piccolo crisis. Certainly, she could have sneezed a few times off-screen, but otherwise I think this is the first time Blue Launch has met Tien since he turned good.

I just wonder what the deal is there, because she seems pretty happy to see him, and I always took it for granted that Blue Launch loved Tien as much as Blonde Launch does, but she wouldn’t remember the things Blonde Launch saw that made her fall for the guy. So what does Blue Launch see in him? Or is this some deal where the heart remembers?

Then again, like I pointed out before, Blonde Launch didn’t see much of Tien either, at least in the manga, and yet she still fell for him anyway. Maybe that’s how both forms of Launch roll. She’s used to hearing about new people after the fact, because someone needs to fill her in on what happened while she was her other self.

Once Bulma hears from Tien that King Piccolo is dead, she reports the good news to a TV station, and before long the whole world is celebrating.

This escaped convict is so relieved that he’s happy to surrender himself to the authorities. “Welp, crime is illegal again, so I guess it’s back to jail for me.” This guy looks like Nappa, by the way.

King Furry’s security guys congratulate him for weathering this crisis, but Furry insists that it’s all because of that boy who tore Piccolo a new cakehole and blew him up. Well, those aren’t his exact words, but man that fight was good.

Back at Kame House, Tien tells the others the whole story, and Launch is still putting bandages on him. Okay, Blue Launch is hot for Tien, there’s no question of that. Bulma’s cooking eggs for everyone, and that’s normally Launch’s thing, so I’m pretty sure she’s only doing that because she couldn’t get Launch away from Tien for five seconds.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, though. King Piccolo is dead and Goku is alive, but Krillin, Master Roshi, and Chiaotzu were killed during the crisis. Worse, Shenron was destroyed, so the Dragon Balls have been reduced to ordinary stones. Not sure why they bothered bringing them back with them to Kame House, or why they’re keeping them in a glass case, but okay.

Meanwhile, this old man’s watching an enormous TV.

His wife busts in to tell him about this big egg she found in the river. I was about to say “giant egg”, because it is, but honestly, the TV sort of stole the egg’s thunder.

The old man checks it out an he’s like “This isn’t even close to the size of my TV.”

Yeeeeeaaaaahhhhh. Kami left it... why not?

He tells his wife to fetch him a knife, which seems like the wrong move for dealing with an egg, but it was floating in a river before, so maybe he figures all bets are off. But then it hatches right in front of them, and they look inside....

AHHHHHHHHHH IT’S PICCOLO’S SON AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Back at Korin Tower, Korin heals Goku’s injuries with “herbs.” This word is used in the manga too, which I don’t understand because we’ve already established that Senzu beans heal injuries too, so why bother with anything else?

Korin admits that he honestly didn’t think Goku stood much of a chance, and in his mind, the best case scenario was that Goku and Piccolo would take each other out. If that happened, he would have used the Dragon Balls to resurrect Goku, though. Turns out, Korin didn’t know about King Piccolo killing Shenron, which seems odd to me, since he usually knows about everything else, including Piccolo’s wish to make himself younger. So was he watching Piccolo using the Dragon Balls, then looked away before he killed the Dragon?

Goku’s pretty frustrated that he can’t wish King Piccolo’s victims back to life, but Yajirobe points out that this is normally how life works. People die all the time, and you don’t get a reset button. Then Korin adds that it’s actually worse than that, because when you get killed by a demon, you can’t go to the afterlife, and you’re condemned to wander limbo forever.

I really don’t get this bit of lore, and I suspect that Toriyama threw it in just to make it clear that there’s something at stake here. One could argue that Master Roshi is happier in the afterlife, like Son Gohan was, so Korin has to rain on that parade in order to keep the story going.

But I don’t understand how Korin would know such things, especially since there’s nothing supernatural about King Piccolo or his spawn. He’s not a demon, he’s a Namekian, and his kids are all mutated Namekians, so how does that fit into all of this?

At last, Korin realizes that there is a way to get the Dragon Balls working again. Goku just needs to ask the guy who created the Dragon Balls to revive Shenron. And that guy’s name is Kami.

I don’t want to get bogged down in the definition of the word Kami, since it’s kind of a complicated topic. Suffice to say that it can be used to refer to a Supreme Being, and that seems to be the context it’s used for in Dragon Ball. In the Viz translation of the manga, they just substitute the word “God”, which makes the point a little more clearly: Goku has to ask God to turn the Dragon Balls back on.

I’m pretty sure that’s also what was meant when other characters have referred to Kami in past episodes. Suno prayed to Kami to watch over Goku while he fought in Muscle Tower, and Chiaotzu prayed to Kami when Tien used the Ki Ko Ho during the World Tournament. Even in this episode, that old couple who found Piccolo Junior thought the egg might be from Kami.

So this is what Yajirobe means when he says there’s no such thing. He’s basically saying that he doesn’t believe in God, even though he’s familiar with the concept of God. And even if he did think God existed, it’s not like you can just walk up to his front door and ask him to turn the Dragon Balls back on.

But Korin tells them that he not only knows God’s home address, he’s the guy who arranges all his appointments. Kami’s temple is directly above Korin Tower, and it’s so high up that it can’t even be seen. Goku can’t fly up to it with Kinto Un because apparently Kinto Un’s maximum altitude is the height of Korin Tower. A rocket wouldn’t work, because some sort of force field would repel anyone who approached.

No, the only way to gain access to Kami’s temple is to get permission from Korin, and then to ascend from the top of Korin Tower using... the Nyoibo.

Turns out the Nyoibo was never a weapon at all. The reason it extends on command is because you’re supposed to plug it into the top of Korin Tower, and hang onto it while it takes you up to Kami’s place. Korin gave it to Master Roshi a long time ago because Roshi wouldn’t stop bugging him about it, and eventually Roshi passed it on to Son Gohan, who gave it to Son Goku. So as it turns out, Goku already has what he needs to appeal to Kami.

Or he would, if he hadn’t lost the Nyoibo during the fight with King Piccolo. Whoops.

Goku heads back to the ruins of King’s Castle, where King Furry is holding a press conference. When Goku arrives, Furry introduces the boy as the hero who saved everyone, though he doesn’t know his name.

The press swarm Goku immediately, but he’s too busy hunting for the Nyoibo to pay any attention to them.

Then he remembers Fortune Teller Baba, and her ability to find lost objects.

Goku heads over to her place. Now, Baba charges 10 million zeni for a single reading, but you can opt out of her fee by fighting her team of five fighters. So Goku’s prepared to go that route.

But Baba points out that she’d never find anyone who’d be willing to face the guy who killed King Piccolo, so she agrees to do this one for free. Master Roshi is her brother, after all.

Turns out the Nyoibo is at Kami House, because Tien picked it up off the battlefield after Goku left. Goku heads there immediately, leaving Baba to remark that her prediction came true.

Turns out Launch tied the Nyoibo to a broom head for some reason. I mean, she needed to clean the bathroom, I get that, but it hasn’t been that long since Tien brought it here, right? Sometimes it’s hard to tell with Dragon Ball. Has it been a day or a week since Goku killed King Piccolo?

Goku immediately runs off, saying something about going to talk to God, and warning the others not to dispose of their friends’ bodies. No one knows what any of it means.

Meanwhile, Piccolo’s final offspring is burning houses down and threatening to destroy his father’s enemies.

#dragon ball #2019dbliveblog #goku #piccolo #bulma #launch #tien #yamcha #oolong #puar #yajirobe #korin #king furry #turtle #fortuneteller baba #23rd budokai saga

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