I'm sick and tired of Jinu being the ONLY ONE to get hate of any kind. It's always "Jinu did this" "Jinu did that" they forget that one of the main components for Rumi wanting Celine to kill her was also Mira, Zoey and also Celine herself. People make mistakes, that is the entire plot of the movie. Celine made mistakes with how she raised Rumi. Hate her for it but still just mistakes and she can be redeemed in some sense. Mira, Zoey both made countless mistakes when it came to how they talked about demons around Rumi accidentally solidifying how Rumi should feel about herself. Again sure not exactly fully their faults however they would have made Rumi feel even worse. Jinu's entire situation when he was alive was not entirely his fault and it's about time people see that. Why would he take his family to the palace if he knew they wouldn't be allowed in. Gwi-ma tricked him completely. However these other shippers will say that "it is entirely his fault for taking the deal." He was Poor like really poor, in the 1600s. I've said it b4 i'd take that deal instantly. If Jinu was actually like 25% as bad as these other people make him out to be, they'd have a leg to stand on. However he's not so they dont. The biggest betrayal for me in that scene was when Zoey and Mira very shortly after it all was discussing how to do their songs WITHOUT Rumi... They moved on way to quickly. Anyway, Jinu defender till I die, leave my man alone. He has suffered enough. If Rumi could see the shit you say about him, she would be fucking pissed off.
To Ignore Jinu's Sacrifice, is to Make it Trivial.
To ignore Jinu's situation with Gwima and blame him completely and not give blame to the Villain Gwima. It feels like victim blaming because he cracked under increased personal hell torment.
People forgot that exposing SHAME is how Gwima controls his demons. What Rumi experiences at the idol awards is a physical show of what Gwima does. It is what he wanted, Gwima.
If psychologically I am starting to notice not everyone seems to understand how evil Gwima is. Because it was shown physical people forgot that this is what the villain wanted and what he does.
In response to something I saw on Reddit talking about the unhealthy aspect of Jinu and Rumi's relationship.
Also edited because I really don't mean to call anyone specific out, but I do want to talk about it.
Healthy, maybe not. Fascinating, absolutely. And I still enjoy their chemistry.
For what it's worth I think that Jinu actually did like Rumi, not from the beginning but fairly soon after. I think he's fascinated by her at first because of what she is, and then is almost lured in by who she is. Like she's capable of seeing more in him than he thought there was.
But Jinu is still self-centered and also crippled by despair and hopelessness and wanting to escape from the constant guilt inside his head that he can't get away from and it's far too late to make up for. Like yeah, he was manipulated by Gwi-Ma but he was the one who made the decision to stay. Ultimately I think he didn't think that there was any point of fighting Gwi-Ma and once again wanted to just find an out for himself and get rid of his guilt.
You can't fix it if you never face it.
But I think Rumi provided something for him-- a challenge in a way. Someone to talk to. Someone who understood what he was going through on some level. Someone who still had hope. And Jinu wanted to believe in hope for so long. But again! That hope was tied up in him finding an out for himself and not having to bear the responsibility of what happened.
The end of his character arc was sacrificing himself for the greater good. Not so much giving himself an out, but putting himself into the fight. Instead of trying to avoid the pain, he faced the pain and perhaps will become a means to fight against Gwi-Ma. He can't go back to fix what he did, but he can assist fixing the future.
He is, to put it simply, a bit messy.
And of course Rumi is using him. Rumi desperately wants some validation that she's not evil. That the part she's hiding isn't evil. That she's worth something. So she wants to believe that spark of good in Jinu so she can believe that spark of good in herself. She offers him this out that I'm not even entirely sure she knows will work. I mean maybe! But the honmoon has never been sealed before so who knows? It's blind faith. She too wants to get out of the problem rather than facing it. And yeah, she's terrified of what's going to happen to her if she does. Not necessarily physically but everyone she loves hating her. So she'd rather not. She wants to avoid it.
The ending of her character arc is finding the validation and worth in herself as she is, no matter what others may think. The good sides and the bad sides. To keep moving forward to do what she should do and what she wants to do. To use her voice to protect and maybe help the other demons stuck in the same situation as Jinu.
Tl;dr they are problematic. They aren't healthy. But they can become healthy. All relationships take work. Whether it be friends or familial or romantic. There is no OTP where everything is perfect. It requires sacrifice, communication, facing and acknowledging your fears and doing the same for your family/friends/partner(s). Even with Polytrix, they need to talk and be vulnerable with one another. With Celine they need to talk and be vulnerable with her.
So Tl;dr part two, I love Rumi and Jinu because they are messy and complex and imperfect and do terrible things to eachother and also lift and support each other, both caught in this whirlwind of a situation that is hard to extricate themselves from. Because like you could have a perfect pairing/golden honmoon, but that would require locking away the parts of yourself that makes you human.
Rumi was *winning* her and Jinu's little war. I think one of her character traits *is* that she can be a good manipulator, not just a good liar. People tend to gloss over her line after the Idol Awards fiasco when Rumi says that she "was using him to fix this" but her response to Jinu's attempts at manipulation was to manipulate him right back. With the powers of genuine connection, acceptance, and hope but she *was* trying to get him on her side just as much as he was trying to manipulate her. They were playing vulnerability cat and mouse with each other and thats part of what makes them so interesting to me. And Rumi *won*. Gwi-Ma had to interefere and remind Jinu that the psychological torture can always get worse to get him back on track and betray Rumi. And even then, he saves her at the very end. Idk, it just seems like people don't give Rumi enough credit or agency, she made deliberate choices. She and Jinu made great foils they were both playing mind games and playing tug of war with the fans the whole movie
A lot of people tend to forget that all character traits are neutral and entirely depend on how they’re being used. Manipulation is seen as an entirely negative character trait because you often see it on villains but if used correctly, it CAN be good! Though instead of manipulation, it’ll get rebranded to a softer word like ‘Persuasive’ due to the negative connotations of manipulation. But in the end, they’re both two sides of the same coin!
Rumi DOES go out of her way to sway Jinu to her side, partially because in Jinu’s own attempts at manipulation, he shows too much of his hand and makes Rumi go, “Oh hold on. He’s actually got some good in him.” And starts appealing to that. She sees some of it when he talks about his shame but she REALLY believes it when he has the interaction with the girl and her drawing. Rumi doesn’t even hesitate either, she swoops in with the, “Maybe you should listen to those voices” and the combination hits Jinu so hard that he immediately announces the Saja Boys have to leave and promptly gets out of there.
Rumi makes her pitch to him later, then looks to seal the deal with their duet. And it’s not that she’s purely trying to sway him for her own interests (but hey, added bonus) but she explicitly gives him things to look forward to (No more Gwi-Ma, free of your shame) and means it. She DOES want to set him free, and technically succeeds in the end.
Rumi isn’t naive! She knows what she’s doing the whole time! The only reason why the betrayal blindsides her is because Jinu DID mean it when he said he was going to sabotage the show in her favor. Gwi-Ma just fucked that plan up with his own manipulations.
And yeah, she does actually win out in the end. Gwi-Ma gets betrayed right back and LOSES. Controlling others through fear can only get you so far, genuine kindness and connection can go a long way.
The miss characterisation of Jinu from a certain part of the fandom has got to be studied. His family was broke, could barely eat, when he was given a deal to fix that he took it. He got an invitation from the king which in those times you could not say no. They call it an invitation but it was a request...
Then he finds out at the gates of the palace that his family isn't allowed in but he goes in anyway. Which again he had to, you can't say no to a king in the 1600s without unsubscribing from life.
He gets tortured and abused for 400+ years before deciding to make 1 last deal to try and silence the voices and the memories. People will spam all day that jinu is an evil manipulative abuser when he was one of the main victims of the film. Is he perfect? No he is not. Did he make bad decisions? Yes. Does he deserve a second chance where he's not being mentally tortured and abused? Yes he does.
"but he betrayed Rumi at the idol awards" he was literally tortured and manipulated into doing so... It's like people watch the film from tiktok clips and go "oh yeah I knew this film now all the way through"
Hello. I'm a polytrix shipper and im not sending you an ask to try to convince you that polytrix is better than rujinu. But im just really curious as to what you have against the ship. You dont have to answer if you dont want to or feel like you dont need to explain yourself. Anyways thanks for your time :)
I don’t have anything against the ship, my beef is against the toxic misogynistic shippers that ruin the fandom and the ship itself. I don’t care for polytrix I actually think it’s a cute ship but I prefer Rujinu just because I do.
What I don’t like is fans being biphobic to us, calling us male centered because we actually like the male character and generalizing us into this homophonic retort just because we don’t like them. Even the fact that they’re attacking the art directors, VA’s, signing VA’s when they say they like Jinu.
So apparently by filtering the polytrix tag i filter one hate comment . So one of my friends sent it to me and the funny thing is she's the most level headed, calm and sweetest person I've ever known and she got so mad i could feel it through our massages.
So she sent us all of their posts about kpdh.
And boy was i amused and disappointed at them (but i think they're a she, oh well).
First their comment:
The easy answer to this is i like the Zomira ship cuz the few i read about didn't attack rujinu or the show as whole and they're cute together and good for each other and i admit i never read beyond kissing about so that's that.
Second their post:
I said it to my friend and I'll say it again here if this ur idea of a relationship then I'm sorry to tell you, ur going to spend the rest of ur life being single and bitter cuz honey maybe u didn't know but RELATIONSHIP GOES BOTH WAY. And maybe u forgot that Rumi wasn't the picture of a healthy psychology cuz of all the hunters'ideology. Neither of them were mentally stable actually no one was in the whole movie.
Those ideals were mentally torturing her which caused her patterns to grow .a little like gwima torture his demons.
And then u saying she's some "sweet kind person"???? Pffft.. she's definitely kind but not sweet. During the soda pop , it was Zoey who thought they were nice demons and she wasn't being naive, she was being open-minded and got shot down by both Mira and Rumi. Now that's what u call sweet, Rumi definitely not it . She's a badass, kind, with a rigid view of their job just like Celine.
Then this, which is tricky cuz i agree with you on those about Celine:
Uk this post just confirmed my suspicions that u r a misandrist(someone who hates man in general) u made good points about Celine. How she truly does love Rumi and choose her . She was an idol and a hunter (lots of stress and trauma on both sides of her jobs) , lost someone close who was like a sister to her(or more but that's probably fanon), raising a child (which turned out to be a half of what she has been fighting and killing most of her life), protecting the honmoon ( we don't know where's the third sunlight sister .but Celine was definitely alone) , training the next generation, and this time by hammering the facts that demons are evil(to make sure another child doesn't go through what Rumi did with patterns and also not lose a another hunter to demons in this way), and therapy was out of question cuz if she said one word of this to anyone she would be considered mentally unstable.
There have been snipe peaks about how Celine killed Rumi's parents and also her teaching had led to Rumi asking to be killed by the same woman that has been raising her, she was the one to tell her not to say anything about her patterns to the girls with good reason but because those two had the part of "killing demons without hesitation" hammered to their body by her. She literally shut down any way out for Rumi's comfort and safety. Mira is the greatest example of that with her open contempt for demons. Zoey tried to be a little open-minded but got shot down and never showed hesitation again. Rumi would have been worse than Mira if she wasn't a half demon but instead she got self worth issues, panic attacks, and got suicidal.
U know the problem with this person is she's supporting the women's wrong and they wouldn't have said anything about the romance part of the movie if Jinu and the saja boys were women. And That's the root of the hate. Not only do they make straight fans uncomfortable but also other LGBTQ+ fans who truly enjoy complicated enemies to lovers movies.( Like in most those stories the ml is either obsessed or more like a background character who's only there to help fl have babies.(Disgusting? Ik but practically it's like this most of the time, the mls barely have any other sides than being a tool to the female)) the imbalance of dynamic is so dissatisfing and boring....those mls are practically fl's attack dogs. And I'm happy to tell you that u chose the wrong movie based on ur taste. (The fact that there is a word for people like u shows how fucked it is)
Do everyone a favor and go find a misogynist person and attack them . It's a good thing to give people with a similar mindset a taste of their own medicine.
This part might fly over their head just like the last post did , so I wasn't gonna bother to mention it but here is a little massage from my friend : BOTH Jinu and Rumi were helping and good for each other.Jinu showed rumi what she couldn’t see in herself, That she is not a mistake and her power I mean HER VOICE STARTED GETTING BETTER WHEN SHE OPENED UP TO HIM AND HE HELPED HER OPEN HER EYES A BIT. Also, Rumi helped Jinu see the way out he thought it didn’t exist. She wanted to help him be FREE. From gwi ma she told him to stay on this side so he won’t be stuck in the demon world. Also if he let her she might have helped him with his guilt for leaving his mom and sister because she wanted to calm him but he has ptsd and he hurt rumi against his will his voice and eyes were dead.
And my dear hater ,don't bother to comment on this post and my friend won't check ur blog either . Kindly Fix urself before someone worse than me fix u.
Honestly how lonely and unlikeable polytrix fans have to be that they make a perfect found family qpr between 3 smart wise ADULT WOMAN sexual. And this comment might make me sound like a homophobic but no i ship polysaja, zomira, abbyjinu, romabby, heck i ship Celine with Rumi's parents too so don't come at me with that bullshit. Anyway why lonely? Hove u never see a group of friends being close like sisters, because i did and have one!!! My friends have almost the same personality as Hunterix and we're not trying to get in each other's pants.
These women are already under pressure of not only being a kpop idol ( a country which is known to put lots of pressure on ones beauty and appearance) but being the most world wide famous too, a little mistake can put them down and this time not only themselves but also their fans are at risk because of demons and that excluding their own personal problem. Their mentor always stressed on ur faults and fears must never be shown which is a sound advice in real life for idols cuz of black lashes of the media. All idols have a mask of perfection in front of the camera , they can never slip up and in kpdh a slip up means a fan lost and a fan lost means a fan dead. With all these pressures , their only safe spot would be each other but that doesn't mean it's romance, these women need something comfortable something like family cuz they didn't have that with their own parents or guardian .
Rumi by keeping secrets put herself in a tight spot, not only putting a mask in front of the fans, demons and then in front of her only safe spot she isolated herself and Zoey and Mira could see it but they both know what it's like to be pressured to do something again with idol life, so they waited for her to open up and made sure she knows they're always there for her. Zoey with her understanding and support, Mira with her protective nature and always taking the steps to remind her she's there. But just like Celine who unintentionally made her hate herself to the point of asking to be killed they also pushed her away without knowing Zoey's many notes on demon insults and writing "takedown" and Mira's contempt and "oh u have patterns now u gotta die" and I say again UNINTENTIONALLY AND WITHOUT KNOWING they made her hate herself even more cuz she truly believed them to be fact. That's where Jinu came in.
And honestly have u never seen a boy teasing a girl???? that one post about how Jinu made Rumi ashamed of her pants was so despicable and kinda desperate of them to sink that low. Anyway moving on , Jinu was 400yo who has been mentally torture on daily basis and not only that he's from a era that "what the king says goes". The life of a beggar in the Joseon era (1392–1897) was harsh, uncertain, and deeply shaped by the rigid Confucian social hierarchy of the time. All the informations below are from Google and chatgpt
The life of a beggar in the Joseon era (1392–1897) was harsh, uncertain, and deeply shaped by the rigid Confucian social hierarchy of the time. Here’s an overview of what their daily existence and social position looked like:
🏯 1. Social Status and Background
Joseon society was strictly divided into classes:
Yangban (양반): Aristocrats and scholars.
Chungin (중인): Middle class, including technicians and minor officials.
Cheonmin (천민): The lowest class—slaves, butchers, entertainers, and beggars.
Beggars belonged to (or even below) the cheonmin class. They were often referred to as “geosaeng” (걸사) or “beolgae” (벌개), meaning wanderers or vagrants. Many were orphans, disabled people, war victims, or peasants who had lost their land due to famine, taxes, or corruption.
🥣 2. Daily Life and Survival
Most beggars roamed from village to village or lived near markets and temples, surviving on charity. Buddhist temples were often the only reliable source of food or shelter, as monks practiced almsgiving. During famines or wars, the number of beggars increased sharply; many resorted to performing songs, carrying messages, or scavenging to survive. Some formed small groups or networks, sharing food and watching over each other.
🏚️ 3. Living Conditions
They lived in makeshift shelters, under bridges, near city gates, or in mountain huts. Clothing was typically made of scraps of fabric or straw, patched and dirty. Disease was common, and medical help was nearly impossible to access. Winters were deadly for many, especially in northern provinces.
⚖️ 4. How Society Treated Them
Confucian values placed strong emphasis on social order and family duty; beggars were seen as moral failures—people who had lost their place in society. They were excluded from official records and often forbidden from entering cities or participating in rituals. However, some local officials tolerated or used beggars for odd jobs, manual labor, or gathering information.
🎭 5. Beggars in Culture and Literature
In folk tales and pansori (traditional storytelling), beggars sometimes appear as:
Wise fools or disguised nobles who test others’ compassion. Symbols of suffering and endurance, reminding audiences of humility and fate. In works like Heungbu-jeon (흥부전), the poor Heungbu’s family is treated almost like beggars—contrasting moral virtue and social status.
⚔️ 6. Historical Changes
During wars (Japanese invasions of 1592 and Manchu invasions), the beggar population exploded due to displaced peasants. Later Joseon kings attempted poor relief measures such as public granaries or temporary shelters, but these were inconsistent. By the late 19th century, as Western missionaries and modernization began, charity groups and orphanages slowly emerged.
💭 7. Summary
> A beggar in the Joseon era lived on the margins of society — shunned by Confucian norms, surviving on scraps and compassion.
Yet, their presence reflected the vulnerabilities of a system that valued hierarchy over humanity.
Based on this information we get that Jinu and his family were cheongmin , meaning they couldn't go lower in hierarchy . Jinu was a beggar then with Gwi-ma deal he became a musician which is the same as an entertainer so he didn't get a rise in the statue that's practically impossible. The only way his family could even get money was to become a slave or him selling his own sister to a brothel which he never did but he did sell his own soul to a king which didn't help his family making him even lower in the statue than his mother and sister cuz at least they are free but now he became a slave to both the country king and the demon king. (I leave this at that so u pricks can come to ur senses . If u have any at all)
What's Jinu's role ?well he was the enemy and Hunterix was his enemy .he didn't get where he is in 400 years by being good no he killed lots of people for survival . U want to tell me he never considered suicide during his time with Gwi-ma? The demon king would never let any of his slaves have peaceful time so death was definitely out of the question cuz it would never be an option not when Gwi-ma can control their fate so survival it is, plain and simple.
During the bathhouse reveal, jinu didn't have any plan when he helped Rumi and their singing voice actor also confirmed it. That this was the point he was falling for her or at least interested in her. Then their first meet up Jinu is still jaded after all these years but meeting Rumi mad him consider a little not big not even a little but a tiny spark and that's a miracle. Jinu himself isn't an optimist his mortal life and demon life made sure he could never hope again,but Rumi being the only one who couldn't hear gwi-ma made it seems like possible. Then finding out about hunters thoughs and ideas how demons don't feel which is completely wrong cuz that's all they do. Rumi being conditioned to this ideals. The major point of movie was about not everything is black and white and Jinu was here to teach Rumi that .
During signing, after Rumi kept ignoring his massages(see! She's not some damsel in distress who's being she can say no and ignore these things. She's a idol AND adult in 24 yo ffs) thus making her voice worse for wear. Some of u might say Jinu was wrong for pestering her but really what was he supposed to do wait until the demon king kill him and his band? Beside, Rumi did make light of his suffering by calling him pathetic. How would she know what had he been through? Doesn't give her a permission to say that not when she cancelled her own bandmate vacation to release the golden to get rid of her patterns. Yes ,it was for their fans too but it was mostly so she could be "free".
You all seems to think that without Jinu her voice would be fixed either way but no, she first must understand that her way of thinking is wrong and Jinu is a great example of not everything is black and white and ignoring all of this, this way she can finally truly honor her mother by truly understanding her point of view not only of her father but herself too. That she's not a mistake, that there's beauty in broken glass(even tho she was always beautiful even when devouring all those food).
(I'm warping this up since it got too long and feels like a rant and I'm tagging it polytrix cuz of all those anti rujinu posts in rujinu tag)
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3| Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15
"Lucy!"
Lucifer braced himself. Even with the preparation, Beelzebub hit him like a ton of bricks. He wrapped his arms around her neck, his wings coming out as she lifted them both off the ground and spun them around.
"You're here," she exclaimed, squeezing him tight enough that he could feel his ribs protesting. "You have missed so many parties! I thought we'd never see you again."
Lucifer giggled as her fur tickled his neck as she nuzzled his cheek. "Hiya, Bee." He instinctively tried to protect his neck from the cold, wet feeling of her nose as she snuffled his hair. "I, uh, had some things to work through."
Beelzebub bared her teeth, growling low in her chest. "I still can't believe she left! What a bitch!"
Lucifer wilted, Lilith's leaving a raw enough wound that all mentions of it making him want curl up and cry.
His sister paused, gauging his response. She brought them down to the ground, her hold turning into something more gentle. "I'm sorry, Lucy." She gave him a jostle. "You totally deserved better."
Lucifer didn't believe that for a moment, but he didn't want to spoil the mood anymore than he already had. Over his head, his siblings shared a glance. He hated they looked so worried, even as it soothed something along the jagged edges of his self-loathing.
"It's fine." It wasn't, but he was thoroughly subscribing to the delusion that if he said it enough times, it might make it true.
"You can talk to us if you need to." Beelzebub gave him another squeeze, almost as tight as the previous one. "You may be our big brother, but we're still your siblings."
Lucifer blinked, his eyes stinging. He looked up over the mass of her colorful hair to see Asmodeus watching them. It went without saying that the offer was extended from him as well. Lucifer couldn't bring himself to nod. The promise would feel disingenuous, as he was unsure if he was in a place to ever take them up on them offer. Sadness flickered across Asmodeus's face, knowing him too well.
Beelzebub seemed to understand as well. She pulled away, giving his shoulders one last squeeze before she let him go. She turned her sights on the sinner in the room, floating over to get a better view of him. By the time Lucifer was sure he'd blinked away any incriminating evidence of his emotional slip and was certain it was safe to turn around, Beelzebub had already reached her target.
"And who is this cute dear?" It was difficult to determine if she was using the endearment or the animal species name. With her, it could be either. She made a circuit around Alastor, coming up and over his head to hover at eye level with him. "Is this the guy you were talking about?"
Lucifer sputtered, dismayed. "Wait, what?" He spun around on Asmodeus, pointing at him. "When did you even talk about this? I heard that phone call!" It had done right in front of him! How did he miss that?
Fizzarolli held up his phone to show a series of text messages he couldn't read from this distance but could guess at their content. Judging from the smirk on his lover's face, it wasn't hard who had told him to do it.
Traitor! The whole lot of them!
Alastor turned on the charm, although unlike with Asmodeus and Fizz, it appeared to be at least somewhat genuine in this case. "Please, call me Alastor. It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness." If he was irritated with her fluttering around him, he didn't let it show. "From what I've heard, the famous Queen Bee's parties sound like all the rage!"
Beelzebub placed a finger to her chin, squinting her eyes as if racking her brain. "Alastor?" She said the name slowly, considering. She set herself down on the ground, studying him intently. Lucifer noted she had shrunk down in size to match the sinner's height. "The radio host?"
The redhead's demeanor became more amicable, his ego stroked, confirming jovially, "Why yes! It's an honor to hear someone such as yourself has heard of my show." He shot Lucifer a smug look, which in turn earned him a renewed glare.
The Sin of Gluttony waved her fingers at him. "I'm always looking for new music to play during parties." She danced to an imaginary beat, swaying her hips and doing a little twirl. She pointed in his general direction as she spun back around. "You've got good taste in music, if a little out of date."
Alastor wasn't offended by her critique, likely having heard it before. Perhaps emboldened by her positive engagement with him, he offered one of his own, "Perhaps, but music today sounds so..." He paused, searching for the right word. After a moments debate, he settle reluctantly on, "Repetitive."
From out of nowhere, a short clip of music played, emanating from Alastor's direction. The clip was followed by another clip, from a different song, and then a third one. They were all obviously different songs, but they did all sound remarkable the same.
"Wait." Beelzebub's eyes had widened. Alastor paused his flipping through channels on a random song. A male singer with the kind of voice that could make anyone swoon was singing about how he took his whiskey and coffee and how the subject of the song was 'too sweet' for him. She gave Alastor another circle around. "You can generate music yourself?" She clasped her hands together in delight.
The redhead cut off the music, amused by her response. He clarified, "I can act like a radio, my dear. I sadly can't produce music out of nowhere."
Beelzebub threw her older brother a grin over her shoulder. "Lucy, you don't mind if I steal your partner later, do you?"
Lucifer, who had been watching all of this with stiffly crossed arms and an ever darkening glare, scoffed. He just knew this was going to become an issue and already could see the headlines come the next morning. "He's not my anything, Bee. Really."
To Alastor's discernment, Beelzebub sniffed the air far too close to the sinner for her to be doing anything other than catching his scent. Vindictively, Lucifer couldn't help but smirk and think to himself that, yeah, it's not as much fun when someone does it to him, was it? Little taste of his own medicine.
Then she asked, "Then why is his scent all over you?"
Lucifer's hands flew to his hair, belatedly realizing how telling the movement was. He didn't care. What the hell? He'd not only cleaned up last night with magic, he'd even gone for a shower out of the desperate need to swath himself in the comforting smells of his favorite shampoo and body wash. Nothing of Alastor should have remained.
Alastor had that pleased as punch grin on his insufferable, punchable face.
Lucifer hissed like the snake everyone called him, angerly pointing a finger at the asshole. "Take him! I don't want him!"
"Now now, your Majesty, what would Charlie do without her business partner?" Alastor's tone was all sunshine and roses, as if anyone would believe that for an instant.
Behind him, Lucifer heard Fizzarolli whispering to Ozzie, almost (but not quite) too soft him to hear, "Stealing his daughter's business partner? That's ballsy."
Lucifer must have looked one wrong move away from setting the whole building on fire because Beelzebub came floating over to him, saying, "Lucy, why don't we get you that new top?" She placed her hands on his shoulders and directed him out of sight of the main source of all his current woes. "I've always wanted to try some outfits with you!"
"It still needs to be formal," he said, imagining all the outfits she'd worn over the years. They always managed to be both with the times while also being on the cutting edge of what was appropriate.
She pinched his cheek. "Yes, yes, because you're somehow covering up more rather than less." She didn't ask nor did she attempt to find out why. He was ridiculously grateful for it. She produced a slew of garments from her own personal subspace dimension.
Lucifer tried not to sweat over the sheer quantity of them.
Alastor hadn't been wrong when he'd said they had time before the main event, but they didn't have enough for the quantity Beelzebub had brought. Lucifer was able to eliminate roughly half based on the fact they they did fit his aesthetic. His sister didn't look surprised by the choices he outright eliminated, leading him to believe they were there simply because she would have found enjoyment out of seeing him wearing them.
He held up one top from his remaining pile. It was a two-piece top, consisting of a fancy button-up shirt with poofy sleeves and a sleeveless waistcoat that could be laced up at the waist for a more form-fitting look. It wasn't bad, he was so going to steal it for a later day, but there was something... boyish about it. He eyed his sister. "Are you trying to tell me something?" He shook the garment for emphasis.
Beelzebub wasn't even trying to look sheepish. "Only that you'd look adorable in it!"
No one had called him adorable since he'd still had an unbroken halo and a full set of white wings. To his face, anyway. "You do remember I'm not a doll for you to play dress up with, right?"
She picked up a top with a similar vibe to it. "But you're as pretty as one, so how could I resist?"
Alastor looked like he'd swallowed a lemon or one of Asmodeus's more phallic candies. Lucifer filed that thought away for another time.
He sent the top away to his wardrobe in his room at the hotel with a small spark of magic the moment Beelzebub wasn't looking. Listening to the conversations going on around him with only half an ear, he snagged another potential choice, only to toss it aside almost immediately. A knock at the door brought an issue for Asmodeus and Fizzarolli, calling them away with the promise they'd be back shortly.
Beelzebub and Alastor became engaged in a discussion about music, not quite arguing which time period was better. Beelzebub had all of human history to pull from, but it was quickly established she preferred anything someone could dance to.
Alastor had a soft spot for Jazz, as it was the music that followed him throughout his early adult years to the end of his life. He admitted to liking some of the music that evolved from Jazz, such as swing music.
He was down to the final two potential choices - a toss up between a very high neck coat that flared in the sleeves and a more form fitting, corseted, button up tailcoat - when he heard Beelzebub's delighted exclamation of: "You can tune into Earth stations? Have you heard of XM radio?"
The seraphim blinked up at them, as Alastor responded with, "But of course, your highness! Everyone loves a radio station without commercials!"
Lucifer wondered at the full extent of Alastor's reach. Hell was supposed to be cut off from Earth and Heaven, save for specific circumstances. It was one thing to use a crystal or spell to open a portal to Earth. To walk in the dreams of humans as they slept to communicate and influence them. It was another thing entirely to actively reach through that barrier as if it wasn't there to begin with, tuning into any radio station on Earth. Something Alastor could apparently do with ease, as demonstrated by the sound of dance music, something heavily remixed, filling the air.
Beelzebub made a noise that could only be called a squeal, her fingers twitching like she was ready to make off with the sinner the first chance she got.
So distracted by the display, Lucifer didn't immediately notice that one of his hands were empty. Fingers flexing around air, he narrowed his eyes when he found the tailcoat in the grasp of one of Alastor's shadows.
"You were taking so long to choose, your Majesty," Alastor explained innocently. "I thought I might help you choose."
Feeling spiteful, Lucifer snapped the fingers of his free hand, simultaneously sending the coat with the flared sleeves away to his wardrobe while replacing his cashmere roll neck with the tailcoat.
Alastor, the little shit, merely smirked at him. Lucifer didn't like the fact that he couldn't tell if he had done exactly what the sinner had wanted him to do or not.
The doors to the office opened, signaling the return of Asmodeus and Fizzarolli. Both of their shoulders slumped in relief when the door closed firmly behind them.
"Someone blow something up again?" Beelzebub asked, sympathetically.
"I swear, this group can't go one day without blowing something up!" Asmodeus sighed, deep and long suffering. "They didn't even have the excuse of it being a prototype."
Both of his siblings made consoling hums at him. Asmodeus' attention turned to his older brother, a smile breaking out on his face when he saw Lucifer had changed clothes. "Lucy! Marvelous choice!" He paused, tilting his head. "Not really the colors I would expect from you."
That was mostly because Lucifer hadn't had a chance to fiddle with it. He smiled back, waving a hand over the top. The original coat had been forest green, with black buckles, and silver buttons. Forest green bleed out into pure white. The corset center of the coat was now his favored pink, while the buttons and buckles took on a shiny golden hue. He pondered the length of the tail, unsure if he found it too long or not. Deciding to leave it for now, he conjured his hat and cane from his room, topping off his outfit as he placed his crown on his head.
Feeling more himself, despite the change in wardrobe, he grinned. "What do you think?"
Asmodeus, Beelzebub, and Fizzarolli all gave approving thumbs up.
Alastor gave him a once over, smirking and unimpressed. "I suppose it's a little better than that ringleader ensemble you're so obsessed with."
Lucifer's eyebrow twitched, stalking over to the sinner. "You're on thin ice, bitch," he said saccharine sweet through gritted teeth.
Alastor watched him approach, his smirk a challenge.
Lucifer met it with one of his own. "Now I think it's your turn for a make over." He gave the sinner a lazy once over, pointedly lingering on the tattered ends of the redhead's coat. "Can't have my date in anything other than the best."
Alastor's expression darkened, almost imperceptivity. "I can't say I know what you mean, your Majesty. I always look my best." This last part was said with the undertone of a warning, not for an agreement, but to back off.
Lucifer considered the response. If anyone could recognize someone's pride having been slighted, it was the Sin of Pride himself. Alastor's pride had been poked at, but the seraphim wasn't immediately certain why. The sinner did indeed dress to impress every day, the haircut and the tattered ends of his coat too out of place not to be anything other than deliberate. So why was he upset?
The answer came from the depths he liked to keep the memories he acquired from reading one of his people's sins: the foundation of Alastor's public persona was one large middle finger to a world that had held him to a higher standard than everyone else around him, and yet, had still found him wanting at the end of the day. It was as much a defense as a way to gain a leg up against the people in power around him.
Lucifer took a step back, lessening the pressure of his approach. He asked, "Do you have anything for a formal occasion?"
A little of the tension left Alastor's stance, now that he didn't feel that he was potentially going to be accosted. "Events in Hell don't usually require a more ...formal dress attire." In other words: sinners dressed however they were going to dress and that was that. One was lucky if they chose to get dressed at all.
Still leaving all the choice in the redhead's court, the blond asked, "Can I make you a tuxedo? If you don't like it, I'll change it back." He paused, before tacking on, "I promise." It wasn't a formal deal, but he tried to keep his promises where he could.
Alastor seemed to be weighing his options, his fingers tapping against the top of his microphone. He could chose to take the offer or he could chose to go as he was, nothing more nothing less. The sinner approached on his own, pacing around his king, his gaze equal parts considering and lost in thought. "Something in my current colors," he finally responded. "If I don't like it, you change it."
Lucifer chose to be pleased that he was being given access to Alastor's person. When the redhead came to a stop in front of him, he raised his hand, keeping it in eye sight the whole time. Alastor picked up on his caution, something fond taking root in his expression. The moment Lucifer's fingers touched the helm of Alastor's sleeve, a golden flame sparked into existence.
Pure creation magic spread like a wave across the red suit, transforming it as it went along. Pin stripes were replaced by red wool of the same color, fine black thread woven into the fabric to cast the illusion that the fabric was darker from some angles. The lapels of the coat were folded back to reveal a completely black interior. A vest and pair of pants of similar design took shape. Underneath the vest, a pure white button up shirt stood out, bright and stark against the otherwise darker colors. The only thing Lucifer hadn't touched was Alastor's black bow tie.
He tiled his head, feeling there was something missing. An idea, born of random inspiration and the desire to uphold his promise to his daughter, took shape in Lucifer's mind. In one hand, a flame of creation magic appeared, raw and undirected. In the other, he formed a flame of pure hellfire. Holding the idea in his mind, he slammed his palms together. The two flames intermingled, eating at each other as they fought to either consume or transform the other. Lucifer bent the two forces to his will, forcing them to come together and take on the shape he desired: something wholly new.
When he opened his hands, sitting on his palms was a gem, one of a kind. As it tilted, the surface reflected back at him like black glass, until it settled to reveal a light within it, gleaming of hellfire. If one were to blow out all of the blue flames that lit the office, the gem would continue to give off a glow of its own. Most importantly, woven into the very fabric of the gem were powerful protection spells, ones that would protect the wearer from someone as strong as the Sins of the Goetia. It might even protect them from an archangel, although not for long.
If Alastor had been wearing this during the previous extermination, it would have likely given Adam a moment's pause. More than enough for the sinner to escape unscathed. Not that Alastor would have run, but still.
The sinner in question eyed the gem as the Devil raised it to his bowtie, securing it in place. Alastor shouldn't have the power necessary to tell what it really was. Some of the Goetia might. Anyone of them that did would know what kind of statement he was making by placing it there. It was a more physical reminder that this sinner was under his protection and he wouldn't take kindly to anyone trying to kill him.
Asmodeus and Beelzebub could tell what it was. The former was silently laughing at him, while the latter covered her mouth to hide her grin, for all the good it did.
Lucifer ignored them. He was merely keeping his promise, nothing more.
Alastor tapped the gem, the chime unlike anything he'd ever heard before. His hand traveled down his sleeve. "Wool?" There was a slight crease to his brows, unsure with the assessment.
Lucifer didn't have the slightest clue how he could tell, since the redhead was still wearing his gloves. Was Alastor pressing the cloth into his arms and could tell that way? The blonde took a step back, nodding. "Yes, vicuña wool, to be exact."
The sinner went still, his ears ramrod straight. "Vicuña wool?" His eyes were boring right into Lucifer's, something heavy in his gaze.
The blond found it difficult to tell if the reaction was a good one or a bad one. He'd chosen it because humans seemed to place great value on the wool for it's rareness and the quality of the fabric it produced. Once only for kings, only the wealthy could afford more than one garment. He largely only knew this because Asmodeus was a fan of the fabric and had raved about it on the odd occasion.
Lucifer waggled his eyebrows. "I said I'd dress you in the best, did I not?" He still felt there was something missing, not from Alastor's outfit this time, but his own. Hand aglow with his magic, he met the redhead's gaze and held it as he ran his hand down the center of the tailcoat, transforming the pink section into red.
The same red as Alastor's favored suit and current tuxedo.
The sinner huffed, the brewing conflict passing for something more possessive. He raised a hand, a single claw tapping the fabric that hid the mark he'd left. "Isn't matching color schemes as much a statement as this would have been?" His expression stated he thought Lucifer was a ridiculous creature, but he was bemused regardless.
Lucifer caught his wrist, holding on long enough to pull it away. "Didn't agree to be your property," he repeated, teeth bared in light warning.
Alastor wasn't affected, as always.
They were both startled by the loud clapping of someone's hands. All heads turned to Beelzebub, who was grinning brightly at them all. "Alright! Fashion crisis averted!" She slung her arm around her older brother's shoulders in a hug, squeezing tightly before releasing him just as quickly. "I will see all of you at the party! Got to get ready myself and then pick up the boyfriend and girlfriend!!"
She portalled out of the room before anyone could get any remark out. Lucifer mouthed 'boyfriend and girlfriend,' bewildered as to when that had happened.
Fizzarolli blinked after her. "Do you think she's going to bring anything fun with her?"
Asmodeus gave him a very light push, little more than a nudge. "Fizzy! We do not want everyone to get black out drunk in the first hour!"
The imp gave his partner a deadpan look. "Just because they can't hold their liquor doesn't mean the rest of us have to suffer."
Asmodeus chuckled as he made his way over to Alastor and Lucifer. "Lucy, brother, would you make a portal to our home?" He pulled out his cellphone. "By the time the limo arrives, we should be ready."
Fizzarolli snorted. "Speak for yourself." He dramatically pressed a hand to his forehead, demonstrating his flexibility as he swooned backwards over his partner's shoulder. "Some of us have to put a little effort into it to be this beautiful."
"Aw, Fizzy, baby, you look amazing no matter what you wear." Asmodeus followed this statement up by running a finger along the underside of the imp's chin, causing Fizzarolli to giggle.
Being the sin of Pride, Lucifer could sense the dual war in his little brother's chosen partner. Fizzarolli did indeed have his pride, he couldn't be a performer of his caliber without it. He knew his talent and his worth, but underneath it lay a wound so deep it threatened to overwhelm all of it. Asmodeus' words were an ongoing healing balm, like cool, clean water over a burn.
It was... sweet.
Lucifer swallowed the envy he felt watching them, missing the warmth that came from a loving relationship. Love looked good on Asmodeus and Fizzarolli was certainly flourishing from it as well.
He opened the portal, tempted to make a comment about them just using his own limo. It was practically Charlie's at this point for all that he ever used it. When one could just teleport or portal or simply fly to their destination, why wait to drive there? The suggestion died in his throat as Asmodeus passed him, pushing him along with them. The weight of his hand was heavy, as if he could keep his older brother there with him just by holding on to him.
Lucifer supposed he could stick around a little longer and ride with them. Leave the public guessing when he was going to pop up and from where.
He glanced over his shoulder to make certain Alastor was still with them. The sinner was stepping through the portal, taking in the new room they had travelled to. There wasn't anywhere truly 'safe' to jump to unannounced, if Asmodeus was at home, but he usually kept high traffic, potentially public areas clean of anything suggestible if he was going to work. Lucifer chose the kitchen because it was as safe as anywhere else, and he and Alastor would be able to get any snacks or drinks for themselves while they waited.
Not that Alastor was likely to have much of an appetite after his indulgence the day before.
It pleased Lucifer on a petty, vindictive level to see the taller figure in this particular setting. Everything was set up to be a comfortable height for someone as tall as Asmodeus. The counter tops likely were too tall for Fizzarolli to see over, if he never took advantage of his stretchy limbs to add on some height. Alastor's head and shoulders might clear the countertops, but there was no way he was reaching any of the top shelves without going full eldritch demon or without the assistance of his shadows.
What did the foot the redhead have on him matter when they were all lacking in height in this setting?
Lucifer closed the portal behind the sinner. Asmodeus and Fizzarolli wandered off deeper into the dwelling with the former telling them to "Make yourselves at home!" as they went off, likely to their bedroom. The king listened to their voices for as long as he could, keeping a watchful eye out as Alastor explored the new space.
He smirked upon seeing the exact moment the sinner realized the tips of his ears weren't on level with the bottom of the cabinets, the sinner lazily blinking at them like he found their placement ridiculous. He might have asked if Alastor needed any assistance, if not for the fact that even he could tell that would be walking right into a short joke. Instead, he simply conjured a pair of glasses as he settled in at the table taking up the center of the kitchen. "Care for anything to drink while we wait?" He filled his own with juice, waving the second empty one in invitation.
Alastor peered over at him from where he had moved on to inspecting a potted floral arrangement made up of one Lust Ring's indigenous flora, a plant with blue leaves tipped with purple. His eyes tracked the movement of the glass. "Wouldn't cake be more beneficial in this instance, sire?" His grin extended from ear to ear, teeth alight from within. "Wouldn't want to get any shorter, now would we?"
The reference almost went over his head. Of course he'd somehow find a way to throw in a short joke. Lucifer leaned an elbow on the table, crossing his legs. "Please, I'm hardly the white rabbit." He placed the glass on table. Alastor could take it or leave it. "And you're certainly no Alice."
Alastor abandoned the plant in favor of stalking over to Lucifer and the table. He tapped the lip of the glass, and then abandoned as just as uninteresting as the plant. The floor to ceiling window on the other side of the kitchen, however, seemed to catch his interest. "No," he agreed. Moving as if entranced, he made his way over to it. "I've always thought the Cheshire Cat suited be better."
He was certainly as annoying one, anyway.
Lucifer could only guess how different the blues and pinks of the Lust Ring must look after nearly a hundred years of the constant red of the Pride Ring. The radio host, in his own shades of red and black, stood out like a sore thumb, almost like a reminder of which of the rings he belonged to. His ears were completely forward, intent on catching the soft patter of the rain against the glass.
"Would his Majesty be willing to answer a little question?" Alastor met his gaze through his reflection against the glass.
Lucifer swirled his juice. His first impulse was to put stipulations on the exchange. Milking information out of the sinner usually cost something, why shouldn't getting information from the Devil cost the same? But Lucifer didn't have the energy to stoop to the sinner's level at the moment, so he decided to go with generous. "Depends on the question."
To a point.
He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it wasn't for Alastor to ask, "Does it always rain in the Lust Ring?"
"Yes?" Lucifer was more than a little baffled over why such a thing might interest Alastor, until he remembered that the only rain in the Pride Ring was acid rain. It tainted the water until the only safe sources were those kept safe from any access to the open sky. Anyone unlucky enough to be out in it would likely receive some nasty burns. "Oh, it's not acid rain. Only the Pride Ring has acid rain." The Greed Ring was certainly working it's way towards it, though.
Black tipped, red ears twisted 90 degrees around, Alastor being more focused on the little king than the rain. "And what makes the Pride Ring so special?"
The blonde gave a low grumble of disapproval. "Seems like you have more than one question."
Alastor pointed the head of his staff out into the room, circling it around to showcase it's emptiness. "Would you prefer I poke around your little brother's kitchen to pass the time?" His tone suggested he would absolutely make sure to mess with something, just to be a nuisance.
Lucifer had half a mind to let him do it, just to see what would happen if he did. He sighed, put upon by choices that had led him to babysitting a sinner in his little brother's home. "Hell didn't look much like anything when we got here." He put his drink down, loosing all interest in it. "It wasn't originally meant to be our prison. It was just convenient to throw us into it."
It had been decided from the moment Eve had bitten into the apple that anyone who allowed themselves to be consumed by the Root of All Evil's influences would be tossed down to join her in her prison. Foreseeing it would get bad, God had decided that Lucifer's punishment was to be trapped with the worst of the worst, forced to watch all the ways his decision had gone terribly wrong.
"When my siblings and I recovered, we joined our powers together to create the other rings." He nodded to the window, more a nod to the Rings as a whole than just Lust in general. "Lilith and I stayed in Pride. She wanted to be with her people." He paused. Amended, albeit grudgingly, "Our people. My siblings each headed south and claimed a ring for themselves."
He was a bit fuzzy on the early details following their arrival in Hell. Lucifer had been terribly injured in the fight leading up to their imprisonment, and then further injured protecting Lilith from the Fall. His siblings, each dealing with their own injuries, hadn't been able to lend a helping hand. The moment Lucifer had been recovered enough to help with making their new home more comfortable, he'd proceeded to push too hard, too fast, creating the Seven Rings all at once rather than one at a time. They had tried to warn him to take it easy, to slow down, but he had been desperate to do something right by his family. Even with the added help of his siblings' power, he'd gone down hard.
By the time he regained consciousness, the first sinners had already begun to arrive and his siblings had already moved into their respective rings. Everything had been decided with very little impute from him. Considering how exhausted he'd been, both physically and emotionally, it had been easier to go with the flow. He hadn't cared either way, to be brutally honest about it.
Alastor looked like he could tell there was more to that story, but let it go. "And the Hellborn?"
Lucifer shrugged. "They were already here when we got here." Belphegor had speculated that the Hellborn were Roo's response to humanity, but she hadn't been able to prove it. As time passed, the natural flora and fauna of Hell had evolved and expanded exponentially with the introduction of different environments, until there were multiple different species of both. Earth evolved slowly over time, but Hell evolved in leaps and bounds. "We did start getting different types over time, though."
"And human's being delegated to the Pride Ring?" There was something about the tone that suggested that this had been the question Alastor had been working up to all along.
The blonde pushed back from the table, rising to his feet. He came over to stand behind his date for the night, just to the side enough to see out the window. "An agreement between Lilith and my siblings." He tapped the apple end of his cane against his chin. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
Mostly to keep down the fighting between the Hellborn and the sinners. Humans were innovative creatures and putting the worse of the worse in one place together was always going to be a recipe for disaster. The Hellborn hadn't stood a chance. Now the sinners fought primarily with themselves, while the Hellborn lived lives as varied as humans did on Earth.
Alastor fell silent. For a while, they simply stood listening to the rain, lost in their own thoughts. Lucifer thought he might be content to mull over the new information he had received, when he broke the silence to ask, "The acid rain?"
"A present from Heaven." From behind them, Asmodeus answered before his brother could, his voice an unhappy rumble. Alastor turned to face the sin, while Lucifer left his back to his little brother. Asmodeus approached, setting his hand on Lucifer's shoulder. His hand was large enough it encompassed the blonde's shoulder and the upper part of his back. "Michael thought Lucy's kingdom was looking too nice."
"A nice way of saying Michael was still angry at me." Lucifer internally grimaced at the memory of his twin's face, distorted in anger, at the way Lilith was thriving. That Lucifer wasn't doing anything to curb it. As if he ever would. "He thought making Hell more difficult to survive would curb everyone's spirits." He snorted. "Jokes on him, because they only infected the Pride Ring and humanity is... stubborn."
It was an admirable quality, even if it often got them into trouble. It was something Lucifer could relate to.
Lucifer shook off the thoughts before they dragged him down into too much of a melancholic mood. He already had to deal with the public and it wouldn't do if he couldn't even last more than an hour with them. He stepped away, turning as he did so that he could get a look at his brother. Asmodeus had changed into a suit similar to his usual one. The colors were more vibrant and he had added a business coat over it.
Fizzarolli, notably, wasn't on his shoulder.
Noticing where Lucifer was looking, Asmodeus laughed. "Fizzy needs a little more time." He began to usher his older brother towards the door, Alastor following of his own violation least the sin decide to get the idea of getting handsy with him. "It's his first time out in public since giving Mammon the literal finger and he wants to put on his best." As they neared the main entrance to Asmodeus' home, the sin called out towards the bedroom, "Fizzy Frog! Babe! You picked out your outfit a week ago!"
From the bedroom came the shout of, "But Ozzie! It needs to be perfect!" Fizzarolli appeared a moment later. The imp was wearing a white laced jester styled outfit, fitted with a laced up bodice that was black on one side and red on the other. His hat matched his bodice, with the colors switched, while being white underneath. Similarly, the hearts adorning his shoulders and forehead alternated the red and black pattern. "I need to look badass."
Asmodeus could move fast for someone his height, when he wanted to. He cleared the room in nearly two strides, picking his partner up. "Fizz, you look amazing. No one is going to say other wise."
Fizzarolli didn't appear completely convinced. "I just don't want anyone to talk shit about you if I don't."
He received a pat to the nose with a single finger and a no nonsense tone from Asmodeus, "The only person you need to impress at this event is yourself." The blue and pink sin hugged him close. "No one else's opinions matter."
Fizzarolli took a deep breathe, his anxiety visibly calming. "You're right!" He grinned, his whole expression lighting up. "And if they don't like me, who cares? Because I don't need them!"
Asmodeus beamed at him. "Exactly!" He made his way over, ready to shuffle everyone out the door. "Now where is that limo?"
Right on cue, a horn blasted outside.
Lucifer allowed himself to be shuffled outside, casting a glance at Alastor as the human-turned-demon got his first feel of normal rain since he'd died. The sinner held out a hand, cupped it to catch the water. Nostalgia softened the sharp edges of his smile into a more real one. Lucifer turned away when Alastor stepped out fully, tilting his head back to enjoy the feel of the rain on his face.
Lucifer refused to admit that Alastor was actually kind of handsome, when he was being honest with himself and the world.
The ride through Lust and then up to Pride was filled with small talk and blessedly uneventful. Lucifer, Asmodeus, and Fizzarolli had all been through the various ways to travel the Rings, so they were more interested in their conversation than the sights. Having never left the Pride Ring before, Alastor was more absorbed with the sights than their attempts to include him. He gave off the distinct impression that even if the sights hadn't been more interesting, he likely wouldn't have engaged with them anyway.
Lucifer could feel the uptick in his nerves as they entered the Pride Ring and the closer they got to Stolas' manor. The crowd of people outside, wanting to catch any glimpse of Hell's royals were lined up a mile away, all climbing over each other on the slimmest chance they would catch a glimpse of someone. The paparazzi had managed to secure the area closest to the drop off point, ensuring they would get the first photographs of the arriving guests.
A weight settled on the nap of his neck, the prick of one of Alastor's claws just above his high collar stealing Lucifer's attention before he could begin to spiral and reminding him that he wasn't alone. The mix of gratefulness and frustration was a heady feeling in his gut, even as he leaned subtly back into that hand.
The wait until it was their turn to disembark was both far too short and far too long. A portion of the crowd was especially intent on following Asmodeus' limo, the reason made all too easy to sus out.
Lucifer squinted at the signs, pointing at a particularly graphic one. "Are those... fans?"
Fizzarolli was a equal mix of put upon and repulsed. "Yeah, Mammon isn't very big on keeping boundaries between his cash cows and the... fans."
Visible through the crowd, the same fan - fanatic, rather - proceeded to do something extremely lude and inappropriate with what appeared to be a doll version of the jester.
Heaven was very dull and boring, Lucifer would never tell anyone otherwise, but he sure did miss it at times like this.
Just posted "Madness" (part 5 of my 'Divorced Dads' radioapple series)!
This one was a little challenging to write. But I have to give myself some grace because I was sick this past weekend. So here it is, even with its flaws.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Summary:
Alastor might actually be losing his mind. In the week following Movie Night, Lucifer has exploited every opportunity under the sun to touch Alastor…and Alastor doesn’t understand why. At first, they were casual, little things that could be brushed off as accidental, but they’ve been escalating to the point where Alastor can no longer excuse them as simple absentmindedness. Whyis this happening? And why is Alastor having unexplained physiological symptoms? His patience grows thin as he struggles to find answers all while he and Lucifer seem to keep meeting unexpectedly.
Summary: When Marinette once again fails to confess her feelings to Adrien, she is akumatized into Vérité, a villain who forces her victims to reveal their biggest secrets.
This could be set at any point after the episode where (S2 spoilers incoming) Chat tells Marinette he’s in love with Ladybug and Ladybug tells Chat she has feelings for someone else.
Oh and vérité means truth in French :)
Chapter 1/5
MARINETTE
She had everything planned out. She’d rehearsed the speech at least twenty times in her head. She’d even written it down in her best handwriting and stuffed the sheet in her purse next to Tikki, as a backup option. If her words failed her - like usual - she would just give him the letter. But she was determined that her words and her courage wouldn’t fail her this time.
‘This is it,’ she told Tikki, grabbing her bag and taking a deep breath. 'I’m going to do it. I’m going to tell him.’ She nodded to herself and pushed open the doors to the school.
Her heart wouldn’t stop pattering about in her chest the entire day. When Adrien said hello to her in class, she squeaked and wanted to hide under the desk. She could hardly eat anything at lunchtime. Alya kept giving her knowing smirks.
'Go get him,’ she said at the end of the day, and Marinette knew her time was up.
It's been few weeks or months that i have been obsessed witha idea about a mdzs x svsss crossover where after sj death in svsss he reborn as female wwx twin sister.
Sj kinda remember his past life but slowly means that he remembers that he shouldn't be this small and this isn't his world but couldn't put his finger on it.
Anyway he got reborn as a female and was quite happy cuz of his past life so *she* was more happy here but not as chaotic as wwx.
Her name is wei xing/wei wuyan( i saw it in a video on YouTube so hope i didn't offend you)
Wcz choose her name since his other daughter name already chosen by his lovely evil wife( baby seriously a-se) so he named her xing as in prosper,and wuyan i don't know what it means but thought it would suit her.
She was really happy cuz not only she didn't have that cursed name and actually has a real birth name not a number but a real name with a loving family she was really happy so much that she couldn't believe it
This peace ended with that faithful nighthunt after getting kicked out of inn wwy went to seach for them with wwx and find their corpses wwx Burst in to tears and keep promising to be a good girl and listen to them wwy tried hard not to but was unsuccessful cuz wei couple were the first adult who treat him kindly in his both lives not with pity not with underhand motivation nor were they expecting anything in return,they gave her a life she always wanted a name with them she understood the meaning of love and family so he cried, cried like child he was they cried for a few hours then begin to bury their parents and since wwy could read and write from her past life she manege to write their names so they could visit them.
After that wwy and wwx to always protect each other and stayed side by side in everything. Wwy might be smart but wwx was sturdier than her sister so they have to be in tune with each other to survive.it wasn't that hard wwx might be a child but she learn really quickly and unlikely yqy ,wwx trusted wwy this made wwy to be both proud and emotional since she never had someone like that in her past life so she became even more overprotective of wwx . And since wwx wasn't alone she didn't have that much fear from dogs but they still made her uncomfortable and made her flinch her sister was always there to protect and teach her and she protect here in her own way .
She knew her sister was little too smart for her age but she didn't find anything wrong if anything it made her happy that if anything happens to her her sister is smart enough to protect herself so to not be a burden she listened to her all time except maybe sometime when she scolded her for sharing her food with other beggars but she couldn't help it she was kind like that and always smiled that made wwy soft and so hard to be mad at.
After few years jfm found them wwy distrust him cuz he kept reminding her of yqy but for her sister she would do anything so she didn't put much of a fight.
After reaching lotus pier and meeting madam yu who was so angry and utter thousands of insult about their parents wwy couldn't take it anymore and spit as much venom at her so much that made jfm to lose his balance wwx tried to shut her up cuz she was afraid that the madam would hurt her and yes almost did by brandishing zidan on her if jfm hadn't stop her . After lots of arguing and fighting neither parties apologized .
After jfm finding out aboout wwx condition aboout dogs he sended them away. jc was angry so he lash out and wwy lash out in return but not only that she bring up her parents, about what a failure of couple they are and with everything like money and status they still aren't happy and how his mom jealous of a dead woman who had nothing but was always happy unlike her.
Jc brust to tears after hearing this jyl chose that moment to come and said what was wwy said was out of line and should apologize but wwy said your mother hadn't spare a though about us losing our parents and still speak ill of in front of us she just returning the favor in kind to see how does it feel hear your parents get badmouth and you could do nothing about it .
Well this as much i could think.i would be really happy if someone could make a fic out of this or something close.
in awe of the donghua for slapping "Jiang Cheng had to give up his dogs as a child so that Wei Wuxian could live with him in Lotus Pier" into the same episode as "Wei Wuxian refuses to give up the Wen dogs Clan Remnants so that he can live with Jiang Cheng in Lotus Pier".
Really hammering that nail home about how Jiang Cheng has repeatedly given up everything he reasonably can for Wei Wuxian, and how Wei Wuxian (with one major exception) simply does not do the same. Wei Wuxian does whatever he thinks is right, and does not evaluate the collateral damage of those choices.
His major exception, his one major sacrifice that's done explicitly for Jiang Cheng, is something that he grapples with for the entire rest of the story and which Jiang Cheng is barred from knowledge of until the end, preventing Jiang Cheng from being able to feel that there's been any kind of reciprocity between them. From his perspective, he has given and given and given while Wei Wuxian has simply done whatever the fuck he wants forever, and the second that interfered with the Jiang Clan he... simply left the Jiang Clan. From his perspective, actively prevented from knowledge that would prove him wrong (which he WANTS, by the way, he WANTS to be wrong), Wei Wuxian has taken and taken and taken, and then fucking left.
Anyway they're both right and they're both wrong and I love their messy complicated relationship and the donghua's choice to put these two scenes back to back was HUGE brained
Yeah because people are just really camperable to dogs right right so doing what's right and paying ones debt is really horrible and irresponsible thing to do because saving your sister crush and your own crush is really reckless thing to do because cutting one part your body and giving it away is nothing compared to all so called generosity of barr minimum you're giving to your sworn brother's son and let's not forget the wiping with a first class weapon which use on monsters and criminals and not on children because the oh so kind and brave madam yu wanted to show wwx love but was too oblivious to understand it right you're so right, and let's not forget about how wwx wasn't allowed to even asked about his parents and should listen how their memory soat upon and mock by anyone, it's also only natural to declare your brother the enemy of cultivation world, and it's ok to lead a siege to your brother just to spit on your sister sacrifice,bravoooo
Really tell me if you had child and the got whipped daily just for being a child and similar to you would you say yes it's my child fault wipe them some more plz
If I'm being honest to me the people who likes jc either likes his look or they didn't read novel and only read fanfic
Really is really ok for jc to go around and kill and tournament people who look and do as wwx did. have you ever considered how many of those people were innocent and had family back home if he truly hated demonic cultivators why didn't he do anything about xue yang only nmj stood to kill him where was all those barks about him hating demonic cultivators.
And you tell me jc always gave and gave and gave what did he give exactly? Other than saving wwx from wens he didn't defend, always saying he was the reason his family is dead, almost strangled him, killing his family in burial mounds and only didn't kill his son because he couldn't finde him even if he found him who know what would he do might be like his mother keep him around and use as a wipe boy like wwx.
Tell me just what's so good about jc after everything i just said
You know i was in to my grief with gojo dying and dazai also dying in one week that something come to my mind. . .(someone should name this week. I have thinking about "grief week" or "hellish week")
With gojo and geto dying in a exact same day after a year and with everything he said in afterlife and how he wanted geto be there for him
All i want to say is did gege just low key admit geto and gojo were dating 🫢
dick: justice league crushes, go. mine is superman
jason: wonder woman
duke: wonder woman as well
steph: zatanna
tim: lois lane
dick: she’s not—
tim: lois lane
*bruce walks in*
bruce: what are you guys talking about?
duke: our jla crushes
bruce: oh🤨? don’t mind me…
*everyone mentally calculating how best to annoy bruce*
damian: green arrow
dick: i rescind my earlier statement. green arrow
jason: me as well. green arrow
steph: yeah, green arrow
duke: agreed. green arrow
tim: green arrow, 100%
cass: *signing* green arrow
cullen: tim green arrow
bruce: *crying* cass you don’t even LIKE men
