NerdestiWrites

I roleplay, write, and panic :3

[nerdestiwrites]

ao3 curse

The Ao3 Curse

So

yalll

i never thought the ao3 curse could touch me. Like actually. I wasn't a big fanfic writer. Hell, a lot of times i doubted my writing capabilities because that is what I do. Back in the day when I used to write on Wattpad, before it became a cashgrab, before it went truly downhill, I had a decent following. I used to track that interaction count religiously before I realized that it had counted every single time that I went to reread my own story to understand and comprehend what was needed next. I had a decent following there but never crazy. On Ao3 I do not have a big following. Here, I do not have a big following. But I started posting here and on Ao3 just as a fun little silly hobby. I love ot write, I love to write things other people might enjoy reading. And the Ao3 curse was a silly little coincidental incidents that happened to writers that had much more traction than I did.

Then I posted on Ao3 as a silly little hobby. LIke, no one is actually going to read this. Then people did. Then the curse came upon me. I haven't posted anything for quite a long time and recently I have been rereading all of my hold stuff wishing that I had finished *anything*.

Not to toot my own horn but goaddamn some of the stuff and some of my writing was actually pretty good. Granted, when I reread certain things I still cringe, as I have aslways done when rereading things I have written because it is true, you yourself will always be your biggest critic but DAMN

Anyway, yes, the curse is true in many aspects. I had been essentially kicked out of my place of residence because my landlord decided they no longer wished to be landlords and the new owners wished to raise prices. Yes, I had to move in with my grandfather while I searched for a new place. Yes, my mothers health declined quite quickly during all of this. I am thankful that is where the curse seemed to end for me. I managed to faniagle my way to buying a house, I managed to get the finaces to take a trip, and now I have managed to swindle two jobs. I want to get back into writing but I am unsure if that is something I am capable of doing sonistently. I do not want to post and have people constantly worrying/hoping for a new post to arrive. Because, statsitically, the rate I actually finish posts is acutally quite low.

But, I do want to continue writing pieces. I do want to write Predator and Prey again, I do want to write Call to the Devil and the Devil Will Come.

I want to write more about a few OCS, which I know is less likely to get traction but fuck I do love these OCS. LMAO what a long post to say fuck it we ball, when we got energy, when we got motivation, when we all want to just.... do it. LMAO

[thebrasspope]

Me, reading my fic drafts: Damn this is pretty good, when's the author gonna finish it?

[bump-of-whump]

Ref Recs for Whump Writers

Violence: A Writer’s Guide:  This is not about writing technique. It is an introduction to the world of violence. To the parts that people don’t understand. The parts that books and movies get wrong. Not just the mechanics, but how people who live in a violent world think and feel about what they do and what they see done.

Hurting Your Characters: HURTING YOUR CHARACTERS discusses the immediate effect of trauma on the body, its physiologic response, including the types of nerve fibers and the sensations they convey, and how injuries feel to the character. This book also presents a simplified overview of the expected recovery times for the injuries discussed in young, otherwise healthy individuals.

Body Trauma: A writer’s guide to wounds and injuries. Body Trauma explains what happens to body organs and bones maimed by accident or intent and the small window of opportunity for emergency treatment. Research what happens in a hospital operating room and the personnel who initiate treatment. Use these facts to bring added realism to your stories and novels.

10 B.S. Medical Tropes that Need to Die TODAY…and What to Do Instead: Written by a paramedic and writer with a decade of experience, 10 BS Medical Tropes covers exactly that: clichéd and inaccurate tropes that not only ruin books, they have the potential to hurt real people in the real world. 

Maim Your Characters: How Injuries Work in Fiction: Increase Realism. Raise the Stakes. Tell Better Stories. Maim Your Characters is the definitive guide to using wounds and injuries to their greatest effect in your story. Learn not only the six critical parts of an injury plot, but more importantly, how to make sure that the injury you’re inflicting matters. 

Blood on the Page: This handy resource is a must-have guide for writers whose characters live on the edge of danger. If you like easy-to-follow tools, expert opinions from someone with firsthand knowledge, and you don’t mind a bit of fictional bodily harm, then you’ll love Samantha Keel’s invaluable handbook

[nerdestiwrites]

((fuck it, we posting everything i write now 😎))

This was quite literally the last class that she needed to take to finish up her degree. It took her two years to get into the class as for some reason it was only offered once every third semester and she'd missed it the first time around as both classes had filled up quickly. Two years of random classes to stay enrolled, two years more living away from family in England longer than she wanted to, but at least finally they'd be proud of her. Her parents had been against the whole study abroad thing, especially her father when he learned where she was going. They were worried she was still looking for Him, still delusional that He'd show up again or that she'd somehow find Him. No, she realized that it wouldn't happen, that it was all in the past, even if the voice in her head taunted her so. 

It was hard to ignore the blaring coincidence in front of her when she finally got her class schedule, the Professor's name, the monogram that he'd used too often. Doctor John Smith. It was a common enough name, which was why he'd use it, but the coincidence was still there. He was young, too, this Professor was an old man, old enough to be her grandfather. Just a coincidence. 

The first day of class she picked a spot in the middle. It was easier to blend in with a crowd that way, and it allowed her to get a grasp on the other students' reactions and the professor without standing out too much. Or as much as she could attempt to. There were over fifty students enrolled in the class, but over a hundred seemed to attend. The professor seemed to have the highest rating amongst the students, people taking the class even when it wasn't required, which was why it filled up so quickly.

The first week was hard. Not  the class itself, but because of the Professor. His personality and his mannerisms seemed so familiar so close it was almost too coincidenental. But this couldn't be Him. 

Aster focused on her work to avoid the growing suspicion and doubt.

Three weeks in and the first paper came and went. A group of her classmates went out to celebrate and talk about what grades they each got and Aster joined them. The grades were to be released at midnight, so they went out to a bar to drink while they waited. Any excuse to relax, let loose, and stop over thinking Aster would take it.

Three drinks and one shot later, the time was quickly approaching and the conversation subject turned to the paper and class. Aster listened in, sipping her drink. The background noise of other conversations and music drowned her friends' voices as she closed her eyes and tapped her fingers against the glass. 

It was the sound of her friend's voice practically shouting her name as she flinched back into reality and out of the thoughtless haze. "Huh?"

"Your grade? What did you get?" Joshua asked, watching as Aster grabbed her phone from her bag to pull up the email, "The highest anyone here got was a high B."

That was when Lina chimed in, "Yeah, and I read your paper that's got to be an A. It was amazing."

Aster let a thank you out of her lips as she read over the email with the paper graded attached. Her eyebrows furrowed and she sat up in her seat, feeling suddenly sober as laughing inside her head sounded. C. How did she get a C?

The weekend passed and Aster stood outside of the office, staring at the wooden door. This was stupid. Everyone she talked to, everyone she had read her essay all said the same thing. She deserved higher than a C. She even had one of her old Professors read it to make sure she wasn't going crazy, or more crazy than someone with a voice inside their head could be.

She knocked and the door opened and she went.

---

The moment that she'd walked through that door he had recognized her and the guilt that came with it didn't seem to stop. The guilt of his previous self leaving her, abandoning her. It wasn't the first time he'd done something similar to a dozen other people, but most of the time after he wouldn't see them again, or at least, he wasn't supposed to. She didn't recognize him, however, though he couldn't expect her to. Last time she'd seen him he had been wearing a bow tie and by some accounts a rather large chin. 

Still, a part of him wanted to see her recognize him, put the puzzle pieces together, connect the dots. He acted like his “disguise” was rather efficient and effective, though those who had traveled with him before might be able to see through the ruse. A professor, going by Doctor John Smith, preferred to be just called Doctor, surely she was smart enough to make that determination. 

A week passed and the Doctor kept an eye on Aster, both in and out of class, just to check in and see how she was doing after all this time. How long had it been for her? A year? Two? Five? It was hard to tell with Humans, and humans typically held grudges for quite some time. For the Doctor it had been so long. A couple hundred lifetimes even, and a whole new face. He was glad to see that she was doing well for herself, furthering her education in Astrophysics and history. 

However it had been a week and she hadn't raised her hand to answer the questions he asked, came to any office hours, or even really given him a second look. He had to continously remind himself that it would be impossible for her to recognize him, and to let her live her life without him. She was one of the lucky ones, to be able to continue her life after their travels, to have lived and able to see her loved ones again. He couldn't risk ruining that for her.

As the assignments started to roll out and be turned in, the Doctor couldn't help but grade Asters a bit more critically. She traveled with him, he used a lot of what she would've learned with him, if she'd been paying attention, that is, in the lessons. She excelled compared to the other students, even sometimes surprising him in her understanding of the concepts he would bring up and question, but it was a good surprise.

He hadn’t been expecting anyone to come to his office hours that week. There were still plenty of opportunities to get grades up throughout the rest of the semester and most people seemed pleased with the grade they’d received. So the knock on the door was a surprise, but nonetheless he had it opened with a quick glance with the sonic sunglasses he had been wearing. Then he took them off and leaned back in his chair behind his desk, surprised even more at who walked in. 

Aster walked in, a determined glint in her eyes as she approached the desk. She sat herself down promptly and tilted her head as she studied the Doctor, then looked around the office with the utmost curiosity. She noted every little knick knack scattered on the desk, noticed the piles of books near the edge of the office, the large drape covering something in the corner of the office. That seemed to take her interest in particular until the Doctor cleared his throat to speak. “Miss Aphelion?” He started, keeping up the ruse of being just her professor, nothing more. Because that was the safest option for the both of them.

That caught her attention and she quickly looked back to the older man sitting in front of her. She studied his face, before clearing her throat. “I would like to talk about my grade on the last essay. I would like to argue my case that it deserves better than just a C.” 

A small smile appeared on his face as he raised an eyebrow in response. “Oh? And what makes you think you deserve better?” He asked. Both his hearts fluttered. Despite trying to keep his profile low, trying to make sure that he didn’t get distract from his current task at hand that was in the Vault, he couldn’t help the memories of the both of them traveling.

“Ah- well, I had multiple peers read the paper, even made sure to get an old professor of mine to read it as well, and each of them said it fit the criteria well and would deserve a high earned grade. 

It was hard to not just come right out and say who he was, tell her, apologize. Both of his hearts wanted that more than anything, to tell her. But he couldn’t, not just to protect her, but because of the Vault. “And I thought otherwise. I know you have so much more potential that what you gave me wasn’t worth higher than a C.”

“Then explain it to me like I’m the dumbest person in the universe.” She argued, and the Doctor picked up what she’d said. Universe. Not Earth like anyone else might’ve said. That amused him as well.

The Doctor grabbed a stack of papers, the essay that Aster had submitted, he had printed it out to grade, and he slid it forward to her across the desk. “I marked everything that was wrong, that didn’t fit in with the topic, and what I thought could improve the paper itself.

Aster seemed surprised at that. She looked down at the paper, pulled it closer to her, and took in a deep breath. She had clearly been expecting a bigger fight, some sort of argument to incur, not exactly what she was asking for. She shifted, now awkwardly in her seat. The Doctor watched her and then leaned back in his own seat. “Does that satisfy you?”

Definitely wasn’t what she was expecting. Aster flipped through a few of the pages before she stood up from the seat at the desk and nodded slowly. “Uh, yeah… Yeah thanks.” Then her eyebrows furrowed together tightly. Her eyes scanned around the office again before they landed back on the Doctor. “How did your door open on its own? I didn’t push a button to open it, I didn’t even see a button to push.”

“I’ve got a button on my desk, so I don’t have to stand up every time a student comes to complain about the grade they received.” He answered smoothly as he watched her. He could see her brain working overtime, as if she was almost connecting dots and putting things together. 

Not entirely the explanation she was expecting and it seemed like she was skeptical of it as well. She looked at the desk, as if to try and figure out where the button and it's mechanisms might before before glancing at the door as well. She then nodded once as she stood. A look of bewilderment and puzzlement was clear across her face as she took a step away from the desk. “Huh… Well…. I'll take a look at this then and see what I uh, need to improve on?”

And with that, Aster left the office. Though it was now in her head, she needed to investigate this Professor more.

[aberrantcreature]

The secret wish is to write a fanfic that someone loves so much they make fan art of it, or to create a drawing that someone creates an entire fic based off of it.

[nerdestiwrites]

Tales of the Shadow (Hazbin Hotel Pirate AU)

The taste of salt wasn’t something that Charlie would ever be able to get out of her mouth it seemed, even after being on land for a few days after making port. Everything had a salty taste to it, bread, meat, ale, or whatever was being passed off as ale in the small fishing port. It either was that she’d forever have the salt of the sea in her mouth for the rest of time or that salt was the only seasoning that the people of the port knew how to use. Perhaps it was a mixture of both or perhaps it was all in her head. Either way, she’d learn to live with it, and hope that the next time they docked somewhere would prove it one way or another. 

Walking had gotten easier, she hadn’t fallen since the first day off the ship, even with her boots getting stuck in the muddy streets and nearly getting ripped off twice now. She’d only had to grab onto Vaggie twice for support, and once did Vaggie have to push her out of the way from a carriage nearly running her over. 

It had been a better day, the best out of the three that they’d spent docked. No one had tried to rob them or proposition them in any way, and most even stopped cursing them out when Charlie would try to talk to them. She couldn’t say it was all luck or the locals starting to like the two of them, a lot of it was thanks to Vaggie. She’d stopped the would-be thieves the first day, and on Charlie's behalf, only took a finger from each to teach them each a lesson. Vaggie would’ve preferred killing them but Charlie reminded her that wasn’t what they were there for. They needed people to want to come with them.

Charlie stopped in front of a tavern that they hadn’t ventured into yet and peered inside. The door was open, or rather, hanging off one of the hinges and the activity of the day had left the piece of wood pushed aside for easy in-and-out access to the place. Laughter, shouting, a crash of glass, and another loud shout covered the music playing from the poor bard on the lute in the corner. A bottle flew past her head and out into the street. It was as good of a place to find a crew as any. 

She stepped inside, took in a deep breath, and immediately made a face at the smell of the place, nearly doubled over. How it smelt a million times worse inside the building, just over the threshold of the doorway, she wasn’t entirely sure, but the smell was pungent. Vaggie took a step in after and placed a hand on her back, giving a warm half smile, “You okay?” She asked.

Charlie nodded, forced a smile as she attempted to breathe as little as possible while inside the tavern, and stood straight again. She adjusted the hat on her head and cleared her throat. “Right, should we split up again? That sorta worked yesterday. We at least got people to talk with us-”

“Absolutely no more splitting up in places like these. Did you forget how yesterday ended?” Vaggie interrupted as she led the others toward the bar. Best to get a drink before they start harassing the customers of the establishment. She was hoping they wouldn’t get kicked out, again, like they had been from every other tavern in the small fishing village. Vaggie was honestly surprised there were so many, and that they didn’t talk amongst one another and just had her and Charlie's faces plastered outside yet with a DO NOT SERVE written on top of the paper.

“Oh, it wasn’t that bad! The guy seemed like he genuinely wanted to join!” Charlie sighed, the optimism still shining through. This had to work, they needed a crew willing to go on this journey with them. Surely there’d be people who wanted to. 

Vaggie laughed at that and shook her head as she handed a mug of ale over to the blonde and placed a few silver pieces down on the bartop for the barkeep. She sipped the liquid, it was a poor attempt at ale, but it’d do the intended purpose of getting one drunk. “I keep telling you, the promise of treasure is much more enticing than just the promise of adventure.”

Charlie looked into the mug, spun the contents of it around slightly, and sipped it. She gagged at the taste and the mug was placed down on the bar as she shook her head. “But I don’t know if there will be treasure. It’s- We’re- I don’t want to lie!”

“It’s not lying per se, it's avoiding the unknown truth! There could be treasure.” She pointed out as she let a smile on her face at the other's reaction to the taste of the drink, “Besides, who knows how long it’ll actually take to find it? There’s bound to be some sort of gain between now and then.”

“Well, I guess that’s true.” Charlie huffed once. Then she felt a pat on her shoulder that caused her to look up at the other woman and she smiled, nodding once. “Okay, I guess we’ll try it that way… and if we don’t find any treasure along the way, it’s not like they’re not gonna get paid. I do want it to be worth their efforts.”

Vaggie gave another pat to the other's shoulder and nodded, downing the rest of her glass and grabbing onto the full one that had been placed down, replacing it with the now empty mug. “Right, well, if we don’t find anyone in this fishing town, there’s another one three days down the coast. After that, we’ll have to turn around and head north and try there.”

Charlie looked over at the patrons of the tavern, eyes scouring to try and find someone, anyone who she might get to join their crew. While she and Vaggie could sail the ship up and down the coastline easily, as long as the weather permitted, anything out on the open ocean needed a full crew. Even if the person didn’t know how to sail, they could teach them. Just extra hands.

“Or we could always tell them what it is you’re actually looking for.” Vaggie offered and that earned her a gentle hit against her arm, causing some of the ale to splash out of the mug and onto the wooden floor below, adding to the already sticky layer.

Charlie leaned back against the bar and ran both hands over her face. “I’m pretty sure that would mean fewer people would want to join our crew Vaggie! We can’t just tell them that we’re searching for the Shadow ship! Most people think that it’s just a myth and those who don’t are terrified of it.”

“Yeah, but it’s not a myth. Your dad went missing years ago searching for it?” The mug of ale was placed down and instead, Vaggie grabbed onto Charlie's hands and pulled them from the blonde's face, squeezing them. “And you say you’re certain he’s still out there somewhere. Some people just want to be known as the person to find it. Some might believe the myth of whoever finds the Shadow ship becomes the captain of the Shadow itself.. That’s plenty enough to entice some people.”

Charlie stared into Vaggies eye as she took in a deep breath to help ground herself, squeezing both of the other woman's hands. She opened her mouth to say something but a different voice cut her off. 

“I do apologize but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation just now.” A tall man stood in front of the two women, and Charlie couldn’t remember seeing him inside the tavern or how he approached without either one of them noticing. “But, the topic of the Shadow ship has been an interest of mine for quite some time.”

The man was well dressed, especially for the place they all stood in. Vaggie was immediately suspicious of him, her hands let go of Charlie and one rested on the hilt of her sword, lax but ready to react in an instant if needed. The ears on top of his head flicked once, almost in response to her actions, which caused her to stand straighter as well. 

Charlie, on the other hand, didn’t seem to notice either action and she stood up off the bar with a newfound excitement in her eyes. “Yes! We’ve been trying to get a crew together to go after it, find it!”

As Vaggie stared at and studied the man in front of them, the more she began to recognize him. She placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder gently to try and lead her back and away, to get her to leave the tavern entirely if possible, as her other hand now tightened on the hilt of her sword. Charlie didn’t take the hint and instead took a step forward, putting her own hand out for the man to shake. “I’m Charlie, this is Vaggie, my sailing master and first mate!”

“Alastor, a pleasure to meet the both of you.” He took Charlie's hand into his own, brought it up to his lips, and pressed a polite kiss to her knuckles.

Charlie smiled at the action and once her hand was released, she grabbed onto Vaggies, pulling it away from the hilt of her sword. Alastor kept his gaze at both their faces, both hands returning to the top of the cane as he nodded and spoke up once more. “If you have the space for three, I have two…friends… that would be joining me if you would have us.”

“Yes! Of course, we do!” The blonde said immediately, much to Vaggies dismay. 

Alastors smile widened, “Brilliant! I promise that all of us will be a great deal of help on the ship, Niffty will ensure no rodents or vermin of the like survive past the first day of sailing, and Husker is a rather fine bartender and is a rather grand navigator.”

“Charlie I really think-” Vaggie started but was interrupted by the blonde.

“Okay! We were planning on leaving in two days. Tomorrow I can give you a tour of the ship, we can get all of your stuff moved onto the ship and figure out a real plan on where we’ll be heading next!” 

Alastor nodded as he bowed slightly. “We’ll meet tomorrow then, at noon?” He suggested. 

Charlie nodded. “Noon is perfect.”

With just as quickly and silently as the tall man had arrived, he left without another word. Vaggie let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding the entire time and grabbed onto both of Charlie's arms, turning the blonde to face her. Charlie’s lips turned upwards into a wide smile, she jumped up and down a few times as she grabbed onto Vaggies shoulders to try and keep herself from freaking out too much. “Someone actually wanted to join us!”

Vaggie watched her jump. She didn’t want to ruin the excitement that the blonde held and didn’t want to cause the other to worry but she was concerned about the new crew members that Charlie had just hired on.

“You do know who that was, right Charlie?” She asked.

That caused Charlie to have a look of confusion cross her face and she shook her head. “No? Who was that?”

“That was Alastor Altruist, one of the most feared Pirate Lords.” Vaggies voice lowered to a whisper, careful not to let anyone around them hear her words.

It was like the air was ripped from the building and like everything had gone silent. “Oh.”

꒷꒦︶꒦꒷✧꒷꒦︶꒦꒷

The sun shined down and waves gently crashed against the ship's hull. Despite the nice weather and clear skies, the air was thick with nervousness and anxiety. Charlie couldn’t exactly go back on her invitation to the pirate lord Alastor onto her ship, on the adventure. They needed to help, and if he knew as much as he said he knew about the Shadow ship, then his help would greatly improve their chances of actually finding it. Vaggie had promised that if he even seemed like he had any ulterior motives she’d kill him, that was the only way he’d be allowed on the ship, so Charlie agreed to it.

The fishing village had long since started its day, a new ship had arrived with different supplies and trading goods and was already being filled with new cargo to be traded with wherever it made port next. Fishermen had been out and back twice already in search, hauling back different quantities of fish with varying qualities. 

Charlie paced back and forth on the ship, her hat on top of her head and she took in a few breaths. It was going to be fine. Alastor the pirate lord hadn’t been heard from in years, everyone had assumed he had died, his ship sunk, and that was the end of it. Yet there he had been, asking for a spot on her ship. This meant that he was missing his ship somehow, so something must’ve happened. Was he going to try and steal her ship? Once they were out on the open sea, was he going to cause a mutiny, throw her and Vaggie overboard? He hadn’t given that impression but she had been just excited that anyone was interested in joining.

That was why she was always so thankful that Vaggie was by her side. Without her, Charlie was certain she would’ve gotten into infinitely more trouble and misunderstandings that she wasn’t entirely sure she’d be able to get out of. As she thought of the conversation from last night, she now could see that Vaggie had tried doing the same there as well but Charlie hadn’t listened or paid any attention to it. Now they needed to deal with the subsequent outcome, whether that be good or bad.

Focusing on the good, Alastar truly was interested in the Ship as well, and truly just wanted to help her find it. He might not understand that the only reason she was after the ship was because of her father, but still, he had offered not only his help but the help of two more people as well. He was allowed to have his own interests in the Ship, two people with a common interest could get a lot done.

Now with the man being not only just a pirate but a pirate lord could hold problems on its own. Especially if they ran into the Royal Navy. Her father hadn’t been the Crown's most favorite person, though he never told her why, and he had always been on the run from the Royal Navy himself until he settled down on the small island she grew up on. Luckily for her, no one knew who she was, just someone interested in the ocean myths, searching for her father. No ties to the navy or pirates alike, or at least, she didn’t have ties. With Alastor joining her crew, ties were created. Perhaps if they ran into the royal navy she could convince them that he had turned over a new leaf, that he was no longer a pirate. Wishful thinking.

If they ran into other pirates, Alastors' reputation might be helpful. He would know what to say to make them not attack or to leave them alone. Or they might see him and just decide not to mess with them entirely, which would be the preferred option. The actual preferred option would be not running into any pirates and being left alone entirely while on the adventure but she doubted that would be the case. They needed to be prepared for any and all scenarios possible. 

Which was why Vaggie had insisted on having weapons on board, for protection against pirates and the navy alike, just in case she had said. Cannons, guns, gunpowder, swords, and knives alike. Charlie had been practicing her sword fighting with Vaggie every morning for an hour before they went on with their day and she was getting pretty good if she had been honest with herself. That or Vaggie was going easy on her.

“Heya toots!” A voice called out over the crash of waves that caught Charlie out of her thoughts and she stopped pacing. She looked out to the docks and noticed someone she didn’t recognize standing there waiting to be granted access to the ship. “Heard you were lookin for some hands, lucky for you I got four and I’m really good at usin ‘em!”

Charlie blinked a few times and watched as the man held up his four arms and flashed a toothy grin, the sun glinting off a golden tooth. She immediately smiled back and waved at him to board the ship. “You want to join my crew?”

“Been lookin for a way out of this small village for a while!” He walked up the board onto the deck and stuck one of his arms out for the blonde to shake. “I’m Angel, nice to meetcha!”

“Charlie! Nice to meet you!” She shook his hand with enthusiasm and nodded. “You’re just in time, we’re leaving tomorrow morning!”

“Sooner the better,” Angel said as he looked around the ship, his lower set of arms and hands rested on his hips. As he looked out over the small fishing village, he cleared his throat and pointed down at the docks, “Know them?”

Charlie looked back down at the docks and smiled brighter as she saw Alastor standing there with a catman standing on his left and a much smaller woman with one eye standing on his right. “Alastor! Welcome aboard!”

Alastor walked up onto the ship first followed by the two others. None of them seemed to be carrying any bags or personal items at all and Charlie wondered if Alastor had changed his mind. Showing up might have been just a polite thing to do, to tell her in person that he had changed his mind and the three of them wouldn’t be joining. It wouldn’t be the best news but Vaggie would feel relief and at least they had one person joining it seemed.

She felt nervous, more so now that there was a practical stranger standing on the deck as well. Would Angel recognize Alastor? Would he care that Alastor was a pirate? Would he change his mind about joining? “Charlie, this is Husker and Niffty, the friends I was telling you about last night.” Alastor introduced them. 

Niffty smiled brightly up at Charlie and stepped forward, studying her closely before her eyes began scouring the deck for any movement. Husk grunted once as he lifted a bottle up to his lips, taking a sip from it as he fluffed his wings out a bit. It was clear he wasn’t a fan of the bright sunny day as one of his wings extended slightly to try and block the sun rays from his face. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both!” She said before stepping to the side and allowing more access onto the deck of the ship. She motioned for Angel to take a step forward and gave an encouraging smile. “This is Angel, he said he’s interested in joining us as well! Angel, this is Alastor, Niffty, and Husker!”

Alastor looked over at the stranger, the smile never leaving his face as he looked the other over once before nodding. “Pleasure to meet you as well, I am happy to hear that this little crew is growing. By the end of the week the ship will be filled to the brim I am sure. Shall we begin the tour of the ship?”

[nerdestiwrites]

predator and prey chapter 10 (hazbin hotel reader insert)

“It isss not my fault!” The snakes' voice was clear as day as you walked down the steps, “I wasss not the one to lose it!”

“Your little egg bois were the last to have the remote, therefore it is your fault!” Angel snapped, and the image of the spider demon crouched and looking under the couch filled your vision. 

You stopped in the middle of the staircase and watched curiously. It had been a few weeks of you consistently being at the hotel and consistently participating in whatever activity Charlie planned. Thankfully she didn’t have one every day, it was closer to twice and sometimes three times a week. Less now that Valentino seemed to be constantly needing Angels' attention at the studio, which had been making the princess frustrated and upset. She wanted him to have more time at the Hotel and less time at the studio. 

So you started talking with Vaggie. You knew that Charlie would take your concerns and ideas into consideration, but you still were a stranger. It would be better coming from her girlfriend, someone she trusts entirely. You offhandedly one time while talking with Vaggie that Charlie is the princess, she could be using the power behind that title a lot more. 

It wasn’t a direct nudge, but a nudge nonetheless, however. Planted the seed inside Vaggies mind and all you had to do was wait for it to work. 

The couch was suddenly flipped over and a hiss of success came from Sir Pentious. “Aha! Sssee! I told you! You had let it ssslip between the cussshions!”

Angel groaned and grabbed the remote, and his lower two arms grabbed the couch and set it back right, brushing off the dust and dirt that had gotten on it from the floor. “I still think it was your egg bois. I was careful!”

You laughed at the argument which caused the two to stop bickering back and forth and turn to look over at you. You gave a small wave, and a small smile, and finished the rest of the steps down. 

Angel quickly jumped over the couch, “Heya toots! Maybe you know who had the remote last?”

You shrugged, thought for a moment, and answered. “That might’ve been me, actually. I am the worst about putting the remote back in place.”

You’d take the blame for the lost and quickly found remote. It was something small enough that you didn’t mind and even if it wasn’t your fault, it stopped the ever-growing argument that would surely continue to escalate. You found it fun to watch the two argue, especially when the stakes weren’t that high, but it was early in the morning, and you hadn’t had any sort of caffeine so your threshold of dealing with chaos was low. 

Within the few weeks that you had been staying in the hotel, you managed to get a hold of Mimzy. The conversation didn’t last long, and she had tried to talk her way out of fulfilling the favor you had with her until you said it would fulfill three favors instead of just one. That had changed her tune and she gladly accepted, saying that she’d stop by in her own time but promised it would be soon enough. 

In those few weeks, you also came into ownership of a dozen souls. Someone had thought they could get the better of you, pull a cloth over your eyes, and start a rebellion against you. Dealing with that had been one of the few days you left the hotel, a day where there hadn’t been any activities planned and most of the residents were off doing their own thing as well. Owning nearly twenty souls you could feel the small surge of power inside your veins. 

It was nothing compared to the Overlords, you knew that. They still wouldn’t even give you a second glance, to them you were just like any other Overlord wannabe, who wouldn’t amount to anything. The power was enough to send a chill down the average sinner's spine, however, and people started noticing. Not great for your plan, but still manageable. You could still hide it underneath the power of the princess and the Radio demon while you were at the hotel as well.

“Perhapsss we should add a ssstring attached to the remote and attach it to the side of the couch! That way it cannot get stuck beneath the couch or between the cussshions!” Sir Pentious spoke up with a solution to the problem and Angel seemed to nod in agreement. It was a good idea.

“Great idea, you two figure out how to do that while I go get myself some coffee and maybe a bagel for breakfast.” You waved and turned. As you walked down the hall to the kitchen, you heard Angels' voice shout behind you.

“Don’t eat the last Everything bagel!”

You smiled, laughed, and shook your head. Inside the kitchen, you were thankful to find yourself alone. You weren’t ready for any more interactions yet for the day and were hoping that it would be a day without any sort of redemption activity by Charlie. The daily routine took over and you managed to start the coffee without much thought and searched through the pantry for a bagel that wasn’t the last Everything bagel. When the other bags came up empty, you threw them away and shut the pantry, opting out of a meal for breakfast. You’d just eat lunch then, and a bigger dinner, and have more than two cups of coffee. 

The mug was warm from the hot liquid inside and you took a sip. The taste wasn’t the best, you definitely preferred your own bag but the last time you had bought a bag of good coffee grounds, it was gone in two days and no one would fess up on using it. Even when Charlie made it into an activity, saying that honesty was the best policy in this situation, no one came forward. You just assumed everyone had been a culprit, even the princess herself, and opted out of buying coffee again. So everyone was stuck with the cheap coffee grounds instead.

The best coffee you had since being in Hell had been the times you had stayed at the Vee Tower in Velvettes apartment. She somehow had the best coffee grounds, the best syrups, cinnamon sticks, an espresso machine, and a dozen other coffee add-ons you weren’t entirely sure existed back on Earth while you were alive. The Overlord always made the best coffee too, though that was more rare than you staying at the Vee tower. Twice, it had happened,

You placed your mug down and leaned against the counter, eyes closed as you took in a deep breath. So much had happened in the past few weeks, so much and so little at the same time. You could tell that Charlie was getting frustrated with the lack of results on redemption, you could see the stress on her face and behind her eyes, even though she did well at trying to hide it from the others. She was concerned about everyone in the hotel, about how if redemption didn’t work, then she’d have to face failure. Not just failure, failure, and admitting it to everyone she cares for.

That was a lot, for anyone. 

“You certainly are an interesting fellow, aren’t you!” Alastors voice filled the silent air within the kitchen,

At this point, you should’ve been used to the Radio demon sneaking up on you at any moment but you still jumped slightly in surprise. You were glad you had set the mug down, knowing that you would’ve spilled some of its contents if it had still been in your grasp. “I try not to be, yet I am.” 

The much taller demon leaned against his microphone as he seemed to study you, his smile tightening ever so slightly in such a way that if you hadn’t been watching him closely you would’ve missed it. “There’s a few rumors going around about you, you know! Though I would be a gentleman and let you know.”

“Rumors?” You feigned shock as you grabbed your mug and took a sip. You knew of these ‘rumors’, they were the cause of the souls you had acquired. 

“Oh yes! You know what they say about rumors, they all stem from half-truths and jealousy.” His tone was joyful, the radio filter bouncing slightly in the air, “Rumors can be dangerous too, of course, for those who hear them and those who they are about!”

You couldn’t tell if that was a threat directly toward you or not, so you’d act like it was until proven otherwise. That was the safest option, you had learned that quickly. If you ever thought someone might be threatening you, likely they were.

“Well, care to tell me what these rumors are? So I can be prepared?”

Alastor seemed to mull over the request before he shook his head once. “Nope!”

“Fantastic.” You rolled your eyes at his refusal, though you weren’t entirely shocked by it, just frustrated. You wanted to know if there was more than just the one you knew of. You’d have to figure that out for yourself then.

Just as Alastor was about to make another comment, he stopped himself as Angel came into the kitchen with an annoyed huff and a frustrated look on his face. He grabbed a to-go cup, filled it up with the rest of the coffee in the pot that you had made, muttered a quick apology, and left just as quickly as he had entered.

You watched for a moment, catching a brief moment of Angel's phone with his texts open with Valentino. Another call into the studio, it seemed. You felt bad, for Angel, truly. No one deserved what he was put through in that studio, no one deserved to go through what Valentino put him through. That would be one of the first things that would change, once you got all the Vees under your thumb, setting Angel go along with every other soul Valentino has under him. 

“Well, I guess I need to go figure out what sort of rumors have been started about me and if I need to correct them or just play into them for the fun of it.” You turned to face Alastor and gave an almost mocking smile back towards the Radio demon. Before he could answer, you left the kitchen, coffee mug in hand, and sipped the contents.

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AN: due to my lack of ability of pacing things correctly, next chapter is gonna be long WHOOPS so it may take longer to get out :P

Taglist: @luleck @rl800 @literalzxmbie @rapunzelbro @jono723

[nerdestiwrites]

predator and prey, chapter nine (hazbin hotel reader insert)

The ride back seemed to have been plenty of time for you to mentally prepare for whatever the princess might have had planned, which was really all you ever needed when it came to unknown or everchanging plans. Time to prepare for anything. You had always hated when plans changed all of a sudden unless you had been the one to change the plans. Anyone else that changed them, you’d hold a grudge against for a while. Only you were allowed to suddenly change plans on people, to keep them on their toes, not the other way around.

When you walked into the hotel, the group had been gathered in the main parlor area, a whiteboard had been wheeled out and Charlie was writing in big font over it. When she heard the door open however she stopped and turned around, the smile on her face widening at you. “You’re back!”

You gave a single nod as you walked over to stand by the rest of the group, standing beside Sir Pentious and slightly behind Vaggie. The snake seemed to look you over suspiciously but didn’t say anything, and you noted his hesitancy. You were the newest person in the hotel and you hadn’t been around that much, it was only reasonable that people were hesitant around you. That just meant you would need to try harder in these activities, it was a good thing you knew how to act, and how to manipulate. 

Charlie had returned to writing on the board, the word Vulnerability being at the very top. She turned and faced the group, hands clasping together as she did so, “So! We’re going to continue to build trust between everyone here, and how to build a better bond between all of us! Being vulnerable with others allows them to feel like they can be vulnerable around you! It builds a better relationship between two people.”

She looked at Vaggie and the smile she had on her face softened and became one of complete love and trust. Then she looked over at everyone and took a deep breath. “We’ll start small and simple, nothing too personal so no one feels like they can’t share. I’ll start!”

The princess took in a deep breath as she let her hands rest just over her lips, clearly thinking of something to share. “I… miss my mom.”

That was hardly something that no one knew of Charlie, but still, something vulnerable. She had said to start simple, and small, and if that was what she had been comfortable sharing for this exercise, then who were you to judge? You went over the different things you could say. There were dozens of different things you could say and there was always the option of lying. No, you wouldn’t lie about something so small, you’d make everyone believe you were a bad liar so that when you did lie, no one would be the wiser.

Something you felt vulnerable about. You licked your lips once as you took in a deep breath. “I miss my mom too. A lot actually, all the time now.”

An emotional connection. Being vulnerable while making a strong emotional connection with the princess was exactly what was needed in that moment. The look that Charlie gave you told you that it had worked. There were tears in her eyes threatening to spill and she quickly pulled you into a tight hug. 

You shifted awkwardly under the suddenness of the hug. Then, you wrapped your arms around the princess and hugged her back, giving an awkward smile. You rubbed her back a few times before pulling away from the grasp. She smiled at you, wiped her tears, and took in a deep breath to ground herself from her emotions. 

The princess was kind, she was sweet, caring, and emotional. She seemed to want to form actual true connections with the people inside the hotel, wanted to be there for them, be friends, and care for them. Her heart was on her sleeve and that was dangerous. Dangerous and so easily manipulated. It was a wonder that there weren't a dozen demons out the door just trying to get on the princess’ good side.

The residents of the hotel, specifically Sir Pentious and Angel, had no ill intentions toward Charlie, you could see that. Sir Pentious held the princess high in respect and Angel saw her as a friend. Then there was Vaggie, who was in love with Charlie, the two dating, and so you couldn’t see that she would try and betray her. Alastor on the other hand, you couldn’t quite understand why he was at the hotel. Husk and Nifty were just an extension of the Radio demon, Husk made it clear he wouldn’t be at the hotel if it were any different. 

You knew that Alastor was suspicious of you, which was why it was so important to get Charlie to like you, actually like you, consider you a friend, for that emotional bond between the two of you. Because if Charlie liked you, no matter what you might do in the future, she’d always be open to forgiving you, as long as it didn’t directly harm any of her friends. You had no qualms against anyone inside the hotel other than the Radio demon, so that wouldn’t be too difficult to complete.

“We know you have a hard time building trust, it’s why you still don’t quite trust Sir Pentious.” Angel's voice broke you from your thoughts and you looked over toward Angel and Sir Pentious. The snake looked at Vaggie with big sad eyes, one that you’d akin to puppy dog eyes, and Vaggie looked exasperated. 

She shook her head and Charlie grabbed her hand, and squeezed it once in an assuring matter, before smiling. Vaggie nodded. “I am… trying to trust everyone here more. It’s something that I’m actively working on.”

“And she’s doing such a good job at it too!” Charlie said, praising her girlfriend's attempts at trusting more people. 

“You can’t exactly blame me for not trusting Sir Pentious, we literally caught him trying to spy on us the first day he was with us.” Vaggie then pointed out. 

Charlie quickly interjected. “Well, that’s why we’re doing these exercises! So we can learn to trust one another more! And Sir Pentious has been very good at proving to everyone he can be trusted!”

Sir Pentious nodded immediately to what the princess had said and he quickly sat up straighter. “Yesss! I have been trying extremely hard to be good!”

You smiled as you watched the conversation unfold in front of you. A memory flashed in your mind, and your heart felt tight from it. 

You were sitting on the floor, an empty bottle of vodka sitting beside you, four friends in various states of consciousness. You leaned against one of your friends, hand clasping in theirs as you both laughed drunkenly. Two others were arguing over who had taken the last cookie from the jar, blaming everyone but themselves, and it quickly spiraled into an accusation of loss of trust. A broken cookie jar and an absolutely horrible morning later, the incident became one everyone laughed about. Or rather, those who could remember the incident anyway. 

Friends, you missed your friends, even if they weren’t entirely there for you or good for you, you still missed them. You missed all their stupid faces and personalities, and you wondered how many had gone to your funeral. A funny thing, being dead but living on another plane of existence. 

The memory hurt, though you weren’t sure if it hurt because you’d never see your friends again, or rather, you hoped you wouldn’t. You knew that a few of them would definitely end up in Hell for one reason or another, you just hoped it would be quite a few years before that would happen. Or if it hurt because you weren’t sure you’d ever have a group like that again. 

It was partly your fault for that, you had plenty of opportunities in Hell to form some sort of friendship bond with others, the closest you got was Velvette but even still, that was just to get her to make a deal with you. And now that deal had been struck and you weren’t sure how to feel about it. You didn’t feel guilty about the deal, and you genuinely enjoyed the time you had with the youngest Vee, but it wasn’t the same.

At the Hotel, there were plenty of opportunities to make friends or try to in a sense. Again, if you had made friends, it would be built on a house of lies as you weren’t there to actually be redeemed. You were there to hide yourself as you got closer and closer to your end goal, and to hide your power underneath the power of the princess and the Radio demon. 

No, friends weren’t something that came around in Hell, especially with those like you. Constantly searching for a leg up, a way to get to the top, or in your instance, tumble the tower and be the only one left standing in the rubble. 

Angel suddenly stood, a sour look on his face as he muttered a quick goodbye to everyone, saying that Valentino needed him in the studio. Then, without another word, he was out of the front door. Charlie seemed to have a concerned and frustrated look across her face and Vaggie in turn rubbed her back. You watched the interaction for a brief moment before turning away as you looked back at the door. Angel, the favorite star of the Moth Overlord, could certainly be a play in your favor.

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A/N: yall, writing is hard. anyway, :p i plan on updating this again shortly :3

taglist: @luleck @rl800 @literalzxmbie @rapunzelbro @jono723

[nerdestiwrites]

call to the devil and the devil will come (chapter two)

Lucifer hadn’t planned on sleeping that night. He intended to get out of bed after he had been lying there for a few moments, but he never did. Instead that drunken sleep had found him, taking him into unconsciousness. It was the sleep that would leave him more exhausted when he woke in the morning, his heart racing faster inside his chest than it normally would have been. Luckily, even with the spiked heart rate, the sleep had been dreamless which was better than the alternatives in his mind.

When he woke, he felt himself reach consciousness, and he groaned loudly. His head pounded and throbbed with pain, and his eyes did not want to open despite being awake. He turned in the bed, feeling the sheets get tangled further around his body. That alone had let him know he had a rather restless night of sleep. All he wanted to do was to go back to sleep now, but he could now feel his quickened heart rate and now he knew he wouldn’t be able to fall back to sleep. 

He reached and pulled the blankets over his head, trying to shield his eyes from the sunlight beaming through windows from behind the curtains. He really should’ve just had blackout curtains like he had done in his office back at the mansion. Even if that meant he had a hard time knowing the exact time while inside the office, he could’ve been in there for days or weeks and not known, it was easier than facing the fact that time was passing at times. Especially when the sunlight seemed to attack the ever-growing and pounding headache. 

The king heard a knock on his door and he took a deep breath in. He wasn’t sure who could be up at the early hour and not be suffering the same consequences as he was, the others all had drunk much more than he did as he didn’t start until later in the evening. The knock came again and he sat up, rubbed his face, winced as the bright sun came through the cracks of the curtains, and sighed. A wave of his hand as he stood and he was refreshed and dressed in a new white suit and jacket. No one had to be the wiser he was currently dealing with a raging hangover.

Lucifer crossed the room and opened the door. An immediate frown came across his face as he saw the Radio demon standing on the other side in the hallway, a smile across his face as he leaned down so that he was face to face with the King, which only annoyed Lucifer more. “Good morning!” Alastor said enthusiastically loud, earning a grumble and wince from the King.

“What is so important you came to get me this early in the morning?” The fallen angel asked as he looked at the ever-smiling demon. 

Alastor hummed, the radio frequencies filling the air as he sat in silence for a few moments before answering, “Why it’s two in the afternoon! Charlotte was getting quite concerned! I offered graciously to come see if you were awake yet!”

That couldn’t be right. It couldn’t be two in the afternoon, he couldn’t have slept in that much. Lucifer reached into his pockets and grabbed out his phone, nearly dropping it in the process. He huffed as he turned the device on, noticing firstly that it was nearly dead. He really should’ve plugged the damned electronic in before he passed out so he wouldn’t have to now. Then he checked the time, and there it was, ten minutes past two in the afternoon.

The alcohol had really fucked with him more than he thought it did, or maybe it was all the sleep he had purposely avoided finally catching up when he couldn’t fight it any longer. Suddenly the demon took a step into Lucifer’s room and he took a step back in turn, eyes narrowed at the sudden intrusion into his privacy. “What are you doing? I didn’t tell you that you could come in.” 

“You never told me I couldn’t.” The demon said simply and stood straight once more, standing tall. It was on purpose, the fallen angel knew it and hated it. “Do you remember anything from last night, sire?”

That question sent Lucifer spiraling in his mind. He remembered bits and pieces of the night prior, but not everything. He couldn’t remember everything even on a good day. So drinking did nothing to help or improve the fallen angels’ memory and actively worked against it. 

The lack of an answer was an answer in of itself and one that Alastor accepted immediately. He made an interesting hum and took a step back, once again standing outside of the devils' room. “Thank you for the valuable information you’ve given me! Charlie is downstairs, I shall let her know that you did not pass in the night.”

Before the king could respond, the Radio demon disappeared into the shadows. A low growl escaped him as he pulled at his face before making himself appear down in the parlor. He was awake, Charlie was worried about him, he needed to tell her that he was fine. 

Charlie was pacing back and forth in front of a corkboard, with red string attached to pictures attached to articles. Vaggie sat on a chair backward, head resting on her arms that were atop the headrest. She had a look of concern and love for his daughter and was listening intently to all of her ramblings about the next steps they needed to take to make sure the hotel was a success. There were two sections, one for if Heaven agreed and helped, and the second if Heaven was against the idea. 

Lucifer studied the board, standing off to the side, behind Vaggie and Charlie so the two didn’t notice he had arrived. He stood there in silence, letting his daughter's voice, chipper, excited, and full of determination fill the air. She was so confident, so sure of herself and that the hotel was going to succeed, that the devil himself started to believe it as well. If anyone could do it, it could be Charlie, and all they needed was to get Heaven on board with the idea. They needed someone in Heaven to actually sit down and listen to what Charlie had to say.

Charlie turned to face Vaggie, and a pleasant surprised look came across her face at the sight of Lucifer. She smiled immediately and rushed over, pulling him into a tight hug. “Dad! You’re awake! I was worried that you left!”

“I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye! And as I said before, I have no intentions of leaving you again, CharChar.” He promised as he hugged back just as tight, closing his eyes momentarily as his head throbbed from the tightness of the hug. Charlie released him and took a few steps back, bouncing a few times on the heels of her feet as she returned to the large board. 

“As I was telling Vaggie, to be able to get sinners to want to come and actively participate in the hotel, to have a chance at redemption, we need to get proof that it can happen. And I know it can. I just… I need another chance with Heaven.” As she said this she looked back at him and he knew what that look meant. She was asking without saying if he could try and set up another meeting. 

That thought alone scared him. He had struggled the first time she had asked for that. It was different when Heaven contacted him, that was expected, that was routine. For it to be the other way around, for Lucifer to be the one to reach out to Heaven, set something up with Heaven, that was different. He knew that they all still saw him as the villain, as the one who caused the grief and anguish in the world, that he let Evil into the world. He hadn’t done it on purpose, that wasn’t his intention in the slightest, but no matter how many times he tried to argue, to defend himself, he was ignored and blamed. So he stopped trying and allowed them to paint him as the villain.

Her face, his little girls’ face, asking, begging, pleading for his help, for him to reach out, to try and make the connection so that they could get things rolling again. He knew that she held out hope that now Adam was out of the picture, that Heaven would be more willing to see things her way. He was terrified if he reached out, they’d want to hold the hotel accountable for the death of the first man. An eye for an eye was Heavens’ motto, a sense of justice that never made sense to the Devil but was what he had to live with every day since being thrown out of Heaven.

All Lucifer wanted was to give Charlie everything he could, to prove himself, to apologize for everything he had missed out on, for having isolated himself for years. He wanted to do better. He had to do better. He would be better. And that meant he’d call up Heaven and demand another meeting, threaten them if he had to if they first refused. Anything for his little girl.

So he let a tired smile creep onto his face as he nodded once and just that action was enough to send the princess squealing in excitement and a plethora of thank yous pouring out of her. Another tight squeeze of a hug and then Charlie was back at the board. Her fingers were quick to grab onto different items, stringing new pictures, and new articles up, taking some down, and rearranging others. 

The fallen angel waved to Vaggie and made his quiet exit from the parlor into the kitchen. He needed something in his stomach, nothing too heavy but something. Perhaps he’d make himself some toast or find some fruit to eat in the fridge, though the last time he had opened the fridge door he had come face to face with a rather unpleasant sight due to the Radio demons’ unnatural tastes. 

He searched through the cabinets first, a safer choice to find something edible without the chance of immediately losing his little appetite due to an unwanted surprise. He let his fingers tap along the counter, missing the feeling of his cane within his hand, he needed to find where he had let it disappear, it certainly couldn’t have gone far. Canned foods, canned fruit, canned meat, nothing spiking this interest, a forgotten protein bar that looked like it had better days, and half a loaf of bread, though by the looks of it, had been sitting in the back of the cabinet for some time. 

The entire kitchen needed a rework, new groceries, maybe new rules on what was allowed inside the communal fridge as well as a fresh set of dishware. A sigh escaped his lips as he closed the cabinets, turned, and blinked twice at the sight of the Radio demon standing behind him. Something that looked close to disappointment crossed Alastors eyes momentarily before it was replaced by an amused smile. “You certainly aren’t the jumpy type, are you?” 

Lucifer leaned against the counter as he looked at Alastor, an unamused frown paralleling the demon’s face. “I’m the oldest being in Hell, if I was still jumpy after being here this time I don’t think I’d be called King of Hell. Also, Charlie had a stretch of time in her childhood where she desperately tried to scare me any chance she got, so someone sneaking up on me isn’t going to make me jump.”

“I suppose if that’s all you have to show for being King, you might as well gloat about it more.” Alastors voice seemed like it was coming from all around the devil, the radio frequencies fluctuating with every other word that had been spoken.

Lucifer growled at the backhanded compliment and he stood straighter, off of the counter. “That is not all-” Before he could even finish the sentence, the end of a cane was pressed into his chest, pushing him back against the counter. His eyes looked down at the cane and went up, noticing the apple bobble in the hand of the demon. Another growl escaped him. “So you stole my cane?”

Alastors smile grew at the accusation. “Why of course not! I am simply returning it to the rightful owner, after all, you had been so careless last night with it, letting it drop and roll wherever. Left it on the floor.” He laughed. 

The King reached forward to attempt and grab the cane, only for the demon to pull it away, leaning against it, having to lean forward quite a bit just to be able to. “Such a short cane, though I suppose fits your needs quite well!”

A groan escaped his lips and he attempted again to grab his cane away. Once more, it was pulled out of reach, and Alastor spun it around a few times, inspecting the apple bobble closely. A small laugh escaped the demon as he turned the cane around a few times, “How is that hangover treating you, Your Majesty?”

The question was asked and then followed by a high-pitched frequency causing the devil to groan in pain, covering his ears with a dangerous glare. The anger bubbled up inside his chest and he felt as his horns began to extend out of the top of his head. Then, suddenly and without warning, the cane was handed straight to Lucifer, and a look of boredom crossed the demons’ face. Lucifer blinked a few times as he took the cane, holding onto it protectively, eyes narrowed at the sudden release. 

“Usually, when an item is returned, the polite thing to do would be to say ‘thank you’.” The static picked up in Alastors voice at his words and he gave a small shrug. Then he took a step back away, hands clasping behind his back as he did so, a smug smile on his face ever-growing, ever-present. 

Lucifer glared back in response to the Radio demon as he used the cane as intended, leaning against it easily since it was his. He huffed once, twice, then turned away from the demon, the moment of hunger having left him now. He’d try again in a few hours, or perhaps in the morning once the hangover was gone. Maybe he’d even make pancakes for Charlie and himself and her girlfriend. 

As the king left the kitchen, he could feel the eyes of the demon following him. He shuddered once he was out of view and rubbed his hand over his face once with a deep sigh. Every moment he had with the demon was an exhausting one and he wasn’t entirely sure how much longer he could last. Lucifer knew how much Charlie cared for Alastor, though he himself couldn’t understand why. She cared nonetheless, and so he wouldn’t be the one to cause the issues. However, if he needed to solve any of the issues, he would gladly jump at the chance to take the Radio demon down a couple of notches, or even out of the game completely if the option ever became available. 

The pounding in his head didn’t seem to be leaving any time soon, though thankfully it seemed to have dulled down quite a bit, even despite Alastors attempt to cause him pain from the loud high high-pitched noise. He was tempted to return back to his room, cane in hand this time, though he wasn’t sure he’d get any sleep now that the drunkenness had worn off. Even just to be on the solace of isolation while riding out the last of the hangover was better than the chance of having to face the Radio demon for a third time that day.

“Dad!” Charlies' voice called out from the parlor, and Lucifer smiled immediately, turning and heading back towards where his daughter had called out to him from. Whatever she needed from him would come first, and then he’d return back to his room because he was going to do better.

[nerdestiwrites]

call to the devil and the devil will come

The rest of the hotel had gone to sleep hours prior, the last to return to their rooms having been Charlie and Vaggie, strictly because Vaggie had practically forced the Princess to bed. Charlie had tried to argue, to say that she wasn’t tired, that she could stay up, that if her father was staying up then so could she. Vaggie had none of it, picking up the blonde and carrying her up to the bed as the exhausted princess half struggled against her girlfriend. All the while Lucifer watched from the bar, shouting a goodnight to his little girl and her girlfriend.

The bartender, Rusk, Busk, Nusk, something of that sort, had gone to bed just twenty minutes earlier after the King had assured the demon that his assistance was no longer needed. The cat seemed hesitant about leaving the bar unattended, about leaving his job when clearly Lucifer had no intentions of going to bed, but didn’t argue much past a few grunts and small mutters about how it wasn’t his problem now he was off the clock.

He sat at the bar, two fingers holding onto a thin straw as they stirred around the contents of the nearly empty drink. He hadn’t meant to drink, he was a sloppy drunk and knew that much, but Charlie wanted to celebrate now that the hotel had been rebuilt. She wanted everyone to celebrate, and so he agreed because now that he was back with his daughter, he wouldn’t do anything to disappoint her again. He couldn’t let himself drift back into the haze of never knowing what day it was, letting information just pass by him rather than taking it in and understanding it, of letting himself drift away from her again. He wouldn’t let that happen.

The look on Charlie's face when she realized that Alastor wouldn’t be joining the celebrations, was an excuse, Lucifer knew it was an excuse, about needing to prepare for one of his radio shows, or maybe he had said something about a meeting with someone, or something, it didn’t matter in the end. What had mattered was the disappointment on Charlie's face. Lucifer would absolutely not let that disappointment last on his daughter's face.

So he immediately did what he did best. Distraction. He kicked Husk out from behind the bar, having told him that even the bartender deserved a drink sometimes, and began making everyone a specialized drink. A cotton candy martini for Angel Dust, a muddled blackberry old fashioned for Husk, a cherry flavored Vegas bomb for Cherri, a simple spiked strawberry lemonade for Vaggie, and a rubber duckie-themed drink for Charlie. 

A handful of drinks later, and soon Charlie begged for him to drink with them. He tried to argue, even tried to make a mocktail for himself, but that damned cat bartender saw right through it. And so he had a few cocktails as well, and his mixing became less structured, no longer measured, and more of a free pour, which led to way too strong of drinks. The rest was a blurry mess he struggled to keep straight in his head, and now he sat alone, an empty glass with ice melting and a straw stirring it around.

As he stared into the empty glass, the devil let his head rest in his free hand, eyes closing momentarily as he took in a deep breath. Sleep wasn’t something that found him often, and he’d rather do anything besides lay in bed and stare at the wall or ceiling while his mind spun in the fuzzy state it was in currently. That would definitely be a one-way street to spiraling and he had been doing so well at staying focused and keeping his head on straight. If he spiraled now he might leave the hotel, and if he left, he knew he wouldn’t have the energy to return again. 

So Lucifer stood, stumbled, grabbed onto the edge of the bar, and groaned for a moment as the room spun around him. Sitting on the floor sounded like a good idea but he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to get up and what a state to find the King of Hell. No, he couldn’t do that either. It would be at least somewhat respectable if he passed out on the couch inside the parlor of the hotel rather than the floor. 

He forced himself to stand straight, focused his eyes on the couch in the near distance, and moved his legs. He kicked his apple cane, sending it to the floor and rolling away but he couldn’t have cared less about the item. No, he had a goal in mind. Couch. Make it to the couch. His hand moved, his angelic power working without his mind helping, and a small plain rubber duck appeared clutched in his hand. 

He squeaked the duck once, then twice, focus. It helped him focus as much as he hated to admit it, even in the drunken state, and he made it to the couch. Lucifer allowed himself to practically fall face-first into the couch, his entire body fitting along the length of it and he groaned. Perhaps he should’ve eaten before drinking so much, perhaps he should’ve been a bit more firm in his no.

The king really should’ve been better. Better than this, better for his daughter. He shouldn’t have just locked himself away, isolating himself from everyone. That did nothing but hurt Charlie, even if he had thought it was the best thing to do. Now there was a strain between him and her and he wasn’t sure he could ever fix it. He needed to fix it. He needed to. Needed to. 

He needed to have something in the background. Music, a show, a podcast, something to keep his mind focused and not spiraling. A squeak of his duck and he sat up on the couch, eyes searching for a remote or a TV or something. Instead, they found an old radio, one of Alastors radios, and a low grumble escaped his lips. Spiraling might be better than using that demon's radio for anything. 

A squeak of his duck told him otherwise and he sighed. Damn, his mind. Damnit it.

A wave of his hand and the radio turned on. Static filled the room and Lucifer the empty hand over his face before reaching over to fiddle with the knobs on the damned ancient relic, not like he had a lot of room to actually say those words out loud. He wasn’t one to usually want to watch TV, it scrambled the brain, and he was much older than the old radio was.

Turning the dial a few times to the left, and then to the right, the devil settled on a frequency that had been playing soft jazz. The music filled the air and he allowed his head to fall back against the couch as he listened, focusing on the different instruments that he could pick out and recognize. Perhaps if he could sit here long enough, he could get past the drunkenness and skip right past the hangover. Wishful thinking, drunk wishful thinking, but still. The king might not have many hopes left, let this be one that he knew was silly.

The radio started to glitch, or rather, it sounded like someone had turned the dial, interrupting the jazz and filling the room with static. An annoyed look crossed Lucifer's face and he looked up at the small radio. The dial was still pointed at the direction he had left it, but the static continued to get louder and more intense. He frowned, eyebrows furrowed, and he reached forward, turned the dial, and nothing. It remained the same. He groaned audibly now and sat up once more, the duck dropping from his hand and rolling underneath the couch. The radio suddenly shut off.

“Hahaha! What a sight to see! Truly!” The voice with the radio filter over it filled the silence and Lucifer's head snapped in its direction.

There stood Alastor, hands clasped behind his back as he leaned forward over the couch, staring down at the King. The fallen angel growled and went to grab onto the demon, however in his drunken state he had been too slow, or perhaps he overestimated how far he needed to grab, or maybe it was a mixture of both, and he ended up tumbling over the back of the couch onto the floor. A laugh track filled the air and Lucifer could feel the anger and embarrassment flowing through him more. The alcohol inside his system fueled his emotions. 

“You-” The King started as he pulled himself up off the floor, using the couch for support before whipping to face the demon once more. “You are so fucking lucky that Charlie cares for you. I would-would fuck you so hard.” His words slurred and he stumbled to find the words he wanted to say, and even when he wasn’t drunk he had a difficult time saying what he actually meant.

The Radio demon, who now stood a few feet away from the devil, raised an eyebrow, his smile tightening slightly as his head turned to the side slightly, mockingly. He stood there staring at Lucifer with that stupid face, mocking him. Oh, how he would love to wipe that smile off of the other's face.

Alastor stepped to the side as Lucifer rushed at him and watched the smaller man nearly trip and fall once more to the floor. He hummed, and laughed again, loud with the laugh track behind his voice. He was clearly entertained by the devil's inebriated state, which pissed Lucifer off even more. “Do you need help, sire?” He asked.

“Fuck you!” Lucifer snapped as he held his head, feeling a wave of nausea start to wash over him. 

“I would rather not.” Alastor mused, a taunt, and he snickered quietly. “Be careful with saying those words too loud, you might wake a certain resident who wouldn’t be so averse to spending a night with royalty.” 

That hadn’t been what he meant, the Radio demon knew that, he just wanted to get underneath the fallen angels' skin it seemed, and it was working. Lucifer's jaw clenched and he balled his hands into fists, his fingernails digging into the palms of his hands before he took in a deep breath. Then he snapped his fingers, causing Alastors feet to become literally attached to the floor he was standing on.

Lucifer stalked toward him now that the other couldn’t move away and he saw Alastors eyes narrow as his smile tightened, the radio frequencies filling the air erratically. He moved the couch slightly with a wave of his hand so it was right behind the demon and then looked up at his face. The way Alastor stared down at him caused the anger to boil inside his chest more and it gave him the strength he needed. 

The apple cane suddenly appeared inside his hand and the king used it to shove Alastor, shoving him hard with the cane right in his torso, causing the other to fall over the side of the couch onto the cushions as the power holding his feet disappeared completely. 

Lucifer saw a flash of pain across the demon's face, the smile remaining couldn’t hide the pain inside the others' eyes, and for a moment he felt guilty. Then, as Lucifer stood there, stared at the demon as he laid on the couch, catching his breath, a hand over his torso, he could feel it. The fallen angel could feel the angelic energy radiating off of Alastors chest, he could feel it pulsating with every heartbeat and could feel it seeping further into the demon.

He sighed. A deep and long sigh as he realized what he had to do. The image of the disappointed face of Charlie flashing in his mind turned to one of grief and sadness. No, he wouldn’t let that happen to his little girl, he wouldn’t let that look ever cross her face again if there was anything he could do about it. 

And so, even in his drunken state, the anger had completely dissipated and had been replaced. He leaned over the side of the couch, fighting off the next wave of nausea that came rushing forth, and he stared at the demon who glared up at him. Alastor went to get off the couch, wanting to get out from under the King and get away from feeling like he was cornered, however, when he went to move, Lucifer's hand came down and touched his chest. 

A sharp radio noise came from Alastor at the touch, and Lucifer grunted. He undid the buttons on the demon's shirt and pulled away the soaked bandages, staring at the wound intently. “That looks like it-it hurts.” He commented offhandedly as he shook his head. Again, the cane was disregarded, no longer needing it and drunkenly not caring where it ended up at the moment. The fallen angel then hovered his hand over the wound, he knew in his current state he wouldn’t be able to heal it completely, he wouldn’t be able to get rid of the angelic radiation inside the wound that would continue to fester, but he could fight it off some and provide some pain relief. 

The Radio demon had his concerns, that much was evident as his entire body tensed at the light emanating from the king's hand, and he gripped the edge of the couch as he felt the warmth on his torso, but his body relaxed on its own as the intense pain he had been feeling subsided to almost nothing. Alastor blinked twice as he looked down at the wound, watching bright light, and Lucifer smiled confidently, smugly, as he pulled his hand back. That would be all he could feasibly do for the night unless he wanted to pass out and fall on top of the demon. Which would be worse than the floor. 

“I’m going… I’m going to… Fuck.” Lucifer moved away from the demon and shook his head a few times, grunting at his own slurring of his words. He needed to get to bed, even if he wasn’t going to sleep. If he was in his room at least then he wouldn’t embarrass himself so much. 

Alastor, always one to keep a smile on his face, to keep the show going, smirked at the perfect opportunity to spin the scenario back around. “You’re not going to do that with me, sire.”

Lucifer growled and glared at Alastor, immediately regretting what he had done for the demon. “That wasn’t what-what I was fucking saying and-nd you know it.” He snapped. “Going to bed.” Short and to the point, no chance of messing it up that time. 

Normally he would teleport himself to his room, it was easier and he wouldn’t have to walk as he wasn’t sure he could walk, but the risk of teleporting somewhere besides his room was a big enough fear that he decided he’d risk walking and falling on his face. So Lucifer turned away from the Radio demon and made his way carefully up the steps. He walked down the hallway, using the wall for support, and stopping every few feet to make sure he wasn’t going to be sick. Then he’d continue. And once he made it to his room, he congratulated himself before falling face first on the bed, burying his face into the pillows with a loud groan. He’d be regretting every single one of his life choices tomorrow, he knew that. He could already feel the regret with every passing wave of nausea threatening to win and take over. He’d have to tell Charlie, no more drinking nights for this old man, he couldn’t do it anymore.

[nerdestiwrites]

predator and prey chapter eight (hazbin hotel reader insert)

You were glad that the next meeting you had would be much easier, much more transactional. An exchange of goods, perhaps some small talk thrown in, but it really shouldn’t take longer than just a few minutes at most. You needed the short interaction just to decompress from the stress that had built up in your shoulders and neck from having to deal with the grumpy old cannibal woman. It honestly was a surprise that the woman hadn’t been killed yet by her pissing off the wrong person at the wrong time.

Carmillas domain was halfway across the city, so you scheduled a car to come pick you up. You had no energy to make the walk across the city while having to deal with potentially stupid demons wanting to try their luck with you just because you were unsuspecting and unknown. So as soon as the car pulled up, you opened the door to the back seat and slipped inside, letting your entire body practically melt into the seat. The door closed and the car went down the road, taking a U-turn and heading back towards Carmillas. 

Your phone had been going off, text after text, for the past ten minutes and you tried your best to just ignore it. It was when the text alerts just wouldn’t stop that you finally grabbed the device from your pocket and unlocked it with a frustrated groan. The cause of the insistent noise had been from two different people, though one was the main culprit. Charlie had been texting you, asking where you had gone, if you were coming back, what you might want for dinner, and if you’d be back for dinner.

A long sigh escaped you as you started to regret giving the princess your number. You couldn’t remember the last time you had someone text you that much, even when you were still alive. Even when you or your friends had gotten drunk, it wasn’t by text that you’d spam one another, it was always with stupid Tiktok videos or memes. So many questions had been so draining. You responded and hoped that would stop the incoming texts.

You: hey sorry for disappearing! just had a few things to do today. i’ll be back later tonight, and i’ll eat whatever is provided or i can make my own dinner.

Charlie: Hi! Okay! Im so happy to hear you’re coming back!!! 

Charlie: Everyone decided on pizza tonight so I’m ordering three large pizzas!

Charlie: You missed our activities today.

Charlie: That’s okay though!!! I’ll go over everything with you when you get back!!!

Charlie: Its super simple today! Just learning how to be emotionally available and vulnerable to be able to create stronger bonds with friends!

Charlie: Wanted to tell you so you weren’t worried about what it could be!

Responding to the texts had just invited more from the woman and you pulled at your face as you let the phone slip from your fingers to fall to the seat. The text notifications came to a halt just a few moments later but you didn’t pick your phone back up. Instead, you used the rest of the car ride to stare out the window as you passed by different buildings in different stages of disarray. Even most of the ‘nice’ buildings in most of the city had something wrong with them. 

As the car pulled to a stop, you grabbed the phone and exited with a polite thank you to the driver. Even if the demon didn’t have a choice in being your chauffeur you still had your manners. You stood outside of Carmillas warehouse, seeing her two daughters already standing outside waiting for your arrival. 

You hadn’t had much interaction with the two women, they were nearly just as busy as their mother was making it difficult to get a meeting with any of the three women. This had been a rare occasion that you had gotten a meeting on such a short notice. The two younger Carmines were the ones to make deliveries, especially when someone ordered in bulk. Carmilla only met with those ‘worthy’ of meeting, other Overlords, or potential upcoming overlords. You were surprised to see the two for just a simple sheet of metal.

As you approached, Odette met you, holding the small box that had the metal you had purchased. “I’m surprised my mom let you purchase just a sheet of metal. With everything going on, we’re pretty busy with orders on angelic weapons and angelic steel-tipped ammunition.”

You gave a small shrug as an answer. They didn’t need to know that you weren’t the one to actually place the order. Other people with more power behind their names that were under your favors had placed the order to ensure you’d get as much as you needed. “Just have one of those faces. People just love doing what I want.”

Clara looked over the clipboard she held and gave Odette a nod, showing that the payment had already been made. Odette handed over the sleek box to you and you gingerly took it into your hands. You opened the box and looked it over curiously. It was a small square, one foot by one foot, and it glinted under the light. Your fingers traced over the smooth surface briefly before you closed the box and held it under your arm, placing your hand out for Odette to shake. “It is a pleasure doing business with you and your mom. Tell her I said thanks.” 

Clara nodded and Odette shook your hand before the two of them quickly went back into the warehouse. Not much for conversation pass business, not that you minded. You returned to the car, placed the box down on the seat beside you, and gave the driver the next location. 

It was located outside of the city in a district people rarely wanted to travel to due to the distance and the dangers. The surrounding lands were littered with landmines, old bombs that could explode at any moment if the breeze went the wrong direction or someone sneezed too hard, traps that would send those into spike pits or trapped until the person who set them up came to collect them.

The demon who you were going to see wasn’t one to be trifled with, so most just left them alone. A mad scientist who had died during one of their experiments got sent to Hell and immediately began their research and experiments again without a second thought. This had been their second chance after all, to get it right this time. Except now there wasn’t anyone actively trying to stop them. This was Hell, where people didn’t care if sinners went missing or ended up mutilated beyond recognition.

The car stopped at the gate, not daring to drive further down the driveway that led up to the broken-down, seemingly abandoned building. Deceivingly so. You walked up the driveway, stepping over broken shrapnel, over a tripwire, and jumped across a small pothole. It had been a while since you’ve been this way, there were more holes in the ground than you remembered.

As you approached, the door opened, and out stepped a demon. They had goggles on their head, a blue and gold coat with an intricate design mixed with electronics, and two horns upon their head, one shorter than the other. “You have it!” They clapped their hands together and motioned you forward. You walked toward them and held the box out, letting the demon grab it rather harshly from your hands and open it. The steel was taken out and the box was discarded like it hadn’t even been there in the first place. They whistled once as they held it upwards, “Didn’t think you’d be able to get this much! Costs me an arm and a leg for half of this.”

“Well, it wasn’t cheap. How long until you have your results?” You questioned as you placed your hands into your pockets. The demon turned and began to walk back into the building and as you went to follow, they stopped you. 

They turned and gave a pointed look. “Ah, no, You’ve got some Voxtech on you. Either leave it outside or you’re not coming in.” 

You frowned before grumbling. “It’s got a VPN-”

“Nope! Nope nope nope. I’m not having that egomaniac asshole inside my lab. Maybe the next time you visit you can come in, when you’re not carrying Voxtech. I’ll text you the results later. Toodles!” The door slammed shut behind the demon. 

You were left standing outside the abandoned-looking building, the piece of angelic steel gone as it had been taken from the demon, and no idea when you’d get any sort of results back. The only solace that you had was that the other had to give you results if they wanted out of the deal they had made years prior. You never needed their service until then. When you had first texted them they had been surprised to hear from you. That surprise turned to annoyance and frustration when you reminded them of the deal, the favor they owed. When you told them the favor, they were more agreeable. 

That was the thing, you got favors from people for specific reasons. Some were just because they needed something and eventually you’d need something back, but others, others were planned. This particular demon had been planned. You knew that one day you’d need their specific expertise for something, so you waited until they needed something. An act of desperation. You had delivered and now you were turning in that favor. 

You returned to the car and told the driver to drop you off at the hotel. The itinerary you had for the day had been completed early as you had expected both the interaction with the Carmine daughters and with this demon to take longer. You’d be back long before dinner, enough time to potentially participate in the bonding exercises that the princess had planned. That alone made you debate if you wanted to return then or later. If you returned in time, that would give you points with the princess. You’d say you tried your hardest to return and she would definitely appreciate that. Or you could take your time returning to the hotel, maybe stop and see Velvette and talk with her about the Overlord meeting, and get more information about that.

You decided to go back to the hotel, not changing the address that you had told your driver in the beginning. If you decided later that whatever activity the princess had decided to come up with was too much, you could always make up a small lie about having plans or being tired or something to get out of doing whatever she had planned.

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A/N: did i delete this chapter six times? yes. did I finish writing this chapter while tipsy? also yes. so sorry if it doesn't make any sense!

tags: @luleck @rl800 @literalzxmbie @rapunzelbro

[nerdestiwrites]

predator and prey, chapter seven (hazbin hotel reader insert)

You had made sure to wake up before anyone else in the hotel, having plans that needed to be completed without any interruptions. If Charlie had anything planned for that day, you’d just have to tell her sorry and that you’d make it up some other time after you got back to the hotel. You skipped breakfast, grabbing a simple coffee that tasted more burnt than you’d prefer, and you were out of the doors before anyone else would even have time to brush their teeth. 

Your phone had been going off nonstop for the past thirty minutes, three different people texting you all at once. An informant who had been spying on the Overlord meeting had been giving you the rundown on what exactly happened since you knew that Velvette wouldn’t tell you everything. All you had gotten from her was that Carmilla was a bitch and a coward. You sent back a simple text feigning shock and agreeing with the Social Media Overlord while getting more information.

It seemed that no one else besides Carmilla, yourself, Velvette, and now the other Vs had known about the exorcist's death, which was perfect for you. You could use that to your advantage. Exorcists can die, but more importantly, they can be killed, and now every Overlord knows that too. It would only be a matter of time before everyone started trying to figure out how.

You knew how thanks to your informant. Carmilla had killed the exorcist, using angelic steel-tipped weapons. You were honestly shocked at how long it seemed to take anyone to try attacking the exorcists with their own weapons. That would’ve been your very first thought, your first attempt at fighting back. It made sense, after all. You now also started to wonder, what made angelic steel different from the steel made in Hell, than the steel made on Earth. That was one of your various tasks for the day, acquiring some so you could send it off to a rather eccentric scientist to test against. 

The first thing on your agenda was heading to Cannibal Town, not to talk with the Overlord Rosie, but to talk to a few of the sinners who resided there instead. You knew that Rosie and Alastor were friends now, that the two had some sort of bond, and that he often frequented the town on occasion. From what you had been told, it was both business and pleasure that the Radio Demon and Rosie spent time with one another. That allowed others to see into Alastors habits and personality in more ways than one. 

There hadn’t been many who were willing to meet with you to talk behind the Overlords' backs, and those who were willing seemed to have an expensive taste in what they wanted. There had been only one person willing to meet and talk with you without the need to be bribed. Unfortunately for you, you hadn’t realized how much of bitch this person was going to be. 

Sat in a booth inside a small cafe, you couldn’t help as your fingers twisted the small napkin in your lap as the older woman sent back the same meal for the third time in a row for it not being cooked ‘correctly’. You had opted out of ordering anything, eating human flesh wasn’t usually on your menu of preferred items, and you knew you could grab something on your way back to the hotel, or even make something there as the kitchen seemed to be stocked up with ingredients.

“Susan-” You again tried to bring the conversation back to the topic at hand, getting any sort of information out of the old woman about Alastor, but still she waved a hand dismissively as she reached for the platter of fingers that had been set between the two of you. 

She shifted in her seat and cleared her throat as she glared at the poor sinner who had been tasked with serving the both of you. You could still remember your first serving job, it wasn’t an easy one back on Earth, so you could easily relate to the poor soul. You’d definitely be adding extra cash for the tip after everything was all said and done. “Souls these days just can’t do anything right! No respect for their elders and absolutely no one wants to work properly.”

You wanted to defend the server but you needed to stay on the older woman's good side, and so you kept silent and bit your tongue. You gave a strained smile in response and nodded once in agreement as you ripped the napkin apart underneath the table. You were thankful for your ability to keep that customer service smile through even the worst circumstances.

“Well, that’s what I’m trying to change.” You managed to get out before Susan could continue on the rant she was bound to go on. Might as well go ahead and play on the old woman's insane wants and desires. Lie even. She wouldn’t have to know that you were lying, that you were just using her to get information about the two Overlords so you’d be able to bring them down easier for your own self-gain.

“Alastor, he’s been gone for seven years, off doing who knows what exactly, leaving behind his duties as an Overlord to be picked up by everyone else. And now that he’s back, I just wanted to know if there was anything I should know about him that might help me understand who he is.” You explained and watched the others' reactions. Then you quickly added in, “I want to make sure that Hell is in the right hands.”

Susan had a look of distaste on her face as she pushed the platter of fingers, nearly causing the platter to fall off the table and onto the floor. You quickly reached out your hand and caught the plate before it managed to topple over and you pulled it closer to yourself out of reach of the hagard old woman who seemed to be displeased over everything possible. “Alastor, that Radio Demon that thinks just because he’s killed a few Overlords means he’s better than everyone else.”

You again went to say something, but the poor waiter returned and immediately began getting berated by the older woman. You took in a sharp breath and turned to face the waiter, “Just the bill please, all on one, I’ll take care of it.” Perhaps you’d be able to get the woman to talk once you left the cafe to take a stroll through Cannibal Town instead of letting her terrorize the workers of the cafe. 

“Oh you do not have to pay for me, I have my own money you know,” Susan said but clearly had made no motion on getting out her own purse to pay for the multiple meals she had tried and sent back without a second thought. You knew she would’ve gotten them all for free if she had been left to pay for herself, but you were going to pay in hopes that would also get you on the woman's good side for the day. 

“It's a pleasure to pay for you, Susan. I have enjoyed our conversations so far-” You began as you placed down a wad of cash, intending to let the waiter have the rest as the tip for having to deal with the insanity that Susan brought upon them. Susan snatched up the cash and forced it back into your hand.

“No! That one doesn’t deserve a tip after the horrendous service we’ve had.” She had your arm and dragged you out of the small cafe before you could protest. So you made a mental note to return after you left Susan for the day to give the waiter the more than-deserved tip. 

Susan walked slow, careful steps, and you felt like you were barely walking at all, taking one step for every three the older woman took. You walked quickly normally, even when it was for a casual stroll, and when you had somewhere to go your walk was brisk, some might even call it a slight jog compared to others. This was nearly tortuous. Next time if you ever had to deal with the older woman again, you’d make someone go in your place. There wasn’t a chance in Hell you’d be dealing with her again willingly. “Alastor, that man. I do not trust him, the way he’s scheming, but Rosie trusts him and likes him, so I must tolerate him.” 

The conversation was finally going in the direction you wanted it to go. You knew that the Radio demon was planning something, anyone who had any amount of trust issues would be able to sense that one out. Everyone in Hell always had a second agenda or a third, it was all about finding what that agenda might be. “Oh?” Your voice feigned shock and concern. “What do you think he’s doing?”

“Ah, no one knows that but Alastor. Even Rosie hasn’t gotten much out of him about what he’s been up to.” This was all a waste then, you wasted an entire morning trying to stay on the old bats' good side for nothing. “He might have a soft side like some say but I haven’t seen it.” 

That was something you could work with. “A soft side yeah? And how would one go about seeing this soft side of his?” 

“I don’t know that. That whore Mimzy might know. I heard they were friends back when they both were alive.” Susan said the only thing that had been helpful in the two hours you had been together. 

Mimzy, you knew Mimzy. Mimzy owed you a few favors, and now you knew exactly how to turn those favors in. You stopped walking and clasped your hands together to get the older woman's attention as you cleared your throat. “Right! Well, it has been lovely spending the morning with you, but I do have other business to attend to today!”

Susan looked shocked at your sudden announcement of departure and she stared at you from behind her glasses, her eyes narrowed slightly. Before she could say anything, however, you shook her hand gently, placed a kiss on the top of her hand, and turned, leaving the older woman standing in the middle of the walkway confused and frustrated. 

You wiped your hand off on your shirt as you walked, and shook your head as your mind replayed the morning over and over again. You could’ve done so much more, could’ve had so much completed in the time it took to get a snippet of information from Susan, and all that it was was someone else you needed to track down and talk to. You wondered if the demon that sent you to Susan had done it on purpose, not preparing you for the old woman's horrible personality. 

You quickly walked back to the small cafe, walked directly over to the waiter, and handed over the cash you had originally intended on leaving, as well as extra. Then you left without another word and went to go purchase an angelic weapon from Carmilla so you might figure out the differences in steel with the help of a scientist.

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A/N: took a few days of rest from writing but I'm back on the groove of things! i also have another fic in the works that I'll be posting soon :3 thanks so much for reading!!!

tags: @luleck @rl800 @literalzxmbie @rapunzelbro

[phoenixyfriend]

Reblog if you write fanfic and would be totally down with your followers coming into you askbox and talking to you about your fic

[mordellestories]

Heck yeah.

[nerdestiwrites]

predator and prey chatper six (hazbin hotel reader insert)

Alastor had been right when he said Charlie had a bunch of activities planned. She started it bright and early, having made everyone breakfast, in an attempt to bring everyone together to get some form of conversation started, to try and get everyone to build stronger relationships. You could admire the ambition that she had, and you were sure to thank her for the room and the mints that had been left on the pillow, even explaining how you hadn’t been serious about them but still appreciated them. 

The princess asked what everyones favorite breakfast meal was, so she could keep in mind for the next time she decided to cook for everyone. She planned on circulating through everyones chosen breakfast at least once a month. Eight people, eight big breakfasts, the rest of the time breakfast would be a private ordeal. You hadn’t been a big breakfast person while alive. You enjoyed the food of course, french toast and muffins having been one of your favorites, but you never actively ate those foods for breakfast. It was either brunch or breakfast for dinner.

While Vaggie and Charlie were talking, it was Sir Pentious who spurred the trust exercises. He didn’t trust anyone in the hotel, which was a fair standpoint in your opinion. You both had just arrived and in Hell, niceness usually came at a harsh price. It also wasn’t unwarranted. You weren’t exactly being open and honest about your true reasons for joining the hotel and you weren’t exactly going to at any point in the future. 

Alastor had left for the day, being forced to take Sir Pentious’ eggs by Vaggie, and you almost felt bad for the snake demon. While the eggs were a bit obnoxious they also held a sort of charm to them and seemed to mean quite a lot to him. You knew where the Radio demon had headed to, the Overlord meeting. 

The trust exercises weren’t thrilling. Trust falls were a bit cliche in your opinion, and you didn’t know exactly what you would say. So when Niffty ran up onto the stage and jumped off, everyone took a step back, allowing the small demon to land face-first on the ground. Her laugh was one of hysterics, and she stood and ran back up onto the stage, just to throw herself back off, enjoying the pain it brought. Charlie dragged Vaggie off to talk for a few minutes just between the two of them.

“So, toots, you haven’t even looked at me twice today, am I not your type?” Angel asked as he slouched over the couch, his top set of arms crossing while the bottom kept him supported.

You raised an eyebrow as you turned to face the spider demon, “I don’t have a type.” Your answer was simple and blunt. Growing up you always had felt different from everyone, all your friends talking about crushes and their ‘firsts’. You never found yourself attracted to anyone, it never bothered you either. The idea of romance was something you only entertained when it was fictional, or hypothetical, but you could never actually see yourself be with someone for any reason, romantic or sexual. That was the reason you had died without even having a first kiss, it was never something you concerned yourself about.

Angel blinked twice before frowning. “Don’t have a type? Oh come on, I’m everyone’s type! Especially down here! I can be whatever you want me to be, toots.” He continued.

“I don’t have a type. Never was interested in sex, the act or idea.” You shrugged and watched as he seemed to mull over your words. 

“Really?” Sir Pentious spoke up and slithered up to stand beside you, a look of interest across his face.

You nodded in answer. “Really. Just wasn’t my thing.”

Before any more questions could be asked by anyone else, Charlie returned with Vaggie, clearly excited as they explained that Vaggie would be taking over on the trust exercises from that point onwards for the day. The rest of the day had definitely gone more interesting as Angel had suggested going to a sex club to try and build trust, and when that didn’t work, Vaggie took everyone to the more dangerous side of the city. A current turf war between two lower demons who seemed to think they were hot shit was rolling through the streets, gunshots and screams could be heard all around. You opted out of the exercise, you knew far too many people on that side of town and didn’t want to be recognized. 

You returned to the hotel and went to the kitchen. You had your phone playing music softly, just on shuffle as you didn’t have any particular mood you wanted to listen to. Luckily, and thankfully, most musicians seemed to end up in Hell for one reason or another, which meant you still got to consume new genres and new songs as well as listen to some of your old favorites. Even some of your favorite artists who had long since past you now got to listen to new music that the people back on Earth alive wouldn’t ever hear until they died. 

You cooked a simple meal, a grilled cheese, as you didn’t have the energy for anything more than that. Grilled cheese has always been a comfort food of yours, especially when paired with tomato soup. Your favorite had been when your parents would cut the sandwich into different shapes when you were still just a child. Or when they’d make ramen noodles, the cheap fifty-cent packaged ramen, and would add food coloring to it to change the color of the noodles and broth, always called it something stupid like brains or guts. 

You smiled sadly, fondly, at the memories as you watched the cheese on the two pieces of bread, waiting for them to melt. Your hand reached for your phone and you turned down the music, eyes narrowing as you thought you had heard your name being called. You paused the music next, turned to face the entrance of the kitchen, and waited for a second. Quiet, everyone was still out. You were the only one in the hotel still.

You push play on the song once more, keeping the volume quiet as you focus back on the sandwich, placing the two pieces of bread together once the cheese has melted to perfection. Again, your head snapped towards the kitchen doorway as you once more thought you heard your name, this time followed by footsteps rapidly approaching.

You turned the music off once more, grabbed the pan, and placed the grilled cheese onto a plate. You couldn’t help as your mind wandered to all the shitty horror movies you had watched while alive, it had been one of your favorite movie genres. The shittier the better in your opinion. You sat down at the island and took a bite out of the grilled cheese and gave a low humming noise in response. Not as perfect as the ones you used to make, but still good enough to get praise. 

A text appeared at the top of your phone as you scrolled and you smiled. You tapped on the text and responded. Finally, someone knew something or someone who knew more about the damned Radio demon. You asked for more information and turned the phone off as you felt the air shift. You reached over and grabbed another plate from the cabinet underneath the counter and placed it beside you. Then without a word, you placed your other half of your sandwich on the plate and offered it to the demon who now stood behind you.

Alastor didn’t say anything but you knew he was there. You took another bite out of your sandwich and motioned for him to take the plate, or to take the seat beside you. A moment passed, then another, and then the sound of the stool beside you being pulled out filled the silent air. He sat down next to you and looked over the sandwich with slight suspicion. 

“It’s not poison. I’m literally eating it right now.” You answered the unasked question and you glanced at him. He laughed twice, a dry laugh that you weren’t entirely certain was his actual laughter. He picked the half sandwich up and looked it over. 

“I am not a fan of liars.” He said, the radio filter covering his voice ever-present as he seemed to pull the crust off the sandwich. You watched, amused, as you didn’t think that the great Alastor would be one to be averse to crust on a sandwich. 

You wiped your mouth and grabbed up your now empty plate, your stomach only partly satiated for the time being, and placed it into the sink for it to be washed later. “I haven’t said a word to lie about.” You answered simply and turned to face Alastor. 

He hummed once. “Last night. Your clothes.” 

“Oh right, yeah I lied about that.” You shrugged, took a step toward the island, and leaned against it, resting your head on your hand as you watched the other closely. “And?”

“You were out much later than what it should’ve taken to pack a bag as small as the one you brought.” He finally took a bite out of the now-cooling sandwich and you grunted. It would’ve been better if he had eaten the sandwich when it was still warm.

You nodded, not denying the fact as you watched him for a moment before looking away. “You’re right. I got distracted. Really that simple, but not exactly a good first impression.” Make yourself seem unimportant and useless, and then the Radio demon won’t be interested in you any longer. Make him believe that you were a nobody, and even he wouldn’t be able to stop your plans. 

Step one was already complete thanks to the help of Velvette. Start breaking the rift, the cracks in the relationships that held the Overlords together. It was weak already, barely holding on by a thread, all it needed was a few more hits and down it would crash.

For a split second, it looked like Alastor was going to ask another question but he stayed silent. He finished the half of the sandwich you gave him and threw the crust away, placing the plate on top of yours inside the sink. “I am sure today was a much better first impression with everyone then.” 

You nod and stretch, hearing the front doors of the hotel open and the voices of everyone returning filling the otherwise silent hotel. “Oh absolutely. I just cannot wait to see where this all goes.” You said and you couldn’t help the second meaning slipping in with your words, that you knew Alastor picked up on by the twitch of his ears. You give a single nod and quickly make your way out of the kitchen to meet back up with everyone to see how the rest of the day had gone, leaving Alastor alone in the kitchen.

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A/N: Hey! I would first like to say thank you to everyone who's read the fic so far! I am so glad y'all are enjoying it! You have no idea how excited and happy I am to see y'all excited and happy LMAO. Secondly, because I'm silly and goofy and love making playlist, I went ahead and made a playlist for this! It's liked just down below if anyone of ya wanna listen!

tags: @luleck @rl800 @literalzxmbie

[nerdestiwrites]

predator and prey chapter five (hazbin hotel reader insert)

It was around two in the morning when Velvette finally made it around to your apartment. The time between her arrival and your return from the hotel allowed you to pack some of your items up into a small duffle bag, clothes, a couple of mementos that included a framed picture of you and Velvette, as well as a few items you may have stolen from people so they’d come asking for them back. 

The Social Media Overlord didn’t knock, she didn’t need to as you had given her a key to your apartment. She walked in, her eyes focused on her phone, an annoyed look plastered on her face as she grumbled and cursed. She let herself fall on your couch, her legs kicking up and stretching out the entire thing as the phone slipped from her hands, landing on the floor just near her.

“That fucker Vox is making me go to this stupid meeting alone. I didn’t even want to go in the first place!” She sighed as her eyes drifted across the room to look at you, her nose turning up slightly at your choice of outfit. In an instant, it was changed to something that was trending at the moment. 

That was usual behavior from the other demon that it didn’t even phase you any longer. At least now Velvette stuck to closer to your style rather than changing it completely, and you weren’t one to say no to an upgrade to clothes. The benefit of not having any sentimental value added to anything you wore since those items were all back on Earth that you’d never see again. 

“Speaking of which, you still haven’t explained how you know about the meeting.” She pointed out to you and you snickered. 

You stood from the loveseat you had been sitting in lazily scrolling through your phone until she arrived and grabbed the bag that you had sat on the coffee table. “This meeting between us isn’t about how I know. It’s about how I can help you in the meeting.” You began and walked over, Velvette moving her legs up closer toward her so you could take a seat on the couch next to her. Your words caught her attention and she stared at you with interest and looked at the bag with curiosity. 

“The most recent extermination brought up something rather… interesting I’ll say. Got word of it and had to investigate it. That’s when I stumbled upon this.” You held the bag up, not allowing the Overlord to take it just yet. No, you needed those simple but very powerful words to come from her mouth first. Then you’d let her have the bag and what it contained to do with what she pleased. You knew she’d take it to the meeting, you were banking on it. 

Velvette stared at the bag, you could see her mind working, trying to figure out if she could determine what was inside that was so important that you’d bring up the Overlord meeting that was happening tomorrow. Making a deal was always stupid, she knew that, but it wasn’t her soul you were asking for, it was a favor, and you two were friends, so how bad of a favor could it be? “A favor-” She started off, reaching for the bag.

“A simple favor, to be repaid whenever I wish.” You finished and held the bag away and your free hand out for her to shake, giving a perfectly innocent smile. 

“Yes, I’ve heard your pitch to a few of Val and Vox’s employees.” She huffed. It was the curiosity of the unknown that seemed to be really pulling at her. Something that came up during an extermination. Her hand met yours and you two shook, the deal being sealed, the power exchanged shaking the building your apartment was in. It wasn’t every day that an Overlord made a deal that wasn’t the Overlord making the deal.

The bag was exchanged and Velvette immediately brought out its contents, holding the angels head by the horns, eyes widening in surprise and shock. She looked at the head, then at you, and then back to the head, blinking twice before placing it down on the coffee table, letting it lull to the side. “How the fuck do you have this? How did this even happen?”

“That’s what you’re going to have to ask at the meeting tomorrow. It was found in Carmillas domain.” You informed haphazardly as if the topic was no longer interesting to you. You leaned back on the couch and kicked your legs up onto the coffee table, your feet gently kicking the head to the side to move it out of your way. “I have my theories but nothing concrete yet.”

“And you’re not going to share?” She pouted at the realization that the head was the only thing that she would be getting out of the deal, nothing more. Your smile gave her the answer she already knew. “Bitch.”

You smirked and gave a small shrug before abruptly standing from your couch. You again held your hand out for the other to take, this time in a friendly manner, to help her off the couch as well. “Right! Well, always good to see you, I do have other things I’ve got on my plate at the moment so we’re gonna both be leaving the apartment.”

Velvette took your hand and pulled herself up, scooping her phone up off the floor in the process. The look of curiosity didn’t leave her face as she stared at you, eyes narrowed slightly at your words. “Other plans this late at night?” 

“Yup! Other plans not involving you, sorry.” You scooped the head up, placed it into the bag, and handed the bag back over to the Overlord who took it from you, now seeming slightly suspicious of you. That was the first time that look crossed her face, you realized, and it just caused you to smile and walk toward the door. You scooped up the duffle bag from beside the door and motioned for her to follow.

The two of you walked out of the apartment together, you gave Velvette a side hug before waving goodbye as you watched her enter a black car. You hummed once and turned, going back to the hotel to hopefully get at least some sleep that night. You were exhausted from the day and knew that you’d have a lot of pretending to do the next now that you were going to be staying with the Princess. 

When you returned to the hotel, you saw Charlie and Vaggie both returning to bed, looking like they had been awoken from sleep for one reason or another. You raised an eyebrow at them before giving a slight wave, shifting the bag on your shoulder. Vaggies look told you that she was shocked to see you actually returned but Charlie seemed more than ecstatic. “I’m really tired, so we can talk tomorrow!” You said quickly, stopping her from speaking up. 

Vaggie seemed relieved by your words and almost mouthed a thank you before pulling the princess down the hallway and around a corner. It was then that you realized you hadn’t ever been shown where your room had been set up like Charlie had told you it had, and you stood in the middle of the hallway slightly clueless for a moment. You furrowed your eyebrows as you started to walk down the hall in the opposite direction that the two had gone, figuring you could just crash in any empty room for the night and get your official room in the morning. 

However, before you managed to slip into one of the empty rooms, the door looked like it needed to be replaced because of the mold and slightly broken hinges, the static in the air shifted. You could see the outline of the Radio demon standing off to the side at the end of the hallway where you just came from, his head cocked to the side just slightly as he studied you, as if he was expecting to surprise you. When you didn’t react to his presence like he had been expecting, he took a step forward. “Hello dear! Charlie was hoping you’d return so she asked me to make sure you got to the correct room! Though I do have to say I am shocked to see you return so late, makes one wonder what you were doing all that time away.”

“Packing.” You said simply, not playing into his game as you held up your duffle bag, raising an eyebrow as if to challenge him. You took a step forward and smiled politely. “Thanks for showing me to my room.” You said as he turned and began to walk, not waiting to see if you would follow. 

It was a brief walk down the hallway, and Alastor stopped and pointed with his microphone to a door. It wasn’t falling off its hinges like the room you were going to choose, the paint was still chipping, however. You nodded, and opened the door, peering inside. Clean, the bed was made, and there were even two little pieces of mints on the pillow, causing you to smile and chuckle to yourself. You hadn’t been serious about the mints and yet there they were, waiting for you. 

“Do you often change into multiple different outfits a day or is it only an occurrence when you’re meeting different people?” Alastor asked offhandedly, taking you slightly by surprise. You had forgotten about Velvette changing your clothes, it hadn’t even crossed your mind how that might look to others. 

You hesitated, for just a moment before you answered. “You know how the streets of Hell can be. Messy, disgustingly so. Got something on me and didn’t want to have to walk in that. So I changed.” But your hesitancy was all Alastor seemed to know that you weren’t telling the truth.

He made a low noise, the radio frequency around his voice thickened for just a moment, the shadow behind him having his antlers extend for a second before everything returned back to normal. “How fascinating! Well, get some well-deserved rest, tomorrow is a very important day! First official day for two new residents of the hotel, I am sure Charlie will have a bunch of activities planned. You do not want to miss out!”

He left without another word, leaving you alone in your new room. You watched him turn and walk down the hall for a second before walking into the room. You took in a sharp breath, shook your head, and dropped your duffle bag. Your entire body felt tense and you hadn’t even realized it until he had left. You were exhausted. You wanted to sleep. You knew you weren’t getting much sleep that night, your mind raced with a million different thoughts.

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tags: @rl800 @luleck

[nerdestiwrites]

predator and prey chapter four (hazbin hotel reader insert)

The ringtone of your phone had you answering before it went on longer than two seconds, half expecting the sound of Velvettes laugh at your insistence on making a deal. Instead, you heard a voice you weren’t expecting. The voice of Francis. The man whom that demon had tried to save, only to condemn instead. 

“You fucking bitch ass fucker!” He shouted, clearly he wasn’t trying to keep his cover at the moment. 

“Oh hello Francis. Thought you could have someone else get you out of your deal, did you? Coward.” You said simply, finding yourself heading towards the hotel instead of the V tower, deciding you’d wait until you heard what Velvette had to say. “Upset to find yourself at the end of a chain and your soul belonging to me? I told you what would happen.”

“You can’t fucking do shit yourself! You’ve got no power so you have everyone else do everything!” Francis was angry, pissed, and it made you stop walking. 

The bag adjusted on your shoulder, a hand placed on it, your other hand shifting the phone in your hand. “I’m on Hells boulevard and Dantes street. I’m expecting to see you here in five minutes.”

“What? Why would I fucking come to you now?” His tone shifted from one of pure anger to confusion.

“Because I said so.” A chain appeared wrapped around the hand on top of the bag and you gave it a slight yank. “Or else.”

Silence on the other end of the line as a slight stumbling noise could be heard muffled as well as a string of curses to fill the silence quickly. The perks of no one knowing you, knowing who you truly were as a person, no one knowing exactly what you were doing, no one knowing what to expect when you were angry. So there was silence again for a brief moment after the cursing died down, and then a quiet affirmative and the line went dead. 

You stood, waiting on the corner of the street, hand still on the bag, protecting it, eyes focused on your phone as a text from Velvette appeared at the top.

Velvy: last time you said that it was for ice cream

Velvy: also how the hell did you know about the Overlord meeting

Velvy: meet tonight at your place?

You don’t give many details, a simple okay sent through, and a time for the middle of the night. You still wanted to head back to the hotel, get a room to stay in, and then have the excuse of needing to return to your apartment to grab some personal items. The princess wouldn't even question that, you knew that much. 

Francis is in front of you minutes later. You check the time and click your tongue, he was right on time and seemed to have been sprinting to make it. Your free hand reached up, grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him down to your level. “Let’s make one thing understood, I own your soul. You will not tell anyone about me. You will continue to spy on that moth freak, and if you get caught, you will be paying the consequences for it. You had the illusion of choice with the previous deal, now you don’t even get that.”

His eyes widened by the sudden movements of being dragged down and he tried to pull away, which only caused you to smile, sharp canines glinting in the light. “If you don’t, I’ll just kill you here and now and be done with it. You still have the freedom of living wherever you do, having free time, doing whatever else you do with your pathetic life, but you will listen to me.” 

Death, permanent death, even just the threat got the eyes of the demon widened even more. He put his hands up quickly and nodded, clearing his throat. “Right! Got it! Fuck!”

You released his shirt from your grasp pushed him back in the same motion and continued to walk forward, as if the entire conversation hadn’t happened. You didn’t look back but could hear the demon cursing under his breath. That caused you to snicker once, rolling your eyes, and continuing down the street.

You made your way back towards the Hazbin Hotel and walked in, eyes landing on the group sitting in the lobby-parlor as the princess had called it. You waved, smiled, and shifted. “Hey! I uh, did decide that maybe giving this a shot while I was out for a walk today… Going to have to go back to my apartment to grab some things but… I wanna stay here.”

The group turned to face you, Charlie bounding up from her spot on the floor and racing over quickly, practically squealing with excitement. “Oh my gosh yes!” She grabbed onto your hand and pulled you over to the others who were all still sitting on the floor. 

You could recognize Vaggie from your first investigation of the hotel, Husk seemed to still be standing behind the bar which made you wonder if he was allowed to leave the bar ever. There was a smaller demon with one large eye who stared up at you with complete interest. You waved to everyone and introduced yourself as you sat down on the floor near the couch. Sitting on the floor, or table, or another surface that wasn’t a chair had been a bad habit of yours while living. You could still hear your mother's voice as clear as day asking what you were doing just sitting in the middle of the kitchen, or on the dining room table, your two favorite spots to sit. 

Your gaze washes over everyone and stops on a certain demon lounged out across one of the other couches, a bottle of alcohol in one of his hands. Angel Dust. You hadn’t even officially met him, as you tried to keep your presence around the Vee tower to a minimum, but you had seen him entering and exiting, and you knew of his profession with Valentino. You could tell by the way he looked at you he didn’t recognize you in the slightest.

“This is Angel, and then Nifty, I told you about her when you were here last time, and here is Sir Pentious, our first official resident who’s interested in trying to be redeemed just like you are!” Charlie exclaimed as she smiled at the snake demon who seemed to stare at you with suspicion. 

You give an awkward toward Sir Pentious and nod along to the introductions, you had been hoping to have less time talking with people and more time figuring out your room situation. The sooner you had a room, the sooner you could return to your apartment and get the meeting with Velvette set up, and you definitely didn’t need anyone learning about that. 

Charlie clapped her hands together as she took her spot back down sitting next to Vaggie, crossing her legs underneath her as she did so, taking in a deep breath. “We were just going over some simple facts about ourselves to try and get to know one another better! Sir Pentious and Angel already went, so why don’t you go?”

You blinked a few times and rubbed the back of your head. A few simple facts about yourself, you felt like you were back in school and it was the first day, you hated these types of activities. “Right, uh, well, I died about a year ago, my favorite fruit are strawberries, and uh, I love to listen to music while doing tasks.” 

The princess clapped along with Vaggie, who only seemed to be doing so just to make the other happy. Sir Pentious started to clap soon after seeing Charlie doing so. You stayed silent and leaned back against the couch behind you, looking around the parlor once again, taking in everything for a second time. 

You wondered how many rooms there were in the hotel, with at max seven of them being occupied at the moment with the addition of Sir Pentious, eight now that you were going to be staying there for the foreseeable future. There was a bar and you were assuming that somewhere there had to be a kitchen, hopefully, a laundry mat, you didn’t want to carry your clothes up and down the hill leading into the city. If that was the case you’d end up just using a favor and having someone else do it for you. 

The conversation kept going, Charlie and Sir Pentious talking with one another about different qualities to work on so he would have a chance at getting redeemed. You half listened, your mind elsewhere as you felt the static in the air shift, just slightly. Enough that if you were alive, you’d say a storm was coming in. Then just as suddenly as the shift in the air, the front doors opened once again. 

“Alastor!” Charlie bounced up and motioned for the Radio demon forward, gesturing towards Sir Pentious and you. “We’ve had another person want to be redeemed!” 

She motioned over towards you and you stood, giving Alastor a small wave. He turned and looked you over once in silence, his ever present smile growing once as his head tilted to the side, his ears flickering in response. It felt like he was looking through you, studying your movements. 

You introduce yourself and put your hand out for him to shake. Alastor does so, shaking your hand twice. “It is a pleasure to see another poor unfortunate sinner wishing to try their hands at getting redeemed! I am Alastor, I’m sure you’ve heard of me?”

A nod is your response which earns a wider smile from the demon. You have heard of the Radio demon and the way he became an Overlord. You knew of what sort of power he held and what he could do if he so wanted. You wanted to know more about him, however. What made him tick, what his motivations were to start helping with the hotel in the first place, where he had been for the past seven years. 

His stare never left you. You were but a lowly demon with one soul to your name on paper. Anyone else wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but it seemed to intrigue Alastor enough that he made a low humming noise to fill the awkward silence you left in the air. “Well I am certain that Charlie here has done a wonderful job getting you settled in! I must take my leave however at this time, I do hope I see you around.” 

With that, Alastor seemed to disappear into the shadows. Charlie cleared her throat and brought everyone's attention back towards her, but you looked at your phone. “It’s actually getting late, I’m gonna go get my stuff from my apartment so I can set it up in my room here.” You stood and gave a smile towards Charlie.

She gave a nod in understanding, more than excited to see what kind of items you were planning on bringing back. You waved goodbye to everyone in the parlor and walked out of the hotel, heading down the hill back towards the city, taking in a sharp breath as you did so.

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tags: @luleck

[nerdestiwrites]

where we are (hazbin hotel reader insert)

I wrote most of this while drunk last night so if it's shit thats why LMAO

TW// deadly car crash,slightly detailed description of car crash, guilt, spiraling, 

It all had happened so fast, in a blink of an eye, a sneeze, before an ‘Oh fuck’ could even cross your mind. The rain had been coming down hard, it was dark, and of course, the street lights had been barely working. The other car had their lights turned off, they had been swerving. You might have seen them, if you hadn’t been laughing at a joke your brother had said. You might have seen them if your focus wasn’t on the song that had just turned on. You might have seen them if the rain wasn’t coming down as hard, if the street lights were working, if the road hadn’t come to a bend. You might’ve been able to swerve out of the way, might have been able to break, might have been able to maneuver the car just the right way, a dozen might haves… 

It all had happened so fast and now you were waking up with a gasp for air, like it was the last one you might take. You could hear distant fighting, shouting, gun shots. It wasn’t raining anymore, you weren’t in a car anymore, the worst part was that you were alone. Your eyes darted around quickly, standing and looking around. The dark red sky was one thing to signal you weren’t awake, or maybe even alive. Then your heart stopped, your stomach dropped, and you stumbled forwards as the memory of your death came crashing down around you, literally.

The car had hit the drivers side, your side, and sent your car spinning. The water on the road caused both cars to hydroplane, and the car hit again, in the back passengers side, and nearly flipped the car upside down. The glass shattered, the radio still blaring, the rain hitting the broken dashboard, the blood, then nothing. Blackness. Then, this. What was around you. You weren’t sure if you were dreaming or not. If this was the afterlife or not. All you knew was you needed to wake up, you needed to go back, to wake up, to go back. That was the only thought other than was he okay? Was he still alive, was he hurt, you needed to get back to him. You were supposed to protect him, to keep him safe, and you failed.

You stumbled forwards, nails digging into your palms as you took in deep breaths, trying to keep yourself from spiraling. If you were dead, if the crash killed you on impact, then you were in Hell. That had to be the only explanation. Or some form of Hell, whatever religion had it ‘right’ in the end. You didn’t even have time to try and figure out what you had done that warranted your soul to be sent downwards instead of up. You needed to make sure he was okay.

You looked up and down the dirty street, a car was on fire, there was someone just casually stabbing a corpse, people where fucking in a building next to you, the window wide open and you could practically smell them. You stumbled away from the window and grimaced, how the hell, or where in this case, were you supposed to find a way to get back up topside? Back to Earth? Even for just a moment? A minute? To make sure? Was that even possible? It had to be possible, it had to be, it had to be, it had to be. 

You promised, you promised, you promised. You promised to keep him safe, to make sure he’d always be safe, to be okay, at the bare minimum keep him alive. What kind of older sibling were you if you couldn’t even do that? You fucked up in the most catastrophic way and maybe that was the reason you were in Hell. The reason your soul was sent down. Because you failed to keep him safe. You got him killed. He wasn’t even supposed to be in the car. He wasn’t supposed to be with you. You had asked him to. Asked. Begged. You didn’t want to go to the store alone that late at night. You bribed him with buying him whatever he wanted, within reason, you weren’t a millionaire after all. You didn’t even need to go to the store. You just wanted to. You wanted to and you didn’t want to go alone. This was your fault. 

You jumped as you felt a hand on your shoulder and instinctively moved away by taking a step to the side, your head snapping towards the person, eyes wide. You had to look up to see the others face, his appearance giving a starch reminder of where you were, if you were dead, if this wasn’t a dream. Hell. This person was a demon, condemned for eternity, for sins you weren’t aware of. But you were in Hell too, you were condemned, just the same as he was, and maybe, maybe he wasn’t as bad as he could be. You studied the demon briefly, looking him up and down once, taking in the red suit, the long microphone staff he held, the smile that seemed to stretch too far that reminded you of the Joker, the bad hair cut, the way he looked at you like you were prey.

“You seemed troubled, dear!” His voice was distorted, like it was coming through an old antique radio, one that would’ve been considered trash about five years ago but now since it was trendy would be far too expensive for you to even imagine owning. The same thing had happened with records, and now any old good quality record player was only affordable for the rich. “Perhaps I can help?”

Every nerve in your body told you to run, your stomach had dropped and twisted, you felt ill just standing near the taller man-demon-whatever he was. Your body just wanted you to flee but he was offering help. The worst he could say is no, he couldn’t help your situation and you’d be stuck at square one. You were desperate, and that desperation was coming off you in waves. “I need to go back to Earth. Now. Or rather like, five minutes ago. I- I need to. I’ll do anything.” 

You put it out there instantly, how desperate you were. You currently didn’t care about logistics, about how this might end up with you completely screwed for the rest of eternity. You couldn’t care less, if you were honest with yourself. If this was Hell, if you were dead, there wasn’t a single thing that you could care about. The demon-man-thing could have you do almost anything at this point and you wouldn’t care. If he asked you to kill someone, could you die in Hell, well you saw that corpse and a demon-person-thing stabbing it, so surely you could die a second time, and that only brought up more questions-

“Anything?” The demons voice, still glitched and filtered through an old radio seemed to have been enhanced in that very way. His smile stretched further across his face, his head cocked to the side ever so slightly in interest as he took a step forwards towards you. 

You instinctively took a step backwards, just to keep distance between yourself and the stranger. You were both demons, you realized, if you were in Hell. Or maybe there was something else that defined a demon and you were just a poor unfortunate soul. Either way, you decided to keep the assumptions to a minimum until you learned more about what the fuck was going on. You cleared your throat and nodded in response. Anything. You’d do anything at this point. 

He again took a stride towards you, holding his free hand out, the microphone cane held behind his back as the smile on his face continued to grow. Antlers grew from his head, expanding and twisting in sharp turns. A dark green aura enveloped the both of you as he spoke, “I can give you two minutes back on Earth. Two minutes for your soul. I feel like that’s a fair trade!” 

Two minutes. Two minutes would be all you had to make sure your brother was alive and okay. Two minutes to try and make sure he got the help he needed, two minutes to help him, support him, tell him everything would be okay. Two minutes for your soul. Two minutes was more than enough time. You grabbed onto the strangers hand and shook it once, your face hardening in seriousness. “Deal.”

The green completely overtook you, nearly choking you before it dissipated and you felt the cold rain hit your skin. You weren’t in the car, no, you were standing next to the car. Smoke rose from crumpled hood, the driver side was nearly non existent, the door crushed into the seat, no wonder you had died on impact. It would’ve been impossible, a miracle if you hadn’t. There was no saving you, you knew that much. Your eyes darted to the passengers side. It looked better but not by a large margin. You called out your brothers name and rushed forwards, prying the passenger door off with a strength you didn’t even realize you had.

His head rolled to the side, blood was trickling down his forehead, his arm looked bent at an awful angle, but his chest was rising and falling. He was still breathing, he was alive, he had a chance. You swallow thickly and search through the broken car, pushing past the glass covered seats and grabbed onto your phone, your hands shaking. As you go to turn it on, it was the first time you saw yourself after death. Your refelction staring back at you clear as day in the black mirror. You no longer looked like yourself, a demon, a monster, stared back. 

Your brother groaned, quietly, and coughed, your fingers quickly dialing 911 and explaining the situation and the road you were on. Your voice was shaking, tears were streaming down your face, you were begging the responder to get there as soon as possible, to save your brother. They responder told you that an ambulance was on its way and to stay calm. 

Your brothers voice pierced your ears as you looked down at him. You give a shaky smile and knelt down, grabbing onto the hand that didn’t look like a mangled nest. “I don’t know where we are, but it’ll be okay. It’s going to be okay. Everything will be okay. I promise.” You told him, wiping the blood off his cheek and sniffling. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I know I’m not who you wanted me to be all the time, I wasn’t the best older sibling I could’ve been, I-I fucked up a lot, but it’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.” Your voice was shaking, breaking every other second, you felt like you were going to sob. But you couldn’t you had to be strong, for him, to make him feel safe. That was your job, to protect him, from everything. From yourself.

“Tell mom- tell mom I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry… Tell her not to blame herself, not to blame you. We both- fuck we both know you’ve always been the strongest one out of all of us. I’m so fucking sorry… You deserved so much better. Than to be strong. I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough. You… fuck… You don’t have to be strong all the time. You’re allowed to be weak and scared and sad and frustrated. I’m sorry.”

The sound of sirens in the distance filled your chest with hope and the sight of the flashing lights coming closer signaled that help had arrived. You stood up from beside the crashed car and waved your hands, calling out for the first responders, crying out for them to hurry, to get over there and save your brother, and just as a flashlight shone in your direction, you saw the green smoke start to overtake your body. Just as you heard the shouting from the first responders telling the others where the car was, you disappeared in the green smoke.

You were back, standing on the street with the burning car, the two demons fucking in the building behind you, with the tall red demon in front of you with the sinister smile across his face. “Well I sure do hope you spent those two minutes being productive!” 

You felt like he was mocking you, making fun of what you had just done, what you just went through. You felt like the tears that had dried on your face gave him amusement, that your misery was fun to him, and that gave you chills that ran down your spine. You wouldn’t give him the amusement of a reaction however. You knew how to suck up your emotions and break down when you were alone. You knew how to disguise your hurt, frustrations, anguish, by laughing and joking and brushing it off until you couldn’t anymore. And now you had all of eternity to perfect it.

“Oh, it was super productive, started a business, worked hard, had it become a billion dollar idea, made some bad investment choices, crashed the stock market, got married, regretted that, divorced, had a midlife crisis around a minute, went to the Bahamas and bought a sports car far too expensive for me to reasonably pay every month-” You went on rambling, having no intention on stopping any time soon. 

You wanted to see how long he would let you ramble, listing off more and more bizarre things, you were going to talk about trading the sports car in for an elephant but had been cut off as a chain appeared around your neck and you were tugged forwards. Your eyes widened slightly as your hands reached up to pull at the chain, uselessly it seemed, before you looked at the stranger. His ears twitched slightly with annoyance, you knew that much from the years of owning animals. It’s hard to hide emotions with ears and tails, easiest way to read an animal. His eyes were narrowed, but his smile remained the same. “Well worth your soul then!” The radio waves coming from his voice seemed to shake slightly. 

“Half a mint and a toothpick would’ve been worth my soul, hate to tell you that it wasn’t worth much. Definitely scammed you.” You say and wince, gasping out as the chain around your neck tightened and he pulled you forwards again, causing you to trip and fall onto the ground straight into a puddle of what smelt rancid. 

He stood over you, towering now that you were on the ground in front of him, and he looked down on you. You couldn’t see the expression on his face, it shadowed from how he stood, but you could feel the power radiating off of him. You swallowed hard once, your jaw clenched as you took in a sharp breath, immediately regretting it from the putrid smell of whatever puddle you laid in.

He took one step forward, his shoes inches away from your face. Instead of green smoke, shadows seemed to encase the both of you and when they disappeared, you were in a new location. Still on the floor, beneath the demon, he took a seat and rested the microphone cane against a console panel. “Welcome to Hell, darling! You’re about to learn who you made a deal with.”