“It was her bestfriend disguised as her killer - a traumatic betrayal that she’ll carry even in her grave.” Two high school students, sophomores engaged in intimate relations, stare at the girl’s laptop, gaping at the ending of the story they have binged for the last week. Lola opens her mouth, the promptly closes it, like a fish, really. Raúl blinks endlessly, shuts his eyes, then slowly opens them.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“That’s it? Nah - shit, bruh, that can’t be it-”

“Damn, son, I don’t fuck with these cliffhangers, moe, the fuck is going on-”

“Ay, yo, hol’ up a minute, I gotta take this.” A twenty-something-year-old woman stands from the bed, cutting her eyes at Raúl, who opens his mouth to complain. She doesn’t need to speak and tell him to shut up; her glare does all the talking. Briskly leaving the dorm room, heels clicking with each, poised step, she answers the phone the moment the door is closed and she feels alone enough to speak freely. ”¿Hola? Carlos, ¿qué quieres? Estoy en medio de una misión con Lola y Raúl y ahora no es un buen momento.” She huffs, running her freshly manicured nails through wavy, chocolate, stress-prone locks. Not this. Not now. “Ya te dije esto. Ya no trabajo en esos trabajos. Encuentra alguna otra puta perra. Estoy tratando de armar mi mierda. ¿Lo entiendes?”

“Angela? You alright?” Fuck. She whips her head around to find Lola standing in the hall, gentle hand resting against the doorframe. Her lips are pressed into a thin line, concern branded across her face. Angela resists the urge to cringe, to lash out, to break down; she promised herself that her little sister would never see her like this - never again. But Carlos is there, in her ear, like Mephistopheles, tempting her patience, tempting her emotions, tempting her-

Angela needs the money. Lola needs the money. This is the only way to get her through this expensive-ass, cash-thirsty boarding school. This is the only way to keep her from going back home.

”¿Asi que? ¿Ha cambiado de opinión?” Carlos almost sounds smug. Angela clenches her fist tighter around her phone, acrylics scratching at the screen. But, to her sister - her darling, innocent sister who is far too good for her own sake - she forces a smile and giggles, waving her hand in such a carefree manner that Lola grins right back at her.

“I’m fine, Lo. Just some bullshit from work. Don’t worry about it, sweetheart.”

“Good, because Rafa wants to talk about the fic. Could you believe that ending!” Lola throws her hands up, the most eloquent way to get her words out, still at a loss. “I mean, what the fuck man! I wasted a whole week, I coulda been doing that project for Lang-”

”‘Project?’” Angela quirks an eyebrow at Lola, who falters, swallowing thickly. She barks out an over-exaggerated laugh that is born from her diaphram and booms forth from her mouth. Though her defense mechanisms were more incriminating than helpful, Angela knows her sister well enough to know that the sudden guffaw is just a highly awkward don’t worry about it. “Lo, I’ve gotta go.”

The laughter dies down a little more rapid than Angela would have liked, and she grimaces at the crestfallen look on her sister’s face; at the way her back and shoulders collectively slump, defeated.

“Right. Well, you are working and everything now. These calls come with the territory, I guess. Shoulda peeped that...” Angela wants to pull her sister into a hug, wants to tell her that it’s alright, wants to scream and shout at her that what she’s doing is for her and that she needs to grow the hell up.

Angela, instead, like a good big sister, just leans forward, kisses Lola’s forehead, and takes a step backwards. “I’ll see you later,” she promises, and she means it.

When Lola looks back up, Angela’s already so far down the hall that she didn’t get the chance to sneak a peek at caller ID on the screen.

Thing is, it’s Carlos’s birthday and Angela has always thought that he acts like a child on “his day.” Typically, he hates it when people deny him what he wants, but his bitchiness only worsens when said people are supposed to be celebrating “him.” Cue Angela, his favorite person, his bread and butter, the candles on his cake that he’s just dying to blow out - here she is, on her knees, the entirety of Carlos’s length down her throat while he’s on the phone with Sanchez. Fucking Sanchez - the gutless bastard probably planned this call knowing what poor little Angela would be doing at the same time.

“Well I told Ramirez to bring his boys down to the Gold Bug tonight at around... 1700? 1800?” Carlos runs a hand through Angela’s hair (a hand that she almost leans into) before harshly fisting it, making her gag violently when he pulls her off of him. “Angel, what time did I say my meeting would be?”

“1800,” she spits out, wiping the taste of salt out of her mouth. Carlos merely chuckles and pats her cheek twice, but it feels more like he’s slapping her. Angela scowls up and him, but proceeds to lean in and finish off what she’s started, much to her generous tormentor’s pleasure.

“Yeah, Sanchez, 1800. I know, she is a good girl, isn’t she? Maybe if things go smoothly tonight with Ramirez’s people, I’ll let you have the night with-- HER!” Carlos’s eyes widen like saucers, pupils totally blown at a particularly hard suck accompanied with grazed teeth on Angela’s end. He stares down at her like she’s the most terrifying thing he’s ever encountered and Angela, smug, cuts her eyes up to his, smirking even though her mouth is full. She can hear Sanchez’s raspy, tobacco-smothered voice on the opposite line, asking if Carlos is alright, so the man does the most noble thing he can in this situation. “I’ll call you back. Urgent business came up.”

Carlos cuts the call in the midst of Sanchez’s rushed spluttering about payment finalizing, tosses his phone to the dark sheets doning his king sized mattress, firmly graps both sides of Angela’s head and proceeds to piston her until he’s spilling into her mouth. It doesn’t take long - she had been teasing him for the duration of his conversation with Sanchez. Angela pulls off of him violently, repulsed by the sudden stream bitter warmth shot onto her tongue and spits into a floor-side wastebin.

“What? Don’t act like you didn’t ask for that,” Carlos drawls, now zipping up his slacks accordingly and tucking in his shirt. He then snorts at the wrecked glare he receives from the woman curled up on his rug. “Spitting after oral sex is a sin, if you didn’t know that.”

“Boohoo, I’m going to burn in Hell. What’s new?”

“Aw,” Carlos swoons, crouching down to her height and ruffling her hair like one would a dog, “that’s so cute. You’re an adorable person, you know that?”

“Fuck you.”

“Later,” he promises, smiling fondly at the aggravation on her face when he says that. “I need to finish getting dressed though. I still have business to attend to this evening.”

“Why does it have to be during my shift,” she hisses, swatting his hand from her hair and turning so that she could open one of the small drawers in the oakwood desk, fishing out a pack of Camels. She keeps digging her hand through the drawer for another minute, something Carlos observes with light interest before she angrily slams it closed. “And where the hell is the lighter?”

“Lost it,” Carlos shrugs.

“Liar.”

“If you ask nicely, I’ll set it on fire.”

“That is one of the corniest things I have ever heard come out of your mouth.”

“That wasn’t an innuendo.” Then, deviously, he smirks and says, “say please.”

“Fuck. Off.” Carlos sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, frustration building in his stomach. For such an entertaining woman, she can be such a headache... He slides to a sit beside her, slinging an arm around her shoulders (it’s obvious that the action makes her feel uncomfortable when she tries to hide her grimace.)

“I decided to hold the talk during your shift,” he begins slowly, “because Sanchez has been overstepping his grounds. He needs to learn his place and know what does and does not belong to him.”

“I’m not your’s.”

“That stain on your arm says different.” So Angela shuts up, because he’s right, and that fills Carlos with pride for making his favorite person bend to him so effortlessly. “Although,” he sings, sending shivers racing down Angela’s spine, “I could always let it slide. He’s been a great subordinate for the last few months and I like to reward good behavior.” At that, his voice drops a few octaves and it’s when Carlos uses that tone that Angela is brought back to two years ago when it was just the two of them and he was her only chance at survival. Angela never wants to repeat those days.

“Please.” Carlos produces a small, red lighter from his pants pocket and hands it to her. Angela is eager to pull a cigarette from the box in her hand and set the tip aflame, bringing the cancer-stick to her lips. The smoke curls in her mouth in such a pleasing way that the taste of the man sitting beside her is drowned out; Angela sighs, content to the point where she hardly cringes at Carlos placing his own cig between his teeth, leaning over to her and pressing their tips together, igniting it.

“See? That wasn’t so hard,” Carlos snickers, quieter than usual. Angela’s unaccustomed to him being this gentle with her. She’s afraid that he’ll flip on her without warning and do something dreadful. He derives pleasure from her pain, after all. Then again... “I’m not going to try anything, if that’s what you’re thinking so hard about.”

“You know that’s exactly what I’m thinking about,” she deadpans, taking another, weighty drag. “Why not?”

In any other story, this would be where the villian admits to having feelings for the heroine, hoping that she joins him by his side and that they be equals married by minds, souls and hearts. “Eh, the suit’s too expensive to get blood and cum on.” This isn’t that kind of story apparently, Angela thinks with distaste. Carlos laughs at her irritation then kisses her forhead. “What? Don’t tell me you want me to hurt you.”

“I hate you.”

“I know.” He’s grinning at her like she’s some kind of joke and she wants nothing more than to dig her cigarette butt into the side of his neck and leave a blistering, ashy mark for the whole world to see. “You know what I’ve been thinking, Angel?”

“Amuse me.”

“If this deal goes well, let’s get married.” Now it’s Angela’s turn to laugh. Carlos looks genuinely confused. “What? We can fuck for a lifetime! Plus we’re so good for each other. We balance each other out, we finish each other’s sentences, we both want to see Sanchez get hit by a bus--”

“You must be delusional if you think I’d ever be your wife, you fucking psycho.”

“Oh, please, save the bedroom talk to after my meeting, sweetheart. I’ll make sure you eat your words, among other things.” Angela doesn’t say a word after that. Carlos rolls his eyes and stands up, finishing off what’s left of his cigarette as he does so then trashing it. Opening another drawer to his desk, he pulls out a small, scarlet-colored box and tosses it into Angela’s lap. “At least give it some consideration before I force you into it. You know that I don’t take no for an answer already, so why not get into the mindset of being a housewife. You’d never have to work again.” Carlos is now buttoning up a dark, black blazer with gold accents, having already shouldered it on and adjusted his cuff links. Angela just sits on the floor, too stunned to move, watching him wrap up his dress.

“You’re leaving so soon?” She asks, unsure as to where the question came from because since when does she care about what he does? “My shift doesn’t start for another hour.”

“Then you best start getting ready then. Shower’s free for your use,” he replies, nodding over at the attached bath on another side of the huge master bedroom of Carlos’s estate that costs more money than Angela can even dream of having. “And you already know that I have an extra uniform in the closet.”

“Yeah...” Angela swallows thickly. “In the back on the right.”

“Good girl.” Carlos adjusts his tie clip on last time in the mirror and Angela becomes hyperaware that it’s the white gold one she got him for his last birthday. She feels embarassed, then prideful, then... guilty. Did she forget everything he’s done to her? All of the suffering and depression she’s endured because of him? Why when he all of a sudden throws marraige in her face does she feel so vulnerable? “Angela,” he calls and her head shoots up in attention, like a bitch would to her master; his eyes are hard and his mouth is stiff. There are very few times where Carlos is capable of looking so serious and those times are only when he’s so quietly angry that he wants to rip someone’s head clean off their neck with his bare hands. “You know better than everyone that I don’t mistreat my belongings. If you’d just submit to me, you’d understand.” His voice is low, as if there are people all around them, watching them, so Angela matches his volume.

“Then why do you hurt me?”

“Because you have yet to realize that you are eternally mine.”

Angela stares at him for several, anxious moments, not moving. Finally, she releases the breath she had no idea she was holding when she nods in two, steady movements.

“I’ll... I’ll think about it,” she whispers. Carlos smiles at her and shakes his head, pocketing his hands.

“Cute,” he mutters, then raises his voice to its normal level. “That’s all I need.” Her gaze falls back down to her lap at the tiny box resting there. Her hands are trembling when they try to open it; the lid clamps closed once - twice, until she can see the object inside in all its glory.

Seated upright in a pillow of red is a rose gold engagement ring, real diamonds encrusting the band. At the ring’s center: a huge, glittering rock that nearly blinds Angela at first glance, held high by a cage the band encloses about its sides. It’s so magneficent that Angela wants to throw up. When she whips her head back up to demand why Carlos would leave such a priceless work of art to her, he’s gone. It takes everything in Angela’s power to keep from shattering it.

©SelfTitled, 2018

Art by: SelfTitled

#HeadsWillRoll #WhoIsCarlos #AngelaDelgado #CarlosElizondo #LolaDelgado

Big brother’s been sneakin’ out fo’ at least three weeks. Mammi say, “just let it be. He fidna be out with his friends.” I don’t buy it.

Couple years back in the day, the world agreed to stop fighting itself, jus’ fo’ a lil’ while, and get its shit together. All dem ol’ white men in their big houses and clean suits decide that the air be too hot, you know? The water’s too hot, too hot for the fish and them in the oceans. We talked ‘bout global warming ‘n’ shit like that at school; Mammi don’t believe in it ‘cuz she say humans can’t destroy God’s world... He make the world perfect jus’ for us an’ we can’t change that.

Big brother stopped believeing in God a lil’ while back, so I stop, too. Big brother’s smart. He get good grades. He probly be going to college an’ he gon’ be makin’ money to take care of me and Mammi, he say. Sometimes, I think that he dun’ know what he gon’ do. He dun’ know how he gon’ save us. He keep tryin’ n’ tryin’ til he figure shit out. That’s why I like my brother - he a fighter.

Mammi say that Daddy was a fighter, too - before The Man say that ain’t nobody can fight no more. Daddy was in the Marines, I think. He was on a boat or somethin’ like dat. When The Man say that he can’t be fightin’ dem “Radical Islamic Terrorists” no more, tho’, Daddy had to go ‘way. Dey “disappeared” him, brother say. Brother say I was too young to remember nothin’, but he say dat Mammi was cryin’ and cryin’ and cryin’... she cry fo’ a real long time, he say.

Big brother’s been sneakin’ out fo’ at least three weeks. So last night, I followed him.

There’s this place under the bridge where the dope dealers be meetin’. Mammi say dat one of the old presidents - Reagan, I think - used ta’ overnight big guns and drugs there so, like, the black and brown peoples can go n’ shoot each other up n’ shit. I think das crazy, cuz’ presidents’ supposed-ta be good to their country, but she and big brother say dat I don’t know nothin’, so I keep to myself.

I’ve gotta be quiet, cuz dere’s people who run ‘round tryna take yo’ money and I’ve gotta watch my back. Big brother, when he go out wid me and Mammi, be mean muggin’ any nigga dat step to him, dat say somethin’ bout Mammi’s ass, dat look at me like they starvin’, dat reach dey hands too far and dey get jumped in the alley. Big brother’s not that far from me, but it still dangerous cuz I ain’t s’possed to be out here by myself.

When I listen hard, I hear big brother and his friends talking. One’a them like, “Ay, yo, I tryna get it in after dis job tonight.”

“That should be the least of your concerns, dumbass.” That’s my brother. I hear a gun cock and my heart starts thumpin’ real fast because I ain’t never seen a gun before in rael life, jus’ in movies and on TV. Mammi would beat us black n blue if she ever saw on’na us wid one. “You need to fuckin’ focus, or else we’re all gonna die. I don’t need you to be on no dumb shit, De’Marco.”

“You need to calm the fuck down, shawty, we just tryna lighten the mood.”

“Yeah, man, cool off for a minute. I’ve got some weed on me if you wanna hit-”

“Hell yeah, I wanna hit. Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“Cuz you sittin’ here all nice and quiet, checkin’ inventory, makin’ sure we all strapped ‘n’ shit, why would I break your concentration? You look like you’s in your element, my nigga.”

“Yeah, well... I’m just tryna get home tonight. Lil’ sis 's gon' curk if she see me gone in the morning.”

“You ain’t got nothin to worry ‘bout. When we’re done here, we gon’ be set for life. Your Ma n’ them gon’ be taken care of good.”

“Ay, an’ I’mma go and take Toya out when we done, somewhere real nice- wid Lobster and crème brûlée n shit like that.”

“Boy, sit your bum-ass broke-ass the fuck down, you don’t even know what the hell some crème brûlée is, shit-dick.” And they’re laughing, because das funny, but I’m too confused to join them. Some more guns click, none of dem fire, and I’ve gotta hold my breath cuz I’m scared and excited and feelin’ too much all at once.

One of da gov'nent's big planes by flyin' 'bove our heads, and we know cuz they make this loud noise as dey chop through the night sky. Big brother hiss somethin' realy snake-like n' then I hear some shufflin'. I wait forever, holding my breath, afraid that it's on'na those people dat be comin' after us black folk. But there's nothin'. For a long time, there's nothin'.

I risk it. I take a peek, real slow, right 'round the bridge's leg. There's a shout, a quick one, a loud one, and the firing starts. I duck back behind the wall, slidin' all da way into the dirt, holding my head. I think I'm cryin', I think I'm screamin', I think I'm totally still, like a rock. There's all kinds of yellin' and firin' and it make my ears ring til dey hurt. But I stay quiet. I stay good a quiet the whole time and, even tho I don't believe in God no more, I pray to whoever is out dere list'n' to me dat my big brother, if anything, stay alive.

When I woke up this morning, the sky was red and everything hurt. I sat up slow, in pain - there was a through-and-through in my side, and I suddenly remembered everything that happened last night. There was a shoot out, between us and the Blues, and we didn't win because all my friends were splayed out somewhere on the ground, littered in bullets, shells sprawled lock pebbles in the dirt.

The walk home wasn't much of a walk and it took longer than I wanted it to be. I had to wrap my wound with a piece of De'Marco's shirt (the dumb bastard), but the pain only worsened after that. The streets were barren, but that's what happens after a fire fight. The books I read in school depicted the people to be lively and worried, a sea of white faces looking on at the ugly mess of black, brown and red at the center of it all. Those books lie. After the war, the city dies.

Mammi was cryin' real hard when I forced my way through the door. I asked her what time it was; she said it was nine. Tiny should've been up by now... I asked her where she was at. Mammi just cried harder and collasped to her knees and she looked so damn pathetic that I didn't move her. I stepped around her body and rushed up the stairs as fast as I could, heart pounding hard against my ribs.

Down the hall is my room and across from it is Tiny's. The door to her is covered in Migos posters and glitter and it's ajar. I drove my palm against it and it swung hard against the wall.

Tiny's bed was made up. The curtains were open to her window and it was open, letting in the only light in the room. The sun glowed unapologetically on Tiny's bed, on her bloody sheets, on her weak slip of bare body.

Tiny was there, asleep, head limp against her pink and gold pillows, breathing slow. Her stomach rose and fell more steady than it should've. Up... down.... up... down...

There was a note next to her lamp, on the nightstand. I didn't need to read it to know that she snuck out last night, or to know that she knew what I've been doing these last few weeks, or to know that she followed me last night and that she saw the murders. I didn't need to read it to know that the "winners" of our little "spat" "celebrated" accordingly after finding a screaming, panicked, disoriented, pretty seventeen year old girl hiding out in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I didn't need to read it to know that they kept me alive for a reason. I didn't need to read it to know that I'd have to disappear soon if I wanted to preserve what's left of my sister's life.

Name: Carlos Elizondo (which is fake af btw)

Sex: Male

Age: >300-something years old

Race/Ethnicity: Latino, Mexican (supposedly)

Family: James Burns (son), Sarah Madera (first “mate,” baby mama)

Religion: (“Carlos looks up from his phone and blinks, legitimate suprise on his face. ‘Religion?’ he asks slowly, the word leaving a gross taste in his mouth. Then he chuckles, shaking his head as he glances back down at the screen. ‘What the fuck is that?’”)

Profession: Drug dealer, Pimp, Kingpin (human trafficking), Property Owner, Stock Investor, Psychiatrist, Entrepeneur, Philantropist, etc.

Breed: Full-Bred

Mate: “Angela” (currently), “Sarah” (formerly)

Crown: “Wrath”

Apperance: Carlos is a devillishly handsome (haha I crack myself up) Latino man in his early thiries. He has quaft black hair and ombre eyes. He has no facial hair, but he has a strong neck and jaw line that makes him appear a little younger and more inviting. He is not totally built, but he does has a strong body stucture. His skin medium, a little darker than James. He is almost always dressed to the nines. He is tall.

Personality: Carlos is very possessive and he thinks that everything belongs to him. He is highly manipulative, a total psychopath, a misogynist, a cheat, a liar, a gambler, an alcoholic, egotistic, and he’s rude as fuck (but I love him anyway hahahaha im going to hell). He believes that humans are totally inferior to demons and that he can do whatever the hell he wants to them. He doesn’t have much of a filter and doesn’t care what people think of them. He has never loved anyone, only lust, nor can he sympathize/empathize with peoeple. He is very amused by the suffering of others. He can be very condescending to others, even unintentionally.

Abilities: As a demon, his abilities include shapeshifting, telepathy, telekinesis, shadow manip, satanic fire manip, elemental manip, shifting into his True Form, sprouting wings, dream manip, heightened senses, speed, and strength, cloning, teleportation, clairvoyance, blood manip, soul manipuolation and regeration/healing.

Relationships:

-w/ James: “As far as James wants to be human, Carlos cannot respect that at all and considers James an idiot for it, because humans are inferior to demons. However when it comes to James wanting to kill him, that gives him a sense of pride... like his son is finally growing up, that he can maybe take him seriously now... if James had embraced the dark side more Carlos would be more forgiving because he is his son... Carlos also has a strong sense of legacy, so if his son is on his side and wants to be destructive then kudos to him... but of course Carlos comes first, he needs to know if James is worthy of being a partner/successor whatever. As strange as it might sound, if James wants to kill him or they need to battle Carlos has a fatherly pride towards that. Like “yes come fight me like a man”, but in no way in his mind will Carlos lose... or will he spare James if it came down to it. He would probably use James if he could, but if James challenged him and Carlos could kill him... Carlos would” (Credit: SG)

-w/ Sarah: ”...he’s possessive, so he treats people like property... Sarah was the closest he probably ever came to “loving” someone. But in other words he looks at her as a trophy, a special thing, and I think that partly passes on to Angela because she looks so much like her... Sarah also challenged him in a way he found sexy or he deemed was worth his time, he enjoyed that chase, her mind and how she was. But at the end of the day in his mind and in his life, Carlos always comes first, no one comes before Carlos.” (Credit: SG)

-w/ Angela: “His other soft spot could be Angela... he doesn’t want to lose her. More as a trophy than as a lover” (Credit: SG)

-w/ Marion: Carlos finds Marion’s constant attempts at killing him amusing, because he knows that she’s weak mentally and emotionally and that’s easy to manipulate. He really doesn’t care for her other than that, though... it’s like when you watch a funny video of a dog doing something cute on YouTube; you think the dog is cute and funny, but that’s it. You really don’t care about anything after that. Carlos really wouldn’t care if Marion died or not, nor would he care if he’s the one to end her life.

Special Notes:

-Demons can take human form and fall under different factions of sin, but they can still change into monstrous, animalistic creatures when pushed to the limit

-Demons feast on Sins, although full-breds (like Carlos) are known to kill humans for souls. Because Carlos purposely surrounded himself with sinners of all kinds (James = Wrath; Angela = Wrath, Lust; Marion = Wrath, Pride, Greed, etc), he’s especially powerful

-Demons in this story are not just like how the Bible represents them (although the Devil is Beelzebub)

-Carlos is James’s father. He is not related at all to Angela

-Carlos can take many forms of humans (the bodies he takes being ones that belonged to humans he ate). His “main form” is just how he looked before his death

-Because Carlos is over 300 years old, he’s ammassed a large sum of money, so he’s filthy rich. He owns several homes across Latin America and the US. A lot of that money comes through murdering people for it, however the rest he makes it through human business contracts, investing in land, properties... and human trafficking

Name: Marion Jesper

Sex: Female

Age: 23-24

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual (though she responds as "I don't care.")

Race/Ethnicity: White, Danish

Family: Agnes Jesper (Younger sister, desceased)

Religion: Pagan

Profession: Linguist

Apperance: Petite (just barely average height for a woman her age) with long, blonde hair, green eyes that change shades in the light. Freckles on face, neck, shoulders, arms, back. Somewhat large chest for a woman her size. James and Angela both comment that she looks like "a little kid," much to her dismay.

Personality: Marion is a serious woman who hates being treated like a child and looked down on. She has a bit of a superiority complex. She doesn't bother with materital things because there's more to life than that. She prides herself on being a "worldly" and "well-versed" individual because she believes that people will take her seriously. On the low, she is very insecure of her abilities, though she talks big. She is still grieving her little sister's death.

Abilities: Witches can possess and learn multiple forms of magic, so they are not limited to one practice if talented enough. Marion, in "Turning Tables," introduces herself as a "powerful witch." I'm assuming that, given how she deals in demonas and can break/augment curses, she's a Kurse witch with Pyro, Time, Summoning, Potions and light healing abilities.

-Kurse: Marion an both break and elevate curses, such as how she augments Angela's Mark. Doing so, however, drains her greatly.

-Pyro: Wrath demons are especially flammable and, from what Marion thinks, Carlos is Wrath so...

-Time: Marion can see the future in quick visions or through careful meditation in which she can watch several different timelines (Good and Bad Ends) and judge the causes of each one.

-Healing: Not Marion's best form of magic, as she is still learning it. She can heal herself through incatations and bring basic organisms (plants, basically) back to life/have them grow healthier, but she does not know how to heal others without draining or harming herself.

Relationships:

-w/ Angela: Angela and Marion do not get along at first because Angela didn't trust her. Witches are discriminated against in the spn community because they were humans that chose to turn to the dark arts, something that Angela holds against Marion. As time goes by, however, Angela learns to trust Marion and the two of them become good friends.

-w/ James: James and Marion do not see eye-to-eye, despite their common goal. James’s bias towards witches and Marions’s against demons strengthens their disdain for each other. There are times, however, where they can get along quite well and relate to each other. (Possible romance?)

-w/ Carlos: Marion hates Carlos with everything in her because he murdered his sister... for fun. She wants nothing but to see him dead, but on her terms (which sparks much of the tension between her and James because they want to kill Carlos on their own)

-w/ Lola: Marion cares deeply for Lola because she reminds her so much of Agnes. She would be absolutely devastated if something happened to Lola's innocence or safety.

Special Notes:

-Marion panics at the sight of blood because of PTSD from her sister's death

-Marion is very powerful and can effortlessly draw raw power into her spells, but because she is still on the younger side and is mostly self-taught, she is not the best with quickly channeling her magic

-Marion is not the best at thinking under pressue

-Marion holds incredible bias against demons because of Carlos

-Marion can actually take a demon Familiar because she deals so closely with demonic magic, but she doesn't know how to on the spot (hint hint hint)

Name: James Burns

Sex: Male

Age: 22-23

Race/Ethnicity: Latino, Mexican-American

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual, Demisexual

Family: Sarah Madera (mother, human), Carlos Elizondo (father, demon), Angela Delgado (half-sister)

Religion: Catholic

Profession: Demon Hunter (for hire, for sport), Gun-For-Hire

Breed: Half-Bred Demon, Antichrist

Mate: Unknown

Crown: Wrath

Apperance: Tall, with dark brown hair and amber eyes; fair skin. Stubble on chin, which he believes makes him appear more intimidating/older, but it really doesn’t (which will be siad on multiple occassions by Angela, Marion, Carlos). Not incredibly built, though lean with a “long torso.” James has scars on his back, arms and chest from encounters with hostile demons and other unhinged supernatural creatures. When falling into his more demonic self, his teen and nails sharpen, he spouts a long, ink-like tail from his lower bach, his muscholes may buldge, his blood vessels darken and his eyes glow birght pink, hauntingly so.

Personality: “He has both human and demonic characteristics. He has a human’s compassion and ability to bond with others but also a dark side that’s ruthless and cruel. He hates how he is, so he resents his father, Carlos, for “creating” him and that’s why he wants to take revenge on him. He’s been mostly passing as a demon because demons can’t sense his human side, but humans can sense his demonic side and he generally feels like he doesn’t belong anywhere” (Credit: Vik_Blot) James is a relatively serious, vindictive person, however he tends to become rather dramatic when things constantly go wrong for him/don’t go his way. James can easily become hopeless, consumed by despair, during incredibly stressful situations. Marion describes him as a “theatrical” person while Angela says that he’s “fuckin’ extra, like a female.”

Abilities: Because James is a Half-Breed, he does not have all the abilities of a demon, but he can unlock them if driven to the limit. His magical abilities are shapeshifting, shadow manipulation, clairvoyance, summoning, blood manipulation and minor healing. As a demon hunter, the skills he aquired can also be magical; he can perform blood rituals for visions, summong rituals to summon demons and recite protection, basic potions, spells (speaking and translating), recognizing spn creatures for what they truly are and defense incantations from supernatural forces. James can also create Traps to catch demons and perform exorcisms. His more human abilities are weapon usage (I’m thinking he uses some kind of long-range firearm, like a rifle, and is equipped with a few, other smaller handguns, a bowie knife for close range contact (soaked in holy water) and other devices he uses for traps), stealth and self-defense.

Relationships:

-w/ Angela: At first, James felt very vulnerable around Angela, not accustomed humans as harsh and blunt as her. He felt that no matter what he did, she would always be irritated by him. The further their relationship escalates, however, he begins to stand up for himself, much to Angela’s disbelief and pleasure. They become good friends over the course of their revenge quest - romative, even, at times. However, upon the discovery that they are siblings, Angela’s regained coldnress leads James to becoming awkward around her, especially when she treats him how she would Lola.

-w/ Marion: James and Marion do not see eye-to-eye, despite their common goal. James’s bias towards witches and MArions’s against demons strengthens their disdain for each other. There are times, however, where they can get along quite well and relate to each other. (Possible romance?)

-w/ Carlos: James has daddy issues, to say the least.... IMPORTANT CHANGE: Carlos actually attempted to raise James when he was a child, but eventually abandoned him as a lost cause due to James’s morality. James hates his father for making him a monster and feels that killing him would improve his life and avenge his mother. Carlos, however, knows how to manipulate James into succumbing to his demonic instincts... much to the detriment of the revenge party.

-w/ Lola: James meets Lola one-on-one once and is baffled when she admits to him that she thinks he has “sad eyes.” Just like he is unaccustomed to how cruel Angela can be for a human, he is equally surprised by Lola’s high empathy. That both impressed and intimidates him because he feels like he could have been the same way if he grew up in a loving home like how she did.

Special Notes:

-Even though James is a Half-Breed, he cannot come into contact with holy water, fire, ashes, crosses, bibles - things of that nature

-James is having a really hard time not succombing to his demonic urges. He could always become full-bred if he starts feasting on human souls rather than their sins, but he doesn’t want to do that. What he doesn’t realize is that he’s just making himself more and more unhinged

-James is this younger brother of Angela - the two of them do not have the same father

-James, even though he’s a Half-Breed, is entitled to a mate. No clue who that will be yet or if that will even be considered relevent, but I’ll figure it out

-James is also Latino, but he was born in the United States, unlike Angela

-James and Angela have no they’re related until way later, so...

(This is both the canon and changed information about Angela, who you all have written so gloriously about over the last week. I will be posting character info and tagging the writers of the challenge who I've spoken to already so that they know what's up with the coming story)

Name: Angela Delgado

Sex: Female

Age: 23-24 years old

Race/Ethnicity: Latina, Puerto Rican

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

Family: Lola Delgado (sister, not by blood), Luis Delgado (father, not by blood), Unnamed father (human, by blood), Sarah Madera (mother, former Possessor), James Burns (half-brother)

Religion: Agnostic

Profession: Prostitute (formerly), Bartender (currently; bar is for wealthy, spn creatures of all backgrounds, but mostly demons, who are at the top of the food chain), Soon: Nurse (working on license)

Mate: Carlos Elizondo (or is he?)

Apperance: Angela is fairly tall, Puerto Rican. She is very attractive with a "big sister" appearance. Curvy figure; leggy. Deep, chocloate-colored eyes (with dark circles around them that she hides with makeup), chocolate-brown, wavy hair (shoulder length) - "stress-prone." Mark: looks like the crown of Lust, on the back of her hand that she says is a "birthmark." Scars on hips from both injections and self-harm from previous depression. Angela is Gemini, so she has a two-face tattoo on the back of her left shoulder.

Abilities: Pre!Marion: No noteworthy abilities, aside from being able to see Supernatural creatures for what they really are (baseline Possessor ability); bound to demon counterpart. Post!Marion: Can temporarily (cannot stress that enough) gain the abilities of the demon she is bound to, draining them in the process (shadow manip, minor elemental manip, telepathy, clairvoyance, summoning, blood manip, soul manip, augmented speed, strength, senses, satanic fire manip, etc).

Personality: Angela is an unusually cold and aloof person, which she demonstrates to everyone - including James after they find out they're related. She doesn't have the patience for games and likes straight-forward solutions. She is still a recovering opiod-addict and refrains from even prescriptions out of fear of relapse.

Relationships:

-w/ Lola: Ultimate older sister. Loves Lola unconditionall and would do anything to see her happy. She uses what little money from whatever odd jobs she works to pay for Lola's boarding school, not wanting her to be involved in any of the mess Angela is.

-w/ James: At first, Angela doesn't trust James nor does she even like him (she thinks he's a "whiny bitch"). But, as the two of them work together, they become closer (some could say romantic). When they find out that they are siblings, however, angela pulls back and reverts back to being cold and shelterd around him, although there are moments where she will openly express concern for his well-being, much like how she would with Lola.

-w/ Carlos: Angela hates Carlos with everything she has and would love to see him die (which amuses him greatly, because he knows how she feels about him. She's very vocal.) However, Carlos knows the most about Angela and all her baggage, so he knows how to manipulater her into doing something stupid and/or illegal or even into his bed. To an extent, Angela knows how to manipulate Carlos, too, to push his buttons or even set him off or get him to leave her alone or do something for her. Their dynamic is very unhealthy.

-w/ Marion: Angela barely trusts Marion and, until she finds out why the witch wants Carlos dead, openly berates her for practicing witchcraft (which is highly looked down on). They eventually grow to be good friends considering how alike they are and Marion becomes the only person other than Lola and Raul that Angela is kind to.

-w/ Raul: Angela has known raul for several years, so she has no problem with him dating Lola. She trusts him with her sister's life and is opnely knid to him (this is change dun dun DUNNNN)

Special Notes:

-Angela has no initial abilites pre!Marion except for being able to peep the spn

-Angela finds out that she is mated with a demon at 21, when she becomes addicted to drugs and really immerses herself in the spn world around her reality

-Carlos is in and out of angela's life, taking several different forms to manipulate her (pimp, dealer, psychiatrist, etc), but officially introduces himself to her when she starts working at the bar

-Angela is not half/quarter demon anymore (that was just too confusing, so I'm scrapping it). Angela's biological mother, Sarah, though marked, bad Angela with a human man that she loved. Later, Sarah and Carlos have James, where she dies. Before getting with Carlos, though, Sarah leaves Angela with her old friend, Luis Delgado, to take care of her - Angela believes that he is her biological father.

-Angela is highkey LATINA along with many of the other characters (except for Marion)

-Scrapping the bit about the hair that Angela keeps because it's confusing and Sarah wouldn't have blonde hair if she's Latina so...

When I was really little, I had a poster on the wall in front of my bed with different species of dinosaurs on it. It labeled each dinosaur, whether if they are herbivores, canivores or ominvores. It compared and constrasted the human-to-dinosaur height and weight ratio, among other things that I don’t remember about it. I also had a few dinosaur toys that I would play with taking baths in the apartment my mom and I stayed in when my parents first split up. They helped me cope with the change in environment and fed the little bit of curiousity I had, at the time, for science. The poster was trashed when I turned seven or eight. For a while after that, I stopped thinking about dinosaurs.

I remember that the triceratops was my favorite dinosaur (and it still is). For some reason, I found it’s horns and shape cute. They reminded me of my old bulldog, Bruiser, who passed away the summer before my freshman year of high school. Plus, I was thoroughly convinced that they couldn’t eat me if they were to magically come back to life because they eat plants, not meat.

Growing up, I was super religious and I have no clue why. My family (and Catholic school when I was six) encouraged Catholic-Baptist faith and, for a long time, I didn’t know anything outside of God and the Garden of Eden. When it came to things like dinosaur fossils and evolution, I didn’t understand how they fit into the bigger picture. I didn’t deny the existence of dinosaurs, because there was sufficient evidence that, at one point, they did walk the Earth. I was naive when I was little; I thought that the dinosaur-human situation was something like The Flinstones, not knowing any better.

When I turned nine, I started to really question my faith. I was still a devout believer, and no one could tell me otherwise that there was never a man named Jesus who was born from a virgin and Jehovah Himself (not even my Dad, who is a strict Atheist), but the world started to change for me in ways I had never seen before. I attended a private school in the Capital and had a science teacher who was gay. I had never met a gay man before and couldn’t wrap my head around the idea thtat two men could kiss each other and have kids. I wasn’t disgusted by homosexuality - my family just never talked to me about these things. I wish that they did today because I probably looked like an idiot from how confused I was, but I get why they didn’t. I was way too young to understand those things.

The dinosaur issue came back when I was ten and the country was very different. I went back to public school because my parents couldn't commute me back and forth every morning. I knew that “faggots burn in Hell” because my classmate told me so when I came out to her as lesbian (I was a very confused kid) and I knew what the Big Bang Theory was (first the show, then the actual theory). I’ve read the Bible and I interpreted it the way I saw fit; I watched a documentary that stated that, if the Universe kept a record of its history from the very start, then it could see the history of life on Earth only lasting seven days in comparison to the rest. In the Bible, God made the Earth and all life on it in seven days. That had to mean that the dinosaurs lasted for a day, however long God’s days first were before the Mayans and the Romans created calenders.

In middle school, things changed again and my problem with dinosaurs came back full swing. By that time, I gave up praying and I hated going to church (still do, not gonna lie. Mass is boring af.) My life was just too much of a mess (or, at least I thought it was a mess) to believe in a God that didn’t want to listen to me. My spat with sexuality ended and I decided that “I don’t care” when it comes to who I want to be with. There were bigger fish to fry than if I was going to be condemned to Hell because I like what I like and because I don’t appreciate “being neglected” by a benevolent God. Because of very persuasive and alt-Left classmates that I made in the eighth grade, who were really just disturbed fucks that I regret ever befriending, I threw up the middle finger to Jesus and decided right then and there that dinosuars existed before people, no God involved.

I’m seventeen now and a senior in high school. The dino-dilema that I have has faded out over time, because who cares what I or others believe? I think that the dinosaurs were creatures that evolved into birds, reptiles, anphibians and mammals. I think whales evolved from wolves. I think that I was probably a paleontologist in a past life and that’s why I thought dinosaurs were so cool as a kid. I think that Jesus is Middle Eastern and was kicking it with prostitutes of all sexualities. I think that, at the end of the day, I took the words of others too seriously and formed my own viewpoint too late.

The thing people find facisnating about dinosaurs, I think, isn’t the dinosaurs themselves, but the controversy behind their existence. I think that little bit of discorse is what drives normal, avergae people in to them. I can’t speak for the creators of Jurassic Park/World or paleontologists, but I’m pretty positive that I can say that the raging beliefs regarding evolution-versus-religion sparks the significant interest.

Either that, or it’s all because of Jurassic Park.

I won't tell her about the scars on my hips

because she doesn't need to know, see,

I can't risk it - that sunrise each morning

the one that reaches past her lips, chapped, rising from slumber

that goddess, my Inamorta.

If she knew about it, I think,

she'd be worried about me.

"do you wanna talk about it?"

and I'll just say no, because I don't -

I won't -

He's just a sad song with nothing to say

nothing to hear, nothing of substance;

I'll get a

"did you love him?" I can't lie

he was my lovesick (romeo)

and I was his (starstruck) juliet -

I know we could, if we tried,

I know we could have painted the sky in my bruises

in my tears

battered walls, student loans,

we could've been (beautiful)

I won't tell her about the scars on my hips,

I can't - I don't have the strength to make her

burst, like how I once did,

my god, my (Indra).

Isn't it lovely, all alone,

sometimes it comes back, sometimes he resurfaces

just to drown me, all over again,

"oh, what a man" (Asmodeus)

"you picked a good one" (Beelzebub)

"how do I make it out of here?"

I won't tell her about the scars on my hips,

it's too hard, okay -

her heart is like the moon,

it is pure, it is light -

I can't put it out, I can't, I can't

hurt her, I won't, I shouldn't, I -

"scared?"

yeah

she's lovely, she is

he's lovely, he was,

they're beautiful and

I survived. And I have her.

It's lovely, it is.

Or, at least I think this is what’s going on so far. Please fact check me in the comments if you’re following the challenge. I’ll also update this as the plot thickens (cuz smack someone just posted another part of the challenge and I’m like, “Damn, son”)

1) Angela (the “protagonist” so far) is chilling with her younger sister, Lola, and Lola’s boyfriend, Raul (can’type the accent, my goood he is my OC get it together); Lola and Raul are students at an expensive boarding school that is away from Lola’s home. Angela is in her twenties and works a “mysterious job” that Lola knows jack shit about. Lola and Raul are total geeks, reading a fanfic by @poeticpages (“blindfolded truth.” - check it out, y’all. It’s the real OG) Angela gets a call from Carlos and, begrudingly, has to leave Lola and Raul and head to work (the plot of “reality check.”)

(It’s kinda funny how the story is going so far, because Angela was actually supposed to be an ex-escort and Carlos is her pimp... BUT I LIKE THIS PLOTLINE BETTER LIKE HELL YEAH)

2) Okay, so the plotline diverges here because both @Writingthewords and @TaiSensei wrote deadass amazing entries, both of which you should check out. I think they come back together at one point when James Burns is introduced. In “The Encounter,” Carlos basically drags Angela into an alley and it stops there after Angela leaves the school. In “The Mark,” it explains the dynamic Angela has with Carlos and her family; basically, the women in Angela’s family are to eternally be born by male demons, or Incubbi (I think) then, when of age, they are seduced and impregnated by different males, continuing a long ass line of half-blooded women. The next in line is signified by a “mark” on their arm (is it the Mark of Cain? It kinda seems like the Mark of Cain.) Carlos is Angela’s “mate” and he mistreats her. It doesn’t say if Lola is apart of the line, so I’m assuming its only the first-born daughters who inherit the mark.

3) So I’m tired af atm so idk if I get the premise down right, but @Jfrogg75′s “Angel of Darkness” is saying that Angela is actually this super OP deity (I think Santa Muerte) and she’s like a minion to Carlos, who is still a demon in this; she constantly does his favors (some innappropriate). This changes, however, because it’s later said that Angela is something called a “Possessor” (details about what a Possessor is hasn’t totally been fleshed out yet, but I’m excited to see what people come up with!)

4) After “Angel of Darkness” though, it goes back to Angela getting jumped or whatever tf by Carlos (who can shapeshift into random ass, pasty-looking men lol) and he takes a lock of golden hair from this vial she carries around, which I think he uses to gain leverage over her (“Revelation,” by @Teesha). The hair that he’s taking from her, however, is shown to be fake and a very peculiar and eccentric demon hunter with a troubled past, named James Burns, leaves this card in Angela’s pocket during the drama (“Decisions,” by @doublejoywilson). This dude is highkey magical in a lot of ways (no particular practice is mentioned, so I’m assuming that he’s a jack of all trades or just born magical) and, after Angela trashes the card he leaves her, he just goes and outright follows her home, another card appearing in her pocket (I think so he can track her location). Apparently, James Burns wants revenge against Carlos for something unsaid. This is explained in an untitled entry by @InvisibleWriter.

(There’s another version of this, where the plot diverges again, called “The Curse” by @carissa7127. Nobody picked up after that, but if someone does, hit me up because I really like what she did there)

5) James Burn’s backstory is explained in “James Burns” by @Vik_Blot. He’s half-human, half-demon, much like Angela, and he still wants revenge against Carlos for making him the way he is. James also killed his mother at birth (because human women can’t handle giving birth to demons. It makes perfect sense). When reevaluating what he saw in the alley, James then hypothesises that Angela is a “Possessor”

6) Finally, in “A Meeting” by @kelli_rie, James and Angela meet each other because James kinda broke into her house (did he watch her change clothes? That’s some Twilight kind shit omg) and Angela, freaking out, puts all her personal business out there and James is like, “Uh-huh, okay, yeaaaaa” while he’s analyzing her. He admits to her that he wants revenge against Carlos, knowing that she wants him out of her own life. And, shockingly, they pull some Luke and Leia shit because the two of them are siblings (I guess Angela is the older sister?). Crazy, right?

7) Angela, in @EmberJoy’s “Turning Tables,” reflects on the conversation she had with Burns a few hours before. She seems to have denied his offer because she was convinced that associating herself with another demon would result in James later claiming her after Carlos dies. Angela then meets a witch named Marion who gives her the ability to kill Carlos in exchange for her mother’s hair. At first, Angela refuses, but later relents and allows Marion to cast a spell on her and sews the hair in with the mark on her hand/forearm, intensifying Angela’s Possessor abilities. The entry ends open endedly with Carlos coming for Angela and Angela ready to kill him.

8) Okay, so this is gotta be one of my favorite entries so far because @SG took the pimp-mentality I was going for and the sadistic bastard y’all made and turned it into something absolutely sinister. In “Carlos,” the ‘Carlos’ Angela was about to kill was an apperation made by the actual Carlos, who is watching everything unfold with her, James and Marion from the distance. Carlos is actually manipulating the three of them into coming together so he can do whatever tf evil schemes he has cooked up. This man is sick, like jfc, and the indirect incest is killing me holy shit. The only thing I’m confused about, and someone fact check me if you can, is if Angela is lowkey Carlos’s daughter, or if she’s the daughter of Sarah, Angela’s mother, and another man/demon. It’s still canon that James and Angela are siblings, though, both bore from Sarah.

This is all I have so far. I’m really enjoying the way the plotline is going, especially with everyone’s different writing styles coming together (it’s actually building up smoother than I thought it would). My plan is that, when this challenge is done, I’ll go back and fully flesh out Angela, Lola, Carlos and Raul. Highkey don’t know who exactly made James, but message me his info. I wanna go back and write out the story again, with everything together, so it makes slightly more sense and so it’s one, whole thing.

Edit: So the challenge is almost over, meaning that I'm going to flesh out the characters I've already made using a lot of the concepts people have added already. My only thing about the entries so far is I am hella confused about the dynamic with James-Angela-Carlos and whether they're all related through Carlos. If so, where would Lola (Angela's little sister) come in, who is essential to the plot because she is Angela's TLC. When I go to write the story, I want to add Lola adn Raul (or maybe kill Raul), but I've gotta flesh out whether she's related to Angela by blood or another relation. If anyone has suggestions, please hit me up.

#ProseChallengeLXXVII #WhoIsAngela #WhoIsJamesBurns #WHOTFISCARLOS