Fanfic / Tyrantly Ever After

Note that as a Continuation of Disgaea 4, this story naturally contains Late-Arrival Spoilers for the whole game, post-plot content and DLC included. Tread carefully.

The Hades Party may have triumphed, but Fenrich knows all too well that there's much more work to be done if he's going to see Lord Valvatorez taking his proper position above all and sundry. And while Artina considers the promise he made to her to have been fulfilled, Valvatorez feels differently, insisting that he hasn't managed to have shown her true despair just yet.

He also insists that his feelings for her are completely platonic. Besides, he and Fenrich have been Friends with Benefits for centuries, so clearly all matters of that sort have been resolved... right?

...Yeah, not so much. Valvatorez's own subconscious seems to disagree with his assessment, as he finds himself dreaming of Artina in ways that threaten the delicate balance they've achieved. Meanwhile, Artina grapples with a Crisis of Faith spurred by her experiences in Hades; is the Fear System really what's best for their world...? And Fenrich wants to get that damned promise taken care of once and for all so they can focus more on other, more important matters...

LoneSardine's Tyrantly Ever After picks up after the events of Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten, aiming to resolve the conflict between Valvatorez, Fenrich and Artina by developing them into a polyamorous relationship. Of course, that's much easier said than done; they all have a long way to go, and a lot to unravel first...

LoneSardine also wrote Wolf in the Streets, Sardine in the Sheets, an Alternate Universe spin on the world of Disgaea centered on Valvatorez running a rehabilitation home for his 'prinnies'.

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This fanfic contains examples of:

• Actually Pretty Funny:
  • When Artina cracks an abysmal pun in an effort to lighten the mood after her near-death experience, Fenrich snorts at the punchline, while Valvatorez just stares at her.
  • After learning more about the situation, Emizel comments that "Man, I am way too young and busy to have this dumped on me." Fenrich laughs in response.
• All of the Other Reindeer: The other prinnies gang up on Nemo, blaming him for causing their deaths in the first place and exploiting his desire to atone to strong-arm him into compliance.
• All Just a Dream: Fuka amends her delusions about her circumstance by insisting that she's just sleeping up in Heaven, since 'a sweet, innocent girl like [her]' would NEVER be sent to the Netherworld.
• Anguished Declaration of Love:
  • Artina's confession to Valvatorez about how his brush with death made her feel hews very close to one without speaking those particular words out loud; Fenrich clearly interprets it as such.
  • Played heartbreakingly straight later when Artina believes she's about to die at his hands and admits her feelings, though continuing to insist that their differing status means it was never possible.
• Armor-Piercing Response:
  • Artina's attempt to convince Nemo that he wasn't himself during his stint in villainy backfires; rather than arguing against his response, she tugs his cheek instead.
    Nemo: 'Myself?' I spent so many centuries like that, who's to say that's not the real me now...?
  • Artina hits Fenrich with one herself while questioning his motivations:
    Fenrich: ...You really think I don't care about my Lord, thief angel?
    Artina: I think you like the idea of Mr. Vampire, not the reality in front of you.
  • Fenrich squirms when Valvatorez casually points out that he's insulted him just as easily as he has their True Companions:
    Valvatorez: Everyone except myself is an idiot, are they?
    Fenrich: [smugly] I have never received any evidence to the contrary.
    Valvatorez: You've referred to me as 'moronic' at times even, as well.
    Fenrich: Ah. Well...
    Valvatorez: Only behind my back? Mostly.
• Armor-Piercing Question:
  • Hugo hits Artina with three in a row, after she asks him three questions of her own:
    Hugo: And the third... I feel I should be the one asking you that. Were you not one of God's most devoted servants as a human? Why are you now questioning a system you have previously had so much faith in?
    Artina: [freezes, silently stunned by the reminder]
    Hugo: Do you not have that faith anymore, Artina?
  • Emizel blindsides Fenrich with one after learning about how he's acting as a go-between for Valvatorez and Artina while things are awkward:
    Fenrich: Just while they avoid one another, until these matters are figured out.
    Emizel: How are they going to figure them out if they’re avoiding one another though?
• Awful Truth: Hugo reveals one to Artina about "The Grand Designs": Angels and demons cannot reincarnate as humans, and thusly have no chance to earn a place in Heaven. This information is normally kept from lower-ranked angels, but Hugo doesn't care for Celestia's rules.
• Bad Liar: Zig-Zagged; with Valvatorez, it really depends on the subject matter. Denying his feelings for Artina is tricky at the best of times, let alone with those pesky dreams coming into play. Yet he's able to tease Fenrich by claiming to find Hugo's beard and 'dad-bod' attractive.
• Barred from the Afterlife: In a sense. Under normal circumstances, demons and angels cannot reincarnate as humans, making it impossible for them to earn a way out of the Cycle of souls by entering Heaven.
• Borrowed Catchphrase:
  • Desco chirps "All is for Big Sis!", something Fenrich finds annoying and adorable at the same time.
  • While steeling herself for a difficult trial, Artina declares "It's my duty as a proud and noble angel!", causing Fenrich to snap at her about stealing one of Lord Val's phrases.
• Brought Down to Normal: In a Plot Parallel to Valvatorez's circumstances, Artina begins losing her angelic protection due to God turning away from her.
• Catapult Nightmare: Averted; when Fenrich dreams about losing Valvatorez, he doesn't so much as squirm or cry out. He simply snaps awake and lies there, temporarily paralyzed by the haunting imagery.
• Close-Call Haircut: Artina suffers one while robbing the Death's deposit hall, causing her to lose one of the golden hair bangles Flonne gave her. Doubles as Traumatic Haircut, as she's left questioning whether or not this means she's also lost God's favor and protection.
• Commonality Connection:
  • Aside from their mutual care for Valvatorez, Artina and Fenrich discover that they both come from large families; Artina's was large because Gustarkians were encouraged to have lots of children to compensate for the lives lost in the war, with the heavy implication that her father engaged in spousal abuse, while Fenrich had a lot of siblings sired by different fathers, with similarly dark implications.
  • In the author's notes for Chapter 5, Lone Sardine muses about the possibility of Artina and Valvatorez both being autistic, highlighting several traits and suggesting that this could have fueled his interest in her, had he sensed their similarities.
• Conditioned to Accept Horror: Artina was so used to the horrors of growing up in a war-torn country that she's completely taken aback when Flonne casually refers to her experiences as traumatizing.
• Cover Innocent Eyes and Ears: Fuka covers a protesting Desco's ears before asking for clarification about Val's comment that he trusts Fenrich "wholly, mentally and physically." (Emizel covers his own ears at the same time.)
• Crisis of Faith: Artina finds herself in the tricky position of questioning God's design after all her experiences in Hades, particularly when it comes to Fear the Great.
• Destination Defenestration: Happens to a prinny who suggests that Fenrich's screwing around with Artina behind his lord's back.
• Didn't Think This Through: Played With; before they put their plan into action, Fenrich points out to Artina that, in order for it to work, she must actually be in danger of dying at Valvatorez's hands. Artina goes silent at that, but affirms her dedication to the scheme.
• Don't Make Me Destroy You: Valvatorez pleads as much after hobbling Artina with a single swipe of his blade.
• Every Scar Has a Story: Fenrich has several scars from attempting to remove the magical tattoos that marked him as part of the lowest caste of werewolves.
• Exact Words:
  • Valvatorez defies Artina's attempt to invoke this; as far as he's concerned, the fact that she despaired over the danger he was in during their clash with Fear the Great does not count as HIM showing her the depths of despair.
  • Looking for potential loopholes, Fenrich has Artina recount precisely what both of them said, hoping to invoke this.
  • When Fenrich asks her outright what happens to angels when they die, Artina phrases her response very carefully.
  • Fenrich uses this to justify his decision to save Artina from his master's blade, citing Valvatorez's penchant for this. As he puts it, had she died, Valvatorez might have considered the promise to be unfulfilled on the basis that he hadn't drunk her blood after successfully scaring her.
• Famed In-Story: The events of Hour of Darkness are well known among the various netherworlds, though the tale is commonly treated by demons as proof that Love Hurts and is not worth the risk.
• Fluffy the Terrible: The Death who nearly lops off Artina's head is named Flaming Pancakes.
• Friends with Benefits: As far as Valvatorez is concerned, he and Fenrich are comrades who trust each other so much that they can sleep together without it leading to any messy emotional entanglements.
• The Gadfly: Valvatorez takes a turn as this when he joins in teasing Artina about potential crushes she might have been hiding from others. Followed by casually implying to Fenrich that he has a bit of a thing for Hugo, much to his steward's shock.
• Gone Horribly Right: In "Moonlit Blood", the schemers' plan goes so well that it's only derailed by Fenrich himself leaping in to shield Artina, taking the blade in her stead.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Emizel's mother was killed while protecting her son. Hugo notes that this is one of the reasons most demons abandon their children: to spare themselves the pain of either Outliving One's Offspring or potentially laying down their lives in hopes of protecting them.
• His Story Repeats Itself:
  • In the past, Artina suffered greatly for her efforts to ease the suffering of others, ultimately resulting in her death at the hands of her own countrymen. After helping the Hades Party, she finds herself wondering if God is angry at her for doing so, and if she's yet again being punished for following her morals.
  • Similarly, she worries that Nemo getting bullied by the other prinnies parallels his Dark and Troubled Past.
  • One of the final hurdles she faces is Celestia's hostile reaction to learning of her defection, intending to drag her back and punish her in much the same way she was previously treated by her own country. Valvatorez immediately recognizes the parallels and is utterly enfuriated.
• Honor Before Reason:
  • Zig-Zagged with Artina; while she's willing to resort to trickery and deceit in order to collect the debt Celestia insists its owed, she gets herself into serious trouble when she pauses in the middle of a robbery to count out the exact amount of HL required.
  • When she ends up with more money than she should have 'collected', she returns the excess to Hugo himself, who's naturally incredulous over her willingness to show her face after her exploits.
  • Upon discovering something she fears, Artina dutifully reports it to Fenrich, knowing full well that he will gladly use the information against her, in order to keep her promise to help figure out a way for Valvatorez to fulfill his promise. Even though this means convincing Valvatorez that she's a threat that must be eliminated.
• Hotter and Sexier: Valvatorez is very frank about the fact that he and Fenrich have been sleeping together for centuries. He also finds himself dreaming about having a more intimate relationship with Artina — something Fenrich very quickly learns about when Val has one while they're sharing his bed.
• Hourglass Plot: In the latter half of the story, Valvatorez begins regaining his power while Artina's continues to wane, courtesy of God revoking His favor from her.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy:
  • Artina declares as much upon learning that Valvatorez and Fenrich have been together for quite some time. Fuka immediately accuses her of having ulterior motives.
  • In "An Angel's Duty", this is part of why Artina and Nemo mutually agree to let each other go.
  • Artina takes this mentality so far that she is sincerely willing to die despite her fears in order to free Valvatorez from their promise.
• Insistent Terminology: Artina doesn't steal money; she collects upon the debts owed to Celestia. She also corrects Hugo that she didn't forge his signature, but cut one away from a piece of paperwork in his office and pasted it onto her document.
• Internal Reveal:
  • "A Demon's Affection" has several at once: Artina admits to Fenrich that she doesn't want to return to Celestia and that her powers are waning due to her losing faith in God and being unable to pray.
  • Fenrich confides in Emizel about his situation; in return, Emizel reveals that his dad is dating Fuka's dad.
  • "Respite, and Resume" features Flonne, Valvatorez and Fenrich learning the same Awful Truth that Hugo previously revealed to Artina about how the cycle of reincarnation works for angels.
• Irony:
  • Hugo, despite being a demon with ample reasons to dislike the Angel of Avarice, offers her not just some of the answers that she's been denied, but comfort, empathy and understanding.
  • The Plan that Fenrich and Artina decide upon effectively means that they must work together to convince Valvatorez of something that Fenrich has long believed: that she's a threat to their plans that must be eliminated. Yet despite being handed something he's long wanted on a silver platter, he takes little pleasure in the details.
  • After The Plan is executed, Valvatorez muses on the irony of how his former powers are returning, yet he still lacks the ability to control his feelings and dreams.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Artina gets a taste of this in "The Certainty of Death and Taxes". After encouraging Hugo to open up about his late wife, she then uses that information and a stolen signature to try and collect upon his 'debt' to Celestia. This leads to her Close-Call Haircut and further questioning whether her God is still watching over her, or if she's lost His favor.
• Like Father, Like Son: While discussing the matter of settling Hugo's debt to Celestia, Artina picks up on several traits he shares with his son, such as a smirk that seems more boyish than Emizel's.
• Loophole Abuse:
  • Artina tried to declare that Val's promise to her was fulfilled by the terror she felt at his apparent demise; Valvatorez is having none of it.
  • Relationships between angels and demons are strictly forbidden, even if they're 'only' friends. Artina claims that this is why she calls Val 'my Mr. Vampire'; supposedly the Insistent Terminology makes it okay. ...Somehow. (Even Valvatorez seems dubious about that.)
• Love Hurts: Demons generally believe this; Hugo outlines to Artina how this has led to many residents of the Netherworlds doing their best to avoid getting attached in such fashions, mocking anyone who tries.
• Loving a Shadow:
  • Artina suggests this is one of Fenrich's biggest problems: that he doesn't love Valatorez so much as he loves what he believes he could become.
  • Over time, she comes to realize that both Valvatorez and Nemo have feelings for the idealized version of her that exists in their respective heads, struggling to accept her as she is, flaws and all.
• Mistaken for Cheating: One of the prinnies notices that Fenrich has been visiting Artina's quarters frequently and approvingly comments on how he's "Two-timing your boyfriend with his girlfriend." Fenrich handles this about the way you'd expect.
• Morphic Resonance: Discussed; strong spirits can distort their prinny hides enough to retain familiar characteristics like Nemo's beard, eyes and voice.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Flonne gets hit by a double dose of this when she inadvertently blows Artina's cover and learns that making her an angel permanently barred her from Heaven.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
  • Flonne only meant well when she nominated Artina to become an angel. She had no idea that in doing so, she accidentally ensured that she could never ascend to Heaven, due to the angels' reincarnation cycle preventing any of them from becoming human and potentially escaping the Cycle of souls.
  • Much later, she manages to do this again by chatting with her flowers about Artina while watering them, allowing one of her neighbors to overhear and report what she heard to their superiors.
• No Endor Holocaust: Averted; despite the Hades Party's triumph, there were considerable casualties in the human world, leading to a sudden influx of prinnies straining the system. Artina is deeply sobered upon seeing this.
• "Not So Different" Remark:
  • Artina observes that both she and Fenrich don't scare easily or show much in the way of fear, much to his displeasure.
  • On a darker note, the two discover that they come from somewhat similar backgrounds, in that both of their families were large for less than pleasant reasons.
  • Played for Laughs when Artina remarks to Hugo that demons can be interested in non-demons, when Fuka's father shows up at the President's office for their date.
  • Artina eventually comes to realize that she placed Flonne on a pedestal, idolizing her in much the same way that she was idealized by others... and how Fenrich idealized Valvatorez.
• Oblivious to Love: Valvatorez seems to be more oblivious/in denial about his own feelings, but at the same time acts very confident about the notion that neither Artina or Fenrich cares about him in that way, despite... well, everything.
• Passive-Aggressive Kombat: Artina frequently finds herself engaged in this, such as when she discusses the matter of Hugo's supposed debt to Celestia with him.
• Plot Parallel:
  • The Trio of Gordon, Kurtis and Jennifer is compared to Valvatorez, Fenrich and Artina. Kurtis is less than thrilled to be compared to the werewolf.
  • Kurtis has realized that, due to how the prinny reincarnation system works, he will never be able to reunite with his family, and must remain a prinny indefinitely if he wishes to hold onto his memories and identity. This parallels how Artina has realized that being an angel ironically bars her from heaven.
• Prayer Is a Last Resort: In the past, Fenrich prayed out of the hope that the supposedly benevolent God would offer him some form of aid despite his being a demon. God never answered, cementing his belief that the only one he could rely upon was himself.
• The Promise: Given how often making these has caused his master considerable problems, Fenrich entreats him to consider taking more time before giving his oath. Valvatorez immediately struggles with figuring out how to phrase his agreement without instantly breaking it.
• Psychological Projection: Kurtis suggests this is why Flonne assumed that he, a 29-year-old EDF soldier, fell in Love at First Sight with her; she'd developed an instant crush and immediately projected those feelings onto him. Flonne's flustered reaction doesn't clear up whether or not his theory has any merit to it.
• Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Discussed; Artina and Fenrich are quick to agree that they can't exploit the only fear she can think of since it's connected to this, and Valvatorez would never consider such a vile act.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Fenrich hits Artina with a blistering one about how, by her own admission/claim, she didn't spare any thoughts to Valvatorez in the four hundred years that passed before their reunion, while the vampire honored his vow despite how it hindered him.
• Relationship Reveal: In hopes of shutting down Fuka's nagging for good, Valvatorez reveals to her, Artina, Emizel and Desco that he and Fenrich have been Friends with Benefits for centuries.
• Sadistic Choice: Fenrich and Artina's plan to fulfill The Promise involves forcing Valvatorez to face one, turning his own nature against him: setting him up so that the only way to honor his pledge to Fenrich is to prevent Artina from reporting back to her superiors at any cost.
• Shipper on Deck: Played for Laughs and Deconstructed; Fuka's more concerned with getting the 'payoff' of Valvatorez officially hooking up with somebody, to the point where she's disappointed to learn he and Fenrich already had private arrangements. Artina calls her out on having such an entitled view towards their personal relationships.
• Taking the Bullet: Used for a Wham Shot when Fenrich derails his own plan by leaping in and taking his master's blade to protect Artina.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Fenrich stresses to Artina that the only reason he's willing to work with her is to see the promise his lord made to her fulfilled.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Discussed; Flonne suggests that everyone sincerely believes that they are doing what's right, even people like Master Vulcanus.
• Wham Line:
  • Artina is caught completely flat-footed when Flonne casually reveals to her that 99% of all the Netherworlds don't use the Fear Energy system; Hades is one of the last.
  • In "The Grand Designs", Hugo explains to Artina how the reincarnation cycle works. Including a little detail that is kept from younger angels like her: under normal circumstances, neither angels or devils can reincarnate as humans, barring them from having any chance of escaping the cycle and going to Heaven.
  • Played for Laughs in "A Demon's Affection" when Dr. Kazumatsuri casually remarks that Artina's making his date with Hugo sound so formal by calling it a 'meeting'.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are:
  • Flonne and Artina wind up giving each other this sort of pep talk while reflecting upon how their first experiences dealing with different Netherworlds reflect and parallel each other.
  • Happens again when Artina confides in her about her struggles and Fenrich's offer to officially join Valvatorez's supporters. Flonne reassures and comforts her.
• Younger Than They Look: Played With; Hugo comments on how he keeps forgetting that Artina has only been an angel for around 400 years — which, for angels and devils alike, isn't very long at all.

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