#Good and Evil The Cosmic Perspective

[radioluminescentoblivion]

I think that should be everything today. But I’ll leave you with one more draw before I fuck off. 

[rogue-rook]

imagine you have almost unlimited magical powers and live in a post-scarcity utopia with flying cars and teleportation and supposedly no illness or violence but that is slowly rotting over the course of a century because an entity of cosmic evil which no one knew existed before is corrupting people into doing theft and hatecrimes on each other for the first time ever so you decide to get yours while the getting is good so you swear allegiance to the cosmic horror corrupting your society but then you accidentally get trapped outside of reality in the pit of all evil and now that guy you were having fun playing cat and mouse with has been dead for what they say is three thousand years and there's no bitcoin to embezzle or biomedical research to fuck with and you’re stuck with these short lived practically illiterate peasants who don't even know what electrons are, much less have running water or know who you, fantasy bin laden, are or are capable of so they don't know they're supposed to be afraid of you. that’s the last month from the forsakens' perspective.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I noticed that people keep saying that Kalim, Silver, and Rook, use light magic (which i know is because they are based on good guys), and the others use dark magic (because they are based on villains). I'm..confused on what exactly that means. It doesn't mean the magic the villain based characters use is evil, right? I'm asking because the story states that Azul's UM is seen as "taboo" so I at first thought that "taboo" magic was considered dark magic. You would've thought that something like Ruggie's or Jamil's UM would be considered "dark" or "taboo" but I feel like that's another can of worms. I just have some questions, and I'm not sure if there are canon answers, but I would love to know what you think. What exactly is considered dark magic? How do people learn to use light or dark magic? Are people who use this "dark magic" more likely to overblot?

“Light” and “dark” magic refer to the fandom-given (not official) classifications for the Null/Cosmic spells the playable versions of the boys produce. (Those are the grey colored spells!)

Kalim, Rook, and Silver are the only three characters that uses “light” (yellow) Null/Cosmic attacks in battle.

Everyone else uses “dark” (purple) Null/Cosmic attacks:

Again, these “light” and “dark” magic classifications come from Twst fandom and are not actually used or acknowledged in-universe or in official Twst materials. The fact that it’s the three “good” or “non-villainous” NRC characters that have light Null/Cosmic spells is also from fandom.

Another variant of this theory suggests that the so-called “Light Trio” enrolled at NRC in atypical ways, but this is only true for Kalim. He transferred into NRC a few months in and with financial help from his dad. Silver and Rook were enrolled via normal means as far as we know, although Rook did transfer dorms later.

So 😅 there technically is no official meaning for what “light” vs “dark” magic means. These are unofficial terms and only have meaning and relevance within fandom and its theories.

In-universe, light magic is not treated like something exclusive to Kalim, Silver, and/or Rook. It's a simple spell that the common mage can use. For example, Jamil uses magic to light the way in darkness, despite his Cosmic/Null affinity being the purple-colored/"darkness" magic in battles. There are also multiple instances of NRC students like Malleus and Ace making fireworks or achieving a similar effect using magic.

Magic in the Twst world is NOT classified into “good” or “bad” categories. Night Raven College (+ the other arcane academies), other institutions, and individuals do not teach or learn “good” and “bad” magic. Whether magic is “good” or “bad” depends largely on how it is used and the intent of the mage casting the spell. For example, positive/negative intent is what determines if bestowed magic is a “blessing” or a “curse”.

As examples, Idia and Malleus both reframe their perspective on their own magic. In book 6, Idia refers to the power to burn blot (passed down in his Shroud blood) as a “curse”. However, he later calls this power a “blessing”, as it allows him to endlessly cast magic, since his body basically burns it away instantaneously. Malleus, conversely, calls his immense magical power a “curse” that isolates him and forbids him from openly expressing emotions (otherwise this could change the weather and endanger people). Early in book 7, he uses his UM to grant his classmates a “blessing” in an effort to prevent his loved ones from leaving.

Leona does refer to Azul’s UM as “taboo”, though it’s not certain what aspect of the magic is “taboo”. If Leona means that it’s “taboo” to take away someone’s power or to suck out their power, then how come Ace’s UM—which allows him to swap magic with someone else—or Rollo’s actions with the fire lotuses are not labelled the same thing? Maybe this was careless wording on the part of the early main story writing.

In Malleus’s Dorm Uniform vignettes, he uses a spell typically cast on items to teleport his fellow dorm leaders to him. The others indicate that this is highly rude, as Malleus is treating them less like peers and more like objects.

This doesn’t appear to be the same as so-called “taboo” magic; the issue here is how the spell is used, not that the spell exists at all. It implies there is etiquette around spells and that some require consent so as to not be considered rude.

It’s strange to consider that apparently taking magic from someone else is considered “taboo”, but spells which involve control over others or removing an individual’s autonomy aren’t viewed that way. Instead, the most we get is the lore that mind manipulation takes a high degree of skill and magical ability.

The presentation makes it sound as though it’s an incredible feat to be in awe at, not something to be scorned or banned when… shouldn’t you very obviously regulate that in case it leads to mages with this power (few as they are) abusing it? This is especially odd given that the main story points out to us that Azul and Jamil’s UMs demand similar amounts of skills and power to pull off. What makes Azul’s magic “taboo” but Jamil’s not?

Transformation potions and magical medicines/potions are regulated by the government. I’m sure as to why it seems like “taboo” magic like Azul’s or potentially dangerous magic like Jamil’s or Ruggie’s are not also regulated. It really feels like they should be.

As for the impact on blot accumulation 💦 again, there is no true “light”/“dark” (good/bad) magic dichotomy in canon. Blot accumulation is based on the individual mage, their abilities, and their limits. It’s not based on whether their spells are arbitrarily labelled as “good” or “bad”. For example, Kalim’s UM allows him to summon a lot of water for only a little bit of magic. For another mage, it could take significantly more magic to summon the same amount of water. In this case, the other mage could accumulate more blot, regardless of their reasons for summoning that large amount of water.

I know that wad s lot of information, but I hope this all made sense ^^ Let me know if you would like any clarification!

[s-soulwriter]

Twist for your story

Ever wondered why a well-crafted twist is crucial in a story? It's like the element of surprise that keeps you engaged, challenges your expectations, and ultimately makes the narrative memorable. A great twist is the heart of intrigue in storytelling. Here are some you can use!

The Sentient Object: Twist: An ordinary object, like a book, a mirror, or a piece of jewelry, is revealed to be sentient and possesses its own consciousness. It becomes a key player in the story, guiding or manipulating the characters.

The Collective Memory: Twist: A group of characters, seemingly unrelated, share a mysterious collective memory or dream that connects them in unexpected ways. They must work together to decipher the meaning behind these shared experiences.

The Language of Magic: Twist: Magic in your world is governed by a unique language or code. As the story unfolds, characters discover that the language itself is sentient and can influence events and outcomes.

The Eldritch Revelation: Twist: Characters stumble upon ancient texts or artifacts that contain forbidden knowledge about cosmic horrors or eldritch beings. The revelation of this knowledge threatens their sanity and forces them to confront incomprehensible entities.

The Mythical Betrayal: Twist: A character believed to be a mythical hero or savior turns out to be the story's true villain, deceiving everyone around them. The actual hero must rise from obscurity to confront this unexpected antagonist.

The Reverse Time Travel: Twist: Instead of traveling to the past or future, characters unwittingly bring historical or future figures into their present. They must adapt to the challenges and paradoxes this brings, all while trying to return these displaced individuals.

The Living Ecosystem: Twist: The entire world or ecosystem of the story is revealed to be a living, interconnected entity, and the characters' actions have profound consequences on its well-being. They must make choices that protect or harm this sentient world.

The Forgotten Prophecy: Twist: Characters initially believe in a well-known prophecy, only to discover that the true prophecy has been hidden or forgotten, and its revelation drastically changes the course of their journey.

The Inverted Morality: Twist: A society where good is evil and evil is good is introduced, challenging characters' beliefs and forcing them to question their own moral compasses.

The Quantum Reality Shift: Twist: The story shifts between multiple parallel realities or dimensions, and characters must navigate the complexities of these shifting worlds to achieve their goals.

The Manipulative Reader: Twist: It is revealed that a character within the story has the ability to influence the actions and decisions of the other characters, essentially "writing" the story's plot from within.

The Protagonist Swap: Twist: Midway through the story, the perspective switches from the original protagonist to a secondary character, offering a fresh viewpoint and challenging readers' assumptions about the narrative's focus.

[starlight-tav]

I'm going fucking insane over Jayce & Viktor so I offer you an unhinged ramble about the butterfly and the narrative structure of their relationship. I apologize in advanced for being batshit.

So Viktor and Jayce's relationship is a chiastic structure. A chiasm is where the beginning and end of a story point to the middle of it, creating an X or ∞ (a chiasma is also a structure in genetics, if you've seen the word in science classes before.)

This means that the rise and fall of the narrative mirror each other (parallelism). There are many parallels in Jayce and Viktor's relationship, with one of the most overt being "Am I interrupting?" and one of the more covert examples being Viktor's belief in Jayce's dream to use science to bring access to the Arcane ("Our hextech dream") and Jayce's belief in Viktor leading them to shattering access to the Arcane web ("We finish this together.")

At the center of this narrative is death and resurrection (metamorphosis). The first season ends with Viktor's death, and the second begins with his resurrection, the literal center of the story.

Now, Arcane is about love in its entirety. All-encompassing, earth-shattering, life-giving, life-taking love. Love, which inspires our greatest evil and our greatest good, is something that changes us. Love which can lead to grief, can make us into our worst selves (consider the warmongering), but it can also make us into our kindest selves (consider Isha.)

Jayce's love for Viktor saves him but it also changes him. Twice. When Viktor dies, Jayce is unwilling to let him go and uses the hexcore to resurrect him. This transforms Viktor into the Herald.

When Jayce is forced into the alternate reality where he experiences the decline of his body and the struggle to climb from the depths to the surface (a narrative representation of empathy), he finally understands Viktor. This transformative understanding primes him to fulfill his promises to Viktor, past and future - to destroy the hexcore and stop the Arcane from bleeding out all over reality; to save Viktor.

The butterfly is a well-know symbol of transformation, so it's no accident that it follows Viktor and Jayce from the very beginning to the very end. But it isn't just a visual representation of love and its power, but a reminder of the very structure of their narrative.

Because Arcane is also about perspective - narratives. Silco and Vander show us how our shared experiences can yield different motivations, as do Jinx and Vi, and Ambessa and Mel too. Every single one of these characters is motivated by love, but their methods are opposing forces.

We see, time and time again, that those with the most power are those who control the narrative (power in Zaun creating a righteous rebellion vs power in Piltover creating a narrative of dangerous insurrection), and that power lacking empathy is corruptive (Cait and Ambessa forsaking empathy in favor of violently seizing control vs. Vi and Mel embodying empathy to save that which they love.)

At the center of all of this conflict is partnership. Failed partnerships, like Vander & Silco and redeeming partnerships, like Ekko & Jinx. Viktor and Jayce share a dream, and that dreams bleeds the Arcane, corrupting reality. But when they forsake their partnership (Jayce joining the council and Viktor leaving the lab), it nearly destroys everything.

When they lean into their affection, when they utilize empathy, when they let their love be transformative, they heal the Arcane and reality. In their final moments, they mirror each other, and as they're scattered into all timelines and all possibilities by the explosion they are transformed into something cosmic together. Their story ends as it began.

We know from the lifecycle of the butterfly, by the structure of the narrative, that beginnings and endings are not so finite. Love is both a constant ("in all timelines, in all possibilities") and an anomaly ("That which inspires us to our greatest good, is also the cause of our greatest evil".) It is the infinite, and the infinite is not a line with a beginning and an end, but a tangle of time and potential.

The chiastic structure of Jayce and Viktor's relationship is one that shows that love itself is the most powerful and transformative force in nature. It demonstrates that love doesn't just have the potential create or destroy but to do both at the same time; that reality isn't binary, but it is symmetrical. A butterfly was always a caterpillar and a caterpillar was always a butterfly; it experiences both, not one or the other (there's even a moment where it's neither and both all at once!)

Love is imperfect. People are imperfect. When Jayce is transformed in the depths of Zaun, he finally understands this. He carries this revelation to the height of Piltover where he finds Viktor waiting for him.

"There is no prize to perfection, only an end to pursuit."

If love were perfect it would stagnate, dreamless. Recognizing its power is seeing it for all its good and evil, and choosing it all the same.

"You were never broken, Viktor. There's beauty in imperfections. They made you who you are. An inseparable piece of everything I admired about you."

Viktor's transformation isn't from a broken man into the Herald, it's from a man believing himself unworthy of love to one knowing he is loved unconditionally. If love were perfect it would require perfection of us. But it isn't and it doesn't. Only Jayce can show Viktor this, because Jayce loves Viktor and Viktor loves Jayce.

"I thought I wanted to give magic to the world, but all I want is my partner back."

Think about Singed telling Viktor that "Love and legacy are the sacrifices we make for progress."

And Viktor responding, "Jayce will understand."

He did understand eventually, only he sacrifices progress and legacy for love and transformation. Love is not the opposite of progress, perfection is the opposite of progress. In a perfect world, there is no need to dream together. Jayce understands this. He shows Viktor this. And together they change.

I've always been bad at concluding paragraphs, but I hope my rambling has made sense up to the point. TLDR; the butterfly is a visual representation of Jayce and Viktor's narrative as one of love and transformation.

[tmwcs]

WARNINGS: This is written in Heethan’s y/n perspective, mentions of ritualistic killings, alternative universes, religious references (some accurate and some fictional), all heeleads, all y/n’s, references to SE7EN, MERMAIDS TALE, MGR/MRE/HHP, THE OTHERSIDE and DOUBLE TROUBLE (I would high suggest reading all these series before reading this), unprotected smut, angels and demons, angels are bad guys, devils are good guys, kidnapping, time and space travel, alternate characters, some cursing, grotesque language, sexual tension, some fluff, and some intermingling moments, (enough to give you some ideas 😏) images and smaus attached, cliche rescue mission, and I think that’s it.

A/N: this was just an idea that came to mind as I was listening to music. A fun read.

Turmoil stirs the middle of the sky, a collection of debris, dust, and smoke circulate within it. The strong current of gravitational force absorbs bits and pieces of man-made features, further expanding its reign of terror.

It was a force to be reckoned with, a whirlwind of evil spirits, angels, and demons combined, formulating an abomination that was neither Heaven, nor Hell. Two worlds of entities unite, all embracing the common ground that humans were a non-sensible creation by God. In their eyes, humans were nothing but livestock for the immortals.

The senior head of this ritualistic army had an idea—a new image for the aged world, where unearthly entities would herd and breed the human race…In preparation for the grand feast. With this process in place, the world would be controlled by themselves, gaining power to extend their influence through alternate space and time. All the parallel universes that were constantly being created, would become restricted, ceasing the expansion of human life.

“My followers…the time has come where we need to take back what is owed to us. WE have lurked in darkness far too long, feeding on the scraps of these scavengers…these HUMANS!” His head contained three faces, one centered and nestled in between the two disfigured profiles. Their mouths remained wide open, agasp with horror while the center focal features did all the talking, carrying all the range of emotions. “WE have been betrayed by both, God and the Devil…the two fathers who should have been nurturing us, ignored our caution instead. They turned their backs on us; made us starve as we craved for sustenance and glory…but no more! Today, we strike and take the blood of the most beloved, the one who carries the light of God, and the blood of Lucifer! This I pray…my demons of carnage, and angels of darkness…do not stop at just the one…take them all! Search through every vortex of this abysmal continent. Go above the universal horizon, far and wide through space and time, and gather your efforts— leave no part of the cosmic galaxy unturned. Raid the entire universes, all worlds, and bring me her adaptations. Bring forth every variation of her current soul, so that we may tear, grind, and feast on that delicate flesh…let us hit them where it hurts most…let us seek to make God cry, and break the heart of the Devil.”

The spawn of angels and demons scatter in mass multitudes, covering the entire sky while they surpass greater heights, surrounding their numbers across every comet and planet.

Finding you in this world was simple. Entirely too easy…

Like any other given day, you sat in class next to h/n, drafting the primary notes as your professor read the lecture aloud. The yelling of a fellow classmate startled the entire classroom, catching everyone off guard.

“What the fuck is that?!”

Everyone turned to view the scenery outside the window. The light blue sky grows dark, as the horizon blackened with a darkened hue. The foliage draping the tree branches suddenly shriveled and died off. The air around the building turned black; everyone became frantic and ignored the professor's false sense of composure. He tried his best but it was easy to see that he too was frightened and didn’t know how to handle the stirring frenzy that took place inside the room.

“What the Hell is going on?! Why did the sky get so dark all of a sudden?” H/n spoke out with tears glossing over her eyes as the girl sitting next to her called home. She hectically informs her mother of the unknowns that were happening outside the campus, all the while you barely spoke, or reacted as you overheard the girl's decree. The shock of it all stunned you; it wasn’t until your phone began buzzing that you came back to your senses.

The moment his own classmates sporadically spiraled out of control, Heeseung wasted no time in getting out. He had to get to you.

You were the first priority on his list. Ignoring his own safety, he bursts through the door— the only one brave enough to kick it wide open before sprinting towards the parking lot. Everyone whispered and spoke harshly as they watched the young man making his way over to you. God help anyone if something happens to you.

In an instant, everything turned upside down. You’re not sure what or how it happened, but it felt as if a group of hands were pulling you from side to side, pushing and tugging at the same time. Looking around, it seemed as if time was at a standstill. The entire class paused in mid motion, gravity lost its effect as students jumping out the window were stationed in mid air, unmoved. What was going on? Were you the only one that could move? The only one that wasn’t affected by this loss of motion? If so….did that mean that Heeseung…

……..

It occurred in a blink of an eye.

What the hell just happened? For a moment, Heeseung felt as if his heart had stopped beating. It happened during mid drive, when suddenly the roaring engine slurred, and the small bit of ash and debris in the air slowed until they froze in place. It wasn’t long before his own movements came to a pause, and before he knew it, he could no longer breathe. It was odd, despite not being able to take in air, the pressure from his chest was fine, almost as if he was holding his own breath.

It held on for two seconds before the distant sound of the engine grew louder and the tires resumed rotation, causing a sudden screeching noise to puncture his ears. What the fuck…!

The only thing that lingered on his mind was you. Shit…y/n! Hold on baby…

By the time he reached the building, merely two minutes after receiving your last text, you had already been taken.

Everyone stood wondering just the same as to what had occurred. They looked around and noticed nothing out of the ordinary, except when h/n pointed out your sudden absence. “Huh?…Anyone seen where y/n went? She was just right…here….”

Her voice subtly pauses as Heeseung silently walks through the double doors, with you nowhere in sight…his heart dropped to his stomach and a total sense of despair hit him. He wanted to die…he wanted to shake the earth to its core and kill off every bit of life that coated the surface. A state of hopelessness and emptiness fills him.

‘Y/n…’

…….

One by one, the entities visited alternate universes and found four more women, conjoining them as prisoners and leaving you all chained in a row. Brought forth, you all were all scanned with a morbid look of satisfaction as an alienated, metallic figure screeched through hundreds of jagged teeth, directing its elongated fingers to a specific direction. It was communicating with its more fleshy counterparts.

They marched you and the remaining maidens into a large bunker, nearly shoving you all down the uneasy steps. Once inside, a single light source allows you to take in the view of the abrupt companionship you were forced to confront.

‘Is…is this for real?’

The strangest phenomenon you ever witnessed. It was as if you were staring into a mirror, or a twin…several twin versions in fact.

These girls…they were…you. Some of them displayed subtle alterations of your appearance such as hair and eye color, even a small difference in age. But make no mistake, you pinched the skin on your arm as you confirmed that indeed, you were seeing yourself in various substitutions.

“I…don’t believe this…are you all….who are you?” One of the girls reflected aloud. Just as lost as you were, each one took a moment to observe the variations of…you.

A terrifying screech sounds off outside the bunker, similar to that of the metallic humanoid creature from earlier.

“What are those things?” The one who spoke, she looked and sounded exactly like you. It was such a surreal experience to see this happening in real time.

She looked more mature. With her sense of style and elegance, she encompassed the very essence of classy feminine virtue, a version that you always saw in yourself in the near future, when you were married and already graduated from college. Her hair and eye color were lighter than yours, but the structure of her face and body, the finer details of her expression and features were an exact match to your own.

“Does anyone know why we are here? What do those things want from us?” another variation of yourself spoke delicately.

Unlike the latter, who had hair that was fair and eyes that sparkled in chromes of light blue, this one had dark forest green hair, and feline eyes, which were both fierce and strikingly beautiful. She had the appeal of one with great wisdom and maturity, a variation of yourself that you never could imagine would exist. She continued to speak, pondering on the forceful monsters that wreaked havoc above and outside the bunker. “The one we saw earlier, whose body looked like metal, was that a...”

A calm voice speaks gracefully, politely inserting into the conversation. Her voice was slightly deeper, and tranquil, but not as twinkling as the one who carried the forest green locks. With those lips, stained blood red and coated with a subtle shine, she answers…“They’re angels.”

Everyone else turned to face in her direction. You all stared and admired the royal grace she portrays in her stance, it gave off an aura that reflected her higher age. It didn’t appear in her face, but it was through her persona and posture. Just like the one with the emerald strands, she displayed elegance in all aspects; her features, tone, and strut. Of all the variations that stood before you, she was the one you became most curious about.

“Angels? As in…from heaven?” Another variation, except this one seemed much more calm—perhaps too much.

Her lids were heavy and she spoke with a monotone voice. Her hair was stained a deep and vibrant color. It looked somewhat fresh, and contained a specific shade of purple, but not just any code of the color. It was not lavender, violet, or even muave, but more like a royal purple…it was as if the color was mixed specifically to match a certain shade. Maybe a particular flower? Perhaps it was made to match a blouse, or a type of fabric, like silk.

Noticing her demeanor, you couldn’t help but feel sorry as you took pity on this image of yourself; one that carried a dark sadness around, yet somehow flared a sense of contentment. It was contradicting, yet there eas something else that you couldn’t pin down about her. Almost as if she was carrying a nightmarish secret, but did it out of protection. Only question was, who is she protecting? Was it herself? Or could it be…?

You catch yourself drifting in thought when one of the girls asks your age. She inquired by stating that you looked the youngest, which was confirmed correct after you answered. Between you and your alternate state of beings, your ages ranged from eighteen to twenty eight, the latter title of the eldest belonging to the one with the dark burgundy lips.

She gazes up to the cathedral ceiling and crosses her arms, speaking out each word so confidently. Her hair was dark, nearly black with a deep, red hue…like red wine, and nails to match. She radiated a contrasting theme of goth and sensual femininity, like light and darkness combined. Everyone thought the same as they pondered on the mysteriously alluring sense of their alternate identity.

“Angels? How do you know? Have you seen them before?” The eldest one nods in response. Her eyes were heavy, as if she experienced a loss in energy recently. Still, she remained ever so composed and fashionable in Vogue like nature. You couldn’t help but think it, as somewhat narcissistic the thought may have seemed, but you found yourself idolizing what very much was the future outlook of yourself.

“This is so strange…it’s so weird to see…you…or me…I mean….what are we, exactly?” You sputtered as you make eye contact with the seldom one with the royal purple thatch of hair. She smiled softly and was the first one to respond.

“I am almost sure what our names will be, but I’ll be the first to say it…my name is y/n…”

Everyone snapped their heads up and chuckled in delight. Finally, a sense of relaxed humor amongst this terrifying ordeal. “We all have the same name?” The fairer version of you spoke, admitting for all of you to find comfort within each other.

The former y/n continued. “I guess we do.” You smile sweetly as you inquire about her background, to which she gently responds. “I worked as a consultant after graduating college and… “ she pauses, catching her breath. It was evident that the girl had been through a traumatizing experience, or maybe was still going through it all. Yet she displayed some fortitude as she completed her sentence. “I live with my husband…somehow I was brought here and I don’t have any memory of it. It happened so fast.”

“Me too….” The fairer one spoke. Her shiny hair gracefully rested beneath her collarbones as she spoke through her matte rosy stained lips. A beautiful combination. You couldn’t get over this experience, It was miraculous to see yourself with those featured traits. You wondered if variations of those closest to you exist, like Heeseung, Jake, and H/n. The thought of the three suppressed your slight bit of happiness as you wondered if you’d be able to escape with the others.

“I live with my husband too…well…husbands, if we’re being completely open.”

You all perked a brow upon her words. Did those rosy lips just tell you correctly…“Husbands?”

She nods seldomly while interlocking her fingers above the waist, avoiding eye contact and instead, focusing on a spot on the floorboards. “Yes….my husbands are brothers…and through them I have two boys of my own.” She pauses as her eyes welt up. “I…was putting my boys to sleep when something pulled me away from them…it was strange…it almost seemed like time was standing still.”

“Me too!” You spoke out. “I saw the same thing when I was pulled away.”

The fairer one smiled at you. “You are still so young…a younger version of myself.” Her change of topic was so sudden but she could see it in your face, hear it in your voice, and see it in your movements; seeing you in fluid motion made her visit down memory lane. “Yes.” You answered as you returned the smile. “I'm almost finished with my first year at college…I live with my fiance in his dorm.”

You all chuckled.

“His dorm?” The fairer one teases. “Yes well…believe it or not I don’t really have a choice.” You jest, yet the statement held more truth than anything you ever admitted.

It didn’t take time to consider their reaction. Upon hinting at Heeseung’s dark and toxic nature, it soon became evident you weren’t the only one. Unknowingly, you would open up another path that you all shared in common.

“He keeps you there?” You nod as the one with the dark forest green hair spoke. “Ah…” she sighs. “Just like mine…at least he used to. Now…well, I gave up. There wasn’t any point in fighting it.”

She chuckles once more as she rubs her temples, finding the entire scenario ironic. “I too live with my husband…it started just as forcefully as your situation but it’s been over two years now…” she pauses. The rest of the girl’s all related, all but you.

“Well…it is forceful but…he has good intentions, doesn’t he?” You inquired as the one with the dark green hair looks back up. A faint smile dons her lips as her delicate nails caressed her chin. With beauty and truth to her tone, she responded, almost in caution of warning. “Just like your fiance, he has the best…and the worst intentions.”

“What about you? Are you also married to a psycho? Or two?” The one married to dual husbands jokes, stabbing at her own life as she includes the last variant into the conversation. The eldest; she was the most elusive one out of all of you.

Turning her face over, she delivers a soft gaze and looks at each one of you with such nurture in her expression. Through those dark burgundy lips, she spoke gently. “I do.” She lightly chuckles. “I live with my husband, and much like all of you…I didn’t really have a choice.”

Closing her eyes, she reopens with a fresh countenance. Licking her loose she chuckles and tilts her head, taking small steps over to you. She cups your face and displays a saddened look, yet it was paired with a sweet smile. Her gaze hinted that she knew something…or maybe she could see something within your future that made her pity you.

With her intuitional sense, and foresighting ability, she reveals your deepest secret.

“You have another side of you…one that is equal to his darker half.”

Was she referring to Eden and Ethan? But…how does she know?

You slightly gasp as you remained stunned by her words. She looks over to the one with the dark green hair. “You and your husband carry the blood of the ancient gods within you.”

In response, the sea maiden looked somewhat confused. “How could you possibly know that?”

The former admits partial truth to her own secret. “I know all…I can see all….I can see your most inner kept secrets just by looking into your eyes. It was a gift from my husband after we were…” she pauses after catching herself diving down to details to at may be too indiscreet. The image of Heeseung’s devilish form atop of her, probing and thrusting away was not something she wanted the girls to visualize…she rather not think about it herself, despite the progression of her relationship to the aforementioned male. “Married.”

She turns to the fairer one, and continues to prove her capabilities. “Your husbands sired their own twin sons within you, and through those babies, you found true love.” The latter looks down, almost shamefully. Yet the eldest tilts her chin up and whispers, “nothing wrong with that.” She winks and smiles, and watched as those rosy colored lips smirked delightfully. This was, after all, a safe space for sisters who share more than just identical traits. You were all connected, through fate and soul.

She looked to the one with the royal purple hair. “Your husband's deeds have haunted you. With nowhere to turn, you chose to return his love but you are ridden with sadness knowing that you are his cure.”

The purple haired y/n didn’t say a word, she only nodded in admittance while drifting her sight off to the wall.

“As for me…” she pauses as she faces the ceiling once more. “I made a deal with the Devil many years ago. Through it, I lost my mortality, and gained immortality…I am known as the mortal daughter of God, but rebirthed as the bride of Helel...my husband, and father to my son.”

“Helel?” Through her purple strands, the girl spoke out of confusion. Never has she heard such a distinctive name in her life.

Just as the conversation reached pause, the door to the bunker opens. A combination of the hostile angels and demons standby. A disfigured tone emits from their tongue as they point and begin separating you away from one another.

You felt scared upon seeing the fleshy demon grip your wrist, pulling you away as the others were being dragged into sporadic direction. The girls all tried their best to fight off the large swarm, and recollect. Through a shared sense, there was a need to get back to you, the younger version of themselves. The need to protect each other and stay together remained strong, however, the monsters proved too strong as their numbers increased. They found it easier to carry you away into singular, isolated chambers. The echoes of their screams, sounding so much like your own voice, become distant and unheard.

You backed yourself against the cold stone wall and slid down until the tile flooring meets your rear. All seemed hopeless at this point. The terrifying sounds of demonic growls and piercing angelic screeches merge from outside the door, all frenzying as they carry out their next deed, whatever that could be. It was too frightening to think about. What is going to happen? How is Heeseung going to save you this time? Your Heeseung…the one who is always there to bring you back home…how is he going to possibly find you? You don’t even know where you are.

‘Heeseung…I’m scared.’

You wonder if the others felt just as scared and hopeless.

The fear of being lonesome started to eat you alive, it was far worse than when Heeseung carried out one of his punishments, and locked you away for breaking his rules. You hated it more than ever, being secured away in darkness and suffering from desolation. Looking back at it, his method seemed tamed compared to how you were currently being treated.

You also knew, despite succumbing to the harsh effects of being tied to a bed frame, or locked inside a closet, at least the comfort of knowing he was going to be around…that he was always going to come back to get you, whether it was hours or a day later, was something you had lost appreciation for in the past, but yearned for it more than ever. He was always there to make sure you were safe, despite carrying out an act that clearly violated your human rights…it was his way of loving you…his manner of understanding it.

‘I wouldn’t have to do this shit if you’d listen and just do what I tell you. It’s all for a good reason…”

His words from past recollections continue to play in your head.

‘To keep you safe…and to keep you as MINE. Get it through that dumb, pretty little head of yours already. No matter how many times you fight me on this, you’re going to lose.’

You used to scoff at his justification, growing irritated at his own resolve. You always figured he was overreacting.

All those times when you were caught speaking to someone from class outside at the parking lot, didn’t matter if they were boy or girl, he’d always became so possessively evil, and jealous. His handsome smirk goes from dashing to sinister as he lets out the wolf from its cage: Ethan.

But no matter how emotionally tormenting…or mentally abusive he could be…one thing would always remain true, and that was his unyielding love for you…just you.

The door knob twists violently as the door panel rambles, snapping you out of mid thought. You stood up and cornered yourself, completely frightened by what was on the other side. Finally breaking open, it swings wide inward. You swore your eyes were going to fall through the sockets. It couldn’t be… “H-Heeseung?”

Tears balled up and your heart pauses in mid-pulse. He steps closer in towards the light and there you saw, it was Heeseung…but he seemed different. His attire was similar, but his hair…it carried a particularly familiar shade of purple, just like—

“Hmph…” he smirks, daring a bold look as he scans you up and down. “So this is what you looked like when you were eighteen.”

The way his words growled upon stating your tender age sent a shiver up your spine, a familiar sense that you were accustomed to. “Damn, so this is what you were like at eighteen… you were just born perfect, weren’t you?” A snarling wink flashes you.

He reaches and grabs your wrist. “Gotta hurry princess.”

Leading the way and keeping you close behind, he rubs his fingers and gently massages your skin in his hold. His cologne was so different from the Heeseung you knew. It was a musky scent of blue agave and sandalwood.

Luring you around every corner, running past a hall filled with portraits, you finally configured where the entities had been keeping you, it was an old church.

“W-what about the others…the other—“

He calmly interjects as you stuttered, trying to find a way to describe the collection of your alternate self, including the one who you suspected belonged to him.

“We should be seeing them soon.” He spoke as he remained attentive to the surroundings. You were so taken aback by his resemblance that you were ignorant of the weapon he held…a machete?

“H-how did you find us?” You questioned. He tightens his grasp as he leads you down a spiraling staircase, completely made of stone. “Met the others—something about getting all of the you’s and I’s out, and back to our respective universes. There was also something about a demon who wanted to piss off God, and the Devil, blah, blah, blah.”

He spoke carelessly and left out all of the vague details as he remained focused in getting you to safety. Just as you both reached the main cathedral, you witness from across the wide room, all the other variants of yourself were being guided by Heeseung, a few of them. The one right across had ash-blonde hair and….a dark haired one trailing behind…

The y/n with the dark forest green hair stood out as they centered her, providing three-sixty coverage of security. Once they saw you and the Purpled haired Heeseung leading you, they led the other you to rejoin and come to center, surrounding you both in a combative formation.

Also rejoining the group was the one who had the dark purple locks that matched the Heeseung who rescued you; behind her was the alternate version of yourself that carried the red-wine lips. The girls were guided by a version of Heeseung, whose eyes glowed blue and his hair was dark as the ocean.

In the opposite direction, from the corner of your eye you catch on to the fair alternate you, and in front, was him…there he was…Heeseung…your Heeseung, and Ethan.

You could see both entities behind those dangerous eyes. Seeing you safe, along with all the other girls restored life to his gaze as he smiled and felt the weight lifted off his shoulders. ‘There you are…there’s my pretty baby.’

Without stopping, they continued to urge you all to run as they herd each of you to stay centered in their squad position, forming an arrow shape around you and the girls.

Aside from the machete, the other Heeseung’s all bore their own weapons, and from the looks of it, they were most likely found on display in the upper dungeons, which you concluded is where you and the others were being kept prior to being saved.

Your Heeseung gripped on two long swords, while the twins had an ax and a long, steel club, similar to a bat. The other Heeseung with the azure hair skillfully handled a rifle, and had a pistol holstered to his thigh.

The moment of uniting didn’t last pleasantly as the stone tile beneath your feet shook, and the light fixtures rattled above. Something was coming, and it carried enough anger to swell up his size.

Each booming placement of its foot stomping the ground quaked the earth. Just seconds after stabilizing your ground, the grand entrance starts to crack. The arch lining and pillars split apart as an overly muscular frame, with humanoid expressions, enters. He ducked his head in by tucking the chin while the ceiling began to crumble above. When he revealed himself fully, you and the other girls gasped at the horrid sight of the monster before you.

His face was split into three, with six pairs of horns that adorned each head, eluding terrible and frightening expressions. His body was similar to that of a man, with exaggerated muscles that looked to produce enough strength that of an entire army. A long offensive tongue spills out of his evil grin as jagged and serrated teeth flash from the joker wide grin. His eyes resembled that of a goat or sheep, but larger. With both hands containing claws that reached measurement by the foot, you winced at the thought of being grabbed by them. The palms contained numerous spurred teeth that formed hooks, similar to the mouth of a parasite, such as a leech. In fact, his entire body was covered with them, slowly fading as they reached the three facial expressions. There were lacerations that appeared on his chest, opening and closing sporadically. They blinked repeatedly with horrendous teeth and eyes peeking out from beneath the tissue and skin. What on earth was this creature?

Standing in his full glory, he speaks with a diabolical tone. “Leave the women behind, and I shall spare your lives, and bless you with power and immortality. You will become the generals of my league.”

The boys all stood in line, keeping you and the others behind, guarding with their own lives at stake, willing and ready to take on anything. Rather than seeing any bit of you harmed, they all remained solid as they would rather die or be tortured than to see a single scratch on anyone of your bodies. The creature takes their gesture with jests, chuckling before he adds on to his demand.

“You are not the one that I care to gut and split open, yet if you insist, it will be my utmost pleasure to rip all of you apart in front of your precious darlings, and then feast on your corpse afterwards.”

You held on to the girl with the purple locks. Her matured instincts kick in, knocking away the original demeanor she carried before. The troubled and quiet woman feels the need to cradle you, a younger version of herself, and presses you against her chest while she covers your eyes. Peeking out from the corner of her embrace, you saw the purple haired Heeseung peer a faint side eye, noting the comfort she was providing, and the fear that stayed by it. His eyes met with hers, eluding a look of reassurance, as if he were telling her that he wasn’t going to let anything happen. Not him, or his alternate figures.

Heethan also takes in the image of your sheltering. His stern and yet relieved facial expression showed the two sides of his being, Heeseung, and Ethan. He emits a quick nod the moment you make eye contact. ‘Not today…not ever. Nothing is touching a single inch of you, pretty baby.’

The remaining alternate versions of yourself come and join in, grouping you in the center as you all remain behind the boys. The eldest stood right in between, establishing an embrace to shield you and the others as her back was facing the row of Heeseung’s. All five of them stood, readily armed as the creature's patience ran thin. Taking a step forward, the ground cracks, stones protrude inward and wouldn’t hold much longer, nearly collapsing.

The boys step back, urging all of you to back away with caution. You all suddenly halt your movements to safety at the sight of numerous demons and angels suddenly entering from all directions in the cathedral, trapping the entire group to the center beneath the large chandelier.

“It’s useless.” The creature spoke out as his tongue splits into two. “God asked for this…the Devil wanted this.”

The eldest produces a harsh side eye at the creature's mentioning of the latter. Her dark red-wined lips quiver open faintly as she hisses toward the mentioning of his name. The audacity of this creature.

“If only they had heeded our words, and met our demands. We would not be as blood starved. You mortals…you children of the Earth, deserve torture that exceeds the worst kind of death in existence. I should have been granted eternal life in his holy kingdom. It is I, who should have been throned as one of the seven Princes of Hell. Yet both God and Lucifer denied me of what is owed to me. They should have recognized me! The demon Molech! Now…God shall bear witness to the human existence coming to its end, beginning with his only daughter, and the sisters that share her form and soul. Let the heart of the Devil fall into despair upon realizing that his only love would be violated with her innards split, and torn from bone.”

Molech crouches into position, nearly ready to pounce through the boys, and straight to you and the girls. You all could see it in his eyes, the glaring reflection of you and the girls as his primary target. “May all of you scream as I devour you alive, and shit out your guts onto the stones of this very church. I will splatter your organs for all to witness what is coming.”

He lunges forward. It was the last known image that replayed in your head spontaneously as you cringed onto the girls.

The movement happened so fast, and the entire group of you screamed as the boys grit their teeth, yet silence…fills the air. Not a single sound of bone cracking skin tearing, and blood curdling screams sounded off after Molech made his offensive move.

You’re not sure what happened. You were bracing for impact and for the unthinkable to occur, yet moments passed and you realized that everyone stood, remaining whole and without injury. Still warmed by the embrace of the girls, you slowly open your eyes.

From what you could deduce, the figure had pummeled down from above, piercing through the ceiling of the church strategically so as to not fully crumble its structure. With a hand buried deep into Molech’s back, it pierces through the monstrous flesh as the thousands of small teeth that covered his hideous body attempts to cut through the sleeve of his black coat. You admired his beautiful form as large black-feathered wings extend magnificently from his back. He resembled paintings that depicted Heaven’s arch-angels.

Appearing as a Victorian prince, he slowly rises from his crouching stance. Dressed in dark, vintage-goth attire, he stands gloriously, releasing his stabbing hold of the demon beneath the soles of his boots. The thatch of black hair matched that of his feathers, so dark that it contained a blood red hue under the dim glare. As his face comes to light, your breath escapes so suddenly—you swore your heart skipped a beat…it was Heeseung. Another alternate variation of your beloved.

“Helel…” the elder y/n breathes out through her dark stained lips while gazing at her husband. A look of relief accompanies her whispering softness as he shifts a quick look over, feeling much relieved himself after seeing her unharmed.

With a wild smirk, he speaks. His voice was deep and dark, yet soft as he adoringly addressed her. “My queen.”

His eyes matches his tone as they soften; the murderous glare hushes down to a look of tranquility. “Love of my eternal life…I’ve come to bring you back home with me…where you belong.”

The beauty of love and passion between the two is cut short as Molech suddenly strikes, yet misses as Heeseung, or Helel, springs off to the side, levitating from a distance. He was so fast. His speed was inhuman as you and the others watched the demon making many failed attempts to catch him. “You WILL take her back, as you will join her at death by my hand! YOU—are nothing but a failed angel, and a false prince!”

Mech spoke out his poisonous words, yet seeing the calmed expression on the Prince's face irked him as Helel remained unbothered, so long as his darling was safe.

The very last bit of his words barely spit out as Helel dives in, like a flash of light. With his much smaller frame, he is enumerated strength that surpasses Molechs as he grips the demon by another piercing hold, this time, it was through the center of his chest. The creature’s internal organs flare up, lighting as if they were being filled with lava. His skin became transparent as you all viewed the spewing of fluids secreting from the burns. He screams in pain as the sores on his body leak liquified tissue, melting the outer layer of skin. “I think your visit here is over-welcomed, Molech.”

Helel’s voice turns dark, with a clenched jaw, he continues to burn the demon from the inside out. “Don’t worry, I’ll be seeing you very shortly, and I’ll deal with you then. Be ready…” he narrows his eyes and brings the center face of the demon closer, his lips nearly touching the demon's chin. Smirking, Helel slides the tip of his nose upwards, forcing the demon to look him directly in the eye, all the while he whispers…

“I am going to split you open with my claws—piss on your organs, feed you to those miserable shits at the River Styx, watch as they shit you out, and scatter your remains across the depths of MY Hell. You’ll be nothing but fertilizer for my wife’s pretty little poppy garden, and she will smile every waking moment upon watching them grow from your own demise.”

With the last of Molech’s breath, he extends his middle claw, flicking off his own former master as he shamelessly words out “fuck you.”

Helel only grins in amusement, further aggravating the demon. Whispering, Heeeseung—or Helel, responds back one final time before finishing off the demon. “Nah…nobody fucks with the Devil—except her.” He glances over to his one and only, his own y/n. “She fucks me all the time, sometimes with tears staining her face and her bottom lip clenched between her teeth. She loves fucking with the Devil…” shifting another look over, he directs his tone in bold, over to his wife. “Ain’t that right baby?”

His wife settles a submissive display of affection and obedience as she quietly nods. “Yeah…you fucking love me. And I fucking love the Hell outta you.” His eyes widen entirely too ecstatically as his pupils shrink. Of all the moments you witnessed Heeseung’s most terrifying expressions, nothing surpassed the one his devilish alternate. It was the most terrifying thing you’ve seen, even more so than the dying demon at his hand.

He releases an antagonizing chuckle as you felt a slight shake within your chest, all due to the way he spoke of his love. He was so twisted, possessive, and dementing, but the love and admiration he showered her was above all sorts of love. It was unreal.

“And you know what else Molech? She will be the one to rule over the demons that will fuck your soul for all eternity. THAT…is what it means to obey your fucking queen.” At that, you all bear witness as Helel finishes Molech off.

But things were far from over, the remaining demons and angels who retaliated against their respective masters remained loyal to their desires, despite Molech being gone, and said former master currently present. Despite witnessing Helel kill off their only leadership, they were stubborn enough to follow through, until death stopped them.

“What’s next?” One of the Heeseung twins spoke, gripping his weapon.

“Take the girls and run. Keep going until you reach the end of the bridge.” Helel calmly instructs, eyeballing the swarm that was closing in. “And you?” One of the other Heeseung’s spoke, inquiring Helel’s role during the escape.

“Heh.” With a smirk and the narrowing of his dark eyes, he extends his wings out as he flares off a hand, claws extending and growing in an offensive length before your very own eyes. “It’s time for me to tuck the kids in, and say goodnight.” Leaving no room for response, his super speed causes a mirage of his movements as he levitates up, and like a sparrow, dives down as he takes out numerous demons and angels at once. In doing so, he creates an open path for everyone to escape.

“Let’s go!” Your Heeseung yells out as he grabs on to the dark forest haired y/n, and quickly leads the way. With all the other Heeseung’s following suit, they latch on to each and every single one of you. The purple haired y/n holds onto your hand as she is being led by the blue haired Heeseung.

“Watch out!” The fair one screams, watching as a group of demons head directly towards your direction.

In an instant, they abruptly pause as they reach within one arm's distance. A soothing tune echoes in the air; a semi high pitch voice that reminded you of bells, it sings and creates a euphoric atmosphere. The demons struggle as they try to resist, staggering a myriad of movements before succumbing to the soft sound of mystical and angelic voice.

“Wha-what is that?” The fairer y/n speaks out, when suddenly the blue haired Heeseung tells the boys, “cover your ears and eyes, now!”

You watched as the males covered followed his instruction, patiently waiting for the signal to free their hearing and sight. The one that gave warning stood and provided cover. He didn’t seem so concerned with himself, or so it would appear as he placed no effort in obstructing his vision or hearing. The demons couldn’t resist the soft tone of the woman’s voice, and started to conduct the demands as she spelled out their death sentence.

“Look into my eyes…and hear my voice. Tell me that you love me…” the demons roar in agony as the look of pained lust takes over. “Take out your heart. Rip it from your chests, and present it as a token of your love for me…do it…for meeee.”

Her voice drifts. It was so alluring and other-worldly.

You turned around and bore witness as to who was responsible for the spell-binding act. It was the variant of yourself, the one with the forest green hair. You gasped in magnificence as you saw the transformation of her features darken, becoming seductively bold and eye-catching. Her eyes grew dark, yet glowed. The winged tip lining of her beautiful peepers became more fierce, and her lips grew darker in shade, resembling the color of a Plum. The changed produced a smoldering expression that reeked of every man’s lust and desire. She spoke out terrible things, and yet, each demon did as she bids, meeting a demise by their own hand.

Her counterpart smirks, gazing over to his darling as her expression slowly goes back to its original state. “Siren.” He winked over as he breathed out the name of her lineage.

With a faint smile of her own, she returns the look by flaring a cool attitude out of jest. “Adam.”

Everyone continues on the path as you all make way onto the high bridge, beginning the cross. Up ahead, a swarm of angels swing down, resting near the end of the bridge and form a metallic barricade. They mutate their limbs into active mechanical saws with rotating blades, and unbeknownst to the lot of you, this was a familiar sight for one particular y/n.

“Get behind me.” She tells everyone, and you watch as the Devil’s wife shows you her immortality, and extends her own beautiful wings. “Y-y/n! You have wings!” You and the girls exclaimed, pleasantly surprised by the remarkable sight of the pearlescent white feathers, a stark contrast from her husbands. Barely hidden in the undercarriage of one wing, a small spot resting closest to her body, were black feathers. A part of him.

Extending her angelic feathers, she takes flight just like her husband, and gains unbelievable height before swooping down, taking out the entire offensive line of the angels. Split cleanly in half, they lay restlessly as their limbs twitch and mouths screeched out their dying pains.

The group continues to run, with every alternate variation of you and Heeseung joining hands and intermingling.

A sudden jolt yanks you back, causing you to yelp out in pain. It pulls you back, tearing you from the others.

“Shit!” Heethan breathes out in ultimate fear as a lonesome demon begins to crawl over you. Its tongue glides over your skin, preparing to digest your face when in a blink of an eye, the demon is suspended in the air, and thrown off the bridge. Helel swoops to your side, extending a hand; you take it, joining palms. Feeling your grip, he lifts away and carries you off in flight to rejoin the others.

“Let’s go.” The eldest y/n urges once they witness you safe, much to Heeseung's delight. He swore he felt his heart explode for a second, but redemption came at its finest upon seeing you safe, once again. Guess he has the Devil to thank for that.

Your body reaches unbelievable height as Helel holds you by the waist, and your arms wrapped around his neck. You made the mistake of looking down and felt the hopeless sensation of dangling high above, seeing the group as microscopic figures as they make their way to the end of the bridge. Your grip tightens and by doing so, you pull yourself closer to the former archangel.

“Hmph…” he smirks against your cheek, inhaling your sweet scent as you slowly turn to face him. Staring at him with a wide and an innocent gaze, he reaches up and moves a piece of hair, tucking it behind your ear. “Pretty little thing, you have nothing to fear…”

He leans in closer, his hands gripping your waist tightly as he pulls you even closer. His nose meets with yours, and his lips brush against your skin. He looks so much like Heeseung—your Heeseung. Like him, there was a mixture of kindness and malice, producing love and contentment. Whispering against your lips he finishes…

“Whether it be you, or the others like her, I’ll never let any part of my y/n to fall.”

His wings cave in, cradling you to his chest. He places a soft and gentle kiss on your lips, progressing into one that reaches certain depths from inside your mouth. His tongue feeds through and unlike his cold skin, it was warm. You openly invited him to explore further as you couldn’t resist this version of your beloved. He was so powerful, and out of this world, you just had to gain a taste, and prayed that your own Heeseung would never find out what was happening in the sky above.

His hand reaches the back of your neck, pulling you in as he deepens the kiss. He pulls slightly back, much to your dismay, and takes in the sight of your expression. It was full of lust and desire; you stared back with heavy lids and a soft pant escaping. He smirks before licking your bottom lip, and places a smaller peck on your nose. “Good girl.” He whispers, before tightening his embrace, and taking flight— merging you with the others.

Reaching ground, he gently places you down and watches as you run over to your fiance, who embraced you with every ounce of his own life. “Fuck, I was scared I lost you for a second. Are you okay baby?” His voice was hoarse as he ran out of breath from merely speaking. The choke of his emotions got the better of him as he sensationally savored the feeling of your bodies uniting.

He looks at you with relieved eyes. You tearfully nod and embraced him. The others did the same as they rejoined with their respective partners.

Slowly walking over to Helel, the eldest y/n comes within reach. She raises a hand and delicately moves pieces of his hair away from brow and eye. He smirks down at her, and takes her long strands in palm, rubbing them between his claws. Taking in every bit of her presence, he nearly loses himself at the face that took his breath away. Fuck, she was so breathtaking to him.

“Thank you…for saving me and the others.” She whispers out, widening her stare as she rests her hands on his chest. He wraps his arms around her waist.

“I don’t know what I would ever do if I didn’t have you.” He admits, and for the first time ever, she witnesses a side of the devil she never thought she’d see. His look was that of slight guilt, relief, and sadness. He looked down at the ground for a moment, realizing that had he been late, he would have lost the only thing that mattered to him. Meeting her gaze, he leans in with a calmed look in his eye.

In this very moment, y/n felt herself falling for her husband like never before. After bearing Helan, living in Hell, and sustaining his harsh treatments, she finally understood him as a man and husband. Oh, how the tables have turned in his favor.

“My son needs his mother…and I need my queen.” He whispers, before granting a small and tender kiss. Taking her hand, he raises it to chin level, tilting his face as his eyes remain glued to her face. Lavishing her hand, he rolls tongue and cheek across the smoothness of her skin, delicately placing a trail of kisses down to her wrist. Tears begin to form in her eyes. It’s true what they say in Heaven and Hell, the Devil truly loved his wife. His y/n.

A rumbling sound emerges from afar and you all witness as many more demons and angels emerge from inside the cathedral. They run over, crossing the bridge as they head in the groups direction. With the exception of Helel and his y/n, who had the gift of flight, everyone was at a disadvantage of being forced to run on foot, but with speed that was nothing compared to the inhuman entities making their way over.

“We gotta hide or something. They’ll catch us.” The purple haired y/n exclaims while her own Heeseung holds onto her, cooing her as he kisses her forehead.

“No need.” Helel calmly projects. Everyone looked in his direction with a relieved sigh, does he have a plan? “What will you do?” His own bride inquires flirtatiously as she gets a sense of a trick up her husband's sleeve. He smirks as he tells her. “What we do best.” He snaps his finger and instantly, six other figures appear from the sky, shattering the atmosphere as their sudden appearance creates a series of Sonic Booms. One right after another, they dive bombed the bridge, wiping out the army of demons and angels in seconds. With dark feathered wings, and inhuman strength, their lack in numbers could not fool anyone. The angels were no match even when conducting aerial movements. Each dark prince maneuvered the sky and shattered any who tried to escape. It was as if you were watching jets chasing after one another.

They swoon closer, joining the group at the end of the bridge. “The kids are misbehaving I see.” One of them spoke, a young man who had dark hair with wispy silver highlights. His foot reaches the ground as he collapses his wings, leaving them to remain perched in an arch at rest. He was adorned with gold and jewels that had to be worth more than what the world could offer. Joining him was one of the others, who had blonde hair slicked back, and bright blue eyes. A lip ring decorated his bottom lip, and he shared the same aura as the other.

“These little brats…what’s their problem this time? Are they pissed off at us or what?” Seemingly fed up with the offensive entities, he sighs out as the one adorned with jewels responds.

“Eh…Same shit, different day. Don’t know about the angels, but our guys are in need of a spanking…probably need to be grounded.”

The blonde haired angel-figure shoots a glance over to the forest haired y/n. “Huh…first time I’ve ever seen a Siren.”

The Heeseung who held on to her waist tucks her into his chest; he glares over to the blonde male. “Fuck off.” Was all he calmly stated before widening his eyes psychotically.

The blonde male smirks, appearing to do no harm. “Relax. I’m not going to take away your little mermaid.” He switched his gaze back to her. “You and I come from the same waters, Daughter of the Seven Seas. It would appear that your generation is much more tamed than that of your early mothers.” He smirks as he looks back at the one holding her. “An Adam…great distant son of an ancient God. Despite the identical face you display to that of my elder brother, you and I are more alike than anything else.”

Heedam softens his gaze to that of an annoyed glare. “I don’t really care, blondie.”

Jake smirks out a small laugh. “No, I guess you don’t. But it’s all good…” flickering his snake like tongue, he gently coos. “Just tell your sisters, should you ever see them, to be wary of the snake. I tend to look for them from time to time.”

The dark green haired y/n projects a perturbed brow. “You mean…the other sirens? What would you do if you ever found them?”

He winks. “I’d eat them—metaphorically speaking, of course.” He gives off a last smirk before turning his back to the couple. “Snakes need to eat too, you know?”

The two males take flight to rejoin their brothers in air, while Helel remains with you all. After some moments went by, you and the girls inquired on how the boys managed to find you.

“This guy.” One of the twins smirked as he thumb pointed over to Helel. “Got us together after he found out what was happening, and helped us get here before taking off to get his brothers.”

“How did you find out?” The eldest raised a brow as she peeked up to view her husband's face. He smirks as his chin touches her nose. “After the raid and your kidnapping, that little fuck-Molech left no leads. So I had to reach out to an old friend…”

“Who?” One of the y/n’s spoke curiously. The eldest y/n already knew…

“Him?” She spoke in a whisper. He slightly nods in return. You all pieced together whom they were referring to as the subtle hint gave off the showering expression of respect and peace on the Devil’s face.

God.

Not much was divided afterwards. In fact, after Helel explained how he forcefully opened the space and time continuums in each galactic dimension to retrieve the alternate versions of his own soul, and unite them with the plan to bring you all back, things went silent right after.

Reopening those entrances once more, Helel guided each pairing back to their own worlds, and everything was back to normal, other than the major publicity that stirred from the event. Mentions of angels and demons raising the sky, and an apocalyptic end, was all the media could speak of.

………

A few weeks have passed. Schools were shut down for a while due to the incident, and everyone was left to continue their education via online, which Heeseung absolutely loved. Having you in his dorm twenty-four-seven was something that he could get used to…maybe already has.

You lay in bed partially dressed. It was nice to not have to worry about figuring what to wear. Since assignments were assigned and completed on your own schedule, you opted to be lazy as Heeseung went down the store to grab your favorite snacks. All for being such a good girl, and staying by his side.

With only a crop top and a pair of panties on, you embraced the warmth of summer air hitting your skin. Besides, your man loved seeing you nearly nude more than anything else.

The door opens, and you see him walk in. In his traditional and fashionable manner, his hat covers his eyes and the upper bridge of his nose, which complimented the street style he wore. A long shirt with the sleeves partially rolled and straight jeans. So casual yet so appealing, or perhaps it was just him and how he could pull it off so well.

“That was quick.” You quirked as you sit up over the edge of the bedding and sipped on your water bottle.

“I don’t like being away from you for too long.” He spoke out with a deep tone. His bedroom voice.

He didn’t waste any time. He held onto your waist and pulls you up. Catching you by surprise, he dipped down to loop his hands around your thighs, before fully extending you up in the air. Your thighs straddle him as you stabilize yourself, he was so strong. Lifting you like a feather, he buries his face into your neck as your head rests on top of his hat. “Heeseung…”

“Mmhmm…” he mumbles with his mouth filled with your tender skin. He didn’t say much more after, instead, he hooks your panties and pushes them to the side. Up and over your derrière, his forearm rested against the surface of your rear cheeks while he lined himself to your center. It’s to be expected, you both didn’t have sex this morning due to the zoom conference for one of your classes. So of course, now that all of that was done, he could finally have his moment with you.

He slides right in, and it was a familiar feeling that seemed all too new. He stuffs you. Fills you. Pumps into you. It was an incredible feeling that reminded you just how much you loved to get fucked by this man.

His lips remained latched on to your neck. “Fuck.” He whispers. “Mmmph! Heeseung!” You gasped as he picks up the pace and bounces you atop his throbbing cock, holding your under-thighs as leverage whenever he lifted and stabilized your momentum.

He kept going on and on. Your mind was blown away as always; you didn’t even feel present in his room. Everything just took you away as you felt your gut being filled by that hard muscle. Separating your walls and pushing in, he thrusts in a motion that was passionately rough and sensually brutal. It was almost like dancing—it had rhythm and harmony as you both shared juices of love and lust.

You screamed out as you come undone. Splattering your fluids everywhere, he keeps his thrusts going as he goes in harder, faster, and deeper. Right as you reach your second orgasm, he joins in and you both cum in unison.

He gently places you back down on the bed, lovingly. Kissing your entire body, he coolly shushes you after noting your gasping pants for air, and the beads of sweat that coated your skin. “Shhh-sh-sh-sh. Breathe baby, that’s it…thaaaaaats it.”

Once you finally got your breathing stabilized, he kisses your forehead and whispers “good girl.”

Something smacks your senses as you immediately took note of the off-putting manner in the way he whispered his tone. Of course he’s said it many times before but this…this was all too familiar in an unfamiliar way. It was…it was…

He stands upright, you hear the unfolding flaps of the black feathered wings extending past the street attire he donned.

“Oh my God…”

He smirks. “Close…but not quite sweetheart.” With a devilish grin, he leans down and places a sudden peck on your lips, causing you to enhance your already shocked expression. “The Devil is here.”

He kisses you once more before turning away. A slit in the gravitational force of the air appears, and walking in was Heeseung dressed in formal black, Victorian wear. The one who donned his wings, Helel, spoke first.

“Had fun?”

Heeseung—your Heeseung, spoke back in jest. A certain level of verbal jousting that took place between the two as they remained swapped in their attire. “Hope you enjoy my work.” Your Heeseung spoke, flashing his Ethan persona as he smirks towards his devil counterpart.

“I’ll leave you my review. If I’m not satisfied, I will be returning.” He dashed a wink over to you, as your Heeseung responds back. “No returns.”

Helel crosses his arms, and grins. “I won’t be asking for a return, more like a freebie.”

Heeseung smirks back as he too, crosses his arms. Both men square off, chest to chest at a one arms distance. “Against my policy. It’s buy one, and get one free. And gimme back my hat.” He snags the cap off from Helel’s head, the latter merely remained undeterred and blinked as he leans his head slightly back, watching as his own counterpart places the hat on his own head.

“Hmph…what atrocity.” Noting his Victorian cloth tainted by the modern piece that your Heeseung displayed, Helel lightly snarled in disgust. “If anyone is going to square off with the Devil…I guess it would be my own damn self, even if you are worlds apart. Too bad I always win.”

He remarks amusingly before exiting, but not without waving back to you as he peeked over the edge of his wing. “See you later, y/n. Try not to spill.” He denotes as he points at the seeping fluid spilling out in between your legs. Heeseung’s brow irked at the symbolic jab.

“Helel…” he calls out right as the devil began to step into the opening.

Raising a brow, Helel looks over to his alternate face. “Say hi to the wife and kids for me.”

Helel’s eyes widen just slightly, expressing a hint of confusion. “Kids?”

Heeseung smirks. “Yeah…kids. A lot of them. Figured your boy could use some siblings.”

Both men stand wide-eyed, smiling sinisterly. They looked as if they were going to kill each other. “Huh…it would be you to show up the devil. I’ll be sure to return the favor.” He steps forward, and with that, the devil takes his leave.

Perm Taglist:

@enheene , aiden2001 , @heeseung-min , @lathan1510 , @rayofsunshineeee @hoyeonheeseung , @rayofsunshineeee , @yohanabanana , @sunoosrightbuttcheek , @jaeneohee , @icydawon , @silcry , @iamliacamila , @nikstrange , @enheene ; @nuriicata , @en-happiness @diorsyun @lisaaannna

[traumacatholic]

I don’t believe God is love anymore. I’ve started thinking of him as some detached uncaring cosmic entity that’s going to delight in torturing me in hell if I don’t want to spend eternity doing nothing but worshipping him. Which I don’t, and I’m wondering if that makes me like a demon, because I thought their whole thing was that they didn’t want to worship God. But I’m scared to death of hell and now I’m scared of heaven too because I just don’t believe eternal happiness and contentedness is possible no matter what. I can’t fathom it, I can’t fathom existing without suffering. I’m angry that God created me just to be part of a cruel game with no good ending and I’m scared that there’s something evil in me that’s making me angry at God. I’m just so confused and angry and scared all the time I’ve ceased to be able to function in day to day life. On some level I’m aware it’s not normal to feel this way but I genuinely believe the conclusions I’ve come to are reasonable given what I’ve been told and what I’ve read.

There is a book called 'On Job: God-Talk and the Suffering of the Innocent' by Gustavo Gutiérrez that I think you would benefit from reading. Further to this, I think you should read the poem 'Dark Night of the Soul' by Saint John of the Cross and the two commentaries that he has written for that poem. Another book that would be beneficial for you is 'The Catholic Guide to Depression'.

On Job and The Catholic Guide to Depression both try to understand the meaning of pain, how there can be pain and a loving God. And I think that they both present their arguments very well in a deeply comforting way. And they both by far would do a much better way of talking about suffering than I could ever hope to do. The Dark Night of the Soul is a poem more or less about tangibly feeling the absence of God. That God has withdrawn from you. That separation from God. And what the soul goes through when it experiences it.

I think having books to read can be helpful because they can often stop our mind from spiralling into anxious circles. In order to progress through the book, we need to be focusing on the author. And when our mind wanders, we can draw ourselves back to the words of the page and for some people this can be very helpful at stopping mounting anxiety. These works should hopefully be able to offer you some fresh perspectives that you might not have come to, or that you might have heard from other people but not in a level of depth that was helpful enough to you.

Further to these works, I think it is very important that you speak to a doctor about this. As well as a Priest. Both of these people can help with your troubles, and both of these kinds of people should be consulted. If you are concerned about bringing up faith to your doctor, don't be. It is entirely normal for people to bring up in doctor's appointments how their faith is impacting them or how their mental or physical symptoms are impacting their relationship with their faith. Your doctor can work with you to address any physical or mental troubles that might be making you feel this way and your Priest can help with the spiritual side of things.

You are not a demon for being angry with God. Many great Saints have been angry with God. Have expressed frustration. Have been outraged at their circumstances. Demons are not upset about feeling angry at God, they do not feel guilty about being angry at God, they do not try to address their problems with God. Humans can not be demons. By the very fact that you are a human being, you are made in the image of God. You are a living Icon of Christ. And although sin may muddy that image at times, remember that repentance and confession washes that clean. And no matter how muddy the image might be or might feel, that does not change that you are made in the image of God.

If you were the only person on Earth at this moment in time, in the past Christ would have still chosen to be Incarnated, to suffer and to be Resurrected in order to redeem you and your relationship with God. To heal that wound that happened in the Garden of Eden. Christ suffered too. When we weep, God weeps. God freely and willingly enters into our pain, our suffering, our isolation. God went to the Cross for you. He suffered for you. Your pain and suffering is wrapped up in the mystery of the Cross. The Cross is above all a message of hope.

“How can Jesus say that those who mourn are fortunate? What does he mean? Leiva-Merikakis suggests that the disciple of Jesus who mourns is blessed because he is viewing death, the ultimate cause for sorrow, from God’s point of view. In a way, precisely on the path of mourning, he is stepping in to share God’s vision and life. The one who mourns is being faithful to a particular love and expressing the conviction that life is stronger than death and that death should not be. The mourner who perseveres in his non-acceptance of death as the ultimate reality becomes makarios — blessed. In other words, the follower of Jesus in the Beatitudes is hopeful within sorrow and grief, even if it feels like despair. He is hopeful because Jesus is there with him. The phrase “shall be comforted” literally means, “to be called to someone’s side.” The sorrowful are called close to Jesus’ side; they are not abandoned. Leiva-Merikakis comments, “God does not console us by abolishing our solitude but by entering it and sharing it.” The disciple of Christ has a hopeful sorrow because Jesus is with him. And this hopeful sorrow — this sorrow of love — is indeed a Christian virtue.” - The Catholic Guide to Depression

“On the Cross and in his agony, our Lord suffered not just our physical afflictions, but our mental anguish as well. Out of the depths we cry to him. And he reaches down into our depths to raise us up with him. God knows the depth of our suffering; he knows our fragile heart. And Christ’s own heart — a heart of flesh, a heart both human and divine — is merciful beyond measure. It is in this mercy that we place our hope.” - The Catholic Guide to Depression

“Even a cursory walk through the Gospels shows that the Lord experienced the range of human emotions, including profound sorrow and anguish of soul. This can be of great solace for those suffering depression. God is no distant figure. He enters fully into human life and redeems nature from the inside. […] These events [of suffering] in the life of Jesus take up the Old Testament themes about sorrow and anguish, expanding and concretizing them in the sorrow of the Incarnate God. Jesus willingly takes this suffering unto himself. Sorrow and mental pain is no longer something foreign to the life of Gd. The heart of the depressed person can find a connection with the profound sorrow found in the Heart of Jesus. When human suffering encounters the Sacred Heart of Christ, the result is life and hope: a withered hand is restored; an only son, a precious daughter, and a good friend are raised from he dead. Jesus points us to the future full of hope.” - The Catholic Guide to Depression

God is on your side. No matter how angry you are. No matter how scared you are. God calls you continually to Him. God does not want your suffering. He does not want your destruction. Fear of Hell, and uncertainty about Heaven can be very normal. Both are wrapped up in a fear of death. We may hate the life we are living, we may hate what events we have went through, but those things are still known to us. It is equally hard to wrap our minds and hearts around Heaven as it is to wrap our minds and hearts around Hell. But when these feelings overwhelm us, it is better to speak with a Priest. Even if we feel silly. Even if we feel that we know the answers. God does not want our despair. But the adversary that wants us to tempt us away from God, does. The adversary does not want us to bring our sufferings to God for love and comforting. He wants us to fall further away into despair and that despair leading to outright anger. Where we do not want repentance, where we do not want a relationship.

But it is important to note that even if we ever do get to that stage, God still loves us. God still calls us back. No matter how far gone you are, as long as you are still living and breathing there is hope. There is repentance. We are always called to repent and come back. Speak with your Priest, and speak with your doctor. And know always, that God loves you. There is nothing you can do to take away God's love for you. God loves you even when you don't want Him to. I will be praying for you.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession,  was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.  Amen.

[elderwisp]

◁ || ▷ now playing

Frances: Look, I’m sorry about my friends. I swear, they aren’t that weird all the time. Well… 

Icarus: [ chuckles ] It’s fine. They seem to care about you a great bunch. 

Frances: I honestly think they would take a bullet for me. I’d do the same for them.

Icarus: That’s good though, I’m glad you have people looking out for you.

Frances: Would you say the same for your friends?

Icarus: Yeah, I think so. This your room?

Frances: Mhm. You can come in.

Icarus: You sure?

Frances: Or we can talk right here. Although I imagine you’re gonna get a bit tired of the drunk people running into the door.

Icarus: [ small laugh ] Good point. You like to collect a lot of things. Is this a rock?

Frances: A geode, I think if I wasn’t a music major, I’d probably be a geologist. 

Icarus: You could always study for another four years.

Frances: Pfft. Absolutely not. I never want to buy another textbook again. 

Icarus: Are you excited for what comes next?

Frances: Actually, about that. I need to talk to you about something.

Icarus: Is it bad?

Frances: Sort of.

Icarus: Then we can talk about it another time. We’re celebrating.

Frances: Icarus…

Icarus: You gonna deny me that?

Frances: [ shakes head ]

Icarus: Good. 

-

Dan: Oye pendejo! Where are you going with my alcohol?!

Ares: JESUS!

Dan: It’s okay I know him. Pues?!

Atlas: No te preocupes, vamos a divertirnos! Mwah! / Don't worry, we're going to have fun!

Dan: [ grumbles ] That fucker.

Ares: Context??

Dan: He literally always does this. He always steals my alcohol!

Ares: You should beat him up.

Dan: I should- Why are you encouraging me?

Ares: I dunno. Feelin’ evil I guess. Got a light?

Dan: Now what the hell is up with you not having a lighter? 

Ares: I do! I just never refill it. 

Dan: I don’t even think said lighter is in the room with us.

Ares: You know there are some things I’m allowed to not be put together with and this is one of them. 

Dan: Here. Keep it.

Ares: I am not keeping your things.

Dan: You sayin’ there’s something wrong with it?

Ares: I’m not doing this with you.

Dan: Oh so you hate me.

Ares: Yep, I guess I do.

Gabriel: Dan! Now why the hell were there two people making out in the entrance? 

Dan: They’re still doing that?

Gabriel: I mean good for them but like… Get outta my way, you know?

Dan: Pfft! Thank you for coming! 

Gabriel: Of course! I brought a bottle of wine but Gum took it. 

Ares: Gum’s here? And she’s alone?

Gabriel: She’s fine. Knows exactly where I’m at, besides something caught her eye. 

-

Frances: You’ve been practicing.

Icarus: I have a great teacher.

Frances: Man, I’m gonna miss this.

Icarus: Sit. I know you’re scared that things are changing.

Frances: Icarus, I need to-

Icarus: I’d like it if you enjoyed this moment with me. Please?

Frances: Okay.

Icarus: When do you leave?

Frances: First week of July. God, leave it to the universe to cosmically fuck up my life.

Icarus: Not even! 

Frances: I mean is it selfish for me to be a tad bit unhappy? Everything I’ve worked for, built up to this very moment and it’s not enough. 

Icarus: Sometimes expectations are just that. A lead up to disappointment. 

Frances: I’m sorry, I’m being so negative right now. We were having a moment and I started to ramble.

Icarus: Don’t apologize. From the time I’ve known you, I can see you’re a bit of an overthinker but! Before you give me that look, it isn’t a bad thing.

Frances: It isn’t bad… It’s horrible.

Icarus: [ chuckles ] Stop it! You like to see things in every perspective and it’s endearing. 

Frances: Said the only person ever.

Icarus: Why are you so keen on giving me a hard time?

Frances: Why not? I think you like it.

Icarus: I like a lot of things about you, Frances. Be here with me?

Frances: Even if it breaks my heart?

Icarus: At least you won’t be alone in that.

[talonabraxas]

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Nuit and Hadit are two deities in the religion of Thelema, an esoteric philosophy popularized by British occultist Aleister Crowley in the early 20th century. Nuit is a goddess representing the universe, while Hadit is a god representing the center of the universe and all points of space and time. Nuit is described as the “Empress of Space,” evoking limitless openness and possibility. In contrast, Hadit is described as a “lord of limitation,” evoking constriction and containment within a particular point in space and time. Together, Nuit and Hadit symbolize two aspects of the spiritual experience, namely, the divine expansiveness and the individual’s journey of growth and self-awareness within a particular context. Through harmonizing both aspects, the Thelemic philosophy seeks to unify space and time, mind and body, and the earthly and spiritual realms.

The interplay between Nuit and Hadit is said to create the universe. Nuit is the primal power of the universe, the forms of undifferentiated unity and infinite potential while Hadit is the individual force that establishes perspective and brings into existence individual and finite phenomena. By uniting these two principles, Nuit and Hadit create an active interplay that results in a balanced and harmonious universe. This interplay of Nuit and Hadit is often represented as a yin-yang icon. This interplay includes all of the opposing yet complementary forces that exist in the universe, such as beauty and ugliness, good and evil, life and death. This interplay allows for the development of dynamic and creative existence, providing a base from which all manifestation can occur.

The precise details of what constitutes the “Great Work” will depend on each individual’s own spiritual journey and understanding. While there is no one definitive answer, it could be said that Nuit and Hadit, when reunited in consciousness, can bring forth divine wisdom and understanding, enabling the individual to realize the interconnectedness of all things and to live in harmony with the universe. This reunion is not merely a physical process, but a spiritual one. It calls for the understanding of the individual and the understanding of the Universe to unify and become one Understanding .

This can only be achieved after a long process of the individual committing themselves to the process of self-development and inner exploration. This is done through contemplation, meditation, magick, and various other spiritual practices that help to bring forth the truth within. As one moves through the process and develops a true understanding of the universe and their place within it, they can begin to realize the great potential of their own creative power.

We call on Thelemites to unite their divine expansive nature, symbolized by Nuit, and their divine contractive nature, symbolized by Hadit, within themselves and to dedicate their will and life in pursuit of the Great Work. The stellar union of these two powers will bring Light and the full realization of one’s greater nature and purpose. In those moments of divine illumination, one should also give heed to the highest promise of the Great Work — to go out into the world and enjoy life to the utmost. Let us, then, leap out into life and manifest the joy of Thelema in every moment.

Love is the law, love under will.

Nuit & Hadit @noeasyvision

The elements are Nuit—Space—that is, the total of possibilities of every kind—and Hadit, any point which has experience of these possibilities. (This idea is for literary convenience symbolized by the Egyptian Goddess Nuit, a woman bending over like the Arch of the Night Sky. Hadit is symbolized as a Winged Globe at the heart of Nuit.)

“Introduction” to the Book of the Law

[mateooo88]

I was thinking about the psychological profile, philosophical profile, symbolism, and overall analysis of fyodor, and thought I'd share it :3 (also requested by my friend, zizi!!!)

Fyodor is definitely not insane. He is clarity distilled into cruelty, his intelligence is sharp enough to wound, and his presence can be seen as quiet, mannered, even tender at times, feels less like calm and more like still water above a black trench. He is the kind of man who could kill you mid prayer and whisper 'May God forgive us both.'

If you were to look at him from a clinical perspective, Fyodor presents as a high functioning psychopath, he lacks empathy yet understands it well enough to counterfeit it when needed. He has no interest in domination through brute force. Instead, he opts for control through inevitability—turning the enemy’s own mind, morals, and fears against them.

3 major parts of the psychological side of him can be,

• Cognitive empathy — He understands how people think, what they fear, what they value

• Moral detachment – He does not recognize the sanctity of life— only the sanctity of order or ideology.

• Narcissistic asceticism — His self-denial (minimalist dress, avoidance of indulgence) is not humility, but superiority disguised as piety, he is above worldly pleasures because he seeks something beyond the world.

moving onto the philosophical side of him,

Fyodor embodies the nietzschean ubermensch warped into spiritual nihilism, where dostoyevsky the author once wrote, in the brothers karamozov, "If God does not exist, everything is permitted" In the show, fyodor reverses the lens, “Because God does exist, everything must be cleansed.”

He isn’t an atheist, he’s worse. He’s a theological fatalist. To him, suffering is divine currency. Death is not evil; it is purifying. The world is a broken equation and Fyodor believes he is the godsent variable to correct it, even if that means breaking every soul to do it. (which you can label as a savior complex.)

He sees morality as a human construct, fragile and flawed. Instead, he moves according to cosmic arithmetic; cold logic, divine punishment, and a sense of destiny that puts him outside the reach of conventional good or evil. To him, "Mercy is weakness. Pain is clarity. Death is math."

and then, the symbolism,

In mythology, rats are both survivors and symbols of plague. Fyodor aligns with this duality; he spreads rot, but always escapes the trap.

His black clothing can be seen as a reflection of mourning, but not his own. He is eternally dressed for the funeral of mankind.

The name, itself, “Dostoyevsky”, A callback to themes of guilt, divine justice, and inner torment, but unlike the original Dostoyevsky’s characters, BSD Fyodor has killed his conscience and called it enlightenment.

Lastly, id like to talk about his relationship to death and power,

Fyodor doesn’t fear death, instead he romanticizes it. He treats life like a riddle, unsolvable while inside it, perfectly logical in the rearview. To him, people are merely pieces, and he doesn't move them with hatred or pleasure. He moves them like a mathematician balances an equation. Efficiently. Without waste.

He isn't in love with power in the traditional sense. He desires finality, the collapse of corrupt systems, the silencing of chaos, the 'correct' end of the human narrative. If others must die to reach that still point, so be it. In fact, so must he. His own life is just a tool for his design.

Overall, Fyodor Dostoyevsky is the kind of man who could burn down a city and call it mercy. He is not chaos for chaos’s sake—but order so absolute that it becomes indistinguishable from annihilation.

He is the devil in the mirror of God.

A poet of quiet ruin,

and his verses are written in blood, logic, and silence.

[thryth-gaming]

Fabula Ultima Theory Crafting

This is just a theoretical premise for a Fabula Ultima campaign.

It is a more or less typical fantasy world dominated by three major cultures that have maintained a conflict going on for ages and influencing the development of smaller kingdoms and independent cities in their shadows.

These are:

The Holy Kingdom of Trent - A theocracy in all but official statements, the kingdom is nominally ruled by the House of Nightend, but the priesthood has influence over succession and usually has the ear of the current monarch.

Stonetower - A former province of Trent, Stonetower broke away in a successful bid for independence that sees the two nations remain bitter rivals to this day. Named for the mountain around which the rebellion started and its capital is situated, Stonetower presents itself as an egalitarian nation.

The Shadewood - The Shadewood is a vast forest that passes through the single most accessible route past the Cracked Wheel Mountains. As a result, it is vital for merchants of every nation to have good relations with the Shaden whose towns and cities are invisibly dotted across the vast forest.

Each of these cultures tells stories about the nefarious activities of their rivals and suggests that certain monsters are created by one or the other of the three.

There is some truth in this.

Most religions in the world are based around a set of "gods" that are actually various mortal beings communing with alien cosmic forces to provide them with a mortal perspective so that they do not accidentally warp reality to a point where life becomes perilous or impossible. The names of these gods are based on one or more of the mortals who have chosen to commune with each entity. These perspectives are further supplemented by the practice of others reaching out to these beings, a process which over time became prayer and each entity became more and more associated with concepts like Death, Light, Dark, and so on.

I don't have a particular name for these, but lets call them "Channels" for ease.

Most of the current Channels have been found and access to them has been limited by an ancient conspiracy that exists within the major cultures and religions. They are primarily responsible for people worshiping these entities as gods and hiding the truth of their natures. Beyond this, they are able impose a fragment of the cosmic entities into beings in such a way as to create monsters. There might come a need for an inspiring angelic warrior, a monstrous wolf on a rampage, or an insidious demon betraying others around them.

Some of these monsters were members of the conspiracy willing to play their part. But most of the time, the conspiracy will use these methods on someone else, to keep their hand hidden. In these cases, they make sure to apply the change in such a way that the victim would be changed after a delay in a rush of overwhelming sensation that would produce a psychotic break that would be difficult or impossible to recover from.

They are even able to do this with the energies of entities they haven't been able to find and control yet. Because while they can't directly control the entity or the mortal communing with them, they can access the powers that flow through the world and influence the opinions of people around the world around. Creating monsters associated with these powers, certainly helps with that. Thus Death is believed to seek the end of all life, and an entity associated with Change has since been branded as Corruption.

Sometimes these changed people will change others and while the initial victim rarely survives long, some of the secondary transformed will go on to escape, recover and have families. This has created pockets of such monsters out in the wild, many of whom didn't suffer the same traumas but are branded as evil creatures, which is its own sort of trauma.

As a note, for the purposes of fights and such, there are also non-sapient monsters out there just for guilt free tactical combat puzzle fun.

However, four of these uncontrolled Channels have taken an action that will hopefully over turn this status quo. In communing with their associated powers, they live somewhat outside of normal linear time for the most part which allowed for this. Savagery shifts through time to identify those moments someone experiences the pain and trauma of being forcibly changed. Doom/Destiny is able to group them according to how close in time they would be changed. Death is able to group them further by identifying when victims that would be changed close together shared a point of death in a past life. Corruption/Change subtly alters their souls such that when the nefarious group tries to change them eventually, instead of being driven into becoming a monster over night, they'll be better able to assimilate the power and have control over the exact shape they take on.

To be clear, Savagery, Corruption/Change, Doom/Destiny, and Death aren't their original natures. These are the concepts each force assimilated (and honestly it might be one entity misconstrued by mortals as many) from communing with mortals and even more than that, the propaganda the reigning governments apply to them. So like Savagery is painted as relating to random violence and the scary parts of the wild, when that force has mostly communed/bonded with trauma survivors and wild animals.

Each of these four heroes they've created will have at least two levels of Arcanist, but the rest will be different. The hope is that they will free those Channels that have been discovered by the conspiracy and expose the truth to the populace.

Also, the Arcanum is not a normal result of the conspiracy changing someone, that is more a result of Corruption and the others tampering with things in the fair past. Likely, this isn’t the only group they tampered with, just the first case where the plan bore fruit. If they’re successful, then the other candidates will likely never experience things as the timeline changes before getting to when they would have been targeted.

I made some custom Arcanum for this, three to be precise, and not sure if they're too strong or too weak.

Side note, part of the Arcanist ritual will be the ability to change people in similar ways to how they were changed because transformation stories are fun. Though in the hero's case it would require a willing participant rather than the forced changes the conspiracy uses.

Savagery's champion will be a lycanthrope of some sort.

Doom's Champion will be a moth-like entity.

Death's Champion will be a vampire.

Corruption's Champion will be a demon.

Okay, that's the world and team concept done, let's do the individual characters.

Eschina Nightend

Tainted Princess Seeking Answers

Eschina Nightend wasn't within the expected line of succession. The church never approved of how outspoken she is for one, nor had she herself ever considered that a possibility. However, she was close enough to the throne that the idea of her plotting an ascension would not be all that unexpected.

Her planned transformation was a night of terrible dreams and painful twisting that would see her come out the other-side warped toward ambition and chaos. They had the idea she'd be able to conceal her change for a few days or weeks. Perhaps she'd corrupt a few other people and likely do some damage. Historically, very few such victims in the past had managed to regain their mental equilibrium before they were "exposed" and slain. Then they could tar her positions and use her as a justification to root out her support. It was a tactic proven in their chronicles.

This time however, she awoke from uneasy sleep to find the veins of her arm standing out black against her ruddy skin. She approached the court physician about what was going on. Things snowballed from there with the transformation seeming to move in slow motion and many people that shouldn't see such things being able to chronicle some of the early stages. Some face was saved by managing to declare her some kind of witch but then she escaped her arrest... and now she's out there... rescuing people... as a demon of corruption. She's a walking heresy and people are asking questions.

For her part, Eschina wants to know wants to know what happened to her and how she was tainted. She's begun a quest to seek out the source of her "taint" which is pushing her to uncover layer after layer of supposed truths exposed as lies.

She's learned about how to travel quietly and avoiding trouble. She's also learned methods to contain her transformation somewhat, though she finds it difficult to completely conceal the black veining under her skin.

Core

Identity: Tainted Princess Seeking Answers

Theme: Doubt

Origin: Sunwallow, the center of the Holy Kingdom of Trent

Quirk: Cursed

Attributes

Dexterity d6

Insight d10

Might d6

Willpower d10

Resources

Hit Points: 30 (Crisis: 15)

Mind Points: 60

Inventory Points: 8

Secondary Traits

Defense: 6 (7, Travel Garb)

Magical Defense: 10 (11 Travel Garb)

Initiative: 0 (-1)

Gear

Steel Dagger, Ins+Dex, HR+4

Traveling Garb, Dex+1, Ins+1, Initiative -1

320 zenit

Classes

Arcanist 2 (+5 Mind Points)

Bind and Summon (One Arcanum, Merge)

Arcanist Ritualism (Arcanist Rituals)

Orator 2 (+5 Mind Points)

Persuasive 1 (Improved Clock manipulation with Charm, Diplomacy, Deception, and Intimidation)

Encourage 1 (Spend 5 MP to Heal target 5 HP and improve one Attribue)

Wayfarer 1 (+2 Inventory Points)

Well-Traveled (Fewer random encounters)

Arcanum of the Corruption

Domains: Change, Evolution, Transgression

Merge: Choose two: Dazed, Shaken, Slow, Weak. You are immune to those Status Effects and have +1 to actions which inflict the chosen Status Effects.

Dismiss: Revelation - choose any number of creatures you can see, each of them suffers one of the two status effects you chose to resist (it can be different from one target to the next) when you merged as they confront questions they had never asked before.

Eden

Wandering Vampiric Brawler

Eden was not chosen for any particular reason to do with her. She was wandering through the area, chasing rumors of fighting tournaments or underground combat rings. She was meant to become one of a group of vicious ghouls meant to start an outbreak of undead to ravage the area, giving a good excuse to put the region to the torch. Instead, she is something else entirely.

She had started to feel weirdly tired in the inn and decided to make an early night of it. Her heart stopped as she collapsed into her bed. She woke up three hours later, bloodless grey skin, sharp canines, crimson eyes. and very thirsty. Walking downstairs, she found a nearly empty inn room, most people having gone to bed.

Wandering out into the night, she was the first to encounter one of the other ghouls and managed to put it down. It did bite her and she knew about undead scourges to be concerned, but she was already undead so it wasn't an issue. That night, the intended ghoul outbreak was cut short before it could really begin at the hands of a confused vampire.

The conspiracy agents on site had been expecting the call to go out for military aid and a plan to place evidence pointing to a necromantic cult in the town... and get rid of some annoying philosophies starting to gain traction there. Instead there was... nothing. They eventually identified one of their targets after Eden had put down the last ghoul, and looking rather confused, not even entirely aware of what had happened to them... but still clearly in command of their facilities.

These agents then made the poor decision to try and capture this anomaly, only to find themselves unprepared for a trained warrior. With a little more planning and preparation they would likely have been successful but they reacted in haste and paid for it as Eden discovered just what she was thirsty for. A single agent managed to survive the encounter and would make it back, though it would be some time before the conspiracy realized exactly what Eden had become. Vampires were a rare thing, usually something bestowed on one of their willing agents. And now there was one just out in the wild.

In the meantime, Eden has been trying to get a handle on her new existence. She's never heard the word vampire before and is still trying to piece together just what exactly her abilities and limits are. So far she hasn't found much to stop her aim to be a legendary warrior remembered for ages, though the bloodlust does concern. She tries to confine it to villains and beasts, but is a bit worried she'll lose control.

Note: The Revenant quirk was very tempting, but I've decided her undeath is more slowly developing and Empty Hands was SOOO much what I was wanting for her as a warrior.

Core

Identity: Wandering Vampiric Brawler

Theme: Ambition

Origin: A traveler from a Cracked Wheel mining town.

Quirk: Empty Hands

Attributes

Dexterity d8

Insight d6

Might d10

Willpower d8

Resources

Hit Points: 60 (Crisis: 30)

Mind Points: 45

Inventory Points: 6

Grave Points: 0/2

Secondary Traits

Defense: 8 (10, armor and Empty Hands quirk)

Magical Defense: 6 (8, armor and Empty Hands quirk)

Initiative: +0

Gear

Unarmed Strike Dex + Mig, HR+6 (Empty Hands)

Combat Tunic Dex+1, Ins+1, Init +0

420 zenit

Classes

Arcanist 2 (+5 Mind Points)

Bind and Summon (Have one Arcanum, Summon and Merge)

Arcanist Ritualism (Perform Arcanist Rituals)

Fury 2 (+5 Hit Points, Equip Martial Melee Weapons and Armor)

Adrenaline 1 (+2 damage while in Crisis)

Withstand 1 (Guard without covering in order to recover HP or Improve Might or Willpower)

Necromancer 1 (+5 Hit Points)

Beyond the Realms of Death 1 (Gain Grave Points by dealing damage)

Arcanum of the Dead

Domains: Death, Souls, Existentialism

Merge: While in Crisis, you are resistant to Physical Damage. You're able to pass through any gap as a mist or ethereal form.

Dismiss: Choose one of the following:

Glimpse of Peace: Choose any number of creatures you can see. They all recover from one Status Effect of your choice.

Mournful Dread: Choose any number of creatures you can see. They all suffer a drain of 30 Mind Points.

Saphielle Naeren

Moth-Winged Shaden Exile

Saphrielle was a Shaden warden, patrolling the edges of their controlled domains to keep an eye on the merchants travelling through the designated paths. She was good at her task, good enough that she eventually saw something she was not meant to. When she reported a particular group of foreigners deviating from the allowed paths it put her in the eyes of the conspiracy. There was already a plan in place to create a monster that would afflict a region of the Shadewood with horrific images of a terrifying potential future and so she was chosen as the victim, taking two birds with one stone.

The night after they got to her, she did have visions but was not overwhelmed as expected. She would have taken it to be a nightmare if she hadn’t awoken and saw the physical changes she’d undergone, with fuzzy antennae rising out of her hair and an itching in her back. This was how she knew that she couldn’t go to anybody she cared about with the shock of these changes as that would only see anybody she contacted joining her in danger. No, she had get free of the influence of her enemies and find a place to get a handle on these visions and just what had happened to her.

It wasn’t much longer before her itching back produced a quartet of elegant and soft moth’s wings. That development made it so much easier to evade her pursuers and lose their trail. After all, they were searching for the signs of someone walking not flittering through the air. Since then she still hasn’t gotten too much control over her visions. She’ll occasionally have visions about some local danger that let her move to intervene, which often put rumors of her presence out in the world.

Core

Identity: Moth-Winged Shaden Exile

Theme: Justice

Origin: Northwestern Shadewood

Quirk: Flight

Attributes

Dexterity d10

Insight d8

Might d8

Willpower d6

Resources

Hit Points: 45 (Guardian)

Mind Points: 40 (Arcanist, Esper)

Inventory Points:

Secondary Traits

Defense: 10 (13, Combat Tunic, Runic Shield)

Magical Defense: 8 (11 Combat Tunic, Runic Shield)

Initiative: +0

Gear

Shuriken Dex+Ins, HR+4

Runic Shield Def +2, Magic Defense +2

Combat Tunic Dex+1, Ins+1, Init +0

130 zenit

Classes

Arcanist 2 (+5 Mind Points)

Bind and Summon (One Arcanum, Merge)

Arcanist Ritualism (Perform Arcanum Rituals)

Guardian 2 (+5 Hit Points, Equip Martial Armor and Shields)

Defense Mastery 1 (While equipped with martial armor or shield, reduce incoming damage by 1)

Esper 1 (+5 Mind Points)

Cognitive Focus 1 (Focus attention on one target)

Arcanum of the Wheel

Domains: Destiny, Speed, Time

Merge: Immune to Slow, +1 Defense

Dismiss: Time Freeze – Choose any number of creatures you can see; each of them suffers the Slow status effect. If a creature chosen this way was already Slow, they instead perform 1 fewer actions on their next turn (minimum of 0)

Crypha Rellern

Beast-touched Stonetower Healer

Unlike the other three, Crypha was not directly changed by the conspiracy. Instead, she was secondary corruption when one of the conspiracy’s other victims had been warped into a lycanthropic creature and bit her while she was trying to tend to some sick citizens. Her colleagues in the main temple of Kuzris monitored her for signs of the curse transferring over and after some time, it hadn’t seemed to. Between being an indirect victim and the buffer from Corruption, the onset was delayed as well as softened.

She was camping while traveling from the temple to a new posting when the first change happened. It was painful and incomplete, but more in the manner of trying to stretch a muscle that hadn’t been used in a long while. The other thing that occurred to Crypha was that she did not lose control of herself or have an increased desire to cause harm. She monitored herself as she continued to travel and remembered that her mentor was assigned to a temple that wasn’t far off the path to her posting.

The detour did not come out the way she hoped. She tried to avoid admitting to showing signs of change, instead broaching the topic indirectly. She talked about the rumored hidden settlements of monsters warped by various powers and noting that they had never staged an assault on any other town. She questioned whether there was something salvageable in these creatures. The answer she received was the temple’s doctrine on the warped, almost word for word. There was no cure and they cared for nothing but to destroy humanity. To even consider it might be otherwise was a dangerous heresy that would lead one to lose their humanity and soul.

Shaken Crypha retreated to her rooms to consider what she had heard and consider where she would go from there. Her conversation had been overheard however, and a former rival of hers from time as a novice took the chance to slyly test the young healer. They wore a silver ring and with an innocuous gesture managed to come in contact with her skin, drawing a wince. They both knew what had just happened, and both flew in terror of the other. Crypha was able to reach the forest before a pursuit was organized. Since then she has begun to seek out these pockets of “monsters” to find more of the truth… and perhaps in some part atone for her colleagues.

Core

Identity: Beast-touched Stonetower Healer

Theme: Mercy

Origin: The main Temple of Kuzris, a Channel who communed with Life for around 300 years and is now considered a God in Stonetower.

Quirk: Rival Prodigies (Rituals)

Attributes

Dexterity d8

Insight d8

Might d6

Willpower d10

Resources

Hit Points:

Mind Points:

Inventory Points:

Secondary Traits

Defense:

Magical Defense:

Initiative:

Gear

Staff Wis+Wis, HR+6

Sage Robe Dex+1, Ins+2, Init -2

390 zenit

Classes

Arcanist 2 (+5 Mind Points)

Bind and Summon (one Arcana, merge)

Arcanist Ritualism (perform Arcanist rituals)

Spiritist 2 (+5 Mind Points, perform Ritualism rituals)

Ritual Spiritism (Perform Spiritism rituals)

Spiritual Magic 1 (One spell)

Mutant 1 (+5 Hit Points)

Theriomorphosis 1 (Shapeshifting, One Therioform)

Spiritism Spells

Heal (Heal up to 3 creatures)

Therioforms

Arpaktida (Wolves, Insight is one die higher, Deal 5 extra damage when targeting enemies in Crisis)

Arcanum of the Suffering

Domains: Pain, Trauma, Perseverance

Merge: Whenever you cause yourself or someone else to recover Hit Points or Mind Points, they recover an extra 5.

Dismiss: Have it All: Choose any number of creatures you can see, each of them suffers the Dazed status effect. If a creature chosen this way was already Dazed, they instead suffer either 15 HP or 15 MP, your choice. This increases to 20 at level 20 or higher and 25 at level 40 or higher.

Theoretical Level 20 Snap Shots

Eschina Nightend 20

Dexterity d6 > d8

Arcanist 4 (+5 Mind Points)

Bind and Summon (One Arcanum, Merge)

Arcanist Ritualism (Use Arcanism Rituals)

Emergency Arcanum 2 (While in Crisis merging is cheaper)

Orator 10 (+5 Mind Points)

Persuasive 2 (improved social clocks)

Encourage 3 (heal and buff ally)

Condemn 2 (inflict status effects through accusation)

My Trust in You 2 (spend Fabula points to aid other PC)

Unexpected Ally (temporary NPC ally)

Wayfarer 4 (+2 Inventory Points)

Resourceful 2 (recover Inventory Points during travel)

Tavern Talk 1 (gather information from locals)

Well Traveled (fewer random encounters)

Mutant 2 (+5 Hit Points)

Theriomorphosis 2 (Two Therioforms)

Heroic Skill

Disarming Rhetoric (Convince enemies to retreat)

Therioforms

Pterotheria (Flight)

Tachytheria (Improved Dexterity)

Eden 20

Might d10 > d12

Arcanist 2 (+5 Mind Points)

Bind and Summon (Have one Arcanum, Summon and Merge)

Arcanist Ritualism (Perform Arcanist Rituals)

Fury 10 (+5 Hit Points, Equip Martial Melee Weapons and Armor)

Adrenaline 3 (+6 damage while in Crisis)

Frenzy (improved critical chance)

Indomitable Spirit 2 (extra benefits when using Fabula points)

Provoke 2 (taunt)

Withstand 3 (Guard without covering in order to recover HP or Improve Might or Willpower)

Necromancer 5 (+5 Hit Points)

Beyond the Realms of Death 2 (Gain Grave Points by dealing damage)

Fear is the Key 3 (heal from hitting Shaken or Weak opponents)

Rogue 3 (+2 Inventory Points)

Dodge 3 (+3 Defense while unarmored)

Heroic Skills

Powerful Strike

Saphielle Naeren 20

Willpower d6 > d8

Classes

Arcanist 8 (+5 Mind Points)

Bind and Summon (One Arcanum, Merge)

Arcanist Ritualism (Perform Arcanum Rituals)

Arcane Regeneration 2 (Heal when merging with Arcanum)

Emergency Arcanum 4 (While in Crisis, merging is cheaper)

Guardian 7 (+5 Hit Points, Equip Martial Armor and Shields)

Defense Mastery 3 (While equipped with martial armor or shield, reduce incoming damage by 3)

Fortress 3 (Increase HP by 9)

Bodyguard (Protect other characters when guarding)

Esper 5 (+5 Mind Points)

Cognitive Focus 3 (Focus attention on one target)

Navigator (Telepathy, guide people through soul realms)

Psychic Gifts 1 (One Psychic Gift)

Psychic Gifts

Clairvoyance (see visions when forming bonds or focus)

Crypha Rellern 20

Classes

Willpower d10 > Willpower d12

Arcanist 5 (+5 Mind Points)

Bind and Summon (one Arcana, merge)

Arcanist Ritualism (perform Arcanist rituals)

Arcane Circle 3 (Free spell when dismissing Arcanum)

Spiritist 10 (+5 Mind Points, perform Ritualism rituals)

Ritual Spiritism (Perform Spiritism rituals)

Spiritual Magic 5 (Five spells)

Healing Power 2 (Improved Healing)

Support Magic (improved support of allies)

Vismagus (optional cast via HP)

Mutant 5 (+5 Hit Points)

Theriomorphosis 2 (Shapeshifting, Two Therioform)

Arkomorphosis 2 (improved unarmed attack)

Biophagy 1 (recover Hit Points when dealing damage)

Spiritism Spells

Heal (Heal up to 3 creatures)

Aura (Set target's Magic Defense to 12)

Barrier (Set target's Defense to 12)

Cleanse (Remove Status Effects)

Mercy (Prevent the next time target drops to 0)

Heroic Skills

Magic Guard (Set up to counterspell)

Therioforms

Arpaktida (Wolves, Insight is one die higher, Deal 5 extra damage when targeting enemies in Crisis)

Neurophagoida (Soul Wracking, Recover Mind Points when using Biophagy)

Theoretical Level 40 Snap Shots

Eschina Nightend 40

Insight d10 > d12

Arcanist 5 (+5 Mind Points)

Bind and Summon (One Arcanum, Merge)

Arcanist Ritualism (Use Arcanism Rituals)

Emergency Arcanum 2 (While in Crisis merging is cheaper)

Arcane Circle (free spell cast when dismissing Arcanum)

Orator 10 (+5 Mind Points)

Persuasive 2 (improved social clocks)

Encourage 3 (heal and buff ally)

Condemn 2 (inflict status effects through accusation)

My Trust in You 2 (spend Fabula points to aid other PC)

Unexpected Ally (temporary NPC ally)

Wayfarer 10 (+2 Inventory Points)

Resourceful 4 (recover Inventory Points during travel)

Tavern Talk 3 (gather information from locals)

Treasure Hunter 2 (Discovery places of interest during travel)

Well Traveled (fewer random encounters)

Mutant 2 (+5 Hit Points)

Theriomorphosis 2 (Two Therioforms)

Chimerist 3 (+5 Mind Points, Ritualism rituals)

Ritual Chimerism (use Chimerist rituals)

Spell Mimic 2 (mimic monster spells)

Heroic Skill

Disarming Rhetoric (Convince enemies to retreat)

Status Immunity: Enraged (Immune to the Enraged status)

Therioforms

Pterotheria (Flight)

Tachytheria (Improved Dexterity)

Eden 40

Dexterity d8 > d10

Arcanist 5 (+5 Mind Points)

Bind and Summon (Have one Arcanum, Summon and Merge)

Arcanist Ritualism (Perform Arcanist Rituals)

Emegency Arcanum 3 (Merging is cheaper when in crisis)

Fury 10 (+5 Hit Points, Equip Martial Melee Weapons and Armor)

Adrenaline 3 (+6 damage while in Crisis)

Frenzy (improved critical chance)

Indomitable Spirit 2 (extra benefits when using Fabula points)

Provoke 2 (taunt)

Withstand 3 (Guard without covering in order to recover HP or Improve Might or Willpower)

Necromancer 8 (+5 Hit Points)

Beyond the Realms of Death 5 (Gain Grave Points by dealing damage)

Fear is the Key 3 (heal from hitting Shaken or Weak opponents)

Rogue 10 (+2 Inventory Points)

Dodge 3 (+3 Defense while unarmored)

High Speed 3 (free action at start of conflict)

Cheap Shot 4 (extra damage against enemies with Status Effects)

Darkblade 7 (+5 Hit Points, Equip Martial Weapons and Armor)

Dark Blood (While in Crisis resistant to Dark and Poison)

Heart of Darkness (Form bond with enemy on entering Crisis)

Agony 5 (Recover Hit Points and Mind Points when attacking enemies with Bonds)

Heroic Skills

Powerful Strike

Extra Spells (Entropist)

Entropist Spells

Drain Spirit (drain target's Mind Points to refill your own)

Acceleration (increase target's speed)

Saphielle Naeren 40

Willpower d8 > d10

Classes

Arcanist 10 (+5 Mind Points)

Bind and Summon (One Arcanum, Merge)

Arcanist Ritualism (Perform Arcanum Rituals)

Arcane Regeneration 2 (Heal when merging with Arcanum)

Emergency Arcanum 5 (While in Crisis, merging is cheaper)

Arcane Circle 1 (Cast one free spell after Dismissing Arcanum)

Guardian 10 (+5 Hit Points, Equip Martial Armor and Shields)

Defense Mastery 5 (While equipped with martial armor or shield, reduce incoming damage by 5)

Fortress 3 (Increase HP by 9)

Bodyguard (Protect other characters when guarding)

Protect (Intercept attacks targeted at others)

Esper 10 (+5 Mind Points)

Cognitive Focus 3 (Focus attention on one target)

Navigator (Telepathy, guide people through soul realms)

Psychic Gifts 3 (One Psychic Gift)

Hypercognition 3 (reduced MP cost when targeting Focus)

Entropist 5 (+5 Mind Points, Ritualism rituals)

Absorb MP 1 (recover Mind Points when taking damage)

Entropic Magic 2 (two Entropism spells)

Ritual Entropism (Entropism rituals)

Stolen Time 1 (manipulate the flow of time)

Sharpshooter 5 (+5 Hit Points, equip martial ranged weapons and shields)

Barrage (attack multiple targets in one action)

Crossfire (block enemy ranged attacks with your own)

Ranged Weapon Mastery 3 (+3 Accuracy with ranged weapons)

Heroic Skills

Brainwave Discharge (clear Brainwave Clock and deal damage)

Rampart (First round have resistance to all damage and status effects)

Extra MP (have extra MP)

Entropism Spells

Dispel (cancel magic)

Divination (see the future)

Psychic Gifts

Clairvoyance (see visions when forming bonds or focus)

Psychic Shield (improve Defense and Magic Defense)

Reassuring Presence (Recover ally Mind Points, clear status effects from a focus)

Crypha Rellern 40

Classes

Insight d8 > Insight d10

Arcanist 10 (+5 Mind Points)

Bind and Summon (one Arcana, merge)

Arcanist Ritualism (perform Arcanist rituals)

Arcane Circle 4 (Free spell when dismissing Arcanum)

Emergency Arcanum 4 (reduced cost to merge in Crisis)

Spiritist 10 (+5 Mind Points, perform Ritualism rituals)

Ritual Spiritism (Perform Spiritism rituals)

Spiritual Magic 5 (Five spells)

Healing Power 2 (Improved Healing)

Support Magic (improved support of allies)

Vismagus (optional cast via HP)

Mutant 10 (+5 Hit Points)

Theriomorphosis 3 (Shapeshifting, Three Therioform)

Arkomorphosis 2 (improved unarmed attack)

Biophagy 4 (recover Hit Points when dealing damage)

Ecdysis (gain resistance to damage that just hurt you)

Loremaster 10 (+5 Mind Points)

Flash of Insight 2 (improved investigation)

Focused 5 (+15 MP)

Quick Assessment 2 (Spend Mind to get information at start of conflict)

Trained Memory (Perfect recall of past scene)

Spiritism Spells

Heal (Heal up to 3 creatures)

Aura (Set target's Magic Defense to 12)

Barrier (Set target's Defense to 12)

Cleanse (Remove Status Effects)

Mercy (Prevent the next time target drops to 0)

Reinforce (Grant immunity to a Status Effect)

Awaken (advance one Attribute)

Heroic Skills

Magic Guard (Set up to counterspell)

Greater Theriomorphosis (Take on three therioforms and then act)

Hope (Best Spiritism healing spell)

Extra Spells (Spiritism)

Therioforms

Arpaktida (Wolves, Insight is one die higher, Deal 5 extra damage when targeting enemies in Crisis)

Neurophagoida (Soul Wracking, Recover Mind Points when using Biophagy)

Pneumophora (Attacks can deal air damage, Awoo)

[spiralingthoughtpost]

Vedic Astrology Observations: “boy of the month” and possible generational preferences for men

In Vedic astrology, Jupiter, also known as 'Guru' or 'Brihaspati', stands as a towering figure representing wisdom, expansion, and prosperity. This celestial body is closely linked with both the spiritual and material realms, often regarded as a harbinger of positive and beneficial influences. Individuals under the strong sway of Jupiter in their astrological charts are a source of deep fascination. These Jupiter-dominant natives mirror the quintessential attributes associated with this planet, displaying an intriguing blend of personality traits, physical characteristics, and distinctive energy patterns. A closer examination of these individuals offers a rich look into how Jupiter's expansive and nurturing energy takes form in human life. This journey of understanding not only unravels the myriad ways in which Jupiter's influence manifests but also deepens our comprehension of the overarching impact of such planetary forces. It's a testament to the profound and subtle ways in which cosmic entities like Jupiter shape and define our existence and traits through the perspective of Jyotisha.

When discussing ‘Jupiter dominant men’, we delve into the sphere of individuals whose astrological kundli (birth chart) is markedly influenced by Jupiter. This dominant influence of Jupiter is discernible in the chart through its strong presence in the native's primary nakshatras and its overall potency and prominence. For instance, this can be seen in individuals who have key placements (such as the sun, moon, or ascendant) in a nakshatra governed by Jupiter, such as Punarvasu, Vishaka, or Purva Bhadrapada. Each of these nakshatras imparts a distinctive essence to the overarching Jupiterian influence with their one rich expression.

Taking Purva Bhadrapada as an example, men born under this nakshatra often display a conflict between polarities of good and evil, coupled with an innate uncontrolled expansiveness in their nature. This often manifests as a subtle but pronounced fierceness and contradictory character, traits that distinguish them from other Jupiter-influenced placements. Across the board, Jupiter-dominant men typically exude a nurturing yet masculine energy, characterized by deep understanding and emotional sensitivity. They typically exhibit an expansive outlook and a pattern of philanthropy, combined with a philosophical mindset. They are often perceived as seekers of wisdom, truth, and expansion, attracting others with their insightful and optimistic nature. In terms of masculinity, Jupiter-dominant men often stand apart from conventional archetypes, thanks to their refined wisdom and nourishing disposition, which tends to favor emotional intimacy and commitment over sexual gratification. Their presence often serves to challenge traditional perceptions of masculinity, adding a richer dimension to the male archetype and leading them to have their sexuality questioned.

The evolving media portrayal of 'Jupiter men' in recent times, especially through the 'boy of the month' archetype that I’ve noticed, signals a significant shift in widespread cultural perceptions of masculinity. This new ‘boy of the month’ archetype, which focuses on elevating a man as being a highly desirable heart throb based on his representation in popular media, has traditionally spotlighted men with more conventional attributes. Examples include the sun-dominant Michael B. Jordan, Sun-dominant Chris Hemsworth, Rahu-dominant Chris Evans, and Moon-dominant Henry Cavill, who embody traits like stoicism, womanizing charm, or a cold, detached and mysterious allure.

However, I’ve noticed a change has been occurring. The archetype is gradually moving away from these typically glamorized hyper-masculine traits and instead highlighting qualities traditionally seen as feminine, including a nurturing passivity, especially in romantic contexts, bringing a new type appreciation for men that embody these characteristics, which are mostly Moon men and Jupiter men. The allure of Moon men, such as Henry Cavill, Christian Bale, Leonardo DiCaprio, Harry Styles, Tom Hiddleston, etc. has always been somewhat recognized, given their mysterious and emotional appeal from their understanding of women. But, it is the rising prominence of Jupiter men that stands out as being particularly noteworthy to me.

In 2023, an overwhelming majority of men popularized in media - over 80% - have been Jupiter men. This is a stark contrast to earlier representations, where Jupiter men like Will Ferrell, Robert De Niro, Jack Black, Michael Cera, Elijah Wood, and so on who were often depicted as being sexually awkward and comically fatherly, becoming targets for abuse and judgment from most other men that aspire to be like Sun and Rahu dominant men. This trend suggests a broader societal move towards redefining masculine ideals, moving away from traditional archetypes and towards a more balanced, inclusive understanding of masculinity that embraces emotional depth, wisdom, and nurturing qualities and showcasing newfound acceptance and even admiration for these men. Jupiter men such as Tom Blyth, Timothee Chalamet, Logan Lerman, Dylan O’Brien, Jacob Elordi, Nicholas Galitzine, Sam Claflin, Drew Starkey, Will Smith, Cody Fern, Andrew Garfield, and Barry Keoghan, once sidelined, are now at the forefront redefining standards for a new Ideal.

Overall, this might be reflective of a larger societal yearning for hope and direction in turbulent times. In a world where uncertainty seems to be the only constant, the qualities of a 'Jupiter man' – wisdom, optimism, forgiveness, comfort, and an inclusive view of life – might be particularly appealing, especially to younger generations who have witnessed the effects of turbulent times and traditionally masculine ways of dealing with them. It's a reminder of the human tendency to look for guiding principles and figures who embody things we yearn for as a collective society.

[bardic-tales]

artwork created by theoasiswinds

Updated: 6.25.25

Fantasy Worlds Collide (FWC) is the name I’ve given to my passion project: a sprawling narrative universe where my original world and various fandoms intersect. It’s not a singular fic, but a living, expanding mythos that connects every story I tell, whether wholly original or rooted in canon universes like Final Fantasy VII.

This page houses character development articles that explore personalities, arcs, relationships, and transformations across the FWC multiverse. These aren’t just headcanons. They’re deep character work. Here, you’ll find emotionally grounded studies, trauma-informed perspectives, and narrative building blocks that shape how each character exists within this shared world.

Below is a collection of character development entries written for FWC.

18 Plus - After Dark - 💋

Aftercare - Sephica - 6.26.25

Favorite Body Part - Sephica - 6.25.25

Hair Pulling - Sephica - 3.4.25

Intense Eye Contact - Sephica - 3.6.25

Moans That Break His Restraint - Sephica - 2.26.25

Possessive Marking & Reasserting Claim - Sephica - 2.27.25

Size and Stamina - Sephiroth - 2.28.25

Territorial Dominance - Sephica - 3.2.25

Worshipful Control - Sephica - 3.3.25

Abilities and Powers and Weaknesses

Combat Behaviors – Bianca (True Form. Advent Children) – 5.20.25

Corruption and Resistance (Jenova cells / Influence) - Bianca - 6.16.25

Cyclic Rebirth & Resilient Transformation - Bianca - 2.28.25

Jenova Corruption: Powers - Bianca - 6.14.25

Jenova Corruption: Maternal Powers - Bianca - 6.15.25

Parasitic Influence: Powers - Bianca - 6.14.25

Alternate Universe

Evil / Good Twins - Bianca - 4.5.25

Ink of Defiance - Biker!AU - 3.2.25

Backstory

Child of Prophecy - Bianca - 3.15.25

Dimensional Devotion - Sephica - 3.3.25

Education - Bianca - 4.5.25

Growth and Evolution - Aurora | Lucian - 5.19.25

Loss & Transformation - Bianca - 4.5.25

Parental Influence - Bianca - 3.20.25

Tragic Descent - Bianca. Akihiro - 3.17.25

Character Arc

Defining Moment - Bianca - 6.21.25

How easy is it to say no? - Bianca - 6.21.25

Dreams and Goals

Breaking Bianca - Sephica - 3.19.25

Cosmic Destruction - Bianca - 3.12.25

Easter Activities - Sephica, Lucien, Aurora - 3.10.25

Find her calling or soulmate - Bianca - 3.27.25

Goals - Sephica - 6.24.25

Obsessive Devotion - Bianca - 3.17.25

Parental Conflicts - Sephica, Lucien, Aurora - 3.10.25

Headcanons

Drinking Habits - Bianca - 4.5.25

Emotional Reactions – Bianca (True Form. Advent Children) – 5.20.25

Fidgeting Habits - Bianca - 4.1.25

Inherited Habits - Bianca - 3.14.25

Parenting - Sephiroth (Godling Arc) - 6.25.25

Interactions with Setting

Eating Habits - Bianca - 4.1.25

Manipulation - Bianca (Advent Children) - 3.4.25

Mental and Emotional Health

Emotional Reactions – Bianca (True Form. Advent Children) – 5.20.25

Love vs Obsession - Bianca - 3.6.25

Sleeping Habits - Bianca - 4.5.25

Personality

20 minutes early or 20 minutes late - Bianca - 4.5.25

Divine Struggle (Personal Boundaries) - Bianca - 3.12.25

Things that make her happy - Bianca - 4.1.25

Making Friends - Bianca - 3.27.25

Quotes and Sayings

Character Motto - Bianca Moore - 6.22.25

Relationships

Becoming friends - Bianca - 3.27.25

Becoming Friends 2 - Bianca Moore - 6.18.25

Cloud’s Manipulation vs Bianca’s Breaking - Bianca. Cloud. Sephiroth - 4.16.25

Detachment vs Devotion - Sephiroth - 4.17.25

Heartbreak & Obsession - Bianca - 4.5.25

Permanent Memories - Sephiroth - 4.3.25

Shattered Fate - Bianca - 3.15.25

Secrets

Fractured Identity - Bianca - 3.17.25

Strengths and Weaknesses:

Personal Struggles - Bianca - 4.1.2025

Trauma and Control - Bianca - 3.8.25

Style and Aesthetics

Car Aesthetics - Bianca - 5.19.25

Celestial Grace - Bianca - 2.28.25

Makeup Preferences - Bianca - 4.5.25

Symbolic Items and Artifacts

Chosen Object - Bianca - 6.22.25

Symbolism

Lunar Bond - Bianca - 3.21.25

Obsession & Devotion - Sephiroth - 3.17.25

Project N & Unit 731: Bianca Moore - 6.9.25

Values and Morals:

Belief in Ghosts - Bianca - 4.5.25

Economical Status - Bianca - 3.14.24

Forgiveness - Bianca - 3.15.24

Necessary Annihilation - Bianca - 3.13.25

Voice and Perspective

Adopting Sephiroth's Voice - Bianca - 3.19.25.

Singing - Bianca - 4.1.25

True Form Vocalization - Bianca - 5.19.25

10 Days of Mermay Musings - Lysandra - COMPLETED

31 Days of FF VII Headcanons - Bianca - COMPLETED

31 Days of FF VII Headcanons - Ravenscroft - 5.20.25

Get to Know My OC - Bianca - 6.6.25

Obsession Questionnaire - Bianca Moore - Updated: 4.18.25

OTP Questionnaire - Sephica - Updated: 4.8.25

[ind1goartw0rkz-2]

A birdie(cc from ur post🗿) told me that fawn left? How so? Did he crossed a line? Or did she realized what he is?

C.C: From my perspective, Fawn decided that she chooses peace over being a real cryptid. I don’t think she ever knew who I really was, and she thinks she can trust anyone. But if I were her? I wouldn’t trust a soul. ok ok so what the hell even happened?

Fawn and C.C have been good pals for a while, they’d kill with eachother, go do random crap, but it all changed when a ghostly spirit entered the mall. Her name is Maria. Maria is a spirit in which c.c has killed in the past, and came to haunt him. But Maria became fond with Fawn, gaining a relationship like never before. And C.c HATED it. Maria came to torment him, and when he confronted Fawn, Fawn chose to not be evil, and try something new, maybe peace for once. yeah c.c is a dickhead and was like “HAH bitch no I’m not gonna be peaceful with you I’m a cosmic entity made by SATAN” and he fought with Fawn and heavily injured her forcing her and Maria to flea from the mall. They now live in an abandoned hotel far from the mall.

I know we all love c.c as a character, but he’s a villain. A nasty, manipulative, murderous monster. And I want to keep his personality straight. So yeah the two cryptids hate each others guts.

feel free to ask questions!

[katyspersonal]

Micheal zaki describing Messmer and calls him a hero in the interviews then show him committing multi war crimes in the trailer was so funny ngl. i wonder if he actually meant to describe messmer in that way or he was goofing around by saying that he will not be a villain

Yeah, this is a little strange given what we were shown! I double-checked and it doesn't seem like an error EITHER!

Taken from here ( x )! Now, if you check the original Japanese script of that interview ( x ), you can find this exact question:

英雄 DOES mean a hero! Like, the brave warrior doing great dids kind of thing, or a superhero, or like opposition to a 'villain'!

Granted, Miyazaki also considered Fauxsefka (character from Bloodborne) a hero! She is a researcher, "saving" people by turning them into cosmic Kin so they physically can't become beasts! I can definitely see his logic here and even agree with it, but it is worth to mention that it is unethical and many people consider her evil. We could assume that Miyazaki has a really unique perspective on what makes a hero!

This question in particular though refers to 'atmosphere' of brave battles. Like... by that logic, battling dragons and giants was ALSO "heroic tale", so Miyazaki could refer simply to Messmer as a demigod with war motif, rather than morality of his actions!

We can't know whether Miyazaki means the perceived grandeur of bringing war, that was a "good" thing in myths inspiring Elden Ring, or it is his particular vision of heroism at act! What and who Messmer was burning could have been "evil" life forms that Marika defied, to better OR worse. Messmer's war might go Fishing Hamlet route of concealing a horrible unjustified cruel massacre.. OR it could be a bit like burning of Old Yharnam but if beasthood was no one's fault and Just Happened!

[talonabraxas]

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

Nuit and Hadit are two deities in the religion of Thelema, an esoteric philosophy popularized by British occultist Aleister Crowley in the early 20th century. Nuit is a goddess representing the universe, while Hadit is a god representing the center of the universe and all points of space and time. Nuit is described as the “Empress of Space,” evoking limitless openness and possibility. In contrast, Hadit is described as a “lord of limitation,” evoking constriction and containment within a particular point in space and time. Together, Nuit and Hadit symbolize two aspects of the spiritual experience, namely, the divine expansiveness and the individual’s journey of growth and self-awareness within a particular context. Through harmonizing both aspects, the Thelemic philosophy seeks to unify space and time, mind and body, and the earthly and spiritual realms.

The interplay between Nuit and Hadit is said to create the universe. Nuit is the primal power of the universe, the forms of undifferentiated unity and infinite potential while Hadit is the individual force that establishes perspective and brings into existence individual and finite phenomena. By uniting these two principles, Nuit and Hadit create an active interplay that results in a balanced and harmonious universe. This interplay of Nuit and Hadit is often represented as a yin-yang icon. This interplay includes all of the opposing yet complementary forces that exist in the universe, such as beauty and ugliness, good and evil, life and death. This interplay allows for the development of dynamic and creative existence, providing a base from which all manifestation can occur.

The precise details of what constitutes the “Great Work” will depend on each individual’s own spiritual journey and understanding. While there is no one definitive answer, it could be said that Nuit and Hadit, when reunited in consciousness, can bring forth divine wisdom and understanding, enabling the individual to realize the interconnectedness of all things and to live in harmony with the universe. This reunion is not merely a physical process, but a spiritual one. It calls for the understanding of the individual and the understanding of the Universe to unify and become one Understanding .

This can only be achieved after a long process of the individual committing themselves to the process of self-development and inner exploration. This is done through contemplation, meditation, magick, and various other spiritual practices that help to bring forth the truth within. As one moves through the process and develops a true understanding of the universe and their place within it, they can begin to realize the great potential of their own creative power.

We call on Thelemites to unite their divine expansive nature, symbolized by Nuit, and their divine contractive nature, symbolized by Hadit, within themselves and to dedicate their will and life in pursuit of the Great Work. The stellar union of these two powers will bring Light and the full realization of one’s greater nature and purpose. In those moments of divine illumination, one should also give heed to the highest promise of the Great Work — to go out into the world and enjoy life to the utmost. Let us, then, leap out into life and manifest the joy of Thelema in every moment.

Love is the law, love under will.

Nuit & Hadit @noeasyvision

The elements are Nuit—Space—that is, the total of possibilities of every kind—and Hadit, any point which has experience of these possibilities. (This idea is for literary convenience symbolized by the Egyptian Goddess Nuit, a woman bending over like the Arch of the Night Sky. Hadit is symbolized as a Winged Globe at the heart of Nuit.)

“Introduction” to the Book of the Law