#that's why I think the other Earthlings don't really... have... souls...

[xnixnbvg]

HFIL: The Definitive Series

Orion finally gets what she wants, and is now the defacto mediator of HFIL, however things aren't going to plan and there's a certain Android you could thank for that...

Episode One - For Whom The Glind Tolls

Orion was a Glind with extraordinary and ambitious wishes, depending on who you asked, they'd have the same opinion, that she was far too ambitious for her own good. Sometimes being ambitious was a good quality to have, but for Glinds they aren't supposed to have dreams... Or wishes really, they were next to nothing, a blank slate pre-programmed with a certain destiny in store. 

Once you go against those wishes you're considered obsolete until the next one comes around. At least, that's what they all said. Orion had a lot of wishes and chances she was given. But somehow she avoided corporal punishment... Until now. 

Here she sat in front of King Yemma who read over her report and sighs, she wasn't dead, persay. Just that Elder Kai had told her that she'd been relocated someplace where her “obsessions” could come in handy. 

I forgot to mention that, well. Orion has an obsession with Mortals, which was the main reason why she was hindering in her own lane. Some of the Kais tried to be nice in regards to her “issue” and at first tried to correct it, but over time the overwhelming urge to meet with Mortals overpowered her training, and this was what led her into being heavily monitored.

She also had taken up shapeshifting the proper assets to look more Mortal thanks to the Earthlings she conversed with. Well, they weren't Earthlings but Animals, but I digress.

“So,” King Yemma said, placing the document down, and looking down at her, he was very tall in comparison to her. And it's shown. She's 5'1' and he's quadrupled that size. 

“I normally don't actually handle cases outside of HFIL or HFLW at all, but considering the urgency that this document has imposed, you have been selected for this new job.” King Yemma said, and Orion arched an eyebrow.

“A new job?” She repeats as if she never heard the word employment in her entire 2 million years of life, and King Yemma nodded.

“Yes, you are tasked with acting like a Mediator in HFIL—” King Yemma begins, before The Kai lets out a gasp.

“A Mediator? In Literal Hell? I-Isn't there like two OTHER mediators there? What need do I have to add me there?” Orion asked, and King Yemma shook his head.

“Goz and Mez are underqualified, stressed out Protectors of HFIL, half the time they aren't qualified for certain things, like let's say, counseling and trying to redeem the souls there. We've tried every method there is to console or contain them, and we're left with one option, which is daily exterminations. And that's overkill.” King Yemma adds, “King Kai is considering it, if the situation doesn't improve within a couple of years tops.”

Orion scoffs, “So what you're meaning to tell me, is... You ran out of options to tame the hell fire that is... Well literally Hell? So you called for Divine Intervention?” Orion asked, narrowing her eyes at the ogre.

“I suppose you can call it Divine, but the problem is, I don't think Goz or Mez are qualified and they're overworked.” King Yemma said, and Orion just blinked, and blinked and let out a sigh that sounded like she'd been told that the world was being erased. 

“Then if they aren't qualified to work, why the hell are they even in those positions to begin with?” Orion asked.

“We were shortstaffed and took what we could, don't blame me, plus they are the main reasons why HFIL still goes strong to this day.” King Yemma explains.

”Gee, sounds like those two were bribed or had zero backbones, what do I get out of this?” Orion asked, curiously. And King Yemma shuffled through the papers. He pulled out a single sheet. And slid it over Orion picked it up and read it.

“All of the Residents there have what you're looking for in mind, they are all either former Villains looking for their place in the world, or just people who are... Well people!” King Yemma said, and Orion nodded.

“They were people? I mean they were after all killers and monsters... So...” Orion slips the paper back, and thinks for a bit. 

They were Mortals, beings she'd always dream of being around, but they were bad Mortals. The types of Mortals that Zamasu had clearly hated before becoming the monster he was today. 

They were the real reason why he hates all of them now, but... Isn't that what the Kai's did when they created them? Give them Free Will? So whose fault is that...

Nevertheless, she had decided to nod.

“I accept the challenge, I'd love to be on board.” Orion said, and King Yemma nodded.

“Right, I'd let Goz and Mez know you're coming. Just keep safe on the way to the path. Don't get lost.” King Yemma added. 

“Yeah, Yeah. What are you, my Dad?” Orion jokes, and King Yemma coughs.

“Yeah, I have a daughter so it's hard to not get concerned for one's safety. Go on now, don't be late.” King Yemma said.

The way to HFIL was silent, occasionally she was left with her own thoughts, some of them were ideas on how to improve the living conditions so the dearly departed could finally find their way to HFLW, something she knew Goz and Mez were trying to help them on.

She had lesson plans and rules they could follow. And she hoped to achieve this by talking to them. Within a few seconds she arrived at the gates of HFIL, she noticed a small box, which she assumed was the enter box. So she pressed the button. The box made a buzzing sound before a German Accent came on.

“Ja, wer spricht da? Ach, Gus, bist du das? Kommst du etwa etwa mich und Mez besuchen?” 

Orion cleared her throat and coughed, “Uh, no...? I think?” The other voice went silent before coughing.

“I am so sorry, I thought you were someone else...” The other end said, before a panicked whisper. “Mez, prepare the bedroom, snuff out the candles!” 

Then, a beat passed before the gates opened and a Blue and Red Ogre rushed out, the Red one had glasses on with equal jumpsuits with the names HFIL on the front embroidered in their own color scheme. 

“Ja! Ja! Welcome to HFIL, you must be... Don't tell me... Orion! Ja?” The Blue one asked, and Orion nodded.

“Yes, I am Orion.” Orion confirms the ogre beams.

“Ja! I got it! Come with us to the Administration Room, we have so much to discuss with you!” 

Orion arrived at the Admin Room, where one of the Ogre's kicked something away and had her sit on a damp couch that seemed to emit a smell she couldn't quite pick up on. 

“So, for starters, welcome to HFIL again, I am Goz.” The Blue Ogre said, “And this is Mez. We're the ones running this place, and your Co-Workers, we are so glad to have you here...” 

Mez nodded, “Yes, Yes. We are so glad to have extra help!” 

The two began to discuss everyone in HFIL, the names, and their crimes. Some of which weren't anything to scoff on. They were, just as you'd expect. Terrible, Terrible, Terrible people.

“And we just opened the rehabilitation clinic which is in the middle of the dead end of the cul de sac, it's hard to miss as it has the bright letters of HFIL there. We don't have a name for it yet. We were wondering if you could name it?” Mez asked, and Orion sighs.

“I have no names for it.” Orion admits, and Goz nods. 

“No worries, you can when you have the name for it, now we should probably introduce you to your new housemates.” Goz and Mez led Orion to the Cul De Sac which was empty save for a few scattered items that were basically either outdoors related stuff or just random junk, then they arrived at the Clinic, and opened it, already the place was noisy with several voices at once speaking over one another. 

Goz turned to face Orion. “This is very important, the Clinic is your home, so you have a room upstairs which is located behind the counter in front of us. This is where you'll stay for the time being. Divine beings, after all, need their own privacy!” Goz smiled, and Orion nodded.

Then as they spoke, the noise in the background went, and they walked to the first room on the left. There were various beings, Space Conquerors, Engineers and even Aliens themselves sat.

“Alright everyone, we have a new announcement to make, here's the HFIL's Mediator, Orion!” Goz said, pushing her forwards. 

What came after was not immediate cheering, just the sound of silence, that low silence that made you question yourself after telling a particularly bad joke. Then, a voice, a pretentious voice piped up.

“A divine being? Let me guess, did they just let ANYONE come here? Or is it a special occasion?” Orion turned her head and saw the owner of that voice, a green and black spotted humanoid... Bug? She recognized the voice belonging to Cell.

A Manufactured being created by Dr. Gero who intended on him being created to kill Goku, using the DNA of all the others to make him. Whose untimely demise was brought onto by a child. Orion narrowed her eyes, and made note of him.

“Hello, I am Orion. I am a mediator. For this... Place... I hope I can make your acquaintances... I am here for one thing and to get you all to Heaven no matter what, and I can rest assure you that you will be out of here by the time I am done with you.” Orion said, and some clapped, some groaned and some just stayed silent.

”Of course, and that means all of you have to report to her clinic everyday so you can learn some new skills!“ Goz tries to say, and Cell looks at them.

“Interesting, a glorified redemption attempt. It hasn't been done to the ground before, has it?” Cell sneers, and Orion tenses.

“Well, I assure you. I can get you guys out of here, and I don't care how long it takes. No one is being left behind.” Orion said. 

“We'll see how long it takes for you to crack. Because in HFIL there's no Happiness. Only eternal damnation.” Cell snarls.

Oh it was on then.

[apurikottotii]

may song recs!

i think this month has not been going well and FINALS ARE ABOUT TO HIT ME LIKE A TRUCK BUT THAT'S OKAY. I think I went from denial, anger, and bargaining, rn it's depression. but uhhhh it's fine. i'm hoping that i will find some more faith (in humanity, others, and myself) soon.also i need to find some hobbies because apparently you cannot be happy if you study for 10 hours every day.

--- kimagure mercy - hachioji-p

i was listening to the milgram playlist on spotify like normal. since i'm a peasant, i don't have premium and spotify adds random songs in it. the mmj cover comes up and i think it's yuno's cover of sticky bug for some reason. i go, "damn sticky bug sounds a lot better than what i remember". i google translate the title, realize it's the famous kimagure MERCY, and then proceed to loop it for days.

the vibe is so fun! esp while watching the mv and seeing miku bounce her leg to the beat and stuff. is it a stereotypical romance break up song? yeah. if it was in english would i hate it? definitely. however, because it's vocaloid, the lyrics and beat work so much better.

personal favorite lyrics include: "'demo ne', 'datte'" (the way miku sings it is so asdifnasdifnsadfi omgggggg. she's like imitating her bf with that indifferent...? pleading? voice), "come on, you’re not into me at all / i’d say the one you like is yourself, yeah!" (STOP BEING RELATABLE), "be my boy, you baby spoiled rotten / and hug me tight!" (fuck the expression she makes in the mv is so CONFLICTED ASJDNFASUDNFASDFU), "even if I cry and beg you not to go, nothing can possibly change!" (i'm gonna leave if there are more relatable lyrics), "but I get lonely sometimes too / so come for me!" (i'm leaving), "i’m a lonely girl. Hog me all to yourself, baby" (this is getting cringe).

--- aitai-lians - deco27

ofc being the #1 deco27 hater i had to check out his new release to make fun of him. OBVIOUSLY. and then i fell in love with the 2nd half of the chorus. like wtf. “hello earthlings, Aitai-lians, we are / blackholes for hearts we carry, aliens from afar, we are”. IT'S SO GOOD, especially the "we are" syntax works so well. i think what makes this song special is the beat, which is that like club party beat. i don't know what being "green-eyed" means but i'm gonna guess it's jealousy.

--- cinderella - deco27

i hate deco27. i hate deco27. WTF. this song is so catchy, and yeah it's part of the stupid mannequin album BUT. i really think that deco's in his element when he writes complex songs about love, which this is. it's just really, really catchy. for some reason, the 2nd half of the chorus (which starts out the song and IMMEDIATELY got me hooked) does not sound like it's part of this song? is there a meter change?? is that why??? the chants of "hey" in the verses is weird but... oh well. seriously, i really recommend this song, it's just really fun. on a scale from hibana (lots of emotion/soul) to vampire (no soul), i'd say it leans hibana (unlike the REST of the album).

fun fact: i checked this song out because someone on tumblr said that this could be muu's t3 cover song.

--- help me, erinnnnnnnn! - COOL&CREATE

this song is SO FUN. it's long as fuck but it's still engaging and fun to listen to. i found it bc of a muu and haruka edit at like 12 am and it was stuck in my head all nice. i really love the vocaloid cover for pjsk too, the tuning is just so FUNN!!!! i too want to shout and dance when i hear it.

--- another day of sun - la la land

do i know what la la land is? no, not really. my friend remixed this song for her physics final which is how this person who knows nothing about pop culture found out about this song. no but it's so fun and sweet?? the instrumental break is so whimsical and i love the brass instruments.

--- 折风渡夜 - (i seriously can never find the chinese composers)

gives of 科目三 vibes. maybe i'm racist. actually.. it might be the bass/percussion rhythm. no but wtf chinese opera + cpop is such a good combination. always, traditional musical styles + modern pop always works so well. i don't know why the youtube remix is in vietnamese but that's okay bc that remix SLAPS. idk the lyrics but i cried to this. the way the singer sings just sounds like she's longing for something, and idk man. ESPECIALLY that bridge in the youtube remix. it starts so quiet and in this hushed tone... and that BASS. wtf!!!

--- alter ego/silence - caramel column

seriously, awesome game. the reviews on the app store scared me on how overwhelmingly positive they were, but i can't say that they're wrong. it's kind of cathartic, clicking on speech bubbles for 10+ minutes that call you lonely and depressed. es is a really great character, and honestly a good reflection of ourselves.

about the music.... it's so contemporary! they really represented the calming yet brooding atmosphere of the game with just two tracks. but seriously, crazy meter changes (or wack-ass rubato), long pauses, weird ass accidentals, lots of jumps. yet, it really works out and never fails to calm me down.

honorable mentions: all of haruka's songs. seriously love this man's va.

[garbage--account]

I FORGOT U HAVEN'T SEEN ALL ORION YET I'M SORRY 😭😭😭😭

Anyway, continuing this trend for historical purpose 💅💅💅

Now that i think of this, and except if i was too drunk watching the show, there is not really reasons on why coach Zhao is here... not really an issue in Ares but in Orion ???? Why is he the one doing the selection? Why is he coaching inazuma japan ???? We have his backstory with Li Hao but why is he in the story in the first place ?

We can say it doesn't matter but it matters ! Hibiki was coach in s1 because he was in the old inazuma eleven, Hitomiko has direct relationships with Alius Academy so it's fair she is in charge to resolve this, Kudou was scouted by Hibiki himself, Daisuke returned in CS because his own grandson was kidnapped by El Dorado, even Kuroiwa has reasons to be here, he can sense who on earth can use Souls in a competition in which Kenshin are forbidden and Kenshin were the most powerful thing earthlings could use in sakka !!! What about Coach Zhao ??? Raimon hired him when the sakka team was dissolved ?

He is funny and all, actually a competent coach, but i need more and i can't even imagine reasons myself.

Moving on and going back to Asuto because main character...

There is this whole fake or real dad saga, but what if Shinjou (Asuto's real dad) was actually...kinda evil himself ? We are not removing the imposter saga but the protag's real father lacks depth himself i think, and I AM NEVER BUYING THE SHIT THAT HE WOULD BE A GOOD DAD (see my dad tierlist lol). Plus, that would make sense on the fact that he joined Orion WILLINGLY and is now plotting against it with Shirou, and that he basically abandonned his PREGNANT woman. And assuming Vladimir's backstory (fake dad) is actually Shinjou's, idk that screams villain's origin for me don't you think ? At some point, i imagined him as a serial killer who happened to plays sakka, but it might be a bit extreme... I would like to know your take on Shinjou buddy ? But i'll give him credit for rescueing Asuto from Orion lobby, the way he did that make me laugh.

Norika 😭😭😭😭 true that she has the best arc from all the Inakuni, but i don't like how it was delivered... she still felt irrelevant and it hurts me saying this 😭😭😭 her hissatsus were pretty and inspired but don't stop anything from going in the net... AND WTF HER ORION MAKEOVER 🤮🤮🤮 her her used to be so top notch why did they do this ???? Your take on her and her mom "only having each other" is interesting fr! Like despite appearing bold and confident, she actually isn't and not ready to be away from mom. Her confidence comes mainly from the eyes of her mom. She finds herself not being able to do anything without her. She fails things she used to do perfectly on the island. She needs encouragement the most to function. (Plus, now that she is surrounded by boys only, how to deal with girls problems ?). Another one growing up arc to write for an Inakuni lol, Asuto, why you dragged along your friends the most dependable honestly ? Since she comes back in Orion, she needs her improved arc.

THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINKING FOR IRINA AND BERNARD OMG

That bring us to Ichihoshi who has a "copypasted backstory of og Fubuki" (i kinda agree but it has its own vibe idk how to explain it). What if, instead of having unknowingly the alter of his dead bro from the emotional backlash of the accident and losing his family, it was due to Bernard's magic so he accept to join Orion ? Having a spell casted on you making you believe that you are Mitsuru instead of Hikaru, that Hikaru survived, but fell sick and in need of some therapy he cannot afford by himself, but Orion'll pay if you do what they said ??? Poor lil Hikaru his life was a lie and it's Orion fault. How would he deal with the fact he was matrixed so good and being manipulated all his life ? Bro would turn paranoiac fr. Plus it gives explanation on why some disciples joined Orion in the first place (ex : Baek, Satan, Uzbekistan team, Yurika).

I think Bernard definitly relates to them and he hates it. "He's rich, how can he relate to poor third world country kids ?" He may be rich in wealth, but he was brought up in absolute misery emotionally speaking. The poor Li Hao were hungry and beaten up for stealing to survived because he had no money and no way to afford this. Irina could afford the best life to Bernard but absolutly didn't, and in a way, that's even worse. He was barely considered as a child nor a person, just as a way to bring more glory to his family and their cause. And ironically, that's exactly what he ends up doing with the Orion disciples. How he'd react ? I think he would be always proper and prim in public and with Froy, but could be lashing out on things when on his own (because he realized how violent his Mother was with him and it enrages him deep inside). Until IJ defeated all his plans and then goes ape shit crazy on some children and he ends up in prison, alone in a cell with the ghost of his mom.

Omg that arc we co-write about Hiroto resonates with the Girikanan family and Orion we might be geniuses 🤣🤣🥰

What are you cooking ?

[desperately trying to put out the flames in the kitchen]

I'm glad you asked, my dear friend.

Inakuni Members potential backstories

Asuto's potential relationships as a kid who was forced to think like an adult at a young age and as someone's "Light"

ASUTO HIMSELF

Nishikage & Nosaka's relationship

Hiroto and Asuto's relationship

Ichihoshi and Asuto's relationship

The Ares situation and How much potential it has

All these are ingredients freshly bought from the market [thumbs up]

[katoska]

Earth 2.0 is a simulation and full of zombies and here is why:

Right, so. Given what we’ve seen of the VR restaurant, it makes way more sense for the Afterlife to be a computer simulation, rather than run on Magic. 

 I mean, I know “They are in the Matrix!” is not a new theory, cause TGP literally consisted of pixels, defied physics, contained the consciousnesses of dead people who didn’t have a brain to run soul.exe on anymore and was maintained by an A.I. who is not a robot  - cause she’s a program, made of data. And so is everyone else in the Afterlife, otherwise how could anyone physically interact on that existential plane? 

Thing is, if everyone in the Beyond is just data, what happened to the data of the humans’ last versions? Is it still there, ready to be downloaded into the gang’s brains? And as for Michael and Janet who are made of Weirdness, how did they get bodies that could interact with the physical world, anyway?

Yeah, I don’t think they did. 

Sure Michael and Janet appear human-ised, their powers are gone, and Michael can’t even lie convincingly anymore (... says he, the Cartesian Demon; I’ll have some salt with this, please.). Michael is having a problem with his sweat-glands, Janet with ... other glands, but that doesn’t mean they are in the human world, or in actual human bodies. Like, Tahani’s face once started changing into a Picasso painting, doesn’t mean TGP was secretly a museum all along. 

The reason I’m dusting this theory off is, the fake restaurant and the way it paralled DDR and Michael’s 800 attempts proves that nothing in TGP is actually magic, because the technology to create fake realities exists. 

Probably not on Earth 1.0, mind. Janet might know how to recreate the tech, but that doesn’t mean she would have been able to find and afford all the parts, get a hold of the proper tools etc, all in the span of, what? a couple of days, at most? Forget bad accents (though Heinz’ wasn’t so bad) and Australian flags and peeps, this here is the biggest load of bs so far. That thing worked because someone on the outside of the Earth simulation decided it would work. Just like Michael decided flying would be a thing. Except now he is not in his own neighborhood anymore, so he can’t fiddle with the programming.

Janet was able to give Chidi the Power of the Snap because she was the Architect of her restaurant-neighborhood, so she got to make the rules. She could have turned his face into a Monet painting, if she wanted to. Which is probably why Architects don’t usually get to live in their neighborhoods; too much risk of things getting personal.

She also created a Simone, except one that was a philosophical zombie; something that’s physically the same and acts and reacts exactly as a real person would, except it has no consciousness; no soul.

So basically, Chidi could say whatever to Zombie!Simone and reboot her as often as he wanted to, and still be ethically fine cause she’s not real and he knew it.

Which begs the question: If someone didn’t know the other person was a philosophical zombie, do their actions towards them still have ethical meaning? 

The real person’s actions towards the p-zombies, I mean. Naturally, zombies wouldn’t be affected by the points system, as they have no soul. So they won’t come knocking on Gen’s door complaining that the ripple effects of the reboot affected their score negatively, and why did those humans get more time and they didn’t and blah blah blah. So that would save her a headache.

Earth is fake, and full of Zombies.

[nimedhel09]

Dragon Ball headcanons - Part Three, the Godly Edition (1/2)

Well, hello there! Been a while since we touched on headcanons!

I'm still working on the Saiyan pantheon and decided that, well, since I already have publishable matieral for this subject, why not post it first? Why wait to finish a quite intense and lengthy process of creating a whole freaking belief system from nothing, when I have this already written down and ready to post?

So, instead of just doing one post on Deities and Religions in the DBverse that's going to be way too long... I'll post this bit first!

We're talking about belief systems for: Earth, Namek and the Icejins (I'm still thinking of them as Arcosians and I will not be stopped, but for the sake of everyone who does not agree with this HC that is so not canon, I have also referred to them as Icejins. You're welcome).

Earth

- Kami is the planet's deity. Some call him The Almighty.

- Rituals, rites and adoration vary depending on the place and culture. Some Earthlings, though, aren't really religious and don't think Kami really exists.

- The tribe living in the land of Karin also adore Karin as a lesser deity.

- Poppo is a genie, and he's immortal. Though he can die if killed (Buu, or if the Earth is destroyed... you know).

- The guardian of Earth, "kami" can be granted a longer lifespan if they are human, since they receive a tiny bit of godly ki. However, in the case of Kami, that didn't affect his biology at all. It even seems that he's grown older quicker compared to other Namekians, but that could be because of his separation in two.

- Also, the first "kami" of the Earth didn't ask for their successor to be 100% pure of heart. It is something that got added through the centuries as one of the "kami" was quite strict.

- Yeah, they don't know about the kais, Kaioshin, god of destruction and all the like. Quite a "primitive" world compared to a lot of others who are more in tune with the order of the Universe.

And yeah, that's it for the Earth lol.

Namek

- They don't really have a religion? It's more like spirituality, animism. They adore the world they live in and its nature.

- They show their devotion to their world by tending the Agisa trees, which were nearly wiped out in the Namekian cataclysm that also nearly destroyed the Nameks (and saw Kami, the nameless Namekian, son of Katas, come to Earth as an egg).

- Namekians see all life as important, and their love for it is made quite easy with the fact that they only need to drink water, and thus, never need to hurt another being.

- They know about all the godly and ungodly people (kais, kaioshin, makaioshin, god of destruction and angel, Zeno-sama... you know... they KNOW). They don't adore them or anything, but they respect them, and they know that they are deities. It's just, not important?

The Arcosians/Icejins

- They know of the God of destruction, but that's it. They are so not religious, but have a god complex as a race. It's really lucky for them that Beerus never went to their planet, and that the PTO is useful in doing Beerus's job for him so he can nap all he wants. They might have been hakai-ed otherwise lol.

The ACTUAL hierarchy of the main deities of the DBverse

Yeah, it might seem unnecessary to some, but, I have thoughts. So let's gooooooo with what the kais and other such deities that look after more than one planet/race/whatever do and what their hierarchy is actually like.

Princess Snake: oh you forgot about her? I definitely did NOT. The creator of Snake way, all the Snake ways, though, for all four cardinal kais. She is the lowest in terms of hierarchy, but her role is quite important, as she created the way for worthy souls to travel to the cardinal kais. That's her main role. And sometimes, she puts souls to the test (and eats the tasty ones that don't pass it, scary). And yeah, she has a thing for mammalian male warriors. She and Raditz are an item (oh, you thought I didn't get that tidbit that Raditz was able to flee Hell and live with Princess Snake???? mwahahahha!).

Enma (or Yemma or whatever it is his name is translated as where you live): he is the overseer of the check-out station. His role is vital for Otherworld, as he oversees every. Single. Soul. That gets to Otherworld. He sends them either to Hell, Elysium (that's how I'll call paradise because it looks like the Greek mythical place, so nanana) or one of the cardinal kais. Strength-wise? Well, he's quite strong, but what makes him fearsome? He has the ability to control any mortal soul that comes into his domain. His weakness? He can't control the staff that comes from the demon realm, so if they get corrupted (Janemba!), he can't do anything about it. His jurisdiction is just the check-out station; Hell and Elysium are overseen by Demons, who answer to the kais from their quadrant, Daioukai (if they're on his planet) and makaioshin.

Cardinal kais: They live on planets located just between Hell and Elysium so that, if there is an issue on their side of Otherworld, they are able to sense it and report to Grand Kai. They also keep watch on the quadrant of the Universe they are located in, making sure that things are in balance. If they are not, and there is an issue that needs addressing, they either send one of their champions, or, if it is dire enough, they contact the Kaioshin. When it comes to strength, they are stronger than Frieza individually, but even together, they are not as strong as Perfect Cell. Their energy and aura is different from mortals, as they are born deities. However, it can be somewhat felt still.

Grand Kai: Oversees Otherworld. Their planet is located way over Elysium, but in the same plane of existence than all of Otherworld (easier to oversee it, ey?). Their energy is similar to the cardinal kais, although They are physically and magically stronger.

Makaioshin: Rulers of the Demon Realm, which is a parallel dimension to Otherworld. They oversee Demons, but also Hell when it is needed. They are far stronger than the Grand Kai, and stronger in prowess than the Kaioshin, but they are not so when it comes to magic.

Kaioshin: deities of creation. They care for all of Creation, as in, they oversee all of the Universe they are born in. They have the power to create stars, solar systems and life. They are very strong magically but not so when it comes to fighting prowess (stronger than Cell, but quite weaker than Buu), as their main purpose is not to destroy, but create. Their ki, like all deities, is different from mortals. Their aura feels soothing, even for people who aren't ki sensitive.

Hakaishin: Balance between creation and destruction is needed, so, whereas a Kaioshin is made to create, a Hakaishin is made to destroy. It means they are extremely powerful when it comes to strength and ki manipulation, though, as they are deities, it is not the same kind of power as mortals. Weirdly enough, Hakaishin are not born deities, but mortals, and are chosen by the angel of their Universe to become a Hakaishin. As such, they are trained by the Angel themselves and granted godly ki. Their aura is unsettling.

Kaioshin of Time: for each Universe, there is a Time deity that makes sure that the flow of time if respected, and acts if something is too amiss. They have patrollers at their service that come from parallel timelines. They oversee all of the flow of all of the Universe. Their power is not physical, but magical, and is very vast.

Angels: their role is to guide and teach hakaishins, as well as be their attendants. They obey only to the Daishinkan and Zeno-sama. They are also required to be neutral to mortal matters. They have both the ability to destroy and create. Angels are truly immortal, contrary to the previous deities, and the only way for them to be killed is to be "eradicated" (a power only the Daishinkan and Zeno seem to possess). They live in a plane of existence outside of the Universes. It's also different from the Zeno's palace and in a very different location.

Grand Priest/Daishinkan: Well, he's the father of the angels (all 13 of them, and I'm inferring that it was magical births/creation out of "nothing", because angels are immortal beings and why would they follow silly mortal ways of reproduction?) of the 12 Universes that still exist (+1 destroyed), but he's also the adviser to Zeno-sama. He is also the "public figure" for Zeno-sama, meaning that he's the one that communicates all of Zeno-sama's messages, rules, wants, etc. to lower lifeforms when Zeno themself is not interested in doing so (which is most of the times, because why would they be interested in such paltry matters?). We barely know anything about him (and I haven't thought about him enough either, so sorry, but you won't learn anything new here, probably), but we do know that he is vastly more powerful in both physical prowess and magical power than anyone in the multiverse outside of Zeno. Everyone, be they hakaishin, kaioshin or other angels, show him the utmost respect, as he is vastly superior to any of them, even the strongest.

Zeno-sama: The omni-king, yay! He seems cute, but beneath the adorable appearance and voice, lies inscrutable power. Zeno is beyond power. Zeno is beyond everything, truly. They are the creator of everything, really, and have the power to just erase it if they feel like it. Their view on life is quite simply indifferent. Why would they care, honestly? On the topic of power: Zeno is not a fighter, there's honestly no need when you're the freaking creator of everything and have the ability to just erase a whole universe with just a flick of your wrist. Their power is unfathomable, truly. Not even the deities outside of angels can comprehend Zeno's magnificence. They live in a place they created for themselves with their attendants and amuse themselves however they see fit.

I will not touch on Zeno's attendants or anything more in-depth about any of the deities here. I need to think about them more for that, hahaha!

Important note: when I talk about "strength", "power", "prowess" or "physical strength", I'm also talking about ki. You know, power scaling, all that, haha! Just wanted to put this out there in case it was not clear enough.

And that's it for now!

[lydiaghostcat]

Ydris keeps making fun of us earthlings for being in such a hurry, always worrying about time. Very rude.

When Linda tells him we need his help to save his fellow pandorian, Fripp, Ydris agrees to talk.

He says he's well aware of Fripp, and he has no idea why we need him to help. He's a ringmaster, not a vet.

Linda says we need Fripp to save the earth, which Ydris doesn't care about. We've already established that this guy thinks earth is as doomed as pandoria. And then Linda is stupid enough to call him "The Lamest Showman" and say all his tricks are smoke and mirrors, which he doesn't take kindly to.

He turns Linda into a swarm of butterflies, and I have to collect her.

Great. thanks for that, Linda. Why are you insulting him when we need him to help us

We need to change tactics. Clearly, we won't be able to convince him, but maybe someone else can. Or two somebodies.

Zee and the Jester offer to help. They like Jorvik and don't want it destroyed. They made very clear they're helping for purely selfish reasons. That's fine, I guess. As long as we get the help.

Granted I can't understand what Zee is saying, and she was doing most of the talking, but it seems she was threatening Ydris if he didn't agree to help. He seemed awful afraid of her, too. I so wanna know what she threatened.

Anyway, it worked. Ydris has agreed to help us and we all returned to the Stone Circle

Avalon is not at all pleased to have both a witch and Ydris in the stone circle. He'll just have to get over his bigotry I guess.

Evergray seems to find his brother's anger funny. Me too, honestly. He's also very interested in Ydris and even mentions recognizing him? He says the clown look is new, but he knows those eyes. He asks if they met on the other side, but they get interrupted. I'm very curious about this.

Anyways, back to Fripp.

Mrs Holdsworth explains that Fripp is lost in the infinite. I'm not sure what that means, but no one magic can bring him back. But maybe if we combine all three, Witches, Soul Riders, and Pandorians, we can be powerful enough to call to him.

We'll still need something extra to actually bring him home, though. That's what the five leaf clover is for.

It's about here that Alex points out that Anne is missing, and so is the five-leaf clover. Mrs Holdsworth doesn't seem at all surprised. She says she knew this could happen, there's nothing we can do about it now, and we'll need to find something else to bring Fripp back.

She's being very casual about all this. We're all just gonna ignore Anne and keep working to save Fripp, I guess.

Mrs Holdworth tells us the legend of aideen, as she read it in a book in Fort Maria, which I guess is a forbidden library.

Long ago, before time itself, a catastrophic event shattered the boundary between two worlds. An ethereal being came down from the skies and placed her hands on the earth, healing the wounds. In the middle of the calamity was a small creature. They carried with them an object of great importance, a box. Hope. The box contained "Pandoria's hope." As the creature was tossed between the worlds, they were torn apart from the treasured object. Alone and lost in a strange new land, the creature knew they had to find a way to set things right. To bring back a balance and save the two worlds from destruction. First they needed to find Pandoria's hope.

And then she said a disclaimer about everyone having a different version of the story and we should decide for ourselves what this all means. Helpful.

If Fripp really did have Pandoria's hope with him, maybe finding it could help him now. I guess, idk why this will work but it's what we're doing now.

So we decide to go ask Nic Stoneground about the box. He's been all over jorvik, and he's got that weird magic fridge. Maybe that's it.

Linda and I go to ask him, while Alex goes to find Anne. Finally somebody addresses the fact that a soulrider is missing again.

We ask Nic about his fridge and he explains he found it when he'd run out of supplies and was real hungry. Apparently there's always food inside.

And then the fridge freaked out and ran away??? And I had to chase it down???

They did this just for the "is your refrigerator running?" joke didn't they

Anyway, I caught it and Nic agreed to let us take it so now we have Pandoria's hope I guess??

[butwhyduh]

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Warning: it's long and sad.

Word count: 2150

Summary: basically what would happen if Tony Stark died instead of Peter Parker at the end of infinity war. Basically my one chance to write a space odyssey. For @naturallytom challenge. Part 1 of 2.

Peter sat in the cold chair overlooking space. Colors he couldn't describe flew by and he felt so lost. Nebula knew where they were. She could get them home. She got them to a inhabited galaxy and they were rescued by a people Peter couldn't even name. But the price of going to safety only days before they would have died was going farther from earth. Farther from his life. And no one to know he was alive.

"Kid, eat," Nebula said handing him a fruit. Peter nodded before taking a bite. He ate but had no hunger. Nebula assured him that it was from almost starving but Peter thought it was probably because he watched his mentor die in front of him.

"How long do you think it'll take to get to earth?" Peter asked.

"About a month," Nebula answered as she ate. Her knife sliced the fruit in her hand before eating.

"So Christmas," Peter said. He'd kept up with the dates. They were saved right around thanksgiving.

"What's Christmas?" Nebula asked. The pair talked about many things on the journey. It wasn't like they could do much else besides listen to Starlord's music.

"It's a holiday. Family gets together and gives each other gifts. There's food and lights. Its-it's nice," Peter said.

"That sounds... nice," Nebula struggled to say something nice. She wasn't used to being around someone as kind as Peter.

"I wish we could decorate in here. Or make some real food," Peter said wistfully. The ship felt colder than before and Peter pulled his boroughed clothing tight.

"Get some sleeps. Its been 22 hours since your last cycle," Nebula said looking at a monitor. Peter nodded and went to the back. He laid on a cot and strapped in to sleep. It wasn't long before he drifted off.

Nebula stared out. The people had been decimated by Thanos. His snap had killed half of them. She knew Peter was only holding on to get back to his aunt. What if she was dead? Would he lose his mind?

9 hours later Peter woke. Nebula was holding small swords in the middle of the room. Peter sat up quickly.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing. I think you need a hobby," she said practice swinging the swords.

"Knives?"

"A useful hobby," Nebula said handing Peter a sword. "These aren't dull. You can cut yourself. So don't."

Peter held it awkwardly. Nebula rolled her eyes.

"Earthlings are so weak. Hold it like this," She said handing him the sword correctly. "Turn your body sideways. Smaller target."

Peter turned and opened his legs hips width apart, mimicking Nebula. She nodded. She put her hand behind her back and Peter copied. Nebula held the sword out with her elbow slight bent. Peter made the same motion to have the sword hit from his hands by Nebula. Peter gasped.

"Hold it tightly. You're strong," she said. Peter picked up the sword and moved back to stance. Nebula hit it again and he held it tightly. She hit him from another side and he barely smacked it away. This went on for a minute.

"Hit me," Nebula said. Peter widely swung the sword and Nebula easily blocked and tapped him with the flat side. The rest of the session consisted of Peter trying to deflect and hit as Nebula easily bounced around him. By the end he was smiling, sweaty, and bruised. It was the first time he'd smiled in a long time. Nebula hid her smile as she took a drink. Peter greedily gulped his water. When they landed on the planet, Peter had drank so much fresh water that he literally threw up, much to his embarrassment. On the ship that only recycled water and towards the end, it was only a cup a day.

"Eat," Nebula said tossing him a bar and a fruit.

"What's that?" Peter said looking the colorful fruit over.

"Food. Eat. It'll make you strong," Nebula said. She viewed his collar bone and wrists being more defined. His high metabolism had made him skinny.

Peter tentatively tried the fruit before devouring it. "It tastes like a fruit roll up! Do you have more?"

"You'll only get 1 a day to make it last," Nebula said. "Watch out. I'm going to sleep. Don't touch anything. Wake up if you see anything."

"Oh-Okay," Peter said moving to the seat.

"I counted the fruit," Nebula said before laying down. Peter snapped his fingers in defeat. She was clever.

Peter watched as he saw nothing. But also He saw everything as they sped along faster than he scientifically understood. Which is a lot to say about a genius. He stared for hours as Nebula slept. Peter's eyes got heavy and he drifted off.

Peter woke to Nebula gripping his shoulder. He jumped up.

"Fell asleep on the job? You didn't do that when you were starving. You can clean the toilet when we next land," Nebula said pushing Peter out of the chair.

"Aw man," Peter said.

"No sleeping next time," she shrugged.

And for the next 5 days they followed this pattern. Peter sleeping, training with the sword, eating, bothering Nebula, and watching out as she slept. Finally Nebula wakes Peter during his sleep time to tell him that they were landing on a safe planet.

Peter wiped the sleep from his eyes and grabbed his iron spider suit. He snapped it on over his clothing. Nebula seemed relaxed but Peter was nervous. Any place could be dangerous. The sky was blue and the visible dirt poking through the dense foliage was pink. When Nebula opened the door, a wave of heat hit Peter and he put his mask on.

"Guard the ship. Turn on the incinerator," Nebula said.

"Really?" Peter protested. "I can't leave?"

"We're here just to buy supplies. Don't do anything until I come back. I'll bring more fruit," she said. Peter groaned before sitting in the pilots chair.

Nebula rolled her eyes as she left. She didn't know why she kept the Stark boy. She could have left him on Titan, or planted him back on the first planet they landed. But she felt she owed him a ride back. She had helped Thanos for years towards his goal. And if she hadn't told Gamora where the soul stone was, Thanos would never know.

She met the people outside her ship. They were primitive small people that barely fit the shape of humanoid. They were purple-ish brown with snouts and arms that closer resembled flippers. Nebula held her communication device close to her face and announced her wish to trade. The people parted and a leader came forward. Nebula began offering what she had for trade and the leader agreed.

On the ship Peter sat with his feet on the console. Nebula never let him. He was also eating some kind of sweet bread. Music played in the background. It was under the name sTarLLord89. Whoever it was, had tons of 80s earth music.

Peter was softly bobbing his head when Nebula ran in with a crate of food. Peter quickly flopped his feet to the floor. "What's going on?"

"Not. A. Peaceful. Planet," she said smashing the buttons to fly the ship away. Peter hopped ftom the seat and sat in his usual chair. Nebula roughly lifted the ship off the ground.

"What happened?" Peter asked after they escaped the planet. The ship survived with only a few scratches from spears thrown at it.

"They were cannibals. That's why you couldn't leave the ship with me. You would have been eaten," Nebula said.

"Eaten?"

"Yeah, kid. Inventory the box," she said.

Peter opened the crate to see a few boxes of the food bars, some fruit, and bread. A bundle of rags sat underneath. Peter pulled them away and shrieked.

"What?? What?" Nebula asked from her seat.

"There a spider?"

"You don't know?"

"It's kinda like a spider. In a cage. It looks like a pet or something," Peter said keeping his distance.

"Wait, Spider-Man is scared of a spider?"

"Maybe. You can look at it yourself," He said pouting. Peter grabbed a fruit and sat down. "I'm not dying from space spiders. I've seen that movie."

"What?"

"It's an earth thing. I'll show you," Peter said watching the box suspiciously. Nebula walked over to the box and laughed. A deep belly laugh of joy. It was jarring to Peter. He had never heard that in the weeks they've known each other.

"It's just," she resolved into laughter. "It's harmless. Come here," Nebula said opening the cage. Peter jumped back as it scurried up her arm.

"What should we name it? I had one as a child. I snuck it aboard a ship, just like this," She said smiling.

"You stole it??" Peter said.

"No, this was luck. I'm not turning around to bring it back. Here, have a pet," Nebula said placing the creature on Peter's shoulder. Peter shrieked.

"Take it back! The fuck! No! No. No," he said as she took it back. "I don't want a mutant spider on me."

"That's just ironic," she said sitting back in her chair. She pet the monster under the chin and Peter shuttered as it purred. "I had one until Thanos found it and killed it. Said it was a waste of air."

"He's just a horrible person," Peter said used to her talks about the horrors that Thanos had done to her.

"And I'm going to rip his throat out," she said roughly before going back to petting the animal. "It's your sleep cycle."

"Don't let that beast go. I don't want it laying eggs in me," Peter said suspiciously.

"I'm going to name it," she announced. Peter laid down to sleep. It took him longer to go to sleep after knowing the little monster onboard.

Peter didn't sleep any better. He often had bad dreams. He had dreams about Mr Stark turning to dust. The way he smiled and told Peter that it would be okay before he dusted.

This dream was the last few days before they were rescued. When they had run out of food and water and the air was going turn off soon. Peter felt the cracks on his lips. His throat painful to swallow. Nebula had gone a few more days without food. She could survive longer hungry with all of her mechanical parts. She was worried about Peter. He was laying around now. His skin thin and body bony. Peter could see the worry on her face.

Her hands ghosted over his face. His core temperature was dropping. He couldn't thermo-regulate any more. His lips cracked. Peter watched her in a haze. Peter couldn't understand why he lasted shorter as super human. He was supposed to be strong.

"Why," he crooked. Nebula moved over to him. "Why am I dying?"

"We have no food, kid. I'm going to get us saved. Okay? We'll be fine. You'll eat till you pop soon enough," she said with a false smile. The past few weeks she'd grown pretty attached to the kid.

"But I'm a superhero," Peter said softly with a weak smile.

"Still a human. I think your metabolism is super too. You have to eat a lot. We ran out a little early," she admitted. She clenched her jaw before releasing another smile.

"Makes sense. Yeah. Sorry about that," Peter said.

"No. Its Thanos fault. He's the bad guy here. Don't forget that," She said. She turned away and went back to the front.

--------------------------------------------

Peter woke up panting. He looked at his hands before relaxing. They survived. He was on the way home. He was okay. Nebula looked over at him before turning back.

"This planet you can get out," she said. Her own way of comforting Peter.

"I can?"

"It should be fairly safe. We'll be there shortly."

Peter hopped up and looked out the window. They were above a large metropolitan. Gleaming sliver and bronze buildings we're buzzing with creatures of all kinds. Peter slipped on the iron spider suit with the mask on.

"Smart. Earthlings would get attention," Nebula said. She was kinda proud of her companion. She had started to regard him as almost like a little brother. Peter waited for Nebula to walk out first. She grabbed her little monster before leaving. Peter was nervous after the last cannibal world. 2 tall elegant light green persons met the pair. They welcomed them to the world. Nebula paid them units and they motioned for a crew to do a tune up on the ship.

"We're going to sleep here tonight," Nebula said smiling. Peter gulped nervously. Was he going to be wearing a mask overnight? That wasn't super great for his skin. Nebula walked away from the landing pad and into the city.

"So you know this city?" Peter said following her.

"Oh yeah. I ran away as a kid and lived in the streets for a few months before I was caught again," Nebula said smiling.

"I don't want to be rude," Peter said ducking around a street cart. "But you need serious therapy."

"A what?" She said stopping before a stall making food. It smelled wonderful.

"Nothing."

Nebula ordered for them both. When the food arrived she was on the move again. Peter looked at the foreign food in front of him as he hurried to catch up. Nebula ate as she walked. Peter followed her lead. The flavor was unique but not a pre-made squished bar. In front of a modest building, Nebula stopped. She pulled out her purse and walked inside. Peter followed as she ordered 2 beds at a hostel. Peter sighed. He was sleeping in a mask.

Nebula laid down in her bed. Peter could see the damn little monster snuggling her. It took him a second to realize that this was her sleep cycle. A few other beds had people sleeping. Peter sat on his bed bored.

"Here, don't get in trouble. And don't get drunk," Nebula told him handing Peter some units. "Stay in the market and don't get lost."

Peter smiled. "I won't."

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