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polar534 · 4 years ago

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Slumber Party... OF DOOM!

So. Here is my submission for @johnnysfire ‘s TOH Prompt challenge. For anyone who doesn’t know the prompt chosen was “Evil.”

I asked my lovely friends from discord whether I should go emotional or lighthearted with this and they said lighthearted, so here we are. It was actually really really fun to take a topic like evil and twist it to something fun and hopefully fluffy. I had to keep a lot of things shorter then what I would’ve liked to meet the word count (spoiler alert, I still went a little over), so one day I do plan on fixing this up and making it an actual one shot, detailing the game and everything. Until then, enjoy the read! My idea going in?

Haunted Boardgame:

(EDIT: Um so Tumblr ate and spat out some paragraphs at random the first time I posted... so hopefully everything is in its correct order. Yikes.)

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"Pillows?"

"Check."

"Blankets."

"Check!"

"Hot chocolate?"

3 sets of eyes turned to the green-haired witch sitting in the corner. Amity Blight was currently too busy staring at the glow that inexplicably seemed to surround Luz as she sounded off the ingredients for her perfect 'Slumber Party' to notice her companions all staring at her.

"..."

Amity's eyes shifted only slightly to the left as her ear twitched, finally noticing the silence and the fact that everyone was staring at her.

Wait.

Everyone was staring at her.

"Oh um..." Amity looked around panicked, flushing red as she realized she had completely zoned out. She quickly analyzed the scene. Willow had wrapped a fluffy blanket around herself as Gus clutched a pillow excitedly to his chest.

Right. The checklist. Refusing to look at Luz (to avoid any further embarrassment or lapses in attention), Amity quickly reached out and snatched her sound-off item. Only barely remembering what it was at the last moment, Amity somehow saved herself from the splash of scalding liquid that flew out of her mug.

"Hot chocolate, acquired!" She grinned forcibly and altogether too nervously.

Finally risking a glance up to her crush she realized that Luz was giggling, the human's eyes closed as she snicked softly against her hands.

Amity's ears pressed flat against her head as Willow chuckled to her left.

"Well that would be Amity for 'check.'" The plant witch giggled, shifting her body to face Luz excitedly. "So. What happens now?"

"Yes, what new human traditions are you going to show us? I'm so excited!!" Gus squeaked happily, crushing the pillow in arms.

Luz grinned. "Just a little more patience my friend. We've got to start this off correctly. So… if everyone would grab their cocoa, probably a little more gentler then Amity over there, then I'll begin the toast to make this the best slumber party ev-"

THUMP THUMP

Luz stopped short as all those in attendance whipped around to face the door. Amity was finally able to unhunch her shoulders and stare with the rest of her friends at the mysterious knock at the door. The human was inquisitive herself.

"Luz, I thought you said there was supposed to be no one home tonight?" Amity questioned her curiously, cocking her head slightly to the side.

Luz's brow furrowed as she got up.

"There isn't anyone home tonight."

The entire room seemed to hold it's breath as Luz approached the door and pausing for what had to be dramatic effect, opened it sharply.

"HAH! GOT YOU… absolutely nothing…"

Amity peered around Luz's body to see exactly what was going on only to be met with the same sight and disappointment. An empty hallway.

Glancing both ways in the doorframe, the human shrugged nonchalantly as she went to close the door.

"Wait!" Gus cried from behind all of them. Flinging the pillow away from him and into Willow's stomach, he jumped up and dived underneath Luz to swipe something up from the ground.

Holding it proudly over his head both him and Luz marched back into the room, the bedroom door closing softly behind them. Willow and Amity leaned in close as Gus dropped the mysterious object to the ground with a soft and dramatic thump.

"What… is it?" Willow asked curiously, inspecting what looked to be a black rectangular box that lay before them.

"Is this part of the slumber party?" Gus asked curiously as Luz picked up the box and gave it a small shake.

"Not that I'm aware of. Let's open it!" The human said excitably, turning the box over to rip it open.

"Wait!" Amity yelped, grabbing Luz by the arm to stop her. Realizing what she was doing, Amity immediately dropped the contact, blushing profusely as she pointed to a small piece of paper that had fluttered to the ground.

"A note!!" Luz's eyes twinkled, causing the blushing witch to somehow go even redder. "Amity, you should read it for us!"

"What?!" Amity choked in surprise. "Why me?!"

"You found it! Besides you have a nice voice!" Luz explained casually, shaking the box slightly and holding it up to her ear.

Amity found it difficult to breathe as she shakily grabbed the note and held it in front of her, Willow and Gus scooting forward in excitement. Trying to ignore the thundering of her heartbeat in her chest and the full attention of the room, Amity glanced down at the note.

"Dear Sleeping Party attendants! You have been called upon to vanquish the evil from within this board! Inside you'll find what seems to be a normal board game, but is actually a prison for a very powerful and evil spirit! The only way to keep it's villainy contained is to play and win the game. The world is counting on you. Good luck! Mwehehehehehe."

Amity frowned and reread the note to herself. The world? That seemed farfetched to say the least. Where did this box even come from? Who sent it to them? Looking up Amity saw the stars dancing in Luz's eyes. Her crush was sold. Gus was practically buzzing beside her.

"I've heard of objects that could be bound with spirits before, but never like this!" He babbled excitedly.

"I have! You know how many human stories are filled with things like this? How long I've been wanting to do this?!" Luz grinned, finally figuring out how to open the box.

As the top lid slid off, a cheap and busted old board fell to the ground with a cloud of dust. Flipping the box over, a pile of cards, dice and one rather large hour glass spilled out as Luz gave it one final shake. Willow automatically went to organize everything and flipping the board over Amity saw a long and complicated maze pattern. The entire board seemed to be black, with the path cutting along through it a dull, brownish red. It seemed like each square had one of 3 icons sprinkled randomly throughout. In the very, very center of the board there was some sort of design. Amity reached forward and brushed the dust and dirt away from it as Luz and Gus talked excitedly above her.

The chatter quickly faded as everyone's eyes slid to the symbol that Amity had just uncovered. It was carved into the board itself, the deep grooves of the design painted in a faded and chipped white. Luz stared curiously while Gus, Willow and Amity all exchanged a concerned look. The design was simple, a small circle, with 4 tight loops surrounding it in all 4 cardinal directions, connecting in a diamond pattern in the very center of the circle.

The Witch's Knot.

Luz looked up at the plant witch curiously, one eyebrow raised as Amity swallowed the lump that was quickly growing in her throat.

"Oooh. That's elegant." Luz cooed.

"It's not elegant Luz…" Willow breathed quietly.

"That's," Amity pointed at the symbol, "a witch's knot. It's a symbol used to ward off evil."

Luz turned her head down to the board game and nodded. "Oh I get it, because of the evviiiilll theme this game has going on right?" She chuckled lightheartedly. When no one responded in kind, the human became quiet, her grin slowly slipping off her face.

"No. You don't understand. The Witch's Knot isn't just some superstition or tradition. In the Boiling Isles it had been used as a spell, carved to literally seal away evil. It hasn't been used in centuries though." Amity explained further, staring at the ancient white symbol. A cold feeling crept up her back.

Maybe there really was something to this game.

"Well, that makes what I'm about to say next, something that I have wanted to say forever by the way, a little more somber…" Luz gulped as she grabbed the dice Willow had set aside. The human tossed them into the air, and as they all watched the cubes crash down, she spoke again.

"Let the game… begin."

***

Despite the incredibly dramatic and powerful gesture, Luz had no idea how to play the game, none of them did. Luckily for the companions, Willow eventually found the directions taped to the inside lid of the box Luz had tossed aside. They were scribbled out in child-like handwriting but they were detailed enough to understand:

- Rolling the dice will move your character that many steps forward. On the board there are 3 different symbols. These represent your obstacles, fail to complete them and you lose your life. The only way to reverse this death is for a living player to revive you by taking a detour off the fastest route. Be warned, choosing this path will waste precious time and you will be risking your own life. You may only revive one player per game.

- Each player must choose a small token to represent themselves on the board. You will work together with those around you to overcome each obstacle in your path to the sigil. The goal is to reach the end with at least one player still standing to revive the The Witch's Knot protecting us from the evil.

- You may not begin the game until you have flipped the hour glass. If the last grain drains from the timer and you have not reached the end, evil will be unleashed.

-The Board itself is enchanted to tell if the players are worthy. It will be the judge and jury for the challenges you complete.

[ ~ ] Draw a blue card and cast the correct type of magic listed on it at the board. If you fail to cast the correct spell you lose your life.

Below are the symbols you will encounter on your quest:

[ + ] Draw a pink card and complete the challenge listed upon it. If you fail to meet this challenge you lose your life.

[ * ] Draw a green card. Answer the question on it correctly to move forward. If you get it wrong you lose your life.

Now having read through the rules, everyone seemed a lot more hesitant to start.

- When your token reaches the end, the correct lines to reseal the evil will appear. Read them aloud in a strong and clear voice.

"This seems like a bad idea." Amity echoed the thoughts of everyone in the room. Her amber eyes flicked up and caught Luz's warm brown ones. The human gave her a shaky smile.

"Come on Ami," Amity had to remind herself to keep breathing at the idea of her nickname. "It will be fun. Besides… I'm not exactly itching to find out what happens if we don't play." The human admitted quietly. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the dice.

They had all chose board pieces to represent themselves from Luz's large collection of knickknacks. Luz was a small figure of Azura while Amity was Hecate. Gus found himself a tiny rubber chameleon toy while Willow fittingly found a small plastic flower. Each kid seemed to fidget with their tokens as Luz looked at them each in turn. Nodding, the human set her figure down on the start square. Immediately a buzzing sound filled the room and the dull red path illuminated itself. The symbols now glowed their respective card color.

"Well. That seems ominous." Luz laughed nervously, her eyes growing wide as the light from the path traveled towards the Witch's Knot, as it reached the chipped white paint, the symbol flashed, changing it's paint to a bright angry red. "Scratch that. That is just ominous. Is my soul about to be consumed? Did I just sell my soul to a board game?"

Willow set her piece down next, a small ring of light forming around it as the board recognized yet another player.

"Well, I wasn't really using my soul for anything important at the moment. Let's do this." The plant witch grinned and Amity watched as Luz's confidence swiftly returned.

Gus whooped and set his own piece on the board earning him a wide smile from both of his friends. Soon all sets of eyes drifted to Amity who was staring down at the note that had been originally taped to the box. She couldn't shake the horrible suspicion that someone was setting them up. Looking down at the now glowing and obviously magic board, it was clear they were already too far into the trap to back out now. Taking a deep breath she placed Hecate down right next to Azura.

"Alright. Let's do this." Amity nodded, swiftly grabbing the hour glass sitting next to her. "Is uh, everyone ready?"

"Oooh! Can I say it? Amity pleaaaseeee?" Luz jumped in suddenly, startling the green-haired witch into nearly dropping the time piece. Resetting her heartbeat, Amity handed the hourglass to Luz who grinned widely.

"Alright. This time for real. Let the game begin." The human announced as she flipped it and begun their countdown.

The dice magically floated over to Luz as soon as the first grain of sand hit the bottom of the glass. It was clear who was going first. Tossing them out in front of her Luz rolled a 3 and 5. As she reached to move her figure, it zoomed away from her hand, darting forward 8 spaces by itself. The symbol beneath it glowed a bright pink. A challenge space.

Luz grabbed a card, and the race against time began.

Gus was the first to die, his token being swallowed by the board itself after he lost his balance 2 seconds into a 5 second handstand.

Amity was the next to lose to the game. Her concentration on a fireball spell having been completely shattered by Luz's supportive hand laying on her shoulder. Amity knew it wasn't her simply being startled like Luz apologized profusely for, but there was NO way she would be explaining that today. Not over a stupid board game at least. Fate of the world or not.

Luz and Willow were about 3/4th through the path leading to the sigil when just a few spaces ahead the path split in two. Written in very faint lettering was the words: "Forest of Revival" by the detour path. Looking down it, the companions saw every single square through the 'forest' was lined with knowledge cards. The path itself eventually weaved back to the sigil, but was easily twice as long and packed with symbols.

If they wanted to revive someone it would be a struggle. Deciding to move forward Willow rolled her dice and landed on a spell square.

"Summon a small abomination to pick up your token off the board."

The group fell silent. Willow had never been good at abominations. She slumped in defeat.

Amity had to speak up, the painful memory of her teasing hanging over the entire room.

"You've got this." She said quietly, looking anywhere but Willow.

Luz's eyes flicked worriedly towards Amity, before they turned back to Willow.

"Amity's right. I've seen you do much cooler then a little abomination." Luz cheered helpfully.

"Thanks you two, but I think we both know what happens now." Willow admitted holding a hand up and drawing a pristine circle.

The resulting pile of barely sentient goop unsurprisingly earned a negative reaction from the board and Willow's token disappeared.

Luz wasted no time grabbing the dice for the next turn. They only had about 20 minutes left.

"I'm going to revive someone." She announced, rolling the dice and moving her token into the empty space before the forest.

"Wait, Luz! The forest is full of knowledge checks. Chances are you're going to get something you haven't learned yet. And we won't be able to help you." Amity spoke up quickly.

"Yeah, well you can't really help me if you all are dead right? Look. I'll be fine. There's 12 spaces to the revive square. If I roll double sixes, I'm there."

"That's a pretty big IF Luz..." Willow said worriedly, glancing over at the hourglass.

Turns out they didn't have to be worried at all. As double sixes appeared on the dice, Azura shot forward safely through the forest and landed directly on the revive square.

"I'm reviving Amity." Luz announced decisively as the square began to glow a bright yellow and Hecate appeared beside Azura.

"Me? Why?"

"Because statistically you are the most obvious choice. Top Student and well versed in multiple different magic tracks." Gus nodded, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Good choice Luz!"

Willow merely looked away in shame and Amity felt guilt twist at her heart.

"Well that's not exactly true, but I figure since all of us are always getting up to magic mischief that Amity should get to be a bigger part of this adventure. Plus, historically we have made a pretty good team." Luz beamed, somehow melting the tension of the entire room with her words.

She practically melted Amity face too as heat rushed to the witch’s cheeks at the compliment.

They resumed the game, getting further and further through the forest. As the sand ran down in the hour glass, Hecate and Azura inched closer towards the sigil and the evil within the board.

"1234...5...6... and 7. Nice! Just enough!!" Luz counted excitedly as the board moved her token into the final square before the Witch's Knot. She glanced worriedly at Amity who was still several spaces away and then at the hour glass with just a sliver of sand left.

They were running out of time.

Luckily the board seemed to recognize Luz's finish as a team victory and Hecate was pulled straight to the end, standing alongside her friend/rival Azura.

Two white cards appeared in front of Luz and Amity.

"Ok. So... now we just read whatever's on this card and the evil gets re-sealed?" Luz asked uncertainly, fidgeting with her card.

Amity simply stared at the white card still laying in front of her, dread building in her chest. If there was ever a time for the trap to spring... it would be now. Haunted objects like this often came with a curse, especially here in the Boiling Isles. The ancient symbol currently pulsating red in the center of the board reminded Amity that there was a chance that whatever 'evil' this board contained may be far too old and powerful to simply be sealed away by two witches in training...

"Yep. And hurry! There's not much time left!" Gus's panicked voice jolted Amity out of her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, Amity snatched the card up and flipped it over, almost completely in sync with Luz.

"To defeat the evil within in this board, I hereby announce that-" The two read off in unison.

"... King is the greatest of all time."

"... Luz is a buttface."

The entire room fell silent as the two finished the 'spell' causing the Witch's Knot in the middle to flash a bright, blinding blue before the entire board went dim.

From the doorway the companions could all hear a malicious cackling.

Amity turned around slowly, only to see the resident demon of the Owl House rolling around on his back, laughing.

"YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN YOUR FACES! Oooooh. Oh nooooo! The evil of the board is going to get usssss. Wheeeeheheehehe."

"King!!" Luz reprimanded angrily, but the smile on her face gave away her true feelings. "You know, if you wanted us to play a board game you made, you could've just asked!"

The little demon pushed himself off the floor and wiped his eyes. He walked to the center of the board and kicked over the hourglass, seconds away from running out of sand.

"Psssh. Like I'd want to be involved in your silly little 'Sleep Party' thing anyways. Not that I got an invite or anything..." King grumbled.

Amity felt bad for the little guy, even if the game had them all stressed over nothing, he just wanted to feel included. Reaching forward hesitantly, knowing she didn't have the best relationship with the demon, Amity gently scooped him into her arms and coddled him.

And to both of their surprise, The King of Demons let her.

"Besides, it's not my game anyways. I just wrote those last two cards." King continued, crossing his arms defiantly from his position in Amity's arms.

Luz frowned. "But if you didn't make it then... who did?"

"I don't know. Eda just had it laying around. I found it a couple of days ago and planned this spectacular and amazing prank to pull on you guys for not inviting me. And it workkkeedd! Hah!"

Amity tensed. Nobody knew who made it? A board this enchanted had to have been made by someone.

"No, that's not right. There has to be some sort of clue, right?" Luz frowned, looking around at her friends.

"I don't know, I didn't look." The demon king shrugged before stretching out and curling tightly into Amity's chest.

"Try flipping it over? Maybe there's a name or something. That's what my dad's always do to our stuff in case it gets lost." Willow suggested helpfully.

Everyone nodded as Luz tentatively reached over and flipped the board over. On the back, faintly scratched into the cheap cardboard, were two initials and a small inscription. They had found their answer.

L + E - Vanquishing evil together. Forever.

The End

#johnnyspromptchallenge #toh #the owl house #lots of words #promptchallenge #evil #small?story #hauntedboardgameshennagins #I love making board games #I am not good at writing under a word limit #I cant wait to actually write each round of the game

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theotherackerman · 4 years ago

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Carry on My Wayward Son

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Any recognizable elements belong either to Supernatural, Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, or Attack on Titan.

Notes:

The Fae deal mark is inspired by a court of thorns and roses. You can see it here

Zeke's necklace is Dean's from Supernatural.

The potions, Feywine, Mikasa's ring, Hange's bracelet, and Eren's necklace are all from DnD 5E.

If you want to see pictures of the jewelry, go here

CHAPTER FOUR: WHAT A STRANGE TRIP IT’S BEEN

Demon Deals were breakable.

No always but the demon could call off the deal.

Fae deals?

They were a whole different ball game.

Fae deals were more than just deals between two parties. They were a magical binding contract, more so than demon deal.

Once the deal was made a mark would appear on the skin of the two people who made the deal. One could mistake the mark for a tattoo.

Eren had not been wrong to think that Mikasa’s tattoo could have been a mark of a deal. However, Mikasa had truly just gotten the sigil of her mother’s clan on her skin in reminder of her.

The deals made with members of the Fae left a certain scent of magic on everything. Even humans could smell the magic in the air.

So the screams from Mikasa and the sweet, sticky smell of the fae deal caused Levi, Zeke, and Hange to rush into the basement.

"No. No. No. No. No. No," Mikasa muttered as she ran her hand over the black inked mark on her right shoulder.

If one didn't know what it was, it was easily mistaken for a tattoo.

"Mikasa…" Hange started.

"I never wanted to do this. I never wanted a deal," she muttered as she pulled her legs closer to her body.

Eren swallowed as he rolled up his sleeve to reveal the same mark on his left shoulder. It was identical.

"Yggdrasil," Hange whispered as they looked over Mikasa's mark. "It's the tree from Norse mythology. It holds all the nine realms within it. Interesting. What sort of deal did you two make? It's said the Fae deal mark is the deal in a physical."

"I don't know. I don't want this. Get it off, Hange. I want it off," Mikasa muttered as she closed her eyes.

Eren had never seen Mikasa like this. Even when he had said such hateful words to her, she hadn't broken like this.

"Eren? What happened?" Levi demanded.

"I don't know. I was just sitting here thinking about how she promised me that she wouldn't get hurt anymore. Then I muttered something and my arm started hurting," Eren replied as he pulled the sleeve of his shirt down.

"What did you say? Exactly. Words are very important to fae," Hange explained before pulling Mikasa's sleeve back down.

"We had a deal…" Eren muttered.

"You made a deal?" Hange asked.

"Not technically. I didn't think it would count. It was more of a...I don't know," Mikasa's eyes finally met Eren's.

And he broke.

This pain was worse.

Had she not said the day before how she didn't want to make deals?

Eren had royally fucked up.

Again.

"There's nothing you can do about it then. Words have power. As a member of the Fae, you should know that. You made a deal. Now you both bare the mark. So I suggest you two talk and figure shit out," Levi commanded.

Zeke hesitated but Levi grabbed him and dragged him upstairs.

Mikasa and Eren were left alone in the basement.

Mikasa didn’t move. She didn’t speak.

“I’m sorry,” Eren muttered as he looked down. ““I'm sorry about the thing at the hotel with the kiss and…"

“Sorry for kissing you back. You were under the influence, you weren't really consenting, and I know you didn't want to kiss me anymore."

"Hey," he said, causing her eyes to meet his. "It's not that I don't want to kiss you anymore. And it wasn't like that was all something I didn't want to do. I mean...Mikasa...I just...can't. I'm sorry. I'm the one who should be apologizing, not you. You saved my life. Again."

"It's fine."

"When were you going to tell us that it takes years off your life every time you heal?"

"H..how do you know that?"

"Hange told us. Mikasa, you can't do that."

"Fae live like lobsters. Unless something kills us, we can live for forever."

"Even as half Faery? How many years did each of those heals take from you?"

"I don't know. Just some. What does it matter?"

There was so much anger in Mikasa.

The way he had treated her since the dorm, the fact that her skin was now marked with a mark of deal.

Levi had ordered them to figure it out.

“I don’t want this anymore,” she confessed.

“What?” Eren asked as he looked over at her.

“Any of this. I don’t….I can work the job. I have no choice but to uphold my end of the deal. Other than that, I don’t….I’m not….I don’t think we should be around one another anymore.” Mikasa looked down at her hands. She folded them and then unfolded them.

“Oh,” Eren replied.

“Yeah.”

“Okay then,” Eren said as he stood up.

“I’ll let you know what I find out about The Colt,” she answered.

“Okay,” Eren replied before he headed towards the stairs.

The truth was that Eren was anything but okay right now.

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

Christmas

Eren sat in Levi’s kitchen. Mikasa and Hange were in the living room.

He hadn’t spoken to Mikasa since they had talked in the basement.

Mikasa continued to work jobs for Levi and research for the Colt. She avoided Eren like the plague.

Hange had been coming around, they were never far from Mikasa.

Hunting was a thankless job so Eren and Zeke often used fake credit cards to pay for the things they needed. Zeke was pretty good at hustling pool at bars for money too.

Christmas meant that they were using their credit card schemes to buy things for those they loved. Levi had already given Eren and Zeke their gifts by paying for their anti possession tattoos that they both now sported on their chests. They had got Levi some very expensive tea from a shop that they had helped out with a ghost problem.

“Merry Christmas, Eren!” Hange said as they walked into the kitchen. They had a small box.

“Thanks, Hange,” he muttered as he looked down.

“This is just a little something I cooked up with magic,” Hange said as they sat down across from Eren.

Eren opened the box to reveal a small potion bottle. There was a red, glittery liquid inside of the bottle.

“It’s a very basic healing potion. Won’t bring you back to life but may help you hold on when you’re dying. I made one for Zeke and Levi too,” Hange smiled.

“Thank you, Hange,” Eren said as he looked up at them.

“You’re welcome. Merry Christmas, Eren,” Hange said again as they stood up.

Zeke entered the room.

“Here,” Zeke said as he came into the room with a box.

“I thought we agreed on no gifts,” Eren grumbled.

“It’s not a real gift,” Zeke said as he tossed the box to Eren.

Eren caught the box and unwrapped it to reveal a box with a bottle of vodka in it.

“You’re right. It’s not a real gift,” Eren scoffed.

“It’s pay back for buying me that bottle of whisky. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”

“I won’t.”

“Good.”

“You going to give her the thing?” Zeke asked.

“I don’t know. She said she didn’t want to be around me.”

“I know. But it’s Christmas.”

Mikasa wandered into the kitchen, putting more of the Christmas cookies onto her plate. Mikasa had always had a sweet tooth.

“Hey,” Zeke said as he gave her a small wave.

“Hello,” Mikasa replied before ducking into the living room.

Zeke raised an eyebrow at Eren.

“I told you that she didn’t want to talk to me,” Eren muttered as he looked down.

“Maybe try getting her alone later,” Zeke suggested before he patted Eren on his shoulder. It was the same shoulder that bore the mark of the Fae deal that Eren had made with Mikasa.

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

Christmas went on.

Levi and Zeke gave Hange a bracelet of protection against fire they had picked up.

Zeke gave Mikasa a tea cup and some flowery tea.

Levi had also paid for Mikasa’s anti possession tattoo while Mikasa gave Levi what looked like the world’s smallest teapot. It was made from a walnut.

She gave Zeke a bottle of Feywine that she had received from working a job.

The hours quickly faded as Levi and Hange drank far too much eggnog. Zeke had made it, the sweetness covering the alcohol.

“We should sing Christmas carols!” Hange suggested.

“No one wants to hear you sing so I’ll sing with you,” Levi’s words slurred together.

“I’ve never seen him drunk in my life,” Zeke muttered.

“ Dashing through the snow…” Levi and Hange sang together.

“Alright, I’m going to bed. Goodnight,” Mikasa excused herself from the living room.

Zeke waited for several minutes before he spoke.

“Go give it to her!” Zeke said as he stood from his seat.

“She probably….” Eren started to say but Zeke was pulling Eren’s arm.

“Go!” Zeke ordered.

Eren sighed before he stood up and went down the basement.

Mikasa had changed into a tank top and shorts. Eren could see her anti possession tattoo peeking out the top of her tank top. It was in the same spot as his, on her chest, right above her heart. She was holding her toothbrush and toothpaste in her hand.

“Oh,” Mikasa said when she saw Eren.

“Hi. I...I got you something. It’s not a big deal. It was from a job we worked and...nothing else. I just thought it’d be useful for you,” Eren rambled as he pulled a small box from his hoodie.

Mikasa sat down the things she had been holding in her hands before taking the box from Eren.

He watched her.

Suddenly, he became very nervous.

He knew he deserved everything that she had said to him.

He knew it was all his fault. He knew he hadn’t been fair to her. He hadn’t told her the truth either.

The more jobs he worked the more the lines between monster and human seemed to blur.

Maybe the world wasn’t as black and white as he thought.

Mikasa slowly opened the box to reveal the purple stone ring inside.

“It doesn’t have any iron in it, in case you’re wondering. It’s...it’s a ring of protection. The stone is amethyst. I thought since you’ve been working a lot of jobs by yourself, you could use it,” he replied as if it was no big deal.

Why was he acting like a stupid school boy with a crush?

“Thank you,” she replied as she took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her ring finger. “I...uhh...I have something for you. But it’s from...we found a human who has contact with the Fae realm. He was being haunted, so I helped him. He gave me some things from the Fae realm,” she explained as she walked over to the plastic drawers she was using as a dresser.

“So that’s where the wine came from,” Eren mused.

“Yeah, the tiny teapot too,” she opened the drawer and pulled a small box out.

She held it out to Eren who took it. He slowly opened the lid to reveal a brown corded necklace with a single red feather attached.

“It’s a Phoenix feather. It’ll keep you warm. I know how you don’t like the cold,” she muttered as she looked away.

“Thank you,” he removed the necklace from the box and put it on.

“What did you get Zeke?” she asked.

“Oh. I gave it to him a little while ago. It’s the necklace he’s been wearing, the brass one. It’s supposed to be a powerful protection charm,” Eren explained.

“Where’d you get that?”

“Levi. The bracelet we gave Hange and your ring came from a physic in Indiana,” he explained.

“When were you in Indiana?” she asked as she sat down on her bed.

“Two weeks ago. Why?” he asked.

“Oh. I was there about a week ago. Ghost issue. You?”

“Also a ghost issue. You notice they’re getting more active lately?”

Mikasa nodded. “It’s getting weird out there. Weirder than normal. Did Levi tell you about the Werewolf?”

“Yeah, I still can’t believe how big that thing was. Any ideas why everything is like this?"

“I don’t know. The guy I met, the one with the connection to the Fae realm said they’re scared. They’re staying out of it. They wouldn’t give him any information on why they said that but if the Fae are scared, I’m sure it can’t be anything good.”

Eren nodded as he leaned up against the wall. “My dad left Zeke a voicemail. He said something big was coming. He never told us why and he didn’t leave any information about it in his journal. We’ve been hitting a wall on finding any information about the Yellow Eyed Demon.”

“I’ve not had any luck with the Colt either. It’s mostly dead ends. I’ve tracked it a bit but then it just vanished. Hange got a few old journals from some recently passed hunters so I’ll start going through those soon. If I can ever stay out of the field, that is. Levi keeps having to send me out. It feels like there are less hunters to go around.”

“A lot have died recently. I guess it’s to be expected with everything going on.”

Mikasa nodded.

“Your dad….he was a hunter?”

Mikasa nodded again. “He was. That’s how he met my mom. She was injured after she came here from Japan. She wanted to see the rest of the world. Her magic went wild due to her injury. Then my dad found her and helped her. She began to help him hunt. Then they fell in love, married, and had me. Then they were killed by demons.”

“Who’s tracking you?”

Mikasa sighed. “Who isn’t? Demons, some other Fae. They want me to take up my birthright.”

“Birthright as what?”

“I...fairies have court. There are rulers. They don’t do much, Fae sort of do whatever they want. They’re run out of my bloodline. I’ve stayed off the radar.”

“So...you’re a fairy princess?” Eren smirked.

“Try a Queen. But I know nothing about the Fae realm or the courts. I have no desire to navigate politics. Besides, they’ll give up looking for me eventually. They’ll find an actual ruler.”

“So why did your mom leave then?” Eren asked.

“I don’t know. She never told me.”

“But shouldn’t you take up your birthright?”

“You know how humans get to the realm, right? They stepped in a fairy circle. Then they get stuck there for seven years if they eat the food or drink anything. I have no desire to rule in a place where I can’t eat or drink.”

Eren laughed, “so it’s our English class sophomore year?”

“Yeah. Mr. Dawk hated us.”

“He shouldn’t have made his only English class at 8:00 in the morning then.”

“I’ll never forget when you brought in that portable blender and made smoothies for everyone.”

“It was Floch’s idea. Remember how Hitch brought in the portable grindle and started making pancakes?”

Mikasa laughed as she nodded.

Eren had missed hearing her laugh.

He was an idiot for putting her through all of this. He had been awful to her. As he watched her laugh and smile, the guilt began to swarm him.

“I should let you go to sleep,” he muttered as he looked down.

Her laughter stopped. “Okay,” she replied softly before standing up.

“I was worried that you hated me too much. I just saw the ring and thought of you. Thanks for taking it ,” he said before he looked up at Mikasa.

“I don’t hate you, Eren,” she muttered. “I just think it’s better this way. I’m not going to ignore you or be rude. It’s just better for both of us if we’re just…...two people who are semi friendly. It would be rude if I got everyone a gift but you.”

She was just being nice. Of course, she was. Eren giving her a gift couldn’t make up for all the horrible things he’d said to her or what he’d put through.

“Thanks for the necklace. It’ll be good for these cold months,” he esaid.

“You’re welcome,” she smiled.

“Merry Christmas. Goodnight, Mikasa.”

“Goodnight, Eren.”

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

The next morning Mikasa was long gone by the time Eren woke up.

“She missed Yule and meeting with her friends,” Hange explained as they drank their coffee.

“Oh. Right. She did go home for winter break,” Eren sighed as he sat down.

“It’s one of the few times she spends with other half Sidhe.”

“Wait. I thought Mikasa didn’t have contact with the Fae realm.”

“She doesn’t. But you didn’t think she was the only one I had in my care back in the day, did you? I didn’t know what she was at first. There are other hunters who did,” Hange explained.

“Oh.”

Suddenly Eren wondered if Mikasa’s friends knew of him. Did they hate him? It worried him. If she told her friends, there may be no coming back from that.

Why did he care?

It was a dumb question. He knew why he cared. He still loved her. Last night, he had seen the girl he had fallen in love with again.

Suddenly, a headache swarmed Eren.

He held onto his head as images that made no sense swarmed his head.

Then Eren fell to the floor.

#comwws

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bellamyblakru · 5 years ago

Note

Hey, I saw your "I have you, it's okay" Merthur drabble and thought it was incredible and beautifully written ❤️ So could I please request "Please tell me you aren't dead..." + Merthur, thanks xx

THANK YOU SO MUCH IMMA CRY🥺😭this is so kind, of course you can request that!! id literally write anything anyone asks me🥺thank you so much for the request, i hope i don’t let you down!! (im doing canon era again because i live for them, with all the knights alive and such) (i also made merlin say the prompt instead of arthur this time to mix things up)

Merlin was going to kill Arthur...if he wasn’t dead already.

Last night, the knights, the King and his servant went out to the tavern after sparring to try to enjoy the beautiful new spring weather that had finally arrived in Camelot—instead of sweating and beating each other relentlessly in the sun, Merlin thought unenthusiastically. This tavern trip, however, was different from the others. Instead of Gwaine leading the charge towards drinking unmercifully, it was surprisingly Arthur this time around. Merlin usually didn’t drink—just in case King Prat needed saving, but this time he couldn’t help himself. He was having a good day: Arthur was being unusually kind and tactile with him, Lancelot complimented his outfit, and Gwen stopped by today to give him his favorite sweet from the kitchens, so having a few drinks with his family would only top off his day. It is a known fact in Camelot that Merlin is a lightweight drinker—his abnormally low tolerance for alcohol made every knight howl with laughter, especially when he was hiccuping after drink number three.

What drunk Merlin and company didn’t realize at the time was how little Arthur was drinking. While Merlin, Gwaine, and Lancelot were on drink number four, Arthur barely touched his first round. Arthur had a reason, of course, for going light today, but he didn’t want to let the others realize his lack of drunkenness. He played the part of drunk King, but he had different plans for that night.

Earlier that day, a report came in from the south. The writer claimed to have seen a rare creature, one that only existed in the myths and legends, while pleading with the King of Camelot to conquer the beast before it can harm more of his people. Arthur refused to let Merlin read the report—which never happened. Merlin was hurt for a minute, but Arthur soon made it up to him by ordering two plates to be served for lunch (Merlin soon forgot about the paper after that). The reporter was convinced that the creature was a Necat Caritatem. They weren’t big creatures, and they didn’t look extremely threatening. They haven’t been seen in over a century--according to the library, that is. The name loosely translated to “love kills,” which is precisely what it does. It lures their prey with the scent of what or who they love the most, uses it to capture their victim, to slowly suck the love out of them. There are other stories that if the Necat Caritatem catches you with your love, they delight in witnessing one lover losing their love almost as much as the actual taking of the feeling. Arthur had believed they were all killed off--they were once the greatest threat in the land, and if this letter is to be believed, then his kingdom did face one of its biggest threats of their time.

Killing love is killing hope, light, and freedom all at once. The essence of humankind thrives on the existence of this one single idea, hope. Existing in this world, that can cease to be at any moment, is arduous without optimism. Giving a seedling light allows it to thrive, it becomes one with the world, part of something bigger than itself. Refusing this light slowly kills it. Taking away this love, this hope in the world of darkness, is the worst kind of pain. Arthur refused to let Merlin see the report. He knew where that would lead: “Merlin, no, you can’t come with me” “Arthur, don’t be stupid, of course I’m coming. Who would protect you?” Every time it was the same conversation, with different threats, but this conversation will not happen today.

This was different. This adventure could take Merlin away from Arthur, and he wouldn’t let that happen. Merlin was Arthur’s love, his hope, his life. Taking away Merlin’s unconditional love would be like stripping away the sun from the earth. Arthur knew that without Merlin’s love and loyalty, Arthur would amount to nothing. Merlin’s smile helped Arthur get out of bed in the morning and was the last thing he thought about before he closed his eyes. Merlin is too important to Arthur, to his kingdom he helped build. Arthur knew Merlin kept secrets, but he didn’t hold it against him. How could he? Arthur understood--he truly did. People keep secrets for a few reasons, but the only one Arthur could give for Merlin would be that Merlin’s secret could hurt those around him and Arthur knew Merlin went to great lengths to avoid hurting those he loved. Some would argue that Merlin kept secrets because Arthur was king, but he knew that wasn’t the case. Some things are safer kept to one person, but he hoped that Merlin would truly let him into his heart one day.

So, back to the drinking. Merlin was giggling with Gwaine’s attempts at flirting when Arthur tried to make his escape. He was just about to excuse himself when Merlin turned his beautiful, blinding smile onto him, and Arthur had to hold the edge of the table to stop his knees from collapsing underneath him. He holds too much power over me, Arthur thought ruefully with a small returning smile for drunk Merlin’s sake. Merlin stumbled over to Arthur and swung his arm around his shoulders, “Want to retire, sirrree?” Merlin sang to him into his ear. Arthur’s first thought was, how does he understand me so hammered?, then out loud he laughed, “Yes Merlin, I do have a kingdom to run tomorrow, but let’s get you to bed before Gwaine gets you to do anything unlawful.” Merlin just smiled at that and bid his goodbyes to the group, stumbling fast on Arthur’s heels. As Merlin was dead on his feet, the minute they were out of sight Arthur picked him up bridal style to move this along faster.

Arthur deposited Merlin on the king’s bed, taking care of him for as long as he could. When Arthur gave Merlin his mother’s sigil, he thought it would represent his love and respect for Merlin, but maybe it would help Merlin rise to be the leader he knew he could be when he is gone. Arthur could think of no one else better to lead his legacy.

He quietly asked for a horse to be prepared so he could start his southern quest. In the candle light, Merlin looked to be softly glowing. Arthur tried to remember every detail of his best friend, but he would need to leave soon if he wished to get there by sunrise. At the last minute, he decided to write Merlin a quick note explaining what was happening, with the report underneath it, ending the letter with ‘Yours Always, Arthur.’ This was the right thing to do. If Arthur was going to go down, it would be fighting for a future where Merlin exists.

Merlin woke up with a raging headache that doubled when he opened his eyes to the blinding light. The only thing he remembers from last night was Arthur’s lovely smile and the third drink. The softness underneath him, though, was a rude awakening. He jumped out of the bed but was immediately too dizzy to have a coherent thought. After putting his head against the cold wood of the bed, he decided he was stable enough to finally look around. The first things that drew his attention were the plate of food, Gaius’s hangover medicine, and a pile of papers that had his name written on top. Downing the cure, following that up with some bacon, he sat down to read.

Of fucking course he would, Merlin thought angrily, if there is one scratch on his stupid perfect blond head I’ll kill anyone who has ever threatened him. Merlin left the King’s room in a flurry of anger, love, and desperation. The servants quickly avoided this version of Merlin, knowing better, while he made his way down to the stables to go himself.

The trip was fairly quick, but what Merlin saw when he arrived made his blood run cold. Arthur was surrounded and caked by blood, both silver and red. Merlin halted for a second, letting his heart slow down enough to get the physician in him to address the situation clearly.

It didn’t work.

Merlin walked unsteadily to Arthur, his breath coming in harsh puffs. This wasn’t the end. This couldn’t be the end. They had a kingdom to continue building, they had people to free, but, most importantly, they had their lives ahead of them to learn how to love each other, properly, that is--without one of them trying to die to keep the other alive.

"Please tell me you aren't dead..." Merlin whispered when he bent down to Arthur’s body, tears already flowing down his face.

Arthur’s breath was shallow but still there. Breathing, even this small, made the hope in Merlin’s chest burst. He could make it.

Merlin put his forehead against Arthur’s, put his hands against his heart, and put his entire soul and magic into Arthur. Arthur took a gasping breath and opened his eyes to see his Merlin sobbing onto him. Snapping his head up, it took Merlin to realize that his eyes were still burning gold. Arthur, still breathing heavily, took Merlin’s face into his hands and kissed him. Merlin, still catching up on what was happening, hesitated and when he finally understood what this kiss meant, Arthur unceremoniously passed out again--looking healthier as time continued on.

Arthur managed to kill the Necat Caritatem in a bloody fight. The creature tried to use a hallucination of Merlin doing magic against him to slow down Arthur’s fighting, but seeing Merlin with beautifully golden eyes, giving off such an auror of power only made Arthur fight harder. If Merlin truly had that power within him, then Arthur wanted to witness that power himself. He knew Merlin’s heart, and an evil sorcerer is not who he was--no matter what this creature showed him. Not expecting that reaction of pure love, the creature fought dirty and clumsily--since it’s main source of attack was usually against the mind. Arthur ended it with Excalibur through its heart, and with Arthur trying to remember when his vision started getting so blurry.

The next time he woke up, it was to Merlin crying over his body, glowing ethereally. Those eyes he was taught to hate was the only reason he was alive, and the golden fire seemed to complete who Merlin was to him: strength, power, wisdom, and love. Through that train of thought, Arthur’s only reasonable reaction was to kiss the ever-loving shit out of Merlin until the dark claimed him once more.

#ashley writes #merthur drabble #thank you so much for the prompt #i dont wanna write more sad LOL it makes me sad #this was fun to write!!#i love y'all so much #merthur #thank you all for being so kind to me #again this is heka long sorry lmfaoo #sentence starter

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raiseyourcups · 4 years ago

Text

Cabur

Interlude

Pairing: Din Djarin x OFC (Aili Verdella) Warnings: none, just fluff and a slightly suggestive scene Word Count: 4.7k Also on AO3

Masterlist//Main Masterlist

Summary: Aili, Din, and Little Green make it to Oshriya in the hopes of finding out where the remainder of the Covert went. Thankfully the mayor owes Aili several favors.

Note: And so concludes Cabur in more ways than one. In case you missed the announcement on Chapter 24, I will not be posting the sequel story here on Tumblr at all. Rather it will only be posted to AO3, schedule to be decided at a later date. Thank you for sticking through to the end with me.

Oshriya was just as tiny as Aili remembered it but it was somehow brighter. No one had to hide away their children or set a curfew when the sun went down. When the Razor Crest landed, no one was wary and when they saw Aili come down the gangway they were more than welcoming. Someone had run over to the mayor’s house to have him there to meet them when they were all off the ship.

“You’re back and with a friend,” the mayor said when he met them at the bottom of the gangway. His gaze travelled over to the child in Aili’s arms and he looked up at the woman who had taken down an entire slavers ring not too long ago with barely concealed surprise. “A friend and a child.”

“Yeah, a friend,” Aili agreed awkwardly. It wasn’t like she and Din had actually put a name to what they were exactly. They probably should do that at some point. She didn’t comment on the mayor’s surprise at seeing Little Green. “We came to ask if you know where the Mandalorians that showed up went.”

The mayor paused for a moment too long, making both Aili and Din suspicious. “No, they were very quiet about it. Came to lay low for a week or two and then two young ladies asked about selling the ship,” he explained as he led them down through the market.

“And after that?” Aili asked, finally remembering the mayor’s name. Coming to Oshriya the first time around seemed like a lifetime ago but it might as well have been. Aili was clearly not the same person who had taken down the slavers and rescued several women and children, not with Din at her side and Little Green in her arms.

“Someone one town over bought the ship and then they had enough money to buy passage to any planet they wanted. May I ask what you want with them?” Mayor Nez questioned, his tone just a little too curious as he glanced at Aili and Din from the corner of his eyes.

Suddenly the mayor’s hesitance made sense to Aili. If they were still there on the planet, he might think they were looking for them as a bounty despite Din obviously being a Mandalorian as well. “Four of them, including the two oldest girls, they’re my...sisters,” Aili said, wondering exactly what the girls were to her now that they had been named a clan of seven. And the Armorer naming her and Din as Little Green’s...parents made things more confusing.

“But you’re not a Mandalorian, are you?”

“No, that was by choice but they are part of his Covert,” Aili replied, nodding her head in Din’s direction.

“And they have been named part of our Clan,” Din added, hoping that would make it clearer to the mayor that they weren’t here to hunt down the Covert for a bounty.

Mayor Nez’s gaze drifted to the symbol on the Mandalorian’s pauldron and his eyes lit up in recognition. “Ah yes, I do recall two of them having the same Mudhorn sigil on their armor.”

“Wait, what?” Aili asked, confusion clear on her face with the way her brow was furrowed.

“The sigil on your pauldron, it is a Mudhorn is it not?” Mayor Nez asked, he had been sure about the name of the creature and symbol.

“It is,” Din answered slowly, his own brow furrowed in confusion beneath his helmet.

Neither Aili or Din knew how the Armorer had known to give the Mudhorn sigil to the two girls. Din assumed that the younger ones might have a pendant like she had given Aili but that also didn't answer any questions. “Clans generally have the same sigil to mark them as a unit,” Din explained despite his shock.

"So a Clan is like a family?”

"In a way, yes.” Din didn’t really feel like going into the details, least of all with an outsider like the mayor. It would be different if it was Aili asking but it wasn’t which made Din hesitant to answer any other questions.

"Ah in that case, please use this house for as long as you'd like.”

Aili and Din were taken aback by the size of the house the mayor was gesturing for them to enter. It was the biggest one in the town by far and more than they needed for the three of them.

“We can’t accept this, there’s only three of us and...well, we only need--” Din cut himself off, unsure if Aili would even be okay with sharing a single room now that they were planet-side. They had been sharing the cot recently, Little Green included in a makeshift hammock to give them some room. But they had come here straight from Nevarro and Aili had stubbornly refused to let Din so much as attempt to sleep in the cockpit while he was still healing from the siege. And Little Green refused to sleep without being able to see both of them in the same room now, the first time had clearly been a miracle only possible due to his exhaustion.

“Please, it’s the least we could do. Now it’s quite obvious that you two need sleep,” the mayor gestured towards the home once more, still with a smile on his face that was doing nothing to ease Aili and Din’s suspicions.

The lights were on in the front room but despite no one being there, it felt lived in which put Din and Aili on edge. Why would the mayor have told them to use a house that was clearly not empty without asking whoever owned the home for permission. They hadn’t been inside for very long when there was a quiet shuffling of feet coming their way, barely audible like they were trying to sneak up on them.

Neither of them was really prepared to see a Mandalorian turn the corner, one hand hovering over their blaster holster nor were they prepared for said Mando to stop in their tracks at the sight of them. They all stared at each other for a long, silent moment until the smaller Mandalorian broke it.

“Ori’vod?”

“Madsin?”

In the next moment, Aili had passed Little Green over to Din before she was rushing forward to pull the other girl into a hug that was quickly returned. Din watched in stunned silence as the pair started to laugh a little, the sound coming from Aili startling him. Sure she had laughed at him a few times but it had always been at his expense. This was a different laugh, relieved and happy at the same time. They separated and the girl, Madsin as Aili had called her, turned a little to call back to where she had come from. Din noticed that Aili quickly ran a hand across her eyes, wiping away a few stray tears and he was taken aback once more.

“It’s safe, just some old friends,” Madsin said with a slight tilt of her helmet. Aili shoved at her shoulder a little even through the helmet she could still hear the teasing tone Madsin was using, travelling with Din had made it easier for her to pick up on it. There was the sound of several footsteps now, a few moving faster than others and then Aili was surrounded by four kids of differing heights.

There were other foundlings, hesitant to move any closer despite Madsin making it obvious that they were safe but Din noticed a few look his way. He couldn’t stop himself from counting how many there were and he was relieved to see that they hadn’t lost any foundlings from the last count he had done before he had taken the bounty for Little Green. Heavier footsteps moved closer to Din and he couldn’t stop the annoyed yet relieved sigh at the sight of blue-painted armor.

“Paz.”

“Din.”

They sized each other up for a long moment before Paz turned to stare at Aili who was still surrounded by her girls. The two youngest were chattering away about something and the other foundlings had moved a little closer as well. Din couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face seeing how excited Aili looked as she listened to what she was being told, he could tell she was just happy to see all four of her girls alive and well.

“I guess now I know which ones she claimed were hers,” Paz said, helmet cocked to the side.

Din had almost forgotten that Aili had commented on meeting Paz once before, back on Sorgan when she threatened to kill him just to make it back to Nevarro. “The Armorer named us a Clan,” he said, glancing over to see what Paz’s reaction would be. The larger Mandalorian had always been one of the more traditional members of the Covert. Staunch in his belief that non-Mandalorians were to be considered outsiders, worse if you became dar’manda.

“The way her oldest talks about her, she may as well be one of us and the Armorer’s decisions are final,” Paz finally said after a long silence. Din was surprised at how easily Paz was accepting Aili and he wondered if it was only because of the Armorer naming them a Clan. Rather than focusing on it for too long Din turned his attention back towards Aili and the other foundlings, a small smile crossing his face when he caught sight of the smallest of Aili’s had her arms wrapped around her still.

The youngest of the foundlings chattered away for a few more minutes before there were several yawns that infected the group as a whole quickly. Aili let out a quiet laugh, “We should get some rest everyone.”

The other foundlings left the room quickly, heading for whichever rooms they had claimed as their own to get some sleep. Aili’s youngest two did not move while Madsin and the other one stood back to wait for them. “Will you be here in the morning?” The one with long braids, Din made a note to ask Aili for their names so he knew who was who aside from Madsin, asked. Aili let out a sigh, reaching over to run her hand over the top of the girl’s head.

“I’ll be here, promise and you know what I say about making promises,” Aili trailed off waiting for the younger girl to reply.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” the girl said before nodding, satisfied with Aili’s answer for the moment. She held her hand out for the youngest girl to take before she listened to Aili’s advice and they left for their own room. The only ones left in the front room now were Paz, Din, Aili, and Aili’s two oldest.

“So what now?” Aili asked.

“Like you said, sleep. We can discuss everything in the morning,” Paz answered. He could tell that Din was barely staying on his own two feet and he had quickly handed the small, green...child over to Aili as soon as she was by his side again. “First door to the left upstairs is open.”

The slow way that Madsin’s helmet turned to look at Aili and Din let him know exactly what was probably going through her head. Aili met Madsin’s gaze and slowly shook her head, the expression on her face stopping the younger girl from saying anything. With a few quiet good nights, everyone headed for their respective rooms. Aili almost cried at the sight of an actual bed, once again thankful for the mayor being so generous.

The two of them quietly stripped down to something more comfortable to sleep in, Aili having an easier time than Din who had to take off most of his armor minus the helmet. They settled onto the bed, Din sitting up against the headboard and Aili leaning up against him despite having a whole bed available to them. Little Green was between them in Aili’s arms and her last thought before she fell asleep was that they really needed to go back and get his pram back from Nevarro.

*Run away to a place where you can breathe*

When morning came, Aili and Din woke up to a mostly unsurprising sight. Sometime in the night they had both slid down the headboard and were properly laying on the bed, and there were two more kids in the bed on Aili’s side. The youngest was flush against Aili’s side, arms wrapped around her midsection while the other was asleep beside her in the same position. Across the room in a chair that neither of them had noticed the previous night was the second oldest of Aili’s girls, wrapped up in a blanket, while Madsin had made a makeshift bed on the floor beside the actual bed.

Aili and Din shared a glance with each other, letting out similar quiet laughs at the sight. Din was suddenly grateful that he had chosen to leave his flight suit on completely, only removing his armor for comfort and to give his still aching muscles a break.

“They wouldn’t go to sleep in their room,” Madsin spoke from the ground, letting them know she was awake as well. “They missed you.”

“Only they missed me?” Aili asked teasingly.

“I’m not going to answer that while you’re not wearing any pants,” Madsin shot back.

“It’s a hot planet, give her a break,” the one sitting in the chair spoke up.

“Thank you, Sula.”

“Of course it’s so hot I don’t know how you two were able to sleep that close,” Sula quipped, an obvious smile in her voice. Madsin let out a quiet groan from the floor, suddenly glad she couldn’t see the probably nauseating sight. The kids started to shift awake before Aili could make a comment to either of the oldest girls.

“‘M hungry,” the one closest to Aili mumbled, her arms wrapping around her a little tighter before she moved away to rub at her eyes. Little Green gave a quiet coo, looking up at Aili with wide eyes that said he was hungry too. She let out another quiet laugh and she hoped that there was enough food to make breakfast.

Madsin pulled herself up from the floor and stood by the side of the bed, shaking the two younger girls awake. “Come on, let’s go get dressed and then we can have breakfast.”

It took several long moments full of quiet whining but eventually Din and Aili were alone with Little Green in their room. But they got dressed quickly, Din putting his armor back on despite the way his shoulder protested. Aili noticed the way he hesitated and made a mental note to make him sit still long enough for her to check it later.

Breakfast was a quick affair, the remainder of the Covert having come into an easy rhythm when it came time for meals. It wasn’t much but it was more than some of them were used to. Madsin had saved a tray for Aili and Din, a separate plate for Little Green with smaller portions to make it easier for him to feed himself. Once breakfast was over all of the foundlings helped clean up before they looked up at Paz with excited expressions on their faces. He gave them a short nod and it was a stampede of little feet rushing to get outside to play.

The only ones left inside were Aili’s girls who were waiting for Aili to be done so they could be properly introduced to Din. They also had to discuss the fact that they were considered a Clan now within the Covert. When Aili was done, the youngest two wasted no time in asking their questions.

“So you’ve been with our beroya?”

“Are you our buir now?” The youngest directed towards Din with wide, innocent eyes.

If Din had been eating, he would have choked on his food at the second question. From the look on Aili’s face she either didn’t know what the word meant or she wasn’t sure how to respond. When she glanced over at Din with a questioning look in her eyes, he knew the answer to his question. He looked back at the girls, sparing a glance towards the older two as well who were clearly waiting for an answer.

“We’re aliit now,” he said slowly, hoping it wouldn’t be the wrong thing to say. They shared a glance before twin smiles appeared on their faces and they turned back to look up at Din.

“I’m Shaeli, that’s Jaesa, is he aliit too?” She was looking at Little Green with a smile before she looked up at Aili and Din with an expectant look in her eyes. When they both nodded at her, her smile got even wider. “Can we take him out to play with the others? We’ll be careful, promise.”

“Go ahead,” Aili said before Din could say anything. She remembered his hesitance back on Sorgan when Winta had taken the kid out to play but they were safer now. She waited until they were outside to turn towards Madsin and Sula, raising an eyebrow at them both when they stayed quiet.

“That’s Madsin and Sula, I’m sure you’ve figured that out though,” Aili said, gesturing to each girl so Din would know who was who. When no one said anything Aili rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed sigh. “I’m gonna go check on the others, can you attempt to act like human beings while I’m gone?”

She didn’t wait for any of them to say anything before she left the house to make sure Shaeli and Jaesa weren’t letting anyone play too rough with Little Green. The last thing they needed was for him to feel threatened and start choking someone like he had Cara.

Madsin had yet to stop staring down Din. At least he assumed she was staring him down with the way her helmet hadn’t moved from his direction since they had been properly introduced. Sula was standing beside her, shoulders shaking which told Din that she was laughing at his misery. He really needed Aili to come back inside from checking on the youngest girls and Little Green who were playing outside with the other foundlings.

When they had said that Oshriya was a safe place, they had meant it. What was left of the Covert didn’t have to hide in the shadows and Din knew he had Aili to thank for that. The foundlings were able to play outside in the sun being as loud as they wanted to be and with the other town children.

“Madsin, stop staring, it’s rude,” Aili said as she walked back inside. She shook her head when she saw that neither of them had so much as moved an inch from where they had been when she went outside.

“Really though, him?” Madsin asked, finally looking away from Din in order to turn her helmet towards Aili.

“Yes and don’t give me that look.” Aili said, moving across the room to stand beside Din before he decided to just bolt from the room. The fact that he was intimidated by a girl half his age and several inches shorter than him was comical in her opinion.

“I’m wearing a helmet, you can’t even see my face,” Madsin shot back but her tone let everyone in the room know that she had indeed been giving Aili a look from behind her helmet.

Aili gave Madsin a look of her own, one that Din was getting all too familiar with as well. “And yet I know exactly what face you’re making at me.”

Madsin let out a loud scoff, shaking her head a little before she uncrossed her arms. “Fine, I guess it could have been worse.”

“It could have been Paz,” Sula suddenly laughed out, the sound carrying throughout the room. She knew her sister's feelings about the big, blue Mandalorian and they were not warm and fuzzy.

“No.”

“Absolutely not.”

Din and Madsin spoke at the same time causing Aili and Sula to let out short laughs. It was clear that the two of them would normally get along if not for Madsin’s protective sibling feelings despite Aili being so much older than her.

"I do have a size limit, you know,” Aili said, jokingly. Din’s head turned to look at her so quick that it was amazing his helmet didn’t go flying off.

"Why would you say that?" Madsin gagged at the thought of her sister and Paz. Even just the thought of Paz in that way was enough to almost make her sick to her stomach. She could barely stand being around the guy and everyday she hoped for more Mandalorians to show up so she wouldn’t be stuck with just him and Sula as the only other adults.

"Okay I was talking about height. What were you thinking of?" Aili raised an eyebrow at Madsin although the smile playing at her lips let everyone in the room know that she had purposely worded it that way. The side glance she sent Din’s way when Madsin and Sula looked away with twin sighs along with the way her smile grew made him slowly shake his head at her. She had definitely not been talking about height at all.

*Run away to a place without painful tears*

“You’re not still upset about the ship, are you?” Din asked as they settled in for bed again. After the earlier awkwardness between him and Madsin, they had sat down and talked about everything that had happened after the Covert had been exposed. Madsin and Sula had explained their reasoning for selling the ship which had made sense to Aili but that didn’t mean she wasn’t still a little peeved.

Aili let out a sigh, “Just a little bit now. You would understand if you had ever been on it.”

“Tell me then.”

“Well for one, I had an actual bed and not a cramped cot. I mean I know I’m pretty flexible but Din...imagine a bed,” Aili said, not thinking about the bed they were in at the moment but remembering the one she had on her ship. It was silly, she knew that, but it had been the first thing that she had added to the ship once it was space-worthy.

“We’re in a bed right now.” The way Din said it betrayed what he was hinting at and Aili let out a huff of laughter.

“Nice try, Madsin just stopped glaring at you.”

“We’ve come to an...understanding.”

“Yes, I know, you both don’t like Paz,” Aili said, rolling her eyes despite the room being too dark for Din to see it. “Little Green is--”

“With Shaeli and Jaesa, remember?” Din interrupted before he carefully moved to hover over Aili, trailing kisses down her jawline.

“You’re insatiable, you know that right? How did you manage all those months before the prison break?” Aili questioned, barely holding back from letting out a moan when Din focused on the spot where her neck and shoulder met. It may be a big house but it was also one where sound carried easily. The last thing they needed was for Madsin or worse, Shaeli or Jaesa to walk in on them. Sula would be the only one who would simply roll her eyes and walk back out without comment.

“It was torture,” Din answered, laying his forehead down against Aili’s shoulder.

“Oh?”

“Do you know how often you walk around with half your flight suit tied around your waist?”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Aili laughed out, making sure to keep her voice down still.

“Have you seen yourself in just a tank top?” Din asked incredulously. He didn’t give Aili the chance to reply, continuing his earlier ministrations before moving further down, raising her sleep shirt up as he did. Keeping quiet was going to be a challenge for both of them now.

In the morning, after making sure they both looked presentable which was harder for Aili than Din who had the benefit of his armor, they headed downstairs to meet up with everyone. Another conclusion they had reached the day before was that they needed to find more Mandalorians to join up with the Covert if the Armorer wasn’t going to join them any time soon. Din and Aili still had to look for Little Green’s kind and they couldn’t do that if they stayed on Oshriya with the girls.

“But why are you leaving again?” Jaesa whined, her arms latched around Aili’s midsection. She hadn’t wanted to let go ever since Aili had told them that she and Din were going to have to leave. They had just gotten her back and now she was leaving again.

“We need to find more Mandalorians,” Aili said gently, not even trying to get away from Jaesa’s grip on her. Shaeli was there as well, arms crossed and pouting in the way only a 7 year-old could when they were upset. Din and Aili along with Madsin and Sula had decided that it wouldn’t be wise to mention the fact that they had been tasked with finding Little Green’s kind to the youngest members of their Clan.

“But why?”

“So your older sister doesn’t kill Paz,” Aili said, looking up at Madsin and sending a wink her way. Madsin responded with a shake of her helmet but she stayed quiet since Aili wasn’t wrong.

“Why can’t we go with you?” Shaeli asked, still pouting but now she had paired it with a small, angry glare.

“I told you, there’s not enough room for all of you. Trust me,” Aili made her voice sound overly dramatic like being on the Razor Crest was going to be horribly cramped. She wasn’t completely wrong after they had enjoyed so much space on Oshriya in the past couple of days.

It took another ten minutes but Jaesa eventually let go of Aili and then she and Shaeli were walking over to Din with determined looks on their faces. “You better keep our buir safe and happy and, and--”

Din knelt down before the two girls and took one of each of their hands. “I promise to keep her safe and bring her back to you.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, that’s what she always says,” Shaeli said, glancing back to Aili before looking at Din again.

“Well this one I plan to keep,” Din said, staring straight into both of the girl’s eyes even if they couldn’t see it. They still seemed to understand how serious he was though as they narrowed their eyes in thought. Din took note that they looked just like Aili when they did that and he wondered just how much time they had spent together before the Armorer had sent Aili his way.

“Okay,” Shaeli said after she shared a look with Jaesa. “You two can go but you have to visit.”

“We can do that,” Aili said with a smile. Even if Din tried to fight her on that one, she would win that argument every single time. She figured all she’d have to bring up is the bed they had shared, that was bound to work. “And we can always send holos to each other, just ask your sisters for permission first.”

It took another long moment for them to finally head for the Crest but soon they were loaded up onto the ship. Aili and Din didn’t know where to start looking at all so Din set their coordinates back for Nevarro so they could hopefully get Little Green’s pram back and maybe a small bounty or two just so they’d have some credits to work with. The galaxy’s worst may not be after them anymore but that didn’t mean they could keep travelling without credits.

Before they left the planet’s atmo, Din noticed the way Aili’s grip on Little Green tightened as she looked back down towards the ground. He made a quick promise to himself and her that they would be back to visit the girls as often as they could.

And then they were off into the galaxy, more than one mission on both of their minds.

#din djarin x reader #din djarin x original character #din djarin imagine #the mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian x oc

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the-hilda-librarians-wife · 5 years ago

Text

Family Fights - Chapter Seventeen

Summary: Even the strongest bond, the most loving family, can be broken by nightmares, and the librarian is soon to learn this. As she learns sinister things about a person who she had thought was lost forever, she realizes she will need the help of another witch to get her family back.

Notes: Here, have the next-to-last chapter as a Hilda anniversary present

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Time seemed to flow very differently when you found yourself attuned to the world around you. Ever since they woke up, Maven tried to make it so they remained in a meditative state even while they went about with preparations, and Hilda was quite sure it had worked. Her heightened senses and concentration remained with her even after they finished their first grounding, right after they got up, and remained with her for surprisingly long.

After they ate their breakfast, they began working on the spell components. A ridiculous amount of crystals would be used, and they had to cleanse and charge every single one to make sure there was no chaotic or malicious energy in them. Hilda was responsible for doing so by giving them some time in a jar with salt water, but there were a couple of them that, due to their physical composition, could not come in contact with water or salt. Likewise, there were some gems that couldn’t be left in the sun to charge with its energy, and in both situations Maven used her own energy to cleanse and charge the gems.

Whether it was usual for witches to just have them lying about in their homes, Hilda didn’t know, but the fact was that Maven had four tall, thick white candles that they would also need for the ritual. They didn’t need to be cleansed, because energy didn’t stick to most objects like it did to crystals, but they anointed them with an oil that Hilda concocted while her teacher had been tending to the crystals. It had a base of sesame oil, with shredded ginger, ground cinnamon and ghost pepper in it, and had a strong, fiery scent to it. After carving the necessary sigils onto the candles, they used their hands to rub the oil on them, from the top to the middle and then from the bottom to the middle, as was effective to be done when a witch was trying to manifest something.

By the time this was done, Hilda was surprised to notice that the morning was already over. It had gone by in the blink of an eye to her. But the work was not yet done. After another half an hour meditating when they were done eating, Maven set out to explaining her all the details and nuances of the Soul Spell. It was easily one of the most complex rituals she’d ever come across, the librarian explained, and definitely the most convoluted she’d ever cast. Energy work played an important role in it, but the girl was surprised when she was told that spirit work did too. She’d been worried about that, for a moment. Her knowledge of spirit work was scarce at best and she had even less experience than she did information, but Maven assured her that she’d handle the most of it. Both of them memorized all the steps and chantings, and considered all the things that could go wrong and how to solve them if those problems arose. The tasks were delegated between the two of them and soon Hilda was feeling less clueless about what would be happening. They were preparing themselves the best they could, and that was already something.

Assembling their components in the place the ritual would be performed was next. Though they would have more privacy in the forests outside Trolberg, Maven pointed out that the chances of unfamiliar spirits interrupting them would be greater, so it was decided that they would simply cast it on her backyard. In order to build a ward around their casting circle, they surrounded the space by a mixture of eggshell powder and juniper leaves, and worked together to bring up the shield, building it from the ground up.

Hilda helped Maven use a compass to place each of the four candles in a cardinal direction, and they carefully arranged the crystals according to the picture in the spellbook. It was annoyingly intricate, and Hilda took longer than she would have liked to manage to interpret it, even with the librarian’s help.

“These look mathematical, almost.” She said, frowning at the wrinkled pages.

“That’s because they are.” Maven answered. “There are mathematical patterns to everything in the universe, including magic. But recognizing and interpreting them is very advanced stuff, you don’t have to worry about it yet.”

Connecting the candles and forming a circle just slightly less wide than that made by the powder were a couple of desert roses, which Maven had been gathering since she began training Hilda for this occasion. Amethysts, selenites and labradorites, along with other pieces of gemstones so small that the girl couldn’t even recognize, went inside the circle to make the geometrical patterns that she had trouble to even understand. They finished off by placing a small glass jar in the very centre of it all.

Hilda took a deep breath, looking at all they’d done. But the sun was not going to set yet, so she turned to Maven, who seemed to be evaluating their work as well.

“What now?”

“Are you warm?” She asked, and Hilda nodded. She’d stitched a warmth sigil to her jacket at the beginning of winter, and had also remembered to put pieces of paper with the same sigil inside each of her boots. “In that case, we should stay here. Connect well enough to our set up that we’ll be able to control the spell and sense what is happening during the ritual.”

Sitting down cross legged with their backs to one another, they focused on their surroundings. During her training Hilda had learned to attune herself to the world around her better, and even though she was still not as good at this as her mentor, she found herself having ease to do so at that moment. It could be because they’d worked to be in that state since the second they woke up, or due to the magic in the carefully constructed area they’d just set up, or a result of both, but she felt like she could tell every little thing that was happening inside the circle.

It was only when Maven gently touched her arm, some time later, that she opened her eyes again. Were it not for noticing the sunlight getting dimmer, Hilda would not have been able to tell how much time had gone by.

“It’s time.” Maven whispered, in such a low voice that the girl felt like it had been spoken inside her mind. Wordlessly, they got to their feet and took a deep breath. In perfect sync, they lit up flames on top of their fingertips and used them to light up the candles, making the situation feel even more real, their warmth replacing that of the sun as it began to set.

They then stood side by side in the middle of their circle, holding hands to connect their energy. With her free hand, Maven picked up her wand and pointed it to the sky, concentrating harder than she ever had on her life.

“Mine forfedre, kom frem, jeg ber deg! Blodet ditt trenger din hjelp i denne verden!”

She felt the earth humming beneath her feet, the wind rushing around her, the veil of this world stretching under her command. And then, she felt them coming. She pressed Hilda’s hand harder for a moment to signal her, but she had felt them coming too and had already begun working on her task. As soon as they were close enough, the girl opened a rift in their ward, just big enough for them to come through, keeping her focus on allowing in the spirits that wished them well and halting any malicious energy that seeked to take advantage of Maven’s calling.

When Maven lowered her wand, the last of them inside, Hilda mended the ward and opened her eyes again, even though she couldn’t remember ever closing them. They were all with them. Maven’s ancestors.

She had explained to her that the spirits of your ancestors weren’t quite like the ghosts that could be brought back in a cemetery. Spirits had been dead for much longer, so long that no one and nothing that they had loved existed anymore. They had no leftover ties to this world, and didn’t have the power to haunt anymore, only being able to come back when they were called forth by a witch.Though she knew this, she was still surprised when she could not see them. Feeling their energy was easy, and she could tell that each one of them was floating above one desert rose, but they had no noticeable corporeal form whatsoever. The best she could see when she focused were flashes of aura looking clouds.

The witches moved, this time standing in front of each other with enough space between them for the jar that was on the ground. That was it, the most crucial moment of the ritual. Hilda extended her arms, palms facing up, while Maven held out her hands in front of herself as if she was about to receive something.

As she took a deep breath, Hilda visualized all the energy around her, from the crystals, the spirits, herself and even Maven’s, swirling and gathering, being pulled towards her. It would be impossible, and not at all her goal, to use up the energy of all of them. That would completely destroy the spirits and she couldn’t even imagine what would happen to herself and her mentor in that scenario. But she did manage to gather a great deal of it, enough for it to be visible as streams of silver light, feeling it assemble on her hands and run up and down her skin like electricity. As she did so, a part of her concentration went to channeling this energy to Maven’s hands.

For her part, Maven frowned as she took to the intrinsicate work of setting intention to this energy, imbuing it with her will so it knew what it was meant to become. Then, she manipulated it so it would fall into the geometrical patterns formed by the gemstones, the crystals guiding the energy to its purpose both because of their own properties and because of the time the two witches had spent with them, so they too had the magic to aid the ritual. It was a painstaking task, and she felt her heart beat faster with the effort of guiding the magic through such a meticulous path.

She didn’t dare open her eyes, but she could tell it was working, and it kept her going. She felt the energy, twisted and unrecognizable from its original state pooling on the jar at her feet as it finished the track. It was a continuous flow at that point, she’d receive the raw energy from Hilda and refine it into their end goal. In a few minutes, they were both panting from the strain of keeping the ritual going. Eventually, Hilda broke the chain, ceasing her building up of energy. Maven had to keep going to distill the magic that had already entered the cycle.

“I’m sorry.” Hilda groaned, leaning forward with her hands now against her tights so she could catch her breath. “This was all I could take without hurting us.”

“Thank the spirits.” Maven murmured, grinding down her teeth. If performing the ritual was hard, doing so while speaking was even more. “You know what to do.”

Trusting Hilda to know how to let out her ancestors gracefully, she concentrated all of her strength in getting the refining done perfectly, even as her power weakened. A deep sigh left her lips when the last bit of it was done, and she couldn’t help but let herself fall to the ground in a squat. Hilda was quick to put a cork on the jar; Maven had made sure that the two of them would have one in their pockets, so whoever was less affected by the spell at the end of it could close the jar with haste.

When her head stopped spinning, the first thing Maven noticed was darkness. The sun was completely set now, and the candles had no fire. If everything had gone according to theory, they had been put out by the spirits when they left. Hilda had an amazed smile on her face, staring at the jar on her hands. There was a faded blue cloud in it.

It was done. They had created a new soul.

_#_#_#_

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” Hilda asked one more time, handing Maven the glass of water she had asked for.

The librarian was still sitting on the ground, the same place she’d been after completing the ritual. She was cradling the jar in her hands, still stunned that it was real and that it truly had worked.

“I am.” She said. “You’ve already helped me more than I can thank you for, but this is something I need to face myself. Your mother is probably already waiting for you in the street. Go home, ground properly, and rest. I’ll try and come by your house to let you know how it went.”

Making her nearly drop the glass, Hilda kneeled down and leaned forward to hug her tight.

“Good luck, Mave. Take care.”

“Thank you, Hildie. I will.”

With one last look at her mentor, Hilda went back inside the house to get her bag and leave.

Maven put the jar on her lap and gulped down the water. She was exhausted, but she needed to keep going. The Soul Spell was not a very well known one, and understandably so since there weren’t many occasions in which one would need to craft a brand new soul, save for enchantments gone awfully wrong. Because of that, the amount of information she had about it was not large, and she was not sure how that trapped soul should be treated. She didn’t know how long it would last without a host, or where she should store it. It was simply safer to do it all that night. She had a feeling that this second part would be even more tiring than the ritual.

Luckily, earlier that day she’d had the mental clarity to leave everything she’d need for a simple summoning spell by the door. It was weird how long ago that felt. After a few more moments of just breathing and gathering her strength, she got up to go get them.

The same casting circle would be used for this spell. She didn’t really have the energy for dismantling this one and building it anew. Kneeling in front of the candle that faced south, she lit it up again and began chanting.

“Kom na, kom na, kom til meg…”

Putting the tip of her bundle of thyme to the flame to let it smoke, she waved it in the air in circles above her head.

“Ikke vaer sjenert, kom na, du vet at jeg ringer etter deg.”

The smoke rose up in a grey column. Slowly, she removed her fingers from the bundle, her magic making it float without her holding it. This was a spell she was quite familiar with, decidedly the most popular one when it came to summoning dark entities. She and her mother had become very acquainted with it during their time looking for ways to save Myra, before they even knew that she had joined the Marra. they had attempted many times to summon any of the nightmare spirits, hoping that they’d lead them to where Myra was being kept, but they did not have the most important component: a taglock.

Taglocks were generally used in curses or blessings. They directed the spell towards a certain person by using something that belonged to them. Knowing that it was her sister that she had to summon, though, Maven had had a number of possible taglocks to choose from, eventually picking an antique mother pearl comb that their father had given Myra when she was a child. She had loved it a lot and taken good care of it. It meant a lot to her, and so was the perfect taglock.

“Ikke late som om du ikke vet at jeg snakker med deg. Er dette ikke ditt, kom na til meg.” She completed the incantation. The candle’s flame rose up high and strong, and she brought the comb to it. The magical fire did nothing to the comb but complete the spell, and after a heartbeat, the thyme stopped burning even though she didn’t command it to and all three other candles lit up.

When she turned around to look at them, their fire was green.

#fic: family fights #my fic #hilda librarian fanfiction #hilda fanfiction #hilda (hilda) fanfiction #hilda librarian fanfic

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ardenttheories · 6 years ago

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Sorry if youve already done this hut how about comparing/contrasting light and mind? They definitely seem like similar concepts, albeit, different perspectives, but I’m not very well versed in them and I’d like to hear it from you!

As a general rule of thumb, these are the key words for each Aspect:

Light: Luck, Chance, Probability, Knowledge, Importance, Understanding, Information, The Future, The Plot and Narratives, Truth, Relevancy

Mind: Rationality, Reason, Logic, Justice, Thoughts, Unbiased, Impersonal, Disconnected, Apathetic, Outer Being, Closed Off, Choices, Decisions, All Potentials/Possibilities, Deduction

In essence, Light is about Learning. It’s figuring things out piece by piece, uncovering as much information as you can possibly get, building up a picture from everything you Know. It’s the creation of a Story, the recognition of Plot Points, of Importance - it’s seeing or doing only what is Relevant and True.

Mind, on the other hand, is about Logic. It’s puzzling things out point by point, standing back to look at things even if you don’t entirely have the full picture. It’s Nonbias towards any Choice or Decision that could be made, and recognition of every Potential that exists. It’s the understanding that Choices must be made, branch out into other Choices, lead to other courses of action, and that you have to plan twenty steps ahead to keep on top of it all.

So, ironically, Mind’s much more people-based than Light, despite being the Aspect of Apathy. It can’t Understand the way Light does, and Light will always be heavily tinged with the Bias of the person viewing it. Though the Truth is there, that Truth may only be True to the Light Player, who will then make it total Truth. On the other hand, Mind doesn’t presume to know what Truth is, or even care exactly that something is True; it focuses instead on what a person Thinks, what their Reasoning or Logic is, what they, personally, see.

A Mind Player can’t know what isn’t easily found. They don’t know what’s Important in a session, can’t find endless sources of Information, have no interest in understanding the Truth or what is Relevant. If any of these things get in the way of a Decision being made, a Mind player will Lie.

They would tell a Player that someone is alive if that is what it took to ensure that the someone’s lover won’t fold in on themselves. They would understand that in any given situation, there are at least a thousand routes that could be taken, a thousand things that could be said - and that every Option has an Outcome, and that every Outcome has its benefits.

They know that they have to say this specific thing to this specific person because doing so will ensure that a necessary outcome unfolds, even if that outcome isn’t strictly good.

A Light Player doesn’t have this nuance. They don’t have the same understanding of all the Options and all the Outcomes. They are only aware of the ones that are Important to the Plot, the ones that will cause the most progression, the ones that have to happen. If something isn’t Important, they’re completely blind to it, and this can cause a lot of contention since Importance is a very fickle thing.

A good way of explaining it would be this:

Someone has to die in order for the session to progress. Their death causes a series of events that are ultimately integral for the session’s success, and the survival of that Player is not an Option.

The Light Player is aware of this because the death is Important. It holds use to the bigger picture and it is therefore Relevant for them to know. However, what might not be Relevant is that the dead Player’s brother will be deeply affected if the death happens in a certain way. So long as the death occurs, the session is saved; what happens to the brother is Irrelevant.

Therefore, the Light Player may be shocked to find, afterwards, that the brother begins to pull away and the friendship between them is broken, no matter how much they try to explain that it was Important.

The Mind Player would be aware of this. They would be able to see that the brother is inconsolable due to his own person brand of Logic and Reasoning. They would recognise that other Options are available, and that even if the death has to occur, it can be done in a way that doesn’t leave the brother broken as a response.

They might not recognise this as an Important event with a captial i, but they would know that it has to be done because the death allows for the Player to be active in the Dreambubbles - where their powers are better put to use. They’ve seen or know what sort of Choices the Player will make.

So, in other words, a Light Player can tell you what has to happen, and a Mind Player can ensure that it happens in the Best Possible Way.

There’s also just the general idea that Mind protects and serves the individual integrity of a person’s literal mind, whereas Light protects and serves the concept of Knowledge and Information as a whole.

A Light Player would never be able to justify hiding Knowledge unless it is 100% Important for that Knowledge to be hidden until a later date; a Mind Player would completely squirrel that Knowledge away if they knew that someone would make a Decision following it that provides a negative Outcome.

So, definitely in line with the idea that they’re two sides of the same perspective, but it’s pretty important to note the key differences. Like the fact that Light needs Knowledge because if it doesn’t have that, it can’t see the bigger picture, can’t figure out what has to happen and what’s Important in a session full of things - but Mind can see the bigger picture from the start based on the Outcomes of various Choices, and what, Logically, seems like the best Option to go with.

Another example:

A Mind and Light Player have the same map. It has a key with no text, scribbles written all over it, no landscape drawn on it, and is almost completely illegible and looks more like someone scratched a pen on some paper and passed it off for a map. They’re been reassured that it is a map, though, and that it DOES lead the way out to the exit of the cave they’re about to enter.

The Mind Player knows enough about the person who made the map to know exactly which path is going to lead to the exit based on how they Think. They know the person is highly Paranoid, and likes to hide codes in amongst everything using Alchemic symbols and sigils that merge letters together.

They’re also aware of this person’s brand of logic; up means down, left means right, and safe means dangerous. Chances are the map has been mirrored, too.

It’s understanding the person that allows them to read the map and make it safely out the other side of the cave, with the additional bonus of being able to tell, innately, which Options are safe and which are deadly whenever they come to brances in the path.

The Light Player knows nothing about the person in question, but can recognise some of the Alchemic symbols because they’ve recently read up on them. As a result, they quickly get to work researching what they could mean, then start trying to figure out what the code could be in the sigils based on traditional ciphers.

That would lead to more research about possible codes and the different things you can hide in maps, which would reveal the Truth behind its scribbled nature; that each line represents something, and that there’s a series of inversions that make the map harder to read.

It might take longer, but eventually the Light Player will understand the map completely, and will more easily recognise such ciphers or techniques in the future. They will also be hlped along by the innate feeling of Importance that guides them down each branching path; they might not know what’s down there, the way a Mind Player might be able to deduce, but they’ll at least Know that it isn’t Relevant.

So, in other words, Light not Knowing what a person is Thinking or being able to influence a person’s own Rationality or Reasoning, and having to rely on their own Reasoning to get their points across; and Mind not Understanding everything that’s Important in the session but figuring out all the Options until they can, without any Bias, Choose the Outcome that has the most benefits for everyone. It’s that odd internal VS external thing that seems to crop up a lot with Aspects, and that’s one of their biggest divisions, I think.

Think how Terezi keeps the group together by ensuring they pick specific Options VS Rose keeping the session in tact by leading them towards Important events.

Terezi can See that Vriska going off to kill Bec Noir isn’t a good idea because she can see the Outcome of the Option; Vriska gets them all killed because Bec Noir follows her pixie dust trail. She can also see that the Option wherein she kills Vriska outright ensures that Outcome doesn’t happen - and later down the line, when John as his Retcon abilities, she sees a third Option where Vriska is knocked out instead.

Were Rose in the same situation, she’d probably only be able to See the Important parts; Terezi killing Vriska, or John using his Retcon powers to knock her out. She’d know that this event is Important for the timeline to progress, but might not know the specifics of why - because it’s just not Relevant Information.

In the same vein, Terezi wouldn’t be able to See anything about the Green Sun. It’s Important to the session, sure, but it’s not something to do with Mind until it gets to the point that Rose starts making Choices that leads up to its creation. Terezi can’t See the Sun itself, can’t just focus in on it at will, but she can See it by proxy of looking down Rose’s Potentials and Outcomes. She can see how Rose’s Options lead up to the Tumor being taken out in the Void and causes the whole thing to appear. Does she have any idea what it is? Probably not. It’s not in her abilities to Know something like that.

So Mind is centred around the Internal nature of People and their Thoughts, Options, Choices, and the Unbiased attempts to navigate each branching path. Light, on the other hand, is centred around the External nature of Importance, what is Relevant and True and must be known, focusing only on what is Necessary and following that singular path to the end.

#frogb0t #light aspect #mind aspect #classpect analysis #ardenttheories #long post//

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wheremytwinwatches · 5 years ago

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[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 21

Last time Papa Elric dropped by, Ed pulled an Igor, and the Elric Brothers set out to punch Truth in the face. Onwards!

At Central, Roy is not happy. Aw, come on dude. Riza thought you were dead, and it did kinda look like you were for a while. Don’t be so harsh on her. Havoc’s not letting Roy get away with that when he “abandoned his post”, Roy’s still in bad enough shape he can’t even yell at his subordinate properly. Riza just ignores Roy whining about wanting a private room with a hot nurse (stay strong, Riza) and argues that it’s easier to protect the wounded man-children in a single room. Which raises a good question: if they’re in such bad shape after Gluttony/Lust, why haven’t the Goths tried to finish the job? In the Underground Gear Room, Envy’s asking the same question to Bradley/Wrath, screaming about they should pay for killing Lust. Wrath just says that they can use Roy, but not if he’s dead. Right, he was a candidate… for “the portal” that Envy just mentioned? Hmmm. In any case, Wrath tells Envy to back off- [Wrath]: “Father wants me to handle him.” *camera pans over Papa Elric* Ok, is this the show “revealing” that Father and Papa Elric are the same person? I mean, beard! So, what’s the Blond Trio up to? [Al]: “What if my body’s started to rot?” Ah, back to the idea that Al’s body is in the Gate. That’s a good question - after all this time, is it being held in stasis or somehow protected from decay? Cue image-spot of Zombie Alphonse. Funny and disturbing. Ed’s back to hypothesising now, thinking that when they both worked on the Human Transmutation their spirits might have gotten “mixed up”. So… Ed’s been handling the biological components for Al’s body as well? Like Winry says, that’s a bit far fetched… but a comparative lack of nutrients would work as an explanation for why Ed’s vertically challenged. And Al does note that Ed sleeps a lot. Then again, he’s a teenage guy. In any case, that explanation will work for now, and give Ed an excuse in his never-ending argument with Winry against drinking milk. Pfft. Episode 21 - “Advance of the Fool” Back at the hospital, Fuery’s showing the Elric Brothers to Roy and Havoc’s room to pay their respects, and Fuery’s dropping off a present. Which turns out to be a map Riza uses to try and find that huge sigil they found in the white room. And whadya know, the Presidential Estate is in the radius! Now they’ve cottoned on to Bradley’s possible connection to the Goths (dudes, you have no idea), and can recognize how “odd” it is that Bradley killed Greed and his minions before they could be questioned. In any case, Command has definitely been infiltrated by the Goths at the very least, so they’ve gotta be careful. Roy… is pleased with this development. Here’s a guy who dreams of being the Fuhrer, and now he can achieve that goal and take down bad guys at the same time! I’m predicting that even if he gets that far, though, he’s gonna run screaming at the amount of paperwork. For now, it’s time for the Mustang Crew to work themselves ragged- [Havoc]: “Uhhhh, yeah, about that, Colonel?... I think you’re gonna haveta’ count me out. Your work requires legs… and I can’t feel mine.” No! Havoc… damn it buddy, you deserved better. Well, at least Roy’s able to walk, he’s taking some time in the waiting room to read (Riza standing vigilant and totally not reading over his shoulder, she swears) when a scruffy guy in a wrinkled suit plops down beside him. Oh hey, it’s the doc that chewed him out for Ross! [Doc]: “I got a sinking feeling when I heard you were the person that scorched that thing. Are you plotting something?” [Roy]: “You suspect a plot but you still ID’ed the “thing” as Maria Ross. Three cheers for old war buddies, huh?”

THANK you. Geez, I kept going on and on about the dental records and how Doc fit into all this, easy enough to ID someone when you’ve got the coroner in on the scheme. Not a happy accomplice though, he warns Roy that if he keeps pushing this someone’s gonna get hurt. Thanks for the warning, buddy. Bit late, though. Havoc’s having a smoke and talking about how his family owns a grocery store. At least he can take calls. Wait, hold on, Automail is totally a thing in this setting. Why not cyborg-Havoc? Ah. Automail still needs living nerves. Breda… is not very supportive? What the Leto, dude?! Wait wait wait, Breda’s passing on a note to Roy… ah. Doctor Marcoh with his vial of Philosopher’s Stone. Sorry guys, but last we saw he had a run-in with Lust. Don’t bother looking for him. Alright, what’s The Mighty Armstrong up to now?... Running into Brosh, and having a mental freakout over Ross saying to tell nobody that she’s still alive. Aw, hope Brosh gets to know that his partner’s still kicking at some point. For now, though, too much of a risk to spread the news, and Armstrong’s surprised by a paper Brosh hands off. An urgent bulletin for all State Alchemists? That night Ed and Al are prowling the streets, looking for a way down to the basement. The building they used the first time “totally doesn’t have one, we swear” even when the entrance was clearly Transmuted shut. What they do have is the comments about how they were sacrifice potential, determining that they’re looking for Alchemists who opened the Gate. So that’d be the two of them, Teacher… wait, hold on. They’ve said that Roy could work as a sacrifice before. Does that mean that he’s opened the Gate as well? Gotta set that idea aside for now, Brosh is running up to pass the bulletin to the Elric Brothers… and sounds panicked, saying they have to go back to their hotel room right now and he will escort them if needed. What’s going on? Oooh crap. Scar’s back in Central. Targeting State Alchemists, identifiable with his facial scar and tattoo on his right arm. Here we go. Hold up, they actually went back to the hotel? Huh, I was expecting Ed to just go tearing off after the guy who killed Winry’s parents. But actually, he goes back to tell Al about what he learned in Xerxes about the Rockbell medics, admit that he’s not certain, and confirm that neither of them plan on reopening the wound by telling Winry. Still, Ed plans to confront Scar once again, to find out if he did it. And another reason? Hold up, don’t tell me- [Ed]: “We’re gonna lure out the Homunculi.” NO. Are we actually gonna get Scar to join the good guys?!

(looked up Teeth-Clenched Teamwork, found the perfect picture) Ok, theory time! It hasn’t been absolutely confirmed that Scar killed the Rockbells’, just a guy with a tattooed arm. And Scar’s said that his own tattoo was left/given by his brother. So maybe it was Scar’s brother that killed them, then he ended up dying and Scar adopted the tattoo in memory of him? Setting that delicious opportunity aside for now, Ed’s gambling that with the Homunculi needing them alive for the sacrifice, they’ll step in to protect them if it looks like some Ishvalan that they failed to kill before looks like he’s gonna eliminate them. It’s one thing when it’s just one Potential Sacrifice, but it’s less likely they’ll just let half to two-thirds of their candidates get wiped out. [Ed]: “Well it’s much better than doing nothing!” [Al]: “Oh really? Because Scar literally tore us apart the last time.” Come on Al, this is Brotherhood. You two get shredded and dismantled every other episode. And you’ve got your mechanic a room over! You’ll be fine. Man, Al’s shredding Ed’s plan, arguing that even if they’ve gotten “stronger in the past few months” that if a Goth does show up how are they supposed to catch someone who’s super strong and pretty much can’t die- [Ling]: “Can’t die?! Was that hyperbole?”

...nO. You fools! You knew the Xing contingent were bumming around the place, why didn’t you lock the window?! Argh argh argh. Don’t let Ling in on this! I’m assuming Roy’s already explained how Lust was built around a Philosopher’s Stone to you two, and like rational ethical people you’ve already discounted human sacrificial Alchemy as a means to restore your bodies. But Ling here doesn’t have your scruples, he’s been vocally supportive of Soul Armor and now you’re letting him in on the Goths?! This cannot end well. Bleeeeeh ok whatever, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, you’ve got the Prince and one of his ninjas on your side. And he totally promises not to run off with them (oh, there are so many ways that can be construed) because he owes them. Cue the bill for room service, and a very unhappy Ed defenestrating them. Cue a very unhappy Winry bursting in and yelling at them to shut up, she’s trying to sleep for an early morning… wait, she’s leaving?! Don’t go mechanic, we need you for the inevitable damage from fighting Scar/the Goths!... ok, does Winry use that wrench as a teddy bear, keep it inside her pillow, what? Hey Breda, how’s your pointless mission going? A ransacked room? No sign of the doc? Huh, I was actually expecting confirmation that he was dead, but there’s no body/gravestone. Damn it, we’re back to Havoc, finishing up a meeting with his mom and a Veteran’s Council officer. He’s out, and doesn’t take kindly to Roy’s “misplaced” pity. [Havoc]: “Forget about me… move on already! You don’t have time to worry about me! You need to think about the promise you made to General Hughes instead of pitying me! … Just let me get on with my life. I beg you.” [Roy]: “Alright. You’re cut loose.” Leto damn it. Havoc deserved better than thi- [Roy]: “I’ll leave you behind so you can catch up. I’ve gotta keep moving… but I’ll see you at the top.”

[Uplifting Music] As Roy leaves the room. Havoc sits back in shock as Riza talks about how Roy refuses to abandon others. Havoc says that Roy will never make it like that being so soft, that the country’s gonna chew him up. But Riza thinks maybe that’s what the country needs, a “fool” like that. Outside, Roy’s still in pain, but all too ready to change his hospital clothes for his uniform. Time to get back to to work. In the streets of Central-

Ok, what the heck happened to the artwork? We’ve got a shopkeeper complaining about his wrecked stand when Ed suddenly shows up all sparkles to fix everything… oh, I get it! May was traveling with Scar, so if he’s in Central, then she is too! Wait, no! Come on, that was just Ed going “Nyah nyah, I’m a State Alchemist” to try and draw out Scar? Boo, I want May to come back. Roy’s just showed up after reports of Ed being so theatrical, tells them to get in. Then get out when he has to share his seat with Al. Sorry little guy, maybe we can borrow The Mighty Armstrong’s car for these clandestine meetings? Doctor Marcoh’s confirmed missing, presumed abducted by the Goths. Also, about Scar being back? Roy is not happy to hear that Ed’s theatrics are meant to draw out Scar. Ed, you are in no position to mock Roy about being “scared of big, bad Scar”, although yeah maybe Roy could look into waterproof gloves next time? Speaking of, the Ishvalan’s here! Riza, don’t shoot, let’s talk this nope never mind Scar’s attacking. Ed charges and Al earthbends up a wall between them and the brawl, explaining Ed’s plan to draw out the Goths using Scar. As for the cops showing up? Well, Al assigns that to Roy. Onwards with the fisticuffs! Double Elric Attack as Al joins the fray, major props to Scar for not just holding out but advancing against two TC-free Alchemists! Roy and Riza head off to Fuery’s place to do their part, Ling and his ninja watch from the rooftops for any sign of the Goths. More earthbending as Al waves off some mooks from shooting Scar and Ed wonders where the heck the Goths are. Well at least Roy’s having fun playing with radios, sending conflicting reports on where Scar is. Don’t you frown Riza, come on and have some fun. Central’s in a tizzy over all the false calls for help… but Bradley’s on the move, ignoring everything as he gathers Gluttony to face the Ishvalan. Ling and Company pick up on the Goths and head out. Ed, your backup just split, stop acting as bait and end the fight! Yeesh that was close, but yay Ed just proved he can cancel out Scar’s Facegrab O’ Doom. And the process tear his sleeve and expose the tattoo… Gluttony’s chargi-

Denied! Lan Fan just knocked him into a building, and confirmed that she can sense and track his presence. No running from this battle, either Gluttony takes them down or he’s done for. But he’s not alone… [Bradley]: “So, you’re able to detect his presence, are you? *draws sword* Well that’s quite the nuisance. Let’s take care of it.” Holy Leto Ling doesn’t look goofy anymore, he just got an art upgrade as he yells at Lan Fan to run but Bradley’s already up the pipes and attacking her mask is shattered- Aaaand that’s where we end. RUDE. Hey, and Fan’s still out in the desert guiding Ross, so instead of all three Xing’s ganging up on Bradley it’s Ling and Lan Fan vs two Goths. The intro lied to me!

#wmtw #where my twin watches #full metal alchemist #full metal alchemist brotherhood #fmab #fmab 21 #ranubis

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trinuviel · 6 years ago

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The Spiral, the Storm and the Wheel

THE SPIRAL

The White Walkers are in many respects a mysterious and somewhat frustrating enemy in Game of Thrones. They never speak but they do have some form of intellect since they create grisly patterns out of severed body parts: 1) a bisected circle and 2) a spiral. Both symbols originated with the creators of the WW, the Children of the Forest - and the spiral in particular is associated with the creation of the Night King since the tree where he was created was surrounded by a spiral created out of standing stones.

It is still unclear what the spiral signified for the Children of the Forest - but in an interview in The New York Post, Dave Hill, one of the writers on the show, explains that the Night King has adopted the symbol as a way to mock his creators:

The question is: has the meaning changed through this appropriation? That is at present not possible to answer since we have no idea what the symbol originally meant to the Children of the Forest. However, I do think that we can attempt to figure out what the Night King means when his people re-create the spiral through dismembered human and animal bodies. Because these spirals are a message, in a sense, and he’s saying “I am coming for you” while at the same time making a mockery of something that was sacred to his creators.

This spiral looks a lot like a wheel without a rim, endlessly spinning around and around. This is rather interesting since Daenerys Targaryen repeatedly talks about “breaking the wheel” in relation to her political ambition of conquering Westeros (I’ll return to this subject later). If the spiral is a spinning wheel, then what does it mean? The image of poor little Ned Umber at the center of a spiral made of severed human limbs in the first episode of season 8 inspired Professor Tyler Dean to write a very interesting opinion piece on the website of the publishing house Tor, which specializes in science fiction and fantasy:

The Mexica believed that time was a spiral. Not a circle, where everything that happened previously was destined to happen again, identical, ad inifinitum. Not linear, where the way forward was uncharted and momentum, progress, and change ruled the day. But, as author/illustrator James Gurney once pointed out to my eight-year-old brain, a combination of the two: a spiral. The forces of history push us ever forwards, but events rhyme with one another—parallel but not identical. That was what I couldn’t get out of my head after watching “Winterfell,” the final season premiere of Game of Thrones.

...

Spiral time is uncanny. We are reminded of familiar events and sequences but they are spiked with the creeping dread that they are not quite what we think or expect them to be.

...

We might be tempted to think of spirals as orderly and predictable, but “Winterfell” reinforces the idea that time in Westeros is not organized in a tightly-bound pattern but a widening gyre: each revolution around the center may echo previous events, but it brings its own entropy and decay. (Tor.com)

This idea of time as a spiral is a very interesting one but what I find especially compelling is this notion of the spiral being connected to an idea of entropy and decay. Tyler goes on to quote The Second Coming, a famous poem by W.B. Yeats:

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned

THE STORM

The notion of decay in relation to the spiral set off various chains of association for me - about how the Night King and the White Walkers are an inhuman and unrelenting force of destruction, in that sense that they come close to be the magical equivalent to a destructive force of nature. The NK is even described as such by Jon Snow who says that he is the Storm. That made me connect the spiral with images of storm systems as they look from space.

On the right we have a picture of a spiral that the WW made from dismembered horses after they defeated the Night’s Watch at The Fist of the First Men in season 2. The picture to the left is a satellite image of a hurricane. The visual resemblance is very close indeed.

In the first episode of season 8, the spiral was reintroduced when Tormund, Beric and the remainder of the Night’s Watch come upon what remains of the Umber seat, The Last Hearth, after it has been run over by the WW.

When it turns out that poor little Ned Umber has become a zombie, Tormund and friends set fire to him and the body parts that make up the spiral. This is the first time that we’ve seen the spiral associated with the element of fire. This has led people to note a certain resemblance between the spiral and the style in which the Targaryen sigil is rendered.

There is indeed a bit of a likeness - and it is worth noting that the Targaryen sigil and the spirals that the WW each have seven arms.

(source)

Is this resemblance merely a coincidence or is there a deeper meaning at work? It is hard to tell but I want to explore this connection a bit further because the sole known Targaryen of this story is, in fact, also visually connected to the spiral symbol. In season 4, Daenerys Targaryen wears a dress made from laser-cut fabric that sports a repeated spiral pattern.

She is also known as the Stormborn because she came into the world during the worst storm that Westeros had seen in living memory. She is also a very war-like character and it is worth remembering that in the books “storm” is often used as a synonym for for “war”. With a bit of squinting one can even perceive s spiral shape hidden in one of the final images of the season 3 finale where Daenerys is lifted up by the freed slaves of Meereen.

It is faint but you could make an argument that it is there. This connection between Daenerys and the Night King is enhanced by the larger thematic framework of GRRM’s story. They are both associated with the extremes of Ice and Fire - indeed, just like the dragons are Fire Made Flesh, so are the White Walkers Ice made Flesh, which I have examined elsewhere.

THE WHEEL

The spiral also somewhat resembles a wheel, as I’ve previously mentioned. I’m not the only person who has noted this resemblance, @lady-griffin mentions this resemblance in this post. In the later seasons, Daenerys Targaryen has become known for wanting to “break the wheel” - but what does that mean?

In season 5 she tells Tyrion Lannister that she’ll have the support of the common people in Westeros and she describes the feudal system as a wheel with spokes made up of the noble Houses. In this context, it seems as though she wants to destroy the feudal system of the country she wants to conquer. However, as she herself mentions, her own House is part of this system and she’s not intending to create a radically new system since she still wants to be Queen. She still wants to occupy the hub of the wheel, i.e. the Iron Throne. She simply wants to remove anyone who can be a threat to her power. What she wants is not a more democratic system but an absolute monarchy with her at the top.

Nebulous and contradictory plans is very typical of Dany’s political rhetoric but I’m rather interested in how she describes this system:

“Lannister, Targaryen, Baratheon, Stark, Tyrell. They’re all just spokes on a wheel. This one’s on top, then that one’s on top. And on and on it spins, crushing those on the ground.”

This conjures a specific concept of Classical (and later Medieval) thought: the Rota Fortuna, or Fortune’s Wheel:

In medieval and ancient philosophy the Wheel of Fortune, or Rota Fortunae, is a symbol of the capricious nature of Fate. The wheel belongs to the goddess Fortuna (Greek equivalent Tyche) who spins it at random, changing the positions of those on the wheel: some suffer great misfortune, others gain windfalls. Fortune appears on all paintings as a woman, sometimes blindfolded, "puppeteering" a wheel. (Wikipedia)

Interestingly, the show invokes Fortune’s Wheel visually in the opening credits. Thus, the Rota Fortuna embodies the political game that dominates the show. Fortune’s Wheel is the very embodiment of the Game of Thrones!

The thing about Fortune’s Wheel is that it never stops spinning. The same goes for the political game - there will always be someone who seeks power, regardless of whether there is a throne or not. The games of power and influence exist wherever human society exist regardless of what kind of government they have - there will always be politics and power plays. The only way to truly stop the spinning of the wheel is to eradicate humankind. There can be no game if there are no players.

This leads me back to the what the spiral may have meant for the Children of the Forest. The NK has adopted this symbol as an act of mockery - it signifies blasphemy on his part according to show writer Dave Hill. In this context, it is important to note that the WW always create this spiral symbol out of dismembered bodies - it is made of dead things and, in a way, the spiral as it is made by the WW symbolizes Death. If the WW’s spiral is an image of Death and it represents an act of blasphemy on the part of the NK, then it is very possible that the spiral signified Life for the CotF - symbolizing that Life spins ever onward through nature.

They created the NK by killing and magically re-animating a human man. The original blasphemy was theirs - and there’s a certain symmetry to the fact that the weapon they created by polluting their own magic turned against them. On a final note I also wish to point out that the Weirwood tree where the CotF created the NK is now dead!

This is actually a very important detail because in ASoIaF lore, weirwood trees are practically immortal. They don’t wither and die - unless they are interfered with.

#game of thrones #spiral #symbols #the night king #the children of the forest #the white walkers #daenerys targaryen

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paellaplease · 6 years ago

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Firebird | Chap.3

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

Chapter 3: Trust is a Double Edged Sword

Hyrule’s Icarus is punished for his hubris.

He didn't have time for this.

"I don't understand what's gotten your feathers in a twist, so much as to resent my presence to this extent." Revali said, standing awkwardly by the doorway. He threw a quick glance behind him, wondering when Kamori was coming back.

The young Hylian glared at him from her seat in the middle of the room, one hand submerged in a dinged-up bucket of water. The heat from her palm was causing the liquid to simmer, steam rising from the surface. Her pointed ears were turning red.

"People generally don't respond kindly to the bird responsible for nearly murdering them."

Revali scowled.

He expected this to be over by now. Meet the enchanter, whatever that was, set a good impression, add “acquired blade of fire” to the sprawling list of accomplishments in his journal, and be home in time to prepare dinner.

Nothing is ever easy, is it?

He strolled past her, walking towards one of the bookshelves near the back wall and plucking a random tome from Kamori's collection. "Then perhaps now you'll think twice before you decide to carelessly trapsise through another forest."

Ah, if looks could kill. A loud pop and fizzle echoed in the room as the water in the bucket transitioned into a rolling boil. He rubbed a feather in the space between his eyes, exasperated.

Revali believed as one of the more well-travelled and seasoned warriors of the Rito tribe that he had seen his fair share of anomalies, many of which were unexplainable or untethered to the fundamental laws that the Goddess Nayru had blessed them with. Hyrule, with all its strange monsters, rotting treasures, and drab prophecies, was beginning to become rather predictable.

He didn’t even blink when Chief Kamori summoned him to his office a few days prior, informing him that a young enchanter from the mountains of Akkala was en route to the village. With her, a dagger forged from the knowledge of the Sheikah and imbued with the gift of flame.

It had the ability to cut through the toughest of enemies with ease, he remembered Kamori explaining, and critically injure the ice monsters that usually frequented their neighbouring Hebra Highlands with little as a single blow. It was extraordinary, extremely powerful, and almost impossible to break.

He stopped listening at the point the Chief began a speech as to how an alliance like this would be momentous for the village yes, yes, diplomacy and all that entails...It wasn't hard to grasp. Enchanters exist and one of the only two known alive today was on their way to give him a magic dagger. Done. Noted.

He had bigger fish to fry. His mind at the time sank, lifted, and flew, drifting to the various aerial techniques he had analyzed that morning, wondering despite all these new successes, if he was any closer to achieving a breakthrough.

Unfortunately, fickle as fate was, the same scuffed Hylian that he had met yesterday was none other than the enchanter herself. Albeit, with less dirt on her face and far angrier than he expected. She stood there, gaping like a beached trout.

Then, a minute after he stepped into the room, her hand decided to burst into flame.

Revali felt his composure careen into a wall. All manner of diction suddenly escaping him. His confusion manifesting as a simple, ill thought out statement.

Well, that is certainly something you don’t see everyday.

Farore must have been smiling down upon them as nothing else in the wooden hut caught flame, save for the sacred tapestry which hung over the back wall, its fringe set alight.

The guard, Talako, flew into the room after detecting the scent of burning cloth from outside, managing to stamp out the flame with his talons. He didn’t seem as surprised, muttering “Knew she was trying to set fire to something ,” under his breath as the last of the flames went out. The damage was minimal, merely singeing some of the fibres and blackening the tassels, but the enchanter sure knew how to clear a room.

Chief Kamori had immediately ordered Talako to scout the village for water to neutralize the woman’s flaming hand, before leaving the office himself with an excuse that he had to retrieve an item of importance.

Which brings us back to the present: the enchanter’s hand in a bucket and Revali left behind with a rather hostile conversation partner.

"See it this way." Revali called over his shoulder as he thumbed through a particularly dry recollection of Tabantha Wheat and Why We Knead Them . "Keep this up, and perhaps you'll need to find another warrior worthy to take on your enchanted bucket."

“That’s not how it works!”

He looked at her. “Right, I forget that setting harmless objects on fire was rather essential to the task.” He detected the exact moment when anger shifted into resentful bitterness on the Hylian’s face as the words left his beak, the small whisper of grief in her eyes almost making him take it back.

The enchanter gritted her teeth. "You’re an asshole,” she growled. The water in the bucket sloshed. “But that’s not the only reason why you aren’t worthy. I’m not sure if you and your Chief fully understand, but it is more than my opinion that matters. You just don’t feel,” she scratched the back of her neck in frustration, “you just don’t feel right !” Goddesses preserve him. “I know this dagger will reject you in an instant.”

With that she stood up, adjusting the yellow bandana on her head with a small sigh. The woman removed her hand from the bucket, using the edge of her grey tunic to dry it. She glanced up and seemed to flinch from the judgement in his eyes, tearing her gaze away and choosing to look upon the burnt tapestry instead.

They stood in silence for a few minutes, the only sound being the ambient noise of the village below, idle chatter and a child’s laugh carried upward by the wind. He flipped a page in his book. So forces beyond her own were at play here, yet she was able to discern his unworthiness based on her own subjective feeling. What does that even mean?

Revali briefly caught the thick line of scar tissue running across the top of her hand before it was hidden from him by the confines of charred leather. The enchanter fiddled with the button of her ruined glove, giving up and lifting her pack with a defeated grunt.

She shook her head. "I should go. I don't want to waste your village and Chief Kamori’s time any longer," she said, voice quiet.

He opened his mouth, mocking reply at the ready, when the bells chimed from outside, the sound of heavy talons clicking across the floorboards. The presence of another person in the room caused Revali and the Hylian to startle, turning their heads to the doorway.

Master Kamori had returned, downy grey feathers rustling as he ducked under a low hanging beam, gripping an object in one of his wings. "Hoo! Forgive me, that took longer than expected. Brazen Beak was uncharacteristically busy at this time of day.”

He tilted his head when he spotted the woman with her pack slung behind her, expression rather regretful.

“Do not worry yourself, young enchanter," the Chief said to the Hylian. "Your presence here inconveniences no one." Evidently, he had heard what she’d said earlier. One would suspect his Chief for eavesdropping, but Revali knew the bird had exemplary hearing ever since his injury.

The enchanter opened her mouth, no doubt ready to protest, but Kamori calmly stopped her by holding out a wing. A small object he couldn’t quite see rested in his palm.

"A gift," he smiled at her questioning look.

Chief Kamori unfurled his feathered appendages, revealing what was a tan, leather glove. “Tabantha moose leather, sturdy, but enough aeration to avoid your fiery hand from overheating.” The Rito sigil was stitched into its surface. Unscratched and unmarred, it was of Rito make but for Hylian hands. Inara’s doing, probably, Revali thought. The man always had a soft spot for tourists.

"Thank you," the enchanter’s voice was slow, cautious. "How much is it?"

"Free," Kamori laughed. "Hoo! As all gifts are. It is to replace your old one."

The woman froze in place. She stared at the glove as if it were a stone pebblit about to sprout arms and break her nose with a well-timed rock hurl. Revali's frown deepened from behind his book, noticing how the Hylian's hands lightly shook as her eyes flicked from the glove, to the tapestry behind them, then back up to the Chief . Several emotions crossed her face.

Valoo’s Crooked Teeth just accept it already!

As if in hearing his thoughts, in a flurry of sudden movement the enchanter whipped around to face him, so fast he wondered if she cracked her neck. He felt her glare rather than saw it, sharp as the row of throwing knives strapped to her chest. The temperature in the room began to shift.

Nonplussed, he continued to read, feeling not a single ounce of concern. Was it always this humid?

“One feather.” She said.

Revali didn’t let a second pass. “Kindly clarify that statement?” he started, still not looking at her. “Are you referring to my feathers? Chief Kamori’s? Or perhaps even the ones decorating the rafters outside. I’ll be sure to ask the hatchlings during the next molt-”

Shwing!

The unmistakable sound of a blade sliding from its sheath met his ears, grabbing his attention and making him look up with a raised brow.

There she stood, facing him completely, expression of intense determination. The enchanted dagger was held tight in her gloved hand, blade exposed to the free air, already emitting a low hum and heat which filled the room and dissipated the surrounding chill.

She was surprisingly deft in handling it- the dagger he meant, not her expression. Gloved fingers danced around the hilt as she spun the knife, turning the sharp end to face her while its handle pointed to his beak. She began to cross the room.

“I’ll permit the dagger to pass judgement onto you, Pride of the Rito." The way she enounced his title was no different to how one would sound after eating something particularly repulsive. It made his anger flare, but he was quick to taper it as he caught Kamori’s warning expression.

The enchanter stood before him now, close enough that he could smell the burnt leather again. "However! You may only touch it with a single feather. I may be its maker but," she hesitated, worry flashing across her eyes before it was quickly overtaken by her steely gaze once again. "I don’t know exactly what will happen should it reject you."

Revali snapped the book he was holding shut, placing it back into its place on the shelf. Without a second thought, he extended a wing out, filled to the brim with confidence.

The dagger was exquisite, blistering orange and as red as war. A low, humming energy surrounded it, encasing the blade like an invisible shield. A cloud moved to cover the sun as he reached, filling the room in momentary shadow. Like sunlight on fractured glass, the visible elemental energy from beneath the knife’s surface cast splintered warm lights on the wooden walls and floorboards. It illuminated the enchanter’s face, emphasising the lift of her cheekbones and the burnt umber of her eyes in a way he hadn’t seen earlier. Revali reined in his focus, quickly discarding the thought.

The buzzing in his ears increased as his wing edged closer. He could then actually feel the energy surrounding. It repelled his outstretched feathers away like a magnet would to its like pole. A warning.

It did little to deter him. If anything, it more so irritated and prompted his insistence. So he pushed further, the invisible barrier relenting and parting ironically like water, around the end of one of his blue feathers. He reached out and brushed the dagger’s pommel.

Nothing happened.

Revali smirked. “Are Hylians always of such little faith? Or is it just you- argh!”

The low hum once a benign annoyance in his ear increased in volume to become a grating, monstrous roar. As this happened, a burning sensation began from his outstretched feather, and raced up the length of his wing and shoulder, making him reel back in pain. He felt dizzy, the room blurring and spinning. Like his nerves were suddenly set alight. It was excruciating.

Immediately, the dagger was stashed away. Someone in front of him gasped and Revali felt gentle, shaking hands reach for his wing. It was the enchanter. He quickly backed away. “I’m fine,” he hissed.

Revali took two deep breaths, then straightened up. He willed himself to relax, noting with displeasure at how some of his feathers stood on end. Damn it all. He scanned his wing for any damage, flexing his primaries to assess for changes in his range of movement.

As expected, he was relatively unharmed. Everything looked to be where it should, all except for a single feather. The one that made contact with the blade, singed black and as fragile as ash.

Feeling another pair of eyes on him, other than that of the enchanter who had now resorted to bumbling apologies as she tried to glimpse at the damage on his wing, Revali nodded, signalling to the Chief that he was alright. Kamori was wise enough to know that it would take greater things to phase him, but having been taught by the old Rito for most of his life, it was easy for Revali to tell that he was worried. No matter how aggravatingly calm the old man appears to be.

Revali ignored the panicked woman in front of him, reaching for the dagger. “It’s nothing serious. Let me try again.”

“No!”

The Hylian shook her head, shouldering her pack and backing away. Her eyes were wide as a frightened mountain doe. "I'm sorry Chief Kamori. I can't stay. I know Teacher won’t be happy but I don’t deserve your kindness. After all the patience you've shown me even though I burned-"

"The winter solstice." The Chief said.

"What?"

Two pairs of eyes were upon him.

Revali noticed belatedly that he and the Hylian had spoken at the same time. "Go on," he grumbled, slightly embarrassed.

Kamori flashed him a warning glance, directing his attention back to the woman. "Stay until the winter solstice," he repeated, gesturing to the land outside the many windows and to the village below. "That is all I ask. You have travelled all this way, my conscience cannot rest if you were to leave now without taking time to recuperate and collect supplies for the journey ahead of you."

The winter solstice, Revali repeated in his head. That was in a month. Two weeks was generally enough time for someone to rest, restock and recuperate. A month was more, if not plenty. He leaned against the bookshelf, eyes trained to the Chief and enchanter. He narrowed his eyes. What are you playing at, Master Kamori?

“Here.” From the corner of his eye, Revali could see Kamori holding the new glove out once more to the Hylian woman. This time, the old Rito placed a comforting wing on her shoulder, making the enchanter jump as she peered up.

“I will send news to Nisandrey. And do not worry yourself, no mention of what occured with the tapestry will leave this hut.”

The Chief smiled down at her encouragingly, as a grandfather would to a fledgling before its first flight. "Perhaps you'll find another warrior to take on this dagger in that time," Kamori said, voice light in an attempt to ease the low mood of the room. "Hooo! Or maybe you'll even find a way to forgive Young Revali for his previous transgressions. Although I’m still unsure of what exactly occurred in your first meeting, perhaps another time..."

Revali lifted his head from the sound of his name, guessing from the Hylian's expression that "don't hold your breath" was a unanimous thought shared by the both of them.

At least we are in agreeance of one thing.

The enchanter was quiet for a moment.

"Alright," she said after a breath. The Hylian accepted the glove with unnecessary gentleness and placed it in one of her coat pockets. “I will."

"Hooo! Splendid." Kamori smiled.

“But if this,” she pointed to the rune, “and this,” she pointed to her dagger, “cause any more issues, I will understand if you want me gone from this village sooner than what was agreed upon.”

“I don’t believe it will come to that, but I will keep it in mind, child.”

"Thank you, Kamori. For the glove and for…," she stuttered. She looked at Revali, fumbling through an apology "Sorry about your…," she gestured awkwardly.

“It’s nothing,” he said, perhaps too acerbically as she took a small step back.

"All is forgiven,” the Chief replied. “However, I will be honest in that I am exercising more caution in handling this matter from here on out, enchanter. It is unfortunate but we are lucky it was but a single feather."

The Chief waved a wing at the tapestry as if to dispel the heavy mood weighing down the air. "Let us put this behind us. And if it’s the tapestry you are worried about, I’m sure that the Divine Valoo is pleased that his fire has managed to jump so well from the page. Hoo, it looks very realistic now doesn't it?"

"The scent very much so," Revali muttered.

His eyes strayed to the windows again, noting how high the sun still sat in the sky. It was past noon, but enough daylight left for him to complete most of his training regiment and errands. He still had some time left to muster some productivity and make up for this interruption.

He felt someone watching him. Revali looked down, noticing that the Hylian was looking at him, brown eyes dark as murky pools of water. Two can play at that game . He stared back at her with equal attention, cocking his head to the side.

She was first to speak. "We've met before but I don't think I've ever told you my name."

"No," he said, "I don't think you have."

"Maiya."

"Revali."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Revali." As she said this, she carefully removed the ruined glove from her left hand. She paused in her movements, remembering what had just transpired a few minutes ago, sighed and shook her head.

After a minute of deliberation, she surprised him by extending her left palm to him anyway, all five fingers flat and pointed to the sky. Inwardly, Revali smirked. How formal of you, Enchanter.

He stared at her outstretched hand for a second, the rune at its top glowing as if in challenge. Tentatively, he held out his wing, minding the burnt primary as his feathered appendages positioned themselves in a way to mirror hers.

As his wing met the flat of her palm, he was surprised to feel no sting, but only warmth. As if he held a heated stone once plunged into a fire, whose hot embers had now since burned away. Her bare fingers met the blue of his feathers, rough and calloused, joining them in what was the traditional Hyrulean greeting.

"Likewise, Maiya." He said despite himself.

It may have been a trick of the light, but a part of him couldn't help but notice how her hand seemed to glow a fraction brighter as he spoke her name.

Revali was not one to do things by halves. He was sure of his strength just as he was sure of the sun rising in the east every morning. He wasn't blessed by any cosmic being with powers beyond that of nature's laws. No divine goddess had bestowed upon him a task which required him to be the best of his kin. He simply was and will be. And if he had to prove himself to cement his title, even to a glorified knife of all things, then so be it.

He'll show her what a true, worthy warrior looks like.

#revali #botw #breath of the wild #revali x oc #loz botw #legend of zelda #botw fanfiction #revali botw #rito #rito botw #botw fic #fanfiction #writing #enemies to friends to lovers #paellaplease #firebird botw #maiya botw

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silly-anshe · 6 years ago

Text

What do promos tell us? - Characters and their journeys

It’s been a couple of days since a new teaser dropped for s8

We also had this

Putting these two little teasers together, we get what will be one of the two major plots of the season: D@ny in Winterfell (which is, in its very nature, politically-driven)

A thing I want to point out: teasers like these ones (clips) are very malleable. People in editing can make it look like one thing before the season premieres, and then, it’s another thing entirely (I’m not talking about these teasers in particular, because the fandom, at least the part of fandom I interact with, was right in their theories and assumptions. I’m talking in general. Go watch the trailers for previous seasons, especially the early ones, they can be misleading, and that’s actually its purpose)

Ok, with that out of the way...

Given season 8 is the final season, it’s already established that we know these characters: their way of acting, of thinking, of approaching things.

For example:

We got the ones that are involved in the Big Game, the politicians/diplomats (Tyrion, Varys, Sansa, Cersei, Davos, Missandei)

We got the ones involved with prophecy/magical elements (D@ny, Jon, Bran, Melisandre, Night King)

We got the warriors (Jaime, Brienne, Arya, the Hound, Tormund, Beric and the Brotherhood, Gendry, Yara, the armies of men and the dead)

We got the loose canons (Euron and Bronn, though I really wish Bronn will somehow ride north with Jaime)

We got the unlikely heroes (Theon, Sam and Pod)

We got to a point where we know these characters’ traits and faults, we know what they’re good at and what their bad at.

But how were these characters introduced?

(I will focus on promotional pictures for this. This meta will focus on Jon and D@enrys, since they are two of the main players used to promote the series before it premiered)

So let’s start with Jon:

Jon Snow-Season 1

This is the first promo pic we had of Jon Snow. It has a quote of the oath of the Night’s Watch, instantly painting him, at the eyes of the audience, as a warrior, as a defender of men. It clearly contrast with the one for Cersei, which paints her at the eyes of the audience as a cunning, not-to-be-trusted politician

Now let’s go to Season 2:

After all that has happened in S1 (i.e: the political intrigue of the South), we see Jon is still tied to the Night’s Watch, still tied to his vows, as another part of the oath is quoted on his poster. His poster is apolitical, with no ties to all the political upheaval that Westeros is going through. He’s still a defender of men, a knight on a noble crusade. Only now, he will learn that there is more than one way to defend people. He will learn that information is as valuable as a sword when it comes to battle. It is from this season onward, that Jon will learn how to be a strategist. It is in the season 2 finale that he infiltrates the Wildling army under Qhorin’s command. No matter how things might seem, he’s still a sworn brother of the Night’s Watch, the watcher on the Wall, the sword in the darkness. His loyalty lies with them and this quote reminds us of that.

His ties with House Stark are severed, even though the fact that he’s the bastard of Winterfell is constantly brought up throughout the seasons. Let’s compare his poster to Robb’s:

Robb’s promo poster is political. He ended season 1 being crowned King in the North. The War of the Five Kings is at its genesis. But the Young Wolf is different from the other kings, he doesn’t want the Iron Throne, he goes to war to avenge his father and achieve northern independence. His quote is “the North remembers”; it’s a promise to the enemies of House Stark and the North. It instantly solidifies the conflict between the North and the South. There’s also another poster with the same line, made to represent House Stark/the North:

There’s also a Joffrey/House Lannister poster (I apologize in advance to all House Stark stans):

With this one. I’m so sorry, I apologize again, the audience gets the true nature of Joffrey, and also the behaviour of House Lannister overall, once Joffrey ascends as King. I’ll talk about the one for House Targaryen when I get to D@ny.

But let’s jump forward to season 6 (I make this jump because for season 3 and 4 it’s the same poster for all characters, nothing really distinctive about them):

Season 6 promos had the motif of the Hall of Faces, from the House of Black and White. At first sight, this promo poster doesn’t seem like much. I mean, it doesn’t have any quote on it that relates to the character so, what’s so special about it?

Well, in the GOT wiki, in the photo gallery for season 6, are all the teaser posters for the seasons, with a quote relating to the character’s journey up until this point. Jon’s quote is: "The long night is coming...and the dead come with it." Again, this quote keeps him tied to the Night’s Watch and their fight against the Night King. He’s still the knight on a noble crusade, only this time, he’s not part of the Night’s Watch, but he still has their fight against the Others as his top priority. He is the shield that guards the realms of men (a line he says to Beric in S7 during the wight hunt, mind you).

A side note: something I observed is the connection Jon’s quote has with the other Starks (sans Arya, since she’s training to become No One). It’s the first time a promotional teaser poster links him to the Starks. By making this connection, it’s clear that, when at first, his fealty was with the Night’s Watch, now it is with his House. What is the connection? The sense of loss and being at a low point. We all know it’s been that way for the Starks since season 1. The quotes from House Stark are the following:

"I've won every battle, but I'm losing this war." - Robb Stark

"If I'm going to die, let it happen while there's still some of me left." - Sansa Stark

"Anyone can be killed." - Arya Stark

"Show them how it feels to lose what they love." - Catelyn Stark

Season 7 was the same as seasons 3 and 4: same quote (a House Stark-related quote) for all the characters, with the tiny hint of the Night King. Nothing particularly special, but we could point out the use of a quote heavily related to House Stark “Winter is here” (a line said by Sansa to Jon in the season 6 finale, mind you) and the hint of the Night King in the eye of the characters, alluding to the fabled “Ice”, the Night King and his army of the dead. So I wouldn’t be so surprised if the promotional posters for season 8 contrast the ones from last season, alluding to the fabled “Fire”.

So, now let’s go with D@ny

D@enerys Targaryen-Season 1:

The first promo we get for D@ny establishes her as someone in completely different world from Westeros, a woman out of place, and she’s holding one of her dragon eggs. To add to it we have the quote “I do not have a gentle heart” (one said by her to Jorah). So this promo poster sets her as a, in lack of a better way to explain myself, a strong woman (ugh). We bear witness to the hardships D@ny has to face in season 1, but she faces them all and at the end comes up on top, with the birth of her dragons.

Now, let’s see season 2 D@ny:

The quote she is given for the season 2 poster is a way to introduce, little by little, the mentality of House Targaryen. So far, in season 1, we’ve learnt about the Targaryens like history, through the eyes and minds of other characters (Aegon the Conqueror, Mad King Aerys and Rhaegar during Robert’s Rebellion are the most notable), but we got to see glimmers of the Targaryens with Vyseris’ behavior and later D@enerys’. The birth of her dragons is a catalyst for her: she’s still Khaleesi, but we get to see more and more of the “dragon” in her.

youtube

It is in this season, we start to see D@enerys embrace her Targaryen roots.

Her promo poster is also very similar to Robb’s: its quote is also used to represent her House in the House Targaryen teaser poster

It heavily features fire: the small pyre, the dragon egg cracking, and the Targaryen sigil, the three-headed dragon. It represents the birth of the dragons, that we see at the season 1 finale, but it also represents the return of House Targaryen with D@ny and her three baby dragons. Let’s not forget the full quote “I will take what is mine with fire and blood”. From now on, D@ny is in a quest of power to get what she thinks was taken from her: the Iron Throne.

As I explained earlier, season 3 and 4 didn’t have posters that stood out individually, character wise.

So with that said, let’s jump to season 6:

As I explained with the Jon poster, at first glance, it would seem that the season 6 promo posters would be no different to those of previous seasons, that is until I looked up the pics in the GOT wiki and saw each one had a quote. D@ny’s quote was the following: "I will do what queens do. I will rule." By this point, she has her armies and is Queen of Meereen, she’s in a good place. But season 5 threw at her new hardships that tested her as a ruler and by the end of the season she ended fleeing the city atop Drogon. So, in season 6, we see D@ny readjust herself amongst the Dothraki in Vaes Dothrak, but later, when she murders all the Khals and the Dothraki see her as the “Unburnt”, she becomes their leader, gaining another army for her quest for the Throne. She deals with situation in Meereen quite swiftly (with the intervention of Tyrion, but it didn’t prevent her of going all Dracarys) and she gained new allies in Dorne and the Reach. So she ends the season with a long-awaited moment: sailing for Westeros.

Her quote is about power. Her goal, from the start, was to get back to Westeros and reclaim the Throne. She wants to rule, she seek that power. But, just as Jon’s quote connected him to the Starks’, does D@ny’s quote connect her to anybody else? If we concentrate on power, then yes, her quote connects to others:

"When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground." - Cersei Lannister

"Everyone is mine to torment." - Joffrey Baratheon

We have Cersei, who seeks to maintain power since the very beginning, and we also have Joffrey, who, as King, did what he pleased with his subjects (the little shit). But there’s another quote, but it doesn’t connect, rather it serves as contrast:

"I was never meant to rule." - Robert Baratheon

Here we have a Lord that went to war and won, thus making him the King and establishing a new dynasty. Everyone knew Robert was a great warrior, proven time and time again on the battlefield, but when the time came for him to lay down his warhammer and rule, he proved he wasn’t the man for the job. He was a warrior, not a ruler. And I think it’s the same with D@ny, she’s a great warrior, she has proven herself as a conqueror, but we’ve seen she’s not fit to rule. As Daario points out in season 6:

The difference between Robert and D@ny is that Robert was well aware of his inability to rule, whereas D@ny is uncapable to see her own faults as a ruler. Also, I find this parallel/contrast between Robert and D@ny super ironic.

D@ny is great in a battlefield, but she fails when she has to bring people together. She’s great when she has to set ships and armies ablaze (which is very cruel, because you know, death by fire sucks), but she fails when diplomacy is involved. Her tenure in Meereen is a big testament to that.

Sansa puts it better:

“Now, I’m sure cutting off heads is very satisfying, but that’s not the way you get people to work together”

In conclusion:

We get introduced to Jon as a guardian, as a protector. That image of him never goes, even after he leaves the Watch. His role in the story, overall, is the one of a defender, of a honorable knight that fights for a noble cause. From the start, he is the watcher in the Wall, the sword in the darkness, the shield that guards the realms of men. That’s his main goal: to protect people from the threat of the Night King. And throughout the seasons, we’ve seen him become not only a leader, but a strategist, someone that values information as much as he values an army.

On the other hand, we get introduced to D@ny as a woman out of place, but that quickly acquires power, and that’s her goal. Neither of these things really go away in her story, too: she is a woman out of place because she longs for home, and tries to find it anywhere she can. She acquires power very quickly and becomes a formidable force all on her own, but as her power rises, the more she embraces her Targaryen heritage. Her role in the story, overall, is one of a conqueror, just like her ancestor, a warrior. While there are some savior tropes (white savior tropes) in her storyline and she tries to do good for the ones that can’t defend themselves, her story is mainly driven by power. Her main goal never stops being the Iron Throne.

And also, they’re the last two Targaryen: one, a defender, the other, a conqueror. Their stories go in opposite directions. That’s the reason why in the last season, Jon and D@ny are going to clash. And it’s been spelled out for us from the start.

#how to tag #got #jon snow #anti targ restoration #anti jonerys #anti daenerys #got meta #game of thrones #game of thrones meta #jon snow meta #promo analysis #i don't think this is necessarily anti d #it's more of pointing out the obvious #but just in case #my meta #my stuff #i wanted to pass this to drafts but tumblr was being a bitch #i wanted to add a couple of things #so there you go

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scroll-of-thought · 6 years ago

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there’s someone living in my home at the moment who scrutinizes my every move, talks down to me, and dismisses my issues with depression when it comes to house stuff. I’m trying to get better, but at this point they won’t really listen to me and just seem to dismiss me as dumb and lazy. (they’re also a bit misogynistic to top) I’ve tried being civil and reasonable but this person is so against me it seems nothing will work. I’ve never used magic on someone else before but I’ve (1/2)

(2/2) tried and tried and this person seems to really hate me, or at least think badly of me no matter what. what would you do in this case? my mental health is being seriously affected and I don’t feel comfortable in my own home. I’m afraid of doing any housework for fear of angering this person and them writing more long messages about how I suck, how I am too forgetful, how I’m a dumbass. I need this to stop, and I want to feel at home in a place I pay for every month with hard earned money..

Sorry I didn’t see this last night! I've been really busy over the past few days and haven’t been online.

This sounds really rough. And I’ve seen people go through stuff like this all too often. First we’re going to go over some mundane solutions, and we’ll talk magick later. Firstly, it’s important to understand you probably can’t change a person like this with your own actions. Magick might be able to lessen their asshole-ness, but this seems like a deep seated problem in them. They’re this way because they’re a shitty person, and that’s no fault of your own, and trying to change their perspective is not only a tall order, for someone who’s actually qualified to work with them on a psychological level, but it’s also a tall order that would probably hurt you in the process of doing. If They’re belittling to your mental issues and a misogynist on top of that, they’re a lost cause. The goal here should be to lessen interaction with them, get out of the situation, or distance yourself from them as much as possible.

I don’t know the entire situation, but do they have any legal right to be there? Like, if they’re a roommate, but the lease isn’t in their name, you might be able to get them kicked out. If so, I’d look for another roommate and work on getting them kicked out. If it’s the other way around, and you can leave, I’d look into doing so as soon as you can. Find a new roommate, maybe ask friends or if you’re part of any support groups, see if anyone knows anyone who would be more understanding of your condition. Same thing goes for a therapist if you have one, they might have resources that could put you in contact with other’s who might be able to help you make those connections, and get out of that situation. If they’re family, then it might be trickier. But depending on your family, you might be able to take advantage of this. If you have sympathetic family members, go to them for help. Explain your situation, explain you’re trying and doing you best to get better, and explain that they are seriously hampering your healing process. Maybe they can talk (or shame) some sense into them. Another important thing to do, regardless of the situation, is to build a legal case. Just in case you need it. Make sure you have a paper trail for rent. Take pictures of notes they leave you. Save messages they send you. Keep all of it. I know this isn’t easy for some people, but if you can, get diagnosed with depression by a professional if you can. You never know when that can help you legally, like if they try to get you kicked out, or if they continue to harass you, or something like that.

And remember that you are paying to live there, with your hard earned money, and it’s your right to feel at home in that place. You aren’t dumb, and you’re certainly not lazy. I know how devastating depression can be, and how it can just erode your whole life around you. Just hang in there and know people like me and all the others who have been there are with you.

So let’s get to some magick :D That’s what this blogs about, right?

I’ve got a couple ideas. We’re going to take away some of their power to hurt you, try to help their disposition towards you, and we’ll try something to help cope with the depression.

First a classic binding spell.

You’re going to need: String (preferably black, but any will do) A picture of them (or we’ll make a taglock for them) Some alone time to do the spell.

If you don’t have a picture, you can simply write their whole name on a bit of paper, and if you have access to something like a bit of their hair from a brush, or something like that, it can help strengthen the connection. Simply put the hair in the paper with their name (you can tape or glue it if you want) and fold the paper up a few times, and you’ve got a taglock fitting for this simple spell.

Take your photo/taglock and wrap the string around it, starting from the front, holding it in place with your thumb, and wrapping it around behind the photo, and back to the front. Every loop you make say “[asshole’s name] I bind your power to hurt me. Your words can do no harm to me. Your malice can not injure me.” and wrap it up until you’re out of string or you’ve totally covered the photo/taglock. If it’s a photo I would make sure to at least cover the mouth as much as you can to shit him the fuck up. You’ll then tie off the string (you can also seal it with wax, or even glue if you want, but a simple knot is fine) and finish with “[Asshole], you are bound. This is my will. You can not hurt me.” (you can top it off with a “So mote it be/So I will it/Amen”, or whatever you want, if you want) and toss that shit in the trash. The spell is done, whatever happens to the taglock and string from here no longer matters. You’ve bound them and harming you should be more difficult and more taxing on them and even if they attempt to belittle you, you’ll notice it means a lot less to you than it did before, and they can go fuck themselves. Next, a Sweetening Jar. You’re going to need: A jar or similar container A photo/taglock/petition Honey/syrup/etc. (optional) Some herbs for different effects, like rosemary for protection, lavender(or maybe weed?) to make this guy chill the fuck out, or whatever else you want to customize this one with.

Sweetening jars are typically used by many online witches for love spells, but they’re versatile and also great just changing someone’s opinion about you and making them like you more, or even just bringing peace between people. An alternative would be a freezer spell, where you literally put the spell in the freeze to make them chill the fuck out, but as you’re living together, you probably don’t want them finding the spell when they’re digging around in the freezer for food.

Also I’m going to note that there are a bunch of different ways to do this kind of spell, from lots of different traditions. Some of the better known versions online are from Hoodoo, Dominican root work, and other ethnic magicks. You’re your interested in those things, obviously do your research, be respectful to the traditions they come from, generally just use your head and best judgement if you do further reading on this. My version of this spell is super simple and doesn’t draw from any specific tradition, more so just standard symbology and force of will magick. Take your jar, and put a thin layer of honey in the bottom. Layer in the picture/taglock. Many different versions of this spell will have you wait until the end to do the spoken elements of the spell, but I like to start mine here, and I’m going to do it in an unorthidox manner. Simply start talking to the person and tell them how you feel and what’s going on. “[Asshole], this is a sweetening spell. Our relationship will improve. You’re going to chill out so I can stop calling you “Asshole” with those silly square brackets. You’re going to be more understanding and sympathetic to me. Etc, Etc.” Feel free to sprinkle in some of your “dude, chill out” herbs at this stage. Cover with more honey as your having your conversation, until you feel they’re covered enough. Mix in a layer of protection herbs when you hit any talking points on them leaving you alone. This is their time to listen, for you to tell their soul they need to stop, and for your will to shape the way they’ll begin to treat you from now on. Take that jar when you’re done with it, and stick it somewhere out of the way. Under a bed, in a closet, somewhere of no consequence. If things start to take a dip, take the jar out, tell it “Remember what we talked about” and put it back. Finally for the depression.

Honestly, if I had a cure all spell for this, I would use it right fucking now. I am going to point you in the way of my sigil tutorial and suggest you give it a read and maybe make a sigil to help you through the rough spots, or many sigils to help at different parts. I made a sigil for “I can complete my task” and turned that sigil into an amulet, and that thing has kicked me out of bed to do what has to be done, regardless of how badly I just want to stay in bed all day. Make one for “My depression has no grasp on me”, “I’m stronger than my depression”, “I have the power to complete my job” or whatever you need. So here’s a link to that tutorial (part 1, link to part to in the post).

Also advice, just as one depressed witch to another. Some of the mundane tips actually help. Like exercise. I heard “oh, go exercise and you’ll feel better!” and I was like “fuck you, you think I can get out of this bed, let alone go for a walk, when I just kind of want to stop existing? You’re fucking mad.” But that shit works. I hate it, but it works. Like, just going out for a walk and getting moving dramatically improved my state. So force yourself to give that a shot, if you can.

Another thing that helps me is positive, constructive hobbies that give a sense of achievement. Especially crafts. Making things, carving a wooden spoon, drawing something, knitting, whatever. It’s like renewed life blood when you’re feeling like shit. Taking a little blob of oven baked clay and sculpting a shitty little mushroom, but then looking at it and being like “fuck, I made this little shroom mother fucker. I’m going to take a sharpy and draw eyes on it. Shit, I made a little friend.” It’s so mentally refreshing, especially when you’re feeling super low. And I think part of it is just proving that you can do something. It’s small, sure, but you’re not finished. And that’s just the kind of empowerment you need in moments like that. It’s helped me dramatically many times over the years. And send me picture if you do pick up a crafty hobby, because I love literally all crafts and I want to see it.

Ok, well, sorry that turned into a super long post, but I hope it helps you out. Again, just know you’re not alone in any of this. Life sucks, but at least it sucks for a lot of us, and we’ve all got each other for when it gets bad. Feel free to message me anytime, and I’ll try to respond faster next time.

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sophiamamamia · 6 years ago

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How does book Sansa Stark compare to the show’s portrayal of her?

The show completely stole her storyline.

It started in episode 1 of season 1 we see Catelyn looking exasperated and rolling her eyes at Sansa whining about wanting to marry Joffery, making it seem as if Catelyn thought Sansa silly and immature while in the book, her parents encouraged her naive worldview and her prejudices, she is praised for that. She's obsessed with decorum while on the show she's whiny and rude to her septa. They also don't ask her if she wants to marry Joffrey, they are the first to use her as a political pawn and she's happy with it for the romance of it, not because she wants the power of a queen, she never think of it. Ned is actually the one that wants to take Arya to Kingslanding so she can learn to be more ladylike (like her sister).

She has been taught that it is her job to please her husband, it's not shallow or treacherous of her, her parents put her in a difficult situation when they betrothed her to the son of someone they suspect of murder and didn't tell her anything. If Ned hadn't discovered the incest, she would be trapped with a sadistic husband who would have had good reason to hate her and her family. In the show, it's her who insist on marrying Joffrey in the pilot, making her future abuses her fault.

In the book she often spouts off random historical and literary trivia, referencing various Westeros myths, historical events, and figures such as Queen Naerys, Aemon the Dragonknight, the twin knights Ser Arryk and Ser Erryk, Baelor the Blessed and his trials walking through the snake pit, the lineage of House Tyrell and how it traces back to Garth Greenhand, the Arryn family tree, Florian and Jonquil, and Jenny of the Oldstones and Prince Duncan. Has an encyclopedic knowledge of every house and sigil in Westeros. She can also read and write better than her much older brothers, play two instruments, and eventually gets to the point where she can sniff out little plots of Littlefinger's.

Our first real opportunity to see that there is way more going on in her head than Joffrey is when she is startled by Ilyn Payne and Sandor Clegane and people are laughing at her, she turns their laughter at her into laughter with her. She gives Ser Barristan Selmy’s CV off the top of her head and identifies Renly Baratheon at a glance. She has people skills and a knowledge base. In the show, Sansa’s just flat out frightened and speaks in the smallest voice possible, she’s denied the opportunity to show off how much she knows. She doesn't appear to have any actual interests or skills beyond sewing (sometimes), eating lemon cakes, and fawning over boys.

Her abuses are diminished in the show ( Arya suffers a lot less too). In King landing, she was regularly beaten by the Kingsguards for no reason and Pycelle molested her under the pretext of a medical check-up when she is grieving over her father. She lived at the mercy of a psychopath who smiles at her before killing her father (a far more useful hostage than her). She used the little freedom she had to save a grieving mother before the riot, to help Tommen even when Joffrey threatens to kill her, she risked her life or at least being beaten bloody to save Dontos when she had nothing to gain doing it and no one else cared. She even saved Lancel who had abused her too. Ironically, Margaery is never shown to be able to manipulate Joffrey in the books, only Sansa did.

When she receives a mysterious letter under her pillow, Sansa immediately starts analyzing not just the note (“unsigned, unsealed, and the hand unfamiliar”), but possible responses. She’s aware that this could be a trap or Joffrey’s idea of a joke and burns the note immediately. What she does not do is accept it at face value. She still risked going to the meeting with a knife, and later she often met Dontos and continue to urge him to help her escape. She also cultivated a friendship with Sandor even if she chooses to not to follow him because he's too unstable, he helps Arya because of her.

When she’s beaten bloody, sexually assaulted, humiliated and threatened with a crossbow in front of a court who laughs at her, she makes the very brave decision to lie to Tyrion and refuses his protection for a better chance of escaping with Dontos. She does not want to safely wait for the victory of the Lannister in Sansa III, ACOK.

She rightly doesn’t trust anyone around her. They had her befriend Shae on the show to add to the Tyrion/Shae “romance” but that was a farce in the books and make them both seem more well-meaning towards her than they were. She bravely warned Margaery about Joffrey (it's treason to do that) but she knows in the book that they only wanted her for her claim and resigned herself to marry a cripple and planned to make him love her and raised her children to hate the Lannister. She also notices immediately that Loras has no interest in her. She doesn't regress and has a second crush on someone who doesn't like her. She’s hardly a political mastermind but in the show, she needs Shae to tell her that Tyrell might have hidden motives for wanting to meet her. In the book, she is at least suspicious of them without being told even if she drew wrong conclusions. She also carefully observes how Margaery works, trying to understand Margaery from a distance before meeting her, and she notices that Margaery did not do anything to win people's love (The Tyrell just stop cutting the food), she saw the lie under the glamour, she is much more cynical in remembering that the same crowd assaulted her without real reason too. The show keeps her incredibly naive until her marriage to Ramsay

She doesn't KNEEL when she's forced to marry one of her enemies who robbed her of her future and wanted to steal her home by killing her brother, especially since this marriage still doesn't protect her from Joffrey who molested her again and told her he’ll rape her. She gave nothing to her abusers, she hides her feelings so well that Tyrion thinks she can't lie when she does nothing else, he even wonders if she still wants Joffrey. She lives almost every moment in King’s Landing in anxiety and fear of how she will be either caught or hit or tortured or raped or killed. Sansa actively participates in planning her escape from the beginning of the 2nd book to escape King’s Landing, and Dontos expects payment in kisses.

She understands on her own that Littlefinger framed her for kingslaying, he doesn't need to explain it to her, she never trusted him and of course, the entire Vale plot was erased.

#book sansa vs show sansa #Angelique Sauvignet #interesting thoughts of interesting people #got #asoiaf

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peculiarbob · 6 years ago

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Desolate Souls and Broken Minds

Chapter 7: Puzzle Pieces

Warnings: Mentions of blood, gore, murder, and death. (If there’s anymore please tell me)

Side note: It’s been a while, I hope I didn’t mess up on anything. Enjoy!

Word count: 2703

Summary: After a heart warming reunion with Brian, strange things quickly begin happening. On top of all this, Sam, Dean, and Castiel return. Though pissed off, they all agree to help each other out. Everything goes downhill after that.

Breakfast with Brian was nice, he even gave me one of his shirts and a pair of pants because the one I was wearing was soaked in blood. Whoops. The outfit was a bit tight but it didn’t matter, he told me we had to go clothes shopping right away. Yay. I don’t really like going clothes shopping, but I don’t really have a choice. Brian, of course, had to look stunning when we went out. I have two questions; one, why do we have to head out of state? And two, why does he have makeup on hand to cover up his black eye?

“I just wanna take a break from all of this mess. It’s driving me crazier than I already am. Also is there a rule that I can’t have makeup? No.” I forgot that he owned makeup even in college. This shouldn’t have been anything new to me.

We finally arrive at the mall and I immediately feel uncomfortable. There are so many people here. I take a couple pills and shift in my seat as Brian fails at parking. As I stare out the window, a group of teenagers look over at us. Some of them whisper to each other and laugh. I spent so much time avoiding people that this feels almost foreign. Brian unbuckles himself and looks over at me when I don’t move.

“Hey-” he says while putting a hand on my shoulder, “It’s gonna be fine. Just gotta get some stuff and we’ll be out. Okay?”

“Kay.”

Why is it so crowded here?!?! Tall strangers bump into me so I instinctively grab onto Brian’s arm for support. We end up going to a Target, it’s surprisingly empty here. I grab a couple outfits and head to the cash register, no one’s behind the counter. We stand there kind of awkwardly for a couple minutes till we hear a faint sound coming from near the backroom.

“Oh crap!” says a shaky voice before going back into the room.

We give each other a “what is going on?” look. Brian goes over and knocks on the door. Silence. At this point other customers are starting to line up and it seems like this worker isn’t coming out anytime soon, not with us here at least, so we decide to shop at a different store. To avoid the crowd, we walk along the outside of the main building. When we re-enter the building, nothing is moving. It’s as if time was frozen. Just then a whoosh sound comes from behind us. The whoosh of angel wings. Zayden.

“Hey!” Zayden says in a friendly voice, he’s accompanied by Atsuko. They seem to be in a rush. “In a couple of seconds the three amigos are gonna come around that corner and you two gotta face them for us.”

“Why do we have to do it?” Brian asks lazily.

“It is not safe for us.” Atsuko replies, “You two will be safe if you do as you are told. Here, these sigils should keep you safe. What you need to know is on the back of the paper.” She explains while handing me five square sheets of yellowing paper. Before they head out Zayden says one more thing.

“I thought I told you not to tell anyone that we’ve met before.” Brian opens his mouth to speak but is cut off, “You should work on your angel warding sigils.”

Time resumes and everyone starts moving again. He was right, we’re soon face to face with the three. They take us into a secluded alleyway and question us. They don’t seem too fond of Brian, he is a stranger to them so I’ll give them that.

“Who the hell is this?!?!” Dean fumed.

“The name’s Brian.” Brian says with a cocky tone, “You must be Dean, this must be Sam, and you must be Castiel.”

“Where did you go, where’s Jessica, what happened?!?!” Sam says, only slightly less mad than Dean. I try multiple times to explain everything but they don’t seem satisfied. They yell at us saying things like, because of us they haven’t been able to hunt when they need to, Jack still won’t leave his room, and that they’re still being harassed by the operator, exetra, exetra.

“Well what do you want us to do about it?!” I snap, “What do you want from us?!?! Sorry you haven’t been able to hunt, we’ve just been a little distracted with our lives falling apart again!”

Brian is the first to speak, “Not that what he said isn’t true, because it is, but we can still help you guys.”

They turn their backs to us and discuss the situation but who are they fooling? If they want a chance at escaping this thing their only hope is us. They, unsurprisingly, want our help still. I finally get to buy my clothes and change before we leave. We have to drive back to the Brian’s place before heading back to the bunker so we can get our things. Well, more Brian’s things. Only now I realize how beautiful forests can be. When we get to the bunker I notice that Jack isn’t here. I guess that he really hasn’t left his room since Jessica told him to stay there. Poor kid, he must be so scared. He isn’t responding when I knock on his door so I decide to leave him alone and look around. They have many books about monsters, sigils, spells, and just about everything you’d need to know if you were in a cult.

“Yo, Bert and Ernie!” Dean calls, “We need to talk about hunting.”

“So,” Sam starts, “in a park in Alabama people are reporting that something is harassing them in the woods. But get this, whatever it is makes animal-like noises and lures them out by pretending to be in danger.”

“I’m guessing a wendigo. For those who don’t know-” Dean tilts his head towards us, “A wendigo is a creature that’s quick as lightning, can mimic human voices, and is deadly as hell.”

“But….” Sam interrupts, “No deaths or reports of missing people. Wendigos always take their prey, why would it just taunt them?”

The two go on for a bit as me and Brian give each other a look, silently dreading the fact that we both know where we have to go. After they lecture us on the basics of hunting and how to kill a wendigo, we get in our cars. The drive was long and, to say the least, not fun. As we pull into town I get a strange sensation, sort of like I’m having deja vu. It’s been years and things have changed, but I can still see the skeleton of what this town used to be. Brian’s staring intensely through the windshield. It’s kind of funny, they manage to pick a case that takes place in Rosswood. Real funny.

Before heading into the woods we decide to split up to cover more grounds, because that always works in the movies. I’m with Cas while Brian is with Sam and Dean. Along with the hunting gear I take an extra case of pills.

“Why do you have a bat with nails?” I ask Brian.

“You’re right. It’s not my style.” he replies while handing me the bat, he then pulls out a metal pipe, “That’s better.”

“That’s not what I- nevermind.”

We head off in opposite directions. It’s quiet, almost peaceful. Light shining through the patches of space between the trees, birds chirping, and leaves crunching underneath our shoes. It’s all so…. Ominous. Cas doesn’t speak much till we get deeper into the forest.

“So, this is your first hunt. How do you think it’ll go?”

I shrug and simply say, “Not sure.”

After continuing for a bit, the silence is shattered by a high pitched scream. We run in that direction. Cas is incredibly fast and I struggle to keep up with him. My vision begins to blur after a while, my muscles are aching, and breathing hurts. I kneel on the ground and almost puke as I try and catch my breath. Cas run out of sight, though they’re fading away, I can still hear his footsteps. A couple minutes pass before Cas comes back. He helps me up and says something about the voice coming from somewhere. I’m still a bit dizzy and not completely sure what he’s talking about.

He takes me by the shoulders and shakes me a little before I can actually focus my eyes. He leads me to a large, rundown, graffiti filled building. Another scream comes from there, the same scream. I tell Cas that I have a bad feeling and that we should call the others. He tries to get me to keep going, but when I don’t move, he disappears. I stand there, not knowing what to do for a second, then pull out my phone to call Brian.

“Hey, found anything?” Brian asks.

“Sort of.” I say back, “We heard screams. Cas ran off and I’m alone. Remember the abandoned hospital?”

“No, I don’t.” He replies sarcastically.

“Meet me there. I got a bad feeling.”

I stare at that damn building. No good memories ever came from this place, not even now. I’m startled by someone shaking my shoulder, it’s just Brian. Sam and Dean follow close behind him. After explaining the situation to all of them, we head inside. After searching around for a while we find nothing. We then head over to the second smaller building. At first glance there seems to be nothing of importance, but then Dean notices something. Four Polaroids, all in a neat line on top of a desk. The first was of Atsuko, the second was of Jack, the third was of Jessica, and the last was of Alex. Both of his eyes has that symbol drawn over them with sharpie. I pick it up and notice that the photo itself looks old, Alex looks like he did when we started filming Marble Hornets. I find this a bit strange since the other three look relatively new compared to this one.

I turn around to face the others but my eyes shift behind them to see a I see a white mask dart into a room. I call out to it and run over to the room, no one's there. Everyone else gives me a look, but I know what I saw. The room is pretty much bare, I don’t really know what I was expecting to find. In the middle of doing a 360, I find something curious; the doorway no longer leads into the hall. It leads to a set of stairs, stairs that are attached to another building. That building isn’t even in the same location as this one. I can see that the other one is on a school campus. It finally hits me, I know this building. Looking only straight ahead, I open the doors to that God forsaken building and head inside.

Everything is a lot older than I remember, a lot more creaky, a lot more eerie. I walk cautiously, my eyes quickly shifting from side to side. I grip the bat tighter as I turn each corner. I’m still wandering around aimlessly and I’m not finding anything, no Skully, no clues, nothing. I’m tired of this place, not that I wasn’t before. I start to look for an exit when I hear a muffled voice come from one of the rooms. It sounds kind of glitchy, like someone’s trying to speak to me on a walkie talkie. It’s getting louder and louder, and I start walking faster and faster. I rush to get to the stairs but something starts glitching in front of me. Stumbling backwards, I can hear it calling to me, it’s getting larger till it’s finally clear. I’m not sure if he’s fully aware that I can see him.

“Tim!” He yells, “Can you hear me?! Can you see me?!”

“Oh my God. Alex? Alex?!?!” My back is against the wall and I try to inch my way to the doorway. But he grabs my shoulders and stops me.

“Tim, listen. This is taking me so much energy and focus to do, I don’t know how long I can keep it up!”

I can smell his thick, putrid blood. It’s all spilling from his neck wound, mouth, nose and other various cuts. I’m so sorry. He’s obviously scared and what he’s going to say must be important. His face is so close to mine as he stares directly into my eyes. As he speaks he spits small drops of blood on my face. The crimson liquid which stains his hands leaves prints on my shirt.

“Tim, nothing is as it seems! Skully is trying to show us something, but don’t trust everyone with the mask. Angels can be bad, everyone lies! I’m sorry, there is so much more I could tell you, but I have to go.”

“Wait! What does that mean?!”

“I’m sorry.” His entire demeanor completely changes, he can barely look me in the eye. He takes his hands off me and steps back, “Sorry about everything. I’m finally me again, but it’s a little late for apologies isn’t it?” Alex gives a small laugh, “Good bye. Please tell the rest of them that I truly am sorry. Can you do that for m-”

He glitches out before finishing the sentence. I’m once again alone in the room. I quickly reach into my backpack and grab a pen and pad to write down what he said. What could this mean? Nothing has ever been as it seems. What could Skully be trying to show us, and why would I trust him? I guess it does seem like angels aren’t the most reliable creatures. Of course everyone lies, I’ve known that for a while. I can think about this more when I get out of here and find the others.

I walk out the front doors which now lead to a normal environment. I try to call Brian so he can pick me up, it would take me forever to walk back to them. No one answers though. My immediate thought was that this is going to be a long walk. Now that I think about it, why wouldn’t he pick up, is something wrong? I’m getting ahead of myself, his phone could just be dead. I look up from my screen to find myself in a completely different area. It looks like some kind of abandoned mansion. I’m standing in a doorway which leads to a long, narrow room. There’s someone sitting against the wall opposite of me. I stop about half way there when I realize that it’s a person. I recognize who it is. It’s Jessica. She’s dead.

Her jaw is hanging open, dried blood stains her sickly pale skin. Lifeless eyes stare blankly at the wall. Her body looks like it had been mauled by sort of some savage animal. Organs, muscles, and other parts that were meant to be inside, hung out of her. I can feel vomit flowing up, I start to puke at the sight of this.

“I’m so sorry!” I cry out sinking to the floor. I try to pull my gaze away from what used to be my friend. I can’t. My vision begins to blur as tears start to stream viciously down my face. After all these years, my last drop of hope has finally been drained from me. We worked so hard and sacrificed so much to get her back, and it all went to waste because of me. I can’t find any reason to carry on helping these idiots, the idiots that dragged her back into this. The operator can take me now and I’d thank it.

I manage to slow my tears then notice a long shadow coming from the doorway. Skully. The bastard, cryptic as always, says one sentence, “Hang in there, she wanted you to know.” He takes a long look as Jessica then slowly turns around and walks out of sight.

If I die, maybe I won’t have to solve anymore mysteries.

#supernatural #supernatural fanfiction #marble hornets #marble hornets fanfiction #fanfiction #My writing #My AU #Tim Wright #jessica locke #Sam Winchester #dean winchester #castiel #MY OCs #skully mh

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